Need a quick recap on the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:

BIG NEWS

Leonardo DiCaprio for The Joker?: With Martin Scorsese possibly producing the Joker origin movie, Warner Bros. is hoping to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as the comic book villain. He wouldn’t be the first Oscar winner to take on the role, that’s for sure. Read more about the project here and here.

GREAT NEWS

Writers Return for Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel: Rejoining star Tom Holland and probably director Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Homecoming screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are now working with others on the next Spidey installment. You can read all we know about the sequel so far here.

AWESOME TIE-IN

The Hottest New Star Wars Toys: This week, Force Friday II brought tons of cool new Star Wars merchandise to stores, and we’re especially excited about some of the toys based on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Read more here. And check out a new The Last Jedi photo here.

FESTIVAL BUZZ

Downsizing and The Shape of Water Reviews: Critics are piling on the praise for the latest from Alexander Payne and the new movie from Guillermo del Toro at the start of the fall film festival season. Read what they’re saying here and here.

COOL CULTURE

Blade Runner 2049 Prequel Short:Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve presented a new short film this week starring Jared Leto that bridges the original with the sequel. You can watch it here:

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MUST-WATCH TRAILERS

Brawl in Cell Block 99 showcases a bald Vince Vaughn: The first trailer for the prison movie Brawl in Cell Block 99 has arrived, featuring Vince Vaughn beating up a car. A bald Vince Vaughn beating up a car. Watch it below.

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American Assassin looks action packed: The latest trailer for the Dylan O’Brien-led American Assassin gives us some background information and then a load of action. Check it out here:

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and

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Short Film of the Day:

Get ready for Blade Runner 2049 with this short film starring Jared Leto that connects the original with the upcoming sequel:

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Scene Analysis of the Day:

Thomas Flight breaks down the opening sequence from Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver in his latest video essay:

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Poster Homage of the Day:

This week’s new Stranger Things poster pays tribute to the poster for Firestarter:

Normal in every way but one. Will Eleven have the power…to survive? #StrangerThursdays begins now. pic.twitter.com/hzR20qONQ2

— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) August 31, 2017

Supercut of the Day:

See how the movies portray the city of angels in this supercut of Los Angeles in film:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Fredric March, who was born on this day 120 years ago, receives direction from John Frakenheimer on the set of the 1964 film Seven Days in May:

Filmmaker in Focus:

For Talkhouse, Jacob T. Swinney highlights the silent close-ups in the movies of Denis Villeneuve:

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Actor in the Spotlight:

Also by Jacob T. Swinney, this time for Fandor, here’s a video tracking the rise of Steve Carell:

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Cosplay of the Day:

When the real Robert Downey Jr. isn’t available for hospital visits, a cosplaying lookalike Iron Man will do:

The power of cosplay! ?? pic.twitter.com/BNwfIofgIU

— Cosplay Girls (@CosplayGirIs) August 31, 2017

Remixed Movie of the Day:

Eclectic Method took dialogue and sounds from New Jack City and made an appropriately ’90s-sounding dance track:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

This week is the 70th anniversary of the release of The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. Watch the original trailer for the classic rom-com below.

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and

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Reimagined Movie of the Day:

What would Justice League look like if it was made in the late ’80s when Batman came out? This mashup from Darth Blender shows one possibility:

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Alternate Posters of the Day:

Spider-Man: Homecoming has some cool new fan-made posters for its upcoming Chinese release:

New posters #SpiderManHomecoming for China pic.twitter.com/gimGYxyCHk

— Holland News (@Hollandersbr) August 27, 2017

Movie Comparison of the Day:

Just when you thought Get Out was one of the most original movies of the year, Couch Tomato shares 24 reasons why it’s the same movie as The Skeleton Key:

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Trend of the Day:

Fandor addresses the prevalence of the complimentary colors blue and orange in movies lately:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Cameron Diaz, who turns 45 today, receives direction from Peter and Bobby Farrelly on the set of 1998’s There’s Something About Mary:

Actor in the Spotlight:

Fandor answers the question of why Robert De Niro just isn’t funny:

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Filmmaker in Focus:

Mr. Nerdista looks at how David Fincher crafts the perfect lonely protagonist in this video essay focused on The Game:

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Fan Art of the Day:

Apparently Guillermo del Toro has a new nickname: Guillermo El Totoro, and now fans are making art in the name’s honor (via IndieWire):

You have heard of Totoro and of Guillermo del Toro, I present to you Guillermo El Totoro. One day I will do a watercolor rendition of this. pic.twitter.com/Rb10DrC7Qo

— Enrique Robles (@DraftDesigner) August 23, 2017

National Cinema of the Day:

Get into the cinema of South Korea with this video highlighting such works as The Handmaiden and Oldboy by editor Gamze Bas:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 50th anniversary of the premiere of John Boorman’s Point Blank in San Francisco. Watch the original trailer for the classic thriller below.

