Kate Siegel has faced plenty of threats – supernatural and otherwise – in her collaborations with husband Mike Flanagan, which include Oculus, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Now Deadline reports that she’s set to face the biggest bad of all, as she’ll be taking on the devil himself in the dark comedy Damned If You Do!
The feature directorial debut of the filmmaking duo of Jake Rubin and Evan Metzold, who are working from a screenplay written by Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde, Damned If You Do will follow a group of teenage friends who sold their souls to the devil. Naturally, life grants them different paths: a rock star, a tech mogul, and a high-profile activist. Years later, they must rely on an old classmate to try and escape Hell’s grasp before the contract’s deadline of their 25th high school reunion.
An Objectively Good Media production, the film is being produced by OGM’s Matthew R. Cooper and Uwakokunre (Kokie) Imasogie, alongside Lior Haas. Siegel serves as an executive producer with Rubin and Metzold.
Rubin and Metzold provided the following statement: “We feel very lucky to be working with such a talented and hilarious cast. They make our job easy and bring a wealth of experience to the table that has helped to elevate an already spectacular script. Between our incredible cast and crew, we have formed a remarkable team that truly feels like family, and we are excited to collaborate with this group on our debut feature. We feel very blessed to be working on such a damn great production with such a damn good cast and crew. It’s almost as if we sold our own souls.“
We recently learned that Siegel will be making her own directorial debut by taking the helm of a segment of the horror anthology V/H/S/Beyond, working from a script by Flanagan.
I have become a big fan of Kate Siegel through watching Mike Flanagan’s movies and TV shows, so I look forward to seeing how she does in her confrontation with the devil in Damned If You Do.
Are you a Kate Siegel fan, and does Damned If You Do sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Of all the guest appearances that can potentially take place in the fourth-wall-breaking, now multiverse-hopping Deadpool & Wolverine, the marketing has certainly not been playing things close to the chest in regards to revealing who may be showing up and what variants will be featured. If you are reading this and are wanting to be surprised on your premiere viewing of the MCU film, TURN BACK NOW! It’s surprising that the marketing would give this much away, even with speculation running rampant. However, it could also possibly mean that they have even more mind-blowing surprises in store. Whether it turns out to or not, the film will finally be open to the public next week.
Ryan Reynolds and Marvel Studios have released one final trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine. As humorous as the Wade Wilson character is, this trailer switches the tone up for a more somber one. Wolverine, and especially Hugh Jackman’s incarnation, has always been a tortured soul with a blessing/curse of regeneration and his famous character arc showcases a long-forgotten past as Logan sports amnesia. This final trailer has the heart and spirit of Logan’s lonely journey and it is now coupled with Wade’s high stakes of losing all of the people in his life.
The jokes are still there, but we get more introspective with Wolverine as he details the fact that Scott Summers, Storm and Beast had pushed him to wear his X-Men suit. Additionally, Wade tells Logan how well-regarded Wolverine was in his universe. The trailer also calls back to Colossus’ speech to Wade in the earlier films, which detailed that there are few moments that people have that will define them as heroes. And as Logan seems to want to give up, the trailer reveals that Logan‘s Laura/X-23, played once again by Dafne Keen, is there to see that the Wolverine is uncaged.
Deadpool & Wolverine also stars Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, and Rob Delaney as Peter. Deadpool & Wolverine will also star Emma Corrin as the villain and Matthew Macfadyen as a TVA agent. The film is also expected to feature cameos from characters throughout the history of 20th Century Fox’s Marvel movies, with a few already being revealed in the trailers, including Aaron Stanford as Pyro.
In Elden Ring, applying an Ash of War to a weapon can completely change its usefulness to your build. Carian Sovereignty is one such Ash of War that Intelligence builds aren’t going to want to miss in the game’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. It can absolutely decimate your foes with a giant magical sword. Awesome.
