The eight-part series revolves around a murder that takes place at a high school reunion after party, and each episode is told from a different character’s perspective. The result is an innovative and hilarious whodunit with a charming cast led by Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson and Ben Schwartz.
The series begins by introducing us to Aniq (Richardson), who is reluctantly attending his high school reunion in hopes of seeing the girl he had a crush on, Zoe (Chao). He first finds his friend Yasper (Schwartz), before eventually reuniting with Zoe. He is delighted to find that she is recently separated from Brett (Barinholtz), who Aniq thinks took her from him when they were in high school. But Aniq’s good time with Zoe is interrupted by the arrival of Xavier (Franco), who was a nerd in high school but is now a famous pop star and actor.
Trouble begins when Xavier invites everyone over to his mansion for an after party, and he is soon murdered by one of his guests. Enter Detective Danner (Haddish), who suspects Aniq of the murder and questions him about the events of the night. Soon, everyone becomes a suspect and while Danner investigates and questions the other guests, Yasper tries to help Aniq clear his name.
Sam Richardson in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+
After seeing their previous work, including the Oscar winning animated movie ‘Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse,’ it’s no surprise that a new streaming series from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller would be fresh, funny, and completely unique.
A high school reunion is a perfect backdrop for a comedic mystery and the characters are both over-the-top yet very relatable. The choice to center each episode on a particular character’s point of view of the evening’s events was brilliant, as it allows each character to come alive in a different way, and lets the actors play different versions of their characters.
The ensemble cast is excellent, led by Tiffany Haddish as the outsider investigating the murder, Detective Danner. Haddish brings her own brand of humor to the series, while never overshadowing the plot or the other actors. She is especially excellent in the penultimate episode, where her character’s backstory is finally revealed.
Sam Richardson is really the anchor of the series, as Aniq is the main character that we are rooting for to not only clear his name but win back Zoe’s heart as well. Richardson plays the role a bit nerdish, which is where the real comedy comes in. Equally great is Ben Schwartz as Aniq’s friend Yasper, who gets to perform a full-on musical during his character specific episode.
Tiffany Haddish in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+
Dave Franco is also hilarious as pop star Xavier, who ends up being the murder victim. The actor plays his character like an arrogant, insecure jerk, who you sympathize with once his backstory is revealed. Franco does some of his best work channeling a Justin Bieber/Machine Gun Kelly type character. Another funny character is Jamie Demetriou’s Walt, who is the guy from high school that no one remembers, which leads to some hilarious moments.
Comedian Ike Barinholtz was perfectly cast as Brett, the high school bully who rivals Aniq for Zoe’s affection. The actor plays the role of a real jerk, but also shows us a bit of his character’s vulnerable side throughout the first season. Ilana Glazer, best known for her Comedy Central series ‘Broad City,’ has some great moments playing the pivotal role of Chelsea, a character that has more going on under the surface than it first appears.
However, if there is a weak link in the cast, unfortunately its Zoe Chao, who plays Zoe. Her character never really rises to the level that you understand why Aniq, and Brett for that matter, care for her so much. Her character’s point-of-view episode helps to explain her different personalities with some really entertaining animation, but it doesn’t come until the sixth episode, which is a little late in the season to finally make the character interesting.
One of the great aspects of ‘The Afterparty,’ which is baked into the Rashomon concept, is that nothing is as it seems. So, truly any character, even Aniq or Detective Danner, could be the murderer! My money is on Yasper, who just seems a little too nice, and a little too eager to help Aniq clear his name. But I also think it’s possible that Xavier is not dead, which could be the season’s big twist.
Dave Franco in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+
Full disclosure, critics were only given the first seven episodes to screen, so your guess is as good as mine as to who the true killer is.
In the end, ‘The Afterparty’ is a true joy to watch, and a murder-mystery-comedy on level with classics from the genre like ‘Clue.’ Lord and Miller have assembled a marvelous cast, which is truly a pleasure to watch. The characters are both ridiculous and relatable, and the show’s unique concept makes it a series that you won’t want to miss.
‘The Afterparty’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.
(L to R) Sam Richardson, Jamie Demetriou, Ben Schwartz, John Early, Tiffany Haddish, Tiya Sircar, Ilana Glazer, Zoe Chao, and Ike Barinholtz in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+
Directed by Mauro Borrelli (‘The Recall’), the movie follows a squad of US military soldiers who go behind enemy lines during WWII to retrieve top secret material from an airplane crash. They soon find themselves viciously attacked by a coven of witches, who they must defeat before the Nazis can capture them and use their power to take over the world.
Actor Jackson Rathbone has appeared in several films and television shows including ‘Dread,’ ‘The Last Airbender,’ ‘Mixtape,’ and TNT’s ‘The Last Ship.’ But he is probably best known for playing Jasper Hale in ‘Twilight’ and its four sequels. But Rathbone is not just an accomplished actor, he is also a successful musician and a member of the Los Angeles funk rock band, 100 Monkeys.
You can read the full interview below, or watch the video by clicking the player above.
MOVIEFONE: To begin with, I understand that the pandemic began just as you were in the middle of shooting this movie. Can you talk about how Covid affected the production?
Jackson Rathbone: We were filming during the onslaught of the pandemic. So, at the very beginning stages, it kept creeping up, and creeping up, and creeping up, and literally we were seeing it explode in Italy and explode all over.
