Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Smashing through the box office gates every few years comes the latest Mission Impossible flick, America's answer to Bond, just with less kissing and more gadgets. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation hits screens this week with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie at the wheel. Will this prove to be the latest capstone in a strong series, or is Ethan Hunt getting as tedious as a school band playing the Mission Impossible theme?

After years hunting a mysterious group known as the Syndicate, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) believes he has enough proof to confirm their existence. When reporting to a secret IMF station about his interception of a nerve gas shipment, he is captured by the Syndicate. Escaping in usual brawling fashion, he is assisted by a disavowed British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), and pursues the elusive blonde man that he saw just before he was captured, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris).

After a senate committee finds their actions reckless, the IMF is dissolved, with CIA director Alan Huntley (Alec Baldwin) picking up the pieces. William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) are questioned about the whereabouts of Hunt, now a rogue agent, but neither crack and Ethan continues to evade capture. He tricks Benji into flying to Vienna for the Opera, however in reality it's a ploy to get Dunn's assistance in taking down the Syndicate. The two team up with Ilsa to infiltrate a high-security server that should assist them in tracking down Lane.

I'm not our resident MI fan, but having caught up on Ghost Protocol before meandering into this fifth installment, I was ready for some tense action, and it's safe to say that I wasn't disappointed. The pace is set in the opening sequence, which sees Hunt clinging for dear life to the side of a cargo plane as it takes off. It might not quite trump the Dubai skyscraper scenes from the previous film, but the tension remains palpable, especially when you realise that this was done for real, by cruise. This is followed up by a dramatic fight at the opera, claustrophobic chase sequences through the streets of Morocco and a free-dive into a giant water-cooled computer mainframe.

It's exhilarating stuff, as you would expect from McQuarrie (writer of The Usual Suspects and Valkyrie) and regular action-cinematographer Robert Elswit. The plot can turn on it's head without warning - as is typical with the series - leaving you constantly second guessing the motives of the array of different characters, and as long as you don't over-think it then it's great fun to follow along with. Although at times you do find yourself glossing over the current story and sitting back to anticipate the next action sequence, testimony to the effectiveness of the action.

Cruise continues to cheat his way through the ageing process, seemingly still in peak physical condition. He punches, kicks, dodges and flips his way through his enemies and of coarse, still does his own stunts. Benji and Ethan work closer than ever here as the IMF struggles to find solid ground yet again, and Pegg continues to be the most likable character in the series. Benji is ultimately the nerdy kid's channel into this world, operating his vast array of gadgets with occasional precision. Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa is fast and nimble, taking down any enemy brute thrown at her, and Renner's Brandt....well he's sometimes useful. This seems to be a common issue with a lot of the supporting cast, namely that they really don't do that much. Alec Baldwin cracks open his 'annoying useless obstacle' persona which I haven't personally seen him do since the awful The Cat in the Hat film, and Sean Harris transforms into the stock-standard turtle-necked bad guy. His character develops less as a man who you expect to be foiled by his own heinous ambitions, and more as a lemming lining up waiting to be thrown off the cliff.

But the character assassinations are just nit-picking for an action film like this. Ultimately, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is a solid and visceral addition to the franchise that will keep you thoroughly entertained.

Self/less

I think at some stage this movie must have had the alternate title of Sense/less because this movie doesn't really make any. I think the process stopped at the stage of finding an interesting premise and just throwing together whatever they could in after to make it a narrative that they think would work.

Damian (Ben Kingsley) is an extremely wealthy real estate who is dying from cancer. He hears about a new technology called shedding, which will put his mind into a healthy, young host body. When he is transferred into his new body, Damian (Ryan Reynolds) begins to relive the memories of his new body and is compelled to find his wife Maddy (Natalie Martinez). On his trail however, is Albright (Matthew Goode), the specialist who conducted the procedure and who doesn't want the secret of how the bodies came to his possession.

The body-switching genre is really nothing new and there's only so many variations that you can try. This one follows the voluntary method of switching, but it seems very anticlimactic. Old cancer patient gets new body: roll credits. It was very predictable in how everything was going to turn out, even the ending wasn't very surprising. I think it had to do with the rather slow pacing of the film. The film devotes a large chunk of time to when Damian first wakes up in his new body, but this is shown in a series of montages one after the other (different montages, not one big one). Even the action sequences seem to take a long time and there is no real feeling of suspense being built up.

Every single actor in this film did it just for the money, I'm sure. Ryan Reynolds is not even trying as hard as he would in his other films, dramatic or comedic. Hell, this isn't even his first body swap movie (see The Change-up). Matthew Goode is a very talented screen actor who can do menacing and scary, but doesn't attempt that here. Natalie Martinez is just trying to get her face on cinema screens after a lengthy television career. That brings us to Ben Kingsley. I kind of expect this kind of thing from him, he needs these smaller little roles to take up his time between the bigger films, although you could almost call his role a cameo.

Another working title for this movie must have been Paycheck but unfortunately that was taken by the Ben Affleck vehicle that is a much better movie worth your time.

