You Can Still Be Part Of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Opening at Disneyland, But You Better Hurry

You Can Still Be Part Of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Opening at Disneyland, But You Better Hurry

We're just over two months away from the most anticipated addition to Disneyland since the park was built in 1955. Start Wars; Galaxy's Edge is almost ready for the public. When the attraction opens on May 31, you can be sure a lot of Star Wars fans are going to be ready to check out everything the new land has to offer. If you want to be among the first to see the new land, you still have a chance. but it looks like time may be running out

Last week, Polygon reported that all three of the Disneyland Resort hotels, the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, and Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, were sold out for the night before the opening of Galaxy's Edge, the night of May 30. However, as of this writing, there are actually some rooms available at both the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian for that night. It's possible that some cancellations have taken place, or that rooms that were not expected to be available, due to refurbishments or whatever, have now opened up. Either way, if they were sold out before, you can be sure there aren't many rooms left right now.

These rooms are important because if you have a reservation at a Disneyland Resort hotel between May 31 and June 23, you'll also get a reservation to get into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. While the exact way the reservation process will work has not been revealed, it would seem that the only way to ensure getting into the new land is to book a hotel room.

Of course, since we don't know how the reservation system works, it's not entirely clear if having a room booked the night before the new land opens will get you a reservation. If you're checking out on the first day, does that still work? Still, for some it may not even be a question of getting into Galaxy's Edge. Many fans will just want to be at Disneyland when the new land opens. It's sure to be a historic day in the park and one that will never be repeated.

Initial estimates were that Disneyland could see crowds of 150,000-200,000 people on opening day of Galaxy's Edge. It's hard to tell at this point if that's still the case. The fact that reservations will be required to get into Galaxy's Edge for the first three weeks means that many who don't have those reservations might stay away, waiting for the reservation period to end. Initially, it seemed that those looking to avoid the insane crowds might not show up on opening day, but thanks to the reservation requirement, opening day looks perhaps a bit more inviting.

The other thing that could limit some crowds is that not all of Galaxy's Edge will be up and running on day one. The new land boasts two E-ticket attractions, but only one of them will be running on May 31.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run will be available to guests, but the Rise of the Resistance attraction will not be. No official opening date has been announced for that ride, but it will arrive later this year.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will be opening at Walt Disney World at the end of August, with the same missing attraction but without the reservation requirement. Both lands are actually opening earlier than anticipated, which may be the reason one attraction won't be available.  Of course, for the serious Disneyland or Star Wars fan, it's not like going back to Batuu more than once was ever really a question.

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Avengers: Endgame Has Already Hit Pirating Websites

Avengers: Endgame Has Already Hit Pirating Websites

It's been a long year of waiting, but Avengers: Endgame is finally upon us. Hardcore Marvel fans have secured their tickets for tonight's opening showings, which will pick up the narrative after Thanos won and destroyed half of life in Infinity War. The stakes are at an all-time high, so moviegoers are desperately attempting to avoid spoilers before heading to theaters.

Despite Marvel Studios' best work with security and marketing, spoilers have still hit the internet, as early screenings of Endgame expose the film's secrets. And now it turns out that the leaks have gotten worse, and the movie is already on pirating sites ahead of its official release. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige has expressed his disapproval of spoilers, so he must not be happy about these surprising turn of events.

News of Avengers: Endgame's leak onto pirating sites come to us from Torrent Freak, and there may have some silver lining to it all. Because the version of the movie currently making its way around pirating sites is of extremely poor quality. And it hardly sounds like the way to enjoy such a massive and CGI-heavy blockbuster. As the report reveals:

The image flickers constantly throughout. It’s semi-rotated and is littered throughout with watermarks for a gambling site that spin around the screen.

