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This movie about an Iraq War troop based on an acclaimed book is a surefire Oscar contender

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It's never too early to start up Oscar talk, and after watching the trailer for "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," you'll know what I mean.

Director Ang Lee's ("Life of Pi,""Brokeback Mountain") latest movie looks at the victory tour of 19-year-old soldier Billy Lynn after an intense tour in Iraq. The film shows what really happened over there through flashbacks and contrasts that with the perception of Billy and his squad back home.

It's based on the universally praised 2012 novel of the same name by Ben Fountain, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. For that and Ang Lee's name alone, it's sure to get a lot of attention.

Shot in 3D, the movie is certain to be visually stunning. But it also looks like it has the emotional weight to carry it to award season.

The film stars Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and newcomer Joe Alwyn as Billy Lynn.

Watch the trailer below. The movie opens in November.

 

SEE ALSO: Seth Rogen still has a big question about the Sony hacks from 'The Interview'

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NOW WATCH: Bill Cosby will stand trial on sexual assault charges


Lionsgate might make up to 7 more 'Power Rangers' movies

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Power Rangers

Are you excited for the upcoming "Power Rangers" movie? Are you excited enough to watch seven more?

Jon Feltheimer, the CEO of Lionsgate, sure hopes so. "Variety" reports that the head of the studio behind the blockbuster adaptation of the long-running series said that they had huge plans for the franchise. 

"We are really, really excited about the ‘Power Rangers’ movie,” Feltheimer said during a Thursday conference call. "We could see doing five, or six, or seven."

"Power Rangers," starring Elizabeth Banks as the villainous Rita Repulsa, will premiere in theaters on May 24, 2017.

If Lionsgate has its way, they'll probably still be releasing sequels in the year 2087.

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NOW WATCH: Seth Rogen explains why Marvel is great at making sequels

Movie trailers have a new trick to keep you watching — and the people who make them hate it

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deepwater horizon summit entertainment final

Some of the biggest new trailers to hit the internet begin with a six- to seven-second tease of what you're about to watch before it begins.

Whether Tom Hanks trying to save the world in "Inferno" or Ben Affleck as an assassin in "The Accountant," these short trailers-within-the-trailers have been bubbling up this year.

YouTube commenters have caught it. One asked of the "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" trailer, "Why the hell is there a trailer for the trailer you're about to see?" Another wrote of "Inferno,""First I watched an ad, then I watched trailer for the trailer then I finally watched the trailer."

Two weeks ago, the senior vice president of communications at CBS Films, Grey Munford, provided some insight on the new trend when he tweeted after the"Hell or High Water" trailer went online.

So basically, studios have found that to get our attention as we scroll through our social-media feeds, they need to tease the tease.

The latest example arrived Thursday when the trailer for the Mark Wahlberg movie "Deepwater Horizon," about the worst oil spill in US history, went live. If you saw it on social media, you got the six-second tease showing huge explosions and the movie's stars. (The tease doesn't appear on the YouTube trailer, however.)

Movie trailer veteran Mark Woollen made the "Deepwater" clip through his boutique trailer house Mark Woollen & Associates. When Business Insider talked to Woollen on Thursday, he didn't hold back his thoughts about the teaser-before-the-trailer trend. He's not into it.

"I guess there's some data somewhere that supports it," Woollen said. "But it feels like a form of self-cannibalism myself."

Woollen said trailer houses were not responsible for the teasers of the trailers. Instead, he said, the teasers are often put together at the last second by the studios before a trailer's release.

"You spend months going through the process of making a trailer, which is trial and error and different voices involved and research and all of that, and then the week before the trailer comes out it's like, 'Oh, we should take five of the best shots and put it before the whole thing,'" Woollen told Business Insider.

Woollen has become the go-to trailer guy in Hollywood for some of the biggest names in the business, including David Fincher, Spike Jonze, and the Coen brothers. He made the trailer for "The Revenant," and most recently his company handled "The Lobster" and "Swiss Army Man." He says others who work on trailers have similar views about the teasers.

Woollen acknowledges that he isn't fully in the conversation about why studios have decided to start this. But he thinks a big reason is that, after you've viewed three seconds of a video playing on Facebook or Twitter, it counts as a view. So the teaser doesn't just grab attention — it actually pushes up a key performance metric for a film.

"At the end of the day, is it about getting numbers or making an impression and really creating real interest?" Woollen said.

"We're taking something that a director had been working on for sometimes years and we're making that first introduction, so to have this vomit of stuff before the actual trailer happens, it's something that I'm not a fan of," he continued. "There are always different trends and tropes. I don't know when this one will pass, but maybe with enough pushback it will."

SEE ALSO: Critics are split on the new "X-Men" movie — here's why

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How the 'X-Men: Apocalypse' cast looks compared to their comic-book counterparts

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The end is here. "X-Men: Apocalypse" is finally in theaters. The new film pits the X-Men against an ancient would-be God bent on creating a new world order, and the stakes have never been higher for the mutants.  

