If you were lucky enough to win the lottery, what would be something you’d do with the money? How about buying your own private island and paying your favorite band to reunite and do a show just for you? That’s the plot of the upcoming Sundance comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island, and for the lotto winner at the center of it, those plans don’t exactly hit all of the right numbers.
Starring Carey Mulligan, Tim Key, and Tom Basden, the film is based on a 2017 short film by Key, Basden, and director James Griffiths. Originally titled One for the Money, the film was retitled when Focus Features acquired the rights last year. They have set it for theatrical release on March 28th, following its world premiere at Sundance on January 25th.
SYNOPSIS: The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, Mortimer-McGwyer (Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden), back together. His fantasy quickly turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.
Sad day today as a true legend has passed away. David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker behind surreal projects such as Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, has died at the age of 78. He had revealed last year a battle with emphysema that would likely end his ability to direct in-person, meaning he would have to do so remotely.
A Montana native, Lynch was born in 1946 and by the 1960s he was already directing, beginning his career with short films. It was 1977’s Eraserhead that proved to be a breakthrough, establishing a surrealist tone that would become a Lynch staple. His style notably combined elements of horror, sci-fi, film noir, and more. Along with the aforementioned films, Lynch would mix things up over the many years of his storied career. His other credits include The Straight Story, Lost Highway, The Elephant Man, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Dune, Blue Velvet, and Wild at Heart. His most recent film, Inland Empire, was released in 2006.
Lynch also made appearances in front of the camera, including a role as John Ford in Steven Spielberg’s The Fablemans.
All of us here at Punch Drunk Critics send our condolences to Lynch’s family and friends.
Filmmaker David F. Sandberg is best known for horror films Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation, but he took a break to direct a pair of Shazammovies for DC. While that didn’t go quite as planned, Sandberg is back and doing what he does best with Until Dawn, a new film based on the popular horror video game.
Directed by Sandberg and co-written by G4 favorite Blair Butler and It writer Gary Dauberman, Until Dawn is set in the same universe as the game and follows a group of teens murdered in a remote valley by a serial killer. They’re sent back in time to relive the nightmare again and again, with the deadly threat worse each time.
The film stars The Sweet East breakout Ella Rubin, along with Michael Cimino, Ji-young Yoo, Odessa A’zion, Maia Mitchell, Belmont Cameli, and Peter Stormare
Sony Pictures will release Until Dawn in theaters on April 25th.
SYNOPSIS: One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the nightmare again and again – only each time, the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free screening of Prime Video’s comedy You’re Cordially Invited, starring Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell!
SYNOPSIS: When two weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same venue, each bridal party is challenged with preserving their family’s special moment while making the most of the unanticipated tight quarters. In a hilarious battle of determination and grit, the father of the bride (Will Ferrell) and sister of the other bride (Reese Witherspoon) chaotically go head-to-head as they stop at nothing to uphold an unforgettable celebration for their loved ones.
The screening takes place on Monday, January 27th at 7:00pm at Regal Gallery Place. If you’d like to attend, RSVP at the Amazon site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
You’re Cordially Invited streams globally to Prime Video on January 30th.
How much does NEON love Osgood Perkins right now? His previous film Longlegs wasn’t just a hit for them in 2024, it was the distributor’s highest-grossing release ever. They’re so keen to keep working with Perkins that his next film, The Monkey, is only a month away and it’s something completely different than before. Well, there’s still a lot of blood and death, but this one has double the Theo James, a cursed toy, and a lot of macabre humor.
James stars in The Monkey as twin brothers Bill and Hal, who discover their dad’s toy monkey in the attic, unleashing a killing spree that they must reunite to stop many years later.
The Monkey is based on the Stephen King short story first published in 1980. Perkins wrote and directed the film, with James Wan aboard as a producer.
Joining James in the cast are Christian Convery, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy.
NEON will open The Monkey in theaters on February 21st.
SYNOPSIS: “When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.”
The secret is out. Following The Brutalist‘s Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor win at the Golden Globes, Brady Corbet’s epic drama is a sure-fire Oscar contender. The timing couldn’t be better for next week’s theatrical expansion, and A24 is helping to spread the word with a new look at one of the best-reviewed movies of the year.
The latest trailer for The Brutalist (review here) is short but does include a few new glimpses at the nearly three-hour drama starring Adrien Brody as Jewish Holocaust survivor and genius architect László Toth. Toth embarks on an obsessive quest to acquire his piece of the American Dream and leave behind a legacy he can be proud of, only for the journey to reveal some of the worst aspects of humanity.
Also in the cast are Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy, Isaach de Bankole, Alessandro Nivola, and Emma Laird. The film was directed by Corbet, who also co-wrote the script with his partner Mona Fastvold.
A24 expands The Brutalist nationwide on January 24th. Do yourself a favor and try to see it in 70mm if you can.
SYNOPSIS: Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost…
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t love Friday, the 1995 “one day in the ‘hood” comedy that made Ice Cube and Chris Tucker pot-smokin’ legends? Hell no, and everybody says they want comedies to be as good as Friday. Heck, even the Friday sequels couldn’t measure up. Not to say that One of Them Days is on that level, either, but Keke Palmer and SZA are the closest thing to Craig and Smokey that we’ve seen in a long time. As hard-scrabble buddies just looking to pay the rent and not get killed, they light up this brassy, feel-good buddy comedy that will surely be a crowd-pleaser.
