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When "John Wick" blasted into theaters on October 24, 2014, moviegoers lost their minds over the film's inventive amalgam of hand-to-hand combat and gunplay. It was doubly impressive due to Keanu Reeves' seemingly effortless facility for performing many of his own stunts. Obviously, no one was surprised that the star of "The Matrix" franchise could brawl and shoot convincingly, but the degree of difficulty appeared to be off the charts. Just when you think you've seen every possible iteration of martial arts combat on screen, along comes stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski to show action junkies that there's still plenty of room for throwdown innovation.

If you're a hardcore fan of the genre, you know that filmmakers have blended these gunplay and hand-to-hand combat before. The Wachowskis first introduced the idea in "The Matrix," which inspired Kurt Wimmer to go utterly gonzo by inventing "gun kata" in his ludicrously entertaining "Equilibrium." Wimmer was so...

The video game adaptation world has recently gotten a new project in the form of Devil May Cry by Adi Shankar on Netflix. It has been a few days since the series’ release, and it has made its place as one of the best anime of 2025. While most of the credit goes to the already-established Devil May Cry franchise, the story of the anime made an impact on its own.

The struggles and adventures of Demon Hunter Dante are the main focus of the story, but the series has also given a lot of importance to other significant characters like Lady and the White Rabbit. Shankar has truly put his heart and soul into the project, and before the release of the series, the showrunner reflected on the inspirations behind Devil May Cry.

Dante in Devil May Cry | Credit: Studio Mir

To the surprise of fans, Shankar revealed that the...

In recent years, the video game adaptation has grown in popularity. What was once a genre dominated by disappointing entries, the past few years have seen the likes of The Last of Us and Fallout restore faith in the video game adaptation. With that in mind, it's understandable that the hype is high for Netflix's next introduction to the genre, Adi Shankar's adaptation of the popular video game series, Devil May Cry. The Castlevania producer first acquired the rights to the series seven years ago, with anticipation steadily growing ever since.

Well, it seems as if the anticipation has paid off, with the series benefitting from a superb early response on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. From critics, Devil May Cry has earned an enormous 93% rating, with a worse but still strong 76% score earned via audiences. After its debut on Thursday, April 3, 2025, the early reception has been ultimately positive for the series,...

Devil May Cry's Dante is a creature of the 2000s, and creator Adi Shankar has made sure his new anime series maintains that time period connection.

"I wanted the show to be really dark, very noir, a lot of shadows, like every '90s anime that went too hard," Shankar told Animation Magazine about developing the Netflix series, partnering with South Korea's Studio Mir to bring this new chapter in Dante's demon-hunting world to life. His desired story, however, "didn't really fit that vibe, because I was wanting to tell a story that was very inspired by early-2000s Hollywood blockbusters, before everything started getting preachy and watered-down. Like Mission: Impossible 2, John Woo movies, Replacement Killers, Equilibrium. The overall mood and vibe that I had in my mind was in conflict with the type of story I wanted to tell, so I had to table that for later.

Nearly seven years sinceCastlevania producer Adi Shankar first acquired the rights to Devil May Cry, Capcom's demon hunter-for-hire Dante is finally about to grace our screens in smokin' sexy style. After a bevy of teasers in recent years, and even a new song from the band Evanescence celebrating the occasion, the animated series premieres on Netflix on April 3, and, according to the creator, it's about to be big. Shankar has previously stated his goal from the get-go was to make "one of the best shows on the Netflix platform, period," even if it took longer to get there eventually. In an interview with GamesRadar+, he's now sharing how Hollywood blockbusters like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy inspired his journey to adapting the white-haired hero to television.

Shankar's Devil May Cry follows Dante as he battles against demons while sinister forces work to open a portal between the human and demon realms.

Buzz buzz: Our prayers have been answered, because the only two movies that actually deserve to become franchises are now getting sequels. First there was the announcement last year that Russell Crowe would return to ride his little scooter in a sequel to "The Pope's Exorcist," and now, Jason Statham is getting the beehive back together in a sequel to his best action movie in years.

That's right, "The Beekeeper" will ride again, with Deadline reporting that Statham is returning to star in a sequel to his only 2024 action film, which was a box office and streaming hit. Not only that, but "The Beekeeper 2" will be directed by none other than Indonesian director and guys-beating-the-everloving-gory-s***-out-of-each-other enthusiast Timo Tjahjanto.

The original "The Beekeeper" was directed by David Ayer and starred Statham as an ordinary beekeeper who is also a former assassin who worked for a secret organization known as The Beekeepers.

