the gardener movie review 2021

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The Gardener

Where to watch.

Watch The Gardener with a subscription on Prime Video, rent on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Apple TV.

Audience Reviews

Cast & crew.

Scott Jeffrey

Rebecca Matthews

Michael Hoad

Robert Bronzi

Peter Juhasz

Gary Daniels

Nicola Wright

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The gardener, common sense media reviewers.

Absurd action movie has graphic violence, language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Aside from some obvious gardening-related metaphor

Typical stock characters.

Action movie violence throughout, sometimes graphi

Strong language throughout. "F--k" often used. Als

Wine drinking at dinner. Cigarette smoking.

Parents need to know that The Gardener is a 2021 action movie in which the gardener of a mansion in the English countryside must protect a family from vicious home invaders. Expect violence throughout, sometimes graphic. Home invaders shoot and kill a pregnant woman. Characters are shot and killed. During a…

Positive Messages

Aside from some obvious gardening-related metaphors and symbolism (plants, like families, need strong roots, etc.), no positive messages in violent action movie.

Positive Role Models

Violence & scariness.

Action movie violence throughout, sometimes graphic. A pregnant woman is shot and killed by home invaders. Characters shot and killed; some blood. Martial arts fighting, including death by neck breaking. During a fight scene, man forces another man's hand into the blades of a lawnmower -- graphic, blood. Booby-trapped nail gun hits man in leg. Characters pistol-whipped, stabbed in skulls, shears in the chest, killed by getting stabbed with a spade. Fighting with kicks and punches.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language throughout. "F--k" often used. Also: "bulls--t," "s--t," "c--k," "pr--k," "bastards," "piss," "wanker."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Gardener is a 2021 action movie in which the gardener of a mansion in the English countryside must protect a family from vicious home invaders. Expect violence throughout, sometimes graphic. Home invaders shoot and kill a pregnant woman. Characters are shot and killed. During a fight scene, a man forces another man's hand into the blades of a running lawnmower -- the result is graphic, bloody. Character stabbed and killed with a spade. Shears used to stab a man's chest. A boobytrapped nail gun fires and hits someone in the leg. Pistol-whipping. Neck breaking. Strong language throughout, including "f--k." Cigarette smoking. Wine drinking. Cliched representations of different ethnicities in movie centered on White family in Willoughby, England -- fussy French maid, cold Russian villain, etc. The lead character is a foreigner from central Europe with an implied tragic and violent past. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In THE GARDENER, Peter (Robert Bronzi) works as a gardener in a manor in the English countryside for the Henderson family. The Hendersons are planning a getaway for the holidays, in part as a way to bring the family closer together and patch up the failing marriage between Stephen and Lauren (Nicola Wright). But these plans are scuttled when teen daughter Hannah wants to stick with her plan to spend time with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, a group of sadistic and not-bright home invaders, led by the sadistic mastermind Volker ( Gary Daniels ), waits for the Hendersons to leave so they can rob the place. When they see Hannah leave, they think the family has left, so the invaders take the remaining Hendersons prisoner. Little do they know that Peter is staying in his humble servant's room, in a nearby guesthouse, and when he realizes what's happening, he springs into action. Relying on his murky military background and guerilla training, Peter must lure the invaders out one at a time and take them out, and find a way to rescue the Hendersons. But when it's revealed that there's more to what's happening than a simple home invasion, it's up to the Hendersons to help Peter fight back.

Is It Any Good?

This is a ludicrous action movie that is, at times, unintentionally hilarious. The Gardener is basically a paint-by-numbers action movie in which the action hero (yes, a gardener with a mysterious military past) spends most of the movie's second act taking out an international conglomerate of home invaders who are going after the English manor where he tends to the flowers and shrubs and bushes. It's not spoiling anything to reveal that various garden implements are used to fatal, bloody, and graphic effect. And there are even some gardening metaphors connecting roots and families, although not nearly enough is made of all the possible one-liners that could've been employed throughout during the action sequences -- "you reap what you sow," etcetera.

Unintentionally funny dialogue, fight scenes that test the limits of the audience's gullibility, highly questionable accents -- these elements would make The Gardener entertaining in a so-bad-it's-good way if the story itself wasn't so formulaic. Still, you can't help but laugh when one of the lead villains, upon learning that there's one person they didn't account for while plotting their invasion and robbery of the manor, exclaims in a voice of terror and awe, "It's the gardener!" as if he's talking about an unkillable monster rather than an aging Charles Bronson doppelganger. It's hard to imagine anyone having high expectations before sitting down to watch a movie like this, and it almost goes without saying that expectations set at a low bar is the key to deriving any entertainment value from this ridiculous action movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about action movies like The Gardener . How is this similar to and different from other action movies you've seen?

Was the violence more or less graphic and bloody than in other action movies? Does an action movie need violence to be enjoyable? What do you think is the appeal of violent movies like this?

Where did the movie stereotype ethnicities through some of its characters? Why is this a problem?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : December 29, 2021
• Cast : Robert Bronzi , Gary Daniels , Nicola Wright
• Director : Rebecca Matthews
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Lionsgate
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Topics : Brothers and Sisters
• Run time : 89 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : Strong/bloody violence and language throughout.
• Last updated : October 8, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘The Gardener’ Review

Stars: Nicola Wright, Richard Kovacs, Sarah T. Cohen, Jake Watkins, Robert Bronzi, Gary Daniels | Written by Ben Demaree | Directed by Scott Jeffrey, Rebecca Matthews

The Gardener opens on a note meant to trigger memories of Charles Manson and his family. The first thing we see is a masked home invader killing a pregnant woman as she begs for her unborn child’s life. It’s certainly an attention grabbing opener.

