“Ready or Not” directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin are ready for their horror movie’s sequel — and they say the new script is a masterpiece.
The collaborators and producing partner Chad Villella (aka Radio Silence as a trio) told Entertainment Weekly in an interview out Monday that they’ve been working on “Ready or Not 2” since the original came out in 2019. Plus, it sounds like they’ve got an “absolute f—king banger” on their hands.
“It’s getting figured out,” Gillett explained about the film, which has yet to be officially greenlit. “That’s what we’ll say: ‘Ready or Not 2’ is getting figured out. What we can say is that there is a script that is an absolute f—ing banger of a sequel. And however it gets made, and in whatever capacity we are helping get it made, we are so excited that it’s happening.
The collaborators and producing partner Chad Villella (aka Radio Silence as a trio) told Entertainment Weekly in an interview out Monday that they’ve been working on “Ready or Not 2” since the original came out in 2019. Plus, it sounds like they’ve got an “absolute f—king banger” on their hands.
“It’s getting figured out,” Gillett explained about the film, which has yet to be officially greenlit. “That’s what we’ll say: ‘Ready or Not 2’ is getting figured out. What we can say is that there is a script that is an absolute f—ing banger of a sequel. And however it gets made, and in whatever capacity we are helping get it made, we are so excited that it’s happening.
- 4/15/2024
- by Raquel 'Rocky' Harris
- The Wrap
A strong-willed young woman fighting for her life against a motherfricking dragon, that’s all you need to know about Netflix’s Damsel. Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Damsel follows the story of a young woman who marries a handsome prince but realizes that it is all a trap when she is thrown into a cave. Now, she must fight and win against the dragon living in the cave to get back to her family and exact her revenge on her soon-to-be ex-in-laws. If you love the fantasy action film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Ready or Not (Rent on Prime Video & Fubo) Credit – 20th Century Studios
Evil in-laws and a deadly ceremony, that’s what is common in Netflix’s fantasy thriller Damsel and Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin directed horror thriller Ready or Not. The 2019 film follows the story of Grace, who couldn’t...
Ready or Not (Rent on Prime Video & Fubo) Credit – 20th Century Studios
Evil in-laws and a deadly ceremony, that’s what is common in Netflix’s fantasy thriller Damsel and Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin directed horror thriller Ready or Not. The 2019 film follows the story of Grace, who couldn’t...
- 3/16/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
A new episode of the Revisited video series has just been released, and while all of the previous entries have been a look back at feature films, this episode does something a little different. This one is looking back at the three-part mini-series Storm of the Century (pick up a copy Here), which aired on ABC back in February of 1999. To find out all about Storm of the Century, check out the video embedded above.
The mini-series was written by Stephen King, and this wasn’t an adaptation of any of King’s previous works. He wrote this one specifically to be a TV mini-series. Directed by Craig R. Baxley, the mini-series has the following synopsis:
A dangerous blizzard hits an isolated town and brings along a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing people for his own desires.
Tim Daly, Debrah Farentino, Dyllan Christopher, Colm Feore, Jeffrey DeMunn, Nada Despotovich, Spencer Breslin,...
The mini-series was written by Stephen King, and this wasn’t an adaptation of any of King’s previous works. He wrote this one specifically to be a TV mini-series. Directed by Craig R. Baxley, the mini-series has the following synopsis:
A dangerous blizzard hits an isolated town and brings along a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing people for his own desires.
Tim Daly, Debrah Farentino, Dyllan Christopher, Colm Feore, Jeffrey DeMunn, Nada Despotovich, Spencer Breslin,...
- 12/16/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Stars: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, John Ralston | Written by Guy Busick, Ryan Murphy | Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Ready or Not sneaks into the theatres as the last gasp of the dying summer season, and it’s exactly where it belongs. With over the top violence, laugh out loud comedy, and top draw lead performances, Ready or Not is some of the most fun you’ll have this year.
