John Wick Chapter 3 Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

John Wick Chapter 3 Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

The John Wick franchise is one that has built up a lot of fans over the previous two films, and now those fans are excitedly looking forward to what one expects to be the end of a trilogy, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. While the rest of us pour bastards still have to wait a couple of weeks, the movie has screened for some critics, and they're now letting us know that if you were a fan of the first two films, you're probably going to like John Wick: Chapter 3.

CinemaBlend's own Mike Reyes was one of those lucky enough to get an early view of John Wick: Chapter 3, and he thought the film took its trademark stunts and highly stylized action to another level. It also, quite interestingly, still leaves the franchise in a place that it could go forward. According to Mike...

John Wick 3 is yet another round of kick assed action, and intriguing world building. Keanu Reeves continues to clean up & the stunt bar has been raised yet again. There are so many places this franchise could go from here, and all of them are exciting.

One of the most interesting parts of the John Wick films is the way the franchise has created its world of organized professional assassins, but done so with a limited amount of expository dialogue. Most of what we know about the world John Wick lives in, the Continental hotel, and the High Table all comes from watching these elements simply be introduced. We learn about them by the way characters react to them, rather than having them explained.

It seems that the world will still leave itself open to more stories, whether John Wick himself could be part of those stories, we'll have to wait and see.

One way that the franchise could potentially continue, apparently, is through the new character introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 that is played by Halle Berry. Erik Davis of Fandango thinks she needs her own film series. He also thinks the new film is the best of the trilogy.

Finally allowed to say that John Wick 3 is hands down the best of the three movies. Ridiculously inventive fight scenes, lots more world building & great villains. There is a knife fight in this movie that is aces. Also, Halle Berry’s character needs her own series.

In addition to the John Wick films creative world building, the franchise is also defined by its practical stunts and beautifully choreographed action sequences. Courtney Howard says that John Wick 3 elevates both elements.

John Wick 3: A eye-popping, jaw-dropping, show-stopping killer. Extends world-building dynamics beautifully, but also assigns meaningful resonance to character-driven action. Keanu Reeves is perfect, Asia Kate Dillon is magnetic & Halle Berry kicks ass.

Not bad for a franchise that was all started by a dog. The first film saw John Wick, a retired professional hitman, run afoul of some thugs who proceed to beat him up, steal his car, and kill his dog. This brings him out of retirement to hunt down those responsible.

However, his decision to come back results in him needing to make good on a marker he owed before going underground. John Wick: Chapter 2, follows Wick as he does this, but when Wick makes the decision to break the rules of the underworld that he lives in, he finds a price on his head and a lot of people trying to collect. That's where John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum picks up.

Assuming that the complete reviews come in as glowing as these social media reactions, John Wick will be the rare movie trilogy that sees its entire franchise getting stellar reviews. Scott Mendelson from Forbes is another who praises the new movie, though, unlike some, he doesn't necessarily think the third movie is the best.

Oh, and John Wick 3 is another gorgeous and inventive action extravaganza. I think JW2 is a "better" movie, but this one is completely entertaining and a living video game. Keanu Reeves is once again a force of nature. He actually looks his age, which adds to the pathos.

So basically, if there was any question, if you're looking forward to watching Keanu Reeves kick ass. John Wick 3 delivers. As Slashfilm's Hoai-Tran Bui, puts it, the movie rules.

Pure visceral cinema. After the dramatic world expansion of Chapter 2, Chapter 3 returns to a leaner, exhilarating story chock full of breathless, bone-crunching action and even a few laughs. I was sweating 30 minutes in. This movie RULES.

Is there anything wrong with John Wick 3? IGN's Terri Schwartz admits that some of the decisions perplexed her, but that the problems were far from big enough to impact her enjoyment of the film, saying...

Some of the storytelling and character decisions left me scratching my head and questioning motivations when I left the theater, but that won't stop me from going back for the inevitable John Wick: Chapter 4.

In addition, Mike Rougeau from IGN says that some of the additions to the mythology don't necessarily work, and some of it might actually be controversial for fans.

John Wick 3 continues to build on the series' mythology and has some of the coolest action and most memorable side characters of the entire series. I'm not sure about everything it adds, and certain things will be controversial.

