Time certainly flies. It’s been 11 years since the release of The Hunger Games. With a property as immensely successful as it was there should be no surprise that, even though the source material is depleted, Hollywood has found a way to continue on. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is that way, and I really must say, I think they may have picked the right path.
The film takes places 64 years before the Jennifer Lawrence, star-making original and follows President Snow (Donald Sutherland in the originals) long before his days in office as a young man integral to the start of the games.
This second trailer really digs deep into what we can expect from the performances and, honestly, that’s what gives me the most hope about the quality of this film. Tom Blyth, who plays the young Snow, and Rachel Zegler are strong enough as the films central plot (which seems to be a Romeo and Juliet, love across the districts affair).
The real star of this trailer is the astounding Viola Davis. Her Dr. Volumnia Gaul seems to fully embody the cold evil that would bring something like the Hunger Games to life. Factor in a picture perfect Jason Schwarzman as Lucky Flickerman (a father or grandfather to Stanley Tucci’s iconic MC from the original films) and Peter Dinklage as the hilariously named but seriously grave Casca Highbottom and you have something that is shaping up to be one of the few prequel’s that will gain the public’s love and affection.
Coriolanus Snow at age 18, years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem. Young Coriolanus is handsome and charming, and though the Snow family has fallen on hard times, he sees a chance for a change in his fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor for the Tenth Hunger Games. Only to have his elation dashed when he is assigned to mentor the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.
Well, it took six episodes of Ahsoka teases, but finally all of that searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger pays off. In the episode titled “Far, Far Away”, a nice homage to George Lucas’ iconic opening crawl, there actually isn’t very much Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) at all. Following last week’s episode which was entirely about Ahsoka, her past, and her future as a mentor, this one turns its attention to her apprentice, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), who we last saw in enemy clutches. Well, willingly so.
In fact, the episode begins with Ahsoka revealing to Huyang (voiced by David Tennant) that Sabine went with Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), and Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) willingly, when she could’ve ended the threat of Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) once and for all. But that would also mean destroying all hope of finding her lost friend, Ezra (Eman Esfandi), and that was clearly something Sabine could not do. Huyang and Ahsoka talk about old stories of the Jedi from their time at the Temple. She isn’t in the mood for them at the time, until Huyang suggests that for Sabine going with the enemy might’ve been her only choice. Suddenly, Ahsoka wants to hear a story…”A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” Bedtime stories while road trippping inside of a star whale, what could be better?
That’s the last we see of Ahsoka Tano as the action turns to Sabine, who wakes up in shackles aboard Morgan’s ship. Baylan arrives to check on her, and she demands to know where Ezra is, reminding him about their deal. He refuses to answer, and tells the others that Sabine’s short-sighted focus on finding Ezra will blind her. It isn’t long before they drop out of hyperspace and onto the planet of Peridea, the homeworld of the dangerous Nightsisters of Dathomir. It’s also the place where Thrawn and Ezra disappeared to. They are greeted on this rocky, desolate world by three Nightsisters (Jeryl Prescott Gallien, Claudia Black, and Jane Edwina Seymour) who thank Morgan for coming. They promise that Thrawn is on his way, but in the meantime, they banish Sabine into solitary confinement. Apparently, she stinks of Jedi, which I don’t think a simple shower can rinse off.
Next comes my favorite scene of the episode. Baylan begins talking to Shin about the “old stories” he heard as a Jedi youth. To him, this place is like legend and fairy tales come true, and you can see his utter amazement. He talks about the endless cycle between the Jedi and forces of the Dark Side, saying the Jedi’s demise was inevitable. It’s not the first time that we sense some longing in him for the old Jedi ways, and some sadness over their demise. As to whether Thrawn can be the one to make all of the old stories real, he seems to exprss some doubt. Baylan also suggests that a greater power is hiding in the shadows on Peridea, and that is what he’s truly fighting for. Hmmmm…
Then, the moment finally arrives. As Sabine tries and fails to use her Force powers to break from her cell, she’s distracted by the arrival of a massive Star Destroyer. Thrawn’s Star Destroyer. The intimidating Chiss leader is flanked by his second in command, the gold-helmeted Captain Enoch (Wes Chatham), and a battalion of battle-scarred Night Troopers. It’s clear they’ve seen their share of battles while away, and Thrawn admits their numbers have been diminished. Thrawn thanks Morgan for coming to his aid, and even agrees to aid Sabine in her hope of reuniting with Ezra. Readers of the Heir to the Empire novels and Thrawn’s appearances on Star Wars Rebels know him to be a cold, calculating tactician, which makes his reactions to everyone very interesting. He seems a bit skeptical of Baylan, who he immediately recognizes as a former Jedi. While at the same time, he also appears to be honorable in helping Sabine. He has her released from captivity, with all of her weapons intact, and even gives her a rat-like Howler to ride as transport. However, he also tells Sabine that she’ll be stranded there once they leave the planet; and tells her that Ezra might not even be alive. It’s dangerous out there, after all.