In Elden Ring, applying an Ash of War to a weapon can completely change its usefulness to your build. Carian Sovereignty is one such Ash of War that Intelligence builds aren’t going to want to miss in the game’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. It can absolutely decimate your foes with a giant magical sword. Awesome.
The “elevated” psychological thriller The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage (who can currently be seen on the big screen in Longlegs), received a six minute standing ovation when it screened at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and now Deadline reports that a wider audience will have the chance to watch this ovation-inspiring film when Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions give it a theatrical release sometime in 2025.
Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) directed The Surfer from a screenplay by Thomas Martin. Here’s the synopsis: When a man (Cage) returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, “The Surfer” decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay. But as the conflict escalates, the stakes spin wildly out of control, taking “The Surfer” to the edge of his sanity. Finnegan shot the feature in one location, Yallingup in Western Australia, a town located in the South West region of Western Australia.
Cage is joined in the cast by Nicolas Cassin (Around the Block), Alexander Bertrand (American Gangster), Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four), Miranda Tapsell (Top End Wedding), Justin Rosniak (War Machine), Rahel Romahn (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Finn Little (Those Who Wish Me Dead), and Charlotte Maggi (Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire).
Nathan Klingher produced The Surfer with Robert Connolly of Arenamedia and Leonora Darby, James Harris, and Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions. Cage is also a producer on the film, as are James Grandison and Brunella Cocchiglia. Apur Parikh, Josh Harris, Ford Corbett, and Mark Fasano of Gramercy Park Media serve as executive producers with Michael Rothstein and Sam Hall for Mossbank. Finnegan is also an executive producer, as are Robert Patterson, Ryan Winterstern, Greg Friedman, Jatin Desai, and François Tétaz.
Lauren Bixby, SVP, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, provided the following statement: “Lorcan’s movie is a stunning visual experience with an incredible palette, coupled with Nicolas Cage at his absolute best. We could not be more proud to bring this film to theaters.“
Roadside Attractions co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff added, “We cannot wait for The Surfer to ride the theatrical wave next year. One man’s gnarly quest to introduce his son to a legendary surf spot ranks among the greatest Nicolas Cage performances.”
Are you looking forward to seeing The Surfer in 2025? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
These days, it feels like George Clooney is known more for his political opinions than his acting career. Billions earned at the box office? Meh. Billions more raised in advocacy, humanitarian efforts, and charity? Yawn. Two-time People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive? Getting closer, but nah. Donald Trump calls you a “rat” on Truth Social? That’s when you know you’ve made it.
Believe it or not, George Clooney used to be famous for something other than his political flip-flops. Well, hold onto your hats because there was actually a time before Clooney’s latest head-scratcher: penning a New York Times op-ed calling Joe Biden unfit for office mere weeks after throwing him the mother of all fundraisers. Yes, you heard that right – he hosted a record-breaking cash bash for Biden, the biggest ever for a Democrat candidate, then declared to the world that the guy shouldn’t run. Talk about a plot twist!
In the before times, George Clooney was seen as a bankable leading man and director. Before even that, he was perceived as a television actor who would never break into the realm of the silver screen. Those were The Facts of Life, which was also the name of a television show he appeared on in the late 80s. He was featured on Roseanne when it first became the #1 show on television.
Clooney’s long been known as a prankster, and Roseanne Barr wasn’t immune from his shenanigans. Rumor has it that while Clooney was on set, he took a Polaroid of his…uh…”Batman and Robins”…his…”Nespresso Machine”…his…dick; he took a picture of his dick, and the photo got passed around until it ended up on Roseanne’s fridge. From the evidence of his body to Bodies of Evidence in the early 90s, then a show called Sisters before his breakout television role on ER. He was on a different, unrelated show called E/R in the mid-80s. This one was a half-hour sitcom, unlike the hour-long drama that got him so much attention.
For a while, Clooney’s only feature film of note, which was a barely audible note, was when he and his gorgeous hair appeared in 1988’s Return of the Killer Tomatoes!, until he landed his next comedy, One Fine Day in 1996. One Fine Day is the movie’s name, not just how he felt about the day he got the gig. Though he was credited as, and I swear I’m not making this up “Lip Syncing Transvestite” in 1993’s The Harvest. Ah, the 90’s. It was a simpler time.
