The lasted example of this is the upcoming film ‘The Moment‘, which is scheduled for release on January 30th and stars Charli XCX, who plays a version of herself in the movie.
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In honor of the new film, which was directed by Aidan Zamiri and also stars Alexander Skarsgård and Rosanna Arquette, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies of all time featuring musicians playing fictional versions of themselves.
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Note: For this list we are only including feature films and not documentaries. We are also only including movies where musicians play fictional versions of themselves and not new characters.
Dave Grohl in ‘Studio 666,’ an Open Road Films release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Andrew Stuart/Open Road Films.
Legendary rock band Foo Fighters (who play themselves) move into an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history to record their much anticipated 10th album. Once in the house, Dave Grohl finds himself grappling with supernatural forces that threaten both the completion of the album and the lives of the band.
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world’s major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, “come in peace.” U.S. President James Dale (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that the Martians’ mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation. Tom Jones appears as himself in the film.
In 1978, a Kiss concert was an epoch-making event. For the four teen fans in Detroit Rock City getting tickets to the sold-out show becomes the focal point of their existence. They’ll do anything for tickets — compete in a strip club’s amateur-night contest, take on religious protesters, even rob a convenience store! The four original members of Kiss (Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss) all play themselves in the film.
Backstreet Boys in ‘This Is the End’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
While attending a party at James Franco‘s house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. Members of the Backstreet Boys appear as themselves in the movie.
World famous pop group the Spice Girls (Victoria Beckham, Mel B, Emma Burton, Melanie C, and Geri Halliwell) zip around London in their luxurious double decker tour bus having various adventures and performing for their fans.
In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie) set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end. Miley Cyrus appears as herself in the movie.
After the lord of darkness decides he will not cede his throne to any of his three sons, the two most powerful of them escape to Earth to create a kingdom for themselves. This action closes the portal filtering sinful souls to Hell and causes Satan to wither away. He must send his most weak but beloved son, Little Nicky (Adam Sandler), to Earth to return his brothers to Hell. Ozzy Osbourne appears as himself in the film.
A struggling musician (Himesh Patel) realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate reality where the group was forgotten. Ed Sheeran appears as himself in the film.
Three friends (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn) attempt to recapture their glory days by opening up a fraternity near their alma mater. Snoop Dogg appears as himself in the film.
A husband-and-wife team play detective (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin), but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means. Shania Twain appears as herself in the film.
After his long-time girlfriend dumps him, a thirty-year-old record store owner (John Cusack) seeks to understand why he is unlucky in love while recounting his “top five breakups of all time”. Bruce Springsteen appears as himself in the film.
A group of young adults in their twenties, who share an apartment in the city of Seattle, ponder on love and face all the challenges of adulthood. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell appear in the film.
Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
Follow Robbie Williams‘ journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.
The adventures of two amiably aimless metal-head friends, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey). From Wayne’s basement, the pair broadcast a talk-show called “Wayne’s World” on local public access television. The show comes to the attention of a sleazy network executive (Rob Lowe) who wants to produce a big-budget version of “Wayne’s World”—and he also wants Wayne’s girlfriend, a rock singer named Cassandra (Tia Carrere). Wayne and Garth have to battle the executive not only to save their show, but also Cassandra. Alice Cooper appears as himself in the film.
Robbie (Adam Sandler), a local rock star turned wedding singer, is dumped on the day of his wedding. Meanwhile, waitress Julia (Drew Barrymore) finally sets a wedding date with her fiancée Glenn (Matthew Glave). When Julia and Robbie meet and hit it off, they find that things are more complicated than anybody thought. Billy Idol appears as himself in the film.
Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith) reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB’s untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It’s been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it’s a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction. Michael Jackson appears as himself in the film.
(L to R) Ben Stiller, David Bowie, and Owen Wilson in ‘Zoolander’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Clear the runway for Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller), VH1’s three-time male model of the year. His face falls when hippie-chic Hansel (Owen Wilson) scooters in to steal this year’s award. The evil fashion guru Mugatu (Will Ferrell) seizes the opportunity to turn Derek into a killing machine. It’s a well-designed conspiracy and only with the help of Hansel and a few well-chosen accessories like Matilda (Christine Taylor) can Derek make the world safe for male models everywhere. David Bowie appears as himself in the film.
Alex Etel in ‘Millions’. Photo: Pathé Distribution.
Two boys, still grieving the death of their mother, find themselves the unwitting benefactors of a bag of bank robbery loot in the week before the United Kingdom switches its official currency to the Euro. What’s a kid to do?
Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘The Beach’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Twenty-something Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumors state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss – excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.
(L to R) Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz in ‘A Life Less Ordinary’. Photo: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment.
A couple of angels, O’Reilly (Holly Hunter) and Jackson (Delroy Lindo), are sent to Earth to make sure that their next supervised love-connection succeeds. They follow Celine (Cameron Diaz), a spoiled rich girl who has just accidentally shot a suitor and, due to a misunderstanding, is kidnapped by janitor Robert (Ewan McGregor). Although Celine quickly frees herself, she stays with Robert for thrills. O’Reilly and Jackson pursue, hoping to unite the prospective lovers.
(L to R) Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox and Ewan McGregor in ‘Shallow Grave’. Photo: Rank Film Distributors.
When David (Christopher Eccleston), Juliet (Kerry Fox), and Alex (Ewan McGregor) find their new roommate dead with a large sum of money, they agree to hide the body and keep the cash. However, this newfound fortune gradually corrodes their friendship.
(L to R) Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller in ‘T2 Trainspotting’. Photo: TriStar Pictures.
After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Spud (Ewan Bremner) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle).
James Franco in ‘127 Hours’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
Himesh Patel in ‘Yesterday’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
A struggling musician (Himesh Patel) realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate reality where the group was forgotten.
(L to R) Vincent Cassel, James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson in ‘Trance’. Photo:
A violent gang enlists the help of a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) in an attempt to locate a painting which somehow vanished in the middle of a heist.
It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Chris Evans in ‘Sunshine’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Fifty years into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is threatened by arctic temperatures. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun — but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind’s last hope.
Michael Fassbender in ‘Steve Jobs’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs — and it’s absolutely impossible to contain.
Ewan McGregor in ‘Trainspotting’. Photo: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment.
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson) and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary — all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father’s fault. “The Royal Tenenbaums” is the story of the family’s sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Himesh Patel and Lily James, the film dares to ask the question “What would it be like if everyone on Earth forgot about the Beatles except for one guy who happened to know all their songs by heart?” A global blackout leads to this phenomenon, and Patel’s character must decide if taking credit for someone else’s songs and achieving enormous fame and riches is what it takes to make him truly happy. Seems like there’s a good chance, right?
There comes a time in a person’s life when birthday presents from your parents become a huge bummer, and for Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman), that time is lucky number 13. His mom (Aubrey Plaza) has no idea that the Buddi doll (Mark Hamill) she got through unsavory means is homicidal, but she could have guessed, if only she had seen the original film this is remade from.
Speaking of out-of-touch parents, John Shaft Jr. (Jesse T. Usher) now works in law enforcement, but that’s where the similarities with his estranged father (Samuel L. Jackson) end. When his friend is murdered, and he needs to think more like a bad-mother-shut-your-mouth, he’s forced to give dad a call to solve the case. Hopefully he’s not too busy looking great in a leather trench coat to pick up the phone.
The KGB brilliantly figures out that people let models do pretty much whatever they want, and if said model is smart and trained in several different fighting styles, she can kill people way sexier than a normal spy would. Anna (Sasha Luss) is such a model, and in a bid to escape poverty, she makes espionage her new talent.
Ron Howard directs this documentary about the legendary talent, who rose to prominence in a famously competitive industry to create work that endures as some of the most important the world has ever seen.
It’s hard to believe but 2019 is more than halfway over. Which means that we should pause and take stock. This year’s film conversation has largely been defined by massive blockbusters like “Avengers: Endgame,” which is okay considering how great the movie is, but there are just as many independent movies and smaller studio fare that deserve your love, attention, and fervent Twitter debate. So without further ado, we run down the very best movies of 2019. And don’t worry, we’ll update periodically throughout the year.
‘Always Be My Maybe’
Netflix
In what is arguably Netflix’s greatest romantic comedy (sorry, “Set It Up”), Ali Wong and Randall Park star as two friends who briefly became lovers, quickly lose touch and reconnect much, much later (with appropriately awkward results). Much of the success of the film has to do with the leads’ chemistry (they also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Golamco) and Nahnatchka Khan’s delicate direction, which never loses its edge and emphasis on socioeconomic specificity, even when it gets very, very cute. (There are even some stylistic flourishes! In a mainstream rom-com!) And obviously Keanu Reeves should get a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his brief turn as an exaggerated version of himself. Rarely is he allowed to be this funny and this outré and seeing him do both feels like, if not a revelation, then a rediscovery. “Always Be My Maybe” is refreshingly earnest and quietly revolutionary, a movie you never knew you needed until you watch it.
