The horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein, which marks the feature directorial debut of Zelda Williams and was scripted by Diablo Cody, is set to receive a theatrical release on February 9, 2024, just in time for Valentine’s Day – and with that release date right around the corner, a new poster for the film has made its way online. You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

Set in 1989, the film has the following synopsis: A coming of RAGE love story from acclaimed writer Diablo Cody about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.

Kathryn Newton (Freaky) and Cole Sprouse (Riverdale) star alongside Carla Gugino (Gerald’s Game), Liza Soberano (Alone/Together), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things), and Henry Eikenberry (The Crowded Room). Newton is playing Lisa Frankenstein, Sprouse is the handsome Victorian corpse, and Chrest will be playing Lisa’s father Dale. Soberano’s character is named Taffy and Gugino is playing Janet.

Cody produced Lisa Frankenstein with Mason Novick. A press release notes that they have previously collaborated on films including Tully, Young Adult, Jennifer’s Body, and Juno, which earned Cody an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Jeff Lampert serves as executive producer, while Focus Features’ Vice President of Production and Development, Michelle Momplaisir, was the creative executive on the project. Focus Features will distribute the film in the United States, and Universal Pictures International is the international distributor. Filming took place in New Orleans.

Williams previously directed a horror comedy short called Kappa Kappa Die (which was scripted by Piranha 3D and Saw X writers Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg).

Are you looking forward to Lisa Frankenstein? Take a look at the film’s new poster, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

I’m a big fan of the Cody-scripted 2009 horror comedy Jennifer’s Body (which was directed by Karyn Kusama), so I will be watching Lisa Frankenstein for sure.

The post Lisa Frankenstein: Zelda Williams, Diablo Cody horror comedy gets a new poster ahead of February release appeared first on JoBlo.

The Bad Batch’s final mission approaches and it’s one for the Star Wars history books! Hold onto your droids, folks, because The Bad Batch Season 3 trailer is action-packed, full of surprises, and sure to excite you about the show’s awaited return. Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 returns to Disney+ for a 15-episode run beginning on February 21!

Courtesy of StarWars.com:

In addition to the Batchers, now scattered following the events of Season 2, the trailer includes some new creatures and familiar faces, including Wanda Sykes’ Phee. It ends with the shocking appearance of fan-favorite Sith apprentice turned free agent Asajj Ventress. “We love Asajj Ventress. She’s a character that we’ve been wanting to tell more stories about,” says Brad Rau, supervising director and one of the series’ executive producers. Rau clarifies that her return will honor prior tales, including the book where the character apparently perished. “We don’t want to spoil anything, but want fans to know that any new storytelling with Ventress will align with the events of Star Wars: Dark Disciple.”

In today’s The Bad Batch Season 3 trailer, the Batchers discover no end to the battle they’ve been fighting. Vowing to avenge their fallen squadmates, the group embarks on one last mission against the Empire in the form of a rescue operation. As the Bad Batch goes behind enemy lines, the series explodes with pulse-pounding firefights, interstellar dogfighting, and classic villains ruling the cosmos with an iron grip.

You can read episode details for The Bad Batch Season 3 below:

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 Release Schedule

February 21: Episode 1 (“Confined”), 2 (“Paths Unknown”), 3 (“Shadows of Tantiss”)

February 28: Episode 4 (“A Different Approach”)

March 6: Episode 5 (“The Return”)

March 13: Episode 6 (“Infiltration”), 7 (“Extraction”)

March 20: Episode 8 (“Bad Territory”)

March 27: Episode 9 (“The Harbinger”)

April 3: Episode 10 (“Identity Crisis”), 11 (“Point of No Return”)

April 10: Episode 12 (“Juggernaut”)

April 17: Episode 13 (“Into the Breach”)

April 24: Episode 14 (“Flash Strike”)

May 1: Episode 15 (“The Cavalry Has Arrived”)

The post The Bad Batch Season 3 trailer finds Clone Wars characters returning alongside a stunning cameo appeared first on JoBlo.

Over the weekend, I downloaded Palworld on my PC. I was excited. After all the weird trailers and screenshots showing Pokémon-like creatures using assault rifles or being shot with handguns, I was ready to earn official Xbox achievements as I killed Pokémon facsimiles using modern guns. It was hunting time. And then,…

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Over the weekend, I downloaded Palworld on my PC. I was excited. After all the weird trailers and screenshots showing Pokémon-like creatures using assault rifles or being shot with handguns, I was ready to earn official Xbox achievements as I killed Pokémon facsimiles using modern guns. It was hunting time. And then,…

Read more…

PLOT: A deep dive into the life of Christopher Reeve, from his overnight stardom as Superman through to his life after the tragic accident which left him a person with quadriplegia.

