https://collider.com Examine the past, present, and future of film with in-depth writing on classics, overlooked favorites, blockbusters, and the filmmakers behind the movies you love. Mon, 25 Dec 2023 12:00:17 GMT en-US hourly 60 Editor's Note: The following references sexual assault.

]]> Sun, 24 Dec 2023 23:15:18 GMT https://collider.com/oliver-stone-heaven-and-earth/ Beloved actor and icon, James Stewart served as a flight leader in World War II and when he returned home, he began working on the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life — his first post-war picture. Together with the director, Frank Capra, the two set out to showcase the fictional life of George Bailey in an uplifting movie set during the Christmas period. But with the horrors of war fresh on their minds, they ensured their movie never shied away from man's darkest tendencies. It may sound counter-intuitive for a movie called It's a Wonderful Life, but it climaxes with George readying to die by suicide. CNN's Rachel Scott notes, "Without Stewart’s real acquaintance with darkness, the holiday classic’s redefining perspective on life wouldn’t be able to shine so unforgettably bright." This doesn't just refer to the character's suicidal feelings, however, it relates to James Stewart's own experiences in the war.

]]> Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:00:18 GMT https://collider.com/its-a-wonderful-life-george-bailey-praying-scene/ If you have ever wondered what would happen if the beloved Santa Claus were a killer robot, you're in for a festive treat! The 2022 Shudder original Christmas Bloody Christmas seeks to answer that question. Set over one Christmas Eve, the Joe Begos-directed feature follows Tori (Riley Dandy) as she settles for a lonesome evening of drinking and hooking up with a stranger. Chaos soon erupts as her neighbors are slaughtered by an android Santa carrying a bright red axe. Killer Santas seem to be all the rage, with Stranger Things star David Harbour recently taking on the role with Violent Night, but while Christmas Bloody Christmas may not become a Christmas classic in years to come, it is certainly a refreshing take on this growing subgenre of holiday horror. Leading from the growing fear surrounding technology that was heightened with The Terminator, Christmas Bloody Christmas creates a seemingly unbeatable antagonist with no consciousness. This allows for Robo-Santa to become a ruthless killer, with the movie capitalizing on gory and gruesome kills. With less than a 90-minute runtime, it's a feature to add to any Christmas horror watch list.

]]> Sun, 24 Dec 2023 10:15:18 GMT https://collider.com/christmas-bloody-christmas-shudder/ Bruce Campbell is the greatest actor of all time, right? Okay, okay, that's a bit of a stretch, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a performer with a more dedicated fan base than Campbell's. People love the Evil Dead star, and given the various cult followings that have surrounded numerous corners of his filmography, not many stones have been left unturned. Still, there are a few scattered titles that haven't quite been given the credit that they deserve. Such is the case with the 1997 thriller, Running Time. In a recent interview with Collider's Robert Taylor, Campbell cited this as the movie of his that deserves reappraisal, and he's absolutely right.

]]> Sun, 24 Dec 2023 22:00:18 GMT https://collider.com/bruce-campbell-running-time/ Over the last several years, DC films have seen a lot of inconsistency. With shakeups within the studio, many have been canceled, leaving behind a convoluted DCEU. The franchise dealt with many changes throughout its run and set up several plot points that will never be continued. DC films are staring an official reboot in the face as James Gunn and Peter Safran begin their DCU with Superman: Legacy in 2025. With a new universe, timeline, and cast, this will look unlike what came before. Though some elements and characters may carry over, these two worlds will undoubtedly be separate, meaning anything not seen in the DCEU already will be scrapped.