Well, this hardly sounds satisfying to the moviegoers who have spent a decade and 21 trips to the movies ahead of Avengers: Endgame's release. The marketing material for Avengers: Endgame is reportedly from the first 10 minutes of the blockbuster, so the public should know little to nothing about the contents of The Russo Brothers' highly anticipated release. Unless they go searching out spoilers.

There are some moviegoers that just can't wait until tonight's screenings, and want to know about what happens throughout the course of Avengers: Endgame. Spoilers arrived last week, and now the pirating copy is out there as well. You may just have to watch an uber-crappy version with online games on the edge of the frame. Still, the year of waiting is just too much for certain moviegoers to sustain.

Related: 10 Questions We Still Have About Avengers: Endgame

The Russo Brothers have been staunchly against spoilers, encouraging cinephiles to run to the theater opening weekend to ensure you get the full theatrical experience. Avengers: Endgame is the cumulation of a decade of filmmaking, and it seems like the brothers could go anywhere narratively. Infinity War showed what daring filmmaking they were capable for with such a massive cast, and the twist ending showed they were pulling no punches.

The early reception for Avengers: Endgame has been overwhelmingly positive, and the official reviews and Rotten Tomatoes score are sky high. It appears that The Russo Brothers threw everything and the kitchen sink into the new blockbuster, and that is miraculously worked. Luckily, we can judge for ourselves starting tonight.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters starting tonight. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend's Endgame death pool, and utilize our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Ticket

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Ticket

Oh friends, they say he’s back again; go go, Godzilla! The world of Titans and man has been brought back into our cinematic lives again, as Godzilla: King of the Monsters is ready to take theaters by storm. In addition to the chaos and destruction it’s ready to leave in its wake, the film has us asking that question we love to trot out in the face of utter desolation: to 3D, or not to 3D?

If you’re curious what our thoughts on Godzilla: King of the Monsters are, check out the official CinemaBlend review of the film. Otherwise, it’s time to go Monarch on this monster movie and analyze just how well director Michael Dougherty’s follow-up to 2014’s Godzilla fares in terms of its third-dimensional experience.

Gigantic Titans fighting it out in the streets on a global scale is one of those delights that 3D has always been meant to draw its audience into. And Godzilla: King of the Monsters has all those thrills that promise to be 3D delights, should the right conversion be in play. Not to mention, all of the destructive activity that is required to free the Titans in this film lends itself to some extra third-dimensional thrills as well. Of course, the best intentions can lead to the worst let-downs.

This isn’t the first time a Godzilla film, or even a Monster-Verse film has been brought to the masses in 3D. So seeing Godzilla: King of the Monsters coming in at slightly below the efforts of those two previous films is kind of a bummer. There’s definitely a thrilling aspect to seeing the film play out in the third dimension, but the age old problem of brightness levels rears its head again to challenge this clash of Titans. That said, there’s still some rather impressive elements in this 3D presentation’s cannon.

When Godzilla: King of the Monsters uses its ability to project items off the screen, it’s pretty damned cool to look at. In particular, there are scenes where guns are drawn by various characters on either side of the conflict, and they feel like they’re pointed right into the audience. Unfortunately, for a movie with debris flying everywhere, explosions going off left and right and a three-headed Titan staring down an army of humans, the effect of objects coming off the screen isn’t used nearly enough. But at the very least, there’s an admirable effort.

Peering into the depths of this particular film’s 3D conversion is an absolute treat, as Godzilla: King of the Monsters definitely takes the time to flesh out the world beyond the characters, and in various settings. From the hallways of a Monarch bunker to underwater depths that Godzilla swims through, you can feel the endless world spanning behind what’s in front of the audience at any given time. As such, characters are sharply drawn with spatial reasoning that sets them apart from each other, as well as the environments they occupy, allowing the characters and the background to have impressive depths of their own.

