Month: April 2024

22 Apr

Dev Patel’s Monkey Man swings onto digital platforms sooner than you’d expect after struggling at the box office

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Monkey Man, Dev Patel

Dev Patel’s bone-crunching action film, Monkey Man, is swinging onto digital platforms faster than Atefeh Safaei can throw a punch. According to the film’s official Twitter account, Monkey Man comes to digital to rent or buy tomorrow, April 23rd! Despite underperforming at the box office with $28M+, Monkey Man is a hit with critics and fans. On Rotten Tomatoes, Patel’s directorial debut is 88% on the Tomatometer, with an 84% Fresh Audience Score.

Competition is fierce at the box office in 2024, with original films struggling to make a dent. Monkey Man opened alongside The First Omen, one of the horror genre’s most well-reviewed films in recent memory. Still, Monkey Man‘s most formidable opponent is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which reigns supreme with $485M+. The New Empire opened one week ahead of Monkey Man, gobbling up most of the action-oriented box office. With Monkey Man coming to digital, more audiences can witness the raw power of Patel’s hard-hitting action film, creating a different buzz around the cinematic slugfest.

Here’s the official synopsis for Monkey Man courtesy of NBCUniversal:

“Monkey Man is an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to victimize the poor and powerless systemically.

Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash.

After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

Packed with thrilling and spectacular fight and chase scenes, Monkey Man is directed by Dev Patel from his original story and his screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World). “

Sharlto Copley (District 9, The A-Team), Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven, The Night Manager), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm, Go Goa Gone), Vipin Sharma (Hotel Mumbai, Like Stars on Earth), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai), Sikandar Kher (Aarya, 24) and Makarand Deshpande (RRR).

Monkey Man is produced by Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas, Oscar winner Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christine Haebler, and Anjay Nagpal. Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney, and Steven Thibault executive produce.

Will you purchase Monkey Man when it comes to digital tomorrow? Are you looking forward to Patel’s next directorial effort? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Dev Patel’s Monkey Man swings onto digital platforms sooner than you’d expect after struggling at the box office appeared first on JoBlo.

22 Apr

William Shatner defends using AI for hideous new album cover

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Shatner

At 93, William Shatner has seen more change in the industry than pretty much anyone else alive. As such, he has been forced to adapt alongside it. But in his latest attempt to do so, he has triggered outcry from those defending real artists. Yes, it has to do with a new album; no, it has nothing to do with Shatner’s vocal talents. For the cover art for his children’s album Where Will the Animals Sleep? Songs for Kids & Other Living Things, Shatner evidently used artificial intelligence to generate the (rather creepy) image, something that has drawn ire from some fans, who say he should have hired an actual human artist to do the work.

After being hit with a barrage of comments from his social media followers, William Shatner was forced to defend the use of artificial intelligence for the cover art (with points pretty much all over the map), before ultimately telling everybody to just move on. “I don’t remember riots in the streets when @thebeatles released the white album, Metallica released their black album or the Soundtrack album for This is Spinal Tap were released.  People these days are affronted over whatever their twisted minds think can get them attention & popularity. It’s sad.” (For what it’s worth, each cover Shatner mentioned does have a credited designer, although Metallica’s self-titled album does lift from the Gadsden flag.) He would also write in another post, “It’s clearly meant to be an AI in its simplest form because it’s a children’s album not something to hang in a museum.”

One user questioned William Shatner’s insistence on using AI in the aftermath of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which had artificial intelligence as one of its biggest talking points (and for good reason). This launched Shatner’s biggest tirade, writing, “Well sweetheart, the only image is of me and I approved it. That means your craycray hysteria argument is null.  The actor’s union issue was that studios could take moving images of previous acting jobs and repurpose the moving images and put them into an AI program for use in another production without permission. Next time if you are going to argue something, please make sure you understand the issue.”

The issue at hand – using artificial intelligence instead of hiring a human to complete the job – remains a hot issue in the entertainment industry and with fans who, by and large, are not about to let studios or filmmakers get away with it. One recent example was found in horror film Late Night with the Devil, in which the filmmakers “experimented” with AI for three still images, immediately being targeted for promoting a technology that can both rob someone of a job and steal from pre-existing works. But no matter how loud the outcry, artificial intelligence is here to stay, with examples of how it is being misused only growing.

Does it matter that William Shatner used AI for his new album cover? What do you make of his points? Share your thoughts below.

