When one looks at the massive success of Netflix, it’s Stranger Things that’s right at the heart of it. The hit series from the Duffer Brothers established the streamer as a true entertainment force with its mix of horror, humor, and nostalgia. And now after five incredible seasons, Stranger Things is coming to an end. Not right away, but divided into separate Volumes that begin this November.
Stranger Things‘ beloved ensemble of returning stars and new additions includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Natalie Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery,Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, Alex Breaux, and Linda Hamilton.
The series has seen many of its youngest actors launched to superstardom, with careers that should last long after the finale.
SYNOPSIS: The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 hits Netflix on November 26th, with Volume 2 on Christmas Day and the series finale on New Year’s Eve.
It may seem like writer, director, and actor Eva Victor came out of nowhere with their first film, Sorry, Baby. Smart, funny, and quietly devastating, the film follows young professor Agnes as she deals with the aftermath of a traumatic event. It is a stunning debut, but like most powerhouse filmmakers, Victor didn’t just appear out of thin air and arrive in Hollywood.
After graduating from Northwestern, where they joined the improv team, Victor moved to New York. They immersed themselves in the city’s queer alt-comedy scene and started posting viral videos on Twitter. While in New York, they appeared in shows, podcasts, and open mics with the likes of Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, Cole Escola, and Julio Torres — all queer comedians whose careers have taken off in the last five years.
“I cast a lot of people I know from that world,” Victor tells me. This includes E.R. Fightmaster and Kelly McCormack, the latter of whom also had a supporting role in Torres’ Problemista. “I think they are some of the best actors.”
I ask about Torres and Escola’s support of Sorry Baby specifically, both of whom have been on their own press journeys for projects they created. Escola is coming off a Tony win for their revisionist historical play about Mary Todd Lincoln called Oh, Mary, and Torres is currently on the Emmy campaign for his surrealist-comedy Fantasmas. “Julio has been so supportive and came to see it,” Victor tells me. “I always think of it as a departure from that New York alt-comedy world, but actually, as you list them, I’m in good company. They are the alien heroes of our time. I think Julio is a big inspiration because he has no rules. We should just have less rules instead of having to be one thing. Same with Cole. Literally.”
New to Victor’s world was actor Naomi Ackie, who plays Agnes’ best friend Lydie. The chemistry between the Mickey 17 alum and the new filmmaker was vital to making a crucial part of the story work. The relationship between Agnes and Lydie is the heart of Sorry, Baby, and had to feel relatable and real to its audience, something Victor was aware of during their first readings together.
“It was really effortless, which was such a blessing. But I think the second we read together, everyone was aligned. Like ‘Thank God. This movie is going to be okay.’ Because [our vibe] is all the movie really needed.”
They credit a lot of that chemistry to Ackie. “Naomi is so charismatic and insanely good that I honestly think I could have been a curtain and everyone would have been like, ‘You guys have a real vibe. It was genuinely so magical to have her in the movie. She elevated everything. She’s just a brilliant actor. Blink Twice and Mickey 17 hadn’t come out. I’d seen her in a couple of things, but her range is crazy. I saw her in the Whitney Houston movie, and I was like, ‘Okay, that’s you.And also Lady Macbeth is you. I still think she is made of particles of the universe in a way that we don’t know about yet.”
If she was 100% sure about her relationship with Ackie after their first reading together, she didn’t have that initial confidence that she should direct her first feature herself. Though Sorry, Baby is seen through the lens of this friendship, the film’s inciting incident revolves around what it calls “the bad thing.” I hesitate to label it more than that now, as I fear it would spoil how smart Victor is as a filmmaker.
Keeping the inciting incident out of press material and interviews in our current “trigger warning” culture is something Victor thought about a lot. “I think about this all the time because, of course, I want people to feel safe coming in and come in at the right time and have the information they need. And also, there was so much thought put into how you meet this character and how much you get to experience with her before you find out what happened to her so you don’t have any societal bias to this person that is weirdly engraved in all of us about what that means to be a survivor of…” they hesitate before smiling. “Trauma.”