From there we move to an estate in England that’s home to a family of British actors with bad American accents, Lauren (Nicola Wright; Hatched , The Curse of Humpty Dumpty ), Stephen (Richard Kovacs; Cam Girls ) and their two teens Hannah (Sarah T. Cohen; Medusa , Cupid ) and Justin (Jake Watkins; It Came from Below , Werewolf Castle ). They seem to be in some kind of financial crisis but can still afford servants including Peter (Robert Bronzi; Escape from Death Block 13 , Death Kiss ), the gardener.

Unknown to them, the gang responsible for the opening scene’s bloodshed have their eye set on their house. They plan to move in after the family has left so there will be no killing this time, per their boss Volker (Gary Daniels; I Am Vengeance , Tekken ). What do you think the chances of that happening are?

Despite getting off to a fast start, the script by Ben Demaree, best known as a director of photography and camera operator on films like Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark and Jersey Shore Shark Attack quickly falls into clichés and domestic drama as we get introduced to the bickering, dysfunctional family and the quiet Peter who is elusive about his past and hasn’t seen his own family since “the war”.

Between the opening scene and somewhere around the forty five minute mark the only action in The Gardener is a brief scene of a shirtless Daniels taking care of three incompetent goons. While he’s not quite in Stallone’s league, he does look good for a man who is close to sixty.

Directors Scott Jeffrey ( The Mutation , Bats ) and Rebecca Matthews ( The Candy Witch , Cannibal Troll ) try for suspense as the gang, mindful of Volker’s orders and temper, try to stealth their way around the estate in order to find whatever it is they’re looking for. But that doesn’t really work because we know that eventually The Gardener ’s third credited director, stuntman/action director Michael Hoad ( King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, The Mummy ) will have to step up and take over.

And once he does and the action starts The Gardener becomes a pretty good film, as divisions in the ranks of the villains, including one who is looking for a reason to go on another killing spree, ramp up the danger. Of course it turns out Peter doesn’t talk about his past because it’s a violent one and he has to reconnect with it if anyone is going to get out alive.

There are a few moments when the fights seem to be enhanced with some camera trickery and the CGI blood is, as always, annoying. But things like a hand being fed into a lawnmower are still quite effective. Less effective are some extremely unlikely, if expected, coincidences and an attempt to throw a twist at the viewers. Also, and this may be my personal bias showing, but I just don’t see a conventional style fighter like Bronzi taking out multiple black belts.

Performance wise, Daniels looks a bit like Nicholas Cage at times, and his constant screaming of “FUCK!” seems to be channeling him as well. The Gardener does however show that, while his greatest strength is still his resemblance to Charles Bronson, Bronzi can, when he has a director a bit more competent than Rene Perez, handle a dialogue scene without embarrassing himself.

This is a step up for Jeffrey and Matthews. Daniels and Bronzi are easily the biggest names that they’ve worked with. And while they have worked with executive producer Jeff Miller ( The Toybox, Strange Nature ) before, this time he’s joined by Mark L. Lester. Yes, the director of films like The Class of 1984, Commando and Showdown in Little Tokyo is involved with The Gardener as well. It’s also the first time they’ve released something through a distributor as big as Lionsgate.

While the results are still fairly middle of the road by DTV action standards that’s still a lot better than we usually see from them and better than most of Bruce Willis’ recent films. And better than anything in the past ten years starring Steven Segal’s stunt double for that matter.

***½  3.5/5

The Gardener is available on DVD and VOD via Lionsgate. ______

Review originally posted on Voices From the Balcony .

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Review: THE GARDENER with Robert Bronzi & Gary Daniels is a Serviceable DTV Action Film that Unfortunately Suffers from Missed Opportunities

By: John M Jerva

After watching Robert Bronzi’s last action effort Escape from Death Block 13 which was an exercise in over-the-top 80’s style excess, I was very curious about how his next offering would stack up. After all, this one has him locking horns with martial arts/action star Gary Daniels in a savage home invasion thriller called The Gardener . At first glance, this film is another B movie retread in the Die Hard style of how to do action but Bronzi brings a certain amount of low-key charm to his characters that makes him watchable in these types of films which are definitely hit or miss . The Gardener most certainly does not reinvent the wheel by any stretch of the imagination, but it still delivers an adequate viewing for genre fans who are looking for a movie that resembles something that you would pick up on the shelf of your local video store.

Bronzi stars as Paul Juhasz who is a very quiet and mild-mannered gardener who works on the quiet English estate of a transplanted family who consists of the father Stephen (Richard Kovacs) and the mother Lauren (Nicola Wright). From the get-go, we know that Stephen’s job isn’t going well because he is constantly yelling on the phone and is stressed out to say the least. This causes a huge strain on the family and the teenage children Hannah (Sarah T. Cohen) and Justin (Jake Watkins) who are old enough to know that something is wrong with mom and dad. Paul goes about his daily business, tending to the grounds and even strikes up a friendship with Justin. Justin doesn’t have the best relationship with his father, so Paul is a definite maternal substitute as he shows Justin how to trim and cut around the yard.

Family issues is the least of this family’s problems as there are a group of ruthless thieves led by the cold and calculating Volker (Gay Daniels) who are eyeing the home because there is something very valuable that they want. This group of killers are as bad as they come as we see in the opening scene of the movie where one of them mercilessly guns down a pregnant woman during a botched job. Volker runs a tight ship and has a code and moral compass that runs from the traditions of the Samurai and if you screw up. you’re going to pay the ultimate price.

