'Where Will They Play?': Ravi Shastri's Harsh Verdict on KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer's Chances in Asia Cup

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels that rushing in Rahul and Iyer won’t be a great idea because they need to play a few matches before heading into the big tournament.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/iJjM3BH

New Zealand to Tour Bangladesh for Three ODIs in Build-up to World Cup 2023

The three-match ODI series will be the dress rehearsal for New Zealand and Bangaldesh ahead of the World Cup in India

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/B0KxmUE

‘Thunderbolts’ sequel status update means the MCU will finally end a surprising 9-movie streak of creative limitation in 2024

In all honesty, few Marvel fans would probably say they are most excited for Thunderbolts out of all the movies on the MCU’s upcoming slate, but the latest update we’ve got on the anti-hero team-up film suggests that we should actually be more stoked for it than we are. Thanks to director Jake Schreier, we can 100% say that, despite its many returning characters, Thunderbolts isn’t a sequel but a brand-new franchise. Which is great news as that means the studio is set to break a long-running streak of sequelitis.

In a recent interview, Schreier stressed that Thunderbolts is “not a sequel.” The filmmaker continued, “Yes, these characters have appeared before, but it is a new story being told and a story, I think, with a very different perspective than maybe people aren’t expecting.” So get out the streamers, everyone, because this confirmation means that Thunderbolts is officially the first original MCU movie in nine projects spanning three years.

via Marvel Studios

Yes, by the time Thunderbolts rolls around in December 2024, every single entry in the Multiverse Saga since late 2021 will have been a sequel. Specifically, we’ll have had four sequels, four threequels, and a, uh, fourquel (quadquel?). That’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Deadpool 3, and Captain America: Brave New World.

While some of those films have been well-received, and we’d like to hope those on the way will be as well, it’s worth pointing out that this period of the MCU has been perhaps the most divisive of its entire history, with many feeling that the franchise’s creativity has hit a wall. Well, having so many sequels back-to-back might’ve had something to do with it. Thunderbolts may not be the flashiest of upcoming Marvel movies, but it could just usher in a new age of innovation for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/zjJsU3q

This ridiculous idea for every Keanu Reeves film has fans thinking up the most hilarious ‘John Wick’ moments

A fan’s playful take on the most fitting conclusion for every Keanu Reeves film sparked a heartwarming swell of John Wick nostalgia.

The lovefest unfolded in the r/movies subreddit, where a cinephile shared how the final scene from The Matrix influenced their experience of Constantine.

Every Keanu Reeves film should feature him flying into the sky at the end, regardless of what the film was about.
by u/1MillionSpacebucks in movies

OP’s hilarious idea of concluding all of Keanu’s films with an ascension scene resonated with fellow fans who mused about how it would impact the different narratives in his vast body of work. It turns out that Reeves’ fans are astonishingly creative, with some applying the concept in other contexts beyond acting.

Comment
by u/InfiniteBaker6972 from discussion Every Keanu Reeves film should feature him flying into the sky at the end, regardless of what the film was about.
in movies

Another Redditor mused that Reeve’s ascension scenes would be a groundbreaking cinematic feat in the John Wick movies.

Comment
by u/WolfgangIsHot from discussion Every Keanu Reeves film should feature him flying into the sky at the end, regardless of what the film was about.
in movies

One person pointed out that the third John Wick film featured a scene with a descending Keanu. Somehow that doesn’t quite hit the same.

Comment
by u/delscorch0 from discussion Every Keanu Reeves film should feature him flying into the sky at the end, regardless of what the film was about.
in movies

Another fan rated the ascension concept as a better alternative to the existing ending of the John Wick movies.

Comment
by u/TraegusPearze from discussion Every Keanu Reeves film should feature him flying into the sky at the end, regardless of what the film was about.
in movies

One person contemplated how the concept might elevate the Bill & Ted universe.

Comment
by u/Pavlock from discussion Every Keanu Reeves film should feature him flying into the sky at the end, regardless of what the film was about.
in movies

Another fan worked out that the ascension scene would be the perfect post-credits addition to Keanu’s films. Just wait until AI applications are invented for movie lovers to choose their own endings.

Comment
by u/Metal-Dog from discussion Every Keanu Reeves film should feature him flying into the sky at the end, regardless of what the film was about.
in movies

The concept of a Keanu ascension scene is so brilliant that one can hope for the development of an AI application to make it happen sooner rather than later. However, given his role as the internet’s boyfriend, it’s probably more plausible that viewers would use the technology to end his films with a personal marriage proposal. Hey, it could happen!

John Wick: Chapter 4 will begin streaming on Starz on Sep. 26.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/RvHg3uC

Rishabh Pant Smashes the Ball Out of the Park as He Resumes Batting Practice: WATCH

In another video, that surfaced on social media on Wednesday, Rishabh Pant could be seen clearing the fence as he flicked a delivery over the leg side for a maximum

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/4t9PkBX

With the industry on strike and no stars to promote projects, Warner Bros. and Max decides now is a good time for more layoffs

Amid the ongoing writers and actors strike, Max, the streaming subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery, is optimizing its financial position with layoffs. The recent downsizing of its workforce follows a disconcerting pattern of behavior that lawmakers reported to the Department of Justice last year.

