by admin | Sep 20, 2025 | Articles, Moviephone Articles
(L to R): Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey in ‘Plainclothes’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
In theaters via Magnet Releasing on September 19th is ‘Plainclothes’, a dramatic thriller that explores one man’s conflicting ties to duty and desire that threaten to tear him apart.
Written and directed by Carmen Emmi (‘The Ultimate Evil’), ‘Plainclothes’ stars Tom Blyth (‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’), Russell Tovey (‘Years and Years’), Maria Dizzia (‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’), Amy Forsyth (‘Hell Fest’) and John Bedford Lloyd (‘The Bourne Supremacy’).
Related Article: Tom Blyth Talks ‘Billy the Kid’ Season 2 Part 2 and Making a Western
Initial Thoughts
(L to R): Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey in ‘Plainclothes’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
Movies with an LGBTQ+ vantage point, particularly those dealing with characters who struggle with their sexuality, are tough to get right. There is a tendency towards histrionics or hyper-focusing on certain details.
With ‘Plainclothes’, writer-director Carmen Emmi largely delivers.
Script and Direction
(L to R): Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey in ‘Plainclothes’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
Emmi, making the leap from short films and TV work to features with this assured, carefully crafted debut, has created several excellent, heartfelt and authentic central roles that provide solid source material via a committed cast.
If he sometimes lets his stylistic side swamp the storytelling with flashbacks in various footage formats to indicate time periods, it doesn’t ultimately detract from the full impact of the movie.
Cast and Performances
(L to R): Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey in ‘Plainclothes’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
The highlights here are Brits Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, who not only deliver nuance and honest emotion, but do so while both offering convincing American accents. Blyth in particular draws you into his character’s world, whether he’s working sting operations on gay men in mall toilets or dealing with the complex, twisty dynamics of his family.
And the supporting cast, from the other cops in the department to that aforementioned family, certainly do good work bringing smaller, but vital, roles to life.
Final Thoughts
Russell Tovey in ‘Plainclothes’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
Side-stepping many of the cliché traps possible in a story such as this, ‘Plainclothes’ delivers with low-fi filming and superb central performances.
Emmi establishes himself as a director to watch in the coming years.
‘Plainclothes’ receives 75 out of 100.
What’s the story of ‘Plainclothes?
At his mother’s New Year’s Eve party Lucas (Tom Blyth), a young police officer, loses a letter no one was ever meant to read. Amid the backdrop of the suffocating family party, the search for the letter unlocks memories of a past he’s tried to forget: months earlier, while working undercover in a mall bathroom, Lucas arrested men by seducing them.
But when he encounters Andrew (Russell Tovey), everything changes. What begins as another setup becomes something far more electric and intimate. As their secret connection deepens and police pressure to deliver arrests intensifies, Lucas finds himself torn between duty and desire.
Who is in the cast of ‘Plainclothes’?
Theatrical one-sheet for ‘Plainclothes’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Tom Blyth:
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by admin | Sep 19, 2025 | Articles, Moviephone Articles
Sir Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Landing on Apple TV+ on September 24th with the first episode (five more follow at the rate of one per week) is the fifth season of ‘Slow Horses’, which draws from Mick Herron’s source novel ‘London Rules’.
“Drinker. Thinker. Rebel. Spy.”
With regular showrunner Will Smith (‘The Thick of It’) back overseeing the show, the cast includes regulars Gary Oldman (‘Darkest Hour’), Jack Lowden (‘Dunkirk’), Kristin Scott Thomas (‘The English Patient’), Rosalind Eleazar (‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’), Saskia Reeves (‘Luther’) and Christopher Chung (‘Waterloo Road’) joined by Nick Mohammed (‘Ted Lasso’) for this season.
Related Article: TV Review: ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4
Initial Thoughts
(L to R): Kristin Scott Thomas and James Callis in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Proving itself to be something of a slow-burn sensation, ‘Slow Horses’ has been gaining in pop cultural awareness and adulation across the last couple of years, with awards coming its way and more promotion.
