Dune moves release date in Australia

But, it’s good news! Dune has been moved up a week and some change, from its original Australian release date of December 26 to December 17.

The sci-fi epic, adapted by director Denis Villeneuve from Frank Herbert’s seminal novel, released its first trailer last week to wild excitement.

But when there was no release date on trailer, there was speculation the film’s release would be moved to 2021 to accommodate a potential shuffle for Wonder Woman 1984.

Wonder Woman 1984 was indeed moved to December 25 in the US, now confirmed as December 26 in Australia instead of October 1, but rather than bump Dune to next year, audiences will get to see it even sooner.

It seems that Dune will keep its original US release date of December 18. Thanks to that quirk where Australian distributors typically release new films on a Thursday and the Americans on a Friday, we will likely see it before those stateside.

подробнее )

Popular Harry Potter star throws support behind J.K. Rowling

It comes as Rowling has attracted strong and widespread criticism for numerous public comments on gender identity – including from the Harry Potter cast – but maintains she is not transphobic.

Fierce backlash against the author was reignited this week following a Sunday Telegraph review of her latest book, Troubled Blood, about a male serial killer who dresses as a woman while on violent killing sprees.

RELATED: JK Rowling’s career declared ‘dead’ via #RIPJKRowling hashtag

J.K. Rowling has again faced backlash this week. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

Furious fans lambasted Rowling this week, declaring her “dead”, with the hashtag #RIPJKRowling sent to the top of the Twitter trending charts.

In response to the uproar, Coltrane, who played gamekeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise, suggested people are too easily offended.

Speaking... ( подробнее )

Ray Fisher v Warner Bros: A reckoning is spreading through Hollywood

It’s a spat between a Hollywood movie studio and one of its promising young stars, the kind of thing you expect would be happening behind the scenes with some frequency – but what makes this one extraordinary is how it’s all playing out in public.

That’s partly thanks to the age of social media, when stars know they can talk directly to the fans without having their sentiments being filtered through publicity departments and media outlets.

And it’s also partly thanks to shifting social dynamics of 2020, a time in which powerful institutions and people are increasingly being called out by individuals, making them answerable to the masses in ways that were previously unavailable.

It’s the same movement that’s brought Ellen DeGeneres to her knees this year.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. First, let’s go through what the Ray Fisher/Warner Bros brouhaha is actually about.

THE... ( подробнее )

Dune 2020 trailer: Denis Villeneuve, Timothee Chalamet and cast tease epic adaptation

We’re not being hyperbolic, that’s how big a project the upcoming cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune is, an iconic sci-fi tome which has not always had an easy time of it when it comes to transitioning to screen.

There have been two previous screen versions – David Lynch’s controversial 1986 film and a panned TV miniseries in 2000 – but there is much more excitement for this one.

After several aborted attempts, French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Sicario and Arrival) was announced as taking on the ambitious project.

The extremely stacked cast includes Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard and Zendaya.

Due for release on Boxing Day in Australia, Warner Bros has released the first trailer overnight and it is exhilaratingly epic.

The three-minute video is full of big moments such... ( подробнее )

Mulan: How 2020 up-ended Disney’s plan for $200 million blockbuster

A gust blew through a multi-levelled “play-gym-like” structure built from bamboo scaffolding, threatening to dramatically untie the long stretches of red fabric fastened to the poles.

The space, which not long ago had atop the exact piece of land a massive water tank for shark movie The Meg, will host a climactic battle scene in Disney’s live-action remake of the legend of a female warrior who saves China against northern invaders.

Unlike the beloved 1998 animated feature, this version of Mulan, directed by Kiwi Niki Caro, will feature no musical ditties or cheeky talking dragons voiced by American comedians. It will hew closer to the folkloric ballad told through centuries in China.

