movies

Giving my perspective so far with the new show that I doubt most people are giving a watch (I was forced to try it lol). It's only 2 episodes in, the first episode I wasn't that impressed with. It seemed to be wrapping up other storylines and trying to branch into it's new, own thing. It was a confusing episode trying to get a grasp of what they were doing. But, with the previous enjoyment of wandavision (at least the first few episodes of it), I decided to push through.

Then comes Episode 2, just completely blew me away. Not like it's a masterpiece but definitely feels like Marvel is attempting to let them do their own thing atm and is one of the best "Witch" related media since the Hocus Pocus original (made me realize that genre just completely fell off since the 90's with decently made stories that wasn't an action "van-helsing/hugh jackman" kinda thing. I'm really looking forward to where they might be taking this.

I wanted to highlight the song in episode 2 as well, utterly beautiful.

Agatha All Along Coven Sings The Ballad of the Witches' Road Episode 2

(I'm trying to think of a better Marvel song, but now I can't even think of any real singing besides this one)

Anyways, the 3rd episode drops in like 8 hours. Haven't followed a show while it's releasing in a while, and typically I don't, but I'm gonna try this one out. If it turns out great, awesome. If it's a horrible rest of the season, at least I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the hype of it while waiting for the next one.

tl;dr Episode 1, a little rough going down and finding it's footing. Episode 2, really has me excited for a real witch show about witches (doesn't feel like Marvel). Episode 3 drops tonight.

Casino Royale filmmaker Martin Campbell directs, with Ridley starring alongside Clive Owen and Taz Skylar. Anton produces with UK outfit Qwerty Films.

The story begins when a group of radical activists take over an energy company's annual gala in London, seizing 300 hostages. But their cause is hijacked by an extremist within their ranks, who is ready to murder everyone in the building to send his anarchic message to the world. It falls to an ex-soldier turned window cleaner, played by Ridley, to save the day.

Sky Cinema has snapped this up for broadcast in UK/Ireland early next year. Personally, I'm interested in seeing Daisy in an action role that sounds very Statham-y.

The Irish thriller Bring Them Down starring Barry Keoghan has won Best Picture at the Texas film festival Fantastic Fest.

Described in the festival's programme as a "beautifully crafted and assured character piece", Bring Them Down won Best Picture in the main competition of the annual Austin-based Fantastic Fest.

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The debut feature of writer-director Christopher Andrews, Bring Them Down is billed as "a suspenseful thriller that observes the escalating tensions of two farming families in the west of Ireland, whose actions have increasingly devastating consequences".

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17846396

While there’s no telling if or when a certain other Black vampire film will make its way into theaters, the first trailer for writer / director Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is here, and it looks sick as hell.

We’ve seen Coogler direct powerful pieces of dramatic social commentary like Fruitvale Station and blockbuster genre features like the Black Panther films, but he’s turning to straight horror with his latest project. Set in the 1930s Jim Crow South, Sinners revolves around twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their small-town home hoping to start new lives, only to find something deeply sinister waiting for them. In the daytime, there’s an unsettling presence lurking in the shadows that keeps the townsfolk (Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Li Jun Li) looking over their shoulders.

Trailer

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17862282

M. Night Shyamalan is the producer for an upcoming thriller titled Caddo Lake, formerly The Vanishings At Caddo Lake, and the official trailer has been released this afternoon

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“The plot revolves around when an 8-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, forever altering a broken family’s history.”

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The inspiration for Caddo Lake was sparked after filmmakers, Celine Held and Logan George, came across a photograph of the real Caddo Lake online, leading to many visits to the cypress forest that rests on the border of Texas and Louisiana. The film was shot in late 2021 and 2022 in and around Karnak, Texas.

Trailer

IMDb

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17806295

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17805465

Horror can be a difficult genre to get into. While its fans enjoy feeling the tension provided by a good horror movie, those who are less experienced with the genre often don't enjoy that feeling. But, for many, a comedic tone can help to remedy this issue.

Horror comedies are a great way to get into the genre. Horror is all about building tension, but laughter is all about relieving it. As a result, the best horror comedies don't stay tense for too long because they know when to put audiences on edge, while also knowing when to make them feel comfortable with a joke. The filmmakers behind these movies expertly blend screams and laughs to create horror films that are perfect for those who don't typically like the genre.

1. 'Evil Dead II' (1987)
2. 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004)
3. 'Zombieland' (2009)
4. 'Ready or Not' (2019)
5. 'The Cabin in the Woods' (2012)
6. 'Gremlins' (1984)
7. 'Freaky' (2020)
8. 'Tucker & Dale vs. Evil' (2010)
9. 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space' (1988)
10. 'Happy Death Day' (2017)

Can we talk about? - Fan service getting out of control.

