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Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Sensoria teasers give a preview of the next Alex Proyas film, which is entirely generated with AI

Several months ago, Full Moon released a thriller called AImee: The Visitor, which was marketed as having “the very first AI-created femme fatale in film history.” Now director Alex Proyas – who has been very vocal about the fact that he doesn’t agree with the choices that went into the making of the remake of his most popular movie, The Crow – is taking the technology a giant leap further. Not only does his new movie Sensoria feature an all-AI cast, but the movie itself is entirely generated with AI. Proyas has released multiple short teasers for the film on his YouTube channel, and the longest, the “full length teaser,” can be seen in the embed at the top of this article. To see the rest, click over to YouTube.

Proyas has said that Sensoria is his “experiment to sustain an audience over 90 minutes and convey my own HUMAN vision via the machines.” For the credits, he wrote, “Video & voice by AI – written & directed by a human.

The filmmaker hasn’t revealed many details about Sensoria, but he did share a video that tells “The Story of the NPCs,” which is probably a major part of the film’s plot. That video can be found at the bottom of this article. Here’s the transcription: “In the heart of a sprawling metropolis in the early months of 1974, there existed a city within a city. A forgotten enclave where the forgotten resided. It was a place where the streets echoed with a haunting emptiness. Where shadows danced in the absence of life and where the air carried the weight of despair. This was the domain of the NPCs; non-essential, unwanted inhabitants deemed redundant in the grand scheme of human survival. It began with whispers, rumors that slithered through the alleys and lingered in the minds of the populace. The authorities, driven by a misguided sense of efficiency, had initiated a clandestine operation to rid the city of its surplus population. They targeted those who seemed to serve no purpose, whose lives were deemed inconsequential by the powers that be. Slowly but surely, under the guise of bureaucratic processes, the NPCs were rounded up like cattle into a forsaken corner of the city and left to fend for themselves. Among the forgotten souls was a man named Reject 53148C. Once a clerk in a nondescript office building, his days had been spent shuffling papers and following orders without question. Now he found himself trapped in this desolate place surrounded by others who shared his fate. For in the darkness of despair, amidst the shadows of a forgotten city, a glimmer of resilience emerged. A testament to the indomitable spirit of humanity in the face of adversity. And though their journey was fraught with uncertainty, they pressed on, guided by the belief that even in the darkest of times there existed a light that could never be extinguished.”

Some viewers were upset to learn that the recently released horror movie Late Night with the Devil featured three pieces of AI artwork, so I’m sure the idea of Alex Proyas making a feature film that’s entirely generated with AI isn’t going to go over well with a lot of people.

What do you think of Alex Proyas making an entirely AI movie? Check out the teasers, then share your thoughts on Sensoria by leaving a comment below.

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Strange Darling: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner cat & mouse thriller set for August theatrical release

Willa Fitzgerald

A year and a half ago, it was announced that Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner – who both have experience working in the Scream franchise, as Fitzgerald was in the Scream TV series and Gallner appeared in the 2022 Scream movie – were set to star in the “cat and mouse thriller” Strange Darling. Now we know when we’re going to have a chance to see this movie, as Variety has confirmed that veteran producer Bob Yari’s new company Magenta Light Studios has secured the U.S. distribution rights to the film and they’re planning to give it a wide theatrical release on August 23rd.

Plot details on this thriller are being kept under wraps, and Variety notes that reviews from audience members who saw the movie at Fantastic Fest last year ” hint that the film works best with as little information as possible going in.” Apparently it has something to do with a spontaneous hookup gone terribly wrong.

Strange Darling was written and directed by J.T. Mollner (Outlaws and Angels), and filming took place in Portland, Oregon. The film was produced by former Miramax CEO Bill Block, Chris Ivan Cevic, Steven Schneider, Roy Lee, and actor Giovanni Ribisi, who also served as the director of photography.

Fitzgerald and Gallner were joined in the cast by Oscar nominee Barbara Hershey (The Entity) and Emmy nominee Ed Begley Jr. (Better Call Saul). According to IMDb, the cast of the film also features Madisen Beaty (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Bianca A. Santos (Ouija), Steven Michael Quezada (Breaking Bad), Eugenia Kuzmina (Bad Moms), Denise Grayson (The Social Network), and Duke Mollner – who happens to be the director’s father, and also had a role in Outlaws and Angels.

Bob Yari told Variety, “We are thrilled to be bringing nationwide theatrical audiences this unique and exceptional film with terrific performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. This second feature from talented writer-director JT Mollner is destined to become a cult classic that defies conventional storytelling.

Kyle Gallner is a genre regular whose credits also include Red, The Haunting in Connecticut, Jennifer’s Body, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Red State, The Walking Dead, The Cleanse, Alien Code, Ghosts of War, Smile, The Passenger; Mother, May I?; and the upcoming Smile sequel. Willa Fitzgerald doesn’t have as many horror credits as Gallner, but she was in the Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher, which was headed up by Mike Flanagan.

