Last month, it was announced that Melissa Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence, which previously inspired the podcast Happy Face, is getting a Paramount+ streaming series adaptation that’s also titled Happy Face. Annaleigh Ashford – whose credits include B Positive, American Crime Story, and Masters of Sex – had already signed on to star in the series at that time, and now The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Dennis Quaid, whose long lists of credits includes the likes of The Day After Tomorrow, Innerspace, Frequency, and Jaws 3D, will be playing a serial killer on the show.
Happy Face will see Ashford taking on the role of Melissa, who at age 15, discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.” As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison. Melissa is drawn back into her father’s world after decades of not having contact with him. Happy Face, in prison for his crimes, finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed, while also discovering the impact her father had on his victims’ families and facing a reckoning with her own identity.
Quaid’s character is the homicidal father known as Happy Face.
This series is coming our way from executive producers Robert and Michelle King, who are also behind shows like The Good Fight and Evil (both of which Ashford has appeared on). We just learned yesterday that Paramount+ has decided to end Evil with the show’s fourth season. Jennifer Cacicio serves as showrunner. Michael Showalter (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) is on board to direct the first episode.
This series has been in development for more than three years and was formally ordered to series way back in November of 2021. The Kings, Moore, and Showalter are executive producing alongside Liz Glotzer, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Jordana Mollick, and showrunner Jennifer Cacicio. The production companies involved are CBS Studios, King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts and Simi-Formal Productions.
The first season of Happy Face will consist of eight episodes and is expected to premiere sometime in 2025. Are you interested in seeing Dennis Quaid play a serial killer on this show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Unhappy with this year’s Oscar nominations? Was the cast of The Iron Claw overlooked? Why didn’t Godzilla Minus One get more love? And did you think Greta Gerwig was snubbed for Barbie? Have no fear – the Golden Schmoes are here to let you have your say! Possibly the longest-running online movie fan awards, The Golden Schmoes are celebrating their 22nd edition with what we hope will be our best edition ever!
For those experiencing the Golden Schmoes for the first time, CLICK HERE to see what it’s all about. To take part in the nomination process, you only have to supply a valid e-mail address. That’s it! You can get more info in our FAQ, but the process is easy and fun! So enough of what Hollywood and film critics think are the best movies of the year – it’s time to turn voting power over to YOU – the fans!
Nominations are open until tomorrow at midnight, so don’t miss your last chance to nominate your favourite movies of the year! You can supply your picks for each of our 27 categories (see below):
If you get stumped on all the movies you saw in 2023, no worries, we’ve got you covered. You can check out all the 2023 releases right HERE. Once all the nominees have been counted up, we’ll announce the official nominees on February 19th and then you can begin VOTING from February 19th through March 2nd. Winners will be announced on March 8th!
Check out all our previous winners below (we skipped 2020 due to the pandemic), and when you’re good and ready, head over and start nominating!
It was bound to happen, but poor word of mouth (including a C CinemaScore rating) and terrible reviews are cratering Madame Web’s box office. According to the latest stats from Deadline, the movie may not even hit $20 million for the six-day holiday weekend, which would align with our box office predictions from earlier this week. On the other hand, Bob Marley: One Love is “Jammin’,” its way to a number one finish with a $35-38 million holiday weekend, meaning it’s opening at the high end of expectations.
So what’s going on here?
Many will drag out the old “superhero fatigue” chestnut, but Madame Web just isn’t good. Modern audiences are a lot smarter than Hollywood gives them credit for. They know when a movie will perform and when it will not, and the word was out on Madame Web right from when they dropped the first trailer. The early reviews (such as mine) confirmed how bad it was, and with a C CinemaScore rating, it’s clear those who actually went to see it hated it too. This isn’t a case of review bombing. Were superhero fatigue the case, it likely would have opened a lot better – these are the kinds of numbers a big, notoriously awful flop does. I expect toxic word-of-mouth to tank the movie even more, and frankly, I doubt it will even hit $20 million over the holiday.
Meanwhile, another movie starring Sydney Sweeney, Anyone But You, got a nice Valentine’s Day bump at the box office, beating Argylle on Wednesday, only for it to decline on Thursday as expected. It’s likely to cross $85 million this weekend, making it a big win for Sony. I bet the studio is kicking themselves for not making a full-on Spider-Woman movie with her in the lead rather than whatever Madame Web is. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sweeney’s management team is going to try and distance her from Madame Web as quickly as they can, given how notorious of a flop it’s bound to be.
