Latest news with #StevenSpielberg
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Steven Spielberg showcases action-packed scenes from his upcoming untitled movie
Steven Spielberg may be in his 70s, but retirement is not on his list. At a special event in Los Angeles on June 26, he showed the first behind-the-scenes look at his next film. It happened during a grand moment, Universal named a brand-new screening room after him. The event saw many big names in the audience, Vin Diesel, Jeff Goldblum, Ava DuVernay, Seth Rogen, and more. Spielberg stood on stage and said the theatre dedication meant a lot, calling it a full-circle moment since Universal gave him his first break over 50 years ago. Emily Blunt steals the spotlight in dramatic clip While the new movie is still untitled, the footage got everyone excited. Spielberg didn't confirm the rumoured UFO theme, but the scenes gave hints. Emily Blunt's character, caught in a tense situation, was chased by men in black cars. At a crucial point, her car crashes into a speeding train. She and co-star Josh O'Connor barely escape through the windshield. Footage of Steven Spielberg's film starring Emily Blunt was revealed: In a sequence with Josh O'Connor, Blunt's busted sedan collides with a speeding train. They attempt an escape through the broken windshield as the vehicle gets chewed alive between screeching metal & tracks. There were explosions, farmhouses getting wrecked, and eerie control rooms that looked like something out of a space lab. Colin Firth looked like the villain, calm and scary, possibly leading some underground mission. The tone felt dark and gripping. Steven Spielberg still has stories to tell The film also stars Colman Domingo and Eve Hewson, but their roles weren't fully clear in the preview. Spielberg said the movie is coming in 2026 and he's still excited about telling big stories. He praised young filmmakers too but avoided naming favourites, saying too many impress him right now. As he sees the official opening of his namesake theatre on the Universal lot, Steven Spielberg says he has no plans to retire…ever… from making movies. Talking about Ryan Coogler's recent film Sinners, Spielberg said, 'It's a personal story and a big crowd-pleaser too. That gives me hope for the future of movies in theatres.' A night to remember at Universal The new 'Spielberg Theater' seats 250 people and has all the latest tech, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and can even show old-school 35mm and 70mm films. After the dedication, guests enjoyed sushi and cocktails, while an exhibit showed off props from Spielberg's movies. Fans saw the original E.T. bike and Laura Dern's outfit from Jurassic Park.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Steven Spielberg, who directed first Hollywood film on AI, now opposed to its use in filmmaking: 'Made careers extinct'
When Steven Spielberg directed the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence, the technology was the stuff of science fiction -- a device to tell a story about the ethics of creating sentient machines. Now, AI is a concrete reality in Hollywood - one where Spielberg said he has drawn a line in the sand. Director Steven Spielberg may have directed the seminal film on AI, but the director is not a fan of the tool. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo(REUTERS) "I don't want AI making any creative decisions that I can't make myself," said Spielberg, in an interview with Reuters. "And I don't want to use AI as a non-human collaborator, in trying to work out my creative thinking." Spielberg spoke on Thursday after a ceremony dedicating the Steven Spielberg Theater on the Universal Studios lot. The event acknowledged the director's decades-long relationship with the studio, which released such films as Jaws, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." The acclaimed director joked that his career at Universal began in 1967, when he took a tour of the lot as a high school student. He said he hid in the bathroom during a break, and waited for the tour to move on without him, "then I had the entire lot to myself that day." "Our hope and dream is that it's not just the place that is founded on his extraordinary legacy," said Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios. "But it is the place of future hopes and dreams of filmmakers and storytellers who are going to take this company into the next 100 years and the 100 years after that, people who come with a hope and a dream, people who have been inspired by Steven." Spielberg's film on Artificial Intelligence Spielberg's 2001 modest box office hit A.I. Artificial Intelligence was a meditation on love, loss and what it means to be human through the eyes of a discarded humanoid robot. In the Pinocchio-like journey set in a futuristic dystopia, David, the android boy, yearns to be human, searching for love, in a world of machines and artificial intelligence. The film hit screens when AI was still in its nascent stages and predated the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT by 21 years. "It