“To Catch a Predator” was a series of reports that aired on the popular news magazine show Dateline NBC. The segments were hosted by investigative journalist Chris Hansen and focused on catching internet predators attempting to meet up with minors for sex. The series was a pivotal yet controversial means of bringing awareness to the growing epidemic of sexual predators on the web. Now director Lance Oppenheim is telling Chris Hansen’s story in his new film “Primetime”.
Set in 2006, “Primetime” tells the origin of “To Catch a Predator” by following Hansen (played by Robert Pattinson) as he aggressively confronts child predators through hidden camera sting operations. The riveting first trailer gives us a good sense of what to expect from this biographical/psychological crime thriller which is set to premiere in September at the Venice Film Festival. Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Tony Revolori, and Matthew Maher also star.
“Primetime” opens in theaters on September 25th. Check out the trailer and the poster below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Creepy kids are the main dish in Eli Roth’s “Ice Cream Man”, the director’s intentionally goofy and gleefully gory spin on the age-old Pied Piper legend. The film is Roth’s first feature since the seismic box office disaster that was “Borderlands”. His latest sees him back in his splatter film wheelhouse with a movie that is a horror comedy in its fullest sense. And I can an assure you, “Ice Cream Man” is quite different than his previous horror offerings.
There are no grand illusions here. Roth knows the kind of movie he’s making and never pretends otherwise. “Ice Cream Man” is a gorefest that pushes the blood and guts to absurd levels. But it’s also openly self-aware which ends up fueling much of the film’s warped and twisted humor. And considering how much “Ice Cream Man” relies on children, the humor is crucial in making the blood-drenched movie digestible. More on that in a second.
The story kicks off as an old-fashioned ice cream truck rolls into Bayleen Bay. It’s a regular day in this cozy coastal town, which basks in the idyllic glow of the warm summer sun while the enthusiastic sounds of children plays like background music. And their enthusiasm only grows once they hear the high-pitched jingle of the ice cream truck. As kids surround his frozen ecstasy on wheels, the eerily silent ice cream man (slyly yet devilishly played by Ari Millen) hands out free ice cream to every child there.
The day ends as normal, outside of a few brain freezes, sugar rushes, and upset tummies. It isn’t until later that the movie’s sinister twist is revealed. In the middle of the night, the Ice Cream Man begins driving his truck through every neighborhood with his jingle ringing out in the darkness. It triggers something within the children, who suddenly begin rising out of their bed in a catatonic haze, their faces stained with dried ice cream and sprinkles. Much worse, the kids begin gruesomely murdering their parents with a gleeful indifference.
The next morning, Jared (Charlie Zeltzer), who fortunately is lactose intolerant, wakes up and heads to school where he encounters a campus full of zombified classmates. Suddenly the Ice Cream Man pulls up, which sends the students into a murderous frenzy. They begin hacking, impaling, and dismembering their teachers, and those are the tamer kills! Meanwhile Jared is joined by fellow ice cream abstainers Mia (Kiori Mirza Waldman) and Tommy (Shiloh O’Reilly) in a desperate effort to escape.
The rest of the movie follows these three kids from vastly different social groups as they navigate the copious carnage and comical chaos that Roth throws their way. And he throws A LOT their way. Enough that we can’t help but feel a little queasy, not at the extreme gore itself, but at the child actors and actresses tasked with capturing it for the camera. From all indications, it was made a playful shoot for the young cast. Still it’s a quagmire that the film never fully escapes from.
That said, there is a lot for splatter film fans to appreciate in “Ice Cream Man”. The creativity and artistry from the makeup and effects teams is routinely on display as they mostly practically capture every bonkers idea Roth tosses at them. And they visually manage to walk the line between grisly and goofy. Together with Roth and DP Simon Shohet, they also help to pull off some mind-boggling extended sequences that require as much intense coordination as corn syrup.