You guys really seem to be digging on Michael Crichton huh? Well let’s look at what almost stopped his adaptations from happening. After a heck of a run from his adaptations both good and mediocre, Sphere would be a big enough bomb that it would follow with two straight sub-par adaptations before a quiet death of his worked being put on the big screen. The movie should have been a no doubt success with stars like Dustin Hoffman, Sam Jackson, Sharon Stone and a more than capable, Oscar winning, director in Barry Levinson. What we would end up with is one of the biggest bombs of the late 90s and a movie that is derided or outright forgotten from the annals of 90s cinema. Was it the cast, the story, or the general public being over Chricton things that didn’t have dinosaurs in it that was the culprit.

Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 is undoubtedly one of the most popular games in the world right now. In the game, players play as Super Earth’s strongest soldiers, known as Helldivers, and fight against three deadly factions: Terminid, Automaton, and Illuminate. The game’s concept is one of the main reasons behind its success, but what inspired Arrowhead to develop a game like this?

Helldivers 2 is also inspired by classics like Starship Troopers and Robocop (Image via Arrowhead Game Studios)

The lead writer of the game once revealed that he is a fan of classic dystopian films that inspired the game, but no one expected him to name a critical and commercial failure like Equilibrium. The movie featured some heavy hitters but turned out to be a complete disappointment.

The lead writer of Helldivers 2 revealed that 2002’s Equilibrium was the inspiration behind the game

Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2, one of...

Putting a dystopian future on the big screen was nothing new in the early 2000s, especially when set in the realm of science-fiction. But making it work also within the action genre is a monumental ask. Really, how often did an all-out action flick want to make its viewers think…especially when the plot revolves around thinking be illegal.

But Kurt Wimmer gave it a go with Equilibrium, which wondered what the world might look like under a totalitarian rule…if there was a lot of gunplay involved. Brushed aside by the studio, critics and moviegoers, Equilibrium has gone on to become a minor cult favorite (including here on JoBlo), something Wimmer could have never seen coming…Just don’t go comparing it to The Matrix in front of him…

So, take off your thinking cap and load up your pistols as we find out: Wtf Happened to This Movie?...

Between Broadway, the silver screen, and television, Taye Diggs has graced audiences with a seemingly endless number of delicious roles over the years, and there's no slowing down for the actor and now judge of an all-new competition show on Max, Second Chance Stage. Back in 2018, an acclaimed rom-com dropped on Netflix called Set It Up, which saw Diggs playing the hardnosed boss of an overworked assistant, played by none other than Glen Powell. Since then, that Top Gun: Maverick actor has further risen to stardom, leading the charge in a number of bigger-budget productions (Twisters) and other beloved Netflix movies (Hit Man). MovieWeb recently caught up with Diggs, who took time to speak about Powell since they shared a number of laugh-out-loud moments on-screen in Set It Up.

"I was just texting him the other day," Diggs told us. "I was reaching out to him. When we did that movie,...

This post contains spoilers for "Equilibrium."

In 2002's "Equilibrium," the dystopian megapolis of Libria encourages its citizens to keep their emotions in check. This mandate for emotional regulation is one among many acts of censorship enforced by this totalitarian regime, which views emotional excess as the catalyst for conflict. Here, natural flora is consciously overwritten with sleek concrete edifices and all art is banned, lest it provokes powerful sentiments. To suppress humanity's naturalistic urge to feel intensely, the Tetragrammaton Council — who govern the city and is led by a man named "Father" — administers a mandatory drug to the populace to subdue these impulses. Every dose of this drug, Prozium II, is closely monitored, and failure to comply with these rules will earn you the brand of a Sense Offender, which is considered a crime punishable by death.

The only way to offset such a bleak, oppressive world is to introduce...

Before his mainstream comeback that sent his stock to the stratosphere, Robert Downey Jr. took part in an anthology film that explored sex, love, and its consequences. With a three-headed auteur hydra in Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh, and Michelangelo Antonioni at the helm, Eros is a fascinating project of sensual essence that blends three distinct directors visions. Composed of three stories, namely The Hand (Wong), Equilibrium (Soderbergh), and The Dangerous Thread of Things (Antonioni), the film originated as a tribute to Antonioni's directorial strokes. The idea was to have two other filmmakers influenced by his artistry direct the two other segments, formulating an artwork that would represent a spherical appreciation for the enigmatic mood pieces that epitomize his style. The result is a cinematic mnage trois that leaves viewers pondering on the intricacies of promiscuity.

Since way before The Matrix hit our screens, we’ve had an obsession with seeing people getting hurt and hit in a variety of fast-paced ways. Be it the kung-fu flix of the 70s or the more recent John Wick franchise, we love to see inventive takedowns and destructive and dangerous moments in our action films.

Many video games have tried to recapture this, but few have managed to accomplish it. I was lucky enough to discuss the latest to take up that challenge, Spine -This is Gun Fu, both at Gamescom and more recently over a written interview, and really get to the bottom of what the devs over at Nekki are aiming for.

