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The new David Foster Wallace movie is much more than a biopic

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end of the tour 2

"The End of the Tour," aka "that Jason Segel David Foster Wallace movie," is a not a traditional, life-spanning biopic, and thank heavens for that. The film is a more personal, meditative examination of the artist that has enough wisdom and profundity to appeal to fans and novices alike.

"The End of the Tour" is based on Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky's (Jesse Eisenberg) memoir, which was based on a Rolling Stone long-form interview that was never published. In 1996, Lipsky traveled to Bloomington, Illinois, to spend five days with Wallace (Jason Segel) and accompany him on the final stretch of his publicity book tour for his best-known novel, "Infinite Jest."

Over the course of these five days, Lipsky keeps his tape recorder on as he and Wallace pontificate on anything and everything, from the big questions about life and loneliness to more petty things like how "Die Hard" is awesome and what Alanis Morissette would look like eating a bologna sandwich. It's a very intimate experience, and the camera often feels like a fly on the wall. 

end of the tour 1Segel is sublime in what is easily his best and most serious performance. Segel still gets big laughs, but they come from the undeniable chemistry — and, later, the tension — between him and Eisenberg, who also puts in stellar work here. Segel perfectly conveys Wallace's disinterest in his own fame while highlighting his worrying obsession with the public's perception of him, which is no easy task.

It's a complicated role and Segel truly owns it. The scene in which Lipsky asks Wallace why he wears the bandana is particularly moving — it's here that Wallace comes face to face with the idea of his own mythos, and the true weight of his dilemma is felt. 

end of the tour 3There are so many subtle, touching moments that display Wallace's genius as well as those that hint at the inner turmoil that ultimately led to his suicide. Segel's portrayal of Wallace is equal parts aloof and disturbed, but director James Ponsoldt ("The Spectacular Now,""Smashed") never exploits his alleged "dark side" for a cheap sentimental moment. All the humanizing moments connect on a real emotional level without pandering to the audience, and Ponsoldt brilliantly turns biopic conventions on their heads by refusing to peg Wallace down to any one interpretation. 

The film is essentially one long, occasionally philosophical and always amusing, ongoing conversation. It's surprisingly moving, wise, and full of profound and well-articulated ideas, so much so that I had to stop taking notes as I was basically writing down every other line. Fans of Wallace's writing will find plenty to love here, but even the unfamiliar will walk away inspired and affected.

Watch the trailer below. 

"The End of the Tour" plays BAMcinemafest in Brooklyn on Wednesday, June 17. 

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Here are the new movies and TV shows coming to Amazon Prime, iTunes, Hulu, and more in August

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paul walker furious 7 end

We've already told you what to watch on Netflix in August, but there's more to life than Netflix.

Here we’ve laid out some of the titles new this month on your favorite places to subscribe, buy, and rent online. That includes when you can stream “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Furious 7.”

iTunes

ari gold entourageAvailable August 11

“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“I’m Chris Farley”

Available August 25

“Furious 7”
“Entourage”


Amazon Prime

a most violent year 3Available August 1

“Unforgiven”

Available August 6

“My Best Friend’s Wedding”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Season 1-8)
“In the Line of Fire”

Available August 7

“A Most Violent Year”

Available August 23

“Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter”

Purchase on Amazon Instant Video:

Available August 3

“The Killing”
“The Knick”

Available August 10

“Episodes”

Available August 11

“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Hunting Ground”

Available August 14

“Cop Car”


Hulu

dr doctor who capaldiAvailable August 1

“8 Heads in a Duffle Bag”
“A Bridge Too Far”
“Mr. Mom”

Available August 2

“Basketball Wives LA” (Season 4 Premiere”

Available August 4

“Bachelor in Paradise” (Season 2 Premiere)
 
Available August 5

“Difficult People” (Series Premiere)

Available August 8

“Doctor Who” (Season 8)
“Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories” (Season 1)

Available August 10

“You’re the Worst” (Season 1)

Available August 12

“Catfish” (Season 4 Finale)

Available August 28

“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (Season 15)
“Kevin Hart Presents: Keith Robinson - Back of the Bus Funny”


HBO NOW

birdman norton keaton fightAvailable August 1

“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Innocence)”
“Charlie’s Angels”
“Dances with Wolves”
“A Fish Called Wanda”
“Four Weddings and a Funeral”
“Meet the Parents”
“An Officer and a Gentleman”
“Veronica Mars”

Available August 4

“Back on Board: Greg Louganis” (HBO Original)

Available August 8

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”

Available August 12

“Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Houston Texans” (HBO Original)

Available August 15

“The Theory of Everything”

Available August 16

“Show Me a Hero” (Part 1 & Part 2) (HBO Original)

Available August 22

“Dumb and Dumber To”
“Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl, Interrupted” (HBO Original)

Available August 29 

“Kill the Messenger”
 

Redbox

aloha 1Available August 4

“The Divergent Series: Insurgent”

Available August 11

“Barely Lethal”
“The Longest Ride”
“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

Available August 18

“Hot Pursuit”

Available August 25

“Aloha”
“Home”

SEE ALSO: Here's what's coming to Netflix in August

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NOW WATCH: Here's how much you have to buy to make Amazon Prime worth it

Tom Cruise is already talking about making another 'Mission: Impossible'

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Tom Cruise Mission Impossible David James

“Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” isn’t even in theaters yet but Tom Cruise is already talking about the next one.

While on “The Daily Show” Tuesday, the actor mentioned that part six of the franchise is already in the works.

“We’re starting to work on it now,” he told host Jon Stewart, adding, “We’ll probably start shooting it next summer.”

daily show tom cruise finalThat is a really quick turnaround for the franchise, which usually takes three-to-four years to release a new “M:I.”

It’s possible Cruise might be thinking realistically about how many more movies in the franchise he’s got left. The actor is in incredible shape, but he is 53-years-old.

But it seems age is just a number for Cruise. He also has other action-packed projects in the works like a sequel to "Jack Reacher,""Top Gun," and while doing press this week for "Rogue Nation" (in theaters Friday), Cruise told MTV he’s pitched a sequel to his 2014 film, "Edge of Tomorrow."

emily blunt edge of tomorrow“I pitched it to [“Rogue Nation” director and “Edge of Tomorrow” screenwriter Christopher] McQuarrie and [“Edge of Tomorrow” director] Doug [Liman]. We were there one night and I was like, I’ve got an idea for it,” he told MTV.

"Tomorrow" didn’t do well domestically, but audiences overseas enjoyed the movie, doubling what it earned in the States. The film then gained a following when it became available on Blu-ray and streaming.

Emily Blunt also starred in "Tomorrow," and it sounds like Cruise has approached her to come back as the no-nonsense Rita.

“Gotta get Emily,” Cruise told MTV. “I was like 'Emily, please.' She was like, 'Give me another year, please.'”

Watch Cruise’s "The Daily Show" interview below.

 

SEE ALSO: "It's like a drug. It's wonderful": Working with Tom Cruise sounds amazing

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The uniquely powerful reason why Pixar movies are so good

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monsters inc pixar

The first reaction test audiences had to "Monsters, Inc." wasn't the bottomless sense of wonder drummed up by most Pixar movies: It was boredom. 

"I thought, Oh, a film about monsters who scare kids for a living. That hook should be enough to make people engaged,"director Pete Docter told Tech Insider. "After about fifteen minutes, people began checking their watches and asking what is this movie about."

And so it was back to the drawing board. Docter, a Pixar veteran since 1989, had long been wrapped up in his work at the upstart California animation studio. His life took a sharp turn around this time, however, when he had his first child. As he found himself focusing on something other than work, he recognized a vital parallel in his movie.

"I knew I still wanted to do work and that was very important, but I wanted to be with my son, so that really became the heart of what that film is about," Docter said.