We were up in Latvia, so we were in Europe. Then suddenly, we had actors dropping out of the film to go be with their families. It was literally like we were dropping actors every day for a couple weeks before finally they shut down production. So, it really had this sense of a group of soldiers going into the woods, and then dropping like flies. It definitely added to the terror. There was a real sense of dread on set a lot of days.
We had to stop filming halfway through the film, almost exactly. Then there was about two months where we were off, and they figured out the rules and regulations of testing. Luckily, Latvia, where we were filming, had very little to no cases. So, we went back after two months.
It was still the height of the pandemic, but oddly enough, it felt very safe. We were being tested every other day, (we had) masks, and the whole nine yards. We were one of the first productions to, I think, resume. But it was definitely nerve-wracking. It was a strange time, and it still is.
MF: Since you are playing a group of soldiers with a close bond to each other, did the pandemic help bring the cast closer together?
JR: Oh, for sure. One of other actors and I, Ben McKeown, we have a lot of work to do in the third act together. We started meeting every day for the gym. We were hitting the gym, and then every third day going for cheeseburgers to offset the gym work we had done. It was just that sense of comradery and familiarity with one another, even though we have a tense relationship on screen.
I really find that if you have a good relationship off screen, the tenseness on screen actually gets way better and much more intense because you trust each other more. So, there’s a scene where he throws me across the room. I trusted him, and I went with it. I actually did a lot of the moves myself, and so did he. We worked hard on it.
Robert Knepper as Sergeant Brewer in the horror/supernatural thriller, WARHUNT, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.
MF: Can you talk about working with veteran actor Robert Knepper and what did you learn from the experience of acting on screen with him?
JR: Getting to work with Robert Knepper, I learned so much just seeing him perform and getting to watch a man like that, an actor like that, really dig in. It was fantastic. He was so kind to me, and took me out to dinner a few times, and we talked about our characters. It’s funny because he and I loved each other. You call cut, we’re hugging, but on action, we’re just headbutting each other right and left. It was a lot of fun.
Working with Robert, it was a dream come true because whenever I look at projects, there’s so many different things that I consider. I know I’m only getting older, but I like to always consider myself a young actor at heart, by which I mean, I’m going to learn. I want to always learn from people, and see what they do that I love, and I hopefully can take it and bring it into my own repertoire.
So, I remember doing a scene with Robert where we’re burying some of our dead. He’s doing this speech about the Americans and the Nazis fighting during Christmas and how they put down their weapons for a day or two and sang Christmas carols together. Then they went back to blowing each other’s brains out.
The way he did it, and the way it was written, couldn’t have been more polar opposite. He brought such humanity and a sense of awe to the speech that watching him perform it, I was literally just like, “Okay, wow.” Because his face, he just registered so much and there were no lies whenever he was in character. That’s the hardest thing, you stand where they tell you to stand, wear what they tell you to wear, but you never lie.
MF: What was your experience like acting with Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke?
JR: I’m going to tell you, a great sadness for me is I never actually got to work with Mickey Rourke because our schedules missed each other due to the pandemic. They had to film his part and my part separately because of the laws of the country when they were letting us back in. So, I wasn’t allowed to be in the country whenever he was. It’s this crazy bureaucracy stuff that we got stuck with, but I got to work with his stand-in who was a wonderful Latvian theater performer.
I watched the film with my wife. She couldn’t believe that we had never been in the same room together. She was just like, “Are you kidding?” I was like, no, they just spliced it together. They did the movie magic. It was fun though, getting to see him chomp on those cigars, and wear his crazy eye patch. He’s an intense guy, and the stories I heard, well, they ran the gamut. Let me tell you, that guy’s a legend!
(L-R) Actor Mickey Rourke and Co-Writer/Director Mauro Borrelli behind the scenes of the horror/supernatural thriller, WARHUNT, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.
MF: Finally, can you talk about working with director Mauro Borrelli on this project?
JR: He’s a passionate Italian man, and he had so much energy on set. He wanted to try just thousands of different things. He wanted to move the camera so many times. There were so many grand ideas he was trying to execute that it would’ve had to have been a three-hour movie.
When one of the men die in the opening, he imagined that they were an opera singer, and that he wanted to have them dying while singing an operatic ballad, and have that tie in. That didn’t make the final cut of the movie, but it’s one of those things where he’s just a very passionate man, and to have someone so passionate at the helm, it can be a great thing.
The groundbreaking 1992 movie ‘Juice,’ directed by Ernest R. Dickerson and starring Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year by releasing a 4K UHD Blu-ray on January 11th. The movie stars Epps as Q, a teen living in Harlem with dreams of becoming a DJ, when his best friend, Bishop (Shakur), convinces him to take part in a robbery that goes wrong.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Ernest R. Dickerson about the 30th anniversary of ‘Juice.’ He discussed writing the movie, getting it made, casting Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps, and how working as a cinematographer for Spike Lee prepared him to direct his first film.
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You can read the full interview below, or watch a video of the interview above.
Moviefone: To begin with, ‘Juice’ was your first feature film as a director, what is it like to see that the film is still beloved and relevant 30 years later?
Ernest R. Dickerson: I’m pleasantly surprised. You always hope that your film is going to have longevity when you make it, but you don’t give it that much thought because you’re just trying to get the film made in the first place. But to see that 30 years later, the themes of the film are still relevant today is sobering. But I’m gratified, I’m happy that it’s lasted, and I’m glad a lot of younger people are able to see it.
