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Last year, Final Destination 6 (which is going by the title Final Destination: Bloodlines) finally, after years of development and a long year gap between sequels, made its way through production. Now, just in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of the original film, the new sequel has arrived in theatres – and JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols is marking the occasion by taking a look back at what makes the franchise what it is: the opening accidents. Because it’s hard to get on a plane, ride a rollercoaster, or drive down a highway without thinking of them. You can hear all about it in the video embedded above.

Directed by David R. Ellis from a screenplay by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, Final Destination 2 has the following synopsis: Kimberly has a premonition of a horrible highway accident killing multiple people — including her and her friends.

Stars: Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Chris Jericho, Sara Canning, Michael Eklund, Jonathan Cherry, Leo Fafard, Skene Kittle, Damian Chao, Stephanie Wolfe | Written and Directed by Lowell Dean

Dark Match, from Wolfcop director Lowell Dean, is a wild, blood-soaked mashup of indie wrestling and satanic horror that feels like it was birthed in the mind of a pro wrestling fan who fell asleep watching films like The Green Room and Mandy after eating an entire batch of mommas special brownies. Set in the gloriously grimy 1980s, Dark Match sees a ragtag crew of small-time territory wrestlers against a cult led by none other than wrestling legend Chris Jericho, chewing scenery like it’s a steel chair in a No Dq match. Does it deliver a piledriver of fun, or does it tap out under the weight of its own ambitions? Let’s step into the squared circle and discuss.

The premise...

Stars: Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Carrie-Anne Moss, Frank Grillo, Jonathan Cherry | Written and Directed by Lowell Dean

Die Alone is the most recent film from Saskatchewan-based filmmaker Lowell Dean. If you’ve heard of him, it’s probably because of the over-the-top genre comedies WolfCop and Another WolfCop. But he’s done several other films, including the zombie film 13 Eerie and the post-apocalyptic action film SuperGrid, which I was lucky enough to catch along with a Q&a session with him at the Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival a few years back.

Both zombies and a post-apocalyptic setting return in Die Alone, but it’s not a typical tale of the zombie apocalypse, although that isn’t easy to tell from the opening scenes. Ethan and his girlfriend Emma were heading to his cabin when their car crashed. Ethan wakes up to find Emma and most of his memories, are missing.

Pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho raises his glass to sacrifice in an exclusive clip from Dark Match below.

Written and directed by Wolf Cop‘s Lowell Dean, the wrestling-themed horror movie premieres this Friday, January 31, on Shudder.

Jericho stars as The Prophet with Ayisha Issa (“Transplant”), Steven Ogg (“The Walking Dead”), Sara Canning (“The Vampire Diaries”), Michael Eklund (The Call), Jonathan Cherry (Final Destination 2), and Leo Fafard (Wolf Cop).

A small-time wrestling company accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

In our recent interview, Jericho told Bloody Disgusting, “If you like wrestling, you’ll like this movie because it respects wrestling. If you like horror, you’ll like this movie because it’s batshit crazy with some great gore, some great kills, a great script, great characters.

There is much gristle and gauzy VHS vision in this high-energy horror, but the knuckle-trailing concept drags it down

Presumably there are easier ways to invoke Satan than organising a multi-bout wrestling tournament-cum-occult ceremony, but practicalities are low on the priority list of Lowell Dean’s fifth feature. Dark Match’s chief preoccupation is cramming in as much grindhouse gristle as possible as a bevy of luchadores perform for a mob of rabid cultists, with much haemoglobin decorating the arena floor. Energetically executed in order to hide an essentially knuckle-trailing concept, it somehow ends up less fun than it should be.

As a heel for the 80s Saw wrestling league, Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) is disgruntled at never getting a title shot. So when her cokehead manager Rusty (Jonathan Cherry) receives a $50,000 offer for his posse to take part in a private tournament at a backwoods complex, she, lover Joe...

From an Inner Circle to an Appreciation Society to a Learning Tree, Chris Jericho has led his share of followers in All Elite Wrestling. So playing a maniacal pro wrestler turned cult leader named The Prophet in the new Shudder movie Dark Match may not be seen as much of a stretch. The horror offering centers on a small-time promoter who takes his motley crew of misfit wrestlers to a well-paying gig in the middle of nowhere. It’s not long before they start to realize things aren’t quite what they seem with Jericho’s Prophet revealing his devious plans for the night’s card. The cast also includes Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg, Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (The Call) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon). Jericho, who also is the lead singer of the rock band Fozzy, is also no stranger to the genre, seen most recently...

