Gamemaster Trailer Plus Exclusive Clip From Board Game Documentary!

ComingSoon.net has an exclusive clip from the upcoming board game documentary Gamemaster, as well as the official trailer from Gravitas Ventures! You can check out both videos now in the players below!

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Gamemaster is a deep dive into the world of the thriving board game industry, the recent billion-dollar tabletop renaissance, and the creators behind wildly popular games. Watch first-time game designers as they try to achieve their dream of creating a board game.

This insightful documentary also includes interviews with established creators of popular board games including Exploding Kittens, Settlers of Catan, Pandemic, Hanabi, and many more.

Gamemaster is directed by Charles Mruz and produced by Mia Chang, Scott Kim, George Loucas, Jimmy Nguyen, Alan Poa, Matthew Shreder, and Stefanie Woodburn.

RELATED: Exclusive Daddy Issues Clip for Gravitas Ventures’ New Romantic Comedy

Gamemaster will be available on VOD and Digital HD on July 7, 2020.

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New Nick Simon project Untitled Horror Movie unveiled

Spectrum Studios has revealed that Nick Simon’s upcoming project, Untitled Horror Movie, has completed its principal photography with the entire writing, pre-production and filming process taking place remotely during global quarantine.

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Co-written and directed by Simon (The Girl in the Photographs), the film is set on computer screens and filmed in found footage style and will explore the behind-the-scenes lives of moderately famous actors who will do anything to save their careers and keep sharing their craft with the world. With their hit TV show on the brink of cancellation, six actors decide to film their own horror movie. In their search for a plot, they unintentionally summon a spirit with an affinity for violence, who starts picking them off one vapid actor at a time.

“I’ve always believed that film should be a collaborative art form, and I don’t think there’s a truer example than with this picture,” Simon said in a statement. “The actors did everything from lighting themselves — guided by our incredible DP, Kevin Duggin — to recording their own sound and doing their own hair and makeup. As crazy as that could have been, it was easily one of the most enjoyable experiences in my professional life. It was one of those once in a lifetime moments when everything aligns at the exact right time.”

The script for the project was co-written by Simon and Luka Baines (Under the Silver Lake), who also stars in the project alongside Claire Holt (The Vampire Diaries), Darren Barnet (Agents of SHIELD), Emmy Raver-Lampman (The Umbrella Academy), Katherine McNamara (Arrow), Timothy Granaderos (13 Reasons Why), Kal Penn (Designated Survivor), Kevin Daniels (Sirens) and Sohm Kapila (911). The film marks a reunion between the Harold & Kumar vet and Simon after The Girl in the Photographs.

RELATED: Shudder Unveils Trailer for Cosmic Body Horror The Beach House

“There’s a joke in the film that says: ‘The only people who say there’s creative freedom from making their own stuff are the ones who can’t get a studio to finance their movie,’” Baines said in a statement. “I want to publicly contradict myself and say I’ve never had more fun or felt this amount of space to take risks and make mistakes, although I do wholeheartedly miss having a full crew. I think I speak for the rest of the actors when I say we’ve never had more respect for each and every department.”

Untitled Horror Movie is produced by Bronwyn Cornelius (Clemency) and Marina Stabile (Beatriz at Dinner), with Randy Singuefield’s Spectrum Studios financing the picture and currently selling it to distributors for potential acquisition with post-production expected to wrap by September.

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

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Rian Johnson Praises George Lucas’ Work on Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

It seems that director Rian Johnson is one of the biggest fans of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In a recent back-and-forth on Twitter, Johnson praised George Lucas’ work on the story about Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader. According to Johnson, the prequel trilogy was way ahead of its time, especially as far as the VFX department goes.

“Lucas made a gorgeous 7 hour long movie for children about how entitlement and fear of loss turns good people into fascists, and did it while spearheading nearly every technical sea change in modern filmmaking of the past 30 years,” he wrote.

