Randall Park is a hilarious guy, and has been making us laugh since his breakthrough role on Fresh Off the Boat, to funny supporting roles in Ant-Man, Aquaman, the great short-lived series Blockbuster, and many more. Can he take those comedic gifts and translate them into a successful filmmaking career? Shortcomings, his debut comedy that premiered at Sundance, will make that case when it arrives this summer.
Based on the graphic novel by screenwriter Adrian Tomine, Shortcomings centers on Ben, an Asian-American urbanite and aspiring filmmaker who manages an art-house movie theater, but really spends most of his time obsessing over unavailable white women and watching movies. When his girlfriend moves to New York for a big job opportunity, Ben is free to explore his options and discover what he truly wants.
The film is led by Justin H. Min, joined by Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Debby Ryan, Tavi Gevinson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jacob Batalon, and Timothy Simons.
I’m not going to sugarcoat this, but I HATED this movie, finding Ben to be utterly unlikeable but not in the way where the character is still fascinating to watch. He’s both boring and so insufferable that you cheer every time something terrible happens to him, because it’s always his own fault. The only upside of Shortcoming is co-star Sherry Cola (a rising star who will be in Joy Ride next week) as Ben’s queer best friend Alice, whose serial dating habits are both humorous and honest. Park also follows all of the tropes of a first-time director trying to show his indie cred. I called it that he would cast himself in a cheeky cameo and sure enough, here he comes wandering in.
To be fair, Cortland liked Shortcomings a lot more than I did. You can check out her review here.
Shortcomings opens on August 4th.
Ben, a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko, who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an art-house movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blond women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend, Alice, a queer grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves to New York for an internship, Ben is left to his own devices and begins to explore what he thinks he might want.
When you’re a kid, you rely on your parents to protect you from the scary things that go bump in the night. But…what if it’s your parents who are responsible for them? That’s the question at the heart of Cobweb, Lionsgate’s new horror film arriving this summer on the same weekend as Barbie and Oppenheimer.
That Lionsgate has enough confidence to counterprogram with Cobweb should tell you of the confidence they have in it. And there is a pretty good hook, as seen in the new trailer. A young boy, played by C’mon C’mon breakout Woody Norman, is tormented by a constant tapping noise from the walls in his bedroom each night. His parents, played by Lizzy Caplan and The Boys‘ Antony Starr, reassure him that everything is okay, but soon he starts to think they are hiding a terrible secret.
The film is directed by Samuel Bodin (Marianne) in his feature debut, from a script by Texas Chainsaw Massacre writer Chris Thomas Devlin. Also, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are aboard as producers.
Cobweb will be an intriguing option when it opens in theaters on July 21st.
Eight-year-old Peter is plagued by a mysterious, constant tap, tap from inside his bedroom wall – a tapping that his parents insist is all in his imagination. As Peter’s fear intensifies, he believes that his parents (Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr) could be hiding a terrible, dangerous secret and questions their trust. And for a child, what could be more frightening than that?
Netflix looks to continue its animation hot streak with Nimona, a futuristic sci-fi superhero film with a twist. See, the hero of the film is actually believed to be a villain, and his titular sidekick, a mischievous shapeshifting teen, is someone he has been trained to destroy.
The film centers on the unlikely partnership of Ballister Boldheart, a knight from a futuristic medieval world, and Nimona, the chaotic teen he was tasked with destroying but also happens to be the only one who can clear his name. The lines between hero and villain get blurred as the two team up to create some mayhem, something they turn out to be quite good at.
Riz Ahmed and Chloë Grace Moretz lead the voice cast, along with Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, Indya Moore, RuPaul Charles, Julio Torres, and Sarah Sherman. The Spies in Disguise duo of Nick Bruno and Troy Quane are behind the camera, directing an adaptation of ND Stevenson’s award-winning graphic novel
When Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight in a futuristic medieval world, is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy. But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc — for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to…just wreak serious havoc.
John Travolta is a small-town sheriff trying to protect his community from the ravages of illegal drugs and organized crime in the trailer for Mob Land. Directed by Nicholas Maggio and formerly-titled American Metal, the film stars Shiloh Fernandez (Evil Dead) as Shelby and Kevin Dillon (Buddy Games) as Trey, brothers-in-law who pull off an ill-fated heist at a pill mill, drawing the attention of the law and the local mafia kingpin who sends his enforcer (Stephen Dorff) out for vengeance, putting Shelby’s wife (Ashley Benson) and daughter in the crosshairs.
