Welcome to Michael Fassbender's Spy Era

I don't know what I was doing on Wednesday when this dropped that I didn't post about it -- that was even the day I shared with you Michael Fassbender in next to nothing on a spy show! But the first official image and the trailer for Black Bag -- Steven Soderbergh's spy thriller starring Fassy, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris (god I love Naomie Harris), Regé-Jean Page (hopefully he and Michael will make out), and oh right Mr. Bond, aka Pierce Brosnan himself -- all dropped that day so here is me catching up with that. Fassbender has done "spy thriller with Steven Soderbergh" before, having starred in the best scene in the director's 2011 actioner Haywire, but this looks like a very different beast (the "beast" being that asshole Gina Carano, natch -- good riddance to her). It's basically Mr. & Mrs. Smith just slightly more serious? I was going to say that it starred actors not movie stars but that shortchanges Fassbender & Blanchett on the movie star front as well as short changing Pitt & Jolie on the acting front so nevermind... but it's sort of that.

Anyway Black Bag is out on March 14th. 

Five Frames From ?

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The Superman Trailer Made Me Cry

It's true! Three times now! I watched it on my commute this morning and it had me blubbering like an infant on the train. I have no idea if James Gunn will land this when we see the full movie -- July 11th, 2025! Right in time for my birthday! -- but in the two-ish minutes of this trailer he filled me with a sense of Hope like no Superman movie has done since Christopher Reeve. And I don't mean hope for the movie -- hope that it will be good. I mean Hope in the broad, "hope for the world and for decency and kindness" sense. 

Which is a ridiculous thing to take away from a movie trailer but that is the feeling that Superman, at his absolute best, was invented to inspire. So to capture that feeling in two minutes of trailer is something. Granted we're in dark days right now so I am weak and susceptible to emotional swings and neediness! But I've been thinking how weird it is that entertainment hasn't at least tried to ape Depression-era uplift -- maybe we're too cynical now for it. I don't know. I just know this trailer stirred me. When that little kid clutches the flag and prays Superman's name, I absolutely fucking lost my shit. Watch:

Good Morning, World

I think about Park Chan-wook's series The Sympathizer a lot because everything that wasn't Robert Downey Jr. related was so great! I know this floats against the general consensus -- RDJ got the only awards nominations -- but I am in the right here. And it's a damned shame that his preening nonsense dragged the whole series down -- it's the first Park Chan-Wook joint I don't feel much need to revisit. And that makes me feel especially bad for its actual leading man Hoa Xuande here, who was really excellent, and really hot, on it. Hopefully Hoa pops up in more things, but I suppose for the moment I'll just have to make due with this photoshoot of him for GQ Australia for their "Men of the Year" issue (he is Australian). And thankfully it's a hot one! Hit the jump for the rest...

One Week To Get Your Ho On!

Hope your hollies are ready to get jollied y'all.

All Hail King Josh O'Connor

Every year my fine fellow folks and I over at Pajiba sing the praises of a heap of celebrity types for the "Pajiba 10" -- it's like Time magazine's "People of the Year" but without the retching effect. Anyway I took the 2024 opportunity to climb climb up Josh O'Connor mountain, so click on over here to read some words of love and devotion from me to Josh. Between Challengers and La Chimera it really was a banner for our beautiful big-eared boy!

That's My Kind of Advertising

Timmy C, the best who's ever done it.

Niels Schneider Seven Times

Since he's a French actor being photographed for a French magazine I couldn't tell you what Niel Schneider is promoting right now. But if it's just the fact that he is one of the hottest ones doing it right now then he's got my vote! My hope is that the James Bond franchise decides to go hella homoerotic next and they get Niels to play the villain / Bond Boy -- that's my hope. That's the perk up the franchise needs. But Hollywood very rarely listens to me -- probably because my answer to everything is "Make it gayer!" But one day! One day we will triumph. Anyway -- it's Niels! Hit the jump for more Niels...

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Pics of the Day

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A post shared by Jason Adams (@jasonaadams)

I had been bitching for awhile, in my extremely priviledged way, that the cast of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu hadn't been doing Q&As here in New York City the way they had been doing for the past several weeks all over the map -- well it turns out they were saving the best for last! And so last night I got to see the movie (a fourth time!) with Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, and Lily-Rose Depp all there alongside their director and above you'll see several videos and photos from the experience. And let me just tell you -- being five feet away from Nicky & Bill being buddy-buddy was certainly an experience. 

But unbelievably that was not the high point of the night -- the most memorable part of the evening came just beforehand when I was waiting in line for the screening in the movie theater's lobby. They have one of the repliucas of Nosferatu's sarcophogus in the Lincoln Square lobby (yes the same ones you can buy on Focus Features' website for 20K lol) and I was leaning on it while waiting to check in, when who should appear through the revolving doors but a live rat. 