Mr. Holmes

"I've decided to write the story down, as it was, not as John made it. Get it right before I die."

In 1947 the infallible detective Sherlock Holmes is in his early 90's and living in relative solitude along the picturesque coast of Sussex in southern Englnd with its green hills and white cliffs. The remnants of the War still litters the country-side and culture surrounding his home, aircraft wreckage, destroyed structures and references to the Blitz. Sherlock himself is a man utterly ravaged by time, his wit not dulled but sheathed, his body wizened, his memory failing him but he is plagued the consequences of his last case and flashbacks of a woman in grey, as well as his recent trip to post-war Japan. He returns to his house-keeper, the matronly but warm Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her clever and cheeky son Roger (Milo Parker). Roger is enthralled with the elderly detective, having often snuck into Holmes' study to read the man's own recounting of one of his cases, the very one that eludes his memory and yet haunts him.

Based off of Mitch Cullins book A Simple Trick of the Mind and written for the screen by veteran British period screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher, Mr Holmes is a welcome departure in tone from recent incarnations of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character. The film is bright, real without the need for grit and grime, and lacking in the immediate threat of a killer on the loose. Rather the driving force behind the narrative is the gaps in Holmes' memory and the connections between this his trip to Japan and the grey-clad subject of one of Dr Watson's embellishing tales of Sherlock's exploits. Director Bill Condon, of Twilight: Breaking Dawn, The Fifth Estate and Dreamgirls fame, guides the film along a path based first on logic and later emotion, a in tune with the development of McKellen's Holmes during the film.

McKellen's performance is total, aside from a few moments where the power of his voice breaks through the skin of the character, McKellen plays the great detective with an absolute command that can only come with experience and skill. The film captures Sherlock in three stages of his life, the enfeebled and vulnerable man at the end of his life that is the films present, the earnest, pushy but still vulnerable man of weeks earlier, and the sharp and confident detective of 35 years prior on his last case. The difference in characterisation between these three times is staggering, particularly when the younger Sherlock first appears. Posture, pronunciation plus a sharp mind & tongue distance the detective from the old man with his hunched back, curmudgeonly quirks and honest emotional vulnerability. This is truly and near totally McKellen's film (certainly in the marketing) but supporting him, aside from the always capable though awkwardly accented Laura Linney, is child actor Milo Parker as Roger, a precocious young boy who is both enamoured with Holmes and, of course, adopts the elderly man as a patriarchal figure. Aside from a late Second Act predictable turn, the incorporation and performance of Milo Parker is inspired, he's precocious but not annoying, has a decent emotional range, good instincts and a very expressive face, making Roger a welcoming presence.

Perspective, understanding and hindsight are the main themes that drive Mr Holmes, the camera is driven by perspective, characters by understanding and the narrative by hindsght. With bright colourful locations and the layered period setting, Bill Condon works well with Director of Photography Tobias Schliessler (who has worked several times previously with Condon and Peter Berg) in creating a consistent theme of perspective through repeated use of eyeline matches and PoV shots reinforcing a narrative focus on hindsight. The characters each are driven by some different measure of understanding and though it sometimes takes a while to become clear what they're trying to understand, it's always a logical path that fulfils the mystery at the core of the story. Unfortunately, outside of the commanding performance of its star, there is little of Mr Holmes that makes it memorable. A fine enough film and fitting portrayal of the character.

Trailers Week 55: 26/07/15

Mississippi Grind

Gambling addiction can be a hell of a problem and sad Ben Mendlesohn looks like he knows all about it. Also starring Ryan Reynolds and Sienna Miller.

Freeheld
I don't know this looks a little too much like Still Alice so soon after that came out. A female cop fights for her right to leave her pension money to her wife in a small town that doesn't like gay people. Starring Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, Josh Charles and Steve Carrell.

Spectre
Get ready Bond fans, this next instalment is set to have throwbacks not only to the previous Daniel Craig movies, but also the early films in the canon. Also starring Christoph Waltz, Monica Belucci, Léa Seydoux and Dave Bautista.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Is it actually possible to outrun a virus in the desert? I'm unsure of what Aidan Gillen's trying to prove.

Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
Witness Everdeen take down El Presidente Sutherland.

We Are Your Friends
Why can't Wes Bentley be my mentor?

Before We Go

A loving tribute to New York City where two people enjoy an uncomfortable best night of their lives. Starring Alice Eve and Chris Evans.

Ruben Guthrie

There has been a trend recently with Australian films that get marketed as comedies, but ultimately end up being quite serious dramas that have light moments, but they ultimately leave you thinking. Brendan Cowell's latest flick Ruben Guthrie is a film that does just that. It is a film with a lot of open ended questions that can either make you hopeful that things will work out for the characters or gives you a hollow feeling that things will never change and just keep going as they always have.

