Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier (Dinner in America) from a screenplay by first-time feature writer Tom Dean, a film titled Carolina Caroline is currently in production – but rather than filming in North or South Carolina, it’s being made in Kentucky. When you first look at the cast list as reported by Deadline, you might be led to believe that this is a horror project, because in the lead roles we have genre icons Samara Weaving (whose previous credits include Ready or Not, Mayhem, The Babysitter, Guns Akimbo, Scream VI, and episodes of Ash vs. Evil Dead) and Kyle Gallner, who has been in the likes of Red, The Haunting in Connecticut, Jennifer’s Body, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Red State, The Walking Dead, The Cleanse, Alien Code, Ghosts of War, Smile, The Passenger; Mother, May I?; and the upcoming Smile sequel. But this one isn’t horror; it’s being described as a romantic crime thriller.

The story centers on a young woman (Weaving) who skips her small town — in search of her estranged mother — alongside a charismatic con man (Gallner) on the run from the law. The duo leave a wave of crime and passion behind them as they hustle their way through the Southeast.

Weaving and Gallner are joined in the cast by Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) as the estranged mother mentioned in the synopsis and Jon Gries – best known to most as Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, though I often think of his roles in Real Genius, TerrorVision, and The Monster Squad.

Carolina Caroline is being produced by Bee-Hive Productions’ Stephen Braun, Star Thrower Entertainment’s Tim and Trevor White, The Wonder Company’s Eric B. Fleischman and Chris Abernathy, and Create & Complete Entertainment’s Chris Ward. MacPac Entertainment’s Jan McAdoo serves as an executive producer with Brittany Kahan Ward and Trent Hubbard. Star Thrower executive Laena Carroll is co-producing.

Rehmeier provided the following statement: “Samara and Kyle are delivering truly electric, nuanced performances, equal parts thrilling, romantic, comedic and moving. It’s been inspiring working with them Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Gries, as well as my regular core crew of artists and the entire incredible team on this project.“

I was sold on Carolina Caroline as soon as I saw the cast list, so I look forward to seeing how this one is going to turn out. Does Carolina Caroline sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Samara Weaving, Kyle Gallner, Kyra Sedgwick, and Jon Gries cast in romantic thriller Carolina Caroline appeared first on JoBlo.

Cinema lovers are spoiled in just how many places are on their bucket list. We think of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, the steps of the Palais in Cannes, Mount Rushmore (OK, so that’s been there long before North by Northwest but we’re claiming it!) We can visit all of these, but one that is out of reach is the famed Criterion Closet, a tiny room packed wall-to-wall with the catalog of The Criterion Collection. But now, you may have your chance…with a twist.

The Criterion Collection has announced that they are taking their Closet out on the highway, posting on their website that this comes at just the right time. “In celebration of our fortieth anniversary, Criterion has built a replica of our famous film closet inside an eighteen-foot delivery van, and later this month, we’ll be taking our Criterion Closet Picks show on the road. Stocked with more than 1,500 of the greatest films from around the world, the Criterion Closet may offer more cinematic inspiration per square foot than any place on the planet.”

To kick off the Criterion Closet road trip, the company will debut their van at the 62nd New York Film Festival, giving attendees the opportunity to scope out the vehicle on September 28th-29th and October 5th-6th. From there, it’s anybody’s guess, but Criterion said they will be partnering with various fests, art institutions, etc. in the future. So if you can’t make it to NYFF, there’s always hope of catching the Criterion van on the road elsewhere. If I ever get the chance, I’m picking Samuel Fuller’s Pickup on South Street (spine #224), The Human Condition (#480) and The Killer (#8), if not just to have the chance to hold the long-OOP DVD and not my awful bootleg.

A few weeks back, an image of the Criterion Closet van made the rounds online, with many questioning the validity of the actual closet. Had we been duped this entire time? Was the massive collection being housed inside of some automobile and not at Criterion’s headquarters? What was going on?! Thankfully, this was just a leaked promotion, as Criterion has been square with us for the past nearly 15 years when they first launched their closet video series with Guillermo del Toro.

Criterion has made a lot of advancements for fans as of late, not the least of which is launching The Criterion Channel, one of the finest resources for any film fan available. Where else could you stream Seven Samurai and Freddy Got Fingered in the same day?

So, what would your Criterion Closet picks be? Give us your top three films in the catalog in the comments section below!

The post The Criterion Closet is hitting the road! What are your top Criterion picks? appeared first on JoBlo.

Those with siblings know there is a constant battle between love and hate. And even though they only played brother and sister on the big screen, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were no different. Now, as the death of Fisher approaches its eighth anniversary, Hamill remembers his bond with his Star Wars co-star, even saying what he would tell her if he had the chance.

