Actress Maya Hawke, daughter of A-list film stars <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ethan-hawke">Ethan Hawke</a> and Uma Thurman, admitted she was cast in the 2019 Quentin Tarantino film “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood</a>” because of her famous parents.
The 25-year-old star previously faced backlash for making it sound as though the role was earned through merit. Hawke clarified those statements during a new <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/maya-hawke-uma-thurman-ethan-hawke-nepo-baby-2qqk5hmm9">interview</a> with The Times of London.
“I’ve been wildly made fun of for this clip when I said, on the red carpet, that I auditioned,” she told the outlet. “I never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons — I think I totally did.” 
She said filmmaker Tarantino was trying to “cast a lot of young Hollywood,” which in this case included Margaret Qualley (Andie MacDowell’s daughter) and Rumer Willis (Demi Moore and Bruce Willis&#8217; daughter). 
When asked if she believed she “deserved” the part, Hawke replied,“‘Deserves’ is a complicated word. There are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who don’t, but I think I’m comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that my not doing it wouldn’t help anyone. I saw two paths when I was first starting, and one of them was: change your name, get a nose job, and go to open casting roles.”
The actress added, “It’s OK to be made fun of when you’re in rarefied air. It’s a lucky place to be. My relationships with my parents are really honest and positive, and that supersedes anything anyone can say about it.”
Hawke became a household name while playing Robin Buckley in the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things.” She also had roles in “Do Revenge,” “Asteroid City,” and “Maestro.”
The actress also spoke on the topic while promoting “Wildcat,” the Flannery O’Connor biopic her father directed.
“I had moments of insecurity about it while we were shooting the movie,” she told <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/features/ethan-maya-hawke-wild-cat-interview-nepo-babies-toronto-1235710651/">Variety</a> in September. ”But the internet doesn’t have a lot of nuances. My dad has been a massive teacher for me, and we want to work together. We like being with each other.”
Her dad, a four-time Academy Award winner, also chimed in on the topic: “If someone wants to criticize us for working together, that’s totally fair. You have to let people have their opinion. You just have to try to do a good job when you’re onstage.”

Maya Hawke

Maya Hawke Admits She Was Cast In Tarantino Film For ‘Nepotistic Reasons’

Maya Hawke Admits She Was Cast In Tarantino Film For 'Nepotistic Reasons'

Celebrities

Entertainment

Ethan Hawke

Movies

Quentin Tarantino

Actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Austin Butler</a> recently discussed a time he had to make a difficult decision between working with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tom-cruise">Tom Cruise</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/quentin-tarantino">Quentin Tarantino</a>.
The 32-year-old celebrity revealed what happened during an appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, People <a href="https://people.com/austin-butler-chose-quentin-tarantino-over-top-gun-maverick-audition-8549783">reported</a>. Butler, who’s best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">biopic</a> “Elvis,” clarified the rumors that he’d been up for a part in the blockbuster “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/top-gun">Top Gun: Maverick</a>.”
“I ended up having to choose between going to the screen test for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ or saying yes to Quentin Tarantino,” he said, explaining how he was set to appear in “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” at the time.
“I’d already met with [Tarantino], so I did that,” Butler said of how he decided which of the two potentially life-changing options to pick. Butler played Charles &#8220;Tex&#8221; Watson, a member of Charles Manson&#8217;s cult, in Tarantino’s movie. 
“Maverick” went on to rake in over $1.4 billion in gross revenue worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2022 and the highest-grossing of Cruise&#8217;s career. This fact doesn’t mean Butler has any regrets, however. He said he wouldn’t have starred opposite Cruise as Rooster anyway. That part wound up going to Miles Teller. 
“Top Gun: Maverick” and “Elvis” casting director Denise Chamian told <a href="https://variety.com/2022/artisans/news/austin-butler-elvis-casting-harry-styles-1235309713/">Variety</a> in July 2022 that everything worked out the way it was supposed to.
“The thing that he got the closest to was ‘Top Gun,&#8217;” Chamian told the outlet. “When I cast that, we were looking for the role that Miles Teller played. I felt so passionate about Austin. Ultimately, his audition was shown to Tom and all the filmmakers. They agreed he had something and they were happy to know him, but they thought he was too young.”
“At that point, I saw that this actor has something very special that other people don’t always have,” she continued. “It’s almost the way he looks into the camera. He knows the camera and lets the camera see him, and that is really what is so captivating.”
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That audition made her think of Butler for the part of Elvis, which eventually led to him being nominated for an Academy Award for the role.

Austin Butler

Austin Butler Says He Had To Choose: Screen Testing For ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Or ‘Saying Yes To Quentin Tarantino’