There are, naturally, more eyes on Season 5 than ever before (even if the running joke is that Apple has excellent shows precious few people watch or know about beyond the megahit ‘Severance’), and thankfully, it is more than deserving of the attention.
Script and Direction
Nick Mohammed in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Smith and his writers continue to mine Mick Herron’s book series for comic brilliance and suitably twisty spy tales. This season’s story, set as a mayoral election grips London and shocking violence roils the capital, is loaded down with trademark quips and naturally great roles for its main cast.
There is, in fact, even more focus on the denizens of Slough House than ever this year, and it really works.
Returning director Saul Metzstein, has a clear eye for how the show works visually, and if it’s lighter on action compared to other shows, that’s not the real focus here.
Cast and Performances
Christopher Chung in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Oldman continues to prove he’s the perfect Jackson Lamb (there is a joke about penguins and Batman that is so perfectly delivered, it might make you pause the show from laughing), and as usual he anchors the ensemble.
But everyone is on their A-game here, with a welcome boost of screen time for Christopher Chung as arrogant, nerdy tech expert Roddy Ho. While he’s the sort of character you usually prefer in small doses, Chung makes him likeable enough that it works to have him enjoy more of a spotlight.
Final Thoughts
(L to R): Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Saskia Reeves, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘Slow Horses’ remains one of the best shows on TV –– streaming or otherwise –– and Season Five is just more proof of why. Perfectly pitched in terms of tone and character, it’s a sweary, funny treat.
‘Slow Horses’ Season 5 receives 87 out of 100.
(L to R): Kristin Scott Thomas and Sir Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses,’ premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
What’s the plot of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 5?
In Season Five, everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) has a glamorous new girlfriend, but when a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected.
After all, Lamb (Gary Oldman) knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules – cover your back – always apply.
Sir Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Who stars in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 5?
- Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
- Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
- Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho
- Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy
- Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
- Nick Mohammed as Zafar Jaffrey
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
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by admin | Sep 18, 2025 | Articles, Moviephone Articles
(L to R) Tyriq Withers is Cam, Marlon Wayans is Isaiah, and Maurice Greene is Malek in ‘Him’, directed by Justin Tipping. © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Opening in theaters September 19 is ‘Him,’ directed by Justin Tipping and starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, Maurice Greene, Tierra Whack, Don Benjamin, and Naomi Grossman.
“Greatness demands sacrifice.”
Related Article: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans to Return For ‘Scary Movie’ Reboot
Initial Thoughts
Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Producer Jordan Peele’s name is prominent in the marketing for ‘Him,’ a film that lands in a category that might be called ‘sports horror.’ But while the Peele brand is associated with socially conscious genre fare – particularly the films he’s directed, like ‘Get Out’ and ‘Nope’ – he turns the reins here over to Justin Tipping, who helmed the 2016 urban drama ‘Kicks.’
While Peele himself might have had a different outcome with ‘Him,’ Tipping does not seem on sure footing here. In fact, in an attempt to make ‘Him’ as dream-like and surreal as he can, Tipping turns the film into a progressively manic and borderline nonsensical string of sequences that are edited in such haphazard fashion as to almost induce withdrawal in the viewer. Though not without its merits, ‘Him’ turns out to be the cinematic equivalent of a game that got away.
Story and Direction
(from left) Marlon Wayans, director Justin Tipping and Tyriq Withers on the set of ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is an up-and-coming college football star who many pundits see as the heir apparent to Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), the rumored-to-be-retiring superstar quarterback of the fictional San Antonio Saviors. But when a senseless attack leaves Cam with a serious head injury and his career on the line, Isaiah invites him to come train at his secluded underground compound out in the desert, where Isaiah himself will personally determine whether Cam can still make the cut – and help him get there.
It sounds too good to be true, and right off the bat it is: Isaiah’s massive crib/training facility is one of those labyrinthine, vault-like places, full of weird art and winding corridors, that automatically screams ‘bad things happen here.’ Sure enough, Cam’s training becomes increasingly unorthodox and violent, while Isaiah begins to behave in ways that are erratic and even dangerous. As the crucial date for Cam’s meeting with the owners of the Saviors draws near, it becomes apparent that he may have to fight not just for his signing bonus, but for his life.
