All eyes are on Netflix‘s One Piece adaptation as the live-action iteration of the Straw Hats’ journey to the Grand Line continues to soar in all the right ways, and if Netflix continues to play its cards right, this is one show that could end up being so much more than Mackenyu‘s redemption arc. 236p3h

Meanwhile, the Venice International Film Festival has been something of a landing zone for many an Netflix original, such as The Killer, whose director may or may not harbor complicated feelings about five-minute standing ovations (which, in fairness, can apparently be good or bad depending on if you’re a Top Gun film or an Indiana Jones one), and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – the Wes Anderson-masterminded short film that will kick off a series of Netflix-exclusive Roald Dahl adaptations from the filmmaker due later this month.

And — not to be left behind on any entertainment trend — Netflix has opted to leap onto the sex comedy train with two feet, and the results have at least paid off for the suits.

Eclipsing Netflix royalty during your opening weekend should guarantee a season 2, but stranger things have happened 654641

If you told us six months ago that an in-house live-action anime adaptation would go on to the Netflix ranks occupied by shows like Stranger Things and Wednesday, you probably would have gotten laughed out of the room. But — lo and behold — One Piece has done exactly that, with the Iñaki Godoy-led fantasy series having won the hearts of critics and audiences alike and made its mark on the charts in the biggest way possible to boot.

Indeed, One Piece‘s opening weekend has seen the show top Netflix’s television charts in 84 different countries; a better showing than the first season of both Stranger Things and Wednesday when they first made their rounds on the streamer. If that kind of success isn’t enough to lock One Piece in for a second season, we don’t know what is.

People seem to be liking The Killer, and we have no idea how David Fincher feels about it 3h5u4v

The Killer — David Fincher‘s Netflix original due on the streamer November 10 — seems to have all the momentum it needs after its debut at the Venice International Film Festival gifted it a five-minute standing ovation and a 90 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes after 21 reviews. Surely Fincher must be beaming with pride, right?

Apparently, not necessarily; during the ovation, the filmmaker was reportedly spotted shifting around in his seat and muttering uncomfortably, waving his arms around before haphazardly hurrying out of the theater.

We doubt a three-time Academy Award for Best Director nominee would be vulnerable to stage fright or bashful over the fact that people like his movie, so this reaction is a very odd one indeed.

The vanguard to Wes Anderson’s four-day Netflix campaign sets a fine example at Venice 5w2q1s

Speaking of the Venice International Film Festival, Wes Anderson will certainly be happy with his entry, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which, like its fellow aforementioned Netflix original, has been met with critical acclaim ahead of its debut on the streamer.

But Henry Sugar is just the first of four short films based on Roald Dahl works that Anderson has in the oven, with The Swan, The Ratcatcher, and Poison set to be released to Netflix one at a time over the course of September 27-30. Here’s hoping, then, that that Anderson magic extends to Henry Sugar‘s companion pieces as well.

With One Piece‘s high-flying success, Mackenyu’s luck with live-action anime adaptations released in 2023 has broken even 1o574h

The talent behind One Piece‘s live-action Straw Hat crew have all pulled their weight spectacularly, and Mackenyu — who portrays swordsman Roronoa Zoro in the series — is no exception; the Japanese actor is no stranger to shoring up the ranks of live-action anime adaptations, but One Piece could prove to be his greatest boon yet.

And the timing couldn’t have been better, seeing as the 26-year-old recently starred in Knights of the Zodiac — a live-action film adaptation of popular manga Saint Seiya — whose woeful critic scores paired rather appropriately with its dire performance at the box office this past spring.

But that’s all a thing of the past now, and Mackenyu can instead look forward to what will hopefully be many more fruitful adventures as Zoro, provided Netflix doesn’t feed the show a Devil Fruit before throwing it into the ocean.

Netflix re that sex sells, instantly sees returns on its latest raunchfest 4a4x21

When digging into the higher echelons of the Netflix charts, you’ll typically come across toothless action thrillers, disturbing true crime shows, or a steamy love story.

