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Due to extremely problematic tastes in Hollywood throughout its history, some movie casting choices haven't aged well. This makes it difficult to watch some otherwise great movies today. The most controversial castings in movies allowed some of the greatest movie performances of all time Heath Ledger as the Joker is the optimal example. However, this was a surprising casting choice based on Ledger's past roles, not a case of outright whitewashing that somehow passed at the time.

A few contested choices were simply due to doubts about an actor being suited to play a particular character, and as their career went in another direction, it became clear that it was one of the worst movie casting choices in Hollywood. However, the worst examples are generally of someone being cast as a minority that they do not belong to. Especially with recent movies that claim to be promoting the stories of marginalized people,...

In 1956, audiences were treated to one of the biggest films of the year—a swashbuckling biopic portraying the life of the legendary Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan. Starring Hollywood icon John Wayne in the title role, The Conqueror packed theaters thanks to its epic scale and star power. However, beyond the grandeur on screen lurked a tragic story unfolding behind the scenes. Shot near nuclear testing sites in Utah, the production may have exposed cast and crew to radiation, leading to numerous cancer cases in later decades. Through intimate interviews and archival footage, director William Nunez spotlighted the human cost of creating this blockbuster. His documentary The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout not only told of one film’s downfall but revealed how the government kept citizens in the dark about nuclear dangers in their own backyards.

This film traces two intertwined tales. First, it examines the chaotic production plagued by mistakes, from...

One of the most interesting parts of Roland Emmerich’s new Ancient Rome-set series Those About To Die is the Succession-like struggle for power at the center of the Empire. The two main forces in this are Titus (Tom Hughes) and Domitian (Jojo Macari), two brothers who are the sons of Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins).

We at FandomWire spoke with Hughes and Macari about their characters in Those About To Die, and how they brought to life some of the more complicated arcs in the show. Check out the full interview here:

Those About To Die Interview

FandomWire: Both of your characters in Those About To Die are very morally ambiguous, and we’ve seen a lot of popular shows explore characters that aren’t traditionally “likable.” Why do you think audiences are interested in these morally complex stories like Those About To Die?

Jojo Macari: Wow, good question. I...

Some of the most epic stories in Ancient Rome are those of the gladiators, and in Those About To Die, those roles are played by Moe Hashim (Ted Lasso) and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Vikings: Valhalla).

We at FandomWire spoke with Hashim and Jóhannesson about their roles in Those About To Die, how they prepared for them, and shooting the show’s epic action sequences. Check out the full interview here:

Those About To Die Interview

FandomWire: The two of you give some of the most physical performances in Those About To Die. Did you have to do a robust training regimen to prepare for these roles?

Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson: Well, yeah, there was a lot of stunt training and additional weight training and stuff. Moe, you did some weight training as well.

Moe Hashim: Yeah. I mean, the weight training was probably easier than the stunt training.

Jóhannesson: We spent...

Warning: Contains Spoilers for Fire & Blood, Game of Thrones, and potential spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2.

Old Age: Balerion died of old age during Viserys's reign, a rare occurrence for dragons in Westeros. Sickness: The last dragon died at a young age, presumably due to sickness, leading to significant consequences for the Targaryens. Dragon Combat: House of the Dragon season 1 saw dragons die in combat, setting the stage for more intense battles in the upcoming seasons.

Throughout the Game of Thrones franchise, dragons have perished through several different means. The House of the Dragon season 1 ending saw Lucerys Velaryon's dragon, Arrax, get killed by the far larger dragon, Vhagar, which is only a glimpse of what's to come. At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House Targaryen is at the pinnacle of its power, with multiple dragons...

George MacKay became one Hollywood’s most sought after young actors after his starring role as a sweet-faced solider in Sam Mendes’ Oscar-winning “1917.”

But he’s looking much different in his latest film, “Femme.” He stars in the queer revenge thriller from directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping as a closeted street thug who begins a sexual relationship with Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), a man he doesn’t realize is the drag queen he once brutally gay-bashed.

For the film, MacKay’s body is ripped and covered in tattoos. His hair is shaved and slicked back. He wears tracksuits and garish gold chains and rings, and his working class accent can be hard to decipher.

It took him about eight weeks of “bulking” to get in shape. Even so, MacKay admits he did a lot of push-ups for scenes where he had to be particularly “big and scary.

