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Westerns can do it all, folks. Celebrated actress Heather Graham can as well, by the way. Dating back to the days of Twin Peaks and Drugstore Cowboy, Graham has graced the screen via a vast array of projects, dabbling in virtually every film genre. That includes the Western genre, both in 2024 when MovieWeb spoke with Graham about Place of Bones, and now as the female lead in yet another Western, Gunslingers. The new film also stars Nicolas Cage and Stephen Dorff — the latter of whom plays her romantic interest of sorts.

Gunslingers lays out a complex backstory involving Graham's character Val and Dorff's gunman persona, Thomas — who has a criminal brother in the mix named Robert (Jeremy Kent Jackson). Adding fuel to the fire, Robert also has love ties to Val. So, why not have them all reunite in a bloodthirsty Kentucky town, which sets the stage for the bullet-laced events of the film?...

Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 “The Great Train Robbery” is widely regarded as one of the first major narrative films — using a then-advanced clutch of techniques to tell a real, almost epic (at 12 minutes) story rather than simply to record a vignette. It also helped solidify the Western as a form specially suited to this new medium, even if it was shot in New York and New Jersey.

Telling a tale that begins that same year, Brian Skiba’s new “Gunslingers” is another “eastern Western,” shot in Kentucky. But the prolific writer-director’s latest provides an illustration of how the genre became somewhat fossilized via formulaic writing and overexposure even before 1950s television began churning out Western content in bulk. The modern-day equivalent of a Poverty Row “oater,” it’s more violent and profane than the sagebrush programmers of yore. Still, those factors can scarcely hide a serious lack of conviction...

From the ‘80s all the way to the early 2010s, Nicolas Cage was one of the most popular actors in all of Hollywood. I became a fan of his after watching Con Air and Face/Off on a loop because they were on TV all the time. But while most of his films were released on the big screen first until 2013, he turned a page in 2014 and didn’t stop starring in direct-to-video movies until 2017. Many were perplexed as to why Cage was tarnishing his image like that, but I think he didn’t shy away from admitting that he was doing it to pay the bills—bills with a lot of zeros in them. It seemed like he was en route to starting a new era by featuring in projects like Mandy, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Pig. And he kind of did. Nowadays, while he does show up in...

Writer-director Brian Skiba’s Gunslingers is the filmmaker’s second western to reach theaters this year, following Guns of Redemption just last month, and it feels no less hastily assembled. While the cast of Stephen Dorff, Nicolas Cage, and Heather Graham alone is an upgrade over that of the earlier film’s, there’s little else to keep Gunslingers from blurring together with Guns of Redemption, or any other modern western of its ilk that was always destined to disappear into the limbo of VOD.

Thomas Keller (Dorff) is a wanted man on the run in the Kentucky wilderness. Looking to put his violent past behind him, he arrives at the town of Redemption, which, as its name bluntly suggests, is a haven for outlaws wanting to start their lives over. With the help of the town’s reformed criminal populace, Thomas fakes his own capture and execution, in order...

"There's fire in Hail Mary!" Lionsgate has unveiled an official trailer for Gunslingers, an action western arriving to watch in April. Yet another of these forgettable trashy action flicks being dumped out on VOD for everyone to ignore. Gunslingers is from the same director as Guns of Redemption also opening this spring. In a town named Redemption, reformed gunslinger Keller & mad genius Ben are guided by spiritual leader Jericho towards vindication. While confronting their violent histories, their newfound peace is challenged by even more violence and revenge. When the most wanted man in America surfaces in a small town, his violent history – and a blood-thirsty mob seeking vengeance and a king’s ransom – soon follow. The huge ensemble cast includes Stephen Dorff, Heather Graham, Nicolas Cage, Randall Batinkoff, Cooper Barnes, Tzi Ma, Jeremy Kent Jackson, Costas Mandylor, Scarlet Stallone, William McNamara, Mohamed Karim, Bre Blair, Forrest Wilder, Forrie J. Smith,...

You think with a title like “Folie à Deux,” the “Joker” sequel would at least give audiences the truly twisted, crazy backstory of Harley Quinn. But Todd Phillips fumbles the legendary noir-adjacent origins of the crime queen-pin of Gotham despite the film’s marketing campaigns promising Harley’s unhinged glory.

Harley has only been brought to the big screen by way of two actresses, with Lady Gaga’s turn in “Folie à Deux” marking the second live-action iteration of the character. Margot Robbie originated the role in “Suicide Squad,” followed by appearances in “Birds of Prey” and “The Suicide Squad.” While Harley’s roots were only alluded to via flashback in “Suicide Squad” with Jared Leto playing the Joker, the film “Birds of Prey” captured the essence of the character the most — but only when Harley became liberated from her relationship with “Mr. J.”

