Quentin Dupieux is back! If you know the filmmaker’s prior works such as Rubber, Wrong, and Deerskin, you know his films tend to be pretty strange, with ideas that make you wonder if perhaps he’s not all there. Well, his latest film Mandibles might be the weirdest yet, and probably isn’t for anybody with an extreme dislike for bugs.
In the new Mandibles trailer, we see that it centers around a giant fly that is discovered by a pair of idiots who proceed to try and make a profit from it. It goes about as well as one can expect.
The film stars a bunch of people you’ve maybe never heard of: Gregoire Ludig, David Marsais, Adele Exarchopoulos, India Hair, Romeo Elvis, Coralie Russier, and Bruno Lochet. The biggest name of the bunch is Exarchopoulos, best known for her award-winning performance in Blue is the Warmest Colour.
Dupieux has been surprisingly bullish on the film’s prospects, telling a French outlet that he’d be open to doing a sequel titled Tentacles if this one does well.
When simple-minded friends Jean-Gab and Manu find a giant fly trapped in the boot of a car, they decide to train it in the hope of making a ton of cash.
*This review was originally published as part of our 2021 Sundance Film Festival coverage. First Date opens in theaters and Apple TV on July 2nd.*
Just think, if you were a shy kid who managed to score a night out with the girl you’ve been crushing on for years. And just when it’s time for the big date, your parents take the car so you’ve got no ride. You end up in an embarrassing hooptie, the cops find you suspicious as Hell, and a crew of chatty criminals suddenly take too much of an interest in you. All of these things conspire to keep you away from your lady love. Such is the premise behind First Date, one of those “crazy night out” teen comedies owing itself to dozens of similar films that have hit up Sundance. And while it may follow in their footsteps, it fails to establish the humor or the detailed touches to accomplish much else.
A pair of newcomers lead the charge in First Date, but only one leaves you with much of an impression. Tyson Brown plays Mike, a shy, quiet kid who has to be convinced by his friend Brett (Josh Fesler) to call his lifelong crush, Kelsey (a fantastic debuting Shelby Duclos), and ask her out on a date. He’s facing stiff competition from the classically hunky dude next door, but somehow Mike’s gamble pays off when she asks him out, hoping to rekindle a friendship they had lost in high school. Unfortunately, Mike just realized that he doesn’t have a car, so Brett hooks him up with a guy selling one for cheap.
Dennis, the guy Mike is buying from is about as shady as it gets. He pulls a fast one and convinces Mike to buy a different car than the advertised one: a beat-up 1960s Chrysler that no self-respecting woman would ever get into. But Kelsey actually turns out to be the least of his worries. She already loves old-school shit like VHS tapes and 8-tracks. The biggest concern is the drugs and jewels hidden in the vehicle and the series of rolling disasters caused by colorful characters that hinder his getting anywhere near Kelsey.
First Date is one of those teenie-bopper “quest” movies where the lead character gets side-tracked from his chosen goal, which is typically to get laid or something. At least here, Mike’s motivation is considerably more innocent. He and Kelsey were friends when they were young, and he’s been harboring a crush ever since. But the cast of loons that populate Mike’s little world are phony as Hell, the kind of manufactured quirkiness that might work in a 2-minute sketch, but not in a feature-length movie. The surprisingly violent criminals pursuing Mike are also in a book club, and their pointless conversations steer towards discussions on John Steinbeck.
Mike is the least compelling character of all. As played by Brown, Mike is so close-mouthed and timid that he barely registers. I guess this is their way of showing that he’s a nice guy, but he just comes across as boring. We spend the bulk of the film wondering why Kelsey would have any interest in him at all. He spends much of the film looking appalled or dumbfounded, when he’s not calling Kelsey to make excuses for being late. This isn’t all Brown’s fault. The screenplay by first-time writers/directors Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp fail to give Mike any of the little touches that would make this hero’s journey relatable. On the flip side, Shelby Duclos is a real find as Kelsey, imbuing what could’ve been a stock “dreamgirl” part with humanity, maturity, and wisdom that leads to some of the film’s few genuine laughs. Other performances are borderline unwatchable and definitely amateurish.
There might’ve been real chemistry between Mike and Kelsey, too. The few minutes we get to see of them it certainly appears that something could click. But First Date doesn’t show much interest in that, even though getting them together is supposed to be the entire point.
For the most part, movies like First Date are my jam. They remind me of misadventures from my youth, and I enjoy the walk down memory lane that tends to follow. First Date just left me with the desire to move on and hope the second date works out better.
