Blue Beetle: Xolo Maridueña on Becoming the Modern DC Superhero
Blue Beetle: Xolo Maridueña on Becoming the Modern DC Superhero
News
Watch this behind-the-scenes featurette on how the rising star brought the DC hero to life!
Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña knew that if we was going to play the title role in a superhero film, he’dbetter be in shape. WhenBlue Beetleopens in theaters on August 18, we’ll see how his hard work has paid off.
In our featurette, we get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the training that went into Maridueña’s preparation for the role. It may have taken its toll in the moment, but Maridueña came out of it with full swagger. We also...
News
Watch this behind-the-scenes featurette on how the rising star brought the DC hero to life!
Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña knew that if we was going to play the title role in a superhero film, he’dbetter be in shape. WhenBlue Beetleopens in theaters on August 18, we’ll see how his hard work has paid off.
In our featurette, we get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the training that went into Maridueña’s preparation for the role. It may have taken its toll in the moment, but Maridueña came out of it with full swagger. We also get a peek at the Blue Beetle costume, which Maridueña declares is one of the coolest superhero suits he’s ever seen.
Check out the video below, and make plans to see Blue Beetle when it opens in theaters on August 18.See it in IMAXif you can; the movie was shot for the format, and the results are spectacular. You canget tickets for all formats right here at Fandango.
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Painkiller Director Pete Berg on Taylor Kitsch, Tragic True Stories of the Opioid Crisis, and t...
Painkiller Director Pete Berg on Taylor Kitsch, Tragic True Stories of the Opioid Crisis, and the Strikes
Painkiller is the latest Netflix drama, but to millions of people, it is a tragic true story that hits close to home. Based on Barry Meier’s 2003 book Painkiller and Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2017 New Yorker article “Empire of Pain,” which also became a 2021 book, Painkiller presents multiple perspectives on the opioid epidemic.
Richard Sackler (Matthew Broderick) leverages his family’s stake in Purdue Pharmaceuticals to invent the next miracle drug after oxycodone. Glen Kruger (Taylor Kitsch) is an auto mechanic who becomes addicted to Purdue’s OxyContin painkiller after his doctor prescribes it for an on-the-job injury. Meanwhile, Purdue salesperson...
Painkiller is the latest Netflix drama, but to millions of people, it is a tragic true story that hits close to home. Based on Barry Meier’s 2003 book Painkiller and Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2017 New Yorker article “Empire of Pain,” which also became a 2021 book, Painkiller presents multiple perspectives on the opioid epidemic.
Richard Sackler (Matthew Broderick) leverages his family’s stake in Purdue Pharmaceuticals to invent the next miracle drug after oxycodone. Glen Kruger (Taylor Kitsch) is an auto mechanic who becomes addicted to Purdue’s OxyContin painkiller after his doctor prescribes it for an on-the-job injury. Meanwhile, Purdue salesperson Britt Hufford (Dina Shihabi) trains Shannon Schaeffer (West Duchovny) to push OxyContin to doctors’ practices, and investigator Edie Flowers (Uzo Aduba) grows suspicious about the rise in OxyContin prescriptions and investigates Purdue.
Each episode opens with a real parent whose child died of an OxyContin overdose. Though the show condenses some events and composites some characters, Painkiller presents a fictionalized history of the very real opioid epidemic created by the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma. The series is a tribute to the families who have suffered losses and those who still grieve.
Director and executive producer Pete Berg ( Friday Night Lights ), who directed all six episodes, talked to Rotten Tomatoes about the show, series star Kitsch, and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in Hollywood. Painkiller director and executive producer Pete Berg speaks with series star Taylor Kitsch (Photo by Keri Anderson/Netflix) Fred Topel for Rotten Tomatoes: This is your reunion with Taylor Kitsch we’ve been waiting for, and he’s also in your upcoming show American Primeval. Have you watched him grow up from his role in Friday Night Lights to Painkiller? Pete Berg: I have. I really admire Taylor, his work ethic and his determination to really move out of Friday Night Lights and avoid a career that could’ve just been that great looking Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights and turn himself into a real actor with a craft and discipline. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for him and how hard he’s worked. It’s fun for me to see that and to be able to participate in it.
In the case of Painkiller, Taylor Kitsch has some very close personal connection to people who’ve been addicted to OxyContin and have really struggled. It was something I thought he would connect to quite intensely. I love working with him, and I’ll continue to work with him, but as soon as we had an idea of where these shows were going, he was my first call. Kitsch as Glen Kryger in Painkiller (Photo by Keri Anderson/Netflix) Is Glen based on a real case? Berg: There’ve been tens of thousands of Glens; just hardworking family people who got hurt, often by accident, who were in pain and were prescribed OxyContin, particularly back in the days when nobody knew what OxyContin was. He just got caught in the web of addiction. There are tens of thousands of Glens so when people say, “Is Glen a composite character?” I say, “Kind of yes and no.” I’ve known Glens. I’m sure you’ve known Glens or if you don’t know them personally, you know someone that does. Painkiller star Matthew Broderick on set with Berg (Photo by Keri Anderson/Netflix) Did you take a similar approach to Painkiller as your true story movies Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon , and Patriots Day ? Berg: I did, with the exception being that with Deepwater Horizon or Lone Survivor or Patriots Day, I was able to research by talking to the principle people that were involved. The Navy SEALs, law enforcement, and some of the families in Boston, Mike Williams and others that were on the oil rig tha...
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2023 Fall TV First Look: Find Out What’s on Each Night
2023 Fall TV First Look: Find Out What’s on Each Night
News
What can you expect from broadcast, cable, and streaming this fall? Have a look at our primetime planner to find options for each day of the week.
TAGGED AS: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Prime Video, The CW
This fall’s television season is in flux now that both the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild are on strike. Any scripted show premiering this fall on broadcast networks would have been writing scripts over the summer and filming soon. Few scripted series were already in production before the WGA strike, and once SAG-AFTRA struck, there was no more filming,...
News
What can you expect from broadcast, cable, and streaming this fall? Have a look at our primetime planner to find options for each day of the week.
TAGGED AS: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Prime Video, The CW
This fall’s television season is in flux now that both the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild are on strike. Any scripted show premiering this fall on broadcast networks would have been writing scripts over the summer and filming soon. Few scripted series were already in production before the WGA strike, and once SAG-AFTRA struck, there was no more filming, so broadcast options are slim aside from most reality TV shows. Related: TV Premiere Dates 2023 CBS was the first broadcast network to announce shows, only to revise it after the SAG-AFTRA strike. NBC also announced a slate of scripted series, with premiere dates and some revisions months later.ABC, Fox and CW then added their slates with streamers Disney+, Hulu, Freevee, Roku Channel, and Netflix setting some fall premieres.
If everything goes according to heavily-revised plan, here’s a look at what you can expect to see by day of the week this fall — including a hefty serving of “encores” (aka reruns) of the most popular shows. We’ll update again as strike news develops — or catch up on shows we’ve neglected on streaming if no agreement is reached. (See: Best of Netflix, Best of Prime Video.) ABC CBS The CW Fox NBC Cable Streaming ABC Abbott Elementary (Photo by ABC) ABC CBS The CW Fox NBC Cable Streaming Monday Dancing with the Stars season 32, 8 p.m. Golden Bachelor, 10 p.m. Who: TBD What: The Bachelor for senior citizen singles. Tuesday Celebrity Jeopardy!, 8 p.m Bachelor in Paradise season 9, 9 p.m. Wednesday Judge Steve Harvey , 8 p.m. Abbott Elementary encores, 9 p.m. and 9:30 What Would You Do? season 16, 10 p.m. Thursday Celebrity Wheel of Fortune , 8 p.m. Press Your Luck , 9 p.m. The $100,000 Pyramid , 10 p.m. Friday Shark Tank season 15, 8 p.m. 20/20, 9 p.m. Saturday College Football, 7:30 p.m. Sunday America’s Funniest Home Videos , 7 p.m. The Wonderful World of Disney, 8 p.m. ABC CBS The CW Fox NBC Cable Streaming
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Anthony Mackie and the Twisted Metal Cast on Stunt Driving, ’90s References, and Laughter on Se...
Anthony Mackie and the Twisted Metal Cast on Stunt Driving, ’90s References, and Laughter on Set
Video Interviews
The video game adaptation's stars — Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, and Thomas Haden Church — also told us about their ice cream habits.
TAGGED AS: Peacock, streaming, television, TV, Video Games
Twisted Metal stars Anthony Mackie (John Doe), Stephanie Beatriz (Quiet), Joe Seanoa (Sweet Tooth), and Thomas Haden Church (Agent Stone) talk to Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Nikki Novak about crafting their characters, getting to film inside an abandoned mall and amusement park, their chemistry on set, and their favorite ice cream. The series, a half-hour live-action series based on the PlayStation video game franchise, follows deliveryman John...
Video Interviews
The video game adaptation's stars — Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, and Thomas Haden Church — also told us about their ice cream habits.
TAGGED AS: Peacock, streaming, television, TV, Video Games
Twisted Metal stars Anthony Mackie (John Doe), Stephanie Beatriz (Quiet), Joe Seanoa (Sweet Tooth), and Thomas Haden Church (Agent Stone) talk to Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Nikki Novak about crafting their characters, getting to film inside an abandoned mall and amusement park, their chemistry on set, and their favorite ice cream. The series, a half-hour live-action series based on the PlayStation video game franchise, follows deliveryman John Doe across a post-apocalyptic wasteland as he attempts to deliver a mysterious package. John battles marauders and a deranged clown in pursuit of a better life. - - Twisted Metal: Season 1 (2023) begins streaming July 27 on Peacock. On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.
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RT25 First Reviews Flashback: Will & Grace
RT25 First Reviews Flashback: Will & Grace
Rotten Tomatoes launched 25 years ago in August 1998, bringing the iconic Tomatometer into households nationwide. Certified Fresh was born six years later and, in 2013, we began aggregating reviews and dishing out scores for TV series. In celebration of our 25th birthday, we’re taking a look back at some of the most impactful TV shows that premiered the same year we did. We previously shined a light on Dawson’s Creek, Felicity , Sex and the City, and now we look back atWill Grace. Will Grace stars Megan Mullally, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, and Sean Hayes (Photo by Bill...
