Moviefone Editorial

Tag: Erin Kellyman

  • Movie Review: ‘Eleanor the Great’

    June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    Opening in theaters September 26 is ‘Eleanor the Great,’ directed by Scarlett Johansson and starring June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Will Price, and Rita Zohar.

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    Related Article: 20 Best Movies of Scarlett Johansson’s Career Ranked from Worst to Best

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Rita Zohar as Bessie in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    (L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Rita Zohar as Bessie in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    Like many actors before her, Scarlett Johansson moves from in front of the camera to behind it for her directorial debut, ‘Eleanor the Great.’ And there is talent there: Johansson’s direction is mostly unfussy and she largely stays out of her own way in laying out this intimate comedy-drama.

    She’s also aided immensely by another tremendous performance from 95-year-old June Squibb, who’s as irascible and steadfast as she was in her knockout 2024 starring vehicle, ‘Thelma.’ But both the director and her leading lady are let down in part by a script that makes a fatal Hollywood mistake – and all in service about what is occasionally a profound story of loss and remembrance, told in the shadow of the Holocaust but dangerously coming close to undermining it.

    Story and Direction

    Scarlett Johansson, June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    Scarlett Johansson, June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    Eleanor Morgenstern (June Squibb), 94 years old, is widowed yet living contentedly in Florida with her best friend, Bessie (Rita Zohar). But an abrupt change in circumstances forces Eleanor to move to New York City, where she initially moves in with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and her grandson (Will Price), a scenario with which no one is particularly comfortable.

    Feeling adrift and distant from her family, Eleanor wanders into a support group for Holocaust survivors – and begins to tell the story of Bessie, herself a survivor who never shared her experience with anyone but Eleanor, as if it was her own. She attracts the attention of a young journalism student named Nina (Erin Kellyman), who is making a film about the survivors, and soon becomes a friend and mentor to Nina and even meets her father, a local New York news anchor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) – all while her ill-conceived lie takes on a life of its own.

    Scarlett Johansson on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    Scarlett Johansson on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    And that is where Tory Kamen’s script goes wrong: in pretending to have lived Bessie’s life, Eleanor creates a terrible problem that didn’t need to happen. She could easily walk into that survivors’ group, apologize for being in the wrong room, but still offer to talk about her friend Bessie – and perhaps even be welcomed. There’s another version of this movie in which she does that. But her mistake – lying that she herself is the survivor — feels less organic than contrived for the purposes of making this movie, which gives the movie an air of being deliberately manipulative even as it struggles with its tone.

    That’s not to say that Johansson and her actors don’t get a number of good moments out of this material. They do, particularly in Eleanor and Bessie’s early scenes together, and later when Eleanor is desperate to salvage the relationships she fosters in New York. The film does also have some poignant meditations on grief and the role of family, and it’s also a nicely realized New York City movie in a year that’s seen some good ones already. But the seriousness of Eleanor’s mistake, and the needlessness of it, clashes with both the darkness of Bessie’s story and the more lighthearted aspects of the film.

    Cast and Performances

    (L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Jojo Whilden. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    (L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Jojo Whilden. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    The cast here is quite strong – and Johansson adds a note of real gravitas by casting real survivors as part of the support group – but this is June Squibb’s show all the way. Despite the script’s problems, which threaten our empathy with Eleanor, Squibb overcomes that with her wit, her candor, and her mix of compassion, heartbreak, and stubbornness, giving this actor another impressive notch in her incredible career renaissance.

    Ejiofor and Hecht are good in somewhat underwritten roles, but the other standout is Erin Kellyman as Nina, who is dealing with her own sense of loss and trying to find her way in the world as a young woman. Her intelligence and charisma shine through.

