Tag: Maria Bakalova

• Movie Review: ‘The Bad Guys 2’

  

  ‘The Bad Guys 2’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.

  Opening in theaters on August 1st is ‘The Bad Guys 2’, DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to the 2022 original, with Pierre Perifel back directing and JP Sans as co-director for this one.

  The returning voice cast includes Sam Rockwell (‘Moon’), Marc Maron (‘The Order’), Craig Robinson (‘This is the End’) and Awkwafina (‘Crazy Rich Asians’) with new recruits including Natasha Lyonne (‘Poker Face’), Danielle Brooks (‘Peacemaker’) and Maria Bakalova (‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’).

  Related Article: San Diego Comic-Con 2025: ‘The Bad Guys 2’ Steals Attention at Hall H

  Initial Thoughts

  

  DreamWorks Animation is not a company to let a successful first movie get away without spawning a franchise. We’ve had swathes of ‘Kung Fu Panda’ outings, various ‘Madagascar’ entries (plus spin-offs) and numerous ‘Shrek’ films –– another is on the way next year.

  Of course, then, ‘The Bad Guys’, which managed to delight family audiences in 2022 when the box office was still feeling the lingering ill effects of the pandemic, is back for another go-around.

  And fortunately, this one is a largely positive catch-up with some very entertaining characters that has a few flaws here and there, but overall works.

  Script and Direction

  

  The screenplay for animated movies is always a moveable feast, with ideas dropped in or ripped out at the storyboard and even animatic stage. This movie’s script comes courtesy of Yoni Brenner (a veteran of the ‘Rio’ and ‘Ice Age’ franchises), Etan Cohen (‘Holmes & Watson’), both taking loose inspiration from the ‘Bad Guys’ kids’ books by Aaron Blabey.

  We’re re-introduced to our animal crooks with a prologue set during the height of their heisting days for a fun sequence that mashes up the likes of the ‘Fast & the Furious’ films with ‘Mission: Impossible’ as the team steals a priceless car from a billionaire (Omid Djalili).

  From there, we head to the present day, where the lifestyle of Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell) and the rest is far from glamorous –– they’re struggled to make ends meet as they continue their quest to live a legal life. A chance to help track down a new criminal threat is curtailed when they’re blackmailed by a team of even sneakier crooks into pulling off (you guessed it!) one last job.

  ‘The Bad Guys 2’s story moves along at a decent enough clip, though it does suffer from pacing issues, going from frenetic action moments to long-winded bouts of exposition that are largely carried by the vocal work.

  Still, once the true mission of the “Bad Girls” is revealed, things certainly take off.

  Directorially, Pierre Perifel and his artists largely keep what worked about the original, with a winning blend of animation styles that calls to mind the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies without directly aping it. When you consider that the first ‘Bad Guys’ shifted how DreamWorks handles the look of (some of) its output, it’s easy to see why they chose to stay in that lane.

  Cast and Performances

  

  The vocal work on the movie is once again solid, with Rockwell in particular delivering his trademark charm as Mr. Wolf. He pairs well with a returning Zazie Beetz, who is his equal as Diane Foxington, the reformed criminal-turned-governor. The pair shares the most flirtatious animated dynamic since Disney’s ‘Robin Hood’.

  Elsewhere, the other “Bad Guys” get a decent amount to do, with Marc Maron’s Mr. Snake handed the best storyline –– his romance that turns out to have a connection to the Bad Girls is always entertaining, and his work opposite Natasha Lyonne as his paramour is great.

  Other new arrivals fare perhaps less well; Danielle Brooks is fine as Kitty Kat, the mastermind behind the other criminal crew, while Maria Bakalova is largely left to be support as hench-pig Pigtail (though she’s still good value).

  Final Thoughts

  

  It might not hit the heights of the first movie, but ‘The Bad Guys 2’ is a decent follow-up to that movie, with a fresh new dynamic that largely sidesteps the repetitive pitfalls of sequels.

  And while there is comedy competition at the box office, its family target should equal a solid launch.

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  What’s the story of ‘The Bad Guys 2’?

  Featuring the return of the crackerjack crew of animal outlaws, the now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good.

  Yet they instead find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a new team of criminals they never saw coming: The Bad Girls.

  Who is in the cast of ‘The Bad Guys 2’?

  • Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf
  • Marc Maron as Mr. Snake
  • Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark
  • Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula
  • Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha
  • Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington
  • Danielle Brooks as Kitty Kat
  • Natasha Lyonne as Doom
  • Maria Bakalova as Pigtail

  

  Selected DreamWorks Animation Movies:

  • ‘Shrek’ (2001)
  • ‘Shark Tale’ (2004)
  • ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (2008)
  • ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
  • ‘Megamind’ (2010)
  • ‘The Croods’ (2013)
  • ‘Trolls’ (2016)
  • ‘The Boss Baby’ (2017)
  • ‘Abominable’ (2019)
  • ‘The Bad Guys’ (2022)
  • ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
  • ‘The Wild Robot’ (2024)
  • ‘Dog Man’ (2025)

  Buy Tickets: ‘The Bad Guys 2’ Movie Showtimes

  Buy ‘The Bad Guys’ on Amazon

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  August 1, 2025

• San Diego Comic-Con 2025: ‘The Bad Guys 2’

  

  Preview:

  • ‘The Bad Guys 2’ brought a panel to Comic-Con.
  • Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and more were present.
  • The movie lands on August 1st.

  With the original ‘The Bad Guys’ movie proving to be a success for DreamWorks Animation –– and especially since it had to contend with post-pandemic worries about moviegoing –– a sequel was naturally commissioned.

  ‘The Bad Guys 2’ reunites the voice cast including Sam Rockwell, Craig Robinson, Marc Maron, Awkwafina and more, and this time adds the likes of Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh and Maria Bakalova as a Bad Girl crew to tempt our heroes back into a life of crime.

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  With returning director Pierre Perifel this time joined by JP Sans, the new movie promises all the crazy criminal comedy you might hope for.

  Related Article: Actor and Comedian Craig Robinson Talks ‘The Bad Guys’

  What’s the story of ‘The Bad Guys 2’?

  

  The now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good, but instead find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a new team of criminals they never saw coming: The Bad Girls.

  What happened at the ‘The Bad Guys 2’ panel?

  

  The likes of returning voice cast Sam Rockwell (Mr. Wolf), Craig Robinson (Mr. Shark), Awkwafina (Ms. Tarantula), Anthony Ramos (Mr. Piranha) and Marc Maron (Mr. Snake) were joined by new recruits Danielle Brooks (Kitty Kat), Natasha Lyonne (Doom) and Maria Bakalova (Pigtail).

  Rockwell and co. were on hand to talk up the movie and introduced clips from the sequel, including one where the characters go to space.

  Acting in an animated movie is no easy task, since the cast rarely spend time together in the voice booth, working off voice cues from the director and other crew.

  And they talked up their wildest efforts in method acting and throwing themselves around for physical scenes. Danielle Brooks, who plays Kitty Kat, used a lollipop to help her specific line deliveries.

  For much of the cast, this was their first trip to Hall H at Comic-Con and they discussed how it feels to be up on stage experience clips of the movie with a big audience.

  When will ‘The Bad Guys 2’ be in theaters?

  The new DreamWorks Animation outing will crack its way into theaters on August 1st.

  

  Selected DreamWorks Animation Movies:

  • ‘Shrek’ (2001)
  • ‘Shark Tale’ (2004)
  • ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (2008)
  • ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
  • ‘Megamind’ (2010)
  • ‘The Croods’ (2013)
  • ‘Trolls’ (2016)
  • ‘The Boss Baby’ (2017)
  • ‘Abominable’ (2019)
  • ‘The Bad Guys’ (2022)
  • ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
  • ‘The Wild Robot’ (2024)
  • ‘Dog Man’ (2025)

  Buy Tickets: ‘The Bad Guys 2’ Movie Showtimes

  Buy ‘The Bad Guys’ on Amazon

  EKIBH2dz

   

  July 26, 2025

• TV Review: ‘Creature Commandos’

  

  Launching with its first two episodes (of seven) on December 5th on Max, ‘Creature Commandos’ marks the start of filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran’s run in charge of DC Studios, the arm of Warner Bros. Discovery intended to adapt its sprawling DC Comics properties.

  It faces quite the challenge, since Warners has seen some truly mixed fortunes with the likes of Superman, Batman and the rest, and particularly in combining them via one cohesive cinematic universe.

  Gunn certainly brings some experience to the table, having spent a few years with the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ characters in the MCU (and a wealth of other genre work), plus getting a solid ‘Suicide Squad’ effort into cinemas and, possibly even more importantly, impressing audiences with his take on the Peacemaker character spun off from that on to TV.

