A little over a year ago, Showtime announced that they were ordering a series – then known as Dexter: Origins, now known as Dexter: Original Sin – that would serve as a prequel series to their popular show Dexter, which finished its eight season initial run back in 2013, then recently came back for a new season (called Dexter: New Blood) that appeared to wrap things up for good… for the title character, anyway. Now they’re assembling the cast for Dexter: Original Sin, and The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Christina Milian (Falling Inn Love), James Martinez (Love Victor), Alex Shimizu (The Blacklist), and Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) have all been cast as characters with names that will be familiar to Dexter fans.
Milian, Martinez, and Shimizu are all playing younger versions of characters that viewers have met before. As The Hollywood Reporter explains, “Milian will portray Maria Laguerta, the role previously portrayed by Lauren Velez.
Milian, Martinez, and Shimizu are all playing younger versions of characters that viewers have met before. As The Hollywood Reporter explains, “Milian will portray Maria Laguerta, the role previously portrayed by Lauren Velez.
- 6/5/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Dexter: Original Sin is rounding out the ranks of Miami Metro.
James Martinez (Love Victor), Christina Milian (Falling Inn Love) and Alex Shimizu (The Blacklist) have been tapped to play younger versions of some of the key cops previously featured in the original Dexter, while Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) will play a previously name-checked character that was never seen onscreen in the flagship series.
Originally ordered to series in February 2023 and titled Dexter: Origins, Original Sin is set in 1991 Miami and revolves around Dexter (Patrick Gibson) as he goes from student to avenging serial killer. With guidance from his father, Harry (Christian Slater), Dexter adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people without being discovered by law enforcement at the same time as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.
Martinez will take over the role of Angel Batista, played in the original series by David Zayas.
James Martinez (Love Victor), Christina Milian (Falling Inn Love) and Alex Shimizu (The Blacklist) have been tapped to play younger versions of some of the key cops previously featured in the original Dexter, while Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) will play a previously name-checked character that was never seen onscreen in the flagship series.
Originally ordered to series in February 2023 and titled Dexter: Origins, Original Sin is set in 1991 Miami and revolves around Dexter (Patrick Gibson) as he goes from student to avenging serial killer. With guidance from his father, Harry (Christian Slater), Dexter adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people without being discovered by law enforcement at the same time as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.
Martinez will take over the role of Angel Batista, played in the original series by David Zayas.
- 6/5/2024
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Christian Slater made a special appearance at the Sesame Workshop 2024 Benefit Gala at Cipriani in New York City. The event raised funds for the nonprofit organization’s educational initiatives and programs.
Slater, known for his roles in films such as Heathers and True Romance, seemed delighted to interact with the iconic Sesame Street characters. He posed for photographs with Elmo, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby and other beloved Muppets, much to the delight of attendees.
The 54-year-old, who recently revealed he and his wife are expecting, wore a gray suit and black tie to the star-studded event.
The Sesame Workshop 2024 Benefit Gala is a fundraiser for children and youth education.
This year’s festivities honored Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Shonda Rhimes with the Joan Ganz Cooney Award.
Leslie Odom Jr. hosted the event, and Oprah Winfrey was the presenter.
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the iconic Sesame Street television series, has...
Slater, known for his roles in films such as Heathers and True Romance, seemed delighted to interact with the iconic Sesame Street characters. He posed for photographs with Elmo, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby and other beloved Muppets, much to the delight of attendees.
The 54-year-old, who recently revealed he and his wife are expecting, wore a gray suit and black tie to the star-studded event.
The Sesame Workshop 2024 Benefit Gala is a fundraiser for children and youth education.
This year’s festivities honored Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Shonda Rhimes with the Joan Ganz Cooney Award.
Leslie Odom Jr. hosted the event, and Oprah Winfrey was the presenter.
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the iconic Sesame Street television series, has...
- 6/3/2024
- by Lauren Ramsey
- Uinterview
Jax Taylor has officially met his new girlfriend’s parents. Fans are mad at Jax for already having a new girlfriend. He should have been working on himself and trying to fix his marriage. Brittany and Jax have not filed for divorce yet. Viewers also feel bad for Brittany as Jax is making it clear he did not care that much. Keep reading to find out more about this.
Jax Taylor Claims He Won’t Date Again
Jax Taylor has claimed that he would not date again after Brittany Cartwright. That did not last long as he has a new girlfriend. The two were seen going on a three-hour lunch date. They were also seen at a friend’s birthday party where Paige Woolen claimed she was pregnant. Jax and Brittany split in January. Jax continues to live in the home they shared while Brittany is living in various Airbnb’s.
Jax Taylor Claims He Won’t Date Again
Jax Taylor has claimed that he would not date again after Brittany Cartwright. That did not last long as he has a new girlfriend. The two were seen going on a three-hour lunch date. They were also seen at a friend’s birthday party where Paige Woolen claimed she was pregnant. Jax and Brittany split in January. Jax continues to live in the home they shared while Brittany is living in various Airbnb’s.
- 5/28/2024
- by Hailee Dent
- TV Shows Ace
Shannen Doherty credits her passion for acting to her late Little House on the Prairie co-star Michael Landon.
The actress looked back at the early days of her career in Hollywood on a recent episode of the Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty podcast, alongside her mother, Rosa Elizabeth Doherty. At 11 years old, Doherty landed the role of Jenny Wilder on the show’s final season, from 1982-83.
“That show, Little House, shaped me in so many ways and it still is the best experience of my entire career,” the Charmed star said.
She also noted her close bond with Landon, who played Charles Ingalls, the family patriarch. He died in 1991. “I adored him. He was a mentor. He taught me so much,” Doherty recalled.
Even decades later, the Beverly Hills, 90210 actress said she still notices the influence Landon had on her.
“It’s kind of amazing because,...
The actress looked back at the early days of her career in Hollywood on a recent episode of the Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty podcast, alongside her mother, Rosa Elizabeth Doherty. At 11 years old, Doherty landed the role of Jenny Wilder on the show’s final season, from 1982-83.
“That show, Little House, shaped me in so many ways and it still is the best experience of my entire career,” the Charmed star said.
She also noted her close bond with Landon, who played Charles Ingalls, the family patriarch. He died in 1991. “I adored him. He was a mentor. He taught me so much,” Doherty recalled.
Even decades later, the Beverly Hills, 90210 actress said she still notices the influence Landon had on her.
“It’s kind of amazing because,...
- 5/28/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A little over a year ago, Showtime announced that they were ordering a series – then known as Dexter: Origins, now known as Dexter: Original Sin – that would serve as a prequel series to their popular show Dexter, which finished its eight season initial run back in 2013, then recently came back for a new season (called Dexter: New Blood) that appeared to wrap things up for good… for the title character, anyway. Now Deadline reports that Patrick Gibson of Shadow and Bone has been cast to play a young Dexter Morgan in Dexter: Original Sin, with Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) joining him in the cast to play his dad, Harry Morgan, and Molly Brown (Senior Year) set to play Dexter’s younger sister, Debra Morgan.
Dexter: Original Sin follows Dexter in 1991 Miami, as a student transitioning into a serial killer in training. When his bloodthirsty urges can no longer be ignored,...
Dexter: Original Sin follows Dexter in 1991 Miami, as a student transitioning into a serial killer in training. When his bloodthirsty urges can no longer be ignored,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
America’s favorite TV serial killer is back!
