Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second installment of Square Enix’s audacious project to remake the original 1997 RPG, released on February 29. In the weeks since its launch, it’s clear that Rebirth is a massive RPG full of a wide variety of side activities and quests, but it also weaves an equally epic and cryptic tale
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second installment of Square Enix’s audacious project to remake the original 1997 RPG, released on February 29. In the weeks since its launch, it’s clear that Rebirth is a massive RPG full of a wide variety of side activities and quests, but it also weaves an equally epic and cryptic tale
1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country saw the last voyage of the original Enterprise crew that graced TV screens in the 60s. Since Star Trek: The Next Generation became the successor to the original series on the Fox Network, so Paramount would have the OG Captain pass the torch to Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard with the transitional film Star Trek: Generations. In doing so, the film would seal the fate of Captain Kirk as he dies trying to save Picard’s crew. There is a moment where Picard finds Kirk in his final moments, and now, William Shatner opens up about how he feels that scene didn’t get his best-intended performance.
ScreenRant got to sit down with the legendary actor for his new retrospective documentary You Can Call Me Bill. Shatner spoke about what he sees when he watches that scene and how he’s not satisfied, “The thing an actor can bring to a written word is the interpretation of how to say it. I love you. I love you. I love you. Variations on the words. So if the writer has written I love you, and the actor gets a hold of it and does something totally unthought of, that’s a big deal. The director either gets upset or goes with it. In this case, I thought of Kirk as being so courageous in life that when he faced things that he didn’t know about, like the strange, the weird… the entities that the writers thought up, when he faced death, he would face death with a sense of adventure. ‘Oh, what’s going to happen now?’ So I ad libbed, Oh my.’ And I wanted that ‘Oh my’ to be ‘Oh my,’ like, dreading it but, but looking forward to the adventure – somewhere in between, you know, and it would be very obvious to you what he was thinking. And I never quite hit it. I never quite got that nuance that I was looking for. I had another couple of takes, but they they didn’t understand what I was doing.”
The interviewer for ScreenRant tries to reassure Shatner that there is some of that wonder that he wanted to convey. They would tell Shatner, “I’ve seen that scene so many times. I do feel it. I feel Kirk seeing the great beyond, the great mystery. And I do feel that he meets it with that curiosity…” To which Shatner adds, “…And awe and wonder. Every time he faced an animal, an entity, he didn’t say, ‘Oh my’ [with fear or disdain], he would say, ‘Oh, my look at that. I wonder if it’s going to eat me?’ You know? I think that was his attitude.”
You Can Call Me Bill is set to release on March 22.
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PLOT: An adventure racer adopts a stray dog named Arthur to join him in an epic endurance race.
REVIEW: I was unaware of the true story of Arthur The King initially but after being subjected to the trailer about 9000 times over the course of the past few months, I felt like I knew it well. It looked like your typical inspirational movie. Or as my nephew knows it: the dog movie. Because it’s hard to categorize this as anything else. Sure, there’s adventure racing but this dog is a full-blown character here and takes center stage in the narrative. And it goes about how you would expect.
Arthur the King follows Mikael Lindnord (Wahlberg) and his team of adventure racers. During his last race ever and last chance at completing a life goal, a stray dog joins them on their journey. If you saw the trailer, then chances are you know exactly how this one is going to go. I’d argue that’s one of the biggest issues: its predictability. However, there’s a whole other argument to make about whether predictability really matters in a wholesome film like this. Regardless, it can be a little frustrating with how stale the movie is, treading all too familiar paths.
Despite playing a real-life human being, Mark Wahlberg is his usual self here. I’m sure there are a ton of parallels between the two people in reality, but it’s hard not to notice the pattern in Wahlberg’s career. He really likes to play driven characters that defy the odds through sheer willpower. But I won’t deny that it mostly works as he usually fits well into that role. And when one of your primary scene partners is a dog, it’s not the easiest task to be taken seriously. He makes most of it work though, and that’s commendable.
Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Ali Suliman make up the rest of the team and do a good job. Their athleticism was believable, even if their characters were a bit on the nose. They all get those stereotypical “recruiting the team” introductions, but that’s most of the development that they get. This is really all about Mikael and his dog. And if you can’t handle corny cheeseball moments, then like myself, it probably won’t be for you.
