Review: 'Midway', Roland Emmerich's WWII Film Gets Torpedoed By Bad Acting, Worse Writing

Midway is exactly the war film you would expect from disaster movie peddler Roland Emmerich. For some, that it's big, dumb, and has more explosions than characters you give a damn about will be seen as a plus, just as many feel the same way about Michael Bay movies. You don't show up to an Emmerich film expecting authenticity, which makes the "Based on True Events" header a joke in itself, but nobody expects it to be quite so dull and badly acted, either.

Badly acted largely due to a cast who are given a cringe-worthy script from Wes Tooke devoid of anything that resembles human emotion. Not even actors the caliber of Patrick Wilson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, and Woody Harrelson can make heads or tails out of the rah-rah speechifying and expository statements they are forced to rattle off. Emmerich's take on the battle of Midway is about as retro as they come, using a scaled-down color palette and a heightened, almost superheroic tone similar to the bombastic war movies of a bygone era. It's an interesting choice to make and might have worked with a better screenplay that truly honored the sacrifices made by these real-life heroes.

In true Emmerich fashion, we're thrown into the action early as the Japanese launch the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor.  The devastation is massive; ships torn asunder, fires raging, as Japanese warplanes launch strafing run after strafing run like something out of Star Wars. In the midst of all this emerges hotshot Navy pilot Dick Best, and no that name isn't a joke. He's a real war hero, worthy of a much better performance than Ed Skrein can give him. Best wants to punch back immediately, but of course, he can't. Instead, he acts like a jerk while the higher-ups come up with a strategy for response.

After the carnage of the opening attack, the film slows down as intelligence is gathered leading up to the battle of Midway. Patrick Wilson plays Intelligence Officer Edwin T. Layton, who figures out early on where the Japanese will attack next, but has to convince his superiors, including Woody Harrelson as Admiral Chester Nimitz, that the divisive code-breaking tech he's using is sound. None of this stuff is compelling in the least. There's a hint of an underdog story as Layton tries to get Washington to support his theories, but it doesn't really go anywhere. Meanwhile, other characters are introduced who serve little purpose. Dennis Quaid's Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey is around long enough to bark a few orders before being shuffled off with a case of shingles (!?!?), Nick Jonas plays an easygoing soldier who doesn't really care about anything, and whole lot of other actors with mustaches who fail to make much of an impression. Tooke's screenplay identifies them all by whatever their singular trait might be. "He's the man who tried to warn us!", greets Layton. "He's the best pilot we've got!" is about the only thing good anybody has to say about the appropriately-named Best. Don't go looking for too much from the female characters, either, one of which is played by Mandy Moore. As Best's long-suffering wife, she exists to make sandwiches late at night and worry about his safety.  Moore is given little from Skrein to connect with emotionally and he is especially terrible during their scenes together.

Midway deserves credit for offering an even-handed look at the Japanese, as well. A tremendous amount of time is dedicated to capturing their side of the conflict, and how their code of honor clashes with the overconfidence they bring into every fight. It's not quite Letters from Iwo Jima level, but I found the look at Japanese war culture to be fascinating and deserving of even more time.

But at least the action is good, right? Well, sure, as long as you aren't expecting realistic aerial dogfights or naval combat. This is video game-level stuff, with some slick CGI visuals that you can tell Emmerich squeezed every bit of that $100M budget to get. If this is all you came for, you might be disappointed there isn't more, as two major setpieces are about all you get. Unfortunately, it's all the stuff in-between that torpedoes Midway from being all it could be.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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Review: 'Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil', Angelina Jolie Finds No Redemption In Disney's Dull, Grim Sequel

Disney's Maleficent occupies a strange space in their recent infatuation with fairy tale reimaginings. Unlike the others, it took the notorious Sleeping Beauty villain and flipped the story on its head, positioning the horned-one as an antihero whose tales of evil were just a big misunderstanding! It was all a bit silly, but pretty to look at and Angelina Jolie's razor-sharp cheekbones were indeed something to behold. Plus, there was at least something interesting in the emergence of Maleficent's maternal instinct, and how it turns her towards being a force for good.

Maleficent, and Jolie's cheekbones, somehow sharper, are back for the sequel, Mistress of Evil, which unnecessarily continues the story of her rehabilitation into a full-on hero. Somehow overstuffed and boring, the film is at least notable for the sheer tonnage of CGI woodland creatures crammed onto the screen at once. It's like the full cast of Lord of the Rings and Carnival Row sharing a two-hour-long group photo, leaving Jolie's Maleficent a passenger in her own movie.