wasn't about artificial intelligence as much as it was about sentient existence, and can you love a sentient entity? Can a mother love a robot child?" said Spielberg. "It was not really where AI is taking us today. Eventually, there will be a convergence between AI and robotics." Why Spielberg is against using AI in films Spielberg said AI can be a great tool "if used responsibly and morally" to help find a cure for cancer and other diseases. "I just draw a line -- and it's not a line of cement, it's just a little bit of line in the sand -- which gives me some wiggle room to say (that) I have the option to revise this thinking in the future," he said. "But right now, I don't want AI making any creative decisions." He said he has seen, first-hand, how technology can replace human talent while working on the 1993 film, Jurassic Park. Spielberg initially planned to use renowned stop-motion clay animation artist Phil Tippett to create the dinosaurs roaming the island theme park. Visual effects artist Dennis Muren proposed an alternative method, using Industrial Light & Magic's computer-generated imagery to create realistic dinosaurs. The director is an executive producer in Jurassic World: Rebirth, which reaches theatres on July 2. "That kind of made certain careers somewhat extinct," said Spielberg. "So, I'm very sensitive to things that AI may do to take work away from people." Spielberg said he has yet to use AI on any of his films so far, though he is open to possible applications of it behind-the-scenes, in functions like budgeting or planning. "I don't want to use it in front of the camera right now," Spielberg said. 'Not quite yet.'
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I Heard Jurassic World Dominion Was Bad, But I Would Watch It Over Any Other Jurassic Sequel
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SPOILER WARNING: The following article gives away, just about, the entire plot of Jurassic World Dominion. If you have not yet seen the 2022 Jurassic Park movie, act like Owen Grady holding up his hand to magically neutralize a dinosaur, and proceed with caution as you read on. With Jurassic World Rebirth hitting theaters soon, I figured it was about time that I do something I had been reluctant to do: catch up with the full franchise and watch Jurassic World Dominion. Considering the beastly reviews from critics and audiences, I was braving the worst, but, to my surprise, I thought it was far from it. To be clear, I would not call Colin Trevorrow's sequel a good movie. I think it suffers from a pitifully lazy script, sleepy acting, and throwing out the previous film's setup for a dinosaur-ridden dystopia in favor of, echoing Eric Eisenberg's Jurassic World Dominion review, two bland, disparate plotlines that have little to do with, ya know, dinosaurs. However, I do not at all regret watching it and would choose to watch it again over most sequels to Steven Spielberg's 1993 classic, which I realize may come as a shock to many Jurassic fans. Well, allow me to explain… In previous articles of mine, such as my reaction to the recent sci-fi thriller Companion, I have made it clear that I am a staunch technophobe who fears how dangerously technology's advancement could, or already has, affected our society. However, there is one fear of mine that I have been a bit less vocal about in my writing until now: bugs, especially ones of unusual size. So, you might be able to imagine how I felt when the genetically engineered locusts appeared on the screen. Now, I will agree with the widely shared opinion that a Jurassic Park movie focusing its plot on a non-reptilian prehistoric creature is a mistake, but said creatures did manage to get my adrenaline going faster than any of the dinosaurs that appear in Jurassic World Dominion. That being said… Whenever a dinosaur would appear on screen in Dominion, I found it nothing short of impressive. The special effects, boasting the classic blend of practical animatronics with some of the best CGI Hollywood has to offer, were so convincing, I am surprised there was not more praise about that aspect, at least. Aside from their visual effects, I felt that the action sequences involving dinosaurs are genuinely some of the best that the franchise has ever seen. I recall, in particular, being thoroughly riveted by a scene taking place in Malta, when Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) is chased on a motorcycle through the city by Atrociraptors. I had to stop and think to myself, Wow, I am actually having fun with this movie, and it did not stop there. Some have said the extended edition of Jurassic World Dominion is better than the theatrical version, but you can get both on a Blu-ray and 4K UHD set from Amazon for nearly half off the regular price!View Deal The one reason I had to be somewhat optimistic about finally watching Dominion was the one aspect that I had heard positive rumblings about: DeWanda Wise as Kayla Watts. I could not agree more with my colleague Sarah El-Mahmoud that the daredevil pilot is the best character from the Jurassic World trilogy