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How the Oscars could sue the company that handed out the wrong best-picture card

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Martha L Ruiz Brian Cullinan PricewaterhouseCoopers Christpher Polk Getty final

Following the biggest blunder in Oscar history during Sunday's awards, when presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway presented best picture to the wrong movie, you would think heads would roll. But that could turn out to be complex.

The misstep happened because a person in charge of holding winning envelopes handed Beatty the wrong card.

The accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which audits the voting for the Oscars and handles its ballots and envelopes, and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have been working together for 83 years. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, the firm does more than oversee Oscar voting tabulations. PwC is also in charge of many accounting duties for the Academy.

And according to lawyers who spoke to THR, the Academy likely won't be suing PwC, though they could argue that the firm breached a duty of care.

Oscars best picture 2017 Kevin Winter Getty final“They’ve been doing this so long, they might have developed a contract that’s really detailed," Devin McRae, a litigator at Early Sullivan, told the publication. "The Academy might attempt to get a price break, telling PwC, 'You have to take a hit. This is the worst possible error you can make.'"

The only way this scenario would likely go to court is if both parties couldn't agree on financial compensation, according to THR's reporting.

The Wall Street Journal broke the news that PwC partner Brian Cullinan was the one who handed Beatty the incorrect envelope for the best picture category. The story points out that he may have been distracted, as minutes before Beatty presented, he tweeted a photo from backstage of Emma Stone clutching her best-actress Oscar for her performance in "La La Land."

Beatty and Dunaway went onstage with a duplicate copy of the best-actress envelope and announced that "La La Land" was the best-picture winner, instead of the rightful winner, "Moonlight." A stage manager had to come out while the "La La Land" producers were already giving their acceptance speeches to hand off the correct card.

PwC issued a statement Monday night taking full responsibility for the mistake.

SEE ALSO: The "hero""La La Land" producer who have the best-picture Oscar to "Moonlight" says the moment was "terrible"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' trailer Marvel dropped during the Super Bowl


The best movies and TV shows coming to Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, and more in March

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Rogue One Poster2

It's time to check out what movies and TV shows are available for streaming in March.

The biggie is over at iTunes, where "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" will be available to purchase at the end of the month.

Other standouts include "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,""Sing," and the Oscar-nominated "Lion," all coming to iTunes.

Amazon has its original movie "The Dressmaker" starring Kate Winslet, and season five of "The Americans."

And on HBO Go/Now you can catch up on your blockbusters with "X-Men: Apocalypse" and "Independence Day: Resurgence."  

Here's everything coming on your favorite streaming platforms. We've highlighted some standouts in bold:

SEE ALSO: One photo sums up the baffling audience reaction to the big Oscars best picture screw-up

iTunes

Available March 3

“Sing”

Available March 7

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Passengers”
“Assassin’s Creed”
“Live By Night”

Available March 14

“Patriots Day”
“Elle”
“Silence”
“20th Century Women”
“Miss Sloane”
“A Monster Calls”

Available March 21

“Office Christmas Party”

Available March 24

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (to own, not rent)

Available March 28

“Lion”



Amazon Prime

Available March 1

“Nine Lives”
“Anthropoid” 
“What We Do in the Shadows”
“Chicago”
“Hannibal”
“Hoodwinked” 
“The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold”     
“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” 
“The Gambler” 
“Charlie Bartlett”
“Vampire in Brooklyn” 

Available March 2

“The Dressmaker” (Amazon Original)
“Emma”                                                         

Available March 3

“Annedroids” (Season 4, Amazon Original)

Available March 8

“The Americans” (Season 5)   

Available March 10

“Hand of God” (Season 2, Amazon Original)

Available March 11

“W.” 
“Churchill’s Secret”    

Available March 14

“Patriot’s Day”    

Available March 16

“Orphan Black” (Season 4) 

Available March 17

“Everybody Wants Some!!”    
“You Are Wanted” (Amazon Original)  

Available March 23

“Gimme Danger” (Amazon Original) 

Available March 24

“An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976” (Season 3, Amazon Original)

Available March 29

“A Man Called Ove”



Hulu

Available March 1
 
“National Treasure” (4-part series, Hulu Original)
 “13 Going on 30”
 “52 Pick Up”
 “A Company Man”
 “A Simple Plan”
 “The Adventure of Buckaroo Banzai”
 “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”
“American Heart”
 “American Sasquatch Hunters: Bigfoot in America”
 “Ancient Aliens Origins”
 “And While We Were Here”
 “Badges of Fury”
 “Battle Ground”
 “The Big Kahuna”
 “Born to be Blue”
 “Carrie”
 “The Rage: Carrie 2”
 “Cavemen”
 “Charlie Bartlett”
 “Clueless”
 “Code 46”
 “Commitment”
 “Confession of Murder”
 “The Courier”
 “Curse of the Zodiac”
 “The Cutting Edge”
 “The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold”
 “Dead Man’s Bounty”
 “Doomsday Book”
 “Dummy”
 “Eastern Bandits”
 “Enemy at the Gates”
 “The Final Cut”
 “Flash Point”
 “Floating City”
 “The Fog”
 “The Four”
 “The Gambler”
 “Gang Related”
 “The Ghost Writer”
 “The Guillotines”
 “Hannibal”
 “I Love You Phillip Morris”
 “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport”
 “The Karate Kid”
 “The Karate Kid 3”
 “The Karate Kid: Part 2”
 “Kid Cannabis”
 “Killer Klowns from Outer Space”
 “King of the Mountain”
 “The Kings of the Streets”
 “The Last Tycoon”
 “Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit”
 “Little Big Soldier”
 “Lost Highway”
 “Lost in Thailand”
 “The Man from Nowhere”
 “Miami Vice”
 “Mr. Majestyk”
 “Mystery Road”
 “New World”
 “Ninja Masters”
 “Not Suitable for Children”
 “On the Job”
 “Ordinary People”
 “The Phantom of the Opera”
 “Pele: Birth of a Legend”
 “Penelope”
 “Possums”
 “Radio Days”
 “Requiem for a Dream”
 “Saving General Yang”
 “Shaolin”
 “Shark Babes”
 “Slightly Single in LA”
 “Special ID”
 “Staying Alive”
 “The Substitute 2: Schools Out”
 “The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All”
 “The Substitute 4: Failure is not an Option”
 “The Substitute”
 “Surf’s Up”
 “The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3”
 “Tai Chi Hero”
 “Tai Chi Zero”
 “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”
 “The Thieves”
 “Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her”
 “Top Gun”
 “Up in the Air”
 “Vampire in Brooklyn”
 “A Viking Saga: The Darkest Days”
 “War of the Arrows”
 “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”
 “The Wrath of Vajra”
 “Young Detective Dee”
 
