Horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa to bring eerie storytelling to his first samurai film
'I do want to do it once, and it looks like it might be really happening, although things are still uncertain. I may finally be able to make my samurai film,' he told The Associated Press, noting he couldn't give much detail just yet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Vibes Nation
an hour ago
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Frailty' 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review - Bill Paxton Crafts One Of The Finest Psychological Thrillers Around
Frailty, Bill Paxton's striking directorial debut — now in chilling 4K for the first time — centers on the God's Hand Killer, who terrorized a small Texas community with his axe-wielding butchery. Years after the murders, Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) walks into an FBI office with a shocking revelation: he not only knows who the killer is, but where the bodies are buried. Fenton recounts how his father (Paxton) received an angelic vision commanding the destruction of demons in human form, and enlisted Fenton and his brother, Adam, to aid in the divine purge. What the boys witnessed tested the limits of their minds and souls, fusing family, retribution, and redemption in horrifying, unsettling ways. For thoughts on Frailty, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: Video Quality Frailty debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation in 1.85:1 which allows the film to look absolutely spectacular. The previous Blu-Ray released in 2009 looks awful in comparison with its ancient, processed master. At long last, this gem from Bill Paxton is being treated with the proper respect, and the results are astounding. The new 4K presentation unlocks an invaluable amount of detail in the smallest facets of the rustic production design, clothing, and makeup effects. The increase in detail is a blessing in the exploration of textures, including the beads of perspiration on foreheads. Skin tones appear to be consistent throughout and show a notable amount of facial detail including stubble and blood splatter. Color refinement is another area of significant improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray thanks to the implementation of Dolby Vision. Colors look more natural and complex, especially with such lush greenery around the farm. The most worthwhile upgrade comes in the handling of the contrast. With so much of this narrative occurring at night or in shadows, it would be easy to succumb crush and banding, which it often does in the standard Blu-Ray presentation. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray shows off with particularly deep black levels with digital noise nearly completely absent from the screen. The presentation also holds up with a firm handling of the highlights that show no evidence of blooming. This is an unbelievable 4K UHD upgrade that is not to be missed. Audio Quality This disc gets an upgrade with a phenomenal Dolby Atmos presentation that entrenches you in this spiritual nightmare. Sounds are faithfully deployed with the sharpest directionality from the more thrilling moments to the interpersonal exchanges. The effective score from Brian Tyler flows through you to make you feel more unsettled than ever. The sound design is not required to deliver an action-packed assault, but it is appropriately lively in order to make everything feel authentic. The low end gets activated more so when there are sound effects such as thunder or when visions are triggered. The mix here is respectfully expanded with noble engagement of all the channels, so those with a proper system should be pleased. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. This track is often immersive, such as the sounds of rain coming down from the overhead channels. Lionsgate has made this audio experience really sing. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided. Special Features This release comes in an incredible new Collector's Set exclusively at Lionsgate Limited that is quite fetching in person. The set features a hard slip box case and a printed reproduction of director Bill Paxton's complete original shooting script, with handwritten notes throughout. Video of the release can be found at the top of this review. Father Figure: A new 34-minute featurette that weaves in both new and archival interviews with Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, writer Brent Hanley, producer David Kirschner, producer David Blocker, Bill Paxton's son James Paxton, and more. In this piece, you get great insights into the production of the film, the directorial vision of Bill Paxton, the relationship between the performers, the music of the film, and more. Establishing Shot: A new seven-minute featurette that delves into the care put into the 4K restoration of the film. More Stories from the Frailty Set: Another new 19-minute featurette in which many of the subjects providing new interviews from the first piece relay more stories that could not fit neatly into that piece. There are great anecdotes about inviting James Cameron to watch the movie, Bill Paxton imparting acting wisdom to the young performers, and more. There is even a nice reunion between Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter. Teaser Trailer (1:04) Theatrical Trailer (2:07) Legacy Special Features: This new disc carries over the features from the 2009 Lionsgate Blu-Ray release. Audio Commentary #1: Director Bill Paxton Audio Commentary #2: Editor Arnold Glassman, Producer David Kirschner, and Composer Brian Tyler Audio Commentary #3: Writer Brent Hanley Anatomy of a Scene – Featurette Courtesy of Sundance Channel (25:58) The Making of Frailty (19:29) Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary (8:28) Storyboard Gallery (3:02) Photo Gallery (1:35) TV Spots (0:48) Final Thoughts Frailty is a terrific directorial effort from the late, great Bill Paxton, who is likewise delivering some of his best work in front of the camera, as well. This psychological tale keeps you on your toes as you try to decipher whether the horror you are witnessing is man-made or from a higher power. The tension is sustained very well throughout, and every performance lends a significant amount of authenticity to the proceedings. Even with its acclaim, it is an underrated piece of cinema. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a top-tier A/V presentation and a valuable section of special features in lovely packaging. This is as respectful of a tribute to Bill Paxton as you could wish for. Highly Recommended Frailty is currently available to purchase exclusively at Lionsgate Limited on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Gizmodo
3 hours ago
- Gizmodo
We Just Saw 10 Jaw-Dropping Minutes of ‘It: Welcome to Derry'
We were already on edge anticipating it: Welcome to Derry, the HBO prequel series laying the groundwork for Stephen King's tale of a small town with a sizable demonic clown problem. But the new peek just shared in-room at San Diego Comic-Con—building off that evocative teaser from a few months back—signals it's going to be a show that interrupts your sleep on a regular basis. We saw the opening of the very first episode. It's 1962 in Derry, Maine—near Christmas, going by the snow and the decorations—and people are watching The Music Man at the local movie theater. The camera shifts from the screen (surely not by coincidence, it's the number where Howard Hill is warning the people of River City they've 'got trouble!') to the audience, and we see a kid of about 12 sitting by himself, sucking on a pacifier. He's too old for a pacifier, but that detail recedes for a bit when an usher appears and tells him to leave. 'Pity is not going to keep the lights on, Hank!' the usher snaps at the projectionist when he urges him to go easy on the pint-sized freeloader. The projectionist's daughter, who's about the same age as the pacifier kid, helps him sneak away, and he makes his way outside to the dark, frozen road. A family—dad, pregnant mom, two kids—pulls over and warmly offers to give him a ride; when they ask where 'home' is, he says, 'Anywhere but Derry.' They say they're going to Portland, and he's welcome to come along. But this is Welcome to Derry, not Escape from Derry. The kid starts to notice that there's something very off about the people who've picked him up. The little boy brags about what a great speller he is, but the words his mother flings at him to show off with keep getting creepier ('necrosis,' 'kidnapping,' 'strangulation'). Meanwhile, his sister opens a plastic container marked 'liver' and starts snacking on it… raw. Then she sticks her bloody hand in the pacifier kid's face. The kid starts frantically jiggling the door handle, but it's no use. The freakiness rapidly escalates inside the car—and outside, as the car cruises by the same 'Welcome to Derry' sign for the second time—but nothing prepares you for what comes next. The mom goes into labor, and there's a grotesque shot of her belly pulsating in such a way that you know what's coming out isn't human. And, yes, there's a gruesome birth in the front seat; it produces a monstrous infant with wings and a truly awful face. After it chaotically zooms around the inside of the car with its umbilical cord still attached, it clamps its terrible gaze on the kid and pounces on him. The car window breaks, and we see the pacifier soaring through the air and into the water near the road… then drifting into a sewer tunnel, exactly the kind of place our friend Pennywise the clown likes to hang out. It's a deeply unsettling sequence, and it sets up so many elements that It: Welcome to Derry will explore. While good people do live in Derry, like the projectionist and his daughter, there's also something festering just below the surface—a force capable of supernatural illusions and expert mindfuckery that takes special delight in tormenting children. This may be the small screen, but the frights will not be diminished. After the footage, Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti—the sibling team behind the recent It movies and the co-developers of this new spin-off, with Andy directing several episodes—came out to talk more about the series. The genesis of Welcome to Derry came when the Muschiettis were working on the movies. They were exhausted, as was star Bill Skarsgård, when they were done—but as Andy recalled, 'We always fantasized about doing the origin story, how 'It' becomes Pennywise, which is one of the big mysteries in the book … We loved [the idea of a] TV series because of the opportunities that gives you: a larger canvas to tell the story, more characters, more nuances, and more complicated arcs.' Barbara added that when they took the idea to Stephen King, it was his idea to go back in time, following Pennywise's 27-year cycle, to 1962. 'There's a reason why it goes back in time, but we can't let you know yet,' Andy teased. 