Is Madame Web as bad as we’ve been saying? Let us know in the comments.
Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Anchor Bay Entertainment was a major player in the horror world, giving DVD releases to films like the Evil Dead trilogy, George A. Romero’s Dead trilogy, the Sleepaway Camp franchise, The Hills Have Eyes, The Car, Maniac, Prom Night, some of the Hellraisers, Halloweens, and much more. Then things changed, and eventually Anchor Bay got folded into Lionsgate Home Entertainment… but now Deadline reports that the Anchor Bay Entertainment label is being revived, and the revival is starting off with the releases of puppet horror film Abruptio and Dinner with Leatherface, a documentary that looks at the life, career, and legacy of original Leatherface actor Gunnar Hansen!
Umbrelic Entertainment co-founders Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz are behind the return of Anchor Bay Entertainment, and they’re planning to use the label to bring the world “genre films, undiscovered treasures, cult classics, and remastered catalog releases.” Deadline notes that the new Anchor Bay doesn’t include the previous label’s library.
Zambeck, who worked at the original Anchor Bay, provided the following statement: “We had an opportunity to take the name of a beloved genre film brand, one we feel a personal connection to, for our new company. This is a new venture, unaffiliated with any previous incarnations. We aim to honor the history and spirit of the past as we look for interesting films that break the mold, and will be discovered by new generations for years to come.“
Almost nine years have gone by since we first heard of Abruptio, a surrealistic horror/thriller entirely performed by lifelike puppets (which is why it took so long to complete). The story centers on a guy down on his luck who wakes to find an explosive device has been implanted in his neck. He must carry out heinous crimes in order to stay alive while trying to identify the mastermind manipulating the now twisted and strange world around him.
Written and directed by Evan Marlowe, the film stars James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Christopher McDonald (Thelma & Louise), Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect franchise), Jordan Peele (Get Out), Sid Haig (The Devil’s Rejects), Rich Fulcher (Wonka), and Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise). Kerry Marlowe executive produced with Marlowe, Barry Finlayson, Sue Finlayson, and Martin Lee White.
Directed by Michael Kallio, Dinner with Leatherface has the following synopsis: Friends, colleagues, filmmakers, and fellow actors share personal stories and discuss the dichotomy between the maniacal chainsaw-wielding character Gunnar Hansen played on-screen and the very intelligent, creative, soft-spoken man he actually was in real life.
Produced by Lowell Northrop and co-produced by Michael Felsher (another Anchor Bay alumnus), the documentary features interviews with Bruce Campbell, Barbara Crampton, Betsy Baker, Brian O’Halloran, Danielle Harris, Linnea Quigley, Kane Hodder, and Debbie Rochon, as well as all of the remaining cast of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, director of photography Daniel Pearl, and producer/co-writer Kim Henkel.
I have Anchor Bay Entertainment to thank for a lot of the DVDs in my collection, so I’m glad to hear the label is coming back, and Abruptio and Dinner with Leatherface sound like a great way to get it started all over again. Are you glad to hear Anchor Bay is returning? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
MMA has been steadily catching up to boxing in terms of combat sport films. While there are plenty of action films that utilize the practice, boxing has been able to capitalize on more character dramas, especially since Rocky hit the scene (no pun intended). While there have been movies like Warrior and Bruised that have showcased mixed martial arts in dramatic films, the popular UFC brand has been geared more towards popcorn movies like Here Comes the Boom and the upcoming Road House remake. The producers of Hereditary are now set to make a UFC-based drama where two MMA fighters, who fight for their own reasons, find themselves on a collision course.
Variety reports that Lupita Nyong’o and Chloe Grace Moretz will star in Strawweight as UFC fighters. The synopsis is said to “follow the journeys of two fighters who find themselves competing against each other in the Octagon. One is a young woman (Moretz) whose life is changed forever when she discovers her passion for the UFC, while the other is a former champion (Nyong’o) who is determined to reclaim her title by reinventing herself. Both want the same thing — respect — but only one can come out on top.”
The fight film is being launched at the European Film Market by WME Independent and CAA Media Finance. James M. Johnson, who produced and directed second unit on films like The Green Knight, The Old Man and the Gun, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and the upcoming Mother Mary, will be making his directorial debut with this movie. Johnson is a longtime collaborator with A24 and is part of the Sailor Bear production team along with David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. Johnson had also directed the second unit for Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy and Netflix’s Last Letter From Your Lover.
