The Mortal Kombat star plays an LA cop returning home to avenge his brother’s murder in this charming piece of grindhouse schlock
On an unnamed island in the Caribbean, a cartel boss named Manuel (Edoardo Costa) kills bartender Akeem (Tristan Duncan) merely because he spills a drink on Nora (Cami Storm), a young singer Manuel was planning to lock up in his villa and force to sing only for himself, like a canary. The murder is not only grisly and bad management practice, but also consequential because it brings down the wrath of Akeem’s brother Mark, an LA policeman. It turns out Mark grew up on the island where he left behind an ex-wife, Akilah, his mother and lots of old friends. Swearing to find out how Akeem really died, he moves back and a series of fisticuff face-offs ensue as he works through the chain of command,...
On an unnamed island in the Caribbean, a cartel boss named Manuel (Edoardo Costa) kills bartender Akeem (Tristan Duncan) merely because he spills a drink on Nora (Cami Storm), a young singer Manuel was planning to lock up in his villa and force to sing only for himself, like a canary. The murder is not only grisly and bad management practice, but also consequential because it brings down the wrath of Akeem’s brother Mark, an LA policeman. It turns out Mark grew up on the island where he left behind an ex-wife, Akilah, his mother and lots of old friends. Swearing to find out how Akeem really died, he moves back and a series of fisticuff face-offs ensue as he works through the chain of command,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Stars: Michael Jai White, Edoardo Costa, Cami Storm, Jackson Rathbone, Esther Brooks, Wayne Gordon, Gillian White, Amber Townsend | Written by Michael Caissie, Philippe Martinez | Directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino
The Island wastes no time in establishing just how evil its villain, Manuel is. As he’s talking to Nora, a singer auditioning at one of his properties, the waiter spills her drink on her. His response isn’t to fire the man but to stab him in the neck and tell the shocked woman, “Go get cleaned up, you work for me now.”
In Los Angeles Mark and his partner Phil are working undercover setting up a drug bust. This being an action film it naturally goes bad, but that’s not the worst thing Mark is going to have to deal with today. He gets a call telling him his brother has been murdered on the island where they grew up.
The Island wastes no time in establishing just how evil its villain, Manuel is. As he’s talking to Nora, a singer auditioning at one of his properties, the waiter spills her drink on her. His response isn’t to fire the man but to stab him in the neck and tell the shocked woman, “Go get cleaned up, you work for me now.”
In Los Angeles Mark and his partner Phil are working undercover setting up a drug bust. This being an action film it naturally goes bad, but that’s not the worst thing Mark is going to have to deal with today. He gets a call telling him his brother has been murdered on the island where they grew up.
- 8/15/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
"Yellowjackets" was renewed for season three before the second season even premiered this spring, promising fans more chaos, cults, and cannibalism. Showtime confirmed season three in December 2022. The show's creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, have planned for the story of the ill-fated New Jersey soccer champs to be told over the course of five seasons, so the next season will put the story over the halfway mark.
But when the third season will finally air is, unfortunately, a huge unknown thanks to the ongoing writers' strike. Back in March, Lyle and Nickerson told The Hollywood Reporter that they were trying to start writing the new season before the strike began. "The possibility of the strike is very real. All we can do is keep moving forward until we have to put our pencils down," Lyle said. She added that the writers' room would begin officially meeting in April.
On May 2, Lyle tweeted an update,...
But when the third season will finally air is, unfortunately, a huge unknown thanks to the ongoing writers' strike. Back in March, Lyle and Nickerson told The Hollywood Reporter that they were trying to start writing the new season before the strike began. "The possibility of the strike is very real. All we can do is keep moving forward until we have to put our pencils down," Lyle said. She added that the writers' room would begin officially meeting in April.
On May 2, Lyle tweeted an update,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
This post contains spoilers for the season 2 finale of "Yellowjackets."
One of my favorite things about the sophomore season of "Yellowjackets" is that this time around, the Showtime mystery series seemed to be as much in the business of answering questions as asking them. The survival horror series has always shared some storytelling DNA with "Lost," but while that series piled on mystery after mystery, "Yellowjackets" actually eased up on its more enigmatic elements for much of this season — and even went so far as to give us explicit solutions to a few major puzzles.
By the time the credits rolled on the second season finale, fans knew how Javi (Luciano Leroux) survived the winter, what the mysterious queen of hearts playing cards meant, what happened to Lottie (Simone Kessell) and Van (Lauren Ambrose) as adults, and exactly how the show's element of cannibalism came to be. Yet there's one...