Available March 2
 
“Last Girl Standing”

Available March 3
 
“Young Ones”
 
Available March 4

“Out of the Furnace”
 “House of D”

Available March 5
 
“The Adventures of Dr. Buckeye Bottom” (Season 1 Premiere)
 “Food Chains”

Available March 6
 
“The Real Housewives of New York City” (Complete Season 8)
 “Time After Time” (Series Premiere)
 “ChickLit”
 “A Gamer’s Life”
 
Available March 10
 
“The Catch” (Season 2 Premiere)
 “Kicking & Screaming” (Series Premiere)
 “Steven Universe” (Complete Season 3)
 
Available March 11
 
“Angie Tribeca” (Complete Season 2)
 “American Jihad”
 
Available March 13
 
“Future Baby”
 
Available March 15
 
“Sheriff Callie’s Wild West” (Complete Season 2)
 “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”
 
Available March 16
 
“NHL Road to the Outdoor Classics Ep. 1”

Available March 17
 
“Counterfeit Cat” (Complete Season 1)
 “Fargo” (Complete Season 2)
 “Mr. Pickles” (Complete Season 2)
 “A Bronx Tale”
 “Everybody Wants Some!!”
 “The Truth about Emmanuel”
 
Available March 19
 
“Happy Birthday”
 “The Suspect”
 
Available March 20
 
“Fear Inc.”
 
Available March 21
 
“Dancing with the Stars” (Season 24 Premiere)
“Fear the Walking Dead” (Complete Season 2)
 “The Twins: Happily Ever After” (Series Premiere)
 “American Romance”
 
Available March 28
 
“Archer” (Complete Season 7)
 
Available March 29
 
“Harlots” (Season 1 premiere, Hulu Original)
“Star vs. The Forces of Evil” (Complete Season 2)



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How the company behind two of the year's biggest movies is blowing up the Hollywood playbook

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get out allison williams daniel kaluuya

Unless you own the rights to Marvel characters or you're a streaming giant with endless capital, the best way to make a buck in Hollywood these days is finding a niche but passionate audience for a particular subject, and make the content on the cheap.

Jason Blum and his company Blumhouse Productions have done just that, and now they're reaping the rewards.

Known for creating some of the most memorable horror franchises of the last decade like "Paranormal Activity,""Insidious," and "The Purge," Blumhouse has so far performed in 2017 at a profit level that has major studios envious.

How 'Split' and 'Get Out' became shockingly huge hits

Jordan Peele’s new directorial debut “Get Out” gave Blumhouse (and the company's frequent partner in its releases, Universal) its second No. 1 movie at the domestic box office this year when it made $30.5 million just in opening weekend (on a $4.5 million budget).

“Split,” the second M. Night Shyamalan movie produced by Blumhouse (the first was 2015's “The Visit”), spent three straight weeks at the top of the box office after opening in late January, and has earned over $195 million worldwide so far (on a relatively tiny $9 million budget) and brought some much-needed cachet back to the director once hailed for his blockbusters.

"Split" is, as of this writing, the second-highest-grossing movie of the year so far in the US, and "Get Out," despite only being out for less than a week, is also in the top 10.

“Blumhouse has been the Pixar of horror distribution for some time now," Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider. "Most horror films take forever to get out of the red — Blumhouse’s are usually in the black opening weekend, if not opening day."

Despite the success, Blum doesn't get caught up in his own hype. When Business Insider brought up the $20 million projection for “Get Out” in an interview last week, he lowered the expectations.

“We’re projecting high teens,” he said.

And yes, he’s happy about how his recent releases are doing, but he’s the first to acknowledge that good fortune can be a fickle thing in Hollywood.

Split Universal"I think the movie business is cyclical and you have a few that work and a few that don't. For some reason they bunch up — I don't know why that is," Blum said. "That's the nature of the business and it's a lot more fun when the movies are working."

But the truth is it's hard to find something at Blumhouse that's not working. Its genre titles have grossed over $2.2 billion to date (its first movie came out about a decade ago). That's all the more remarkable because the company works on a micro-budget model that shoots for the moon using a souped-up jet instead of a rocket ship. 

Blumhouse generally keeps production budgets under $5 million (it goes up to around $10 million for sequels), and almost never makes a distribution commitment for a project until it's completed and given a good once-over by Blum and his team. The company, with a staff of 45, has built an impressive catalog and fined-tuned development in a way that has nearly assured success across all of its titles.

What Blum learned from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein

It's a by-the-bootstraps approach that was embedded into Blum early in his career. He was an executive in charge of acquisitions and coproductions for Miramax in the 1990s when it was then owned by Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The company was at its zenith — owned by Disney and making blockbuster deals for movies out of Sundance while also producing Oscar winners left and right.

"They really taught me the movie business," Blum said of working with the Weinsteins, particularly Harvey. "There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think, 'What would Harvey do?' Not that I always do it. Sometimes I think, 'What would Harvey do? I'm going to do it differently.' I think if I got one thing from Harvey it was to just keep busting down the door until you succeed. He really instilled that in me in a very profound way."

That was necessary when Blum went out on his own as an independent producer after leaving Miramax. He describes it as a low point in his career.

"I wanted to be an independent producer when I worked for Harvey. I did it for three or four years and I did not like it," Blum said. "I decided at that time I wanted to build a company and it took 10 years to do it, but this is absolutely my dream. I do not miss my days of making one or two movies a year. I thought I would love it, and I didn't like anything about it."

Blumhouse Productions' first release was the forgettable 2006 romantic comedy "Griffin & Phoenix," but then Blum came across "Paranormal Activity," a found-footage horror movie made for $15,000 by a video-game designer named Oren Peli. After it wowed audiences at a couple of film festivals in 2007, Blum got DreamWorks interested in the movie for remake rights, but he had another plan.

paranormal activity dreamworks"I came onto the movie, I tried to sell it, everyone said it was a joke," Blum remembered. "But I knew anyone running a studio, if they saw the movie screened with an audience, would distribute the movie. My problem was I couldn't get anyone into a movie theater because I didn't have any clout, I was a nobody. The only thing I got was DreamWorks to agree to remake it and of course we were never going to remake the movie, but I couldn't say that. So what I said was I will sell you the remake rights to the movie but, and I put this in the contract: you guys set up and attending a test screening. And I said as long as you do that we'll sell the movie. And I said to Oren, 'I promise you you'll never remake the movie, you don't want to do it, I don't want to do it, it's never going to happen. But this is the only way I can get people who make a decision into a movie theater with people.' That's how we did it, and the rest is history."

