Month: June 2024

When you’re looking for more than defiant princesses, Minions, and martial arts-wielding animals, indie animation is where you can experience something outside the box. Fortunately, Madman and IFC Films are here to present the Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer, which previews a wonderfully strange-looking animated feature from Academy Award-winning director Adam Elliot (Harvie Kumpet, Mary and Max).

In the Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer, Grace Pudle is separated from her twin brother Gilbert following their parents’ deaths. Unfortunately for Grace, things don’t get much better after that, and the only one who will listen to her tragic tale is a garden snail named Sylvia.

Here’s the official synopsis for Memoir of a Snail:

“Grace Pudel is a lonely misfit with an affinity for collecting ornamental snails and an intense love for books. At a young age, when Grace is separated from her twin brother Gilbert, she falls into a spiral of anxiety and angst. Despite a continued series of hardships, inspiration and hope emerge when she strikes up an enduring friendship with an elderly eccentric woman named Pinky, who is full of grit and lust for life. From Academy Award-winning animation writer and director Adam Elliot, Memoir of a Snail is a poignant, heartfelt, hilarious chronicle of the life of an outsider finding her confidence and silver linings amongst the clutter of everyday life.”

Speaking with Variety, Elliot confessed his films are often semi-autobiographical by saying, “I gravitate towards the underdog. People who are perceived as different, marginalized. I am not interested in heroes. It’s probably because I am ultimately making films about myself. I really empathize and identify with my characters.”

“The truth is, they are all based on real people: they just happen to be my family and friends. In [previous film] ‘Mary and Max,’ Max was based on my pen pal, who is still alive. ‘Memoir of a Snail’ has a lot of my mother. We call her a ‘reformed hoarder,’ but she still collects.”

Memoir of a Snail, teaser trailer, Madman
Memoir of a Snail, teaser, Adam Elliott

The Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer depicts a dreary, nightmarish world populated by emotionally charged characters. It gives Tim Burton and Mercer Mayer’s Little Monster vibes, with a touch of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. In addition to Sarah Snook (Succession), the film stars the voices of Eric Bana (The Dry), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Magda Szubanski (Babe), Dominique Pinon (Amélie), Tony Armstrong (The Pool Room with Tony Armstrong), and Nick Cave (The Proposition).

What do you think about the Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer? It looks oddly entertaining and creepy. I’m all about it. I love it when a new, intriguing animated film emerges from nowhere. I’ll be adding this to my must-watch list for 2024. Memoir of a Snail arrives in theaters later this year.

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Man on Fire, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Netflix

Netflix‘s Man on Fire is ready to turn up the heat with Yahya Abdul-Matten II as its lead. In addition to his starring role, Abdul-Mateen II is an executive producer of the project, with Steven Caple Jr. directing the first two episodes. A.J. Quinnell’s first two novels, “Man on Fire” and “The Perfect Kill,” inspired the episodic adaptation focusing on French Foreign Legion soldier John Creasy.

Denzel Washington played John W. Creasy in the Tony Scott-directed feature adaptation Man on Fire. Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, and Marc Anthony round out the primary cast. The plot focuses on a former CIA operative who swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Netflix’s official description for Man on Fire reads as follows:

“Once a high functioning and skilled Special Forces Mercenary, known for surviving even the most desolate of situations, Creasy (Mateen) is now plagued with intense PTSD. Determined to overcome his personal demons, he sets out on a path to redemption. But, before he can adjust to this new life, he finds himself back in the fire, fighting harder than ever.”

Kyle Killen (Fear Street) is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a gifted actor with many notable roles across various film genres. He plays the villain Black Manta in DC’s Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Morpheus in the underrated sequel The Matrix Resurrections. He also plays a man named Cal Abar in HBO’s Watchmen and Anthony McCoy in Nia DaCosta’s brilliant horror sequel Candyman. I highly recommend watching Bernard Rose’s Candyman and DaCosta’s sequel back-to-back for a hell of a ride.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Simon Williams in the upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man. Wonder Man also stars Lauren Glazier (MindhunterGone GirlTales of the Walking Dead), Sir Ben Kingsley (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsIron Man 3), and Stella Meghie (The PhotographThe Weekend).

Wonder Man is one of Marvel’s oldest characters, dating back to 1964 in the pages of Avengers #9. He began his comic book career as a villain but got reintroduced as a hero in the late 1970s. Wonder Man’s civilian name is Simon Williams, and he was a founding member of the Los Angeles-based West Coast Avengers. As an actor and stuntman, Williams’ look included wearing a turtleneck, a red jacket, and sunglasses. Wonder Man strongly relates to Marvel characters Vision and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. The trio shared several adventures, with Wonder Man and Vision thinking of each other as brothers in action. After Vision was dismantled, the villain-turned-hero developed intense feelings for Wanda.