Directed by duo Matt Bettineelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Ready or Not tells the story of a bride’s wedding night that takes a sinister turn, when her new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game, all part of their family tradition. The game, as shown in the film’s trailer, is hide and seek – with a twist, the twist being that once...
Ready or Not sneaks into the theatres as the last gasp of the dying summer season, and it’s exactly where it belongs. With over the top violence, laugh out loud comedy, and top draw lead performances, Ready or Not is some of the most fun you’ll have this year.
Directed by duo Matt Bettineelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Ready or Not tells the story of a bride’s wedding night that takes a sinister turn, when her new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game, all part of their family tradition. The game, as shown in the film’s trailer, is hide and seek – with a twist, the twist being that once...
- 10/4/2019
- by Alex Ginnelly
- Nerdly
Ready Or Not movie review is here. The American black comedy horror directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett stars Samara Weaving in the lead. Releasing in India on September 13 2019. Does it scares like hell. Well, let?s find out in Ready Or Not movie review.
Immediate reaction when the end credits roll
Alice is in a slaser land?. Are you ready or not?
The story of Ready Or Not
Newlywed Grace Le Domas (Samara Weaving) joins her new husband Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien) rich, eccentric family. At midnight, the newlywed bride is asked to honor a tradition and play a game that turns fatal with everyone fighting for their survival.
Ready Or Not review
Its giddily gory and outrageous, the black humour over powers the scares in this bloody game of hide and seek gone wrong. Remarkably enough Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett ?s black horror comedy hugs and kisses the ?surival?...
Immediate reaction when the end credits roll
Alice is in a slaser land?. Are you ready or not?
The story of Ready Or Not
Newlywed Grace Le Domas (Samara Weaving) joins her new husband Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien) rich, eccentric family. At midnight, the newlywed bride is asked to honor a tradition and play a game that turns fatal with everyone fighting for their survival.
Ready Or Not review
Its giddily gory and outrageous, the black humour over powers the scares in this bloody game of hide and seek gone wrong. Remarkably enough Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett ?s black horror comedy hugs and kisses the ?surival?...
- 9/11/2019
- GlamSham
Stars: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, John Ralston | Written by Guy Busick, Ryan Murphy | Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
We all know that, for some, weddings can be a tricky experience – the happiest day of your life seemingly running out of control at times; and then there’s the family conflicts, the meeting of the old and new members of a family: some disapproving, some embracing their new family a little Too much. But what happens when the wedding is only the start of the chaos? That’s the basic premise of Ready or Not, which tells the story of the happiest day in Grace’s life as she marries her fiancé Daniel, from the super-rich and eccentric Le Domas family, owners of one of the biggest games companies in the world. However before taking...
We all know that, for some, weddings can be a tricky experience – the happiest day of your life seemingly running out of control at times; and then there’s the family conflicts, the meeting of the old and new members of a family: some disapproving, some embracing their new family a little Too much. But what happens when the wedding is only the start of the chaos? That’s the basic premise of Ready or Not, which tells the story of the happiest day in Grace’s life as she marries her fiancé Daniel, from the super-rich and eccentric Le Domas family, owners of one of the biggest games companies in the world. However before taking...
- 9/5/2019
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Warning: spoilers for Ready or Not ahead.
Samara Weaving spends the entirety of Ready or Not, her new horror film, in a lacy, elegant wedding dress. While it starts off bright white, as optimistic as her character Grace is about her impending marriage to the wealthy Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien), it doesn't take long for the dress to be drenched in soot, gore, and other bodily fluids as she quite literally does battle with his eccentric family. Unfortunately for foster kid Grace, marriage isn't the warm, familial fantasy she'd hoped it would be - it's all-out war.
The film, which hails from cowriters Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy and codirectors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, is a blood-splattered thrill ride as sharp as the point of the crossbow Grace frequently finds aimed at her chest the night of her lavish nuptials at the Le Domas estate. Because, after saying "I do,...
