yahya abdul mateen II

Film Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom brings the DCEU to an end with a droplet rather than a splash

And just like that, the DCEU comes to a close with a droplet rather than the splash we were expecting a decade ago. In 2013, when Man of Steel premiered, there was the promise of an exciting future of storytelling to be told for the variety of characters within the DC lore.  There was rousing,…

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The king of Atlantis returns in first Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer

Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, alongside Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman, return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s…

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Interview: Director Michael Bay on injecting a level of humanism into the action of Ambulance

Since breaking out with 1995’s Bad Boys, director Michael Bay has been synonymous with the action genre.  Defying the critics year after year, Bay’s films have collectively grossed over $7.8 billion, making him one of the most successful directors in cinematic history. After taking a break from the big screen – he helmed 2019’s Netflix…

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Interview: Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on forming a brotherly bond on Ambulance, the safety of filming, and “directing” action sequences

Speeding into cinemas this week (you can read our review here), Ambulance is the latest action extravaganza from Michael Bay.  Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as two brothers who hijack an ambulance following a bank heist gone wrong, Universal Studios put our own Peter Gray in touch with the acting duo to discuss…

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Film Review: Ambulance is pure unadulterated Michael Bayhem!

Say what you will about Michael Bay, but the man knows how to craft an action sequence.  Sure, throughout his career, said action sequences have been featured in the type of blockbusters that so often favour spectacle over substance, but he’s great at what he does and, really, no one is watching a Transformers movie…

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Film Review: The Matrix Resurrections toes the line between familiarity and freshness as it reconsiders reality

Few movies from 1999 can boast as much as The Matrix.  A groundbreaking effort, both in terms of its special effects and its allegoric mentality, The Wachowski‘s post-apocalyptic, philosophical action film pushed the boundaries of modern cinema, exceeding audience expectation in the process. Maintaining a cultural relevance in the decades since essentially allows such a…

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Film Review: Candyman is an intelligent horror film that’s as politically charged as it is unnerving

When it comes to cinematic boogeymen, the creation of Candyman is undoubtedly a frontrunner.  Since first becoming the stuff of unnerving urban legend in Bernard Rose’s 1992 classic Candyman, the character itself has remained a figure of terror and now, just shy of three decades later, has been summoned once more for a new generation…

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Interview: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris on making Candyman; “There’s something tough about knowing the art we are making is in response to these violent patterns in the world”

Ahead of its theatrical release this week, Candyman stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris sat down for a global discussion about the making of their horror reimagining.  Our own Peter Gray was invited to join in on the dialogue, asking about the research into their characters and why now is the perfect time for…

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