We’re about halfway through 2024, and we’ve gotten some solid showings of horror both on TV (like Chucky, Them: The Scare) and in the theaters (Abigail, Late Night With the Devil). There’s more to come with the likes of Alien: Romulus and Speak No Evil, and Netflix is adding something new into the mix with Nightmares & Daydreams.
Spoilers of the Week: July 8th
Similar to Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, the new show is an anthology from Indonesian filmmaker Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves: Communion). Across seven episodes, a group of ordinary people come across strange events that may hold the answer to humanity’s creation and whatever lies in the future. “Characters and plots will intertwine like pieces of a puzzle,” reads the synopsis, “And the big picture will be awe-inspiring.”
Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams | Official Teaser | Netflix
As seen in the trailer above, the stories will be spread across multiple time periods, from the past to the far future and feature cults, a massive clock tower, people trapped in houses, and malicious subliminal messaging. The series will also feature frequent Anwar collaborators in its cast, such as Ario Bayu—whose first breakthrough role was in Anwar’s Dead Time: Kala—and Marissa Anita (Impetigore, Ritual).
Nightmares was first announced back in 2022, where Anwar called his home country “so full of unique and extraordinary stories.” With the new trailer, he explained his aim was to make the series relatable to most Indonesians, but with some added political and social themes through a sci-fi supernatural lens. International horror takes many forms depending on the country, and in the case of Indonesia, there’s been some pretty strong and scary showings.
We’ll find out how Nightmares & Daydreams stacks up when it hits Netflixon June 14.
Last summer was pretty packed with big movies, from the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3to Across the Spider-Verse and Barbie. 2024’s summer movie season began this weekend with The Fall Guy and a re-release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. With two throwback movies coming out in the same weekend—one based on an old ‘80s TV show and the other that first released in ‘99—you’d think we were in for another big summer, but so far, things aren’t hitting quite as hard in terms of box office.
The Secret to Taika Waititi’s Success
Individually, those two movies did fairly solid: Fall Guy (headlined by Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt) ended up with $65.4 million worldwide, with $28.5 million of it coming from North America. While it fell just shy of initial projections of $30-40 million domestically, it’s still got pretty good reviews, and word of mouth may help get it across the finish line. In second place came Phantom with $8.1 million for North America and $14.5 million overall. A growing prequel fondness goes a decent way, as does attaching a preview of June’s The Acolyteseries for Disney+.
But in Fall Guy’s case, its opening numbers mark a sharp falloff (heh) from that of 2023 and 2022. In both instances, Marvel kicked things off: Guardiansopened last year on May 5 to $118.4 million, and Doctor Strange 2saw $187.4 millon. Deadpool & Wolverinewas once meant to come out this weekend as well alongside Fall Guy, but production was suspended that July due to the strikes, and it had just over a month’s worth of shooting left. So with no Marvel movie taking up a May slot as per usual, this year’s numbers are down by 53% (for 2022) and 66% (2022), making for what Variety called the softest start for summer movies in around 15 years.
Looking ahead, the rest of May is well-stocked with blockbusters. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesreleases next week with strong buzz behind it, followed by The Strangers: Chapter Oneand Ifon May 17. Furiosawill close things out on May 24, riding right into Memorial Day weekend. Come June 7, that first weekend’s packed with three big movies: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return with Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the Shyamalan family trot out The Watchers, and Russell Crowe returns to horror with The Exorcism.
Before you ask, Mickey vs. Winnie is a project separate fromMickey Mouse Trap, which announced its existence during the first week of 2024 not long after Steamboat Willie-era Mickey Mouse emerged from Disney’s copyright clutches. It’s also not part of the Twisted Childhood Universe, aka the Poohniverse, from the makers of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. This new project, which is currently in production in Michigan, is being written and directed by Glenn Douglas Packard.
A press release provides this plot synopsis: “In the 1920s, two convicts escape into a cursed forest only to be dragged and consumed into the depths of the dark forest’s muddy heart. A century later, a group of thrill-seeking friends unknowingly venture into the same woods. Their Airbnb getaway takes a horrifying turn when the convicts mutate into twisted versions of childhood icons Mickey Mouse & Winnie-The-Pooh, and emerge to terrorize them. A night of violence and gore erupts, as the group of friends battle against their now monstrous beloved childhood characters and fight to break free from the forest’s grip. In a horrific spectacle, Mickey and Winnie clash, painting the woods in a gruesome tableau of blood—a chilling testament to the curse’s insidious power.”
The basic plot sounds like another iteration of the ol’ “cabin in the woods” genre, and we’ve already pointed out that Mickey and Winnie are both becoming familiar faces in horror. However, in the press release Packard specifically notes that “the Mickey Mouse featured in our film is unlike any iteration audiences have encountered before. Our portrayal doesn’t involve characters donning basic masks. Instead, we present deeply transformed, live-action horror renditions of these iconic figures, weaving together elements of innocence and malevolence.”
So far there’s no word on when Mickey vs. Winnie might hit screens or where you’ll be able to watch it. What do you think of this latest public-domain horror project?
In his vast career, Francis Ford Coppola has made masterpieces (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, The Conversation), cult classics (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Outsiders), and curious whatsits (The Godfather Part III, Peggy Sue Got Married). Which will Megalopolisbe? While the world waits to see the movie he’s had on his mind for decades, the writer-director is giving fans a few crumbs to go on.
Giancarlo Esposito Talks About the Coppola Movie You Might Never See, Megalopolis
In a statement provided to Vanity Fair, along with a first-look image you can see in the magazine’s X post below, Coppola—who invested $120 million of his own money in the project, and just turned 85—gave some hope to sci-fi fans by noting Adam Driver’s character has the “power to stop time.” That’s Driver, who plays an “idealistic architect and artist planning to rebuild a city that has fallen to ruins” and Game of Thrones’ Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays the daughter of the city’s corrupt mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) and who falls in love with Driver’s character, in the photo.
So we have a dystopian city, and a character who can “stop time” (literally or metaphorically?), as well as a cast that also includes Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Jason Schwartzman, and others. In his statement to Vanity Fair, Coppola outlined the influences he drew on in the 40-something years he was dreaming of making Megalopolis, including 1936 sci-fi classic Things to Come, adapted by H.G. Wells himself from his book The Shape of Things to Come. “[It’s about building the world of tomorrow, and has always been with me, first as the ‘boy scientist’ I was and later as a filmmaker,” Coppola told the magazine.
