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Review: ‘Night Comes On’, Jordana Spiro’s Fearless Coming-Of-Age Drama Meets Revenge Thriller

By
John Nolan
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In actress-turned-director Jordana Spiro’s debut feature, Night Comes On, growing up fast was a must for 18-year-old Angel (The Deuce‘s Dominique Fishback). Newly released from juvenile detention, she stares at the wide open yet empty road ahead of her. Nobody’s coming to pick her up. There’s nowhere to go. But that doesn’t mean she’s without a plan. She’s needed one ever since she witnessed her father beat her mother to death years ago. Angel’s going to see him, and she doesn’t plan on coming back from it.

It’s a dark and challenging first effort for Spiro, one that takes viewers on a slow, emotionally fraught journey of discovery. This is a coming of age story but seen through the rare lens of a queer, black female lead character, and Spiro, along with co-writer Angelica Nwandu, make Angel’s story relatable without losing what also makes it unique.  This is a hard movie, unflinching and real, but told with sensitivity and care, aided by a terrific lead performance.

From the moment we meet Angel she’s got her armor up, and it’s clear that she has little interest in doing the things her probation officer (James McDaniel) demands of her. She puts up a fight when he says she should start thinking of long-term goals…

The world isn’t going to open up for you”, he says, but she isn’t really interested. A job? Maybe. But really, she only has a few things immediately in mind. Find a charger for her dead phone; call her girlfriend and see if she can stay with her overnight, and hit up a guy about buying a gun. None of these go down smoothly; in particular the buying of the gun quickly turns creepy and potentially abusive, but Spiro takes the scene in a different direction, almost as a subtle message for the rest of the movie. Danger lurks everywhere but there is also hope when one looks for it.

Angel’s mission sets her on the path to reconnecting with her younger sister, Abby (Tatum Marilyn Hall), who has been shuffled into the foster care system and can’t wait to get out of the crowded home she’s stuck in. Angel’s tough disposition softens around the bubbly, personable Abby, but only a little. Abby has the people skills Angel never had, but she’s also blind to how ugly the world can be. Abby wants to take her big sis to the beach for her birthday, but she doesn’t know Angel’s real plan is to find out where their father lives so she can kill him. There’s love between them but also tension; a lot of unspoken resentment that bubbles up to the surface in different ways.

Night Comes On unexpectedly morphs into a road journey about halfway through, and it’s here that it gets a little bit preachy and heavy-handed for a time. They connect with some new “friends” who have had it comparatively easy compared to the siblings. It’s an unnecessary diversion that takes us away from what is the film’s greatest strength, and that’s examining the bond of sisterhood between Angel and Abby.  As the story progresses along, it becomes less about Angel’s need for vengeance, and more about her relationship to Abby, who represents hopefulness from a life of tragedy and despair. Whether Angel is going to go through with her plan is going to depend on Abby, who desires a life with her sister more than anything else in the world. Angel isn’t so sure that’s such a great idea, and she can barely conceal her feelings behind her stony disposition.

Spiro’s attention to detail is a gift and a curse, giving us a slow-moving but completely honest experience. Quiet and reflective, Night Comes On isn’t splashy, and subtly builds a deep connection between its troubled characters that is beautiful to watch.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

‘Fifty Shades’ Director James Foley Heads To ‘Alcatraz’ Next

By
John Nolan
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James Foley, who most recently directed the last two Fifty Shades movies, is set to take the helm of a different kind of film about captivity. Collider reports Foley will direct Alcatraz, based on the true story of the most famous escape in the prison’s long history.

Alcatraz is based on the 1962 prison break led by bank robber Frank Morris. He and two others fooled guards by placing wax figures in their cells, fled through a utility door and escaped on a makeshift raft. They were never captured, and the FBI concluded they drowned somewhere in the San Francisco Bay. That may be true, but since they were never found nobody really knows, and a whole mythology has been built around what actually happened to them. Hollywood has played a hand in building up these legends. The 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz starred Clint Eastwood as Morris.

