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Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Final Destination: Bloodlines – A gleefully gory good time
Considering it's been almost a decade since the last Final Destination film released, you may need reminding about the nuts and bolts that hold together this now 25-year-old horror franchise. In every Final Destination instalment, someone experiences a premonition of a fatal accident, at which point they act on their vision and save a group of people, including themselves. Except, that's against Death's plan, and the universe sets out to course correct, taking those lives via a new set of incidents. Featuring a cast of unknowns (Resident Evil actress Ali Larter is probably the most famous face associated with the series), Final Destination has no identifiable boogeyman; no masked, knife-wielding murderer. Its signature kills are styled after a Rube Goldberg Machine, where a water glass placed too close to the edge of a table, or even something as innocuous as a lone penny, can trigger a chain of cause-and-effect actions that culminate in death. It's unusually creative for the horror genre. It's also undeniably silly. And just released Final Destination: Bloodlines, the sixth film in the series, embraces that to its benefit. It's been a hot minute since most people last watched a Final Destination film (this writer included), but it doesn't feel like a stretch to say that Bloodlines, which can be watched with no previous universe knowledge, is immediately one of the best entries, if not thee best film, in the franchise. This is achieved through an excellent balance of tension, gore, and humour, while still also finding space for a sliver of relatable heart. That relatability stems from the fact that Final Destination: Bloodlines shifts the focus from a group of teen friends to an ordinary suburban family. It all starts when university student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) finds herself on the brink of losing her scholarship due to debilitating nightmares where she sees her grandparents die in a horrific disaster during the 1960s. To work out the cause of her dream, Stefani must track down her estranged grandmother Iris (Gabrielle Rose), who insists that Death is coming for their family after she thwarted its intentions decades previously. Armed with Iris's research, it's up to Stefani to sate the Reaper in a way that also breaks the vengeance cycle and saves her loved ones, which include standout Richard Harmon as Stef's rebellious oldest cousin. The Final Destination films have never had much thematic depth, but by shifting from friends to a family unit, the film does have a bit more meat to work with. More specifically, it makes a point about parental anxieties over their children; how fear can lead to toxic obsession and over-protection. No one is watching a Final Destination movie for thought-provoking commentary on human existence, though. They're there for over-the-top deaths while they munch on their popcorn and sip their watered-down Coke. Bloodlines goes out of its way to deliver on that front, with co-directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein (who previously made Freaks and the Kim Possible movie) and the film's team of writers demonstrating a playful attitude to the carnage. Playing off character and viewer paranoia – the infamous log truck from Final Destination 2 even gets a revisit – they bait the audience, dodge the expected payoff time and time again, before finally springing a grisly demise when and where you least expect it. Read more: Havoc on Netflix: Gritty action can't save this overloaded crime thriller A warning is that Final Destination: Bloodlines is age rated 18 for good reason, as the camera refuses to veer away from the various impalings, dismemberments, immolations, squashings and so on. And yet it's still kind of fun. Bloodlines isn't alone in recent times in depicting graphic accidental deaths – last year saw the release of The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix, and goofy The Monkey hit the big screen this February – yet it's Bloodlines that really hits the sweet, and simultaneously shocking spot. It's ideal as a cinema outing so you can watch it alongside like-minded people gasping and giggling in illicit delight. Enjoy every minute left to you. DM
Gulf Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
‘Final Destination Bloodlines' makes the everyday item terrifying
