Moviefone Editorial

Tag: idris-elba

  • ‘The Dark Tower’ Reviews Are In, and They’re Disappointing

    Well, shoot. On the upside, at least critics seem to like “The Dark Tower” more than “The Emoji Movie.” However, they don’t seem to like the Stephen King adaptation much more, and the critics who do like it don’t love it.

    Critics and fans disagree all the time, so this may mean nothing to your own experience, but as of this moment, “The Dark Tower” has a 16 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 33 “Generally unfavorable” Metascore on Metacritic.

    Here are some blurb snapshots from both the positive and negative reviews out there:

    • It’s a highly competent and watchable paranoid metaphysical video game that doesn’t overstay its welcome, includes some luridly entertaining visual effects, and — it has to be said — summons an emotional impact of close to zero. Which in a film like this one isn’t necessarily a disadvantage. — Variety
    • Though satisfying enough to please many casual moviegoers drawn in by King’s name and stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, it will likely disappoint many serious fans and leave other newbies underwhelmed. — The Hollywood Reporter
    • Even when the movie around him is total garbage nonsense, it is fun to watch Idris Elba; the way he walks, the way he stares at people with eyes blazing with intensity. He is an ideal action hero. He looks like the coolest man who ever lived in his fantasy Western garb, and he moves with a rare combination of grace and force, like the greatest possible combination of Gene Kelly and Chow Yun-Fat. He makes an amazing Gunslinger. Sadly, he’s trapped in a not-very-good Gunslinger movie. — ScreenCrush
    • What could have been the next Game of Thrones or The Lord of the Rings is instead more akin to a 1990s Steven Seagal movie (and not one of the good ones). –– USA Today
    • Despite two fine actors in key roles, and the efforts of a four-man screenwriting team to strip King’s story down to its basics, “The Dark Tower” still makes virtually no sense, even by the rules of its own world(s). — Newsday
    • The second half is better than the first half, but this isn’t remotely the sprawling epic that fans arguably deserved. — Forbes
    • This isn’t “The Dark Tower.” This is a small, sad pile of rubble – the foundation to a franchise you can only hope is never built. — Arizona Republic
    • The Dark Tower is so astoundingly awful that when you leave the theater you’ll likely be less mad you wasted your time than flabbergasted that something like this could a) happen and b) be released as something that, theoretically, is going to launch a multi-platform franchise. — Uproxx

    Ouch. The last two about the franchise must read like a nightmare scenario for Sony. The Hollywood Reporter just revealed that former “The Walking Dead” showrunner Glen Mazzara will be the showrunner of “The Dark Tower” TV series, which is in the early stages and doesn’t have a network home yet. If this movie doesn’t do well … we’ll have to see what that might mean for the future of the franchise.

    “The Dark Tower” opens in theaters this Friday, August 4.

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  • Watch Idris Elba and Jimmy Fallon Sing Hilarious Version of ‘I’ll Make Love to You’

    Idris Elba, Jimmy FallonIn a new round of “Google Translate Songs” on “The Tonight Show,” Idris Elba gamely crooned hilariously bizarre versions of hit songs “Baby Got Back” and “I’ll Make Love To You.”

    First, “The Dark Tower” star ably handled the mangled version of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” which became “The Baby Escaped.” Now, instead of “I like big butts, and I cannot lie,” the lyrics were, “I love large saplings, that is the truth.” Hey, who doesn’t love trees, Idris?

    Host Jimmy Fallon then tackled the Britney Spears classic “…Baby One More Time,” with its new post-translation title, “Meet My Kids,” and the puzzling lyrics: “Here is a kid, who should have informed me that my stuff had gone missing. Here is a kid who should have been kept hidden. And now that kid is blind, yeah.”

    Finally, the two dueted on Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You,” which was now the G-rated, “I’ll Place Kindness On You.” That is, until “I’ll hold you tight” became “you’ll be constricted,” and somehow “when you tell me to,” was “when you tell me to plow.” Ahem!

    [Via People]

  • Kate Winslet and Idris Elba Are Stranded in ‘Mountain Between Us’ Trailer

    If “The Mountain Between Us” was a tale of survival of the most attractive, Kate Winslet and Idris Elba would definitely live.

    Instead, as the first trailer shows, these two gorgeous strangers are stranded in the mountains and must depend on each other to survive. He’s a surgeon trying to get to an emergency operation, while she’s a journalist whose wedding is the next day. When their flights are delayed, she suggests they take a charter plane together.

