Tag: kevin durand

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) | REVIEW

Proximus Caesar (played by Kevin Durand) in Wes Ball’s KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES — PHOTO: 20th Century Studios / Disney.

Directed by Wes Ball — Screenplay by Josh Friedman.

The Planet of the Apes franchise is one of the most iconic and most beloved long-running science fiction film franchises. Despite it, admittedly, featuring a significant number of films and shows that the world has largely forgotten about (including Tim Burton’s 2001 remake), this franchise also happens to have a genuine science-fiction classic adaptation with one of the most famous and unforgettable movie endings of all-time (that is uniquely in the style of Rod Serling, i.e. the creator of The Twilight Zone who co-wrote the 1968 Apes-film), and every now and again these films represent massive leaps forward for the film industry either through prosthetics, visual effects, or motion performance capture. As if that wasn’t enough, despite failing to capture wide audiences’ interest for quite some time, the iconic franchise broke through once more with the reboot trilogy of the 2010s from directors Rupert Wyatt (of the strong and emotionally engaging Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Matt Reeves (of the jaw-dropping near-masterpieces Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes). 

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Abigail (2024) | REVIEW

(L-R) Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens in ABIGAIL — PHOTO: Bernard Walsh / Universal Pictures.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — Screenplay by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick.

Ever since Radio Silence (a filmmaking group that also includes producer Chad Villella) directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett broke through with their sophomore feature, 2019’s Ready or Not, the directing duo has only risen through the ranks when it comes to horror filmmaking. After their bloody wedding horror film in 2019, they were hired to take over from the late, great Wes Craven in the Scream franchise, and they did so with their Scream (2022) and Scream VI. How do you follow up three genuine horror hits in a row? Well, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett decided that they should take on a different kind of horror subgenre that holds a special place in the hearts of horror aficionados with Abigail.

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