Ruben Guthrie (Patrick Brammall) is on top of the world. He is a young, award-winning advertising executive with a stunning European supermodel girlfriend, Zoya (Abbey Lee), and has all the fun that a guy could have. He also has a crippling alcohol addiction that he can't acknowledge. It's only when Zoya decides to leave him and tells him to give up alcohol for a year to be with her that he decides to do something about it. But Ruben has temptations from all sides. His boss at the advertising company, Ray (Jeremy Sims), tells him the only way he's able to work is drunk, his parents (Jack Thompson and Robyn Nevin) can't admit they have their own problems with alcohol and his best friend Damien (Alex Dimitriades) thinks the only way they can have fun is by getting hammered.

The big statement that Cowell is trying to make with the film is that Australia has a drinking problem, even going so far as to call it an "alcoholic country" many times. All the main characters drink with the main purpose of getting "fucked up", although they don't all describe it as such. Ruben's father constantly sees it as a way of bonding with his son.

Patrick Brammall plays the main character of Guthrie almost as a Van Wilder-esque character, albeit with a darker, tortured soul. At many times throughout out the film I even thought he looked like Ryan Reynolds. Brammall is exquisite at playing Ruben's darker moments, showing deep characterisation (this is also a testament to Cowell's script).

The supporting cast is mainly strong. Abbey Lee does a superb Czech accent, but ultimately plays what she is in real life. Alex Dimitriades is hysterical as Damien, but also makes you laugh in some dark, inappropriate moments. Jeremy Sims is fantastic as Ray, Ruben's boss, and he has a mysterious alcoholic past that is left unanswered, but enough is hinted at to show his character's pain. Even Brenton Thwaites wasn't too annoying in this film, but then again he was playing an annoying idiot.

I feel like Ruben Guthrie is a real triumph of Australian cinema for this year. I would strongly recommend it for our international readers because it is a truly great insight into Australian culture. As for all you Aussies out there, maybe watch this film to reflect on our own drinking habits.

Glitch, ABC and a Digital Deluge of Choice

Debuting last weekend on their iView platform as well being screened regularly on Thursday nights for the length of its six-episode series, Glitch is a new mystery-drama that is indicative of the ABC's modern approach to programming. Glitch begins in the cemetery of a small, rural Victorian town called Yoorana where a ruckus prompts a Police Sergeant (Ruben Guthrie's Patrick Brammel) to respond. Once there he finds his deceased wife Kate, among several other dead former residents, in perfect health and having just crawled her way out of her own grave. Naturally, drama and intrigue follows.

Glitch has a very strong opening episode that pushes its interesting premise forward with strong  cinematography and editing that makes some seamless transitions between reality and memory, as well as some good performances from an experienced cast and satisfactory writing. The second episode nose-dives into familiar and unimpressive television-drama territory but the power of the production is still there so the rest of the series may return yet to the quality of the first episode. Some have remarked on the familiarity of the show's concept, which is not an unfair accusation to present to Glitch, but the creators have produced the show following the success of their previous drama The Slap which also received an American adaptation, and that series was certainly well received by audiences and critics, and it at least had an effect on TV culture in Australia.

Nevertheless Glitch is a mature, quality drama (at least so far) and show what the ABC is capable of both in terms of the quality of its television and its delivery. In recent years and in spite of boycotts, cuts and controversy, the Australian Broadcast Corporation has a distinctly modern approach to most of its programming staying ahead or in line with the other major free-to-air channels and even in response to overseas media trends. Since 2005, ABC2 has functioned as the ABC's primary digital channel during the gradual change from analogue to digital televisions Australia-wide. This committment has now expanded to four digital television channels (ABC, ABC2, ABC3 and ABC News 24), several digital radio channels, podcasts, and in 2008 launched their catch-up service iView declaring "The Television Revolution has begun!" By releasing the entirety of Glitch online and ad-free is another milestone in the ABC's aggressive approach to remaining relevant, and though the show is not amazing, it is a solid foundation for this approach. It comes on the heels of the blockbusting launch of on-demand juggernaut Netflix in Australia in April, which has dominated other subscription services such as Quickflix, Presto and Stan. Last summer SBS also launched on their comprehensive on-demand service, the aptly named SBS On Demand, 400 films of various genres and languages (the service has currently just over 700 films), and they also have a wealth of radio and television programs ready to available. And after years of declining performance compared to international release, Australian films are beginning to adapt to on-demand by releasing online instead of cinemas.

Obviously this is a golden age for consumers of entertainment media, but there are a lot of variables, good and bad, that need to be considered. As big and powerful as digital programming distribution is in Australia it is not yet dominant, our relatively embarrassing internet infrastructure means that our ability to connect to digital streaming services is limited. Additionally, due to diverse and long-standing rights deals, access to many shows and films are restricted and even then, aside from in-house productions such as Netflix Originals and Foxtel Productions, access is restricted by time as often it takes months or years for subscription services to receive permissions. Australian digital consumers are vocal in their demands for more choice and the industry has responded. Both in America and Australia, digital programming has taken a form not unlike the notorious console wars that dominates home-console gaming. Exclusivity, in-house productions and price cuts appear to be the ways that streaming services aim to secure a larger market share and we as consumers are becoming spoilt for choice. The reality is that all of these different services and their exclusivity deals mean that consumers are forced to make multiple subscriptions to meet their own demand or else suffer from a lack of content.. The whole digital media landscape is shifting constantly and unfortunately Australian authorities are reacting too slow to respond adequately.