A blender. A lawn mower. A ceiling fan. A garden rake. A vending machine. An MRI scanner. These mundane items are supposed to ease us through life, helping us eat, clean, keep cool, stay healthy. They're not supposed to be evil. But in 'Final Destination Bloodlines,' as in the entire 25-year franchise, ordinary objects become fearsome tools of murderous mayhem. And they do it through intricate sequences akin to Rube Goldberg machines — those contraptions that make simple tasks complex through elaborate chain reactions. We doubt Goldberg intended for a nose ring to interact with a ceiling fan in quite the way seen here, but whatever. There's some ingenious chaos cooked up here by co-directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, who said at the film's premiere this week that they hope people will be watching this, the franchises's sixth installment (and 14 years after the last), through their fingers — but with smiles on their faces. To which I must confess I muttered to myself: 'No way I'm going to be smiling.' I braced to feel jumpy and miserable for two hours. But sure enough I was soon smiling, even giggling. Turns out, horror films are a lot easier to handle when they're funny. Even more so when they're witty. A spoonful of wit, as Mary Poppins might say, helps the bloody mayhem go down. Part of the fun in these movies is that we all know what we know. The surprise is not whether people will die. Death is not to be cheated. The issue is HOW, and that's where creativity comes in. The action starts with probably the most impressive sequence in the movie - an opening scene set in 1969 at the so-called Skyview tower, looking very much like the Space Needle (but filmed in Vancouver). It's opening night at the luxurious restaurant up top. Lovely young Iris (Brec Bassinger) is brought here by her beau for a romantic evening and, though she doesn't know it, a proposal. In the elevator, Iris tries to calm her nerves. It doesn't help when the elevator guy boasts the project was completed months ahead of schedule. Once upstairs, Iris' nerves persist, but she tries to quell them. When she nicks her finger and a bit of blood seeps out, she says with a smile, 'I'll live.' Ha! Soon enough, rivets are popping and the place is crumbling. Then people start dropping dead on the ground, to the befuddlement of parking valets listening to 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head' — written in 1969! — one of many musical jokes here. And then a present-day college student wakes up. Turns out this has all been a recurring nightmare of Stefani, who's in danger of flunking out because all she can think of is Skyview. Her sleep-deprived roommate urges her to go home and figure things out. Which Stefani (an appealing Kaitlyn Santa Juana) does, determined to learn who Iris is. Turns out the woman is her grandmother. Uncle Howard tells her to stay away from the madwoman who years ago lost custody of her children. Stefani suspects there's more to it. She tracks Iris down in the remote cabin where the reclusive woman has spent decades. She learns that Iris indeed survived a Skyview calamity — but thanks to her premonition, she actually saved many lives. There's a catch, though. Every person who survived — thanks to Iris — ended up dying later. That's because they cheated Death, and became marked men and women. Their offspring are marked too — hence the movie's title — because they were never supposed to exist. 'Death is coming for our family,' Iris warns. What does this mean for Stefani? It means she has to save everyone. And that everyday life becomes very dangerous. A family barbecue starts off happily, but then we see the spiked rake lodged just under the trampoline, and the huge glass shard in the blender. Someone will die. But who, and how? And that's how the movie continues, upping the ante with each kill. A tattoo parlor hosts one of the more creative Goldberg-ian catastrophes. Even wilder is a scene with an MRI scanner. You know that giant magnet? Yeah, that. Just as important are the non-deaths - the times you're sure something terrible will happen, but it doesn't. I found this silly phrase scrawled later on my notepad: 'Actually he doesn't die.' Some people hate horror films of any kind. They're not the intended audience here. But for those who don't, or are mixed, it's true: You may watch 'Final Destination Bloodlines' through fingers covering your face. But chances are high you'll be smiling, too. Associated Press
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Final Destination Bloodlines Deaths Ranked
In case you hadn't heard, Final Destination Bloodlines is now one of the highest-grossing R-rated (and also horror) films of all time and will likely become the top-grossing of the entire franchise. And one of the reasons this latest installment in the iconic film series is such a success is the W-I-L-D deaths. Like, there are some really, really, really great ones in this film. So, we decided to rank all of the deaths in the film from "Eh, not that bad" to "Holy SHIT that was good!!!" Check it out: William (the little boy) falling to his death. Crystal: I'm very glad this happened off-camera. Honestly, was sad about this death. 