Latest news with #mystery
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Zach Cregger's Mysterious New Horror Movie ‘Weapons' Has Critics Raving
Coming off a movie as insane and surprising as Barbarian, writer-director Zach Cregger certainly knew his next movie would carry massive expectations. That movie, called Weapons, is now almost here. And, based on the first reactions, he may have just blown those expectations away. Cregger wrote and directed the film, which stars Julia Garner (Ozark, Fantastic Four: First Steps) as a teacher who walks into school one day to find almost her entire class has gone missing. No one else has gone missing. Just 17 students from her class only. And, in fact, they all simultaneously, at 2:17 a.m., got up out of bed, ran out their front doors, and never returned. That's the mystery at the center of Weapons, which unfolds in an almost Robert Altman's Nashville, Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia version of a horror film with multiple characters—Garner's, but also a father played by Josh Brolin, a cop played by Alden Ehrenreich, and others—all reacting to this horrific mystery. It's a very cool, intriguing premise that audiences will find out about on August 8. But, ahead of release, the film recently screened for press, and here are just some of the incredibly positive reactions, starting with yours truly. #WeaponsMovie is beyond messed up & I loved every second of it. It's Magnolia the horror movie, as multiple characters circle a big, creepy mystery. Bit of a slow burn, but it pays off in huge, awesome, gory, disturbing ways. Less shocking than Barbarian, but much better. — Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) July 22, 2025#WEAPONS rules. If you're looking for a movie that keeps you on your toes from start to finish and delivers the unexpected time and time again, this is it. — Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) July 22, 2025WEAPONS is an absolute blast: a creepy, funny ensemble piece that takes a MAGNOLIA/PULP FICTION/SHORT CUTS storytelling approach to unleash a memorable suburban nightmare. The grand finale had me cackling with twisted glee. #WeaponsMovie — Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) July 22, 2025Zach Cregger has crafted a horror masterpiece and the best film of the year with #Weapons! It's Prisoners by way of Magnolia with some of the Coen's absurdist humor. An absolutely BRILLIANT commentary on the attitudes and institutions during the fallout of a communal tragedy. The… — Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) July 22, 2025WEAPONS was one of my favorite films of 2025 for most of its runtime, until the final act brought it down a few notches, and I'm sure I won't be alone in that feeling. Still, Zach Cregger once again proves he has a gift for crafting a haunting atmosphere, using jump scares… — Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) July 22, 2025WEAPONS is just as twisty as Zach Cregger's debut but allows the audience to piece together its mystery in a surprisingly funny and terrifying way. It's bonkers in the best of ways and shows how he continues to be a visionary in horror. — Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) July 22, 2025WEAPONS is downright terrifying and cements Zach Cregger as a strong voice in modern horror and a master of mystery. I can't recall the last time a movie gave me chills like this one did. Extremely well-structured and executed with a talented cast. Buckle the fuck up. #Weapons — Matthieu Côté (matte) (@m77oz) July 22, 2025WEAPONS had me laughing until it didn't. such a confident, harrowing tale about mystery and obsession and how scary it is to be a kid and/or have a kid? another clever twist you won't expect, another great offering from cregger, another alden ehrenreich character i would smooch! — lyvie scott (@lyviescott) July 22, 2025So, there you have it. Almost all the reactions are over-the-moon positive, with a few minor issues here and there. Which is to be expected. But, considering I myself am in those reactions, I feel confident enough to say that Weapons does live up to the Barbarian hype. These reactions aren't lying. And, as we get closer to the film's release on August 8, you'll see more reactions, more reviews, and much more on the film itself. Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, June Diane Raphael, and Amy Madigan also star in Weapons, which comes to theaters August 8. Check back here on io9 for interviews with writer-director Zach Cregger as well as star Josh Brolin soon. 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.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Final photo of Florida man, 79, who made frightened 911 call before dying on New Hampshire mountain
A final chilling photo has captured the smiling face of a Florida man at the summit of Mount Washington just moments before he vanished and made a frightened 911 call - only to be found dead just days later. William Davis, 79, had taken the historic Cog Railway up to the 6,288-foot peak on Wednesday when he mysteriously wandered off near the visitor center and never returned. He made a frightening 911 call and was later found dead by New Hampshire Fish and Game officials after a three-day search. Officials say Davis was not planning to hike and had no gear or preparation for the trails. After taking the phone, he unexpectedly left the designated area around 3pm. His wife became concerned when he didn't return and contacted New Hampshire State Parks. 'Really, all we know is he had no intention to hike, but for some reason, he went off on the hiking trails, and no one knows why,' Fish and Game Lt. Mark Ober Jr. told local outlet WCAX. One official briefly reached Davis by phone for a moment. He appeared disoriented and said he was lost before the line went dead most likely because his phone had died. Rescuers launched a massive search with more than 50 officers who looked the surrounding terrain. But dangerous weather conditions Thursday night caused a halt to the search and forced crews to briefly suspend efforts. By Friday morning, a Blackhawk helicopter joined the operation along with more than 20 Fish and Game officers and volunteers who spread out across the mountain. Just after 11am, Davis' body was discovered on the steep and rocky southeastern slope near the summit. Officials believe he most likely fell from a step area. An official cause of death will be determined by the state medical examiner. Patrick Hummel, manager of Mount Washington State Park, told the outlet their entire team was shaken by the tragic outcome. 'This was an intensive one,' he said. 'And filled with a lot of unanswered questions that we still don't have and may not have answers to.' 'As far as Mr. Davis' thought process and even his tracking and where he went and how he ended up on the eastern side of Mount Washington,' Hummel continued. 'I'm just incredibly sorry about how the situation turned out.'
