Nearly 30 years after his screenwriting and directorial debut, Tom Hanks appreciates That Thing You Do! (1996) for its cult status.

But the 2x Oscar winner jokingly used some colorful language to describe critics of the film about a 1960s small-town boy band who makes it big with an uptempo pop song that draws the attention of music manager Mr. White (portrayed by Hanks).

“Then the critics weigh in,” said Hanks of his general experience making movies on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast. “And that’s always up, down: ‘We hate it, we like it. This is the worst thing. … Oh hey, Tom, I saw you in a movie.’ ‘Oh did you?’ ‘It was cute. That’s when you ask the wife, ‘Hey, honey, could you take the revolver out of the glove box and hide it somewhere, because I think…'”

He continued, “But then, this other thing is...

Strange Darling is a 2023 American thriller film written and directed by Jt Mollner and starring Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, and Ed Begley Jr.

Set in rural Oregon, the film focuses on a man and woman who engage in a one-night stand that devolves into a cat-and-mouse game of murder. It is divided into six narrative chapters arranged in nonlinear order, and presented as a dramatization of the pinnacle of a serial killer’s years-long murder spree in the Western United States.

Shot on 35 mm film on location in Oregon in the summer of 2022 by Giovanni Ribisi, marking his debut as a cinematographer, Strange Darling premiered at the 2023 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 23, 2024, by Magenta Light Studios.

Check out our written review of Strange Darling right here.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the much-anticipated third installment in James Cameron’s epic science fiction saga. After the groundbreaking success of Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Cameron, alongside producer Jon Landau, is set to bring audiences back to Pandora for a continuation of this visually and thematically rich story. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming film, from release date and cast to plot insights and production details.

Release Date: When Will Avatar: Fire and Ash Release? Sam Worthington in Avatar: The Way of Water. | Warner Bros.

Avatar: Fire and Ash has encountered numerous delays since its initial announcement, with nine postponements to date. Originally scheduled to debut years earlier, the film is now slated for a theatrical release on December 19, 2025. The delays have allowed Cameron and his team more time to refine underwater performance capture technology and expand the story, with shooting for...

Just before Halloween back in 2022, 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. The movie was given a theatrical release back in August, and JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols loved it; you can read his 9/10 review at This Link. It was given a digital release at the start of this month. And soon, fans will have the chance to add copies of the film to their Blu-ray and DVD collections. Just after Halloween in 2024, on November 5th, to be exact, Strange Darling is getting a Blu-ray and DVD release, and copies are available for pre-order on Amazon.

Strange Darling was written and directed by J.T. Mollner (Outlaws and Angels). Filming took place in Portland,...

The Best Thriller Movies of 2024 Not for the Faint of Heart - Main Image

2024 has delivered a lot of remarkably good thriller movies that were praised by critics and audiences, with some of them already even making it to the list of this year's best.

You might be looking for recommendations on some of the best thriller movies of 2024 that are not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, we have a list for you.

Trap

The new M. Night Shyamalan film follows a serial killer (played by Josh Harnett) who has to evade the authorities while attending the concert of a pop superstar with her daughter.

It received mixed reviews from critics, but Hartnett's leading performance was widely praised. In classic Shyamalan fashion, Trap offers entertaining thrills that will put you at the edge of your seat throughout its 105-minute runtime.

The film will be available on Max starting this...

There are many ways to talk about Jared Padalecki's career. You could gauge his work by the length of his iconically-floppy hairdo, which sometimes got too long, worked pretty well for him in the aughts, and has somehow circled back around to being in style again. You could talk about him as the King of The CW, a network that has leaned on him as a star for more than two decades, going all the way back to when it was called "The WB." You could note that he hasn't done much on film, probably as a result of his never-ending television schedule, but you could also note that in the 2000s, he ruled a number of fun horror movies anyway.

On the other hand, you could talk about Jared Padalecki the way he does: as a man just trying to provide for his family. "I've been absent a lot.

John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush and Kristine Froseth won top acting awards at Spain’s prominent Sitges Fantasy Film Festival, which wrapped its 57th edition on Oct. 13.