The few moments of big action aren’t handled very well, with very obvious green screen standing out in a zipline sequence. There’s one moment that involved a CGI dog that was one of the most unintentionally funny things I’ve witnessed in a theater. I’m not sure if it was just so jarring from the rest of the film but it was so corny, I couldn’t believe they were going through with it. And this could be said for a lot of the dog stuff. I knew he would play a big role but I wasn’t expecting so much of his time on the streets. Adding in some rival dogs and this almost feels like a Disney movie. The dog is emotive in a way that only a movie dog can be, and it was hard not to cringe a bit.
Arthur the King absolutely suffers from being overly predictable but I think that’s par for the course for this kind of movie. People are coming for the tearjerking and heartfelt moments. This is the kind of movie that your grandparents will love. But anyone looking for a little bit more is going to be disappointed. The corny and heartfelt moments are enough to warrant a light tear but it’s anything but subtle in its approach. Like most of Wahlberg’s filmography these days, this is an average movie that will be forgotten by next year.
ARTHUR THE KING IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON MARCH 15TH, 2024.
The post Arthur the King Review appeared first on JoBlo.
What’s so civil about war anyway? Well, nothing, but if we’re talking about Alex Garland’s new movie, Civil War, there is a lot of common ground to be found, as social media’s first reactions out of its SXSW premiere have heaped a ton of praise on the film, citing the sheer tensity, timely themes and a final act that isn’t to be missed.
Check out some of the reactions to Civil War below:
While only a small selection of professional reviews have landed, Civil War sits at a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes as of publication, a fine start overall for Garland’s fourth feature. While not initially landing like his debut, Ex Machina, or his outstanding follow-up Annihilation, it is an improvement over is previous effort, 2022’s Men. But right off the bat, it’s great to see that Civil War does look to be living up to the trailer, which immediately makes me more excited for it.
I’m speechless, Alex Garland’s Civil War is not only the best movie of the year but the most important. A haunting story that’s beautifully shot and led by a tremendous cast. There is nothing quite like it and you’re not ready. A true modern masterpiece! #sxsw pic.twitter.com/l8hEzhQltp
— Luis
SXSW (@cultureelixir) March 15, 2024
In Civil War, “19 states secede from the United States, with factions forming in the West and Florida. Meanwhile, the President says the conflict will be dealt with swiftly, but are things already impossible to control? While some choose to engage with the catastrophe head-on, others prefer to pretend like it’s not happening right outside their door. As the President sends the American military out to “resolve” matters in the West, people are left to despair as the world burns around them. Meanwhile, Kirsten Dunst’s character appears to be leading a team of journalists toward the U.S. Capitol, presumably to get answers about how they plan to quell the ongoing violence.”
With such prescient ideas that we won’t be able to help but find links to certain recent events in American history, such a film like Civil War will no doubt connect with its intended audience. Judging by the reactions out of its SXSW on Thursday night, this holds. Having not seen the film yet, it does seem as if Garland – a Brit – is not taking any direct sides in this A24 production, trusting his loyal fanbase.
Civil War is set to break into theaters on April 12th.
What do you think of the first reactions to Civil War? Are you more looking forward to it than before? Let us know!
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Writer/director Damien Leone had a budget of around $55,000 to work with on his breakout horror film Terrifier, and a budget of “a little over” $250,000 for Terrifier 2, which was a massive hit when it was released in 2022, earning $15.1 million at the box office. Since the second film did so well, it’s no surprise that a Terrifier 3 is right around the corner. In fact, the film is on track to reach theatres this Halloween season, on October 25th. In anticipation of the film’s release, we’ve decided to put together a list of the information we’ve heard so far. Keep scrolling to find out Everything We Know About Terrifier 3!
SETTING
While the previous two films were set around Halloween, and the new sequel is still getting a Halloween release, this one is changing the setting. The supernatural slasher Art the Clown is going to be ruining Christmas in a film that has the following synopsis: Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.
