State Champ Radio Movies
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Source: Apple TV+ / Apple TV+
If you’re familiar with Spike Lee’s illustrious career in the film industry then you know that whenever he collaborates on a project with the likes of Denzel Washington it’s going to be something to behold, and more than a decade after working together on Inside Man, the two are back at it in a new crime drama, Highest 2 Lowest.
Yesterday (May 5), we got our first trailer for their upcoming film and though details are scarce, according to Vulture, the film is loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime film High and Low. Starring Denzel Washington alongside the likes of Jeffery Wright, A$AP Rocky, and Ice Spice (word?!), the teaser trailer seems to indicate that the plot will revolve around some shady business dealings and includes some elements of the music industry as we see Rocky recording in the studio.
We’ll have to wait to see how things will ultimately play out, but if it involves Spike Lee, Denzel and Jeffery Wright, it’s going to be some wild ish and we’re all for it.
Check out the trailer to Highest 2 Lowest below, and let us know if you’ll be checking it out when it drops in the comments section.
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Sinners, the hit horror film from director Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, is set in Mississippi in the small town of Clarksdale. Clarksdale, which doesn’t have its own movie theater, will host a special screening of the film this summer, according to reports.
TMZ reports that Clarksdale, a predominantly Black town of just under 15,000 residents, is where Sinners takes place. The nearest major city to Clarksdale is Memphis, which is about 76 miles to the north. The town doesn’t have a movie theater, so some residents have made the nearly 90-minute trek to Memphis and beyond to see the film. This summer, it appears that the town’s fortunes are changing. Mayor Chuck Epsy told TMZ that his side has spoken with Warner Bros. to bring Sinners to the town. Epsy says that the plan is to host a Juneteenth screening at Clarksdale High School’s football field and perhaps a panel featuring the stars, including director Ryan Coogler, Wunmi Mosaku, and more.
Sinners has defied box office expectations for a horror film, especially one that focuses primarily on Black characters. The success of the film has surprisingly baffled critics despite the high quality of storytelling and craftsmanship Coogler brought to the film.
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Photo: Tim P. Whitby / Getty
The voice cast for the upcoming 3D animated film based on Sir Paul McCartney‘s 2005 children’s book High in the Clouds will be lead by Celine Dion, Himesh Patel (Yesterday) and Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso). According to Variety, the film adaptation will also feature the voices of Idris Elba, Lionel Richie, McCartney’s former Beatles bandmate […]
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Source: @deadpoolmovie / Marvel
Just when it seemed like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s popularity was dead in the water, Ryan Reynolds threw Marvel a much needed lifeline with his cult classic Deadpool & Wolverine and single-handedly resurrected interest in the struggling MCU.
Now that fans are once again on the Marvel bandwagon following the announcement of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, many have been wondering what the future holds for Deadpool and Wolverine going forward, and it seems like we might have finally gotten some answers.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Reynolds is quietly plotting his return in Marvel’s upcoming Mutant Saga (which is rumored to be the focus over the next 10 years at Marvel Studios) and his next Deadpool film may feature more X-Men along with Wolverine. There has been rumors being thrown around for some time now that Deadpool may introduce X-Force in his next film as Marvel Studios continues to round out the cast for their upcoming X-Men film. Though there’s no word on which mutant characters would make an appearance in Deadpool 3, it seems like decisions will be made sooner than later as the project is already in the beginning stages of being written.
Per The Hollywood Reporter:
Reynolds is exploring ideas for a Deadpool movie that would feature X-Men characters, as well as continuing to script the Paramount comedy Boy Band after making writing a priority for much of this year before tackling other obligations, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
The multi-hyphenate is working on various treatments for an ensemble film featuring three or four X-Men characters. Deadpool would of course appear, but perhaps only as a supporting player. Reynolds is said to believe that keeping his f-bomb wielding anti-hero more on the sidelines could allow for the X-Men characters to be used in unexpected ways. Reynolds has been open about every Deadpool movie needing a strong reason to exist, and it’s possible this could provide the avenue he needs.
Truth be told we’ll have to wait to see how the everything pans out in the Marvel universe following the events of Doomsday and Secret Wars, which Deadpool and Wolverine are said to be a part of even though they haven’t been confirmed characters in the film as of yet.
As for Deadpool playing a supporting actor in his third installment, he’ll have to have some pretty popular mutant characters lead the film if that was to be the case. Either way we just want to see Deadpool standing alongside the Avengers or X-Men at some point, but even Reynolds admits that such a scenario may have some unexpected consequences.
At the time, Reynolds also told THR that he believed Deadpool could appear opposite the X-Men and the Avengers, but that the character joining those teams would have unintended consequences. “His ultimate dream is to be accepted and appreciated. But he can’t be accepted. His coping mechanism of deflecting shame through humor works only when used to pave over his many inadequacies. If and when he does become an Avenger or X-Man, we’re at the end of his journey.”
Nah, fans don’t want to see Deadpool’s journey come to an end anytime soon.
What do y’all want to see in a third Deadpool film? Let us know in the comments section below.
