by admin | May 10, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
There’s been a lot of chatter about Lilo & Stitch’s new interpretation on the 2025 movie schedule. No one can ever tell what sort of changes will be made in a flesh and blood translation, which is probably why the trailer for this upcoming Disney live-action movie had people asking a lot of questions.
One of the hottest topics on people’s minds is the big changes to the character of Agent Pleakley; a subject that director Dean Fleischer Camp has once again addressed – but with some solid reasoning in his corner. As the Marcel the Shell with Shoes On helmer spoke with EW about the decision process behind Billy Magnussen’s new spin on the character, he provided this insight:
previous comments on Lilo & Stitch changes from Dean Fleischer Camp, it looks like this change didn’t stem from any sort of attempt to avoid outrage or controversy. If anything, the dreaded “B” word seems to come into play here: “Budget.” Sure, what we know about Lilo & Stitch comes with an estimated production budget of $100 million – which isn’t anything to sneeze at.
That being said, it’s not as much as the studio has spent on previous live-action re-telllings. It appears that the choice in this equation was to either spread the love when developing the various CGI creatures involved, or to focus on making the best Stitch possible.
Considering how audiences would have revolted if the alien half of this Disney+ subscription catalogue favorite’s title was less than perfect, that choice really was a no-brainer. Just imagine the “Ugly Sonic” scenario from the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie, and multiply that by the love and passion Disney fans hold in their hearts.
However, Dean Fleisher Camp did provide some further relief as to how much of Zack Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen’s CGI avatars we’ll be seeing:
Clearly there are a lot of moving pieces that were at work when it came to Lilo & Stitch’s new lease on cinematic life. It’s comforting that the choice to keep Jumba and Pleakley in actual human disguises seems to have come from a monetary standpoint, and nothing else. The end result of that plot line, as well as all of the other changes made in this picture, will be available for all to see on May 23rd, only in theaters.
by admin | May 9, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
We’re almost a week removed from the 2025 Met Gala, but Sydney Sweeney can’t stop and won’t stop sharing her A+ fashion. It couldn’t be more different from her refined black gown she wore at the huge celebrity event. Sweeney just got all dolled up for a Samsung Mobile partnership she has going on, and this time she’s channelling the cotton candy dress trend.
Last week, Alexandra Daddario stunned in a purple dress shaped like cotton candy in her latest social media post, and now her The White Lotus Season 1 co-star Sydney Sweeney seems to be channeling the same sort of dessert. Check it out:
On Friday, Sweeney shared a series of photos of herself on the set of some kind of shoot for Samsung wearing a perfectly pink version of a cotton candy dress that’s a lot more fringey than puffy tulle. The actress teased her fans that she was on set with Samsung shooting “something really exciting” and to “stay tuned.” What could her gorgeous new look be for?
Well, we do know that Samsung Mobile is announcing the “slimmest Galaxy S Series ever,” per the company’s Instagram. So we have a feeling Sweeney has earned herself yet another branding partnership here, but why the pink dress? Will the latest Galaxy phone have a cotton candy pink version? The line of phones has been ignoring the shade for sometime.
Barbie, but Sweeney has been rocking a lot of pink in recent months for a variety of occasions. Back in February, she wore a mini pink ombré dress with pretty white flowers on it while celebrating Paris Hilton’s birthday, and for the Vanity Fair Oscars party, she wore a light pink gown. The actress clearly is a pink gal, and it always looks great on her.
No matter what it’s for, Sydney Sweeney is definitely making a look that could easily look ridiculous and have the opposite effect. The dress could easily be mistaken for something Glinda the Good from Wicked might rock, but somehow Sydney Sweeney has us wanting to wear big poofy tulle, and somehow not look like a ball of fluff.
Sydney Sweeney’s list of brand deals seems to be growing all the time, as she also has partnered with Miu Miu, Armani Beauty, Laneige, HeyDude, Ford and Kérastase. All that, plus she’s got 2025 movies on the way like a thriller called Echo Valley with Julianne Moore, the adaptation of The Housemaid alongside Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar, and the Christy Martin biopic.
We’re curious if the cotton candy dress will continue to pick up steam after the two White Lotus stunners wore the look in the matter of the same month.
by admin | May 7, 2025 | Articles, Moviephone Articles
Frendo the Clown in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
‘Clown in a Cornfield’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
Opening in theaters on May 9th, ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ is the latest entry into an already overstuffed movie genre –– the slasher film, but aims to add its own ideas into the crowded field.
Directed by Eli Craig, the new movie pits a group of teenager against a terrifying corporate logo who stalks the small town where the local industry is dying almost as quickly as Frendo the clown’s victims.
Related Article: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood Board ‘Ready or Not: Here I Come’
Initial Thoughts
Katie Douglas in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
The biggest issue for any movie that tries to offer a fresh spin on the slasher genre is exactly what it can bring that is new.