Professional wrestling is already pretty intense, with brutal take-downs happening left and right, but what happens when pro-wrestlers actually try to kill each other? Shudder is bringing that disturbing hypothetical to life in an upcoming wrestling horror film called Dark Match, starring pro-wrestler and Terrifier actor Chris Jericho. The recently released trailer shows off the moves – and gore – of the high-stakes wrestling matches in the wild new film set to release on Shudder on January 31.

Jericho is the perfect Awe wrestler to spearhead this violent wrestling film, with one of his signature wrestling personas being "The Painmaker," a spooky combination of a serial killer and a wrestler. Dark Match has everything wrestling and horror fans want: There's blood, broken bones, fire, glass-shard fists, and a mysterious dark lord. The violence in the trailer is about as absurd as the catchphrases. Besides the intense levels of violence in the ring, the...

Professional wrestler Chris Jericho plays the lead role in the wrestling-themed horror film Dark Match, which is coming to us from writer/director Lowell Dean, whose previous directing credits include 13 Eerie, Wolfcop, Another Wolfcop, and SuperGrid. The movie is set to be released through the Shudder streaming service on January 31st, and today a trailer has dropped online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Dark Match will show us what happens when a small-time wrestling company accepts a high-paying gig in a backwoods town, only to discover when they arrive that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

Jericho, who previously appeared in the Terrifier sequels and the Kevin Smith horror anthology KillRoy Was Here, is joined in the cast by Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (Wynonna Earp), and...

Writer and Director Lowell Dean (WolfCop) is entering the ring later this month with new horror movie Dark Match, centered around a wrestling company. Shudder has released the official trailer that features wrestling superstar Chris Jericho (Terrifier 2).

Dark Match releases exclusively on Shudder on January 31, 2025.

In the film, “A small-time wrestling company accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.”

Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (“The Walking Dead”, “Westworld”), Sara Canning (“The Vampire Diaries”), Michael Eklund (Antlers) and Jonathan Cherry.

Lowell Dean previously told Bloody Disgusting, “When I wrote Dark Match I questioned if it was too crazy to get made, but within months I was on set in Edmonton, with a hard working cast and crew all pouring their (fake) blood and sweat in the wrestling ring to bring it to life.

A small-time wrestling company accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.   Lowell Dean's wrestling horror comedy, Dark Match, will debut on Shudder at the end of the month, January 31st. A new trailer has been sent out ahead of the release. Check it out down below.    Shudder has acquired the US, Uki, and Anz rights to Dark Match, written and directed by Lowell Dean and starring wrestling superstar Chris Jericho (Terrifier 2), Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg, Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (The Call) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon).   Produced by John K. MacDonald, Don...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

ScreenRant is proud to present the official trailer for Shudder's new film, Dark Match. The horror-thriller stars Aew Wrestler, Chris Jericho, and releases exclusively on the streaming service on Friday, January 31. Jericho also serves as an executive producer alongside Eleanor Wiebe. Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (Westworld), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (The Call), and Jonathan Cherry (Goon) make up the rest of the main cast.

The story centers around a small-time wrestling company that "accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match." It is written and directed by Lowell Dean, who has worked on projects such as 13 Eerie, Hi Opie!, and Wolfcop. Prior to Dark Match, Dean wrote and directed Carrie-Anne Moss and Frank Grillo's 2024 movie, Die Alone.

More About Horror-Thriller Dark Match...

Horror fans will soon be able to stream an overlooked and underrated movie starring Frank Grillo (Creature Commandos) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix). The 2024 sci-fi horror thriller Die Alone is coming to Tubi later this month.

Beginning Jan. 15, Die Alone will be available to stream on Tubi. The movie tells the story of Ethan (Douglas Smith), a young man with amnesia who joins forces with a hardened survivalist (Moss) during a zombie-like outbreak, as they set out on a dangerous journey to find his missing girlfriend, played by Kimberly-Sue Murray. Although Grillo was heavily featured in the marketing for Die Alone, he only makes a brief supporting appearance in the movie during a flashback scene.

Related Denzel Washington's 20-Year-Old Action Thriller Finds New Success at Free Streaming Home

A long-time Denzel Washington action film with mixed reviews garners renewed interest on a free streaming platform.

Die Alone, which boasts a 91-minute runtime,...

Christmas is arriving this week, which means that the final call for holiday preparations is at hand. It’s now time to cram in every last bit of holiday horror our eyeballs can handle.

The good news is that there’s no shortage of Christmas horror available. This week’s streaming picks bring double the dose of holiday horror fun to help you get through the week.

As always, here’s where you can stream these holiday horror movies this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out – Max

Casper Kelly’s surprise sequel drops the kitchen sink approach in favor of a more streamlined horror movie that understands just how silly Hallmark holiday movies can be. That’s both good and bad news for the first film’s survivor, Zoe (Andrea Laing). Zoe finds herself in a small-town Christmas wonderland,...

