6 movies that warned us about AI



“Come with me if you want to live …”

That line from 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” proved ironic in more ways than one.

Author Glenn Reynolds begins his new book, 'Seductive AI,' by citing this forgotten thriller.

A T-800 robot (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) tries to protect Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from the looming AI revolution. They both know humanity’s survival depends on her son living long enough to lead the human resistance.

The “Terminator” franchise remains Hollywood’s biggest red flag against the rise of AI. The all-powerful Skynet future is coming, and humanity may crumble as a result.

Wait … is that on screen or off?

The “Terminator” franchise isn’t the only time Hollywood warned us what could happen if we let AI grow unchecked. The following films offered their own predictions on how computer-generated intelligence could bring society to its knees — or simply leave us so disconnected that we don’t even bother with fellow humans.

Looking back, these disparate films have become scarier than Freddy, Jason, or Art the Clown … combined.

'Her' (2013)

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Who wouldn’t fall in love with an AI software that sounded like Scarlett Johansson? This sci-fi parable stars Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely soul on the cusp of divorce. He decides to give his computer’s operating system a female voice (Johansson), and the two begin a digital courtship.

Naturally, the main character’s love life suffers as a result. He feels increasingly comfortable confiding in “Samantha,” even though she’s not flesh and blood.

“Her” underwhelmed at the box office, but its prescient look at computer-based romance has taken on an ominous tone given recent headlines.

'Ex Machina' (2015)

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A computer programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) wins the chance to spend a week with a scientist (Oscar Isaac) who has created a near-perfect AI robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander). The programmer’s task? Determine if he can tell if the robot is real or synthetic by challenging it to the best of his abilities. What neither man realizes is that Ava has a surprise or two in store, using the unsuspecting humans for her own selfish purposes.

Wait, robots can be selfish?

The film’s minimalist effects proved sublime (and Oscar-winning), but the sophisticated storytelling is the main attraction. Once more, artificial humans pose a genuine threat to our species, at least on a small but significant scale. That leaves us vulnerable to our baser instincts.

RELATED: 'Crawl': Killer gators make for gruesome guests in overlooked creature feature

Paramount Pictures

'M3GAN' (2022)

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This slick horror-comedy has the perfect solution for a young girl dealing with the loss of her parents. At least on paper.

Meet M3gan, a sophisticated AI robot designed by Cady’s aunt (Allison Williams). The creepy bot is meant to give Cady support through her pain. M3gan is almost too good to be true, until it starts lashing out at anyone it thinks is trying to hurt the grieving girl.

No computer program can replace a loved one, and the healing process requires more than a few cute AI prompts. That’s the serious side of “M3GAN,” a genre romp with a decidedly nasty sense of humor. The film became an unlikely smash, partly because it hit theaters just as AI’s real potential started to emerge.

The sequel, “M3GAN 2.0,” bombed by betraying the story’s core themes and, perhaps, reminding us how close to reality this franchise became in just three short years.

'2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)

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“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

The best science fiction stories transport us years, if not decades, into the future. Director Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece delivered the ultimate AI warning, an avuncular program named HAL designed to do our bidding.

We all know HAL has other plans, turning this space yarn into a cautionary tale like few others.

'Blade Runner' (1982)

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The line between humans and replicants blurs beyond recognition in this sci-fi stunner that bombed during its initial release. Harrison Ford, tasked with erasing androids who pose a threat to humanity when they go rogue, is torn when he meets Sean Young’s beguiling character.

She’s beautiful, even intoxicating. But is she human? We know Rutger Hauer’s villainous character is all nuts and bolts, but his soulful dialogue suggests an AI creation of consequence.

The film doesn’t reflexively take humanity’s side, leaving us with uncomfortable questions about our tech-centric future.

'Colossus: The Forbin Project' (1970)

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Author Glenn Reynolds begins his new book, “Seductive AI,” by citing this forgotten thriller. The film features a supercomputer built to prevent nuclear war, a noble mission that soon goes sideways. The bot becomes sentient, reaches out to its Russian counterpart, and decides it knows what’s best regarding the fate of humanity.

The film’s chilling coda must have seemed like pure fantasy at the time. No longer.

'Crawl': Killer gators make for gruesome guests in overlooked creature feature



There’s nothing wrong with watching “The Silence of the Lambs” again, especially to honor the film’s 35th anniversary. With or without fava beans.

The same holds for other genre classics like “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Shining,” “The Exorcist” and “Halloween” (1978).

The unrelenting creature brought to life with lo-fi special effects makes this a fine example of 'less is more storytelling.

What about horror films that slipped by our pop-culture radar, settling into streaming obscurity? The following five films got little attention on release. They may have underperformed at the box office or simply debuted on a streamer sans fanfare.

Each is well worth a look — maybe even while uncorking a nice Chianti.

'Crawl' (2019)

If you see just one killer alligator movie this year, make it "Crawl," which Quentin Tarantino dubbed his favorite film of 2019.

Kaya Scodelario stars as a young woman checking in on her Dad (Barry Pepper) during a brutal Florida hurricane. She can’t find him at first, and his home has started to flood. Badly. That brings more than just the threat of black mold insurance claims. Some killer gators have decided to investigate the house, and Scodelario’s character would make a tasty snack.

Yes, it sounds “Sharknado”-adjacent, but the movie's hokey premise is offset by first-rate direction from horror vet Alexandre Aja (“High Tension,” “The Hills Have Eyes” (2006)). The father-daughter dynamic is handled with care, giving gravitas to the story without diminishing the chill factor.

