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It’s not hard to imagine a topsy-turvy, role-swapping alternate reality where Val Kilmer plays Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in 1986’s Top Gun and Tom Cruise is cast as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. Kilmer’s Maverick would be cocky but also raw, exposed. Good at what he does but a desperate wreck at everything else. Kilmer’s specialty was giving the audience glimpses of intellect and compassion behind his steely gaze.

Cruise, on the other hand, could never have pulled off Iceman. Cruise was too much his lead character: an immature hotshot with a shit-eating grin.

Everyone loves "Top Gun: Maverick," including filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. It's only natural that people should wonder what Tarantino thinks of the billion-dollar Tom Cruise vehicle, since he famously appeared in the 1994 dramedy "Sleep with Me" to riff about how the original '80s "Top Gun" is "about a man's struggle with his own homosexuality." The three-minute scene sees Tarantino sharing screen time with fellow director, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, and actor Todd Field ("In the Bedroom"), and it helped popularize the notion that Cruise's character, the titular Maverick, is in denial about the real love of his life: his wingman Goose, played by Anthony Edwards.

Tarantino was recently a guest...

The post Top Gun: Maverick Can Count Quentin Tarantino Among Its Biggest Fans appeared first on /Film.

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Quentin Tarantino says he doesn’t normally like to weigh in on current films, but he’s making an exception for Top Gun: Maverick.

The director was asked about the film while appearing on the ReelBlend podcast this week with his Pulp Fiction co-writer, Roger Avary.

Tarantino began with the caveat that he doesn’t like to talk about new films “because then I’m only forced to say good things, or else I’m ‘slamming’ someone, I don’t want to do that.” Then he plowed ahead: “But in this case, I fucking love Top Gun: Maverick. I thought it was fantastic. I saw it at the theaters. … That and [Steven] Spielberg’s West Side Story both provided a true cinematic spectacle, the kind that I’d almost thought that I wasn’t going to see anymore. It was fantastic.

“But also there was just this lovely,...

Exclusive: Filipina acting and singing star Lovi Poe has launched her own production company called C’est Lovi Productions.

The company will have a special focus on showcasing Filipino stories and artists in the international marketplace and already has projects on the boil.

They include Lady Luck, written by Los Angeles-based duo Geordie Kieffer and Mitch Toler, in which Poe is set to star. U.K. director Niall Johnson (White Noise) is attached to direct. The feature is currently in pre-production.

Other projects in development include the psychological thriller Alyssa to which Filipino filmmaker Jerrold Tarog is attached to write and direct. Tarog’s past credits include the 2016 Philippine-American war drama Heneral Luna and Netflix acquisition Gogo: The Boy General.

Montgomery Blencowe will partner with Poe as an executive of the company.

Poe is the daughter of late Filipino acting legend Fernando Poe Jr has built a flourishing career in her own right.

In the noisy circus of CinemaCon, two presentations cut through the static: Disney debuted the trailer for James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” while attendees got their first look at Paramount’s long-long-long-awaited Tom Cruise sequel “Top Gun: Maverick.”

The two films share high expectations — make that sky-high expectations. “Maverick” projections hope for a 250-300 million domestic take — and more than double that for “Avatar 2.” If either went higher few would be surprised — each is a sequel to a title that was the best-grossing film of its year — but does success have a freshness-by date?

“Top Gun” was the #1 film of 1986 — 36 years ago. “Avatar” opened 13 years ago, in 2009. “Top Gun” isn’t breaking any records — 54 years passed between “Mary Poppins” and its 2018 sequel. “Mary Poppins Returns” grossed a respectable 180 million domestic, but that was about a quarter of the original (in adjusted figures). At best, the film broke even.

“Top Gun” producer Jerry Bruckheimer celebrated the film’s 35th anniversary this month by reflecting on the movie’s unexpected legacy as a gay film in an interview with Vulture. This reading of the film was immortalized by Quentin Tarantino, who has a single scene in the 1994 movie “Sleep with Me” in which he appears to give a monologue explaining why the Tom Cruise-starring “Top Gun” is really “a story about a man’s struggle with his own homosexuality.”

