Lucasfilm has had what can, charitably, be described as a rocky history with how it has handled Star Wars frequently finding itself the target of the ever-evolving reactionary culture war. In fits and starts, the studio has struggled in defending stars and crew from harassment and baseless accusations, from the…
Lucasfilm has had what can, charitably, be described as a rocky history with how it has handled Star Wars frequently finding itself the target of the ever-evolving reactionary culture war. In fits and starts, the studio has struggled in defending stars and crew from harassment and baseless accusations, from the…
A decade ago, director James Ward Byrkit brought us a surreal, Twilight Zone-ish sci-fi thriller called Coherence (watch it HERE), which JoBlo’s own Eric Walkuski gave an 8/10 review you can read at THIS LINK. Now Deadline has revealed that Byrkit and It’s What’s Inside producer Kate Andrews are teaming up to develop a follow-up of some sort to Coherence! As Deadline notes, “Plot details are being kept under lock and key — including whether the new film will be a prequel, sequel, or a different story entirely.”
Byrkit crafted the story for the first film with Alex Manugian, coming up with the following set-up: Eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of events due to the malevolent influence of a passing comet.
Coherence starred Emily Foxler, who now goes by Emily Baldoni (Five Feet Apart), Maury Sterling (Smokin’ Aces), Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World director Lorene Scafaria, Hugo Armstrong (Bosch: Legacy), Elizabeth Gracen (Highlander: The Raven), Lauren Maher (the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), Aqueela Zoll (Fighting with My Family), and Nicholas Brendon’s twin brother Kelly Donovan. Alex Manugian had an acting role in the film as well, and has been seen on multiple episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
Byrkit and Manugian are writing the follow-up together and Andrews will be producing through her company Boldly Go Productions. Stephen Belden will executive produce the film under his Death Wish Entertainment banner.
Byrkit provided the following statement: “I’ve been inundated with pitches for sequels and offers for remakes ever since the film came out but nothing ever inspired us until Kate Andrews sent me an email with two words that unlocked the box. So either Kate’s a genius or she’s from a parallel reality where Alex and I already wrote this and she’s pitching us our own movie.“
Are you a fan of Coherence, and are you glad to hear that a follow-up of some sorts in the works? What would you like to see from this return to the world of Coherence? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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If you’re three or older, you might remember a brief window of happiness in the annus horribilis that was 2021: Wordle. It was such a lovely time, not just because of Josh Wardle’s splendid little daily puzzle game that provided light in an era of lockdowns, but also because of the multiple variants that sprang up…
If you’re three or older, you might remember a brief window of happiness in the annus horribilis that was 2021: Wordle. It was such a lovely time, not just because of Josh Wardle’s splendid little daily puzzle game that provided light in an era of lockdowns, but also because of the multiple variants that sprang up…
Could this picture BE any crisper? It sure can, as Warner Bros. has taken to remastering the 90s sitcom that became a cultural phenomenon — Friends — for a special complete series release on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Blu-ray.com has just revealed the new information and specs that have been sent from the Warners press release. The large box set is due to hit the retail market later this year on September 24. The full press release can be viewed below.
This ultimate collector’s set for any FRIENDS fan includes over 110 hours of content – including all 236 original broadcast episodes released for the first time in 4K Blu-ray, plus over 20 hours of extra features INCLUDING ALL-NEW BONUS CONTENT. Pre-order your copy now.
From Warner Bros. Television, FRIENDS follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).
FRIENDS was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. Throughout its run, the show was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards®, winning six awards including Best Comedy Series in 2002.
FRIENDS maintains its influence among viewers. Since its launch, the series has been watched over 71 billion times in the United States alone, across all linear & SVOD platforms. On an international level, viewers spent a total of more than 1.4 billion hours with FRIENDS in 2023 across linear and SVOD internationally.
As FRIENDS marks its 30th anniversary this year, the beloved TV series continues to hold an enduring place in popular culture and hearts worldwide. With its witty humor, relatable characters, and memorable catchphrases, FRIENDS transcends generations with its universal appeal, making it a classic that continues to bring joy and laughter to fans around the world.
