Ford V Ferrari Trailer: Watch Christian Bale And Matt Damon Race Behind The Wheel

Ford V Ferrari Trailer: Watch Christian Bale And Matt Damon Race Behind The Wheel

We're only just now getting into the summer movie movie season, but that means it's now time to take a look forward to the end of the calendar year and the films on the way. The awards season films are beginning to make themselves known and one has to assume that Ford V Ferrari is looking to be an early front runner.

The first trailer for the Matt Damon/Christian Bale vehicle (see what I did there), is here and from first glances this one looks like it could be pretty good, with a pair of performances from strong actors and exactly the sort of underdog story that audiences tend to enjoy. Check out the trailer below.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans race is a test of endurance for both automobile and driver that, in the 1960s, was basically owned by Ferrari. Ford V Ferrari will follow the attempt by the American Ford Motor Company to build a car, and find a driver, capable of overthrowing the champion. Matt Damon plays car designer Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale is Ken Miles, the slightly hot-headed driver brought on board to handle the new car.

The movie looks to be hitting the Oscar bait Yahtzee, as it has a pair of Academy Award winning lead actors and an Academy Award nominated director (though not actually for directing) in James Mangold. It's also a movie based on a true story about overcoming the odds. We're sure to get at least one of those every awards season. It's also got a prime, mid-November release date.

While Ford V Ferrari may seem factory made to win awards, that doesn't mean the movie won't work on its own and overall the trailer does make the film look interesting. It's not overly dramatic and serious, as so many awards season movies can get. That can also help the movie find an audience, something that doesn't always happen with these end of the year films, no matter how many awards they rack up.

It's been a few years since we've gotten ourselves a good racing movie, unless you want to count Cars 3. While racing isn't necessarily something every audience member is going to be a huge fan of, it's an easy thing for them to understand, and it has built in drama that will make for an exciting climax.

Also, the trailer takes the easy way out by using The Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" as background music, but there's a reason this is millionth film to do that, the song works.

If Ford V Ferrari does become a major Best Picture contender, it could make history. As the movie is a Fox production, that means it's now technically a Disney movie, which means the Mouse may have just bought itself a win in an Oscar category it has never taken home.

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The Beach Bum Gives Matthew McConaughey The Worst Opening Of His Career

The Beach Bum Gives Matthew McConaughey The Worst Opening Of His Career

Not alright, alright, alright at all. No one needs to cry for Matthew McConaughey, but The Beach Bum just marked his lowest opening for a film opening on over 1,000 screens. The Oscar winner leads Harmony Korine's all-star cast -- which also includes Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg, Zac Efron, Jonah Hill, Martin Lawrence, and even Jimmy Buffett as himself.

The Beach Bum opened this final March weekend in 10th place with $1,800,000 million from 1,100 screens. That's the worst yet for Matthew McConaughey, and it actually made Serenity look like a hit by comparison. Serenity at least had a $4.5 million debut (albeit from twice as many screens).

The Beach Bum's $1.8 million is also lower than the $4.8 million debut of Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers in 2013.

According to Variety, The Beach Bum was initially planned for a platform release, which could've allowed the stoner comedy to gain steam through word-of-mouth. Instead, The Beach Bum opened nationwide with little marketing since its premiere at South by Southwest.

It kind of reminds me of Keanu Reeves' Replicas, which recently faced a somewhat similar situation. That film opened to $2.4 million, marking Reeves' lowest opening for a film opening on over 1,000 screens. That one actually opened in 2,329 theaters and appears to have tapped out at just over $4 million.

The Beach Bum did get some publicity for Zac Efron's crazy hair (with facial hair inspired by a panini), Snoop Dogg's weed trick, and the film's wacky red band trailer. But apparently that wasn't enough to draw much interest.

The Beach Bum follows "the hilarious misadventures" of Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), described as "a rebellious rogue who always lives life by his own rules." The logline described the comedy as "refreshingly original and subversive."

The Beach Bum hasn't gotten great reviews from critics, but it still managed to post a middle-of-the-road 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans -- or at least the few people who saw it -- gave it a 36% Audience Score and a 6.3 user rating on IMDb.

