With Grant Singer’s Reptile, Netflix has a solid word of mouth hit on its hands. A crime thriller starring Benicio Del Toro, Alicia Silverstone, Justin Timberlake and Eric Bogosian, the film has sat at the top of Netflix’s top 10 for the last two weeks. Indeed, we caught it at TIFF (read our review) and really enjoyed the darkly humorous thriller, which eventually evolves into a tense action thriller boasting one of Del Toro’s most outstanding performances.
It marks the feature directorial debut of Singer, best known for his music videos. We were lucky enough to chat with Singer recently, who seems to have a bright future ahead of him as a director. While some have dubbed the film David Fincher-esque, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll note that it likely owes more to the work of Sidney Lumet, which is by design.
“So Sidney...
It marks the feature directorial debut of Singer, best known for his music videos. We were lucky enough to chat with Singer recently, who seems to have a bright future ahead of him as a director. While some have dubbed the film David Fincher-esque, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll note that it likely owes more to the work of Sidney Lumet, which is by design.
“So Sidney...
- 10/14/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
[This story contains spoilers for Reptile.]
In the two weeks since its release, Grant Singer’s Reptile has remained atop Netflix’s own film charts with 19.9 million views and counting. The Benicio Del Toro-led crime thriller is Singer’s feature directorial debut after nearly a decade of making inventive music videos for the likes of The Weeknd, Lorde and Ariana Grande. The film centers around Del Toro’s Detective Tom Nichols, as he investigates the murder of a real estate agent (Matilda Lutz) and uncovers a tangled web of corruption within his new community in Maine.
At a time when crime dramas and murder mysteries are still immensely popular, especially on Netflix, Singer, along with his co-writers Benjamin Brewer and Del Toro himself, knew that they had to work overtime to keep viewers on their toes.
“Audiences now are very advanced in their understanding of these stories because there have been so many great crime...
In the two weeks since its release, Grant Singer’s Reptile has remained atop Netflix’s own film charts with 19.9 million views and counting. The Benicio Del Toro-led crime thriller is Singer’s feature directorial debut after nearly a decade of making inventive music videos for the likes of The Weeknd, Lorde and Ariana Grande. The film centers around Del Toro’s Detective Tom Nichols, as he investigates the murder of a real estate agent (Matilda Lutz) and uncovers a tangled web of corruption within his new community in Maine.
At a time when crime dramas and murder mysteries are still immensely popular, especially on Netflix, Singer, along with his co-writers Benjamin Brewer and Del Toro himself, knew that they had to work overtime to keep viewers on their toes.
“Audiences now are very advanced in their understanding of these stories because there have been so many great crime...
- 10/13/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plot: A detective (Benicio del Toro) living in New England with his wife (Alicia Silverstone) investigates the gruesome death of a local real estate magnate’s (Justin Timberlake) wife.
Review: There’s a version of Reptile that could have been a standard cop noir. After all, how many movies have we seen about a rumpled detective investigating a murder that implicates a well-connected family? Yet, director Grant Singer seems less interested in making the straight-laced neo-noir this could have been and instead turns this into a quirky, darkly comedic riff on the genre that almost functions as a spoof at times. After all, a movie that uses Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door” for a gunfight can’t expect us to take it entirely seriously.
Reptile is a weird but wonderful surprise. The odd vibe will turn some off, and it took me about thirty minutes to finally...
Review: There’s a version of Reptile that could have been a standard cop noir. After all, how many movies have we seen about a rumpled detective investigating a murder that implicates a well-connected family? Yet, director Grant Singer seems less interested in making the straight-laced neo-noir this could have been and instead turns this into a quirky, darkly comedic riff on the genre that almost functions as a spoof at times. After all, a movie that uses Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door” for a gunfight can’t expect us to take it entirely seriously.
Reptile is a weird but wonderful surprise. The odd vibe will turn some off, and it took me about thirty minutes to finally...
- 9/22/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Sex Education, Spy Kids: Armageddon and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar are among the high-profile new projects debuting on Netflix in September.
Sex Education‘s fourth and final season will start streaming on Sept. 21, with action shifting from the closed Moordale Secondary to the progressive Cavendish College and Emma Mackey’s Maeve in America. Creator Laurie Nunn said that as the writers were working on season four “it became clear that this was the right time to graduate.” The final season sees the return of stars Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee Lou Wood, Dua Saleh, Mimi Keene, Kedar Williams-Stirling and Chinenye Ezeudu. Gillian Anderson will also return as Otis’ (Butterfield) sex therapist mom. But the new settings bring fresh faces in Anthony Lexa, Felix Mufti and Alexandra James, who make up the popular group, The Coven; a rival sex therapist for Otis, named O (Thaddea Graham); and Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy,...
Sex Education‘s fourth and final season will start streaming on Sept. 21, with action shifting from the closed Moordale Secondary to the progressive Cavendish College and Emma Mackey’s Maeve in America. Creator Laurie Nunn said that as the writers were working on season four “it became clear that this was the right time to graduate.” The final season sees the return of stars Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee Lou Wood, Dua Saleh, Mimi Keene, Kedar Williams-Stirling and Chinenye Ezeudu. Gillian Anderson will also return as Otis’ (Butterfield) sex therapist mom. But the new settings bring fresh faces in Anthony Lexa, Felix Mufti and Alexandra James, who make up the popular group, The Coven; a rival sex therapist for Otis, named O (Thaddea Graham); and Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Image Source: YouTube user Netflix
Justin Timberlake is fighting for his innocence in Netflix's "Reptile." In the forthcoming thriller, Timberlake plays a man who finds himself under scrutiny after his girlfriend, a young real-estate agent, is brutally murdered. Benicio Del Toro also stars as a detective trying to crack the case, while Alicia Silverstone plays his wife, who helps him on his hunt to discover the truth. The first trailer, which was released on Aug. 21, shows tensions rising as Del Toro learns unexpected truths as he hunts for the killer.