Rotten Tomatoes launched 25 years ago in August 1998, bringing the iconic Tomatometer into households nationwide. Certified Fresh was born six years later and, in 2013, we began aggregating reviews and dishing out scores for TV series. In celebration of our 25th birthday, we’re taking a look back at some of the most impactful TV shows that premiered the same year we did. We previously shined a light on Dawson’s Creek, Felicity , Sex and the City, and now we look back atWill Grace. Will Grace stars Megan Mullally, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, and Sean Hayes (Photo by Bill Reitzel/NBCU Photo Bank) Will Grace is a sitcom about the long-standing friendship between meticulous gay lawyer Will Truman (Will McCormack) and neurotic straight interior designer Grace Adler (Debra Messing). Similar to the format of ’90s sitcoms like Seinfeld and Friends, the series’ story is set in New York City and follows the hilarious exploits of the duo and their outlandish besties: rich socialite Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) and struggling actor Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes).
Max Mutchnick and David Kohan created the series, basing the story concept on Mutchnick’s real-life childhood friendship with New York casting agent Janet Eisenberg. With the help of legendary television director James Burrows, snappy dialogue, comedic timing, and the talented cast, Will Grace rose in the small-screen ranks to inevitably find its home on NBC’s coveted Thursday night “Must See TV” lineup.
“The concept is more credible than it might sound thanks to clever scripting, an appealing cast, and the masterful hand of James Burrows,” Tom Jicha from South Florida Sun-Central wrote about the first episode. “Getting Burrows to direct your pilot is the equivalent of having your house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.” Will Grace stars Hayes, Messing, McCormack, and Mullally in a scene from season 5 (Photo by NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection) Will Grace’s success was made on this core group of friends, and the way in which the sitcom normalized having gay characters in lead roles on TV is a big part of its legacy, with gay representation on TV in the 1990s being sparse and seen as risky.
Take Ellen (the 1994-98 ABC sitcom, not the later talk show), for example. The popular series starred Ellen DeGeneres as bookstore owner Ellen Morgan. In the season 4 episode, titled “The Puppy Episode,” DeGeneres’ character came out as a lesbian. An array of advertisers boycotted the episode, and the backlash grew from there. A year later, just months before Will Grace would first premiere, Ellen was canceled. McCormack and Messing in a promotional image for Will Grace season 3 (Photo by NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection) Will Gracewasn’t a smash hit out the gate, but employed the tried-and-true sitcom formula that bolstered NBC’s comedy slate. The fact that two openly gay characters were front and center in every episode and were welcomed into homes across the country, was a very big deal.
Even President Biden celebrated the series for opening the door to the public’s acceptance of gay rights.
But it wasn’t all rave reviews. Considering the fact that LGBTQIA representation in the media was so meager, the ways in which Will Grace brought the general public into this community were deemed by some as one-dimensional and watered down.
Terry Jackson at the Miami Herald contended that the character of Will was written to make his character more palatable for viewers: “He doesn’t date and seems to have been crafted as a good-looking masculine gay guy whom homophobes can accept. That cop-out takes a lot of potential bite out of the show.” The Will Grace revival in 2017 (Photo by NBCUniversal) Throughout its initial eight-season run, Will Grace grew on audiences and the subject matter progressed with time. The Television Academy awarded the show 18 Emmys during that run.
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Cillian Murphy Movies and Shows Ranked
Cillian Murphy Movies and Shows Ranked
TAGGED AS: movies (Photo by Universal/ courtesy Everett Collection) We’re ranking the movies and shows of Cillian Murphy ! We start with his Certified Fresh films, including zombie movie revival 28 Days Later, his collaborations with Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Inception), Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley, and horror sequel A Quiet Place Part II. His executive produced show Peaky Blinders has proven an enduring, involving hit. His Rotten films with positive Audience Scores include teen drama Disco Pigs and action-thriller Anna. —Alex Vo #1 Adjusted Score: 109331% Critics Consensus: Oppenheimer marks another engrossing achievement from Christopher Nolan...
TAGGED AS: movies (Photo by Universal/ courtesy Everett Collection) We’re ranking the movies and shows of Cillian Murphy ! We start with his Certified Fresh films, including zombie movie revival 28 Days Later, his collaborations with Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Inception), Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley, and horror sequel A Quiet Place Part II. His executive produced show Peaky Blinders has proven an enduring, involving hit. His Rotten films with positive Audience Scores include teen drama Disco Pigs and action-thriller Anna. —Alex Vo #1 Adjusted Score: 109331% Critics Consensus: Oppenheimer marks another engrossing achievement from Christopher Nolan that benefits from Murphy's tour-de-force performance and stunning visuals. Synopsis: During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 108465% Critics Consensus: A nerve-wracking continuation of its predecessor, A Quiet Place Part II expands the terrifying world of the franchise without losing track of its heart. Synopsis: Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 93956% Critics Consensus: Bleak and uncompromising, but director Ken Loach brightens his film with gorgeous cinematography and tight pacing, and features a fine performance from Cillian Murphy. Synopsis: In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital.... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 101035% Critics Consensus: Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually. Synopsis: Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 94828% Critics Consensus: Kinetically directed by Danny Boyle, 28 Days Later is both a terrifying zombie movie and a sharp political allegory. Synopsis: A group of misguided animal rights activists free a caged chimp infected with the "Rage" virus from a medical research... [More] #6 Adjusted Score: 95055% Critics Consensus: Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes. Synopsis: A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri... [More] #7 Adjusted Score: 89645% Critics Consensus: Old-fashioned charm meets sharp wit and modern social satire in The Party, a biting comedy carried by a shining performance from Patricia Clarkson. Synopsis: A comedy of tragic proportions.... [More] #8 Adjusted Score: 86023% Critics Consensus: With solid performances and tight direction from Wes Craven, Red Eye is a brisk, economic thriller. Synopsis: In the wake of her grandmother's funeral, hotel manager Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is waiting to fly back home when... [More] #9 Adjusted Score: 82159% Critics Consensus: Danny Boyle continues his descent into mind-twisting sci-fi madness, taking us along for the ride. Sunshine fulfills the dual requisite necessary to become classic sci-fi: dazzling visuals with intelligent action. Synopsis: In the not-too-distant future, Earth's dying sun spells the end for humanity. In a last-ditch effort to save the planet,... [More] Synopsis: Britain is a mixture of despair and hedonism in 1919 in the aftermath of the Great War. Returning soldiers, newly... [More] #11 Adjusted Score: 76916% Critics Consensus: An edgy and energetic ensemble story. Synopsis: After Dublin resident John (Cillian Murphy) attempts a "trial" breakup with his girlfriend (Kelly Macdonald), sh...
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All Margot Robbie Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
All Margot Robbie Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
TAGGED AS: Margot Robbie, movies (Photo by Jaap Buitendijk / Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection) It only took two years after an eyebrow-raising entrance in The Wolf of Wall Street for Margot Robbie to become a big-enough known entity to cameo in movies as herself, like she did in 2015’s The Big Short. And by 2018, she was an Oscar-nominated actress thanks to I, Tonya. She’ll also be a fixture at this year’s ceremony: Robbie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Bombshell, while her portrayal as Sharon Tate was one of the sentimental cruxes ofOnce Upon a...
TAGGED AS: Margot Robbie, movies (Photo by Jaap Buitendijk / Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection) It only took two years after an eyebrow-raising entrance in The Wolf of Wall Street for Margot Robbie to become a big-enough known entity to cameo in movies as herself, like she did in 2015’s The Big Short. And by 2018, she was an Oscar-nominated actress thanks to I, Tonya. She’ll also be a fixture at this year’s ceremony: Robbie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Bombshell, while her portrayal as Sharon Tate was one of the sentimental cruxes ofOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, which is up for Best Picture.
In-between all of this, Robbie also became one of the shining stars of the DC Extended Universe as Harley Quinn, stealing the show in Suicide Squad, with an upgrade to lead status in Birds of Prey. And she was again one of the best parts of The Suicide Squad. Now, let’s go party with Barbie as we rank all Margot Robbie movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo #1 Adjusted Score: 106393% Critics Consensus: Barbie is a visually dazzling comedy whose meta humor is smartly complemented by subversive storytelling. Synopsis: To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 117206% Critics Consensus: Led by strong work from Margot Robbie and Alison Janney, I, Tonya finds the humor in its real-life story without losing sight of its more tragic -- and emotionally resonant -- elements. Synopsis: In 1991, talented figure skater Tonya Harding becomes the first American woman to complete a triple axel during a competition.... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 108226% Critics Consensus: Enlivened by writer-director James Gunn's singularly skewed vision, The Suicide Squad marks a funny, fast-paced rebound that plays to the source material's violent, anarchic strengths. Synopsis: Welcome to hell--a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 118990% Critics Consensus: Thrillingly unrestrained yet solidly crafted, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tempers Tarantino's provocative impulses with the clarity of a mature filmmaker's vision. Synopsis: Actor Rick Dalton gained fame and fortune by starring in a 1950s television Western, but is now struggling to find... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 91193% Critics Consensus: Funny, self-referential, and irreverent to a fault, The Wolf of Wall Street finds Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio at their most infectiously dynamic. Synopsis: In 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes an entry-level job at a Wall Street brokerage firm. By the early 1990s,... [More] #6 Adjusted Score: 107157% Critics Consensus: With a fresh perspective, some new friends, and loads of fast-paced action, Birds of Prey captures the colorfully anarchic spirit of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. Synopsis: It's open season on Harley Quinn when her explosive breakup with the Joker puts a big fat target on her... [More] #7 Adjusted Score: 81111% Critics Consensus: Z for Zachariah wrings compelling drama out of its simplistic premise -- albeit at a pace that may test the patience of less contemplative viewers. Synopsis: Following a disaster that wipes out most of civilization, a scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a miner (Chris Pine) compete for... [More] #8 Adjusted Score: 76869% Critics Consensus: Suite Française takes an understated approach to its period romance, which -- along with strong performances from a talented cast -- pays absorbing dividends. Synopsis: Her husband away at war, a lonely Frenchwoman (Michelle Williams) begins a tentative romance with the refined German soldier (Matthias... [More] #9 Adjusted Score: 76130% Critics Consensus: Beautifully filmed and unabashedly sincere, About Time finds director Richard Curtis at his most sentimental. Syn...