The screenplay comes from scribe Paul Harrill, from a story by Johnston and Harrill. The movie is set to be produced by Lars Knudsen of Square Peg (Hereditary, The Northman, Dream Scenario), Lowery and Halbrooks of Sailor Bear (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight), and Patrick Newall (Extraction, The Gray Man). UFC superstar and former Strawweight Division champion Rose Namajunas will be serving as a fight consultant and is also on as an executive producer on the film.
We’ve been paying a lot of attention to the upcoming Osgood Perkins / Nicolas Cage horror movie Longlegs recently, getting ready for that film’s July 12th theatrical release… but today, Deadline has revealed that another Cage thriller will be reaching theatres before Longlegs! That’s the survival thriller Arcadian (formerly known as Sand and Stones), which RLJE Films will be bringing to theatres on April 12th. The movie will then be going to the Shudder and AMC+ streaming services later in the year.
Scripted by Michael Nilon (Braven), Arcadian has the following synopsis: In the future, in a sparsely populated world, normal life has been decimated. Paul and his twin teenage sons, Thomas and Joseph, have managed to claw out an existence in their remote farmhouse, yet they live in constant fear. When the sun sets, ferocious creatures of the night awaken to hunt and consume all living souls in their path. And when Thomas makes one small mistake, the nocturnal creatures gain the upper hand and come for them. In a race against time, Paul, Thomas and Joseph must execute a desperate plan for survival.
Jaeden Martell (Stephen King’s It), Maxwell Jenkins (Lost in Space) and Sadie Soverall (Fate: The Winx Saga) are also in the cast, with Martell and Jenkins playing the twin sons of Cage’s character. This project was a reunion for Cage and director Ben Brewer, as they previously worked together on the crime thriller The Trust.
Cage is producing Arcadian through his company Saturn Films, alongside Nilon, Braxton Pope, David Wulf of Redline Entertainment, and Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier of Highland Film Group. Aperture’s Slava Vladimirov, Jared Underwood, and Andrew Robinson serve as executive producers. Highland Film Group is co-financing the project and handling the world rights.
Fraser has previously described the film as a “thrilling, action packed ride.” I’ll definitely be checking it out.
Does Arcadian sound interesting to you? Are you looking forward to seeing this movie on the big screen, or on Shudder / AMC+? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
The ever-articulate and principled Peter Weller has told us a lot about ourselves in his roles as an actor and director. Learning more about this gifted storyteller and true Renaissance man can tell us even more. But Weller hasn’t been seen in a major motion picture since 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness, which ended a long silver screen hiatus. Is the man’s relative absence from the silver screen a product of demand, or might it be more down to his preference? Should his career be brought back into the mainstream spotlight like he was Murphy returning from the afterlife? Or is he busy doing different, more interesting things than being a badass in front of a camera? Let’s find out as we ask ourselves, WTF happened to Peter Weller?
But first, let’s get a better feel for why the man has been so missed by starting at the beginning.
Peter Frederick Weller was born to Dorothy Jean and Frederick Bradford Weller on June 24, 1947, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His mother was a third-generation jazz pianist and introduced him to the music of legendary jazz player Miles Davis, who would become Weller’s “one and only real hero” and, later, Weller’s friend.
Peter Weller’s father, Frederick, served in Korea and Vietnam as an Army helicopter pilot, later serving as President Lyndon B. Johnson’s personal helicopter pilot from 1965 to 1968 before becoming a lawyer and judge. With these examples to live up to, is it any wonder Peter Weller has never been content to be “just” an actor?
After years of the nomadic lifestyle dictated by military service, the family settled in Texas. Peter Weller graduated from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio in 1965 and attended the University of North Texas, initially for music while playing trumpet in a school band. Later, he switched to the drama program and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre in 1969 but maintained a passion for playing jazz. Before graduating, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and appeared on Broadway in Sticks and Bones in March 1972. He also played in The Merchant of Venice, Full Circle, and Summer Brave, among other stage shows.
Weller would appear in TV movies before making his theatrical film debut in 1979’s Butch and Sundance: The Early Days. He operated under legendary director Sidney Lumet in the 1980 film Just Tell Me What You Want, to be followed by the 1982 family relationship drama Shoot the Moon, before landing the lead in the 1983 horror Of Unknown Origin. Weller’s performance, which earned him the Best Actor award at the Paris International Film Festival, carried the film into what is essentially a one-man show.
