Julia Roberts Was Once Considered To Play Harriet Tubman In A Film

Gregory Allen Howard's Harriet Tubman biopic opened at the end of October after nearly 25 years of discussion and work.

Recently, Howard dusted off a memorable quote from the 1990s, when the movie was first in talks. Apparently, a studio executive suggested Julia Roberts, a white woman, play Tubman, the legendary black abolitionist.

HARRIET | Official Trailer | Now Playingwww.youtube.com

"I was told how one studio head said in a meeting, 'This script is fantastic. Let's get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman,'" Howard said in an interview with Focus Features, republished in the LA Times on Tuesday. "When someone pointed out that Roberts couldn't be Harriet, the executive responded, 'It was so long ago. No one is going to know the difference.'"

"The climate in Hollywood … was very different," Allen added, crediting two recent box office smash hits with creating space for change. "Two films really changed the climate in Hollywood to allow Harriet to be made," he said. "When 12 Years a Slave became a hit and did a couple hundred million dollars worldwide, I told my agent, 'You can't say this kind of story won't make money now.' Then Black Panther really blew the doors open."

Representation in Hollywood has long been a contentious topic, and despite performative diversity and major successes for actors and directors of color, recent studies have shown that the state of the film industry is still abysmal. In 2018, the Observer reported, "Not only do Hollywood films still disproportionately showcase white, cisgender, heterosexual men, executives and authority figures on every tier of the industry haven't even deigned to experiment with telling stories from different perspectives to any tangible degree."

Naturally, the Internet had a lot to say. Most lamented the utter horror of seeing Julia Roberts and Harriet Tubman in the same headline, but the story really only highlights what we already knew: Hollywood, like the nation at large, has a racism and whitewashing problem, and always has.

FILM

"The Dead Don't Die" Review: Very Slow Kills of Even Slower Zombies

If you're looking for zombie-killing action, remember this is a Jim Jarmusch movie.

The Dead Don't Die is exactly what one would expect a Jim Jarmusch zombie movie to be.

At least, it's exactly what anyone should expect a Jim Jarmusch zombie movie to be. This is the director of Broken Flowers and Paterson, so audiences know going in that The Dead Don't Die won't be the typical Bill Murray romp (when was the last time Murray did a romp anyway?)

The plot centers on the small town of Centerville as it faces a zombie outbreak, which is caused by polar fracking spinning Earth off its axis. Officers Cliff Robertson (Murray) and Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) have to warn the town and fight zombies after dark.

These are definitely zombies at a Jim Jarmusch pace. Not only are they the traditionally slow, lumbering, George Romero-style zombies (no fast running zombies here, thankfully), but Jarmusch slows down the action even more. For some reason, the characters take their time killing the zombies.

Don't expect Dawn of the Dead-sized hordes, either, or even Walking Dead-sized. This is an indie movie, after all. There's a horde of only seven or eight zombies on Main Street, although there are a lot more at the cemetery. Zombies on the athletic field allow for some fun gags, so Jarmusch does indulge in some of the traditional "zombies resuming their routines" jokes.

If you've seen other Jarmusch movies, like Paterson or Coffee and Cigarettes, you can sort of apply those tones to this zombie movie. The Dead Don't Die isn't even as loyal to its genre as Ghost Dog was to samurai movies or Only Lovers Left Alive was to vampire movies; those films still took their time, but they adapted to the genre. Instead, Jarmusch adapts zombies to his tone and pace.

The Dead Don't Die has a light tone, but it's not laugh-out-loud funny. Quirky would be the clearest way to describe it. Nobody's making jokes, but they're saying things that are a little off-kilter. The first meta joke was fun, but after the second meta joke, you can totally predict what the third meta joke will be.

There are a lot of characters standing around talking, making changes or guessing where tourists (led by Selena Gomez) are from. The mortician, Zelda Winston (Tilda Swinton), addresses every character by their title and full name, because that's an unusual way to talk. Murray does exactly one lone pratfall. In 2019, let's celebrate what little Bill Murray-physical comedy we still get.

At least there are plenty of gory zombie bites. When zombies are killed in this movie, they spray black dust instead of gory innards, which gives it a somewhat classier effect. If you're looking for zombie-killing, once again these characters take their time killing zombies. Even though they know the rules to aim for the head, they're in no rush.

I have to call a little B.S. on Jarmusch's deep cut references, though. Zoe (Selena Gomez) tells store clerk Bobby Wiggins (Caleb Landry Jones), "Your film knowledge is impressive" on the basis of his references to Psycho, George Romero, and Nosferatu. Come on, Zoe, aim higher. But maybe she was just being nice to the townie.

Jim Jarmusch is not at everyone's speed, but he's firmly established his own style and pacing, so everyone should know what to expect from The Dead Don't Die. It's not Zombieland. The Dead Don't Die is a traditional Jim Jarmusch movie—slowed down by zombies.

Film Lists

Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend of March 15

Featuring some sick teens who are just dying to stand "Five Feet Apart"

Welcome back to "Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend."

This week we get yet another entry into the "sexy dying teenagers" canon.

