Former elite soldiers go on an Expendables-like heist thriller in J.C. Chandor’s (“All Is Lost,” “A Most Violent Year”) indelibly exciting and pulse-pounding “Triple Frontier.”
Read moreSteven Spielberg To Make His Case Against Netflix Movies Qualifying For Oscars At Next Academy Board Meeting
Netflix and the idea of what is a “real movie” has been at the forefront of the cinematic conversation from Cannes to this past year’s Oscars. The answer is not that complicated. Of course a Netflix original should be deemed a movie, it’s an unequivocal non-dilemma. The reason why this question is even being asked to begin with is because a monetary loss is involved for Hollywood bigwigs, they are too scared Netflix will take over and empty their bank accounts.
Read moreNetflix Planning Wide Theatrical Release For Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’
According to a new report from THR, Martin Scorsese doesn’t just want a “select” theatrical run for his upcoming “The Irishman,” no sirree bobby, the legendary director wants his mobster saga to get a full wide theatrical release treatment and it seems like Netflix are actually listening to his advice.
Read more“Paddleton" Is a Slight But Loving Ode to Male Friendship [Review]
The fact that Alex Lehmann’s “Paddleton'‘ concerns two friends, one of which has just been told he’s dying of cancer, could make you run scared from the sob-fest that is about to happen, but “Paddleton” isn’t a “Love Story” or a “Terms of Endearment,” rather it’s a film that is incredibly light on its feet with humor and heartbreak and which sidesteps whatever cliches can be found in this kind of gooey territory. Despite some narrative straining, the payoff is beautifully rendered.
Read moreEx-Paramount CEO: Hollywood is now irrelevant because of Netflix and Disney Monopoly.
The elite Hollywood directors that have clamoring about the demise of the “theatrical experience” need to man-up and accept the concessions being made by Netflix. Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and Christopher Nolan have to accept that this is where cinema is headed and that Netflix has become a Godsend in terms of being a place where viable adult entertainment is now made. You know, the mid-tier budgeted movie ($ 40-50 million) that most people say Hollywood just does churn out anymore because, well, they are monetary risks. And so, Netflix to the rescue!
Read more“Russian Doll" Is Wry, Inventive and Acerbically Original Television
“Russia Doll” is a new spin on the time-loop story which was popularized by “Groundhog Day” more than 25 years ago. That film’s concept caught on to the point where there is now a film, every year or so, which uses the gimmick. It all has to do with the notion of "If I had that to do over, I'd do it differently.” Most recently, and most successfully, was a jump towards sci-fi in which “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Source Code” used it in ways that brought a sense of newness to the gimmick, nevertheless, it’s a concept that still has many rolling their eyes whenever used, check out the less-than-successful YA flick ‘Before I Fall.”
Read more“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” was used as a Netflix data mining experiment
I remember a lot of people were around on social media that “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” was a way for Netflix to collect viewers' "Black Mirror" choices as data for future Netflix original releases. After all, the interactive choose-your-own-adventure release had nearly one trillion different storytelling combinations. Well, guess what folks? Turns out, it was really happening. Apparently, Netflix saved and collected every choice viewers made in ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’
Read moreSpike Lee's Next Movie Will Be Vietnam Veterans Drama ‘Da 5 Bloods’ At Netflix
Let’s see how Spike Lee does with his next few movies. The “BlacKkKlansman” director had a solid outing with the aforementioned movie last year, which was deemed a comeback of sorts after a rough 10-year stretch of films which included “Miracle at St. Anna,” “Red Hook Summer,” “Oldboy,” “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” and, although it had its fans, but not I, “Chiraq.” Those were, to me at least, the five worst Spike Lee joints of his career.
Read moreVince Gilligan’s ‘Breaking Bad’ Sequel Will Premiere on Netflix
Martin Scorsese's “The Irishman" will arrive on Netflix in October, theaters in late September
Martin Scorsese's “The Irishman” will be coming to Netflix this October. That is, at least, what I was told by a member of the cast/crew at Sundance last week. And which has been all but confirmed by star Sebastian Maniscalco on the Joe Rogan podcast, this afternoon by saying "It's coming out in October."
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci will star in the gangster film, based on the book “I Hear You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt and tells the tale of gangster/assassin Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran.
Netflix Claims 80 Million Subscribers Watched “Bird Box”; They Have 139 Million Accounts.
Bear with me here.
