Xeno is an upcoming American science fictionadventure film[2] directed, written, produced, and edited by Matthew Loren Oates. The film follows a teenage girl who makes friends with an alien after it crashes nearby in the desert.
The film is scheduled for release in the United States on September 19, 2025.
Imelda Staunton, who portrays Lady Maud Bagshaw in the previous film, stated in March 2024 that a third and final film in the Downton Abbey franchise was being planned, with the main cast set to return. Following the announcement of several cast members reprising their roles in May, filming began that month and concluded in August. The official title was announced in March 2025.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is scheduled to be released by Focus Features on 12 September 2025.
Premise
Follows the Crawley family and the Downton Abbey staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal caused by her divorce and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future. [2][3]
Paul Copley as Albert Mason, a tenant farmer under the Crawleys, father of Daisy’s first husband, William Mason and love interest of Beryl Patmore
Brendan Coyle as John Bates, the valet of Lord Grantham and husband of Anna Bates
Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley, eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham
Kevin Doyle as Joseph Molesley, the local schoolteacher at Downton, former footman at Downton Abbey and husband of Phyllis Baxter
Michael Fox as Andrew “Andy” Parker, former footman and current butler at Downton Abbey and husband of Daisy Parker
Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates, lady’s maid to Lady Mary and wife of John Bates
Paul Giamatti as Harold Levinson, an American businessman and brother of Lady Grantham
Harry Hadden-Paton as Herbert “Bertie” Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham and husband of Edith
Robert James-Collier as Thomas Barrow, former butler at Downton Abbey, currently the housekeeper, dresser, and secret lover of Guy Dexter
Allen Leech as Tom Branson, the widower of Lady Sybil, Lord and Lady Grantham’s late youngest daughter, and husband of Lucy Smith, a distant cousin of the Crawley family
The Long Walk is a dystopianhorror novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 1979, under the pseudonymRichard Bachman. Set in a dystopian alternative version of the United States ruled by a totalitarian regime, the plot follows the contestants of a grueling annual walking contest. While not the first of King’s novels to be published, The Long Walk was the first novel he wrote, having begun it in 1966–67 during his freshman year at the University of Maine, some eight years before his first published novel, Carrie, was released in 1974.[2]
It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books, and has seen several reprints since, as both paperback and hardcover. In 2023, Centipede Press released the first stand-alone hardcover edition.[3] In 2000, the American Library Association listed The Long Walk as one of the 100 best books for teenage readers published between 1966 and 2000.[4]
Plot
Set in an alternative, dystopian version of the United States, the plot revolves around the Long Walk, an annual contest in which 100 young men walk continuously along a pre-arranged route (presumably on Route 1). Walkers must keep a minimum pace of 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h), and are issued verbal warnings by soldiers monitoring their progress if they fall below this speed for 30 seconds. A walker can lose one warning if he walks for an hour without earning another. If a walker receives three warnings and falls below the minimum speed for 30 seconds again, he is shot and killed by the soldiers. The Walk continues until there is only one survivor, who can have whatever he wants for the rest of his life as his prize.
Ray Garraty, from Androscoggin County, Maine, arrives at the start of the Walk on the Canada–Maine border, where he meets the other walkers, among them the sardonic McVries, the friendly Baker, the cocky Olson and the enigmatic Stebbins. The Major, the leader of the secret police force known as the Squads, starts the Walk. Throughout the first day, Garraty befriends Baker, Olson, and several other walkers such as Abraham and Pearson, growing particularly close to McVries and becoming intrigued by Stebbins. The men speculate on who will be the first walker to be eliminated. A walker named Barkovitch reveals to a reporter that he is in the Long Walk to “dance on the graves” of other participants, and later provokes another walker into attacking him, resulting in the latter’s death and Barkovitch being ostracized.