1/10Darren: I'm glad this was only a premonition because I really would have been bummed to see that kid die after all that. 0/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: .5/10 Darlene (Stefani's mom) getting crushed by a wooden post. Crystal: I don't know if it's because the scene itself was so dark and so much was going on, but this death felt like a side note. Like, it just kinda happened. 2/10Darren: I knew she was probably going to die, and it happened so quickly it was startling, but man what an uninspired kill. 1/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 1.5/10 All the people falling through the Skyview stairwell that collapses. Crystal: Although it's a pretty comical death (which I love), it wasn't particularly gore-y or shocking. 3/10Darren: They just don't make 'em like they used to. 2/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 2.5/10 All the Skyview restaurant goers burning up in a giant explosion. Crystal: This felt like a very 'catch-all' kind of death. I'll give them points for quantity, though. 4/10Darren: It had to be done. But still, better deaths to come. 3/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 3.5/10 The dancers falling through the broken glass floor of The Skyview and hitting support beams, the ground, etc. Crystal: As 'oh shit!!!' as this death sequence is, I wasn't really shocked by it, considering all the build-up with the glass floor cracking, etc. It's definitely an awful way to go, but not as shocking as some other deaths in the Final Destination franchise. 5/10Darren: Exactly what we expected to happen, but still didn't make it any less…fun? But this was just the beginning. 5/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 5/10 All the remaining people falling out of the Skyview restaurant after the explosions, etc. Crystal: Another middle-of-the-road death sequence for me. Gotta happen, though! 5/10Darren: The deaths themselves, though horrible, are unremarkable in the grand scheme of things. But 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' playing on the radio below as the bodies fall was *chef's kiss*. 7/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 6/10 The little shit who caused the whole thing getting crushed by the piano. Crystal: Definitely the most satisfying death in the movie. What a POS, this kid. 7/10Darren: He had it coming for sure, but I can't help thinking he could've had it so much worse for setting this whole thing in motion. 5/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 6/10 Stefani and Charlie being crushed by logs flying off a runaway train. Crystal: IDK why I expected Stefani and Charlie to make it out of this alive. I mean, not EVERYONE dies at the end of every Final Destination film, but certainly, no one cheats death in the long run. So, in that sense, this was kind of surprising. And I did find it funny that, in the end, they were killed by logs. 6/10Darren: Hilarious. I laughed so hard at the guy nonchalantly telling Stefani, 'Well, you didn't technically die…' and me thinking, I know. They're not the "cherry on top" deaths that we deserved, but it's still good cartoonish fun. 6.5/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 6.25/10 The older woman catching on fire from the chef's flambe and then exploding. Crystal: This one made me laugh out of sheer horror. Like, burning to death seems like one of the worst ways to go. Sorry, ma'am. 7/10Darren: Call me a sicko, but seeing an innocent person running on fire to their demise just does it for me every time. 7/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 7/10 The woman getting crushed by the piano before falling to her death. Crystal: I felt really bad for this lady, LOL. Like, it's not bad enough to see your imminent death, falling out of a collapsing building, but the piano crushing her was straight out of Looney Tunes. 7/10Darren: Ah, the old getting smashed by a falling pian routine. If you look closely you will see the piano has ACME stamped on it. Not really, but not far off, right?! 7/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 7/10 The last dancer holding onto the glass floor, cutting his hands, and then slamming his head onto a beam Titanic-style. Crystal: This poor guy's death was a standout amongst the whole sequence of people falling through the glass. Not only was the whole hand thing brutal but to smack your head on a beam on the way down. Oof, adding insult to injury. Sorry, dude. 7/10Darren: Again, I feel like I knew what was coming, but it still hurts so good to see that poor sucker get his head used as a ping-pong ball. Also, the memories of that other poor sucker from Titanic getting similar treatment gets extra points. 8/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 7.5/10 The guy on fire falling out of the window of the Skyview. Crystal: This death was a little more subtle, and the fact that he fell out of the window on top of being on fire was the cherry on top. 7.5/10Darren: The only thing better than a person on fire, is one pinwheeling to their own double-demise. 