Dexter: Original Sin (previously known as Dexter: Origins) has cast the Morgan family: Patrick Gibson (Shadow and Bone) will play a young Dexter Morgan; Golden Globe-winner Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) will play his dad Harry Morgan; and Molly Brown (Senior Year) will play Dexter’s younger sister, Debra Morgan. The series will be available from Paramount+ with Showtime.
In the original series Dexter, which ran for 8 seasons on Showtime, Michael C. Hall portrayed the titular blood spatter analyst by day, killer by night. His adoptive father Harry was played by James Remar and his sister Deb was played by Jennifer Carpenter.
Dexter vet Clyde Phillips will return as showrunner and executive producer of the the 10-episode prequel series which takes place 15 years before the events of Dexter.
Dexter: Original Sin follows Dexter (Gibson) in 1991 Miami, as a student transitioning...
Dexter: Original Sin (previously known as Dexter: Origins) has cast the Morgan family: Patrick Gibson (Shadow and Bone) will play a young Dexter Morgan; Golden Globe-winner Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) will play his dad Harry Morgan; and Molly Brown (Senior Year) will play Dexter’s younger sister, Debra Morgan. The series will be available from Paramount+ with Showtime.
In the original series Dexter, which ran for 8 seasons on Showtime, Michael C. Hall portrayed the titular blood spatter analyst by day, killer by night. His adoptive father Harry was played by James Remar and his sister Deb was played by Jennifer Carpenter.
Dexter vet Clyde Phillips will return as showrunner and executive producer of the the 10-episode prequel series which takes place 15 years before the events of Dexter.
Dexter: Original Sin follows Dexter (Gibson) in 1991 Miami, as a student transitioning...
- 5/23/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
The “Dexter” prequel series at Paramount+ with Showtime has found its three leads.
Variety has learned that Patrick Gibson, Christian Slater, and Molly Brown are all set to star in the show, which is now titled “Dexter: Original Sin.” Gibson will play Dexter Morgan, while Slater will play Harry Morgan, Dexter’s adoptive father. Brown will play Debra Morgan, Dexter’s sister. The three roles were played by Michael C. Hall, James Remar, and Jennifer Carpenter respectively in the original series.
The 10-episode prequel was originally announced in February 2023. It is set in 1991, 15 years before the events of “Dexter.” The official logline states that the new show “follows Dexter (Gibson) as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. When his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness. With the guidance of his father, Harry (Slater), he adopts a Code designed...
Variety has learned that Patrick Gibson, Christian Slater, and Molly Brown are all set to star in the show, which is now titled “Dexter: Original Sin.” Gibson will play Dexter Morgan, while Slater will play Harry Morgan, Dexter’s adoptive father. Brown will play Debra Morgan, Dexter’s sister. The three roles were played by Michael C. Hall, James Remar, and Jennifer Carpenter respectively in the original series.
The 10-episode prequel was originally announced in February 2023. It is set in 1991, 15 years before the events of “Dexter.” The official logline states that the new show “follows Dexter (Gibson) as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. When his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness. With the guidance of his father, Harry (Slater), he adopts a Code designed...
- 5/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
A new cast will learn Dexter Morgan’s Code.
Patrick Gibson (Shadow and Bone[/link]), Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) and Molly Brown (Senior Year) have been tapped to star in Dexter: Original Sin, a prequel to Showtime’s Dexter.
Originally ordered to series in February 2023 and titled Dexter: Origins, Original Sin is set in 1991 Miami and revolves around Dexter (Gibson) as he goes from student to avenging serial killer. With guidance from his father, Harry (Slater), Dexter adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people without being discovered by law enforcement at the same time as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.
Original Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips, who returned to finish off Michael C. Hall’s on-screen journey as Dexter in the 2021 limited series Dexter: New Blood, will serve in the same capacity on Original Sin.
Exec producers include Phillips, Hall, Scott Reynolds,...
Patrick Gibson (Shadow and Bone[/link]), Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) and Molly Brown (Senior Year) have been tapped to star in Dexter: Original Sin, a prequel to Showtime’s Dexter.
Originally ordered to series in February 2023 and titled Dexter: Origins, Original Sin is set in 1991 Miami and revolves around Dexter (Gibson) as he goes from student to avenging serial killer. With guidance from his father, Harry (Slater), Dexter adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people without being discovered by law enforcement at the same time as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.
Original Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips, who returned to finish off Michael C. Hall’s on-screen journey as Dexter in the 2021 limited series Dexter: New Blood, will serve in the same capacity on Original Sin.
Exec producers include Phillips, Hall, Scott Reynolds,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 1988, Bruce Willis committed a most grievous offense against entertainment journalists: he proved them wrong. Really wrong. Laughably wrong.
The newly minted star of ABC's "Moonlighting" drew the ire of just about everyone in Hollywood when 20th Century Fox paid him a whopping $5 million to star in the action film "Die Hard." This rankled rival studio executives, who only shelled out that kind of cash for long-established leading men like Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. While Willis might've been a minor media sensation due to "Moonlighting," with his surprise Billboard smash "The Return of Bruno" and his omnipresent Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler commercials, he had yet to prove himself worthy of a $5 million big-screen payday.
Before "Die Hard," Willis had scored a solid theatrical hit with Blake Edwards' dismally unfunny "Blind Date." This was the extent of his motion picture oeuvre when Fox declared him a massive marquee name.
The newly minted star of ABC's "Moonlighting" drew the ire of just about everyone in Hollywood when 20th Century Fox paid him a whopping $5 million to star in the action film "Die Hard." This rankled rival studio executives, who only shelled out that kind of cash for long-established leading men like Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. While Willis might've been a minor media sensation due to "Moonlighting," with his surprise Billboard smash "The Return of Bruno" and his omnipresent Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler commercials, he had yet to prove himself worthy of a $5 million big-screen payday.
Before "Die Hard," Willis had scored a solid theatrical hit with Blake Edwards' dismally unfunny "Blind Date." This was the extent of his motion picture oeuvre when Fox declared him a massive marquee name.
- 5/22/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
‘Dare’ (2009): Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, and Ashley Springer Star in ‘Challengers’ for Theater Kids
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Discovering the Power of a Dick… Ahead of Its Time
Non-monogamy became a common topic of conversation this spring as Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” made any mention of pro tennis the conversational equivalent of a three-way sex invite.
On dating apps, searches for “open relationships” continued to rise in popularity just as reality television embraced multi-partnered dynamics through shows like Peacock’s “Couple to Throuple.” Even in 2024, polyamory isn’t outright “mainstream” by any stretch of the imagination(s). But as far as contemporary relationships are concerned, the “three’s...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Discovering the Power of a Dick… Ahead of Its Time
Non-monogamy became a common topic of conversation this spring as Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” made any mention of pro tennis the conversational equivalent of a three-way sex invite.
On dating apps, searches for “open relationships” continued to rise in popularity just as reality television embraced multi-partnered dynamics through shows like Peacock’s “Couple to Throuple.” Even in 2024, polyamory isn’t outright “mainstream” by any stretch of the imagination(s). But as far as contemporary relationships are concerned, the “three’s...