The novel’s main character and point-of-view character, a 16-year-old boy from Pownal, Maine (for which he is called a “hick”). He is described as tall and well-built with a “heavy shock” of “straw-thatch” hair and a faded army fatigue jacket. Garraty is bitter, naive and thoughtful, which makes him a good confidant for the other Walkers, and felt a compulsion to join the Walk that he struggles to understand. Although he has done farmwork, he is not an experienced athlete. His hobbies include dancing, reading, knitting and constellations; conversely, he dislikes beer and cities.
Peter “Pete” McVries (#61)
Garraty’s closest companion, a 16-year-old boy from Passaic, New Jersey. He is described as “awesomely fit” with black hair, a knapsack and a white scar across his cheek, which he received from his ex-girlfriend. McVries is sardonic and has a masochistic streak, often goading others into pushing him away even during the pains of the Walk. He saves Garraty multiple times in the game, also giving him advice. He carries a strong hatred towards Barkovitch, stating his only desire is to outlast him.
Stebbins (#88)
A loner who walks at the rear of the group, a 17-year-old boy and the illegitimate son of the Major. He is described as a “lean Buddha” with pale blue eyes and a “sickly halo” of blond hair, and wears an old green sweater, a blue chambray shirt, purple pants and tennis shoes (which he later swaps for moccasins). Stebbins is calm, playful and mocking, and often talks to Garraty in riddles. He is convinced that the Walk is rigged, and is scared at the prospect of it being a straight game.
Arthur “Art” Baker (#3)
Another participant who is close with Garraty and McVries. He is a young man from a large, lower-class family in Louisiana (for which he is called a “cracker”). He is described as appearing “young and beautiful” and “almost ethereal”, as moving with “deceptive leisure”, and as wearing a red-striped shirt. Baker is sweet and sincere, but is a con artist and a former night rider, and he has a fascination with his own death.
Henry “Hank” Olson (#70)
One of Garraty’s earliest companions, a young man of unknown background. He is described as an experienced smoker wearing his foodbelt slung low “like a gunslinger”. Olson is cocky and arrogant and humorous (“raring to rip”), but quickly becomes withdrawn and unresponsive, with Garraty believing that he has become a “human Flying Dutchman”.
Gary Barkovitch (#5)
A young man from Washington, DC. He is described as small and olive-skinned with a sharp nose and hooded eyes, and he sometimes wears a vinyl yellow rainhat; Garraty considers him to look like a “destructive child’s teddy bear”. Barkovitch is intense and adheres to a mysterious “Plan”, and threatens to “dance on the graves” of the other Walkers, but becomes paranoid and insane when they ostracize him. He and McVries have a heated hatred towards each other throughout the walk.
Abraham “Abe” (#2)
One of Garraty’s companions, a 17-year-old boy called a “rube”. He is described as disjointed and shambling, with reddish hair, Oxford shoes, and a jacket tied around his waist. Abraham is droll and somber and short-tempered, particularly when jibes are made at his intelligence, and entered the Walk partially as a joke.
Collie Parker
A young man from Joliet, Illinois. He is described as a big-muscled blond with a polo shirt and an insolent look; Garraty further describes him as a “leather jacket hero” and a “Saturday night tough guy”. Parker despises Maine and uses excessive profanity, and often attempts to flirt with the spectators despite considering them to be “pigs”.
Pearson
One of Garraty’s companions. He is described as a tall young man with glasses and pants that are too big for him. Pearson is morose and enjoys poetry, game theory and chess, and views the Walk as a competition that can be solved logically. For luck, Pearson has 99 pennies in his pocket, and moves one to his other pocket whenever someone dies.
Scramm (#85)
The predicted winner of the current Long Walk, a participant from Arizona with a pregnant wife. He is described as a shaggy young man with a crew cut, few remaining teeth, and a “moose-like” physique. Although dim-witted, Scramm is friendly and possesses a “simple dignity”. He has dropped out of school and works in a bedsheet factory.
Charles Blakey, an African American man living in Sag Harbor, is stuck in a rut, out of luck, and about to lose his ancestral home when a peculiar white businessman with a European accent offers to rent his basement for the summer.
