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The 50 best movies of all time, according to critics

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Many of the notable lists that rank the greatest movies of all time — like the American Film Institute's "100 Years ... 100 Movies" from 1998 — have enlisted thousands of movie-industry names to come up with a consensus on the well-established classics.

When film critics are the only factor taken into account for such a list, however, the results skew in unexpected directions.

To find out which films have been the most critically acclaimed in history, we turned to the reviews aggregator Metacritic for its ranking of the all-time greatest movies, which scores films by their composite critical reception. 

The resulting list includes modern masterpieces, like "Moonlight" and "Pan's Labyrinth," in contention with classics like "The Godfather."

Here are the 50 best movies of all time, according to the critics on Metacritic:

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 24 original drama series, ranked from worst to best

50. "Maborosi" (1994)

Critic score: 94/100

User score: N/A

Plot summary: "A young woman's husband apparently commits suicide without warning or reason, leaving behind his wife and infant."



49. "Carlos" (2010)

Critic score: 94/100

User score: 7.8/10

Plot summary: "The story of Venezuelan revolutionary Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, who founded a worldwide terrorist organization and raided the 1975 OPEC meeting."



48. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)

Critic score: 94/100

User score: 9.1/10

Plot summary: "Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 7 best movies coming out in November that are worth your money to see in theaters

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Though there are more movies being released now than ever before in the business, less people are motivated to go to the theater to watch them. 

With so many movies available on streaming, and TV technology making your living room rival your neighborhood multiplex, there’s more than enough reason to just sit back and enjoy at home. 

But there’s still something special about going to the theater and experiencing a good movie on the big screen. 

Here we highlight seven titles coming to theaters in November that we think are worth you spending your hard-earned cash on. 

Note: Titles listed below as limited releases will likely expand to more cities throughout the month. 

SEE ALSO: The 5 best new shows of the fall that you have to watch, ranked

1. “Lady Bird” — November 3 (limited release)

Actress Greta Gerwig’s first solo directing effort is a semi-autobiographical, bittersweet look at her teenage years. Saoirse Ronan gives a perfect performance as Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a high school senior who can’t wait to escape her hometown of Sacramento, and the confines of Catholic school, and go off to college in New York. Through the year we journey with her on the highs and lows of teen life and her relationship with her mother (an Oscar-worthy performance by Laurie Metcalf).

There have been many great movies that have looked at teen life, and Gerwig has elevated the genre a beautiful balance of sincerity and deadpan comedy.



2. “Thor: Ragnarok” — November 3

The latest movie from Marvel Studios is a little different than the rest. Enlisting the talents of indie director Taika Waititi, the third movie in the Thor franchise focuses more on fun and the relationships of the characters than an impending doom (though there’s that, too). Chris Hemsworth has done great work playing Thor, but in this one you can just tell he finally was challenged to show off some of his acting skills.



3. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” — November 10 (limited release)

It’s hard to mess up a movie that features Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. But with the writing-directing of Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges”), these talents are given material that even elevates their games.

McDormand plays a mother who is fed up with the lack of progress the local police force has made in solving her daughter’s murder, so she decides to motivate them a little by posting three huge billboards that call out the sheriff (Harrelson) specifically for failing her. With a extremely dark comedic tone, the movie explores loss and redemption.

Oh, and Rockwell’s performance is really, really special.



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The new 'Assassin's Creed' is a return to greatness for a stagnant blockbuster

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The new "Assassin's Creed" is the best "Assassin's Creed" game in years. 

Assassin's Creed Origins

Not since 2010's "Brotherhood" has "Assassin's Creed" felt so fresh, so expansive, and so purely focused on what the series is known for: Assassinating

As a lapsed fan of the franchise, I was wary of "Origins." After dozens of hours spent exploring its gorgeous, vibrant Egyptian world, I'm happy to say it's a return to form for the mercurial series.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's new Mario game is a great argument for buying a Nintendo Switch

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WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

I'm going to speak explicitly about "Assassin's Creed Origins," including about its story and gameplay — this is a review, after all. So, if you don't want anything spoiled, turn back!

Review note: All images in this review were captured on a PlayStation 4 Pro in 4K, with a review copy of "Assassin's Creed Origins" provided by Ubisoft. The game was played on a PlayStation 4 Pro.



The game's story follows Bayek, who's basically the Egyptian Ned Stark.

Bayek is a man bound by ideals, on a quest for vengeance. 

As you'll learn in the first hour of "Origins," a secret society is pulling the strings of a puppet pharaoh. Bayek, unfortunately, gets in the way of their plans and, for whatever reason, they kill his son.

Thus: vengeance.

It's simple, no doubt, but it's really just to provide the spark necessary to kickstart the game's story and give its main character some purpose. It's the least exciting aspect of "Origins," and it's unfortunately front-loaded on the game.