8/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 7.75/10 Evie Bludworth (the singer) burning alive in front of a young William. Crystal: OK, the only thing worse than burning to death is burning to death in front of your own child. B-R-U-T-A-L! 8/10Darren: Well, I changed my mind, maybe seeing a person on fire IS horrible. That kid is scarred for life… even more than his mom. Too soon? 8/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 8/10 Young Iris having her finger degloved by her engagement ring, falling to her death, and then being impaled through the mouth. Crystal: This felt like a very classic Final Destination-style death. SUPER gory and flinch-worthy. 8/10Darren: You know, there aren't enough de-glovings represented on film. So satisfying, in a vomit-inducing way. 8/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 8/10 Old Iris being impaled through the back of her head by the weathervane. Crystal: I don't know how I didn't see this one coming sooner, but it was a good one. High on the gore factor and creativity, for sure. 8/10Darren: I love how death was toying with her all throughout the scene. Then, only being able to destroy her once she finally surrenders/sacrifices herself. The poetry of her being impaled through the mouth, just like in the premonition, is solid gold. 8/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 8/10 The restaurant host/older man getting sliced in half by the falling elevator. Crystal: Now this is the kind of death I expect to see in a Final Destination film. Shocking, gore-y, creative, and a little satisfying because that guy was rude AF. 9/10Darren: Oh boy, now we are getting into the cartoonish gore that I have come to expect from the FD series! 9/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 9/10 Howard (Stefani's uncle) stepping on broken glass, falling on the ground, then a rake setting off a lawnmower which drives over his face, pulverizing his head. Crystal: This was easily one of my favorite deaths in the film. Lots of nail-biting anticipation and guessing who was gonna die (and how), which makes for the best kinds of deaths. And bonus points for being a 'nod' to another lawnmower-related death in The Final Destination. 9/10Darren: This is the kind of thing FD does best. It puts all the pieces in place to make you think one thing is gonna happen, only to have something totally bat-shit random happen instead. The tension throughout was incredible. 9.5/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 9.25/10 Erik's fakeout death — his nose ring getting caught on a chain that gets wrapped up on a ceiling fan, then him falling into a massive fire below. Crystal: Well, there's a reason this death sequence is in the teaser trailer. It has literally every perfect element — overly elaborate chain reaction, great music, painful to watch, what more can you ask for?! BUUUT because this was a "fake out," I'm docking points a little. 9/10 Darren: The perfect Rube-Goldbergian death sequence. This is why we watch these movies. I almost felt robbed since this was showcased so prevalently in the teaser trailer, but they really redeemed themselves by making it so he did not actually die from this event, so even though we already saw all this in the trailer, it wasn't quite a spoiler. 10/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 9.5/10 Bobby's head being impaled by a coil from the vending machine that corkscrews through his brain. Crystal: Unexpected. Shocking. Gory. Hilarious. What's not to love? 10/10Darren: This guy got screwed! 9/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 9.5/10 Julia being crushed in a garbage truck after a tree trimmer falls and hits the guy with a leafblower, which blows leaves into the kids playing soccer, whose ball hits Julia, knocking her into a garbage bin that dumps her into said garbage truck. Crystal: I feel SO BAD for laughing at this death, but the fact it played out in the background (and exactly how Erik said it would) is hilarious. And never in my life would I have expected to see someone's head crushed by a trash compactor. 10/10Darren: It started off fast and comedic with her being thrown into the garbage truck, but then once she was in the compactor…seeing her head get crushed in slow real-time was so intense, disturbing, and cartoonish that it is now burned in my brain. 10/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 10/10 Erik's real death by being impaled and literally snapped in half by an MRI machine. Crystal: This death was SO creative. Lots of great anticipation and unexpected twists. This is definitely one I will NOT forget. And, again, more bonus points for the 10/10Darren: You can't write this shit! Oh, wait apparently you can. This is the only franchise that can get away with something so ludicrous, but still have the audience on board 100%. Everything about it is perfect, but the Prince Albert is the crowning achievement. 10/10"Holy Shit!!!" Level: 10/10 Do you agree with our ranking? Sound off in the comments below!
