Review: ‘ROADRUNNER: A Film About Anthony Bourdain’
Celebrates The Beloved Writer And Food Host Who Still Inspires To This Day

By
Jen Pourreza
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ROADRUNNER: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is directed by Academy Award®-winner, Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor). He and co-producer Caitrin Rogers put together a fabulous documentary about the complex life of the late storyteller, explorer, chef, co-worker, friend, and father, Anthony Bourdain. A best selling author who was given a platform and opportunity to taste, explore, and open his eyes to world. Bourdain shared his thoughts and experiences and gave humbly honest insight to millions of people all over the globe.

He’s an influential celebrity known and respected for his craft. Tony gets to indulge in food, culture, and have conversations with equally influential/notable people. No Reservations and Parts Unknown are beloved shows that embody for his gritty nature as we attentively listen to his next great adventure. He did not want to be considered nor compared to as a “TV travel guide” host. It was truly heartbreaking to learn of his death. The world lost a brilliant human being. After that, I can’t help but wonder (despite his fame), who Anthony Bourdain really was. How did his story come to such an unfortunately early and abrupt end?

I was grateful that Parts Unknown aired the final episodes after his passing. In a way, it was closure for the show. However, there was still this gaping hole of emptiness that lacked closure for the man himself. The only expectation I have for this documentary is that I hope it’s able to bring a deeper understanding intertwined with a proper send off that respectively recognizes, appreciates, and memorializes the life and work of Anthony Bourdain.

ROADRUNNER: A Film About Anthony Bourdain documents how he went from dishwasher to chef at the obscure Manhattan bistro, Les Halles to becoming one of the most notorious and beloved figures in the food world. Tony shot to fame in 2000 when his controversial book, Kitchen Confidential, became an overnight best seller. His book gives a crude look behind the scenes of working life in the restaurant business. Bourdain, going with the whole “fuck it” approach adds his opinions to the mix.

The successful combination has people kicking down the door to have him host a food and travel show. His tastes flavors in Rome, Melbourne and Tokyo and comes across danger in Port-au-Prince, Kinshasa and Beirut. Bourdain pushes himself and his crew past their limits while exploring culture and cuisine with his restless curiosity. Even going so far to accomplish a bucket list challenge of exploring the Congo. A journey declared the most difficult task ventured by him and his team. The upside is that this new job was more than he ever dreamed of. The downside, Bourdain noticeably spent the rest of his life contemplating if it was ever, the right choice made.

Before Bourdain launched to fame, the previous 43 years of his existence entailed his childhood in Leonia, New Jersey. He dropped out of Vassar College and got a degree at the Culinary Institute of America. Eager to step into a culinary career, Tony (as he likes to be called) spent his first years working as a dishwasher in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He’s young and looking for a means to cope while trying to keep afloat. It’s during this time that he battles with Heroin use and struggles with the “tug of war” challenge of maintaining sobriety.

Neville masterminds an unforgettable record of an extraordinary man’s unexpected rise to stardom. What makes this documentary incredibly outstanding is the amount of unseen footage shown. Dating as far back as 1999 and features all new interviews with a more intimate insight at who Bourdain was. Memories are recounted from family, friends, and co-workers who’ve been impacted the most by Bourdain’s presence. The best supplier of these dark secrets and thoughts come from Bourdain himself. His own wry and instantly recognizable voice paints a nuanced portrait of the complexity, contradictory, and charismatic integrity of details surrounding his very own life. Immortalizing words are a fitting tribute to the man who reinvented cultural storytelling.

The romantic version of Tony’s nature is that he is talented, intelligent, charming, and burned with ambition. Qualities that are already well known and respected. Neville goes a step further in his documentary and portrays Bourdain with all his imperfections. Obsessiveness, anger, addictive personality, and occasional arrogance are uncomfortable staples included in Bourdain’s autobiographical memoir. By 2016, the frenetic pace of his publicly made life was mentally and emotionally wearing him down. A vulnerable man in a vulnerable world who admits his flaws and weaknesses is indeed, the stronger man. However, his demise was the final cry for help that is heard too late.

