Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
New Netflix Instant Releases: March 2017
Start marking your calendars now (and apologize to your loved ones in advance for your lack of interaction) because Netflix is looking pretty stacked in March. In addition to the usual assortment of recent releases, old favorites and contemporary classics, next month brings premieres of new Netflix Original series like Love Season 2, Grace and Frankie Season 3, and — last but far from least — the latest addition to Marvel’s Defenders lineup.
Han Solo ‘Star Wars Story’ Kicks Off Production With First Cast Photo
Although pre-production on Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s young Han Solo spinoff has been underway for some time now (operating under the clever codename “Red Cup”), today marks the full, official start of production. To celebrate, Lucasfilm has debuted the first photo of the cast and their directors, crammed together inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as if posing for a very cheerful (if a bit tardy) holiday greeting card.
‘It’ Producer Confirms R-Rating and Sequel For New Stephen King Adaptation
If you’ve read Stephen King’s It, then the idea of a film adaptation that isn’t rated R sounds preposterous — and yet, it happened before with the 1990 television miniseries (which does not hold up, by the way). For those concerned that the new adaptation from director Andres Muschietti might forgo the R rating in favor of courting a wider audience, the producer of the upcoming film has laid those worries to rest while also confirming that Warner Bros. has every intention of making a sequel.
Paramount Kills Production on ‘Friday the 13th’ Reboot
Paramount performed a little maintenance on their calendar last night, removing both World War Z 2 and the repeatedly delayed Friday the 13th reboot from their upcoming release schedule — but that’s not all. The studio has reportedly completely shut down production on their new Friday the 13th project, which was set to begin filming in just six weeks. With no release date (again) and pre-production halted, it seems that Jason Voorhees’ revival may be delayed indefinitely.
Must Watch: Keanu Reeves Was an Awkward Teen Reporter on a Kids’ TV Show
If someone asked you to recall Keanu Reeves’ earliest acting gig, you might think of Parenthood or Babes in Toyland. As it turns out, the intensely likable star of John Wick: Chapter 2 started his career a bit earlier than that, and like us non-famous folks, Reeves’ first job wasn’t exactly pleasant; in fact, it was kiiiiiind of awkward, but that just makes this little-seen footage of Reeves as a teenage reporter on a Canadian kids’ show all the more rewarding.
Donald Trump’s Inauguration Speech Was Totally Lifted From ‘Dark Knight’ Villain Bane
At some point we’re all going to have to stop asking, “Is this real life?! Is this really happening right now?!” The daily proliferation of surreal news headlines will never feel normal (nor should they), but it’s the frequency our country is operating at now, and it will likely continue at this pitch for the next four years, which officially kicked off today. In the latest episode of The Surreal Life, Donald Trump basically plagiarized Bane, Tom Hardy’s mush-mouthed villain from The Dark Knight Rises, in his inauguration speech.
Donald Trump’s 2020 Campaign Slogan Is, No Joke, the Tagline From ‘The Purge: Election Year’
This is real life. After insisting that he’ll “Make America Great Again” throughout his 2016 campaign, president-elect Donald Trump is already trying to trademark the slogan for his re-election campaign in 2020: “Keep America Great.” If that phrase sounds at all familiar to you, that’s because it was the tagline for The Purge: Election Year — James DeMonaco’s horror sequel, which envisions a dystopia where the government is controlled by far-right conservatives and all crime, particularly murder, is legal for one night every year.
Tilikum, Subject of Killer Whale Doc ‘Blackfish’, Dies in Captivity
In 2010, an orca named Tilikum made headlines when he killed SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in Orlando, Florida — Brancheau wasn’t the first person killed by the park’s troubled resident; then again, Tilikum wasn’t the first (or the last) captive orca to attack a human being. Three years later, he became newsworthy again as the subject of Blackfish, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s eye-opening documentary which used the story of Tilikum to shine a light on the horrors lurking within sea parks (spoiler: it’s the humans you need to worry about). Four years later, Tilikum is making headlines again, as the now-infamous orca has passed away at the estimated age of 36.
This iPhone ‘Theatre Mode’ Update Sounds Like a Threat
It’s hard to pass judgment on iPhone’s new “theatre mode” because, well, it doesn’t exist out in the real world just yet. But according to a new report, that might be changing sooner rather than later, as Apple’s latest update is said to include this mysterious function. What is it, exactly? What does it do? Is this good news or bad news? Is the sanctity of the theatrical experience facing a new, insidious threat? Whatever it is, we’ll probably find out on January 10, when the iOS 10.3 beta rolls out to iPhone users.
Mark Hamill Shares Tribute to Carrie Fisher, ‘An Inspiration For Young Girls and Women Everywhere’
We lost an incomparable actress, writer, icon, and amazing human being when Carrie Fisher passed away on December 27, 2016. No one is feeling that loss as deeply as those closest to her, and in the days since Fisher’s passing, we’ve had the privilege of reading and hearing some of their remembrances. Today, Mark Hamill has shared his own personal tribute to Fisher, offering a touching, humorous and appropriately candid essay for his Star Wars co-star and longtime friend.
Ryan Reynolds May Have Filmed a Deadpool Scene for ‘Logan’ [UPDATE]
Ryan Reynolds’ wish for a proper Deadpool and Wolverine crossover movie may never come true, but the actor has apparently achieved something pretty close with a small cameo in Logan. According to a new report, the actor recently filmed a scene for Hugh Jackman’s final bow as Wolverine, though it’s unclear if we’ll actually see the two characters share the screen when Logan hits theaters next spring.
Carrie Fisher’s Obituary Request Was Typically Witty and Wonderful
Today we mourn the loss of Carrie Fisher: Iconic actor, talented author, brilliant script doctor and, most of all, an incomparable force to be reckoned with. There are so many great adjectives you could use to describe Fisher: Uncompromising, unapologetic, fierce, witty, relatable, real, honest. She took all of those qualities and put them to work in her books — from memoirs to novels, Fisher had a knack for telling poignant and painful stories with wit and wisdom. Writing a worthy obituary for one of the best and boldest women on this planet or any other is surely an impossible task…so it’s a good thing that the perfect obit basically already exists, and unsurprisingly, Fisher came up with it herself.