[This written interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.]

‘Spine – This is Gun Fu’ Is More Than What We’ve Seen Before Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions! For those FandomWire readers who may not be aware,...

Kevin Feige may be president of Marvel Studios today, but he got his start in movie producing the first "X-Men" film in 2000. During "X-Men," Feige was one of the biggest Marvel Comics fans on the crew; he smuggled "X-Men" comics to the actors after director Bryan Singer banned them from the set. I'm sure Feige appreciates his time working on 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" movies (there must be a reason Marvel Studios has been trying to fit them in rather than doing a clean break), but he's steered the MCU in a more colorful direction.

At a press conference for "Deadpool & Wolverine" not too long ago, Feige mentioned one long-standing controversy among comic nerds: how "X-Men" put the heroes in dull black leather costumes instead of the colorful comic book suits. Feige confirmed, as has long been suggested, that these costume designs were trend-chasing "The Matrix". Feige recounted,...

In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks to talks with filmmaker Koura Linda about her indie production company Space Dream Droductions and “3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life,” which includes:

Newsies (1992) Cinderella (1950) Equilibrium (2002)

3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life is a podcast that explores the transformative power of cinema. From emotional masterpieces to thought-provoking classics, each episode delves into the films that have had a profound impact on our personal growth and perspective. Through engaging storytelling, critical analysis, and cultural commentary, Stuart aims to uncover the lasting influence that movies have had on his guests. Please join him on an emotional journey through the world of film and discover how just three movies can change the direction of a life, cement memories you will never forget or sometimes change how you see the world.

For more on Space Dream Productions see https://www.

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Uglies is a sci-fi drama film directed by McG from a screenplay co-written by Jacob Forman, Vanessa Taylor, and Whit Anderson. Based on the 2005 dystopian novel of the same name by author Scott Westerfeld, the Netflix film is set in a world with enforced beauty standards and it follows the story of Tally Youngblood, who has been waiting for her beauty surgery but when one of her friend goes missing, she goes on an adventure which helps her learn about herself and the world she is living in. Uglies stars Joey King in the lead role with Chase Stokes, Keith Powers, Laverne Cox, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, and Kevin Miles starring in supporting roles. If you loved the rebellious nature, interesting dystopian world, and compelling characters in Uglies here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Gun expert Taran Butler praises Equilibrium's action scenes as over-the-top and well made, despite the movie having bombed at the box office when it was first released. The film blends guns and martial arts similar to The Matrix, likely an attribute that garnered it audience praise in retrospect. Equilibrium's energy may have inspired future action movies, showing how important its action scenes truly were.

Gun expert Taran Butler has offered a surprisingly positive review of Christian Bale's infamous 2001 action flop Equilibrium, praising it for its over-the-top action sequences. The sci-fi film stars Bale as John Preston, a high-ranking Cleric in a dystopian future where emotions have been suppressed. However, John is able to break free of his conditioning, seeking to take back his life from the regime in charge. The film was a box office flop and got poor reception from critics, while many audience scores indicate...

As Helldivers 2 grows and develops, it continues to set an example for what live-service titles should deliver to its players. However, what truly sets Helldivers 2 apart is how actively its community participates in the game’s future developments.

Seeing the unity and loyalty this game has cultivated, one has to stop at some point and ask what inspirations led to its creation. As it turns out, one prominent inspiration may have come from the unlikeliest of places.

Christian Bale’s Equilibrium Was One of Helldivers 2’s Inspirations Imagine if Helldivers 2 featured the Gun Kata action from Equilibrium.

From presenting the craziest of Stratagems to working hand-in-hand with Arrowhead to ensure the game’s continued success, Helldivers 2‘s community has been riding the high wave for the past few weeks.

Suggested“The longer dev cycle has allowed us to be very…”: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has a Huge Advantage,...

Helldivers 2 has mostly been appreciated by fans for its co-op gameplay, efficient game design, and consumer-driven approach to the live-service formula. Despite the game being focused on multiplayer co-op, however, it does have an underlying narrative.

The game relies on environmental storytelling to make the player feel like the game doesn’t lack any depth. Recently, the game’s lead writer revealed the team’s vision for the game and how they executed the game’s writing and avoided missteps.

Helldivers 2’s Lead Writer Shares What Inspired Him to Pen Down the Game’s Premise Fighting for democracy in a video game never felt better than it does in Helldivers 2.

Dystopian themes aren’t uncommon in video games at all. Video game series like Fallout by Bethesda and Bioshock 2K and titles like Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red have based their plot on dystopian themes and have told some of...

Moore's experiences on DS9 influenced the darker tone of Battlestar Galactica, with similar storylines and character inspirations. Connections between the two shows include shared actors, music mysteries, and thematic similarities in character development. DS9's influence on Battlestar Galactica writers helped shape the morally ambiguous and darker themes of the rebooted series.