Needless to say, this mission doesn’t go according to plan either as the family was supposed to be gone during the heist but that’s not the case. The gang which includes Drake (Jon Callaway) and the short fused Riley (Arthur Boan) break into the house only to discover that the family sans daughter who left for the evening is still at home forcing them to alter their plans and when Riley gets trigger happy, things go from bad to worse.

In true throwback action fashion, Paul is alerted of the thieves’ presence when he hears gun shots, and it just so happens that he’s a former soldier who has a particular set of skills that have been dormant since he left that lifestyle. Before you can say John McClane, Paul breaks into action fending off the killers at every turn which sets him on a lethal collision course with the deadly Volker who is set on mopping things up and completing the job.

When you see a movie like The Gardener that stars the Charles Bronson doppelganger Robert Bronzi, you pretty much know what you’re in store for. However, unlike Escape from Dearth Block 13 which was rather laughable at the wrong times, this new Bronzi joint is much more entertaining even though it doesn’t have any big action set pieces but it’s more grounded approach is what makes it better. This film plays out like a cat and mouse game and when the fighting does hit, it’s serviceable and brutally enjoyable for what it’s worth.

Bronzi plays the strong and quiet type perfectly and he is so sincere with his performance of Paul that you can’t help but root for him when he breaks into one man army mode. Bronzi, who does have a strong accent, will never win any awards for acting but he does the best with what he has, and he is definitely not the worse that there is or was in the action genre. When the action is called for, Bronzi is game with the choreography and while it isn’t John Wick caliber, I was still entertained with what was on the screen and the fights were stripped down and realistic to a point.

The real star of the film is Mr. Gary Daniels. It’s no secret on this site that I’ve been a fan of Daniels since the early 90’s so I might be a little biased where he’s concerned but he looks just as good here as he did back then, and his fighting prowess has not lost a step. Daniels plays Volker with a sinister flair, and he is clearly having a fun time playing the bad guy as he chews up the scenes that he’s in. It’s important to mention that Daniels is more of an extended cameo in the movie as he is only in a hand full of scenes, but he makes his presence felt and is on camera enough to satisfy his legion of fans who have come to see him dish out his signature moves.

The first half of The Gardener is a slow burn as the directing duo of Scott Jeffrey and Rebecca J Matthews try to establish chemistry with the family and Paul as well as the gang of thugs who are actively surveilling the house before they hit it. We do get a nice if short sequence where Volker dishes out some pain to a trio of hapless goons who screwed up but it’s not until the last half an hour of the film’s 88-minute running time where things heat up. Some fans might lose interest before the finale where Paul unleashes his inner killer, but I stuck with it and was pleasantly surprised with the pay off. There is also a twist in the plot that you will see coming from a mile away and when it does hit, it makes you hate a certain character even more.

There are more fisticuffs than firepower to be had unlike Bronzi’s earlier action effort which was fine by me, and we get a few tussles between Paul and the invaders that are pretty decent and serve their purpose. There are some pretty solid kills that will please genre afficionados which include a lawnmower and trimming shears and Bronzi gets to fight dirty throughout which is always a plus. There are some shooting moments but nothing noteworthy to speak of however and I was just waiting for the big finale where Daniels would take on Bronzi for all the marbles. Michael Hoad served as the action director and he does an admiral job with the moves on each altercation giving each fight an authentic appeal to it. There are some flashy moments mixed in but for the most part, Hoad keeps things on the straight and narrow with each scrape that Bronzi gets into and it goes for more of a brawl effect.

The climax does come and while Daniels does get to strut his stuff for a few minutes, I was left wanting more as his throwdown with Bronzi was too short and rather lackluster. I still enjoyed it and it’s always awesome to see Daniels move, but I was let down a little bit with the length and choreography. Daniels does look fantastic as always and Bronzi keeps up and looks like Bronson throwing some haymakers but if you want to see Daniels really do his thing, then pop in an older movie from his filmography into the DVD player instead.

Daniels does have another film coming out hopefully in 2022 called Bring Him Back Dead where he plays the anti-hero who’s a criminal on the run from other criminals led by the always game Louis Mandylor. Here’s hoping there’s more of that good old Daniels’ magic in that one and he gets more opportunity to give us what we want. He still has a lot left in the tank and looks like he did back in the 90’s when he was putting out solid DTV offerings like Rage, Fist of the North Star and Riot to just name a few.

One enjoyable aspect of the movie does come from its score from Dean McGinnes. For a low budgeted affair, the music does set the tone and atmosphere and there are even hints of a horror movie vibe to it. When the action does hit, there are enough guitar riffs and synth like beats to accompany what is on the screen and it heightens the chaos that is going on and will remind you of something out of the VHS era of adrenaline laced entertainment.

Overall, The Gardener is a definite step up from Escape from Death Block 13 and Robert Bronzi is at the top of his game here and this is, without a doubt, his best film to date but there are ample missed opportunities to be had and Gary Daniels is slick and solid as usual, but I wanted to see more. It’s a solid DTV flick with serviceable action scenes for a Saturday night viewing but nothing memorable that will lead you to watching this one again. Daniels does get to show off for a spell, but this viewer wanted more of it. The finale is too short after the initial build up and even though I knew Daniels was going to come up with the short straw, I still wanted to see him execute more before he went down. I will say that his demise was worthy of an action film villain death so there’s that. Go in with your expectations meter set low and you might enjoy a little of what The Gardener has to offer.

