The breathtaking, generation defining Broadway phenomenon becomes a soaring cinematic event as Tony Award winner Ben Platt reprises his role as an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social media age.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Wonder), the film is written for the screen by the show’s Tony winner Steven Levenson with music and lyrics by the show’s Oscar®, Grammy and Tony-winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman).
Featuring Grammy winning songs, including the iconic anthem “You Will Be Found,” “Waving Through a Window,” “For Forever” and “Words Fail,” Dear Evan Hansen stars six-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams, Oscar® winner Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Colton Ryan (Apple TV+’s Little Voice), Nik Dodani (Netflix’s Atypical), DeMarius Copes (Broadway’s Mean Girls) and Danny Pino (NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).
Summary: An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter’s brutal murder.
Year: 2021
Cinema Release Dates: TBA
VOD Release Dates: TBA
Country: USA
Director: Samuel Gonzalez Jnr., Bridget Smith
Screenwriter: Darren Geare, Jeff Allen Geare
Cast: Bryan ‘Bobby’ Alvarez (Arlo), Zoltan Bathory (Fang), Robert John Burke (Lt. Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Max), Dominic Costa (Officer Kelly), Joseph Gatt (Ram Kady), Corrie Graham (April), Gigi Gustin (Cynthia), Abbey Hafer (Rebecca Bishop), Rachel Hilbert (Sophie), Jason Hook (Cruz), Chris Kael (Decker), Cree Kelly (Aunt Jody), Katie Kelly (Sarah), Kristopher Kling (Arlo), Robert Knepper (Otto), Michael Lombardi (Bishop), Amanda Lyberg (Erica), Craig Mabbitt (Arlo Garcia), Gemma McIhenny (Sharon), Marc Menchaca (Jed), Ivan L. Moody (Vic), Reno Muren (Kate), Sarah Nicklin (Emily), Brian O’Halloran (Obnoxious Guy At Christmas Tree Place), Jacoby Shaddix (Quinn Brady), Tuk Smith (Tuk), Shannon Wilson (Debbie)
Running Time: 97 mins
Classification: TBC
OUR THE RETALIATORS REVIEWS
David Griffiths’ The Retaliators Review:
I love that feeling you get when you discover a cult film that you just know is going to become a cult favourite. I had the feeling the first time I watched John Carpenter’s Vampires and the classic Freeway. Now I’ve got that feeling once again as I’ve just finished watching the brand new revenge thriller The Retaliators.
This film has been teasing me for a long time. I first heard about it when the first single from the soundtrack was released – a stunning piece of metal that consists of actual Mongolian throat singing from The Hu. Then in a recent interview on my heavy metal radio show Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach teased me a little about his work on the soundtrack and his role in the film as well. If anything I knew I was going to love the film’s soundtrack before I had even viewed the movie in its entirety.
Now after watching the film I can say this is more than just a movie with a killer soundtrack, this is not only one of the best revenge films, and hasn’t there been a few, to surface over the past few years. It also does enough to suggest that directors Samuel Gonzalez Jnr. (The Springfield Three) and Bridget Smith (Sno’ Babies) have huge careers ahead of them, although we already kind of knew that about Smith – after all her film Sno’ Babies was a masterpiece.
Plot-wise The Retaliators centres around Bishop (Michael Lombardi – Last Knights), a cool preacher whose daughter Sarah (Katie Kelly – Game Of Silence) is horrified that her Dad lets himself get pushed around by others all the time. Despite her father telling her that she needs to learn to forgive people more she points out to him that he needs to stand up for himself and his family every now and then.
Then the unthinkable happens. Bishop and his younger daughter, Rebecca (Abbey Hafer – Play Date), are devastated when Sarah is murdered by violent criminal and notorious drug dealer Ram Kady (Joseph Gatt – Dumbo). While Bishop once again wants to turn the other cheek hardened cop Jed (Marc Menchaca – Ozark) urges him to get revenge.
I won’t go into where the film goes from there as it would be a major spoiler but let’s just say that while the film is labelled a revenge thriller if you can’t really stomach horror then this isn’t the film with you.