When you have a movie that takes place mostly in dark, lowly lit settings, the brightness factor is always going to be a challenge. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is one such film, as it bathes its settings in various shades of blue and orange, and takes place during some very cloudy weather events. While mileage always varies on this sort of thing, as the brightness partially depends on how well your theater maintains its projection equipment, Godzilla: King of the Monsters has a brightness problem that extends through most of the film’s running time. Daytime scenes are coated with the usual grey dimming, but the lowly lit scenes are a bit of a chore to watch, and that’s a good majority of the film’s action.

If your eyes happen to get tired, and they might with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, you’ll be tempted to raise your 3D glasses and peek at the screen. Naturally, doing so will show you the blur that makes any 3D enhanced film what it is, as typically the blurrier the film is, the more it’s playing towards the 3D thrills you’d expect. And there’s definitely a healthy blur factor, in particular with the backgrounds that are being shown to the audience. A lot of scenes will have close-ups of characters drawing those figures in slightly more 2D fashion, as if to anchor the action going on in the back.

There are a lot of panning shots and quick cuts of action that mess around with Godzilla: King of the Monster’s 3D presentation, and as such the audience health will be impacted by movement so swift the eyes don’t have a chance to settle. Pair that with an overall dimness in what’s being presented, and you have a recipe for some eyestrain soup that tires the audience when they look at it.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is enough to make one long for the days when IMAX used to do large format presentations in 3D. Alas, you’re most likely to find standard 3D as your only option for third-dimensional thrills, and if you know a theater you trust to keep their rigs bright and tidy, you’d probably have some fun with Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

That said, it’s by far the weakest of the three Monster-Verse films committed to the medium, and as Godzilla Vs. Kong is undoubtedly going to be both a large format and 3D release, there’s a lot to think about before heading into the third dimension yet again. It’s not a bad conversion, but overall, it’s not impressive enough to sing the praises of.

Be sure to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.

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Yesterday Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

Yesterday Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has been praised over the years for his films, including Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Trainspotting. What happens when he teams up with legendary writer of Love Actually, Notting Hill and About Time, Richard Curtis, for a fantasy musical comedy about a struggling musician who wakes up one morning as the only man in the world who remembers the Beatles?

Yesterday premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in New York City over the weekend, which means critics have how seen it ahead of its summer release. Do they recommend a ticket to ride this release? Their reactions are mixed among them, as they waver between glowing and dissatisfying. Let’s take a look at some of their thoughts starting with CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes, who absolutely loved it. In his review, he awarded the movie with a near-perfect score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Here’s a bit of what he had to say:

Yesterday is an uplifting triumph of heartfelt comedy, believable drama, and just the right amount of quirk to remove this film from any sort of mundane reality. In its own way, it even ponders how successful The Beatles's material would be, and the challenges it would face, if it were coming up in the modern music industry; which only adds to the film's sly thoughtfulness.

The film is framed around Jack Malik, played by Himesh Patel, who gets into a bus accident during a global blackout and finds he alone who knows the words to “All You Need is Love” among the Fab Four’s iconic discography. Reyes felt the bizarre premise worked - all while charming him with an exciting story with a mix of romance, lightness and drama. He also enjoyed how Yesterday uniquely presented the Beatles music in a refreshing way.

Empire’s Helen O’Hara also raved about this aspect of Yesterday in her 4 out of 5 star review. There’s been an uptick of musical films lately, and she felt this movie did it right where others have left something to be desired. Here’s what she said:

There’s something profoundly disturbing about the idea of a world without The Beatles, whether you’re a die-hard fan or someone known to drunkenly chant the “la la” bit of ‘Hey Jude’, and that’s true even if the world’s loss is our hero’s gain. So while Danny Boyle’s new film is still a largely warm and frequently surprising affair, its unusual premise gives it an edge that other jukebox hits – Bohemian Rhapsody, for example – have lacked.

O’Hara thinks just about everyone can enjoy this flick, even those unfamiliar with the band’s significance. This is a noteworthy positive for David Crow of Den of Geek who said the following about Yesterday:

His film is a crash course in remembering the importance of the Beatles’ legacy. That might sound trite, but the movie finds a much more creative and earnest way to honor a pop star act than the myriad of empty-headed musical biopics we’ve been inundated with for decades.

