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USA Today
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The FTW staff picks the best films of the 21st century in honor of the NYT poll
The New York Times recently polled numerous filmmakers, actors and movie watchers to determine the best 100 films of the 21st century. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite earned the top spot in the rankings, as 2019's Best Picture winner won the most support among those making ballots. With the publication allowing anybody to make their own "Reader's Choice" ballots, we polled the For the Win staff and got four takes on their favorite films from the past 25 years. Films like The Dark Knight, The Social Network, Spirited Away and Inception appeared on multiple ballots. Let's check out how all four ballots turned out! Cory Woodroof Blake Schuster Meghan L. Hall Robert Zeglinski Not a bad line up if you ask us!
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brenda Song says Disney blocked her from pursuing 'Gran Torino' role because of sexual assault scene: 'I was very upset'
Brenda Song's transition from Disney child star to Hollywood actress wasn't always so suite. The actress, 37, rose to prominence for her role as hotel heiress London Tipton on Disney Channel sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in the early 2000s, starring in a number of original films on the network (Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, Stuck in the Suburbs) before transitioning to more mature roles in such titles as David Fincher's The Social Network. While accepting Variety's Virtuoso Award at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, Song shared that her career path was not without obstacles due to her Disney background, revealing that she had been considered for a role in Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino — but Disney ultimately would not allow it due to a sexual assault scene. "The character had an intended sexual assault scene, so Disney nixed it,' Song said. 'And I was very upset but I was like, 'Okay, I guess it didn't work out.'' The 2008 thriller starred Eastwood as a disgruntled and prejudiced Korean War vet who forms an unlikely friendship with a Hmong teen (Bee Vang) after the latter reluctantly attempts to steal his treasured car. Disney actually had similar concerns about her role as Christy, a love interest of Andrew Garfield's Eduardo who has a sexually explicit scene in the film, in The Social Network, Song shared. But she pushed back, going directly to Gary Marsh, president and COO of Disney Branded Television, at the time. 'I was just like, 'I am an actor. When you hired me, I was not a hotel heiress. If I have ever done anything in my personal life to ever draw bad attention to your company, I understand. But this is the last season of the show, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime,'" Song shared. "And I was so fortunate, they were so supportive. They allowed me to do this film that truly changed my life.' Following her departure from Disney, Song appeared across episodes of Scandal, New Girl, Station 19, and Dollface. She also starred in movies like Changeland, where she met future husband Macaulay Culkin, and Secret Obsession. It was her recent turn in Gia Coppola's 2024 drama The Last Showgirl, starring opposite Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis, that ushered in what many have hailed as the Brendaissance. Song told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year that the role — as a fiery showgirl named Mary-Anne — marked a "beautiful turning point' in her career. 'I had literally just said to my mom and my partner, 'If the best of my career's behind me, I think I'm okay with that. I am really proud of what I've done,'' she recalled. 'And they're like, 'What are you talking about? You're 35 years old.' But I was at such a crossroads in my life.' Most recently, she appeared on Mindy Kaling's sports comedy series Running Point, which was renewed for a second season. As with The Last Showgirl, that experience "re-energized me and reminded me why I love doing what I do so much," Song said. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Elle
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
We're Not Getting Another Season of 'Squid Game'—But We Might Get Something Else
Now that Squid Game's third and final season is out in the world, I am personally hoping for one thing: that Hwang Dong-hyuk can get some rest. The filmmaker and series creator has not been subtle about his exhaustion after creating the first season of the Netflix sensation. Imagine how he feels now, two seasons after that. 'Yeah, I'm very tired. I haven't had a deep sleep for a long time. I want to take a rest,' he told The New York Times before the season 3 premiere. 'Then I want to do feature films. I have an idea for my next feature.' There may be someone ready to take up the mantle: David Fincher, the director of Fight Club, Gone Girl, and The Social Network. In October 2024, Deadline reported that the filmmaker was eyeing an English-language offshoot of Squid Game, although neither he nor Netflix have confirmed the news yet. Still, it seems likely, given Fincher's ongoing collaboration with the streamer, which includes films and series like House of Cards, Mindhunter, Mank, and the upcoming Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood sequel. According to Deadline, 'Insiders say the Squid Game series is likely the project Fincher commits his time to in 2025.' The final scene of the Squid Game season 3 sure seems to set up an spinoff. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!) The episode closes with a scene of the Front Man in the U.S. coming across a person in a suit playing a version of Ddakji, the 'slap game' used to recruit players, with a disheveled man in an alley. When the recruiter turns around, it's a surprise reveal: She's played by Cate Blanchett. All she does is exchange a knowing look at the Front Man, their mutual recognition hinting that the Squid Game operation extends beyond South Korea. It's also the perfect setup for a U.S.-based spinoff. It's unclear if Blanchett will be the lead of that new show or just a one-time cameo, but the former is possible, since she previously worked with Fincher on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. For now though, that's just a theory. No casting announcements have been made yet. As for the creative team, Deadline reported that Dennis Kelly, writer of Matilda the Musical and the TV series Utopia, is supposedly writing the script. Hwang has also voiced his own ideas for an offshoot. He told Entertainment Weekly, 'I actually had this faint ideation about possibly a spinoff—not a sequel, but maybe a spinoff about the three-year gap between season 1 and season 2 when Gi-hun [Lee Jung-jae] looks around for the recruiters,' he said. 'Maybe I could have a portrayal of what the recruiters or Captain Park [Oh Dal-su] or officers or masked men were doing in that period, not inside the gaming arena, but their life outside of that.' That Hwang's limited series has now ballooned into an international franchise might be a little ironic, considering the show's pointed critiques of capitalism. But he hopes that at least it gets viewers to start thinking about such issues. 'If they do none of that and only enjoy the goods and experiences, that could be a problem. But as long as it entails food for thought, I'm good with that,' he told Times. And if Squid Game comes to America, there will surely be much to discuss.