Happy Ending falls into the latter of those three designations, with the Dutch film about a perfect relationship threatened by fake orgasms cementing itself as the fifth-most watched movie on the streamer worldwide, boasting a Top 10 presence in 58 different countries.

At the time of writing, it remains to be seen what the critical consensus is on Netflix’s latest moneymaker, but that’s hardly ever been a defining factor in viewership success anyway.

David Fincher may be one of the most talented directors working today, but it seems his skills don’t extend to reading the room. His new movie The Killer, about a hitman played by Michael Fassbender, has received a five-minute standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival. However, his subsequent comments about the ongoing Hollywood strikes have raised eyebrows.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, he pulled the “both sides are at fault” card, concluding “all we can is encourage people to talk.” Perhaps Fincher is simply being diplomatic, though as SAG-AFTRA and the Writers’ Guild of America are ready to talk, it’s the studios that won’t come to the table to discuss a deal.

Sorry to Bother You and I’m a Virgo director Boots Riley isn’t having any of this, taking to social media to call out Fincher’s bad take:

Riley goes on to argue Fincher’s stance “makes no sense” given the studios’ inflexibility and open desire to extend things until those opposing them have been financially ruined. He underlines that Fincher has “made some great films,” pointing out that he can disagree with him and still “appreciate things that are great” about their art. But let’s just say Fincher is probably off the Boots Riley Christmas card list.

As for the future of the strikes? Well, we’re now in film festival season, with major events like Toronto and London facing up to the fact that there will be no stars on hand to add some glitz and glamor to the red carpet.

With multiple major productions on hold, we think the studios are putting on a brave face while secretly panicking behind closed doors. Here’s hoping the AMPTP return to the table with some concessions as soon as possible.

David Fincher has reportedly been left scratching his head following the premiere of his new film at the Venice Film Festival. The director, who attended the festival to debut his latest Netflix thriller The Killer, was said to have been puzzled by the five-minute standing ovation it received after its screening at the Lido.

Fincher was one of only a few of The Killer contributors to appear at Venice, with co-stars Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton skipping the festival amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. The director walked the carpet alongside a small group of Netflix executives, and signed posters of his previous films like Fight Club and Seven.

The praise continued following The Killer’s premiere, though it was reportedly lost on Fincher. According to Variety, Fincher was seen fidgeting uncomfortably as the audience applauded the film, before flailing his arms in the air and mouthing: “what is this?” Fincher ducked out of the theatre quickly before returning to the stage for the rest of the standing ovation.

The Killer’s positive reception at Venice aligns with critical praise it has received since its Venice debut, with pundits describing the film as “terrific” and particularly lauding Fassbender’s performance.

The film, which sees Fincher enlist frequent collaborators and scorers Trent Reznor and Atticus, marks the director’s latest Netflix venture, having previously worked with the streamer for the titles Mindhunter and Mank, as well as co-producing House of Cards.

The Killer is one of multiple films to receive praise at this year’s Venice Film Festival, with the Emma Stone-starring Poor Things and Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptation The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar also tipped as favourites. The Adam Driver vehicle Ferrari, meanwhile, was met with a lukewarm reception by some critics.

“It’s a really provocative and interesting movie,” Netflix chief Scott Stuber said of The Killer. “It’s a really fun, big movie in the hands of one of the best filmmakers.” The Killer will be released on Netflix on Nov. 10.

A teaser trailer dropped for David Fincher’s highly-anticipated assassin drama, The Killer, psyching fans up for its release. This marks the first film by the award-winning director since the release of his 2020 critically acclaimed black-and-white flick, Mank. After viewing the new trailer, fans predict Fincher will deliver another masterpiece, so let’s dive into what you can expect from The Killer.

Who stars in The Killer? 4y2h1g

The Netflix production stars Michael Fassbender, who you may recognize from his portrayal of Steve Jobs in the eponymous biopic, or as Magneto in X-Men: Apocalypse. Fassbender plays an unnamed assassin described only as “the killer.” Other cast include Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, and Sophie Charlotte. 