According to Deadline, the latest round of job cuts will impact the marketing department at Max. It is part of a broader integration strategy launched in May 2022 to fuse HBO Max and Discovery into the single Max service. The layoffs aim to reach a $3 billion expense reduction goal in the wake of the $43 billion merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery in April 2022. The multimedia juggernaut has since revised its cost-reduction plan and increased the target to $4 billion.

The company has faced backlash for its Draconian cost-cutting measures, including abandoning film and television projects. However, the corporation remains focused on its long-term financial and sustainability agenda.

Earlier this year, Senator Elizabeth Warren and some thirty members of Congress expressed concerns about Warner Bros.’ job-cutting practices in a prescient letter to the Department of Justice. They stressed that the merger enabled exploitative business practices that could negatively impact consumers and workers. 

“The company has the incentive and ability to eliminate broad swaths of its workforce, leaving workers with fewer choices for employment and advancement.”

The recent layoffs within Max’s marketing department paint a vivid picture of Warner Bros.’ problematic corporate culture, where profitability comes at the expense of its employees and takes precedence over ethical considerations regarding labor. The continued cost-cutting measures seem to be a stark reminder of the perils of monopolistic dominance.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/fXIRyse

India vs Ireland Live Streaming, 1st T20I: How to Watch IND vs IRE 2023 on JioCinema And Sports18

Check out the live streaming details for the India vs Ireland 1st T20I to be played at The Village in Malahide.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/DzwKyav

Jasprit Bumrah is Back, Troubles Teammates in the Nets with Lethal Bouncers & Juicy Yorkers: WATCH VIDEO

The video shared by BCCI shows Jasprit Bumrah blowing full throttle in the nets ahead of thr Ireland T20Is

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/vQd6SZt

'Got the Shock of My Life': Angry Over Imran's Absence, Wasim Akram Asks PCB to 'Delete the Video & Apologise'

Wasim strongly stated that PCB should delete their post on the microblogging site X (formerly known as Twitter) and apologise

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3bZMGiE

Ben Stokes is Back: Netizens React on Premier All-rounder's ODI Retirement U-Turn Ahead of World Cup

The fans on microblogging site X, formerly known as Twitter, were elated to see Ben Stokes back in England's squad ahead of the 2023 ODI WC.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/WvSB4QZ

James Gunn championing a DC reboot only fuels flames Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is getting retconned

While David Corenswet’s Superman: Legacy is naturally on hiatus amid the strikes and Batman relaunch The Brave and the Bold is far from casting, at least we know exactly what’s happening with those two in the DCU. When it comes to the third member of DC’s trinity, however, we’re getting a lot of mixed messages. First, Gal Gadot tells us Wonder Woman 3 is happening but then other intel suggests it’s not. So, within this crisis of confusion, James Gunn supporting an incoming Wonder Woman reboot is worth paying attention to.

As you may have seen, Gunn took a moment out of his busy day as co-CEO of DC Studios to praise Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1, by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Phil Jimenez, which serves as a retelling of Amazonian history in the DC Comics universe. Obviously, there is maybe nothing more to this than Gunn, a devoted comics reader, shouting out a new work that he really enjoys, but it’s hard not to see how it could also tie into Gunn’s plans for Diana Prince in the DCU.

It just so happens that, prior to Gunn’s tweet, a new rumor emerged pointing to Wonder Woman’s DCEU origins, as outlined in the 2017 Patty Jenkins movie, being retconned in Max’s Paradise Lost TV series, with the Wonder Woman Historia comic being alluded to as a big influence on the show, something that Gunn’s comments now seem to support.

Screenshot via Twitter

What this means for Gadot’s continued involvement in the franchise herself is unclear, but all the signs are certainly pointing to Gunn looking to revamp the Amazonian mythos within the DCU, so even if Gadot did eventually end up returning, she won’t be exactly the same version of the character that we previously knew. Or maybe she won’t return and a new Wonder Woman will be found to join Corenswet’s Supes and Brave and the Bold‘s Batman. Only James Gunn himself knows the truth.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/6mvJOFE

Prithvi Shaw’s Northamptonshire Stint Ends, Ruled Out of Royal London One-Day Cup Due to Injury

Prithvi injured his knee while fielding in the fixture against Durham and subsequent scan results stated that the injury is worse than expected

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/4HXVWni

Exclusive interview: Writer/director Cory Finley talks offbeat sci-fi ‘Landscape with Invisible Hand’

He may only have two features under his belt – with a third arriving imminently when literary adaptation Landscape with Invisible Hand comes to theaters this Friday – but Cory Finley has already carved out a reputation as one of the most interesting young filmmakers in the business.

Breaking through with his debut on acclaimed black comedy thriller and cult classic in the making Thoroughbreds, he followed it up with HBO’s Bad Education, a scathing look at the true story behind the largest embezzlement in the history of America’s public schools that won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie, as well as a Best Actor nomination for star Hugh Jackman.