One important note to ponder is that The Gardener does take place during the Christmas season so if you enjoy this one then you will have another action film to add to your Christmas viewing arsenal. After all, nothing says Ho-Ho-Ho more than a Charles Bronson look alike taking down armed invaders reminiscent of Home Alone. This Kevin isn’t playing around however and he doesn’t let the bad guys stay breathing like that other kid did. At least I have another Gary Daniels holiday themed film to choose from if I’m in the mood. Happy Holidays!!!!

VERDICT: 3 Out of 5 Stars A serviceable if forgettable action flick with Gary Daniels doing what he does best. The Gardener is now available on DVD and Digital from Lionsgate Home Entertainment

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Preserving, sharing, and celebrating america’s gardens The Garden Conservancy

"The Gardener," a film about Frank Cabot

The Gardener  is a film that reflects upon the meaning of gardening and its impact on our lives.    Shortly before his passing at the age of 86, influential gardener and plantsman Frank Cabot recounts his personal quest for perfection at Les Quatre Vents, his twenty-acre English style garden and summer estate that was opened to a film crew for the first time ever in 2009. Nestled amongst the rolling hills of the Charlevoix County in Quebec, Les Quatre Vents has become one of the world’s foremost private gardens. Created over 75 years and three generations, it is an enchanted place of beauty and surprise, a horticultural masterpiece of the 21st century. Through the words of Cabot and his family, and with the participation of gardening experts and writers, the film looks back at this remarkable man's personal story and the artistic philosophy that gave birth to one of the greatest gardens in the world.  One hour, 24 minutes; directed by Sébastien Chabot

For additional information  on film screenings, please contact  Gravitas Ventures , the US distributor of the film.

Learn more about Frank Cabot .

DVD and video on demand editions of The Gardener film are available in the USA. The Gardener documentary film was released on DVD and video on demand on September 18, 2018, in the USA only. 

Amazon: DVD, Digital and Blu-ray  https://bit.ly/2D64thC

Amazon Prime Video:  https://amzn.to/2pi8q8Y

Google Play:  http://bit.ly/2Nm6L0E

iTunes:  https://apple.co/2ORVMbr

Vimeo:  http://bit.ly/2OwQXVh

Vudu:  http://bit.ly/2QJf58X

Microsoft Movies & TV:  http://bit.ly/2OA6Bza

YouTube Movies:  http://bit.ly/2MJuZNl

Redbox On Demand:  http://bit.ly/2D7HOBg

Amazon DVD:  https://amzn.to/2NmLvYN

Amazon BD:  https://amzn.to/2MxSwVZ

The film is also available to add on  Netflix DVD Queue . Note that you need to have the Netflix DVD component as part of your Netflix subscription.

For a full list of video on demand platforms, please visit the film's website at  www.thegardener-movie.com/usa-preorder/ .

For additional information on film screenings or on DVD and video on demand, please contact Gravitas Ventures .

  Gravitas Ventures , a Red Arrow Studios company, is a leading all rights distributor of independent feature films and documentaries. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects  independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe. Working with talented directors and producers, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into over a hundred million homes in North America and over one billion homes wordwide. Recent releases include  Score: A Film   Music Documentary ;  California Typewriter ;  Legion of Brothers , Katie Holmes' feature directorial debut;  All We Had ; Colin Hanks'  All Things Must Pass ;  Being Evel  from Academy Award winning director Daniel Junge and producer Johnny Knoxville; and  For the Love of Spock  from director Adam Nimoy.

The film premiered in US theaters on Wednesday, March 28, 2018, in nine cities (listed below) and has continued screening in further locations. • Atlanta, GA - Midtown Art Cinema • Boston, MA - Embassy Cinema • Chicago, IL - Renaissance Place Cinema  • Dallas, TX - The Magnolia  • Minneapolis, MN - Edina Cinema  • New York, NY - The Landmark at 57 West  • Philadelphia, PA - Ritz Five  • San Francisco, CA - Embarcadero Center Cinema  • Washington, DC - E Street Cinema

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Quatre Vents DVD

Purchase a DVD of Frank Cabot narrating and describing his creation of the gardens at Quatre Vents. Produced in both French and English by Frank Cabot in 2010. 

The Gardener (2021) Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'the gardener' online.

Want to behold the glory that is ' The Gardener ' in the comfort of your own home? Tracking down a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Scott Chambers-directed movie via subscription can be challenging, so we here at Moviefone want to do the work for you. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription alternatives - along with the availability of 'The Gardener' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into all the details of how you can watch 'The Gardener' right now, here are some specifics about the Proportion Productions thriller flick. Released December 28th, 2021, 'The Gardener' stars Robert Bronzi , Gary Daniels , Nicola Wright , Jake Watkins The R movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 29 min, and received a user score of 51 (out of 100) on TMDb, which assembled reviews from 16 well-known users. Interested in knowing what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "A troubled wealthy family gathers in a quaint manor home for the holidays, never suspecting that bloodthirsty, sadistic Volker and his crew linger at the gates, ready to attack, rob, and maim them at nightfall. But they didn’t count on the estate’s quiet gardener, Peter Juhasz , who must return to the savage ways he learned as a soldier to save the family." 'The Gardener' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Apple iTunes, Vudu, YouTube, Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Prime Video , Spectrum On Demand, and Google Play Movies .

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The Gardener | Scott Jeffrey, Rebecca Matthews, & Michael Hoad

Someone should have buried  the gardener  in the backyard..

