#land of bad movie russell crowe

[nellarw95]

Happy Birthday Russell 🥳🎂🎈🎁🎉

April 7,1964

Buon Compleanno 🥳🎂🎈🎁🎉

7 Aprile 1964

[kimberly-stocks]

Land of bad is premiering today!!

Milo plays John Sweet, whose nickname is Sugar, most likely because of the last name 😄 to me he's a sergeant Sugar Daddy 😏

Watch the behind the scenes clip. There's a lot of Milo in it 😍

[liamhsource]

New poster for Land Of Bad with Liam, Russell Crowe, Ricky Whittle, Luke Hemsworth and Milo Ventimiglia. Out in 2024.

[talkingfandomsintheemptiness]

Russel Crowe being nominated for a Razzie Award the same week Milo will be promoting Land of Bad live on tv is just oof. So bad.

That poor man will be grilled about his life for a movie that already seems like it's going to flop hard.

Milo has no luck with his movies.

Hopefully we'll hear about new projects coming soon.

At least we'll see our handsome boy on our screens.

[vintagewarhol]

[reelvibes91]

War Zone: Into the Heart of the Land of Bad

With War movies, sometimes it is hard to pull off emotional depth and a hard-hitting war story at the same time. Land of Bad sure did not have any issues making this both a character drive drama and a high stakes war film.

The style of the film was very well done. In this movie, we have a team of 4 men sent on a rescue mission. When something goes wrong, the lone remaining member (Hemsworth) must rely on a drone Captain (Crowe) to help him navigate his way to safety.

Hemsworth is great as the young, inexperienced soldier who is relying on the veteran Captain Eddie, aka Reaper. Crowe is top form as he talks about College Basketball , cracks jokes about Vegans, and tries to talk the lone soldier through a harrowing ordeal.

What really helps elevate this film is that during the high stakes war drama, Reaper is dealing with the impending arrival of his child. It adds a human element to the film as it reminds us that while war takes a toll, everyone not on the front lines has personal things going on.

Action is always a big part of how a movie like this comes together, and for the most part, here it looked great. One small gripe is that they used too much slow motion to convey the scope of each missile dropped. It worked for the first one as it really showed the impact the eyes in the sky have on war. It also highlighted a conversation two of the characters had about technological warfare vs hand to hand combat. After that first use, though, it did slow down all the major action sequences and created somewhat of a pacing issue. That is my only issue with this near 2 hour film, though, so that is by no means a deterrent from recommending this film.

The reasons to see this movie far outweigh the small issues created by the decisions made in post-production. It has an easy to follow storyline with intense scenes of violence that war movies should have. Hemsworth and Crowe do a tremendous job adding to that tension with brilliant acting performances. This is one of the better war movies that has come out in recent memory. If this is the kind of movie you enjoy, give it a chance.

[kacic1]

A todos, boa noite!

Hoje convido vocês a visitarem Os Filmes do Kacic, para conferir minha crítica sobre este empolgante thriller de ação estrelado por Liam Hemsworth, Milo Ventimiglia e Russell Crowe, e que estreia nos cinemas brasileiros no dia 22 de fevereiro. Texto imperdível e sem spoilers!

Crítica: ZONA DE RISCO (LAND OF BAD) | 2024

[jonathanmoya1955]

Land of Bad:

The Avenue MOVIE INFO: Starring Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth, a covert Special Forces operation in the South Philippines spirals into a brutal 48-hour battle for survival. When an elite extraction team is ambushed deep in enemy territory, rookie officer Kinney (Hemsworth) is left outnumbered but determined to leave no man behind. With an air strike closing in, Kinney’s only hope hinges on…

[newsvi]

Land of Bad Movie Trailer (2024)

🌟 Explosive stunts, gripping storyline, and adrenaline-pumping excitement – Land Of Bad has it all! 🚁 Watch the trailer now and buckle up for the action-packed ride of the year.

[hqitm]

Land of Bad Movie Trailer (2024)

[blairbarely]

Gladiator II, to its credit, isn’t the kind of movie you can lob a single, sweeping complaint at. Do you think Paul Mescal is a step down from Russell Crowe as the titular gladiator? The movie seems to preemptively shrug at that critique by sliding Denzel Washington into the antagonist role previously held by Joaquin Phoenix. And sure, Phoenix was brilliant in the first movie, but let’s be honest: casting Denzel in place of almost any actor from the past 40 years is like upgrading from a bicycle to a jet.

So no, you can’t walk out of Gladiator II and say, “The new cast doesn’t hold up to the original.” The movie doesn’t just sidestep that complaint—it dares you to even try making it.

The screenplay isn’t flawless, but it works its alchemy well enough to keep you invested, making sure you care just enough for the big moments to land. The arc that stands out—the one between Hanno (MESCAL), Acacius (PASCAL), and Lucilla (NIELSEN)—is a perfect example. By tying Acacius directly to Lucilla, the returning character we already love, the movie pulls a sly narrative trick: it asks us to sympathize with Acacius while also rooting for Hanno’s quest for revenge against him.