Finley is back with what’s easily his most ambitious effort yet, seeing as Landscape with Invisible Hand takes place in the aftermath of an alien invasion that’s seen a species known as the Vuuv assume command of the planet by way of an economic takeover, with the story largely following Asante Blackk’s Adam Campbell and Kylie Rogers’s Chloe Marsh.

The star-crossed lovers find they can earn money by broadcasting their budding romance to the Vuuv, who seem fascinated by earthly customs such as romance, as well as the Golden Age of small screen sitcoms. However, when the pair break up but still continue on with their televised exploits, they end up being sued by their intergalactic overlords.

That barely covers the multitude of plates Landscape with Invisible Hand is spinning at any given time, but fortunately We Got This Covered had the chance to speak to writer and director Finley prior to its release. In our exclusive chat, he covers the delicate balance between genre elements, working with CGI, putting a different spin on a familiar setup and much more, which you can check out below.

Photo by Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb

Have you been getting impatient, agitated, or antsy at all waiting for the movie to release, seeing as it’s been a while since the Sundance premiere?

Cory Finley: I’ve gotten used to delays. So I’ve made three movies now, and each one of them has premiered at a festival, and then premiered several months later in the world. So that’s just become a part of my normal routine… I’m sorry, my, my crazy little dog is going crazy. I’m just gonna lift her up for one second. She’s an inspiration, in a way, for the aliens. So she can just be a part of this interview. But she’ll stay right down here.

But yeah, so I’m very excited to have the movie out in the world, it’s been a long time since we shot it, an even longer time since I first conceived of it. And we had some COVID delays, and all those sorts of good things. But the good side is that did offer me a chance to really work closely with my visual effects supervisor, Erik De Boer, in kind of crafting and simplifying and iterating on these aliens that are sort of the visual core of of the movie. So the delays have been a blessing in a way.

Even though it’s a major departure from everything you’ve done previously, it still carries on a theme of your career of taking on a different genre with each project, which I’m assuming is an intentional and deliberate thing. So was sci-fi always on the list to get ticked off sooner rather than later?

Cory Finley: Yeah, I do. I’m very restless. And I get easily bored by a genre that I’ve just spent two or three years living in. And yes, I wouldn’t say I’ve been like a rabid sci-fi fan since I was a kid. Although I love, I used to love fantasy, and that’s – I suppose – an adjacent genre. But I was really just about finding this book, M.T. Anderson’s book of the same name, Landscape with Invisible Hand.

It was such a sort of crazy and unique world and such an absurd sense of humor, that it felt really, really difficult to adapt in a good way, and very different from what I’ve done before while still maintaining sort of thematic preoccupations of mine. So yeah, it was it was the book that brought me to the genre, more than a desire to hit the genre on its own terms.

Image via MGM

Alien invasion movies have been done to death, alien occupation movies have been done to death, but aliens coming in and taking over the entire global economy has not, so was that your way into the story from the beginning, or was it a number of different things that first captured your attention and started your imagination running wild?

Cory Finley: That was one of the primary things that got my imagination going. I love that central conceit of the book, this idea of a sort of free market alien invasion, a purely economic alien invasion. I thought that was an interesting spin on the genre, and very truthful to the way that at least I experienced sort of power and political power expressed through economic factors every day.

And I was also very drawn to the central character, to this character of Adam, kind of a young artist just beginning to find his voice, figuring out how to deal with love and all those complications, being kind of a nerd, kind of sweet, but also very concerned with authenticity. That spoke to me at that age, certainly. But yeah, it was the premise, it was the skewed take on an alien invasion story that really brought me to the to the material.

I mean this in the nicest way, but it’s an incredibly weird movie. There’s a lot of offbeat stuff going on from scene to scene, but did you ever find yourself having to pull back on the more absurd elements at all, because from watching the film it would have been easy to simply make the most bizarre and outlandish thing imaginable?

Cory Finley: Yes, it’s a good question. And it was something I thought about a lot. I feel like a director’s job is always to rein in the tone. And I knew the reason to pick this project is it has a very over the top, bizarre set of elements in these aliens, and in this sort of collision of the extremely alien with the extremely everyday.

So yes, in executing the movie I wanted to be to ground it in as many ways as possible, whether that was ways of shooting scenes that just make them feel more human in scale, deliberately stripping away some of the kind of shock and awe that you usually get with science fiction, and letting the comedy of some of these bizarre scenes of human/alien interaction really play in kind of a deadpan way rather than going for, you know, sight gags and goofy editing, or anything like that. We tried to be within the really strange construct of the movie, we tried to be as kind of old school and stripped down as possible, in the way we made the movie.

Image via MGM

There’s a lot of different genre elements threaded throughout, whether that’s sci-fi, comedy, romance, drama, and all the rest, were you always conscious on-set or in post – or both – to ensure none of them overpowered the other, because the final cut is very much its own thing and hard to pin down as a single genre.

Cory Finley: Yeah, I always try to keep that that kind of delicate balance of genres. And I don’t know if marketing departments ever appreciate it, because we live in a world where we’re very quick to reach for familiar whether, it’s rom-coms, action movies, you know, all genres that I have great respect for. But the stuff I’ve always loved is the uncategorizable stuff.