Travolta has starred in many action movies in his career, and always strikes an impressive image as he does in Mob Land‘s poster. It’s good to see him in another role where he can take charge and command the screen because that’s when he’s best. He most recently starred opposite Bruce Willis in another action-thriller, Paradise City, which also featured Dorff.
This trailer starts off hot and promises an edge-of-your-seat experience. Mob Land opens in theaters on August 4th.
Deep in the heart of Dixie, in a small town struggling with the ravages of addiction, a local sheriff (John Travolta) tries to maintain the peace when desperate family man Shelby (Shiloh Fernandez) robs a pill mill with his reckless brother-in-law, Trey (Kevin Dillon). But the supposedly easy score takes a violent turn, alerting the New Orleans mafia’s revenge-seeking enforcer (Stephen Dorff), who threatens Shelby’s wife (Ashley Benson) and daughter. With its unpredictable twists and turns, Mob Land is a heart-pounding, action thriller.
Whether you’re a Black moviegoer or not, you already know the trope: the Black character always dies first in a horror movie. I knew it even as a junior movie fan growing up on classic slasher films; if there was anyone who looked like me, they were going down and going down early! The Blackening, the hilarious parody from director Tim Story and based on the hit Comedy Central digital short, asks an important question: Who dies first when all of the characters in a horror movie are Black?
The answer is a rip-roaring, laugh-out-loud funny blast that you’ll want to watch with a roomful of your family and closest friends. While there’s a lot more social commentary and jokes than actual scares, atmosphere goes a long way. This is one of those movies where you don’t mind people pointing and shouting at the screen, checking off the ridiculous horror tropes right along with the characters, predicting who will die next, and guessing who is underneath the killer’s mask.
From the very beginning as we’re introduced to a remote house in the woods, arguably the most well-known cliche of all, The Blackening tells you that it’ll leave no trope unscathed. A Juneteenth weekend reunion of old college pals brings together every stereotype under the sun. There’s the gay guy Dwayne, played by co-writer Dewayne Perkins, his best friend and high-powered attorney Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), who has secretly reconnected with her ex-boyfriend Nnamdi (the suddenly ubiquitous Sinqua Walls) over Dwayne’s objections; King (Melvin Gregg), a gun-toting former criminal now married to a white woman; raucous drunk Shanika (X Mayo); Allison, who is touchy about her mixed-race heritage and lighter skin tone; and nerdy misfit Clifton (Jermaine Fowler) who may or may not have been invited.
The rare short that manages to retain an economy of exposition as a full-length feature, The Blackening cleverly unpacks their complicated relationships before the action gets going, including at a rundown gas station ripped straight out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It’s here that the first mystery rears its ugly head, as well as the micro-aggressions that Black people face every day. Minutes later, the group encounters a White cop (Diedrich Bader) who is suspicious of their presence at the AirBNB.
Once inside, the group are unable to locate the two people who actually organized the weekend (Jay Pharoah and Yvonne Orji, who get a very Scream-esque introduction). They also discover, after a few contentious games of Spades, that the home has a secret, creepy gameroom in the back. That’s where they find The Blackening, a board game adorned with a racist blackface piece in the middle. Taking its cues from Saw, the friends are challenged by a leather-masked killer to answer questions about blackness or one of them will die. Eventually, they are challenged to pick the one among them who is the “Blackest”, and that person will be killed first.
Co-written by Perkins and Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver, The Blackening sharply examines what it means to be “Black” and how far we will go to prove it to ourselves. The quiz features questions on the “Two Aunt Vivs” from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; recite the “black National Anthem”; name a Black character who survived a horror movie. Are you Black if you don’t know the answer to one of them? Or to ANY of them? What if you’re a Black person who voted for Trump…twice? The cracks begin to form, the alliances begin to take shape, as the friends accuse and shame one another in an effort to save their own lives. The darkest member of the bunch, Nnamdi, who is literally from Africa, doesn’t think it’s fair that the Blackest one of them should have to die. That’s convenient, and very funny. Dwayne says it can’t be him because he’s gay. Hey, this IS Pride Month, right? Can’t kill him first.
The Blackening works best when defying the familiar horror tropes, rather than embracing them as it eventually has to do. There comes a moment when, and every horror movie has it, when the prey must split up. It never works out, and the group even acknowledges it’s a stupid idea. But they do it anyway, not because it makes sense but because the story needs it. Fortunately, these moments that break your immersion are few and far between.
There’s a level of comedic talent gathered here that is truly remarkable. Perkins is probably the breakout actor of the bunch, as Dwayne is flamboyant, petty, self-serving, and unafraid to use his sexuality to his benefit. The other that really stands out is X Mayo, who gives off serious Tiffany Haddish vibes as the hard-partying Shanika.