Related: 49 Psychological Thrillers on Netflix That Will Have You on the Edge of Your Seat
The movie, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and will hit Netflix in October, is music video director Grant Singer's feature film debut. Previously, Singer has directed music videos for Lorde, Troye Sivan, Sam Smith, and The Weeknd, among others.
Justin Timberlake is fighting for his innocence in Netflix's "Reptile." In the forthcoming thriller, Timberlake plays a man who finds himself under scrutiny after his girlfriend, a young real-estate agent, is brutally murdered. Benicio Del Toro also stars as a detective trying to crack the case, while Alicia Silverstone plays his wife, who helps him on his hunt to discover the truth. The first trailer, which was released on Aug. 21, shows tensions rising as Del Toro learns unexpected truths as he hunts for the killer.
Related: 49 Psychological Thrillers on Netflix That Will Have You on the Edge of Your Seat
The movie, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and will hit Netflix in October, is music video director Grant Singer's feature film debut. Previously, Singer has directed music videos for Lorde, Troye Sivan, Sam Smith, and The Weeknd, among others.
- 8/22/2023
- by Eden Arielle Gordon
- Popsugar.com
Benicio del Toro investigates Justin Timberlake in Netflix’s upcoming film Reptile.
The crime thriller follows del Toro’s Detective Tom Nichols as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the brutal murder of a young real estate agent. As he’s on the trail of a killer, nothing is what it seems, and he begins to dismantle the illusions of his own life, according to the streamer.
When the trailer opens, del Toro’s Nichols is asked how he has been feeling, and he replies, “There’s a case going on. It’s a real nightmare,” as scenes from the murder play, and Nichols investigates four possible suspects, one of whom is Timberlake’s Will, the boyfriend of the victim.
“I liked the unpredictability,” del Toro told Netflix of the film’s storyline. “There were a couple of what I like to call ‘Oh, shit’ moments that also compelled me to get involved.
The crime thriller follows del Toro’s Detective Tom Nichols as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the brutal murder of a young real estate agent. As he’s on the trail of a killer, nothing is what it seems, and he begins to dismantle the illusions of his own life, according to the streamer.
When the trailer opens, del Toro’s Nichols is asked how he has been feeling, and he replies, “There’s a case going on. It’s a real nightmare,” as scenes from the murder play, and Nichols investigates four possible suspects, one of whom is Timberlake’s Will, the boyfriend of the victim.
“I liked the unpredictability,” del Toro told Netflix of the film’s storyline. “There were a couple of what I like to call ‘Oh, shit’ moments that also compelled me to get involved.
- 8/22/2023
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Silverstone link up in a star-studded cast in Netflix’s upcoming suspense mystery, “Reptile”, which will also make its grand debut at TIFF.
Del Toro stars as Detective Tom Nichols, who is closely followed by his past as he attempts to be hot on the tracks of a murder. Following the shocking murder of a young real estate agent, Nichols unravels the vast corruption surrounding his small-town life.
Read More: ‘Reptile’: Justin Timberlake And Alicia Silverstone Spark Intrigue In Netflix Thriller
Timberlake stars as the murder victim’s husband, Will. Silverstone, who previously starred alongside Del Toro in 1997’s “Excess Baggage”, stars as Detective Nichols’ wife, Judy.
Netflix’s ‘Reptile’ — Photo: Netflix
“Alicia brought everything we wanted for the character and more,” Del Toro said of her addition to the cast.
While speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, the Oscar-winner described his character as “a man of destiny,...
Del Toro stars as Detective Tom Nichols, who is closely followed by his past as he attempts to be hot on the tracks of a murder. Following the shocking murder of a young real estate agent, Nichols unravels the vast corruption surrounding his small-town life.
Read More: ‘Reptile’: Justin Timberlake And Alicia Silverstone Spark Intrigue In Netflix Thriller
Timberlake stars as the murder victim’s husband, Will. Silverstone, who previously starred alongside Del Toro in 1997’s “Excess Baggage”, stars as Detective Nichols’ wife, Judy.
Netflix’s ‘Reptile’ — Photo: Netflix
“Alicia brought everything we wanted for the character and more,” Del Toro said of her addition to the cast.
While speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, the Oscar-winner described his character as “a man of destiny,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Netflix is a haven for crime thriller fans with such popular hits as Making a Murderer, the David Fincher series Mindhunter, and the recent Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The streaming service has just released the trailer for a new thriller that sees the reunion of Excess Baggage stars Benicio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone, Reptile. The film also stars Justin Timberlake, Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, Frances Fisher, Ato Essandoh, Michael Carmen Pitt, Karl Glusman, and Matilda Lutz.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.” Del Toro boasts about the film’s twists and turns, “I liked the unpredictability. There were a couple of what I like to call ‘Oh, shit...
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.” Del Toro boasts about the film’s twists and turns, “I liked the unpredictability. There were a couple of what I like to call ‘Oh, shit...
- 8/21/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
The stars of 1997 film Excess Baggage, Benicio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone are joining forces over 20 years later for Netflix thriller Reptile, which has received its official trailer today.
Justin Timberlake also stars in the upcoming Netflix Original, debuting October 6.
Reptile will first be unleashed in select theaters on September 29.
In the film…
“Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.”
Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, Frances Fisher, Ato Essandoh, Michael Carmen Pitt, Karl Glusman, and Matilda Lutz also star.