- 5/11/2024
- by Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
“When I was just a little girl I asked my mother, what will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? Here’s what she said to me: Qué será, será. Whatever will be, will be”
The opening of Michael Lehmann’s Heathers begins with a dreamy cover of a familiar song. Angelic voices ask a mother to predict the future only to be met with an infuriating response: “whatever will be, will be.” Her answer is most likely intended to present a life of limitless possibility, but as the introduction to a film devoid of competent parents, it feels like a noncommittal platitude. Heathers is filled with teenagers looking for guidance only to be let down by one adult after another. Gen Xers and elder millennials may have glamorized the outlandish fashion and creative slang while drooling over a smoking hot killer couple, but the violent film now packs an ominous punch.
The opening of Michael Lehmann’s Heathers begins with a dreamy cover of a familiar song. Angelic voices ask a mother to predict the future only to be met with an infuriating response: “whatever will be, will be.” Her answer is most likely intended to present a life of limitless possibility, but as the introduction to a film devoid of competent parents, it feels like a noncommittal platitude. Heathers is filled with teenagers looking for guidance only to be let down by one adult after another. Gen Xers and elder millennials may have glamorized the outlandish fashion and creative slang while drooling over a smoking hot killer couple, but the violent film now packs an ominous punch.
- 5/10/2024
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
It feels like suddenly Nicholas Galitzine is everywhere.
The 29-year-old English actor had a runaway streaming hit last year with “Red, White & Royal Blue,” starring as a prince caught up in a closeted gay romance with an American politico (Taylor Zakhar Perez). He played a dopey quarterback in the “Heathers”-inspired high school comedy “Bottoms,” and this spring starred as a queer George Villiers, aka the First Duke of Buckingham.
Now, he’s a full-blown romantic drama lead in “The Idea of You,” starring as Hayes Campbell, the frontman of a One Direction-inspired pop group who falls for a divorced single mother, Solène, played by Anne Hathaway. Directed by Michael Showalter and written by Jennifer Westfeldt, the film situates us in the moony dazedness of new love that becomes Solène’s fixation. We buy convincingly that Hayes, and therefore Galitzine, is a heartthrob capable of making us drop our...
The 29-year-old English actor had a runaway streaming hit last year with “Red, White & Royal Blue,” starring as a prince caught up in a closeted gay romance with an American politico (Taylor Zakhar Perez). He played a dopey quarterback in the “Heathers”-inspired high school comedy “Bottoms,” and this spring starred as a queer George Villiers, aka the First Duke of Buckingham.
Now, he’s a full-blown romantic drama lead in “The Idea of You,” starring as Hayes Campbell, the frontman of a One Direction-inspired pop group who falls for a divorced single mother, Solène, played by Anne Hathaway. Directed by Michael Showalter and written by Jennifer Westfeldt, the film situates us in the moony dazedness of new love that becomes Solène’s fixation. We buy convincingly that Hayes, and therefore Galitzine, is a heartthrob capable of making us drop our...
- 5/2/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
From Jaws leaving him scarred at the age of 5 to The Shining inspiring his performance in The Spiderwick Chronicles, the horror genre has had a huge impact on Christian Slater over the years. However, when it comes to real life, the actor never believed in the supernatural until spending one night in a hotel in Miami, which slightly changed his stance on the subject.
While he and his wife had plans to spend six days in the hotel, the Interview with the Vampire star recounted leaving The Biltmore Hotel just after their first night.
Christian Slater Recalled His Weird Night in The Biltmore Hotel in Miami Christian Slater | Credit: The Spiderwick Chronicles (via Paramount Television Studios)
Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Christian Slater recounted his experience in The Biltmore Hotel in Miami, when asked about his stance on the supernatural. While the actor was initially warned about the hotel...
While he and his wife had plans to spend six days in the hotel, the Interview with the Vampire star recounted leaving The Biltmore Hotel just after their first night.
Christian Slater Recalled His Weird Night in The Biltmore Hotel in Miami Christian Slater | Credit: The Spiderwick Chronicles (via Paramount Television Studios)
Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Christian Slater recounted his experience in The Biltmore Hotel in Miami, when asked about his stance on the supernatural. While the actor was initially warned about the hotel...
- 4/28/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
It was a movie with a questionable title. A lot of critics were rough on it. Gene Siskel even called it one of the worst movies of the year. It came and went in theatres with few movie-goers paying any attention. But in the years since its release, it has become a beloved cult classic, with a legion of fans that love quoting its memorable lines. Some of its youngest viewers were drawn in by what they saw as a wish fulfillment concept: What would you do if the babysitter croaked on the first day of your mom’s vacation… so you had the house to yourself for two months straight? We get to see what the Crandall kids would do in the 1991 comedy Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead – and it’s time for this one to be Revisited.
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead wouldn’t exist if...
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead wouldn’t exist if...
- 4/23/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
For as long as “teenager” has been a demographic, there have been stories about teens breaking free from the status quo. While a lot of the modern great teen rebellion media is confined to the world of TV — where shows like “Euphoria” attract constant buzz — the archetypal troubled teen story remains 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause.” Starring James Dean in unquestionably his defining role, a rebellious teen struggling with his demons in L.A., Nicholas Ray’s film spoke to young people at the time with its story of high schoolers struggling with, and going against, the social pressures that bring them down. Over the years it became a touchstone because its themes and its honesty transcends generations.
As the teen film has evolved and morphed as a genre, there’s always been room for stories of iconoclastic youth who don’t fit in with the status quo. Oftentimes, these...
As the teen film has evolved and morphed as a genre, there’s always been room for stories of iconoclastic youth who don’t fit in with the status quo. Oftentimes, these...
- 4/23/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
A few months ago, Amazon MGM announced that they will be giving the thriller Pussy Island a global theatrical release on August 23rd – but, to the shock and surprise of no one, they also changed the title, dropping the Pussy and renaming the film Blink Twice. With the release date now exactly four months away, a trailer for Blink Twice has arrived online, and you can check it out in the embed above.
The feature directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, who played Catwoman in The Batman, the film will follow Frida, a young, clever, Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King. When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties,...
The feature directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, who played Catwoman in The Batman, the film will follow Frida, a young, clever, Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King. When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Spiderwick Chronicles released on Roku this past Friday and as part of the show’s press junket, I got to sit down and talk with two of the show’s stars. Beloved character actor Christian Slater, known for classic 80s and 90s movies like Heathers and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and recent TV hits like Mr. Robot and Inside Job, who plays the show’s villain Mulgarath; and the lovely and talented Joy Bryant, known for films like Honey and Get Rich or Die Tryin’, who plays Helen Grace.
Also Read: The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024) Review – A Fantastical Pleasant Surprise Featured video:
“We had just as much fun, in a kid-like kind of way, as the kids did.” – Joy Bryant
The Grace family in The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024)
The first thing I asked them, given that The Spiderwick Chronicles is a show and a story about, for, and largely starring kids,...
Also Read: The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024) Review – A Fantastical Pleasant Surprise Featured video:
“We had just as much fun, in a kid-like kind of way, as the kids did.” – Joy Bryant
The Grace family in The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024)
The first thing I asked them, given that The Spiderwick Chronicles is a show and a story about, for, and largely starring kids,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Callie Hanna
- FandomWire
“Are we going to prom or to hell?”