Personally, I describe myself as a media junkie. I spend much of my spare time watching films (both physical copies and digitally delivered), catching up on TV shows, going to the cinema, browsing Youtube and Vimeo, and trying to read entertainment news and articles. I'm a part of a generation known as "Digital Natives". We've grown up with these technologies, grown as they have. Compare the media landscape from 2000 to today in 2015. The internet was not ubiquitous, mobile phones were not colour, wi-fi was non-existent, TV and cinema were accessed very narrowly, games had severely restricted online functionality and DVD's were very gradually taking over the market. This is the kind of world many of our politicians still exist in. To them, the internet isn't an everyday and necessary tool, they engage over social media in the most superficial ways, they gather information in completely different ways and engage with media in ways that we as digital natives find archaic, they have little to no idea of the needs, desires and sometime even abilities to live-stream your days and interests via Periscope or Twitch, watch films on the go via your smartphone, play videogames with people all over the world in real-time and access and share information instantaneously from almost anywhere.. So the decisions they make in regards to media are made from a position of relative ignorance and for the first time in history we are able to see how far behind Australia is in real-time. Obviously this applies to more than just access and use of media but the point still stands.

I suppose what I've been trying to say is that we're still in the early stages of redefining media in Australia, and it will certainly take time before things become comfortable. But with appropriate pressure on our pollies, patience and prompt responses such as those of the SBS and ABC, digital media in Australia will improve.

Glitch can be viewed on ABC iView on all devices on Thursday nights on the ABC.

Trailers Week 54: 19/07/15

Joy

David O. Russell teams up with his favourite muse Jennifer Lawrence to tell a story about a family business dynasty and the matriarch at its head. Also starring Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd and Bradley Cooper.

Digging For Fire

In this comedy directed by Joe Swanberg, a couple decided to have separate adventures for a weekend and probably end up finding each other at the end of it. An all star cast, including Jake Johnson, Rosmarie DeWitt, Sam Rockwell, Orlando Bloom, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Ron Livingston, Melanie Lynskey and Sam Elliott.

The Gift

Jason Bateman was a bad guy in high school? Yeah right.

Sisters

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite on the big screen as sisters who decide to have one last big party in their childhood home before it is sold. Also starring Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, Bobby Moynihan and John Cena.

The Revenant
This epic looking flick is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and is about the frontiersman Hugh Glass, who was left for dead by his comrades after a bear attack and chose a path of revenge. Starring a rugged looking cast consisting of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter and Lukas Haas.

Suicide Squad
DC goes extremely dark with it's response to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, a movie about a little known team (this time, villains) who team up against all odds. Starring Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ben Affleck and Jared Leto as the Joker.

Insidious: Chapter 3

PINEAPPLE! I bet you weren't expecting that. See, I surprised you. That's as creative as the jump-scare riddled Insidious: Chapter 3 - written and directed by Leigh Whannell - which turns out to be about as scary as a mild paper-cut.

A prequel to the first film, Insidious: Chapter 3 follows Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), a teenage girl who has recently lost her mother, Lilith. She believes that Lilith's spirit is still within the building and is trying to contact her, so she reaches out to Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) - a recently retired Medium - for help. However Elise's ability is infected with a demonic presence that prevents her from helping Quinn. After a demon leads Quinn into a car accident, she becomes bed-ridden from her injuries, and starts to get harassed by the real supernatural presence in her building, a demon known as "the man who cannot breathe" (Michael Reid MacKay).

The problem with the Insidious trilogy and other like it, is their utter dependence on jump scares. Some may love this technique, but it's a cop-out. The fact that we all have a fight-or-flight defense system doesn't mean that the film is cleaver enough to instill actual terror in us. They're manipulative, lame and ultimately not even effective here because the timing is so predictable. I ended up sitting back in my seat counting down the seconds until the next ear-bursting abomination of cinematic form. Not scared and not interested. 

The only provocative section of the film, which actually manages to build some sort of appropriate atmosphere, comes in the second half of the film when Elise - the series regular - enters 'the dark world' (or was it 'the further'? They look exactly the same) in search of "the man who can't breathe". She enters a long dark corridor bookended with a red elevator. An ominous room, no. 514. Sound familiar? It should, it's been lifted straight out of The Shining, they can't even be bothered to come up with original content. But is it actually possible to create unique story lines in a genre that seems to have been rewriting the same garbage for decades? Every now and then this does happen, but not nearly often enough to lift the genre out of the pulpy mass of cheap reboots.