What’s The Killer about? 5h4434

The Killer enters the mind of a contract killer who begins to regret his lengthy career as an assassin. According to Collider, the logline for the film describes it as:

“A man solitary and cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, the killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. And yet the longer he waits, the more he thinks he’s losing his mind, if not his cool. A brutal, bloody and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral com, this is a case study of a man alone, armed to the teeth and slowly losing his mind.”

Despite the amount of press surrounding the film’s release, creators have managed to conceal most of the plot’s details, making it a bit of a mystery.

Who wrote The Killer script? q47o

Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, best known for writing Se7en and Fight Club, adapted The Killer from a French graphic novel series of the same title. The comic series, written by Matz Narks and illustrated by Luc Jacamon, consists of ten issues, and became relatively successful in the United States after being translated into English. 

Why was The Killer delayed? p1s67

As one of Fincher’s ion projects, the director first brought the idea for the film to Paramount around 2007. According to Collider, the movie was nearing production with Brad Pitt (potentially) in the lead role when Paramount backed out for “unknown reasons.” Fincher brought the project to Netflix in 2020 as part of his four-year deal with the streaming network, which included his film Mank.

Netflix producer has a lot to say about The Killer 6e5z3f

It’s not just fans who are excited to see Fincher’s film take the big screen. Scott Stuber, the Head of Global Films at Netflix, praised both the director and Fassbender for their work on the movie in a 2022 interview reported by Variety. 

Stuber had this to say about the duo:

“[Fassbender is] charming and great-looking and funny and all these things that you want him to have chances to show in film. He’s a giant star ready to explode in the world, and he’s just looking for those parts that can take advantage of who he is as a person. Opportunistically you see what [Fassbender] has done with talent throughout his career, and how he constantly elevates people to do their best work. The combination of those two we’re really excited about.” 

The Netflix producer described The Killers as a “provocative and interesting” movie “in the hands of one of the best filmmakers, and someone we’re really lucky to have a relationship with.”

What we can tell from The Killer’s trailer 4u1k70

Watching the teaser trailer, it’s clear that the unnamed assassin, played by Fassbender, has been at this kind of work for quite a while. His actions are practiced and methodic as he repeatedly reminds himself to “stick to the plan.” However, his voice becomes unsure as the trailer continues, indicating he may have waivered from his rules. While the trailer gives little away, it’s clear The Killer will be an action-packed movie you won’t want to miss!

When will The Killer be released">Venice Film Festival in early September before appearing in select theaters starting Oct. 27. There’s no information yet on what cities will receive a theatrical release, but that’s to be expected as we’re still two months out. Don’t worry, though, as Netflix will be adding The Killer on Nov. 10, so fans won’t have to wait long before streaming the highly-anticipated film.]]> p5n2q

With actors striking across the United States, there were concerns about whether the Fall’s most important film festivals would go on as planned, with Venice arguably topping the list. Just four days ago, Luca Guadagnino pulled his electrifying release Challengers from the festival’s line-up, given the likely absence of his cast (composed of Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor) to promote the film, and pushed its release from September to April 2024.

Regardless, it looks like the festival held on to a good chunk of its program, with some household names taking their new films to the stunning Italian city for their exclusive premieres. The list includes David Fincher’s Netflix thriller The Killer with Michael Fassbender, Michael Mann’s Ferrari biopic with Adam Driver, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla about Priscilla Presley, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s surprise release Evil Does Not Exist, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Emma Stone-led Poor Things, Ava DuVernay’s Origin, and Wes Anderson’s short The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar which will be showing out of competition. The presence of films by Roman Polanski and Woody Allen, who have both been involved in sexual abuse scandals, is once again attracting major backlash.