When you’re growing up, whether you’re Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indian, you reach a point in your life when you’re wondering what kind of power or influence do you have on your life, on where your life is going to go, and on your environment? What kind of juice do you have? Historically, it’s part of human nature that when you reach a point in your life, you wonder what that is.
The forces that influence the decisions that you make to take your life ultimately into the directions that it goes, a lot of time, it’s affected by peer pressure. That’s one of the main themes in the movie, the effects of peer pressure. It can steer you in the right direction, or it can steer you in the wrong direction. And sometimes the quest for power, the quest for juice in your own life can take you in the wrong direction.
Our main character, Q, is finding his juice. He’s finding juice through music. His mother probably couldn’t afford to buy musical instruments for him, but he was able to take old turntables and use those as musical instruments as a scratch and mix artist, and that’s where he’s finding his juice.
But Bishop, played by Tupac, he takes a wrong turn in trying to find juice. To him, it’s emulating the gangs that he sees in the neighborhood. That’s where the drama comes from, that division that’s going in two different directions, and the peer pressure that sometimes pulls you in the wrong direction. So, I think it’s as prevalent today as it ever has been.
MF: How did you come up with the idea for the screenplay, and how did you develop it and eventually get it made?
ERD: Gerard Brown and I wrote the script in the early 1980s. I wrote it after I had graduated from NYU Film School around 1981. Before I started working, I started writing the script. Actually, it’s an idea that I had had for a long time. But, when I had a summer job and I had to be there at seven o’clock in the morning, I’d see these kids that looked like they’ve been hanging out on the bus all night long. I was just wondering, “What kind of adventures do they get into?” I always thought, “Oh, God, there’s a movie there.”
Then years later, I started writing ‘Juice’. But in 1981, nobody wanted to make it. I took it around and I showed it to some people. They considered it to be too dark, and too much of a rough film. My agent, even he said that there was no way I was going to get this movie made, and ‘Juice’ wound up sitting on the shelf for many years. Then finally around 1991, Gerard got a new agent, She wanted to see what he had written as a screenplay, and he showed her ‘Juice.’ She was amazed that we weren’t able to get this movie made. Then she took it to several different studios that automatically wanted to make it.
When Gerard and I wrote ‘Juice,’ the idea was to use it to premier ourselves as the writer-director team. So, when it went to the different studios and they gave me a list of the directors they wanted to bring in, it was a three page list, and my name was the last one on the third page. Then we started getting notes from the different studios, they wanted to turn it into a comedy. They thought that it would play better as a coming of age comedy, starring young actors who were more well-known on television at that time. Gerard and I, we didn’t like the direction it was going in, we just said, “No,” and we took the script back.
We could have sold it and made a lot of money, but it would’ve meant putting our names on something that we didn’t like, that we wouldn’t have been proud of. You got to wake up and look at yourself in the mirror in the morning. So, we took it back, we said, “Well, that was that.” Then I got a phone call out of the blue, from a young man named David Heyman (‘Gravity, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’), who was looking with a couple of partners of his for their first film as producers. They had gotten a copy of the script and they read it. David called me up and asked me to meet with them to tell them the film that I wanted to make.
We met, and I said, “Well, there’s nobody that we know of who can act in this film.” I said, “It’s got to be shot on location. It takes place in Harlem so we got to shoot it in Harlem, it’s got to be raw, and it’s got to be real. I really think we got to go after unknown actors to really make it feel as realistic as possible.” After saying that, he said he liked it and he asked me if I wanted him to get funding for it. I said, “Yeah.” So, that’s how that started, and then we started going after young unknowns and we shot it all in Harlem.
(L to R) Khalil Kain, Tupac Shakur, Omar Epps, and Jermaine Hopkins in ‘Juice.’
MF: Can you talk about the first time you met Tupac Shakur? What was he like as a person then, and what was he like as an actor on set?
ERD: We found him purely by accident. He came in with someone else. He came in with a guy who came in to read. Tupac didn’t come in to read. He was hanging out with his friend, and I was getting desperate because I wasn’t finding the right actor for Bishop. I said, “Well, what about you, man? You want to read?” He said, “Yeah.”
He ultimately read the part, auditioned and knocked it out the box. It was interesting because later on we found out that he had trained as an actor at the High School of the Performing Arts in Baltimore, and he got the job because he understood the pain underneath the anger that Bishop had. He knew that. What was really interesting, you could tell that Tupac was a student of human nature, he was a student of people, and he would talk to people.
When we started making the movie, if he saw somebody that looked like they were really going through some serious problems in their life, or somebody that just looked interesting, even on the street, he would go over and start talking to them. He always had a notebook, and he was always writing stuff down. I like to think that in talking with people and writing, I think what he was writing became his music that he ultimately shared with the rest of the world.
But he was just really open. He was open to the people in the neighborhood. The whole film we shot in Harlem, and folks in the neighborhood would come around and watch us shoot, and he would spend time talking to them. I think the that’s why he was so successful as a rapper and why there’s so much truth in what he put out as a rapper. Because he was a student of human nature, and he knew the forces that affected people and the decisions that they made or weren’t able to make in their lives.