'Hush' (2016)

This Netflix original boasts a can’t-miss gimmick. What if the protagonist in a home invasion movie were deaf and couldn’t hear the intruder breaking into her home? Every step and crash fell on deaf ears. Literally.

Horror maestro Mike Flanagan (“Doctor Sleep,” “The Fall of the House of Usher”) takes it from there, maximizing that plot device for a pulse-pounding affair that skimps on horror’s usual eye-roll moments. Credit star/co-writer Kate Siegel for crafting a credible heroine, one who never falls victim to girlbossery.

Instead, the film finds new ways to explore the central hook while allowing Siegel’s character to flash her survival instincts.

Yes, it has some slasher film DNA, but the thrilling setup makes it far more than a blood-and-guts-a-thon.

RELATED: Killer bear flick 'Backcountry' puts big-budget thrillers to shame

IFC Midnight

'Splinter' (2008)

Shea Whigham is one of Hollywood’s busiest character actors. Think “Joker,” “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and many more projects.

This micro-indie takes advantage of his screen presence, casting him as a crook on the lam with his reluctant gal pal. The duo abduct a couple while fleeing Johnny Law before the four run into an unexpected obstacle: a bizarre, stick-like creature that traps them in a convenience store.

The setting couldn’t be starker, forcing us to focus on the squabbling foursome. That, plus the unrelenting creature brought to life with lo-fi special effects, makes this a fine example of “less is more” storytelling.

The rest is up to Whigham, who proves his crooked character may have a redemptive arc lurking within.

'Haunt' (2019)

“From the writers of ‘A Quiet Place’” wasn’t the marketing draw the film’s studio imagined. Still, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ directorial effort delivers a straightforward horror film done just right.

The plot screams Genre Film 101, with a gaggle of attractive young people in search of Halloween high jinks. They stumble upon a haunted house attraction with terrible marketing but a decidedly creepy vibe.

Little do they realize the source of said vibes.

There’s little about “Haunt” that reinvents the horror movie template. It’s the efficient scares, imaginative twists, and capable cast that seal the deal. The film became Shudder’s most-watched movie premiere of 2019.

'Rogue' (2007)

If you see just one killer crocodile film this year, make it this smart Aussie thriller. Director Greg McLean (“Wolf Creek”) leverages his homeland’s stunning vistas and a better-than-expected cast for a slick terrorfest. Radha Mitchell (“Man on Fire”) stars as a tour guide steering vacationers through the country’s Northern Territory. The trouble starts when her jerk of an ex (“Avatar’s” Sam Worthington) interrupts the riverboat tour.

That’s nothing compared to what comes next. A massive croc terrorizes the boat, feasting on vacationers in the process. The serene setting lulls us into a false sense of security, but the creature feature scares prove as nasty as needed. Co-stars Michael Vartan (“Alias”) and a pre-fame Mia Wasikowska (“Alice in Wonderland”) provide the character beats, allowing us to invest in the dwindling band of survivors.

Don’t get too attached to them, though.

Breaking up with the division industrial complex: A romantic comedy’s case for connection



Can a romantic comedy rip the band-aid off the political divisions infecting our personal relationships?

"The Elephant In the Room," a new rom-com directed by Erik Bork and released last month, dares to ask that question.

Leah and Vincent are fictional, but their predicament is painfully real: We are told to filter people through a political litmus test before we ever share a meal or a laugh.

As Bork describes the film: "A lonely female progressive [Leah, played by Alyssa Limperis] in December 2020 meets a guy [Vincent, played by Sean Kleier] she might want to date. But he voted for President Trump twice, and that’s a deal-breaker. Or is it?"

Mixed marriage

Bork didn't write "The Elephant In the Room" to change anyone's political views. As he says, "I'm not an activist; I'm a comedy guy." Whatever your politics, the film is very funny and well worth seeing.

But great art reflects what's in the culture, and Bork's film has its sights set squarely on one of the biggest divisions of our time. More and more of us are unwilling to even consider dating across party lines. According to a 2020 poll, 38% of Democrats and 38% of Republicans would feel "very upset" or "somewhat upset" at the prospect of their child marrying someone from the opposing political party.

And it's not just parents; 60% of young Americans (ages 18-29) say it's important to find a partner who shares their political views.

This prejudice is especially pronounced among college-educated single women, fully three-quarters of whom report that they would be less interested in dating someone who voted for Trump.

These numbers dwarf the opposition that we feel for dating across racial, ethnic, or religious lines. Politics is the last prejudice that most of us cling to.

The perception gap

One reason for these numbers is what More in Common — a nonprofit research group attempting to understand and address the root causes of political polarization — calls the "perception gap."

We often have a caricature of people of the opposite party in our minds, and this caricature rarely reflects reality. For example, in polls, Democrats assume that only 51% of Republicans think racism is still a problem. In reality, 79% of Republicans think it's a problem — a perception gap of 28 points.

"The Elephant in the Room" gets at this perception gap early. When Leah finds out that Vincent voted for Trump, she argues that white supremacists and homophobes would certainly have voted for Trump. Vincent rejoins, correctly, that not all Trump supporters are the same. Leah had a neo-Nazi in mind, but the reality was very different: Vincent is a down-to-earth line cook who supports gay marriage and doesn't like Trump personally, but who voted for Trump because he opposes open borders.

RELATED: Can true love 'Trump' our political divide? Writer/director Erik Bork is optimistic.

