Few films have managed to make an impression on the movie-loving public than Sinners. Ryan Coogler’s 2025 movie release not only did solid business at the box office, but it also dominated conversations across social media. An aspect of the film that’s been praised is the ensemble cast, which is led by Michael B. Jordan. Interestingly, it now seems that rapper MGK (formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly) was granted the opportunity to audition for the film, though he apparently passed it up for one key reason.
MGK, whose real name is Colson Baker, has played roles in films like Bird Box, Project Power and Midnight in the Switchgrass. He also starred in, wrote, directed and produced his own film, 2022’s Good Mourning. The recording artist recently appeared on an episode of The Pat McAfee Show, during which he discussed his new music and whether he wants to keep acting. Baker eventually claimed he’s turned down a number of films and, in terms of Ryan Coogler’s film, Baker didn’t audition due to having to say a racial slur:
YouTube), have not been verified by Ryan Coogler or any other producers on the film. Nevertheless, it’s intriguing to hear him say that he was in contention for a role. Based on the “Cliché” performer’s description of the character, it sounds like he was in the running for Bert, who was ultimately played by Peter Dreimanis of the rock band July Talk.
played by Jack O’Connell in Sinners. A role in the vampire epic may have been a serious notch in Colson Baker’s acting belt. However, it seems the star was adamant about sticking with his principles on this particular matter.
It honestly would’ve been incredibly on brand for MGK to play a vampire, considering the sometimes eerie aesthetic he’s committed to over the years. He and former fiancé Megan Fox even confirmed that they would drink a few drops of each other’s blood. Fox attributed that practice to ritualistic purposes, and that’s, of course, in stark contrast to Remmick’s reason, which is to create an army of like-minded followers.
Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed Sinners is great for several reasons, but one of them is the nuanced way in which it utilizes vampires. These southern blood-suckers aren’t just around to cause mischief and terror but to serve as a metaphor for unbreakable cycles and lasting legacies. It’s interesting to think about how MGK would’ve approached playing one of those nocturnal creatures but, at this point, he seems at peace with not having taken part.
Whether you’ve yet to check out Sinners for yourself or just want to rewatch it for the umpteenth time, grab an HBO Max subscription to stream it.
I was very skeptical of the new Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson, when it was announced as part of the 2025 movie schedule. I grew up a child of the ‘80s, and the original Naked Gun series, especially the first one, was right in my wheelhouse. I’m tired of Gen X nostalgia, so I didn’t think I’d bother even watching this new re-imagining of the classic franchise.
Luckily, I have now seen it and all my worries were set aside. The Naked Gun is really funny, and smartly, the filmmakers didn’t try to compete with the original in the sheer number of jokes being thrown at the audience. It’s the smartest thing they could have done.
The Original Naked Gun Is Jokes On Top Of Jokes On Top Of Jokes
layering jokes on top of jokes. Every scene in their original movie is crammed with multiple jokes, often at the same time, and they all work together brilliantly. It’s something that is incredibly difficult to get right, and they nailed it far more often than they didn’t. It wasn’t enough to have a funny line of dialogue; there also had to be a sight gag going on, and another sight gag happening in the background.
I’ve never counted the jokes in the original, but there have to be well over 150 in just under 90 minutes. The new film on the other hand, doesn’t try to go toe-to-toe on sheer volume, and it works really well.
Liam Neeson is the perfect choice as Frank Drebin, Jr. There are tons of jokes and gags (plus some wonderful homages to the original), and they all match the tone of the predecessor perfectly. What there isn’t, is nearly as many layers of jokes. There are a few, but the filmmakers behind the new one really pick and chose when to ratchet up the joke density. This was the best decision they could have made when mapping out the movie.
Trying to match Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker is a mistake that quite a few movies have attempted – and generally failed at – since the trio first started making hits in the late ‘70s. It’s like someone trying to be Mel Brooks. There is a special talent that they had that means trying to mimic it will only lead to failure. Instead, the new one has all the vibes that The Naked Gun had in 1988, but doesn’t collapse under the weight of the sheer volume of gags.
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The new Naked Gun works really well, and it’s really funny, and it’s the restraint the filmmakers used that makes it both.
Tom Holland is weighing in on the speculation that he could potentially nab the next 007 role.
While it’s not yet been announced who the new James Bond will be in Amazon MGM Studios’ future film, which will be directed by Denis Villeneuve (the Dune films) and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), there are several actors who’ve been rumored as possibilities to play the secret agent — one of which is Holland.
