PLOT: When a vampire uses technologically advanced glasses to live stream his kills, he gains a large online following – and catches the attention of a trio of supernatural investigators who set out to stop him.

REVIEW: Earlier this year, Full Moon founder Charles Band announced that his company was launching a new production label called Pulp Noir, with the focus being 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, was released in August, with a black & white release following in September – and now that October is upon us, so is the second movie in the Pulp Noir line-up, the vampire story Death Streamer. Quadrant seemed to get a bit more attention than the average Full Moon movie, with some reviews even calling it artistic and mature… but while Band, who produced and directed both movies, has described Death Streamer as one of the best movies he has made “in a lot of years,” this one isn’t likely to receive those sort of accolades. It’s a fun watch, but comes off as being more low-key and less eventful than its predecessor.

The film begins with the vampire Arturo Valenor (Sean Ohlman) donning a pair of “technologically advanced glasses” that allow him to live stream his point of view onto the internet, making his way through a party and picking a young woman from the crowd. With the help of two assistants, he’s able to spike her drink with some of his blood, putting her in a hypnotic state, and takes her to a bedroom, where he kills her and feeds on her blood while thousands of viewers watch online.

The footage of Arturo’s blood feast catches the attention of Alexander Jarvis (Aaron McDaniel), who hosts a webcast called Church of Chills, which digs into stories of monster sightings and hauntings, among other things, alongside his own two assistants, Emma Massalone as Edwina and Kaitlin Moore as Juniper. Their show is called Church of Chills because they broadcast out of an old, abandoned and decommissioned church that also seems to be their home, as they sleep in tents inside the place. A few years ago, Full Moon purchased a house in Cleveland, Ohio to film several of their productions in (they named the place Full Moon Manor), and recently they also purchased this old church that stands in Cleveland. The plan is to use this place as a studio and warehouse, but here it’s presented as what it really is, an old church – and they got their money’s worth on this production, because once Death Streamer cuts to the Church of Chills folks, it rarely leaves the confines of this church. The majority of the movie involves Alexander, Emma, and Kaitlin investigating and discussing the case of the live streaming vampire, and the movie rarely follows any of them outside of the church.

Occasionally, scenes will drop in on the tech-savvy vampire, and when it’s time for him to feed, he does some more live streaming. As we witness the final moments of Arturo’s victims (one of whom is played by porn star Maddy May) through his live streaming glasses, we also see the constantly changing numbers of his subscribers and viewers at the bottom of the screen, and I would advise trying not to focus on those numbers too much, because they go up and down from shot to shot in a way that doesn’t always make sense. The streaming specs aren’t the only impressive thing about this bloodsucker, as he also has a special way of watching and communicating with people at a long distance that I won’t spoil here because it demands to be seen in the movie. It’s one of the most unique vampire tricks ever shown on screen.

If you sit down for a viewing of Death Streamer, you should be prepared to be looking at the interior of the church location for a good portion of the movie’s 72 minute running time. The small number of locations and the extensive dialogue sequences may be an issue for some viewers, but the script by Full Moon regular Roger Barron (also known as Benjamin Carr, also known as Neal Marshall Stevens) does give Band plenty of time to focus on the characters, and he was able to assemble a strong cast to bring them to life. Sean Ohlman is effectively sleazy and threatening in his scenes, and Aaron McDaniel, Emma Massalone, and Kaitlin Moore do great work as our trio of heroes. None of them have many feature credits to their names at this time, but their performances here indicate they could have great careers ahead of them.

So, as a Pulp Noir release, is Death Streamer edgier, weirder, and/or darker than other movies we’ve seen from Full Moon recently? Not extremely. I think it would fit right in with last year’s Full Moon releases Bring Her to Me and AIMEE: The Visitor, which came before the Pulp Noir launch. But while it doesn’t stand out in that way, it is an entertaining and quick-moving vampire-meets-modern-tech story that features good acting and the necessary bloodshed, finds ways to expose the breasts of nearly every actress in the movie, and even builds its villain up to be an apocalyptic threat (allowing for the awesome line, “This motherf*cker isn’t just looking for blood and tits, he’s trying to destroy the whole f*cking world!”). It’s all in good fun and makes for an entertaining way to spend an hour and change. Having a live streaming vampire as the villain was a cool idea, and Band and Barron put him up against some interesting heroes.