If you're keeping score, or just curious, Matthew McConaughey's top movies at the domestic box office are the animated movie Sing ($270M), Interstellar ($188M), The Wolf of Wall Street ($117M), Magic Mike ($113M), Tropic Thunder ($110M) and A Time to Kill ($108M). Those are all just North American box office numbers (per Box Office Mojo), not counting foreign grosses, and the numbers aren't adjusted for inflation.

Worldwide, the win would go to Interstellar with a combined total of $677.5 million.

Overall, the box office appears to be in the doldrums as we wait for Shazam! and Pet Sematary to open next weekend, with Avengers: Endgame ready to save the world at the end of April. Keep up with everything ahead with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

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Sonic The Hedgehog Co-Creator Thanks Fans For Pushing To Change Movie

Sonic The Hedgehog Co-Creator Thanks Fans For Pushing To Change Movie

If you are a fan of video games, Sonic the Hedgehog, or train wrecks, then you must have had an interesting week. The first trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie debuted and showcased the first real look at the Blue Blur in live-action. It was not received well at all, and the online backlash was so extreme that the film is now redesigning Sonic. Fans reacted positively to that news and now the co-creator of Sonic has shared his support for the re-design.

Even before the trailer released, fans had an inkling the film had made some significant changes to Sonic's design. The director, Jeff Fowler, had indicated in an interview that they had to tinker with the design to make it believable in the real world, and that Sega was not entirely on board with those changes.

There was also some promotional material that leaked and didn't do many favors. After the trailer dropped, the outcry and ridicule over the movie was so extreme that Paramount is re-designing Sonic to be more in line with his video game appearances.

It's certainly a unique situation, as not many films have changed the design of the main character so late in the game (think of all the posters and marketing that will need to be changed now). However, it's a decision that Yuji Naka, the co-creator of Sonic, is totally all right with.

The video game designer took to Twitter to thank Sonic fans for being vocal and getting the movie design changed. Naka sees this as a positive direction for the film. He doesn't outright say this, but the tweet would indicate that Naka wasn't a fan of the live-action Sonic either and now his creation has a second chance.

It's understandable if Naka didn't like the movie's version. Sonic video games may have their rough patches, but pretty much the one perfect thing about them is Sonic's appearance. The guy has a great look that's endured since 1991, so the fact that it was altered so much for the movie is a bummer.

Now, we'll all just have to wait to see what the filmmakers come up with. Will they merge Sonic's eyes and give him less shapely legs? Just because they change the design doesn't mean the movie will get better or worse, but it's a decent way to earn some goodwill before the film releases later this year.

All our questions will be answered when Sonic the Hedgehog arrives in theaters on November 8, 2019. It'll be a race for the film to get all those changes made. For everything else arriving in theaters this year, be sure to check out our 2019 movie release guide to plan all your future viewings.

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Fantastic Four Director Just Keeps Trashing His Movie

Fantastic Four Director Just Keeps Trashing His Movie

Sometimes a reboot manages to successfully bring a superhero back onto the big screen and portray them in a new light while still staying true to the source material. And then there’s Fantastic Four, which was a critical and commercial bomb to the point that it killed 20th Century Fox’s future plans for this iteration of Marvel’s First Family. Four years after Fantastic Four’s release, director Josh Trank has no issue with trashing his own movie, as evidenced by this latest tweet.

This past weekend saw the release of Jordan Peele’s Us, and like many moviegoers, Josh Trank decided to check it out. Unlike most moviegoers, though, Trank has a movie that was not well-received by the public, and evidently the passage of time has allowed him to poke fun at his time helming Fantastic Four, as he’s quite comfortable declaring on Twitter that Us is the complete opposite of his 2015 movie. That’s not saying much, although Us has indeed been met with critical acclaim and made over $174 million worldwide so far. If you have a choice of watching one of these two movies, it’s pretty clear which one you should pick.

