After multiple attempts at kick-starting new trilogies of films have failed, the live-action Terminator film series is, understandably, taking a bit of a break… but the franchise is set to continue with an eight-episode anime series called Terminator Zero, which is coming our way from Japanese animation studio Production IG and the Netflix streaming service. Terminator Zero is set to start streaming on August 29th – and with that date a week away, the full 6 minute opening sequence of the show has arrived online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Terminator Zero is set in the established Terminator universe but centers on new characters. Mattson Tomlin, who worked on the screenplays for The Batman and its upcoming sequel, is writer and showrunner on this series, which has the following synopsis: 2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.

Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.

Terminator Zero is directed by Masashi Kudō, who is best known for working on the anime series Bleach. Tomlin serves as executive producer alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger of Skydance. The voice cast includes Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka) as Kokoro, “An advanced AI and Japan’s answer to Skynet, if brought online, Kokoro will be endowed with the same power as Skynet. Kokoro must calculate for itself: is humanity the plague Skynet believes? Or are human beings worth saving?”; André Holland (The Knick) as Malcolm Lee, “A genius computer programmer and father of three, Malcolm Lee is haunted by prophetic nightmares of an apocalyptic future. He’s spent the last decade creating a secret artificial intelligence that he believes will be humanity’s last hope.”; Sonoya Mizuno (Crazy Rich Asians) as Eiko, “Coming from a post-Judgement Day 2022, Eiko is a resistance fighter sent back in time to stop Malcolm from launching Kokoro.”; and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) as The Prophet, “In the future, the Prophet is the philosophical guide for the human resistance, a light shepherding survivors in the darkness of the unknown future ahead.” Timothy Olyphant (Justified) provides the voice of a Terminator.

August 29th was chosen for the release date because the Terminator films told us that the Judgment Day event occurred on August 29, 1997. Coincidentally, that was also the day Marc Randolph and Reed Hasting launched Netflix as an online DVD rental service.

On Tudum, Tomlin had this to say about the opening sequence: “I realized the first minutes of the show have to declare what it is. The way to do that was to have a sequence that had no dialogue, that was really planting a flag in letting everybody know this is going to be violent, it’s going to be dark, it’s going to be action-driven, it’s going to be horrific, and it’s going to be arresting. That’s just what it has to be. … I found myself thinking about a Bond film and how Bond films always have the cold open before the musical [credits]. The cold open has implications going forward into the story. It doesn’t usually work if it’s just an action sequence, and it’s the end of some other movie that we’re not seeing … It’s not just action for action’s sake.“

What did you think of the Terminator Zero opening sequence? Will you be watching this show on Netflix? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Terminator Zero’s 6 minute opening sequence is available to watch right now appeared first on JoBlo.

The Ailment Talisman is a Talisman added in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. This helpful little accessory can be a real lifesaver in areas where you’re likely to become infected with deadly status effects, such as poison, scarlet rot, frostbite, and so forth.

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The Ailment Talisman is a Talisman added in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. This helpful little accessory can be a real lifesaver in areas where you’re likely to become infected with deadly status effects, such as poison, scarlet rot, frostbite, and so forth.

Read more…

While Marvel Studios was able to get OG Spider-Man director Sam Raimi to return to superhero movies with the official MCU entry Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it would not be as easy a task for any studio to convince Tim Burton to return to that world. While directors like Richard Donner found great success in the past by adapting Superman for the big screen, Burton’s 1989 film Batman would define the modern comic book film by writing a new blueprint for stylized visuals in superhero movies. Michael Keaton recently gave Burton that trailblazing recognition when he said, “Tim deserves enormous credit. He changed everything. I can’t necessarily say this, but there’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He was doubted and questioned.”

Now that Burton is making his big revisit to the afterlife with the sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Variety asked Burton in an interview if he would be interested in doing another superhero film. Burton answered,

At the moment, I would say no. I come at things from different points of view, so I would never say never to anything. But, at the moment, it’s not something I’d be interested in.”