"Monster's, Inc." (2001) became the story of Sully, the king of scares in a corporation of monsters, discovering his softer side as he's forced to protect a girl named Boo.

The director points to this as the change that saved the movie — and the final product was good enough to collect high box office sales and an impressive 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

That deep emotional core, often based on real life, is present in Pixar movies ranging from "Toy Story" (1995) to "Inside Out" (2015). It is what makes the movies so engaging for all ages  and what allows them to tackle such complex and adult concepts as loss, sadness, and compassion.

The deeper meaning

Pixar understands that the most important stories resonate with people because they appeal to some core truth about being alive — regardless of whether those stories are seen through the eyes of monsters, clownfish, robots, or cars.

toy story disneyThe company's first feature, "Toy Story," taught kids the virtues of cooperation over pridefulness. Only after Woody teams up with Buzz Lightyear does he realize that being the favorite toy isn't as important as the solidarity offered by friendship. Early screenings of the film, packed with zip-lipped children, proved the studio was on to something.

In the early 2000s, Pixar writer and director Andrew Stanton says he was inspired to craft a story after feeling like he was being overprotective of his son. From that parental concern came the 2003 mega-hit "Finding Nemo," in which a worrywart clownfish showed parents the dark side of helicoptering.

Fearless kids saw in that panic-stricken journey how their actions can affect adults. Independence is liberating, we learn, but you need to have some compassion while you find it.

In 2007, Pixar released "Ratatouille." Remy, the rat who inhabits the hat of a young culinary hopeful, fulfills his dream of becoming an accomplished French chef. It's an unlikely achievement — going from food scraps to fine dining — but one that, as the movie's villainous food critic Anton Ego reminds us, shouldn't be all that surprising. "Not everyone can become a great artist," a softening Ego says at the end of the film, "but a great artist can come from anywhere."

Two years later, Pixar gave audiences "UP," in which a curmudgeon named Carl, never having realized the dream he and his ex-wife had of living in Paradise Falls, finally gets the chance with Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer. Perhaps Pixar's most fantastical film, "UP" reminds audiences that holding resentment stops us from growing as people. A friend may not be the same as a spouse, but living a life of solitude surrounded by enemies is hardly any better.

inside out rileyPixar's latest venture, "Inside Out," was also directed by Docter. In it he mirrored two personal experiences — his childhood move from Minnesota to Denmark, and his daughter's slide from goofball kid to angsty pre-teen. Bringing those stories together literally inside the mind of an 11-year-old, personifying her emotions, only gave Docter more room to explore those themes.

Indeed, Riley seems like a normal 11-year-old who's sad that her family is moving. Not until everything goes wrong, and her constant need to be happy comes into focus, do we realize what the film is arguing: In order to keep our brains healthy, we need to respect our emotions, even the bad ones.

"I've had a lot of people say, 'My son had a lot of problems talking about how he feels, but watching your film kind of unlocked something,'" Docter says. "Which is pretty cool." 

It is through this focus on complex characters solving real problems that Pixar elicits such a strong emotional response.

"The main character is like a surrogate for you, the audience member," Docter says. "They're learning and discovering information at the same time you are, so that by the time the film ends, you feel like you’ve gone on the same emotional journey the character has."

Leaving an impact

Like all of the best stories, Pixar movies can help shape people in positive and lasting ways.

"I think that's one of the nice things about Pixar movies," child psychologist Omar Gudino says. "They really deal with something that might be considered darker in tone or more adult in subject matter in a way that's really accessible."

Research is finding that when children between 3 and 5 years old watch movies, they come away with impressions about the natural state of the world. Even if those young viewers can't understand or describe everything happening in the movies, they still perceive complex emotions.

The way that those emotions are portrayed can have dramatic effects on developmentA 2007 study, for example, found that preschoolers from the US and Taiwan tended to see happiness differently depending on how it was portrayed in storybooks. To American kids, happiness looked like excitement. To the Taiwanese kids, it more resembled calm.

As children mature into adolescence, they gain the ability to put themselves inside characters' heads, and they begin judging the character’s actions and values against their own.  Whether we carry these lessons into adulthood typically comes down to how much films get us talking, Gudino says.

Colin Stokes, a father of two, adheres to the philosophy that movies supplement the other aspects of traditional child-rearing.  "Like so many things in parenting," says Stokes, who gave a TEDx lecture in 2013 lamenting the predictability of most kids' movies, "you're creating a consistent set of values that you demonstrate by your actions more than you are doing something to have an effect."

WALL E

Even after two decades, Pixar is only beginning to acknowledge the impact it leaves on audiences.

Historically, Pixar's greatest critics have taken issue with the studio's lack of female and culturally diverse characters, a decision that has struck some as odd given how progressive the studios have been in other storytelling domains. 

Jim Morris, president of Pixar Animation Studios, doesn't deny the problem. "Certainly we want the movies to be appealing to a wide audience. That's why we make 'em," he says. But he also concedes Pixar hasn't taken "as good advantage of opportunities we did have to create a level of diversity in the films."

Today, the company is taking measures to improve diversity. One strategy the studio has started using to gauge gender equity in its films is line-by-line analyses of dialogue "to see how male and female characters are represented in the films," Morris says.

"Inside Out" could be a good omen: In addition to Riley being female, both main characters inside her head, Joy and Sadness, are voiced by female actors. Morris also points to an upcoming project centering on the Mexican holiday, Día de los Muertos. Still untitled, little information has been released on the film, but if it reaches theaters, it would be Pixar’s first feature to celebrate a minority culture.  

Then there are the stories that are simply fun to tell.

Later this year, Pixar will release "The Good Dinosaur," a film that asks "What if the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs missed Earth entirely?" From there it follows a fearful apatosaurus named Arlo on a journey with a human friend in which Arlo must confront his fears. That may sound like a wild plot, but audiences should feel confident come November that the story they'll watch will, in some way, ring true.

"When you get right down to the core of it, they're not grandiose ideas," Morris says. "They're small things we all go through."

SEE ALSO: 'Inside Out' may be Pixar's best film yet

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NOW WATCH: Here's what the 'Suicide Squad' stars look like in real life

Ben Affleck says his Batman will be 'more broken'

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batman v superman ben affleck

If you thought there was no way Batman could be played any darker than Christian Bale's portrayal in the recent films about the comic book hero directed by Christopher Nolan, guess again. 

In the latest issue of Empire magazine, Ben Affleck gave some insight on how he will be playing The Dark Knight in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." 

EMPIRE_SEPT15CoverAccording to the actor, the film's director Zack Snyder pitched him with the idea that Batman is "older, more broken, kind of f---ed up."

In the Empire story, which Vanity Fair has pulled quotes from, Affleck said that this Batman is in "a crisis of conscience" having spent two decades fighting crime in Gotham and has hit middle age. And as the Comic-Con trailer hinted at, he may be mourning the loss of his sidekick, Robin.

“It was something we haven’t seen," Affleck said in the story. "We have seen that Batman is willing to cross the line to protect people. That vigilantism has been a part of his character all along, and we are tapping into that mentality when faced by something as potentially as deadly as Superman.”

The Comic Con trailer had hints as to why Batman wants to take on Superman. It seems to stem from an incident that happened in the previous Superman movie, "Man of Steel," also directed by Snyder.

batman superman comic con 3In the film's conclusion, buildings in Metropolis are destroyed, including Wayne Tower, a building owned by Bruce Wayne (aka Batman).

The showdown between the two comic legends will happen in movie theaters March 2016.

SEE ALSO: Batman wasn't originally supposed to be in the 'Batman v Superman' movie

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NOW WATCH: This Lego version of the 'Batman v. Superman' trailer is absolute gold

Why Tom Cruise is Hollywood’s last movie star

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Tom Cruise

Perhaps the hardest act to pull off in Hollywood is sustainability.