We’re in a veritable golden age of high-octane, low-budget DTV action flicks right now, with talented craftsmen like John Hyams, Isaac Florentine, and Jesse V. Johnson plying their trade here in the US, and guys like Julien Leclercq and Guillaume Pierre in France, amongst many others. Alas, there’s also always been a market for bottom-of-the-barrel garbage in the DTV scene, as aging stars cash easy paychecks and mysterious financial backers look for tax havens. All of which is to say that The Gardener, a new excremental flick that is soon to disappear into the furthest reaches of a streaming service near you, is less a feature film than a 90-minute money laundering scheme — one that somehow took three people to direct it (Scott Jeffrey, Rebecca Matthews, Michael Hoad).

If The Gardener has a reason to exist beyond the financial needs of shady Eastern European businessmen, it’s to showcase the (negligible) talents of Charles Bronson look-alike Robert Bronzi, a 63-year-old Hungarian cowboy who was “discovered” by a Spanish filmmaker who saw his face on a flier advertising a rodeo show. Whatever Bronzi’s real-life abilities might entail, acting is not one of them. Here, he is the titular gardener, maintaining the vacation home of a put-upon middle-aged couple and their teenaged children. he first half of the movie spends an interminable amount of time watching these people bicker, while Bronzi putters around in the background, occasionally muttering pearls of wisdom about the horrors of war and the joys of gardening (cultivating plants is cultivating life, you see). Unbeknownst to this extremely unlikable family, their deadbeat dad has placed the family business in a deep financial hole, and some mercenaries take the family hostage in the middle of the night to squeeze info out of him. Thank goodness The Gardener is here to clumsily take out each bad guy one by one, in a series of fight sequences not so much choreographed as embarrassingly glimpsed. Various stuntmen and women take turns wailing on Bronzi, who mostly stands there trying to pretend to look dazed before half-heartedly delivering a tepid punch or kick that sends his opponent flying to the ground. No-budget genre legend Gary Daniels shows up as the head honcho bad guy, who walks around showing off his sculpted physique and eventually goes mano a mano with Bronzi in a ludicrous final battle that finds both men moving so slowly you would be forgiven for thinking they were either underwater or trapped in molasses. Avoid at all costs.

Published as part of Before We Vanish | December 2021 .

• Before We Vanish
• by Daniel Gorman

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An immigrant living a quiet life as a gardener at a manor house in England has to rely on old skills to save the family he works for from home invaders.

The Gardener

The gardener trailer: bronzi is back to weed out the bad guys.

Robert Bronzi is taking no fertilizer when it comes to saving the affluent family from the home-invaders. Bring on the pruning shears!

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The Gardener (2021) Review

The Gardener pits DTV legend Gary Daniels against Charles Bronson lookalike Robert Bronzi in a tale of a home invasion gone very wrong.

https://www.voicesfromthebalcony.com/2021/12/28/the-gardener-2021-review/

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Home-Invasion Thriller 'The Gardener' Trailer Starring Robert Bronzi

by Alex Billington November 2, 2021 Source: YouTube

"There's only one person who could've done this - it's the gardener." Lionsgate has unveiled a trailer a so-bad-it's-good B-movie home invasion thriller called The Gardener , from the filmmaking duo Scott Jeffrey & Rebecca Matthews - known for all kinds of low budget, direct-to-DVD movies that you will never want to watch anyway. An immigrant living a quiet life as a gardener at a manor house in England has to rely on old skills to save the family he works for from home invaders. The small crew attacks the family, but "they didn't count on the estate's quiet gardener, Peter Juhasz, who must return to the savage ways he learned as a soldier to save the family." The film stars Robert Bronzi (from Death Kiss and Escape from Death Block 13 - who looks a lot like Charles Bronson) as "The Gardener", along with Gary Daniels , Sarah T. Cohen , Nicola Wright , Kate Sandison , Peter Organ , Jake Watkins , Jon Callaway , Pasquale Parisi , and Richard Kovacs . This looks cheesy and derivative, but it also looks kinda entertaining in a really bad way?

Here's the trailer (+ two posters) for Scott Jeffrey & Rebecca Matthews' The Gardener , from YouTube :

The quiet of the English countryside is shattered one brutal night in this intense home-invasion thriller from directors Scott Jeffrey & Rebecca Matthews. A troubled wealthy family gathers in a quaint manor home for the holidays, never suspecting that bloodthirsty, sadistic Volker (Gary Daniels) and his crew linger at the gates, ready to attack, rob, and maim them at nightfall. But they didn't count on the estate's quiet gardener, Peter Juhasz (Robert Bronzi), who must return to the savage ways he learned as a soldier to save the family. The Gardener is directed by B-movie producers / filmmakers Scott Jeffrey & Rebecca Matthews , both co-directors of the films Bats, HellKat, Cam Girls, Cannibal Troll, Hatched , and Reign of Chaos previously. With Michael Hoad directing the action. The screenplay is written by Ben Demaree, from a story by Jeff Miller. This hasn't premiered at any festivals or elsewhere, as far as we know. Lionsgate will debut The Gardener direct-to-VOD / DVD starting December 28th, 2021 at the end of this year. Anyone?