Suicide is a motherfucker and so largely problematic. He rose to the top, traveled all over the planet, had all his desires come true and still got lost. Although he’s not here today to continue the fight, this documentary enshrines his legacy and continues the fight for him. Producing a major stepping stone at recognizing warning signs and establishing a better support system to those (like Bourdain) who need it. It’s an honor to have such an inspirational figure of his magnitude who positively impacted the entire world. For the approach and artistry conveyed, even Anthony Bourdain would be proud!

Definitely worth a watch.

ROADRUNNER: A Film About Anthony Bourdain will release in theaters Friday, July 16.

Review: ‘Die In A Gunfight’
Alexandra Daddario And Diego Boneta Are Star-Crossed Lovers In A Fast-Paced, Empty 'Romeo & Juliet' Update

By
Travis Hopson
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The evolution of Romeo & Juliet adaptations isn’t that filmmakers have found new ways to adapt Shakespeare’s classic love story, they’ve just decided to try and level up what Baz Luhrmann did. The returns have been limited, though, and Die in a Gunfight, a high-energy romance with a screenplay selected for the 2010 Black List, is another poor attempt at modernizing the Bard. This despite a somewhat starry cast led by Diego Boneta and the always-wonderful Alexandra Daddario as star-crossed lovers, the film suffers from an abundance of empty style from director Collin Schiffli.

Forget the warring Montagues and Capulets. Die in a Gunfight has rival media conglomerates, the Gibbons and the Rathcarts, locked in a blood feud spanning generations. Troubled son Ben Gibbon (Boneta) hurls himself into one losing fight after another, just in hopes of feeling something since being forced apart from his soulmate, Mary Rathcart (Daddario). Mary follows the family line, keeping a calm face while inside she boils with rage at being trapped like a bird in a cage. She had a chance to get out, and now that chance is gone. Instead, she’s got a bizarro stalker, the creepy/ambitious Terrance (Justin Chatwin), who refuses to let her go. One of Ben’s near-death exploits earned him a Mercutio-esque pal, Mukul (Wade Allain-Marcus), who is never far behind.

All of this is explained in flashy animation, voiced by the ever-present Billy Crudup. Die in a Gunfight might’ve been better served sticking with this approach, because once it stops the exposition keeps going in less exciting fashion. Writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, who saw their lauded script languish in development Hell for more than a decade, should’ve spent that time giving it a much-needed polish. For all of its contemporary flourishes, the basics don’t stray too far from what Shakespeare had in mind, and yet the screenplay operates as if it’s providing new information. The audience gets it.

Ultimately, the biggest problem with Die in a Gunfight is direction, which is tonally all over the map and burdened with cheap visual tricks that undermine any connection with the characters. Schiffli pulls out all of the stops, going overboard to show what he can do in the biggest film of his career after a couple of indies with The Suicide Squad actor David Dastmalchian. But all of the unnecessary rewinds and flashbacks, lighting and aspect changes, and even a few scenes straight out of a Viewfinder, can’t distract from a remarkably haphazard film. Wildly over-the-top charactes such as Chatwin’s toxic Terrance, Travis Fimmel’s lovestruck psycho Wayne, and Emmanuel Chriqui’s Barbie suggest a certain tongue-in-cheek attitude that Schiffli gives up on. Once the tragic lovers are reunited, the film slows to a crawl where little actually happens other than rehashing past events incessantly. Nobody has anything to talk about and yet none of them will shut up. Even the enigmatic Mukul, who looks like he’ll be a daring wildcard in the mix, becomes pretty dull and obvious after a while.

While Daddario is good enough to roll with the punches, giving Mary a certain amount of pluck and fight, she doesn’t get much from Boneta other than a pretty face. Neither is spared from a labored final act involving a wedding, some nonsense about a corporate mole, and a fateful act of revenge. By this point it’s hard to care whether anyone actually does die in a gunfight, and why we should care that they did.

‘The Colony’ Trailer: Humanity’s Survival Depends On ‘Army Of The Dead’ Star Nora Arnezeder

By

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July 14, 2021

Director Tim Fehlbaum’s The Colony looks like a cross between Children of Men and The 100, with maybe a little bit of Planet of the Apes mixed in? That’s enough to hook a sci-fi nut like myself, along with the presence of Army of the Dead standout Nora Arnezeder and Game of Thrones‘ Iain Glen. Another name that simply can’t be ignored is exec-producer and destroyer of worlds Roland Emmerich, although his fingerprints can’t be found in this impressive trailer.

