Alam Nyo Ba?

Body horror fans, get ready for a new trip into shock cinema. Julia Ducournau, who directed the visceral horror films Raw and Titane, saddles up to release her third film, Alpha. Titane was a milestone for the filmmaker as she became the second woman director to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. FilmNation and Charades presented Alpha to potential buyers at the Cannes market, and it was reported that the indie studio, Neon, would come out with the distribution rights to the film. Now, Neon has released a brand new foreboding teaser trailer for the film. You can view it above.

Alpha stars Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Farahani, Mélissa Boros, Emma Mackey, Finnegan Oldfield and Louai El Amrousy. The plot description reads, “Alpha. A troubled 13-year-old lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.” Sounds like a basic plot for a family drama, but Ducournau is known for taking some wildly crazy turns with her films and the teaser, of course, implies that a lot more is going on.

Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film are on board as producers of Alpha. Joining them will be Eric & Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie and Frakas Productions will be co-producing. Charades and FilmNation Entertainment have also handled sales in the rest of the world during the Cannes Film Festival. Last year, FilmNation Entertainment and Charades provided the following statement: “Alpha is Julia’s most personal, profound work yet, and we are looking forward to a global audience discovering the story with as much excitement as we did. We can’t wait to bring the film to market in Cannes and to launch sales together for the first time and collaborate in this way.“ 

So, for an idea of what kind of film this might turn out to be, we can only look back at the films Ducournau made previously. Her first movie, Raw, had the following synopsis: Stringent vegetarian Justine encounters a decadent, merciless and dangerously seductive world during her first week at veterinary school. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her principles and eats raw meat for the first time. The young woman soon experiences terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge.

Then Titane told this story: Alexia is a dancer who, after being injured in a car accident as a child, has a titanium plate fitted into her head. Amidst a series of brutal and unexplained murders, her path crosses with Vincent, a firefighter desperately searching for his long-missing son, changing their lives forever.

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Despite death taking a fourteen-year holiday from the big screen as far as the Final Destination franchise went, the saga is alive and well. As we predicted earlier this week, Final Destination: Bloodlines, the sixth entry in the series – and the first in fourteen years – set a major franchise record, opening to a mighty $51 million. By comparison, the highest-grossing opening weekend of the franchise had previously been The Final Destination back in 2009, which made $27.4 million. Bloodlines’ opening weekend take is actually more than what Final Destination 2 and 5 made in their entire runs.

One thing is for sure – audiences are loving the franchise’s return. Typically, horror movies don’t fare well in the weekly CinemaScore polls done by the studios, with a grade in the C-range usually considered typical. Final Destination: Bloodlines managed to score a B+ rating, which is terrific and bodes well for word-of-mouth, meaning the film could end its run in the $100 million range. Even if not through, it will easily end its run as the highest-grossing film in the franchise to date, and will no doubt have WB/New Line Cinema rushing to get yet another instalment in the franchise out within a year or two (at max). 

Meanwhile, the battle for second place was a nail-biter, with Marvel’s Thunderbolts winning – but only by a hair – with them making $16.5 million in their third weekend for a $155 million domestic total. It seems unlikely to crack the $200 million mark, leaving this as one of the lowest-grossing Marvel movies. A lot of its thunder was taken by the zeitgeist-grabbing Sinners, which got back its 70mm IMAX screens this weekend, and made $15.4 million towards a $240 million domestic total. Is $300 million achievable? 

Indeed, Warner Bros was having a very good weekend, with them claiming three of the top four grossing movies at the box office, as A Minecraft Movie made $5.9 million for fourth place, with a $416 million domestic total. Amazon/MGM’s The Accountant 2 continued to show some staying power, making $4.5 million for fifth place, with the $58.7 million total not far off from what the studio’s The Beekeeper made in January 2024. Could The Accountant 3 still happen? Fingers crossed!

