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  • Movie Review: ‘Rosemead’

    Lucy Liu stars in 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    Lucy Liu stars in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    In theaters expanding its release on December 9 is ‘Rosemead,’ a taught, powerful new drama that spotlights the troubles of Asian American parents struggling to deal with mental health issues among their teenage children.

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    Directed by Eric Lin (the ‘Hearts Beat Loud’ cinematographer makes his directorial debut here), the ‘Rosemead’ cast is led by Lucy Liu (‘Kill Bill’), Lawrence Shou and Madison Hu (‘The Brothers Sun’).

    Related Article: Lucy Liu Talks ‘Rosemead’ and the Tragic True Story It Is Based On

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    Given that the true story it is based upon is full of tragedy and pain, you should certainly go into ‘Rosemead’ expecting some downbeat developments.

    But don’t let that deter you from a powerful and thoughtful movie that boasts a typically great performance from Lucy Liu, here fully taking the chance to shine in a difficult, nuanced role.

    Script and Direction

    Director Eric Lin on the set of 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    Director Eric Lin on the set of ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    With a script from Marilyn Fu (‘The Sisterhood of Night’) which also features additional writing from director Eric Lin, ‘Rosemead’ has its roots in an L.A. Times article by Frank Shyong about a Laotian mother living in the US who discovered her teen son’s disturbing fascination with school shootings even as he lived with schizophrenia.

    Director Lin finds the sensitivity in the story, focusing on an aspect of Asian American life not often touched upon, and bringing it to screens with the plenty care and thoughtfulness.

    Cast and Performances

    (L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    Lucy Liu is the clear standout here; given the chance to really show what she can do as an actor, she proves she’s more than capable of filling out a character and bringing real heart and depth to a complicated person.

    She’s well supported by Lawrence Shou, who makes his feature film acting debut, and has the equally tough job of portraying her son, Joe, who grapples with his own demons.

    Final Thoughts

    Lucy Liu stars in 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    Lucy Liu stars in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    ‘Rosemead’ is a painfully sad story, but also a vital one, and has urgent things to say about the lack of communication between different generations of families, but particularly in the Asian American communities where silence can be as dangerous as fraught emotion.

    ‘Rosemead’ receives 72 out of 100.

    (L to R) Lawrence Shou and Lucy Liu star in 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Lawrence Shou and Lucy Liu star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    What’s the story of ‘Rosemead’?

    Lucy Liu stars as Irene, who takes drastic measures to protect her troubled teenage son (Lawrence Shou).

    As his dark obsessions grow and time runs out, she is forced to make impossible choices: how far will she go and what is she willing to sacrifice?

    Who is in the cast of ‘Rosemead’?

    'Rosemead' opens in theaters on December 5th.
    ‘Rosemead’ opens in theaters on December 5th.

    List of Lucy Liu Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Rosemead’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Lucy Liu Movies on Amazon

  • ‘Rosemead’ Exclusive Interview: Lucy Liu

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    Opening in theaters on December 5th is the new drama ‘Rosemead’, which is based on a true story and directed by Eric Lin and starring Lucy Liu (‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’) and Lawrence Shou.

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    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Lucy Liu about her work on ‘Rosemead’, her first reaction to the screenplay and the true story it is based on, her approach to her character, her character’s relationship with her son, and working with director Eric Lin.

    Lucy Liu stars in 'Rosemead'.
    Lucy Liu stars in ‘Rosemead’.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Liu, Lawrence Shou and director Eric Lin.

    Related Article: Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan Talk Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’

    Lucy Liu stars in 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    Lucy Liu stars in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and true story that it is based on and as a producer and actress why you wanted to tell this story?

    Lucy Liu: This project was just heartbreaking when I read it. The fact that it was based on a true story crushed me. I signed on for many different reasons. I think one of them was that this is a movie that is just not in the lexicon for our community, and I think it’s a universal message behind it. For that reason alone, it was crucial because I think that there’s so many other movies that are made about women or about families, but not for our community.

    MF: Can you talk about how you prepared both emotionally and physically for this role?

    LL: I think the preparation beforehand with the language was the most taxing part of it. But it also brought me into the performance because I was able to tether the performance to my own lineage and my history of my family, of where they came from, where their parents came from, and the struggle and the trauma of coming over to this country. Also then having to deal with racism and stigmatism and the separation of what this woman felt from her own community, I think was what was so devastating to me.

    (L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: Can you talk about the relationship between Joe and his mother and what it was like creating that on screen with Lawrence Shou?

    LL: Lawrence did an unbelievable job. This is his first foray into feature films. He’s incredibly talented and just a wonderful person. He’s all new and he’s just open and receives anything around him. I think for me, working together on this project, most of the people in it were from the Asian community and most of the people spoke the language. It was just a really nice place to be after being in the business for over 30 years and seeing how intimate and how special it could be. It also opened conversations within our own crew about our own personal stories of things that we’ve experienced, whether it was mental health or otherwise. So, I haven’t had that very often because normally you’re busy running around, kicking down a wall or whatever it is, or climbing a wall. So, it’s nice to have a nice connection with people in a different way, in a more intimate way.

    MF: Finally, can you talk about your experience collaborating with director Eric Lin on set both as a producer and actress?

    LL: Eric was able to really start from page one, and he came on very early and he was able to really digest it, and he has his own personal stories about why he wanted to do this movie. So, I think understanding that everyone had a struggle from somewhere, he was able to weave that into this movie and make it authentic and make it something that was able to be received in a way, and to gently bring that performance out of all of us without forcing it. He really understood the ability to generate what he needed in a kind and beautiful way.

    Director Eric Lin on the set of 'Rosemead'. Photo: Vertical.
    Director Eric Lin on the set of ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.

    What is the plot of ‘Rosemead’?

    In a race against time, an ailing woman (Lucy Liu) is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s (Lawrence Shou) violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others, in this portrait of a Chinese American family.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Rosemead’?

    'Rosemead' opens in theaters on December 5th.
    ‘Rosemead’ opens in theaters on December 5th.

    List of Lucy Liu Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Rosemead’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Lucy Liu Movies on Amazon

  • ‘Dead of Winter’ Interview: Emma Thompson and Judy Greer

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    Opening in theaters on September 26th is the new action thriller ‘Dead of Winter’, which was directed by Brian Kirk (’21 Bridges’) and stars Emma Thompson (‘Cruella’) and Judy Greer (‘Halloween Kills’).

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    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Emma Thompson and Judy Greer about their work on ‘Dead of Winter’, their first reactions to the screenplay, their approach to their characters, working together and the challenges of shooting on the ice.

    Emma Thompson stars in 'Dead of Winter'.
    Emma Thompson stars in ‘Dead of Winter’.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interviews.

    Related Article: Emma Thompson to Star in Action Thriller ‘The Fisherwoman’

    Emma Thompson in 'Dead of Winter'. Photo: Vertical.
    Emma Thompson in ‘Dead of Winter’. Photo: Vertical.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you both talk about your first reactions to the screenplay and why you both wanted to be part of this project?

