List of the most popular hashtags for theme #MOVIEJUNKIE

News Reelz: @blumhouse sure knows how to keep a secret because I had no clue this was coming but they will be releasing a remake of Black Christmas & it's coming this December on Friday the 13th. . . Imogen Poots (Green Room) will star alongside Aleyse Shannon (Charmed), Brittany O’Grady (Star), Lily Donoghue (The Goldbergs, Jane the Virgin) and Caleb Eberhardt (Broadway’s Choir Boy). Helming the film is Sophia Takal (star of V/H/S and director of Always Shine and the recent “Into the Dark” episode “New Year, New You”) & screenplay duties fall to April Wolfe. . . Bob Clark's 1974 original film is considered a cult horror classic & is often credited alongside John Carpenter's Halloween as one of the scariest slasher films due to its focus on atmosphere & tension over core & for effectively using the killer POV shot. In the film, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger during Christmas break. His name is Billy, and he’s calling from inside the house… . . Black Christmas was remade in 2006 by Dimension Films but it was generally poorly received although it has earned a so bad it's good following. . . In the new film, Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. One by one, sorority girls on campus are being killed by an unknown stalker. But the killer is about to discover that this generation’s young women aren’t willing to become hapless victims as they mount a fight to the finish. . . Are you stoked for a remake to Black Christmas? Did you see this coming? Sound off!

News Reelz: It's very rare that a director will speak on the failure of a film, especially a mere week after its release but Simon Kinberg spoke candidly with the @hollywoodreporter about his directorial debut & he's not pointing fingers as to why it didn't resonate. He's putting it all on himself. . . "It clearly is a movie that didn't connect with audiences that didn't see it, it didn't connect enough with audiences that did see it. So that's on me." Kinberg recognized that it was not painful for him to reflect on Dark Phoenix so soon after the bomb because he genuinely likes the movie. "I loved making the movie, and I loved the people I made the movie with." . . Kinberg said that he got words of encouragement from filmmakers such as Ridley Scott & Deadpool director Tim Miller after the release & negative feedback. Scott listed G.I. Jane as the favorite movie that he's worked on, even though it's not considered one of his classics, like Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise or Gladiator. "He said it was his favorite because it was just a great process and he learned a lot on the process of making it." Miller wrote Kinberg an email with his words for the director: "He wrote me an email having empathy for a movie that doesn't work. He wrote people will come to see the movie differently, and out of the context of this particular moment, see things in it they will appreciate and that he appreciated as a fan." . . Let's keep in mind this is his first film as a director & at least he didn't pull a Josh Trank ala Fantastic 4 and blame everyone but himself for that film's failure. I commend him for speaking on it and not pointing fingers. Kinberg is set to direct 335 for Universal next & Dark Phoenix co-star Jessica Chastain is on board for that so that shows her faith in him. A lot of outside forces were at play and I think he did the best he could.

Reelz Opinion: It's Time To Ignore Rotten Tomatoes. . . I approach this opinion piece on Rotten Tomatoes knowing that I myself have been guilty of using the site as a form of proof when I want to push a certain cinematic agenda. If something looks like a dumpster fire & is rotten on the site, I point my friends in that direction. When something I like that others may not is fresh, my first response is "well it's certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes." It's an easy metric of failure or success to point someone to but I've found that it has tainted my passion a bit about being a critic & a moviegoer. . . I guess a lot of it has to do with how you use the site. The percentage score is just a collection of reviews that is weighed out (good or bad) & given the score based on positive vs. negative reviews. Essentially it's the opinions of a mass group of critics that puts this together & that determines the fresh or rotten score. This is fine if you deep dive into many of the reviews & they are like-minded critics that share your tastes. However, I've discovered from many people that they don't dig into the reviews & see the score and base their desire to see the film solely on that. I have a friend that nearly ignored Aladdin because of its 56% rotten rating but were happy friends dragged him to see it because he enjoyed it. Dark Phoenix is a more polarizing example but I wouldn't say it was 23% on Rotten Tomatoes bad & that it's a film you should judge for yourself. I had friends who were either on the fence about seeing it or were initially pumped who didn't see it this weekend based solely on the score. Should the opinions of critics sway your desire to see a film? Maybe if you trust them but what if you're missing a good time because you weren't willing to see it & form your own opinion? . . This works the other way as well. There are plenty of fresh movies on the site that many find overrated. Every fresh movie isn't going to be your cup of tea & that rotten one might end up being the time of your life. I've always considered myself a casual moviegoer that happens to be a critic. I tend to be leary of Oscar bait (Continued In Comments)

Happy anniversary to Speed, released 25 years ago today! Speed is still a purely fun action film & is one of the best of its kind. The film is bolstered by the top notch direction of Jan De Bont & the chemistry of leads played by Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock. It truly doesn't get much more fun than this! Are you a fan of Speed? Sound off! In the meantime, here are some fun facts about the film: . . 1. Sandra Bullock actually learned to drive a bus for the film, passing her test on her first attempt. . . 2. Keanu Reeves breaking the glass on the bus door in the beginning of the movie was an accident, however it was left in the final cut. . . 3. A Fox producer realized they might have a hit movie on their hands when he noticed that, during test screenings, audience members would walk backwards when they needed to go to the bathroom, so they would miss as little as possible. . . 4. The scene in which Annie (Sandra Bullock) takes the chewing gum out of her mouth and pretends to put it on her seat in order to have an excuse to change seats and move away from the obnoxious Stephens was improvised by Bullock. . . 5. The bus jump scene was not in the original script, director Jan de Bont came up with the idea one day when he was driving around Los Angeles, and noticed one section of I-105 was missing. . . 6. Jan de Bont insisted that Keanu Reeves get a sensible haircut as would befit a hard-working cop. 20th Century Fox were horrified when they saw the buzzcut that he adopted for the film, threatening to postpone the film to allow his hair to grow back. . . 7. Keanu Reeves initially turned down the lead, as he found Graham Yost's original script to be too much like Die Hard. He signed on after Jan de Bont brought in Joss Whedon to re-write the script. . . 8. Joss Whedon re-wrote the script uncredited. According to Graham Yost, the credited writer, Whedon wrote most of its dialogue. . . 9. Ten buses were used in the making of the film. . . 10. Keanu Reeves did approximately ninety percent of his own stunts.