    Final Thoughts

    (L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    (L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    We’ll certainly give Scarlett Johansson kudos for tackling difficult material as a first-time director, and for the inarguable decision to cast June Squibb. But the weight of the subject matter is at odds with the film’s overall tone and aesthetic, plus there are other aspects of the story – like whether Eleanor can rightly be left on her own – that are glossed over. ‘Eleanor the Great’ has its moments, and might even produce some laughs or a lump in the throat, but great it’s not.

    ‘Eleanor the Great’ receives a score of 65 out of 100.

    June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    What is the plot of ‘Eleanor the Great’?

    Witty and troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein moves from Florida to New York City following a devastating loss. She soon tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own, while befriending a 19-year-old journalism student.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Eleanor the Great’?

    • June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstein
    • Erin Kellyman as Nina
    • Jessica Hecht as Lisa
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger
    • Rita Zohar as Bessie
    • Will Price as Max
    (L to R) Scarlett Johansson and June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
    (L to R) Scarlett Johansson and June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

    List of Scarlett Johansson Movies:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Eleanor the Great’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Scarlett Johansson Movies on Amazon

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  • Disney+’s ‘Willow’ Interview: Producer Jonathan Kasdan

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    Premiering on Disney+ November 30th is the new Lucasfilm series ‘Willow,’ which is a sequel to the 1988 movie of the same name created by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard.

    The new series picks up over 30-years later and stars Ruby Cruz and Dempsey Bryk as Kit and Airk, respectively, the children of Queen Sorcha (Joanne Whalley), and Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), who is currently missing.

    When a member of the royal family is abducted by evil forces, the Queen dispatches an unlikely group of heroes to save them and defeat the evil including Kit, her best friend and knight-in-training Jade (Erin Kellyman), young scholar Graydon (Tony Revolori), a thief named Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel), a kitchen maid named Dove (Ellie Bamber), and Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), the sorcerer that helped Sorsha and her husband many years ago.

    The series will also include returning actors Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton as Rool and Franjean, respectively, while Christian Slater joins the franchise as Allagash.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with writer and producer Jonathan Kasdan about his work on ‘Willow,’ his love for the original, why now was the right time to bring it back, working with Warwick Davis, the new characters, adding to the mythology, and the show’s unusual use of rock music.

    Producer and writer Jonathan Kasdan talks Disney+'s 'WIllow.'
    Producer and writer Jonathan Kasdan talks Disney+’s ‘WIllow.’

    You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Kasdan, Ruby Cruz, Dempsey Bryk, Tony Revolori, Ellie Bamber, Joanne Whalley, Christian Slater, and Warwick Davis about ‘Willow.’

    Moviefone: To begin with, it seems like ‘Willow’ has been the forgotten child of Lucasfilm for some time. Can you talk about your passion for this franchise and why now was the right time to bring it back with this series?

    Jonathan Kasdan: Well, you said the magic word. I mean, it is the forgotten child. It was an idea that actually really appealed to me, which is like, I’m a great lover of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ I love that final scene when the crates are being rolled in. You think, “Well, there’s potential for story in every one of these.”

    ‘Willow’ occupies this funny place in history of having been this very special thing to a lot of people. Then having been crated away and put in the warehouse. We literally wanted to embrace that idea and have the show open with an old dusty volume being pulled down off of a shelf. We get to read the part of the book that we didn’t get before. That was what really attracted me to doing it.

    The reason that it’s now is because, simply, Disney+ exists. It’s the way that we were able to make this story, continue it, and actually take it in a direction that was exciting and surprising to all of us. Which was really to build into character and expand.

    MF: What was Warwick Davis’ reaction to the revival series and what was it like for you to work with him on set?

    JK: Warwick’s reaction was, “Bring it on. I’ve been waiting for 31 years,” I believe it was at that point he said, “And I’ve been ready all that time.”

    He kept his wand close at hand. He was as enthusiastic and passionate about returning to this role that so many people loved from him, as anyone could hope their leading man could be. It was incredible.