When speaking recently with Gordon Ramsay, the Spider-Man star was asked about the Bond rumors. “Listen, there’s speculation at the moment. We’ll keep it to a minimum for now. We’ll get there one day,” he responded with a smile.
The chef then took a moment to seriously ask Holland, “Can you imagine what’s going to happen to your life if you do? First of all, you’d love that opportunity, right?”
And The Devil All the Time actor replied, “I mean every young British actor, it’s the pinnacle of working in our industry. I already consider myself to be the luckiest kid alive. I could not have dreamed to have the career that I have.”
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Other actors who have also been speculated as a potential Bond include Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tom Hardy. Pierce Brosnan, an 007 alum, told The Hollywood Reporter in June that Hardy would make for a “wonderful” lead. Earlier this year, Brosnan also gave his blessing for Taylor-Johnson.
As far as what’s officially in the works for Holland, Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins production this month in England. THR reported on Friday that Mark Ruffalo will reprise the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the film. Holland’s fourth Spider-Man film is expected to swing into theaters July 31, 2026.
Steven Spielberg’s complex, atypical 2005 blockbuster. Now, however, Ice Cube has made a “War of the Worlds” movie, which in and of itself should have induced just as wide a panic as Welles’ unconventional radio broadcast. Instead, it seems viewers can’t get enough of this film, which has otherwise dismayed critics across the board.
The movie stars Ice Cube as Homeland Security terror analyst and surveillance wiz Will Radford, a man who apparently has far too much time on his hands as he spends most of his shift surveilling his own children and chastising them for playing video games and not eating as healthily as he’d like. Soon, however, the alien invasion begins, which, instead of witnessing in all the 4K glory that a modern-day adaptation can offer, we see via lo-res clips taken by everyday citizens pointing their phones at the ongoing carnage.
Yes, the 2025 “War of the Worlds” all plays out on Ice Cube’s desktop computer (the film was shot during the pandemic) à la 2018’s “Searching,” which also unfolded entirely on computer screens and was a genuine thrill to watch. Even the sequel, “Missing,” was a messier but no less thrilling follow-up. “War of the Worlds,” however, has been anything but — at least according to critics. At least Prime Video viewers appear to be loving it.
War of the Worlds invades the Prime Video charts
Prime Video
“War of the Worlds” comes from frequent Eminem music video director Rich Lee and presents to us the chilling image of Ice Cube being given access to the nation’s security cameras. That’s surely a more terrifying prospect than an alien invasion, but “War of the Worlds” also asks the question, “Is Ice Cube charismatic enough for viewers to watch 90 minutes of him clicking around his desktop?” According to most critics, the answer is an emphatic “no.” But that hasn’t stopped the Prime Video subscribers from streaming this one in earnest, sending it right to the top of the streamers’ most-watched charts.
“War of the Worlds” was released via Universal Pictures on Prime Video on July 30, 2025, and has become an instant hit. According to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks viewership data across streaming platforms, the movie debuted on the Prime Video movie charts in 34 countries around the world on July 31, 2025. What’s more, it hit number one in 11 of them, including the United States and Canada.
That’s a strong debut for Ice Cube’s sci-fi adaptation, which is also currently charting at number two in 10 other countries, suggesting it will soon take the top spot in several other markets. At the time of writing, the film is no lower than number four in any of the countries in which it’s charting, further proving that Prime Video has a burgeoning hit on its hands. Whether it can maintain its position at the top of the charts, however, remains to be seen, but judging by the reviews, the “War of the Worlds” chart invasion might be a short-lived
War of the Worlds has crashed and burned with critic
Prime Video
Prime Video viewers might have been gleefully streaming “War of the Worlds,” but the movie isn’t enjoying the best critical reception. In fact, critics have been merciless in their assessment of the film, with Variety dubbing it a “disastrous movie retelling of H.G. Wells’ alien-invasion classic,” and a “cheap-looking thriller.” But perhaps the most egregious thing about “War of the Worlds” is the fact that, as Variety put it, the film amounts to little more than “a feature-length commercial for all things Amazon.”
At one point, Will’s future son-in-law, Mark Goodman (Devon Bostick as), who drives a Prime delivery truck, instructs Will to “place an official order on Amazon” to activate a drone delivery (“the future of delivery, according to Mark). The process of Will adding the order to his cart then plays out for us all to see in a sequence that surely disqualifies the movie from being taken seriously beyond some sort of promo for the very platform on which it’s being distributed. At one point, an unhoused man who helps right a downed drone is rewarded for his effort with an Amazon gift card. This is likely what prompted Film Stories to call the film “one of the most breathtakingly odd things you’ll see this year.”
