Since Disney+ launched a few years ago, people have been sharing their passwords with family and friends, letting them log in and watch Star Wars and more at no extra cost. But those days are coming to an end, according to Disney CEO Bob Iger during a recent earnings call.
PLOT: Follows a tough, working-class, petty criminal who morphs into an anti-heroine to be reckoned with in a murky underworld, in the treacherous world of diamond smuggling.
REVIEW: Ever since Dog Soldiers/The Descent, I’ve stood firmly by, waiting for Neil Marshall to enter that next level of filmmaking. He’s always had such a fantastic visual style that is easy to identify when watching any of his films. And his sensibilities always felt a little off the beaten path, which I love. But with his partnership with his fiancé, Charlotte Kirk, I’m worried that’s just never going to happen. Because if Duchess is any indication, he seems content just making mediocre fare with Kirk as the lead.
Duchess follows Scarlett, a small-time criminal who meets Robert, a handsome man who also just so happens to be a diamond smuggler. Bringing her into the business, Robert teaches her the ways of the trade. But his newfound love has signaled weakness to his partners, who try to take out Robert and his team. The concept isn’t so bad, except, even from that brief description, you’d think Robert is our hero. He’s suave, he can fight, he has connections. So the decision to instead follow Scarlett, seems shortsighted. Especially when they essentially just transfer all of Robert’s abilities over to Duchess through the power of love. I wish I was kidding but it’s handled so sloppily that her transformation isn’t believable in the slightest and that’s the only explanation I have.
The character of Robert McNaughton is supposed to be the coolest man in existence, with a good grasp on every situation. And while Philip Winchester does a decent job, the part feels like it’s intended for a much larger actor. Someone who makes the audience immediately feel will take the situation by the balls and accomplish their goal. And whether it’s his relationship with Scarlett/Duchess or his interactions with bad guys, something feels off. They’re telling us this guy is the bee’s knees but based on what we’re seeing, he just feels like a side character.
Then there’s Scarlett’s entire transformation into Duchess which just kind of happens. Her reputation seems to explode in a very small period of time, it’s hard to reconcile the two distinct personalities as being the same character. Duchess constantly struggles with telling the audience a character is incredible rather than showing that they are. We’re told Robert (and later Duchess) is so good at his job, yet when we see it in action, it feels more like luck than skill. The acting throughout leaves a lot to be desired. It constantly conflicts with the much higher production value of the visuals. Marshall always knows how to make a movie look good but no one behaves in a believable way. After a rocky start, Kirk settles into her role, but never really feels comfortable as an action heroine.
There are many times when Duchess feels like a comic book. From its strange and sometimes overly on-the-nose witty dialogue to its treatment of passing time, I can practically see what this would look like on the page. And sadly, I think it would have worked considerably better there. Some of the absurdities wouldn’t stick out as much as they do in a film. Not to mention how segmented the story feels, with a very untraditional structure. It almost feels like a TV show that was reduced to a feature-length film. This is an action movie after all so I’m sure you’re wondering how those are. Most of the gunplay is very static and lacking in energy. Even the stakes feel low, as our heroes are ambushed by attackers, yet somehow avoid all of their bullet fire. Thankfully the hand-to-hand fights liven things up a bit more and provide a bit more
Any good revenge film needs a villain that helps to sustain the narrative. We as the audience need to have one desire: our protagonist getting their payback against the antagonist. Every action made needs to have that end goal in sight. Yet, whether it’s because of a lack of presence, or just a messy narrative, our main bad guy (Colin Egglesfield) never reaches any level of importance. He’s simply the guy in the way. He always just feels like a henchman as we’re waiting for the bigger, more powerful leader to show his head. Yet we never get that and are simply forced to watch this guy bumble his way up the criminal ladder. So with an action heroine lacking confidence and a bad guy lacking in presence, there’s very little to attach to in Duchess. Here’s hoping Marshall course corrects because, as is, it’s hard to get excited for any of his films with Kirk attached.
DUCHESS IS AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL AND ON DEMAND ON AUGUST 9TH, 2024.