MF: When you did finally get to make ‘Juice’ in 1991, hip-hop was emerging as the dominate form of music, and you cast a lot of hip-hop artists in the movie including Tupac, Queen Latifah, Eric B., and members of Cyprus Hill. That is something that wouldn’t have happened had the movie been made in 1981. Do you think it was a case of “the right place at the right time?”
ERD: Yeah, it was the right place at the right time. It was interesting because I had just met Queen Latifah when I shot ‘Jungle Fever.’ She had that great scene in Sylvia’s where she played the waitress. She’s my homegirl, she’s from Newark, New Jersey, and it’s interesting because in the script, that part was originally written for Afrika Bambaataa. He was not available, and Latifah was, and had gotten a little bit of the bite of the acting bug having done ‘Jungle Fever.” She was available and we were able to get her.
The other people we were able to get, part of that came from the influence of Keith and Hank Shocklee. They were the masterminds behind Public Enemy‘s sound, and were also doing the musical score for the film. So, just finding those folks was really interesting because they liked what the film was about and they saw that there was a universality to what our story was all about. So, I like to think that they just wanted to be part of it because of that.
MF: What qualities did you see in Omar Epps that made you think he was the right young actor to play Q?
ERD: There was a soulfulness that Omar had and still has, and it’s in the eyes. There was an innocence, but a toughness that was really important, you know? He was 17, a senior in high school, and trying to decide what his juice was going to be, where he was going to go. He was part of a little musical group, so he was at one point thinking that his future might lie in music.
I think he had dabbled in a little bit of theater in the neighborhood or something like that, but I guess ‘Juice’ helped make up his mind for him. Because he did such a beautiful job. You could see everything that he was thinking and what was going through his mind, it was all on his face, and that was the beauty of what he brought to the film.
MF: Finally, you began your career as a cinematographer working with Spike Lee. What did you learn about directing from that experience that prepared you to make ‘Juice?’
ERD: Well, what’s interesting is that a lot of the films that I did as a cinematographer, the directors also acted in them. My very first professional film was ‘The Brother from Another Planet.’ and John Sayles played one of the bounty hunters who’s after Joe Morton, the alien in the film. In film school, Spike never acted in his films, but he did it in ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ because the original actor fell out at the last minute and he couldn’t find anybody else, so he decided to take on that role. It put him in a position where from then on the deals that he made for the films, he had to act in them.
So, whenever that happens, it forces the cinematographer to be the co-director, because I have to be his eyes while he’s in front of the camera. I’ve got to let him know what I see in and what he’s doing, and if it’s working, and the people around him as well.
It really opened my eyes and gave me a whole brand new respect for acting. When we did ‘School Daze,’ which is the film after ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ after shooting I would spend a lot of time talking with the actors like Giancarlo Esposito. We would talk in the hotel bar, and I would talk to him about what I saw him doing, his motivation, and what his character was doing.
It’s something that continued in Spike’s films all the way through. I even worked with the Chinese director, Peter Wang on ‘The Laser Man,’ and he acted in that. So, a lot of times I was forced into this position of being a co-director, so being able to talk with actors was something I think I got from that.
‘Italian Studies’ follows the story of Alina Reynolds (Kirby), a short story writer living in New York City who loses her memory. Lost in the city with no memory of who she is, Alina starts to put the pieces of her life together when she meets a group of teenagers and spends a night with them.
Moviefone recently had the chance to speak with director Adam Leon and actor Simon Brickner about their work on ‘Italian Studies.’
Adam Leon director of ‘Italian Studies’
MOVIEFONE: Adam, I understand that the genius of this movie was actress Vanessa Kirby contacting you to say she is available and wanted to shoot a film with you. Can you talk about the unusual process of making this movie?
Adam Leon: Vanessa and I had been friends for a while. We had been looking for something to work on together, and she called me up and said that she had certain gaps in her schedule and really wanted to be thrown out into the city, into New York, which I’ve done with some of my previous movies. So, she was like, “Let’s get messy. I really want to interact with the real city and with the real environment.” From there we developed this idea, this story. It really had some themes and concepts that Vanessa had been thinking about in terms of how we process our environment, what it means to be present, and how that can mean so many different things.
I had this idea from years ago that I had worked on about a woman who loses her memory in New York, but I couldn’t quite crack it. Vanessa, our producers and I, we all got together and had this idea of telling that story but from her perspective so we as an audience in some ways are as unmoored as she is. That became very exciting to us.
Then from there, I’d been working with some of these wonderful teenagers, including Simon on another project. The idea of this woman who is searching for her own identity, getting immersed and connected with teenagers who are in a similar but not as immediate space as she is, felt really natural and also exciting.
MF: Simon, what was the experience of filming this movie like for you and how did you relate to your character?
Simon Brickner: Well, I think Simon in this movie is a version of me that is really troubled at the moment, and really going through some things. I can see that reflected in my character, how at the time I was battling addiction and moving from place to place, just really not a secure individual, someone who’s really struggling. So, in that sense, it’s realistic. I think me freaking out at the party is also something I would do. Even though the hotdog scene was scripted, that is absolutely something I would do in everyday life, just approach random people.
The actual experience making the film, it was like a loving embrace from your family. Adam is wonderful. I feel like he really understood me and what I was going through, and he understood how to bring that out on the screen. The whole production crew was basically like a family, and very loving. It was a very warm experience on set. The costume people, the cast, the crew, they all had great energy that was very nurturing.