He also refers to his movie as “a Roman epic set in modern America,” tying in both ancient history and more recent New York City moments, as wide-ranging as September 11 and “the antics of Studio 54.” He did that “so that everything in my story would be true and did happen either in modern New York or in ancient Rome. To that I added everything I had ever read or learned about.”
While we wonder what Megalopolis will be, here’s what Coppola said he hopes audiences will take away from it: “It’s my dream that Megalopolis will become a New Year’s Eve perennial favorite, with audiences discussing afterwards not their new diets or resolutions not to smoke, but rather this simple question: ‘Is the society in which we live the only one available to us?’”
Megalopolis will debut at the Cannes Film Festival next month; hopefully it’ll then make its way stateside for theaters and streaming.
The original Happy Death Dayin 2017 was one of those “why hasn’t this done before?” horror movies, wherein college girl Tree (played by Jessica Rothe) got stuck in a time loop that always ended with her getting murdered. That first movie did really well, and its sequel Happy Death Day 2Ualso did pretty good! Over the past few years, it hasn’t been clear if a sequel would ever happen, but good news: it’s apparently still in the cards.
Why Keanu? Why? | Crypto Nonsense
While doing promo for her newest film Boy Kills World, Rothe revealed to ScreenGeek that director Christopher Landon “has the whole thing figured out. We just need to wait for Blumhouse and Universal to get their ducks in a row.” As far as she’s concerned, Tree “deserves her third and final chapter to bring that incredible character and franchise to a close or a new beginning. But my fingers are so crossed.”
Presumably, she’s referring to how busy the two studios have been and where it can fit on their schedules. Setting aside COVID and last year’s strikes, they’ve partnered on a lot of horror flicks in the last five years: some have been reimaginings of the Universal Monsters, others have been original movies or reboots of Universal’s horror stable. Most of them have done pretty well at the box office, and in some cases, have (or will lead) to franchises all their own. Separately, Blumhouse merged with James Wan’s Atomic Monster earlier this year, and now has its sights set on video games, while Universal’s focused on big flicks like Fall Guy, the How to Train Your Dragon remake, and now the Mariomovies.
Back in 2020, Landon revealed his planned title for the threequel was Happy Death Day to Us, though by that point, it was shelved. At that time, he teased the flm would be set on an entirely different day, which would help keep the presssure off doing the same exact thing a third time. With luck, it’ll get made and released fairly soon—if Now You See Me can come back with a third movie nearly a decade later, then so can this.
Try putting pure joy into words. The English language has plenty of worthy adjectives and beautiful metaphors but nothing quite comes close to actually, perfectly capturing what it feels like to be completely filled with happiness. To reverberate with delight. To float on cloud nine. No, to adequately capture that feeling, you need more than just words. You need pictures, you need sounds, you need story. You need… Amélie.
Why Keanu? Why? | Crypto Nonsense
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the 2001 fantasy romance recently got a limited edition Blu-ray steelbook release, and it felt like the perfect opportunity to revisit a film that has long been one of my personal favorites. I saw Amélie in theaters when it was first released and instantly became obsessed. It had, and still has, an energy, attitude, and voice all its own. In the years that followed, I watched it often.
But, it’s been a lot of years since then and to be honest, I hadn’t seen it again in a while. During that time, the world has changed. I’ve changed. And when I popped in Amélie this week it hit me in ways I never imagined. From the very first moments, where the film starts to talk about random acts of beauty happening simultaneously all over France, a rush of emotions began flooding through me. Could it have been the second glass of wine I was enjoying? For sure. And yet from the first frame of Amélie you know you’re in for something special. Something that, if you’ve already experienced it, is almost more exciting because you know what you’re in for: a cinematic roller coaster ride of laughs, love, and elation.
Image: Miramax
For anyone who maybe hasn’t seen the film, Amélie follows the life of an introverted woman (played with a contagious, infectious sweetness by Audrey Tautou) who finds purpose by helping others via random acts of kindness. Amélie’sactions make everyone around her happy, but she’s still sad, so she tries to employ the same tactics on her crush, a man named Nico played by Mathieu Kassovitz.
Amélie is so much more than just that plot though. It’s a celebration of life. A reminder that the good you put in the world can and will come back to you. As Amélie moves through Jeunet’s vibrant, lush Paris, you can’t help but smile the entire time. The film is hilarious, sweet, heartbreaking, and reaffirming, often all at once. Every single character is completely relatable but wholly unique and specific. Each line of dialogue or piece of information seems random but also totally accurate and purposeful. Then, on top of all that, Jeunet weaves in moments of fantasy enriching the world even further. Paintings move, bedside figures speak, and people melt into the floor, all adding a level of wonder to the already stunning world. You simply can’t watch Amélie and not feel fantastic. It captures so many hyper-specific but ultra-relatable slices of life while also building a world full of magic and wonder.
Image: Miramax
Those feelings coursed through me for the entire rewatched. I grinned, I laughed, I often wiped away tears as moments I love and quoted growing up flickered by. Then, in the end, when Jeunet really amps things up, I became a blubbering mess. Most of that was because the movie does such a fantastic job of making you love everyone and everything happening on screen in ways 99% of other movies would never dream of. But a small part was also just a reflection of the world today compared to almost 25 years ago. Things are always messed up. People are always sad. But watching a movie this happy, this positive, this obsessed with the beauty of life made me think about the good things in my life more than I usually do, and that was a gift.
Life is hard, but it can be quite beautiful too. And that’s especially the case if you use some of it to watch Amélie. It’s a perfect movie. A celebration of all that’s possible and good in the world told in a way you’ve never seen before and may never see again. I loved it before but, rewatching it again, I love it more than I even remembered.
Do you still think Sucker Punchwas just shy of being a truly great work? If so, Zack Snyder agrees with you—and he’s ready to make its Snyder Cut a reality.
Spoilers of the Week April 11-15
Talking to Empire earlier in the week, the director was asked about what he’d change from any of his movies. (Other than the one he already did that with, of couse.) He picked his 2011 action flick, which he says “never really got finished correctly. […] If I had the chance, I would fix that movie.” What’s stopping him from whipping up those changes is, accoring to him, both the resources and explicit permission to do it.
“They have to let me put it together,” he explained, presumably referring to Warner Bros. or Legendary Pictures. “I have the footage already shot. […] We ask every now and then, [and] we have to ask again. I think there has to be a window when no one’s got the movie.” He further implied that fans could help get the ball rolling faster, saying “if they want to start a campaign, that’s alright.”