As with every superhero film, longtime fans of the comics were eager to follow casting news to see how the big screen versions would measure up to how they've always seen their favorite heroes. Since "Apocalypse" features a whole new class of fan-favorites (Jubilee, Psylocke, Jean Grey, and Cyclops), audiences are even more excited to see how they measure up.

Read on for a brief glimpse at the characters' comic histories and see how they compare to their on-screen counterparts.

Magneto (Michael Fassbender) returns as one of the Four Horsemen. While he's tried to live a normal life, personal tragedy drove him to join Apocalypse.



Psylocke (Olivia Munn) is another one of the Horsemen. She's a lethal swordswoman, assassin, and powerful telepath.



Ororo, better known as Storm (Alexandra Shipp), sports her punk-inspired '80s era mohawk. In the film, we'll see glimpses of her life in Cairo before she became Storm.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The new 'X-Men' is already crushing the box-office competition

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With a strong $8.2 million in its Thursday preview screenings, "X-Men: Apocalypse" is looking to have a great Memorial Day weekend opening at the box office, despite critics being split on the latest film in the franchise.

The ninth "X-Men" film, which brings stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender back to their mutant roles matched against new foes played by Oscar Isaac and Olivia Munn, currently has a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But the blockbuster is projected to make around $85 million over the long weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter

Though "Apocalypse" is on par with the Thursday earning of the previous X-Men movie, "Days of Future Past" ($8.1 million), Fox is gun-shy to predict a $100 million opening for its latest X-Men flick ("Future Past" opened at over $110 million when it debuted in the US on Memorial Day weekend of 2014).

A big reason for this hesitancy could be the polarizing nature of "Apocalypse." But general audiences are very excited to see the movie, as its pre-order sales are close to those of "Future Past," according to Fandango.

alice through looking glass 2 finalOne thing we know: This holiday weekend, a Disney movie will not top the US box office.

Though the studio has been dominating 2016, its latest release, "Alice Through the Looking Glass," looks to be a dud. The movie has a meager 27% on Rotten Tomatoes and took in $1.5 million on Thursday, for a weekend projection of around $60 million, according to Deadline.

This is just a minor speed bump for Disney, as its titles on deck (particularly "Finding Dory" opening June 17) will put the company right back in the driver's seat.

This Memorial Day weekend will certainly be a better one for Hollywood than last year, as the George Clooney-starrer "Tomorrowland" topped the 2015 holiday with a soft $42.7 million.

SEE ALSO: Movie trailers have a new trick to keep you watching — and the people who make them hate it

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Tom Hiddleston is reportedly in 'advanced' talks to be the next James Bond

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Tom Hiddleston

With recent reports that Daniel Craig has declined an offer to continue as James Bond, one of the internet's favorites to take over mantle of 007 may be inching closer to actually doing it.

Sources close to British actor Tom Hiddleston told Birth Movies Death that the star is in "advanced talks" to take over the role. But the source points out that no official offer has been made to Hiddleston yet.

Craig has played Bond for the last four films and has become a major earner for the franchise, as his films brought in over $3 billion worldwide.

Hiddleston has gotten a larger profile thanks to his darkly comedic performance as Loki in the Marvel movies, and more recently showed off his chops in a spy-type role with the AMC miniseries "The Night Manager," in which he plays former British soldier Jonathan Pine from the John le Carré's novel of the same name.

Spectre James Bond Daniel CraigThis is the first news of an actor having serious talks to take over for Craig.

Internet fodder has also bumped up candidates like Idris Elba and Gillian Anderson.

Hiddleston has not made it a secret that he wants the job. He told The Sunday Times earlier this year, "If it ever came knocking, it would be an extraordinary opportunity. And I’m very aware of the physicality of the job. I would not take it lightly."

Sony, which releases the Bond movies, recently told Business Insider that it has no comment on the reports of Craig not returning for the yet untitled 25th Bond movie.

SEE ALSO: The 29 most shocking deaths in all of "Game of Thrones"

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NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Stan Lee has made 31 cameos in the Marvel universe — here they all are

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While Marvel media includes multiple universes across TV and film, one thing unites them all: the Stan Lee cameo.

Lee is an unrivaled legend in the comics worlds and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. His creative work began in 1939 and includes hugely recognizable characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and the X-Men.

The 93-year-old has subtly appeared in all manner of Marvel media. He does films, including both Marvel/Disney collaborations like "Avengers" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" and Marvel/Fox film franchises like "X-Men," as well as the Netflix and ABC television adaptations.

In honor of his cameos in "Captain America: Civil War" and "X-Men: Apocalypse," we've put together all of Lee's Marvel appearances. Keep reading to see if you can remember them all.

Stan Lee's first live-action Marvel cameo was as a hot dog vendor in "X-Men" (2000).



He showed up as a helpless bystander in "Spider-Man" (2002).



A young Matt Murdock saves Stan from walking into traffic in "Daredevil" (2003).