Official selection: In competition 4fm3o

Adagio; dir. Stefano Sollima
The Beast; dir. Bertrand Bonello
Io Capitano; dir. Matteo Garrone
Comandante; dir. Edoardo de Angelis
El Conde; dir. Pablo Larraín
Die Theorie von Allem; dir. Timm Kröger
Dogman; dir. Luc Besson
Enea; dir. Pietro Castellitto
Evil Does Not Exist; dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Ferrari; dir. Michael Mann
Finalmente L’Alba; dir. Saverio Costanzo
Green Border; dir. Agnieszka Holland
Holly; dir. Fien Troch
Hors-Saison; dir. Stéphane Brizé
The Killer; dir. David Fincher
Lubo; dir. Giorgio Diritti
The Promised Land; dir. Nikolaj Arcel
Maestro; dir. Bradley Cooper
Memory; dir. Michel Franco
Origin; dir. Ava DuVernay
Poor Things; dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
Priscilla; dir. Sofia Coppola
Woman Of; dir. Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert

Orizzonti section (Horizons) 3s501m

A Cielo Abierto, dirs. Mariana Arriaga, Santiago Arriaga
El Paraiso, dir. Enrico Maria Artale
Behind the Mountains, dir. Mohamed Ben Attia
The Red Suitcase, dir. Fidel Devkota
Tatami, dirs. Guy Nattiv, Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Paradise Is Burning, dir. Mika Gustafson
The Featherweight, dir. Robert Kolodny
Invelle, dir. Simone Massi
Hesitation Wound, dir. Selman Nacar
Heartless, dirs. Nara Normande, Tiao
Una Sterminata Domenica, dir. Alain Perroni
City of Wind, dir. Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
Explanation for Everything, dir. Gabor Reisz
Gasoline Rainbow, dirs. Bill Ross, Turner Ross
En Attendant la Nuit, dir. Céline Rouzet
Housekeeping for Beginners, dir. Goran Stolevski
Shadow of Fire, dir. Shinya Tsukamoto
Dormitory, dir. Nehir Tuna

Orizzonti extra 2d4w2v

Bota Jone, dir. Luana Bajrami
Forever Forever, dir. Anna Buryachkova
The Rescue, dir. Daniela Goggi
In the Land of Saints and Sinners, dir. Robert Lorenz
Day of the Fight, dir. Jack Huston
Felicita, dir. Micaela Ramazzotti
Pet Shop Boys, dir. Olmo Schnabel
Stolen, dir. Karan Tejpal
L’Homme d’Argile, dir. Anais Tellenne

Out of Competition: Series 1s2647

D’Argent et de Sang (episodes 1-12), dirs. Xavier Giannoli, Frederic Planchon
I Know Your Soul (episodes 1&2), dirs. Alen Drljevic, Nermin Hamzagic

Out of Competition: Non-fiction 1k507

Hollywoodgate, dir. Ibrahim Nash’at
Amor, dir. Virginia Eleuteri Serpieri
Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, dir. Neo Sora
Frente a Guernica (Version Integrale), dirs. Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi
Enzo Jannacci Vengo Anch’io, dir. Giorgio Verdelli
Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, dir. Frederick Wiseman

Out of Competition: Fiction f3q2u

Aggro Dr1ft; dir. Harmony Korine
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial; dir. William Friedkin
Coup de Chance, dir. Woody Allen
Daaaaaali!; dir. Quentin Dupieux
Hit Man; dir. Richard Linklater
L’ordine del Tempo; dir. Liliana Cavani
Making Of; dir. Cédric Kahn
The Penitent; dir. Luca Barbareschi
The Palace; dir. Roman Polanski
Society of the Snow; dir. J.A. Bayona
Snow Leopard. dir: Pema Tseden
Vivants; dir. Alix Delaporte
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, dir. Wes Anderson

The 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival will take place between Aug. 30 and Sept. 9. If the SAG-AFTRA strike, which has been underway since July 14, persists, actors represented by the labor union, and who would be promoting studio and streamer films, will not be able to attend the festival, including names like Bradley Cooper, Adam Driver, Michael Fassbender, and more. The festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera said, at a press conference for the festival that took place Tuesday, July 25, that he hopes “actors who are in independent [U.S.] productions – and there are many in Venice – will be coming.”