That said: It's beyond worth persisting past the plodding first hour or two of "Origins" for the thrilling 30 hours that follow.



"Origins" is sharply focused on assassination and sneaking, as it should be.

Across the past decade, "Assassin's Creed" has gone in a half dozen different directions. Whether directly participating in the American Revolution — darting around historic battlefields — or engaging entire armadas in ship-to-ship battle, the series had seemingly moved on from its roots.

With "Origins," though there are plenty of meaningful changes and additions, it feels like the purest "Assassin's Creed" game in years. The game's main campaign path is literally a list of names, and your job is to work toward crossing those names out.

There are loads of side missions that have you doing all manner of things — it's not as though there isn't variety. You'll even captain a massive ship at least once. But the focus of the game, the main story, is centered on assassination. 

At one point, in a moment that's perhaps too on the nose, a story character says, "Now is the time for assassinations!" Indeed it is.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A second actor has accused Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct

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  • Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos has accused Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct.
  • His accusation follows actor Anthony Rapp's allegation that Spacey made a sexual advance toward him when he was 14 years old.

 

Another actor has come forward to accuse "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct. 

Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos said in a Facebook post on Monday that Spacey tried to touch him against his will at the bar of London's Old Vic Theatre in 2008.

As Mashable notes, Spacey was the artistic director of the theater from 2004 to 2015, and Cavazos appeared in numerous plays there, starting in 2008.

"I don't remember how many people told me the same story: Spacey would invite them to meet him to 'talk about their careers,'" Cavazos wrote. "When they arrived at the theatre, [Spacey] had prepared champagne on the stage, beautifully lit."

"Each story varied in how far the picnic went, but the technique was the same. More common was to find him at the bar of the theatre, grabbing whoever caught his attention," he continued. "That's how it happened to me the second time. I didn't stand for it, but I know some people who were too scared to stop it."

Cavazos' accusation follows a sexual misconduct allegation against Spacey made by "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp last week. Rapp said Spacey made a sexual advance toward him when he was 14 years old. 

"There are many of us who have a 'Kevin Spacey story,'" Cavazos wrote. "It seems the only requirement was to be a male under the age of 30 for Mr Spacey to feel free to touch us. It was so common that it became a local joke (of very bad taste)."

In a statement, The Old Vic Theatre expressed "deep dismay" at the allegations.

"Inappropriate behaviour by anyone working at The Old Vic is completely unacceptable," it said.

Spacey's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Production on the Spacey-led Netflix series "House of Cards" was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday, following the allegation made by Rapp.

SEE ALSO: Netflix has suspended production on 'House of Cards' indefinitely, after a sexual misconduct accusation against star Kevin Spacey

Join the conversation about this story »

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CBS is 'looking into' an allegation that Jeremy Piven groped an actress on the set of 'Entourage'

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  • Jeremy Piven of CBS' "Wisdom of the Crowd" has been accused of sexual misconduct by reality TV actress Ariane Bellamar.
  • Bellamar said Piven groped her on multiple occasions, including on the set of HBO's "Entourage."
  • Piven has denied the allegations.
  • CBS responded on Tuesday, saying it was "looking into the matter."

 

Jeremy Piven, the star of CBS' "Wisdom of the Crowd," is facing sexual misconduct allegations from reality TV actress Ariane Bellamar, who on Monday took to Twitter to accuse Piven of groping her on multiple occasions. 

A CBS spokesperson told Deadline on Tuesday that the network was "aware of the media reports" of the allegations, and "looking into the matter." 

CBS did not provide any additional information about its investigation. The network's Piven-led show, "Wisdom of the Crowd," began airing in October. 

Bellamar's accusations came in the form of the following three tweets on Monday, in which she alleges that Piven groped her on the set of HBO's "Entourage" and at the Playboy Mansion:

 In a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday evening, Piven denied the allegations.

"I unequivocally deny the appalling allegations being peddled about me. It did not happen," Piven said. "It takes a great deal of courage for victims to come forward with their histories, and my hope is that the allegations about me that didn’t happen, do not detract from stories that should be heard."

HBO also issued the following response on Tuesday: 

"Today, via the press reports, is the first we are hearing about Ariane Bellamar’s allegations concerning Jeremy Piven. Everyone at HBO and our productions is aware that zero tolerance for sexual harassment is our policy. Anyone experiencing an unsafe working environment has several avenues for making complaints that we take very seriously."

SEE ALSO: Kevin Spacey came out as gay after being accused of sexual misconduct, and people are not happy

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All 15 new Netflix original TV shows and movies coming out in November

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You might have already burned through season two of "Stranger Things," but there's still plenty to watch on Netflix in November. 

Netflix has 15 brand-new original shows, documentaries, stand-up comedy specials, and films arriving in November, just in time for you to have a good excuse to avoid your family on Thanksgiving weekend. 