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Captain America's recent bombshell has been in the works for over a year

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For decades, Captain America has been a paragon of heroism: self-sacrificing, dedicated, and extremely moral. That all came crashing down with the release of "Captain America: Steve Rogers #1," when the hero was revealed as a double agent for Hydra, an underground network of assassins and saboteurs dedicated to creating chaos. 

It was a breakneck turn for the character, and The Daily Beast spoke with Nick Spencer, the Marvel writer behind the twist. Spencer revealed the Hydra bombshell had been in the works at Marvel for 16 months.

"I was really surprised," he said. "I thought for sure it would be ruined."

Revealing that Marvel took "a lot of special measures" to prevent leaks, Spencer broke down the process of turning America's hero into a double agent. He said that the idea came during a retreat with other Marvel writers and artists. He laid out the story arc for them, building on previous storylines that hinted Hydra had a plant working within one of the superhero teams. 

"Rick Remender was the previous writer on the book and when I took over, he had had some plotlines that were outstanding. Tom [Brevoort, his editor] ran through them with me, and one of them was that Hydra had infiltrated all the various teams and organizations in the Marvel universe and we were gonna be weeding out the various Hydra clans. So I started to kind of drill it down a bit and I started wondering, what if there’s just one Hydra plant?"

From there, Spencer began narrowing down which singular hero could do the most damage as a Hydra agent. Decades of fighting against Hydra made Cap the leading candidate – his record is beyond reproach. No one would suspect him. Which makes him the most dangerous. 

"He’s the leader of the Avengers," Spencer explains, "he has a relationship with the U.S. government, and he works closely with SHIELD. Not to mention just his status in the Marvel universe—he’s a symbol, everyone trusts him, everybody looks to him as an authority. "

As he told Daily Beast, this storyline is more than a simple fake out or shock tactic to pull in readers. Fans can expect these revelations to echo throughout the Marvel universe for a very long time. 

“I’ve seen a lot of people say things like, ‘Oh, it’ll be wrapped up in the arc,’ or ‘Give it six months,’" he said. "And I can tell you, that’s not the case. This has real lasting repercussions that are gonna be with us for a while.”

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'X-Men: Apocalypse' is nowhere near as good as ‘Captain America: Civil War'

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Warning: There are some minor spoilers ahead for "X-Men: Apocalypse."

There’s a part in "X-Men: Apocalypse" when a young Jean Grey, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Jubilee leave a movie screening of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." As the teens discuss their thoughts on the 1983 film, Jean Grey proclaims, "At least we can all agree, the third one’s always the worst."

That’s a pretty good summation of "Apocalypse." The latest entry into the "X-Men" franchise isn’t by any means awful, but it’s not the best superhero movie you’ll see this summer either.

It’s definitely the weakest of the latest trilogy of "X-Men" movies (2011’s "First Class" and 2014’s "Days of Future Past"). Unless you’re Michael Fassbender or James McAvoy, big talent is pretty squandered in the film.

The movie follows En Sabah Nur, aka Apocalypse, labeled the first mutant ever. He’s awakened after being trapped for centuries under the Earth in Egypt and he’s out to do what most villains do — take over the world.

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But he doesn’t want to do it alone. He hunts down the biggest, baddest mutants he can find to join him and help rid the Earth of all non-mutants.

There’s Storm (Alexandra Shipp), who can control the weather, Psylocke (Olivia Munn), who has telekinetic powers, Magneto (Fassbender) who controls metal and has been a part of the X-Men franchise since 2000. And then there’s Angel (Ben Hardy). 

This guy:

x men archangel

Let that sink in for a second. The most powerful mutant on the planet wants to get together a group of the world’s four most powerful beings and he picks Storm, Psylocke, Magneto, and … Angel?

I know it’s canon for Archangel to be a member of the Four Horsemen, and that he gets some scary metallic feather projectiles, but the group also had a rotating cast. When you’re adapting a group like that for the big screen, why wouldn’t Apocalypse have a strong telepath like Charles Xavier join the team or Jean Grey? At one point, writers did consider making Xavier one of the Horsemen.

charles xavier

By the end of the film, that probably won’t even bother you that much because the biggest problem with Apocalypse is the title villain himself. En Sabah Nur is a rather generic and boring villain. If this guy is all the mutants have to worry about after altering time in the last film, then I guess they’ll be okay (for now).

There’s a scene early on with Apocalypse where he touches a television screen. A young Storm asks him what he’s doing and he responds, "Learning." The scene is odd because not only is it unclear how he’s absorbing thousands of years worth of knowledge through a TV in Egypt, but it feels like an idea borrowed straight out of "The Fifth Element," when Leeloo first learns of the world’s wars. This could not feel more unoriginal.

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Apocalypse is a villain with very singular tastes. He wants to cleanse the world of humans and hand it over to the mutants. It’s such a generic super villain trope. His endgame is rather reminiscent of Malekith’s in “Thor: The Dark World.” He just wants to see the world destroyed, and we get some of that in mind-numbing destruction scenes which audiences have grown accustomed to seeing in big blockbusters. There’s nothing that feels extra special about bridges giving way and cities crumbling in peril. They could be scenes from any monster movie or big action film.