Marvel Studios' lower output in 2024 could pave the way for huge MCU announcements in anticipation for future projects; i.e.: Fantastic Four's cast, Spider-Man 4's release date, Blade's script, and Avengers: Secret Wars' director. Deadpool 3 could confirm which multiversal characters will appear in Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars. Dormant MCU projects like Ironheart, unannounced sequels like Thor 5, unconfirmed movies like Planet Hulk, and second seasons like Moon Knight season 2 could also be revealed throughout 2024.

2024 may be one of the years with the fewest MCU releases, but it might also be filled with exciting announcements. Since its inception in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been releasing multiple projects every year. 2009 and 2020 have been the only two years without a single MCU entry. 2009 didn’t feature any MCU movie because the franchise was only beginning to take shape, and 2020 didn’t feature any MCU movie or...

Jonathan Majors is out of the Marvel Studios kingdom.

The news comes today in the wake of the Emmy-nominated actor being found guilty of reckless assault and harassment in his domestic violence trial by a six-person NYC jury.

A studio rep confirmed the news about their decision to not move forward with Majors in the MCU.

Majors played megavillain He Who Remains aka Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phases 4 through 6. He debuted as the character during Season 1 of Loki in 2021, then continued on in Season 2 this year, as well as the February movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which made more than $476M worldwide. Majors also had back-to-back hit in Amazon MGM’s Creed III in March, which grossed over $275M.

Having stuck with the actor over the months since his arrest on March 25, WME continue to represent Majors. His longtime agent Elan Ruspoli testified briefly...

In “Downwind,” a documentary executive produced by Matthew Modine, directors Mark Shapiro and Douglas Brian Miller chronicle the lethal effects that nuclear testing on American soil has had on U.S. citizens.

The Oscar hopeful reveals that from 1951 to 1992, Mercury, Nevada, was the site for the testing of 928 large scale nuclear weapons. Wind dispersed radioactive fallout from those atmospheric blasts (mushroom clouds) and underground testing (venting) in a seemingly unpredictable manner to people living “downwind.” The United States Department of Justice defines “downwinders,” also known as lab rats, as human beings who live in counties located downwind from Nevada Test Site in the states of Utah, Nevada and Arizona.

The film explains that the radiation led to various diseases, mainly cancer. Shapiro and Miller also highlight how Hollywood star John Wayne and numerous members of the cast and crew of the 1956 movie “The Conqueror” died, arguably, of cancer due to...

Jonathan Majors has played multiple variants of Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, including one in Loki season 2, potentially setting up a larger role for him in the future. Victor Timely, a variant of Kang the Conqueror, showed his knowledge of time in Loki season 2, but his future is uncertain without Tva intervention. A fan theory suggests that Victor Timely could become Iron Lad in the MCU, joining the Young Avengers, completing the puzzle of the team that has been teased in recent Marvel Studios projects.

A Marvel Studios theory suggests that the newest variant of Kang the Conqueror introduced in Loki season 2 may have a larger role in the MCU as a powerful Young Avenger. Jonathan Majors debuted as a variant of Kang the Conqueror in the finale of Loki season 1, and though he has portrayed several other variants in other projects, Majors returned in Loki season 2, introducing a...

Despite some disappointments in 2023, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still going strong and has introduced many exciting concepts and characters. What If...? season 2 is yet to release, but will be the perfect ending to Marvel Studios' 2023 slate, which featured popular projects such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Loki season 2, and The Marvels. Marvel Studios is focusing more on quality over quantity, slowing down production to ensure stronger projects in the future. Exciting new superhero teams, such as the Young Avengers, are also being set up for future storylines.

There are still many reasons for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be grateful for Marvel Studios' franchise in 2023, despite some disappointments along the way. The MCU kicked off with 2008's Iron Man, and has since produced over forty projects across film, TV, and animation, spanning a decade-and-a-half, with Marvel Studios creating the most expansive, successful, and complex live-action superhero franchise.

We haven’t had a proper Avengers movie since the release of ‘Endgame’ in 2019, and this is the moment that plenty of fans felt the MCU stopped giving us their best. Instead, it’s been a rollercoaster of underperforming Disney+ series and movies with few notable exceptions that have been praised far and wide.

We know that Marvel Studios has two Avengers movies planned for 2026 and 2027, ‘Kang Dynasty’ and ‘Secret Wars.’ But due to the most recent controversies surrounding Jonathan Majors and the poor performance of the movies that were released in the last year or so, the studio might be rethinking its strategy, and it’s been heavily rumored for the past several weeks that ‘Kang Dynasty’ perhaps ain’t happening at all.

