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‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ Rips and Tears to New Action Heights

Published

5 years ago

May 17, 2019

Some people want enormous showdowns featuring their favorite Marvel characters, I on the other hand wait with anticipation to see someone give John Wick a gun. And boy does he get a gun or two in the runtime of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

The story takes off like a bullet from where John Wick 2 left off. Wick is running through the streets of NY making strategic moves to assist in his upcoming excommunicado sentence, during which he will receive no assistance from anyone under The High Table. As Wick fans recall, Wick broke some very important rules on Continental grounds that lead to an impending contract on his life.

The film takes no time getting into the nitty-gritty world of headshots and and constantly cool choreographed violence. This time however, Wick is up against the clock and in constant survival mode as opposed to his usual just and vengeful self. The Baba Yaga’s biggest enemy this time around is time itself.

Director, Chad Stahelski brings that trademark flare back to the Wick series once again. Combining the genius and timing of Buster Keaton with masterful martial arts and gun-fu of East meets West. This time around, Stahelski steers heavily into inspiration from High Noon, complete with homages to clocks ticking down to inevitable final moments and subsequent consequential action. Stahelski elevates his already deep understanding of the language of cinema and generously gives us the action we have come to expect from the series and then raises the bar he set.

Wick’s nemesis this time around lies in the deadly hands of Mark Dacascos, who brings a very interesting take on his approach to lethal assassin, Zero. Dacascos is the real deal in the world of martial arts and that lends to his character here with his precise approach to action. The interesting thing that Dacascos does here is to turn his character into a genuine John Wick fanboy. Sure, he needs to kill Wick, but that doesn’t stop his childlike wonder while attempting it. The third act moments between Zero and Wick are well-done outright hilarious.

Wick

Through a series of events, I will avoid spoiling, Wick ends up partnered with Sofia (Halle Berry) in a some sequences that viciously doubles the action of what we have seen in previous John Wick films. What you have to remember, especially during these scenes, is that they are doing all this shit for real. Reeves and Berry unleash a slew of bullets paired with an intense duo of dogs who in turn unleash their own hell onto the baddies. The result is bloody and magical. The stunt work that went into this stuff is fuckin’ legendary and I’m still in complete awe.

Reeves is Wick. Wick is Reeves. The dude pours himself into the role once again and has a profound understanding of exactly what to bring to Stahelski’s table of action. Well-versed in gun fu and kung fu and everything in between, Reeves is a craftsman whose blood, sweat and tears lies in each frame of the film to mesmerizing results.

One of the best things about this series outside of the outstanding action has always been the world that John Wick created from the get go. Secret code, double speak, gold coins, keys and an underground that we hadn’t seen previous to these films is absolutely rich. Chapter 3 takes us further down that alluring rabbit hole. New locations, characters and big and game changing reveals are made throughout, never taking away from action set pieces.

While a lot of action films are just that. The rich world of John Wick is busting at the seams with symbolism. The historical, philosophical and even religious undertones are everywhere and throughout. This time around that substance is capitalized on with bits of those symbols bleeding into the narrative to satisfying and well earned results.

For me it is hard to rate any of the Wick films. They are all equally fantastic and I’ve loved every single badass second with them. From start to finish this series has been a masterpiece and we are lucky enough to have witnessed it. Wick maintains the lightning in the bottle sensation that It has always been and still promises more of this vicious ballet, and I for one am entirely here for that.

‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ is out now in theaters.

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Movies

‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

Published

9 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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Movies

‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

Published

10 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

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Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

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The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

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The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

Published

12 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.