Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
Are You Ready For a ‘Benji’ Reboot? Good, Because You’re Getting One
If studio developments in recent years have taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected when it comes to reboots and adaptations. From upcoming movies based on video games like Centipede and Tetris to the Jumanji reboot, it’s as if studios are plucking titles from the Least Likely pile (where is my Easy Bake Oven movie already?). The latest movie to get the unexpected reboot treatment is Benji — you know, the feel-good doggy adventure movie from 1974, which many of you probably remember best from its near-constant presence on The Disney Channel in the ’80s and early ’90s.
New Movie Releases: June 2016
In case you didn’t get enough inspiration from our list of the 20 films you absolutely must see this summer, then perhaps our guide to June’s new movie releases will give you a few more ideas. Next months brings sequels to Independence Day, The Conjuring and Now You See Me, a new Pixar film, and a comedy from the Lonely Island trio. And that’s only half of it. Did we mention Daniel Radcliffe’s magical farting corpse? That’s something you definitely do not want to miss (and we say that sincerely).
SNL and Beck Bennett Prove That a Man With a Baby Body Is Better Than Trump
It has been way too long since Beck Bennett’s Mr. Patterson made an appearance on SNL, but the man-baby makes his hilarious return this week, transitioning from running an office to running for office — it really doesn’t take much to see how this sketch came to be, but it’s still absolutely delightful nonetheless.
Drake Has Beef With Everyone on SNL, Even the Cleaning Lady
Drake’s feuds may not be as legendary as some of his predecessors, but they have made for some juicy gossip fodder despite his typically pleasant demeanor. While hosting this week’s SNL, the rapper managed to start some beef with, well, just about everyone — from Pete Davidson to the impossibly sweet Aidy Bryant, and even the cleaning lady. Yes, the cleaning lady.
ABC Cancels ‘The Muppets’ After Just One Baffling Season
Despite an attempt to turn things around with a new showrunner in the middle of the first season, The Muppets hasn’t really caught on with audiences the way ABC had hoped. What once seemed like a surefire hit (it’s the Muppets!) turned into a bizarre experiment (it’s a meta-fake-documentary series!) before ultimately becoming an interesting failure (shrug emoji), at best. The short version: ABC has cancelled The Muppets after just one season.
Kristen Stewart Solves Non-Mystery of Why She Didn’t Return for ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’
There’s a moment (spoiler, maybe?) in The Huntsman: Winter’s War, when Sam Claflin’s prince explains that Snow White is absent because staring at the magic mirror too much made her ill (what a diss). We then see a quick shot of Snow White from behind as she agonizes in front of the mirror, though her face remains obscured. If you’ve seen the film, then it’s easy to imagine why Snow White and the Huntsman star Kristen Stewart didn’t feel like reprising her role for the sequel, but she’s happy to spell it out for you, just in case.
SNL Revives Dana Carvey’s Church Lady to Judge Our Choices Accordingly
It’s been several years since Dana Carvey’s Church Lady graced us with her benevolent presence, but Church Chat finally returns to SNL — and not a moment too soon. With Donald Trump running for president (what a world) and pop culture run amok, we, as a nation, are truly in need of sage wisdom from Carvey’s shrewdly devout Church Lady.
J.J. Abrams Says Rey’s Parents Aren’t in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ or Maybe They Are, Who Knows
Last night, J.J. Abrams participated in a Q&A with Chris Rock at the Tribeca Film Festival, where topics ranged from superhero films to lens flares to — inevitably — Star Wars: The Force Awakens. When asked if Rey’s parents are in the film, Abrams basically said no, sending fans into a speculation spiral as they crossed Han Solo, Luke and Leia off their lists and prepared to begin a new chapter in their theorizing. But then Abrams clarified his comments in a later statement, taking us right back to where we started with this whole crazy speculation game.
‘Pete’s Dragon’ Reveals First Look Pete’s Imaginary Dragon Friend
The first poster merely hinted at the titular star of Pete’s Dragon (no, not Pete – the other thing), shown bashfully hiding behind a tree. The first trailer for the upcoming remake from director David Lowery similarly exercised some restraint in showing the friendly dragon, with Disney presumably hoping to hold back on the reveal for a little while longer. The time has officially come for our first look at the dragon of Pete’s Dragon, whose name is Elliott, by the way.
Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League Has a Predictably Great Response to Texting in Theaters
The Alamo Drafthouse is built on a simple concept: great movies, good food, and most important of all — don’t talk or use your cell phone in the theater, or they will not hesitate to kick you out without a refund. Drafthouse CEO Tim League has devoted his brand to focusing on why we go to theaters in the first place, which is to watch movies, despite what some movie-goers and major corporate chains would have you believe. Following AMC’s briefly disastrous flirtation with allowing people to text in their theaters, League delivered a very thoughtful response, but if you’d rather watch a TL;DR version, you can see his predictably great reaction to this ill-conceived concept in the video above.
Melissa McCarthy Re-Teams With ‘The Boss’ Director Ben Falcone for ‘Life of the Party’
Oh, good. For those who are fans of Melissa McCarthy but remain unimpressed by her movie collaborations with husband and director Ben Falcone (me), you may want to turn away now because this news is not going to thrill you (me). Following the success of Tammy and The Boss, McCarthy and Falcone are teaming up for another comedy film, this one in the vein of Rodney Dangerfield’s classic Back to School.
‘The Jungle Book’ IMAX Trailer: Scarlett Johansson’s Kaa Tells Mowgli’s Origin Story
In one of The Jungle Book’s more inspired bits of casting, Scarlett Johansson voices the python Kaa, a character typically portrayed as male. Johansson's distinctive voice is perfect for the hypnotic snake, who lulls Mowgli into a precarious sense of ease as she recounts his origin story in this new IMAX trailer for Jon Favreau's re-telling of the classic tale.