Remember that scene in Magnolia where Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character orders dirty magazines from Pink Dot, the Hollywood convenience store that delivers? If Magnolia had been set in 2020, his order might have arrived via robot: Pink Dot bots are delivering to a city in lockdown.They move slowly, tentatively, using the same sidewalks as their (mostly) masked human counterparts, occasionally pausing, R2D2-like, to get their bearings or make a turn. They chug smoothly down the main drag, Santa Monica Boulevard, and residential streets, resembling ice cream carts that,...…Remember that scene in Magnolia where Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character orders dirty magazines from Pink Dot, the Hollywood convenience store that delivers? If Magnolia had been set in 2020, his order might have arrived via robot: Pink Dot bots are delivering to a city in lockdown.They move slowly, tentatively, using the same sidewalks as their (mostly) masked human counterparts, occasionally pausing, R2D2-like, to get their bearings or make a turn. They chug smoothly down the main drag, Santa Monica Boulevard, and residential streets, resembling ice cream carts that,...WW…

Francis Ford Coppola promised that Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone — his re-edit of The Godfather III — would change the film’s beginning and ending, as well as some points along the way. He has made good on that promise, in some unexpected ways. So what does Godfather Coda change about Godfather III?We’ve watched both versions, and found a few noteworthy changes. Here is a by-no-means exhaustive list of them. Spoilers abound, obviously. Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is available on Blu-Ray and streaming.The BeginningThe original Godfather III opens with a...…Francis Ford Coppola promised that Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone — his re-edit of The Godfather III — would change the film’s beginning and ending, as well as some points along the way. He has made good on that promise, in some unexpected ways. So what does Godfather Coda change about Godfather III?We’ve watched both versions, and found a few noteworthy changes. Here is a by-no-means exhaustive list of them. Spoilers abound, obviously. Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is available on Blu-Ray and streaming.The BeginningThe original Godfather III opens with a...WW…

We all know that when a child writes a Dear Santa letter and drops it in the mailbox, Santa Claus and his team of elves get to work making the child’s wish come true.But how do they do it?A new documentary, Dear Santa, reveals that for years, Santa and his team have been secretly aided by the U.S. Postal Service, which distributes letters to hundreds of thousands of Americans who, in close coordination with Santa himself, help deliver gifts to children everywhere.Anyone can send a letter to Santa’s address, 123 Elf Road North Pole, 88888. (Just be sure to write your full name and address in...…We all know that when a child writes a Dear Santa letter and drops it in the mailbox, Santa Claus and his team of elves get to work making the child’s wish come true.But how do they do it?A new documentary, Dear Santa, reveals that for years, Santa and his team have been secretly aided by the U.S. Postal Service, which distributes letters to hundreds of thousands of Americans who, in close coordination with Santa himself, help deliver gifts to children everywhere.Anyone can send a letter to Santa’s address, 123 Elf Road North Pole, 88888. (Just be sure to write your full name and address in...WW…

If you watched Queen’s Gambit and wondered if you could beat Beth Harmon, Chess.com is ready to help you find out. The app now offers a Beth Harmon bot, based on the chess prodigy played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Annabeth Kelly and Isla Johnston in the Netflix miniseries.Kelly and Johnston play Beth as a child, and Taylor-Joy plays her as a teen and young adult. Chess.com offers you the chance to play against her at ages 8 through 22 — her age at the end of Queen’s Gambit.If you’re a beginner, you might want to challenge 8-year-old Beth — but still prepare for a possible ego bruising.“Beth...…If you watched Queen’s Gambit and wondered if you could beat Beth Harmon, Chess.com is ready to help you find out. The app now offers a Beth Harmon bot, based on the chess prodigy played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Annabeth Kelly and Isla Johnston in the Netflix miniseries.Kelly and Johnston play Beth as a child, and Taylor-Joy plays her as a teen and young adult. Chess.com offers you the chance to play against her at ages 8 through 22 — her age at the end of Queen’s Gambit.If you’re a beginner, you might want to challenge 8-year-old Beth — but still prepare for a possible ego bruising.“Beth...WW…

Twenty years before they made Ford v. Ferrari, Christian Bale and Josh Lucas appeared together in American Psycho. When Bale spoke to us for our 20th anniversary oral history of American Psycho, he volunteered that Lucas told him something on the Ford v. Ferrari set that he had never known before.Bale had fought hard for his American Psycho role as Patrick Bateman: At one point, director Mary Harron refused to work with Leonardo DiCaprio, who had been offered the part over Bale. Eventually DiCaprio backed out, and Bale got the part.But Bale told us that Lucas wasn’t initially impressed by...…Twenty years before they made Ford v. Ferrari, Christian Bale and Josh Lucas appeared together in American Psycho. When Bale spoke to us for our 20th anniversary oral history of American Psycho, he volunteered that Lucas told him something on the Ford v. Ferrari set that he had never known before.Bale had fought hard for his American Psycho role as Patrick Bateman: At one point, director Mary Harron refused to work with Leonardo DiCaprio, who had been offered the part over Bale. Eventually DiCaprio backed out, and Bale got the part.But Bale told us that Lucas wasn’t initially impressed by...WW…

Christian Bale, soon to play a Thor villain, says his American Psycho bad guy Patrick Bateman would likely run for president if he were still around today.Patrick Bateman was a breakthrough role for Bale, who spoke to MovieMaker for our . He mentioned Bateman’s potential presidential ambitions while explaining how Tom Cruise and Donald Trump influenced his take on Bateman.Bale said he approached Bateman like an alien who landed in 1980s Manhattan and tried to adapt.“I mean, look, if someone had landed at that time and he was looking around for cultural alpha males, business-world...…Christian Bale, soon to play a Thor villain, says his American Psycho bad guy Patrick Bateman would likely run for president if he were still around today.Patrick Bateman was a breakthrough role for Bale, who spoke to MovieMaker for our . He mentioned Bateman’s potential presidential ambitions while explaining how Tom Cruise and Donald Trump influenced his take on Bateman.Bale said he approached Bateman like an alien who landed in 1980s Manhattan and tried to adapt.“I mean, look, if someone had landed at that time and he was looking around for cultural alpha males, business-world...WW…

Welcome to MovieMaker’s Movie News Roundup, where we succinctly summarize movie news and just movie news — always with links back to the original source. This post has been updated with news that the new James Bond film, Die Another Day, will be delayed. In other news: Pornhub will release an artistic, non-porn documentary called Shakedown, Ronan Farrow feels duped over the Woody Allen memoir, and an award-making filmmaker faces prison for creating “propaganda” against Iran.Bond Moves to November: No Time to Die, the 25th James Bond 007 movie, has been delayed until November...…Welcome to MovieMaker’s Movie News Roundup, where we succinctly summarize movie news and just movie news — always with links back to the original source. This post has been updated with news that the new James Bond film, Die Another Day, will be delayed. In other news: Pornhub will release an artistic, non-porn documentary called Shakedown, Ronan Farrow feels duped over the Woody Allen memoir, and an award-making filmmaker faces prison for creating “propaganda” against Iran.Bond Moves to November: No Time to Die, the 25th James Bond 007 movie, has been delayed until November...WW…