We’re now halfway through 2023 and the year is already shaping up to be one of the most mouthwatering in recent times when it comes to the silver screen. So far, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Creed III have proven multi-installment franchises can actually be worth our time, while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shifted the conversation around animation for good. Beau is Afraid brought the polarization that keeps fandom alive, Past Lives still has everyone reeling, and The Little Mermaid and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had us all pleasantly surprised.

We are just getting started, however, seeing as it’s usually the last stretch of the year that holds all the cards. From award contenders and high-profile major productions with first-class casts, to under-the-radar indies, the return of a beloved franchise, and a remake with a lot of potential — 2023 has come out all guns blazing, complete with atomic bombs, chic plastic pink heels, and sandworms. Meanwhile, films like Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest and Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s Monster, which shone at Cannes, are probably coming our way this year too, but with no official release dates for U.S. theaters revealed yet, they sadly have to sit this one out.

So, sit tight, get your drinks and snacks ready, turn off your cell phone, and enjoy the show.

Asteroid City, dir. Wes Anderson – June 23 2z5431

Wes Anderson returns with a treat for his fans, in what has been described as a return to form, and the director’s best since The Grand Budapest Hotel. Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, and many, many more all gather in a desert town for the Junior Stargazer convention until “world-changing events” cause major disruption. An amalgamation of sci-fi, romance, comedy, and drama, Ateroid City is one for the Anderson devout.

Barbie, dir. Greta Gerwig – July 21 6n4s

Arguably the main event of the year (sorry, Mr. Scorsese), Greta Gerwig’s Barbie already has weighty expectations to meet. The pitch-perfect casting of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the most adored doll in the universe and her Ken, as well as the playfulness and remarkably on-theme marketing for the film, have made Barbie the most talked about title of the year. A movie about existential dread drowned in the most colorful of palettes could easily become the best reflection of the post-modern world. Or maybe it’ll just be fun.

Oppenheimer, dir. Christopher Nolan – July 21 3m4m1b

Warner Bros. and Universal’s decision to schedule Barbie and Oppenheimer‘s releases for the same day changed lives. The sheer cultural scope that this double bill represents has been delighting film fans all year — a cinematic event that no non-Marvel films have accomplished since the first Avatar. With a cast equally as packed as its direct competition, Oppenheimer is set to be Christopher Nolan’s spectacular dive into the psyche of one of the most important men that has ever lived.

Bottoms, dir. Emma Seligman – August 25 6h4l7

Emma Seligman might have only made one movie, but when it’s as good as 2020’s Shiva Baby, it’s hard not to rank her among her generation’s best. Her return to the big screen with teen sex comedy Bottoms pairs powerhouse Rachel Sennott with The Bear breakout star Ayo Edebiri. The two high school seniors decide to form their own fight club to get their crushes to fall for them. The movie premiered at South by Southwest to rave reviews, and although not as big and bright as other names on this list, it’s bound to become many young gay girls’ new obsession — this writer included!

Poor Things, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos – September 8 3e4l1

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are a once-in-a-lifetime combination. The two reunite following the decadent 2018 period black comedy The Favourite, this time ed by a revitalized Mark Ruffalo, as well as Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, and Jerrod Carmichael. This present-day Frankensteinian story follows a woman’s reinsertion into the world after she is brought back to life by a mad scientist. The surrealist trailer already makes Poor Things look like the year’s most perfectly eccentric film.

Challengers, dir. Luca Guadagnino – September 15 2xu68

Although the premiere for Challengers is coming soon, not much has been revealed about the film. Still, the prospect of Luca Guadagnino pairing up with three of the brightest (and most attractive) talents of our time is more than enough to have me champing at the bit. Described as a romantic sports comedy, Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), a former tennis player who coached her husband (Mike Faist) into becoming a champion, but following a losing streak, she signs him up for a Challenger tour where he’ll eventually face his ex-best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend Patrick (Josh O’Connor).

