JAKE COYLE Film Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

‘Happy Gilmore’ became a cult comedy. 29 years later, Adam Sandler is swinging again

July 23, 2025

Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore” became one of the most beloved comedies of the ’90s and codified the hockey-style swing as a mainstay on golf courses. “A hop, skip and a hit,” as Sandler says. “Happy Gilmore” made comic heroes of Bob Barker, Christopher McDonald and Carl Weathers, and turned lines like “Are you too good for your home?” plausible things to ask golf balls. Now, nearly three decades later, and after years of batting away pleas for a sequel, Sandler has finally put Happy’s Bruins jersey back on. “Happy Gilmore 2” debuts Friday on Netflix and is arguably the most anticipated streaming release of the summer.

Ari Aster made a movie about polarized America. ‘Eddington’ has been polarizing

July 17, 2025

Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” appropriately enough, has been divisive. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Aster’s film has one of the most polarizing releases of the year. “Eddington” releases in theaters Friday and may be the most prominent American movie yet to explicitly wrestle with social and political division in the U.S. In a showdown between Joaquin Phoenix’s bumbling right-wing sheriff and Pedro Pascal’s elitist liberal mayor, arguments over mask mandates, Black Lives Matter protests and elections spiral into a demented fever dream. In an interview, Aster says it’s essential for filmmakers to try to capture the current American moment.

Superman stars David Corenswet, center, Rachel Brosnahan, left, and writer, director, and producer James Gunn pose with fans during the first stop of the Superman World Tour in Pasig city, Philippines on Thursday June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

‘Superman’ and DC Studios fly to a $122 million opening

July 13, 2025

In a bid to kickoff a new era for DC Studios, James Gunn’s “Superman” opened with $122 million in U.S. and Canada ticket sales over the weekend. DC and Warner Bros. had a lot riding on “Superman.” The superheroes of DC have recently found mostly kryptonite in theaters. Films like “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “The Flash” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” all flopped. But “Superman” is intended as a new start. It’s the first release fully steered by Gunn and Peter Safran since they were handed the keys to DC’s superhero cinematic universe. The roughly on-target opening was the third largest of 2025. Ticket sales were relatively soft for “Superman” overseas. In 78 international markets, it grossed $95 million.

David Koepp is Hollywood’s go-to scribe. He’s back with a fresh start for ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’

June 27, 2025

In the 32 years since penning “Jurassic Park,” David Koepp has established himself as one of Hollywood’s top screenwriters not through the boundlessness of his imagination but by his expertise in limiting it. Koepp is the master of the “bottle” movie — films hemmed in by a single location or condensed timed frame. From David Fincher’s “Panic Room” to Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence,” he excels at corralling stories into uncluttered, headlong movie narratives. Koepp can write anything, as long as there are parameters. “Jurassic World Rebirth” is a fresh start for one of Hollywood’s biggest multi-billion-dollar franchises. But just as he did 32 years ago, Steven Spielberg turned to Koepp to write it.

This combination of photos shows actors, from left, Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana Grande and Jason Momoa. (AP Photo)

New film academy members include Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana Grande, Jason Momoa, Conan O’Brien

June 26, 2025

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited 534 new members to its organization on Thursday, adding recent Oscar nominees and many more to Hollywood’s most exclusive club. The newest class of Oscar voters includes a number of stars like Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Danielle Deadwyler and Andrew Scott. They, along with filmmakers, below-the-line professionals and executives will bring the film academy’s membership total to 11,120, with voting members numbering 10,143. That’s the largest membership ever for the film academy. Since the #OscarsSoWhite backlash, the academy has added thousands of members to swell its ranks and diversify its voting body.

Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film

June 25, 2025

Denis Villeneuve is going from “Dune” to Bond. Amazon MGM Studios announced Wednesday that Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond movie. The untitled film will be the first since the studio took creative reins of the storied film franchise after decades of control by the Broccoli family. Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman had maintained that before the next Bond is cast, they would develop a screenplay and find a director first. Now, they have one of the most respected blockbuster makers in Hollywood who’s coming off a pair of widely acclaimed “Dune” films. In a statement, Villeneuve called Bond “sacred territory” that he intends to honor.

‘Jaws’ changed movies forever, but Hollywood could still learn from it

June 18, 2025

Fifty years after “Jaws” sunk its teeth into us, we’re still admiring the bite mark. Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film, his second feature, left such a imprint on culture and Hollywood that barely any trip to the movies, let alone to the beach, hasn’t been the same since. “Jaws” established — and still in many ways defines — the summer movie. And yet the “Jaws” legacy is so much more than being Hollywood’s prototype blockbuster. It’s not possible to, 50 years later, watch Spielberg’s film and see nothing but the beginning of a box-office bonanza, or the paler fish it’s inspired. It’s just too good a movie — and too much unlike so many wannabes since –— to be merely groundbreaking.

For Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves’ co-star 10 years ago and once again, ‘Ballerina’ is a pirouette

June 5, 2025

Years before Ana de Armas was using an ice skate to slice a neck in “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” she co-starred with Keanu Reeves in a much different film. But since the 2015 erotic thriller “Knock Knock,” de Armas’ rise to stardom has been one of the most meteoric of the last decade. Now, 10 years after those scenes with Reeves, de Armas is for the first time headlining a big summer action movie. In “Ballerina,” de Armas’ progressive development as an unlikely action star reaches a butt-kicking crescendo as she inherits the mantle of one of the most esteemed, high-body-count franchises.

Highlights from The Associated Press’ interview with Stephen King

June 4, 2025

There’s a new Stephen King adaptation heading to theaters, and it’s one the prolific author endorses. “The Life of Chuck,” starring Tom Hiddleston, is an apocalyptic tale that includes moments of joy. King tells The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview that while dread and grief are very much a part of life (and his works), so is joy. King also recently released the mystery novel “Never Flinch,” which features private investigator Holly Gibney, the author’s recent favorite protagonist. King says he’s always happy writing. He’s also an avid moviegoer, though has adopted a rule to only talk about the adaptations of his work that he likes — hence his praise for “The Life of Chuck.”

Stephen King on ‘The Life of Chuck,’ the end of the world and, yes, joy

June 4, 2025

So vividly drawn is Stephen King’s fiction that it’s offered the basis for some 50 feature films. For half a century, since Brian De Palma’s 1976 film “Carrie,” Hollywood has turned, and turned again, to King’s books for their richness of character, nightmare and sheer entertainment. Over time, King has developed a personal policy in how he talks about the adaptations of his books: Keep your mouth shut unless you have something nice to say. But King is such a fan of “The Life of Chuck,” Mike Flanagan’s new adaptation of King’s novella of the same name, that he’s supporting it in ways the author never has before.

JAKE COYLE Film Writer.