This gloriously gory return to form keeps it all in the family

Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.

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ABC News

3 days ago

• ABC News

How Josh Homme overcame a health crisis for Queens of the Stone Age's Alive in the Catacombs

Josh Homme has held a life-long fascination with the Paris Catacombs, the world-famous ossuary sprawling across a 320km maze of tunnels and chambers 20 metres beneath the streets of the French capital. "I heard about the catacombs as a boy in history class," he tells Double J's Dylan Lewis. Consecrated as the Paris Municipal Ossuary in 1786, the remains of an estimated 6 million people lie there, their skulls and bones lining the walls. What could be cooler to a kid intrigued by the taboo of death? "I think the fascination with death, trying to live your life in a way that makes dying seem like you understand it by the time you're there, has always been there since I was a little boy." As the 52-year-old frontman of world-renowned rock band Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA), Homme is now celebrating Alive in the Catacombs, a short film and accompanying five-track album documenting the group's subterranean performance. Released (fittingly) on Friday, the 13th of June, the project's inspiration came to Homme "on a day off in Paris around 18 or 19 years ago. I tried to go to the catacombs and the line was like three-and-a-half hours long. "So, it's got an even more entitled beginning," he jokes. "How can I skip the line!?" It took a lot of patience and "conversations over many years" with French authoroties to secure the necessary permissions, says Homme. "It's a shame the French don't have a word for bureaucracy," he deadpans. "[Also] they thought our intention was … to take advantage, maybe. But quickly, we were able to dispel that." With a little help from local producers to grease the wheels, QOTSA were able to convince the powers that be, becoming the first band to gain legal access to the catacombs. "But definitely not the first people to play there," Homme points out. From orchestral concerts in the late 1800s to rumoured underground raves, the Catacombs have a long music history. Cataphiles, the community of urban explorers who illegally tour the underground networks, even established a clandestine cinema. "The police went in [2004] and there was a movie projector and all these seats. Other times, there was a full dinner table. They'd go back the next day and it's all gone, a note saying: 'Don't try to find us.'" That long history is "part of the charm", Homme continues. "It's a very intense place to be." Rather than bring their signature heavy rock show, QOTSA radically reworked material from their back catalogue to suit the new setting. Pared-back versions of 'Kalopsia' and 'Suture Up Your Future' feature a small string section, acoustic guitars, chains for percussion, and an electric piano hooked up to a car battery. Homme imagined, "What if I was writing these songs now, again, for this space? The first time I ever went in there was the night before. So, we're walking with the director and sort of improvising and listening to what the Catacombs is telling you what you could do." Uncharacteristically tender for a band famed for its grit and swagger, the lean arrangements expose and underscore Homme's lyrics and the velvety croon that's seen the musician hailed as 'the ginger Elvis'. "I imagined it would be cathedral-like, with endless reverb. But the ceiling is dripping, the floor is gravel, and the air is thick with humidity," he explains. That haunting ambience leaked into the recordings, while stark lighting and performances augment the intimacy of the concert film. "I will say playing there felt like getting on our knees and putting your head down. It had a very religious connotation to it. We were there to respectfully do our best." Working with La Blogothèque, a Paris-based production company best-known for their intimate, cinéma-vérité-style Take Away Shows, QOTSA shot each song in just a few takes. "There were more than a few times where it felt, 'Yeah, OK … we're not doing it again,'" remarks Homme. "There's no edits or fixing. It is what it is, playing down there and that's it. "We could've done eight [songs] but were just like, 'No, man, never leave them wanting less. It's OK to stop.'" The feeling, Homme believes for him and the millions of spirits listening along, was satisfaction. "You're talking about an audience that doesn't get a lot of performances," he adds with a smirk. Adding a layer of unexpected significance was the fact Homme felt like he was at death's door during filming. "My temperature was not the same as everyone else's," he confesses. "So, my experience was much different." That's an understatement. Homme was battling mounting illness related to surgery for his 2022 cancer diagnosis. In the lead-up to the Catacombs shoot on July 8, 2024, QOTSA cancelled several European tour dates for Homme to undergo emergency treatment in Venice. "I'd been asked to stop playing for days by then, and I knew the tour was over," he admits. But despite doctor's orders, he wasn't going to let a health crisis ruin a passion project decades in the making. "I just wanted it so bad, you know? … I broke out of the emergency room. "I went, 'Where's the rest room?' And I was in my gown, I grabbed the rest of my shit [and] I split." Homme's travel agent was waiting at the back door with a getaway car and a rational question. "She was like, 'Why are you doing this?!' "Because you never get the chance to show what you're really made of. I revel in [and] romanticise these moments. It felt like: 'You're here, so what are you going to do? Are you going to do it or not?'" Homme soldiered on through the Catacombs shoot while battling a 40°C fever. Peak rock'n'roll behaviour? Or purely irresponsible? Either way, Homme is clearly a man who lives by the words he sings in 'Suture Up Your Future': "I don't care if it hurts/Just so long as it's real.' The day after the catacombs, "I was on an emergency flight. I was in surgery within three hours of landing." Queens of the Stone Age ended up cancelling the remainder of their 2024 shows. The cover of Alive at the Catacombs is lifted from the film's opening shot of Homme lying dead still on an altar before rising for opening track 'Running Joke/Paper Machete'. The sequence was a matter of necessity as much as artistry. "It was more out of mere exhaustion," explains Homme, who just needed somewhere to lie down. He remembers director Thomas Rames exclaiming, "Don't move!" "And I was like, 'Good because I can't,'" he chuckles. The frontman upgraded to resting on a cot between takes. When the crew broke for lunch, Homme was unable to face the claustrophobic spiral staircase back up to the surface and instead lay down and took advantage of the deathly quiet. "I thought, 'If there was ever a moment to be haunted, this is that moment,'" he remembers. "In all honesty, I felt so held close, held fast. It felt like, 'Don't just play here. Stay here.' And I slept like a baby." His cot situated out of sight in a poorly lit hallway, Homme rose upon hearing "two young French interns … crunching on the gravel, speaking in French. "I just sat up and said, 'What time is it?' They both went: 'Arrrggghhh!' I was like, 'Pardon mois!'" Alive at the Catacombs takes pride of place on a bucket list that includes starting a supergroup with Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, and his idol Iggy Pop for 2016 album Post Pop Depression. "It was always a dream to do this. For now, I'm just going to sit in the proverbial Jacuzzi of this and just bubble. I'm not going to look forward right now, I'm just going to look straight down."