    Warwick Davis in Lucasfilm's 'Willow,' exclusively on Disney+.
    Warwick Davis in Lucasfilm’s ‘Willow,’ exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. &; TM. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Can you talk about expanding the ‘Willow’ universe and the new characters on the series?

    JK: I mean, that’s a big part of it for me, I’m a fan of sequels more than I am of prequels. I love stories that move it further. I want to know what happens next. One of the things that requires is a bigger, darker force somewhere out in the world. We thought there was a way, and it would be fun to integrate the legacy of the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) into a mythology that’s much larger and much scarier.

    That was always a big part of the appeal to me, was like there’s a next stage to how things might go and where they could progress to that it would require Elora Danan (Kate and Ruth Greenfield and Rebecca Bearman) to come into her own as a sorceress.

    MF: For fans of the movie, the series is filled with Easter eggs. Which one was your favorite to include?

    JK: I mean, there’s so many, and they’re so specific. I think my favorite one is that in the role playing game of ‘Willow,’ there’s a casual reference to a book of evil magic called The Malatrium. On the show ‘Willow,’ we were able to make that book a reality. It is a hard copy thing that exists, and that they work with in the show to conjure some dark magic and to try to save their friend.

    So, I’m the biggest nerd for that kind of thing in the world, and I was looking for any opportunity and anyone that I could bring back and repopulate the universe with.

    Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Amar Chadha-Patel and Tony Revolori in Lucasfilm's 'Willow.'
    (L to R): Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Amar Chadha-Patel and Tony Revolori in Lucasfilm’s ‘Willow.’ exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. &; TM. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Finally, can you talk about the creative choice to end each episode with a contemporary rock song?

    JK: Well, it’s a funny one, because it’s something that we sort of all held hands together on very early. It feels like there’s a world of people and of diehard fans to which that’s sacrilegious.

    Then there’s a world of people whom are looking for these things to move forward and to have fun with themselves and be adventurous. For us, ‘Willow’ was the perfect experiment in that, because the show has so much youthful energy to it. It’s rebellious, it’s rock and roll, as I think the first ‘Star Wars’ was.

    So, it felt like a really natural fit to give it a little of that punk quality in the most literal, possible way. We love doing it, and it gave us all a lot of joy when each episode came to an end and promised more and more feelings.

    Tony Revolori, Amar Chadha-Patel, Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Warwick Davis and Erin Kellyman in Lucasfilm's 'Willow,' exclusively on Disney+.
    (L to R): Tony Revolori, Amar Chadha-Patel, Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Warwick Davis and Erin Kellyman in Lucasfilm’s ‘Willow,’ exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. &; TM. All Rights Reserved.

  • Marvel, Star Wars, & Pixar Updates from the Disney+ Day Announcements

    On Friday, November 12th, Disney+ celebrated its second anniversary with Disney+ Day, where they announced literally dozens of upcoming series from Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and more. The presentations, which include some new clips, first looks, and upcoming announcements, can currently be viewed on Disney+, but Moviefone is here to break it all down for you.

    MARVEL

    The Marvel video presentation, which is now available on Disney+, begins with recaps of all the 2021 Marvel series that have been released so far including ‘WandaVision,’ ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ ‘Loki,’ and ‘What If…?’ Then we get an extended trailer for ‘Hawkeye,’ which drops on November 24th. We also got to see a full scene from the show, which involves Jeremey Renner’s Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop stealing a car and then getting into a chase while Hawkeye teaches Kate how to use his trick arrows. The sequence is one continuous shot, ending with the two heroes swinging off of a bridge on to a moving train.

    The official synopsis for the series confirms that it is set in a post-blip New York City and follows Clint Barton on a seemingly simple mission to get back to his family for Christmas. But when a threat from his past shows up, Hawkeye reluctantly teams up with 22-year-old skilled archer Kate Bishop to unravel a criminal conspiracy. In addition to Renner and Stanfield, the series also features Vera Farmiga (‘The Departed’), Brian d’Arcy James (‘Spotlight’) and Florence Pugh reprising her ‘Black Widow’ role as Yelena Belova.