Sucker Punch originally released in 2011 and starred Emily Browing as Babydoll, who gets sent to a mental hospital after accidentally shooting her sister while trying to fight off her abusive stepfather. Upon learning she’ll be lobotomized, Babydoll and her fellow patients—played by Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, and Jamie Chung—enter a number of fantasy worlds to find items that’ll help them escape in the real world. With negative reviews and an $89.8 million box office (on an $82M budget), it wasn’t really well-liked at the time, not helped by the flak it caught for its elevator pitch of girls fantasizing about killing monsters with swords and guns as they do erotic dances IRL.
Times have changed, though, and it’s possible the film would be better (or just more interesting?) if it’s been retooled. But would fans want to will that one into existence like they did with Justice League? That may be a little harder to determmine, since it’s yet to receive a widespread reappraisal like other movies lately.
One of the most surprising, exciting pieces of movie news so far this year is that writer Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle are going back to the world of 28 Days Later. Over two decades since the groundbreaking original zombie film and 17 years since its follow-up, the pair are getting ready to make 28 Years Later.
The Boogeyman’s Sophie Thatcher Reveals What Draws Her to Dark Characters | io9 Interview
Speaking to Garland on the occasion of his latest film, Civil War, io9 asked him why now was the right time to go back to the franchise that launched his career.
“It was partly to do with the passage of time,” Garland told io9 over video chat. “It sounds dumb, but you get locked in. Originally I wrote 28 Days Later as almost like a gag. It was making a caption into the title. You know, ‘12 hours later,’ ‘The next day,’ except make it the title. And then you’re stuck with it. [Laughs] You got to live with the thing. And 28 Months Later would have seemed weird given the amount of time that had passed. And, 28 Weeks Later, someone had already done it. And so our last time frame, unless we start moving to centuries, was 28 years. And enough time had passed to justify that right.”
But, of course, there were a few other big factors beyond just the timing. “Danny was interested in doing it, the producers were interested in doing it, and I had an idea,” he said. “I had not really had an idea that I was interested in prior to that. It had been floated. We’d talk about it. Every five years or something it would get discussed, but I had no motivation to do it. I said, ‘Look, if someone else wants to do it, that’s fine, but I haven’t got anything.’ For some reason, that passage of time unlocked a particular concept in my head that the film then goes with, and so, suddenly it made sense. I said, ‘Okay, I think I’ve got an idea.’ And I wrote it as a script, and showed it to Danny and Andrew [Macdonald] and Peter [Rice] who are the producers, and they said, ‘Yeah, okay, let’s do it.’”
Plus, Garland confirmed that the overall idea is for the series to be a trilogy, if audiences turn up for it. “That was key to the idea was it was a story that couldn’t naturally fit in one film,” Garland said. “And there was a possibility— which we may not have the opportunity to do—but to do a proper trilogy. Not a sequence of sequels that are effectively replaying the first thing just in slightly different forms, but an actual true narrative. And we don’t know if we’ll be able to do it because that relates, in the end, to market forces. Films cost a lot of money. Even cheap films cost a lot of money. You know, people talk low-budget, but it’s a lot of money always. And so that depends on really whether people want to see future ones after we’ve made it.”
But, either way, 28 Years Later from Alex Garland and Danny Boyle is coming. And ultimately it’ll be coming… almost 28 years after the original too. No release date is set, but you have to guess 2025 or 2026, 23 or 24 years after the first film, is probably a good guess.
Charithra Chandran and Sebastian Croft want you to have fun watching their latest film. The duo are starring as best friends and potential lovers, Amelia Brown and Archie Arnold, in Prime Video’s coming-of-age romantic comedy “How To Date Billy Walsh.” Amelia and Archie roam the halls of Heathbrook Academy navigating their first experiences of love, lust and friendship breakups. Watching it feels like a blast from the past, like watching those classic rom-coms from the 2000s and early 2010s. “How To Date Billy Walsh” is quirky, light-hearted and a bit silly – all the perfect ingredients you need for a successful teen rom-com.
For those of you who know Croft from the critically acclaimed queer drama series “Heartstopper” – playing the manipulative and toxic Ben Hope – this role is a complete change of tone and might surprise you. “Archie is just a silly character,” he says. “It’s lovely to do something different. It’s so nice to play a warm and over-the-top character after diving into something quite different and very serious with “Heartstopper”.”
In recent years, we’ve seen a shift within British rom-coms – we are seeing a lot more diversity, something that was often missing in the 2000s and 2010s. Following on from the success of richly diverse romantic coming-of-age stories like “One Day”, “Rye Lane” and “Heartstopper”, “How To Date Billy Walsh” is another great example of inclusivity within the genre. For young people of colour and those within the LGBTQ+ community in the UK, there is so much good that comes from seeing themselves at the centre of these love stories and being desired.
Chandran is of British South-Asian descent and has always been very vocal about the need for greater diversity. She tells POPSUGAR UK: “We actually asked our director Alex Pillai [whose credits include “Riverdale,” “Bridgerton,” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”] about how he chose the cast and it was always about selecting the best person for the role. However, I think if their personal identity can add to the role and make it richer, then that’s really beautiful.”
Image Source: Prime Video
She continues: “I think there’s something incredibly bold about having such a diverse group of individuals, both in the main cast and the supporting cast of this film, but also just making it seem really normal. This is the world that we live in today. This is how we want the world to be – and look how great it’s turned out.” Croft agrees: “It is normal! If you want to make a film like this, about what it’s like being a teenager and falling in love right now, this is the way to do it. We’re really owning diversity in this film.”
Many of us were first introduced to Chandran as the dutiful sister Edwina Sharma in “Bridgerton” series two. This year we have watched the actress transition from ensemble character to leading lady – from “How To Date Billy Walsh” to starring in the West End in “Instructions For A Teenage Armageddon,” and Chandran is taking it all in her stride. “There’s a sense of responsibility, passion, and an aspect of leadership as well,” she says. “For a lot of the cast, this was their first credit and the experience was really new to them. Sebastian and I took it upon ourselves to make sure that not only we were having a good time and doing our best work, but making sure that everyone else felt super protected and loved.” She adds: “That is a core part of leading a show that isn’t often talked about, because it’s behind the scenes.”
