Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises completes
not only his personal trilogy focusing on socialite Bruce Wayne and his
alter ego, Gotham City's caped crusader, but also a cycle of popular
culture that began in May 1939 when Batman was added to Detective
Comics' pantheon of superheroes
Batman's creator Bob Kane and his fellow comic-strip artists were all admirers of Fritz Lang's
German movies, the forerunners of film noir, but this did not prevent
them from becoming the object of a ferocious assault by Eisenhower-era
moralists bent on suppressing horror comics during a crusade led by the
psychiatrist Fredric Wertham. His 1954 book, Seduction of the Innocent, attacked Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson's menage as a covert celebration of homosexuality. Ten years later, however, when Susan Sontag's seminal essay Notes on Camp promoted kitsch and the idea of "it's good because it's bad", Batman became a TV series in garish comic-strip colour and was followed by a tongue-in-cheek film version and a revival of the low-budget 1943 Batman serial, all 15 chapters being shown back-to-back to open London's latest super cinema.
By 1989 the comic strip had been elevated to the status of "graphic novel", and Tim Burton
invited us to give up our search for the inner child and find our dark
sides in Michael Keaton's Batman, a Hamlet-like malcontent. Then, in the
wake of 9/11, Nolan followed his complex Memento and Insomnia by
reviving a now-moribund franchise. To misquote Scott Fitzgerald, he
embarked on the search for the soul of the dark knight where it is
always three o'clock in the morning. In 2005's Batman Begins he provided a new account of the creation myth, adding some kung fu, a touch of Da Vinci Code conspiracy and a dash of Bond to Kane's 1939 account of Bruce Wayne's orphaning. It was followed in 2008 by The Dark Knight, in which Heath Ledger
takes the story to exhilarating heights of terror as the demonic Joker,
an implacable enemy of Batman and mankind, part Lucifer, part Loki,
part Osama bin Laden.
On either side of The Dark Knight, Nolan made The Prestige and Inception,
films of exceptional brilliance, more individual in being free of the
particular expectations of a franchise, but still pursuing personal
preoccupations about identity, masks and lethal, morally confused games
that also figure in the Batman films. The intellectually challenging
final film, The Dark Knight Rises, sets out to reconcile issues
raised in the first two. It brings Wayne's story to a suitably epic
conclusion while at the same time offering the dramatic imbroglios,
action set pieces, twists and surprises the form demands. To keep the
franchise on ice rather than consigning it to the morgue, The Dark Knight Rises necessarily weaves a certain ambiguity into the ending.
In a spectacular opening, far superior to the not dissimilar pre-credit sequence Roald Dahl devised for the 1967 Bond movie You Only Live Twice,
a plane used by the CIA for extraordinary rendition of alleged
terrorists is hijacked in mid-air by a larger aircraft. Liberated by the
manoeuvre is Bane (Tom Hardy), a muscular menace wearing a half-mask
containing a voice box and an analgesic device that eases his constant
pain. He's an associate of the League of Shadows, the ancient eastern
conspiratorial cult to which a mysterious stranger (Liam Neeson)
initiated Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins and which Wayne renounced as a gang of fascistic vigilantes.
Physically Bane resembles Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader, and the
artificial voice box makes his speech difficult to follow. This
introduces a problem that runs through the film (or at least the version
shown to the press last week). Perhaps for inscrutably perverse
reasons, though more likely a fault in the balance between speech and
Hans Zimmer's hyper-percussive score, much of the dialogue is
unintelligible. This would be all right in most epics (who wouldn't want
John Wayne's line "Truly this man was the son of God" lost by
thunder?), but not here.
Christian Bale
has never been more baleful than as the crippled Wayne, eight years as a
recluse in Wayne Manor, tended by the faithful family butler and
surrogate father, Alfred (Michael Caine).
Having taken the rap for the late Gotham DA, Wayne is the disgraced
hero in exile, much like Philoctetes, the Greek archer who Ulysses must
entice back to end the Trojan war. Having started in this classic role,
the film's dramatic arc transforms Batman into a self-sacrificial Sydney
Carton, and indeed there are numerous evocations of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, including the parallels drawn between the chaos of Gotham City and the reign of terror that followed the French revolution.