Erik Bork

The division industrial complex

Another reason that we're so divided is the division industrial complex: the powerful forces that profit from keeping us scared of and angry at our fellow Americans.

The division industrial complex is the political elites who rant for the cameras about how their opponents are destroying America while chumming it up in private; the fundraising groups that screech that the other team will fleece seniors and tear our country apart unless you're willing to donate $5 today; the media companies that post misleading and fear-inducing headlines to try to attract the clicks and eyeballs that keep the lights on.

When we listen to the division industrial complex, we lose sight of reality. We start to see partisans on the other side not as fellow Americans who see the world differently than we do, but as enemies out to destroy everything we hold dear.

Chumming the waters

The dirty secret about the division industrial complex is that a lot of the biggest players don't believe the fear and anger they're selling. Politicians like Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) might call their opponents fascists or communists when the cameras are rolling, but they're warm and civil to each other behind closed doors.

This is even true of inter-party dating. Political insiders might get airtime by urging us to cut our friends and family across the aisle out of our lives, but many of them are happy to marry across the aisle. Famed political consultants James Carville (Democrat) and Mary Matalin (Republican) both practice trench warfare politics, but they make their cross-party marriage work despite that. If they think it's all right to marry across the aisle, maybe there's something the rest of us are missing.

Writing our own script

When we let the division industrial complex dictate who our political opponents are, we miss out on genuine friendships, meaningful relationships, and even peace of mind.

That is why a story like "The Elephant in the Room" matters. Leah and Vincent are fictional, but their predicament is painfully real: We are told to filter people through a political litmus test before we ever share a meal or a laugh. The film reminds us that we can write a different script.

Political differences will always create tension, and sometimes they will be deal-breakers. But let’s not allow the fear peddled by political elites to dominate our personal lives — we can stop letting the division industrial complex set the scene and instead take our cues from the people right in front of us.

When we choose conversation over dehumanization, the ending might surprise us, on screen and off.

Mission: Impossible (to sit through); Final Dud-stination; RIP Joe Don Baker



Damon Packard's movie diary

Damon Packard is the Los Angeles-based filmmaker behind such underground classics as “Reflections of Evil,” “The Untitled Star Wars Mockumentary,” “Foxfur,” and “Fatal Pulse.” His AI-generated work has appeared as interstitials for the 18th annual American Cinematheque Horrorthon and can be enjoyed on his YouTube channel. After a long day making movies or otherwise making ends meet, he likes to unwind with late-night excursions to the multiplexes and art house cinemas of greater Los Angeles. For previous installments of the "Diary," see here.

May 23, "Muppets from Space" (1999, d. Tim Hill ), Nuart Theatre

Damon Packard

Nice and empty 10:30 p.m. show of "Muppets from Space" (1999) tonight at the Nuart. Can't remember if I ever saw this.

It was cute, but nothing compares to the first three Muppet movies. Would've far preferred if they screened the second or third film rather than the millennial-era nostalgia. A time I find nothing to be nostalgic about.

May 23, "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" (d. Christopher McQuarrie), AMC Burbank 16

Damon Packard

Heading into a nice and semi-empty 1:30 a.m. show (yes, you read that right — 1:30 a.m.!) of this "Mission Impossible" junk right now in Burbank. Actually you'd be amazed how many people are here. And this thing is three hours.

Update, three hours later: Good grief, that was awful. Felt like a teaser trailer padded out to three hours, yet still not even enough interesting material for a teaser trailer.

Well, not even enough for a zero-second trailer, since there was nothing interesting about any of it. Some ridiculous, convoluted, overlong plot about an "entity" and various key chips in between obligatory bomb-defusing scenes and close-ups of Cruise looking intense.

RELATED: How Tom Cruise tricked Hollywood studios into restarting production during COVID lockdowns

Marco Ravagli/Getty Images

The group dialogue/over-exposition scenes are so ridiculous. They do that a lot in big blockbusters. They must have some contract clause that requires or allows each actor a certain number of lines or something so they all take turns. It's like a Zucker/Abrahams parody, but then reality itself is a Zucker/Abrahams parody now.

Mission Tedium.

May 19, "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997, d. Roger Spottiswoode), CineFile Video Movie Rental

Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Secret midnight screening of "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997) at CineFile last night.

We felt an urge to revisit some Bonds lately.

This was one I remember hating when I first saw it in '97, but time has been kinder even to the late '90s (when things were really getting bad, only to get even worse later).

Title designer Maurice Binder directs a bikini-clad model in the title sequence of the James Bond film "The Living Daylights," 1986. Photo by Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

While not as good as "Octopussy" and "Living Daylights" — the final vestiges of the era of director John Glen, composer John Barry, and title designer Maurice Binder — Roger Spottiswoode's outing prides itself on not giving you any time to breathe in between every whiz-bang, over-the-top action scene of gasoline pyro and zirc hits.

Zirc hits, in case you didn't know, are .68 caliber paintballs filled with zirconium powder and fired from an air gun to create the "sparking" effect of a bullet hitting metal or another hard surface.

For non-sparking impact effects — a bullet hitting the dirt, for example — paintballs filled with colored dust (dust hits) are used.

This paintball method is much easier than pre-wiring explosions (squibs) on the impact surface, so it became more and more popular, to the point of being overused in many action movies (especially by the '90s).

Even though cheap-looking CGI is ruining everything, productions still use practical zirc hits for gun battles.