Yesterday will follow the success of Bohemian Rhapsody and upcoming release of Rocketman, and thankfully it has something else going for it, since it will follow a modern-day premise of Jack using his knowledge of Beatles’ songs to create a successful career for himself today. However, not all critics were impressed with it. The Verge’s Adi Robertson had these comments for example:

Boyle and Curtis are making an alternate history film that’s not primarily about alternate history, which is a completely valid choice. But the film’s central romance is badly underwritten, and its slapdash, joke-driven worldbuilding pokes holes in a plot that was fantastical to start with. Yesterday is a story about the pure and timeless nature of music — but it often comes off as more rote than heartfelt.

It’s understandable that while some would be able to swim in the fantasy of Yesterday’s quirky premise, others will be put off by it and Robertson wasn’t alone in the problems she found through her review. Take a look at a bit of Owen Gleiberman’s review for Variety:

In “Yesterday,” the greatness of the Beatles is like a trump card that Jack, and the filmmakers, keep playing. Yet the greatness of the Beatles is never something the film invites us to discover. The songs, to be fair, are iconic — but that said, some Beatles songs are more iconic than others. And “Yesterday” features nothing but the Beatles tracks that you would put on a “12 All-Time Greatest Songs of the Beatles!” collection.

The movie doesn’t look to convince everyone that the Beatles’ music would be as popular today, in the way that Yesterday showcases anyway. Dan Callahan with The Wrap similarly bashed the movie for its delivery of its plot with these words:

If you’re going to make a film with a plot like “Yesterday,” the least you can do is probe it somewhat and push it as far as it will go. But Curtis and Boyle offer up pretty much what you would expect given this premise, which basically amounts to Patel doing passable karaoke versions of these famous songs and very little else.

Finally, let’s go to Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell who gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and brings to attention what element in the movie sold him despite some oddity in the film’s idea. Check it out:

A large part of this is down to the engaging performances of Himesh Patel (in his first big-screen role) and Lily James, who share great chemistry. You're fully behind their friendship and feel all the heartbreak. Neither of them are the cool kids, and their endearing characters help sell the outrageous concept.

The story between the two core characters was enough for him to fall in love with Yesterday. Despite some mixed reviews from critics, the movie looks to charm music fans, especially of the Beatles if you can push aside some of the particulars of the concept.

Will you be checking out Yesterday on June 28? Let us know in the comments.

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Brigitte Nielsen Was Super Pregnant Filming Creed II

Brigitte Nielsen Was Super Pregnant Filming Creed II

In a surprise cameo, actress Brigitte Nielsen appeared in last year’s Creed II, reprising her role as Ludmilla Drago from Rocky IV. The years made Ludmilla even colder as she had abandoned her husband and son and at the film’s end, left ringside when it became clear that Viktor was going to lose. For Brigitte Nielsen, she had to play Viktor’s unsympathetic mother while being super pregnant herself, as she explained:

It actually helped me a lot, having four grown-up boys and having been through a divorce when my youngest boy was eight. I had a 10-year-old, a 14-year-old, and an 18-year-old. ... I was making that choice to leave again — it was a hell physically and emotionally because Ludmilla was in me. Of course it was tough, but it was overwhelming and it was purifying at the same time. I don't know why, but it’s so magical to be pregnant. I had so much inner energy, and thank god again that I’m almost 6’1 tall, because I was 7-and-a-half months pregnant and you couldn’t tell. I could still get away with it. But that was because of my height; had I been 5’2, it would show in a different way, obviously. But it was amazing, and very emotional.

Brigitte Nielsen wasn’t just pregnant while filming Creed II, she was super pregnant. As in third trimester, 7-and-a-half months pregnant. But as we’ve heard, the actress was excited to come back to the franchise and like the stone cold badass she was in Rocky IV and Red Sonja, Brigitte Nielsen was still up for the challenge of returning to the character that she first inhabited over 30 years ago.