The gamble worked. DreamWorks could not argue with the audience reaction and released Peli's original version in 2009. The movie went on to earn an astounding $193 million worldwide (it's one of the most profitable movies of all time, comparing budget to gross) and spawned five sequels.

Blumhouse's golden formula for movie success

Blum had found the formula to create a successful movie company: genre movies, made clever with up-and-coming directors, done with responsible spending.

"Insidious" and "Ouija" followed, which also turned into profitable franchises. Then in 2014 the company signed a 10-year first-look deal with Universal, which has led to last year's hit "The Purge: Election Year" and the just-released, critically acclaimed "Get Out"— which marks Blumhouse's eighth movie to earn six times its budget on opening weekend — as well as "Split," which could lead to the company's most ambitious franchise yet.

"This is a transformative moment for Blumhouse," Blum put it bluntly. "I consider 'Split' a Blumhouse 2.0 — a new act in the company."

Though Blum would not comment on a sequel, Shyamalan has already hinted on Twitter that he's working on one (warning: spoilers ahead), which will focus on the surprise ending in "Split," which revealed that the James McAvoy character in the movie lives in the same cinematic universe as Bruce Willis' David Dunn from Shyamalan's 2000 movie "Unbreakable." (Quite a feat seeing as "Unbreakable" is owned by Disney, which will likely have to team with Blumhouse, along with Universal, on any sequel.) 

Jason Blum Ethan Miller GettyThen there's the highly anticipated relaunch of the "Halloween" franchise, which Blumhouse is producing with the full support of the movies' original creator John Carpenter, who will be executive producing. Director David Gordon Green and actor Danny McBribe joined the film with Green directing and the two sharing screenwriting duties (the movie is set for release in October 2018 and McBride has hinted that it's a continuation of the first two movies in the franchise.)

Green and McBridge aren't known for their horror chops, but as Blum showed with Peele's "Get Out," he thinks tweaking the preconceived notions of genres is a good thing.

"I think there's a real connection between scary and funny, and I think [Green and McBride] are incredibly talented," Blum said. "It's very shortsighted to think the only guy who is going to do a good horror movie is the guy who has done a good horror movie before. I think what 'Halloween' needs is an injection of different and present and edgy and I think those guys are as good as anybody at delivering that."

In an industry that, according to Blum, doesn't change by the day but "by the minute," he believes the only way to survive is by taking calculated risks. He sees the success of "Get Out" as the perfect example of what Blumhouse does best, and it's miles away from the major studios' thinking.

"Jordan's script had been around for quite some time, no one wanted to make it, and I understand why: It's bananas," Blum said. "We did it because I read the script and I thought it would be amazing. If you make something on a respectable budget, you can make weird stuff. Did I know it would be a hit? I had no idea. But I loved how weird it was.

"At studios, filmmakers have to come into a room with comparisons. I don't want that," he continued. "If you can compare it to something, it's less interesting to me. The most excited I get is when someone says, 'I just read something and I've never read anything like it before.'"

SEE ALSO: One photo sums up the baffled audience reaction to the big Oscars best picture screw-up

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The Oscars just had its biggest gaffe in history — here’s what happened

Emma Watson has a simple explanation for why she rarely takes photos with fans

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Emma Watson

The INSIDER Summary: 

• Emma Watson doesn't take pictures with fans when she meets them on the street.
• She says they make it too easy for other people to track her down.
• "Harry Potter" fans tend to be more zealous than other fans.

• She sometimes makes exceptions for kids, and for people on the red carpet.



Emma Watson is one of the most famous women in the world. As the actress behind Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" movies and the forthcoming Belle in "Beauty and the Beast," she has a massive fanbase.

When Watson meets fans on the street or at events, though, she turns down requests for selfies and photos.

"If someone takes a photograph of me and posts it, within two seconds they’ve created a marker of exactly where I am within 10 meters,"Watson told Vanity Fair. "They can see what I’m wearing and who I’m with. I just can’t give that tracking data."

For some people, there are exceptions: "Children I don’t say no to, for example," Watson said, because she'd "make someone’s freakin’ week."

She also sometimes takes photos on the red carpet. Her fans know she's there, anyway. At the premiere of "Beauty and the Beast" in Shanghai on February 27, she took selfies with members of the red carpet crowd.

emma watson taking selfie

Sometimes, Watson will offer to chat about "Harry Potter" with her fans, but they aren't even interested.

"I’ll say, 'I will sit here and answer every single Harry Potter fandom question you have but I just can’t do a picture,'" Watson said.

While other celebrities might be happy to pose for photos with their fans, Watson says hers can be extreme. "Harry Potter" was a coming-of-age phenomenon for millions of people, and those people can be obsessive. Since the film adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" premiered in 2001, she's had to fend off stalkers, according to Vanity Fair.

"I have met fans that have my face tattooed on their body. I’ve met people who used the Harry Potter books to get through cancer," Watson said. "I don’t know how to explain it, but the Harry Potter phenomenon steps into a different zone. It crosses into obsession. A big part of me coming to terms with it was accepting that this is not your average circumstances."

Emma Watson beauty beast shanghai

Watson also told Vanity Fair that privacy has become only more urgent because of social media, where everyone has a camera on their phone and the ability to share photos with thousands of people at once. She purchased her house, for example, over a Skype call and without even looking at it, because it had a paparazzi-proof entrance, according to Vanity Fair.

"People will say to me, ‘Have you spoken to Jodie Foster or Natalie Portman? They would have great advice for you on how to grow up in the limelight.’ I’m not saying it was in any way easy on them, but with social media it’s a whole new world," Watson said. "They’ve both said technology has changed the game."

Join the conversation about this story »

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Marvel just dropped the latest trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and it looks incredible

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Marvel just showed off the newest trailer for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and it looks amazing. The movie will see the return of Star-Lord and the rest of the Guardians, along with a few new faces. It's scheduled to hit U.S. theaters May 5th. 

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Netflix just dropped the teaser for its new war movie starring Brad Pitt 'War Machine'

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War Machine 2 Netflix final

On Wednesday, Netflix revealed the teaser trailer for its upcoming satire on the war in Afghanistan starring Brad Pitt, "War Machine."

Based on the best-selling book “The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan,” the movie follows Pitt as a four-star general who has been tasked with commanding the US war in Afghanistan, but the complexity of the job becomes overwhelming.

Netflix reportedly nabbed the movie, on which Pitt is also a producer, for $30 million. It also stars Tilda Swinton, Ben Kingsley, and Lakeith Stanfield.

Check out the teaser below, which shows off Pitt's classic dry humor. "War Machine" will be available on Netflix May 26.

