Matt Singer is the editor and critic of the website ScreenCrush.com. For five years, he was the on-air host of IFC News on the Independent Film Channel, hosting coverage of film festivals and red carpets around the world. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, he’s been a frequent contributor to the television shows CBS This Morning Saturday and Ebert Presents At the Movies, and his writing has also appeared in print and online at The Village Voice, The Dissolve, and Indiewire. His first book, Marvel’s Spider-Man: From Amazing to Spectacular, is on sale now.
Matt Singer
‘Wonder Woman’ Review: Meet the New Champion of the DC Movie Universe
It may be the title of the movie but the words “wonder” and “woman” are ever spoken in Wonder Woman. Until an underwhelming fight between two super-beings brings the film crashing back down to earth, Wonder Woman often feels less like a superhero movie than a modern fable, about a strong but sheltered young woman who discovers the pleasures and perils of the wider world. It’s presented with strong visual style and abundant heart by Patty Jenkins, and played with oozing charisma by its two well-cast stars, Chris Pine and Gal Gadot as the (not-technically-named-) Wonder Woman.
The 15 Strangest Movies Based on TV Shows
If you prefer watching people sit on a beach to actually sitting on a beach for Memorial Day weekend, there’s a new Baywatch movie in theaters today, starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. Though Baywatch endured in syndication for over a decade, it’s not like there was a massive fanbase out there begging for a big-screen version; the film, directed by Seth Gordon, is mostly a lighthearted sendup of the old series about heroic lifeguards.
The Worst ‘King Arthur’ Reviews: Critics Are Raving!
Have you ever seen those movie ads on TV filled with gushing quotes from critics and thought to yourself, “I saw that movie; it was terrible. Where did they find these positive reviews?” If you have, you’re not alone — and you’re going to love ScreenCrush’s series, Critics Are Raving!, which balances the cinematic scales with trailers full of slightly more accurate (and slightly more negative) lines from reviews. Real critics. Real quotes. Really bad movies. That’s what’s Critics Are Raving! is all about.
Mark Hamill Reveals How He Would Have Brought Back Luke Skywalker
It is one of the most indelible images in all of Star Wars. After an entire movie of searching, Daisy Ridley’s Rey finally finds him: The missing Jedi, Luke Skywalker. At the top of a mountain in Ireland (or outer space or whatever), Rey confronts Luke, played by Mark Hamill. She presents him with his old lightsaber. He stares her down. And then ... the movie ends.
Roger Moore’s Best James Bond Moments
Roger Moore was the third man to portray James Bond in the official series based on Ian Fleming’s classic spy novels; today, sadly, he became the first of the six 007 actors to pass away. His contributions to the Bond franchise are enormous, but for a long time they were overlooked.
The New ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Will Be the First Movie Released in the U.S. in the ScreenX Format
The movies are getting bigger all the time — quite literally in the case of ScreenX, a new theatrical format from Korean company CJ 4DPLEX, the same company behind the 4DX technology you may have already seen invade your local multiplex. (We wrote about that experience here.) ScreenX is described as a “270-degree panoramic film viewing experience within a theater setting,” where in addition to the standard screen at the front of the house there are two additional screens, one on either side. Here’s an image of what it looks like:
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ Review: A Once-Great Franchise Sinks to the Bottom
When last we saw Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow he was, I don’t know, doing pirate stuff probably? After the first Pirates of the Caribbean, 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl, all these movies began to blend together. Some sword fights, a mystical MacGuffin, an all-powerful bad guy, a couple battles at sea, blather, mince, repeat. Even though the latest, Dead Men Tell No Tales, comes from a new pair of directors (Kon-Tiki’s Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg), it’s basically indistinguishable from the three previous sequels, except that it’s even worse than they were.
‘Borg/McEnroe’ Trailer: Anyone for Tennis and Shia LaBeouf?
Shia LaBeouf would not be my first choice to play tennis pro John McEnroe; but hey, I’m not the guy making a movie about the rivalry between him and Björn Borg. The movie, the appropriately titled Borg/McEnroe, is actually a Swedish production (Borg’s from Sweden), with Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason as Borg. And, yes, as you can see in the trailer above, that is Mr. LaBeouf as Mr. McEnroe.
Hugh Jackman Was Nervous About Playing X-24 in ‘Logan’
One of the most impressive parts about Logan was one of its most closely guarded secrets: Hugh Jackman not only played the title character, he played his evil double too; a perfect clone of Wolverine known as X-24. This new character wasn’t featured in any of the marketing materials or even alluded to in any way. When he shows up late in the film he is a shock, and an effective extension of the movie’s themes about a man wrestling with his nature as a killer (and, possibly, a monster).
‘The Mummy’ Trailer: Welcome to a New World of Gods and Monsters
“Witness the beginning of a dark universe!” The new trailer for The Mummy is going all-in on this Universal Monsters cinematic universe idea. (And also throwing shade at Dracula Untold. Wasn’t that the beginning of this thing? Poor Luke Evans.)
What Hollywood Should Learn From ‘Logan’s R Rating
When Logan arrives on Blu-ray next week, it will include one of the better bonus features in recent home entertainment history: A black and white cut of the film called Logan Noir, which made its premiere last night at a special screening at Brooklyn’s Alamo Drafthouse. The Noir cut looks great, but the real story coming out of last night’s event wasn’t the new version, it was a comment made by director James Mangold during the post-screening Q&A.
Robert Zemeckis and Matthew Vaughn Are the Frontrunners to Direct ‘The Flash’
Almost as many people have tried to direct a movie version of The Flash as have worn the costume in the comics and called themselves the Fastest Man Alive. About a decade ago, an early version of the film was in development with directors like Shawn Levy and David Dobkin. Later, Seth Grahame-Smith came aboard, only to leave the film over “creative differences.” Then Dope filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa joined the team, only to depart as well last fall over similar concerns over the direction of the film. It’s a tough directing assignment to be sure, joining a cinematic universe in progress (and sometimes rocky progress, at that), and having to measure up with (and also be markedly different from) a very popular television that is currently on the air.