'Air Bud Returns' in meta franchise revival
The original Air Bud opened in 1997 and featured a golden retriever who could play basketball. Several sequels followed, in which Air Bud tried sports from American football to volleyball. It also inspired a series of Air Buddies films about puppies.
Air Bud Returns will mark the sixth film in the main series. The poster shows Air Bud returning to his basketball roots with a paw over a basketball.
Cineverse collaborates with Air Bud Entertainment on the film and hopes Returns will be the first of a new series of films.
ABE founder Robert Vince will write and direct. He produced the Air Bud films, and wrote and directed 10 of them. His hockey chimpanzee franchise, Most Valuable Primate, only made it to two films.
Disney distributed the previous Air Bud movies.
In Air Bud Returns, a 12-year-old discovers the VHS tapes of the earlier movies in his late father's childhood home. The boy names his golden retriever Buddy after the films.
This approach goes back to films like Gremlins 2, in which gremlins attack Leonard Maltin for criticizing Gremlins 1, and Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, in which characters respond to the hype of The Blair Witch Project. This year's Matlock revival has Kathy Bates playing a character named after the Andy Griffith series.
The human cast of Air Bud Returns has not been announced.
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UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
'Stranger Things: First Shadow' stars focus on humanity amid horror
1 of 3 | The stars of Broadway's "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" pose on the red carpet near Times Square on April 22. Left to right, Juan Carlos, playing Bob Newby, Alison Jaye, playing Joyce Maldonado, Burke Swanson, playing James Hopper, Jr., Louis McCartney, playing Henry Creel, and Gabrielle Neveah Green, playing Patty Newby. File Photo by Angelina Katsanis/UPI | License Photo NEW YORK, July 27 (UPI) -- Burke Swanson and Alison Jaye say they focused on the humanity even more than the horror when playing teen versions of Hopper and Joyce in Broadway's blockbuster Stranger Things prequel, The First Shadow. Penned by Kate Trefry and directed by Stephen Daldry, the supernatural stage play takes place in the 1950s, in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind., and offers origins stories for the beloved grown-ups -- and terrifying uber-villain Vecna/Henry Creel -- from the 1980s-set Netflix TV show. "Within the spooky, sci-fi nature of it all, there are real humans trying to figure themselves out and figure out what their community's like," Swanson told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. Even before Henry (Louis McCartney) arrives and unwittingly turns the town upside-down, Hopper and his classmates Bob Newby (Patrick Scott McDermott) and his adopted sister Patty (Gabrielle Nevaeh) are dealing with parent-related tension and trauma. "What was so special to me is that it wasn't shying away from those stories," Swanson said. "It's a big thing that we're doing here. There's a lot to tell and it almost doesn't fit within one show, but there's a willingness to explore not only the father-kid relationships, but the mother-kid relationships and how each different dynamic is processed." Patty's outsider status leads her into danger because the only person she feels connected to is Henry. "Patty has really been pushed to the side, not only within the community, but also within her family," Swanson said. "Bob did not support Patty in a way that she needed and she comes into her own as this really incredible, strong female lead," he added. "He gets this really powerful moment just to acknowledge, 'I messed up and i want to do better.' And I think those moments -- even within the sort of 'Mind Flayer' of it all -- are the things that really push us forward through that story." As for Hopper, he is leaning into his "bad-boy mentality" when the audience first meets him, but he matures a bit throughout the play as he tries to help his friends and neighbors, Swanson noted. "In classic Hopper fashion, he's got a really sentimental heart," Swanson added. "What continues to be learned in this show is the power of community and the power of friendship and Hopper believes that he will be better off alone. His relationship with his father is not good. There's no communication there and I think what we see is the glimpse of the hope of who Hopper can become when he chooses community." Just as the Netflix series is famous for tapping into the nostalgia of the 1980s, the stage production perfectly re-imagines Middle America in the 1950s. "It's been a blast getting to dive into the music, into the aesthetics and costumes. We really got to emphasize the color, the dynamic of that time period, visually," Swanson said. "What's really, really fascinating about the '50s -- and this has been touched on by many different art forms -- is what happens when that facade begins to crack because the sleepy little town of Hawkins, Indiana seems to have begun to experience some very spooky things much earlier than we thought." Hopper may be decades away from becoming the sheriff who will date single mom Joyce, but the two do know each other quite well at this point, even if they don't travel in the same social circles until they team up to solve the mystery surrounding Henry. While Hopper is a loner, teen Joyce is a bubbly theater kid obsessed with directing the school play. "With this version of Joyce, there is a real questioning and push and pull of, 'Is this the life I'm going to choose? Or am I going to be able to get out of here and escape and become something bigger than this town?'" Jaye said. The actress loves that -- even though the play has spectacular special effects -- the characters live in a low-tech era guided by their instincts and moral compasses as opposed to cell phones or computers. "These kids don't have that. All they're leaning on is each other. If we're talking about