  Related Article: Exclusive: Frank Grillo Talks ‘Superman’, ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 and More

  Will ‘Creature Commandos’ Command Your Attention?

  

  This very much has the feel of Gunn’s work –– it’s chatty, funny in a dark, sometimes sarcastic way, but is also filled with moments of humanity (even if they’re for characters who are decidedly non-human).

  Here, he’s able to indulge in even more of what he enjoys, including deconstructing tropes (while also using them when needed), poking fun at stalwart concepts such as heroism and moral gray areas and letting a talented cast. That much-aimed for cohesiveness is already showing up, since Frank Grillo, who voices Rick Flag Sr. here, will be bringing the character to live-action for ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2.

  Script and Direction

  

  Gunn, in typically busy form, wrote all seven episodes, adapting the comics originally created by Pat Broderick and J.M. DeMatteis.

  The story across the episodes follows one mission –– taking down the threat of sorceress Circe (Anya Chalotra) who has tasked what is effectively an incel army obsessed with the all-female island of Themiscyra (AKA Wonder Woman’s home) with attacking a small fictional Eastern European country in the hopes of using its resources to conquer the island, which Circe believes is her right.

  Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, who has played the role across the two ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and ‘Peacemaker’ has to gather who she can to send on the mission to stop them, her resources severely depleted since the disastrous assignment in Gunn’s ‘Squad’ movie.

  

  It’s a compelling set up for a misfit mission movie, the various characters quickly proving to be oil and water in their outlooks, and Flag trying to keep them unified (or at least not killing each other… or him).

  The result is an entertaining brew that is filled with plenty of action and drama and also manages to explore the backstories of the various characters (yes, even Weasel has a tragic past).

  Yves “Balak” Bigerel is the show’s supervising director, and he and his team certainly find a style that fits with Gunn’s writing. The animation brings to mind more recent efforts such as ‘Harley Quinn,’ and its dynamic enough for what it needs.

  Performances

  Gunn has recruited an impressive voice cast for the show, with a few standouts…

  Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.

  

  While Flag, pressed into service to lead the team, is more of a straight man to the wilder personalities that make it up, he’s not without depth and a proper storyline. Grillo lends him the appropriate amount of gruff weariness and shows the man’s layers particularly when talking about his late son (in one of several references to ‘The Suicide Squad’).

  Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus

  

  Tudyk has long been an excellent voice-over actor, and his Phosphorus is imbued with all the sarcastic wit you might hope for.

  The actor also takes on a variety of other small roles throughout the show but makes them different enough so that you just enjoy watching them.

  Indira Varma as the Bride

  

  The Bride of Frankenstein is one of the more interesting characters on the team, filled with rage and sadness at her creation (or re-birth) purely to serve the interests of a man. It’s one that needed a sure touch, and between Gunn’s writing and Varma’s sensitive, full-throated performance, it works well.

  Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky

  

  The team’s aquatic mutant, she’s the nerdy, nervier member who has to find her backbone to really fight alongside them. Chao does good work voicing both sides of a character who has one of the more interesting arcs.

  Maria Bakalova as Ilana Rostovic

  

  Gunn veteran Bakalova (who voiced Cosmo in the third ‘Guardians’ movie), here voices the princess of the country that Flag and the rest are sent to help. Initially attracted to the old soldier, she reveals some hidden depths and Bakalova is good playing the layers.

  Other notable characters

  

  This being a Gunn production, it surely would be complete without at least one member of his family, and Sean Gunn is back playing both the slavering Weasel (who, as mentioned, gets a convincingly sad backstory) and World War II relic creation G.I. Robot, who is obsessed with slaying Nazis. Sean Gunn brings them both to vibrant vocal life.

  David Harbour, meanwhile, scores a decently meaty role as Eric Frankenstein, the creature created by the literary doctor, who has his own reasons for keeping track of our heroes (and obviously factors into the Bride’s story).

  Final Thoughts

  

  Not every filmmaker would choose to have the story of a group of violent, strange creatures be the beachhead for their new, linked comic book adaptation universe. But James Gunn is not every filmmaker, and while ‘Creature Commandos’ certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste, it’s quite the calling card.

  His take on Superman will be with us next year and that might give us more an idea of how he handles the traditional hero’s story. For now, though, this group are entertaining and emotional in equal measure.

