IGN.com - Movies Articles

New Van Helsing Movie Reportedly in Development at Universal

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 12:24:31 GMT

Universal is reportedly planning to continue its monster movie series relaunch with a new Van Helsing movie, set to be directed by Overlord’s Julius Avery. According to Deadline’s sources, Universal is developing an original horror/thriller set in the world of Van Helsing, and inspired by the studio’s legacy of monster horror films. James Wan will produce under his Atomic Monster production company. The report makes clear that Avery’s film is set in the world of the vampire hunter, rather than necessarily being a Van Helsing-fronted film. That world is, of course, adapted from Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel, in which Van Helsing leads a team in a campaign against Count Dracula. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/05/13-essential-facts-about-dark-universe-universals-shared-monster-universe"] This film will follow The Invisible Man, Universal’s most recent monster movie reboot, and the first of the studio’s new direction for its monster portfolio following the abandonment of its interconnected Dark Universe plans. According to Deadline, the success of The Invisible Man means that the possibility of an R rating for this Van Helsing project is on the table. Avery’s Overlord was also notably dark and gory, and so a grisly approach to the subject may be possible. A script is apparently already written by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), and Avery is currently rewriting. Van Helsing was, of course, previously explored by Universal in the 2004 movie starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Stephen Sommers. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

The Huge Radio Telescope From GoldenEye Has Collapsed

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 23:56:33 GMT

The Arecibo Observatory radio telescope, which you might recognize from the GoldenEye James Bond movie, collapsed Tuesday morning due to a mechanical failure. The telescope was already scheduled to be demolished because, here’s the kicker, of fears it would collapse. The telescope, based in Puerto Rico, collapsed this morning when its 900-ton equipment platform, suspended 500 feet above the dish, fell after its support cables failed. There were no injuries reported, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The Arecibo Observatory was already planned for closure last month over fears it would collapse. One of the cables holding up the platform failed previously, and the NSF, which oversees the telescope, planned to retire the radio telescope after the incident.

The instrument platform of the 305m telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell overnight. No injuries were reported. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Our top priority is maintaining safety. NSF will release more details when they are confirmed. pic.twitter.com/Xjbb9hPUgD
— National Science Foundation (@NSF) December 1, 2020

The world’s largest single-dish radio telescope (Until the FAST telescope built in 2016) was built in 1960 was used to research radio astronomy, atmospheric science, and search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The observatory and telescope were used as backdrops in many blockbuster films, most notably in the James Bond movie GoldenEye. But the Observatory made other appearances as well such as in the films Species, Contact, and The X-Files TV episode “Little Green Men.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/03/goldeneye-official-trailer"] Originally the plans were to keep the observatory's visitors center operational, but plans for the observatory are now in flux following the collapse. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. (Header Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Here's How to Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 21:30:01 GMT

Watching Charlie Brown and his pals celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas has become a holiday tradition for many over the years. With Apple acquiring the rights to these classic movies, you might be wondering how you can continue to participate in this time-honored tradition. Here's how you can watch A Charlie Brown Christmas and all other Peanuts Holiday Specials.

Where to Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas Special

Just in time for the holiday season, the beloved classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas special, will stream exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning on December 4, and on PBS and PBS Kids on December 13 at 7:30/6:30 pm CT.

How to Stream A Charlie Brown Christmas Special For Free

A Charlie Brown Christmas will be available to stream for free (without a subscription) on Apple TV+ from December 11 through December 13. Apple TV+ is currently available in over 100 countries and costs $4.99 per month for a subscription. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/20/apple-tv-plus-review-2019"] You can use the streaming platform on a variety of services, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung, LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and at tv.apple.com.

Where to Watch All Other Peanuts Holiday Specials

Back in October, Apple TV+ teamed up with WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide, and Lee Mendelson Film Productions to become the home for "all things Peanuts," including A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Both of the aforementioned titles are currently available to stream on Apple TV+. In other Apple TV+ news, be sure to check out the delightful first season of Ted Lasso, which we called "immensely likable" in our full review. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-holiday-movies-and-specials-on-netflix&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

The Dark Knight: Would Harvey Dent Have Approved of Batman's Big Lie?

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 18:10:08 GMT

The ending of 2008's The Dark Knight features Batman wrestling with a complicated moral dilemma. Should he let Harvey Dent's crimes as Two-Face be exposed, or allow Gotham City to keep on believing in its "White Knight"? According to actor Aaron Eckhart, Harvey himself would have disagreed with Batman's final decision. Eckhart reflected on his iconic DC role during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, making it clear Harvey never would have supported Batman and Commissioner Gordon's decision to cover up the truth and maintain the illusion that he was a hero until the very end. "No, he would’ve told the truth," said Eckhart. "That’s the great thing about Harvey Dent. Despite whatever is going on, he’s a truth-teller and he’s a moral center. And not only that, he’s the face of truth, right? I don’t want to say he’s not hiding behind something, but he’s not. Now when he becomes Two-Face, he is. But Harvey Dent was out there fighting for every man and woman, for truth and justice, and he put himself on the line. But having done so, he got bit, and he was forever changed. But you don’t want to lose your Harvey Dents in life. No matter how much money or pressure there is, no matter how much coercion, control or corruption there is, Harvey Dent is going to stay true to the moral center and the truth. People can rely on that, and you don’t see that today." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-batman-movies&captions=true"] Eckhart continued, "Again, I don’t want to say hiding behind a mask, but superheroes are behind masks and capes, et cetera. Well, what about the superheroes that aren’t hiding behind a mask? What about the superheroes that stay true to themselves and to the greater good — without any superpowers? Where are they? And that’s what’s exciting about Harvey Dent, especially in a town like Gotham where everybody’s corrupt. It’s so dark." Of course, the point is somewhat moot given that Harvey dies during his final confrontation with Batman, not to mention his crimes are exposed eight years later during the events of The Dark Knight Rises. Still, Eckhart provides an interesting contrast between Gotham's two heroes, one who relies on secrecy and mystery and the other who abhors dishonesty of all forms. To date, Eckhart and Tommy Lee Jones are the only actors to play Two-Face in live-action, though the Harvey Dent role has also been played by Billy Dee Williams in 1989's Batman and Nicholas D'Agosto in the TV series Gotham. The villain nearly appeared on the 1966 Batman series, but due to broadcast standards at the time, none of the various Two-Face-centric teleplays were ever filmed. However, one of those scripts was eventually adapted in the form of the 2017 animated film Batman vs. Two-Face, featuring William Shatner as Two-Face and the late Adam West in his final performance as Batman. It remains to be seen if Two-Face will appear in a future DCEU movie or in the new cinematic universe being introduced in The Batman. At one point actor Peter Sarsgaard was rumored to be playing Dent, but we now know he's playing a new DA character named Gil Colson. The cast of The Batman also includes Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as mob boss Carmine Falcone and Colin Farrell as the Penguin. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] The Batman is currently scheduled for release on March 4, 2022, after being delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more on the reboot, here's everything we know so far about The Batman. Do you think Batman made the right call in The Dark Knight? Let us know in the comments below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Ready Player Two Review

