"Taken 2" opens October 5th in the US.
Jun 21, 2012
"Taken 2" - first trailer
Apparently Bryan Mills (Liam Nesson) ruffled a few feathers when he dismantled that international sex slavery ring in "Taken" because some very ruffled Balkan types are after him here in the first trailer for "Taken 2". The whole thing seems more than a bit contrived, but then again so did the first film. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying the whoop-ass festival then and probably won't hinder my enjoyment of it this time either.
"Taken 2" opens October 5th in the US.
"Taken 2" opens October 5th in the US.
"Dredd" - full trailer
The first full trailer is here for director Pete Travis' "Dredd" and it looks several flights of stairs above the Stallone version. In this new interation Karl Urban is one-with-judgement and will need all his power to take down Ma-Ma, purveyor of the uber-addictive new drug slo-mo.
"Dredd" hits theaters stateside September 21st.
"Dredd" hits theaters stateside September 21st.
Jun 20, 2012
Wachowski's "Cloud Atlas" release date moved to October 2012
The long-awaited new film from the Wachowskis has had its domestic release date bumped up to October 26th 2012. The film which chronicles how an individual's actions can have repercussions across time stars Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant. This will be the first film for the Wachowski's since 2008's underwhelming "Speed Racer" crashed and burned at the box office and hopes are high that a return to metaphysics will mark a return to form for the film making pair.
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| Concept art for "Cloud Atlas" |
Jun 19, 2012
New trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises"
This is probably it as far as trailers go given that there's only a month left until the film's release. This trailer lacks the levity of some of the recent tv spots and focuses more on the Batman/Bane conflict.
"The Dark Knight Rises" one month from today.
"The Dark Knight Rises" one month from today.
"Thor" - 2011 - movie review
Kenneth Branagh's "Thor" opens with Natalie Portman's scientist character Jane Foster combing the night skies of the desert southwest in search of an elusive phenomenon she can't explain. She believes it to be an Einstein-Rosen bridge but can't prove it. Suddenly it appears and while trying to chase it down she instead runs down a mysterious lone figure who seems to materialize out of the chaos around the phenomenon.
By opening the film with his characters gazing heavenward Branagh states in no uncertain terms that Thor is not your everyday superhero. This is entirely appropriate because he isn't. Thor is a god. One of the principal gods in Norse mythology and treating him as a mere superhero would be, to a certain extent, blasphemous. By extension, Thor is not your everyday superhero film either. It has more in common with Beowulf than Batman, though to be sure Thor is not a tragic character.
After the opening scene the film moves to Asgard where, after a short primer on said Norse mythology, the events that led to that mysterious figure appearing out of a light tunnel in the desert are played out.
Thor is about to inherit the throne of Asgard from his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), when his ascension is rudely interrupted by a small band of Frost Giants (the Asgardians mortal enemies) who break into Asgard's weapons vault. After the raid is thwarted Thor vows revenge. Odin attempts to rein in his impetuous son but Thor will have none of it. He and his closest companions (the Warriors 3) as well as his younger brother Loki sneak into the Frost Giants homeworld and nearly start a war. Odin intervenes just in time to save the day and then strips Thor of his power (manifested of course in his mighty hammer Mjollnir) and banishes him to earth. At the last minute Odin casts a spell on Mjollnir stating that only he who proves himself worthy will be able to take control of it and wield its power and then sends it through the light bridge to earth after Thor.
Back on earth the man Foster hit with her truck rises from the ground babbling about hammers and bi-frosts and speaking with a kind of formal bravado that makes him seem, well, cartoonlike. Foster's assistant gets spooked by the large, wierd guy and tases him and the group take him to a local hospital.
Meanwhile, events in the desert bring Agent Colson of SHIELD sniffing around. Colson confiscates Jane Foster's computers in the name of national security. Out of ideas and with little clue as to what's going on Foster sidles up to the only guy who might possibly have a clue: the big, crazy guy she nearly ran over. Her colleague Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) attempts to warn her off citing the fact that this guy seems to think he's some kind of Norse god but Foster reluctantly decides to give him a chance.