Making a sweep of the fest with three awards was Austrian Best International Feature Oscar entry “The Devil’s Bath” by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. Drawn from historical facts, the Austrian-German co-production is described by Variety critic Jessica Kiang as a “story so pitilessly bleak you may want to look away; the filmmaking craft is so compelling that you can’t.” The historical horror drama, which vied for the Berlinale Golden Bear in February, follows Agnes, a depressed newlywed, who instead of committing suicide, considered taboo by her Christian community, commits a crime that would lead to her execution. The “suicide by proxy” practice was said to be common in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in German-speaking Central Europe and Scandinavia.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Lonely Planet is a romantic drama film written and directed by Susannah Grant. The Netflix film follows the story of a reclusive novelist on a prestigious writer’s retreat in Morocco trying to get over her writer’s block but she soon meets a young man and they soon begin to fall for each other. Lonely Planet stars Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth in the lead roles with Diana Silvers, Younès Boucif, Adriano Giannini, and Rachida Brakni starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the romance, beautiful scenery, and compelling characters in Lonely Planet here are some similar films you should check out next.

Under the Tuscan Sun (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Touchstone Pictures

Under the Tuscan Sun is a romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Audrey Wells. The 2003 film follows the story of Frances Mayes,...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Franchise is a satirical comedy series created by Jon Brown. The HBO series revolves around the crew of a little-known franchise movie set in an otherwise extremely popular superhero cinematic universe. The Franchise’s comedy comes from all the chaos generated by the always-on-fire set, idiotic stars, arrogant director, and panic-ridden crew. The Franchise stars Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant, and Daniel Brühl. So, if you loved the satirical comedy, behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood, and the general chaos in The Franchise here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Episodes (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Showtime

Episodes is a satirical comedy series created by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik. The Showtime series follows a British married couple who created an award-winning British...

Back in 2004, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow hit theaters in September 2004, but the science-fiction movie with lots of action and adventure didn't become the box office hit people were expecting. Rather, the star-studded "dieselpunk" movie became a box office flop with mostly positive reviews, earning it the title of a cult classic through the years.

In celebration of the movie's 20th anniversary, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow began streaming on Netflix in October 2024. The film comes from writer-director Kerry Conran and stars Gwyneth Paltrow as reporter Polly Perkins as she teams up with Sky Captain, played by Jude Law, to investigate the truth behind scientists disappearing and giant robot attacks.

Beyond Paltrow and Law in the leading roles, the cast also includes a small but memorable role from Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Gambon, Omid Djalili, Bai Ling, and Laurence Olivier, who appeared as Dr. Totenkopf...

Before diving into Spider-Man, The Evil Dead director Sam Raimi briefly returned to the world of the supernatural with The Gift.

Scream Factory will release 2000 mystery-thriller on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on December 3. It’s been newly restored in 4K with Dolby Vision.

Cate Blanchett stars with Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, and Hilary Swank. Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson wrote the script, based on Thornton’s mother’s alleged psychic experiences.

A new commentary track by Bloody Disgusting’s own head critic Meagan Navarro is included among other special features!

Disc 1 – 4K Uhd:

Audio Commentary with Film Critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson (new) Audio Commentary with Film Critic Meagan Navarro (new) Isolated Music & Effects Track

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

Audio Commentary with Film Critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson (new) Audio Commentary with Film Critic Meagan Navarro (new) Isolated Music & Effects Track Interview with Editors...

Stephen King often takes to Twitter to highlight or recommend movies and shows that are both topical and under-the-radar. Earlier this month, he described the Netflix chart-topping "Rebel Ridge" as "a thinking man's Rambo" and endorsed the brilliant, yet overlooked supernatural drama series "Evil," which is also streaming on Netflix at the moment. King, of course, is intimately acquainted with the horror-thriller genre, and one of his latest genre recommendations is a recent release helmed by Jt Mollner, revolving around a casual hookup gone horribly wrong. Yes, King took to Twitter to praise "Strange Darling" — starring Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner — while attaching the film's official trailer to underline how intriguing the premise is:

"I got an advance screener of Strange Darling, and it's really terrific. I'll try to attach the trailer here, because it's also a clever masterpiece. Can't say more; watch the film and you'll understand what the trailer is up to.

Just before Halloween back in 2022, 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. The movie was given a theatrical release back in August, and JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols loved it; you can read his 9/10 review at This Link. Strange Darling is now set to receive a digital release next week, on October 1st, and as we approach that date, writer/director J.T. Mollner and producer Roy Lee have revealed that the film had a bumpy production and almost lost Fitzgerald at the demand of the studio!

Speaking on the podcast The Business with Kim Masters, Mollner revealed that Miramax shut down the production after just two days of filming! Mollner said (with...

