Big swings can make for big misses, and that’s the situation writer-director Quinn Shephard’s internet satire-screed “Not Okay” finds itself in, lining up all kinds of juicy targets regarding fame and shame in our social media age, but proving not so discerning about character, humor, and story when it comes to following-through.
Starring Zoey Deutch as a wannabe influencer with a cringey ploy for viral notoriety, this queasy, ambitious whiff will hopefully prove to be just a sophomore slump for filmmaker Shephard, whose multi-hyphenate 2017 feature debut “Blame” promised much from its coiled, clinical, near-noirish take on sexual jealousy in high school.
Also Read:
Zoey Deutch Is an ‘Unlikeable Female Protagonist’ in First Teaser for Hulu Dark Comedy ‘Not Okay’ (Video)
The craving-attention canvas Shephard is working with is bigger in “Not Okay” – wanting thousands to like you, not just someone across a classroom. But the tone is also edgier,...
Starring Zoey Deutch as a wannabe influencer with a cringey ploy for viral notoriety, this queasy, ambitious whiff will hopefully prove to be just a sophomore slump for filmmaker Shephard, whose multi-hyphenate 2017 feature debut “Blame” promised much from its coiled, clinical, near-noirish take on sexual jealousy in high school.
Also Read:
Zoey Deutch Is an ‘Unlikeable Female Protagonist’ in First Teaser for Hulu Dark Comedy ‘Not Okay’ (Video)
The craving-attention canvas Shephard is working with is bigger in “Not Okay” – wanting thousands to like you, not just someone across a classroom. But the tone is also edgier,...
- 7/29/2022
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Roland Emmerich’s “Moonfall” plays a lot like a Super Bowl commercial that got way out of hand. It costs far too much money, it goes on far too long, and the premise is so weird that, when all is said and done, you have no idea what it was even trying to sell you.
But it was probably Teslas. In the long, long, long list of laugh-out-loud dialogue in Emmerich’s latest disasterpiece, a special place must be reserved for the film’s multiple, random shout-outs to Elon Musk. This surely must be the first $146-million-dollar blockbuster where the heroes ask themselves out loud, “What would Elon do?” Or just flat-out exclaim, “I love Elon!”
Then again, it’s also a film where — when the moon is drifting closer and closer to the Earth, kicking up tidal waves and gravity wells and sucking up our oxygen — someone asks Patrick Wilson...
But it was probably Teslas. In the long, long, long list of laugh-out-loud dialogue in Emmerich’s latest disasterpiece, a special place must be reserved for the film’s multiple, random shout-outs to Elon Musk. This surely must be the first $146-million-dollar blockbuster where the heroes ask themselves out loud, “What would Elon do?” Or just flat-out exclaim, “I love Elon!”
Then again, it’s also a film where — when the moon is drifting closer and closer to the Earth, kicking up tidal waves and gravity wells and sucking up our oxygen — someone asks Patrick Wilson...
- 2/3/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
It’s time to save your seats for the end of the world. Moonfall tickets are now on sale!
To mark the opening date when the film falls into theaters & IMAX February 4, 2022, watch this new clip and featurette with filmmaker Roland Emmerich and stay tuned for Luka Kloser “One More Time” (from Moonfall) Official Music Video.
In this featurette Emmerich excitedly shows that Moonfall is another opportunity to explore a genre at which he is considered a master. And his credo exemplifies what unites all his films: “I always want to give audiences things they haven’t seen before.”
In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award® winner Halle Berry...
To mark the opening date when the film falls into theaters & IMAX February 4, 2022, watch this new clip and featurette with filmmaker Roland Emmerich and stay tuned for Luka Kloser “One More Time” (from Moonfall) Official Music Video.
In this featurette Emmerich excitedly shows that Moonfall is another opportunity to explore a genre at which he is considered a master. And his credo exemplifies what unites all his films: “I always want to give audiences things they haven’t seen before.”
In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award® winner Halle Berry...
- 1/25/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Dylan O’Brien has joined the cast of the upcoming feature satire “Not Okay.”
Star of “The Maze Runner” and “Love and Monsters,” O’Brien joins previously-announced leading lady Zoey Deutch in the project from writer-director Quinn Shephard. Brad Weston and Negin Salmasi’s Makeready are producing the film, which will premiere exclusively on Disney’s Dtc platforms.
With shooting already underway in New York City, “Not Okay” follows a misguided young woman desperate for friends and fame, who fakes a trip to Paris to up her social media presence. When a terrifying incident takes place in the real world and becomes part of her imaginary trip, her white lie becomes a moral quandary that offers her all the attention she’s wanted.