‘Quantumania’ was the first movie that was supposed to showcase the new villain for the Avengers, Kang the Conqueror or Council of Kangs in any case.

Marvel Studios seems to be changing its plans for Kang the Conqueror following reports of Jonathan Majors' arrest, behind-the-scenes turmoil and disappointing reception to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Director Destin Daniel Cretton and writer Jeff Loveness have stepped down from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, indicating a shift in the direction of the Phase 6 film. There is speculation that Jonathan Majors' arrest and assault allegations have contributed to Marvel Studios potentially moving away from Kang the Conqueror, and the character may be recast or replaced by another iconic Marvel Comics villain.

Speculation suggests that Marvel Studios is changing its plans for Kang the Conqueror, and recent news concerning the development of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty may reinforce this belief. In the wake of the Mad Titan Thanos' defeat in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the MCU introduced Kang the Conqueror as the primary antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. After appearances in Loki...

Marvel Studios discussed replacing Kang the Conqueror with Doctor Doom in the MCU after Jonathan Majors' arrest in March 2023, potentially changing the future storylines. The possibility of replacing Kang was considered due to concerns about the reception of Quantumania and the uncertainty surrounding Majors' trial. Doctor Doom would have been a strong choice to replace Kang, as he is a well-known supervillain in Marvel Comics and has been rumored to debut in the MCU in the Fantastic Four reboot.

A new report has revealed that Marvel Studios discussed replacing Kang the Conqueror with Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Jonathan Majors' arrest in March 2023. Majors debuted as a variant of Kang the Conqueror, He Who Remains, in Loki season 1, before being set up to be the overarching villain of the McU's Multiverse Saga. In March 2023, however, Jonathan Majors was arrested on allegations of assault, throwing his future in the MCU into jeopardy,...

In the wake of Warner Bros’ pushing the Robert De Niro gangster pic Alto Knights to later in 2024, release date changes are aplenty for Disney due to the actors strike, but also Jonathan Majors’ ongoing legal woes.

To no surprise, Searchlight won’t be opening the actor’s Sundance critically acclaimed drama Magazine Dreams on Dec. 8 as Majors faces a trial date on Nov. 29 for a domestic violence case involving his ex-girlfriend from March this year. No word on what happens next to Magazine Dreams, but if all goes well for Majors, the calendar will indeed require plenty of product in the New Year. Searchlight still has their Venice Film Festival-winning Emma Stone, Yorgos Lanthimos-directed Poor Things going on Dec. 8, a title which is prized for awards season.

In regards to the actors strike’s impact on the Disney schedule: Forget about shifting 2024 movies deeper into next year; they...

Though Marvel still has not commented on it officially, Loki Season 2 executive producer Kevin Wright admitted that the situation surrounding Jonathan Majors' arrest in March is "a complicated [one]."

Despite the arrest due to alleged assault and the allegations which surfaced following it Majors is returning to the MCU in Loki's newest season. The Kang the Conqueror actor is expected to appear in at least three episodes.

Marvel has not made any statement on the matter, but a report suggested that Majors could stay in the franchise through Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Read full article on The Direct.

Warning: the following interview contains spoilers about tonight’s first episode of season 2 of Loki

After Loki’s amiga Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) opted to kill He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) spurring multiple nefarious versions of the newbie villain across several timelines, Loki was sent back to where it all started: the bureaucratic, office grind of the Tva — but a very different one; one where his new best friend Mobius (Owen Wilson) doesn’t recognize him. Out of touch with his soulmate, Loki is trying to find his way back to her. However, like Chicken Little, he’s trying to tell everybody that the sky is falling; that Kang the Conqueror is coming their way. We talk with Marvel executive and Loki season 2 EP Kevin Wright, who is with the series from start to finish, script to post, about the daunting task of living up to what was a spectacular season one.

Kang the Conqueror may need to be somewhat disappointing in order to set up future storylines in the McU's Multiverse Saga. The high stakes and possibilities introduced by the multiverse concept in the MCU may make it difficult to amp up the tension and stakes after the threat of Kang. It would make sense to downscale Kang and his variants in order to maintain building tensions and avoid potential anticlimactic moments in future storylines.

