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What is the role that first comes to mind when you think of Tim Roth? Is it the clumsy bellboy from Four Rooms? The wailing criminal who gets shot in Reservoir Dogs? Or is it the psychology wiz in Lie to Me? The excellent British actor has played a litany of noteworthy characters, but top among them is not likely to be his role in Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes. Regardless, his performance as General Thade gave him the opportunity to appear on-screen with Charlton Heston, a truly bittersweet experience considering it featured the controversial actor in one of his last roles.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Roth was at the 15th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival this week, where he offered a masterclass and also presented his latest feature film, Poison, a romantic drama he co-stars with Trine Dyrholm. The actor, who rose to...

If you were alive and paying attention in the early 2000s, chances are you remember Tim Burton’s Big Fish. Or maybe you don’t. That’s kind of the problem. Here we are, over twenty years later, and Big Fish remains a cinematic anomaly—loved by those who saw it but often forgotten in broader conversations about Burton’s filmography. How did one of the director’s most ambitious, heartfelt, and visually stunning films fade into relative obscurity? And why does it deserve to be remembered as his second-best film, right behind Ed Wood? Let’s dive into this weird, wonderful, and sadly overlooked masterpiece to figure out just what the fuck happened to Big Fish.

Released in 2003, Big Fish hit theaters when Tim Burton’s career was at a crossroads. He was still riding high from his ‘90s dominance—where he cranked out Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, and...

Director Matt Reeves may now be known for his work directing and co-writing 2022’s The Batmanand two movies in the Planet of the Apes franchise, 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017’s War of the Planet of the Apes. However, before those blockbusters, Reeves directed another monster movie, 2008’s disaster action horrow film, Cloverfield.

Written by Drew Goddard, Cloverfield, is coming to the free streaming service Tubi on April 1. The movie, a found footage film, that follows a group of friends as they set out on a rescue mission in New York City during a monster attack, made $172 million worldwide, against its budget of $25 million to $30 million. The film was produced by J.J. Abrams (Lost)under his Bad Robot banner.

Innovative Marketing Helped Fuel Cloverfield’s Success

In the film, the giant creature descends upon New York City and leaves nothing but death and destruction. The group of friends,...

The power of a great movie is its ability to capture elements of humanity and imagination in a short period of time, connecting with the audience by crafting stories that are able to hold audiences' attention from beginning to end. One of the best ways that a film can capture an audience is with a twist, something that completely reshapes the narrative of the movie and leaves the audience to question everything that they saw before.

Whether a twist happens halfway through a movie, shifting the narrative and structure of the rest of the film, or at the end of the movie, recontextualizing everything that came before and drawing audiences to immediately want to watch the film again, these films are some of the ones that stick in the mind of audiences. Some of the best movies of all time are the ones that offer a shocking twist for the audience.

Marvel's Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most wholesome, family-friendly superheroes... which makes it all the more surprising that his upcoming brawl with the Predator is going to be so gory. While Peter Parker has had darker moments, it's rare that Marvel saves its most disturbing stories for the friendly, neighborhood hero. However, in this case, Marvel is starting right out of the gate with Joker-level horror.

In a newly released preview from Marvel, Spider-Man swings through New York as a blackout spreads across the city. Two women sit trapped on the subway, spotting a face peering through the window - a face that it turns out has been sliced off by Spider-Man's Predator enemy, known as Skinner.

The moment echoes Joker's 2011 redesign, in which he cut his own face off and started wearing it as a mask. That kind of thing is expected in the dark recesses of Batman's Gotham,...

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Robbie Williams is British pop royalty, and he was hoping to score a worldwide hit with his recent biopic Better Man.

Robbie’s movie may not have been a box office smash, but steadily drumming up global word of mouth, even from people who have never heard of Take That. While the film is a traditional biopic in that it tells the singer’s life story, it also comes with one very bizarre caveat.

Instead of an actor playing Robbie (or the man even playing himself), the singer is portrayed as a CGI anthropomorphic chimpanzee, making it seem more like a Planet of the Apes film rather than Walk the Line.

Robbie Williams performs on stage during the “Wetten, dass…?” Live Show on November 19, 2022 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Robbie does use his voice in the movie, but the monkey was performed by Jonno Davies,...

