Fresh off its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, writer-director Wes Anderson’s latest film, “The Phoenician Scheme” is set to open in select theaters this weekend ahead of its full release on June 6th. This “espionage black comedy” features a sterling ensemble of Anderson regulars and new faces including Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Richard Ayoade, Mathieu Amalric, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Steve Park, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and more.
Del Toro gets top billing playing Zsa-zsa Korda, a millionaire business magnate and father of ten. There hasn’t been a lot said about the story, but it seems Korda takes on a “land and sea infrastructure scheme” with the help of his reluctant daughter who’s a nun (Mia Threapleton) and his antsy tutor (Michael Cera). Of course they have a number of wacky encounters with a colorful collection of characters, all to an stylish backdrop that is every bit a vibrant Wes Anderson tapestry.
In anticipation of its upcoming release, Focus Features has released a collection of stylish character posters. Check them out below….
Back in July of 2021, Netflix made the audacious choice to release a slasher movie trilogy over the course of three weeks. The movies were inspired by the popular Fear Street book series from author R.L. Stine. Unfortunately, the quality of the three films ranged from so-so to all-out terrible. Overall the trilogy wasted a really cool idea that had the potential to stand out from the many movies that clearly inspired it.
For better or for worse (depending on your opinion of the previous movies) the Fear Street film franchise hasn’t gone away. “Fear Street: Prom Queen” is a new standalone installment with very little in common with its predecessors outside of taking place in the same cursed town and once again disappointing in its execution. It’s a woefully unoriginal slasher that offers no tension, no scares, no humor, and no distinct flavor of its own.
Image Courtesy of Netflix
The story is as cliche and conventional as can be. With Shadyside High School’s senior prom only days away, the candidates for prom queen are preparing for their big night. Among them are three Mean Girls from a pampered and popular clique who call themselves the “Wolfpack”. Then there’s the pot-selling rebel who’s only entered to stir things up. Then we have our protagonist, Lori Granger (India Fowler). She’s your prototypical inoffensive good girl who is easy to like and root for.
Pretty much all of that is revealed through a drawn-out opening info-dump. From there the film tries to give the soon-to-be fodder some semblance of personality. Sadly it doesn’t work. Outside of Lori, the movie is littered with uninspired characters, from the thinly sketched teens to the dimwitted adults. They’re neither interesting or amusing which makes caring about what happens to them all but impossible.
Image Courtesy of Netflix
Everything leads to prom night where the candidates for queen (and any unfortunate soul with them) become the target of an ax-wielding masked killer in a red rain slicker. The kills that follow are fittingly bloody and gruesome with some being outlandish enough to qualify as comically entertaining. But the semi-inventive hacking, impaling, and disemboweling can only carry the movie so far. And while director Matt Palmer clearly has a love for the genre, he desperately needs more to work with.
“Prom Queen” doesn’t even make the most out of its ripe 1980s setting. Aside from the soundtrack (which features great tracks from Duran Duran, Laura Branigan, Billy Idol, and more) and a few cool references (“Phantasm II”, Fangoria magazine, etc.), the movie could easily be set in modern day. It’s one of the many frustrations that steadily mount as the movie mercilessly makes its way to its ludicrous finish. “Fear Street: Prom Queen” is now streaming on Netflix.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is bringing the biographical crime drama “The Alto Knights” to home video. Robert De Niro takes on dual roles in this underseen and underappreciated telling of the complex relationship between New York crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Unfortunately the movie failed to make a splash at the box office, grossing just $9.6 million worldwide. But “The Alto Knights” is well worth seeing and now you’ll have the chance at home. Check out my full review of the film [HERE].
This Blu-ray edition of “The Alto Knights” comes packed with a digital copy and will be available to purchase on May 27th. See below for a full synopsis of the film as well as release information including a list of special features.
About the Film:
Year: 2025
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Director: Barry Levinson
Screenwriter: Nicholas Pileggi
Cast: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, Michael Adler, Ed Amatrudo, Joe Bacino, James Ciccone, Anthony J. Gallo, Wallace Lagham, Louis Mustillo
Rating: R for violence and pervasive language
Starring legendary actor Robert De Niro in a dual role, and from the dream team of mafia movie filmmakers, such hitmakers as director Barry Levinson, writer Nicholas Pileggi and producers Irwin Winkler and Jason Sosnoff, “The Alto Knights” explores one of the most pivotal moments of organized crime history.
