Movies

Brie Larson can't catch a break in the world of Marvel -- something she acknowledged this weekend with a snarky answer ... for which the internet is once again criticizing her.

The actress was on hand Saturday at the D23 Expo -- where Disney showcased a ton of new stuff they got coming out. One of those projects, "The Marvels," involves Brie and her character Captain Marvel ... only this time, it'll include other ladies with Marvel-like powers.

While she was doing press outside the main stage area, she was asked a pretty straightforward question -- how long do you think you'll continue to play Capt. Marvel?

Her answer's telling. She says she frankly doesn't know, openly wondering/questioning whether people actually want her to take up the mantle any more than she already has. It was a little tense, and the interviewer tried lightening the mood ... to no real avail.

Now, the backlash ... Brie's catching flak from a good amount of folks replying to this video in the comments -- with their main gripe being, why is she making such a big passive-aggressive stink over such a layup of a question ... especially with this saga being years old.

We'll spare you the details of it all, but essentially ... when Brie was cast as Captain Marvel back in 2018 and with its release in 2019, there was a lot of seemingly random hate aimed at her -- for a variety of reasons not even we understand. Her haters say she's simply unlikable -- her advocates say she's the victim of blatant misogyny by a rabid fan base.

The apparent dislike for her wasn't just confined to Twitter either -- there were reports of her movie and others she was affiliated with around the time getting review bombed by people who simply wanted to spite her ... again, for reasons ill-defined and out of nowhere.

Some have said her support of more diverse casts/critic pools -- via inclusion riders, etc. -- might be a catalyst ... but in any case, Brie's obviously aware of the target on her back. FWIW, Brie's also getting a lot of folks rushing to her defense ... but it's a mixed bag.

Of course, she's going to do this newest movie -- which comes out next year -- where she'll reprise her character ... but with all the grief she's getting, we wouldn't be surprised if she hangs it up and moves on from the Mouse House.

Steven Spielberg has done it again -- his latest flick got a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival this weekend ... and the Oscar buzz is so loud you'd think it was a chainsaw.

The iconic moviemaker got a packed room of ticketholders at TIFF Saturday to rise to their feet once the credits started to roll at the conclusion of his newest offering, 'The Fabelmans,' which is inspired by his own life and family ... and story about how he got into filmmaking.

According to critics and journos who were there ... it's being considered a masterpiece, and perhaps one of SS' best projects to date -- which is saying something, of course.

The premise is about a kid growing up with a creative mother who's into the arts and feeds her son's passion for filming -- while the father is more grounded and pushing the boy into a more stable career. Supposedly, it's part dramedy, part biopic ... and most say it's fantastic.

Essentially, it's Spielberg's love letter to cinema -- and based on the response it's getting so far ... some feel a frontrunner at the Oscars has emerged, including on the acting front.

Michelle Williams is getting rave reviews for her stellar performance -- and Paul Dano, too, is receiving kudos for a job well done. Considering the Academy's long history of loving/voting for movies about movies, this one is sure to do well come awards season.

Halle Bailey finally showed the world what she looks like as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" reboot, but per usual -- Twitter's found a way to ruin it ... by tearing down Jodi Benson.

Here's the deal ... Disney dropped the new 'Little Mermaid' trailer Friday, and while most everyone was in awe of the first look at Halle under the sea -- some couldn't help but draw comparisons to the original voice actor who played Ariel back '89 ... that'd be JB.

Some were grabbing clips from the animated film, including iconic singing parts, and putting them up side by side with Halle's -- going on to mock Jodi's performance, by saying she sounds "a little flat."

There was more mocking ... including folks posting shots of Halle's Ariel next to the animated Ariel and noting that HB has a ton of Grammys noms, while cartoon Ariel (aka, Jodi) had zero. FWIW, 'The Little Mermaid' did in fact win a handful of Grammys at the time.

Bottom line though ... they're besmirching the iconic work Jodi did all those years ago.

There was also someone who was trying to create drama between these two ... which appears to be completely manufactured. They posted a screenshot of what looks to be a post on Jodi's IG story, showing a photo of animated Ariel with the caption, "Love my Ariel."

The Twitter user who grabbed this is trying to make it seem like Jodi posted this in response to the trailer coming out -- and as a shot at Halle, but that's not the case ... it's an old post.