Carrie-Anne Moss steps into a different world in Die Alone, a horror film that puts a new twist on the zombie movie subgenre. Lowell Dean's movie makes its lone survivor a young man struggling with amnesia, who relies on the help of Moss' survivalist Mae to both survive and find his missing girlfriend. But it's a lot of fun to see the Matrix alum fighting for the survival of humanity in a totally different and much grittier setting.

In an interview with Cbr, Fubar Season 2 star Moss spoke about why she signed on for the film, which is now available digitally and on demand. She also talked about making Die Alone in the vast landscapes of Canada. Plus, what is she hoping that viewers take away from this adventure?

Cbr: How did you become involved with Die Alone? What about the film caught your attention?

Carrie-Anne Moss: I read it on a winter evening,...

Stars: Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Carrie-Anne Moss, Frank Grillo, Jonathan Cherry | Written and Directed by Lowell Dean

Die Alone is the most recent film from Saskatchewan-based filmmaker Lowell Dean. If you’ve heard of him, it’s probably because of the over-the-top genre comedies WolfCop and Another WolfCop. But he’s done several other films, including the zombie film 13 Eerie and the post-apocalyptic action film SuperGrid, which I was lucky enough to catch along with a Q&a session with him at the Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival a few years back.

Both zombies and a post-apocalyptic setting return in Die Alone, but it’s not a typical tale of the zombie apocalypse, although that isn’t easy to tell from the opening scenes. Ethan and his girlfriend Emma were heading to his cabin when their car crashed. Ethan wakes up to find Emma and most of his memories, are missing.

Carrie-Anne Moss is a woman with a dark past fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world in Die Alone. After holding supporting roles in a variety of TV shows, Moss became a household name with her role as Trinity in The Matrix franchise, following it up with major parts in everything from Christopher Nolan's breakout hit Memento to the zombie comedy Fido and Shia Labeouf-led thriller Disturbia. More recently, Moss has found success with Netflix's Marvel Cinematic Universe shows, primarily Jessica Jones, Tell Me a Story season 2, Disney+'s The Acolyte and The Matrix Resurrections.

Moss stars in Die Alone as Mae, a woman hardened by years of survival in a world ravaged by an apocalypse in which a plant-based virus spread, turning those infected with it into plant-based zombies. One day, Mae reluctantly takes in Ethan, a young man with amnesia who seemingly has been asleep...

The timeless Carrie-Anne Moss leads one of this weekend's new releases, Die Alone, an apocalyptic thriller centered around an epidemic that runs rampant and turns humans into cannibalistic monsters. If it sounds familiar, sure, there have been numerous zombie horror films over the decades, but Die Alone offers some unique plot beats such as Moss portraying someone who takes a spiraling amnesiac under her wing amid trying times. If that also sounds familiar, Christopher Nolan fans might remember Moss from his early memory-loss stunner Memento, which will soon celebrate 25 years since its release. In fact, it was Memento that almost kept Moss from starring in Die Alone.

"I have to be honest, when I first read [the Die Alone script], that was the only thing that kind of gave me any hesitation, was just those few moments where I was like, 'Oh, this sort of feels like I've done this before,...

As it’s getting to be that spooky time of year, Wamg has the trailer for the horror movie Die Alone, written and directed by Lowell Dean, the director of Wolfcop.

Lost in a world reclaimed by nature and overrun by mysterious creatures, a young man with amnesia teams up with an eccentric survivalist to find his missing girlfriend.

The cast includes Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Jonathan Cherry and Frank Grillo.

Haed over to the film’s official site to go “behind-the-scenes of Die Alone with cast & crew to discover what it takes to create a unique film with mysterious creatures.”

https://www.diealonethemovie.com

See the film in theaters, on-demand and digital on October 18, 2024.

Horror fans, we're eatin' good (with our eyes). It's been a splendid 2024 already, and we're not even at the Halloween rush yet. Indie darlings like Shudder's "Exhuma" or "Infested" have stunned the platform's subscribers, Neon mesmerized theatergoers with "Immaculate" and "Longlegs," and studio releases like "The First Omen" or "Alien: Romulus" brought the thunder. Can we not bother with the obligatory "Horror's back, baby!" articles this October? Horror never left, horror's always en vogue, and horror's been having one heck of a year.

Like I said, Halloween still two months away. We're still staring at a whole dang slate of spooky season releases on the horizon. With titles like "Speak No Evil" or "Terrifier 3" patiently waiting, the best horror watches this year might still be on the way. Even better, we've seen some of those releases yet to come and can confirm that 2024 still has some tricks up its sleeve.