 

SEE ALSO: 12 famous people who have zero interest in computers, social media, or the internet

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NOW WATCH: Watch the ad John Oliver paid to run on cable networks so Trump would see it

14 celebrities you didn't realize were immigrants

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immigrant celebrities split

Entertainers from all over the world flock to the United States since its entertainment industries — whether for movies, television, music, books, or theater — are some of the biggest in the world.

In addition to a surprising number of celebrities who are refugees from other countries, there are also quite a few immigrants from around the world. While some strike out and go back home, others achieve huge success and end up immigrating permanently, becoming US citizens. 

Here are 14 celebrities you probably didn't realize were immigrants to the US.

SEE ALSO: Netflix just dropped the teaser for its new war movie starring Brad Pitt 'War Machine'

Michael J. Fox uses his fame to campaign for government-funded medical research in the US.

Marty McFly hails from Canada, and got American citizenship in 1999. Fox has Parkinson's disease, and frequently advocates for medical research into stem cells, which has produced breakthroughs in understanding and treating the disease.

"I'm real proud of the fact that if you say 'Russia' to the average American he thinks 'Cold War' and if you say 'Russia' to a Canadian he thinks 'hockey,'"Fox said in 1987.



When Neil Young came to the United States, he was an undocumented immigrant without a work visa.

Neil Young is also Canadian, having moved to the United States in 1966, right around the time he started making folk-style records with "Buffalo Springfield."

According to Rolling Stone, Young didn't have proper papers at the time and lived "in perpetual fear of getting pulled over for a traffic violation."

In an interview for his biography "Shakey," Young described the quintessential Canadian characteristic of constant ambivalence.

"There's something in Canada that teaches you that you always gotta look at both sides," Young said. "Even the things that I believe in the most, I doubt."



Salma Hayek spent some time in the US undocumented before she got her green card.

The actress was born in Mexico and started her career making telenovas there. In 1991, she moved to Los Angeles to study acting and straddled the Hollywood and Mexican acting worlds. She overstayed her US visa and was undocumented for awhile before getting her green card. She acquired US citizenship in 2013.

Hayek remains an active part of her Mexican community, she told E!, making an effort to represent the country in her work and life.

"I have taught my child to embrace her Mexican heritage, to love my first language, Spanish, to learn about Mexican history, music, folk art, food, and even the Mexican candy I grew up with," she said. "I have tried my whole life to represent my Mexican roots with honor and pride."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 2 accountants responsible for the Oscar screwup will no longer work the awards

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Martha L Ruiz Brian Cullinan PricewaterhouseCoopers Christpher Polk Getty final

The two PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants responsible for the epic best picture flub at Sunday night’s Oscars will not be invited back by the Academy, the organization’s president Cheryl Boone Issacs told the Associated Press on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the firm confirmed that the two accountants will not participate in future shows.

Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz were the two members of the firm tasked with safeguarding the envelopes with the winners names on them. However, a mix-up by Cullinan resulted in presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway being given the best actress envelope instead of the one announcing that “Moonlight” had won best picture. Dunaway mistakenly announced that “La La Land” had one the top prize.

Cullinan has drawn media attention and scrutiny because he was tweeting from backstage minutes before handing Beatty the wrong envelope. A PwC spokesperson said both Cullinan and Ruiz are still partners in the firm.

Boone Issacs and the non-profit organization have been slow to respond to the fallout, waiting a full day to issue a public apology. They waited more than 48 hours to apologize for another mess-up, one that saw the group include a picture of a still-living producer in its in memoriam segment.

Boone Issacs told the AP that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the full name of the group behind the Oscars, is reviewing its ties to PwC.

Spokespeople for PwC and the Academy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In an earlier interview with the New Yorker, Boone Issacs said that the thought that went through her mind when the best picture mistake was made was “horror.”

“I looked out and I saw a member of Pricewaterhouse coming on the stage, and I was, like, Oh, no, what—what’s happening?” said Boone Issacs. “What what WHAT? What could possibly . . . ? And then I just thought, Oh, my God, how does this happen? How. Does. This. Happen.”

SEE ALSO: Hollywood stars who rejected their Oscars

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Jordan Peele plans to direct a whole series of horror movies about 'social demons'

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Jordan Peele Frederick M. Brown Getty

Jordan Peele is best known for his comedic work alongside Keegan-Michael Key on their Comedy Central show "Key & Peele" and in their movie "Keanu," but his directorial debut "Get Out" (opening February 24) will show the world that he's also really good at scaring us.

And it's a mission he plans to continue for a while.

In "Get Out," a young black man (Daniel Kaluuya) finds himself in a very messed up situation —actually a massive understatement — when he goes out to the country to visit his white girlfriend's (Allison Williams) family. We won't give anything else away, but if you've seen the trailer, you can get a hint of how Peele created a unique chiller that explores real ideas and attitudes about race, some of them quite ugly.

See for yourself:

But this is far from a one-and-done for Peele. He recently told Business Insider that "Get Out" is the first in a collection of movies he wants to direct that examine what he calls "social demons."

"I have four other social thrillers that I want to unveil in the next decade," Peele told Business Insider. "The best and scariest monsters in the world are human beings and what we are capable of especially when we get together. I've been working on these premises about these different social demons, these innately human monsters that are woven into the fabric of how we think and how we interact, and each one of my movies is going to be about a different one of these social demons."

Peele's examination of race and alienation in "Get Out" is an impressive, confident directorial debut. We can't wait to see what he will throw at us next, though we're also pretty afraid.

SEE ALSO: Here's everything in the $100,000+ swag bag given to Oscar nominees

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Marvel just dropped the latest trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and it looks incredible

Jordan Peele's horror movie 'Get Out' has sharp commentary about race at its core

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get out

This post includes major spoilers for the movie "Get Out."

As one half of the groundbreaking comedy duo Key & Peele, Jordan Peele has emerged as one of America's foremost comedy voices on the subject of race issues in the popular culture. But while his new horror-thriller "Get Out" indeed casts a dark satirical eye on many of those same issues, this time he's not joking around. The film frames the familiar anxieties of modern black/white intercultural awkwardness as a potential mask for something much more sinister, and the result is a suspenseful, genuinely scary film that would almost certainly still be effective with some other topical reference point at its center but still cuts extra deep because of the one it has.

It also plays fair. Despite the ultimate reveal of what's been going on taking "Get Out" in an unexpected, genre-bending direction, all of the teases, misdirections and hidden-in-plain-sight clues fit together logically as the answers to a satisfying mystery story. Even still, if you've just come back from the film nursing any lingering questions about what it was all supposed to mean, here's the place to go back over everything:

The setup

In the film's "cold open," a yet-unnamed Black man (Lakeith Stanfield) who has become lost in an eerily quiet upscale suburban neighborhood finds himself being followed by an anonymous car in a scenario clearly meant to evoke memories of recent vigilante shooting incidents like the shooting of Trayvon Martin. When he stops to confront his pursuer, however, he finds himself instead confronting a strange figure wearing a medieval-style iron helmet who puts him into a headlock, renders him unconscious and stuffs him into the trunk.