    The video presentation also includes fans first look at Oscar Isaac in ‘Moon Knight.’ The series will follow the story of this complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. The multiple identities that live inside him find themselves thrusted into a deadly war of the Gods against the backdrop of modern and ancient Egypt. The clips basically show Isaac’s Marc Spencer being tortured by his dreams, with the character’s voice-over explaining that to the audience. We only get very quick glimpses of Isaac in the Moon Knight outfit, but the presentation ends with him in full costume jumping off of rooftops with the Moon lit full behind him. Actor Ethan Hawke is also set to appear as the show’s big bad.

    We also got new footage from the upcoming series, ‘She-Hulk.’ The teaser is narrated by Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, as she explains that she is a lawyer but also, something else. There is a quick body shot of Jennifer fully-green with her comic book accurate costume, although it cuts away before we see She-Hulk’s face. We also get two glimpses of Mark Ruffalo, who returns as Jennifer’s cousin, Bruce Banner/Hulk.

    The first scene shows Bruce experimenting on Jennifer when she is just a child, presumably in a flashback, but what is interesting is that he is Smart Hulk in this scene. Since ‘Shang-Chi’ gave us an end-credit scene that revealed that at some point after the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ Smart Hulk reverted back to Bruce, it makes you wonder if this scene takes place between ‘Endgame’ and ‘Shang-Chi.’ If that is the case, and Jennifer was a child during that time period, it makes you wonder if the bulk of the series itself will make a time jump and take place decades after ‘Endgame’? We also get a clip that looks more like a commercial, with Jennifer and Bruce dressed in retro clothes and Jennifer saying, “”Don’t make me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,” which is clearly a nod to the 1970’s series, The Incredible Hulk.

    The last series to get new footage in the video presentation was ‘Ms. Marvel,’ which stars Iman Vellani as 16-year-old Kamala Khan. A Pakistani American and a fan-girl of the Avengers, Kamala is overjoyed when she discovers she has superpowers, and now must use them to find her place in the world. The footage shows her revealing her iconic mask for the first time and ends with Kamala standing on a New Jersey rooftop wearing a Captain Marvel Halloween Costume and preparing to use her powers to fly for the first time. Vellani is set to reprise her role, along with Teyonah Parris from ‘WandaVision’ and Brie Larson, in the upcoming feature film, ‘The Marvels.’

    But that’s not it! Marvel also announced a slew of new upcoming shows, some of which had been rumored, and also confirmed that ‘Loki’ and ‘What If…?’ will be getting second seasons. In fact, ‘What If…?’ will also be getting a spinoff with the new animated series ‘Marvel Zombies,’ which imagines a world where Marvel’s heroes have been turned into the undead. Staying with animation, Disney+ also announced a sequel to the classic 90’s animated X-Men series entitled ‘X-Men ’97,’ as well as ‘Spider-Man: Freshman Year,’ which will look at Peter Parker’s first year in high school, and ‘I Am Groot,’ a series of original shorts starring everyone’s favorite sentient tree.

    On the live-action side, ‘Secret Invasion’ was confirmed, which is based on the popular Marvel Comics series. The show will bring Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos back together to fight a faction of shape-shifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years. Also confirmed were ‘Echo,’ which will star Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, who will be introduced in ‘Hawkeye,’ and James Gunn will write and direct ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.’

    Marvel also announced two new series based on the Iron Man franchise. First is ‘Armor Wars,’ which will star Don Cheadle reprising his role as War Machine. The second is ‘Ironheart,’ a series that will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. Finally, Marvel confirmed the recent rumor that Kathryn Hahn will reprise her ‘WandaVision’ role as Agatha Harkness in her own series, which will be called ‘Agatha: House of Harkness.’