  And those who are big DC Comics fans will find plenty of references –– not that you have to know them to understand the story –– bringing flavor to the show.

  ‘Creature Commandos’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

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  What’s the story of ‘Creature Commandos’?

  The new DC animated series tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans.

  When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option.

  Who is in the voice cast of ‘Creature Commandos’?

  • Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
  • David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein
  • Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky
  • Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot
  • Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus and Clayface
  • Indira Varma as the Bride
  • Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
  • Steve Agee as John Economos
  • Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic
  • Anya Chalotra as Circe

  

  Movies and TV Shows in the DC Universe:

  • ‘The Suicide Squad‘ (2021)
  • ‘Peacemaker‘ (2022)
  • ‘Creature Commandos‘ (2024)
  • ‘Superman‘ (2025)
  • ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow‘ (2026)
  • ‘Lanterns‘ (2026)

  Buy DC Movies On Amazon

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  December 2, 2024

• Movie Review: ‘The Apprentice’

  

  Opening in theaters on October 11th, ‘The Apprentice’ feels both timely and of its time as it turns the clock back to the late 1970s and 1980s, where Donald Trump was still a wannabe real estate developer working for his father’s companies who dreams of running his own business empire, but initially lacking the connections –– despite his family’s clear privilege –– to do so.

  Ali Abbasi’s latest charts his rise thanks to the Palpatine-alike influence of obnoxious, powerful lawyer Roy Cohn, and aims to dig under Trump’s skin to discover what lead to the problem we have today.

  Related Article: Sebastian Stan Playing a Young Donald Trump in New Movie ‘The Apprentice’

  Does ‘The Apprentice’ work?

  

  With the upcoming election on everyone’s minds, it’s timely that a film targeted at discovering where Donald Trump got a lot of his business and general beliefs from is arriving in theaters. ‘The Apprentice’ doesn’t look to completely profile the man, but then, that’s not the point; this is a tightly-focused story of his rise to business dominance in New York in the 1980s thanks to the support and advice of Roy Cohn in particular, who sees something in Trump and encourages his less ethical side with a mantra that includes the phrase “admit nothing, deny everything” (sound familiar?).

  Truth and fairness are entirely malleable to these men, who use wealth and power to manipulate the world around them, and though the movie sometimes seems to let Trump off the hook for his behavior, it’s ultimately a compelling chronicle of his muddy morals.

  Script and Direction

  

  Writer Gabriel Sherman has spent most of his career chronicling dodgy wealthy and powerful people, and he brings plenty of research to the page here. Keeping the focus almost entirely on Trump, he has crafted a solid and believable evolution (though perhaps devolution might be a better word) for the man on the page.

  While ‘The Apprentice’ script does sometimes fall into the old trap of this-happens-then-this-happens storytelling, there’s enough meat on the bone to keep it from feeling stale.

  Director Ali Abbasi has more normally worked from scripts he wrote, including the superb ‘Holy Spider’ and the excellent ‘Border’ and has brought both horror and fantasy to screens. He’s a good choice for a real-life horror story and his Iranian-Danish background means he has an outsider’s eye on the whole, ridiculous saga.

  Bringing late 1970s and 1980s New York to the screen is no easy feat, especially for a movie that had to find its thrifty $16 million budget from a patchwork of companies and investors. But Abbasi infuses his film with punkish energy and keeps the story in motion while getting a lot out of his two leading men.

  Performances

  Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong dominate the screen here, while finding support in the likes of Maria Bakalova and Martin Donovan.

  Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump

  

  Stan is having a stellar year, providing some of the best performances of his career between ‘A Different Man’ and now this. His Donald Trump is less an impression of the man, more a channeling of his corrupted essence, though as he moves through the story, he becomes closer to the Trump as most people will know him. While his work on ‘A Different Man’ seems more likely to draw awards attention, it’s not impossible that this transformation will also see potential trophies.

  Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn

  

  The ever-intense Strong (who spent a few years as the ambitious, neurotic Kendall Roy on ‘Succession’) here dives into playing the powerful lawyer who seemingly set Trump on his path to how he is today. This is a bravura acting job by Strong, who fully imbues Cohn with angry power, but also gets to chart his slow decline as Trump rises and Cohn is impacted by the AIDS epidemic in those around him and finally, himself (though he insists to his dying day that he has liver cancer). Cohn’s a fascinating, intimidating character, a puppet master whose creation gets away from him.

  Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump

  

  Bakalova, best known for her breakout role in the ‘Borat’ sequel, has less to do than her co-stars, but she brings spirit and, later spite to the role of Trump’s first wife. She’s always watchable and works well with Stan.

  Martin Donovan as Fred Trump

  

  Trump’s overbearing father had a huge impact on his life, and Donovan is excellent in the role, working in prosthetics to bring him to life.

  Supporting cast

  There is good work in relatively small (but impactful) roles from the likes of Charlie Carrick (as Trump’s brother Freddy, who goes from high-flying airline pilot to addicted burnout) and Mark Rendall as Roger Stone, who will infamously go on to be a key advisor to Trump.

  Final Thoughts

  

  ‘The Apprentice’ faces a struggle for attention in theaters because of its divisive subject matter. There will be surely those who will be disappointed it doesn’t completely demonize the man (though a couple of scenes, based on more spurious accusations certainly push in that direction, including how he treats Ivanna), while Trump supporters will skip it and label it as leftie propaganda and “fake news.”

  But take on its own merits, it’s a worthwhile peek at a very troubling person.

  ‘The Apprentice’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

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  What’s the plot of ‘The Apprentice’?

  A young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), eager to make his name as a hungry second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, comes under the spell of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the cutthroat attorney who would help create the Donald Trump we know today.

  Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé — someone with raw ambition, a hunger for success, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

  Who is in the cast of ‘The Apprentice’?

  • Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump
  • Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn
  • Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump
  • Martin Donovan as Fred Trump
  • Ben Sullivan as Russell Eldridge
  • Charlie Carrick as Fred Trump Jr.
  • Mark Rendall as Daniel Sullivan
  • Joe Pingue as Anthony Salerno

  

  Other Sebastian Stan Movies and TV Shows:

  • ‘Rachel Getting Married‘ (2008)
  • ‘Gossip Girl‘ (2007 – 2012)
  • ‘Hot Tub Time Machine‘ (2010)
  • ‘Black Swan‘ (2010)
  • ‘Once Upon a Time‘ (2011 – 2018)
  • ‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘ (2011)
  • ‘The Apparition‘ (2012)
  • ‘Political Animals‘ (2012)
  • ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘ (2014)
  • ‘The Martian‘ (2015)
  • ‘Ant-Man‘ (2015)
  • ‘Captain America: Civil War‘ (2016)
  • ‘Logan Lucky‘ (2017)
  • ‘I, Tonya‘ (2018)
  • ‘Destroyer‘ (2018)
  • ‘Black Panther‘ (2018)
  • ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ (2018)
  • ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ (2019)
  • ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘ (2021)
  • ‘What If…?‘ (2021 – 2023)
  • ‘The 355‘ (2022)
  • ‘Pam & Tommy‘ (2022)
  • ‘Sharper‘ (2023)
  • ‘Ghosted‘ (2023)
  • ‘Dumb Money‘ (2023)
  • ‘A Different Man‘ (2024)
  • ‘Thunderbolts*‘ (2025)

  Buy Tickets: ‘The Apprentice’ Movie Showtimes

  Buy Sebastian Stan Movies On Amazon

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  October 13, 2024

• Sebastian Stan and Maria Bakalova Attached to New Spy Comedy

  

  Given that comedy director Paul Feig had a big success with 2015’s Melissa McCarthy comedy ‘Spy’, which earned more than $235 million worldwide, it’s understandable that he might be tempted by a new film looking to combine laughs and espionage.

  Which is good news for an untitled spy comedy in development at Paramount, which already has some potential casting in place –– as MCU stalwart Sebastian Stan and ‘Borat’ sequel star Maria Bakalova –– are attached to star.

  Jenny Bicks, whose comedy series ‘Welcome to Flatch’ is produced by Feig (and returns for a second season this fall) has been hired to write the script.

  

  What’s the story of this new spy movie?

  Details are scarce on this one, but according to Deadline, the concept originally appeared in a pitch to the studio about a failed double agent who becomes an unlikely success. Whether the agent would be played by Stan, Bakalova or someone else remains to be seen.

  And though you could conceivably see this as a way for Feig to finally realize the long-rumored sequel to ‘Spy’, it’s more likely the new movie is entirely unconnected, especially since that film was produced by the pre-Disney 20th Century Fox. And if Feig and co. were going to revisit it, you’ve got to figure the announcement would not be wrapped in such secrecy.

  If the spy comedy does end up in production, Feig will produce the movie as well as direct it, with Stan also producing.