'At the end of the book, nobody knows what the hell 'It' is. What does 'It' want? Who is Bob Gray [Pennywise's real name]? How did it all happen? We are going to ruin this,' he joked, but noted that while Welcome to Derry will answer some of the book's long-standing questions, it will raise new mysteries too. A second teaser trailer was also shown in the room at SDCC. It expands on the first teaser with more distressing imagery—'missing' posters, a Shawshank State Prison bus, a red balloon, people behaving in unfriendly ways, the tiniest glimpse of Pennywise—and will be released to the public, though a date wasn't given. It: Welcome to Derry debuts this October on HBO and HBO Max. It will run nine episodes and stars Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk (playing Dick Halloran, a character who appears in the It novel but is best known for The Shining), James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and—of course—Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. Behind the scenes, it was developed by Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (It and It Chapter Two) and Jason Fuchs (It Chapter Two), with Andy Muschietti handling directing duties on multiple episodes. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'XO, Kitty' Season 3: Everything We Know (So Far!) About the Netflix Series' Next Chapter
The second season of the 'To All the Boys' spinoff premiered in January 2025 XO, Kitty isn't signing off just yet. The Netflix original series — a spinoff of the popular To All the Boys film franchise — follows Kitty Song-Covey (Anna Cathcart) as she moves to Seoul to attend the Korean Independent School of Seoul (K.I.S.S.) and reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, Dae (Choi Min-young). Their reunion proves to be more complicated and dramatic than romantic, leading Kitty to find new friends — and romances — while building a life in the South Korean city. "Immediately when she gets there, within seconds after she sees [Dae], that's all kind of thrown out the window," Cathcart revealed to PEOPLE in May 2023. "And she's thrown upside down into this whole new world that she was not expecting to find in Korea." The first season premiered in May 2023, with the second following in January 2025 — but what is in store for season 3? Here's everything to know about XO, Kitty season 3, including who is being added to the cast and when fans can expect to start a new year at K.I.S.S. Has XO, Kitty been renewed for season 3? Yes, XO, Kitty has been renewed for a third season. Netflix made the announcement in a video posted online on Feb. 14. In the clip, Cathcart accepts a delivery of a bouquet of roses, reading a card that says: "Roses are red, violets are blue, there's a third season of XO, Kitty in store for you!" She then reaches into a gift bag, revealing a season 3 script. "It's official! Season 3 of XO, Kitty is in the works," she says ecstatically. Which cast members are returning for XO, Kitty season 3? The main cast members who play Kitty's friends and K.I.S.S. classmates are returning for the third season. According to Tudum, that includes Cathcart, Minyeong Choi, Gia Kim, Anthony Keyvan, Sang Heon Lee, Regan Aliyah, Hojo Shin, Peter Thurnwald, Joshua Lee, Sasha Bhasin, Michael K. Lee, Jocelyn Shelfo, Philippe Lee, Han Bi Ryu and Sunny Oh. The series is also adding three new cast members to the upcoming season: Sule Thelwell, Soy Kim and Christine Hwang. "Grateful beyond words to join the XO, Kitty family! It's been nothing short of magical," Kim wrote on Instagram in July 2025. "The cast and crew are not only wildly talented, but endlessly kind. I feel so lucky to be part of something special. And witty. And charming." What happened at the end of XO, Kitty season 2? Season 2 ended with Kitty scoring a scholarship to K.I.S.S., securing her return to the school for her senior year. In the finale, Kitty is about to confess her feelings to Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee), before he leaves to spend his summer on tour, with his dad, and older brother, pop star Joon Ho (Peniel Shin). The two say goodbye and embrace, almost sharing a kiss. After Min Ho walks away, Kitty yells out, asking if she can join him on the tour. He smiles and nods for her to come along. "I know we left fans on a cliffhanger at the end of Season 2 but I can promise season 3 will be worth the wait, including our first summer episode," season 2 showrunner Jessica O'Toole said at the time of the renewal, per Deadline. "Not to mention plenty of romance, friendship, adventure … and kissing. Lots of kissing." According to Deadline, Valentina Garza, who wrote the season 2 finale and was a writer on seasons 2 and 3, took over as showrunner for the upcoming season. When does XO, Kitty season 3 come out? A premiere date for XO, Kitty season 3 has not been announced, but production on the new set of episodes wrapped in July 2025. On July 17, Netflix posted a behind-the-scenes compilation video on Instagram, with the caption: "Put a bow on it because XO, KITTY: SEASON 3 filming has wrapped!" Cathcart also celebrated the end of filming with an Instagram post showing off some XO, Kitty season 3 pajama pants. "And that's a wrap💌💌 my heart is so full," she wrote in the caption. While there's no release date for the third season, season 2 wrapped production in June 2024 and the season debuted a few months later in January 2025. Where can I watch XO, Kitty? Both seasons of XO, Kitty are available to stream on Netflix. Read the original article on People