While Batman was a major cultural phenomenon in 1989, with Bat-mania being everywhere you looked, Burton explained that even with Warner Bros. somewhat looking over his shoulder during the production, he was still given certain creative freedoms, especially when filming out of the country. Burton expounded, “I was lucky because at that time, the word ‘franchise’ didn’t exist. Batman’ felt slightly experimental at the time. … It deviated from what the perception [of a superhero movie] might be. So you didn’t hear that kind of studio feedback, and being in England, it was even further removed. We really just got to focus on the film and not really think about those things that now they think about even before you do it.”

He also said 1992’s Batman Returns was the first time he could feel the studio’s protection of a franchise, “I got reenergized by the whole thing. And that was when we started hearing the word franchise and where the studio started going, ‘What’s the black stuff coming out of the Penguin’s mouth?’ It was the first time the cold wind of that kind of thing came upon me.”

Certainly, his interest in comic book films had died after the heartbreaking loss of his canceled Nicolas Cage Superman Lives movie. Burton reflects, “There’s always this ‘Jason and the Argonauts’-style journey that everyone goes through to get a movie made. I’ve worked on a couple movies that didn’t happen after working for years on them, and those are quite traumatic. I just try to focus on things that I feel strongly about and get rid of all the noise surrounding them.”

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PLOT: When tech billionaire Slater King meets cocktail waitress Frida at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. As strange things start to happen, Frida questions her reality.

REVIEW: Zoë Kravitz has had quite an interesting career up to this point. From Fury Road to the streets of Gotham, Kravitz is always a standout. And now that she’s taking her talents behind the camera, it’s no surprise to see there’s a lot of potential. Blink Twice is a great example of a film that doesn’t break any new ground yet still is an interesting time at the movies. Following a group of people heading to a billionaire’s private island, they quickly discover that things are not as they seem, as they start having memory issues.

I went through quite the range of emotions when it came to Naomi Ackie‘s Frida. As a horror lover, I have a hard time with characters that make stupid decisions. Frida just seems to be constantly making them and I got more and more frustrated as the film went on. But there’s good reasoning for this that ended up helping out this apparent character flaw. Despite being one of the only characters with some layers, Alia Shawkat feels a little shortchanged. She practically feels replaced by Adria Arjona‘s Sarah, who becomes second lead out of nowhere. I’m sure this is intentional due to the consistent memory issues, but it results in yet another character feeling underutilized. Hell, I almost forget that Christian Slater and Haley Joel Osment are even in it.

Slater King is a tough role as he has to be affable while still having a darker side to him. Channing Tatum mostly pulls it off, though for as bad as the character is, we don’t see him in his element enough. I wanted to see this man do some truly depraved stuff to help earn him the reputation. Instead the film seems to want to constantly give him excuses. Tatum gets a great moment where he gets to show a little pathos, but otherwise he’s like a lost puppy dog.

Blink Twice is very heavy-handed with its messaging but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. Making it less “in your face” could have easily resulted in less people that need to see it, seeing it. Though it lingers on the mystery a tad long and can feel a bit meandering at times. Rather than sprinkling bread crumbs, the answers just come all at once, making it feel uneven. I expected the focus to be more on class disparity but it’s hardly even a factor, which is disappointing.

Zoe Kravitz proves to be a very competent director, telling a tight and tense story with several interesting reveals. I’d argue it’s still fairly rough around the edges, with a reliance on “girl power” moments over actual setup and payoffs. And for a tropically set film, I was shocked at the cinematography at times. There are some really ugly, underlit shots that had me squinting to make out details. There were moments when I just wanted the camera to back up a little so I could actually tell what was going on. And there are character beats that feel completely washed over with little emphasis. Still, there’s a great base, as she clearly has a very distinct vision.

There are many things to like about Blink Twice but it’s hard not to be just a little bit frustrated. The story is good and feels like it could have been great with just a few tweaks. As is, many characters feel wasted, and the narrative feels divorced from reality at times. But the messaging is on point and the story just flies by, which in this day and age, will always be a major plus. Kravitz is clearly very talented and has a distinct vision. I’m very curious to see what her sophomore effort will be as it will no doubt be more refined.

BLINK TWICE IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON AUGUST 23RD, 2024.

Blink Twice

GOOD

7

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The post Blink Twice Review appeared first on JoBlo.