From another adaptation of a Margaret Atwood novel, to a documentary starring Jim Carrey, and a female dominated western from Steven Soderbergh, these are all the Netflix originals coming to your way this November.

Here are all the Netflix originals to watch this month:

SEE ALSO: I watched all of 'Stranger Things' season 2 — and the best thing about it is it never tries to top season 1

"Alias Grace," Season 1 — available November 3

Netflix description: The story follows Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a poor, young Irish immigrant and domestic servant in Upper Canada who, along with stable hand James McDermott (Kerr Logan), was convicted of the brutal murders of their employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin), in 1843. 



"Project Mc2," Season 1 — available November 7

Netflix description: Project Mc2 follows four super smart and science-skilled girls as they are recruited to join the spy organization, NOV8 ("Innovate"), working together to save the day and prove that Smart is the New Cool™.

 



"Glitter Force Doki Doki," Season 2 — available November 10

Netflix description: When the magical kingdom of Jubiland is invaded by an evil emperor and his band of fairytale villains, a tiny pixie named Candy recruits five preteen girls to form the powerful team of the Glitter Force to help defend Earth from becoming the next target. These fabulous friends transform from ordinary school girls into super powered cool girls. Defending the Earth from fairytale villains isn’t an easy job, but the Glitter Force proves that nothing is more powerful than friendship.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Forget foreplay — Audible's new machine-learning feature gets romance readers right to the good part

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  • Audible's new "Take me to the good part" feature skips right to the juiciest passages.
  • The feature is a part of Audible's new Romance Package.

 

Who needs foreplay? With Audible's new machine-learning feature, fittingly dubbed "Take me to the good part," you can now gloss over all of those tedious plot points in your favorite romance novel and head right to the juicy bits.

The company's latest feature complements its romance collection with an algorithm that gleans sexually suggestive language from over 110 books, classifying passion-saturated passages on a "steaminess" scale with indicators like "sweet," "hot damn," "simmering," and the ultimate: "O-O-OMG."

Audible's "Take me to the good part" feature further refines illicit passages by category. Readers can now search for erotic selections filled with relics of romantic lore like "immortals," "animal/beasts," "viscounts," and that doleful byproduct of the conventional tryst:"secret babies."

The feature is an added incentive for listeners to join Audible's Romance Package, a bespoke subscription service for readers of romance. It's a smart move on the part of Audible to capitalize on romance readers, which make up a particularly avid consumer base for online content. The subscription service is flat rate of $14.95 a month or $6.95 per month for Audible and Kindle Unlimited members, and provides access to thousands of romantic novels, all of which are read in the "steamiest voices."

There's hopes among the SparkNotes-inclined high school set that the feature will be applied to other genres in the future as wellboiling down the only the most essential auditory passages of the classics. 

 

Join the conversation about this story »

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Olivia Munn is one of 6 women who have accused director Brett Ratner of sexual harassment or assault

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Brett Ratner Getty final

  • Six women came forward to the Los Angeles Times with allegations of sexual harassment or assault against director and producer Brett Ratner.
  • Ratner is known for the "Rush Hour" movies and "X-Men: The Last Stand."
  • One of the women who has come forward with accusations is actress Olivia Munn, who said Ratner masturbated in front of her in 2004, when she was an aspiring actress on set of one of his movies. 


Six women have come forward to The Los Angeles Times with allegations of sexual harassment or assault against director and producer Brett Ratner. Ratner has directed movies like "Rush Hour" and "X-Men: The Last Stand," and produced movies including "The Revenant" and "Horrible Bosses."

One of the six women is actress Olivia Munn. Munn told the LA Times that Ratner masturbated in front of her on the set of his movie "After the Sunset" in 2004, when she delivered food to his trailer.

"He walked out . . . with his belly sticking out, no pants on, shrimp cocktail in one hand and he was furiously masturbating in the other," Munn told the Times. "And before I literally could even figure out where to escape or where to look, he ejaculated."

Munn wrote about this alleged incident in her 2010 book, "Suck It, Wonder Woman! The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek," but didn't reveal the name of the director. A year later, Ratner appeared on a television show and claimed he had "banged" her (which he later said was not true, on the Howard Stern show). Munn also told the Times that she saw Ratner at a party in 2010, and he told her that he ejaculated on magazine covers with her photographs.

“I shouldn’t have to be completely broken, battered, and devalued in order to prove that he crossed a line,” Munn told the Times.

Ratner's attorney, Martin Singer, said that the director “vehemently disputes” Munn’s allegations.

Actress Natasha Henstridge told the Times that in the early 90s, when she was 19 years old and working as a model (and Ratner was in his early 20s), he forced her to perform oral sex on him in his New York City apartment. 

“He strong-armed me in a real way," Henstridge told the Times. "He physically forced himself on me. At some point, I gave in and he did his thing.” Ratner denied this ever happened, through his attorney.

