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

August 14, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Aileen Wu, Alien, Alien: Romulus, Archie Renaux, Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Fede Alvarez, Isabela Merced, Ridley Scott, Spike Fearn 2 Comments

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

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

July 31, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Editorials, Film Editorials Tagged Dr. Doom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Robert Downey Jr. 8 Comments

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

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

July 23, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Deadpool, Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Wolverine, Zeb Wells 9 Comments

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

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

July 16, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Anthony Ramos, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glenn Powell, Katy O'Brian, Lee Isaac Chung, Sasha Lane, Tunde Adebimpe, Twisters 2 Comments

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

Eerie and Atmospheric ‘LONGLEGS’ a Supernatural Serial Killer Haunt

July 9, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Horror, Longlegs, Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Oz Perkins 6 Comments

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

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

July 2, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Bobby Cannavale, Elizabeth Debicki, Giancarlo Esposito, Halsey, Lily Collins, MaXXXine, Mia Goth, Michelle Monaghan, Moses Sumney, Pearl, Reviews, Ti West, X 1 Comment

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

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

June 27, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged A Quiet Place: Day One, Alex Wolff, Joseph Quinn, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Sarnoski, Reviews 6 Comments

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

‘KINDS OF KINDNESS’ A Freaky Foray Into Yorgos’ Hilarious Depravity

June 20, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Emma Stone, Hong Chau, Jesse Plemons, Joe Alwyn, Kinds of Kindness, Mamoudou Athie, Margaret Qualley, Reviews, Willem Dafoe 7 Comments

A trio of demented fables make up Yorgos Lanthimos’ most recent film, Kinds of Kindness. An anthological miasma of the bizarre and misanthropic, Yorgos returns to his biting roots as a somewhat impenetrable provocateur, escaping easy explanation at every turn, armed with a razor sharp sense of satirical humor. Featuring an outstanding ensemble cast that cycles through various characters throughout the film’s distinct – and mostly unconnected – three short, Kinds of Kindess filters the filmmaker’s most esoteric curiosities through an almost Black Mirror filter, making for a collection of works that are strong and striking on there own merit but add up to something entirely captivating when taken as a whole. Read More

‘THE BIKERIDERS’ A GRUFF MOTO-DRAMA ABOUT “COOL GUYS” AND “GOOD OLE TIMES”

June 19, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Austin Butler, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Emory Cohen, Jeff Nichols, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Norman Reedus, Out in Theaters, Reviews, The Bikeriders, Tom Hardy 7 Comments

Arkansas-born filmmaker Jeff Nichols has a way of channeling a certain kind of Americana onto the screen that few of his contemporaries are able to capture. There’s a very particular kind of grit and masculinity that defines a Nichol’s feature, with characters experiencing gnawing heartache and an often overbearing patriarchal sense of responsibility, despite often being on the fringes of society, manic or mad to many outsiders looking in. This is as true in Take Shelter and Mud—both about ‘crazed’ outsiders—as it is in Loving and Midnight Special, the former depicting Richard and Mildred Loving’s arrest for their interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia, and the latter a sci-fi drama about a father protecting his ‘powered’ son at all costs. Read More

‘YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA’ Is a Welcome Return to the Inspirational Disney Sports Drama

May 30, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Christopher Eccleston, Daisy Ridley, Jeanette Hain, Jeff Nathanson, Joachim Rønning, Kim Bosnia, Reviews, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Young Woman and the Sea 6 Comments

A good old-fashioned Disney sports drama, complete with a plucky underdog story, historically accurate social injustices, and a score with more swells than the English Channel, Young Woman and the Sea is a return to form for the studio behind uplifting sports dramas like Remember the Titans and Cool Runnings. Based on the true story of swimmer Trudy Ederle, this triumphant tale of human perseverance takes place in the years following the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States, though it did little to change their daily lot. Despite suffragette efforts for equality, sports remained strictly a man’s game. When Trudy Ederle sets her sights on becoming the first woman to swim across the English Channel, she must battle both the harsh conditions of the sea and the turbulence of a patriarchal system not only standing in her way but actively sabotaging her efforts to succeed. Read More