Carrie Fisher passed away in December 2016, leaving behind a legacy not just of Star Wars but a wealth of film and television appearances, solidifying herself as an icon of the screen. Hamill and Fisher primarily worked together throughout the original Star Wars trilogy but the two also maintained a relationship that could be described as something all close friends experience. “We were brother and sister in more than one way, where we would fight too. And then, days later, it was all forgotten. She was marvelous, and losing her was something that I still haven’t gotten over.” When asked if he could say anything to Fisher, Hamill stated, “I love you and I miss you.”

Mark Hamill is pretty much a gem when it comes to his former co-stars. Sadly, Fisher isn’t the only deceased one he has found himself paying tribute to as of late, as he wrote a rather touching post about his on-screen father, James Earl Jones (aka Darth Vader), following his death earlier this week. He has previously paid tribute to other Star Wars cast members, including the physical embodiment of Vader, David Prowse, who died in 2020, as well as R2-D2 portrayer Kenny Baker.

And while it was Harrison Ford’s decision to return as Han Solo for the latest Star Wars trilogy that got Mark Hamill on board, it does seem he has been consistently more intent on praising Carrie Fisher. And the stance has been more or less the same in the press, telling Esquire last year, “We could be as loving and supportive as possible, then we could have big arguments and say, ‘Well, I never want to speak to you again,’ and not speak for six months. But every time you came back, you picked up right where you left off. We had a connection that is special.” If that isn’t sibling love, then what is?

Outside of Star Wars, what is your favorite Carrie Fisher performance? Use the force and let us know below.

The post Mark Hamill remembers Carrie Fisher as a “sister” onscreen and off appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: A high-powered executive (Nicole Kidman) risks her family and career when she begins an affair with a much younger intern (Harris Dickinson).

REVIEW: You’ve got to hand it to director Halina Reijn – she’s not afraid to be controversial. Her last movie, Bodies Bodies Bodies, was a huge surprise, with it being positioned as a slasher movie but ending up as something of a hilarious prank played on horror fans. This one, Babygirl, tackles issues of consent, grooming, and coercion head-on but dares to allow the audience to make up their own mind about what’s appropriate or not.

It offers Nicole Kidman a very controversial part, with her exec, Romy (Nicole Kidman), seemingly having it all. She runs a wildly profitable company with a loving husband (Antonio Banderas) and a supportive family. Yet, right from the first scene, where we see her in bed with her husband, we note that something’s missing. Romy is no longer sexually satisfied with her husband, who’s too tender and loving for her taste. After making love to him, she sneaks away to watch bondage porn and seems to have appetites that she’s afraid to vocalize, such as the desire to be dominated.

Her world is turned upside down when a brash intern, Harris Dickinson’s Samuel, enters the scene. He seems to have her number right from the get-go, challenging her in a way that borders on disrespect but excites her. They start a BDSM-flavored affair, with Romy especially excited by the fact that with one phone call, Samuel could destroy her career. After all, she is a boss who has an affair with one of her employees and one at the very bottom of the company’s ladder.

Reijn doesn’t ask us to condone the relationship, but the notion of who is exploiting who is left open for the audience to decide. It’s a brave role for Kidman, who does things here many other actresses of her stature wouldn’t dare. In an era where movie makers seem reluctant at all to put sex on the screen, Babygirl is different in that it’s totally built around a sexual relationship many would deem inappropriate. 

Kidman has good chemistry with Harris Dickinson, who continues to impress following a solid role in last year’s The Iron Claw. At times, he seems to channel Mickey Rourke in 9 1/2 Weeks, with his push and pull irresistible to Romy, even if he’s constantly violating her boundaries, such as visiting her home and family.

As the scorned husband, Antonio Banderas is shown to be incredibly sympathetic, with him loving and supportive – it’s just that’s not what she wants anymore. As Reijn allows us to observe Jacob and Romy’s affair, she also doesn’t give us an easy out by making the husband objectionable. If anything, he’s shown to be the ideal husband. There’s just an itch Romy has that he’s unable to scratch. 

Like Bodies Bodies Bodies, Babygirl is stylish. She reteams with her usual cinematographer, Jasper Wolf. She includes a propulsive score by Juan Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, composer of HBO’s The White Lotus (to which this shares some thematic similarities). Technically, the film is pretty impeccable, although at close to two hours, the pace starts to drag in the last act. The film’s ending is somewhat anti-climactic, although perhaps leaving it so open was the intent all along. 

While Babygirl might be too provocative to work as an awards play for A24, the company’s notoriety, and the premise will no doubt make it a hotly debated film once it hits theaters later this fall. It’s controversial, but it’s also one of the sexier films to come along in recent memory. Kidman deserves major praise for her consistent refusal to play it safe as an actress. 

Nicole Kidman

GOOD

7

The post Babygirl (TIFF) Review: Nicole Kidman’s Erotic Drama Is Steamy Stuff appeared first on JoBlo.

Thieves around the world are continuing to rob stores in search of valuable Pokémon Cards. In the latest example of this trend, some robbers in Japan apparently didn’t know much about Pokémon and had to ask shop staff which cards were valuable and worth stealing.