For much of the movie, it feels like Pascal is working overtime to inject depth into a character that, at its core, exists more as a plot device than a fully realized person. But then there’s his final showdown with Mescal in the Colosseum, and suddenly, it all lands. That fight carries an emotional weight Pascal has been building toward the entire time, delivering something surprisingly profound in the end.

And let’s be honest: there’s an extra charge for the audience here, especially for Game of Thrones fans, who can’t help but feel the ghost of Oberyn Martell lurking in every step Pascal takes into that arena. Watching him in period costume, once again fighting for his life, adds a meta-layer of intensity and heartbreak that makes the scene hit even harder.

While we’re being honest, let’s address the elephant in the room. I mentioned it earlier, and now feels like the right time to dive in: I sincerely hope this is a one-and-done experiment for Paul Mescal. Don’t get me wrong—he’s not bad. Far from it. He brings layers of emotional depth to his performance that most actors his age wouldn’t even think to attempt.

But the entire time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d rather be watching him in literally any other kind of movie. It’s not that he doesn’t belong in Gladiator II—he’s good enough to hold his own—but we already have enough action stars. Sure, a sword-and-sandals epic is a far cry from joining the Fast & Furious family, but here’s my truth: I’d rather anyone else made this movie, because Mescal should be making the kinds of films that only he can make.

You want to prove to the world you’re a full-blown movie star? Amazing. Do it. But what I really want is for you to make another Aftersun.

[kimberly-stocks]

When the movie first came out it got 52% on rotten tomatoes, which made it rotten, getting a lot of negative comments from critics. As of today, the movie got 60% good reviews, which is enough to change the status to fresh. Yay! Finally, his movie got a somewhat decent score. Because the rest of his filmography looks kinda bleak

[liamhsource]

HD. New official movie trailer for Land Of Bad starring Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle and Milo Ventimiglia. Only in theaters February 16, 2024.

[the-cat-chat]

August 31, 2024

Land of Bad (2024)

When a Delta Force team is ambushed in enemy territory, a rookie officer refuses to abandon them. Their only hope lies with an Air Force drone pilot as the eyes in the sky during a brutal 48-hour battle for survival.

Warning: Review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

JayBell: Where oh where did it all go wrong? I’ll tell you where. The STUPID phone sequence. The movie started out pretty strong. I felt attached to the characters—Liam Hemsworth aka Froot Loop is like little bro to the team. Russell Crowe is the old, wise mentor and the dynamics are established early on.

I think it's a unique idea to focus on drones in the field and the connection between drone operators stationed away from the action. Lots of military movies don’t shine a light on that specific aspect of modern warfare.

Okay now the phone. The movie establishes early on about the inability for these obnoxious immature military personnel to answer the phone or even act like adults, which is an odd thing to portray in a military movie anyways.

I think this whole phone fiasco at the end (which I think is an attempt to create suspense) should be removed entirely from the movie. The whole cutting back and forth from the phone to Russell Crowe at the store is silly and a waste of time. Also the speech Russell Crowe has at the end felt forced and cringy. I felt actual secondhand embarrassment for his character. Don’t force feed dialogue like that to make the audience feel something. Let the story and the relationships you build between the characters do their job on their own.

Plus he takes a golf club to the tv, and in the end, what does this accomplish? The immature assholes don’t get punished or reprimanded and Russell Crowe is the one who looks crazy. In fact, i would also remove the entire plot line of Russell Crowe having a problem with authority and his fellow colleagues that contributes to the phone scenario.

Here’s what I would have done. Realllly focus on the relationships. The relationship between Liam aka Froot Loop and his team is there. And there is the beginning of the relationship between him and Russell Crowe, as well as Russell Crowe and his work partner. I would have Russell Crowe be in the chair for the entirety of the movie “with” Froot Loop until his eventual rescue. No phone sequence, no weird confrontations with the superiors. Have more heartfelt conversations like the brief one they did have about their home town and dead fathers. Make that the soul of the movie.

Because what’s interesting in the movie is the relationship between these two officers, both dedicated to a common goal, one who is far away and desperately trying to protect his new friend.

Keeping Russell Crowe in the chair, removing the phone sequence and those weird confrontations with superiors, leaves room for this relationship as well as more relationship between Russell and his work partner.

Also they try to throw in this deeper message of drone versus human killing and I think it’s shallow. The bad guy is also underdeveloped and boring.

I'm sad because it had so much potential. Also, I have to admit I'm sad because he never finds the Froot Loops.

Rating: 5.5/10 cats 🐈‍

Anzie: I had no idea on what this was beyond army guys and a huge cast- plus I noticed Russell Crowe since we just watched Gladiator. But can I say what I didn’t expect was for them to like allll “die” instantly. That being said I also thought a good 15 minutes in about it being Chris Hemsworth??? And then I was like Liammmmm??? I always forget about him. And you know who else I forget about the otherrrrr brother. But I do have to say it was such a bold power move to cast those two in a role together and act like they aren’t brothers.