Whether you’re considered an A-list talent or one of the “it” young stars, at any second your stock can drop. And with tenacious paparazzi and social media now the norm, that mystery and mystique of movie stars is no more.

Well, except for one.

There is an actor who continues to have that “movie star” aura, and frankly, he’s the last one — Tom Cruise.

With the release of his latest action movie this Friday, “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation,” Cruise is poised to rule the weekend box office once more. It’s quite remarkable to think earlier this year the latest Cruise pile-on came when the documentary “Going Clear” revealed the atrocities that allegedly occur at the Church of Scientology, in which Cruise is a devout supporter (according to the film the actor may have known some of the evil things going on there). 

But that’s the magic of Cruise. With any negative press he receives, his movies always seem to cause us all to hit the reset button on him.

Why is that? Because we can forgive our movie stars. If they can continue to entertain us on a consistent basis, all is forgiven.

Cruise was close to being thrown off his pedestal when the infamous couch jump on “Oprah” led to a domino-effect of controversy for him. But he’s weathered that storm and is arguably a bigger draw than ever, which is extremely rare.

Let’s look at his contemporaries, which is summed up in this photo from the 1983 movie “The Outsiders.

the outsidersThis was the future of Hollywood in the 1980s — Matt Dillion, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, and let’s also throw in Charlie Sheen and Mickey Rourke. They all had their time and today are nowhere near Cruise’s stardom (Swayze sadly passed away due to pancreatic cancer in 2009).

Cruise has topped them all thanks to being ahead of the curve. First in choosing dramatic projects (“Rain Man,” "Born on the Fourth of July,"“A Few Good Men”), then being American’s heartthrob (“Jerry Maguire”), and most recently turning into one of the few action stars who doesn’t need a comic book franchise to back him.

Where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone failed at staying action stars, Cruise excelled by keeping his action as practical as possible and proudly stating that he does his own stunts.

tom cruise mission impossible rogue oneBut being a movie star also means to know when to stay off the radar. Cruise has done this masterfully since the couch jump. And leading up to the release of “Going Clear,” he was completely mum, though some rumors have come out that Cruise has seen the movie and now wants to leave Scientology. Regardless if it’s true or not, it only helps his image going into this weekend.

You could make the argument that actors like Brad Pitt and George Clooney are also at the same level of movie stardom as Cruise, but it’s not the same. The two don’t rake in the kind of box office cash Cruise does (Cruise films usually make at least $200 million; Pitt and Clooney films usually top around $100-150 million worldwide), and they don’t own the stigma of being the movie star, like Cruise.

While Cruise has become one of the best at selling a movie all over the world, Pitt and Clooney take that “under the radar” stance a little too seriously. They pop out to hock their movies, but not with the same gusto that Cruise does, which this week included him doing a lip synch battle against Jimmy Fallon. During his press tours, Cruise has stayed mum on Scientology.

tom cruise tonight show lip synchThere are a lot of very popular actors in Hollywood. From the new breed like Chris Pratt, to the ones that have blown us away for years, yet are still somewhat harder to relate to like Robert Downey Jr.

But with Cruise, it’s different.

We've marveled at Cruise's diversity as an actor throughout his career, the many iconic moments he’s given us (from sliding across the hall in his undies to “You complete me” to “M:I” thrill seeker), and the gusto he gives every role and press appearance. Perhaps that's why we always find ourselves rooting for him.

SEE ALSO: THEN & NOW: The cast of "Mission: Impossible" 19 years later

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This 'Mission Impossible' behind-the-scenes footage of a 53-year-old Tom Cruise hanging off a plane is terrifying

It's kind of a miracle Tom Cruise wasn't fired from 'Mission: Impossible'

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tom cruise

In case you needed one, "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" is a pretty good reminder of why Tom Cruise is a huge movie star. The 53-year-old actor — who famously still does most of his own stunts, no matter how crazy they seem — is still as charismatic as ever, able to hold a movie together just by virtue of being a ridiculously handsome and charming human being. 

This is kind of incredible, because most of the public knows that Tom Cruise isn't just a movie star — he's Hollywood's crazy Scientologist uncle.

The act of separating art from the artist is a fickle one, dependant on countless variables that are nigh-impossible to quantify. All sorts of questions come into consideration: How much do we like the artist's work? How much do we like the artist? Did they do a bad thing? How bad? Are they still making good work? How good? 

And so on.

For nearly thirty years, Tom Cruise was box-office gold, one of the safest bets in Hollywood. Then, in the mid-2000s, things started to fall apart. Cruise's status as a prominent Scientologist and his wacky demeanor following his engagement to actress Katie Holmes dominated the entire conversation about him. He was lambasted by South Park, jumped on Oprah's couch, and generally had his personal life turned into the tabloid version of the Olympics.

Here's the famous moment with Oprah:

 

And here's "South Park's" take:

As ScreenCrush writer Mike Sampson notes, at one point, Paramount really wanted to fire Cruise from the "Mission: Impossible" franchise — the very film series that Cruise aggressively championed from the start. Sampson brings up a quote from Viacom executive Sumner Redstone, publicly scolding Cruise in The Wall Street Journal for committing "creative suicide" and costing the studio revenue they felt his antics had impacted. Sumner wanted Cruise gone. 

"If Tom Cruise was in major need of a career rehabilitation, getting fired might have been an unexpected step in the right direction," writes Sampson. "Tom Cruise, maybe the biggest movie star in the world, was suddenly an underdog."

This kicked off a bit of a slump for Cruise, where the big-name actor was forced to take lower-profile projects like "Knight and Day" and "Valkyrie",  but also gave us the miracle that was Les Grossman in "Tropic Thunder".

Perhaps humbled, Cruise began to rehabilitate his image and career, emerging triumphant once more with the massive success of 2011's "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"— a movie with a contingency plan for Cruise in Jeremy Renner, should the studio deem that Cruise was still a liability. 

Following "Ghost Protocol", Cruise kept a low profile, remaining awfully quiet in the early 2010's buzzy social media climate. No more evangelizing for Scientology, no more strange and unpredictable behavior. 

The biggest challenge for Cruise, as The Atlantic's Sophie Gilbert writes,  came with the spring release of Alex Gibney's Scientology exposé/documentary "Going Clear", based on the book of the same name. But even in spite of the serious allegations that the film levies at Cruise — who, for all intents and purposes, has ignored the film — the actor seems just fine. 

Reviews for "Rogue Nation" seem positive. Cruise is lip-synching with Jimmy Fallon and charming people all over again. No one mentions Scientology. The Tom Cruise who saves the world every summer and the Tom Cruise who isn't in front of a camera are once again two different people.

In 2015, that's no small feat. 

 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This 'Mission Impossible' behind-the-scenes footage of a 53-year-old Tom Cruise hanging off a plane is terrifying

Here are the 2 topics press aren't allowed to ask Tom Cruise about while he promotes the new 'Mission: Impossible'

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tom cruise

Tom Cruise's publicity team has enforced a strict no personal questions mandate for access to the star during the "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" publicity tour, an individual with knowledge told The Wrap

Cruise has done everything this week from taking on Jimmy Fallon in a lip synch battle to sharing workout tips with Jon Stewart, but none of the hosts have asked Cruise's thoughts on the explosive HBO documentary "Going Clear," which highlights the alleged abuses that goes on at The Church of Scientology, which Cruise is a devout member of. 

tom cruise tonight show

According to The Wrap story, Cruise's camp has banned any personal life questions or mention of "Going Clear" in his interviews.

daily show tom cruise finalAn individual who worked closely with Cruise in 2006 on press and appearances told The Wrap that Cruise has been increasingly mum about Scientology over the last ten years. However, that was not the case in '06.