It's our great and bountiful podding leader Chris Hewitt's birthday on this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, and to celebrate we have a brace of top notch interviews and four incredible guests in all. First up on the guesting front, Chris sits down with Willa Fitzgerald, star of buzzy new thriller Strange Darling, and somehow manages to avoid spoiling the twists and turns of the movie whilst discussing, among other things, Giovanni Ribisi's pivot from acting heavyweight to cinematographer extraordinaire [23:05 - 40:27 approx]. Then Chris goes one on three with the powerhouse trio at the heart of Netflix indie drama His Three Daughters, Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne [1:01:45 - 1:14:52 approx].

Either side of our star interviews, Chris is joined back in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an Agatha All Along inspired listener question on the best movie witches and a good ol' deep dive into this week's movie news.

Provocatively disarranging its chronology, this gruesome shocker sports with misogyny but its technical brilliance is undeniable

Writer-director Jt Mollner shuffles the narrative deck with this macabre, ingenious serial-killer horror whose chapters are shown out of linear order. Each storytelling card is dealt with insolent provocation, a swaggeringly unhelpful contribution to the issues of sexual politics that we see male and female arresting officers debate at the very end. It recalls the look of movies made four or five decades ago; shot on 35mm film by actor turned cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi, it is a grisly shocker sporting with misogyny and the final-girl trope. There’s something of Tobe Hooper here, with an eerie “split diopter” camera shot in the manner of Brian De Palma (showing a looming face in closeup and an equally focused figure way behind) and a terrified woman at the wheel of a 1978 Ford Pinto (the car featured...

Right at the end of summer, at the tail end of a movie season stuffed with whirling tornadoes, raging apes and a mouldy Michael Keaton, comes another welcome throwback: a low-budget thriller that emerges out of nowhere to bowl you over. With its enigmatic title and cast of relative unknowns, it was on few radars until recently. But it should be on your radar now — and not just because Stephen King himself has hailed it as “a clever masterpiece”. Strange Darling is a smart, slippery creation, one which largely lands its blows with a wallop, and which proves a major calling card for both its director and its female star.

“I’m going to have to ask you a question,” goes an early line of dialogue. “Are you a serial killer?” That question hangs over the whole bloody affair. We’re in a place called Hood River County, Oregon, an...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Banshee is an action crime thriller drama series created by Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler. The Cinemax series follows the story of Lucas Hood, a former thief as he is released from prison after 15 years and soon assumes the identity of a murdered sheriff and goes to the small town of Banshee in Pennsylvania Amish country, where his former partner in crime has made a life for herself. Banshee stars Antony Starr, Ivana Miličević, Ulrich Thomsen, Frankie Faison, Hoon Lee, Rus Blackwell, Matt Servitto, Demetrius Grosse, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Ryann Shane, Daniel Ross Owens, and Lili Simmons. So, if you loved Banshee’s thrilling story, brutal action, and compelling characters, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Justified (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – FX

Justified is a neo-Western action crime drama series developed by Graham Yost.

Six hours into Kevin Costner’s unfussy and digestible Horizon: An American Saga, it does feel like some crucial oversights have been made. Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 2, which Costner shot back-to-back with Chapter 1 for a combined budget of $100 million, around $38M of came from Costner’s coffers, exists in...

The second night of the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys has crowned its winners.

The annual two-day event, which takes place the weekend before the Primetime Emmys, saw 99 TV awards handed out to mostly below-the-line categories, as well as recognition for guest actor and actress roles. Awards announced on Sunday included honors for comedy, drama and limited series, after Saturday was largely devoted to variety, nonfiction and reality. Big winners on Saturday included Jim Henson Idea Man, Saturday Night Live, Billy Joel: The 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden, Welcome to Wrexham and The 96th Oscars.

Shogun was the far-and-away winner at Sunday’s ceremony, collecting 14 of the evening’s 49 awards, including guest actor in a drama for Nestor Carbonell. The Bear cleaned up in the comedy categories, landing seven honors, with two for guest actor and actress in a comedy for Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis; Michaela Coel rounded out...

“Shōgun” dominated the second and final night of the 76th Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday, taking home the most awards with 14 and putting itself in prime position for the main ceremony on Sept. 15. The celebration began early for the FX drama when it collected the evening’s first award, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, for Nestor Carbonell’s performance in the episode “Anjin.”

It proved to be a busy night for “Shōgun.” The period drama picked up accolades for its below-the-line achievements in casting, costumes, makeup, hairstyling, stunts, production design, editing, visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing, main title design and cinematography. “Shōgun” nearly pulled off a perfect run at the Creative Arts Emmys, winning 14 out of the 16 categories it was nominated in. It also won more Creative Arts Emmys than “Game of Thrones,” the most nominated show in Emmy history; the HBO fantasy drama took home 10 in...