The new film takes place a few years later, with Queen Aurora (Elle Fanning) now ruling the fairies, pixies, and tree-like creatures (Ripped-off from LOTR's Ents) in the Moors. After a bit of digital tomfoolery involving her fairy godmothers (the returning Lesley Manville, Juno Temple, and Imelda Staunton), Aurora is proposed marriage by her longtime suitor, Prince Philip (Harris Dickinson, replacing Brenton Thwaites who thought better). This isn't going to make her godmother very happy. Not only is Maleficent mistrustful of humans, for very good reason, but she's wary of what a union between the Moors and the kingdom of Ulstead could mean.

Literally gritting her teeth through the ordeal ("Show a little less fang", Maleficent is told by her terrific sidekick Diaval, played by the underrated Sam Riley), Maleficent meets with Aurora's new in-laws at a sure-to-be-awkward dinner engagement. The situation is made worse by the frostiness of Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), who can't hide her disdain despite the efforts of her husband, King John (Robert Lindsay). Maleficent's table manners aren't too hot, either, and it isn't long before holy green Hell breaks loose. The king is cursed in the fracas, Maleficent blamed for it, and Ingrith is ready to declare war.

War is what Mistress of Evil falls back on rather than the core relationship between Maleficent and Aurora, which gave the first film much of its heart. While the sequel is more action intense than the previous one, there's a decided lack of emotional stakes. We do learn that Maleficent's powers are somehow tied to the mythical Phoenix (not the Dark Phoenix, although I WISH!!!), and her genetic bloodline rooted to a hidden race of creatures that look just like her, two of them played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein in obvious paycheck gigs. Ejiofor in particular tries his best to make something of his Yoda-like mentor, Conall, but the script doesn't allow that much space for anybody, much less him.

Mostly, this movie is just dull and extremely dark. Director Joachim Rønning may have crowded the opening minutes with fanciful pranks and fairy hijinks, but the rest is doom, gloom, and an extra dose of doom. In one especially Hellish sequence, those same gleeful creatures from the Moors are locked away in a church and...well, something akin to the Red Wedding takes place. The Ulstead soldiers march around like death squads, while fantasy movie icon Warwick Davis turns up as an elvish inventor whose specialty is figuring out ways to kill others just like himself. Oh Willow. How far you've fallen.

Fortunately, Pfeiffer's performance is as gloriously rich with scorn and devilry as we had hoped. She's clearly having a ball as Ingrith, squaring off against Jolie's green-eyed fay, but the latter is strangely withdrawn. Everybody is pretty solemn throughout, perhaps owing to the uninviting storyline that focuses heavily on hatred and death.  Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a real downer, and no amount of magic is going to redeem it.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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'Midway' Trailer: Roland Emmerich Enlists Nick Jonas And Ed Skrein As WWII Fighter Pilots

In Roland Emmerich's old school WWII movie Midway, Ed Skrein stars as Navy pilot Dick Best.  It's the kind of name that only works if you're a Pornhub superstar or good ol' American fighter pilot in a movie about one of the great war's most decisive battles.

The battle of Midway has been depicted on the big screen many times, most notably in the 1976 movie aptly-titled Midway. Probably if you added up the budgets of them all they wouldn't come close to Emmerich's $100M behemoth, which looks as if it shares DNA with the aerial battles in Star Wars. I'm not complaining, but also don't expect strict adherence to the historical record.

Joining Skrein in the cast are Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Luke Evans, Patrick Wilson, Aaron Eckhart, and Nick Jonas who looks to be the primary hero as aviator Bruno Gaido. He's also one of the few characters who doesn't appear to be based on a real person. Yep, Dick Best is an actual dude.

Midway opens on November 8th.

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'Midway' Trailer: Roland Emmerich Blows Things Up Good In WWII

Roland Emmerich.

Admit it, your brain just flashed to a shot of a spaceship blowing up the White House. Emmerich is as capable of ridiculously over-the-top spectacle as any director, and while they used to draw some pretty big box office that hasn't been the case for a very long time. Perhaps a trip back into WWII history where giant naval ships can get blowed up real good will turn things around?

The first trailer for Midway is here and it's exactly what you'd think a war movie from the Independence Day guy would be. Planes rifling bullets down busy streets, warships engulfed in flames, and a slack-jawed Patrick Wilson. The film is based on the pivotal Battle of Midway in which the US Navy won a decisive victory against the Japanese, but I wouldn't go writing any book reports based on what you see in this.

The cast is damned killer, though. Wilson is surrounded by an ensemble that includes Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Woody Harrelson. Hot damn. Okay, I'm in.

Midway hits theaters on November 8th, just in time for Veteran's Day.