While Weller would go on to be best known for RoboCop, it isn’t the only lead role from the mid-80s that is essential viewing. 1984’s The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimensionfeatures Weller’s charismatic, multi-faceted performance as the titular character. Buckaroo Banzai, much like Peter Weller himself, is a renaissance man, an expert in brain surgery, ninjutsu, gunfighting, physics, and engineering and a talented musician. Weller’s experience in this movie and a bit of prodding from Woody Allen led to him playing in a jazz band with costar Jeff Goldblum, who would later refer to Weller as “enormously talented, cool and great.” Peter Weller would form his own jazz quintet, “Fly Naked” in 1998 and continue to perform with them for over 25 years.
Of the movie, Weller would say, “I think because you can’t pin it down, that is what the appeal is. People are attracted to the big question mark.” And the movie does raise a lot more questions than answers. But past all the camp, craziness, and sci-fi mumbo jumbo, Buckaroo Banzai does what the best superhero stories do: inspires you to aspire and leverage your gigs for the greater good.
The character’s enduring appeal is showcased by being featured in the 2011 novel Ready Player One and the 2018 movie of the same name. Unfortunately, the sequel teased at the end of the original film, Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League, never saw the light of day due to the lack of box-office success for the original.
Later, in 1984, Peter Weller starred in Firstborn alongside young up-and-comers Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr. He also starred in the 1985 crime drama A Killing Affair.
Then came what Weller would call his “contribution to cinema” in 1987’s RoboCop. He turned down a role in King Kong Lives to play in it, which was an excellent decision, in hindsight. His portrayal of Alex Murphy and RoboCop earned him a nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Actor.
Peter Weller’s commitment and dedication to the RoboCop character garnered its iconic status. His genuine integrity in and out of the suit resonated with audiences. With makeup and prosthetics, it took him eight hours to get into costume before filming could begin each day. Weller’s movement, presence and performance are so powerful that he can draw sympathy, even through the thick armour. He leveraged his captivating voice to express authority and bring gravitas to the character.
Weller’s obsessive dedication rubbed some of the cast and crew on the set of RoboCopthe wrong way. His dedication to the character had him insist on being referred to only by his character names of “Murphy” and “Robo” while on set, and he would refuse to remove the helmet so he could stay in the character’s mindset. Weller has since said it would have been impossible to endure the gruelling physical strain of playing the role without his manner of method disassociation. And even though some may not have understood Weller’s methods, master filmmaker Paul Verhoeven said that Weller was wonderful to work with despite being in an extremely uncomfortable suit. There was praise for Weller’s professionalism on the set of RoboCop, as well. Co-star Nancy Allen recounted, “Because of how good he is at this job, that made it really easy for me.” You certainly can’t argue with the result. This beautifully violent satire was a certifiable hit and has grown into classic status since its release.
Weller would go on to star with Sam Elliot in the 1988 over-the-top crime drama Shakedown. The lead performances were well-received. He would follow that up by leading a great ensemble cast in 1989’s Leviathan, which has been wrongfully labelled an Alien knockoff but under the sea. Weller is so cool and easily fits into this underwater world of metal, fire and blood.
Peter Weller reprised his most famous role in the 1990 sequel RoboCop2. Circumstances and schedules led to a new director and writing team, and Weller clashed with the new faces over creative choices. Considering how poorly the sequel was received, he may be right. Weller understood what made this original work, and it was the Verhoevian sense of humour and social commentary that the sequel could not muster. RoboCop 2 falls into many of the typical sequel pitfalls, rehashing aspects of the original without the same cohesiveness and depth.
Weller would opt out of 1993’s RoboCop 3 due to his poor experiences on RoboCop 2 and fatigue with the role, probably because the script was even worse this third time. He would instead lobby for the lead role in Naked Lunch by writing a letter to director David Cronenberg. It would go on to be one of Peter Weller’s favorite roles. Weller’s typical engaging and measured performance anchored a movie whose source material had been deemed “unfilmable.” That’s right, this is a controversial movie, but Weller makes it all believable and our puny brains to process and pretend to understand. His work earned him a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
After appearing in the action buddy comedy Fifty/Fifty in 1992, Peter Weller first stepped into the director’s chair for the Showtime Short Film Partners in 1993. Impressively for a debut, it was nominated for Best Short Film Oscar. Weller would come to call directing “much more interesting to do, much more satisfying to tell the whole story,” which goes some distance toward explaining how he has spent much of his career.