In a post Get Out world, movies that utilize genre to tackle serious themes such as race are getting sharper, and The Blackening manages to have some things to say while also delivering a good time for audiences. And not just Black audiences. While there are certain jokes that Black moviegoers will be especially attuned to, the tone of the film, its light-hearted look at friendships, and comedic violence are for everyone to enjoy.
Say what you want about Disney’s live-action remakes, but they’ve been able to attract some great filmmakers to helm them, including David Lowery, Jon Favreau, Kenneth Branagh, and Barry Jenkins who recently joined a prequel to The Lion King. And now you can add Sarah Polley to that list, hot off her Academy Award win for Women Talking.
Deadline reports that Polley is in talks to direct Disney’s live-action musical adaptation of Bambi. No, this isn’t like a horror movie version where the deer gets revenge (that’s being done), this is a remake of the classic 1942 animated movie.
You may recall that Disney put this project into motion in 2020 when they hired Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel, Tomb Raider) and Lindsey Beer (Chaos Walking) to write the screenplay.
An unusual move? Maybe, but is it any different than David Lowery on Pete’s Dragon? Or Greta Gerwig on Barbie and Disney’s live-action Snow White? It’s a good chance for Polley to expand her directorial horizons, tackling a major studio project when her previous films, including Away from Her, Take this Waltz, and Stories We Tell, all were on the small (but tremendous) side.
Given that it’s one of the best comedy’s of all time it’s a bit surprising that it’s taken this long for a film to do a riff on Caddyshack. Worry not, film going public, Anthony Catanese has you covered with his upcoming film Caddy Hack (see what he did there).
What seems like Troma Picures take on a horror version of the classic 80’s goofball comedy is all kinds of out there. The flick follows the crew of a down and out golf course as it’s caddies are being murdered by mutated gophers. As you can see in the trailer below the film looks to have a real early 90s ultra low budget feel, The Toxic Avenger or the un-released Roger Corman Fantastic Four film both come to mind. What can’t be gleaned from the trailer, and what I’m dying to know, is if the look and feel play into the joke or are unintentional, that’s going to be what makes or breaks this film.
Perhaps the coolest thing about this release is the venue for its August 11th premier, Kevin Smith’s Smodcastle Cinemas. The pop culture prince’s new venture, a multiplex in Atlantic Highlands NJ, is becoming more and more of a can’t miss stop on the east coast for fans of Smith and the types of movies his fanbase will dig. The location is already known for hosting multiple film festivals, special View Askewniverse screenings with cast Q & A’s, and even random “Watch with Kev” screenings of new releases where the filmmaker does Q&A after the film.
Check out the trailer below and keep an eye on the Smodcastle Cinemas page for tickets to the premier. If you’re not the leaving the house type, you can catch it on DVD and Blu-Ray this October!
While there will be a break between the wildly successful John Wick: Chapter 4 and a fifth movie, the John Wick franchise is far from over. In fact, it’s only gaining in popularity, which is why there’s a spinoff movie, Ballerina, on the way, as well as The Continental, a series headed to Peacock.
A set of new images reveals the characters of The Continental, a 1970s-set series that follows a young Winston Scott as he rises to power in the infamous hotel for elite assassins.
The 3-episode series stars Colin Woodell, Mel Gibson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, Nhung Kate, Jessica Allain, Ayomide Adegun, Jeremy Bobb, and Peter Greene. Albert Hughes (Alpha) directs two episodes, with Charlotte Brändström (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) directing one.
The Continental: From the World of John Wick hits Peacock this September.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend tomorrow’s free screening of Disney and Pixar’s new film, Elemental!
SYNOPSIS: Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
The screening takes place tomorrow, June 14th, at 7:00pm at Regal Majestic in Silver Spring. If you’d like to attend, RSVP at the Gofobo ticketing site here. Please remember, all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
Welcome back, Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij! It’s been a while since we’ve seen this actor/director duo team up, after intriguing audiences with the haunting films Sound of My Voice, The East, and the Netflix series The OA. This time they had to Hulu for a new series, A Murder At the End of the World (formerly The Retreat), which has revealed its first images along with more detailed info.
Marling, who co-created the series with Batmanglij and has a starring role, is joined by an all-star cast of Emma Corrin, Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson, Alice Braga, Joan Chen, Raúl Esparza, Jermaine Fowler, and more. Corrin stars as an amateur detective who tries to solve a murder at a billionaire’s remote retreat where she and 11 other guests were invited.
Hopefully, this means a trailer will be released soon. If so, we’ll update this post.
A Murder At the End of the World streams for seven episodes on Hulu beginning in August.