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 16:00:08 GMT

Ready Player Two is now available for purchase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ernest Cline’s 2011 bestseller Ready Player One introduced readers to the OASIS, a VR wonderland where players, through their avatars, could live, work, and play all day, every day. After James Halliday, the OASIS’ creator, passes away, he leaves behind one hell of a quest for the denizens of his virtual world: find his hidden Easter egg, win control of the OASIS itself and become a multi-billionaire in the process. Ready Player Two reuses the broad strokes of that plot to comment on artificial intelligence, how we interface with technology, and hero worship, but becomes so mired in these incomplete explorations that it loses sight of what made Ready Player One special in the first place. Ready Player Two opens with a prologue that picks up right after protagonist Wade Watts/Parzival wins Halliday’s hunt, immediately sidestepping the happy ending when Wade discovers another secret Halliday left behind: the OASIS Neural Interface (ONI) headset. Where players are used to experiencing the OASIS through VR headsets and haptic peripherals, an ONI headset delivers the OASIS straight into the brain, opening the door to experiencing the virtual world in a whole new way. Just don’t use it for more than 12 hours or the thing’ll fry your brain and kill you! That definitely won’t be a problem later on! The decision to release the ONI to the public creates a rift between Wade and Samantha/Art3mis, making running Gregarious Simulation Systems together with their friends Aech and Shoto quite awkward over the next three years. On top of that, the ONI’s release has triggered a second hunt left behind by Halliday for an artifact called the Siren’s Soul, which Wade is meant to collect. It doesn’t take long for OASIS users to become completely addicted to this new way of experiencing the digital world, Wade included. The ONI is capable of letting users record and vicariously experience other users’ lives, both in and out of the OASIS. Wade righteously opines that this new tech has opened the door to new levels of global empathy by letting users step into each others’ shoes, but the argument feels like it’s on shaky ground when the #1 ONI recording worldwide is a 50-person orgy and GSS has to employ a team just to monitor illegal, illicit ONI uploads. That potential problem of escalation is completely ignored as Wade hunts for the Siren’s Soul. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/06/ready-player-one-whats-the-difference-cinefix"] It was a huge swing to center the plot around another Easter egg quest and ultimately, it’s a diminished return. The first had a clear prize that the entire world was fighting for, and in an impoverished future, control of the OASIS is quite the golden ticket. Not only that, but the hunt was rooted in Wade’s enthusiasm for Halliday and the affinity for pop culture they both shared. Wade’s search for the Siren’s Soul, on the other hand, suffers from the mystique that surrounds the Macguffin's nature. We spend much of the novel not knowing what Wade’s fighting for, but we at least know why: the villain’s using that pesky 12-hour ONI usage limit as a ticking time bomb of a bargaining chip to get Wade to collect the artifact for them, an exchange with some seriously uncomfortable implications once you find out what the Siren’s Soul actually is. While just as fantastical as ever, the OASIS proves to be a more exhausting setting this time around. The first novel featured a healthy back-and-forth between the real and virtual worlds, giving us a lot more perspective on how the events in the OASIS were affecting the outside world. Due to the nature of the villain’s plot, and the fact that Wade sadly remains the only POV character in the book, nearly all of the action is locked into the OASIS this time around. That feels like a missed opportunity on two fronts. Not only are the real-world stakes of Wade’s quest massive and worth checking in on with more depth and regularity than they are, Wade continues to be kind of a tough guy to root for and giving us a break from his perspective in favor of, say, Samantha’s may have been a nice change of pace. Too often, it feels like Wade hasn’t carried forward any of the lessons about humility and connection he learned in his first adventure. A lot of his faults were more forgivable last time because he was an outsider, a poor kid with a lot to learn about the world and other people. But after that kid’s had a chance to learn those lessons and become one of the wealthiest people on Earth, you’re less inclined to cut him some slack, especially given how often he demonstrates a complete lack of self-awareness. As Wade himself serves as a constant reminder of, Ready Player Two has a rocky relationship with hero worship. James Halliday’s failings in life take more of the spotlight this time around, and the benefits of his works increasingly feel like they aren’t worth the trouble. The wonders the next-level applications his technology are opening the door to here seem to outweigh the responsibility Halliday has for the damage they could (and do) result in for Wade and his friends. This feels frustratingly shortsighted, considering the expanded consciousness that Halliday has pioneered in his virtual world hardly seems entirely ethical, or even safe. Wade has become a hero to many (but a villain to more) in his own right, and new ally Lohengrin’s fangirl obsession with him, kneeling and calling him “sir” and all, edges the book into self-parody at times, and Wade just going along with it makes it feel like unintentional self-parody. If you loved Ready Player One for its myriad pop culture references, you’ll be happy to hear they recur here in the sequel, and this time around end up feeling less egregious. Because this second hunt is pretty much entirely for Wade, much of the elitism that came with competing Gunters sparring with each other over minutiae and judging those they believed to be poseurs is gone. There are plenty of new worlds centered on fan-favorite movies, music, and literature for Wade and his friends to traverse, and the inside jokes and clear reverence toward the material keep Ready Player Two from feeling like a total misfire. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=twenty-movies-that-made-gamers-play-for-real&captions=true"]

How Pixar's Soul Found Its Spark in Jazz

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:00:38 GMT

Pixar Animation’s next movie, Soul, follows Joe Gardner, a New York City elementary school music teacher who has long aspired to be a professional jazz pianist. When an accident on the eve of his big break lands him in The Great Beyond, Joe must figure out how to get back to the land of the living and achieve his dream. Otherwise, Joe believes his life will have had no meaning. In order to return to Earth, Joe must help an unborn soul, dubbed 22, find her “spark,” that thing that makes life worth living. 22, however, has been in the Great Before -- the way station for new souls -- for so long that she’s yet to see anything about life that makes it seem worth living. Joe, on the other hand, is someone who’s not prepared to die. Over the course of the story, these two mismatched characters will teach each other some valuable lessons. “To convince 22 that life was worth it, we recognized that a lot of the film needed to be about Joe's life on Earth,” Soul director Pete Docter explained during a recent preview event with the press. “And we needed something that Joe could do that showed the promise of life, some passion that he had, something we'd all root for.” Docter said it took a while for the filmmakers to settle on the idea of making Joe a jazz musician. “What if he was a scientist, or maybe a businessman,” Docter recalled. “We searched all around, and then almost by fate, somebody referred us to this video of an online MasterClass by jazz legend Herbie Hancock.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/01/soul-meet-joe-gardner-featurette"] In the video, Hancock recalled a concert he was playing with the late jazz icon Miles Davis wherein Hancock “played something that was... you could say technically wrong” right during the middle of one of Davis’ trumpet solos. “I thought I had just destroyed everything and reduced that great night to rubble. Miles took a breath, and he played some notes, and he made my chord right, and I could not figure out how he did that. It sounded like magic, you know?” Hancock said. “It took me years to figure out what actually happened. Here's what happened: I judged what I had played. Miles didn't. Miles just accepted it as something new that happened, and he did what any jazz musician should always try to do, and that is try to make anything that happens into something of value.” Hancock’s insights into jazz resonated with the Soul filmmakers, crystalizing for them what their film was trying to express. Docter used this as the emotional and philosophical hook of Soul, calling Hancock’s tale “not only a great story, but really a perfect metaphor for what we were talking about in the film. Don't judge. Take what you're given. Turn it into something of value. We realized that jazz was really the perfect representation of what we were trying to say in the film.” The choice of jazz as both the choice of vocation for Joe Gardner and as that “perfect representation” of the film’s meaning meant Soul’s filmmakers needed to truly understand what jazz was about and to study not only the music but also those who play and teach it. The choice of jazz also led to making the film’s lead protagonist a person of color -- the first for Pixar. “Doctor Johnnetta Cole [one of Soul’s jazz consultants] referred to (jazz) as Black improvisational music, [so] we thought, ‘Okay, our main character needs to be Black,’ and to help us find Joe, we were lucky to find acclaimed screenwriter and playwright Kemp Powers,” Docter explained. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-visual-development-of-pixars-soul&captions=true"] As the co-director of Soul, Powers -- who has written for Star Trek: Discovery and also penned the upcoming One Night in Miami, based on his own play -- found many similarities between himself and Joe Gardner. Like Joe, Powers is an African-American from New York in his mid-40s, and he’s such a jazz fan he even named his son after Charles Mingus. (Powers was also a journalist and music critic for many years before becoming a screenwriter.) Powers, a Gen X-er who grew up a hip hop fan, was especially excited to meet with Herbie Hancock for Soul since his music was so widely sampled by the hip hop artists of Powers’ youth. “Doing this deep-dive really did come naturally, but thankfully, I didn't have to do it alone,” Powers said. “We had many meetings and discussions about Joe as a team, where he grew up, the important people in his life, what made him tick, and then I reached into my own past and life experiences and tried to put that down on paper.” However, Powers added that “though research and my personal experiences did help develop Joe and the story to a point, it was very important that the film transcended any one person's life.” “It was really important that we reached out further, so we partnered with a number of consultants on this film who we kept close throughout the entire creative process,” Powers said, citing other African-American Pixar employees who were “drafted to become our internal cultural trust and to make sure that this representation was as genuine as possible. We also turned to tons of experts outside of Pixar, including many music teachers and working jazz musicians from New York City and right here in Emeryville {the home base of Pixar).” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-disney-and-pixar-animated-movie&captions=true"] The filmmakers also sought out a group of “expert cultural consultants who we relied on to help us make our story look and sound as authentic as possible,” Powers said, including not only the aforementioned anthropologist and educator Dr. Johnnetta Cole but also cinematographer Bradford Young -- who, Powers revealed, “contributed a great deal with our lighting team to the look of the film” -- actor-singer Daveed Diggs and musician Questlove, both of whom also perform in the film. “We took all that research and input from our consultants, and then we put it into the script,” Powers explained. Additional cultural and music consultants include Dr. Peter Archer, Jon Batiste, Dr. Christopher Bell, Terri Lyne Carrington, Marcus McLaurine, George Spencer … and Herbie Hancock, whose anecdote about jazz is what inspired the filmmakers to begin with. Audiences can tune into Soul when it debuts Christmas Day on Disney+.

