ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY OFFERS SNEAK PEEK ONLINE OF ITS ANNUAL SPECIAL COMIC CON ISSUE TO BE DISTRIBUTED ONLY AT THE SAN DIEGO EVENT: EXCLUSIVE IT CHAPTER TWO IMAGES AND COVER STORY

EW’s Two Covers Align Vertically to Form the Sinister Red Balloon

EW’s special issue covers align vertically to form the sinister red balloon

Entertainment Weekly exclusively shares images and information about IT Chapter Two, the terrifying follow up to the 2017 horror movie, IT.

While a sneak peek of the covers and story is available today at EW.com, EW’s special collectible Comic Con issue will be distributed ONLY at next week’s San Diego Comic Con. One of the covers is an image of the adult cast who make up The Losers’ Club and the other cover features the nightmarish Pennywise. When stacked, the two covers form a key symbol from the IT franchise – the red balloon. The stacked vertical image will be shared on EW’s social channels.

Highlights from the cover story about IT Chapter Two include:

Director Andy Muschietti: “People who love the first one will love the second one. The emotional journey is probably doubled. The stakes are doubled. Pennywise wants revenge.”

Bill Skarsgård, who plays the evil clown Pennywise: “He’s scarier and he’s angrier. There’s a couple of very brutal things in the film.”

For the adult actors who form The Losers’ Club in this sequel set 27 years later, there was some fun to be had on set between the scary scenes.

Jessica Chastain, who plays the adult Beverly Marsh, says that when the characters reconvened at a Chinese restaurant on set in the fictional Derry “We had so much fun (shooting the sequence.) We literally sat, pretending to drink shots and eat Chinese food for two days.”

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The X-Men series has always been rich with relevant storytelling material. When films or television tell hyper-realistic stories of socially ostracised groups being subjected to violence discrimination, the people who experience those traumas in their day-to-day life are not able to enjoy those works of fiction with the same level of escapism that other entertainment media has. The X-Men are systematically oppressed and degraded by the social majority, non-mutants, who are regarded as the normative standard and hold all the government power and the resources that go with it. However, the X-Men also have extraordinary powers and seem larger than life while still being deeply human in the emotional struggles they go through. They're relatable to socially ostracised viewers and they are always the heroes of the story. This is the core of why the X-Men is so beloved to a diverse group of viewers.

As we all know, this is the end of the X-Men film series that has been running for almost twenty years. We still have The New Mutants to look forward to, if the studio would just hurry up and release it already, but this is the swan song for these core characters in their current form. Instead of taking the predictable route of having the X-Men fight yet another outside threat, be it another powered force of the human race at large, they must deal with a more dangerous side of Jean Grey and her powers.

Being that this is the end for these characters that fans have grown to love over the last twenty years, it's a nice choice to keep the focus on them. The story is an intimate exploration of not only the bonds that they've forged with one another but of how childhood trauma not only lingers but festers into adulthood when it's not properly dealt with. People tend to have a more clear understanding of physical trauma when it's external such as bruises, cuts, scars, or other things of that nature. What people don't always understand is that traumatic experiences, both physical or mental, can alter your brain chemistry which can in turn lead to a multitude of other problems. Sophie Turner researched certain psychological disorders to prepare for this portrayal and develop her characterisation.

What's important to understand about mental illnesses is that they can manifest because of trauma. When you experience something traumatic in life, be it physical or emotional, or both, it can alter your brain chemistry. Your brain is so crucial in dictating who you are and how you are as a person. People who have accidents where they get hit in the head, as an example, are experiencing another method of inflicting trauma on the brain. As a result, those people might undergo significant changes in their personality depending on which part of the brain is damaged.

Dark Phoenix effectively digs deep into Jean's traumas, and how being forced to confront them effects herself and her loved ones. Sophie Turner's performance is fantastic, and the other stand-out are James McAvoy Michael Fassbender, and even Nicholas Hoult. Since Jean is the character that's central to the story, her sickness and the damage it causes are the main driving forces of the story. The way Jean's relationship with Charles is explored is beautifully moving and exemplifies the recurring theme of 'found family' that's been so prevalent throughout the X-Men series. Charles is unwavering in stressing to Jean that she is not nor has she ever been something broken or wrong. Considering how long the X-Men series has been a vehicle for stories about discrimination and bigotry it's only natural to expand this to cover mental health, as it is another issue that remains highly stigmatised and makes people feel alone and lesser.

The other villain of the film is Vuk, who serves as an interesting addition to the story. She acts as a dual angel/devil-on-the-shoulder figure to Jean, with the sale tipping far more so in the direction of devil. There are always outside forces which pose threats to the X-Men and in addition to the rich character content Vuk facilitates for Jean, the alien force she's leading are the reason for some truly incredible action in the third act. Other mash-up/superhero films have displayed a propensity for spreading everyone out so the bond between them is not showcased during the bigger action sequences. Properly intertwining the actions of the X-Men during a fight scene shows that they trust each other, have a close bond, and in all likelihood a long history of training and going on mission together. Overall, Dark Phoenix is a truly fresh addition to the X-Men franchise, and an emotionally moving conclusion to the films.

