Dont Tell NetflixDont Tell Netflix

by Emily Nagle

The first trailer for upcoming independent slasher film “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” – based on the fictional characters created by A.A. Milne nearly a century ago – has made its debut on Jagged Edge Productions’ official YouTube channel.

“Blood and Honey” reimagines the silly old bear, along with shy, sweet Piglet, as a vicious murderer with a taste for blood. Pooh no longer spends his days playing in the forest with Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon), who has abandoned Pooh and the gang as he has grown up, graduated college, and gotten married. All these years later, Christopher has returned to the forest to introduce his new wife to Pooh and his friends. However, Pooh has other plans in mind: slaughtering everyone in his path, including a group of college girls staying in a nearby cabin.

Much of the characters from the “Winnie the Pooh” canon are still owned by Disney; however, the company’s copyright for depictions of Pooh expired in January, leaving the anthropomorphic teddy bear in the public domain.

While it’s a completely new spin on the nearly 90-year-old character, it has been met with mixed criticism due to the concept being unnecessarily dark – why would a beloved, timeless childhood character be turned into a bloodthirsty murderer? Of course, “Blood and Honey” isn’t the first film to do this; “Bunny the Killer Thing” does something similar, introducing a killer who’s a giant fuzzy bunny.

“Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” does not yet have a release date, but is said to be “coming soon.” Other names involved in the project are Rhys Frake-Waterfield as the director, and actors Amber Doig-Thorne, Natasha Tosini, and Danielle Ronald.

by Emily Nagle

Today is National Grief Awareness Day. Observed every year on August 30, this day sheds light on the many ways that people process loss. It’s a reminder that grieving is a nonlinear experience that varies from person to person. In honor of this important day, I watched a selection from Invincible’s catalog that details one young man’s unique journey through grief, titled “In Memory of My Father“.

Released in 2005, “In Memory of My Father” follows Chris (Chris Jaymes), the youngest son of a dying Hollywood producer who has decided to go out with a bang as he has bribed Chris to document his death. While the movie spends much of its time focusing on Chris and his brothers Matt (Matt Keeslar) and Jeremy (Jeremy Sisto), it also examines how the death is processed by multiple people, as their father requests that the brothers throw an extravagant farewell party at his home.

The way that this film takes a look at the grieving experience is an unexpected one, because it’s not all about dying. In fact, their father is barely onscreen for much of the movie. Instead, it’s about how people process trauma; the brothers are wrapped up in drama as they each have their own relationship-related problems, ranging from breakups to reconnecting with an ex. At the party, the brothers and their guests sat around and sang a ridiculous song together about how “our daddy’s dead”.

Because of all the chaos, it’s hard to understand what’s going on in the movie at times, but that’s also what grief is like. Despite this, “In Memory of My Father” is still a creative exploration of grieving. It has that homemade indie film energy to it, not to mention an excellent soundtrack.

You can watch “In Memory of My Father” for free on Galxy.

by Emily Nagle

Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for Weekend of August 26-28, 2022
5. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero ($4.6 million)
4. Top Gun: Maverick ($4.8 million)
3. Beast ($4.9 million)
2. Bullet Train ($5.6 million)
1. The Invitation ($7 million)

The last weekend of August was the quietest of the entire month, grossing $52.1 million across 34 releases – the least amount of releases since the long Easter weekend back in April. Sony’s supernatural horror film “The Invitation” was the number-one release for this weekend. Having grossed $7 million across the United States, it was the lowest-grossing film to make it to number one since “Spiral“, which grossed $4.6 million during its opening weekend in May 2021.

Inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and directed by Jessica M. Thompson, “The Invitation” follows Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel), an orphan who discovers dark secrets about her family while being courted by mysterious gothic aristocrat Walter (Thomas Doherty).

“Bullet Train” replaced “Beast” for the number-two spot over the weekend after the latter was met with mixed criticism from viewers who compared it to a B-movie due to its predictable storyline. While “Bullet Train” was also met with mixed reviews, it was praised for its high-speed action sequences and all-star cast.

by Emily Nagle

Shia LaBeouf has announced that he has converted to Christianity while shooting his upcoming film “Padre Pio”.