Gonzalez Jnr. and Smith take this film into some pretty dark places but they are well guided by first-time screenwriters Darren and Jeff Allen Geare. While elements of this film take on the slaughter-house look of Rob Zombie’s House Of A 1000 Corpses the screenplay itself allows for characterisation and for the most part this film we see the dilemma that Bishop is going through. On the one hand he wants to do good but on the other he knows that his life has been changed forever because of the murder of his daughter.
Like Joel Schumacher’s 8MM this is a film that at times will repulse its audience but I found the most intriguing part of this film was that at times I found myself thinking ‘that is disgusting and immoral’ but at the same time wondering if I could ever be pushed to the same limits if a loved one was taken away from me. A film with a plot this intriguing and thought-provoking is normally written by a screenwriter at the top of their game, so to learn that this is The Geare Brother’s first film comes as a complete shock.
Also embracing the power of this film is Michael Lombardi. While most film-lovers would know Lombardi for his television work in Rescue Me and his extensive B-Grade film career it is here in The Retaliators that we see his theatre training get put to good use. Lombardi does have to become action hero from time-to-time as he fights for survival but for a good part of this film he also has to go deep inside a character that is being seduced by both the light and the dark and he does it amazingly well.
I found that there was so much to enjoy about this film that it was easily elevated far above most of the revenge films out there. From the great characterisation that comes through in the screenplay through to the fact that it is a film that will make you think about what you would do in these circumstances this is a film that needs to be considered one of the films of the year despite the genre that it is in. Add to that an amazing soundtrack, that I hunted down as soon as I could, and this is one cult film I am going to remember for a long time to come.
Tubi, an ad-supported free streaming service owned by Fox Corporation,has added seven new films from global powerhouse anime franchise “Anpanman,” for English and Spanish speaking audiences, exclusively on the platform. Joining “Purun, The Soap Bubble” and “Apple Boy and Everyone’s Hope,” which are currently available on Tubi, anime fans will be able to binge new titles from TMS Entertainment featuring the beloved superhero and his world of friends, which holds the Guinness World Record for most characters in an animated franchise. With five dedicated museums, “Anpanman” is the most popular character among both boys and girls in Japan. “Anpanman” – whose head is an anpan, a popular Japanese pastry – is a champion of justice who flies anywhere to help those in trouble, all the while keeping an eye out for his trusty nemesis, “Baikinman.”
The ”Anpanman” films exclusively available on Tubi for Australian anime fans include:
The Adventure of Happie
When Anpanman’s new apprentice, Happie, is swayed by Baikinman, Happie’s whole village is in danger. Anpanman must set him straight, before all is lost.
Star-Spirited Dollie
When Anpanman saves Dollie, she gains life and just wants fun, even if it means bothering others. Meanwhile, Baikinman tries to build the strongest mold robot to defeat Anpanman.
The Secret of Fairy Rin-Rin
When Baikinman tricks the fairy Rin-Rin who protects the flower that gives Anpanman strength, everyone must go on a journey to find more flowers.
Blacknose and the Magical Song
An orphan, Cana, raised in darkness by evil Blacknose, tries to destroy the joys of singing, dancing, and yummy food. Can Anpanman make the kid see the light?
Revive Banana Island!
Clouds and cold may ruin all the sweet fruit on Banana Island, but queen Banna refuses to ask Anpanman for help, while Baikinman goes to Banana Island in search of the legendary Giant Banana.
Nanda and Runda from the Star of Toys
The selfish princess Runda, accompanied by a kind robot, Nanda, loses her wand that turns things into toys and needs Anpanman’s help to find it.
Shine! Kulun And The Stars Of Life
Before the annual Star Festival, the mysterious Kulun pops out of Baikinman’s garbage bin and black stars fall, threatening life on Anpanman’s world.
Tubi is available on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub, and on OTT devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Hisense TVs, Comcast X1, Cox Contour, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. Consumers can also watch Tubi content on the web at http://www.tubi.tv/
A Shudder Original Film, V/H/S/94 is the fourth installment in the hit horror anthology franchise and marks the return of the infamous found footage anthology with segments from franchise alumni Simon Barrett (Seance) and Timo Tjahjanto (May the Devil Take You Too) in addition to acclaimed directors Jennifer Reeder (Knives & Skin), Ryan Prows (Lowlife) and Chloe Okuno (Slut).