Perth Now

11-06-2025

• Perth Now

Ali Larter moved her family to Idaho during pandemic

Ali Larter moved her family from Los Angeles to a small town in Idaho during the COVID-19 pandemic and never went back. The Final Destination star - who has two young children with her comedian husband Hayes MacArthur - decided to leave Hollywood after the schools shut down and they relocated to a "ski town" her husband had visited as a child and Ali admits they had only planned to stay for two months. She told The Hollywood Reporter: "[We moved] four and a half years ago. It's wild how COVID opened up so many different lives for people in unexpected ways, where you really stared your life in the eye and went: 'Am I happy? What are the choices I'm making, am I willing to roll the dice?' "It was the pandemic and our kids' schools were shut down. It was a really challenging time. The kids were out of school for over a year and a half, and we decided to take them to a ski town. "We went to a place I had never been to before that my husband had been as a child. We thought this was a chance for a couple months to just do something as a family." Although they never intended to stay permanently, Ali reveals the huge change made a big difference to their way of life so they decided to stay. She added: "My husband and I are both adventurous by nature. We don't sit in the muck and that's what it felt like - we were just sitting in the muck of this life that was not working. "We went for two months and the schools were open there. We were able to put our daughter in kindergarten, and that was massive. We stayed for two more months and the dominoes kept falling in really positive ways so we just decided to roll the dice." However, Ali admits it was a risk because of the couple's work was mostly based out of Los Angeles. She explained: "We had built our lives and our careers in this town [in Hollywood], and never even thought there was a world where we wouldn't be living there. "And it's scary when you leave. You wonder if you're ever going to work again, and if you're giving it all up."

News.com.au

05-06-2025

• News.com.au

Samuel L. Jackson once survived being dragged by New York subway train in harrowing accident

While Samuel L. Jackson is no stranger to intense scenes on the silver screen, the Hollywood actor recalled a near-death experience that almost took his life. The Pulp Fiction star opened up about the harrowing moment he was nearly killed after a serious incident on a New York subway train in 1988. 'I got dragged by a subway train in New York … I got dragged by the A train,' Jackson revealed on the Mad Sad Bad podcast with host Paloma Faith. 'I was in the middle door of the last car, and it was a long-ass train station. And when the door closed on my foot, [the] train took off. So, I'm sitting there thinking, I'm like, 'Oh, f**k, I'm going to die.'' Jackson, 76, recalled how the accident unfolded in a split second. After the subway doors clamped down on his foot, Jackson found himself stuck as the train began to move, dragging him toward the tunnel. 'I could see the tunnel coming, and I couldn't figure out anything that I could grab or hold on to and get close to the train, so I wouldn't get killed in the tunnel,' he continued. While his life flashed before his eyes, he explained, a person on the train had crutches and rushed to halt the train. 'It just slowed down really, really slow,' Jackson recalled. 'Until all of a sudden the train stopped.' Jackson continued to share his perspective on nearly dying as he experienced the brush with death. 'Things slow down when you're looking at death,' he remarked. 'I've been in car accidents and if I see them, it's almost like everything is slowing down, and you know there's nothing you can do to get out of the way.' When asked whether fear had gripped him while he was trapped in the subway doors, Jackson shared his honest thoughts. 'When I was being dragged, all I could think of was, it was going to be a really sad Christmas, because it was like a few days before Christmas,' he said. 'So I was going to miss my birthday and all that. I was like, 'Damn, it's gonna be f***ed up. It's gonna be a f***ed up Christmas this year.'' The Unbreakable actor previously detailed the accident to Vanity Fair. He shared that he had suffered a complete tear of his ACL and a partial tear of his meniscus, plus 'lots of cartilage damage.' Jackson had to get his right knee surgically repaired after the incident. This resulted in him spending ten months on crutches and more than a year in physical rehab. 'For the rest of his life, he would have a couple of extra screws in his right leg,' the magazine reported.