This comment follows a couple of weeks after Josh Trank responded “hold my beer” to a tweet declaring that no superhero movie fails. It is true that for the most part nowadays, superhero movies are usually at least commercially successful, with a good portion of them also doing well among critics. Fantastic Four was not one of those movies, and while much of the blame was placed at Trank’s feet for its poor performance, the director wrote in a tweet deleted shortly thereafter that the final cut of the movie was not the one he’d planned on giving to audiences, indicating studio interference. In any case, Trank appears to have made peace with Fantastic Four and doesn't have a problem making fun of himself for it, though it doesn’t sound like we should expect more self-deprecating comments from him anytime soon.

Originally the plan was for Fantastic Four to kick off a new film series, with the sequel coming out in June 2017. However, following the movie’s disappointing performance, Fantastic Four 2 was later removed from the calendar and eventually cancelled. While Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley has been working on a Doctor Doom movie, with Fox now under the Disney banner, it’s unclear if that project will still move forward or if Marvel will put its own Fantastic Four movie into development that better fits within the Marvel Cinematic Universe mythology. As for Josh Trank, his next movie is Fonzo, which stars Tom Hardy as Al Capone as he wrestles with dementia following his stint in prison.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any major updates concerning the next chapter of the Fantastic Four film franchise, but in the meantime, you can look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what’s coming down the pipeline in Phase 4, as well as our 2019 release schedule to plan your trips to the theater later this year accordingly.

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Watch Brie Larson Surprise Fans At A Captain Marvel Screening

Watch Brie Larson Surprise Fans At A Captain Marvel Screening

Captain Marvel had a big opening in theaters this weekend, and lead actress Brie Larson did her part to garner some additional excitement around the film. Over the weekend, she headed to an AMC theater in Clifton, NJ, where she sold snacks and surprised audiences. You can take a look at the actress wandering into a theater below.

Forget surprising fans at a screening for a movie you just starred in. The real joy, here, is how much Brie Larson seemed to be enjoying sucking down that beverage with her face on it. Seriously though, the actress threw on a fun store bought version of Captain Marvel’s jumpsuit. (I would guess it was a mite more comfortable than the real thing.)

She said of carrying the giant drink around that she had “just heard” she was on the cup and needed to see it herself. What a weird experience that would probably be, finding your likeness on a cup for the first time. In the Facebook video, you can also see the myriad flashes of people taking shots of the actress in the theaters. There are plenty of hoots and hollers as well, which the actress takes in stride.

I’ve been to public screenings before where celebrities show up and the experience is quite unlike anything else. These sorts of things generally happen on opening weekend when people really, really want to see the movie anyway. Throw in a celebrity and the energy becomes palpable.

In addition to showing up in the theater, Brie Larson even handed out popcorn and other snacks to other moviegoers at the AMC theater, which was some free labor AMC likely didn’t expect.

That’s not all of the snack shots Brie Larson posed for either. The actress was also seen posing for photos with fans and even filling up buckets of popcorn.

Captain Marvel opened to $153 million domestically at the weekend box office, so it really didn’t need any pr from Brie Larson to be successful. However, the gesture seems to have really been appreciated by the Clifton crowd and the actress herself seemed to be having a blast. You can catch Carol Danvers having a blast, as well, in theaters now.

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The Wolf Of Wall Street’s Trial Has Begun In Malaysia

The Wolf Of Wall Street’s Trial Has Begun In Malaysia

Back in 2013, the release of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street was the smash hit that not only made a cultural impact on pop culture, it also made a huge splash with critics as well. But the financing that went into the film came into question not too long after, as investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad, 1MDB for short, became the focus of an investigation that alleged the funds granted to make the film were ill gotten goods. Now, almost six years after the film’s release, a key figure in the scandal is about to go on trial in connection with these charges of malfeasance.

Former Prime Minster of Malaysia Najib Razak, who was recently arrested in connection to the 1MDB scandal, is the man going on trial, as he created the sovereign wealth fund, which by intent is supposed to invest in “real and financial” assets globally. 1MDB was kind of like a 401(k) plan for the country of Malaysia. The intent, overall, is to enrich the country whose money is being entered into this sort of financial arrangement.