Find more posts: To Watch , Trailer

Great to see Charles Bronson is still getting work these days. This looks hilarious, cant wait to get the peeps together and just take it all in . im in

Tom Foolery on Nov 2, 2021

LIke some sequel of relentless Paul Kersey after retirement ... Man, this will be wild ...

shiboleth on Nov 2, 2021

what a load of s@@@ have u saw the trailer --woulld rather watch teletubbies

Kevin Naughton on Nov 4, 2021

Make Death Wish 4 with him. Just do it. It`s the only remake I want.,

ErrorSapiens on Nov 13, 2021

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‘jackpot’ review: john cena and awkwafina make a winning team in paul feig’s hilariously violent action-comedy.

The Amazon feature, also starring Simu Liu, revolves around a twisted lottery game where anyone can claim the prize by murdering the person with the winning ticket.

By Frank Scheck

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John cena on coaching 'jackpot' co-star awkwafina to punch him and his 'the bear' cameo, from christina aguilera's sexual wellness line to beyoncé's hair care, 6 celebrity startups to watch.

Awkwafina plays Katie, a former child actress famous for her work in a television commercial for canned spaghetti, who arrives in Los Angeles after a lengthy career hiatus caring for her sick mother. Unbeknownst to her, the city is now gripped with lottery fever — except that this particular game involves one person winning a massive cash prize totaling billions, only to get pursued for a day by everyone else, who can claim the money by killing them. There are no rules except one, namely that guns cannot be used. Katie would have known this if she had only seen the film’s opening scene, featuring a very amusing appearance by an ill-fated Sean William Scott.

While auditioning for an acting gig, Katie discovers a lottery card in her borrowed outfit and finds herself a winner. Since her picture is immediately flashed on every cell phone in the city, she becomes the target of everyone with whom she comes into contact, including the other actresses vying for the role and, even more dangerously, a roomful of martial arts enthusiasts.

The rest of the frenetically paced film basically plays like a live-action Woody Woodpecker cartoon, with the pair relentlessly pursued by hordes of normal-seeming citizens who turn into bloodthirsty would-be assassins at the drop of a hat. Katie and Noel eventually wind up in a panic room in Machine Gun Kelly ’s house (don’t ask), but when even that seemingly safe space threatens to be breached, Noel is forced to seek help from his professional archrival, Louis Lewis ( Simu Liu , looking suitably smarmy in an all-white suit and turtleneck), with whom he has a tortured history. Not surprisingly, the alliance soon goes south.

This is not sophisticated entertainment, unless you count Cena stomping his massive foot on fire on a man’s crotch and apologizing, “It’s either a hurt dick or a burnt dick,” to be witty repartee. But Rob Yescombe’s screenplay features an ingenious premise and enough genuinely funny lines to make the film more than a guilty pleasure, as when Louis tells a bedraggled Noel, “You look like Wreck-It Ralph after a 14-hour cocaine bender.” Or when a drugged Machine Gun Kelly wakes up and asks, “Did I fall asleep in the pool again?” (Whoever advised the rapper-actor to make a self-deprecating cameo deserves a raise.)

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Upcoming New Disney and Pixar Movies: 2024 Release Dates and Beyond

What disney movies can you expect this year.

Disney’s 100th anniversary may be over, but the studio and its sister company, Pixar, still have a handful of films coming out in 2024 and beyond. Aside from films by Marvel, 20th Century Fox, and other studios owned by Disney , the release calendar for Disney Studios and Pixar Animation Studios films for this year is small thanks to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which put production on many movies on hold, and subsequently pushed the release dates for some of them back by a year or so.

With the strikes now in our rearview mirror, we rounded up all the major films from Disney and Pixar that have a firm release date and are still in the works.

Disney and Pixar Movies: Upcoming Release Dates

Upcoming disney and pixar movies.

Whether they release in theaters or on Disney+, here’s a look at the major Disney and Pixar movies coming from now through 2025 and beyond.

Moana 2 (November 27, 2024)

Mufasa: the lion king (december 20, 2024), snow white (live-action remake) (march 21, 2025), elio (june 13, 2025), tron: ares (october 10, 2025), zootopia 2 (november 26, 2025), freakier friday (2025), lilo & stitch (live-action remake) (2025), toy story 5 (june 19, 2026).

• Moana (Live-Action Remake) (July 10, 2026)

Frozen 3 (November 24, 2027)

Incredibles 3 (date tbd), bambi (live-action remake) (date tbd), hercules (live-action remake) (date tbd).

Here's more on the upcoming Disney and Pixar movies that we have the most information about right now:

Not even a year after the live-action remake of Moana was announced, The Walt Disney Company announced Moana 2 out of nowhere on February 7, 2024, giving us a teaser trailer of Moana standing on the beach to blow her conch shell. It also released a first-look image of Moana, Maui, and a couple of new characters sailing by a whale shark, which appears to be one of Moana's ancestors considering how her grandmother Tala appeared as a manta ray after she passed away.

The surprise sequel's plot finds the new young chief of Motonui Island hitting the high seas of Oceania and beyond with Maui and a new crew of seafarers after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfaring ancestors. The sequel will be directed by Dave Derrick Jr., with music composed by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina. Lin-Manuel Miranda will not return with new music for the film.

As told by Rafiki to Kiara, Simba and Nala’s daughter, the prequel to the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King tells the story of how her grandfather Mufasa became king of the Pride Lands. The story will also reveal how Mufasa and Scar went from loving brothers to bitter enemies, while Timon and Pumbaa sprinkle in colorful commentary.

Mufasa: The Lion King will mark Kiara’s second appearance in a feature film since the direct-to-video sequel The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, despite also making an appearance in the Disney Channel/Disney Junior animated series The Lion Guard. Aaron Pierre and Kevin Harrison, Jr. will voice young Mufasa and Scar, respectively, while Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner will reprise their voice roles of Pumbaa and Timon.