    Emma Thompson: Well, it was a surprising screenplay to be sent, to be honest. Then I I started reading. My first thought was, “Oh, good, she doesn’t say anything.” I love movies where you don’t have to say anything, because then you can just think stuff and the camera finds it. I love that. Then she suddenly said a lot and I thought, “Oh, God, I’m going to have to really learn how to speak Minnesotan if I do this.” I then for some reason or other, I read the story and I omitted somehow to process accurately in my brain, quite how much running around and action there was in the film. I just thought that the writing was so great. I said yes, and then I spent six months dreading it, thinking, “What have I done? Oh, no, I’m going to be in the cold for months. Why? Why did I do this? There are other things out there where I could be in an office or something.” But you know what? It was the most extraordinary life experience. Never mind professional one, because there we were on a frozen lake in the north of Finland, 60 kilometers away from the Russian border, thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. It was insane, you know? It was just insane. It’s 10 feet of snow when you fall into it, which I did, frequently.

    Judy Greer stars in 'Dead of Winter'.
    Judy Greer stars in ‘Dead of Winter’.

    Judy Greer: My first reaction was that I wanted to be a part of it when I got the email, and it said Emma Thompson. So, I said I would do it. Then, when I read it, and I saw the role, I thought maybe it was sent to me by mistake because no one ever sends me roles like this. I was assured that it wasn’t. I probably cried a little if I’m being honest because I was so excited and so proud. Then I met with Brian Kirk, the director and I fell deeply in love with him. He’s about the nicest, funniest guy, but then he directs these movies that are so complicated and intense. So, I’m interested in that person, always, who’s telling these stories. Yeah, it was just a character I’d never been offered before with one of my idols.

    MF: Can you also both talk about filming in Finland and the challenges of shooting in those weather conditions?

    ET: Well, it was the same for everybody because the point is, where we were shooting was so remote that there’s no nice hotel just down the road and there’s no Winnebago, there’s no where you can go to have a nice hot chocolate or get your feet warm. You just had to endure it. So, the way I prepared for it was to just go a month early, put my costume on and live in it for a month in the cold, just go for walks, you know, snowshoeing, walking around, doing cross- country skiing, learning how to do that, and digging into the ice. I spent a month doing that and talking to Minnesotans in Minnesota. So, it was the combination of that landscape, that Finnish landscape, which is very similar to Minnesota, because it’s the same latitude. And learning from the Minnesotan women and men who were so generous with their time, about what that kind of weather’s really like and how you must behave. You know, for instance, how essential your gloves are. We spent a lot of time talking about gloves. There are three sets of gloves. She must wear gloves if she’s dealing with a metal thing, because if you put your hand on that cold metal, it will stick to the metal. It’s extraordinary. Meanwhile, we’re surrounded by all these huge Fins who are basically chain sawing into the ice and clawing out these huge pieces of ice with their bare hands. I mean, these people are crazy tough, you know?

    Judy Greer in 'Dead of Winter'. Photo: Vertical.
    Judy Greer in ‘Dead of Winter’. Photo: Vertical.

    JG: It was totally easy. It was totally not a challenge at all. You should interview the crew. Honestly, they are the real superheroes of this movie because of what they had to do. I am not being hyperbolic, it was Herculean. They were lugging all the film equipment on sleds up these snowy mountains to start the day and then down the snowy mountains to end the day. There were not a lot of bathrooms. There’s a lot of layers of clothing. We got to sit in warming tents. They never did. As soon as they would put out hot coffee, it would get cold. I mean, it was just never ending, but it was also so beautiful. I mean, the first time I walked on that frozen lake, I couldn’t believe it. You can see it in the movie, but that is what we saw every single day. It was stunning for miles and like so quiet and peaceful and beautiful. But then sometimes we’re all standing on this frozen lake, and you would hear these booming sounds. It was the ice breaking, and that’s kind of freaky to someone who lives in southern California, but all you must do is look at a Finnish person and see that they don’t even flinch. It’s like when there’s turbulence and the flight attendants are still talking to each other and laughing and stuff, and you’re like, “Okay, we’re fine”. Like if you’re standing on a frozen lake and there’s booming sounds coming from under the lake and the Finnish people are cool, then it’s cool. Then you know you’re okay.

    Emma Thompson in 'Dead of Winter'. Photo: Vertical.
    Emma Thompson in ‘Dead of Winter’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: Emma, can you talk about the resilience of your character and why she takes action to protect this girl that she doesn’t even know?

    ET: I think that her resilience comes from having been brought up in the way that she’s been brought up. I mean, her moral gauge is extremely simple, humble, American, a straightforward life where she’s loved somebody very much and been loved very much. She’s had a very rich life from that point of view, with a lot of tragedy in it, but the normal tragedy, human tragedy, because all life contains loss and grief. She’s really does appreciate what she’s had, I think. She’s been formed by the landscape that she’s grown up in, and by the stories, one of which she tells this girl about her grandparents. Because I imagine her life was tough, but she’ll say, “Well, that was nothing compared to my grandmother. You know, she had to give birth under ice.” You know, you just don’t know what people had to go through. So, I think that was her. That was the important thing about her is that she couldn’t have left that child. No one, none of us would have left that child. I mean, those of us who’ve grown up in, you know, like where I grew up, would have died, obviously, in the attempt, just of cold. But Barb is of the landscape, she was born and brought up there. She knows what to do and she’s not only resilient, but she also has a great cunning to her as well. So, you can see that, she’s had a life where she’s not no fool.

    MF: Judy, can you talk about your approach to your character and how you were able to justify her actions and motivations in your own mind?

    JG: Well, I find that I do fall for every character I play. But I don’t often play characters that do things that I would never do. But I love finding a reason why they do it. This one, even though she seems kind of like a demon, it was easy because she’s just desperate to stay alive. When you think about it, we’re all desperate for something, you know? So, it’s not that hard to tap into that desperation. I mean, physically, it can be trying, with the feeling of being so desperate for this one thing. In this character’s case, it’s keeping herself alive. In every character I’ve played, it’s something different. So, in that sense, she’s a lot like everybody else, you know, she just goes about it and in not maybe a respectful way.

    Emma Thompson in 'Dead of Winter'. Photo: Vertical.
    Emma Thompson in ‘Dead of Winter’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: Finally, Judy, what was Emma Thompson like to have as a scene partner on this film?

    JG: She’s perfect in every way. She exceeded my expectations as an artist and as a person. I knew I would love being on set with her. I knew she would inspire me and bring out the best in me. What I wasn’t sure about was what it would be like to hang out with her and be stuck in a northeastern Finnish town for a month. She’s just the coolest. She’s so fun and so funny. She’s so kind and so generous. She takes care of everyone around her. She’s never not caregiving. I just loved her. I feel like me as a person in my life is better from having spent two months with her on this movie. And I’m a better artist because of it too.

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    What was the plot of ‘Dead of Winter’?

    A widowed fisherwoman (Emma Thompson), travelling alone through snowbound northern Minnesota, interrupts the kidnapping of a teenage girl. Hours from the nearest town and with no phone service, she realizes that she is the young girl’s only hope.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Dead of Winter’?

    • Emma Thompson as Barb
    • Judy Greer as Purple Lady
    • Marc Menchaca as Camo Jacket
    • Laurel Marsden as Leah
    'Dead of Winter' opens in theaters on September 26th. Photo: Vertical.
    ‘Dead of Winter’ opens in theaters on September 26th. Photo: Vertical.