Only, as the charges mentioned by The Hollywood Reporter allege, Najib Razak abused those funds by funneling them into his own high living lifestyle, which included helping fund The Wolf of Wall Street. In addition to funding the film, the money went into celebrating it in a fashion that sounds similar to the events depicted within the film. Now, years of investigation and litigation surrounding are about to kick into high gear, as this trial is the latest step in the overall case against 1MDB and its actions.

Previously, we’d learned that the U.S. Department of Justice cut a deal with Razak’s stepson, and Red Granite producer, Riz Aziz, in which a $60 million settlement was paid to close off a lawsuit from the state of California. Though that settlement was legally announced as no admission of wrongdoing or guilt on the part of Red Granite Productions, so that was somewhat of a temporary reprieve in the overall matter.

Making this story all the more unbelievable is the fact that Jordan Belfort, the Wolf of Wall Street himself, had a deep seated feeling that some familiar tricks were being played behind the scenes on the film depicting his own financial crimes. But, sometimes, the truth needs to be discovered bit by bit, eventually creating a provable pattern of behavior. A pattern that now stands as proof that Najib Razak could have been the head of the most ambitious scheme in political, financial and filmmaking history.

This will definitely be a case to watch, as it’s a pretty large and unique incident that the world will want to avoid allowing to happen in the future. Even more interesting will be the potential fallout and reaction of producer/star Leonardo DiCaprio to this further movement of this Wolf of Wall Street scandal. At the very least, it’d probably be a good idea to pay back the money that he earned for playing his part in the film’s production, as a gesture of good faith.

The Wolf of Wall Street is currently on Digital HD, Blu-ray, and DVD.

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Avengers: Endgame Reviews: What CinemaBlend Thought Of Marvel's Big Finale

Avengers: Endgame Reviews: What CinemaBlend Thought Of Marvel's Big Finale

It's been almost exactly 11 years since the experiment that came to be known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born with Iron Man. 22 movies later, the stories of many of our favorite heroes come to a head in Avengers: Endgame. For those that have been on this ride since the beginning, expectations are incredibly high, but for the most part, everybody at CinemaBlend agrees that the film met those expectations, and largely exceeded them.

Nobody would agree with that sentiment more than Cinemablend Events Editor Eric Eisenberg. He wrote the official review for Avengers: Endgame, and he awarded it the first perfect five-star review of the year, saying...

Avengers: Endgame is one of the most ambitious, entertaining, emotional, and stunning blockbusters we’ve ever seen, and the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon thus far.

That's some strong praise, to be sure, but it's not the only praise coming from the team here. Managing Director Sean O'Connell loved Endgame so much that he can barely believe he actually saw it.

Avengers: Endgame is everything Marvel fans need it to be, and more. It's the perfect culmination of 11 years of storytelling, and a beautiful final chapter to 21 previous movies. It's loaded with well-earned fan-service beats, and packed with surprises that both delight and amaze. Seriously, the movie is such a fever dream of Marvel goodness, I'm half convinced that I imagined this film into existence, because there's no way in hell that what I just witnessed actually exists in a finished film. The MCU is a magic trick, the greatest geek accomplishment in our lifetime, and Endgame is the face-melting finale this franchise deserves.

It's hard to believe that so much has happened in barely over a decade. 11 years ago, nobody knew if this idea, bringing comic book style cross-title continuity to the big screen, would actually work. Not only did fans accept it, they embraced it, and the MCU has become the biggest franchise in the history of cinema.

The hardest part of creating any story is probably figuring out where to start, but coming close behind that is figuring out how to finish it. Avengers: Endgame had to do more than most. It had to bring not just one story, but several, to a satisfying conclusion. The film succeeds remarkably well. Senior Movie Contributor Mike Reyes lays the congratulations at the directing pair of Joe and Anthony Russo as well as screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who have largely been responsible for the entire third phase of the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame is a landmark achievement for comic book movies. The film ties up the years and films that have preceded it, and the weight of such history is felt in all the right places. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, along with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have created a film that lives up to the insane hype it's generated, and the entire film is a cross between a victory lap and a sigh of relief. It's blockbuster spectacle crossed with serious, beautiful character work, and packaged in a film that is both self-contained and seriously satisfying when paired with Avengers: Infinity War.