“You’ve got Maverick, all right?” Tarantino’s character says. “He’s on the edge, man. He’s right on the fucking line, all right? And you’ve got Iceman, and all his crew. They’re gay, they represent the gay man, all right? And they’re saying, go, go the gay way, go the gay way. He could go both ways…Kelly McGillis, she’s heterosexuality. She’s saying: no,...

The 30th April is International Bubble Tea Day! Bubble tea lovers all over the world will unite to indulge in their temptations. Take this opportunity to binge-watch (and drink) Viddsee’s comedy series ‘1000 Cups To Midnight’ to lighten up the mood with your favourite bubble tea in hand! Before you rush into ordering your bubble teas, be sure to check out the latest titles coming up in May.

1000 Cups To Midnight

[4 episodes x 12 mins]

In an attempt to save their declining shop, entrepreneur Lucas and his oddball staff members have to sell 1000 cups of bubble tea within 48 hours and prove their value to obnoxious landlord Jacky. The staff of Best Bubble Tea needs to win the challenge over the weekend, or risk eviction from their premises. As the countdown to midnight begins, they grapple with low sales, low traffic, low self-esteem, but they won’t stop until they have saved the shop…and their jobs.

First Look Media’s Topic Studios announced Christy Gressman, formerly with podcast network Night Vale Presents, as VP, executive producer of podcasts, and revealed several new shows in development.

Gressman was formerly a partner and executive producer at Night Vale Presents, whose podcasts include “Welcome to Night Vale,” “Sleep With Me,” “Conversations With People Who Hate Me,” and “The Orbiting Human Circus.” At Night Vale, she oversaw network-wide show development, production and distribution.

Based in New York, Gressman — who first joined Topic Studios in January 2020 — reports to Maria Zuckerman, EVP of Topic Studios. In her new role, Gressman will lead Topic Studios’ podcast vertical, overseeing all aspects of series creative and production, as well as distribution strategy. She will help define the editorial vision, build the brand’s presence in the podcast marketplace, and drive the audio business as part of Topic Studios’ overall strategy across TV, film and documentaries,...

When you think of Quentin Tarantino, classic films like “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Django Unchained” certainly come to mind. But what about the critically reviled “Saturday Night Live” sketch adaptation “It’s Pat”? Or the Michael Bay Alcatraz action movie “The Rock”? Tarantino’s fingerprints have been all over the movies ever since his breakout debut in 1992, and some of his projects are way more bizarre than others.

Read More:Quentin Tarantino Wants Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence For New Movie, And They Shouldn’t Resist

The director is currently getting together his ninth feature, which will be his penultimate effort behind the camera if his retirement talks are to be believed. Sources say Tarantino is putting together a drama involving the Manson family murders and that he’s eyeing Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence to star. As the filmmakers looks to the future for his next project, we...

Could there be a more quintessentially 1980s movie than "Top Gun?"

All that lovingly-photographed military hardware, that synth-pop soundtrack featuring two Kenny Loggins tunes, and a grinning Tom Cruise at his cockiest. He felt the need for speed, and for 30 years (since the film's release on May 16, 1986), you've been watching Cruise's Maverick soar in his fighter jet and overcome his paternal-abandonment issues.

Still, as many times as you've re-watched "Top Gun," there's a lot you may not know about the this '80s classic. Here are the Navy pilot saga's secrets, declassified.

1. The film originated as "Top Guns," a 1983 article by Ehud Yonay in California Magazine. It profiled the Navy pilot training center at Miramar, in San Diego, and featured aerial photography by a Top Gun pilot. Co-screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. researched the script by attending Top Gun classes and getting flown around in an F-14.

