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Friday, August 30, 2019

This 'Terminator: Dark Fate' Trailer Changes The Future, Again


I know. I know better. We’ve been burned before. Too many times. But I can’t help it. I can’t not get excited about a new Terminator movie. And there’s one coming. And there’s a new trailer—weird choice, btw, to drop it at 11 pm EST on a Thursday. Watch the latest trailer for Terminator: Dark Fate below. And check out a new poster below that.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

'Joker' Trailer: Joaquin Phoenix Is The Weird Guy On The Bus


One element fans often cite about what makes the Joker such a compelling character is that, for the most part, he lacks an origin story. Sure, there have been a few attempts to craft a history, but by and large, he lacks context and motivation and formative experiences. What we see is what we get, just his actions, often without obvious logic or reason. That’s going to change somewhat in Todd Phillips’ upcoming Joker, which stars a very committed Joaquin Phoenix in a standalone tale of the Clown Prince of Crime’s beginnings. Set to debut on the fall festival circuit soon, check out the final trailer below.

Monday, August 26, 2019

'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' D23 Teaser Hints At Big Things To Come



Yeah, Disney owns everything and that hegemony has already had a negative impact on the movie world. (Films have been cancelled, they’ve shuttered arms that handle smaller films, it’s now more difficult if not impossible for rep theaters to screen certain titles, etc.) But I remain 100% on the hook for all things Star Wars and this latest look at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker gives me chills.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

'The Mandalorian' Trailer: The First Look At The 'Star Wars' Bounty Hunter Saga




“Bounty hunting is a complicated profession, don’t you agree?” So says the only dialogue spoken in the first trailer Disney+’s upcoming The Mandalorian, delivered with laconic, laissez faire style by the one and only Werner Herzog. And that’s all it needs. And I am all the damn way in. Check it out below.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

'Angel Has Fallen' (2019) Movie Review


Outside of a few violent charms, Olympus Has Fallen isn’t very good. London Has Fallen, however, captures that mid-80s Cannon Films action template, warts and all—it’s ugly, mean, jingoistic, and reprehensible, and I adore the head-stabby carnage of it all. So Angel Has Fallen, the third film in Gerard Butler’s Mike Banning trilogy, has a lot to live up to IMO. While it’s hits a few action high points, it’s ultimately a mixed bag and a shrug.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

NBFF 2019: 'The El Duce Tapes' Movie Review


During the intro of U.S. premiere of The El Duce Tapes at the North Bend Film Festival, the host, at a loss for words, asked, “Who here is familiar with The Mentors?” To which a few of us raised our hands and one audience member replied, “Unfortunately.” “Well, you know what you’re in for,” he said, pointing our way. “The rest of you…” and he trailed off with nervous laughter. That sums it up pretty well. If you know, you know; if not, hold the hell on and get ready for some conflicted feelings.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

'Ready Or Not' (2019) Movie Review


Like clockwork. Every August, after the big-budget studio tentpoles wrap their summer run, a movie shows up. Maybe it came out of nowhere. Maybe it looked kind of stupid. Maybe both. But it arrives on the scene, is a total blast, and breathes a bit of new life into the late summer. Happens damn near every year. This year, that honor goes to Ready or Not. And its energy is especially welcome at the end of a summer full of flaccid, bland, mediocre franchise installments no one wanted, asked for, or saw in the theater. 

Monday, August 19, 2019

NBFF 2019: 'The Gasoline Thieves' Movie Review


From the first moments of Edgar Nito’s The Gasoline Thieves, tragedy seems inevitable. The film opens with a dark, tense scene where to rival crews attempting to siphon off gas in the Mexican desert violently clash. This creates an ominous, inescapable cloud that lingers over everything to come. That isn’t to say the film is without moments of heart or levity, but it’s impossible to shake the feeling that bad things are in store.