Killers of the Flower Moon, dir. Martin Scorsese – October 6 2i1q2k

Martin Scorsese recently broke everyone’s hearts when he said he was running out of time to tell stories, when he still has so many he wants to dedicate his time to. Somehow, his statement made the release of his 26th feature film Killers of the Flower Moon feel even more special. Informed by the homonymous nonfiction book by David Grann, the Western crime drama explores the murders of Osage people that took place in Oklahoma in the 1920s. It marks the first time Scorsese works with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro — his two biggest muses — on the same film, yet all everyone could talk about after its premiere at Cannes was Lily Gladstone.

Dune: Part Two, dir. Denis Villeneuve – November 3 2s5t5e

Denis Villeneuve cemented his status as one of the biggest visionaries working in cinema today when the first half of his Dune adaptation was released in 2021. The anticipation for the continuation is incredibly high and if it follows in its predecessor’s footsteps — of which I have no doubt — we’re gearing up to experience what could be the greatest sci-fi film of the last decade. Villeneuve’s haunting vision meets a high-octane cast, which includes returnees Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and newcomers Florence Pugh and Austin Butler.

The Killer, dir. David Fincher – November 10 614n14

While it has largely flown under the radar, David Fincher’s return is also happening this year. As part of the filmmaker’s deal with Netflix, The Killer adapts the French graphic novel series of the same name about an assassin on a man-hunt. In a genre that the director dominates, this steely action thriller starring Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, and others, will hopefully have all the traits of a Fincher classic in the vein of Se7en or Gone Girl.

The Hunger Games series has aged like fine wine, the prime exemplar of the Young Adult post-apocalyptic trend of the late aughts and early ‘10s. The original trilogy of films holds up well and faithfully translates the books into the visual language of cinema. Still, Panem was always much larger than the story told in those first books, and Suzanne Collins has managed to find an extension worth telling in the formative years of Coriolanus Snow. The trailer looks promising, and so do Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler as the young president-to-be and the rose among his thorns, Lucy Gray Baird.

Napoleon, dir. Ridley Scott – November 22 5w2io

Ridley Scott’s trajectory has been defined by a constant succession of hits and misses. After two lackluster efforts with 2021’s The Last Duel and House of Gucci, the prolific director is back with Joaquin Phoenix, 23 years on from Gladiator. The Academy Award-winning actor stars as French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in this historical epic, which sets out to portray Napoleon’s rise to power and high-intensity turbulent romantic relationship with his first wife Joséphine (played by The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby).

Wonka, dir. Paul King – December 15 596t3b

What’s more whimsical and fun than the director and writer of the Paddington films taking on a Willy Wonka origin story? I struggle to find an answer. At first glance, 2023’s Wonka comes off as another jaded attempt to bank on famous IP, but the choices of Paul King as the person steering the ship, and Timothée Chalamet as his star quickly change that narrative. If there’s anyone that can make Wonka a film worth our time, it’s those two. What’s more, this will mark the first time Chalamet dances and sings in a film. Described as a musical fantasy film, Wonka imagines the life of the chocolatier before the events of Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel and the 1971 film adaptation.

The Color Purple, dir. Blitz Bazawule – December 25 e5311

The Color Purple started as a novel written by Alice Walker, it became an acclaimed film directed by Steven Spielberg, turned into a musical on Broadway, and is now being made into a musical film from Black is King director Blitz Bazawule and writer Marcus Gardley. A story as monumental and celebrated as this one is not an easy task to take on, but the first images reveal a spirited attempt, aided by the fact that Bazawule and Gardley are relatively fresh voices in the industry. American Idol alumna Fantasia Barrino will play the protagonist Celie Harris-Johnson. She’s ed by a multitude of equally exciting names.

Purists will tell you that CGI blood is one of the worst things to happen to R-rated action cinema, and they’re probably right. Few things are more viscerally exciting and adrenaline-pumping than a cacophony of squibs exploding at the exact right moment, and few films have ever done it better than John Woo’s masterpiece The Killer.