Stars: Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Chris Jericho, Sara Canning, Michael Eklund, Jonathan Cherry, Leo Fafard, Skene Kittle, Damian Chao, Stephanie Wolfe | Written and Directed by Lowell Dean

There’s actually been a few wrestling-themed horror movies but the quality has been somewhat lacking. From Wrestlers vs Zombies to Wrestlemaniac to Parts Unknown to Wrestlemassacre. At best, these have been somewhat average, so could Dark Match buck the trend and actually blend horror and wrestling and still be entertaining?!

In Dark Match, a small-time wrestling company in the eighties accept a well-paid booking in a backwoods town, only to realise too late that it is run by a cult leader with devious plans. On the face of things, that doesn’t sound like the story for a great movie but Dark Match might just surprise you.

Right off the bat, we are introduced to the wrestling companies show. If you have...

There have been no lack of enthusiastically cheesy movies in which protagonists get kidnapped or hoodwinked into fighting competitions where the stakes turn out to be life or death. Adding an extra layer of retro 1980s wrestling-world Velveeta to that formula is “Dark Match” from Lowell Dean, whose horror comedy “Wolfcop” a decade ago became enough of a cult fave to generate a sequel.

There are Satanists involved in his latest enterprise, too, but the writer-director maintains just enough of a straight face that this luridly colorful action thriller avoids turning into too much of a campy joke at its own expense. Not exactly highbrow fare, but also smarter than it looks, it’s a droll and lively chunk of retro schlock sure to please genre fans well beyond its Fantasia Fest premiere.

Entering tonight’s arena — such as it is — to Canadian rock band Trooper’s Queen-like rawk anthem “Raise a Little Hell,...

Taking its name from an industry term for a non-televised fight that typically takes place before the main event to hype up a crowd, Canadian filmmaker Lowell Dean’s latest feature, Dark Match, almost exemplifies its title too well – presenting viewers with an infernal smackdown that feels more like a taster for a brutal satanic slobberknocker than a marquee-worthy event in its own right.

Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) is fed up with the pecking order in her amateur wrestling league; stuck playing the heel to more popular performers like Kate the Great (Sara Canning), Miss Behave desires her own spotlight and hero storyline, but money, as is typical, comes first. Hard up for cash, she reluctantly agrees to join her fellow wrestlers for a dark match roadshow in the boonies, where she, Kate and the rest of their ragtag team come up against a mysterious cult leader (Chris Jericho) whose...

Thanksgiving is a horror slasher film directed by Eli Roth, from a screenplay by Jeff Rendell. The film is based on Roth’s mock trailer of the same name from the 2007’s Grindhouse, after many years of discussions and nearly going into production, the much-awaited Thanksgiving film is finally here and it is set during the Black Friday 2022 in Plymouth, Massachusetts as many people are crushed to death during the riot, despite the intervention of police and town sheriff Eric Newlon. Thanksgiving stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Gina Gerson, Rick Hoffman, Nell Verlaque, Tim Dillon, Jenna Warren, and Milo Manheim. So, if you loved Thanksgiving here are some similar movies you could watch next.

You’re Next (Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Lionsgate

You’re Next is nothing if not a brilliant slasher horror for the genre fans. Directed by Adam Wingard, the 2013 film follows the story of the Davison family,...

On the 9th day of Creepmas, the aliens and tech run amok to stuff the socks with horror. Science fiction’s broad umbrella covers everything from the future to outer space to alternate realities via technology. The unexplored terrain and concepts within sci-fi provide fertile ground for horror; what’s scarier than the unknown? Even worse, what happens when sci-fi horror invades the holidays? Sometimes, it means one bleak holiday. For other movies, it yields zany results.

The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, this time with 9 sci-fi horror movies that get a bit wild with the yuletide theme.

Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.

I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday

Writer/Director Mike Lombardo’s debut delivers one downer of a holiday horror movie. The plot follows a mother and her 8-year-old son as they experience the holidays in a bunker amidst an apocalypse. In other words,...

Last month, we dug into the making of the 2006 horror film Final Destination 3 with an episode of our Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? video series. Now we’re winding the clock back three more years to give 2003’s Final Destination 2 (watch it Here) the Wtf treatment! To find out all about Final Destination 2, check out the video embedded above.

Directed by David R. Ellis from a screenplay by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress (with Jeffrey Reddick also receiving story credit), Final Destination 2 has the following synopsis: Kimberly has a premonition of a horrible highway accident killing multiple people — including her and her friends. She blocks the cars behind her on the ramp from joining traffic — and as a police trooper arrives, the accident actually happens. Now, Death is stalking this group of mistaken survivors — and one by one they are dying as they were supposed to on the highway.