‘Apollo 11’
NEON
A deeply beautiful and optimistic documentary, “Apollo 11” recounts the first manned mission to the moon using only archival footage (much of it seen for the first time) and audio (including candid statements from the astronauts themselves). Soaking in every detail from the period, from the rivets on the rocket’s engines to the design of the Coca-Cola cans onlookers were sipping on as they watched the launch, it’s impossible to not get swept up in the spirit not of conquest but of scientific discovery and utopian ambition. The space race might have been a largely political construct, but it was still, as this documentary brilliantly expresses, quite an adventure.
‘Avengers: Endgame’
Marvel Studios
It seemed like an impossible task — wrap up more than 10 years and 22 films worth of mythologies, interpersonal character relationships and plot threads — in a single, super-sized (over 3 hours!) film. And yet, somehow, Joe and Anthony Russo’s “Avengers: Endgame” managed to not only fulfill even the loftiest expectations but also exceed them. The resulting film, with its wildly different tones, going from a somber examination of survivors guilt to a time travel romp (are there any sweeter words than “time heist?”) to an all-out brawl that manages to dwarf everything that came before it. But the biggest accomplishment of “Avengers: Endgame” is how emotionally resonant it is, from the pre-credits sequence of Hawkeye’s family disappearing, to the conclusion of both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers’ storylines, it was in these moments that “Endgame” became something more; sure, it thrilled, but it also made you deeply feel too.
‘Booksmart’
Annapurna
One of the few films out of SXSW this year that felt like a genuine sensation, “Booksmart” was widely released at the start of summer and … didn’t quite break through like we all thought it would. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is tender and fun, about a pair of high school girls (Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein) who cast off their bookish tendencies for one wild night of fun. Featuring a soundtrack full of A+ party jams and some terrific supporting performances (from Jessica Williams and Billie Lourd), this is a silly, sublime teen comedy that stands apart thanks to the sophistication of its writing and direction and by its distinctly female point of view, which is progressive, sex-positive and utterly fun. In some alternate (perhaps more just) universe, it has made more money than “Avengers: Endgame.”
‘Climax’
A24
If “Climax” had been released in the heyday of 1990s American independent cinema, it would have been a word-of-mouth smash. Now it barely registers. After garnering rave reviews out of Cannes last year, “Climax” was finally released in America cinemas earlier this spring and nobody paid much attention. Which is a shame. Because “Climax” is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, an adrenalized dance party descent into hell, where a group of French dancers, celebrating the end of a grueling rehearsal schedule (they’re about to embark on a tour) take sips of some spiked sangria and it all goes spectacularly downhill. Auteur Gaspar Noe is a notorious enfant terrible, and there are certainly a number of sensational aspects of “Climax” that will probably rub people the wrong way (among them: self-mutilation, child murder, and some incredibly misogynistic dialogue). But it’s also so breathlessly told (with a series of unbroken long takes) and authentically acted that the camp only heightens it. Like an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s “Haunted” set to 90s club music, “Climax” is a future midnight movie classic. Fingers crossed.
‘Cold Pursuit’
Lionsgate
Liam Neeson made a major gaffe during the promotional cycle of “Cold Pursuit,” which more or less doomed the film’s commercial chances. This is a bummer, considering how wonderfully weird “Cold Pursuit” is. Neeson plays a snowplow driver whose son dies under mysterious circumstances. Instead of merely allowing the law to investigate, they quickly rule it a drug overdose and leave Neeson to mete out his own form of justice, namely killing each and every person who had anything to do with it. Director Hans Petter Moland directs a western remake of his own “In Order of Disappearance” with the same wit and dry, dark humor. If you need to scratch that weird, windswept itch before “Fargo” comes back, this will hit the spot.
‘Crawl’
Paramount
A hurricane floods a small Florida town, leaving a college athlete (Kaya Scodelario) to rescue her father (Barry Pepper) from their childhood home, now overrun with bloodthirsty alligators. That’s really it. But director Alexandre Aja and producer Sam Raimi, both of them horror luminaries in their own right, expertly stage the action, turning even the slightest gesture into a white-knuckle suspense set piece. And when Aja is called upon to let loose on the gore, he does so with great aplomb. “Crawl,” released in the dog days of summer, was the perfect antidote for the bloated blockbusters and prestige-y arthouse fare that was basically all you could find. Instead, this was just bloody good fun.