WIDE RELEASE:

Five Feet Apart

Some things just go together – peanut butter and jelly, salt and vinegar, romantically-inclined teens and crippling disease. You cried during A Walk to Remember when that girl died from leukemia. You cried during The Fault in Our Stars when that guy died from cancer. You'll probably cry during this one too, because these teens both have cystic fibrosis, meaning they need to stay six feet apart at all times or else they'll die. But wait, this movie is called Five Feet Apart. Does that mean…? Yup. Life-threatening disease can't stand in the way of young love, so they're gonna smooch even if it kills one of them. Which it definitely will. And yes, the guy is half of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase Trailer #1 (2019) | Movieclips Trailerswww.youtube.com

Sophia Lillis (Beverly from It) stars as the legendary teen detective in the newest reboot of Nancy Drew. This iteration sees Nancy Drew as the new kid in town, bored with suburban mediocrity as she skateboards down way-too-safe residential streets. If only there were a spooky, scary mystery to solve! Great news, there is. It's the mystery of the hidden staircase, which happens to be located in an old mansion that Nancy has broken into. Where does this hidden staircase lead? To what ends was it built? Why doesn't she just climb the hidden staircase and find out? Find out this weekend.

Wonder Park

Wonder Park (2019) - New Trailer - Paramount Pictureswww.youtube.com

Imagine if some dumb amusement park you made up as a kid turned out to be real. You had no idea how roller coasters operated. You probably still don't. Those rides you made up would be literal death traps. But Wonder Park is a children's movie, so it can't explore the logical ends of its inane premise. Instead, the fantastical park is now populated by a bunch of annoying, talking forest animals who communicate entirely through flat jokes. Also, the park is overrun by zombie monkeys for some reason. As Nickelodeon Movies' first animated feature since 2015, Wonder Park looks disappointing, at least based on the trailers. But trailers don't always do a movie justice, so if you're a fan of animation, it might be worth checking out for yourself.

LIMITED RELEASE:

Ash is Purest White

Ash is Purest White | Official US Trailer | Starts March 15www.youtube.com

A Chinese crime drama currently holding a 100% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Ash is Purest White follows the relationship between a young dancer and a mobster. While witnessing a fight between her boyfriend and a rival gang, the young dancer shoots one of the attackers and gets sentenced to five years in prison. The epic narrative spans fifteen years of the dancer's life and plays out more like a melodrama than a crime film. If you're a fan of powerful foreign language films with sweeping narratives, Ash is Purest White is definitely up your alley.

The Mustang

THE MUSTANG - Official Trailer [HD] - In Theaters March 2019www.youtube.com

Matthias Schoenaerts plays a violent convict who participates in a prison rehabilitation program revolving around training wild stallions. The Mustang is one of those movies that takes its simple premise, does exactly what you expect with it, but you'll probably enjoy the film if you enjoy the concept. In other words, The Mustang is the same "bad man redeemed" story you've seen many times before, except this time he's redeemed through friendship with a wild horse instead of through sports or raising a baby or whatever.


Dan Kahan is a writer & screenwriter from Brooklyn, usually rocking a man bun. Find more at dankahanwriter.com



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The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind | Offical Trailer [HD] | Netflix

Welcome back to "Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend."

February felt surprisingly long, but thankfully a new month means a new Madea movie.

WIDE RELEASE:

Greta

GRETA - Official Trailer [HD] - In Theaters March 2019www.youtube.com

In this female-centric horror/thriller, Chloë Grace Moretz plays a young New Yorker trying to make her way in the big city. After returning a missing handbag to an older piano teacher named Greta, the two develop a nice friendship...but uh oh, things are not what they seem. That missing handbag? Planted. And Greta? She's crazy. Now Chloë Grace Moretz needs to escape the clutches of insane, geriatric Greta before it's too late. If you've ever wanted to see a horror movie where the ultimate terror is a nice old lady, here's your chance.

Tyler Perry's a Madea Family Funeral

Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral (2019 Movie) Official Trailer - Tyler Perry, Cassi Daviswww.youtube.com

Madea is back, and this time she's organizing someone's funeral for some reason. Why would they let Madea do that? Don't they know that Madea's involvement is sure to lead to wacky hijinks? Maybe if you wanted your funeral to be filled with big farts and slapstick humor involving your corpse, then you'd want Madea to organize things. Otherwise, you should probably hire a professional funeral director.

NETFLIX:

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind | Offical Trailer [HD] | Netflixwww.youtube.com

Directed, written by, and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the story of a young boy in Malawi who builds a windmill to save his village from famine. Based on a true memoir of the same name, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is sure to be an emotional ride showcasing the power of human imagination and ingenuity in the face of turmoil. Check it out on Netflix from the comfort of your own couch.

LIMITED RELEASE:

Climax

Climax | Official Trailer HD | A24www.youtube.com

French director Gaspar Noé, best known for his controversial art films, possibly has his best movie yet with Climax. Part dance film, part gruesome, LSD-driven horror, Climax is a wholly original and disturbing take on party films. The movie is incredible on a technical and cinematic level, but it's also not a good choice for the easily disturbed. Consider this one a highly recommended film with the caveat that you might not be able to handle it.

The Hole in the Ground

The Hole in the Ground | Official Trailer HD | A24www.youtube.com

This movie's got it all: a hole, the ground, and best of all SPOOKY BOIS™. Yes, in this weekend's newest Spooky Boi flick, a young mother discovers that her son has become a true spook after seeing a hole in the ground outside their new home. You better believe this boy is dedicated to spooking. He's eating spiders! He's breaking peoples' arms! He's slurpin' his spaghetti. Very impolite! Now, as always, this young mother is forced to choose between putting up with a Spooky Boi in her home or abandoning her maternal instinct and murdering him. Hooray!


Dan Kahan is a writer & screenwriter from Brooklyn, usually rocking a man bun. Find more at dankahanwriter.com



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Big Drama Coming to the Big Screen

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