The Academy determined the most worthy films of last year at the 97th Oscars on Sunday. However, the number of awards for these films doesn’t necessarily give us a full picture of the films’ popularity with the audience. New data reveals the most streamed Oscar-nominated films and fans would be surprised to learn that some of the big winners at the Oscars are absent from this list.

Anora was the leading winner of the Oscars night and won five awards, including four wins for director Sean Baker. Adrien Brody’s The Brutalist won three awards, while Emilia Pérez, Dune: Part Two, and Wicked won two awards each.

Best Picture winner Anora isn’t one of the most streamed Oscar nominated movies | Credits: Neon

However, none of these top winners were the most streamed movies. In fact, some of the non-winners took the top spots on this list. Some of...

A "Mega Man" live-action movie, adapting the Capcom video game franchise, will be directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Paranormal Activity"), from a screenplay by Mattson Tomlin ("The Batman") produced by Chernin Entertainment ("Planet of the Apes") for streaming on Netflix:

'Mega Man' started as a Capcom video game franchise starring a series of robot characters each named 'Mega Man'.

The original game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, spawning a franchise that expanded to over 50 games on multiple systems. 

"...'Mega Man' is a robot originally named 'Rock', created as a lab assistant by the scientist 'Dr. Light' with 'Dr. Wily' as his partner.

"Following treachery by Dr. Wily in which he reprogrammed most of Dr. Light's robots, Rock volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot to defend the world from Wily's violent robotic threats, thus becoming Mega Man.

The Planet of the Apes franchise has always been built on legacies. With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), a new chapter unfolds centuries after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). At the heart of the film is Noa (Owen Teague), a young chimpanzee from a peaceful community called the Eagle Clan, who stirred many fan questions about his connection to Caesar (Andy Serkis) — the revolutionary leader who redefined the fate of ape civilization.

First launched in May 2020, HBO Max has emerged as one of the world's most-viewed streaming services, with nearly 100 million subscribers by the end of spring 2023. The service offers a unique collection of modern movies and television series and an expansive catalog of classic and international films. Fans can watch anything from contemporary hits like Dune: Part Two to milestone classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

However, HBO Max has been rebranded as Max due to the WarnerMedia merger with Discovery, Inc.. With a repertoire of over 2,000 movies, choice paralysis can lead to ample wasted time. Luckily, the streaming series always has a huge collection of outstanding movies to suit any mood or preference.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on March 3, 2025: Max remains one of the go-to streamers for the best selection of movies. Fans have titles spanning every genre they could want, from drama to fantasy to sci-fi and everything in between.

Depending on who you ask, Arizona is known as The Grand Canyon State and The Copper State. But if you ask us, it should also be called The Grand Cinema State or The Celluloid State, based on its proud filmmaking history. Given its proximity to Hollywood and stunning scenery that stretches for miles in every direction, Arizona has been the filming location for westerns, science fiction films, and pretty much every genre under the desert sun. In fact, Old Tucson Studios is known as the "Hollywood In The Desert," and was the site of movies and TV shows like "The Bells of St. Mary's, "Rio Bravo," "Gunsmoke," "Little House on the Prairie," and "Three Amigos!"

You're probably thinking, "Wait a minute, wasn't 'Three Amigos!' set in Mexico, 'Rio Bravo' in Texas, 'Bells of St. Mary's in the inner city?" Yep, you're right on all counts. From "Planet of the Apes,...

The excellent work on “Dune: Part Two” claimed the VFX Oscar on Sunday, while also leaving a lingering question of why the movies in the rebooted “Planet of the Apes” franchise have also been consistently outstanding but are still overlooked come final voting for the category’s Academy Award.

Since Wes Ball’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” opened last spring, it was widely considered an Oscar frontrunner among VFX practitioners, and its nomination was pretty much viewed as a no brainer. Then last month, the film, with work led by VFX supervisor Erik Winquist and Weta FX, won the top Visual Effects Society Award for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature, besting titles including the Dune sequel (which did win three trophies that evening).

This isn’t the first time the Apes franchise has had this result. The Visual Effects Society additionally gave its most coveted prize...