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and

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

New Voice of the Day:

Kermit the Frog has a new voice, care of Muppets puppetteer Matt Vogel, and this video marks its first appearance:

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Remade Trailer of the Day:

Thor: Ragnarok still has a while until it comes out, but to tide us over here’s a sweded version of the trailer:

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Reworked Movie of the Day:

What if Michael Bay directed The Iron Giant? This mashup of the animated feature and Transformers 2 provides a fair idea:

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Movie Takedown of the Day:

Honest Trailers takes aim at the ridiculousness of John Woo’s Face/Off:

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Classic Image of the Day:

William Friedkin turns 82 today and Elliott Gould turns 79 today, so here’s a photo of the latter from the former’s 1968 comedy The Night They Raided Minsky’s:

Filmmaker in Focus:

The career of David Cronenberg is summed up perfectly in this [CINEMASTERS] mashup of his movies:

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Actor in the Spotlight:

How familiar are you with martial arts action star Jackie Chan? ScreenCrush shares a bunch of trivia about the actor:

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Cosplay of the Day:

Here’s a perfect Moana at Sri Lanka’s Lanka Comic Con last weekend:

#Moana of Motonui showed up at #AsusLankaComicCon2017 over the weekend.

It was worth all the effort spent on making this cosplay :’) ?? pic.twitter.com/79vzdLg92f

— ~°PiNgi°~ (@_piNgi_) August 28, 2017

Condensed Movie of the Day:

If all you want from Free Fire is the gunshots, this near-five-minute supercut will do the trick:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 60th anniversary of the release of The Pajama Game starring Doris Day. Watch the original trailer for the classic musical below.

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and

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Reworked Movie of the Day:

What if The Shining was a musical? Here’s a number between Jack and Grady reworking a scene in Stanley Kubrick’s classic:

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VFX Reel of the Day:

ILM posted a breakdown of the visual effects they produced for Kong: Skull Island (via /Film):

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Enhanced Trailer of the Day:

You’ve seen the trailer for American Made, now watch it again with commentary from director Doug Liman via IMDb:

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Prop Replica of the Day:

Watch a Jumanji fan make a perfect replica of the movie’s board game in this time-lapse video (via Geekologie):

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Daniel Stern, who turns 60 today, with co-star Ellen Barkin and director Barry Levinson on the set of Diner in 1981:

Filmmaker in Focus:

Editor Catherine Grant pays tribute to the late Tobe Hooper with a look at three of his most terrifying scenes, from Salem’s Lot and Poltergeist (via Film School Rejects):

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Filmmaking Lesson of the Day:

The latest video essay from Now You See It explains how to properly write (and how not to write) a plot twist:

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Cosplay of the Day:

Wait, is this really not actually Emma Watson in an acutal shot from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? That’s some perfect cosplay:

Currently editing my Hermione Deathly Hallows Cosplay ?? @jk_rowling@EmmaWatson@MuggleNetpic.twitter.com/msHru1x6a7

— Megan Flockhart (@meganflockhart) August 28, 2017

Movie Comparison of the Day:

Fandor shows the similarities and differences between the original Oldboy and its remake, side by side:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 25th anniversary of the release of Honeymoon in Vegas. Watch the original trailer for the Nicolas Cage classic below.

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The social media embargo for Stephen King’s It lifted last night, releasing the first wave of critics’ reactions into the world. While nobody has reviewed the movie in full yet, we’ve got a consensus on the horror adaptation and it’s quite positive. Sounds like not just the scariest movie of the year but maybe a horror classic?

Could this be one of the most acclaimed King adaptations when the reviews do drop? Currently, the top title is the 1976 version of Carrie, which has a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s followed by non-horror movies Stand By Me (91%) and The Shawshank Redemption (91%) then 1983’s The Dead Zone (90%) and Misery (89%) rounding up the first five (see the rest of the rankings here).

