Rian Johnson shows his his cards in a new Poker Face interview; Jane Fonda explains why she’ll never retire; Avatar: The Way of Water beats Avengers: Infinity War to another box office milestone. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.
But First: You may have noticed the new look here at MovieMaker.com. We honed it by posing in outfits in front of a three-way mirror while a snobby Beverly Hills shopkeeper brought us fabrics and our complicated love interest made deals on his mobile phone. Who who looks fancy now?
Rian Johnson Does: In addition to Glass Onion, he has a new Peacock series called Poker Face with Natasha Lyonne that’s kind of a throwback to one-and-done (per episode) ’70s detective shows. He also seems to be having fun with Robert Altman references, as he tells Joshua Encinias in this laid-back, ’70s detective-style interrogation.
Out Today: Infinity Pool, the latest from Brandon Cronenberg, which MovieMaker‘s Margeaux Sippell describes as “good,” “a thing of quality,” and “undoubtedly the most disturbing film I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” I can’t wait to see it in a theater.
From Punk to the Penthouse: We meet a lot of cool behind-the-scenes people, but not many of them are more interesting than post house Sugar Studios’ founder Jijo Reed. In this profile, he and I talk about his punk rock roots, his Hollywood rise and fall (including a Ferrari crash), and how he rebuilt his life and business from the ground up, eventually taking over the penthouse of the stunning Art Deco Wiltern building, one of my favorite L.A. landmarks. The stellar location allows filmmakers to do all their post at one fun location instead of driving all over the city. My favorite part of the interview, though, is when he talks about working on the trailer for Casino.
Jane Fonda: The actress-activist, who stars in the upcoming 80 for Brady, about some octogenarians who stalk a cherub-faced professional athlete, tells The Hollywood Reporter that she’ll probably never quit acting because why would she? Acting, the article explains, helps her focus attention on causes important to her. “One feeds the other,” she said. “I recently thought, ‘Maybe I do want to quit acting.’ I mean, I’m 85. But then I realized, my platform matters. It brings people in that might not come in normally.”
Also: I learned from the article that Fonda spent her 82nd birthday in jail after getting arrested for a fifth time, which is probably the best way to spend your birthday. As long as you’re getting arrested for something cool like taking part in a climate change protest, as was the case for Fonda.
Na’vi v. Thanos: Variety notes that Avatar: The Way of Water has earned $2.05 billion to surpass Avengers: Infinity War (which earned a palty and frankly embarrassing mere $2.052 billion) to become the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time. Oh but wait! The Way of Water still has not (and may never) surpass Avengers: Endgame, which earned $2.79 billion to hold the title of the second-highest-grossing film of all time. Oh but wait but wait but wait again, because the No. 1 film is the original Avatar, which earned $2.92 billion. And the fight isn’t finished, because there are more Avengers and Avatar films to come. And both of you franchises better watch your backs because Tom Brady is just now getting into the movie game and he’s very competitive.
Stop Fidgeting, Get Rid of Your Gum. Have a great weekend, everyone. May your kindhearted johns take you all for makeovers.
Main image: Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face, created by Rian Johnson.
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