Speaking of- the acting is really great- you don’t think oh that’s Russell Crowe or whatever bc everyone really gets into their roles. And can I sayyyy Russell Crowe’s character’s backstory is a doozy. So many children. Anyway. The plot is cool- even tho at times lost their actual mission bc that quickly just turned into “get off the island alive.” And can I say that mission is utterly gory. I closed my eyes at times. Like a baby.

Now. My biggggggg problem. Alllll those losers watching basketball. Now listen. Say you’re so dumb big shot doing heavy operations for the UNITED STATES GoVeRNmenTttt. If the phone rings and you know people are on a mission where they’ve all either been killed or are being chased just how about one person answers the phone. No take it off the hook. I think between all of the one guys mustache had more brain cells. And you know what. I’m sooooo glad Russell Crowe’s character took that golf club to that stoopid tv and berated them like the children they are. I was so sick with rage at the thought that bc they were watching sports everyone would die. And I knowww they couldn’t end it on that bc that’s so obviously not cool. But I’m reallllly glad they all made it out alive and everything. The onnlllly thing that would’ve made it better is if the drone team and the actual rescue team met in the end. But I can’t get everything I want righhht?

Rating: 7/10 Cats 🐈‍⬛

[grigori77]

Movies of 2024 - My Pre-Summer Rundown (Part 2)

The Top Ten:

10.  LAND OF BAD – Remember back in 2020 when I heaped praise on the harrowing deep sea horror thriller Underwater, the first proper studio movie from up-and-coming writer-director William Eubank, after he’d become one of my one-to-watch rising star filmmakers with his first two, definitively INDIE sci-fi movies Love and The Signal?  I’m sure my regulars will … anyways, he’s shed the more outlandish genre trappings for his fourth feature, but none of his winning auteur flair, robust atmospherics and deft skill at crafting meaty action sequences, this time turning his already deeply assured artistic hand to cranking out a good old fashioned action flick, and the results are as impressive as previous showings.  This one definitely has the strongest star power to date, what with the new Netflix Witcher himself, Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games) putting in a typically solid action hero showing as Sgt. “Playboy” Kinney, a young US Air Force TACP officer who finds himself attached to a small Delta Force team braving Philippines jungle to rescue a captive CIA asset from an imbedded terrorist cell; Russell Crowe, meanwhile, chews the scenery as Capt. Eddie “Reaper” Grimm, the grizzled, OCD-riddled drone pilot assigned to provide overwatch and air support throughout the operation.  Needless to say, when things go badly wrong and Kinney finds himself alone in the bush with angry hostiles hot on his heels, Grimm becomes his only hope for making it out alive … this is a typically big, loud and VERY dumb action-fest that wears its trope-heavy heart on its Star Spangled sleeve, but Eubank and The Signal’s co-writer David Frigerio keep things compelling and make it EASY for us to invest in the story’s well-rounded characters, while the cast are all on fine form, the two EXTREMELY capable leads ably supported by Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia, American Gods’ Ricky Whittle and Hemsworth’s brother Luke (Westworld) as the Delta troopers, and Chika Ikogwe (Heartbreak High, The Tourist) as Grimm’s steadfast co-pilot Staff Sgt. Nia Branson.  Of course, at the end of the day we don’t watch these kinds of movies for complex plots, Oscar-worthy performances or Shakespeare-level scripts – this is all about thrilling escapist action, big explosions and maybe even some deftly-executed, stylistic cinematographic eye candy, and Eubank and co DEFINITELY delivered on ALL those fronts, crafting a persistently white-knuckle rollercoaster ride that’s guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.  Subtle it ain’t, but this movie does EXACTLY what it promises to, and does it with STYLE.