The Christmas setting is the focus of a teaser trailer that was put together months before Terrifier 3 actually went into production:
CAST AND CHARACTERS
The names of the new additions to the cast haven’t been revealed yet, but it has been confirmed that David Howard Thornton reprises the role of Art the Clown, while Lauren LaVera is back as Terrifier 2 heroine Sienna and Elliot Fullam returns as Sienna’s brother Jonathan. Samantha Scaffidi is returning as Terrifier and Terrifier 2 character Victoria Heyes. Chris Jericho, who had a cameo in Terrifier 2, is also back in Terrifier 3 – but he has let everyone know that his appearance in the film won’t last very long. So we can probably expect to see Art make a bloody mess of him early on. Leone told Deadline, “(Chris Jericho) is super excited. This one is going to pick up where part two left off, in the insane asylum, so, you’re going to see what transpires there, what mayhem unfolds, because seeing how Art and Victoria ended up, is so insane, and seeing how they get out of that situation and what happens next is going to be really wild. So, we have to get Chris back in there and see how he becomes a part of that situation.“
As for new characters… a while back, industry scooper Daniel Richtman has shared a batch of character descriptions (put together for the casting process) that give some details on the potential victims we’ll be meeting in the movie:
[ GABBIE ]
12-15 years old, Female, white – Gabbie is energetic, precocious, sometimes sassy and full of life. A young girl curious about the world beyond her peaceful suburban life. She is Sienna and Jonathan’s cousin, and idolizes Sienna like the big sister she never had…SUPPORTING LEAD
[ JESSICA ]
40s – early 50s, Female, white – aka Aunt Jess, she is Sienna and Jonathan’s aunt; she’s smart, stable and empathetic with the heart of a fighter, but unliker her late-sister Barbara (Terrifier 2), she has a gentle soul. As wife to Greg and mom to Gabbie, Jess is the glue that holds her small family together…SUPPORTING LEAD
[ GREG ]
40s – early 50s, Male, white – aka Uncle Greg; he is your all-American “everyone’s favorite uncle” type of guy; a solid, loving provider for his wife (Jessica) and daughter (Gabbie). The “cool dad”. He’s a well kept man with a strong, athletic physique…SUPPORTING LEAD
[ COLE ]
18-22 years old, Male, open ethnicity – Cole is Jonathan’s college roommate. The cool guy to Jonathan’s nerd. The “bro”. Cole and his girlfriend Mia have a big, loud energy when they are together that can be magnetic or turn sinister and obnoxious. The role requires a shower scene of intimate nature and partial nudity (back/buttocks)…SUPPORTING
[ MIA ]
18-22 years old, Female, open ethnicity – Mia is Cole’s girlfriend; a cute, fun, popular, college girl with a bit of a mean streak. Mia and Cole have a big, loud energy when they are together that can be magnetic or turn sinister and obnoxious. The role requires a shower scene of intimate nature and partial nudity (back/buttocks/side)…SUPPORTING
TONE
Terrifier 3 is actually the fourth feature with Art the Clown in it. Before making Terrifier, Leone introduced the character (then played by Mike Giannelli) in short films that were included in the 2013 horror anthology All Hallows’ Eve. When he was gearing up for the third film, Leone said, “One of my main goals for Terrifier 3 is to recapture the creep factor present in the original Terrifier short film. That had a genuinely spooky atmosphere that I’m still proud of. If all goes as planned, part 3 will be the scariest Terrifier thus far.”
The filmmaker is also aiming to make the third film more like the first Terrifier feature. Speaking with Variety, he said Terrifier 3 will “shift back a bit to the tone of Part One, which I felt was a little more simplistic and old school, gritty slasher. I want this one to go back in that direction, and I want this to be the scariest one of the trilogy. This one will actually have a little bit more of an evil overtone to it, so this is going to be hopefully the scariest and the darkest. I want it to feel as if the audience coming into this one isn’t as comfortable with Art the Clown as they feel they are now. I want to see if I can make them really scared of him again.”