Which upcoming Disney or Pixar movie are you most looking forward to?

Details about the live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves are scarce, but what we do know is that Rachel Zegler will play the leading Disney Princess , Gal Gadot is cast as the Evil Queen, and Andrew Burnap will play a new character named Jonathan, replacing Prince Charming. Greta Gerwing and Erin Cressida Wilson wrote the screenplay, and Marc Webb is the director. The film was originally scheduled to release this year, but Disney pushed its release date back to March 21, 2025 due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes.

The casting caused controversy among audiences because Zegler, who is part-Colombian, does not fit Snow White’s profile of having “skin as white as snow,” and because she made comments about making the character stronger than she was in the original — both issues Zegler addressed. In October 2023, Disney released a first look image of Snow White and the dwarves, who are rendered in CGI to resemble their appearances in the original film.

Elio is about an 11-year-old boy who gets abducted by aliens after they mistake him for Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe. After he is beamed up to the Communiverse, an intergalactic council comprising representatives from other planets for contacting them by mistake, Elio has to form bonds with eccentric alien life forms and survive a series of formidable trials in order to hopefully get sent back home.

Elio was originally scheduled to be released on March 1, 2024, but because production of the film paused due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, Pixar pushed the release date back to June 13, 2025.

Tron: Ares is set to be a reboot of the Tron film franchise, not a direct sequel to Tron: Legacy. Jared Leto has been cast as the titular character Ares, a computer AI program who embarks on a journey from the digital dimension to the human world.

Tron: Ares was originally announced to be a sequel to Tron: Legacy as Tron 3 in 2010, but Disney cancelled it in 2015 following the box office failure of Tomorrowland. The film’s development restarted in 2017, but had changed directors ever since, from Garth Davis to Joachim Rønning. Production started in December 2023, and the film is slated to release in theaters October 10, 2025.

Zootopia 2 was also announced by Iger last February to be in development alongside Frozen 3 and Toy Story 5. Details about the sequel to the film about a city populated by anthropomorphic animals in climate-diverse landscapes are scarce, but they’ll be revealed at a later date.

As for what would happen in the film, a few of the actors shared some ideas. According to CinemaBlend , Ginnifer Goodwin said she would like to see a role reversal between her character Judy Hopps and Jason Bateman’s Nick Wilde, saying that because they’re now a cop team, “I would also like to see Nick [Wilde] have to be the one to convince Judy [Hopps] that the world is worth fighting for.” Bateman, on the other hand, said the plot should be about “The two of us, kicking ass out there. Cleaning up the streets. We’re a couple of new cops out there. So, bad guys, be warned.”

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are returning for this sequel to Freaky Friday, which promises to be even, well, freakier: Freakier Friday . The actors showed up onstage at D23 in August, 2024, to tout the film, which of course is the sequel to a remake of the originaly 1977 Freaky Friday starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris. The film will be released in 2025.

The live-action Lilo & Stitch remake got a first preview at Disney's D23 event in August, 2024, in the form of what the "live-action" Stitch will look like. Of course, he's still gonna be computer-generated, but he'll be appearing, persumably, opposite real actors and in real settings. Maia Kealoha plays Lilo and Zach Galifianakis also stars in an unspecified role. The film is expected sometime in 2025.

Disney CEO Bob Iger surprised Toy Story fans on February 8, 2023 with the news that Pixar is now producing Toy Story 5 . Although it seemed like Toy Story 4 wrapped up the series for good as Woody and Buzz Lightyear went their separate ways, it appears as if the story will continue. Though the news received a warm welcome by many fans of Pixar movies , others questioned the necessity of a fifth Toy Story film.

Do you think the series should have ended with Toy Story 4?

We don't have any concrete details about Toy Story 5 as far the plot is concerned. However, we do know that the movie is set to release on June 19, 2026.

See everything we know about Toy Story 5 .

Moana (Live Action Remake) (July 10, 2026)

Just like the original 2016 CGI animated film, the plot for the live-action remake of Moana will revolve around a young girl who is chosen by the ocean to reunite an ancient relic with the Polynesian goddess Te Fiti with the help of the exiled demigod named Maui. This puts her on a mission to not only save the ocean, but also save her island of Motonui, which has been afflicted with blight as a result of the volcanic demon Te Kā’s rampage.

The live-action remake for Moana was announced on April 3, 2023 , with Dwayne Johnson slated to produce the film and reprise his role of Maui, who was inspired by his grandfather Peter Maivia, a former WWE star. Auli'i Cravalho won’t reprise her role as the titular heroine; however, she’ll serve as executive producer.

Bob Iger announced that Frozen 3 was in the works on February 8, 2023, but details about the sequel have since been scarce. However, Idina Menzel and Josh Gad confirmed they will reprise their roles as Elsa and Olaf, respectively. Kristen Bell hasn’t said whether she’ll return as the plucky heroine Anna.

While story details about Frozen 3 haven’t been officially revealed, it is expected to pick up where Frozen 2 left off, with Anna becoming queen of Arendelle after Elsa abdicated the throne to become the protector of the Enchanted Forest after learning she’s the fifth spirit bridging the gap between people and magic. As for the release date, it might come out in late 2025.

See everything we know about Frozen 3 .

Yes, Incredibles 3 is happening, and series director Brad Bird is also back. Beyond that, not much more is known about the film, which was revealed at D23 in August, 2024.

