The tear-jerking but inspirational documentary on the beloved Superman actor Christopher Reeve has flown into theaters for its planned two-night engagement, which includes Reeve’s birthday on September 25, courtesy of Warner Bros. and Fandango. The documentary is accumulating an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences and while the film will eventually be available for those who didn’t get to see it in theaters, WB has now announced that they will extend it into a wide release starting on October 11.
Due to a tremendous response, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is releasing in theaters everywhere on October 11. Witness the legend and Get Tickets NOW! https://t.co/9H3k63Frkupic.twitter.com/WCkiL3uk9t
The official synopsis reads, “The story of Christopher Reeve is an astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, and his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today. Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care – all while continuing his career in cinema in front of and behind the camera and dedicating himself to his beloved family.
From the directors of McQueen, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, this film includes never-before-seen intimate home movies and an extraordinary trove of personal archive material, as well as the first extended interviews ever filmed with Reeve’s three children about their father, and interviews with the A-list Hollywood actors who were Reeve’s colleagues and friends. The film is a moving and vivid cinematic telling of Reeve’s remarkable story.”
Our own Chris Bumbray got the chance to see this film at Sundance earlier this year and in his review, he said, “In the end, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is similar to Still, the documentary about Michael J. Fox that played here last year. Like that one, it embraces Reeve’s positive effect after his accident but doesn’t shy away from the often grim reality of his day-to-day life. It’s more honest about that aspect than other movies are, and it’s better for it.”
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game was released as a digital exclusive for PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X|S back on June 4th, and a physical media edition is set to be released on October 15th – but before we reach that date, the game has just added genre icons Elvira (the horror host played by Cassandra Peterson) and Tom Savini (actor and special effects artist) as playable characters! These characters are part of the game’s latest DLC – and next month a new map will be added to the game as well.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (the movie) was directed by Stephen Chiodo from a screenplay he wrote with his brother Charles Chiodo. Stephen and Charles also produced the film with their other brother, Edward Chiodo. It has the following synopsis: When teenagers Mike and Debbie see a comet crash outside their sleepy small town, they investigate and discover a pack of murderous aliens who look very much like circus clowns. They try to warn the local authorities, but everyone assumes their story is a prank. Meanwhile, the clowns set about harvesting and eating as many people as they can. It’s not until they kidnap Debbie that Mike decides it’s up to him to stop the clowns’ bloody rampage.
Neither Elvira nor Tom Savini had anything to do with that 1988 classic, but they were both popular among genre fans at the time of its release, so it seems somewhat fitting that they would get involved with some Klown action.
Here’s the information on the video game:Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is a crazy, fresh take on asymmetrical survival horror experience. Based on the iconic 80s movie, the three-versus-seven multiplayer game brings back the unique, over-the-top mix of horror and comedy. In the battle between Killer Klowns and the citizens of Crescent Cove, team up and harvest humans or save the world from an alien invasion! The game was first announced at Gamescom in 2022 and immediately drove huge buzz and excitement that spread across the globe.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Killer Klowns has become a true pop culture phenomenon with scary-good products from a wide range of licensees for costumes, apparel, accessories, interactive, location-based entertainment and home and beauty, and MGM continues to grow the program into new categories.
Crescent Cove is a sprawling arena for these unique multiplier fights between Klowns and humans—boasting various locations, and various tactical opportunities for both teams. Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game provides a unique approach to hide-and-seek gameplay, customization and respawn systems, player-versus-player-versus-environment, and dynamic objectives leading to multiple match results. This game evolves the online horror formula in new ways.
Gameplay
Take on the Role of the Iconic Killer Klowns – Cooperate in a team of three players, utilize unworldly abilities, hunt humans with zany weapons, and plan your alien invasion to harvest the population of Crescent Cove successfully.
Fight Back as a Team of Seven Brave Citizens of Crescent Cove – Explore the city for valuable loot and weapons, avoid getting captured by Klowns, and try to survive the alien invasion.
Do you already play Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game? Are you waiting for next month’s physical media release? And what do you think of Elvira and Tom Savini being added into the game? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
While Florence Pugh is teaming up with a group of supervillain misfits for Marvel Studios’ upcoming closer to phase five, Thunderbolts*, she will also be gearing up for a Netflix drama that’s based on John Steinbeck’s literary classic, East of Eden. The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled that the streamer has given the go-ahead to a seven-episode limited series based on the 1952 novel. The book was previously adapted for a 1955 movie, which was directed by Elia Kazan and featured the iconic James Dean in his first lead role.
