Moon Studio’s No Rest for the Wicked is a tough-as-nails Soulslike, but there are moments of respite to be found. Alongside the array of weapons and armor found in chests or offered as rewards for quests, there’s a set of more rudimentary tools that you shouldn’t ignore. They include a pickaxe and a fishing rod, which…
It won’t be too long until fans of Capcom’s survival horror franchise will be able to play the next entry in the franchise. That’s if the latest rumors about the inevitable Resident Evil 9 are to be believed. The new update comes from Dusk Golem, a prominent horror game leaker who previously revealed details on Silent…
It won’t be too long until fans of Capcom’s survival horror franchise will be able to play the next entry in the franchise. That’s if the latest rumors about the inevitable Resident Evil 9 are to be believed. The new update comes from Dusk Golem, a prominent horror game leaker who previously revealed details on Silent…
Here we go again. In recent years, Mel Gibson’s found himself stuck in a never-ending series of DTV-style action thrillers, similar to the kind of fare Bruce Willis churned out before his retirement. Along with his contemporaries like John Travolta, John Cusack and many others, Gibson seems totally stuck in a rut, with virtually all of these films (most of which he only has minor roles in) going totally unnoticed. Has anyone seen Panama, Agent Game, On the Line, Confidential Informant, Desperation Road, Dangerous or Force of Nature? There have been some bright spots, such as the solid Bandit (a movie he was proud of when I interviewed him) or Fatman, but for the most part, Gibson’s career as an actor in mainstream movies seems limited to this kind of fare, which is a shame.
Nevertheless, he’s still out there cranking out VOD movies, with Boneyard being the latest. You can watch the trailer above, with the film teaming him up with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. In it, he plays an FBI profiler on the trail of a serial killer, with the film carrying an “inspired by true events” title card. While I’d love to give the movie the benefit of the doubt, the trailer seems pretty generic, although Gibson seems to be having fun in his loud Hawaiian shirts. Indeed, you can always rely on Gibson to bring his A-game, with him not the type to phone in his performances.
Boneyard is directed by Asif Akbar, who made three movies last year and already has another 2024 release, Skeletons in the Closet (starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr), in the bag. He’s got no less than three other movies in the works, with him seemingly churning out these kinds of films left and right.
Boneyard co-stars Brick’s Nora Zehetner, as well as Den of Thieves co-star Brian Van Holt. Boneyard hits (some) theaters on June 5th and will be on VOD on July 2nd.
Do you think Gibson could ever pull a Nicolas Cage and escape the VOD purgatory he’s found himself in? Maybe his upcoming directorial vehicle, Flight Risk, will do the trick? Let us know in the comments.
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The OG Woodboro final girl is returning to the Scream franchise after the series got a new stab at continuing when Ready or Not directors Matt Bertinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett revived the story with the 2022 sequel. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette would all make appearances in their respective characters. However, when it came to the 2023 sequel, Scream VI, Campbell’s Sidney Prescott would notably be missing for the first time in franchise history. The story would pick up from the point-of-view of the Carpenters, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. Both stars face their own issues of returning to Scream 7, which is when the play was made for Campbell’s involvement.
Campbell’s sketchy commitment to Scream VI and Scream 7 involved a dispute with her payment as the series’ star. She would sit out VI, but when Barrera and Ortega would not be returning, Campbell and the studio would finally reach an agreement. Variety reports that the Party of Five star confirmed that the studio, Spyglass Media Group, met her request and she replies with gratitude. She tells People, “I’m really grateful that the studio heard me when I talked about pay discrepancy and when I talked about [‘Scream VI’ negotiations] not feeling respectful.” She professes that when she was approached to star in the new entry, the vibe had changed, “When they first approached me [for Scream 7], I thought, ‘I don’t know what respectful looks like to them. We might be in very different places.’ But they started out in a strong place, so that was lovely.”
And, in a new twist even the most hardcore fans couldn’t have predicted, none other than the franchise’s original mastermind, original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, will be rejoining the franchise to direct. Campbell expounded in an Instagram post, “While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct Scream 7! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years.”