Ronald D. Moore's 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot borrowed a story idea from his first season as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's supervising producer. When Star Trek: The Next Generation ended in 1994, Ronald D. Moore joined the DS9 team as a writer and supervising producer. Together with Ira Steven Behr, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and the rest of the DS9 team, Moore was instrumental in shaping the Dominion War arc between seasons 3 and 7. Years later, when Ronald D. Moore rebooted Battlestar Galactica, it was clear that Moore's experiences on DS9 influenced his darker take on Glen A. Larson's space opera.

Jadzia Dax became two Dax hosts, 7th and 9th, briefly stolen by Verad in season Confusing memories and cover-ups follow. Joran Dax, a violent musician, was a forgotten Dax host known only in season A memory block prevented his return. Whorfin Dax was a production design gag referencing a character from another film, never confirmed as a Dax host.

Even the most die-hard Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fan may struggle to remember the progression of Dax hosts, but there are two that get forgotten for two very different reasons. Ezri (Nicole de Boer) and Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) are the two most notable Trill aliens in the Star Trek timeline, and were the eighth and ninth hosts of the Dax symbiont, respectively. However, in the early days of Star Trek: DS9, official Trill records stated that Jadzia was the seventh Dax host, succeeding the late Curzon Dax.

However, Jadzia...

If there’s anything worse than a millionaire who fails to contribute anything meaningful to the world, it’s taking the fall for one who’s murdered and finding yourself in the crosshairs of thugs and criminals. Jason Statham is back in business with Lionsgate to star in the upcoming action-thriller Mutiny with Plane and Blood Father director Jean-Francois Richet at the helm.

Lionsgate, MadRiver, and Punch Palace are teaming up to release the film in theaters. Lindsay Michel and J.P. Davis wrote the screenplay for Mutiny, with principal photography beginning in September in the UK. Statham produces through his newly-founded Punch Palace Productions, with Marc Butan via his MadRiver Pictures studio.

In Mutiny, after his billionaire industrialist boss is murdered in front of him, Cole Reed is set up to take the fall for the crime— leaving him on the run as he works to uncover an international conspiracy.

Equilibrium, a Matrix-inspired film, captivates audiences with its gun-fu action and powerful themes of rebellion and individuality. Despite initial poor reviews, Christian Bale's portrayal of John Preston and the movie's unique fight scenes have gained a cult following. Director Kurt Wimmer combines elements of classic dystopian films to create a thought-provoking story of fighting against oppressive regimes.

Starring the likes of Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity, and none other than Keanu Reeves as truth-seeker Neo, The Matrix made its theatrical premiere on Mar. 31, 1999, and instantly made a monumental impact on the big screen. With its story of a hacker trying to break free from a fake reality, this science fiction action film not only won a few Academy Awards, made well over five times its perceived budget, but also became a franchise that spawned three live-action sequels, an animated film, and spin-off video games. There...

It takes The Matrix about three minutes to become the coolest thing you’ve ever seen. That’s when Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) evades a cop by breaking his arm, punching his throat, and then freezing mid-air so the camera can whip around her before she unleashes a kick that sends him across the room. Three minutes. And everything changed.

But the most impressive part may be the fact that the amazing stuff doesn’t stop there. For the 117 minutes that follow, The Matrix directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski offer an improbable mix of kung fu action, Continental philosophy, and fin de siècle cool. It’s no wonder their movie became a hit in theaters and on video. Nor is it any wonder that so, so many movies and TV shows borrowed from The Matrix, at once cementing the original film’s legacy while also cheapening its effect. In immediate years...

Truth be told, I had little to no interest in seeing The Beekeeper. While I love action films, I felt burnt out by Jason Statham’s most recent run of movies, including The Meg 2, Operation Fortune, and Expend4bles. My chief complaint about Statham was that he always played characters that were too perfectly tailored to his persona and that his fight scenes had become predictable, with him rarely facing off with an opponent that seemed like a credible threat. Thus, I had no qualms about assigning the review to one of our other critics, Tyler Nichols, who did a great job with his (positive) write-up. To be clear, don’t consider this a “review”. It’s more an an editorial.

So why did I bother seeing The Beekeeper if I thought I’d hate it and had no intention of reviewing it? Simple – I was bored on Saturday afternoon.

The Beekeeper is being hailed as a return to form for both director David Ayer and star Jason Statham, but screenwriter Kurt Wimmer should also receive a fair amount of praise. After all, it was his script that gave life to the idea, and all good movies start with a carefully crafted screenplay. But it also marks Wimmer's strongest screenplay in a good long while. In the same vein as Ayer, whose struggles on Suicide Squad need no relitigation, and Statham — who came off a major critical and commercial disappointment with Expend4bles — Wimmer was mostly known for his work writing remakes including Total Recall, Point Break and Children of the Corn. None of these lit the world on fire, but Wimmer's work on The Beekeeper hews close to his 2002 science fiction cult classic Equilibrium, both in terms of action and social commentary.