Foley’s film will be penned by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, who co-wrote The Grey. Solid credentials all over this one. Foley helped keep the Fifty Shades franchise from going completely off the rails, reminding us that he’s still the guy who gave us the great Glengarry Glen Ross adaptation. And this is a story that begs for the big screen treatment and a fun cast.

The ‘Minecraft’ Movie Loses Its Director And Release Date

By
John Nolan
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The pieces aren’t quite falling into place for the Minecraft movie.  In the works for a few years now, it was in 2015 that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney was the surprise pick named to direct the film based on the hit video game. But three years later and nothing has really happened, and now we know McElhenney has dropped out.

The Wrap spoke with McElhenney who said simply, “No, that is not happening” when asked about the Minecraft film. The script had been originally written by Wonder Woman writer Jason Fuchs, but now the Nee Brothers, who wrote and directed the inventive crime film Band of Robbers, have been brought on to pen an entirely new draft.

Starting over means Minecraft will miss its planned May 24th 2019 release date. As for previously-attached star Steve Carell? He’s still on board as far as anybody knows, but if the project keeps getting pushed back that may not last.

Jason Statham Talks ‘Hobbs & Shaw’, Says Film Will Be “Grounded” And “F**king Hardcore”

By
John Nolan
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In a few days we’ll get to see Jason Statham square off against a prehistoric shark in The Meg, but after that he’ll be taking on Dwayne Johnson in Hobbs & Shaw. The Fast and the Furious spinoff was greeted with some controversy in the beginning, but with John Wick and Deadpool 2‘s David Leitch behind the camera, fans seem to be ready to watch the two bruising stars reprise their roles as agent Luke Hobbs and criminal mastermind Deckard Shaw.

Will it be as wildly over-the-top as the franchise has been, though? Not according to Statham, who tells Collider that Leitch is bringing a gritty realism to the film that is different from the “core” films…

“I think Dave Leitch’s taste is a little more grounded and a little darker. If you see Atomic Blonde, and it is just superb, his taste is definitely in a world that is sort of how you described it. I think he’s looking to do something that doesn’t look exactly like a Fast movie. Although it’s the Fast characters, he’s trying to do his own thing with it and give it a real sense of credibility. I think Dave is going to get this one gritty, and real, and fucking hardcore…

He’s really efficient and he really cares about the characters. We’re trying to build out my [character’s] relationship with my sister and with my mother and what that means. What my relationship is with [recently cast villain] Idris [Elba] and all these other things. He really cares a lot…

He wants to have the raucous laughs, the funny shit, the intense action and the great drama and the meaningful stuff. Dwayne’s got his relationship with his mother and the daughter. There’s loads of good stuff in it. I’m fucking excited.”

I don’t expect gritty or real from this movie, no matter what Statham says.  I don’t think it’s what audiences want this franchise or from Statham and Johnson, and Leitch, who did direct Deadpool 2, is more than capable of giving us comedic, exaggerated action.

Hobbs & Shaw opens August 2nd 2019.

Podcast: Cinema Royale Returns With CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, And More!

By
John Nolan
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And we are back!! After taking a break to head to San Diego Comic-Con and deal with some other nagging concerns, Cinema Royale returns and of course there’s another Disney film waiting to be reviewed. But first I’ll fill you in on where I’ve been and why the show has been away for so long. 

My Comic-Con roomie Wilson Morales of Blackfilm.com will then join me to talk Disney’s live-action Winnie the Pooh film, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN! China may not care about the Hundred Acre Wood but should you? Plus, a review of THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, THE DARKEST MINDS, PUZZLE, and news on DIE HARD: YEAR ONE, THE BATMAN, and of course we will talk about the whole James Gunn firing and his possible replacement.
Join in for another great episode of Cinema Royale! And be sure to follow my podcast Cinema Royale here on Blogtalkradio as part of Critical: The Movie Critics Network!