If you’re wondering if filming the rom-com was as much fun as it is to watch, the answer is a definite yes. Chandran reveals: “All the cast are super close because we shot half the time in the countryside in the north of England, we were fairly isolated so we all stayed together. It really did feel like we were boarding school together; we went on nights out and had dinner together pretty much every single day.” Croft adds: “There was a lot of mischief that went on.”
Starring in a rom-com was a bucket list for both Croft and Chandran. She muses: “As a young actor, being in a romantic comedy is the dream. Imagine looking back at your career 20 years down the line – we actually got to do a teen rom-com together.” Pretty iconic if you ask us.
“How To Date Billy Walsh” launches on Prime Video on Friday 5th April.
Aaliyah Harry (she/her) is the associate editor at POPSUGAR UK. She writes extensively across lifestyle, culture and beauty. Aaliyah also has a deep passion for telling stories and giving voice to the voiceless. Previously, she has contributed to Refinery29, Grazia UK and The Voice Newspaper.
Just when you think found-footage horror has exhausted its last avenue for something creative and new, a movie like Late Night With the Devil comes along. Styled as a Halloween episode of a 1970s talk show that goes way off the rails, it perfectly captures the aesthetic of the era—as well as its burgeoning fascination with all things occult.
What Summoned David Dastmalchian to Late Night with the Devil?
(But first, an important note: if you learned about this movie thanks to its use of AI art, which has been causing a stir online, you can more about that in this Variety piece, in which the filmmakers responded with a statement that reads in part: “In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the ‘70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film.” They are indeed so briefly used I didn’t even notice that the art was AI-generated while I was watching the film—but if that’s something you don’t want to support, it’s good to have that information ahead of time.)
Long a “that guy” supporting actor(The Boogeyman, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Oppenheimer, The Suicide Squad), David Dastmalchian steps into the lead (rocking sideburns and a polyester beige suite) as Jack Delroy, host of late-night syndicated talk show Night Owls. He’s found some success, but “Mr. Midnight” hasn’t been able to emerge from Johnny Carson’s shadow—and after several years on the air, he’s desperate to boost his sagging ratings. That’s the context we get from Late Night With the Devil’s documentary-style opening, which then rolls right into the “recently discovered master tape” of the infamous episode, including behind-the-scenes footage captured during commercial breaks.
Naturally, it being Halloween, Delroy and his team—producer Leo (Josh Quong Tart) and sidekick/announcer Gus (Rhys Auteri)—cook up a special they hope will delight and maybe frighten viewers. Jack’s guests include a famous medium (Fayssal Bazzi) who purports to be able to speak to the dead; a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon) and the young cult survivor (Ingrid Torrelli) who’s the subject of her new book, the ominously titled Conversations With the Devil; and a stage magician turned skeptic (Ian Bliss) who’s there to question everything, and is quite clearly inspired by real-life debunker James Randi. Plus: music, jokes, a costume contest, mass hypnosis, and… demons unleashed?
Image: Courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder
Sibling writing-directing duo Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes did their research—you can tell many hours of 1970s talk shows were consumed as part of their research process, and as a result Late Night With the Devil feels eerily authentic. The script also does a good job sprinkling clues to the movie’s last-act meltdown throughout. You know from the start that “a live TV event that shocked a nation” (hat-tip to infamous British mockumentary Ghostwatch) is about to happen, but the build-up is nearly as fun as the chaos when it arrives.
Late Night With the Devil hits theaters March 22; it arrives on Shudder April 19.
Fake movie posters for a remake of The Land Before Time, falsely billed as upcoming releases from Universal and Disney/Pixar respectively.Screenshot: Facebook / TikTok
Movie posters appearing to show an upcoming remake of the children’s dinosaur movie The Land Before Time (1988) have elicited strong emotions on social media recently. But no matter if you think a remake is a bad idea or a good idea, the movie isn’t happening. At least not in the foreseeable future.
What Exactly is the New Movie, Lightyear?
The rumors about this fake dino-remake can likely be traced to a Facebook page called YODA BBY ABY, which first wrote about the potential movie in late 2023.
“Get ready to embark on a prehistoric escapade like never before! Disney and Pixar join forces to bring you a dazzling remake of The Land Before Time, where Littlefoot and friends journey through lush landscapes and encounter enchanting surprises,” the fake post reads. “Brace yourself for a January 2025 release – a dino-mite adventure awaits!”
But there’s no evidence that any remake of The Land Before Time is in production by Disney and Pixar, much less coming out in January 2025. Another viral claim suggests the movie is coming out in December 2024, but there’s no evidence for that either.
The prospect of a remake has been incredibly polarizing, especially because people who loved the original movie took issue with the way the dinosaurs looked on these fake movie posters.
“I hope this is some kind of sick joke that someone made, because that is not Little Foot,” on TikTok user commented last week.
Other TikTok users said they were “disrespecting the spirit of Land Before Time” and “disrespecting Littlefoot” with the new character designs.
While the original 1988 film, executive produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, is the most beloved, there were actually 13 sequels. Only the 1988 version received a theatrical release though, with all of the follow-ups going straight to home video. The last in the series was released in 2016 and is titled Journey of the Brave.
But if I’m Universal Pictures I’m looking at the strong opinions currently circulating online and seeing dollar signs in my eyes. If people have strong feelings about the film series, that certainly counts for something. Millennial nostalgia can be an extremely profitable enterprise as the generation enters middle age, whether it’s the 30th iteration of Mean Girls or our favorite animated dinosaurs. Get to work, movie execs.
NEW YORK—Hunched over a pint of beer, Paul Giamatti’s fake lazy eye from The Holdovers was reportedly drunkenly watching the Oscars broadcast from a corner of the dive bar, sources confirmed Sunday. “Turn it up, turn it up, I can’t hear!” said the prosthetic eyeball, which slurred its words as it tried to tell everyone in the vicinity that it had been invited to the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony, but had chosen to eschew it because everyone was “uptight.” “You guys saw it right? You saw me in The Holdovers? Giamatti’s not going to win. He doesn’t stand a chance. Alexander Payne, he’s the director, he told me I should have been the nominee, but his hands were tied. That’s fine by me. I don’t like the spotlight anyway. I’d rather be here.” At press time, the eyeball was boasting that it was up to be Quasimodo’s eye in the Disney live-action remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
This film is like if your mom stole your Wattpad moment. The Idea of You follows Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with her daughter’s favorite pop star. She goes from begrudgingly chaperoning her daughter to Coachella to meeting, to falling for, 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of a band, August Moon, based on One Direction.
