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While movie mixtapes served a purpose in the pre-video era, Jackass, Demon Slayer, Peppa Pig and other theatrically released assemblages of old material risk looking like cynical cash grabs today Johnny Knoxville has declared that the fifth Jackass movie, Best and Last, will mark the end of the franchise, and the trailer suggests a victory lap celebrating 25 years of broken bones, injured genitals and general stupidity you shouldn’t try at home. There are new stunts, and conversations with the cast about growing old gracelessly as they enter their 50s, but the most striking thing is how much archive footage there is. And the cast have not been hiding in interviews that it will be heavy on scenes from prior movies. In other words, it’s the cinematic equivalent of a greatest hits album that has a couple of new songs tossed on to entice fans to part with their money. Or a clip show episode of a US sitcom which is based on flashbacks to older episodes, created so that overworked writers ca...

A couple move from the city to a seemingly clean-cut suburb in this enjoyable comedy-horror that breezes through the grisly deaths of characters you won’t care about In this short, sharp, comedy-horror-siege movie, youngish couple Jenny (Haley Leary) and Lucas (Chris Mayers) are the newcomers in a clean-cut – or is it? – suburban neighbourhood, having moved away from the big city. Lucas is a world-class red-flag-ignorer, while in contrast, Jenny is adept at spotting the signs that something is off. When the perky moustachioed head of the local homeowners’ association Jerry (Julian Smith) invites the pair to a party celebrating the equinox, he assures them “it’s to DIE for!” in the tone of voice Ned Flanders might use in a Simpsons Halloween special. Jenny immediately asks the reasonable question: “Why would you say it like that?” Roles are soon reversed at said homeowners’ association party, as an ample helping of the local moonshine blunts Jenny’s natural caution, leaving Lucas to not...

Archaeologists blunder into an ancient and unwittingly release a vengeful monster – with predictable and conventional results In Irish folklore, the Morrígan is a powerful goddess of death and war. This horror movie imagines her as an actual historical figure: a pagan queen massacred with her followers by Christians. A quick scene at the start of the film shows the dirty deed. The Morrígan’s rage against misogyny has screamed down through the centuries – so it’s a shame the film frames her not as a feminist icon but a highly conventional horror movie nemesis; a malign vengeful female to be crushed and destroyed. There is nothing to punch the air about in the end. Saffron Burrows plays an archaeologist called Fiona who has been repeatedly passed over for tenure at her US university. When Fiona presents her radical theory that the myth of the Morrígan may have a basis in real life, her slippery colleague Jonathan (Jonathan Forbes) is made the lead on the dig. Fiona is forced to bring al...

It’s too murky to distinguish one stiff upper lip from another in Callum Burn’s drama about a real-life mission that came unstuck Based loosely on a true story, this British first world war drama deploys a few cunning stratagems to keep the budget down – starting with setting almost the entire story inside a tank; this one is nicknamed the Fray Bentos after the popular tinned pie. In addition, whenever the British soldier characters venture outside this extremely confined space, it’s almost always night-time, or exactly the moment when a miasma of smoke and fog is so thick, you can’t see the Germans skulking behind papier-mache hillocks of mud, ready to pounce on our plucky heroes. Unfortunately, all that gloom and grot makes it a little hard to make out what is going on at times. That means the noble chaps become almost indistinguishable from each other – although over time it’s possible to work out that the officers are the ones with tidy, manly moustaches and sound posh, while the n...

After redefining horror for a generation and becoming one of the most recognisable faces of the genre in Indian cinema, Emraan Hashmi is set to headline Rooh, a high-concept musical-horror spectacle designed for a theatrical experience. The film is slated for a 2027 theatrical release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Directed by Mayank Sharma, the creator-director of the highly acclaimed Prime Video’s Breathe Franchise, Rooh brings together a unique blend of new-age horror, music and emotion, envisioned as a spine-chilling cinematic experience. Known for his command over psychological depth, atmosphere and character-led storytelling, Mayank brings his immersive vision to a film built for the big screen. Rooh brings Emraan Hashmi into a world that is close to his heart and deeply connected to the kind of cinema audiences have always loved him for. The film is written by Mayank Sharma and Vishal Kapoor, known for Lapachhapi and Chhorii, and produced by Vikram Khakhar and Sunny Khanna, a Vick...