Simon Brickner in ‘Italian Studies’
MF: Simon, I also wanted to ask you about working with Vanessa Kirby and creating the intimate relationship between these two characters with her?
SB: It was so sweet. It felt so loving and warm, and just natural. I mean, we were just goofing around on camera, and it got strung together into a movie of us just being goofy over and over again. It would be super goofy, and then it gets super deep all of a sudden. So, it was just fun. I think we were just having fun.
MF: Finally, Adam, because the movie was shot in New York before the pandemic, you’ve said that the movie is really a period-piece now. Can you talk about that concept and the idea that you unintentionally captured a moment on film that no longer exists?
AL: It’s interesting because I know it is going to come again in some way, but we’re all going to be changed in different ways. We obviously didn’t know at the time. We were shooting scenes where we were throwing Vanessa into the city streets and there were thousands of people, crowds and all of that.
I think one of the things that’s been interesting is how people who watch the movie really feel both this connection to this era, this moment before lockdown and COVID, and also that the movie really speaks to in terms of its ideas of connection, disassociation, isolation and environments, and all of that speaks to what we’re going through now. That’s been interesting to see people’s reactions in terms of that.
Again, you can’t do anything about it. But I think that when lockdown first hit, there was a sense of like, “Oh, no. We’re going to be irrelevant.” I think that it’s been really, again, interesting. I don’t want to say good. Just this has been interesting to see that it feels the movie is hyper relevant.
Premiering Monday night during the NFL football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams was the first full trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series ‘Moon Knight,’ which begins March 30th and stars Oscar Isaac (‘Dune’) as the classic Marvel comic book character.
Commonly referred to as the “Batman of the Marvel Universe,” in the comics Moon Knight is a former Marine and CIA operative named Marc Spector, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and powered by the Egyptian Moon God Khonshu, becomes the vigilante known as Moon Knight. The character was created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, and first appeared in “Werewolf by Night” #32 in 1975.
Created by Jeremy Slater (‘The Umbrella Academy’), the six-episode series will be directed by Mohamed Diab (‘Cairo 678’), as well as Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (‘Synchronic’), and it is set in the MCU.
Oscar Isaac plays Marc Spector and the series will explore his different personalities, including Steven Grant and Jake Lockley, while the character “is drawn into a deadly war of gods with his multiple identities.” Ethan Hawke (‘The Magnificent Seven’) has signed on to play the show’s villain.
The trailer beings with Oscar Isaac suddenly waking up and finding himself chained to a bed. We discover that this is his Steven Grant persona and that he is seeing visions of things that are not there. “I think I’m losing it,” says the character in a voice over. “I can’t tell the difference between life and dreams.”
We then see him walking through an Egyptian exhibit at a museum and finding a ringing cell phone. A female voice says, “Oh my God! You’re still alive? What’s wrong with you, Marc?” Isaac’s character then says, “Why did you call me Marc?”
We are then introduced to Ethan Hawke’s character, who seems to be a cult leader. He says to Spector, “It must be very difficult the voices in your head. There is chaos in you.” We then see a series of action sequences including Spector holding a gun, driving a truck, running, falling off a cliff, in an asylum, and in Egypt. Then an unidentified voice says, “Embrace the chaos.”
We then see Spector forming into Moon Knight with his full white, comic book accurate costume. He violently beats up a bad guy, before turning directly to the camera and walk out of view with glowing white eyes. After the title card, we get one last shot of Moon Knight, in costume, jumping from one rooftop to another with the crescent moon behind him.
Marvel Studios also released the official poster for the series, which you can see in full below. ‘Moon Knight’ premieres on Disney+ beginning March 30th.
Actress Leslie Grace set the Internet ablaze late on Friday when she premiered on her Instagram account a first look photo of herself as Barbara Gordon in her full superhero costume for the upcoming HBO Max movie ‘Batgirl.’
The film is currently shooting in Scotland for a late 2022 release on the streaming service and will also see Oscar winner J.K. Simmons return as Barbara’s dad, Commissioner James Gordon, as well as Michael Keaton’s return as Bruce Wayne/Batman, after his upcoming appearance in November’s ‘The Flash.’
The photo reveals a purple and yellow Batgirl suit reminiscent of the costume the character wore in DC Comics’ 2011 reboot “The New 52,” which was also the template for most of the previous DCEU movies.
Grace also posted along with the photo a quote from the seminal 2003 series, “Batgirl: Year One” by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon. “I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me…and when their guard is down, and their pride is rising, let me kick their butts.”
Created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino for inclusion in the 1960’s ‘Batman’ TV show, the character made its debut first in Detective Comics #359 before appearing in the third season of the series in 1967.
In the comics, Gordon is eventually injured by the Joker, and becomes the paraplegic computer expert, Oracle. While there is no indication that this version of the character will appear in “Batgirl,’ Oracle has appeared in live-action television series including the 2002 show ‘Birds of Prey’ played by Dina Meyer, and more recently in the third season of ‘Titans,’ portrayed by Savannah Welch.
With ‘The Flash’ set to introduce the idea of the DC Multiverse, and bring Michael Keaton’s Batman back into the fold, it’s a little unclear which DC universe the movie will take place in. Simmons returning as James Gordon would indicate that it is a continuation of Zack Snyder’s DCEU, but Keaton’s inclusion, and not Ben Affleck’s, means all bets are off.