Another thing you notice in "Tomorrow Never Dies" is the use of gasoline-charged "fireball"-type explosions — safer and more controllable than the more dangerous, and sometimes more realistic, forms of pyro used in the '70s, when they were breaking all the rules and didn't have as many restrictions or regulations in place.

Explosions at an arms bazaar on the Russian border in the opening sequence of "Tomorrow Never Dies." Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Take the famous stunt in which a helicopter tilts almost 45 degrees so that its rotors trap Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) in an alley. If they wanted to do that in the '70s, some crazy, gung-ho pilot probably would have offered to risk doing it for real back then.

Good to see Joe Don Baker (who died May 7) reprise his "Goldeneye" role as CIA agent Jack Wade ("Yo, Jimbo!"). He also played arms dealer Brad Whitaker (the first American Bond villain) in the 1987 Timothy Dalton-era installment "The Living Daylights."

Music-wise, David Arnold does a pretty decent job capturing the feel of John Barry's scores, but still the Barry magic is gone.

Fun film, but for me the beginning of a decline from "shaken, not stirred" to "shake in a turbo blender until you're dizzy" to the "fizzed, flattened, and rebranded" era of today.

"Tomorrow Never Dies" director Roger Spottiswoode ("Terror Train") is not only still alive but was still working until a few years ago.

Roger Spottiswoode on the "Tomorrow Never Dies" set in France. Gilles Bouquillon/Getty Images

I always thought of him as a kind of "hired hand" industry guy; then again, "Under Fire" (1983 movie starring Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman as foreign correspondents in Nicaragua) still stands as a terrific film. And Spottiswoode seems like terrific guy, part of that generation when directors were not only humble, intelligent, and gracious but good communicators.

May 17, "Bronsploitation" (d. Mike Malloy)

I feel bad it's taken me a few days to share this preview clip of writer/director Mike Malloy's very cool-looking upcoming documentary "Bronsploitation," about three men who have built careers in showbiz based on their resemblances to Charles Bronson.

Malloy and Eric Zaldivar (who also worked on "Bronsploitation") are two of the coolest cats out there doing interesting work. If they were around in the '70s, they'd probably be making solid highbrow exploitation films (something only Quentin Tarantino seems to have success with these days) instead of nostalgic documentaries about the era. I hope we can collaborate some day on some original work.

RELATED: Incubator program preps tomorrow’s right-leaning filmmakers

Palladium Pictures

May 16, "Friendship" (d. Andrew DeYoung), AMC Burbank 16

Well, looks like It's an 11 p.m. of "Friendship" in Burbank tonight.

Update (hours later): Ooof! Awful. Sheer tedium. Didn't care for it at all. Just awkward strangeness with no purpose. P.T. Anderson it ain't. The woman who played his wife, though, was beautiful.

May 15, "Final Destination: Bloodlines" (d. Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein), AMC Century City 15

Damon Packard

I guess it's an 11 p.m. of this "Final Destination" garbage tonight, in theater ... 13. (Gulp.) Only because I woke too late after a nap and there's no other choice.

Update: I don't know who the audience is for these movies.

People just like seeing other people mutilated and killed, but if so much as a single animal gets fake-harmed or killed, they go completely insane. Why? Because humans hate other humans. Animals give the unbiased, unconditional love to humans that humans can't give to each other.

Well ... cute, domesticated animals do. See what happens if you find yourself alone in a remote forest and are surrounded by hungry tigers, bears, or coyotes.

May 15 (earlier)

Cinerama/Getty Images

RIP Joe Don Baker, my kind of folk.

May 13, "Fatal Pulse" (2018, d. Damon Packard), CineFile Video

Tonight is a screening of my yuppie fear thriller "Fatal Pulse" at CineFile Video.

This one never got many public screenings, though it did have a nice Egyptian premiere in 2018 before falling back into the oblivion zone. I'm sure all of two people will be there.

Then again, the CineFile Micro-Cinema has gotten some big press lately with the upcoming unauthorized "Batman Forever" Schumacher Cut screening on May 29 [ed. note: Canceled May 25 after cease-and-desist notice from Warner Bros.], which the cine-hipsters are losing their minds over.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the "Batman Forever" premiere in New York City, June 13, 1995. Patrick McMullan/Getty Images

We screened it privately over a year ago, and I enjoyed it, though did run a tad long. An improvement over the original release, as one can see a degree of Schumacher's ambition in creating this vast, crazy, cartoony comic-strip world of massive set pieces. All mostly set to Elliot Goldenthal's "Interview with the Vampire" score, as his new score was not ready at the time of the edit.

Anyhow, expect insane cine-hipster riots that night when they all show up to find out the place only has 20 seats. Much like the "New Jack City" riot in "Fatal Pulse" (based on real events in Westwood in 1991, when crowds couldn't get into that film).

Prepare for total chaos.

Update: A full house (surprisingly).

Latest 'Captain America' installment neither 'Brave' nor 'New'



“If we can’t see the good in each other, we’ve already lost,” says Sam Wilson in the penultimate scene of “Captain America: Brave New World.”

This lukewarm call to unity might well be Marvel talking to its disappointed fans. The studio remains in a precarious position, at its lowest point critically and commercially since "Iron Man" officially launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008, revitalizing the brand with an unbroken, interconnected string of blockbusters that dominated the box office through 2019's "Avengers: Endgame."

One watches 'Captain America: Brave New World' with the suspicion that it started out as something much darker — and more compelling.

