Month: February 2024

23 Feb

Stopmotion Review

By . FilmTV No Comments

PLOT: Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who is struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother. Suddenly alone in the world, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet film, which soon becomes the battleground for her sanity.

REVIEW: Every year, during the barren months of January and February, there’s always some horror movie that comes along and stuns. Last year had Infinity Pool and 2024 has Stopmotion. Just like the former, the latter is a mind-bending, horrific experience. The melding of stop-motion animation with horror is the perfect pairing. But it’s the story of a young girl slowly going insane that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Aisling Franciosi is absolutely incredible as Ella Blake, a young woman obsessed with animation. But her mother is so overbearing that she’s never really able to explore her own creative side. Tragedy strikes and Ella suddenly finds herself finally being able to express what’s deep down inside of her. She starts making a film of her own, but the horrors within the frame start seeping out into her life. Even that description could get some eyes rolling. I understand and acknowledge that. But it’s the execution of both the acting, as well as the effects that help to make this film stand out.

Aisling Franciosi's Ella in Stopmotion (2024).

The quality of stop-motion animation in this film is top-tier. Which I suppose should be expected, given its namesake. But it’s hard not to be impressed with how seamlessly the animation is blended with the live-action footage. I’ll always have a soft spot for this style and think others will feel the same. The design of the puppets can best be described as disturbing nightmare fuel. And I say that with love. There’s a creepy puppet that reminded me of Slappy from Goosebumps. The main puppets’ almost organic look, made it all the grosser and the sound design helped with the “ick factor.” Little touches like this really add to the visual language.

I often find myself annoyed with child performances in movies, because if they don’t work, they bring the entire movie down. Thankfully, Caoilinn Springall is fantastic as the Little Girl. The arc of her character is rather telegraphed but it still provides for some great moments. It’s challenging to make a tiny girl intimidating yet she’s able to take command of her scenes. I also appreciated Stopmotion for how fearless it was in its depiction of violence. Some of it quick, some of it prolonged, all leaving an impact. And it’s tied into the story and is so vital, that it’s hard to imagine the story without it.

The doll at the center of Stopmotion (2024).

If I had to pick something that didn’t entire work for me, it’s the world of stop-motion being so prevalent. Everyone in the movie is passionate about the craft and has varying degrees of knowledge. It almost reaches a point of satire, especially with how seriously certain people take it. Ella’s obsession pairs well with her own sanity breaking down, but to see others treating it like it’s the “cool thing” to be doing is rather odd. There’s some unintentional humor that sprung up from this, just with how seriously it’s all taken. Thankfully the cinematography and sound design never let up, so these lesser moments can be quickly forgotten.

Stopmotion is a surreal experience from beginning to end. Anchored by phenomenal performances, the eerie score and stunning cinematography make for unique viewing. Robert Morgan has a history with animation, so it’s not surprising that this element is so masterfully done. But what is surprising, is how much of a veteran Morgan already is working with the actors. The performances all work in service of the story and I can’t say enough good things about Aisling. She’s an absolute force of nature and does so much with so little. Had this been just a 90-minute film of Ella meticulously making a short clip from her film, I’m sure it would have been riveting.

STOPMOTION IS IN THEATERS IN THE UNITED STATES ON FEBRUARY 23RD, 2024.


Stopmotion

GREAT

8

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23 Feb

Harry Potter TV series is being planned for a Max premiere in 2026

By . FilmTV No Comments
harry potter, max

The planned Harry Potter TV series at Warner Bros. has long been in development for the past few years and the studio has made the announcement this morning that they’re aiming for a 2026 release. The new TV series adaptation will be transforming each of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels into a single season, meaning that the entire series could span seven seasons or more. David Zaslav revealed that he met with J.K. Rowling a few weeks ago in London for the high-profile project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Zaslav shared his excitement of taking on this new phase of the property. He states, “We’ve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter. The last film was made more than a dozen years ago.” He also details his meeting with Rowling, “I was in London a few weeks ago with Casey [HBO and Max chief Casey Bloys] and Channing [WBD TV chief Channing Dungey] and we spent some real time with J.K. and her team. Both sides are thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max.”

