That time Woody Harrelson and Michael J. Fox drank cobra blood; Simu Liu takes issue with Quentin Tarantino; Ice Cube is mad at the comedy Oh Hell No for asking him to get vaxxed. All in today’s Movie News Rundown. Happy Thanksgiving!
Out Today: Devotion, the new film from JD Dillard starring Jonathan Majors as Korean War pilot Jesse L. Brown, the first Black aviator to complete the U.S. Navy’s basic flight training program. Glen Powell plays Tom Hudner, his wingman in every sense. Here’s JD Dillard taking us through every aspect of making the Devotion, from development to showing it to its first audience.
The Best Oscar Speech Ever: Here is a great true story that Woody Harrelson told about drinking cobra blood with Michael J. Fox. He delivered it Saturday while presenting Fox with an honorary Oscar.
R.I.P. Gray Frederickson: The Oscar-winning producer for Godfather II also worked with Francis Ford Coppola on Apocalypse Now and The Outsiders, among other films, and became known as the “Godfather of Oklahoma film” for training countless Oklahoma filmmakers at Oklahoma City Community College — which has one of the best and least expensive film programs in the country. He was 85. Here is our obituary for Frederickson.
Speaking of Oklahoma: The new Sylvester Stallone series Tulsa King was originally set in Kansas City, but was lured to Oklahoma by tax incentives that Frederickson helped introduce.
Simu Liu and Tarantino: After Tarantino said some carefully chosen words about why he’s not a fan of Marvel movies, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu responded with some carefully chosen words of his own. But through the magical powers of removing all subtlety and nuance, the discussion has been boiled down to headlines like IndieWire’s “Simu Liu Slams Tarantino for Anti-Marvel Comments: Golden Age Was ‘White as Hell.’”
So, What Did They Say?: You can listen to the 2 Bears 1 Cave podcast for Tarantino’s full remarks, and read Simu Liu’s Twitter feed — or settle for this summary: On the podcast, Tarantino said Marvel movies just aren’t his thing, but he has nothing against them, and that his “only axe to grind against them is they’re the only things that seem to be made… And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them. That’s what they’re excited about. And so it’s just the fact that they are the entire representation of this era of movies right now. There’s not really much room for anything else. That’s my problem.” That’s very similar to what Martin Scorsese said three years ago. Liu replied: “If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie. I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. They are transcendent auteurs. But they don’t get to point their nose at me or anyone. No movie studio is or ever will be perfect. But I’m proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere. I loved the ‘Golden Age’ too… but it was white as hell.”
May I Editorialize?: It seems like Tarantino and Liu are talking about different things. Of course the “Golden Age” of Hollywood was white as hell, no argument there. But I don’t think Tarantino — who cast many excellent actors of color in many excellent roles long before any studio used words like inclusion or diversity — is gatekeeping. He’d just like the gates to be open for other types of films than superhero movies. I feel like these two talented guys could talk all this out over some nice warm cobra blood.
Oh Hell No: Ice Cube says he turned down — or was rejected by — the Sony comedy Oh Hell No because he said “oh hell no” when asked to take the Covid vaccine. “I turned down a movie because I didn’t want to get the motherf—ing jab,” Ice Cube said said on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, confirming reports from October 2021. “I turned down $9 million. I didn’t want get the jab… F— ya’ll for trying to make me get it. I don’t know how Hollywood feels about me right now.” He later added: “Those motherf–ers didn’t give it to me because I wouldn’t get the shot. I didn’t turn it down. They just wouldn’t give it to me. The Covid shot, the jab… I didn’t need it. I didn’t catch that s— at all. Nothing. F— them. I didn’t need that s—.”
You Know What I’ve Heard Cures Covid? Hilarious callbacks.
Anyone Else: Remember how great Ice Cube was 30 years ago? Every Thanksgiving I think about the line “Willie Williams/down with the Pilgrims” and smile to myself. I have no opinion of Williams, who was chief of the LAPD for five years in the 1990s, but great writing is great writing.
Main image: STALLONE — COBRA
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