Terrifier 2 went heavy on the supernatural elements. As Leone described it to Insider, “There’s blatant religious mythic imagery, clear as day. There is a heaven and hell thing going on. And the clown is this resurrected demon and Sienna is slowly becoming aware that she’s sort of this Old Testament angel ready to do battle and going through that metamorphosis.” When asked if he has received constructive criticism on Terrifier 2 that he’s keeping in mind for the next sequel, he replied, “I wanted Part Two to have a Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors vibe to it. That was my tone in the back of my head and I knew I was really going to embrace this supernatural and fantasy element. I also knew I was going to alienate a handful of fans going that route. I personally love it. There’s a lot of people who didn’t love the fantasy, or at least they need more explanation as to why that’s all happening. I didn’t want to explain everything in Part Two, so I am going to explain as we go. But the biggest mistake I could do now is double-down on that fantasy aspect. That’s why I want to course-correct a bit; let’s go back to Nightmare on Elm Street Part One, as opposed to going further into Dream Warriors. That could be very helpful criticism and help me make a better movie moving forward. But we’ll see.” Leone is also aiming to make sure the new film has a running time under two hours (Terrifier 2 was 138 minutes).
Leone is also working to make sure there’s an element of fun to all of this. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “I always want there to be levity. Art the Clown needs to be his charming, quirky self. I want the audience to know this is just a fictional world. We are here to have fun, and I don’t want them leaving the theater feeling miserable. But at the same time, there is a way to make this one seem as if you’ve never even met Art the Clown before. That’s how I want the audience to feel. I want them to feel like this is a very terrifying, unpredictable character, and while you think you might know him, you don’t know what’s coming.“
GORE
The Terrifier films are known for their moments of extreme gore, and Terrifier 3 isn’t going to be any different. Since this one has a budget of “a couple million”, Leone has brought in a Hollywood FX team to help him create the nauseating effects. (For the previous films, all of the bloodshed was provided by Leone and producer Phil Falcone.) He has said he’s aiming to make this one the goriest, most sadistic, most depraved film of the bunch. “If you thought Art the Clown’s reign of terror in part 2 was extreme, you haven’t seen anything yet.“
PRODUCTION
Terrifier 3 started filming in early February 2024, and will probably be wrapping up any day now, if it hasn’t already. Leone shared a couple shots of Art the Clown while they were in the midst of filming:
And that’s everything we know about Terrifier 3 at this point. Are you looking forward to this supernatural slasher sequel? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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I honestly never expected that a Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe would be a thing, but here we are. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 kicked off production last year, and James Marsden recently spoke with The Playlist and confirmed that filming has just wrapped.
“Yeah, we just wrapped, actually!” Marsden said. “I feel really proud of what we created, and the response from the fans, we just had to get the animation right on that first movie, but great family, all positive. Jim’s just having a ball, he’s in his inspiration zone… So it’s a joy to watch him have a good time, like really enjoying it again. It’s great, very lucky to be a part of it, and I think fans are gonna be excited about all the new characters.“
Marsden also happened to mention that the production was near the same stages where Deadpool & Wolverine was shooting, which prompted a reaction from the interviewer. Marsden quickly added, “Yeah, this is a little bit of a Pandora’s box.” Does this mean he’ll be making a cameo as Cyclops in the Deadpool sequel?
James Marsden reprises his role as Tom Wachowski in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the sheriff of Green Hills. Other returning cast members include Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Miles “Tails” Prower, Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski, Tom Butler as Commander Walters, Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone, and, of course, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. New members of the cast include Krysten Ritter, James Wolk, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, and Jorma Taccone, as well as Alyla Browne, who is said to be playing Maria. Shadow the Hedgehog will also make an appearance after being teased in the mid-credits scene of the previous movie.
Before we get to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the next installment of the franchise will actually be Knuckles, a six-episode series set to premiere on Paramount+. The series takes place between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and “follows Knuckles (Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior.” Knuckles will debut on April 26th, followed by Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on December 20th.
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Here be SPOILERS. Dune: Part Two is now playing in theaters, and while the sequel is being celebrated as a fantastic adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel, director Denis Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts did make a few changes, most notably with the character played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Alia, the younger sister of Paul Atreides. While the character spends much of the movie as an unborn fetus, she is seen as an adult in Paul’s visions. In Frank Herbert’s novel, Alia is a young toddler during the events covered in the sequel, as there’s a two-year time jump in the middle of the story. Jon Spaihts explained to Inverse why they didn’t go this route. “We were a little leery of that talking toddler, as a distraction in the middle of the film,” Spaihts said. “That’s a difficult thing to execute on film.“
Spaihts added that they had another reason for skipping the time jump in the novel. “To allow such a long time lapse inevitably would sort of cool the passions of Part One,” Spaihts said. “If Duke Leto’s death were years and years ago, then it would lessen the lingering trauma that all the characters were feeling. We wanted the heat of their passion to be fresh and their wounds to be fresh.“
If Denis Villeneuve returns to make Dune: Messiah, we will likely see much more of Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia.
