Kobi Libii’s feature film debut is already facing some divisive reaction. For this viewer, having grown up on classic films that he is examining, I thought the approach was quite interesting. The American Society of Magical Negroes explores a familiar troupe in classic films that featured a lovable sidekick, often it was someone who is a minority. As his directorial debut is bound to turn a few heads, it also features an impressive cast that includes Justice Smith, Nicole Byers, An-Li Bogan, and David Alan Grier.
Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with a few of the fine folks about their latest. First up, I sat down with the legendary David Alan Grier. And it was a terrific conversation, one where we talked about classic films and reasons behind this story. He is a fascinating man, and he is a joy to speak with. After that, we sat down with the film’s director to talk about his decision to make this story his debut. It was a terrific conversation.
When it came to Justice Smith and An-Li Bogan, the two talked about taking part in Kobi’s story, and for Smith, just how easily he connected to the material. When it came to Nicole Byers, the actress was a pleasure to speak with. First off, I gave her a compliment as my wife is a fan. And then we went into talking about the unexpected character she took on in this feature. The American Society of Magical Negroes is in theatres now.
Chucky season 3 had to be split in half due to the writers and actors strikes, with the first four episodes (read our review HERE) airing on Syfy and USA Network (as well as the Peacock streaming service) back in October. Production resumed at the end of November, and the second half of the season will begin airing on April 10th. That date is just a few weeks away, so Syfy has now unveiled a two minute promo that offers a glimpse of the insanity the second half of season 3 will be bringing to the screen, and you can check that out in the embed above.
The promo does happen to be geo-locked, so you might not be able to see it, depending on where you are. Thankfully, there are other versions on YouTube that aren’t geo-locked.
A follow-up to all of the Child’s Play movies (remake excluded), Chucky picks up where Cult of Chucky left off. Don Mancini, who has written every film in the franchise (except that remake) and directed a few of them, developed Chucky with producer David Kirschner. Mancini and Kirschner are executive producing Chucky with Harley Peyton, Alex Hedlund, and Nick Antosca. The first season had Chucky terrorizing Hackensack, New Jersey, then he was sent off to a Catholic boarding school for season 2. Now it’s D.C.’s turn to experience some Chucky trouble.
Here’s the season 3 synopsis: In Chucky’s unending thirst for power, season 3 now sees Chucky ensconced with the most powerful family in the world — America’s First Family, inside the infamous walls of the White House. How did Chucky wind up here? What in God’s name does he want? And how can Jake, Devon, and Lexy possibly get to Chucky inside the world’s most secure house, all while balancing the pressures of romantic relationships and growing up? Meanwhile, Tiffany faces a looming crisis of her own as the police close in on her for “Jennifer Tilly’s” murderous rampage last season.
The series stars Jennifer Tilly (as serial killer Tiffany Valentine, now inhabiting the body of actress Jennifer Tilly), Zackary Arthur (as Jake Wheeler), Alyvia Alyn Lind (as Lexy Cross), Fiona Dourif (as Nica Pierce), Björgvin Arnarson (as Devon Evans), Devon Sawa (as President James Collins), Alex Vincent (as Andy Barclay), Christine Elise (as Kyle), Jackson Kelly (as Grant Collins), Lara Jean Chorostecki (as Charlotte Collins), Carina Battrick (as Caroline Cross), and Brad Dourif (providing the voice of Chucky). A while back, it was announced that legendary filmmaker John Waters, who previously played Pete Peters, a tabloid photographer who got dissolved by acid in 2004’s Seed of Chucky, has been added to the cast of Chucky season 3, where he’ll be playing Wendell Wilkins, “the reclusive creator of the Good Guy dolls, who gets drawn into the psychopathic Chucky’s tangled web”.
Mancini has brought some wild ideas to this franchise over the years. I haven’t watched any episodes of Chucky season 3 yet, but it’s clear from the promo above that he’s still bringing plenty of wildness to this one.
Are you caught up on Chucky season 3, and will you be tuning in when the season resumes in April? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
PLOT: A young nun (Sydney Sweeney) accepts a position at a secluded convent in Italy. While there, she mysteriously becomes pregnant, despite being a virgin, and soon the convent becomes convinced she’s carrying the resurrection of Christ. However, something much more sinister might be happening.