Robbie later said that she hoped...

Vera Drew’s debut feature The People’s Joker evades all easy descriptions. It’s a trans coming-of-age film constructed with deep knowledge and affection for DC comics (and their many film adaptations) that also takes aim at the male-dominated comedy community and the mechanisms that determine stardom. Combining comedy, action, drama and an impressive number of different animation styles, The People’s Joker is a self-conscious, intentional cult film, crafted with genuine love for everything in the margins. And it tells a story everyone can relate to, about a kid growing up and trying to find happiness and success in a dark, troubled world. And in this world, Batman is the villain. He rules Gotham with an army of drones, while using his power and influence to control every aspect of media and culture — even comedy.

But not for long. Joker (Drew) arrives in Gotham with one purpose: to become a...

The People's Joker is a hilarious superhero parody film that incorporates dark humor and compelling character development. The film uses a mix of live-action, animation, and special effects to create a unique and captivating visual experience. While heavy-handed with DC Comics references, The People's Joker stands out in the superhero genre as a fresh, significant, and entertaining addition.

The People's Joker is unlike any other superhero film (or any movie in general), and its strengths lie in its differences, dark humor, and intriguing and thoughtful character development. The superhero parody film is directed and co-written by Vera Drew, who also stars as the titular character — Joker the Harlequin — with Bri LeRose also co-writing. While on the outside it might look like another live-action version of the Joker (and Harley Quinn), The People's Joker is able to stand out from the rest.

8/10

The People's Joker is a parody DC movie from...

If you're just waking up to the saga of "The People's Joker," it starts out the way most comic book characters do — with a tragic origin story. After working as an editor for shows like "On Camera," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," and earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for "Who is America?," Vera Drew successfully crowdfunded her fair use feature directorial debut, in which she utilizes the iconography of arguably one the most recognizable DC Comics world — Batman and the Joker — to tell a queer, autobiographical coming-of-age Joker origin story that doubles as a massive middle finger to Lorne Michaels and the conventional, corporate comedy landscape. "The People's Joker" enjoyed a single screening at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival before it was pulled due to "rights issues."

Fortunately, Drew refused to go down without a fight, and after proving the film is protected under parody law, the Lgbtqia+-focused distribution company...

Typically, saying you're more excited about something other than the new Lady Gaga project is fair grounds for having your queer card taken away, but an exception can be made in the case of "The People's Joker." Indeed, as intrigued as I am to watch Gaga's Harley Quinn sing and dance her way through a toxic romance with Joaquin Phoenix's Clown Prince of Crime in Todd Phillips' "Joker: Folie à Deux" (a sentence I couldn't have imagined writing after watching Phillips' original Scorsesean DC drama for the first time back in 2019), it's Vera Drew's trans-coming-of-age DC Comics superhero parody that has my current attention.

Drew, similar to her fellow trans comedienne Harper Steele (the subject of Will Ferrell's acclaimed upcoming Netflix documentary "Will & Harper"), has quietly worked on some of the more memorable and daring comedic offerings of the past decade. In addition to editing Scott Aukerman...

The internet has gone Gaga for Harley Quinn in “Joker: Folie à Deux.”

As a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift, writer-director Todd Phillips released the first image of Stefani Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, in character as Harleen Quinzel, better known as Harley Quinn. The great DC character will likely play a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, where she falls in love with “Mr. J.”, Joaquin Phoenix returning to his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck (better known as Joker).

Gaga’s Harley, based on this image, doesn’t have any of the white makeup or domino mask, but has her hair pulled back in a forceful manner and has Quite an extreme puss on her face. She’s staring right into Fleck’s eyes who, in harsh lighting, kinda looks like Robin Williams a little, doesn’t he?

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With Robert Pattinson answering the Bat-Signal for Matt Reeves’ sequel to 2022’s The Batman, we know the Batcave won’t be empty for long, but much like any superhero casting these days, there were naysayers that thought the former Twilight favorite wouldn’t fit the cape and cowl.

Now that most of them have been proved wrong, is Hollywood finally ready to accept its new Batman? There are whispers that Pattinson has been locked in for a trilogy of movies and various spin-offs, but in some Elseworlds tale, it could’ve been someone completely different carrying the weight of Gotham City on his back. There have been a lot of Batmen over the years, and with that, even more who’ve missed out on the part. Let’s look back at 10 stars who nearly played Batman.

Pierce Brosnan (Batman)

Leaving comic book fans shaken and stirred, 007 himself was once tipped to play the Dark Knight.