Month: January 2025

PLOT: Two married former CIA spies (Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx) are pulled back into espionage when their former identities are exposed. 

REVIEW: There are two genres all of the streamers seem to be obsessed with: spy capers and heist movies. The super spy genre is an especially attractive one, as the plots can be thin, and old formulas can be recycled over and over again. As long as your stars are likeable and you have a decent director at the helm, spy flicks do their job as mindless entertainment. However, it’s worth noting that none of them have ever successfully launched a franchise, with most viewing movies like The Grey Man, The Mother, Heart of Stone or Ghosted as mediocre one-offs.

Back in Action has a storyline that’s awfully close to that of another streaming spy flick from just a few months ago, The Family Plan, with Mark Wahlberg. In this one, you get a Mr. And Mrs. Smith-style couple, Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz), who narrowly survive their last mission and opt to retire once they discover they’re going to have a baby. Fifteen years later, they’re suburban parents with two kids (McKenna Roberts & Rylan Jackson) who think they are boring. What do you want to bet their identities are going to be exposed, and the whole family will have to plunge – as the title promises – Back in Action?

Indeed, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen a million times before, with the movie totally coasting on the chemistry of its two stars. The most appealing thing about Back in Action is that it finally lured Cameron Diaz back to the screen for the first time in eleven years. She looks great, and she’s cast exactly to type with the movie, not only having loads in common with her two Charlie’s Angels films but also her Tom Cruise team-up Knight and Day

Back in Action, release, Netflix, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diax, first-look images

On a grimmer note, this is also the last movie Jamie Foxx made before the medical crisis that almost killed him. You can see how his condition, which he documented in the candid Netflix special What Had Happened Was, ended up being a total surprise, as he looks terrific. While director Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) is not known for action, the film is jam-packed with fisticuffs and chases, making it seem like the streamer pumped a pretty penny into it.

Yet, like a lot of their other would-be blockbusters, Back in Action is forgettable and little more than a movie to throw on in the background while you work or scroll on your phone. What’s worse is that given Netflix’s love of second-screen content, that may actually be how it was designed, with a simple plot that’s easy to follow – to the point that you could join the film 10-20 or 30 minutes in without missing much. You can also duck out for huge chunks and still be able to follow it, which is a disturbing streaming trend, in terms of how disposable their content feels at times.

The action scenes, of which there are a lot, are well-done, but to keep things light and frothy, they’re always scored by too obvious needle drops you’ve heard in too many other rom-coms. It’s the same rinse-and-repeat style of filming which made Red Notice such a chore to sit through and marred the recent Carry On (although those films are so popular, one can’t blame Netflix for adhering to the formula).  

Other than the two leads, Netflix was able to attract a top-shelf supporting cast, although many are wasted. Andrew Scott, among the more gifted actors of his generation, is wasted as an MI6 agent with the hots for Emily, while Kyle Chandler’s role as their CIA handler is predictable and a waste of his talent. At least Glenn Close gets to camp it up a bit, affecting an English accent to play Emily’s former spy mom, who’s got a much younger boyfriend (Jamie Demetriou) who’s a wannabe spy out of Johnny English

The fact is, if you want to see a romantic comedy involving spies, you can do so much better. In a world where True Lies and Mr and Mrs Smith exist (both the film and TV versions), Back in Action is all too familiar. It’s the kind of movie can you throw on in the background, not pay too much attention to and perhaps walk away slightly amused by – but not more than that. Then again, I suppose that’s exactly what Netflix wanted. 

Back in Action, release, Netflix, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diax, first-look images


Back in Action

BELOW AVERAGE

5

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Wolf Man, One of Them Days, box office

Martin Luther King Jr. weekend is upon us, though people looking to celebrate could have other plans than heading to cinemas. How do we know this? The starting totals for two brand-new movies are off to a grim start. Then again, we’ve been surprised by dark horses before. Analysts said Leigh Whannell’s body horror film Wolf Man howled during Thursday previews with $1.4M, while Lawrence Lamont’s comedy, One of Them Days, led by Keke Palmer and SZA, banked $1.3M.

Wolf Man comes in low out of the gate. Still, the Blumhouse feature only cost $25M to produce before promotional materials. The horror movie starring Christopher Abbott (It Comes at Night, Possessor, Poor Things) and Julia Garner (Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ozark) could transform its 4-day holiday weekend total into $20M, but only if people show up. Wolf Man‘s Thursday total is slightly surprising, given the success of Whannell’s 2020 psychological thriller The Invisible Man, which earned a global total of $144M during its theatrical run. Positive word of mouth helped The Invisible Man make an impression on horror fans, and the film’s popularity has only grown with time. Unfortunately, reviews for Wolf Man are mixed, with some critics saying the movie lacks bite.

Sony’s One of Them Days could surprise us, as the film holds a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an Audience Score of 94%. Tyler Nichols reviewed One of Them Days for JoBlo, saying, “the laughs per minute were high,” while the film also presents engaging emotional stakes. The story focuses on best friends and roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), who discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money. The duo then finds themselves going to extremes in a race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact. Maude Apatow, Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams, and Vanessa Bell Calloway star as primary cast members.