REVIEW: For most of its running time, Immaculate is a decent throwback to Dario Argento-style Italian horror movies, with it getting a lot of mileage out of its picturesque Italian scenery and cast of old pro actors from the region. It’s a slow-burn and not particularly scary, but it builds up to an incredibly strong final scene, which is good enough that it really makes the entire film worth seeing just for the superb payoff.
Too bad then that the eighty-minute build-up to the dazzling final sequence is such a mixed bag, with it really feeling like the writer, Andrew Lobell, and director, Michael Mohan, conceived of the final scene on its own and had to figure out a way to build a movie around it. The whole film feels like almost an afterthought to a moment that will undoubtedly inspire a lot of talk about how provocative it is.
As such, Immaculate is, for most of its running time, little more than a passable horror flick, although it’s distinguished by its excellent cinematography from Elisha Christian and a terrific lead performance from Sydney Sweeney. Some may raise their eyebrows at that last part, but the fact is she’s actually always been quite good. Her acting in Euphoria has always been powerful; she was great in The White Lotus and terrific in the little-seen HBO movie Reality.
Some folks seem distracted by her undeniable sex appeal, which the movie uses to its advantage. Sister Cecilia is supposed to be an unlikely nun, with the Italian authorities at customs drooling over her and her fellow nuns looking at her with disbelief when she walks into their remote church. Yet, Sweeney is able to evoke the character’s conviction and unshakeable faith perfectly, and the film wouldn’t work as well as it does without her.
Of course, it all builds up to that amazing final scene, which seems to have been partly inspired by Andrzej Żuławski’s classic Possession, with how thoroughly Sweeney evokes her character’s complete breakdown in a single, unbroken shot that’s reminiscent of Isabelle Adjani’s Paris metro breakdown in that wild 1981 flick. It ends the film on such a wild note that it becomes understandable why this is a Neon release rather than a mainstream studio one, as the finale would have never made it past a roomful of execs.
Director Michael Mohan (who previously directed Sweeney in The Voyeurs) deserves credit for letting the finale play out, but again, there’s a lot of movie to get through before it finally happens, and the rest of the film isn’t as compelling. For one thing, it’s not especially scary despite some good gore and a brutal scene where someone loses a tongue. It’s heavy on atmosphere in a way that pays homage to Argento, but it still could have used a couple of big grand guignol moments earlier on. It takes an awfully long time to get going.
It should also be said that none of the characters except Sydney’s make much of an impression, with Money Heist star Álvaro Morte too obvious of a red herring as the church’s priest. The only one who makes much of an impression is Benedetta Porcaroli as a streetwise noviciate, who finds the idea that Sweeney’s carrying the son of God a little tough to swallow.
But, even still, that ending is dazzling. Without it, this movie is probably a 5 or a 6, but the ending kicks it up a major notch; thus, it gets a much higher recommendation than it would otherwise.
Only a ninja can stop a ninja. And only cool boutique companies like Kino Lorber can take a movie like Revenge of the Ninja and give it its own special edition Blu-ray release. Recently, it was reported that director Sam Firstenberg is on a journey to restore his martial arts film American Samurai, but one of the director’s more popular works is now getting a special physical media release with a bevy of special features. We’ve touched on the “Ninja Trilogy” from Cannon Films on our YouTube channel series, Reel Action, and Revenge of the Ninja is one of the films from the 80s that took the ninja craze and elevated it for the masses. Blu-ray.com reports that Kino Lorber is set to have the disc hit the market on May 21.
The plot description reads, “The Ninja are back! Brandishing swords and fists, leaping and kicking, wielding blow darts and explosives, they know a thousand ways to kill. Martial arts legend Shô Kosugi (Pray for Death, Rage of Honor) delivers a heart-pounding display of strength, speed and lethal Ninja know-how in this action-packed thriller that takes us back to the good old days of the kung fu extravaganza. When a band of Ninja assassins slaughters the family of Cho Osaki (Kosugi), he flees to America in the hope of building a new life. A former Ninja himself, Osaki tries to escape his deadly past but soon discovers he has become the pawn of a ruthless drug trafficker—an American Ninja intent on killing anyone who crosses his path…including Osaki!