George Clooney has never been afraid to tap into his comedic side; even his dramas have shades of humor. He was a supporter of the irreverent animated series South Park before it was even picked up by Comedy Central. He’d go on to appear on the show as Sparky, the gay dog, and in the animated feature South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut as a doctor, a nod to his iconic character from ER. Clooney never lost his love for comedies, appearing in the Russo Brothers’ comic caper flick Welcome to Collinwood in 2002. He directed Leatherheads in 2008, with elements of a romantic comedy and sports movie. It actually got them an ESPY award for “Best Sports Film”. He and Julia Roberts brought their star power to another romantic comedy with 2022’s Ticket to Paradise.
Where Clooney really cut his teeth and made his mark was in action and thriller movies. It seems crazy now, but it was considered a risk for Robert Rodriguez, riding high off of the reception for Desperado, to cast George Clooney, then known primarily for small-screen sitcoms and soap operas, as his leading man for the ambitious 1996 action horror From Dusk Till Dawn. But that risk paid off, and the movie is one of both Rodriguez and Clooney’s best efforts today. From the best effort to the worst Batman, and for some reason, they doubled down on the suit nipples in 1997’s Batman and Robin. There is some style but too much silliness and insufficient substance for Clooney’s take on the caped crusader to save the day.
Let’s put that piece of shit movie Out of Sight, which also happens to be the name of a movie Clooney appeared in in 1998 and only really suffers from a rushed romance, which a lot of these kinds of movies do, and is otherwise pretty awesome. The 2000s saw George Clooney at the peak of his powers. It was The Perfect Storm, if you will. He made his directorial debut with 2002’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He got a lot out of his fellow actors for a first-timer, including convincing Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts to work for scale and Brad Pitt and Matt Damon to cameo for free. He was in a couple of space movies, first 2002’s Solaris, and of course, under the brilliant direction of Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity in 2013, which had a real pull on audiences and critics alike. It remains George Clooney’s highest-grossing and most-awarded film, and for good reason. We just touched on style over substance with Batman and Robin, and 2015’s Tomorrowland is another offender. Like, It could have been SO cool. Oh well. Clooney rounded out his action/thriller resume with 2016’s Money Monster. After a 4-year hiatus from the silver screen, he returned for 2020’s The Midnight Sky, which he also directed. He briefly returned in a one-off as one of a few Bruce Waynes for The Flash in 2023, which I’m sure everyone was clamoring for.
George Clooney’s passion for politics extended into his career, and he became known for his roles in political thrillers and dramas. On the thriller end, he tried it with 1997’s The Peacemaker, 2000’s Fail Safe, which is actually an excellent remake, 2007’s Michael Clayton, and 2010’s The American, and he flexed his actor/director muscles with The Ides of March in 2011. But it was 2005’s Syriana that earned him his lone Oscar because Producer Oscars don’t fucking count. Clooney actually suffered a brain injury while on set, which may explain his recent political flip-flopping, and also, doesn’t that make it a bit hypocritical for him to criticize Biden’s ineptitude?
On the drama end of Clooney’s political and war credits are 1998’s The Thin Red Line and 1999’s Three Kings. He wrote, directed, and starred in the excellent historical drama Good Night and Good Luck in 2005, which landed him Oscar noms for Writing and Directing. The night was good, the luck was good, and the German was good in The Good German in 2006. In 2009, Clooney was one of The Men Who Stare at Goats; in 2014, he was one of The Monuments Men, which he also directed. 2019 saw Clooney receive well-deserved praise for his role as an actor and director for the TV mini-series Catch 22, and he sat exclusively in the director’s chair, serving as a rudder for The Boys in the Boat in 2023.