Lucas made a gorgeous 7 hour long movie for children about how entitlement and fear of loss turns good people into fascists, and did it while spearheading nearly every technical sea change in modern filmmaking of the past 30 years.

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 29, 2020

Johnson had his chance to work with the Star Wars material in 2017’s The Last Jedi. Although Johnson’s movie is the second highest-grossing film in the series, fans’ reactions remain mixed. The same goes for George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, which has as many fans as haters. Many fans didn’t appreciate the prequel trilogy because of the heavy CGI and the rest of the VFX, which didn’t feel the same as the practical models of the originals. Plus, some of the characters introduced in the prequels, like Jar Jar Binks, didn’t quite worm their way into the hearts of fans.

Regardless of your position on it, Johnson’s words perfectly describe Lucas’ intentions with Anakin’s story. What many fans are pointing out is that their main problem is how that story was told.

Do you agree with Rian Johnson’s take on the Star Wars prequel trilogy? Let us know in the comments section below.

Recommended Reading: Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy (Episodes I, II & III)

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Beautiful Ruins: Mulan Director Niki Caro to Helm Adaptation for Amblin

Variety is reporting that director Niki Caro (Mulan, Whale Rider, The Zookeeper’s Wife) will helm the feature adaptation of Beautiful Ruins for Amblin Partners.

RELATED: Dan Berk & Robert Olsen Set Untitled Horror Thriller at Amblin

Based on the best-selling novel by Jess Walter, the story is set in an Italian seaside village in 1962, where a charming young man runs a hotel with no guests, until one day an American starlet, fresh from the set of Cleopatra, appears and captures his heart. Five decades later in Hollywood, a jaded assistant to a once-powerhouse producer gets caught up in the magic of the Italian’s story and takes it upon herself to find a happy ending.

Pick up your copy of Beautiful Ruins here!

The adapted screenplay is written by Mark Hammer and Chiara Atik from an earlier draft by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.

RELATED: Rachel Brosnahan To Lead Amblin Dramedy The Switch

Amblin is re-teaming with Neal Street Productions (Academy-Award winning war drama 1917) to make the movie. Neal Street’s Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes, and Julie Pastor will produce. Nicolas Brown will serve as executive producer.

The post Beautiful Ruins: Mulan Director Niki Caro to Helm Adaptation for Amblin appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Comedy legend Carl Reiner passes away at age 98

It is with great sadness that ComingSoon.net (via Deadline) must report the passing of writer, director, actor and comedy legend Carl Reiner of natural causes at age 98. The father of noted actor/director Rob Reiner was most famous for creating The Dick Van Dyke Show, directing The Jerk and his role as Saul Bloom in the Ocean’s movies. Here is his final Tweet made three days ago…

Nothing pleases me more than knowing that I have lived the best life possible by having met & marrying the gifted Estelle (Stella) Lebost—who partnered with me in bringing Rob, Annie & Lucas Reiner into to this needy & evolving world.

— carl reiner (@carlreiner) June 27, 2020

Reiner began his career as a performer on Broadway before transitioning into television on Sid Caesar’s variety program Your Show of Shows. Reiner acted both as cast member and as part of the writing staff that also included Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen and Larry Gelbart. In the early 60’s he would partner with Brooks as a comedy duo, performing their classic “2000 Year Old Man” routine which would eventually morph into 5 albums, the most recent of which came out in 1997. He and Brooks would maintain their friendship right up to the end.

In 1961 he created the iconic sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, which followed the home life of a TV writer named Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) and his wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore). Originally a starring vehicle for himself titled “Head of the Family,” the show was retooled with Reiner instead taking on the role of egotistical TV host Alan Brady, a role he later reprised in 1995 on an episode of Mad About You. The show ran from 1961-1965 for 158 episodes over 5 Seasons which continued on as a syndication mainstay.