And yes, if you’re making a movie that very consciously blends sort of a teen romance and social satire and hard science fiction elements, you definitely have to be very cognizant of both keeping any one genre from dominating and letting it fall into one category, but also from making sure that those different genre conventions kind of reinforce one another, or allow you to surprise the audience in fun ways, and not just sort of piling random different genre conventions to fight one another, one on top of the other, if that makes sense.

It’s your first time working with this level of CGI, practical, and visual effects. Was that a steep learning curve that threw up any challenges or difficulties, or was the opposite true and it turned out to be easier – or at least less stressful – than you imagined?

Cory Finley: Well, in a way it was definitely a steep learning curve. And the biggest thing was just how time consuming it is, and how… The biggest eye-opening part of it for me, it was just how careful and particular these artists have to be, and how obviously technically complex it is to create some of these images, and how many levels of iteration you have to go through, but also how difficult it is to make changes late in the process without just scrapping the whole thing and starting over.

And in the past as as a filmmaker, I’ve had the luxury of being a little bit sort of impulsive, and getting all the elements together in a room; the actors, the set, costumes, and sort of going off instinct, going off feel, and just sort of shaping them, bringing all the elements together in in real-time. And with CGI, you have to be much more pre-planned about it, you have to try to sort of see down the line what you want the final product to look like, and communicate that as clearly and as consistently to the artists making the work as possible.

But the sense in which it was easier than I thought was just in that I had this amazing collaborator and sometimes mentor in Erik De Boer, our VFX supervisor, who really helped me conceive of the creatures. He’d worked with Bong Joon-ho on Okja, that movie with another sort of incredible CG creature. And he made the process a lot more enjoyable, and a lot cleaner than than it would have been if I were just going in alone.

Image via MGM

If you could make any project of your choosing without restrictions that can cost as much as you want and turn out however you want, what would it be and why would it be that?

Cory Finley: Oh, that’s such a good question. And I’ll, I’ll kind of cop out… it’s not a cop out. I think so. So I have, you know, a couple other projects in the hopper that I don’t want to talk about before they’ve kind of fully taken shape, but I would say – in the Vegas way – I definitely want to make movies on a large scale. Like, I’m always very inspired by something like Mad Max: Fury Road.

I’m excited to see Furiosa coming out soon, but what George Miller was able to do, they’re really kind of like creating a new franchise. Sure, it’s a sequel, in a sense, but it’s a sequel to his own his own work from long ago. And to be able to make something that has that kind of scale that really works on kind of a popcorn movie level, but also breaks new ground as far as just the storytelling, the world-building and just works in a very sort of auteurial way. That would be my dream. But in the meantime, there are lots of stories that I want to tell of all sizes, and I’m just as excited – certainly as a viewer – by smaller movies that really speak to people, as I am by the big popcorn ones.

Landscape with Invisible Hand comes to select theaters this Friday, Aug. 18.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/uxaEyf8

Ashleigh Gardner And Chris Woakes Bag ICC Players Of The Month Honours For July

Australia's prolific all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner and England seamer Chris Woakes were on Tuesday named International Cricket Council (ICC) Players of the Month for July 2023.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/31gq2M0

‘Barbie’ ending a 4-film streak of box office bombs means Margot Robbie is finally out of the DC doghouse

Barbenheimer, smarbenheimer — the summer’s big battle of the blockbusters has ultimately turned out to be a rather one-sided affair as Barbie has well and truly trumped over Oppenheimer at the box office. At last count, Greta Gerwig’s Mattel movie is shockingly close to dethroning the final Harry Potter film to become Warner Bros.’s highest-grossing release literally ever. All in all, then, it seems Margot Robbie‘s star power is now at full wattage again, which might spell good things for her DC future.

According to scooper MyTimeToShineHello, the Australian actress is all set to return as the one, the only, the infamous Harley Quinn in the rebooted DCU. On the one hand, this is hardly surprising given that Robbie worked with new studio chief James Gunn on The Suicide Squad and the two are known to have got on like a house on fire. On the other, though, this rumor marks a sharp turn from how things looked for Robbie’s leading lady status B.B. (Before Barbie).

Image via Twitter

To put it simply, Robbie had a disastrous couple of years from 2020 to 2022. Although she was hardly off our screens, all four of her major movie releases tanked at the box office. Paramount’s Babylon, 20th Century Studios’ Amsterdam, and, most notably, two DC flicks — Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad — failed to prove that Robbie’s name could fill multiplex seats. Thanks to the phenomenal success of Barbie, however, any worry that she’s not a tentpole star has definitely been wiped clean away.

Of course, talk about her DCU return is very much just a rumor for now, but it does get our hopes up that we’ve got more of Dr. Harleen Quinzel ahead of us as Gunn’s ambitious DCU Chapter One plans unfold over the next few years.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/BqQxrgA

ICC World Cup 2023 Ticket Sale Begins on August 25: Here's How You Can Register Your Interest

Fans can register their interest on the official website of the ICC World Cup which will enable them to receive ticket news first and help secure their spot at the World Cup

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/jXh7LFJ

James Gunn celebrates almost single-handedly making a dead medium relevant for the first time in a long time

Filmmaker James Gunn has ushered in a renaissance for a vintage music format with the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The DC Studios boss proudly took to Threads to share the news that the masterfully curated collection of songs for the film has jumped ten places to become the third top-selling audio cassette tape.