If there’s one thing that Steven Soderbergh has made clear during his career it’s that nobody has an idea what he’ll do next. From mainstream films to the extremely experimental, Soderbergh is unpredictable to say the least. Like, would you ever expect Soderbergh to do another Ocean’s movie? Me neither, but according to Don Cheadle it’s on the table.
Speaking with EW about his part in Soderbergh’s latest flick, No Sudden Move, Cheadle revealed that he and the director have spoken about an Ocean’s 14…
“We were talking about it, and then Bernie [Mac] passed, and very quickly we were like, ‘No, we don’t want to do it,’” said Cheadle. “But I just did a movie with Stephen and he said, ‘I think there may be a way to do it again. I’m thinking about it.’ And it didn’t go much further than that. But I don’t know; I don’t know who all would be in it. I imagine the main group of us would be in. It would be interesting to see.”
Ocean’s 11 starred a Murderer’s Row of A-listers led by George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt. Released in 2001, it was a remake of the equally starry 1960 Rat Pick film, although the heist plot remained pretty much the same. A sequel, Ocean’s 12, was released in 2004, followed by Ocean’s 13 in 2007. In 2018 a female-led spinoff, Ocean’s 8, opened led by Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.
So yeah, this needs to happen. You can’t put something out there like Ocean’s 14 and then not do it. Perhaps a storyline where the gang pulls a lucrative job to help out the family of Bernie Mac’s character, Frank Catteo? Just a thought.
Can you believe The Sopranos has been off the air since 2007? HBO’s groundbreaking mob series continues to have a tremendous impact on the TV landscape. It became the standard-bearer for prestige drama, and like many of the network’s popular shows, fans hoped for a big-screen continuation. Well, they’re getting it all of this time later with The Many Saints of Newark, except it’s not a sequel but a prequel.
The biggest draw for The Sopranos fans may be the casting. The late James Gandolfini’s son Michael is playing a younger version of Tony Soprano in 1960s Newark. Along with his pals Paulie and Silvio, they must navigate a tense time with race riots and rival gangsters attacking the DiMeo crime family.
Playing Paulie Walnuts is Billy Magnussen, with John Magaro as Silvio, Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, Jon Bernthal as Johnny Boy Soprano, plus Leslie Odom Jr., Corey Stoll, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano.
Behind the camera is Alan Taylor, known for directing Thor: The Dark World and a handful of Sopranos episodes. The series’ creator David Chase co-wrote the script, as well.
The Many Saints of Newark opens in theaters and HBO Max on September 24th.
How are we just NOW getting a Clifford The Big Red Dog movie? Clifford and The Bearenstein Bears were, forgive the pun, the top dogs when I was growing up, you’d think this would have been made and re-made by now? Expediency aside, this new trailer for Paramount’s adaptation of everyone’s favorite purchase from the 1988 Scholastic Book Fair looks to be as sweet as Clifford is large.
Admittedly I don’t remember much about the original books, outside of Clifford being sweet and huge, so this may or may not follow the original storyline. Emily is a middle-school outcast whose days at school are far from enjoyable. When she and her Uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) happen upon an eccentric animal rescue specialist (John Cleese) they find a funny looking little pup that will change their lives forever. You see, Mr. Bridwell says the key to Clifford growing is how much you love him. As you can imagine Clifford grows…a lot.
Look, I don’t care that this looks totally saccharine and formulaic. I can tell you, point blank, that I will most likely get misty eyed at some point during this film. Who doesn’t need a little joy cry these days?
Check out the trailer for Clifford The Big Red Dog below and look for it in theaters September 17th, 2021
Official Synopsis:
When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple. Based on the beloved Scholastic book character, Clifford will teach the world how to love big!
This is looking like the year of Colman Domingo. That’s weird to say because he’s actually been on a roll for quite a while, ever since his performance as the mercurial Victor Strand in Fear the Walking Dead made him a household name. Personally, I think Domino is excellent in everything, but he’s particularly good at characters you can’t quite get a bead on. And nobody fits that description better than X, the volatile “roommate” he plays in Janicza Bravo’s Zola.
I had the chance to talk with Colman Domingo about his role in Zola, why he loves playing villains, and why he thinks some of them aren’t really so bad. We also talk about his reunion with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom actress Taylour Paige, and how much he admires how far she’s come.
Zola opens in theaters on June 30th! Check out my review of the film here and the interview below.