2. Tom Cruise wasn't actually...

Funny Ha-ha: Bogdanovich’s Pleasant Return to the Screwball Comedy

The buzz has been rather hushed concerning She’s Funny That Way, the return of 70s auteur man following a thirteen year feature hiatus (his last was the 2001 film The Cat’s Meow). An ode to the classic screwball comedies of yore, where filmmakers like Lubitsch, Hawks, and several others birthed the prized frameworks, Peter Bogdanovich doesn’t manage to successfully contemporize these antics into the frothy delight of famous predecessors. If you can forgive it these blatant and inescapable anachronistic variations however, it’s an often funny, charming, and ultimately entertaining film.

A filmmaker consistently obsessed with a particular Golden Age of Hollywood’s heyday, his latest is no exception, a long gestating project once imagined as a vehicle for John Ritter. Pleasantly entertaining, it’s not so much that Bogdanovich has lost his touch—in many regards the...

Looking back, it's hard to believe nobody noticed. Released on May 16, 1986, the week after robo sci-fi Short Circuit and the week before naff spook-sequel Poltergeist II: The Other Side, Top Gun promised jet-fuelled action, wry romance and six-packs galore. Few would argue that it failed to deliver, earning its stripes as a slick action flick ("MTV goes to war!" saluted Time magazine) and cementing Tom Cruise as an A-list star. It was unstoppable at the box office, too, raking in $176 million to become the highest-grossing film of the year.

Flash forward to the present day, though, and Cruise's action vehicle has achieved a different kind of cultural status, topping the pantheon of unintentional Lgbt milestones. Steeped in testosterone, packed with lingering glances and spotlighting that volleyball scene, its irrefutable homoeroticism has become the stuff of movie legend. And while it's almost impossible to imagine that anybody could have made a...

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother!

Last night we said goodbye to Ted, Lily, Marshall, Robin, and Barney after nine seasons — and also a more real goodbye to the mother, which tweeters were not pleased about. Some called the entire show a waste of time because of what happened in the finale (ouch); others threatened to punch a hole in the universe if Ted ended up with Robin (so, where’s that hole?). All in all, there was a ton of angry caps-lock used – but hey, we thought the finale was pretty okay.

This week: Ben Affleck directs and stars in the current Oscar frontrunner for Best Picture, "Argo," which tells the incredible true story of how the CIA helped get six Americans out of Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis by having them pose as Canadian filmmakers.

Also new this week is the creepy horror film "Sinister" starring Ethan Hawke, a new version of "Anna Karenina" starring Keira Knightley and the Blu-ray 3D debut of "Top Gun."

'Argo'

Box Office: $124 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Fresh

Storyline: "Argo" tells the declassified true story that unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. After militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran and take 52 Americans hostage, no one notices that six escape and hide out at the home of the Canadian ambassador. The CIA assigns "exfiltration" specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to execute a plan to get the six safely out...

Odd List Ryan Lambie Jan 8, 2013

As Werner Herzog lights up the screen as the villain in Jack Reacher, we look at a few other directors who've turned evil for the movies...

It takes a certain kind of actor to bring a truly great villain to life. They need to be able to reach into the darkest recesses of their psyche, certainly, but they also need to bring a touch of something extra, too. They need to convince us not only that they're cruel, but that they're also human beings - after all, the best movie villains are often seductive and magnetic as well as unspeakably amoral.

While the finest antagonists are usually played by actors, there have been occasions where directors have stepped in front of the camera to indulge their inner demon. The list that follows attempts to deal exclusively with performances from people known primarily as directors first,...

Film director Tony Scott, who has jumped to his death, had a life like his movies – loud, over-the-top and full of drama

It seems oddly appropriate that Tony Scott, who made his living blowing things up and crashing cars, should have taken his life by jumping off a bridge that was a frequent location for movies of a Tony Scott bent, if not for any actual Tony Scott movies.

The Vincent Thomas bridge in Los Angeles can be seen in car-chase movies such as The Fast and The Furious and Gone in 60 Seconds, and is misnamed (as the "Saint Vincent Thomas Bridge") by Robert De Niro in one scene in Michael Mann's Heat. Whatever it was that led the director to park his car and leap from the bridge to his death in the harbour below, one can't help but recollect the stunning opening sequence of his 1991 film The Last Boy Scout,...

