On February 19, 1993, the third entry in director Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead franchise – Army of Darkness (watch it HERE) – reached theatres. Even though the film was a box office failure, it quickly earned a cult following… and by now, it probably ranks as one of the most popular horror comedies ever made. So there are a lot of fans out there who will be happy to hear that new Army of Darkness Funko Pop! figures are going to be released in March, and if you want to make sure you’ll be able to add these figures to your collection as soon as possible, they’re already available for pre-order on Entertainment Earth!
The figures are Ash with Boomstick (pre-order HERE) and Evil Ash (get it HERE). Images can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Here’s the description of Ash with Boomstick: “The Middle Ages need a hero to fight the forces of the undead! Expand your Funko Pop! collection by summoning Ash Williams with Boomstick to your Army of Darkness set! This Army of Darkness Ash with Boomstick Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure #1880 measures approximately 4-inches tall and comes packaged in a window display box.” And the Evil Ash description: “Ash Williams has been pulled into the Middle Ages to fight the forces of the undead! Now he must face his evil doppelganger, Evil Ash! Expand your Funko Pop! collection by summoning Evil Ash to your Army of Darkness set! This Army of Darkness Evil Ash Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure #1881 measures approximately 4 3/4-inches tall and comes packaged in a window display box.“
Written by Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan Raimi, Army of Darkness has the following synopsis: Ash is transported back to medieval days, where he is captured by the dreaded Lord Arthur. Aided by the deadly chainsaw that has become his only friend, Ash is sent on a perilous mission to recover the Book of the Dead, a powerful tome that gives its owner the power to summon an army of ghouls.
The film stars Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Richard Grove, Ted Raimi, Bridget Fonda, Timothy Patrick Quill, Michael Earl Reid, Patricia Tallman, Bill Moseley, and of course Bruce Campbell as our hero Ash Williams and his doppelganger Evil Ash.
Are you an Army of Darkness fan, and will you be buying these Funko Pop! figures? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Sex. Paranoia. Betrayal. These are the are among the first words that come to mind when we talk about the cult horror hit, It Follows. A movie that serves as a refreshing splash of originality and imagination that has gone on to become a mainstay in the Blu-ray players of horror lovers everywhere. While it’s a movie that certainly receives its share of praise for being fresh with its concept and quite creative in its depiction of the movie’s antagonistic entity- it also doesn’t seem to get the analysis it deserves beyond those initial praises. While the freshness and high-quality storytelling are certainly not up for debate in my book- this movie is awesome- I must say that beyond all the sex, paranoia, and betrayal, there’s also a surprising layer of tenderness, friendship, and empowerment that carry it through the trending page and into the pop culture zeitgeist forever.
It Follows is a 2014 horror film (well, it premiered in 2014, then got its theatrical release in 2015) that sees Jay (Maika Monroe) and her concerned friends as they look for a way to end a curse that Jay was given by her boyfriend by way of the old “in / out”. What follows is… well, “it”. And what that means is essentially a collection of evil apparitions that slowly, and blatantly stalk anyone who holds the curse until their eventual, bloody demise. One of the many things this movie does differently from typical spookies of the era is that instead of making the story a mystery as to how to survive the curse- the solution and “rules” to the curse are given almost right away- and the movie instead focuses it’s brisk runtime on a small group of characters searching for an alternative to the solution that will save anyone else from this sexually transmitted demon.
The movie’s opening scene is easily one of the more memorable in recent years with a long, dramatic, unbroken oner that pans back and forth as it tracks a young woman in her underwear running from someone (or something) that is just behind the camera. The shot starts off quiet with nothing but the ambient sounds of a sleepy middle America neighborhood. Then come the wailing screams of a clearly distressed woman, followed by the swelling synthesizer and rising intensity of the score. The scene does everything that a horror movie needs to do to get audiences into the story. It draws intrigue immediately, gives an unbroken look into the strange behavior of this girl, and shows off the clear skillfulness of the movie’s direction and photography which director David Robert Mitchell styled after the iconic works of John Carpenter and George A. Romero. I mean, even the movies establishing shots are total eye-candy.