Death Streamer 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 October 11th.

full moon

AVERAGE

6

The post Death Streamer Review: Full Moon’s Second Pulp Noir Release appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: A depiction of the early days of Donald Trump’s (Sebastian Stan) business empire and how his friendship with Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) paved the way for his rise to power.

REVIEW: The Apprentice is one of those movies everyone seems to have an opinion about, regardless of whether they’ve seen it or not. Indeed, only a privileged group who saw it at Cannes and Telluride can really say what it is or isn’t, and now, thanks to a special, invite-only surprise screening at TIFF (where it’s not playing as part of the official selection), you can add JoBlo to that list. 

So, I walked into The Apprentice expecting a dark, political drama akin to the work of Oliver Stone. This isn’t that movie, with director Ali Abbasi making this a somewhat apolitical work. Trump’s foray into politics isn’t mentioned beyond one or two moments of foreshadowing or a bit where a young Roger Stone tries to convince Trump to consider running for office. Instead, this is all about how Trump became one of the world’s most controversial, aggressive businessmen – long before he ever thought about becoming president.

In it, we see how the ambitious Trump initially seeks to come out from the shadow of his father, Fred (an unrecognizable Martin Donovan), and how he finds a patron who, in many ways, molded him into the man he is today. Abassi has said that he thinks Trump would like his film, and for most of the movie, I agreed with him, as it presents him as utterly ruthless, which is a trait about himself I don’t think Trump would disagree with. But, the movie also depicts Trump as raping Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova), and if the film gets slammed by him, it will be because of that.

Otherwise, this isn’t all that different from a movie like The Wolf of Wall Street, with Sebastian Stan not overplaying Trump in a caricature-ish way. As the film progresses and he becomes more of the guy we know now, he adopts more of the mannerisms, but for much of the running time, he’s still a young man. In many ways, the movie’s true star is Succession’s Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn. 

For those who don’t know, Cohn was a notorious figure in New York high society, with him a pit bull of a lawyer famous for defending mobsters and being utterly without mercy or scruples. He was also Joseph McCarthy’s lap dog during the Red Scare and played a direct role in sending The Rosenbergs to the electric chair. He was also a homosexual who, nevertheless, was publicly homophobic and suffered from AIDS for years, which he denied until his dying day. 

Strong initially plays Cohn as a diabolical figure who uses Trump as a pawn in his own desire for power. But as the film goes on, we see that Cohn, in his own way, grew to love Trump as a surrogate son, only to be discarded as his profile became toxic and he lost what made him so fearful of an opponent. His tragedy is nearly Shakespearean, and he makes you see that the human (and soul) is a man many consider utterly repugnant. 

Abbasi gives The Apprentice a tremendous sense of pace, with it a lean and mean two hours, and entertaining from start to finish, regardless of where on the political spectrum you may be. The look of the film is intriguing, with it shot in a 1:33:1 aspect ratio. The film’s early parts look like grimy seventies 16mm, while it segues to a stylized, analog video look as we enter the eighties. The song choices are excellent, running the gamut from New Order to Pet Shop Boys to punk rock. Despite a limited budget, it’s also highly evocative of a time when New York was still a place to be feared by many people, way before it became gentrified by people like Trump.

More than anything, this movie is about how men like Trump are formed and somewhat cautionary about how the desire for power breeds ruthlessness. Again, I don’t think Trump himself would dislike much about this—save for the way it depicts the unravelling of his relationship with Ivana. It is a thoroughly entertaining film with a broader appeal than you might think, even if some are positioning it with their own agendas as something it is not. 

The Apprentice (2024)

GREAT

8

The post The Apprentice Review: We Saw the Trump Movie Everyone Is Talking About appeared first on JoBlo.