Unsurprisingly, the setup is cheesy, and exceptionally long-winded for a 90 minute film within a pre-existing franchise. The dialogue is nothing short of terrible and the characters are just unbelievably stupid. The father seems more concerned about his cracked ceiling when he discovers bloody footprints in the apartment above Quinns room, and after admitting that there must be something inside the building, seems to naively mock his daughter when she suggests that something is haunting her - "Sure, I believe you" he says sarcastically. Elise is the only mildly interesting character, mainly because she has an all too brief section of utter badassness (clearly that's a word) when she stands up to the demons. Angus Sampson's dopey character is also good fun, mainly because of his extremely unusual haircut/beard combo. I must admit, I was thoroughly entertained throughout this film, but for all the wrong reasons. Every plot-piece, character reveal and jump-scare was so idiotic that I was laughing all the way through, however if I had actually watched the first 2 - which I understand are just more of the same - then I probably wouldn't have even been entertained. That's the only reason that I'm giving this any stars.

Insidious: Chapter 3 is a shit movie, but at least it's short.

Ant-Man

The build up to Ant-Man has left many Marvel fans questioning how successfully the Hollywood Goliath will be able to pull off  a film on one of their lesser known characters, particularly without the guiding directorial hand of Edgar Wright. Well I'm not a Marvel fan so who knows, I might like it! 

Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) is an unparalleled technological scientist that discovered a group of particles with the ability to change the distance between atoms, effectively able to shrink and grow objects at will. After safeguarding the technology from those that wanted to weaponise it in the 1980s, Pym gave control of his company to Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), his protégé, who know has a sinister interest in re-developing the technology. Pym's daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) has a broken relationship with her father, but nonetheless turns to him when she becomes worried about Darren's actions.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a former burglar who can't throw punches, and has just been released from jail. Taking up residence with a former cellmate, Luis (Michael Peña), he hopes to foster a new relationship with his daughter, increasingly difficult thanks to his ex-wife and her new partner. Soon Scott is on the look out for another score to pay child support, and burglarises the home of a wealthy old man with meticulous precision. However all he finds is a dusty old suit. Scott is soon hired by Dr. Pym, planning a heist that will save the world. 

There's no doubt that Ant-Man follows the typical Marvel construction: out-there technology, a self-referential universe, CGI, CGI and also CGI. Where the film diverges is the heist sub-plot that dominates the second half of the film. You can detect the penmanship of co-author Wright, whose other work holds similar crime/heist-centric elements, particularly in Spaced and The Cornetto Trilogy. Ant-Man also scales down on the barraging action and takes some time-out for decent character development - not commonly found in Marvel films - however this also leads to relentless exposition and too many over-emotional scenes that try to get a rise out of the audience. Also tedious is the compulsory attempts to address the cross-franchise Marvel connections. "We'd better call the Avengers", we get it, they all exist within the same universe, enough already! Stop trying to set-up future cross-overs and self-advertise to us! 

Some held concerns that given the...uhh....somewhat trivial nature of Pym's technology, Ant-Man would try not to take itself too seriously and resort to an all-out joke fest similar to Iron Man 3 - which I happen to like, but is not that popular amongst the fans - Well you can rest easy, because it manages to strike a good balance between situational humour and plot development, and the comedy works well with Rudd's usual style. Whilst the action sequences rely heavily on computer generated visuals, the unique qualities of the Ant-man story allow for some equally unique sequences, including a run-in with a newly-enormous bathtub early in the film.

Unfortunately though, there's nothing new or interesting about most of the other visuals, which are stock Marvel and ultimately monotonous, especially when it could have been so much more. It's impossible to ignore the departure of Edgar Wright from the project, who reportedly left due to differences in vision between the Hot Fuzz director and the studio. His attempt at Ant-Man would have most likely been a standout film in the Marvel cinematic universe, where instead we get largely the same recycled formula that the studio knows can produce the revenue. It's a sad situation, but we can be thankful that his influence appears to have made it into the film in some ways, no matter how small they may be. 

Ant-Man is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination. However it does manage to pull away from the pack somewhat, which is crucial if we want to see Marvel develop any unique content in the ever-expanding Hollywood superhero bubble.

New Batman v Superman trailer

I would have included this in the week's trailer roundup, but DC decided to release this after I published it. Anyway, we get a good look at Batman and the state of the world post-Superman reveal. Also Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor starting shit up.

Trailers Week 53: 12/07/15

Goosebumps

This is an adaptation of the horror novels for kids written by R.L. Stine and I'm pretty sure it won't be anywhere as scary as the 90s Canadian TV adaptation. Damn modern kids aren't allowed to be scared by anything these days. Starring Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Ryan Lee and Jack Black as R.L. Stine.

The Finest Hours

After an oil tanker is destroyed of the coast near Cape Cod, a small Coast Guard team is sent out to save the vessel. Get ready for a lot of Bostonian accents, like a lot. Starring Chris Pine, Eric Bana, Ben Foster, Casey Affleck and Holliday Grainger.

The Hell Within

Guitarist for Guns n Roses, Slash, has made a movie and is personally presenting the trailer to us. How kind. It looks like it's about a satanic cult or something, most of it's just him talking. 

Miss You Already

Breast cancer and pregnancy go together so well, don't you think? Someone obviously does. Two friends (one who's pregnant, one with the cancer) go on an adventure to find themselves. Starring Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Dominic Cooper and Paddy Considine.

Brooklyn

An Irish immigrant moves to America and falls in love with an Italian guy, but has to move back to Ireland. Words can't convey what this movie looks like to me. Starring Saorise Ronan, Domnhall Gleeson and Emory Cohen.

Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

I have no idea what's going on in this trailer, but it looks hilarious. Starring Halston Sage, Tye Sheridan, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jessica Ahlberg and David Koechner.

Sinister 2

The sequel to Scott Derrickson's 2012 horror just looks like another attempt to make a horror franchise. Starring James Ransone.

She's Funny That Way

Renowned director Peter Bogdanovich makes a return to directing with a modern turn on the screwball comedy. Starring Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Will Forte, Kathryn Hahn, Rhys Ifans and Jennifer Aniston.

Legendary Egyptian actor Omar Sharif dies aged 83

Famed actor Omar Sharif has died at the age of 83 from a heart attack. He was best known for the films Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. Earlier this year, the Egypt-born actor had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Sharif was born Michel Shalhoub in Alexandria in 1932 and got his acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. His first film was the 1954 Egyptian film Siraa Fil-Wadi (The Blazing Sun) and he soon became a big star.

Sharif's international fame came when he was cast in David Lean's 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia, opposite actor Peter O'Toole. The two soon became fast friends. He rejoined director David Lean to play the lead in Doctor Zhivago, a film about a physician who gets caught up in the Russian Revolution. He was also in a series of biopics, where he played historical figures such as Genghis Khan and Che Guevara.

Despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Sharif still knew that he was a famous international star. His death was announced by his grandson Omar Sharif Jr in a Facebook post.

Source: BBC

Star Wars spinoff news

Punch it, Chewie

In Disney's complete cash-grab that is the Star Wars continuation movies, a series of standalone movies will be produced that take place outside of the main saga storyline, but still take place with in the universe. The first one that is being made is Star Wars: Rogue One and will be released sometime in 2016. It will be about the mission to steal the plans to destroy the original Death Star. The second movie to be announced is a Boba Fett origin story. And now we have confirmation of the third film: Han Solo.

Now before you get excited thinking that this that is going to be a Harrison Ford adventure, well I'm here to disappoint you. It will focus on a younger Han and how he "became the smuggler, thief and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley." Hopefully we'll also learn how he first met Chewbacca as well.

While no casting announcements have been made (and I'm sure they haven't even started to look for anyone yet), we know that the film will be directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord of 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie fame, while the script will be written by father and son team Lawrence and Jon Kasdan. Lawrence Kasdan co-wrote both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as the Indiana Jones movies. His son Jon has written mainly for TV with his credits including Freaks and Geeks. This untitled Han Solo movie is due in 2018.

Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens is scheduled for release on December 18, 2015.

Producer Jerry Weintraub dies at 77

We tend not to report to much on celebrity deaths at the blog to often, unless that person was a huge star. But upon reading the news that producer Jerry Weintraub had died, I thought I better write a little something.

Now that name might not mean anything to you, but Weintraub was behind one of the most beloved movie franchises of all time; The Karate Kid. He produced all five of the movies, yes even the Jaden Smith one. He also produced the Ocean's Eleven series, starring George Clooney, and had a cameo in each one, as well as the classic Robert Altman film Nashville.

Before getting into the movie business, he was a music manager and promoted big stars like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton and the Beach Boys. 

Weintraub died on Monday of cardiac arrest in Santa Barbara, California. He was 77 and survived by his wife Jane, four children and five grandchildren.

New Spider-Man will be like a John Hughes movie

Marvel boss Kevin Feige has the premise of the upcoming Spider-Man movie that will take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He describes it as being "a John Hughes movie". His motive for this comment is due to the fact that it takes place largely while Peter Parker is still in high school. Well, as you all know that we love our John Hughes movies here at the blog. So, we can only guess at which movie it will be like. Will it be The Breakfast Club with Peter sitting around in detention with Mary Jane, Flash Thompson and Harry Osborne? Or will he chase around Gwen Stacey in a reverse Sixteen Candles? We all know it won't be at all like Ferris Bueller's Day Off because Peter Parker is nowhere near as cool as Ferris.

And since we didn't talk about the casting when it happened, I suppose it's high time I raised my concerns with Tom Holland. It seems to me that with each iteration of Spider-Man, the studios are trying to make Peter Parker cooler and cooler while missing the point of what the character represents. If you were a "cool" kid growing up, you probably wanted to be Iron Man or Captain America or Wolverine, if you were slightly rebellious, smoked and wore leather jackets. The whole idea of Spider-Man is that as soon he put on the mask he transformed from a nerdy, shy teenager into a witty superhero, thus becoming a role model for anyone with social anxiety. Tom Holland has been in a handful of movies, including Locke and The Impossible and I doubt will ever be able to match Tobey Maguire's level of geekiness.