9.  THE IRON CLAW – Acclaimed indie filmmaker Sean Durkin has been making waves ever since 2011 with his complex psychological drama Martha Marcy May Marlene and its long-gestating 2020 follow-up The Nest, but his third feature is finally propelling him into BIG TIME star-power recognition with this intense, unflinching and emotionally devastating exploration of the haunting true story of the Von Erich family, who rose to stardom in the late 70s to ALMOST become the dominant sporting dynasty in American pro-wrestling, except for a persistent family “curse” which kept them from every truly achieving that coveted top spot.  Rocked by a string of accidents and harrowing deaths, it’s a compelling tale of tragedy and heartbreak which writer-director Durkin has turned into one of the year’s most powerful pieces of worthy Award-bait (only to be unfairly and comprehensively SNUBBED across the board, particularly by the Academy).  The story unfolds predominantly from the point-of-view of Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron), the (sort of) eldest son of the family’s brutally overbearing never-quite-made-it veteran wrestler patriarch Fritz (Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany), whose dream is to be the greatest pro-wrestler of all time, only for his dad to continually pass him over for his brothers David (Trust’s Harris Dickinson), Kerry (The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White) and Mike (Superior and Two Sentence Horror Stories’ Stanley Simons) while he tries to fulfil his own dream of creating a wrestling-based media empire … only for compounded tragedy to knock the Von Erichs off their newfound pedestal just as they’ve reached it.  Durkin has crafted a potent biopic of significant raw power, turning one of the darkest chapters of the dawn of modern pro-wrestling into two of the most heartbreaking hours I’ve spent at the cinema in a good long while, largely reining in any artistic flair and indulgence to instead let the challenging story and well-realised characters do the heavy lifting, and the uniformly EXCEPTIONAL cast definitely rose to the occasion.  All four of the young actors playing the Von Erich sons are amazing here, particularly White, while Maura Tierney and Lily James help to keep the film from getting TOO overwhelmed by burgeoning testosterone as the boys’ gentle, devout mother Doris and Kevin’s opinionated young wife Pam; in the end, though, the film is soundly dominated by the two-handed lead fireworks from Efron and McCallany – Zac has NEVER been better than he is here, going above-and-beyond by COMPLETELY transforming himself physically while also acting his socks off in what must have been an extremely draining performance, while it’s nice to FINALLY see Holt get a role that can REALLY get him his amazing talents the recognition they’ve long deserved, sinking his teeth into a complex portrayal of a man who never quite made it for himself and is now determined to live that dream vicariously through his own children, no matter the cost to their wellbeing.  The results are, ultimately, a very tough watch, but this is an incredibly well-made film that rewards those who are strong enough to tough it out, albeit one which is guaranteed to jerk a whole lot of tears out of viewers before the end credits roll.

8.  DOUBLE BLIND – Every year there’s at least a handful of under-the-radar indies that really impress me enough that I’m willing to really champion them, and it’s particularly gratifying whenever I find one which blows critics and other audience members away as much as myself.  Such it is with the feature debut of Irish director Ian Hunt-Duffy, a sneaky psychological horror thriller which has earned itself a coveted 100% Fresh Score from Rotten Tomatoes with its mixture of slowburn creepiness, burgeoning stress-driven paranoid terror and some particularly twisted mind-bending body horror.  Millie Brady (The Last Kingdom, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies) makes for a compellingly believable rough-around-the-edges every-girl heroine as Claire, a down-on-her-luck young woman who enrols in a double blind trial for an experimental drug to keep from becoming homeless, only to become increasingly miserable as the compound she’s been injected with causes chronic insomnia in herself and her fellow test subjects.  Then one of them suddenly dies in the most horrible way when her exhausted body finally succumbs to long-prevented sleep, and it quickly becomes clear that every one of them is now living on dangerously short borrowed time, while the pharmaceutical company they’ve been commissioned by is suddenly refusing to let them out of quarantine … Brady’s ably supported by a small but perfectly cast collection of acting talent, with Akshay Kumar (Pandora, Homeland) and Diarmuid Noyes (Borgia) particularly impressing as fellow sleep-deprived lab rats and Pollyanna McIntosh (The Walking Dead) as the trial’s put-upon overseer, Dr Burke, while Hunt-Duffy wrangles his potent cast through the increasingly nightmarish twists and turns of the harrowing script, crafted with similarly assured skill by fellow newcomer screenwriter Darach McGarrigle.  Altogether this is an incredible debut by a couple of clear one-to-watch talents, and a nifty little uncut gem which deserves some sleeper hit status going forward.  Definitely well worth chasing down and giving a chance.

7.  LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL – Australian writer-director duo Colin and Cameron Cairnes exploded onto the indie horror scene with their delirious jet black comedy horror 100 Bloody Acres back in 2012, which proved to be one of the most enjoyably OUT THERE horror flicks I’ve EVER SEEN come out of Aussie cinema, and they continued the trend with similarly ingenious but significantly more serious deadly prank-show slasher Scare Campaign.  Their long awaited Hollywood debut definitely plays itself dead straight, presenting a fictional faux-documentary presentation of a long-lost episode of fictional 1970s chat show Night Owls (together with “recently unearthed” B-roll footage of backstage events) in which struggling TV host Jack Delroy (The Suicide Squad’s David Dastmalchian) attempts to put his long-time second-place show (always outshone by The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) at the top of the ratings board by capping his annual Halloween Special with a live interview with a demon supposedly inhabiting the teenage sole survivor of the bloody massacre of a Satanic cult.  This is EASILY the scariest film I’ve seen this year (so far), a genuinely skin-crawling, spine-chilling piece of thoroughly queasy-making atmospheric horror that uses its period setting to perfect effect to not only give the unfolding events a convincing flavour but also pay off some particularly interesting era-specific themes and conceits.  Even before the horror elements start to come to the fore the film is shot through with a palpable sense of lingering dread, building to a genuinely terrifying climactic unleashing of nightmarish proportions to rival the very classic genre mainstays, like The Exorcist and The Omen, that it’s clearly paying loving homage to.  There are quality turns from a very game cast, particularly Ian Bliss (The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions) as one of the night’s guests, Carmichael Haig, a stage magician-turned professional sceptic, and Ingrid Torelli (Five Bedrooms) as Lilly, the supremely creepy overly-cheerful and polite vessel of demonic possession, but the film is definitely dominated by its lead, Dastmalchian turning in yet an astounding performance of perfectly pitched charismatic charm that hides an intriguingly affecting reserve of wounded vulnerability, powering the film’s horrifying events through to their genuinely shocking conclusion.  Did I mention there’s also an enjoyably quirky turn from Michael Ironside as the documentary narrator?  That’s just the icing on the cake for a truly perfect slice of horror cinema which, in a purely critical rundown, would likely top my horror cinema list for the year.  As it is, this WAS one hell of a genre gem …

