‘She Dances’ Interview: Steve Zahn And Audrey Talk About Making Movies Together As Father And Daughter

By

-

March 27, 2026

Steve Zahn is one of those actors who makes everything he’s in just that much better. He makes comedies funnier; his characters, even the smaller roles, are always embued with so much heart that you remember them when the film is over. So it’s no surprise that She Dances, a film that he co-wrote with director and friend Rick Gomez, is a heartwarming, funny, and endearing charmer. That it’s also a family affair in more ways than one, makes it just that much better.

She Dances is also the acting debut of Zahn’s daughter, Audrey, and it’s an impressive performance that could be the start of a career as prolific as her father’s. A trained dancer, Audrey plays Claire, a competitive dancer embarking on her final competition along with her best friend, Kat, played by Mackenzie Ziegler. Steve plays Audrey’s estranged father, Jason, who steps in to chaperone them on this trip, and hopefully reconnect with his daughter.

So while the film presents itself as a familiar father/daughter dramedy, She Dances has a lot more going on. Jason and Audrey are both reeling from a recent trauma that has driven a wedge between them, and the film is about leaning on the people closest to you when times are tough. It’s also a film about growing up, standing up for yourself, and the power of friendship. Of course, there’s also a lot in there about the spirit of competition, and parents who force their dreams onto their kids to fulfill.

It was a real treat for me to chat with Steve Zahn, an actor I have loved for years, and Audrey Zahn, about She Dances. We talked about Steve’s inspiration for the film, whether the plan was always for Audrey to star, and whether Audrey was always interested in acting and how she feels about the entire process.

She Dances (review here) is open in theaters now. Check out the interview below!

Review: ‘They Will Kill You’
Zazie Beetz Hacks And Slashes Her Way Through A Stylish But Uneven Survival Horror

By
Travis Hopson
-

Going into Kirill Sokolov’s They Will Kill You, my thought was that its biggest hurdle might be timing. Another female-led action flick following on the heels of two excellent ones, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and Pretty Lethal, it was going to have a tough time setting itself apart. Well, that’s not really the issue as its problems go far deeper than that. For sure, the slickly-made horror scores points for style and Zazie Beetz’s breakneck performance, but once the novelty wears off there’s not much else to hold on to.

Beetz is pretty badass in the role of Asia Reaves, an ex-con released from prison for shooting her abusive Dad. She abandoned her younger sister Maria (Myha’la) in the process, and now years later is on the hunt to find her. That leads Asia to the luxury high-rise apartment, The Virgil, which has an ominous history. Posing as a housekeeper to get inside, Asia discovers the place is overrun by rich, immortal satanists, led by Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), and must fight her way through these elitists to find Maria and get the Hell out of dodge.

The opening 30 minutes of They Will Kill You will be like catnip to hardcore fans of Hong Kong action cinema, with obvious homages to John Woo, Tsui Hark, and other masters of the genre. Asia, who apparently went to a prison where they taught classes in The Raid, has emerged from her stint with a high proficiency in martial arts combat against multiple foes. She slices and dices the cultists (played by Heather Graham, Tom Felton, and more) only for them to keep coming back for more. Poor Graham, who plays Sharon, has her head lopped off so many times and is literally reduced to just an eyeball, which rolls around and just keeps on livin’ its best life. Pretty weird, and a funny sight gag although the joke wears out pretty fast.

The offbeat tone is a plus, but unfortunately, They Will Kill You loses steam the further it delves into the paranormal horror aspects, leaving behind the flashy kung fu action. It’s a shame, too, because the film is perfectly set up to be similar to The Raid, or a film such as Boss Level, with the hero fighting their way up multiple floors of increasing intensity. But that never really happens (even though we learn each floor is uniquely sinful, such as the Fuck Floor), and the fights become repetitively gruesome, sapping the film of all of the energy it had in the kick-ass opening minutes. There’s also a lack of genuine stakes, and a key subplot involving Lilith’s deceptive husband (Paterson Joseph) feels like an afterthought.

I think Beetz has been overlooked too long as a legit action star, but They Will Kill You should turn that around. She’s dynamic physically, charismatic as Hell, and delivers when expressing Asia’s regret over abandoning her sister. Beetz shoulders most of the emotional load, and transitions easily as the film swerves into body horror and slapsticky comedy.

