Tag: villains

The Best of SXSW 2019

by MCDave

Austin, Texas became the “City That Never Sleeps” as nearly 100,000 people converged on 2019’s SXSW festivities. Time restraints once again limited me to roughly four days of non-stop movie watching which resulted in 14 new titles added to my yearly total. But with a festival such as SXSW where world premieres are the norm, I see what I see even though there are countless other films like the largely touted Saint Frances, the well-regarded indie drama Mickey and the Bear and the April mainstream  horror reboot Pet Sematary that impressed audiences without my viewing. Nevertheless, here are my favorite films, scripts, directors and performances from what I watched at this year’s SXSW Film Festival:

Best Screenplay

Honorable Mention: Booksmart, Little Monsters and Pink Wall

#5. The Art of Self-Defense

#4. Extra Ordinary

#3. Villains

#2. Long Shot

And the winner is … 

#1. Come As You Are

Erik Linthorst’s heartfelt and riotously funny screenplay serves as a solid foundation for this tale about a trio of friends with physical disabilities who run off without their parents’ permission to a brothel in Montreal that caters to men with their specific needs. Richard Wong’s wonderfully executed road-trip comedy leaves a lasting impression thanks to its script’s uncanny ability to develop rounded characters and place them in hysterical situations as these men learn a great deal about life and themselves.

Best Supporting Actress

Honorable Mention: Nina Dobrev (Run This Town), Jillian Mueller (Porno) and Claudia O’Doherty (Extra Ordinary)

#5. Imogen Poots (The Art of Self-Defense)

#4. Lupita Nyong’o (Little Monsters)

#3. Elizabeth Moss (Us)

#2. Gabourey Sidibe (Come As You Are)

And the winner is …

#1. Kyra Sedgwick (Villains)

Kyra Sedgwick is skin-crawling creepy and totally uninhibited in Dan Berk and Robert Olsen’s Villains. It’s Sedgwick like you’ve never seen, and her fully committed turn helps transform this darkly comic tale of love-stricken amatuer criminals who choose the wrong house to rob into a bona fide winner. And while the Supporting Actress field in general felt a little thin, that’s no slight to her masterfully unforgettable performance in one of SXSW’s finest entries.

Best Supporting Actor

Honorable Mention: Mena Massoud (Run This Town), Barry Ward (Extra Ordinary) and Keith L. Williams (Good Boys)

#5. Josh Gad (Little Monsters)

#4. Ravi Patel (Come As You Are)

#3. Jeffrey Donovan (Villains)

#2. Alessandro Nivola (The Art of Self-Defense)

And the winner is …

#1. O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Long Shot)

Long Shot was such a well rounded rom-com and one of the unexpected heroes of the film is O’Shea Jackson Jr. His character is like blood to a shark, attracting laughter with every well-placed appearance. He constantly throws comedic blows like a boxer and part of me can’t help but wonder if Jackson Jr. wasn’t utilized enough. However, his selective screen time certainly keeps you wanting more and that’s obviously to the film’s benefit. Either way, you can’t argue with the results of Jonathan Levine’s hysterical new romantic comedy, Long Shot.

Best Actress

Honorable Mention: Anna Akana (Go Back To China), Lupita Nyong’o (Us) and Alexi Pappas (Olympic Dreams)

#5. Maika Monroe (Villains)

#4. Maeve Higgins (Extra Ordinary)

#3. Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart)

#2. Charlize Theron (Long Shot)

And the winner is …

#1. Tatiana Maslany (Pink Wall)

Tatiana Maslany first burst onto my radar following her sadly forgotten turn in the underappreciated 2017 drama Stronger. It was an Oscar worthy performance that never resonated with voters quite as much as it did with me personally. Nevertheless, Maslany returns with another superb showing in Tom Cullen’s Pink Wall. This emotional relationship-drama spans six specific moments in the life of a couple whose romance becomes tested after years together. Much of Pink Wall‘s success hinges on its lead performances and boy does it get one with Tatiana’s Maslany’s continued onscreen dominance.