For fans who want to have the experience of watching Avengers: Endgame cold, avoiding accidental spoilers can be a tricky game. The good news, as GatewayBlend Project Manager Cody Beck points out, is that even if you've seen the film's official trailers, you really don't know anything.

It does not feel like 3 hours. The pacing and storytelling keep everything moving along smoothly- and believe me, there’s a lot to tell in this final chapter. The trailers are just the tip of the iceberg- you have seen nothing yet. There are scenes in this movie that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. The throughline to the other 21 films is apparent and so much fun to witness. While It’s not my favorite MCU movie (top 5), I still think it will end up going down as an overall fan favorite. The team-ups, callbacks, and subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) way it pokes fun at the MCU as a whole will have die-hard fans and casual fans alike leaving the theater with a satisfying conclusion to the Infinity Saga.

For those who have been following the MCU from the beginning, who have been along this journey for every step, there's a definite feeling of finality here. This is the end of the road, even if we don't know exactly how. We all know going in this will be an emotional experience. Marketing Editor Adrienne Jones, admits that it is exactly that, and cautions fans to properly prepare in order to not miss a moment.

Somehow, after over a decade of buildup and 21 movies, Avengers: Endgame has managed to both give fans exactly what they want and what they expect (in many ways) while still completely offering up surprises aplenty. A lot of cool shit happens in this movie. It's funny, but it will also make all but those with the hardest of hearts tear up more than once. It calls back or even resolves some things from past films, but still places us firmly in the future of the franchise by the end. And, all of this is capped by one of the largest, most thrilling battles ever seen on film. So, yeah, cut off all eating / drinking at least two hours beforehand and get all potty breaks out of the way early. You won't want to miss anything.

While nobody at CinemaBlend had any issues with Avengers: Endgame that made it an out right bad experience, that's not to day that everybody thought it was perfect. News Director Jessica Rawden would still agree the movie was an impressive accomplishment, though it's also an impressively long accomplishment, and she disagrees with Adrienne regarding the importance of bladder control.

Funny, smart and sentimental, Avengers: Endgame does what I didn't think it could do: hold its ground against its predecessor, Infinity War. The 3-hour movie has many satisfying moments for fans of the MCU and exciting moments for action fans in general, but dare I say it: You will have time to get up and use the bathroom should you need to.

If one thing is clear, it's that fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are likely to have an wonderful time with this movie that culminates three phases of storytelling. However, CinemaBlend VP of Product, Mack Rawden, maybe isn't the world's biggest MCU fan, and as such his enjoyment of the film was somewhat tempered.

Endgame is the most Marvel movie that has ever Marveled. It's the most fitting possible culmination to everything that has come in the first three phases, and how much you enjoy it will likely be proportional to how much you've bought into the MCU. The Russo Brothers know their characters well, and all the major ones are given extended runs and special moments in Endgame. To many fans, each of these moments will feel earned and wonderful. To others less enthusiastically on board with the franchise, they'll sometimes feel a bit long and self-important. It's the right climax for this franchise, and because I'm only casually on board, it makes sense I'd be the same on this movie. If you're someone who loves the MCU, you'll have a blast.

Avengers: Endgame may not technically be the final chapter of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it is still the end in many ways. However, Endgame isn't just the final part of the story, it's also a celebration of every chapter that came before. This is why fans who remember all those pieces will be rewarded for being there every step along the way.

As far as myself, I largely fall in line with those that were simply taken by surprise by just how well Avengers: Endgame handled its impressive responsibility. The film will likely give fans exactly what they want, and while that may frustrate some who are looking for more surprises, there's nothing ultimately wrong with getting everything you ever wanted.

If I had made a list of everything I wanted to see in Avengers: Endgame, I can't think of anything that would still be on it. Very little of it is surprising, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful. Sometimes you get not only the ending you deserve, but the one that you want.

Whatever you think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the sheer fact that the franchise has succeeded to this point is impressive, and a moment worthy of note in cinema history. What comes next? Nobody knows, except maybe Kevin Feige, and he's not talking.

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