Directed by action maestro Sam Firstenberg (Avenging Force) and produced by Cannon legends Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, Revenge of the Ninja is terrific entertainment with slam-bang action scenes, mind-blowing stunts and legendary villains like Professor Toru Tanaka (The Perfect Weapon)!”
The special features and technical specs include:
NEW Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Audio Commentary by Director Sam Firstenberg and Stunt Coordinator Steven Lambert
Thirty-nine years after they made the vampire classic Fright Night (watch it HERE) together, several members of the film’s cast are set to reunite with writer/director Tom Holland – and will be joined by special guests Mark Hamill and Rosario Dawson – for a live reading of the script! This event has been put together for Table Read, which is an award-winning podcast, a top charter on Apple Podcasts, and Realm partner. It’s scheduled to take place on April 20th in Burbank, California, and more information can be found at the Table Read link.
Holland will be directing the script reading, which is being produced by Table Read’s Shaan Sharma, Mark Knell, and Jack Levy. Reprising their roles from the film will be Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandrige, William Ragsdale as Charley Brewster, Amanda Bearse as Amy Peterson, Stephen Geoffreys as Evil Ed Thompson, Art Evans as Detective Lennox, Dorothy Fielding as Judy Brewster, and Jonathan Stark as Billy Cole. Rosario Dawson will be reading the lines of the character Miss Nina and others throughout the script. Mark Hamill steps in for the late Roddy McDowall as horror host / vampire hunter Peter Vincent.
Fright Night has the following synopsis: Teenage Charley Brewster is a horror-film junkie, so it’s no surprise that, when a reclusive new neighbor named Jerry Dandridge moves next-door, Brewster becomes convinced he is a vampire. It’s also no surprise when nobody believes him. However, after strange events begin to occur, Charlie has no choice but to turn to the only person who could possibly help: washed-up television vampire killer Peter Vincent.
Holland had this to say about the event: “I am thrilled to bring the original Fright Night cast back together once again with some very special guests for a reading of the film’s script for the Table Read Podcast. It will be a night of screams, memories, and fun for all.“
Hamill added: “I’m really looking forward to the table read, not only because of my love of Fright Night, but for the chance to play Peter Vincent and honor the legacy of the great Roddy McDowall. I shared a dressing room with Roddy while doing a TV movie called Earth Angel and I’ll never forget his wit, charm and kindness, not to mention his memories of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I will treasure my experience with him forever and am humbled to join the wonderful original cast for this unique event.“
And Sarandon said, “This Fright Night table read is, in many ways, a dream come true. While we cast members have remained close friends for years since the original shooting of the movie, the idea of sitting down and re-creating our work on this iconic and enduring work by writer/director Tom Holland is almost too good to be true. I’m counting the days!“
Are you excited to hear the Fright Night cast reunite for a script reading, with Mark Hamill and Rosario Dawson joining in? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Freya Allan clearly hasn’t gotten her fill of working on material that involves magic and monsters with her role on the Netflix series The Witcher, as she also has the lead role in the new horror film Baghead, which was given a theatrical release in the UK back in January. Now Shudder has announced that Baghead will be available to stream on their service (and on AMC+) as of Friday, April 5th. So if you’re a Shudder or AMC+ subscriber, you’ll have the chance to watch this movie in just a couple weeks. You can watch the trailer for Baghead, along with a clip from the film, at THIS LINK.
First announced four years ago, Baghead went into production in late 2021 and is a feature expansion of director Alberto Corredor’s 2017 short of the same name. Scripted by Christina Pamies and Bryce McGuire, the film has the following synopsis: After the death of her estranged father, Iris learns she has inherited a run-down, centuries-old pub. She travels to Berlin to identify her father’s body and meet with The Solicitor to discuss the estate. Little does she know, when the deed is signed she will become inextricably tied to an unspeakable entity residing in the pub’s basement. Baghead – a shape-shifting creature that can transform into the dead. Two thousand in cash for two minutes with the creature is all it takes for desperate loved ones to ease their grief. Neil, who has lost his wife, is Iris’ first customer. Like her father, Iris is tempted to exploit the creature’s powers and help desperate people for a price. But she discovers breaking the two-minute rule can have terrifying consequences. Together with her best friend Katie, Iris must battle for control of Baghead & figure out how to destroy her, before she destroys them.