In 1966 Reiner had the lead role opposite Alan Arkin in Norman Jewison’s hit Cold War comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. In 1967 he kicked off his directing career with Enter Laughing, based on his own autobiographical 1958 novel about his early days as an actor.

He struck gold directing George Burns in the smash hit 1977 comedy Oh, God!, and then followed it up two years later with the inaugural Steve Martin vehicle The Jerk. Channeling Martin’s absurdist humor to maximum effect, the film about Navin R. Johnson’s picaresque journey from the son of poor black sharecroppers to unlikely millionaire became a box office phenomenon. It launched a short but fruitful partnership with Martin, whom he directed in three other films including Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982), The Man with Two Brains (1983), and All of Me (1984).

Other films which Reiner directed include Where’s Poppa? (1970), Summer Rental (1985), Summer School (1986), Fatal Instinct (1993) and That Old Feeling (1997).

While his directing career petered out in the 90’s, Reiner continued to act in popular TV shows like The Larry Sanders Show, Ally McBeal, House, Two and a Half Men, Hot in Cleveland, The Cleveland Show, American Dad, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and Justice League: Action. He most recently voiced the role of Carl Reineroceros in the box office smash Toy Story 4.

In 2001 Reiner nabbed arguably his most popular acting role as one of the titular Ocean’s Eleven in Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 smash, portraying the elder con man Saul Bloom, a role intended for his old pal Alan Arkin. He reprised the role in Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), and even filmed a cameo for 2018’s Ocean’s Eight alongside Matt Damon which was ultimately cut from that film.

Last night my dad passed away. As I write this my heart is hurting. He was my guiding light.

— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) June 30, 2020

Goodbye to my greatest mentor in movies and in life. Thank you, dear Carl. https://t.co/H7A4ZwIqfc

— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) June 30, 2020

I’ve known Carl Reiner my whole life and I can’t imagine a world without him. A loss for me, a loss for my family, a loss for all of us.

— Max Brooks (@maxbrooksauthor) June 30, 2020

How lucky are we all to have had a lifetime of #CarlReiner. A giant of comedy and the most generous, decent, beautiful man. RIP dear friend.

— Paul Reiser (@PaulReiser) June 30, 2020

So sad to hear about @carlreiner Not only did he make my favorite TV& movies (see:Where’s Poppa) but his humanity was beyond compare. His heart was so full of love. Never left his house empty handed- book, space pen, Swiss Army knife. RIP to a man that embodies the word mensch pic.twitter.com/mazBmwznkX

— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) June 30, 2020

The great #CarlReiner has gone to that Show of Shows in the sky. I worked with him, loved him, and consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world to have once attended lunch with his hilarious, guarrulous gang…

— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) June 30, 2020

Very sad to awake to the news that @carlreiner has passed. There will forever only be one of him. May his memory be forever blessed. He leaves us with so much laughter. My heart goes out to @robreiner and the entire Reiner family.

— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) June 30, 2020

As if 2020 weren’t cruel enough. Goodbye to one of the greatest comedic minds of all time. Thank you for always making us laugh and for always giving us joy. My deepest condolences go out to the entire Reiner family. RIP #CarlReiner pic.twitter.com/IeJ3RkG2vS

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) June 30, 2020

RIP #Carl Reiner – A brilliant comedy talent w/heart & intellect whether writing, directing, producing or performing. Try estimating how many times in your life this fella’s work made you laugh. I count well over 3k for me & growing. Thank you, Carl. https://t.co/95dleAFveQ

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 30, 2020

Carl Reiner was a legend. Writer, director, actor, innovator. He helped shape so much in comedy. If you have time today put “Mel brooks and Carl Reiner” into youtube and enjoy two of the funniest humans making each other laugh for over 50 years.https://t.co/Owxx5Vgwq4

— Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) June 30, 2020

I’m so sorry to hear that Carl Reiner has passed on. He was a great entertainer and a fine man.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 30, 2020