Grant Singer directed the film, written by Grant Singer & Benjamin Brewer and Benicio Del Toro, with a story by Grant Singer & Benjamin Brewer.
The post ‘Reptile’ Trailer – Netflix’s Murder Thriller Is the ‘Excess Baggage’ Reunion You’ve Been Waiting For appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!
Justin Timberlake also stars in the upcoming Netflix Original, debuting October 6.
Reptile will first be unleashed in select theaters on September 29.
In the film…
“Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.”
Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, Frances Fisher, Ato Essandoh, Michael Carmen Pitt, Karl Glusman, and Matilda Lutz also star.
Grant Singer directed the film, written by Grant Singer & Benjamin Brewer and Benicio Del Toro, with a story by Grant Singer & Benjamin Brewer.
The post ‘Reptile’ Trailer – Netflix’s Murder Thriller Is the ‘Excess Baggage’ Reunion You’ve Been Waiting For appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!
- 8/21/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you don't know the name Grant Singer, chances are you're familiar with his work as a music video and commercial director. Singer has been behind some of the most visually striking videos of the past few years and has worked with artists such as The Weeknd, Sky Ferreira, Lorde, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, Ariel Pink, and Skrillex. Now, Singer is following in the footsteps of filmmakers like Michael Bay, David Fincher, Gus Van Sant, McG, Joseph Kahn, Daniels, and Spike Jonze by delivering his first narrative feature. With a star-studded cast and a compelling story, Singer's new Netflix thriller looks and sounds like a refreshing addition to the streaming juggernaut's library of original projects. Check out the film's official synopsis below:
Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective (Benicio Del Toro) attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems,...
Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective (Benicio Del Toro) attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems,...
- 8/21/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Benicio Del Toro is hunting for a killer in the new Netflix film “Reptile.” On Monday, the streaming platform debuted the first trailer for the new project, the feature debut for prolific music video director Grant Singer.
In the film, the Oscar-winning Del Toro stars as a “hardened detective” who attempts to solve the brutal murder of a young real estate agent but, by doing so, “dismantles the illusions in his own life.” Del Toro co-wrote the screenplay with Singer and Benjamin Brewer and co-stars alongside Justin Timberlake and Alicia Silverstone.
“I liked the unpredictability,” Del Toro said of the film’s narrative in an interview with Netflix’s proprietary editorial site, Tudum. “There were a couple of what I like to call ‘Oh, shit’ moments that also compelled me to get involved.”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Singer – who has directed videos for Lorde, Sam Smith, and The Weeknd, among...
In the film, the Oscar-winning Del Toro stars as a “hardened detective” who attempts to solve the brutal murder of a young real estate agent but, by doing so, “dismantles the illusions in his own life.” Del Toro co-wrote the screenplay with Singer and Benjamin Brewer and co-stars alongside Justin Timberlake and Alicia Silverstone.
“I liked the unpredictability,” Del Toro said of the film’s narrative in an interview with Netflix’s proprietary editorial site, Tudum. “There were a couple of what I like to call ‘Oh, shit’ moments that also compelled me to get involved.”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Singer – who has directed videos for Lorde, Sam Smith, and The Weeknd, among...
- 8/21/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Benicio Del Toro plays a cop tackling an unusual murder case in Netflix’s upcoming original film “Reptile.” With weeks before the film’s Toronto premiere, the first trailer offers an initial sneak peek at the lurid carnage.
The seemingly grim and twisty crime melodrama marks the feature directorial debut of music video director Grant Singer. Alicia Silverstone features as Del Toro’s supportive spouse. Justin Timberlake is the beau of a recent victim. Yes, he may know more than he’s saying about the circumstances behind his girlfriend’s killing.
What follows is a brightly lit puzzle box, with tightly focused close-ups and cryptic imagery. We also get a lighter moment as the cops sit around the table and place bets on whodunnit. Was it the boyfriend, the female gal pal, the creepy stranger or the ex-husband?
“Reptile” also marks the first onscreen team-up for Silverstone and Del Toro...
The seemingly grim and twisty crime melodrama marks the feature directorial debut of music video director Grant Singer. Alicia Silverstone features as Del Toro’s supportive spouse. Justin Timberlake is the beau of a recent victim. Yes, he may know more than he’s saying about the circumstances behind his girlfriend’s killing.
What follows is a brightly lit puzzle box, with tightly focused close-ups and cryptic imagery. We also get a lighter moment as the cops sit around the table and place bets on whodunnit. Was it the boyfriend, the female gal pal, the creepy stranger or the ex-husband?
“Reptile” also marks the first onscreen team-up for Silverstone and Del Toro...
- 8/21/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Benicio Del Toro is bringing a slippery crime story to the big screen.
The Oscar winner stars in and executive produces “Reptile,” written and directed by Grant Singer and co-written by Benjamin Brewer. Del Toro plays a detective who has an existential crisis while trying to solve the murder of a real estate agent.
Per the official synopsis, following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.
Alicia Silverstone, Justin Timberlake, Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, Frances Fisher, Ato Essandoh, Michael Carmen Pitt, Karl Glusman, and Matilda Lutz also star.
Director Singer makes his feature debut with the mystery film after helming music videos for artists like Taylor Swift and The Weeknd. Singer told Entertainment Weekly that the film has a “multifaceted...
The Oscar winner stars in and executive produces “Reptile,” written and directed by Grant Singer and co-written by Benjamin Brewer. Del Toro plays a detective who has an existential crisis while trying to solve the murder of a real estate agent.
Per the official synopsis, following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.