Figuring out how to market Sorry, Baby was an “interesting challenge” for both Victor and A24. “For the Sundance Film Festival, we were really deliberate about not talking about it. Our logline was incredibly vague to the point of making no sense. It was a real joy to get to experience an audience watching the film without any information,” they say.
“The thing I’ve come to that feels the best is that film uses really particular language to talk about ‘the bad thing’. The only people who use harsh words are the institutions. So I always find it really respectful and exciting when someone talking about the film decides to mirror that. There’s been a real harshness used in some of the reviews that I don’t think lines up with the tone of Sorry, Baby or the way the film is trying to embrace an audience member who isn’t prepared to see something very violent. The whole point of the film was to move past violence and really focus on the time afterwards and the healing time. I want the film to feel like it lives in the healing time, not the violence. It’s a good question, I think about it every day, especially as more information comes out. It’s interesting. I don’t know if we will ever have a solution.”
Though Victor knew they always wanted to star in their screenplay, it didn’t dawn on them that they should be the one to direct it. “I’m really happy I directed it. I didn’t realize how strongly I felt about how everything should look and feel.”
What makes this film so spectacular and powerful is how the story is told. Victor builds to this reveal by breaking the narrative into non-linear chapters. Leading up to “the bad thing,” we follow Agnes into the house of her mentor, where we stay for an uncomfortably long time. We see people walk by and hear cars in the background until suddenly day becomes night, and Agnes comes rushing out of the house, struggling to get her shoes on. It’s a moment of dread and tension, cleverly directed with tact.
“That scene is building to Agnes telling Lydie what happened and Lydie holding her while she is saying it. That is the peak of the experience. That is what we are building towards. The violence itself is moving us towards a friend being a good friend. It’s not that the violence is this midpoint. The midpoint is the emotional moment. And I wanted the film to believe in the idea that someone could tell you what happened and that’s the truth and you don’t have to see it with your own eyes because we never do.”
Sorry, Baby doesn’t hold on to that tense moment. Much of the film is filled with levity and moments of grace. One such moment is when Alice finds support and wisdom from a sandwich shop owner played by the great character actor John Carroll Lynch. It’s an interesting casting choice, considering the man is best known for his work in Zodiac and American Horror Story. “That’s what I liked,” Victor says. “ I liked that it was like ‘Oh, now the Zodiac’s at the car door.’ It’s fabulous.”
Carroll’s character provides fresh eyes to Eva’s situation and juxtaposes her mentor in every way. “Sometimes a stranger can see your situation more clearly than anyone else. When he says ‘Three years [since ‘the bad thing’]. That’s a long time but not much time.’ Literally. That’s what I’ve been trying to say for an hour of this movie, and he can just say it. There’s a real clarity there.”
Victor recognizes that that scene reflected Lynch’s own involvement with the production. “[Lynch] coming into the film to shoot was kind of mirroring that scene. He’s this legend, and he was so confident. It was really nice to sit outside with him. I think it brought the burst of energy it does in the film to the set. Everyone was acting different because they were like ‘John Carroll Lynch is here.’”
Lynch playing the part wasn’t something that crossed Victor’s mind when writing the role. “I didn’t really know what the shape of this character was supposed to be. I was just trying to write it in a way where I was like, ‘Well, if I acted it, I would want to say these words.” What came out onscreen was a calming father figure that didn’t need to be explained away narratively.
“When we found him, I thought he wouldn’t say yes. When he did, we had a phone call, and I don’t know if I have ever been more intimidated for a phone call because his voice is so deep and he’s so particular about the words he chooses. I think it was very affirming to have someone like him who I only know from just the most epic movies we have, saying he was really interested in the topic of this film. I was like, ‘Okay, so everyone is amazing. Masculinity can be so beautiful when it engages with pain and really looks at it.’ So it was very, very cool to have him do this role.”