It sounds like hiding her pregnancy onscreen wasn’t a major issue either because, as Brigitte Nielsen told The Hollywood Reporter, she wasn’t showing so much that her condition was super obvious. That meant that she could get away with appearing in the film without needing to make her character pregnant or using major movie magic make her look not pregnant. She attributes this to her over 6’ height. Apparently that made her pregnancy less noticeable than if she was not Amazonian in stature.

Despite being very pregnant with her fifth child during the filming of Creed II, that didn’t slow down Brigitte Nielsen who enjoyed the experience of being pregnant, and was full of life and energy to return to the character of Ludmilla Drago. It fits, because I don’t imagine former Soviet swimmer Ludmilla would let pregnancy slow her down either.

Brigitte Nielsen also brought some real-life experience as a mother into her role as Ludmilla. Having multiple children and having been through divorces like her character in the film, it was a tough emotional experience for the actress to play the callous character, a trophy wife whose investment in other people, even her own family, extends only as far as they can provide her with status and luxury.

Despite being nervous to reunite with ex-husband Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen’s return in Creed II was a boon for the film. More than just a fun cameo, it just added further connective tissue between Creed II and Rocky IV and the two franchises. The return of Ludmilla and her story in the film also added some motivation and pathos to Viktor and Ivan’s story. Like Rocky and Adonis, Ivan and Viktor were real people who had real struggles, they weren't just some cudgel of an oppressive regime.

The same story could have still taken place without Brigitte Nielsen, with the dialogue explaining her absence. But by appearing in the film we were able to see who Ludmilla was now and that in his hour of need, she abandoned her son. In that Viktor and Ivan learn to live without her and for themselves.

Creed II is now available on digital, Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this year.

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The Important Role Monarch Will Play In Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

The Important Role Monarch Will Play In Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

Naturally the main reason one goes to a Godzilla movie is to see the eponymous creature fight other monsters, but it’s also important to have human characters involved to anchor the story. In the MonsterVerse franchise, most of those humans are part of or affiliated with Monarch, which has studied these Titans for nearly three-quarters of a century.

While 2014’s Godzilla and 2017’s Kong: Skull Island provided some information on Monarch, this month’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters pulling the curtain back even further on this organization. I recently interviewed King of the Monsters production designer Scott Chambliss, and he explained that Monarch’s headquarters is representative of the clash between man and nature in the movie. Speaking about the inspiration for designing these headquarters, Chambliss said:

Our story boiled down to its most essential archetype is one of man vs. nature, and the Monarch HQ was the perfect environment in which to visually express this. Located deep in the heart of an oceanic mountain miles below the water’s surface, Monarch brought together all the human and technological engineering firepower conceivable to house its monumental and labyrinthine HQ within an utterly hostile environment...one that didn’t even exist until they created the initial negative void itself.

Although Kong: Skull Island’s post-credits scenes showed Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson’s characters being held inside one of Monarch’s interrogation rooms, that’s hardly a good look into the kind of work space the agency’s employees operate in. Fortunately, Godzilla: King of the Monsters will not have that issue, and clearly Monarch is not lacking for funds if it can set up its headquarters within an underwater mountain.

More importantly, though, is how Godzilla: King of the Monsters reflects the core archetype through both the artificial elements making up Monrach’s base and its natural home. Scott Chambliss provided additional details about what to expect from the headquarters, saying:

Within the compound you see evidence of both: the technologically advanced monitoring, scientific, and manufacturing floors expressed in the language of advanced fortified architecture within the larger and very visible raw volcanic rock volume that houses it. This isn’t the kind of metaphoric visualizing that is intended to be showily theatrical. It is instead a presentation of starkly contrasting ingredients- raw, powerful nature and utterly refined human engineering- which is by itself an interpretation of our archetype. I’m very curious to see if this translates into the final film in any meaningful way.