Credit to Sokolov for the use of practical effects and buckets of blood, which should keep the gore hounds happy. The film is well shot, with DP Isaac Bauman pulling some clever lighting tricks, and making the best use of tight quarters during Asia’s most claustrophobic fights. While They Will Kill You is slickly made and looks great, it fails to get the difficult mix of horror, comedy, kung fu, and social satire just right. The result is a film that starts off hot but quickly dims to a faint glow.

They Will Kill You is in theaters now.

‘Ballistic’ Trailer: Lena Headey Is Fully Armed And On The Warpath In Chad Faust’s Revenge Flick

By

Travis Hopson

-

March 26, 2026

Haven’t people learned by now not to screw around with Lena Headey? In the new revenge flick Ballistic, the former Game of Thrones star plays a grieving mother who goes on a rampage after learning the bullet that killed her son in Afghanistan was manufactured in the factory where she works.

Hamza Haq, Stranger Things‘ Amybeth McNulty, Jordan Kronis, The Handmaid’s Tale’s Amanda Brugel, and Veronica Mars‘ Enrico Colantoni join Headey in the cast.

The film was written and directed by Chad Faust. Faust is an actor who you might recall from his role in Saved! He previously directed Bella Thorne in the 2020 thriller, Girl.

Interestingly, Ballistic opens on April 17th, which happens to be the same day that Headey can be seen in the awesome Ben Wheatley/Bob Odenkirk action-comedy, Normal. So if you’re a Lena Headey fanatic, mark that weekend on your calendar.

‘Forge’ Trailer: Kelly Marie Tran Stars In Jing Ai Ng’s Buzzy Art World Forgery Dramedy This May

By

Travis Hopson

-

March 26, 2026

Crime films that focus on the art world community are a dime a dozen, but none have come around recently quite like Jing Ai Ng‘s directorial debut, Forge. The buzzy crime film made a splash at SXSW, with notices for Ng’s energetic style and the cast led by Star Wars alum Kelly Marie Tran, Andie Ju, and Brandon Soo Hoo. Utopia has dropped the first trailer ahead of its theatrical release in May.

Here’s the synopsis: In Miami, the resourceful Zhang siblings—Raymond and Coco—sell forged paintings to unsuspecting parties. Despite their thriving underground operation, the siblings are still short on cash when they cross paths with disgraced millionaire Holden Beaumont. Sensing an opportunity to make a fortune, Holden convinces the Zhangs to forge long-lost masterpieces as a front for his family’s collection. Meanwhile, FBI Art Crimes agent Emily Lee moves from New York to Miami, discovering a plethora of forgeries cropping up in the South Florida art market. As Emily continues to investigate the Zhang siblings’ work, their lives converge to devastating effect in the Zhang family dim sum restaurant.

Also in the cast are Edmund Donovan, Eva De Dominici, T.R. Wright, Jack Falahee, and Sonya Walger. Ng directs from her own screenplay, and produces the film, as well. Based on the early word, Forge is the movie that could put Ng on the map for a long time to come.

Forge will open in Los Angeles on May 15th and in New York on May 22nd, followed by a wider rollout.

‘Magic Hour’ Trailer: Katie Aselton Directs And Stars With Daveed Diggs In Desert Drama With A Magical Twist

By

Travis Hopson

-

March 26, 2026

Katie Aselton and Daveed Diggs in MAGIC HOUR

Katie Aselton is best known for her work alongside her husband Mark Duplass in comedies such as The League and Togetherness. But she’s built a solid career as a writer/director, as well, with films such as The Freebie, Black Rock (my first Sundance movie), and Mack & Rita. Now Aselton’s back with the desert relationship drama, Magic Hour, starring alongside Daveed Diggs.

Aselton and Diggs star as Erin and Charlie, who escape to the desert to navigate a challenging new period in their relationship. But this getaway yields some unexpected surprises and a surreal, magical component that makes Magic Hour anything but your standard romantic drama.

Also in the cast are Brad Garrett and Susan Sullivan, both seen in the trailer. Aselton co-wrote the screenplay with Duplass, the two having made their share of projects about complicated matters of the heart.