Rounding out the ensemble cast is Mia Isaac (Amazon’s upcoming “Don’t Make Me Go” opposite John Cho), Embeth Davidtz (“Old”) and Nadia Alexander. Actors Tia Dionne Hodge...
Star of “The Maze Runner” and “Love and Monsters,” O’Brien joins previously-announced leading lady Zoey Deutch in the project from writer-director Quinn Shephard. Brad Weston and Negin Salmasi’s Makeready are producing the film, which will premiere exclusively on Disney’s Dtc platforms.
With shooting already underway in New York City, “Not Okay” follows a misguided young woman desperate for friends and fame, who fakes a trip to Paris to up her social media presence. When a terrifying incident takes place in the real world and becomes part of her imaginary trip, her white lie becomes a moral quandary that offers her all the attention she’s wanted.
Rounding out the ensemble cast is Mia Isaac (Amazon’s upcoming “Don’t Make Me Go” opposite John Cho), Embeth Davidtz (“Old”) and Nadia Alexander. Actors Tia Dionne Hodge...
- 8/2/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
“A Call to Spy” braids the stories of three decorated WWII spies to reveal — and to revel in — their pivotal roles in British spy craft and history. The title may fall flat but the movie, a sturdy directorial debut for producer Lydia Dean Pilcher, gets to the heart of the matter. Even as they faced various forms of discrimination, Vera Atkins, Virginia Hall and Noor Inayat Khan responded boldly to the tug of duty. They served Britain, and
A scene of torture begins the film. The year is 1941, and Germany has invaded France. The person being interrogated is a woman. Soaked, gasping, she will not crumble. Turns out, she doesn’t have to. The woman is Hall (Sarah Megan Thomas), and to our relief, she’s undergoing the final test in her training. Three months earlier, the Special Operations Executive branch of the British government began recruiting “lady spies.” Winston Churchill...
A scene of torture begins the film. The year is 1941, and Germany has invaded France. The person being interrogated is a woman. Soaked, gasping, she will not crumble. Turns out, she doesn’t have to. The woman is Hall (Sarah Megan Thomas), and to our relief, she’s undergoing the final test in her training. Three months earlier, the Special Operations Executive branch of the British government began recruiting “lady spies.” Winston Churchill...
- 10/1/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Cinematographers who set out to shoot war films like “1917” and “Midway” face a bigger challenge than navigating explosions or running alongside the actors in the midst of a special effects battlefield. They have to find a way to tell the combat story that will captivate audiences that have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of films in the genre.
Sometimes a helmer like Sam Mendes comes up with the sort of single-shot strategy that makes “1917” a gorgeous challenge for a Dp like Roger Deakins.
“It’s all right having the idea of it being one shot, but what is that?” says Deakins. “I mean, is the camera just following somebody? So we talked about it a lot, and then I went to work with a storyboard artist, sketching out ideas. We started sketching out different kinds of ideas of shots and how we could move the camera. Then we started rehearsing with the actors,...
Sometimes a helmer like Sam Mendes comes up with the sort of single-shot strategy that makes “1917” a gorgeous challenge for a Dp like Roger Deakins.
“It’s all right having the idea of it being one shot, but what is that?” says Deakins. “I mean, is the camera just following somebody? So we talked about it a lot, and then I went to work with a storyboard artist, sketching out ideas. We started sketching out different kinds of ideas of shots and how we could move the camera. Then we started rehearsing with the actors,...
- 11/15/2019
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
World War II epics used to be a dime a dozen. Reliving the United States’ finest hours on the battlefield, filmmakers flocked to the conflict in order to tell tales of heroism. More recently, movies have largely eschewed this topic, unless a director had a more daring take to contribute. Ever since Saving Private Ryan nearly won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the field of war movies have been shrinking. Now, it’s more the territory of a Dunkirk, where Christopher Nolan could experiment while in a familiar genre. Today brings us Midway, a Roland Emmerich production that is hardly revelatory and offers plenty of action, but little else. This flick is an old fashioned war epic, as mentioned above. For those who don’t know, this is centered on the Battle of Midway, which was the decisive skirmish in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In the...
- 11/7/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Roland Emmerich is exactly the right and exactly the wrong filmmaker to make a movie about the Battle of Midway, one of the great turning points in World War II. Few filmmakers can match Emmerich’s eye for excess, and there’s no denying that he fills his film with breathtaking images of aerial action and naval warfare.
