Trailer Talk – March 2015: ‘Before I Wake’, ‘Tomorrowland’, ‘Self/less’ & ‘Pixels’

Some thoughts on a few new trailers. Unfortunately I’m unable to embed the videos as iOS sucks. 

Anyway, live long and phosphorous…



‘Before I Wake’ 

(US Release date – May 8th 2015)

http://youtu.be/Ho2Z0LtXsbY

Horror director Mike Flanagan’s latest  effort – Starring Kate Bosworth and (a rather hairy) Thomas Jane, looks to be your standard run of the mill Hollywood horror on first impression. Although with the premise of a young boy’s dreams and nightmares physically manifesting – it could indeed match up to the dread-laden levels of ‘Oculus’ that was a surprisingly decent release last year. 

The trailer itself really doesn’t reinforce this, however. Flat jump scares, the token creepy child(ren) and that certain ‘tragic’ element that completely flips a horror movie. 



‘Tomorrowland’

(US release date – May 22nd 2015)

http://youtu.be/0sH0__SpV88

Though it’s always cool to see Disney produce the live action movies along with the animations, they’ve not exactly been on the mark recently. 

‘Tomorrowland’, headed by George Clooney as the most un-inventorish looking inventor ever, could possibly turn it around in 2015. On a more optimistic note it looks pretty damn good and a lot of fun. The combination of cute girl Robertson and dashing, rugged Clooney could well be one of the year’s most entertaining and endearing. no less. 

And with Brad Bird at the helm – it’s not like Disney are taking a punt with this one. 



‘Self/less’

(US Release date – July 31st 2015)

http://youtu.be/3agaVwt0tb8

Tarsem Singh, renowned for a his visually distinctive style, is back in a more traditional sense with this thriller topped with a few shots of Face/Off & Avatar. Plot outline – Matthew Goode the science guy transfers cancer-ridden businessman Ben Kingsley’s consciousness into the hot, younger body of Ryan Reynold’s. Cue ‘nothing is at seems’ twist.

 The trailer effectively reveals most of the presumed plot and I’m bored already. Haven’t we seen this all before? Judge for yourself.



‘Pixels’

(US release date – July 24th 2015)

http://youtu.be/LM1moJfGYJk

Based on an awesome 2010 short film of the same name. The first trailer has landed for ‘Pixels’, where a time capsuled collection of the world’s culture & life is misinterpreted by aliens and retaliated with war – BY VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS! We get a good look at the scale here. A giant Pac Man eating everything in sight, Donkey Kong launching barrels at Kevin James (the best part), and the forming of the resistance team of ex ‘Arcaders’, including James, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan, Josh Gad and headliner Adam Sandler. 

By all counts, any Happy Madison production is generally met with unfavourable opinions. Regularly citing poor, gross out comedy that belongs in a time where fart jokes were innovative. Though I’m going to keep optimistic about this one. If there’s less emphasis on Sandler and James in particular, we could be in for a good show. Game on.

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ – My Thoughts

“Gard Gard Gard Gard…”

So it’s been a little over a week since the long-awaited adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s much-adored ‘The Hobbit’ (Part 1, mind) was released, and I’ve been itching to give my opinions on Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth…….

Spoilers ahead, here are the moments of greatness, and in some cases – shiteness of ‘An Unexpected Journey’…

 

What Was Great.

1. Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins

A given, right? After the announcement of ‘The Office’ alum’s casting, I never stopped thinking it was nothing short of genius. His performance is laced with an air of naivety, disengaged charm, and an almost sense of self-preservation at the film’s beginning. Freeman captured everything I wanted to see in this character, and the encounter with Gollum and subsequent conclusion of the movie was some of the most entertaining and highly focal points for me.

2. The Design

A lasting impression of the LOTR trilogy was the design work inspired by conceptual artists Alan Lee and John Howe. Their astounding and beautiful interpretations of the various locales, architecture and characters of Middle Earth are further realised in ‘The Hobbit’, and will receive a whole new audience of fans. Much to thank those guys for.

3. The Trolls Scene

Take Freeman’s Bilbo, throw in a few ponies, add a couple of daft, bumbling Kiwi trolls with a hunger for bearded midgets…. And you get one of the most endearing, faithful sequences in the entire movie. Grinned from ear to ear during this one!