One of the things that stands out about It Follows is the way that it evokes the nostalgic, classic horror aesthetic and tone that we love, while also choosing to deliver something that audiences weren’t expecting. For instance, in the tradition of movies like Scream, Psycho, or It, this movie offers a violent opening kill to kick off its 100 minute thrill ride. Yet, for every homage made to the horror movies of old, there’s some kind of unique spin on it that makes it all feel re-invented. Sure, we’ve seen an opening kill scene- but have we ever seen one where the victim knows they’re going to die and they just succumb? There may be an example or two- but I gotta admit, this opening scene genuinely creeps me out and (for some reason) because of the way it’s presented- the victim creeps me out too. I like that very much.
Proceeding this iconic scene, we’re introduced to Jay and some of our supporting cast including Olivia Luccardi as Yara, Lili Sepe as Kelly (Jay’s younger sister), Daniel Zovatto as Greg, and Keir Gilchrist as Paul. Hey man, same name. That’s cool. It’s established early on that Paul has a massive crush on Jay although he doesn’t admit it- and Jay is romantically involved with Hugh (Jake Weary) who not only looks like he’s about 10 years behind the times in terms of douche bag boyfriend fashion, but is also the smooth-talking playboy who gives Jay the curse and then ties her up and forces her to be confronted by a naked woman who he claims is coming for her. He then lets her loose to escape and that’s about the last we get from Hugh.
By the movie’s 20 minute mark, we’re already aware of what the curse seems to be, how it’s transmitted, how to potentially pass it on and (thanks to the movie’s opening scene) just how badly things will be for you if you don’t. So, after getting dumped on the street in front of her house, the true horrors begin when Jay starts experiencing hauntings the very next day after the incident. We’re treated to a nice and effective roster of ghosts to stalk Jay around town in the form of a creepy old woman, a battered and toothless young woman, a beach-going woman, and even a naked man on the roof. Not to mention some other creepy ghouls that stalk Jay and her friends throughout the movie. Of course, you’re probably asking yourself “Why wouldn’t Jay just sleep with someone else and pass on the curse?” And to that I say… She does. And then things get… kind of disturbing.
So, whatever “it” is can clearly change forms. That’s why it looks different every time we see it. When Jay passes the curse onto her friend Greg (which he willingly accepts because horny teenagers) she realizes that she can still see the entity, and she happens to catch it sneaking into Greg’s house. When she rushed across the street to help Greg, she finds that it has taken the shape of Greg’s mother- who then proceeds to… fuck Greg to death. Yeah, not gonna unpack that any further- let’s move on. Now that Greg is dead, the entity will begin searching for the next person in line. In this case, that would Jay since she had the curse before Greg. So, once again, our crew is back at square one as they search for a way to beat this thing.
In a final desperate attempt to rid Jay of this curse, Paul recommends that they try to lure the ghost into the swimming pool of a local school, and drop an assortment of electrical products into the pool to (hopefully) electrocute it out of existence. In my opinion, this set piece is amazing, but the logic of how and why they came to THIS plan as their last hope is maybe a bit convenient. While I’d agree with anyone saying that this is as good a plan as any, I’m really just glad that Paul’s initial plan was scrapped due to his charming morality. See, Paul was thinking of contracting the curse from Jay, then hiring a sex worker to pass it on to with the logic that they would immediately pass it on to another client and remove themselves a few degrees from the growing victim list. Of course, the plan would have ultimately only put off the inevitable with the lurking entity aiming not only to kill the person with the curse, but also anyone who’s EVER had it.
The movie’s final showdown is complete with all the blood, screaming, and scares you’d hope for. When luring the entity into a pool for the electrocution of a lifetime (or afterlifetime) chaos ensues and our guys are forced to fully throw down with “it”. Of course, what’s a good movie without a thought-provoking ending to leave you wanting more? The film closes with Paul seemingly killing the entity in the pool after many botched attempts and even an accidental shooting of his childhood friend (whoops)- Jay and Paul not only walk away alive and mostly unharmed, they also fall in love and have a proper night of uncured sex.
So- the ambiguous ending is a staple of horror- but just like the opening scene which felt familiar and yet new, this ending kind of leaves you the same way with Jay and Paul walking down the street as a couple and an anonymous figure following behind them. Was this person just another neighbor out for a stroll? Or was it, “it”. I’d say we’ll never know but truthfully I think the fact that David Robert Mitchell has discussed plans for a sequel titled “They Follow”- weather or not tis particular entity is gone is kind of irrelevant because as the potential sequels title suggests- there’s more of whatever “it” is out there.