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Review: 'Alita: Battle Angel', James Cameron's Manga Adaptation Kicks Robo-Butt

Finally, a live-action manga adaptation we can all get excited over. Alita: Battle Angel has been in the works for a long time, once aimed to be James Cameron's big 3D followup to Avatar. Then Cameron just couldn't quit Avatar and passed the reins, eventually, to Robert Rodriguez. During that time we've seen Hollywood try and fail repeatedly to with manga flicks Ghost in the Shell, Dragonball Evolution, and others. But all of those years spent by Cameron developing groundbreaking visual technology was worth the wait, because Alita: Battle Angel is a dazzling spectacle of kick-butt robo-action with a story that's surprisingly grounded and human.

Major props go to WETA Digital for creating one of the richest dystopian cyberpunk worlds we've ever seen. For once, it's worth it to plunk down the extra cash for the whole 3D experience, which should come as no surprise with Cameron's invaluable input. Alita: Battle Angel pops on the screen, and while there's an ample amount of CGI and motion-capture the surroundings are grounded and tactile. It's in the performances and characters where the hyper-surreal quality of manga comes into play.

The breakout star here is Rosa Salazar, probably best known for her role in the Maze Runner flicks. She plays the title character, a broken-up cyborg discovered in a scrap heap in the far-flung 26th-century. In this dystopian future the elites live in Zalem,  a glorious sanctuary high above the downtrodden in the slums of Iron City. Alita's savior is Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz), who rebuilds her into a perfect little girl, christened after his own daughter. While Alita has a fully-functioning body of blood and steel, missing are memories of who she really is. However, within her core programming is the heart of a warrior and an ancient battle technique known only to an elite sect of androids.

There's a lot Alita: Battle Angel has going on, and the script by Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis piles it up with only a minimum of explanation. This is a setup movie, clearly, with a lot left to answered in future chapters if the franchise extends that far. But what we do get is full of awesome potential, realized in all of its stunning glory by Rodriguez. Alita is, as expected, naïve about the world and so much of the story is about her finding her way in the dangerous streets. There's the introduction of the sport Motorball, run by the mysterious Vector (Oscar winner Mahershala Ali) who has designs on capturing Alita, using an army of paid bounty-hunting cyborgs of various degrees in quality. The people of Iron City have mostly allowed themselves to be transformed with any available tech. Some are pretty slick, like Ed Skrein's Mohawk-sporting hunter, while others are bulky and grotesque such as Jackie Earle Haley's behemoth. We're also introduced to Alita's first love interest, a charming rogue named Hugo (Keean Johnson), who has secrets of his own that could prove deadly. And of course, there's Alita's hidden past which frequently comes colliding with the present. You could make an entire movie out of what we learn about Alita, and a jaw-dropping interplanetary war that we only get glimpses of in flashback. Yes, I need that movie, please!

Because so much is being heaped on the viewer at once, the story turns out to be fairly generic. Rodriguez wrings a lot of energy out of it, though, with battles that are smooth and dynamic, unlike the CGI slop-fests we've seen far too often by other filmmakers. The battles are unrestrained and eye-popping, looking more like an episode of Dragonball Z than the live-action movie ever did.  While the idea of Motorball feels like relic from the Rollerball days, the sequences are fast, exciting, and very violent. I would go so far to say they're too violent for kids, no matter what the age rating on the film may be.

Technical aspects aside, Alita: Battle Angel would be nothing without Rosa Salazar, who makes us fall in love with Alita through her warmth, naivete, and fighting spirit. I love that they kept Alita's manga-inspired giant eyes, because they suit her as her eyes are opened to the unfamiliar world around her. Don't expect Oscar-level performances from Waltz, Ali, Haley, or Jennifer Connelly, though. All four look cool as shit, especially Ali and Waltz, the latter when he gets his fight on with a giant energy-hammer, but only Waltz's Dr. Ido feels important to the larger story. 

With the power of James Cameron behind it, I could see Alita: Battle Angel growing into a successful and long-running franchise.  There's so much story left to tell and so much about this universe that demands revisiting, and I can't wait to see the next step in Alita's evolution.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Review: Barry Jenkins' Gorgeous And Frustrating 'If Beale Street Could Talk'

Although Barry Jenkins has been around as a filmmaker since 2008's Medicine for Melancholy, it was his masterful Best Picture winner Moonlight that brought him into the spotlight. That film showcased his ability to paint an elegant, breathtakingly beautiful portrait of love in all of its myriad forms, and it's a skill Jenkins brings to his followup, If Beale Street Could Talk. An adaptation of wordsmith James Baldwin's 1974 novel about love for black Americans in a time of racism and incarceration, the film has all of Jenkins' polished craft, but it makes for a questionable fit with the author's prose and message.