That film was the triumphant culmination of the MCU's first three "phases." Since then, the transition into what Marvel has dubbed phases four and five has been rocky.

Majors setback

Critics and audiences have found the overarching story unfocused and directionless. These tendencies were exacerbated when the studio fired actor Jonathan Majors, whose character Kang was meant to play a crucial role in the new saga, in the wake of domestic abuse allegations.

On top of all this, 2023's "The Marvels" gave the studio its first genuine bomb.

Marvel may have hoped that "Captain America: Brave New World" would recapture some of that old MCU magic. But while the $342 million it has earned since its Valentine's Day release hardly makes it a flop, that tally is a far cry from the $357 million “Avengers: Endgame” grossed in its first three days.

Moreover, audience response has been tepid, earning it a negative 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Mainstream critics hate it, finding it to be a hobbled mess destroyed in reshoots and delays, and negative word of mouth has contributed to one of the largest multi-week dropoffs in Marvel’s box office history.

New-job jitters

Of course, "Brave New World" is only nominally a Captain America movie. Gone is Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as the original Cap, having retired at the end of "Endgame" and handed his shield to his partner Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), formerly known as Falcon.

This succession was given perfunctory treatment in Disney+’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” As a black man, Wilson is conflicted about representing a patriotism that once excluded him and rejects the title. In doing so, he unwittingly cedes it to a jingoistic soldier named John Walker.

It is only after a post-national terrorist group emerges as a major threat to the world that Wilson finally accepts his new role, donning the red, white, and blue uniform and ending the series with a now-infamous lecture on the need to “do better” toward refugees and the oppressed.

“Brave New World” picks up shortly after these events, with Wilson having settled comfortably into the role of Captain America.

When his close friend Isaiah Bradley — a black super soldier from the Korean War imprisoned by the federal government and experimented upon — is wrongly arrested for an attempted presidential assassination, Wilson realizes that newly elected President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over for the late William Hurt) is being targeted by forces within the federal government trying to expose a dark secret.

Deep-state danger

The Captain America franchise has always treated the U.S. government with suspicion — it's an institution susceptible to Nazi infiltration and prone to turning on American citizens. The fact that the insane general from “The Incredible Hulk” could become president on a unity and peace platform just maximizes the irony of the dark realities of the country — and that’s before Wilson starts discovering hidden CIA black sites on American soil.

In the face of this threat from within, Wilson's ambivalence about being a black Captain America lingers; at the same time, he feels inadequate to live up to the legacy of his superpowered predecessor. That issue is largely resolved by Wilson's new Wakandan battle suit, while his ambivalence mostly comes out in dialogue.

Seeing red

The film’s most curious creative decision is to give Ross a redemption story. Despite his background attempting to hunt down the Hulk, killing civilians in the process, and committing numerous other crimes and abuses, Ross ends up the film’s most developed and sympathetic character. This is thanks especially to Ford's nuanced portrayal, which lets us see the similarities between Ross and Wilson, both of whom struggle to live up to what's expected of them.

Ross slowly reveals the man beneath the cynical, power-seeking military man we know from previous films. This Ross wants to be president because he wants to prove to his daughter that he has changed.

This adds depth to the much-publicized Red Hulk scenes. In this climactic battle, we see Ross’ secrets and anxieties slowly bubble up from within him and threaten to destroy more than his legacy.

The film’s dramatic core hangs on the question of whether Ross’ character change is sincere or not, weighing the fate of numerous characters against his willingness to tell the truth at the cost of his legacy.

And given that he’s the stand-in for American political and military power, it's clear that "Captain America: Brave New World" is asking this of the country he represents at large. Is America willing to speak the truth of its sins, or is it willing to let innocent black men take the fall for the sake of a greater legacy?

Missed opportunity

This is certainly more subtle than the heavy-handed anti-Trump (an outnumbered black man up against an orange — okay, red — president) commentary than many feared. Regardless, one watches “Captain America: Brave New World" with the suspicion that it started out as something much darker — and more compelling.

Years of rewrites and reshoots imposed on director Julius Onah (“The Cloverfield Paradox”) have sanded off the edges of the movie in awkward ways, with whole character arcs discarded and major scenes reshot on green screens.

"Brave New World" was originally called “Captain America: New World Order," a title that seems to promise a more direct confrontation with the secretive, hidden elements of the government behind our elected officials — the so-called "deep state."

What the new version gains in highbrow cred — it's both a reference to Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel of the same name and the line from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” that inspired its title — it loses in directness.

The resulting movie , neither politically relevant nor entertaining, strands our new Captain America in no man's land.

Non-woke 'Moana 2' sinks or swims, 'Gladiator II' fights back, and 'Red One' brings some early Xmas action



No opinions, no agenda — just the basic facts you need to answer that eternal question: Is anything good playing?

Welcome to the inaugural installment of our monthly Align Movie Guide. We can't guarantee that Hollywood will make entertainment worthy of your time and money — but we can help you get a sense of your choices.

From big-budget spectacles to Christmas warm-ups, here are some of the more promising films hitting cinemas in November

'Here' — Nov. 1

Director Robert Zemeckis' attempt to recapture some of that "Forrest Gump" magic by reuniting Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for "Here" has utterly flopped with critics — and most viewers. It's too bad, as the film takes on a relatively bold challenge: depicting centuries of drama playing out on one piece of land.

Perhaps more interesting than its story is the film's groundbreaking effects work: it uses Metaphysic Live, a new AI technology, to face-swap and de-age Hanks and Wright in real-time while filming instead of doing the work in post.