From start to finish, It Follows is a darkly, scary, and brutal horror movie that’s packaged in brilliant cinematography, a kick ass score, overall good performances and most importantly- freshness. This is one that I’d HIGHLY recommend you watch or re-watch on your next movie night. But for now, wear a condom fellas. And ladies, uhhh… run.
A couple of the previous episodes of Deconstructing… can be seen below,. To see more episodes, and to check out our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
About sixteen years have gone by since we first heard that Sony was developing a film adaptation of the video game Shadow of the Colossus, a project that passed through the hands of Chronicle director Josh Trank and Shōgun writer Justin Marks before Andy Muschietti, who has gone on to direct the It films and The Flash, came on board in September of 2014. When you haven’t heard anything about a project in ten and a half years, you can usually safely assume that it has been scrapped – but during an interview with Radio TU, he said that Shadow of the Colossus is not an abandoned project. He still hopes to make the movie… he’s just having trouble getting studio support for it.
Originally released in 2005, the video game Shadow of the Colossus focuses on a young man, known only to the audience as Wander (or “the Wanderer”), who is tasked with finding and killing sixteen colossi that reside in a desolate expanse of land, in the hopes of resurrecting a sacrificed girl named Mono. A remake of the game was released in 2018.
Muschietti told Radio TU, with thanks to Newsweek for the transcription, “I’m not a big gamer, but Shadow of the Colossus seems to me a masterpiece and I played it several times. The movie has been in development for 10 years. … (It’s) not an abandoned project, far from it. I love this film, there is a script that I like a lot, but there are factors that have nothing to do with your desire to make it, but with how popular an intellectual property like this is. Shadow of the Colossus is a cult game.” According to Muschietti, Sony doesn’t feel the property is popular enough to warrant the budget he would need, which could be around $200 million, to bring the adaptation to the screen.
So Muschietti still wants to make Shadow of the Colossus, he’s still attached to the project and there’s a script in place, but it’s being held back by budgetary issues.
Muschietti is also attached to direct the DCU Batman film The Brave and the Bold, but since that project has been delayed to make way for Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II, he’s currently writing a science fiction screenplay that could end up being his next movie.
Would you like to see Andy Muschietti get Shadow of the Colossus into production? Share your thoughts on this video game adaptation by leaving a comment below.
2003’s School of Rock compiled a great group of child actors as they not only were able to go toe-to-toe with Jack Black in their comedic performances, but they also really came together as a band for the film. The bond that the cast made was evident as the audience could also feel their synergy. However, for two particular castmates, their bond would blossom into true love. Two of the movie’s child stars, Caitlin Hale and Angelo Massagli, would recently step on stage again, this time in holy matrimony.
Hale played Marta in School of Rock, who was one of the backup singers, while Massagli played Frankie, who became more of a crew member for the band. The two grew up to tie the knot and Entertainment Weekly reports on another cast member — Rivkah Reyes, who portrayed the bassist Katie — documenting parts of the wedding on a TikTok video. The video showcased a mini-reunion with other School of Rock graduates, including Brian Falduto, Joey Gaydos Jr., Robert Tsai, Maryam Hassan, Aleisha Allen and Cole Hawkins. The video, which can be seen below, was posted with the caption, “Celebrating the marriage of CAITLIN & ANGELO with my forever fam #schoolofrock #wedding.”
Additionally, Caitlin Hale posted a slideshow of official photos taken for the wedding on her Instagram. Her post was captioned, “Special thank you to everyone who contributed to an unforgettable day!” Then, she proceeded to give credit to all who contributed to their event. She would also share a group picture that the Dewey Finn alumni gathered for, which would include all the people in the TikTok video.
The movie’s director, Richard Linklater, has said that he would be interested in doing a sequel, but it would have to be just right. He explained, “It has been a long time. There was talk of it years ago but I’d love to work with Jack [Black] again. But there’s got to be a reason. There’s got to be something.” He would cite his Before movies with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy for reference, “Don’t do it unless there’s an idea, the reason we did two Befores is there was a good idea screaming out, there’s something to express about this.”
On whether or not too much time has passed for people to truly care about a School of Rock sequel, Linklater said, “There’s another type of sequel I usually call the ‘victory lap sequel’. They’re usually out pretty quick, they’re economic, and everyone knows it…We’re way beyond that, so why would you do it unless there’s something specific to tell…There’s always a good idea to be had.”