What
faces Gotham is a nihilistic movement spearheaded by Bane and assisted
by capitalist interests and bankers. It starts with an assault on the
Stock Exchange, continues with the theft of a nuclear device, and leads
up to a familiar countdown to annihilation. Bane represents himself as a
liberator but he's really a destroyer, a deceiver of a weak, easily
misled populace. The contemporary parallels are clear, though the
underlying politics are somewhat confused. One supposes that Nolan's
views are not unlike Shakespeare's (or Dickens's) – a loathing of people
acting as a mob, a deep suspicion of politicians and a belief in the
preservation of social order in a fluctuating world.
Anyway, Bale
remains a strong moral presence. The established figures around him,
mostly played by British actors – Caine's Alfred, Morgan Freeman's
equivalent of Bond's Q, Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon – do their
standard stuff. Of the newcomers, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who has a strong
resemblance to Heath Ledger) is excellent and endearing as an honest
young cop, and one would guess he'd be a significant figure were the
franchise to be renewed. The new female leads, Marion Cotillard (rich
philanthropist) and Anne Hathaway
(Catwoman in all but name), have little to get their claws into. The
special effects are often breathtaking, especially an overhead view of
Gotham City in meltdown. The production designers have done a first-rate
job. Wally Pfister's photography is uncompromisingly Stygian. A pity
about the dialogue, but I'm sure something can be done about it, and
maybe it works in the Imax form for which it was made. That being said, The Dark Knight Rises has an intelligence, epic thrust and visual grandeur far beyond its present box-office rival, Joss Whedon's Avengers Assemble.
www.guardian.co.uk
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Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
8:48 AM
Brave: Film Review
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Bottom Line - Pixar's 13th feature plays it safe and old-fashioned rather than risky and adventurous.
Venue - Sydney Film Festival (opening night)
Opens - Friday, June 22 (Disney)
Voice cast - Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson
Directors - Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Pixar's 13th film, which follows an adventurous Scottish princess, is visually stunning and strongly voiced, but doesn't take any real risks.
The season's latest feature destined to boost the demand for kids' archery lessons, Brave might disappoint many ardent Pixar loyalists while simultaneously delighting old-time Disney fans.
The 13th animated feature from the world's most consistently successful film company is its first set in that version of the past forever favored by Disney, that of princesses, kings, queens, witches, evil spells and prankish secondary characters. For all its pictorial and vocal beauty, the film's emotional line and dramatic contrivances are both more familiar and less inventive than what's usually delivered by the studio. Younger kids won't mind, but many viewers accustomed to relying upon Pixar for something special will feel a sense of letdown due to the lack of adventurousness. A muscular box office ride is virtually a given.
Part of the problem is that Brave never becomes the film that seems to be promised at the outset. After a beautiful and eventful prologue in which flaming-maned Scottish princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) receives an archery bow for her birthday, glimpses blue will-o'-the-wisps floating through the forest and sees her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly), lose a leg to a ferocious bear, the action jumps ahead to her adolescence and her obligation to get married.
Under the strict tutelage of loving but demanding mother Elinor (Emma Thomson), Merida has learned the necessities but is a wild lass at heart, desperate for her days off when she can ride off on horseback and perfect her archery. As for marriage, nothing could be less appealing: “I don't want my life to be over,” she rails to her mother. “I want my freedom.”
One look at the top suitors offered up by the three other leading clans and you can see what she means; they're the three stooges of Scotland, whose beefy kinsmen would sooner brawl than shake your hand. Once Merida shows them all up in an archery contest and her furious mother tosses her daughter's prize bow in the fireplace, the headstrong girl takes off on her enormous steed, Angus.
It stands to reason that this first half-hour sets up expectations of a story in some way involving a renegade princess, trouble among the clans and/or a mysterious adventure involving the wisps and some Stonehenge-like arrangements that come into play. The left-turn taken by the script co-authored by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi, from a story by Chapman, who co-directed with Andrews, might be embraced by those comforted by the familiar. But it's a move that channels the film into startlingly well-worn territory, that of a conventionally toothless and whiskered old witch (Julie Walters) willing to cast a spell to grant Merida's wish to change her mother so as to alter her own fate.
