Movie and TV show reviews

He isn’t discussing the process of persuading Warner Bros. to produce “Sinners,” a $90-million bluesy thriller set in the 1930s about vampires taking over a small Southern town, nor is he mentioning the unique deal with the studio that returns the film rights to him after 25 years. Instead, he’s elaborating on how they were able to produce this movie at all, and remarkably quickly too – from concept to creation in just three months. The movie “Sinners” will be released in theaters on Friday, which is almost a year since Imax cameras first started filming on location in Louisiana.

14 years have passed since the last film in the franchise was released, and HBO (now known as Max) plans to enchant us once more by re-imagining the original books. The story of the astonishing 11-year-old boy who learns he’s been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be shared anew, where he forms lasting friendships and confronts the sinister Voldemort. Here’s what we currently know about this eagerly awaited remake.

First published in 1990, Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” delved into the potential consequences if dinosaurs could be re-created using fossilized DNA and genetic engineering. It vividly portrayed the complexities and chilling implications of such a scenario. Subsequently, filmmaker Steven Spielberg brought it to life on the big screen in 1993, earning recognition as one of NASA’s most authentic sci-fi tales. The book was an enormous hit, spawning a massive franchise that includes films, TV shows, and countless other spin-offs. Even three decades later, “Jurassic Park” leaves us questioning whether such a reality might someday be possible.

The 11-episode show revolves around Yoon Ena, a high school student who finds her uncle’s dead body with a single jigsaw piece nearby. At first suspected, Ena resurfaces ten years later as a criminal profiler, and she is drawn back into a fresh wave of killings – all the victims linked by puzzle pieces reminiscent of those at her uncle’s crime scene.

One notable aspect of ‘Dead Mail,’ streaming on Shudder starting Friday following its premiere at SXSW in 2024, is that it explores familiar horror storylines without becoming a gratuitous display of psychosexual voyeurism. In truth, the film by writers and directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConoghy doesn’t fit neatly into all the boxes that would label it strictly as a ‘horror’ movie, but it undeniably has a horror-like feel. This peculiar story, humorously presented as being based on real events, follows Sterling Macer Jr. and John Fleck as two middle-aged men whose shared interests evolve into a chilling captor/captive situation. Set in the 1980s Midwest with a blend of ordinary drabness and eccentricity, ‘Dead Mail’ is an engaging thriller with a unique twist of dark humor.

While it’s true that many found-footage horror movies often end abruptly or leave viewers unsatisfied, this approach doesn’t always deliver the intended effect. These films aim to create tension and shared fear among viewers, with a climax as a release point, especially in the final act. Unfortunately, there are numerous instances where excellent found-footage productions, rich in potential, fail to conclude effectively.

Under the guidance of director Koto Nagata, a disciple of renowned filmmaker Shunji Iwai, this pulse-pounding chase thriller delves into Japan’s criminal underbelly as seen through the eyes of three young men over a gripping three-day period. The screenplay is adapted from Jun Nishio’s award-winning 2019 novel, with Kosuke Mukai, a winner of the Japan Academy Award, penning the script.

The threesome symbolizes the festival’s team’s portrayal as “a generation of narrators who are strongly linked to their audience, culture, and community,” reflecting MIFFest’s aim to highlight films addressing current matters while focusing on the future.

Currently, it’s scheduled for review whether the detailed risk evaluations conducted by the California State Parole Board comply with standards, following an order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom, as reported by the Associated Press.

Now, we know filming Reacher is not an easy task. During my interviews with the cast, Olivier Richters told me that both he and Alan Ritchson believed that the Paulie vs. Reacher fight was “the most physically demanding thing” they’d ever done. He also revealed that they’d spend 10 to 14 hours on set per day while filming it. It sounds like Sten’s days on Neagley are long and exhausting, too, as she posted this on her Instagram story: