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A Talented Cast Can’t Save ‘SPEAK NO EVIL’ Remake That Pulls Its Biggest Punches

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Speak No Evil, the disturbing Danish original that James Watkins’ American remake is based on, made my Top Ten when it debuted in 2022, in part because of how deeply affecting its unique brand of cringe-inducing psychological horror was. Part of what made Christian Tafdrup’s mannered but murderous satire on the social niceties we extend to strangers so sinister was its lack of physical violence. In its place was an escalating pattern of coercion that pushed boundaries further and further until suddenly: a ledge. The victims in the story were victims of their own complacency as much as the malice of their tormentors. The price they pay is high. Read More

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‘OUT COME THE WOLVES’ A Howling, But Much Too Slight, Nature Thriller

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In nature, you learn who you really are—or so says Sophie (Missy Peregrym), echoing the wisdom of her hunter father, ingrained in her during her upbringing in the remote Ontario wilderness. Now, she’s back in that secluded cabin, accompanied by her editor-in-chief fiancé, Nolan (Damon Runyan), who’s been assigned to write about man’s primal connection to food. However, Nolan, a noxious blend of protective, arrogant, and haughty, has never hunted a day in his life. Enter Kyle (Joris Jarsky), Sophie’s blue-collar childhood friend, who’s been tapped to guide Nolan through his first hunt, but a chance encounter with a pack of blood-thirsty wolves turns this learning experience into a firsthand account of survivalism at its most feral. Read More

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Zoë Kravitz’s Electrifying ‘BLINK TWICE’ Delivers Deadly Thrills

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Tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) is in the midst of a rebrand. A year after an undisclosed incident sparked a public apology tour, he’s turned over a new leaf, diving into philanthropic efforts while secluding himself on a mysterious remote island. His claims of reform are complicated by rumors of debauchery—all-night parties, sketchy associates, an on-hand pharmacy of designer drugs. This does little to deter the eager Frida (Naomi Ackie), a jejune cocktail waitress working the gala his company KingTech is hosting. Frida may still be figuring things out, but one thing is certain—brushing shoulders with Slater, if only for the night, would be a memory worth making. Read More

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‘ALIEN: ROMULUS’ Reenergizes Franchise By Leaning Into Its Celestial Horrors 

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20th Century Studios made a clear statement by hiring Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe director Fede Alvarez to helm the seventh (or ninth, if you count the dreadful Alien vs. Predator movies) installment of the Alien franchise: we’re going back to basics. Alvarez, known for his low-budget, high-gore horror films, seemed like the perfect fit. After all, his ill-fated venture outside the genre with the poorly-constructed and even more poorly-received The Girl in the Spider’s Web landed him in unofficial director’s jail for the better part of a decade. With Alvarez behind the camera, Alien: Romulus promised a return to the franchise’s nervy space-horror roots—and it largely delivers exactly that. Read More

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Casting Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom and the Ouroboros of MEGA-tainment

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The recent announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will don the mantle of Dr. Doom after years of embodying Tony Stark/Iron Man sent shockwaves through the entertainment sphere. Unveiled at Nerd Mecca (Comic Con’s Hall H), the news was met with wild enthusiasm from attending fans. Soon, a torrent of think-pieces flooded the media, from entertainment outlets to daily news channels, all asking, “What does this mean?” And for good reason. This move is more than just a casting choice; it’s a microcosm of a broader insidious trend where creativity is sacrificed at the altar of commerce. Where the comforting allure of nostalgia trumps all. While looking backwards to carve a path forward may seem like a reliable strategy, nostalgia-plays inherently bank upon a limited resource. We will eventually run out of cameos and callbacks, especially if modern entertainment is already so focused on looking back. This ouroboros-like cycle, where the industry repeatedly consumes its past until past and present become intertwined, has significant implications for our broader cultural dynamics and the future of entertainment as well as society. Read More

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‘DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE’ an Orgiastic Barrage of Jokes and Violence That May Win You Over With Sheer X-Force

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Reviewing Deadpool & Wolverine is about as useful as tits on a duck-billed platypus. After two movies featuring the foul-mouthed merc, played with childlike glee by Ryan Reynolds, indulging in cartoonish violence, 13-year-old-approved potty humor, and gratuitous fourth-wall-breaking meta commentary, viewers have already decided if this slice of the intersectional superhero universe gets them going or not. If Deadpool is already your thing, Deadpool & Wolverine will likely be a phantasmagoric cinematic aphrodisiac, blissfully reveling in the filth and frenetic energy of this profane property, servicing the fans like a truck stop hooker on twofer Fridays. Though many were (rightfully) concerned that the ribald comedy, facetious tone, and hard-R nature would stifle under the transition to the censorial Disney, the Deadpool of yore has been well preserved. However, the resources afforded to Shawn Levy’s $250M production have become near limitless. This, folks, is maximalist Deadpool, with all the resources of an Avengers team-up tentpole but the same old shameless shtick. Read More

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‘TWISTERS’ Isn’t a Disaster But It Won’t Blow You Away Either 

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Nearly 30 years after the release of Jan de Bont’s natural disaster thriller and meteoric box office hit Twister, the winds of its legacy blow once more. Swept up in the industry’s recent trend of mining intellectual property from nearly every existing franchise over the last century, Twisters emerges as a largely cynical attempt to reignite box office flames in the natural disaster genre stratosphere. Though its tracking to do some major numbers across international territories looking for an all-ages summer hit, one is left with the sinking feeling that with all the assembled talent and massive budget, we could just do so much better than this. Bolstered by the emerging talent of rising stars in the form of director Lee Isaac Chung (Best Picture nominee Minari) and current Hollywood it-guy Glenn Powell, Twisters isn’t a disaster, but it won’t blow you away either. Read More

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Eerie and Atmospheric ‘LONGLEGS’ a Supernatural Serial Killer Haunt 

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Longlegs, NEON’s much-anticipated horror film from Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel & Hansel), straddles the line between detective procedural and supernatural haunter with a masterful command for atmosphere and tone. As thematically dark and unforgiving as it is formally constructed and rhythmically precise, Perkins’ nightmarish vision of a satanic doll maker (played with creepy but characteristically over-the-top intensity by Nicolas Cage) and the FBI agent (Maika Monroe) pursuing him is in no rush to reveal its macabre story, demanding patience from viewers in pursuit of a frightful theatrical experience. Read More

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Psalms and Sleaze Line the End of Ti West’s Trilogy in ‘MAXXXINE’

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Celebrity and faith are at impassable odds in the capstone to Ti West’s surprise trilogy, MaXXXine. What started with ’70s shlock in X, then traveled back in time to WWI-era West Texas with the outstanding technicolor prequel Pearl, now arrives in 1980s Hollywood in MaXXXine. The titular character, consistently played with wild-eyed abandon and gnawing verve by Mia Goth across the three films, grapples with the events of her blood-soaked past, sheds her present porn star celebrity, and charges into a bright future as a legitimate actress. Read More

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Effective ‘A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE’ Expands Franchise Through Renewed Intimacy

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If you’re going to have a movie that’s basically 90% a silent film, you can’t do much better than casting the venerable Lupita Nyong’o in the starring role. The Academy Award nominee has the ability to absolutely command the screen with her physicality, combining her incredibly expressive eyes and ticcy body language, and her strengths prove a perfect fit for the very particular demands of the Quiet Place universe. The Academy has often overlooked horror performances, but awards recognition or not, Nyong’o is offering next-level genre work in the dramatically effective and true-to-its-roots prequel A Quiet Place: Day One. Read More