The biggest star coming out of Sorry, Baby, however, is Agnes’ cat, Olga, whom she adopts while on her healing journey. When I bring up the subject to Victor, they light up. “Cats are insane. They’re everything. It’s because you don’t talk to them, but they know exactly how you are feeling, and you know how they are feeling, and there’s a telepathy that over time you build with a cat. They’re very human-like. They have very human-like needs and moods, and changes. I’ve had my cat for eight years, and if he moves his paws in a certain way, I’m like, ‘he wants seven pieces of treats and then he wants the bed to be heated.’ It’s just such an honor to be a witness to their lives. It makes me sad too because I think about my cat, and I’m like, ‘You only know me.” Which is beautiful, but also like ‘I know a lot of people, but you only know me, but I love you the most.’ Cats are amazing, and apparently, their purring is at a frequency that heals trauma.”
Consciously or unconsciously, the healing power of cats was something embedded into Sorry, Baby’s script. As you watch Agnes’ story unfold, you see her start to improve after she adopts Olga. “I saw this tweet once, and it was about how people who don’t like cats don’t understand consent. Cats are all about consent,t and they don’t let you touch them if they don’t want you to, and people who don’t like that are insane. Which is so true.”
Like Victor’s relationship with Naomi Ackie or John Carroll Lynch’s presence on set, the sentiment surrounding the tweet reflects the ethos of Sorry, Baby. The cat has become the film’s official unofficial mascot, so much so that Victor and A24’s marketing team chose a still of Victor holding up the cat as the film’s poster.
“Everyone is so worried that the cat dies. Like y’all. I would never do that to us. You have to believe me. The cat survives.”
Guns Up is the rare action-comedy that took me by surprise, sometimes for good, sometimes not so much. Written and directed by Edward Drake, the film stars Kevin James and Christina Ricci, who, let’s be honest, is quite a weird pairing for this genre, one that I desperately wanted to see. Drake has spent the bulk of his filmmaking career working with Bruce Willis in loads of forgettable crime movies. I think it’s safe to say that James is filling the Willis role here, with maybe a tad more humor, as bruising ex-cop turned mob enforcer Ray Hayes. Ray’s a humble family man who turns to crime to fund his wife Alice’s dream of opening a roadside diner. He’s not even keeping secrets from her. She knows all about his bloody line of work and loves him anyway, and that goes a long way when Ray tries to convince himself that he’s not a bad guy despite what he does.
This idea of being more than your line of work is a constant thread in Guns Up. When Ray first meets his bosses, Michael, played by the great Oscar nominee Melissa Leo, and Ignatius, played by awesome character actor Luis Guzman, he insists he’s not one of them. Even Mike and Iggy see themselves as better than other criminals because they abide by a certain code of honor. Unfortunately for them, rival criminal Lonny Castigan (Timothy V. Murphy) doesn’t abide by any code, and when he violently attacks them and takes over as boss, he makes it clear that Ray will never be allowed to retire and pursue his wife’s dream now that they have the money to make it a reality. One botched job later and Ray finds himself and his family targets for Lonny’s wrath.
Visually, Guns Up resembles much of Drake’s previous work. Bland, dark, cinematography captures the stereotypical “gritty” aesthetic. James, who has done a lot to build his cred as an action star, delivers occasionally brutal violence with gusto. He’s believable as a heavy-hitter whose punches look like they would devastate you. His comedic background comes in handy because this is a movie that, despite the weighty concerns and heavy bloodshed, tries to play at being offbeat. It doesn’t always work, though, as the tone swings wildly to the point of distraction. It’s not always clear what kind of movie Drake is trying to make. Should we take any of this seriously, or no?
While James, Leo, and Guzman deliver solid performances, and Murphy is at least a mildly threatening villain, the real scene-stealer is Ricci. For much of the movie, it seems like she’s playing another wife character who is meant to stand by her husband’s side but not be integral to the plot. Then the last 30 minutes of the movie happen and suddenly Alice turns into Uma Thurman from Kill Bill. The plot behind her sudden shift makes absolutely zero sense, but Guns Up doesn’t distinguish itself enough for you to care. You just want to watch Ricci go nuts killing a bunch of people with meat cleavers and that’s what she does. Turns out she’s pretty awesome at it, too. Not only that, but the film becomes more of an action buddy comedy from that point, and it makes you wish Guns Up had armed up Ricci right from the beginning.
Vertical releases Guns Up into theaters on July 18th.