And this stinks. Apocalypse is supposed to be one of the X-Men’s truly big bads — an all powerful God with a range of seemingly unlimited abilities — so it’s disappointing that we get an Apocalypse who is essentially a throwaway villain.

I was ready for this guy to be a threat for films to come, but it doesn’t look like we’ll see him again.

world trade center x men apocalypse

This is no fault of the very talented Oscar Isaac. Honestly, they could have had any actor under this getup and it wouldn’t have mattered. Plus, it doesn’t help that Apocalypse looks like a villain from 1995's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" movie. It’s awfully distracting. Isaac should be thankful most fans won’t recognize it’s Poe Dameron (“Star Wars”) under all that makeup.

What’s slightly more unbelievable is that Quicksilver — played to a tee once again by the wonderful Evan Peters — is the one mutant who is able to get close enough to Apocalypse to give him a good old slap in the face. As a villain, he’s basically untouchable in this movie until Peters’ character somehow sneaks up on him to get the best of him. It's an enjoyable, hilarious moment for fans, but if this centuries-old mutant really is all powerful, how is it that he's not able to stop Quicksilver in his tracks? Distractions or not, I'm calling foul.

Apocalypse isn’t the only wasted character in the film.

While "Civil War" was able to do the impossible by balancing a large cast of actors, "Apocalypse" falls short of this task. There are at least 15 big characters in the film, and viewers are introduced to not one or two new characters, but at least seven: There’s young Storm, Angel, Scott, Jean, Jubilee, Nightcrawler, and Psylocke. And that's in addition to Apocalypse.

The sequel introduces so many new mutants, in fact, that if I had to tell you anything of substance about a lot of them, I really couldn’t and that’s a shame.

jean grey nightcrawler cyclops

Olivia Munn feels like she’s just there dressed up as a sexy Psylocke with telekinetic powers and nothing more. This was the character many people were probably looking most forward to from the trailers, however the most exciting thing you see her do was given away in the trailer when she slices through a vehicle. Her character’s main gripe in the film is that she’s being held back from showing off her potential powers, and that about sums up Psylocke in this movie.

psylocke  

Storm (Shipp) feels like she’s trying too hard to live up to Halle Berry in the iconic role without having enough time to make it her own. Jubilee (Lana Condor) is absolutely adorable in her ‘80s getup of pigtails and big hoop earrings, but she’s kind of just there hanging out with the cool standouts of the younger cast — Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), the future Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), and Sophie Turner ("Game of Thrones") as a young Jean Grey.

Jennifer Lawrence returns once again as the blue skin-changer Mystique, but even she seems like she’s kind of done with the franchise. After "Days of Future Past," she’s revered by all the young mutants as someone to aspire towards. It seems like an awfully similar and tiring real-world parallel to Lawrence’s actual celebrity. After three films with the X-Men and four with the "The Hunger Games," at this point Lawrence is one of the most in-demand women in Hollywood. She doesn’t need the X-Men vehicles. They need her.

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However, she’s not even the best part of the movie.

That, once again, belongs to Evan Peters. His speedster character Quicksilver returns in another epic slow-down sequence to the tune of "Sweet Dreams are Made of These." They really are. It’s a bit of a rehash of his rescue sequence in "Days of Future Past"— if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? — but it’s still immensely enjoyable. When you think that may be his only big scene, we’re spoiled with a few more, including one of the film’s biggest and funniest moments. Fox, please give him his own spinoff movie. Please?

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Hugh Jackman also has a super-sized cameo in the film as Wolverine. This would have been a nicer surprise for viewers if it wasn’t teased at the end of a trailer. It would have been even nicer if Wolverine had a few lines in the movie, too.

x men wolverine

Thinking about the latest installment is interesting because for a movie called "X-Men: Apocalypse," the film really belongs to Fassbender and his Magneto persona. Much of the film franchise has dealt with telling the character’s heartbreaking life story as a Holocaust survivor. Underneath the story of a power-hungry mutant (Apocalypse), is another chapter into the bleak and sorrowful life of Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr.

Just when it looks like Eric is getting to live a normal quiet life in Poland as a factory worker, the rug gets pulled out from under him and he goes rogue on his fellow mutants with Apocalypse. Honestly, the guy just needs a hug the entire film (and to know he has an awesome son named Quicksilver).

xmen-apocalypse-magneto

If it weren’t for the father and son duo in "Apocalypse," it wouldn’t be nearly as watchable. There are a few funny moments, one of which belongs to Magneto, but when you think of the entire premise of the latest "X-Men" movie, it’s pretty silly. The movie is put into motion by a CIA agent, Moira MacTaggert, who is on the hunt for the first mutant. If she didn’t sneak into an underground chamber, he would never have been awakened. This is all Moira’s fault. Maybe if Professor X didn’t spend the entire movie giving her googly eyes, he would have realized this. (Not that they would have gone back in time to prevent this from happening. After all, they did do that in the last movie, 2014’s "Days of Future Past." X-Men has already played the time travel card.)