Gold Derby returns to our 15-year tradition of offering a Creative Arts Emmys streaming show announcing winners as they happen live. Watch our lively show on Sunday, September 8, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et by clicking the video box above.

Managing editor Chris Beachum and news and features editor Ray Richmond will be backstage in the media center with instant notifications of newly-minted Emmy winners for comedy, drama, limited and movie categories. Contributor Charles Bright will be hosting our fun online show with senior editor Marcus James Dixon and contributor Tony Ruiz. They will provide their reactions for all of the Sunday categories.

SEEExperts slugfest: Anonymous Emmy Phase 2 ballots revealed as voting closes

Here is a list of the 49 categories to be presented (in the following order):

Presenter Jamie Lee Curtis

Award #1: Drama Guest Actor

Award #2: Choreography (Scripted)

Presenter Jimmy O. Yang

Award...

As vast and flat as its title, “Horizon: An American Saga” can carry many descriptions. Call it hokey or homespun, old-school or out-of-touch, all would apply. But don’t you dare say wistful, because star and director and producer and co-screenwriter Kevin Costner has not leveraged a good part of his fortune for mourning.

Costner has come to celebrate those old myths, not bury them – and that lends “Chapter 2” an unintentionally elegiac quality. Tumbling down the Lido once this year’s Venice Film Festival has become a ghost-town, and with an already canceled theatrical release, “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2” stands more as a monument to unmet ambitions, to the grand swings-and-misses more often than not left out of the Great American Narrative.

Of course, by furthering the very televisual storytelling rhythms that cluttered and confounded in “Chapter 1,” this latest volume is not likely to win over unfamiliar devotees nor...

After debuting his Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 in Cannes last May, Kevin Costner is on the Lido today for the world premiere of the second installment in the Manifest Destiny epic. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, directed by and starring Costner alongside Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Isabelle Fuhrman, Luke Wilson and more, will screen out of competition at the Venice Film Festival this afternoon. Prior to that, Costner met with the press.

Costner wrote the, so far, two-part epic, with co-writer Jon Baird and also produces under his Territory Pictures banner. A third and fourth film are scripted and ready to shoot. The Oscar winner has a lot of skin in the game on this passion project. He previously told Deadline that he’s projected to pay $98 million himself for the first three films, and that financing the fourth will take it to over $100 million.

There’s an enormous amount to describe, but very little to actually say about Kevin Costner’s bedraggled “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2,” the second of a planned four installments in his sprawling, multistranded Western, that plays, after the muted reception of “Chapter 1” in Cannes, out of competition on the final day of Venice. Doubling down on the first chapter’s intermittent triumphs but also on its grievous structural issues, it is an exercise in contradictions: incident-packed yet oddly sedate; replete with characters new and returning, yet largely lacking in compelling characterization; and, running to over three hours, simply too long a film to be so jarringly abrupt.

It’s hardly a surprise that it picks up where the last left off, given the last left off with, essentially, a preview-reel of part two. Viewers bewildered by that montage’s final image — a lingering close-up of a mustachioed Giovanni Ribisi,...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is a crime drama series created by Shaye Ogbonna. Based on the 2020 podcast of the same name by Jeff Keating and Jim Roberts, the Peacock series is set in the year 1970 and it revolves around Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams as his ambition becomes the reason he is later pursued by some of the ruthless gangsters in the U.S. after their money is stolen on the night of Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing. Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist stars Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, Dexter Darden, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, Chloe Bailey, Lori Harvey, and Sinqua Walls. So, if you loved the intense story, compelling characters, and tons of chaos in Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist here are some similar shows you should check out next.

36 years after the release of Ron Shelton’s steamy baseball romance “Bull Durham,” co-stars Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon got together again at the 81st annual Venice Film Festival.

“There’s nothing like catching up with an old friend,” Costner wrote on his Instagram Thursday, sharing a picture of himself with Sarandon. “Great to see you [Susan Sarandon] we’ve come a long way since our ‘Bull Durham’ days.”

Sarandon was nominated for a Golden Globe for best musical or comedy for her role in the 1988 hit.

“Bull Durham”

The pair were reunited Sept. 5 at the Better World Fund’s philanthropy event at the Cipriani Hotel in Venice. “This significant occasion is dedicated to supporting women’s empowerment through the vector of art,” the Better World Fund Wrote on Instagram, outlining the significance of the night. “In the presence of our guests of honor Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner, the historic and...