    List of Emma Thompson Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Dead of Winter’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Emma Thompson Movies On Amazon

  • ‘The Threesome’ Interview: Zoey Deutch and Cast

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    Opening in theaters on September 5th is the new romantic comedy ‘The Threesome’, which is directed by Chad Hartigan (‘Little Fish’) and stars Zoey Deutch (‘Zombieland: Double Tap’), Jonah Hauer-King (‘The Little Mermaid’), and Ruby Cruz (‘Willow’).

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    Zoey Deutch stars in 'The Threesome'.
    Zoey Deutch stars in ‘The Threesome’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Zoey Deutch, Jonah Hauer-King and Ruby Cruz about their work on ‘The Threesome’, Deutch’s first reaction to the screenplay and why she wanted to work with director Chad Hartigan, Hauer-King’s take on his character’s unusual situation, and what Cruz learned about threesomes from her research.

    You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Deutch, Hauer-King and Cruz, as well as Jaboukie Young-White and director Chad Hartigan.

    Related Article: Zoey Deutch and Kendrick Sampson Talk ‘Something from Tiffany’s’

    (L to R) Jonah Hauer-King, Zoey Deutch, and Ruby Cruz in 'The Threesome'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Jonah Hauer-King, Zoey Deutch, and Ruby Cruz in ‘The Threesome’. Photo: Vertical.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Zoey, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of your character that you were excited to explore on screen?

    Zoey Deutch: First impression was that it was a very strong script with a very strong director behind it, and I thought that he was an interesting and different choice to be the captain of that ship. I was really excited about that pairing, and I had been wanting to work with Chad the director for a long time. So, immediately after reading it, I reached out to him and asked him if he would be interested in meeting with me. I have this thing when I’m reading scripts that it’s like my body knows before my mind. There’s a lot going on here and my body, it doesn’t lie. Whenever I’m reading and I start to just speak out loud the lines, that’s always an indicator for me that I need to do this and I really want to do this, and that’s what happened. The second I started reading it, the words were just like flowing out of me as I was reading it. I loved the cadence and heard the way that she spoke, the dialogue, the relationships, and how nuanced it was.

    Jonah Hauer-King stars in 'The Threesome'.
    Jonah Hauer-King stars in ‘The Threesome’.

    MF: Jonah, can you talk about the unusual situation Connor finds himself in and how he navigates through that?

    Jonah Hauer-King; I think it’s something that he’s not expecting. I think ultimately, he finds himself in a position where he must grow up very quickly and take responsibility for his actions. However intentional or not, he needs to take responsibility and try and be a good person and do the right thing in that quite complex delicate situation. He gets it wrong on several occasions, but he tries to right the ship and I think a lot of the story for him is about learning from those mistakes and trying to be a better person to both Olivia and Jenny. So, I really like that about him. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself too much at the time and any time there is a little bit of self-pity, he kind of drags himself out of it and realizes that there’s more important things that play and this isn’t about him. It’s very much about two other women and potentially bring new life into the world as well. So, I think he bit by bit starts to become a bigger man.

    Ruby Cruz stars in 'The Threesome'.
    Ruby Cruz stars in ‘The Threesome’.

    MF: Ruby, it seems like Jenny is caught in the middle of Olivia and Connor’s relationship. Can you talk about that and your approach to playing the character?

    Ruby Cruz: I think when I was doing my research on threesomes, I learned about the term called “The Second Fiddle”. The Second Fiddle is the person in a threesome who doesn’t get as much attention, and that’s what Jenny is. Jenny is the third in this story. I think it was just relating to how she feels like the third in her life as well. She feels like they’re characters in her own life. After the first read of the script, I realized that, and I thought that was a very interesting way to feel. I was excited to dive into that.

    'The Threesome' director Chad Hartigan.
    ‘The Threesome’ director Chad Hartigan.

    MF: Zoey, you mentioned that you had wanted to work with director Chad Hartigan for a long time. Now that you have, what was that experience like for you?

    ZD: So disappointing. I’m kidding. He was the best. I love him, I think he is such a wonderful human being, and one of my favorite things about him is how much he truly appreciates every single person involved and walks the walk and talks to talk about collaboration. There is no hierarchy with him. He wants everyone to feel invested, involved, and like their opinion matters. I saw that from the second I started working with him all the way to now, and I loved working with him. He’s just a wonderful filmmaker and a film lover. So totally, very grateful that I got that opportunity.

    (L to R) Zoey Deutch, Ruby Cruz and Jonah Hauer-King, in 'The Threesome'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Zoey Deutch, Ruby Cruz and Jonah Hauer-King, in ‘The Threesome’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: Finally, Jonah, what was your experience like working with director Chad Hartigan and did he give you room to improvise on set?

    JHK: Yes, and I think that was partly down to the fact that when you have characters that are as well drawn as these ones, it is very subtle and it’s quite nuanced to how the story develops, how that all relates to one another, and the energy of a particular scene can be made very different with different types of performance. It was always about calibrating in this moment, like how emotional is Connor being or how difficult is he being? That was true for all the characters. Then that was a fun job for Chad in the edit to work out the emotional beats of the story and he had more to work with. Because it wasn’t like this is the exact point that the character is going through, or these are the exact beats that we’re going to hit through the story. He had more wiggle room to play around with it. That came very naturally to both Zoey and Ruby. I think that’s probably what they would do on any film anyway, they would provide different takes and different things. So, I think that came very naturally to them, and then I just had to keep up.

    (L to R) Ruby Cruz, Zoey Deutch, and Jonah Hauer-King in 'The Threesome'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Ruby Cruz, Zoey Deutch, and Jonah Hauer-King in ‘The Threesome’. Photo: Vertical.

    What is the plot of ‘The Threesome’?

    Connor (Jonah Hauer-King) wants to start a real relationship with Olivia (Zoey Deutch). While out on a date, the two meet Jenny (Ruby Cruz), one thing leads to another, and they have a threesome. In a strange twist of fate, both Jenny and Olivia end up pregnant.

    Who is in the cast of ‘The Threesome’?

    'The Threesome' opens in theaters on September 5th.
    ‘The Threesome’ opens in theaters on September 5th.

    List of Zoey Deutch Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘The Threesome’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Zoey Deutch Movies on Amazon

  • ‘My Mother’s Wedding’ Interview: Kristin Scott Thomas

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    Opening in theaters on August 8th is the new comedy drama ‘My Mother’s Wedding’, which was directed and co-written by actress Kristin Scott Thomas (‘The English Patient’ and ‘Slow Horses’).

    In addition to Thomas, the film stars Scarlett Johansson (‘Jurassic World Rebirth’), Sienna Miller (‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’), Emily Beecham (‘Cruella’), and Freida Pinto (‘Slumdog Millionaire’).

    Related Article: Scarlett Johansson and Jason Schwartzman Talk Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’

    Kristin Scott Thomas directs, co-writes and stars in 'My Mother's Wedding'.
    Kristin Scott Thomas directs, co-writes and stars in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kristin Scott Thomas about her work on ‘My Mother’s Wedding’, developing the screenplay from her own life story, which characters she relates to the most, how her experience as an actress informed her work as a director, working with the cast, and shooting the complicated wedding sequences.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Thomas and Emily Beecham.

