The final trailer for Evil Dead Rise is full of quotes from the positive reviews the film has received so far

The April 21st theatrical release of Evil Dead Rise (read our review right HERE), the latest entry in the Evil Dead franchise, is just fifteen days away – and to make sure our hype levels are as high as possible, a final trailer for the movie has arrived online to let us know that the critical response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive so far. You can watch the final trailer in the embed above.

Evil Dead franchise creator Sam Raimi handpicked Lee Cronin to write and direct a new Evil Dead movie after seeing his feature directorial debut The Hole in the Ground. The story Cronin crafted for Evil Dead Rise has the following synopsis: A road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A apartment. The sisters’ reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.

Although the film is set in Los Angeles, filming actually took place in New Zealand. Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland star as the estranged sisters at the heart of the story. Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher play Ellie’s three kids. Mia Challis is playing Jessica, “an 18 year old girl, who is obsessed with fashion and Instagram. Jessica loves to be the center of attention, although she is smarter than she lets on”.

Bruce Campbell doesn’t have an acting role in Evil Dead Rise, as he has formally retired from playing franchise hero Ash on screen, but he did produce the movie alongside Raimi and Rob Tapert, as those three hold the rights to the series. Evil Dead Rise is a collaboration between Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, and Ghost House Pictures.

What did you think of the final trailer for Evil Dead Rise? Will you be watching this movie on the big screen later this month? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is set to have the highest opening ever for a film based on a video game.

Easter weekend is upon us, and there is no shortage of films to see at your local multiplex. In a true bit of counter-programming, we have two new releases entering the market that are aimed at completely different demographics. In one corner, you have The Super Mario Bros. Movie hoping to fill the void of animated family films that have been so few and far between while Ben Affleck gets back in the director’s chair for the first time since 2016’s underperforming Live By Night with the story of how Nike went from the verge of bankruptcy to one of the biggest names in fashion by securing the biggest (and best) basketball player ever to play the game, Michael Jordan, for perhaps the most famous shoe line ever created. To go along with those big studio offerings, you also have the “is it a Bob Ross biopic or just a Bob Ross like character?” movie Paint starring Owen Wilson, and being as it is Easter weekend, a religious holiday, you can’t sleep on the faith-based titles that have been killing it at the box office recently such as His Only Son and Jesus Revolution that should see solid returns this weekend.

Full disclosure, I kind of already have a heads up in my predictions as both The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Air were released on Wednesday, and some early numbers have begun pouring in. With those two extra days of release, the studios are spreading out some of those box office dollars, and as such, it looks like The Super Mario Bros. Movie is settling in around $87 million for the 3-day weekend while amassing nearly $128 million for its 5-day take. That is based on what is looking like a $26 million Wednesday opening. Right now, the 3-day champion for a movie based on a video game came just last year when Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was released on April 8 with $72.1 million. Super Mario Bros. will easily defeat that total, but I still think walk-up business gets this one to at least the $90 million mark for the weekend. There hasn’t been an animated family film since Puss in Boots; The Last Wish was released on December 16, 2022, to a fairly lackluster $12.4 million, yet with a lack of competition, the animated sequel was able to turn that $12.4 million into a respectable $184.9 million domestic. Mario is looking to have a far better opening weekend, but with another gap between animated films as Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse doesn’t open until June 2, followed by the Pixar film Elemental on June 16, it looks like families may give this animated adventure some solid legs. (Check out our own Chris Bumbray’s review here)

Air comes to us by way of Amazon studios, who had originally planned on releasing this film direct to their streaming service but, in the wake of securing MGM and giving their films a big screen push, decided to go theatrical. As of right now, the film appears to be on track for around a $10 million 3-day take, while its 5-day is looking like $16 million. Those aren’t gangbuster numbers for a film reportedly in the $80 million budget range, but you must keep in mind: ignoring something like John Wick, films aimed at the adult audience don’t always kill it at the box office on opening weekend. They tend to find their audience as the weeks go on and the older crowd makes their way to the theaters. With stellar reviews, 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with our own Chris Bumbray calling it “A great movie” in his 8/10 review, and an excellent 98% audience score, this one will hopefully have the legs it deserves at the box office.

As of right now, it is looking like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves may actually have a decent hold for this type of film as it looks to drop under 50% from its opening weekend and land with around $20 million, while John Wick: Chapter 4 and His Only Son should round out the top five with relatively minor drops as traditionally speaking Easter Weekend is a solid one at the box office, and this year there is plenty to see!