While your mileage may vary as to whether or not it’s even Woo’s finest contribution to the genre, the fact you’d need to debate the merits of A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled, and Face/Off to name but three just goes to show the seismic impact the dove-obsessed orchestrator of balletic onscreen violence has had on big screen running and gunning.

The final act of The Killer stands out among the pack, though, with Chow Yun-fat’s assassin Ah Jong and Danny Lee’s Detective Li Ying forcd to put their differences aside to battle back against a shared enemy. An extended shootout that’s comfortably one of the greatest bullet-riddled set pieces ever likely to be committed to celluloid, the camerawork and explosive pyrotechnics work perfectly in sync to deliver a heart-stopping showdown for the ages.

To that end, a Reddit thread remarking on The Killer and its strategic use of blood has opened up the floodgates for a brand new wave of praise. Even though there’s a sky-high body count and no shortage of claret being spilled, it never feels excessive, needless, or over the top, even if the climactic standoff isn’t exactly rooted in a grounded and gritty reality.

In short; The Killer still rules, and the insane volume of blood squibs is just one of many reasons why, if an often-overlooked element of its greatness.

2022 was something of a banner year for Netflix original movies, as the streamer managed to deliver many of its most popular films ever over the past 12 months, from Rian Johnson’s world-conquering whodunit Glass Onion to Chris Evans/Ryan Gosling spy thriller The Gray Man. Netflix will only be looking to equal, or even top, that success in 2023, then, and this sizzle reel suggests they might just have the tools to do it.

Delighting loyal subscribers everywhere, Netflix has just offered up our first look at all of their most highly anticipated feature-length releases coming in 2023, in the form of a thrilling trailer you can check out above. As you’d expect, the name of the game appears to be both continuing on with the streamer’s proven hit franchises and generating new ones starring reliable tentpole names.

The sequels on the way include Adam Sandler/Jennifer Anniston comedy Murder Mystery 2 (March 31), Chris Hemsworth actioner Extraction 2 (June 16), and Luther: The Fallen Sun (March 10), featuring the return of Idris Elba as TV’s John Luther. Among the brand-new projects that Netflix will likely be hoping to milk for more, meanwhile, are Gal Gadot vehicle Heart of Stone (Aug. 11) and Millie Bobby Brown fantasy Damsel (Oct. 13).

Other films of note include David Fincher’s thriller The Killer (Nov. 10), starring Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, psychological drama Leave the World Behind with Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali (Dec. 8), and Nicole Kidman/Zac Efron rom-com A Family Affair (Nov. 17).

All in all, while Netflix might be cancelling beloved TV shows left, right, and center, at least it looks like those s who stick around to stream movies will continue to be well-served in 2023.

For action junkies, any movie calling itself The Killer is inevitably going to invite comparisons to John Woo’s all-time classic of the same name, while the basic premise of a retired hitman finding himself drawn back into the life he led behind has unmistakable shades of John Wick.

Doing a great deal more than adding a subtitle and an uncooperative 17 year-old girl to the mix in order to distance itself from the aforementioned behemoths, Choi Jae-hoon’s The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die flew so far under the radar that you might not even know it’s one of 2022’s finest ass-kicking masterclasses, one that scored healthy Rotten Tomatoes scores of 77 and 91 percent from critics and audiences respectively.

Jang Hyuk’s Bang Ui-gang is the titular assassin, who has no issues getting out of the murder business after accomplishing everything he wanted, leaving him financially set for life. Unfortunately, when his wife asks him to look after a friend’s teenager while she’s away on a trip, it doesn’t take long before the unlikely duo end up on the run and fighting for their very survival.

Everything about The Killer sounds formulaic, but the execution is relentlessly crisp and fresh to the point of being exhilarating. Streaming subscribers have been finding that out firsthand, too, with FlixPatrol revealing A Girl Who Deserves to Die as one of the most-watched feature on both iTunes and Rakuten this week, it’s just a shame the 95-minute adrenaline rush had to wait so long to find a crowd on-demand.