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People are waiting to see if former Valorant streamer and online personality Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. will take Olympic medalist Ewa Swoboda up on her offer to race the next time he’s in Poland. The runner recently suggested iShowSpeed could prove he’s unbeatable by joining an RMF FM radio contest in her home…
People are waiting to see if former Valorant streamer and online personality Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. will take Olympic medalist Ewa Swoboda up on her offer to race the next time he’s in Poland. The runner recently suggested iShowSpeed could prove he’s unbeatable by joining an RMF FM radio contest in her home…
Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine is making a maximum effort to join the Billion Dollar Club heading into this coming weekend. As the crowd-pleasing nostalgia fest nears $900M at the global box office, analysts peg the film (heh) for a $1 billion-dollar barn burner by the close of Sunday’s box office.
When Deadpool & Wolverine breaks past the 1 billion dollar ceiling, the blood-soaked buddy action comedy becomes the second R-rated film in the United States to enter the Billion Dollar Club alongside 2019’s Joker. If the numbers hold, there’s no reason to think they won’t. Deadpool & Wolverine could be the second biggest R-rated film ever, knocking Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer from that spot. The numbers also mean Deadpool & Wolverine is poised to become Disney’s second billion-dollar blockbuster this year after Pixar’s Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film ever. The mouse’s money bin is bursting at the seams, folks. What shall they do with all that money? Raise the price of Disney+, you say? Let’s f**king go!
Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters now, breaking records and delighting MCU fans worldwide. Deadpool & Wolverine is, in many ways, a love letter to Fox’s X-Men era, with countless nods to the series of superhero films and everything it helped build throughout the years. Love it or hate it, Fox’s X-Men films helped catapult several of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars into the stratosphere, including Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as Wade Wilson and James Howlett, respectively. In addition to featuring the superhero team-up of the century, the threequel finds Wade and Logan sticking their dirty fingers into the Marvel Cinematic timeline, creating chaos while foiling a nefarious plot devised by Charles Xavier’s twin sister, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).
What do you think about Deadpool & Wolverine nearing the one billion mark? Are you surprised? Did the movie live up to your expectations? Will we get another film starring Deadpool and Wolverine? You know how much Disney likes to capitalize on success. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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Earlier this year, Full Moon founder Charles Band announced that his company was launching a new production label called Pulp Noir, which will focus on “edgier, weirder, darker horror and dark fantasy films.” They also set up a Patreon account where fans can subscribe and show their support for the company while getting a behind-the-scenes look at the making of these films. The first movie in the Pulp Noir line, a female serial killer story called Quadrant, is set to receive a Blu-ray, DVD, limited edition VHS, and streaming release (on Amazon Prime, Full Moon Features, and Tubi, among others) on August 23rd – and the second Pulp Noir movie, Death Streamer, will be following close behind! This one will be released sometime in September, and a trailer for the film can be seen in the embed above.
Directed by Band, Death Streamer has the following synopsis: A modern-age vampire employs technologically advanced glasses that enable him to not only hunt his victims in and out of the virtual world… but also live stream his bloody feasts for all to see! As this high-tech ghoul continues to glut on his screaming victims, his internet-based cult of personality expands, his fanbase addicted to watching the slaughter. But when an intrepid trio of young supernatural investigators lock-down on the trail of the “Death Streamer”, the fiend turns the tables and begins stalking them.
The cast includes Aaron McDaniel (Murder of God’s Banker), Sean Ohlman (The Hand That Robs the Cradle), Kaitlin Moore (Something’s in the Air), Emma Massalone (Yellowstone), Piper Parks (Sarah Q), Llana Barron (Queen of Revenge), Angel R. Reed (Air Fryer Slaughter), Ashley Lanese (Ascension), Travis Stoner (Phobia), Halle Hubre (Beyond the Resonator), Dan Culligan (Comic Book Men), newcomers Skyler Switalski, Joe Orosz, and Chili Jean, and porn star Maddy May.
I have been a Full Moon fan for decades and check out everything the company releases, so I will definitely be watching Death Streamer. It looks like a good time to me.
Are you a Full Moon fan, and will you be watching Death Streamer? Take a look at the trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
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Dance! Dance! In Goodfellas, Spider made the fateful mistake of telling Tommy to do something almost as insulting as going home to get his shinebox. But for Michael Imperioli, that scene made him dance all the way to the emergency room.