    Kristin Scott Thomas in 'My Mother's Wedding'. Photo: Vertical.
    Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’. Photo: Vertical.

    Moviefone: To begin with, I understand the film is loosely based on your own life. Can you talk about the process of writing the screenplay with John Micklethwait and did you always intend to make this project your directorial debut?

    Kristin Scott Thomas: They always say, “write about what you know”, and I know this story very, very well in that the experiences that these girls, in particularly, the character played by Scarlett Johansson, had, as children, were my experiences. So, all the memories that Catherine has in the film are my memories. This aspect of my life has been touted quite a lot during every time there’s a profile written about me, they’d have this little paragraph about my tragic childhood. Now that I’m grown up, I felt, well, hang on, it’s my turn to tell this story. So, here we go. So, what we did from there was to use my memories of my father and my stepfather and use them as a kind of catalyst if you like, to tell a story that is pretty much invented about these three women who returned to their childhood home to witness their mother getting married for the third time to a man who they find frankly disappointing. But their own love lives are all in turmoil. The fact that their mother is so deliriously happy, you know, makes some sort of quite comedic moments.

    MF: Do you feel that there is a little bit of you in each character, or was there one character specifically that you can really relate to?

    KST: Well, I think when you’re creating something, certainly as an actor, I know there’s always a tiny bit of me in it, there’s a tiny bit of my next-door neighbor, or there’s a tiny bit of, you know, we’re like magpies. We see things that we like, and we gather them all, and we put them into characters when we’re an actor. So, when you’re a writer, I think it’s the same thing. You know, you’re inventing a character, but I’m inventing it from things I’ve seen and things I’ve experienced during my life. So, I think there’s a bit of me in in everything, really, in all of them. Certainly, the character of the mother is somebody, I’d love to be that kind of a mum, you know, really sort of forthright and knows what’s what. I’d love to be so certain as she is.

    (L to R) Scarlett Johansson, Emily Beecham and Sienna Miller in 'My Mother's Wedding'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Scarlett Johansson, Emily Beecham and Sienna Miller in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: With all your experience as an actress collaborating with directors on different sets, do you think that informed the way you worked with your actors as a director on this set?

    MF: I think it did. I think that I was very aware. If I started off making the film very much as an actress, as an actress directing a film, and then little by little, I got into the groove of being the one answered the questions and just made the decisions. But to begin with, I was very conscious of the actor’s needs. So, I had a way of sort of shorthand in talking to them and managing to explain what I would really like to see. But if they wanted to bring anything else, you know, great. That’s what I saw, I saw an enormous amount of sort of invention on their part and their imaginations were inspired and it went well.

    MF: Finally, as difficult as a film can be to produce, so is a wedding, and you had to do both for this movie. Can you talk about shooting the wedding sequence?

    KST: Oh, that was fun. I mean, as an actor, I’ve always sort of dreaded those big set pieces, because you sit around for hours, and you get bored and all. So, I tried to make it as relaxed as possible, and I tried to make it as mobile as possible. So, you don’t get stuck in one thing. So, you kind of jump around a bit, and there are sweet moments and quite funny moments. I tried to keep it as kind of busy as possible, towards the beginning anyway, to set it all up, and to keep it all kind of a bit feverish. So, that’s what we were aiming to do and then this glorious moment when Geoff (James Fleet) sings, when everyone just goes, “What’s he going to do”? He’s singing and then there’s the relaxing into it, because he’s so brave to get up there and sing this rather affecting song. You know, you have nothing but admiration for him, even though he’s not a singer. You’re touched by that. You’re moved by that. It was so generous of him.

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    What is the plot of ‘My Mother’s Wedding’?

    Three sisters (Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham) return to their family home to attend the wedding of their twice widowed mother Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas). All three sisters have had different life experiences, with Georgina being a palliative nurse, whilst Victoria is an actress, and Katherine is a captain in the Royal Navy.

    Who is in the cast of ‘My Mother’s Wedding’?

    • Scarlett Johansson as Katherine
    • Sienna Miller as Victoria
    • Emily Beecham as Georgina
    • Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana
    • Freida Pinto as Jack
    • James Fleet as Geoff
    (L to R) Emily Beecham, Sienna Miller, Kristin Scott Thomas and Scarlett Johansson in 'My Mother's Wedding'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Emily Beecham, Sienna Miller, Kristin Scott Thomas and Scarlett Johansson in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’. Photo: Vertical.

    List of Kristin Scott Thomas Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘My Mother’s Wedding’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Kristin Scott Thomas Movies on Amazon

  • Movie Review: ‘Fight or Flight’

    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    ‘Fight or Flight’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.

    Opening in theaters May 9th is ‘Fight or Flight,’ the new action comedy which sees Josh Hartnett playing a scruffy American agent roped into tracking down and keeping a high-value asset safe.

    Directed by James Madigan, the movie also stars Charithra Chandran, Katee Sackhoff, Julian Kostov and Danny Ashok.

    Related Article: Josh Hartnett Talks ‘Fight or Flight’ and Shooting the Action Sequences

    Initial Thoughts

    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    An action movie with a line of dark, often bloody humor that puts an anti-hero with a crisis of confidence in an enclosed location where he must track something down with assassins all around him?

    Based on that basic premise, you might suspect that we were talking about 2022’s ‘Bullet Train,’ which saw Brad Pitt in a similar position.

    That move boasted the star power of Pitt, with director David Leitch, who has wrangled together the likes of ‘Atomic Blonde,’ ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,’ and, of course, the first ‘John Wick.’

    Here, in place of Pitt we have Josh Hartnett, and in the director’s chair is James Madigan, who came up as a second unit director and visual effects supervisor. He’s worked on the TV likes of Marvel’s ‘Runaways,’ but here makes a solid debut as the one calling the shots (and punches, and death-by-food tray) for a movie.

    Script and Direction

    (Right) Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    (Right) Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    The screenplay, from ‘How it Ends’ writer Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona, who has mostly had acting jobs in movies such as ‘Shazam!’ on his resume, certainly sets out its intentions early, digging right into liberal swearing and a darkly comic tone while also rolling out some of the better-used tropes of action movies such as this.

    It certainly does enough work to sketch out a world like this, and the smart choice to set the movie within the cramped environs of the plane amps up the tension, even as the jokes look to subvert that at every turn.

    (L to R) Charithra Chandran and Josh Hartnett in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Charithra Chandran and Josh Hartnett in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    Nothing here is likely to win awards, and it doesn’t have the polish of more mainstream action comedies, but it’s not really looking to model itself after those, preferring the wilder beats of something along the lines of 2006’s ‘Crank.’

    As a filmmaker, Madigan clearly knows his way around a set-piece, and he brings the fight scenes to life with appropriate zeal, even if the look of the movie, lensed by Matt Flannery, tends to have a fairly basic sheen. And while Madigan throws a lot into the stunts, the actors themselves are usually left with more perfunctory material, the basic threads that string the clashes together.