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All Robert Downey Jr. Movies Ranked
All Robert Downey Jr. Movies Ranked
(Photo by Universal/ courtesy Everett Collection) Before he became synonymous with playing playboy millionaire rascal Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. was…a playboy millionaire rascal, but with an Oscar nomination! Born into minor Hollywood royalty, Downey spent his formative ’80s career as a Brat Pack honorary in films like Weird Science and The Pick-Up Artist. An Oscar nomination for playingthe titular silent-era legend in Chaplinsuggested a watershed moment for Downey and his future career.
Instead, he spent the rest of the ’90s in a maelstrom of wild parties and tabloid headlinesas he publicly battled addiction. Early 2000s work...
(Photo by Universal/ courtesy Everett Collection) Before he became synonymous with playing playboy millionaire rascal Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. was…a playboy millionaire rascal, but with an Oscar nomination! Born into minor Hollywood royalty, Downey spent his formative ’80s career as a Brat Pack honorary in films like Weird Science and The Pick-Up Artist. An Oscar nomination for playingthe titular silent-era legend in Chaplinsuggested a watershed moment for Downey and his future career.
Instead, he spent the rest of the ’90s in a maelstrom of wild parties and tabloid headlinesas he publicly battled addiction. Early 2000s work in A Scanner Darkly, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Zodiac told the world he was still capable of intriguing work, though, and the marked the early stages of a career comeback.
His tumultuous decades seem like a lifetime ago, simply a precursor to his role today as the Man in the Iron Mark IV. Director Jon Favreau fought hard to get Downey in as star of the first Iron Man, with Marvel Studios literally put up as collateral, and the rest is modern history. Across nearly a dozen appearances in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, Downey has utterly owned the Tony Stark role, whose redemption arc mirrors the actor’s own in real life. Now, we ranking Robert Downey Jr. movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo #1 Adjusted Score: 98392% Critics Consensus: This re-imagining of Shakespeare's Crookback King relocates the story in 1930 and features an indelible star turn for Ian McKellen as the monstrous and magnetic King Richard. Synopsis: A murderous lust for the British throne sees Richard III (Ian McKellen) descend into madness. Though the setting is transposed... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 99260% Critics Consensus: Robert Altman's ensemble drama deftly integrates its disparate characters and episodes into a funny, poignant, emotionally satisfying whole. Synopsis: Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot (Lily... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 126309% Critics Consensus: Exciting, entertaining, and emotionally impactful, Avengers: Endgame does whatever it takes to deliver a satisfying finale to Marvel's epic Infinity Saga. Synopsis: Adrift in space with no food or water, Tony Stark sends a message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen supply... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 104757% Critics Consensus: Powered by Robert Downey Jr.'s vibrant charm, Iron Man turbo-charges the superhero genre with a deft intelligence and infectious sense of fun. Synopsis: A billionaire industrialist and genius inventor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), is conducting weapons tests overseas, but terrorists kidnap him... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 109331% Critics Consensus: Oppenheimer marks another engrossing achievement from Christopher Nolan that benefits from Murphy's tour-de-force performance and stunning visuals. Synopsis: During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan... [More] #6 Adjusted Score: 101353% Critics Consensus: A passionate and concise cinematic civics lesson, Good Night, And Good Luck has plenty to say about today's political and cultural climate, and its ensemble cast is stellar. Synopsis: When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow... [More] #7 Adjusted Score: 120153% Critics Consensus: Spider-Man: Homecoming does whatever a second reboot can, delivering a colorful, fun adventure that fits snugly in the sprawling MCU without getting bogged down in franchise-building. Synopsis: Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, young Peter Parker returns home to live with his Aunt May. Under the... [More] #8 Adjusted Score: 105...
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Borderlands: Release Date, Trailers, Cast & More
Borderlands: Release Date, Trailers, Cast & More
(Photo by @BorderlandsFilm)
Get ready, moviegoers, to explore the wild alien world of Pandora — no, we’re not talking about the Avatar sequels, but the highly anticipated adaptation of the video game Borderlands . The role-playing first-person shooter series — which follows desperate people looking for vaults of alien technology on avarious dystopian planets, including one with a familiar name — will grace the big screen in the not-too-distant future. Here’s everything you need to know about the Borderlands movie, set to be directed by horror icon Eli Roth and starring Cate Blanchett. An Adaptation Has Been in the...
(Photo by @BorderlandsFilm)
Get ready, moviegoers, to explore the wild alien world of Pandora — no, we’re not talking about the Avatar sequels, but the highly anticipated adaptation of the video game Borderlands . The role-playing first-person shooter series — which follows desperate people looking for vaults of alien technology on avarious dystopian planets, including one with a familiar name — will grace the big screen in the not-too-distant future. Here’s everything you need to know about the Borderlands movie, set to be directed by horror icon Eli Roth and starring Cate Blanchett. An Adaptation Has Been in the Works for a While (Photo by Gearbox)
The first Borderlands game debuted back in 2009on a variety of platforms, and it has since spawned three sequels and a handful of spin-off titles. The series isrenowned foritsdistinct, cel-shadedvisual style and aesthetic, a Mad Max-inspired post-apocalypticsetting, and gameplay that straddles the line between a shooter and a role-playing game (RPG). The games are set in the year 2864 AD, during an age when corporations have grown large enough to colonize and essentially strip-mine planets for resources. The most precious resources are “Vaults” of advanced alien technology, and the basic storyline follows groups of “Vault Hunters” on the planet Pandora — and, in later installments, on other planets — as they fight miniature proxy wars for the various megacorporations while looking to cash in on the treasure themselves.
Lionsgate announced it was working on a movie adaptation in 2015, though as is often the case in Hollywood, actually getting the film made was slow going. Things sped up last year, though, when in February of 2020, Roth joined the project as the director. Borderlands also picked up a notable screenwriter and some big-name movie stars (more on them in a little bit, though.)
Filming began in Hungary in April of this year and wrapped just as summer started, on June 22, 2021: Claptrap really wanted to let you all know he made it down the stairs safely. That, and the production of #BorderlandsMovie has officially wrapped! See you at the theaters in 20 pic.twitter.com/69NFljVjDc — Borderlands (@BorderlandsFilm) June 22, 2021 The Cast Is Spectacular (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) Borderlands will star Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, whojoined the cast in May 2020 when it was announced that she would be playing Lilith, a famed Vault Hunter and one of the game series’ most iconic figures. She’s joined in her mission by Kevin Hart, who plays the redemption-seeking mercenary Roland; Disney Channel star Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, a wild child with a knack for explosives; and Romanian actor Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Tina’s beefy protector. Jamie Lee Curtis will play Dr. Patricia Tannis, a xenoarchaeologist who worked for one of the major megacorporations, the Dahl Corporation, before they abandoned the planet. Tannis discovered proof that a Vault does indeed exist on Pandora, though her sanity may be slipping. Jack Blackwill provide the voice for Claptrap, a snarky, bumbling robot who also serves as the unofficial mascot of the franchise. (Photo by Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection) Swallow and The Magnificent Seven star Haley Bennett appears in an as-yet-unknown role, withCheyenne Jacksonas Jakobs, the heir to the eponymous weapons manufacturing corporation,andGina Gershonwill presumably don a revealing bustieras ubiquitous bartenderMoxxi. Édgar Ramírez plays Atlas, a businessman who might just be the most powerful man in the universe.
Other stars include Olivier Richters as Krom, Janina Gavankar as Commander Knoxx, Charles Babalola as Hammerlock, Benjamin Byron Davis as Marcus, Steven Boyer as Scooter, Ryann Redmond as Ellie, and Bobby Lee as Larry. Magician Penn Jillette,...
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Oppenheimer First Reviews: Breathtaking, Ballsy, and One of the Best Biopics Ever Made
Oppenheimer First Reviews: Breathtaking, Ballsy, and One of the Best Biopics Ever Made
Move over, Batman, because Christopher Nolan might have reached a new high. According to the first reviews of Nolan’s latest, Oppenheimer is a remarkable achievement, and it’s sure to go down as one of the best films of 2023. The biopic stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the American effort to create the first atomic bomb. His performance is being celebrated, though many in the movie’s cast have been isolated for praise or recognized collectively as a stellar ensemble piece. To top it all off, the reception to the film has been so overwhelmingly positive that it...
Move over, Batman, because Christopher Nolan might have reached a new high. According to the first reviews of Nolan’s latest, Oppenheimer is a remarkable achievement, and it’s sure to go down as one of the best films of 2023. The biopic stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the American effort to create the first atomic bomb. His performance is being celebrated, though many in the movie’s cast have been isolated for praise or recognized collectively as a stellar ensemble piece. To top it all off, the reception to the film has been so overwhelmingly positive that it has already been Certified Fresh. Here’s what critics are saying about Oppenheimer: Is this possibly the best movie of the year? “Oppenheimer isn’t just an epic masterpiece but one of the most important films of the year.” – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies “The most breathtaking film of the year.” – Jordan Hoffman, The Messenger “This is a big, ballsy, serious-minded cinematic event of a type now virtually extinct from the studios.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter “Unless Hollywood has a sleeper hit waiting in the wings, Oppenheimer is primed to be 2023’s best film.” – Maggie Lovitt, Millennial Falcon Reviews “The film stands as the best of 2023.” – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate “2023’s best.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast “The best film of 2023 and one of the greatest biopics ever.” – David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel (Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures) Will Christopher Nolan fans enjoy it? “It’s hard to know how the Nolan fanboys will respond to a movie as heady, historically curious, and grounded in gravitas as Oppenheimer which has little in common with the brooding majesty of his Batman movies or the tricky mindf–kery of films like Inception or Tenet. In terms of its stirring solemnity, it’s perhaps closest to Dunkirk, while its melding of science and emotion recalls Interstellar.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter “Oppenheimer feels like the culmination of everything the director has done so far in his already remarkable career.” – Ross Bonaime, Collider “Oppenheimer is nothing if not a biopic as only Christopher Nolan could make one. Indeed, it would seem like the ideal vehicle for Nolan’s career-long exploration into the black holes of the human condition — the last riddles of a terrifyingly understandable world.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire Is it one of his most impressive films? “Oppenheimer—a film of endless contrasts and contradictions—is the fullest expression of the writer/director’s artistry to date… surely the finest and most inspired film of Nolan’s career.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast “Nolan has created not just one of his best films, but easily the most mature film of his career.” – Ross Bonaime, Collider “With Oppenheimer, Nolan might just be at his most experimental… [He] is now in the conversation for the greatest director of all time.” – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate “It may just be Nolan’s magnum opus… [his] most profound and career-defining film to date.” – Maggie Lovitt, Millennial Falcon Reviews (Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures) How is the screenplay? “In what could be Christopher Nolan’s best screenplay thus far, Oppenheimer weaves through a three-act structure that can be divided into these unique entities; a rich character-driven deconstruction, a tense-filled thriller, and a politically laced courtroom drama.” – David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel “It is undoubtedly his strongest script and most cohesive plot.” – Maggie Lovitt, Millennial Falcon Reviews “Nolan has crafted an incredibly dense script that never manages to feel too convoluted or overwhelming—a feat in itself, considering how many timelines and characters are thrown into the mix.” – Ross Bonaime, Collider Is it difficult to understa...
