The Hades 2 technical test is currently live for those lucky enough to have gotten access, and I can confirm that Supergiant Games’ highly anticipated (and first ever) sequel is exactly what it should be, and then some. I had a feeling Hades 2 would be good from the moment I booted up the game and heard the…
The Hades 2 technical test is currently live for those lucky enough to have gotten access, and I can confirm that Supergiant Games’ highly anticipated (and first ever) sequel is exactly what it should be, and then some. I had a feeling Hades 2 would be good from the moment I booted up the game and heard the…
Following a limited theatrical release, director Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire (read our review HERE) was released through the Netflix streaming service back in December. Viewers will get the chance to find out what happens in the second half of the story when Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver reaches the service this Friday – and while doing press for that film, Snyder confirmed that a Rebel Moon 3 is already in the works. But he doesn’t intend to wrap this franchise up as a trilogy. In the end, he thinks there could be a total of 4 to 6 Rebel Moon movies!
Speaking with Radio Times, “We absolutely have the story (for Rebel Moon 3) all set, we did all that work. We wrote a treatment for the movie so we’ll see how we go ahead. … I guess (a total of) 4 makes sense. 4 or 6 movies, depending… I guess it’s whether or not every time we make one of these movies we make two, that’s the question. We were talking about it the other day and I was like, would an audience be disappointed if they only got one movie now from Rebel Moon? Would they be like, ‘Oh, it’s one now? Great.’“
As you can tell from all this sequel talk in his interviews, Snyder has always been open about the fact that he’s hoping “a massive IP and a universe that can be built out” from the foundation of Rebel Moon. He crafted the story for Rebel Moon with 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad, and the pair wrote the screenplay with Army of the Dead co-writer Shay Hatten. The events of the two films, which draw inspiration from Seven Samurai, are set in motion when a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Balisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand.
Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver continues the epic saga of Kora and the surviving warriors as they prepare to sacrifice everything, fighting alongside the brave people of Veldt to defend a once peaceful village, a newfound homeland for those who have lost their own in the fight against the Motherworld. On the eve of their battle, the warriors must face the truths of their pasts, each revealing why they fight. As the full force of the Realm bears down on the burgeoning rebellion, unbreakable bonds are forged, heroes emerge, and legends are made. Snyder has previously described this one as “a war movie“.
The films star Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Djimon Hounsou (A Quiet Place Part II), Ray Fisher (Justice League), Doona Bae (The Host), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch), Staz Nair (Supergirl), E. Duffy (whose previous credits are all short films), Charlotte Maggi (MaveriX), Sky Yang (Tomb Raider), Michiel Huisman (Game of Thrones), Alfonso Herrera (Ozark), Cary Elwes (Saw), Corey Stoll (Ant-Man), Ed Skrein (Deadpool), Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal), and Stuart Martin (Army of Thieves).
While we wait to see if there are going to be more movies (and if so, how many there will be), the Rebel Moon franchise is already being expanded with comic book tie-ins, Snyder has mentioned a spin-off idea, and there’s an animated series in development.
Would you like to see 4 to 6 Rebel Moon movies? Do you think they should continue making two at a time? Share your thoughts on this franchise by leaving a comment below.
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A couple months ago, we learned that The Devil’s Bath – the latest genre movie from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the directing duo behind the disturbing horror films Goodnight Mommy (the original, not the Naomi Watts remake) and The Lodge – had been acquired by Shudder, with the streaming service planning to release it in North America, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand sometime this summer. Now we know the exact release date. The Devil’s Bath will be available to stream on Shudder as of June 28th.
The Devil’s Bath – which has been described as “utterly harrowing”, “chilling”, and “impactful” – is a German-language film that is set in 1750 Austria, at a time when villages were surrounded by deep forests. There, a deeply religious woman has married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her turmoil. Franz and Fiala said it’s “a movie that tackles the horrors of depression and aims to give a voice to women who have been unheard throughout history.”
Anja Plaschg, David Scheid, Maria Hofstätter, Camilla Schielin, and Lorenz Tröbinger star. The film was produced by Ulrich Seidl Productions, as a co-production with Heimatfilm and Coop99 Filmproduktion.
While we wait to check out The Devil’s Bath, Franz and Fiala have already lined up their next genre project: the psychological horror movie A Head Full of Ghosts, which is based on a novel by Paul Tremblay (you can pick up a copy of the book HERE). Another novel written by Tremblay was The Cabin at the End of the World, which M. Night Shyamalan turned into Knock at the Cabin. A Head Full of Ghosts has been in development for years. Back in 2018, Osgood Perkins was attached to write and direct the film. In 2020, Scott Cooper came on board to direct and rewrite Perkins’ script, while Margaret Qualley was set to star in it. The producers are hoping the project will finally get into production later this year with Franz and Fiala at the helm.