Henstridge, now 43, told the Times that she has crossed paths with Ratner a lot at Hollywood parties and events. Henstridge also told the Times that she auditioned for the show "Prison Break" knowing that, as an executive producer, Ratner would likely be in the room. He was, she said. 

"I had two young kids and had to go to work and make a living," she said. "And he just acted like we were old friends from back in the day in New York, saying, 'I haven't seen you in years.' Auditioning is already bad enough. But trying to focus on the work, I just felt sick." Henstridge didn't get the part she auditioned for on "Prison Break."

Multiple extras on Ratner's film "Rush Hour 2" told the Times that he sexually harassed them. One, Eri Sasaki, said that Ratner approached her one day on set, ran his finger down her bare stomach, and asked if she wanted to go to the bathroom with him. Sasaki said that when she said no, Ratner asked, "Don't you want to be famous?"

Ratner's attorney said that Ratner does not recall Sasaki's story.

Another extra, Jorina King, said Ratner came to her trailer and requested to see her breasts. King said she said no and hid in the bathroom. 

“I figured if I could stay out of his eyesight, if I could stay away from him, he will forget about me and he will choose someone else, and that is exactly what happened," she told the Times.

Ratner's attorney, Martin Singer, responded to Business Insider's request for comment via email Wednesday afternoon:

"Brett Ratner vehemently denies the outrageous derogatory allegations that have been reported about him, and we are confident that his name will be cleared once the current media frenzy dies down and people can objectively evaluate the nature of these claims. He understands the seriousness of this issue and the importance of addressing the concerns of victims of sexual misconduct both in the entertainment industry and beyond."

 

Read the full investigation from the LA Times.

SEE ALSO: Netflix has suspended production on 'House of Cards' indefinitely, after a sexual misconduct accusation against star Kevin Spacey

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what Melissa Joan Hart — who played Clarissa and Sabrina the Teenage Witch — is doing today


Why Warner Bros. could be affected by the sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Ratner (TWX, T)

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  • Brett Ratner is a partner in RatPac-Dune Entertainment.
  • The company has financed many Warner Bros. hits, including "Wonder Woman" and "It."
  • The industry is waiting to see if the Ratner sexual misconduct allegations will affect WB/RatPac-Dune.

 

In the wake of an LA Times story that went live on Wednesday, in which six women accused director-producer Brett Ratner of sexual misconduct, Warner Bros. now needs to do full damage control, while its parent company is close to being acquired by AT&T.   

Ratner not only has a first-look deal with the studio, but is also a partner in RatPac-Dune Entertainment, one of the biggest financiers of Warner Bros. titles, including recent releases "Wonder Woman" and "It." 

The $450 million deal in 2013 between WB and RatPac-Dune, which includes Ratner, Steven Mnuchin (who has since left to company to become US treasury secretary), and silent investors like the Koch brothers, has benefitted the studio over the years ("Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Mad Max: Fury Road") — and especially this year. Along with "Wonder Woman," which was the second-highest grossing movie of the year domestically and the highest-grossing summer movie, RatPac-Dune also helped finance its potential awards contender "Dunkirk," directed by Christopher Nolan, and the fall's biggest hit so far, "It."

Wonder WomanThe company is also involved in Steven Spielberg's anticipated new movie coming out next year, "Ready Player One," which is also being released by Warner Bros.

Now the industry will wait and see whether these allegations toward Ratner will affect WB/RatPac in the same way the Weinstein Company suffered following the sexual assault and harassment allegations against its founder, Harvey Weinstein. In that case, movies stripped Weinstein's name from credits, and upcoming releases have scrambled to get out of deals with TWC. The company will not release any more movies the rest of 2017. 

A WB spokesperson told Business Insider, "We are aware of the allegations in the LA Times and are reviewing the situation." Business Insider contacted RatPac-Dune for comment but did not get an immediate response.

Warner Bros. is also a major chip in Time Warner being acquired by AT&T, a deal that is in a preliminary agreement with a pricetag of $85 billion.  

SEE ALSO: 19 powerful men accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of Harvey Weinstein

Join the conversation about this story »

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Dustin Hoffman has been accused of sexually harassing and groping a 17-year-old woman in 1985

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  • Anna Graham Hunter has accused Dustin Hoffman of sexually harassing her when she was 17.
  • She said Hoffman made several sexually inappropriate remarks and groped her.
  • Hoffman issued an apology in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.


Writer Anna Graham Hunter has accused Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman of sexually harassing her when she was 17 years old, in a guest column she wrote for The Hollywood Reporter.

Hunter said that while interning as a production assistant on the set of "Death of a Salesman" in 1985, Hoffman, who starred in the film, would speak openly about sex in front of her and inappropriately touched her.

Hunter recalled asking for Hoffman's breakfast order one morning, to which the actor allegedly responded, "I'll have a hard-boiled egg … and a soft-boiled clitoris."