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All Christopher Nolan Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
All Christopher Nolan Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
TAGGED AS: Drama, movies Christopher Nolan had such a perfect outsider journey into Hollywood filmmaking, he makes transforming into one of the world’s foremost A-list directors look simple. First, you make your requisite black-and-white feature debut for less than a half-million dollars (Following) in England. Then you come over to America, put together an inventive, almost revolutionary indie (Memento), which gets you invited into the big studio system for Insomnia, where two seasoned pros like Robin Williams and Al Pacino can recognize an up-and-coming talent and agree to star. Then, boom: You’re good to go in your new career as...
TAGGED AS: Drama, movies Christopher Nolan had such a perfect outsider journey into Hollywood filmmaking, he makes transforming into one of the world’s foremost A-list directors look simple. First, you make your requisite black-and-white feature debut for less than a half-million dollars (Following) in England. Then you come over to America, put together an inventive, almost revolutionary indie (Memento), which gets you invited into the big studio system for Insomnia, where two seasoned pros like Robin Williams and Al Pacino can recognize an up-and-coming talent and agree to star. Then, boom: You’re good to go in your new career as a rising director.
For Nolan, the next step up was a surprising move at the time: Resurrecting Bruce Wayne for Batman Begins, whose big-screen reputation had been trashed by Batman Robin. WithThe Prestige, he really began to establish himself as a brand and icon whose pictures you can rely on to feature slick-as-ice style, heavy dollops of science fiction, mind-warping concepts and resolutions, and a growing repertoire of actors to fulfill his vision. Inception and Interstellar certainly fit this mold, while The Dark Knight (and its Rises sequel, to an extent) revolutionized comic book movies and pop culture fandom. And lest we think he forgot his roots, Dunkirk was a worthy movie monument to the WWII military evacuation’s inspirational stature within British society.
2020’s Tenet was a bellwether to test the lockdown winds. Its release was controversial and helped sever Nolan’s working relationship with Warner Bros. Now, he has his Oppenheimer biopic at Universal, which currently is his top film. We’re ranking all Christopher Nolan movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo #1 Adjusted Score: 100018% Critics Consensus: No consensus yet. Synopsis: Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer works with a team of scientists to develop the atomic bomb.... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 107385% Critics Consensus: Dark, complex, and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga. Synopsis: With the help of allies Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman (Christian Bale) has... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 99274% Critics Consensus: Christopher Nolan skillfully guides the audience through Memento's fractured narrative, seeping his film in existential dread. Synopsis: Leonard (Guy Pearce) is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty, however, of locating his... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 125258% Critics Consensus: Dunkirk serves up emotionally satisfying spectacle, delivered by a writer-director in full command of his craft and brought to life by a gifted ensemble cast that honors the fact-based story. Synopsis: In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 98386% Critics Consensus: Driven by Al Pacino and Robin Williams' performances, Insomnia is a smart and riveting psychological drama. Synopsis: From acclaimed director Chris Nolan ("Memento") comes the story of a veteran police detective (Al Pacino) who is sent to... [More] #6 Adjusted Score: 102305% Critics Consensus: The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion. Synopsis: It has been eight years since Batman (Christian Bale), in collusion with Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), vanished into the night.... [More] #7 Adjusted Score: 100979% Critics Consensus: Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually. Synopsis: Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to en...
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All Batman Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
All Batman Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
TAGGED AS: batman, dc, movies The Dark Knight celebrates its 15th anniversary!
A Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, ol’ Boogaloo Bats. There is a Batman for all seasons. But whatever you call him, he’s known far and wide as a comic book hero who’s managed to keep relevant in entertainment for decades, re-invented time and time again to answer a nation’s distress Bat-signal all. It was camp colors and biff–bang–pow for the 1960s (the Batman TV show). The ’80s found a taste for blockbuster art deco madness (Tim Burton’s Batman). The ’90s got the best of it (Mask of the...
TAGGED AS: batman, dc, movies The Dark Knight celebrates its 15th anniversary!
A Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, ol’ Boogaloo Bats. There is a Batman for all seasons. But whatever you call him, he’s known far and wide as a comic book hero who’s managed to keep relevant in entertainment for decades, re-invented time and time again to answer a nation’s distress Bat-signal all. It was camp colors and biff–bang–pow for the 1960s (the Batman TV show). The ’80s found a taste for blockbuster art deco madness (Tim Burton’s Batman). The ’90s got the best of it (Mask of the Phantasm) and the worst (Batman Robin). The world of the 2000s demanded realism and it got Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. Recently, he played nice with the Justice League. But now, Robert Pattinson dons the cowl in 2022’s long-awaited The Batman.
Holy review aggregates! Now we’ve gathered all the theatrical Batman movies in one list (including the one night stand of The Killing Joke), ranked by Tomatometer! (And see all things Batsy on film and television with our Batman franchise page .) —Alex Vo #1 Adjusted Score: 107385% Critics Consensus: Dark, complex, and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga. Synopsis: With the help of allies Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman (Christian Bale) has... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 112033% Critics Consensus: The Lego Batman Movie continues its block-buster franchise's winning streak with another round of dizzyingly funny -- and beautifully animated -- family-friendly mayhem. Synopsis: There are big changes brewing in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) wants to save the city from the Joker's... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 102305% Critics Consensus: The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion. Synopsis: It has been eight years since Batman (Christian Bale), in collusion with Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), vanished into the night.... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 109164% Critics Consensus: A grim, gritty, and gripping super-noir, The Batman ranks among the Dark Knight's bleakest -- and most thrillingly ambitious -- live-action outings. Synopsis: Batman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 95005% Critics Consensus: Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes. Synopsis: A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri... [More] #6 Adjusted Score: 87673% Critics Consensus: Director Tim Burton's dark, brooding atmosphere, Michael Keaton's work as the tormented hero, and the flawless casting of Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Christopher Walken as, well, Christopher Walken make the sequel better than the first. Synopsis: The monstrous Penguin (Danny DeVito), who lives in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with wicked shock-headed businessman Max Shreck... [More] #7 Adjusted Score: 84558% Critics Consensus: Stylish and admirably respectful of the source material, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm succeeds where many of the live-action Batman adaptations have failed. Synopsis: In this animated feature set in the 1940s, the troubled yet heroic Batman (Kevin Conroy) is pitted against a mysterious... [More] #8 Adjusted Score: 84622% Critics Consensus: Batman: The Movie elevates camp to an art form -- and has a blast doing it, every gloriously tongue-in-cheek inch of the way. Synopsis: Kaaapowie! Holy feature film, Batman ... one based on the tongue-in-cheek, campy 1960's television series. Watch Batman (Adam West) and... [More] #9 Adjusted Sc...
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Secret Invasion Exclusive Sneak Peek: Emilia Clarke and Charlayne Woodard Engage in Some Skrull...
Secret Invasion Exclusive Sneak Peek: Emilia Clarke and Charlayne Woodard Engage in Some Skrull Home Security
News
Ring's got nothing on G'iah and Priscilla when it comes to securing your home against Skrulls.
TAGGED AS: Disney, streaming, Superheroes, television, TV
Charlayne Woodard’s Priscilla defends her home with Nick Fury from Skrull invaders with some expert help from Emilia Clarke’s G’iah in a scene from Secret Invasion episode 5, the penultimate episode of season 1. Bonus: Secret Invasion Episode 5 Exclusive Image Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Olivia Colman as Special Agent Sonya Falsworth in Secret Invasion (Photo by Marvel Studios) - - Secret Invasion, Season 1, Episode 5: "" On an Apple device? Follow...
News
Ring's got nothing on G'iah and Priscilla when it comes to securing your home against Skrulls.
TAGGED AS: Disney, streaming, Superheroes, television, TV
Charlayne Woodard’s Priscilla defends her home with Nick Fury from Skrull invaders with some expert help from Emilia Clarke’s G’iah in a scene from Secret Invasion episode 5, the penultimate episode of season 1. Bonus: Secret Invasion Episode 5 Exclusive Image Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Olivia Colman as Special Agent Sonya Falsworth in Secret Invasion (Photo by Marvel Studios) - - Secret Invasion, Season 1, Episode 5: "" On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.
/* BEGIN critical load order */ ? /* END critical load order */ ?
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Critics Pick the Best Movies of the Last 25 Years
Critics Pick the Best Movies of the Last 25 Years
TAGGED AS: movies, RT25, TV In celebration of Rotten Tomatoes’ 25th anniversary, we asked critics to submit their top films and TV shows released in the past 25 years!
Critics’ top movies since the Tomatometer’s inception reflect various titles and tastes; each represents the state of the industry and popular culture, from timeless classics to technical feats. They include iconic award-winners like Parasite and Mad Max: Fury Road . Beside those are hits from beloved directors like Barry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, the Wachowskis, and the Coen brothers. Epics like The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the...