It’s time for your Friday film quiz, and this week’s batch of 30 movie-related questions have monkeys in mind…

Fancy another preview of upcoming Friday film quiz themes? We’re planning rounds about the Oscars, Disney movies, and Robert De Niro over the next couple of months, but now, at last, it’s come to this – a quiz about monkeys on film. With Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey (read Maria’s review here) unleashed in cinemas and previous quizzes on Stephen King movies and Planet Of The Apes already behind us, we’ve run out of excuses not to monkey around.

Once you’ve completed this week’s quiz, you’ll find a link to a separate post with the correct answers at the bottom of this post. As always, this is just for fun, but please let us know how you did in the comments (scores out of 30 this week!

Despite it being less than a year since the Season 2 finale of Invincible, the third season is already back on Prime Video with the first five episodes now streaming on Prime Video. Invincible Season 3 has been a major hit thus far, earning a perfect score of 100% from critics and a strong 94% rating from general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and one of the universally praised elements in the show is the music. Today, Collider is thrilled to partner with Prime Video to offer you an exclusive preview of the title track from Invincible: Volume 1 - Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack before it arrives on music streaming platforms tomorrow, February 21. The track comes from legendary, Emmy and Grammy-nominated composer and producer John Paesano, who also recently composed the score forKingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Paesano shared his insight into creating the music for Invincible, saying:...

Freya Allan was thrown into the spotlight for her role as Ciri in Netflix’s The Witcher, an adaptation of the story by Andrzej Sapkowski, which inspired video games of the same name. Allan also starred in last year's Planet of the Apes reboot, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Allan is one of the big up-and-comers of the last few years and was previously listed among 2024's "Hollywood Rising" stars by Elle alongside Sophie Thatcher (Companion), Ella Purnell (Fallout), and Anna Sawai (Shogun). Allan's next big role is slated to be that of late English singer and actress Marianne Faithfull. She will be playing Faithfull, per Variety.

Related10 Strongest Apes In The Planet of the Apes Franchise, Ranked

The Planet of the Apes franchise has delivered some complex storytelling and memorable characters, where some formidable apes leave an impact.

What Is Known About the Marianne Faithfull Movie

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Few reboots have been as surprisingly successful as Planet of the Apes over the last decade, and fans have been eagerly waiting for when we might see the new series catch up with the old. Each film so far has taken us that much closer, especially with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes leaping forward a few centuries. However, in addition to the technology being far off, the ending shows us that humans are still a force to be reckoned with. The apes might be a long way from their utopia, but this is still a blessing for audiences, since it suggests we have plenty more stories to enjoy before the clock finally expires.

One day, many years ago, actor Andy Serkis sat in his kitchen working on the voice for the character of Gollum in Peter Jackson's forthcoming adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings. It was then, unexpectedly, that he became inspired by the most unlikely creature imaginable: his cat, Dizz.

Dizz came into the kitchen and began retching up a fur ball. It was in this moment, as Dizz gagged and lurched forward, that a light bulb went off in Serkis' head. “I saw his spine kind of rippling and he started to go [retching sounds] and that is exactly where Gollum came from," Serkis told a crowd of spectators at Fan Expo San Francisco in 2024. “My entire career I owe to my cat," Serkis quipped. And we owe Dizz for one of the most iconic voices in the movies:

At the time, Serkis was only focused...

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesdirector Wes Ball has a lot on his plate, as he is currently working on multiple projects including the Legend of Zelda and Ruiner adaptations. However, Planet of the Apes fans have no reason to worry as he recently confirmed that plans are in place for the sequel to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Speaking to Collider, Ball confirmed that work was currently being done on the sequel, which was recently announced to be coming to theaters in 2027. While he didn't reveal plot details regarding the sequel, he shared his excitement about the many ideas he has about expanding the franchise moving forward.

"Yeah, we're talking about it. That's all I can say, really. But I'm greedy," Ball said. "I've got multiple things that I'm playing with right now. I'd love to do all of them, but there are so many cool...

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Getting an invitation to Hogwarts is a Harry Potter fan's dream. The idea of playing Quidditch, riding a hippogriff, and practicing wand skills during a Defense Against the Dark Arts class sounds like a blast. Visions of such moments danced in the heads of readers for a few years until the series took to the big screen in the early 2000s, beginning with 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Just like the books, the films took off, creating a film franchise of massive proportions and launching the careers of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. Of course, it was a prediction that many could have guessed based on literary success. 

Despite the largely unnoticed recasting of one of the franchise's most hated characters, many of the characters and scenes are still beloved today. Established stars of the time,...