Roger Ebert praised Cloud Atlas for its ambitious narrative structure and visual spectacle, calling it a daring cinematic experiment. Ebert commended Dark City for its immersive world that blended sci-fi and film noir, calling it a beautiful and generous film. Despite his reservations, Ebert gave Equilibrium 3 stars and appreciated its visual aesthetics and stylistic action scenes, noting its pure kinetic energy in depicting a socially relevant dystopia.

Checking out overlooked sci-fi movies Roger Ebert loved is a good way to find obscure, forgotten, or underrated entertaining films. Ebert was largely regarded as the greatest film critic of all time, and much of this was due to his exemplary taste for quality movies. For decades, Ebert single-handedly dominated public perception on quite a number of films. At the same time, like any critic, Ebert's subjective points of view didn't always agree with most viewers' experiences.

Indeed, there are terrible movies that Roger Ebert loved,...

The Highlander reboot, directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Henry Cavill, is in good hands due to Stahelski's success in the action genre and Cavill's rising star power. Movies like Dragonslayer, The 13th Warrior, Escape from New York, Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, Mortal Kombat, The Blade trilogy, Equilibrium, Excalibur, and The Duellists share similarities with Highlander in themes, setting, aesthetics, and characterization. Highlander's unique premise, distinct personalities, dazzling special effects, and amazing sword fights contribute to its appeal within the action, fantasy, and science fiction genres.

This article contains subtle references to sexual assault.

Although the Highlander reboot is one of the upcoming movies by John Wick director Chad Stahlehski and set to feature A-list actor Henry Cavill in the lead as Connor MacLeod, there are plenty of movies in the action, fantasy, and science fiction genres that are very similar to the 1986 original. Written by Greg Widen,...

David Ayer’s The Beekeeper buzzes into theaters today, and to celebrate the occasion, the Suicide Squad director shared a new poster for the action film starring Jason Statham online. If you have Melissophobia, I recommend you click away from this article now because the new poster features Statham’s clenched fist and forearm crawling with winged honey generators. Statham grips a set of golden brass knuckles in his fist while a bee delicately walks along the metal guard.

#TheBeekeeper pic.twitter.com/mRygxmq1l6

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) January 12, 2024

In The Beekeeper, one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers.” Ayer directs from a script by Kurt Wimmer. While Statham is the star of the show, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, and Jeremy Irons complete the primary cast.

Stars: Jason Statham, Phylicia Rashad, Josh Hutcherson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jemma Redgrave, Minnie Driver, Jeremy Irons | Written by Kurt Wimmer | Directed by David Ayer

You can add The Beekeeper to the long list of action movies named for the jobs their protagonist took up after laying down their weapons and trying to live a peaceful life: The Gardener, The Painter, The Bricklayer… etc, etc. Actually Adam Clay always was a beekeeper, that was the name of the elite unit he was a part of before he retired to actually raise bees. He does this on a farm owned by Eloise Parker somewhere in a very confused part of England that wants us to believe it’s actually Western Massachusetts.

Eloise, who is supposed to be a retired teacher and should know better, falls for one of those computer scams that says you have a virus and to call this number to have it removed.

Chad Stahelski and David Leitch's 2014 film "John Wick" instantly became totemic, casting a long shadow and impacting the way action filmmakers approached their craft. Over the past decade, we've seen the American action movie conform to that style, favoring hard-hitting hand-to-hand combat, more visually dynamic fight choreography, and longer shots that better highlight the action taking place (contrasted with the edit-a-fight-to-bits approach of Paul Greengrass's acolytes from the prior generation). "The Beekeeper," written by genre stalwart Kurt Wimmer and directed by David Ayer, adopts those elements as well — but it goes a step further than most "Wick" riffs and incorporates what really makes that franchise stand out: world-building. There's a unique mythology at play here, elevating the movie to a heightened reality beyond our own.

Read more: The 18 Best Action Movie Actors Ranked

Meet Adam Clay, A Current Beekeeper (And Former Beekeeper)

Jason Statham plays Adam Clay, a stoic,...

When David Ayer’s Suicide Squad crash-landed in theaters, disparate reactions painted the ensemble superhero movie as a mixed bag. While some fans delighted in the anti-hero adventure’s humor, comic book-style action, and character chemistry, others dragged the project through mud, unleashing a seemingly endless nit-pick-palooza about minute details and bold takes on classic characters. After the smoke cleared, Ayer voiced his discontent about the film, saying it was “ripped to pieces” and that his Suicide Squad cut was superior. Unwilling to let his ideal film version fade into obscurity, Ayer recently told Total Film he’s optimistic about the Ayer Cut one day making it to the fans who matter most.