After two critically-acclaimed films in 2024, the tennis dramedy Challengers and William S. Burroughs adaptation Queer, Luca Guadagnino is back with another that is expected to be a major player in the awards season. After the Hunt stars Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lio Mehiel, and Chloë Sevigny in a story of professional crisis and dark secrets.
SYNOPSIS: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, AFTER THE HUNT is a gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Julia Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield), and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come into the light. AFTER THE HUNT is written by Nora Garrett.
Also in the cast are Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Christine Dye, and Burgess Byrd.
This is a slight departure from Guadagnino’s recent work, and it’s to his credit that he continues to produce anticipated projects across various genres.
Amazon MGM Studios will release After the Hunt in theaters on October 10th.
Nintendo Japan isn’t wasting any time casting its Legend of Zelda live-action movie from director Wes Ball. In a case such as this, it’s wise to announce the two main roles at the same time, because those characters are so linked together, no pun intended. Offically set to play the heroic Link is Canadian actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, while English actress Bo Bragason is Princess Zelda.
Included in the announcement is what appears to be the first look at both actors in costume.
Both actors are relatively unknown and this will be the biggest film of their careers. Bragaon starred in the short-lived Disney+ series Renegade Nell and the hit British crime drama The Jetty. Ainsworth can be seen right now in Jon S. Baird’s comedy Everything’s Going to Be Great opposite Allison Janney and Bryan Cranston.
Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed) and T.S. Newlin (The Maze Runner) will write The Legend of Zelda screenplay, which centers on young hero Link as he adventures through the land of Hyrule to defeat the evil Ganon and save Princess Zelda.
The most recent game in the ‘Zelda’ franchise, Tears of the Kingdom, was a massive hit for the Nintendo Switch in 2023. A spinoff game, Echoes of Wisdom, features Zelda as the protagonist and was releases for the Switch in 2024.
The Legend of Zelda hits theaters on May 7th 2027 by Sony Pictures.
This is Miyamoto. I am pleased to announce that for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason-san, and Link by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san. I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/KA5XW3lwul
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a film from Swedish director Lasse Hallström, when at one point he was Hollywood’s go-to-guy for prestige dramas such as The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, then mainstream romances such as Dear John and Safe Haven. His last film was Disney’s forgettable The Nutcracker and the Four Realms in 2018, but now he’s back with The Map that Leads to You, a YA drama coming to Prime Video next month.
Starring Madelyn Cline, Josh Lucas, KJ Apa, Madison Thompson, Sofia Wylie, and Orlando Norman, The Map that Leads to You is based on the novel by JP Monninger. Vera Herbert and Les Bohem adapted the screenplay, which follows a young woman on a post-college European tour who meets a handsome stranger.
SYNOPSIS: “The Map That Leads to You” follows Heather (Cline), a young woman setting off on an adventure across Europe with her best friends before settling into her perfectly planned life. When she crosses paths with Jack (Apa), a magnetic and mysterious stranger, their instant spark ignites an emotional journey neither of them expected. As their connection deepens, secrets, life choices, and hidden truths will test their bond—and change her life in ways she never imagined.
Cline is having the biggest year of her young career. Along with this film, she’ll be seen this weekend in I Know What You Did Last Summer.
It’s good to see Hallstrom back in the fold, too. The style of movie that had him in such high demand have mostly vanished on the big screen, so it makes sense that he’d pivot to streaming features such as this.
The Map that Leads to You hits Prime Video on August 20th.
Life doesn’t always end up the way you expect and Sal (Toby Kebbell) is finding that out firsthand in Salvable. Once a promising boxer and talk of the town, things have turned for the worse. Sal was The Bull. A feared competitor on his way to true boxing greatness. Along with his blossoming career he also had a loving wife, Elaine (Elaine Cassidy) and daughter Molly (Kíla Lord Cassidy). Now over a decade later and he is a has-been.
Sal is divorced and estranged from Molly and Elaine. He pops in and out of their lives, causing a big rift and is essentially a stranger to Molly. He works at an elder facility where he is amazing with the residents. Showing care and patience. The rest of his time he is still in the ring with his trainer Welly (James Cosmo) in his corner. Not training for fights himself, but being a human punching bag for the next generation of fighters. Sal wants to be a better man, a better father. Yet the past is always in the back of his mind…wondering what could have been.