4. Gollum and The Return Of Andy Serkis

How could I do this list without citing Gollum and Andy Serkis in some form…? I’d be lying to myself if I ever did. The show stealer in the LOTR trilogy, and the catalyst of the events that lead up to the epic Jackson saga returns to give us an uncompromising reminder of why he is such a memorable part of modern cinema. It’s weird to think that I will never see Gollum again on-screen in this capacity, so I’ve really taken Serkis’ performance in this film to be somewhat bittersweet. Alas, it’s an amazing reprise from Andy.

5. The Location Shooting

Since the release of ‘The Return Of The King’, the influx of green screen and blue screen has contributed to the exhausting cookie-cutter popcorn flicks that have littered Hollywood for a decade. However Peter Jackson, his team at Wingnut, New Line and WB persevered to keep the grandiose and breathtaking scale that the LOTR trilogy took on. The location shooting vlogs that were posted through the early parts of last year, gave us an incredible insight into the huge amount of work that is put into such a mammoth task. What we see on-screen are the fruits of that labor. Beautiful stuff.

What Didn’t Cut The Mustard (My opinion…)

1. The Dwarves (SPOILER ALERT)

“Hugh, Pugh, Barney, McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub”

Yeah, I know. Old record, old record. Certainly with the amount of characters that ‘The Hobbit’ boasts – it would be pointless to have a gripe about screen time for 13 dwarves. But mine isn’t about that – it’s the execution. Of the Company, with the exception of Thorin (Richard Armitage) – Balin (Ken Stott), Kili (Aidan Turner) and Bofur (Jimmy Nesbitt) are the dwarves with the most screen time/dialogue in the movie. We are also given a slight nod as if to suggest that these characters will be much more prominent and of greater importance in at least the second movie. What actually frustrated me was how forgettable they all were. Next to no characterisation for most of the Company, and when we do see some it’s either far too early in proceedings or just too little too late.

2. Old Bilbo (As Played by Ian Holm)

Love Ian Holm – let me make that perfectly clear. Awesome beyond belief in the LOTR films, and perhaps one of my favourite actors of the entire trilogy. Personally, I really enjoyed seeing him return briefly in his scenes with Frodo (Elijah Wood), which allowed a nice bridging point between the LOTR movies and these new films. But something really bugged me. It’s a small nitpick – but it’s so fucking unbelievably obvious.

It’s the hair.

Ok, yeah – “What the fuck, Scott? Get over it…” – Well I fucking can’t, ok?

It’s been 12 years since we last saw old Bilbo in Bag End. So Weta digital have used their magic to ‘de-age’ the veteran act0r to make him look more similar to his younger self. The hairpiece however, is not Holm’s own hair we can easily assume. So why did they do this….?

Yeah, really… I’m moaning about this

I’m a big continuity buff, and a confessed moaner. But come on, really? The hair is completely different. The reference points are in the DVD cabinets of nearly every single person that worked on the movie!

On the left, a still of ‘Fellowship’, the hair is bushy, almost feathered, also fairly thick and at cheek length. On the right hand side, we see Bilbo as he appears in ‘The Hobbit’. The hair is thinner, lank and also nearly at CHIN length. Bilbo’s appearance in the new movie is one that precedes events in ‘An Unexpected Journey’ – but also takes place in the same time line period as the beginning of ‘Fellowship’… e.g THAT PICTURE ON THE LEFT. Come on, now. It’s a silly mistake that shouldn’t have been made. It’s absolutely glaring.

Meh…. Next….

3. The Seemingly Non-existent Use of Human Actors for Goblins/Orcs/Trolls/Whatever

Looks stoopid

I was excited to see more of the amazing work from Weta’s visual effects and makeup department. But sadly, we weren’t so lucky this time around. The creatures that are featured in the movie are beautifully realised. However it just didn’t have that same magic as having real actors in the performance. It didn’t really tarnish the film on an enjoyment scale, rather just made me question whether Jackson is heading down the same dark path as another certain filmmaker did a long, long time ago.

4. The Film’s Opening Hour

“WE ARE LAUGHING!”

‘An Unexpected Journey’ has a run time which may agitate and even frustrate some theatre-goers. But personally, I didn’t mind it at all. But the first adventure of Bilbo and the Dwarves has such a slow build up, it really did test my patience for the first 45 to 60 minutes. In particular the meeting at Bilbo’s house. Christ… such… a…. fucking…. drag…. Leave already!

5. The Smaug Money Shot

After a successful third act. I really was looking forward to finally getting a glimpse of the dragon, Smaug in all his hellish glory. This was not the case.

