Coming our way from director Jeremy Saulnier, whose previous credits include Murder Party, Blue Ruin, Green Room, Hold the Dark, and episodes of True Detective season 3, the thriller Rebel Ridge was announced back in 2019… but we haven’t seen it yet, because the project was slowed down by the pandemic lockdowns, then by the departure of lead actor John Boyega a few weeks into filming, reportedly due to “family reasons.” With Aaron Pierre (M. Night Shyamalan’s Old) taking over the lead role, Rebel Ridge did make it through production on the third attempt. It wrapped in the summer of 2022, had a positive test screening, and is finally ready to make its way out into the world. Netflix has announced a September 6th premiere date for the film, and along with that announcement comes the unveiling of several first look images, which can be seen in this article.
Plot details have been kept under wraps to this point, with the film being described as a “high-velocity thriller that explores systemic American injustices through bone-breaking action sequences, suspense, and dark humor.” Now we finally know what it’s about, as Netflix has provided a synopsis: Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) enters the town of Shelby Springs on a simple but urgent mission– post bail for his cousin and save him from imminent danger. But when Terry’s life’s savings is unjustly seized by law-enforcement, he’s forced to go head to head with local police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) and his combat-ready officers. Terry finds an unlikely ally in court clerk Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb) and the two become ensnared in a deep-rooted conspiracy within the remote township. As the stakes turn deadly, Terry must call upon his mysterious background to break the department’s hold on the community, bring justice to his own family– and protect Summer in the process.
As mentioned in the synopsis, the movie co-stars the legendary Don Johnson, who previously had high praise for the film in an interview we did with him last year. AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen, Steve Zissis, Zsané Jhé, Dana Lee, and James Cromwell are also in the cast.
Rebel Ridge was produced by Saulnier, along with Anish Savjani, Neil Kopp, and Vincent Savino. Daniel Jason Heffner, Macon Blair, and Louise Lovegrove serve as executive producers.
I was sold on Rebel Ridge as soon as I read that it was being directed by Jeremy Saulnier, so I look forward to finally being able to watch the movie in September.
Will you be watching Rebel Ridge on Netflix in September? Take a look at the images, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
The opening moments of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim have become famous online, leading to plenty of memes and jokes. And now, someone has remixed the iconic intro and added a bunch of Gen Alpha and internet slang, leading to a video that might make you feel really old.
The opening moments of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim have become famous online, leading to plenty of memes and jokes. And now, someone has remixed the iconic intro and added a bunch of Gen Alpha and internet slang, leading to a video that might make you feel really old.
Today, Apple TV+ unveiled the trailer for Bad Monkey, the highly anticipated comedy from award-winning executive producer Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Shrinking) and starring acclaimed actor, producer and screenwriter Vince Vaughn, who also serves as an executive producer. The 10-episode series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on August 14, 2024 followed by new episodes every Wednesday through October 9.
Based on Carl Hiaasen’s New York Times bestselling novel and enduring cult favorite, Bad Monkey tells the story of Andrew Yancy (Vaughn), who has been bounced from the Miami Police Department and is now a health inspector in the Keys. But after stumbling upon a case that begins with a human arm fished up by tourists, he realizes that if he can prove murder, he’ll be back in. He just needs to get past a trove of Floridian oddballs and one bad monkey.
The ensemble cast also includes L. Scott Caldwell (The Fugitive), Rob Delaney (Catastrophe), Meredith Hagner (Search Party), Natalie Martinez (La Promesa del Retorno), Alex Moffat (Saturday Night Live, Holidate), Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone), Ronald Peet (First Reformed), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), with special guest star John Ortiz (American Fiction) and guest stars Zach Braff (Scrubs), Ashley Nicole Black (Ted Lasso), Scott Glenn (The Leftovers) and Charlotte Lawrence in her television debut.
Hailing from Warner Bros. Television, Bad Monkey is developed by executive producer and showrunner Bill Lawrence through his Doozer Productions. Jeff Ingold, Matt Tarses (Scrubs), Marcos Siega, Vaughn and Liza Katzer are also executive producers.
Bad Monkey marks the most recent collaboration between Bill Lawrence and Warner Bros. Television for Apple TV+, following Emmy-nominated global hit series Shrinking and global phenomenon Ted Lasso.
Plot: Embark on a comedic, high-stakes journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an eleven-year-old history nerd. Together, they set out on a thrilling quest to save the boy’s parents — and the world.