In the present day MonsterVerse, the two main representatives of Monarch have been Ken Watanabe’s Ishiro Serizawa and Sally Hawkins’ Vivienne Graham. Both will be back for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and in addition to meeting some of their other coworkers, we finally get to see the kind of environment they’re in when not doing fieldwork.

Scott Chambliss also confirmed that it was incredibly difficult to put together the Monarch headquarters set. As he put it:

The great volume of Monarch HQ made it by far the most demanding build of our movie. All the scenic and technical arts of set creation were employed here, down to robotic set dressing components. A large number of complicated parts working together comprised our final Monarch HQ world.

It’s hard to say just how much time Godzilla: King of the Monsters is spending inside the Monarch headquarters, and obviously the main draw of this latest MonsterVerse tale is witnessing Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah collide out in the open. Still, considering how little we’ve learned about the organization, it’s cool to see Monarch will have a bigger presence for this third entry.

Along with Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins reprising their roles, Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ main cast includes Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, g, Bradley Whitford, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson, David Strathairn and Zhang Ziyi. Michael Dougherty directed and co-wrote the script with Zach Shields.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters rampages into theaters on May 31, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, head to our 2019 release schedule to find out what movies are coming out later in the year.

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Rambo: Last Blood Trailer Has Sylvester Stallone Going Full Home Alone

Rambo: Last Blood Trailer Has Sylvester Stallone Going Full Home Alone

John Rambo has survived war, become war, and ultimately released himself from the bonds of war over the course of the four films we’ve already seen in the Rambo franchise. Now, with Rambo: Last Blood heading our way, the formidable warrior is about to embark on what should be his last mission; and you can get your first look at the battle field in the first trailer released for the film.

In what promises to be his big swan song, Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo has retired to the family ranch that he returned to at the end of the previous film, Rambo. But just as he was ready to give up the ways of violence, a new crisis springs him into action.

In Rambo: Last Blood, the stakes are at their most personal, as John is waging war against a drug cartel that’s kidnapped the sister of one of his friends. And it’s going to spur him to become his most dangerous self, complete with a house full of booby traps that’d qualify Kevin McCallister for a spot on The Expendables.

Seriously though, take a look at the modifications that Rambo makes to his farmhouse in Rambo: Last Blood. Crossbows outfitted with trip wires, a tunnel system that has a pitchfork just waiting to meet some guy’s chest, and enough vantage points to give Rambo his best shot every shot are all part of Rambo: Last Blood’s house of horrors. All that’s missing are some explosive Micro Machines and mini wrecking balls made out of paint cans, and you’ve got an R-rated version of Home Alone that’s ready for you, the mature adult, to enjoy in theaters.

It’s not all about wanton violence though, as John Rambo is in quite a reflective mood in Rambo: Last Blood’s trailer. With his past weighing on him, and that world of death making him into the grizzled veteran that he is, Rambo looks mostly content with his new life. But he's ready to pay his past debts as they come due.

And while these debts don’t take American Express, they can surely be paid by rifles, crossbows, and pitchfork traps. If Rambo: Last Blood really is the final entry in the John Rambo saga, then rest assured, it looks like he’s going to close that book with his most chaotic chapter yet.

And looking at the film’s first teaser poster shown below, that theory only seems to be supported by the amount of smoke and flames obscuring John Rambo from frame:

Sylvester Stallone has done pretty interesting work when it comes to revisiting or even saying goodbye to his most iconic roles of movie making history. If his work on Rambo: Last Blood is as good as it has been on films like the Creed series, then you can pretty much count us in for an opening night seat. Though unless Rambo takes the big train to the sky at the end of this film, we’ll still be inclined to believe that Stallone will change his mind, as he’s been known to do now and again.

Rambo: Last Blood closes old wounds on September 20th.

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