What’s the most important decision a teenager can make? Is it what to do with 5 million dollars two days before aliens blow up the planet? Is it what kind of corn nuts make the best pre-fraternity party snack? According to Michael Lehmann’s dark cult comedy Heathers, the most important decision a teenager can make is whether or not to die by suicide. But what if it’s not a decision at all? What if a hot killer couple blasts through the halls of their suburban high school dressing up their murders as altruistic revenge? The Lady Killers conclude Bad Romance month by putting on their red power scrunchies and fucking each other gently with chainsaws on a very special episode covering one of the hottest killer couples of all time.
Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) may be so “very,” but she...
What’s the most important decision a teenager can make? Is it what to do with 5 million dollars two days before aliens blow up the planet? Is it what kind of corn nuts make the best pre-fraternity party snack? According to Michael Lehmann’s dark cult comedy Heathers, the most important decision a teenager can make is whether or not to die by suicide. But what if it’s not a decision at all? What if a hot killer couple blasts through the halls of their suburban high school dressing up their murders as altruistic revenge? The Lady Killers conclude Bad Romance month by putting on their red power scrunchies and fucking each other gently with chainsaws on a very special episode covering one of the hottest killer couples of all time.
Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) may be so “very,” but she...
- 2/29/2024
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
Before Winona Ryder was known for "Stranger Things," she was known for being "strange and unusual." At least, that's how her character in 1988's "Beetlejuice" put it. The actor would become a goth icon following her role in Tim Burton's 1988 effort, "Beetlejuice," with appearances in "Heathers" (1989), and "Edward Scissorhands" (1990) further cementing her alt-girl status. But there's no doubt "Beetlejuice" was where it all began.
The actor starred as Lydia Deetz, the teenage daughter of Charles and Delia, who move into a new house in Winter River, Connecticut, only to find it haunted by the ghost with the most himself, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). In the movie, Keaton's rambunctious supernatural miscreant was hired to spook the Deetz family by the former owners of the house, Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis and Alex Baldwin), who suddenly found themselves in the afterlife following a car accident. Lydia, meanwhile, becomes somewhat of...
The actor starred as Lydia Deetz, the teenage daughter of Charles and Delia, who move into a new house in Winter River, Connecticut, only to find it haunted by the ghost with the most himself, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). In the movie, Keaton's rambunctious supernatural miscreant was hired to spook the Deetz family by the former owners of the house, Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis and Alex Baldwin), who suddenly found themselves in the afterlife following a car accident. Lydia, meanwhile, becomes somewhat of...
- 2/28/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
If you’re the type who finds laughter in the macabre and solace in the pitch-black humor that only dark comedies can offer, then buckle up! We’re diving into the abyss of humor so dark, you’ll need a flashlight to find your way back to sanity. From the subtly sinister to the blatantly bizarre, we’ve got the ultimate lineup of dark comedies that are ‘dark Af’.
These dark comedies are not your average knee-slappers; they’re wickedly clever, deliciously deviant, and packed with enough irony to make even the most stoic of us crack a smile. So, if you’re ready to explore the shadowy side of humor, where laughs are mined from the darkest corners of the human experience, read on. This is dark comedy at its finest, where the punchlines hit harder than a horror movie jump scare.
Columbia 10. The Cable Guy (1996)
Starting off our...
These dark comedies are not your average knee-slappers; they’re wickedly clever, deliciously deviant, and packed with enough irony to make even the most stoic of us crack a smile. So, if you’re ready to explore the shadowy side of humor, where laughs are mined from the darkest corners of the human experience, read on. This is dark comedy at its finest, where the punchlines hit harder than a horror movie jump scare.
Columbia 10. The Cable Guy (1996)
Starting off our...
- 2/23/2024
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Stupendous Tits
After dipping into the world of H.P. Lovecraft in Re-Animator (listen) and checking out an early adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray (listen), somehow we’re already on our third episode of February. And while the holiday doesn’t line up, we couldn’t pass up a chance to revisit Friday the 13th (2009) for its fifteenth anniversary.
In the Marcus Nispel remake, a group of friends travel to the palatial country house of Trent (Travis Van Winkle) near what was once Camp Crystal Lake. As Trent’s girlfriend Jenna (Danielle Panabaker) bonds with Clay (Jared Padalecki) over the disappearance of his sister Whitney (Amanda Righetti), their friends Chewie (Aaron Yoo), Bree (Julianna Guill), Lawrence (Arlen Escarpeta), Nolan (Ryan Hansen) and Chelsea (Willa Ford) are being picked off one by one by Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears).
Who will survive their encounter with survivalist Jason? Can anything top the...
After dipping into the world of H.P. Lovecraft in Re-Animator (listen) and checking out an early adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray (listen), somehow we’re already on our third episode of February. And while the holiday doesn’t line up, we couldn’t pass up a chance to revisit Friday the 13th (2009) for its fifteenth anniversary.
In the Marcus Nispel remake, a group of friends travel to the palatial country house of Trent (Travis Van Winkle) near what was once Camp Crystal Lake. As Trent’s girlfriend Jenna (Danielle Panabaker) bonds with Clay (Jared Padalecki) over the disappearance of his sister Whitney (Amanda Righetti), their friends Chewie (Aaron Yoo), Bree (Julianna Guill), Lawrence (Arlen Escarpeta), Nolan (Ryan Hansen) and Chelsea (Willa Ford) are being picked off one by one by Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears).
Who will survive their encounter with survivalist Jason? Can anything top the...
- 2/19/2024
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
This weekend brings a jocks vs. weirdos showdown, as "Lisa Frankenstein" prepares to take on the tough box office challenge of competing with Super Bowl Sunday. The movie is the feature directorial debut from Zelda Williams (daughter of the late Robin Williams) and it boasts a screenplay by Diablo Cody, who returns to the horror comedy for the first time since writing 2009's "Jennifer's Body." In her latest spooky tale, Kathryn Newton ("Freaky") stars as the titular goth with a yearning for a dead boy, and Cole Sprouse ("Riverdale") plays said dead boy.
Earlier box office forecasting for "Lisa Frankenstein" had it pegged for a $9 million to $14 million debut, but it now looks set to fall far short of that range. Opening in 3,144 locations, the film grossed just $1.7 million on its opening day (including Thursday previews), and Variety reports that it's now tracking to make just $4 million over the weekend.
Earlier box office forecasting for "Lisa Frankenstein" had it pegged for a $9 million to $14 million debut, but it now looks set to fall far short of that range. Opening in 3,144 locations, the film grossed just $1.7 million on its opening day (including Thursday previews), and Variety reports that it's now tracking to make just $4 million over the weekend.
- 2/10/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
The Oscar-winning screenwriter aims to recall 80s classics from Heathers to Beetlejuice but there are too many parts missing
The blindsiding success of 2007’s Juno gave Hollywood an unusual new star, a young and outspoken stripper-turned-screenwriter whose very existence upended dusty industry expectations, and one who became hard to easily pigeonhole. Diablo Cody, who wrote her first hit screenplay before she turned 30, was rewarded with an Oscar, and within a profession where household names are rarer than rare, she became a minor celebrity, all eyes fixated on whatever her next move would be.
Cody’s follow-up – the poppy supernatural horror Jennifer’s Body – turned those cheers to jeers, an Oscar winner suddenly attracting the unfair attention of the Razzies (an admittedly heinous institution with a profoundly stupid voting record) and repelling that of audiences. The response was a mix of bafflement and bile and it was only years later that it...