    But their plane goes down, she’s injured, and there was no flight plan (so little hope of rescue). They must battle brutal conditions to find their way back to civilization.The pairing of Winslet and Elba looks promising, and they definitely exhibit chemistry in the trailer, which is good since the movie rests almost entirely on their shoulders (plus a cute dog).

    “The Mountain Between Us” opens in theaters October 20.

  • First Trailer for ‘The Dark Tower’ Gets Big Fan Reaction

    The first trailer for “The Dark Tower,” starring Idris Elba as the Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey as The Man in Black, has finally arrived. And fans have feelings. Fans of Stephen King’s book series have particularly strong feelings.

    Here’s the trailer:“The Dark Tower” got itself trending on Twitter right away, with viewers posting their positive and negative reactions:

    Here’s the movie synopsis from Sony:

    “Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) is a young 11-year-old adventure seeker who discovers clues about another dimension called Mid-World. Upon following the mystery, he is spirited away to Mid-World where he encounters the lone frontiersman knight Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), who is on a quest to reach the ‘Dark Tower’ that resides in End-World and reach the nexus point between time and space that he hopes will save Mid-World from extinction. But with various monsters and a vicious sorcerer named Walter Padick (Matthew McConaughey) hot on their trail, the unlikely duo find that their quest may be difficult to complete.”

    “The Dark Tower” arrives in theaters on August 4th after being moved the schedule several times. This is hoped to be the start of a multi-movie franchise with a companion TV spinoff. Fingers crossed that the final result pleases everyone.

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  • Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba Release Dueling ‘Dark Tower’ Teasers

    Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba are taking their “Dark Tower” duel seriously.

    The actors will playing the deadliest of enemies in the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s “Gunslinger” novel series. In advance of the first trailer, expected to debut tomorrow, they both released teaser videos via social media playing up their characters’ antagonistic relationship.

    McConaughey’s villainous Man in Black ominously promises “the Tower will fall” in his teaser:

    Elba shot back with one of his hero, Roland Deschain aka the Gunslinger, declaring, “I don’t kill with my gun. I kill with my heart.”

    And here’s the official synopsis of “The Dark Tower”:

    Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) is a young 11-year-old adventure seeker who discovers clues about another dimension called Mid-World. Upon following the mystery, he is spirited away to Mid-World where he encounters the lone frontiersman knight Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), who is on a quest to reach the ‘Dark Tower’ that resides in End-World and reach the nexus point between time and space that he hopes will save Mid-World from extinction. But with various monsters and a vicious sorcerer named Walter Padick (Matthew McConaughey) hot on their trail, the unlikely duo find that their quest may be difficult to complete.

    “The Dark Tower” opens in theaters August 4.

  • First ‘Dark Tower’ Footage Is ‘Badass,’ ‘Does Not Disappoint’

    For those lucky few who got to see the first footage of “The Dark Tower” yesterday at CinemaCon (there isn’t even a trailer out yet), most seemed thoroughly impressed.

    According to The Wrap, who said the footage, “did not disappoint,” what was shown was “a showcase for star Idris Elba — taking down enemies with a molten silver pistol.”

    The Hollywood Reporter notes that Matthew McConaughey‘s villain, The Man in Black, is “scarily creepy.”

    Reaction across Twitter was mostly positive, with CinemaCon attendees raving it was “really cool,” “solid” and “badass,” with lots of nods to Stephen King‘s other works.

    At least one guy, however, thought it was just “OK…?”

    As for King himself, he said recently he’s already seen the film and it’s “terrific,” as is the new adaptation of “It,” which opens in September.

    “The Dark Tower” arrives in theaters July 28. Here’s the “Inception”-esque poster.

  • Idris Elba Gave ‘Star Trek Beyond’ Costar Chris Pine a Black Eye

    star trek beyond, idris elba, chris pine, fight scene, black eye, krall, kirk“Star Trek Beyond” contains some intense fight sequences, and according to star Idris Elba, those scuffles are so believable because there were actually some real-life injuries inflicted during shooting.

    Elba, a newcomer to the ensemble who plays villain Krall in the threequel, revealed that although he got along well with the returning cast, things got a bit heated between him and costar Chris Pine while filming one fight scene — and one punch in particular landed in a prominent place.