The ultra-talented Keke Palmer plays the responsible one, Dreux, a hard-working waitress at a Dennys-esque franchise restaurant. She lives in their rundown, overpriced apartment complex with her best friend Alyssa, played by superstar singer SZA in her feature debut. Alyssa is the irresponsible one; an artist who doesn’t actually sell anything and gets by doing as little every day as possible. The two are a classic Odd Couple pairing. Dreux is on the come-up. After years of toiling away, she’s finally got an interview for a Franchise Manager position, but first she needs to get some rest and make sure the rent gets paid. Their strict landlord Uche (Rizi Timane) is kicking out anyone who doesn’t pay on time, and the air of gentrification is everywhere. There’s even a white girl (Maude Apatow) moving in and that never happens. Unfortunately, Dreux made the critical error of entrusting the rent money to Alyssa, who in turn entrusts it with her shady, homeless but well-endowed boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) who immediately blows it on a laughable get-rich-quick scheme.
And so you have a classic “get the money by this time” comedy set up, with a countdown clock booming in to divide up each comedic setpiece, which makes One of Them Days feel like a series of vignettes. Dreux and Alyssa pinball from one wacky scenario to the next in order to get paid, and some work better than others. They become the target of a local big-booty bully, Berniece (Aziza Scott), who Keyshawn has latched himself to, and she becomes the Deebo-like threat who everyone, man and woman alike, is afraid of. Katt Williams is hilarious, and surprisingly tuned-down as Lucky, a homeless street prophet who pops up to dispense dire warnings of the ‘hood’s many entrapments. He tries to drive the girls away from one of those disastrous Payday Loan vendors with their thousand-percent interest rates and brutal enforcement methods. Williams is one of a few colorful cameos that help flesh out this delightfully weird and high-energy corner of Los Angeles that Dreux and Alyssa occupy. There’s also Abbott Elementary‘s Janelle James as an ex-stripper now doing really shoddy work at the blood bank. Scene-stealer Dewayne Perkins brings a welcome dose of fabulousness as the gossipy hairdresser Jameel, and Lil Rel Howery is funny as a con man whose sob story scores him a deal on a pair of vintage Air Jordans. If there’s a an actual love interest it’s from Patrick Cage as Maniac, a heartthrob and former delinquent that Dreux has heard is now some kind of deranged killer. She has eyes for him, anyway, in part because of the whole “bad boy” thing but also because he always seems to be there when she needs him, and, well, reliable men aren’t exactly easy to find.
Palmer and SZA have a breezy, easy chemistry that powers One of Them Days through its many highs and lows. There’s something about Palmer in that she’s always someone we want to see come out on top, and Dreux is a character we can easily cheer on. And SZA in her first major acting role impresses in her ability to make Alyssa so much more than an archetype. Not to say the script is incredibly deep or anything, but there’s a richness to the neighborhood and the people in it. Yes, it’s nutty, but there’s something real in how everyone is just trying to keep their heads above water, and how it always seems like the world is fighting against them. We can buy that Dreux is both incredibly responsible and someone with a laughably low credit score. We can buy that Alyssa is both extremely loyal to her best friend, and also a monumental screwup. Director Lawrence Lamont brings his music video experience to keep the energy high and the jokes flying. They don’t really make urban comedies like One of Them Days for the big screen anymore, and for that reason it feels kind of special to have it. With its emphasis on female friendship, memorable characters, and imminently quotable one-liners, One of Them Days is a blast of positive vibes and a fun ride that is sure to become the favorite hangout comedy to many of those who see it.
Sony Pictures opens One of Them Days in theaters on January 17th.
Warner Bros. is reviving two childhood classics for a different generation. According to Deadline, the studio is developing new films for The Goonies and Gremlins, although details on both remain a mystery.
Let’s start with Gremlins, which WB recently revived with the animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. Chris Columbus, who wrote Joe Dante’s 1984 movie, is behind this one although it’s unclear if he’s writer, director, or both. Hopefully, Dante can get involved, as well. He hasn’t directed a movie since 2014’s Burying the Ex, but has always been the shepherd of the Gremlins franchise.
Fans have been begging for a new Goonies movie for decades, and I bet you’ve seen all sorts of AI-generated fake movie posters for The Goonies II on social media. Lord knows I’ve fielded enough questions about it over the years. This new movie is only at the script treatment stage so there is no talent attached. The most obvious route would be to do a legacy sequel with some of the cast returning (Ke Huy Quan seems like a shoe-in, right?) to pass the torch to a younger generation of adventure-seekers.
These could be a big gamble as nostalgic fans don’t always like their favorites getting messed around with. Let’s hope more info drops soon.
Starz’ Spartacus is one of my favorite shows, and it’s definitely the best gladiator combat drama ever made. Even when star Andy Whitfield got sick and the show had to be retooled, it maintained a high level of quality. It’s been more than a decade since it went off the air, but now it’s coming back, sorta, with Spartacus: House of Ashur, a spinoff that’s a little bit like Marvel’s What If…? only not an anthology.