On the JoBlo Movies YouTube channel, we will be posting one full movie every day of the week, giving viewers the chance to watch them entirely free of charge. The Free Movie of the Day we have for you today is the 2008 action drama Animal 2, starring Ving Rhames. You can check it out over on the JoBlo Movies YouTube channel, or you can just watch it in the embed at the top of this article.

Directed by Ryan Combs from a screenplay by Jacob L. Adams, Animal 2 has the following synopsis: Years after being shot by his eldest son Darius and taking the fall for his crimes, former gangster James “Animal” Allen serves a life sentence at Folsom Prison. When a riot breaks out between the Blacks and Mexicans, Animal is transferred to Susanville Prison. While serving his time, Animal learns that his son, James Jr., is framed for murder...

Professional wrestler Chris Jericho recently made a cameo appearance in Terrifier 2 and played a character in the Kevin Smith horror anthology KillRoy Was Here. Now Deadline reports that Jericho plays the lead role in the wrestling-themed horror film Dark Match, which recently wrapped production in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada! Dark Match is coming to us from writer/director Lowell Dean, whose previous directing credits include 13 Eerie, Wolfcop, Another Wolfcop, and SuperGrid.

Dark Match will show us what happens when a small-time wrestling company accepts a high-paying gig in a backwoods town, only to discover when they arrive that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

Jericho is joined in the cast by Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (Wynonna Earp), and Jonathan Cherry (Final Destination 2).

A Dept. 9 Studios film, Dark Match is produced by Dept.

Fresh off his role in Terrifier 2, Aew superstar Chris Jericho will next be seen in the horror movie Dark Match from director Lowell Dean (Wolfcop), Deadline has announced today.

Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (Wynonna Earp) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon) will also star.

The upcoming horror movie “sees a small-time wrestling company accept a high-paying gig in a backwoods town, only to discover when they arrive that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.”

Lowell Dean wrote the script and will also direct the movie.

Dean said in a statement, “It’s been a blast filming in Edmonton and working every day with such a talented cast and crew. I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Dept.9 Studios and for the producer’s support in bringing Dark Match to life.

Exclusive: Wrestling star Chris Jericho, fresh off a supporting role in horror breakout Terrifier 2, is set to lead cast in wrestling-themed horror Dark Match.

Jericho will star with Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (Wynonna Earp) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon).

The Dept. 9 Studios film, which recently wrapped in Edmonton, Canada, sees a small-time wrestling company accept a high-paying gig in a backwoods town, only to discover when they arrive that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

Pic is written and directed by Lowell Dean (Wolfcop) and is produced by John MacDonald who also serves as one of the executive producers along with Jericho. Don Depoe and Michael Feehan who are also Dept.9 producers, joined by Rhonda Baker (The Grudge) and Michael Peterson.

The film’s writer and director Lowell Dean said:...

Writer-director Lauren Hadaway unpicks the obsessive-compulsive drive of sporting achievement in heady psycho-thriller

The cinema of overachievement has a sharp new entry to add to the likes of Black Swan and Whiplash in this stylishly directed psychodrama set in the world of varsity rowing. It’s played out in the confines of spindly competitive boats, but debut writer-director Lauren Hadaway is making a broader point about the obsessive-compulsive drive towards success in American society, anchored in a superb performance from Isabelle Fuhrman as relentless novice rower Alex.

Freshman Alex, physically slighter than many of her fellow athletes, seems to lack the right stuff as a top-level rower. But with the same dogged attitude that’s led her to major in her worst subject, physics, she resolves to push her limits and starts to impress her coach Pete (Jonathan Cherry), who initially can’t remember her name. So she is invited...

"Your mistake is that you always stick to what you're good at." Vertigo Releasing in the UK has debuted a new trailer for The Novice, a rowing thriller marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Lauren Hadaway. It was nominated multiple times at the Indie Spirit Awards and already opened in the US back in December. A queer college freshman joins her university's rowing team and soon undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost. "This unapologetic debut from Hadaway, based on her own personal experience as a competitive collegiate rower, heralds a bold new voice in storytelling. If you liked Whiplash, this one's for you." Isabelle Fuhrman stars as Alex, with a cast including Dilone, Amy Forsyth, Jonathan Cherry, Kate Drummond, Charlotte Ubben, Sage Irvine, Chantelle Bishop, Jeni Ross, and Nikki Duval. This is pretty much just a...