The blindsiding success of 2007’s Juno gave Hollywood an unusual new star, a young and outspoken stripper-turned-screenwriter whose very existence upended dusty industry expectations, and one who became hard to easily pigeonhole. Diablo Cody, who wrote her first hit screenplay before she turned 30, was rewarded with an Oscar, and within a profession where household names are rarer than rare, she became a minor celebrity, all eyes fixated on whatever her next move would be.
Cody’s follow-up – the poppy supernatural horror Jennifer’s Body – turned those cheers to jeers, an Oscar winner suddenly attracting the unfair attention of the Razzies (an admittedly heinous institution with a profoundly stupid voting record) and repelling that of audiences. The response was a mix of bafflement and bile and it was only years later that it...
- 2/8/2024
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
No icebreakers are needed when it comes to kicking off conversation with Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody and first-time feature filmmaker Zelda Williams, who arrived for a mid-week, Midtown-located breakfast with IndieWire with nothing but smiles. Their first collaboration, ’80s-set horror comedy “Lisa Frankenstein,” blends together their seemingly mutual obsessions, and is ripe for fun conversation.
Still, this writer had to ask something kind of silly to get it going: like, oh, have they heard from the Lisa Frank people? Cody laughed. No, they haven’t called!
“Here’s the thing, the fact that the movie’s called ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ is actually kind of a coincidence, because I knew it was going to be an ’80s classic Gen X girl name plus Frankenstein for the title,” the writer said. She cycled through some names, like Stacy and Heather, before landing on Lisa, like the built-from-scratch leading lady in “Weird Science,” a film that “super-duper inspired” her.
Still, this writer had to ask something kind of silly to get it going: like, oh, have they heard from the Lisa Frank people? Cody laughed. No, they haven’t called!
“Here’s the thing, the fact that the movie’s called ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ is actually kind of a coincidence, because I knew it was going to be an ’80s classic Gen X girl name plus Frankenstein for the title,” the writer said. She cycled through some names, like Stacy and Heather, before landing on Lisa, like the built-from-scratch leading lady in “Weird Science,” a film that “super-duper inspired” her.
- 2/8/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Billed as a coming-of-rage tale, Lisa Frankenstein instead offers a celebration of outcasts and weirdos. Jennifer’s Body scribe Diablo Cody and director Zelda Williams, making her feature debut, wear their cinematic influences on their sleeves for a raucous zom-com that manages to go beyond references and aesthetics to capture the essence of ’80s cinema in a way few manage, for better and worse. It makes for a sugary sweet, almost wholesome effort held together by a trio of infectiously winsome performances.
Like most teens, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is simply trying to navigate the perils of high school while adjusting to her new home life now that her dad (Joe Chrest) has remarried a wicked stepmother (Carla Gugino) and given her an unwaveringly perky stepsister in popular cheerleader Taffy (Liza Soberano). Unlike most teens, Lisa’s new domestic setup comes right after her mother was gruesomely murdered while she was home,...
Like most teens, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is simply trying to navigate the perils of high school while adjusting to her new home life now that her dad (Joe Chrest) has remarried a wicked stepmother (Carla Gugino) and given her an unwaveringly perky stepsister in popular cheerleader Taffy (Liza Soberano). Unlike most teens, Lisa’s new domestic setup comes right after her mother was gruesomely murdered while she was home,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
A totally killer paranormal love story inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel is headed to the screen with Lisa Frankenstein, written by Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body) and directed by Zelda Williams. Lisa Frankenstein comes to theaters on February 9, 2024.
The ’80s set comedy is “a coming of Rage love story about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.”
Kathryn Newton (Freaky, Abigail) and Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale”) star as high school outcast Lisa Swallows and Creature, two complicated characters that couldn’t be further apart in personality but are drawn together by bizarre, supernatural circumstances. Whereas Lisa can’t stop talking, centuries of being dead have left Creature a lumbering,...
The ’80s set comedy is “a coming of Rage love story about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.”
Kathryn Newton (Freaky, Abigail) and Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale”) star as high school outcast Lisa Swallows and Creature, two complicated characters that couldn’t be further apart in personality but are drawn together by bizarre, supernatural circumstances. Whereas Lisa can’t stop talking, centuries of being dead have left Creature a lumbering,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The tropes of horror comedy go back a long way; the genre probably dates to “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” released in 1948, with a few electro-roots in “The Bride of Frankenstein.” Yet the good ones all share something: a combo of flavors — scary and funny, violent and knockabout — that’s bold and tart and bracingly blended. A good horror comedy is a genre smoothie that wakes you right up.
But then there’s “Lisa Frankenstein,” a horror-com smoothie made mostly of ancient, moldy fruit. At this point, what a movie like this one tends to have going against it is the sheer past-the-sell-by-date creakiness of a genre that has now spent too many decades placing monsters and zombies in a so-normal-it’s-wicked high-camp setting. The original ghoulie sitcoms, “The Munsters” and “The Addams Family,” are 60 years old. “Young Frankenstein” is 50 years old. Even monster cereals like Count Chocula and Franken...
But then there’s “Lisa Frankenstein,” a horror-com smoothie made mostly of ancient, moldy fruit. At this point, what a movie like this one tends to have going against it is the sheer past-the-sell-by-date creakiness of a genre that has now spent too many decades placing monsters and zombies in a so-normal-it’s-wicked high-camp setting. The original ghoulie sitcoms, “The Munsters” and “The Addams Family,” are 60 years old. “Young Frankenstein” is 50 years old. Even monster cereals like Count Chocula and Franken...
- 2/7/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Photo: gorodenkoff (iStock by Getty Images)
Sure, there are plenty of great free movies on YouTube—but while YouTube is awesome, it’s not the only game in town. So we decided to put together a list of other sites that also offer free movies, break down the pros and cons of each one,...
Sure, there are plenty of great free movies on YouTube—but while YouTube is awesome, it’s not the only game in town. So we decided to put together a list of other sites that also offer free movies, break down the pros and cons of each one,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Ian Spelling
- avclub.com
Silly Done Right
January featured plenty of highs and lows on Horror Queers. We started with the brilliant sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (listen) and the silly subversiveness of German film Killer Condom (listen). Then we descended into trash for two weeks with The Covenant (listen) and The Roommate (listen).
Thankfully we wrapped the month on a high with Stuart Gordon‘s playful, gory and mean-spirited adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft‘s Re-Animator (1985).
Featuring a career defining performance by Jeffrey Combs, the film follows eccentric burgeoning scientist Herbert West (Combs) as he befriends/seduces aspiring doctor Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott), much to the chagrin of Dan’s girlfriend, Megan (Barbara Crampton) and her secret admirer, creepy Dr. Hill (David Gale).
As the experiments – and the corpses – begin to pile up, it’s unclear who the real villain is. Will Herbert successfully test his serum? Will Dan live to become a doctor? Or...
January featured plenty of highs and lows on Horror Queers. We started with the brilliant sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (listen) and the silly subversiveness of German film Killer Condom (listen). Then we descended into trash for two weeks with The Covenant (listen) and The Roommate (listen).
Thankfully we wrapped the month on a high with Stuart Gordon‘s playful, gory and mean-spirited adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft‘s Re-Animator (1985).