Alicia Silverstone, Justin Timberlake, Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, Frances Fisher, Ato Essandoh, Michael Carmen Pitt, Karl Glusman, and Matilda Lutz also star.
Director Singer makes his feature debut with the mystery film after helming music videos for artists like Taylor Swift and The Weeknd. Singer told Entertainment Weekly that the film has a “multifaceted...
- 8/17/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Justin Timberlake as Will Grady in ‘Reptile’ (Photo Cr. Netflix © 2023)
The first photos from writer/director Grant Singer’s Reptile give away nothing about the story, but that’s the point. “I think the movie will be exciting to people who like to watch something where you don’t know where it’s leading you, where a film is going to have twists and turns and deceive you. And people who like things that are intense and visceral and suspenseful, I think they’ll find something exciting in this,” said first-time feature film director Singer in an interview with EW.
The first five photos feature the neo-noir crime thriller’s stars, including Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Frances Fisher, and Ato Essandoh. Benicio Del Toro, who’s also a co-writer along with Singer and Benjamin Brewer, is shown in three photos including one with his 1997 Excess Baggage co-star Alicia Silverstone.
The cast also includes Eric Bogosian,...
The first photos from writer/director Grant Singer’s Reptile give away nothing about the story, but that’s the point. “I think the movie will be exciting to people who like to watch something where you don’t know where it’s leading you, where a film is going to have twists and turns and deceive you. And people who like things that are intense and visceral and suspenseful, I think they’ll find something exciting in this,” said first-time feature film director Singer in an interview with EW.
The first five photos feature the neo-noir crime thriller’s stars, including Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Frances Fisher, and Ato Essandoh. Benicio Del Toro, who’s also a co-writer along with Singer and Benjamin Brewer, is shown in three photos including one with his 1997 Excess Baggage co-star Alicia Silverstone.
The cast also includes Eric Bogosian,...
- 8/17/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
A number of great movies are leaving HBO Max at the end of March, so it’s time to prioritize these titles in your queue. Filmmaker James Gunn’s sequel/soft reboot “The Suicide Squad” will depart the streaming service on March 22 after first hitting HBO Max the same day it was released in theaters back in 2021. Similarly, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” was whisked away on March 1 after also getting a day-and-date release in 2021 (sorry/not sorry if you missed it).
You also only have until March 7 to stream “Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen,” a short documentary on the making of the Oscar-nominated biopic “Elvis.”
Other noteworthy films leaving HBO Max this month include “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Contagion,” the extended version of “Dances with Wolves,” “Ghostbusters,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Love & Basketball” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
You also only have until March 7 to stream “Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen,” a short documentary on the making of the Oscar-nominated biopic “Elvis.”
Other noteworthy films leaving HBO Max this month include “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Contagion,” the extended version of “Dances with Wolves,” “Ghostbusters,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Love & Basketball” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
- 3/3/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and directors and producers! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between.
Today we talk about a true professional. An actor’s actor. The great Benicio Del Toro! Conor and I are joined by filmmaker and returning guest Chadd Harbold, who produced the new, impressive film Linoleum, starring Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn, out in theaters now.
The Benicio Del Toro B-Sides discussed are: The Funeral, Excess Baggage, The Hunted, and The Wolfman. Plenty more Del Toro films are referenced, including the masterful Things We Lost in the Fire.
We discuss his perfect accent in The Usual Suspects, his deep love for The Wolf-Man, the elemental beauty of The Hunted, and all of the scene-stealing he did as a young actor in small parts.
There’s...
Today we talk about a true professional. An actor’s actor. The great Benicio Del Toro! Conor and I are joined by filmmaker and returning guest Chadd Harbold, who produced the new, impressive film Linoleum, starring Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn, out in theaters now.
The Benicio Del Toro B-Sides discussed are: The Funeral, Excess Baggage, The Hunted, and The Wolfman. Plenty more Del Toro films are referenced, including the masterful Things We Lost in the Fire.
We discuss his perfect accent in The Usual Suspects, his deep love for The Wolf-Man, the elemental beauty of The Hunted, and all of the scene-stealing he did as a young actor in small parts.
There’s...
- 2/24/2023
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Alicia Silverstone was on a roll in the mid-1990s, going from an Aerosmith music video catch to showing her range as both dramatic seductress in The Crush and fashion icon in Clueless. But as the decade progressed quite quickly, Silverstone ran into a bat-shaped issue that could have cost her her career. Now, Alicia Silverstone is reflecting on her time as Batgirl and how it marked a certain end to her allure during the decade.
Following the dismal reception and Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress (“beating” co-star Uma Thurman), Silverstone had some other poorly received movies in Excess Baggage and Blast from the Past, resulting in stepping away from lead roles for some time. “I wasn’t happy and what I did was really extract myself a bit from my acting career and went more into my activism,” she said. “I went to Africa. to help the elephants,...
Following the dismal reception and Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress (“beating” co-star Uma Thurman), Silverstone had some other poorly received movies in Excess Baggage and Blast from the Past, resulting in stepping away from lead roles for some time. “I wasn’t happy and what I did was really extract myself a bit from my acting career and went more into my activism,” she said. “I went to Africa. to help the elephants,...
- 2/22/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Alicia Silverstone is happy about where she’s ended up.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the “Clueless” star opened up about the current stage of her career and how she got to where she is.
Read More: Alicia Silverstone Revives ‘Clueless Character For Super Bowl Ad: ‘Your Girl Is Back’
“In terms of my work, I’m having nothing but fun now,” she said.
“I had a ball in Amsterdam, making a film with these amazing interesting filmmakers,” Silverstone added, referring to her upcoming film “Krazy House”, from Dutch filmmakers Steffan Haars and Flip van der Kuil.