Rina Sawayama is headed back to the Wick-everse. The singer/actress who made her big screen debut in 2023 in John Wick: Chapter 4 as Shimazu Akira — the daughter of Osaka Continental Hotel manager and Wick pal Shimazu Koji — will reprise the role as the hotel’s concierge in an upcoming expansion of the film’s universe.
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According to Variety, Sawayama will once again play Akira in the Wick spin-off Caine, where she will appear opposite that film’s director/star/executive producer Donnie Yen. The legendary Hong Kong action star/producer played the blind High Table assassin Caine in the fourth installment in the blood-spattered action thriller series; Caine is slated to go into production later this year.
Yen had high praise for his co-star, telling Variety, “Most delighted to welcome Rina back into this new exciting journey with us. It will be my pleasure and attempt to elevate her amazing character that left us mesmerized from John Wick: Chapter 4!”
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Co-producer Chad Stahelski added, “Rina is such a badass. I love what she did with this role in Chapter 4 and can’t wait to see her cross paths with Caine once again.”
At press time there was no additional information on the plot, but according the magazine it is being billed as a “Hong Kong-style action thriller” similar to the Ip Man series that made Yen a star. Caine will reportedly continue the story arc in the wake of the fourth chapter of the series starring Keanu Reeves as a retired hitman lured back into the murder game after the killing of his beloved dog, with Caine now freed from his obligations to the mysterious High Table.
“John Wick: Chapter 4 introduced us to so many compelling, original characters, including Akira,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson. “We’re beyond thrilled to have Rina coming back to the franchise — Caine and Akira have unfinished business, and this next chapter in their stories will be explosive.”
The critically acclaimed Wick series is rapidly expanding its cinematic universe, with an upcoming spinoff starring Ana de Armas, Ballerina (June 6), as well as a recently announced animated Wick movie and a fifth chapter of the original film series.
Sawayama fans are still waiting for word on the follow-up to the multi-hyphenate’s 2022 sophomore album, Hold the Girl. The singer most recently appeared alongside Paris Hilton on the influencer and sometime singer’s 2024 comeback single, “I’m Free.”
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Source: Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Bros.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock as of late (or MAGA country), you’d know that Ryan Coogler’s latest film Sinners has become a cultural phenomenon; the likes that haven’t been seen since white folks flooded theaters to see Leonardo DiCaprio turn into a ice popsicle in the name of love in James Cameron’s Titanic (what a burger).
Now that we’re all aware that Sinners is the must-see film of 2025, the film will see a re-release on IMAX screens later this month, and best believe fans cannot wait to experience the horror film filled with heart and soul once again.
According to Variety, on May 15, Sinners will once again be premiering in theaters. But this time the Ryan Coogler classic will be shown at specific IMAX theaters across the United States so that viewers can truly experience the magic of the move that was shot in 70mm film. Tickets for the film are on sale on the IMAX website, and best believe these will be hard to come by as May 15 inches closer. So if you plan on getting a seat or two, now would be the time to act.
Per Variety:
“Audiences have spoken and we listened. If ever a film needed to be experienced in this incredible larger-than-life format, it’s ‘Sinners,’” Warner Bros. Pictures president of global distribution Jeff Goldstein said in a statement. “Ryan has delivered a film that has been embraced by fans who appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into creating a film for this screen-filling format and we wanted to give everyone the opportunity to see it — or see it again — in 70mm Imax.”
“Sinners” will be back in Imax 70mm at the City Walk Stadium 19 + Imax (Los Angeles), Irvine Spectrum and Imax (Irvine), Lincoln Square 13 + Imax (New York), Metreon 16 + Imax (San Francisco), Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis), Arizona Mills IMAX (Phoenix), Autonation Imax (Ft. Lauderdale), Webb Chapel Imax (Dallas) and Colossus Imax (Toronto).
Already having grossed $161 million against its modest $90 million budget, Sinners is already proving to be a great success for Ryan Coogler. Fans are now saying that Marvel should have put this man in charge of writing and directing Blade. Interestingly enough, there’s rumors that Sinners was supposed to be Coogler’s origin story for Blade (who he says is his favorite Black vampire), but was ultimately turned into an original vampire film. The rest is history.
Will you be checking out Sinners when it hits IMAX theaters later this month? Let us know in the comments section below.
Charli xcx has lined up yet another major acting gig. According to Variety, the singer will star in and produce the next movie from Japanese horror director Takashi Miike (Yakuza Apocalypse, Ichi the Killer). At press time no information was available about the film’s plot, but the unnamed film will be the second project Charli […]
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Anadolu / Ruth E. Carter
We continue to learn more about Marvel Studios’ Blade reboot, currently stuck in limbo, from those who were initially attached to the project.
Two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer, Ruth E. Carter, is spilling the beans on Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot that can’t seem to get off the ground.
Speaking on the Designing Hollywood podcast, Carter discussed her experience preparing for Marvel Studios’ Blade movie, revealing that the iteration of the film she was attached to at the time was going to be a period piece.