Do you plan on heading to theaters this weekend? If so, let us know what you are most excited about in the comments, and don’t forget to check back in with us on Saturday, as we will have an update on where the numbers are heading

TOP FIVE PREDICTIONS:

1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie– $90 Million
2. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves– $20 Million
3. Air– $10 Million
4. John Wick: Chapter 4– $5 Million
5. His Only Son– $3 Million

Lukas Rinker is directing Paws, a killer polar bear movie where the creature is brought to life with animatronics rather than CGI

Writer/director Lukas Rinker made his feature debut with the comedic thriller Holy Shit! last year, and now he’s reteaming with his Holy Shit! collaborators Neopol Film and The Playmaker for the eco-horror movie Paws, about a killer polar bear! Variety reports that producers Tonio Kellner, Andrea Simml, and Jakob Zapf will be pitching Paws at Frontières, “a market and networking platform focused on genre film financing and co-production between Europe and North America”, next month. Loredana Rehekampff and Andreas Schmied are co-producing the project for Samsara Filmproduction.

Paws will tell the story of young scientist Nook, who’s on board a research ship in the Arctic. Reformed oil billionaire Fox is funding the crews’ efforts to fight climate change. Just when Nook learns that Fox’s interest is not so much in saving the planet but exploring and claiming fresh oil fields, their ship crashes. The crew search an abandoned Russian ghost-ship looking for a radio, but uncover a horrific threat: Inside the rusty trawler a monstrous polar bear mother has been trapped with her cub. Not only will the animal defend her nest but has grown very hungry and will seize the opportunity to feed on the survivors. Meanwhile, Fox begins to drill for oil and sees Nook as a threat to his business. Nook radios for help, but only a squad of Russian mercenaries return her call, and they are also interested in the oil.

Rinker had this to say about the project: “The eternal darkness of the polar night and alien-esque qualities of the Arctic landscape inspired me, and led me to believe that there’s a thrilling story there, and an affordable movie to be made. The polar bear – the largest terrestrial predator on Earth – comes to mind as the natural monster to roam this setting, but it also is a perfect fit for my agenda – to condemn the never-ending destruction of nature. And have the people responsible eaten. I love genre and I love horror. Being trapped on an ice-field with no help in sight, freezing temperatures and a looming hungry monster – seemed very horrifying to me. And from the bear’s perspective, having your habitat exploited and melted away, with nothing you can do against those greedy intruders, is horrific. Then there’s the climate angle. Horror all around! Also, I believe horror can deliver one of the best audience experiences to have in a cinema.“

Kellner added: “At Neopol Film, we just love Lukas’ writing, which is quite precise, emotionally to the point, and absolutely entertaining. While directing his script Holy Shit!, Lukas also proved the quality of his directorial skills and his black humored, exaggerated voice, which was also dearly noticed by audiences around the world. Paws will be very fun for a broader audience by going beyond the thrills of a creature-feature, and twisting the classic evil beast into an endangered animal. The polar bear on its juicy revenge trip is a sharp metaphorical note on our world’s current state, hence this will surely be satisfying and thought provoking.“

The director has always been repelled by the look of CG animals in films (he specifically mentions being underwhelmed by the bear in The Revenant), so he intends to bring the killer polar bear in Paws to life through the use of animatronics. Much like the shark in Jaws.

I’m totally on board to watch a killer polar bear movie. Does Paws sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Apple TV+ released its Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie trailer, previewing the documentary focusing on the beloved Holyywood legend.

Davis Guggenheim is about to explore the life and times of Michael J. Fox in a new biopic, STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie. The documentary presents a deeply personal journey through the actor’s career and battle with Parkinson’s disease. The potentially tear-jerking presentation comes to Apple TV+ on May 12, 2023, and members of the JoBlo community are excited to check it out. If today’s STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie trailer doesn’t make you choke up, you should check your pulse.

Here is the official description for STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie from Apple TV+:

The film, which incorporates documentary, archival and scripted elements, recounts Fox’s extraordinary story in his own words — the improbable tale of an undersized kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the heights of stardom in 1980s Hollywood. The account of Fox’s public life, full of nostalgic thrills and cinematic gloss, unspools alongside his never-before-seen private journey, including the years that followed his diagnosis, at twenty-nine, with Parkinson’s disease. Intimate and honest, and produced with unprecedented access to Fox and his family, the film chronicles Fox’s personal and professional triumphs and travails. It explores what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease. With a mix of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, watching the film feels like… well, like a Michael J. Fox movie.

Guggenheim directs, with Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan starring. Guggenheim, Annetta Marion, Jonathan King, and Will Cohen produce. Nelle Fortenberry, Jonathan Silberberg, Nicole Stott, and Laurene Powell Jobs executive produce.