For as long as the streaming project has been in development, it was not known if the director of much of the Harry Potter films, David Yates, would also transfer over into the series after having the tenure at Hogwarts. Yates would eventually come to the realization that he would not continue with the property. Back when Yates was promoting Pain Hustlers, he stated, “Do you know what? Honestly, I could not, in any conceivable way, get involved…It’s simply: I spent a long time at that school, in those corridors and in those classrooms, and it was an exquisite experience and one I will always treasure. But to go back and do another year or two, for me, I feel I’ve left it.”

Last year, the studio released a statement saying, “Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”

The post Harry Potter TV series is being planned for a Max premiere in 2026 appeared first on JoBlo.

23 Feb

Episode 41 of 80s Horror Memories is here to chew bubblegum and talk about John Carpenter’s They Live

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JoBlo.com recently launched a new weekly documentary series called 80s Horror Memories, where each year of the 1980s has five episodes dedicated to it. Looking back at 1980, we discussed Maniac, Dressed to Kill, Alligator, Friday the 13th, The Shining, Prom Night, and The Fog. The second five episodes were a journey through 1981, covering The Funhouse, The Burning, Friday the 13th Part 2, My Bloody Valentine, Halloween II, The Evil Dead, The Howling, and An American Werewolf in London, as well as the careers of horror hosts Elvira and Joe Bob Briggs. The next five were, of course, all about movies that came out in 1982: Conan the Barbarian, The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and Poltergeist, with an examination of the short-lived 3-D boom along the way. For 1983, we talked about a trio of Stephen King adaptations, Jaws 3-D, Sleepaway Camp, the rise of TV horror anthologies, and Psycho II. For 1984, we covered the creation of the PG-13 rating, The Terminator, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Our trip through 1985 included Teen Wolf, Re-Animator, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Fright Night, Lifeforce, Day of the Dead, and The Return of the Living Dead. For 1986, we covered David Cronenberg’s The Fly, the horror comedies that were released during the year (including Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Aliens, the connection between horror movies and heavy metal, and David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. For our trip through 1987, we looked at Hellraiser, RoboCop, Predator, Evil Dead II, and The Lost Boys. Now we’ve reached 1988, and the first ’88 movie we’re talking about is John Carpenter‘s They Live! You can hear all about it in the video embedded above.

New episodes of 80s Horror Memories are released through the YouTube channel JoBlo Horror Originals every Friday. 

Here’s the info on 80s Horror Memories: It’s been over 40 years since the decade that shaped the horror movie industry began and having lived through most of those years personally, we at JoBlo/Arrow in the Head have decided to create a 10-part documentary series in which not only cover every nook and cranny of the biggest horror themes from 1980 to 1989 but also what was happening in the world at the time. Join us as we walk down Horror Memory Lane!

And here’s the info on this particular episode: With a shocking debut of hitting #1 at the box office the week it came out and a cast that was led by a WWF wrestler who had faith to leave his job and make movies, They Live still packs a punch and is in many ways more relevant today than it was upon its initial release. Today, on 80s Horror Memories, we ask that you Obey our wishes, take off those pesky sunglasses, and dive into why They Live is quintessential 80s cinema.

This episode of 80s Horror Memories was written by Andrew Hatfield, narrated by Tyler Nichols, edited by Mike Conway, produced by Berge Garabedian and John Fallon, co-produced by Mike Conway, and executive produced by Berge Garabedian. The score was provided by Shawn Knippelberg. Special Guests: Sandy King (They Live), Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry), Craig Perry (Final Destination), and Matt Winston of Stan Winston Studios.

Let us know what you thought of this episode, plus share some of your own ’80s horror memories by leaving a comment!

Two of the previous episodes of 80s Horror Memories can be seen below. To see more of our shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!

The post Episode 41 of 80s Horror Memories is here to chew bubblegum and talk about John Carpenter’s They Live appeared first on JoBlo.

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