The bamboo scaffolding is a pivotal scene in the final act

The scaffolding is one of several large-scale, impressive sets by production designer Grant Major that dot the Auckland studio... ( подробнее )

Robert Pattinson reportedly has coronavirus as The Batman filming shuts down

Sources close to the set have said the highly-anticipated DC film has now been “thrown into chaos” as the lead star is said to be the one who came down with the virus, just days after filming resumed.

Warner Bros confirmed the news in a statement which read: “A member of The Batman production has tested positive for COVID-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols.

“Filming is temporarily paused.”

They would not confirm who had contracted the virus but Vanity Fair reported “through other highly placed sources that Pattinson was the individual who became sick.”

RELATED: Fans shocked as actor unrecognisable as Penguin in The Batman

Filming for the latest Batman-centered film, starring Robert Pattinson, has been halted in Britain after the actor reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus, just days after shooting... ( подробнее )

Centre Stage star Ethan Stiefel shocks fans with completely unrecognisable new look

Stiefel, 47, played the professional ballet dancer Cooper Nielsen in the 2000 cult classic.

Gone were the days of his clean shaven face and floppy blonde locks, instead, fans were met with shoulder length hair and an intimidating moustache.

Centre Stage actor Ethan Stiefel is completely unrecognisable now. Picture: YouTube

“Good god, Ethan Stiefel, that look is a choice,” one fan wrote after watching the reunion.

Oh my goodness. Ethan Stiefel looks... verrrrrrry different. https://t.co/iexFv3JGpw— Sam (@sgreen3) September 1, 2020

Ethan Stiefel?!

Iconic role Aussie star lost to Liam Neeson

The Man from Snowy River actor, 80, revealed he almost landed the coveted role of Oskar Schindler in 1993’s Schindler’s List.

In the wide-ranging interview covering his upbringing, career, recent health battle and industry titbits from the 70s and beyond, a raw and honest Thompson pursed his lips as Anh asked about the role he lost to Liam Neeson.

“Almost,” he said, shaking his head with a sigh and slight smile.

“I’d done camera tests, shot a couple of scenes, and then did a whole afternoon with Spielberg,” he explained.

“At the end of it (Spielberg) said, ‘Well there’s not much doubt’.

“Then he said, ‘I have to go straight away now and catch the plane to New York, and when I come back on Monday we’ll sign up’. And then he went to New York, and he saw Liam (Neeson), who I’d worked with, and he came back and said ‘Yeah... ( подробнее )

Tenet scores at box office despite pandemic

The Australian box office was $2.48 million, though it’s unclear if this includes the previous weekend’s preview screenings.

Australians were among the first audiences to see director Christopher Nolan’s anticipated blockbuster.

With the exception of Victoria, cinemas were open and operating across the country, anxious executives looking to Tenet as the spark for a return to theatres after mandated shutdowns during the pandemic.

Given the pandemic, there is no yardstick against which to adequately measure Tenet’s opening performance, Nolan’s most recent film, Dunkirk, opened at $US100 million in 2017.

With social distancing measures in place including capped capacity and heightened expectations placed on the film, cinemas were running few non-Tenet sessions, instead putting the blockbuster on multiple screens at the same time. George St cinemas in Sydney had 38 sessions in the first day of previews.

The... ( подробнее )

Even the stars of Tenet struggled to comprehend Christopher Nolan’s movie

Tenet lead John David Washington confessed to news.com.au that it took him a while to get there – if he’s even there yet.

“Like all Christopher Nolan movies, after the fourth or fifth viewing, with great depth, it starts to fall into place for me,” he said. “On a certain level, I understood it, especially when we were working – I definitely understood my character so I would try to lock in on what The Protagonist was doing in relation to the story.

“As far as the overall theme of it, it took some time. I’m still learning!”

British director Nolan is renowned for crafting movies that are puzzles within puzzles, from the reverse narrative of Memento to the plot-twist of The Prestige to subconscious layers of Inception.

Tenet is no different, introducing a concept called “time inversion” in which characters and objects can move backwards while everyone and everything around... ( подробнее )