Lupita Nyong’o and Djimon Hounsou look like they’re gonna absolutely dominate this film. C’mon, after Nyong’o’s quiet but incredible performance in Us, and Hounsou’s equally powerful presence in Amistad? There’s gonna be a lot of emotion on faces here. And so far? It’s looking pretty awesome. Synopsis!
Experience the day the world went quiet.
Okay, I got chills.
A Quiet Place: Day One hits theaters June 28th, 2024.
“So what happened to her? I’ve heard things…”
Story: It’s 1989, and Lisa has been through it. In the past couple of years, she’s lost her mom, her dad remarried, and she’s been relocated. Now, in a new city, new house, with a new “mom” and step-sister? She longs for love and acceptance. Y’know, from the guy she’s got a crush on. And maybe that guy who’s face she saw on a bust atop a grave at the Bachelor’s Cemetery. Be careful what you wish for? Or maybe, just wish harder. I’m not the boss of you.
Genre I’d put it in: Stories Ripe With Possibility But Underdeveloped In Reality
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the story by Mary Shelley. Very loosely based. Like, Mary totally didn’t have a tanning bed. As if. Where would she plug it in?
Gotta say: Diablo Cody? I’m always down to check out anything she’s had her hand in. Kathryn Newton? Hello; loved her in Freaky. (Note to self: make Freaky part of this year’s #31in31.) Zelda Williams? Robin’s daughter’s directorial debut equals me being excited to see what her cinematic voice will be. But. While Lisa is a neon 80s fever-dream filled with retro cool? There’s a certain je ne sais…monstre that left me wanting more. In many cases, the film zigged where it should have zagged, cut where it should have lingered, and dragged when it should have teased. I can absolutely see fans of the story re-editing this film to make it snappier, spookier, and sillier. But as it stands? Lisa is just okay.
Continue reading
Don’t feel like hitting the theater, but feeling the need to see something before everybody else does? Honey, I understand. So? Let Disney Debut help you out! Synopsis!
Inspired by the semi-autobiographical story of teenager (Nico Parker) who, while caring for her brother along with her audacious mother (Laura Linney), strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist (Woody Harrelson) who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time.
C’mon. Harrelson. Linney. Parker. Based on a true story. Yeah baybeeee. That’s the stuff right there. Let’s go!
Continue reading
“When you want something, you fight for it.”
PBS makes some wonderful programs. But they also make great short films! From The American Experience, this short looks at how Pat Banks Edmiston paved the way for black women to become flight attendants. With interviews with other mid-20th century black women who took to the skies, this is a look at how walls came down, and black women soared.
Be nice. Until it’s time to not be nice. Just because the OG Road House is a goddamn classic, doesn’t mean this remake can’t be fun. Right? Synopsis!
A former UFC middleweight fighter ends up working at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys where things are not as they seem.
I like that the creators twist Dalton’s “cooler with a PhD in philosophy” back story to a more modern UFC fighter. Though I’m really hoping this won’t be a Bay-ified take. (Can’t say I wasn’t digging the explosions though…) Gyllenhaal is an incredible performer, so I’m hoping this film will be a good time, and maybe even good. Heck, Roadhouse 2 set that bar pretty low, y’all.
Road House (2024) comes to town (and Amazon Prime Video) March 21st, 2024.
“The whole thing was like this weird psychedelic dream.”
Genre: Documentaries
Release Date: 2024
Where I Watched: Netflix
Gist: Auckland, NZ, 2016. What started as a “silly” investigative piece about a parking lot that (threatens) folks who dare to park in their lot after dark, becomes…well? Darker. And strange. Very, very strange.
Gotta say: Y’all. This documentary left me a complete and total mess. I feel like I’ve been coming down from an LSD high in a police interrogation room, with nothing but alkaline water and Chamoy pickles for sustenance. Yeah, that was a weird description. But honey, that sentence has absolutely nothing on the mind trip that is Organ. This documentary is simultaneously intriguing, odd, terrifying, heartbreaking, and maddening. And it’s gonna be my new thing I tell people to do if I win a bet. Not because this film is bad, but because it’s an absolute endurance test that fits well with a challenge you’d force someone to do, rather than a film you’d heartily recommend. Need more from me on this? C’mon then.
Continue reading
It’s that time of year – the time when folks goes to Utah to check out today what could be the films others will be talking about tomorrow. As a celebration of Sundance’s first 40? The institute chose their top ten films that got their start at the Festival. And it’s an incredible list!
Read on for all the info straight from Sundance!
Continue reading
Is superstardom a word? Well if not, it is now. Black has the backing of the Winehouse estate, so I’m hoping director Sam Taylor-Johnson will be able to really dig deep… (The stellar documentary Amy pulled no punches…) Synopsis!
A celebration of the most iconic – and much missed – homegrown star of the 21st century, BACK TO BLACK tells the extraordinary tale of Amy Winehouse. Painting a vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home and capturing the struggles of global fame, BACK TO BLACK honours Amy’s artistry, wit, and honesty, as well as trying to understand her demons. An unflinching look at the modern celebrity machine and a powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent.
Back to Black hits theaters this year.
Yeah baby. You wanted more creepy kid horror? Universal has your creepy kid horror. Synopsis!
After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.
So yeah, it seems that Interview With the Vampire and Twilight really did know what they were talking about when their mythologies nixed child vamps. (RIP Claudia…)
Abigail comes to you on April 19th, 2024.
“We’re the pool family!”
Story: The Walker fam look to move into a new house after dad Ray got injured during his pro baseball thang. (#GoSports) But they can’t decide on what house to choose; one that’s handicapped accessible but “feels like a hospital”, or the run-down one that has a pool? When Ray’s doc says swimming might help, their decision is made. Hey, why are the pool lights flickering…and what’s that dirty, ooky water? I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s not like a little girl drowned in that pool – UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES – a few decades ago. Oh wait.
Genre I’d put it in: Spooky Water Stories
Release Date: 2024 (that’s right – HAPPY NEW YEAR Y’ALL)
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the short film of the same name. Hints of classic films you’ll immediately pick up on. And not just because I’ll be mentioning them later.
Gotta say: Swim is a fun mashup of The Amityville Horror, Get Out, and Insidious, and it’s a spooky ride that keeps the pacing tight within the hour and a half runtime. There’s even a whiff of Dark Water and The Grudge here and there, if you’re looking. Which I started doing once I decided this was basically The Amityville Pool.
Continue reading
Got a dollar to spare? A quarter?
Atomic Fangirl 