In 19th century Iceland, the young widower Eve (Odessa Young) finds herself in charge of a fishing crew (Rory McCann, Siobhan Finneran, Turlough Convery, Lewis Gribben, Francis Magee and Mícheál Óg Lane), as the ice thickens and resources dwindle it is already clear their survival will be hard won, when they witness a ship sinking on the horizon, it is decided they can’t risk themselves to help a crew of strangers. However this utilitarian decision is one they will soon come to regret.
Thordur Pallson’s feature debut The Damned, is inspired by the Iceland folktales of ‘draugr’ which are undead men who return to seek revenge. Although the crew vary in their belief of folktales, the blinding snow and minimal candlelight soon leave them doubting as shadows creep into the periphery. As a gothic tale, The Damned, is straightforward, but the supernatural sightings quickly become unimaginative. There is nothing to differentiate this undead figure from any other ghost story and although we are consistently told the ‘draugr’ will drive crew to extreme acts little is offered which truly disturbs.
When eels crawl out of the guts of a washed up corpse, similar to the gag-wrenching beach scene in The Tin Drum (1979), The Damned sets a squeamish precedent early in its run time that I hoped it would soon triumph over. But instead, the promise that what is infecting the minds of Eve and her crew will drive them mad only manifests in the forms of brutish violence outbursts where men brawl with one another while scuffling across cramped cabins.
Despite its refusal to lean into the visceral imagery it sets out with, The Damned still succeeds in creating a haunting atmosphere, which is aided by the deserted Icelandic landscape that seems to stretch on forever. The barren beachside graveyard even serves as a nod to Nosferatu as the crucifix grave heads jut out from the frozen ground, a thematic paralleling between the monsters that become scapegoats in desperate times. Pairing this haunting gothic backdrop and the sound design that compliments Iceland’s Westfjords, the beauty of this frozen world unsettles.
Odessa Young, who spends much of the film walking across this drastic landscape, performs best as the rational voice to counteract those amongst her crew who are spreading folkloric misinformation. But her expression of misery plateaus early on and though the situation increasingly worsens it seems there’s no further depth of anguish for her to mine. Each discovery of loss is greeted with the same shock, despite her straining to maintain control over a dwindling crew.
A socio-political message can be gleaned from this icy ghost story: in austere times it is easy for us to make each other into monsters. But this isn’t something we are left to interpret for ourselves, as the film ends with a flashback that reveals the supernatural creatures true nature. What may have been intended as a chilling revelation, serves only as a reminder (one becoming increasingly frequent) that audiences are no longer to be trusted with the slightest inference. A disappointing end that takes away any ambiguity for us to chew on.
ANTICIPATION.
Initially intrigued by the gothic promise… 3
ENJOYMENT.
The Nordic landscape is shouldering a lot of the atmospheric duty. 3
IN RETROSPECT.
Ultimately audiences will be left out in the cold. 3
A lengthy runtime can be enough of a turn-off for people to straight-up skip a movie. Of course, they have no problem binge-watching a show for eight hours, but that’s another argument. But for some, the length itself might be the draw, a reason to shell out the money to go to the movie theater. Of course, that director better keep things interesting, lest they a “bum ache”, as Ridley Scott calls it. Scott took part in The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Director’s Roundtable session to discuss this topic, with most defending long movies.
Even though a study from last year found that a brisk 92 minutes is the ideal runtime for a movie, those participating in the roundtable – including Scott, Denis Villeneuve, Edward Berger, and Brady Corbet (the reigning king of epics this year) – agreed that the filmmaker is responsible for justifying any time that might be deemed excessive on the surface. As Scott – who hasn’t made a movie under two hours since 2013’s The Counselor – put it, “Whether it’s four hours or two hours, you better have it in that engine the reason to want to go to the next step. That’s called drama…Even though it is seen as designed to be long, it better be interesting…That’s the fundamentals of theater and film. You ain’t got a movie.” So what do we call it when Netflix purposely dumbs down their content for those who can’t sit still?