The spell, lo and behold, turns Elinor into an enormous bear, one that retains Elinor's brain and heart but cannot speak. Thus ensues a lot of not-so-hot slapstick as bear Elinor knocks about in quarters too small for her and tries to communicate while Merida feels remorse and endeavors to reverse the spell.
What results is a film that starts off big and promising but diminishes into a rather wee thing as it chugs along, with climactic drama that is both too conveniently wrapped up and hinges on magical elements that are somewhat confusing to boot. Not only is the tale laden with standard-issue fairy tale and familiar girl-empowerment tropes, but the entire project lacks the imaginative leaps, unexpected jokes and sense of fun and wonder that habitually set Pixar productions apart from the pack. Its ideas seem earthbound.
On a sensory level, however, Brave is almost entirely a delight. The wild beauty of Scotland, of the verdant forests and the craggy peaks, is lovingly rendered with a gorgeous palette of painterly colors and in very agreeable 3D. Even better, the voicings here are among the most exceptional and pleasurable of any animated film you might care to name. Working in pronounced Scottish accents that, to be sure, don't approach the often undecipherable ones heard in Ken Loach films, Scottish actors Macdonald and Connolly are a joy to listen to, as is Thompson, even if too many of the conversations are argumentative in a repetitive vein. Patrick Doyle's active and resourceful score is another major plus in a film that has played it safe instead of taking chances and going for something new.
Venue: Sydney Film Festival (opening night)
Opens: Fri,day June 22 (Disney)
Production: Pixar Animation Studios
Voices: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Sally Kinghom, Eilidh Fraser, Peigi Barker, Steven Cree, Steve Purcell, Callum O'Neill, Patrick Doyle, John Ratzenberger
Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Co-director: Steve Purcell
Screenwriters: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi, story by Brenda Chapman
Producer: Katherine Sarafian
Executive producers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
Directors of photography: Robert Anderson (camera), Danielle Feinberg (lighting)
Production designer: Steve Pilcher
Editor: Nicholas C. Smith
Music: Patrick Doyle
PG rating, 93 minutes
Opens: Fri,day June 22 (Disney)
Production: Pixar Animation Studios
Voices: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Sally Kinghom, Eilidh Fraser, Peigi Barker, Steven Cree, Steve Purcell, Callum O'Neill, Patrick Doyle, John Ratzenberger
Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Co-director: Steve Purcell
Screenwriters: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi, story by Brenda Chapman
Producer: Katherine Sarafian
Executive producers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
Directors of photography: Robert Anderson (camera), Danielle Feinberg (lighting)
Production designer: Steve Pilcher
Editor: Nicholas C. Smith
Music: Patrick Doyle
PG rating, 93 minutes
5:12 AM
The Bottom Line - The Poison hit featured on the soundtrack promises "Nothin' But a Good Time." If only.
Opens - June 15 (Warner Bros.)
Cast - Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston
Director - Adam Shankman
Screenwriters - Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, Allan Loeb
Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta play the small-town girl and city boy in this tribute to '80s hair metal and the L.A. rock scene, with Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti and Mary J. Blige.
NEW YORK – Basically a Mamma Mia! with ‘80s hair metal in place of Abba, Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical wrapped in vinyl nostalgia that has been playing to modest but steady business on Broadway for the past three years. However, the headbanger party owes some of its notoriety to Poison frontman Bret Michaels getting accidentally brained during a production number from the show at the 2009 Tony Awards. Nobody gets clobbered in the New Line movie, but perhaps director Adam Shankman should. He succeeds in draining most of the fun from a vehicle that was all about the winking humor of its flagrant cheesiness.
Shankman did a serviceable job on New Line’s 2007 screen redo of Hairspray. But he was handed more winning material and songs crafted expressly to tell a story, not generic anthems shoehorned into a jokey construct.
Working with screenwriters Justin Theroux, Chris D’Arienzo and Allan Loeb, who adapted D’Arienzo’s original book for Rock of Ages, the director has not found a way to translate the musical’s affectionately mocking humor to film. Shankman lacks a light touch. Only when the invaluable Russell Brand is onscreen – playing a droll variation of his Get Him to the Greek character with a Nikki Sixx makeover – does this bloated, gratuitously star-laden rethink come close to hitting the right tone.