After 1994’s The New Age and 1995’s Screamers, Weller worked under director Woody Allen in 1995’s Mighty Aphrodite, and we all know it takes a talented actor to spit some of that fast-paced Woody dialogue. After the 1998 crime drama Top of the World and in 1999’s Diplomatic Seige, his next acclaimed performance was in Ivans XTC in 2000, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
In the early 2000s, Peter Weller transitioned to working primarily on television, notably acting in and directing episodes of Odyssey 5 from 2002-2003 and appearing in Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005. Being a lover of learning and history, Mr. Weller hosted Engineering an Empire for the History Channel from 2005 to 2007 and has appeared in multiple other programs for the network. In 2006, he wonderfully played Christopher Henderson during Season 5 of 24. After taking a slight break from television, he made a memorable one-episode appearance in the show Fringe in 2010. This role is notable for the parallels to his famous RoboCop character, with Weller portraying a man who is part machine, this time by his own hand, longing to be reconnected to his wife.
In Dexter Season 5 in 2010, Weller played a cop again, this time Stan Liddy, the corrupt antagonist to the titular anti-hero Dexter. He was part of an ensemble that was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
He then seemed to really find his place in the director’s chair, bringing us some of the best television in recent memory. Peter directed eleven episodes of Sons of Anarchy from seasons 4-7, starting in 2011, and appeared in eleven episodes in seasons 6 and 7 as another corrupt former police officer and final primary antagonist for the series. Weller effectively conveyed his characters’s development from minor threats to major players. Weller appeared in an episode of Hawaii Five-0in 2013 and would go on to direct 15 episodes from 2013-2020. He also directed 5 and appeared in 7 episodes of Longmire from 2012-2017, plus eight episodes of The Last Ship from 2015-2018. He would also. direct and appear in MacGyver and direct five episodes of Magnum P.I. from 2018-2021.
In 2012, Peter Weller lent his commanding voice to the titular character for the animated feature Batman: The Dark Knight Return, based on comic books by RoboCop2writer Frank Miller. Weller was nominated for three Behind the Voice Actors Awards for the role.
Peter Weller returned to major motion pictures with 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness. In it, he portrayed the antagonist Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus. He displayed a commanding ruthlessness and great chemistry opposite the story’s protagonists. Weller’s performance is a big part of what made the movie so successful and loved by critics and audiences alike.
In 2022, Weller appeared in the Netflix horror anthology Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. It was in the episode The Viewing, and he is terrifying, beautifully creepy and hypnotic; it totally fits with the nightmarish style of this show. He would reunite with Kiefer Sutherland in Rabbit Holein 2023 while also voicing the character of Dr. Stern for the Marvel television series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur in 2024.
Overall, Weller’s television career has proven his versatility, consistency, and ability to bring intensity and depth to every character he portrayed. He also proved himself a talented and collaborative director with the ability and experience to get the best from his cast and crew.
Peter Weller also lent his voice to video games, including Call of Duty and the 2017 VR game Wilson’s Heart. He was the voice of RoboCop in 2014’s Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff, 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11, and 2023’s Robocop: Rogue City.
As of early 2024, Weller is set to appear in the Thai movie Bang, which is in post-production.
Peter Weller has never been content to be just an actor and director. He has long been outspoken about political and social issues, never strictly aligning with any political party. He is especially passionate about education funding. He made TIME magazine’s list of 10 “Wicked Smart Actors” in 2012. He’s a multi-linguist, fluent in French, Italian, and English. In addition to his education at UNT and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he earned a master’s in Roman and Renaissance Art from Syracuse University’s Florence, Italy Campus in 2004 and a Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance Art History from UCLA in 2014. That’s right, Robocop is actually RoboDoc or RoboPhD! Dr. Weller has served as an adjunct professor for Syracuse University and a guest lecturer at numerous other institutions, all while providing a scholarship fund to art history students at Syracuse in honour of his parents.
So, WTF happened to Peter Weller? He’s dedicated his time to learning, teaching, playing music, raising a son and making plenty of appearances behind and in front of the camera for television.