Are you interested in the works of Franz and Fiala, and will you be watching The Devil’s Bath on Shudder? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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Back in 2020, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia made his feature directorial debut (after a couple decades of making short films) with the thriller The Platform, which was released through the Netflix streaming service. You can read my very positive review of that film at THIS LINK, but the gist of it is that I was very impressed and was left eager to see what Gaztelu-Urrutia would make next. He was assembling a film called Rich Flu before the strikes last year, but it turns out that the next movie we’ll see from him is a sequel to his debut, The Platform 2. This one will also be making its way out into the world through Netflix, and today a pair of first look images have arrived online to give us a glimpse at what The Platform 2 has in store for us. You can take a look at those at the bottom of this article.
Directed by Gaztelu-Urrutia from a screenplay by David Desola and Pedro Rivero, The Platform told the following story: A vertical prison with one cell per level. Two people per cell. Only one food platform and two minutes per day to feed. An endless nightmare trapped in The Hole.
Gaztelu-Urrutia, Desola, and Rivero share writing credit on The Platform 2 with Egoitz Moreno. Here’s the synopsis: Do you think you can enforce justice in the hell of The Platform? And if you try, who’s going to enforce it?
The sequel stars Milena Smit (The Girl in the Mirror) and Hovik Keuchkerian (Red Queen).
Gaztelu-Urrutia produced The Platform 2 with Carlos Júarez and Raquel Perea. Netflix hasn’t yet announced a specific release date for the movie yet, all we know so far is that it will be streaming sometime before the end of the year. We’ll give an update as soon as we know the specific date.
Were you a fan of The Platform, and are you looking forward to The Platform 2? Take a look at the first two images, then let us know by leaving a comment below. I’ve been waiting four years to see the next Gaztelu-Urrutia film, so I will definitely be watching this sequel.
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Warner Bros. is returning to the fantasy action game after acquiring Shannon Messenger‘s novel series Keeper of the Lost Cities. Emma Watts produces the project, which could turn into a franchise if audiences warm to the story and characters.
Here’s a synopsis for Keeper of the Lost Cities (Volume 1) courtesy of Amazon:
Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks.
But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath, too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well, she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.
But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.
A lot of people say they wish they could read people’s minds, but if you ask me, it sounds like a pain in the ass. In addition to always knowing what people are thinking, others will likely hunt you down to use your gift for evil. Imagine always being on the run, never being alone in your own head, and disappointed when others you think you can trust turn on you. Maybe that’s a grim outlook, but am I wrong?
Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities is a massive property. Nine books in the series have sold over 7 million worldwide, and that number is expected to shoot up after this story makes the rounds. The tenth installment of the series, Unraveled, hits bookstore shelves on November 12, 2024.
In 2021, Deadline said Ben Affleck would direct the feature for Disney+. With Keeper of the Lost Cities changing hands, it’s unclear if Affleck is still attached.
Could Keeper of the Lost Cities become another Warner Bros. franchise at the Harry Potter level? Are you familiar with Sophie’s saga? In the comments below, let us know what you think about this project’s potential.
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Arrowhead Studios continues loading up Helldivers 2 with new content including a new powerhouse rifle with jet-propelled shells that explode on impact. It’s called the R-36 Eruptor and it makes clearing out Automaton Fabricators and Terminid bug holes a breeze. You’ll need to fork over some cash or grind super credits…
Arrowhead Studios continues loading up Helldivers 2 with new content including a new powerhouse rifle with jet-propelled shells that explode on impact. It’s called the R-36 Eruptor and it makes clearing out Automaton Fabricators and Terminid bug holes a breeze. You’ll need to fork over some cash or grind super credits…
Plot: The Grace family moves from Brooklyn, New York, to their ancestral home in Henson, Michigan, the Spiderwick Estate. Helen makes the move with her 15-year-old fraternal twin boys, Jared and Simon, and her older daughter, Mallory. Shortly after moving to the Spiderwick Estate, Jared discovers a boggart and realizes that magical creatures are real! The only one to believe him is his great-aunt Lucinda, who implores Jared to find the pages of her father’s field guide to magical creatures and protect them from the murderous Ogre, Mulgarath.
Review: Based on the popular young adult novel series of the same name, The Spiderwick Chronicles comes a decade-and-a-half after Paramount Pictures’ big-screen adaptation was a moderate success at the box office and with critics. Taking a cue from other YA films like A Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, and other similar early 21st-century franchises, The Spiderwick Chronicles books combines fantasy, humor, and a family-centric story with a Ferngully flair for good measure. Initially set up as a Disney+ original, The Spiderwick Chronicles reboot updates the book narrative for a new generation with a slightly darker tone and improved special effects. With a solid cast of newcomers and Christian Slater chewing the scenery as the villain, this series attempts to supplant a lack of energy or originality with a couple of unique twists. While the effort is sincere, The Spiderwick Chronicles does not rise to the bar necessary for a series to thrive past a single season.