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Sucker Punch’s open-world samurai game Ghost of Tsushima is getting a Steam port this month that will require a PlayStation Network account to access its multiplayer mode. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Sony recently announced that the “grace period” for the beloved multiplayer game Helldivers 2 was over, and…
Sucker Punch’s open-world samurai game Ghost of Tsushima is getting a Steam port this month that will require a PlayStation Network account to access its multiplayer mode. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Sony recently announced that the “grace period” for the beloved multiplayer game Helldivers 2 was over, and…
What is the world of rap without feuds? Well, the music world is on fire as of late, as Drake and Kendrick Lamar have spent the better part of the last month and a half throwing diss tracks at one another in a constant stream. That’s right, we now have a Pulitzer Prize winner in a rap war…Damn.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been going at it for over a decade at this point. Even though they formerly collaborated on a number of projects in the early 2010s, their partnership, like so many in the rap world, fell apart. While the first diss track came sometime back in 2013, the clash between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is at an all-time high. The trigger for this thread goes back to March’s “Like That”, in which Lamar distanced himself from his former friend. Drake hit back the following month on “Push Ups”, doubling down less than a week later with “Taylor Made Freestyle”, which actually resulted in a cease and desist after he used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur.
We really haven’t gone more than a week without a response diss track from either Drake or Kendrick Lamar. This month alone has seen four tracks – and it’s only May 6th! Let’s check these out: after somehow confusing Haley Joel Osment and Joel Osteen on “Euphoria”, Lamar himself dropped another song, “6:16 in LA” in which he rapped, Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.
As has become habit and proving to be possible in the digital age, Drake responded to this Kendrick Lamar track with “Family Matters” that same day, taking personal shots at Lamar’s family. Lamar fired back over the weekend with the double shot of “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” almost immediately after, both personal attacks. In “Not Like Us”, Lamar ramped up the hate, rapping, Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young / You better not ever go to cell block one. With all that is going on with Sean Combs, no doubt people will draw links whether Lamar intended them or not.
That about takes us up to speed with the drama around Drake and Kendrick Lamar, although I have a feeling this article will be outdated the minute it gets published…
Who do you pick in the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar? What has been the most damning line so far?
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While Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues was released back in 2013, no solid plan for a follow-up has been announced. However, this does not mean that Ron Burgundy is officially gone from the spotlight, as Will Ferrell looks to break out the character every now and then. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest instance of Burgundy’s mustachioed return came at the Netflix comedy special, The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady. Before Burgundy took the stage, he was introduced as “a living legend, a world-class lover and the No. 1 news anchor in all of Sunday.” Then, Ferrell sported a corduroy jacket and proceeded to joke, “My name is Ron Burgundy. I am a very big deal but tonight is not about me. …We are here to honor a champion of the gridiron, a great American, a father and a sexy man, a true patriot — until he was not.”
Burgundy would start in on the obvious target of Brady’s good looks, “This man is gorgeous. … Look at those cheekbones. That’s a million-watt smile right there. … I could get lost in those eyes and right now I am that person,” he said. “Ron, pull it together. You’re a straight man. He’s making you question your sexuality. Stop looking at him. You’re here to make fun of him. Not fall in love. Concentrate.” Burgundy would then continue, “Tom, it’s clear, everybody up here loves you. I love you, although it might just be lust. Could be love, we’ll never know.” Ferrell’s Anchorman character would move on to address the post-football career of Brady. As Burgundy is a champion of the news, he references the possibility of Brady taking on his own broadcasting position, “I can’t wait for you to be up there on Fox Sports commentating on the game you loved, or playing for the Raiders in the playoffs, or coaching the Patriots, or whatever the f*ck you’re gonna do.” He quipped that Tom was “boring” to watch. Then, he continued, “I never liked you Tom in all my years of watching professional football. I never saw a more boring quarterback,” he said, later adding: “He actually made me look forward to all the fun and laughter of a Bill Belichick postgame interview.”
Burgundy segued into poking fun at Brady’s former Patriots coach, “By the way, Bill, wherever you are, I hope, you know, I hope you know it now it was Tom, it was never you. … Remember that period when people thought it was you. Well, it wasn’t. It was Tom. I understand, Bill. You’re currently unemployed. Good luck on ZipRecruiter. There are a lot of jobs in the health care field. I hear male nurses are in great demand and with your bedside manner, no one would rather wake up after gallbladder surgery and look into the loving kind face of Bill Belichick as he gives you a sponge bath.”