Review: The original 1981 Terry Gilliam film Time Bandits is a staple of movies for kids that go beyond being children’s films. Alongside The Goonies, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, and more, Time Bandits took mature filmmaking and actors. They put them into a story that worked for younger and older audiences. Forty years later, we get a new take on Time Bandits from the comedic genius of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. Embracing that same approach to telling a story for kids that also appeals to adults, this new Time Bandits boasts better special effects, a more diverse array of historical places for the protagonists to visit, and a fair amount of homage to the film that inspired it while still forging its own unique narrative. Short, standalone episodes that build on one another towards a great conclusion make this the first season of a hopefully long-running series.
The new version of Time Bandits follows the same basic premise as the 1981 film: Kevin is a young history nerd whose parents ignore his fascination with the past. One night, a troupe of time travelers enters his room, and Kevin joins their quest for a map stolen from the omnipotent creator known as the Supreme Being. As the bandits run from historical era to era, they are also pursued by Pure Evil, the antithesis of the Supreme Being. Aside from that core narrative, the new Time Bandits transforms the crew of thieves from six dwarves into five unique adults from different time periods, including the leader, Penelope (Lisa Kudrow). The Bandits are now comprised of Judy (Charlyne Yi), Widgit (Roger Jean Nsengiyumva), Alto (Tadhg Murphy), and Bittelig (Rune Temte), all of whom have their own unique skills that are not quite as strong as they should be for such a task as stealing priceless artifacts from the space-time continuum. Kevin, played by Kal-El Tuck, joins the Bandits on their adventures and teaches them all about historical events beyond the European locales from the original movie.
Without divulging changes in the plot, the first season of Time Bandits visits many unique and diverse locations across ten episodes. While the series does venture to Ancient Greece and similar Medieval locales, Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement wanted to go beyond a Eurocentric perspective, which gives us adventures amongst Chinese pirates, the Mayan Empire, Mali emperor Mansa Musa’s reign, and even Prohibition-era criminal networks run by women. The diversity of the series never feels like a cry for inclusion but, instead, a way to capture the breadth of human history through the ages beyond Europe. Advances in special effects have also allowed the realization of more complex historical societies to look tangible rather than something produced on a sound stage. The majority of Time Bandits feels physically realized rather than enhanced by CGI. Much like Taika Waititi’s short-lived Our Flag Means Death, Time Bandits digs into history but always with a cheeky sense of humor behind it. The fact that the humor is appropriate for all ages helps make this series feel like a perfect combination of Waititi and Clement’s comedic sensibilities without profanity or mature subject matter. However, Time Bandits also does not pander to the audience, making it an enjoyable experience for kids and adults.
The series works with both Clement and Waititi involved on screen as much as behind the camera. As the Supreme Being, a variation of God, Waititi plays with the idea of a bored creator who goes beyond a single religious interpretation. The fact that the other angelic beings are all of Australian and New Zealand native heritage adds to the color-blind approach to the story. On the flip side, Jemaine Clement seems to have a ball playing this version of Satan, as Pure Evil looks like a cross between a Tim Burton creation and something straight out of a Neil Gaiman story. Supporting Pure Evil are demonic beings, including frequent Taika Waititi collaborator Rachel House as the hunter known as Fianna. Equally good are the Bandits, who now have more to do than in the movie, where the dwarf actors seemed like placeholders for characters rather than fully realized creations. Each bandit is fun to watch, especially Lisa Kudrow, who makes for a fun leader who only takes the title when it suits her.
Waititi and Clement developed the series alongside Iain Morris, and the trio co-wrote the first two episodes. Jemaine Clement wrote two additional episodes solo while collaborating on another with Iain Morris, who also scripted the finale. Akilah Green, Melanie Bracewell, Tyrell Williams, and Sam Bain wrote the remaining episodes. Taika Waititi also directed the two opening chapters, with Jeff Tomsic, Armagan Ballantyne, Yana Gorskaya, Jackie van Beek, and Tim van Dammen directing the remaining eight. Time Bandits boasts a synth-heavy score from composer Mark Mothersbaugh, who wrote the memorable music for Thor: Ragnarok. The series opens with the same bizarre genre stylings that Taika Waititi brought to his Marvel Studios projects while maintaining the emotional core of Jojo Rabbit and Next Goal Wins. Clement, Waititi, and Morris all know how to be funny, but to do it without relying on profanity shows their capabilities as storytellers.