for her bravery and quick wit, and for just being a badass. If there are any downsides to Kayla, I would say that she makes most of the other newer characters (including Mamoudou Athie's Ramsay Cole and even Pratt's Grady) look weaker than I already believed they were, and that she should have been introduced to the franchise earlier. With all due respect to Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, a part of me wishes that she were the focus of the upcoming 2025 movie, Jurassic World Rebirth, instead. Despite my harsh words about the newer Jurassic characters, I have to admit that I really enjoyed seeing them finally interact with Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). In fact, I don't think I was ever amused by the OG heroes' return until that moment, as the parameters of their reunion and the moments the trio shared never felt particularly natural. And don't get me started about the random callbacks to the first film, like Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott) somehow possessing the fake Barbasol canister and displaying it in his office. What?! Anyway, I can't say that 'natural' is a word I would use to describe Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm's meeting with Grady, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), and others in the final act either. The events that lead them to each other are far too convenient (like many other aspects of the plot), and much of their dialogue feels egregiously forced. Yet, there was something about seeing them all gathered together and relying on one another to survive against the prehistoric wildlife that left me wishing the movie had dedicated more time to bringing them together. Of course, any Jurassic Park fan knows that the real draw of this franchise is not the meat, but the meat-eaters, and the one who rules them all is the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Any return by that big behemoth in these movies, no matter how convoluted the reasoning may be, is warmly welcomed by me, and its appearance in Dominion was no exception, especially since it was not alone. I actually really dug how the T-Rex was treated as a hero, Godzilla style, in the film's final act, when it teams up with a Therizinosaurus to bring down the Giganotosaurus. Watching the T-Rex throw the Giganotosaurus onto the Therizinosaurus' claws, fatally impaling it, made for a more satisfying final battle than the Indominus Rex showdown in 2015's Jurassic World, if you ask me. I don't see a future in which I ever boot up my Peacock subscription to watch Jurassic World Dominion again, unless I get curious and decide to check out the extended edition, which I hear is an improvement. Yet, I can't say I feel that I wasted my morning watching it the other day, which is something I can't say about most of the follow-ups to the original '90s movie classic, and that calls for a modest roar of applause in my book.
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Long Island swimmer ‘most likely' bitten by shark at popular beach: authorities
A 20-year-old woman was 'most likely' bit by a juvenile shark at a popular Long Island beach while trying to beat the blistering heat this week, park officials revealed on Friday. The swimmer was wading in waist deep water at the Central Mall beachfront at Jones Beach State Park on Wednesday when something chomped on her foot and leg just after 4 p.m., according to a release from Parks, Recreation and Historic preservation. The woman couldn't see what attacked her, but parks officials determined it was most likely a juvenile sand tiger shark, according to an investigation from the Department of Environmental Conservation. Advertisement The 20-year-old woman was waist-deep at the Central Mall beachfront when she was bitten by something that officials believe is a juvenile shark. Getty Images Lifeguards sprung into action and treated the woman who suffered minor, non-life-threatening lacerations to her lower extremity and was treated at Nassau County University Medical Center Hospital. Swimming was shut down at Central Mall following the presumptive shark bite, but resumed Thursday morning. Advertisement Park officials suggest the best way to avoid shark encounters is to keep out of the water at night, steer clear of murky water, stay away from appetizing schools of fish, and always follow instructions of lifeguards. The toothsome aquatic terrors have been spotted several times as folks make their seasonal return to Atlantic Coast beaches. Sharks have been sighted at several locations across the Atlantic Coast since the summer weather started to turn. Dave – An 11-foot-long, 761-pound, great white shark named 'Dold' popped a fin off the coast of New Jersey earlier this week, according to Ocearch. Advertisement On Memorial Day over on Block Island, Rhode Island, what was reported to be a 20-foot shark trailed a tiny boat in a pond in full view of diners chowing down at a local eatery. These sightings come as the classic Steven Spielberg shark thriller 'Jaws' celebrates the 50th anniversary of its release.