That’s just where the story begins. The film takes us through their whirlwind romance as Solène wrestles with her unexpected passion for a man almost half her age and the media attention that comes with him. Oh the things we do for boys who play guitar.
I’m expecting something that feels like a mix of After (the original Harry Styles-inspired story), A Star is Born, Fifty Shades of Grey, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. It’s also been compared to Daisy Jones & The Six (by us … we compared it to that). The trailer just dropped and it teases a film that will no doubt be a thrilling ride.
The Idea of You trailer is out now. Watch it here:
The Idea of You – Official Trailer | Prime Videowww.youtube.com
What is The Idea of You based on?
There are many reasons this film has been generating buzz ever since the project was announced. The craziest reason is also the most compelling: it’s kind of about Harry Styles — with a little inspo taken from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, too. Sounds absolutely bonkers? It is. But it’s more than just fan service — this film promises to stand on its own.
The Idea of You is based on a bestselling novel by Robinne Lee. Before her turn as a bestselling novelist, Robinne Lee was an actress. You might recognize her for her roles Hitch, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. So no surprises that she ended up writing this steamy novel.
Though it was released in 2017, the book became a hit during the pandemic — famous for its surprising and emotionally tumultuous ending. Of course, the source material also got readers hooked. Lee has confirmed in interviews that she was inspired to write the book after stumbling across a One Direction video. Many fan fiction writers have been there, too.
But unlike teens on Wattpad or AO3, Lee’s book is about more than just lust — though there is a lot of that, too. The book is about a woman in her 40s rediscovering her sexuality and feeling desirable. Sure, the story might have gotten its roots when Lee realized that Styles has dated his fair share of older women (and this was before the messiness of the Don’t Worry Darling press tour that deserves its own movie), but it’s really a dramatic tale about how women get overlooked as they age. One that says hey, you’re still just one Coachella ticket away from the hottest relationship of your life — no matter your age.
While the adaptation reimagines the characters and tells the story in the spirit of the novel — so don’t expect a line by line reenactment — fans are hoping the book’s spirit and wrenching ending is realized fully in the new film.
The Idea of You Cast
Alongside Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway (who is also a producer on the film with Gabrielle Union), The Idea of You stars Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott, Perry Mattfeld, Jordan Aaron Hall, Mathilda Gianopoulos, Raymond Cham Jr., Jaiden Anthony, Viktor White, and Dakota Adan.
The Idea of You Soundtrack
While it’s definitely not a musical, this film is based on a boyband and one of the most famous musicians in the world. To give fans the full experience, Nicholas Galitzine gets to show off his singing in the film’s full Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, which will be available in tandem with the film’s release.
Nicholas Galitzine is no stranger to singing on camera. His first major roles in Handsome Devil and The Beat BeneathMy Feet saw him clutching a guitar. He also played the Prince in Amazon’s jukebox musical adaptation of Cinderella alongside Camilla Cabello. Most notably, fans know him for his TikTok covers and guitar playing, making him perfect for this Harry Styles-esque character. Wherever they’re making these charming, singing Brits — take me there.
The film follows the couple through the superstar’s tour with his boyband, August Moon, so of course there’s lots and lots of original music. The first song, “Dance Before We Walk”, was featured in the trailer. Just like Daisy Jones & The Sixand A Star Is Born, this is sure to be a soundtrack to remember. The band has also just activated an Instagram account (and it already has over 5k followers), so you can follow along on Instagram.
The Idea of You is set to have its World Premiere at SXSW Festival on March 16th as the Closing Night Film. After premiering in Austin, you can stream The Idea of You on Prime Video on May 2nd. Calendar: marked.
It’s March, and we’ve got our first big movie for 2024 in Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Dune: Part Two. Even as its release date shifted around a few times, there’s been a palpable excitement in the air for the second half of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel, and that was before it was getting high marks from nearly everyone. Financially, it’s starting off on the right foot and doing better than originally projected.
Spoilers of the Week April 24-29
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Dune has shored up $178.5 million in its starting weekend. $97 million of this came internationally; in regions like France and South Korea, it released a few days ahead of its March 1 date in North America. For North America, it netted $81.5 million, double the opening take of Dune: Part One back in 2021 and also the highest-grossing movie of 2024 to date. The film was initially tracked to be in the $150-$175 million range, but its small surpassing of that suggests it may have a long tail ahead of it.
Beyond its collective star power and heavy marketing, folks seemed to groove with Part One in the years since its release, if they weren’t already into it. It also helps that there’s nothing else quite on this level in terms of blockbuster scale, and it looks like something worth going out to see in the theaters: per Deadline, $32.2 million of its global take came from IMAX screenings, and it’s now the second-biggest global weekend for an IMAX film behind Batman v Superman in 2016.
Tentpole-wise, the month of March has some other big films on the horizon: Kung Fu Panda 4 drops next week for the kids, along with Blumhouse’s Imaginary. Then we’ve got Ghostbusters: Frozen Empiretowards the end of the month on March 22, concluding with WB and Legendary’s own Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireon the 29th. At the moment, Dune has word of mouth on its side, ditto a desire to see this all come to a close with an eventual adaptation of Dune Messiah and those popcorn buckets, so time will tell how those movies fare against it.
When you look at Dave Bautista, the last thing you think of is failure. Even if he wasn’t a former wrestling superstar turned mega movie star, if you saw this tall, muscular, tattoo-covered man walking down the street, you’d instantly think he’s got it figured out. But in Dune: Part Two, Bautista’s character doesn’t have anything figured out. And the actor loves him for it.
Working With Recasted Characters
Once again, Bautista is Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, nephew of Baron Harkonnen and the new lord of Arrakis… having massacred almost the entire Atreides family for the privilege. Rabban is given the task of taking over the entire planet for his family, with almost no knowledge of the formidable Fremen force he’s up against. It results in the character not faring too well in the eyes of his family, which is exactly why Bautista was so excited about the film.
In his chat with io9, we talked about playing the pathetic villain, his relationship with director Denis Villeneuve, the chip on his shoulder when it comes to acting, and if he’s really done with his famous Guardians of the Galaxy character, Drax. Check it out.
Rabban in Part OneImage: Warner Bros.
Germain Lussier, io9: Rabban doesn’t have a huge role in Part One—it’s a much bigger role here in Part Two. Was there ever a conversation between you and Denis to say, like, hey, we might not make the second movie, but if we do, [your character] will have more to do?