Fact is, Jodi has been nothing but supportive over Halle's casting -- something a good handful on the bird app noted as they tried to shut down this anti-Jodi narrative building among rabid Halle stans. The question ... why can't we celebrate each woman's take???

There's been some racist uproar over the fact Halle, who's Black, was cast at all in this role -- and now, this response seems to be extreme opposite reaction -- at the expense of Jodi.

Harrison Ford doesn't tear up much, but for his new 'Indiana Jones' movie -- he did just that ... promising it'll leave an impression.

The legendary actor was on hand Saturday during the D23 Expo, where the Mouse House is showing off a ton of projects they got in the works ... and the fifth installment to the beloved franchise was among the most highly anticipated.

Word is, they showed the first trailer for 'IJ5' ... and right afterward, HF came out on stage himself to talk to the crowd which had packed the place. It was here that he got emotional.

Check it out -- Harrison says this latest turn as Indy packs a punch, and not just that ... but he says it has a lot of heart, just the originals did. While saying this, the dude seemed to get a little choked up -- to which the audience responded positively with cheers and applause.

He also shouted out his costar, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who's also in the flick -- saying she's a big reason why this one rocks. As he puts it, 'Indy 5' will "kick your ass."

Also of note ... Harrison says this is gonna be his last outing as the titular character, telling the crowd this is the last time he falls down for us. The guy's literally 80 years old, so ... totally understandable.

In any case, sounds like this will be one you can't miss.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has caused confusion in America, because apparently lots of folks were wiping away tears thinking another queen had passed.

Queen Latifah is been trending for more than a day, according to Hip-HopDX   ... because lots of folks thought she was the one who left this earth.

Think about it ... if you were playing "Family Feud" and the clue was "Most Famous Queen," the #1 answer would clearly be QEII but Latifah would come in a strong second.

According to the outlet, the whole thing started after someone tweeted, “I told my mama the Queen died, she talking about ‘LATIFAH ????'” It became a game of telephone, and the rumor spread like wildfire!

Another group tried to reassure the panicked that the beloved, 52-year-old actress/rapper was alive and well.

Funny enough, Latifah told James Corden awhile back, after her 1996 hit, “Set it Off,” she put a “no death” clause in her acting contracts so she couldn’t get killed off in future flicks ... “When I first started doing movies, I always had these death scenes … and apparently I died too well. And then I caught on, like wait a minute, if I die in these movies, I can’t be in the sequel!”

New York was hoppin' Friday night in the Midtown area of the Big Apple, because tons of celebs hit up the town for a swanky party.

The Harper's BAZAAR 2022 Icons Party was packed with stars who put on their Friday night best, including Jack Harlow, Drew Barrymore, Alicia Silverstone, Heidi Klum & Tommy Hilfiger.

The backdrop for the shindig was, appropriately, the iconic Bloomingdales building.

The party kicks off Fashion Week. Is it just us or does it seem like there's a Fashion Week every month?

Jack was super snazzy in his black suit. Heidi and Alicia followed suit, but Drew went more colorful. Tommy was his sophisticated self.

And then there's Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui and Ashley Graham ... they got snapped during a chit-chat and ... wow!

There was entertainment courtesy of Jack, who performed a 20-minute set that included "Already Best Friends," "Industry Baby," and "I Wanna See Some Ass."

Lots of other celebs showed as well, including Jared Leto, Winnie Harlow, Julia Fox, Cassie, Emily Ratajkowski and Dixie D'Amelio.

Harry Styles is leaning into the whole "I hawked a loogie on Chris Pine" story by leaning in on it ... which is exactly what he did Wednesday night in concert.

Harry performed to a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, where he told his fans he had just popped over to Venice to spit on his fellow costar of "Don't Worry Darling." No doubt he was trying to telegraph the story was BS, and the fans ate it up.

As you know, a video's been circulating that shows Harry taking his seat next to Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival and as he sits it looks like he spits on Chris's lap, and Chris reacts in a way that aligns with what lots of folks think.

Chris's rep called the story ridiculous, saying it never happened. However, a source very close to Chris tells TMZ the actor had said privately that it did indeed happen.

Discovery+ is scrapping an image from their latest Armie Hammer documentary that allegedly showed a gnarly bite mark ... and they're doing away with it because viewers are convinced it looks all too similar to a tattoo found online.

"House of Hammer" dives deep into the actor's sexual abuse allegations ... and features interviews with some of his former partners, including Courtney Vucekovich, who claimed he was a really hard biter.