  

  Related Article: Paul Feig Talks ‘The School for Good and Evil’

  If it all comes together, this new spy movie could be fun: Stan certainly has action chops and has also proved he can do comedy of different flavors in ‘Fresh’, ‘I, Tonya’ and his quippy back-and-forths with Anthony Mackie in his Marvel appearances. Bakalova, meanwhile, broke out in ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ and has since cropped up in the likes of ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’, ‘The Bubble’ and the upcoming ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, in which she voices Cosmo the Space Dog (that will be in theaters on May 5th).

  Bicks has also written for shows such as ‘Sex and the City’, ‘Divorce’ and ‘The Big C’, while on the film front, she’s scripted movies including ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Rio 2’.

  Feig most recently released ‘The School for Good and Evil’, which debuted on Netflix and debuted top of the streaming service’s charts despite some very mixed reviews. He’s currently shooting ‘Grand Death Lotto’ a dystopian action comedy about a California lottery where the winner can legally be hunted down by other citizens, who can claim the prize should they kill the winner.

  Awkwafina is starring as the current winner, who has to go on the run, with John Cena and Simu Liu as private bodyguards vying to keep her safe. It should be in theaters next year.

  

  Other Spy Comedy Movies:

  • ‘The Avengers‘ (1998)
  • ‘RED‘ (2010)
  • ‘Spy‘ (2015)
  • ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service‘ (2015)
  • ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ (2015)
  • ‘Spies in Disguise‘ (2019)
  • ‘Charlie’s Angels‘ (2019)
  • ‘The Gray Man‘ (2022)
  • ‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre‘ (2023)

  Buy Paul Feig Movies on Amazon

   

  April 11, 2023

• New Image Of Adam Warlock in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

  

  If you’ve watched the moody trailer for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, you’ll know that the third ‘Guardians’ outing, once again written and directed by James Gunn, promises to be an emotional capper to at least this incarnation of the team.

  Though Gunn insists that it’s not some huge cull that will leave everyone permanently off the board (particularly as, thanks to their participation in the ‘Avengers’ movies, they’re important to the fabric of the MCU), it seems like we’ll be saying goodbye to more than one member (and comments by Dave Bautista about leaving Drax behind makes us suspect he could either die heroically or sail off somewhere else in the universe).

  And one of the biggest issues that the Guardians––Bautista’s Drax, Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, Karen Gillan’s Nebula and Pom Klementieff’s Mantis, plus CG characters Rocket Racoon (brought to life by Sean Gunn in performance capture and voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel)––will face is Adam Warlock, played by British actor Will Poulter.

  Created by gold-hued Sovereign leader Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) after the Guardians double-crossed her in ‘Vol. 2’, Warlock promises that this prime example of the Sovereign race will destroy our morally changeable heroes. He’s a powerful warrior… But is he entirely a bad guy?

  “It’s kind of more complicated than that,” Gunn tells Empire. “But he’s definitely not a good guy. What we’re seeing is the infant form of Warlock, newly out of the cocoon, and he does not understand life very well. He’s basically a baby.”

  

  After a long search for the right actor to bring him to life, Gunn settled on Poulter, known for films such as the ‘Maze Runner’ movies and, more recently, horror title ‘Midsommar’.

  “People online were saying, ‘Oh, Tom Cruise should be Adam Warlock,’” says Gunn. “I wanted somebody who was youthful, and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future. He could become this really important character.”

  Yes, in true Marvel style, Warlock looks to be hanging around the MCU for a while yet, and he’ll certainly be handy for the future of the Multiverse Saga, which is the overarching title for Phases four, five and six.

  For now, though, we’ll have to wait and see how Warlock pans out in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, which will also feature Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary, who promises to be even more of a problem for our heroes.

  With Maria Bakalova, Nico Santos, Michael Rosenbaum, Daniela Melchior and the returning likes of Sylvester Stallone and Sean Gunn (in his other, live-action role as Kraglin), ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be in theaters on May 5th.

  

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  January 17, 2023

• Movie Review: ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

  

  Premiering on Disney+ beginning November 25th and marking the conclusion of the MCU’s Phase Four is Marvel Studios’ second “Special Presentation” following ‘Werewolf by Night’ entitled ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.’