The rest of the film deals with Thor having to come to grips with his situation and learning humility, Loki's attempts to grab the throne of Asgard in his absence, Foster and Selvig coming to grips with the possibility that maybe this big, wacky dude really is who he says he is and Colson and company nibbling at the edges of the narrative ever reminding us of the 'bigger picture'.
Branagh's direction is rock solid throughout: fluid yet never gimmicky. He coaxes excellent performances out of his cast, which is first rate and no doubt made his job a lot easier. Comedic elements (like Thor's interesting way of displaying approval of a good cup of joe) are subtle and deftly handled, never overplayed or over the top and never distracting. There is real chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman who once again demonstrates why she deserves a place near the top of the A list of actors working today. Remarkably though she doesn't overwhelm relative newcomer Chris Hemsworth who has genuine acting chops. His performance hits all the right notes and Branagh gives him plenty of space to demonstrate his range, which is impressive. The art direction and cinematogrphy heed the gravitas inplicit in making a film about a god, even one who's spent a few decades slumming through the comic book universe. This is a story that just wouldn't have worked had the cimematography been narrower in scope. A character of Thor's dimensions needs a stage the size of the desert. Patrick Doyle's soundtrack while not remarkable does what a good soundtrack should do, it suggests while staying out of the limelight.
Thor is far and away the best of the "Avengers" setup films. Some of that has to do with the strength and depth of the source material but Thor is more than the sum of its parts. It's big ideas and big characters bathed in golden light and played out on a stage with one of those enormous, multi-layered atmospheric background paintings. It never stays too long in small places, never strays seriously into self-parody but never forgets to be fun.
By opening the film with his characters gazing heavenward Branagh states in no uncertain terms that Thor is not your everyday superhero. This is entirely appropriate because he isn't. Thor is a god. One of the principal gods in Norse mythology and treating him as a mere superhero would be, to a certain extent, blasphemous. By extension, Thor is not your everyday superhero film either. It has more in common with Beowulf than Batman, though to be sure Thor is not a tragic character.
After the opening scene the film moves to Asgard where, after a short primer on said Norse mythology, the events that led to that mysterious figure appearing out of a light tunnel in the desert are played out.
Thor is about to inherit the throne of Asgard from his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), when his ascension is rudely interrupted by a small band of Frost Giants (the Asgardians mortal enemies) who break into Asgard's weapons vault. After the raid is thwarted Thor vows revenge. Odin attempts to rein in his impetuous son but Thor will have none of it. He and his closest companions (the Warriors 3) as well as his younger brother Loki sneak into the Frost Giants homeworld and nearly start a war. Odin intervenes just in time to save the day and then strips Thor of his power (manifested of course in his mighty hammer Mjollnir) and banishes him to earth. At the last minute Odin casts a spell on Mjollnir stating that only he who proves himself worthy will be able to take control of it and wield its power and then sends it through the light bridge to earth after Thor.
Back on earth the man Foster hit with her truck rises from the ground babbling about hammers and bi-frosts and speaking with a kind of formal bravado that makes him seem, well, cartoonlike. Foster's assistant gets spooked by the large, wierd guy and tases him and the group take him to a local hospital.
Meanwhile, events in the desert bring Agent Colson of SHIELD sniffing around. Colson confiscates Jane Foster's computers in the name of national security. Out of ideas and with little clue as to what's going on Foster sidles up to the only guy who might possibly have a clue: the big, crazy guy she nearly ran over. Her colleague Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) attempts to warn her off citing the fact that this guy seems to think he's some kind of Norse god but Foster reluctantly decides to give him a chance.
The rest of the film deals with Thor having to come to grips with his situation and learning humility, Loki's attempts to grab the throne of Asgard in his absence, Foster and Selvig coming to grips with the possibility that maybe this big, wacky dude really is who he says he is and Colson and company nibbling at the edges of the narrative ever reminding us of the 'bigger picture'.