By Martyn Conterio [Total Film magazine, October 2024 issue]

‘Get away from her, you bitch.’ Great line. Actually, it's iconic. But when it's uttered towards the end of Alien: Romulus, you won't believe your ears. Same goes for the other memorable bits cribbed directly from Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens. Because it's not just dialogue: there are shots replicated, moments revisited from the series (and video game Alien: Isolation) and one familiar actor from the franchise is brought back from the dead with VFX.

In such instances, does fan service start to feel like a snake eating its own tail? Say what you like about the various merits (or lack thereof) of anything after Aliens, but each film had a distinct identity. Alien movies should aspire to be more than fan fiction.

Audiences have always gotten a kick out of movies referencing other movies (they were doing it as far back as the silent era). But fan service is a relatively new phenomenon linked to properties such as the MCU, the DCEU and Star Wars. A savvy, geek-literate audience now demands Easter eggs and callbacks in every film, every show, and acts vocally disappointed when those treats fail to materialise to their satisfaction.

‘A SAVVY, GEEK-LITERATE AUDIENCE NOW DEMANDS CALLBACKS IN EVERY FILM, EVERY SHOW’ f0026-03 Fury Road: fan service done right (ALAMY) Still, fan service can be creative. George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road provided a laundry list of nods to the original Mad Max trilogy: it just didn't shout about it. And the nostalgia factor worked too - primarily because it was Miller's own creation, not somebody else's.

The recent Deadpool & Wolverine is another film stuffed to the gills with scenes designed to cause whooping, hollering, and ‘amagawd’ reactions in the auditorium. Meanwhile, 2023's The Flash is a comic-book spectacle that delivered fan service up the wazoo. Did we really need Michael Keaton returning as Batman? Or a CGI Nicolas Cage as Superman (in reference to Tim Burton's abandoned 1990s project)?

How can a blockbuster film stand any chance of becoming a potentially beloved classic on its own terms? A line must be drawn between heartfelt homage and unnecessary (and lazy) nostalgia.

We all love these characters, these franchises, but it's how they're served creatively that matters the most.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17806786

The 1980s were a great decade for science fiction movies in general, and this included some great sci-fi comedies. With Blade Runner, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and two classic Star Wars movies, the 1980s was filled with classic sci-fi movies that changed the genre forever. This change was reflected in some great comedies too, many of which spoofed the genre's many tropes.

Movies like Back to the Future and Ghostbusters showed that sci-fi could be hilarious while still telling fascinating stories. Some of the best sci-fi comedies of the decade would still be just as compelling with their humor ripped out, and this is often what separates a good comedy from a great one. Many of the decade's funniest sci-fi movies started long-running franchises, while others have a distinctly 1980s feel that gives them a nostalgic quality.

1. Back To The Future (1985)
2. Ghostbusters (1984)
3. Brazil (1985)
4. Spaceballs (1987)
5. Back To The Future Part II (1989)
6. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
7. Repo Man (1984)
8. Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
9. Short Circuit (1986)
10. Weird Science (1985)

One thing Marvel fans may be asking themselves after watching the first trailer for Thunderbolts* is, "Why is there an asterik at the end of the name?" It's definitely an interesting question, especially because the asterik was added last year after Marvel Studios made some adjustments to its release calendar. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige even confirmed the asterik was an official part of the Thunderbolts* title, though he didn't elaborate on exactly what it means. Of course, that isn't going to stop us from speculating, and there are some clues that point us to some adaptations from the comics that are tied to the Avengers.

Thunderbolts* features a diverse cast of characters, headlined by Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier), David Harbour (Alexei / The Red Guardian), and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine). As Yelena referenced in the trailer, every member of the Thunderbolts has a shady past. After the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, there doesn't appear to be an official team of Avengers operating in the MCU. This leaves a void that the Thunderbolts are perfectly suitable to fill. Valentina may also be the person who purchased Avengers Tower, which is another clue to the Thunderbolts* asterik. What if the Thunderbolts are meant to replace the Avengers, even taking on their name?

Following the Secret Invasion event, which saw the alien Skrulls infiltrate and attack Earth, Marvel Comics transitioned to its "Dark Reign" publishing initiative, with Norman Osborn put in charge of the global peacekeeping entity known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Norman renamed S.H.I.E.L.D. into H.A.M.M.E.R. and dressed up some of Marvel's most infamous villains as fan-favorite heroes, dubbing them the Dark Avengers. Norman gained this rise in prominence by helping to defeat the Skrulls during Secret Invasion.

Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all U.S. rights to The Shrouds, written and directed by David Cronenberg (Crash, Crimes Of The Future) and are planning a spring 2025 theatrical release.

The film world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it screened In Competition. It played the Toronto International Film Festival as a Special Presentation and is set for its U.S. premiere in the Main Slate at the New York Film Festival next month.

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The partners called The Shrouds‘ “Cronenberg at his wittiest, most personal and romantic in this thought-provoking thriller with knockout performances from Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger.” The film also stars Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.

Karsh (Cassel) is a prominent businessman inconsolable since the death of his wife, who invents GraveTech, a revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds. One night, multiple graves, including that of Karsh’s wife, are desecrated. Karsh sets out to track down the perpetrators.

Despite excellent reviews and good word-of-mouth from fans, Transformers One is having a bad time at the box office this weekend. Deadline states the highly anticipated animated prequel is only on track for a $26 million weekend. That’s just a little less than the $30 million we predicted – which was way more than industry projections, which saw the film opening with $40 million (wishful thinking).

There’s a good chance Transformers One will be beaten at the box office by Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in its third weekend, with that movie on track for a terrific $25 million. And Transformers One isn’t the only good movie struggling to find an audience this weekend. The Substance, one of the best body horror movies since The Fly, only looks like it will make in the $2.5-3 million range. It’s being distributed by the streamer MUBI, who’ve opted to capitalize on the buzz and give it a big 2000-screen release, but those numbers are fairly anemic, which is a shame as it’s a great movie.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate continues its seemingly cursed run at the box office with Never Let Go, a Halle Berry-led horror flick that will only open in the $4 million range. The movie also earned a poor C+ CinemaScore rating. Next weekend won’t be any better for them, with Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis on track for another disastrous opening.

Filmmaker Mel Gibson has a couple of key sequels on his slate to direct in the coming years – namely a follow-up to “The Passion of the Christ” and a fifth “Lethal Weapon” entry.

Both projects have been floated as possibilities for many years now, but they have also taken on a new urgency recently and are seemingly much closer to fruition than ever before.

Gibson is also an industry veteran and is well aware of how film productions are all about various elements aligning just right – a big reason why so many filmmakers have multiple projects in development as you never know which one may suddenly be ready to move forward.

Speaking with ComicBook.com, Gibson was asked what film he would direct first to which he said it’s not completely clear which of the films might go sooner:

“I don’t know, and that’s the funny thing, I mean, there’s various obstacles to getting any film up on its feet, and not just budgetary, but there’s like, there’s 1,000,001 reason why something goes and why it doesn’t. So it’s really kind of a crapshoot at this point. You know, what goes first and which came first, whether it’s the chicken or the egg.”

The comments follow on from Gibson revealing earlier this year that he was still planning on directing “Lethal Weapon 5,” stepping in for the late Richard Donner who passed away in 2021.

Donner had done a bunch of work on a screenplay for a fifth film with Gibson getting further work done on it and, as of earlier this year, he was “pretty happy” with how it turned out.

The comments also follow reports a week ago that Gibson has been in Malta with a production team scouting potential filming locations for the “Passion” sequel and production could begin as soon as early next year.

Personal opinion, neither? 🤷‍♂️😄

Stolen from Empire magazine, October 2024. This short piece is written by the magazines editor.

"The trailers I remember most fondly are the ones that tantalise"

NICK DE SEMLYEN ON THE FADING ART OF MAKING MOVIE PREVIEWS THRILLING

IN 1996, BACK when I was a teenage Empire reader, I eagerly pawed open the gift that came with issue 80: a videotape containing "an hour's worth of the best trailers of the year". Popping the cassette into my cumbersome VHS machine, I devoured the teasers for Toy Story, Heat, Broken Arrow, Loch Ness and more. It didn't matter if some of the films looked a bit lame

who greenlit a meet-up between Ted Danson and a water-monster?

because in my book, movie trailers were great. They sizzled with promise, splicing together thrilling and funny moments, fizzed up with clever editing and judicious deployment of Voiceover Man.

Flash forward to 2024, and my love of movie trailers has dwindled. In fact, I even sometimes find myself jettisoning out of them midway through. Partly, admittedly, it's because they're just so accessible now

you can't go on social media without running across a teaser or two, let alone the infinite array you can find on YouTube. Partly it's because of the deeply annoying trend of trailers starting with their own three-second mini-teaser, ruining the best bits. But mostly it's because they are frequently happy to give the house away. They just keep going and going and going, throwing expensive money shots at you that will consequently be less dazzling when you see them on a cinema screen.

