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
Watch ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Star Ezra Miller’s Charming 60-Second ‘Harry Potter’ History Lesson
With four more films planned in the new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise, we’re starting to suspect that the wizarding world of 1920s New York is more directly connected to the Harry Potter series than previously thought. Need more proof? This helpful lesson in magical history from the insanely charming Ezra Miller should do the trick.
Turns Out Mike Myers Was Kind of a Diva While Making ‘The Cat in the Hat’
The Cat in the Hat is one of those special, gotta-see-it-to-believe-it cinematic anomalies that make you question the sanity of the universe while simultaneously feeling grateful for the perfect Hollywood storm that allowed such a bonkers movie to exist. 13 years later, it turns out that the only thing more bizarre than the live-action Dr. Seuss movie is how Mike Myers behaved while making it.
New ‘Willy Wonka’ Prequel Will Challenge Your Belief in a World of Pure Imagination
Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory may be a world of pure imagination where the sky is the limit and anything is possible, but it’s hard to say the same about major studios, which keep returning to the same well of established franchises (including board games and toys) to cash-in on name recognition — why risk millions on an original, inventive idea when they can just repurpose a tried-and-true classic? Such is the case with good ol’ Willy Wonka, who is returning to the big screen in a new prequel film from the producer of the Harry Potter series.
‘Rogue One’ Character Posters Hide the Death Star Plans in Plain Sight
In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Felicity Jones’ rebellious Jyn Erso and her team are on a mission to retrieve the plans to the Death Star which, judging by these new character posters, have been right in front of their faces THE ENTIRE TIME. Actually, on their faces, and they look like intricate Etch-a-Sketch doodles uploaded to the Grid in Tron.
Lucasfilm Files Lawsuit Against Unauthorized Lightsaber Academy
The force is very strong with Disney and Lucasfilm’s legal department — or at least one would assume, which is why it’s probably not a good idea to infringe on their trademarked properties, especially Star Wars. But that’s exactly what one enterprising business owner did when he started the Lightsaber Academy, which is now the target of a lawsuit filed by Lucasfilm late last week.
New ‘Logan’ Photo Reveals One of the Villains in the Wolverine Sequel
We already know that one of the villains in the upcoming Wolverine sequel is Mister Sinister, aka Nathaniel Essex, whose arrival was teased in the X-Men: Apocalypse post-credits scene. But what about the film’s other villain, played by Narcos star Boyd Holbrook? Thanks to another new image from Logan, we have our first look at Holbrook’s character — and a name to go along with it.
The One Where Hollywood Keeps Taking Lisa Kudrow for Granted
In the decade-plus that’s passed since the series ended, it’s become increasingly clear that Lisa Kudrow was the best actor on Friends. Maybe we were too preoccupied with Rachel’s hair and perfecting our Joey impressions to notice it then, but thanks to the generous gift of hindsight, it seems glaringly obvious now. Despite David Schwimmer’s excellent Juice-fueled turn on The People v. O.J. Simpson, and Jennifer Aniston’s typically solid and, sure, occasionally good roles, it’s Kudrow who has proven herself as the most consistently great actor of the bunch. Why, then, has Hollywood been neglecting her so much in recent years? Why are films like Neighbors and The Girl on the Train wasting her on nothing, throwaway roles with a maximum screen time of three minutes?
‘The Hollow Point’ Trailer: Ian McShane and Patrick Wilson Police the Border
The latest addition to cinema’s western revival is The Hollow Point, which, like this summer’s surprisingly solid Hell or High Water, takes those classic sensibilities and puts them in a contemporary — and violent — context. Judging by the first trailer for the upcoming thriller, things are going to get pretty bloody in this timely tale of crime on the U.S. and Mexico border.
‘Harry Potter’ Movies (Yes, All of Them) Heading to IMAX for One Week Only
We’ll be returning to J.K. Rowling’s magical world of wizards this November with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and to help get you in the proper spirit, Warner Bros. is re-releasing all eight of the Harry Potter films — in IMAX, no less. There is a catch, of course: The films will only screen for one week, so if you want to see Mr. Potter & Co. on the very-very-big screen, you might want to clear your calendar.
‘Jurassic World 2’ Will Have More Scares and Practical Effects, But No Raptors With Guns
One of the biggest complaints (of which there were many) about Jurassic World was the over-abundance of CGI — it’s a simple problem that the upcoming sequel could address quite easily, and according to Colin Trevorrow, it’s definitely a concern shared by Jurassic World 2 director Juan Antonio Bayona. In a new interview, Trevorrow not only promises more animatronic dinosaurs, but more suspense and scares. Oh, and if you were hoping for some weaponized dinos (looking at you, Vincent D’Onofrio), you can stop holding your breath.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ Images Reveal First Look at Emma Watson’s Belle, Dan Stevens’ Beast
The wait for the full Beauty and the Beast trailer has reached agonizing levels, as Disney spent the last couple of months promoting the new 25th anniversary Blu-ray release of the classic animated film. Thankfully, we’ve gotten a few sneak peeks at the live-action redo via concept art, behind-the-scenes stills and a clip from a featurette on the aforementioned Blu-ray — and now we have a couple of new photos giving us our first look at Emma Watson’s Belle and Dan Stevens’ beast. But still no trailer. Sad trombone.
‘American Honey’ Review: An Intimate Odyssey Through the Wild Midwest
Imagine if Larry Clark was a woman, capable of depicting the inner lives of disenfranchised youth with all the psychic nuance and sensitivity estrogen could provide. Imagine a road trip through Middle America as presented by Claire Denis; now imagine that the brutal emotional intensity and distinct feeling of dread remain intact, while the threat of grotesque acts of violence lurk on the periphery, merely imagined and never realized. If you can imagine that, you might come close to approximating the experience of watching American Honey, the latest stumbling-of-age drama from Fish Tank director Andrea Arnold.