News

Josh Gad knows exactly why he wasn't cast in James Cameron's epic franchise of Avatar films — and it's a funnier reason than you might think. The actor is speaking out about his experience auditioning for the popular movies in his new memoir, In Gad We Trust (out now), and even though he got far in the audition process — going so far as to fly out to Los Angeles to meet with director Cameron — he didn't get the part due to his looks. Well, his blue looks.

As excerpted by Entertainment Weekly, Gad says he auditioned "to play the role of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington)'s best friend and translator to the alien race known as the Na'vi" during a decidedly joyless run in the Broadway musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, back in 2006. And though Gad was committed to staying in the show until his contracted run was through,...

'Jurassic World' velociraptor kicks Iron Man ass at worldwide box office. 'Jurassic World' officially surpasses 'The Avengers' at worldwide box office Directed by Colin Trevorrow; starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Vincent D'Onofrio; and co-executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic World has officially become the third biggest worldwide box office hit in history. The Jurassic Park sequel – or reboot, as it's basically the same story with a slightly different twist – has surpassed Marvel's Joss Whedon-directed all-star superhero flick The Avengers, which broke box office records back in 2012. Of course, "officially" just ain't what it used to be – like, in the days before The Fall. So you wisely ask, "But which movie has actually sold the most tickets?" After all, that's the true measure of a film's popularity. Well, that's a tough one to answer without the studios providing accurate, precise numbers. And that's not about to happen. It always...

This is a nightmare. And the only way to wake up and escape from the horror is to pull out that shiny piece of plastic and become a slave to capitalism once again. My apologies to anyone awaiting our coverage of the 2014 Toronto Film Festival, which kicked off on Thursday, as things have been a bit rough since I caught my 6:30Am flight up to Canada. After arriving and meeting with my flatmate Jason Whyte, the first thing I did was open up my laptop–my MacBook Air–to write some notes for a review. Only to discover that after three years of (intensive) use, its time had come. The flashing question mark of death meaning–it's a goner. I spent part of Thursday afternoon running up to two different Apple repair stores around Toronto before realizing that it would take days for them to investigate, order parts, and fix my laptop.

‘Avatar 2′ and follow-up sequels’ release dates revealed (image: Na’vi Sam Worthington in ‘Avatar’) Avatar, James Cameron’s late 2009 (and early 2010) blockbuster that spearheaded the (currently dwindling) popularity of 3D movies, will have three sequels. Why exactly that has come as a surprise revelation for some is unclear. Sigourney Weaver, who for quite a while has been scheduled to return for the Avatar sequels, had already mentioned that there would be three movies, filmed concurrently much like Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Anyhow, James Cameron and Avatar distributor 20th Century Fox have announced that the three sequels will be released as follows: Avatar 2 (not to be confused with Avatar: The Last Airbender or Avatar: The Legend of Korra or online thumbnail avatars) will reach theaters in December 2016, a full seven years after the original. The second sequel (or third Avatar...

Friday night, Fede Alvarez brought his Evil Dead remake to SXSW, where it was met with a thunderous crowd response. After the movie was over, the director confirmed that Sony Pictures is moving forward on Evil Dead 2 and that a screenplay is already in the works.

This news shows how confident Sony Pictures, and the film's producers, Robert G. Tapert, Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi, are in the project. The producers were all involved in the original The Evil Dead, upon which this movie is based.

The reviews coming out of SXSW have praised the remake as the goriest movie ever released by a major studio. Some have accused Fede Alvarez of wallowing in fan service. Here are some of the reactions that came directly after the movie was over.

@evildead I haven't closed my eyes at a movie in 25 years...I did it 4 times last night. Well done! #sxsw...

“Movie Houses of Worship” is a regular feature spotlighting our favorite movie theaters around the world, those that are like temples of cinema catering to the most religious-like film geeks. This week, film critic Jason Whyte highlights one of his favorite theaters. His comments are those quoted. If you’d like to suggest or submit a place you regularly worship at the altar of cinema, please email our weekend editor. Seattle Cinerama Location: 2100 4th Avenue, Seattle, Wa Opened: January 24, 1963, as the Martin Cinerama. Re-opened in 1999 following a decades-long decline and near-demolition. No. of screens: 1 (technically 2 screens but they alternate for one auditorium) Current first-run titles: A Good Day to Die Hard Repertory programming: On February 28, the Cinerama will present a 35mm print of the 1966 Batman: The Movie with a special exhibit of Adam West’s costume. In the past, the theater has been home to Cinerama festivals, showing such classics of the format as This is Cinerama and...