Moviefone Editorial

Category: Worth Watching

  • The 31 Best Erotic Thrillers Ever Made

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    Who says the erotic thriller is dead? Maybe it’s just been lying in wait.

    The heyday of the genre was the late ’80s and early ’90s, when erotic-thriller mainstays like actor Michael Douglas, screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, and directors Brian De Palma and Adrian Lyne were enjoying their career peaks. Between 1987’s “Fatal Attraction” and 1992’s “Basic Instinct,” there seemed to be no end of movies about detectives sleeping with murder suspects or soccer dads and moms having torrid affairs with dangerous strangers. Maybe it was subconscious anxiety about AIDS, or maybe it was a loosening of the ratings board’s usual qualms about sex and violence, or maybe it’s just when premium cable started to saturate America’s households. (Indeed, the erotic thriller still persists as a late-night staple on Skinemax Cinemax.) Whatever the reason, the genre’s moment was short-lived.

    Maybe it’ll come back with the release this week of “The Boy Next Door,” directed by pulp auteur Rob Cohen and starring Jennifer Lopez as a high school teacher who has a steamy affair with a young neighbor (Ryan Guzman) who becomes dangerously obsessed with her. Speaking of dangerous obsessions, “Fifty Shades of Grey” is opening in a couple weeks, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Of course, two movies won’t bring back the genre all by themselves, but Hollywood success does breed imitators. Or at least these new releases may whet your appetite for some of the overheated, heavy-breathing classics of the genre, as listed below. They may not be the greatest movies ever made, but sometimes they scratch that itch. For shameless entertainment, I mean.
    Best Erotic Thrillers

  • Betty White’s Touching 93rd Birthday Surprise will Make Your Day (VIDEO)

    Betty White Celebrates 93rd Birthday On The Set Of
    It’s hard to believe, but American treasure Betty White has been gracing our television screens — and stealing our hearts — since the 1940s. So for her recent 93rd birthday, White’s costars and crew from her TV Land series “Hot in Cleveland” wanted to do something special for the actress.

    In a clip posted by TV Land, White is being driven to the set, when she’s greeted by a hulu dancer. According to the network, this is a daily ritual for White, whose assistant usually performs the dance for her.

    But in honor of White’s birthday (which was Saturday), the entire cast and crew of “Hot in Cleveland” got in on the action, throwing the actress a surprise hula flash mob, which culminated in a dance featuring co-stars Jane Leeves, Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, and Garry Marshall. As the golf cart carrying White made its way through the crowd, and the birthday girl realized what was happening, her face filled with emotion; you can tell that the surprise meant a lot to White, and it’s hard not to get a little misty right along with her.

    “At 93, you shouldn’t be doing this!” the stunned star exclaimed to the crowd.

    Check out the sweet clip below. Happy birthday, Betty!

    Photo credit: Getty Images for TV Land

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  • Oscar Nominations 2015: ‘Dick Poop’ Is This Year’s ‘Adele Dazeem’

    87th Academy Awards Nominations Announcement
    We’re still not done mocking John Travolta for his epic mangling of Idina Menzel’s name during the 2014 Oscars telecast. But it looks like Adele Dazeem already has some competition in this year’s Most Cringeworthy Name Pronunciation category: Dick Poop.

    That unfortunate blunder came courtesy of none other than Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who was attempting to say “Dick Pope” when announcing the nominees for Best Cinematography. Sadly for Pope, his nomination for British biopic “Mr. Turner” was overshadowed by Isaacs’s incorrect — and frankly, head scratching — pronunciation of his name.

    Perhaps Isaacs was fatigued from already pronouncing the tongue-twisting names of Pope’s fellow nominees, including “Ida” cinematographers Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski. But when she got to his name, she very clearly said “Dick Poop,” before correcting herself. In the clip below, courtesy of Slate, you can hear the audience titter and Boone try to stop herself from laughing after the unfortunate error.

    But Pope has proven to be a good sport about the snafu, telling USA Today that he actually felt more sorry for Isaacs than himself, and revealing a great sense of humor.

    “You know what, I have been called a lot worse in my time,” Pope told USA Today. “I don’t think twice about anything like that. I am happy to be nominated.”

    [via: Slate, USA Today]

    Photo credit: Kevin Winter via Getty Images

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  • Golden Globes 2015: The Top 5 Amy and Tina Moments

    It was widely reported that this year’s Golden Globes show would be the swan song for amazing co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, news that put us through the five stages of grief pretty quickly (followed by lots of heavy milkshake-drinking). The duo have hosted the glittery awards show for the past three years, exposing the inherently sexist, silly nature of Hollywood but doing with such good-natured aplomb that it never came across as acid or mean-spirited (like the infamous previous host Ricky Gervais).

    What was kind of upsetting about last night, though, was how little Tina and Amy were actually given to do. It felt like last night the dynamic duo had the least amount of screen time out of any of their gigs. After a terrific monologue (more on that in a minute), they were largely sidelined, interjecting where they could but mostly silent (or hidden backstage somewhere or in the maze of underground tunnels I’m fairly sure exists underneath the Beverly Hilton). Still — when they were on stage, they were genuinely incredible. And if this really is their final job hosting, they went out on top. Obviously.