REVIEW: When I heard Sundance would be showing a documentary about the life of Christopher Reeve, I correctly assumed that it wouldn’t leave a dry eye in this house whenever it was screened. Indeed, as the premiere screening wound up, the sobs from the audience were pronounced, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is certainly a heartbreaking experience. 

Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui wisely adopt a non-linear style to tell Reeve’s story, opening with his accident, which came at a time when he was trying to rebuild his career following the disastrous end of the Superman franchise with Quest for Peace. Only a year before his devastating fall, he had a good role in Merchant/Ivory’s The Remains of the Day, but one of his sons freely admits that at the time of the accident, he was doing movies of the week to pay the bills.

Reeve’s ordeal is depicted in a harrowing fashion, never shying away from the fact that until the day he died, he was fighting to one day get out of his wheelchair. Yet, Reeve accomplished a lot after his accident, increasing funding for spinal cord injury research while also trying to improve the quality of life for those afflicted with his condition. 

More than anything, the film zeroes in on his relationship with his wife, Dana Reeve, who became his tireless advocate. In a tragic twist of fate, she died of cancer only two years after her husband, orphaning their child, Will Reeve, who is the spitting image of his father. 

If you’re coming to the film looking for a lot of insight into the making of the Superman movies, you won’t find that here, as that territory has been covered elsewhere (including by us). There’s not much about how fraught the shooting of the first film was, but the movie does pay special tribute to director Richard Donner, who was always Reeve’s advocate, both in the role and even after the Salkinds replaced him. Still, it’s a bit weird that Margot Kidder barely gets a mention, with their chemistry an important but ignored part of what cemented his legacy as Superman. 

The documentary tries to present an honest account of Reeve’s life before the accident – warts and all. An old interview clip from The Tonight Show demonstrates his contempt for actors like Marlon Brando, who he said took his paycheck from making Superman without caring about his performance’s quality (he was probably right about that, though). At the same time, his son Matthew reveals that on the day of his birth, Reeve decided to go to France and ski with friends rather than be there for his partner at the time – Gae Exton, – which doesn’t reflect too well on the Man of Steel. But, as Reeve himself freely admits in interview clips, he never pretended to be perfect. For him, Superman was just another role until it took on more resonance following his accident. 

Bonhôte and Ettedgui also dive into how Reeve, to his dismay, was never able to achieve significant success with any role beyond Superman, with him opting to look for roles that would cast him against type but always failed with critics and audiences. Some movies, such as Somewhere in Time, were good, but others, like Monsignor, were abysmal. The declining quality of the Superman movies is also referenced. However, there’s little insight into why they were so bad, which would be exciting territory for someone else to explore.

Yet, the film ultimately presents an inspiring account of Reeve’s second act in life, where his humbling accident made him a tireless advocate and strengthened many. One of the most heartbreaking threads in the doc relates to Reeve’s friendship with Robin Williams. We learn how the Reeve family struggled to make ends meet when faced with his substantial medical bills (over $400,000 a year) and how Williams and his wife, Marsha, often stepped in.  Glenn Close also says, in an interview clip, that she believes Williams would still be alive today if Reeve were. 

In the end, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is similar to Still, the documentary about Michael J. Fox that played here last year. Like that one, it embraces Reeve’s positive effect after his accident but doesn’t shy away from the often grim reality of his day-to-day life. It’s more honest about that aspect than other movies are, and it’s better for it. 

Sundance

AMAZING

9

The post Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Sundance) Review appeared first on JoBlo.

Doctor Who is heading for a significant shakeup as Millie Gibson, who plays the Doctor’s newest companion, Ruby Sunday, prepares to exit the series after one season. The BBC introduced Gibson as Ruby Sunday in the latest Doctor Who Special “Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Street,” alongside Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor. Replacing Gibson in Season 15 of the long-running series is Varara Sethu (Jurassic Park: Dominion, Andor, Hard Sun).

Gibson will return as Ruby Sunday for season 14 of the series, which is set to drop in May on the BBC in the U.K. and Disney+ internationally. Season 15 is currently shooting in Wales, where Gatwa and Sethu will likely learn how much running is involved in the Doctor Who filming process. No reason has been given as to why Gibson is exiting the show.

Russell T Davies returns to the series for seasons 14 and 15 to showrun, write, and executive produce the new episodes, with co-production handled by Bad Wolf. According to The Daily Mirror, Davies decided to write Gibson’s Ruby Sunday out of the show last year after filming on her first run ended. Davies says the shocking conclusion to her story will surprise fans.

Sethu is already filming her turn as the Doctor’s next companion for Season 15. Sethu is known to many as Cinta from the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor. The Indiana-born British actress also plays Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri in the Sky Original series Strike Back, focusing on Section 20, a secretive unit of British military intelligence. In Sky’s Stirke Back, a special operations personnel conducts several high-risk missions across the globe.