Reflecting on working on Goodfellas as he was just trying to get his career going, Michael Imperioli remembered turning down a stunt double for the scene in which Joe Pesci’s character shoots and kills him – not long after giving him the only trigger warning the film needs. Because the prop guy handed him a real glass instead of the usual “sugar glass” used on sets, Imperioli actually cut himself so badly that Martin Scorsese had to pause the entire set. That’s bad enough but imagine the horror the hospital team faced when they saw this kid riddled with bullet holes. “They took me to the emergency room. And we walk in, and the hospital staff starts freaking out: ‘Code blue!’ And I’m, like, ‘Yeah, I cut my finger.’ They’re coming at me with stretchers because I have three bullet holes in my chest. They think I’m about to die. It’s in Queens—they don’t know!”
With Michael Imperioli about to be operated on as if he was actually blasted by a short-tempered mobster with zero sense of humor, he informed the staff that he was just filming a movie with Robert De Niro. “They think I’m delirious. They put me on a stretcher and bring me into the trauma care, and they finally cut my shirt open and see all the squibbing. I said, ‘I told you, I’m in a movie. Robert De Niro!’” After a few more hours of waiting – a cut finger being probably a one on the pain level compared to a gunshot wound – Imperioli was finally treated and released. “And then I went back and shot a couple more takes. I think it’s the first take, though, that’s in the movie.”
Michael Imperioli would go on to commit his own brutal acts on The Sopranos but his small bit in Goodfellas remains a crucial moment in his career, landing him frequent spots in Spike Lee movies. He even gave a little shoutout to Scorsese on a season one episode of The Sopranos when he yells at the director (played by Anthony Caso), “Kundun – I liked it!” Interestingly, Scorsese did not like the HBO drama, saying he couldn’t identify with that generation of gangsters.
Where does Goodfellas rank as far as Michael Imperioli roles go? How about that scene in your list of most memorable from the film?
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Relax, relate, release. According to Variety, Netflix is developing a sequel series for the seminal sitcom A Different World. Details are scarce, but Variety says the project focuses on Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitney’s (Jasmine Guy) daughter. On the project’s ground floor is writer and executive producer Felicia Pride, whose impressive list of work includes Grey’s Anatomy and Queen Sugar. Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Reggie Bythewood join the effort as executive producers. Netflix will neither confirm nor deny the project’s status.
A Different World ran for six seasons from 1987 to 1993 and revolved around a group of students at a historically Black university. The show focuses on their struggles and up-and-coming youths in a world trying to keep pace with their radical ideas and worldview. The show is a spinoff of The Cosby Show, with Lisa Bonet’s Denise Huxtable leading the cast. Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Darryl M. Bell, Charnele Brown, and Cree Summer lead the cast alongside Bonet, with Glynn Turman, Dawnn Lewis, Lou Myers, Sinbad, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
When the series entered its fifth season, its focus shifted as Whitney and Dwayne got engaged. In the penultimate episode, Whitney discovers she’s pregnant, setting the stage for Netflix’s A Different World sequel series. The new project returns to the halls of Hillman, where the couple’s daughter goes to school. Bill Cosby’s involvement in the sequel series remains uncertain. He might not have anything to do with it. Netflix needs to tread lightly, given his convictions for sexual assault.
Variety says Netflix’s A Different World sequel series could arrive in the vein of the streamer’s That ’90s Show reboot but with a more dramatic twist like Peacock’s Bel-Air. It’s an intriguing combination, especially considering the difference in comedy between the two shows.
I remember watching A Different World back in the day. My sister loved Whitney, while I was partial to Dwayne and Denise. We were also Sinbad fans, with his stand-up comedy special, “Brain Damage.” playing on repeat in our home. What do you think about Netflix developing a sequel series to A Different World? Let us know in the comments below.
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As with any Call of Duty game, my interest in Modern Warfare III waxes and wanes depending on what modes or gimmicks the FPS is offering at any given moment. Last summer, when Warzone added a mode themed around the Amazon Prime series The Boys, I jumped back in for a few weeks to roast some people with my laser eyes.…
As with any Call of Duty game, my interest in Modern Warfare III waxes and wanes depending on what modes or gimmicks the FPS is offering at any given moment. Last summer, when Warzone added a mode themed around the Amazon Prime series The Boys, I jumped back in for a few weeks to roast some people with my laser eyes.…