One of my favorite things about the sophomore season of "Yellowjackets" is that this time around, the Showtime mystery series seemed to be as much in the business of answering questions as asking them. The survival horror series has always shared some storytelling DNA with "Lost," but while that series piled on mystery after mystery, "Yellowjackets" actually eased up on its more enigmatic elements for much of this season — and even went so far as to give us explicit solutions to a few major puzzles.
By the time the credits rolled on the second season finale, fans knew how Javi (Luciano Leroux) survived the winter, what the mysterious queen of hearts playing cards meant, what happened to Lottie (Simone Kessell) and Van (Lauren Ambrose) as adults, and exactly how the show's element of cannibalism came to be. Yet there's one...
- 5/27/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for the season 2 finale of "Yellowjackets."
When the starving, superstitious plane crash survivors who make up the core cast of "Yellowjackets" went tearing after Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) in last week's episode, determined to hunt her down after she drew the queen card that sealed her fate, I was still convinced this could have been a one-time thing. Sure, the very first scene of the "Yellowjackets" pilot shows teammates hunting a girl who falls into a pit, then gathering around to feast on her flesh. But in the world of "Yellowjackets," little is as it seems and the most surreal moments often turn out to be hallucinatory. Would the girls really turn this human hunt into a way of life?
Judging by this week's finale, the answer is yes. When the adult Yellowjackets gather at Lottie's (Simone Kessell) compound for a night that escalates to a bloodthirsty,...
When the starving, superstitious plane crash survivors who make up the core cast of "Yellowjackets" went tearing after Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) in last week's episode, determined to hunt her down after she drew the queen card that sealed her fate, I was still convinced this could have been a one-time thing. Sure, the very first scene of the "Yellowjackets" pilot shows teammates hunting a girl who falls into a pit, then gathering around to feast on her flesh. But in the world of "Yellowjackets," little is as it seems and the most surreal moments often turn out to be hallucinatory. Would the girls really turn this human hunt into a way of life?
Judging by this week's finale, the answer is yes. When the adult Yellowjackets gather at Lottie's (Simone Kessell) compound for a night that escalates to a bloodthirsty,...
- 5/27/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Showtime's "Yellowjackets" is about a group of teen girls (and a few boys and men) whose plane crashes in the middle of nowhere while they're on their way to a national soccer tournament. Some members of the team perish in the crash, while others die in the 19 months between the crash and when they were rescued. The very first episode of the show teased that the survivors would eventually resort to cannibalism to survive - which also involves some scary-looking rituals.
Since the series occurs on two timelines - 1996 and the present day - we already know which of the Yellowjackets survived the woods and the few who didn't as season two continues. Some of the characters that people assumed died were revealed to be alive at the end of season one, while the fates of others remain a mystery.
Read ahead for a breakdown of who we know survives their time in the woods,...
Since the series occurs on two timelines - 1996 and the present day - we already know which of the Yellowjackets survived the woods and the few who didn't as season two continues. Some of the characters that people assumed died were revealed to be alive at the end of season one, while the fates of others remain a mystery.
Read ahead for a breakdown of who we know survives their time in the woods,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
The Season 2 finale of “Yellowjackets” left us with dropped jaws — and a lot of questions. We still don’t know who “pit girl” is, but we did see how things escalate to the point where the survivors began hunting each other to stay alive.
Although, as creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson told TheWrap before the Season 2 premiere, not every question will be answered. Said Nickerson, when asked if he minded the comparisons to the often frustrating “Lost”: “I don’t always want everything to be answered. Like, I do and I don’t, because so much of what made ‘Lost’ so engrossing was the mystery, not just the mystery of what happened, but the sort of reclamation of the spookiness of being alive. You can’t give all the answers and maintain that spookiness.”
With that in mind, here are some of the most pressing issues that still need to be answered.
Although, as creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson told TheWrap before the Season 2 premiere, not every question will be answered. Said Nickerson, when asked if he minded the comparisons to the often frustrating “Lost”: “I don’t always want everything to be answered. Like, I do and I don’t, because so much of what made ‘Lost’ so engrossing was the mystery, not just the mystery of what happened, but the sort of reclamation of the spookiness of being alive. You can’t give all the answers and maintain that spookiness.”
With that in mind, here are some of the most pressing issues that still need to be answered.
- 5/26/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
This article contains spoilers through Yellowjackets season 2 episode 8.
The Yellowjackets pilot hinted at the ritualistic cannibalism that the titular girls soccer team was forced to adopt after being stranded in the wilderness for nineteen months, but we’ve yet to see the girls fully become the cult-like group we see in the series’ opening. The “Doomcoming” episode from season 1 showed the girls chasing Travis (Kevin Alves) through the woods while high on mushrooms and fermented berries, but they were stopped before things escalated any further.