The Weeknd’s big screen debut, Hurry Up Tomorrow, posted an abysmal opening, with only $3.3 million this weekend on over 2000 screens. We slammed the movie pretty harshly in our review, and audiences seemed to feel the same way, with it earning a C-minus CinemaScore rating. A24 – after a rough start to the year. – finally seems to have a hit with the Tim Robinson/ Paul Rudd comedy, Friendship, which made $1.4 million on only 60 screens, meaning it had a terrific $23k per screen average.

Sadly, IFC/Shudder’s Clown in a Cornfield lost over 60% of its audience in week two for a $1.3 million gross and $6.3 million total. However, it’s still one of the highest-grossing IFC/Shudder releases to date, and it should make a mint on streaming. The Fathom re-release of Kiki’s Delivery Service proved to be another winner for the company, scoring just over a million dollars. The top ten was rounded off by Until Dawn, which made $800k for a total of just under $20 million.

Next weekend should be huge, as there are two major Memorial Day openings happening between Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch remake and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Which one is the priority for you next weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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This weekend, the Final Destination franchise returns to the big screen after a fourteen-year absence. So far, the results have been beyond impressive, with it looking like the new film has a real shot at making more in a single weekend than other instalments made in their entire run. Clearly, absence has made the heart grow fonder in the case of this franchise. It’s not too hard to see why this franchise has suddenly come back in a massive way. Who doesn’t like creative, gory deaths done tongue-in-cheek style? 

Earlier this week, we dropped our list of the best Final Destination deaths (not including the new movie), and now we want to know which film in the series is the best as far as the fans go? Are people nostalgic for the one that started it all with Devon Sawa, or are the gorier sequels more in line with what our readers like? Or – is Final Destination: Bloodlines the best of the bunch? Take the poll below and let us know in the comments. 

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PLOT: When Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.

REVIEW: I’ve never so quickly been on board for a film as when the trailer for Dangerous Animals first dropped. There’s just something about a shark film that always excites, despite the fact that we’ve pretty much just gotten the one good one. And with so many following the same formula, it’s nice to see one that detours from the expected. Because having a madman (Courtney) who baits sharks with kidnapped girls has all the makings for an awesome shark film. 

Dangerous Animals follows Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a transient who lives out of her van and surfs. Unfortunately for her, her nomadic nature makes her the perfect victim for Tucker, a local tour guide who makes a habit of kidnapping people and filming the act of feeding them to sharks. Zephyr needs to try and find a way out before she becomes chum. There’s a pretty lame love subplot with Josh Heuston‘s Moses and Zephyr. I get it, they needed someone who’s out there searching for her, so it’s not entirely hopeless, but it leads to many corny, stereotypical plot beats. This is the film’s main problem. All of the drama feels so melodramatic and hammy that it’s hard to take any of it seriously. It clashes so much with all the tension going on board the boat. A little bit of subtlety would have gone a long way. Instead, we’re given monologues that don’t work and some really convoluted moments meant to extend the narrative.

Like any good shark movie, the film really stews in the tension of the first big shark appearance. But there’s never that “oh my god” shocking moment with the sharks. Instead, the film makes it clear: Jai Courtney‘s Tucker is the villain, not these sharks. They are simply doing what sharks do: eat when there are signs of food in the water. There’s a moment where we get to find out just how long he’s been operating, and it only adds to the imminent danger as he’s clearly been getting away with this for quite some time. The opening ten minutes are where the film really excels, as the tension can be cut with a knife. But it loses steam whenever Tucker is offscreen.

What works so well with Tucker is that his character is essentially a comment on society’s lust for shark violence. We have Shark Week every year devoted to these creatures, and it’s often the tales of when they attack humans. It doesn’t happen naturally enough in the world, so Tucker has to make it happen himself to satiate his own obsession. Jaws really did a number on the public’s perception of these majestic creatures, and this seems to try and break from the usual mold. And Courtney is absolutely phenomenal, really inhabiting the character and making him one of the most intriguing villains I can recall.