I feel like George Clooney’s run as Danny Ocean, which includes 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven, 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve, and 2007’s Ocean’s Thirteen, deserves its own mention for how it aligns with the growth of his career. As the series went on, Clooney went from “Hey, it’s that guy from ER!” to the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. And the movies, the movies! The loaded ensemble cast oozes charisma and class, of course, led by George Clooney and that fucking smile. The soundtracks, the snappy editing, and the heist plans almost make sense if you don’t think too hard about them. I feel like these movies were made in a lab just for me. Okay, maybe they’re not…like…good…but they’re fucking great. Does that make any sense?
George Clooney has also been a favorite of the Coen Brothers over the years. O Brother, Where Art Thou? was a star-making turn for him in 2000. He was his typical charming smooth talker that we’ve come to know, but this time, with an accent! He showed great chemistry with Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2003’s Intolerable Cruelty. I’m sure that pretending you’re not in love with a prime Catherine Zeta-Jones is a unique acting challenge. He’s pretty convincing as he comes unhinged in 2008’s Burn After Reading. 2016’s Hail, Caeser! ends with a disclaimer that says, “This motion picture contains no visual depiction of the godhead,” but Clooney was pretty much a god at this point.
Clooney ventured into more typical family fare, too, notably with cameos in his friend Robert Rodriguez’ Spy Kids in 2001 and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over in 2003. He voiced the Fantastic Mr. Fox in the Fantastic Mr. Fox for Wes Anderson in 2009 and voiced another spaceman in 2024’s IF, and IF you liked that movie, you might be the only one.
Clooney went more conventionally dramatic for Up in the Air in 2009, The Descendants in 2011, 8 in 2012, and from the director’s chair for 2021’s The Tender Bar. Coming up, he’s set to star in Wolfs opposite Brad Pitt. There was a huge bidding war over rights to the movie, with Apple eventually landing it. Then Clooney and Pitt were like, “What the fuck is Apple TV+?” and negotiated a theatrical release. It’s written and directed by Jon Watts, so it’s probably gonna be awesome.
Also dramatic and definitely not awesome was his New York Times op-ed. He’s entitled to his opinion, but I liked him better when he was trying to rob casinos, not trying to steal elections. I think we all did. If you can get Trump and Biden to agree on something, you’re probably doing something wrong. So maybe that’s what the fuck happened to George Clooney. He lost the fucking plot.
PLOT: 11-year-old Mildred’s world is turned upside down when her estranged father, the washed-up magician Strawn Wise, comes to look after her and agrees to take her camping to find a mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.
REVIEW: I’m not sure what it is about films from New Zealand but they always impress. You could point to the wonderful geography, which adds so much to the look of the film. Or maybe it’s the talent both in front of and behind the camera. And Bookworm certainly isn’t lacking in either. Like Hunt For the Wilderpeople, this takes a whimsical approach that’s just as heartfelt as it is funny. While it’s certainly magical, everything is grounded and hardly ever crosses over into the absurd. And it’s really not afraid to go to dark places.
Bookworm follows Mildred (Nell Fisher) after something tragic happens, and her father has to come and watch after her. Mildred decides she’s going to set off to find and take a photo of a mythical Panther, hoping the reward will make a difference in her life. Most will remember Nell from Evil Dead Rise, but she doesn’t have to hide her Kiwi accent this time. Fisher delivers a fantastic performance, having to bring adult pathos at such a young age. While many will take the chance on this due to Elijah Wood, it’s Fisher who really carries the film. She works as wise beyond her years and stands toe to toe with Wood with ease.
And so much of the Mildred character is built up by this journey and how much she feels like she’s outgrown both her parents. One due to abandonment and one due to too much attention. I was ecstatic to see Housebound‘s Morgana O’Reilly appear as Mildred’s mother Zo. Unfortunately, she’s in very little of the film, but her charisma shines through and proves why she needs to be involved in more projects. But her interactions with Mildred help to set up a confident young girl, completely unaware of how much she still needs both of them.