Elia Kazan’s granddaughter, Zoe Kazan, is set to adapt the novel into an episodic show and will serve as co-showrunner along with Jeb Stuart, known for projects like Die Hard and Vikings: Valhalla. Pugh will be joined by Christopher Abbott, as well as Mike Faist, who is playing the role Dean had in the film adaptation, and Hoon Lee will also starring. The series is set to be produced by Fifth Season and Anonymous Content.
Kazan would give a statement in which she said, “In the process of bringing this family saga to life, the resonance of my own familial connection to the material has not been lost on me. But it is Steinbeck’s writing — personal, shocking, profound and free — that has kept me enthralled to East of Eden since I first read the book as a young teen. Working on this has been the greatest joy, and I am thrilled by the cast and crew we are assembling – and deeply grateful to Netflix, Fifth Season and Anonymous Content for their support.”
Meanwhile, Peter Friedlander, the VP of scripted series for Netflix, would enthusiastically mention, “Zoe’s thoughtful and artistic vision pays homage to her grandfather’s revered film adaptation while beautifully honoring and introducing new audiences to a true canon of American literature. She is an inspiring, creative force and we can not wait for everyone to see what she and Jeb, alongside the brilliant cast led by Florence Pugh, bring to screen.”
Kazan, Stuart and Pugh are on board as executive producers for East of Eden. Director Garth Davis (Top of the Lake), will be taking on the first four episodes, then Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (Impeachment: American Crime Story), will helm the last three installments. Davis and Clermont-Tonnerre will also executive produce with Antoine Douiahy and Zack Hayden.
PLOT: A thrilling, contemporary mystery in classic noir style, Killer Heat follows private eye Nick Bali, an American expat in Greece, hired to investigate the supposed accidental death of young shipping magnate Leo Vardakis on the island of Crete. The victim’s sister-in-law doesn’t believe the official police report. But what exactly happened to Leo, and why? Despite the sun-drenched beauty of its exotic Mediterranean locale, Nick finds darkness at every turn: where the rich and powerful Vardakis family rule like gods, where jealousies run deep, and anyone could be a suspect.
REVIEW: The hard-boiled detective movie has been a trope since the early days of cinema. The term “noir” has taken on a meaning in modern film that has turned into a cliche itself. If you picture the genre in your mind, you likely conjure up fedoras, femme fatales, cigarettes, cocktails, dastardly villains, and lots of gunfire. The new film Killer Heat wallows in those elements but takes it out of dark alleys and New York City bars and places it on the sun-washed shores of Greece. Led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a youthful surrogate for Humphrey Bogart, Killer Heat promises all of the key elements of a noir mystery and delivers all of them. The problem is that Killer Heat sticks so close to the formula for a successful noir that it fails to try and be anything original. Despite solid supporting turns by Shailene Woodley, Richard Madden, and Clare Holman, Killer Heat is neither hot nor cool.
Killer Heat opens with requisite voice-over narration from Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a former New York City cop turned private investigator now living in Athens. Nick is called to a remote island by Penelope Vardakis (Shailene Woodley), the wife of Elias Vardakis (Richard Madden), the scion of a major European company. Penelope called in Nick to investigate the death of Elias’ identical twin brother, Leo (also Madden), whose climbing accident she believes was murder. Nick quickly ingratiates himself with local cop George Mensah (Babou Ceesay) as he looks into how Elias, Penelope, and matriarch Audrey Vardakis (Clare Holman) may or may not be involved. What follows involves watching the suspects via telescopes and binoculars, Nick posing as various people to investigate, and multiple red herrings meant to trick the viewer into thinking anyone could be the killer.