With the extreme lengths that Weta went to prevent us viewing folk from seeing the antagonist during the (seriously too long) prologue, I was convinced that we’d get to see him rolling around in his gold like a pig in shit. What we got was an eyeball…. Haha, a great eye. Maybe that was a little joke on their part. Well, you got us. Fuck you anyway 🙂

—————————————————————–

Let’s just be clear on one thing…. I LOVED this movie. Thank you to everyone that worked on it!

Best & Worst Of 2012

 

No filler. Let’s do this.

Here are my Top 10 Worst films (viewed by me) released in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months. My review of the movies (if applicable) can be found at the link after the title/director

 

1. ‘Resident Evil: Retribution’ (Paul W.S. Anderson) http://boxd.it/uIU3

2. ‘Friends With Kids’ (Jennifer Westfeldt) http://boxd.it/j4Hh

3. ‘Twilight – Breaking Dawn Part 2’ (Bill Condon)

4. ‘Hotel Transylvania’ (Genndy Tartakovsky) http://boxd.it/uxt1

5. ‘The Five-Year Engagement’ (Nicholas Stoller) http://boxd.it/j4FP

6. ‘Prometheus’ (Ridley Scott)

7. ‘A Thousand Words’ (Brian Robbins)

8. ‘Snow White & The Huntsman’ (Rupert Sanders)

9. ‘Paranormal Activity 4’ (Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman)

10. ‘Dark Shadows’ (Tim Burton) http://boxd.it/ebrb

 

With the proverbial turds flushed down the commode. Here are my favourites 🙂

Celluloidical’s Top 10 Films Of 2012

1. ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ (Wes Anderson) http://boxd.it/eMBH

2. ‘The Avengers’ (Joss Whedon) http://boxd.it/btpr

3. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (Christopher Nolan) http://boxd.it/jSSp

4. ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ (Peter Jackson) http://boxd.it/BvJZ

5. ‘Looper’ (Rian Johnson)

6. ‘Dredd’ (Pete Travis) http://boxd.it/rLKz

7 ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ (David O.Russell)

8. ‘End Of Watch’ (David Ayer) http://boxd.it/zzsT

9. ‘Skyfall’ (Sam Mendes) http://bit.ly/ZLxnIf

10. ‘Chronicle’ (Josh Trank)

Trailer Tidbits #3 (December 2012)

 

Been a little while since my last recap. So let’s make this a gooden! On the radar today is Star Trek sequel – ‘…Into Darkness’, M Night Shyamalan’s latest excuse, ‘After Earth’. And finally, the highly anticipated Superman film – ‘Man Of Steel’.

 

‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ – Dir. J.J Abrams

Much to speculate of course, and many will. But right off the bat I’ll say this is probably the one I’m holding out for next year. The standalone voiceover of the antagonist, whoever it may be, Benedict Cumberbatch, and escalating score really does build this one way way waaaay up. Great stuff. Draw your own conclusion at the trailer’s close.

 

‘After Earth’ – Dir. M. Night Shyamalan

Without question, this could easily be the biggest flop for next year. Haven’t we seen all this before??

 

‘Man Of Steel’ – Dir. Zack Snyder

Ok, Zack, I’m sold. Taking an enormous cue from producer Christopher Nolan, and a nuance that only could be attributed to the work of Terrence Malick – this retelling of the Superman origin could possibly surprise many. It’s not the most action packed of all trailers, but it goes more along the lines of building character and outlining what could be a very interesting and engaging screenplay. Cavill looks the part indeed, and we’re given brief glimpses of Lawrence Fishburne as Perry White, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Michael Shannon as the incomparable Zod! Check the fuck out!

 

The Acting Masterclass #2 – Michael Fassbender

Image courtesy of CinemaBlend.com

One of the most captivating performers to emerge from the last 10 years, German/Irish actor Michael Fassbender is certainly proving his worth.

After his breakout performance in Zack Snyder’s graphic novel homo-erotic fest, ‘300’, Fassbender began a working relationship with London artist/filmmaker Steve McQueen (not that one), and was critically acclaimed for his role as activist Bobby Sands in ‘Hunger’.

Since then, Mr Fassbender has undoubtedly become one of the most popular and sought after actors working in Hollywood.