Geek Vibes Nation
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
Michael Bay's Transformers Comeback: Blockbuster Revival or Risky Bet?
After bidding farewell to the Transformers franchise in 2017 with Transformers: The Last Knight , director Michael Bay is gearing up for a surprising return. Known for his explosive, high-octane style, Bay is reportedly developing a new Transformers film at Paramount, potentially stepping back into the director's chair. According to industry reports, he's collaborating with writer Jordan VanDina, known for SuperMansion and Animaniacs , on a script that could reignite the franchise's box office dominance. A Reluctant Return to a Billion-Dollar Franchise Bay's history with Transformers is a tale of blockbuster triumphs and personal regrets. Reflecting on his tenure, he admitted in 2022 while promoting Ambulance , 'I made too many of them.' He recalled advice from Steven Spielberg to stop after the third film, but studio pressure led to two more, each grossing massive sums— Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction both surpassed $1 billion globally. Even the less successful The Last Knight pulled in over $600 million, dwarfing the earnings of later films like Bumblebee ($468 million) and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ($441.7 million). Despite mixed reviews, Bay's 'Bayhem' formula—big explosions, bold visuals, and relentless action—defined the franchise's global appeal. Now, after a break, Bay appears re-energized to tackle the robotic saga again. His return comes as Paramount seeks to recapture the financial magic of his earlier films, especially after recent entries failed to hit the same box office heights, despite better critical reception. Competing Visions: G.I. Joe Crossover and Josh Cooley's Project Bay's project is just one piece of a crowded Transformers puzzle at Paramount, which reportedly has five projects in development. Among them is a live-action film from Josh Cooley, director of the animated Transformers One , which earned praise but underperformed with $129 million against a $75 million budget. Another is the much-discussed G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover, teased in Rise of the Beasts when Anthony Ramos' character, Noah, was recruited by a G.I. Joe agent. This crossover, with Chris Hemsworth in talks to star and Derek Connolly writing the script, aims to unite the Autobots and Joes against the Decepticons and Cobra. However, the crossover's priority is unclear amid Paramount's juggling act. With Bay's film and Cooley's project taking shape, plus two other early-stage ideas, the studio faces a challenge in balancing these competing visions. The crossover, initially slated for a 2025 or 2026 release, may take a backseat as Bay's return gains momentum. Paramount's High-Stakes Gamble Paramount's decision to bring Bay back is driven by his proven track record, but it's not without risks. His films, while financially successful, often faced criticism for prioritizing spectacle over story, and some fans on platforms like X express skepticism, preferring the emotional depth of films like Bumblebee or Transformers One . Posts on X reflect mixed sentiments, with some calling Bay's return a 'dark time' for the franchise, while others see it as a nostalgic comeback. Paramount, facing a 2029 deadline to retain Transformers rights, is banking on Bay to deliver a hit that recaptures the franchise's glory days. As Bay reflects on the 2007 original, which grossed $709 million and revolutionized visual effects, he acknowledges the franchise's cultural impact. Whether his new film will continue the Rise of the Beasts timeline, tie into the G.I. Joe crossover, or forge a new path remains uncertain. For now, Paramount's strategy seems clear: lean on Bay's legacy to steer Transformers back to blockbuster territory, even if it means navigating a complex web of projects and fan expectations.