Wes Ball's continuation of the Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, earned an Academy Award nomination this year for Best Visual Effects, alongside other majorly talented nominees, for their innovative combination of CG and live-action. This sprawling epic had the task of bridging the Caesar Trilogy to the original 1968 film and included more talking apes" than the movies before, as well as "33 minutes of 100% full CG." To pull this off, Ball collaborated with the top of their profession, with a team from Wētā Workshop and a stellar ensemble cast featuring Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, Frey Allan, and Peter Macon.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball has now revealed that the sequel, which will no doubt opt for an even longer title, is now being discussed. And could be the best movie in his planned Planet of the Apes trilogy. Released last year, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes continues to explore the ever-emerging titular world ruled over by our simian brethren. Met with both positive reviews and a modest box office return, updates on the follow-up have been scarce, but Ball has now confirmed that talks are happening.

Speaking with Collider, Ball teased the “cool places” and multiple ideas he has in mind for the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel. And while he keeps things close to his chest, he reveals that there are several clues that audiences may have missed in the first movie...

"Yeah, we're talking about it. That's all I can say,...

There’s a lot of pressure involved in trying to follow a trilogy as acclaimed and accomplished as the Andy Serkis-led “Planet of the Apes” saga, which culminated with 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes.” For “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” director Wes Ball, actor Owen Teague, animation supervisor Paul Story and visual effects supervisor Erik Winquist, making their blockbuster sequel involved a lot of both looking behind and ahead of them as they pushed the visual effects of the franchise even further.

“The challenge with this movie was that we both had to give people what they were expecting, but also surprise them,” Ball told TheWrap for a new installment of How I Did It, presented by 20th Century Studios. “We’re standing on what’s done before and elevating [it] into a level that wasn’t possible a couple years ago.”

The starting point for Winquist,...

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, the top feature prize at the 23rd Annual Visual Effects Society Awards and the one that most closely corresponds to the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The celebration of achievement in visual effects took place on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The sci-fi primate sequel beat “Dune: Part Two,” which went into the evening with the most nominations (seven) and emerged with the most wins (four): Outstanding Achievement in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding CG Cinematography, Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature and Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature.

The victory for “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” does not necessarily make the film a frontrunner in the Oscars’ visual-effects race. Over the 22 years of Ves Awards, the winner went on to receive the Oscar 12 times, but the two groups have only matched three times in the last 10 years.

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” won the top Visual Effects Society Award for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature at the 23rd Visual Effects Society Awards. Yet Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton, the Society spread the wealth, awarding three trophies, the most in the live-action feature categories, to “Dune: Part Two.”

In “Kingdom,” VFX studio Weta FX led by its production VFX supervisor Erik Winquist worked to advance the realism of its emotive apes in areas such as facial animation and muscle simulation, while placing them in environments including rapids and a great flood.

The sequel to 2021’s VFX Oscar and top Ves winner “Dune”, which again features key work by Dneg led by production VFX supervisor Paul Lambert, collected prizes in the categories for CG cinematography, for the Arrakeen Basin; effects simulation, for the atomic explosions and wormriding; and compositing and lighting, for wormriding, geidi prime, and the final battle.

There's been talk of a potential Spaceballs sequel for many years, and we recently got confirmation that a follow-up to Mel Brooks' '80s Star Wars spoof is officially in the works.

The movie is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, with Josh Gad set to star and produce alongside Brooks. Josh Greenbaum will direct the film from a screenplay by Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez, and Gad.

Gad aside, no cast members have been announced, but we're now hearing that the studio has reached out to a major up-and-coming star for an undisclosed role in the movie.

In THR's profile of Wicked star Ariana Grande, the trade mentions that the recent Academy Award-nominee has been offered a number of roles which she has yet to commit to, including a part in Spaceballs 2.

"A disaster wedding comedy, a female detective romp set in a Housewives-style reality show, and a Spaceballs sequel.

Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey, the movie is uniquely told from Williams' perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit.

It follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist - all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring. Oh, and Robbie? He's portrayed as a photorealistic CG monkey!

"Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with 88%, Better Man has been hailed as one of 2024's best movies. Last week, we had the privilege of sitting down with Gracey (The Greatest Showman) to learn more about how he approached shooting his ambitious musical and biopic.