In an attempt to mend their broken relationship, a man invites his estranged son to compete in a father–son fishing competition in San Pedro, Belize.[1]
A girl raised in Silicon Valley in the shadow of Steve Jobs’ successful return to Apple and his huge influence on her imagination, her aspirations, and her relationships.
The Chicago production of Hamilton began preview performances at the CIBC Theatre in September 2016 and opened the following month.[10] The West End production opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London on 21 December 2017, following previews from 6 December, and won seven Olivier Awards in 2018, including Best New Musical.[11] The first U.S. national tour began in March 2017.[12] A second U.S. tour opened in February 2018.[13]Hamilton‘s third U.S. tour began January 11, 2019, with a three-week engagement in Puerto Rico in which Miranda returned to the role of Hamilton.[14][15] The first non-English production opened in Hamburg in October 2022, having been translated into German.[16] As of 2025, no amateur or professional licenses have been granted for Hamilton.[17]
A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple is ignited when the husband’s professional dreams come crashing down.
The Roses is scheduled to be released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on August 29, 2025.
The Toxic Avenger premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023, with a wider theatrical release planned by Cineverse and Iconic Events Releasing in the United States for August 29, 2025.[2]
Plot
Set in a fantasy world, it follows janitor Winston Gooze, who, after a freak accident, transforms into a mutant vigilante known as Toxie. Armed with his mop, the unlikely hero battles freaks, gangsters, and corrupt CEOs while trying to save his relationship with his son.[3][4]
Cast
Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze/the Toxic Avenger (voice), a widowed and ill-mannered man who worked as a janitor until he was mutated
Luisa Guerreiro as the Toxic Avenger (suit performer)
Produced by Mack Magic and Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany, the film was released on 24 July 2025 in Germany by Warner Bros. Pictures and on 22 August in the United Kingdom by Kazoo Films.
Plot
Grand Prix of Europe revolves around Edda, a young mouse, who dreams of racing glory. When Edda’s world takes an unexpected turn, she disguises herself as her racing idol, the legendary Ed, and seizes the once-in-a-lifetime chance to drive in the Grand Prix. What starts as a daring stunt becomes the ride of her life as she takes Ed’s place in competition. The prize money would save her family’s amusement park, and a win would save Ed’s title.
Its world premiere was at the Midnight Screenings section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2025. It is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States and Canada by Focus Features on August 22, 2025.
Premise
In Bakersfield, California, female private detective Honey O’Donahue investigates a woman’s death and tangles with a religious cult.
It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and it is scheduled to be released theatrically on August 22, 2025.
Synopsis
Tom (Ahmed) is a secretive “fixer” who brokers payoffs on behalf of corrupt corporations. Sarah (James) is a potential client who may need his protection.[2]
Primitive War is an upcoming Australian science fictionactionhorror film[1][2] directed by Luke Sparke and based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Ethan Pettus, who also co-wrote the film.[3] Starring Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler, and Jeremy Piven, the film is set in a Vietnam jungle valley during 1968 and follows a recon unit that carries out a rescue mission for a Green Beret platoon and is attacked by de-extinct dinosaurs.
Premise
During the Vietnam War in 1968, a recon unit known as Vulture Squad was sent to an isolated junglevalley to rescue a missing Green Beret platoon. They soon discover that de-extincteddinosaurs inhabit the jungle, the result of a Soviet experiment gone wrong.
Rayelle (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), a young commercial cleaning woman living in Gary, Indiana, is offered a second job cleaning the homes of several wealthy, suburban families. To blend into her new surroundings, she inadvertently tells one white lie, which then flips the power dynamic in curious ways…
WE STRANGERS is an assured debut feature, written and directed by Anu Valia, with a standout performance by Kirby. This absorbing character study smartly delves into the world of identity and privilege, showing us the challenges that are baked into navigating different spaces.