Because there’s no such thing as a future that works out beautifully in this genre, The Colony takes place after humanity has been forced to flee Earth because of climate-related disasters, leaving much of the planet submerged underwater. Generations later, those who escaped are unable to procreate on the new world, and so a team is sent back to Earth to test the living conditions. The lone astronaut who survived the mission discovers a colony that contains children, making Earth an ideal place to live again. However, in order to do so they’ll have to destroy the others, referred to as “mutts”, who have been struggling to survive there all of this time.

I’m digging the look of this, and am curious what kind of budget Fehlbaum was working with. It looks like a modest-size studio effort, with grand visual setpieces and a fair amount of action. Here’s hoping they don’t spoil too much with more trailers. This one is more than enough.

The Colony opens in theaters and digital on August 27th.

Cataclysmic conditions on Earth forced a mass exodus to a distant planet. Generations later, a manned mission hurtles back to assess living conditions on the desolate, mostly submerged world. The sole survivor of the expedition is attacked by a violent band of scavengers, themselves locked in battle with a far more sinister foe. Now, mankind’s very survival depends on the bravery and ingenuity of the lone astronaut.

Review: ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’
LeBron James And Bugs Bunny Take The Court For An Enjoyable Exercise In Warner Bros. Excess

By
Travis Hopson
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What is it that you really remember about Space Jam in 1996? For me, it’s not a Hell of a lot. I remember His Airness, the great Michael Jordan, shooting hoops with Bugs Bunny, Lola, Daffy, and the rest of the Looney Tunes crew against a team of Monstars. That’s about it. The film was a marketing dude’s wet dream of merchandising potential; Jordan was at the height of his star power and his merch was literally causing people to shoot one another in the streets. What’s not to love? It’s a piece of nostalgia that many of us will look back to because it was basically a 2-hour Saturday Morning cartoon…with basketball. But did the film really need a sequel? Especially if Jordan isn’t in it?

Space Jam: A New Legacy is totally a LeBron James joint. While there’s no Michael Jordan (Although a funny gag addresses this absence), James, the NBA champ who many see as his equivalent, takes the court in more ways than one. He helped develop this Ready Player One-esque sequel from the start and the story isn’t just based on his incredible b-ball skills. It incorporates his public image, his family, his upbringing, and yes, even his seeming lack of loyalty to his teammates. Hey, Lebron changes teams the way people change their shoes, let’s keep it real.

Space Jam was a damn weird movie. Space Jam: A New Legacy is even weirder, but for all of my cynicism about such an egregious example of extreme product placement, it’s a Hell of a lot of fun. The story finds James struggling to connect with his youngest son Dom (Cedric Joe). James is a demanding father who wants his boys to ball like he can, but Dom has aspirations to create video games. The beef between father and son gets worse when they attend a meeting on the Warner Bros. lot, ironically to use James’ image to bastardize the studio’s entire content library. When James shoots the idea down, disgruntled artificial intelligence Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle) sucks father and son into the Server-Verse, a digital landscape comprising all of WB’s properties.

And by all, I mean ALL of it. If you wanted to see King Kong hang out with Grape Ape and The Iron Giant, this is the place. Cool on seeing Pennywise high-five the droogs from A Clockwork Orange? Or LeBron James and Bugs Bunny walk through a scene from Casablanca, or get strapped to the hood of a war rig in Mad Max: Fury Road? The Night King from Game of Thrones cheering alongside The Mask? It’s all here. Look close and you’ll see literally thousands of familiar characters: Batman, Robin, Space Ghost, the Animanaiacs, Harry Potter, from the obscure to the blockbuster, Space Jam: A New Legacy is truly Ready Player One on steroids. It doesn’t always work. When some of the older references are blended into the plot, like Granny doing a lame Matrix riff, it reminds you that some of this stuff is best left in the dustbins of cinema history.

However, the film works in that “holy shit did you see?” kind of level, where you’re constantly keeping an eye out for your favorite characters. It can distract you from the plot, however, which basically mirrors the original Space Jam. LeBron must win a basketball game against Al-G’s squad of powered-up superstars. Failure means LeBron and his family are struck in the Server-Verse forever, and the Looney Tunes, who have been drafted into this fight, will be erased.