For a chunk of its running time, ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ bobs along in predictable fashion –– a young woman and her father arrive in a small town where there is a legacy of decaying industry and party-happy teenagers whose lives are under threat from a creepy clown.
But unlike, say, the ‘It’ movies and their grinning demonic presence, this threat appears much more human, and one that the local kids have turned into a horror icon through their own YouTube horror shorts.
It’s a fascinating idea, and a solid layer on top of what is a fairly conventional horror title.
Script and Direction
Frendo the Clown in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
Director Craig adapted the script alongside Carter Blanchard from Adam Cesare’s 2020 novel and largely faithfully adapt the tome, which follows a similar story of someone moving to a small town and discovering how the place has been fractured along age lines and, to some extent, ethics.
The town, Kettle Springs in Missouri, has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down, and there are heavy tensions in the town. Craig and Blanchard’s script navigates those mostly effectively, kicking off the story with a 1990s-set flashback to a teenage party that ends bloodily when a clown kills victims among the stalks.
And while much of the focus is on the Quinn character, with the others mostly archetypes and cannon fodder for murders, there is enough decent writing, especially among the other townsfolk to hold your interest.
Craig spins a modest budget into a solid slasher movie that has more than just basic horror on its mind. While the actual revelation of what’s going on might be familiar to, say, anyone who has watched 2007 Edgar Wright action spoof ‘Hot Fuzz,’ that doesn’t diminish the power of this film itself.
The slayings might not necessarily be the most memorable aspect of the movie, but there is enough bloody madness here for gore hounds to enjoy.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Aaron Abrams and Katie Douglas in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
Katie Douglas, probably best known for Netflix series ‘Ginny & Georgia’, carries the weight of the story here as Quinn Maybrook, who is new to town with her doctor father when he accepts a position in the crumbling locale.
Douglas injects the right blend of sarcasm, teen angst and smarts into the role, with a solid line of vulnerability has she tries to fit in and find her place. She’s also effective when the time comes for the running, screaming and fighting back section of the movie.
Aaron Abrams has an understandably smaller role as her father, trying to understand his child’s feelings and does good work when called upon.
Of the local teenagers, Carson MacCormac has the biggest role, playing Cole, who chafes against his family’s privilege and hides his own secrets. He has solid chemistry with Douglas and makes Cole sympathetic even when the situation might suggest otherwise.
Amongst the other adults, Kevin Durand is typically great as the wealthy and slightly smug Arthur Hill, while Will Sasso has a few good moments as Sheriff Dunne, who is doing his best to keep things chill even as the body count rises.
Final Thoughts
Kevin Durand in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
While ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ doesn’t exactly re-invent the slasher genre, it does have enough going on under the basic serial slaying surface to maintain interest.
There are issues here of how trauma is processed via pop culture (in this case, YouTube videos) and the clash of ideologies in small town, especially one that has gone from bustling to rust belt within a couple of decades.
If we were to warn anyone away, it might be coulrophobes, who will certainly be triggered by the array of rampaging, brightly-costumed killers to be found lurking here.
“Are you a friend of frendo?”
Showtimes & Tickets
Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on… Read the Plot
What’s the plot of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’?
Looking for a fresh start, Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams) move to the quiet town of Kettle Springs. They soon learn the fractured community has fallen on hard times after losing a treasured factory to a fire.
As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning clown emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.
Who is in the cast of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’?
(L to R) Cassandra Potenza, Verity Marks, and Carson MacCormac in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
List of Movies and TV Shows Featuring Killer Clowns:
Buy Killer Clown Movies On Amazon
by admin | May 6, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
the greatest Westerns of all time. Along with Clint Eastwood, he’s probably the actor who is most synonymous with the genre, and his filmography is littered with gems that have stood the test of time. That said, The Duke starred in a lot of flicks during his lengthy career, so it’s only natural that some of them flew under the radar. This brings us to “Thunder Riders of the Golden West,” a neo-Western with sci-fi elements.
Advertisement
“Thunder Riders of the Golden West,” which was directed by Wayne’s long-time friend Dave Burleson, was released in the 1980s — years after The Duke’s death in 1979. It tells the story of a group of truckers who go searching for gold on a site where some atomic bomb tests are taking place, with the explosions presumably inciting whatever sci-fi shenanigans go down. Calling “Thunder Riders of the Golden West” one of Wayne’s most underrated movies is an understatement, as it’s so difficult to track down that it’s impossible to rate. According to its director, it was the Duke’s final on-screen role, although it wasn’t the last film he shot. As such, filming must have taken place before Wayne’s official cinematic swan song in 1976’s “The Shootist.”
Advertisement
As of this writing, Burleson’s film doesn’t even have its own IMDb or Wikipedia page, let alone a home media release (although it was slated to come out on DVD back in 2009). With that in mind, is there any chance of “Thunder Riders of the Golden West” ever seeing the light of day?