  Written and directed by James Gunn, the special bridges the gap between when we last saw the Guardians in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ and what they will be up to when we next see them in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

  The special follows Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) as they set out to give Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) the best Christmas ever, after discovering that Yondu (Michael Rooker) ruined the holiday for him as a child. So, the two Guardians travel to Earth to kidnap Peter’s childhood hero, the ‘Footloose’ actor Kevin Bacon (playing himself), as the ultimate gift for Peter.

  

  The result is a fun and heartwarming holiday special, and while the plot is somewhat predictable, it features great alternative Christmas music, a funny Kevin Bacon performance, and tees up ‘Guardians Vol. 3’ perfectly.

  Pound for pound, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is probably my favorite MCU movie, and the story was expanded well in ‘Guardians Vol. 2.’ But those two movies take place back to back, and with ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ taking place before ‘Guardians Vol. 3,’ and the untimely firing and rehiring of Gunn by Disney, I’ve been concerned that the third ‘Guardians’ movie would not be what the filmmaker originally conceived for the trilogy. Remember, had Gunn not been fired, ‘Guardians Vol. 3,’ would have been released towards the beginning of Phase Four rather than the end.

  Also, with the original Gamora (Zoe Saldana) dead, and a younger version of her running around the universe, this is not the Guardians team we began with and the ‘Holiday Special’ does a great job of setting up where our characters will be when ‘Vol. 3’ begins.

  

  The Guardians now comprise of Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis, Nebula (Karen Gillan), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Rocket (Voice of Bradley Cooper), new member Cosmo the Spacedog (Voiced for the first time by Maria Bakalova) and Groot (Voiced by Vin Diesel), who is now in his late teens but almost fully grown. We soon discover that they have inherited Nowhere from the Collector (Benicio del Toro) and are helping the locals rebuild their community. Other Marvel secrets revealed include the identity of Mantis’ father, and that Gamora is still missing at the time of the special.

  Since this is a Disney+ special, and not a theatrical movie, obviously it did not have the same budget as other ‘Guardians’ films, but for the most part it never compromises the project. However, there were two scenes that could have used more effects work.

  The movie begins with a flashback to Peter’s first Christmas with Yondu, and crude animation is used instead of live-action. One can assume this is because Michael Rooker is not in ‘Guardians Vol. 3,’ and was not available on set when they shot the special. The animation is rough, which matches Peter’s foggy memory, but distracted from the rest of the production. If animation was the only way to go with this sequence, using similar animation to the Disney+ series ‘What If…?’ would have fit the project better.

  

  While Rocket and Groot are used sparingly, probably for budget reasons, Rocket looks good and is on par with his big screen appearances. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Groot, who at times looks more like the theme park character at Disneyland. In the special, Groot looks like someone in a rubber suit, rather than the CGI character we are used to.

  But it’s the music, holiday themes, our beloved characters, and Gunn’s unique storytelling style that puts the “Special” in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.’ Gunn clearly understands the spirit of Christmas and knows what works in a project like this, with obvious influences from holiday specials of the past like 1964’s ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ 1966’s ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,’ and of course, 1978’s ‘Star Wars Holiday Special.’

  The filmmaker also fills the special with non-traditional Christmas music like “Christmastime” by The Smashing Pumpkins or The Pogues’ classic song, “Fairytale of New York.” The underrated rock band the Old 97’s actually makes an appearance as an alien rock group on Nowhere learning about Christmas, and has a great performance at the end of the special with Kevin Bacon, who don’t forget is a musician himself.

  

  Bacon is great playing a confused version of himself when Drax and Mantis abduct him, and he eventually befriends the whole group, becoming an honorary Guardian, which is fitting. The actor, who appeared in Gunn’s ‘Super,’ is a good sport spoofing his own persona and clearly understands what Gunn was aiming for. It’s also worth noting that Bacon’s real-life wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick makes a vocal cameo in the project.

  As far as the core actors, Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff have the largest roles, and have become a fantastic comedic team over the last few films. Drax and Mantis’ platonic friendship is one of the most engaging relationships in the franchise, and I’m intrigued to see where it goes in the next installment.

  But the other Guardians have smaller roles. Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord does not have a lot to do but react to Mantis and Drax’s spontaneous Christmas, which he is emotionally touched by until he realizes that they kidnapped Kevin Bacon! Pratt’s basically just there to react, but has a touching scene with Mantis at the end, which I imagine will have large repercussions moving forward.