Chicago – One of the great indie films of 2021 is “The Novice,” written and directed by Lauren Hadaway, and featuring Isabelle Fuhrman. This intimate and fascinating look at female student athletes in crew (rowing) has many underlying themes and relationships. It opens at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago on December 26th. See below for details.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

”The Novice” was awarded the Best U.S. Narrative at 2021 Tribeca, and lives up to the honor as an intense character study of a female student/athlete named Alex Dall, beginning her adventure on a college-level rowing team as a “novice.” Her intensity to be the best borders on obsession, and her teammates don’t take too kindly to that, or her. The film builds a suspense around Alex, until the audience is swallowed up and practically becomes her. Writer/director Lauren Hadaway, in her feature debut, focuses on the micro level in...

“The Novice” is a dark-side-of-sports thriller. It’s a movie, like “Personal Best” or “Prefontaine,” that a lot of star athletes will probably be able to relate to, but it’s also a movie for anyone who ever felt existentially uncomfortable in gym class. The central character — and that’s no exaggeration, since her moody, relentless thousand-yard stare anchors every scene — is Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman), a freshman at Wellington University, an overcast dystopian oasis of modernist concrete slabs, who decides to join the rowing team there. She’s not looking for an athletic scholarship (she was second in her high-school class and has won a full ride), and it’s a sport she has no experience in. At first, as she buckles down and starts her Erg workouts, strapping herself into a rowing machine that measures the amount of work being done, she seems as physically self-conscious and out-of-sorts...

There’s a difference between being the best and being the hardest worker. If you’re the best, you don’t always need to work. It’s natural. Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman) describes the phenomenon perfectly about midway through Lauren Hadaway’s feature debut The Novice while shooting pool with potential love interest Dani (Dilone). She explains how she’s driven to beat the best rather than be the best. How she’s accepted the idea that she’ll always have to struggle and she’ll never achieve the pinnacle of whatever career, hobby, or sport she chooses. If she can beat the person who does, however, it will all be worth it. Alex will fight, fail, and kill herself to reach the top regardless of it lasting but an instant. It’s her compulsion.

This film is Hadaway’s catharsis. She admits in her director’s statement that she was Alex.

The Novice IFC Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net, linked from Rotten Tomatoes by Harvey Karten Director: Lauren Hadaway Screenwriter: Lauren Hadaway Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Amy Forsyth, Dilone, Jonathan Cherry, Kate Drummond, Charlotte Ubben Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 11/16/21 Opens: December 17, 2021 Eliphalet Oram Lyte’s 1881 nursery rhyme “Row Row Row Your Boat/ […]

The post The Novice Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

The Novice Review Video — The Novice (2021) Video Movie Review, a movie directed by Lauren Hadaway, written by Lauren Hadaway, and starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Chantelle Bishop, Jonathan Cherry, Dilone, Kate Drummond, Nikki Duval, Amy Forsyth, Robert Ifedi, Eve Kanyo, Jeni Ross, and Charlotte Ubben. Crew Alex Weston created the music for The Novice. Todd [...]

Continue reading: Video Movie Review: The Novice (2021): A Good Film with a Solid, Intense Portrait of its Lead Character...

"We can't be psychotic like you, some of us have lives!" IFC Films has unveiled a trailer for The Novice, an intense rowing thriller marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Lauren Hadaway. She worked on Hollywood movies for years in various sound positions, including Adr editing. The film premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival this year, and won three top prizes: Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Narrative Feature Film. A queer college freshman joins her university's rowing team and soon undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost. "This unapologetic debut from Hadaway, based on her own personal experience as a competitive collegiate rower, heralds a bold new voice in storytelling. If you liked Whiplash, this one's for you." Isabelle Fuhrman stars as Alex, with a cast including Dilone, Amy Forsyth, Jonathan Cherry, Kate Drummond, Charlotte Ubben,...

Exclusive: IFC Films has acquired North American rights to The Novice, the first feature from writer-director Lauren Hadaway, which will debut in select theaters, digital platforms and VOD on December 17.

The festival favorite follows queer college freshman Alex Dall (Orphan‘s Isabelle Fuhrman), who joins her university’s rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat.

Hadaway based the thriller on personal experience as a competitive collegiate rower. With it, she poses provocative questions about the expectations imposed on young women in America, and the psychologically damaging effects of a culture that encourages the pursuit of being “the best” no matter the cost.

Amy Forsyth, Dilone, Kate Drummond, Jonathan Cherry and Charlotte Ubben round out the cast of the film, which premiered to critical acclaim at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, winning the top prize of Best U.S. Narrative Feature,...

The Novice Review — The Novice (2021) Film Review from the 20th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie directed by Lauren Hadaway, and starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Chantelle Bishop, Jonathan Cherry, Dilone, Kate Drummond, Nikki Duval, Amy Forsyth, Robert Ifedi, Eve Kanyo, Jeni Ross, and Charlotte Ubben. If somebody is really good at something then that [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: The Novice: A Solid Dramatic Thriller About Facing Fierce Competition [Tribeca 2021]...