The main attraction no doubt will be Tom Cruise in another stunt performance to pair with his Tropic Thunder role. First seen in bejeweled leonine codpiece, assless chaps and some elaborate ink, emerging from beneath a blanket of hot groupies, he channels Axl Rose as Stacee Jaxx, an out-of-control rock god rarely separated from a bottle of scotch or from the monkey sidekick he calls Hey Man.
The outrageously egomaniacal characterization should be a hoot, but in truth, Cruise’s quasi-mystical sozzled intensity gets wearisome. There’s just too much of him. Instead of one great showcase number (Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”) he gets a string of them. And in the Glee era of Auto-Tune, even his vocal prowess barely registers as a novelty. A role that should have been a tasty extended cameo instead has been built up to crowd the headliners, and frankly, they can’t withstand the competition.
In a film that continually forgets where to focus, those nominal leads are Sherrie (Julianne Hough), an Oklahoma girl fresh off the Greyhound in 1987 Los Angeles, dreaming of stardom as a singer; and Drew (Diego Boneta), an aspiring rocker working as a barback at fictitious Sunset Strip music venue the Bourbon Room (think Whisky a Go Go). Hearts are instantly aflutter when Drew comforts Sherrie after she’s mugged, getting her a waitressing job at the club.
Embodiments of the small-town girl and city boy from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” Sherrie and Drew sing sweetly and make a cute pair of lovebirds, but they’re bland and uninteresting. Even in badass rocker-wear, they look like they belong in a High School Musical sequel, not a sweaty mosh pit.
Running parallel to their obstacle-strewn love story are the efforts of philandering mayor Mike Whitmore (a misused Bryan Cranston) and his family values-crusading wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) to shut down the Bourbon and remove the depraved metallurgists threatening the moral sanctity of the city’s children.
In addition to their protests, Bourbon Room owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) is dealing with fiscal headaches. He hopes a farewell show before Stacee quits his band to go solo will get the club back in the black. But the rock star’s unscrupulous manager, Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti), thwarts that plan. There’s also Stacee’s interview with Rolling Stone reporter Constance Sack (Malin Akerman), a confrontational encounter that makes the rocker reassess his priorities.
In a plodding script that takes two long hours to tell a thin boy-meets/loses/wins back-girl story in an elusive paradise, none of these threads provides any sense of urgency. That’s because the screenwriters and director run out of fresh ideas in the first half-hour. After that, ADHD sets in as they struggle to keep too many characters in play. Their solution is to load the film with endless multi-character song montages that do little to advance the plot. As a karaoke selection, it yields diminishing returns.
Like the stage musical, the clash between Strip denizens and conservative zealots climaxes in a musical duel that repurposes Starship’s “We Built This City” and Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” for the respective causes. But there’s insufficient momentum for the conflict to be more than perfunctory.
For someone with a background in choreography, Shankman shows little aptitude for shooting dance numbers. A notable example is Zeta-Jones’ big song, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” While choreographer Mia Michaels borrows signature moves from vintage Pat Benatar videos, Patricia and her backup team of church ladies just look awkward.
Zeta-Jones appears stiff throughout the movie, while pros like Giamatti and Baldwin are wasted. Giamatti’s role relies for humor on ‘80s wardrobe crimes topped by a heinous ponytail, and Baldwin is saddled with a deadening wig as over-the-hill rock disciple Dennis. He shows glimmers of his usual sly comic spark in a handful of moments with Brand as his club technician Lonny, and their duet on REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” is a high point.
In the stage production, Lonny served as narrator, or “rock conjurer.” Given that the livewire Brand is easily the film’s best asset, expanding rather than diminishing his role here might have been a good idea.
Mary J. Blige turns up late in the action as Justice, den mother of The Venus Club for Gentlemen, where Sherrie takes a job in her hour of need. Blige lends her soulful pipes to a few numbers, but like Cruise, she outstays her usefulness.