Overall, it looks like John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is going to be everything that fans have been waiting for. Based on the fact that most movie franchises these days are trilogies, we certainly may have expected the story to end with Chapter 3, though based on some of these comments, it sounds like the franchise may not be quite through yet.

I for one am certainly looking forward to John Wick: Chapter 3, it's probably my favorite modern action franchise. I find both of the previous films endlessly rewatchable and if the new movie is added to that list so much the better.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum opens wide on Friday May 17.

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Rogue One Originally Had A Happy Ending

Rogue One Originally Had A Happy Ending

The epic conclusion to 2016’s Rogue One was bold, tragic and yet incredibly satisfying. One might call killing off each and everyone of the rebels introduced to in the Star Wars spinoff a brutal ending, but it added new depth and emotion to A New Hope and showed the stakes of the series’ conflict more than ever before. However, the scene that sticks in our minds of most when we think Rogue One wasn’t initially in the backbone of the script.

Shocking isn’t it? Rogue One’s co-writer Chris Weitz recently said before he came on to the project, the spinoff actually had a happy ending. In his words:

The version prior to [my involvement] didn’t have everyone die. As a matter of fact, it ended with a wedding I think it was on the presumption that Disney wouldn’t allow characters to die with such abandon.

Wait? Does this mean Jyn and Cassian were going to originally tie the knot at the end of Rogue One? Chris Weitz doesn’t specify, but what could have been certainly doesn’t top the perfect finale we got in the 2016 spinoff. Looks like the writers’ early draft was aimed to please the Disney brand, but wasn’t doing service to the story to be told.

When Chris Weitz came on as screenwriter, he told The Cult Popture Podcast that he pushed for the characters’ mission to become a suicide mission for this smart reason:

I felt it was necessary because nobody ever mentions them or sees them again. But also because we’ve done this whole sort of theme about sacrifice that it was appropriate that all of our main characters die.

If the writers didn’t kill off the cast of Rogue One, fans would have certainly wondered why they were never mentioned in the Star Wars franchise starting with A New Hope. In the movie, they are able to send out the weakness of the Death Star to the Rebellion right before their demise, allowing for Luke Skywalker’s heroic journey to still make sense and feel untouched. So, the end of Rogue One just had to end the way it did and without it, the movie would not have been so highly regarded by fans.

Thanks to positive reception of Rogue One, the series is getting a spinoff of its own for the studio’s upcoming streaming platform Disney+. The Rogue One television series will by a spy thriller starring Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, taking place before the events of the 2016 movie. The developing series has The Americans writer and executive producer Stephen Schiff signed on as the showrunner.

Disney+ has a Star Wars series titled The Mandalorian from Jon Favreau coming to the platform when it launches later this year. The Skywalker saga is also set to conclude when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, 2019.

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Yes, Disneyland Will Hand Out Bathroom Passes For People In Long Galaxy's Edge Lines

Yes, Disneyland Will Hand Out Bathroom Passes For People In Long Galaxy's Edge Lines

Disneyland is a place where we love in indulge ourselves. While buying food at Disneyland tends to get expensive, it's also incredibly good, and so whether you schedule reservations for dinner at the Napa Rose or just eat your weight in churros, food is as much a part of the Disneyland experience as anything. However, with Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge about to open, and insane lines expected from day one, guests might have been afraid to drink gallons of blue milk, so as not to have to worry about bathroom runs while standing in line for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. However, you won't need to choose because Disneyland will be providing bathroom passes for those in line at the new land.

It's also all the more important as Disneyland will apparently make snacks and drinks available for purchase to people standing in line. The queues for both new E-ticket attractions will also be designed with interesting things for guests to look at and interact with to keep guests' attention as a way to make the prolonged waits a little easier to deal with. Although, Disney has yet to reveal much about exactly what the queues will include. A collection of app based games that are only available while inside Galaxy's Edge will also be playable for guests to keep them busy while in line.

In actuality, according to People, hopping out of line to use the bathroom has always been an option at Disney Parks, though it's not something that the parks have made much a point to publicize. Still, it's good to know for sure that the option will be available when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens, as it's likely to be even more important. Galaxy's Edge will be the first place the public can purchase alcohol at Disneyland, so the restrooms will probably be getting more a workout than ever before.