    Cast and Performances

    (L to R) Charithra Chandran and Josh Hartnett in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Charithra Chandran and Josh Hartnett in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    Josh Hartnett is clearly in his “go crazy and have fun” era and between this and M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap,’ it’s certainly an entertaining one so far. Throwing vanity and caution to the wind as the bleached blond, frequently drunken and often in trouble burnout Lucas Reyes, he can also bring (and accept) the pain when called upon.

    Reyes, a former Secret Service agent with a dark backstory (albeit one also with a big conscience), is an entertaining character for him to play, and Hartnett throws himself into the role with gusto.

    Charithra Chandran as Isha in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    Charithra Chandran as Isha in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    Charithra Chandran is absolutely on his level (and sometimes better) as flight attendant Isha, who discovers that her latest journey is going to be more eventful than a passenger demanding snacks. She’s got some winning chemistry with Hartnett –– never so dull as to be romantic –– and can also handle herself when the moment arises.

    Likewise Danny Ashok, who is appealingly nervy as her fellow staff member Royce, called upon to deal with the dead bodies that start to stack up.

    (L to R) Katee Sackhoff as Katherine Brunt and Marko Zaror as Chayenne in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Katee Sackhoff as Katherine Brunt and Marko Zaror as Chayenne in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    Katee Sackhoff doesn’t have enough to do as the mysterious and ice cold Katherine Brunt, but she certainly seems to be having fun in the part, delivering lines with the requisite level of calm demeanor and no-nonsense vitriol.

    Around them, the likes of JuJu Chan Szeto and Hughie O’Donnell add flavor to the movie in relatively small roles.

    Final Thoughts

    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    ‘Fight or Flight’ seems destined to be compared to the work of Leitch and his old ‘Wick’ collaborator Chad Stahelski, not to mention the movies they’ve produced such as ‘Nobody’ and ‘Love Hurts,’ which saw unexpected action types thrown into challenging situations.

    For all the weird tics he’s allowed, Hartnett is a more conventional hero and despite some more ridiculous action moments (one sequence near the end seems to be channeling the ‘Evil Dead’ movies, and stretches even this movie’s flexible believability to breaking point), he’s never going to compete with the likes of Keanu Reeves.

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    What’s the plot of ‘Fight or Flight’?

    Exiled American agent Lucas Reyes (Josh Hartnett) is given one last chance to redeem himself –– the assignment is to track down and identify a mysterious, international high-value asset known only as The Ghost on a flight from Bangkok to San Francisco.

    Complicating matters, the plane is filled with assassins from around the world who are assigned to kill them both. The pair must work together in a fight for their lives. At 37,000 feet, the stakes have never been higher.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Fight or Flight’?

    • Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes
    • Charithra Chandran as Isha
    • Julian Kostov as Aaron Hunter
    • Katee Sackhoff as Katherine Brunt
    • Marko Zaror as Chayenne
    • Rebecka Johnston as Rebecca
    • Danny Ashok as Royce
    • Hughie O’Donnell as Garrett
    • Irén Bordán as Mrs. Nazareth
    • JuJu Chan Szeto as Master Lian
    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in 'Fight or Flight'. Photo: Vertical.
    Josh Hartnett as Lucas Reyes in ‘Fight or Flight’. Photo: Vertical.

    List of Josh Hartnett Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Fight or Flight’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Josh Hartnett Movies on Amazon

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  • Movie Review: ‘In The Lost Lands’

    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    ‘In The Lost Lands’ receives 2 out of 10 stars.

    Opening in theaters March 7th is ‘In The Lost Lands,’ directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista, Arly Jover, Amara Okereke, Fraser James, Simon Lööf, and Deirdre Mullins.

    Related Article: Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella Talk Action-Comedy ‘The Killer’s Game’

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich in 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich in ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    No one is ever going to mistake filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson for, say, Paul Thomas Anderson. Or any other cinematic craftsperson of note for that matter. But with his latest misfire, ‘In The Lost Lands,’ Anderson veers precipitously close to drawing comparisons with the likes of Uwe Boll – not a pleasant prospect for a director once capable of at least some moderately enjoyable C-level fare like ‘Event Horizon’ or that one ‘Resident Evil’ entry you liked.

    Based on a 1982 story by George R.R. Martin – one of the ‘Game of Thrones’ mastermind’s earliest attempts at fantasy – ‘In The Lost Lands’ wants to be an epic. But Anderson’s ambitions (he shares screen story credit with scriptwriter Constantin Werner) exceed his grasp perhaps more so than ever before, stranding stars Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in a sludge of cheap CG, flat characterizations, and a nonsensically convoluted narrative. Two months into 2025, ‘In The Lost Lands’ is easily one of the year’s worst and a new low for its creators.

    Story and Direction

    (L to R) Dave Bautista, director Paul W. S. Anderson, and Milla Jovovich on the set of 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Dave Bautista, director Paul W. S. Anderson, and Milla Jovovich on the set of ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    Untold years after human civilization has destroyed itself, leaving only ancient ruins, Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) is a witch with the ability to create illusions in people’s minds. She is also unable to refuse anyone’s wish or request – for a price — among other somewhat nebulous talents. Alys is tasked by the Queen (Amara Okereke) of the City Under the Mountain – the last refuge of humankind – with venturing into the Lost Lands outside the city limits in order to find a rumored werewolf; Gray Alys, you see, can somehow draw out the creature’s shape-shifting powers, which Queen Melange covets (this is a future where science and magic are interchangeable to some degree).

    To aid her on her dangerous journey, Alys (coincidentally also the name of Jovovich’s most famous character, Alice from the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise) procures the services of an enigmatic hunter named Boyce (Dave Bautista), who’s been to the Lost Lands and lived to talk about it. Almost as soon as they set out on their quest, however, the city’s fanatical religious leader, Patriarch Johan (Fraser James), incensed by the Queen’s recruitment of a witch, sends his own troops out to stop Alys, led by the sadistically cruel Ash (Arly Jover).

    Since this is based on a George R.R. Martin story – one that seems to be a sort of short test run for his later, more massive ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ novels – there are layers of deceit, betrayal, and subterfuge involved, with most of the principal characters plotting against one another. But the characters are so lazily drawn from familiar archetypes, with many of the actors striving to ingest as much of the scenery as possible, that the story becomes needlessly complicated and heavy-handed, trying to give itself a weight it doesn’t have.

    And none of this is helped by both the film’s clearly low-budget production values and Anderson’s own handling of both the material and the film’s look. Imagine one long cutscene and that is pretty much what ‘In The Lost Lands’ resembles – except that the 1990s called and wants its cutscene back (avid gamer Anderson has never escaped that milieu as a filmmaker). The CG on constant display – from the monsters to the explosions to the backgrounds — is laughably horrendous, while the film’s muddy gray-and-sepia visual palette would exhaust even Zack Snyder’s weary eyes, as would the now-trite speeded-up slo-mo battle scenes. We get that ‘In The Lost Lands’ is supposed to take place in a dark, almost mythical world, but there’s no attempt here to even anchor that world in the most basic kind of naturalism for audiences to cling to.

    The end result is a movie that’s ugly to look at, steeped in visual effects that are glaringly poor, and full of people we don’t care about either killing or undermining each other, with none of it having the gravity or even melodramatic sweep the director clearly thinks he’s giving it.