For Spartacus fans you might be wondering how the heck Ashur is alive considering his head got separated from his shoulders. House of Ashur is like an Elseworlds tale in which Ashur wasn’t killed, and his being alive reshapes history in many different ways. The cunning ex-slave was always skilled at moving people around like chess pieces, which is why he was such a fun character to love and hate. Of course, Nick Tarabay returns to the role.
Joining Tarabay in the cast are Graham McTavish, Tenika Davis, Ivana Baquero, Jamaica Vaughan, Jordi Webber, Claudia Black, India Shaw-Smith and Leigh Gill. Spartacus creator and showrunner Steven S. DeKnight returns in the same roles.
Spartacus: House of Ashur will run for 10 episodes. Starz has yet to give it a release date.
SYNOPSIS: “Spartacus: House of Ashur” will be a history-bending, erotic, thrilling, roller-coaster experience that builds on everything that made the original series a colossal hit. The series poses the question: what if Ashur hadn’t died on Mount Vesuvius at the end of “Spartacus: Vengeance?” And what if he had been gifted the gladiator school once owned by Batiatus in return for aiding the Romans in killing Spartacus and putting an end to the slave rebellion?
The Universal Monsters will never die. We know this to be true, because Universal has been making movies with Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon literally for over one hundred years, and they’ve endured some pretty bad sequels, remakes, reimaginings, and the like. Following the failed attempt to craft a monster cinematic universe, the studio went back to basics with Leigh Whannell’s hit The Invisible Man, which brought contemporary context to a familiar horror tale. And now Universal is hoping to strike gold again with Whannell, whose Wolf Man attempts much the same thing: strip out the mystical lore and offer a grounded, personal approach based on deep-rooted human frailty.
The result is…well, a mixed bag. Wolf Man could do with a few more silver bullets and hair-raising frights, but it does make for decently effective body horror that puts us literally into the mindset of an unchained lycan. Directed and co-written by Whannell with Corbett Tuck, the film stars Christopher Abbott as Blake, an overprotective house-husband keeping a watchful eye on his adventurous daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth), who is a lot like how her old man used to be as a kid. See, Blake grew up in the forests of Oregon with his survivalist father, completely off the grid from society. During a hunting trip, Blake and his Dad encounter a mysterious creature that the elder had been tracking, barely averting disaster. Cut to 30 years later and Blake can be just as smothering as his father was. Meanwhile, Julia Garner plays Blake’s wife Charlotte, a writer whose focus on her career has left the family disconnected from one another.
When Blake receives a letter about the fate of his missing father, he brings the family to his childhood home in hopes of getting some quiet time away from the city. However, that creature still lurks in the woods and after it causes a near-fatal car wreck, it leaves an indelible mark on Blake that will have transformative repercussions.
Wolf Man mostly takes place within the cabin, as Charlotte and Ginger begin to realize that something’s wrong with Daddy. Whannell leans hard into the ticking clock aspect of Blake’s fate. Doom hangs over him as he starts to transform in small but grotesque steps: A bloody tooth pops out of his mouth, the wound on his arm begins to fester and rot away, his skin starts to boil. How long can Charlotte stay trapped in there with Blake loses control? It forces Charlotte to be the protective mother she’s been shying away from for too long, but she also wants to try and do something for Blake. His change is gradual, and she can still see the man he was which makes doing anything to harm him difficult. Worse, there’s still the problem of that other werewolf stalking them on the outside, making escape impossible.
The film begins to take the shape of a siege film, with the women trapped inside with a feral monster. While scares are pretty light, Whannell makes up for it by showing us how Blake sees the world as he’s transforming. It’s truly creepy to see Charlotte from his eyes; one moment looking and sounding normal, only for the light to take on a translucent effect, her voice begins to ripple like a stone tossed into a pond, her eyes shining like a diamond in the sky. In a really clever idea, Blake’s senses become so acute that a spider’s crawl sounds like booming thunder. It’s both beautiful and scary to be the wolf in those moments, as Blake succumbs to a body that is no longer is. He is both something more and something cursed. His ordeal resembles that of Jeff Goldblum in The Fly and it’s easy to see how Whannell was inspired by it. I only wished Wolf Man had kept us there in Blake’s shoes for longer because the rest of the film lacks bite. There’s a good bit with Blake fearing that he’s become so worried for Ginger that he’ll “end up becoming the thing that scars them”, an idea that Whannell could’ve done a lot more with.
With tame action and undercooked tension, Wolf Man is both a bore and a drag. There’s simply not much story here, and it made me wish Whannell hadn’t removed so much of the lycan mythology because at least that would be something fun to indulge in. This is all pretty grim and tired, even with Abbott convincingly portraying Blake’s confusion and desperation, and Garner making a believable case as a fearsome mom you do not want to fuck with whether you’re a Universal Monster or not. There have been loads of werewolf movies, some great and some not-so-great. Wolf Man slots somewhere in the middle, ensuring the wolf will get another shot to howl at the full moon someday.