(L to R) Marlon Wayans (as Isaiah), director Justin Tipping, and Tyriq Withers (as Cam) on the set of ‘HIM’, from Universal Pictures.
‘Him’ lets us know early on that it’s using horror as a metaphor for the toxic masculinity and abusive culture that permeates professional sports. In an early flashback, Cam as a boy watches Isaiah get gravely injured on live television during a playoff game. ‘That’s what men do,’ intones his (soon-to-be-deceased) father. ‘They sacrifice. No guts, no glory.’ Later, at Isaiah’s compound, Isaiah repeatedly barks, ‘This isn’t a f**king game!’ His staff physician injects Cam daily with some unknown substance. Even the cult of personality around certain sports stars gets a sharp poke thanks to the menacing Isaiah fans that hang around outside the gates.
This could all be worthy material in the right hands, and indeed the script by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie made the prestigious Black List of unproduced screenplays. But Tipping turns it all into a mashup of music video, montage compilation, and fever dream, with frenetic editing, battering-ram sound, and occult imagery that makes less and less sense as it goes on. Perhaps the idea is to make us feel like we’re inside Cam’s already damaged head, but instead of a rising tide of dread and tension we’re just subjected to a string of barely connected episodes that make us feel instead like the movie is falling apart. By the time we find out the answer to what’s behind it all, we no longer care nor are we even sure what the hell it is.
Cast and Performances
Marlon Wayans is Isaiah in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Although his performance is big – and increasingly over the top and beyond — Marlon Wayans easily holds the screen here. His Isaiah White is charismatic and charming until he’s not – and then he sometimes is again, even after going off the rails one scene earlier. Wayans’ natural presence and abilities provide the most interest in ‘Him,’ especially in one quiet scene toward the end that allows some insight into the character of Isaiah for a moment (“Find your own way to greatness,” he tells Cam, “Don’t be me”) before the mayhem starts up again.
We can’t quite say the same for Tyriq Withers. The former college football star (for real) has the physical prowess and good looks to make for a credible rising phenom, but except for a flash of rage or sadness here and there Withers just doesn’t have the range or expressiveness to carry the film’s critical role. As for the rest of the cast, no one stands out much except Julia Fox as Isaiah’s social influencer (and sex toy peddler) wife, Elsie, with Fox giving her usual downtown girl schtick a witchy twist.
Final Thoughts
Marlon Wayans is Isaiah (back, pointing) and Tyriq Withers is Cam (foreground) in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
There are probably some fascinating horror stories that could come out of the world of sports – particularly when it comes to body horror and the way that athletic competition can crush both the flesh and spirit – but despite its ambitions, ‘Him’ is not one of those movies.
Whatever was in that original script by Akers and Bronkie just seems to get lost here in Tipping’s frenzied, headache-inducing style of direction. ‘Him’ just pummels you with nonstop, almost assaultive imagery that is both nightmarish and gratuitous. If it’s meant to make the viewer feel like he’s getting hammered on all sides by the other team’s defensive line – well, perhaps in that regard it succeeds, but as a movie, not so much.
‘Him’ receives a score of 45 out of 100.
‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
What is the plot of ‘Him’?
When rising quarterback Cameron Cade is attacked by an unhinged fan and suffers a potentially career-ending brain trauma, legendary championship quarterback Isaiah White offers to train Cam at his isolated compound. But Cam’s training and Isaiah’s charisma soon begin to curdle into something darker, which may cost Cam more than he ever bargained for.
Who is in the cast of ‘Him’?
- Marlon Wayans as Isaiah White
- Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade
- Julia Fox as Elsie White
- Tim Heidecker as Tom
- Jim Jefferies as Marco
- Naomi Grossman as Marjorie
- Maurice Greene as Malek
- Akeem ‘Guapdad 4000’ Hayes as Murph
- Tierra Whack as Adrienne
- Don Benjamin as Cam Sr.