Best Actor

Honorable Mention: Alexander England (Little Monsters), Ben Platt (Run This Town) and Jacob Tremblay (Good Boys)

#5. Seth Rogen (Long Shot)

#4. Jay Duplass (Pink Wall)

#3. Hayden Szeto (Come As You Are)

#2. Jesse Eisenberg (The Art of Self-Defense)

And the winner is …

#1. Bill Skargsgård (Villains)

Bill Skarsgård has slowly been infiltrating the mainstream spotlight over the past few years with roles in Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2, but the talented up-and-coming actor is best known for his recreation of Stephen King’s Pennwise in 2017’s Itreboot. But behind all that clown makeup lies a crafty performer who shows his deadbeat charm and uncultured wit in Villains. Skarsgård morphs into such an appealing character that it brandishes a genuine investment into this darkly comedic thriller. The Best Actor field wasn’t overcrowded with top tier options, but Skarsgård still manages to deliver one.

Best Director

Honorable Mention: Mike Ahern & Enda Loughman (Extra Ordinary), Tom Cullen (Pink Wall) and Richard Wong (Come As You Are)

#5. Dan Berk & Robert Olsen (Villains)

#4. Riley Stearns (The Art of Self-Defense)

#3. Olivia Wilde (Booksmart)

#2. Jonathan Levine (Long Shot)

And the winner is …

#1. Jordan Peele (Us)

As Jordan Peele’s Us embarks on what’s destined to be a record-setting opening weekend, there have been few critics daring enough to speak against this grossly anticipated follow-up to Get Out. However, I’ve been clear and firm with my stance that Us is a step forward for Peele as a director, but maybe two steps back as a writer. And rather than nitpick against my issues with its screenplay, I’ll take this opportunity to say that without Peele’s hyponotic direction the film could have very well been a disaster. His camerawork and unique vision heighten the various moods that he aims to achieve, but sadly a plagued screenplay hinders Us from being the next great American horror film that you’re being told it is.

Best Picture

Honorable Mention: Extra Ordinary, Little Monsters and Pink Wall

#5. Booksmart

#4. The Art of Self-Defense

#3. Come As You Are

#2. Villains

And the winner is …

#1. Long Shot

Fred Flarsky, what more can I say? Set Rogen’s lovable character has conviction, and his soulful inner belief in Secretary of State and Presidential hopeful, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), makes him the greatest of underdogs in his one shot at love. Jonathan Levine’s Long Shot isn’t the most daring film or the most original selection from the 2019 SXSW lineup, but it’s certainly the most polished. It feels like a big time rom-com and it definitely plays like one, checking all the necessary boxes and delivering a workout-full of laughs that will leave those abs sore for the next few days (you’ve been warned). Levine’s latest possess such allure and enchantment that Long Shot easily separates itself among the field from the 14 films I had the pleasure of viewing. It’s due for a May 3rd release date so keep an eye out!

SXSW 2019 Review: ‘Villains’

by MCDave

Maika Monroe was a female face of indie horror for a brief moment in time. With leading roles in the beloved festival darling, It Follows, and the campy b-horror movie, The Guest, Monroe felt like a modern-day scream queen in the making. Yet, as her career has materialized over the past few years, she’s dabbled in all sorts of genres in both large scale and very modestly budgeted films. But finally, Monroe returns to her horror roots in the buzzed-about SXSW entry, Villains.

Mickey and Jules (It’s Bill Skarsgard and Maika Monroe) are a crazy-in-love pair of amateur criminals determined to start a new life on the coastal beaches of Florida. But when their car breaks down after a convenience store robbery, the couple quickly ventures to the closest residence they can find. Hoping to steal a new set of wheels and quickly be on their way, Mickey and Jules stumble across a sadistic husband and wife (Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick) harboring a deep secret inside their home.