Tom Cruise

Filmmaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/quentin-tarantino">Quentin Tarantino</a> is well known for depicting stylized violence in his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/movies">films</a>, but the Academy Award winner draws the line at killing any living animals while filming, including insects.
“I have a big thing about killing animals in movies. That’s a bridge I can’t cross,” the 60-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">director</a> said during a recent interview with <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/directors/quentin-tarantino-movie-critic-final-1235643087/">Variety</a>. 
“Insects too. Unless I’m paying to see some bizzarro documentary, I’m not paying to see real death. Part of the way that this all works is that it’s all just make believe. That’s why I can stand the violent scenes, cause we’re all just f***ing around.”
“Some animal, some dog, some llama, some fly, some rat, doesn’t give a f*** about your movie,” Tarantino continued. “I’d kill a million rats, but I don’t necessarily want to kill one in a movie or see one killed in a movie, because I’m not paying to see real death.”
“Almost always, it’s not just the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/violence">violence</a> that I have a problem with,” he said. “There’s usually an incompetence factor in there.”
The “Kill Bill” director is frequently questioned about explicit violence in his films. Tarantino famously refused to answer the question following a Channel 4 News interview while promoting the movie “Django Unchained” in 2013.
“Don’t ask me a question like that – I’m not biting. I refuse your question,” he replied when interviewer Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked if he was sure there’s no link between movie violence and real violence. 
“Because I refuse your question. I’m not your slave and you’re not my master. You can’t make me dance to your tune. I’m not a monkey,” he said. 
Tarantino had previously promised to retire by age 60, which would be now.
“I like the idea of giving it my all for 30 years and then saying, ‘OK, that’s enough.’ And I don’t like working to diminishing returns. And I mean, now is a good time because I mean, what even is a motion picture anyway anymore? Is it just something that they show on Apple? That would be diminishing returns,” he told <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/05/quentin-tarantino-retirement-james-bond-tv-cannes-1235379761/">Deadline</a> in May 2023. 
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“I mean, and I’m not picking on anybody, but apparently for Netflix, Ryan Reynolds has made $50 million on this movie and $50 million on that movie and $50 million on the next movie for them. I don’t know what any of those movies are. I’ve never seen them. Have you?”
Tarantino’s next film, “The Movie Critic,” is currently in the early stages of production.

Quentin Tarantino Reveals One Thing He Won’t Do In Movies: ‘That’s A Bridge I Can’t Cross’

Director Quentin Tarantino Reveals One Thing He Won't Do In Movies

U.S.

Violence

Artists make movies. Critics review them.
It’s a simple, and symbiotic relationship that dates back to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/jan/17/birth-film-criticism-100-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early days of cinema</a>. Actors often thank film critics for their support during awards season and, more specifically at the annual Critics Choice Awards gala.
Lately, that connection has come under fire from the artists’ side of the equation.
Blame social media, the proliferation of news outlets, or our increasingly sensitive times when being a victim is the greatest status possible.
Now, some creatives are lashing out when their work draws angry reviews from the expanding critical classes. Rotten Tomatoes, not only lets artists see a gaggle of reviews in one glance but offers a crisp summation of the critical community. Fresh … or rotten. 
And the artists are paying attention.
It’s why actress <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/rachel-zegler-shazam-2-critics-hate-1235559517/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Zegler cried foul (on Twitter)</a> when “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” scored a meek 52% “rotten” score you-know-where.
<blockquote>“Hey our film is actually really good. But mostly I just absolutely loved making it and the people I met whilst doing so. Go see it! Give it a chance. We have an 85% audience score for a reason.”</blockquote>
The film’s director, David F. Sandberg, <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/03/shazam-fury-of-the-gods-director-david-f-sandberg-surprised-film-criticism-1235305168/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took a lighter approach</a> but still called out critics who didn’t enjoy his film.
<blockquote>“I wasn’t expecting a repeat of the first movie critically but I was still a little surprised because I think it’s a good film. Oh well.”</blockquote>
Those comments came days after Seth Rogen, one of the most successful comic actors/producers of the modern era, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2023/03/08/seth-rogen-bemoans-film-critics-reviews-podcast/11428413002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">came down even harder on the critical community</a>.
<blockquote>&#8220;I think if most critics knew how much it hurt the people that they are writing about (they would be) second guessing the way they write these things … I know [artists] who never recover … it is devastating when you are being like institutionally told that your personal expression was bad. Like that is like devastating.&#8221;</blockquote>
It’s worth noting Rogen can be pretty cruel himself, lashing out at conservatives and, more specifically, once demeaning former <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/seth-rogen-insults-paul-ryan-kids/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rep. Paul Ryan in front of his children</a>.
Sometimes critics do go too far, making their reviews personal, even petty. And, on occasion, the stars will call them out for it.
Carey Mulligan earned raves for her work in 2021’s “Promising Young Woman.” One criticism in Variety rubbed her the wrong way by mocking her physical appearance.
<blockquote>“Mulligan, a fine actress, seems a bit of an odd choice as this admittedly many-layered apparent femme fatale — Margot Robbie is a producer here, and one can (perhaps too easily) imagine the role might once have been intended for her. Whereas with this star, Cassie wears her pickup-bait gear like bad drag; even her long blonde hair seems a put-on.”</blockquote>
Mulligan complained, and the outlet served up a sheepish apology.
Reliably grouchy critic Rex Reed once pummeled “Identity Thief” star Melissa McCarthy as both a “female hippo” and being a “a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/movies/melissa-mccarthy-goes-over-the-top.html?pagewanted=1&amp;_r=0&amp;hp=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McCarthy complained about the review</a> publicly, but Reed defended his critique. He added the controversy helped stir up ticket sales while offering an olive branch, of sorts, to McCarthy by calling her “classy.”
Other artists have taken critics on in a more direct, and divisive manner.
Night Shyamalan’s 2006 dud “The Lady and the Water” featured a film critic character played by Bob Balaban. Roger Ebert noted both the character and his role in the film in his scathing, but comic review.
<blockquote>&#8220;I am the villain. OK, not me, precisely, but Film Criticism Itself, embodied by the splendid (movie critic word) <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/cast-and-crew/bob-balaban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bob Balaban</a> as Mr. Farber, who is this film&#8217;s own resident newspaper movie critic, offering caustic, self-aware commentary on the shortcomings of &#8220;Lady in the Water&#8221; as it sloshes along. In Shyamalan&#8217;s rickety mythology, Mr. Farber represents&#8230; well, nothing so much as the filmmaker&#8217;s pre-emptive strike against the bad reviews he expects to receive for making this poorly written, stiffly directed, audience-insulting story-without-a-cause.&#8221;</blockquote>
Actor/director Zach Braff offered up a more balanced take on the artist/critic divide, and he should know. Critics swooned over his 2004 directorial debut, “Garden State.” Now, some of those same critics have soured on the presentation, suggesting it’s aged badly via its indie tropes and twee characters.
Braff recently told Variety he’s at <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/zach-braff-garden-state-hatred-manic-pixie-dream-girl-backlash-1235560324/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">peace with the shift.</a>
<blockquote>“I just feel lucky that I get to make stuff. I can’t really dwell on it,” Braff said. “Anyone who’s ever got a bad grade on an essay from a teacher can relate — just imagine it was out there in public, you know? No one said being a creative person was easy, but you have to be vulnerable and authentically yourself. Otherwise, what’s the point?”</blockquote>
Quentin Tarantino, a critical darling, may have the final word on the increasingly tenuous ties between filmmaker and critic.
The “Pulp Fiction” auteur’s 10th and allegedly final film will be called <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/quentin-tarantino-sets-the-movie-critic-final-movie-1235351260/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Movie Critic.”</a> We know little about the project beyond it being set in the 1970s and boasting a female lead.
Will it pay tribute to Pauline Kael, arguably the most influential critic outside of Siskel &amp; Ebert? Or will it serve up a mash note to critics from the former video store clerk? Perhaps Tarantino will settle old scores with the few critics who have savaged his movies over the years.
If it’s the latter, the floodgates may open on actors following in the auteur’s footsteps.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Janelle Monáe Accepts The Seventh Annual #SeeHer Award At 2023 Critics’ Choice Awards