Corredor described the film as “a tale of family secrets, the depths of grief, and the things best left undisturbed in the basement.“
Allan plays Iris and is joined in the cast by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), Ruby Barker (Bridgerton), Ned Dennehy (Guns Akimbo), Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake), Julika Jenkins (Dark), and Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea).
Baghead was produced by The Picture Company’s Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona as part of their deal with Studiocanal. Vertigo’s Roy Lee, Alibi’s Jake Wagner, and Corredor’s short film collaborator Lorcan Reilly serve as executive producers. Ron Halpern, Shana Eddy, and Rachel Henchosberg oversaw the project for Studiocanal.
Will you be watching Baghead on Shudder or AMC+ when it reaches those services in April? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
We’ve been tracking the progress of the upcoming Killer Klowns from Outer Space video game since it was first announced a couple years ago. Several months ago, we learned that IllFonic had replaced Good Shepherd Entertainment as the publisher of the game and were co-developing it with Teravision Games, and last month it was announced that Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game will be released for PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on June 4th. With that date just a couple months away, a new gameplay video has arrived online (thanks to IGN), and you can check it out in the embed above.
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.
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.
Are you looking forward to playing the Killer Klowns from Outer Space video game later this year? What did you think of the new gameplay video? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Could Margot Robbie be bringing the same kind of meta introspection and examination to The Sims in the way she did with Barbie? That is a possibility of what’s to come as her production company, LuckyChap, has taken on the life simulation game for an upcoming feature film. The Sims is an immensely popular game from Maxis, the company that first let gamers play God with the legendary simulator SimCity. While the brand followed up with other similar-natured games like SimFarm, Sim Hospital and SimAnt, it was in 2000 that they gave players the chance to live life in The Sims.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kate Herron, who is known for her work on the first season of the successful Marvel Studios series on Disney+, Loki, is set to take the helm on the feature. Herron is also attached to co-write the film with Briony Redman. Robbie’s LuckyChap also includes Tom Ackerly, Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr as producers, and they will be collaborating with Roy Lee and Miri Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment. The publisher of the computer game, Electronic Arts, will also be included in creative and producing facets. Currently, it is not known if Robbie herself will be starring in the film.
The Sims game is currently on its fourth title. The game’s goal from the start has been a basic simulation of a normal, middle-class life where players can create an avatar from a number of appearance and trait options, build and decorate a home, find a job to support themselves and build relationships. In later sequels, players were able to build families and develop more intricate lifestyles with career updates.
This news comes after a big development last month where Robbie’s company partnered with Warner Bros. on a first-look deal. Robbie would comment, “We want to make more films that have the effect that Barbie has. Why can’t it be another big, original, bold idea where we get an amazing filmmaker, a big budget to play with, and the trust of a huge conglomerate behind them to go and really play? I want to do that.” The Sims has a similar nature to the Barbie brand where there is no formal narrative that can be source material to a specific feature film plot or themes. The game is essentially a way of playing with dolls in an advanced technological age that has been able to appeal to all sexes.
Paramount+ has unveiled the first six episodes of Ark: The Animated Series, which are now streaming on the service as of today. But the first season won’t be limited to just this batch, as a second part to the season will host seven more episodes, although the release date for those has yet to be announced.
While I haven’t played the source video game (Ark: Survival Evolved), the voice cast for Ark: The Animated Series definitely piques interest, as it hosts Oscar winners, fan favorites and even Doctors…The partial cast list includes Madeleine Madden, Michelle Yeoh, Russell Crowe, Gerard Butler, Jeffrey Wright, David Tennant, Elliot Page, Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, and more.
While that is a seriously impressive cast, perhaps the biggest draw for some is that Ark will be scored by the game’s composer Gareth Coker, who also provided the gorgeous music for Ori and the Blind Forest / Will of the Wisps.