As the film progresses, we learn that Nick’s unique insight into this investigation comes from an event in his past involving his wife, Monique (Abbey Lee), and their daughter, Cleo. What occurred to Nick comes into focus as the story develops and serves as an explanation for why he lives in Athens and why he has such a bad drinking problem. Nick also seems to be fixated on white pants, and he calls out the distinct legwear three different times in the first half hour of the movie. Nevertheless, Nick is a good investigator but one whose temperature rarely rises above the monotone delivery of the narration. Gordon-Levitt previously starred in Rian Johnson’s unique take on the noir genre, Brick, which imbued the story with a youthful energy. Killer Heat opts for a more traditional take on the material despite being populated by a cast predominantly under the age of 40. There is nothing wrong with homage or respecting the classics, but Killer Heat tends to do this to a fault, including constantly overexplaining character motivations via wooden dialogue.
Very little in Killer Heat defies expectations. The closest to deviating from the classic noir formula is that the femme fatale character is not a femme fatale. Shailene Woodley parades around in bikinis and has a sex scene, but the most revealing character is played by Richard Madden, whose abs and rippling biceps are bared more often than not. But, when there is a sex scene, more is suggested than shown, which keeps the film from crossing from thriller into erotic. My favorite interactions come from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Babou Ceesay, who have a nice back-and-forth chemistry as the cop and PI discuss naming conventions for New York boroughs. It is the sole moment of levity in an otherwise dour film. As well-cast as everyone is in Killer Heat, no one really gets to do much but spout their lines and stand where they are supposed to stand.
Directed by Philippe Lacôte, Killer Heat is the director’s first English-language film after his critically acclaimed French productions Run and Night of the Kings. Lacôte uses the Mediterranean vistas and rich shooting locations but is saddled with a weak script. Roberto Bentivegna (House of Gucci) and Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies) based Killer Heat on the short story “The Jealousy Man” by Jo Nesbo. Nesbo is the best-selling author of multiple mystery novels, including the fan-favorite Harry Hole series. Nesbo’s work was previously adapted as the film The Snowman starring Michael Fassbender and Harry Hole, which is being turned into a Netflix series, but those books have much more to them than Killer Heat. This story is so by the numbers that if the characters are not explaining things, then the narration does it for them. From the expected opening to the not-quite-shocking twist ending, Killer Heat is very familiar, but not in a good way.
Based on the talent involved, I had higher hopes for Killer Heat, and it seems like they did as well. There was a lot of potential for this to have been a sexy throwback to a bygone genre. Instead, Killer Heat is as formulaic and cliche as they come, with no real surprises or energy. It is a safe watch with no nudity and mild violence, leaving the R-rating to be based on the use of more than one f-bomb. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is better than this material, but he is still more than capable of playing a hard-boiled detective, and I would love to see him get a project worthy of that. Killer Heat is a mystery that is not mysterious and too familiar to distinguish itself from everything else out there.
Killer Heat is now available to watch on Prime Video.
Maika Monroe has earned genre icon status with her roles in thrillers and horror movies like Longlegs, God Is a Bullet, Watcher, Flashback, Villains, Tau, Bad Blood, Flying Monkeys, It Follows, and The Guest. When she ventures into dark territory, she often plays the heroine – but she’ll be shifting into villain mode for the remake of the 1992 psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (watch it HERE). The remake is coming our way from director Michelle Garza Cervera (Huesera: The Bone Woman) and screenwriter Micah Bloomberg, whose credits include Sanctuary and Homecoming.
Directed by Curtis Hanson from a screenplay written by Amanda Silver, the original The Hand That Rocks the Cradle has the following synopsis: When she was assaulted by her doctor, Claire Bartel reported him to the police, and rather than go to prison for his crime, he killed himself. The shock of the accusations and suicide caused the doctor’s pregnant wife, Peyton, to have a miscarriage. Driven mad with rage, Peyton poses as a nanny for the Bartel family. Her plan: to tear Claire’s life apart, seduce her husband and eventually murder the woman she blames for ruining her life. The film stars Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, Julianne Moore, Madeline Zima, John de Lancie, and Kevin Skousen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s sources, Monroe was the first choice to play the dangerous nanny in the remake, and she has signed on to do just that. So she’s taking on the De Mornay role in this “two hander,” and now the filmmakers need to find who’s going to play the Sciorra character. Radar Pictures’ Ted Field and Michael Schaefer are producing the film with Mike Larocca under the Department M banner. The project is set up at 20th Century Studios.
The next movie Monroe will be going into production on is the subversive fairy tale 100 Nights of Hero, where she’ll co-star with Emma Corrin. She’s also attached to reprise the role of heroine Jay Height in the long-awaited It Follows sequel They Follow.