There are some good parts in "X-Men: Apocalypse," but this film does not stand out as a favorite. It’s not better than "X-Men," or "X-2," and certainly not "Days of Future Past." It’s not worse than "X3." It’s just okay. 

And that’s the thing about the X-Men movies. They were never trying to be the best superhero movies. They were around long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are still alive and kicking over 15 years later. The X-Men franchise is essentially the "Fast and Furious" of the superhero genre. (There’s a theme in "Apocalypse" about the X-Men being able to succeed together as a family as opposed to by themselves. I could just hear Vin Diesel in my head going, "I don’t have friends, I got family," in my head.)

Overall, the "X-Men" films are there to deliver something fun and mostly satisfying, and you do get a lot of that. It’s just not the movie you’re going to be eager to return to the theater to rewatch.

"X-Men: Apocalypse" is in theaters Friday, May 27.

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NOW WATCH: Olivia Munn spent six hours a day training for 'X-Men', and now she has killer sword-fighting skills

Scientists can tell what kind of movie you’re watching based on the chemicals in your breath

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When a movie studio wants to find out what audiences think of their films, they usually have to wait for focus group responses or reviews. But what if they could get instant feedback from viewers' breath?

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and Johannes Gutenberg University measured the chemicals in the air during 108 screenings of 16 movies. These were as diverse as "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,""Buddy,""The Hobbit," and “The Hunger Games."

Apparently, the scientists could determine what sort of movie had been screened based on those chemicals, as well as how the audience reacted to it, on a scene-by-scene basis.

“The chemical signature of ‘The Hunger Games’ was very clear; even when we repeated the measurements with different audiences,” Jonathan Williams, one of the study's authors, wrote. “The carbon dioxide and isoprene levels in the air always increased significantly as the heroine began fighting for her life."

The researchers suggested that chemical changes are caused by the way we breathe during certain scenes. In suspenseful scenes, for example, the audience members become tense and breathe faster, excreting more adrenaline and cortisol.

It's hard to tell how useful this research will be. One application, The Wall Street Journal suggested, is for advertisers. Since they will be able to track specific points of time in a movie, they will be able to tell how audiences are reacting to their product placements.

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24 military movies to watch over Memorial Day weekend

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Few things have the power to transport people like the cinema.

Who can forget Robert Williams' "Good morning, Vietnam" or Marine Corps DI Hartman's memorable quotes?

The following list is of our favorite military movies.

SEE ALSO: An amazing look inside the US Air Force's headquarters in Europe

"The Longest Day" (1962)

"The Longest Day" tells the story of heroism and loss that marked the Allies' successful completion of the Normandy Landings on D-Day during World War II.

The film stands out due to its attention to detail, as it employed many Axis and Allied D-Day participants as advisers for how to depict the D-Day landings in the movie.



"Lawrence Of Arabia" (1962)

Based on the exploits of British Army Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence during World War I, "Lawrence of Arabia" tells the story of Lawrence's incredible activities in the Middle East.

The film captures Lawrence's daring, his struggles with the horrific violence of World War I, and the incredible British role in the foundation of the modern Middle East and Saudi Arabia.



"The Great Escape" (1963)

"The Great Escape" is based on a novel of the same name, which was a nonfiction account of a mass escape from a German prison camp in Poland during World War II. The film follows several British German prisoners of war as they try to escape from the Nazis and make their way back to Allied-controlled territory. 



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The 100 most memorable movie shots from the past 100 years

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Filmmaker Jacob T. Swinney's near 7-minute supercut entitled "100 Years/100 Shotsshowcases the most memorable frames of the last 100 years of cinema.

"While many of these shots are the most recognizable in film history, others are equally iconic in their own right," Swinney wrote on his vimeo page.

"Some shots pioneered a style or defined a genre, while others tested the boundaries of censorship and filmgoer expectations."

We've selected 36 of our favorite shots (and here's the full video):

SEE ALSO: The 30 most expensive movies ever made

"Psycho"



"Breakfast at Tiffany's"






"Lawrence of Arabia"



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The new X-Men movie dominates a weak Memorial Day weekend box office

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Are the days of the $100 million Memorial Day weekend over?

This is turning out to be another soft holiday weekend at the box office with lackluster new releases not motivating audiences to leave their beach chairs.

Though "X-Men: Apocalypse" will win the four-day weekend, with an estimated $65 million as of Sunday and a projected $80 million by Monday, that's not as strong as the previous X-Men movie, 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past" which opened with over $110 million.

The other big release of the weekend, "Alice Through the Looking Glass," was already limping into the weekend as the film only has a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. News on Friday that the film's star, Johnny Depp, allegedly physically abused his estranged wife Amber Heard, who now has a restraining order against Depp, certainly hasn't helped. The movie has taken in just $28.1 million as of Sunday, and a projected $35 million by Monday.

