Matt Singer is the editor and critic of the website ScreenCrush.com. For five years, he was the on-air host of IFC News on the Independent Film Channel, hosting coverage of film festivals and red carpets around the world. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, he’s been a frequent contributor to the television shows CBS This Morning Saturday and Ebert Presents At the Movies, and his writing has also appeared in print and online at The Village Voice, The Dissolve, and Indiewire. His first book, Marvel’s Spider-Man: From Amazing to Spectacular, is on sale now.
Matt Singer
James Earl Jones Will Voice Darth Vader in ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’
There are a lot of Darth Vaders. In video games and cartoons and ancillary appearances, many men have filled his armor and respirator. But if you’re making a Star Wars movie, then there’s only one true voice of Vader: James Earl Jones.
Steven Spielberg May Direct a Walter Cronkite Biopic
In recent years, Steven Spielberg has oscillated between two kinds of movies. He makes big broad adventure and fantasy films in the style of the classic blockbusters that built his reputation (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Adventures of Tintin, The BFG) and more serious historical films about people shaping crucial world events (Munich, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies). With Ready Player One and Indiana Jones 5 already on the horizon, Spielberg will need some more historical material to maintain that balance.
Netflix Is Raising Their Prices…Again
Chill, Netflix.
The cost of a Netflix subscription is getting a 10% hike. In the short term, only new subscribers are affected; they’ll now pay $9.99 for the standard monthly streaming plan, up a dollar from the previous $8.99 price...
Review: ‘Sicario’ Is One of the Most Intense Movies of the Year
‘Sicario’ is an exercise in prolonged tension like few others. Every moment from the first scene to the last is suspenseful. The opening, a deadly raid on a drug kingpin’s safe house establishes a terrifying precedent: In this film, violence can erupt at any time without any warning, and no one and nothing can be trusted. Having thoroughly unsettled the audience, director Denis Villeneuve keeps viewers on edge with shifty characters, sudden bursts of gunfire, and the careful use of a persistent, pounding score. Remember the scene in Boogie Nights where Alfred Molina is randomly tossing firecrackers at Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly? Sicario is like that scene for two straight hours with no “Sister Christian.” It is intense.
Jesse Eisenberg Compares Comic-Con to Genocide
When I watched the Comic-Con panel for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I thought to myself, “Man, Jesse Eisenberg does not look happy to be here.”
Disney Bans Smoking in Youth-Rated Movies
If you’re a fan of Disney baddies like cigar-smoking Bill Sykes from Oliver & Company (and really, who isn’t a fan of Bill Sykes from Oliver & Company?), this news is relevant to your tobacco-stained interests: The Walt Disney Company has banned all depictions of smoking from all of its films from all of its child-oriented labels (including Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm) rated G through PG-13. Via a press release:
New Netflix Instant Releases: July 2015
July is almost upon us and it’s going to be a good month for Netflix users, as the streaming service is adding a whole slew of new movies and TV shows, including a bunch of exclusives. Cult comedy fans are eagerly awaiting the debut of the return of Wet Hot American Summer as a new series featuring the original cast, and standup fans will get a brand-new special from Rush Hour star Chris Tucker. Plus, there’s a whole slew of recent hits from television and cinemas (The Guest!). Read on for your guide to the new Netflix Instant releases arriving in July.
Watch Jon Stewart’s Powerful Response to the Charleston Shooting
We are going to miss Jon Stewart.
Christopher Lee, ‘Dracula’, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor, Dead at 93
After a staggering career that spanned more than sixty years actor, Christopher Lee has died. He was 93 years old. The BBC reports he passed away on Sunday “at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, after being hospitalized for respiratory problems and heart failure.” The legendary actor appeared in over 240 movies.
Post Credits: Mike Sampson and Matt Singer Review ‘Ex Machina’
Welcome back to another exciting installment of Post Credits, ScreenCrush’s YouTube Video Review Show. On this stellar new episode, ScreenCrush Editor-in-Chief Mike Sampson and Managing Editor Matt Singer discuss the new sci-fi thriller Ex Machina