Jamie Lee Curtis, Devery Jacobs, Nestor Carbonell and Brie Larson are among the presenters announced Thursday for the second night of the 76th Creative Arts Emmy Awards this Sunday, September 8. The awards will be held over two consecutive nights (9/7 and 9/8) at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live. An edited presentation of the ceremonies will air Saturday, September 14, at 8:00 Pm Pdt on Fxx, the night before the Primetime Emmys.

Presenters for this Sunday include:

Patrick Brammall (“Colin From Accounts”), Nestor Carbonell (“Shōgun”), Michael Cyril Creighton (“Only Murders in the Building”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“The Bear”), Harriet Dyer (“Colin From Accounts”), Alex Edelman (“Alex Edelman: Just For Us”), Devery Jacobs (“Reservation Dogs”), Brie Larson (“Lessons in Chemistry”), Aria Mia Loberti (“All the Light We Cannot See”), Desi Lydic (“Desi Lydic Foxsplains”; “The Daily Show”), Courtney McBroom (“Lessons in Chemistry”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“St. Denis Medical”), Adam Pally (“Mr. Throwback”), Parker Posey...

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

How do you promote a low-budget thriller? If you’re the cast and filmmaker behind Strange Darling, you carpet-bomb social media with unbridled enthusiasm — so much so that you might even scare a few fans. Not long after the sexy, deranged horror movie started hitting screens on Aug. 23, a cheeky X user posted: “The Strange Darling marketing is insane if you don’t see it in theatres the cast will have you assassinated.”

Fact is, everyone involved in this film cares — a lot. It’s evident in...

A scene from ‘Strange Darling’ (Photo credit: Magenta Light Studios)

The opening crawl of Strange Darling says that the movie is about the last few murders of a prolific 21st Century serial killer whose reign of terror moved from Colorado to Wyoming and ended up in the woods of Oregon.

And that’s pretty much all you should know about the plot of the movie before you go see it.

With Strange Darling, writer/director Jt Mollner (Outlaws and Angels) redefines the cat-and-mouse thriller. What seems like a one-night stand situation goes horribly wrong for the characters, who are known only as The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald from The Fall of the House of Usher) and The Demon (Smile’s Kyle Gallner). Strange Darling is a visceral film that checks off just about every content warning box imaginable – violence, sex, drug use, all of them. And there is a twist at every turn.

At one point, Jeremy Saulnier was one of the most exciting indie filmmakers in the scene. Once upon a time, such an auspicious start to a career would have lent itself to a bout in Hollywood, but Saulnier has instead chosen to take the route of straight-to-streaming action flicks. His latest outing, Rebel Ridge, certainly shows his personality, keeping it from descending to the level of some of the slop we see on streaming these days. Still, it doesn’t quite match the level of his earlier outings, settling for being merely entertaining.

Rebel Ridge Review

Rebel Ridge follows a man who, after a seemingly routine traffic stop, has his money stolen by a group of dirty local police officers, sending him onto a violent standoff against the corrupt police chief. As one would expect, there’s more to the mysterious drifter than one would expect, as his background and...

Fun fact: the first Avatar movie is the highest-grossing film at all time, with nearly three billion dollars made at the box office. Its sequel, 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water, is the third highest-grossing film of all time with a haul of over $2.3 billion. And Disney has three more of these suckers planned. The third movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, due out next year. Can it live up to the standards set by the first two. It will have to be spectacular.

The early signs are good. Actor Giovanni Ribisi, who played the greedy Rda administrator Parker Selfridge in the first two movies, has seen footage of the third (the public has yet to see anything) and he's full of praise. "So, we just did some pickups [for 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'] two months ago in New Zealand, and I saw a little bit of it, and it's just extraordinary,...

After taking a look back at House II: The Second Story (a favorite of mine since childhood), House of 1000 Corpses (which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year), the awesomeness of Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, the leg smashing in the Stephen King adaptation Misery, three separate moments from John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, the “Jason vs. Tina” battle in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, the “all hell breaks loose” sequence from the start of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, the opening sequence of Pitch Black, and a memorable moment from The Crow, JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek is continuing his The Best Scene video series with a look at a scene from director David Lynch‘s 1997 cult classic Lost Highway (watch it Here). To find out which moment Lance chose to highlight, check out the video embedded above.

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for 1992, The Deliverance and Only Murders in the Building.