During our conversation,...

A sequel to ‘The Batman’ was officially announced at CinemaCon in April 2022, with Robert Pattinson and director Matt Reeves returning. By August, Mattson Tomlin had joined as co-writer, and the film was initially titled ‘The Batman – Part II’ in early 2023.

However, by late 2024, the title was dropped as Reeves continued working on the script. Key cast members, including Jeffrey Wright as Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred, and Colin Farrell as Penguin, are set to reprise their roles.

So far, the movie has been delayed 2 times in total and is currently set to hit theaters on October 1, 2027. Matt Reeves gave us an update on the script a few months ago, saying it’s still not finished but filming is expected to start in late 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England.

Related: All Batman Symbols Ranked by Awesomeness

Now Andy Serkis, who is set to reprise his role revealed that...

Spectacle has been essential to keeping moviegoing alive and pushing filmmaking forward, and the impact of VFX on the industry cannot be overstated. As major studios look for more avenues to entice audiences into theaters in this rapidly shifting world of technology, in which almost every form of entertainment is at our fingertips, the promise of breathtaking set pieces on the big screen remains one of the biggest selling points for audiences. Ideally, the best achievement in visual effects Oscar sets a bar in terms of what can be attained through technology, creativity, budget and audience investment.

As a result, the category differs from the others in that it suggests a measurable goal for productions to reach. If a blockbuster with dinosaurs can’t look at least as good as the industry-shifting visual effects on display in Jurassic Park (1993), then there’s still work to be done. Those same industry-shifting...

Rodney Dangerfield’s whole act is predicated on the idea that he gets no respect, which obviously wasn’t true. Dangerfield was a beloved comedian, a successful film actor and a one-time board game star.

But Dangerfield’s comedy catchphrase became depressingly accurate during his dealings with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1994, the Back to School star applied to become a member of the Academy, after his name was submitted by actor and friend Leonard Gaines. When others expressed surprise at the idea of making Dangerfield a member of the Academy, Gaines believed that he was “doing the Academy a favor” by inviting a huge star like Dangerfield.

As the L.A. Times pointed out at the time, Dangerfield met the criteria to join, with “major parts in at least three theatrical releases to his credit.” He also presented an award at the 1987 Oscars and killed.

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On top of all that,...

Andy Serkis has set his sights on another tale of rebellion. The Planet of the Apes star is trading in primates for pigs in his upcoming animated adaptation of George Orwell's 1945 satirical allegory Animal Farm. As the director and possible star of the upcoming Animal Farm adaptation, Serkis has cleared the air about his mysterious and long-awaited animated directorial debut.

Speaking with Collider, screenwriter Nicholas Stoller said Serkis' Animal Farm will be a "darkly comic" yet family-friendly animated tale that puts a modern spin on the classic political satire.

After decades of Serkis trying to get his vision for Animal Farm produced, the film is finally becoming a reality. Having recently released his new romantic comedy film You're Cordially Invited on Prime Video, Stoller talked to Collider about the next project he's been working on. Stoller wrote the script for the new take on the old classic from the...

With the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally online, it appears we can look forward to merchandise for the reboot slowly starting to roll out into stores (we're likely still a couple of months away from seeing action figures and Funko Pops).

While we expect more movie-inspired imagery to eventually follow, this first batch is seemingly based specifically on the Future Foundation, with 1960s-era graphics standing in for Marvel's First Family.

There's a wonderful shot of H.E.R.B.I.E., though, and the iconic "4" logo we're sure to see a great deal of leading up to The Fantastic Four: First Steps' release this summer. The team's robot is already adorable and likely to be highly sought after in toy form.

We had much to discuss after watching the teaser, including Marvel Studios' take on The Thing. "I have seen a very crude rendering because it...

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Ringsis, without a doubt, the most influential work of high fantasy ever created. The same went for Peter Jackson's trilogy as well. The movie trilogy's depiction of Middle-earth set the bar for modern fantasy and was seen as the genre's peak. That's not to say the genre slacked off before or after the trilogy's time.

As beloved as Middle-earth, it's not the only fantasy world in film worth celebrating. Movies made before, during, and after The Lord of the Rings' prime had unique takes on familiar fantasy tropes or made entirely new ones. It could be argued that some of these fantasy realms were on par with or even better than Middle-earth.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on February 5, 2025: J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth is one of the most amazing fictional settings in the history of literature. Peter Jackson made...