Are you going to the movies this Martin Luther King weekend? Do you think Wolf Man will find an audience in the coming weeks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and enjoy your holiday!

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Wagner Moura

Louis Leterrier has directed the action films The Transporter, Transporter 2, Unleashed, and Fast X, the action comedies The Brothers Grimsby and The Takedown, the mystery thriller Now You See Me, the fantasy adventure Clash of the Titans, and the comic book adaptation The Incredible Hulk (not to mention the TV shows The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Lupin), and over the decades his films have racked up $2 billion at the box office. Last May, we learned that he’ll be directing and producing the film 11817working from a screenplay by Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying), which will see him venturing into the sci-fi horror realm. That same month, it was announced that Kingsley Ben-Adir (Bob Marley: One Love) and Greta Lee (Past Lives) would be starring in the film… but now it looks like Ben-Adir has had to drop out, with Wagner Moura (Civil War) stepping in as his replacement.

Deadline has reiterated that Greta Lee is in the cast and revealed that Wagner Moura is in the cast with her, but their article has no mention of Kingsley Ben-Adir.

11817 will show us what happens when inexplicable forces trap a family of four inside their house indefinitely. As both modern luxuries and life or death essentials begin to run out, the family must learn how to be resourceful to survive and outsmart who – or what – is keeping them trapped…

Leterrier had this to say about the project: “Directing projects where the audience gets behind the characters has always been my focus. However complex, flawed, heroic, we identify with them as we live through their journey. It’s what excites me about 11817’s wholly original concept and the family at the heart of our story. This is an experience that movie audiences won’t forget.

The film is coming our way from Leterrier’s Carrousel Studios, Rocket Science, Thank You Studios, Chernin Entertainment (A North Road Company), and 3 Arts Entertainment. Rocket Science is financing and will handle foreign sales, while CAA Media Finance represents the North American rights. Leterrier will be producing alongside Thomas Benski and Omar Sy for Carrousel Studios, as well as Lars Sylvest for Thank You Studios, Kori Adelson for Chernin Entertainment, Oly Obst of 3 Arts Entertainment, Thorsten Schumacher for Rocket Science, and Joe Neurauter. Cecile Gaget serves as an executive producer for Carrousel Studios.

Are you interested in seeing a Louis Leterrier sci-fi horror film that stars Greta Lee and Wagner Moura? Share your thoughts on 11817 by leaving a comment below.

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September 5 is a jolt of a film. Telling the story of a news crew covering the Olympics in 1972, who find themselves in the middle of terrorist attack. The new feature brings this piece of history to life. The new feature directed by Tim Fehlbaum is compelling, and utterly thrilling. Running over just 90 minutes, it’s an immensely powerful look at a scary time in history. The exceptional cast includes Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, and the talented John Magaro. Each one brings realism to this powerful film. It’s terrific to see this kind of story that manages to be just as exciting as any blockbuster out there.

It was fantastic speaking to this exceptional cast. One that includes a favorite of mine. As a long time fan of Mr. Sarsgaard, it was a terrific chat. Add to that Ben Chaplin, and it’s a great duo to speak to. First we spoke with the two discussing taking on these roles. As well, I spoke with the fantastic Leonie Benesch and John Magaro. All four performances perfectly fit in this exceptional true life tale. For Ms. Benesch, she opened up about playing a woman on the news crew dealing with a few added pressures. And Magaro spoke about playing the legendary Geoffrey Mason, an accomplished broadcast journalist who faced one of the most impactful moments in history. It was fascinating speaking to this talented group about taking this story on.

We spoke, as well, with director Tim Fehlbaum and producer John Palmer. The two discussed bringing the reality of the terrorist attack to the big screen in a dramatic and truthful way. The proof of this is in the film. As the two talked about taking on the story, it became clear why the film works. September 5 is a hell of a good flick. As part of the audience, you are moved and drawn into this news crew, with a solid director, a great script, and terrific performances, you will likely be just as impressed as I was.

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Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios are building The Twisted Childhood Universe, which will consist of horror movies inspired by children’s stories. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 got the universe started, paving the way for Bambi: The ReckoningPinocchio: Unstrung, Alice the Mad, and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (not to mention Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3), building up to the crossover movie Poohniverse: Monsters AssembleIconic Events Releasing intended to bring Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare to theatres for three days only, from January 13th through the 15th – but the movie has proven to be so successful that it’s theatrical run has been extended through next Thursday, January 23rd!

Written and directed by Scott Chambers, who is also producing all of these Twisted Childhood movies, the film follows Wendy Darling as she strikes out in an attempt to rescue her brother Michael from “the clutches of the evil Peter Pan.” Along the way she meets Tinkerbell, who in this twisted version of the story will be seen taking heroine, convinced that it’s pixie dust.