The next revelation from Feige is that he will come up against a villain who has yet to be seen in the movies. Now there are only a handful of major villains who haven't shown up in the movies that have been made up to now. They are Chameleon, Mysterio, Vulture, Scorpion and Kraven the Hunter. Anything further than those and you risk losing people who aren't all that familiar with the comics. Personally, I'd be happy with Mysterio, but that might be a boring movie.

Trailers Week 52: 05/07/15

I Am Chris Farley

Chris Farley was one of the biggest names in comedy in the 1980s and generally agreed by everyone to be the funniest man ever. He is also one of my biggest influences when it comes to comedy, because he never took himself seriously. This raw documentary features interviews from everyone in comedy, including his close friends David Spade and Adam Sandler, as well as Christina Applegate, Mike Myers, Dan Aykroyd, Bob Odenkirk, Jay Mohr and Bob Saget.

Tig

Okay, I know this one is a Netflix documentary, but you all have Netflix, right? This one is next in the Jack loves comedy, so let's all sit through comedy documentaries edition of Trailers. It is about hilarious comedian Tig Notaro, who toured with an act about the cancer she had. Doesn't look as dark as that Chris Farley one, but it's probably still going to be sad.

Ten Thousand Saints

A father takes his son to live with him in 1980s New York where they bond over music. Starring Ethan Hawke, Emily Mortimer, Emile Hirsch, Hailee Steinfeld and Asa Butterfield.

Secret in Their Eyes

After the brutal murder of her daughter, an FBI investigator goes rogue trying to find her killer. Basically a female Liam Neeson. Starring Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dean Norris and Doug Stamper.

Steve Jobs
Danny Boyle's Aaron Sorkin-written biopic of Steve Jobs looks like it will be very intense and follow along in a similar vein to Sorkin's other works The Social Network and The Newsroom. Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Katherine Waterston, Jeff Daniels and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Creed
Since Sylvester Stallone is way too old to don his boxing gloves and get back in the ring, the studios need a new way to make money off the old underdog boxing story. Enter Adonis Creed, estranged son of Apollo. And he needs a trainer, so enter Rocky. Boom, sequel is born! Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson and Tony Bellew.

London Has Fallen
Seriously guys? Come on, needless sequel making has to stop. Let me hold back a bit of bile while I write this. It's a sequel of Olympus Has Fallen where, get this, terrorists have taken over London. And who happens to be visiting on that very day? The President of the United States and his trusty bodyguard. Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Jackie Earle Haley, Morgan Freeman and Melissa Leo. Seriously Melissa, you have an Oscar, you don't need to do this.

Snowden
Oh wow, guys, I don't know what to say. A biopic about whistleblower Edward Snowden directed by Oliver Stone. Now Stone is a major left wing hitter, but after making W, this movie really good go either way. It could portray him as a major hero or vilify him as the worst person in the world. Either way, it's probably best you all go see  Citizenfour to get the actual story before you see this. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Rhys Ifans and Nicolas Cage(?)

Jenny's Wedding
This is literally a big budget movie for people who can't come to terms with gay marriage. That's it, it's said. Sure, it's okay to condemn it when you don't know any gay people, but when it's your own daughter, well gosh, that's a different story. Starring Katherine Heigl, Alexis Bledel and Tom Wilkinson.

Statlen Island Summer
Netflix is really on a roll with it's original content. This movie comes from SNL producer Lorne Michaels and stars Ashley Greene, Bobby Moynihan, Fred Armisen and Will Forte.

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

Another Netflix series, this is the prequel to David Wain's 2001 indie comedy and stars everyone playing the same roles they had in the original, but "younger". Starring Janeane Garofalo, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper.

Amy

The image that I always had of singer Amy Winehouse was that of a drunk girl with a beehive stumbling around London. But Asif Kapida's astonishing and terrifying documentary smashes that perception completely.

The film begins with a fourteen year old Amy singing happy birthday to her best friend Lauren Gilbert in 1998. The film then flashes forward three years to the beginning of Amy's career as a jazz singer. From here, we see her creative beginnings with the release of her first album Frank, through to the beginning of her troubles when meeting future husband Blake Fielder, the sudden rise to fame with her next album Back to Black, on which her most famous single "Rehab" was a part and then her downfall when she started to do heroin and crack cocaine.

This documentary is so sad because despite starting off with a cheery hopeful girl who just wants to make music, you ultimately know how the story ends. But even in those early years, we find that not everything was as happy as the footage we see presents itself. She suffered from bulimia, and although she said she was okay with the fact that her father left her family when she was young, you can really see how much an impact it had on her, especially in the interactions she had with her father later in her life.

Mitch Winehouse (her father) has come out and condemned this film for the portrayal of Amy and his family, but it seems as though he is only covering himself. I don't think he was portrayed in any way other than how he appears in footage that is presented, as someone who only came back into Amy's life once she started to make a lot of money. Also her husband Blake Fielder impacted negatively on Amy's life, although he came across hugely regretful of what he did to her in introducing heroin to her life. The other group that comes across negatively in this film is that of the media, especially the paparazzi. Toward the end of the film there are entire sequences of footage that I found unable to watch because of the amount of camera flashes. This level of fame began to weigh on Amy, as all she wanted to do was make music.