the trio of Bob, Joyce and Jim [Hopper], we wake up every day and just knock on each other's doors and continue investigating, just like we kind of see [kid characters do] on the TV show," Jaye said. "There's that buoyancy and that fervor, that rigor to: 'We've got to dig. We've got to solve this problem.' They put all that energy on each other, instead of on technology, and connect that way, which is, I feel like, a big difference between what we're living in now." Although many fans of the Netflix series have been rooting for grownup Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) to hook up for years, others cheered when Joyce finally seemed to have a brief but stable romance with nice-guy Bob (Sean Astin) before he was attacked by Demodogs while protecting Joyce and her sons. Teen Bob is shy, earnest and clearly in love with Joyce. "When I watch the series, that was immediately one of my favorite characters who, unfortunately, didn't last that long. But he provides such a grounded sense of being," Jaye said about Bob. "They are so different, but, yet, it is the softness of Bob that softens Joyce. I feel like we do get to see that and celebrate that in the early moments of the show together." Jaye said she has been overwhelmed by support from fans who get a kick out of learning more about their favorite TV character by watching the play. "People of all ages have been like: 'Oh, my gosh! Of course, Joyce is a theater kid! How did I not put that together?' There's no nod to that in the series at all, but Kate created this back story for her," Jaye explained. "There's a nerdy tenderness and, also, a major headstrong authority to her that somehow makes it all make sense to me perfectly."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
After ‘Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next
We've got some movies that'll scratch that itch Ari Aster's 'Eddington' is here. The movie, which pits a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) against his mayor (Pedro Pascal), set during the early days of the global pandemic, is fierce and raw. Considering this is from Aster, the director of 'Midsommar,' 'Hereditary' and 'Beau is Afraid,' it is also confrontational and strange and deeply funny, with the action set at the precipice of the complete breakdown in communication that accompanied lockdown. (Indiewire called it 'the first truly modern American Western.') More from TheWrap After 'Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Post-Credits Scenes Explained: Who Was That? Jamie Lee Curtis Watched Her Parents' Success 'Slowly Erode' as They Aged: 'That's Very Painful' 'Coyote vs Acme' Takes Digs at Warner Bros., 2026 Release Date Announced And if you come out of 'Eddington' looking for more offbeat westerns to watch, we've got seven that should fill that void nicely. 'Bad Company' (1972) In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a slew of what were referred to as 'acid westerns' – westerns that were set in the distant past but that embraced the counterculture of the period, including, of course, recreational drug use. (Hence the 'acid' in 'acid western.') These parallels are made explicitly clear in 'Bad Company,' which is one of the very best movies from that era and one of the more underrated. The movie stars Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown (who tragically took his own life before the decade was up) as two young men who dodge the draft during the American Civil War. The movie has an episodic structure, with the pair getting into misadventures along the way, gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis, as their wayward drifting transitions to out-and-out lawlessness. If you've seen it and are a fan of it or want to check it out now for the first time, Fun City Editions put out a terrific Blu-ray edition recently that is very much worth checking out. 'Walker' (1987) After making 'Repo Man' and 'Sid & Nancy,' British director Alex Cox turned his sights on a one-of-a-kind western. The movie stars Ed Harris as William Walker, an American physician, lawyer and mercenary who organized military expeditions into Mexico and at one point made himself president of Nicaragua. Like 'Eddington,' 'Walker' leans into the events of recent (and current) history – it was actually filmed in Nicaragua during the Contra War, a conflict that would have major implications for American politics. (Just Google Iran-Contra.) What makes 'Walker' really bonkers is Cox's use of historical anachronisms – there will be a Zippo lighter or a Coke can in scenes, and, if you don't know this going in, it can make you feel like you're going insane. Incredibly, Universal Pictures released the movie, selling it as a more straightforward western (in the trailer you here but never see a helicopter) and it promptly tanked. Since then, it has caught a second wind, and Criterion put out a killer Blu-ray that is very much worth your time. 'Unforgiven' (1992) Aster has openly stated that he was influenced by 'Unforgiven' in making 'Eddington,' and it's both easy and somewhat difficult to see. There is a meandering quality to the story in both 'Unforgiven' and 'Eddington,' and we mean that in a positive. If it's been a while since you've seen the Best Picture-winning Clint Eastwood film, there's a whole section of the movie where the wronged prostitutes hire an assassin named English Bob (Richard Harris), who totally punks out and leaves them high and dry, before they even find Eastwood's 'Will' Munny. There are so many narrative left turns and surprises, which translate to 'Eddington' (we don't want to give anything away), even if 'Unforgiven' is a much more traditional Western in tone and look. But hey, if you were looking for an excuse to rewatch 'Unforgiven,' consider 'Eddington' the reason. 