Y’all a LITERAL FUCKING RAT just ran past my feet and under the #Nosferatu sarcophagus in the lobby of the AMC while I’m waiting in the line for a NOSFERATU screening — talk about viral marketing

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— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 5:01 PM

I feel like I should be making this story up given how prominent the press push about all the live rats they used in this movie has been, but I am 100% telling the truth. A rat came into the movie theater through the revolving doors and ran past my feet under the Nosferatu sarcophogus. I am not the only person who saw this -- the people in front of me in line did, and the PR rep for the movie leapt on her chair and screamed. I am in awe. Talk about getting me in the mood.

Anyway the movie plays better every time I watch it -- click here to read my review of the film if you haven't yet. or wait one week, see the movie in theaters yourself, and then read my review. Whatever. Just see this gangbusters horror flick. Eggers made something deeply fucked up in all of the right ways. Exceptional stuff.

Good Morning, World

I am running late this morning because I couldn't fall asleep last night, and while I was mindlessly scrolling the internet on my iPad in bed instead of sleeping -- I am the king of good habits! -- somewhere I don't now remember I stumbled upong these two pictures of a young Colin Farrell sitting on a bed being his Young Colin Farrell beautiful self. Is this not a good thing to get the day started with? I am tired but I feel better looking at this. 

Happy Birthday, Gregg Araki

Evil Comes Home Where it Belongs

I think I've posted the poster for Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Evil Does Not Exist a few times now but I will always take the chance again when it's given -- my favorite poster of the year, I think? Stunning poster, stunning film, and prepare yourselves to be stunned now at home because as foretold the movie has just dropped on blu-ray thanks to Criterion and their Janus Contemporaries line -- go snatch up a copy quick! This movie features prominently on my favorite films of 2024 (whenever I get around to announcing such things natch) and you won't want to miss it. It is streaming on Criterion Channel now too if you prefer to commit to seeing something before buying yourself a hard copy, but all that says to me is you don't trust my word and why would you want to commit an atrocity like that? Here before the holidays? What a bunch of ungrateful monsters! No but for serious go see this movie. It's straight up haunted me since NYFF 2023. One of the great movie endings of perhaps all time. 

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Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

All About My Mother (1999)

Huma: There are people who think that children are made in a day. But it takes a long time, a very long time. That's why it's so awful to see your child's blood on the ground. A stream that flows for a minute yet costs us years. When I found my son, he was lying in the middle of the street. I soaked my hands in his blood and I licked them. Because it was mine. Animals lick their young, don't they? I'm not disgusted by my son. You don't know what it's like. In a monstrance of glass and topaz. I would put the earth soaked by his blood.

Rest in peace to the legend and icon and Almodóvarian goddess Marisa Paredes, who apparently just passed at the age of 78. What a loss! You could spend the remainder of 2024 watching her great films and not have enough time to finish them all. And hell that'd be a gorgeous way to ring out the year. I'm going to have to at least do a couple of the Almodóvars. I haven't seen The Flower of my Secret in a long time.

Nicholas Hoult Fourteen Times

I did a "Do Dump or Marry" post for the three main dudes in Robert Eggers' Nosferatu back on Friday and I learned one thing about each and every single one of us -- every single one of us wants to marry Nicholas Hoult. And I get it -- I am not just a member, I am President of this Fan Club. If this child actor is as well-adjusted as he seems to be then it's one of the rare times that the movie industry deserves a pat on the back -- not only did he grow up into a total swoon-eyed dreamboat and a real talent, he comes across as kind and decent; a real good egg. Who knows if it's the truth -- publicists get paid a lot of money to do what they do -- but I'm buying it right now. (And I'm supposed to be in a room with him tonight at a Nosferatu screening so I'll report back! Read my already posted review right here!) Anyway let's get back to the swoon-eyed dreamboat thing. Nicky is on the cover of Flaunt magaine this month and they took some fine snaps and you can see them after the jump...

Good Morning, World

Say good morning to the scooch heard round the world!!! When naked Michael Fassbender scooched up in bed on last week's episode of The Agency I dropped immediately dead -- it's been so long since I've beheld his world-class cum-gutters I burst into copious tears, I pulled my hair and tore my clothes, I threw open the windows and screamed obscenities into the night sky, I jumped into the Hudson River, swam to the bottom, and kissed the floor. All of those things can be true at once -- I know because I lived it. Ahem. In all seriousness -- how nice to have this back in our life! I might be slightly bored by The Agency -- I prefer my spy shows witty and diverting a la Black Doves these days to the deadly serious sort -- but I am happy it exists to bestow such gifts upon us. Hit the jump for a dozen more gif(t)s of our dearest Michael back in the skin game...

Harris Dickinson Nine Times

I didn't know why Interview Magazine paired Harris Dickinson with Sam Rockwell as his interviewer for the new interview they dropped today until they mentioned they were in the 2022 caper comedy See How They Run together -- I never saw that. Did any of you see it? Is it worth seeing? Anyway these photos of Harris are worth seeing as ever (Sam calls him "the British Brad Pitt" and yeesh get a room you two) so hit the jump and see them all...

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Good Morning, World

Cheyenne Jackson wishes you and yours a good Monday.