After Jackie (Ella Purnell) was eaten at the beginning of season 2, however, it was only a matter of time before the teens were forced to resort to cannibalism once again to survive the harsh winter. To help Lottie (Courtney Eaton) heal from the life-threatening wounds inflicted on her by Shauna (Sofie Nélisse) in a post-partum fit of rage, the teens decide to sacrifice someone from...
The Yellowjackets pilot hinted at the ritualistic cannibalism that the titular girls soccer team was forced to adopt after being stranded in the wilderness for nineteen months, but we’ve yet to see the girls fully become the cult-like group we see in the series’ opening. The “Doomcoming” episode from season 1 showed the girls chasing Travis (Kevin Alves) through the woods while high on mushrooms and fermented berries, but they were stopped before things escalated any further.
After Jackie (Ella Purnell) was eaten at the beginning of season 2, however, it was only a matter of time before the teens were forced to resort to cannibalism once again to survive the harsh winter. To help Lottie (Courtney Eaton) heal from the life-threatening wounds inflicted on her by Shauna (Sofie Nélisse) in a post-partum fit of rage, the teens decide to sacrifice someone from...
- 5/23/2023
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
This Yellowjackets review contains spoilers.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 8
The cabin fever escalates yet again in the past, and in the present, the survivors have the most macabre group therapy session ever in “It Chooses,” the penultimate episode of Yellowjackets’ second season. The show continues to benefit from having the present-day characters convened at Charlotte’s wellness center, and while the ‘90s segments suffer from some head-scratching character behavior, it’s still entertaining as ever watching the group descend ever deeper into madness.
Last week’s episode saw Shauna have a huge moment, unleashing her resentment and rage on Lottie in what was one of the show’s most graphic, ultra-violent moments to date, which is saying a lot. Lottie’s idea was to sacrifice her body to let Shauna exercise her demons, and it seems to have worked. We see Shauna helping the others care for Lottie, who’s obviously in horrendous shape,...
Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 8
The cabin fever escalates yet again in the past, and in the present, the survivors have the most macabre group therapy session ever in “It Chooses,” the penultimate episode of Yellowjackets’ second season. The show continues to benefit from having the present-day characters convened at Charlotte’s wellness center, and while the ‘90s segments suffer from some head-scratching character behavior, it’s still entertaining as ever watching the group descend ever deeper into madness.
Last week’s episode saw Shauna have a huge moment, unleashing her resentment and rage on Lottie in what was one of the show’s most graphic, ultra-violent moments to date, which is saying a lot. Lottie’s idea was to sacrifice her body to let Shauna exercise her demons, and it seems to have worked. We see Shauna helping the others care for Lottie, who’s obviously in horrendous shape,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
[Warning: The following contains Major spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 8 “It Chooses.”] We knew the Yellowjackets survivors did horrible things during their time in the wilderness… but somehow, the ending of “It Chooses” still managed to shock. In an intense, stomach-churning final sequence, a trembling Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) runs for her life from a howling pack of her teammates. She’d drawn the “human sacrifice” card fair and square, and the starving soccer players who never made it to Nationals demanded her flesh as sustenance. A sympathetic Javi (Luciano Leroux) offers Nat the safe place that allowed him to survive. They carefully run through the woods and over the frozen lake, only to be cornered by Shauna (Sophie Nelisse), Van (Liv Hewson), Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Misty (Samantha Hanratty), Akilah (Nia Sondaya), and Mari (Alexa Barajas). The ice cracks. Javi falls in. He screams for Natalie to help him, and while she tries at first, eventually the...
- 5/19/2023
- TV Insider
The penultimate episode of “Yellowjackets” Season 2, “It Chooses” bides its time laying out all cards on the table before taking giant strides toward the wild hunt teased in the series’ opening. Things look dire for the group, both in the past and present. The careful plotting this week builds to a soul-shaking conclusion that ensures next week’s finale will bring the pain.
“It Chooses” provides crucial context from the outset, before the opening credits play. Akilah (Nia Sondaya), who’d been hiding her mouse friend from the group lest they deem him an easy meal, is forced to confront a tragic truth. The mouse isn’t alive and hasn’t been for some time based on its dried-out husk of a body. The devastating effects of long-term starvation and malnutrition have finally come for the girls, altering their temperament and reality as hallucinations increase. That precise set of circumstances...
“It Chooses” provides crucial context from the outset, before the opening credits play. Akilah (Nia Sondaya), who’d been hiding her mouse friend from the group lest they deem him an easy meal, is forced to confront a tragic truth. The mouse isn’t alive and hasn’t been for some time based on its dried-out husk of a body. The devastating effects of long-term starvation and malnutrition have finally come for the girls, altering their temperament and reality as hallucinations increase. That precise set of circumstances...
