Month: May 2024

Shelby Oaks

Nearly three years have gone by since Chris Stuckmann, a movie critic and author with a channel on YouTube that has over 2 million subscribers, signed a deal with Paper Street Pictures to write and direct the mystery horror film Shelby Oaks. Two years ago, the project became the most-funded horror film project in Kickstarter history, with its crowdfunding campaign pulling in over $1 million. (The initial goal was $250,000.) Filming took place in the Cleveland, Ohio area back in 2022, and while we still don’t know when we’re going to have a chance to see Shelby Oaks, Deadline reports that genre filmmaker Mike Flanagan has just board the project, which is making its way through post-production, as an executive producer.

Flanagan’s previous credits include Absentia, Oculus, Hush, Before I Wake, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher. He’ll be executive producing Shelby Oaks alongside Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka through their company Intrepid Pictures.

Combining documentary, found footage, and traditional film styles, Shelby Oaks centers on Mia’s frantic search for her sister Riley, after Riley ominously disappeared in the last tape of a group of paranormal investigators called the Paranormal Paranoids. As Mia’s obsession grows, she begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from Riley’s childhood may have been real. The project has been inspired by, and accompanied by, a long-lead online marketing campaign around the subject.

The film stars Camille Sullivan (Hunter Hunter), Keith David (The Thing), Brendan Sexton III (Session 9), Michael Beach (If Beale Street Could Talk), Robin Bartlett (Shutter Island), Charlie Talbert (The Big Short), Emily Bennett (Alone With You) and Sarah Durn (Where the Crawdads Sing).

Stuckmann is producing Shelby Oaks with Aaron B. Koontz, Ashleigh Snead, and Cameron Burns of Paper Street. Adam F. Goldberg, Paul Holbrook, Sean E. DeMott, and Tony Killough are also executive producing, with Shawn Talley, Alex Euting, and Farrell Rose co-producing.

Deadline’s article reveals that Flanagan will be providing guidance and input during the post-production process. Flanagan had this to say: “It’s been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing Shelby Oaks to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago. It’s been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path, and to offer support for Chris’ vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.

Stuckmann added: “Intrepid’s films and TV shows have inspired me for years, and it’s a dream come true to work with Mike and Trevor on my first feature. I’m ecstatic beyond words to partner on the release of Shelby Oaks.

Koontz said, “For a film that had such a hard time getting going, it’s remarkable the doors that then opened to us. The success of our Kickstarter followed by the on-going leadership and guidance from Mike, Trevor, and Melinda is beyond anything I could have hoped for.

What do you think of Mike Flanagan joining Shelby Oaks to executive produce and guide the project through post-production? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Michael Caine, DVDs, Blu-ray

One of Hollywood’s greatest living actors, Michael Caine, is sending his fans into a tizzy over a photo posted to his personal Twitter account. The image depicts an impressive stack of Caine’s films on DVD and Blu-ray, encapsulating the highs and lows of his storied career as an entertainer. While gems like Get CarterThe Last Valley, and Harry Brown adorn the pile, cinematic blights like On Deadly GroundJaws: The Revenge, and The Island sit among the crowd.

The variety of films in Caine’s collection speaks volumes about the actor’s sense of humor and accomplishment. While some actors tend to want to cast their cinematic sins to the fiery depths, Caine proudly displays several of his biggest box office bombs and critically panned misfires. For example, Peter Benchley’s The Island is an insane bit of cinema featuring Caine as a kidnap victim of inbred pirates. In the film, the pirates take Caine hostage with the intent of forcing him to impregnate their women. The “awfully good” film includes a scene of the pirates seizing control of a yacht, where they meet a coked-up passenger who fights them using kung-fu while making Bruce Lee-inspired catcalls. The movie ends with Michael Caine massacring the pirates with a machine gun. Shout out to our Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, for cluing me into this beautiful absurdity.

In the comments for Caine’s post, several fans mention films that are inexplicably absent from the mountain of entertainment. Perhaps the most egregious absentee is Brian Henson’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, in which Caine plays the cantankerous Ebenezer Scrooge to perfection alongside Jim Henson’s beloved Muppets. Do I need to fly to England so we can talk, Mr. Caine? This aggression will not stand.

