Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
New Netflix Instant Releases: March 2017
Start marking your calendars now (and apologize to your loved ones in advance for your lack of interaction) because Netflix is looking pretty stacked in March. In addition to the usual assortment of recent releases, old favorites and contemporary classics, next month brings premieres of new Netflix Original series like Love Season 2, Grace and Frankie Season 3, and — last but far from least — the latest addition to Marvel’s Defenders lineup.
New Amazon Prime Instant Video Releases – March 2017
It’s that time again — Amazon has unveiled the latest additions hitting the Prime Instant Video service in March, including recent favorites like Everybody Wants Some!! (do they? They do) and What We Do in the Shadows. Next month also brings the premieres of Amazon Original films The Dressmaker and Gimme Danger, along with new seasons of Hand of God and Orphan Black.
Disney’s Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Taps ‘Whale Rider’ Director Niki Caro
The recent results of USC’s annual study pegged Disney as one of the worst offenders when it comes to hiring diverse directors, which makes today’s news pretty darn positive: The studio has tapped director Niki Caro (best known for Whale Rider) to helm their live-action reimagining of Mulan, making her the second woman to direct a film with a budget of over $100 million for Disney — that’s the second woman ever in the entire history of the studio.
No…One…Sings ‘Gaston’ Like Luke Evans’ Gaston in New ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Clip
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for ever since Disney announced this live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast: The Gaston song. Listen, this “tale as old as time” is sweet and magical and all that other wonderful stuff, but it’s okay to admit that you’re 100 percent here for Luke Evans as the nefarious, narcissistic master of swagger, performing what is, with apologies to Angela Lansbury, the actual greatest song from Beauty and the Beast (don’t @ me).
‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ LEGO Sets Reveal New Looks at LEGO Bane, Two-Face, Batwing and More
If you like your toys to be as meta as possible, then you’re definitely going to want to make a little room in your budget for The LEGO Batman Movie LEGO sets. Yes, the LEGO version of the iconic superhero is getting his very own LEGO sets, featuring LEGO Bat-vehicles, LEGO Bat-villains and much more. As we’ve noted before, it’s kind of amazing to see toy sets based on a movie that’s based on a toy that’s based on a superhero.
Lisa Frank’s Cutesy Psychedelic Creations Will Finally Cover Theater Screens
Neon pandas and rainbow-swirled unicorns and bubbly dolphins — that could describe an eight-year-old girl’s psychedelic mushroom trip, or Mariah Carey’s dream journal, or, more likely, a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper from 1992. The Frank brand is still keeping the dream of the ’90s alive in 2017, and honestly, it’s surprising that it’s taken this long for her candy-colored creations to terrorize the big screen.
This iPhone ‘Theatre Mode’ Update Sounds Like a Threat
It’s hard to pass judgment on iPhone’s new “theatre mode” because, well, it doesn’t exist out in the real world just yet. But according to a new report, that might be changing sooner rather than later, as Apple’s latest update is said to include this mysterious function. What is it, exactly? What does it do? Is this good news or bad news? Is the sanctity of the theatrical experience facing a new, insidious threat? Whatever it is, we’ll probably find out on January 10, when the iOS 10.3 beta rolls out to iPhone users.
You Will Believe Poop Can Talk in ‘The Emoji Movie’ First Teaser Trailer
When it was first announced, The Emoji Movie sounded like a joke — the inevitable apex of big budget studio movies based on products least likely to inspire a feature-length narrative. But Sony Pictures Animation has followed through on its threat to unleash an animated adventure featuring a walking and talking poop emoji, and we have the first teaser trailer to prove it.
Ryan Reynolds Says ‘Deadpool 2’ Is Nearing Production, Domino and Cable Still Not Cast
Not long after director Tim Miller exited the Deadpool sequel over creative differences with Ryan Reynolds, reports revealed the reason behind the split: Miller, a VFX pro, wanted to make a more polished (and more expensive) sequel, while Reynolds (and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) wanted to stick to the scrappy (and less expensive) style that made the first film such a hit. Now, with John Wick co-director David Leitch at the helm, Reynolds and producer Simon Kinberg have offered a quick update on Deadpool 2, including words of praise for Leitch and a promise to make sure the sequel is in keeping with its predecessor.
Johnny Depp Is Hollywood’s Most Overpaid Actor For the Second Year in a Row
Every year, Forbes releases rankings of the highest-paid and highest-grossing actors around the world, but their most interesting list comes a little later in the year when the publication unveils their annual rundown of the most overpaid actors in Hollywood. Unsurprisingly, Johnny Depp’s name tops the list for the second year in a row — and yet, sadistic Hollywood executives just keep right on putting him and his big dumb hats in big budget blockbusters.
Daisy Ridley Says ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Already Revealed Rey’s Parents
One of the biggest questions we were left with at the end of The Force Awakens, aside from “Do you think Luke makes his own organic soap out there on that space island?” was “Who the heck are Rey’s parents?” It’s a question that won’t be answered in the Star Wars universe until Episode VIII hits theaters late next year…unless you’re a real smarty-pants like Daisy Ridley.
‘Rogue One’ Director Gareth Edwards Reveals Some Monster-Sized Easter Eggs
Much like Marvel, the world of Star Wars is somewhat secretive, leaving fans with plenty of surprises to discover in theaters. Rogue One has been a little more transparent — and that makes sense, given that Gareth Edwards’ spinoff / prequel is the first of Lucasfilm’s new anthology series, the success of which will serve as something of a barometer for future spinoffs. We’ve learned quite a bit about Rogue One over the last year (and even more in the recent weeks leading up to its release), and with two weeks left to go, Edwards has one more interesting piece of intel to share with fans.