Box Office: ‘Mission: Impossible-Fallout’ Gets The Drop On ‘Christopher Robin’ And All New Releases

By
John Nolan
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1. Mission: Impossible-Fallout- $35M/$124.4M
The impossible task was dethroning Mission: Impossible-Fallout in its second weekend. The sixth film in Tom Cruise’s two-decade old franchise dropped just 42% for $35M and $124M domestic. That was enough to beat out Disney’s Christopher Robin and a substantial group of new releases. These are tremendous numbers for what is the last huge blockbuster film of the summer, which many are calling one of the best pure action movies in years. Worldwide the film has $329.4M, still a ways off from the $694M high of Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, but not out of the question.
2. Christopher Robin (review)- $25M
Oh bother. Disney’s Christopher Robin opened with $25M, which isn’t bad but won’t send execs bouncing into the air with glee like Tigger. The film stars Ewan McGregor as an adult Christopher Robin, surrounded by CGI versions of Winnie the Pooh and his pals from the Hundred Acre Wood. Reviews for the film have been solid with critics, although audiences have given it an ‘A’ Cinemascore, so there’s potential for this to have a good, long run. It might need one, because the $75M-budgeted drama has dubious prospects overseas, especially with Communist leader Xi Jinping refusing to allow it to play in China.
3. The Spy Who Dumped Me (review)- $12.3M
The Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon action-comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, got dumped itself with just $12.3M. That’s not a good number, and if I’m being frank, disappointing box office seems to follow Kate McKinnon around. In my review of the film I wondered why she hasn’t been given a starring vehicle of her own, and perhaps I have my answer.  That said, she was still the best part of this very action-heavy film, even overshadowing Kunis who is the actual lead. I expected better, if only because last year’s R-rated action-comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard did so well and I thought, well hoped, to see an equal reaction from audiences.  That was probably silly of me.
4. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again– $9M/$91.3M
5. The Equalizer 2– $8.8M/$79.8M
6. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation– $8.2M/$136.4M
7. Ant-Man and the Wasp– $6.1M/$195.4M
8. The Darkest Minds (review)- $5.8M
Any hope of The Darkest Minds launching the next (first?) YA superhero franchise have probably been dashed. The film opened with a mere $5.8M, a woeful number and another sign how far the YA genre has fallen.  While I thought it was pretty good overall, it’s tough to escape how familiar it looks to every Hunger Games knockoff out there, and trailers couldn’t hide it. A shame, because making her live-action directing debut was Kung Fu Panda 2‘s Jennifer Yuh Nelson, one of only two women of color to command a $100M+ film, the ohter being Ava Duvernay.  Along with star Amandla Stenberg, there’s great diversity behind all of this and it’s sad to see it fail. There’s hope international box office can save the day, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
9. Incredibles 2– $5M/$583.1M
10. Teen Titans Go! To The Movies– $4.8M/$20.7M

Pop! Obsession: New ‘Infinity War’ Funko POPs Include Eitri, Young Gamora, And Groot With Stormbreaker

By
John Nolan
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With Avengers: Infinity War now hitting home release, it’s the perfect time for Funko to unveil their latest line of POPs from Marvel’s mega-crossover!  There are so many characters we could see another wave of figures before Avengers 4 hits next year.

Included in this latest release are young Gamora, wielding the knife given to her by her adoptive father, Thanos; Groot carrying the Stormbreaker axe; Bruce Banner in mid-Hulk transformation; Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier; and a surprising one, Eitri the dwarf king who crafted the Stormbreaker axe himself!

Eitri will be made available as a 6″ Amazon exclusive. As much as I love Funko, sometimes their models need some work. That Eitri looks nothing like Peter Dinklage’s character in the film, and I have to agree with others that it seems like they just took the Hagrid model from Harry Potter and repurposed it.

