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 11817, working 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 Reckoning, Pinocchio: 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 Assemble. Iconic 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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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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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 post The Rule of Jenny Pen: John Lithgow torments Geoffrey Rush with a doll in March horror film appeared first on JoBlo.

The Pokémon TCG is in a bit of a precarious place right now. Due to unprecedented interest in new cards driven by Pokémon TCG Pocket, spiking resale prices, and over-excitement at a new Eevee-based special set, the latest sets are selling out everywhere before regular customers can find them. It’s into this situation…

Read more…

The Pokémon TCG is in a bit of a precarious place right now. Due to unprecedented interest in new cards driven by Pokémon TCG Pocket, spiking resale prices, and over-excitement at a new Eevee-based special set, the latest sets are selling out everywhere before regular customers can find them. It’s into this situation…

Read more…

PLOT: When best friends and roommates Dreux and Alyssa discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money, the duo finds themselves going to extremes in a race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.

REVIEW: It’s a downright shame how few comedies get a theatrical release these days. We’re far from the days of the Hughes or even Apatow era in terms of frequency, and it seems that when we do get them, they’re straight to streaming. Rising marketing costs have made it so studios only seem to want to take a gamble on low-budget horror or big-budget tentpole films based on a popular IP. So it’s nice to see an original comedy release in theaters as there’s nothing quite like laughing in a crowded auditorium. And if there’s one thing you’ll definitely get out of One of Them Days: it’s plenty of laughs.

One of Them Days follows roommates Dreux and Alyssa as they struggle to come up with rent money after getting screwed over. Not wanting to be put out on the streets, they look to get enough money, all while their day gets more and more out of control. Hijinx ensue. Keke Palmer is much more subdued here than I’m used to and it really works. She’s the more level-headed of the pairing, but still eccentric enough to get plenty of laughs. You’d never know that this was SZA‘s first lead role as she’s a natural. She’s able to nail the comedic beats while never feeling out of place. Keke and SZA are far from being an odd couple, as they’re two peas in a pod, but they’re just different enough to be an interesting dynamic.

A common pitfall for these comedies is to add more and more ludicrous stakes as the film goes along, getting to the point of absurdity. One of Them Days rides that line nicely, that just when you think it’s going to jump the shark, they manage to keep things relatively grounded. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of broad humor and unrealistic situations but the film manages to never get out of control. They steadily ramp up the stakes, introduce fun new characters, and never get too convoluted. And I lost track of the number of satisfying payoffs to even smaller moments; a mark of a great film. Writer Syreeta Singleton sure did her homework.

Like any good comedy, One of Them Days has a fantastic supporting cast. Katt Williams, Lil Rel Howery, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, and Janelle James all have standout moments. James and Meija, in particular, feel destined to break out as nearly every line they say gets a massive laugh. Maude Apatow also feels properly utilized as the white girl moving into the primarily black apartment complex. Her cluelessness may be a caricature to some, but I found it fitting for the type of hipster she’s meant to portray.

I tend to be a tough sell when it comes to comedy and One of Them Days managed to really tickle my funny bone. The laughs per minute were high, with several subtle jokes that are easy to miss. I’m excited for this to come to digital to be able to see some of the gags I may have missed. It does what any great comedy does: blend comedy with emotional stakes for a fun time. Comedies are hard to review, as humor is so subjective, but I feel this manages to be satisfying even if you’re not a laugher. Like any good onscreen partnership, Keke and SZA are a blast to watch and make the running time fly by.

ONE OF THEM DAYS IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON JANUARY 17TH, 2025.

One of Them Days

GREAT

8

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Hideki Kamiya, the director behind Platinum Games’ Bayonetta series who’s now working on Okami 2 under a new studio, has never been one to hold back. The latest targets of his ire are Switch 2 leakers who basically beat Nintendo to revealing the console weeks ago. Kamiya used the occasion of the new console’s…

Read more…

Hideki Kamiya, the director behind Platinum Games’ Bayonetta series who’s now working on Okami 2 under a new studio, has never been one to hold back. The latest targets of his ire are Switch 2 leakers who basically beat Nintendo to revealing the console weeks ago. Kamiya used the occasion of the new console’s…

Read more…