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gwen Stefani Delights With Rare Photos With Grown Son for Special Occasion
It's hard to believe Gwen Stefani has a grown son, but here we are. The No Doubt singer's son Kingston Rossdale, whom she shares with Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale, is 19 years old today. To celebrate her son's special day, Stefani dropped a carousel of photos on Instagram to wish him a happy birthday and to show off how grown he is now. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 She captioned the post, "kingston, u changed my life forever. we love u so much. happy birthday 💫💙" In the series of 15 photos and one video, Stefani shared several special moments involving her various career moves where Rossdale was able to join her, including on the set of The Voice and in a photo that flashed onstage behind her while she performed. The first two snaps showed Stefani with her son looking grown, while others featured Rossdale at various ages, including as a baby, middle schooler, and young teen. Blake Shelton even appeared in the photos, posing in camouflage with family and then again on a fishing trip with Rossdale. Stefani's fans were quick to comment, with one comparing Rossdale to his famous parents, writing, "I know everyone says he looks like his dad, and he does, but I also think he looks a lot like Gwen ❤️" Another agreed and wrote, "Wow time flies! Love all the pics. From Jamaica to OK • Kingston, hbd! 🎂 You are looking more n more like your beautiful mama." Dozens of others wished him a happy birthday and shared their surprise that the Grammy winner's son is already so grown up. Gwen Stefani Delights With Rare Photos With Grown Son for Special Occasion first appeared on Parade on May 26, 2025
Metro
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Viewers have unsettling Final Destination experience after life imitates art
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Remember the Final Destination scene where a cinema ceiling fell? No? That's because it happened in real life when theatre attendees were watching the sixth film on the big screen. Final Destination: Bloodlines was released earlier this month, following Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) as she uncovers a deadly family secret that threatens all of their lives. It marked the final film appearance of the late genre icon Tony Todd, who had played the mysterious William Bludworth throughout the franchise. But cinemagoers in Argentina got an impromptu 4DX experience when, during a screening of the film, the theatre's ceiling began collapsing. The incident occurred around 9pm on May 19 at Cinema Ocho in La Plata, Buenos Aires, reports InfoBae. Attendee Fiamma Villaverde told the publication that she went to see the film as part of her 29th birthday celebrations, but did not expect to become immersed in it quite so much. 'There was a really loud noise. At first, we thought it was part of the movie because we were so absorbed, but then a huge piece fell on me,' she recalled. Around 40 attendees found their screening disrupted as the ceiling in screen 4 began to fall down, with Fiamma reportedly being struck by debris, explaining, 'It didn't hit their head because they were leaning slightly over the armrest.' She was allegedly struck in the shoulder, back, knee, and ankle, and sustained bruising from the accident. Video shared on social media shows a large hole in the ceiling of the cinema, with debris on the floor and in the aisles. 'I asked for my ticket money back,' Fiamma, who attended the film with their 11-year-old daughter, continued. She claimed: 'While I was waiting, the theatre manager came to talk to me. He asked, 'How do you want to fix this?' I got angry: 'How do I want to fix this? I'm going to file a complaint. Just imagine if they hit my daughter in the head! They're irresponsible!'' The film has proved a hit for the franchise, grossing a whopping $187.1 million (£138 million) worldwide so far, making it the highest-grossing installment of the franchise. More Trending Speaking to Metro ahead of the release, directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky shed light on how they plotted those 'staggeringly grisly', intricate death scenes, sparked from random freak occurrences. 'From the very beginning, we call it, 'What can we ruin for people?' so that after you see this movie, for the rest of your life, you'll never be able to look at a cup filled with ice in the same way, or a garbage disposal truck, or hear the song Shout without thinking of this movie,' Adam teased. 'That was a big conversation. I think that's the legacy of Final Destination: that it takes potential anxieties and brings them to life in a way that ruins them for people forever. 'We always wanted to create a movie that you had to watch through your fingers, but while you were also smiling. Getting that tone balance right was very tricky.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: The best Wes Anderson films to watch if The Phoenician Scheme isn't your vibe MORE: Michael Jackson biopic's exhausting runtime confirmed in major update MORE: The Phoenician Scheme review – My sky-high hopes for Wes Anderson's latest were dashed