Branagh's direction is rock solid throughout: fluid yet never gimmicky. He coaxes excellent performances out of his cast, which is first rate and no doubt made his job a lot easier. Comedic elements (like Thor's interesting way of displaying approval of a good cup of joe) are subtle and deftly handled, never overplayed or over the top and never distracting. There is real chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman who once again demonstrates why she deserves a place near the top of the A list of actors working today. Remarkably though she doesn't overwhelm relative newcomer Chris Hemsworth who has genuine acting chops. His performance hits all the right notes and Branagh gives him plenty of space to demonstrate his range, which is impressive. The art direction and cinematogrphy heed the gravitas inplicit in making a film about a god, even one who's spent a few decades slumming through the comic book universe. This is a story that just wouldn't have worked had the cimematography been narrower in scope. A character of Thor's dimensions needs a stage the size of the desert. Patrick Doyle's soundtrack while not remarkable does what a good soundtrack should do, it suggests while staying out of the limelight.
Thor is far and away the best of the "Avengers" setup films. Some of that has to do with the strength and depth of the source material but Thor is more than the sum of its parts. It's big ideas and big characters bathed in golden light and played out on a stage with one of those enormous, multi-layered atmospheric background paintings. It never stays too long in small places, never strays seriously into self-parody but never forgets to be fun.
The top 10 movies for the weekend of June 15 - June 17, 2012
| 1) Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | $34 Million |
| 2) Prometheus | $20.7 Million |
| 3) Rock of Ages | $14.4 Million |
| 4) That's My Boy | $13.4 Million |
| 5) Snow White and the Huntsman | $13.2 Million |
| 6) Men in Black III | $10 Million |
| 7) The Avengers | $8.9 Million |
| 8) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | $2.28 Million |
| 9) Moonrise Kingdom | $2.23 Million |
| 10) Battleship | $1.2 Million |
Jun 18, 2012
Tim Burton talks "Beetlejuice" sequel
"Beetlejuice" is one of my favorite comedies of all-time. Just a great, wacked out exercise in pushing the limits. It succeeds brilliantly largely on the strength of Michael Keaton's outrageous performance as the little-demon-who-couldn't. I've never spent a second pining for a sequel but in this decade of sequelmania I guess it's not surprising to hear that Tim Burton is thinking about resurrecting the gnarly little dude from the foam rubber graveyard for another go.
In this clip from shocktilyoudrop Burton talks briefly about where things stand and what he liked about his 1988 classic.
In this clip from shocktilyoudrop Burton talks briefly about where things stand and what he liked about his 1988 classic.
Jun 17, 2012
"Prometheus" behind the scenes videos
Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel has generated scads of conversation and debate with some claiming it's the best thing since sliced bread and others decrying it as a wholesale failure. Personally I felt it was a very good film that suffered from excessive narrative meddling. Still, any film that gets people talking is a good film. One thing few disagree about is the look of the film. It's simply gorgeous.
Courtesy of The Daily these two vids delve into the creation of the special effects for the film. The first deals with the disintegration of the "engineer" in the opening sequence and the second with the handling of the good ship Prometheus itself: what it took to create the landing, liftoff and collision sequences.
Courtesy of The Daily these two vids delve into the creation of the special effects for the film. The first deals with the disintegration of the "engineer" in the opening sequence and the second with the handling of the good ship Prometheus itself: what it took to create the landing, liftoff and collision sequences.
Jun 16, 2012
New "Expendables 2" poster
"Grumpy Old Men 2", uh, I mean "Expendables 2" opens August 17th.
Jun 15, 2012
New tv spot for "The Dark Knight Rises"
This short spot has a little of everything. Commissioner Gordon being praised for how thoroughly he cleaned up the streets, Catwoman assuring one and all that things will not stay so neat and clean and Bruce Wayne tech shopping. Check it out.
"The Dark Knight Rises" opens July 20th.
"The Dark Knight Rises" opens July 20th.
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