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Influencer divides opinion with video swimming in murky-looking sea foam after claiming there had been a raw sewage spillage
Influencer Michelle Sky Hayward appeared confused when she went for her morning dip and realised the water was murkier and foamier than usual. But it was only after she posted a video of herself swimming in the sea in Cape Town, South Africa, that TikTok viewers solved the mystery.
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Director Chun Sun-Young Wanted To Give Her Film's Victim A Voice
Kim Min-ha plays a woman haunted by her memories in 'Girl With Closed Eyes.' Mystery thrillers tend to ask a lot of questions. When did the victim die? How? And who did it? Sometimes they ask more complicated questions, the kind not satisfied by a coroner's report or DNA results. Answers only the victim can give. When police find Kim Min-ju pointing a gun at a body they figure they no longer need to ask questions. She's obviously the killer. Yet Min-ju, played by Kim Min-ha, is also a victim. In the Korean film Girl With Closed Eyes she gets to tell her side of the story. 'On the surface level it is targeted as a mystery, thriller as a genre,' said Director Chun Sun-young. 'But I think one of the things that my strengths lie in is that I'm able to focus on that emotional connection that you can establish with certain characters. I also tend to have a focus on human relationships, and that is how the character was created.' Chun dislikes the way many thrillers carelessly and quickly dispense of the victim to focus on the crime. 'I was always a little miffed that when you see thrillers usually the victim dies and just straight up disappears,' she said. 'I wanted to really make a film where the victim becomes the protagonist and is able to have agency in the sense where she is able to save another victim and actually do something about the wrongs that have been inflicted upon her. For me, this was sort of scratching that itch and coming from my imagination of what a victim would do if they survived an incident and how would they act if another incident were to happen?' The only person Kim Min-ha's character will talk to is the detective played by Choi Hee-seo. Kim Min-ju was kidnapped as a child and tormented for years by the public's fascination with her true crime story. The villains in Girl With Closed Eyes include the media. The ongoing crime reportage makes life miserable for Min-ju and turn friends and neighbors against her. 'There are several antagonists in this film," said Chun. "Several antagonists who represent the media. For example, there are reporters, there's also the head of the publishing company who is an antagonist in her own way. Then of course, there's new media like YouTube and whatnot. I definitely intended to make a statement that these outlets are also victimizing someone and traumatizing someone again and again through what they do.' When Kim Min-ju is arrested, she insists that Park Min-ju, played by Choi Hee-so, is the only police officer she'll talk to. They share some history. 'As a genre film, I did feel that following the mystery, trying to figure that out, was an important part, because that is what viewers will expect," said Chun. "I do remember focusing very much on following those genre rules in a sense. But later on, once we hit the climax, it's revealed that what's actually important is the relationship between Min-ju and Min-ju." Girl With Closed Eyes creates empathy by telling the story from the victim's perspective, which is also a female perspective. 'It just came about naturally for me because I am a woman and I just question certain things differently," said Chun. "For example, why does a victim just disappear? Why can't a victim become the protagonist of the film? That comes from just being a woman in the world. I'm sure countless other women are dealing with certain societal issues that affect women, and there are certain hurts and scars that we bear because we are women. This kind of thinking is a natural progression and extension of that experience, and hopefully that can also expand the horizons of what cinema can mean today." The number of female directors in Korea has grown over the last decade, with more female-led films finding commercial success. Girl With Closed Eyes is Chun's first feature length film, although her 2002 short film Good Night was nominated for a Best Short Film at the BAFTA awards. Choi's character has a history of not trusting the suspect she's questioning. 'There are many more women directors in the younger generation that are in the field, and I really feel like that's a positive change,' she said. 'A point of concern for me is that even though we have more women directors and women writing scripts and directing the stories we write about, a story with a female protagonist is still considered pretty rare in the Korean film industry. I have these two actresses essentially helming this film. I was focused on being faithful to the genre of this being a thriller, but also focusing on the relationship between these two women. The fact that I focused on this female relationship is still pretty rare.' Seeing Kim Min-ha act in Pachinko prompted Chun to cast her in this film. She then cast Choi (Okja, Now We Are Breaking Up) as her childhood friend Min-ju. She cast Lee Ki-woo as popular novelist Jeong Seong-woo. It's a surprising role for the actor who previously appeared in the dramas Agency and My Liberation Notes and generally has a 'nice guy' image. 'He has a very kind image and not only does he have a kind image, he is in actuality a very kind and handsome actor,' said Chun. 'The truth is that not a lot of actors wanted to touch this role because it not only deals with murder, but it deals with child abuse. Molestation. We're dealing with a very grave crime here. Also it wasn't a huge role in itself, so not a lot of people were open to doing this.' She wanted a likable actor. "If that person was capable of committing such atrocious crimes, I thought it would be interesting to really twist and subvert that image.' Chun is working on two new projects. One is a horror thriller with a female protagonist and the second is a drama set during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910 to 1945) and it's focused on the stock market. 'This script deals with the first stock market in Korea," said Chun. "I thought it would be interesting to incorporate an economic perspective into the storytelling as well as a historic perspective." Girl With Closed Eyes is currently being shown at film festivals.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Book Review: Grief is profound, painful and personal in this debut novel from J.B. Hwang
'Mendell Station' is Korean American writer J.B. Hwang's first novel. And it is all about death — its horror, finality and mystery, and, most of all, how those who knew and loved that person must cope. Miriam, the main character, who is a Korean American postal worker living in San Francisco, learns that her best friend, Esther, was found dead, having fallen two stories onto the train tracks at Van Ness station.