Star Wars; Galaxy's Edge is set to open at Disneyland in less than two months. The crowds might not be quite as insane on opening day as anticipated, because for the first three weeks after opening the land will require reservations to enter. Still, one certainly expects that nearly everybody who can get into the land will be making their way to the Millennium Falcon attraction first. The Rise of the Resistance attraction won't be available on opening day, which means the crowds won't even be broken up between the two attractions and the line for Smuggler's Run will be even longer than expected until the second attraction opens. That will happen later this year, though an exact date is unknown.

So the good news is you can drink as much blue or green milk as you want an you won't need to worry about losing your place in line. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland May 31  and at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World August 29.

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Even Disneyland Cast Members Will Have Trouble Getting Into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge When It Opens

Even Disneyland Cast Members Will Have Trouble Getting Into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge When It Opens

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is going to be the hottest ticket Disneyland has ever seen when it opens next month. Simply getting into the land is going to require guests make a reservation for the first three weeks. Those who book rooms at Disneyland Resort hotels during the reservation period will receive a reservation automatically.

Once that period is over things may get even more crowded as everybody in the park tries to make their way to Black Spire Outpost. Normally, being an employee has its privileges, but it appears that being a Disneyland cast member won't help you get onto Batuu, as cast member passes are apparently blacked out for most or all of this summer at least.

Normally, when a Disneyland cast member isn't working, they can enter the park almost at their leisure, and they can even bring a limited number of friends with them, by simply requesting a pass. However, as Disney theme park YouTuber Disney Dan revealed yesterday, if a Disney cast member attempts to request a pass right now, they are subject to serious blackout restrictions. Every date between May 16 (according to ThrillGeek) and August 31 is currently blacked out. That's as far out as the calendar currently runs, so the daily blackout may run even longer.

Star Wars; Galaxy's Edge is set to open at Disneyland on May 31 so the blackout begins two weeks prior to opening and runs through at least the next three months. If an employee at Disneyland wants to try and get into Galaxy's Edge any sooner, they'll have to buy a ticket like everybody else, though they will have normal access to the Disneyland Resort's other park, Disney California Adventure.

Disneyland is doing everything that it can to manage the massive crowds that are expected to swarm the Disneyland Resort when Galaxy's Edge opens. Early estimates were that the resort could see 150,000-200,000 people on opening day, far more than the park can actually hold. With the announcement of the reservation system those numbers will likely be greatly reduced, but obviously, Disney Parks want to get as many paying guests into the park as possible, which means the cast members that don't need to buy tickets will have to wait until things die down.

One assumes that similar restrictions will impact cast members looking to get into Disney's Hollywood Studios starting in August, when that resort's version of Galaxy's Edge opens. Although, the fact that it will opening near the end of the busy summer season might mean the restrictions won't last quite as long. That park will not be subject to the early reservation system that Disneyland is seeing.

The good news is that Disneyland cast members won't be left entirely out in the cold. They were recently informed that there will be a special cast member-only event at Galaxy's Edge before the new land opens to the public. This is nice to hear. It's one thing to be a regular guest and have to put off making a trip because the crowds will just be too much. It's another thing to have to work right next to the place every day and not be able to see what's there.

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What Shazam! Gets Right About The Emotions Of Foster Children

What Shazam! Gets Right About The Emotions Of Foster Children

Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for Shazam! Read at your own risk.

There's a lot to love about Shazam!, but amongst all the praise for its humor and action, there's one thing I loved about the DC movie above all else that isn't getting a lot of attention. Foster children play a huge part in Shazam!, and the way the film handles each child and the emotions they cope with is a supremely underrated thing this story should be getting more praise for.

I say this as a foster parent who has experienced firsthand and heard several stories from others about how harrowing the foster process can be. Much like Billy and the rest of the siblings, these kids are faced with tough situations very early in life that affects them in entirely different ways. No two kids are alike, and Shazam! shows audiences some of the various ways these kids are shaped in a way that mainstream media doesn't often show.

Take Billy, for example, who has spent a majority of his time in foster homes and running away in hopes of finding his birth mother. Billy is so convinced his mother has no way of finding him that he's leaving good and safe homes (which is not always a guarantee) and ignoring the case worker who suggests the reason she hasn't found him yet is because she's not looking.

What's most important in Shazam! is that it's explicitly clear to the audience why Billy does the things he does. He's not a foster kid acting out because he's ungrateful, misguided or a troublemaker. He legitimately believes his living situations are temporary, and that things will be alright once he finds his mother.