Originating in Germany, magnetic tape recording technology began gaining traction in the United States following World War II. With the increasing popularity of the format, companies such as RCA Victor, Telefunken, Grundig, Philips, and Sony became dominant players in the market. By 1985, cassette tape sales had surpassed vinyl, reigning as the most popular audio format until the advent of compact discs in 1992. Sales of vinyl, cassettes, and compact discs declined as digital music took over the market.

The release of Guardians of the Galaxy shook up the cassette market in 2014. The demand for Awesome Mix #1 saw ten million tapes produced. Gunn’s hit movie rekindled a dying market as music fans fell in love with the cassette format to the extent that cassette sales increased by 20% in 2015.

Gunn’s simple yet tender portrayal of Star-Lord’s attachment to the Walkman and mixtape he received as a gift from his mother captured viewers’ imaginations and ignited interest in cassettes. The cassette perfectly captures Peter Quill’s quiet longing and serves as a conduit that restores the embrace of his lost love. Unlike a Spotify playlist, there’s something uniquely romantic about cassettes. Perhaps it’s because they are tangible and can be held or carried as subtle symbols of profound bonds.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/L8g1Gpj

Amitabh Choudhary's Family Sends Legal Notice to JSCA for Planning to Install Gold Statue of the Late Administrator

Jharkhand State Cricket Association plans to install a 10-12 feet high statue of its former president Amitabh Choudhary as a tribute.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/GP8qWxT

Top Cricket Referee From Bangladesh Resigns After Taking Part in Anti-Government Protests

Supporters of the opposition party had alleged that Debabrata Paul had been forced to resign due to pressure from the influential board.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/HZCachr

'If You're Going to Play Sanju Samson at No. 5 or 6, Play Rinku Singh Instead': Abhishek Nayar

Naya suggested that if the Indian team wants to utilise the full potential of Sanju Samson then they should give him a chance at the number 3 position.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/GOUCfte

Ashes Winner Steven Finn Announces Retirement from All Forms of Cricket

Steven Finn retires after having represented England in 39 Tests, 69 ODIs and 21 T20Is.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/EU6Gxm2

'As Soon as he Comes, The Momentum Drops Down': Wasim Jaffer Advises Hardik Pandya to Take Note and Improve

In the series decider on Sunday, Hardik Pandya scored 14 runs off 18 balls at a poor strike rate of 77.78.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/sMWbzZp

Who is Aayla Secura and why does she have a French accent in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars?’

The Star Wars universe is filled with dynamic characters from Sith to Jedi and everything in between. Even the most dedicated of fans can have a hard time recognizing every character by name, especially when you take the franchise’s shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars into account. The animated series expands on the events of the prequel films and fleshes out characters who were never in the films or those whose appearances were so short they may as well never appeared at all.

One such character is Aayla Secura, a Jedi seen in the prequel films, most notably during the Order 66 assassination sequence in Revenge of the Sith. Although movie viewers might have a hard time placing her, her character and backstory are explored more in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Who is Aayla Secura?

Image via Lucasfilm

Aayla Secura was a Twi’lek Jedi Master known for her kindness, fierce battle skills, and for being the padawan of Quinlan Vos, a Jedi Master who would eventually turn his back on the order. His less morally strict influence would cause Aayla to often be tempted by her own dark nature at times, but Aayla remained a loyal Jedi until her tragic death.

Aside from having one of the coolest character designs in all of Star Wars, Aayla was also a skilled warrior and served as a General during the Clone Wars. Her many achievements in that role are what led to her eventual promotion to Jedi Master.

Cool, but why does she have a French accent?

Yes, Aayla’s accent does have a distinctly French quality to it and there’s a simple explanation as to why: George Lucas said so. That isn’t even us being facetious; according to Dave Filomo, supervising director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lucas wanted the Twi’lek accent to sound like a French accent (according to Wookiepedia). They’re not the only Star Wars characters to have real-world accents, either — just think about all the Sith characters with posh British accents, or as Wookiepedia dubs them, “Coruscanti” accents.

All Twi’leks speak with this French-sounding accent except for Hera, but even her accent comes out when she lets her emotions get the best of her (like when she argues with her father). Prior to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a Twi’lek character had never really had a spoken line before, so the French accent caught many viewers by surprise. Some fans even thought Hera’s lapse into her native accent was a mistake — but it is a feature, not a flaw.