In V/H/S/94, after the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police swat team launches a high intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy.
V/H/S/94 premieres October 6 on Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streamer for horror, thrillers and the supernatural.
THECITYISOURS release their self-reflective new single ‘So Sad’ taken from the band’s sophomore album »COMA«. The album is set for release 22nd October 2021 via Arising Empire.
All good things must come to an end, and ‘So Sad’ is about just that. Speaking on their latest offing, Mikey Page remarks: “So Sad is about trying to come to terms with the decision to end something you feel is great, and processing the subsequent fallout. This was an interesting one for us as the lyrics came from two completely separate viewpoints. We have always been advocates for making music people can relate to in their own way and take from it what they need. This was the first time we really explored that idea consciously within ourselves to collaborate in a way that told both angles of the story, leaving the door open for interpretation from the listener.”
»COMA« was recorded, engineered and mixed by long-time collaborator Oz Craggs (FEED THE RHINO, NECK DEEP, MALLORY KNOX) at Hidden Track Studios and mastered by Ermin Hamidovic (ARCHITECTS, PERIPHERY, NORTHLANE) at Systematic Productions.‘Following the departure of long-standing vocalist Sam Stolliday (full statement HERE), the band unexpectedly found themselves in unknown territory. 12 months on, they are back with the introduction of new vocalist Oli Duncanson and ready to welcome a brand new era of TCIO.
Oli recounts “I remember being shown some demos of some new songs prior to Sam’s departure and absolutely loving the direction and progression of the band’s sound… so as soon as Mikey told me about the opening in the band, I knew I had to take a chance!”Page adds “Oli has been a part of our team for a long time. He is a very well respected entity in his own right amongst the music scene. We’d seen snippets of his capabilities over the years, so when he registered an interest in becoming a part of CITY, we knew we had to explore…and we clicked instantly.”
THECITYISOURS is a 5-piece metal band from London who has quickly garnered attention and growing support for peers, industry and fans alike, with their high-octane live show and the success of their debut album. »LOW« (2019) smashed into the top 5 iTunes metal charts with several singles appearing in editorial playlists with the likes of Amazon, Deezer and Spotify (Including 2 covers on New Core and Metal UK) supporting the band.
2019 was a very busy year for TCIO, with appearances at a slew of UK festivals including Camden Rocks, Macmillan Fest, Burn It Down, Holloween, a fly in appearance at High Fives Festival in Sweden, a headline set in the Doghouse Tent at the revered Download Festival to a 4000+ audience of festival-goers, and a sold-out album release show at Boston Music Rooms in London. Be sure to keep an eye on THECITYISOURS in 2021.
With cinemas still not fully opened around the world one of the biggest movies of the year has just landed straight in everybody’s lounge-rooms. At a budget that topped the $200 million dollar mark The Tomorrow War is no low-budget feature, in fact it is possibly one of the biggest blockbusters to go straight to a streaming service since the Covid outbreak started.
Directed by Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie) the film gives obvious nods back to the great action films of the 1990s with some pretty amazing similarities and visuals as films such as Starship Troopers and Waterworld. The good news is though the film also has a screenplay that is much better than the films just mentioned, thanks largely to the work of Zach Dean (24 Hours To Live).
The film itself centres around former Green Beret Dan Forester (Chris Pratt – Guardians Of The Galaxy) who finds himself working as a biology teacher as he struggles to find work within the scientific community. While de-stressing with his family after another employment knock-back he witnesses a major interruption during a World Cup broadcast that alerts today’s society to the fact that in 2051 humanity will be wiped out after a three year war with alien invaders known as Whitespike.
When it is decided that people from today will be sent to the future to help save humanity Dan finds himself drafted. His wife, Emmy (Betty Gilpin – Isn’t It Romantic) and his young daughter beg him to do anything he can to stop himself from being sent. In a last bid effort he goes to see his conspiracy theory loving, ex-military father, James Foreter (J.K. Simmons – Whiplash), to see if he can find away to prevent him from that going.
But when that fails he soon finds himself being sent off to the futuristic war where he finds himself fighting alongside his now fully grown daughter, Colonel Muri Forester (Yvonne Strahovski – The Handmaid’s Tale), who reveals to him that they have been estranged for years.