“I’m really happy with my life,” she continued, “Just seeing Benicio Del Toro again on the set of ‘Reptiles’. We haven’t worked together for 27 years [since the Silverstone-produced ‘Excess Baggage’ in 1997]. I thought: ‘it’s been an incredible journey’.”
Of course, Silverstone has come a long way from her days in the ’90s,...
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the “Clueless” star opened up about the current stage of her career and how she got to where she is.
Read More: Alicia Silverstone Revives ‘Clueless Character For Super Bowl Ad: ‘Your Girl Is Back’
“In terms of my work, I’m having nothing but fun now,” she said.
“I had a ball in Amsterdam, making a film with these amazing interesting filmmakers,” Silverstone added, referring to her upcoming film “Krazy House”, from Dutch filmmakers Steffan Haars and Flip van der Kuil.
“I’m really happy with my life,” she continued, “Just seeing Benicio Del Toro again on the set of ‘Reptiles’. We haven’t worked together for 27 years [since the Silverstone-produced ‘Excess Baggage’ in 1997]. I thought: ‘it’s been an incredible journey’.”
Of course, Silverstone has come a long way from her days in the ’90s,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
“I once thought that there were no second acts in American lives,” F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote, in his notes on The Last Tycoon. To which Cher Horowitz in Clueless would say: “Ugh, as if!”
Nearly 30 years after she spoke those iconic lines, we are witnessing the second act in the career of Alicia Silverstone.
Her Super Bowl ad for shopping platform Rakuten, where she slipped back into Cher’s yellow tartan skirt to recreate the Clueless debate scene, went viral (as did her first TikTok appearance, again as Cher, spoofing the “as if!” scene with her son Bear), returning Silverstone to the top of the pop culture conversation.
In the independent film world, Silverstone has never been hotter. With roles in The Lodge —the 2019 Sundance chiller from Goodnight Mommy directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz — and Jennifer Reeder’s new meta-horror film Perpetrator, which premiered in the Panorama section...
Nearly 30 years after she spoke those iconic lines, we are witnessing the second act in the career of Alicia Silverstone.
Her Super Bowl ad for shopping platform Rakuten, where she slipped back into Cher’s yellow tartan skirt to recreate the Clueless debate scene, went viral (as did her first TikTok appearance, again as Cher, spoofing the “as if!” scene with her son Bear), returning Silverstone to the top of the pop culture conversation.
In the independent film world, Silverstone has never been hotter. With roles in The Lodge —the 2019 Sundance chiller from Goodnight Mommy directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz — and Jennifer Reeder’s new meta-horror film Perpetrator, which premiered in the Panorama section...
- 2/19/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This exciting new book takes the form of creative and inspiring interviews with 7 young Chinese filmmakers, revealing new trends that are not fully acknowledged in Western scholarship.
Many balinghou (born post-1980s) filmmakers are grassroots artists from smaller towns or in rural China and not formally trained at film academies. In addition, these younger filmmakers are among the first generation to have benefited hugely from new technology, including digital video cameras, cell phones, and the internet.
More importantly, most of their stories can be traced to their rural hometowns, bringing a fresh repertoire to Chinese independent film. While rural themes are hardly new in Chinese film history, these tended in the past to be told mostly from a top-down, urban-elite perspective. The rural narratives of bailinghou filmmakers, on the other hand, tend to be based on people from their neighborhoods, revealing a sense of social and cultural intimacy not previously encountered.
Many balinghou (born post-1980s) filmmakers are grassroots artists from smaller towns or in rural China and not formally trained at film academies. In addition, these younger filmmakers are among the first generation to have benefited hugely from new technology, including digital video cameras, cell phones, and the internet.
More importantly, most of their stories can be traced to their rural hometowns, bringing a fresh repertoire to Chinese independent film. While rural themes are hardly new in Chinese film history, these tended in the past to be told mostly from a top-down, urban-elite perspective. The rural narratives of bailinghou filmmakers, on the other hand, tend to be based on people from their neighborhoods, revealing a sense of social and cultural intimacy not previously encountered.
- 5/15/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
At some point, perhaps around the mid-nineties when he banged out roles in films as varied as "Pulp Fiction" and "Excess Baggage," — or maybe when he voiced his need for more cowbell in 2000, who’s to say, really — Christopher Walken entered an actorly realm of self-parody that few stars are ever able to fully escape. What set Walken apart from the pack was the sense that he was in on the joke, that he was happily playing up his cadence and his dancing purely for our benefit, and that it had zero bearing on his actual (and profound) ability to leave that stuff behind when his work required him to do so. Yet that doesn’t dilute the pure pleasure of watching Walken marry those two ideals — the hammy Walken and the serious Walken — into one irrepressibly charming character in Robert Edwards’ darling “One More Time.” Read More: Watch: Christopher Walken...
- 4/8/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- The Playlist
Benicio Del Toro is a funny kind of movie star. He broke out thanks to his deeply weird, scene-stealing turn in "The Usual Suspects," and ever since has had the kind of career that's lived up to that performance — he's generally chosen to appear in offbeat movies. But just when you think you've got him pegged, he'll do something huge and mainstream like "The Wolf Man" or "Guardians Of The Galaxy," even if those movies are odder than the average blockbuster, and his idea of a prestige picture is a two-part biopic of Che Guevara. So it's rare that he gets to do the sort of thing that someone like George Clooney has built a career on: be funny, charming and a little romantic. "A Perfect Day" gives him that opportunity, arguably for the first time since "Excess Baggage," and it's fun to see the actor flex those muscles. Unfortunately,...