“Ice Cream Man” succeeds in being the gratuitously gory and absurdly funny horror-comedy concoction that Eli Roth envisioned. It has all the ingredients to entertain those who know what they’re getting into and repulse those who don’t. On one hand, it’s unhinged go-for-the jugular fun that is just as interested in making you laugh as squirm. On the other hand, it’s a movie that uses children in ways that can easily be considered suspect. It ultimately poses a question that reaches beyond this one movie. But the answer to that question may be enough to shape how you feel about it.
This month the Insidious franchise returns to the big screen with its sixth installment, “Insidious: Out of the Further”. The film (written and directed by Jacob Chase) seeks to build on the franchise’s box office success, with it having already earned over $740 million to date. “Out of the Further” focuses on a new family while introducing a terror that redefines what the purgatorial realm of lost souls known as The Further is capable of.
With the film set to release in a few weeks, Sony Pictures Releasing has dropped five new character posters focusing on the demonic entities terrorizing a single mother and her young daughter. Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Lin Shaye star while horror stalwarts Jason Blum, James Wan, Oren Peli, and Leigh Whannell produce. “Insidious: Out of the Further” releases exclusively in theaters on August 21st.
Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa has carved a cinematic path that couldn’t be more different than that of the other esteemed filmmaker who shares his last name (no relation). Kurosawa cut his teeth on J-horror but quickly expanded his catalog to include dramas, black comedies, science-fiction, crime thrillers, and even a period spy movie. But his latest film sees him venturing into the genre that made the legendary Akira Kurosawa a household name.
With “The Samurai and the Prisoner”, Kiyoshi Kurosawa makes his first foray into the classic jidaigeki genre. Yet from its opening moments, you would never guess this was his first samurai film. Through an elegant combination of technical precision and creative intuition, Kurasawa transports us back to feudal Japan in a way that fits right in with the samurai classics of the past. Yet his story almost plays like a deconstruction as Kurosawa takes a critical look at the samurai code entire dynasty’s were built upon.
“The Samurai and the Prisoner” is an aggressively faithful adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa’s 2021 novel of the same name. It’s a mostly confined period epic where the bulk of the drama happens within a besieged castle. And though unwieldy and plodding at times, Kurosawa’s script is an intricate and evocative melding of the old and the new, both in its storytelling and its craftsmanship. It’s a chamber drama murder mystery told in a classical style but through a shrewdly modern lens.
The story is set in 16th century Japan as warlord Nobunaga Oda advances west with the aim of ruling the entire country. One of his most trusted retainers, Murashige Araki (Masahiro Motoki) of Arioka Castle in Settsu, suddenly turns against Oda. His reasons are a mystery, but they slowly and clearly come to light through the film’s patient episodic structure. And as the battles with Oda’s forces intensify outside of Murashige’s impregnable fortress, a more cunning war is being waged within his walls that threatens to tear his castle apart from the inside out.
The screws begin to tighten with the arrival of Kanbei (Masaki Suda), a master strategist and Oda’s envoy. Kanbei warns Murashige of Oda’s gathering army and urges him to surrender. Instead of sending him back, Murashige has Kanbei locked in a dungeon, which is his first of several breaks from samurai tradition. A short time later, an unexplained murder inside the castle sparks rumors among the soldiers, prompting Murashige to seek help from an unlikely source – the imprisoned Kanbei.
Kurosawa unwraps much of his story through a number of dense dungeon discussions between the perplexed samurai lord and his crafty captive. What begins as Murashige’s firm establishment of power turns into gripping verbal chess matches between foes. But when Kanbei’s power of deduction leads Murashige towards solving the murder, the prisoner begins earning the trust of the castle’s embattled leader. And that trust grows as Murashige continues to consult Kanbei following a series of other mysteries that threaten his standing among his clans.
The whodunit mysteries themselves shrewdly feed the film’s central storyline. But it’s Murashige’s loyalty to his convictions that adds the most compelling layer. Take his refusal to have a young man crucified as punishment for his father’s shame. Or his choice to have a soldier exiled rather than executed for his betrayal. Murashige’s decisions routinely clash with the rigid and often merciless samurai code. And that challenges those under his command, who find themselves torn between faithfulness to their esteemed leader or to their long-held and deeply rooted customs. It’s a fascinating conflict with no easy resolution.