Of course, that's not always the case in foster care, and Billy eventually learns that his mother intentionally left him with the police because she believed he'd be better off without her. She also doesn't think it's a good time to reconnect, and it's more or less implied that she's in no rush to start a relationship with the young hero despite his efforts to find her.

What's important about this arc is that there's an acknowledgement that none of what happened is Billy's fault, which is a message all foster children need to hear regardless of their situation. Billy was affected by his mother's actions, but at the end of the day, she's the one to blame for their separation. Even if the situations aren't the same, any foster child can walk away from this film feeling that their circumstance isn't their own doing.

Another big thing Shazam! gets right about foster kids' emotions is the wide range of ways a child can react to their situation. Each of the kids ended up in the system some way, and each have been shaped by the experience and are coping with it in their own way. One scene in particular that sticks out is Darla's immediate attachment to Billy, and how quick she goes into referring to him as her brother.

The scene gets a big emotional payoff later when Billy tells Darla she doesn't have to call him 'brother,' as they aren't technically a family. Darla is immediately crushed by the statement, and it's the one scene in Shazam! where she could be described as sad. Billy tries to explain to Freddy he didn't mean it to upset her, and Freddy waves him off in an understanding manner while tending to Darla.

It's become one of my favorite scenes of the film because it shows Freddy immediately understands both sides and that no one is at fault. Freddy gets Billy's newcomer status in the family, and the fact that he still has reservations about getting so close to a group of strangers. He also understands Darla's position, and why someone rejecting her offer of inclusion into their foster family is devastating to her.

Freddy has his own problems, as he confesses later to Billy that he's absolutely jealous of his superpowers. Freddy, like most children, just wants to be seen and acknowledged for something other than what he is. No one at the school gives him a lot of acknowledgement, and the ones that do are bullies who frequently tease him for his disability and foster kid status.

Then there's Pedro, Mary and Eugene, who collectively represent another big part of foster kids and Shazam! Mary and Eugene are bright, while Pedro's math test implies he struggles in school. Their personalities are vastly different from each other, and they all seem to have been shaped differently by their varied upbringings.

Someone reading this may think "Well, they're just being portrayed like children," and that's the point. Too often does mass media portray career criminals as "foster children that bounced from home to home" or emotionally fragile kids when there's really not one box to contain them. That's not to say there aren't children who come out of foster care and become two of those prior stereotypes, but there are plenty of children who come out just like the Shazam Family.

These kids are positive role models for a group that, more often than not, is going through things the average child doesn't and shouldn't experience. Many won't complain because it's all they've known, or because they feel uncomfortable doing so in a situation where no one is entirely sure what the future holds for them.

Shazam! can be a great asset to foster families in helping kids and teens in the system tap into those complex feelings, and perhaps serve as a conversation starter into some deeper topics. It's also just a great film that can reinforce to a child in the system that they are special, and that their situation doesn't mean they're destined to become any one thing.

It's why I'm hoping that while the ending of Shazam! established Billy as a part of the Vasquez's foster family, themes relating to foster care continue in Shazam! 2. While Billy's mother didn't seem to want anything to do with him, it would be cool if they had some form of relationship down the road, however complicated that may be. There's also Billy's father who is in prison, so something could be done with him down the road as well.

Shazam! is in theaters and is doing quite well according to the first week numbers at the box office. For more on the film, check out the questions we had following the film's conclusion, and be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for the latest updates on movies, television, and pop culture.

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Tom Holland Wasn’t Trusted With An Avengers: Endgame Script

Tom Holland Wasn’t Trusted With An Avengers: Endgame Script

How bad at secret-keeping do you have to be not to get a complete script to the film you’re shooting? Apparently, the answer is Tom Holland, as the Avengers: Endgame actor was never given an entire copy of the script to this month’s mega-blockbuster event. While that may sound like an exercise in overkill, let’s recap some of the big spoilers that Holland dropped to get this level of notoriety.

