Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
Oscar Accountants Predicted Their ‘Unlikely’ Envelope Mixup Days Before the Awards
It was the Best Picture Winner announcement heard ’round the world; for just a brief, hilariously awkward moment in time, when La La Land was erroneously declared the big winner of Oscar night 2017, we forgot all about our current political turmoil and embraced the total madness of Envelopegate. How could such a ridiculous mixup happen? The explanation for the confusion is fairly simple, but, in a twist befitting the ongoing insanity of this whole debacle, the dependable accountants of PricewaterhouseCoopers may have predicted their own error just days before the awards. The plot thickens.
New Netflix Instant Releases: March 2017
Start marking your calendars now (and apologize to your loved ones in advance for your lack of interaction) because Netflix is looking pretty stacked in March. In addition to the usual assortment of recent releases, old favorites and contemporary classics, next month brings premieres of new Netflix Original series like Love Season 2, Grace and Frankie Season 3, and — last but far from least — the latest addition to Marvel’s Defenders lineup.
What’s Leaving Netflix Instant: March 2017
Just as dozens of new titles are being added to the Netflix Instant library each month, so must several others disappear. As you get ready for all the great new films and TV shows arriving in March, now would be a good time to make some room in your queue — starting with all the titles that are expiring from the streaming service next month, including favorites like Jaws and a pair of DC’s animated Justice League films.
New Amazon Prime Instant Video Releases – March 2017
It’s that time again — Amazon has unveiled the latest additions hitting the Prime Instant Video service in March, including recent favorites like Everybody Wants Some!! (do they? They do) and What We Do in the Shadows. Next month also brings the premieres of Amazon Original films The Dressmaker and Gimme Danger, along with new seasons of Hand of God and Orphan Black.
No…One…Sings ‘Gaston’ Like Luke Evans’ Gaston in New ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Clip
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for ever since Disney announced this live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast: The Gaston song. Listen, this “tale as old as time” is sweet and magical and all that other wonderful stuff, but it’s okay to admit that you’re 100 percent here for Luke Evans as the nefarious, narcissistic master of swagger, performing what is, with apologies to Angela Lansbury, the actual greatest song from Beauty and the Beast (don’t @ me).
Will Smith Won’t Be Starring in Tim Burton’s Live-Action ‘Dumbo’ Movie After All
After starring in a handful of disappointing films, including last year’s Collateral Beauty and Suicide Squad, it sure would be nice to see Will Smith star in a decent movie again. Bad Boys 3, which was recently delayed, could be that film — maybe, possibly — but Disney’s new Dumbo movie seemed like more of a sure thing given the studio’s reliable formula for live-action remakes. Recent reports revealed that Smith was in talks to star in Tim Burton’s reimagining of the classic Disney film; unfortunately, those talks are no longer happening.
Must Watch: Keanu Reeves Was an Awkward Teen Reporter on a Kids’ TV Show
If someone asked you to recall Keanu Reeves’ earliest acting gig, you might think of Parenthood or Babes in Toyland. As it turns out, the intensely likable star of John Wick: Chapter 2 started his career a bit earlier than that, and like us non-famous folks, Reeves’ first job wasn’t exactly pleasant; in fact, it was kiiiiiind of awkward, but that just makes this little-seen footage of Reeves as a teenage reporter on a Canadian kids’ show all the more rewarding.
‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ LEGO Sets Reveal New Looks at LEGO Bane, Two-Face, Batwing and More
If you like your toys to be as meta as possible, then you’re definitely going to want to make a little room in your budget for The LEGO Batman Movie LEGO sets. Yes, the LEGO version of the iconic superhero is getting his very own LEGO sets, featuring LEGO Bat-vehicles, LEGO Bat-villains and much more. As we’ve noted before, it’s kind of amazing to see toy sets based on a movie that’s based on a toy that’s based on a superhero.