- 1/13/2016
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Benicio Del Toro is a funny kind of movie star. He broke out thanks to his deeply weird, scene-stealing turn in "The Usual Suspects," and ever since has had the kind of career that's lived up to that performance — he's generally chosen to appear in offbeat movies. But just when you think you've got him pegged, he'll do something huge and mainstream like "The Wolf Man" or "Guardians Of The Galaxy," even if those movies are odder than the average blockbuster, and his idea of a prestige picture is a two-part biopic of Che Guevara. So it's rare that he gets to do the sort of thing that someone like George Clooney has built a career on: be funny, charming and a little romantic. "A Perfect Day" gives him that opportunity, arguably for the first time since "Excess Baggage," and it's fun to see the actor flex those muscles. Unfortunately,...
- 5/18/2015
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
At some point – perhaps around the mid-nineties when he banged out roles in films as varied as "Pulp Fiction" and "Excess Baggage," maybe when he voiced his need for more cowbell in 2000, who’s to say, really – Christopher Walken entered an actorly realm of self-parody that few stars are ever able to fully escape. What set Walken apart from the pack was the sense that he was in on the joke, that he was happily playing up his cadence and his dancing purely for our benefit, and that it had zero bearing on his actual (and profound) ability to leave that stuff behind when his work required him to do so. Yet that doesn’t dilute the pure pleasure of watching Walken marry those two ideals – the hammy Walken, the serious Walken – into one irrepressibly charming character in Robert Edwards’ darling “When I Live My Life Over Again.” Read More:...
- 4/22/2015
- by Kate Erbland
- The Playlist
Iggy Azalea paid tribute to cult teen classic Clueless in her recent music video for 'Fancy'.
The Australian rapper appears as Alicia Silverstone's iconic character Cher in the video, which was released online last week.
As stars continue to be inspired by the movie almost 20 years on, we take a fond look back at the cast and what they went on to do after Clueless:
Alicia Silverstone (Cher Horowitz)
Alicia Silverstone played seemingly shallow socialite Cher - famously branded "a virgin who can't drive" and "hymenally challenged" - in the high-school adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.
Prior to Clueless, Silverstone's credits included ABC comedy-drama The Wonder Years and a number of Aerosmith videos. The film propelled her to further fame, and she went on to star in Joel Schumacher's 1997 movie Batman & Robin, crime-comedy Excess Baggage (1997) with Benicio Del Toro and Christopher Walken, and romantic drama Blast from the Past (1999) opposite Brendan Fraser.
The Australian rapper appears as Alicia Silverstone's iconic character Cher in the video, which was released online last week.
As stars continue to be inspired by the movie almost 20 years on, we take a fond look back at the cast and what they went on to do after Clueless:
Alicia Silverstone (Cher Horowitz)
Alicia Silverstone played seemingly shallow socialite Cher - famously branded "a virgin who can't drive" and "hymenally challenged" - in the high-school adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.
Prior to Clueless, Silverstone's credits included ABC comedy-drama The Wonder Years and a number of Aerosmith videos. The film propelled her to further fame, and she went on to star in Joel Schumacher's 1997 movie Batman & Robin, crime-comedy Excess Baggage (1997) with Benicio Del Toro and Christopher Walken, and romantic drama Blast from the Past (1999) opposite Brendan Fraser.
- 3/11/2014
- Digital Spy
Alicia Silverstone will always be remembered for her star-making turn in 1995's surprise hit Clueless -- and then failing to meet expectations as Hollywood's next "It" girl.
In a new interview with Bullett magazine, the now 35-year-old poses in sexy lingerie and talks to her Clueless director Amy Heckerling about that tumultuous time in her life.
"There are so many things I would have done differently after Clueless, but I think we all have that period in our lives where we think, if I could just press the restart button!," she candidly admits.
Trading on her sudden popularity, a then 18-year-old Alicia got her own production company, First Kiss Productions, and put out the critical bomb Excess Baggage.
"When I was 5 years old, I used to go to my dad's office -- he had a little real estate company. I would sit at a desk and photocopy things and act like I was his secretary. Looking back, I...
In a new interview with Bullett magazine, the now 35-year-old poses in sexy lingerie and talks to her Clueless director Amy Heckerling about that tumultuous time in her life.
"There are so many things I would have done differently after Clueless, but I think we all have that period in our lives where we think, if I could just press the restart button!," she candidly admits.
Trading on her sudden popularity, a then 18-year-old Alicia got her own production company, First Kiss Productions, and put out the critical bomb Excess Baggage.
"When I was 5 years old, I used to go to my dad's office -- he had a little real estate company. I would sit at a desk and photocopy things and act like I was his secretary. Looking back, I...
- 9/20/2012
- TheInsider.com
Benicio del Toro may have proved too expensive for the sequel to Star Trek, but it seems like an independently financed action-comedy co-starring Cameron Diaz could meet his quote. Entitled, uh, Agent: Century 21, it will star Diaz as a real-estate agent who is kidnapped and thrust into the middle of a Mexican drug war involving Del Toro. Someone is still chasing the career high of Excess Baggage, it seems.
- 5/10/2012
- by Kyle Buchanan
- Vulture
Benicio Del Toro's always seemed a little uneasy with the idea of stardom. He's been working in the big leagues, on-and-off, since "Licence To Kill" in 1989, and took a big leap up with his near-incomperehensible performance in "The Usual Suspects," but every time he steps towards the A-list, he seems to take two steps back. After "The Usual Suspects?" Botched Alicia Silverstone rom-com "Excess Baggage." After his Oscar-winning performance in "Traffic?" The mediocre "Fugitive"-riff "The Hunted." After his titanic lead in "Che?" Seemingly falling asleep through most of "The Wolfman." The actor will crop up next year in Oliver Stone's "Savages," but had a pretty big offer made to him of late that promised to be his highest profile role to date; he was J.J. Abrams' choice to play the villain in the sequel to "Star Trek." More fuss was kicked up in the...