Greenwich Entertainment will release Magic Hour in theaters on May 15th.

‘Stranger Things: Tales From ’85’ Trailer: Hawkins Faces A Brand New Threat In Netflix’s Animated Series

By

Travis Hopson

-

March 26, 2026

Sure, Stranger Things has wrapped up its run on Netflix, but if you thought the streamer was letting go of its most popular show, you couldn’t be more wrong. While the Duffer Brothers have a spinoff on the way featuring a different bunch of Hawkins residents, there’s also the new animated series, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, arriving next month.

Set in the winter of 1985, between seasons 2 and 3, the series finds Eleven, Mike, and the rest of the Hawkins gang taking on a new threat from parts unknown.

SYNOPSIS: Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an exciting new animated series from showrunner Eric Robles and executive producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this new story set in the Stranger Things universe.

At this point, nobody from the original cast is returning to lend their voices. Instead, the cast consists of Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, Jolie Hoang Rappaport, Luca Diaz, Elisha “EJ” Williams, Braxton Quinney, Ben Plessala, Brett Gipson, Odessa A’zion, Jeremy Jordan, Janeane Garofalo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Robert Englund, Alysia Reiner, Allexandra Antonelli, Valeria Rodriguez, and Jack Griffo. Some pretty big names.

Eric Robles is showrunner and exec-producer, joined by exec-producers the Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy.

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 hits Netflix on April 23rd.

‘The End Of Oak Street’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway And Ewan McGregor Lead David Robert Mitchell’s Mysterious Sci-Fi Thriller

By

Travis Hopson

-

March 26, 2026

The veil of mystery is starting to lift from David Robert Mitchell’s new film, titled The End of Oak Street. It’s undergone a couple of name changes and some shuffles in the release date, but now the Anne Hathaway-led film has a trailer and a summer date to hit theaters.

Even with this new footage, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the sci-fi plot, which follows a suburban family that experiences strange happenings in their neighborhood. Formerly titled Flowervale Street, the film also stars Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, Jordan Alexa Davis, Chris Coy, and PJ Byrne.

Mitchell burst onto the scene with his indie horror, It Follows. That was followed by the surreal, confounding mystery Under the Silver Lake. He has quickly built a reputation for being unafraid to try new things and push the creative envelope, which is part of the reason why there’s so much buzz surrounding The End of Oak Street. Warner Bros. will release it into theaters on August 14th.

‘Monument’, Bryan Singer’s First Movie Since 2018, Is In Theaters And There’s A Trailer

By

Travis Hopson

-

March 26, 2026

Remember Bryan Singer? I sure do; he directed the best of the X-Men movies for Fox, so for that I’m grateful. He also directed Bohemian Rhapsody eight years ago, a Best Picture winner that earned more than $900M. Then, his career cratered under #MeToo allegations and years of rumors about his misconduct, which led to him vanishing from Hollywood altogether. Well, Singer is back with his first movie since 2018, titled Monument, and it’s already out there in the wild. You can check out a trailer for it below.

So, over the last few years, Singer has quietly been living in Israel and attempting to scrounge up funds for this passion project. He was apparently successful in that effort, and shot Monument in Greece in 2023. The film stars Jon Voight and Bohemian Rhapsody actor, Joseph Mazzello.

Monument is based on a true story set in 1999, during Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. Here’s the synopsis:

In 1999, as Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon crumbles, architect Yacov Rechter is commissioned to build a soldiers’ memorial. His son Amnon urges a monument for all war victims instead.

Monument has no U.S. distribution, which isn’t a shock. Singer has become persona non grata for good reason. However, it’s being distributed independently by Singer’s production company, Bad Hat Harry Productions. There are a handful of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, all positive. That’s not a surprise to me. Whatever his problems, Singer is still one Hell of a filmmaker. Still, I won’t be working too hard to see this one. Given today’s political climate, I’m surprised it hasn’t generated more buzz.

Amazon/MGM Wants A ‘Project Hail Mary’ Sequel, But Something Else Has To Happen First

By

Travis Hopson

-

March 26, 2026

You’ll not be surprised by any of this, but Amazon MGM is eager for a Project Hail Mary sequel. And who can blame them, after the Ryan Gosling-led blockbuster has currently made $155M globally after a week of release, and earned praise from critics and audiences alike. I think it’s the best movies of 2026 so far. However, just because they want a sequel, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen.