Are you interested in Strange Darling, and are you glad to hear the movie is getting a wide theatrical release in August? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Kyle Gallner

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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Bloodline Killer trailer: Shawnee Smith, Tyrese Gibson take on a masked slasher

About a year and a half ago, it was announced that Shawnee Smith of the Saw franchise (not to mention two of my favorites, Summer School and The Blob ’88) had signed on to star in a horror movie called The Skulleton. That film is now ready to make its way out into the world under the title Bloodline Killer, and it’s set to receive a VOD and limited theatrical release on April 26th. With that date exactly one month away, a trailer has arrived online (our friends at Bloody Disgusting got the first look at it), and you can check it out in the embed above.

Smith is joined in the cast of Bloodline Killer by Tyrese Gibson (Morbius), Bruce Dern (The Hateful Eight), Taryn Manning (Orange Is the New Black), Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night), Drew Moerlein (South of Hell), Alexander James Rodriguez (Bee and Puppycat), Jaime Zevallos (Cloak and Dagger), James Gaudioso (Mid-Century), and Anthony Gaudioso (What Josiah Saw).

Ante Novakovic (Sanctioning Evil) directed the film from a screenplay by Anthony and James Gaudioso (Mid-Century). The story centers on Smith’s character, Moira Cole, who attempts to move on with her shattered life after the brutal murder of her friends and family at the hands of her deranged and obsessed cousin, Lee Morris. Living a quiet suburban life with her deeply affected two adult sons, Moira is constantly reminded of her past, which is strewn across the screen every October, having been optioned into a popular movie franchise.

The Gaudiosos are producing Bloodline Killer with Rob Simmons of Jars Media Group and DJ Doddof Future Proof Films. Drew Morlein, Peter D’Amato, and Twelve 83 Entertainment’s Laura Barbato are serving as executive producers.

What did you think of the Bloodline Killer trailer? Will you be watching this movie next month? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

I was interested in this one as soon as it was announced, even though I didn’t like the title The Skulleton very much. I’m not blown away by Bloodline Killer, either, but I guess it’s a step up. Whatever the movie is called, I’ll be watching it.

Bloodline Killer

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Interview: Karen Gillan talks Sleeping Dogs + What She Learned From Russell Crowe

Most know Karen Gillan as Nebula in the MCU or from the newer Jumanji films. Or if you’re a weirdo like me you remember her from her great work in the third season of NTSF:SD:SUV. As her time as Nebula draws to a close, she’s been popping up in some really interesting Indie work. While her role was brief, she had quite the screen presence in last year’s Next Exit. And I’m not sure if you’re aware but Russell Crowe has been absolutely killing it lately. So I was very excited to see Gillan and Crowe team up for a new crime thriller.

Sleeping Dogs takes the viewer on a very interesting journey of discovery. Gillan’s Laura Baines is quite layered and allows a little more grey area.

Sleeping Dogs synopsis:

In this gripping crime thriller, Russell Crowe stars as Roy Freeman, an ex-homicide detective withafracturedmemory,forcedtorevisitacasehecan’tremember.Asaman’slife hangs in the balance on death row, Freeman must piece together the brutal evidence from a decade-old murder investigation, uncovering a sinister web of buried secrets and betrayals linking to his past. With only instincts to trust, he faces a chilling truth -sometimes, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.

SLEEPING DOGS IS NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS. READ OUR REVIEW!

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Monday, March 25, 2024

Sydney Sweeney confirms her Barbarella reboot is still in the works, no comment on Edgar Wright’s involvement

Barbarella Jane Fonda

Jean-Claude Forest created the heroine Barbarella in the pages of V Magazine back in 1962, and it only took six years for director Roger Vardim (and a small army of screenwriters) to bring the character to the screen in the film Barbarella (watch it HERE), where she was played by Jane Fonda. A sequel called Barbarella Goes Down never made it into production, but talks of a Barbarella reboot have been bouncing around for decades, with Rose McGowan, Halle Berry, and Kate Beckinsale being among those who have been considered for the title role. Robert Rodriguez was going to direct the new film at one point, Robert Luketic at another. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade wrote a screenplay, and were later attached to a TV adaptation that had Nicolas Winding Refn at the helm. None of these ever got the greenlight. About a year and a half ago, it was announced that Sony Pictures had chosen Sydney Sweeney to star in and executive produce a new Barbarella movie – and Sweeney has since admitted that one reason why she agreed to be in Madame Web was so she could establish a working relationship with Sony that benefitted Barbarella. While making an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast recently, Sweeney confirmed that her Barbarella is still in the works… but had no comment on the rumors that Edgar Wright might direct the film.

When asked if the project is moving forward and why she was drawn to the title character, Sweeney said (with thanks to Superhero Hype for the transcription), “It is. I mean, Barbarella is just such a fun character to explore. She really just embraces her femininity and her sexuality, and I love that. She uses sex as a weapon and I think it’s such an interesting way into a sci-fi world. I’ve always wanted to do sci-fi. So we’ll see what happens.

Host Josh Horowitz asked if Edgar Wright is really in talks to direct the film, but Sweeney dodged the question and only acknowledged that Wright has become an acquaintance.