Samara Weaving spends the entirety of Ready or Not, her new horror film, in a lacy, elegant wedding dress. While it starts off bright white, as optimistic as her character Grace is about her impending marriage to the wealthy Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien), it doesn't take long for the dress to be drenched in soot, gore, and other bodily fluids as she quite literally does battle with his eccentric family. Unfortunately for foster kid Grace, marriage isn't the warm, familial fantasy she'd hoped it would be - it's all-out war.
The film, which hails from cowriters Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy and codirectors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, is a blood-splattered thrill ride as sharp as the point of the crossbow Grace frequently finds aimed at her chest the night of her lavish nuptials at the Le Domas estate. Because, after saying "I do,...
- 8/27/2019
- by Quinn Keaney
- Popsugar.com
What a decadent blast to watch a comic takedown of the rich done with the rude energy of a horror thriller and the courage of its own manic anti-marriage convictions. Directed with ferocious flair by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (part of the fright collective Radio Silence) from a game-on script by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, the wow factor of Ready or Not helps you jump the hurdles of any plot predictability.
Grace (a sensational Samara Weaving) is the have-not product of a foster family who marries into...
Grace (a sensational Samara Weaving) is the have-not product of a foster family who marries into...
- 8/22/2019
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
For as long as there has been a Hollywood, there have probably been jokes that there are no original ideas in Hollywood; but modern cinema seems to court that concept more than ever. Sure, novels and cartoons and comic books seem like logical intellectual properties to plunder for movie ideas, but games? This decade we’ve seen a blockbuster based on the board game Battleship; a horror film based on the spiritualist talking board, the Ouija; and of course there was the comedy about friends who always play a game of tag. So, sure, why not make a movie based on the game hide and seek, with a genre spin for good measure?
With that simple setup, one could reasonably expect either a gloomily pretentious or absurdly self-serious film. Thankfully writers Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy seem to have begun their writing process by mocking the central concept, landing a few good punchlines,...
With that simple setup, one could reasonably expect either a gloomily pretentious or absurdly self-serious film. Thankfully writers Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy seem to have begun their writing process by mocking the central concept, landing a few good punchlines,...
- 8/20/2019
- by Brian Roan
- The Film Stage
A tale of the nefarious plots of a diabolical family that made its wealth off board games, “Ready or Not,” at its best, calls to mind some devilish delights of the 1970s, from the antique-toy-stuffed manor of the original “Sleuth” to the jet set’s homicidal party games in “The Last of Sheila” to the ever-resilient final girl of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Some of its turns are better than others, but since this is the kind of twisty, hard-r comedy of gamesmanship and survival that Hollywood never seems to make anymore, fans of the genre are better off celebrating the film’s triumphs than picking over its occasional disappointing rolls of the dice.
Australian actress Samara Weaving, giving what can be legitimately termed as a “star-making performance,” plays Grace, who’s about to marry Alex (Mark O’Brien), scion of the rich and powerful Le Domas family. Just before the ceremony,...
Some of its turns are better than others, but since this is the kind of twisty, hard-r comedy of gamesmanship and survival that Hollywood never seems to make anymore, fans of the genre are better off celebrating the film’s triumphs than picking over its occasional disappointing rolls of the dice.
Australian actress Samara Weaving, giving what can be legitimately termed as a “star-making performance,” plays Grace, who’s about to marry Alex (Mark O’Brien), scion of the rich and powerful Le Domas family. Just before the ceremony,...
- 8/20/2019
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
A little out of nowhere, Ready or Not has gotten on the radar of the film community. A few months ago, a trailer dropped and really caught some interest on the internet. Well, having seen the movie last month, I can vouch for it being worth all the presumed fuss. Not only is the flick a really fun little horror offering, it’s also arguably one of the funniest films of 2019. It’s literally a riot, with one of the best endings of the year, genre be damned. If you have a predilection for dark humor, this is going to be your jam in a big way. The movie is a genre hybrid, set on what should be the happiest day in the life of our protagonist Grace (Samara Weaving). She’s marrying Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), the love of her life. Beyond that, she’s now entering...