This compelling story of friendship and betrayal, jealousy and greed, corruption and an epic power struggle reveals the deadly decades-long battle between notorious mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese—both portrayed by De Niro—and unravels the truth behind the near downfall of organized crime in America.
De Niro’s Frank and Vito are childhood friends whose lives take different paths, but whose destinies as powerful mob bosses are forever intertwined. When we meet the two men, Frank is respected as a highly influential yet diplomatic mafia boss in New York City; and Vito, formerly a boss who once handed over his position when forced into a sort of exile, is a violent, ambitious man who will stop at nothing to regain his seat at the top. Ultimately, it is their differing ambitions combined with their hugely contrasting personalities that will set the former friends against each other for good.
Perched high among my most anticipated films of 2025 is the latest Mission: Impossible extravaganza – “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”. This is the EIGHTH feature in the Tom Cruise led action spy film series and the fourth consecutive M:I movie written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. The film has been teased as the potential swan song for Cruise’s long-running protagonist Ethan Hunt. As a proud fan of the franchise, I went in hoping that wouldn’t be the case.
Undercut by the cultural phenomenon that was “Barbenheimer”, the previous M:I installment (2023’s “Dead Reckoning”) made just over $570 million. That’s over $300 million less than 2018’s “Fallout”. Its underperformance combined with its enormous budget led to the film not reaching the box office numbers needed. Still “Dead Reckoning” was rightfully praised by critics and fans, setting the table for this latest entry – the biggest, grandest, and longest Mission: Impossible to date.
Cruise is at his charismatic and death-defying peak in this latest adventure for IMF agent Ethan Hunt. Picking up after the events of “Dead Reckoning”, we find Ethan hot on the heels of Gabriel (Esai Morales), a former liaison to a rogue information-consuming artificial intelligence known as the Entity. The megalomaniacal Gabriel is determined to gain control over the Entity while Ethan wants to destroy it in hopes of avoiding a nuclear apocalypse.
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
To carry out his mission, Ethan will once again rely on the help of his longtime friends, Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg). Also back in his fold is Grace (Haley Atwell), a skilled thief turned IMF operative, and Paris (Pom Klementieff), a former assassin for Gabriel who switched sides after Ethan saved her life. But slowing him down CIA director Eugene Kittridge (a returning Henry Czerny) and his right-hand man Briggs (Shea Whigham) who see Ethan as a reckless threat.
As the Entity quickly gains control of the world’s nuclear systems, the President of the United States, Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett) goes against her cabinet and gives Ethan the resources he needs to carry out a secret mission in the North Pacific Ocean. Inside of an old Russian submarine lying at the bottom of the icy Bering Sea is a module containing the Entity’s source codes. When combined with a “Poison Pill” created by Luther, the module will give whoever possesses it the power to control the Entity and in turn world. But the Entity has its own plans that involve wiping out humankind.
Despite clocking in at just under three hours, “The Final Reckoning” zips by and features very little downtime. Written by McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen, the story is loaded with high-stakes buildup and strong payoffs. And while it takes itself more seriously than (perhaps) any other Mission: Impossible installment, it makes perfect sense considering the gravity of everything in play. McQuarrie and Cruise want us to grasp the magnitude and urgency. Together they put a ton of effort into submerging us in the perilous world they create. It works brilliantly.
But of course what would a Mission: Impossible movie be without the fearless Cruise once again putting it all on the line? “The Final Reckoning” has lots of great action. But it’s two jaw-dropping set pieces that will have people talking – one in the wreckage of a submarine lying at the bottom of the sea; the other involving two biplanes weaving through a canyon before climbing to 10,000 feet. Both easily sit among the very best action sequences ever to be put on screen. It may be tempting to dismiss that as hyperbole, but it’s far from it. Trust me when I say you’ve never seen anything like them.
While “The Final Reckoning” is a terrific entry into the Mission: Impossible franchise, it’s not without a few small blemishes. There’s a surprising early reveal (I won’t dare spoil it) that I’m still trying to make sense of. And there are a couple of threads that really could have used more time and attention. But aside from those ticks, the story had me riveted to the screen. The thrilling setup, the propulsive pacing, the cool callbacks, Fraser Taggart’s eye-popping cinematography, the nerve-shredding final act, the unexpected humanity at the core of it all – there’s so much to love.