For the sake of the McU's future after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Kang the Conqueror may need to be somewhat disappointing. Primed to be a predominant villain in the McU's current Multiverse Saga, it's not wrong to assume that Kang will be as dangerous as Thanos was in the preceding Infinity Saga. However, this may not be the case for the sake of what will come after the fifth Avengers movie.

Having been teased in Marvel's Loki series,...

It’s usually impossible to predict which movies are going to be great and which are going to be terrible before actually watching them, but there have been several exceptions throughout history where films haven’t been successful in hiding their poor quality before release. Whether it’s because of a terrible idea for the story or awful casting choices, there are certain indicators that show up time and time again when a movie is destined to fail from the start.

Quality in a movie is subjective, and while there are certain aspects of these projects that audiences might enjoy, most of them made specific decisions that immediately warned viewers not to waste their money. Even the best filmmakers couldn’t have saved some of these projects, many of which are plagued by offensive storylines and terrible performances that are just beyond redemption.

The Conqueror

The Conqueror is a perfect...

Clockwise from left: Beyond The Sea (Lionsgate), Blonde (Netflix), The Conqueror (Rko Radio Pictures), Gotti (Vertical Entertainment) Photo: The A.V. Club Ever since Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in a blaze of color-tinted flames in George Méliès 1900 drama Joan Of Arc, biographical films, or biopics, have dramatized the lives of real-life people.

Clockwise from left: Beyond The Sea (Lionsgate), Blonde (Netflix), The Conqueror (Rko Radio Pictures), Gotti (Vertical Entertainment)Photo: The A.V. Club

Ever since Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in a blaze of color-tinted flames in George Méliès 1900 drama Joan Of Arc, biographical films, or biopics, have dramatized the lives of real-life people.

One of Kang the Conqueror's more prominent variants seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the McU's version of the Scarlet Centurion. Presented as part of a triumvirate of leading Kang variants, the Scarlet Centurion is positioned to play a major role in the future of the MCU. However, it already appears as though there will be some changes between the villain's depictions in the comics compared to this new on-screen version.

As seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's first post-credits scene, the variants responsible for banishing the primary Kang the Conqueror are revealed. Summoning every variant of Kang together in one massive arena, the Centurion is featured alongside Rama-Tut and Immortus, two other major Kang variants from the original Marvel Comics. Here's everything you need to know about the Scarlet Centurion, including his comics history and potential future in the MCU going forward.

Related: Every Version...

Jonathan Majors appeared as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, leading many to wonder whether he's the same variant as He Who Remains from Loki. After first being announced to be playing the McU's Kang the Conqueror in 2020, Jonathan Majors debuted as one of the villain's many variants, He Who Remains, in Loki's season 1 finale on Disney+, revealed to be the man behind the Time Variance Authority (Tva). Despite He Who Remains' death in Loki, the McU's Multiverse Saga allowed Majors to return as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but the appearance of two Kangs could lead to some confusion.

Kang the Conqueror has been billed as the McU's "new Thanos," the major villain for the Multiverse Saga, so the debut of one of his variants early on in Phase 4 came as a surprise but set the tone for the MCU going forward.

The One Ring to Rule Them All is in my house right now. To be clear, I do not live in Mordor. My home is in Los Angeles, which sometimes feels hot enough to be Mordor. I was not given custody of this ring by a visiting wizard, nor I did find it in the Gladden River. I ran my butt off to get it. I ran 1,815 miles to be exact, over the course of a little more than a year. I ran this challenge through daily training for four marathons, through way more rain and flooding than L.A. usually gets, planning a wedding, and trying to keep myself sane through world events. 

My metaphorical journey from the Shire to Mordor was a rough one, but like the events of "The Hobbit," which took place before Frodo and Sam's journey to save the world, it started before I set...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in the midst of the Multiverse Saga, and one mind-blowing MCU theory reveals Phase 4 had secret multiverse projects. The aftermath of Avengers: Endgame and the conclusion of the Infinity Saga allowed Marvel to pivot the franchise in a new direction. After telling a massive story within a single universe, the MCU began to expand into the multiverse with Phase 4. Officially known as the Multiverse Saga, the next several years of Marvel movies and shows are all building toward Avengers: Secret Wars with Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) prominently featured as variants of the multiverse villain.

Even though the MCU is building toward another multiversal war, several theories suggested that the multiverse would play a much bigger role in Phase 4. Some of the speculation included multiverse connections for Jane Foster's Mighty Thor transformation and that WandaVision would end with Scarlet Witch breaking the universe. The...

