This summer, director Nia DaCosta is taking us on a creepy horror adventure, as audiences will get to watch Tony Todd reprise his villanous role in Candyman, which is written by DaCosta, Win Rosenfeld, and Jordan Peele.
For a while, not too much was known regarding this horror sequel, except for the cast. Last year, it was announced that Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II would have a leading role in the film, and in subsequent months, we also learned that Tony Todd would reprise his rose as the titular character, and that Get Out and Us director Jordan Peele would produce and co-write the film.
Now, fans of the franchise can feast their eyes on a brand new, full length trailer that has just been released online. If the trailer is any indication, this looks like an extremely fun and delightfully stylish reboot that will seemingly up the ante with its scares. Throughout the video, we see brief snippets of the villain doing his evil deeds, all while Destiny Child’s “Say My Name” plays in the background. So, in other words, it’s quite the treat.
Candyman is scheduled to be released theatrically on June 12, 2020.
It’s the part in your life where you are literally going through a transformation in some form. Whether it’s your voice getting deep, hair growing everywhere, or you starting to find your own sense of individuality/rebellion, your emotional growth (or lack thereof) it’s just a tough time for just about every teenager on the planet. Now throw in telekinetic powers…. There’s a reason Charles Xavier’s X-Men training facility was in the serene X-Mansion in Westchester County, and not New York City, because hormonal teens with the power of a bomb would have leveled it twice a day.
In I Am Not Okay With This, we meet Sydney (Sophia Lillis): a self-described “boring 17-year-old white girl” who is just trying to process her emotions following her father’s unexpected death and keep her head above water. She takes care of her younger brother Liam (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong) as her mother Maggie (Kathleen Rose Perkins) spends all her time working at the local diner. Pretty much no one wants to talk about Dad’s death, so she writes her feelings in her diary. Sydney’s only real support is her best friend Dina (Sofia Bryant), who Sydney is starting to realize she has romantic feelings for, and Dina is starting to date the local high school football star Brad (Richard Ellis), which sets off something in her. Before she can realize what’s happened, she has made Brad’s nose bleed with her mind. Because Dina is pairing off with her new bae, Sydney spends some time with her next-door neighbor Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), the only kid in school who is equally as weird as she is, and slowly but surely she tips him that she may have superpowers, and of course, she’s “not okay with this.” In addition to being her new boyfriend/beard, he also operates as her trusty “guy in the chair” and helps her navigate her newfound reality.
If thinking about a teenage girl with telekinetic powers reminds you of Eleven from Stranger Things, both shows are produced by Jonathan Entwhistle and Shawn Levy. However, instead of dealing with high stakes of the Upside Down and the Department of Energy like Eleven, Sydney just has to try and manage high school as an outsider, which probably is just as hard. You could say Eleven had it easier being institutionalized and raised by the sinister government agency as she at least had some training. Sydney has to figure things out on her own, which is almost as scary as any Demogorgon. Sydney knows that her screaming in a rage, getting too drunk or stoned, or just having a crappy day could end up putting everyone’s life in danger at any moment, and I Am Not Okay With This has plenty of moments whether it be protecting her brother from bullies, keeping feelings for Dina in check, or avoiding bullying from the cool kids.
Like Stranger Things, this show seems to love the 80s. The weird thing though, is that this show is set in contemporary society. Her friend Stanley still plays VHS tapes, even though he could probably YouTube whatever he needed to see on his cell phone if he wanted to. The clothing styles everyone is weather seems to be from a generation ago, but hey, maybe that’s just small-town Pennsylvania. You can’t help but feel the show paying homage to John Hughes and, of course, to Stephen King’s Carrie as each episode foreshadows the eventual climax where she’s covered in blood and running away.
While every episode is directed by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World), there is a significant style for each episode that doesn’t change much throughout the 7 crisp episodes. Speaking of the episodes, bravo to Netflix for not stretching both the episode count as well as the episode time allotment (each episode clocks in at about a half-hour), which is just enough to keep you fully engaged without adding additional fat. Each episode takes advantage of the “Dear Diary” format, so that we can have Sydney narrate her internal feelings as the story progresses. Speaking of Sydney, Sophia Lillis really gets to shine as the show is completely thrown on her back. She perfectly captures the more realistic take of how a hormonal and angsty teenager would be if all of a sudden had the ability to move things with their mind, and the emotional pressure that would have on a teen. She does most of her scenes with Wyatt Oleff, and the two have genuine chemistry (as the two also acted together in the It movies together as part of Loser’s Club that faced off against Pennywise). By the end of the series (especially the way it ends), you REALLY want to see what happens next with her and her friends.
The Matrix 4 is filming right now in San Francisco, literally setting California on fire with all of the gravity-defying action and chases we’ve come to expect. In the midst of all that, there is still room to build out the cast, with Spartacus and Into the Badlands actress Ellen Hollman.