Happy anniversary to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, released 30 years ago today! While I do hold The Temple of Doom dear to my heart, The Last Crusade is arguably the most fun entry of the original three films & the chemistry between Harrison Ford & Sean Connery is spot on. Kind of wished it ended here but we Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and we have to deal with it lol. Are you a fan of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? Sound off! In the meantime, here are some fun facts about the film: . . 1. Harrison Ford nominated River Phoenix to play him as a teenager, having worked with him before on his favorite of his many movies, The Mosquito Coast (1986). When describing how he prepared for playing the role, Phoenix explained that he didn't really base his portrayal on the Indiana Jones character, but on Harrison Ford. So he observed Ford out of character before acting his part. . . 2. Two thousand rats were bred for the production (they had to be bred specially, as ordinary rats would have been riddled with disease). . . 3. Harrison Ford cut his chin in a car accident in southern California when he was about twenty years old. In the movie, this cut is explained by young Indiana Jones cutting his chin with a whip. . . 4. As with the other Indiana Jones movies, Harrison Ford did many of his own stunts. According to stuntman Vic Armstrong, he had to pull Ford to one side and ask him to let him "do some work", because Ford was doing so much of the action himself. Armstrong later said "If he wasn't such a great actor, he would have made a really great stuntman." . . 5. Steven Spielberg is on record as saying he made this movie for two reasons: 1) to fulfill a three-movie obligation he had made with George Lucas, and, 2) to atone for the criticism that he received for the previous installment, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. . . 6. Steven Spielberg's favorite of the "Indiana Jones" film franchise. . . 7. When shooting in Venice, they were allowed to have complete control of the Grand Canal from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for one day. . . (Continued In Comments)

News Reelz: It started as a rumor some time ago but now it's confirmed: Robert Pattinson has been cast as Batman in Matt Reeves' The Batman. . . Reeves assumed Batman directing duties from Ben Affleck in January 2017 and has been developing the elusive project ever since. Affleck and Warner Bros. began discussing the actor-director leaving the Caped Crusader behind following Justice League,allowing Reeves to pick his own Bruce Wayne. . . They're definitely going younger for this version because Pattinson is the youngest actor to take on the role at the age of 32. Warner Bros. is also giving Reeves time to put finishing touches on the script, with Pattinson taking the role without the final touches being completed. . . No official start date has been set for The Batman. But insiders say filming could start in late 2019 or early 2020. Pre-production on the Warner Bros.-DC Comics pic is expected to start this summer with a planned release date of June 25, 2021. . . Pattinson is about to shoot another film for WB — Christopher Nolan’s event movie co-starring John David Washington, which is set to open July 17, 2020. . . Is Pattinson the right choice for the next Batman? Sound off!

News Reelz: While it has already been heavily announced that Robert Pattinson would indeed be playing the caped-crusader in Matt Reeves' The Batman, we never got the official Warner Bros. confirmation, until now. The studio has officially signed off on Pattinson as the new Dark Knight. . . According to @deadline, Matt Reeves will begin shooting The Batman later this year and it will be the first of a planned trilogy that will see Batman through his formative years, which is why it was important for them to cast someone in their early 30s (Pattinson is the youngest actor to take on the role at the age of 32). . . Pattinson was a frontrunner because Reeves really liked him for the role but the studio also saw potential in Nicholas Hoult. Warner Bros. wanted to see both actors on tape before making a final decision because the casting would be crucial to the potential success of the film. Batman is a huge brand for Warner Bros. so they really wanted to get it right. The meetings & viewing of both actors on tape reportedly happened yesterday with the final decision being made today. The final stage will be official negotiations but that's typical in these situations considering it includes options for sequels but it's a safe bet a deal will be made shortly. . . Now that it's officially official, are you still on board? Let's ignore the Twilight franchise for a second & focus on the great indie work Pattinson has done since. He's more than capable & I think it's inspired casting. Is he your Batman? Was Hoult a better choice? Sound off!

Here's a new teaser! Wow things are gonna get crazy! June gets to call Luke, the Waterfords wanna visit Nichole, June's getting put into a van?! Reposted from @justjosephfiennes. (Original video is from Vimeo, but is currently on private, so I will remove this video if it wasn't supposed to be seen!) . . . . . . . . . . #yvonnestrahovski #josephfiennes #elisabethmoss #otfagbenle #thehandmaidstale #handmaidstale #cinephile #cinephilecommunity #moviebuff #moviejunkie

The Kill Team World Premiere - only at @tribeca 2k19 . . . #redcarpet #thekillteam #tribecafilmfest #thekillteammovie #independentfilm #tribecafilmfestival2019 #nycnights #tribecafilm #moviejunkie #indies #nyc #spotlightnarrative #narrative