"Around the third 'Mission: Impossible' we had journalists who took Scientology orientations just so they could speak intelligently with Tom about it," the person told The Wrap. 

"Going Clear," directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, portrays Cruise and John Travolta, who is also a Scientologist, as the church's most prized possessions who cannot leave even if they wanted to because Scientology has hours of their deepest secrets reported in "audits." The film even alleges that Crusie is aware of the abuses suffered by Sea Organization members, the clergy of Scientology.

Cruise's reps have not yet responded to requests for comment.

SEE ALSO: Take a tour of Scientology's massive Los Angeles real-estate empire

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NOW WATCH: 7 famous people reveal why they are Scientologists


J.J. Abrams literally broke his back helping injured Harrison Ford on the new 'Star Wars' set

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JJ Abrams on Daily Show final

J.J. Abrams was on "The Daily Show" Thursday night promoting his new film "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (which he produced), but all Jon Stewart wanted to do was get any info about Abrams' next directing effort, "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens."

Stewart wasn't successful, but Abrams was willing to open up about the on-set injury Harrison Ford suffered. 

"There was a hydraulic door that went down, he was pushed down, and his ankle went 90 degrees," Abrams told Stewart.

The actor broke his ankle, and Abrams described to Stewart how he rushed to Ford's aid. 

"I'm trying to lift him up, because that's the kind of guy I am," he said. "I'm trying to lift this door and I hear a pop [in my back] and I go, 'Oh, that's weird.' So I go to the doctor a couple of days alter and he goes, 'Oh, you have a broken back.'"

The doctor informed Abrams that he had broken his L4 in his spine. But the director continued working on "Star Wars." 

"A few months later I'm still wearing this really silly back brace under my shirt, nobody knows, I didn't tell anybody. Harrison Ford from across the stage sprints to me faster than I will ever run, and he's like 'Hey, J.J.!'"

Abrams said of Ford, "The guy is like a real life superhero."

Watch the whole Abrams interview on "The Daily Show" below.

 

SEE ALSO: We got a bunch of new hints about what's coming to the new "Star Wars" movie

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NOW WATCH: Harrison Ford has some advice for the new ‘Star Wars’ cast in his first on-camera interview since the accident

How Scientology almost ruined Tom Cruise’s career and 'Mission: Impossible' saved it

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tom cruise

With this weekend's release of "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," Tom Cruise will likely dominate the weekend at the box office. In many ways, the "M:I" franchise has become Cruise's career lifeline. When things were at their darkest, it was these films that brought him back to stardom. 

In August 2006, it seemed like Tom Cruise was finished.

In an announcement unprecedented by the head of a major conglomerate, the chairman of Viacom, Sumner Redstone, publicly ripped into the star, who at the time was one of the most profitable at Viacom's movie studio, Paramount Pictures.

“We don't think that someone who effectuates creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot,” Redstone told The Wall Street Journal. “His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount.”

Sumner Redstone Tom Cruise Katie Holmes

Nine years ago was certainly the toughest and strangest time of Cruise’s career. The then 43-year-old actor had a lifetime box-office gross of over $1.5 billion, but his flawless transition from young heartthrob to respected dramatic actor to gargantuan action star seemed to self-destruct as quickly as one of the messages his character, Ethan Hunt, receives in the “Mission: Impossible” movies.

The studio he'd called home for 14 years was parting ways with him.

tom cruise mission impossible rogue nation Today, with the anticipation of “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” opening worldwide, it's hard to imagine the veteran actor's career being at such a low point.

His strange downfall and subsequent rebirth as one of the most bankable movie stars began with an innocent act of love.

When Cruise agreed to go on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in May 2005 to promote his next blockbuster film, “War of the Worlds,” it was a big deal. Not only did most women believe he was one of the sexiest men alive, but Cruise rarely did interviews, especially on daytime TV.

As Cruise walked onto Oprah's stage, the crowd went wild. Oprah playfully tousled Cruise's hair, and the actor was clearly in a great mood.

Oprah Tom Cruise Katie HolmesDuring the interview, Oprah brought up Cruise's latest love interest, Katie Holmes, who was off-stage where no one, especially the cameras, could see her.

The excitement of talking about his new girlfriend led him to leap up on Oprah's couch with joy (he did it a second time for good measure).

After the couch jumping, Oprah even got Cruise to chase down Holmes and get her to come on stage.

It seemed harmless at the time, but thanks to a very young internet video-posting site called YouTube, the image of Cruise on top of Oprah’s couch would become a pop-culture phenomenon.

tom cruise oprah
A month later, Cruise agreed to go on the “Today” show to continue promoting “War of the Worlds,” and also talk about his religion, Scientology. But when the interview topic changed to Scientology, and specifically to Cruise not agreeing with psychiatry, the tone changed. Especially in regard to Brooke Shields’ use of antidepressants for postpartum depression.

Here’s an excerpt of Cruise and Lauer's uncomfortable exchange:

Cruise: “Do you know what Adderall is? Do you know Ritalin? Do you know Ritalin is a street drug? Do you understand that?”

Lauer: “The difference is — ”

Cruise: “No, Matt, I’m asking you a question.”

Lauer: “I understand there’s abuse of all of these things.”

Cruise: “No, you see here’s the problem: You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do.”

cruise lauer finalLater in the conversation:

Lauer: “Do you examine the possibility that these things do work for some people? That yes, there are abuses, and yes, maybe they’ve gone too far in certain areas, maybe there are too many kids on Ritalin, maybe electric shock — ”

Cruise: “Too many kids on Ritalin?”

Lauer: “I’m just saying — but aren’t there examples where it works?”

Cruise: “Matt, Matt, Matt, you’re glib. You don’t even know what Ritalin is. If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt. OK? That’s what I’ve done. You go and you say, ‘Where’s the medical tests? Where’s the blood test that says how much Ritalin you’re supposed to get?’”

Lauer: “It’s very impressive to listen to you, because clearly you’ve done the homework and you know the subject.”

Cruise: “And you should. And you should do that also, because just knowing people who are on Ritalin isn’t enough. You should be a little bit more responsible … ”

Within minutes, the exchange was on loop all over the world.

Within a few weeks, Cruise had gone wild on Oprah and lashed out at Matt Lauer, and by then the tabloids had gone overtime on the Cruise-Holmes relationship, which they called “TomKat.”

It was time for Cruise to get off the grid, but he couldn't.

Tom Cruise Last Samurai For most of his career, an experienced publicist named Pat Kingsley reportedly kept Cruise’s private life out of the tabloids. According to a 2014 LA Weekly story, she even talked Cruise out of being more vocal about Scientology when he did press for his 2003 film “The Last Samurai.” A year later, according to the LA Weekly story, Cruise let Kingsley go after 14 years and formed a publicity team that included his sister, Lee Anne De Vette, and fellow Scientologists.

Now in a typhoon of backlash that Cruise had never experienced before, his team may have been too inexperienced to protect him.

Despite all the negative attention, “War of the Worlds” still went to No.1 at the box office during its opening weekend ($65 million), and ended up with a worldwide take of $592 million. It would be the last time a film starring Cruise would make over $500 million worldwide for the next six years.

war of the worlds tom cruise Following the “War of the Worlds” release, TomKat was still daily tabloid fodder, especially with the news that the two were expecting a child. And then, in March 2006, Cruise went global again with the controversial “South Park” episode“Trapped in the Closet.”

The episode originally aired in November 2005 and revealed what Scientologists believe is the origin of life, but it also depicted Cruise as an insecure person and played on rumors of his sexuality.