Premiering on HBO Max January 13th is ‘Peacemaker,’ a spinoff of James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad,’ which stars John Cena reprising his title role. We thought now would be a great time to look back at the best movies of John Cena’s career.
Welcome to hell a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them all of them.
On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary yellow VW bug.
When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal.
When a straight-laced couple that has fun with a rowdy couple on vacation in Mexico return to the States, they discover that the crazy couple they met in Mexico followed them back home and decide to play tricks on them.
When New Orleans Police Detective Danny Fisher stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multimillion-dollar heist, the thief’s girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind enacts his revenge, taunting Danny with 12 rounds of near-impossible puzzles and tasks that he must somehow complete to save the life of the woman he loves.
A group of diamond thieves on the run kidnap the wife of a recently discharged marine who goes on a chase through the South Carolinian wilderness to retrieve her.
(L to R) Haley Bennett and Peter Dinklage in ‘Cyrano’
After a one-week run in Los Angeles beginning December 17th, the new musical comedy ‘Cyrano,’ which is based on the 2018 stage musical of the same name, will open in wide release on January 28th. Directed by Joe Wright (‘Darkest Hour’), the musical is loosely based on the 1897 play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac,’ and stars Peter Dinklage (‘Avengers: Infinity War’) in the title role as a man unable of telling his true love how he really feels and instead helps another man win her love. In addition to Dinklage, the film also stars Haley Bennett (‘The Magnificent Seven’), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (‘Ender’s Game’), and Ben Mendelsohn (‘Captain Marvel’). The result is a really fun, entertaining and romantic musical comedy with unforgettable songs and a powerful performance from Peter Dinklage.
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Just like the original play, the film is set in 1640 Paris and begins with the introduction of the beautiful Roxane (Bennet), who attends a play with De Guiche (Mendelsohn), an officer in the French Army. The play is quickly interrupted by Cyrano de Bergerac (Dinklage), a cadet who is hopelessly in love with Roxane and trying to impress her. However, Roxane soon meets another cadet named Christian (Harrison Jr.) and falls instantly in love. She asks her Cyrano to introduce her to Christian and he reluctantly agrees. Christian has feelings for Roxanne too, but is too shy to talk to her. Eventually, Christian asks Cyrano for help winning Roxane’s love by writing romantic letters to her on his behalf. Fearing that Roxane could never love him because of his diminutive size, which has made him an outcast, Cyrano reluctantly agrees even though it breaks his heart. Meanwhile, De Guiche also has his eye on Roxane as well and threatens her new romance when he sends the cadets to the frontlines of the war. Roxane asks Cyrano to watch over Christian, but when he discovers Cyrano’s true feelings for her, it will threaten both of their lives.
Full disclosure, I had no idea this film was a musical when I saw it, I only knew that it was based on the classic literary character. I was pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful, fun and entertaining film this turned out to be. Joe Wright, who is best known for his movies like ‘Atonement’ and ‘The Darkest Hour,’ creates a large and colorful world with beautiful camera movements and an impressive production design. What really stuck with me is how unforgettable the music in the film is, which was composed by members of The National, Aaron and Bryce Dessner. I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of the songs from the film is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song this year. One of the best numbers in the film comes toward the middle of the third act and features Cyrano, Christian and their fellow soldiers signing as they prepare for war. The music is haunting and the way the sequence is cut together really highlights the significance of the moment. Also, keep an eye in this scene for ‘Once’ star Glen Hansard who plays one of the soldiers. The film’s opening number, “Someone to Say,” is also a show-stopper and a fun start to the movie.
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One of the clever concepts of the film, and the musical that it is based on, is that Cyrano is not an outcast because he has a large nose, but rather because of his size. This works exceedingly well, obviously because of the actor playing the role, but also because the old concept for making Cyrano an outcast seems so silly now. But Peter Dinklage plays the role beautifully giving his character other reasons for the way he is treated besides his size, such as his attitude and crass demeanor. But Cyrano is also kind of a badass in this version, with Dinklage’s character being a master fighter and marksman, and someone others would not want to cross. He also plays the character like he’s the smartest person in the room, which he usually is, and adds to his elitist attitude. The actor gives an absolutely brilliant performance and is definitely a frontrunner for an Academy Award nomination. I was also impressed with his singing ability, as the actor can carry quite a tune and is really terrific in all the musical numbers.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Ben Mendelsohn who has very strong acting scenes but struggles with his one musical number. The character is really the heavy in the film, a role the actor portrays well, so he really didn’t really need to have a song at all. That being said, no one plays a villain better than Mendelsohn and he is clearly having fun in his menacing role. In any retelling of this story, Christian is kind of a thankless role and Kelvin Harrison Jr. imbues the character with an innocence and naivety that makes him both vulnerable and relatable to the audience. Who hasn’t felt insecure around someone they are attracted to? As the attention of everyone’s affection, actress Haley Bennet is very sweet and charming, as well as a bit devious in the role. She is believable as a woman desired by several different suiters, but also totally believable as a woman who wants to choose her own destiny and find independence of her own. The actress is a very impressive singer and has great chemistry with Dinklage and Harrison.