Revealing his true colors, Thrawn sends Baylan and Shin to trail Sabine and, if she ever finds Ezra, to kill them both. Shocker, thrawn wasn’t at all honorable.
The rest of the episode is about Sabine’s search for Ezra, fighting off deadly nomads and braving Peridea’s brutal natural terrain. After fighting off four attackers thanks to her Mandalorian beskar metal armor and lightsaber, Sabine encounters hermit crab-esque creatures known as the Noti. They’re basically just future Star Wars merch in waiting, let’s be honest. Making friends with them quickly, Sabin recognizes the symbol one is wearing, and it recognizes the same on her armor. Realizing they must know where Ezra is, she follows them back to the Noti village and…TA-DAH!!!! Ezra is there, sporting a full beard (The Noti don’t have Bic) and the same positive disposition he’s always had. It’s like he hasn’t changed a bit, except for the extra facial hair. He has tons of questions, but Sabine, obviously reluctant to bring up Thrawn and the Nightsisters, just wants to enjoy the moment. Ezra, somewhat solemnly, tells her how eager he is to finally get home. Well, that conversation is going to be difficult.
Baylan begins telling Shin what he knows of Ezra and his training as a Jedi, and again it’s hinted that Baylan is up to something. He has larger designs of his own. The duo are confronted by the same nomadic warriors that faced Sabine, and Baylan suggests taking a diplomatic approach. Meanwhile, the Nightsisters have picked up on Ahsoka’s impending arrival. Thrawn wants to know everything about her in order to be ready, and we know that when Thrawn has information and time to prepare he can be the deadliest person in the galaxy. Thrawn also confirms his lack of trust in Baylan because, well, he was a Jedi.
I might be the odd man out here, but this was just a solid episode for me and not a great one. The plot finally took the huge step forward that it needed to, but it felt like that was all Dave Filoni prepared for and not much else. The story’s momentum ground to a halt as soon as Thrawn arrived, as he dumped a bunch of exposition on us, and later when Ezra showed up. In the latter case, though, it was because Filoni really wanted the emotion of the moment to sink in, and I have to admit it was beautiful to see Sabine and Ezra reunited. I know the series has sorta established a purely platonic bond between the two, but am I reading that there could be something more? Director Jennifer Getzinger has a lot to play around with visually, from the kid-friendly Noti to cool lightsaber battles, and the deathly atmosphere of Peridea. I also like how Thrawn’s blue skin practically glows against the barren landscape, making him look more menacing.
I’ll be honest it sorta surprised me to see Ezra in this episode. At this stage I was thinking we would finally get him in the final moments of the final episode, which would end on a post-credits note that “Ezra’s Journey Will Continue In 2024!”. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and with two epsiodes left I’m curious to see what secrets emerge from Ezra and Thrawn’s next confrontation. There’s a lot that we don’t know about what happened after their disappearance, and you can bet something will throw Sabine for a loop.
The original Percy Jackson movie in 2010 got the potential franchise off to a hot start. The cast was young and cool, with hot leads in Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario. Rick Riordan’s books were wildly popular, with many comparisons to Harry Potter. But by the time of the sequel a few years later, things had cooled quite a bit, and so Riordan decided to adapt his books a different way; as a series for Disney.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is coming to Disney+ this December, bringing the coming-of-age adventure based on Greek mythology to the small screen. Walker Scobell takes the title role of a normal kid who discovers that he’s actually a powerful demigod, attending a high school for other teens just as gifted as himself. When he’s accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt, Percy and his friends must go on a dangerous adventure to clear his name.