As the drama unfolds, Kurosawa remains far more intrigued with exploring the intellectual, psychological, existential, and philosophical facets of his story rather than indulge in sword duels and battlefield combat. It’s a focus that can sometimes leave the movie feeling staid, slow-moving, and emotionally distant. And while it’s a handsomely shot film, Kurosawa mostly shuns the idea of thrilling spectacle. Yet “The Samurai and the Prisoner” remains a captivating watch, despite its occasional sluggishness. Kurosawa earns our investment and grounds us in the drama, making this strikingly unique period epic hard to turn away from.
It seems as if each month brings along new additions to the ever-growing sharksploitation genre. These shark-infested concoctions have come in all shapes and sizes, from moderately budgeted shark thrillers to shamelessly campy B-movie romps. Of course you can always expect some stinkers when you have such a crowded pool. But most understand the kind of straightforward entertainment their audiences want, and they often deliver in ways that keep fans circling back for more.
The latest sharksploitation entry is “The Devil’s Mouth”, a Prime Video Original that sticks pretty close to the established survival thriller formula. You know the one – a group of college cohorts venture out to an exotic location for some frisky fun on the water only to become chum for the movie’s real star, a ferocious man-eating shark. That is this movie in a nutshell, although it does throw in a few ideas of its own that stand out, namely a cool location and some slightly interesting character dynamics.
Kathryn Newton plays Sara, the fifth-wheel from a group of five college “friends” on a summer trip to Thailand. She’s joined by her pampered and overly assertive best friend Max (Lana Condor), Max’s ‘whatever” boyfriend James (Nico Hiraga), their mutual friend Adrienne (Tommi Rose), and Adrienne’s douchy new beau, Greg (Gavin Casalegno). The two couples make sure to involve Sara in all of their frolicking, but she can’t help but feel like the odd person out.
But deep down there are relationship issues that Sara has yet to acknowledge. It’s mostly seen in Max’s controlling nature. Max feels compelled to control everything and she expects everyone to fall in line. It’s especially true of Sara, who Max has no problem guilting into doing whatever she wants. Even James sees it, but he’s too spineless to say anything about it. Layers peel from their complicated friendship once the film’s central conflict comes into play.
The group’s vacation turns to terror after they set out to tour a network of underwater caves. They meet up with their guide, Wat (Tayme Thapthimthong) who takes them by kayak to the entrance of “The Devil’s Mouth”. The six begin their underground adventure, making their way from chamber to chamber. But once deep inside the dark labyrinthine cave system, they discover they are not alone. Among them is an angry and ferociously territorial shark who was swept in by the tide. He’s hungry and our six explorers would make a tasty meal.
Director Jeff Wadlow ratchets down on the familiar survival elements as the characters find themselves in one harrowing situation after another. It’s hard to muster much sympathy for anyone outside of Wat, who had the ultimate misfortune of being stuck with the five obnoxious brats. But in fairness, we do see Sara evolve over time. Not a lot, but enough to say something about her character. Everyone else is stuck in one gear and we never really care if they make it out or not.
The character work may not be great, but Wadlow does make good use of his setting and environments. The sense of being trapped in small, dark, unknown spaces generates some legitimate tension, at least until it begins to feel repetitive. He also concocts some ridiculous but fun shark action. Wadlow comes up with an assortment of attacks from the man-eating menace, some that will make you jump and others that will make you laugh. Admittedly it’s pretty entertaining.
“The Devil’s Mouth” does nothing to redefine the sharksploitation model. Instead it embraces the simplest mechanics of the genre, adding a few strokes of its own along the way. It’s still plagued by annoying characters whose mind-boggling decision-making leads the story down the most predictable route imaginable. But the shark is mean, dangerous, and it eats people. So in that respect, genre fans can expect to get exactly what they’re looking for.