Principal photography began in New York City in March 2024 and wrapped in May. Highest 2 Lowest had its world premiere out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2025, and is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States by A24 on August 15, before it will be made available on Apple TV+ on September 5.[2]
Hadera stars in the neo-noir thriller as Pam King, the wife of Washington’s David King, a successful music executive whose plans for his company are jeopardized by a ransom demand: his son has been kidnapped.
It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 17, 2023, and it is scheduled to release on August 15, 2025. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Numerous people in South Dakota find their lives violently intertwined while fighting over an expensive ghost shirt.
A perfect storm of lousy news sees out-of-work filmmaker Jimmy Lang spiral into a bender, during which he claims to have been abducted by aliens, and fearing their return, he contacts his old friend Stiggs to help him gear up for war.
Three sisters return to their family home to attend the wedding of their twice-widowed mother, Diana. All three sisters have had different life experiences, with Georgina being a palliative nurse, Victoria being an actress, and Katherine being a captain in the Royal Navy.[2][3]
Weapons is scheduled to be released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 8, 2025. The film received positive reviews from critics.
Premise
One night, all but one child from Justine Gandy’s classroom mysteriously ran off into the night. Justine and the rest of the community are left questioning who—or what–is behind the children’s disappearance.
Cast
Josh Brolin as Archer Graff, the father of Matthew, one of the missing children.[4]
Julia Garner as Justine Gandy, a teacher who finds that almost all her class has vanished.[4]
Cary Christopher as Alex Lilly, the only child from Justine’s class who did not disappear.
Alden Ehrenreich as Paul Morgan, a police officer who has a complicated relationship with Justine.[4]
The film stars Tony Hale as Taylor Wyatt, a widowed father of two who is struggling to help his children Jack (Kue Lawrence) and Amber (Bianca Belle) come to terms with the death of their mother; however, one day the sketchbook in which Amber has been drawing visual representations of her grief accidentally gets dropped in a magical pool, resulting in the neighborhood becoming terrorized by strange monsters made of crayon wax and chalk dust.[2]
Perifel stated that he would love to do a sequel to The Bad Guys in March 2022, before the release of the first film. Two years later, DreamWorks Animation announced a sequel, with Perifel and the voice cast returning, while Sans served as co-director. Lyonne joined the cast in July 2024, with the involvement of Brooks and Bakalova being announced in November. Daniel Pemberton composed the score, returning from the previous film.
The Bad Guys 2 was released in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2025, and is scheduled for release in the United States on August 1.
Premise
The Bad Guys 2 follows the crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws who are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys. However, they’re pulled out of retirement and forced to do “one last job” by an all-female squad of criminals.
Architecton is a 2024 documentary film written and directed by Viktor Kossakovsky, exploring how stone and concrete architecture reflect the values of various societies.[3]
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on 19 February 2024,[4] where it was nominated for the Golden Bear and the Berlinale Documentary Film Award.[5] It was released on 3 October 2024 in Germany by Neuer Visionen and is scheduled for release in the United States on August 1, 2025, by A24.
Content
Kossakovsky presents a poetic meditation on architecture and how the design and construction of buildings from the ancient past reveal our destruction—and offer hope for survival and a way forward. He reflects on the rise and fall of civilizations, focusing on a landscape project by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi. The project utilizes imagery from the temple ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon, dating back to the 1st century AD. It contrasts with the recent destruction of cities in Turkey following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in early 2023.
Neeson plays ‘Frank Drebin Jr.,’ the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character, and is joined by Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser in the new comedy. Doug Hyde contributed to this story by David Daniel. Only one man has the particular set of skills to lead the Police Squad and save the world.
The Naked Gun is scheduled for release in the United States by Paramount Pictures on August 1, 2025.
Together is a 2025 supernaturalbody horror film written and directed by Michael Shanks in his directorial debut.[2] The film stars real-life married actors Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple who move to the countryside but find themselves encountering a mysterious force that horrifically causes changes in their bodies.[3]
Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.