Dark Phoenix is playing in cinemas worldwide.

Watch the full "Dark Phoenix" review here:

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20th Century Fox is excited to debut the FIRST global trailer for their highly anticipated cinematic adventure, THE MARTIAN! Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

Also, be sure to head to IMDb's twitter page at 10am PT/1pm ET for an exclusive twitter chat with Author Andy Weir and Screenwriter Drew Goddard!

Watch the DEBUT trailer HERE: 

THE MARTIAN hits theaters everywhere November 2015!

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THE MARTIAN

Action-Adventure, in 3D

November 2015 

Director: Ridley Scott

Screenplay by: Drew Goddard

Based on the Novel by: Andy Weir

Producers: Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer, Aditya Sood, Mark Huffam

Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie and Chiwetel Ejiofor 

SYNOPSIS

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

THE MARTIAN Official Channels

SITE: TheMartianMovie.com

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/MartianMovie

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MartianMovie

YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/TheMartianMovie

INSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/MartianMovie

OFFICIAL HASHTAG: #TheMartian

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Tom Hiddleston steps into the role of another villain and the results are stupendous! Teaming Tom Hiddleston with the brilliance of director Guillermo del Toro almost seems too good to be true.

Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak.

Legendary Pictures’ Crimson Peak, a co-production with Universal Pictures, is a haunting gothic horror story directed by the master of dark fairy tales, Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy series, Pacific Rim), written by del Toro & Matthew Robbins and starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam and Jim Beaver.

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds… and remembers. Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, del Toro and Callum Greene produce, and Jillian Share executive produces.

 Watch the first trailer for CRIMSON PEAK, in theaters this October.

 

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Indie Film’s Top Pin-Up Girls

Debuting on Blu-ray and DVD Oct. 30

Writer/actress Zoe Kazan stars in Ruby Sparks -- her first feature film as a screenwriter as well -- as the title character that is created out of Calvin’s (Paul Dano) mind as he is writing his latest novel. Here, we’ll outline our other favorite “Indie Film Ladies” including Brit Marling, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Olsen and Jessica Chastain.

From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine comes a “charming and delightful” (Marshall Fine,Huffingtonpost.com) romantic comedy starring Paul Dano and writer-actress Zoe Kazan.  Struggling with writer’s block and a lackluster love life, once-famous novelist Calvin (Dano) creates a beautiful fictitious character named Ruby (Kazan) who inspires him. But not only does this bring his work to life- it also brings Ruby to life- literally! Face-to-face with an actual relationship with his once virtual girlfriend, Calvin must now decide whether to pen this love story or let it write itself. Also starring Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas and Elliott Gould, Ruby Sparks is a smart coming-of-age story that proves true love can be remarkably magical.

Brit Marling

This blonde-haired beauty has written and starred in two sci-fi-esque Fox Searchlight films: Sound of My Voice and Another Earth. In the latter, she stars as Rhoda Williams, a young girl whose entire life is thrown for a loop when she crosses paths with a composer in a tragic accident. In Sound of My Voice, she portrays the mysterious Maggie, a cult leader who claims to be from the future. Now, she’s working on her latest outing with Voice director Zal Batmanglij, The East, which stars Marling alongside Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgard and Patricia Clarkson.

Every life is death, and most deaths are suicides. Some are just more gradual than others.--Maggie

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey turned heads when she starred in the hit romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer alongside Joseph Gordon–Levitt as Summer, a girl not sold on true love. The bright-eyed comic talent is now starring in the popular sitcom New Girl on Fox as another quirky and offbeat chick with a sense of humor trying to figure out life in her early thirties.

You weren't wrong, Tom. You were just wrong about me. -- Summer

Elizabeth Olsen

The other Olsen sister has been busy making a name for herself with smaller, critically acclaimed films, like the tense and dramatic Martha Marcy May Marlene. In the film, Olsen plays Martha, a traumatized ex-member of an abusive cult trying to separate her past’s memories from her current day-to-day. Olsen has several films in the works including Theresa Raquin and Very Good Girls.

I am a teacher and a leader. -- Martha

Jessica Chastain

2011 was the year of Jessica Chastain as she starred in seven films, including The Help, The Debt and The Tree of Life.  In The Tree of Life, Chastain stars opposite Brad Pitt as Mrs. O’Brien the matriarch of a family in Texas in 1956. Told through the eyes of her eldest son, Jack, the story revolves around the family’s struggles and hardships that leave lasting impressions on their children. Chastain has not slowed down since last year and can be seen in next year’s Mama and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

Grace doesn't try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries. – Mrs. O’Brien

Zoe Kazan

The granddaughter of famed filmmaker Elia Kazan, Zoe Kazan had movie making in her blood at a young age. After acting in several movies like It’s Complicated and Happythankyoumoreplease, Kazan wrote her first feature film this year with Ruby Sparks. Kazan also stars as the title character in the movie that tells the story of famed writer Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) as he creates the love of his life on paper, and she miraculously comes appears in his apartment. Kazan has several films in the works that she stars in, including the newest from Joss Whedon – In Your Eyes.

Just don't tell me how it ends, okay? -- Ruby

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