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
"The Social Network 2" in Works
Yara Sameh After teasing a potential sequel to his Oscar-winning drama "The Social Network" for years, Aaron Sorkin seems to have found an angle to tackle for his follow-up film. Sources tell Deadline that Sorkin has been tapped to direct "The Social Network Part II" for Sony Pictures. Insiders say that while it's being called part two, it's not a straight sequel but rather a follow-up to the original movie that explored the origins of what would become the world's biggest social media platform. Jesse Eisenberg starred as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Network,' but casting has yet to be announced for the sequel. Part 2 is in development with Todd Black, Peter Rice, Sorkin, and Stuart Besser producing. Sorkin's original screenplay for the new movie explores the story behind the Wall Street Journal's "The Facebook Files" by Jeff Horowitz, an explosive series of articles published in October 2021 that exposed the inner workings of — and multiple harms caused by — the world's largest social network. Released in 2010 by Sony Pictures and based on Ben Mezrich's "The Accidental Millionaires", "The Social Network" was a huge hit with audiences and critics and earned $226 million at the global box office. The pic had also been nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, the film won three, including Sorkin for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since its release, Sorkin has noted on several occasions his interest in doing a follow-up, but he couldn't find the right angle. Following the events of January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was attacked, Sorkin found his new inspiration. The filmmaker in an interview last year said that he believed Facebook played a part. Sources stress that the new film isn't a 'January 6' movie" and will focus on "not just on the 2020 election but also Facebook's effect on teens, preteens, violence, and countries outside the U.S." Although the original was directed by David Fincher, Sorkin will take on directing duties for this pic having sharpened his skills since the original Social Network came out. His recent directing credits include "Molly's Game", "The Trial of the Chicago 7", and "Being the Ricardos." read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Disney Nixed Brenda Song's Gran Torino Role
Brenda Song was just 7 years old when she made her acting debut in the ABC sitcom Thunder Alley, with the star going on to make several other TV show appearances over the years, and signing a contract with Disney Channel after starring in its original movie The Ultimate Christmas Present. However, you probably best know her playing hotel heiress London Tipton in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, a role that she landed at 16 years old. Brenda, now 37, remained on the Disney Channel series for all three seasons, until September 2008, and later reprised London in the Suite Life spin-off The Suite Life on Deck, which aired until 2011. And Brenda has now revealed that her ties to the network impacted the rest of her career, with Disney even stopping her from appearing in Clint Eastwood's 2008 movie Gran Torino because it included a sexual assault scene. Brenda would have been around 20 years old at the time, and recalled being 'very upset' that she wasn't able to go for the part. Speaking at the Bentonville Film Festival earlier this week, the actor explained: 'The character had an intended sexual assault scene, so Disney nixed it. And I was very upset, but I was like: 'OK, I guess it didn't work out.'' And while the star allowed Disney to dictate her career choices at this point, she ended up putting her foot down two years later when they tried to stop her from accepting the role of Christy in The Social Network. For reference, Christy is Eduardo's love interest in the Oscar-winning movie, and at one point, it is implied that the characters have sex in a public Disney raised concerns about Brenda taking on the adult role, she ended up going directly to the president and COO of Disney Branded Television at the time, Gary Marsh. 'I was just like: 'I am an actor. When you hired me, I was not a hotel heiress. If I have ever done anything in my personal life to ever draw bad attention to your company, I understand. But this is the last season of the show, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime,'" Brenda shared. "And I was so fortunate, they were so supportive. They allowed me to do this film that truly changed my life.' Brenda's comments come soon after she revealed that her agents dropped her after she committed to The Social Network because she'd already been booked onto another project. In a conversation captured by the Wrap, she explained: "There was another project that I had booked when I also booked The Social Network and my agents very much pushed me for the other project. [They're] like: 'It's a lead role, it's a big movie. This is amazing, this is it.'""I was like: 'David Fincher is one of my favorite directors of all time,'" Brenda went on. "They're like: 'It's two scenes,' but I'm like: 'This is what I really wanted.' And my agents dropped me over this decision." After The Social Network, Brenda's career took on a new lease of life, with appearances on episodes of Scandal, New Girl, and Dollface. More recently, she starred in Gia Coppola's 2024 movie The Last Showgirl, opposite Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Brenda crediting her role as showgirl Mary-Anne as a 'turning point' in her told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year: 'I had literally just said to my mom and my partner: 'If the best of my career's behind me, I think I'm okay with that. I am really proud of what I've done.' And they're like: 'What are you talking about? You're 35 years old.' But I was at such a crossroads in my life.' What do you make of Disney's impact on Brenda's career? Let me know in the comments below!