Perhaps all you need to know about Alex Dall is this: physics is her worst subject, and yet she is a physics major. While the origins of Alex’s wild bids for academic excellence will eventually be explained away in “The Novice,” the first-time director opts to plunge both her audience and her film into Alex’s frenetic world almost immediately, only much later pausing for some necessary breaths. Star Isabelle Fuhrman is game to ride Hadaway’s jittery wavelength, turning in an incendiary performance that, before the opening credits have even concluded, seems like a major step forward for the former “Orphan” star.

Alex is in her first year at college, and despite being armed with a full-ride scholarship, complacency is the last thing on her mind. She works the hardest, but she’s not necessarily the best — a distinction she always wants to make clear, often to her own psychological detriment.

After a Covid-induced hiatus, Tribeca Festival returns with in-person premieres and an exciting mix of studio productions and low-fi indies. The festival has ditched the word “film” from its title in order to emphasize the fact that Tribeca now encompasses podcasting, gaming, TV and so much more. But who are they kidding? For most New Yorkers, it’s all about the movies. With that in mind, here are 11 films that should be on every festival-goer’s must-see list.

12 Mighty Orphans

Director: Ty Roberts

Cast: Luke Wilson, Vinessa Shaw, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Wayne Knight, Jake Austin Walker

Meet your next uplifting sports drama. In the tradition of “Rudy” or “Hoosiers” comes “12 Mighty Orphans,” the story of the Mighty Mites, the football team of a Fort Worth orphanage who became unlikely Texas state championship contenders. In the process, their plucky come-from-nowhere run inspired a country reeling from the Great Depression.

Pushed back from its usual April slot, the Tribeca Film Festival will take place in June this year (specifically 9th through 20th) at venues across all five New York City boroughs and virtually. Ahead of the festival, the full feature film lineup has now been unveiling following the news that Jon M. Chu’s In the Heights will kick off the festivities.

Notable selections in the lineup include All These Sons, the new documentary from Minding the Gap director Bing Liu, co-directed with Joshua Altman; the Vanessa Kirby-led Italian Studies from Tramps director Adam Leon; False Positive, co-written, produced, and led by Ilana Glazer; the Elijah Wood-led No Man of God; and Scare Me director Josh Ruben’s Werewolves Within, the first trailer for which has now been unveiled; and the North American premiere of Jim Cummings and Pj McCabe’s The Beta Test.

Check out the lineup below.

The Tribeca Film Festival on Tuesday revealed its 2021 lineup, with 66 films spanning three competition sections as well as the annual event’s Viewpoints, Spotlight, Midnight, Movies Plus, and Tribeca Critics’ Week sections.

The festival will run June 9-20 with a mix of live in-person events at outdoor venues across all New York City boroughs. It kicks off with the world premiere of Warner Bros’ In the Heights, the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway play set in the city’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

Other pics in the lineup that includes 56 world premieres are a selection of films that saw their 2020 Tribeca slots scrapped by the pandemic. There is also a series of Juneteenth programming throughout the sections that will celebrate voices from the African Diaspora, with special emphasis on African-American artists, performers, filmmakers, and interdisciplinary creators. The curation comes as this year’s dates had to be shifted to June...

Tribeca Film Festival announced the lineup for its 2021 edition, which will run June 9 through 20.

In response to the pandemic, the 12-day event will host in-person screenings and panels, most of which will occur outdoors and at drive-in venues. For the first time, Tribeca Film Festival is taking place not just in lower Manhattan, but across New York City’s five boroughs.

“Despite the challenges our industry faced this past year, it did not stop filmmakers, artists, and storytellers from creating compelling, entertaining, and thought-provoking content,” said Paula Weinstein, chief content officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “The selections for each of these categories represent the tenacity and commitment of our creative community and we are so proud to include them as part of this year’s Festival and share them with our returning in-person audiences.”

This year’s festival slate includes 64 films from 81 filmmakers from more than 23 different countries. The lineup will...

Stars: Leo Fafard, Marshall Williams, Natalie Krill, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry, Jay Reso, Tinsel Korey, Fei Ren, Daniel Maslany, Sheldon Bergstrom, Josh Strait, Laura Abramsen | Written by T.R. McCauley, Justin Ludwig | Directed by Lowell Dean

I was probably one of about seven people that wasn’t enamoured with Wolf Cop. There’s a lot of love for it, but I just didn’t have the same blast with it that everyone else seemed to. That’s not to say it’s a bad film, I was mid festival, severely sleep deprived and in need of a good rest. So, when offered Lowell Dean’s latest piece, SuperGrid, I was eager to see if this was a one off. Seems that yes, it was.