6.  THE BEEKEEPER – David Ayer doing a big noisy action-heavy revenge thriller starring Jason Statham?  That’s totally gonna be a clunky, cheesy guilty pleasure, right?  It’s definitely what the trailer made it look like – imagine my surprise, then, when this turned out to be a surprisingly solid, meaty and, above all else, INTELLIGENT actioner which provides a far greater cerebral challenge than your average by-the-numbers exploitation thriller.  Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be THAT surprised – Ayer may have made the lowbrow likes of the first Suicide Squad movie, Bright (which I nonetheless didn’t think deserved ANYTHING LIKE the amount of hate it actually got) and the rightly derided The Tax Collector, but he’s also the director who brought us genuinely IMPRESSIVE cinema like Fury, End of Watch and the best movie Arnold Schwarzenegger’s done in a damn long while, Sabotage.  This one definitely belongs in THAT camp, Ayer delivering with gusto like he always does on the action front but also investing a good deal more substance and emotional depth, due in no small part to the additional efforts of a deeply committed leading man and a thought-provokingly timely screenplay from Kurt Wimmer (Law Abiding Citizen, Salt and Ayer’s own Street Kings).  Statham stars as Adam Clay, a beekeeper renting some farmland from retired schoolteacher Eloise Parker (the legendary Phylicia Rashad), who falls victim to an online phishing scam which sees her stripped of her life savings and the entire balance of a $2 million charity fund she manages, leading her to commit suicide in shame.  Bad news for the scammers, though, when it turns out that Clay’s profession is merely a cover, because he’s actually a FIGURATIVE Beekeeper, an agent for a covert governmental security program SO SECRET that almost nobody even knows it exists, a genuinely LETHAL former special forces badass so highly skilled that he makes Navy SEALs look like National Guard, and he’s got the technological counter-terrorist knowhow to make tracking down these nefarious f£$%ers proper child’s-play.  You can, of course, TOTALLY see where this is gonna go … even so, this is a film which genuinely keeps you guessing, never telegraphing its heavyweight punches and throwing in plenty of twists over the course of its surprisingly streamlined 105 minute runtime.  As the star of the Expendables and Transporter movies, Statham can do this kind of action (anti) hero role in his sleep, but he really shows up in all the ways that count here, making Clay come across as a preternatural badass who nonetheless has some subtly nuanced layers underneath his seemingly bulletproof, tightly toned shell; The Umbrella Academy’s Emmy Raver-Lampman, meanwhile, helps keep the exposition from getting dull and keeps the unravelling mystery fascinating as Eloise’s acerbic yet dogged FBI agent daughter Verona Parker, torn between her duty to bring Clay in and her personal investment in seeing the people responsible for her mother’s death pay for their crimes, while Josh Hutcherson and genuinely living legend Jeremy Irons make for compellingly complex antagonists as tech billionaire Derek Danforth, the louche and reptilian owner of the company that covertly runs the online scams, and his extremely reluctant protector, suave former CIA director-turned security expert Wallace Westwyld.  Altogether this is in an entirely different league than most of the action cinema I’ve seen Statham in over the years, Ayer and Wimmer helping him create his most interesting genre character TO DATE, one that I trust, given the film’s skilful sequel teasing and its deservedly MASSIVE box office performance, shouldn’t take long to return to the big screen, and I for one CANNOT WAIT …