Starring newcomer Kiki Layne and Stephan James (he played Jesse Owens in Race), If Beale Street Could Talk centers on the relationship between Tish and Fonny. Childhood friends who have grown into lovers, we're introduced to them at the height of their happiness as Jenkins crafts a cinematic love poem full of heartfelt declarations and dreams of the future. But can those dreams stand up to a harsh reality in which black people are seen as second-class citizens? Can those dreams last when the criminal justice system crashes down on Fonny, who is accused of raping a Puerto Rican woman when he was nowhere in the area, but identified by a racist cop (Ed Skrein) with an ax to grind.  As he sits on the opposite side of the glass shield, it's perhaps not the best time for Tish to reveal that she's pregnant with his child. They're going to be parents, and while the timing is inconvenient there is promise in their inevitable happiness.

Again, can such a dream survive? The answer in Jenkins' film is nebulous, but one thing is for sure and it's that hope can be found in the soulful connection within the black community. Tish finds support immediately from her fiercely determined mother Sharon (Regina King, amazing as always) sister (Teyonah Parris), and realist father Joseph (Colman Domingo). The movie's best scene is the moment Tish reveals her pregnancy to Joseph, and while we think he'll come down hard on the girl he surprises us with his warmth and understanding. The only way to get through something like this is with love, contrasted by the hate and condescension by Fonny's Bible-thumping mother (Aunjanue Ellis) who scorns Tish upon learning the news.

The loose-knit narrative juggles back and forth in time but mostly is seen through Tish's flashbacks, painted in vivid, swooning imagery by cinematographer James Laxton. As with any friendship's evolution into romance, there are awkward periods between Tish and Fonny as they navigate new ways of connecting with one another. Eventually it does lead to sex; careful, respectful, the kind of love-making between people who are truly in awe of another. It's a great moment and one of the most passionate sex scenes you'll find. The possibility felt in Tish's memories nevertheless gives way to resentment, as Fonny struggles to make a life for them in a world he doesn't seem to fit in. His skills as a woodworker aren't in demand, and there's a reluctance to event rent an apartment to two young black people. The arrival of a longtime friend (Brian Tyree Henry) just released from prison gives Fonny a closer look at the despair this world can set in the heart of a black man. It's a lesson Fonny would eventually learn the hard way himself, as he clings to some measure of hope that he'll be released from prison in time for the birth of his child.

One of the weaknesses of any adaptation is time, and Jenkins doesn't have the same patience for building out these characters as Baldwin, who meticulously structured everything with beautiful turns of phrase full of insight about the world they exist in. But Jenkins wants us to love everyone immediately, in particular his two leads who are a touch too sweet, too precious to feel completely real. On the other hand, the supporting cast are entirely lived-in and authentic from the start. Domingo and King are perfect in expressing exactly who there characters are and where they come from. When Joseph huddles with Fonny's father (Michael Beach) and proposes taking some shady actions to raise bail money, we know it's coming from a man who has had life put him through some shit. He knows the way the world REALLY works for black people, and he's done playing fair. King gets a standout moment in a confrontation with Fonny's accuser, only to realize the true depths of discrimination and its impact on more than just black people. While Jenkins' lengthy mood interludes worked for crafting Moonlight's surreal atmosphere, they are misplaced here where something more grounded would've had more of an emotional impact.

It just feels like Jenkins is trying really hard to effect the same dreamy aura with If Beale Street Could Talk that he did with Moonlight, but he doesn't realize that Baldwin has already done all the hard work. Jenkins just needed to let the actors do their thing, and while they come through in making this the important film he hoped it to be, it's impossible to escape the sense that it could've been so much more as the issues Baldwin addressed still exist today.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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'Tau' Trailer: Gary Oldman Voices A Futuristic Smart Home In Netflix's Sci-Fi Thriller

Sci-fi thrillers are generally a tough sell at theaters (See also: Annihilation), so it's good they've found a welcome home over at Netflix. The latest to keep an eye out for is Tau, a sci-fi horror that puts Oscar winner Gary Oldman in the most unusual role of his life, that of a futuristic smart home.

Directed by Federico D'Alessandro, the film finds It Follows star Maika Monroe strapped in for more scares, this time as a young woman kidnapped from a futuristic city, only to wake up inside of a smart home voiced by Tau (Oldman), an artificial intelligence created by Ed Skrein. She's commanded to do whatever the house says or die, but she finds others in the home and sets forth on a plot to escape.  It's hard to say, but I sense some kind of alliance between Monroe's character and Tau, so it may be interesting to see how that plays out.