Dave Bautista: Well, I always knew that my role in the second film was going to be bigger. We never [laughs]… I only heard rumblings that there might not be a second film. We never had that official conversation with Denis. I think he always had confidence that there would be. I think he’s a person who has a vision and he doesn’t stray from that vision. I think his vision was never one film, so I think he never abandoned that. So we never had the conversation. And I also was pretty confident because I saw the first film and I was like, it’s amazing. It’s not only beautiful storytelling, but it just really cuts off and it leaves you hanging. And I didn’t see a world where people wouldn’t want to have closure on that. So I never lost faith at all. But it was a sign of the times we were living in. It was uncertain times. And I think a lot of people were cheated, not through the fault of anyone, but by not being able to see the first film on a big screen because that is what it what was designed for. That’s what it was meant to be. But yeah, I never thought that there wouldn’t be a second film.
io9: Most of the guys you play, for obvious reasons, are pretty capable, right? However this guy, besides his size and strength, is kind of an idiot.
Bautista: [Laughs]
io9: And kind of a failure. So was it fun to play somebody that is the butt of all the jokes?
Bautista: For sure. Yeah. For me, that’s why I’m in this, man. Because I want to play characters that are layered and interesting, and not clichés or generic. That’s also the challenge. But I also think that’s my obsession. So that’s what I loved about him. I was so excited when I read the script for the second film and I was even more excited after I had the conversation with Denis because I knew that there was so much for me to play with here. I mean, I always search out roles because I do have this chip on my shoulder. It’s never going to go away. I want to prove myself as an actor because guys like me, they want to put in a lane. And I never wanted to be stuck in that lane. So I came out of the WWE, came out of the gates refusing to be stuck in that lane. And so this gives me the opportunity to prove my point.
io9: Yes.
Bautista: So I thought, this character is so great because you would think about him in one way. He’s just one way. He’s just a brute and that’s all he is. But I thought, if I can take this character and make him not only that, but make him so pathetic that you almost feel sympathy for him.
io9: “Almost.”
Bautista: Yes, almost. [Laughs] I only need one little hint of sympathy when you’re like, you feel sorry for him for a second, then it’s like, “Nahhhhh, I don’t feel sorry for him.” But if I just had that one opportunity, then that could be a real accomplishment.
Bautista with Villeneuve and Austin Butler.Image: Warner Bros.
io9: Oh I think you nailed it. I think also he’s so angry early on in the movie—what was it like to be so vocal and angry?
Bautista: So, for me, screaming for me is just another way to get rid of my anxiety. I’ve always known that about myself. I discovered that in WWE and I just let it all out. On one side of the curtain in WWE, before I came out, I was dry heaving. I was a nervous wreck. I was a mess, and I was always thinking, “God, everything’s going to go wrong. I’m not ready. I’m not warmed up enough. Oh man, I don’t know what to do.” As soon as I hit that curtain, walked out the curtain, lights, music, [crowd roars]—anxiety gone. And it’s the same with this. So it just allowed me the opportunity to just shake that anxiety, and then I can just kind of slowly transform to this performance. But again, I mean, just the richness of the character, the layers of the character and the support and encouragement from Denis, he just made this very easy for me.
io9: Very cool. Now obviously this a big ensemble piece but, by the nature of your character, you don’t really get to act with most of the people in the movie. Is that isolating? Do you form a bond with the other people that you’re with?
Bautista: Yeah, for sure. No matter what you spend a lot of time with people in makeup trailers or on set or socially. There’s always a get-together, especially for the ensemble cast, where the director wants to meet with the cast. And so there’s always going to be that camaraderie. [But] selfishly, personally, like I want those scenes. I want scenes with Timmy [Chalamet]. I want scenes and Zendaya. I want scenes with Florence [Pugh]. I want a scene with Christopher Walken. But it just, you know, it wasn’t meant to be.
io9: You get a scene with Josh Brolin.
Bautista: You know, I love Josh. Josh is one of my favorite people in the world. I’ve known Josh for years now through our Marvel experiences. So I was pretty giddy getting to share scenes with him on this in this film. And it was just nothing but fun. And I love that our characters just despise each other. So it’s great.
Dave Bautista Opens Up About His Relationship With Denis Villeneuve
Dave Bautista Opens Up About His Relationship With Denis Villeneuve
io9: One of the things I love about your career, you talk about having that chip on your shoulder, is you work with such incredible filmmakers. Obviously, there’s Gunn, Snyder, Shyamalan, and Villeneuve. What sets Denis apart from the other ones you’ve worked with?
Bautista: Our conversations are different. And it’s hard for me having these conversations without sounding… because I never want to be dismissive of anybody else that I’ve worked with. They’ve all been special experiences. And they’ve all made me rise as a performer and helped me in my career. James Gunn changed my life. His belief in me, his support of me, changed my life. But our conversations have been different. Denis supports me in a different way.
Our conversations are more intimate. I’ve never had a director until Denis, since Denis, say to me that you’re a very strong actor. And he said this to me on the first film. I was holding back because I was self-conscious [and] I was. I was very unsure of myself. And he came to me. He said, “I feel like you’re holding back.” He said, “You’re a very strong actor, my friend. Just follow your instincts.” And so I started belting it out, and I started finding this character. He not only loved it so much, but he was so supportive of my performance that he wanted to capture other people’s reactions to my performance. And so when you’re getting that kind of support, that was an experience I’ve never had before or since, with a director of that caliber. So it means everything. It’s validation.
Image: Warner Bros.
io9: Wow, that’s awesome. SoI’m talking to Stellan [Skarsgård] after this and you have a lot of scenes with him. What is it like working with him in that suit? Because it’s got to be weird. Do you laugh or are you just serious? What’s the vibe?
Bautista: It’s very serious. We are respectful because we know that it’s harsh. The experience he’s gone through, like what he’s living with and what he’s dealing with. And you can tell through conversations while he’s working, that he’s already exhausted because he’s been in a makeup chair eight hours before we even started working. Eight hours, you’re typically leaving work.
io9: Right, right.
Bautista: He’s just starting work. And so it’s very respectful of him and what he’s going through. So we’re very respectful of his time. Everybody this is from the top down. But also the actors were very, aware that he’s suffering.
io9: Last thing is, I know you said on Guardians 3 that you were done with Marvel, but is there any way that you would come back, or have you just kind of put that part of your career aside?