As Critics Savage Movies, More Actors And Directors Strike Back

As Critics Savage Movies, More Actors And Directors Are Striking Back

Readers Pass

Seth Rogen

Writer and director <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ideology-trumps-entertaining-now-quentin-tarantino-slams-hollywood-for-virtue-signaling-instead-of-entertaining/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quentin Tarantino</a> is reportedly shopping his tenth feature film – tentatively titled &#8220;The Movie Critic&#8221; — which he has said in the past will be his final film.
<a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/quentin-tarantino-final-film-script-auction-1235554423/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Details of the script</a>, which was written by Tarantino, have been kept quiet, and reports suggest that studio executives have been forced to read the script in a conference room at Tarantino&#8217;s agent&#8217;s office — a process he adopted with &#8220;Once Upon a Time in Hollywood&#8221; after some of his &#8220;Hateful Eight&#8221; screenplay got leaked in 2015.
Among the tidbits that have made it into the public sphere: the film is set in the 1970s and centers around a female lead. Rumors have circulated that the female at the center of the story might be Pauline Kael, who was an essayist and novelist in addition to her work as a film critic.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kael was &#8220;known for her pugnacious fights with editors as well as filmmakers&#8221; and worked as a consultant at Paramount for a short period of time in the 1970s. She took that job on advice from actor Warren Beatty.
Tarantino has not yet found a studio home for the project either — and reports indicate he might be looking for a deal similar to the one he <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/tarantino-scored-a-rare-deal-once-a-time-hollywood-1225415/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">landed at Sony</a> with &#8220;Once Upon a Time in Hollywood&#8221; – which allowed them to distribute the picture but will kick the copyright back to him after a preordained length of time.
Tarantino&#8217;s play for ownership of that film resulted in a hard no from Warner Bros. — the studio reportedly believed that if they gave him a deal they would later be forced to do the same for other directors.
&#8220;Warner Bros. couldn’t do that because then they would have to give Christopher Nolan that same deal,&#8221; a source told The Hollywood Reporter at the time.
Other directors who have successfully negotiated similar deals for ownership of their films include George Lucas, Mel Gibson, Peter Jackson, and Richard Linklater.