Peter Weller’s film and television characters, especially Robocop and even Buckaroo, have enduring cultural legacies, which is a sign of a transformative actor. Weller could have and perhaps should have, been an even bigger star, but I’m not sure he ever really wanted to be; almost like he is too good for that. He’s an artist who is hungry for knowledge and creative experimentation. Possessing near-superhuman drive, energy, and talent, Weller, more than most actors, exercised his various passions and talents, so his impact was far-reaching and long-lasting but wide-ranging. With his versatile and influential contributions to film, television, music, and academia, Peter Weller has proven himself to be an actor who can transform himself and the culture around him. In his words: “My career was always full of risks one way or another, and that’s how I like it.” So nobody should care WTF happened to Peter Weller, cuz he’s doing just fine.
PLOT: A gritty, emotional tale about healing familial wounds through re-connection. After a drastic incident in her life, a young woman embarks on an impromptu road trip with her estranged father. En-route to their destination of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the two are forced to confront the issues of their past that have led to their frail relationship, while encountering an eccentric array of characters along the way, in order to bring them closer together again.
REVIEW: Road trips and redemption tales have long been staples of filmmaking, big and small. Stories of connection between estranged family members, struggles with addiction, and stark looks at the landscape of rural America are nothing new, but that does not mean they are not ripe for new stories. Bleeding Love is a film rooted in the familiar tropes of decades worth of movies and yet it still manages to bring something unique to the mix. Led by the real father-daughter duo of Clara and Ewan McGregor, Bleeding Love delivers an emotionally powerful story that is accentuated by two strong actors rooting a parent-child dynamic from their own experience. Originally released at SXSW in 2023 under the title You Sing Loud I Sing Louder, Bleeding Love is a strong debut for actor Clara McGregor as well as filmmaker Emma Westenberg, Bleeding Love is a film that is stronger than I anticipated and hits many expected beats of similar films but does so with an authentic and emotional core.
Bleeding Love opens with a father (Ewan McGregor) and his daughter (Clara McGregor) traversing the highways of the American Southwest. Driving in his weathered pickup truck, there is a palpable divide between the two. We quickly learn that the daughter recently survived an overdose. Her father, who has not been in her life since she was a child and now has a new family of his own, is taking his daughter away from her home in San Diego to try and get a fresh start. The father, who has dealt with his own personal demons, struggles to make a connection after so many years away from his child. There is a lot of resentment and unspoken emotion between the two, something that resonates almost as a third character in many scenes. Over several days, the father and daughter experience ups and downs as they attempt to reconnect with each other despite the massive weight of the daughter’s addiction.
For the first hour of Bleeding Love, I was reminded of countless road trip movies. The stark visual palette of the film recalls Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland by showcasing the realistic and weather-worn motels and homes across the desert landscape of the southwestern United States. Many of the supporting players weave in and out of single scenes including Kim Zimmer, Kristin K. Berg, Sale Taylor, and more. The most substantial supporting roles come from Jake Weary as Kip, a guy who flirts with the daughter at a child’s birthday party, and Vera Bulder as Tommy, a prostitute who helps the daughter out when she gets stung by something. Bulder, who developed the story for Bleeding Love with McGregor and screenwriter Ruby Caster, delivers a strong and memorable performance that stands out amongst the entire cast. These performances all feel authentic and natural and none stay longer than mere minutes as they add to the main narrative between the father and daughter. There are also flashbacks featuring Sasha Alexander as the mother as well as Devyn McDowell as the preteen daughter that accentuate the overall flow of the entire story.
The anchor to this story, surprisingly, is Clara McGregor. Ewan McGregor is a fantastic actor and beautifully plays a father who knows he has failed his child and yet does not know how to prove his love to her. The two McGregors, echoing the similar casting of Ryan and Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon, bring a strong connection from their real-life family dynamic into these characters. The natural chemistry between Clara and Ewan jumps off the screen and at times it does not feel like they are acting. I do not doubt that Clara’s strength as a performer in this role would have been as good with a different actor as her dad, but by casting Ewan, there is something intangible that elevates everything about this story. The tears feel real and the smiles and laughter on the road trip take on another layer of meaning that registered with me more deeply than I was expecting. Ewan McGregor is one of the best actors out there and Clara certainly has taken up her father’s mantle, but the two of them together are truly special.
Emma Westenberg, who has experience directing shorts, television, and music videos, makes an impressive feature debut here. The way she captures the natural landscape and unaltered look of the roadside establishments in Bleeding Love gives this story an anchored feel. She also manages to add a dreamlike and surreal quality to the flashbacks that still allow them to look solid but at once ethereal. Usually watching movies there are a couple of standout moments that resonate with me and Bleeding Love has at least five. Screenwriter Ruby Caster’s story mines so much familiar territory including AA meetings, addicts sneaking drugs, combative fights between loved ones, a hooker with a heart of gold, and all of the beats of road trip movies and redemption tales. There are no real surprises in this story but that does not discredit the quality of this film. At a minimum, Bleeding Love could have been a curiosity that Clara McGregor and her dad could have shared as a memory of that time they worked together, but there is more than enough in this tale that allows it to stand on its own as a well-acted and well-made film.