Meanwhile, Edward Berger – whose Conclave hits the so-called industry runtime of two hours – added that such an epic runtime could be part of the allure for a lot of moviegoers. “If [the audience hears], ‘There’s this guy, Brady Corbet, he made a movie that’s almost four hours. It’s got an intermission. It’s 70 mm.’ It somehow becomes, ‘I gotta go see it!’ It’s a spectacle. I don’t get that on television…If the emotionality is right, it can be two and a half hours or four, it doesn’t really matter. I think part of the selling point…of getting people to the theater will be its length.” Corbet’s possible Best Picture winner The Brutalist clocks in at 215 minutes.
Speaking of movies with long runtimes, Dune: Part Two – which is just shy of three hours – remains one of the highest-grossing movies of 2024. Adding to the conversation, its director, Denis Villeneuve, said, “There’s the physical time and the mental time of a movie,” adding that we’ve all seen scenes that felt like an eternity and epics that went by in a flash.
Do you share these directors’ sentiments about movie runtimes? What makes you think a film is too long?
By and large, Nikki Glaser’s go at hosting the Golden Globes has been met with positive reception. And while many of us do miss the days of Ricky Gervais going uncensored – and with a glass of beer in hand – at the podium, we might be seeing a new regular host. While nothing has been inked, Nikki Glaser could reportedly be headed back to the Beverly Hilton next year and maybe even beyond.
Deadline is reporting that Nikki Glaser could very likely be returning as the host of the 83rd Golden Globes; and with that would come a pretty substantial – and deserved – pay raise, as the comedian took in $400,000 for her first outing. Pay would definitely be a factor, if not just to make a point. As she told Howard Stern the day after the Globes, “I feel well paid for what I do…I’m alright…This first year when you’re just trying to prove yourself, I honestly would have done it for free.” She added, “There was a past host who said how much he got paid in his monologue and I got less than that, but that’s OK. I’ll get more next year…”
Nikki Glaser added that she has no idea why anyone would bother turning down such a good gig as hosting the Golden Globes. With that, we’ve seen how stars can react to being made fun of in such a venue, their egos shattered with just one quip, so we can see why people would reject the offer if not just to cover their own butts and stay in good graces with Hollywood’s elite. While Glaser had some good zingers and I think she’d make a strong recurring host, she didn’t get anywhere near the level of carefree middle fingers that Gervais had – and would have had, as he also shared some of his own jokes he might have used. And even if you didn’t love Nikki Glaser, we can all agree she was a major step up from Jo Koy…
Having a host for the Golden Globes didn’t really become commonplace until the 2010s, when Ricky Gervais stepped in for three consecutive years (he’d return twice more). Since then, only one ceremony has been without a host.
What did you think of Nikki Glaser’s Golden Globes hosting stint? Would you welcome her back for another round?
By and large, Nikki Glaser’s go at hosting the Golden Globes has been met with positive reception. And while many of us do miss the days of Ricky Gervais going uncensored – and with a glass of beer in hand – at the podium, we might be seeing a new regular host. While nothing has been inked, Nikki Glaser could reportedly be headed back to the Beverly Hilton next year and maybe even beyond.
Deadline is reporting that Nikki Glaser could very likely be returning as the host of the 83rd Golden Globes; and with that would come a pretty substantial – and deserved – pay raise, as the comedian took in $400,000 for her first outing. Pay would definitely be a factor, if not just to make a point. As she told Howard Stern the day after the Globes, “I feel well paid for what I do…I’m alright…This first year when you’re just trying to prove yourself, I honestly would have done it for free.” She added, “There was a past host who said how much he got paid in his monologue and I got less than that, but that’s OK. I’ll get more next year…”
Nikki Glaser added that she has no idea why anyone would bother turning down such a good gig as hosting the Golden Globes. With that, we’ve seen how stars can react to being made fun of in such a venue, their egos shattered with just one quip, so we can see why people would reject the offer if not just to cover their own butts and stay in good graces with Hollywood’s elite. While Glaser had some good zingers and I think she’d make a strong recurring host, she didn’t get anywhere near the level of carefree middle fingers that Gervais had – and would have had, as he also shared some of his own jokes he might have used. And even if you didn’t love Nikki Glaser, we can all agree she was a major step up from Jo Koy…
Having a host for the Golden Globes didn’t really become commonplace until the 2010s, when Ricky Gervais stepped in for three consecutive years (he’d return twice more). Since then, only one ceremony has been without a host.
What did you think of Nikki Glaser’s Golden Globes hosting stint? Would you welcome her back for another round?
Plot: While exploring the American West, a small group travels across the plains, experiencing violent collisions with cults, religion, and men and women fighting for control of the new world.