The upcoming Ray Donovan spinoff series for Paramount+ is in the final stages of securing itself one hell of a cast. Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan are in final negotiations to star in The Donovans from director Guy Ritchie. Wowza.

Should the trio sign on the dotted line, Deadline hears that Tom Hardy would star as Harry, the fixer, “a man who is as dangerous as he is handsome.” Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan would also star as the crime family’s matriarch and patriarch, Maeve and Conrad Donovan.

The official synopsis for The Donovans: “With the most powerful clients in Europe, The Donovans will see family fortunes and reputations at risk, odd alliances unfold, and betrayal around every corner, and while the family might be London’s most elite fixers today, the nature of their business means there is no guarantee what’s in store tomorrow.” Guy Ritchie will direct The Donovans and executive produce alongside series writer Ronan Bennett.

The original Ray Donovan series starred Liev Schreiber as the title character, a professional fixer who arranged bribes, payoffs, threats, and other illegal activities for the benefit of his powerful clients. It aired for seven seasons on Showtime before it was cancelled without warning, but a feature-length film was released in 2022, which concluded the story.

Bennett spoke about the Ray Donovan spinoff earlier this year. “We’re going to deliver a show which provides massive thrills, entertainment and a huge rush of adrenaline for audiences around the world,” Bennet said. “At the same time, I’m totally focused on exploring real characters, in body and in soul, and I’m committed to writing stories with deep dramatic impact. We’re going to get under the skin of the criminal underworld, in a way which will show you the bone-deep truths of how they live and how it sometimes will – inevitably – impact on our own lives.” With Hardy, Mirren, and Brosnan onboard (or just about), I think people are going to be very excited about this one.

What do you think of this casting for the Ray Donovan spinoff?

The post The Donovans: Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren & Pierce Brosnan in final talks to star in Ray Donovan spinoff series appeared first on JoBlo.

Deadline reports that Starz has cancelled The Serpent Queen after two seasons. However, the last season of the historical drama series did plant the seeds for a spinoff series, which is apparently in the works. More on that later.

Based on the book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda, The Serpent Queen stars Samantha Morton as Catherine de Medici, who, against all odds, became one of the most powerful and longest-serving rulers in French history. The second season, which wrapped up its run in August, concluded with the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, which left many thousands dead. There was obviously still more story to tell, but Starz executives “ultimately felt [the finale] provided a satisfactory conclusion of Catherine’s story for fans.“

Although both seasons of the series were highly rated (scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes), viewership for the second season didn’t quite reach the levels Starz had hoped for. That said, Lionsgate had exercised its options on the cast for a third season, meaning that the actors will get paid for the unproduced season 3 episodes. Not bad.

Now, about that spinoff. The second season of The Serpent Queen guest starred Minnie Driver as Queen Elizabeth I, and Deadline’s report states that a spinoff revolving around her character is in the works. The Serpent Queen writer/executive producer Justin Haythe and executive producer Erwin Stoff are developing the project. No talent is attached, but it’s expected that Driver would reprise the role.

Starz has aired more than a few royal historical dramas over the years, including several based on Philippa Gregory’s novels, such as The White Queen, The White Princess, and The Spanish Princess. I’ll confess that I’ve got a soft spot for these types of historical dramas, but I never got around to checking out The Serpent Queen. Better late than never, I suppose.

Are there any fans of The Serpent Queen out there upset to see the series get cancelled?

The post The Serpent Queen cancelled by Starz after two seasons, but a spinoff could be in the works to replace it appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s been almost a decade since Dylan O’Brien nearly died on the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure after a tragic accident. The actor was reportedly in a harness on top of a moving vehicle when he was unexpectedly pulled off and hit by another vehicle. Production was shut down while O’Brien recovered, and it took an entire year before he was able to return to finish the film. O’Brien spoke about the accident with Men’s Health, revealing that he had raised safety concerns before the accident but was ignored.