Bleeding Love will draw people in who are curious to see if this is a nepo-baby project or at the very least if they are curious to see if Ewan McGregor’s daughter has anything close to his talent. I am happy to say that this is a good movie with excellent performances across the board. It does not recreate the genre nor did it set out to do so. This is a beautiful film about a broken relationship that holds hope for anyone who has a rift with a loved one. The McGregors prove here that Ewan remains one of the best talents out there and that Clara is not far behind. I enjoyed following this father and daughter on their journey and appreciate the way this story unfolds. Bleeding Love, like the Leona Lewis song that shares its title, will instantly be enjoyable the moment you start it.
Almost exactly one year ago, it was announced that Emma Roberts (Abandoned) and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) had signed on to star in the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut, which would mark the solo feature writing and directing debut of Jess Varley, who previously contributed a segment to the anthology film Phobias. The Astronaut has since made it way through production, but not with Roberts in the lead. Roberts had to drop out of the project and was replaced by Kate Mara (Class of ’09). Now a first look image that shows Mara as the title character has made its way online, and you can check it out at the bottom of this article.
The screenplay Varley wrote has the following synopsis: When astronaut Sam Walker (Mara) returns from her first space mission, she’s found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. General William Harris (Fishburne) arranges for her to be placed under intense NASA surveillance in a high security house for rehabilitation and medical testing. However, when disturbing occurrences begin happening around the property, she fears that something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth.
Gabriel Luna of The Last of Us is also in the cast.
The Astronaut is being produced by Eric B. Fleischman, Cameron Fuller, and genre regular Brad Fuller, who has produced such films as A Quiet Place, the Purge franchise, and the remakes/reboots of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror, The Hitcher, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. A press release notes that Highland Film Group is handling the international rights to the film, which wrapped production late last year in Ireland.
Fuller provided the following statement: “I was inspired by Jess’ vision and handle on the material and I’m thrilled to be working with her.“
Varley added: “This story is very close to my heart and I’m profoundly grateful it’s resonated with such an immensely accomplished team of creatives. I couldn’t be more excited for audiences to fasten their seatbelts and go on this thrilling ride with us!“
Does The Astronaut sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and check out this first look image while you’re scrolling down:
Flying Lotus has directed the experimental comedy Kuso and the Ozzy’s Dungeon segment of the horror anthology V/H/S/99, and next up for the rapper and filmmaker (who is a.k.a. Steven Ellison) is the sci-fi thriller Ash, starring Eiza González (Baby Driver) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad). When González and Paul were cast in the film, Flying Lotus released a statement saying, “We are building something fresh and unique with Ash and having Eiza and Aaron in this world just makes it flames. They are absolute magic makers, brave and equally inspiring. All that to say… We ‘bout to kill this shit.” And apparently they did kill it, because Deadline reports that Amazon’s Prime Video has just secured the international rights to the film in a high-seven figure pact, nearing $10 million. The film is currently in post-production, so we don’t know when Prime Video will be releasing it.
González plays a woman who wakes on a far-flung planet to find her crew mysteriously murdered. When a man (Paul) comes to investigate the scene, she must decide if she can trust him or if he’s responsible for her series of unfortunate events.
Beulah Koale (Hawaii Five-O), Kate Elliott (The Gulf), and Iko Uwais of the Raid films are also in the cast. At one time, Tessa Thompson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were signed on to star in the film, but they both had to drop out and were replaced by González and Paul.
Flying Lotus – who some may know as the FlyLo FM DJ featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto Online – directed the film from a screenplay by Jonni Remmler and is also be composing the score. XYZ Films and GFC Films are producing Ash, with Neill Blomkamp and Echo Lake serving as executive producers. XYZ Films is co-financing the project with IPR.VC. Blomkamp is known for his own directing endeavors, including the films District 9, Elysium, Chappie, and Demonic. Individual producers are Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films and Matthew Metcalfe of GFC Films.
Are you interested in Ash? What do you think of Prime Video picking up the international rights? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