Peter Dinklage to Star in Toxic Avenger Reboot

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 12:49:58 GMT

Peter Dinklage has been attached to Legendary’s upcoming reboot of The Toxic Avenger. Deadline reports that Dinklage is set to star in the reboot of the 1984 low-budget splatter film, which will be directed by Macon Blair, who previously helmed Netflix’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. No details have been provided on casting, so it’s unclear if Dinklage is set to play The Toxic Avenger’s protagonist, Melvin Ferd. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/05/22/x-men-days-of-future-past-peter-dinklage-interview"] The 1984 original follows Melvin Ferd, a janitor who is submerged in toxic waste in an accident and emerges as a disfigured but incredibly strong superhuman. While schlocky and camp, The Toxic Avenger dealt with environmental and societal issues while also parodying the superhero genre. While it was unsuccessful at launch, The Toxic Avenger went on to be a cult classic and spawned a four-film franchise, animated TV show, spin-off, video game, and even a musical. The reboot will be produced by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, the directors of the 1984 original. Peter Dinklage is, of course, most famous for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020 for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. While we were not so keen on the final season of Game of Thrones, the series as a whole is still fondly remembered and Dinklage’s performance is a huge part of that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Black Panther's Disney+ Marvel Intro Remade to Honor Chadwick Boseman

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 20:05:41 GMT

Black Panther's Marvel Studios intro on Disney+ has been remade to honor the late Chadwick Boseman on what would have been his 44th birthday. Boseman was born on November 29, 1976, and to help celebrate the star who passed away earlier this year from cancer, Disney+ has created a new Marvel Studios intro for the film that features different scenes of Boseman as Black Panther.

Long live the King. #WakandaForever pic.twitter.com/FHiJDVQ3NS
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) November 29, 2020

Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also took the time to celebrate Boseman by sharing a behind-the-scenes look at a birthday celebration for the Black Panther star with many other MCU characters around him in costume. "Thinking of your passion, love, and your light today, @ChadwickBoseman. Ruffalo wrote. "Happy Birthday. Wishing we could time travel back to this moment." These are two examples of the many ways those around the world have celebrated the life of Boseman, including an ABC News special on Disney+ called Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King - A Special Edition of 20/20 that looks back at his life, legacy, career, and the cultural imprint he made on and off-screen. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler also released a touching statement to the star of his film, and other tributes have been found in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales for PS5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Best Holiday Movies (and Specials) on Netflix

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 17:00:06 GMT

For those looking for a bit of Netflix and "Escape the Chill" during the frosty fall and winter seasons, we've compiled a quick list of some of the streaming site's sweetest and most succulent holiday offerings. Whether you're in the mood for a Christmas classic, an animated original, a magical musical, some beautiful baking mishaps, or even just a quaint crackling fire, we've got Netflix's best and brightest offerings to help get you into the spirit of the season. Or, in the very least, help you forget the cares of the everyday and travel to a fun, fictional land for an hour or two. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-holiday-movies-and-specials-on-netflix&captions=true"]

Klaus

This awesome, oddball origin story for Santa Claus features the voices of Jason Schwartzman, J. K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, and Joan Cusack and tells the story of a spoiled, entitled postman stationed in a run-down island town in the Far North who befriends a reclusive toymaker.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/17/jingle-jangle-a-christmas-journey-official-trailer"] This recent addition to Netflix is an imaginative, inventive Christmas musical that already feels like a timeless treat. Forest Whitaker stars as a sad and ruined toymaker who finds joy again thanks to his estranged granddaughter and several stirring dance numbers set to songs by John Legend and Philip Lawrence.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

At the time it came out, Ron Howard's live-action spin on Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas was met with quasi-cringe but over the years it's endured as a sleeper holiday hit, particularly because of Jim Carrey's hilariously wild and wooly take on the Grinch's self-loathing and manic misanthropy. A young Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girl) also delights as Cindy Lou Who.

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/14/dr-seuss-the-grinch-trailer-2"] Featuring the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Angela Lansbury, and Pharrell Williams, this 2018 animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic Christmas crankypants is full of warmth, wit, and rich visuals the entire family can enjoy.

White Christmas

Those seeking some soothing Christmas crooning can't go wrong with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney in this 1954 classic, featuring the songs of Irving Berlin. It's comfort food of the highest order, steeped in the history of cinema and song.

A Very Murray Christmas

This chapter of Bill Murray's ongoing collaboration with director Sofia Coppola is a charming boozy-bouncy holiday special that stars Murray as himself, accompanied by a revolving door of superstar guests like George Clooney, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, and Rashida Jones as they musically make the best of being snowed-in at New York's Carlyle Hotel.

Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special

Let this serve as a gentle reminder that you can watch the 1988 Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special on Netflix any time you want! Though this time of year makes a lot more sense to run through a parade of pop culture icons like Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Charo, Little Richard, Cher, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and - well, the list goes on and on.

The Christmas Chronicles

Netflix seemed to strike gold with the simple premise of "Kurt Russell as Santa Claus" and now a full franchise has been born featuring a leaner, meaner St. Nick and his attempts to save Christmas, and the holiday spirit, from utter ruin. Judah Lewis and Darby Camp also star in this action romp about two young "true believers" who help Santa save the day. The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two arrived on November 25, 2020.

Bojack Horseman Christmas Special: Sabrina's Christmas Wish

If you're in the mood for something a bit more dark and quirky, Bojack Horseman's special from 2014 will be right up your alley. Right as Bojack wants nothing to do with the holiday season, Aaron Paul's Todd arrives on the scene with a very special episode of Horsin' Around.

Nailed It! Holiday!

Two seasons of holiday-themed episodes of Nailed It! are currently on tap, as wanna-be bakers flub up everything from jelly donut menorahs to hand-dipped dreidels to cakes shaped like Ebenezer Scrooge. And, of course, Nicole Byer is there to cackle at every catastrophe.

Dash & Lily

This new Netflix series features Austin Abrams and Midori Francis in a whirlwind holiday romance about two young people who trade messages left in a notebook they pass back and forth at locations in NYC. It's feel-good escapism at its finest.

Over the Moon

Famous Disney animator Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) directs his first full-length feature about a young girl, Fei Fei (Cathy Ang), who, during the annual Moon Festival, builds a rocket to the moon so she can meet the goddess Chang'e. It's a visual extravaganza with touching moments and cool, catchy songs.

Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square

Dolly Parton arrives just in time to provide fans with a sparkly small-town musical that's unabashedly full of cheer - and brimming with 14 original songs! Dolly plays an angel (named Angel) who must convince a very Scrooge-y Christine Baranski to have a change of heart.

The Princess Switch

This breezy twin-swap Christmas rom-com stars Vanessa Hudgens as both a Chicago baker and a posh Duchess who switch places after they each fall in love with each other's beaus. Netflix has a ton of Hallmark-style holiday romances to choose from and this is one of their better offerings. Note that The Princess Switch: Switched Again is also now available.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/04/the-nutcracker-and-the-four-realms-trailer-2"] Loosely inspired by the classic ballet The Nutcracker, this reimagining, directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, is an entertaining and dazzling ride that excels when it embraces its strangeness and the brilliance of the production design. Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman star.