TAGGED AS: movies, RT25, TV In celebration of Rotten Tomatoes’ 25th anniversary, we asked critics to submit their top films and TV shows released in the past 25 years!
Critics’ top movies since the Tomatometer’s inception reflect various titles and tastes; each represents the state of the industry and popular culture, from timeless classics to technical feats. They include iconic award-winners like Parasite and Mad Max: Fury Road . Beside those are hits from beloved directors like Barry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, the Wachowskis, and the Coen brothers. Epics like The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , Black Panther , and Paddington 2 also share their ranks.
Here’s how it worked: We sent out a survey to individually approved Tomatometer critics, asking them to choose (in no particular order) their top five movies and top five TV series released in the last 25 years. Then, we tallied their votes, narrowed down the most popular 25 titles, and voila! We have our lists.
To see which television series made the cut, check out the list of Critics’ Freshest TV Picks from the Last 25 Years, too! #1 Adjusted Score: 114185% Critics Consensus: With exhilarating action and a surprising amount of narrative heft, Mad Max: Fury Road brings George Miller's post-apocalyptic franchise roaring vigorously back to life. Synopsis: Years after the collapse of civilization, the tyrannical Immortan Joe enslaves apocalypse survivors inside the desert fortress the Citadel. When... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 126747% Critics Consensus: An urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, Parasite finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft. Synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 93091% Critics Consensus: David Lynch's dreamlike and mysterious Mulholland Drive is a twisty neo-noir with an unconventional structure that features a mesmerizing performance from Naomi Watts as a woman on the dark fringes of Hollywood. Synopsis: A dark-haired woman (Laura Elena Harring) is left amnesiac after a car crash. She wanders the streets of Los Angeles... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 107385% Critics Consensus: Dark, complex, and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga. Synopsis: With the help of allies Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman (Christian Bale) has... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 115985% Critics Consensus: A singularly rich period piece, Portrait of a Lady on Fire finds stirring, thought-provoking drama within a powerfully acted romance. Synopsis: In 1770 the young daughter of a French countess develops a mutual attraction to the female artist commissioned to paint... [More] #6 Adjusted Score: 98557% Critics Consensus: An exquisitely shot showcase for Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung that marks a somber evolution of Wong Kar-wai's chic style, In the Mood for Love is a tantric tease that's liable to break your heart. Synopsis: In 1962, journalist Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and his wife move into a Hong Kong apartment, but Chow's... [More] #7 Adjusted Score: 102971% Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them. Synopsis: 10-year-old Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong... [More] #8 Adjusted Score: 103836% Critics Consensus: Pan's Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbin...
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Critics Pick the Best TV Shows of the Last 25 Years
Critics Pick the Best TV Shows of the Last 25 Years
TAGGED AS: RT25, TV In celebration of Rotten Tomatoes’ 25th anniversary, we asked critics to submit their top films and TV shows released in the past 25 years.
The most popular television nominees include shows that continue to be part of the zeitgeist – Breaking Bad , Mad Men , The Wire , and The Sopranos each remain gold standards for television dramas, for example. They are joined by buzzy fantasy staples like Game of Thrones , Stranger Things , and Watchmen . Workplace comedies on the list include legacy shows like The Office (which remains popular for re-watching) and...
TAGGED AS: RT25, TV In celebration of Rotten Tomatoes’ 25th anniversary, we asked critics to submit their top films and TV shows released in the past 25 years.
The most popular television nominees include shows that continue to be part of the zeitgeist – Breaking Bad , Mad Men , The Wire , and The Sopranos each remain gold standards for television dramas, for example. They are joined by buzzy fantasy staples like Game of Thrones , Stranger Things , and Watchmen . Workplace comedies on the list include legacy shows like The Office (which remains popular for re-watching) and more recent series like the darker BoJack Horseman and upbeat Ted Lasso .
Here’s how it worked: We sent out a survey to individually approved Tomatometer critics, asking them to choose (in no particular order) their top five movies and top five TV series released in the last 25 years. Then, we tallied their votes, and voila! We have our lists.
Be sure to check out the list of Critics’ Freshest Movie Picks from the Last 25 Years, too – you might be surprised by some of their nominations. Synopsis: Mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher Walter White thinks his life can't get much worse. His salary barely makes ends meet,... [More] Synopsis: Tony Soprano juggles the problems of his fractious family with those of a "Family" of a different sort - the... [More] Synopsis: This series looks at the narcotics scene in Baltimore through the eyes of law enforcers as well as the drug... [More] Synopsis: In 1960s New York, alpha male Don Draper struggles to stay on top of the heap in the high-pressure world... [More] Synopsis: Although he has no plans to step aside as the head of Waystar Royco, the international media conglomerate controlled by... [More] Synopsis: In a global cataclysm, "The Sudden Departure," 140 million people disappeared without a trace. Three years later, residents of Mapleton,... [More] Synopsis: George R.R. Martin's best-selling book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" is brought to the screen as HBO sinks... [More] Synopsis: In the 1990s, residents of quaint northwestern town Twin Peaks were stunned by the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer.... [More] Synopsis: The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 were 1,000 miles off course when they crashed on a lush, mysterious island. Each... [More] Synopsis: Laced with irony and dark situational humor, the show approaches the subject of death through the eyes of the Fisher... [More] Synopsis: A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying... [More] Synopsis: An American football coach is hired to manage a British soccer team; what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up... [More] Synopsis: He wasn't always Saul Goodman, ace attorney for chemist-turned-meth dealer Walter White. Six years before he begins to represent Albuquerque's... [More] Synopsis: A humanoid horse, BoJack Horseman -- lost in a sea of self-loathing and booze -- decides it's time for a... [More] Synopsis: "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David plays a version of himself on the improvised series. He faces a constant barrage of life's... [More] Synopsis: Two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene to better their lives and the lives of their families. Earn Marks... [More] Synopsis: Mysteries unravel in a small Midwestern town in the 1980s, involving supernatural forces, secret experiments and one strange girl.... [More] Synopsis: It's the late 1950s and Miriam "Midge" Maisel has everything she has ever wanted -- the perfect husband, two kids... [More] Synopsis: This U.S. adaptation -- set at a paper company based in Scranton, Pa. -- has a similar documentary style to... [More] Synopsis: Cutthroat presidential advisers get their personal lives hopelessly tangled up with professional duties as they try to conduct the business... [More] Synopsis:...
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Timothy Olyphant on His Return to Justified Role and the Potential for More Raylan Givens
Timothy Olyphant on His Return to Justified Role and the Potential for More Raylan Givens
With Justified: City Primeval , FX’s prestige Western cop drama makes its triumphant return to television. Eight years have passed since U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens last graced our screens. Now, with a different Elmore Leonard story guiding the way, Timothy Olyphant’s slick Stetson-wearing lawman is back in action.
Over the past two decades, Olyphant has become America’s go-to gunslinger. From Seth Bullock in Deadwood to Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian, a character which (as he notably stated during the TCA Winter press tour earlier this year) was a direct pull from Raylan, Olyphant has made a career out of playing...
With Justified: City Primeval , FX’s prestige Western cop drama makes its triumphant return to television. Eight years have passed since U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens last graced our screens. Now, with a different Elmore Leonard story guiding the way, Timothy Olyphant’s slick Stetson-wearing lawman is back in action.
Over the past two decades, Olyphant has become America’s go-to gunslinger. From Seth Bullock in Deadwood to Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian, a character which (as he notably stated during the TCA Winter press tour earlier this year) was a direct pull from Raylan, Olyphant has made a career out of playing righteous lawmen.
“The boots still fit,” Olyphant said to Rotten Tomatoes in a Zoom chat promoting the eight-episode limited series. He added: “I grew up in Modesto, California. It’s not far from home, these roles. They’re really fun to play and, after a while, you just go with it.” Boyd Holbrook, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Adelaide Clemens, and Vivian Olyphant round out the cast of Justified: City Primeval, which trades Harlan County, Kentucky with Detroit, Michigan. Thanks to the return of the show’s original producing team — Graham Yost, Michael Dinner, Dave Andron, and Sarah Timberman have reunited for this — the limited series dials into the nostalgia fans want while expanding the Justified universe in new and exciting ways.
To get you ready for Raylan’s return to TV, here are five things to know about Justified: City Primeval. 1. Same Raylan, New Stakes Justified: City Primeval stars Timothy Olyphant (Photo by Chuck Hodes/FX) City Primeval steps outside of Raylan Givens’ comfort zone. This story takes place a decade after Raylan and criminal mastermind Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) parted ways. Nowhere near his hometown of Harlan County, Kentucky, this new tale picks up in Miami, Florida, where Raylan juggles his law-enforcement responsibilities as U.S. Marshal with that of being a father to 15-year-old Willa Givens (played by Olyphant’s real-life daughter Vivian).
This is still Raylan Givens, we’re talking about. And it’s not long before a dangerous highway interlude finds Givens stuck in Detroit. His calculated country sensibilities are put to the test in Detroit’s hardened streets. And while he’s chained to the responsibility of keeping his daughter safe, he’s soon immersed in a complicated murder case that leads directly to violent sociopath Clement Mansell, aka “The Oklahoma Wildman.” 2. Quentin Tarantino helped get the series off the ground Quentin Tarantino, on the set of Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (Photo by Andrew Cooper / Columbia Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection) Quentin Tarantino is a fan of Elmore Leonard’s work. He even adapted the author’s novel Rum Punch into his 1997 movie Jackie Brown. So, it should come as no surprise that the renowned filmmaker had a fair share of interest in making City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit into something.
Instead of doing something with the material himself, though, Tarantino planted a thought into Timothy Olyphant’s head while on the set of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which Olyphant appeared as an actor who plays — surprise! — a TV gunslinger. Co-producers Michael Dinner and Dave Andron explained to Entertainment Weekly that, if not for Tarantino, the series may not exist to begin with.
“One day the phone rang, and it was Tim Olyphant who said, I’ve been sitting on the set with Quentin, and we were talking about this book, City Primeval. We thought it would make a great year of Justified,” Dinner said. “So we started kicking around the idea, and FX was into it.” Tarantino was attached to direct an episode or two of the new series. That didn’t end up happening, but his involvement in getting the show off the ground is pr...