Hunter described other occassions in which Hoffman made sexually explicit remarks in front of her, including one time when the actor allegedly asked her, "So, did you have sex over the weekend like I told you?"

According to Hunter, Hoffman also felt her "ass four times" while she walked him to his limousine on one occasion.

While Hunter recalled feeling conflicted at the time, saying that she "loved the attention from Dustin Hoffman" until she didn't, she now feels that Hoffman's behavior "fits into the larger pattern of what women experience in Hollywood and everywhere."

"He was a predator, I was a child, and this was sexual harassment," Hunter wrote.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Hoffman said: "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am."

Dustin Hoffman did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

SEE ALSO: 19 powerful men accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of Weinstein

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The most underrated foods — according to Anthony Bourdain and Danny Bowien

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We sat down with Anthony Bourdain of "Parts Unknown" and Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese to discuss Bourdain's new film, "Wasted!" and the ever-changing food landscape. Here, they discuss some of their favorite underrated foods that you should be on the lookout for. Following is a transcript of the video.

Anthony Bourdain: So many of traditional foods that we sort of fallen out of touch with are underrated. You know, things like a traditional Italian ragu of, you know, oxtail and, you know, a neck bone. Pigs feet can be, you know — these days, pigs feet, you have to go to an expensive hipster restaurant to get. The next – the new lobster? I don’t know. Pig tails would be nice. They can be really, really great. And they’re, you know, in limited supply, just like lobster. And takes some skill to eat.

Danny Bowien: For me, I moved to San Francisco when I was 19 and started, like — I had Korean food for the first time when I got off of the airplane. One of the first things that I had at that meal was grilled, griddled mackerel. Like a piece of griddled mackerel and I was, like, “This is amazing.” It’s very fishy, but not in a bad way. ‘Cause I’d only grown up eating catfish that was deep-fried. You know what I mean?

I never ate, like, grilled fish or knew the flavor of the ocean. We’re really starting to showcase more oily fish, like, little smelt and sardines, anchovies, even like, little bait fish. Using those in innovative ways and getting people excited about them. ‘Cause that’s what we’re excited about.

Bourdain: Across America people have lost touch with what used to be a staple at a certain lower-income point. So it’s really a lot of these ingredients we are talking about — we’re urging people to use more of, so as to avoid waste. The techniques we’re talking about — slow-cooking, braising, stewing, pickling — these are nothing new to, you know, people, you know, even today in rural West Virginia, all across the South. And, you know, in huge parts of America, particularly in the cities, we have lost touch with them.

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'Thor: Ragnarok' director explains why his hilarious 'flashback scenes' idea didn't make it in the movie

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“Thor: Ragnarok” is filled with laugh-out-loud sequences, but its director Taika Waititi revealed one that ended up being spiked, even though he believes it was a great idea.

In the early talks with Marvel to make “Ragnarok,” Waititi had an idea to feature flashback scenes, particularly of Thor and his brother Loki tormenting each other as teens.

Waititi even highlighted it in the sizzle reel he created for Marvel by including a scene from the 1980s classic “Sixteen Candles” to show the kind of tone that he wanted for the flashbacks.

“It was in the first couple months of storylining,” Waititi told Business Insider. “We always wondered, could we put in these flashbacks and make them work? To me it still feels like a great idea.”

There’s one scene in “Ragnarok” (opening in theaters on Friday) where it definitely could have worked.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) recounts how Loki (Tom Hiddleston) fantastically tried to kill him as a teen. The story gets a laugh the way it's told, but Waititi wanted to go a step further and actually shoot a 1980s-era flashback of the moment, including teenage versions of Thor and Loki.

The thinking by Waititi was the flashback would be another example of how un-Marvel “Ragnarok” is. But the idea never got off the ground.

“It was very hard to justify doing,” he said. “It would have felt like just this one-off little flashback and it needed more. It would have been funnier if it was this ongoing thing where we had more and more of those stories through the movie.”

Even though it would have been really fun to see teenage Thor and Loki going at each other, there’s still a lot in the movie that will make you laugh.

SEE ALSO: The director of "Thor: Ragnarok" says the movie is so unconventional Mark Ruffalo joked they'd both get fired

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6 reasons why Nintendo Switch is the best console to buy right now

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Nintendo's on a roll, with no end in sight.

Super Mario Odyssey

The new "Super Mario Odyssey" is receiving near-universal praise, and the Nintendo Switch is beating the competition month after month in sales.

There's a good reason for that: The Nintendo Switch is the best console to buy this holiday. Here's why!

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's new Mario game is a great argument for buying a Nintendo Switch

DON'T MISS: 11 reasons why now is the perfect time to buy a Nintendo Switch

1. The Switch has the best line-up of games.

Since launching in March, the Nintendo Switch has taken the mantle as the must-have console for playing the best games. This is the number one reason to buy the Switch this holiday: It's the only place to play the best games of 2017.