If that explanation doesn’t satisfy you, there’s also an in-universe reason Twi’leks have accents. When on their native planet Ryloth, they speak Twi’leki with each other; it makes sense that most Twi’leks would have picked up Galactic Basic (read: what Star Wars calls English in-universe) as a second language, thus giving most Twi’leks a slight accent.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/0pGtamq

WEF vs TRT Dream11 Team Prediction, The Hundred 2023: Captain, Vice-captain And Probable XIs for Welsh Fire vs Trent Rockets

Check here the WEF vs TRT Dream11 Prediction The Hundred 2023 today's match to be played in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/7CTLqyp

'Credit to Virat Kohli For..': West Indies Legend Picks India Ace as Highest Run-Getter During ODI World Cup 2023

West Indies legend Ian Bishop picked Virat Kohli as the highest run-getter during ODI World Cup 2023 while also lauding the former India captain for his 'global impact'

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/X4kZclU

'Aapko Acha Karna Hoga Bhaiya': How Pant's Words Brought the Best Out of a Shattered Kuldeep

Kuldeep Yadav’s childhood coach, Kapil Pandey, explained how the DC coaching staff helped the leg-spinner redefine his career

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/8k1sYPK

'Couldn't Score 10 Runs in First 3 Matches..': Shubman Gill Reveals Mindset Ahead of 77-run Knock in 4th T20I

Shubman Gill revealed how he looked to bounce back in the 4th T20I having failed to score in double digits in the first three matches of the series

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/BcteHAY

Rohit Sharma Visits Balaji Temple in Tirupati Ahead of Asia Cup 2023 - WATCH VIDEO

A video surfaced has goen viral on Twitter where the Indian skipper could be seen visiting the famous Balaji temple in Tirupathi along with his wife Ritika Sajdeh

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/U4k3q01

Just when you thought it was over, ‘Spider-Man: Lotus’ gets dragged into another fresh bout of unpleasant controversy

With Spider-Man: Lotus now having been released – and taken the requisite pasting from all corners of the internet due to both its lack of quality and the controversy that torpedoed its once-burgeoning reputation – you’d have thought the fan film would now be slinking off to the background of the conversation.

Somehow, though, the opposite has proven to be true. Whispers are now making the rounds on social media that threaten to plunge Lotus into an even deeper and darker hole, with claims being made by Twitter (or X, whatever) user NirvanaM1ndDX that creator Gavin J. Konop was aware of – and attempted to cover up – sexual misconduct allegations looming over Green Goblin star John Salandria, purportedly tied to an acting student of his who was under the age of 18.

Screengrab via YouTube

Not only that, but further claims have emerged offering that things are going to somehow get even worse, with one user stating that there’s even more dirty laundry about to be aired, and the situation could somehow on track to potentially become even worse.

The initial racist backlash sunk Lotus completely to begin with, and while these are all just unsubstantiated tales being perpetuated across online circles for now, the first wave of accusations that destroyed Konop’s passion project initially began as a single social media post before exploding into widespread outrage and indignation.

Once upon a time, Jon Watts and Andrew Garfield were proponents of Spider-Man: Lotus, but those days feel like a long time ago after the project has done nothing but run headlong into unsavory issues entirely of its own making.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/rb37psU

An ambitious comic book adaptation already branded as the start of a cinematic universe takes a supernatural turn on streaming

We’ve all seen what happens when a movie proudly declares itself as the beginning of a brand new cinematic universe, with the decision to have a franchise try and run before it’s mastered the art of walking claiming countless victims over the years, but you can’t fault Dampyr for its ambition.

Based on the comic book series of the same name created by Mauro Boselli and Maurizio Colombo that was distributed through Sergio Bonelli Editore, the action-packed fantasy has already been heralded as the launchpad for the Bonelli Cinematic Universe planned to eventually introduce new characters and crossovers into the mythology, with Dylan Dog presumably one of them given that it hails from the same creative team.

Image via Sony

Superhero veteran James Wan named the latter as his dream project, and while there’s no chance the BCU is going to get him, it won’t be hard to make a better version than the abysmal effort starring one-time Superman Brandon Routh. Either way, Dampyr marks an intriguing first stab at building an interconnected string of supernaturally-tinged projects, even if it is a little ominous that Sony handled the international rights given the studio’s penchant for butchering so many of its own franchises.

Regardless, Dampyr has sunk its fangs directly into the jugular vein of the streaming charts, with FlixPatrol naming protagonist Harlan Draka’s journey through the war-torn Balkan countryside as one of the most-watched features on iTunes and Google Play this weekend.

He spends his days ridding villages of make-believe monsters, but ends up discovering that not only are they real, but as a half human and half vampire hybrid, he’s one of them. Will it lead to more? Only time will tell, but props for trying at the very least.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/fEqjZal

India vs West Indies, 4th T20I Live Score: IND Hope to Force Decider in Florida

IND vs WI Live Score: Follow here all the live score and latest updates from the India vs West Indies 4th T20I to be played in Lauderhill.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/sGY2yzT

The best Nicholas Galitzine movies to watch, including ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’

Success always seems to find its way to Nicholas Galitzine, who stars in two hit films released in August alone. The British actor got his first acting role in 2014, starring alongside Luke Perry in The Beat Beneath My Feet. Now, at just 28 years old, his credits include some of the highest-rated films of the last decade.

Starting with Red, White, & Royal Blue, here are the best movies featuring the star in his career so far.