I know there are passionate superfans out there who will disagree with me, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a shell of its former self since the blockbuster event that was 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame”. A total of 14 movies and 20 streaming series have released since “Endgame”. A couple were nice surprises and a few others were serviceable. But some were glaring disappointments. Even more, none have managed to build up anticipation quite like the MCU did in its heyday.
But one bankable exception has been Spider-Man. Collectively, the three standalone Spider-Man movies have made a whopping $3.94 billion at the global box office. Tom Holland has proven himself to be perfect for the role of Peter Parker, and his three solo films have mostly been solid. Yet none of them stand among the best of the MCU offerings. Well not only does the latest entry, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”, offer a welcomed refresh for the beloved web-slinger, it’s also the very best Spidey movie of the Tom Holland era.
Destin Daniel Cretton takes the directing reins from Jon Watts and you can quickly tell the difference in his approach. “Brand New Day” has much of the same superhero energy and playfulness as its predecessors. But it stands out as the most emotionally grounded of the now four standalone Spidey films. Even more, its story offers a much needed evolution for the Peter Parker character, exploring themes of loneliness and isolation, while portraying the sacrifice that so often defines true heroism.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
For those in need of a quick refresher, in 2021’s “No Way Home” Peter Parker (Holland) makes the choice to have himself erased from everyone’s memory in order to save the multiverse. He makes a pledge to his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) to find them and reintroduce himself when the time is right. And that leads to the events of “Brand New Day”.
As a means of dealing with his loneliness, Peter fully occupies himself with his crime-fighting duties as Spider-Man. About his only means of human connection is with New York City Police Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas). Otherwise he has spent what would have been his exciting college years at MIT watching MJ and Ned from afar. Both now live much different lives without any knowledge of Peter. Meanwhile he waits, heartbroken yet determined, for the right time to reveal himself and the truth of their pasts together.
Peter’s personal journey eventually converges with his role of Spider-Man after the appearance of a mysterious antagonist who is able to telepathically hop from person to person, possessing whoever they embody. The telepath targets The Department of Damage Control which prompts its director, Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) to reach out the Spider-Man for help. But the telepath isn’t so easily deterred and will stop at nothing to reach the secret which lies inside of the DODC’s vault.
I danced around a lot of information and for good reason. Co-writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers pack a ton into their story, much of which is better discovered for yourself. What impresses most is their ability to balance the more intimate personal stakes with the explosive superhero action. While there are plenty of moments for laughs, the film has a more serious tone which allows us to emotionally connect on a surprisingly deeper level, more so than with any of the previous Spidey films. But then there is the action, which features some of the best captured, cut, and choreographed set pieces from the MCU to date.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Smartly, Cretton ensures the characters remain his focal point. This is Holland’s best Peter Parker performance to date while Zendaya and Batalon offer their best supporting work of the series. Beyond them, we get a wild array of side characters and guest appearances highlighted by Jon Bernthal’s killer return as Frank Castle aka The Punisher. While slightly tamed to fit the film’s PG-13 rating, Bernthal still retains Castle’s fury and grit. Mark Ruffalo also returns as Bruce Banner in a role that doesn’t feel necessary, yet that finally gives us a glimpse at the real Hulk that so many of us have been longing for.
The vast majority of the movie comes together incredibly well but there are a few minor issues. There are a couple of appearances that feel thrown in for reasons beyond this story. There’s a storyline involving Peter’s sudden spider mutations that leads to several good scenes but no real conclusion. And there are several instances of things just not making sense. For example, how do some memories click for one character but not for another? It’s a case of the movie opening doors and not always knowing how to close them.
I went into “Brand New Day” interested in it more than excited for it. Then for the first time in years, I left the theater feeling genuine enthusiasm for an MCU movie. Destin Daniel Cretton has rediscovered what makes these movies click, by shedding most of the multiverse baggage and telling a contained story that nicely balances authentic humanity with pulse-pounding superhero thrills. “Brand New Day” may not be the best ever MCU offering, but it definitely sits in the upper tier. And when you’ve put out 38 movies, that’s a pretty impressive accomplishment.
Keith & the Movies 