Ark: The Animated Series has the following plot: “In a sweeping story that spans eons of human & world history, 21st century paleontologist Helena Walker finds herself resurrected on a mysterious primeval land after tragedy. There she must learn to survive and find new allies, or die again at the hands of ruthless warlords — all while trying to uncover the true nature of their strange new world. Ark: The Animated Series will release on a to-be-announced platform in 2023. Join us then for an ageless adventure beyond life & death itself!”
Ark: The Animated Series – which was announced back in 2020 – has a selection of episodes written by Survival Evolved creators Jesse Rapczak and Jeremy Stieglitz, in addition to Marguerite Bennett, who has a history as writer for DC, Marvel and more. Directing credits are listed for Stieglitz, Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), David Hartman (Phantasm: Ravager) and Sebastian Montes (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
Survival Evolved has been quite popular on its available platforms, with Steam downloads hitting more than one million in its early access phase. There is also a sequel planned, with Diesel part of that voice cast as well.
While Ark: The Animated Series is currently available to stream in the U.S. and Canada, it won’t hit international markets until Friday, April 19th.
Will you be checking out Ark: The Animated Series on Paramount+? Do you play the video game? Let us know in the comments section below.
PLOT: An ex-homicide detective (Russell Crowe) with memory loss is forced to solve a brutal murder, only to uncover chilling secrets from his forgotten past.
REVIEW: Russell Crowe has been in a bit of a career resurgence lately so I’ve been pretty excited whenever a new film of his releases. No matter the quality of the film, Crowe himself tends to be can’t miss. And that’s usually because he’s playing some eccentric character, that stands out against his more bland surroundings. Thankfully with the likes of Karen Gillan and Tommy Flanagan showing up, Crowe doesn’t have to carry the entire film himself. But I definitely recommend checking your brain at the door.
In Sleeping Dogs, Crowe plays retired detective Roy Freeman as he deals with Alzheimer’s. Things get even more complicated as a case from his past springs back up, with it seeming more and more likely that they got the wrong man. With the innocent man set to be executed for his alleged crime, Roy has to push past the challenges of his crumbling memory. So he sets out on a path to discover what really happened all those years ago.
Crowe’s Alzheimer’s is a key component of the storytelling, with various events coming back to him in waves. I’d argue that they don’t always handle it in a sensitive manner but it’s fun. There are moments of the story where it feels like his memory loss is simply a plot point to add intrigue. The opening of the film shows that he’s really struggling, with notes placed all over his house to help guide him with his everyday life. He’s put on a medication that helps restore his brain synapses and improves his memory.
Sleeping Dogs can feel a bit all over the place, narratively. The first act feels entirely separate from the rest of the film. Then there are these long stretches where characters are telling their sides and it feels rather disconnected, especially since Crowe’s presence here is lacking. One of the dumber elements of the story is that Roy is a retired cop with Alzheimer’s and alcohol issues. So why on earth does he have so much access to police resources and witnesses? He’s essentially treated like he’s an active-duty detective.
Karen Gillan’s role is one that plays with duality and manipulation. I could be wrong but I felt like Gillan was bringing a bit of Elizabeth Holmes to the Laura Baines character. However, she may just be the inspiration for most actors going into roles like this. My favorite was Tommy Flanagan’s Jimmy Remis who plays with audience expectation throughout. His arc is very satisfying and went in a direction I wasn’t expecting.
The third act involves a pretty big twist that I could see dividing audiences. I found myself very intrigued by the journey, so it mostly worked for me. Sure, it’s a bit ludicrous but I can always appreciate a decently thought-out twist ending. And there’s an effort at being clever, even if it may elicit some eye rolls. I think it’s important to go into Sleeping Dogs with the right mindset as I wouldn’t deem this high art. But it does provide some entertainment during its near two hour runtime. The mystery is a little telegraphed but the execution works well. I enjoyed watching Crowe solve this mystery and the big finale felt straight out of the 90s. And every actor seems to know the kind of movie they’re in.
SLEEPING DOGS IS IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE ON MARCH 22ND, 2024.