Together premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025, and is scheduled for release in the United States by Neon on July 30, 2025, and in Australia by Kismet Movies on July 31.
Plot
Millie Wilson gets a job teaching elementary school English and moves to the countryside with her longtime boyfriend, aspiring musician Tim. Shortly before the move, Millie proposes to Tim at a going-away party held by their friends, but he hesitates to respond, embarrassing her.
One day, while hiking, they fall into a cave during a rainstorm and resolve to spend the night there. Tim drinks from a pool in the cave, then recounts a traumatic incident from his childhood in which he found his mother in bed with his father’s rotting corpse. Upon waking up the next morning, Tim and Millie find their legs stuck together with a glue-like substance, but dismiss the incident after separating.
Tim begins to experience episodes where he becomes inexplicably physically drawn to Millie, despite the couple previously experiencing a lack of sexual intimacy, but pulls back after regaining consciousness, much to Millie’s frustration and bewilderment. Millie’s coworker Jamie shows up at their home to welcome them to the neighborhood, and she invites him in for dinner. The couple recounts their experience at the cave; Jamie explains that the cave is the site of an abandoned church.
Millie drops Tim off at the train station so he can travel to town for a musical gig, but Tim experiences another episode and drags himself back to Millie’s workplace. An outraged Millie confronts him in a bathroom stall, whereupon they have sex, after which their genitals become stuck together. As they painfully force themselves to separate, Jamie spots them. Millie later visits Jamie’s house to apologize. In the ensuing conversation, she begins to open up about some of the problems she and Tim have been facing in their relationship. Jamie encourages her not to let go of her “other half,” then begins to reminisce on his relationship with his seemingly deceased husband. Still, Millie abruptly leaves after spotting a disoriented Tim outside.
Tim visits a doctor, who dismisses his symptoms as panic attacks and prescribes him muscle relaxant pills before mentioning that a local couple, Simon and Keri, recently went missing. Using EXIF data from their social media photos, Tim discovers that they visited the same cave he and Millie fell into and unsuccessfully tries to convince Millie that the two of them may suffer the same fate as Simon and Keri. That night, both Tim and Millie lose control of their bodies, crawling toward each other and contorting into impossible shapes until their arms become partially fused. Tim manages to prevent any further fusion after consuming his pills in a panic, subsequently passing out and awakening tied to a chair, where Millie saws through their fused limb. As Millie is about to drive them to the hospital, she realizes she has left her keys at Jamie’s house and orders Tim to wait for her while she retrieves them. He secretly returns to the cave and finds Simon and Keri, now completely fused as a grotesque humanoid.
20th Century Fox began work on a new Fantastic Four film following the failure of Fantastic Four (2015). After the studio was acquired by Disney in March 2019, control of the franchise was transferred to Marvel Studios, and a new film was announced that July. Jon Watts was set as director in December 2020 but stepped down in April 2022. Shakman replaced him that September when Kaplan and Springer were working on the script. Casting was underway by early 2023, and Friedman joined to rewrite the script in March. The film is differentiated from previous Fantastic Four films by avoiding the team’s origin story. Pearson joined to polish the script by mid-February 2024, when the main cast was announced. Filming occurred from July to November 2024 at Pinewood Studios in England, and on location in England and Spain.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps had its world premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on July 21, 2025, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 25 as the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. A sequel is in development.