Read more…

Thieves around the world are continuing to rob stores in search of valuable Pokémon Cards. In the latest example of this trend, some robbers in Japan apparently didn’t know much about Pokémon and had to ask shop staff which cards were valuable and worth stealing.

Read more…

Back in October of 2021, we heard that M. Night Shyamalan was producing the thriller The Vanishings at Caddo Lake, which was being directed by the duo of Celine Held and Logan George – who made their feature directorial debut with the 2020 drama Topside and went on to direct episodes of Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ series Servant. That movie, which now has the shorter title Caddo Lake, will be making its way out into the world next month, as it’s set to be released through the Max streaming service on October 10th… and with that date right around the corner, a teaser trailer for Caddo Lake has been unveiled. You can watch it in the embed above.

Held and George wrote the screenplay for the film, crafting the following story: When an 8-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, forever altering a broken family’s history.

Lauren Ambrose (Servant), Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf), Eliza Scanlen (Old), Eric Lange (Lost), Sam Hennings (Memphis Beat), Diana Hopper (Goliath), and Dave Maldonado (The Devil All the Time) star.

Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan produced the film under Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge banner, alongside Kara Durrett and K Period’s Josh Godfrey. Kimberly Steward, Harrison Huffman, and Will Greenfield are executive producing.

Shyamalan had this to say about his collaboration with Held and George: “The show Servant has given me the incredible opportunity to find new storytellers from around the world and tell stories with them. Celine Held and Logan George are an exceptional writing-directing team that directed two amazing episodes for us in Season 3. They are kind and dynamic genre storytellers and have written a film we believe will impact audiences deeply.“

The Motion Picture Association ratings board gave Caddo Lake its rating last year; it earned a PG-13 for some disturbing/bloody images, thematic elements, and brief strong language.

What did you think of the Caddo Lake teaser trailer? Will you be watching this movie on Max next month? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Chances are high that I’ll be watching this one at some point before the end of the year.

The post Caddo Lake: M. Night Shyamalan-produced thriller gets a teaser trailer ahead of October Max release appeared first on JoBlo.

As the Chicago Pinball Expo approaches, Jersey Jack Pinball is making a pit stop at James Cameron’s Pandora to debut a new glow-in-the-dark pinball machine based on the filmmaker’s box office-breaking action fantasy franchise. Prepare to plug your braided tendril into Jersey Jack Pinball’s Avatar: The Battle For Pandora pinball machine!

The announcement for Jersey Jack’s latest silver ball spectacle comes after Stern Pinball announced its Uncanny X-Men pinball machine, featuring many of Charles Xavier’s best warriors for mutantkind in a time-warping trip filled with Sentinels, Danger Room traps, and high-risk scenarios for the Children of the Atom to overcome! JoBlo head honcho, Berge Garabedian, plans to attend the upcoming Chicago Pinball Expo in mid-October, where he’ll get the chance to sample the latest pinball machines from the best companies in the game.

Jersey Jack’s Avatar: The Battle For Pandora pinball machine finds players as one of the Na’vi joining Jake Sully and Neytiri in an epic battle for Pandora. Featuring voice-over work by actor Stephen Lang (Colonel Quaritch), the adventure is enriched by memorable scenes from both films and an original soundtrack that blends the enchanting sounds of Pandora with the powerful themes of the Avatar series.

The Avatar: The Battle For Pandora pinball machine experience arrives in two game versions: a Collector’s Edition (1000 units) and Limited Edition (5000 units) table. The game features a custom speech by Stephen Lang (Col. Quaritch), iconic movie scenes from Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, and other unique features depending on which table you choose. Jersey Jack’s Avatar: The Battle For Pandora pinball machine sets itself apart from other tables on the market by giving players a glow-in-the-dark experience, illuminating the action, and changing the look of the board with stunning visuals. Want to show off to your friends? Turn the lights out while you play the game, and watch their faces light up when the machine does the same!

Pre-orders for the Avatar: The Battle For Pandora pinball machines are available now on Jersey Jack’s official website.

For more details about Jersey Jack’s Avatar: The Battle For Pandora pinball machines, watch the in-depth video posted below:

We hope to see you at the Chicago Pinball Expo next month!

The post Jersey Jack Pinball announces an Avatar: The Battle For Pandora pinball machine that “glows in the dark” appeared first on JoBlo.

The Steam Deck has arguably become gaming’s new favorite toy since it was first released in 2022. Over the years, it’s been widely adopted and praised for its versatility and power, being capable of running a shocking amount of high-intensity games at nominal levels on a handheld device. In lieu of getting a costly PC…

Read more…

The Steam Deck has arguably become gaming’s new favorite toy since it was first released in 2022. Over the years, it’s been widely adopted and praised for its versatility and power, being capable of running a shocking amount of high-intensity games at nominal levels on a handheld device. In lieu of getting a costly PC…

Read more…