Are you interested in seeing a The Hand That Rocks the Cradle remake? What do you think of Maika Monroe signing on to play the nanny? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
A new TV spot offers a sneak peek at Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2, including a new song, “We’re Back,” from the film. The epic animated musical, which opens in theaters on November 27, 2024, reunites Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. A new poster is also available.
The voice cast also features returning stars Rachel House (Gramma Tala), Temuera Morrison (Chief Tui) and Nicole Scherzinger (Sina), as well as Hualālai Chung, David Fane and Rose Matafeo as Moana’s new crew members Moni, Kele and Loto, respectively. Awhimai Fraser voices mysterious new character Matangi; Gerald Ramsey plays Moana’s ancestor, Tautai Vasa; and Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda lends her voice to Moana’s adoring and adorable little sister, Simea.
Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, Moana 2 features music by Grammy® winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa‘i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina. Jared Bush and Miller are writing the film, which is executive produced by Jennifer Lee, Bush and Johnson.
Johnson elaborates on how he reflected on himself through Maui’s journey in this new story. In the movie, Maui has to set pride aside and ask Moana for help on confronting his past, “Sometimes the hardest thing in life is to ask for help. It puts us automatically in that position of vulnerability. The idea of jumping into vulnerability isn’t necessarily always our [first choice], and it doesn’t come easy.”
He continues, “This guy is a demi-god. He can do whatever he wants, have whatever he wants, live the life. But it’s all stripped away in this one moment. He can either continue to live life how he lives, or he can strip it all away and say, ‘I really need help.’ That’s a hard thing to do — when you’re that low and you feel like you’ve fit rock bottom. It’s an important moment for people to see that you can be strong, you can be big, you can be independent, but it’s okay to ask for help. When you do finally ask for help, and you put yourself in that position of being vulnerable and being open, the universe has a way of meeting you halfway.”
Production is currently underway on the psychological creature feature thriller The Room Below, which has Alyssa Sutherland of Evil Dead Rise and Jonathan Rhys Meyers of Mission: Impossible IIIin the lead roles. Bobby Gilchrist (The Invisible Raptor) and Gilbert Bradman (Transfusion) are also in the cast. Filming is taking place in Sydney, Australia.
Written and directed by Kurt Martin, who trained as a lawyer before shifting focus to directing and producing short films, building up to his 2020 feature debut with the road trip adventure Moon Rock for Monday, The Room Below centers on Mia, an expectant mother and acclaimed author of children’s books, who encounters strange occurrences in her home when a boy, who strikes a remarkable resemblance to her dead son, goes missing. As grief begins to consume Mia, her suspicious behavior attracts the attention of a retired detective intent on solving the missing boy’s case.
We assume that Sutherland is taking on the role of Mia. She earned a lot of fans with her performance in Evil Dead Rise, so it was a good move on the filmmaker’s part to get her into the cast of this project.
Martin told Variety, “The Room Below is a deeply intense psychological thriller about grief, guilt and obsession, with an incredibly unsettling and unique creature dialing up the scares. I am so excited to be in production alongside my dream cast and world-class collaborators and crew.” I’m looking forward to learning more about this “incredibly unsettling and unique” creature this movie has in store for us.
Coming our way from Lunar Pictures, the film is being produced by Jim Robison for Lunar Pictures, Chris Chard for CME, and Ty Linegar for MIK Studio. Marc Furmie, William Ramsey, Colin Bates, Adam Callen, Samuel Levine, Roy Scott Macfarland, Clement Dunn, Emma Comley, and Jaime King – and yes, that is the actress with credits like Sin City, My Bloody Valentine 3D, Mother’s Day, and Black Summer – are serving as executive producers.
Are you interested in seeing a creature feature that stars Alyssa Sutherland and Jonathan Rhys Meyers? Share your thoughts on The Room Below by leaving a comment below.
This weekend is shaping up to be a rather quiet one at the box office, with two new releases, The Wild Robot and Megalopolis, coming out that no one thinks are going to set the world on fire. Indeed, while Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a smash hit early this month, the rest of September had been loaded with bomb after bomb, with Transformers One having an especially underwhelming opening last weekend, where it lost to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in its third week.