Yes, there are excellent exclusives on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. "Horizon Zero Dawn" on PS4 and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" on Xbox One stick out as strong arguments for each, and that's not wrong. 

But let's be clear: The Switch is absolutely stacked with huge, new games that can only be played on the Switch.



Like "Super Mario Odyssey"

The latest hit that can only be played on the Switch is "Super Mario Odyssey." It's currently got an average score of 97/100 on Metacritic, putting it on the all-time top 10 highest-rated games category. 

It's highly rated because it's an outrageously good game, full of delight and surprise around every turn. "Odyssey" is the latest example of Nintendo's approach to major games as of late: Take classic franchises and evolve them to new heights.

It's hard to overstate the quality of "Super Mario Odyssey"; it's clever, and massive, and beautiful, and deeply referential, and so much more. It is, frankly put, one of the best Nintendo games of the past decade — perhaps of all time. 

Read our review of "Super Mario Odyssey" right here.



"Mario Kart 8 Deluxe"

Whether you've been playing "Mario Kart" games for years or you've never touched one, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is a tremendous delight. 

It's the definitive "Mario Kart" experience, with a ridiculous number of courses and playable characters. Best of all, the Switch becomes a portable "Mario Kart" machine if you take the console in portable mode — each Joy-Con becomes a gamepad, and the Switch is the screen. Being able to casually challenge a friend to "Mario Kart" by simply having the Switch with you is pretty incredible.

Crucially, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is a perfect game to play alone or with friends. The vast majority of the time I've spent with the game has been sitting next to my wife, playing together online against the world. Since the game came out in late April, it's been a constant in my apartment. 

Read our review of "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" right here.



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Disney's requirements for the new 'Star Wars' movie have angered some movie theaters (DIS)

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Star Wars Tim Whitby Getty

  • Disney is requiring movie theaters that show "The Last Jedi" hand over 65% of ticket sale revenue, and play it in their largest auditoriums for at least four weeks.
  • Some small independent theaters are deciding not to show it.

 

When you are the king of the mountain, you can declare some unusual terms — and that's exactly what Disney is doing when it comes to releasing "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," some theater owners said. 

Even though Disney releases, including its "Star Wars" movies, have been a godsend to the movie theater business, which has seen a decrease in ticket sales over the last few years, some theater owners believe the requirements the studio is forcing on them to play "The Last Jedi" have gone too far. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, movie theaters can show "The Last Jedi" only if they agree that Disney gets 65% of ticket sale revenue, which is the largest cut a studio has ever asked from theaters. They also have to show the movie in their largest auditoriums for at least four weeks.

Ignoring these terms would lead to Disney charging the theater an additional 5% (so that means Disney would take 70% of sales).

For major multiplexes, these requirements aren't deal-breakers. But for small independent theaters, this could cripple their business. So some independently-owned theaters have decided not to play "The Last Jedi," according to The Wall Street Journal.

Most theaters send 55%-60% of ticket sales back to studios, depending on if the movie is a major blockbuster or not. 

Business Insider reached out to Disney for comment but did not get an immediate response.

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Heidi Klum's party is one of the wildest events you can go to on Halloween — see what it's like inside

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Heidi Klum halloween 2017

  • Heidi Klum's Halloween parties are known for being over the top.
  • This year, Klum dressed as the werewolf from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video.
  • Lots of other celebrities, like Questlove and Mike Myers, showed up in costume.


The so-called Queen of Halloween, supermodel Heidi Klum, may have outdone herself this year.

For her annual party, now in its 18th year, Klum appeared in full makeup as the werewolf from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video. The costume took seven hours to complete.

"Michael Jackson was always such an icon and the 'Thriller' video is such an iconic video and I was like, 'I have to redo that,'" Klum told People.

Hosted at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar at Moxy Times Square, the party was DJ'd by Questlove and attended by plenty of stars, including Heather Graham, Ice-T, Mike Myers, and Kyle MacLachlan.

Below, see the best costumes of the night.

SEE ALSO: Michelle Obama's White House photographer reveals in a new book what being around the former first lady was like

Jay Manuel arrived as a bionic man.



Model Anastasia Machekhina dressed in blue.



Model Sommer Ray wore cheetah print.



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Gary Vaynerchuk on Facebook being a force of good or evil: 'Facebook is a mirror'

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Last night, I decided to re-watch one of my more recent favorite episodes of the YouTube show "Hot Ones," which everyone should watch if they're not already. In each "Hot Ones" episode, which lasts around 15-20 minutes, an interviewer (Sean Evans) asks guests (usually celebrities) various questions as they eat increasingly hotter chicken wings.

hot ones gary vaynerchuk sean evans

This particular "Hot Ones" episode features Gary Vaynerchuk, the fast-talking founder of VaynerMedia and investor in dozens of notable tech companies including Facebook, Twitter, and Uber.