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of show business legend Carl Reiner. An innovator, entertainer and beloved icon, his nearly century of life was like a roadmap through American culture. His wit and courage never left him. My heartfelt condolences to his family.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) June 30, 2020

Carl Reiner was comedy genius. Often that genius made other funny people even funnier. But give him a stage and he could spin laughter out of any moment. I watched him do it time and again. His contributions to comedy are eternal. And a lovely man, as well. #ripCarlReiner

— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) June 30, 2020

Already, I am upset to be living in a world without Carl Reiner and I only know the man his public work and essence. But I have one small remembrance of a random encounter that makes me laugh and I’m gonna share: Long time ago I was a newspaper reporter and I had the chance…

— David Simon (@AoDespair) June 30, 2020

RIP to the great Carl Reiner – sending love to all the Reiners – a great loss but a truly wonderful life –
No words can express my respect and gratitude for knowing his family –

— John Cusack (@johncusack) June 30, 2020

I saw every episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show 2x by the time I was 13. It was the 1st time I saw a depiction of being a comedy writer. When I grew up I wanted to be Carl Reiner. RIP to a man who lived a full life and left needing nothing- except this ashtray & this paddle game… pic.twitter.com/2cla1LtL6v

— Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) June 30, 2020

We join in mourning the loss of comedy legend, “Dick Van Dyke Show” creator, and #TwainPrize recipient @carlreiner.

Watch #CarlReiner‘s full, heartfelt acceptance speech from that unforgettable night. https://t.co/AW7P9jpDXk pic.twitter.com/95v2VUasHi

— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) June 30, 2020

Taken just two days ago, #CarlReiner #AnnieReiner (Daughter) and #MelBrooks on his 94th birthday. pic.twitter.com/OTvpe1IiI4

— Sanjeev Bhaskar (@TVSanjeev) June 30, 2020

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

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BEGIN SLIDESHOW

Anne Hathaway Claims Christopher Nolan Doesn’t Allow Chairs On Set

In a recent interview with Variety, actress Anne Hathaway revealed a funny little tidbit about director Christopher Nolan, who she has worked with on The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar — the man doesn’t like chairs on set.

“Chris also doesn’t allow chairs,” Hathaway said. “I worked with him twice. He doesn’t allow chairs, and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working. I mean, he has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he’s onto something with the chair thing.”

Hathaway insists that working with Nolan, chairs or not, was a rewarding experience.

“You know how you have those jobs and you just go, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to work again because this was such fun,’” Hathaway said. “Chris’ whole approach to filmmaking is one of my favorite ones. He’s broken it down to its most minimal, but also his movies are just so huge and ornate. That combination of really being intentional about what it was that we were doing — and also, he’s just so inspiring.”

Nolan’s next film is the big-budget spectacle Tenet, which was slated to hit theaters in July, but has since been pushed back to August 12. The film is written by Nolan and will utilize a mixture of IMAX and 70mm film, which is something he’s become famous for.

RELATED: Warner Bros. Confirms Christopher Nolan’s Tenet Still Set for July Release

The director first made an impact in 2001 with his indie film Memento. His next film, Insomnia, was also a modest hit. but it wasn’t until Batman Begins hit theaters in 2005 that Nolan became a box office force in his own right. The Prestige was Nolan’s last movie to gross under $200 million worldwide. His other films include The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk.

Nolan is producing Tenet along with his partner Emma Thomas and is currently slated for an August 12 release.

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10 Great Weird Movies Available on Midnight Pulp

ComingSoon.net recently took advantage of the movie app Midnight Pulp, and found a whole slew of wonderfully strange genre fare for some of our more adventurous readers out there. Check out our list of 10 Great Weird Movies Available on Midnight Pulp below!

Midnight Pulp is free with ads, though there is also a premium version for $4.99 a month with more movies (a lot of R-rated stuff), a diverse cross-section of action, horror, exploitation, experimental, anime, foreign and generally offbeat programming. There’s a diverse cross section of quality programming, some of it familiar and some of it not. Click here to check out Midnight Pulp for yourself!