Featuring a career defining performance by Jeffrey Combs, the film follows eccentric burgeoning scientist Herbert West (Combs) as he befriends/seduces aspiring doctor Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott), much to the chagrin of Dan’s girlfriend, Megan (Barbara Crampton) and her secret admirer, creepy Dr. Hill (David Gale).
As the experiments – and the corpses – begin to pile up, it’s unclear who the real villain is. Will Herbert successfully test his serum? Will Dan live to become a doctor? Or...
- 2/5/2024
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you ask anyone over the age of 25, they'll probably tell you that there's no dollar amount in the world that could ever make them want to go back to high school, and for good reason — high school can be hell. Teen films have been a popular and profitable subgenre for decades, but few films have become a cultural phenomenon quite like "Mean Girls." The film centers on teenager Cady Heron who is starting public school for the first time as a high school junior, having been spared from the cruel cliques or popularity warfare on campus. After a few less-than-stellar days, she catches the eye of Queen Bee Regina George, the leader of a popular clique known as The Plastics who rule North Shore High School with perfectly manicured nails and hair insured for $10,000 (or full of secrets).
Cady's new friends Janis and Damian are outcasts, and they convince...
Cady's new friends Janis and Damian are outcasts, and they convince...
- 2/4/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Clockwise from bottom left: Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton in Lisa Frankenstein, Jennifer Lopez in This Is Me ... Now, Orion And The Dark, Margaret Qualley in Drive-Away Dolls, and Chip in ArgyllePhoto: Prime, Focus Features, Universal Pictures, Netflix
January may be in the rearview, but movie theaters are still...
January may be in the rearview, but movie theaters are still...
- 1/31/2024
- by Matt Schimkowitz
- avclub.com
For better or worse, there’s a tradition of precocious teens on film.
From “Heathers” to “Mean Girls” to “Euphoria” to “Mean Girls” again, teenagers — especially American ones — are perceptive, manipulative, sexualized, and adventurous… eminently watchable even when they’re not relatable.
But elsewhere in the world of filmmaking and adolescence, there are so many other ways to grow up. There are teenagers who still feel like children, others who can’t act on their changing minds and bodies, others still who don’t share their peers’ new interests and feel alienated as a result. Shuchi Talati’s striking Sundance debut “Girls Will Be Girls” is about one such teenager, the quiet, obedient, and book-smart Mira (Preeti Panigrahi).
Mira is the first female head prefect to be appointed at her boarding school in North India, a responsibility she does not take lightly as she is tasked with keeping classmates and friends in check.
From “Heathers” to “Mean Girls” to “Euphoria” to “Mean Girls” again, teenagers — especially American ones — are perceptive, manipulative, sexualized, and adventurous… eminently watchable even when they’re not relatable.
But elsewhere in the world of filmmaking and adolescence, there are so many other ways to grow up. There are teenagers who still feel like children, others who can’t act on their changing minds and bodies, others still who don’t share their peers’ new interests and feel alienated as a result. Shuchi Talati’s striking Sundance debut “Girls Will Be Girls” is about one such teenager, the quiet, obedient, and book-smart Mira (Preeti Panigrahi).
Mira is the first female head prefect to be appointed at her boarding school in North India, a responsibility she does not take lightly as she is tasked with keeping classmates and friends in check.
- 1/24/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Clockwise from bottom left: The Usual Suspects, The Blair Witch Project, Reservoir Dogs, Get Out, Napoleon DynamiteGraphic: The A.V. Club
What began in 1978 as the Utah/United States Film Festival to help promote American independent cinema and boost film production in the Beehive State didn’t officially become the...
What began in 1978 as the Utah/United States Film Festival to help promote American independent cinema and boost film production in the Beehive State didn’t officially become the...
- 1/18/2024
- by Mark Keizer, Brent Simon, Matthew Jackson, Ian Spelling, Matthew Huff, Robert DeSalvo, Luke Y. Thompson, and Murtada Elfadl
- avclub.com
Sundance turns 40 this year and AMC Networks is celebrating the film festival’s big 4-0 with the release of a curated lineup of dozens of movies that previously debuted at the event, including “Birth/Rebirth,” “Sleeping with Other People,” “Savage Grace” and “Heathers,” for streamer AMC+.
A long-time sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival with roots in indie films through IFC Films and now horror-focused streamer Shudder, whcih is debuting Chris Nash’s “In A Violent Nature” at the fest this year, AMC Networks will be offering the compilation of Sundance movies all through January, in connection with the 2024 edition of the film festival running Jan. 18-28.
“This collection is such a great way to honor the history of the legacy of Sundance bring AMC+ subscribers, who are not going to be in Park City, virtually to the event through this portfolio of such unforgettable films,” chief commercial officer for AMC Networks Kim Kelleher told Variety.
A long-time sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival with roots in indie films through IFC Films and now horror-focused streamer Shudder, whcih is debuting Chris Nash’s “In A Violent Nature” at the fest this year, AMC Networks will be offering the compilation of Sundance movies all through January, in connection with the 2024 edition of the film festival running Jan. 18-28.
“This collection is such a great way to honor the history of the legacy of Sundance bring AMC+ subscribers, who are not going to be in Park City, virtually to the event through this portfolio of such unforgettable films,” chief commercial officer for AMC Networks Kim Kelleher told Variety.
- 1/10/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Not every movie — indeed, almost no movie — was meant to be turned into a musical. But the trend of doing so has become more common over the last two decades, and when you see a movie-to-musical transformation that really works, a surprising alchemy occurs. It can feel as if that story was always made to be told through song and dance; when you think back on the non-musical version, it can now seem like it’s missing something. That’s the sensation I’ve had at movies-turned-Broadway-musicals like “Hairspray,” “School of Rock” (built around Andrew Lloyd Webber’s greatest score in decades), and even “Back to the Future”.
The same dynamic works, in a clever if less spectacular way, in “Mean Girls,” the movie adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical version of the classic 2004 screen comedy. Will the new movie replace the original film in anyone’s affections? That might depend on how old you are.
The same dynamic works, in a clever if less spectacular way, in “Mean Girls,” the movie adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical version of the classic 2004 screen comedy. Will the new movie replace the original film in anyone’s affections? That might depend on how old you are.
- 1/10/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Kevin Smith has apologized to Shannen Doherty after she revealed to him his 1995 cult movie “Mallrats” killed her film career.
Doherty was reminiscing about the movie with Smith, a guest on her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast, when she pointed out that despite becoming a fan favorite, it had fared poorly at the box office when it was originally released.
“That’s kind of the interesting thing about ‘Mallrats,’ right, is that it wasn’t a box office success,” she told Smith, who replied “Oh, it died.”
“It died,” Doherty agreed. “So did my film career. That was it.”
Doherty was the most famous member of “Mallrats” when the movie came out, having already starred in “Heathers” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Smith even admitted during the podcast that it was largely because of Doherty’s involvement the film got greenlit.
When he asked Doherty during the podcast if she really...
Doherty was reminiscing about the movie with Smith, a guest on her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast, when she pointed out that despite becoming a fan favorite, it had fared poorly at the box office when it was originally released.
“That’s kind of the interesting thing about ‘Mallrats,’ right, is that it wasn’t a box office success,” she told Smith, who replied “Oh, it died.”
“It died,” Doherty agreed. “So did my film career. That was it.”