What I thought was really powerful is that this film is made up entirely of archive footage taken by Amy, her friends like Nick Shymanksy and her bodyguard Andrew Morris (who considered her family), as well as television interviews and concert footage. All the interviews are audio over these images and we don't see a single person as they appear today. This really lends weight to the fact that this documentary is all about the talented life of Amy Winehouse.

Ultimately, it is a sad and reverential film that will leave you stunned after you watch it for a while. If only she had have lived longer to complete her dream of created a supergroup made up of Yasiin Bey (formally known as Mos Def), Questlove of the Roots, Raphael Saadiq and herself. If you don't know who any of those people are, let me tell you, it would have been the best band ever.

Terminator Genisys

As an avid fan of Terminator 1-3, and somebody who personally didn't really mind Salvation (which is saying something), I have been of course eagerly awaiting the release of the latest instalment in the kickass time-travelling cybernetic organism series Terminator Genisys, no matter how poorly it has been first received by critics. It's now Alan Taylor's (Thor: The Dark World) shot at the franchise and it begins full-circle, with a different take on the events of the first film.

In 2029, the human Resistance, led by John Connor (Jason Clarke) seek to destroy Skynet's super-weapon, a time machine that will allow them to effectively win the war. By the time they arrive, Skynet has already sent the T-800 back to 1984 to attack Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke). John sends Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to protect her, but as the machine begins its process, Kyle sees John get attacked by another of the Resistance fighters (Matt Smith) and simultaneously receives memories from an alternative version of his twelve year-old self.

The T-800 arrives back in 1984 and confronts a group of punks for their clothes, just as he did in the original movie The Terminator, however Sarah Connor and a reprogrammed T-800 known as Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger) - and affectionately referred to as "Pop" by Sarah - turn up and destroy the T-800, altering the original timeline. Similarly as Kyle arrives, the two turn up to rescue him from an attacking T-1000 (Lee Byung-hun). After consulting Kyle's flashbacks from his alternative self, Kyle and Sarah travel to 2017 whilst Guardian waits 33 years for their arrival as they attempt to prevent the new Judgement Day from happening...again.

Dealing with the often-confusing concepts of time travel can really screw with the audience' heads, and is one of the core constructs of the Terminator franchise that has remained largely unexplored. Yes, the leads are almost always trying to change the future and prevent events from happening, but in Genisys the characters are negotiating an altered timeline and are shifting through time. No, this isn't a crossover with Back to the Future - despite the lovable reference to the 80s style Nike shoes from the first Terminator - but is a change in focus that attempts to breathe new life into the series, whilst remaining true to its roots. For the most part, it achieves this. It's a relatively easy to follow plot that promises new adventures with the same old Terminator vibe. The classic 'arrival' sequence from The Terminator is mimicked beautifully here even without a digitally de-aged Bill Paxton, and I must say, the CG/prosthetic effects utilised to bring young Arnie back are much better than the attempt in Salvation. It's genuinely like watching an alternate version of the first film. 

There are constant references for fans to enjoy from the first films, and not just the obvious one-liners and beautifully cheesy attempted smiles. The T-1000 is back! Hoorah! The clichés are embraced - If you like predicting character's lines, you'll love this - and whilst it follows the core formula of many of the previous films, even down to the classic terminator v terminator finale, there's enough substance for it to be both intriguing and endlessly enjoyable. Moving away from Salvation, they choose not to introduce numerous new and uselessly specific terminators and stick with the tried and true classics, other than the compulsory badass new model. The one thing I can't work out is why they have T-800 models - effectively their soldiers - driving trucks? That might be a gap in my fan knowledge base but with all the computerised UAVs and whatnot that they have, surely the machines are capable of putting in a small microchip to drive their vehicles! 

The one area that the film is somewhat let down in is casting. I don't quite understand Hollywood's obsession with hiring British and Australian actors and making them put on poor American accents. Out of the actors for Sarah Connor, John Connor, Kyle Reese, the T-800 (Guardian), T-1000 and the T-5000, the only American citizen is Arnold Schwarzenegger?? There's also a question of likenesses. The plot harks back to the original films, and Jason Clarke and Jai Courtney are passable as Michael Edwards and Michael Bien respectively, but Emilia Clarke is much more of the Sarah Connor Chronicles era. Also, Matt Smith's role could have easily allowed for a British persona instead of his terrible American accent. J. K. Simmons's character, who is essentially the fall guy that everybody passes off as a nut job, was actually very likeable I found, despite his small screen time, which just goes to prove that he really deserved that Oscar!

Terminator Genisys revamps the Terminator franchise and embraces the past films that everybody loves. The action is visceral and only occasionally over the top. It sets up for the customary sequel of modern Hollywood high concept films, and for once, I'm genuinely excited. The bad reviews? I guess haters gonna hate, but this is ultimately a movie for the fans.