  

  While Sean Gunn’s Kraglin is involved in the retelling of Peter’s first Christmas with Yondu, he’s basically in the background with Karen Gillan’s Nebula, who could have had a larger role. I also would have liked to see more interaction between Rocket and Groot, two fan-favorites, but we’ll have to wait for the next movie as Rocket mostly shares his scenes with Cosmo the Spacedog, who was originally introduced in the first film. But it was nice to get a tease of ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s Maria Bakalova as the voice of Cosmo.

  In the end, ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ may not be the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.5’ fans were hoping for, but it is a very funny and entertaining Christmas special that should offer enough character interaction, humor, and music to hold fans over until ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ hits theaters on May 5th, 2023.

  ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.

  

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  November 23, 2022

• 

  2021 Oscar Nominations

  

  Early in the morning on March 15th, Nick Jonas and Prianka Chopra-Jonas announced the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards. Here are the nominees for this years’ awards:

  BEST PICTURE

  ‘The Father’
  ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
  ‘Mank’
  ‘Minari’
  ‘Nomadland’
  ‘Promising Young Woman’
  ‘Sound of Metal’
  ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

  ---

  DIRECTOR

  Thomas Vinterberg, ‘Another Round’
  David Fincher, ‘Mank’
  Lee Isaac Chung, ‘Minari’
  Chloe Zhao, ‘Nomadland’
  Emerald Fennell, ‘Promising Young Woman’

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Riz Ahmed, ‘Sound of Metal’
Chadwick Boseman, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Anthony Hopkins, ‘The Father’
Gary Oldman, ‘Mank’
Steven Yeun, ‘Minari’

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Viola Davis, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Andra Day, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’
Vanessa Kirby, ‘Pieces of a Woman’
Frances McDormand, ‘Nomadland’
Carey Mulligan, ‘Promising Young Woman’

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Maria Bakalova, ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’
Glenn Close, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’
Olivia Colman, ‘The Father’
Amanda Seyfried, ‘Mank’
Youn Yuh-jung, ‘Minari’

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Sacha Baron Cohen, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Leslie Odom Jr., ‘One Night in Miami’
Paul Raci, ‘Sound of Metal’
Lakeith Stanfield, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

‘Onward’
‘Over the Moon’
‘A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon’
‘Soul’
‘Wolfwalkers’

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

‘Borat Subsequent MovieFilm’
‘The Father’
‘Nomadland’
‘One Night in Miami’
‘The White Tiger’

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Minari’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

‘Another Round’ – Denmark
‘Better Days’ – Hong Kong
‘Collective’ – Romania
‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’ – Tunisia
‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ – Bosnia and Herzegovina

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

‘Collective’
‘Crip Camp’
‘The Mole Agent’
‘My Octopus Teacher’
‘Time’

PRODUCTION DESIGN

‘The Father’
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
‘Mank’
‘News of the World’
‘Tenet’

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Sean Bobbitt, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Erik Messerschmidt, ‘Mank’
Dariusz Wolski, ‘News of the World’
Joshua James Richards, ‘Nomadland’
Phedon Papamichael , ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

COSTUME DESIGN

‘Emma’
‘Ma Rainey’s Blackbottom’
‘Mank’
‘Mulan’
‘Pinocchio’

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

‘Emma’
‘Hillbilly Elegy’
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
‘Mank’
‘Pinocchio’

FILM EDITING

‘The Father’
‘Nomadland’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND

‘Greyhound’
‘Mank’
‘News of the World’
‘Soul’
‘Sound of Metal’

VISUAL EFFECTS

‘Love and Monsters’
‘The Midnight Sky’
‘Mulan’
‘The One and Only Ivan’
‘Tenet’

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

‘Feeling Through’
‘The Letter Room’
‘The Present’
‘Two Distant Strangers’
‘White Eye’

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

‘Burrow’
‘Genius Loci’
‘If Anything Happens I Love You’
‘Opera’
‘Yes-People’

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)

‘Colette’
‘A Concerto Is a Conversation’
‘Do Not Split’
‘Hunger Ward’
‘A Love Song For Latasha’

ORIGINAL SONG

‘Fight For You’ from ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Hear My Voice’ from ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Husavik’ from ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’
‘lo Sì (Seen)’ from ‘The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)’
‘Speak Now’ from ‘One Night in Miami…’

ORIGINAL SCORE

‘Da 5 Bloods’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘News of the World’
‘Soul’

Delayed by the pandemic, the Oscars ceremony will be on Sunday, April 25 on ABC.