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National Post
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Film review: Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later is three sequels in one
Things come in threes. 28 Years Later is the third film in the long-running series, following director Danny Boyle's audacious original from 2002, 28 Days Later — it gave us fast zombies! — and mostly ignoring 2007's 28 Weeks Later. Article content It's also the first of a series of three new films, to be followed early next year by 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and then (if the box office gods allow) by a third chapter some time thereafter. Article content Article content Article content But it's also three movies in one, which may annoy some viewers and thrill others — just as you're getting into (or giving up on) one storyline, it suddenly shifts to another. Article content Article content After a brief and largely unnecessary prelude — yes, there was a zombie apocalypse once upon a time, we get it — the film opens with 12-year-old Spike and proud papa Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) heading out on a rite of passage in which the boy will kill his first zombie. Or 'infected,' to use the film's parlance. Article content It turns out that the infectious outbreak of the first movie was contained to the British Isles, which the rest of the world simply and quickly quarantined; shades of Brexit. Spike lives in a community on an even smaller island, connected to mainland Britain by a causeway that it only passable at low tide. Article content It's an odd existence, part turn of the millennium, part medieval. The rest of the world may have moved on to SmartPhones (which is also what this movie was shot on) and online shopping, but the U.K. has reverted to subsistence farming and archery. Even those with pre-pandemic memories only remember dial-up. Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II still decorate civic spaces. As one of the film's producers put it: 'Britain has paused.' Article content Article content Spike's quest — you can almost feel society forging new traditions, perhaps even a new religion — is shot with an almost dreamlike impressionism by Boyle. The nightmarish sense of the new world is crafted through use of a very old recording from this one — a recitation from 1915 of a 1903 poem by Rudyard Kipling, titled Boots, which you can also hear in the film's trailer. It's as terrifying now as on the day it was written. Article content Article content Article content But the mood doesn't last. Jamie and Spike return home, where the boy becomes disillusioned with his father's behaviour, and convinced that the mainland may be home to a doctor who can help his mother (Jodie Comer), whose brain has become addled. Article content Thus a new quest begins — less The Road, more road trip. Spike and his mum are aided by Erik (Edvin Ryding), a Swedish soldier who's been accidentally marooned in this backward land.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘Bride Hard' is neither ‘Bridesmaids' nor ‘Die Hard.' Discuss.
Because movie critics should be up front with their biases, I will confess to a long-standing allergy to Rebel Wilson, the Australian comic actress whose entire shtick has consisted of her being 'subversively' gross and sticking out her tongue like a cut-rate succubus. I'm of the cohort that has never found Wilson funny — not once — but she's kept it going for an admittedly impressive 15 years since her American debut in 2010's 'Bridesmaids.'
New York Times
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What to Know About ‘28 Years Later'
This article contains minor spoilers for '28 Years Later.' Excitement has been building for Danny Boyle's '28 Years Later,' in theaters June 20. Sure, the trailer, which uses a 1915 reading of a Rudyard Kipling poem to striking effect, is uncommonly exciting. And it's been a while since we've seen actually scary zombies on a big screen. But for many viewers, the anticipation is further compounded by the history behind '28 Years Later.' The release is a new chapter in a franchise that began in 2003 with Boyle's '28 Days Later,' now widely credited as creating a zombie revival, so to speak. Shot on a relatively tight budget, that film imagined a Britain taken over by ferocious, flesh-eating hordes. Some of the building blocks are familiar by now: Survivors band into small, often mismatched groups; scavenging expeditions loot empty stores; everybody runs from relentless pursuers of the fast-moving variety at one point or another. But '28 Days Later' still feels radical, thanks to Boyle's inspired direction. The movie interspersed quickly edited close-ups of violence into much longer moody, melancholy scenes whose haunting power has not faded, and was often driven by the superb soundtrack. Tellingly, the composer John Murphy's spooky instrumental 'In the House — In a Heartbeat' has been reused (including in a Louis Vuitton ad) and recycled (including by Murphy himself in 'Kick-Ass') many times since. Now Boyle has reunited with the '28 Days Later' screenwriter, Alex Garland, for what Garland has described as a trilogy. (The two men were executive producers on a first sequel, '28 Weeks Later,' that was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and released in 2007.) In a video interview, Garland said that while '28 Years Later' is a stand-alone film, a second has also been made, directed by Nia DaCosta. He explained that these two installments are narratively connected and were shot back to back. (DaCosta's '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' is expected in January.) As for the third feature, Garland said, 'the story is written. The script is not written.' Now that we are back in the '28' world, here's what to know about the premise, the new film's universe and what you might expect. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Young actors in zombie blockbuster 28 Years Later, partly filmed in Bradford