Honestly, I had never even heard of Vaynerchuk before this 21-minute YouTube episode, but it was a great introduction to his quirky personality.

gary vaynerchuk

My favorite moment in the episode, however, was when Sean Evans asks Vaynerchuk about Facebook. "Is Facebook a force of good? A force of evil? Does it matter?"

Here's Vaynerchuk's response, which stuck with me:

"Facebook is a mirror. Everybody's super pumped about blaming other people for their own s---. Technology's exposing who you are, not changing you. Facebook's a mirror."

Vaynerchuk also had an interesting response when asked by Evans what people get wrong about Mark Zuckerberg, as someone who has actually spent time with the Facebook founder:

"I think this notion of he's a tech nerd, and he built it because of a girl, all that bulls---. I just think he's a genuinely good guy, smart as s---, and disproportionately understands human behavior. Besides Jeff Bezos, I think he's probably the most understanding of consumer behavior, which makes him extremely dangerous as an entrepreneur."

You can watch the whole "Hot Ones" episode featuring Vaynerchuk below.

SEE ALSO: 5 small changes that would make Netflix so much better to use

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All the men who have accused Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct

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kevin spacey

Following actor Anthony Rapp's allegation that Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance on him at age 14, a number of other men have come forward to accuse the "House of Cards" star of sexual misconduct. 

Most of the allegations involve Spacey inappropriately touching, or making sexual advances toward younger male actors. The accusations start as early as the 1980s, around when Spacey's acting career began, and run into the late 2000s. 

Last week, Spacey's apology to Rapp sparked criticism when he chose to come out as gay in the same statement. His representatives have not responded to Business Insider's requests for comment on subsequent accusations. 

Following Rapp's accusation, Netflix suspended production on its Spacey-led political drama "House of Cards."

Spacey's accusers follow a recent deluge of sexual misconduct allegations against influential men in Hollywood, a movement which began with numerous women accusing movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault.

Here are all the men who have accused Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct:

SEE ALSO: Netflix has suspended production on 'House of Cards' indefinitely, after a sexual misconduct accusation against star Kevin Spacey

Anthony Rapp

In a late October article published by BuzzFeed News, "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance toward him when he was 14 and Spacey was 26. 

The alleged incident took place in 1986, when Rapp and Spacey were cast members in a Broadway production. Rapp said Spacey invited him to a party at his Manhattan apartment. He said that Spacey later found him watching TV in a bedroom, where Spacey picked him up, placed him on the bed, lay on top of him, and made a sexual advance.

"I still to this day can't wrap my head around so many aspects of it. It's just deeply confusing to me," Rapp told BuzzFeed News.

Spacey subsequently apologized to Rapp in a statement, and said that he did "not remember the encounter," but that if it happened it "would have been deeply inappropriate, drunken behavior."

 

 



Roberto Cavazos

Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos wrote a Facebook post accusing Spacey of trying to touch him against his will at the bar of London's Old Vic Theatre in 2008.

Spacey was the artistic director of the theater from 2004 to 2015, and Cavazos appeared in numerous plays there, starting in 2008.

"I don't remember how many people told me the same story: Spacey would invite them to meet him to 'talk about their careers,'" Cavazos wrote. "When they arrived at the theatre, [Spacey] had prepared champagne on the stage, beautifully lit. Each story varied in how far the picnic went, but the technique was the same. More common was to find him at the bar of the theatre, grabbing whoever caught his attention."

"There are many of us who have a 'Kevin Spacey story,'" he continued. "It seems the only requirement was to be a male under the age of 30 for Mr Spacey to feel free to touch us. It was so common that it became a local joke (of very bad taste)."

 



Tony Montana

Independent filmmaker Tony Montana told Radar Online that Spacey groped him at a Los Angeles bar in 2003, when Montana was in his 30s. 

"I went up to order a drink and Kevin came up to me and put his arm around me,” Montana told the outlet. "He was telling me to come with him, to leave the bar. He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package."

Montana said Spacey then told him, "This designates ownership." After Montana removed Spacey's hand and walked away, Spacey allegedly followed him into the bathroom. Montana said Spacey appeared intoxicated.

"I backed him out the door and I pushed him," he said. "One of his friends was in line and I said, ‘It’s time to take your boy home.’ They all ended up leaving."

Montana said that he suffered from PTSD for six months following the alleged incident.



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MoviePass hinted that changes could be coming to its popular $10-a-month service

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Moviepass

  • New MoviePass terms of service say the company can change the number of times a member is eligible to watch movies per month at any time.
  • If a price change were to happen it would occur prior to a billing cycle.