- 12/5/2011
- The Playlist
One of our all-time favorite supporting ladies staged a big return Memorial Day weekend, with Stacey Dash's starring turn on VH1's "Single Ladies."
The Queen Latifah-produced primetime soap has "Sex and the City" aspirations, and for a lot of viewers, it may be their first time seeing Dash since she introduced "hymenally challenged" and "vehicular sex" to the pop culture lexicon as Dionne Davenport in "Clueless."
She's been a busy little bee, though. Here are some of our favorite (and least favorite) uses of her talent since we fell in love with her in 1995...
Low: "Illegal in Blue," 1995
Capitalizing on a "Clueless" boost, this direct-to-video noir came out around the same time as Dash's theatrical breakthrough. Unfortunately, it also included a pretty gritty sex scene.
High: "Clueless: the series," 1996-1999
Alicia Silverstone may have had "better things" to do after the film -- we saw "Excess Baggage,...
The Queen Latifah-produced primetime soap has "Sex and the City" aspirations, and for a lot of viewers, it may be their first time seeing Dash since she introduced "hymenally challenged" and "vehicular sex" to the pop culture lexicon as Dionne Davenport in "Clueless."
She's been a busy little bee, though. Here are some of our favorite (and least favorite) uses of her talent since we fell in love with her in 1995...
Low: "Illegal in Blue," 1995
Capitalizing on a "Clueless" boost, this direct-to-video noir came out around the same time as Dash's theatrical breakthrough. Unfortunately, it also included a pretty gritty sex scene.
High: "Clueless: the series," 1996-1999
Alicia Silverstone may have had "better things" to do after the film -- we saw "Excess Baggage,...
- 5/31/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
There’s plenty of guns, violence and one-liners, as we count down the best 12 Hollywood action movies of the 1990s…
What is an action film? That's been the tricky question that we've had to unconvincingly answer before putting this list of titles together.
Personally, I'm a massive fan of the Harrison Ford movie Clear And Present Danger, but have held off including it here because the action moments are few and far between (there's one really good sequence, but not too much else action-wise). And to be fair, one or two of the movies that have made the cut here could have a similar argument at least wafted in their direction. It's not been an easy list to compile.
But the 12 I've picked here - and I've kept it to Hollywood blockbuster flicks - are action movies at heart, even if the accelerator is relaxed for periods within the films chosen.
What is an action film? That's been the tricky question that we've had to unconvincingly answer before putting this list of titles together.
Personally, I'm a massive fan of the Harrison Ford movie Clear And Present Danger, but have held off including it here because the action moments are few and far between (there's one really good sequence, but not too much else action-wise). And to be fair, one or two of the movies that have made the cut here could have a similar argument at least wafted in their direction. It's not been an easy list to compile.
But the 12 I've picked here - and I've kept it to Hollywood blockbuster flicks - are action movies at heart, even if the accelerator is relaxed for periods within the films chosen.
- 6/17/2010
- Den of Geek
Who remembers 1997? I know, it was a very long time ago, but it was a special year in that it gave us two slightly similar romantic comedies based around Stockholm syndrome. The first to be released, Excess Baggage, co-stars Benicio del Toro as a car thief and unintentional kidnapper who falls for the rich brat (Alicia Silverstone) he's accidentally abducted. Two months later there was Danny Boyle's better version, A Life Less Ordinary, in which Cameron Diaz plays the spoiled rich girl who falls for her captor (Ewan McGregor). Why am I taking this nostalgic trip into the dueling rom-coms of yesteryear, you ask? Because Deadline reports that Del Toro and Diaz have been perfectly cast together in a new romantic comedy with the awesomely bad pun title An Ex to Grind.
Based on a novel by Jane Heller, the movie will unfortunately not involve a kidnapping. However, it...
Based on a novel by Jane Heller, the movie will unfortunately not involve a kidnapping. However, it...
- 4/21/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
Here comes another rom-com, except this time there's no sight of Katherine Heigl or Jennifer Aniston. Fox acquired the rights to An Ex To Grind, a novel by Jane Heller. In a packaged deal with the rights, came Benicio Del Toro and Cameron Diaz starring opposite one another. That's correct, but Benicio has taken this leap before with another blonde. Anyone remember Excess Baggage with Alicia Silverstone? It's the story of a star athlete (Del Toro) who supports his waitress wife (Diaz)...
- 4/20/2010
- by Niki Stephens
- JoBlo.com
We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.
The genre doesn’t seem to matter anymore, every movie seems to boil down to the onscreen pair. Even supernatural movies like Twilight thrive on the romance aspect. Forget the plot, forget the jokes, it’s all about the chemistry onscreen. You either have it or you don’t. It’s too early to tell, but looks like Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler’s latest outing is going to be another dud for this exact reason. Besides Marley and Me, Aniston hasn’t shined on the big screen, and we can chalk that one up to a dog. This time she’s opposite Butler and nothing against him, but the two just don’t seem to click like you want from your onscreen couple.
In honor of what I’m expecting to be some pretty nauseating chemistry in The Bounty Hunter, I...
The genre doesn’t seem to matter anymore, every movie seems to boil down to the onscreen pair. Even supernatural movies like Twilight thrive on the romance aspect. Forget the plot, forget the jokes, it’s all about the chemistry onscreen. You either have it or you don’t. It’s too early to tell, but looks like Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler’s latest outing is going to be another dud for this exact reason. Besides Marley and Me, Aniston hasn’t shined on the big screen, and we can chalk that one up to a dog. This time she’s opposite Butler and nothing against him, but the two just don’t seem to click like you want from your onscreen couple.
