Matthew Monagle

As someone in his early 30s, I feel like everything I do comes with the risk of hurting myself. I go for a run without stretching every single muscle? Hurt myself. I reach down to pick something up? Hurt myself. I sit in one position for an extended period of time without straightening out my back? Hurt myself. That’s just one of a dozen reasons why I find Tom Cruise so impressive: at 55-years-old, it’s not like Cruise is going to hurt any less after his physical activities, he just finds ways to pick himself back up after something goes wrong.

Decades after the release of the original Star Wars films, it’s a testament to the power of the franchise that we’re still capable of discovering new things about some of our favorite characters. Take Leia Organa, for example. Fans who have rooted for her based on the events the original three films have found a whole new reason to root for her as the leader of a Star Wars anti-terrorism unit, but now we’ve learned something new about her character: she’s also one of the most learned characters in the entire Star Wars universe, and has been for a very, very long time.

The relationship between Broadway and and Hollywood has always struck me as a bit unfair. Hollywood basically gets its pick of pre-packaged products: wonderful lyrics, showstopping dance numbers, and beloved songs. Broadway, meanwhile, has to do most of the heavy lifting when adapting a movie for the stage. Oh, you want to make Waitress into a Broadway musical? That’s great! You’ll just need to write a whole new suite of songs. And figure out all the choreography. And rewrite the book to make those first two things fit. Because the movie has none of that.

Michael Bay is a simple guy. He likes lots of explosions, frequent cutting, and keeping the audience as close to the action as humanly possible. So when digital camera company RED approached the director about designing his own promotional rig, of course it would be handheld, and of course it would be named “Bayhem”. What’s the point in being one of the world’s leading experts in cinematic destruction if you can’t have a little fun with yourself every now and then?

Sad news today for fans of the Star Wars films and Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits: Kenny Baker, the man who brought droid R2-D2 to life, has passed away at the age of 81. According to The Guardian, Baker’s passing comes after a long battle with an unspecified illness.

File this one under Least Surprising News of All Time: according to producer Simon Kinberg, the upcoming sequel to the surprise hit Deadpool will poke fun at superhero sequels. No word yet on whether the character of Deadpool will continue to make movie references, talk to the camera, and poke fun at the successes and failures of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise.

Odds are you’ve probably rolled your eyes more than a few times after hearing Jared Leto’s approach to playing the Joker in the upcoming Suicide Squad. We’ve talked here before about the actor’s refusal to break character and his uncomfortable gifts to his costars; what we should also remember is that Leto’s Joker seems to be the perfect version of that character for Zack Snyder and David Ayer's vision of the DC universe. If Leto’s take on the Joker proves the quiet optimists like me right, DC Films would do well to give audiences a chance to see Ben Affleck’s Batman and Jared Leto’s Joker in action.

Back in June, actor John Turturro talked to The Hollywood Reporter about his ongoing efforts to make a film featuring his popular bowling lothario Jesus from The Big Lebowski. In the interview, Turturro explained that the character had actually been created years before the movie as part of a public theater company Turturro had participated in. While the actor described the ongoing legal discussions as “very complicated,” he did claim to have the involvement of the Coen Brothers on the film, although not as the directors.

How’s this for awkward timing: just as an entire generation of moviegoers are rediscovering their love for Winona Ryder thanks to Stranger Things, her chances at reappearing in the role that made her famous may be dying on the vine. The last time we checked in on Beetlejuice 2, it was Ryder who thought the sequel might actually be happening. Now it is Michael Keaton, her costar from the original film, who seems determined to put the final nail in the coffin.

Here’s one small sneak peek into our madness: everyone has heard at least in passing about the method approach that Jared Leto brought to his role as the Joker, but the dynamic onset was apparently a little more complex than the soundbites might suggest. According to Suicide Squad star Viola Davis, the dedication that Jared Leto brought to the role had two effects: one, it made everyone — including his friend and costar Scott Eastwood — afraid to interact with him, and two, it made each of them want to be at the top of their game. In one case, Leto mailed a live rat to Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie, eliciting the scream that he wanted… but Robbie also had the last laugh by adopting the rat as her new pet.

By now, you’ve probably decided to go in one of two different directions. Either you are steadfastly refusing to watch any additional Suicide Squad footage — having made your mind up ages ago to see the film and hoping not to ruin major moments in the film any more than you already have — or you’ve decided, screw it, and are gorging yourself on the many, many photos and character clips that Warner Bros. has prepared for us. If you’re part of the first group, then I’m sorry to say that the best Suicide Squad video just dropped and you’re probably not going to get to see it.

With Suicide Squad only a few weeks away, Warner Bros. and DC Films knew they didn’t need to go big at Comic-Con International this year, only nudge us just a little bit more in the right direction. To that end, their big reveals weren’t new so much as improved: a new trailer cut to emphasize the film’s soundtrack and a new batch of publicity photos showing off the film’s key characters.