Production designer Jon Hutman does a solid job of recreating 1980s Sunset Strip sleaze, and costumer Rita Ryack hits the right notes in reviving contemporary fashion’s ugliest decade, without going over the top. A handful of rock and pop figures from the period show up in cameos, including Debbie Gibson, Sebastian Bach, Kevin Cronin, Nuno Bettencourt and Joel Hoekstra. But Rock of Ages neither evokes an authentic feeling to celebrate the era nor spreads much joy making fun of it. Instead, it just drones on like a limp cover version.
See Original Article at The hollywood reporter
Rock of Ages: Film Review
Monday, June 11, 2012
The Bottom Line - The Poison hit featured on the soundtrack promises "Nothin' But a Good Time." If only.
Opens - June 15 (Warner Bros.)
Cast - Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston
Director - Adam Shankman
Screenwriters - Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, Allan Loeb
Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta play the small-town girl and city boy in this tribute to '80s hair metal and the L.A. rock scene, with Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti and Mary J. Blige.
NEW YORK – Basically a Mamma Mia! with ‘80s hair metal in place of Abba, Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical wrapped in vinyl nostalgia that has been playing to modest but steady business on Broadway for the past three years. However, the headbanger party owes some of its notoriety to Poison frontman Bret Michaels getting accidentally brained during a production number from the show at the 2009 Tony Awards. Nobody gets clobbered in the New Line movie, but perhaps director Adam Shankman should. He succeeds in draining most of the fun from a vehicle that was all about the winking humor of its flagrant cheesiness.
Shankman did a serviceable job on New Line’s 2007 screen redo of Hairspray. But he was handed more winning material and songs crafted expressly to tell a story, not generic anthems shoehorned into a jokey construct.
Working with screenwriters Justin Theroux, Chris D’Arienzo and Allan Loeb, who adapted D’Arienzo’s original book for Rock of Ages, the director has not found a way to translate the musical’s affectionately mocking humor to film. Shankman lacks a light touch. Only when the invaluable Russell Brand is onscreen – playing a droll variation of his Get Him to the Greek character with a Nikki Sixx makeover – does this bloated, gratuitously star-laden rethink come close to hitting the right tone.
The main attraction no doubt will be Tom Cruise in another stunt performance to pair with his Tropic Thunder role. First seen in bejeweled leonine codpiece, assless chaps and some elaborate ink, emerging from beneath a blanket of hot groupies, he channels Axl Rose as Stacee Jaxx, an out-of-control rock god rarely separated from a bottle of scotch or from the monkey sidekick he calls Hey Man.
The outrageously egomaniacal characterization should be a hoot, but in truth, Cruise’s quasi-mystical sozzled intensity gets wearisome. There’s just too much of him. Instead of one great showcase number (Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”) he gets a string of them. And in the Glee era of Auto-Tune, even his vocal prowess barely registers as a novelty. A role that should have been a tasty extended cameo instead has been built up to crowd the headliners, and frankly, they can’t withstand the competition.
In a film that continually forgets where to focus, those nominal leads are Sherrie (Julianne Hough), an Oklahoma girl fresh off the Greyhound in 1987 Los Angeles, dreaming of stardom as a singer; and Drew (Diego Boneta), an aspiring rocker working as a barback at fictitious Sunset Strip music venue the Bourbon Room (think Whisky a Go Go). Hearts are instantly aflutter when Drew comforts Sherrie after she’s mugged, getting her a waitressing job at the club.
Running parallel to their obstacle-strewn love story are the efforts of philandering mayor Mike Whitmore (a misused Bryan Cranston) and his family values-crusading wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) to shut down the Bourbon and remove the depraved metallurgists threatening the moral sanctity of the city’s children.
In addition to their protests, Bourbon Room owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) is dealing with fiscal headaches. He hopes a farewell show before Stacee quits his band to go solo will get the club back in the black. But the rock star’s unscrupulous manager, Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti), thwarts that plan. There’s also Stacee’s interview with Rolling Stone reporter Constance Sack (Malin Akerman), a confrontational encounter that makes the rocker reassess his priorities.
In a plodding script that takes two long hours to tell a thin boy-meets/loses/wins back-girl story in an elusive paradise, none of these threads provides any sense of urgency. That’s because the screenwriters and director run out of fresh ideas in the first half-hour. After that, ADHD sets in as they struggle to keep too many characters in play. Their solution is to load the film with endless multi-character song montages that do little to advance the plot. As a karaoke selection, it yields diminishing returns.
