The Phantom Link

• The Atlantic "Fear of a Black Hobbit" insightful piece about politics and 'nostalgia' franchises
• Boy Culture the latest updated edition of "Encyclopedia Madonnica" (one of our all time fav showbiz books) is out. Buy one if you haven't yet and love Madonna. It's a treasure trove.
• Vulture looks at Baz's tortured artists from Moulin Rouge! to Elvis

Very significant Broadway news regarding The Phantom of the Opera, A trans riff on Gotham City characters, Superman II cosplay, and more after the jump...

Click to read more ...

Weekend Box Office: Elvis, Crawdads, Mrs Harris, and more...

by Nathaniel R

Despite a steep drop in sales Thor Love and Thunder held the top spot over the weekend;  A nearly 70% drop from mountains of gold still means you're raking it in! Thor was also the only wide release to hold on to all of its theaters since the studios actually released new movies this weekend (GASP) with Where the Crawdads Sing (which did well), Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, and Paws of Fury all arriving in wide release and aiming for different audiences. With Elvis, Minions, and Top Gun still attracting moviegoers, there was really something for everyone at the multiplexes. We need more lineups like that if moviegoing is ever going to be healthy again, regardless of the wildly varying quality of the 10 films in wide release.

Weekend Box Office July 15th-17th 🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	PLATFORM RELEASES
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING	FIRE OF LOVE

Click to read more ...

Linkin' along

Today's must read: Megan Garber at The Atlantic has a fascinating piece on sexual dignity and freedom (in current pop culture like Good Luck To You Leo Grande, Grace & Frankie, and Hacks) and the fall of Roe v Wade (in current reality)

More after the jump including BIFA awards changes, Todd Haynes long banned Superstar, Steven Yeun's role in Nope, Jodie Foster's new role, and the Pride cover for British Vogue featuring actresses Cynthia Erivo, Cara Delivingne, and Ariana DeBose...

Click to read more ...

Cannes Diary #9: Rock n' Sex on the Croisette

by Elisa Giudici

Two disappointing movies for me today. But at least they're the kind of disappointments that spark intense discussion among cinephiles. I was not blown away either by Claire Denis Stars at Noon or Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, but there has been a wide range of interesting opinions on both in the press room today in Cannes; The audience will be the final judge...

Click to read more ...

Yes No Maybe So: Baz Luhrmann's 'ELVIS'

by Nathaniel R

Baz Luhrmann's career began explosively with two of the most endearing, unusual, and entertaining films of the 1990s (Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet). His promise as a Great Showman was realized with his masterpiece Moulin Rouge! (2001) which was only his third feature. Unfortunately in the 21 years since that very modern movie musical revitalized its genre, he mostly vanished from movie screens. He's made only two features since, the disjointed epic Australia (2008) and a box office hit adaptation of The Great Gatsby (2013). Nearly a full decade later we finally have a sixth feature. His latest, which was untitled long enough that its official title Elvis is hysterically anti-climactic, is a biopic of the rock n roll superstar. The movie hits theaters on June 24th, so let's break the trailer down with our Yes No Maybe So™ system...

Click to read more ...