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Little Monsters | SXSW Movie Review

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5 years ago

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The other day my wife and I passed by a preschool, and I asked “Have you ever thought about how scary it must be to drop your kid off and have no idea what they’re doing? Who’s watching them and how do you know they’re taken care of?”

Yes, it’s a bit of a naive question from someone undoubtedly lacking the mental fortitude required to handle child-rearing, but the fear associated with trusting a group of strangers to protect and nurture your child during the day is a common one. Embracing it, director Abe Forsythe’s latest feature Little Monsters takes that ball of worry and manipulates it into an instrument for joy.

The film stars Alexander England as Dave, a washed-up man-baby musician who instantly falls for his nephew’s beautiful school teacher Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o). Seeing it as an opportunity to get closer to her, Dave signs up to accompany the class on a field trip to a local petting zoo. Unfortunately, the zoo is down the road from a zombie infested military complex who escape to find fresh meat. It’s up to Dave, Miss Caroline, and TV personality Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad) to protect the children from the undead and get them back to safety.

For a film listed as a Horror/Comedy Little Monsters leans heavily into its humorous side, so those looking for a scare should turn elsewhere. However, the film has plenty of fun with the gore, and decapitations abound as much as the jokes do. The decision to embrace the comedic is the correct one as the film secretly has more interest in the heartfelt, and what could have been a tonal mess blends together with sincerity.

Before the screening, Forsythe came out to reveal the inspiration for the film came from the anxiety he felt as his child started school. The director wanted to convey how strong he felt today’s teachers have to be to juggle numerous children while maintaining a calm and steady demeanor even in volatile situations. He pulls this off without question. The film is an ode to those who sacrifice so much to shape the minds of children, and because it has committed to its brand of comedy the underlying message never overwhelms. It lifts up the film during the slower moments.

Miss Caroline’s dedication to not only protecting the class physically but mentally as well is equal parts inspiring and ridiculous. Leading a “Wheels on the Bus” sing-along as a distraction from the horde of the undead on their tail is only the tip of the iceberg for the film. Nyong’o shines in her role, bouncing from a fairy godmother-esque teacher to a badass willing to stab anything alive or dead that threatens her class. She is the glue, and Gad is the glitter. He is playing to the rafters with an over the top performance that feels extreme even for this movie. It mostly lands, but will grate on the senses of a small sector of the audience.

Although it’s more comedy than horror, Little Monsters finds a way to shine amongst its peers thanks to an excellent cast and a lot of heart. You’ll be lost in laughter, and if you aren’t careful you’re bound to stumble into a patch of feelings you didn’t see coming.

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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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12 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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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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15 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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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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15 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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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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