    “Chris and I had laughs, and then I gave him a black eye,” Elba told The Hollywood Reporter during an interview at the “Beyond” premiere at Comic-Con on Wednesday night. ” … [W]e were doing a fight scene, and he got a bit cheeky, and I was just like pow! … I didn’t mean to do it, but Chris was quite proud of it.”

    Director Justin Lin confirmed that series of events, telling THR of the incident in question, “This cast goes all out, and I like to challenge them. We were shooting this third-act fight, and I kept pushing to get the right angle, to the point where Chris just got hit.”

    Apparently, Pine’s black eye will be on display for moviegoers to see in the flick, too.

    “Continuity-wise, it worked out,” Lin told THR. “That black eye played so well in the rest of the movie.”

    “Star Trek Beyond” hits theaters on Friday.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

    Photo credit: Kimberly French/Paramount Pictures

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  • Idris Elba Sings ‘Panda’ in a Chipmunk Voice and It’s Still Sexy

    Here’s why would be the best choice as the next James Bond: 007 is smooth, charming, witty, badass, and cool in any circumstance, including when forced to sing like a Chipmunk. Watch these videos and report back if Idris does not fit the bill.

    Idris was on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” last night, and he rocked two songs playing Box of Microphones, plus he showed off his best dance move — and it was WORTHY.

    First, he had to sing “Panda” while the microphone changed his vocals to sound like one of the Chipmunks. He really went for it, and it came out … well, by his personal account it came out “awful,” but it was pretty great from here. After that, Idris and Jimmy slowed things down for a beautiful duet of “Endless Love,” complete with more random sound effects.

    Check it out:
    Idris said people come up to him all the time now to challenge him to dance-offs, because he’s in Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Dance Off.” He said he CAN dance, though, and showed off his favorite movie. The audience went nuts, as they should. He also shared some great stories about working as a DJ, including one where everything went wrong for three minutes of total silence: Idris was actually on the show to promote “Star Trek Beyond,” and he said he lost a few eyebrows making the movie, thanks to his extreme costume, which took 2.5 hours to get on and he had to wear it for 18 hours a day: Funny, self-deprecating, silly, sexy. Come on, now. The man is just perfect. Give him a martini and let’s go.

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  • 5 British TV Shows That Successfully Crossed the Pond

    Downton AbbeyBritish shows have never been more popular in the U.S. than they are now. Thanks to the explosion of online streaming sites, Americans can get their fix of British TV in a way that would have been difficult even 10 years ago.

    Here are a few British TV shows that really struck a chord with American audiences.

    1. ‘The Office (UK)’ (2001 – 2003)

    Before Michael Scott, there was David Brent. Hilarious, cringe-worthy, and frankly brilliant, “The Office” was just two seasons and a Christmas special of some of the best comedy ever made. You can’t compare the original to the American remake, simply because both are hilarious — yet very different — shows. No one who ever saw Brent’s insane Comic Relief day dance will ever forget it. The 2003 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy was well-deserved, and Brent’s portrayal kicked off a stellar career for Ricky Gervais.

    2. ‘Downton Abbey’ (2010 – 2015)

    “Downton Abbey,” among the most successful British imports to the U.S., follows the adventures of the upper-class Crawley family in early 1900s England, and had American audiences glued to their seats every Sunday night for five years. Viewers couldn’t get enough of this glimpse into a culture so specifically English — and one that all but disappeared as the age of sprawling estates filled with servants ended. Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), and his family and servants “below stairs” went through war, social upheaval, and drastically changing times, yet always had the most fabulous costumes throughout. What set the show apart from other period pieces was the incredible cast, sharp writing, and unforgettable characters such as Maggie Smith‘s wonderfully snarky Violet Crawley (also known as “Granny”). With beautiful interior shots of the gorgeous Abbey, and lush exteriors around the English countryside, this soap opera was as comforting as hot chocolate on a cold, wintry night in Yorkshire.

    3. ‘Luther’ (2010 – 2015)

    Who doesn’t love a good cop drama with a gorgeous, yet deeply troubled, lead character? The Affair,” playing Luther’s wonderfully evil nemesis, Alice Morgan. In “Luther,” the city of London becomes one of the main characters — few TV shows or films have captured its dark, grimy, yet beautiful landscape so well.