It is hard not to notice the similarities between The Tomorrow War and Starship Troopers as you watch the film but while the 90s classic tried to create an anti-war storyline The Tomorrow War does nothing of the kind and instead in a way follows the formulas of films like Independence Day that centre around wars against some intergalactic visitors.
The thing that prevents The Tomorrow War becoming just another dull all action affair is the storyline that revolves around Dan and adult Muri. Dean’s screenplay drops little breadcrumbs throughout the film that suggests that the perfect Forester family that we saw at the start of the film have been ripped apart by something. When Muri tells Dan in 2051 that they have been estranged for years it opens up a storyline that is a lot more suspenseful than any of the alien versus human battle sequences throughout the film.
That is not to say that Chris McKay doesn’t make the action sequences quite a spectacle on the screen but to be honest there is nothing here that we haven’t seen previously, and in fact many of the battle scenes look a lot like what we saw in Monster Hunter earlier this year.
A mentioned earlier though it is the father-daughter storyline that makes this film so special though and that vision first planted by Dean in the screenplay is brilliantly brought to life by the performances of Pratt and Stahovski. We know though his work in the Marvel universe that Chris Pratt is an actor that can blend genres together seamlessly. And while the comedic skills that come into play as he portrays Star-Lord are not needed here he does show a more dramatic side to his acting as his character is faced with questions about his future that leave him completely confused. As usual Pratt also comes to the fore during the action sequences.
He is also well supported by Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski who portrays his daughter Muri. The very under-rated actress has been making a name for herself over recent years with her performance in the hit show The Handmaid’s Tale but is was her performance alongside Noomi Rapace in Angel Of Mine that revealed just how talented she is. She again brings the intensity of that role to this film as she mixes dramatic sequences with action brawn with ease.The Tomorrow War is not the most original film to be released this year but if you are looking to waste some time with a big dumb action film it will certainly fill that void. Well worth a look though for the performances of Chris Pratt and Yvonne Strahovski.
Birds of Tokyo today release their first new song for 2021. “Superglue” is the infectious first taste of a new batch of tunes the band has been cooking up since last year’s album “Human Design” took hits like “Good Lord” & “Unbreakable” to #1 on the ARIA Album chart.
The single features guest vocals by Stand Atlantic’s Bonnie Fraser and is the first Birds Of Tokyo single to feature such a cameo.
“We always heard this song as coming from two distinct viewpoints so it made sense to share the vocals and get both sides of the story”, says guitarist/songwriter/producer Adam Spark.“We’re all fans of Stand Atlantic so Bonnie was the first name on our list. Hopefully we can get to play the song live together somewhere when borders eventually reopen.”
“We are so excited to team up with Birds of Tokyo for ‘Superglue’. The guys have been a staple of Australian rock music for years and so when they asked us to be a part of the release it was a no-brainer!” says Bonnie Fraser of the feature.
Watch the video created by the band’s long-time collaborator, director Zac Lynch-Woodlock (The Rions, Rainee) and acclaimed production house Found At Sea.
To be someone with a Wild heart means to be passionate, strong in conviction and have a willingness to stick the course and see it through. South-East Queensland-based hardcore act Wildheart exemplify this conviction, this passionate dedication to telling stories of truth and unearthing injustice through their music.
Today, they reveal the fruits of their labour, the announcement of their debut album, Global Crisis. And if their words on the record seem angry, it’s because they are. The record contains 13 incendiary tracks – passionate, furious and raw – recorded, mixed and mastered by Gareth Hargreaves.
Global Crisis will be released on Friday 5th November, through Collision Course and MGM Distribution – and will be available through all digital platforms, which can be pre-ordered/pre-saved digitally at http://ffm.to/globalcrisis. Vinyl and Merch bundles can be pre-ordered at https://www.wearewildheart.com.au/store.
Along with the announcement of this new album, comes introspective, but no less raging new single ‘Show Me What It’s Like to Be Worthless.’ From Yugambeh man Axel Best, frontman for Wildheart, the new single is “…one of the more melodic songs we have written and is probably one of the darkest taken from the upcoming album. There has been an insane amount of uncertainty over the past few years with everything that has happened both locally and internationally – and we wanted to tap into something lyrically dark, but moving, with this song.”