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is everything you want from a big-budget blockbuster, delivering an exhilarating big screen experience that reminds us of why we go to the theater. Cruise and company give it their all to create yet another insanely entertaining spectacular that accomplishes its mission to wow audiences. It’s a gloriously satisfying cap on arguably the greatest and most consistent action franchise of our time. It also happens to be one of the best movies of the year.
Say what you want about the state of the now unwieldy Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the folks at Marvel Studios have done a bang-up job promoting what is easily the most compelling movie on their release schedule. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” has the potential to overcome the MCU fatigue that has grown due to the oversaturation of subpar big screen and television projects. The film looks genuinely intriguing and the brilliant promotion is a big reason so many of us are looking forward to it.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is the second reboot for Marvel’s First Family. Directed by Matt Shakman and written by a team of SIX, this 37th entry into the MCU is set on a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic Earth somewhere in the seemingly never-ending multiverse. Bypassing another retelling of their origin story, the family (played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are forced to defend their world against a planet-devouring cosmic entity known as Galactus (Ralph Ineson).
The marketing has been fantastic from the early teases to the full trailer releases. But best of all may be the retro-styled poster campaign. Since the early days of the movie’s announcement Marvel Studios has delivered a series of cool posters and they’re still going strong. Recently they dropped new character posters inspired by classic bubblegum card packs. Check them out below and tell me what you think.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” releases exclusively in theaters on July 25th.
I openly admit to not being well-versed in the “Final Destination” franchise. In fact, it legitimately surprised me to find out this was the SIXTH movie in a film series that began twenty-five years ago. “Final Destination 5” released in 2011 and was a modest commercial success. Enough so that plans for a sixth installment were quickly set in motion. It took fourteen years, but now we have “Final Destination Bloodlines”.
So did we really need another “Final Destination” movie? Was anyone really asking for one? Those are two questions that are often thrown around with movies like this and I’ve never liked them. Why restrict creatives with arbitrary ideas of what we “need” or limit them to giving us strictly what we want. Here’s a better question – Does the movie bring enough fun ideas and/or fresh energy to make it entertaining? To my surprise, “Bloodlines” does just that.
Image Courtesy of New Line Cinema
The movie kicks off with a bang. In 1968 Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones) surprises his girlfriend Iris (Brec Bassinger) with opening night reservations at the swanky Skyview Restaurant. It sits atop a staggeringly tall tower that’s only reachable by a cramped glass elevator or an endless spiral staircase. Once at the top, the privileged patrons are met with top-quality dining, a fancy bar, a dance floor, and an energetic band. Paul is planning to propose while Iris is hiding that she’s pregnant. But any dreams for their future are crushed after a chain of events causes the tower to collapse, killing everyone inside.
Some 50 years later, college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) suffers from gruesomely detailed reoccurring nightmares about the Skyview catastrophe. She hasn’t been able to sleep which leads to her being put on academic probation. Stefani ends up leaving school and going home in hopes of finding out what may be causing her terrifying dreams. But first she needs to reconnect with her family who she hasn’t been close to since she left for college.
But Stefani faces a bigger and far deadlier problem with the revelation that her family has a direct link to the Skyview incident. Without giving away too much, her estranged and reclusive grandmother (Gabrielle Rose) cheated death on that day and later had a family who should never have existed. Now death has come to collect and it has Stefani’s family in its grisly crosshairs.
Image Courtesy of New Line Cinema
Of course the movie’s gimmick is in how it shows the chain of seemingly chance events that can lead to a person’s fatal end. Co-directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein lean into the anxiety-ridden, gore-drenched craziness of it all, delivering some shockingly gnarly deaths that are often laced with twisted dark humor. Death proves to be a devilishly crafty antagonist with Lipovsky and Stein stoking our paranoia through tense and cleverly envisioned buildups before delivering some savagely satisfying payoffs.
I would be lying if I said I knew how all of the story stuff works. And I can’t say I found the characters all that compelling. But they’re defined well enough to make good victims for the merciless Death. It all makes for a morbidly fun and inventive horror feature that can make you laugh and grimace, often at the same time. And to top it off, we’re gifted with seeing the late Tony Todd in his incredibly fitting final big screen role. His brief scene alone makes the movie worth seeing. Rest in peace Mr. Todd.
Keith & the Movies 