As she goes into details, a picture of the alleged bite mark is shown ... she claims Hammer took the picture himself, although people online were quick to call out the familiar photo.

Viewers believe the mark looks identical to a tattoo that's on Pinterest -- not only do people see matching teeth marks, but they also think the fading lines going away from the center are the same, too.

Johnny Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez, has another star she's representing in court -- though the case has nothing to do with Amber Heard -- or a sour relationship, for that matter.

Camille and attorney Steve Cook from Brown Rudnick LLP are set to rep actress Q'orianka Kilcher, who's made a name for herself on the hit show "Yellowstone."

Kilcher was recently charged with worker's compensation insurance fraud by the State of California and has hired Camille and Steve to help her fight. We're told both attorneys will appear before a judge on her behalf Wednesday in Los Angeles.

As we reported -- Kilcher was hit with two counts of workers' comp insurance fraud earlier this year after an investigation by the California Dept. of Insurance. Officials say they found evidence that she'd improperly collected over $90,000 in disability benefits.

CDOI claims she was raking in thousands over the course of 2 years, stemming from a neck injury she reported suffering back in 2018 while filming "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" ... but officials claim she continued collecting disability benefits even while filming "Yellowstone" episodes in 2019.

A source close to Kilcher tells us she didn't do anything wrong, and the accident left her really messed up, leaving her 10% disabled for the rest of her life.

This collection, CDOI claims, continued until 2021 ... and now, she's up against felony charges. Camille and co. say their client is innocent and plan to vigorously defend Kilcher.

Camille and Steve tell us ... "We are determined to defend Ms. Kilcher in this important case which examines the inherent flaws in the disability compensation system. Ms. Kilcher is a well-respected and pioneering actress in Hollywood and we intend to clear her name."

Considering the success Brown Rudnick recently had with JD, you gotta figure Kilcher is gonna get the very best defense possible.

Chadwick Boseman's family can rest easier knowing the late actor's uncle has been found after going missing for a few days in South Carolina.

Tony Boseman was located Tuesday by the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, who said he was found walking about half a mile from his home -- near a wooded area, apparently -- which they say is stunning because they had previously done an extensive search.

A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office says Boseman was severely dehydrated, and taken to a local hospital for further medical attention.

The rep continued, "He has been reported missing a time or two here. We're hoping that this is the last and they can come up with some sort of game plan moving forward."

Tony was first reported missing on Sunday, though it's unclear exactly where he was during the entire time he was gone.

Major drama at the "Don't Worry Darling" premiere -- and we're not even talking about Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh ... this one's all Harry Styles and Chris Pine, with an apparent spit attack.

The internet is fiercely debating whether HS hocked one onto CP's lap right before the film started playing at the Venice Film Festival Monday ... and people are torn.

Watch the video ... you see Harry walk up to his seat -- which is sandwiched between costars Chris and Gemma Chan -- and just as he's about to plop down, he appears to somewhat bend forward and purse his lips in a spitting fashion. It's all very fast and smooth.

From the clip alone, it's difficult to say with certainty he actually spit or not -- but Chris' reaction certainly seems to suggest he, at the very least, thought he might've been spit on.

The dude pauses and looks down at his leg/his seat -- and also stops his clap completely -- only to look up in what appears to be comical disbelief that this just happened (or didn't?) Harry carries on as if nothing's amiss -- so the jury's still out on whether he did it or not.

There are a couple different angles of the "spit shot" ... and in some, it looks more clear than others, which could work in Harry's favor. However, one video of Chris standing up and applauding -- presumably after the credits rolled -- show him seeming a little tense.

We've reached out to Chris and Harry's reps for clarification, but no word back just yet. Neither star has addressed it either on their own at this point ... so for now, it's just speculation on Twitter.

American veejay, comedian and actor Pauly Shore was just 21 years old when he first gained fame as a veejay for the television network MTV back in 1989 and shortly after became a household name with a long list of iconic '90s movies credits.

Following his days with MTV, Shore took his on-camera hosting skills over to scripted films and wheezed himself into some of the best comedies in the '90s including "Encino Man," "Son in Law," "Bio-Dome," "In The Army Now" ... and even lent his voice to the out-there BFF Bobby in "A Goofy Movie."