Get Out movie allison williams DANIEL KALUUYA

The main storyline, unfolding immediately thereafter, follows aspiring photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) as he undertakes a trip with his girlfriend of five months, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), to spend the weekend with her well-to-do parents — whom Chris will be meeting for the first time. This is a prospect that's making him nervous because Rose has not informed them that he's Black, which she assures him will not be an issue, but he's increasingly certain will not be the case. While en route their car strikes a deer on the road, drawing the attentions of a police officer whom Rose upbraids for racially profiling Chris.

As promised, Rose's parents (Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford) are a pair of properly-tolerant liberals perfectly happy for their daughter to be dating a Black man — in fact, they're a little too happy. They immediately shower Chis with earnest stories about how the family's late patriarch was a marathon runner who qualified second behind Jesse Owens for the U.S. Olympic team, how they desperately wish they could've voted for Barack Obama a third time and even the twinge of shame they feel at being rich white people with a pair of Black servants (handyman Walter and housekeeper Georgina). It's all just a bit … "much," and that's before Chris meets Caleb Landry Jones as Rose's aggressive lacrosse-playing younger brother, who muses about how Chris' "genetic makeup" would make him a great mixed martial-arts fighter, and who likes to put people in headlocks (uh-oh).

The build-up

Things only get weirder from there: Rose's mom is a hypnotherapist who's a little too eager to help cure Chris of his smoking habit through an unsettling procedure that involves sending his consciousness into an out-of-body state she calls "the sunken place." He can't turn to Walter and Georgina for sympathy — they're strangely detached, alternately seeming to be in a trance or prone to odd behaviors: She likes to stare at her own reflection, he runs at top speed around the house (marathon-style) for exercise in the middle of the night. They both also talk and behave "differently," as though they're much older and more compliant than they should be given their relative ages in 2017; as Chris puts it while venting over the phone to his friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery), "It feels like they missed the revolution."

get out garden party

When a group of the Armitage's other wealthy friends show up for a garden party, they also all behave in just-inappropriate-enough ways; over-complimenting Chris's physique, asking about the "advantages" of African-American heritage and gushing about their admiration for Black celebrities like Tiger Woods. While Chris and Rose are out for a walk, we glimpse the partygoers playing a game of "bingo" that slowly reveals itself to be a kind of auction where they seem to be placing bids on Chris — which would be unnerving enough without Rod having already theorized that Rose's mother is hypnotizing Black people to become sex-slaves (or, rather, that Chris has wandered into "Some serious 'Eyes Wide Shut' s—t!").

The reveal

While at the party, Chris meets and tries to start up a conversation with the one Black guest besides himself — the husband of a (much older) white woman. The audience is meant to already recognize him as Lakeith Stanfield's character from the opening, now acting and dressing (there's no other way to put it) like an old white man; but Chris thinks he recognizes him too: As a friend from he and Rod's old neighborhood. When he tries to sneak a photo to send to Rod, the camera-flash triggers a kind of psychological breakdown in the man, and he starts shoving Chris and telling him to "Get out!"

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Sure enough, Rod is able to identify the photo as their old acquaintance, but there's a problem: He's supposedly a "missing person" (Rod's attempts to convince the police of his theories are less successful). Having now discovered a hidden box containing "selfies" of Rose posing with dozen other young Black men (including "Walter" and one woman — "Georgina") and accepting that he is indeed in real danger, Chris tries to flee … but it's too late. Mrs. Armitage's hypnosis has rendered him incapable of resisting, and he's been "selected" for a sinister experiment the only escape from which is a desperate, blood-soaked gambit involving mad science, illegal surgery, brutal beatdowns and a hunting rifle.

What was actually going on

As revealed by a television broadcast shown to Chris after he's hypnotized for the final time after his initial escape-attempt, the deeper backstory is that the Armitage Family and their friends are members of a cult-like group called The Order of The Coagula, who had sought (under the leadership of Rose's mad scientist grandfather — the one who placed second to Jesse Owens) the secret of extended-life through brain-transplantation.

get out movie parents

Rose's parents (accomplished mad scientists in their own right) had managed to realize that the Coagula dream through a combination of his surgical skills and her hypnotism. As it turns out, the transplantation will only stick if the original consciousness of the "patient" remains in the original system i.e. regressed but "alive" in the hypnosis-induced Sunken Place. Rose and her brother are part of the operation as "wranglers" who procure Black people to be auctioned-off as replacement-bodies by the Order — him via abduction by the metal-masked stalker, and her by seducing Black men (and possibly also "Georgina"— it's unclear whether their photo indicates a friendship or more) and luring them to her parents.

Speaking of Walter and Georgina, they were only pretending to be the Armitage's live-in help as part of the ruse to trap Chris. They're actually Rose's Grandma and Grandpa inhabiting their "new" young, Black bodies — hence "Walter" (who we're told "almost got over" placing behind Jesse Owens) being so fond of showing off his running skills now that he's got a… well, a more Jesse-esque body of his own. Likewise, the disturbed man at the party was "really" the original husband of the older woman. The flash from Chris' camera, however, is evidently able to scramble the signal and momentarily release the mind's original consciousness from The Sunken Place, which he ultimately uses to his advantage in order to escape. He almost blows it by stopping to rescue an injured Georgina (not realizing what she really is) because she reminds him of his mother — memories of whom Rose's mom had exploited as an "in" for her hypnosis.

Did Chris actually escape?

At the very least, he didn't die (or get hypnotized out of existence) at the Armitages' as was planned — though it's not clear whether or not anyone is going to believe his story with Rose's family killed, their house (and thus much of the evidence) on fire, and Rose herself left near-death in the middle of the street. When Rod pulls up in what we first assume is a police car (it's actually a vehicle from his TSA job at the airport), it's mainly meant as a final "gotcha" at the expense of audience expectations i.e. the cops showing up would be a "good" sign in any horror film but this one. But it's also a reminder that the real cops didn't believe Rod when he went to them for help.

get out movie patio iced tea

It's also true that the extent of the conspiracy is unknown. We meet three post-transplantation victims (not including Chris) but it's unknowable how many times this has been done before. Rose's cache of photographs suggests almost a dozen in total from her "wrangling" alone, and who knows how many more have been procured by the brother or if they were even the only ones with that particular assignment. Chris certainly wasn't meant to be the last — prior to his big escape scene, we see Rose up in her bedroom Googling "Top NCAA Prospects," presumably searching for her next target … and the audience never officially sees her die.