NBC’s 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards – Show

Quentin Tarantino Is Shopping Film He Says Will Be His Last

Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino has a suggestion for those whining about all the &#8220;violence&#8221; and the use of &#8220;n-words&#8221; in his movies.
During the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/quentin-tarantino">59-year-old</a> filmmaker&#8217;s appearance on HBO Max&#8217;s talk show &#8220;Who&#8217;s Talking to Chris Wallace,&#8221; Wallace asked the &#8220;Kill Bill: Volume 1&#8221; director what message he had for those critics.
&#8220;You should see [something else],&#8221; Tarantino <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/quentin-tarantino-n-word-violence-backlash-1235438720/">replied</a>. &#8220;Then see something else. If you have a problem with my movies then they aren&#8217;t the movies to go see.&#8221;
&#8220;Apparently I&#8217;m not making them for you,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;You have no right to say that.&quot; Filmmaker Lee Daniels responds to Quentin Tarantino about use of the n-word in his movies. Watch: <a href="https://t.co/fqztl8nEUL">https://t.co/fqztl8nEUL</a>
&mdash; CNN (@CNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1595473262988894213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tarantino&#8217;s movies like &#8220;Reservoir Dogs&#8221; (1992) and &#8220;Pulp Fiction&#8221; (1994) might have won over many fans, but others have slammed the director for excessive portrayal of violence.
&#8220;I know people who could&#8217;ve seen &#8216;Reservoir Dogs&#8217; and could&#8217;ve been fine with it,&#8221; Tarantino previously <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/quentin-tarantino-explain-joy-of-violence/">shared</a>. &#8220;But when they hear &#8216;violence, violence, violence&#8217;… they talked about &#8216;Reservoir Dogs&#8217; as the most violent movie ever made.&#8221;
&#8220;Now, someday, I may make the most violent movie ever made and I wouldn&#8217;t mind people saying it,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But I didn&#8217;t.&#8221;
Actor Samuel L. Jackson, who has appeared in several of Tarantino&#8217;s movies over the years, has previously <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2022/02/samuel-l-jackson-joe-rogan-n-word-quentin-tarantino-1234702968/">defended</a> the director&#8217;s inclusion of the &#8220;n-word&#8221; in his films.
&#8220;It needs to be an element of what the story is about,&#8221; Jackson shared.  &#8220;A story is context — but just to elicit a laugh? That&#8217;s wrong.&#8221;
&#8220;Every time someone wants an example of overuse of the N-word, they go to Quentin — it&#8217;s unfair,&#8221; he added. &#8220;He&#8217;s just telling the story and the characters do talk like that. When Steve McQueen does it [with &#8217;12 Years a Slave&#8217;], it&#8217;s art. He&#8217;s an artiste. Quentin&#8217;s just a popcorn filmmaker.&#8221;
The &#8220;Django Unchained&#8221; star used even stronger words when he hit back at critics during a previous <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a26454543/samuel-l-jackson-captain-marvel-interview-2019/?src=socialflowTW&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=socialflowTWESQ&amp;utm_medium=social-media">Esquire</a> interview.
&#8220;It&#8217;s some bulls***,&#8221; Jackson shared. &#8220;You can&#8217;t just tell a writer he can&#8217;t talk, write the words, put the words in the mouths of the people from their ethnicities, the way that they use their words. You cannot do that, because then it becomes an untruth; it&#8217;s not honest. It&#8217;s just not honest.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/quentin-tarantino-in-hot-water-for-saying-marvel-actors-are-not-movie-stars">Quentin Tarantino In Hot Water For Saying Marvel Actors Are &#8216;Not Movie Stars&#8217;</a>

Closing Ceremony Red Carpet – The 72nd Annual Cannes Film Festival

Quentin Tarantino Has A Suggestion For Those Whining About All The ‘Violence’ And Use Of ‘N-Words’ In His Movies

Quentin Tarantino Has A Suggestion For Those Whining About All The 'Violence’ And Use Of ’N-Words’ In His Movies

Celebrated filmmaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/quentin-tarantino">Quentin Tarantino</a> is facing criticism for candid comments he made about actors in Marvel movies not being legitimate stars.
The “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">Kill Bill</a>” director made the remarks while speaking with Tom Segura for his podcast “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCx67cnQQf8">2 Bears 1 Cave</a>.”
“I don’t love them,” Tarantino said of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marvel">Marvel</a> films. “No, I don’t. I don’t hate them. But I don’t love them. I mean, look, I used to collect Marvel comics like crazy when I was a kid.”
“There’s an aspect that if these movies were coming out when I was in my twenties, I would totally be f***king happy and totally love them. [But] they wouldn’t be the only movies being made, they would be those movies amongst other movies. I’m almost 60 so I’m not quite as excited about them,” he continued.
Tarantino repeated a common criticism of the films, claiming they are overhyped and repetitive, plus leave less room for more creative projects.
“My only ax to grind is they’re the only things that seem to be made,” the 59-year-old director said. “And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them … So it’s just the fact that they are the entire representation of this era of movies right now. There’s not really much room for anything else. That’s my problem. It’s a problem of representation.”
Next, he took a dig at the actors in Marvel movies, saying they weren’t actually who people were coming to see. Tarantino claimed moviegoers only cared about superheroes on screen no matter who was playing them.
“Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” he asserted. “But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Thor is the star. I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times, but it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”
Finally, the &#8220;Reservoir Dogs&#8221; director pined for movie star roles of the past.
&#8220;Back in 2005, if an actor stars in a movie that does as good as the Marvel movies do, then that guy’s an absolute star,” he explained.
“It means people dig him or her and they like them and want to see them in stuff. Sandra Bullock is in &#8216;Speed&#8217; and everyone thought she’s amazing in it. Everyone fell in love with her … They were excited by Sandra Bullock and wanted to see her in something else. That’s not the case now. We want to see that guy playing Wolverine or whatever.”
Tarantino’s observations did not amuse several followers.
Deadpool creator Robert Liefeld retweeted a story about Tarantino’s comments, <a href="https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/status/1595099498413318149">calling it</a> “the hottest of hot takes.”
In a later tweet, he shared, “As a writer/creator it’s my passion as well as my job to create compelling characters and worlds that draw the audience in and connect with them. Same thing that drives Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, so many others. I’m in the character business.”
Marvel actor Simu Liu, who starred in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” also made his opinion known on <a href="https://twitter.com/SimuLiu/status/1595125075040403456">Twitter</a>. He claimed that signing onto a Marvel project was his only chance to make it in Hollywood. 
“If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie. I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. They are transcendent auteurs,” he wrote of Tarantino.  
“But they don’t get to point their nose at me or anyone. No movie studio is or ever will be perfect. But I’m proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere. I loved the &#8216;Golden Age&#8217; too.. but it was white as hell.”