“I was prepping Blade for Marvel, and it was a 1920s Blade story, and it got shut down because of the writers’ strike and the actors’ strike, so I was just in limbo,” Carter revealed. “Having done a lot of research for this period piece about a vampire—Blade is a vampire story—[Coogler]’s wife, Zinzi, who also was a producer on [Sinners], she gave me a call and said, ‘I’m not gonna tell you the story, but Ryan has a story he’s going to tell you about … It is a period piece about vampires.’ And I thought, ‘Okay, I have already been living in that space for quite a long time prepping Blade, and Blade‘s not going to happen, so let me hear it.’”
Marvel Studios’ Blade’s Troubled Development
Since its announcement in 2019, the Blade reboot has had several different iterations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, one version of the film was supposed to take place on a “massive train.”
The version Ruth was attached to, the period piece, also starred Mia Goth as a vampire villain named Lillith who had a thirst for Blade’s daughter.
Goth is still attached to the project, but it sounds like we will never see that version of the film. Thankfully, for Carter, she was able to take that mindset from Blade to Sinners, helping her long-time collaborator deliver another box office win.
This latest development comes on the heels of Delroy Lindo speaking about his character in the Blade reboot and revealing that production “went off the rails,” leading to his departure from the project. He subsequently joined Coogler’s Sinners, where he is currently receiving praise for his performance in the film.
At this point, we hope this Blade movie starring Ali still happens.
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Source: Marvel Studios / Thunderbolts*
Word on the streets is that Marvel Studios is back (even though they never left), according to reactions from those who saw the latest entry in the MCU, Thunderbolts*.
Fans and critics, including our very own Bernard “Beanz” Smalls, got to see Thunderbolts* ahead of its May 2 release, and the consensus is that the movie is a return to the top-tier comic book movie form we have come to expect from Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios.
Most reactions praise the film for its surprisingly emotional tone, a quality often lacking in Marvel flicks. Others are praising Florence Pugh’s performance as Yelena, who is now headlining her first film since her debut in the underrated Black Widow film and a guest appearance in the Disney+ series Hawkeye.
Pugh’s performance is being hailed as “superb,” with Beanz adding in his first reaction that she was the film’s “MVP.”
“#Thunderbolts was awesome. Tons of implications on how the MCU is moving forward. The team works well together, plenty of emotion. Yelena is my MVP. Definitely a super fun movie,” Beanz’s full reaction read.
Another reaction read, “#Thunderbolts is A24 meets Superhero character study. Raw. Fresh. Hilarious at times. Sad at others. It has you rooting for this scrappy ensemble on the edge of your seat. Big implications, but still it’s own thing. If this is how the MCU is doing films now, BRAVA.”
We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves.
Film writer Emily Murray described Thunderbolts* as “easily one of the best MCU movies in a long time,” adding it “Has so much spark, charisma, and tells a genuinely emotional story you connect with. A tear was shed. Florence Pugh in particular superb, just walks away with it.”
“Biggest compliment I can pay #Thunderbolts is that it felt like Infinity era MCU. A focus on the characters and story, rather than fan service or future set-up (until lengthy post-credit scene). Terrific cast, led by the always-excellent Florence Pugh,” said another user on X.
Hit the #Thunderbolts hashtag on X, and you will be hard-pressed to find a negative reaction. We shall see if the critics all agree when reviews drop next week.
Until then, hit the gallery for more reactions.
1. All facts here
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Anadolu / Delroy Lindo
Marvel Studios’ take on Blade starring Mahershala Ali has become a running joke in Hollywood, and Delroy Lindo is providing some insight on why the film can’t seem to get out of limbo.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Lindo, who is currently promoting Ryan Coogler’s epic vampire flick, Sinners, opened up about the troubled Marvel Studios project, touching on issues like creative differences that have hampered production for the film, which was announced in 2019.
Lindo was announced to be joining the Blade reboot in 2021, subsequently exiting the project, revealing to the publication that it “went off the rails.”
“When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input,” the Da 5 Bloods actor said. “And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails.”
Lindo revealed that his character in the Blade reboot was supposed to have a “Marcus Garvey-esque” persona.
“I’m not saying that it would’ve been an out-and-out Garvey-ite. Not that, but just in terms of how this man’s philosophy, his ethos, and what was driving him. He was a character who had, very similar to Sinners, created a community, a Black community. He was a character who was the head of this community,” Lindo added.
It sounds like we missed out on something epic.
Welp.
Ali’s Blade Movie Is Currently A Joke
Since Ali’s Blade has failed to enter the MCU, the Academy Award-winning actor has appeared in other films, as well as the forthcoming entry in the Jurassic Park film franchise, and in other movies that were announced around the same time as the reboot, which has become a constant gag.
Wesley Snipes, who successfully brought the Daywalker to the big screen in three feature-length films, and recently reprised the role in Deadpool & Wolverine, has even taken shots at Ali’s Blade movie.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige insists that Ali is still very much involved with the Blade project and that it’s coming. We will continue to put faith in the man that is finally giving us the X-Men we have wanted to see for years, and delivered some of the greatest comic book movies of all-time.
He deserves that much grace.