Why were they abducting only black people?

This is where "Get Out" hits on "the message" and thus also the twist within its twist: The Order aren't traditional racists — or, at least, not the type of racists Hollywood is traditionally more comfortable calling out and posturing against. They aren't neo-Nazis, Klansmen or White Nationalists. There are no white hoods, Confederate flags, swastikas or even a "Make America Great Again" cap anywhere to be found. These are "good" White People: proud, well-off and self-satisfied "Liberals" who are very likely being completely sincere about their Obama votes, their love of Black celebrities and their appreciation for (and desire to "connect" with) Black culture.

But that's precisely the issue. Peele's film is using a well-worn horror-movie narrative (specifically, the narrative of "The Stepford Wives" — a paranoid 1970s chiller in which a women discovers that the men of her suspiciously-perfect small town are replacing their "difficult" feminist wives with obedient, submissive 1950s-style robot duplicates) in order to needle a very specific subset of White racism: "Nice" Liberals who are insistent of their non-racism because they admire an abstract ideal of Blackness while not actually engaging or regularly encountering any actual Black people.

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The Armitages and their friends admire Black culture, Black stars, the Black ex-President — pretty much anyone Black they know from television or the movies. Not only don't they mind their children dating Black people, they'd be proud to be married to a Black spouse themselves! After all, like they keep telling Chris at the party: being Black is "fashionable" now, especially since Black people are innately "cool" and naturally more athletically gifted — opinions they probably see as not only being not racist but the exact opposite thereof. The guy who "bought" Chris' body quite literally "doesn't see race"— he's blind, and desires what he's been told is Chris' excellent eye for photography. They're so progressively in love with "Blackness" that they'd like nothing better than to be Black themselves — they just don't happen to see actual, individual Black people as "human" enough to have any moral compunctions about enslaving their minds and hijacking their bodies in order to increase their "totally not racist"-ness.

As social commentary goes, that's some pretty tough, scathing stuff; all-but certain to provoke maximum discomfort in "good liberal" white audiences who may have turned up to cheer for the hero putting the beatdown on the kind of "evil redneck caveman" racist Hollywood more often deploys as a "safe" vision of bigotry and instead see more of themselves in "Get Out's" villains than they'd care to grapple with. But horror movies with a message falter when they aren't willing to play for keeps, and "Get Out" is aiming to send its audience home with something to think about beyond the big scares — though whether it actually connects will be up for each individual viewer to decide.

"Get Out," written and directed by Jordan Peele, is now in theaters.

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The new King Kong movie 'Skull Island' is a crazy hot mess

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Kong Skull Island Warner Bros

Hollywood has been trying to make a successful modern franchise out of King Kong for decades, and in its latest attempt, Warner Bros. veers from the origin story of the classic 1933 movie to deliver a highly stylized action blockbuster called “Kong: Skull Island.” And boy, does it not work.

When the trailer for "Skull Island" hit the internet, you may have been grabbed, like me, by its fun vibe that mixed an "Apocalypse Now" lost-in-the-jungle tone with CGI-fueled action of a pissed-off Kong, plus a sword-swinging John C. Reilly as the comic relief. Unfortunately, that's the whole movie right there in a nutshell.

And if that's all you want from the $20 or so you'll spend at the multiplex to see this movie, then Warner Bros. has done its job, but frankly, this had the potential to be more than another dull reboot with its moments of entertainment. It's a bummer that's all it is.

Directed by up-and-comer Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who kicks off the movie with a dramatic entrance to Skull Island circa World War II, the movie then fast-forwards to 1973 at the tail end of the Vietnam War. John Goodman and Corey Hawkins ("Straight Outta Compton,""24: Legacy") play scientists who are granted a military escort to a mysterious island (you guessed it, Skull Island) to investigate what's on it before the Russians do.

Samuel L. Jackson plays the Army colonel of the team that flies everyone to Skull Island, Tom Hiddleston is a former British Special Forces member who comes along as a tracker, and Brie Larson is the war photojournalist who has had enough of being in "the s---" of Vietnam and tags along to see what they find on the island.

But by the time their helicopters fly into Skull Island, the movie is off the tracks.

Kong Skull Island 2 Warner BrosJackson's long-winded story about Icarus that he just decides to spout when his team is in a brutal thunderstorm to get to the island is the first sign that things are going to get rough. (Before that, Jackson says one his most famous lines from another movie. I won't spoil it for you.)

Though we get a good dose of Kong right when we hit the island, and some really creative shots of the destruction he dishes out on the helicopters, we are then left with the less tempting meat of the movie: The two factions of the team post-Kong attack (Hiddleston, Larson, Hawkins on one side; Jackson, Goodman, Jason Mitchell, and Shea Whigham on the other) try to meet at a rendezvous point.

Yes, there are some great fight scenes with the other creatures on Skull Island, like a gigantic spider with legs that look like bamboo trunks and pterodactyl-like birds (all homages to creatures from B-movies of the 1960s). But as much as I'm sure Vogt-Roberts and screenwriters Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, and Derek Connolly tried, there is zero reason to care at all about the human characters.

Kong Skull Island 3 Warner BrosHiddleston and Larson don't have any chemistry, and Hiddleston does absolutely nothing to be a hero in this movie, outside of taking Reilly's sword and chopping up some birds with a gas mask on.

And perhaps that's the whole point. Kong is supposed to be the one we care about most. We learn through Reilly's character, who has been on the island for decades, that Kong is the protector of all on the island from the vicious "skull crushers." But as we've learned from the failures of past Kong movies, there needs to be more to the story than just a vicious ape.

Jackson tries to fill that void with his character, a man broken by the US leaving Vietnam and now taking it out on Kong. And though he has his moments, as with Reilly, it's not enough.

From the flat ending to endless needle drops of every popular 1970s song and one extremely lame death scene, what starts out as a potentially fun and cliche-less way to do an action movie turns into another watered-down origin story of a franchise.

Maybe it will get better when Kong fights Godzilla in the next movie.

"Kong: Skull Island" opens in theaters March 10.

 

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12 revealing details you may have missed in 'Get Out'

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Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for the movie "Get Out."

"Get Out," Jordan Peele's new movie, is easily one of the best horror flicks in years. It's scary, but doesn't lean too much on gory shocks, and adds a dash of humor when it's necessary.

It's also a really smart film, a searing exploration of how race is treated in the United States. Included in the story are plenty of Easter eggs and references that help explain just how cleverly the plot was put together, but also how much thought Peele put into the message of his film.