Mel Gibson Is Trumping the 2017 Oscars
When the 2017 Academy Award nominees were announced this morning, the list offered the usual array of snubs and surprises — the latter of which ranged from pleasant to baffling; Moonlight picked up eight nods and a record number of black actors were nominated (Oscars #NotSoWhite this year), while Passengers picked up two nods (they just had to give that movie something, didn’t they). As expected, many of this year’s picks feel “safe”; it says something when the most divisive nominee is a musical about jazz — or is it? Maybe the Academy’s La La Land love and its increased inclusivity are distracting from the low-key elephant in the room.
Steve Harvey’s Apology for Racist Comments Is Tepid at Best
Steve Harvey has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. In addition to meeting with president-elect Donald Trump, Harvey kicked up some controversy with a recent segment on his talk show, in which he made racist comments about the Asian community. Not long after, author and chef Eddie Huang responded with a poignant, thoughtful essay in the New York Times, which in turn inspired Harvey to do what most celebrities do when they receive backlash for their ignorant actions: Deliver a half-hearted apology in the hopes that all will be forgiven and forgotten.
Will Smith in Talks for Disney’s Live-Action ‘Dumbo’ Movie
If you’ve ever wondered what a Tim Burton movie starring Will Smith would look like, you might find out relatively soon. The actor is reportedly circling a role in Disney’s live-action remake of Dumbo, which Burton has been attached to direct for some time now. After delivering the disappointing one-two punch of Suicide Squad and Collateral Beauty, Smith sure could use a win, and joining Disney’s growing empire of live-action remakes seems like a pretty safe bet.
The Best Movies of 2016 (According to Britt Hayes)
According to most people (on the internet, which is where most people live now), 2016 was horrific. It was a year in which we lost some of our best and brightest artists, a year in which we elected a president who will, according to Kate McKinnon’s Hilary Clinton, “kill us all,” and it was a year in which many blockbusters fulfilled the “bust” end of that promise. Despite all of this, 2016 delivered some truly remarkable films; because of all of this, we needed them.
Martin Scorsese Will Use CGI Sorcery to Make Robert De Niro Young Again in ‘The Irishman’
A helpful mantra to repeat to yourself while reading this article might be “I trust Martin Scorsese. I trust Martin Scorsese. I trust Martin Scorsese.” And whatever you do, try to envision Benjamin Button and not, say, a certain baffling posthumous CGI rendering featured in Rogue One. That said, here’s the news: Martin Scorsese is planning to use advanced CGI technology to de-age Robert De Niro in The Irishman — come to think of it, they’ve been planning this movie for so long that de-aging De Niro seems reasonable.
List Reveals Every Film Jackie Kennedy Watched in the White House, From James Bond to ‘Sabrina’
As it turns out, Jackie Kennedy didn’t just have great taste in fashion and furnishings — she was also something of a cinephile. A newly-released list reveals every film the former First Lady watched during her all-too-brief time in the White House, from home movies and TV specials (including her own) to James Bond and, in an eyebrow-raising move, the Marilyn Monroe classic The Misfits.
‘Sesame Street’ Movie Gets Moving Again With ‘Night at the Museum 3’ Writers
Following a major relocation from PBS to HBO, Sesame Street is plotting another big move: This time to a theater near you. Warner Bros. is developing a feature-length, live-action film based on the venerable children’s educational series. Sure, it’s an easy mark for a typical nostalgia cash-in, but it’s also hard to complain about a Sesame Street movie given everything that the series stands for — and in the wake of our recent election, we could probably use a few sunny days.
Natalie Portman Makes Funeral Arrangements in the New ‘Jackie’ Trailer
Among the usual biopics and awards season fare, Jackie has emerged as an intriguing contender — an atypical biopic about one of America’s most famous tragedies, told from the perspective of our most iconic First Lady, and directed by a Chilean filmmaker (who has not one, but two biopics hitting theaters this December). Following its premiere at TIFF in September, Jackie immediately became one of our most anticipated films of this awards season, and this new trailer isn’t making us any less patient for its release.