    Cast and Performances

    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista on the set of 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista on the set of ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    ‘In The Lost Lands’ marks Milla Jovovich’s seventh collaboration with her husband, Paul W.S. Anderson, following four of the six original ‘Resident Evil’ entries, ‘The Three Musketeers’ (2011), and ‘Monster Hunter’ (2020). We’re not here to judge that decision or her taste, but the truth is that while Jovovich’s action chops are indisputable and she’s even showed flair as an actor in movies ranging from her 1997 breakout, ‘The Fifth Element,’ to 2010’s ‘Stone,’ even she seems bored here. Jovovich delivers most of her lines in a monotone, and the character’s vague motivations and abilities don’t give her much room in which to stretch further than that.

    As for Dave Bautista, aside from one or two moments in which his stock in trade – the intimidatingly massive man with the wounded soul inside – gets to shine through, he’s similarly hampered by the thudding script and lack of depth in the material. A twist involving his character seems pretty obvious long before it happens, and even the nature of his ultimate fate is confusing in the film’s near-incoherent closing moments.

    The rest of the cast – mostly little-known names plucked from various European countries – are asked to scream, rage, and vamp to make up for the lack of anything else to do.

    Final Thoughts

    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    We’re awarding the movie its meager two stars for its actual two stars, Jovovich and Bautista, who both can hold the screen even in some of the direst circumstances. But we can’t give any credit to the director, who wants desperately to stretch his resources and the source material (which is shorter than many of Martin’s later, gargantuan works) but simply doesn’t have the imagination to do it.

    In its own way, ‘In The Lost Lands’ is a seamless fit into Anderson’s filmography, which includes such mind-numbing fare as ‘Mortal Kombat‘ (1995), ‘Alien vs. Predator’ (2004), the ludicrous 2014 historical drama ‘Pompeii,’ and of course those ‘Resident Evil’ programmers. Just like many of those, ‘In The Lost Lands’ is derivative of many other, better properties (the more recent ‘Mad Max’ movies and, of course, ‘Game of Thrones’ among them), only done in an even more bargain-basement, knockoff style than before. This one’s a lost cause.

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    What is the plot of ‘In the Lost Lands’?

    A queen, desperate to find happiness in love, takes a daring step: she sends the powerful and feared witch Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) to the “Lost Lands” to give her the magical gift of turning into a werewolf. With the mysterious hunter Boyce (Dave Bautista), who supports her in the fight against dark creatures and merciless enemies, Gray Alys roams an eerie and dangerous world. And only she knows that every wish she grants has unimaginable consequences.

    Who is in the cast of ‘In the Lost Lands’?

    (L to R) Director Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich talk 'In the Lost Lands'.
    (L to R) Director Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich talk ‘In the Lost Lands’.

    List of Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich Movies:

    Buy Tickets: ‘In the Lost Lands’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Milla Jovovich Movies On Amazon

    Buy Dave Bautista Movies On Amazon

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  • ‘In the Lost Lands’ Exclusive Interview: Dave Bautista

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    Opening in theaters on March 7th is director Paul W. S. Anderson’s (‘Alien vs. Predator’ and ‘Pompeii’) ‘In the Lost Lands’, which stars Dave Bautista (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’) and Milla Jovovich (‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Resident Evil’), and was adapted from a short story by George R. R. Martin (‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘House of the Dragon’).

    Related Article: Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella Talk Action-Comedy ‘The Killer’s Game’

    Dave Bautista stars in 'In the Lost Lands'.
    Dave Bautista stars in ‘In the Lost Lands’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Bautista about his work on ‘In the Lost Lands’, exploring the world of George R. R. Martin, the pressure that brings, acting opposite Milla Jovovich, and working on the VFX heavy project.

    You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Bautista, Milla Jovovich, and director Paul W. S. Anderson.

    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what was it like for you to explore the world created by author George R. R. Martin?

    Dave Bautista: Well, my first reaction reading the script was, “I love Boyce because he’s kind of that cowboy I’d been searching for.” Even though this wasn’t necessarily a Western, he just felt like he was ripped straight out of a Western. I loved that and I played him like that, and I thought about this film as, “This is my Western.” Initially, that was what drew me to the character. I just thought Boyce was cool, he’s a cool cowboy. Being George R. R. Martin’s first film comes with a lot of pressure that I’m really starting to feel. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but only because I want to live up to his standard, the standard that he set. He’s obviously very successful and I’m a fan. I don’t want to let people down, I don’t want to let him down, and I don’t want to let the fans down because I know they have high expectations. But those high expectations, they come with a price and that price is a lot of pressure.

    (L to R) Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich in 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich in ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: Just to follow up, did you feel that pressure while making the movie or are you still feeling it now as the film is being released?

    DB: I’m starting to feel it now because now it’s starting to become real. Obviously, we did this film a couple of years ago and we’ve been going through the whole process of filming, edits, sales and whatnot. Now, because it’s going to be released very soon, and I’m also starting to get feedback on the film, it’s now real. Also, I really struggle with this and it’s just a personal thing, but I always feel like I become a better actor, a better performer after every project. I’ve done this project, and we did a while ago now, so now when I go back and I look at it, I think, “Oh, I would’ve done this different. I would’ve done that different.” I’m critiquing myself and I’m picking myself apart. That’s just my self-conscious nature, I guess. But again, I don’t want to let any of his fans down. He’s obviously got a massive fan base and I don’t want to let anybody down. So that’s just the pressure that comes with it.

    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista in ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: Can you talk about the bond that Boyce and Gray Alys create together on this journey and what was it like for you working opposite Milla Jovovich?

    DB: It was awesome. I love Milla and I love her husband, Paul. They just made it so comfortable and just so easy. I had talked with Paul a lot before we did the film, and I knew that I was just going to have the time of my life working with him, but I didn’t really meet Milla until we started filming. If I’m a fan of people that I’m working with, I always try to just get it out of the way, and I hope that they’re receptive. If they’re not, and it makes them uncomfortable, then I must approach things differently. But she was so receptive of it, and she never really treated me like I was just a fanboy. She treated me like I was her peer and her equal and her co-star, so it just felt super comfortable. So, these are the kind of experiences that you pray for as an actor because it’s not always this great, but every day going to work on this film just felt like I was going to play with my friends. It was a very collaborative atmosphere and a lot of freedom. It was just fun.

    (L to R) Dave Bautista, director Paul W. S. Anderson, and Milla Jovovich on the set of 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Dave Bautista, director Paul W. S. Anderson, and Milla Jovovich on the set of ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    MF: Finally, when you are working on a project like this that is so VFX heavy, is there an adjustment you must make for yourself as an actor?

    DB: There have been those experiences, but not so much on this one because even though I couldn’t see the big world that was around me, a lot of the immediate world was there for us, it was on stage. Also, it’s really about relationships, especially with Gray and Boyce. Working with Milla, you just kind of get sucked into those moments. The director worries about that, and he has his vision. He knows what that’s going to be, but as an actor, I just kind of get sucked into what’s there in front of me, what I can work with. I’ve had to adjust, but typically, they were on different projects. The Marvel stuff, there’s a lot of adjusting, a lot of adjusting. Even somewhat with ‘Dune’, there was some adjusting, but this one, not so much. I think what we needed to work with as far as performers are right there in front of us, it was all there for us. It was made very easy. But also, this was a very no-pressure film. I didn’t have that pressure of a big Marvel film or a big ‘Dune’-type film. There wasn’t the same type of pressure. This was very much, I don’t know, it felt like a family project where it was very contained and there were only a few people that I was working with every day and interacting with. So, it just felt very contained, very intimate, and very comfortable.