(L to R) Director Justin Tipping, Tyriq Withers (as Cam), Producer Jordan Peele, and Marlon Wayans (as Isaiah) on the set of ‘HIM’, from Universal Pictures.
List of Films Directed Or Produced By Jordan Peele:
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by admin | Sep 16, 2025 | Articles, Moviephone Articles
(L to R) Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell star in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Opening in theaters September 19 is ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,’ directed by Kogonada and starring Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lily Rabe, Jodie Turner-Smith, Billy Magnussen, and Sarah Gadon.
“Relive your past. Change your future.”
Related Article: Margot Robbie Circling Tim Burton’s ‘Attack of the 50ft Woman’ Remake
Initial Thoughts
(L to R) Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie star in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Filmmaker Kogonada’s first two films, ‘Columbus’ (2017) and ‘After Yang’ (2021) were, respectively, an unconventionally low-key romance built around architecture and a melancholic meditation on what it means to be human in a high-tech society. ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,’ his third feature and first production for a major Hollywood studio (Sony), attempts to combine whimsy and fantasy with themes of love, regret, and loss, only on a much bigger canvas.
But despite the presence of two of our most charismatic actors, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, the visually lovely film is let down by a treacly, frequently dull script (by Seth Reiss) that trades real emotions and characters for pre-programmed mannequins and faux sentimentality. It’s one of those movies that reveals all in its trailer (which has been playing for months) and offers nothing beyond its superficial gloss.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Colin Farrell, Margot Robbie and director Kogonada on the set of ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Robbie and Farrell play Sarah and David, two people who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and strike up an immediate attraction, despite both attempting to wave it off (“I’m afraid of hating you,” says Sarah) and insisting they’re not in the market, despite clearly being two lonely, somewhat lost people. What neither knows is that they both rented cars for the occasion from the same mysterious agency, located in a vast warehouse in a narrow alley in the nameless city in which they both live.
The film slides into the fantastical from the start with David’s visit to the agency, where he’s served by a foul-mouthed, German-accented, overly enthusiastic cashier (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and the more elderly, gruff mechanic (Kevin Kline), who rent him a long-discontinued 1994 Saturn SL with a special GPS that offers to take him – and Sarah – on the title trip, which they end up taking together after Sarah’s vehicle breaks down.
That trip takes David and Sarah to a series of doors in unusual places (like the middle of a forest), with each door leading to a moment in one or the other’s past that has defined their attitude toward life and love. In other words, the film offers up the kind of cheap Hollywood excuse for therapy and self-reflection which claims that if you can go back and confront that one thing that’s been hanging you up your whole life, everything else will sort itself out. Not only is that not true, but each major moment in both Sarah and David’s lives is the kind of trite cliché we’ve seen before: getting one last moment with a deceased parent, confronting a lost love, and so on.
(L to R) Director Kogonada and Colin Farrell on the set of ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo By
Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
The problem is that we don’t really know anything about either Sarah or David from the start, so they simply feel like automatons going through the motions as they take 109 minutes to arrive at the predetermined outcome of their journey. There’s no real emotion at play here, and no real chemistry either between the stars. When one finally confesses their love for the other, it seems almost comical – they literally just met a day or two before.
Kogonada has a great eye, and he and cinematographer Benjamin Loeb shoot the hell out of ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,’ bathing everything in warm hues and glowing light. But the heart of the movie is hollow, the plot points overly stylized and self-consciously theatrical (Sarah and David actually end up on an empty stage at one point, like they’ve stumbled into a Lars von Trier movie), and the needle drops become increasingly heavy-handed, culminating in ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ playing as someone literally opens a door.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Phoebe Waller Bridge and Kevin Kline star in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
In her first screen role since 2023’s ‘Barbie,’ a luminous Margot Robbie does the best she can with a role that is severely underwritten. Sarah keeps telling David that she’s horrible; she tells her mother that she’s bad with men; and yet we never get any real sense of why that is except for what she tells us. Farrell also looks terrific in the film (Kogonada is certainly kind to his actors) and, like his co-star, tries to wrestle some humanity out of his character, but can only go so far with the barely sketched template he’s got to work from.