According to sources speaking with THR, whether a Project Hail Mary sequel happens is totally up to author Andy Weir. Per the report: “sources close to MGM stress that Weir is in the driver’s seat. The acclaimed author has never penned a sequel to one of his books before, and he is currently working on a mysterious new novel that is unrelated to “Hail Mary.” But he has said he is toying with potential sequel ideas, though he does not have anything solid enough for a book, yet.”

So what does that mean? Well, we could be waiting a while for a sequel that never happens. Weir doesn’t write a ton of books. In twelve years he’s only done three: Artemis, The Martian, and Project Hail Mary. Two of those have been adapted into blockbuster movies already.

As for the third? Artemis is actually in development from Project Hail Mary directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, so that could be the next Weir adaptation in theaters. The duo thinks it has finally made a breakthrough on how to adapt the book’s complicated setting, telling the outlet: “There is an Artemis script; it’s delightful. The thing that was holding that back for years was, how do we execute one-sixth gravity? The story takes place on the moon. We think we’ve figured it out.”

Before that happens, Lord and Miller will be busy with the final Spider-Verse animated movie opening in June 2027.

Expect Amazon/MGM to light a fire under Weir to get cracking on Project Hail Mary 2 soon.

Review: ‘She Dances’
Steve Zahn Stars With His Daughter Audrey In A Delightful But Clunky Father/Daughter Dance Dramedy

By
Travis Hopson
-

It’s hard not to like She Dances, a feel-good family comedy about a father and daughter reconnecting through their shared trauma…and a tough dance competition. The film is a family affair through and through, led by beloved actor Steve Zahn, who not only stars but co-wrote the screenplay with actor/director Rick Gomez. But that’s not all. The film’s other lead is Zahn’s daughter, Audrey, in her acting debut. And before the whines of “nepo-baby” start raining down, just know that Audrey is the real deal. A trained dancer, she proves to have grasped her Dad’s gift for humor both broad and subtle, which is enough to overlook some of the film’s flaws.

The story is pretty simple, and follows Jason (Steve Zahn), who is tasked by his ex-wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) to chaperone their daughter Claire (Audrey) and her best friend Kat (Dance Moms alum Mackenzie Ziegler, another scene-stealer) to a dance competition. Jason has a lot on his plate already, what with trying to sell his brewery with his pal Brian (Ethan Hawke). He’s also dealing with a recent tragedy, one that has kept him and Claire at arm’s length. So this reunion is guaranteed to be fraught with tension. This tragedy impacted Claire, too, and she’s had to deal with it with only the support of her mom and best friend, with Jason elsewhere.

One of the things I really dug about She Dances is that Jason isn’t some douchebag so preoccupied with his own shit that he makes excuses for not being around. Instead, he quickly mans up at the opportunity to escort Claire, despite his apprehension. And Claire is neither a brat or a pushover. She doesn’t expect much from Jason, but doesn’t beat him up for all of the many mistakes he makes along the way; like screwing up the hotel reservation that forces them to make a detour to a more shoddy place. There’s an acceptance from both Jason and Claire that the other is making an effort, and that kind of wholesome family dynamic is something that is lacking in too many similar films.

Other aspects of She Dances don’t fare quite as well. Zahn and Gomez’s screenwriting experience shows in the clunky dialogue, especially for the teenage girls. Some of the references feel extremely dated, like a Rocky IV analogy during a competitive showdown between Claire and the powerful, disciplined dancer Marla (played by Haley Fish), whose rigid devotion to winning gives off Ivan Drago vibes. Potentially painful confrontations between Jason and Claire aren’t glossed over so much as they are wrapped up more neatly than life typically allows. That said, this lighter touch is frequently to the film’s benefit. Reality shows like Dance Moms have shown us the parasitic nature of these competitive events, but She Dances reinforces that a nurturing environment full of people who love and support you is the surest way to achieve your goals.

If She Dances was designed as a platform to launch Audrey Zahn’s acting career, it’s done the job well. She’s got a bright future ahead, with or without her father at her side, and I hope we’ll see her dancing into bigger and better things soon.

She Dances opens in theaters on March 27th.