    1. The Monologue
    A lot has already been written about their razor-sharp monologue (you can watch it below), but it needs to be reiterated that it was really, really, ridiculously funny. They took aim at the ridiculousness of the evening and its participants (Tina: “You bunch of despicable, spoiled, minimally talented brats”), the brouhaha surrounding the release of “The Interview” (“All the movies North Korea was okay with”), the current nominees (“We Anderson arrived on a bicycle made of antique tuba parts”) and, most damningly, Bill Cosby. (What? You thought two outspoken, brilliant feminist comedians wouldn’t joke about the defamed comedy legend, currently staring down more than two dozen sexual assault allegations?) Maybe the most delightful element of their monologue was when they went around the room talking about who they’d rather or not sleep with. Our favorite bit? Weighing who would be better in the sack — “Boyhood” director Richard Linklater (“Once a year for five minutes”) or “Birdman” filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Two hours, one take”). All in all: they killed it. Now what can we do to bring them back for year 4?

    2. Introducing Margaret Cho
    Fairly early in the show, Tina and Amy decided to introduce the newest member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — Cho Yun Ja, a North Korean contributor to Movies Wow played by none other than cult comedienne Margaret Cho. She was totally in character, straight-faced and wearing nearly kabuki-style make-up, gripping an issue of her magazine (“Kim: Break the Internet”), taking a selfie photo with Meryl Streep that was photographed by Michael Keaton and photo-bombed by none other than Benedict Cumberbatch. It was pretty great, orchestrated with gleeful anarchy by Fey and Poehler.

    3. Cho Yun Ja Returns
    Thankfully, Margaret Cho’s introduction was not her last appearance — she would pop up periodically throughout the night, even saying the final words of the telecast. But it was her first appearance back after her introduction that was the funniest. Particularly for her final zinger: “Also I think ‘Orange is the New Black’ should be in the drama category. It’s funny but not ha-ha funny.” And then everyone was hacked again.

    4. Tina’s Awesome Glittery Tux
    We just have to take a moment and give it up for Tina’s awesome glittery tux, which she wore during the middle section of the show. This might be the only glittery tux to be more awesome than David Oyelowo‘s glittery tux (undoubtedly part of the Daft Punk evening wear collection). Fey’s outfit had her bow tie all askew and was just looking really, really cool. It was a wonderfully gender-defiant piece of fashion that was also elegant and smart and witty.

    5. The Matthew McConaughey Joke
    Amy’s Matthew McConaughey joke was brief but totally amazing. “When your producers tell you you’re running long, there’s only one thing to do… here’s Matthew McConaughey.” Alright alright alright alright, this was a pretty great joy. Yes it was, yes it was. (By the way, how stoked was McConaughey when his best bud Richard Linklater took home the big prizes last night?) And yes, this was better than the Oprah intro. By a fairly considerable margin.
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  • Here’s Your First Look at ‘Sisters,’ Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s New Comedy (VIDEO)

    tina fey and amy poehler in sistersTina Fey and Amy Poehler have impeccable timing.

    The dynamic duo are unveiling the first peek at their new comedy, “Sisters,” during tonight’s Golden Globes, but lucky for us, the studio has unleashed the footage on YouTube early.

    In the VERY brief clip, the two can be seen enjoying a trip down memory lane, with a cringe-worthy burn at Poehler’s expense at the very end. It’s definitely worth the wait.Here’s the official rundown on “Sisters” from studio Universal:

    Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for SISTERS, a new film from Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore about two disconnected sisters summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. Looking to recapture their glory days, they throw one final high-school-style party for their classmates, which turns into the cathartic rager that a bunch of ground-down adults really need. Fey produces the comedy alongside Jay Roach (Meet the Parents series), and Poehler executive produces from a script by Paula Pell (TV’s Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock).

    “Sisters” hits theaters December 18, 2015.
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  • Sarah Wayne Callies Loves These 5 Movies Based on True Stories

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    Former “The Walking Dead” star Sarah Wayne Callies has been busy since her days on cable’s biggest show — particularly on the big screen. Besides starring in last summer’s “Into the Storm” and the upcoming horror flick “The Other Side of the Door,” the actress can be seen in the dramatic thriller “Black November,” out today.

    Inspired by real events, “Black November” tells the story of an oil-rich Nigerian community that wages war against an oil corporation to protect their land from destruction. Written and directed by Jeta Amata, the gripping film features Callies opposite stars Kim Basinger, Anne Heche, Wyclef Jean, and Mickey Rourke.

    In anticipation for her new movie, the actress told Moviefone her 5 favorite movies based on true stories — complete with commentary from Callies herself!

    “Black November” arrives in theaters and is available on VOD & iTunes today.