Here's the official synopsis: A once street-smart grifter, Julia (Monroe) who is the latest victim kidnapped and held captive in a fatal experiment. The only thing standing in the way of her freedom is Tau, an advanced artificial intelligence developed by Alex (Skrein), her captor. Tau is armed with a battalion of drones that automate a futuristic smart house. Tau’s potential is only limited by his understanding of the world he exists in, but Tau is ready for more. Julia, showing resourcefulness and courage, must race against time to bridge the boundaries between man and machine, connect to Tau and win her freedom before she suffers the same fate as the previous subjects.


Tau hits Netflix on June 29th.

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Review: 'In Darkness', Natalie Dormer Gives An Eye-Opening Performance In A Serviceable Thriller

In Darkness is a thriller that lacks a lot of what makes a traditional thriller work, namely genuine thrills and consistent escalation of tension. But what it does have is Natalie Dormer, the fiery Game of Thrones actress with the unforgettable smile who gets one of her strongest characters in a movie she developed and co-wrote herself. Directed with considerable nerve by Anthony Byrne, who also co-wrote the screenplay, In Darkness takes some intriguing cinematic risks that serve to accentuate Dormer's illuminating performance.

Dormer takes on the challenge of playing blind pianist Sofia, who lives alone in London and doesn't seem to have much of a life outside of her craft. She's fond of making small talk with Veronique (a sensuous Emily Ratajkowski), the daughter of a Serbian war criminal (Jan Bijvoet) whose sexual and violent appetites are well-known. When Veronique is found dead, hurled from apartment balcony, Sofia is the only known witness, which puts her life in considerable danger. Deadpool villain and Brit charmer Ed Skrein plays the handsome figure who always seems to be around when Sofia is in danger. He could be a potential love interest, the murderer, or both as these things often go. Joely Richardson steals the show as his venomous sister, who relishes putting Sofia through her paces. There's also a detective on the case but the only thing of value he can add is to wonder if Sofia's blindness has turned her into Daredevil with enhanced senses.

If it did, this would be a much more exciting movie. This is one of those thrillers where every single character's motivation is veiled in a thick fog, and there's so much murk to wade through we never sense the screws tightening around Sofia. Byrne, who is best known for helming episodes of Peaky Blinders, takes on a voyeuristic style common to erotic thrillers. His camera lingers over Dormer's curves, the lens fully accepting of her cat-like eyes and pouty lips. It would be normal, even expected to some degree, if it wasn't for Sofia's blindness, which makes the whole thing feel uncomfortably one-sided. It's a sensation that I wish Byrne and Dormer had capitalized on more. This classy genre film needs a bit more dirt under its nails.  What few twists there are don't amount to much as the story is pretty rote from the beginning, despite the best efforts of its star.

Mostly In Darkness works because Dormer goes so far to play against type. We're used to seeing her play characters who use their beauty and sexuality as weapons but that wouldn't have made sense for Sofia, so Dormer takes an understated, passive approach.  This is a woman who approaches the world with great caution, just as she must consider her every move with tremendous care. Early on we see her in her neatly organized apartment, a necessity when a misplaced object could lead to any number of mishaps. Not that being safe keeps her free from danger, and the film does a good job of using music to emphasize Sofia's perspective, in which she is physically blind to the dangers circling her but not ignorant of them.

Flawed but with glimmers of inspiration, In Darkness will probably be remembered best for the platform it gave to Dormer to show what she could do when allowed to shoulder a star's burden. If Hollywood doesn't  take notice, and let's be honest there's a good chance they won't, then hopefully Dormer can continue to create these opportunities for herself.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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Disney's 'Maleficent' Sequel Casts Ed Skrein As The Villain

After playing the villain Ajax in Deadpool, Ed Skrein will turn bad guy once again in Maleficent 2, the sequel to Disney's hit Sleeping Beauty reimagining. He'll be joining Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning with Pirates of the Caribbean 5's Joachim Ronning directing.

There aren't a ton of details regarding the sequel at this point. Linda Woolverton will be turning to work on the script, only this time she'll be co-writing with Jez Butterworth, known for action flicks like Edge of Tomorrow and Spectre. Maybe that's a sign this will be an edgier, faster-paced movie than its predecessor. Skrein would be a solid fit for something like that given he also starred in The Transporter Refueled.