Technical specs:
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, German 2.0 S DD, French 2.0 S DD, Japanese 2.0 S DD, Castilian-Spanish 2.0 S DD
Subtitles: English SDH, German SDH, French, Japanese, Castilian Spanish, Latin Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Dutch, Complex Chinese
Running time: 236 (30 min) episodes. Over 20 hours of special features including all-new bonus content
FRIENDS: The Complete Series includes all 236 original broadcast episodes from the iconic 10 seasons of the beloved series, plus hours of special features which has been created over the years including two hours of all-new bonus content.
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It was almost exactly one year ago when we learned that Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – had signed on to star in the A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Now Deadline reports that A24 is planning to give Heretic a wide theatrical release on November 15th.
Details are scarce, but the story has something to do with two missionaries that attempt to convert a dangerous man. Here’s how Deadline describes it: Two young missionaries become ensnared in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse after they knock on the wrong front door.
There’s no word on who Grant plays in this scenario, but it would be very cool to see him take on the role of the dangerous man, and it seems likely that we’re going to. He has previously said that he finds villain roles to be “more fun” to play. He is joined in the cast of Heretic by Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), presumably as the missionaries.
Grant hasn’t done much horror in his career, but he did have a role in Ken Russell’s Bram Stoker-inspired supernatural horror comedy The Lair of the White Worm back in 1988.
Beck and Woods’ previous credits include A Quiet Place (they wrote the original screenplay), Haunt (writers/directors), Nightlight (writers/directors), Spread (writers/directors), the “Adam Driver vs. dinosaurs” movie 65 (writers/directors), and an episode of 50 States of Fright (writers/directors). They also (alongside Mark Heyman) received writing credits on the Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman – which happened to star Sophie Thatcher, who turned in a great performance in a movie I thought was just okay overall.
Are you interested in Heretic, and are you glad to hear that A24 has picked a release date for it? Share your thoughts on this Hugh Grant horror movie by leaving a comment below.
Beck and Woods have worked on some interesting projects and they have assembled a strong cast for Heretic, so I’m looking forward to checking this one out later this year.
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PLOT: When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it.
REVIEW: I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone to come along and make “POV Jason Voorhees.” The concept of following a slasher villain as they go on their journey of mayhem is the stuff of dreams. I’ve always felt that slashers are the prime candidate to deconstruct in an interesting way. Not since Scream has the subgenre been given a unique perspective and had hype behind it. So, like the 1996 classic, I was hoping this would build off of the films that came before it, and bring slasher films to new heights. Instead of a love letter, In A Violent Nature feels like an insult to the genre.
In A Violent Nature mostly follows the killer, Johnny, as he’s been resurrected to retrieve a stolen locket. He rises from the ground and we as the audience bring up the rear on his slow walk towards bloody destruction. But that’s really all it is. There’s no deconstructing stereotypes or subverting expectations: we are simply following this man as he kills person after person. Each victim is quick to accept their fate and die in gruesome ways, with little to no resistance. There are elements of the subgenre, with a final girl and familial history for the killer. But it adds up to nothing more than window dressing. It’s there to check a box versus add to the story.
There are obvious comparisons with Friday the 13th, with the Johnny character paralleling Jason Voorhees in many ways. However, Johnny lacks any kind of personality that can allow the audience to attach themselves. He’s just a killer husk. One of the reasons the Friday the 13th films have persevered for decades, is that they’re just plain fun. But everything here is such a bore. Johnny has no distinct personality and mostly seems drawn to noise versus debauchery. Ry Barrett has a great build but the film doesn’t really allow him to be anything other than a stuntman. I hope he wore his fitness watch because he definitely got his steps in.
Why do so many films insist on going full frame these days? I can count on one hand the times a modern movie actually pulls it off. It mostly just comes across like a gimmick and that’s really all it is here. The director claimed he wanted Johnny to get “lost in the frame” more and “be one with nature,” but I’d argue full frame makes that even more difficult. And since so much of the film is just following Johnny walking, and given his wide frame, he takes up so much of the field of view. So it’s hard to lose someone when we’re just staring at their back for long periods.
I don’t want this to all be negative so let’s focus on some positives. The look of Johnny is very cool, with his Smoking Mask providing an intimidating look. Though, it’s a little pointless since we don’t even get to see the mask most of the time. And his hook felt rather unique as a murder weapon. There’s one death in particular that is an absolute showcase for the picture. Practical effects are used to absolute perfection and help to elevate otherwise bland scenes. Most of the kills leave little impact but the ones that do are quite memorable.
