Movies

Janelle Monáe Has Been Cast In The Upcoming ‘Knives Out’ Sequel

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The popular murder mystery film Knives Out premiered in 2019 featuring a cast of stars like Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, and Jamie Lee Curtis. It saw a major success at the box office, raking in an impressive $311.4 million worldwide. Now, Netflix has secured the rights to Knives Out 2 and Knives Out 3, and even more celebrities are joining the roaster.

Janelle Monáe has officially been cast in the upcoming Knives Out sequel alongside the recently-announced newcomers Edward Norton and Dave Bautista, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The plot details are still under wraps, but both sequels will once again be directed by Rian Johnson and the filming is reportedly set to commence this summer in Greece.

What is known about the film is that Netflix shelled out some major cash for the projects. It was recently reported that the streaming service paid between $400-450 million for the two films, a major increase from the original’s $40 million budget.

This is far from the first time Monáe will appear on the silver screen. Last year, the singer starred in the thriller film Antebellum and before that, she made appearances in Rio 2, Moonlight, Hidden Figures, and more.

Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Donald Glover Is Pointing The Finger At ‘Boring’ TV Shows And Films Made By People Who Are Fearful Of Taking Risks

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Donald Glover resurfaced on Twitter early Tuesday morning where he fired off his thoughts on the current state of entertainment after seeing critics complain about reviewing “boring stuff.” While Glover certainly has an inside perspective on the inner workings of Hollywood thanks to his career that spans both network and cable TV, Star Wars, streaming, and more, his comments are less insightful as they are nebulous, particularly when it comes to his remarks on being “cancelled.” Via his Twitter:

“[S]aw people on here havin a discussion about how tired they were of reviewing boring stuff (tv & film)… we’re getting boring stuff and not even experimental mistakes(?) because people are afraid of getting cancelled… so they feel like they can only experiment w/ aesthetic. (also because some of em know theyre not that good)”

Numerous replies to Glover indicate people’s belief that he’s talking about “cancelled” in the “cancel culture” sense. As in no one is making “experimental mistakes” because they’re afraid of upsetting current sensibilities. However, it’s possible that Glover is talking about a fear of being literally cancelled, which has been a major problem in the streaming world, like it’s always been for network TV, so his remarks are cryptic and open to interpretation. Glover wouldn’t be the first creative to complain about the confines of “cancel culture,” so until he offers a clarification, no one can definitively say that he’s merely offering a musing on the constant struggle between art and commerce.

Glover is currently in the middle of an eight-figure deal with Amazon and working on a remake of Mr. + Mrs. Smith with Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the streaming service. So, he might simply be reflecting upon how creative teams fear being cancelled in the traditional sense (i.e. their show doesn’t make it the first or second season) because an audience demands more of the same, or as Glover states, the project is “not that good.”

(Via Donald Glover on Twitter)

Post Malone Asked Jason Statham To Make A Song With Him

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Jason Statham shot Post Malone… in the trailer for the movie Wrath Of Man that was revealed in March. Malone has a small role in the film, and while he was on set, he apparently asked his co-star to collaborate on some music with him. That was an opportunity that Statham, like he did to Malone in the film, shot down.

In a recent USA Today interview, Statham spoke about what it was like to work with Malone, saying, “Post came in with this big enthusiasm for being killed that day. He’s like, ‘I can’t wait for you to kill me, man.’ I got sucked into that enthusiasm and he did a great job. It’s just a shame that it was a short moment together, but I was privileged to pull the trigger in our little scene.”

He was then asked if the two have plans to collaborate musically, and he noted that Malone did ask to make a song with him: “He invited me to come make a record. I quickly relieved him of that bad choice.”

In a recent interview with Bossip, Statham also discussed how Malone came to be involved with the movie, saying, “[Director] Guy [Ritchie] told me that Post called him up and said, ‘If you’re making a movie, I wanna be in it,’ and it was as simple as that. People wanna work with Guy Ritchie for some reason [laughs]… me too. You know, he’s got a good way, people like his films, and that’s how it happened with Post: He gave the call and he couldn’t have been more gracious. He turned up, just was as down to earth as you could be, so we were really lucky. I’m glad I got to shake his hand, you know?”