The final movie you see on screen represents the hard work and dedication of countless people. What started off as an idea has snowballed into a piece of art with the influence and fingerprints of often hundreds of people left on it. Like any piece of art, movies go through many changes from inception to completion. Sometimes what started off as one idea, has transformed into something completely different by the time you see it on screen. Here are 7 items that you have come to recognize in films, and what they were originally supposed to be. The changes of the items are born from many reasons, through various stages of production. Much like the recasting of a character, it is often hard to imagine what a film would be like if that item was different. Along with a couple of honorable mentions, I've included videos for each of the items as well,...

Did Madonna want to recreate the magic she shared with Britney Spears (and Christina Aguilera) at the 2003 MTV VMAs? It sounds Madonna did more than just "collaborate" with Nicki Minaj for her new song "Give Me All Your Luvin.'" During a recent appearance on Anderson, airing Feb. 2, Madonna admitted to kissing Nicki after having "a few sips of champagne." In Madonna's defense, "it was her birthday." The song also features the work of rapper M.I.A., but sadly, she didn't get any of Madge's sugar. Watch Madonna's big confession below: [flv width="600" height="350"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96zR1_g4wpo/flv] More Madonna Madonna ‘W.E.’ Premiere: Is Her Dress Lovely Or Too Loud? Madonna In Tears Over Her Mother’s Death At ‘W.E.’ Premiere Madonna Propositions Ricky Gervais: Sleep With Me...

It seemed no one was having as much fun at the Warner Bros. and InStyle Golden Globes party as the cast of 'Glee.' They even had a mini dance contest! The Warner Bros. and InStyle Golden Globes after party at the Beverly Hilton last night was hopping with A-listers ready to get their grooves on -- and no one was more excited to break it down than the cast of Glee. HollywoodLife.com witnessed as cast members, including Jenna Ushkowitz, Mark Salling, Chord Overstreet and Harry Shum Jr., jokingly held a dance-off on the dance floor. It should come as no surprise to you all that choreographer and dancer extraordinaire, Harry, won the competition with little contest. Meanwhile, Chris Colfer sat and chatted with Amber Riley as their colleagues busted a move. Other Glee stars at the fancy affair included Dianna Agron, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison and Kevin McHale.

(source)

During the latest TCA, AfterElton had the chance--make that pleasure--of sitting down with two of the stars of ABC's Happy Endings. The two have won our hearts as the slovenly Max Blum and the delightfully, um, unique Penny Hartz, and it turns out they're every bit as entertaining in real life. Check out what they had to say about their real life relationship, being bi-coastal gay-friendly, Adam's kissing skills and a whole bunch more!

AfterElton: So, you guys got your happy ending, the show was picked up for a second season!

Casey Wilson: Yes!

Ae: How worried were you that it wasn’t going to come through?

Adam Pally: We were worried. I think we were most worried because we really wanted to come back. We have had such a good time working on the show that it would have been such a bummer if we didn...

This week: Tom Cruise flies high as Maverick on Blu-ray, someone needs to spike the punch at Disney's Prom, and a tender coming-of-age teen drama set in the early '80s. Top Gun (Blu-ray) Tony Scott's Top Gun became the highest grossing film of 1986, made a mega-star out of Tom Cruise, had a popular soundtrack that ruled the airwaves, and epitomized the gung-ho patriotism of the Reagan era. In the 25 years since its release, Top Gun has become two movies: the "need for speed" action blockbuster starring Cruise as hotshot naval aviator "Maverick" and an unintentionally funny, homoerotic opus that was hilariously analyzed by Quentin Tarantino in the movie Sleep with Me. Whether you, in 2011, view Top Gun as a kick-ass '80s action picture...

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Tony Scott's "Top Gun" became the highest grossing film of 1986, made a mega-star out of Tom Cruise, had a popular soundtrack that ruled the airwaves, and epitomized the gung-ho patriotism of the Reagan era like no other movie.