Movie star John Wayne was familiar with the type of work that went into being a stuntman. He had a deep appreciation for the folks who made the dangerous stunts come to life on the silver screen. However, Wayne had a favorite stuntman whom he deeply respected and enjoyed working with. In fact, they made a total of 32 movies together, making it clear that they had a long history together.

Who was John Wayne’s favorite stuntman? John Wayne | John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images

Wayne had one stuntman that he valued working with above all the rest – Chuck Roberson. He went from working as a police officer to serving in World War II to stuntwork. It all started thanks to a well-known stuntman named Guy Teague, he got his first job in the field at Republic Pictures.

Roberson starred in small roles as an actor, but he also went on...

Another variant of Kang the Conqueror could appear in Loki season 2 after his introduction in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The first project in the McU's Phase 5 debuted the warrior variant of Kang the Conqueror as the primary adversary to Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, and his Quantum Realm team of heroes, but Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's mid-credits scene debuted more Kang variants than anybody was expecting. The Council of Kangs officially brought Immortus, Rama-Tut, and hundreds of other variants of Kang the Conqueror into the MCU, marking the start of some major changes in the landscape of the MCU.

As a surprise for Marvel Studios' audiences, Loki season 2's story was teased in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which saw Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson reprise their roles from Phase 4's Loki as the titular God of Mischief and Tva worker Mobius M.

One variant of Kang the Conqueror recently revealed in the MCU surprisingly sets up Phase 5's Secret Invasion. Released on February 17, 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicked off the McU's Phase 5 by introducing the warrior variant of Kang the Conqueror, portrayed by Jonathan Majors, and a shock appearance of the Council of Kangs in Quantumania's mid-credits scene helped to set up several upcoming projects. Among the hundreds of Kang variants introduced in Quantumania, including Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Victor Timely, one surprising addition could be pivotal to the McU's next project, Secret Invasion.

Expected to premiere in early 2023, Secret Invasion will bring Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury back to Earth after the reveal that he was off-world in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Secret Invasion is set to be a dedicated espionage-style Disney+ series for Marvel Studios, as Fury, along with MCU newcomers Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Kingsley Ben-Adir, will...

Actor John Wayne was one of many Hollywood stars to die from cancer. It certainly slowed him down the first time around, but he refused to go down without a fight. Wayne incorporated his support for others with cancer into his public image, as he dedicated his time to a worthwhile cause. The actor once recalled the “biggest fear” when it came to his fight with cancer.

John Wayne contracted cancer twice John Wayne | American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images

Wayne fought cancer two different times over the course of his lifetime. He first contracted it in 1964 in the form of lung cancer, which resulted in the necessary removal of his left lung and two ribs. The movie star’s team wanted him to stay out of the public eye to maintain his image, but he wasn’t willing to do that. Rather, Wayne announced to the world that he...

Actor John Wayne had strong opinions regarding films, regardless of whether he starred in them or not. He was against the idea of a movie rating system, especially ones that earned ratings meant for mature audiences. Wayne once said that all actors starring in R- or X-rated films should have to show them to their daughter.

John Wayne chose his films carefully John Wayne | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Wayne lived by a strict set of values and morals. His sense of masculinity often informed his stances on many issues. His name often aligned with patriotism for the United States, especially when it came to conservative politics. Any moviegoer paying to see a movie starring Wayne knew exactly what to expect. He refused to to betray the image that he built.

The movie star declined many legendary roles in movies such as High Noon and Blazzing Saddles because he thought they were “un-American” or “dirty.

House of the Dragon season 2 has gotten a very detailed release date window from HBO. The series is the network's first follow-up to their smash hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, which was adapted from the Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin. Set 200 years earlier, House of the Dragon adapts the story of Martin's fictional 2018 history text Fire & Blood, which follows the slow collapse of the Targaryen dynasty in a civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. The ensemble cast of the series includes Emma D'Arcy, Paddy Considine, and Matt Smith.

Per Variety, while HBO hasn't announced the specific release date for House of the Dragon season 2, Casey Bloys, the content CEO for HBO and HBO Max, gave some strong hints about its release window. He said that "a good guess" for the release date of the show, which is currently in production,...

Movie star John Wayne starred in over 165 films over the course of his career. Unfortunately, they didn’t all necessarily make him proud. He had plenty of bad roles, some of which resulted from his performance and others because of casting. Nevertheless, there was one Wayne movie that was so traumatic that he “visually shuddered” when anybody would mention the title.