 

As Hollywood continues to wait and see if MoviePass will be a viable business model, or just the latest movie fad, the service that allows you to watch one movie a day for $9.95 per month might be hinting that changes are coming.

MoviePass recently updated its terms of service, and CinemaBlend caught a specific tweak in the language (specifically in paragraph 2.4). 

"MoviePass reserves the right to change the rules of movie-going attendance and ticket availability to members in connection with the Service at anytime," the TOS states. "MoviePass reserves the right to change from time to time the number of eligible movies a member can see per month. MoviePass reserves the right to offer members a new price option if they exceed watching a certain amount of movies per month."

To some, this sounds like obvious language for MoviePass to add — if for any reason it comes across a user who abuses the service. However, others see it as the start of the company changing its too-good-to-be-true deal for movie lovers. Specifically concerning is the line about the number of movies a member can see per month.

"You have heard of 'Use it or lose it?' This sounds more like 'Use it too much and you might lose it,'" wrote CinemaBlend.

But you don't have to worry about being hit with a price change mid-month. According to the terms of service, "You will be notified of any price changes made to the terms of service prior to your next billing cycle, at which point you would have 14 days to opt-out of the Service and terminate your subscription."

MoviePass declined to comment.

SEE ALSO: Who was the dumbest, smartest, and most heroic in "Stranger Things" season 2

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A gaming company just announced a high-powered smartphone geared for games — but its best feature is its price

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razer phone

Gaming company Razer is getting into the smartphone business. 

And, as you might expect from the maker of high-powered gaming laptops, its new phone has outrageous specs and is geared for video games. 

Indeed, judging from its specs, the Razer Phone, which the company announced Wednesday, could handily beat Apple's iPhone X, Google's Pixel 2, Samsung's Galaxy devices, and other top smartphones, when it comes to performance.

But the Razer Phone has another thing going for it that could even tempt non-gamers — its $700 price. That's a lot cheaper than many other top phones. 

Check out Razer's new Phone:

SEE ALSO: REVIEW: There's only one reason you should buy LG's latest smartphone — and plenty of reasons not to

The Razer Phone has some seriously impressive power.

Looking purely at its specs, Razer's phone is one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. It has:

- A 5.7-inch Quad HD (1400p, or 2K resolution) display with a wide color gamut and a 120-hertz refresh rate. 

- An all-aluminum case.

- Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor, the same powerful chip found within Google's Pixel 2 and Samsung's latest Galaxy phones.

- 8GB of RAM, which is equivalent to the amount of memory that comes in many PCs. By contrast, most phones typically include around 4GB of RAM.

- 64GB of built-in storage. You can also augment that amount with a microSD card. 

- Dual front-facing speakers that are certified to meet Dolby's Atmos high-end audio standard. Each speaker is powered by its own dedicated amplifier. 

- A large, 4,000mAh battery.

- Fast charging via USB-C.

- A dual-lens rear camera system, with each camera offering 12 megapixels of resolution. The system includes both a standard wide-angle lens and a 2x optical zoom lens, similar to both the iPhone X and the Galaxy Note 8.

- An 8-megapixel front camera.  

- A fingerprint sensor on the power button, which is located on the side of the device's.



The Phone has some features that hardcore gamers can appreciate.

Razer is targeting the most discerning gamers with technology that you'd typically find on the highest of high-end gaming PCs.

One of those features is the Phone's 120-hertz refresh rate. That frequency rates up there with gaming-quality PC monitors. It should yield ultra-smooth video and gameplay and allow you to play games or videos at 120 frames per second.

By contrast, Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One X will play games at 60 frames per second, albeit at a higher resolution. Razer's CEO Min-Liang Tan said the Phone's ultra-fast refresh rate will prevent motion lag, stuttering, and ghosting, which is when a screen displays an older and newer image at the same time. 

Tan also boasted about Razer's Ultramotion feature. Similar to Nvidia's G-Sync and AMD's FreeSync, Ultramotion is a technology that synchronizes the graphics chip in the Phone with its screen, which helps it offer smooth gameplay at high frame rates. That kind of feature is coveted in the PC gaming community. 



Still, the Phone lacks some of the latest features found on other flagship devices.

While Tan touted the Phone's performance against other flagship phones, the company's brand-new device is missing a few features found on those gadgets, including:

- Water resistance

- An OLED screen

- Ultra-narrow borders around its display (a sacrifice Razer had to make to include its large dual front-facing speakers)

- Wireless charging

Unfortunately, the Razer has copied its rivals in one way. Like many other recent high-end smartphones, the Phone lacks a standard headphone jack.

 



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The eSports competitive video gaming market continues to grow revenues & attract investors

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eSports Advertising and Sponsorships

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Robert Elder, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

  • eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
  • There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
  • The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
  • The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
  • The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
  • Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
  • Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
  • Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
  • Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
  • Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
  • Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
  • Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

  • The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
  • The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
  • eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
  • eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

  1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
  2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

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