- 5/19/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
This article contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets" season 2 episode 8.
After the cliffhanger bloodbath that was last week's episode, "It Chooses" picks up with Mari and Misty holding up Lottie over a bowl so she can pee. Unfortunately, Lottie's pissing blood, likely because Shauna kicked her square in the kidneys a few times. The girls have brought her up to the attic to try and heal, but Mari's making snarky jokes and Misty has had enough of it. Mari takes the piss bowl downstairs, but drops it on the floor and starts crying. I think she's finally cracking from the severity of the situation. Through her pain, Lottie is having visions that resemble ones she'll have again as an adult. Things are getting bad for our Yellowjackets.
Adding to the list of People Having a Bad Time™, Akilah is playing with the baby mouse she's been mothering the last few episodes and...
After the cliffhanger bloodbath that was last week's episode, "It Chooses" picks up with Mari and Misty holding up Lottie over a bowl so she can pee. Unfortunately, Lottie's pissing blood, likely because Shauna kicked her square in the kidneys a few times. The girls have brought her up to the attic to try and heal, but Mari's making snarky jokes and Misty has had enough of it. Mari takes the piss bowl downstairs, but drops it on the floor and starts crying. I think she's finally cracking from the severity of the situation. Through her pain, Lottie is having visions that resemble ones she'll have again as an adult. Things are getting bad for our Yellowjackets.
Adding to the list of People Having a Bad Time™, Akilah is playing with the baby mouse she's been mothering the last few episodes and...
- 5/19/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Yellowjackets" season 2.
"Yellowjackets" is a show that thrives on mystery. At any given moment, the show is juggling about a half-dozen lingering mysteries, from the identity of the no-eyed man to the sinister French whispers in Lottie's ear to the fate of Shauna's baby. The show would be great even without loading up on mysteries — it's an excellent coming-of-age story, survival saga, and horror show.
Yet "Yellowjackets" is enriched by its mysteries, and at this point, there are so many to keep track of that new ones can get lost in the shuffle. Case in point: this week, in one of the show's '90s-set scenes, we learn that someone's been sneaking extra bear meat. "So who's the thief?!" Shauna (Sophie Nelisse) says with accusatory passion. "I guess they think they deserve more than the rest of us, which,...
"Yellowjackets" is a show that thrives on mystery. At any given moment, the show is juggling about a half-dozen lingering mysteries, from the identity of the no-eyed man to the sinister French whispers in Lottie's ear to the fate of Shauna's baby. The show would be great even without loading up on mysteries — it's an excellent coming-of-age story, survival saga, and horror show.
Yet "Yellowjackets" is enriched by its mysteries, and at this point, there are so many to keep track of that new ones can get lost in the shuffle. Case in point: this week, in one of the show's '90s-set scenes, we learn that someone's been sneaking extra bear meat. "So who's the thief?!" Shauna (Sophie Nelisse) says with accusatory passion. "I guess they think they deserve more than the rest of us, which,...
- 4/14/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets."
Last week's shocking episode finally brought cannibalism into the fold, and now our survivors are dealing with the aftermath after feasting on their barbequed queen bee, Jackie. Based on the skeletal hand shown, these kids picked her corpse clean like vultures. I say "kids," because the sole adult, Coach Ben, did not partake, and is having a rough go of it psychologically. Episode 3 opens with Coach Ben finally getting a flashback, having dinner with his very '90s boyfriend Paul (and his singular left earring). In reality, Ben is hiding out in his room and disassociating from the world, still rocking his "Holy s***, they're gonna eat me when I die" face from the last episode.
Nat and Taissa are the first to have post-cannibalism clarity, but there's one problem; Taissa doesn't remember eating Jackie. "Something ate her," she panics. "Taissa, we ate her,...
Last week's shocking episode finally brought cannibalism into the fold, and now our survivors are dealing with the aftermath after feasting on their barbequed queen bee, Jackie. Based on the skeletal hand shown, these kids picked her corpse clean like vultures. I say "kids," because the sole adult, Coach Ben, did not partake, and is having a rough go of it psychologically. Episode 3 opens with Coach Ben finally getting a flashback, having dinner with his very '90s boyfriend Paul (and his singular left earring). In reality, Ben is hiding out in his room and disassociating from the world, still rocking his "Holy s***, they're gonna eat me when I die" face from the last episode.
Nat and Taissa are the first to have post-cannibalism clarity, but there's one problem; Taissa doesn't remember eating Jackie. "Something ate her," she panics. "Taissa, we ate her,...