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    What is the plot of ‘In the Lost Lands’?

    A queen, desperate to find happiness in love, takes a daring step: she sends the powerful and feared witch Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) to the “Lost Lands” to give her the magical gift of turning into a werewolf. With the mysterious hunter Boyce (Dave Bautista), who supports her in the fight against dark creatures and merciless enemies, Gray Alys roams an eerie and dangerous world. And only she knows that every wish she grants has unimaginable consequences.

    Who is in the cast of ‘In the Lost Lands’?

    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista on the set of 'In the Lost Lands'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista on the set of ‘In the Lost Lands’. Photo: Vertical.

    List of Dave Bautista Movies:

    Buy Tickets: ‘In the Lost Lands’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Dave Bautista Movies On Amazon

  • Movie Review: ‘Your Monster’

    (L to R) Tommy Dewey and Melissa Barrera in 'Your Monster'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Tommy Dewey and Melissa Barrera in ‘Your Monster’. Photo: Vertical.

    Opening in theaters on October 25th, ‘Your Monster’ is that age-old story of girl-meets-monster, girl-hates-monster, monster-wins-girl-over, girl-starts-to-assert-herself. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “have I heard this one before?”

    All right, so probably not, since what writer/director Caroline Lindy has here worked up something that feels fresh and different, even as it plays with well-established genres and ideas such as jealousy, self-doubt and whether the monster in your closet could be a romantic partner.

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Abigail’ 

    Is ‘Your Monster’ a satisfying beast?

    Lindy’s film uses the genre trappings to introduce us idea of Laura (played by ‘Scream’s Melissa Barrera) who, despite her stage ambitions, has mostly shuffled through life as a quiet, unassuming person who uses performing and music to express herself. She’s going through cancer treatment, and as if that wasn’t enough, her composer/director boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan) has just broken up with her.

    Yet in spite of everything going on, Laura finds the heart and gumption to apply for the lead in the musical that she essentially helped Jacob create, only to discover he’s giving the main role –– written for her –– to someone else. At the same time, she meets the monster that has been living in her mother’s house for years, and who scared her as a child.

    Initially, it’s an awkward roommate situation, but then they both start to catch feelings (it doesn’t hurt that Tommy Dewey’s creature looks like he could be related to Ron Perlman’s Vincent from the 1980s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ series).

    Script and Direction

    (L to R) Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey in 'Your Monster'. Photo: Vertical.
    (L to R) Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey in ‘Your Monster’. Photo: Vertical.

    As writer and director, Lindy has a strong grip on her vision for a movie that mixes horror, romance and comedy together, while also saying salient things about the way women are treated, especially in show business and how some people just need to really find their own voice.

    It’s such a layered, entertaining film that gets its messages across while also finding time to be zany and emotional all at the same time. And even the musical that is being written –– Jacob’s pretentious, preachy ‘House of Good Women’ is actually a solid show you could imagine hitting the stage. It’s the layers and details such as those that make this work to a higher level.

    Visually, it does a lot with a relatively thrifty budget, and some moments, such as Laura finally making her way into the monster’s world beyond where she thought her closet extended, a place festooned with missing items from the house, is brought to life in impressive fashion.

    Performances

    The movie provides showcases for its leads that, if there were any justice, would be star-making roles.

    Melissa Barrera as Laura

    Melissa Barrera in 'Your Monster'. Photo: Vertical.
    Melissa Barrera in ‘Your Monster’. Photo: Vertical.

    Barrera has been proving for a while that she’s got what it takes as an actor, putting in solid work in the more progressive likes of TV series ‘Vida’ or franchise fare such as the ‘Scream’ movies. ‘Your Monster’ hews more towards the former, giving her the chance to excel and it’s one that she really takes hold of to full effect.

    Her Laura is initially a wallflower, but she blossoms thanks to her own strength and some support from her new beau, though given how complicated her story turns out to be, the character is more than your average protagonist.

    Tommy Dewey as the Monster

    Tommy Dewey in 'Your Monster'. Photo: Vertical.
    Tommy Dewey in ‘Your Monster’. Photo: Vertical.

    Dewey has similarly been proving that he’s a star in the making given the chance; anyone who has seen him steal scenes in this year’s ‘Saturday Night’ knows that. ‘Your Monster’ has even more for him to do, and he’s great in the role of the grumpy yet sensitive beast who has spent far too long lurking in the shadows.

    And as with Barrera’s character, the Monster is a performer when he needs to be, with Dewey delivering everything from Shakespeare to showtunes at times.

    Supporting cast

    Edmund Donovan is both slimy yet believable as Jacob –– he’s a man with some clear talent (even if he lets his ego get in the way most of the time) and you can understand why Laura might have fallen for him in the first place.

    As Mazie, Laura’s brash, outgoing best friend, Kayla Foster does a lot in a relatively small part that, like some of the others, breaks free from what could be a standard character.

    Likewise Meghann Fahy is great as Jackie Dennon, who appears when we first meet her to be every inch the charismatic Broadway star but is revealed to be a mass of insecurities and far more human than her initial gloss might suggest.

    Final Thoughts

    Tommy Dewey in 'Your Monster'. Photo: Vertical.
    Tommy Dewey in ‘Your Monster’. Photo: Vertical.

    This is Caroline Lindy’s directorial debut, but she’s been working for year as an actress and has made both shorts and episodes of TV. She’s a refreshing voice who will hopefully enjoy a long career as a filmmaker, because on the strength of ‘Your Monster,’ she has more than earned it.

    With luck, ‘Your Monster’ will find its audience, and though it may turn out to be more of a cult it, it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible, if only to prove that genre mash-ups such as this can still be impactful and inventive.

    ‘Your Monster’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.

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    What’s the story of ‘Your Monster’?

    ‘Your Monster’ is the story of soft-spoken actor Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera), who is dumped by her longtime boyfriend (Edmund Donovan) while recovering from surgery and retreats to her childhood home to recover.

    With her future looking bleak, insult is added to injury when Laura discovers her ex is staging a musical that she helped him develop.

    But out of these gut-wrenching life changes emerges a monster (Tommy Dewey) with whom she finds a connection, encouraging Laura to follow her dreams, open her heart and fall in love with her inner rage.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Your Monster’?

    • Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco
    • Tommy Dewey as Monster
    • Edmund Donovan as Jacob
    • Kayla Foster as Mazie
    • Meghann Fahy as Jackie Dennon
    Melissa Barrera in 'Your Monster'. Photo: Vertical.
    Melissa Barrera in ‘Your Monster’. Photo: Vertical.

    Other Melissa Barrera Movies and TV Shows:

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  • Movie Review: ‘Lee’

    Kate Winslet 'Lee'. Photo: Roadside Attractions & Vertical.
    Kate Winslet ‘Lee’. Photo: Roadside Attractions & Vertical.