While the concept behind the film seems to be “an elevated slasher film” it doesn’t really have those elements outside of the pretentious camerawork. The acting is beyond bad, which really clashes with the arthouse aesthetic. The dialogue is very cliched and the story has been done a thousand times. And that’s all well and good except they don’t subvert anything. They’re simply bad characters with bad dialogue, which I think speaks to the filmmaker’s opinion on slasher films. As much as I went into this thinking it’d be a love letter, it feels more like an insult to the subgenre.
In A Violent Nature is easily the most disappointed I’ve been with a horror film in quite some time. As a massive slasher fan, I had very high expectations. The idea of deconstructing the genre and elevating it is a lifelong dream for most fans. Or heck, even simplifying it and distilling it down to its essence could have also worked. Yet this does none of that. It simply takes a very bland slasher script, and gives it some Gus Van Sant camerawork and editing. And when that results in 70% of the movie just being a guy walking for long periods; it ultimately feels pointless.
IN A VIOLENT NATURE IS IN THEATERS MAY 31ST, 2024 AND COMES TO SHUDDER LATER THIS SUMMER.
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When Logan came out in 2017, James Mangold had to age up Hugh Jackman to play an old man Wolverine. Seven years later, Jackman breaks his rule of returning to a character for a special case, but he would only be older. The Aussie had occupied the character since the genesis of the modern run of superhero movies at the turn of the millennium. Deadpool & Wolverine is a welcomed return for Jackman to the X-Men world, and it amazingly still makes sense despite the fandom already saying goodbye to him as the character years ago.
However, playing an intensely feral character for 24 years has made this last go much more difficult for Jackman. Especially with his older age. Deadline reports on an interview People Magazine had with Deadpool & Wolverine stars, Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. Jackman admits, “When I came back to it, it was really fun and I was thrilled. My body was a little sore at the beginning, but I was thrilled that my body was still responding. And I realized how good it is for your brain. But the hardest bit…the food.” As muscular as he gets for this role, Jackman says he’s always had difficulty bulking up. He continued to say,
I have to eat a lot. For me, for my body type, I’m naturally skinny. To get the size on, that’s the hardest bit. That’s the bit that does my head in.”
His co-star, Reynolds, would chime in. Reynolds, who himself has maintained a superhero physique since the days of Blade: Trinity, would profess that he “couldn’t believe” the physicality he saw as Jackman slipped back into the role. Reynolds fawned, “Just the sheer relentlessness that you dedicated yourself towards stunts, choreography. It was the first time I’d ever seen how invaluable a background in song and dance is when you are doing an action movie. You hit your marks in those fight scenes with speed and confidence, the likes of which I have never seen. I don’t care if you were 25, 35, 45 or 55. It was lightning.”
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It doesn’t always take a lot for a comedian to get canceled – sometimes it’s deserving and other times the result of the overly PC, but whatever the reason, they often have a lot of work to do to get back in the graces of the general public. So what’s the best approach to get there? Social media apologies? Tucking away in the coat closet until it tides over? How about saying screw it and doubling down? That’s the approach of Nick Swardson, and he knows a few things about getting canceled – well, his shows, at least…
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times ahead of his Toilet Head Tour, Nick Swardson praised stand-up comedians who are brave enough to stand by their words, however controversial they may be deemed to a selection of the audience. “Comedians can say whatever we want, and you’ve got to commit to it, and you’ve got to stand by it. If you’re gonna put something out there, you can’t pull back. Comedians are the last resort of just calling sh*t out. So when you try to censor me, I’ve done this for 30 years, I don’t blink an eye. Don’t tell me what to do. Don’t tell me what I can’t say on stage. … So if you’re offended, leave my show. And why are you here? Real comedians double down. When you tell the class clown growing up ‘Hey, don’t do that!’ guess what that kids gonna do? He’s gonna go harder.”
Nick Swardson did his own doubling down during a show back in March, remaining on stage when a portion of his crowd started leaving following his drunken ramblings. As a result, that show was canceled and refunds were issued. For his part, Swardson blamed a combo of booze, edibles and a high altitude.
Despite this reckless show, Nick Swardson continues to tour and has support of his buddies, even saying he has a role in the upcoming Happy Gilmore 2.
What do you think of Nick Swardson’s approach to being canceled in the comedy world? Is doubling down the only way out? Give us your take below.
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