BAFTA Film Awards 2020 in London

Quentin Tarantino In Hot Water For Saying Marvel Actors Are ‘Not Movie Stars’

Quentin Tarantino In Hot Water For Saying Marvel Actors Are 'Not Movie Stars'

Marvel

“Reservoir Dogs” star Michael Madsen’s son has been found dead in a suspected suicide in Hawaii.
Hudson Madsen was the 26-year-old godson of noted filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. A spokeswoman for the Department of the Medical Examiner in Honolulu stated,  “I can confirm Hudson Lee Madsen, 26, died by a gunshot wound to the head in a suspected suicide on the island of Oahu,” as <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/4533070/michael-madsen-son-dead-suicide-hawaii/?utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_campaign=sunustwitter&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1643075542-4">The Sun</a> reported.
Hudson Madsen, survived by his wife Carlie, had been living in Wahiawa, Hawaii; he was based at the Schofield Barracks in Oahu after having had reportedly served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
As recently as January 15, Carlie Madsen, who had undergone breast surgery, posted on Instagram:
<blockquote>I just want to give a shout-out to my amazing husband! Yesterday I had surgery to remove a tumor from one of my breasts and he was and has been so patient throughout this whole process! We were at the hospital for about 7 hours yesterday and while I was in surgery he went to target and got me flowers, comfy pajamas, my favorite candy and a card! He&#8217;s also been amazing in helping with my recovery and I&#8217;m just so thankful! I also want to thank my family and friends that have reached out to make sure I&#8217;m okay and to check in on me! I love you all so much.</blockquote>
After meeting her future husband in 2017, Carlie Madsen told a friend who asked if Hudson was a “keeper,” “He&#8217;s actually in the army and stationed down in Colorado! I met him through my best friend that lives there! And I think he&#8217;s a keeper!”
Hudson commented in response, “I am a keeper by the way.”
In November 2017, Hudson got down on one knee to propose to his future wife on Pike’s Peak in Colorado; they were reportedly married in 2018 before he was deployed, as <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10438009/Michael-Madsens-son-Hudson-dies-suspected-suicide-Hawaii-age-26.html">The Daily Mail</a> reported.
The Daily Mail added, “On January 20, 2019, a friend commented: ‘Yo you home already Hudson Madsen?’ Carlie replied: ‘No, it keeps on getting pushed back’ &#8211; accompanied by a crying emoji.”
But Hudson was back home by the end of January 2019. In June, they conducted an “official wedding”; Carlie posted on Instagram that they held the wedding “even though we had been married for a year and half already at that point. &#8230; It was one of the happiest days of my life but also very uhhh&#8230; interesting I&#8217;ll say. We had an outdoor ceremony during a thunderstorm and no one could hear us. I was puking in the bathroom till about 2 minutes before I walked down the isle (sic), We had to fire our DJ halfway through the reception and thankfully a different, way better, DJ showed up. We almost got kicked out of our reception place because people got caught sneaking alcohol in and got caught attempting to do uhhmm.. ‘extra curricular activities.’”
“BUT even after all of that it was still one of the best days of my life because I got to celebrate with all our family and friends and I got to marry my best friend for the second time,” she continued. “Thank you to everyone that was able to make it and make it a day I will never forget. And thank you to my wonderful husband for everything you do for me and our family. I couldn&#8217;t be happier to have you by my side through this crazy life. I love you more.”
In May 2020, Hudson left Hawaii for a new deployment; Carlie wrote: “Saying goodbye to you never gets easier. I&#8217;m already missing the s*** out of you. Please come home quickly. I&#8217;ll see you in 5 months my love. I love you more.”
In March 2021, Carlie wrote: “In the last 2 months Hudson and I found out that we can&#8217;t have kids naturally and we have to do IVF. We also were told that it will probably take 2 or more times of IVF treatment for me to get pregnant. I&#8217;m only sharing this because it needs to be normalized and more talked about.”
Hudson made numerous loving comments in response to photos of his wife, including:
<blockquote>Dats my wife. I love you baby.
Dayyyuuummm gurll. You fine. 
Ooooo gurlll. Can i get yo number?</blockquote>
The last photo of them, from November, depicted him carrying his wife piggy back on a beach.
Carlie commented, “So in love with how these pictures turned out.”
Michael Madsen also starred in the films “The Natural,” “Kill Bill Vol.1,” “Kill Bill Vol. 2,” “Die Another Day,” “Sin City, “Thelma and Louise” and “Donnie Brasco.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.