Obviously, the Cyrano de Bergerac story has been adapted to film several times before, probably most memorably in Steve Martin’s 1987 comedy classic ‘Roxanne.’ While that was a modern-day adaption, oddly, ‘Cyrano’ seems like a more relatable film in 2021, even though it is set in 1640. The important issues the film tackles, the performances and the music give the movie a relatable feeling for today’s audience. The screenplay by Erica Schmidt is smart and funny and translates the material superbly. The film itself is gorgeous to watch, thanks to Seamus McGarvey’s sweeping cinematography. In the end, director Joe Wright delivered a fantastic rom-com musical based on the most unlikely source material, with wonderful songs and a career-highlight performance form Peter Dinklage.
(L to R) Ralph Fiennes and Djimon Hounsou in ‘The King’s Man’
Opening in theaters on December 22nd is director Matthew Vaughn’s ‘The King’s Man,’ which is a prequel to his 2014 movie ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and its sequel, ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle.’ The film tells the story of Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) and how he created the Kingsman during World War I to defeat a collection of history’s worst tyrants, including Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans). In addition to Fiennes and Ifans, the film also stars Harris Dickinson (‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’), Gemma Arterton (‘Quantum of Solace’), Djimon Hounsou (‘Captain Marvel’), Matthew Goode (‘Watchmen’), Daniel Brühl (‘Captain America: Civil War’), Charles Dance (‘Game of Thrones’), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’), and Stanley Tucci (‘The Hunger Games’). The result is an interesting premise that fails to recapture the energy and charm of the first movie, but still features some fun action sequences and strong performances from Fiennes and Ifans.
The movie starts pre-World War I and introduces us to Orlando Oxford (Fiennes), a former soldier now working with the Red Cross along with his wife and young son, Conrad (Dickinson). But when tragedy strikes the Oxford family, Orlando swears never to let Conrad near war again. Years later, King George, Kaiser Wilheim and Tsar Nicholas, the leaders of England, Germany and Russia, respectively, are on the brink of World War I, which is being engineered by a mysterious figure who leads a group of evildoers that includes Grigori Rasputin (Ifans), Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Bruhl) and Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner). King George eventually asks Oxford to assassinate Rasputin, which he agrees to do, and reluctantly brings Conrad to help. They are joined by Oxford’s staff, Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou), who are not the ordinary servants they seem to be and are actually well-trained fighters who can gather intel from a network of other servants around the world.
After the war begins, Conrad desperately wants to join the army and fight for England, but his father refuses, hoping he will keep fighting in the shadows by his side where Oxford can protect him. Eventually, Conrad defies his father’s wishes and joins the army, and is eventually sent to the frontlines. Meanwhile, Oxford, Polly and Shola work to crack Germany’s code and discover who is the sinister mastermind orchestrating the war. After Conrad risks his life to recover the intelligence needed to crack the code, Oxford and his team have new motivation to track down the mysterious villain and put a stop to the war, which in turn creates the Kingsman.
I really enjoyed ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ and was really excited about the prospect of seeing an origin story about the Kingsman, but the film falls flat and doesn’t have the same fun and charm as the first two movies. The characters are strong, and the action scenes are good, but there’s not much else to pull it together. The second act of the film basically becomes ‘1917’ or the “No Man’s Land” scene from ‘Wonder Woman’ and ceases to be a ‘Kingsman’ movie for about 20 minutes. It’s an odd turn in the film and doesn’t fit the tone of the rest of the movie. Without giving anything away, there is a specific choice made that affects a pivotal character before the beginning of the third act. While I understand it was done to motivate other characters, I disagree with taking the film in that direction and wish they had done something different with that character’s storyline. The film also blurs the lines between fiction and history, and the plot becomes confusing at times when you are unsure what is factual and what is made up.
There are also some pretty big-name actors including Stanley Tucci and Aaron Taylor-Johnson who make appearances but have very small parts, possibly signaling larger roles in future sequels, but it’s unfortunate that we have to wait for an additional film in order to see Oxford’s new team together. What does work in ‘The King’s Man’ are the characters and the performances from the impressive cast. Daniel Brühl is well cast as Erik Jan Hanussen but does not have enough to do in the role and is too similar to characters the actor’s played before in ‘Inglorious Basterds’ and the MCU projects. But it’s really Rhys Ifans as an unrecognizable Grigori Rasputin that steals every scene he is in. Ifans plays Rasputin as a Goth madmen, part psychopath and part con-man. Ifans is clearly having fun in the role and chews up the scenery in every scene he’s in. Matthew Goode is solid as Herbert Kitchener’s righthand man, but the character’s not-so-surprising turn in the third act could be seen from a mile away.
I’m a big fan of Gemma Arterton and am very happy to see her back on the big screen. As Polly, she gives a sweet and strong performance, but doesn’t have enough screen time, something that would perhaps be rectified in a possible sequel. Djimon Hounson is also quite entertaining in the thankless role of Shola, another interesting character that does not get enough screen time and is relegated to having a larger role in a sequel that may or may not ever get made. Harris Dickinson is really good as Conrad Oxford, and as an audience member you really relate to his struggles, which is why the character’s twist at the end of the second act is so unwelcome. Dickinson has great chemistry with Fiennes, and the two actors make a fun onscreen father and son pair.
But if the film works on any level, it is because of the commanding performance of Ralph Fiennes as Orlando Oxford. In many ways, ‘The Kingsman’ franchise is a spoof of James Bond movies, and in that way, it’s great to see ‘No Time To Die’s M in the “James Bond” role. Fiennes has the perfect attitude and personality for the character and shines as the first Kingsman. Unfortunately, Fiennes’ strong performance is at times undermined by the film’s confusing screenplay and unclear tone. In the end, director Matthew Vaughn has delivered an interesting concept of a prequel, with strong characters and terrific performances, that is lost under the weight of its own ambition and omits the fun and charm demonstrated in the rest of the series.