Take the marketing for Speak No Evil (pictured above), the new remake of a 2022 Danish horror film. Over almost three minutes, the trailer rattles through the film chronologically, blithely revealing twists, turns and huge moments. Would it not have been more effective to just tease the unease, to hint at the darkness behind James McAvoy's eyes without roughly 120 seconds of him going full fruit-loop? Or there's the trailer for Gladiator II. Rather than trust that the sight of Paul Mescal facing down a rhino will get people into cinemas (if that won't, what will?), it throws so much ancient Rome at you that you end up dazed. "Brevity is a great charm of eloquence," said legendary Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. I reckon he had a point.

The trailers I remember most fondly are the ones that tantalise, that give you a vibe without spoon-feeding you a plot. Like the genius one for Terminator 2 that whisks us through the infernal machinery of a robot-factory. Or the one for 1998's Godzilla, which sees the giant lizard total a T-Rex skeleton in a glorious example of inter-studio passive-aggression (The Lost World: Jurassic Park was in cinemas when the teaser dropped). The art of trailer-making is still alive

the promo for Longlegs is an outstanding mood-piece that gave little away

but they too often feel mechanical and desperate, rather than bold and ingenious. It's time to make teasers that tease again.

The 1980s were a seminal decade for sci-fi. We had bold visions of what technology could become as humanity’s future flourished on the big screens. After George Lucas proved that the genre could deliver at the box office, every studio began chasing the next Star Wars. Which led to the arrival of mega-budget spectacles like Alien, Blade Runner, and The Terminator; all these movies transformed sci-fi into a spectacle.

Yet for every sprawling cinematic universe, many independent sci-fi gems faded into cult obscurity. They had big ideas but were made on a tiny budget. These movies did not seek a mass market so much as a dedicated following among a certain demographic of audiences. The best low-budget sci-fi movies took the genre’s spirit of imagination and social commentary to unbelievable extremes and offered the most twisted tales of all time.

From earning some praise in theaters to finally finding unexpected popularity on home video, these movies have fans that recognize sci-fi gold can have any packaging as long as the story is innovative enough, the special effects impressive, and the core message important. Here are some truly overlooked low-budget sci-fi movies from the 1980s, picked from the strangest and wildest corner of the genre.

1. Xtro (1982) – $60k
2. Liquid Sky (1982) – $500k
3. Trancers (1984) – $600k
4. Night of the Comet (1984) – $700k
5. Time Walker (1982) – $750k
6. The Quiet Earth (1985) – $1 Million
7. Forbidden World (1982) – Under $1 Million
8. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) – $1.5 Million
9. Galaxy of Terror (1981) – $1.8 Million
10. Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) – $2 Million

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17702244

It looks like we have a full-blown modern slasher icon with a franchise that just won’t quit. Terrifier 3 hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but the film did premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas last night. This marks Art the Clown’s third solo cinematic parade of carnage. Well, it looks like director Damien Leone intends to keep the blood coming as the filmmaker has confirmed that a fourth entry in the franchise is indeed happening. Buckle up, gorehounds.

“Yes there will be a Terrifier 4,” Leone said during the Q&A, which was attended by Fango’s own Angel Melanson. So there we have it! Nothing further was confirmed at this time, though that seems fair given that most of the world has yet to even see the third installment. Without giving too much away, the film does very much pave the way for another sequel.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17702139

After two movies and two seasons of a TV series, Outback murderer Mick Taylor will return in Wolf Creek: Legacy, recently announced as both the third installment and something of a reboot of Greg McLean’s horror franchise. But have no fear, John Jarratt is back as Mick Taylor.

What can we expect from Wolf Creek: Legacy? Speaking with David Clair-Bennett for his YouTube channel this week, John Jarratt teased a tone more in line with the original Wolf Creek.

“It’s dark and creepy again,” Jarratt teases. “It’s more like the first one. With the second one, we had a bit of fun. Cracked a few jokes. For this one, the dark creepy thing is the ultimate when it comes to playing Mick. Just creeping up and being scary.”

Jarratt adds, speaking about Mick Taylor, “He never runs, never yells, never dies.”

The actor notes in the same chat that the team is hoping to begin production sometime early next year (February-March), with a potential release around the holiday season in 2025.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/42813294

Hey Lemmy,

What are your favorite horror movies from Blumhouse?

I went to Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights this year and they had the whole tram Blumhouse themed. I liked to watch horror movies during this spooky season, so i think catching up on some of these ones seems like a good place to start this year.