‘Fyre’ / ‘Fyre Festival’
Netflix
The doomed Fyre Festival, a music festival based solely on artifice, built by charlatans and conmen, was such a colossal screw-up that its story had to be documented by two separate films. Each documentary (Netflix’s “Fyre” and Hulu’s surprise “Fyre Festival”) offer different details about the formation and ultimate dissolution of a festival that every influencer on planet earth simply had to attend, only once they got there realized that the island-set event wasn’t actually set up and that people, who had paid thousands to attend, where huddled in refugee tents, eating cold sandwiches with a slice of American cheese. The ultimate depiction of hubris, hype and the gullibility of millennials, it’s a powerful reminder that if something is a house of mirrors, eventually, it shatters.
‘The Great Hack’
Netflix
The feel-bad documentary concerns the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the handful of whistleblowers who outed the company following the one-two punch of evil that was Brexit and the 2016 United States presidential election. “The Great Hack” documents how the shady company, which filed for bankruptcy shortly after the scandal broke largely to hide evidence and dodge prosecution, had a history of taking part in disruptive, largely harmful political campaigns all over the world. And it is … sobering. Not even the whistleblowers get away clean, as their motives seem, at the very least, suspect. The only dopey element of the documentary is its framing device, around a goofball New School professor who is suing for his personal date. Everything else is terrifyingly sublime.
‘Greta’
Focus Features
The best Brian De Palma movie of 2019 wasn’t actually directed by Brian De Palma. (His movie, “Domino,” which is has already publicly stated was taken away from him during post-production, is just okay.) Instead, that honor goes to “Greta,” Neil Jordan’s guilty-pleasure stalker thriller about a young girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) who falls under the spell of a charismatic older woman (Isabelle Huppert, having a ball) who is full of sinister secrets. With a svelte 98-minute runtime, it’s able to indulge in a number of the genre’s tropes while also gleefully upending them (particularly in the final act, which has a deliciously empowered message of sisterhood and femininity). It’s a blast.
‘Happy Death Day 2U’
Universal/Blumhouse
2017’s “Happy Death Day” was a welcome surprise, a movie where a young woman (the vivacious Jessica Rothe) finds herself stalked by a sadistic killer and each time she dies, the day starts over. The only way she can break the loop is if she figures out who killed her. It was a terrific conceit with a lovely, smart-ass-y tone, “Scream” meets “Groundhog Day.” So with the surprise gone, what was there left to do in the sequel? Well, go even crazier, it turns out, by introducing an actual time travel mechanic and some dweeby kids studying physics. Shockingly emotional and so much fun, “Happy Death Day 2U” wasn’t the sleeper hit that the original was, which is strange because it isn’t just as good — it’s better.
‘High Flying Bird’
Netflix
2019 will be graced by a pair of new Steven Soderbergh movies (on Netflix, no less). The first was “High Flying Bird,” a shot-on-an-iPhone sports drama about a charismatic agent (Andre Holland) navigating an NBA strike, armed with some bold new ideas. Full of long, talky scenes that still remain captivating (the script is by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney), with a killer supporting cast that includes Zazie Beetz, Zachary Quinto, Kyle MacLachlan and Bill Duke, it’s a sports movie that feels totally unlike any sports movie you’ve ever seen (and not just because they had to skirt around NBA copyrights like an Olympic speed skater). Whip-smart and paced with a breakneck speed, “High Flying Bird” is the latest triumph from a filmmaker who, we should be reminded, was retired until very recently. Thankfully that didn’t last long.
‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’
Lionsgate
The first thirty minutes or so of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” might be the best movie of the year, period. In that amount of time, Keanu Reeves, picking up right where the last film left off, is marked for death by a squadron of secret assassins, kills a giant man in a library, throws dozens of knives into people, uses horses as an accessory to murder, and takes part in a daring bridge chase while on horseback. From there, the movie occasionally meanders (although the sequence with Halle Berry and the dogs in Casablanca is fun), but never relents, culminating in a climactic sequence in a glassy Manhattan tower. Aside from the “Mission: Impossible” films, it’s hard to think of an action franchise more pitch perfect or eager to please. Bring on chapter 4.
‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’
Sony
Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film certainly courted controversy, even before it was release. After all, the notoriously sensationalist filmmaker would be tackling the Manson murders, of all things, perhaps the only subject matter touchier than World War II. And yet, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” was released and everyone was generally surprised by how sweet the movie was, how deeply felt and nostalgic and charming it would end up being. Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio give all-time best performances as a washed-up actor and his deeply committed stunt-double and gofer, and Margot Robbie is luminous as the doomed Sharon Tate. Tarantino’s most relaxed film, it beautifully spends time with its characters as they luxuriate in 1969 Los Angeles, with the camera soaking in every period detail (there’s a sequence devoted to various neon signs turning on). Breathtaking and bloody, it’s a film that we cannot stop thinking about.
‘The Perfection’
Netflix
For maximum satisfaction, try to go into Netflix’s “The Perfection” knowing as little as possible. Just know that it stars Allison Williams as a fading cello star and reteams her with frequent “Girls” director Richard Shepard. That’s it. What follows is one of the scariest, most surprising thrillers you’ll see all year, beautifully photographed, richly performed, and totally outrageous. Okay, now go watch it.
‘Toy Story 4’
Disney•Pixar
“Toy Story 4” feels like a rebuke to everyone who cried that the “Toy Story” series wrapped up perfectly with the third installment (back in 2010). The fourth adventure for Woody (Tom Hanks) and the gang sees the pull-string sheriff reconnect with his long-lost love Bo Peep (Annie Potts) while on vacation with Bonnie. More formally adventurous than any other film in the series (it features flashbacks, dream sequences, and cut-away gags), it feels uninhibited by the previous movies and positively fearless in its willingness to forge a new and altogether different path. What’s more, it’s arguably the most emotionally complex, with characters who have complicated feelings for one another and their place in the world at large, with a tender, moving villain (Christina Hendricks) and some A+ new characters, including an insecure Canadian stuntman (Keanu Reeves) and a pair of county fair prizes (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele). Also, “Toy Story 4” is the most beautiful-looking animated film ever, with director Josh Cooley proving himself to be a next-level visionary. This is the bittersweet coda you never knew you wanted but now cannot live without.
‘Triple Frontier’
Netflix
It took a long time to get “Triple Frontier” across the finish line. What started as a re-team of “Hurt Locker”/”Zero Dark Thirty” writer Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow went through a number of key personnel changes before winding up in the hands of writer-director J.C. Chandor, who overhauled the existing script and assembled a kick-ass group of performers (including Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal). This tale of ex-military men who steal a lot of money from a South American drug lord is exciting and violent, the kind of muscular, no-frills action movie that they used to make throughout the 1980s and 1990s (complete with a streak of mournful melancholy). It took long enough to get finished, but we’re very happy “Triple Frontier” finally saw the light of day. It’s an edge-of-your-seat wonder.
‘Under the Silver Lake’
A24
It seemed like a sure-thing: David Robert Mitchell, the director of the buzzy low budget horror movie “It Follows,” teamed with arty distributor A24 for an ambitious, sprawling neo-noir about a burnt-out loser (Andrew Garfield) who goes looking for his missing neighbor (Riley Keough). But after a mixed response at Cannes last year and a number of released dates that were either missed entirely or hastily rescheduled, “Under the Silver Lake” was quietly released in a handful of theaters this spring before quickly going VOD. But maybe the home format is the best way to enjoy the film, with its multiple layers of meaning, hidden clues, and tangential narrative paths. (At a whopping 140 minutes, it might also take a few sittings.) Garfield is pitch perfect as a typical LA loser who is more intent on distracting himself with labyrinthine mysteries than dealing with the troubles of his everyday life head on. Also, he might be a serial dog murderer? Rewarding and ramshackle, “Under the Silver Lake” is a movie that will be endlessly analyzed and speculated about. How many other movies can you say that about?
‘Us’
Universal/Blumhouse
Jordan Peele followed up his massive, paradigm-shifting, Oscar-winning chiller “Get Out” with the unfathomable: a movie that is even more ambitious, artful and scathing than his game-changing debut feature. In the masterful “Us” Lupita Nyong’o plays a woman who travels with her family back to the seaside town where she had a traumatic event as a child. Soon enough, she and her entire family are menaced by scarred doppelgangers who are “tethered” to their normal counterparts. (There’s a fairly deep mythology established here that never feels cumbersome or too complex.) As the movie progresses, going from a home invasion thriller to something much larger in scope, it manages to fold in the Hands Across America charity event from 1986, an entire underground world of creepy doubles, multiple amazing uses of the 1995 Luniz single “I Got 5 on It” and one of the very best horror movie twist endings ever. “Us” proved that “Get Out” wasn’t a fluke and cemented Jordan Peele as one of the most exciting, original voices in genre filmmaking.