But like many of Emmerich’s movies, even the better ones, “Midway” loses sight of the humanity inside its vast vistas of devastation. It’s a giant film with a very small impact.
“Midway” opens with a few brief moments of quiet before, with an undeniably appropriate suddenness, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Emmerich coats the screen in detailed destruction and sudden heroism, but he races through the day that lives in infamy in record time, with all the pomp of Bay’s “Pearl Harbor” and slightly less of the schmaltz.
But like many of Emmerich’s movies, even the better ones, “Midway” loses sight of the humanity inside its vast vistas of devastation. It’s a giant film with a very small impact.
“Midway” opens with a few brief moments of quiet before, with an undeniably appropriate suddenness, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Emmerich coats the screen in detailed destruction and sudden heroism, but he races through the day that lives in infamy in record time, with all the pomp of Bay’s “Pearl Harbor” and slightly less of the schmaltz.
- 11/6/2019
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
CinemaThe film stars Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Darren Criss and Woody Harrelson.Tnm StaffAmong the many films to be made on one of the most important events in American history, the attack on Pearl Harbor, Midway is the latest. A war drama directed by Roland Emmerich, the film is expected to release on November 8, 2019 in the Us, right in time for the Veterans Day weekend. The Godzilla director is known for his apocalyptical films like Independence Day (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 10,000 BC (2008), 2012 (2009) and White House Down (2013). Written by Wes Tooke, the film boasts of an ensemble cast - Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Darren Criss and Woody Harrelson. Midway was announced in May 2017 and began production in September last year. According to reports, Ed Skrein plays Dick Best, the real-life dive...
- 10/29/2019
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
Nick Jonas stars as ‘Bruno Gaido’ in Midway.
Midway opens in theaters on Veteran’s Day Weekend, November 8, 2019. Here’s a first look at the epic new trailer from director Roland Emmerich.
The huge cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds.
I can’t wait for this – the visual effects look massive and the A-list cast is impressive, like old Hollywood. The carrier...
Midway opens in theaters on Veteran’s Day Weekend, November 8, 2019. Here’s a first look at the epic new trailer from director Roland Emmerich.
The huge cast includes Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, with Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.
Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds.
I can’t wait for this – the visual effects look massive and the A-list cast is impressive, like old Hollywood. The carrier...
- 6/27/2019
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
KollywoodThe music director dispelled rumours with his tweet.Digital NativeThe promo event of the Nayanthara starrer Kolaiyuthir Kaalam happened recently and turned out to be the most controversial event with one of the guest speakers, actor Radha Ravi, making some distasteful misogynistic remarks against LadySuperstar Nayanthara. While the issue was condemned by many in the film industry, with Dmk suspending Radha Ravi, a new one has surfaced. There were reports that Yuvan Shankar Raja is composing the tunes for the film but the musician has clarified on Twitter that he is not a part of Kolaiyuthir Kaalam. His Tweet reads, “Kolaiyuthir kaalam music is not by me.” Kolaiyuthir kaalam music is not by me. — Yuvanshankar raja (@thisisysr) March 23, 2019 Touted to be a horror thriller, the film is directed by Chakri Toleti and produced by Vashu Bhagnani under his banner. Robby Baumgartner is the cinematographer for this venture with Rameshwar S...
- 3/29/2019
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
Wamg’s Michael Haffner says in his review that Blindspotting is “a film that you see, smell, and hear. Its portrayal of Oakland is so sincere and earnest that it practically explodes off the screen. It’s a film very much of its time and makes its presence known, even if it’s not always felt. It’s important to have films like Blindspotting ignite these conversations that need to be had so that we can avoid the mistakes of the past.”
In celebration of the film opening in theaters, Wamg is giving away free passes to see Blindspotting.
Directed by Carlos López Estrada, the film opens in St. Louis on July 27th.
Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about the intersection of race and class, set against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Oakland.
Credit: Robby Baumgartner/Lionsgate...
In celebration of the film opening in theaters, Wamg is giving away free passes to see Blindspotting.
Directed by Carlos López Estrada, the film opens in St. Louis on July 27th.
Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about the intersection of race and class, set against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Oakland.
Credit: Robby Baumgartner/Lionsgate...
- 7/27/2018
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Having too few ideas has been the downfall of many a film, but sometimes too many can be just as much of a problem. “Blindspotting,” which premiered on opening night of this year’s 2018 Sundance Film Festival, puts far more on its plate than it knows how to handle.
