How’s this for giving a classic Universal monster movie a fresh reintroduction? “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” from Norwegian director André Øvredal gives us a new look at Dracula but from an older perspective. Written for the screen by Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz, the film is based on “The Captain’s Log”, a chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel “Dracula”. The first trailer gives us an exciting first taste of what we can expect from what might be a surprise horror hit of the year.
Corey Hawkins, David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, and Javier Botet star in this period horror story set aboard a merchant ship sailing across the high seas. But wouldn’t you know it, there’s some particularly deadly cargo onboard. Soon the ship’s captain (Cunningham), his first mate (Dastmalchian), the ship’s doctor (Hawkins), and a stowaway (Franciosi) find themselves trapped aboard their vessel fighting for their lives. The trailer looks terrific, from its period production design to the cool makeup and effects. I love the look of it and it seems ready-made for the big screen.
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” sails into theaters on August 11th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Within the realm of horror movies lies a number of fun sub-genres. There’s zombie horror, vampire horror, haunted house horror, slasher horror, etc. etc. etc. Among the most explored over the years is the realm of supernatural horror. Movies from this sub-genre tend to branch out in a number of different directions. Possession films are a clear favorite of filmmakers and we get another one with the new Russell Crowe led chiller “The Pope’s Exorcist”.
Directed by Julius Avery from a script by Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos, “The Pope’s Exorcist” is based on the memoirs of Gabriele Amorth, a Catholic priest and exorcist for the Diocese of Rome from 1986 to 2016. A controversial figure in modern Catholicism, Amorth gained international notoriety for the thousands of exorcisms he has performed. The film pulls elements of its story from two of Amorth’s books, “An Exorcist Tells His Story” and “An Exorcist: More Stories”.
Russell Crowe is a nice fit playing Father Amorth. He’s the movie’s biggest strength, selling us with his believable look, demeanor, and a really good handling of the Italian language. It’s the type of seasoned turn that can carry a film. And there are times in the movie where Crowe does just that. It’s a fascinating performance that’s sincere yet delightfully wacky. Whether Crowe was intensely going toe-to-toe with a malicious demon or puttering around Rome on an undersized Vespa while fully decked out in priestly regalia, I was onboard.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
Overall, there’s really nothing here we haven’t seen before, and if you have at least a couple of exorcism movies under your belt, there’s not much here that will catch you by surprise. Yet Avery builds some good atmosphere and cranks up enough tension to keep things entertaining. He even cooks up a fun but admittedly lightweight demonological Da Vinci Code-esque mystery that really emphasizes the movie’s open-armed embrace of the fantastical.
Set in 1987, Father Gabriele Amorth is summoned before a panel led by the insufferable Cardinal Sullivan (Ryan O’Grady). Sullivan is part of a youth movement who are anxious to move the Catholic Church away from its older practices and towards things that are more “relevant” in their modern world. Gabriele’s exorcisms fall among those “older practices”, but he’s having none of it. Gabriele is quick to remind them of who he works for – none other than the Pope himself (played by the one and only Franco Nero).
Meanwhile, a recently widowed mother named Julia (Alex Essoe), along with her rebellious teen daughter Amy (Laurel Marsden) and introverted younger son Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney), leave the States and travel to rural Spain after she learns her late husband has inherited a long vacant old abbey. In desperate need of income, Julia is having the place fixed up to sell. But when the construction team unearths a hidden chamber in the cellar, they inadvertently release a malevolent spirit who immediately possesses young Henry.
After getting word of the potentially powerful demon, the Pope sends Gabriele to Spain to help Julia and her family. Once there he’s joined by an inexperienced local padre named Father Tomas Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto). The pair quickly learn that they are dealing with a particularly evil spirit – one who knows their deepest secrets and who is ready to use their past sins against them. The mystery angle is set in motion once Gabriele sets out to discover the demon’s name in order to cast it out. From there Avery runs with the craziness. The story takes some bonkers turns as a host of secrets are revealed.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
The batty final act is a hoot despite being a little hard to follow (I’m still not sure why certain things were happening). It’s where we get to watch Crowe go full-tilt, hamming it up yet maintaining a surprising amount of warmth. The best thing about Crowe is that he’s not just playing for the camera and cashing a check. He remains engaged and takes on the material with tenacity and integrity. The Oscar-winner brings seriousness and levity to the movie, embracing its wilder elements yet also showing earnestness and affection.
While Avery creates some good atmosphere, the movie isn’t particularly scary. We get several conventional attempts at frights (noises within the walls, whispers in the night, and so on). And Henry has all the signs of possession that many of us know by heart (a menacing demonic voice, deep cuts across his skin, violent convulsions, etc.) Yet there is a persistent eeriness in large part thanks to production designer Alan Gilmore and DP Khalid Mohtaseb. And we get some pretty splashy visual effects that really lets the blood flow (quite literally).
“The Pope’s Exorcist” may not fully differentiate itself from the myriad of other exorcism movies that have come before it, but it did hit me with a few things I wasn’t expecting. I mean who knew this was really a buddy priest movie with Conjuring-like franchise ambitions? I sure didn’t. And again there’s Russell Crowe. He’s at a stage in his career where (sadly) the roles aren’t always what they used to be. It’s great to see he’s embracing it and still doing the kind of work that can elevate whatever he’s in. “The Pope’s Exorcist” is in theaters now.
Still riding high off the success of “John Wick: Chapter 4”, Lionsgate Television and Thunder Road Pictures have revealed the new teaser posters for the upcoming spin-off miniseries titled “The Continental”. The three-part series will stream exclusively on Peacock this September and is helmed by showrunners Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward.