Then, Ferrell brought it home, saying, “I mean, let’s be honest. Your best years are behind you, Tom. The Super Bowls, Gisele, your movie career, it’s all done, it’s all gone. But you won’t be forgotten, you’ll always be remembered as Eli Manning’s bitch. Don’t let that get you down, Tom. Like I said before, we all love you. In fact, only one man truly hates you and it is my pleasure to bring him out here, Mr. Bill Belichick,”
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Vampires and werewolves are big business in mainstream media, with a veritable feast of TV shows and movies being dedicated to the mythical creatures across the decades. So when something comes along that slots straight into the mainstream zeitgeist with its gothic visuals and sexy vampires fighting pesky swearwolves, you know what’s coming next. Yup, sequels and prequels! As mentioned in our previous episode that sunk its teeth into the fun but flawed Underworld from 2003, director Len Wiseman found love with his leading lady, Kate Beckinsale. And, if you’re being massively cynical, you could perhaps suggest that their star-struck Hollywood romance is one of the main reasons a follow-up to the first movie was green-lit. Or maybe it was the decent box-office, cool world-building or maybe even the lashings of S&M clad characters? The first movie, as we discussed previously, is flawed and far from perfect but you know what, I liked it, hairy Lycan warts and all. Whatever your view of the movie is, it had a lot going for it and, let’s face it, this type of genre flick has gone down the once dreaded straight to home video route before. The main selling point is obviously Beckinsale’s Selene, with her slo-mo acrobatics, raucous firefights and tight leather costume. And that long overcoat she pilfered from Neo. Director Wiseman obviously thought so, with the endless glamor shots of his partner, whom he married in 2004, but sadly divorced from a number of years later. Sequels are never an easy undertaking, with audience and fan expectation heightened by what’s come before. So could the promise of some further world-building lead to a follow-up that expands upon the first movie and ups the vampire vs werewolf action significantly? Let’s find out, here on WTF happened to Underworld: Evolution!
Let’s just take a moment to look at the merits of some vampire and werewolf flicks that showed the world that their impact on mainstream culture was merited and worthy of potential sequels. Or on the contrary, that should have been staked through the heart and left to slowly decay. Well, don’t get me started on the awful Twilight series. I appreciate how huge the books are and the cultural impact of the franchise as a whole, and at least it introduced a new audience to the mythology of vampires and shape-shifters. But, vamps shimmering in the sunlight in a largely bloodless and raunch-free teen-friendly setting is too tame for this particular gore-hound. Nope. No thanks. See you later Bella and friends. Give me the black and white, punk vampire western aesthetic of A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Del Toro’s excellent Cronos, or the hilarious hijinx of What We Do in the Shadows, both on the big and small screen, over Twilight any time. But, that’s just my own personal opinion, gore-hounds!
The point is, there’s obviously an audience out there for Underworld, and while the merits of the series is subjective to your own personal tastes, we can still dissect what works in terms of the follow-ups’ narrative and if it expands upon the mythology sufficiently. The story for Underworld: Evolution (watch it HERE) was again written by director Wiseman and Danny McBride, who also wrote the movie’s screenplay. In terms of cast we get the leather clad Kate Beckinsale back again, naturally, plus Bill Nighy returning in a smaller role this time, which makes sense when you see the movie, even though his head was sliced in two in the first installment. Scott Speedman’s Michael also returns as does Shane Brolly’s Kraven. The main cast is also joined in this one by the classically trained English Shakespearian actor, Derek Jacobi, as the progenitor of both the vampire and werewolf bloodlines, Alexander Cornivus. It’s fun seeing the great Jacobi on screen in such an admittedly over the top but entertaining genre flick like this. We also get Tony Curran as Markus Cornivus, Steven Mackintosh as Andreas Tanis and the returning Zita Gorog as vampire elder Amelia.
Like the first movie, Evolution boasts a solid cast and talent behind the camera, so could it not only expand upon the mythology, answer some questions about the battle between the vamps and Lycans, and deliver some kick-ass bloodthirsty action? Well, it tries to achieve all of these elements but just doesn’t quite manage to stick the slo-mo, leather-trousered landing. The blood-feud between the two factions continues apace in Wiseman’s cranked up sequel, with more of the expected goth-flavored sex appeal, blood-spillage and grisly spectacle. The movie opens with a prologue set in a frosty medieval village that’s been ravaged by those pesky Lycans, who as we all know by now, are the sworn enemies of the slightly poncy Vampire clan. Amongst the corpses littering the streets, just ready to transform, we’re introduced to two brothers, Tony Curran’s Marcus and William, played mainly by some monstrous CGI. You see, Marcus was bitten by a bat and William by a wolf, which sets us up nicely for a sibling power struggle. Which, naturally, is set against a bleak, gothic environment where leather clad ladies lay waste to beasties with her twin pistols, like she’s just stepped off the set of a badly lit John Woo movie.