Doherty was the most famous member of “Mallrats” when the movie came out, having already starred in “Heathers” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Smith even admitted during the podcast that it was largely because of Doherty’s involvement the film got greenlit.
When he asked Doherty during the podcast if she really...
- 1/9/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
A new trailer for Zelda Williams' feature directorial debut "Lisa Frankenstein" just dropped, and it looks like exactly the dark gothic rom-com we didn't know we needed. Due out in time for Valentine's Day, the movie looks like one part "Warm Bodies," one part "Heathers," and one part "Jennifer's Body." You'll likely be hearing the latter comparison a lot, given that "Lisa Frankenstein" is penned by Diablo Cody, the same sardonic mastermind behind "Juno," "Tully," and the aforementioned Megan Fox-led cult horror-comedy favorite.
"Lisa Frankenstein" stars Kathryn Newton, who's already proven herself a great, game teen horror-comedy lead with the 2020 body swap film "Freaky." Cole Sprouse co-stars as the dashing corpse she reanimates, and the new trailer reveals that he'll likely spend the majority of the film communicating only through grunts and glances. It's probably not exactly a "May December" level performance, but it still (somehow) feels like a...
"Lisa Frankenstein" stars Kathryn Newton, who's already proven herself a great, game teen horror-comedy lead with the 2020 body swap film "Freaky." Cole Sprouse co-stars as the dashing corpse she reanimates, and the new trailer reveals that he'll likely spend the majority of the film communicating only through grunts and glances. It's probably not exactly a "May December" level performance, but it still (somehow) feels like a...
- 1/4/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Everyone has them. The movie opinions that earn them bewildered stares at parties. The movie opinions that end promising dates after the first round of cocktails. The movie opinions that get even beloved friends shouting at you. But you stand your ground. You dig in your heels. You believe this often unpopular take because you know, deep in your heart, that it's true. The rest of the world is wrong. You are the only sane one left.Welcome to /Film's list of our Hottest Takes, a collection of opinions that will likely baffle, frustrate, and infuriate many of you. And you'll probably quietly nod along with a few of them. We asked the entire /Film team to pitch the takes that they know get them annoyed glances at best and furious monologues at worst. But this isn't a list built to anger anyone, and there is no entry on this...
- 12/4/2023
- by SlashFilm Staff
- Slash Film
Say it once, say it twice — but say it a third time and expect an explosion of chaotic supernatural hilarity. That was the premise of "Beetlejuice," the second feature film from director Tim Burton. Released in 1988, the film focused on newly dead couple Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), whose quaint country house was posthumously sold to Charles and Delia Deetz (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara). Adam and Barbara, however, remain in their home, as ghosts, horrified by the bizarre architectural changes being made to their beloved home by its obnoxious new owners. Taking advice from "The Handbook for the Recently Deceased," the Maitlands attempt to haunt their unwanted roommates into leaving — a tactic that proves unsuccessful when the Deetzes remain utterly oblivious to their efforts to scare them out.
The Deetz's death-obsessed teenage daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), can see the Maitlands, and befriends them. Just when all seems hopeless,...
The Deetz's death-obsessed teenage daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), can see the Maitlands, and befriends them. Just when all seems hopeless,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- Slash Film
Everyone has a high school movie that rings uncomfortably true to their own experiences as a teenager. For some, it's a bitingly satirical portrait like "Heathers" or "Mean Girls," while for others, it's a brutally honest dramedy like "The Edge of Seventeen." But for me, there's only one film that really captures what my time was like as a non-Mormon attending a predominantly Mormon high school in a small Utah town in the early 2000s, and that's "Napoleon Dynamite." True, writer/director Jared Hess' 2004 cult hit takes place in the filmmaker's hometown of Preston, Idaho, but ... well, let's just say that if you know anything about small-town Utah and Idaho Mormon culture, then you know they weren't exactly worlds apart when the film was made.
I was fortunate enough to have graduated from high school literal weeks before "Napoleon Dynamite" arrived, which spared me from having to listen to my...
I was fortunate enough to have graduated from high school literal weeks before "Napoleon Dynamite" arrived, which spared me from having to listen to my...
- 11/8/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for "Five Nights at Freddy's."
There's an endless debate between film fans on what it is exactly that makes a film "camp." For some, it's a shorthand to mean "so bad, it's good," while others (like myself) view it as a sacred form of presentation. Camp films are often exaggerated to the point of absurdity, tiptoeing the line of the uncanny, and with a sense of humor that is either unintentionally brilliant or delivered with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Of my 15 favorite movies of all time, more than half of the titles could be argued as camp classics. While there are plenty of universally understood camp films, the intentional lack of a formal metric means that a film's camp status will change from viewer to viewer, determined by vibes and a "you know it when you see it" attitude.
My first camp film was Tim Burton's oft-maligned alien comedy,...
There's an endless debate between film fans on what it is exactly that makes a film "camp." For some, it's a shorthand to mean "so bad, it's good," while others (like myself) view it as a sacred form of presentation. Camp films are often exaggerated to the point of absurdity, tiptoeing the line of the uncanny, and with a sense of humor that is either unintentionally brilliant or delivered with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Of my 15 favorite movies of all time, more than half of the titles could be argued as camp classics. While there are plenty of universally understood camp films, the intentional lack of a formal metric means that a film's camp status will change from viewer to viewer, determined by vibes and a "you know it when you see it" attitude.
My first camp film was Tim Burton's oft-maligned alien comedy,...
- 10/30/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Bill Kenwright, the prolific West End producer behind the hit musicals Blood Brothers, Whistle Down the Wind and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat who would later go on to become an owner and chairman of his boyhood soccer club Everton, has died. He was 78.
In a statement, Everton said Kenwright died peacefully, “surrounded by his family and loved ones.” This month, the Premier League club revealed that Kenwright had recently undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver.
“The world of British theatre without Bill Kenwright seems impossible,” said fellow theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh in a statement on X. “In my lifetime, there has never been anyone like Bill. He’s totally irreplaceable, and we will miss him so.”
“Dearest Bill, Somewhere you’ll be singing Let It Be Me and challenging heavenly choirs to look into your Ebony Eyes,” Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted. “The theatre will...
In a statement, Everton said Kenwright died peacefully, “surrounded by his family and loved ones.” This month, the Premier League club revealed that Kenwright had recently undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver.
“The world of British theatre without Bill Kenwright seems impossible,” said fellow theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh in a statement on X. “In my lifetime, there has never been anyone like Bill. He’s totally irreplaceable, and we will miss him so.”
“Dearest Bill, Somewhere you’ll be singing Let It Be Me and challenging heavenly choirs to look into your Ebony Eyes,” Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted. “The theatre will...
- 10/25/2023
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Winona Ryder has had her career ups and downs since she made her film debut at age 15 as a high-schooler who befriends Corey Haim, her bully-targeted classmate, in 1986’s “Lucas.” She reigned as one of the most in-demand film actresses in the ‘90s as she transitioned into more adult roles. Ryder hit an unfortunate speed bump in 2001, after she faced shoplifting charges for stealing $5,500 worth of merchandise from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store. She ended up sentenced to three years of probation, 480 hours of community service and various fines while receiving both psychological and drug counseling.