Then again, who cares about the men in these movies, am I right? Maleficent 2 begins filming this spring. [Variety]

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'Alita: Battle Angel' Trailer: Robert Rodriguez & James Cameron Adapt The Classic Manga

I find it difficult to believe, even now as the first trailer has arrived, that Alita: Battle Angel is actually happening. In the works for years and initially one of the projects James Cameron was going to do before deciding his future was all about Avatar, it now finds him in a producer/co-writer capacity and Robert Rodriguez of all people in the director's chair. It's the biggest project of Rodriguez's career, even bigger than his Sin City movies, and it doesn't look like anything he's done previously.

Based on the cherished manga by Yukito Kishiro, the story centers on a broken down cyborg named Alita (played by Rosa Salazar, who is suddenly everywhere) who is discovered by and taken in by scientist Ido (Christoph Waltz) and raised as his daughter.  The whole thing takes place in a dystopian future where Alita's incredible fighting abilities prove useful. 

The trailer looks great, although Alita's giant manga eyes are super creepy, like one of those paintings from Waltz's Big Eyes movie.  I'm not sure how it'll play with audiences who may feel burned by American adaptations of Japanese manga after the disappointing Ghost in the Shell. 

Also starring Mahershala Ali, Keean Johnson, Eiza Gonzalez, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Skrein, Michelle Rodriguez, Lana Condor, and Jackie Earle Haley, Alita: Battle Angel opens July 20th 2018. 

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Whitewashing Controversy Causes Ed Skrein To Exit 'Hellboy'

The uproar over white-washing in Hollywood has claimed another victim, and this time it's Ed Skrein, who a week ago joined the cast of Hellboy. The Deadpool actor was to have taken the role of Major Ben Daimio, a member of the BPRD who could turn into a jaguar because of a curse. He's also of Japanese-American descent, and the Internet got all feverish with rage over having white boy Skrein play him. So Skrein has announced he is dropping out of the role. Here is his statement:

Last week it was announced that I would be playing Major Ben Daimio in the upcoming HELLBOY reboot. I accepted the role unaware that the character in the original comics was of mixed Asian heritage. There has been intense conversation and understandable upset since that announcement, and I must do what I feel is right.

“It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the Arts. I feel it is important to honour and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.

“Representation of ethnic diversity is important, especially to me as I have a mixed heritage family. It is our responsibility to make moral decisions in difficult times and to give voice to inclusivity. It is my hope that one day these discussions will become less necessary and that we can help make equal representation in the Arts a reality.

“I am sad to leave Hellboy but if this decision brings us closer to that day, it is worth it. I hope it makes a difference.”

He seems to have his heart in the right place, and hopefully he can find another role to take that one's place. We're talking about, potentially, a major franchise part he just gave up on, so it's not insignificant. I don't know if Mike Mignola has chimed in on this yet, but I'd love to know what the Hellboy creator thinks. 

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Pedro Pascal Joins 'The Equalizer' Sequel; 'Hellboy' Reboot Adds Ed Skrein; Alicia Silverstone Joins A 'Book Club'

Game of Thrones and Kingsman: The Golden Circle's Pedro Pascal has joined a different sequel. He's set for a role opposite Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 2, which will again be directed by Antoine Fuqua. Pascal is the first new casting in the film, which will find Washington back as former Black Ops agent turned do-gooding vigilante, Robert McCall. The Equalizer 2 opens September 14th 2018. [THR]

Deadpool baddie Ed Skrein is turning to the side of the angels in his next comic book role. He's joining David Harbour, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, and Milla Jojovich in Hellboy, playing BPRD member Major Ben Daimio. Daimio is “a rugged military member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense who, due to a supernatural encounter, can turn into a jaguar when angered or in pain.” Next up for Skrein is a role in manga adaptation, Alita: Battle Angel. [THR]

Alicia Silverstone and Fun Mom Dinner's Katie Aselton have joined Book Club, an ensemble film featuring a lengthy cast of veterans: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, Craig T. Nelson, Richard Dreyfuss, Tom Dewey, Ed Begley Jr and Wallace Shawn. That's quite a cast for first-time writer/director Bill Holderman, whose story follows four lifelong friends in their 60s who have their lives changed after reading 50 Shades of Grey as part of their book club. Oh boy.  [Deadline]

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Pierce Brosnan Joins 'The Only Living Boy In New York', Ed Skrein Boards 'Alita: Battle Angel'

Pierce Brosnan is joining Callum Turner, Kate Beckinsale, Kiersey Clemons, and Jeff Bridges in The Only Living Boy in New York. It's the upcoming film from The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb, which features a script by Allan Loeb that centers on a recent college grad who begins a relationship with his father's mistress. Details on Brosnan's role aren't clear, and I don't know if he or Bridges is playing boy's cheating dad. Brosnan can be seen right now in I.T., a tech thriller that I hear is absolutely atrocious, which only makes me want to see it more. [Deadline]