Adam Sandler: Love You special screening

Sandler debuted his new Netflix comedy special in NYC on Aug. 20, alongside director (and former Uncut Gems collaborator) Josh Safdie.

Josh Safdie and Adam Sandler The Crow premiere

Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs walked the carpet at the NY premiere of their new version of The Crow on Aug. 20. The premiere was followed by an afterparty hosted by Lionsgate, TikTok and Ssense.

Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs Director Rupert Sanders at the afterparty. Only Murders in the Building premiere

With season four of the hit Hulu comedy heading to Los Angeles, stars Steve Martin, Martin

Short, Selena Gomez and Meryl Streep followed suit for the premiere on the Paramount lot on Aug. 22.

Meryl Streep,...

Ernest Hemingway’s final novel, Across the River and Into the Trees, isn’t exactly known to be among his best works, so it’s probably no surprise that it took quite a while for anyone to adapt it to the cinematic medium. Director Paula Ortiz’s adaptation is fine, if unremarkable, elevated by its excellent cast and impressive production values.

Across the River and Into the Trees Review

The film follows a US Army Colonel who receives a life-changing diagnosis but meets it with indifference, taking a sojourn through post-wwii Venice. Those familiar with Hemingway’s work won’t be surprised by what Across the River and Into the Trees has in store — it’s poignantly meditative and incredibly simple. However, there is an undeniable elegance in that simplicity that allows this to be a charming drama.

RELATEDStrange Darling Review — Giovanni Ribisi Lenses a Twisty, Captivating Thriller

This feeling...

For a long time now, the names of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have receded from the public memory. In the aftermath of the 2022 Depp v Heard defamation trial, the respective parties who had been at war since December 2018 finally subsided into their own corners of the Earth, enjoying a life only luxury can buy.

Johnny Depp [Photo by Andy Templeton, licensed under Cc By via Wikimedia Commons]

However, only a couple of years have passed since their Hollywood controversy shook the tinsel town out of its slumber and engaged the entire world in a united mockery of the trial. Although it is hard to imagine the two actors ever being social again, once upon a time, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met, fell in love, and got married before the ugliness settled into their relationship.

Johnny Depp & Amber Heard: The Movie That Started It All

In any other situation, the 83-year-old filmmaker Terry Gilliam would be celebrated for...

Spoiler Alert: The following story contains details from the plot of Magenta Light Studios’s Strange Darling.

If you’re not familiar with the name Willa Fitzgerald, you will be soon.

A 33-year-old Nashville native who’s been working for a decade-plus, Fitzgerald has drawn notice to this point for a few prominent turns on television. Notable credits in that area include Reacher, The Fall of the House of Usher, and Scream: The TV Series. But it’s in Strange Darling, an ingenious, low-budget thriller from rising filmmaker Jt Mollner, that she’s found what should be a star-making role.

Strikingly shot on 35mm by actor-turned-dp Giovanni Ribisi, Strange Darling seemed to come out of nowhere when it hit theaters last Friday, almost a year after its Fantastic Fest premiere. But within a short amount of time, and without the marketing support of a genre breakout like Longlegs, the film...

[This story contains major spoilers for Strange Darling.]

There was a period of time when Strange Darling filmmaker Jt Mollner didn’t want to give a detailed interview like this one. He intended for his thoughts on his six-chaptered, nonlinear thriller to correspond with a tight-lipped marketing campaign that sets a deviant predator in motion as he hunts his prey. And while the now-critically acclaimed film’s various marketing materials boil the premise down to Kyle Gallner’s “The Demon” and his tenacious pursuit of Willa Fitzgerald’s “The Lady,” Mollner eventually agreed with Magenta Light Studios’ marketing team about the necessity of tipping their hand ever so slightly. Thus, potential viewers were given an indication that Strange Darling wasn’t going to be another formulaic offering involving a final girl.

Venturing into spoiler territory, the film’s marketing and first few chapters may establish Fitzgerald’s character as the target of a serial killer, but...

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for “Strange Darling,” now playing in theaters. Seriously — there are some great twists in this movie. Go check it out first and then come back to read this!

J.T. Mollner is earning raves for his new thriller “Strange Darling.” However, the writer-director didn’t even feel the need to make a movie unless he could do something unique.

“There are so many great horror films that are better than anything I could ever make because they’re just so perfect, that I felt like unless we could find a different angle and turn things inside out, there’s no reason to do it,” he says. “I was excited because it seemed like, ‘Oh, this is a way to play with people’s expectations and assumptions.'”