Opening in theaters on December 25th is the latest adaption of William Shakespeare’s classic stage play ‘Macbeth,’ which is directed by Oscar-winner Joel Coen (‘No Country for Old Men’) entitled ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth.’ The film stars two-time Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington (‘Glory’ and ‘Training Day’) in the title role, and three-time Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand (‘Fargo,’ ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ and ‘Nomadland’) as Lady Macbeth. In addition to Washington and McDormand, the cast also includes Corey Hawkins (‘Straight Outta Compton’), Brendan Gleeson (‘In Bruges’), and Stephen Root (‘Office Space’). The result is a smart and sophisticated retelling of the Bard’s classic play with stellar performances from Denzel Washington and Francis McDormand.
The film begins by introducing us to Macbeth (Washington), a Scottish lord who after battle meets three witches (all played by Kathryn Hunter). The witches predict that Macbeth will soon be King, and while skeptical, he begins to see their prophecy come true. He writes a letter to his wife Lady Macbeth (McDormand), telling her of the witches and the prophecy, and she encourages him to kill the King (Brendan Gleeson) in order for it all come true. Macbeth agrees and while the King is visiting their home, he hatches a plan to assassinate him. Once Macbeth is King, he becomes paranoid of losing the throne and commits a series of murders to try and cover up his assignation of the former King. Macbeth begins to see the ghosts of his victims, while Lady Macbeth suffers from the guilt of their crimes and goes mad. Distraught over his wife’s death, and misunderstanding the witch’s prophecy, Macbeth goes to war with England.
Joel and Ethan Coen are probably the greatest directing duo of all time. Their resume of films is truly incredible and includes such movies as ‘Raising Arizona,’ ‘Fargo,’ ‘The Big Lebowski,’ ‘No Country for Old Men,’ ‘Burn After Reading,’ ‘True Grit,’ ‘Inside Llweyn Davis,’ and ‘Hail, Cesar!’ But ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ marks the first film Joel Coen has made without his brother, and it is everything you would expect from the director. The film masterfully balances the strange and odd aspects that everyone loves about the Coen Brothers, while mixing it with the classic Shakespeare play. The film is shot in black-and-white, which seems to be in vogue this season after ‘Belfast’ and ‘C’mon C’mon,’ and is a brilliant choice that is appropriate to the source material. Coen uses a lot of quick cuts and interesting editing techniques to help the audience follow the source material’s intricate twists and turns.
The director also blocks the actors excellently, just like in a play, so every movement has gravitas and meaning behind it. He also uses close-ups really well, choosing to focus the camera on an actor’s face as they give a monologue directly to the audience. The production design is incredible, utilizing giant spaces with minimal setting, which doesn’t take away from the gravity of the performances. The lighting in the film is also well-done, and Coen really plays with the contrast between darkness and light, which makes for some visually stunning sequences. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, who also shot ‘Inside Llweyn Davis’ and ‘The French Dispatch’ really did an amazing job and deserves an Academy Award nomination. While I don’t expect Coen to be nominated for Best Director, it’s already a packed field, I do think the film is in the running for a Best Picture nomination, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Coen is gifted with a Best Adapted Screenplay nom.
The supporting cast is strong and handles the material well, especially Stephen Root, who is quite funny as The Porter. Brendan Gleeson gives a very good and pivotal performance as King Duncan, and has some excellent scenes with Washington and McDormand. Corey Hawkins is an actor I’ve had my eye on since ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ where he played Dr. Dre. It was a brilliant performance and since then the actor has appeared in ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ and ‘In the Heights.’ In this film, not only does the young actor have to recite Shakespeare’s words, but he also has to act opposite Denzel Washington, and he pulls off both with ease, giving an excellent performance as Macduff. I also want to mention actress Kathryn Hunter, who gives a wonderfully creepy and extremely physical performance as all three of the witches.
I also suspect that Oscar-winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand will probably both get nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, again this year. They both give jaw-droppingly good performances and while watching the movie you really realize how truly gifted they both are. It’s easy with Shakespeare to fall into the rhythm of his words and not really make them your own, or truly embody them, which is exactly what Washington and McDormand do. They both recite the dialogue perfectly, and you completely believe they are their characters, but at the same time, you never forget they are Denzel and Frances. It’s really remarkable to watch. Washington infuses Macbeth with his trademark cool, something the character has never had before. It’s in the dialogue and the way he walks, making the material fresh and new. McDormand is an absolute joy to watch, and the way she interprets particular lines is genius and comes from her own unique personality. The two also have an electrifying chemistry on screen together, and I hope that they will work together again someday.
However, the film is not without its faults. Shakespeare can be difficult for many to understand as the material is very dense, and while Coen did a great job interpreting the material cinematically, I could see it that it would be easy for some audience members to get lost. It may be a difficult watch for those not familiar with the original play, as it can be a confusing story, but for those who are familiar, it’s easy to follow. In the end, ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ is a thrilling and vibrant retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play, masterfully directed by Joel Coen and featuring transcendent performances from two of the greatest screen actors of all-time.
‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.