The sequel to 2010's "Alice in Wonderland," which would go on to earn over $1 billion worldwide, isn't going to do the same business.

alice through looking glass 1 finalThings were going strong for "Apocalypse," as the movie took in $26.4 million on Friday, but crowds began to thin as Saturday sales were down 24%, making a $90 million weekend a pipe dream.

Deadline pointed out the gory reality about recent Memorial Day weekends when it comes to box office:

Following a record-breaking four-day total of $314 million at the US box office in 2013 (thanks to a $117 million opening by "Fast & Furious 6"), box office dropped 26% in 2014 and 16% last year (the number one film of the weekend in 2015 was "Tomorrowland" with just $42.6 million).

This is a mixture of people deciding to hit the beach and pool parties instead of the multiplex, and that movies already in theaters are more attractive than the new releases (especially this year where movies like "Angry Birds,""Captain America: Civil War," and "The Jungle Book," are still going strong). 

The good news is this Memorial Day weekend will be a stronger earner than last year's. But don't expect the Hollywood studios being that joyful during the Monday holiday.

SEE ALSO: Movie trailers have a new trick to keep you watching — and the people who make them hate it

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NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

What the woman who created the real 'Money Monster' thinks about George Clooney's movie

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Susan Krakower bagged groceries in Queens, New York as a kid before moving to Los Angeles and working in TV trying to learn everything she could possibly know about creating a show.

Those efforts paid off. She created CNBC's first smash hit, 'Mad Money with Jim Cramer' in the 1990s, and then created the 'Fast Money' franchise on CNBC.

And now Julia Roberts has basically played her in a movie.

The movie is called Money Monster. It stars George Clooney as Lee Gates — a fast-talking, Wall Street TV personality who suddenly finds himself in a hostage situation when a viewer who lost his entire savings on one stock enters his TV studio during a live broadcast and holds him at gunpoint.

Roberts plays Gates' producer, Patty Fenn. She steadily guides him from the control room as he wears a explosive vest his attacker had on hand.

"It's crazy to the extent that it infiltrated our culture — a show on a cable network that I created," Krakower said when Business Insider sat down with her earlier this month.

(Note: She had yet to see the movie, and was not consulted on its direction.)

"It's [the hostage situation] not the kind of thing that executives at networks have not thought about ... because it could happen. If your defenses are down for some reason it could happen."

Gates is painted as a charlatan at first (don't worry there's a twist). His captor, Kyle Budwell, invested all of his money in an investment firm called Ibis, in part, because Gates hyped it hard on "Money Monster." Turns out there was shady stuff going on at the company that Gates is forced to uncover under duress, and on live TV.

"It's crazy, but it's a great compliment," Krakower said. "When I got to CNBC... I had come from LA and developing shows, and it was the first time on a network that I was able to create for a news division. And not with an anchor and prompter. I thought: 'Let's create something authentic, with a mission that is to make money.'"

Jim Cramer

The yelling, the rolled up sleeves, the trader speak, the props, the sounds — everything that is associated with 'Mad Money,' was part of Krakower's vision for a show that made you stop and watch when you were scrolling threw the channels.

"Kudos and thank you always to Jeff Zucker," Krakower told Business Insider. "At the time I created the show there was no leadership at CNBC."

Zucker, at the time, was the head of the whole NBC network. After she pitched the idea he sent her an email Krakower used carry in her wallet. It said:  "Congratulations to you, I believe you found CNBC's first hit."

Of course, the movie is darker than that and touches on the main criticism of financial TV. What is the line between education and entertainment?

On that point Krakower pulls no punches. 

"But those people who lost money also made money when the market recovered," she says, "and the whole thesis of capitalism is to have your money work for you. And my thing is everyone's gotta be working, even your money."

wall street week episode oneShe continued:"There are many shows that get it wrong, and many shows that get it right."

"If you look there are disclaimers on these shows. You have to do what's right for you. Do you have $100,000 to play with or $100 to play with?"

Krakower left CNBC in 2014 and is currently keeping it real as head of the media arm of investment firm SkyBridge Capital.

There she helped develop the reboot of news show Wall Street Week, which airs on Fox Business Network.

"Working side by side with Krakower... for the last six years I would say that Susan would remain as cool and collected as Julia did under stress," said Wall Street Week co-host and former CNBC personality Gary Kaminsky.

"But I also think she might've come out of the control room and knocked out the intruder with a fist too."

Krakower says she wouldn't have been in the control room. She used to stand behind the camera motioning at Cramer with as much animation as he motioned to the audience.

That's more her style.

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Disney execs are reportedly 'not happy' with the 'Star Wars' spin-off and have demanded reshoots

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Disney may have its first hiccup in its lucrative "Star Wars" franchise.

The first cut of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" was shown to Disney executives, and they were not satisfied, according to a Page Six story quoting an anonymous source.

The source told Page Six that the execs "are not happy with the movie" and it will now go back and do four weeks of reshoots in July.

