What to know
The Wonka reviews are surprisingly good… Look I’m as shocked as you are, but it seems that Wonka is actually good. If you were only judging by the trailer, you might be skeptical of the new prequel musical, what with its candy colored earnestness, Timothee Chalamet effortedness, and Hugh Grant CGI Oompa Loompa monstrousityness. But you might be discounting that it was written by Paddington 2 screenwriter Simon Farnaby and directed by Paul King, who gave us both Paddington movies. It appears the charm of Paddington has carried over As of Thursday, the movie has 85% on RottenTomatoes, Looper.com says “you WILL feel the whimsy.”MovieWeb compares it to a yummy cup of cocoa topped with whipped cream and colorful rainbow sprinkles, calling it Chalamet’s best performance. Vanity Fair calls it a lively winsome pleasure. OK, but what about the critics who didn’t like it? The Hollywood Reporter says Willy Wonka feels neutered, The Daily Beast took an opposite stand of most critics, calling it a “debacle devoid of genuine magic.” And The Wrap sums it up “Wonka is the sort of safe and corporate product that the hero of “Wonka” says we shouldn’t settle for.” 🍫
Oppenheimer getting Japan theatrical release after all… Japanese indie distributor Bitters End will be putting the movie in theaters, saying “following months of thoughtful dialogue associated with the subject matter and acknowledging the particular sensitivity for us Japanese.” It was unclear whether this would happen, due to the movie covering the creation of the atomic bomb. Over the summer, #NoBarbenheimer trended in Japan, with some calling out the memes for trivializing the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Christopher Nolan movie specifically doesn’t show those bombings because Nolan did not want to depart from Oppenheimer’s point of view, saying “He learned about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the radio — the same as the rest of the world.” Bitters End concluded their press release with, “We invite the audience to watch the film with their own eyes when it comes to Japan.” 💣
Ryan Reynolds calls out photographers and websites that are leaking Deadpool 3 set photos… Reynolds put out a statement on Instagram Wednesday essentially asking movie sites and paparazzi to cut the shit with spoiler-heavy set photos. Writing, “Surprises are part of the magic of theatrical movies. It’s important for us to shoot the new ‘Deadpool’ film in real, natural environments, using practical effects … Telephoto lenses continue to spoil surprises and create a difficult situation for everyone … Here’s hoping some of the websites and social channels hold back showing images before they’re ready.” Amen brother. What’s happening with Deadpool 3 is bad for movies and fans. 📸
Sleep app Calm resurrects Jimmy Stewart’s voice… With you guessed it artificial intelligence. The iconic actor who starred in movies like Vertigo, It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr Smith Goes to Washington died back in 1997 at the age of 89. But as of Tuesday, you can hear a new “Jimmy Stewart” performance. The sleep and meditation app Calm has partnered with AI tech company Respeecher for “It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story.” And if you’re wondering, the actor’s family and his estate did approve this project. Stewart’s daughter Kelly Stewart Harcourt said in a statement to Variety, “It’s amazing what technology can do and wonderful to see Dad’s legacy live on … We are excited for our dad to be the voice of Calm’s latest Sleep Story.” 🤖
TV icon Norman Lear has died at 101… It’s hard to sum up all of Lear’s accomplishments in just a little blurb, but safe to say he changed television forever. Lear envisioned a TV landscape that was more than just mindless filler, but instead thoughtful, challenging, and yes, still very funny. There are so many impressive things that he did in his life, but I’m encouraged by the fact that he kept producing and making art he wanted to see up until the very end. He had and has a number of shows in development and was reportedly still making TV a week before he died. Legend. 📺
And everything else
Spongebob characters to call the Super Bowl on Nickelodeon… They’re just going to keep trying to get kids hooked on the NFL — but at least this is a fun and novel idea, that will show off the talents of Spongebob’s voice cast. 🧽
Alexander Skarsgard, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, and Ron Perlman join Mr. and Mrs. Smith series guest star list… Following Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, and Parker Posey. Damn! That’s a lot of great people. 😮
The Legend of Zelda director says he’s aiming for “live-action Miyazaki”… If he can pull that off it would be amazing, but that’s such a high bar. I’m just glad they’re not going to make it a carbon copy of Lord of the Rings. 🗡️
SAG-AFTRA members voted to approve the new contract… Officially bringing the strikes saga to a close. May I not have to use the picket sign emoji gain for a very long time. 🪧
George R.R. Martin says House of the Dragon season 2 episodes are “very dark”… I hope he doesn’t mean that literally because that’s been a problem for this franchise before. 🐲
Jennifer Lopez to star in feature adaptation of Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bill Condon directing… And sadly this has nothing to do with Spider-Man. 🕷️
American Fiction, May December, Past Lives lead Independent Spirit Award nominations… I so want to see American Fiction. 🏆
Killers of the Flower Moon named best film of the year by the National Board of Review… Is it our Best Picture favorite? 🤔
Wednesday star Emma Myers joins Minecraft movie… The next big video game adaptation is on the way. ⛏️
Brittany Griner limited series in the works at ABC… ABC? What’s that? Can I stream it? 🏀
A24 movies will now go to HBO and Max after theaters and VOD… Makes sense. 🎞️
Alicia Keys’ bio-musical Hell’s Kitchen coming to Broadway in spring… This girl is on fire. 🔥
Squid Game: The Challenge renewed by Netflix… Some games you can play twice. 🦑
A Ken spinoff movie is reportedly in the works at Warner Bros… Today in “duh!” news. 💄
Taylor Swift is Time’s Person of the Year… Also today in “duh!” news. 🎸
What’s new
Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie — Dec 8 | Peacock comedy film | 🍅
Leave the World Behind — Dec 8 | Netflix drama thriller film | Ⓜ️ 71
The Boy and the Heron — Dec 8 | Japanese animated film in theaters | Ⓜ️ 92
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!