5.  LOVE LIES BLEEDING – Rose Glass made a suitably offbeat splash with her directorial feature debut Saint Maud back in 2019, a deeply twisted psychological horror about religious fervour … so her subsequence team-up with A24 made perfect sense to me.  Even so, when I found out that her next project was a psychological thriller about lesbian bodybuilders I still had NO IDEA what to expect, certainly not from THIS filmmaker … and even now I’ve seen it (TWICE, in fact), I STILL don’t know QUITE what to make of it.  This is a seriously WEIRD film, kind of like a postmodern LGBTQ version of Body Heat married to the bizarre existential extremes of Mandy, maybe, but I can’t deny that, while it definitely left me baffled, I couldn’t deny that it was also a deeply fascinating, thoroughly compelling and unapologetically SEXY film too, one of THE hottest thrillers I’ve come across in a good long while.  Kristen Stewart and my girl Katie O’Brian (seriously, I’ve been a fan ever since Z Nation, long before she was in The Mandalorian and Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania) are both ON FIRE, both metaphorically and VERY NEARLY literally, as Lou Langston, the very publicly lesbian manager of a cruddy Albuquerque gym in 1989, and new-to-town drifter Jackie Cleaver, an aspiring bodybuilder trying to make her way to Las Vegas to attend a competition in Las Vegas.  The pair fall fast and VERY HARD in love, but storm clouds are already gathering as the FBI are sniffing round Lou, looking for her reluctant help in bringing down her local criminal kingpin father Lou Langston Sr. (Ed Harris), while Lou’s sister Beth (Jenna Malone) is suffering at the hands of her increasingly vicious abusive husband J.J. (Dave Franco), and one night everything comes to a head and their lives are thrown into utter chaos … this film has a much more complicated, overblown and downright TWISTED plot than it really has any need for, but this isn’t a film where the story is really THAT IMPORTANT, Glass and co-writer Weronika Tofilska instead concentrating most of their effort on the complex and morally ambiguous characters and their deeply unhealthy interpersonal relationships.  Even the two lead protagonists, despite their powerful love, are definitely a much more toxic mess than the trailers made them out to be, but the way they’re played means we still can’t help rooting for them no matter WHAT they do – this is definitely THE BEST performance I’ve seen Stewart deliver to date, even putting her recent acclaimed turn in Spencer to shame, while I’ve been waiting so long for O’Brian to FINALLY land a role that TRULY fits her largely underrated talents, which this DEFINITELY IS, and their chemistry is genuinely OFF THE CHARTS, every one of their scenes threatening to ignite the celluloid, even when they’ve both got all their clothes ON; meanwhile the rest of the cast similarly impress, Harris particularly proving a suitably spooky villain as he plays it subtly charming and seductive, while Dickinson’s Anna Baryshnikov is supremely creepy as Daisy, an emotionally manipulative local lesbian who’s formed a particularly uncomfortable obsession with Lou.  Steamy, unsettling, shocking and frequently downright NASTY, with a line in truly WEIRD hallucinatory escapism bordering on genuine body horror, this is definitely NOT a film for the faint-hearted OR the easily offended, but its many virtues FAR exceed any flaws it may display, meaning that Rose Glass has got another winner on her hands, while A24 have got another high profile ODDITY to further perplex and thrill their fans with.

4.  ABIGAIL – My current horror movie of the year is TWO of my favourite things in the genre rolled into one – if there’s one thing I really CAN’T resist, it’s well-executed horror comedy, where a film is genuinely scary, but it doesn’t take itself OVERLY seriously, and has a real strong sense of humour.  I’m also a real sucker for VAMPIRES (ahem).  Put the two together and a movie has to try REAL HARD for me not to like it, so this one was pretty much guaranteed to get me on its side before it even started.  Co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Opin and Tyler Gillett have been sneaking round the outskirts of my movie-fan radar for a few years now, having first proper popped up just before COVID with black comedy slasher Ready Or Not, before bringing the last two Scream movies into cinemas (I may have been underwhelmed by the fifth, but the sixth was definitely a major step back in the right direction).  Not that I even realised THIS was from them until after the fact – I took it entirely for its own merits, drawn in purely by the intriguing premise and promise of equal part scares and laughs, and it did not disappoint, EASILY proving to be the best offering I’ve seen from them both so far.  Scream’s Melissa Barrera stars as “Joey”, one of an anonymous crew of crooks brought together by sleazy criminal mastermind Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) to facilitate the kidnapping of the eponymous young ballerina daughter (Mathilda the Musical’s Alisha Weir) of a local business rival.  The job seems to go off without a hitch, and they settle in for a twenty-four hour wait in an isolated mansion before the ransom exchange, charged with keeping an eye on the girl … before one of them turns up dead in the worst way possible, and it dawns on them that there’s something truly monstrous stalking the halls of the house.  Best not give away any more than that, ‘least not for those who didn’t get the twist pretty comprehensively spoiled by the advertising campaign … suffice to say that what unfolds is a blood-soaked, riotously entertaining blackly comic horror-show that kept me hooked right through a selection of effective twists to a particularly surprising climax.  Barrera and the rest are clearly having the time of their lives here, everybody going all out with the material with more than one enjoyably ripe, larger-than-life performance to really impress (not least Dan Stevens, who chews the scenery with particular wild-eyed enthusiasm throughout), while this definitely provides a fitting farewell to one of the cast – “Dean” was the final role of Euphoria’s Angus Cloud before his tragic death last year, and he really did himself proud here.  This is one of the most full-on visceral vampire movies I’ve seen in a while, rivalling last year’s horror highlight Renfield for gleefully disgusting practical effects, and while the scares here are VERY EFFECTIVE throughout, almost every sequence is nonetheless delivered with its tongue firmly planted in cheek, the directing duo never letting it get too (ahem) dark or depressing even when the blood really starts to fly.  Those who enjoy their horror liberally laced with humour (like myself) will find this particular recipe to be all but irresistible, and as a result it’s gonna be a real tough act to beat before year’s end.