The best work in the film undoubtedly comes from Waller-Bridge as the car rental agency’s cashier, who gleefully doles out the word ‘f**k’ like candy (hence the otherwise unnecessary R rating) and injects some real Terry Gilliam-like absurdity into the opening moments of the story. It’s too bad she disappears for most of the rest of it, since more of her and Kevin Kline as her straight man would liven up the proceedings considerably. Except for the two leads, none of the other characters even merit actual names.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie star in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Kogonada’s first two films were marked by their intimacy and even dream-like atmosphere, as well as their own visual acumen, but only the latter makes it into ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.’ The story is so predictable and undercooked, the themes so saccharine, and the characters so flat that this movie runs out of gas long before that Saturn SL ever has a chance to.
‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ receives a score of 40 out of 100.
(L to R) Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie star in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
What is the plot of ‘‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’’?
Sarah (Margot Robbie) and David (Colin Farrell) are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a fantastical adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their pasts and possibly get a chance to alter their futures.
Who is in the cast of ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’?
- Margot Robbie as Sarah
- Colin Farrell as David
- Kevin Kline as The Mechanic
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge as The Female Cashier
- Jodie Turner-Smith as GPS
- Lily Rabe as Sarah’s Mother
- Billy Magnussen as The Man
- Sarah Gadon as The Woman
- Hamish Linklater as David’s Father
- Jennifer Grant as David’s Mother
(L to R) Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie star in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’. Photo: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
List of Margot Robbie Movies
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by admin | Sep 13, 2025 | Articles, Moviephone Articles
Dev Patel in ‘Rabbit Trap’. Photo: Magnet Releasing.
In theaters on September 12th is ‘Rabbit Trap’, a horror mystery that represents the feature directorial debut writer/director Bryn Chainey.
“If you’ve heard it… it’s too late.”
Dev Patel (‘Monkey Man’) stars alongside Rosy McEwen (‘Blue Jean’) in the story of married musicians looking to find a different sound for their work, but come up against a nightmarish folk tradition and supernatural experiences. The cast also includes Jade Croot (‘The Witcher’).
Related Article: Dev Patel makes ambitious directing debut with the violent ‘Monkey Man’
Initial Thoughts
(L to R): Jade Croot and Rosy McEwen in ‘Rabbit Trap’. Photo: Magnet Releasing.
There is a particular branch of British horror that has its roots deep in folk tradition and the clash between outsiders and locals, with a vein of the supernatural running beneath it all. The likes of Ben Wheatley and Robin Hardy have explored the topic, and now here comes filmmaker Bryn Chainey.
Script and Direction
Dev Patel in ‘Rabbit Trap’. Photo: Magnet Releasing.
Chainey, writing and directing here, certainly knows how to conjure mood using visuals and, particularly sound. He brings an intensity to the look and feel of the movie, aided by solid work from Patel and McEwen, but does fall down a little in pacing.
There is plenty to admire here, but while the film definitely has its own unique style, the storytelling tends to get lost and the characters aren’t always given the room to develop.
Cast and Performances
Jade Croot in ‘Rabbit Trap’. Photo: Magnet Releasing.
‘Rabbit Trap’ is really a three-hander between Patel, McEwen and Jade Croot, who plays a mysterious child who shows up hunting rabbits.
The main pair are convincing when it comes to their connection (and their reactions to the increasingly strange circumstances around them), but they can’t quite keep the film from feeling like it was a good idea that doesn’t always work.
Final Thoughts
Rosy McEwen in ‘Rabbit Trap’. Photo: Magnet Releasing.
The movie has style and mood to spare, but ‘Rabbit Trap’ lets itself sink into both at the expense of a truly convincing narrative. While Patel, McEwen and Croot do good work, it gets lost in the noise around them.
It doesn’t help that the central theme (which gives the movie its title) is drummed into us at several points with all the subtlety of a hammer.
‘Rabbit Trap’ receives 65 out of 100.
What’s the story of ‘Rabbit Trap’?
When a musician and her husband move to a remote house in Wales, the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless child to their door who is intent on infiltrating their lives.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rabbit Trap’?