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic:
A highly intelligent scientist and the leader of the Fantastic Four who can stretch any part of his body to great lengths.[6][4] Director Matt Shakman described Reed as “the most scientifically intelligent person” on the planet and a combination of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Robert Moses.[4] Pascal said it was Reed’s mind that was most important to him, rather than the character’s physicality, and he considered “the brilliance of an octopus” when approaching the character.[7]
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman:
Reed’s pregnant wife, Johnny’s sister, and a member of the Fantastic Four who can generate force fields and turn invisible.[6][8] She is the head of the Future Foundation, which has achieved global demilitarization and peace. Shakman described Sue as “the most emotionally intelligent person” on the planet. Kirby enjoyed synthesizing the various comic portrayals of Sue into her version of the character, focusing on motherhood as the through-line. The actress said she was obsessed with the comics run where Sue takes on the negative persona “Malice“, and she included elements of that version in her portrayal so Sue would not be “the stereotype of a goody, sweet mother”.[4]
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing:
Reed’s best friend, a former astronaut, and a member of the Fantastic Four whose skin has been transformed into a layer of orange rock, granting him superhuman strength and durability.[6][4] Moss-Bachrach found comparisons between Grimm and his character Richie Jerimovich in the series The Bear (2022–present), noting both were “deeply loyal people” and “fighters with a fierce sense of code, morality, and family.”[9] Moss-Bachrach portrays the Thing through motion capture and computer-generated imagery (CGI) rather than prosthetic makeup,[10] and discussed that process with Mark Ruffalo, who portrays the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) using the same technology.[11] In addition to Moss-Bachrach performing his scenes in a motion-capture suit, some takes were re-filmed with the actor using different body extensions or a stand-in wearing a life-sized Thing costume to help the other actors reference the space that the character takes up.[4] Shakman consulted scientists and studied desert rocks to find the best reference for the Thing’s appearance;[12] a specific desert rock that matched his desired look for the Thing, referred to as “Jennifer,” was also filmed on set as a lighting reference for the visual effects team.[13]
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch:
Sue’s brother and a member of the Fantastic Four who can control fire and fly.[6][14] While Quinn was a fan of Chris Evans‘s portrayal of the character in the 20th Century Fox films Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), he did not base his portrayal on Evans’s.[15] Quinn and producer Kevin Feige discussed Johnny’s womanizing in previous portrayals and concluded that this would not be considered “sexy” by modern audiences. Quinn wanted his version to be “less callous with other people’s feelings” and more self-aware of his attention-seeking behavior, while still having a lot of bravado and humor. Shakman noted that Johnny is also smart and heroic, despite undercutting that with jokes.[4]
Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer:
Galactus’s metallic-skinned herald who travels through space on a surfboard-like craft.[16][17] Garner said there was a “mysterious energy” to the character and her relationship with Galactus.[17] She portrayed the Silver Surfer through motion capture,[18] combining research on surfing poses with statuesque non-surf poses from the comic books. Garner wanted the character to “[move] elegantly, like a dance.”[17]
Ralph Ineson as Galactus:
A gigantic cosmic being who consumes the life force of planets.[22][4] Shakman called him a “humongous, 14-billion-year-old, planet-devouring cosmic vampire.” Ineson did not think Galactus was evil, calling him a “god of sorts” and a “big, planet-eating guy, simply doing what a big, planet-eating guy does.” The actor spent time “ruminating” at the top of tall buildings to prepare for the role. Feige loved the introduction of Galactus in the comics and had long wanted to use him.[23] Ineson stated that Galactus does not care about a planet’s life since “it’s his food”, only sparing them if there is something that “interests” him there.[20] Feige shared a clip of the character from the video game Fortnite Battle Royale (2017) as a reference for how he should be portrayed.[24] The film uses a comic book-accurate design, in contrast with the cloud-like design in Rise of the Silver Surfer.[23] Galactus’s purple and blue armor was built for Ineson to wear, as it was important to Shakman that someone was “embodying the part”.[4] Ineson had a support crew to keep him cool between takes because of the armor.[20]
Oh, Hi! is a 2025 American romantic comedy film directed by Sophie Brooks and co-written with Molly Gordon. Starring Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, and John Reynolds, the film centers on a new couple (Gordon and Lerman) who go on a weekend road trip that takes an unexpected turn.