'Red One' — Nov. 15

If you're one of those people who considers "Die Hard" a Christmas movie, you might want to consider "Red One."

When Santa Claus is kidnapped by sinister forces days before Christmas Eve, North Pole Head of Security Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) recruits the help of Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans), the world’s greatest tracker, to battle fantastical creatures and find jolly Ol’ Saint Nick in an action-packed Christmas adventure.

When it comes to blockbusters, you can’t go wrong with Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson ... or can you? Evans, a staunch Democrat, has been letting his partisan side show in recent years, broadcasting his support for Kamala Harris and lambasting fans who protested a lesbian kissing scene in Pixar’s "Toy Story" spin-off, "Lightyear."

Neither is "The Rock" impervious to controversy. He was accused of urinating in bottles on the "Red One" set to save time after showing up hours late to set. Surprisingly entitled behavior for a man whose latest films — "Black Adam" and "Jungle Cruise," among them — have failed to capture audiences.

Then again, nobody's perfect, and the concept looks to be a funny, action-packed take on a Christmas movie. If that’s your cup of tea, "Red One" might be worth unwrapping.

'Gladiator II' — Nov. 22

Singer-songwriter Nick Cave once wrote a wild script for a sequel to the beloved "Gladiator," which sent Maximus (Russell Crowe) on an epic time-travel quest. That idea never came to fruition, but original director Ridley Scott is about to deliver a more straightforward follow-up with "Gladiator II." The film follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus. Like his father, he must fight for his life and the whole of Rome as a gladiator. The film has been highly anticipated for its sprawling physical sets and stacked cast, which includes Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Derek Jacobi.

'Wicked' — Nov. 22

Nobody said it was easy being green. The long-awaited big screen adaptation of beloved musical "Wicked" has a built-in audience of loyal fans — probably best not to alienate them by crying "racist." Yet that's what star Cynthia Erivo did when one X user innocently edited the movie poster to make it resemble its Broadway counterpart.

Time will tell if this glimpse behind the DEI curtain will dissuade viewers from taking the Yellow Brick Road — but maybe Erivo's co-stars — including Ariana Grande as Glinda (the Good Witch), Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard — will be enough of a draw.

'Moana 2' — Nov. 27

Perhaps the one film coming out this month with the most to prove is Disney’s "Moana 2," sailing into theaters a scant nine months after being announced.

"Moana 2" originally took the form of an 8-episode Disney+ series; Disney CEO Bob Iger claimed he loved it so much that he decided to turn it into a feature-length film.

Nice story, but insiders claim his real motives were to replace another animated film rife with wokeness — hardly a selling point after the one-two punch failure of "Strange World" and the well-meaning "Wish." The film was scrapped.

Even stars Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson had to renegotiate contracts and re-record lines for the film (Johnson’s cameo-sized role was expanded to a co-lead). The trailers do seem to indicate a straightforward adventure with the iconic "wayfinder," a welcome signal that Disney is getting back to what it does best: family entertainment. Audiences — and Disney — should hope the Mouse House has another billion-dollar crowd-pleaser on its hands.

Here are a few lesser-hyped upcoming films to consider:

'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' — Nov. 8

For those who like to celebrate the most wonderful time of year early, consider bringing the family to "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," a new adaptation of Barbara Robinson's book from "The Chosen" creator Dallas Jenkins. When the Herdman siblings — who have a reputation for being the worst kids in the world — take over the local Christmas church pageant, they might just teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas. Starring Judy Greer, Lauren Graham, Pete Holmes, and Elizabeth Tabish.

'Heretic' — Nov. 8

In this horror-thriller from A24, two young missionaries become ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse when they knock on the door of the diabolical Mr. Reed. Trapped in his home, they must turn to their faith if they want to make it out alive. Starring Hugh Grant (in an excellent heel turn), Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, and Topher Grace. Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

'A Sudden Case of Christmas' — Nov. 8

An American couple bring their 10-year-old daughter, Claire, to her grandfather's hotel in Italy to tell her that they are separating. Hoping to bring them back together, Claire asks the entire family to celebrate one last Christmas together ... in August. Starring Danny DeVito, Lucy DeVito, Andie MacDowell, Wilmer Valderrama, Adrian Dunbar, and Antonella Rose. Directed by Peter Chelsom.

'Bonhoeffer' — Nov. 22

From "Sound of Freedom" producer Angel Studios comes "Bonhoeffer," a drama about the life of the German theologian and pastor who stood up to the Nazis during the Third Reich. Starring Jonas Dassler as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, August Diehl, Moritz Bleibtreu, Nadine Heidenreich, David Jonsson, and Flula Borg.

Complete list by date:

  • "Here" — Nov. 1
  • "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" — Nov. 8
  • "Heretic" — Nov. 8
  • "A Sudden Case of Christmas" — Nov. 8
  • "Red One" — Nov. 15
  • "Gladiator II" — Nov. 22
  • "Wicked" (Part One) — Nov. 22
  • "Bonhoeffer" — Nov. 22
  • "Moana 2" — Nov. 27

'Am I Racist?' is boring Borat, 'Beetlejuice' baffles, McCarthy ungrateful 'Brat'



Damon Packard's movie diary

Damon Packard is the Los Angeles-based filmmaker behind such underground classics as “Reflections of Evil,” “The Untitled Star Wars Mockumentary,” “Foxfur,” and “Fatal Pulse.” His AI-generated work recently appeared as interstitials for the 18th annual American Cinematheque Horrorthon and can be enjoyed on his YouTube channel. After a long day making movies or otherwise making ends meet, he likes to unwind with late-night excursions to the multiplexes and art house cinemas of greater Los Angeles. For previous installments of the "Diary," see here.