Michael Madsen Dines At Sugar Factory American Brasserie At Paris Las Vegas

‘Reservoir Dogs’ Star Michael Madsen’s Son Dies In Suspected Suicide

Suicide

Academy Award-winning director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ideology-trumps-entertaining-now-quentin-tarantino-slams-hollywood-for-virtue-signaling-instead-of-entertaining">Quentin Tarantino</a> revealed on a recent podcast that he does not give his mother Connie Zastoupil any financial assistance or buy her any gifts because of an argument the pair had when Tarantino was 12 years old.
“My mom was b****ing at me about [writing screenplays] &#8230; and then in the middle of her little tirade, she said, ‘Oh, and by the way, this little writing career’ — with the finger quotes and everything — ‘This little writing career that you’re doing? That s&#8212; is over,’” Tarantino <a href="https://www.today.com/parents/quentin-tarantino-has-never-given-his-mother-connie-penny-t227747">recalled</a>, speaking on a recent episode of “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/quentin-tarantino-07-28-21/id814550071?i=1000530253765" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Moment</a>” podcast, hosted by “Billions” co-creator Brian Koppelman.
“I go, ‘Okay, lady, when I become a successful writer, you will never see one penny from my success. There will be no house for you. There’s no vacation for you, no Elvis Cadillac for mommy. You get nothing. Because you said that,'&#8221; the director continued.
And Tarantino apparently stuck to his word. The only time he gave his mother any financial assistance was one time when she was in a &#8220;jam with the IRS,&#8221; the 58-year-old said.
“There are consequences for your words as you deal with your children,” Tarantino asserted. “Remember there are consequences for your sarcastic tone about what’s meaningful to them.”
According to a 2003 article <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/10/20/the-movie-lover">published</a> in The New Yorker, Tarantino, as a child, used to write his mom stories for Mother&#8217;s Day wherein Zastoupil would die at the end &#8212; a piece of the story he said he felt bad about:
<blockquote>Tarantino as a child was preoccupied with movies, and he was always writing. He wrote a screenplay called “Captain Peachfuzz and the Anchovy Bandit,” and each year for Mother’s Day he would write a little story for and about his mother in which she died at the end (he would assure her that he felt bad about the way things turned out).</blockquote>
“He’d always kill me and tell me how bad he felt about it,” Zastoupil <a href="https://www.today.com/parents/quentin-tarantino-has-never-given-his-mother-connie-penny-t227747">told</a> Entertainment Weekly back in 1994. “It was enough to bring a tear to a mother’s eye.”
Back in June, Tarantino made headlines for pushing back against Hollywood&#8217;s preference for virtue signaling over entertainment. He made the remarks after he was hit with liberal backlash for apparently not giving actress Margot Robbie a big enough role in &#8220;Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ideology-trumps-entertaining-now-quentin-tarantino-slams-hollywood-for-virtue-signaling-instead-of-entertaining">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>[HBO host Bill] Maher was among the first to broach the subject of political correctness dominating Hollywood. He asked the famed director of “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill,” and a number of other modern classics about an encounter he had with a reporter at the 2019 Cannes film festival when she complained that actress Margot Robbie’s part in “Once Upon a Time Hollywood” wasn’t big enough. Tarantino replied that he rejected that hypothesis.
“I’ve always really appreciated the way you’ve pushed back when everyone’s tried to stifle you, shut you up, shame you, bully you, corral your artistic license — they tried it with the last one, with ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ some bullsh** about Margot Robbie doesn’t have enough lines,” said Maher. “You do what I wish other people would do: instead of apologizing like a little pu*** you say, ‘I don’t agree with your assessment.’ What’s so hard about that?”
The eight-time Oscar winner <a href="https://twitter.com/GComixxx/status/1409320057914609664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1409320057914609664%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fboundingintocomics.com%2F2021%2F06%2F28%2Fquentin-tarantino-calls-out-the-rampant-ideological-climate-of-modern-hollywood%2F">responded</a> by lamenting how important pushing political agendas has become in the entertainment business these days.
“There has become a thing that’s gone on, especially in this last year, where ideology is more important than art,” Tarantino said.
“Way more. Certainly to the awards,” Maher agreed.
Tarantino went on, “Ideology trumps art. Ideology trumps individual effort. Ideology trumps good. Ideology trumps entertaining,” Tarantino said as the audience applauded.
“There’s two kinds of movies—virtue signalers and super hero movies,” Maher summed matters up. Tarantino agreed and said that he believes Hollywood’s current woke obsession won’t last forever. “Just looking at the ’40s, even though it was wartime, that was also when you had film noir. Even with the Hays Code! You had these dark, dark stories being told.”</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ideology-trumps-entertaining-now-quentin-tarantino-slams-hollywood-for-virtue-signaling-instead-of-entertaining">‘Ideology Trumps Entertaining Now’: Quentin Tarantino Slams Hollywood For Virtue Signaling Instead Of Entertaining</a>