    Sarah Wayne Callies 5WorthWatching Moviefone

  • Watch: New ‘Chappie’ Trailer Shows A Darker Side to the Robot Tale (VIDEO)


    The first trailer for “District 9” director Neill Blomkamp’s robo-fable “Chappie” made it seem like a sweet, humorous riff on the same kind of existential conundrums that have defined science fiction stories that center around artificial intelligence. (Also: it looked kind of like “Short Circuit 2.”) With the new trailer for the March 6th release gives you a deeper sense of the world and emphasizes the story’s darker elements, which is odd since we’ve heard that it’s easily the filmmaker’s funniest movie to date.

    In the world of “Chappie,” set in the near future, robotic police officers have been deployed in war-torn South Africa. On one side of the debate is a corrupt law enforcer (Hugh Jackman) and on the other, a deeply feeling scientist (Dev Patel). The titular robot (Sharlto Copley) is “the new step in evolution,” and one that is kidnapped and partially raised by two thugs (played by South African rap group Die Antwoord). It looks violent and weird and very, very heavily indebted to “Robocop” (none of that is a bad thing).

    The marketing department behind “Chappie” still hasn’t given a great representation of what the film will be, tonally, but that’s always a problem with Blomkamp’s films. Hopefully this will be a lot livelier than his last film, the bloated studio movie “Elysium.” And despite some mild hesitation (and the fact that our girlfriend is very confused by all things “Chappie”), this film looks like it could be really, really special.

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  • Will Arnett Promises ‘Lego Batman Movie’ Is ‘Mind-Boggling’ (VIDEO)


    Last year’s “The Lego Movie” wasn’t just a total masterpiece and a box office smash – it was also the inadvertent beginning to an entire building blocks-based franchise. There’s the “Ninjago” movie opening in the fall of 2016 and, at some point, a proper sequel to “The Lego Movie.” But maybe the most exciting film in this crop is “The Lego Batman Movie,” starring everyone’s favorite moody Dark Knight (a breakout character from “The Lego Movie”) that already has a prime May 26th, 2017 release date. MTV News caught up with “Lego Movie” directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord and Batman voice actor Will Arnett at the National Board of Review gala, and asked where, exactly, the film was.

    When MTV reporter (and “Top Five” co-star) Josh Horowitz asked the team if different eras of Batman would be incorporated into the new film, Lord shot back after hesitating briefly. “No spoilers… But I will say I think the movie is really exciting because it’s about ‘Can Batman be happy?’”

    Both filmmakers and Arnett also chimed in that the action set pieces are genuinely dazzling. “The first bit that I’ve seen was mind-boggling,” Arnett interjected. (For the record, Lord and Miller are only producing, with “Lego Movie” animation supervisor Chris McKay directing from a script by “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” writer Seth Grahame-Smith.) Watch the video below and prepare to get really, really excited.

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  • Watch: New Trailer Shows That Liam Neeson Will ‘Run All Night’ (VIDEO)


    This weekend, moviegoers around the country will undoubtedly line up for Liam Neeson in the third (and supposedly final) “Taken” film – and while those moviegoers wait for “Taken 3” will be given an extra jolt of Neeson-related ass-kickery in the form of the new trailer for “Run All Night.” And it’s really, really cool.

    In “Run All Night,” Neeson plays a former hit man (his nickname was “The Gravedigger,” so you know he was good) who intervenes when a killer is sent to murder his son (Joel Kinnaman from the “Robocop” reboot). That puts him in the crosshairs not only of his gangland former employer (Ed Harris), as well as a squadron of crooked cops (led by Vincent D’Onofrio). So that’s the incredibly catchy synopsis: one night, Neeson and his estranged son against killers, thugs, and crooked cops. It’s going to be awesome.

    “Run All Night” marks the third collaboration between Neeson and his “Unknown” and “Non-Stop” director Jaume Collet-Serra. Their collaborations have always been top-tier entertainment and “Run All Night,” with its delicious premise and hard R-rating, looks like it could be their finest hour yet. Watch the trailer and tell us if you’re ready to “Run All Night.”

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  • Betty White Scores Standing Ovation, Chris Evans Escort at People’s Choice Awards (VIDEO)

    The 41st Annual People's Choice Awards - Backstage And Audience
    The People’s Choice Awards are usually a mixed bag, with results that either delight or confuse the public, depending on who you ask. But no one can deny the sheer joy of the moment that television legend Betty White took home the Favorite TV Icon award at this year’s ceremony — and the stunned actress was escorted to the stage by none other than Captain America.

    That heartwarming pairing came about after White was announced as the winner in the category, which also included Katey Sagal, Mark Harmon, Tim Allen, and Tom Selleck. The “Hot in Cleveland” star was visibly emotional after her name was read by presenter Ellen DeGeneres, and was helped to her feet and up onto the stage by another winner from the night: Chris Evans.

    As the Favorite Action Movie Actor escorted White, the “Golden Girls” alum received a standing ovation, and her heartfelt acceptance speech was punctuated by loud cheers and applause from the crowd.

    “When Melissa McCarthy came up on stage and said she’d stay with us as long as you let her – well, you’ve abused the privilege with me,” White told the audience. ” … The people’s choice at 93? Thank you with all my heart.”

    You can watch the wonderful moment below. Thank you for being a friend, Betty.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

    Photo credit: Christopher Polk via Getty Images

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