John Wayne admitted that he played some bad movie roles John Wayne | ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Wayne had his first chance to make it in the movie business with Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail in 1930. Unfortunately, audiences underappreciated it at the time, and it flopped at the box office. However, that didn’t mark the end. He was thrust into B-movie Westerns for many years, many of which he wasn’t too happy to be a part of. Nevertheless, he was lucky to have consistent work as an actor.

When it comes to the big bad in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," it's been all "Kang this" and "The Conqueror that." True Believers are constantly asking how the upcoming Phase Five kickoff will connect to the events of "Loki" and He Who Remains. And then beyond that, there's all the speculation about "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" down the road and whether or not the titular heroes in this movie will even make it that far. However, while all of that is well and good, we're overlooking a huge threat for the size-shifting superheroes: Modok.

As seen in the latest trailer for filmmaker Peyton Reed's latest adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fan-favorite Marvel Comics villain will come face to face with Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne as they and their family venture deep into the Quantum Realm. But so little is known about this iteration of...

Dick Powell's 1956 historical epic "The Conqueror" is one of the more notorious duds of the 1950s. It went famously over-budget, and while it did manage to make its money back, it was lambasted by critics at the time, mostly for its grievous miscasting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan. If you ever wanted to hear the Mongol leader Temujin with a Southern drawl, this film is a gift to you and you alone. The New York Times cited its bad script as a source of unintentional comedy, and John McCarten in The New Yorker mentioned that the many, many horses who fall down in the...

The post The Forgotten John Wayne Film That Left A Tragic Legacy appeared first on /Film.

Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has been roped in to star in action thriller ‘Fateh’ directed by Abhinandan Gupta. The film, touted to be inspired by real-life incidents, will see the actor pulling off high-octane action sequences in a cinematic universe. Sonu, who was last seen in Rohit Shetty’s cop movie ‘Simmba’, said, “The story piqued […]...

by Nathaniel R

As we've long noted for the rest of the online world that doesn't pay super close attention to this category even if they'll dutifully share press release, Denmark is currently Oscar's favourite country (statistically speaking). In the past 12 years they've been nominated six times, won twice, and also made the finals twice more without actually snagging the nomination. That's the best run of any country in quite a long while in this category. They're the defending champion since the brilliant boozy Another Round took the gold at the 93rd Oscars. It's rare for countries to win this category in consecutive years but Denmark could given their hot streak. They've actually done that once before (1987 & 1988 with Babette's Feast and Pelle the Conqueror). Here are their three finalists for submission this time around...

Jacques Tourneur’s ‘big sky’ western gives us the beauty of Colorado mountains plus stunning color images (originally Technicolor) of his attractive cast: Robert Stack, Virginia Mayo, Ruth Roman. North-South antagonisms break out in Denver City, before the Civil War begins, and Robert Stack’s loner opportunist must choose a side. The Wac’s disc includes four Jacques Tourneur short subjects, with mystery themes.

Great Day in the Morning

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1956 / Color / 1:2 widescreen (Superscope) / 92 min. / Street Date November 26, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Virginia Mayo, Robert Stack, Ruth Roman, Alex Nicol, Raymond Burr, Leo Gordon, Regis Toomey, Carleton Young, Donald MacDonald, William Phipps, Peter Whitney.

Cinematography: William Snyder

Film Editor: Harry Marker

Original Music: Leith Stevens

Written by Lesser Samuels, from the novel by Robert Hardy Andrews

Produced by Edmund Grainger

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

(Note: none of these images reflect the fine quality of the Blu-ray.)

The...

Welcome to this review of WWE Crown Jewel 2019, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have some celebrities, a tag team mega match and a brand new submariiiiiiiiiiiiiine! Let’s see if this show breaks the curse of bad shows from Saudi Arabia or not/Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! That’s not good…but Seals and Croft is.

Match #1: Winner: Humberto Carrillo – 20-Man Battle Royal For The U.S. Championship Title Shot (Kickoff Match) The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Exciting Raw newcomer Humberto Carrillo simultaneously won the biggest match of his career and seized his greatest opportunity in the WWE Crown Jewel Kickoff, where he triumphed in a 20-Man Battle Royal to earn a United States Championship bout against Aj Styles at the same event. The action came fast and furious throughout the over-the-top-rope melee, with Luke Harper & Erick Rowan securing the bulk of the eliminations. Following...