Deep in the throes of a pandemic, Brothers Jesse (Leo Fafard) and Deke (Marshall Williams) are tasked to do a ‘run’ across the SuperGrid, a dangerous wasteland...

"There is music in everything!! I help you to bring forth what is inside..." Freestyle Digital Media has released the first official trailer for an indie drama titled The Maestro, a biopic about the infamous master teacher Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. The film focuses on a young composer named Jerry Herst, played by Leo Marks, who moves to Hollywood after WWII to study with Castelnuovo-Tedesco - striking up a friendship with him. The cast includes Sarah Clarke, Mackenzie Astin, William Russ, Alex Essoe, Kristen Gutoskie, Jonathan Cherry, and Jon Polito. This seems like another one of these fuzzy, old-Hollywood romantic biopics about a long lost era. And it looks alright, maybe a bit dry but still worth a look. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Adam Cushman's The Maestro, direct from YouTube: Adam Cushman's The Maestro follows budding film composer Jerry Herst (Leo Marks) as he moves to Hollywood after...

Stars: Leo Fafard, Marshall Williams, Natalie Krill, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry, Jay Reso, Tinsel Korey, Fei Ren, Daniel Maslany, Sheldon Bergstrom, Josh Strait, Laura Abramsen | Written by T.R. McCauley, Justin Ludwig | Directed by Lowell Dean

I was probably one of about seven people that wasn’t enamoured with Wolf Cop. There’s a lot of love for it, but I just didn’t have the same blast with it that everyone else seemed to. That’s not to say it’s a bad film, I was mid festival, severely sleep deprived and in need of a good rest. So, when offered Lowell Dean’s latest piece, SuperGrid, I was eager to see if this was a one off. Seems that yes, it was.

Deep in the throes of a pandemic, Brothers Jesse (Leo Fafard) and Deke (Marshall Williams) are tasked to do a ‘run’ across the SuperGrid, a dangerous wasteland...

Supergrid will get a wider, theatrical showing this December. This post-apocalyptic thriller already had its World Premiere, at the Calgary International Film Festival. This title also had a release at this year's Blood in the Snow Film Festival. In the film, two brothers move some cargo, across a dangerous wasteland. A trailer premiered for the film earlier this year (found below). And, Supergrid was developed by Canadian director Lowell Dean. The cast consists of: Marshall Williams, Natalie Krill ("Wynonna Earp"), Jonathan Cherry and WWE star Jay Reso. A preview of the film's wider Canadian release is hosted here. Supergrid will show in at least three Canadian cities. On December 14th, this thriller will show in: Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa. Canadian distributor Raven Banner Releasing will be handling the launch. All of these showings will last for at least one week, with the Calgary launch lasting two weeks. Canadian fans will have a.

After taking a bite out of crime (literally) in 2014's WolfCop, alcoholic lycanthrope Lou Garou returns for a second round of hairy misadventures in Another WolfCop, coming to Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Video on July 3rd in the Us from Rlje Films:

Press Release: Los Angeles (May 30, 2018) – Rlje Films (Nasdaq: Rlje) will release the horror, comedy film Another Wolfcop on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Video on July 3, 2018. Another Wolcop is the highly anticipated sequel to the cult classic Wolfcop. Written and directed by Lowell Dean (WolfCop), Another Wolfcop stars Leo Fafard (WolfCop), Yannick Bisson (“Murdoch Mysteries”), Amy Matysio (“Epic Studios”), Jonathan Cherry (Goon: Last of the Enforcers), Serena Miller (Separation Anxiety) and Kevin Smith (Clerks). Rlje Films will release Another Wolfcop on DVD for an Srp of $27.97 and on Blu-ray for an Srp of $29.97.

A year has passed since the dark eclipse transformed hard-drinking Officer Lou Garou (Leo...

Tagline: "Two Infamous Brothers. One Suicide Mission." The trailer for Supergrid debuted on Quiet Earth, earlier today. This post-apocalyptic puts two notorious brothers on a road of death. They carry a mysterious cargo as Road Pirates try to intercept their delivery. Supergrid stars: Marshall Williams, Natalie Krill ("Wynonna Earp"), Jonathan Cherry and WWE star Jay Reso. This title is heading to Cannes, through Raven Banner Entertainment. And, the film's official poster and first trailer are hosted here. Supergrid was shot in Saskatchewan, through Telefilm Canada. Nsi Features First, Creative Saskatchewan and SuperChannel also helped produce this tense action yarn. Set to be released later in 2018, fans of sci-fi or of action thrillers are encouraged to take a closer look at the latest film from director Lowell Dean. No road is safe in this future and very dangerous world! Release Date: 2018/Tba. Director: Lowell Dean. Writers: T.R....