Review: The Cloverfield Paradox

By Spencer Coile 

Like the first two Cloverfield films, The Cloverfield Paradox premiered with plenty of hype surrounding it. After several delays, it was rumored to be picked up by Netflix which proved true when during Super Bowl LII, Netflix announced the arrival of The Cloverfield Paradox immediately following the game. 

Fans of the series were in a tizzy, counting down the hours before they could enjoy the latest entry. The marketing push for Paradox was as ambiguous and mysterious as the first two films which is a good thing. Like Cloverfield (2008) and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), it is best to go into The Cloverfield Paradox knowing little about the plot...

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First Look: Elizabeth Debicki as Virginia Woolf

by Murtada

click to embiggenHere’s our first look at Elizabeth Debicki as Virginia Woolf in Vita & Virginia, currently shooting in Ireland. The film will tell the story of the love affair between the noted author and socialite Vita Sackville-West (played by Gemma Arterton). Set in 1920s London, Vita & Virginia is the sophomore feature of director Chanya Button, following 2015 comedy drama Burn Burn Burn.

The clincher here though is the involvement of Dame Eileen Atkins, a Woolf scholar and the definitive authority on the famous writer...

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Review: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"

by Chris Feil

Superhero sequels these days seem burdened to go more bigger than bombastic. If the entire human race isn’t at stake and they aren’t finding new ways to topple more and more skyscrapers, they aren’t following the rules of engagement. So it is with some relief that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 operates very much on the same level and ambitions as its predecessor, its sights on delivering what it did before and just as well. It gets what we loved about it before, and doesn’t mistake it for empty spectacle.

That means more bickering, more quips, and more retro tunes as our space badasses once again defend the galaxy - but also about the same amount of scale in regards to what they are saving us from...

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Elizabeth Debicki Joins Viola Davis in Steve McQueen's Heist Thriller

Thus far in her career, actress Elizabeth Debicki has stolen so many scenes – spectacularly – from such a small handful of projects that we should go ahead and award her the Crown Jewels before she sneaks in and takes them herself. Either way, her electric turns in The Great Gatsby, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and especially her surreptitiously sharp performance at the heart of The Night Manager have already earned Elizabeth the status of a young queen on the silver and small screens - and the announcement of her most recent project promises she'll keep on stealing. Per Variety, she’s to lend her elemental femme fatale flair to Steve McQueen’s newest film Widows and join a verifiable dream team behind and in front of the camera. Before reading onward I must implore you to beware at your own pleasure.

Four years have passed since his formalist masterpiece 12 Years a Slave won the Academy Award for Best Picture, marking Widows as McQueen’s eagerly awaited return to motion pictures; HBO pulled the plug on his would-be television series Codes of Conduct in the interim before making it to air. Debicki will star in the heist thriller alongside the incomparable Viola Davis as two of four eponymous widows who set out to finish the job that their deceased husbands began in vain. As if the thought of these two icons cracking safes or donning disguises wasn’t enough to take your breath away, two of 2016’s most revelatory, swoon-inducing actors round out the cast list thus far: Moonlight’s Andre Holland and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo of The Color Purple. McQueen and Gone Girl maestro Gillian Flynn will co-pen the film’s screenplay, to add onto the glut of top tier talent.

Widows won’t hit theaters until 2018 so this tease can’t help but feel a bit excruciating. How do you plan to best appreciate Elizabeth Debicki in the meantime? 

Elizabeth Debicki in Guardians Vol 2 and The Night Manager

Murtada here. Big studio franchises are aggressively courting actressexuals. Following in the heels of Laura Dern joining Star Wars, now comes the news that Elizabeth Debicki will be featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

Debicki is sort of an obsession at The Film Experience. We  wrote about her here. And here. She is short listed for Villain of the Year at The Film Bitch Awards. Debicki stole The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) and was the most arresting figure in The Great Gatsby (2013). So much so, we thought Gatsby will be remembered mostly for being the first film in her huge career, more than anything else.

Debicki’s Guardians 2 character is being kept secret. The internet though is rife with speculation...

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