]]> Mon, 25 Dec 2023 12:00:17 GMT https://collider.com/dceu-end-credits-scene/ Horror is cinema's prevailing genre. It has been standing tall as the form's most consistently popular and inventive monolith, with successive generations always finding ways to scare the life out of us, only to come back wanting more. Early folks like the expressionistic F.W. Murnau and gothic Tod Browning passed the spooky torch down to mid-century matinee giants in the form of William Castle and Roger Corman, only for the genre to explode into the hands of many. 1960s Japan had masters like Kaneto Shindo, only for George A. Romero to dominate the scene in Pennsylvania a few years later. Then in the '70s, Tobe Hooper took us to the grainy and grimy Texan wild, the '80s reeked of atmosphere from John Carpenter. Wes Craven brought the slasher back with a meta touch and we saw the breakthrough of found footage from Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. The 2000s belonged to the Splat Pack, A24 made themselves known in the 2010s, and today, Jordan Peele is digging his claws into the dark side of our everyday. But who's next? Who will carry the spooky torch on to the next generation? 18-year-old Kane Parsons, that's who.

]]> Sun, 24 Dec 2023 22:31:17 GMT https://collider.com/kane-parsons-the-oldest-view-youtube/ Sometime after The Avengers assembled on screen – proving the superhero team-up formula worked – a slightly less successful crossover of extremely different characters graced the big screen. Rise of the Guardians, DreamWorks Animation’s 19th film, was released in late 2012. The adaptation of William Joyce’s series of books, The Guardians of Childhood, reimagined mythical holiday creatures joining up to form a council that was more of a superhero team. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Sandman are the famed guardians in the council, each voiced by big names Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, and Hugh Jackman respectively (Sandman doesn’t speak). The film deals with the introduction of Chris Pine’s Jack Frost as a fifth guardian and his journey to truly earn the mantle. His free spirit and lack of visibility make him the most unlikely candidate to fit the bill and bring forth his clashes with the council.

]]> Sun, 24 Dec 2023 12:00:19 GMT https://collider.com/rise-of-the-guardians-franchise/ In the history of Hollywood, no figure was quite as reflective of their image, star persona, and stature in the industry as Clint Eastwood. While he is a tried and true action movie star, frequently playing gun-toting outlaws who defy the orders of society, Eastwood has aspired to deconstruct the archetypes of cops and cowboys on screen throughout his illustrious six-decade career as an actor and director. He is symbolic of seemingly contrasting tastes. He can seamlessly give audiences a satisfying thriller about revenge featuring copious amounts of gun fights, yet his most accomplished films confront the harsh underbelly of violence. With his 1976 Western The Outlaw Josey Wales, Eastwood examines violence in the context of America's past and present relationship to warfare.

]]> Sat, 23 Dec 2023 23:31:18 GMT https://collider.com/clint-eastwood-the-outlaw-josey-wales/ Few partnerships in cinematic history are quite as successful as John Wayne and writer/director John Ford. Ever since their first collaboration on the breakthrough 1939 adventure film Stagecoach, Wayne and Ford have told innovative stories about the American experience that revolutionized the Western genre. While Wayne starred in many Western classics, his work with Ford often embraced the darker side of the genre; 1956’s The Searchers featured one of cinema’s definitive anti-heroes, and 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance examined the rise of political tension at the tail end of the Western era. Despite the gravity of many of their best collaborations, Wayne and Ford were also able to take a lighter approach to the genre. This is best evidenced by their delightful 1948 western 3 Godfathers, a Christmas-themed adventure movie that drew from Biblical passages. While on the surface it looked like a typical crowd pleaser, 3 Godfathers used its Christmas themes to tell a positive story of redemption.

]]> Sun, 24 Dec 2023 17:31:19 GMT https://collider.com/3-godfathers-john-wayne/ These days, Bradley Cooper is on top of the world. His sophomore directorial feature Maestro about legendary composer Leonard Bernstein just hit Netflix and is looking to be a major Oscars contender over the next couple of months. Don't be shocked if you see him running the gamut in the directing and acting categories, with there even being a great chance that Maestro is nominated for Best Picture. Cooper wasn't always one of the kings of Hollywood, though. If we wound the clocks back about two decades, we'd find him in a much different space entirely. Bradley Cooper spent the early 2000s starring in loads of raunchy studio comedies, making a name for himself as one of the premiere voices in the genre. If you caught him around this time and asked him what movie inspired him to become an actor, you probably would never guess that the answer was David Lynch's The Elephant Man.

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