Red, White, & Royal Blue (2023)

Released on Aug. 11, Galitzine stars in the LGBTQ+ romcom Red, White, & Royal Blue alongside Taylor Zakhar Perez. He portrays a British prince caught up in a political scandal after getting into a scuffle with the son of the U.S. president, played by Perez. As part of their plan for damage control, the duo feigns a friendship that morphs into a secret romance.

With an incredible 95 percent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie will likely skyrocket Galitzine’s career. A review of the movie in the San Francisco Chronicle noted:

“It’s not easy to make an amusing, accessible diversion that mixes LGBTQ positivity and national politics, but “Red, White & Blue” passes the test with flying colors.”

You can stream Red, White, & Royal Blue on Prime Video. 

Bottoms (2023)

Earning itself an incredible 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Bottoms is a raunchy teen comedy that highlights the LGBTQ+ high school experience. Starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, it tells the story of two senior girls who start a fight club to help them lose their virginity to cheerleaders. Galitzine portrays a “psychotic” high school jock, a character unlike any other he has played in the past. 

The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews when it premiered at South by Southwest in March. A review written by a film critic at Variety remarked:

“Bottoms is unlike any high-school comedy you’ve ever seen. It’s a satire of victimization, a satire of violence, and a satire of itself. It walks a tightrope between sensitivity and insanity (with a knowing bit of inanity), and it’s full of moments that are defiantly what we once used to call incorrect.” 

Bottoms will have a limited theatrical release beginning on Aug. 25. followed by an expanded release on Sept. 1. 

Handsome Devil (2016)

Galitzine starred in the Certified Fresh Irish drama Handsome Devil alongside Fionn O’Shea in 2016. The actor plays Connor, a rugby star whose roommate Ned is an outcast at an all-boys boarding school in Ireland. They form an unlikely friendship, but after a dispute, Ned outs Connor as gay to their schoolmates, causing him to run away. 

Handsome Devil premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before being released in Ireland theatres in 2017. A Los Angeles Times article praised the film for capturing “the privileged, self-involved vibe of tony private schools as well as the emotional seesawing of developing teens.”

On top of receiving critical acclaim, the film also received awards from the Dublin Film Critics Circle and the Celtic Media Festival. You can stream Handsome Devil now on Plex, Tubi, or Peacock. 

High Strung (2016)

In one of Galitzine’s early films, High Strung, he portrays a brooding violinist named Johnnie living illegally in the United States. He stars opposite actress and professional dancer Keenan Kampa, who plays Ruby, a ballerina attending a private school on scholarship. Their characters cross paths after Ruby gets knocked over while dancing, and Johnnie helps her get up, distracting him long enough to be robbed. 

High Strung premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2016 before it got released in April. A review in The Village Voice praised the film for “capturing accomplished dancers in genres from ballet to Irish step, [the director’s] whirling camera reminds us that New York can feel like a city of infinite possibility for young performers.”

You can stream High Strung now on Amazon Prime, fuboTV, Pluto, and Tubi.

The Idea of You (TBA)

Galitzine stars in the highly anticipated film The Idea of You alongside Anne Hathaway, which has yet to be released. Hathaway plays a 40-year-old divorcee who attends Coachella with her daughter after her ex-husband bails. There she meets a young, famous pop star, played by Galitzine, who helps her rediscover her self-worth.

Based on Robinne Lee’s novel of the same name, One Direction fans believe the author based Galitzine’s character on Harry Styles. However, Lee told Vogue this was never her intention. 

“This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles. It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”

No date for the release has been set yet, but based on the actor’s track record so far, it’ll be worth the wait.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/IaK2mPY

'Shubman Gill is Getting Into Too Much of a Shell And Then Playing...': Abhinav Mukund on IND Opener's Rough Patch

Abhinav Mukund suggested that Shubman Gill's form is a bit of a concern but the talented batter will find a way to get his form back.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/jSUANiG

‘Indian Team Might be Concerned About Shubman Gill, He Hasn't Managed to Score Big’: EX-IND Pacer

RP Singh underlined the batter's weakness against left-arm spinners. However, the former pacer also opined the team has decided to give a long rope to Gill

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/1NYg4si

The only true sequel in a 7-film franchise stuck in a 30-year cycle of endless fresh starts takes to the streets on streaming

It’s ludicrous that a franchise seven films deep and over 35 years in only contains one direct sequel in amongst an endless sea of reboots, but that’s exactly what makes Predator 2 stand out from the pack.

Stephen Hopkins’ severely underrated cult favorite picks up a decade after the events of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic original, with Danny Glover marshaling the action in the far-flung future of… 1997. It’s directly tied to the DNA of its predecessor, which is something that can’t be said of any other installment in the iconic sci-fi saga.

Image via 20th Century Fox

Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal’s Predators was a standalone story that really should have gotten at least one follow-up if the world was a fair place, while Shane Black ironically ended up cutting the sole piece of direct connective tissue out of The Predator when Jake Busey’s Sean Keyes wasn’t even confirmed to be the son of father Gary’s Predator 2 scenery-chewer Peter in the theatrical cut.