While Black Myth: Wukong may not adhere to the standard Soulslike formula in every manner, there are plenty of features within this action-adventure title that borrow from the beloved genre. Enemies respawn after resting at a checkpoint, its challenging battles require you to manage a stamina meter, and perilous…

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While Black Myth: Wukong may not adhere to the standard Soulslike formula in every manner, there are plenty of features within this action-adventure title that borrow from the beloved genre. Enemies respawn after resting at a checkpoint, its challenging battles require you to manage a stamina meter, and perilous…

Read more…

In an era when several comic-book movies are released each year, it’s difficult to remember the time when comic-book movies (particularly decent ones) were few and far between. According to Michael Keaton, Tim Burton is responsible for the comic-book movie boom, whose Batman movie “changed everything.“

“Tim deserves enormous credit. He changed everything,” Keaton told GQ. “I can’t necessarily say this, but there’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He was doubted and questioned.” The actor recalled that his casting as Batman was initially met with controversy, but he credits Burton for sticking with him. “He hasn’t gotten himself enough credit for going, ‘Yeah, that guy,’” Keaton said. “And everybody went, ‘Wait, Michael? You worked with him on Beetlejuice, right?’ But I think what happened was Tim saw Clean and Sober [Keaton’s first non-comedic role]. I get the credit. I don’t know that he got enough credit for making that move. That was a bold move.“

Before the release of Batman in 1989, the biggest comic-book movie was Superman. While the 1978 movie was a huge success, While the 1978 movie was a huge success, Batman took things to another level. Keaton returned for Batman Returns before handing the cape and cowl over to Val Kilmer. He also reprised the role in The Flash and the Batgirl movie, but the latter was shelved and will likely never be seen. The actor commented on the fate of Batgirl, saying that it doesn’t bother him. “No, I didn’t care one way or another. Big, fun, nice check,” Keaton said, but the actor added that he did feel bad for directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. “I like those boys. They’re nice guys,” he said. “I pull for them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt very badly, and that made me feel bad.“

Michael Keaton will be reunited with Batman director Tim Burton for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Here’s the official synopsis: “Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.” The film will be released in U.S. theaters on September 6th.

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Clifford is an extraordinary movie, and no, I’m not talking about the one with the big red dog, but rather the one where a nearly forty-year-old Martin Short plays a psychotic ten-year-old. The film is a simple one, telling the story of a young boy who is forced to stay with his uncle while his parents are on a business trip in Honolulu, but it is positively weird, full of unhinged dark comedy, slapstick, and extremely quotable moments. I still pull out, “Look at me like a human boy!” on a semi-regular basis. The film certainly isn’t for everyone, but Martin Short always believed it would be appreciated.

“I never saw any of these things that didn’t work out with the public as failures. [1994 comedy co-starring Charles Grodin] Clifford is a perfect example,” Short told THR. “That was a film that the critics hated, and no one saw but I thought was fabulous. I looked at Clifford as a work of art that will be appreciated someday. I think it’s the Canadian in me that makes you try as hard as you can, prepare as much as you can, and if it doesn’t work out, you toast yourself because you weren’t in control of that. It’s like [director] Larry Kasdan said to me after Silverado came out, which was a brilliant movie. He said, ‘Who knew Westerns were out of style? No one told me.’“

Clifford was originally meant to be released in 1991, but Orion Pictures’ bankruptcy put the film on a shelf for several years. When it was finally released (along with some reshoots for bookend segments featuring an elderly Clifford), the film was immediately eviscerated by critics, including Roger Ebert, who wrote that the film was “not bad in any usual way. It’s bad in a new way all its own… as if it’s based on the sense of humor of an alien race with a completely different relationship to the physical universe.” For some people, that’s a selling point.

“But here’s the thing,” Short explained. “You could have Roger Ebert, God love him, review a Taylor Swift concert. He might say, ‘I don’t get it.’ And you’re going, ‘Well, it’s not for you, Roger.’ Clifford is a weird movie for 23-year-old stoners. Not that it was my intention, by the way, to make it for 23-year-old stoners, but those are the people who would come up to me and talk about it.“

Is Clifford an underappreciated comedy, or were those original reviews right on the money?