If you love the Looney Tunes characters, as I do, then you’ll enjoy seeing them get the spotlight again. It’s a shame that so many born after the original Space Jam is unfamiliar with their antics. Of them all, Wile E. Coyote works the best in a b-ball setting, with his doomed ACME devices making for a ton of hilarious sight gags, including one where he accidentally fires thousands of copies of himself into one little b-ball hoop. Zendaya voices a repackaged version of Lola Bunny, the one Looney character who can actually ball. While she was hyper-sexualized in the first movie, here she’s a confident leader and a former Amazon hanging out with Wonder Woman on the isle of Themyscira.

Space Jam: A New Legacy is a nostalgic blast, and I’m surprised/ashamed at myself for liking it as much as I do. But despite the incessant commercialization and pop culture references, James and director Malcolm D. Lee (it was originally to be helmed by experimental filmmaker Terence Nance) have managed to build a winner of a film that embraces our love of movies, TV, and video games. The downside is that it crams so much in from so many different eras that this Legacy won’t be as memorable as the original, but I’ve already bought my Lola Bunny Funko Pop! so its mission is accomplished.

Space Jam: A New Legacy opens in theaters and HBO Max on July 16th.

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‘Flee’ Trailer: Child Refugee Copes With A Tragic Past In Sundance Award Winner Produced By Riz Ahmed

By

Travis Hopson

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July 14, 2021

It’s not enough to call Sundance award winner Flee simply an animated documentary. A powerful mix of narrative storytelling and harrowing real-life events, the film centers on Amin Nawabi, a gay man from Afghanistan who is still struggling to cope with his past as a child refugee.

The film is directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and has gathered together the likes of Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as producers, to get a sense of the impact it has made. Amin tells his story through interviews, recounting the trauma of his childhood and why he’s kept the details secret from his partner who he is about to marry.

Reviews out of Sundance were through the moon, with the film coming away with a Grand Jury Prize. Based on the new trailer it reminds me of Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir, both in style and substance.

NEON will release Flee in theaters this fall.

Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner FLEE tells the story of Amin Nawabi as he grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon-to-be husband. Recounted mostly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, he tells the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan for the first time.

New ‘Star Trek’ Film In The Works From ‘WandaVision’ Director Matt Shakman

By

Travis Hopson

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July 14, 2021

Now is a pretty good time to be someone involved with Marvel’s WandaVision, which just earned 23 Emmy nominations. Case in point director Matt Shakman, who is now set to make his feature directing debut on a franchise that has been dormant for years: Star Trek.

Deadline reports Paramount has hired Shakman to direct a new, untitled Star Trek movie. Before you even ask, no, we don’t know if this is a continuation of the JJ Abrams movies with Chris Pine etc., or something entirely different. We do know it will have a script by Lindsey Beer (Sierra Burgess is a Loser) and Captain Marvel writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet.

You have to take this with a note of skepticism given all that’s happened with Paramount’s previous attempts at a fourth Star Trek movie. Following the mediocre response to 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, a weak attempt was made to hire the franchise’s first female director, SJ Clarkson, only to hae the film thwarted by contract negotiations. Fargo creator and Lucy in the Sky director Noah Hawley was brought on to director a brand new film with a different cast, but that also went nowhere. Flirtations with Quentin Tarantino on an R-rated Star Trek didn’t go very far, while only a couple of months ago another movie was announced with Star Trek Discovery writer Kalinda Vazquez. The fate of that one is unknown.

Paramount is definitely moving forward with Shakman’s Star Trek movie, though, as they’ve already set it for June 9th 2023 release.

‘Joe Bell’ Trailer: Mark Wahlberg Goes On A Cross-Country Journey To Honor His Late Son

By

Travis Hopson

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July 14, 2021

Originally titled Good Joe Bell and planned as a possible Oscar contender, the newly-titled Joe Bell opens in just over a week with a minimum amount of buzz. That’s not a knock on the inspiring drama or the performance of its star Mark Wahlberg, who gives a rare sensitive performance according to those who saw the film at TIFF last year.

Based on the true story of Joe and Jadin Bell, the film tells the bittersweet story of a father who embarks on a cross-country walk to honor his son, who committed suicide after being bullied at school for being gay. Joe has his own demons to tangle with, and as seen in this trailer he’s carrying a lot of guilt on this journey.