When asked if he thinks the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad will ever get a proper release, The Beekeeper director said, “I think so. I’m going to be hopeful. You know, there are a lot of...

He's back.

John Woo, one of the true maestros of action cinema, has returned to U.S. shores after 20 years to make another Hollywood movie. He left to make movies in Asia after the 2003 dud "Paycheck," but two decades later, he's at the helm of the Christmas-set thriller "Silent Night," starring "For All Mankind" actor Joel Kinnaman. "Those who have been missing Woo's masterful touch on action will likely find plenty to embrace here," /Film's review states, and even if the film never reaches the highs of his previous work, it's exciting to have him back in this mode again at 77 years old.

After all, we're talking about one of the most influential directors of the 20th century, here.

Starting with 1986's "A Better Tomorrow," which catapulted Chow Yun-fat to international superstardom, Woo established himself as one of the most exciting voices in action cinema by blending his unique style...

The 2000s was a strange time for genre filmmaking and especially science fiction. While sci-fi cinema was in theory thriving, that was mainly thanks to the presence of franchises that were, in fact, their own mini-genres (like Star Wars and Star Trek). Then there were superhero films, always sort of a cousin to sci-fi, with the X-Men and Spider-Man series both exploding and the Marvel Cinematic Universe making its debut with Iron Man (2008) just as the decade came to a close.

But there were some top-shelf literary adaptations as well. Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) was a flawed yet powerful expansion of a Brian Aldiss story while his War of the Worlds (2005) and Minority Report (2002) were outstanding takes on classic tales from H.G. Wells and Philip K. Dick (there might have been no sci-fi filmmaker more consistent at the time than The Beard). Other remakes or adaptations,...

David Ayer, the director of Suicide Squad, Fury, and The Tax Collector, is back with a new action-thriller called The Beekeeper. The film stars Jason Statham as a former operative of a clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers”, who embarks on a personal mission of vengeance that has national implications. The film also features Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, and Josh Hutcherson in supporting roles.

The Beekeeper is written by Kurt Wimmer, who previously penned action films such as Equilibrium, Salt, and Total Recall. The film is produced by Miramax, which acquired the distribution rights in the US and some international territories. The film was shot in the UK from September to December 2022.

The Beekeeper Trailer

The first trailer for The Beekeeper has been released online and it showcases Statham’s trademark action skills and charisma. The trailer features plenty of gunfights, explosions, car chases, and hand-to-hand combat scenes. The...

Today brings a must-watch trailer for an upcoming movie that should absolutely be on everyone's radar heading into 2024. MGM has unveiled the first trailer for "The Beekeeper," a movie we first heard about back in late 2021 but has finally come to fruition -- and it's even more bonkers than anyone could have possibly anticipated. It stars action man Jason Statham as, well, a beekeeper of sorts who ends up carving out an unbelievable path of vengeance. Trust me: This is one of those "you have to see it to believe it" trailers.

The film is directed by David Ayer, of "Suicide Squad" fame, and marks his most high-profile directorial effort in some time, as the film is being released wide theatrically by MGM early next year. And it's not hard to see why MGM jumped on this one, as it looks like it could catch on like "Taken" or "John Wick...

The internet is abuzz with anticipation for David Ayer’s forthcoming action film The Beekeeper. MGM debuted a red band trailer for the hard-hitting thrill ride on Wednesday, featuring Jason Statham as an elite ass-kicking machine with an axe to grind.

In The Beekeeper, one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers.” Ayer directs from a script by Kurt Wimmer. While Statham is the star of the show, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, and Jeremy Irons complete the primary cast.

In The Beekeeper trailer, Statham’s Mr. Clay lives a tranquil life as a beekeeper on a picturesque plot of land. However, when a shadowy organization swindles the kind landowner out of her savings, Clay trades the serenity of farm life for vengeance to...

Exclusive: Taye Diggs, known for his five-season run starring as the beloved Billy Baker, former NFL player turned high school football coach, on CW’s All American, has signed with A Management Company and Global Artists Agency for representation.

Diggs can next be seen leading the two-part BET+ film Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy based on the true crime story of businessman Lance Herndon. In the film, Diggs stars as Lance (Diggs), a successful Atlanta businessman, renowned in equal measure for both revolutionizing the city’s 911 system, and his womanizing ways. When he is found murdered in his own home, questions and allegations abound as to who might have wanted him dead.

Diggs also is set to voice King Triton with Amber Riley as Ursula in Ariel, the Disney/Disney Junior animated series.

Other TV credits include the series regular role of Dr. Sam Bennet in Grey’s Anatomy spinoff series...