Iris and Isaac go on a romantic weekend road trip.[2][3] Their first night at the rental house, they engage in some sexual bondage play. In the afterglow and while he is chained to the bed, Isaac mentions that he is not looking for a relationship at this point, which is quite different from where Iris felt they stood. She refuses to unlock him. The next day, she spends twelve hours trying to win him over while he still remains in chains. When this fails, she calls in the help of her friend Max, who arrives with her boyfriend Kenny. When it is realized that they are actually all committing criminal kidnapping, various options are considered. Iris and Max try brewing a witch’s memory erasure formula (which Isaac drinks), followed by a naked ritual which should complete the effect. When Isaac awakens in the morning, he appears to have forgotten everything after the sexual encounter, and cheerfully heads down to the kitchen with Iris, Max, and Kenny to make some breakfast. He excuses himself to go get an ingredient that he had left in the car, but then hops in the car and drives away, as it is revealed that he had overheard the magic plan and was just faking in order to get a chance to escape. Fleeing on rain-soaked roads, Isaac gets in an accident. Police find the wrecked car but not the driver. Iris goes looking for him, finding him in a valley, too injured to walk. They reach an understanding of each other’s positions and their own blame, and he gets taken away in an ambulance.
Nicholas and Isabel were made for each other, but how will they ever know it? As ghosts, fate, and the sheer power of true love pull them together, so too does life threaten to tear them apart.
Set in 1938, the film takes place in Tel Aviv, where tensions are high as the British, under their League of Nations mandate, attempt to maintain order in a city with a mixed Arabian and Jewish population. Thomas Wilkin, a British deputy superintendent of the Palestinian police, becomes romantically involved with Shoshana, the daughter of Ber Borochov, a co-founder of the Zionist labor movement.
Williamson was approached to adapt Duncan’s source novel by producer Erik Feig. Where Scream, released the previous year, contained prominent elements of satire and self-referentiality, Williamson’s script for I Know What You Did Last Summer reworked the novel’s central plot to resemble a straightforward 1980s-era slasher film.[7]
I Know What You Did Last Summer was released theatrically in the United States on October 17, 1997. It received a mixed reception from critics and was a sizeable commercial hit, grossing $125.3million worldwide on a budget of $17million, staying in first place at the U.S. box office for three consecutive weeks. The film was parodied in Scary Movie (2000) and is frequently referenced in popular culture, as well as being credited alongside Scream with revitalizing the slasher genre in the 1990s.[8]
On July 4, 1996, in Southport, North Carolina, Julie James and her friends Ray Bronson, Helen Shivers, and Barry Cox drive to the beach. On the way back, they accidentally hit a pedestrian. Julie’s friend Max passes by them on the road, and they hide their crime from him to buy themselves more time to decide what to do. Barry and Helen try to dump the body in the water, but the pedestrian wakes up and grabs Helen. Barry pushes him into the water, and the group swears never to discuss what happened.
One year later, Julie returns home from college for the summer. The friends have gone their separate ways, with none of them pursuing their dreams due to struggling with the incident. Julie receives a letter stating, “I know what you did last summer!” She and Helen take the note to Barry, who suspects Max. Julie meets Ray, who now works as a fisherman. Max is killed by a figure in a raincoat wielding a hook. That night, Barry is ambushed by the assailant stealing and driving his car.
Julie researches newspaper articles, believing that the man they ran over was a local named David Egan. Helen and Julie meet David’s sister, Missy, at her home. Missy explains that a friend of David’s named Billy Blue visited her to pay his respects. That night, the killer sneaks into Helen’s house and cuts off her hair while she sleeps.
The following morning, Julie finds Max’s corpse wearing Barry’s stolen jacket and covered in crabs in the trunk of her car. When she brings the others to see it, the body has been removed. Julie, Helen, and Barry confront Ray, who claims to have also received a letter. Julie goes back to visit Missy, while Barry and Helen participate in the 4th of July parade. Missy reveals that David allegedly committed suicide out of guilt for the death of his girlfriend, Susie Willis, in a car accident, and shows David’s suicide note. As the writing matches that of the note she received, Julie realizes it was not a suicide note but a death threat.