In honor of what I’m expecting to be some pretty nauseating chemistry in The Bounty Hunter, I...
- 3/18/2010
- by Calhoun Kersten
- The Scorecard Review
Subject: Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (a.k.a., Benicio del Toro), 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor
Date of Assessment: February 12, 2010
Positive Buzzwords: Subtle, restrained, captivating
Negative Buzzwords: Mumbling, marble-mouth, mrrphhh
The Case: I'll be totally honest here and admit that I was pretty late to latch onto the Benicio del Toro phenomenon. He never really registered on my radar for his role in Big Top Peewee or while playing a James Bond villain (the youngest one in history) in License to Kill, and neither of these films were exactly worth re-exploring for the purposes for this column. It suffices to say that, when I first took notice of Benicio, it was when he starred opposite Alicia Silverstone in the ill-conceived caper Excess Baggage. Boy, did I feel sorry for him, but the fellow did make an impression (even over an unusually lackluster Christopher Walken) as the only salvageable aspect of the movie.
Date of Assessment: February 12, 2010
Positive Buzzwords: Subtle, restrained, captivating
Negative Buzzwords: Mumbling, marble-mouth, mrrphhh
The Case: I'll be totally honest here and admit that I was pretty late to latch onto the Benicio del Toro phenomenon. He never really registered on my radar for his role in Big Top Peewee or while playing a James Bond villain (the youngest one in history) in License to Kill, and neither of these films were exactly worth re-exploring for the purposes for this column. It suffices to say that, when I first took notice of Benicio, it was when he starred opposite Alicia Silverstone in the ill-conceived caper Excess Baggage. Boy, did I feel sorry for him, but the fellow did make an impression (even over an unusually lackluster Christopher Walken) as the only salvageable aspect of the movie.
- 2/12/2010
- by Agent Bedhead
In this spring's The Bounty Hunter, Gerard Butler plays a man hired to track down his bail-skipping ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston. Shame spiral alert: Now I can't stop thinking about 1997's Excess Baggage, because the damsels-in-"distress" in both films use their cell phones while locked in the trunk. I was a little obsessed with Alicia Silverstone's yellow jacket in that terrible movie, which I watched all the time because it was never not on cable. Anyway, are you guys handcuffed to the idea of Gerard Butler as an ultimate rom-com hearthrob? Do you like the trailer or do you...
- 12/18/2009
- by Annie Barrett
- EW.com - PopWatch
I wish I found out about this sooner, but the recently opened New York chapter of the Standard Hotel has installed this amazing video art in their elevator. As guests go up and down floors, they'll see this collage of video clips meant to depict the ascension from Hell to Heaven, or the other way around, if you're going to the lobby.
{vimeo}5082155{/vimeo}
The project is titled Civilization, put together by artist Marco Brambilla (director of Demolition Man and Excess Baggage) and design studio Crush. It's comprised of close to 500 looping pop culture clips, many of them popular and classic movies. Can you identify them all?
There's Ghostbusters, 300, Superman 2, The Seven Year Itch, The Fall, Sin City, Rent, Scarface, Enchanted, The Lord of the Rings, Zardoz, Planet Terror, Close Encounters of the Third Kind... It goes on and on! Crazy stuff.
To see more details, watch it in high-definition here.
{vimeo}5082155{/vimeo}
The project is titled Civilization, put together by artist Marco Brambilla (director of Demolition Man and Excess Baggage) and design studio Crush. It's comprised of close to 500 looping pop culture clips, many of them popular and classic movies. Can you identify them all?
There's Ghostbusters, 300, Superman 2, The Seven Year Itch, The Fall, Sin City, Rent, Scarface, Enchanted, The Lord of the Rings, Zardoz, Planet Terror, Close Encounters of the Third Kind... It goes on and on! Crazy stuff.
To see more details, watch it in high-definition here.
- 7/10/2009
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
One of my pals emailed me today about an interesting video mural that's installed in the elevator of the Standard Hotel in New York City. Displayed through the glass wall inside the elevator is a surreal, short film created by director Marco Brambilla, the guy that gave us the cheesy '90s flicks Demolition Man and Excess Baggage and then fell off of Hollywood's radar. Brambilla was asked by the owner of the Standard Hotel to think up a film that the elevator passengers could watch while going up or down. Given complete autonomy to dream up whatever he liked, Brambilla came up with "Civilization", a three-minute video showing a journey from Hell to Heaven -- or, if you're headed from a top floor down, Heaven to Hell -- using clips from hundreds of Hollywood movies over the years. The end product is fascinating, trippy, mesmerizing and I would imagine...
- 7/5/2009
- by Patrick Sauriol
- Corona's Coming Attractions
Marco Brambilla, director of the miniseries Dinotopia, has come aboard to helm Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Films' Sector Seven. There is no start date yet. The special effects-laden live-action project, written by Zack Helm, is based on the 1999 illustrated children's book of the same name by David Wiesner. It is a fantastical tale about a little boy who, on a class visit to the Empire State Building, gets whisked away by a friendly cloud to Sector Seven, a factorylike place where clouds are shaped and then distributed. The clouds ask him to draw them new shapes, and he does. By the time he is discovered by those who run the factory and is sent back down to rejoin his class, his new shapes are already in the sky. Ted Hope also is producing the project. Brambilla and Helm are both repped by CAA. Brambilla directed the features Excess Baggage and Demolition Man.
- 10/31/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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