Creed III Steps Into the Ring, Black Adam is a Big Mess, Ranking the Halloween Kills in Halloween Ends
Will the superhero movie bubble ever burst? I personally don't think so, but you never know. Superhero movies continue to be more prevalent than ever, but there's a growing sense that studios are running out of stories to tell. Everyone wants the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but even the MCU has been more than a touch lackluster lately (and I say that as one of the few people who actually thought Eternals was pretty good).
Now, here comes the DC superhero title Black Adam, a film heavily promoted by its likable star, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Is anyone familiar with the character of Black Adam? And by anyone I mean the general public, not hardcore comic fans. I don't know, and I don't know if the film will be any good, as I haven't seen it yet. But we have the review for the film up today, and in the newsletter below, and folks, it's not very positive.
Elsewhere in the /Film Newsletter, you'll find a spoiler review for The Rings of Power season 1, an exclusive excerpt from a new book about Clive Barker, the excellent trailer for Creed III, and much more.
Have You Heard the News?
The trailer for Creed III is here, and while it's a good trailer, it's also one of those trailers that feels like it gives the entire movie away. So proceed with caution. Star Michael B. Jordan is making his directorial debut on the pic, which also stars Jonathan Majors as Creed's new opponent, a friend-turned-enemy named Damian. Creed III punches its way into theaters on March 3, 2023.
Speaking of Creed III, actor-turned-director Michael B. Jordan has commented on why this was the film he decided to make his feature directorial debut.
We've got an exclusive clip from Fall, which is a pretty good movie as far as movies about two friends trapped on a ridiculously tall tower go.
We'll get to the Black Adam review in a minute, but first, here's star Dwayne Johnson talking about how he hopes to bring more cohesiveness to the DCEU with the film.
Reviews
Dwayne Johnson stars in Black Adam, and our critic Witney Seibold says the flick feels more like an outline than a finished film. Witney also states the movie features "no thought or recognizable humanity," so, uh, yikes. Anyway, Black Adam hits theaters this week!
Hoai-Tran Bui takes a deep dive into Amazon's big, expensive, sprawling Lord of the Rings series with a spoiler review of The Rings of Power season 1.
I reviewed the latest installment of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries. It's another fine season, but I sure wish they'd have more ghost episodes. Gimme the ghosts!
In a review of SHTTL out of the London Film Festival, critic Barry Levitt says the film is "insightful, beautiful, and completely unforgettable."
Reviewing from the Brooklyn Horror Fest, Matt Donato sings the scary praises of the horror sequel Satan's Slaves: Communion.
Features and Exclusives
Paul Newman had a long, storied career, and you're probably aware of a lot of his films. But here are 10 Underrated Paul Newman Movies That You Should Check Out.
In a lot of ways, sharks are the Paul Newmans of the sea (please don't ask me to clarify that). So while we're here, let's talk about 10 Underrated Shark Movies That You Should Check Out, too.
We do a lot of ranking in the features section, so let's keep it going by ranking every kill in Halloween Ends (a good movie, btw!).
In an exclusive /Film interview, Black Adam co-star Aldis Hodge talks about developing the fighting style of his character, Hawkman.
While we're talking exclusives, here's an exclusive look at the new book Clive Barker's Dark Worlds.
We have not one but two different features about Gore Verbinski's The Ring, which turns 20 this year (good lord I am old). Lex Briscuso writes about how the film has evolved to be even better over time, and Erin Brady delves into how the movie is one of those rare remakes that surpasses the original.
Video of the Day
Today's Video of the Day comes from the folks at Fandor, and highlights 12 Essential Women Cinematographers. If you're familiar with cinematographers at all there's a good chance the majority of them taking up space in your brain are men. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it's important to expand those horizons, people. Never stop learning stuff, especially about film. That's my motto.