Here are some of the praise for It via Twitter:

“It is everything I hoped for and more. Has heart, laughs and TONS of incredible scares. Fell in love with the Losers. Didn’t want it to end.” – Perri Nemiroff, Collider

“Just saw It. Really well done. Cast were all great with some twisted visuals. Going to make a ton of money. Ready for the sequel tomorrow.” – Steven “Frosty” Weintraub, Collider

“Saw It. I loved it. Then took trash out in my empty, dark, stairwell…SH*T FREAKED ME OUT CAUSE THAT MOVIE SCARED ME LIKE FOR REAL.” – Mark E. Reilly, Collider

“I love It. It’s everything I wanted. Scary as sh*t, Skarsgard nails Pennywise, and the Losers are perfection.” – Haleigh Foutch, Collider

“Thrilled I can now say that It is spectacular. Totally terrifying, but also amazing fun (the Losers are PERFECT). Top 10 candidate for me.” – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend

“LOVED It. Captured the spirit of the book & still created something new. Perfect combo of dark and fun. And the Losers Club was PERFECT!” – Rachel Heine, Nerdist

“It was spooktacular. Great cast, surprisingly funny, and genuinely unnerving scares. You’ll still be freaked out when you get home.” – Dan Casey, Nerdist

“Just finished watching It. Wow! Incredible! Scared me sh*tless!” – Rama’s Screen

“I can finally talk about It. New adaptation is more fun, frightening and familiar than you think.” – Mara Reinstein, Mara Movies

“I liked it! Kids are great. BSkars is great. Also, surprisingly, it’s pretty dang funny.” – Rebecca Pahle, Film Journal

“It was terrifying and hilarious and delightful, so we’re deciding to see how this thing goes.” – Terri Schwartz, IGN

“I can say I saw It tonight. And it was great. Cast is excellent. And, yes, [Pennywise] is scary! This will be a, ahem, monster at the box office.” – Jim Vejvoda, IGN

“Happy to say It is an effectively scary and faithful adaptation of (half) of Stephen King’s novel. Walked out very satisfied.” – Eric Walkuski, Arrow in the Head

“Saw It and it’s definitely the best horror movie of the year imo (yes, better than Get Out). Screening erupted into a standing ovation.” – Kurt Smejkal, Three Angry Nerds

“It definitely captures frights of the novel whilst adding new fears. Major set pieces are bone-chilling — even summons a splash of tears.” – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

“It makes me nostalgic for when I used to get scared by things, because I don’t anymore. But man oh man, if you still do…” – Fred Topel, We Live Entertainment

“It: a carnival funhouse of a film; loud, scary, funny. And best of all: it has heart.” – Chris Evangelista, CutPrintFilm

“Can’t post specifics yet but It is GOOD.” – Mike Rougeau, Game Spot

“Bill Skarsgard is putting in a performance that is going to turn him into the Freddy Krueger of a new generation. The amount of violence and horrific imagery in regards to children is SHOCKING. They didn’t hold back. It’s great.” – Drew Dietch, Fandom

Looks like we should at least have a score in the 90s here, folks! Watch the trailer once again below and see the movie when it opens on September 8.

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Need a quick recap on the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:

BIG NEWS

Multiple Joker movies announced: Martin Scorsese will produce a hard-boiled crime film tracking the origins of Batman villain The Joker, while another movie will reunite Jared Leto’s Joker and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn for a “criminal love story.” Read more here and here. Also check out what critics are saying about the first idea here and see some dream casting here and here.

EXCITING NEWS

Details on the Unbreakable sequel: M. Night Shymalan’s next movie is Glass, a sequel to Unbreakable and Split. Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and James McAvoy will star; it has a more “epic” plot than its predecessors. This week we got a basic synopsis, which you can read here.

UNSURPRISING NEWS

Channing Tatum is still Gambit: If you’re still hopeful about Channing Tatum starring in a Gambit movie, he’s got good news: it’s still going to happen. Of course, the X-Men spin-off is recalibrating now following the success of Deadpool and Logan. Read more here.