Here are 12 references you may have missed in "Get Out."

On the way to her family's house, Rose pulls over and talks to a police officer. She stops him from seeing Chris's license.

At the very beginning of the movie, Rose accidentally hits a deer and stops by the side of the road. A police officer pulls by and asks to see Chris's ID, but Rose stops him, telling the officer that she was the one driving the car, and suggesting the officer wanted to see Chris's ID because he's racist.



That's because she didn't want a paper trail leading Chris to her house.

It turns out, Rose and her family kidnap black people so that they can be hypnotized, lobotomized, and have their brains replaced by those of old white people.

The deeper reason for preventing the cop from seeing Chris's ID was so that there'd be no paper trail connecting them once Chris went missing.



When Chris goes over to talk to Walter, the caretaker of Rose's parent's house, he notices that he talks strangely. He speaks a little too affectionately about Rose.



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Here are all the looks from Hollywood's star-studded premiere of 'Beauty and the Beast'

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Dan Stevens and Emma Watson Beauty and the Beast premiere Los Angeles.JPG

Though Disney fans won't get their first look at the new live-action "Beauty and the Beast" until March 17, the cast and other Hollywood A-listers attended the Los Angeles premiere at the famous El Capitan theater Thursday night. From Emma Watson to Paige O'Hara (the original actress who voiced Belle) the red carpet was full of nostalgia and excitement over the new remake.

Keep scrolling for a look at the star-studded red carpet event.

Emma Watson, who's been wearing only recycled and eco-friendly outfits for the "Beauty and the Beast" press tour, was stunning in a black jumpsuit with an accented gold rose.

Read more on Emma Watson's new Instagram account to learn all about her eco-friendly dresses and outfits.



Paige O'Hara, the original actress who voiced Belle, was there to cheer on Watson and the updated cast.



Toni Braxton attended the premiere as well, wearing a shimmering sheath gown. She played Belle in the Broadway version of "Beauty and the Beast."



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Meet all the breakout stars in the horror movie everyone is talking about — 'Get Out'

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"Get Out," the new horror movie directed by Jordan Peele, is one of the biggest horror phenomenons to come in years.

It gives us terrific roles for actors we already know. There's Allison Williams, best known for the HBO show "Girls;" Catherine Keener, who's been in everything from "Being John Malkovich" to "The 40-Year-Old Virgin;" and Bradley Whitford, who's received numerous awards for his roles in "The West Wing" and "Transparent."

The movie also gives us some more obscure — but no less talented — actors who are on the rise. With the critical acclaim and popularity of "Get Out," you'll be hearing these names a lot more.

SEE ALSO: How the company behind 2 of the year's biggest movies is blowing up the Hollywood playbook

Daniel Kaluuya plays Chris, the movie's lead role.

Kaluuya's coming-of-age experience in the entertainment industry was in the British version of the TV series "Skins." He played Posh Kenneth, and he also wrote for the series. After the show, he bounced around British television, guest-starring in shows like "Silent Witness" and "Doctor Who."

2011 was the beginning of Kaluuya's breakout. He starred in the "Fifteen Million Merits" episode of "Black Mirror,"considered one of the best of the series. When Netflix picked up the series, his face became more familiar to audiences in the United States, including Jordan Peele, who saw him and cast him in "Get Out."

"What's happened is that 'Black Mirror' has come out on Netflix. Jordan said he watched that and he really just thought of me for the role,"Kaluuya told Interview magazine.

Kaluuya also starred in "Sicario" and he'll be in Marvel's upcoming "Black Panther" movie. He's also writing a movie of his own. He's also been writing a movie of his own since 2013, he told Interview, and it's on track for production.



Lil Rey Howery makes "Get Out" hilarious.

Milton "Lil Rey" Howery is the reason the movie isn't just clever — it's really, really funny. He plays Rod, a TSA agent and Chris's best friend, and the only black person Chris can confide in during the movie.

Howery is a rising stand-up comedian from Chicago. He's a writer, producer, and regular actor in the sketch comedy show "Friends of the People," and he's a co-star in "The Carmichael Show." Last year, Netflix picked up his hour-long stand-up comedy special, "Kevin Hart Presents: Lil Rel: RELevent."



Caleb Landry Jones is Rose's creepy brother.

Jones is best known for his horror movie roles, first with 2010's "The Last Exorcism" and later "Antiviral" and the thriller "Contraband." He also had a small role as Banshee in "X-Men: First Class."

He'll soon be starring with Tom Cruise and Domhnall Gleeson in "American Made," a biopic about the American arms and drugs smuggler Barry Seal, directed by Doug Liman.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

An Alabama theater won't show the new 'Beauty and the Beast' because it has a gay character

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A drive-in movie theater in Alabama announced on its Facebook page Thursday that it will not be showing Disney's upcoming live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast" because it has a gay character.

The Henagar Drive-In Theatre in Henagar, Alabama, came to the decision after "Beauty and the Beast" director Bill Condon revealed that Josh Gad's character LeFou, the comical sidekick to antagonist Gaston (Luke Evans), will be Disney's first-ever openly LGBTQ character.

Here's a portion of what was written on the Henagar Drive-In Facebook page:

"For those that do not know 'Beauty and the Beast' is 'premiering' their first homosexual character. The producer also says at the end of the movie 'there will be a surprise for same-sex couples.' If we can not take our 11 year old grand daughter and 8 year old grandson to see a movie we have no business watching it. If I can't sit through a movie with God or Jesus sitting by me then we have no business showing it. I know there will be some that do not agree with this decision. That's fine. We are first and foremost Christians. We will not compromise on what the Bible teaches."

Condon explained the reason behind LeFou being gay in the live-action "Beauty and the Beast" to Attitude: “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston," Condon said. "He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie."

At the end of the Henagar Drive-In Facebook post, the theater states: "We will continue to show family oriented films so you can feel free to come watch wholesome movies without worrying about sex, nudity, homosexuality and foul language."

Below is the complete Facebook post:

"Beauty and the Beast" opens in theaters March 17.

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Here's how 1991 Belle compares to 2017 Belle

Jordan Peele: Why Allison Williams is perfect for the 'very important character' in 'Get Out'

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Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Get Out."

Jordan Peele's directorial debut, "Get Out," has enthralled audiences and critics with its examination of racism through a pulse-pounding thriller that follows a black man who's visiting his white girlfriend's parents for the first time.

Peele cast "Girls" star Allison Williams (also the daughter of news anchor Brian Williams) to play the girlfriend, Rose. It was a savvy move. Williams crafts a character who will not soon be forgotten by horror-movie fans.