Luckily, Mollner wrote a sexy and shocking script for “Strange Darling,” where the strength lies in manipulating stereotypes...

Giovanni Ribisi, who plays Parker Selfridge in the Avatar film franchise, recently saw early footage from Avatar: Fire and Ash, the upcoming third installment. Ribisi said the footage looked “extraordinary” and “amazing.”

The actor completed additional filming in New Zealand for the sequel two months ago. It was then that he got a first look at some of the post-production work. Ribisi said of the footage, “It’s just extraordinary. I can’t say enough about it. It’s going to be amazing.”

Fans have been eagerly awaiting any details about Avatar: Fire and Ash after director James Cameron opted not to show footage at a recent event. The film is currently in the post-production stage and set for release on December 19, 2025. This will mark several years between installments, similar to the gap for the first two Avatar movies.

The first Avatar in 2009 was a breakthrough, becoming the highest-grossing film...

Prison Break is officially back on Netflix, and it’s climbing up the Netflix Top 10. It’s been several years since the hit TV series starring Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell was available to stream on Netflix. All five seasons were added to the streamer in August 2024.

We know fans are finishing Prison Break on Netflix right now. We picked seven of the best TV shows to watch for your next binge-watch after you finish the series on Netflix, starting with the best heist show of all time, Money Heist.

Money Heist

Money Heist, also known as La Casa de Papel, is a Spanish heist series from Alex Pina. The series follows The Professor, played by Álvaro Morte, who puts together a group of career criminals to pull off the biggest heist in the history of Spain. The crew hits the Royal Mint of Spain, but things don’t go according to the plan.

Director J.T. Mollner’s new independent horror film “Strange Darling” is ruffling feathers in the movie world. The 35mm film, shot by actor-turned-cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi, presents a mystery that confounds viewers until the final moments. While initially appearing similar to a traditional cat-and-mouse thriller, the film steadily reveals an unconventional truth through nonlinear storytelling.

The movie opens with a woman called “The Lady,” played by Willa Fitzgerald, fleeing a pursuer known as “The Demon,” acted by Kyle Gallner. Their chase through the woods implies a standard plot with the Lady as the imperiled victim. However, across six out-of-order chapters, the narrative subverts expectations. Shockingly, the film exposes that the Lady intentionally lured the Demon to kill him, not the other way around.

Mollner designed the film to mislead the audience’s presumptions. “I wanted to reinvent the idea of a final girl,” the director said, referring to the common trope...

Major spoilers for "Strange Darling" follow.

Director J.T. Mollner's indie horror flick "Strange Darling" has finally opened in U.S. theaters with the wind of good publicity at its back. In a fascinating career pivot, "Strange Darling" was shot on 35mm film by actor Giovanni Ribisi making his debut as a cinematographer. Then, there's the promise of a twist in both the film's marketing and reviews.

"Go in blind" is easy criticism when a film anchors itself with a twist but "Strange Darling" earns that rave. The film is introduced as a story told in six chapters, but those chapters are presented out of order. Mollner banks on his audience's genre and gendered expectations as he assembles the movie's puzzle pieces together before their eyes.

So, what does "Strange Darling" appear to be about? A young woman, "The Lady," (Willa Fitzgerald) is fleeing a man, "The Demon" (Kyle Gallner...

Stars: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr., Steven Michael Quezada, Madisen Beaty, Bianca A. Santos, Bianca A. Santos, Sheri Foster, Eugenia Kuzmina, Giovanni Ribisi | Written and Directed by Jt Mollner

Strange Darling is a gripping and unconventional thriller that takes audiences on a wild, genre-bending ride through the darker corners of human psychology. Written and directed by Jt Mollner, the film blends elements of horror, suspense, and drama into a narrative that is as unpredictable as it is haunting.

The film opens with a tense, heart-pounding chase sequence that sets the tone for what is to come. From the outset, Strange Darling refuses to play by the rules of conventional storytelling. The narrative structure is fragmented, moving back and forth in time, which creates a disorienting effect that mirrors the instability of its characters.

The plot revolves around a cat-and-mouse game between a woman and her pursuer,...

Yellowstone star Kevin Costner will return to the Western genre with his film series Horizon: An American Saga, the first part of which is set to arrive in theaters June 28. The first film in a planned four-arc installment premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival to an 11-minute 40-second standing ovation, which brought the actor to tears.

Costner, who stars in and directs the Western installments, has been wanting to bring this project to the screen since 1988 when he started dreaming it up. He cowrote it with Jon Baird. The Dances With Wolves star revealed that production has begun for the third film and that he has plans to make a fourth. The second part of the series will follow the first with a theatrical release this summer.