Then all of a sudden Vince (Shia LaBeouf) is back from prison. That past that has been subdued is now back in flesh and blood. Vince reminds Sal of their glory days – when they ruled the town. Vince keeps tempting Sal with opportunities, saying Sal deserves more than the life he has. There is only so long that any good man can hold out when that darkness is inside of him.
Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta co directed the film while Franklin wrote it. Franklin and Marchetta have co-directed and co-wrote two films in the past – however they were both shorts. Salvable is their feature length debut and, especially in that context, is a knockout. Franlin and Marchetta create a moody atmosphere heightened by a perfect soundtrack. The cinematography is solid with amazing shots throughout. While the script doesn’t reinvent the wheel, there are some fantastic lines – especially from Vince – that are memorable and hit home. The film doesn’t drag and while the ending leaves a lot to be desired, the rest of the film is top notch.
The entire cast turns in solid performances, but Kebbell and LaBeouf stand above the rest. Their intimate portrayals, especially Kebbell’s, add a realism to the characters and story. They draw you in and make you really care about what happens. You find yourself connecting to the characters even without sharing their exact experiences. Everyone has felt a weight on their shoulders, maybe not like the one that Sal is carrying, but enough to relate. Kebbell’s performance bridges that gap and it becomes tough to not end up rooting for Sal. Salvable takes a premise we’ve seen before and still manages to create an interesting product that is absolutely worth a watch. While you will be in for an entertaining film, don’t expect all sunshine and rainbows.
Salvable is available now On Demand from Lionsgate.
Following yesterday’s first look at Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO’s upcoming series, today brings Nick Frost in the role of friendly gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. Frost takes over the role from the late Robbie Coltrane who played the half-giant Hogwarts professor in all of the blockbuster movie adaptations. Hagrid is known for his jovial nature, loyalty, and love of magical creatures.
Production began on the Harry Potter series yesterday, with an aim for release in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.
Also in the cast are Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.
Frost was recently seen in another high-profile remake, Dreamworks’ live-action How to Train Your Dragon as Gobber the Belch.
Every year, TV and movie fans from all over the world ask themselves the very same question: what would be good to watch this year? What is going to stream on my preferred platform this time around? Just like testing roulette strategy, movie fans – much like casino players – tend to be a picky lot.
They prefer to try things they know they would like, often preferring it over the discovery that they may not like something. And so, we take a look at some of the biggest shows that are coming to Netflix this year – or conversely, the shows that you can already watch out there! Here is a quick breakdown of the headliners!
Show
Genre
Squid Game
Thriller, Crime
Stranger Things
Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Drama
Adolescence
Crime, Thriller, Drama
The Witcher
Fantasy, Horror
Wednesday
Horror, Drama, Thriller
Squid Game
Squid Game is perhaps Netflix’s true global hit that is hard to compete with. Netflix became the stomping ground of South Korean drama and television, and this strange at first marriage has been one of immense success. Squid Game is still distinctively South Korean, and there are specific parts of the narrative and characters’ behavior that will truly come across as what we could call “culture shock.”
The show, though, aired its last season in 2025, and it has been an absolute hit, pushing Netflix’s streaming capacity to its very limits. While the show won’t be returning for Season 4, you can rest assured that this is one of the very best TV series you could ever watch!
Stranger Things
As Stranger Things’ David Harbour says: How much more story is there left to tell? Honestly, David, we don’t care what you think. Stranger Things will be coming for its last season 10 years after it originally aired, making it one of the very best TV series Netflix has ever produced.
It’s an odd world in which children are born with super-powers, a by-product of human experimentation during the Cold War. Yes, but a series of unfortunate events leads to a tear in the fabric of space and time, and lets in all sorts of carnivorous plants that are determined to take over the world at the bidding of their master – The Mind Flayer. Will they succeed? You need to watch the show to find out!