Prey does get a pass for taking place hundreds of years in the past, but Paul W.S. Anderson’s turgid Alien vs. Predator told its own story, before that ended up being discarded in favor of the significantly worse Requiem. In essence, we’ve gotten five brand new additions to the mythology since Predator 2 released over three decades ago, and not a single one of them is a straightforward follow-up, which is nuts.

Of course, it doesn’t matter when Predator 2 still rules as hard as ever, with FlixPatrol revealing that iTunes subscribers are the latest to either rediscover or find out that fact for the very first time, seeing as it’s one of the platform’s top-ranked titles this weekend.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/qIPWgCp

Rajasthan Policeman Cleans Up Batter in Nets, Mumbai Indians Share His Bowling Video on Instagram - WATCH

Mumbai Indians have shared a video on Instagram, highlighting the skill of a policeman from Rajasthan on a cricket ball

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/lhwGfus

Virat Kohli Highest Earning Indian From Instagram, Cristiano Ronaldo Tops the List; Here's How Much They Charge

Virat Kohli is ranked 14th on the list of highest earning celebrities from Instagram in 2023, the list is topped by Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by Messi at number 2

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/JLwWaDC

James Gunn fell in love with the real-life Cosmo while making ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

Cosmo the Spacedog was one of the undisputed highlights of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. First teased in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, she went on to appear in the Holiday Special before being bumped to full member of the team status by the end of Vol. 3.

Despite being a talking telekinetic dog (as voiced by the excellent Maria Bakalova) much of the fun of Cosmo is that she acts like a real dog. The tension between her and Kraglin as he refuses to take back his comment that she’s a “bad dog” runs throughout the movie, and her happy bouncing when he finally acknowledges her as a “good dog” is heartwarming.

But keep that heart warm, as what was going on behind the scenes was almost as adorable as what’s onscreen. Though Cosmo was a CGI creation, there was a real dog named Slate on set to provide a reference to the VFX team. As per ComicBook’s interview with Vol. 3 VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti, Gunn fell head over heels with this new canine buddy:

“Well, we scanned him, we scanned Slate, we use this fur and everything as a reference. We had him doing some different things so that we could study the way that everything moves and on camera with good quality material. And what I was doing is every time we would have a scene with Slate, with Cosmo, we had Slate coming in, get in front of the camera so we know exactly what he looks like in the light and all that stuff.

Sometimes have him just do a few things, but Slate was really not a dog that we could have used for shooting, that was a beautiful dog. But every time Slate would come, James loves dogs. So James would start playing with Slate and then by the time we were rolling, Slate was like, ‘Oh, I’m gone. I don’t know. I want to play.”

Gunn is well-known for his affinity with dogs, currently owning three: a rescue mutt named Dr Wesley Von Spears, a puggle called Lola, and another rescue called Ozu (who was two hours away from being put down before Gunn swept in to save her).

So, with a bouncy and fun-loving Labrador frolicking around the set it’s not surprising that Gunn took the time to play with Slate. Given that Cosmo was such a believable onscreen CGI dog, it sounds like they got their money’s worth.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/pEZd2Pc

'He'll be the Best Finisher in the World Cup': MSK Prasad Picks the 'Biggest Match-Winner' for India

Former chief selector MSK Prasad was of the opinion that a batter who can notch the top rank in the T20s is definitely a special player.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/rpxPWzu

'Whenever You Play as an Opener, You Will be Scrutinized Most': Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill's Poor Form

Aakash Chopra suggested that Shubman Gill struggled on the slow surfaces where he struggled to find his rhythm.

from Top CricketNext News- News18.com https://ift.tt/zo6J0Ee

‘Secret Invasion’ revelation means the MCU just killed off one of its greatest heroes

Secret Invasion might’ve failed to turn the MCU on its head in the same way as the comic book event did the Marvel Comics universe, but it still dropped one major bombshell in our laps that it’s going to take a long while to unpick. Yes, Rhodey has been a Skrull imposter for “a long time,” with context clues telling us we may not have seen the real War Machine since his injury in Captain America: Civil War.

Following Fury killing Raava, his identity-stealing imposter, in the finale, though, Rhodey fans can relax knowing that the character will be back to his old self in time for his upcoming movie, Armor Wars. But a mind-blowing, entirely logical, point has now been raised that’s causing the Marvel fandom to question their feelings about Raava: considering she might well have been Rhodey in Avengers: Endgame, that means the MCU might’ve just killed one of its greatest heroes.

As the title of a Reddit post that’s getting people talking put it, “Secret Invasion Killed Off A True MCU hero.” The OP argues that, although Raava’s subterfuge in replacing Rhodey all this time is certainly un-heroic, War Machine was an instrumental part of the Avengers’ team that successfully completed the Time Heist and ultimately defeat Thanos and his forces in the Battle of Earth. If we’re being made to believe this was Raava the whole time, she displayed real courage and compassion for both her “fellow” Avengers and for the world at large.

And then Nick Fury just went and shot the poor Skrull in the head. Even though he knows full well the complicated nature of the aliens’ relationship to their human guises, through his wife Priscilla/Varra. Not cool, Fury. #Justice4Skrhodey.

from Movie News | Movie Reviews | Movie Trailers https://ift.tt/rEyz8qJ