We may live in a world where remakes of popular movies and properties are an ever-present phenomenon, but it’s not every day we see a remake of a film from the same person who made the original.

Nevertheless, that’s exactly what we’ll be seeing from celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo, who penned the script and helmed the director’s chair for his 1981 film The Killer, and will be doing so again with the remake of the same name.

The original film starred Chow Yun-fat as assassin Ah Jong, who accidentally injures a singer named Jennie (Sally Yeh) during one of his missions. Wracked with guilt, Ah decides to take on one last mission in order to pay for Jennie’s surgery, lest she become permanently blind.

In an interview with Deadline, Woo revealed that he’d be taking up directorial duties once again for the remake, and also remarked that there will be a distinct deviation from the original film, most notably rewriting the lead as a woman.

“We originally tried to hire another director to shoot it, but couldn’t find anyone, so I took on the job. We maybe shouldn’t call this The Killer, because we’re making a very different version, as the lead character [an assassin played by Chow Yun-fat in the original] will be played by a woman. We’re doing the casting now. We were talking to Lupita Nyong’o but she had to so we’re looking for somebody else.”

He would go on to explain the thematic differences that this new film would introduce as well.

“The story is similar to The Killer, but we can say it’s more of a story about friendship than a love story.”

The remake of John Woo’s The Killer is set to release in 2023 exclusively to Peacock.

When it comes to compiling a list of cinema’s all-time greatest action heroes, the usual suspects pretty much name themselves. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jackie Chan, Keanu Reeves, Bruce Lee, and others always make the cut, but Chow Yun-fat doesn’t get anywhere near as much appreciation as he deserves.

In fact, the actor had staked his claim to be named near the front of the pack as early as 1992, by which time he’d already collaborated with John Woo on A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled, each of which can reasonably be deemed as one of the finest actioners to emerge from the woodwork of cinematic history.

Because people must always pit things against each other on the internet, a fan poll has been making the rounds in an attempt to determine whether or not Yun-fat can realistically be deemed superior within the context of the genre than hulking Hollywood counterpart Arnold Schwarzenegger. As you can see below, the results are close, and the opinions are strong.

Obviously, you can’t really compare the two in a direct fashion when Schwarzenegger was all about brawn, biceps, and one-liners, whereas Yun-fat brought empathy and pathos to his signature ass-kicking roles, even if he was of course required to gun down reams of faceless goons in spectacular slow motion, often while dual-wielding pistols as a dove flew past.

It’s a curious debate, then, one that’s captured the imagination of action aficionados everywhere, but which side do you fall on?

If John Woo had retired from filmmaking before even making the trip over to Hollywood in the early 1990s, or simply stayed put in his native Hong Kong, he’d still be regarded as one of the greatest action directors of all-time, which comes with the territory when you knock out stone cold classics A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Bullet in the Head, and Hard Boiled in the space of five years.

Speaking of The Killer, an English-language remake has been stuck in development hell since 1992, but it’s never gained any significant traction. The last official update we got came in late 2019 when Lupita Nyong’o signed on for the lead role and then almost immediately dropped out, but the project has roared back to life in surprising fashion.

Going full circle, Woo will be directing the reimagining of The Killer himself, which will stream exclusively on Peacock at some point next year. That’s about all the information we’ve got to go on, but it’s highly unusual to see a filmmaker take a second stab at one of their own smash hits.

We’d expect Peacock’s The Killer to follow the same beats as the original, which saw Chow Yun-Fat’s assassin filled with regret and remorse after he accidentally blinds a nightclub waitress while on assignment. Intending to retire after the fabled “one last job”, he’s forced to team up with a maverick cop in order to restore order to the chaos after being double-crossed.

It’s hard to imagine The Killer V2.0 being as good as its predecessor, never mind better, but we’ll give Woo the benefit of the doubt for now.