Hollman isn’t a huge name, but those who remember her as Saxa on Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned know she’s a perfect fit for The Matrix. A trained Jiu Jitsu fighter, Hollman’s skills should be put to good use by director Lana Wachowski in the movie’s martial arts sequences. It’s being reported that Hollman will have to trade her long, blonde locks for something short and jet-black, very similar to star Carrie-Anne Moss’ look as Trinity. Feel free to speculate on what that could mean.
The Matrix 4 opens May 21st 2021, and features the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo, along with Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, and more. [TheWrap]
If you found the energetic video game energy of Hardcore Henry palatable, there’s a chance Jason Lei Howden’s similarly riffed Guns Akimbo will be up your alley. But unlike that previous FPS-level actioner, there’s little to engage viewers beyond the sheer wildness of its premise and enjoyable stars Daniel Radcliffe and Samara Weaving as they slum it in a movie that wishes it were half as zany as Crank.
Considering the recent controversy surrounding Howden’s social media attacks on two female writers of color, it’s interesting that his Guns Akimbo hero is Miles, a bullied techie who gets his kicks being an a-hole to others from the safety of his dorky apartment. Still coping with his recent breakup from Nova (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Miles’ only real enjoyment now is stoking the online trolls who watch Skizm, a global phenomenon in which real death matches are fought and broadcast live from the streets of Shrapnel City. Imagine if The Running Man had been given a nasty upgrade, and you get the idea. Even the folks who run it look like refugees from an apocalyptic future, and when their leader Riktor (Ned Dennehy), gets sick of Miles’ attitude, he decides to make him part of the game.
For the surprisingly dim-witted Miles, this means having a pair of revolvers bolted into his hands. If you thought Edward Scissorhands had it rough, Miles Pistolhands has it at least half as bad. Informed he’ll also need to survive the onslaught of Skizm’s master assassin, the killer valkyrie Nix (Weaving), Miles is mostly concerned that he doesn’t know how to pee with a pair of cannons for hands. It’s funny to watch Radcliffe, in yet another macabre role, fumble around to use his phone, or to eat, but the joke is thin and wears off quickly.
Fortunately, Weaving is pretty kickass as Nix, the drug-addicted, eyebrow-free reject who slaughters her foes in such easy, over-the-top fashion it’s like something out of Mortal Kombat, or the Clive Owen flick Shoot ’em Up. She’s so good, literally offing dozens with her eyes closed, it’s completely unbelievable that the hapless Miles eludes her for most of the movie. Suspension of belief is necessary for a movie like Guns Akimbo, but this is just a bridge too far. The guy can’t even eat a hot dog (a really gross, disgusting street dog acquired from a homeless guy) normally and yet he manages to stay alive without any real explanation as to how or why. It’s hard not to get a kick at the hopelessly outmatched Miles, though, with his two little pistols and their 50-rounds of ammo; while every time Nix shows up she’s had a serious weapons upgrade, ultimately coming armed with bazookas to use against the pathetic gamer.
Howden, who also wrote the script, puts the bulk of his energy in the insane visuals. His camerawork, a variety of twisting, turning aerials and angles, are occasionally “cool” but aren’t backed up by a consistent look, and certainly not by an engaging story. We are never given any reason to give a damn about Miles, and you might come away hoping he’s just another stain on the sidewalk. Howden’s technical skills are slick and promising, but like a video game with great graphics and poor controls, Guns Akimbo just falls short of being worth the time.
Following on the heels of her Indie Spirit Award-winning Booksmart, it should come as no surprise Olivia Wilde is one of the hottest filmmakers around. And she’s been quick to capitalize with a number of upcoming projects, including one on Olympic champion gymnast Kerri Strug.
Wilde will direct Perfect, a film about Olympian gymnast Kerri Strug, who became famous when she battled through injury to land her final vault and secure Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The image of her landing on her one good ankle, then being carried to the medal podium are some of the most iconic in the competition’s history, and made Strug an American hero.
The script will be penned by Ronnie Sandahl, who wrote the excellent tennis biopic Borg/McEnroe, and is based on Strug’s book, Landing On My Feet, A Diary Of Dreams. Buyers are already starting to line up to purchase the rights, with Searchlight Pictures leading the way. Others in pursuit include Warner Bros., A24, and at least one streaming service, so expect a big deal to be announced soon, and that’s without even knowing who will play the role of Strug. Usually, these packages come with a big star attached, and I wouldn’t be surprise if someone is named very soon. [Deadline]
Leigh Whannell is poised to become a much bigger name with the arrival of The Invisible Man this weekend. And with that, more attention has been brought to his previous work on the Saw films, Insidious Chapter 3, and his 2018 cyberpunk horror, Upgrade. That last film, in particular, became something of a cult favorite, it’s certainly one of mine, and its fans have been asking about plans for a sequel. At least according to Whannell when speaking with Fandom, he’s open to it, but uncertain it’s necessary…
“A sequel is a champagne problem created by the success of a movie. So Hollywood economics dictates whether there’s going to be a sequel, and ‘Upgrade’… I wouldn’t exactly call it a monster hit. I’d call it a cult hit, and cult hits, when they look at the books of cult hits, they’re like ‘Nyah, sequel’. So we’ll see. I loved making that film, so I’d love to do it with a bit more money.”