In the episode, one of the main characters on the show, Stan, is thought by Scientology to be the second coming of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. This leads Scientologists, including Cruise, to flock to Stan’s house to pay their respects. But when Stan insults his acting ability, Cruise hides in Stan’s closet, leading to Stan saying, “Dad, Tom Cruise won’t come out of the closet.”

south park tom cruise

Comedy Central delayed re-airing the episode in March 2006, because allegedly Cruise declared he would not promote “Mission: Impossible 3” unless Viacom (which owns the film’s studio, Paramount, and Comedy Central) canceled the rebroadcast.

Cruise’s reps denied he ever threatened not to promote the film.

The controversy made headlines all over the world and led "South Park" fans to declare they would boycott “Mission: Impossible 3” until Comedy Central aired the episode.

The episode finally re-aired in July of that year.

“Closetgate,” in what it would become known, was the last straw.

The constant tabloid coverage of TomKat, plus rumors of Cruise’s involvement with Scientology — like that Cruise and Holmes’ relationship was allegedly arranged by the church — had turned people off. (Cruise and Holmes married in November 2006 and divorced six years later.)

The bad press soon began to affect Cruise's career. “Mission: Impossible 3” opened in theaters in May 2006 and Cruise's Q score — the appeal of a celebrity, brand, or company on the public — was down 40%.

mission impossible 3

Though the film was No. 1 in the US its opening weekend ($48 million), it lost appeal as the weeks passed. Ticket sales dropped 47% its second week in theaters, and then 53% the following week.

“Mission: Impossible 3” is the lowest grossing film in the franchise to date with a $400 million worldwide gross.

It was at this point that Viacom chair Sumner Redstone gave Cruise his wake-up call: “We don't think that someone who effectuates creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot. His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount.”

After being kicked off the Paramount lot, Cruise hired a publicist with more experience and buckled down for a comeback. He brought his production company over to MGM and took partial ownership of the iconic United Artists studio.

Cruise also became less vocal about Scientology in public, though he was apparently involved internally. In 2008, a Scientology-produced video went viral on YouTube of the actor explaining what the religion means to him.

cruise scientology laugh

Cruise hit the pause button on doing action movies, turning to dramas like “Lions for Lambs” and “Valkyrie."

In between those films he agreed to star in pal Ben Stiller’s 2008 comedy “Tropic Thunder” as the overweight, bigger-than-life movie exec Les Grossman. It was the best move Cruise had done in years. In doing something so out of character, he began to win back fans.

cruse as grossman

“Tropic Thunder” reunited Cruise with his former studio, Paramount. Although Cruise's production company was kicked off the lot, it didn't mean he couldn't still be cast in the studio's films. The wheels were now in motion for Cruise to get back on Paramount’s good side so he could make more “Mission: Impossible” movies.

Being a hit in “Tropic Thunder,” the biggest comedy of the year for Paramount, was a good starting point. Director J.J. Abrams, who directed Cruise in "Mission: Impossible 3" and was in Paramount's good graces after directing the studio's hit "Star Trek Into Darkness," was also working to get Cruise back in the franchise.

In the summer of 2010, news broke that Cruise would be starring in “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” with Abrams as producer. But this installment in the franchise would not be titled “Mission: Impossible 4,” because the idea was that the film would be a refresh on the franchise, with Cruise stepping aside as the lead and giving way to rising star Jeremy Renner.

Cruise didn’t get the message.

mission impossible ghost protocol Back in the Ethan Hunt role, Cruise cemented his place in the franchise by scaling the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, without a stunt double. That, and the other insane stunts featured in the film, led to “Ghost Protocol” earning the biggest worldwide box office in the franchise, with $695 million. It was also the second-highest earning film for Paramount in 2011, just behind “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”

Cruise is not back to his pre-Oprah couch-jumping glory, as evidenced by disappointments like "Knight and Day" and "Jack Reacher," but he's trying. Following “Ghost Protocol,” Cruise came out with “Edge of Tomorrow” and though it had a slow start when it opened in the spring of 2014, it ended up passing the domestic $100 million mark. That makes it the first time in nine years a non-“Mission: Impossible” Cruise film hit that landmark number.

Now, with the excitement for “Rogue Nation” — which includes critical praise — Cruise's mission to return as one of the top action stars has been accomplished. Even his fans are willing to overlook HBO's explosive Scientology documentary, "Going Clear,"in which Cruise is criticized for remaining the face of the controversial religion.

SEE ALSO: Why Tom Cruise is Hollywood's last movie star

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NOW WATCH: This 'Mission Impossible' behind-the-scenes footage of a 53-year-old Tom Cruise hanging off a plane is terrifying

What the 'Mission: Impossible' movies can learn from the 'Fast & Furious' franchise

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tom cruise motorcycle

"Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" is now out in theaters, and totally worth seeing— it's a fantastic action movie with great stunts and a fun cast held together by a good old-fashioned Tom Cruise performance. It's so good that no one seems to mind that it is the fifth "Mission: Impossible" film, nor do they seem bothered by the fact that Paramount Pictures seems to want to continue making them until Tom Cruise gets sick of it or the sun goes out, whichever comes first. It is, as they say in the biz, a tentpole franchise — a film series that can dependably put out a movie every couple of years and easily meet a studio's blockbuster expectations. In layman's terms, it's something that you want to see more of. 

But it might be missing something. Something that the "Fast & Furious" movies do exceptionally well. 

This is something I hinted at when I wrote about how well the first "Mission: Impossible" film holds up: It's hard to figure out why the "Mission: Impossible" movies exist. 

Of course, there's the ostensible one — they're an adaptation of the classic TV series of the same name, which gives these movies powerful brand recognition and wonderful iconography to take advantage of (like the wonderful theme song). But they're not really about anything. 

Part of the reason for this is Tom Cruise. He's such a high-profile movie star, conversations about movies he's in tend to turn into conversations about him. His presence sucks all the oxygen out of a room, and it's easy to not talk about the other things that make movies like "Rogue Nation" work — like a fantastic Simon Pegg performance, or every scene Rebecca Ferguson is in.

The other big reason for this is, ironically, the source material — one of the things that made the "Mission: Impossible" TV series so successful was its complete lack of context. You didn't need to know anything about the characters' personal lives or histories; each episode was squarely focused on the caper at hand. Instead of characterization, we got a collection of distinctive tropes; like the use of masks, or that lit fuse opening credits. 

When you take that into consideration, it's arguable that the "Mission: Impossible" movies don't actually have to really be about anything other than exciting capers, much like the show.  And that's true! They don't. But I'm not proposing anything radical, either. 

One of the miracles of modern cinema is how, four films in, the "Fast and Furious" franchise suddenly pivoted from being a series about bad boys street racing to a seven-part saga about a diverse group of people bonding together to form a family that specializes in doing impossible stunts in really fast cars. They became a sort of makeshift Avengers, superhuman in their ridiculousness but heartwarming in their earnestness. And you don't need to watch every single movie to understand this. Everything you need to know in a given film is right there for audiences.

Similarly, the "Mission: Impossible" films don't have to take on anything profound, or offer smart political commentary or anything remotely ponderous. The "Fast and Furious" movies didn't — they just sort of looked at what they had, and said "Hey, this makes sense!" when they posited that their movies about stuff like using muscle cars to steal bank vaults were really about family. 

The "M:I" films don't have anything quite like this, but it would go a pretty long way towards keeping the franchise fresh and exciting. As silly as it may seem, appending the central idea of "family" has done a world of good to the "Fast" movies — it makes the characters all the more heroic, it gives the cartoonish, over-the-top action very human, relatable roots, and it allows the franchise to flaunt the fact it boasts a diverse cast, which in turn attracts a diverse audience. 