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Margot Robbie and the Barbie Cast on Channeling Their Inner Barbies and Kens
Margot Robbie and the Barbie Cast on Channeling Their Inner Barbies and Kens
Video Interviews
Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, writer-director-producer Greta Gerwig, and more join Robbie to talk about why the new film will appeal not only to Barbie fans, but also Barbie haters and even those may not even care about Barbie at all.
TAGGED AS: Comedy, interviews, movies
Director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and America Ferrera sat down with RT correspondent Naz Perez to talk about their upcoming movie Barbie . The cast and director reveal how they channeled their inner Barbies and Kens while filming, how Gerwig chose specific Barbies...
Video Interviews
Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, writer-director-producer Greta Gerwig, and more join Robbie to talk about why the new film will appeal not only to Barbie fans, but also Barbie haters and even those may not even care about Barbie at all.
TAGGED AS: Comedy, interviews, movies
Director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and America Ferrera sat down with RT correspondent Naz Perez to talk about their upcoming movie Barbie . The cast and director reveal how they channeled their inner Barbies and Kens while filming, how Gerwig chose specific Barbies and Kens to be featured in the film, and more. Barbie (2023) is in theaters on July 21, 2023. On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.
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66 Best Baseball Movies of All Time
66 Best Baseball Movies of All Time
The crack of the bat. The roar of the crowd. The smell of ballpark franks, and we’re not just talking of the Thomas variety. At Rotten Tomatoes, we’ve cleared the benches and rushed the field with the best-reviewed baseball movies of all time!
From sentimental favorites (Field of Dreams, The Natural) to inside documentaries (The Battered Bastards) to wild comedies (The Sandlot, A League of Their Own) we’ve got a murderer’s row of heavy hitters. And because we know baseball fans trend towards being stat geeks, here’s ours: We listed Certified Fresh films first, which includes sports classics like Bull...
The crack of the bat. The roar of the crowd. The smell of ballpark franks, and we’re not just talking of the Thomas variety. At Rotten Tomatoes, we’ve cleared the benches and rushed the field with the best-reviewed baseball movies of all time!
From sentimental favorites (Field of Dreams, The Natural) to inside documentaries (The Battered Bastards) to wild comedies (The Sandlot, A League of Their Own) we’ve got a murderer’s row of heavy hitters. And because we know baseball fans trend towards being stat geeks, here’s ours: We listed Certified Fresh films first, which includes sports classics like Bull Durham and Moneyball. That’s followed by Fresh films like The Bad News Bears, and Rotten movies after that (with quite a few featuring positive Audience Scores, including For Love of the Game, Hardball, and The Benchwarmers. Most recently:We added The League , the documentary tribute to the Negro League’s journey and legacy.
Batter up! It’s time to go to bat with the best baseball movies ever! #1 Adjusted Score: 99122% Critics Consensus: Essential viewing for baseball fans and just as captivating for the uninitiated, Facing Nolan pays persuasive tribute to one of the sport's greatest characters. Synopsis: Nolan Ryan's numbers tell a story, but numbers alone do not capture his essence. Certain flash-points have emblazoned him onto... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 101574% Critics Consensus: Kevin Costner is at his funniest and most charismatic in Bull Durham, a film that's as wise about relationships as it is about minor league baseball. Synopsis: In Durham, N.C., the Bulls minor league baseball team has one asset no other can claim: a poetry-loving groupie named... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 98999% Critics Consensus: The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is an affectionate, often very funny portrait of a baseball pioneer. Synopsis: "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" is a humorous and nostalgic documentary about an extraordinary baseball player who transcended... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 104098% Critics Consensus: Director Bennett Miller, along with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, take a niche subject and turn it into a sharp, funny, and touching portrait worthy of baseball lore. Synopsis: Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), general manager of the Oakland A's, one day has an epiphany: Baseball's conventional wisdom is all... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 96796% Critics Consensus: Sugar is an exceptionally-crafted film -- part sports flick, part immigrant tale -- with touching and poignant drama highlighted by splendid performances. Synopsis: Like many young men in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Miguel "Sugar" Santos (Algenis Perez Soto) dreams of winning a slot... [More] #6 Adjusted Score: 92994% Critics Consensus: You don't have to be a baseball fan to be entertained by the absurdities, obsessions, and greed on display in this documentary. Synopsis: During the final leg of Major League Baseball's 2001 season, Giants batter Barry Bonds scores a historic 73rd home run... [More] Starring: #7 Adjusted Score: 92511% Critics Consensus: Field of Dreams is sentimental, but in the best way; it's a mix of fairy tale, baseball, and family togetherness. Synopsis: When Iowa farmer Ray (Kevin Costner) hears a mysterious voice one night in his cornfield saying "If you build it,... [More] #8 Adjusted Score: 96255% Critics Consensus: Nostalgic in the best sense, Everybody Wants Some!! finds Richard Linklater ambling through the past with a talented cast, a sweetly meandering story, and a killer classic rock soundtrack. Synopsis: In 1980 Texas, a college freshman (Blake Jenner) meets his new baseball teammates (Will Brittain, Ryan Guzman), an unruly group... [More] #9 Adjusted Score: 90103% Critics Consensus: Perhaps less than absorbing for non-baseball fans, but nevertheless underpinned by strong performances from...
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2023-2024 Awards Calendar
2023-2024 Awards Calendar
Our updating list of key dates and events for the 2023-2024 awards season.
TAGGED AS: Academy Awards, Awards, Awards Calendar, Awards Tour, golden globes, Oscars
(Photo by AMPAS - Getty Images)
The 2023-2024 Oscar season is officially underway, and we have all the dates for your favorite season highlights. Be sure to bookmark this page for updates as more dates are announced. NOVEMBER 2023 November 27 – Gotham Awards (IFP) November 18 – Governor Awards (AMPAS) DECEMBER 2023 December 3 – British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) December 14 – Critics Choice Association Nominations (CCA)
December 14 – Oscar shortlist voting...
Our updating list of key dates and events for the 2023-2024 awards season.
TAGGED AS: Academy Awards, Awards, Awards Calendar, Awards Tour, golden globes, Oscars
(Photo by AMPAS - Getty Images)
The 2023-2024 Oscar season is officially underway, and we have all the dates for your favorite season highlights. Be sure to bookmark this page for updates as more dates are announced. NOVEMBER 2023 November 27 – Gotham Awards (IFP) November 18 – Governor Awards (AMPAS) DECEMBER 2023 December 3 – British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) December 14 – Critics Choice Association Nominations (CCA)
December 14 – Oscar shortlist voting opens (AMPAS)
December 12 – Producers Guild of America Documentary Nominations (PGA)
December 18 – Oscar shortlist voting ends (AMPAS)
December 21 – Oscar Shortlists (AMPAS)
December 21 – Producer’s Guild of American nomination voting opens TBA – New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) TBA – Atlanta Film Critics Circle (AFCC) TBA – African American Film Critics Association Top 10 Films (AAFCA) TBA – Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts Awards Nominations (HCA)
TBA- National Board of Review (NBR)
TBA – AFI Top 10 Awards (AFI) TBA- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Nominations (LVFCS)
TBA – European Film Awards (EFA)
TBA – International Documentary Association Awards (IDA)
TBA- Boston Film Critics Society Awards (BFCS)
TBA- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (LAFCA)
TBA – Chicago Film Critics Association Nominations (CFCA)
TBA – Golden Globe Nominations (HFPA)
TBA – Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards (LVFCS)
TBA – Phoenix Critics Circle Nominations (PCC)
TBA – Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards (SEFCA)
TBA – Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (CFCA)
TBA – Women Film Critics Circle Awards (WFCC)
TBA- Hollywood Critics Association Nominations (HCA)
TBA – Phoenix Critics Circle Awards (PCC)
TBA – Online Association of Female Critics Nominations (OAFC)
TBA – Boston Online Film Critics Awards (BOFC)
TBA – Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards (PFCC)
TBA – Utah Film Critics Association Awards (UFCA)
TBA – Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association Awards (DFWCA)
TBA – Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards (PFCS)
TBA – Online Association of Female Critics Awards (OAFC)
TBA- London Film Critics Circle Nominations (LFCC)
TBA – North Carolina Film Critics Association Nominations (NCFCA)
TBA – Society of Composers Lyricists Nominations (SCL)
TBA – Satellite Award Nominations (IPA) JANUARY 2024 January 5-16th – Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF)
January 5 – AFI Ceremony
January 5 – Longlists published
January 5 – BAFTA Tea Party in Los Angeles
January 7- Golden Globe Awards (HFPA)
January 9 – Cinema Audio Society Nominations (CAS)
January 10 – Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations (SAG)
January 11 – Oscar Nomination voting begins (AMPAS)
January 12 – Producers Guild of America nominations (PGA)
January 14 – Critics’ Choice Awards (CCA)
January 18 – EE BAFTA Film Awards nominations (BAFTA)
January 18-28 – Sundance Film Festival
January 24 – Oscar Nominations (AMPAS)
January 25 – Writers Guild of America nominations (WGA) TBA – Visual Effects Society nominations (VES)
TBA – USC Scripter Awards nominations (USC)
TBA – Rotten Tomatoes Golden Tomato Awards (GTA)
TBA – Cinema Eye Honors Awards (CEH)
TBA – Costume Designers Guild nominations (CDG)
TBA – Casting Society of America Artios Awards nominations (CSA)
TBA – American Society of Cinematographers nominations (ASC)
TBA – Art Directors Guild nominations (ADG)
TBA – Motion Picture Sound Editors nominations (MPSE)
TBA – Seattle Film Critics Society nominations (SFCS)
TBA – Directors Guild of America nominations (DGA)
TBA – Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild nominations (MUAH)
TBA – North Carolina Film Critics Association Awards (NCFCA) FEBRUARY 2024 February 7-17- Santa Ba...
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100 Best Anime Movies of All Time
100 Best Anime Movies of All Time
(Photo by Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection) The Tomatometer takes on the best anime movies of all time! That means we’re ranking everything from the feverishly dark 1980s/1990s films (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll), to the Studio Ghibli golden era (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies), and into today’s mainstream renaissance (Your Name, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen 0).