3.  KUNG FU PANDA 4 – The Dragon Warrior is back once again for a long-awaited fourth adventure, and while there’s always room for more of my second favourite Dreamworks animated franchise there are strong indicators that this could well be it, and if it is, this would certainly be a worthy bow-out for one of my very favourite anthropomorphic movie characters.  The eponymous martial arts master, Po (the boundlessly endearing Jack Black, as wondrously effervescent as ever), is at the height of his astounding abilities, and his crabby red panda mentor Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) thinks it’s time for him to take his place as the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, while also choosing a successor to begin training as the new Dragon Warrior.  Po, however, couldn’t be more against this particular idea, since there’s nothing he loves more than kicking butt and taking names (although he’s never been very good at the latter), so when it seems like his old foe Tai Lung (a welcome return for the great Ian McShane) has returned he jumps at the chance to investigate.  Instead he discovers that there’s a new threat out there – a shapeshifting sorceress known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis) has taken control of the distance metropolis of Juniper City, making it her base of operations from which to launch her nefarious plan to reach into the Spirit World and steal the Kung Fu of ever master villain there.  Po’s only hope of defeating her is to enlist the very reluctant help one of the city’s residents, a nefarious corsac fox thief named Zhen (Awkwafina) who may prove more of a handful than he bargained on … the series continues to fire on all cylinders with all prerequisite elements functioning exactly as they should – the franchise may have peaked with the second film, but they’ve maintained an impressive level of quality throughout, and this fourth entry definitely measures up very well by comparison, regardless of what some naysayers may have said.  This is just as fun, amusing, ingenious, exciting and visually arresting as ever before, and rather than stripping away much of the fun by leaving the Furious Five out this time round, the story’s a good deal tighter and much more focused here, rightly focusing on the relationship that develops between Po and Zhen as they go from strangers to rivals to friends in very organic fashion.  It certainly helps that the two leads have such strong chemistry – Black’s having as much fun as ever while his creation remains his adorably geeky self, while Awkwafina brings plenty of likeable sass and snark to proceedings, and they gel very well over the course of the film.  Davis, meanwhile, creates a compelling villain with strong motives for her dastardly plot, while there’s quality support from returning voices like Hoffman alongside Bryan Cranston and James Hong as Po’s two dads Li Shan and Mr Ping, and series newcomers such as Ke Huy Quan, fresh from his post-Everything Everywhere All At Once success as Zhen’s estranged pangolin mentor Han.  Granted, ultimately this feels like just a lot more of the same, but when the end results are still so consistent there’s no real room for complaint, and as far as I’m concerned the series is still as strong as it was when it started, from the gorgeous animation and inspired design to the exquisitely executed action and, once again, a spectacular score from Hans Zimmer, this time joined by regular collaborator Steve Mazzaro (the highlight here very much proving a truly WILD orchestral rendition of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train during the film’s best set-piece).  Ultimately, if this really IS it for the franchise, I think it’s a fitting place to call it a day, although I’m sure I ain’t alone in hoping for a little more, and there’s definitely a strong indicator where they COULD go from here …

2.  CIVIL WAR – Alex Garland is a filmmaker I’ve been a big fan of since before he even WAS a filmmaker, back when he was just writing screenplays for the likes of 28 Days Later and Sunshine.  That being said, he’s consistently blown us away ever since he covertly took the reins for 2012’s criminally overlooked Dredd (I’m definitely inclined to believe the rumours that he actually helmed that one himself, since it’s SO MUCH an Alex Garland movie), rightly wowing audiences with both ex_machina and Annihilation (Men was, ultimately, TOO strong and visceral an experience for me to really LIKE, but I can’t help admitting I was definitely IMPRESSED by it), so I was already onboard for this one even before the genuinely exciting first trailer starting making the rounds.  But even if I hadn’t already known his work, I definitely would’ve been up for this truly fascinating premise – set in an uncomfortably believable near future (especially given where the current US political system looks to be heading), it follows a quartet of journalists as they travel into the war-torn heart of an America ravaged by a potent clash between the loyal forces of an authoritarian President who’s refused to step down after the end of his official term (Nick Offerman) and a coalition of secessionist states determined to oust him and his administration.  Kirsten Dunst leads the cast with what might be the best performance of her career as Lee Smith, a cynical photojournalist with a fearsome reputation, joining her longtime work-partner Joel (Narcos’ Wagner Moura, effortlessly charming and lovably cocky as an unapologetic adrenaline junkie) in his quest to interview the President before he’s forcibly removed from Office; tagging along, meanwhile, are Sammy (a typically charismatic and stately turn from the mighty Stephen McKinley Henderson), a world-weary veteran reporter who’s just hitching a ride to the front lines of the conflict, and Jessie Cullen (Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny, sweet and naïve but with a deep reserve of feeling), a wannabe photojournalist who idolises Lee and is determined to prove herself to her hero, even if it ends up getting her killed.  Through their experiences on the open road and the various events they witness, we watch this terrifying war unfold as it builds to its powerful endgame, moving from the wilds of Upstate New York to the streets of Washington itself, and it’s brought home in genuinely harrowing detail just what a nightmare this could well be if it really does happen.  Garland’s certainly not pulling ANY punches here, clearly fundamentally aware of where we might end up if we don’t wise up REAL QUICK (although by this point I wonder if the warning might have come a bit TOO LATE), while also delivering an endlessly fascinating dystopian action thriller for good measure, packed with stunning explosive action sequences and at least one genuinely UNBEARABLE scene of proper pants-wetting pregnant implied threat (those who know will already know), all while making us really THINK thanks to a particularly shrewd and fiendishly subversive screenplay, and even offering up moments of incongruous aching beauty in the midst of all the chaos, much as he did on Annihilation.  Ultimately this is a perfect demonstration of a master filmmaker reaching the very height of his powers, final confirmation, if it was even NEEDED any more, that Garland is one of the most original and challenging cinematic storytellers out there right now.