Ryder took time off from acting between the time of her arrest until 2005, when she appeared in a string of indie films. But her true comeback arrived in J.J. Abrams‘ 2009 “Star Trek” reboot as Spock’s human mother Amanda Grayson. These days, she is best known as single mother Joyce Byers, whose...
Ryder took time off from acting between the time of her arrest until 2005, when she appeared in a string of indie films. But her true comeback arrived in J.J. Abrams‘ 2009 “Star Trek” reboot as Spock’s human mother Amanda Grayson. These days, she is best known as single mother Joyce Byers, whose...
- 10/21/2023
- by Susan Wloszczyna, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
October marks the start of spooky season, but really 2023 has brought the scares since last winter. It was difficult to narrow down the year’s best horror into just 10 books—and we stopped just short of Halloween, which conveniently coincides with several more creepy book releases including Nat Cassidy’s Nestlings—but these eerie selections sum up how horror has outdone itself so far this year.
Haunted houses abound, from abandoned homes you dare each other to sneak into to summer getaways for artists starved for space, but each sentient building has a unique torture for its visitors and inhabitants. The more meta offerings find the uncanny in everything from bloody memoirs to sinister home improvement YouTube channels. Families are grimly united by demonic secrets, or brutally separated by abduction and misfortune. Whether your tastes run more supernatural or more toward the mundane horrors of neighbor turning on neighbor, you...
Haunted houses abound, from abandoned homes you dare each other to sneak into to summer getaways for artists starved for space, but each sentient building has a unique torture for its visitors and inhabitants. The more meta offerings find the uncanny in everything from bloody memoirs to sinister home improvement YouTube channels. Families are grimly united by demonic secrets, or brutally separated by abduction and misfortune. Whether your tastes run more supernatural or more toward the mundane horrors of neighbor turning on neighbor, you...
- 10/15/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
The Intruder episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written by Emilie Black, Narrated by Adam Walton, Edited by Juan Jimenez, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Slashers, one of the most popular sub-genres in horror. One with hundreds, if not thousands of entries. While it was certainly on the downturn in the late 1980s, it still seemingly had a new title released every week. In 1989 alone, the slasher world saw the releases of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Deadly Manor, I Madman, and a whole bunch more. It was a year for slasher sequels with a few originals peppered in. Slashers were big box office and direct-to-video draw in general and studios were churning them out. The slashers were on the prowl and...
Slashers, one of the most popular sub-genres in horror. One with hundreds, if not thousands of entries. While it was certainly on the downturn in the late 1980s, it still seemingly had a new title released every week. In 1989 alone, the slasher world saw the releases of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Deadly Manor, I Madman, and a whole bunch more. It was a year for slasher sequels with a few originals peppered in. Slashers were big box office and direct-to-video draw in general and studios were churning them out. The slashers were on the prowl and...
- 9/21/2023
- by Emilie Black
- JoBlo.com
"Bottoms" is a lot of things: a raunchy, bloody comedy; a lesbian love story; and a showcase of Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri's comedic talents, to name a few. But it's also full of subtle details and references, and one that's easy to miss is that the movie is (probably) set in the early 2000s.
One of the biggest details that roots the movie in time is the characters' use of flip phones and portable CD players. Communication also seems fairly analogue, and there's no social media to speak of (though one can only imagine how unhinged Sennott's character Pj's social media presence would be). The aesthetics of the film also feel borrowed from classic early 2000s high school comedies like "Mean Girls," complete with quirky teachers, cheerleaders, classic bullies, and razor-sharp jokes about social hierarchies.
Yet, in many ways, "Bottoms" is also divorced from time - existing in...
One of the biggest details that roots the movie in time is the characters' use of flip phones and portable CD players. Communication also seems fairly analogue, and there's no social media to speak of (though one can only imagine how unhinged Sennott's character Pj's social media presence would be). The aesthetics of the film also feel borrowed from classic early 2000s high school comedies like "Mean Girls," complete with quirky teachers, cheerleaders, classic bullies, and razor-sharp jokes about social hierarchies.
Yet, in many ways, "Bottoms" is also divorced from time - existing in...
- 9/20/2023
- by Eden Arielle Gordon
- Popsugar.com
There were classic Gen X movies before 1994, but none of these films came close to capturing the pop-culture mad, video-store zeitgeist of this cohort like Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." The precociously talented writer-director appropriated the tough-talking, cold-around-the-heart aesthetic of classic crime fiction and made his killers talk like twentysomethings waxing stoned on cinema, music and syndicated television shows. Tarantino hit a sweet spot most moviegoers didn't know they possessed, and like anyone who catches the highest of highs, they wanted more of what he was pushing.
Almost 30 years later, Tarantino has refused to give his fans what they think they want -- which is odd since he's the one who's filled their heads with the potential of sequels and spinoffs to his first two movies. But Tarantino, who has worked steadily if not prolifically over 31 years (nine movies with his tenth and apparently final feature coming in "The Movie Critic...
Almost 30 years later, Tarantino has refused to give his fans what they think they want -- which is odd since he's the one who's filled their heads with the potential of sequels and spinoffs to his first two movies. But Tarantino, who has worked steadily if not prolifically over 31 years (nine movies with his tenth and apparently final feature coming in "The Movie Critic...
- 9/16/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Plot: Jonny Baptiste is a reckless teen sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie. On her 18th birthday, she experiences a radical metamorphosis: a family spell that redefines her called Forevering. When several teen girls go missing at her new school, a mythically feral Jonny goes after the Perpetrator.
Review: Female empowerment has never been as prevalent in horror as it has been over the last twenty years. With women shifting from victims and buxom eye candy to protagonists and heroic final girls, horror has experimented more and more with the ideas of gender, race, and sexuality than ever before. Jennifer Reeder’s new film, Perpetrator, takes on all these concepts along with a dash of pitch-black humor in a film almost beyond categorization. Drawing influences from Clueless and Heathers to Society and Suspiria, Reeder’s latest film is an interesting blend of ideas that do not come together in the end,...
Review: Female empowerment has never been as prevalent in horror as it has been over the last twenty years. With women shifting from victims and buxom eye candy to protagonists and heroic final girls, horror has experimented more and more with the ideas of gender, race, and sexuality than ever before. Jennifer Reeder’s new film, Perpetrator, takes on all these concepts along with a dash of pitch-black humor in a film almost beyond categorization. Drawing influences from Clueless and Heathers to Society and Suspiria, Reeder’s latest film is an interesting blend of ideas that do not come together in the end,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby drew from the well of modern cringe comedies to tell its story of a pressure cooker of a shiva. That setting lent the film authenticity, keeping it firmly grounded in a recognizable reality. So it’s all the more surprising that Seligman’s follow-up, Bottoms, is a far more silly, over-the-top affair, but the film’s unique blend of deadpan and absurdist humor, and its tendency to occasionally push the boundaries of good taste, shows that Seligman is equally comfortable working at the opposite end of the comic spectrum.
Following queer high school besties P.J. (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) as they start a fight club in an attempt to impress two cheerleaders, Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber), Bottoms immediately announces itself as a warped reimagining of the high school comedy rather than a straightforward satire of one. Its kinship,...
Following queer high school besties P.J. (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) as they start a fight club in an attempt to impress two cheerleaders, Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber), Bottoms immediately announces itself as a warped reimagining of the high school comedy rather than a straightforward satire of one. Its kinship,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
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