Bautista: No, no. When I said that I was done, I was really just done with my journey as Drax. I still have a relationship with Marvel. I’ve seen Kevin Feige again, Lou [D’Esposito] as recently as two weeks ago. And they know that I would be up for a role. I love the universe—the superhero universe, I love it. I’m a fan. So Marvel or DC, if they call, I would answer the phone. And if the role makes sense, I’d be all over it. I just would like the opportunity to do a bigger role, a different role. Maybe a deeper role. I’d love to have the opportunity to play, like an ominous villain in the superhero universe. Yeah. But never. I’m not done with it. But my journey with Drax is over.
To celebrate the upcoming digital, Blu-ray, and DVD release of Poor Things, io9 attended a party inspired by the Emma Stone-starring film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. The cinematic soiree was delightfully twisted, just like the parties Stone’s Fraken-creation Bella Baxter enjoys—complete with immersive actors portraying her role.
The mini-gala, held in Los Angeles, CA, showcased the Oscar-nominated film’s costumes, both on the wandering Bellas as well as displayed on mannequins, allowing attendees to get a close-up look at Holly Waddington’s fanciful designs. To cap the night, Dancing with the Stars’ Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson performed their take on the film’s memorable duet between Stone and Mark Ruffalo’s characters.
Check out this gallery for a peek at the night’s fun, filled with vibes evoking the unique world of Lanthimos’ film.
Adaptations can be tricky, particularly when the source material is animated. More often than not, they’re reviled upon reveal, because they often feel like they’re going through the motions or twisting the original thing into something it’s not. It can be a dismal prospect to see something you grew up with lose its identity, and things get even worse when you can’t really let it go.
How The Last Airbender Inspired Lisette Olivera
Last weekend, I watched The Last Airbender, M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 adaptation of Nickelodeon’s Avatar series. I’d made an active choice to avoid the movie back then, largely because the cast was whitewashed as hell. And beyond catching the last 15 minutes on TV forever ago, I hadn’t ever seen the full thing. Now that I’ve done so, after years of hearing it described as the worst thing ever… it’s just a mediocre adaptation. There’s nothing remarkable about it being bad, other than how it sucking was definitive for an entire generation of kids. To be honest, I was a little disappointed it wasn’t actively worse, but then I started to think about why the movie and its badness stuck around in audiences’ minds for so long.
In the mid and late-2000s, studios were trying to anything that could possibly strike with the same impact as Harry Potter movies. At the time, films based on kids books like Eragon and The Spiderwick Chronicles did okay or fizzled out, and while Dragonball Evolution hurt anime’s Hollywood aspirations for a decade, the medium wasn’t quite a juggernaut yet. The original Avatar show arrived at the right time in 2005: it looked enough like anime to stand out, but came without having any of the negative baggage attached to anime back then. And what made it feel even more special back then was how it was actively aging up with its audience, something cartoons weren’t really doing at the time.
Image: Paramount
Avatar was a show for 11-year-olds, and it was formative in the way good shows often are when they hit you at the right moment. TheLast Airbender movie was very clearly aimed at fans of the show, which had wrapped in 2008. Two years was just long enough for some wistfulness for the original show to kick in… which made it all the more heartbreaking that the movie just blows. Whatever small bright spots it has, like Dev Patel and Aasif Mandvi being the only ones trying to give performances as Zuko and Zhao, are quickly overwhelmed by a film that makes it clear from the jump it’s going to be a stinker.
Condensing a 20-episode series into a film was never going to be easy, and it’d be foolish to think the movie was going to get as much in as possible. But it’s still pretty startling to see this movie adapt a handful episodes and leave it at that—something made worse by how half-hearted the effort feels. The “best” of the bunch is really only the assault on the Northern Water Tribe toward the very end, and that’s really only because the movie does a decent job at giving Aang’s waterbending big tidal wave a sense of scale. (But even that doesn’t hit the same as the giant water kaiju in the finale of the show.)
In that sense, I can get why series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino would align with Netflix to take another live-action stab at their own work. (After a split from Netflix due to “creative differences,” they headed to Nickelodeon to head up Avatar Studios, where they’re developing an Avatar animated film, among other projects.) As for the general public, it feels weird to still give the 2010 film oxygen; at its best, Netflix’s upcoming live-action take on the material—an eight-episode series made without Konietzko and DiMartino, and arriving on the streamer February 22—can really only make us go “well, it’s better than the last one.” But the larger Avatar series pretty much recovered from it around the third season of Legend of Korra, and it’s not like this is ever going to get a reexamination like the Star Wars prequels or several pre-MCU Marvel movies from Fox.
The Last Airbender’s biggest fault was how much it didn’t really do right by the source material or even have its own novel spin on things to distract from what it lacked. As an adaptation, it commits the cardinal sin of existing for its own sake and not being additive in any real way. Overall, it’s just dull and annoying—but not enough to hold a 14-year grudge.
Explore the world of love through a variety of lenses. Here’s a collection of powerful films that each portray love and romance in a unique way, spanning multiple genres including drama, comedy, fantasy, animation, and sci-fi.
“Cinema is a mirror by which we often see ourselves.”
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Movies give us the opportunity to explore major themes in life in a meaningful and profound way.
A powerful film can lead to a better understanding of your own experiences. It can communicate thoughts and emotions that may have been challenging to express; and, at times, completely reshape our perspective on life.
For better or worse, movies play a pivotal role in shaping our beliefs and map of reality. We pick up ideas through films, sometimes absorbed at a very young age, and those ideas find their way into our daily lives influencing our choices and perspectives.
Filmmakers understand the transformative power of cinema, purposely using it to shake up people’s consciousness. The goal of a solid film is to create an experience that leaves you a different person by the end of it.
As viewers, it’s essential to be aware of a film’s effects both emotionally and intellectually. Often, the movies that linger in our thoughts long after watching are the most impactful and life-changing.
Here’s a collection of classic films about love and romance. Each movie has had a lasting influence on audiences in one way or another. It’s an eclectic list that spans multiple genres, including drama, comedy, animation, fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi.
Titanic (1997)
James Cameron’s epic tale blends love and tragedy against the historical backdrop of the Titanic’s sinking in 1912. The film weaves a captivating narrative of a forbidden romance blossoming amidst a natural disaster.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
In this mind-bending story, a man attempts to erase the memories of a lost love using cutting-edge technology, only to find fate conspiring to bring the couple back together repeatedly. The film explores the complexities of memory, love, and destiny.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Disney’s classic adaptation of the French fairy tale is celebrated for its beautiful animation and memorable songs. The film goes beyond appearances, illustrating the transformative power of true love.