My admiration for him stems from his ability to inhabit so many diverse and original characters. One that has been a huge testimony to this is his astounding portrayal of a sex addict in McQueen’s ‘Shame’. A film about a high-flyer working in New York that has an emotionally crippling form of hypersexuality, and engages in frequent acts of onanism and intercourse.

In the movie, his regimented lifestyle spirals out of control when his estranged sister, Sissy (Cary Mulligan), turns up on his doorstep. The most vivid turning point of the movie for me is at this point, where Fassbender’s character, Brandon, immediately begins to display signs of stress, aggravation and almost seething mental torment at the spanner his sister throws in to the works. Fassbender displays this with a conviction that is truly engaging – his uneasiness being a stark contrast to his behaviour around his co-workers, his friends and more predominantly with women. The character of Brandon, for me, is perhaps the most personal, insightful and beautifully performed role by the actor. It also has an incredible pay off.

Though his affinity with independent film has brought him much success. Fassbender has also made an extremely popular and easy transition into mainstream cinema. Last year, he starred as a young ‘Erik Lensherr’, delightfully preceded by Sir Ian McKellen, in the 60’s set comic-book movie, X-Men: First Class. This year, he featured in the lukewarm/fairly positively received ‘Prometheus’ as the android ‘David’.

In First Class, Fassbender oozes charm, danger and Bond-esque cool. Notably basing much of his performance on Sean Connery’s 007 and the overall aesthetic of Dr. No in many of his one-to-one scenes, not to mention disregarding Sir Ian’s performances of the character of Erik, and completely making it his own. It was a breath of fresh air to see such a well-known villain take on the role of the sympathetic, a man who could be a hero tragically fall that we, the audience, can so easily root for. And this was very much down to how Michael approached the character, his reasonings for his actions, his methods and his emotional turmoil.

Oddly enough, his most recent successful performance, in ‘Prometheus’ – is a completely different animal. His mysterious motives kept relatively in the dark for the duration of the movie is overshadowed by an obvious and unflattering form of self-possession. He teems with icy demeanour, and engages the other characters almost subjectively in parts. Fassbender plays this off with such an arrogance, and knowing, that it’s nearly impossible to not notice or appreciate the dedication he put into the character. Unquestionably the film’s saving grace in my opinion.

Of course, no actor can be without their stinkers, and Fassy in no exception, from the ‘promising on the outside’ ‘A Dangerous Method’, which I found utterly non-compelling and marred by a dire script. To the meathead favourite ‘300’. But these are examples of the ill-conceived. Frankly, I see this man becoming one the greatest actors to ever grace the screen. 2012 may have been the year of Fassbender…. But let’s see how the next one pans out….

‘The Shining’ (1980) – Screening Reaction

“Are we there yet?”

So last week I was fortunate enough to get tickets to a special screening of Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’. Here are my thoughts after my first rewatch since buying the DVD.

An undeniably perfect example of pure terror and the degeneration of the human psyche. Jack Nicholson carries the weight with conviction and ease. Littered with allusions and unanswered questions – it’s a testament to modern horror. It instills fear, it instills dread. With an absorbing, but blank setting that in itself becomes characterised through the unravelling of events – The Shining culminates in one of the most memorable climaxes I’ve witnessed in any movie. Giving audience perspectives of the 4 main characters without losing any sense of atmosphere or tension of whats to come. Simple, but effective editing and cinematography used intelligently.

Beautifully photographed and amazingly acted. A Kubrickian classic.

9/10

‘Movie Talk On Sunday’ #MTOS 21/10/2012

So after nearly a whole year since my last chance, I am finally hosting ‘Movie Talk On Sunday’ on Twitter for Sunday 21st October 2012! And my subject will be Award-winning directing duo – The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan.

For information on #MTOS, and how you can get involved – Check further down for a direct link.

From the noir-style thriller of ‘Blood Simple’, to the absurd and off-beat ‘The Big Lebowski’, to the incomparable ‘No Country For Old Men’ – The Coens redefined genre filmmaking in the late 80’s, the 90’s all the way through to this decade. Combining elements of dark humour, high tension, eccentric characters and grisly violence that has become a formula for some of the most highly praised films of the modern era.

The Coen Brothers Wikipedia Page

The Coen Brothers Filmography

Find out more about ‘Movie Talk On Sunday’ (#MTOS) and see how you can get involved!

Also, you can follow the creators of #MTOS on Twitter – @raghavmodi and @askimrach

Here are my questions for #MTOS for Sunday 21st October. Kicking off at 8:00pm GMT!