Welcome to this week’s Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a lot to get to, so shut up and sit down. Wait, how can I be rude to you people? One word at a time, that’s how. Ah…screw it. You’re all right, goofy-grape. What the hell was I talking about? This is why I need to buy a delete button. Oh, Raw. This one was actually quite good, so here we go.

Match #1: Seth Rollins def. Shelton Benjamin The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

In one sense, Seth Rollins’ victory over Shelton Benjamin didn’t tell the WWE Universe anything they didn’t already know: The Royal Rumble Match winner can, theoretically, beat Brock Lesnar. The question is how he’ll pull it off, and in that case, the first-time-ever bout provided some clues as to what...

Fiery dame Susan Hayward carries this far-flung ‘women’s epic’ to delirious romantic extremes, as her Irish heroine defies nature and exploits admirers to claim the hunky Dutchman of her dreams. Using apartheid-ridden South Africa as a background for a cheerful white conquest wasn’t as touchy an idea in 1955 as it is now, but it should have been. Just the same, Henry King’s film is an impressive production from the early years of CinemaScope.

Untamed

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date January 22, 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Richard Egan, John Justin, Agnes Moorehead, Rita Moreno, Hope Emerson, Brad Dexter, Henry O’Neill, Eleanor Audley, Kevin Corcoran, Philip Van Zandt.

Cinematography: Leo Tover

Film Editor: Barbara McLean

Original Music: Franz Waxman

Visual Effects: Ray Kellogg, Matthew Yuricich

Written by Talbot Jennings, Frank Fenton, Michael Blankfort, William A. Bacher from a novel by Helga Moray.

Martha Pinson’s “Tomorrow” took the narrative feature prize at the Scad Savannah Film Festival on Saturday, while Matthew Testa’s “The Human Element” won the documentary award. Other winners were the short “Geoff” and its directors and “Hold the Night” for editing. Skyler Samuels won the acting Jury Award for “Spare Room,” while “One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure” won the Jury Award for screenwriting. “Facing the Dragon” took the Unheard Voices trophy. The awards were given at a brunch at the Olde Pink House on Saturday.

The 21st edition of the fest kicked off with Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” on Oct. 27 and honored John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Armie Hammer, KiKi Layne and Chloe Grace Moretz, among others. In all, 164 films, including 33 narrative films, 16 documentary films and 115 shorts unspooled at the Savannah fest, which ended Saturday. The festival also screened several awards hopefuls, from...

After two straight years of all-white acting nominees in 2015 and 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences responded to the #OscarsSoWhite issue by inviting a far more diverse and younger field of talent both behind and in front of the camera to join. And though there are miles to go until there is true diversity, the academy’s nominees and winners are beginning to reflect our culture.

Last year, “Moonlight” became the first Best Picture winner with an all-black cast. Its director Barry Jenkins shared the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar with Tarell Alvin McCraney, while Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor. Viola Davis also took home Best Supporting Actress for “Fences.”

This year’s black nominees include Jordan Peele, a triple nominee for producing, directing and writing Best Picture contender “Get Out,” which also scored a Best Actor nomination for Daniel Kaluuya. Two-time winner Denzel Washington is nominated for “Roman J.

After two straight years of all-white acting nominees in 2015 and 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences responded to the #OscarsSoWhite issue by inviting a far more diverse and younger field of talent both behind and in front of the camera to join. And though there are miles to go until there is true diversity, the academy’s nominees and winners are beginning to reflect our culture.

Last year, “Moonlight” became the first Best Picture winner with an all-black cast. Its director Barry Jenkins shared the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar with Tarell Alvin McCraney, while Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor. Viola Davis also took home Best Supporting Actress for “Fences.”

This year’s black nominees include Jordan Peele, a triple nominee for producing, directing and writing Best Picture contender “Get Out,” which also scored a Best Actor nomination for Daniel Kaluuya. Two-time winner Denzel Washington is nominated for “Roman J.

John Wayne plays a German sea captain in a film that goes out of its way to create a favorable image of our former enemy, with hardly a Nazi flag or even a German accent in sight. Wayne and his co-star Lana Turner are as Teutonic as Blondie and Dagwood, yet the film works as a basic adventure – we like the charismatic star, and the sea chase format guarantees extra interest.