Wahlberg is joined in the cast by Reid Miller, Connie Britton, Gary Sinise, Maxwell Jenkins, John Murray. Behind the camera is Reinaldo Marcus Green, whose Monsters & Men was a big hit at Sundance. He’s also the filmmaker behind the upcoming Richard Williams drama, King Richard.

Joe Bell opens July 23rd.

From filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green (MONSTERS AND MEN; upcoming KING RICHARD), along with the Academy Award-winning writing team behind BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Diana Ossana & Larry McMurtry) and Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg, JOE BELL tells the intimate and emotional true story of an Oregonian father who pays tribute to his gay teenage son Jadin, embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak his heart to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying.

‘Fear Street Part 3: 1666’ Trailer: Netflix’s Wicked Trilogy Goes Back To The Beginning

By

Travis Hopson

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July 14, 2021

The grisly story of Shadyside comes to a close with the final chapter in Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy. Following films set in the years 1994 and 1978, the finale goes all the way to the beginning in the year 1666 when the town was gripped with fear of witches.

Netflix has turned the entire month of July into an early Halloween treat for horror fans. The three Fear Street chapters have debuted in consecutive weeks, with this being the conclusion.

Leigh Janiak directed all three chapters along with co-writing the screenplays. This has been a huge breakthrough for him, after turning heads with his indie horror Honeymoon in 2014.

Fear Street Part 3: 1666 hits Netflix on July 16th and stars Kiana Madeira, Ashley Zukerman, Gillian Jacobs, Olivia Welch, and Benjamin Flores Jr., Darrell Britt-Gibson, Fred Hechinger, Julia Rehwald, Sadie Sink , Emily Rudd, McCabe Slye, Jordana Spiro, and Jordyn DiNatale.

You can check out our reviews of the previous films here.

SYNOPSIS: In 1666, a colony is gripped by a hysterical witch-hunt that has deadly consequences for centuries to come. Meanwhile, the teenagers in 1994 and 1978 try to finally put an end to the town’s curse before it is too late.

Bella Thorne Gets Divine In The Trailer for ‘Habit’

By

John Nolan

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July 14, 2021

It took, literally, 3/4 of this trailer to figure out what exactly was going on here. I think I got it. Bella Thorne, Paris Jackson, and Josie Ho play LA party girls/drug dealers who get in deep with a local drug lord. The trio then takes on the mantle of a group of nuns that have come to LA to start a convent. Sounds crazy, looks crazier.

I have to admit, that while I’ve never been a fan of Bella Thorne she has been doing some interesting work as of late. Conversely, I have always been a fan of Gavin Rossdale (of Bush and being married at one point to Gwen Stefani fame) but haven’t seen him act since Constantine which was like, 20 years ago? On the plus side, dude looks like he’s on that Paul Rudd diet where you don’t age at all.

With regard to the movie itself, this looks like what’s becoming the standard mid-level VOD action flick, and I mean that in the best way possible. A taste of Go a sprinkling of Spring Breakers with a side of Crank to make it all go down. I have little doubt this will be one of those forgettable flicks that you are glad you watched.

Look for Habit in select theaters August 20th and on Blu-ray/DVD August 24th

Official Synopsis:
In this edgy thriller starring Bella Thorne, Paris Jackson, Hana Mae Lee, and Gavin Rossdale, a party girl and her sexy friends dress up as nuns to hide out from an angry LA drug lord.

‘Loki’ Finale Confirms A Second Season Is On The Way

By

Travis Hopson

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July 14, 2021

No spoilers for today’s finale episode of Loki, which features the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) discovering the mastermind behind the Time Variance Authority. But what can be revealed is that the show will be coming back for a second season, confirmed in a mid-credits scene that simply reads “Loki will return in season 2.”

This is the first of Marvel’s three completed shows to be confirmed for a second season. WandaVision, which just earned 23 Emmy nominations and would seem a likely bet to return, has yet to get a similar announcement. The same goes for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which received 5 Emmy noms yesterday. That series does seem to lead into a fourth Captain America movie, while WandaVision connects to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as many things are doing in Marvel’s Phase 4.

The season finale of Loki also connects to the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, which opens in March 2022. We can probably guess a second Loki season will arrive some time afterwards.