While Freddie Highmore led the 2008 film in a dual role as the Grace twins, this series features Lyon Daniels and Noah Cottrell as twins Jared and Simon Grace. Stepping in for elder sibling Mallory is Mychala Lee, who takes over from Sarah Bolger, while Joy Bryant replaces Mary-Louise Parker as their mother, Helen Grace. The Grace clan, fresh off the divorce of Helen from the unseen Richard Grace, move to their familial estate, Spiderwick, since Lucinda Spiderwick (Charlayne Woodard) remains in a senior care facility. Hoping to make a fresh start, Grace’s move is precipitated by a need for stronger psychiatric care for Jared, who suffers from Oppositional Defiance Disorder. By adding in an increasingly common diagnosis, The Spiderwick Chronicles trades in on Jared being a problem child or a rabble-rouser by giving him a formal disability. This also allows Jared to forge a bond with the other outcasts, including Emiko (Momona Tamada) and Hatcher (Hunter Dillon). Soon after arriving at Spiderwick, Jared and his family discover strange things, including the diminutive creature and troublemaker Thimbletack (voiced by Shazam‘s Jack Dylan Grazer). Almost immediately, the fantasy and reality of this world blend, and there is no looking back. Each episode connects serially to the preceding chapters with deepening mythology that builds this fantastical world and how the Grace and Spiderwick families and the Field Guide created by Arthur Spiderwick and why Mulgarath wants to possess it.
As the eight-episode first season of The Spiderwick Chronicles progresses, it resembles another series about a stately mansion full of supernatural beings and a villainous monster after a trio of siblings. Like Netflix’s Locke & Key, The Spiderwick Chronicles has a blend of mild profanity and mature themes peppered into a coming-of-age story. The aged-up protagonist from middle to high school affords more material for the writers, but it still feels a bit hokey overall. Luckily, there is Christian Slater. Coming off his work on the Disney+ series Willow and his acclaimed turn on Mr. Robot, Slater seems to be having a lot of fun chewing the scenery in the human form of the evil ogre Mulgarath. Played by Nick Nolte in the movie, Slater has fun making Mulgarath more of a direct nemesis for the Grace family, along with the monster posing as human teen Calliope (Chucky‘s Alyvia Alyn Lind). The two share some of the best moments in the series as they prepare to take over the planet and consume humanity, but Alyvia Lind seems to have the more layered role. Slater spends most of his time trying to be menacing and occasionally showing glimpses of his true form.
At first, I was hopeful that this series would impress me. I enjoyed the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the first season of Goosebumps, but The Spiderwick Chronicles begins to struggle at the halfway point of the season. As menacing as Christian Slater can be, Mulgarath’s plan seems overwrought and stretched out for twice as many episodes as it should. Adding characters here to get more screen time, like Bree Kent (Mellany Barros) and fencing instructor Valentina (The Light We Cannot See star Aria Mia Loberti), makes the main narrative take longer to get going than it should. The production values are good and the special effects solid, but the series feels like it is repeating an overly familiar plot formula from one episode to the next. Artificial cliffhangers and misdirects meant to make us mistrust the main characters end up feeling like cliche twists that can be spotted a mile away.
Showrunner Aron Eli Coleite (Heroes, Daybreak, Ultimate X-Men) adapts the novels from writers Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black in a way that honors the integrity of the original books while forging a totally unique plot. The series is set up to be the first of multiple seasons, something I am not confident will come to pass, but it uses the vast majority of the plot from the published novels. That means future seasons could be wholly original tales if they ever happen. The first two episodes are directed by Kat Coiro (She-Hulk: Attorney At Law) and incorporate roles for her husband, Rhys Coiro, and She-Hulk breakout Patty Guggenheim. Still, subsequent entries in the season fail to capitalize on the tone and mood she sets up in the initial entries. So much of this series reminded me of better productions, including Wednesday and the aforementioned Locke & Key, that I wondered why this series even exists. That may sound harsh, but it just became progressively more challenging over the course of the series to understand why this was not a movie instead of a long-form series.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a difficult series to rate because it has many positives, mostly in the able cast, solid special effects, and a more mature tone compared to the 2008 movie. Unfortunately, the uneven pacing, overwrought family drama, and slow yet repetitive pacing make for a series that is hard to get into. Because this is YA material, I may not be the target audience for this type of story. Still, the talent behind the scenes has been capable of generating narratives that work for kids and adults alike. The Spiderwick Chronicles has a distinct enough mythology that it could garner enough of a fan base to garner a season two. Still, I was underwhelmed by how mediocre the overall first season ended, leaving me without any desire to see where this story could go next.
The Spiderwick Chronicles premieres on April 19th on The Roku Channel.
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Hades is famously known for its tight action gameplay, unmatched ability to weave narrative into a run-based roguelike, and for Supergiant Games making the pantheon of Greek gods fine as hell. The team said that beauty was a virtue in its character design, but the fact that the original game lacked body diversity…