Review: When most people think of the Western genre, they envision actors like Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, James Stewart, and Gary Cooper playing six-shooter superheroes with leathery skin, shiny spurs, and a devil-may-care attitude. As icons of an idealized American West, these men often shine as paragons of virtue, justice, and heroism. Still, history bends to the will of the storyteller, someone who can glorify the cowboy and make their actions appear pure and righteous. American Primeval offers no such quarter to its gun-slingers. Though the series presents a fictionalized and dramatized recount of 1857, its depiction of harsh living conditions, cutthroat politics, and relentless violence is all too honest. Saddle up, folks! We’re riding along one of Netflix’s best offerings of the new year.
Because I watched American Primeval so early (mid-November), I had yet to learn what the show was about, save for a few first-look photos and a brief synopsis. I imagined something akin to Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga, but I could not have been more wrong. Directed by Peter Berg (Very Bad Things, The Rundown) from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith (Twisters, The Revenant), American Primeval knows who the monsters are and depicts them accordingly, often with malice, greed, and hatred as their motivation.
American Primeval literally starts with a bang as shortly after the show begins, a guide through the harsh terrain is shot dead in front of Sara Rowell (Betty Gilpin) and her son Devin (Preston Mota). The startling scene sets the tone for Rowell’s perilous journey to Fort Bridger, a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. To compensate for the loss of their guide, Sara begs Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham) to help find a suitable replacement for the dead escort. Bridger, the matter-of-fact, smooth-talking overseer of Fort Bridger, introduces Sara to Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), a gruff, tortured, and incredibly skilled survivalist living on the outskirts of town.
The electric chemistry between Gilpin and Kitsch is immediate, with both actors tapping into their character’s headstrong and authoritative nature. Part of what makes American Primeval unique, beyond its unflinching portrayal of cruel colonizers, is the show’s performances. Gilpin’s perpetual state of heightened paranoia creates an urgency as she’s given little time to rest throughout the series. There’s always a fresh horror waiting around the corner, keeping her on edge but constantly vigilant. Taylor Kitsch compliments her performance, giving Isaac an air of mystery and arrogance as his sharp instincts help protect the group from untimely ends. While Isaac begins the mission as an unforgiving killer completing a job, the odyssey along the winding trail alters him as he develops a fondness for Sara, Devin, and a mute Indigenous stowaway called Two Moons, played to perfection by Shawnee Pourier. Straight up, Two Moons is my favorite character in a series packed with stellar performances. Shawnee Pourier can convey so much emotion and unspoken language with a hard stare or sympathetic smile. She’s incredible. Preston Mota also stands out as a young actor with a bright future. Mota’s Devin is a young boy growing up in a harsh world, unsure how to navigate the danger and what kind of man he hopes to become. Mota plays Devin with an intense curiosity and willful spirit, resulting in a decent performance from an up-and-coming actor.
Other stand-out performances include Derek Hinkey as the fearless and formidable warrior Red Feather, a member of the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe, and Saura Lightfoot-Leon as Abish, a Mormon woman whose understanding of the Shoshone evolves throughout the series. Like Sara and Isaac, Red Feather and Abish develop a special relationship that contains multitudes. Between Red Feather’s near-mythological status among the West and Abish’s defiant nature, these two headstrong characters clash in a way that brings added drama to a series already stacked with peril and dire consequences.
Not to be forgotten are Dane DeHaan as Jacob Pratt, a sincere Mormon man traveling with his wives toward his parish, and Kim Coates as Brigham Young, an actual historical figure striving to expand his influence in Utah by acquiring new land for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Coates’s Brigham Young is composed but cruel as he attempts to bargain with Jim Bridger for his territory. What few know is that Brigham is also the mastermind behind a militia of killers.
The events of American Primeval pop off when the militia launches an attack on a traveling party taking a rest in Mountain Meadows. The sudden attack (and it is sudden) gives way to a massacre that covers the soil in blood and viscera. During the attack, the militia wounds DeHaan’s Jacob Pratt, leaving him to die among the broken bodies and dashed dreams. While Pratt survives, the attack leaves him mentally and physically scarred. As he searches for Abish, he steadily slips into madness, allowing DeHaan the space he needs for a delightfully deranged performance. When the militia attempts to frame the Shoshone (and Red Feather) for the attack, the fallout ignites a war on all sides.