Jurassic World Rebirth is the next chapter in the sprawling dinosaur franchise, and I’m calling it now: It will battle with Jurassic World: Dominion for the title of which movie did more harm to the universe.

We’re living in strange times, where it is hard to get the green light for original concepts because executives only want to vote with their wallets when a big brand name is attached.

It’s understandable, especially regarding a CGI-heavy movie franchise, because those same media honchos stand to lose much more money.

(Universal Pictures/Screenshot)

Scarlett Johanson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and Rupert Friend are A-list actors. However, getting them to sign on for Jurassic World Rebirth was probably easy because of the brand name alone.

At least, that’s what I’m telling myself after watching the official trailer. It looks more like Deep Blue Sea than Jurassic Park, which isn’t a good look.

If there's one thing that the Planet of the Apes franchise is known for, it's the tendency of every entry to push boundaries when it comes to visual effects and motion capture performances. This year, the team's stellar work in Wes Ball’s (Maze Runner trilogy)Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is being celebrated with a nomination from the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. In order to check out those visual effects the way they were intended—on the biggest screen possible—Collider is teaming up with Walt Disney and 20th Century to invite you to join us for a special screening, where you will have the rare opportunity to check out the movie inIMAXand hear from the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes team themselves during an extra special Q&a, hosted by our very ownPerri Nemiroff.

Longtime fans of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings can attest that while the trilogy is aging, the films remain nearly perfect, especially the battles. The fights between good and evil remain epic from the quintessential Battle for Minas Tirith to the concluding battle at The Black Gate. Regardless of Peter Jackson's ability to direct and organize such massive and legendary battles, other films are notable specifically for their battle scenes.

With no disregard for the Fellowship's dire life-and-death moments, some feature films have bested The Lord of the Rings. There's no denying that the movie trilogy inspired many franchises to craft bolder and wilder battle scenes — some of them even surpass the impact of The Lord of the Rings, including films that predate the trilogy. Such movies range from a clash of swords in Gladiator to sci-fi epics like Avatar, while other movies provide eclectic war scenes like Saving Private Ryan.

Believe it or not, there was an Oscar buzz around Andy Serkis’ Gollum role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Serkis played the voice and motion capture for the role. He initially had doubts about the role as he was unsure whether the mo-cap performance would work in the film. However, Peter Jackson believed it to be a relevant acting performance.

Andy Serkis as Gollum in a still from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Credits: New Line Cinema

Jackson compared it to John Hurt’s performance in The Elephant Man, a role that won Hurt a Best Actor nomination. Hurt had to wear heavy prosthetic makeup in the role and never showed his face, which prompted the director to believe that Serkis was eligible for an Oscar. However, he never received the recognition for The Lord of the Rings.

Peter Jackson believed...

Musical biopics have become so regular in today's Hollywood landscape that movies are trying anything and everything to stand above the rest. Interestingly, in 2024, several musical biopics were released, such as Bob Marley's One Love, Back to Black and the Academy Award-nominated A Complete Unknown. Although technically a documentary with major artistic license, Pharell Williams' Piece by Piece told his professional and life story through the lens of LEGOs. It was an incredibly inspired and fascinating choice that interested audiences who weren't aware of how impactful Pharell Williams had been on the music industry. The movie went as far as to show real-life interviews and testimonials in Lego form, adding a beautifully colorful and nostalgic view to one of music's modern savants. Another movie that took an incredibly inspired chance in 2024 was the musical biopic of British superstar Robbie Williams: Better Man, where Williams is portrayed by a CGI monkey.

Gold Derby’s top news stories for Jan. 27, 2025

Emilia Pérez leads Latino Entertainment Journalists Association nominations with 17

Despite criticism over its portrayal of Mexico, the Netflix crime musical dominated the 7th annual Latino Entertainment Film Awards with the most nominations, followed by Dune: Part Two with 10 bids, and The Substance and Wicked with nine apiece. See the full list here. Winners will be announced on Leja’s social media platforms on Feb. 17. Those films all compete for Best Picture against Anora, The Brutalist, Conclave, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, and Sing Sing. Additional honorary awards will go to Adria Arjona (Breakout Award), Edward James Olmos (Rita Moreno Lifetime Achievement Award), and John Leguizamo (Latino Activism Award).