September 15, "Am I Racist?" (d. Justin Folk), AMC Century City 15

Wobbled into an 11 p.m. show of "Am I Racist?" last night in Century City. As seemingly ripe as this subject matter is for satire, I found it mostly dull and not all that funny.

What struck me is how oddly staged the whole thing felt. These bizarre DEI, white privilege education workshops can't possibly be real, can they? People actually pay that kind of money to attend them? These people are real?

Anyone who still has some brain function knows how ridiculous and reality-manipulating the whole woke thing is — like any mainstream media-driven profiteering scam the dopey brain-dead masses fall for (take your pick, the world revolves around trillions of scams within scams).

So it's all about finding clever and humorous ways to point out the obvious hypocrisies and broken logic.

Walsh is no Borat, Eric Andre, Chris Morris, or Louis Theroux. This kind of humor is tricky, and it takes someone of unique charisma.

September 5, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" (d. Tim Burton), AMC Century City 15

Heading into a nice, completely empty midnight show of this "Beetlejuice" stuff. Perfect night. Everyone wiped out from the heat, this whole place is quiet and empty. Will report back but I can't imagine I'll have anything of interest to say.

[Later]

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" was weird. It included some really odd needle drops — the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, and Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park" (which reappears in the climax in the form of Danny Elfman's orchestral version). Strangest of all was the use of Pino Donaggio's "Carrie" theme at the end.

I wonder if this was just music Burton happened to be listening to while making or cutting the movie. It was nice hearing these pieces in a theater, but do those songs really work for the scene? Eh.

I think Burton is probably an insightful, intelligent person with whom I'd enjoy discussing art, cinema, history, old Hollywood, etc. But for me his films range from mediocre to baffling to awful.

I just don't know what the hell to make of this thing. Danny DeVito frothing at the mouth as a disgusting dead janitor? Too much goofy, cartoony weirdness for this to work for me. And for a guy who loves stop motion, Burton includes some pretty mediocre stop-motion sequences here.

Maybe if I were feeling generous I'd give it a semi-pass — who else is giving Catherine O'Hara lead roles these days?

September 4 "Tightrope" (1984, d. Richard Tuggle)

Watched "Tightrope" (1984) last night at a friend's house. I remember well when this played at the Mann National Westwood. Some have described it as Eastwood's "giallo." It's certainly very stylish, dark, sleazy, and moody and often feels more like a slasher movie than a thriller.

I did wonder if this was originally intended for another actor. Eastwood plays a divorced police detective named Wes Block, who is raising two daughters and five dogs. He also loves to have kinky sex with hookers while on the job. At one point he tells Geneviève Bujold he'd "love to lick the sweat off" her body, which you almost can't believe he just said.

At the time, Gene Siskel praised Eastwood for "risking his star charisma [to play] a louse." The villain is a sadistic psycho killer who creeps around stalking women in bizarre devil masks; he ends up beating and possibly raping Block's daughter. Eastwood cast his own 12-year-old daughter Alison in the role.

September 4, "Brats" (d. Andrew McCarthy)

I did not expect to get through this, but somehow I watched this entire thing. Andrew McCarthy (whom I've always liked for his charming, neurotic quirkiness) did a good job.

At the same time I can't believe he actually had the gall to make an entire movie griping about his career.

Let's see: The world is collapsing in chaos, the starving masses swarm the streets like something out of "Soylent Green," and here comes poor Andrew McCarthy with a 90-minute, soul-searching documentary about how hard it was on him and his rich, beautiful celebrity friends when an article in New York magazine called them the "Brat Pack."

September 3, "Shakedown" (1988, d. James Glickenhaus), CineFile Video

CineFile screening nights continued tonight with James Glickenhaus' spectacular overlooked 1988 action thriller/courtroom drama "Shakedown." Modern, CGI-heavy action movies with bloated $200 million budgets can't even come close to what Glickenhaus could do with $6 million in 1987.

Nowadays you probably wouldn't even be allowed to attempt some of the stunts they pull off. It's a reminder of how competitive the field was at the time. Stuntmen were eager to keep pushing boundaries and would take major risks, especially in small-budget films. You can also notice this in many of the Hong Kong films of the era.

Needless to say, those days are over. Glickenhaus wisely got out of the film biz and now runs a company that makes high-performance race cars.

August 30, "The Hustle — Part 2" (d. The Dor Brothers)

Finally, someone else doing something somewhat creative with AI, showing the true faces of these ridiculous politicians, technocrats, and leaders.

That's exactly what all these idiots on the world's stage are: a bunch of gangsters, rubbing it in our faces like James Cagney with that grapefruit in "The Public Enemy."

August 29

A 3 a.m., Uber Eats delivery dragged me all the way out to Canoga Park on Topanga Canyon Blvd. (I made $20 for the whole night; sad, I know.)

I did get to revisit the former site of a movie theater from my youth, the Baronet: a huge, 500-seat auditorium with sticky floors. I remember seeing both "Damien: Omen 2" and "The Awakening" here at nearly empty showings in the early '80s when I lived in Chatsworth. It closed around 1986.

This isn't too far from the Topanga Twin Cinema, where I sat through "An American Werewolf in London" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" twice in a row in 1981. I believe it's a Crate & Barrel now.