Box office forecasters expectThe Wild Robot to make about $25 million this weekend and take the top spot. But, I gotta say, I’m not so sure. The Wild Robot is a terrific movie, and I fully agree with our man Steve Seigh’s rave review (read it here). But Paramount and Dreamworks made a huge mistake scheduling two robot-driven animated movies so close together, and Wild Robot and Transformers One will cannibalize each other’s audience. As such, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict The Wild Robot will only open with about $14 million and be beaten by Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which I think will once again take the top spot with $15 million.
Transformers One should take third place with about $11 million, although given the A CinemaScore, it could rally and do a bit better. Speak No Evil should hit fourth place with about $3 million, while Megalopolis will be lucky to hit fifth place with $2 million, as I truly think this is going to be the biggest box office disaster of the year. That’s a bummer, as I wanted to like Coppola’s passion project (suffice to say I didn’t) and a terrible note to end an otherwise dazzling career on – although then again, who knows, he might make another movie, and maybe it’ll be a masterpiece.
Here are my predictions:
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: $15 million
The Wild Robot: $14 million
Transformers One: $11 million
Speak No Evil: $3 million
Megalopolis: $2 million
As bad as this weekend is shaping up, the release of Joker: Folie a Deux should kick the box office into high gear next weekend.
Do you agree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments!
The long wait to find out what director Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard, Lucifer) and Ana de Armas are cooking up with the John Wick spinoff Ballerina is finally ending. Lionsgate pulled the curtain back on a Ballerina teaser on Wednesday, paving the way for today’s release of a full trailer. Yesterday’s Ballerina teaser included a chilling rendition of Beethoven’s “Furelise” playing from a wind-up music box. As the camera slowly pans through a study crowded with books and fancy decor, a porcelain dancer spins beneath a glass dome with the words “Trailer Tomorrow” inscribed at the bottom of the keepsake. With today’s trailer, we finally get to see Ana de Armas in action as the title character – and yes, Keanu Reeves shows up for a John Wick cameo. The film has a release date of June 6, 2025.
Ballerina sees de Armas taking on the role of a young woman with killer skills who sets out to get revenge when hitmen kill her family. As the film takes place in the John Wick universe, it will feature appearances from several franchise characters, including Ian McShane as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel, the late Lance Reddick as Charon, the Continental’s concierge, and Anjelica Huston as the Director, the head of the Ruska Roma. Other cast members include Keanu Reeves, Norman Reedus, Catalina Sandino Mareno, David Byrne, David Castañeda, and more.
Anticipation for Ballerina is high, as fans who provided the studio with their smartphone information received a message about the trailer’s release yesterday. In the beginning, Ballerina was separate from the John Wick franchise, but filmmakers reworked the project to take place in the world of The Continental. To help preserve the John Wick franchise’s legacy, Ian McShane and Chad Stahelski boarded the upcoming film.
In November, reports of a script for a direct follow-up to John Wick: Chapter 4 started making the rounds. While John Wick: Chapter 4 has a definitive ending, the boogeyman is too iconic to slip into the shadows when more money waits in the wings. The franchise may move beyond Reeves’ Baba Yaga at some point, but that time is not now.
What did you think of the Ballerina trailer? Let us know in the comments section below.
Saturday Night Live legend Andy Samberg’s had a heck of a career on the big screen, with him having more than a few cult classics under his belt. There’s Hot Rod, the criminally underrated Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, plus the more recent Palm Springs. However, he’s rarely gotten to tackle straight drama, but he’s getting his chance this week in Lee, a long-gestating biopic of famed war photographer Lee Miller, who began life as a model before becoming one of the most noted war photographers of her time, famous for chronicling WW2 in the pages of Vogue Magazine.
In Lee, Samberg plays David Scherman, who was one of Miller’s contemporaries at Vogue and shot a famous photograph of Miller in Adolf Hitler’s bathtub in his Munich apartment. We also chatted with the great Andrea Riseborough, who was Oscar-nominated recently for To Leslie but is perhaps most famous to genre fans such as us here at JoBlo for her roles in Possessor and Mandy. In Lee, she plays Audrey Withers, another journalist working for Vogue. Our man Jimmy O was able to catch up with Samberg and Riseborough at the recent Los Angeles junket for Lee, and both raved about working with the great Kate Winslet on her passion project. Check back for our review of Lee soon! Check out the interview embedded above!