At first, Rose looks to be learning, like Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya), about the strange things going on in her parents' home. But when it's finally revealed that not only is she in on her folks' twisted brain-swapping of white elderly people into virile African-American men (and women), but she's the attractive bait used to lure the black victims in, it's one of the shocking twists of the movie.

Peele talked to Business Insider before the movie opened and explained why Williams was perfect for the role.

"With her work on 'Girls,' I think the wonderful risk she took with 'Peter Pan,' she just felt like the part," Peele said. "She felt cosmopolitan but also undeniably Caucasian."

That last part Peele and Williams execute to perfection when we see how Rose spends her time after Chris has been captured by her parents. She's sitting in her room, which is filled with framed photos on the wall of her past "relationships," eating Froot Loops, sipping a glass of milk through a straw, and listening to the 1980s classic "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," all while searching NCAA prospects on her laptop, presumably for her next catch.

Allison Williams Jamie McCarthy GettyIt doesn't get more white than that.

“That scene is one of my favorites,” Peele told the The Los Angeles Times. “It’s one of those moments, like a good ‘Key & Peele’ sketch, when you know you’ve got it — this is going to work. There’s no dialogue in it — just this beautiful, psychotic image that gives me glee when it happens in the film."

Taking a beautiful actress like Williams known for gracing the covers of glossy magazines and doing ads for Keds and making her a milk-sipping, "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack-listening racist psycho is just one of the reasons audiences can't get enough of this twisted, disturbing, hilarious, brilliant movie.

"It's a very important character," Peele told Business Insider of the Rose part. "Because the love story in this movie is what drives us through it."

After a pause, Peele couldn't help himself and let out a giggle.

"Get Out" is currently playing in theaters.

SEE ALSO: How the company behind 2 of the year's biggest movies is blowing up the Hollywood playbook

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Why critics are calling 'Logan' the 'best superhero movie ever'

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Logan Fox

"Logan" is finally out in theaters this weekend, and the R-rated film is already getting high praise from critics and audiences alike. Critics are impressed with the script: It's gritty, violent, and balances the intense action sequences expected from a superhero movie with the quiet drama expected from a completely different one.

The risks director and cowriter James Mangold took with Hugh Jackman's final performance as Wolverine is a completely satisfying end to his 17-year portrayal of the character. It also stands out amid the X-Men franchise and superhero movies in general, and is likely to change them for the better. 

See why critics are calling "Logan" one of the best superhero movies ever — even the best — below:

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It’s dark and risky.

"It is uncompromising in its brutality and fearless in its reverence of these iconic characters. It's a testament to the power of storytelling, and what creative freedom can produce. Goodbye bub. You've changed superhero movies forever." —Hindustan Times 

"The film celebrates the medium by taking itself seriously, with an added hint of apology for the genre's earlier sins. Best of all, there's an element of risk." —San Francisco Chronicle



It’s so good, you might forget it’s a comic-book movie.

“The only problem with calling it the boldest and most affecting superhero flick in many years is that it's barely a superhero movie at all.” —NPR

“The best superhero movie ever is more about the curse of super powers than super powers. Maybe that's why it's the best superhero movie ever.” —Tri-City Herald



Hugh Jackman’s final performance as Wolverine is incredibly satisfying.

“Jackman's performance is Clint Eastwood-esque, and the lines in Jackman's face tell the story of his worn character; he plays Wolverine as a man at the end of his line, adding at least a decade to his 48 years.” —Detroit News 

“'Logan' is as understated a masterpiece as there's ever been, delivering the Wolverine film we've all been waiting for, and if this truly is Hugh Jackman's final time playing him, he has definitely left the series on a high note.” —Starburst

 



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These 2 streaming networks are loaded with movies and TV shows you'll actually want to watch

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

STORY_Peter Bernik

You're probably more inclined to stay in and watch TV on weeknights and weekends in the winter. If you've watched everything on your Netflix and Amazon Prime queues, you might be looking for something new to hold your attention.

AMC Networks is responsible for some of television's biggest hits, like "Mad Men" and "The Walking Dead," and has recently entered the streaming space with two cool options: Sundance Now and Shudder.

While you can watch tons of great programs anytime and anywhere, Sundance Now and Shudder are different from the streaming programs you already use. Each one was created with a very specific audience in mind, so you can gain access to titles you actually want to watch.

Packed with hard-to-find old films, award-winning documentaries, and original series like "The Bureau," Sundance Now is a perfect option for anyone who has seen all the classics and wants to watch off-the-cusp films. Here, you can scroll through hundreds of lesser-known titles or browse the program's carefully curated playlists. Sundance Now even tapped accomplished filmmakers like "Silence of the Lamb's" Jonathan Demme to hand pick their favorite titles.

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Or if you're more into spine-chilling movies, there's Shudder. Whether you're looking for a traditional horror movie, suspense thriller, or something darker, this service has plenty of scary movies from around the world. Similar to Sundance Now, Shudder has original movies, exclusive deals, and cult classics, so there's really something here for everyone.

Both services add new shows and movies each week, so you'll never run out of programs to watch. Sundance Now and Shudder cost $6.99 and $4.99 per month, respectively, but you can save some money when you sign up for an annual membership.

Whether you prefer independent films or scary movies, each program is well worth the investment.

Sundance Now Service, $6.99 per month (or $59.99 per year)

Shudder, $4.99 per month (or $49.99 per year)

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'Logan' has the biggest March opening at the box office ever for an R-rated movie

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Audiences came in droves over the weekend to see Hugh Jackman's final, and most dramatic, performance as Wolverine in "Logan."

The movie took in an estimated $85.3 million, according to Exhibitor Relations, setting the record for the biggest-ever R-rated opening weekend at the box office in March. The movie, a 20th Century Fox release, passes previous record-holder, "300," which opened at $70.8 million back in 2007.

With a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics gushed over the seriousness and long-awaited violence that suited the comic character. After the movie took in a hefty $33.1 million on Friday (plus $9.5 million in Thursday preview receipts), the movie then earned $31.2 million on Saturday — only a minuscule 6% dip in sales.

The $85.3 million weekend total is the 5th highest opening all-time for an R-rated movie, jumping over the 2015 release, "Fifty Shades of Grey" ($85.1 million).

Coming in second place is the Jordan Peele horror "Get Out," which followed its big $33 million opening weekend last week with a $26.1 million second week. That's just a 26% drop, an incredible hold for any movie, but even more so for a horror, which usually flatline after opening weekend. 

"Get Out," released by Universal and produced by horror titan Blumhouse Productions, has earned close to $80 million to date in its theatrical run on a $4.5 million production budget.

SEE ALSO: Why critics are calling 'Logan' the 'best superhero movie ever'

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