    Opening in theaters September 27th is ‘Lee,’ directed by Ellen Kuras and starring Kate Winslet, Josh O’Connor, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård, and Marion Cotillard.

    Related Article: Kate Winslet Talks ‘Lee’

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) Marion Cotillard and Noemie Merlant in 'Lee'. Photo: Kimberley French.
    (L to R) Marion Cotillard and Noemie Merlant in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.

    Lee Miller is considered one of the greatest and most important war photographers of the 20th (or any) century, with her images from World War II – the horrors inside a concentration camp, the unspeakable contents of an abandoned train on its way to one of the camps, the haunted faces of both soldiers and survivors – not only indelible but crucial to documenting the defining cataclysm of modern human civilization.

    And while ‘Lee,’ the new film from first-time director Ellen Kuras, doesn’t skimp on the visual side either, it follows a very predictable path that is the curse of all biopics these days: the film bounces from incident to incident, bound to a repetitive show-and-tell structure that recounts a lot of Miller’s adult life yet never delves deeply into their meaning or emotional aspects. The result is more museum piece than motion picture.

    Story and Direction

    (L to R) Andy Samberg and Kate Winslet in 'Lee'. Photo: Kimberley French.
    (L to R) Andy Samberg and Kate Winslet in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.

    Like most biopics these days, ‘Lee’ begins in the middle of the story – in this case, Miller’s first time shooting photos on a battlefield – and then flashes back to tell us how she got there. Or rather, it flashes both back and forward: the movie then sets up a future timeline in which an aged Miller (Kate Winslet) grudgingly tells her story to an interviewer (Josh O’Connor from ‘Challengers’) who apparently has no idea of her life’s work.

    This intrusive narrative device (which it took four credited writers to decide upon) recurs throughout the film, as does a gravelly voiceover from Winslet, both of which signal than the film is going to lead us gently by the hand through the narrative instead of letting it unfold on its own terms.

    Even with that, by the time the main thrust of the story gets going, we meet Miller when she has already abandoned her early career as a fashion model in the 1920s and ‘30s and struck out as a photographer in her own right. She’s first seen hanging out topless (along with other women) at a picnic in France, but we have little context for this or the bohemian group of friends she’s with. “I was good at drinking, having sex, and taking pictures, and did all three as much as I could,” says Miller in what’s supposed to be character development.

    ‘Lee’ is the kind of biopic that expects us to have done our homework beforehand – when Miller meets the love her life, Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård), their almost perfunctory tumble into bed mere hours later seems more baffling than erotic. But Winslet and Skarsgård never quite have the time to develop any real chemistry onscreen after that.

    Alexander Skarsgard in 'Lee'. Photo: Kimberley French.
    Alexander Skarsgard in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.

    Miller keeps fighting for the chance to go to Europe to shoot the escalating war, but the U.K.’s patriarchal rules of the day forbid it, until she goes around her British editors at Vogue and appeals to her American ones. “It happened so slowly, yet kind of overnight,” says Miller in her voiceover about Hitler’s conquest of Europe, which plays out offscreen during a montage of Miller’s days at Vogue before she finally gets the nod to go to Europe and catch up to the movie’s opening scene.

    The bulk of the film is set during Miller’s time near or on the front, where she heads out with fellow photojournalist David Scherman (Andy Samberg) — who may or may not be in love with her but who remains a strictly platonic friend and colleague — to chronicle the war. From there, the movie takes us episodically through the staging of a handful of Miller’s most famous photos, while touching tangentially on sexism, Miller’s own alcoholism (although she seems to conquer both with relative ease), and the fraying of her marriage to Penrose.

    The film’s third act is saddled with not one, not two, but three reveals, all of which come far too late in the game. One is a scene between Miller and her Vogue editor, Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough), in which Miller confides a devastating episode from her childhood but seems here almost like an afterthought. The other two depend on the film withholding information in a way that makes them seem like cheap tricks rather than important twists.

    Ellen Kuras, a longtime cinematographer making her feature directorial debut here, shoots ‘Lee’ beautifully as one might expect, with the early sun-drenched vistas of France giving way to the darker grays, browns, and blues of a war-devastated Europe. But Kuras, like the cast, can’t get around the checklist nature of the script to make us truly feel or understand anything that happens in the film.

    The Cast

    (L to R) Noemie Merlant, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Alexander Skarsgard in 'Lee'. Photo: Kimberley French.
    (L to R) Noemie Merlant, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Alexander Skarsgard in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.

    If you’re not already in the camp that regards Kate Winslet as one of the greatest actors of her generation, then ‘Lee’ is not the place to start (we’d go with ‘Mare of Easttown,’ ‘Little Children,’ or ‘Mildred Pierce,’ for starters). It’s not that Winslet isn’t as terrific as always here – she is. Her Lee is a fighter all the way, but only has a couple of scenes in which to fully showcase the scope of both her humanity and her own motivations. The Lee Miller we see in the film only comes to life sporadically, and is seemingly driven only by the needs of the narrative.

    The rest of the cast falls prey to another typical biopic convention: cast enough well-known actors as people we’re supposed to know, and let their star wattage do the work. Everyone is good as far as it goes, but the film has this air of pre-supposing that you’ll know who Marion Cotillard’s Solange d’Ayen is and fill in the blanks yourself. Only the chameleonic Riseborough makes somewhat of a lasting impression as British Vogue editor Audrey Withers. There is also the token “comic actor taking on a serious role that will surprise you” – in this case it’s Andy Samberg as David Scherman, who again has no real life save that he follows Lee around like a puppy.

    Final Thoughts

    (L to R) Andrea Riseborough and Kate Winslet in 'Lee'. Photo: Kimberley French.
    (L to R) Andrea Riseborough and Kate Winslet in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.

    The problem with telling the story of someone’s life is that life itself is an often-rambling journey, full of highs and lows and rarely imbued with the kind of dramatic turns or climactic moments that are necessary for a film. As a result, most biopics run the risk of seeming shapeless and haphazard even as they follow a formulaic structure that tries to whip the events of the subject’s life into shape (this is why, say, Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ is more successful, in that it focuses on one crucial episode in the subject’s life rather than encompassing them all).

    As fascinating and complicated as Lee Miller apparently was, and as important as her work was to understanding an event that nearly brought civilization to its knees and realigned the world order for the foreseeable future, ‘Lee’ doesn’t have the narrative real estate to give us anymore than a snapshot of either the woman or her exploits. The result is a staid, self-important “and then this happened, and then we went here” approach that will leave most viewers, ironically enough, without a clear image of who Lee Miller was.

    ‘Lee’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.

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    What is the plot of ‘Lee’?

    Lee Miller (Kate Winslet) goes from a career as a model to enlisting as a photographer to chronicle the events of World War II for Vogue magazine.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Lee’?

    • Kate Winslet as Lee Miller
    • Marion Cotillard as Solange d’Ayen
    • Andrea Riseborough as Audrey Withers
    • Andy Samberg as David Scherman
    • Noémie Merlant as Nusch Éluard
    • Josh O’Connor as Antony Penrose
    • Alexander Skarsgård as Roland Penrose
    Kate Winslet stars in 'Lee'.
    Kate Winslet stars in ‘Lee’.

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