The live-action remake of Bambi was confirmed to be in development in January 2020 following the success of Guy Ritchie’s take on Aladdin. The producers aim to use photorealistic CGI for the animal characters just as they did for The Lion King remake and, according to former screenwriter Lindsey Anderson Beer, tone down Bambi’s mother’s death to make it less traumatic for today’s kids than the original 1942 animated film. “Not to spoil the plot, but there’s a treatment of the mom dying that I think some kids, some parents these days are more sensitive about than they were in the past,” she told Collider last year. “And I think that’s one of the reasons that they haven’t shown it to their children.”

Sarah Polley, Academy Award-winning director of Women Talking, is reportedly set to direct the live-action Bambi . No one has been cast as the titular deer or any of his friends yet.

Details surrounding the live-action adaptation of Hercules , which was announced in June 2022 , have been scarce since the SAG-AFTRA strikes save for a few tidbits. The movie will be directed by Guy Ritchie, making it the second Disney live-action remake on his resume after Aladdin, and it will be produced by the studio run by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Danny DeVito may reprise his role as the wise satyr Phil, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Joe Russo explained to Variety that they’ll use TikTok as inspiration for putting a modern spin on the Disney Renaissance classic. “Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like? That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical,” he said.

More Upcoming Disney Movies

Although our list only includes films beind created by Disney and Pixar, the fact of the matter is that Disney owns a lot of companies. If you're looking for more upcoming films under the Disney umbrella, here's a quick look at what to expect in 2024 and beyond from Star Wars, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox.

Upcoming Star Wars Movies

A lot of the upcoming Star Wars projects are actually TV shows, but there a few upcoming movies worth noting. Unfortunately, we don't exactly have release dates for any of these just yet. There's the upcoming Taika Waititi Star Wars movie as well as the recently announced Mandalorian and Grogu film, but we don't yet know when those will happen. Check out our full list of upcoming Star Wars movies for more info.

Upcoming Marvel Movies

Marvel has had a steady stream of movies arriving year after year, but 2024 is looking a bit sparse when it comes to new films. That being said, you can expect Deadpool & Wolverine to arrive this year and even more movies to arrive in 2025. Check out our full list of upcoming Marvel movies for more info.

Upcoming 20th Century Fox Movies

20th Century Fox Studios has quite a few more movies expected to come out in 2024 compared to the rest of the entertainment companies Disney owns. With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes out now, the next big film from ths studio is set to be Aliens: Romulus . You can check out this full list of 20th Century Studios movies for more info.

Disney and Pixar Movies Released in 2023

These are the major Disney and Pixar movies that were released in 2023:

• Peter Pan & Wendy (April 28, 2023)
• The Little Mermaid (Live-Action Remake) (May 26, 2023)
• Elemental (June 16, 2023)
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30, 2023)
• Haunted Mansion (July 28, 2023)
• Wish (November 22, 2023)

Note: This story was updated on 8/13/2024. It was originally posted on 1/12/2024.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

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‘Good One’ Review: Revelation in the Woods

Lily Collias delivers an extraordinary lead performance in this exquisite debut feature about a camping trip and a moment of self-realization.

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By Alissa Wilkinson

“Good One” is a drama about human relationships, but it starts with close-up shots of plants and insects, setting the scene in more ways than one. Yes, the characters will spend most of the movie in the woods, and high summer in upstate New York is quite literally full of dirt, bugs and leafy canopies. But contemplating the rich greens and earthy red-browns, I found myself pondering life cycles, the mutating forms and constant shifts of the natural world — and of human life, too. I don’t think that’s an accident.

The “good one” of the title is Sam (Lily Collias), who is 17 and on a camping trip with her high-strung father, Chris (James Le Gros), and one of his oldest friends, an underemployed actor named Matt (Danny McCarthy). Matt’s son was supposed to come too, but bailed in a fit of pique, still bitter about his parents’ divorce. So it’s just Sam and the men.

Sam is exactly the type to get called the “good one” — not because she’s a prim Goody Two-shoes, but because she’s the sort of teenage girl that adults, especially adult men, feel comfortable around. She’s levelheaded and knows how to snark when necessary. In the woods, she pulls more than her own weight — she can pitch a tent, load up a day pack, filter water, build a fire and cook steaming bowls of ramen. She’ll take advice, but she’s equally good at giving it, an independent thinker with whom any grown-up could talk.

And boy, do Chris and Matt talk. Their relationship is rife with old rivalries and structured by all the selves they once were, all the way back to nearly Sam’s age. You can see them fall into an old script, Matt the hapless mess who packs all the wrong stuff and Chris the organized leader who gets mad when the energy bars aren’t in the right place.

Sam observes her father’s digs at Matt as they trek across the forest for three days, often silently, only her eyes betraying her thoughts. She has seen this dynamic her whole life. It unnerves her a little, the realization that these guys in their 50s, a couple of life stages ahead of her, are as immature as the boys she knows from home.

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• Cast & crew

Venom: The Last Dance

Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddi... Read all Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.

• Kelly Marcel
• Juno Temple
• 2 Critic reviews

Top cast 13

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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia Tom Holland said he and Amy Pascal had discussed him potentially reprising his role as Spider-Man in future Venom sequels.

Venom : Eddie... my home has found us.

• Connections Follows Venom (2018)
• When will Venom: The Last Dance be released? Powered by Alexa
• October 25, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Official Website
• Venom: Kèo Cuối
• Cartagena, Spain
• Columbia Pictures
• Arad Productions
• Hutch Parker Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track

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