Deadpool and Transporter Refueled star Ed Skrein has joined the James Cameron-produced Alita: Battle Angel. Robert Rodriguez is directing the manga adaptation which will star Rosa Salazar as a cyborg discovered in a trash heap and rebuilt into a fierce bounty hunter by a scientist played by Christoph Waltz. Jackie Earle Haley is playing a monstrous CGI villain, while Skrein will be another bad guy, Zapan, who is in possession of a weapon known as the Damascus Blade.  [THR]

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Sci-Fi Film 'TAU' Adds Maika Monroe And Ed Skrein, Daniel Bruhl Joins 'God Particle'

Key figures in two of this year's top blockbusters are joining together for a brand new sci-fi film. Maika Monroe (Independence Day: Resurgence) and Ed Skrein (Deadpool) will headline TAU, sci-fi thriller directed by Federico D’ Alessandro. Featuring a Black List script by Noga Landau, the film stars Monroe as Julia, "once a street-smart grifter who becomes the latest victim kidnapped and held captive in a fatal experiment. The only thing standing in the way of her freedom is TAU, an advanced artificial intelligence developed by Alex (Skrein), her captor. TAU is armed with a battalion of drones that automate a futuristic smart house. TAU’s potential is only limited by his understanding of the world he exists in, but TAU is ready for more. Julia, showing resourcefulness and courage, must race against time to bridge the boundaries between man and machine, connect to TAU and win her freedom before she suffers the same fate as the previous subjects."  David Goyer (Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Trilogy) is listed as one of the film's producers. 

Right now he can be seen plotting the Avengers' downfall in Captain America: Civil War, but now Daniel Bruhl is joining the secretive God Particle film from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot banner. Bruhl joins Elizabeth Debicki, David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and John Krasinski in the  Julius Onah-directed film about the crew of an American space station left stranded when a particle accelerator accident causes Earth to vanish. Is this the next Cloverfield film? Given the way 10 Cloverfield Lane emerged out of nowhere from the piece of another Bad Robot project, anything is possible. [THR]

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Review: 'Deadpool' Starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, And Ed Skrein

In Deadpool's first Marvel Comics storyline he got his butt whupped by the militant mutant team X-Force so badly that they literally boxed him up and shipped him away. Not the kind of start anyone would expect for what would turn out to be Marvel's most popular character and the star of their latest movie franchise, but then Deadpool isn't your typical superhero and his movie totally kicks your typical superhero movie's ass.

Deadpool has been my favorite Marvel character since his debut. When I purged my massive comic book collection years ago, some of the few issues I kept were Deadpool's earliest appearances and his brilliant limited series, 'The Circle Chase', which defined who the Merc-with-a-Mouth is today. Elements of that storyline are present in the gloriously R-rated and explosively funny movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds in the role he was born to play.

Reynolds, who showed a knack for playing irreverent superheroes in Blade: Trinity and a dire inability to do so in Green Lantern, is actually reprising the role of Deadpool from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a film nobody wants to acknowledge even exists, and that goes for Deadpool director Tim Miller and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who take every opportunity to make fun of that awful movie whenever possible. But they also aren't shy about making fun of themselves and the entire genre of comic book films, beginning with a brilliant slow-motion credits sequence ("Produced by Asshats", Featuring "a Gratuitous Cameo")  that shows off its sense of humor and over-the-top comic violence. The story is essentially one long joke wrapped around a lot of flashbacks, and if you were curious why so many of the teasers seemed to take place on that same stretch of road, it's because much of the story takes place there.

Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, is cutting a bloody swath through a bunch of armed goons (which he easily dispatches in awesome, stylized fashion) in order to get to their leader, Ajax (Ed Skrein), and settle some grudge.  We learn that underneath his red leather suit Deadpool is hideously scarred, a side effect of the brutal testing he underwent that gave him his powers. Testing performed by Ajax and his powerhouse right-hand-lady Angel Dust (Gina Carano), under the guise of curing his terminal cancer. Further flashbacks, in which Deadpool often breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience, take us back to his happily psychotic relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), until the disease tears them apart.

While there have been other R-rated comic book movies and even superhero sex scenes (hello Watchmen!), none revel in it quite like Deadpool does. Anal sex, gratuitous, splattery violence, comic abuse of the deaf (Leslie Uggams plays Deadpool's blind "roommate" Blind Al), and multiple references to Deadpool's junk are all on the menu and it's exactly what fans of the character would want and more. We even get a look at the new X-Men continuity post X-Men: Days of Future Past as Deadpool trades punches and snarky one-liners with Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and the disaffected Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) who play a much larger role in the film than expected. And if you think it's a little weird more X-Men aren't around, well Deadpool's noticed it, too.