The month of June is expected to end on a comic note thanks to the release of Welcome To The Jungle. It is arguably the biggest multi-starrer of Hindi cinema and hence, the excitement is expected to be tremendous. Accordingly, the distributing partner, Star Studio18, has gone all out with the release strategy. As per the mail sent to the exhibitors, the distributor has asked for all shows in single-screen cinemas. In two-screen cinemas, they have asked for 7 or 8 shows, while they require 9 or 10 shows in three-screen cinemas. In 4-screen multiplexes, the requirement is 11 or 12 shows, while 13 or 14 shows are required in 5-screen plexes. For cinema halls with 6 screens, Welcome To The Jungle needs to be played in 15 or 16 shows. Finally, in multiplexes with more than 6 screens, the studio has asked them to play 3 shows of the comic caper per screen. A trade source told Bollywood Hungama, “Welcome To The Jungle is a grand film meant for the big screen. Due to the humour quotient and s...

Two men’s romantic getaway turns creepy in a talky elevated chiller about escaping the binds of the past The best elevated horror makes a metaphor out of its writhing emotional subtext, but writer-director Joe Fria sadly can’t make the leap in this low-budget debut that undoubtedly has issues on its mind: repressed homosexuality, compulsive hookups and generational trauma. For much of the film the horror elements abruptly waylay what is otherwise a fraught two-handed gay drama. After meeting on the apps, middle-aged English teacher Albert (Bryan Bellomo) and lithe paramedic Devon (John Brodsky) are finally getting cosy at Willow Cabin – the former’s childhood summer getaway, named for a line in Twelfth Night. But secrets fester beneath this ostensibly horny hookup. In Albert’s case, he has a wife and son – and this spot, which once belonged to his uncle, is where he first explored the other side of his sexuality, with his cousin. As for Devon, Albert is the latest in a long line of unf...

Bijendra Nath Tiwari, the brother of acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi, has reportedly sustained serious injuries following an alleged attack in Bihar. According to reports, the incident took place in Belsand village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Madhopur police station. As per information shared by news agency IANS, Tiwari was injured in a sharp-weapon assault that is believed to be connected to a long-standing dispute. Following the attack, he was initially taken to a local medical facility before being shifted to Patna for advanced treatment due to the severity of his condition. Attack on Pankaj Tripathi’s brother allegedly linked to old rivalry Reports suggest that the attackers had allegedly been waiting in the village and targeted Tiwari over an old feud. According to the complaint cited in media reports, the assailants allegedly launched a sudden attack using sharp weapons, leaving him with serious injuries. IANS shared an update on social media regarding the inciden...

Alfredo Pourailly De La Plaza’s absorbing documentary about an ageing Chilean gold panner is meticulously detailed and doubles as its own act of visual prospecting Out on the remote archipelago of Tierra del Fuego in Chile, Toto Gesell holds on to a profession that hails from bygone times: gold prospecting. Every day, come rain or shine, he puts on his rubber boots and heads to a local creek, where he searches for specks of gold the old-fashioned way: with a pan, a shovel and a homemade sluice. His daily routines are documented with great tenderness in Alfredo Pourailly De La Plaza’s absorbing documentary, shot over nearly a decade. The camera often lingers on Toto’s wrinkled hands, as he carefully handles tiny flecks of the precious metal, or writes down his hopes and dreams in a neatly kept diary. Despite his contentment with this simple way of life, his body is etched with the physical toil of the demanding work. When Jorge, Toto’s worried son, decides to build a trommel from scratc...