Other films missing from the collection are Caine’s collaborations with Christopher Nolan, like TenetDunkirk, the Batman trilogy, The PrestigeInception, and more. I assume there’s another pile of movies in Caine’s possession where the Nolan movies reside. If not, I say again, do we need to talk, Mr. Caine?

Caine’s photo is a thrilling trip down memory lane for the actor’s storied career. I’ve had a blast while squinting my eyes to catch sight of titles like The SwarmNoises OffCider House RulesSleuth, and others. Are your favorite Michael Caine movies included in the actor’s collection? Will Caine post a follow-up photo with some of the most requested films on display? We’ll need to wait and see.

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Ivanna Sakhno The Spy Who Dumped Me

The sci-fi thriller M3GAN (read our review HERE, get a copy HERE) was such a financial success when it reached theatres in January of last year, it didn’t even take Universal Pictures and production companies Blumhouse and Atomic Monster two weeks to announce that they’d be re-teaming for a sequel. We’ve known that M3GAN stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw will be reprising their roles in M3GAN 2.0, which is set to reach theatres on May 16, 2025, and now Deadline reports that they’re being joined in the cast by Ivanna Sakhno, who is said to have landed a major part in the sequel.

Sakhno’s previous credits include Ivan the Powerful, Can’t Take It Back, The Body Tree, Pacific Rim: Uprising, The Spy Who Dumped Me, High Fidelity, Let It Snow, The Reunion, and the Star Wars series Ahsoka. Details on the character she’ll be playing in M3GAN 2.0 haven’t been revealed.

Based on a story crafted by produced James Wan, M3GAN was directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant). Johnstone is returning to the helm for the sequel, and Cooper has written the script.

The first film has the following synopsis: She’s more than just a toy. She’s part of the family.

From the most prolific minds in horror — James Wan, the filmmaker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, and Blumhouse, the producer of the Halloween films, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man — comes a fresh new face in terror.

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma, M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to. When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady, Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems — a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

M3GAN 2.0 is being produced by James Wan, Jason Blum, and Allison Williams, with Johnstone executive producing alongside Mark Katchur, Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Ryan Turek, Adam Hendricks, and Greg Gilreath.

Are you looking forward to M3GAN 2.0? What do you think of Ivanna Sakhno joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Garret Dillahunt

The serial killer thriller The Huntsman is set to begin filming in Oklahoma on May 22nd, and with that date just a few weeks away we’ve received a press release that reveals some casting information: Shawn Ashmore of Adam Green’s Frozen and the X-Men franchise is set to star in The Huntsman alongside Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead), Elizabeth Mitchell (The Purge: Election Year), and Jessy Schram (Unstoppable). Out of Exile director Kyle Kauwika Harris takes the helm of this “gritty psychological thriller”, working from a screenplay by Steven Jon Whritner that’s based on author Judith Sanders’ novel of the same name.

The Huntsman will see Ashmore taking on the role of a repressed ICU nurse volunteering as a reader for a recovering coma patient (Dillahunt), the prime suspect in the savage murders of six young women in a small southwestern town. The suspect’s wife (Mitchell), refusing to believe that her husband is the killer, struggles with the mounting complexities of the investigation. With a dedicated detective (Schram) trying to solve the mystery before more bodies turn up, numerous other suspects take the case on a spiraling journey.

Frank Malinoski is providing the financing. Plymouth Rock Entertainment’s Whritner and SafeHouse Films’ Jacob Ryan Snovel are producing the film with Nicholas Clement and Maddison Bullock. Dillahunt, Sanders, and Malinoski serve as executive producers.

Harris gave the following statement: “I’m excited to start shooting this dark and atmospheric story. We live in a world where outward appearances are oftentimes deceiving, and one of the many intriguing aspects about this project was how the script addresses inner and outer identity, and the reasons why someone would be driven to kill. I’m drawn to material that takes the audience to the narrative edge, and with The Huntsman, we have a film that will shake the viewer up.

Malinoski added: “From Sanders’ gripping novel comes an amazing script by Whritner, which, in the hands of our visionary director and a brilliantly talented cast, will come a film that should engage, surprise and thrill the minds and hearts of adult audiences.

I haven’t read Sanders’ novel (which is available for purchase at THIS LINK), but The Huntsman sounds interesting to me and a solid cast has been assembled for the film adaptation. I look forward to seeing how it’s going to turn out.

Have you read The Huntsman? How does the film adaptation sound to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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