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TIFF Review: ‘Synchronic’ is Inventive, Heartfelt Sci-Fi at its Finest

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Syncronic review

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are a talented team of filmmakers who have yet to disappoint. They burst onto the scene with Resolution in 2012, followed by SpringĀ and fan-favorite The Endless. Their latest film, Synchronic, works on a grand scale to unpack themes of presence, family, and loss, set against the backdrop of a sci-fi thriller.

Starring Jamie Dornan (The Fall, 50 Shades of Grey) and Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Civil War), Synchronic follows a paramedic team in New Orleans who are called to a series of scenes with bizarre and violent deaths. At each site, they find a mysterious new synthetic designer drug with otherworldly effects that could ā€“ somehow ā€“ be responsible.

Anchored by a genuine and heartfelt performance by Mackie, Synchronic is an exploration of humanity projected through a cosmic lens. Mackie perfectly balances his role with humor and grace, continually breaking your heart with his sincerity. The brotherhood between Steve (Mackie) and Dennis (Dornan) ties the whole film together, circulating around all the heavily loaded conversations they actively avoid.

The film meditates on how we interact with each present moment; how do we treat our relationships with friends and family, and how do we use the gift of time that we have. As thrilling and engaging as Synchronic is, it’s incredibly heartfelt; it’s a broad story with a very centered focus.

Justin Benson, Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, and Aaron Moorhead via jeremychanphotography

Settingthe filmĀ in New Orleans allows us to explore locations that are rich in history. We venture into some underseen spaces ā€” like an abandoned Six Flags ā€” that add to the mystical energy of the film. As paramedics, Dennis and Steve often navigate dangerous situations that are enriched by the crumbling cityscape.Ā 

The decision to cast our two main characters as paramedics is a wise one; they have just enough power to realize something is horribly wrong, but no authority to actually stop it. Theyā€™re thrust in the middle of this epic mystery, but thereā€™s a degree of distance that keeps them from being officially responsible. Steve decides to act not because itā€™s his duty, but because he genuinely doesnā€™t want to see anyone else get hurt. Throughout the film and in many ways, he works to save others from pain. Itā€™s that sense of humanity that helps to tether the film to the real world when the story really takes off.Ā 

This sense of realistic humanity is exemplified by the use of long takes, which Benson and Moorhead utilize to striking effect. One particular scene is beautifully and meticulously choreographed to carry the audience through the pressure of a paramedic’s call. The duo make full use of the budget they have, creating intensive scenes with expansive sets that allow the scope of the story to flex and grow

What starts as a horror mystery ā€“ we don’t know what is causing these unexplainable deaths ā€“ expands into a thrilling and boundless quest. The unknown potential of a designer drug opens up a whole world of narrative possibilities.

I don’t want to dig too deep into the plot, because I firmly believe that this is a film in which it’s best to go in as blind as possible. There’s a certain joy in the films of Benson and Moorhead that comes from the gradual discovery of the story; the journey leading to a mysterious destination. Just sit back and let the film take hold of you; Synchronic wonā€™t give you a bad trip.Ā Ā 

 

For more on Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, you can read our interview on The Endless here.

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‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments

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It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.

We already knew about the SĆ©bastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.

Evil Dead Rise

“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.ā€

That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”

Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:

High Desert Hell
The Gemini Project

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‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening

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Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.

Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.

Happy Sad Confused

Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.

Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.

The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abramsā€™ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turowā€™s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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