Also in the cast are Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries as Percy’s best friends Grover and Annabeth Chase. They’re joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Megan Mullally, Toby Stephens, Virginia Kull, Jason Mantzoukas, Jay Duplass, Glynn Turman, Lance Reddick, Adam “Edge” Copeland, Charlie Bushnell, Dior Goodjohn, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Olivea Morton, Suzanne Cryer, Timm Sharp, and Timothy Omundson. James Bobin directed the first two episodes. And Riordan is taking a personal hand in this one, writing the episodes with Jonathan Steinberg.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres on December 20th and runs for eight episodes in the first season.
FLORA AND SON- John Carney doesn’t make typical love stories. He makes movies about the power of music to help people find love in one another. His latest musical masterpiece, Flora and Son, might be his most rewarding yet as it centers on the love between Flora, a single mother, played with a winning attitude and resourcefulness by Eve Hewson, and the rebellious teen son (Orén Kinlan) she hopes to reconnect with. Meanwhile, a long-distance romance is teased between Flora and a washed-up American guitar player (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teaching her lessons over the internet. Hewson’s Flora might be Carney’s most lovable character yet, while the connections forged between these three people are so real and true you might burst out into song yourself.
NOTE: This review was originally part of our Sundance 2023 coverage*
John Carney doesn’t make musical romances. He makes romances about music and the way music can bond people together. Sure, romantic love is part of it, but his other films have encompassed professional love, puppy love, and now a mother’s love for her son. Flora and Son is Carney’s latest low-key, crowd-pleasing human drama; a knockout film about people with a passion for music. Carney’s movies, virtually all Ireland-based with the exception of 2013’s New York-set Begin Again (quite good despite the backlash to Keira Knightley’s casting…and singing) do the things that the best songs do, which is hit you right in the heart. Considering the rousing standing ovation the film received here at Sundance following today’s world premiere, Carney has another gem on his hands.
When Carney shoots his shot, he simply doesn’t miss. Once again, his casting choices are impeccable. He’s given Eve Hewson a true breakout role as Flora, a scrappy Dublin single mom struggling to raise her angry, rebellious son Max, played by talented newcomer Orén Kinlan. Like many women in her town, Flora was a young mother. Too young to really get the most out of life at the time when you’re supposed to. So she’s become a pretty irresponsible adult, hitting the clubs and shagging random men. Flora is looking for something out there. She and Max exchange insults more than anything else, often leading to her dropping him off to stay with his dad, Ian (Jack Reynor), a former rocker who is also ill-suited to this parenting thing. None of this is helping Max, whose juvenile delinquency and life of petty crime is quickly catching up to him.
“This can’t be my narrative, living in a shoebox with a kid who hates me”, Flora tells a friend.
Carney is a big ol’ cheeseball when it comes to love and music. That’s probably one of the reasons he’s such a beloved filmmaker. Making good music, and building a strong romantic foundation, requires total commitment. Carney asks the audience to completely commit to his rosy-colored viewpoint, and to his credit, he gives us plenty of reason to want to. When Flora’s gift of a guitar goes unappreciated by Max, she decides to take up the instrument for herself. This leads her to Jack (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a soft-spoken L.A. guitar instructor she found on YouTube. Flora’s instantly taken with his calming voice and kind face, but in the first $20 lesson she tarts it up way too much and nearly ruins the whole thing. When asked about her musical motivations, and why she wants to play the guitar, her answers are all selfish: to look sexy, to impress people, to win back her husband.
You can probably take a guess what happens next. Over the course of many lessons, Flora not only becomes a better guitar player, but she reignites something within Jack, as well. Carney, who has always understood the connection people can make through song, reorients the framing so that Jack isn’t just a figure on Flora’s laptop screen. He reemerges by her side, or across the dinner table, so they can appear to be near one another, bonded through song. It’s a clever device that draws us further into their budding romance. After sharing a song together, Flora jokes that it was a lot like they just had sex. “It’s all very intimate, isn’t it?” And of course, she’s right. Making good music can be like making sweet love.