- 8/19/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Ready Or Not Fox Searchlight Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett Screenwriter: Guy Busick, Ryan Murphy Cast: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque Screened at: Dolby88, NYC, 8/13/19 Opens: August 21, […]
The post Ready or Not Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Ready or Not Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/18/2019
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
I don’t know about you guys, but the summer of 2019 has already given us numerous truly great genre offerings already, which might make the following statement hard to believe. But, dear readers, the best is yet to come. This week, Ready or Not is set to hit theaters everywhere. It is not only one of my favorite films of the entire year, but it’s a wickedly fun and darkly comedic game of cat and mouse that subverts expectations at every turn, and once again proves that Samara Weaving is (and pardon my French) The Shit and should be in everything.
Directed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Ready or Not introduces us to Grace (Weaving) and Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien) who are about to get married at the palatial estate of Alex’s eccentric family who have made a name for themselves and built their fortune...
Directed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Ready or Not introduces us to Grace (Weaving) and Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien) who are about to get married at the palatial estate of Alex’s eccentric family who have made a name for themselves and built their fortune...
- 8/17/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
From RedBand.Ca, take a look at the restricted 'red band' trailer supporting the new thriller "Ready or Not" directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, starring Samara Weaving, Andie MacDowell, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, Kristian Bruun, Ethan Tavares and John Ralston as 'Stevens', opening August 23, 2019, from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Fox Searchlight Pictures:
"...a young bride joins her new husband's rich, eccentric family in a time-honored tradition...
"...that turns into a lethal game...
"...with everyone fighting for their own survival..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Ready Or Not"...
"...a young bride joins her new husband's rich, eccentric family in a time-honored tradition...
"...that turns into a lethal game...
"...with everyone fighting for their own survival..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Ready Or Not"...
- 8/16/2019
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
If you count yourself among those who interpret a matrimonial “I do” to mean “happily ever after,” maybe “Ready or Not” isn’t the late-summer date movie for you. On the other hand, for “Crazy Rich Asians” haters and the romantically disinclined, this deranged and darkly comedic thriller — which stuffs the wedding cake full of razor blades, then blows up the chapel — packs subversive pleasures aplenty, exaggerating the anxieties of marrying into an unfamiliar family by confronting its unsuspecting bride with a worst-case set of in-laws.
This deliciously diabolical sophomore feature, which hails from the resourceful low-budget trio known as Radio Silence, represents a departure for indie distributor Fox Searchlight, which has a real winner on its hands — that rare “Get Out”-like horror movie capable of delivering superficial diversion alongside deep cultural critique — but limited experience handling genre fare. To the extent the now-Disney-owned specialty division resembles old-school Miramax,...
This deliciously diabolical sophomore feature, which hails from the resourceful low-budget trio known as Radio Silence, represents a departure for indie distributor Fox Searchlight, which has a real winner on its hands — that rare “Get Out”-like horror movie capable of delivering superficial diversion alongside deep cultural critique — but limited experience handling genre fare. To the extent the now-Disney-owned specialty division resembles old-school Miramax,...
- 8/14/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Ready Or Not follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric family in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.
The filmmaking trio collectively known as Radio Silence, comprised of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, and executive producer Chad Villella, are known for their unique blending of comedy, adventure, and horror, with an eye for original screenplays that are comparably distinctive. For Ready Or Not, co-director Gillett talks about the idea of taking a conventional story to the extreme: “We loved the idea that you could take something that’s as familiar and relatable as marrying into a family and give it a genre bend in a playful way – but also in a dangerous and extreme way.”
Ready Or Not opens in St. Louis on August 21st
Enter...
The filmmaking trio collectively known as Radio Silence, comprised of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, and executive producer Chad Villella, are known for their unique blending of comedy, adventure, and horror, with an eye for original screenplays that are comparably distinctive. For Ready Or Not, co-director Gillett talks about the idea of taking a conventional story to the extreme: “We loved the idea that you could take something that’s as familiar and relatable as marrying into a family and give it a genre bend in a playful way – but also in a dangerous and extreme way.”
Ready Or Not opens in St. Louis on August 21st
Enter...
