Tag Archives: Mindy Kailing

Ocean’s 8 Trailer #2 (2018) “Having This Much Fun Is a Crime”

In Summer 2018, the tide will turn as Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) attempts to pull off the heist of the century at New York City’s star-studded annual Met Gala. Her first stop is to assemble the perfect crew: Lou (Cate Blanchett); Nine Ball (Rihanna); Amita (Mindy Kaling); Constance (Awkwafina); Rose (Helena Bonham Carter); Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway); and Tammy (Sarah Paulson). Matt Damon will cameo (presumably as his character Linus Caldwell from the other three films), James Corden will play an insurance investigator, and Dakota Fanning also has a role. Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Anna Wintour, Adriana Lima and Katie Holmes will have cameos.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gary Ross (The Hunger GamesSeabiscuit) is directing from a screenplay he wrote with Olivia Milch, with Steven Soderbergh and Jon Kilik producing, Michael Tadross, Susan Ekins, Sandra Bullock, Diana Alvarez and Bruce Berman executive producing, and Milch co-producing.

Ocean’s 8 debuts in theaters on June 8, 2018.

 

Ocean's 8 Poster

Ocean’s 8 Trailer #1 (2018) “Every Con Has Its Pros”


My question about Ocean’s 8 is: is there any other reason for its existence other than a gender swap?  This ensemble has a stellar cast of some of the best actresses alive, and is the best Hollywood can do is to write them a gender flopped version of something that worked really well with guys (this IS related to the Ocean’s franchise, though Matt Damon’s part in the film is now in jeopardy given his involvement in what we’ll call for brevity “The Weinstein Vortex of Ick”)?  Apparently, from the trailer at least, yes, all Hollywood has the brains to do is make an Ocean’s film with actresses and not deviate even a little from that template.  I hope it’s better than the first look, because these women are better than hand me downs.  Ocean’s 8 will open June 8, 2018.

Ocean's 8 Poster

A Wrinkle in Time Trailer #2 (2018) *This is NOT A Wrinkle in Time*


The first trailer for Disney’s adaptation of Madeline L’Engle’s from D23 seemed bizarre, but you can’t judge a film on just one trailer.  I think, in this case, you can in from two.  It’s been a few years since I read A Wrinkle in Time, but please tell me that anything in this trailer seems vaguely like the book L’Engle wrote.  This isn’t a “reimagining”, this is a disservice.

The cast for A Wrinkle in Time includes Oprah Winfrey (SelmaThe Butler) as Mrs. Which, Reese Witherspoon (WildWalk the Line) as Mrs. Whatsit, Mindy Kaling (The Mindy ProjectInside Out) as Mrs. Who, Chris Pine (Star Trek Beyond, Hell or High Water, Into the Woods”) as Mr. Murry, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Beauty and The BeastBelle) as Mrs. Murry, Zach Galifianakis (BirdmanThe Hangover) as The Happy Medium, Michael Peña (Ant-ManThe Martian) as Red, André Holland (MoonlightSelma) as Principal Jenkins, Levi Miller (Pan) as Calvin, Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace, and introducing Storm Reid as the iconic literary character Meg Murry.

Bellamy Young, Rowan Blanchard and Will McCormack round out the highly-acclaimed cast.

The film is a reimagining of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel that takes Meg Murry, her brilliant brother Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin on an unexpected journey into alternate dimensions on a mission to bring home their father. First published in 1962, L’Engle’s novel has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, receiving a recent surge following Chelsea Clinton’s mention during the Democratic National Convention. Winner of the Newbery Prize in 1963, “A Wrinkle in Time” has been translated into 35 languages.

Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time movie is directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma) and produced by Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand. Jennifer Lee (Frozen) wrote the screenplay. A Wrinkle in Time is set to debut in theaters on March 9, 2018.
A Wrinkle in Time Poster

 

A Wrinkle in Time Trailer #1 (2018) *Looking a Little Wonderland*


Premiering Saturday at D23 was the first trailer for Disney’s adaptation of Madeline L’Engle’s classic novel A Wrinkle in Time.  I was intrigued by the trailer to begin with..but then it starts to look very VERY Tim Burton Wonderland VERY quickly, which is not A Wrinkle in Time.  The frightening word in the official release below from Coming Soon is that it’s called a “reimagining”.  A Wrinkle in Time is busting with imagination.  It doesn’t need to be re’d (now a word).  This is Disney’s big March release for 2018, but this first look doesn’t fill me with a whole lot of anticipation. Continue reading A Wrinkle in Time Trailer #1 (2018) *Looking a Little Wonderland*

My Favorite Scene: Inside Out (2015) “Family Dinner – Inside and Out”

 

Pixar’s brilliant romp through human psychology (honestly, they cover more in this movie than my freshman psych course did), Inside Out, is another feather in the cap for the studio’s most accomplished director at this point: Pete Docter.  The film won a much deserved Best Animated Feature Oscar last year.  It’s not as funny a film as some of the Pixar classics, but it is endlessly imaginative and at times packs as big an emotional punch as any film in Pixar’s canon.  The number of people who have told me that Bing Bong messed them up for days is stunning.  That’s not to say that the film isn’t hilarious in parts while exploring human thought processes.  The pinnacle of the look inside our minds is the dinner scene in which Riley’s parents do a pretty fine job of exemplifying the difference between how the genders think in a three-and-a-half minute sequence.  It doesn’t just work for Inside Out, though.  I found this brilliant smash-up of the dinner scene with Walter, Jesse, and Skylar from Breaking Bad cut together with the same mind processes and it’s just as good and just as funny.  Pixar recently announced that the sequelizing of their previous films (with Cars 3, Toy Story 4, and Incredibles 2 on the horizon) will end and they’ll be back to making original features.  That’s good news for all movie fans, because when they’re on, Pixar pushes the bound of imagination like no other studio can.


Something happened to Pixar post-Toy Story 3…..it became just another animation studio.  Whereas (with the exception of the abomination that was Cars 2) Pixar has been cranking out some of the best animated films ever created since 1995’s original Toy Story, the last few years have been just…good.  But good isn’t good when great is the expectation, and ever since I heard the concept for Pete Docter’s (Monsters Inc, Up) film, I’ve been longing to see Inside Out.  Docter does not disappoint and delivers Pixar’s most imaginative triumph to date.  I’m not saying Inside Out is Pixar’s best film, but I can’t think of any other title in their catalog that has so many literally mind-blowing ideas stuffed into one movie. Continue reading My Favorite Scene: Inside Out (2015) “Family Dinner – Inside and Out”