Like the stage musical, the clash between Strip denizens and conservative zealots climaxes in a musical duel that repurposes Starship’s “We Built This City” and Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” for the respective causes. But there’s insufficient momentum for the conflict to be more than perfunctory.
For someone with a background in choreography, Shankman shows little aptitude for shooting dance numbers. A notable example is Zeta-Jones’ big song, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” While choreographer Mia Michaels borrows signature moves from vintage Pat Benatar videos, Patricia and her backup team of church ladies just look awkward.
Zeta-Jones appears stiff throughout the movie, while pros like Giamatti and Baldwin are wasted. Giamatti’s role relies for humor on ‘80s wardrobe crimes topped by a heinous ponytail, and Baldwin is saddled with a deadening wig as over-the-hill rock disciple Dennis. He shows glimmers of his usual sly comic spark in a handful of moments with Brand as his club technician Lonny, and their duet on REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” is a high point.
In the stage production, Lonny served as narrator, or “rock conjurer.” Given that the livewire Brand is easily the film’s best asset, expanding rather than diminishing his role here might have been a good idea.
Mary J. Blige turns up late in the action as Justice, den mother of The Venus Club for Gentlemen, where Sherrie takes a job in her hour of need. Blige lends her soulful pipes to a few numbers, but like Cruise, she outstays her usefulness.
Production designer Jon Hutman does a solid job of recreating 1980s Sunset Strip sleaze, and costumer Rita Ryack hits the right notes in reviving contemporary fashion’s ugliest decade, without going over the top. A handful of rock and pop figures from the period show up in cameos, including Debbie Gibson, Sebastian Bach, Kevin Cronin, Nuno Bettencourt and Joel Hoekstra. But Rock of Ages neither evokes an authentic feeling to celebrate the era nor spreads much joy making fun of it. Instead, it just drones on like a limp cover version.
See Original Article at The hollywood reporter
8:08 AM
Men in Black 3: Film Review
Saturday, May 26, 2012
The Bottom Line - A decade after Part Two, the MiB franchise recovers the original's magic
Opens- Friday, May 25 (Columbia)
Cast - Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alice Eve, Bill Hader, David Rasche
Director - Barry Sonnenfeld
Finding smart ways to bring novelty to the franchise without forsaking what made the original so much fun (and in fact doubling down on some of those qualities), Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black 3 easily erases the second installment's vague but unpleasant memory and -- though we might hope producers will quit while they're ahead -- paves the way for future installments. It's hard to imagine it won't be a hit, and hard to begrudge that success, no matter how saturated we are with comic-book properties and sequels.

The script, credited solely to Etan Cohen despite many rumored contributors, finds a way to give Will Smith the lion's share of screen time while involving us more emotionally in the character of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K. After a time-traveling villain kills K in 1969, Smith's Agent J must travel back to prevent the murder — where he discovers a youthful, less stony K (Josh Brolin, easily conjuring Jones' Texas deadpan) and can't stop wondering what happened to sap the man's joie de vivre.
The movie deploys most of its creepy-crawly ETs in the first act, with baddie "Boris the Animal" chief among them. Flight of the Conchords co-star Jemaine Clement goes full-tilt ferocious in the role, leaving fans to add their own ironic comedy to his performance (and to imagine him laughing at a repeated catchphrase we assume is intentionally horrible) while he works to live up to Rick Baker's genuinely disgusting design for the character.
Boris, who often sprouts mouthlike body cavities and has a symbiotic relationship with a projectile-spitting insect, breaks free from a moon-based prison in a high-energy opening scene. He makes his way to Manhattan, then time-travels to kill the man who once blew off his arm while foiling his plans to conquer Earth for the Boglodite species.
The film lingers just long enough in the present to introduce a replacement for Rip Torn's MiB-chief Zed: Agent O (Emma Thompson), who evidently has history with Agent K. Then it sends Smith back using a time-travel method that makes little sense — for some reason, plummeting from the Chrysler Building is required — but is a lot of fun to watch.