1.  DUNE, PART TWO – As if there was ever any doubt, after the already amazing first part made its KILLER debut back in late 2021 … no, it was a foregone conclusion that the second half of writer-director Denis Villeneuve’s immensely ambitious adaptation of one of his very favourite books OF ALL TIME, Frank Herbert’s genuine game-changer space opera Dune, would be JUST as incredible as the first, and it thrills me no end that that entirely proved to be the case.  After all, this is also MY favourite book of all time, if they’d f£$%ed it up I would have been more heartbroken than I could possibly imagine, so Villeneuve and co have made me a VERY HAPPY BUNNY INDEED.  Picking up RIGHT where the first film left off, we return to the desert world of Arrakis almost ten centuries into the future, with young Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), now the Duke of an all-but-eradicated Galactic noble House, and his mother, the Bene Gesserit holy woman Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), are forced to hide among the desert tribes of the Fremen, hatching a desperate plan to take revenge on the monstrous Harkonnens and seize control of the planet, its massively lucrative trade in the obscenely valuable spice Melange, and, through it, the Galactic Empire in its entirety.  To do so, Paul must use his growing prescient abilities to convince the Fremen that he is the Kwisatz Haderach, their prophesied messiah, but he is keenly aware that this means walking a deadly knife’s edge in order to prevent triggering an immensely bloody Holy War that will burn half of the known Universe … once again, Chalamet and Ferguson are the beating heart of the story, both acquitting themselves admirably throughout as they perfectly encapsulate the myriad complexities of their characters, but this time round they’re finally joined by Zendaya, barely glimpsed in the first film but now brought front and centre as the new emotional CRUX of the film in the role of Chani, the free-spirited and stubborn Fremen warrior Paul falls in love with as he learns to become a true denizen of Arrakis; other old faces return, meanwhile, with Josh Brolin bringing a roguish twinkle and a welcome sense of humour to proceedings as the exiled Atreides warmaster Gurney Halleck, and Stellan Skarsgård once again chills our blood as the repellent Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.  More newcomers make their presence felt throughout, however, with Florence Pugh particularly standing out as Princess Irulan, the fiercely intelligent daughter of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken, nowhere NEAR the bum note some have made him out to be), although the true shining star among the new cast (beside Zendaya, at least) is Austin Butler (Elvis), enthusiastically sinking his teeth deep into the meaty role of the Baron’s viciously sadistic sociopathic nephew Feyd Rautha.  Once again Villeneuve has done his dream project justice in EVERY conceivable aspect, continuing to pay truly REVERENT respect to the source material as he makes Herbert’s incredibly rich universe live and breathe on the screen, the peerless production and costume design, visual effects and cinematography never hitting a single off-note in any scene, while the screenplay perfectly translates the weighty themes, compelling narrative and shocking twists into a deeply involving cinematic tour-de-force that keeps you invested throughout its seemingly brisk and pacy run-time (this may be close to THREE HOURS LONG but it sure doesn’t FEEL like it), enthusiastically propelled along by another MASTERPIECE score from fellow Dune superfan Hans Zimmer.  This is a truly MASSIVE cinematic event that leaves you awed by the experience while also drumming some EXTREMELY weighty ideas and themes into you, as well as perfectly setting up the inevitable continuation when Villeneuve gets his already in-development adaptation of the next book in the series, Dune Messiah, off the ground.  I’m definitely looking forward to that, and I know I’m not alone …

[mikethemovieguy]

Movie fans! I got my hands on some screening passes for upcoming action movie, Land Of Bad. Looks dope! It stars Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle and Milo Ventimiglia.

Houston, Dallas, San Antonio 💥👉 https://bit.ly/3HWcnsd