Deadpool sprays jokes as rapidly as it sprays bullets, and while most of them hit the mark, there are a few dry spells. TJ Miller is perfectly cast as Deadpool's pal, Weasel, but their scenes together, which mainly consist of trading nasty insults, come across as forced.  Wade's grim origin also proves to be a buzzkill that's a little tough to bounce back from as the film takes some sharp turns tonally. While the locales are pretty flat and unimpressive, Tim Miller proves his mettle with some truly creative action sequences, pumped up by a soundtrack that makes great use of WHAM!'s "Careless Whisper" and DMX's "X Gon' Give It To Ya".

 

Unafraid to rip the very genre it's now a part of, Deadpool is the ballsiest comic book movie any studio has dared attempt. Hopefully it will be rewarded with a big enough audience that this won't be the first and last time we see the infamous merc on the big screen.

 Rating: 4 out of 5

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First 'Deadpool' Clip Features 2 Girls And 1 Explosive Punch

20th Century Fox has been going large with the marketing hype for Deadpool, perhaps sensing the R-rated superhero may need a bit of a push. But don't take it as a sign they lack confidence in the film, because they've just spent a ton of money to it in front of the biggest TV audience of the year: the Super Bowl.

Fox is sparing no expense to build an entire day surrounding next Sunday's big game between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. Not only will there be Super Bowl TV spots, but Ryan Reynolds will be handing out chimchangas at a special screening of the film on Saturday, preceded by the arrival of a Deadpool food truck on Friday.

So get ready for merc overload next weekend, or you can get started right now by checking out the first clip featuring Colossus (Stefan Kapicic and Andre Tricoteaux) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) as they face the threat of Angel Dust (Gina Carano) and Ajax (Ed Skrein). It's a pretty solid mix of action and gags, which is probably what we can expect from the film as a whole. But if it's as funny as the "prom sex" line Deadpool drops here, that will be perfectly okay.

Deadpool hits theaters on February 12th. [THR]

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The Casts of 'Deadpool', 'Gambit', and 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Unite In Awesome Photo

The future is looking bright for 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise, but the present isn't so bad, either. While X-Men: Apocalypse looks to be the final film in the second trilogy, and possibly the end of Bryan Singer's run, there is Gambit, Deadpool, and New Mutants on the way expanding the universe in a major way. And now we're getting a look at the full scope of the X-Men universe in this new cast photo.

Empire assembled what is a pretty awesome shot that includes Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Ryan Reynolds, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, TJ Miller, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Munn, and Evan Peters. Wow.  It's a sign of the star power these films have been able to assemble over the years, and that's without including the bigger names from the original trilogy. 

So the future may indeed be bright but that doesn't mean there aren't some question marks. Jackman will be shootin the final Wolverine film soon and then he's hanging up the claws for good. Lawrence, Fassbender, and Hoult seem like they're on the way out the door, too. With the introduction of younger X-Men played by Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, and more, the core series could continue on, perhaps with McAvoy sticking around as Xavier. Or New Mutants could become the centerpiece. It's worth noting that images of Hildbrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead have shown her wearing an outfit resembling that of the New Mutants. And what about that X-Force movie Jeff Wadlow was developing? Could that be the new centerpiece franchise?

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It's Swords vs. Axes in New 'Deadpool' Images

There's a little bit of a balancing act going on with Fox's upcoming Deadpool movie. On the one hand Ryan Reynolds has pretty much worn out Deadpool's R-rated sense of humor, especially during that whole "12 Days of Deadpool" stretch. But at the same time, most of the footage we've seen has taken place on that road where he encounters a bunch of goons, plus the X-Men Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Well now we're getting a glimpse at the film's climactic battle, and no, it's not on that blasted highway. Hip hip hooray for that.

The images released by Entertainment Weekly show Deadpool engaging in a sword vs. ax  battle with arch-nemesis, Ajax, played by The Transporter: Refueled's Ed Skrein. The fight takes place on the deck of a crashed airship, which is pretty cool, but the question remains why they are there in the first place? Chances are it has something to do with Deadpool's time at Weapon X when he received his accelerated healing factor, killing abilities, and really jacked-up face. The second image just shows Reynolds looking ripped, which is nothing new since he's been in pretty good shape ever since Blade: Trinity.

Deadpool opens on February 12th 2016.

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