Adolescence
While the rest of the list we have put together may still come as a little lighthearted because these are sci-fi and fantasy dramas we are talking about, Adolescence is a much darker show. A show where the characters are as everyday and relatable as they get – a teenager upset with his schoolmates on social media, down-to-earth policemen, and ordinary parents who love their children and yet, things get a very grimdark turn when it transpires that someone has killed a classmate. This is not an easy show, but in the age of social media and toxic trends, it’s important to navigate adolescence and ask ourselves the questions that matter – can this be my child, can it be anyone’s, and if so, how can I make sure it never happens?
The Witcher
What would we not give for a proper Witcher show? Well, the one on the table by Netflix is a fantastic production. Why?
It has introduced the backstory of the entire universe through the Blood Origins spin-off
Netflix then went on to create animated separate series that continue to elaborate on storylines that were previously left unexplored
Honestly, the production is super high quality, and we couldn’t be more excited about its return
Life After Cavill: Can The Witcher Survive?
Will the Witcher be the same without Henry Cavill? Honestly, yes. Cavill’s super-hero cult is a cute thing, but it need not mean that an actor cannot succeed him as Geralt of Rivia. Is it a cool thing for fans? Not really, because you want continuity – imagine Captain Picard not being played by Patrick Stewart, right? As Roulette77 likes to say, there is always an alternative, but why choose it if you have a great thing going already?
Why You Should Still Watch
Anyway, The Witcher will be making its return this year, and yes – it’s going to be a series that you most certainly want to catch, no matter where you stand on human mutants who slay all sorts of monstrosities for money.
Wednesday
The Adams Family is a truly recurrent motif in popular culture. There are numerous TV series and movie adaptations, but frankly, the whole franchise seemed a little odd and even off-putting to us. However, Wednesday is an entirely different matter. Uncle Fester is as terrifying as they come, and The Thing is still there, a severe hand ambling knowingly around, but it’s not what stands out about the show.
Wednesday is a fantastic screening of the franchise that brings them down to earth and demonstrates that underneath the oddly dark family humor and way of life, there are real people who care about the same thing as you and us.
Rumors over the last few days claim that Rian Johnson will not continue with Netflix after the release of Wake Up Dead Man, the finale of his Knives Out trilogy, this December. Adding fuel to that fire are words from Johnson himself in a recent Rolling Stone piece, in which he discusses his next project, an original sci-fi story.
Johnson revealed that ever since he directed Looper in 2012, he’s been developing another original sci-fi project, and elements of that have become part of what’s next on his agenda…
“Right after I made ‘Looper,’ I spent several years trying to crack this sci-fi idea that I had. Ultimately could not make it work. I never really got those gears I described to connect. So it just felt like a high concept that didn’t have any innards. But elements of that ended up working their way into the thing that I’m developing next. So, everything comes around,” Johnson said of circling back on a previous film idea that the filmmaker had a tough time putting together.
So it sounds as if this could end up as either a movie or a TV series. Alongside Knives Out, Johnson has been working on two seasons of the hit Peacock show, Poker Face.
This comes after Johnson talked about his time on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and why his announced trilogy never got off the ground. Johnson just seems occupied with original content right now, so any hope of him leaping into another franchise is unlikely.
Then all of a sudden Vince (Shia LaBeouf) is back from prison. That past that has been subdued is now back in flesh and blood. Vince reminds Sal of their glory days – when they ruled the town. Vince keeps tempting Sal with opportunities, saying Sal deserves more than the life he has. There is only so long that any good man can hold out when that darkness is inside of him.
The entire cast turns in solid performances, but Kebbell and LaBeouf stand above the rest. Their intimate portrayals, especially Kebbell’s, add a realism to the characters and story. They draw you in and make you really care about what happens. You find yourself connecting to the characters even without sharing their exact experiences. Everyone has felt a weight on their shoulders, maybe not like the one that Sal is carrying, but enough to relate. Kebbell’s performance bridges that gap and it becomes tough to not end up rooting for Sal. Salvable takes a premise we’ve seen before and still manages to create an interesting product that is absolutely worth a watch. While you will be in for an entertaining film, don’t expect all sunshine and rainbows.