The prologue at least rectifies an issue with the first movie, in that the vampires and werewolves spent a lot time of shooting at each other while wearing black leather or as a badly rendered CGI beastie, but don’t necessarily seem like the classic creatures. The opening scenes of Evolution at least give us a glimpse into their origins, and we also get to see some freshly turned Lycans bite some vampire faces off, which is always fun. Once the action switches to the present day, the blood-sucking Markus emerges from his tomb as one ugly mother fucker with wings he uses to behead his enemies. It’s appreciated, because the monsters are at last actually acting like monsters in the series. Meanwhile, the star crossed lovers, Selene and Michael, are coming to terms with his new status as a hybrid, and the fact that they need to stop Markus from freeing his Lycan brother from his very long entombment. The first act of the movie gives us some pretty decent set pieces, including a truck chase with the winged Markus in full flight, and climaxes with a sex scene between Selene and Michael. It’s been a long coming, but it sure looks like their body doubles are enjoying themselves at least.
The rest of the narrative from this point onwards doesn’t get any more complicated other than it would be pretty bad if Markus freed William from his slumber, as he’s also a proper beast himself. Plus, both brothers are direct ancestors of their respective races and were sired by Derek Jacobi’s Alexander Corvinus. What isn’t clear though, is how his offspring are able to mutate into super-beasts while Corvinus seems to be stuck in the body of a classic Shakespearian English actor. The movie’s tangled plot gets bogged down by concentrating on backstories, and age-old-motivations, while Beckinsale continues to be the series’ selling point, opposite the underwhelming and seemingly emotionless Scott Speedman as Michael. Their relationship is fairly believable, however, and at least they share some decent chemistry at times.
The first movie had that uber cool shot of Selene’s balletic drop from the roof and while the sequel attempts to recreate this several times, choppy editing and poorly executed camera angles lessen the impact. To be fair though, the action in the movie is fairly well produced and as well as the aforementioned truck chase we also get a fun, if CGI heavy finale, with rampant mutated beasts and a nice bit of rotor blade comeuppance for one particular character. The settings and location work gives the movie the look of any other generic horror or fantasy epics of the time, and while the CGI monsters aren’t always convincing, to say the least, you can forgive this to a certain degree due to the film’s heightened reality. The most successful use of VFX and character design goes to the winged Markus, with Curran’s menacing performance a highlight of the movie. This sequel is by no way the disaster it could have been, nor is it the evolution (pun intended) the series needed. However, the promise of future installments at the end of the film doesn’t elicit the groans it could have easily done, which is something at least.
Underworld: Evolution premiered at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles on January 11th, 2006 and was released in the US on January 20th by Sony Pictures. The movie opened at number one at the domestic box office with a haul of $26.9 million dollars over its opening weekend, from a total of 3,207 screens. It didn’t have much in the way of similar competition at the time, with only torture porn shocker Hostel competing for the same audience, which was in week three and had already dropped down to number 10 in the charts. Critically, the movie was, predictably, slated by most reviewers. It has a 17% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s consensus saying the movie is, “A visual and aural assault on the senses, this vampire-werewolf sequel makes a lot of noise and features a heavy-handed, overly convoluted story.” That is, of course, if you take any notice of that particular website. The New York Times were critical of the movie’s overall ‘look’ and also described it as, “a monotonous barrage of computer-generated fur and fangs.” The San Francisco Chronicle were also less than enthused about the colour grade, saying, “you can tell that Underworld: Evolution is trying to be an artistic action-horror film, because every scene is bathed in the color blue,” but going on to offer some faint praise, “It’s an admirable attempt to test the boundaries of the genre but is confusing and not fun to watch”.
Ultimately then, Evolution doesn’t, well, ‘evolve’ the series in any major way, but if you take it for what it really is, a formulaic genre flick, it’s still a fun watch. It’s far from perfect and is light on both characterisation and an engrossing narrative, but Beckinsale works the leather well again and some of the other main cast members bring a decent amount of menace to proceedings. More importantly though, I’d love to hear about what YOUR opinion is, as that is what matters to us most here at JoBlo; so let us know your thoughts of Underworld: Evolution in the comments section. Does it deliver a worthy part two or should the franchise have been obliterated by some out of control rotor blades? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one, you wonderful gore-hounds. Thanks for watching!
A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
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