Hope to see you all there!

—————————————————————————————————————————

Q1.Let’s start with the classic…. What are your favourite Joel & Ethan Coen films, and what makes them so? #MTOS

Q2.What are your least favourites? What didn’t work? #MTOS

Q3.Is there a quote or line from one of their films that you have a fondness for? #MTOS

Q4.Have the frequent collaborations with Roger Deakins (cinematography) and Carter Burwell (score) been pivotal in their success? #MTOS

Q5.Which character from a Coens film do you mostly associate with them, and why? #MTOS

Q6.Create a dream ensemble cast from existing Coens films (i.e Male lead/support,female lead/support) #MTOS

Q7.Be it positive or negative. Is there a defining moment in a Coens movie that had an effect on you as a film fan? #MTOS

Q8.Which story/existing material would you like to see the Coens put their unique spin on? #MTOS

Q9.Best performance? In any capacity (i.e particular scene, entire movie) #MTOS

Q10.In an era where CGI/action flicks dominate Hollywood – Are the Coens still relevant to modern cinema? #MTOS

Trailer Tidbits #2 (September 2012)

Today, I take a closer look at the recent ‘Lincoln’ trailer, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Also the latest Walt Disney animated feature – ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ and the highly anticipated ‘Looper’ – boasting Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis.

‘Lincoln’ – Dir. Steven Spielberg

After the backing out of Liam Neeson, another capable British thesp in the form of Daniel Day-Lewis features as the most popular President in the history of The United States. This first trailer, giving us an insight into Abraham Lincoln’s turbulent few months during the Civil War. Speculated to be a massive hit – the trailer itself is played for drama, focussing on debating parties and briefly glimpsing at a troubled Lincoln. Interspersed with imagery from the Civil War, the plight of slaves and Lincoln’s allies rallying in support.  For me, this really feels boxed-in for Spielberg movie. I feel no overwhelming desire to take heed or even wonder at the prospect of seeing this film. It’s something I’ve never experienced before with this director. I sincerely hope I am proven wrong.

‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Dir. Rich Moore

Another hotly tipped movie, this time coming from the animation studios of Disney. ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ may be on paper a basic story of redemption, or ‘doing that bit more’. But it looks like a lot of fun with its endless video game character cameos that we’ve seen from the first trailer as well as this latest one. It’s a familiar plot outline, but executed in a way we haven’t seen before. Keep an eye out – I’m looking forward to this one.

‘Looper’ – Dir. Rian Johnson

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe Simmons, a mafia hitman and a ‘Looper’ that is tasked to travel back in time in order to kill an agent on the condition that all targets must never escape. But, after realising that the target is a future version of himself, played by Bruce Willis. Shit conveniently hits the fan. Already receiving encouraging reviews, ‘Looper’ is said to be the best sci-fi film since Duncan Jones’ ‘Moon’ and one of the best overall of the year so far. Teeming with some striking visual flair and a host of tense action sequences. This is certainly one of the best trailers I’ve seen for some time.

Trailer Tidbits #1 (July 2012)

A quick look on my 3 favourite movie trailers that have surfaced this month… Ang Lee’s ‘Life Of Pi’, the ‘already looking epic’ ‘Cloud Atlas’, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Scientology poke – ‘The Master’

‘Life Of Pi’

Yann Martel’s story of survival and discovery has fallen into the very capable hands of acclaimed director, Ang Lee. While his thriller ‘Lust, Caution’ was surrounded by controversy – this one looks to make the press for far more positive reasons. With a pulsating opening disaster sequence, and some vibrant, beautifully captured external shots. ‘Life Of Pi’ may just be in-line for an Academy nod.

‘Cloud Atlas’

From another best-selling novel – The Wachowski Brothers co-direct (with Tom Tyker) the multiple storied yarn of humankind and the soul. And boasts some acting heavyweights in this 5 minute trailer. We can easily forget ‘Speed Racer’.

An extremely inventive story from English novelist, David Mitchell – pick it up before release.

‘The Master’

By now, every single human should know of P.T Anderson’s near-faultless ‘There Will Be Blood’… With that said, welcome to the next step in Mr Anderson’s plot for world domination… HE’S GOT THE PHOENIX!

So there’s my top 3 trailers for this month. What’s looking good for you? Hit me up on the comment section.

Scott

Which female superhero should be introduced in The Avengers’ sequel?

Which female superhero should be introduced in The Avengers’ sequel?.