The post Martin Short always knew Clifford would be appreciated for the cult classic it is appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: A young man (Bill Skarsgard) returns from the dead to avenge his girlfriend’s murder.

REVIEW: Rupert Sanders’s The Crow is one of the more controversial would-be big-budget blockbusters (they hope) in some time. The rights holders to the property have spent over a decade trying to relaunch James O’Barr’s classic antihero. While there was initially some enthusiasm from fans when IT star Bill Skarsgard was cast in the lead, they didn’t care for the character’s look when it was revealed, and many dismissed the trailer as Crow-Wick and a stain on the memory of the original Brandon Lee classic.

But, here’s the thing – outside of the first movie by Alex Proyas, there’s never been another good Crow movie. In fact, there have been some genuinely abysmal ones, so it’s strange fans have all of a sudden gotten so precious about a property that’s already been done to death. This is the second-best Crow movie ever made, but before that fact has you rushing out to theatres to buy a ticket, keep in mind how bad all the other movies are. This is a decent enough gothic actioner with some interesting choices made in the execution, but it’s also frustratingly uneven and rather poorly paced.

Would it surprise you that Bill Skarsgard’s Eric (you never find out his last name to distance themselves from the ’94 version) only becomes The Crow as we know the character in the last act? Eric and Shelly (FKA Twigs) aren’t even murdered until about forty minutes in, with director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) trying to flesh out their love story. Alas, their romance isn’t convincing, with them mostly going to raves, doing drugs and having tastefully shot love scenes among billowing curtains. 

While Lionsgate’s been hiding this one from critics, it’s a significantly better movie than their recent flop, Borderlands. It helps that Bill Skarsgard, who recently impressed me with his action chops in Boy Kills World, delivers a fresh take on the character. In every other Crow movie, the lead was doing a riff on Brandon Lee’s performance in the original, but Skarsgard doesn’t do that. The late American rapper, Lil’ Peep, was a heavy influence here, at least as far as the character’s styling went. A cynical drug addict we first meet in rehab, Eric is less of a romantic hero than Draven. When revived, he doesn’t immediately become a badass, as he spends much of the running time frightened and bewildered by his new powers.

The premise is also different from the ’94 movie (and graphic novel) in that Shelly’s soul is dammed because her mother sold her for fame and fortune to Danny Huston’s Vincent Roeg. His character maintains his immortality by collecting and corrupting innocent souls he can send to hell, with Shelly one such victim. In her part, FKA Twigs does a good job selling the tortured, vulnerable aspect, although, after the first act, she becomes something of a non-entity as far as the rest of the movie goes. This is Skarsgard’s show, with him nailing the action beats once he finally becomes The Crow. One thing is for sure: the R-rating was not an afterthought, with some genuinely grand guignol horror moments baked in, even if the blood is a little too CGI-heavy for my liking.

As the baddie, Roeg, Huston channels his father, John Huston’s memorably lecherous performance in Chinatown, and always brings a little gravitas to the proceedings. Sanders also gives the film a solid score by All Quiet on the Western Front’s Volker Bertelmann, along with goth soundtrack choices ranging from Joy Division to Gary Numan to Enya.

However, the movie also has a shockingly inept sense of pacing at times, feeling like significant chunks of the film were removed. Some characters come and go, such as Eric’s gun-dealing buddy, who feel like they were meant to be significant characters but are little more than walk-ons. The detective work Eric puts in while tracking down Roeg is shockingly inane, with him always lucking into finding a cell phone on whomever he killed last, pointing to another address where even more bad guys are hiding. 

Yet, the movie still gets a pass from me, as there are some legitimately great set pieces. Towards the end, there’s a major action sequence set at an Opera that worked pretty well, and the denouement hits a pleasingly bittersweet if perhaps too convenient, note. It’s also shot in a distinctly different way from the original, with DP Steve Annis avoiding the temptation to copy the original movie’s famed film noir-style visuals. So, is the version of The Crow (don’t call it a remake!) a hidden gem in the dog days of summer? I wouldn’t go that far, but in terms of a goth-styled action movie, you could do a heck of a lot worse.  

The Crow (2024)

AVERAGE

6

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