A lot has changed in the world and with the stars of "Top Gun" in the 25 years since it thundered into theaters, and that is exactly why it's worth revisiting this macho-filled time capsule of '80s nostalgia now for its Blu-ray debut.

Cruise plays Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a hotshot naval aviator with difficulty following the rules, who is sent to attend the Top Gun school at Nas Miramar near San Diego with Radar Intercept Officer Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards).

Maverick quickly becomes a rival to top student Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kasansky (Val Kilmer), who enjoys needling Mav about his recklessness. When the Top Gun boys aren't bonding—more...

1994 was a big year for the on-screen love triangle for some reason, with Reality Bites, Threesome and Sleep with Me all arriving at the same time. In Sleep with Me, Meg Tilly, Eric Stoltz and Craig Sheffer play good friends who become involved in a complicated love triangle due to the fact that Tilly and Stoltz's characters get married. The film is fairly forgettable except for a fun cameo from Quentin Tarantino, who plays a partygoer named Sid. See, Sid has this belief that the film Top Gun is actually about a guy (Tom Cruise) coming to terms with being a homosexual. Sid has evidence to back up his claim, and in classic Tarantino form, the writer-director-actor lets go of one of his more famous monologues, delivered at...

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1994 was a big year for the on-screen love triangle for some reason, with Reality Bites, Threesome and Sleep with Me all arriving at the same time. In Sleep with Me, Meg Tilly, Eric Stoltz and Craig Sheffer play good friends who become involved in a complicated love triangle due to the fact that Tilly and Stoltz's characters get married. The film is fairly forgettable except for a fun cameo from Quentin Tarantino, who plays a partygoer named Sid. See, Sid has this belief that the film Top Gun is actually about a guy (Tom Cruise) coming to terms with being a homosexual. Sid has evidence to back up his claim, and in classic Tarantino form, the writer-director-actor lets go of one of his more famous monologues, delivered at...

Read More...

Rory Kelly's feature debut, Sleep With Me, boasts an impressive cast and looks good on paper but there's a reason that this 1994 movie is only just coming to DVD. The idea of having six writers scribing different scenes is an interesting one and brave for a first-time feature director. The inclusion of a substantial Quentin Tarantino cameo theoretically raises the street-cred of this mid-90s flick, but unfortunately fails to make the film stand out.

A road-movie opening clearly indicates two friends are desperately competing for one girl's affections until Sarah marries Joseph, leaving Frank to dangerously reflect. Kelly then uses black-and-white video recordings of friends' best wishes on the eve of their wedding, black and white camcorded footage of a pool party and eight unequal titled sections to tell this tale of lust, rivalry and jealousy.

Top Gun was one of the biggest films of the 1980s – and also one of the most unintentionally homoerotic, according to Quentin Tarantino’s monologue in Sleep With Me.

But now prepare yourself for Top Gun 2 and the very fact original director Tony Scott has signed up to take command and hit the skies.

Scott, it seems, isn’t waiting around either, he told Hitflix blog his intentions and vision for the 21st century flyboy flick:

I don’t want to do a reinvention. I want to do a new movie. I’m not waiting for a script. I’m going to do my homework. I’m going down to I think it’s Fallon, Nevada, down near New Mexico and it’s a whole different world now. These computer geeks – these kids play war games in a trailer in Fallon, Nevada and if we ever went to war or...

With The Expendables bringing 80s action movies back, Duncan salutes the homoerotic classic moments of the genre...

For those of us out there that consider ourselves action movie fans, there is one decade that stands above all others: the eighties. I think it's fairly safe to assume, as well, that it's unlikely to ever be surpassed in terms of the stars it held up.

You know the list of names by now. Just cast an eye at The Expendables poster and then add the likes of Dudikoff, Seagal, Van Damme, Norris, Swayze and Steve James (may they both rest in peace), yet there are still more.

In retrospect, that decade also seems slightly innocent in the way it viewed the world. AIDS awareness was only just starting, homosexuality was still very much misunderstood and taboo, and as the Reagan era tried to swing Hollywood to the right, it very much...