‘Velvet Buzzsaw’
Netflix
“Nightcrawler” writer-director Dan Gilroy reteams with Jake Gyllenhaal for this art-world-set horror romp, which seems to take equal inspiration from Robert Altman movies and the “Final Destination” series. (How many movies can you say that about?) A captivating Zawe Ashton stars as a young up-and-comer who finds a treasure trove of paintings in her dead neighbor’s apartment and brings them to the attention of Gyllenhaal (as a critic) and various arty weirdos, who all become enthralled. The only problem is that the paintings are haunted and, well, people start dying in spectacularly violent ways. (If you’ve ever wanted to see Toni Collette get her arm gnawed off by a sculptural centerpiece, this is the movie for you.) While it’s sort of unclear what “Velvet Buzzsaw” is saying about creativity, art, and criticism’s place in the intersection of the two, it does offer some biting satire and some spectacularly realized, phantasmagorical kills.
‘Yesterday’
Universal
“Yesterday” doesn’t open until the end of the month, but it premiered at Tribeca and is getting a wide release so we’re breaking the rules! In Danny Boyle’s latest masterpiece, Himesh Patel is a struggling musician who suffers a cataclysmic accident at the same time that a strange blackout envelopes earth. When he wakes up, he realizes he’s the only person in the world you remembers the Beatles. But what to do with this awesome power/gift/revelation? Rom-com mastermind Richard Curtis’ beautiful script not only weaves a wonderful love story (between Himesh Patel and Lily James, as his beleaguered, constantly friend-zoned manager and friend), but complicates your own feelings about the Beatles by adding layers of doubt and regret to all of the songs that you deeply love. The reaction out of Tribeca was muted but know this: “Yesterday” rules.
Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, and Forky are still ruling the box office, easily fending off the possessed doll from “Annabelle Comes Home” and Chucky from the “Child’s Play” reboot.
“Toy Story 4” took in $58 million, boosting its domestic haul to $237 million. After only two weekends in theaters, “Toy Story 4” is already the fourth-highest grossing movie of the year. The Pixar sequel now has a global tally of $496 million.
Warner Bros.
Landing in second place was “Annabelle Comes Home,” the seventh installment in the Conjuring Universe and the third film about the evil doll. It earned $20 million over the weekend and $31.2 million since debuting on Wednesday. That’s considerably behind the first two “Annabelle” films, which each took in more than $35 million in their opening weekend.
Universal
Close behind in third place was “Yesterday,” in which a man (Himesh Patel) becomes a pop sensation because he’s the only one who remembers the Beatles. It took in $17 million from 2,603 venues. It was directed by Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and written by Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”).
The musical pulled in $7.7 million overseas, bringing its weekend total to $24.7 million globally. It has a middling 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences gave it an “A-” CinemaScore.
Disney/Marvel
“Avengers: Endgame” returned to the top 10 after being re-released with an unfinished deleted scene that didn’t make the original cut. The new version, which also includes a video introduction from co-director Anthony Russo and a sneak peek at “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” added another $5.5 million in its 10th weekend of release. That’s nearly a 200% jump in ticket sales from last week.
Its total sales now stand at $841 million in North America and $2.76 billion worldwide. That’s still about $26 million behind “Avatar,” which remains the highest-grossing film of all time with $2.78 billion in global ticket sales.
Disney
In fourth place, Disney’s “Aladdin” earned $9.3 million in its sixth weekend, crossing the $300 million mark at the domestic box office. It’s currently the third highest-grossing film of 2019.
Lionsgate
In another box office milestone, “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” just crossed $300 million worldwide. The sequel picked up $3 million this weekend, taking its domestic tally to $161 million. It’s the sixth highest-grossing film of the year so far.
Here are the top 10 estimates for June 21-23, 2019
1. “Toy Story 4,” $57,932,000
2. “Annabelle Comes Home,” $20,370,000
3. “Yesterday,” $17,000,000
4. “Aladdin” (2019), $9,344,000
5. “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” $7,090,000
6. “Men in Black: International,”$6,550,000
7. “Avengers: Endgame,” $5,537,000
8. “Child’s Play” (2019), $4,276,607
9. “Rocketman,” $3,870,000
10. “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” $3,175,000
If you thought that the only place to catch decent romantic comedies this summer was on Netflix, you are sorely mistaken. “Yesterday,” the greatest (and most swoon-worthy) romantic comedy of the year is set to open this weekend and, please, go see it on the biggest screen possible and with the best sound system available. Trust me. This movie is magical.