While I initially thought Time Bandits would be a limited series, the finale shows this tale has much more momentum than the feature film. Each episode builds into the next and leaves you wanting more leading into the next episode without relying on artificial cliffhangers or red herrings. This cast is incredibly likable, and the story is silly enough to appease the youngest viewers without alienating more discerning audiences. I had a smile on my face watching this series. Even though it was made without the blessing of Terry Gilliam, I would like to think the iconic filmmaker would be pleased with where Waititi and Clement have taken this tale for a new generation. It is hard to find the same caliber of family fare that existed in the 1980s that is not animated, but Time Bandits is the type of show that anyone will watch and have a lot of fun with, whether they have kids with them or not.
When jumping into Final Fantasy XIV for the first time, you will probably come across words like Roles, Classes, and Jobs. You might not have much of an idea of what they mean. But their differences are important to understanding and thriving in this game.
When jumping into Final Fantasy XIV for the first time, you will probably come across words like Roles, Classes, and Jobs. You might not have much of an idea of what they mean. But their differences are important to understanding and thriving in this game.
Folks, with Deadpool & Wolverine hitting the big screen, it’s the perfect time to catch up with the Merc With a Mouth and revisit 2018’s David Leitch-directed Deadpool 2. The film is a direct follow-up to 2016’s Deadpool.It continues the misadventures of Wade Wilson and his rag-tag team of mutants, bartenders, and blind roommates- only this time, they were introduced to even more characters and action. But the big question is- how does it hold up? Let’s find out in today’s episode of Marvel Revisited.
Deadpool 2 finds Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds in the writers’ chair, with Josh Brolin entering the fray as Cable, the fierce, time-traveling son of Jean and Scott Summers. Cable slides into Deadpool’s life to prevent the rise of Wade’s young friend, Firefist, played by Hunt for the Wilderpeople actor Julian Dennison. Firefist is a hot-headed teen with the potential to burn the world to the ground, and Deadpool, despite his quips and tomfoolery, wants to prevent the end of the world. Helping Wade on his mission is Domino (Zazie Beetz), a mutant with “Luck Powers.” Together, Wade and Domino search for Firefist while trying to reason with Cable before he blows the young mutant off the face of the planet.
Deadpool 2 is a mad-cap follow-up to the original, introducing more mutants, mayhem, and mature-rated humor from the Assassin in the Red Pajamas. Deadpool is one of Marvel‘s flagship characters despite his movies being R-rated and intended for adult audiences. Still, parents tend to cave into the pressure to let their kids delight in Wade’s expletive-filled antics. There’s something lovable and charming about Deadpool. Maybe it’s because while he’s prone to slicing and dicing his way through the Marvel Universe, he tends to do the right thing by the end of the mission.
With Deadpool & Wolverine finally hitting theaters this weekend, now is the perfect time to revisit this bloody sequel to find out if it stands the test of time after so many years. How do you remember enjoying Deadpool 2? Are you excited to check out Deadpool & Wolverine this weekend? Let us know in the comments section below!
Director Fede Álvarez’s contribution to the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus, is set to reach theatres on August 16th – and two months later, on October 16th, Marvel Comics will be publishing a one-shot prelude tie-in comic, Alien: Romulus #1, that has been written by Zac Thompson (Absolute Carnage: Avengers) and drawn by Daniel Picciotto (Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider).
The story Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues crafted for Alien: Romulus is not connected to the other films in the Alien franchise – but it’s not ignoring any of the other entries, either. Álvarez has been clear about the fact that his story takes place within the established franchise continuity. In fact, it slots right in between the events of Alien and Aliens. It has the following official logline: The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Marvel‘s one-shot prelude tie-in seeks to provide an illuminating backstory behind the film’s main threat. Made in close partnership with Director Fede Alvarez and frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues, the comic is a must-have companion to one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. Marvel Comics presents an all-new story revealing secrets of the film’s legendary antagonists and this issue shines light on them all!
Thompson gave the following statement: “The Alien franchise is responsible for my lifelong love of body horror, so needless to say, I’m ecstatic to be contributing a small piece to the canon. Working with Fede Alvarez to craft a prequel to Alien: Romulus was a genuine dream come true and a responsibility I don’t take lightly. The result is a thrilling, terrifying story that slowly gestates into something wholly unpredictable.“
The main cover for Alien: Romulus #1, created by Leinil Francis Yu, can be seen below, along with a variant cover created by Björn Barends.
Will you be picking up a copy of Marvel’s Alien: Romulus prelude tie-in comic? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
MultiVersus, the platform fighter that brings characters from Warner Bros. properties together in the field of combat, just got a big update, and dataminers have used it to learn even more about what’s to come. The latest datamine has unearthed stages based on Barbie and Harry Potter, and even some unannounced…