The list begins with Certified Fresh films first: Movies with at least 75% on the Tomatometer after enough critics reviews (40 or 80 reviews, depending on the type of release). These are movies seen by a wide swath of...
(Photo by Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection) The Tomatometer takes on the best anime movies of all time! That means we’re ranking everything from the feverishly dark 1980s/1990s films (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll), to the Studio Ghibli golden era (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies), and into today’s mainstream renaissance (Your Name, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen 0).
The list begins with Certified Fresh films first: Movies with at least 75% on the Tomatometer after enough critics reviews (40 or 80 reviews, depending on the type of release). These are movies seen by a wide swath of critics for potential wide audiences, including most films by Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Wind Rises), Isao Takahata (The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Only Yesterday), Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika), Mamoru Hosoda (Belle, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai), and Makoto Shinkai (Weathering With You).
After those are the Fresh movies, and a definitely rewarding dive for fans. Though anime has bubbled up in pop culture over the last two decades, many of these Fresh-rated films still need reviews to cross the Certified Fresh threshold. Though what reviews are there are pretty good! These Fresh movies include classics like The Castle of Cagliostro, Perfect Blue, and Vampire Hunter D, along with newer favorites Promare, Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, and A Silent Voice. On the second page, you’ll find even more Fresh movies hovering on the fringe like the Cowboy Bebop movie, along with Rotten-rated anime, including from Studio Ghibli (Tales From Earthsea), Pokemon, and Final Fantasy.
We defined anime at its most fundamental — simply, movies that were drawn and animated in Japan. This includes earlier efforts like 1973’s Belladonna of Sadness, movies directed by non-Japanese folks (Tekkonkinkreet, The Red Turtle), anthologies (The Animatrix, Gotham Knight), and even for-hire international productions, like Topcraft (whose core members would go on to found Studio Ghibli) animating The Last Unicorn and J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations for Rankin/Bass. Most recently: We added 1987’s Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise (which was scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, and a movie Roger Ebert called “a visually sensational two-hour extravaganza”), Shinkai’s Suzume (an action/fantasy set all across modern-day Japan), and Keiichi Hara’s Lonely Castle in the Mirror . —Alex Vo Page 1: Movies #1-#100 Page 2: Movies #101-#138 #1 Adjusted Score: 103186% Critics Consensus: Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal. Synopsis: A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors... [More] #2 Adjusted Score: 102539% Critics Consensus: Only Yesterday's long-delayed U.S. debut fills a frustrating gap for American Ghibli fans while offering further proof of the studio's incredibly consistent commitment to quality. Synopsis: A put-upon 27-year-old Japanese office worker travels to the countryside and reminisces about her childhood in Tokyo and what life... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 102132% Critics Consensus: An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli's most profoundly beautiful, haunting works. Synopsis: A teenager (J. Robert Spencer) is charged with the care of his younger sister (Rhoda Chrosite) after an Allied firebombing... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 105454% Critics Consensus: As beautifully animated as it is emotionally satisfying, Your Name adds another outstanding chapter to writer-director Makoto Shinkai's filmography. Synopsis: A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically... [More] #...
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Weekend Box Office Results: Dead Reckoning, Part One Wins the Weekend but Falls Below Expectati...
Weekend Box Office Results: Dead Reckoning, Part One Wins the Weekend but Falls Below Expectations
There are a lot of half-full/half-empty thoughts on the opening of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One this weekend, the fullest of which has to be the Certified Fresh 96% on the Tomatometer it has received from critics. That is one point below Fallout, two points ahead of Rogue Nation, and three above Ghost Protocol, and it no doubt helped the new film to squeak out the best five-day start for the series. Over in the emptier column, the numbers are lower than some were hoping for, and the film still faces the same burden as many films this...
There are a lot of half-full/half-empty thoughts on the opening of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One this weekend, the fullest of which has to be the Certified Fresh 96% on the Tomatometer it has received from critics. That is one point below Fallout, two points ahead of Rogue Nation, and three above Ghost Protocol, and it no doubt helped the new film to squeak out the best five-day start for the series. Over in the emptier column, the numbers are lower than some were hoping for, and the film still faces the same burden as many films this summer in outlasting an enormous budget that was amplified by pandemic fits and starts. That said, this one could have a happier ending than most. King of the Crop: Dead Reckoning, Part One Wins Weekend but Falls Below Expectations Mission: Impossible – Fallout is not only the best-reviewed film of the franchise, but also the highest-grossing, with $220 million domestic and $791 million worldwide. Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation each came in just short of $700 million. But the best five-day start in the series’ 27 year history belonged to John Woo’s Mission: Impossible II ($78.8 million) back in 2000, and it’s still generally considered to be the weakest of the lot. It remains the only entry to receive a Rotten Tomatometer score at 56%. Paramount and analysts pegged Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One for $90 million since its opening Tuesday night, and while the final number is coming closer to $80 million, it still marks the highest five-day start of the franchise. (It’s admittedly lower than Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny’s five-day total of $83.8 million, but that was also boosted by the July 4th holiday.)
That may seem like the ultimate half-empty headline, given that Dead Reckoning’s budget is in the same stratosphere as Indy at $291 million. That’s the third-largest budget of 2023 with Fast X’s $340 million still leading the way. The bottom line suggests that just matching Fallout’s $791 million haul will not be enough to turn a theatrical profit on this one. That has not been a problem for nearly every film in the series (apart from the third entry, which released in the wake of Tom Cruise’s bad PR stretch), which never cost higher than Fallout’s $178 million, but they also did not have constant pandemic shutdowns. Projectors should also be reminded that these films have never had stratospheric openings. Fallout’s $61.2 million has been the film’s highest weekend opening. Dead Reckoning had a $56.2 million weekend, the third-best of the series, and that was with a two-day head start.
Reckoning is likely to begin outpacing Indiana Jones this week, but even with great audience response, it is running into the 1-2 punch of Barbie and Oppenheimer competing for attention next week. Word of mouth has been M:I’s friend, as no film in this series dropped 50% or higher in its second week wince Woo’s film. That could be challenged by its competitors next weekend. Apart from the third film, the lowest final multiple of the series has been 3.51, which would put Dead Reckoning Part One at a floor of $197 million domestically. Unlike Indiana Jones, though, Dead Reckoning has already reached $235 million worldwide, something Indy failed to achieve until after week two. It is still a long way to climb out of the red even as it will likely become one of the highest-grossing films of the year internationally. The Top 10 and Beyond: Sound of Freedom Holds Strong,Insidious Drops to Third Sound of Freedom , the child sex trafficking rescue tale boosted by pre-bought and gifted tickets by political action groups and starring deep QAnon believer Jim Caviezel, grossed $27 million this weekend, reaching $85 million in its first 13 days of release. That is more than Disney/Pixar’s Elemental did in that same timeframe....
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Interviewing Advice for Critics from Journalists, Publicists, and Actors
Interviewing Advice for Critics from Journalists, Publicists, and Actors
RT Lab Critics Edition
We’ve partnered with Gold House to offer journalists advice on pitching, preparing strong questions and gaining access to talent while sharing some of the best and worst interview experiences.
TAGGED AS: critic resources, RT Labs
Rotten Tomatoes Lab: Critics Edition is a new series of resources designed to support critics in developing their craft and career, from how-to guides to advice on pitching, publishing, and networking. In recognition of barriers that exist in the industry, particularly for folks from marginalized backgrounds, Rotten Tomatoes is committed to offering tools, resources and developmental opportunities that help foster a...
RT Lab Critics Edition
We’ve partnered with Gold House to offer journalists advice on pitching, preparing strong questions and gaining access to talent while sharing some of the best and worst interview experiences.
TAGGED AS: critic resources, RT Labs
Rotten Tomatoes Lab: Critics Edition is a new series of resources designed to support critics in developing their craft and career, from how-to guides to advice on pitching, publishing, and networking. In recognition of barriers that exist in the industry, particularly for folks from marginalized backgrounds, Rotten Tomatoes is committed to offering tools, resources and developmental opportunities that help foster a more inclusive pool of critics. As part of this commitment, we have developed the Rotten Tomatoes Lab: Critics Edition, an ongoing educational series that includes in-person and virtual panels, workshops, and editorial articles – offering career development tools for the next generation of critics.
Rotten Tomatoes is collaborating with Gold House, an incubator for Asian and Pacific Islander talent across industries, to facilitate advice for early- to mid-career journalists and spotlight API perspectives in the industry.
In this latest edition of the RT Lab: Critics Edition, journalists, a publicist, and an actor offer advice and discuss their experiences interviewing in press environments. They covered how to pitch, what publicists look for when granting access to screeners and talent, and offer firsthand experiences from journalists’ and actors’ perspectives. Check out the Critic Resources page for other iterations of the Rotten Tomatoes Lab: Critics Edition and other educational tools for critics. For more information on Gold House’s Journalism Accelerator program – in partnership with Madison Wells and in collaboration with Rotten Tomatoes and Forbes – please visit goldhouse.org/futures-journalism.
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Foundation Executive Producer David S. Goyer On Season 2, The Powers Of The Mind, And The Futur...
Foundation Executive Producer David S. Goyer On Season 2, The Powers Of The Mind, And The Future Of Superhero Media
Sometime in the far future, a scientist discovers the inevitable collapse of a galactic human empire and devises a way to reduce a subsequent 30,000-year dark age into just a millennium of horror and despair. But to do it, he must commit to some despicable things. To make matters more difficult, his predictive program cannot account for individual actions in its calculations, which introduces X-factors into his plan. Of course, that’s only a secondary concern for Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobel), the intern left to deal with his scheme following his death.
That’s the basic premise of AppleTV+’s Foundation , which...
Sometime in the far future, a scientist discovers the inevitable collapse of a galactic human empire and devises a way to reduce a subsequent 30,000-year dark age into just a millennium of horror and despair. But to do it, he must commit to some despicable things. To make matters more difficult, his predictive program cannot account for individual actions in its calculations, which introduces X-factors into his plan. Of course, that’s only a secondary concern for Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobel), the intern left to deal with his scheme following his death.