Fireplace for Your Home

If you just need some comforting background noise, this classic single shot of a roaring, popping fire is the perfect program. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

David Prowse, the Original Darth Vader Actor, Dies at 85

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 15:00:28 GMT

David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars Trilogy, has died at the age of 85. Prowse's agent Thomas Bowington confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he died early morning on Saturday, November 28, following "a short illness." Bowington Management also shared the news on Twitter, saying "It's with great regret and heart-wrenching sadness for us and million of fans around the world, to announce that our client DAVE PROWSE M.B.E. has passed away at the age of 85." Prowse was born on July 1, 1935, in Bristol, England and was misdiagnosed with tuberculosis of the knee and had to wear a leg splint for four years as a young child. He ended up actually having osteoarthritis, but these early complications didn't prevent him from training and competing for the Mr. Universe bodybuilding title in 1960 and then winning the British weightlifting championship from 1962-1964. He and his 6-foot-7-frame began acting with appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies, The Saint, and Doctor Who. He even stared as "The Mighty Tonka" in a toy commercial directed by Ridley Scott. He portrayed the Frankenstein monster in 1967's Casino Royale, 1970's The Horror of Frankensten, and 1974's Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. In his last role as Frankenstein's monster, he acted alongside Grand Moff Tarkin actor Peter Cushing. Prowse also made a name for himself in the UK for his time as the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero-like character that was used in PSAs to help children cross the street safely. He appeared in this role from 1967 through 1990 and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2000 for his work as the character. In Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange in 1971, Prowse portrayed a muscular manservent working for Patrick Magee's Frank Alexander, and his performance caught the eye of George Lucas, who offered him a part in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope. "Lucas said to me, 'You've got a choice of two characters in the movie," Prowse recalled in a 2016 interview. "He said, 'There's a character called Chewbacca, which is like a huge teddy bear, or alternatively, there's the main villain in the piece.' Well, there's no choice, is there? Thank you very much, I'll have the villain's piece." What he didn't realize was that he would have to wear the imposing outfit and mask worn by Darth Vader, which weighed 40 pounds and was extremely hot. "Once [the mask] was fitted, I became virtually blind, and the heat generated by the suit obeyed the laws of physics and traveled upward, straight into the mash," he wrote in his 2005 memoir, Straight From the Force's Mouth. "This immediately misted up the eyepieces, which was inconvenient, to say the least, but was not an insurmountable problem so long as I could look down through the triangular cut-out beneath the mask's nose molding and use it as a spyhole." Originally, he spoke his lines in his West Country accent, and Carrier Fisher, who played Princess Leia Organa, jokingly called him "Darth Farmer" due to his rural tone. He was told his dialogue would be added later in the process because the mask muffled his voice, but Lucas decided that Darth Vader's voice would instead by subbed by James Earl Jones in post-production. "I think [Jones] did a wonderful job, but I still think I would have done equally as well given the right opportunity," Prowse said. Prowse would return for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and even though he thought he may get a chance to show his face when Vader's mask is finally removed in Episode VI, British actor Sebastian Shaw was the one who made it onto movie screens around the world. Even still, Prowse was proud of the what he brought to Darth Vader - an imposing force that was feared across the galaxy. "Body acting and bodybuilding are more closely related than most people would image, and all that posing I'd done to impress the judges in my early years [paid] dividends," he wrote in his book. "From within the black leather suit, I treated Vader's every gesture as a bodybuilding pose, refining here and exaggerating there, until my character 'spoke' with every tilt of his head or movement of his arms." Prowse is survived by his wife Norma Scammell and their three children. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Star Wars Stunt Co-Ordinator Selling Lightsabers From Revenge of the Sith

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 15:58:52 GMT

Star Wars stunt coordinator Nick Gillard is putting some of the incredible lightsabers from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith up for auction. Galactic credits may be "no good" here, but Prop Store has announced that it's holding a live auction from December 1 - December 2, which will see a collection of Star Wars movie memorabilia go under the hammer. The entertainment auction roster includes over 110 Star Wars lots, featuring all kinds of props, costumes, and production ephemera, said to be worth over $5.6 million. [caption id="attachment_2444464" align="alignnone" width="5211"] Obi-Wan Kenobi's Hero Lightsaber (Image Credit: Prop Store)[/caption] There are a few lightsaber props included in the auction, which come from Gillard's personal collection. The man responsible for choreographing the iconic lightsaber duels in the Star Wars prequels has offered up Ewan McGregor's Hero Lightsaber from his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is estimated to sell for somewhere between $105,600 - $158,400. Anakin Skywalker's Hero Lightsaber famously swung by Hayden Christensen is also listed as part of the auction. Gillian previously shared some fascinating insight into how the epic duel on Mustafar was created, including a wild story about how the memorable "I've got the high ground!" moment came to be. You can hear more about that story in our video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/26/star-wars-breaking-down-the-duels-revenge-of-the-sith"] “We hadn't seen Jedi, young Jedi in their prime, fighting before. So George [Lucas] said, 'Can you come up with a style that’s going to work for this?'" Gillian told Prop Store about the creation of the fighting style for the Republic-era Jedi. "He wanted everything in Star Wars – not just the fighting, but also props, costumes, things like that – to have a familiarity to it. "So you have to base it on something people know. If it's a gun, he'd reject some super-smooth space-gun for something with a bit of a flintlock thing on it. There had to be something you recognize. So I based the fighting style on kendo, but I also tried to use every cool sword style that there was, and tried to marry them all together." [caption id="attachment_2444467" align="alignnone" width="5214"] Darth Vader's Hero Lightsaber (Image Credit: Prop Store)[/caption] The upcoming auction includes lots for Ewan McGregor's and Liam Neeson's fighting props from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which featured more carefully choreographed sequences. Gillian referenced this particular stunt work as "the most demanding thing they did on those films," as he explained that the actors were expected to attend regular rehearsals leading up to production. "They would normally come for six-to-eight weeks prior to shooting and rehearse for at least four hours a day – although Hayden [Christensen] would often do eight hours every day!" Gillian revealed. "Ewan [McGregor] also put in a lot of time on all three films. He's fabulous to work with: brave, smart, a natural athlete, and he wants to get it right." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-star-wars-movie-moments&captions=true"] Here's a closer look at the Star Wars memorabilia that will be on offer at Prop Store's upcoming live auction:

Obi-Wan Kenobi's (Ewan McGregor) Hero Lightsaber from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Estimated $105,600 - $158,400).
Stormtrooper Blaster from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Estimated $66,000 - $92,400).
Darth Vader's (Hayden Christensen) Hero Lightsaber from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Estimated $52,800 - $105,600).
Light-Up Remote-control R2-S8 Droid from Star Wars: Solo: A Star Wars Story. (Estimated $52,800 - $79,200).
Screen-matched Obi-Wan Kenobi's (Alec Guinness) Home and Moisture Vaporator Model Miniatures from Star Wars: A New Hope - Special Edition (Estimated $33,000 - $46,200).
Hoth Rebel Trooper A295 Blaster Rifle from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Estimated $26,400 - $39,600).
Obi Wan Kenobi's (Ewan McGregor) Fighting Lightsaber with Blade from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Estimated $52,800 - $79,200).
Stormtrooper Suit from Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Estimated $10,560 - $15,840).
Full-size Dewback Head from Star Wars: A New Hope (Estimated $26,400 - $39,600).
Qui-Gon Jinn's (Liam Neeson) Fighting Lightsaber from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Estimate $13,200 - $19,800).

Prop Store will be holding virtual preview exhibition events via social media in the lead up to the auction, with opportunities to see props up close and ask questions of the specialists. Registration is open here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Godzilla vs. Kong May Go to HBO Max After Netflix's Failed $200M Offer

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 12:18:32 GMT

Forget Godzilla vs. Kong, there's an even bigger battle said to be going on between the streaming services for the fourth movie in Legendary's MonsterVerse. According to The Hollywood Reporter, negotiations are reportedly underway to shift the franchise movie to streaming. The outlet has heard from various sources that Netflix made an offer of more than $200 million to bring Godzilla vs. Kong to its streaming service, but WarnerMedia "blocked the deal while preparing an offer of its own for its streamer, HBO Max." Legendary declined to comment on the story while a Warner Bros. spokesperson stated that the movie would be sticking to its release plans after the studio previously postponed the monster mash tentpole from Nov. 20, 2020, to May 21, 2021. "We plan to release Godzilla vs. Kong theatrically next year as scheduled," the spokesperson insisted. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/24/godzilla-kong-in-5-minutes"] However, the outlet noted that WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and Warner Bros. chairman Ann Sarnoff are reviewing the options and trying to figure out an offer for "a streaming release on HBO Max that in theory also includes a theatrical component," similar to the revised release plans for Wonder Woman 1984, which will see the movie bow in theaters and debut on HBO Max on December 25. This news comes as studios and theater chains struggle with the ongoing effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Godzilla vs. Kong has been delayed several times, along with numerous other film and TV projects. The movie initially targeted a May 29, 2020 release date but was soon shifted to March 13, 2020. The sequel then moved to November 20, 2020, before settling on May 21, 2021. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monsterverse-every-major-monster&captions=true"] Both the Godzilla and the Kong franchises have been slowly working towards the Godzilla vs. Kong showdown ever since 2014's Godzilla, which was directed by Gareth Edwards. Kong went up against a multitude of creatures in 2017's Kong: Skull Island while 2019's Godzilla: King of Monsters threw the giant radioactive lizard at some of his most iconic foes, including King Ghidorah, Rhodan, and Mothra. The upcoming sequel, directed by Adam Wingard, promises to take the film series to the "next-level" with an all-star cast made up of Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, and Rebecca Hall. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Strange Monolith Discovered In Utah Desert Resembles 2001: A Space Odyssey