It's hard to say what similar thematic underpinning could be ascribed to "Mission: Impossible" as a franchise — especially when most of the conversation around them seems to be limited to how cool it is Tom Cruise does all his own stunts. But it's worth thinking about, and something the filmmakers seem to be thinking about during a crucial moment in "Rogue Nation" where one character goes on an incredible rant about how Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is an unstoppable force of nature, the living embodiment of destiny.

That's not a bad start. 

Destiny's got a lot in common with the heroes of "Mission: Impossible". Try as you might to stop them, they always win out in the end. 

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NOW WATCH: This 'Mission Impossible' behind-the-scenes footage of a 53-year-old Tom Cruise hanging off a plane is terrifying

Tom Cruise held his breath for 6 minutes in this crazy underwater stunt in the new 'Mission: Impossible'

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tom cruise mission impossible swim final

Since Tom Cruise started the "Mission: Impossible" movie franchise 19 years ago, his reputation as an actor who wants to do his own stunts has become legendary. Each new film for "M:I" seems to bring new spectacular stunts, with Cruise himself doing the heavy lifting.

You probably thought Cruise couldn’t top climbing the tallest building in the world in "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" in 2011, but you’d be wrong.

mission impossible ghost protocol"Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" doesn't hit theaters until Friday, but you've probably already caught a glimpse of Cruise's latest stunt in which he hangs on the side of a massive airplane as it takes off.

mission impossible plane 4And yes, that’s really the actor — not a stunt double.

But according to the film’s stunt coordinator, Wade Eastwood, that wasn’t the stunt he was most concerned about Cruise taking on himself.

At a key moment in the movie, Cruise, playing IMF agent Ethan Hunt, has to dive into an underwater safe to retrieve the computer chip that will lead him closer to the film’s villain. Along with having to hold his breath the whole time, he must keep away from a large crane that’s circling around the safe.

The stunt first required Cruise to jump off a 120-foot ledge (the bottom was all CGI, but he really did the jump).

tom cruise mi waterThen, in an underwater set that was filled 20 feet high with water, Cruise had to hold his breath as he acted out the scene.

tom cruise mi water 2“It’s all Tom,” Eastwood told Business Insider. “There’s no time you don’t see Ethan in the film and it’s not Tom.”

Eastwood (no relation to Clint) had worked previously with Cruise on “Edge of Tomorrow,” so he was aware of Cruise’s obsession with authenticity when it comes to stunt work. But he still marvels over Cruise’s physical ability.

“It’s been said in other interviews, if he wasn’t an actor he would have been a great stunt man,” said Eastwood. “The difference between Tom and a stunt man is he acts the character after hearing ‘action.’ A stunt person just does the stunt to double the character.”

And that is the aspect that made Eastwood’s job to pull off the underwater scene the most challenging.

Though they had cameras all over the set monitoring the star as he was underwater, and stunt crews at the ready to jump into action if anything went wrong, Eastwood said Cruise still had to act in the scene. This meant it needed to look like he was losing breath and becoming unconscious.

Tom Cruise Mission Impossible David James“On two or three occasions I brought him up because I felt he was down for too long,” said Eastwood. “He was like, ‘What are you doing? I was right in the moment. I’m acting.’ And I was like, ‘I know, it was just too real for me and I wasn’t comfortable.’”

Eastwood said the longest Cruise was underwater for a take was over six minutes.

Eastwood recalls Cruise telling him one time after having the actor come up for air, “I got plenty of breath, trust me. I don’t want to die.”

The scene took two weeks to shoot, according to Eastwood. But training for it started two months before production began.

To prepare Cruise for an underwater scene in which he’d be holding his breath for over six minutes, Eastwood brought in a freediving record holder to teach the actor breathing exercises. Basically, as Eastwood explains, teaching your mind “that you don’t have to take a breath.”

Eastwood said Cruise blacked out a few times during the training.

“That’s how you learn your limits,” Eastwood said.

That was another concern of Eastwood’s — what if Cruise got too into character?

“It’s a very calming and surreal state being underwater, especially when you’re holding your breath for that long,” he said. “You’ve gone through training to let your mind to that place where you can control it. It’s dangerous because you get carried away in the acting and you get in such a euphoric and relaxed state being in character that you forget what you’re doing. That was my worry.”

Thankfully, Cruise kept his head together and pulled off a scene that’s agonizingly claustrophobic yet remarkable to watch.

And that’s after seeing him hang from a moving plane.

SEE ALSO: How Scientology almost ruined Tom Cruise's career and 'Mission: Impossible' saved it

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NOW WATCH: This 'Mission Impossible' behind-the-scenes footage of a 53-year-old Tom Cruise hanging off a plane is terrifying

New 'Mission: Impossible' dominates the weekend box office

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tom cruise mission impossible rogue one

Tom Cruise proves he's still a box office draw as his latest movie, "Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation," tops the weekend with an estimated $56 million, according to Deadline.

That's the second-highest opening weekend for a film in the "M: I" franchise, just behind "Mission: Impossible II" ($57.8 million).

The $56 million figure tops projections late last week of the film grossing around $40 million for the weekend. This was due not only to positive critical reaction for "Rogue Nation," with an above 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the film also followed a strong $20 million take on Friday (which includes $4 million for Thursday evening screenings), according to Box Office Mojo, with an impressive $19.9 million on Saturday, according to Deadline.

The hot weekend temperatures proved to be a success for the other big release out this weekend, as people also flocked to their air conditioned-friendly multiplexes to see "Vacation."

The reboot of the classic Chevy Chase-starring "Nation Lampoon's Vacation" franchise, with Ed Helms now in the lead, took in $14.85 million over the weekend (totaling $21.17 million for it's five-day total), according to BoxOffice.com.

SEE ALSO: Why Tom Cruise is Hollywood's last movie star

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NOW WATCH: We unearthed Donald Trump's Vine account from 2013 and it's incredible

Here's how Jake Gyllenhaal feels about losing out on Batman and Spider-Man roles

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jake gyllenhaalThe casting process for films is often more art than science. Many actors are considered for a role that ultimately can go to only one. Jake Gyllenhaal has, at various times, been considered for the roles of both Batman and Spider-Man and, while he ended up not getting either big role, he is very much at peace with that.

Speaking with the UK’s Daily Mail Gyllenhaal says not getting those franchise roles was neither a blessing nor a curse:

"I believe whatever happens, happens for good. I was definitely open to both the roles (of Spider- Man and Batman). However at a certain point you realise there is always someone more interesting, talented and ready to do the role. In any case, you are not going to get every role you go for. So you can say I neither rue nor am I thankful for having not worked on these superhero films."

spider-manThere was a point during pre-production of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 when it looked like Tobey Maguire may not be able to return due to back injuries he sustained while filming Seabiscuit. Gyllenhaal was considered as a replacement, but eventually Maguire was able to return to do the work. He was also up for the lead in Batman Begins which eventually went to Christian Bale. Losing out on roles is par for the course in Hollywood and as he says, you’re not going to get every role you go after so it’s nice to see that he doesn’t let it get to him.

batman beginsWe may take some issue with the idea that there are always people more interesting or talented, however. Over the years Gyllenhaal has put together one of the more interesting collections of work in the movies, which obviously show his talent. From Donnie Darko to Brokeback Mountain to Nightcrawler Gyllenhaal seems to always be working on something interesting, and the awards and nominations he’s received for those two latter films shows that many believe he has the talent.

In the end, his choosing to not rue missing out on the superhero roles may be because of the wide variety of projects he’s been able to do. In addition to the time commitment that these films tend to require, heavy effects movies take a while to film, plus there are the ever present sequels, would a casting director have cast the new Spider-Man in Brokeback Mountain? It’s possible he might have lost out in other roles if he’d landed one of those big parts.

