Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
‘Colossal’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway Is a Monster
If Colossal isn’t on your radar, it should be. The new film from Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes, Open Windows) is his best yet — and the first full trailer hardly does it justice. Featuring an absolutely phenomenal performance from Anne Hathaway, Colossal offers a hilarious, thoughtful and strangely poignant twist on the classic kaiju movie, and is easily one of the most surprising films of 2017.
‘The House’ Trailer: Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell Start a Casino in Their Basement
The first trailer for The House is about what you’d expect based on the plot description: Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell need to raise money to send their kid to college, so they start an illegal casino / underground fight club in their basement, various hijinks ensue, etc. It looks pleasant enough, and the combo of Poehler and Ferrell (with a handful of other funny people) should make for a solid comedy — though this one looks a bit safe, which is surprising considering that The House comes from the minds behind Neighbors.
SXSW 2017 to Premiere James Franco’s ‘The Disaster Artist,’ Announces Midnighters Lineup and More
Alright, SXSW, let’s do this. With just weeks to go before the start of this year’s fest, SXSW has announced even more additions to their 2017 lineup, including the world premiere of James Franco’s The Disaster Artist — the actor / writer / director’s new film based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s totally bonkers cult favorite The Room. The programming team has also announced this year’s Midnighters lineup, featuring several intriguing genre films to play in the late-night slot (aka peak mind-melting hour).
Tina Fey, Steve Carell and More Celebs’ Yearbook Photos Come to Life in Honda’s Weird Super Bowl Ad
A handful of Super Bowl ads have already landed online ahead of this Sunday’s big game — it’s the usual mix of TV spots for upcoming movies like Ghost in the Shell and Transformers: The Last Knight, along with a few ads featuring familiar faces like Gal Gadot and John Malkovich promoting businesses and collecting paychecks. And then there’s Honda. Like others, their ad for this year’s Super Bowl also features several beloved celebs, but there’s something kind of unnerving about the execution.
Han Solo’s ‘Star Wars’ Spinoff Begins Filming With a Nod to Who Shot First
And here…we…go. As of today, filming has officially begun on Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s young Han Solo movie, Lucasfilm’s next Star Wars Story standalone project. To commemorate the occasion, Miller shared a teaser photo that pays homage to the epic “who shot first?” debate — a timely nod, as this month marks the 20th anniversary (yep, you’re old) of George Lucas’ notorious Special Editions.
Who Is ‘The Last Jedi’ in ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’? Maybe It’s Not That Obvious
The official title of the next chapter in the Star Wars saga was announced this morning, and there’s already been a little speculation among fans about who The Last Jedi might be — is it Luke Skywalker (the obvious choice) or Rey (the second-most obvious choice)? As it turns out, we already know, and by “we,” we mean you do, too…unless you didn’t see The Force Awakens. But observant fans will tell you that there may be a third option — one that’s less apparent, but a little more intriguing.
‘Sandy Wexler’ Trailer: Adam Sandler Returns to 1994, Which Is the Last Time You Probably Liked Adam Sandler
If you didn’t like The Ridiculous 6 or The Do-Over, don’t worry — Netflix isn’t giving up just yet. The streaming service is determined to make you love Adam Sandler again, and this time, they’re taking him back to 1994, which is probably the last time he was genuinely entertaining (OK, with the exception of The Wedding Singer). Yep, there’s another new Sandler movie coming to Netflix; behold, the first trailer for Sandy Wexler.
Donald Trump’s 2020 Campaign Slogan Is, No Joke, the Tagline From ‘The Purge: Election Year’
This is real life. After insisting that he’ll “Make America Great Again” throughout his 2016 campaign, president-elect Donald Trump is already trying to trademark the slogan for his re-election campaign in 2020: “Keep America Great.” If that phrase sounds at all familiar to you, that’s because it was the tagline for The Purge: Election Year — James DeMonaco’s horror sequel, which envisions a dystopia where the government is controlled by far-right conservatives and all crime, particularly murder, is legal for one night every year.
Watch Gal Gadot and Jason Statham Team Up to Kick Some Butt in This Super Bowl Ad
Super Bowl ads often employ a familiar algorithm: Beloved pop culture noun + beloved pop culture noun = Entertainment. That equation isn’t always successful (see also: Passengers), but that hasn’t stopped studios and businesses, like Wix.com, from trying it out. The company has tapped Gal Gadot, aka Wonder Woman, and Jason Statham, aka Badass Action Dude, for their Super Bowl ad, which just so happens to be the first of this year’s bunch.
‘Raw’ Trailers Tease a Ravenous Coming-of-Age in This Festival Favorite
With films like The Witch and The Invitation, 2016 was a great year for horror, and the genre certainly isn’t slacking in 2017 — in addition to the all-female-directed anthology XX, this year sees the release of Raw, the French coming-of-age cannibal horror film which marks the feature directorial debut of Julia Ducournau. Already a hit on the 2016 festival circuit (where it made a few audience members ill), Raw is an early contender for this year’s best-of lists. You can see why for yourself as these new green and red-band trailers offer a little taste (sorry) of what’s in store.
‘Rings’ Trailer: The Internet Is Evil, But You Already Knew That
Any contemporary sequel to The Ring would have to incorporate the internet, and why not? It just makes sense. Destroying a videotape is one thing, but how do you stop a haunted video once it’s been uploaded to the seemingly infinite void known as the worldwide web? You can’t. Such is the premise for Rings, the repeatedly-delayed sequel to Gore Verbinski’s 2002 remake of the Japanese horror classic which has a brand-new trailer ahead of its February release.
This iPhone ‘Theatre Mode’ Update Sounds Like a Threat
It’s hard to pass judgment on iPhone’s new “theatre mode” because, well, it doesn’t exist out in the real world just yet. But according to a new report, that might be changing sooner rather than later, as Apple’s latest update is said to include this mysterious function. What is it, exactly? What does it do? Is this good news or bad news? Is the sanctity of the theatrical experience facing a new, insidious threat? Whatever it is, we’ll probably find out on January 10, when the iOS 10.3 beta rolls out to iPhone users.