    4. ‘The Fall’ (2013 – )

    There are many reasons to watch this exceptional crime drama but the main one is, of course, Gillian Anderson. Strong, sexy, vulnerable, fiercely intelligent — Anderson’s Stella Gibson is flawless as the detective hunting down serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan). Gibson is complex and nuanced, portraying the challenges a woman faces in a very male-dominated field. The Belfast, Northern Ireland, setting is gray and ominous, a perfect background for the chilling yet compelling plot.

    5. ‘Peaky Blinders’ (2013 – )

    Americans love a good British gangster tale (“Peaky Blinders” doesn’t disappoint. Downton Abbey” but couldn’t be more different in tone. “Peaky Blinders” doesn’t shy away from violence and nudity, and creates a unique glimpse into the lives of a certain class of people in 1919-era England.

    Sources

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  • Best TV Shows to Watch If You’re a Crime Drama Junkie

    As a crime drama junkie, you already have a handle on the food pyramid of hearty, nutritiously litigious crime TV: “Criminal Minds” is your dependable grains group, the whole dysfunctional “CSI” family has your fruits covered, and “True Detective” is like a crunchy, dense helping of veggies.

    OK, don’t think too much about that analogy. The point is, crime show devotees such as yourself have your bases covered — you’re on that case like Veronica Mars after a double espresso. But like any good detective, you’re also voracious and thorough. No need to bust out the fingerprint dust, though, ’cause we’ve got your back with some outside-the-box crime TV you might be missing out on.

    ‘Fargo’ (2014 – )

    If you’re obsessed with crime, chances are you already love the Coen brothers. And that’s the start of why you should watch “Fargo,” but not the end of it.

    The Coens’ legacy gives “Fargo” its homely, off-kilter, and dryly hilarious flavor, but the show’s in-sync ensemble — from Patrick Wilson to Kirsten Dunst — and its smartly written, labyrinthine plots help it stand apart. It’s a reflection of a unique and time-tested style that’s not afraid to do its own thing. It’s also not afraid to kill off characters, so consider yourself warned.

    ‘The Bridge’ (2013 – 2014)

    Crime TV has a recipe, and that recipe is usually seasoned with a big ol’ ensemble and a killer-of-the-week plot. Not so with “The Bridge,” a show so good they had to make it twice (once in Denmark and Sweden and once in the States). This one’s all about intense focus; the intricate story relies on the crazy-good hook of a dead body found exactly on the border of two countries and all the dramatic red tape and frustration that ensue. Performance-wise, it’s laser-focused on Diane Kruger‘s knockout work as Detective Sonya Cross.

    ‘Luther’ (2010 – )

    The austerity and smarts synonymous with the BBC. Luther” in a hard-boiled nutshell, and that’s why you should watch it right now.

    ‘Daredevil’ (2015 – )

    Don’t go away — you didn’t accidentally click on a list about superhero shows. Yes, it’s true that you can’t throw a Batarang without hitting a comic book vigilante these days, but underneath the spandex, Marvel’s “Daredevil” is a surprisingly solid procedural with beautiful cinematography, some of the best fight choreography you’ve seen in years, and an electric cast.

    Matt Murdock might be a blind ninja prodigy, but he’s also an ace lawyer with a heart of gold and a plucky crew of misfits in Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson, and among all the criminal beat-downs, you get your fill of detective work and uber-dramatic court trials. Oh, and if you root for the bad guys, Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Wilson “the Kingpin” Fisk and Jon Bernthal‘s Frank “the Punisher” Castle are guaranteed to make you feel good for being bad.

    ‘The X-Files’ (1993 – )

    Hear us out on this one because we’re about to step even further outside the box. Like, so far outside the box that there might be some little green men and yetis and stuff.

    “The X-Files” is a crime show. There, we said it. From its original nine seasons to its 2016 Fox follow-up, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have not only been the most dynamic — and sexiest — duo in the FBI, but they’ve set out to solve crimes every week. It just so happens that the perps sometimes turn out to be ghosts or space assassins or gender-morphing alien cults from other dimensions. That aside, you’ve still got your “I-don’t-play-by-the-rules” agent paired with a by-the-book peer, the rugged chief with a heart of gold, the shadowy informants, the twisted conspiracies, and all the other crime TV tropes you can shake a government-issued Glock 19 at.

    Give Mulder and Scully a single season of your time, and you won’t just want to believe — you will believe.

    Sources