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards rescheduled for Feb. 8

The kudos were postponed due to the Los Angeles wildfires, but now they’re back on, with proceeds to be donated to aid those affected by the wildfires.

Mark Wahlberg’s Last 5 Films At The Worldwide Box Office( Photo Credit – Flickr )

American actor Mark Wahlberg is a versatile actor who has worked in different genres of movies. His film Flight Risk opened in the theatres on Friday. The actor has received multiple accolades, and ahead of Flight Risk’s debut weekend, we are here with the last five films at the worldwide box office. Scroll below for the deets.

The actor was formerly known as Marky Mark and was a former rapper. The actor gained fame as part of a hip hop group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch member, and his first starring role in Fear. Wahlberg gained praise for his performance in Boogie Nights. He has also appeared in big-budget movies, including Planet of the Apes, The Perfect Storm, and The Italian Job. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing...

The science fiction genre is home to many of cinema's best third-act twists. When people think of the most surprising reveals in the genre, they picture the ruined Statue of Liberty in Planet of the Apes, Darth Vader being Luke's father in The Empire Strikes Back, and the aliens' purpose and language meaning in Arrival. These twists elevate their respective stellar sci-fi movies and make them the best of the genre.

Then, there are instances where specific twists ruin otherwise spectacular sci-fi movies. For two-thirds or a large majority of the runtime, these sci-fi films had audiences hooked with their visually stunning storytelling and occasional mind-bending moments. But, once they reached the finale or, specifically, the ending, the movies fell short of being legendary. Between Sunshine and War of the Worlds, these engaging sci-fi films were ultimately soured by underwhelming twists.

Kirk Makes The Sacrifice And Gets Resurrected by Special...

Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” sparked controversy over the weekend after it became more widely known that AI was used during postproduction for enhancing stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ Hungarian language dialogue. The subject of AI already puts many in Hollywood on edge, but it’s also being increasingly used in filmmaking. In this case, its use comes in a film that is considered among the Oscar frontrunners. But how was it actually used, and did the use of AI influence the performances in any way?

Writer-director Corbet was quick to release a statement, saying that it did not. “Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own,” asserted Corbet as part of a statement to Variety. “They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents. Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy.

Sally Field's 1996 psychological thriller has become a global Netflix hit nearly three decades after its release. Field is a highly decorated actress whose career has spanned over six decades, starting during the 1960s with the sitcoms Gidget and The Flying Nun before transitioning to acclaimed dramatic roles. Field won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1980 for Norma Rae, her second for Places in the Heart in 1985, and earned an additional nomination for Steven Spielberg's Lincoln in 2013.

Though she's best known for starring in acclaimed dramas, Field has shown some versatility and also ventured into darker territory with roles in thrillers. This includes suspenseful projects such as Sydney Pollack's Absence of Malice in 1981, in which she played a journalist entangled in an ethical dilemma. At the height of the genre's popularity in 1996, Field starred in the psychological thriller, Eye for an Eye, delivering a gripping performance...

The plot twist is a necessity for a movie to become more exciting than it already is. Across decades in cinema, audiences have been gifted with legendary reveals, like Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father in The Empire Strikes Back and Malcolm's true form in The Sixth Sense. There are also times when plot twists ruin their narratives by how nonsensical they are, such as certain reveals in The Rise of Skywalker and the death-causing plants in The Happening.

There are also instances where mediocre movies are ultimately elevated by a single ingenious reveal. For the majority of the runtime, these films follow a traditional path that other stories in their genre have done before. However, through a well-written third-act reveal, these once-average movies, including Malignant, The Book of Eli, and Click, are saved from being sent into obscurity.

The Escape Pods Are Switched Life (2017)

Image by Columbia Pictures...

Billy Bob Thornton has had a longtime love in his life.

The 69-year-old Landman actor has had some high profile romances in his time, but he’s been with his wife Connie Angland for over 20 years.

Fans might be curious to know more about the superstar actor’s personal life.

Keep reading to find out more…

Connie, 60, also worked in the film industry, but aas a puppeteer and makeup and special effects artist.