“It was a life-changing incident. I’ve approached everything differently, you could say, particularly with regards to standing my ground on set,” he said. “It’s very commonplace in the culture for young actors to be controlled, and the way they strive to do that is by always being like, Oh, don’t become difficult. Don’t be a pain in the ass. Or Are you complaining, are you being difficult? Things like that.“

O’Brien continued, “I learned after the accident to not conflate taking care of yourself and looking after yourself. Don’t let them manipulate you into thinking that is being difficult, because I can look at that day and know I was a 24-year-old kid who was raising concerns about how we were approaching things, and they were not listened to, they were not respected. And then what happened happened. And by all accounts, it was all pretty gotten away with, I would say, as well.“

“It’s taught me that, at the end of the day, in these spaces, you have your own back, and that’s the most you can rely on,” O’Brien said. “I just turned 33. I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I know the person I am, and the character I bring to set, and the way I treat people and the way that I treat a workspace, and I know I’m not difficult. I know I’m not an asshole. I know I was trying to protect myself that day, and so I’ve just never forgotten that. That’s always rung true as being the thing to hold with me.“

Speaking of The Maze Runner, it was revealed earlier this year that 20th Century Studios was looking to bring the franchise back. Instead of a reboot or direct sequel, the producers are hoping to make the project a “continuation of the story [but] also return to the elements which made the first movie connect with its audience.“Jack Paglen (Transcendence) was in talks to write the script for the new film.

Dylan O’Brien is playing Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night, which is slated for a wide release on October 11th. He also stars in Caddo Lake, which will debut on Max on October 10th.

The post Dylan O’Brien raised safety concerns on Maze Runner set before his near-death accident appeared first on JoBlo.

Hurricane Milton, one of the biggest storms in recorded history, is set to make landfall in Florida on October 9. It will likely cause tens of billions of dollars of damage and could kill or injure many people who are unable to evacuate Tampa Bay and the surrounding region in time.

Read more…

Hurricane Milton, one of the biggest storms in recorded history, is set to make landfall in Florida on October 9. It will likely cause tens of billions of dollars of damage and could kill or injure many people who are unable to evacuate Tampa Bay and the surrounding region in time.

Read more…

Just last month, Kyle Chandler was in talks to star in HBO’s Lanterns, and now it’s official. Meet your new Hal Jordan!

The live-action Green Lantern series is said to have a True Detective vibe as it “follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” It was confirmed yesterday that Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) would also star as John Stewart. I’m excited about this one.

Chris Mundy (Ozark) will serve as showrunner and executive producer and will co-write the series alongside Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers) and Tom King (Supergirl), who will also executive produce. James Hawes, a prolific TV director best known for Black Mirror and Slow Horses, will helm the first two episodes.

Josh Brolin was originally in talks to play Hal Jordan, but he recently said it didn’t work out. “You know what? Green Lantern didn’t work out, but that’s okay,” Brolin said. “It’s working out. Who is it going to be, Kyle Chandler? I love him as an actor, I think he’s wonderful, actually. And, you know, we’ll see what’s down the line, man.”

Lanterns was given an eight-episode straight-to-series order earlier this summer. Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, said: “We are elated to be reuniting with both Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof as they partner with Tom for this fresh take on DC’s ‘Green Lantern.’ As part of James and Peter’s vision for the DC Universe, this first new live action series will mark an exciting new era.“

In a joint statement, James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios, added: “We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon and Tom at the helm. John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and LANTERNS brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with ‘Superman.’“

Now that it’s official, how do you feel about Kyle Chandler playing Hal Jordan in Lanterns?

The post Lanterns: Kyle Chandler confirmed to star as Hal Jordan in HBO’s Green Lantern series appeared first on JoBlo.

Peacock has dropped the new trailer for The Day of the Jackal, a TV series based on Frederick Forsyth’s iconic spy novel of the same name.

The globe-trotting thriller stars Eddie Redmayne as an unrivalled and highly elusive assassin known only as the Jackal, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.