Directed by Gareth Edwards ("Godzilla") and starring Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, and Diego Luna, "Rogue One" is the first feature-length spin-off of the "Star Wars" saga. It looks at the Rebel forces taking on the Empire before the events that transpire in "Episode IV," the original 1977 film.

Reshoots are nothing new for a large movie. In March, news broke that "Suicide Squad" was also going back for reshoots.

In fact, most Hollywood movies, especially titles like "Rogue One" that have the studio's full attention, do reshoots. Sometimes it's to clean up clarity in scenes, while other times there are rewrites after the first cut is screened. But what will put "Star Wars" fans on edge is that, if you believe the Page Six source, Disney execs aren't happy with what they saw in "Rogue One."

There's certainly a lot of pressure for Edwards to deliver the same kind of hit that J.J. Abrams did with "The Force Awakens," but that might set up unfair expectations.

Abrams took a lot of the great parts of the original trilogy to continue the story in "Force Awakens." Though there will certainly be some "Star Wars" hallmarks in "Rogue One" (maybe even a cameo by the young Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich), the movie will basically be a brand new tale. And if there's anything Hollywood studio heads don't like, it's putting hundreds of millions of dollars into something that isn't a sure thing.

So think of the reshoots as Disney trying to hedge its bet.

"Rogue One" will open in theaters December 16.

Disney did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

SEE ALSO: Movie trailers have a new trick to keep you watching — and the people who make them hate it

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NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'


'Game of Thrones' star Emilia Clarke says she'd like to be the first female Bond

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"Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke is looking beyond riding her dragons on the HBO hit to slaying spies as the first female version of James Bond.

"I have a lot of unrealized dreams," Clarke recently told UK newspaper Daily Star. "I would love to play Jane Bond."

And as for the British actress' main Bond guy?

"My ultimate leading man would be Leonardo DiCaprio. No doubt about it," she said.

But the "Thrones" star, who plays fan favorite Daenerys Targaryen, will not only have to compete against men for the honor of replacing the current Bond, Daniel Craig. She'll also have to go up against a growing list of women.

Priyanka Chopra, a former Miss World and star of ABC's "Quantico," has thrown her hat into the ring. And fans of "The Fall" and "The X-Files" actress Gillian Anderson have started a petition to get her into the role.

Reportedly, "Spectre" might be Craig's fourth and final spin as the international spy.

SEE ALSO: Priyanka Chopra says she doesn't want to be a Bond girl — she wants to be the next James Bond

DON'T MISS: Emilia Clarke says she wants 'equality' for male and female nudity on 'Game of Thrones'

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NOW WATCH: 4 things you might have missed on this week’s 'Game of Thrones'

Here's what Harry Potter and his family look like 9 years after the final book

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It's been nearly nine years since the last book came out, but "Harry Potter" is just as magical as ever.

New casting photos from the upcoming play, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," in London have been revealed, and now we have our first look at Harry, Ginny, and their middle child, Albus.

Here's Harry looking quite wind-swept and with his trademark scar in full view. J.K. Rowling told the fan site Pottermore that Jamie Parker, the actor who plays Harry, "simply is Harry now. There's a kind of relief in watching him, he gets it so right."

Harry Potter (Jamie Parker)

Ginny Weasley still has her red hair, but it's cut short. Poppy Miller is the actress playing Ginny, and she really likes her new hair.

"So far I've had a fabulous haircut and, as this is Ginny's hair, it's obviously red and quite sleek," Poppy told Pottermore. "I also get to wear a gorgeous, hand-knitted jumper. I think of it as a really tasteful Pygmy Puff."

Ginny Potter (Poppy Miller)

Their son, Albus, has Harry's dark hair but doesn't wear glasses, just like his mother, Ginny. Sam Clemmett plays the character the play will center around. Rowling isn't saying much about him just yet, but said that "we couldn't have cast better."

Albus Potter (Sam Clemmett)

We'll be getting more cast photos— including Hermione, played by actress Noma Dumezweni, and Ron, played by actor Paul Thornley— later this week.

Rowling has previously confirmed that the play will "start where the seventh book left off" and focus on Potter's youngest son, Albus Severus Potter.

Thanks to the epilogue and J.K. Rowling's continual updates to her magical universe, we already know a lot about the play.

l r Harry Potter (Jamie Parker), Albus Potter (Sam Clemmett), Ginny Potter (Poppy Miller)

Albus is his father's son in looks and personality: He's a quiet and thoughtful boy who's worried about being sorted into Slytherin. He has untidy black hair and green eyes and is already a fan of the wizard sport Quidditch.

Meanwhile, Harry is still famous and exhausted from his job at the Ministry. It's also likely that Harry is suffering psychologically from his traumatic childhood of fighting one of the most evil wizards to ever live and coming close to death multiple times.

At the same time, Albus will be trying to create his own path in the wizarding world. It will probably be difficult for Albus to escape the great Harry Potter's legacy.