All of these are expected to be made available in November! And when they are, be sure to check out our friends at Entertainment Earth who have the best deals on Funko anywhere!  When youc make a purchase through one of our affiliate links it helps us out in a huge way, and at no extra cost to you! We appreciate your support!

Giveaway: Win A Copy Of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ On Digital!

By
John Nolan
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The biggest hit of the year, Marvel’s epic Avengers: Infinity War is available now on digital and will hit Bluray on August 14th, but we’re offering our readers the chance to win a copy for themselves right now. We’re happy to giveaway five digital codes of Avengers: Infinity War, complete with all the features, bloopers, deleted scenes, and more!

You know how we do it. Entering is simple; complete all of the required steps in our Rafflecopter contest form below. If you want to increase your chances of winning, complete ALL of the steps.  It’s that easy. Winners will be selected on Friday, August 10th an notified by email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Patrick Stewart To Return As Captain Picard In New ‘Star Trek’ Series

By
John Nolan
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Those who know me know I don’t watch a lot of TV, and there are very few shows I truly cherish. Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of them.  It’s the Star Trek I grew up on (I kinda dig Deep Space Nine, too), and Patrick Stewart will forever be Captain Jean-Luc Picard. So today’s news has made me smile wider than I have in weeks, because Stewart is coming back to Star Trek in a brand new series.

CBS has made it official that Patrick Stewart will return as Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek series on the CBS All Access digital platform. The show will be exec-produced by Alex Kurtzman, current showrunner on Star Trek: Discovery, but that’s all we know right now. Here’s Kurtzman’s statement:

With overwhelming joy, it’s a privilege to welcome Sir Patrick Stewart back to the Star Trek fold. For over 20 years, fans have hoped for the return of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and that day is finally here. We can’t wait to forge new ground, surprise people, and honor generations both new and old.


And of course, Stewart had a few thoughts of his own, tweeting that he never thought something like this would happen, but that he’s ready to take the Captain’s chair again.  Make it so!!

I will always be very proud to have been a part of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but when we wrapped that final movie in the spring of 2002, I truly felt my time with Star Trek had run its natural course. It is, therefore, an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Seeking out new life for him, when I thought that life was over.


During these past years, it has been humbling to hear many stories about how The Next Generation brought people comfort, saw them through difficult periods in their lives or how the example of Jean-Luc inspired so many to follow in his footsteps, pursuing science, exploration and leadership. I feel I’m ready to return to him for the same reason — to research and experience what comforting and reforming light he might shine on these often very dark times. I look forward to working with our brilliant creative team as we endeavor to bring a fresh, unexpected and pertinent story to life once more.


After starring as Picard from 1987 to 1994, Stewart last played the role in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis, which was pretty terrible. Of the four Star Trek movies the Next Generation crew were in, it might be the lousiest.

Finally I have a reason to subscribe to CBS All Access.  For how long will depend whether this new series is an ongoing or a miniseries event.

China’s Leader Hates Winnie The Pooh, Bans Disney’s ‘Christopher Robin’

By
John Nolan
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You might think Winnie the Pooh, who doesn’t do much but eat honey and get stuck in trees, would be one of the least offensive characters around, but damned if he ain’t banned by an entire country.  If you’re a regular watcher of HBO’s hilarious Last Week Tonight you might have seen host John Oliver’s segment on Chinese leader Xi Jinping whose political enemies have, rather ingeniously, been pushing his resemblance to the silly ol’ bear. This has not made Ping happy.

China has now banned the release of Disney’s Christopher Robin, the same way they’ve been blocking any and all Winnie the Pooh imagery for more than a year.  So Disney probably isn’t too shocked about all of this if they’ve been paying attention. China has really loosened up on the movies they allow within their borders, and Disney’s films tend to well there, including this summer’s Avengers: Infinity War. How much this hurts Christopher Robin‘s bottom line remains to be seen, but I think it will be just fine.
You can check out my review of the film here, and that Last Week Tonight segment below. [THR]

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