'Lone Star' (1996) John Sayles' masterpiece, set in modern times and starring Chris Cooper as a sheriff who investigates the murder of one of his predecessors (Kris Kristofferson) years earlier, investigates time and how the past impacts the present. (These are things very much in 'Eddington.') What was striking about 'Lone Star' at the time – and what's still striking now – is how much iconography and narrative convention from a classic western could be grafted to something that would be considered a 'contemporary' film. These are themes and characters and even shot compositions that would not be out of place in a classic western, but dealing with modern concerns and moral ambiguity. (We don't want to ruin anything if you've never seen 'Lone Star.') Just watch it; it has a handful of award-worthy performances and a script by Sayles that was nominated for the Oscar for original screenplay. It also has a must-own 4K from Criterion. 'The Proposition' (2005) 'The Proposition' is bleak, even bleaker than 'Eddington' and with fewer jokes. But they do share a connective tissue in their desire to showcase a particular moment in time and the people who inhabit that moment. In 'Eddington,' it's 2020, and the breakdown of law and order around the pandemic is evident. In 'The Proposition' it's the 1880's, when criminals populated the Australian bush (like famous outlaw Ned Kelly) and English were brutally exterminating Australian Aboriginals. Like we said – bleak. Chances are you've never seen this one, which marked the breakthrough film of Australian director John Hillcoat, working from a screenplay by Australian musician Nick Cave, so we'll spare the details. We'll just say that Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone enter into a truly screwed up agreement that has dire consequences. Just watch it. It's worth it. Even if you have to close your eyes occasionally. 'The Counselor' (2013) Both more straightforward and more bonkers, Ridley Scott's underrated masterpiece 'The Counselor' is the perfect chaser to 'Eddington.' Like 'Eddington,' it is set in modern times, with deeply conflicted characters occasionally bumping up against and colliding with one another. In the only original screenplay written by the great Cormac McCarthy, Michael Fassbender plays a lawyer who gets in deep with some underworld types and attempts to save himself and his new wife (Penelope Cruz) from damnation. It's heady, for sure, but also extremely pulpy, with some of the best dialogue this side of the Rio Grande. (Most of it is too filthy to directly quote here.) Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt all offer up superb supporting performances. And if you really want to feel the full power of 'The Counselor,' which we would put in the top 5 Ridley movies, watch the extended version. It gives everything more time to luxuriate. We are desperate for a longer 'Eddington', too, for that matter. 'Hell or High Water' (2016) What a movie – aesthetically 'Hell or High Water' is probably closest to 'Eddington' in its attempt to replicate the feeling of the old west in contemporary context. The movie, which people forget was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), follows Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who are robbing banks to save their family ranch. Jeff Bridges is the Texas Ranger on their tail. They both tackle current-day social issues (the pandemic vs. the country's abysmal economic condition) but do it in an incredibly entertaining way, with Scottish director David Mackenzie upping the tension and Nick Cave and Warren Ellis delivering a beautiful, elegiac score (they also scored 'The Proposition,' see above). While 'Hell or High Water' might be more outwardly entertaining, it is still very much of a piece with 'Eddington.' Again: with fewer jokes and conspiracies. The post After 'Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
The slasher scandal of 1984 gets an update in Silent Night, Deadly Night remake teaser
Terrifier 3 already saw Art The Clown ruin Christmas, but why stop there? The slasher business is booming, so it's as good a time as ever for Cineverse to bring back an old holiday horror: Silent Night, Deadly Night. Premiering December 12, the new film is billed as 'A reimagining of the controversial 1984 cult horror classic,' which scandalized audiences with its marketing campaign centered around a killer Santa Claus. More than 40 years later, here's the synopsis for the Cineverse remake: 'When Billy witnesses his parents' grisly murder on Christmas Eve at the hands of Santa, it ignites a lifelong mission to spread holiday fear. Every Christmas, he dons the jolly red suit and delivers a blood-soaked massacre to feed his twisted sense of justice. This Christmas Eve, Billy wants to know: 'Have you been naughty?'' The Silent Night, Deadly Night teaser gets right to it with ax-wielding action and blood splattering on Santa's (fake) snow-white beard. Audiences are probably more desensitized to the shock of a killer Santa in 2025, but in 1984 parents protested that the depiction—even just in the marketing—was traumatizing for kids. The outcry ultimately led to the ads being pulled from the press and later the film being pulled from theaters. Critics didn't dig it either, with Gene Siskel calling out everyone involved with making the movie and declaring 'Shame on you' on At The Movies. In 2012, The A.V. Club's Noel Murray had a milder view, observing it was 'as run-of-the-mill a slasher film as the '80s produced, enjoyable today primarily for its kitsch value.' Despite the controversy or the quality, the film was successful enough to spawn four sequels and a 'slick but soulless' (in Murray's words) remake starring Malcolm McDowell, Jaime King, and Donal Logue. Cineverse's new take stars Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) as Billy, with an ensemble cast that includes Ruby Modine, Mark Acheson, David Lawrence Brown, and David Tomlinson. We'll see where this one fits into the Silent Night pantheon. More from A.V. Club The biggest news (so far) from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 What's on TV this week—Chief Of War and Eyes Of Wakanda R.I.P. Tom Lehrer, mathematician and musical satirist