The only part of the play we don't know is how "both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" will be coming to theaters in July, and will also appear as a book.

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NOW WATCH: This early audition proves that Daniel Radcliffe was born to play Harry Potter

Here are the actors vying to be the next James Bond, and who should get it

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With reporting that Daniel Craig turned down a contract to return as James Bond for two more movies, the talk of who will next play the famous spy with a license to kill has ratcheted up.

From unnamed sources revealing actors having secret meetings with Bond producers to fans forming petitions to get their favorites the job, there's no shortage of "news" on who could be 007.

Note: Craig hasn't come out and said that he's not coming back as Bond, nor has the studio that releases the movies, Sony, commented on Craig's status.

Here are nine actors who have gone on record and said that they want to play James Bond and why their talents would work for the iconic role. And we took an opinion in the matter.

SEE ALSO: The best movies and TV shows coming to Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, and more in June

1. Tom Hiddleston

He's got the look — though he might be a bit slim, especially compared to Craig — and the accent, and now he's reportedly talking with producers about playing Bond.

Tom Hiddleston has not been shy about taking over the role if he were asked, and it seems that might be already underway. Part of a large franchise playing Loki in the Marvel movies, Hiddleston has also shown that he can play characters of this world. He's received high marks starring as former British soldier Jonathan Pine in the AMC miniseries "The Night Manager."

Why he would be a good Bond: Hiddleston has proved he shines in the franchise setting — not just the on-camera commitment, but also the publicity song-and-dance. No doubt he would be a much more outgoing Bond than Craig.



2. Idris Elba

If the Bond franchise really wants to get with the times, then producers will give serious consideration to Elba.

Whether it's playing the strategic drug dealer "Stringer" Bell in "The Wire" or the genius detective in "Luther," Elba, who has been coy about the Bond talk, has a knack for playing tough guys with a subtle, cool manner that would fit perfectly in the Bond role.

Why he would be a good Bond: Not counting how historic it would be if a black actor got the role, there are just some men who have the right look in a tux, and Elba has it. We would totally spend the next five-plus years watching Elba chase down baddies around the world.



3. Priyanka Chopra

Speaking of historic casting ...

"Quantico" star Priyanka Chopra is not looking for a coveted Bond-girl role if asked. She wants the brass ring.

"F--- that — I wanna be Bond," she told Complex.

Casting a female in a franchise that's been extremely chauvinistic for decades would be a huge move.

Why she would be a good Bond: Chopra has proven on "Quantico" that she isn't shy to take the lead and play a tough, strong-willed character, a trait an actress would need to play the first-ever female Bond.



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14 of the world's coolest movie theaters

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Electric Cinema

While some people might prefer to Netflix and chill, there are theaters around the world that are worth abandoning your couch for.

While some theaters will entice viewers by making themselves feel more like home, providing comfy couches and even beds, others attract crowds by serving restaurant quality food and drinks that go far beyond the standard popcorn and Buncha Crunch.

These 14 movie theaters around the world that are worth a trip, be it because of their excellent film lineup or their unusual amenities:

Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has exploded since first opening in Austin, Texas, in 1997, with 22 locations across the country. The chain is known for pioneering the luxury movie theater experience that many major chains are now adopting. Expect comfortable seating, fine dining, and drinks.

Alamo Drafthouse

Located nationwide, find your local Alamo Drafthouse here: drafthouse.com



Cineteca Matadero in Madrid, Spain

Built in an old slaughterhouse, this Spanish theater looks more like an arthouse now. It's the perfect ambiance for the experimental films and documentaries it shows.

Cineteca Matadero
8 Plaza de Legazpi  
Madrid, Spain 28045 (directions)

(+34) 915 17 98 17
cinetecamadrid.com



Cine-de Chef in Kathmandu, Nepal

This Nepalese theater takes dinner and a movie to a new level: the accompanying restaurant has a gourmet chef. Tickets aren't cheap, but it's a small price to pay to recline in a giant leather chair. They also have a location in Seoul, South Korea.

Cine-de Chef
CTC Mall, Sundhara (directions)
Kanti Path
Kathmandu, Nepal 44600

Ticket Booking: +977-01-4248402
http://www.cdcnepal.com



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How Sophie Turner went from 'Game of Thrones' damsel to iconic X-Men character

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Sophie Turner is on fire.

First, her "Game of Thrones" character Sansa Stark turned from damsel to dissident in the show's recent events. She and half-brother Jon Snow are rallying the houses of the North to take back Winterfell.

Now, the 20-year-old actress takes on another iconic role, that of Jean Grey in "X-Men: Apocalypse." As Grey, she'll be learning to live with and hone her telepathic abilities.

Let's take a look back at Turner's meteoric rise to fame.

Sophie Turner started going to drama class at age three, which she says was "so [my mother] could have a cup of coffee for an hour."

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Source: The Telegraph



A grade school drama teacher recommended she audition for HBO's upcoming fantasy-drama, "Game of Thrones."

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Here's one of four incredibly cute auditions the 12-year-old gave.

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