While we’d love to see Gyllenhaal take a spot in the Marvel or DC Cinematic Universe if the right spot comes along, we’re also happy to just wait and see what’s coming next after Southpaw.

SEE ALSO: Here's how Jake Gyllenhaal got ripped for his new movie 'Southpaw'

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NOW WATCH: This Lego version of the 'Batman v. Superman' trailer is absolute gold

This brilliant Netflix hack makes it a lot more fun to watch shows with other people

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When Harry Met Sally

One of the biggest problems with binge-watching shows on Netflix is that everybody watches at their own pace. It takes away the shared experience of watching an episode or two and then having someone to talk about it with immediately after the credits roll.

Never fear: A brilliant extension for Google Chrome solves that problem. Meet Showgoers, a plug-in that allows you to sync up your stream with someone else's so you can watch together. (It's not affiliated with Netflix in anyway; we reached out to Netflix for comment, but have not heard back.)

Here's how to install Showgoers

Go to the Showgoers website (showgoers.tv), where an "Install Showgoers" button will direct you to the Chrome store. Once you download this feature, go check out your Netflix account and you will notice a pair of old fashioned 3-D glasses:

Netflix Showgoers

Unfortunately, this won't allow you to watch "Wayne's World in 3D, but it will allow you to watch a classic like this with somebody else! 

Once you click on the glasses, it will lead you to this message:Screen Shot 2015 08 03 at 9.38.23 AM

Send that link to anybody you want to share your viewing experience with. (They also have to have Showgoers installed.)

Once you're watching, the pause, rewind, and fast forward options will all be in red:

Screen_Shot_2015 08 03_at_9_52_36_AM

This year, Netflix's original programming has increased in an unprecedented way. Their ambitious slate of television shows has surpassed both FX and HBO. Unlike FX and HBO, Netflix does not provide the option of watching shows live at a set time. This option could bring Netflix users one step closer to actually being on the same page about "Orange Is the New Black" and "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

In terms of film, Netflix plans to have a few original movies as well, including a four movie deal with Adam Sandler. Use Showgoers and it will be like a virtual trip to a theater, except you get to choose who shares the stadium seating with you and the snacks cost a lot less.

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NOW WATCH: TV's best kept secret just released season 2


We asked a ‘Shaft’ comics writer about the new movie being turned into a comedy and he's not happy

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Shaft

At the beginning of the year, New Line Cinema announced it would rebooting author and screenwriter Ernest Tidyman's '70s action hero John Shaft in a brand new film. The project was announced in February, but details remained scarce. Then, at the end of July, New Line announced the creative team behind the film, which included "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris and "The Goldbergs" producer Alex Barnow.

Given the pedigree of the writers hired for the project, it should probably come as no surprise that the New Line's plans are to make the "Shaft' reboot with a "comedic tone" that will "retain its action roots," per The Hollywood Reporter. (This would be the second reboot, following the 2003 John Singleton film starring Samuel L. Jackson)

This is a move that some writers and critics, like Complex's Frida Garza, are intrigued by. Others, like Devin Faraci of Birth.Movies.Death, are a bit skeptical of the move. 

But no one has reacted as passionately as David Walker, the comic book writer and filmmaker responsible for the recently-concluded, award-winning, and all-around excellent "Shaft" comic book miniseries with artist Bilquis Everly for Dynamite Entertainment, along with "Shaft's Revenge", the first official Shaft novel authorized by creator Ernest Tidyman's estate since the 1970s. 

In a blog post titled "An Open Letter Regarding SHAFT' Walker published on his pop culture-oriented website BadAzz MoFo, Walker railed against the notion of a "Shaft" comedy, writing: 

"Police brutality has reached epidemic proportions, and white supremacists seem intent on pushing this nation toward a violent and deadly racial conflict. Last month, an armed white man walked into a church, and massacred nine black people. Not since the 1960s has there been more of a need for a black action hero—one that can provide a cathartic escape from life’s day-to-day horrors, and deliver the sort of wish fulfillment that cinema is intended to do."

Walker argues that the character of John Shaft is such a rarity — a black action hero, a character archetype almost entirely missing from modern cinema — that changing him from iconic badass to comedic action hero isn't just a complete misreading of the character, it's irresponsible. 

"When we look at what happened in the late '60s and early '70s, in terms of  film and television, what was going on in America with the Civil Rights movement and a lot of the violence that we were seeing across this country, there was this response to it that manifested in the early '70s," Walker said in a follow-up interview with Tech Insider. "That's when 'Shaft' came out, and 'Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song'. I want to be really careful that I don't say 'It's just like it was back in '65' — but there's a lot of similarities there, and it feels like a lot of the unresolved business of the Civil Rights movement of the '60s; we're now facing them 50 years later."

Hence, Walker's point about police brutality, and the necessary cathartic release of a black action hero. Of course, this could also take the form in the most popular type of action hero in 2015: The superhero (Walker currently writes the DC Comics series "Cyborg", which just launched in July). But that doesn't make it an easy thing to accomplish in our culture right now.

"The challenge is always going to be getting people to look at things they are uncomfortable with," says Walker. "Our superheroes are modern-day versions of the gods of old mythology. They are there to give us morality tales of good vs. evil, right vs. wrong. We're living in a time in society right now where we really have to question our notions of who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. And the reality is that when a police officer shoots an unarmed person in the face, we have to question — what are the roles here?" There are still some people who want to believe that the police are absolutely 100% good. We don't live in a world of moral absolutes, we never have. I really do think we need to address some of this stuff."

 

SHAFT #1 COVER

 

Despite his harsh criticism for the police in light of the sobering number of highly-publicized incidents of police brutality against victims like Eric Garner and Sam Dubose, Walker acknowledges that the problem isn't so much the police as it is "a racial ideology that diminishes the value of black life." It's a subject that Walker believes pop culture needs to address, and that "Shaft" is the ideal response to it — much like it was 40 years ago. 

"I'm not opposed to comedy in any context, but I think for black people — we're either sidekicks, or victims, or the joke tellers. I'm trying to think of a movie in the last several years I've seen where, there's an actual black hero where he's not a sidekick and there's not a comedic bent to to him — I think with the exception of Denzel Washington and 'The Equalizer' — it's all been sidekicks or comic relief. He's just about all we're given. We get Denzel, we get Will Smith, and we've got Jamie Foxx right now — we're about to get Michael B. Jordan."

They're all fantastic actors, notes Walker — but black actors are still terribly underrepresented in lead action roles, which makes the comedic twist to "Shaft" hurt that much more. 

"If you're starving — I don't care how you feel about fast food," says Walker. "But if you're starving, McDonald's is going to feel like a feast, Burger King is going to feel like a feast. As a culture, and as a people, we're starving." 

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NOW WATCH: HBO's 'The Leftovers' looks like it's going to be an entirely different show next season

The director of 'Jurassic World' just revealed a huge clue about the film's sequel

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jurassic world dinosaur eating sharkJurassic Worldfrom director and screenwriter Colin Trevorrow, dominated the box office with a record-breaking theatrical release at home and abroad this summer. The fourth film in the feature franchise created by Steven Spielberg has taken in $1.5 billion worldwide, surpassing Marvel’s Avengers as the third highest grossing motion picture of all time.

After stunning audiences the world over with its featured amusement park teeming with the film’s titular Jurassic-era critters, Trevorrow’s fourth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise is already slated for at least one sequel, with the former director on-board to pen the fifth film’s script.

Little is known regarding the planned sequel, aside from its June 2018 release date and the return of star players Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard (in addition to franchise producers Spielberg and Frank Marshall), but Trevorrow has revealed some information regarding where he intends to take the series going forward.