RELATED: Shudder July 2020 Movie Highlights Announced!

Bad Taste

Lord of the Rings‘ Peter Jackson’s first foray into features lives up to its name and then some, featuring crazy gross-out gags created through ingenious special effects that defy the low low budget. Jackson himself plays two roles, and you can see the first inklings of one of the most successful filmmakers of all-time.

The Baby

Released the same year he made Magnum Force, Ted Post’s 1973 oddity follows a social worker who discovers a grown man who has been pathologically infantilized by his mother. The man literally still thinks and acts like a baby, sleeps in a crib, etc. This is a wild flick with a whopper of a twist ending you definitely won’t see coming.

Messiah of Evil

Aroung the same time they co-wrote the classic American Graffiti (but long before they made the infamous Howard the Duck), husband/wife team Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz made this cheapie horror flick. Despite its low budget trappings, this creepy story about a woman who travels to a strange town to find her missing father only to encounter a strange death cult is full of surreal moments that are genuinely jarring at times. A very underrated film, that also features classic character actors Elisha Cook Jr. and Royal Dano.

Horror Express

This Spanish-made cult classic is like Murder on the Orient Express mashed up with a Hammer Horror flick. Hammer vets Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing lead the charge as passengers aboard the Trans-Siberian Express from China to Moscow in 1906 as they deal with one of the weirdest monsters ever, an extraterrestrial that inhabits host bodies and leaves images of pre-historic earth in their eyes. Yeah. Telly Savalas is having a ball as a willful Cossack officer, and the movie is filled with a lot of fun miniature work of the train.

The Slayer

This film could almost be seen as a kind of precursor to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (right down to the burn victim dream monster), following an abstract artist named Kay plagued by nightmares of supernatural torment and death. Fearing her mental health, Kay’s friends take her on a vacation to an island which they discover upon landing is actually deserted. Trapped on the island by a hurricane, the group starts getting picked off one by one every time Kay falls asleep.

The Changeling

This classic shocker (which is poised for a big remake) stars George C. Scott in a bravura performance as a composer who moves into an eerie Victorian mansion after the tragic deaths of his wife and child. Once he moves in he begins experiencing supernatural phenomena. With chilling atmosphere, this is one of the most accomplished horror films of the 80’s.

Fist of the North Star

Essentially an animated Japanese Road Warrior riff with a lot of mysticism and martial arts thrown in, this film based on the manga “Hokuto no Ken tankōbon” is a violent hoot. The protagonist Ken (dressed in full Mad Max regalia) has mastered the art of Hokuto Shinken, wherein he basically rapid-fire punches bad guys on their pressure points until their heads and bodies literally explode! Available in both Japanese with subs and an English dub.

Satan’s School For Girls

This 1973 made-for-TV movie (produced by Aaron Spelling!) is not as salacious as its title suggests. It’s actually a cracking gothic terror tale set at an all-girls academy where a young woman played by Pamela Franklin goes to look into the death of her sister. Roy Thinnes is terrific, and it also features a pre-Charlie’s Angels Kate Jackson!

Tideland

Terry Gilliam’s wildly misunderstood and underseen masterpiece is something in between Alice in Wonderland and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Jodelle Ferland stars as an imaginative young girl whose parents (Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Tilly) both overdose and she is left stranded in a remote farm house with some very strange neighbors across the way. This is a movie designed to be divisive and test your limits as a viewer in almost every way, especially via the juxtaposition of the genuinely innocent and the severely disturbing.

Creature

A year before Aliens came out, that films effects artists Dennis Skotak and Robert Skotak actually did the impressive effects for this Alien ripoff. Directed by William Malone and featuring a fun cast including Klaus Kinski, it’s heavy on spooky atmosphere and a must-see for Xenomorph fans. The version available on the service is actually the director’s cut titled “The Titan Find.”

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