Friday, August 16, 2019

NBFF 2019: 'Extra Ordinary' Movie Review


Rose Dooley (Maeve Higgins) has a special talent, she can communicate with the spirit world. But after a tragic accident took her similarly gifted, paranormal-investigator father from her as a child, she shuns her abilities. Instead, she subsists as a driving instructor in a small Irish town, deflecting constant supernatural requests from locals. All that changes, however, when washed up one-hit-wonder Christian Winter (Will Forte) attempts to call forth evil forces to resurrect his career and, in the process, possess a young girl to serve as a virgin sacrifice. With nowhere to turn, the girl’s frantic father, Martin Martin (Barry Ward), himself tormented by the bitter ghost of his dead wife, turns to Rose, who, nurturing a serious crush, decides to pitch in and help.

NBFF 2019: 'The Incredible Shrinking Wknd' Movie Review


The living-one-day-over-and-over again conceit has been played for comedy (Groundhog Day), sci-fi (Edge of Tomorrow), and horror (Happy Death Day). But regardless of the genre set up, or task the characters must accomplish, they inevitably use this rinse-dry-repeat recipe as a tool of introspection, to learn about themselves as much as they learn about the external world, and as a method of change. In that regard, Spanish writer-director Jon Mikel Caballero’s The Incredible Shrinking Wknd follows suit, though it puts its own unique spin on the formula. 

Thursday, August 15, 2019

'The Death Of Dick Long' Trailer Wants To Get Weird


“Y’all motherfuckers wanna get weird?” So begins the trailer for The Death of Dick Long and…that’s really all there is to say. You hear about how you should go into a movie cold, knowing as little as possible, all the time. That’s usually sound advice, but especially in this case. To say what it’s about ruins the whole thing. Fortunately, you can watch this trailer without worry as it gives away nothing that isn’t in the title.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

'Parasite' Trailer: Bong Joon-Ho Returns With A Dark, Funny Tale Of Class Conflict


Any time Bong Joon-ho makes a movie, it tops the list of things I need to see like right this damn minute. That’s just a fact. Since it debuted at Cannes earlier this year, folks have hailed his latest, Parasite, as one of the best of the year, which I find entirely plausible. We don’t know much about it, nor have we seen a ton of footage, but distributor NEON just dropped a new U.S. trailer and, also not a shock, it looks great and dark and weird in that particular way Bong does so well. Watch it below.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Timo Tjahjanto Will Direct A 'May The Devil Take You' Sequel


Last fall, Timo Tjahjanto pummeled us all about the head and neck with The Night Comes for Us, and it was good. A fact all too often eclipsed by that whirlwind of fist and violence is that he also released a horror movie, May the Devil Take You, at almost the same time—both movies premiered at Fantastic Fest last year. Devil is also super rad, which is why it’s exciting to learn the Indonesian director is going to climb back into the big chair for a sequel, maybe titled May the Devil Take You Too.

'The Divine Fury' (2019) Movie Review


If you haven’t been waiting for a South Korean MMA exorcism movie, Kim Joo-hwan’s The Divine Fury is here to inform you that you need to get your priorities in order. It deftly blends horror and action and is sure to call to mind the likes of Blade at times, while grappling with weighty themes of loss, faith, loss of faith, and evil.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Fantasia 2019: 'Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway' Movie Review


With a title like Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, you probably expect to something a bit outside of the mainstream. Also, considering it comes from Miguel Llansó, the writer/director behind 2015’s equally off-kilter Crumbs, strange things are in store. And Jesus doesn’t disappoint, combining science fiction, cold war spy thrillers, superheroes, Afro-futurism, and enough surreal flourishes to make Jodorowsky’s head spin.

Friday, August 2, 2019

'Ladyworld' (2018) Movie Review


“We’re not boys, we’re not brutal,” intones Dolly (Ryan Simpkins) in a broken, high-pitched cry. It’s more question than statement, and unfortunately for her, she’s about to learn precisely how savage teenage girls can be to one another. Thus goes Amanda Kramer’s thriller Ladyworld.