- 4/7/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for the "Yellowjackets" season 2 premiere.
"Yellowjackets" may have been in hibernation for the past year, but winter is just beginning for the characters in Showtime's hit supernatural survival series. The show's second season kicks off this week with a premiere that features a bit of a '90s plot time jump, but that's not the only major change; with the survivors in close quarters, several teammates who were previously background characters are now much more front and center.
Meanwhile, in the present day, two Yellowjackets who viewers didn't know were still alive are poised to crawl out of the woodwork, along with a familiar new guest star. It's a lot to keep straight with or without mushroom-spiked soup in your system, so we've got you covered with a quick character guide. Read on to refresh your memories on all things "Yellowjackets" — before one or more of...
"Yellowjackets" may have been in hibernation for the past year, but winter is just beginning for the characters in Showtime's hit supernatural survival series. The show's second season kicks off this week with a premiere that features a bit of a '90s plot time jump, but that's not the only major change; with the survivors in close quarters, several teammates who were previously background characters are now much more front and center.
Meanwhile, in the present day, two Yellowjackets who viewers didn't know were still alive are poised to crawl out of the woodwork, along with a familiar new guest star. It's a lot to keep straight with or without mushroom-spiked soup in your system, so we've got you covered with a quick character guide. Read on to refresh your memories on all things "Yellowjackets" — before one or more of...
- 3/24/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Bow before the Antler Queen, if you dare.
Since the jaw-dropping Season 1 finale for “Yellowjackets” last year, Showtime fans have been clamoring to untangle more of the decades-spanning mysteries as part of the teen cannibal series. Did adult Lottie, now played by Simone Kessell, kidnap Natalie (Juliette Lewis)? What does adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) now have to do with Lottie’s murderous dark spirit plot? Just how many blood sacrifices does Taissa (Tawny Cypress) make? And what really happened to Shauna’s (Melanie Lynskey) baby?
The buzz surrounding “Yellowjackets” Season 2 also extends to series newcomers Elijah Wood, who stars as a citizen detective working with Misty (Christina Ricci), and François Arnaud as the boyfriend of Coach Scott (Steven Kreuger). Nicole Maines additionally was cast as an associate of adult Lottie who is similarly trying to recover from a past trauma. Meanwhile, Season 1 actress Keeya King will be replaced by “Bel-Air...
Since the jaw-dropping Season 1 finale for “Yellowjackets” last year, Showtime fans have been clamoring to untangle more of the decades-spanning mysteries as part of the teen cannibal series. Did adult Lottie, now played by Simone Kessell, kidnap Natalie (Juliette Lewis)? What does adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) now have to do with Lottie’s murderous dark spirit plot? Just how many blood sacrifices does Taissa (Tawny Cypress) make? And what really happened to Shauna’s (Melanie Lynskey) baby?
The buzz surrounding “Yellowjackets” Season 2 also extends to series newcomers Elijah Wood, who stars as a citizen detective working with Misty (Christina Ricci), and François Arnaud as the boyfriend of Coach Scott (Steven Kreuger). Nicole Maines additionally was cast as an associate of adult Lottie who is similarly trying to recover from a past trauma. Meanwhile, Season 1 actress Keeya King will be replaced by “Bel-Air...
- 1/13/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The second season of Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” will premiere on March 24, 2023 – with a third season already ordered – and Variety reports that three new faces have joined the cast.
François Arnaud, Nicole Maines, and Nia Sondaya (“Truth Be Told”) have been added in recurring roles.
Arnaud will guest star in four episodes as Paul, described as “a New York writer and secret boyfriend of Coach Scott (Steven Kreuger) who reminds Coach Scott of what might have been.”
Maines will play Lisa, an associate of Adult Lottie (Simone Kissell), who is trying to recover from past trauma. Sondaya is set to take over the role of teen Akilah, with Keeya King exiting the series.
The series was created by Ashley Lyle & Bart Nickerson (“Narcos”), described as being “equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama.”
“Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players...
François Arnaud, Nicole Maines, and Nia Sondaya (“Truth Be Told”) have been added in recurring roles.
Arnaud will guest star in four episodes as Paul, described as “a New York writer and secret boyfriend of Coach Scott (Steven Kreuger) who reminds Coach Scott of what might have been.”
Maines will play Lisa, an associate of Adult Lottie (Simone Kissell), who is trying to recover from past trauma. Sondaya is set to take over the role of teen Akilah, with Keeya King exiting the series.
The series was created by Ashley Lyle & Bart Nickerson (“Narcos”), described as being “equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama.”
“Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players...
- 1/6/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.