According to JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray, who saw Still at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary is riveting, with Fox uncommonly open about his battle with the disease. He allows Guggenheim and his crew to see him at his worst when his meds have worn off, which is quite powerful as Fox is typically on enough medication when he makes public appearances to manage his symptoms pretty well. His goal with the documentary is to show people the truth about his illness, but here’s the thing – it sounds depressing, but it’s not. Michael J. Fox hasn’t an ounce of self-pity in him, and the movie celebrates his life and career, with Fox still, as he titled his autobiography, a “Lucky Man.”

The movie takes us through his daily routines as he fights the onslaught of symptoms daily, but we also see his life story, told through clever re-editing of clips from his movies and TV shows. Fox is pretty open about a severe bout with alcoholism he had around the Doc Hollywood years, which is when his symptoms started to manifest themselves, and how his feature career ground to a halt in the mid-nineties before he launched a big comeback with Spin City. He also tells many stories about making the Back to the Future trilogy and Family Ties (simultaneously). He explores what it was like being one of the biggest stars of the eighties, all with a healthy dose of modesty and good humor.

You can read Chris’ full review of the film here.

What do you think about the STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie trailer? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.

Encyclopocalypse Publications has commissioned novelizations of the 1986 film Nail Gun Massacre and 2008’s Deadgirl

Yesterday, we shared the news that Encyclopocalypse Publications, the company that not only brought John Skipp and Craig Spector’s novelization of Fright Night and Jeff Rovin’s novelization of Re-Animator back into print, but have also commissioned new novelizations of older films like Scared to Death, Wishmaster, Vamp, Titan Find (a.k.a. Creature), and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, is set to bring us a novelization of the 1989 Troma release Redneck Zombies. But that’s not the only novelization they currently have in the works. Encyclopocalypse Publications has also announced that they’ve got Snow Shark author Brian G. Berry working on a novelization of the 1986 low budget classic Nail Gun Massacre, while A Bouquet of Viscera author Bridgett Nelson is writing a novelization of the unnerving 2008 film Deadgirl!

Written and directed by Terry Lofton, Nail Gun Massacre told the following story: Forget about that guy with the chainsaw. And start worrying about the deranged Nail Gun Killer! A beautiful young girl is brutally gang-raped by construction workers at a building site in a small Texas town. Suddenly, mutilated bodies begin turning up. Nailed up. Nailed to trees. Nailed to the pavement. Nailed to each other! The Nail Gun Maniac is deadly and no one knows who he’ll hammer down next. It’s a piercing, no holes barred trip into industrial strength horror!

Directed by Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel from a screenplay written by Trent Haaga, Deadgirl has the following synopsis: When high school misfits Rickie and JT decide to ditch school and find themselves lost in the crumbling facility of a nearby abandoned hospital, they come face-to-face with a gruesome discovery: a body of a woman – stripped naked, chained to a table and covered in plastic – and soon realize she is anything but dead. Quickly the boys find themselves embarking on a twisted yet poignant journey testing the limits of their friendship, and forces both to decide just how far they’re willing to stretch their understanding of right and wrong.

As I said when writing about the Redneck Zombies novelization, I am a big fan of the concept of novelizations in general, and Encyclopocalypse Publications has been making intriguing choices when it comes to picking older genre films to give the novelization treatment to. I’m very interested in seeing how the Nail Gun Massacre and Deadgirl novelizations are going to turn out.

What do you think of Nail Gun Massacre and Deadgirl getting novelizations? Share your thoughts on this news by leaving a comment below.

Joseph Baena, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, is joining Luke Hemsworth and Morgan Freeman for a new action film.

Who is your daddy, and what does he do? In Joseph Baena’s case, his father is Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former governor and one of the most incredible action heroes ever. According to Deadline, Baena is joining the cast of Gunner alongside Luke Hemsworth (Westworld, Ocean Boy) and Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Lean on Me).

Dimitri Logothetis (Jiu Jitsu) directs from a script he co-wrote with Gary Scott Thompson (The Fast and the Furious). The film revolves around Special Forces veteran Lee Gunner (Hemsworth), who takes his two sons on a camping trip. While roughing it, the boys find a fentanyl lab and get kidnapped by drug runners. Unfortunately for the drug runners, Gunner is highly trained, and you don’t want to piss this Papa Bear off in the woods. Stopping at nothing to bring his family home safely, Gunner unleashes on the criminal cartel, even after the FBI and local police get involved.

Joseph Baena plays Wally, a young, inexperienced Deputy Sheriff. Logothetis, Joel Shapiro, magiCity Studios, and Acme Rocket Fuel produce.