Blunt Mag said: “For the hardcore hellions in Queensland outfit Wildheart, the sky really is the limit. Not only are they set to tear shit up at next year’s monolithic UNIFY Gathering, but they’re set to do so with a whole album of intensely ferocious mosh anthems.”
Though there have been a few tastes of Global Crisis already released – singles Rising Tide, Backburner and False Hope, Fake Happiness are already out in the world, there are still 9 new tracks to dive into. Shaun Allen from Gold Coast band Nerve Damage featured on ‘Rising Tide’, the iconic speech from Bruce Shillingsworth’s Q&A appearance featured at the start of ‘Backburner’ and still to come is a feature vocal spot from Danielle O’Grady from Brisbane band All Hours features on ‘The Long Slow Whisper’.
On the live front, Wildheart are performing at October 2021’s Halloween Hysteria alongside Spiderbait, King Parrot and Mammal and were recently announced as one of the performers confirmed on the UNIFY FOREVER (2022) line-up, alongside The Amity Affliction, Violent Soho, Alpha Wolf and more!
Wildheart’s history is storied and impressive. They have performed at BIGSOUND 2018 and the Mountain Goat Valley Crawl and has seen regular playtime across various well known platforms such as triplej (having been played on triple j lunch, Short.Fast. Loud, The Racket and Home and Hosed, as well as multiple songs added to rotation on triple j unearthed!) and Spotify‘s ‘Homegrown and Heavy’ playlist; and have played alongside heavyweight acts including Casey (UK), Listener (US), The Brave, Deez Nuts, Belle Haven, Bare Bones, Young Lions, Deadlights, and Dregg; and hitting the road on several independent East Coast tours.
Wildheart’s Global Crisis album will be available from Friday November 5 through all digital platforms, which can be pre-ordered/pre-saved digitally at http://ffm.to/global-crisis. Vinyl and Merch bundles can be pre-ordered at https://www.wearewildheart.com.au/store. New Single ‘Show Me What It’s Like to Be Worthless’ is out Friday September 17. — Australian outlets, please include: “If you or someone you know is going through tough times, support is available at: Beyond Blue 1300 224 636, Lifeline 13 11 14, Kids helpline 1800 551 800 The Butterfly Foundation 1800 334 673, or in case of emergency call 000.”
New Zealand’s highest streaming rock band, Written By Wolves, are today releasing their record, The Collab Project (Purchase/Stream Here), along with a videoclip for single Secrets featuring legendary P.O.D vocalist Sonny Sandoval not only in the song but in the video as well!
The Collab Project features tracks re-imagined from their previous record SECRETS, a record streamed over 10 million times on Spotify alone – and showcases collaborations with artists such as Trenton Woodley from Hands Like Houses, Kellin Quin from Sleeping with Sirens, Sonny Sandoval from P.O.D., Becks and Sydney Rae White of The Wild Things.
Michael Murphy, vocalist for the band, says of the new single/video: “Sonny was one of my teenage heroes growing up. I listened to the Satellite album every day as a teenager, in fact I’m pretty sure my high school band even covered ‘Alive’. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the first reply from Sonny saying he loved what we were doing and was all in for the project. The passion and power that he brings to everything he does is phenomenal and his voice is iconic. He is an absolute legend and we are still pinching ourselves that he is part of The Collab Project!“
He went on to say that “We are so proud of The Collab Project and we are incredibly excited to have it out in the world. With any release there is a huge sense of nervousness and trepidation that comes with it, but, with this one that feeling is even more amplified. So many people have contributed, not just their voices, but their stories and we will never be able to thank them enough for that. This has become a real passion project for us and we hope it can mean as much to our fans as it does to us.”
Written By Wolves are a fresh and progressive cinematic rock band and one of the most exciting new rock acts to come from New Zealand in recent years. Renowned for their highly energetic live show, the band have already shared the stage with international heavyweights such as Machine Gun Kelly, Limp Bizkit, Pendulum, Sublime With Rome, Suicidal Tendencies, We The Kings and Four Year Strong, to name just a few. Since forming in 2014, the band has amassed over 335,000 monthly listeners and more than 36 million streams on Spotify, as well as over 100,000 subscribers and 46 millions views on YouTube.