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 01:16:19 GMT

A research team surveying bighorn sheep in the Utah Desert discovered a large, metal monolith that could seemingly be the work of aliens, but is likely an art installation. This team was counting bighorn sheep from a helicopter while flying over Utah's Red Rock Country when it discovered this monolith, as reported by The New York Times. Standing 10 to 12 feet tall, the sheer size of the structure caught the team's attention and, upon closer inspection, the team determined the monolith to be made of metal. "We fly pretty low for these surveys so we can identify the gender of the sheep, and while we were doing this, we found this strange metallic monolith out in the middle of the desert," Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spokesman, Aaron Bott said. The Utah Department of Public Safety was informed of the monolith and revealed it to the world by way of Instagram, which you can see above. According to the bighorn sheep research team, there was no indication of who or what might have put the monolith in that location. We've watched enough movies and TV shows like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Agents of Shield, and Raised by Wolves to know where this came from. Oddly enough, the monolith is pointed at the only Red Rock crack in sight, according to the research team, which seems like a very alien thing to do. We're onto you. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/16/2001-a-space-odyssey-trailer"] The monolith isn't extraterrestrial, though, according to some local organizations, and is believed to be the work of an artist. The Art Newspaper pointed out that it resembles the "free-standing plank sculptures" of the late artist, John McCracken. The David Zwirner Gallery represents McCracken's work and Zwirner himself believes it to be the work of the late artist, although he notes that the gallery is divided on this. Local public safety authorities said "it's somebody's art installation, or an attempt on that," and that it's made of stainless steel held together with "human-made rivets." It's also embedded into the rocky ground. "Somebody took the time to use some type of concrete-cutting tool or something to really dig down, almost in the exact shape of the object, and embed it really well," Utah Department of Public Safety lieutenant, Nick Street, said. "It's odd. There are roads close by, but to haul the materials to cut into the rock, and haul the metal, which is taller than 12 feet in sections — to do all that in that remote spot is definitely interesting." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] As for what the future holds for this monolith, authorities are still investigating. It could be removed, especially if it's harmful to local wildlife. It's also important to note that its existence in that spot is illegal as it's been installed on federally-managed land, and, "it is illegal to install structures or art without authorization on federally managed public lands, no matter what planet you're from." Read about other significant monoliths by checking out our Raised by Wolves review. Then read our Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 4,722 Hours episode review, which features a monolith, to find out why nobody should touch this Utah structure. Check out why we think 2001: A Space Odyssey is the best sci-fi movie ever made after that. For more science, read about possible signs of life detected on Venus, and how there's a 50-50 chance we are all living in a simulation. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. Monolith-installing aliens, if you're reading this, please know that I haven't touched it. You can follow Wesley on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 19:53:45 GMT

It might be hard to keep Marvel's upcoming movie and TV slate straight -- it's a lot to absorb, we know. And there are still a ton of unanswered questions regarding release date changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But that said, we've done our best to wrangle and rein in all the upcoming Marvel projects that are in the works, all of them MCU (but only some are officially "Phase 4"). From the movies to the Disney+ shows to Marvel's animated What If...?, here's a quick rundown of everything on the MCU horizon. Click on through the slideshow below for a glimpse, or read on!

Black Widow and Every Other Upcoming Marvel Movie and Show

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] For those keeping track, here's the full lineup of upcoming Marvel movies and shows:

WandaVision (Disney+, Jan. 15, 2021)
Black Widow (May 7, 2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (July 9, 2021)
Eternals (Nov. 5, 2021)
Spider-Man 3 (Dec. 17, 2021)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, TBD, 2021)
Loki (Disney+, TBD, 2021)
What If...? (Disney+, TBD, 2021)
Thor: Love and Thunder (Feb. 11, 2022)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)
Ant-Man 3 (2022)
Black Panther 2 (May 6, 2022)
Captain Marvel 2 (July 8, 2022)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Date TBD)
Ms. Marvel (Disney+, Date TBD)
Moon Knight (Disney+, Date TBD)
Hawkeye (Disney+, Date TBD)
She-Hulk (Disney+, Date TBD)
Nick Fury (Disney+, Date TBD)
Blade (Disney+, Date TBD)
Deadpool 3 (Date TBD)

So which movie or TV show are you most excited for? Are you stoked for Hawkeye or psyched for Howard the Duck? Can you not wait to see Natalie Portman as Thor in Love and Thunder? Let us know below... [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/25/marvel-studios-d23-panel-highlights-black-panther-2-the-eternals"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Stardust Review

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 17:00:12 GMT

Stardust opens in theaters and on VOD on November 25. IGN reviewer Kristy Puchko watched the movie via a digital screener. Read more on IGN's policy on movie reviews in light of COVID-19 here. IGN strongly encourages anyone considering going to a movie theater during the COVID-19 pandemic to check their local public health and safety guidelines before buying a ticket. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, David Bowie became not only a rock star with a slew of hits, but also an icon for his fierce fashion, sci-fi fantasies, and unapologetic gender-bending. His music became the soundtrack to hundreds of movies and TV shows as well as peoples' lives and political movements. Now, the scrappy Stardust shoots to showcase the man behind the glam rock persona. It's an ambitious mission. But out of the gate, there are some serious setbacks, including the disapproval of the late singer's estate and no right to use any of his discography. So, how do you make a David Bowie movie without his music? Co-writers Christopher Bell and Gabriel Range (who also directs) narrowed their focus to a weird window of the rock star's life when he came to the U.S.in 1971 to promote The Man Who Sold The World but didn't have the visa permits to perform. It's a clever angle considering the production’s limitations. However, this means Stardust isn't a biopic as much as a slice of life, digging into the moment before Bowie would birth his extraordinary alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/29/stardust-official-trailer] A singer/songwriter himself, Johnny Flynn stars as David, the sheepish aspiring rock star who has had 12 singles flop in the U.K. His last shot at stardom is to make an impression in America. However, the record company has lost faith, save for one guy. Enter Marc Maron as harried publicist Ron Oberman, a grumbling, shambling warning that this will not be the red carpet tour David was promised. Instead of posh hotels, they're crashing at Oberman's mom's house. No concert halls, just vacuum cleaner conventions. No screaming fans, just disc jockeys confounded by David's provocative talk and orange Mary Janes. It's a parade of humiliation, where a self-conscious David flails and fails to impress at every turn. Oberman is his snarling coach, giving pep talks spattered with righteous indignation at anyone who doesn't recognize his guy's genius. It's undeniable fun to watch Maron channel his signature surliness to defend the brilliance of Bowie. However, little else about this setup works. In part, because David is surrounded by thinly sketched stereotypes, like the cynical rock critic, the un-amused security guard, and nagging wife Angie, a suffocating role that allows Jena Malone only to scowl and screech. Neither in character nor settings is there a sense of an America that impresses or impacts Bowie, as Range gives little specificity to the visual journey. A section in New York City seems promising as it sets up Bowie meeting subversive inspirations like Andy Warhol and Lou Reed. However, the script craftily --and infuriatingly -- avoids putting either luminary onscreen. Instead, the focus is shifted to David's backstory, which involves his mentally ill older brother (Derek Moran) and an alleged family curse. Essentially, David is afraid to embrace his wildest ideas out of fear that is the path to madness. It's an interesting concept that might have been explored through striking visuals alluding to the incredible stage shows, cover albums, concert costumes, and music videos that were to come. But the most memorable visuals in Stardust come from the trippy opening, ripped straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Otherwise, Range's script namedrops Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, and Iggy Pop, the last in a cringe-worthy bit that feels like a senseless retread of Green Book's fried chicken scene. To give a sense of the mood of this era, he laces in non-Bowie music. But all this never knits together into anything nearing the artistic grandeur of Bowie. Instead, it is a frustratingly tame pastiche. So much so that it's hard to imagine even a pulsating Bowie soundtrack could save it. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=worst-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"]

