It was seven years ago that filmmaker Quentin Tarantino gifted us with what I still consider to be his best film. I’m talking about “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, a movie brimming with memorable moments and memorable characters. One of the characters who stood out the most was Cliff Booth, Brad Pitt’s charming but volatile sidekick to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton. Pitt was a legitimate scene-stealer and would go on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Now he’s back, reprising the role that so many of us loved.
In “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” Tarantino handles the screenwriting but passes the directing duties to none other than David Fincher. Together to tell the next chapter in stuntman turned ‘studio fixer’ Cliff Booth’s fascinating journey. The film is set in 1977, some eight years after the events of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. While there has been a lot of mystery surrounding its story, the long awaited first trailer gives us a good sense of the film’s style and tone.
“The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” will (strangely) be released exclusively in IMAX on November 25th before streaming on Netflix December 23rd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Following the wide-ranging success of his highly acclaimed “Weapons”, writer-director Zach Cregger stays in the genre he knows best with his latest feature, “Resident Evil”. Yes, the long-running and wildly popular survival horror video game series that began all the way back in 1996. Cregger plucks a few things from the chilling and twisted franchise while bringing along his own grisly blend of horror and humor. The result is a mixed bag that has a better chance of satisfying casual horror fans and the RE faithful.
Of course this isn’t the first time Resident Evil has found its way onto the screen. Regardless of whether you’ve seen them all, most people are at least familiar with the six live-action Resident Evil features from creator Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich which ran from 2002 to 2017. Fewer will remember the failed attempt to reboot the series in 2021. Now Cregger is taking his own dramatically different swing at it.
It’s hard to tell Cregger’s level of affection for RE just by watching his adaptation. On one hand, the world he creates is dark, mysterious, and appropriately grotesque. The zombies are fittingly creepy and the mutating monsters are the kind of macabre creations that have frequented the RE games for years. But on the other hand, rather than making a gnarly, blood-lathered chiller, Cregger seems far more interested in making a gnarly, blood-lathered comedy. He routinely undermines the horror by rarely taking anything seriously. And it begins with with his relentlessly goofy protagonist.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Rather than pulling an established name from the pre-existing mythology, Cregger smartly introduces a brand-new character into the chilling RE world. Austin Abrams plays Bryan, an ordinary guy thrust into an extraordinary (and quite horrific) situation. Bryan is a medical courier by day, transporting critical and time-sensitive supplies between hospitals, clinics, and laboratories. But he’s somewhat distracted by his personal life, more specifically the news that his girlfriend Michelle is pregnant.
After delivering a vital organ to an awaiting surgeon, Bryan agrees to take an urgent late-night delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital. He does so partially because he’ll be paid double, but also to avoid going home and facing the pregnancy with Michelle. But it doesn’t take long before the job takes an ill-fated turn. While slipping and sliding along a dark, snow-covered mountain road, Bryan strikes a woman who lurches out in front of his car. This kicks off a gruesome chain of events that propels the story forward.
One of the film’s biggest strengths is its intense focus on survival horror which happens to be where it resembles the RE video games the most. Cregger thrusts Bryan into a series of harrowing encounters, leaving him to manage each on his own despite being in way over his head. He fumbles with guns, fights off ferocious dogs, scrambles to find keys, navigates tunnels, etc., all while running for his life from an array of hideous and vicious nasties. The pacing is electric and there is no shortage of insanely imaginative carnage.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
At the same time, outside of the opening few minutes, it’s hard to consider any of “Resident Evil” scary. That’s because the frequent attempts at humor overpower nearly every effort to frighten us. And it starts with Bryan. When he’s not endlessly muttering profanities at himself for laughs, he’s comically blundering about which often puts him in more precarious situations. Yes, the idea is that he’s just a normal guy who’s ill-equipped for the crisis he’s facing. But his mishaps are too often played as jokes. I’m certainly not opposed to moments of levity. But when it neuters the impact of the horror, it’s too much.
The above frustrations might have been easier to overlook if the movie could have delivered a solid finish. Instead we get a glaring non-ending, where stupidity is laced with brutality, right up to the point where Cregger seems to shut the camera off mid-scene. It’s a silly and hollow final fifteen minutes. And despite a couple of good blood splats and some delightfully disgusting monster mutations, it leaves you with an unsatisfying aftertaste.
Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” can be a maddening experience. It does so much well – the crisp pacing, the chilling world, the gruesome monster mayhem. But its fixation on injecting some degree of humor into nearly every situation often kills the suspense. And the ludicrous and lazy non-ending certainly doesn’t help. Still, the film packs some truly wild and gory set pieces and has enough Easter Eggs scattered throughout to entertain those with their expectations in check. But it’s a far cry from being the movie it could have been.
Several studios have dropped terrific new posters for movies set to release this Fall. The first of the bunch is a killer new poster for “Clayface”. This is the third feature film is the DC Universe and (thankfully) a drastically different movie that the two that came before it. It’s essentially the origin story for long-time Batman villain Clayface. The first trailer introduced a cool R-rated body horror chiller with a smaller budget and more focused storyline. Now we have a new poster that fits nicely with movie’s creepy vibe.