If you like overt advertisements for products and services as part of your sci-fi thrillers, then “War of the Worlds” might be for you. Hey, it seems to have worked for the film so far. Otherwise, despite its chart success, this might not be the most advisable choice. There are, however, several great Prime Video shows that justify a subscription, including the “Bosch” spin-off series that recently took over the Prime Video charts.
Scott MacDonough, a veteran unit publicist who worked on films including Annie Hall, Norma Rae and Diner, died Tuesday at his home in New York, his family announced. He was 81.
MacDonough did publicity for Woody Allen’s The Front (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Interiors (1978) and Manhattan (1979) and for the Martin Ritt-directed movies Conrack (1974), Casey’s Shadow (1978), Norma Rae (1979), Back Roads (1981) and Stanley & Iris (1990).
In interviews, Kevin Bacon has given MacDonough credit for helping get Barry Levinson’s Diner (1982) released after the film tested poorly and was put on a shelf at MGM/UA.
Scott Pearsall MacDonough was born on May 15, 1944, in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. When he was 3, he and his sister, Jill, moved with their parents, Dorothy and Jack, to Maplewood, New Jersey, where he would attend Columbia High School.
After graduating from Middlebury College and earning his master’s degree in American Literature from Columbia University, MacDonough began his career as a writer for film and television publications before becoming a unit publicist.
His publicity credits included The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970), 40 Carats (1973), Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973), Ciao maschio (1978), Chapter Two (1979), Gordon Willis’ Windows (1980), Robert Altman’s Streamers (1983) and The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988).
He was a unit publicist from 1970-90, with a lot of that time spent at MGM/UA.
“He will be remembered for his encyclopedic knowledge of movies, his skilled writing and his incredible sense of humor,” his family noted.
In addition to his sister, survivors include his nephew, Chris, and his niece, Noelle. Funeral services will be private.
The upcoming fourth film, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (which just revealed its first eight-second-long teaser) is not changing the team-up formula. The movie will face the challenge of trying to match the scale of “No Way Home” but it’ll face this head-on and at worst go down swinging like Peter Parker does. It’s already been confirmed that Jon Bernthal will be appearing as the Punisher in the movie, and he’s sure to be (at best) an uneasy ally for Spider-Man. Now, the Hollywood Reporter has confirmed two other MCU characters/actors joining the movie.
Mark Ruffalo will be appearing as Bruce Banner/the Hulk in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” Ruffalo last appeared as the Hulk in 2022 Disney+ series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” where a blood transfusion turned Bruce’s cousin Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany) into a new Hulk.
But that’s not all, because the report says that Michael Mando will be reprising his role as the gangster Mac Gargan from “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Gargan was one of Adrian Toomes’ (Michael Keaton) arms-dealing clients, but he got busted by Spidey during a sale and sent to prison. In the “Homecoming” post-credits scene, Gargan met with Toomes in prison and suggested they get revenge on Spider-Man.
Peter better watch his back because Marvel fans know Gargan is no simple criminal; it’s his destiny to become a super-villain called the Scorpion.
What role can Hulk and Scorpion play in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Marvel Comics
Back when “Spider-Man: Homecoming” first released, I walked out of the movie thinking Mando as Scorpion was going to be the villain of the next one. The stinger seemed like clear sequel bait and the “Spider-Man” movies hadn’t used Scorpion yet. Then, “Far From Home” pivoted to Spidey fighting Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) on a European field trip. And then “No Way Home” became Crisis on Infinite Spider-Men. It seemed like Scorpion had fallen through the cracks. The new animated series “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” (which is MCU inspired but non-canon) even features Gargan (Jonathan Medina) becoming Scorpion, as if taking advantage of the movies dropping his story thread… until now. In the comics, J. Jonah Jameson is the one who funds Gargan’s transformation into the Scorpion. If they want to give J.K. Simmons a bigger part as JJJ again, there you go.
The bigger question mark is how the Hulk fits in. He and Spider-Man have been in some “Avengers” movies together, but to my memory, they’ve never even shared a word with each other. The one connection I see is that both heroes are scientists, so perhaps Peter can bond with Bruce like he previously did Tony. With where “No Way Home” left him, Peter Parker could also use a mentor like Bruce Banner who knows what it’s like to be all alone in the world.
Sadie Sink has also been cast as someone in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” — speculation about her part has ranged from a “true” Mary Jane Watson to Gwen Stacy to the X-Men’s Jean Grey to the minor hero Sarah Ehret/Jackpot. We’ll see how well “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” can hold this growing web together soon.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is scheduled for theatrical release on July 31, 2026.