The title refers to the “chain” of hotels in the John Wick movies that serve as a safe haven for members of the criminal underworld. They each have their individual owners, but they operate under the authority of the High Table, a council of twelve crime lords that govern the underworld’s most powerful syndicates. The New York Continental is ran by Winston Scott (played in the movies by the great Ian McShane). The miniseries is set in the 1970s and will show how a younger Winston (played by Colin Woodell) came to run the New York Continental.
It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out considering it’s a story set within the John Wick universe that won’t feature the eponymous character or it’s star, Keanu Reeves. It’s also not being directed by Chad Stahelski who has led all four feature films. So there are plenty of questions. But there is also lots of potential. The John Wick universe is a rich and vibrant world filled with colorful and charismatic characters. There’s so much to explore. And what better place to start than the Continental Hotel.
Are you excited for “The Continental”? Will you be watching it this Fall? What do you think of the new posters?
Netflix has a new movie scheduled for Mother’s Day, and it’s a far cry from some soft and lathery family drama or rom-com. “The Mother” looks to be a full-on action thriller that sees Jennifer Lopez coming face-to-face with the old life she tried to put behind her. The film is directed by Niki Caro (“Whale Rider”, “Mulan”) and also stars Joseph Fiennes, Gael García Bernal, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, and Paul Raci. The new trailer gives us a really good taste of what we have to look forward to.
Lopez plays a mother who comes out of hiding to find her kidnapped daughter. After cutting a deal with the FBI following a botched mission that left several agents dead, her character went off the grid in order to protect her young daughter. Years pass and her now 12-year-old daughter is taken by enemies from her past. She immediately goes on the hunt and will do anything to get her little girl back. I like the look and sound of this. Sure, there are elements of the story that ring familiar. But I love seeing J-Lo letting loose like this.
“The Mother” premieres on Netflix May 12th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
We get a refreshingly ‘indie’ take on the zombie sub-genre with Adam William Cahill’s infectious (bad pun intended) Irish horror comedy “Follow the Dead”. This fun, kooky, at times gleefully irreverent romp bops along on the strengths of Cahill’s keen direction, his even better screenplay, and a fine cast who bring a playful energy to their colorful collection of characters. At the same time, there is some unexpected thematic heft and a surprising amount of heart that help this to be more than come copy-and-paste zombie flick.
At times the film’s modest budget is hard to miss. But like other good filmmakers, Cahill (serving as director, screenwriter, editor, and co-producer) doesn’t let that sink his ship which says a lot. In fact, some of the best showcases of good filmmaking is watching a confident and skilled writer-director overcome any constraints by the sheer quality of their craft. We certainly see that in “Follow the Dead”.
Robbie (Luke Corcoran) is your garden variety milquetoast. He’s a bit timid, lacks self-confidence, and doesn’t seem to know what he wants out of life. He recently moved back to his small Irish hometown where he lives with his sister, an aspiring YouTuber named Liv (Marybeth Herron) and his two cousins, the conspiracy theorist Jay (Luke Collins) and the lazy deadbeat Chi (Tadhg Devery). They’re an offbeat group and most of our time is spent in their company.
When a video of some sort of attack in Dublin goes viral, finding the truth among the wild theories and fake news proves difficult. The authorities are calling it a terrorist attack. Others call it a revolution. And then some are quick to usher in the zombie apocalypse. Robbie and his crew certainly have their ideas. But when the violence begins to spread – even making its way to their small town – the group comes face-to-face with the truth. And not just about the attacks, but about themselves.
Cahill maneuvers through his story well, leaning heavier on the comedy than the horror, but also bringing a sensibility that I wasn’t really expecting. It’s clear he cares about his characters, and some of their exchanges can be as heartfelt as they are hilarious. There are several perfectly delivered zingers, and a couple of running gags that landed every time. Yet there are also tender moments between Robbie and his eccentric family. Then you have his attempts at reconnecting with an old flame named Kate (Christina Ryan), an interesting character who I wish had been given more attention.
The movie is a little slow getting out of the gate, but once it does (particularly in the second half) most things begin to click into place. But there are a few noticeable holes in the story and the “rules” of this particular world remained a little murky. Also, there were a couple of moments where the shaky transitions to and from flashbacks weren’t quite as clear as they needed to be.
But overall “Follow the Dead” is an entertaining and big-hearted zom-com that embraces some of the genre’s many tropes, pokes fun at others, and has enough of its own flavor to stand out in the crowd. There are some genuinely good laughs and it has an emotional center which resonated with me more than I anticipated. As for Cahill, he does a really good job juggling the shifting tones, and he shrewdly works around the film’s budget restraints in ways befitting a seasoned director. It’s a rock-solid first feature and it’ll be fun seeing what he does next. “Follow the Dead” is currently streaming on Tubi.
The trailer for the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe landed today and what can I say, “The Marvels” certainly looks like an MCU movie. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing will probably depend on how you view the current state of the MCU. Me, it kinda plays like I expected – very light, whimsical, and light on stakes. To be fair, it’s just a trailer so it’s hard to get a good gauge. But this first look doesn’t exactly ease my hesitation.
“The Marvels” sees Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) swapping places with each other every time one of them uses their powers. It’s played more for comedy in the trailer, but I’m assuming (and hoping) there’s some kind of serious threat. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury, adding a little old-school MCU weight to the story. How it will turns out is anyone’s guess. The trailer has a very ‘television’ feel to it, but again it’s a small sample size. What’s more concerning is that it doesn’t exactly boost my excitement for the movie. Who knows, maybe that’ll change.
“The Marvels” hits theaters November 10th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
