There are so many movies I’m looking forward to this year – “Oppenheimer”, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”, “Killers of the Flower Moon” just to name a few. But HIGH on my personal list is “Dune: Part Two”, the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 science-fiction epic. I loved everything about the first film so naturally its follow-up easily becomes a ‘must-see’ event for me.
“Dune: Part Two” is the second in a two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel. The incredible cast of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Charlotte Rampling are assembled to continue the story of Paul Atreides as he joins with the Freman to avenge his ravaged family and defeat the evil forces set on ruling the galaxy. Talking with Vanity Fair, Villenueve emphasized “It’s important—it’s not a sequel, it’s a second part. There’s a difference.” I love that idea. This is picking up where the first film left off and will give us a true flowing single story. I can’t wait.
“Dune: Part Two” releases exclusively in theaters on November 3rd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Paramount has dropped several new character posters in preparation for the upcoming release of “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”. The $200 million blockbuster based the Hasbro toy line is the seventh installment in the Transformers film franchise and the first since 2018’s spin-off prequel “Bumblebee”. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., “Rise of the Beasts” is said to be a sequel to “Bumblebee” and will have a tone more in line with it than the previous Michael Bay led films.
With the new posters Paramount gives us a cool introduction to some the exciting characters we will meet – a few old friends; and a few new faces. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” releases exclusively in theaters on June 9th. (All images courtesy of Paramount Pictures).
Well here’s an interesting one. “Gran Turismo” takes its name from the popular racing simulation video game. But its mostly inspired by the true story of Jann Mardenborough who went from playing Gran Turismo in his bedroom to beating 90,000 other gamers for an opportunity to train as a professional driver. It’s a remarkable story that is being brought to the big screen by director Neill Blomkamp. The recently released first trailer highlights the film’s intriguing cast and some pretty intense racing sequences.
The movie sees Archie Madekwe playing a teenage Jann Mardenborough. He dreams of racing cars despite the lack of support from his skeptical father (Djimon Hounsou). Unexpectedly, his love for the video game Gran Turismo gives him his shot. Soon he’s courted by motorsport marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) who connects Jann with trainer Jack Salter (David Harbour). Like many, Jack doesn’t believe a video game player can actually become a race car driver. But wouldn’t ya know it Jann just might prove him wrong. I’m curious to see how this turns out.
“Gran Turismo” speeds into theaters on August 11th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
There wasn’t anything that had me itching for a new Peter Pan movie. I’ve never been a big fan of his story and haven’t really connected with the various movie adaptations we’ve gotten over the years. But then I heard David Lowery was directing a new Peter Pan movie and my curiosity kicked in. Suddenly I found myself interested in seeing yet another version of the J. M. Barrie children’s classic.
Lowery is a fascinating director who has strikingly unique movies like “A Ghost Story” and “The Green Knight” to his credit. Yet interestingly this isn’t his first collaboration with Disney. He also made 2016’s charming live-action adaptation “Pete’s Dragon”. With “Peter Pan and Wendy” Lowery sticks pretty close to the source material, updating in a few places while expanding in some others. It’s certainly a well made movie with Lowery once again showing his knack for visual storytelling. Yet I can’t help but ask, did we really need another Peter Pan movie?
Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures
I pose that question because there isn’t a lot in “Peter Pan and Wendy” that we haven’t seen before. There’s clearly passion in Lowery’s direction and in his faithfulness to the source material. He and his co-writer Toby Halbrooks have an obvious affection for Barrie’s original work and for Disney’s 1953 animated film, drawing inspiration from both equally. But even with the dazzling visuals, spot-on performances, and effervescent spirit it all feels a bit too familiar and lacks enough of its own flavor to make it seem necessary.
That said, I can still see long-time fans of Peter Pan really enjoying this most recent adaptation. And there’s enough eye-popping spectacle and wonder for children to enjoy. It follows many of the beats you expect. We meet Wendy Darling (nicely played by Ever Anderson, daughter of Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich) on the eve of being sent off to boarding school.Wendy is at the stage in her life where growing up has become a reality and the pains of change are weighing on her. She wants things to stay the way they are.
Then one night Wendy and her two brothers, John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe) are paid a visit by an adventurous young boy named Peter Pan. Along with his best friend Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi), a sprightly little fairy who enables him to fly, Peter whisks Wendy, John, and Michael away from their home in London to Neverland, a magical island where you never grow old.
Neverland is gorgeously realized through Lowery’s lens. It a place of lush forests, tall cliffs, sun-soaked hills, and a sparkling sea. It’s a home for fairies, mermaids, a native tribe, and Peter’s gang of fellow children called the Lost Boys (but with girls). Oh, and there are also pirates – a ship full of them led by Peter’s arch-nemesis Captain Hook (played by a fun yet tame Jude Law). As you probably expect, their adventure eventually brings our young heroes face-to-face with Hook and his marauders. Through it all Wendy learns a few good life lessons and gains a new perspective on growing up.
Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures
A few of Lowery’s changes are more noticeable. For example he adds a little more meat to Peter and Hook’s backstory. Tinker Bell feels less involved. And he plays around a bit with the ending. But none of the alterations to the story have much of an impact. They neither help or hurt. And that gets to the movie’s biggest issue. While it looks great, sounds great, and at times plays great, it doesn’t have much of a lasting effect.
Here’s the thing, there are a couple of terrific set pieces but it could’ve used more. It has a few tender moments but not quite enough of them. We get some laughs but not that many. Overall I can’t help but believe that with a few extra touches here and there “Peter Pan and Wendy” could have been truly memorable. As it is I’m guessing only the Peter Pan faithful will hold it dear. It’s hardly a bad movie. David Lowery is too good of a filmmaker for that. And anything he does is worth watching. But it doesn’t fully utilize his talents either. And ultimately that’s what left me feeling a bit indifferent. “Peter Pan and Wendy” is now streaming on Disney+.
Many of today’s horror movies are custom-made for easy consumption and even easier profit. Many studios have embraced the low-budget low-risk formula. They’ve realized that they don’t need to spend a lot of money to get people in the seats. Horror fans turn out. I’m certainly not against filmmakers taking risks, having fun, or showcasing their style. And I’m certainly not opposed to studios finding ways to make money. But the horror films of today rarely leave a lasting impression. What’s a good remedy for that? Well, fresh new ideas are always welcomed. But sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics.
Take “Evil Dead Rise”. It is absolutely a franchise horror movie so calling it “original” might be a stretch. But it comes from a series that has always had its own brutal (and sometimes wacky) identity. You may know what to expect from an Evil Dead movie, but you’ll never be fully prepared. Also, it’s a series that has wisely kept itself from over-saturating the market. This is only the fifth feature film since the original released back in 1981 and the first in ten years.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
“Evil Dead Rise” is the second feature from writer-director Lee Cronin. His previous film was 2019’s “The Hole in the Ground”, a cleverly effective chiller that shares some of the same thematic interests as his latest, namely the anxieties of parenthood. While his first movie had a more psychological horror bend, Cronin’s sophomore effort let’s him explore that parenthood theme in the grisly, gruesome EvilDead world which longtime buddies Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell first launched 42 years ago for only $375,000.
Times have changed and movies cost a lot more to make. But “Evil Dead Rise” stays true to its roots and was made for a modest (by today’s standards) $15 million. But don’t worry, every penny made its way onscreen. Everything from the gnarly practical effects to the incredible makeup to the gallons upon gallons upon gallons of blood helps to create this visually amazing buffet of grotesquerie that long-time fans are hungry for.
Cronin has turned in a film that’s every bit as unsettling and gory as its predecessors (the lighter “Army of Darkness” being the one exception). Whether it’s someone swallowing jagged shards of glass, a cheese grater to the back of the leg, or a scalp ripped off a head, “Evil Dead Rise” leaves no doubt that it’s not for the squeamish. It’s a stone-cold killer of a movie that grabs you by the jugular and doesn’t let go. Yet Cronin doesn’t leave us emotionally high-and-dry. He gives us rooting interests, and he develops characters with enough humanity to make us care. That proves crucial.
After one of the best cold opens in recent memory (a nod to the ‘cabin in the woods’ trope the original Evil Dead movie made famous), Cronin takes us to Los Angeles where we’re introduced to Ellie (a terrific Alyssa Sutherland). She lives in a low-income high-rise apartment with her three children, Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), Danny (Morgan Davies), and Kassie (Nell Fisher). Life is hard for Ellie who has been raising her kids by herself ever since her husband and their father left. Even worse, the old building they live in is set to be demolished and Ellie still hasn’t found them a place to live.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Ellie is paid a visit by her estranged sister Beth (Lily Sullivan), a guitar tech for a touring rock band. Beth has gotten some unexpected news and looks to her big sister for guidance. But their family reunion is interrupted after an earthquake rocks their neighborhood. The quake opens up a hole in the parking garage revealing what appears to be an old vault (we learn the building was once a bank). In the movie’s lone instance of head-scratching inanity, Danny crawls down the hole and discovers some religious relics, a couple of old vinyl records, and one particular old tome that’s bound in flesh and inked with blood – the Naturom Demonto aka The Book of the Dead.
Fans know where it goes from here. The book is opened. The creepy incantations are recited. The soul-feasting flesh-destroying Deadites are unleashed on an unsuspecting Ellie and her family. Through it all Cronin keeps the tension steadily rising while seamlessly blending in slivers of humor often in the most unexpected moments. It’s all accentuated by the eeriness of the dim apartment building setting which becomes a playground of giddy gore-filled horror intent on making you squirm
Any real emphasis on storytelling withers away in the second half, but to his credit Cronin knows what his audience wants. He gives them a tightly wound 97 minutes that’s shrewdly tuned to satisfy the demands of devoted fans and to terrify those who are coming in fresh. And he does it all while subtly planting seeds for possible future films. Altogether it makes “Evil Dead Rise” a bloody good addition to its franchise and a feral jolt of energy for its genre. “Evil Dead Rise” is in theaters now.
Keith & the Movies 