Dev Patel as Darcy Davenport
Rosy McEwen as Daphne Davenport
Jade Croot as The Child
Nicholas Sampson as The Shadow
Poster for ‘Rabbit Trap’. Photo: Magnet Releasing.
Selected Movies Starring Dev Patel:
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by admin | Aug 1, 2025 | Articles, Moviephone Articles
Black Panther in Marvel Animation’s ‘Eyes of Wakanda’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
‘Eyes of Wakanda’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
Arriving on Disney+ on August 1st, ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ represents both the latest animated offering from the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe and another spin-off from Ryan Coogler’s successful ‘Black Panther’ movies.
The series, directed and executive produced by close Coogler collaborator Todd Harris (‘Sinners’, features the voices of Cress Williams (‘Black Lightning’), Winnie Harlow (‘The Perfect Find’), Anika Noni Rose (‘The Princess and the Frog’), Steve Toussaint (‘House of the Dragon’) and more.
Related Article: ‘Ironheart’ TV review
Initial Thoughts
Memnon (Larry Herron) jumping to scale the walls of Troy in Marvel Animation’s ‘Eyes of Wakanda’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
If ‘Ironheart’ was a decently entertaining spin-off featuring the character of Riri Williams, a comic character who got her MCU big screen introduction in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ but got lost in the shuffle of that busy sequel, ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ goes further and broader in a way only animation can achieve.
This series presents as an anthology show set across different time periods, but is ultimately linked by the presence of the Hatut Zaraze –– the “War Dog” operatives who undertake special covert missions outside of Wakanda’s borders (you might recall Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia as one such agent in the original ‘Black Panther’.
The links go deeper than that, but we won’t spoil anything here.
Script and Direction
The Lion (Cress Williams) in Marvel Animation’s ‘Eyes of Wakanda’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel.© 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
Under the guidance of Harris (with Coogler on hand to offer input) and lead writer Geoffrey Thorne, the series is an entertaining, ambitious look at the War Dogs through different chunks of history, from ancient China to the battle of Troy.
While the stakes are high, the scripts are leavened with wit and lighter touches, and even offer an intriguing new avenue to one character whose legacy is not exactly beloved by Marvel fans. We won’t specify who exactly, but suffice to say they made their screen debut back in the Netflix days, and are presented in very different form here.
‘Eyes of Wakanda’s stories hang together well, and the battles features are exciting. The style of the show certainly fits with ‘Black Panther’s existing design framework and expands the look to include historical touches and inventive tech.
Cast and Performances
The Lion (Cress Williams) in Marvel Animation’s ‘Eyes of Wakanda’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel.© 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
Highlights from the voice cast including Winnie Harlow as Noni, a rebellious former Dora Milaje whose mission is effectively her job interview for the War Dogs, and Cress Williams, who plays a few characters, with the focus on The Lion, a former Wakandan warrior who has turned to the life of a pirate.
Elsewhere, there is good work from the likes of Steve Toussaint and Jona Xiao –– but again, we can’t talk about her character.
Final Thoughts
(L-R): Noni (Winnie Harlow) and The Lion (Cress Williams) in Marvel Animation’s ‘Eyes of Wakanda’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel.© 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
Though the major link between the stories aren’t immediately apparent, there is enough connective tissue and watchability within the separate episodes to make them all worth watching.
You don’t really have to have seen anything beyond ‘Black Panther’ to enjoy it, and it’s a healthy dose of diversity within the MCU.
“Every mission shapes a legacy.”
What’s the plot of ‘Eyes of Wakanda’?
Follow the adventures of brave Wakandan warriors throughout history in this globe-trotting adventure where they must carry out dangerous missions to retrieve Vibranium artifacts from the enemies of Wakanda.
They are the Hatut Zaraze and this is their story.
Who stars in ‘Eyes of Wakanda’?
- Winnie Harlow as Noni
- Cress Williams as The Lion
- Danai Gurira as Okoye
- Larry Herron as Memnon
Members of the Dora Milaje in Marvel Animation’s ‘Eyes of Wakanda’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
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