Despite being the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Baena chose not to use the same last name as his father. According to IMDB, Baena’s passion for acting started a few years ago when he starred in a two-minute short film that was a shot-by-shot recreation of the iconic Terminator 2: Judgment Day scene where the cyborg steals a motorcycle, takes the owner’s rifle, and snatches his shades. In 2022, Baena played Cory in Chariot, a sci-fi film directed and written by Adam Sigal. In Chariot, starring Thomas Mann, Rosa Salazar, Scout Taylor-Compton, and John Malkovich, a corporation and a doctor overseeing a reincarnation process discover a glitch in the system.

Baena also played Eddie, the School President in 2022’s Bully High, and Nico in an episode of the TV mini-series Scam Squad. Baena wants to be a leading man in Hollywood and get there on his own terms. Like his father, Baena sports an impressive physique, magnetic personality, and desire to take Hollywood by the horns. We’ll see more of what he’s got when Gunner unleashes hell on drug dealers punching over their weight.

Jack Black is getting the band back together, announcing there will be a School of Rock reunion later this year.

They don’t need no education, but they may head back to the classroom anyway, as Jack Black has assured fans that there will be a School of Rock reunion this year to celebrate the movie’s 20th anniversary.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Black said this was as good a time as any to have a School of Rock reunion. “All those kids–dig this–they were 10 years old when we made that movie and now they’re all, like, 30…We’re gonna get together and have a 20-year anniversary. We like to jam. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the grownups from School of Rock.” Of note, there was also a 10-year reunion a decade ago that featured the cast attending a screening and even taking the stage to perform a few numbers.

A School of Rock reunion would certainly be deserved, as the movie has endured solidly for two decades, developing a bit of a cult status that has resulted in a Nickelodeon TV series and a Tony-nominated Broadway musical. Black, too, is a major supporter of the movie, saying it holds a spot near and dear and calling it the highlight of his career. Certainly that would also be the case for much of his supporting adolescent cast, which includes Miranda Cosgrove (“Tinkerbell”), Caitlin Hale (“Blondie”), Joey Gaydos Jr. (“Zack-Attack”), Rivkah Reyes (“Posh Spice”), and so many more, hopefully most of whom will join the reunion. Tragically, Kevin Clark, who played drummer “Spazzy McGee” died in 2021.

What the School of Rock reunion will be remains unknown, but, unfortunately, it seems like it won’t be the spectacle rock show we’d want, as Black told ET he’ll post pictures and videos online, implying it might not be a ticketed show or fundraiser (ala Spinal Tap’s 2020 reunion). Still, no matter the scale, the nostalgia will be felt, just as it was when the gang from The Little Rascals had their own small 20th anniversary reunion back in 2014, joining together to recreate the movie’s poster.

What would you want to see in a 20th anniversary School of Rock reunion? What is your favorite scene from the 2003 comedy? Let us know below!

Fall star Grace Caroline Currey is interested in returning to star in the sequel to director Scott Mann’s survival thriller

A few weeks ago, we heard that director Scott Mann and the producers at Tea Shop Productions are developing a sequel to the survival thriller Fall (watch it HERE) now that the film has become an international success on the Netflix streaming service. Fall star Grace Caroline Currey is currently doing the press rounds because she plays a role in Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, and during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter she indicated that she would be interested in coming back for the Fall sequel.

Scripted by Scott Mann and Jonathan Frank, Fall had the following synopsis: For best friends Becky and Hunter, life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter’s expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights.

Currey was joined in the cast by Virginia Gardner (Halloween 2018), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead), and Mason Gooding (Scream 2022).

When asked about the Fall sequel, Currey replied, “I am definitely excited about the idea of that. It’s been a surprise to see how much people love that movie and how it’s had a little bit of a wildfire on streaming platforms. And for the first time, people are coming up to me in public and going, ‘You look like that girl who was stranded on the tower.’ So it’s wild, and I don’t think we expected it to get such a loving response. It definitely makes us happy just because we didn’t think we were gonna have a movie when we were shooting it. It was such a nightmare just trying to get the movie shot. Fall was the most challenging project I’ve ever worked on in my life, and I’ve never grown so much from a project. So the idea of getting to return would definitely be really cool, and I’m sure it would try to one-up the first one, which is a little scary to think about.“

The Hollywood Reporter’s Brian Davids said, “It’s tough because I want you to come back, but at the same time, I can’t imagine your character would want to climb a ladder again, let alone another mountain or tower.” To which Currey responded, “I know, right? She needs therapy so badly. (Laughs.)“

It’s not certain if Currey will be involved with the Fall sequel, but bringing her character back is one of the options on the table. Producers James Harris and Mark Lane are hoping to “get moving” on the film later this year.

Would you like to see Grace Caroline Currey return for the Fall sequel? Share your thoughts on this idea by leaving a comment below.