- 8/13/2019
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
From RedBand.Ca, take a look at the restricted 'red band' trailer supporting the new thriller "Ready or Not" directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, starring Samara Weaving, Andie MacDowell, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, Kristian Bruun, Ethan Tavares and John Ralston as 'Stevens', opening August 23, 2019, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Fox Searchlight Pictures:
"...a young bride joins her new husband's rich, eccentric family in a time-honored tradition...
"...that turns into a lethal game...
"...with everyone fighting for their own survival..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Ready Or Not"...
"...a young bride joins her new husband's rich, eccentric family in a time-honored tradition...
"...that turns into a lethal game...
"...with everyone fighting for their own survival..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Ready Or Not"...
- 6/18/2019
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
A young bride is forced to survive her new family’s outrageous tradition in the bloody and funny trailer for Ready or Not, out August 23rd.
The film stars Samara Weaving as Grace, who marries into the wealthy and strange Le Domas family. But after her wedding to Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), she’s told the marriage won’t be complete until she plays a little game. While Grace suspects the round of “Hide and Seek” she’s roped into is just a quirky ritual, she soon realizes...
The film stars Samara Weaving as Grace, who marries into the wealthy and strange Le Domas family. But after her wedding to Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), she’s told the marriage won’t be complete until she plays a little game. While Grace suspects the round of “Hide and Seek” she’s roped into is just a quirky ritual, she soon realizes...
- 6/17/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Rich people have odd customs. For the aptly named Le Domas family, tradition dictates the whole clan hunt down their future daughter-in-law with crossbows and medieval torture devices before she can join the family, in a zany and bloody twist on hide-and-seek. In the newly released red band trailer for the delicious-looking new horror film, the prospect is presented quite simply to the young heroine: Before you can join the family, you just have to play a little game. “It’s just something we do when someone new joins the family,” her new husband reassures her.
Right before Andie MacDowell sends an arrow through her head.
While the trailer provides plenty of bloody moments to pique one’s interest, the official synopsis released by Fox Searchlight is tantalizingly brief. “‘Ready or Not’ follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric...
Right before Andie MacDowell sends an arrow through her head.
While the trailer provides plenty of bloody moments to pique one’s interest, the official synopsis released by Fox Searchlight is tantalizingly brief. “‘Ready or Not’ follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric...
- 6/17/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
"Good luck." Fox Searchlight has debuted the first trailer for a twisted horror thriller titled Ready or Not, the latest film from the two filmmakers behind Devil's Due previously. In Ready or Not, a bride's wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game (of "Hide & Seek"). It's already being described as "You're Next meets Clue", or perhaps "The Most Dangerous Game" turned into modern horror comedy. Samara Weaving stars, joined by Andie MacDowell, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, Nicky Guadagni, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Elyse Levesque, and John Ralston. Ohhh this looks so twisted and so dark and oh so good, can't wait to see it. First red band trailer (+ poster) for Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett's Ready or Not, from YouTube: Ready or Not follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her...
- 6/17/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Without warning, people are dropped inside a prison maze comprising 17,000-plus 14-by-14-foot cubes. With hatchways in the center of walls, floors and ceilings, the cubes are identical except that some have lethal booby traps and others are safe. The goal is to maneuver one's way to the outer shell and hopefully freedom.
In "Cube", tyro Canadian director Vincenzo Natali's low-budget thriller, a short story-like concept worthy of Phillip K. Dick or J.G. Ballard is stretched to feature length. The result is decidedly mixed. The Trimark Pictures release will lure curiosity seekers as a limited theatrical attraction but find more enthusiastic gory game fans on video.
While occasional standout sequences arise from the nightmarish setting and constant tension, the script and performances are disappointing. As if the prison were not bizarre enough a creation, the characters are a motley crew of edgy men and women who come together by chance and try to solve what they are trapped inside and how to get out of it.