Our own Chris Bumbray gave the Dune sequel a rave review. “In this day of assembly line blockbusters, it’s a miracle that director Denis Villeneuve has managed to get not one but two incredible, uncompromised epics like this through the studio system,” he wrote. “It works as a tentpole blockbuster, but Dune Part Two is also filmmaking at the highest level. It’s a real cinematic event everyone owes it to themselves to take in and hopefully won’t be forgotten come Oscar time. It’s a masterpiece.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here.
Dune: Part Two will “explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.” The film is now playing in theaters, so be sure to let us know what you thought of it!
The post Dune: Part Two writer explains why they changed Anya Taylor-Joy’s character appeared first on JoBlo.
Here be SPOILERS. Dune: Part Two is now playing in theaters, and while the sequel is being celebrated as a fantastic adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel, director Denis Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts did make a few changes, most notably with the character played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Alia, the younger sister of Paul Atreides. While the character spends much of the movie as an unborn fetus, she is seen as an adult in Paul’s visions. In Frank Herbert’s novel, Alia is a young toddler during the events covered in the sequel, as there’s a two-year time jump in the middle of the story. Jon Spaihts explained to Inverse why they didn’t go this route. “We were a little leery of that talking toddler, as a distraction in the middle of the film,” Spaihts said. “That’s a difficult thing to execute on film.“
Spaihts added that they had another reason for skipping the time jump in the novel. “To allow such a long time lapse inevitably would sort of cool the passions of Part One,” Spaihts said. “If Duke Leto’s death were years and years ago, then it would lessen the lingering trauma that all the characters were feeling. We wanted the heat of their passion to be fresh and their wounds to be fresh.“
If Denis Villeneuve returns to make Dune: Messiah, we will likely see much more of Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia.
Our own Chris Bumbray gave the Dune sequel a rave review. “In this day of assembly line blockbusters, it’s a miracle that director Denis Villeneuve has managed to get not one but two incredible, uncompromised epics like this through the studio system,” he wrote. “It works as a tentpole blockbuster, but Dune Part Two is also filmmaking at the highest level. It’s a real cinematic event everyone owes it to themselves to take in and hopefully won’t be forgotten come Oscar time. It’s a masterpiece.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here.
Dune: Part Two will “explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.” The film is now playing in theaters, so be sure to let us know what you thought of it!
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I hope you haven’t gotten sick of hearing “Yes, chef” yet because there’s another season of The Bear on the way. The third season of the award-winning series is currently shooting in Chicago, but Deadline reports that The Bear has also been renewed for season 4, which will be shot back-to-back with season 3.
Although the renewal isn’t official, it would make sense for FX to want to get another season in the can. The Bears stars Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are in high demand, with plenty of other projects on their slate. Ebon Moss-Bachrach is also on the rise, especially after it was confirmed that he would be playing Ben Grimm/The Thing in Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie.
Some have wondered if the season 4 renewal might mark the end of The Bear, as something similar happened with Atlanta, which came to an end after the third and fourth seasons were shot back-to-back. Again, nothing is official, but sources tell Deadline that a fifth season is still a possibility.
Jeremy Allen White stars in The Bear as an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother’s sandwich shop. The series has proven to be quite the hit. It took home ten awards at the Emmy ceremonies earlier this year, including Best Comedy Series, Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jeremy Allen White), Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Ayo Edebiri), and more.
The third season doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but FX chairman John Landgraf revealed last month that it will premiere in June with a binge release. When asked if he could reveal if the new season would have as many high-profile guest stars as it did last season, Landgraf said, “Unfortunately, I can’t. I was surprised as you were when the Christmas episode came through the door.” The episode Landgraf spoke of was pretty jam-packed with big names, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Jacobs, John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and Jon Bernthal all appearing.
As a massive fan of the series, I’m definitely than ready for more of The Bear.
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