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Brawl in Cell Block 99: A Physically-Menacing Triumph

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There is nothing calm about Brawl In Cell Block 99. It is as physically unnerving as it is psychologically intensive. I was expecting a tense ride having seen S. Craig Zahler’s first film, Bone Tomahawk, but, this was severe. Simplified, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is primal. Survival is as paramount in this film as it was in Bone Tomahawk, displaying Zahler’s fascination in eschewing man’s modern plights and instead focuses on man’s basic need for survival.

Vince Vaughn stars as Bradley Thomas; a quiet, towering ex-boxer/tow truck driver that epitomizes the blue-collar dilemma of overworked/underpaid. As the film begins, he is fired and finds out his wife (Jennifer Carpenter) has been cheating on him all in the same day. Desperate, he turns to a life of crime, drug-running for a successful old friend (Marc Blucas). After a job goes haywire, Bradley lands himself and his cohorts in prison, leading his business partner to exact revenge by kidnapping his wife. Bradley soon finds himself fighting for the life of his wife, his unborn child, and even himself in the ghastly, brutal depths of Cell Block 99.

The shocking transformation of Vaughn as Bradley needs to be seen to be believed. One of the most extraordinary performances by a male lead I’ve seen in a long time can be summed up by writer/director, S. Craig Zahler, “Rarely do actors so convincingly transform themselves to the degree Vaughn does in this picture, a performance that is equally masculine and nuanced.”

When examining all elements of the film, I realized that while the cinematography isn’t ambitious, the score is comprised of simple soul songs by the O’Jays and CGI wasn’t used during the brutal brawl scenes, the film still feels cutting edge. It’s the simplicity that really sets this film apart. “All of these brawls are performed by him (Vince Vaughn) and the other actors with very few cuts and zero post-production manipulation. I wanted these sequences to look and feel very different than those found in modern movies, and they do,” explains Zahler. The result is a gut-punch; simple, direct and powerful.

Some twists and cast surprises like Udo Kier as a slippery hitman and Don Johnson as the polished Warden Tuggs add fuel to the fire. Some of the greatest fight scenes ever committed to film remain deep-rooted in your sub-conscious long after the credits roll.

Sometimes, I leave a theater thinking a film had everything and yet, it still lacked an intuitive emotional core. Brawl In Cell Block 99 is a physically-menacing film that ditches the frustration, anger, and heartache of the American dream for the primordial quest for survival.

Brawl In Cell Block 99 opens in limited release October 6th and will be available digitally and on-demand October 13th.

Written by Julianna Brudek.

 

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Paramount+ Reveals Official Main Title Sequence for the Upcoming Series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

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During the TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES panel earlier today at San Diego Comic Con, Paramount+ revealed the official main title sequence for the series. The sequence is composed by EMMY® nominee, Matt Mahaffey, known for his work on Sanjay and Craig, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie and much more. 

From the studios of the Mutant Mayhem film, the all-new Paramount+ original series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES explores the adventures of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets of NYC. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures.

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is executive produced by Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) and Alan Wan (Blue Eye Samurai, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2012 Series]). Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, TV Series Animation, Nickelodeon, and Nikki Price, Director of Development and Executive in Charge of Production.

In addition to the upcoming new series, stream all things Turtles on Paramount+.

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Comic-Con 2024: Those About to Die Activation

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DISNEY+ CASTS DANIEL DIEMER AS FAN-FAVORITE ‘TYSON’IN SEASON TWO OF “PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS”

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 in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Rick Riordan and Disney+ revealed that Daniel Diemer (“Under the Bridge”) will star as fan-favorite cyclops “Tyson” in the epic adventure series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Diemer joins Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) and Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood) as a series regular. The Disney+ Original series from Disney Branded Television and 20th Television will start filming its second season next week in Vancouver.

Season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is based on the second installment of Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series titled “The Sea of Monsters” by award-winning author Rick Riordan. In the new season, Percy Jackson returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing, and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.

Diemer stars as Tyson – a young Cyclops who grew up all alone on the streets, and finds it difficult to survive in the human world.  Shy and awkward, with a heart almost as big as he is, Tyson soon discovers that Poseidon is his father, which means Percy Jackson is his half-brother… and that Tyson may have finally found a home. 

Diemer recently starred in the Hulu limited series “Under the Bridge” based off the critically acclaimed book of the same name and a tragic true story of a missing teen girl in Vancouver in 1997. He will next star in the indie “Thug” opposite Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman for director Hans Petter Moland. Daniel was recently seen as the lead in the indie “Supercell” opposite Alec Baldwin and Skeet Ulrich and the lead in the film “Little Brother” opposite Phil Ettinger and JK Simmons. Daniel can also be seen in the Netflix series “The Midnight Club” and recently starred as the male lead in the breakout hit Netflix feature “The Half Of It” from producer Anthony Bregman and director Alice Wu. He is a graduate of Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in Vancouver.

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Albert Kim, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson.

The first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is available on Disney+

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