There are quite a few elements that propel co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen’s Villains into a standout film from this year’s crop of SXSW titles. A witty interweaving of dark comedy and edge-of-your-seat suspense join with wonderful lead performances to help shape this brilliantly bizarre and creepy endeavor. And while Maika Monroe has cemented herself as a true horror fixture, her onscreen beau is magnificently delivered by Bill Skarsgard. He ditches the Pennywise makeup for dopey but lovable character whose buffoonish charm shines through despite his obvious poor moral decision-making. And even though Mickey and Jules are criminals themselves, they aren’t the real villains so blatantly addressed in the film’s title. That’s where Jeffrey Donovan Kyra Sedgwick turn their dials up to “11” with skin-crawling turns that in actuality set the proper mood for this modern horror-thriller. Villains compels, disgusts and entertains in the most shocking of ways making it an ideal SXSW world premiere and one that has set a steady buzz around the viewing masses here in Austin, TX.

GRADE: 4/5

‘Disney Infinity 2.0’ Gets Evil With Its Villains Pack!

by Josh Jackson

In the latest of many trailers for the upcoming game, (including the Guardians of the Galaxy and Gravity Falls Power Disc reveals), Loki, Ronan The Accuser and Green Goblin have been revealed as the latest playable characters coming to Disney Infinity 2.0.

Using Loki’s magic, Ronan’s superior combat skills and Green Goblin’s pumpkin bombs will now be possible in the game’s Toy Box mode, showing that heroes aren’t the only ones who get the spotlight. While it’s assumed that each character will be usable in their respective Play Sets as well, don’t expect Green Goblin to show up in Knowhere, or Loki invading Ultimate Spidey’s universe. As mentioned in the past, only certain heroes will be able to cross sets after certain collectables are retrieved, but at least we’ll get the chance to wreck havoc on the world. Just not all of it.

This should come as no surprise to fans of the first game, considering a villains pack consisting of Davy Jones, Randy and Syndrome was released when the game released. However, they were implemented a little sloppily, allowing Syndrome to fight himself during story missions with no mention of how it’s even possible. Hopefully, there will be some kind of recognition of this improbable scenario when the bad guys are plugged in. The small touches go a long way.

Are the villains coming home with you when the inevitable triple pack releases, or are the many figures already on the way too much off your wallet to take without them? Disney Infinity 2.0 will release as a standalone title, a Disney starter pack, a Marvel starter pack and a Playstation exclusive collectors edition on September 23rd.

A Very Geekscape Halloween: You Need To See These AMAZING DC Pumpkin Carvings!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Keeping with today’s TERRIFYING Halloween themed posts, you definitely need to check out these awesome DC flavoured pumpkins from artist Andy Bergholtz. Make sure to watch the time lapse videos too (available here and here), as it’s amazing to see these things coming together!

What do you think? Pretty awesome huh!

Have The Villains For ‘Thor: The Dark World’ Been Revealed?

by Shawn Madden

Now while none of this has been confirmed we have news that Thor may be going head to head wituh dark elves in his upcoming sequel. During a recent interview James Grogan revealed that stuntmen working on the next film are training to be elves.

“The other day for example, this is quite random but I was working on Thor 2,” he explains, “I had a load of stunt guys in and the director came in and he said ‘Look, we want you all to be elves,’ and I was like ‘What the hell is an elf anyway?’ and he said ‘I want you all to walk around like these supernatural animals,’ honestly it was the most ridiculous thing ever but you just have to not be self aware and get on with it.”

Now while this isn’t confirmation that these are the villains with a title such as The Dark World it could be entirely likely. And if so that means we would be seeing Thor go head to head with Malekith The Accursed who rules over The Dark Elves. But as stated above this has not been confirmed yet. Keep checking back for updates.

Source: I Review Too

Check Out The ‘Young Justice’ Footage From Comic-Con!

by Shawn Madden

During yesterdays DC Nation panel fans were given a preview of Young Justice. When we last left Young Justice before the hiatus, Artemis faked her death to work undercover with Aqualad against The Light. The video features a whole slew of new villains and heroes that we will be introduced to. No return date has been announced yet but is expected soon.