Meanwhile, Max is quietly becoming a junior music producer in his own right, using his computer to create hip-hop and dance tracks, mostly to impress a local girl. But it’s also a way for mother and son to find something they both can share in and act like a real family. This isn’t just a movie about Flora’s long-distance love story, otherwise, it would probably need a different title.
Hewson is the real deal here. Flora is definitely rough around the edges but Hewson reveals her to be a woman who wants to be noticed for more than her body or her attitude. A fantastic scene finds Flora playing Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” (Carney shows the full clip, a brave decision) and seeing how easily she could command attention with a few chords of her guitar and a deeply personal song about her life. Gordon-Levitt is good here, as well, bringing Jack to life even as he’s seen mostly through ZOOM calls. Jack could be seen as pathetic (a failed musician selling guitar lessons over Youtube) under another actor’s portrayal, but JGL always has an honest quality about him that is hard to resist.
Carney isn’t doing anything he hasn’t done in his previous films. There are echoes of Sing Streetin Max’s storyline, for example, and while it’s considerably grittier, Flora’s musical journey of self-discovery is similar to Begin Again. But do we want something different from Carney? Absolutely not. We want people who bear their souls to the one person who understands them most. Carney has never been one to go with the most obvious of happy endings, but with Flora and Son he defies the easy path and delivers what is easily his most satisfying conclusion since Once. Carney has another chart-topping hit on his hands. Nobody makes movies about music like he does, and if we get one of these every few years it’ll make up for all of the mediocre music biopics in-between.
Flora and Son will hit theaters on September 22nd and Apple TV+ on September 29th.
There are few horror writers who capture the macabre, the erotic, the cosmic, the supernatural, and the just plain weird as H.P. Lovecraft, which is also why so few adaptations of his work can measure up. But if there’s one filmmaker that I’d trust to knock it out of the park, it’s Joe Lynch, who has never been shy about trying new things and pushing the limits. And it looks like he’s doing just that with Suitable Flesh, a sexy, unflinching horror that has burned it up on the festival circuit and is finally being released next month.
Starring Heather Graham, the film centers on a well-meaning psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with helping a patient with extreme personality disorder. However, her life takes a nightmarish turn involving the occult, supernatural forces, an ancient curse, and murder. The film is based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story The Thing On The Doorstep.
This looks like the kind of horny, brutal no-holds-barred body horror that my friends and I would be plucking off the VHS store shelves. I’d expect no less from Lynch, director of films such as Wrong Turn 2, Mayhem, and a personal favorite, Everly. He’s also one of the hosts of the long-running Movie Crypt podcast.
Also starring Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech, and horror icon Barbara Crampton, Suitable Flesh hits theaters on October 27th. Check out the new red band trailer below.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie! The animated film is based on the television series, and features the voices of Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Ron Pardo, Lil Rel Howery, Kim Kardashian, Chris Rock, Serena Williams, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, and more.
SYNOPSIS: When a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City, it gives the PAW Patrol pups superpowers, transforming them into The MIGHTY PUPS! For Skye, the smallest member of the team, her new powers are a dream come true. But things take a turn for the worse when the pups’ archrival Humdinger breaks out of jail and teams up with Victoria Vance, a meteor-obsessed mad scientist, to steal the superpowers and turn themselves into supervillains. With the fate of Adventure City hanging in the balance, the Mighty Pups have to stop the supervillains before it’s too late, and Skye will need to learn that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference.
The screening takes place on Saturday, September 23rd at 11:00AM at AMC Tysons Corner. If you’d like to attend, RSVP at the Gofobo site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie opens on September 29th.
It has already been a jam-packed busy year for Wes Anderson, with Asteroid City released a few months ago and four upcoming Roald Dahl short films for Netflix. But not only that, Anderson has already revealed plans for a new feature led by Benicio Del Toro that is further along than we knew.
According to a Deadline interview, Anderson has revealed the script for his new film is already completed. He’s once again joined by co-writer Roman Coppola, who he’s worked with multiple times in the past on Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeeling Limited, and more.