Due to Netflix's persistent refusal to release its viewership numbers, a case could be made, and has been made, of the streaming giant skewing with their final tallies. They also have tendency to selectively highlight some of their successes. Take, for example, today's announcement that they have hit 139 million subscribers and that 80 million of them watched the Sandra Bullockhit "Bird Box."
Read moreNetflix Can Now Track Users Sharing Accounts
Be wary of sharing your Netflix password to a friend or family member.
Read moreNetflix’s ‘Bandersnatch’ Feels Gimmicky Rather Than Cinematic
A lot has been said about Netflix's "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," a "choose-your-adventure" formatted movie that seems to destroy the intentions and artistic value of cinema. "Bandersnatch" tries to work on two levels. On one level, it tries to envelop you into the psyche of a disturbed teenager's mind. This is done by having the narrative appear in a jumbled timeline, completely disorienting you. This disorientation is caused by the choices you have and the frequently replay, creating a feeling of inevitability, as if what happens was always going to happen. In doing so, it makes you understand how someone can feel events are out of the control of the main character, Stefan.
Read moreNetflix Warns Fans Trying the “Birdbox Challenge” Not to Hurt Themselves; Some Are Driving Their Cars Blindfolded.
Director Susan Bier's “Bird Box,” has turned into a monster smash hit for Netflix. Nobody expected that to happen, but the Sandra Bullock thriller has been religiously memed ever since its release last month (not to mention breaking records for Netflix having been viewed 45M times in its first week). It has turned, by all accounts, into a cultural phenomenon. So much so, that Netflix had to go out of their way today and warn people not to celebrate their love of “Bird Box” in extreme ways.
Read moreOver 45 Million People Watched ‘Bird Box’ In First Week; Best First 7 Days Ever For A Netflix Movie.
A record-breaking 45 million accounts watched Netflix's "Bird Box," the best first week for a Netflix movie in the streaming giant's history.
Netflix tweeted the news by saying "Took off my blindfold this morning to discover that 45,037,125 Netflix accounts have already watched Bird Box — best first 7 days ever for a Netflix film!" The movie stars Sandra Bullock as a mother fighting a supernatural force that kills you if you see it.
Read moreNetflix Turned Down Offer To Buy ‘Holmes & Watson’ From Sony
"Holmes and Watson" currently sits at 7% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has been demolished by critics. They refused to screen it here in Boston for press. Just an overall toxic vibe has followed this film for a week or so now. So is it much of a surprise that the latest reports are saying that Sony was hoping to sell it to Netflix earlier this year? According to Deadline, Sony was worried that the movie would bomb at the box office because of terrible reactions from test audiences. They thought Netflix could just swoop in and buy distribution rights to the film. Netflix turned them down.
Read moreNetflix’s Upcoming ‘Black Mirror’ Film Will be a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure With 5+ Hours of Footage
The latest “Black Mirror" will debut on Netflix this coming December 28th. Titled “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," a rumor leads us to believe [via The Independent] that this will actually be a feature-length “Black Mirror” movie, which has yet to happen in the popular serial series.
Read moreFirst Look at J.C. Chandor's ‘Triple Frontier’
J.C. Chandor‘s "Triple Frontier" (Netflix) is most definitely on my must-see list for 2019. I mean, how can it not be? Chandor ("Margin Call," "All Is Lost," "A Most Violent Year") is a first-rate filmmaker that hasn't even hit the peak of his powers yet. He adapts a Mark Boal script here, and has some formidable actors to take the brunt of the work (Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund.)
Read moreNetflix’ ‘Christmas Chronicles’ Starring Kurt Russell as Santa Claus Breaks 20 Million Streams in a Week
You know, I really do overestimate the intelligence, the wants and needs, of the average moviegoer. At the end of the day, the box-office is mostly composed of Marvel, DC, Sequels, Reboots and Animated flicks. Which is not to say all of these films are bad, far from it, but when you see even an audience-friendly movie like "Green Book" failing at the box-office, it does make you have to think twice about what constitutes a "successful" movie by today's standards at the box-office. You will nary find an original statement in the top 25 grossing movies of the year.
Read moreDe Niro: ‘The Irishman' Will Be Released Theatrically; Confirms He Will Star With DiCaprio in Undisclosed Scorsese Project
Robert De Niro, speaking at the Marrakech Film Festival on Sunday, confirmed that Netflix will release Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," set for release next year, "the way it should be, in a theater."
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