In the most notable instances of spoiling the MCU for the masses, we’ve seen Tom Holland tell an audience about to watch Avengers: Infinity War that he was alive, in a joking reference to the fact that Spider-Man literally bit the dust in that very film. Not to mention, there was that time that he alluded to the potential Quantum Realm fix in Avengers: Endgame long before any of those cool new “space suits” came into play. And if you needed any other basis for just how many secrets could have slipped out in addition to those that Holland already put into the world, let’s not forget that there’s a montage of Benedict Cumberbatch being a pretty good goal-keeper when paired with Spider-Man: Far From Home’s rather talkative star.

With all of those secrets scattered like Avenger dust to the wind, it’s apparently came to Joe and Anthony Russo having to withhold the whole script to Avengers: Endgame. And we only know this because in a recent interview, Joe himself admitted it as follows:

Yeah, Tom Holland does not get the script. Tom Holland gets his lines and that’s it. He doesn’t even know who he’s acting opposite of. We’ll just, we use like very vague terms to describe to him what is happening in the scene, because he has a very difficult time keeping his mouth shut.

The fact that we have a whole list of times Tom Holland spoiled the MCU for fans says something about his eager, but kind-hearted tongue when it comes to the adventures of The Avengers. So this information straight from ComicBook.com sounds pretty accurate. Which has us wondering, did Mark Ruffalo get a copy of the script for Avengers: Endgame?

If Tom Holland isn’t trusted with an entire script, than surely Ruffalo's done enough to get himself exiled into spoiler corner. Between his Livestream incident during the Thor: Ragnarok premiere, and his own gaffes involving Avengers: Endgame, it’s gotten so bad that even Don Cheadle has brought attention to it. And by bring attention to, we mean may or may not be joking about not wanting to do press with him. How does that effect lunch breaks on the set?

With Avengers: Endgame only a mere couple of weeks away, it won’t be long before Tom Holland is let off the hook for the time being. It’s a pretty big event, and since he hasn’t had to memorize an entire script’s worth of information, he probably can’t tell us about his big team up with The Hulk for the third act save. That is, if that’s what happens in this next Avengers film, as we’re just kidding, and do not want Mr. Holland to take our word as gospel truth in any way, shape, or form.

Avengers: Endgame heads to theaters on April 26, with Spider-Man: Far From Home hitting theaters on July 3.

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So Christopher Nolan's Next Movie Won't Really Be Like North By Northwest Meets Inception?

So Christopher Nolan's Next Movie Won't Really Be Like North By Northwest Meets Inception?

It's been about a year and a half since the release of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, and the acclaimed director's next film is still shrouded in mystery. Well, at least it was until new reports claimed that it was a romantic thriller that was a cross between North by Northwest and Inception. It was a concept that intrigued film fans, but it sounds like it's back to the guessing games because a new report claims that the last rumor is false.

Christopher Nolan is one of the most prestigious directors working today. He's the mind behind excellent movies like The Prestige and Memento, and gained mainstream popularity for his work on The Dark Knight Trilogy. He was finally nominated for an Oscar on his last film, 2017's Dunkirk, and since then movie fans have been eagerly awaiting to find out more details about his next project.

It seemed like those details had finally come when a report from Production Weekly claimed that Christopher Nolan's new film was described "as a romantic thriller, North by Northwest in tone meets Inception." Inception blew people's minds back in 2010, and North by Northwest is said to be one of the greatest films ever made, so it's a pretty cool mashup on paper.

However, it sounds like the update was off-base. A source told IGN the information provided by Production Weekly was inaccurate. No further elaboration was given, so it sounds like we are all back in the dark on this one.

On one hand, this can be seen as good news. Christopher Nolan has many strengths, but I don't know that I would say that romance is one of them. His films usually come off as being a bit colder and focused primarily on the drama or psychosis of his main character. That's not to say he does't have a great romantic thriller in him, but it's a bit of uncharted territory for Nolan.

For those who may not know, North by Northwest is a 1959 thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. It followed Cary Grant as a man with mistaken identity who winds up running across the country as he's swept up into a conspiracy. Even if you've never seen the film, you've probably seen the above image of Cary Grant running from an airplane recreated a dozen different times in pop culture.

Inception is one of Christopher Nolan's most well-known films, and it starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a thief who steals information by entering people's dreams.

At least we know one thing about Christopher Nolan's next movie: the release date. The movie is currently slated to arrive in theaters on July 17, 2020. There are lot of movies to look forward to until then, so be sure to learn about them all in our handy 2019 movie release guide.

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