“Well, before the Writer’s Guild strike began, we had just finished a script. Roman Coppola and I had been working on a script,” said Anderson. “So, when the time is right again, we’ve got a movie to make with Benicio Del Toro.”
Last summer it was revealed this new project would have a “dark” tone, and be an espionage movie involving a father/daughter relationship.
And as it turns out, Del Toro won’t be alone. He’ll be joined in the cast by Michael Cera, who is coming off his role as Allan in the billion-dollar hit, Barbie.
“Well, you know, we have Michael Cera. He’s one of the other characters in this new story,” said Anderson. “And he’s somebody I probably met, I think, close to 20 years ago. At least 18 years ago, something like that. I met him with Harvey Keitel, so it must have been 2008 or something. But, anyway, Michael Cera. That’s one.”
Of course, everything is on halt right now due to the WGA and SAG strikes, so it’d be impossible to guess when production starts.
The last time Nicolas Cage and A24 partnered up, we were treated to the surreal comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It seems to be a partnership that clicks, because reviews have been strong for Dream Scenario, a film that finds Cage literally in everyone’s dreams.
Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, of the 2022 comedy Sick of Myself, the film stars Cage as an ordinary guy whose life goes haywire when he starts appearing in everyone’s dreams. Things get weirder when those dreams take a nightmarish turn.
Borgli surrounds Cage with an excellent supporting cast of Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula, and Dylan Baker. Ari Aster, the A24 favorite who recently gave us Beau is Afraid, is a producer, while Arcade Fire musician Owen Pallett is on the music. Cage also reunites with Mandy cinematographer Benjamin Loeb, and as you can see the film looks pretty good.
Here’s the official synopsis: Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom in this wickedly entertaining comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) and producer Ari Aster.
Dream Scenario opens in theaters on November 10th.
Netflix has been making some big moves coming out of TIFF. After acquiring Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, they have now also dropped a cool $20M for Richard Linklater’s action comedy Hit Man, starring Glen Powell in what some are saying is his best role yet.
The film is based on the unbelievable true story of Gary Johnson, a college professor who moonlights as a fake hitman for the Houston police, arresting anyone who tries to book his services. Powell plays Johnson, whose story was chronicled in an issue of Texas Monthly. Adria Arjona plays the woman who tries to hire him to escape her abusive husband, and naturally, Gary starts to fall for her.
Linklater and Powell co-wrote the script together, continuing their working relationship since Everybody Wants Some!! and Netflix’s Apollo 10 1/2.
That kind of money means Netflix will have big plans for Hit Man, so it shouldn’t be long before we hear about a release date.
I get it. You see that Nicolas Cage is starring in a Western that you probably never heard of, and the inclination is to dismiss it just one of the half-dozen movies he has coming out in 2023. But wait, don’t overlook Butcher’s Crossing quite so fast. Not only is the film based on John Edward Williams’ incredible 1960 novel, but reviews coming out of last year’s TIFF had high praise for Cage’s performance.
Cage stars alongside Fred Hechinger (Fear Street) in the story of a mysterious frontiersman who embarks on an arduous journey with a Harvard graduate seeking adventure in the Old West.
Also in the cast are Rachel Keller, Paul Raci, Xander Berkley, and Jeremy Bobb.
The film is directed and co-written by Gabe Polsky, who in 2013 co-directed a very impressive adaptation of The Motel Life. I don’t think I’ve seen anything from him since, and that only makes me want to see this more.
Butcher’s Crossing hits theaters on October 20th. Here’s the synopsis and trailer below.
SYNOPSIS: Based on the seminal novel by John Edward Williams, Gabe Polsky’s epic frontier adventure, Butcher’s Crossing, is a riveting commentary on human nature, ambition, masculinity, and man’s relationship to his natural environment. Academy Award™ winner Nicolas Cage (1996, Best Actor, Leaving Las Vegas) stars in a gritty story about buffalo hunters in the Old West. Will Andrews has left Harvard to find adventure. He teams up with Miller, a mysterious frontiersman offering an unprecedented number of buffalo pelts in a secluded valley. Their crew must survive an arduous journey where the harsh elements will test everyone’s resolve, leaving their sanity on a knife’s edge.