Through trial and error -- which can leave a prisoner chopped up like cat food or sporting a face melted away by acid -- the impromptu band of heroes learns how to tell when it's safe to move from one cube to the next. Some rooms are red and some green, but determining which have nasty traps is not so simple.
One early casualty is a famous escape artist (Wayne Robson), who uses his shoes to test for motion sensors on the threshold of each new cube. Others in the group include a cop Maurice Dean Wint), doctor (Nicky Guadagni), mathematics student (Nicole de Boer), architect (David Hewlitt) and idiot savant (Andrew Miller).
When the dialogue and action are caught up in the group's struggle to survive long enough to interpret clues about their predicament, "Cube" is a mildly unsettling experience recalling dystopian visions of an unforgiving future where humanity is literally reduced to vermin. But it's no "THX 1138" and reminds one more of Robert Altman's odious "Quintet".
Factor in overwrought characters and over-the-top acting from a cast of unknowns, and "Cube" sinks to the level of a nasty comic book. With a background in cartooning and storyboarding for films such as "Johnny Mnemonic", Natali keeps the audience from getting bored, but there's no escaping his underdeveloped storytelling skills.
CUBE
Trimark Pictures
The Feature Film Project
A Cube Libre production
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Screenwriters: Andre Bijelic,
Vincenzo Natali, Graeme Manson
Producers: Mehra Meh, Betty Orr
Executive producer: Colin Brunton
Director of photography: Derek Rogers
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovic
Editor: John Sanders
Music: Mark Korven
Color/stereo
Cast:
Leaven: Nicole de Boer
Holloway: Nicky Guadagni
Doc Worth: David Hewlitt
Kazan: Andrew Miller
Wayne: Wayne Robson
Quentin: Maurice Dean Wint
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
In "Cube", tyro Canadian director Vincenzo Natali's low-budget thriller, a short story-like concept worthy of Phillip K. Dick or J.G. Ballard is stretched to feature length. The result is decidedly mixed. The Trimark Pictures release will lure curiosity seekers as a limited theatrical attraction but find more enthusiastic gory game fans on video.
While occasional standout sequences arise from the nightmarish setting and constant tension, the script and performances are disappointing. As if the prison were not bizarre enough a creation, the characters are a motley crew of edgy men and women who come together by chance and try to solve what they are trapped inside and how to get out of it.
Through trial and error -- which can leave a prisoner chopped up like cat food or sporting a face melted away by acid -- the impromptu band of heroes learns how to tell when it's safe to move from one cube to the next. Some rooms are red and some green, but determining which have nasty traps is not so simple.
One early casualty is a famous escape artist (Wayne Robson), who uses his shoes to test for motion sensors on the threshold of each new cube. Others in the group include a cop Maurice Dean Wint), doctor (Nicky Guadagni), mathematics student (Nicole de Boer), architect (David Hewlitt) and idiot savant (Andrew Miller).
When the dialogue and action are caught up in the group's struggle to survive long enough to interpret clues about their predicament, "Cube" is a mildly unsettling experience recalling dystopian visions of an unforgiving future where humanity is literally reduced to vermin. But it's no "THX 1138" and reminds one more of Robert Altman's odious "Quintet".
Factor in overwrought characters and over-the-top acting from a cast of unknowns, and "Cube" sinks to the level of a nasty comic book. With a background in cartooning and storyboarding for films such as "Johnny Mnemonic", Natali keeps the audience from getting bored, but there's no escaping his underdeveloped storytelling skills.
CUBE
Trimark Pictures
The Feature Film Project
A Cube Libre production
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Screenwriters: Andre Bijelic,
Vincenzo Natali, Graeme Manson
Producers: Mehra Meh, Betty Orr
Executive producer: Colin Brunton
Director of photography: Derek Rogers
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovic
Editor: John Sanders
Music: Mark Korven
Color/stereo
Cast:
Leaven: Nicole de Boer
Holloway: Nicky Guadagni
Doc Worth: David Hewlitt
Kazan: Andrew Miller
Wayne: Wayne Robson
Quentin: Maurice Dean Wint
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/14/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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