The pic moves briskly once back in the '60s, having a bit of fun envisioning a lower-tech version of Men in Black gear and working in pop-culture details (a nice gag involves Andy Warhol) without slowing the action a bit. The filmmakers find a convenient resolution for all chrono-conflict confusion in the person of Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg), an alien who's able to see all possible futures simultaneously.
With Griffin as their oracle, J and K eventually wind up at Cape Canaveral for climactic action involving the launch of the first moon mission. Although some plot twists are easy to spot, they're no less satisfying for being telegraphed.
3D is as irrelevant as ever here, but fortunately the gimmick does nothing to dim the jewel tones of Bill Pope's appealing cinematography. Other production elements, like Danny Elfman's score, continue the winning look and feel established in the first film.
Opens: Friday, May 25 (Columbia)
Production companies: Amblin Entertainment, P+M Image Nation
Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alice Eve, Bill Hader, David Rasche
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Screenwriter: Etan Cohen, Based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham
Producers: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg, G. Mac Brown
Director of photography: Bill Pope
Production designer: Bo Welch
Music: Danny Elfman
Costume designer: Mary Vogt
Editor: Don Zimmerman
PG-13, 106 minutes
See Original Article at The hollywood reporter
Opens- Friday, May 25 (Columbia)
Cast - Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alice Eve, Bill Hader, David Rasche
Director - Barry Sonnenfeld
Finding smart ways to bring novelty to the franchise without forsaking what made the original so much fun (and in fact doubling down on some of those qualities), Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black 3 easily erases the second installment's vague but unpleasant memory and -- though we might hope producers will quit while they're ahead -- paves the way for future installments. It's hard to imagine it won't be a hit, and hard to begrudge that success, no matter how saturated we are with comic-book properties and sequels.

The script, credited solely to Etan Cohen despite many rumored contributors, finds a way to give Will Smith the lion's share of screen time while involving us more emotionally in the character of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K. After a time-traveling villain kills K in 1969, Smith's Agent J must travel back to prevent the murder — where he discovers a youthful, less stony K (Josh Brolin, easily conjuring Jones' Texas deadpan) and can't stop wondering what happened to sap the man's joie de vivre.
The movie deploys most of its creepy-crawly ETs in the first act, with baddie "Boris the Animal" chief among them. Flight of the Conchords co-star Jemaine Clement goes full-tilt ferocious in the role, leaving fans to add their own ironic comedy to his performance (and to imagine him laughing at a repeated catchphrase we assume is intentionally horrible) while he works to live up to Rick Baker's genuinely disgusting design for the character.
Boris, who often sprouts mouthlike body cavities and has a symbiotic relationship with a projectile-spitting insect, breaks free from a moon-based prison in a high-energy opening scene. He makes his way to Manhattan, then time-travels to kill the man who once blew off his arm while foiling his plans to conquer Earth for the Boglodite species.
The film lingers just long enough in the present to introduce a replacement for Rip Torn's MiB-chief Zed: Agent O (Emma Thompson), who evidently has history with Agent K. Then it sends Smith back using a time-travel method that makes little sense — for some reason, plummeting from the Chrysler Building is required — but is a lot of fun to watch.
The pic moves briskly once back in the '60s, having a bit of fun envisioning a lower-tech version of Men in Black gear and working in pop-culture details (a nice gag involves Andy Warhol) without slowing the action a bit. The filmmakers find a convenient resolution for all chrono-conflict confusion in the person of Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg), an alien who's able to see all possible futures simultaneously.
With Griffin as their oracle, J and K eventually wind up at Cape Canaveral for climactic action involving the launch of the first moon mission. Although some plot twists are easy to spot, they're no less satisfying for being telegraphed.
3D is as irrelevant as ever here, but fortunately the gimmick does nothing to dim the jewel tones of Bill Pope's appealing cinematography. Other production elements, like Danny Elfman's score, continue the winning look and feel established in the first film.