If you’re not familiar with the Barbarella character, Wikipedia has some information: “Barbarella: a young woman who travels from planet to planet and has numerous adventures, often involving sex. The aliens she meets often seduce her, and she also experiments with a ‘machine excessive’ or ‘orgasmatron.'”

Are you looking forward to Sydney Sweeney’s Barbarella, and would you like to see Edgar Wright direct the film? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

Sydney Sweeney Euphoria

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The First Omen birthing scene nearly earned the film an NC-17 rating

The First Omen

On April 5th, 20th Century Studios will be giving a theatrical release to The First Omen, which serves as a prequel to the 1976 horror classic The Omen (watch it HERE). The film stars Nell Tiger Free of the Apple TV+ series Servant, and will be hitting the big screen with an R rating for violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity. That’s a rating the filmmakers really had to fight for, as director Arkasha Stevenson revealed to Fangoria that there’s a birthing scene that nearly earned the film an NC-17 rating – mainly because it featured a thirteen second shot of a woman’s vagina. That shot had to be whittled down to secure the R.

Stevenson said, “The horror in that situation is how dehumanized that woman is. This has been my life for a year and a half, fighting for the shot. It’s the theme of our film. It’s the female body being violated from the inside outwards. If we were going to talk about female body horror, we were going to talk about forced reproduction, and we have to be able to show the female body in a non-sexualized light. I’m very proud of this shot.

The director had the support of producers David S. Goyer and Keith Levine as she fought to keep the vagina shot in the film. Levine confirmed that they had to take the film back to the Motion Picture Association ratings board five times before they approved of the amount of time the vagina shot appears on screen. He added, “Weirdly, avoiding the NC-17 made it more intense.

Goyer added, “The movie, by its nature, deals with female body horror, and I do think there’s a double standard. That was really interesting when we were negotiating with the ratings board. I think there is more permissiveness when dealing with male protagonists, particularly in body horror. That birthing scene is super intense, I also have three kids and have been at their births. It’s intense!

The First Omen has the following synopsis: When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

Free is joined in the cast by Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman), and Bill Nighy (Living). Tim Smith served as executive producer with Whitney Brown and Gracie Wheelan. 

We first heard that a prequel to The Omen was in development way back in 2016. At that time, Antonio Campos (The Devil All the Time) was in talks to direct First Omen from a script by Ben Jacoby (Bleed). Later The Conjuring writers Chad and Carey Hayes came on board to work on the script, and they were followed by author Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl). The film ended up in the hands of Arkasha Stevenson – who has previously directed episodes of the genre shows Channel ZeroLegion, and Brand New Cherry Flavor. Stevenson rewrote the script with her writing partner Tim Smith, then Firestarter‘s Keith Thomas worked on it as well.

The Omen (1976) was followed by Damien: Omen II in 1978, Omen III: The Final Conflict in 1981, Omen IV: The Awakening in 1991, and a 2006 remake. So this is the sixth entry in the film franchise.

Are you looking forward to The First Omen? Does this talk of the birthing scene and intense vagina shot make you more or less interested in the film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The First Omen

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Christian Convery of Sweet Tooth and Cocaine Bear joins David Robert Mitchell’s mysterious Bad Robot project

Sweet Tooth

A while ago, it was announced that It Follows director David Robert Mitchell was working on a mysterious project for Warner Bros. Pictures, Jackson Pictures, and J.J. Abrams’ company Bad Robot, with Anne Hathaway attached to star in the film. Since then, Ewan McGregor and Maisy Stella have signed on to join Hathaway in the cast, and now Variety reports that the main cast is rounded out with the addition of Christian Convery, whose credits include Cocaine Bear and the Netflix series Sweet Tooth. Variety hears that Stella and Convery will be playing the children of Hathaway and McGregor’s characters.

Pretty much everything about this project is being kept under wraps. Last year, film journalist Jeff Sneider reported the rumor that this happens to be “a dinosaur movie set in the ’80s”. In their report of the McGregor news, The Hollywood Reporter also said that their sources have described it as “a family adventure set in the 1980s that involves dinosaurs.” They added that Hathaway and McGregor would be playing the parents in this family adventure. Deadline’s sources simply described the project as a “thrill ride”… and it’s going to be shot in Imax to maximize the thrills.

It isn’t surprising that there’s not much information available, since this is a Bad Robot production, and Bad Robot likes to keep its movies as secretive as possible. Remember, they even managed to keep Cloverfield a secret until the trailer was released, and hid the fact that 10 Cloverfield Lane was a Cloverfield movie until the trailer for that one was released. Those are just a couple examples of their secrecy.

Mitchell made his feature directorial debut with the 2010 comedy The Myth of the American Sleepover, then had a hit on his hands with It Follows in 2014. He stumbled a bit with his 2018 follow-up Under the Silver Lake, but now he’s rebounding with this project and the long-awaited It Follows sequel They Follow. Of course, since the project is set up at Warner Bros., now we just need to hope they won’t end up scrapping the movie for a tax write-off.

So now that we know that the lead cast of this mysterious thriller consists of Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery, let us know – are you interested in this project?

Christian Convery Cocaine Bear

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