The Sea Chase

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 117 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar, Lyle Bettger, Tab Hunter, James Arness, Richard Davalos, John Qualen, Paul Fix, Alan Hale Jr., Peter Whitney, Claude Akins, John Doucette, Tudor Owen, Adam Williams.

Cinematography: William Clothier

Film Editors: William Ziegler, Owen Marks

Original Music: Roy Webb

Written by James Warner Bellah, John Twist from a novel by Andrew Geer

Produced and Directed...

By Doug Oswald

Released as a burn-to-order DVD from the Universal Vault Series, some may be quick to add that they should have kept “The Conqueror” in the vault. The movie is notorious for being one of the worst movies in Hollywood history. Much has been written about how terrible this movie is so I’m going to avoid jumping on that bandwagon. After all, calling this movie bad is like calling out water for being wet.

The movie is also a part of a conspiracy theory of sorts because many of the cast and crew died from cancer and some have connected those cancer deaths to the location filming in St. George Utah which was the stand-in for the Gobi Desert. St. George is downwind from where the above ground nuclear testing occurred in Nevada. Indeed, many involved with this movie did succumb to cancer including lifetime smoker John Wayne...

Andrew Blair Jan 30, 2017

Sometimes, the best of intentions don't always lead to the best movie. Here are 19 films where everything didn't quite go to plan...

As Alan Parker said ‘no one sets out to make a bad film’. Yet in spite of good intentions, sometimes a project doesn't quite go to plan. We're going to look at a bunch of movies here that aren't always well liked, and give a flavour of the problems the beset them.

So, in no particular order, here are twenty of the films that have ever been made, which are considered by at least one sentient being to be bad. That's not the interesting thing about them....

Robin Hood (2010)

Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris had written a spec script with a twist on the Robin Hood legend: the Sheriff of Nottingham was the hero, a sort of medieval forensic investigator, and Robin was the bad guy.

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:   Movie Characters in Real Life: Deadpool exists on the edges of the movie world and the real world, and he (via actor Ryan Reynolds) offered up a Nsfw response to a petition to get the character to host Saturday Night Live:   Filmmaker Parody of the Day: J.J. Abrams has already repaired the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises. Now he's on to The Matrix, Indiana Jones, Saw and more:   Vintage Image of the Day: John Wayne looks upon a geiger counter on the set of The Conqueror, which opened 60 years ago today. The film was shot on a nuclear test site, which is said to be the blame for the deaths of Wayne and much of the rest of the cast and...

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The Us turned swathes of desert radioactive during the cold war and denied it, bequeathing a medical mystery that still haunts Hollywood and rural Mormon communities and raises the question: how much do you trust the government?

The photograph shows John Wayne with his two sons during a break in filming on the set of The Conqueror, a big budget blockbuster about Genghis Khan shot in the Utah desert in 1954. It was one of Hollywood’s most famous mis-castings. The duke could do many things but playing a 13th century Mongol warlord was not one of them. Film geeks consider it one of the great turkeys of Hollywood’s golden age.

There is another, darker reason it endures in film lore. The photograph hints at it. Wayne clutches a black metal box while another man appears to adjust the controls. Wayne’s two teenage sons, Patrick and Michael, gaze at it,...

Miscasting in films has always been a problem. A producer hires an actor thinking that he or she is perfect for a movie role only to find the opposite is true. Other times a star is hired for his box office draw but ruins an otherwise good movie because he looks completely out of place.

There have been many humdinger miscastings. You only have to laugh at John Wayne’s Genghis Khan (with Mongol moustache and gun-belt) in The Conqueror (1956), giggle at Marlon Brando’s woeful upper class twang as Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and cringe at Dick Van Dyke’s misbegotten cockney accent in Mary Poppins (1964). But as hilarious as these miscastings are, producers at the time didn’t think the same way, until after the event. At least they add a bit of camp value to a mediocre or downright awful movie.

In rare cases,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has received a gift of costume design drawings and related production materials documenting the career of costume designer Michael Woulfe. Woulfe's career highlights include work on such films as Clash by Night (1952), The French Line (1953), Son of Sinbad (1955) and The Conqueror (1956). He was known for styling actresses such as Judy Garland, Jane Russell and Jean Simmons, and for designing the employee uniforms for four Las Vegas hotels and casinos owned by Howard Hughes, as well as the costumes for the Las Vegas nightclub shows of Debbie Reynolds, Lena

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