The “Transformers” star revealed the news in a Thursday interview for the media organization Word on Fire with Fire Catholic Ministries’ Bishop Robert Barron. LaBeouf became familiar with the church while living with a monastery of Franciscan Capuchin friars in preparation for his role as the titular character of St. Padre Pio.

At the start of the project, LaBeouf was in the darkest point of his life after being part of several scandals. He sought out spirituality groups to find meaning after contemplating taking his own life, revealing, “I didn’t want to be alive anymore when all this happened. Shame like I had never experienced before — the kind of shame that you forget how to breathe. You don’t know where to go…But I was also in this deep desire to hold on.”

He went on to explain that his motivation to be in “Padre Pio” was driven not by God, but by his career and finding himself again. LaBeouf, who previously described himself as Jewish, was drawn to Catholicism by the religion’s emphasis on forgiveness and morality.

“Padre Pio” is set to premiere next month at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival.

by Emily Nagle

This morning, Disney+ revealed the first trailer for the upcoming live-action remake of their 1940 animated film “Pinocchio”, which is set to premiere on their streaming platform on Disney+ Day on September 8.

Although it is a remake of one of Disney’s oldest animated films, “Pinocchio” retells a story that originated back in 1883 with Carlo Collodi’s children’s book “The Adventures of Pinocchio”. It stars Tom Hanks as childless woodcarver Geppetto, who wishes upon a star for his puppet (voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) to become a real boy. His dreams come true when a Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo) brings Pinocchio to life, and Geppetto brings him up like his own child. However, Pinocchio has a lot of growing up to do, and seeks out an adventure to learn what being human is all about.

In addition to Hanks, the cast includes Luke Evans (“Beauty and the Beast”) as The Coachman, Keegan-Michael Key as con artist fox Honest John, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Pinocchio’s voice of reason, Jiminy Cricket. Also set to appear are Pinocchio’s cat Figaro and goldfish Cleo. “Pinocchio” will also introduce completely new characters that were not in the 1940 film, including friendly seagull Sofia (voiced by Lorraine Bracco) and Signora Vitelli (Sheila Atim).

The film will be directed by Robert Zemeckis (“Back to the Future”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”) with an original score by frequent collaborator, award-winning composer Alan Silvestri. Erivo will perform the film’s iconic song “When You Wish Upon A Star”.

“Pinocchio” isn’t the first film of 2022 to be based on the puppet, nor will it be the last; earlier this year, Lionsgate released the animated film “Pinocchio: A True Story”, starring Pauly Shore as the voice of the titular puppet (which became an Internet phenomenon due to its peculiar voice acting). In December, Netflix will be debuting a stop-motion animated film based on the tale, directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, and David Bradley.

by Emily Nagle

Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for Weekend of August 19-21, 2022
5. DC League of Super-Pets ($5.7 million)
4. Top Gun: Maverick ($5.9 million)
3. Bullet Train ($8 million)
2. Beast ($11.6 million)
1. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero ($20.1 million)

This weekend saw two major releases breaking into the top 5, with the top release being Crunchyroll’s “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero”. Part of the popular Japanese media franchise, this film is the twenty-first Dragon Ball theatrical feature, with the last one being “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” back in 2019. “Super Hero” is the first film in the series to be animated predominantly in 3D, and has received positive reviews praising its story, nostalgia, and fan appeal. It’s also made history as the biggest anime movie premiere ever, premiering in over 3,000 theaters across the United States!

Coming in at number two is “Beast”, which made slightly less than “Super Hero” despite being released in 700 more theaters. This is likely due to its mixed reviews from critics, who pointed out a lackluster story that couldn’t be saved by excellent action sequences or beautiful cinematography. It stars Idris Elba as Dr. Nate Daniels, a newly widowed dad who travels with his two daughters to a South African game reserve for a vacation. The getaway quickly turns into a fight for survival when he is pursued by a bloodthirsty lion.