Her (2013)
Set in a near-future world, “Her” tells the unconventional love story of a lonely man who forms a deep connection with his computer’s operating system. The film delves into themes of technology, loneliness, and the nature of human connection.
Before Sunrise (1995)
Richard Linklater’s film follows two young tourists who meet on a train in Europe and share an unforgettable night in Vienna. The movie explores the transient nature of connections and the profound impact of brief encounters.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Sofia Coppola’s film features a washed-up American celebrity and a young woman forging an unexpected bond in Tokyo. “Lost in Translation” navigates themes of loneliness, connection, and self-discovery.
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
An Italian filmmaker reflects on his past and learns how to channel his love in a different and creative way through his art and craftsmanship.
Past Lives (2023)
Two childhood friends reconnect after years apart, seeking to unravel the meaning behind their enduring connection. The film explores the complexities of friendship, time, and shared history.
Set in a dystopian future, “The Lobster” challenges societal norms by presenting a world where individuals must choose a romantic partner within 45 days or face transformation into an animal. The film satirizes the pressure to conform in matters of love.
Annie Hall (1977)
Woody Allen’s classic romantic comedy is a hilarious and heartfelt movie that explores neurotic love and the psychological obstacles we commonly face in marriage and long-term relationships.
Your Name. (2016)
A masterful anime that combines elements of science fiction, fantasy, and romance. It centers on a mysterious connection between a boy and girl who swap bodies, learn about each other’s lives, and search to find each other in real life.
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
John Cassavetes’ uncomfortably raw and dramatic portrayal of the profound impact of mental illness on marriage and family, navigating the complexities with unflinching honesty.
The Fountain (2006)
Darren Aronofsky’s “The Fountain” explores love and mortality through three interconnected storylines spanning different time periods. The film delves into themes of eternal love and the quest for immortality, providing a visually stunning and emotionally resonant experience.
Scenes From a Marriage (1974)
Legendary director Ingmar Bergman’s deeply incisive and detailed chronicle of a rocky marriage’s final days.
Choose one movie and analyze it
Each of these films offers a different perspective on love while also pushing the boundaries of cinema and story-telling.
It’s fun to compare each story: How did the couples meet? What defined “love” for them? What obstacles did they face? Did the relationship work out in the end or not? Why?
While films are often seen as just a source of entertainment or healthy escapism, they can also be an avenue for self-improvement and growth.
The “Movie Analysis Worksheet” is designed to make you think about the deeper themes behind a film and extract some lessons from it that you can apply to your life.
Watch with a friend and discuss
If you don’t want to do the worksheet, just watch one of the movies with a friend (or loved one) – then discuss it after.
Watching a film together is an opportunity to share a new experience. It can also spark up interesting conversations. This is one reason why bonding through movies is one of the most common ways we connect with people in today’s world.
Which film will you check out?
Enter your email to stay updated on new content on self improvement:
If you missed the hit film “Saltburn”, released in November 2023, where have you been? The salacious movie starring Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan, and British favourites Richard E Grant and Rosamund Pike was the talk of group chats over Christmas when it took to Prime Video. “Saltburn”‘s success (including multiple award nominations and being responsible for Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s resurgence) is arguably down to its shocking and disturbingly scandalous scenes that have skyrocketed to virality on social media.
Scenes we’ll safely label as the “period snack” and “graveyard thrust” have been widely discussed online, but not as much as the infamously controversial bathtub scene where – spoiler alert – Keoghan’s character, Oliver Quick, watches Felix Catton (Elordi) masturbate while bathing, and then sneaks in and licks Felix’s remnants from the plughole. Yes, I was watching through my fingers, too.
Fresh off the back of the social media furore, beauty retailer Lush has wasted no time in launching a limited-edition bath bomb, creatively titled Saltbomb (£5), so you can, erm, recreate the scene in wellbeing form. It promises to create salty, milky bathwater, packed full of moisture and minerals for a soothing experience fit for an aristocrat. Now, we know what you’re thinking: is this really necessary? Fortunately, I’ve tried it out to let you know whether a bath à la “Saltburn” can really elevate the experience or leave you feeling dirtier than before your soak.
About Lush’s “Saltburn” Bath Bomb
Key ingredients are coconut milk powder and mineral-rich coarse sea salt.
It smells the same as the reusable Milky Bath Bubble Bar (£9) – a sweet orange and earthy patchouli scent.
As with all Lush products, it’s vegan, cruelty free, and plastic free.
What I Liked About Lush’s “Saltburn” Bath Bomb
Throughout my soak, I did my best to keep what the silky sensation and milky experience was supposed to represent to the back of my mind. As the bath bomb fizzed, the water quickly turned into a traditional white, soapy foam, yet when I stepped into the bath tub, the creamy concoction was obvious. And I liked it.
At first, the scent was not to my fancy, but after bathing in the remnants of the Saltbomb, the invigorating, citrusy scent quickly won me over. As the notes of sweet orange and patchouli dominate, I couldn’t help but pick up on a cotton fragrance, like fresh laundry, that made me feel refreshed and squeaky clean, while creating a grounding atmosphere perfect for winding down.
Laced with nourishing coconut and exfoliating sea salt, it made my skin feel soft and moisturised, which is all I ask of a luxurious bath bomb. While the “Saltburn” theme might be a gimmick in terms of marketing, it’s certainly no fad for your bathroom cupboard. Keoghan’s slurping aside, if you can take your mind away from the dark, erotic scene, then it makes for a truly relaxing experience.
What To Consider About Lush’s “Saltburn” Bath Bomb
As I continued to bathe, the foam dissolved creating an icy-white, opaque bathwater that resembled the bathtub scene way too much for my liking and my thoughts got the better of me, so if that scene is too prominent in your memory, flashbacks may occur!
I did want the white, foamy initial form of the bath bomb to last longer. It was over too soon, cutting my bath time short, and encouraging me to reach for more bath bubbles. If you like a quick soak, then it’s fab. If you like to elongate your self-care bath time then prepare to top up.
If you have a friend that was an Elordi superfan and loves a bath, then this is the perfect gift.
Where to Buy Lush’s “Saltburn” Bath Bomb
Saltbomb is a limited-edition treat from Lush. You can purchase it online and on the app.