Should any of us be surprised that one incredible, mind-blowing Twitter thread became a critically-acclaimed movie? Social media has been the impetus for so many projects already, but none EVER quite like Zola. Directed by Janicza Bravo as her followup to 2017’s bizarre comedy Lemon, the film is a stylish adaptation of A’ziah “Zola” King’s 2015 Twitter thread that begins with this epic opener…
“Y’all wanna hear a story about why me and this bitch here fell out?”
Thousands, perhaps millions, of people really did want to hear that story, told in a 148-long tweet thread like an online soap opera. And now those people will be able to see it play out on the big screen. The challenge for Bravo and co-writer Jeremy O. Harris was figuring out how to take 140-character tweets and make them into a cohesive-ish story about Zola (Taylour Paige) getting caught in a “hoe trap” with Stefani (Riley Keough), a woman she just met, her dim-witted boyfriend Derrek (Nicholas Braun), and her volatile “roommate” X (Colman Domingo) on a road trip to Florida.
I was fortunate to speak with Bravo and Harris about Zola, what drove them to want to make this into a feature film, how it fits into the blaxploitation genre, and finding the perfect cast to play such colorful real-life characters.
Zola opens in theaters on June 30th. Check out my review here and the interview below!
The Millenium Falcon, The X-Wing, The Tie-Fighter, and Slave I. These are the top tier fighters in the Star Wars universe. One of them has a less then desirable name. Boba’s ship, which was as unique in design as the Mandalorian armor he is clad in, was a big part of his mystique. From the quick shots of him leaving Bespin to the closer look we got in the prequels, all the way up to it becoming the hero ship of The Mandalorian the bad ass starship formerly known as Slave I just oozed awesomeness. Needless to say with such a famous and recognizable name fans were a bit confused at the recent LEGO Con last weekend when a set featuring Boba’s ride was labeled simply “Boba Fett’s Starship”. When asked by Jedi News about the re-branding LEGO Star Wars Design Director Jens Kronvold Frederiksen had the following to say:
“Everybody is [dropping it]. It’s probably not something which has been announced publicly but it is just something that Disney doesn’t want to use anymore.”
Truth be told, the only thing that surprises me about this is that; A. It took so long, and B. The change was done with no planning. “Slave Leia” hasn’t been a term thrown around for a few years, so of course when Boba’s back in heavy rotation they’ll use a less offensive term for their anti-hero’s main conveyance. It’s just shocking to me that the best they could come up with was a place holder name. Boba’s Fett’s Starship? Really? They have to know that some of ships of this franchise are as much a character as, well, the characters. It’s not like it would be tough either, Bounty I, Freedom I, P*ssy Wagon….all would have been more acceptable then Boba Fett’s Starship.
Am I nitpicking? Yes….I’m a Star Wars Fanboy, that’s what we do.
Foundation is one of Apple TV+’s flagship shows for their new season of original programming and it SHOWS. This new trailer for Foundation, which not only looks like the best Hollywood has to offer in terms of effects but has booked a cast that’s second to none. Don’t take my word for it, check out this list. You have Jared Harris as Dr. Hari Seldon, Lee Pace as Brother Day, Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin, Laura Birn as Demerze, and Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk.
Now I don’t think that this show is going to pull a Game of Thrones and enthrall the world, true sci-fi never does, but those waiting for the next big story from the stars have a lot to look forward to. The hyper-future tale not only showcases amazing set design, costumes and special effects but appears to tell a story from far in the future of genetic engineering. A ruling dynasty of genetic perfection on the verge of collapse and Jared Harris’s Dr. Seldon appearing to lead the revolution against them. We’ve still got a few months to wait, Foundation premiers September 24th, but at least that gives you time to figure out what streaming service you’ll dump in favor of Apple.
The Galactic Empire has brought peace to thousands of worlds, but the beliefs of one man now threaten their very existence. Foundation premieres September 24, only on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_Foundation
Based on the award-winning novels by Isaac Asimov, Foundation chronicles a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire
Is Amber Heard trending on Twitter again? If so, then you know something is up with the Aquaman sequel, which we recently learned would be titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Today saw the official start of production, confirmed by director James Wan himself from a very icy locale…
Is this frozen land the Lost Kingdom? Or has something happened to Atlantis that caused it to ice over?
Plot details remain buried in the ocean depths. Jason Momoa will return as Athur Curry, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Pilou Asbaek in an unknown role, and Amber Heard as Mera. A certain segment of angry Twitter trolls have made it their life mission to get Heard fired from the film because of her issues with Johnny Depp. Personally, I hope they give her a bigger role just to piss these folks off.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens December 16th 2022.