Are you interested in an episodic adaptation of Man on Fire starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II? Have you read any of A.J. Quinnell’s novels? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Courtney Cox

Courteney Cox may have changed her clothes, her hair, her face, but she can still rock her “Dancing in the Dark” moves. In a recent TikTok video, Cox demonstrated that she’s still got it even 40 years after the Bruce Springsteen video was released.

As part of the 80s Dance Challenge trend on social media, Courteney Cox started her video off with some less-than-hip moves before launching into her immediately famous “Dancing in the Dark” routine, complete with the same top she wore in the music video. Unfortunately, we only see Cox doing it for about three seconds before it then cuts to the actual video, which was released as part of the promotion of Bruce’s 1984 Born in the USA album.

Courteney Cox’s first notable work was actually the “Dancing in the Dark” video, capturing immediate attention and serving as an ever-present highlight clip on those “Before They Were Stars” reels. What some may not know is that the video – which was shot partly on the first night of the Born in the USA Tour – was directed by Brian De Palma. So, being pulled on stage by one of the greatest musicians ever while being directed by an icon of the New Hollywood? Not a bad start, Courteney! Who knows, considering Bruce still pulls girls onto the stage during that song when performing it live, there could be another star in the making during this tour.

“Dancing in the Dark” hit #2 on the Billboard charts, making it The Boss’ biggest hit of his career…in which he has still yet to earn a #1 song in the States. Born in the USA also stands as his best-selling album with 30 million copies sold, no doubt in part to a whopping seven singles, also including “Glory Days”, “I’m on Fire” and the title track.

Interestingly, despite wanting to get her career going (having appeared on an episode of As the World Turns that same year), Courteney Cox didn’t want to take the part. “I don’t not want to be the one to have to go. I didn’t want to dance in front of 30,000 people. It was a full concert, and we did the song twice, back to back.”

Bruce Springsteen will be the subject of a biopic starring Jeremy Allen White.

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Blumhouse Games

Blumhouse Productions has been one of the biggest names in the horror genre for several years – and now they’re branching out from the world of feature films and into the world of video games. Blumhouse Games was officially launched last year, and at the Summer Game Fest the company revealed what their first six games are going to be! The Hollywood Reporter confirms that the six games are Fear the Spotlight, Sleep Awake, Crisol: Theater of Idols, Grave Seasons, The Simulation, and Project C.

Blumhouse Games teamed up with independent designers from across the globe to make this line-up happen. Company president Zach Wood provided the following statement: “We’re blown away by the teams who are creating our first slate of games, and truly couldn’t be more proud to partner with strong, independent game creators who are bringing unique ideas to the horror genre. Our upcoming titles represent standout storytelling, inventive play styles, and fresh approaches to scary stories, created by game developers who are deeply passionate about horror.

Blumhouse founder and CEO Jason Blum added that the Blumhouse Games endeavor feels like a return to his company’s roots, “But this time fans can get in on the action, and immerse themselves in the Blumhouse world. I’m proud of the team and we hope this first slate of games will entertain, thrill and terrify players, and we will have more in store for fans soon.

Fear the Spotlight comes from developer Cozy Game Pals and will be released later this year. It centers on two teens sneaking into a school after hours and learning about a tragedy that took place decades ago.

Developer Eyes Out and game designers Cory Davis (Spec Ops: The Line) and Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) are behind Sleep Awake, a first-person psychedelic horror game that’s set in the distant future and follows Katja as she deals with dangerous otherworldly forces.

Vermila Studios is crafting Crisol: Theater of Idols, a first-person horror adventure set in a terrifying version of Spain where statues of saints spring to life.

Perfect Garbage is the developer of Grave Seasons. A pixelated farming and town simulation game, it’s set in Ashenridge, where one of the residents is a supernatural serial killer.

Developer Playmestudio teamed with Blumhouse Games for The Simulation, which is about a retired game designer whose only evidence for a crime is a never-before-seen horror game.

Project C is the one that has the least amount of information available at this time, as we only know that the concept is “twisted and heartbreaking.” Developer Half Mermaid Productions is working with designers Sam Barlow (Her Story) and Brandon Cronenberg (Infinity Pool) on the game – and the fact that this is coming from the mind of Brandon Cronenberg is probably enough to get a lot of genre fans interested in it.

Are you interested in Blumhouse Games? How does their line-up of video games sound to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below – but first, take a look at this promo video:

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