Her first credit was for animatronic engineer in the 1990′s Arachnophobia, and she’s worked on Men In Black, Planet of the Apes and, most recently, 2002′s Men In Black II.

The two met on the set of Bad Santa shortly after his divorce from his fifth wife, Angelina Jolie, in May 2003. She became pregnant in April 2004 and the two welcomed their daughter Bella on September 22, 2004 – Billy‘s fourth child and Connie‘s first and only.

He...

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2024 was a great year for sci-fi fans, as many brilliant movies like Dune: Part Two came out this year. The sci-fi genre has always been one of the most beloved among cinephiles as it gives us a new look at a particular technology or our world. So, let’s check out which of the best sci-fi movies that came out last year you should not miss.

The Substance (Mubi & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Mubi

The Substance is a sci-fi body horror film written and directed by Coralie Fargeat. The 2024 film follows Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging celebrity who is slowly losing her fame. She soon discovers a black market drug that can create a younger version of herself, but that comes with unexpected side effects. The Substance stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Edward Hamilton Clark, Gore Abrams,...

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2024 was a good year for the action genre fans as this year saw the release of many brilliant films like Monkey Man and The Fall Guy. While many films like Dune Part Two had great action in them, they weren’t actually action films. We didn’t include those, so let’s find out which of the 2024 action films were the best.

Civil War (Max & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – A24

Civil War is a dystopian action thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland. The 2024 film is set in a dystopian future America as civil war rages on, and it revolves around a group of journalists as they race to Washington, D.C., to interview the President before rebel factions descend upon the White House. Civil War stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson,...

In 2024, the first Planet of the Apes movie in more than a half-decade was released as the start of a new era of the franchise at Disney. What is shaping up to be a new trilogy centered around a new story officially reignited the fan base with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Even though fans love to cling to the brilliance of the 2010s "Caesar Trilogy," which effectively explored the origins of a planet ruled by apes instead of humans, the most recent film presents an even more exciting direction for the franchise going forward.

With what feels like an inventive bridge between the past and future, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes looks to portray the world in a different era that gets a lot closer to the 1968 original than any contemporary entry. It certainly makes the upcoming sequels that much more tantalizing. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes...

In a field of actors endowed with a dozen different skill sets, only Andy Serkis could have pulled off two of the most radically revolutionary roles that forever changed the face of cinema. Fortunately, the actor’s arrival in Hollywood perfectly coincided with Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and the latest Planet of the Apes film series.

Andy Serkis as Smeagol in Lord of the Rings [Credit: New Line Cinema]

The eccentric and wildly gifted English actor has been an invaluable addition to the film industry, blessing Hollywood with such realistic roles as Gollum and Caesar. His creative and technical contributions to both franchises helped make them become critically and commercially successful. He did not let special effects, AI, and CGI render a lifeless version of the deeply layered, emotionally complex, and intricately written characters of Gollum and Caesar.

Andy Serkis’ invaluable contribution to Hollywood Andy Serkis portraying...

The American moviegoing audience might have a hard time mustering the strength, or interest, to drag themselves to their local theaters to see Better Man. It's not that the film's subject — bad boy pop star Robbie Williams — is offensive by any means, though his wry and self-effacing humor might not appeal to audiences with a low tolerance for that particular British register. A record-maker and breaker, Williams is undoubtedly a figure of certain repute, but his oeuvre has left little to no impact on the aural American landscape. If a whole portion of the box office doesn't seem to be particularly keen on embracing a multi-award-winning hitmaker, then why on Earth would they want to sit through a film about his life? Better Man, directed by Michael Gracey, who co-wrote the film alongside Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole, is acutely aware of the star's reputation, or lack thereof.

Sitting somewhere...

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has assembled an impressive cast which will see Andor and The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach taking on the role of Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! yesterday evening, the actor was asked by the host how well he got on with Robert Downey Jr. on the set of the Marvel Studios movie. "Uh, yeah, we lived together [Laughs]," Moss-Bachrach joked. "He asked me to move in with him."

The host then pushed for further details, wondering whether Downey's Doctor Doom appears either in the movie itself or a post-credits scene. The actor, clearly being careful not to give anything away, replied, "It's not gonna happen. I've been through rigorous media training."

Well, at least Kimmel tried!

Moss-Bachrach was next quizzed on the process of bringing The Thing to life on screen. "I have seen a very crude rendering because it...