Quentin Tarantino Won’t Give Mother A ‘Penny’ Over Argument At Age 12

As the NBA and a majority of the entertainment industry cater to China&#8217;s censorship demands in order to make a quick buck, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is now refusing to recut his hit film &#8220;Once Upon a Time in Hollywood&#8221; to appease the tyrannical regime.
&#8220;Quentin Tarantino will not recut “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” to placate Chinese censors,&#8221; reports <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/news/quentin-tarantino-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-china-1203375792/#article-comments">Variety</a>. &#8220;The decision likely means that the Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt buddy dramedy and ode to late sixties Tinseltown won’t be making an appearance in China — at least in non-pirated form.&#8221;
Though &#8220;Once Upon a Time in Hollywood&#8221; is being distributed by Sony Pictures, Tarantino has final cut, meaning no alterations can be made to the movie without his approval. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) praised Tarantino for standing up for artistic freedom:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If, contrary to the initial article, Tarantino is standing up to China &amp; refusing to be censored, BRAVO. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MoreOfThis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MoreOfThis</a> <a href="https://t.co/rdASUsJao9">https://t.co/rdASUsJao9</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1185415615516950528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The stall over his film&#8217;s release in China reportedly happened because Bruce Lee&#8217;s daughter, Shannon Lee, filed a complaint with China’s National Film Administration about the film&#8217;s negative depiction of her father.
In the movie, actor Mike Moh hilariously portrays kung-fu screen legend Bruce Lee as an arrogant braggart who talks a bigger game than the one he plays. Despite the fact that most Bruce Lee biographers agree that Lee did indeed have a haughty side to go along with his sweet side, Tarantino got slapped with accusations of racism for supposedly portraying the film’s lone minority character so disparagingly. Tarantino maintained, however, that Lee&#8217;s own wife even admitted he had a bit of an arrogant side.
“The way he was talking, I didn’t just make a lot of that up,” Tarantino said, as reported by <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tarantino-responds-bruce-lee-once-a-time-hollywood-criticism-1231125">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. “I heard him say things like that, to that effect. If people are saying, ‘Well he never said he could beat up Muhammad Ali,’ well yeah, he did. Not only did he say that, but his wife, Linda Lee, said that in her first biography I ever read … She absolutely said it.”
Despite not being released in China, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” has already grossed $366.8 million worldwide on a $90 million budget. Regardless of whether or not the film will grace Chinese audiences, the controversy represents yet another example in a string of ongoing examples of China’s grip on Hollywood, which has become so insidious that American movie studios have been censoring creative content to make a few bucks off the backs of a totalitarian government. In fact, The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/world/asia/china-movies.html">New York Times</a> cited several instances in a detailed article on how movies have changed whole storylines and characters in order to appease China’s state media:
<blockquote>Hollywood’s embrace of China has not come without strings attached.
So when the creators of “Pixels” wanted to show aliens blasting a hole in the Great Wall of China, Sony executives worried that the scene might prevent the 2015 movie’s release in China, <a href="https://wikileaks.org/sony/emails/">leaked studio emails</a> show. They blew up the Taj Mahal instead.
But in the 2016 movie “Doctor Strange,” the Ancient One is Celtic, played by the white actress Tilda Swinton. Moviemakers decided to change the character’s ethnicity early in the process, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/world/asia/china-doctor-strange-tibet.html">reportedly</a> to avoid offending the Chinese government.
As recently as two decades ago, major Hollywood movies were sharply critical of China. “Seven Years in Tibet,” which depicts Chinese soldiers brutalizing Tibetans, was one of the top 100 grossing movies of 1997. Also that year, Disney released Martin Scorsese’s “Kundun” — a sympathetic portrayal of the Dalai Lama’s early life in Mao-era China and his subsequent exile in India — despite <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/27/movies/disney-will-defy-china-on-its-dalai-lama-film.html">objections from the Chinese authorities</a>.</blockquote>
Beyond that, movie studios have gone to great lengths to appeal to Chinese audiences by presenting the country as a technologically advanced superpower, as in the cases of “The Martian,” “2012,” “Gravity,” and “Looper.”
Most recently, social media went abuzz with Chinese censorship speculation when the &#8220;Top Gun: Maverick&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-gun-maverick-trailer-blasted-seemingly-paul-bois">trailer revealed</a> that the Taiwanese and Japanese flags had been removed from Tom Cruise&#8217;s iconic jacket, presumably to appease Chinese sensibilities.

‘Once Upon a Time In Hollywood’ Premiere In Tokyo

BRAVO: Quentin Tarantino Refuses To Censor ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ For China

China

Quentin Tarantino&#8217;s &#8220;Once Upon a Time in Hollywood&#8221; will have to wait a while to see those Chinese dollars due to the country halting the film&#8217;s release over its depiction of Bruce Lee.
&#8220;The film was originally set to hit theaters in the Middle Kingdom on Oct. 25 after having received approval from Chinese censors,&#8221; reports <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/news/quentin-tarantino-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-china-release-halted-1203375052/">Variety</a>. &#8220;But an exhibitor source told Variety that the movie has been &#8216;temporarily put on hold&#8217; because the daughter of Bruce Lee has filed a complaint to China’s National Film Administration about the on-screen depiction of her late father, a hero to many Chinese.&#8221;
The source told the outlet that the film should be approved so long as Tarantino can make some cuts.
In the movie, actor Mike Moh hilariously portrays kung-fu screen legend Bruce Lee as an arrogant braggart who talks a bigger game than the one he plays. Despite the fact that most Bruce Lee biographers agree that Lee did indeed have a haughty side to go along with his sweet side, Tarantino got slapped with accusations of racism for supposedly portraying the film’s lone minority character so disparagingly.
“They didn’t need to treat him in the way that white Hollywood did when he was alive,” Shannon Lee told <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/bruce-lee-daughter-mockery-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-shannon-lee/">TheWrap</a>. “He comes across as an arrogant a**hole who was full of hot air and not someone who had to fight triple as hard as any of those people did to accomplish what was naturally given to so many others. It was really uncomfortable to sit in the theater and listen to people laugh at my father.”
After enough criticism mounted, Tarantino eventually defended his portrayal of Bruce Lee during a press tour for the film in Russia, citing Lee’s own wife as a source.
“The way he was talking, I didn’t just make a lot of that up,” Tarantino said, as reported by <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tarantino-responds-bruce-lee-once-a-time-hollywood-criticism-1231125">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. “I heard him say things like that, to that effect. If people are saying, ‘Well he never said he could beat up Muhammad Ali,’ well yeah, he did. Not only did he say that, but his wife, Linda Lee, said that in her first biography I ever read … She absolutely said it.”
Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/news/bruce-lee-quentin-tarantino-shannon-lee-interview-1203302850/">reports</a> that the quote referred to by Tarantino, however, may not be directly attributable to Lee’s wife:
<blockquote>The passage in his wife Linda Lee Cadwell’s book, “Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew,” that Tarantino appears to refer to is a quote from a critic, who wrote that “Those who watched [Bruce] Lee would bet on Lee to render Cassius Clay senseless,” and not from the author herself (Clay was later known as Muhammad Ali).</blockquote>
Though Tarantino has not commented on China stalling the release, he has in the past <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/14/quentin-tarantino-chinese-china-movies-illegally-pirate-censorship-downloads">encouraged his Chinese fans</a> to watch his movies illegally if they so choose. In fact, 2012&#8217;s &#8220;Django Unchained&#8221; received virtually no money in China after a successful bootlegging campaign in response to a similarily stalled release.
“We didn’t make any money on [Django Unchained] but at the same time people saw it all over the place because they see it on bootleg out there and everything,” he said in 2016. “I have a lot of Chinese fans who buy my movies on the street and watch them and I’m OK with it. I’m not OK with it in other places, but if the government’s going to censor me then I want the people to see it in any way they can.”