While it’s common for Doctor Who to introduce new companions to the series, one season could seem like insufficient time to spend with Ruby Sunday. In her debut episode, Gibson’s Ruby Sunday is a delightful, spirited character, sharing plenty of chemistry with Gatwa’s suave and adventuresome Doctor. Fans will undoubtedly speculate what led to her exiting the show but will assuredly welcome Varada Sethu to the fold.

When Doctor Who season 14 gets underway, Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper), singer Bonnie Langford (EastEnders, Doctor Who), Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter, Frozen, Hamilton), and Indira Varma (Obsession, Silent Hours, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning) join Gatwa and Gibson for eight episodes of timey-wimey adventures.

What do you think about Millie Gibson exiting Doctor Who after only one season? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Doctor Who star Millie Gibson is to be replaced by Varada Sethu after one season appeared first on JoBlo.

The Witcher 4 hasn’t entered the production stage at CD Projekt Red yet, but the developer is getting ready to start work on the highly anticipated follow-up to 2015’s Witcher 3. By the middle of 2024, the Polish studio hopes to have 400 people working on the game. And according to new co-CEO Adam Badowski, not a…

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The Witcher 4 hasn’t entered the production stage at CD Projekt Red yet, but the developer is getting ready to start work on the highly anticipated follow-up to 2015’s Witcher 3. By the middle of 2024, the Polish studio hopes to have 400 people working on the game. And according to new co-CEO Adam Badowski, not a…

Read more…

Awards season typically puts more dramatic fare at the forefront, with the occasional comedy or blockbuster sneaking in. But even if the Golden Globes won’t start a revolution with their inaugural Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award, there’s always Rotten Tomatoes to spotlight genre movies. And the Golden Tomato for Best-Reviewed Action & Adventure movie is…Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One – and yes, Tom Cruise is extremely happy with the win.

Following the win (made possible by its 96%), where it edged out John Wick: Chapter 4 and Godzilla Minus One, Tom Cruise posted a video thanking the critics and fans for the success of Dead Reckoning. “We make these movies for each and every one of you and I speak on behalf of McQ [Christopher McQuarrie], our entire cast and crew, that we are thrilled and truly honored to be not only one of the best-reviewed films of the year but the best-reviewed action movie of 2023. Thank you.”

Dead Reckoning was also ranked as the number two best-reviewed movie overall, with Tom Cruise and company falling to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Dead Reckoning has proven to be a critical success, and audiences helped it take in $560+ million. It was nominated for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Golden Globe but lost to Barbie, the year’s highest-grossing movie. Despite such acclaim all around, it’s highly unlikely that Dead Reckoning will be up for any major Oscars. However, it could earn some nominations in the technical categories, breaking the dry run the series has had so far at the Academy Awards.

If you haven’t had a chance to see Dead Reckoning just yet, it arrives on Paramount+ this Thursday, January 25th. But you’ll notice that the Part One has been dropped from the title, pointing to the follow-up – currently slated for May 23rd, 2025 (after a final delay stemming from the SAG-AFTRA strike) – being given a separate subtitle altogether.

Where does the action of Dead Reckoning – and the stunts of Tom Cruise – rank in the franchise? What was the best scene from the movie? Give us your pick below!

The post Tom Cruise thanks fans after Dead Reckoning wins Rotten Tomatoes award appeared first on JoBlo.

Earlier this month, The Bricklayer, the latest action film from Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight director Renny Harlin, was given a theatrical, On Demand, and Digital release. We’ve previously shared interviews with the film’s stars Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev, and now JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray has sat down for an interview with Harlin himself! The primary focus of this interview is The Bricklayer, of course, but it also branches out with mentions of other Harlin projects like The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea. You can check it out in the embed above.

Bumbray really enjoyed The Bricklayer, giving the film a 7/10 review you can read at THIS LINK. If you’d like to watch the movie, you can do so on Amazon.

Based on a bestselling book by former FBI agent Noah Boyd (aka Paul Lindsay), The Bricklayer has the following synopsis: A rogue insurgent is blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it appear the agency is responsible. As other nations turn against the U.S., the CIA must lure Steve Vail – their most brilliant and rebellious operative – out of retirement. With an elite and deadly skill set, Vail is tasked with helping clear the agency’s name, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy. Matt Johnson, Marc Moss, Pete Travis, and Hanna Weg worked on the screenplay.

Eckhart (The Dark Knight) and Dobrev (The Out-Laws) are joined in the cast by Clifton Collins Jr. (The Rules of Attraction), Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), and Ilfenesh Hadera (Baywatch).

There’s more Renny Harlin to come in 2024, as Lionsgate is preparing to release his trilogy of follow-ups to the 2008 horror film The Strangers. The Strangers: Chapter 1 is scheduled to reach theatres on May 17th, and the sequels are expected to follow close behind. Harlin is also currently in post-production on a shark thriller called Deep Water.

What did you think of our new Renny Harlin interview? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below – and if you have watched The Bricklayer, let us know what you thought of it!

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