The Top 10 Movie Meals of All Time

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 16:30:02 GMT

The holiday season is normally for getting together to share a traditional meal. Since that is (or certainly should be) off the table this year, let’s do our best to replace your holiday feast with one of the best movie meals of all time. Whether it’s an old school feast or a smorgasbord of collected family favorites, people eating together is a peculiarly human activity we all relate to in different ways. Maybe the thought of holiday meals pleasantly reminds you of the distant branches of your family tree. Maybe it makes you start rehearsing that speech you’re going to scream at Uncle Mike if he opens that door even a little. Whatever it is, there will be drama of all types, and movies have long exploited meals to the same ends. We don’t want you to miss out on your usual holiday feelings if we can help it, so in place of the meal you’re (hopefully, even though yes, it’s a bummer, but c’mon guys, let’s just all get through this) missing this year, let’s find the right movie meal for you. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/top-10-movie-meals-of-all-time"]

The Awkward Meal

Top Pick: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days The awkward meal is a classic scene with many great examples, too many to fully list even. Everybody’s had a holiday meal made notorious in their family that would qualify. Things aren’t going great in the house and nobody wants to talk about it. In fact, the lack of genuine engagement is the most painful part. If this is something you’re missing out on, you can look to the personality quirks coming to light over lunch in The Breakfast Club, while discussing milking cats with Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents, or when meeting the parents in avery different way in Eraserhead (a scene that’s recently been matched by Charlie Kaufmann’s excellent I’m Thinking of Ending Things on Netflix). Maybe revisit Lars, from Lars and the Real Girl, introducing his sex doll “girlfriend” to his brother and sister-in-law. But more than perhaps any other scene, try being painfully, silently squished between your boyfriend's parents at a dinner you didn’t even want to go to in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Often these awkward meals get uncomfortable not from people saying the wrong things, but because nobody can say the right things. It can be right in front of everyone on a silver platter, but nobody at the table is able to see it. In 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, for seven and a half unbroken, excruciating minutes, that couldn’t be more clear. The conversation is pleasant enough, polite even. But it keeps skating past the truth of the matter. The character Gabita is not okay and the act of flinging insubstantial wordsat each other makes it that much worse. The scene forces us to stare at the discomfort in a oner that never moves, never engages in the hollow liveliness at the rest of the table. It sits still and stares at the awkwardness and, in doing so, captures the unmistakable sense of being alone in a crowd, of being in the middle of a party but still feeling a million miles away.

The Unspoken Secret

Top Pick: Inglourious Basterds Sometimes there’s an elephant in the room that only one person knows about. These are the unspoken secrets and there are a ton of incredible meal scenes built around them. Somebody at the table knows something the others don’t and they circle around it like pushing peas on a plate. This is used to hilarious effect several times in Mrs. Doubtfire, and to disturbing effect when Ray Liotta eats his own brain in Hannibal. Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love has a few textbook examples of moving and tragic secrets being kept, while the Goodfellas yuk it up over ma’s cooking with a body in the trunk. But for our favorite exploration of unspoken secrets, we’re looking at Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. While much has been made of the opening farmhouse confrontation, and deservedly so, really they only drink milk in that scene and that can hardly be considered a meal. Instead, if you want to feel what it’s like to keep a secret over the dinner table, check out Shoshanna’s lunch with Joseph Goebbels for a secret that takes the cake… err… strudel. The lunch starts stressfully enough, with Shoshanna ably hiding her Jewish ancestry and backing up her fake ID. But when Colonel Landa enters the fray something fascinating happens. The secret that’s been swimming beneath the table cloth shifts from Shoshanna concealing her identity to Landa knowing she’s concealing her identity. And while neither she nor us can be sure how much he truly knows, it’s enough to make all of us squirm either way. Like a cigarette jammed into your strudel, the viewer lives with Shoshanna, realizing you’ve lost the grip on the conversation and it’s now dangerously careening towards revealing your secret.

Romance

Top Pick: Moonlight There’s a cinematic shorthand for romance over dinner that is unmissable. Borrowing energy from both awkward meals and the unspoken secret meals, the best romantic meals involve two people that love each other, but do that wonderful little dance, bashfully tiptoeing around their as-yet-unspoken desire. This is, like, half of When Harry Met Sally. It’s also the forbidden attraction between Vincent Vega and Mrs. Mia Wallace at Jack Rabbit Slims in Pulp Fiction. There’s an almost shockingly well executed version of this in Nocturnal Animals, a film for which “romantic” would never be the appropriate descriptor. This is of course Lady and the Tramp’s famous spaghetti scene and Hot Shots Part Deux’s slightly less famous spoof of that scene where Charlie Sheen eats his own shoe lace. But we have to focus on 2016 Best Picture winner Moonlight and it’s very exceptional diner scene between Chiron and Kevin. On the surface it’s two old friends catching up, but just beneath the surface their attraction is never fully out of sight. Flitting back and forth between layers there is love and bravado and shame and vulnerability and all the things that come along with a shared history neither of the men quite have the courage to talk about. The real dialogue is exchanged in their looks and the expert blocking of the scene. Ultimately, it’s a song that finishes the conversation for them.

Conflict in the Subtext

Top Pick: Phantom Thread But if romance isn’t the thing you’re missing from your cancelled holiday plans, perhaps it’s conflict? A disagreement that’s getting worked out without being directly addressed? These are rarely fun topics. If they were fun they’d be easier to openly talk about. So you can find examples of these meals centered around marital resentment in Revolutionary Road, disillusionment in Before Midnight, or even fear of the unknown in Signs. For the best example of this, nothing beats the end of Phantom Thread. From a film chock full of incredible dining, from cold, quiet breakfasts to fiery dinner arguments, there’s nothing quite so incredible as Alma poisoning Woodcock’s dinner right in front of him, and him willingly eating it. The scene is an incredible game of chicken, with the conflict that’s been building for the entire film coming to a head in a perverse staring contest, the stakes of which are nothing short of a total shift in their relationship dynamics. Watch the way she pours the water, the way he uses his fork and knife, the way he chews and swallows. Every tiny gesture has a meaning and a consequence and leads to an articulate, yet unspoken resolution to a twisted relationship.

Vying for Power

Top Pick: Fury What if your holiday plans involved a hostile takeover of your family’s power structure? If you find yourself missing some subtext that’s just about control and the conversation is a proxy battle for it, check out the final dinner Helen Mirren serves to Michael Gambon in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. There’s a terrible Thanksgiving dinner in Scent of a Woman worth watching along with the first big meal from August Osage County and every meal in The Lighthouse. But to really get your fill of an unspoken power struggle, go with the uninvited breakfast in the German house in Fury. When the rest of the men, drunk and angry, barge in mid-breakfast, accusing Don and Norman of “playing house,” the meal quickly becomes a dangerous battlefield on which the men try to undermine, humiliate and sabotage while maintaining plausible deniability that that’s not what they’re really doing. In the process, everything but the actual weapons becomes a weapon; the food itself, the way they take up space, and while no one ever quite openly questions Don’s authority as sergeant, it’s clear they’re flirting with a coup. The scene is dynamic and incredibly uncomfortable, and keeps the tendencies of occupying forces to commit heinous war crimes close to the viewers’ minds at all times. The most remarkable thing about the scene are the hints of how much worse the unspoken reality might be.

The Blow-Up

Top Pick: The Godfather Even the most seasoned of Thanksgiving diners knows that conflict can’t stay unspoken forever. At some point the conflict simmering below the surface will boil over. Think about the spaghetti dinner scene in 10 Cloverfield Lane, the steak dinner gone horribly wrong in Raging Bull, or the traumatically explosive dinner in Hereditary. But for the ultimate blow up, it has to be the dinner parlay between Michael and Sollozzo in The Godfather. In a scene filled with secrets, suspense, power plays and the kinds of empty niceties concealing serious threats that make for all the best holiday meals, this turning point of a scene from The Godfather comes with a misdirect. We know what Michael is there to do, but we don’t know if or how he’s going to go through with it. The meal itself punctuates the disrespect being shown to Michael, especially Sterling Hayden’s obnoxiously entitled Captain McCluskey. And in a train-wheel-screeching crescendo, Michael explodes with a violence that’s as calm and measured as he’d been the whole scene, while everything that had been previously unsaid is unleashed onto Sollozzo and his crony.