Read on for everything we know about Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga:

What is Horizon: An American Saga about?

The...

Plot: Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.

Review: I feel like I often say: stay away from spoilers for this movie for the most pure experience. And that’s very true with films like Cuckoo and Longlegs relying on the mystery for their narrative to succeed. Yet I’d say there’s no film more deserving of this “going in blind” approach than Strange Darling. I question what I’ll even be able to talk about but it would be a disservice to any potential viewer to not let them go on the same journey that I did. Because Strange Darling is one of the most unique and riveting films of the year. And it deserves to be experienced completely fresh.

Presented in six chapters and out of sequential order, the narrative is delivered in a very unique way.

Serial killer thriller Strange Darling and poignant comedy Between The Temples had nice debuts as Coraline’s re-release continued to kick this weekend along with a handful of holdovers from Didi to Sing Sing.

Magenta Light Studios’ Strange Darling — where nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree — debuted to $1.14 million at 1,135 theaters, according to Comscore. Jt Mollner’s slasher stars Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Ed Begley Jr., and Barbara Hershey. Giovanni Ribisi makes his big screen debut a as cinematographer.

Veteran producer Bob Yari (Crash) formed production and distribution outfit Magenta Light Studios earlier this year.

Sony Pictures Classics’ Between The Temples saw a nice $677.9k opening on 576 screens for the film by Nathan Silver. Jason Schwartzman stars as a cantor losing...

Strange Darling is unusual for a 2024 genre release; loud, nasty, nuanced, not particularly scary, or particularly marketable. Its entire appeal hangs on not only knowing as little about its plot and various twists as possible, but being willing to happily ride along with one of the most vicious and deplorable characters in recent memory too. It’s a big ask; a bold swing towards something very rarely seen in genre circles this decade – genuine originality. But thankfully, something which writer/director Jt Mollner and his team pull off gorgeously.

In fact, this writer would go so far as to say that Strange Darling is the most exciting genre movie of the year. The sort of electric, razor sharp, morally hideous one-off that forces you to remember exactly where you were and who you were with when you first laid eyes on it. Before desperately wanting to go back for seconds,...

Kyle Gallner in Strange Darling

Already riding high at the US box office, and just screened at Frightfest, Jt Mollner’s Strange Darling is a lively thriller which oozes style. Following two characters played by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner, it plays with audience sympathies as they interact across six chapters presented in non-linear order. It’s gorgeously shot, on celluloid, by Giovanni Ribisi, and when I got the chance to speak with him (and Jt), I asked about his interesting use of colour, as well as the way that the visual choices and sound design work together.

“Jt can speak to the sound design,” says Giovanni, “but for the image, you know, the overall tone of the movie and the world that we wanted to create was really based on the idea of these two characters existing in a fairy tale, so there was that sort of subjective innuendo.

Even though the weekend of Aug. 23-25 may not be as packed with new shows as we are used to seeing, there’s still plenty to watch! After all, wouldn’t you agree that it is quality over quantity? Below we are highlighting four great shows you can stream this weekend, followed by our top two picks.

What’s new this weekend? For your viewing pleasure, we have included a good mix of new debuts and shows you may have missed from earlier this week. Check them out!

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, watch it on HBO this Saturday, Aug. 24Industry season 3 episode 3, stream on HBO/Max this Sunday, Aug. 25Reasonable Doubt season 2 debut, now streaming on HuluPachinko season 2 debut, now streaming on Apple TV+

Did we miss any other great shows that premiered this weekend or dropped earlier this week? Share with us if so! Now, which of...

The new romantic thriller Strange Darling is filled with A-list names like Kyle Gallner (Scream), Ed Begley Jr., and Barbara Hershey — not to mention Giovanni Ribisi behind the camera as a producer and the director of photography. However, the true highlight of the film is Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall of the House of Usher), whose breakout performance in the lead role is utterly captivating.

We at FandomWire got the opportunity to speak with Willa Fitzgerald about her role in Strange Darling and why she thinks it’s such a unique specimen in the horror genre. Check out the full interview below!

Strange Darling RELATEDStrange Darling Review — Giovanni Ribisi Lenses a Twisty, Captivating Thriller Strange Darling Interview

FandomWire: I think one thing that’s incredible about Strange Darling is that there’s not much dialogue in the first act. Did you find it challenging to establish your character with minimal dialogue?...