The premise behind “Yesterday” is utterly delicious; it follows struggling songwriter Jack (Himesh Patel) who, following a worldwide blackout, is the only person on earth who remembers The Beatles. It puts him in a sticky situation, as he ascends to stardom based on music that he didn’t actually write and struggles to articulate his feelings to his longtime BFF/manager (Lily James). It’s all hilarious and sweet and charming and wrapped up in such a wonderfully weird concept that it’s virtually impossible not to fall in love with the film.
And the man orchestrating this high concept carnival is Danny Boyle, the Oscar-winning director behind “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Trainspotting,” “28 Days Later” and “Steve Jobs.” His first proper romantic comedy since 1997’s bizarre “A Life Less Ordinary,” he throws all of the stylization and verve that you’d expect from one of the most expressive filmmakers of his generation, elevating “Yesterday” to an aesthetic level completely apart from its contemporaries.
We were lucky enough to chat with Boyle from the movie’s Liverpool junket and we talked about the quandary of Oasis in the film, how hard it was to secure the rights to nearly 20 Beatles songs, and what happened to his James Bond movie.
Moviefone: If the Beatles don’t exist and by extension Oasis doesn’t exist, what song did Jack sing to win Ellie’s heart all those years ago?
Danny Boyle: It’s “Wonderwall.” When they disappear, it’s instantaneous. So they existed in the past in everyone’s lives and that’s what Oasis did. He sang “Wonderwall.” This is why it’s slightly insulting to Oasis but it’s also a compliment to them as well, because it’s a key song in his life. When he wakes up and thinks, Oh I’ve got to find her, he’s the only one that, obviously nobody else would remember it. And if he brought it up, she wouldn’t remember it, because they do exist until the lights went out and the bicycle accident happened. So they do exist in the past but not anymore in anybody’s memory except for his.
It’s a slight insult to Oasis but also a compliment to them as well. And Noel has admitted many times the influence the Beatles were upon him and funnily enough when we were making the film Ed Sheeran said, “Listen, they’re the crucible from which everything comes.” So certainly in terms of British bands and songwriters, we’re all indebted to them, whether we admit it or not. From the man himself.
How much of this world did you and Richard Curtis map out? Do you know how much has changed or what is different?
I think it’s a different project if you try and literally map it out. It’s an abyss that you can really go into, if you want, but you’ll spend a lot of time in there try and working it out. But obviously it was part of a double helix. That’s one part of the story and the rest of the story is the love affair between his ever-loyal, persistent best friend and manager and his lack of recognition of that – where his heart should truly respond. So we spent more time on that than working out, because it’d more of a sci-fi working out what was going on, which would be a fascinating experiment but it’d take a lot of time to cover what the world would be like if you did not have them and what would happen.
And we tried to cover that because the Rolling Stones still exist, so you think, Well, it’s not like all popular music has disappeared. There’s movements they led, which is really counter-culture and the ascendance of pop culture and youth in society, the need to listen to young people and their tastes and self-expression and pleasure, rather than duty and job and church and career and all of the things that had been in place before then. This new belief system, which is pop culture, would have still been in safe hands because of the Rolling Stones were even more preeminent in reality. But it’s impossible to work out. It would drive you mad. Because also they did exist until the moment they disappeared, so of course everything would have happened but everybody’s forgotten it. It’s like a nightmare.
Speaking of things that went away, Ana de Armas was cast in this movie and even appeared in one of the trailers but she’s not in the movie. Can you talk about what happened and what role she played?
It’s a great tragedy. So there’s an extended sequence, it’s actually on the James Corden show, and in the movie it’s a nightmare he has where he’s called out by Paul and Ringo. But there was a previous scene, just before that, on the Corden show for real, where he meets this actress played by Ana de Armas. She loves his work. And he writes a song for her on the show because Corden says to him, “You came up with ‘The Long and Winding Road’ in ten minutes, write us a song now.” So he does “Something,” the George Harrison song, and it’s a huge hit and she falls in love with him. It’s a wonderful sequence and it’ll be on the DVD extras. It’s very funny and she’s an amazing actress.
But when we put it in the film, it was clear that we’d made a mistake in the choice of song. Because what we did very carefully through all the 15 songs, so you wouldn’t tire of them, is measure them so that they both compliment each other and there was contrasting one following another. And that felt like a repetition. When you watched it alone, it was fantastic, but when you put it in the film, it felt repetitive. So we sadly decided to take it out and I had the job of writing to Ana and telling her, “I’m so sorry.” She did a wonderful job. It’s not their fault. It’s a real shame. What happens in editing is the story arc dominates whether than your own particular favorite moments. That expression that’s always made in editing is that you should always be prepared to cut your favorite scene or your favorite shot. And you do get distorted in editing. You have to look at it in the way the picture unfolds. It is the final rewrite, editing, and it did reduce those scenes.