LeBron James and Drake stole the rights to a movie about a segregated hockey league ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The NBA star and rapper are being sued for $10 million by Billy Hunter, the former head of the NBA players union, who claims he holds the exclusive legal rights to produce any movie about Canada's old Colored Hockey League.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Hunter claims LeBron and Drake used their production companies to go behind his back and sign a deal with the authors of a book their "Black Ice" hockey documentary is based on ... icing out Hunter in the process.

Problem is ... Hunter claims he had a deal with the guys who wrote, "Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925," where Hunter would hold the exclusive rights to produce a movie.

Hunter says he paid the authors, George and Darril Fosty, a combined $265,000 to lock up the movie rights to the story of a Canadian hockey league for Black players ... but says they worked out a side deal with LeBron and Drake.

In the suit, Hunter claims he confronted the Fosty brothers after hearing about their deal with LeBron and Drake and says the authors claimed the documentary did not violate their agreement with Hunter because a documentary is different than a movie ... a claim Hunter says is "absurd and made in bad faith."

Hunter, who was the head of the NBA players union when LeBron came into the league, is going after LBJ and Drake for a cut of the documentary's profits ... plus $10 million in damages.

A rep for Drake had no comment on the allegations.

Olivia Wilde doesn't sound like someone who is beefing with Florence Pugh ... shooting down the narrative there's infighting between director and actor.

Olivia addressed the elephant in the room Monday at a press conference for the movie she directed, "Don't Worry Darling," throwing cold water on the notion there's bad blood with the leading lady.

OW heaped tons of praise on FP at the Venice Film Festival in response to a question about clearing the air on the rumored falling out with Florence.

As we reported ... there's been tons of drama around "Don't Worry Darling," with rumors Florence was upset about how the shoot went down back in 2020, when OW reportedly started dating Harry Styles.

Olivia, Harry and Florence all arrived separately to Venice ... only fueling the rumors of simmering beef ... but Olivia explained Florence had been busy shooting the 'Dune' sequel in Budapest. For his part, Harry is fresh off a concert in NYC.

The gang all made it on time for the movie premiere though ... and took group pictures.

Bottom line for Olivia ... all the drama surrounding the film is just gossip and noise.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez hit up the annual Malibu Chili Cook-Off Sunday, and try as they might ... they walked away empty-handed after a game of hoops.

The newly-blended fam were all the buzz at the shindig ... with twins Max and Emme in tow -- and they stopped at the hoops game. Ben's a sports nut, so you'd think he might score a basket or even 2, but he tried 4 times, fully suffering from empty net syndrome.

J Lo stepped in, and although she's a triple threat with singing, dancing and acting, she shot her shot 3 times and failed.

They're back from their second honeymoon, and getting back to "normal" life by going to a carnival in the sweltering L.A. heat ... 100 degrees plus in many areas, and Malibu was no exception.

The Cook-Off is a tradition in the Bu ... attracting Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Donald Faison, Jack Osbourne, Evan Ross, Lana Del Rey and Amanda Bynes.

The Kardashians represented with Psalm, Chicago and True ... looks like Khloe brought them and was hanging on the beach with the brood, including North.

Tom Cruise is soaring to new heights -- and no, we're not talking about 'Top Gun' again ... this time, we're referring to his new 'Mission: Impossible' movie -- which looks insane.

Check out this clip that appears to have leaked online this weekend, without a traceable source. It's a PSA that Tom filmed a while back, which was supposedly shown during CinemaCon earlier this year and ahead of a 'Top Gun' screening there in Vegas.

Watch ... you see Tom standing on a biplane that's airborne, literally holding to nothing but a rig and talking into the camera -- which is filming him from another plane across the way.

He says he's filming the latest entry of the 'M:I' series -- seems to be 'Dead Reckoning Pt. 2,' which is currently filming -- and that he's excited to show it to people in on the big screen.

Midway through his speech, he's interrupted by director Christopher McQuarrie -- who's helming both Pt. 1 and Pt.1 -- to tell him that they're losing daylight and need to keep shooting ... this while he's flying his own biplane that pulls up right next to TC's.

Tom signs off by saying he'll see everyone at the movies -- and then, his and Chris' planes simultaneously then dip/nosedive to the left, with Tom simply hanging on ... still standing.

Chris actually posted a photo of Tom doing something just as nuts earlier this year to commemorate his 60th birthday ... with a separate plane shot, confirming the guy's once again doing his own stunts. TC is famous for onscreen feats, especially in the 'M:I' franchise.