August 27, "A Day at the Beach" (1970, d. Simon Hesera)

This is one of most fascinating films I've ever seen. I watched the entire thing this morning, completely mesmerized.

This was supposed to be a Roman Polanski project, but he ended up handing over directing duties to Simon Hesera. Polanski is credited only as writer and second unit director.

But this strange, dream-like tale of miserable, angry characters on a rainy and cold beachfront is so artfully done that I suspect it's very much a Polanski film — much in the same way that "Poltergeist" was clearly directed by Steven Spielberg, despite being credited to Tobe Hooper.

I'm surprised it's been so overlooked for so many years. It sticks with you.

'Deadpool & Wolverine' makes the MCU fun again



"Welcome to the MCU. By the way, you're joining at a bit of a low point," says Deadpool at one point in his much-anticipated (by him, at least) team-up with Wolverine.

Turns out, admitting you have a problem is more than half the battle.

It’s satisfying to see a director of Levy's talents play in the Marvel universe for the first time, nailing the requisite epic scale while keeping things fun.

After years of declining audience interest, Marvel Studios has delivered a much needed win in the form of "Deadpool & Wolverine," the third installment in the Deadpool trilogy and the first proper inclusion of the X-Men into the MCU.

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is living a peaceful existence retired from superhero-ing and struggling to find meaning in his life. Enter the TVA (short for Time Variance Authority, an organization introduced in the streaming series "Loki"). Turns out, the TVA could use a man like Deadpool to fix the timeline.

When the Merc with a Mouth realizes he'll have to destroy his universe in the process, he pivots to saving it instead. To do so, he recruits a disgraced, alternate-universe Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). As the two unlikely friends maneuver through the multiverse, the chaos that always surrounds Deadpool follows them.

At the heart of this ultra-violent, ultra-irreverent film are surprisingly sincere themes of friendship and redemption. In their shared struggle to find new meaning in their lives, these two heroes end up saving not only the entire universe in a bloody, action-packed climax, but each other.

It's one of the best bromances ever captured on film, with both Reynolds and Jackman giving career-best performances. It is one of the most earnest and emotionally satisfying stories we have seen from Marvel Studios since "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

WARNING: SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON

The film also lovingly pays tribute to the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel with cameos from Blade (Wesley Snipes), the Human Torch (Chris Evans), Elektra (Jennifer Garner), Pyro (Aaron Stanford), and Gambit (Channing Tatum, who finally gets to play the character after many failed attempts at a solo film).

Even Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen), from what was supposed to be Jackman's final bow as Wolverine, makes an appearance. She confirms that the Wolverine of "Logan" is indeed dead while inspiring this version of Wolverine to become the hero he's always been capable of being.

While these throwbacks are fun, they do sometimes make the film's pacing suffer. Still, it's hard to fault "Deadpool & Wolverine" for its commitment to maximum fan enjoyment.

I must also single out director Shawn Levy, a filmmaker with great family films like "Cheaper by the Dozen," "Night at the Museum," and the Reynolds-starring "Free Guy" under his belt. It’s satisfying to see a director of his talents play in the Marvel universe for the first time, nailing the requisite epic scale while keeping things fun.

It's safe to say that with "Deadpool & Wolverine," the MCU has officially bounced back from the wokeness-fueled nadir of "The Marvels." Will the studio build on the momentum and good will?

Only time will tell, but the recent Comic-Con bombshell that Robert Downey Jr. will play Dr. Doom in both "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars" is certainly a hopeful sign. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the party is just getting started.

'Midwit' writers of ‘The Boys’ just took WOKE to a new level



Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” has always been “woke,” but the latest season took the meaning of the word to an entirely new level.

“‘The Boys’ has really always been ‘woke’ since its first season,” Lauren Chen explains. “It’s only now, in its later seasons, particularly seasons three and four, that I found the wokeness is becoming really just too much.”

Chen points to one scene in particular that took it one step too far.

“There was a scene that was so stupid, so poorly written,” Chen says. The scene featured Victoria Newman, a Latina politician with super powers, and the newest character Sage, a black woman, whose entire presence in the show “is so frustrating.”

“Her entire premise is that she is the smartest person alive, but here’s the thing. That’s a problem because the writers for this show are not that smart. So, the question is, how do you portray the smartest person in the world when you are a certifiable midwit?” Chen asks.

The writers came up with a solution to this midwit condition they have by telling “the audience that she is smart, that Sage is smart, many, many times.”

In this particular scene, Newman and Sage are attending what appears to be a right-wing political gathering full of old white billionaires. The pair are scheming to get these billionaires on board with Newman as president, and Newman complains that she had “abortion mansplained” to her by a man who “refuses to be alone with any woman who’s not his wife.”

Not only is Chen disturbed by the abortion comment, the entire scheme is childish and not reflective of the “smartest person in the world.”

“Something that Sage in her infinite wisdom has concocted, but it’s like, well, obviously if you’re trying to seize political power, doesn’t it make sense to get other people who have power on board with your cause?” Chen says.

“That’s not some grandmaster strategy, that’s just literally the bare minimum you would expect to do if you are trying to do a soft coup. This is not genius-level stuff. I’ve literally seen women’s book clubs with more intricate political backstabbing and intrigue than this show,” she adds.


Was This Embarrassing Scene the "MOST WOKE" in TV Show History?
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Was This Embarrassing Scene the "MOST WOKE" in TV Show History?