The Star Wars movies are a memorable blend of science fiction, action movie tropes, Westerns, and even Biblical elements, blended into a single fantastic whole. That means the Star Wars movie saga draws upon a wide variety of sources, clichés included. Some clichés and tropes may feel well-worn, but the Star Wars movies still make the most of them, and sometimes explore them from an entirely new angle.

Even if the Star Wars movies have more fantasy elements than other sci-fi staples like Star Trek and The Matrix, these movies still rely heavily on well-established sci-fi conventions to operate. Some of these sci-fi clichés are off-the-shelf ideas for the genre, while other sci-fi cliches in Star Wars are presented in all-new ways to feel a little fresher. All this makes the Star Wars movies more appealing to sci-fi fans who haven't yet given this legendary movie series a try.

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The Expendables aRe back! So says the new red-band trailer for Expend4bles, which promises a blood-soaked return to for for the fellas.

The Expendables III concluded with new blood joining the team. Now, even newer blood will form the small group of mercenaries that originated in the 2010 film, The Expendables, which starred action legends Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, with appearances by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. Then rising action star Jason Statham played the right-hand man to Stallone’s Barney Ross, Lee Christmas. Statham gets promoted to the star in this entry, although Stallone will still make an appearance. Lionsgate has just released the newest trailer for the franchise that celebrates the action movies of old.

The official synopsis from Lionsgate reads,

“A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham,...

With San Diego Comic Con right around the corner, get in the spirit early by watching all your favorite series and films, for Free! That’s right, starting on Tuesday, July 18, Pluto TV will transform into a Nerd Heaven, screening all your favorites ahead of the big festival.

Below are just a few highlights:

7/18 @ 8pm Et: on Pluto TV Reaction: Sci-fi thrillers Debug, 3022, Approaching the Unknown, and Moon will be screening

7/20 starting @ 11:15am Et on Doctor Who Classic: Doctor Who marathon!

7/21 and 7/22: Live from San Diego Comic-Con! Pluto TV will be live streaming from Sdcc on the IGN channel

All day, every day, check out the brand-new Godzilla channel! + channels like Star Trek, Anime all Day, and Jeopardy!

7/23 starting @ 6am Et on the Naruto channel: celebrate Sasuke’s birthday with episodes featuring Sasuke!

Full schedule line-up can be found below:

Movies

Tuesday, July 18th @ 8pm Et on Pluto TV Reaction Debug,...

The Netflix documentary series Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators sheds light on the lives of several American Gladiators stars at the height of their fame, but it doesn’t get into what happened afterward. American Gladiators was a vastly popular reality TV series that ran from 1989 to 1995. The show invited normal people to compete against the titular “Gladiators”, larger-than-life characters with physiques to match. However, while the series rocketed many of the Gladiators into the limelight, the athletes unfortunately had to contend with poor management, drug abuse, and dangerous working conditions.

Muscles & Mayhem allows several key members of the American Gladiators cast to come forward and discuss the impact, better or worse, that the show had on their lives. While some were able to successfully leverage their American Gladiators stardom into thriving careers, others struggled with the adjustment to post-Gladiator life. A few even chose to forgo the spotlight altogether.

Stars: Sean Earl McPherson, Yasmine Alice, Ellie Pickering, Ian Curd, Adam Fox, Sarah Whitehouse, Miranda Heath, Nathan Haymer-Bates, Natalie Reed | Written and Directed by Ed Kirk

Every now and then a director comes along with a movie that honestly feels like they have sat me down and said “Hey Kev, what do you wanna see? If you could make a movie, what would it look like?” Then they go off and make that movie like some goddamn movie idea stealer. Today Ed Kirk was the director and Future Soldier was that movie. A movie that almost systematically works its way down the checklist of ‘how to make a badass retro-feeling cyberpunk world-building adventure that could convince you it was made on a big budget’.

I saw the trailer for Future Soldier and kinda lost my sh*t, this just looked like it had a bit of everything I would normally go in for.

Stars: Bruce Willis, Nomzamo Mbatha, Mustafa Shakir, Dominic Purcell, Andy Allo | Written by Jesse Atlas, Aaron Wolfe | Directed by Jesse Atlas

It’s finally here, unless there’s something stashed away and kept secret, Assassin is the last film featuring Bruce Willis. Given the quality or lack thereof, of most of his later career output it seemed almost pointless to hope that he would go out on a high note, working with Jesse V. Johnson on White Elephant was probably his last chance of that. But could we at least hope that his last on-screen appearance wouldn’t be another embarrassment?

Alexa is angry and wants answers. Her husband Sebastian was a drone pilot until a work-related accident put him in a coma. She demands answers from his boss Valmora, the head of a private military operation.

Despite starting the meeting with a gun levelled at his head, Alexa ends...