In conversation with WIRED, the director had this to say:

“Whether or not I am involved in later installments, I felt it was important for me to set the table. I know they’re going to want to make them, I know that Steven definitely wants to make several of these movies, and I want to do my job in setting the table for something that can be rich and thoughtful and interesting. [It will not be] just a bunch of dinosaurs chasing people on an island. That’ll get old real fast.”

jurassic world 1

Trevorrow went on to highlight his intention to bring the franchise around to a place where the narrative might be able to move beyond the theme park and entertainment, and enter into the realm of hard science-fiction.

“I feel like the idea that this isn’t always going to be limited to theme parks, and there are applications for this science that reach far beyond entertainment. And when you look back at nuclear power and how that started, the first instinct was to weaponize it and later on we found it could be used for energy. And this isn’t something necessarily that was in the book but is a seed that I wanted to plant in this movie, is that might be able to grow in more of these movies if they decide to make more of them, is: What if this went open source? It’s almost like InGen is Mac, but what if PC gets their hands on it? What if there are 15 different entities around the world who can make a dinosaur?”

Jurassic WorldIn order to examine the potential for weaponization of the technology that he has already established, Trevorrow detailed myriad ways in which the series might next evolve.

“Dr. Wu says in the film, when he’s warning Dr Mesrani, ‘We’re not always going to be the only ones who can make a dinosaur.’ I think that’s an interesting idea that even if we don’t explore fully in this film, there is room for this universe to expand. I shouldn’t use the word universe, because people will think we’re making a Jurassic World universe, [which] we’re not.”

BD Wong Chuck Zlotnick Universal.JPGComparing the technology developed by InGen in his film to nuclear weapons testing in the 1940s has far reaching consequences far beyond the fourth and fifth films. By moving the science established previously beyond entertainment into the realm of industrial utility, Trevorrow prepares for an immediately interesting way of bringing the naive wonder of the end of the 20th century in the original film into the more ethically volatile 21st century of the fourth. 

For all of its computer-generated bombast and high-decibel thrills, however, Trevorrow’s blockbuster rings a little hollow as a feature film, especially when compared to the sparse simplicity of Spielberg’s original from 1993. But if the director can deliver on all of the moral and dramatic intrigue that he promises  with his planned sequel, then the fifth film in the Spielberg produced franchise might very well become the film that its predecessor only ever flirted with imitating.

The Jurassic World sequel opens in U.S. theaters on June 22nd, 2018.

SEE ALSO: 'Jurassic World' sequel announced for June 2018

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Universal will be the first studio ever to have three films hit $1 billion worldwide in the same year

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There’s nearly five months left of releases in 2015, but it’s likely within a week Universal will shatter the record for the highest grossing year for a studio as it nears $5.5 billion in global box office.

According to The Wrap, Universal will speed past the record 20th Century Fox set last year thanks to three global hits — "Furious 7,""Jurassic World," and "Minions."

"Furious" and "World" are both past the $1 billion worldwide gross mark and "Minions" should hit the milestone when it debuts in China in September.

That makes Universal the first studio ever to have three films hit the $1 billion worldwide mark, according to The Wrap.

“Their record shows how important content is, but also the release strategy, the dating, marketing,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box office tracker Rentrak, told TheWrap. “If you were going to create a playbook for studios, you could base it on the year they’re having.”

Along with "Jurassic World" ($1.55 billion), "Furious 7" ($1.51 billion) and "Minions" ($855 million), Universal also has "Fifty Shades of Grey" ($570 million) in the top 10 worldwide grosses of the year

Overall, 2015 is on pace to be the largest-grossing year ever at the US box office, according to The Wrap, with more than $11 billion.

SEE ALSO: "Furious 7" earns $1 billion in 17 days

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Why Deadpool is the Internet's favorite superhero

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Deadpool is the new black. 

The forthcoming movie starring the Marvel Comics antihero is quite unlike any other superhero film we've seen so far, an R-rated action-comedy with a self-deprecating, fourth-wall breaking sense of humor that's evident right from the very first official video released for the movie: A trailer for its trailer.

If you aren't familiar with Deadpool from the comics, this is exactly the sort of thing he's known for — self aware jabs at the conventions of the genre he appears in. It's one of the things Deadpool fans love about him. The trailer plays directly into this — on the movie's official Facebook page, the post accompanying the trailer reads:

 "#Deadpool did a trailer to a trailer. What a post-modern assh***."

That's the sort of meme-y glibness the Internet just loves. In fact, Deadpool might be the perfect superhero for Internet fandom. 

"He really is the Internet's. He came of age along with the Internet,"current "Deadpool" comic writer Gerry Duggan tells Tech Insider. "There is something to that — there are people who only know him from Tumblr ... there was a newness to Deadpool, and he wasn't that hard to sort of go back and reread everything that had been done because as much of it as there was, you're not talking about a legacy character like Spider-Man or Captain America that goes back decades and decades. He was a bit easier to mine."

Deadpool is unique among superheroes in that he has — by no real effort on the part of his creators or Marvel — grown to become the comic book personification of internet memes. 

"It's definitely a double-edged sword," says Duggan. "I think there are people that dismiss Deadpool stories out of hand, because maybe they have seen stuff online that someone makes that we didn't make, and they think 'Oh that's just crude and crass.' And that's not really our bag, we're really trying to write humor. It may or may not be crude, but Deadpool is a character that's out there just selling himself now. Whether it's in cosplay, or fanfic — even if it's just taking pages out of context — they sort of live online."

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The first reviews of 'Fantastic Four' are out and they're not very good

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The first reviews for 20th Century Fox's "Fantastic Four" reboot have finally hit the Internet, and they seem to confirm the negative buzz that has been surrounding the film for months.

Most of the criticism centers around an underwhelming story that takes too long to build to its climax and an underutilized cast.

Here's a roundup of four of the first reviews to hit the web: 

The Hollywood Reporter:

"All of this takes at least an hour and it's build-up to...nothing at all. A sense of heaviness, gloom and complete disappointment settles in during the second half, as the mundane set-up results in no dramatic or sensory dividends whatsoever. Even if lip-service is paid to some great threat to life on Earth as we know it, the filmmakers bring nothing new to the formula, resulting in a film that's all wind-up and no delivery. If the writers couldn't think of anything interesting to do with these characters in this first series reboot, they do nothing to inspire the viewer to expect they could do something exciting with a sequel."

The Wrap:

"It’s one thing for a movie to leave you wanting a sequel and quite another to make you wish you were watching that sequel instead.“Fantastic Four” — the second attempt by Fox and the third by Hollywood in general to bring Marvel Comics’ popular superteam to the big screen — offers glimmers of good things to come in its final moments, but only after the audience has slogged through yet another dispiriting origin story and yet another Earth-rescuing battle in a bland, CG-created nowhere land."

Variety:

"If the original comics were defined in part by the interaction of the characters — from Ben’s depression at having become a “monster” to the budding relationship between Reed and Sue to Johnny and Ben’s squabbling — those dynamics emerge only fitfully. And while comicbook aficionados will likely welcome the seriousness of tone, the near-absence of humor and lengthy emphasis on building the interdimensional portal largely handcuffs the cast, with only a hint, for example, of the ebullience Johnny gleans from his newfound powers."

Digital Spy:

"The biggest mistake here seems to have been trying to marry a dark and realistic tone with the story of four teenagers whose superpowers include transforming into rock, generating force fields and becoming very stretchy. While far from the unmitigated disaster some had predicted, Fantastic Four feels unlikely to kick-start a new franchise, barely sustaining the narrative steam to power itself through its modest 90-minute running time."

As bleak as all that sounds, maybe don't abandon all hope yet? There have been a few other screenings so far, and fan buzz on Twitter from them is pretty positive.

"Fantastic Four" premieres Friday, August 7, 2015.

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