China Stalls ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Release Over Bruce Lee Depiction

In Quentin Tarantino&#8217;s &#8220;Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,&#8221; actor Mike Moh hilariously portrays kung-fu screen legend Bruce Lee as an arrogant braggart who talks a bigger game than the one he plays. Despite the fact that most Bruce Lee biographers agree that Lee did indeed have a haughty side to go along with his sweet side, Tarantino got slapped with accusations of racism for supposedly portraying the film&#8217;s lone minority character so disparagingly.
Lee&#8217;s daughter, Shannon Lee, fired the first shot, though she was slightly understanding of Tarantino&#8217;s artistic choice.
&#8220;They didn&#8217;t need to treat him in the way that white Hollywood did when he was alive,&#8221; Shannon Lee told <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/bruce-lee-daughter-mockery-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-shannon-lee/">TheWrap</a>. &#8220;He comes across as an arrogant asshole who was full of hot air and not someone who had to fight triple as hard as any of those people did to accomplish what was naturally given to so many others. It was really uncomfortable to sit in the theater and listen to people laugh at my father.&#8221;
Following that, Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/features/bruce-lee-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-dan-inosanto-1203287237/">interviewed</a> a former protegee of Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto, who said he never saw Lee being the braggadocious fighter that Tarantino portrayed.
&#8220;He was never, in my opinion, cocky. Maybe he was cocky in as far as martial arts because he was very sure of himself. He was worlds ahead of everyone else. But on a set, he&#8217;s not gonna show off,&#8221; Inosanto said.
After enough criticism mounted, Tarantino eventually defended his portrayal of Bruce Lee during a press tour for the film in Russia and provided a fairly compelling case, citing Lee&#8217;s own wife as a source.
&#8220;The way he was talking, I didn&#8217;t just make a lot of that up,&#8221; Tarantino said, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tarantino-responds-bruce-lee-once-a-time-hollywood-criticism-1231125">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. &#8220;I heard him say things like that, to that effect. If people are saying, &#8216;Well he never said he could beat up Muhammad Ali,&#8217; well yeah, he did. Not only did he say that, but his wife, Linda Lee, said that in her first biography I ever read &#8230; . She absolutely said it.&#8221;
Critics also blasted the film for showing Brad Pitt&#8217;s character, stuntman Cliff Booth, knock Bruce Lee to the ground with seamless ease. Tarantino defended this as an artistic choice to show that Pitt&#8217;s character was a warrior who has lived combat.
&#8220;Could Cliff beat up Bruce Lee? Brad would not be able to beat up Bruce Lee, but Cliff maybe could,&#8221; said Tarantino. &#8220;If you ask me the question, &#8216;Who would win in a fight: Bruce Lee or Dracula?&#8217; It’s the same question. It&#8217;s a fictional character. If I say Cliff can beat Bruce Lee up, he&#8217;s a fictional character so he could beat Bruce Lee up.&#8221;
&#8220;The reality of the situation is this: Cliff is a Green Beret,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;He has killed many men in WWII in hand-to-hand combat. What Bruce Lee is talking about in the whole thing is that he admires warriors. He admires combat, and boxing is a closer approximation of combat as a sport. Cliff is not part of the sport that is like combat, he is a warrior. He is a combat person.&#8221;
&#8220;If Cliff were fighting Bruce Lee in a martial arts tournament in Madison Square Garden, Bruce would kill him. But if Cliff and Bruce were fighting in the jungles of the Philippines in a hand-to-hand combat fight, Cliff would kill him,&#8221; Tarantino concluded.
For reasons entirely unknown at this time, the social justice warriors have had the daggers out for Quentin Tarantino lately. TIME, for instance, recently <a href="https://time.com/5645347/quentin-tarantino-women-dialogue/">published an article</a> in which two reporters actually watched all of the director&#8217;s films to count the number of lines women characters spoke, accusing him of subtle misogyny.

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