It’s a story about gentrification, police violence, the rules of being a white person growing up surrounded by black culture, the criminal justice system, institutionalized racism, guns in the home and the semiotics of hair, jolting with jarring artlessness between witty comedy and intense drama.
Co-stars and co-writers Daveed Diggs (“Wonder”) and Rafael Casal have a lot to say, much of it funny and/or provocative, but neither they nor first-time feature director Carlos López Estrada can figure out a way to shape all this material into a cohesive film.
Also Read: 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' Film...
It’s a story about gentrification, police violence, the rules of being a white person growing up surrounded by black culture, the criminal justice system, institutionalized racism, guns in the home and the semiotics of hair, jolting with jarring artlessness between witty comedy and intense drama.
Co-stars and co-writers Daveed Diggs (“Wonder”) and Rafael Casal have a lot to say, much of it funny and/or provocative, but neither they nor first-time feature director Carlos López Estrada can figure out a way to shape all this material into a cohesive film.
Also Read: 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' Film...
- 7/17/2018
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
When I reviewed the original The Blair Witch Project, it was March of 1999. I saw it in Austin, in the apartment of a couple of my friends, thanks to Harry Knowles, who had been sent a VHS copy of the film by the filmmakers during its Sundance run. I went to Austin in February, and Harry had been sitting on his copy, waiting for us to get to town. We were there for the third Quentin Tarantino film festival at the still-young Alamo Drafthouse, and on the last night of the festival, my friends and I were set to hit the road as soon as the movies ended. We were road-tripping, and between the four of us, we figured we’d be able to do the entire drive back to La straight through with no stops for sleep. Harry asked us not to leave town right after the film, though.
- 9/16/2016
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
It’s been 17 years since “The Blair Witch Project” changed the horror genre and independent filmmaking forever, and yet the new surprise sequel, “Blair Witch” (formerly known as “The Woods”) is hoping you’ve forgotten — at least a little bit. Helmed by Adam Wingard (“You’re Next,” “The Guest”) and written by his regular collaborator Simon Barrett, “Blair Witch” is shot, constructed and executed just like the original. And the slow-build fright fest will please genre purists — perhaps enough to reinvigorate the potential franchise — even if it feels all too familiar to the rest of us.
Starting in the very (scary) house we left off in — a fact given away in the trailer — Wingard and Barrett introduce us to four fresh faces, one of which holds close ties to a victim from the original. Driven to the woods for answers, the group also aims to make a documentary on their friend’s eerie journey.
Starting in the very (scary) house we left off in — a fact given away in the trailer — Wingard and Barrett introduce us to four fresh faces, one of which holds close ties to a victim from the original. Driven to the woods for answers, the group also aims to make a documentary on their friend’s eerie journey.
- 7/23/2016
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Enjoying a healthy festival run after its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and a tour that brought it to SXSW and Toronto, Adam Wingard’s The Guest arrives on Blu-ray shortly after scoring a nod for Best Editing at the Independent Spirit Awards (though it’s unfortunate there wasn’t any room for some other awards love, such as for cinematography for Dan Stevens). Making their return to distribution, the Picturehouse folks grossed north of a quarter of a million at the box office, and the film had releases in multiple regions across the globe.
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and...
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and...
- 1/6/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Lone Survivor: Wingard’s Latest a Near Perfect Mix of Subtext, Comedy and Satisfying Thrills
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and Barrett exert equal levels of over-the-top bits with their latest endeavor, but with a sharper mix of subversive commentary and tightly plotted thrills that feels like an homage to the off-the-cuff glory days of John Carpenter. A penchant for comedic asides may cause fans of their previous works to favor something like You’re Next, but Wingard and Barrett deliver a fun, stylish, highly enjoyable throwback with their latest, the kind of film genre fans endlessly seek but so...
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and Barrett exert equal levels of over-the-top bits with their latest endeavor, but with a sharper mix of subversive commentary and tightly plotted thrills that feels like an homage to the off-the-cuff glory days of John Carpenter. A penchant for comedic asides may cause fans of their previous works to favor something like You’re Next, but Wingard and Barrett deliver a fun, stylish, highly enjoyable throwback with their latest, the kind of film genre fans endlessly seek but so...
- 9/17/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The popular Broadway Speaks Out concert series is moving to a new home on August 24th. The concerts are now Free and at the popular midtown nightclub, Vlada Lounge. Starting August 24th at 11:00pm join host Martin Gould Cummings and piano master Rob Baumgartner as they jam out for equal rights with Lauren Elder of the Tony Award winning revival of Hair.
- 8/4/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
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