    LUCASFILM

    While there was no new footage included, fans got their first look at the making of the upcoming Star Wars series, ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi.’ The video is narrated by director Debbie Chow and actor Ewan McGregor and explains what fans can expect from the new series. “For this character to come back, the fans have been waiting long enough,” said McGregor. Chow explained that this is a “dark time,” for Kenobi and that it is “not safe” for him with “Jedi hunters” on the rise. McGregor said that his character has one task, which is “to keep Luke safe,” but Chow explained how that is just a starting point for the series.

    “The most beautiful thing of all is that it has brought me back together with Hayden,” McGregor said about the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. “We couldn’t tell the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi without addressing Anakin or Darth Vader,” added Chow. We are then given some behind the scenes shots of McGregor at rehearsal practicing his lightsaber skills. “To have another swing at each other, might be quite satisfying for everybody,” the actor teased in closing.

    Disney+ also released a Boba Fett documentary called ‘Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett.’ It is mostly a “history of the character” video and does not include any new footage from the upcoming series ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ which premieres on December 29th.

    Finally, the presentation included a video from the set of the new series ‘Willow,’ which is based on the 1988 Ron Howard-directed and George Lucas-produced movie. The film’s star, Warwick Davis returns as the title character, and introduced the cast that includes Ruby Cruz (‘Mare of Easttown’), Erin Kellyman (‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’), and Tony Revolori (‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’). The video was done “tongue in cheek” with Davis playing a version of his arrogant ‘Life’s Too Short’ character and getting upset when the younger cast can’t remember the original film and begin to question why anyone would want a sequel series!

    PIXAR

    Unfortunately, Pixar did not have a lot to announce outside of a Cars-based animated series called ‘Cars on the Road,’ which will feature Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy reprising their roles as Lightning McQueen and Mater, respectively. Other announcements from the animation company included behind the scenes documentaries for the upcoming feature films ‘Turning Red’ and ‘Lightyear,’ as well as a new series called ‘Win or Lose,’ which is an animated show that will highlight the perspectives of different characters as a middle school coed softball team prepares for their championship game.

    DISNEY STUDIOS AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

    On the Disney Studios side, a remake of ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ was announced, which will star Gabrielle Union (‘Bad Boys II’) and Zach Braff (‘Oz the Great and Powerful’) and is set to premiere in March 2022. ‘Enchanted’ fans will be happy to learn that the long-awaited sequel, ‘Disenchanted’ will hit the streaming network in the fall of 2022 and once again star Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. It was also announced that comedians John Mulaney and Andy Samberg will star in the new live-action/CG animation film entitled ‘Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,’ which is based on Disney’s popular chipmunk characters and will premiere in the spring of 2022.

    Director Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Pinocchio,’ based on the Disney animated classic, will bow in the fall of 2022 as well, and stars Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo, and Luke Evans, with the voices of Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key and Lorraine Bracco. Also premiering in the fall of 2022, just in time for Halloween, is ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ which is a sequel to the cult classic 1990’s movie. Returning stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are all set to reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters in the new sequel. A new clip from Peter Jackson’s upcoming documentary, ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ was also released featuring the legendary band performing “I Got a Feeling” in rare behind the scenes footage. The three-part documentary launches on Disney+ November 25th.

    Disney also announced a new series based on the beloved best-selling novels ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles,’ as well as animated spinoff series from some of their most popular films, including Baymax from ‘Big Hero Six,’ Tiana from ‘The Princess and the Frog,’ and’ Zootopia+,’ which opens up the world of ‘Zootopia.’ They also announced ‘The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild,’ which will star Simon Pegg as his ‘Ice Age: Collision Course’ character.

    Finally, National Geographic announced a new six-part series for 2022 called ‘Limitless’ with Chris Hemsworth. The series will follow the ‘Thor’ actor as he helps viewers discover the full potential of the human body. Nat Geo also announced a series called ‘Welcome to Earth,’ which is set to premiere on Disney+ next month. The series will be hosted by Will Smith as he encounters Earth’s greatest wonders.