DIRECTOR – James Watkins
WRITERS – Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini
STARRING – Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, Wil Coban, Joshua James, Francesca Corney, Ruby Sear
RELEASE – October 23, 2026
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Ben Affleck steps back into the director’s chair with “Animals”. He also writes, produces, and stars in this highly anticipated crime thriller which marks his second straight collaboration with Netflix. The gritty and intense story follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate who’s forced to pay a ransom after his son is kidnapped. But doing so may bring some of their family’s dark secrets into the light. The film had a rocky production cycle consisting of script battles, cast changes, and release delays. Now the movie is close and Netflix has released a cool new movie poster to help get us ready.
DIRECTOR – Ben Affleck
WRITERS – Connor O. McIntyre, Billy Ray, Ben Affleck
STARRING – Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher, Matt Gerald, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Mark Kassen, Christopher Woodley
RELEASE – October 9, 2026
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Jessica Chastain jolted theater audiences with the gonzo first trailer for the upcoming horror film “Other Mommy”. Mixing both psychological and supernatural horror, this gnarly paranormal chiller is based on the 2024 novel “Incidents Around the House”. The movie’s title references a malevolent entity that takes on the appearance of a young girl’s mother. Chastain looks to be having a blast in a dual role, and the new poster captures her at her most creepiest. I’m looking forward to this one.
DIRECTOR – Rob Savage
WRITER – Nathan Elston
STARRING – Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, Arabella Olivia Clark, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, Karen Allen, Sean Kaufman, Adam Silver
The upcoming biographical drama “Tenzing” had its world premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival and just screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Now Apple Studios has set a streaming release and a limited theater release that is right around the corner. The film comes from Australian director Jennifer Peedom who’s working from a script by Luke Davies (“Lion”, “News of the World”). Together with an intriguing cast, Peedom tells what looks to be a fascinating and gorgeous true story. Check out the new trailer to see what I mean.
The inspirational story follows on Nepalese-Tibetan sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s 1953 ascent of Mount Everest with New Zealand philanthropist and climber Sir Edmund Hillary. The movie sees Genden Phuntsok playing Tenzing while Tom Hiddleston takes the role of Hillary. The film also features William Dafoe as British Army officer John Hurt and Caitríona Balfe as a trusted ally to Tenzing, Jill Henderson. A great cast, stunning cinematography, and an extraordinary story – all exciting ingredients for what looks to be a real crowd-pleaser.
“Tenzing” opens October 9th in select theaters and will stream October 16th on Apple TV. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
The first teaser trailer for Netflix’s upcoming feature “The Mosquito Bowl” has dropped and it leaves a pretty strong impression. Part sports drama, part war movie, the film is an adaptation of author Buzz Bissinger’s 2022 novel “The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II”. It’s directed by Peter Berg who co-wrote the script with Mark L. Smith. The new teaser offers up a compelling first look that highlights the film’s four stars while showing off some impressive production value.
The film is based on a true story. Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson, and Tom Francis play four elite college football players who put aside their promising careers to enlist in the United States Marines following the attack on Pearl Harbor. While stationed in the South Pacific, the four take part in a Christmas Eve football game between regiments mere days before the brutal invasion of Okinawa. The game boosts morale but also carries the emotional weight of knowing it will be the last game many of the boys play.
“The Mosquito Bowl” is set to open in theaters on October 30th before streaming on Netflix November 25th. Check out the teaser below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is bringing Part 1 of the “Batman: Knightfall” trilogy to home video. Director Jeff Wamester and screenwriter Jeremy Adams team with the wizards at Warner Bros. Animation to adapt the well-known DC Comics arc that ran from 1993 to 1994. The first installment offers a dark and gritty introduction, with Part 2 scheduled to release later in 2026, and Part 3 set to arrive sometime in early 2027.
“Batman: Knightfall – Part 1” will be available to own September 8th on 4K Ultra HD + Digital Copy . See below for a full synopsis of the film as well as release information including a list of special features.
About the Film:
Year: 2026
Runtime: 78 Minutes
Director: Jeff Wamester
Screenwriter: Jeremy Adams
Cast: Anson Mount, Michael Mando, and Pablo Schreiber, Jack Griffo, Bruce Boxleitner, David Dastmalchian, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Jason Flemyng, Jessica Camacho, Mick Wingert, Jeff Bennett, Andrew Morgado, Luis Bermudez, Max Mittelman
Rated R for strong bloody violence
When the mysterious behemoth known only as Bane frees Batman’s entire Rogue’s Gallery from Arkham Asylum, the Caped Crusader is pushed to his mental and physical breaking point.
Special Features:
FEATURETTE: Breaking the Bat: Adapting the Knightfall – Go behind the scenes with the long-awaited animated adaptation as the filmmakers reveal their process for breaking down the epic story; designing and animating the action; and breathing life into one of the darkest sagas in the Dark Knight’s history.
FEATURETTE: Batman Needs a Robin – Many incarnations of Robin have helped Batman fight his war on crime. The filmmakers reveal the vital role Robin plays in the Batman mythology (with an emphasis on Tim Drake), in the iconic Batman: Knightfall series and in the animated adaptation.
Keith & the Movies 