COOL CULTURE

Taking advantage of the eclipse: Filmmakers shot a short Western during Monday’s solar eclipse and broadcast it live online. You can watch the result here:

MUST-WATCH TRAILERS

Last Flag Flying looks funny and poignant: The first trailer for Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying, a sort of sequel to the classic 1973 drama The Last Detail, has arrived with strong chemistry between stars Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne. Watch it below.

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Little Evil spoofs a horror trope: Adam Scott is Satan’s new stepfather in Little Evil, a comedic take on movies like The Omen. Check out its first trailer here:

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Suburbicon is full of wonder and excitement: George Clooney’s Coen Brothers-scripted comedy has a new international trailer with more ridiculous moments from Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac. Watch it here:

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and

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Dream Casting of the Day:

BossLogic suggests Lucas Till as a young Joker in his newly announced origin movie, and he even shows us what that could look like:

Or someone young 😀 @lucastillpic.twitter.com/l35EmpGEG7

— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) August 23, 2017

Music Parody of the Day:

What if the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 soundtrack was more on the nose? Here’s a parody of Jay and the Americans’ “Come a Little Bit Closer” so it’s more of a plot song:

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Poster Homage of the Day:

This week’s official Stranger Things poster pays homage to Alien, which means they’re not just honoring ’80s movies:

This is Will Byers. Only survivor of The Upside Down. Signing on. #StrangerThursdays begins now. pic.twitter.com/o80kd7DKMA

— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) August 24, 2017

Supercut of the Day:

You might want to save this for Easter, but Fandor has compiled a supercut of rabbits in movies:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Rupert Grint, who turns 28 today, receives direction from Alfonso Cuaron on the set of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2003:

Actor in the Spotlight:

The latest edition of No Small Parts highlights the chameleonic career of Giancarlo Esposito:

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Filmmaker in Focus:

This supercut highlights all the wonderful food found in the films of Hayao Miyazaki (via Film School Rejects):

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Cosplay of the Day:

Here are a whole bunch of very committed but anonymous Ghostbusters fans cosplaying as the logo:

Ghostbusters cosplay. pic.twitter.com/C5EayWVyX0

— Nick de Semlyen (@NickdeSemlyen) August 24, 2017

Studio Formula of the Day:

Couch Tomato presents 24 reasons all Pixar movies are the same:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 75th anniversary of the premiere of Disney’s Saludos Amigos. Watch the original trailer for the animated classic below.

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and

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Dream Casting of the Day:

BossLogic proposes The Dark Knight trilogy’s Batman, Christian Bale, for the role of The Joker in the comic book villain’s newly announced movie and even shows us what he could look like:

Live long enough to become….. pic.twitter.com/aB2f7WmfY1

— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) August 23, 2017

Movie Parody of the Day:

Tom Cruise recently injured himself while making Mission: Impossible 6, so Conan lampooned an iconic scene from Risky Business in which the actor kept getting hurt:

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Reworked Movies of the Day:

Scenes from the Alien Vs. Predator movies are a lot better scored with classical music masterpieces, as seen in this video by Antonio Maria Da Silva:

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Remixed Movie of the Day:

Pogo’s latest dance remix of a Disney animated feature samples sounds from Aladdin:

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Cosplay of the Day:

Speaking of Disney animated features, here’s a great Nick Wilde frome Zootopia costume:

When you wake up and feel like you’re in a cartoon… #fursuit#cosplay#zootopiapic.twitter.com/C3QrkbavD3

— Don’t Hug Cacti LLC (@DontHugCacti) August 20, 2017

Movie Takedown of the Day:

Never mind that it made a bazillion dollars or has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating, Finding Dory didn’t even get an Oscar nomination and so Wisecrack looks into what’s wrong with the Pixar animated feature:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

River Phoenix, who was born on this day in 1970, receives direction from Steven Spielberg on the set of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1988:

Actor in the Spotlight:

You’ve seen her this year in The Mummy and Atomic Blonde, now get to know Sofia Boutella care of Haroon Adalat for Fandor:

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Poster Comparison of the Day:

If the new poster for Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! looks familiar, this comparison to the Rosemary’s Baby poster confirms why:

I’ve been worried MOTHER! looks like a ROSEMARY’S BABY riff; this new poster doesn’t assuage that concern. pic.twitter.com/rXEcqGHqS5

— CinemaGrids (@CinemaGrids) August 23, 2017

Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 50th anniversary of the release of Roger Corman’s The Trip. Watch the original trailer for the psychedelic classic below.

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