Thursday, May 31, 2018

This 'Let The Corpses Tan' Trailer Is Gorgeous And Bonkers


Holy crap have I been waiting for this. Let the Corpses Tan landed on my radar last year when it showed up at a bunch of fests and got raves from folks I trust on these matters. It looks like a bonkers slice of ‘70s Italian scumfuckery and I intend that at the highest compliment. Kino Lorber is set to release it in late summer, and this new trailer reaffirms my desire to inject this directly into my brain.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

This Is Not A Drill: Bong Joon-Ho's 'Parasite' Has Started Filming!



I repeat, this is not a drill. Hot off of Okja last year, Korean hit factory Bong Joon-ho has reportedly started filming his follow-up, Parasite, which, according to the news, doesn’t involve any actual parasites. It will be released next year and marks the Snowpiercer director’s return to filming entirely in his native tongue for the first time since Mother in 2009.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

SIFF 2018: 'Prospect' (2018) Movie Review



Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl’s debut feature, Prospect—which adapts their short film of the same name—is a lot of things. It’s a stripped-down, retro-futuristic sci-fi narrative. It’s the story of an angry, frustrated young woman coming into her own and finding her true strength. And it’s a slow-burn, morally ambiguous western saga about two unlikely partners who are never sure they can trust one another, but may have no other choice. Except, you know, with space helmets instead of cowboy hats. Taken together, it’s a tight, promising introduction to these filmmakers.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

UPDATED: SIFF 2018 Capsule Reviews



Once again this year I’m helping cover the SeattleInternational Film Festival for The Seattle Times. That’s where the bulk of my reviews and writing time are focused for this year’s fest. And it’s been a fantastic slate thus far. Check out links to my reviews, and a number of other fine writers, below.

Monday, May 21, 2018

John Wick 3 Casts A Bunch Of Stars, Gets Exponentially More Badass



What would a movie about a hitman on the run be without a bunch of people to shoot? John Wick has never had a lack of targets, and the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 3—possibly titled John Wick: Parabellum—just added a crazy ton of actors. The list includes Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston, Jason Mantzoukas, Asia Kate Dillon, Mark Dascascos, and most importantly, at least from my perspective, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman from The Raid and Man of Tai Chi and Triple Threat star Tiger Chen.

Friday, May 18, 2018

SIFF 2018: 'Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) Movie Review



Though I usually wind up liking but not loving his movies as much as many other people, Guillermo del Toro has an infectious love and enthusiasm for movies. Last year, the same year he won a Best Picture Oscar for The Shape of Water, he declared Issa Lopez’ Tigers are Not Afraid one of his favorite films of 2017. And it’s easy to see why he approves, as it bears a heavy influence of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

SIFF 2018: 'Blue My Mind' (2017) Movie Review



A delicate coming-of-age story and tale of female friendship mixed with squirm-inducing body horror, Lisa Bruhlmann’s debut, Blue My Mind—which also happens to be her film school thesis—cast shades of Raw, The Lure, and Cronenberg.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

This 'Mission: Impossible—Fallout' Trailer Is Totally Nuts



I’ve said it before, but I think it bears repeating: If Tom Cruise can in fact die, and the jury is still out on that one, he’s going to die doing an insane stunt, probably for a Mission: Impossible movie. Seriously, just watch the new trailer for Mission: Impossible—Fallout and count the times where he almost bites it.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

'Solo: A Star Wars Story' (2018) Movie Review



Did we need a standalone Han Solo movie in the Star Wars universe? No, no we didn’t. But no one asked me, and in the grand scheme of things, unnecessary as it is, we could have done much worse than Solo: A Star Wars Story. Granted, we also could have done much better. It’s a wildly mixed bag, but with the utter chaos behind the scenes—the ousting of directors Chris Lord and Phil Miller 2/3 of the way through production, the recasting, the rewrites, the reshoots—worse was always on the table as a very real possibility.

'Mile 22' Trailer: Iko Uwais, Mark Wahlberg, Ronda Rousey, And Peter Berg Team Up To Explode Things



Marky Mark is sick of coddling all the pussies and his new movie is here to prove that. I don’t exactly know how that ties into his new action movie, Mile 22, but the Trump pal once again teams up with director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon) for some rah-rah, flag-waving, manly shit. And they, of course, can’t help but getting a jab in at people with feelings (AKA the aforementioned pussies) at the start of this new trailer.

Monday, May 14, 2018

12 SIFF 2018 Films You Need To See



The Seattle International Film Festival is an ungainly monster. It runs almost four full weeks (25 days), more if you hit up press screenings and screeners that start two weeks ahead of time, and features more than 400 movies, 168 of them features. You’ll find things that literally won’t see anywhere else. And while that’s awesome, wading through everything gets a bit much.

Check Out 'Headshot' Director Timo Tjahjanto's Creepy New Horror Film 'May The Devil Take You'



After pummeling audiences about the head, neck, and face in 2016 with Headshot, which I called one of the angriest action movies I’ve ever seen, Timo Tjahjanto, also known as one-half of the Mo Brothers, returns to his horror roots with May the Devil Take You. I have no idea what it’s about, but the director teased us with a quick glimpse, and I’m way, way, way, way down.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Lunatics Sion Sono And Nicolas Cage Team Up For Cinematic Mayhem With 'Prisoners Of The Ghostland'



When two cinematic madmen hook up, you can bet the result is going to be some crazy ass shit. And that’s exactly what I expect from the tag team of Sion Sono and Nicolas Cage. If the prospect of these to lunatics working together doesn’t get your Spidey sense tingling, you may be dead. The duo is set to work together on Prisoners of the Ghostland, Sono’s English-language debut, and it sounds rad and insane.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

'Breaking In' (2018) Movie Review



If you have any inkling, even the slightest idea of what Breaking In is all about, you, well, know exactly what Breaking In is all about. It’s a stripped-down, to-the-point home invasion thriller that delivers 100% what it promises. How much mileage you get out of that depends on you, but it accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do. But it’s easily watchable, even if there’s little substance, and Gabrielle Union is terrific as a desperate, vengeful mother fucking up BillyBurke and his gang of goons.

'The Predator' Trailer Poses A Threat



He didn’t write John McTiernan’s 1987 Predator, but Shane Black appeared in the film. In the years since, he’s become a celebrated writer and director in his own right. And now he’s back to try to breathe some new life into the franchise with The Predator. 20th Century Fox just released the first trailer for the sci-fi actioner. Check it out below.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

'Bill & Ted 3' Will Actually Happen, Apparently


Talk about a third Bill & Ted movie has been going around for years. It’s one of those things that I never actually thought would happen—and one I’ve never been entirely sure I wanted, as the first two are perfect, and that comic sequel was good enough for me—but it’s apparently official: Bill & Ted Face the Music is officially a go. And despite any misgivings, that’s excellent news.

'John Wick 3' Has Started Shooting. All Is Right With The World



Round these parts, we’re pretty jazzed up for John Wick: Chapter 3. Or any John Wick movie for that matter. We saw a first plot synopsis a few weeks back, but now the film has started shooting and that’s the best news we’ve heard all day.