There’s a lot of conflict between the father and daughter as he’s seemingly left her to pursue a career in magic. Given magic’s significance to Strawn, Mildred rebels and takes out her anger towards his abandonment of all things magic. These are the moments where Wood really takes his performance to another level. His failures as a father reflect his failures as a magician. He’s constantly reminded of this, whether it’s through travelers they meet or his very own daughter. He and Nell can get across so much that it allows a lot more nuance in how they expose elements of the past.
Bookworm is an absolutely gorgeous film. Whether it’s the lush interiors filled with books, woodwork, and shadow or the vast New Zealand landscapes, it’s a constant treat for the eyes. The first portion of the film is in 4:3, putting an emphasis on the claustrophobic interior of the house. Once the journey begins, the film shifts to anamorphic widescreen which lends itself to the fantastical aesthetic. The CGI is really impressive given its small budget. And they know when to mask stuff that may otherwise look silly.
The film takes a weird detour in the name of drama. It really showcases how absolutely pathetic Strawn is, but it can be a tad frustrating. Gets dark enough that it could turn off those looking for lighter fare. I’m a twisted bastard though, so I appreciated its willingness to go dark. Don’t let the strange Dora the Explorer poster turn you away because Bookworm has all the makings of a New Zealand classic. Fantastic performances from Wood and Fisher help to carry a fantastical journey. I see myself putting this on for years as it gives that warm feeling that few manage. This is an adventure in every sense of the word, and the world would be better off with more films like it.
BOOKWORM IS CURRENTLY PLAYING AT THE FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL AND WILL BE RELEASED LATER THIS FALL/WINTER.
The newest Overwatch hero is playable starting today for a limited time. Juno, a support hero Blizzard began teasing as far back as last year’s BlizzCon, brings a space-age flair to the hero shooter when she joins the roster as part of Season 12 when it launches on August 20. Based on Juno’s reveal trailer, it already…
The newest Overwatch hero is playable starting today for a limited time. Juno, a support hero Blizzard began teasing as far back as last year’s BlizzCon, brings a space-age flair to the hero shooter when she joins the roster as part of Season 12 when it launches on August 20. Based on Juno’s reveal trailer, it already…
As Glen Powell’s character Tyler Owens says in the new film Twisters, “If you feel it, chase it!” And summer audiences were feeling the upcoming spiritual sequel to the beloved 1996 Jan De Bont film Twister. The new film has garnered a pretty positive reception with a certified fresh rating of 78% at Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience score of 94%. In his review of Twisters, our own Chris Bumbray says, “Twisters still works as a good piece of summer entertainment. The pace is lively, and besides Jones, Powell and Ramos, some of the supporting cast members are fun. […] Twisters isn’t the instant classic the original was, but it’s a good time at the movies.”
Deadline now reports that the storm chasers were able to wrangle up $10 million in early week previews that started at a special early Wednesday peek at IMAX and premium screens and the standard Thursday previews, which began at 5 p.m. The early forecasts for the new Amblin film ran a pretty wide gamut, with some naysayers predicting it won’t open above $40 million, while others, such as the usually reliable BoxOfficePro, expect it to make in the $60-75 million range (an unusually widespread for them).
The early 2-day previews already surpass the early gross from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which made $6.6 million in advanced screenings but took in $58.4 million for the weekend. If this pace keeps up (provided that tornadoes don’t take out a bunch of theaters), Twisters is on track to make the latter’s prediction. It should be noted that while Twisters is not exactly a legacy franchise on the level of the Planet of the Apes films, their ace-in-the-hole is the current rising stardom of Glen Powell, whose charisma is being put on full display in this film and unleashing his boyish charm a bit more than his breakout in Top Gun: Maverick.
While this year is seeing the effects of last year’s strikes with a thinner crop of movies, as well as some jarring flops coming from seemingly slam-dunk hits, the end of July is set to deliver a one-two punch for audiences as this film is tracking well, but will not enjoy too long of a stay at the top as Deadpool & Wolverine makes its much anticipated debut next week.