In addition to Redmayne and Lynch, the series stars Úrsula Corberó (Snake Eyes), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Richard Dormer (Fortitude), Chukwudi Iwuji (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Lia Williams (The Crown), Khalid Abdalla (United 93), Eleanor Matsuura (The Walking Dead), and Jonjo O’Neill (Pennyworth). Ronan Bennett (Gunpowder) serves as writer and showrunner, with Brian Kirk (Game of Thrones) directing.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly last month, Redmayne said the series will give more insight into his character than the 1973 movie was able to. “One of the things that appealed to me about doing this series was, in Edward Fox’s version — it’s two hours, that movie — Edward is so filled with charisma… and kind of wit and elegance, but you never get to learn anything about it,” Redmayne said. “I wanted to see if through this 10-hour thing, we could get to know someone, but always be second guessing.” Redmayne added that the 1973 film was “one of those movies that my family would watch again and again and again.“

“And so I thought, wow, this is bold, that they’re going to try and reimagine this. And what I read, I just found completely thrilling and compelling, and at each moment it threw me off course and it kind of discombobulated me, but I couldn’t stop turning the pages,” Redmayne said. “I hadn’t done television for a few years, but the idea of getting to spend a proper amount of time with this enigma felt like great material to mine.“

The first five episodes of The Day of the Jackal will premiere on Peacock on November 14th, followed by weekly episodes until the double-episode finale on December 12th. In the UK, the series will premiere on Sky on November 7th.

The post The Day of the Jackal: Eddie Redmayne is hunted by Lashana Lynch in new trailer for assassin series appeared first on JoBlo.

Marie Still’s serial killer thriller novel My Darlings only just reached store shelves this week (you can pick up a copy at THIS LINK), but Milojo Productions – the company headed up by talk show host / actress Kelly Ripa and her co-host / actor husband Mark Consuelos – has already scooped up the TV series adaptation rights and got the project set up at Amazon MGM Studios.

Justin W. Lo and Leo Richardson of the Netflix series You are writing the adaptation and will serve as executive producers alongside Ripa, Consuelos, and Milojo Productions’ Albert Bianchini. James Griffiths is on board to direct and executive produce through his company Fee Fi Fo Films. Lindsay Maizel is a co-executive producer. Michael Halpern, vp production and development at Milojo, will be overseeing the project for the company.

Griffiths’ previous directing credits include episodes of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Stumptown, A Million Little Things, and Black-ish, among others.

My Darlings is described as being a satirical thriller. The story centers on Eloise Williams, an interior designer, doting wife and mother, and queen bee of her social circle — who is also a serial killer. When a mysterious blackmailer threatens to expose her past, murder becomes not just a desire, but a necessity.

Still’s novel has the following description: ABC’s Desperate Housewives meets HBO’s Dexter, My Darlings, a chilling suburban noir set in the deceptively serene Washington D.C. suburbs, where a respected philanthropist and PTO president’s secret life as a serial killer enthralls readers seeking a deep, psychological thrill.

No one was supposed to know. I’ve always been so careful. My Darlings, how did we get here? Evil lurks behind the perfectly manicured lawns, ornate iron gates, and long winding driveways of affluent DC–but not for long. Stay-at-home mom Eloise Williams is PTO president and a respected local philanthropist who sits on the boards of many distinguished charities. In addition to being a doting wife and mother, she is also a serial killer. But Eloise isn’t the only lady in society playing a part. As the hidden lives of Eloise’s inner circle are exposed, the body count rises. When stalkers becomes prey, Eloise desperately clings to control. Money and power can only buy influence and safety for so long. Eventually, the curtains lift, exposing the chilling reality hiding in plain sight. This dark thriller has numerous content warnings: child death, suicide, hazing, bullying, murder, infidelity, brutal slayings, domestic abuse/violence, child abuse, torture.

Still provided The Hollywood Reporter with the following statement: “I could not imagine a more talented team to bring Eloise, the serial killing mom, and her story to life. I’m thrilled to work with Leo Richardson, Justin W. Lo, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and the team at Milojo, and James Griffiths and the team at Fee Fi Fo Films, whose vision I’m confident will resonate with viewers and be utterly binge-worthy.“

Does My Darlings sound like it has the makings of an interesting TV show to you? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post My Darlings: Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos executive produce serial killer thriller series appeared first on JoBlo.