Jason Statham Makes Quick Work Of Post Malone In The Red Band Trailer For Guy Ritchie’s ‘Wrath Of Man’

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We’ve already seen a glimpse of what Guy Ritchie’s Wrath Of Man will look like when it steals its way into theaters on May 7. But before that, we’ve got a new Red Band trailer to really see what Jason Statham is up to in a cash truck security guard heist film. Which apparently starts with Statham’s character getting shot and watching his own son die before his eyes of his own gunshot wounds.

The bloody trailer sets the scene for revenge for Statham, who wants to track down who killed his son and ends up doing a lot of shooting along the way as an armored truck driver. The most notable part of the trailer, though, is when he kills a man listed as “Robber #6” in the movie’s IMDB page. Despite the generic name for the role, it’s rapper Post Malone, who gets an expletive-filled line in before H, at least presumably, kills him for being unhelpful in his investigation.

“If he’s not a cop, then what is he?” asks one voice late in the trailer.

“He’s a dark f*cking spirit,” another voice answers.

Here’s the official synopsis:

A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

The movie is an Americanized version of another film, “Le Convoyeur,” which was directed by Nicolas Boukhrief. We’ll have to see if Statham can find the people responsible when the movie opens next month.

Things Between Lizzo And Chris Evans Have Progressed Since She Sent Him Drunk DMs

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Lizzo delivered a delightfully fun story last week when she shared that after a few drinks, she found herself in an impaired state and decided to send a message to actor Chris Evans on Instagram. To recap how that went down, Lizzo sent him three emojis: a puff of air, a woman playing handball, and a basketball, implying that she was “shooting her shot.” Evans was a good sport and responded, “No shame in a drunk DM [kissy face emoji] god knows I’ve done worse on this app lol [facepalm emoji].”

Now, the saga continues, as Lizzo has offered an update on how the situation has evolved. On TikTok, Lizzo shared a video responding to somebody who asked how things are going on the Evans front, and she responded by sharing a screenshot of their chat, only making it visible for a few quick frames of video.

@lizzo

Reply to @tuana612 Update on Jamal

♬ Follow me song is Too much FYOTP YT – 🦈

The messages are visible when the video is paused, though, and Lizzo responded to Evans’ message with, “Well.. they say u miss 100% of the shots you never take [side-eye emoji] (and even tho I unsent it like a dork [facepalm emoji]) I’m glad u know I exist now [heart face emojis].” Evans responded, “Of course I do! I’m a fan! Keep up the great work!! xxx.” The two most recent messages after that are partially blocked and can’t fully be seen, but as BuzzFeed speculates, it seems Lizzo mentioned something about doing a shot and Evans responded by saying he’d buy it.

Check out a screenshot of Lizzo and Evans’ DMs below.

@lizzo/TikTok

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Now That HER Has An Oscar To Go With Her Grammys, She’s Going After The EGOT

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HER is only 23 years old, but she’s already racked up four Grammy Awards and picked up an Oscar last night, as she got the Best Original Song win for her Judas And The Black Messiah track “Fight For You.” This puts her halfway towards an EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award), on which she has now set her sights.

Speaking with ET after her win, HER said, “Oh, there’s absolutely going to be an EGOT in my future, hopefully. But yeah, I’m also super passionate about acting as well, so you may see me up here as an actress also. And I love musicals, me and Brandy have been talking about it a lot. She’s inspired me since she did a musical [Cinderalla]. Honestly, I cannot believe that we’re here. […] I’m still speechless, I feel like the Oscars are happening tomorrow and I’m dreaming right now. I’m still pinching myself, so I have no words.”

Only 16 artists have ever achieved EGOT status, although four of those artists finalized the feat in just the past few years. In 2018, John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Tim Rice simultaneously EGOT’ed after collectively winning an Emmy for producing Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert. Alan Menken also got his EGOT by picking up an Emmy last year.

If HER pursues an EGOT in earnest, she has a shot at becoming the youngest person to ever do it. The current record-holder is Robert Lopez, who is known for his work on projects like Frozen and The Book Of Mormon and was 39 years old when he completed his EGOT. Legend is a close second, as he was 39 years and 8 months old when he got the EGOT.

Find the full list of this year’s Oscar winners here.

The Harlem Cultural Festival Is Celebrated In A Teaser For Questlove’s ‘Summer Of Soul’ Documentary

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Back towards the end of 2019, it was revealed that Questlove was working on what is now titled Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a documentary about The Harlem Cultural Festival, a six-week festival that took place right around the same time as Woodstock. Now, the first teaser for the film, which is set to premiere in theaters and on Hulu on July 2, has been shared.