At the Croaker Beauty Pageant, Helen witnesses Barry being murdered on the balcony but finds no sign of the killer or Barry. The killer murders the police officer escorting her home. Helen runs to her family’s store, where the killer murders her sister Elsa. She escapes and runs toward the street, but the killer slashes her to death.
Julie finds an article mentioning Susie’s father, Ben Willis, and realizes Ben was the man they had run over a year earlier, moments after he killed David to avenge his daughter. She goes to tell Ray, but notices Ray’s boat is called Billy Blue. A fisherman knocks Ray unconscious, inviting Julie to hide on his ship. On the boat, she finds photos and articles about her and her friends, as well as pictures of Susie. The boat leaves the docks, and the fisherman is revealed to be Ben Willis, targeting them in revenge for leaving him for dead.
Ben chases Julie below deck, where she uncovers the bodies of Helen and Barry in the icebox. Ray awakens and goes to rescue Julie. He ultimately uses the rigging to sever Ben’s hand and send him overboard. He explains that he posed as David’s friend and visited Missy out of guilt. The couple reconciles, relieved not to have killed anyone after all.
One year later, Julie is in college in Boston. As she enters the shower, Julie notices the words “I still know” written in the steam on the shower door right before a dark figure crashes through it.
The Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs; Dutch: De Smurfen) is a Belgiancomic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. The Smurfs was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by the Belgian comics artist Peyo (the pen name of Pierre Culliford) in 1958, wherein they were known as Les Schtroumpfs.
There are more than 100 Smurf characters, and their names are based on adjectives that emphasize their characteristics, such as “Jokey Smurf”, who likes to play practical jokes on his fellow Smurfs. “Smurfette” was the first female Smurf to be introduced in the series. The Smurfs wear Phrygian caps, which came to represent freedom during the modern era.
The word “smurf” is the original Dutch translation of the French “schtroumpf”, which, according to Peyo, is a word he invented during a meal with fellow cartoonist André Franquin when he could not remember the word “salt.”[1][2][3]
The Smurfs franchise began as a comic and expanded into advertising, films, TV series, ice shows, video games, theme parks, and toys. By 2008, the franchise had generated $4 billion in revenue, making The Smurfs one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.[4]
Characters
Papa Smurf is the leader of the community. Other Smurfs are generally named after their primary personality trait, for example, Brainy, Greedy, Vanity, Lazy, Clumsy, Hefty, Jokey, Dreamy, and Grouchy, or their profession, for instance, Poet, Actor, Handy, Harmony, Farmer, Clockwork, Painter, Tailor, Miner, Architect, Reporter, Timber, Barber, and Doctor Smurf, much like Disney’s Seven Dwarfs. The first female Smurf, Smurfette, was created by Gargamel to lure the other Smurfs. Papa Smurf then changed her into what we see today. The non-Smurf characters who would appear later would include their enemies: the wizard Gargamel, his cat Azrael, an ugly witch Hogatha, and Gargamel’s godfather Balthazar; and their friends: the page Johan and his young friend Peewit, and the wizard Homnibus. There are more than 100 Smurfs.[17]
Sociological discussion
In 1998, writer Marc Schmidt wrote a parody article citing the Smurfs as an example of the impact of socialism in continental European culture.[65][66] In 2011, Schmidt’s essay was scrutinized in a response essay by Kate Krake, who examined the nature of cultural theory built on textual observation and warned against creating false allegories out of texts like The Smurfs.[67]
French sociologist Antoine Buéno described Smurf society in a 2011 book as a totalitarian and racist utopia with antisemitic tones.[68][69][70] Studio Peyo head Thierry Culliford, the son of Peyo, dismissed Buéno’s accusations as “grotesque and frivolous.”[71]
YEAR OF THE FOX follows Ivy, a teenager navigating Aspen’s party scene amidst her adoptive parents’ bitter divorce. As she watches her community provide cover for predatory behavior, Ivy struggles to find her path without losing herself.