That’s the basic premise of AppleTV+’s Foundation , which returns this Friday for another year of mind-bending, time-traveling, human-exploring science fiction. But the basics of Foundation, based on the novel series by Isaac Asimov, only scratches the surface of what the program does on a weekly basis. Shifting between very human stories – like that of Gaal and Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey), the child she never knew about when she went into cryogenic sleep 150 years before they meet, and the grand design of Dr. Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) – offers the rare sort of prestige series that contains both an ongoing plot and the opportunity to tell short stories. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images)
When Rotten Tomatoes caught up with Foundation executive producer David S. Goyer , he said being able to shift into both modes of storytelling was also part of the design.
“I always pitched the show is a bit of a hybrid,” he explained. “Each season’s going to be a contained story, and in that way, it’s an anthology.” Taking its cues from Asmiov’s novels and short stories, each tale more or less contains the expected crises Hari’s accounted for in his psychohistory program. But unlike the novels, Gaal, Salvor, and a few other characters carry on via various science fiction means (cryosleep, cloning, etc.) into the distant future even as new characters, like Brother Constant (Isabella Laughland), and Hober Mallow (Dimitri Leonidas), are introduced.
“We probably can’t pull off that trick every season, but yeah, part of the fun, I think, baked into the concept is this inherent refresh,” he said.
Another baked-in aspect is the way episodes can become more laser-focused on one topic, like Cleon XI’s (Terrence Mann) last day in season 1 or, as Goyer teased, a few episodes in the upcoming season. “Everyone was very nervous when we did that initially because we broke the format so much, but then they loved it and they said, ‘Oh, can we do more of that in season 2?'” he said. Referring to the episodes as “short films,” he added they are “well-placed [at] strategic points along the journey.” (Photo by Apple TV+)
“I like that sometimes the show is very fast-paced, but other times, I like that we just really slowed down and kind of zoom in on this little microcosmic story and do a little beautiful tone poem,” he continued.
Of course, the show cannot sustain itself on tone poems, big ideas, and the macrocosm of Harry’s psychohistoric predictions, hence the continued presence of Gaal and Salvor, two women who bring the galactic scope back down into the human element – even if they face coping with the ultimate familial estrangement. Through various complications, the two do not meet until roughly 150 years after Salvor was conceived and removed from Gaal’s womb to delay gestation until their colony ship made planetfall.
“Most of us are familiar with family dysfunction, and most of us have parents that we wish we had a closer relationship with,” Goyer said. “And so — pun intended — the whole foundation of Salvor’s journey at the end of the first season was, ‘I’m going to journey across the galaxy and I’m going to meet my birth mother, and I’m going to feel accepted, and I’m...
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What to Watch This Week: Mission: Impossible, What We Do in the Shadows, and More
What to Watch This Week: Mission: Impossible, What We Do in the Shadows, and More
Along with the seventh installment of an impossibly action-packed franchise, this week brings the return of a popular show about vampires, a movie about a summer camp for thespians, another season of an anthology murder mystery series, and an RT25 pick with some great hairstyle ideas for you. 96% Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One (2023) Dangling into theaters is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One . There are plenty of reasons to go on this mission, the first of which being that — we don’t know if you’ve heard — Tom Cruise does his own stunts, and...
Along with the seventh installment of an impossibly action-packed franchise, this week brings the return of a popular show about vampires, a movie about a summer camp for thespians, another season of an anthology murder mystery series, and an RT25 pick with some great hairstyle ideas for you. 96% Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One (2023) Dangling into theaters is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One . There are plenty of reasons to go on this mission, the first of which being that — we don’t know if you’ve heard — Tom Cruise does his own stunts, and this time around, they boast one of the most aggressive stunts not only in the M:I franchise, but movie history.Another reason to see this is that we can now officially report that Dead Reckoning Part One is a big hit with critics, with a Certified Fresh score of 96% on the Tomatometer, making it the second-highest scoring installment in the franchise, just below its predecessor, 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout .
And joining Cruise on screen again are familiar faces like Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson, with Christopher McQuarrie once again serving as director and co-writer. And remember, this is just the beginning of this story, with Dead Reckoning Part Two set to release next year in 2024. Where to Watch: In theaters 100% What We Do in the Shadows: Season 5 (2023) Emerging for a fifth season is the mockumentary comedy horror series What We Do in the Shadows .Born from the 2014 film of the same name, this show has had four very successful Certified Fresh seasons leading up to this one, with two coming in at 100% on the Tomatometer and the others not far behind. Throw in a couple Emmy noms for Outstanding Comedy Series, and that’s a great first reason to give this one a shot. Plus, the series is still influenced by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the latter of whom wrote, directed, and starred in the film. The series was created by Clement, with Waititi serving as executive producer and occasional director, along with Clement.
On top of all that, the series — which follows four vampire roommates in Staten Island — has already been greenlit for a sixth season as well. So it’s about time you get out of the shadows, and get invested in this show. Where to Watch: FX, Hulu 79% Theater Camp (2023) Another option for theater-goers this week is the indie comedy flick Theater Camp .And for the first act, aka the first reason to see this one, all you have to do is look at the impressive cast that not only includes Tony-winner Ben Platt, but two stars from the hit show The Bear . One is the film’s co-star Molly Gordon, who also co-directed it alongside Nick Lieberman in their directorial debuts, and the other is Ayo Edebiri in a supporting role. Another reason to consider attending this one is the fun premise, which centers on the directors of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York who try and put on a masterpiece of a show to keep their beloved summer tradition afloat.
The film premiered at Sundance earlier this year and is currently Fresh at 78% on the Tomatometer, accompanied by a strong 73% Audience Score. Where to Watch: In theaters 95% The Afterparty: Season 2 (2023) Joining the fun with the premiere of its second season is the AppleTV+ series The Afterparty . If you haven’t seen this one yet, now is the time. It’s a murder mystery anthology series that’s also a comedy, with each episode being told from a different character’s point of view and in a different genre, ranging from animated to thriller to musical in season 1.That unique approach is the first reason to see this one.
Another is the cast, which includes season 1 stars Tiffany Haddish and Sam Richardson returning for season 2, but with all new people around them. Think, Knives Out and Glass Onion . That includes...
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‘Buffy Who?’ Vampire Antics Increase by the Power of One Guillermo in What We Do in the Shadows...
‘Buffy Who?’ Vampire Antics Increase by the Power of One Guillermo in What We Do in the Shadows Season 5
All Guillermo has ever wanted was to be a vampire. Season 5 of What We Do in the Shadows fulfills the long-suffering familiar’s wish — maybe.
“The backstory I’ve given Guillermo is that he was bullied when he was little and that he wanted to be a vampire because they were so beautiful and glamorous and free sexually, their minds. They had everything at their fingertips, and they were immortal,” actor Harvey Guillén, who plays Guillermo, explained to journalists visiting the show’s set back in November. “They were captured in one time when they were the best version of themselves,...
All Guillermo has ever wanted was to be a vampire. Season 5 of What We Do in the Shadows fulfills the long-suffering familiar’s wish — maybe.
“The backstory I’ve given Guillermo is that he was bullied when he was little and that he wanted to be a vampire because they were so beautiful and glamorous and free sexually, their minds. They had everything at their fingertips, and they were immortal,” actor Harvey Guillén, who plays Guillermo, explained to journalists visiting the show’s set back in November. “They were captured in one time when they were the best version of themselves, and they lived like that forever. And I think he wanted to be that because of that, because of the personal trauma that might have happened to him as a child.”
But “personal trauma”? In a vampire mockumentary?
Heart is the FX comedy series’ secret weapon. The title added four more nods to its long list of Emmy nominations the week of its season 5 premiere. Its Emmy nominations over the years have included five for writing, two for “Outstanding Comedy Series” in 2020 and 2022, as well as those for sound, production design, and others. Costume designer Laura Montgomery, supervisor Judy Laukkanen and assistant costume designer Barbara Cardoso took home a win for the series last year for “Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes.” Kristen Schaal as The Guide, Harvey Guillén as Guillermo, Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, Kayvan Novak as Nandor, Matt Berry as Laszlo, Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson (Photo by Pari Dukovic/FX) Season 5 picks up after Guillermo bribes accidental vampire Derek (Chris Sandiford) to put the bite on him — a process that plays out in season 5’s premiere that will be achingly familiar to any viewer who has had an awkward first kiss or other intimate encounter.
“They’re both kind of grossed out about it. And then it ends up being very sloppy and messy and frightening for them,” showrunner and executive producer Paul Simms revealed during the set visit. “And the biggest thing of the season is that after he’s done this, after he’s taken this drastic move, he finds out from the other vampires that a familiar getting turned by a vampire who’s not their master is the most humiliating thing that a master can suffer.”
The feelings are very human. The circumstances are decidedly not. Season 5 trailers so far show Matt Berry’s Laszlo exercising his “gentleman scientist” muscles on Guillermo, secretly trying to help the fledgling vampire understand his powers (or lack thereof). Laszlo has behaved dismissively toward the familiar in the past, but, as with his vulva topiary hobby and season 4 parenting of baby Colin (Mark Proksch), the elder vampire has something of a caretaker streak to his personality.
“You see, again, a softer side of Laszlo,” Simms said of Laszlo’s season 5 story.
About the baby Colin storyline, Berry recalled, “For me it was really a sort of breath of fresh air, because I could…show another side of [Laszlo] and be less sort of hedonistic and less narcissistic; though we have to still do that, otherwise it’s not fun — you know what I mean? He’s got to be an idiot and all those things. You can’t then just turn him into this sort of dad of the year, because that’s not what people want, I don’t think, from him.” Matt Berry as Laszlo (Photo by Pari Dukovic/FX) Laszlo may be a hedonist, but his passion for his mate Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) is one of the strongest bonds on the series. Berry said that the relationship is like nothing you’ve ever seen in a comedy, and that sort of rarified dynamic was one of his prerequisites for doing the series in speaking to series creator and executive producer Jemaine Clement and executive producer Taika Waititi, whose 2014 film is the basis of the television show.
“I think it’s refreshing to see people who...
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