Gozu have announced a new album, Remedy, their first LP in five years. In advance of its May 19th release, the Boston band has unveiled the cleverly named single “Tom Cruise Control.”

The track gives off heavy Alice in Chains vibes with its thick riffs, compelling guitar arrangement, and the husky-yet-melodic vocals of singer-guitarist Marc Gaffney. Rather than letting their riffs repeat ad nauseam, Gozu steer the song into atmospheric asides that add an emotional weight not always found in heavy psych or stoner rock. Appropriately, the band is letting the music do the talking.

“‘Tom Cruise Control’ will take you riding into the danger zone,” the band stated in a press release. “Turn ‘n burn.”

Remedy was engineered, mixed, and mastered by Dean Baltulonis at Wild Arctic studios in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It follows 2018’s Equilibrium and marks the end of an extended break for the band.

“There is...

Since the first movie debuted in 2014, John Wick's fighting style has become the core focus of the franchise. Indeed, the series elaborate and intricate action scenes are key to why Keanu Reeves' John Wick has become a phenomenon, with John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum raising audience expectations even higher for John Wick 4. Directed by stunt veterans Chad Stahelski and David Leitch (with Stahelski directing solo from John Wick: Chapter 2 on), the John Wick series blends gun fu with martial arts, inspired by similarly high-octane action classics like Equilibrium, The Matrix, and John Woo's entire filmography.

In turn, John Wick's martial arts style has inspired the likes of Atomic Blonde and Nobody, ensuring that gun fu continues on. John Wick also has many real martial artists onboard for choreographing fights. Mark Dacascos, Roger Yuan, and Tiger Chen are just a handful of those who have brought their skills to the John Wick franchise,...

A long-running horror franchise based on a classic Stephen King tale returns with a brand new installment this week, and it’s joined by six additional new release horror movies.

Here’s all the new horror releasing March 21 – March 26, 2023!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

First up, the Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox premiered Lukas Rinker‘s black comedy Holy Shit! today, now streaming exclusively on the Screambox platform.

Living up to its title, the single-location German splatterfest explores the horrors of being trapped inside a portable toilet. Scriptwriter and director Lukas Rinker has created an ultimate worst-case scenario that feels relatable yet unimaginable at the same time when Architect Frank awakens bloodily trapped inside a portable toilet standing on a construction site…

“Architect Frank (Thomas Niehaus) regains consciousness in a locked portable toilet on a construction site where a detonation is being prepared. As he...

Director Kurt Wimmer‘s new take on Stephen King‘s horror novel Children of the Corn first arrived in theaters earlier this month, and up next it comes to Digital on March 21.

What about physical media, you ask? We’ve learned this week that Children of the Corn 2023 will be hitting Blu-ray on May 9, 2023, with Deleted Scenes included on the disc.

The new movie is the eleventh overall installment in the long-running franchise, and the first movie in the saga since John Gulager’s Children of the Corn: Runaway in 2018.

In Wimmer’s movie, which is said to have very little to do with King’s novel, “Possessed by a spirit in a dying cornfield, a twelve-year-old girl in Nebraska recruits the other children in her small town to go on a bloody rampage and kill all the adults and anyone else who opposes her. A bright high schooler who...

After experiencing long delays, the latest Children of the Corn installment was finally released in theaters on March 3. The film serves as a prequel to Stephen King's 1977 short story and gives audiences a deeper insight into the events leading up to the children's murderous rampage. Unlike the 1984 film, He Who Walks Behind the Rows is physically depicted in the latest chapter, amending what many consider to be the original Children of the Corn's biggest mistake.

Children of the Corn is written and directed by Kurt Wimmer and stars Elena Kampouris, Kate Moyer, Callan Mulvey, and Bruce Spence. While Kampouris is most well-known for her role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Moyer worked on projects such as Hulu's Holly Hobbie and The Handmaid's Tale. Some of Wimmer's credits include Law Abiding Citizen, Equilibrium, and Spell.

Related: Every Movie Star Who Started With The Children Of The Corn Movies

Moyer,...

This post contains spoilers for the 2009 film "Law Abiding Citizen."

F. Gary Gray's 2009 police thriller "Law Abiding Citizen" is a goofy little potboiler with a fun premise. Gerard Butler plays a man named Clyde who witnessed his family murdered. The murderer, thanks to mishandled evidence and an indifferent legal system, received a light sentence. Years later, Clyde sets about an elaborate counter-plan to expose legal corruption and murder all the people who caused him pain. Even after Clyde is apprehended and put into prison, the murders continue on the outside. Jamie Foxx plays the lawyer who attempts to understand Clyde, the nature of his plan, and who his accomplices might be.

The twist at the end of "Law Abiding Citizen" is that Clyde has somehow constructed a series of tunnels leading in and out of his prison's solitary confinement cells. He has been sneaking out of prison in order...