From Oscar® winner Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw Productions, producers of the landmark horror films Get Out, Us, Candyman and Nope, comes a chilling journey into the inner sanctum of fame, idolatry and the pursuit of excellence at any cost, featuring an electrifying dramatic performance from Marlon Wayans (Air, Respect).

HIM stars former college wide-receiver Tyriq Withers (Atlanta, the upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer) as Cameron Cade, a rising-star quarterback who has devoted his life, and identity, to football. On the eve of professional football’s annual scouting Combine, Cam is attacked by an unhinged fan and suffers a potentially career-ending brain trauma.

Just when all seems lost, Cam receives a lifeline when his hero, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), a legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar, offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife, Elsie White (Julia Fox; Uncut Gems, No Sudden Move). But as Cam’s training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma begins to curdle into something darker, sending his protégé down a disorienting rabbit hole that may cost him more than he ever bargained for.

The film features a dynamic supporting cast including alternative comedy legend Tim Heidecker (First Time Female Director, Us) and Australian comic Jim Jefferies (The Jim Jefferies Show), plus MMA heavyweight fighter Maurice Greene and hip hop phenoms Guapdad 4000 and Grammy nominee Tierra Whack, all three in their feature film debuts.

HIM is directed by Justin Tipping (Kicks) from an acclaimed Black List screenplay by Zack Akers & Skip Bronkie (creators of the sci-fi crime series Limetown) and by Justin Tipping. The film is produced by Ian Cooper (Nope, Us), Jordan Peele (Candyman, BlacKkKlansman), Win Rosenfeld (Candyman, Lovecraft Country) and Jamal M. Watson (Hala, Sprinter) for Monkeypaw Productions and is executive produced by David Kern and Monkeypaw’s Kate Oh.
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The film starts with a fictitious reenactment involving a real-life chimpanzeeTV star named Travis who infamously mauled a friend of its owner. This event makes more sense as the story evolves. All the events in the first reel have connections and consequences to actions that take place as the film progresses.

Jordan Peele who wrote, produced and directed the film always builds many layers of meaning into his work and this is among his more deeply nuanced projects. It may be about the brutality of the police towards those of colour or how the idea of Hollywood eats and destroys more than it creates or then again it might not.

While Nope is far from straightforward, it gives you much to dwell on at its conclusion. There are deep levels of subtext to decipher and it’s down to your own deductive capabilities. It’s also a blast to read up on others’ takes as the expansion of the themes present is fascinating.
Rob Hudson
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Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.

The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice) and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.

Nope, which co-stars Michael Wincott (Hitchcock, Westworld) and Brandon Perea (The OA, American Insurrection), is written and directed by Jordan Peele and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us, Candyman) and Jordan Peele for Monkeypaw Productions. The film will be released by Universal Pictures worldwide.
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Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.

The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice) and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.

Nope, which co-stars Michael Wincott (Hitchcock, Westworld) and Brandon Perea (The OA, American Insurrection), is written and directed by Jordan Peele and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us, Candyman) and Jordan Peele for Monkeypaw Productions. The film will be released by Universal Pictures worldwide.

Nope will be released in Australian cinemas August 4!
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For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO’sWatchmen, Us) and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, The Photograph), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; HBO’sEuphoria, Assassination Nation) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

Universal Pictures presents, from Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld’s Monkeypaw Productions, in association with BRON Creative, Candyman. Candyman is directed by DaCosta, and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us), Rosenfeld and Peele. The screenplay is by Peele & Rosenfeld and DaCosta. The film is based on the 1992 film Candyman, written by Bernard Rose, and the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker. The film’s executive producers are David Kern, Aaron L. Gilbert and Jason Cloth.

Candyman will be released in Australian cinemas August 26!
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The story revolves around leaving the big city and going out to the country to meet the girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Along the way it touches on issues as diverse as rich white privilege, social injustice, true friendship and how often times people are completely different than the first impression would lead you to believe.

The direction is assured and important elements of the story arrive with perfect timing. For a first time director, this level of intent is very impressive. It’s the kind of story that will resonate with a large segment of the movie going public and reward them with a lasting experience.

It’s hard to review a film that relies on suspense as one of its key elements and not give too much away so I’ll end with this one last comment: Rich white folks be crazy!

Rob Hudson
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Oscar® winner Jordan Peele unleashes a fresh take on the blood-chilling urban legend that your friend’s older sibling probably told you about at a sleepover: Candyman. Rising filmmaker Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) directs this contemporary incarnation of the cult classic.

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO’s Watchmen, Us) and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, The Photograph), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; HBO’s Euphoria, Assassination Nation) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

From Universal Pictures and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, in association with BRON Creative, and Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld’s Monkeypaw Productions, Candyman is directed by DaCosta, and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us), Rosenfeld and Peele. The screenplay is by Peele & Rosenfeld and DaCosta. The film is based on the 1992 filmCandyman, written by Bernard Rose, and the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker. The film’s executive producers are David Kern, Aaron L. Gilbert and Jason Cloth.
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Life is good for the Wilson clan, so good in fact, they can afford to rent an expensive lakeside house to get away from it all. As they settle into their new digs, each family member shows their own unique personality. Everyone seems happy but Ma Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) seems to be quite fragile.

She’s had a traumatic experience as a youth and it still colours her actions even in adulthood. Husband Gabe (Winston Duke) tries his best to counter this mood by being a bit goofy and less than serious most of the time. Their two children exist in their own little worlds, one buried in their phone, the other with head in the clouds.

This calm changes dramatically when a strange family parks themselves in the shadows at the end of the driveway. This starts a chain of events that will push the Wilsons to the edge of their sanity. There is always subtext in Peele’s movies and Us is no different but it’s difficult to expand on that without giving important details away. So I’ll leave you with just one clue, this wayward family might have to learn to slay together, to stay together.

Rob Hudson

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The story revolves around leaving the big city and going out to the country to meet the girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Along the way it touches on issues as diverse as rich white privilege, social injustice, true friendship and how often times people are completely different than the first impression would lead you to believe.

The direction is assured and important elements of the story arrive with perfect timing. For a first time director, this level of intent is very impressive. It’s the kind of story that will resonate with a large segment of the movie going public and reward them with a lasting experience.

It’s hard to review a film that relies on suspense as one of its key elements and not give too much away so I’ll end with this one last comment: Rich white folks be crazy!

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/GetOutMovie

It’s about two boys who create a homemade comic book character that becomes real when they hypnotise their fun-crushing school principal and convince him that he…is tra-la-la…CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS.

Staring Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll, Jordan Peele, in cinemas this September 2017.