The post William Shatner defends using AI for hideous new album cover appeared first on JoBlo.

22 Apr

The Watchers trailer: Dakota Fanning stars in Ishana Night Shyamalan thriller

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M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan has made her feature directorial debut with a thriller called The Watchers, which is set to receive a June 14 theatrical release, courtesy of Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema. The studio unveiled a teaser trailer for the film a couple months ago, and now a full trailer has made its way online. You can check it out in the embed above.

The younger Shyamalan wrote the screenplay for The Watchers, based on a novel by A.M. Shine (pick up a copy HERE). The film stars Dakota Fanning (The Equalizer 3) as Mina, a 28-year-old artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night. Also in the cast are Barbarian star Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Oliver Finnegan (Creeped Out).

When the film was heading into production, New Line Cinema’s Richard Brener provided the following statement: “We couldn’t be more excited to make Ishana’s first film with The Watchers. Equal parts visual, immersive, and terrifying, the script grips you from the first page and never lets go.“

M. Night Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan are producing The Watchers for Blinding Edge Pictures. Nimitt Mankad of Inimitable Pictures is also producing. Jo Homewood serves as executive producer.

Ishana Night Shyamalan was an important part of the creative team behind her father’s Apple TV+ series Servant, writing and/or directing multiple episodes. Speaking about his daughter’s work on Servant last year, M. Night Shyamalan told Entertainment Weekly, “She has slightly more of a fantasy bend than I do. She speaks in bolder colors than I do. The camera is more canted or more grotesque in showing someone scarier. The disadvantage of being an accomplished artist is that your experience starts working against you. I see less options, because I’ve done so many things. She doesn’t see that; for her, everything is possible. There are advantages and disadvantages to the levels of experience that we each have.” 

In addition to her work on Servant, Ishana Night Shyamalan has also worked as second unit director on her father’s movies Old and Knock at the Cabin, and she has directed four music videos for her sister Saleka (who has a prominent role in their father’s upcoming movie Trap). She is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and was still attending the school when she started working on Servant.

What did you think of the trailer for The Watchers? Will you be catching this movie on the big screen in June? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The Watchers

The post The Watchers trailer: Dakota Fanning stars in Ishana Night Shyamalan thriller appeared first on JoBlo.

22 Apr

Interview: Christian Slater, Jack Dylan Grazer, and More Talk The Spiderwick Chronicles

By . FilmTV No Comments

In 2003, Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black introduced the world to the Grace family. After they move into the Spiderwick Estate, things get fantastical for twins Simon and Jared, as well as older sister Mallory. It was only the beginning of this magical story. With the books and a feature film release in 2008, the stories are back. After originally being produced for Disney Plus, The Spiderwick Chronicles series has found a home this weekend on Roku. Showrunner Aron Eli Coleite looked to expand on the world, with the help of its creators. And the impressive cast led by Christian Slater and Joy Bryant, are all in on the fantasy.

Recently, we had the great joy of speaking with the fine folks that brought Spiderwick to life. First up, we sat down with DiTerlizzi and Black. The authors discussed the excitement of expanding the world they created. During the conversation, Mr. DiTerlizzi showed JoBlo a little love during the course of the interview. And with the series hitting Roku, we spoke with Coleite about working with the creators of the series, and putting more focus on the characters than the feature film that came out before.

Next up, we spoke to Christian Slater and Joy Bryant. And they were fantastic. Even though I’d never interviewed Mr. Slater before, I did met him years before. After a nostalgic music store discussion, Joy and Christian opened up about taking on this magical tale. As well, we spoke to Lyon Daniels, Mychala Lee, and Noah Cottrell about playing the Grace family children. The three young actors were terrific to speak with, and they opened up about the excitement of being a part of this.

And finally, we talked to one of my favorite fellas to interview, Jack Dylan Grazer, and his talented co-star, Alyvia Alyn Lind. It’s always a joy to chat with Jack, and he talked about playing the magical little creature, Thimbletack. As for Ms. Lind, she opened up about playing an original role to the television series. Since they could expand the stories, with the help of the original authors, it made it easier to build an even bigger world for these characters. Check out The Spiderwick Chronicles, available on Roku now. Read our review of the show HERE.

The post Interview: Christian Slater, Jack Dylan Grazer, and More Talk The Spiderwick Chronicles appeared first on JoBlo.

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