Competition

Top Pick: Hook Let’s move away from all the subtext and get into some good old-fashioned name calling, a staple of any holiday meal that’s more of a chore than a choice. If this is what you’re longing for -- a dinner table turned naked battleground for competition -- look to Whiplash and Andrew absolutely dunking on his cousins, or the diner stand-off between DeNiro and Pacino in Heat. But for the top pick of this group, we’re going with the hypercolor food fight from Hook. As the kids divide into teams and hurl some remarkably childish insults at each other, the oohs and aaahs and “BANGARANG”s chart a course of Peter relearning his playfulness. In another film, that would’ve been enough to make for a great meal scene, but add in food that appears from the power of belief and in the space of one simple, but incredibly effective edit, and the meal becomes a classic. The childish humor captures a balance between love and aggression, and the food fight that emerges is one of the best ever on screen. This meal is a delight, and should scratch the itch for anybody missing a shouting match with family they only see once or twice a year.

Family Dynamics

Top Pick: Fanny and Alexander For those who actually enjoy their family’s company and are missing that particular brand of warm and fuzzy, we can look at films that are less about conflict or even plot movement. These are movie meals you might call “the family portrait meal.” Think about the opening of Little Miss Sunshine, or throughout the old friends reunion in The Big Chill. But for a marvelous and far-reaching family portrait, there’s none better than the Christmas feast in Fanny and Alexander. Nowhere on film has the sprawling, intergenerational dynamics of a family been better mapped through time than in Fanny and Alexander, by which of course we mean this movie is very long. The late-career Ingmar Bergman epic is five and a half hours, but the Christmas dinner -- the centerpiece of the first of the film’s four parts -- finds all the disparate relations come together in the same room. It’s a togetherness that is not in the rest of the film, but the feast has everything: song, cheer, intergenerational disconnect, substance abuse, class struggle, creepy uncles, the shadow of trauma, literally everything a large and vibrant family could hope for. It’s all swirling around a single, massive dinner table and evolving as the night wears on and the liquor flows. The only thing it’s missing is a significant throughline. The sequence doesn’t move anywhere in particular, opting instead to be a snapshot of one idiosyncratic family, with all their lovingly catalogued peculiarities. And Bergman handles them all in such a way that makes them feel universal. The people on screen, like those in our lives, are exactly the same kind of unique.

Just Conversation

Top Pick: The Trip If you haven’t found a movie that’s an adequate stand-in for the usual holiday meal yet, let’s try one that’s made from a little less weighty stuff. Some meals, after all, are just about the joy of conversation over a bite to eat. You can find this style of movie meal in the opening of Reservoir Dogs, as the characters are musing over Madonna lyrics and how best to tip a waitress. We love when entire films like Coffee and Cigarettes are built around conversational vignettes. Again though, there’s no meal there, so for our top pick we’re looking to a pair of British comedians on a culinary tour in The Trip. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s series from the BBC, repurposed into now four feature films, finds the pair travelling to noted restaurants around the world and, nowhere more effectively than in their first outing, kind of vaguely competing, usually about who does a better celebrity impression. But there are no stakes beyond ego. No ends other than the competition itself and no judges other than each other. It’s just two very entertaining companions hitting the silly sweet spot of utterly-pointless-but-very-important-to-us that only old friends can nail. And it never gets better than their now famous dueling Michael Caines, breaking down the iconic actor’s voice with a keenly scrutinizing taxonomy that makes us jealous.

For the Love of the Food

Top Pick: Babette’s Feast And as we get to our last spot, let’s talk about what’s at the core of these holiday meals: the actual food. There are plenty of films that luxuriate in what’s on the plate and cinema can truly make your stomach growl when it wants to. Think about pretty much all of Ratatouille, but especially when Anton Ego tries the famous dish at the end. You can find it sinfully in Chocolat, sensually in 9 1/2 Weeks, miserably in The Turin Horse, ecstatically in Big Night, devotedly in Chef, hilariously in Tampopo, but never more magically or with more delight than in Babette’s Feast. Babette is a refugee from Paris, taken in by a deeply religious family, who finds herself with a sudden windfall of cash. And instead of financing her way back to her old life, she spends all the money on one lavish meal for the local congregation in a massive act of thanks. But the Protestants notice the arrival of opulent ingredients and decide, in keeping with their scripture, that it would be sinful to enjoy such earthly pleasures. While they all attend the meal to humor Babette, they all agree not to speak of the food or however much they may be enjoying it. And as Babette prepares the meal, filmed with shots as gorgeously composed as her dishes, the special guest, a general with no compunction about heaping praise on the incredible meal, begins to pronounce his pleasure with ever greater eloquence -- even while expressing shock that the holy rollers are so nonchalant. Finally, sensation wins out, and even the quaint quakers can’t resist. This is a movie meal about the emotional power of food and how beautiful it can be when imbued with love. It’s about saying thank you the best way you know how, even if it may fall on deaf ears. More than anything, Babette’s Feast is about the food, which is why we think it’s one of the best movie meals of all time. Hopefully you’ve been able to find a meal to stand in for that special kind of energy you’re missing out on this holiday season. And if 3000-word pieces breaking down the intricacies of hyper-specific film tropes is your thing, be sure to subscribe to CineFix on YouTube for more!

First Look at 'Live-Action' Clifford the Big Red Dog Revealed

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 15:28:36 GMT

Paramount Pictures has revealed a first look at the live-action/CG adaptation of Clifford the Big Red Dog, which is scheduled to open in theaters on November 5, 2021. The official Clifford movie Twitter account let the big red dog off his leash on Wednesday, as they posted a teaser for the "live-action" movie adaptation of Norman Bridwell's Scholastic book series. The short video pans a line-up of different dogs until it finally reaches the titular red-furred canine, who towers high above the rest of the pint-sized pooches. Check out the official teaser below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/25/clifford-the-big-red-dog-official-first-look-teaser"] In the movie, middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away on business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an "edge-of-your-seat" adventure. Clifford the Big Red Dog is being directed by Walt Becker from a script written by Jay Scherick, David Ronn, and Blaise Hemingway. Becker's previous credits include Wild Hogs, Old Dogs, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, which was the fourth installment in that live-action/CG franchise. The movie grossed $234 million worldwide against a $90 million budget despite generally negative reviews. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-18-best-cgi-characters-in-live-action-movies&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Getting Monster Hunter Movie Crossover DLC

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 01:00:24 GMT

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is getting a crossover with the Monster Hunter movie. From December 4, you'll be able to play as Milla Jovovich's Lieutenant Artemis in a two-part Event Quest inspired by the upcoming Paul W.S. Anderson film. Announced today, Jovovich lends her voice to the in-game Artemis, with the quests setting players against a Black Diablos and a Greater Rathalos in turn. Completing the quests will earn you layered armour, new titles, Guild card background and pose, and "special gear" – but you'll only be able to take on the quests if you've reached Master Rank. Before the event, players will be able to claim a free item pack as a log-on bonus to celebrate the film, starting from November 27. Take a look at an exclusive behind-the-scenes sizzle reel with Milla Jovovich below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/25/monster-hunter-behind-the-scenes-with-artemis-milla-jovovich"] The Monster Hunter movie – out on December 4 in the UK, December 25 in the US, and January 1 in Australia – aims to bring communicate the feeling of Monster Hunter World in movie form. It tells the story of Artemis, a US soldier mysteriously transported to the world of Monster Hunter, where she meets Tony Jaa's unnamed Hunter. After some slightly un-Monster Hunter-y trailers, a recent Chinese trailer was praised for showing a much more familiar-looking movie, right down to its inclusion of Palicoes. It's clearly been fertile ground fot Anderson, as there are already ideas for a sequel in the offing. This is far from the first crossover for Monster Hunter World - we've already seen Aloy from Horizon: Zero Dawn (twice), Mega Man, Dante from Devil May Cry, and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

David Fincher's Mank, Jurassic Park, and Everything Else New to Netflix in December

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 23:25:44 GMT

Netflix is dropping some classic films and fan-favorite returning series to its lineup for December 2020. To kick things off, Netflix is releasing David Fincher's (Seven, Gone Girl) Mank on December 4, which is the director's first feature-length film since 2014's Gone Girl. The film centers on screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (portrayed by Gary Oldman) as he races to finish Citizen Kane in 1930's Hollywood. In our full review of the movie, we say, "the reclamation project known as Mank falls short. Even with showy performances from Oldman and Seyfried, and its beautiful craft, the film lacks heart." If you're feeling nostalgic, Netflix has you covered with a slew of classic films such as Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Runaway Bride, and more. All of the aforementioned titles are dropping on December 1. On the TV front, the streaming giant is releasing the first season of Bridgerton on December 25. The romantic-comedy series hails from executive producer Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder) and creator Chris Van Dusen (Grey's Anatomy). Per Netflix, "Bridgerton follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market." The streamer will debut Part 2 of its ambitious Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy, titled "Earthrise" on December 30. We called Part 1 "an action-packed and insightful adventure" is our full Season review. Check out the slideshow gallery below for the highlights of Netflix's December offerings, followed by the full list (U.S. Netflix only): [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-december-2020&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