Martin Portlock (Scream of the Wolf) plays Peter Pan and is joined in the cast by Megan Placito (Doctors) as Wendy Darling and Kit Green (The Blazing Cannons) as Tinkerbell. Also in the cast are Peter Desouza-Feighoney (The Popes Exorcist), Nicholas Woodeson (Skyfall), Kierston Wareing (Fish Tank), Olumide Olorunfemi (Venom: Let There Be Carnage), Teresa Banham (No One Gets Out Alive), Charity Kase (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK), and Campbell Wallace (Anne). It has already been confirmed that Portlock and Placito will be reprising the roles of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling in Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, which also feature the likes of Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Piglet, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, The Mad Hatter, and Tinkerbell.

Chambers produced Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare alongside Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the director of the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey films. 

Are you glad to hear that Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is going to be playing on the big screen a week longer than expected? Let us know what you think of its theatrical run being extended – and if you have seen the movie, tell us what you thought of it.

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tiktok ban

Update: In further developments, The Hollywood Reporter is now saying that the ban on the popular social media app, TikTok, will be upheld by the Supreme Court. The ruling will be one of the more significant ones made in a social media era as concern has grown with the app’s data collection practices, as well as their relationship with a foreign adversary. The justices wrote in their ruling, “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”

The court writes, “For the reasons we have explained, requiring divestiture for the purpose of preventing a foreign adversary from accessing the sensitive data of 170 million U. S. TikTok users is not a subtle means of exercising a content preference. The prohibitions, TikTok-specific designation, and divestiture requirement regulate TikTok based on a content-neutral data collection interest. And TikTok has special characteristics — a foreign adversary’s ability to leverage its control over the platform to collect vast amounts of personal data from 170 million U. S. users — that justify this differential treatment.”

Original article: Tick tock, TikTok. We’re now on the verge of the end of an era, as TikTok could be seeing its availability in the U.S. cut off as soon as this weekend. The ban on TikTok has been looming for a while now, as the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill last March that essentially said that if the social media platform’s owner, the Chinese-owned ByteDance, didn’t sell.

The deadline, which hits on Sunday, will affect American TikTok users, which some reports have numbered upwards of 170 million – that’s a little more than 10% of global subscribers.

And while the ban itself has made headlines, it’s also the potential sale that has garnered a lot of attention, with everybody from Elon Musk to MrBeast have toyed with the idea of purchasing TikTok…further demonstrating that billionaires have no idea how to use their wealth to benefit the greater good. Anything could happen but at this point, all things are pointing to a full-blown TikTok shutdown in the States. And to think, Bob Dylan just got an account!

Assuming the TikTok ban goes through, you will no longer be able to download it from app stores. Not everything is set in stone, but some reports suggest that those who open the already-installed app will get a message that they no longer have access.

So what does this change? Well, the term “TikTok Trend” will become obsolete for one. But that doesn’t mean similar trends won’t flourish, as you can just as easily get similar content through means such as Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and RedNote, which saw a huge bump in subscribers amid the TikTok ban news. In other words, it’ll just be replaced or continued on through another means. Whatever it is or whatever they are, if we can just get our Martin Scorsese fix, we’ll be happy.

TikTok is currently banned in several countries, including India, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. So, will the United States be joining in this weekend?

How would a TikTok ban in the United States affect you? Will it truly have an impact on social media? Give us your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.

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The Rule of Jenny Pen John Lithgow Geoffrey Rush

John Lithgow (Conclave) and Geoffrey Rush (Shine) star in the psychological horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen, which will be getting a theatrical release, courtesy of IFC Films, on March 7th – and with that date swiftly approaching, a batch of stills from the film have arrived online, and along with a poster. You can take a look at the images here in this article.

Directed by James Ashcroft, who made his feature directorial debut with the 2021 horror thriller Coming Home in the Dark, The Rule of Jenny Pen has the following synopsis: Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush) suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow) who secretly terrorizes the home with a sadistic game called “The Rule of Jenny Pen” while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty. What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen’s pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy’s reign of terror. Ashcroft also wrote the screenplay with Eli Kent and Owen Marshall.

Catherine Fitzgerald and Orlando Stewart produced the film, with James Ashcroft executive producing alongside Eli Kent, John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Gotto, Nicholas Lazo, and Samuel Zimmerman.

The concept of John Lithgow using a doll to torment Geoffrey Rush in their shared retirement home sounds like a recipe for a good time to me, so I look forward to checking out The Rule of Jenny Pen. Legendary author Stephen King said this was one of the best movies he has watched in the last year, and Alex Billington of First Showing said it’s the birth of a new horror icon – but is that icon Lithgow’s character Dave Crealy, the creepy doll itself, or are they a package deal?

The Rule of Jenny Pen will be making its way to the Shudder streaming service after its theatrical run. Does this movie seem interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The Rule of Jenny Pen
The Rule of Jenny Pen
Geoffrey Rush
John Lithgow Geoffrey Rush
The Rule of Jenny Pen John Lithgow

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