An official statement describes the film:

“In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary — part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture, and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen and largely forgotten — until now. Summer Of Soul shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto, Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach, and more.”

Back when the project was announced, Questlove said in a statement, “I am truly excited to help bring the passion, the story and the music of the Harlem Cultural Festival to audiences around the world. The performances are extraordinary. I was stunned when I saw the lost footage for the first time. It’s incredible to look at 50 years of history that’s never been told, and I’m eager and humbled to tell that story.”

He also told Variety in an interview earlier this year, “”Woodstock happens in two weeks after this and it defines a lifestyle, it defines a generation. Woodstock, the city name alone, just defines a whole movement. And I kept wondering what would have went down if this were allowed to happen for [Black people]. If this were allowed to unfurl and and spread across the world as Woodstock did, how much of a difference could that have made in my life as a music lover and as a music collector? So, then I just felt this the sense of purpose that I have to tell the story.”

Watch the Summer Of Soul teaser above.

HER, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, And Jon Batiste Got Big Wins At The 2021 Oscars

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The Academy Awards were last night, so the best in film from the past year was properly honored. Per usual, some of the awards were devoted to music as well, and picking up big wins in those categories were HER, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste.

HER got the Best Original Song win for her Judas And The Black Messiah track “Fight For You” over “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga (sung by Will Ferrell and Molly Sandén, the latter of whom Rachel McAdams lip-synced for the film), Celeste’s “Hear My Voice” from The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Leslie Odom Jr.’s “Speak Now” from One Night In Miami, and Lauren Pausini’s “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead.

Reznor, Ross, and Batiste’s Soul score also picked up a win, in the Best Original Score category, winning over the former two’s score for Mank, as well as Da 5 Bloods, Minari, and News Of The World.

As Billboard notes, these wins were superlative. Reznor, Ross, and Batiste are the first three-member composing team to win Best Original Score in 33 years, following Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su’s 1987 win for The Last Emperor. Batiste is also just the third Black composer to win in a scoring category, following Prince’s 1984 win for Best Musical Song Score with Purple Rain and Herbie Hancock’s 1986 victory for Best Original Score with ‘Round Midnight.

HER’s victory was also historically significant: For the first time in 35 years, a songwriter or songwriting team won an Oscar in the same awards season that they won a Grammy for Song Of The Year for a different song, as HER’s “I Can’t Breathe” just picked up the Grammy win a few weeks ago.

Find the full list of this year’s Oscar winners here.

Win A Pair Of Mortal Kombat Movie Tickets Right Now

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The wait is finally over – Mortal Kombat is officially in theaters nationwide! In celebration of the iconic video game franchise’s return to the big screen, SOHH’s giving you a chance to win a pair of tickets for opening weekend! Enter below and make sure to sign up for SOHH’s daily newsletter for more giveaway […]

The post Win A Pair Of Mortal Kombat Movie Tickets Right Now appeared first on SOHH.com.

RZA Launches His ‘Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater’ WIth A New Single Called ‘Pugilism’

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With Marvel’s release of the Shang-Chi trailer on Monday, expect kung-fu movies to start making a big comeback in the coming year (if they haven’t already; see Raya And The Last Dragon, the renewal of Warrior on HBO Max, and the recently premiered reboot of the classic show Kung-Fu). It’s likely that no one is more ecstatic about this turn of events than RZA, who based the Wu-Tang Clan’s entire aesthetic on hs Saturday afternoon forays to the matinee to catch the latest Shaw Brothers movies growing up in Staten Island, New York.

RZA is about to pay further homage to his first love as he revives his 36 Cinema platform he started at the outset of the pandemic, which hosts weekly screenings of classic kung-fu and blaxploitation films with live commentary from RZA and weekly guests. His new programming slate is fitting titled “Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater” and kicks off — heh — this Saturday, April 24 with a screening of Heroes Of The East at 9 pm ET with Portland’s Hollywood Theatre’s head programmer Dan Halsted.

Celebrating the announcement, RZA also resurrected his Bobby Digital persona for a new single called “Pugilism” — the first such release since 2008’s Digi Snacks album. It’s the first single from RZA’s upcoming fourth solo album, Bobby Digital: Digital Potions, which he’ll share more info about during this Saturday’s screening.

Listen to “Pugilism” above and get tickets for the inaugural Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater showing of “Heroes Of The East” here.