December 1

Angela's Christmas Wish -- NETFLIX FILM
The Holiday Movies That Made Us -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Natalie Palamides: Nate - A One Man Show -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
3 Days to Kill (2014)
50 First Dates (2004)
A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (1996)
Angels & Demons (2009)
Are You The One: Seasons 1-2
Chef (2014)
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Effie Gray (2014)
Gormiti: Season 1
The Happytime Murders (2018)
Ink Master: Seasons 1-2
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Little Nicky (2000)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Monster House (2006)
Peppermint (2018)
Quigley Down Under (1990)
Runaway Bride (1999)
Super Wings: Season 3
Stargate SG-1: Seasons 1-10
Transformers Rescue Bots Academy: Season 2
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (2011)
Why Did I Get Married? (2007)

December 2

Alien Worlds -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Ari Eldjárn: Pardon My Icelandic -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
Fierce -- NETFLIX FILM
Hazel Brugger: Tropical -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

December 3

Break -- NETFLIX FILM
Chico Bon Bon and the Very Berry Holiday -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Just Another Christmas (Tudo Bem No Natal Que Vem) -- NETFLIX FILM

December 4

Bhaag Beanie Bhaag -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Big Mouth: Season 4 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Bombay Rose -- NETFLIX FILM
Captain Underpants Mega Blissmas -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Christmas Crossfire (Wir Können Nicht Anders) -- NETFLIX FILM
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays: Season 3 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Kings of Joburg: Season 1
Leyla Everlasting -- NETFLIX FILM
MANK -- NETFLIX FILM
Pokémon Journeys: The Series: Part 3 -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Selena: The Series -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

December 5

Detention -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Mighty Express: A Mighty Christmas -- NETFLIX FAMILY

December 7

Ava (2020)
Manhunt: Deadly Games

December 8

Bobbleheads The Movie (2020)
Emicida: AmarElo - É Tudo Para Ontem -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Lovestruck in the City -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Mr. Iglesias: Part 3 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Super Monsters: Santa’s Super Monster Helpers -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Triple 9 (2016)

December 9

Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love: Christmas -- NETFLIX FAMILY
The Big Show Show: Christmas -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Rose Island (L'Incredibile storia dell'Isola Delle Rose) -- NETFLIX FILM
The Surgeon's Cut -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

December 10

Alice in Borderland -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

December 11

A Trash Truck Christmas -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Canvas -- NETFLIX FILM
Giving Voice -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
The Mess You Leave Behind (El desorden que dejas) -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Prom -- NETFLIX FILM

December 14

A California Christmas -- NETFLIX FILM
Hilda: Season 2 -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Tiny Pretty Things -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

December 15

Black Ink Crew New York: Seasons 1-2
The Challenge: Seasons 10 and 13
Grizzlies (2020)
The Professor and the Madman (2019)
Pup Academy: Season 2
Song Exploder: Volume 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Teen Mom 2: Seasons 1-2

December 16

Anitta: Made In Honorio -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
BREAK IT ALL: The History of Rock in Latin America -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
How To Ruin Christmas: The Wedding -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013)
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
The Ripper -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Run On -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Vir Das: Outside In - The Lockdown Special -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

December 17

Braven (2018)

December 18

Guest House (2020)
Home for Christmas: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jeopardy! Champion Run V
Jeopardy! Champion Run VI
Jeopardy! Teacher's Tournament
Jeopardy! College Championship
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom -- NETFLIX FILM
Sweet Home -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

December 20

Rhys Nicholson Live At The Athenaeum (2019)

December 21

The Con Is On (2018)

December 22

After We Collided (2020)
London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
Rhyme Time Town Singalongs -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas (2020)
Timmy Time: Season 2

December 23

The Midnight Sky -- NETFLIX FILM
Your Name Engraved Herein -- NETFLIX FILM

December 25

Bridgerton -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

December 26

Asphalt Burning (Børning 3) -- NETFLIX FILM
DNA -- NETFLIX FILM
Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 3: Sahara -- NETFLIX FAMILY
Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 3 -- NETFLIX FAMILY
The Magic School Bus Rides Again In the Zone -- NETFLIX FAMILY

December 27

Sakho & Mangane: Season 1

December 28

Cops and Robbers -- NETFLIX FILM
Rango (2011)

December 29

Dare Me: Season 1

December 30

Best Leftovers Ever! -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Equinox -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy: Chapter 2: Earthrise -- NETFLIX ANIME

December 31

Best of Stand-Up 2020 -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 4 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/04/netflixs-the-crown-explores-princess-diana-charles-bad-romance-in-season-4"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Insert Coin Review

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 21:10:46 GMT

Insert Coin opens in virtual cinemas and on Alamo On Demand on November 25. [poilib element="accentDivider"] If you walked into an arcade in the '90s, you've played a Midway game. At that time, Midway was the "Sex Pistols of the gaming industry," rebellious pioneers delivering arcade games that were loud, weird, and unapologetically violent. This video game studio gave us the flaming basketballs of NBA Jam, the promise of a Pleasure Dome in Smash TV, and the spine-ripping finishing moves of Mortal Kombat. Now all this and much, much more are dutifully recounted in the behind-the-scenes documentary Insert Coin. Insert Coin begins in the '80s, when the arcade market had been flooded with "rip-offs" and "garbage." Gamers were hungry for something new and bold, and designer Eugene Jarvis was roaring to deliver. Onto a landscape littered with fantasy games, he unleashed NARC, an ultra-violent crime game with graphics that were much more realistic than the symbolic pixels of Pac-Man. When you blew a band of baddies to bits, you were rewarded with an explosion of flaming limbs. Players went crazy for it, and so began the rise of Midway. Over the course of the coming decades, a scrappy team of visionaries, misfits, and rebels made a fortune one quarter at a time by putting their wildest fantasies into arcades. Along the way, they pissed off parents, politicians, and the NBA, turning video games into the latest cultural battleground. Yet despite all this conflict, this doc is shockingly drained of drama. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/19/insert-coin-official-trailer] The story of Midway is told oral history-style, offering an array of talking-head interviews. Jarvis and former colleagues like programmer George Petro, art director Jack Haeger, and game designer Mark Turmell, step audiences through the highs and lows of Midway, including its beginnings as Williams Electronics and a messy merger that changed its name. Video game historians, journalists, and famous gamers -- like Ready Player One author Ernest Cline -- give cultural context to how these games hit or missed, sharing personal anecdotes and concise explainers on controversies the company faced. Altogether, they offer a steady stream of information about this game-changing era, including tasty trivia about T2's motion-capture models, the bowler-hatted hero in NBA Jam's lineup, and the cheeky origins of Sonya's finishing move. Unfortunately, the film's contents are let down by a crushing lack of showmanship. Director Joshua Tsui knows video games. He worked in the field for 20 years, directing franchises like Mortal Kombat, Fight Night, and Tony Hawk. His respect for Midway Games is clear in every frame of the film as he gives their makers plenty of space to tell their stories in their own words, even when those words come out in an awkward ramble. It might be this same reverence that keeps Tsui from pushing into the story's clear points of conflict. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-mortal-kombat-game-review&captions=true"] The movie mentions how Terminator 2 drew national attention for its alleged glorifying of cop killing, how Mortal Kombat sparked a national debate about video game violence that went all the way to Congress, and how the bosses at Midway encouraged in-fighting and hostility among their employees, believing it made them more competitive in making their games the best. Yet, Tsui never digs into these issues to uncover how they impacted the workers or the work. Each is presented more like a bump in the road as opposed to a dynamic obstacle, which makes this journey a slog. Further hurting the movie's momentum, Tsui tells his tale in clunky chapters rather than a dramatic arc. Title cars like "Building A Smash," "Cinematic Ambitions," or "From Filler To Killer" proclaims a new topic is about to be presented, and the last issue is officially closed. It gives the film all the flow of a poorly curated YouTube playlist, as Tsui uses the devices as an easy out for a touchy topic. Thus, a clumsy version of "all publicity is good publicity" becomes the last word on the T2 dust-up, a conclusion that is neither informative nor entertaining. It's just frustrating and becomes increasingly so as each chapter lumbers into another with a similarly anti-climactic end. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=worst-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"]