Stranger things have happened, haven’t they? MTV recently grabbed producer Jerry Bruckheimer for a natter about the Top Gun sequel rumours currently going around. While the project doesn’t officially exist, it does appear there’s some discussion surrounding the idea. He said thus:

“We were recently approached again to start talking about it but, you know, nothing yet. We kicked around some ideas because the aviation community has completely changed since we made the movie a long time ago. So we have to find a way in and how to incorporate the Maverick character into it.”

Does the world need a Top Gun sequel? Yeah, like it needs a hole in the head. It was Quentin Tarantino, during a rambling monologue in Sleep with Me, that outed the film as the most homoerotic action movie of all time. Tony Scott, Don Simpson and Bruckheimer masterminded some superb aerial...

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

I like Tom Cruise movies. There, I said it. If I see his name in the credits, I expect to be entertained. For those of you who disagree, I really don’t know what you’re looking for. He throws himself into performances, cares about the finished product, and will occasionally surprise you with his range as an actor (not just superstar). But this list isn’t just about Cruise. It’s also about his choices. This Top 7 list isn’t only about his character or his performance, it’s about the movie as a whole. He doesn’t always need to be leading the way, or have the most memorable part as you’ll see with four of my five favorite Cruise movies.

complete coverage of Knight and Day, including review

Knight and Day hits the theaters on June 23, 2010. While it...

Alan Cummings told MTV News a couple days back that director Quentin Tarantino would be playing Papa Smurf's right-hand man, Brainy in Columbia Pictures' big screen adaptation of The Smurfs. But a publicist for the Inglourious Basterds director has denied the involvement. But you would assume Cummings would know what he's talking about considering he's voicing Gutsy in the film.  It's also not hard to believe that Tarantino would take part in a bad film, as his acting filmography includes Little Nicky, Sukiyaki Western Django, Sleep with Me, and an episode of The Golden Girls. The film, which is a CGI/live action hybrid, helmed by Raja Gosnell (Scooby Doo and Beverly Hills Chihuahua) is scheduled to hit theaters on August 3rd 2011. The film stars Neil Patrick Harris as a live-action character who helps the Smurfs, and a voice cast which includes Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, George Lopez...

Like Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Howling franchise is set to start over. The werewolf franchise that started in 1981 with The Howling and went on to have six sequels will have new life due to producers Joel Kastelberg (Sleep With Me, Mr. Jealousy) and Etchie Stroh (Stranger Than Fiction, Dancing At The Blue Iguana), who will be re-starting the franchise with The Howling: Reborn.

Read more on The Howling is the latest horror franchise to get a re-boot…...

Take your seats, class: Senior writer Chris Nashawaty concludes his in-depth weeklong study of all things Quentin Tarantino with his final installment of EW University. Check out our gallery of 20 Tarantino movie and movie poster faves, our look at the original 1978 Inglorious Bastards, our guide to the film-geek references in Tarantino's Basterds, and our Quentin Tarantino final exam. Imagining Hollywood -- and the world beyond it -- without Quentin Tarantino No one divides moviegoers like Quentin Tarantino. Those who are in his corner love his infectious cineaste enthusiasm, his references to obscure B-movies, and his pop culture-drenched, rat-a-tat-tat dialogue. The haters find his movies too long, too talky, and too ... well, just too much of everything. But just for a second, try to imagine Hollywood without him. It's harder than you think. Ever since the video store clerk-turned-world famous auteur unveiled 1992's Reservoir Dogs, his influence has rippled out and...

If you’re an aspiring screenwriter which, let’s face it, you may be, one way to break into the “business” is through a lab where you work with established mentors and advisers on honing your work and getting it in the hands of the right people. One of the most prestigious and famous of these labs is the one sponsored by Film Independent, a non-profit group dedicated to fostering and nurturing creativity that also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Spirit Awards.

Today, they’ve announced a new group of writers who will participate in this year’s lab. Here’s all the info about the lucky 9 participants from the official press release.

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, has announced the screenwriters and film projects selected for its 10th annual Screenwriters Lab, sponsored by the Writers Guild of America,...