YOUNG actors from a Bradford acting agency will be terrifying cinema audiences this summer - in zombie blockbuster 28 Years Later, which was partly filmed in the city. Directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle, the film is a new chapter of the acclaimed post-apocalyptic movie series that began with 28 Days Later. Joining the star-studded cast, headed by Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, are three students from Baildon-based Articulate Agency: Rocco Haynes, 11, Harriet Taylor, 10, and Hayley Walters, 19. Rocco and Harriet with members of the cast in costume Rocco started acting classes aged four and his breakout role was busking in an award-winning Christmas Co-op advert in 2020 with his older brother, Austin. Rocco has since been in TV dramas Gentleman Jack, The A Word and All Creatures Great and Small and films such as Prince Naseem Hamed biopic Giant. Rocco, who spent two months filming 28 Years Later in Scotland and Northumberland, said: "When I landed the role I couldn't believe it! Danny (Boyle) was so kind on set, both he and the Director of Photography, Anthony (Dod Mantle) made me feel completely at ease. The cast and crew were amazing to work with. "Even though it's a scary film, the set was full of energy and excitement. I had a brilliant stuntman, Julian, who taught me how to do my own stunts safely. I'm so grateful to be part of such an incredible film.' Hayley, who has been in TV dramas, Dark Angel and The Dumping Ground, said: "I was doing my A-Levels one day and the next I was filming alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, being directed by Danny Boyle, who were so lovely and made me feel so welcome." Harriet, who was in folk horror movie Starve Acre, said: "I had the best time on set. Thank you to all my teachers at Articulate for helping build my confidence, which made me feel at home on set." Danny Boyle with the cast at this week's London premiere of the film. Pic: Ian West/PA Stacey Burrows, Director of Articulate Agency, said: 'This year has seen our young talent cast in some major movies. All three of these young actors are exceptional talents with huge potential. We're really proud to have secured roles in such an iconic film series under the visionary director, Danny Boyle.' Scenes for 28 Years Later were filmed at the former Richard Dunn Sports Centre last September. Nearby Sunny Bank Road was closed during filming and film crew trucks were spotted, along with several rusty cars and a large crane carrying lighting. Scenes were also shot in Ripon, North Yorkshire. Film crew vehicles at the former Richard Dunn Sports Centre in 2024 (Image: Newsquest) In 28 Years Later, released this week, a group of survivors of the 'rage virus' are living on a small island. When one of them leaves for the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders and horrors. The film series began in 2002 with 28 Days Later, starring Cillian Murphy, which reset the zombie genre for the 21st century. Its huge success led to a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, in 2007.
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Bossa nova puts an end to unease created by an innocent relationship question
The event was not due to start until 8pm, but Shuhao was so worried about finding a seat that it was only 6.30pm when we walked down the steps into a basement near the Longfu Temple. For the next hour we were alone apart from the barman, the owner and two women who moved to and fro taking pictures of one another. For almost a decade, this small space hosted film screenings, exhibitions, DJs and live bands, with an emphasis on improvisation. At Say Something, one of the most popular weekly events, those present were invited to 'read something aloud, tell a story, say something' – with no restrictions on their choice of material. 'You could read anything. Some people just read something like the phone book,' Shuhao said. 'There was no judgment. But you were supposed to think about the feelings of the others there too.' The last time he was there, the place was so full he had to go up to the street for air from time to time. But now the management had announced that 'due to the contract expiring + economic downturn + limited energy' it was closing down. READ MORE Shuhao and I were there for what was due to be the closing event, another regular feature called Open Decks, where everyone was invited to play the music of their choice for 30 minutes. In keeping with the venue's spirit, which one regular visitor described as 'free but not unbridled', the choices tended to be individual but at least tolerable for most of the others present. While we waited for the show to begin, Shuhao brought me up to date about his life as a student of English literature at one of Beijing's top universities. He was planning to move for his master's degree to Peking University, the most prestigious of all, and was preparing for an entrance examination. 'The teachers aren't better there but the students are,' he said. Some of his friends were thinking about going abroad for their master's degree but he felt that, since he had chosen to study something that would never make him rich, he should not ask his parents to pay too much for it. He was hoping to go abroad for his PhD, aiming for one of the leading American universities where funding for doctoral students can be generous. I was surprised that he would consider going to the United States in the current climate, particularly after the threats to revoke Chinese students' visas made as part of Donald Trump's trade war. The last time we met he had mentioned a girlfriend and I asked, gently I thought, if she was still in the picture. He said she was, but then he looked troubled and a few minutes later he returned to the subject 'It's better than a real war. And he'll be gone by then,' Shuhao said. As they head into their final year as undergraduates, his friends and classmates are also thinking about their future. Some have ambitions for high political office and are planning a route through the system, while others want to make money and are enrolling in MBA courses. Shuhao's passion is for writing songs and singing in a band, but he has no plan to make a career out of it – and neither do most of his creative friends. 'Most of them want to get a job in the civil service, where they finish work at the same time every day and they have the rest of the time for music or writing or whatever they want,' he said. 'I prefer the approach of Wallace Stevens or TS Eliot to Byron or Shelley.' Shuhao is not planning to work in an insurance company like Stevens or in a bank like Eliot, but he is becoming more modest and restrained in his manner and appearance in recent months. His once shoulder-length hair has become a short crop and he has swapped the black metalhead T-shirts and jeans for a white shirt and black trousers. The last time we met he had mentioned a girlfriend and I asked, gently I thought, if she was still in the picture. He said she was, but then he looked troubled and a few minutes later he returned to the subject. 'I'm sorry, I'm really shocked by that question,' he said. 'We don't post pictures of ourselves on WeChat all the time. We take pictures but we don't post them. We are in a committed relationship and we have plans for the future.' I felt old suddenly and poisoned by experience. An unease fell between us as I tried to assure him that I wasn't casting doubt on anything. I was babbling about the couples I knew who had met in college and remained happily together in old age, when the first DJ put a stop to the conversation. His gentle mix of bossa nova and French pop songs from the 1960s gave Shuhao and me something to smile about together and I stayed for another two sessions. He stayed behind but we exchanged a few messages on my way home as he updated me on the music and the crowd, with a final text an hour later. 'Everyone's standing up and grooving,' he said.