Upgrade was produced by the folks at Blumhouse, with a characteristically low $3M budget. The film went on to earn $16M, which is on the low end for them. That said, producer Jason Blum is into making it happen, and sounding more enthusiastic about it than Whannell…
“I would love an ‘Upgrade’ sequel. I will say that we haven’t put it to bed yet. We have no immediate plans, but ‘Upgrade’ is very much on my mind — and on Leigh’s mind as well.”
I’ve often referred to Upgrade as the poor man’s Venom, trading the idea of an alien symbiote for an artificial intelligence with a violent streak. The movie is wild and deserving of being discovered by a larger audience.
Cementing its place as one of the most misleading titles ever, No Time to Die is reported to have the longest runtime in the franchise’s history. Regal Cinemas has clocked the 25th James Bond film at a whopping 163-minutes, or 2 hours and 43 minutes, so pack a lunch and perhaps one of those astronaut diapers.
It wouldn’t be fair to suggest the movie’s length will hurt box office, especially with extra-long films like Avengers: Endgame and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in the very recent past, but it probably doesn’t help. This could be a huge gamble on Sony’s part because the Bond franchise does not have the committed fanbase of Marvel Studios. They could afford to clock Avengers: Endgame at an insane 181-minutes because they knew audiences would show up, and they did in record numbers. But No Time to Die arrives five years after the franchise’s previous Bond record-holder, 2015’s disappointing Spectre, with 148-minutes. The level of audience devotion isn’t the same for Bond as it is for Marvel.
On the other hand, audiences may want to show up for Daniel Craig’s swansong as 007. It’s clear they’re going to squeeze every bit they can out of him before he rides off into the sunset.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of Pixar’s Onward, featuring the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. The film is directed by Dan Scanlon (Monsters University).
SYNOPSIS: Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” introduces two teenage elf brothers (voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae—the team behind “Monsters University.” “Onward” releases in theaters on March 6, 2020.
The screening takes place on Tuesday, March 3rd at 7:00pm at AMC Mazza Gallerie. If you’d like to enter, simply complete the Rafflecopter contest form below. Winners will be selected and notified by email. Good luck!
While Peter Rabbit 2 is likely to be the biggest movie catering to the Easter audience, those looking for something with a bit more spirit will need to look a bit harder. Fatima is based on a true story of faith set during the hardships of WWI, and could be more in line with those looking to celebrate the season.
Directed by Marc Pontecorvo and featuring a mix of young actors and screen vets, the film centers on three children in a small parish in Portugal who report being visited by the Virgin Mary, a claim which draws the ire of the government and the Catholic Church.
The cast includes Joaquim de Almeida (Downsizing), Goran Višnjić (Beginners), Stephanie Gil (Terminator: Dark Fate) and Lúcia Moniz (Love, Actually), with Sônia Braga and Harvey Keitel, who need no introduction.
SYNOPSIS: In 1917, outside the parish of Fátima, Portugal, a 10-year-old girl and her two younger cousins witness multiple visitations of the Virgin Mary, who tells them that only prayer and suffering will bring an end to World War I. As secularist government officials and Church leaders try to force the children to recant their story, word of the sighting spreads across the country, inspiring religious pilgrims to flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle. What they experience will transform their quiet lives and bring the attention of a world yearning for peace.
A young soldier must take a message that can save the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands, to a military commander far away through dangerous terrain. Nope, I’m not talking about 1917 I’m talking about Netflix’s new six-part adventure series The Letter for the King which is, of course, based off of a YA novel. The cynic in me wanted to to start his by making some crappy joke, like calling it 1517 or something like that but then I realized the glory of what Netflix is doing for us with films like this. The Letter for the King is EXACTLY the type of movie that wouldn’t get made if major studios still controlled all of production. A mid-range budget series about kids on an adventure, the stuff that Amblin is made of, and we almost totally lost it! This, my friends, is the beauty of Netflix producing so many films and short series.
Grandeur aside, the movie looks like a ton of fun, armor, horses, swords, a somewhat diverse cast of underdog kids, and the allusion to some sort of magic. Andy Serkis, who appears to be coming up as one of Netflix’s go-to guys shows up as the one recognizable face, but here’s the other beauty of Netflix properties, we’ve come to expect them as no-name ensembles that almost always produce a stand out!
The Letter for the King is set to be released March 20, 2020