Dangerous Animals utilizes real footage of sharks to create some really beautiful visuals. Usually, it’s the Great White or Tiger Shark that gets all the attention, but there are some gorgeous Mako’s that get the first real showcase of the film. And it’s a big ocean, so I’m glad that it’s not the same shark throughout. Different species interact, with a massive Great White being the main event. Makes things a bit more dynamic, as they aren’t treated like the villains. Though as much as the film is trying to make a point about how sharks don’t intentionally feed on people, it’s almost immediately upended with a Hollywood-style bombastic ending that seems to miss that point.

I really enjoyed the shark puppets that are used, as they look realistic and work well. The CGI on the sharks (outside of one moment) is also handled really well. But that one bad moment stands out so much that it’s hard not to be a stain on the film. The gore is a little disappointing in the shark attacks themselves, although the aftermath is quite brutal. There’s one shot in particular of someone’s upper body floating in the water that is truly haunting. And there’s a reason for the attacks being how they are because, outside of the very hammy final kill, they’re presenting these sharks in a realistic light. They aren’t these sentient beings that are prone to jump scares like every shark movie in existence makes them out to be. These sharks move at steady speeds and have normal behavior. It was a breath of fresh air.

It may just be me, but I was very distracted by how still the camera/boat were during some of the ocean-set scenes. I understand that these were likely done on a stage for convenience, but there’s not even a little bit of sway to the boat. They are perfectly still, and it constantly breaks my immersion in the world. Maybe being pulled out of the world with moments like this is why the drama really didn’t work for me. You’re telling me you couldn’t just have a cameraman sway a little bit to give the effect of being on the water? Instead, it feels overly staged.

I really wanted to love Dangerous Animals, but I just ended up liking it. Which is totally fine. There are some good moments, with Jai Courtney being an absolute standout. But it feels like the concept isn’t fully taken advantage of. I didn’t need the random romance subplot, and it really took away from the tension on board. I get its purpose, but it feels a bit sloppy in execution. Thankfully, Courtney is so maniacal, and the tension on the boat is like a tightrope, that it still makes for a fun time. You just need to shut your brain off more than expected.

DANGEROUS ANIMALS IS IN THEATERS ON JUNE 6TH, 2025.

Dangerous Animals

GOOD

7

The post Dangerous Animals Review: Killer Performance from Jai Courtney Drowns Out The Silly Melodrama appeared first on JoBlo.

Last year saw two horror films with a pop musician plot — M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap and Smile 2. Smile 2 featured Naomi Scott as singer Skye Riley and if you wanted to own her songs, Graffiti Records is selling a limited 2500 copies of Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP LP. The vinyl album is available for pre-order at their website, which you can check out HERE. The soundtrack will officially be released on June 20.

You can view the tracklist (via Griffiti Records) below:

TRACKLIST  

• 1. Grieved You
• 2. New Brain
• 3. Just My Name
• 4. Blood On White Satin
• 5. Death Of Me
• 6. Just My Name (Piano Version)

Limit 4 per customer. Orders containing more will be cancelled.

Smile was based on Finn’s short film Laura Hasn’t Slept (watch it HERE), which won the Special Jury Recognition Prize in SXSW’s Midnight Short category. Caitlin Stasey (Neighbours) played the title character in that short, and reprises the role in Smile, making it a follow-up of sorts. Smile has the following synopsis: After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Here’s the Smile 2 synopsis: About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

Naomi Scott of Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels takes on the role of Skye Riley and is joined in the cast by Lukas Gage of The White Lotus and You, Rosemarie DeWitt of La La Land and the Poltergeist remake, Dylan Gelula of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Dream Scenario, Raúl Castillo of Army of the Dead and Knives Out, Miles Gutierrez-Riley of The Wilds and On The Come Up, and Kyle Gallner (Red State), reprising the role he played in the first movie. A featurette revealed that Drew Barrymore (Scream) also makes an appearance, playing herself and interviewing Skye Riley on her talk show. Smile was produced by Temple Hill, and they produced Smile 2 as well.

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