I showered immediately after binge-watching American Primeval, a testament to the show’s exquisitely disgusting set design and choice of filming locales. There’s a stark contrast between the finely pressed uniforms of the U.S. Army, the mesmerizing warpaint of the Shoshone, and the mud-covered frocks and furs of people trying to survive one more day in a stolen land of sin and sickness. I felt like I could contract tetanus simply by looking at my television screen as my nose curled while thinking of the ungodly smells wafting from weary animals and shit-smattered criminals.
Truth be told, I’m hard-pressed to find anything about American Primeval that I didn’t like. Allow me to lay this on the line. I bombed my history classes throughout my schooling career, and I’ve never been a fan of the Western genre. It’s simply not my bag. However, American Primeval won me over almost immediately. Peter Berg’s mini-series takes a fearless approach to its subject matter and portrayal of the American West circa 1857. Once Berg puts his foot on the gas, beginning with the Mountains Meadow Massacre, there’s little time to rest for the remainder of the journey. Despite occasional herky-jerky camerawork, the action remains frenetic while the drama lingers alongside the bitter cold. Betty Gilpin is nothing short of incredible as her eyes and body language tell the tortured tale of a woman under extreme duress, hoping to make it to her destination alive.
It’s refreshing to see such an uncompromising approach to the brutality and cruelty of colonization. As we enter an era in American history when people in power actively try to rewrite the past, it’s important to remember what was taken and who it was taken from. American Primeval is a total package experience. Every episode covers a vast ground, telling a startling, eye-opening story with complex and enigmatic characters. Whether you’re captivated by Gilpin and Kitsch’s chemistry, sickened by the violence, or riding the downward spiral of DeHaan’s encroaching madness, the show grabs hold and never lets go until the end.
While the internet continues to debate the “necessity” of sex scenes in cinema, the sickos and freaks among us are crying out for more carnal pleasure on screen. To deny the existence and power of desire is to deny a valuable (often fun!) part of the human experience – collectively we’ve been doing it since the beginning of time, but apparently it’s still considered more distasteful to simulate sex than to depict someone being violently murdered.
In Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, corporate high-flier Romy (Nicole Kidman) knows all about the power of denial. Despite being adored by husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas), she’s never once orgasmed during sex with him in 19 years of marriage – she instead sneaks off to masturbate while watching BDSM porn. Romy has convinced herself that her desire for a more dominant sexual partner is shameful, instead throwing all her energy into running her successful tech automation company. Yet when she’s introduced to Samuel (Harris Dickinson), the new, strong-willed intern, her repressed appetite comes back with new voracity.
Reijn first explored illicit desire and gendered power dynamics in her feature debut Instinct (where a prison therapist develops an infatuation with her violent, charismatic patient, who is a convicted serial rapist) and Babygirl is perhaps more palatable in a sense: the older woman still possesses the traditional position of superiority (her job) but her intrigue and infatuation with a younger man pushes her to rescind some of her hard-won control. But as Samuel – projecting boyish confidence but preternatural wisdom – points out, “I think you like being told what to do.”
What Romy discovers with Samuel is not the existence of her sexual desires, but the space to explore them. Meeting for illicit trysts in opulent hotel rooms (her choice) and grimy underground raves (his choice) they find each other again and again, despite attempts to call it off. The chemistry between Kidman and Dickinson is stratospheric but not purely sexual – Romy and Samuel are as vicious with each other as they are tender, each able to see something in the other that no one has even tried looking for. And while Kidman has long possessed a glassiness that makes her hypnotic to watch, here there is real vulnerability too, in the nervous dart of her eyes and the way she squirms as she tries to hide her naked body from Samuel’s gaze.
It’s the sort of intelligent, elegant adult filmmaking that is frequently lacking in modern cinema, approaching a complex theme not only with nuance and empathy but refreshing candour. Reijn’s wry swipes at the language of pinkwashed corporate feminism land much better than the Gen Z jokes of Sarah DeLappe’s Bodies Bodies Bodies script, and an exchange re. the “male fantasy” of “female masochism” wryly exorcises another old myth about what (some) women want. Babygirl joins a limited canon of films that takes the much-maligned subsect of female sexual desire seriously, while also serving as a compelling psychodrama about the intricacies of trust and understanding, even in a long-standing relationship.
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