Universal
How hard was it to get those 15 songs?
Well, Working Title, who are the preeminent production company in Britain, did a deal before I was even onboard, with Sony, who actually own the financial rights to the songs and Apple who are guardians of the aesthetic rights, i.e. how the songs are used. And they did a deal which allowed us between 15 and 18 of the songs and to be able to use them two or three times in the movie. So they did an overall deal and it was a wonderful deal and that’s a visionary producer knowing that they want the creative team to be able to pick the songs and be able to change them during editing. So we were able to drop songs, bring in new ones, use songs multiple times, we had a lot of freedom.
That’s for covers of songs. The actual master recordings of songs are very, very expensive. But we were given the master recording of “Hey Jude” for the final credits sequence. We said, “Well, that’s amazing. We’ll play it for all seven minutes over all of the credits.” And it’s a way of honoring a great song which has been insulted during the film, being re-titled to “Hey Dude” by Ed Sheeran. We owed it to one of the world’s great songs, to hear it properly. And also after listening to him do 15 different songs of the Beatles, you deserve to hear the original band once.
What happened with Bond and would you do another big action like that? Is that something on your wish list?
Yeah I’ve always wanted to do … I love a big action movie. I’m a big fan of watching them. And part of me thinks, I would love to do one. And you have your own ideas about how to do them. And that’s what happened. John Hodge, the screenwriter I have worked with many times, he came up with this idea and it was a very good idea I have to say. And they just didn’t want to do it in the end. We parted company, because it’s sensible to part company at that point, rather than try and force through something that others are unhappy with. So we parted and I’ve spoken to the new director and wished him well. That’s all you can do really. Maybe they used our idea, maybe they won’t, we won’t find out until we see the film but it was a shame. But would I have another go? Yes. I am very tempted because if you’re lucky enough to be in the position to say, “Well, I’ve never done one of those, I’d love to have a go at that,” and you’re inclined like I am to make as much variety in your work as possible, yes I am still tempted to at some point to make a big action movie. Whether I will or not, I don’t know.
Do you know what’s next?
Sadly I can’t tell you because we’re in negotiations for the life rights at the moment. It’s at a very tricky stage. We may succeed, we may not. But if it was announced it would influence those negotiations. So I can’t tell you but it’s a great idea. It’d be a while before it sees the light of day, because it has to be written. And we have to get the life rights before we write. It’s like you have to get the Beatles music before writing the script. There’s no point in writing a script for a movie about the Beatles disappearing if you can’t use their songs. We need the life rights to this story before we set out to make it. So we’ll see.
“Yesterday” is wonderful and it’s in theaters Friday.
Imagine all the people … not remembering the Beatles. Except for one guy, who’s about to become a superstar thanks to their music.
That’s the premise of Danny Boyle’s upcoming musical dramedy, “Yesterday.” As the trailer lays out, Jack (Himesh Patel) is an struggling singer-songwriter who wakes up after an accident to discover the Beatles never existed.
But he remembers all of their hit songs and starts to pass them off as his own. But Jack’s skyrocketing fame threatens his friendship with the person who always believed in him, Ellie (Lily James).
The script comes from Richard Curtis (“Love, Actually”). Boyle, meanwhile, took on this project after exiting “Bond 25.”
Judging by the trailer, the movie looks like a fun, funny, fizzy combination of Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” and Curtis’ numerous romantic comedies, with Beatles music thrown in for good measure. This could be the sleeper hit of the summer.
Ringo, Paul, John and George during the filming of “Help!”
Fifty years ago Tuesday, moviegoers enjoyed a cinematic “Ticket to Ride” with the Beatles.
The frantic, funny, groundbreaking film “Help!” opened wide on Aug. 25, 1965, after an earlier royal premiere in the UK and a special screening in Chicago, delivering what the New York Times called at the time “90 crowded minutes of good, clean insanity.”
“Help!” was a follow-up to “A Hard Day’s Night” — the more critically admired of the Beatles movies — though this one has managed to make its mark, a globe-trotting James Bond spoof that helped set the stage for every music video ever to follow.
And of course there was the music: “You’re Going to Lose that Girl,” “I Need You,” “Ticket to Ride,” the titular “Help!” and “Yesterday.”