Opens: Friday, May 25 (Columbia)
Production companies: Amblin Entertainment, P+M Image Nation
Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alice Eve, Bill Hader, David Rasche
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Screenwriter: Etan Cohen, Based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham
Producers: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg, G. Mac Brown
Director of photography: Bill Pope
Production designer: Bo Welch
Music: Danny Elfman
Costume designer: Mary Vogt
Editor: Don Zimmerman
PG-13, 106 minutes
See Original Article at The hollywood reporter
11:09 PM
‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ Moving To March 2013 To Add 3D For Bigger Foreign Box Office
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation was supposed to come out GI Joe Retaliation Release Datethis summer on June 29th. But I’ve learned that Paramount is moving the movie nine months to March 29, 2013, to add 3D. “We’re going to do a conscientious 3D job because we’ve seen how it can better box office internationally,” one of the studio execs just told me. “Jim Cameron did all of Titanic‘s 3D in post and look how well that movie turned out.” Hollywood is shocked that Paramount vacated the primo date, especially because Paramount blew a wad on a Super Bowl commercial and already was starting TV and outdoor ads for GI Joe 2. Paramount has had luck delaying films before: its decision to move Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island gave the director his biggest box office hit ever. And right now, 3D is huge internationally, with Russia and China building new 3D theaters by the week. Also the execs say that the blockbuster performance of The Hunger Games shows that March can be a prime time of the year to release movies. Of course, Paramount had to talk its partners on GI Joe 2 into the extra nine months of carrying costs – MGM, which has 25%, and David Ellison’s Skydance, which has another 25%. The $125M-budgeted actioner stars Channing Tatum, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and Bruce Willis and is directed by Jon Chu.
11:15 AM
Few attractive and creative
movies will be release in theaters next month. IMDB have lot of information about that.
Piranha 3DD (2012)
After the events at Lake Victoria, the pre-historic school
of blood-thirsty piranhas make their way into a newly opened waterpark.
Battlefield America (2012)
A young businessman hires an instructor to turn a group of
misfit kids into a team on the underground dance competition circuit.
Prometheus (2012)
A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of
mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the
universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the
human race.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still fighting to get
home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where
they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent -
Madagascar style.
Rock of Ages (2012)
Set in 1987 Los Angeles, Drew and Sherrie are two young
people chasing their dreams in the big city. When they meet, it's love at first
sight, though their romance will face a series of challenges.
Brave (2012)
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies
a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely
on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States,
discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his
mission to eliminate them.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2012)
The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy
Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that
jeopardize their very existence.
Upcoming Movies : June
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take
Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and
mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
Director: Rupert Sanders
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Ray
Winstone
More information: IMDB
Piranha 3DD (2012)
After the events at Lake Victoria, the pre-historic school
of blood-thirsty piranhas make their way into a newly opened waterpark.
Director: John Gulager
Stars: Danielle Panabaker, Ving Rhames, David Hasselhoff, Katrina
Bowden
More information: IMDB
Battlefield America (2012)
A young businessman hires an instructor to turn a group of
misfit kids into a team on the underground dance competition circuit.
Director: Chris Stokes
Stars: Marques Houston, Mekia Cox, Christopher Jones, Lynn
Whitfield
More information: IMDB
Prometheus (2012)
A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of
mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the
universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the
human race.
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender,
Charlize Theron
More information: IMDB
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still fighting to get
home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where
they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent -
Madagascar style.
Directors: Eric Darnell | Tom McGrath | Conrad Vernon
Stars: Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer
More information: IMDB
Rock of Ages (2012)
Set in 1987 Los Angeles, Drew and Sherrie are two young
people chasing their dreams in the big city. When they meet, it's love at first
sight, though their romance will face a series of challenges.
Director: Adam Shankman
Stars: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin
More information: IMDB
Brave (2012)
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies
a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely
on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Directors: Mark Andrews | Brenda Chapman | Steve Purcell
Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie
Walters
More information: IMDB
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States,
discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his
mission to eliminate them.
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Stars:Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell, Dominic Cooper, Mary
Elizabeth Winstead
More information: IMDB
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2012)
The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy
Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that
jeopardize their very existence.
Director: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Ray Park, Bruce Willis
More information: IMDB
3:00 AM
The Avenger sets 2nd box office record. They scored
$ 103.2 million on second week after scoring the huge ever US opening weekend,
with takings of $207.4 million. It’s the first time pass $ 100 million for
second week ever by a movie. Actually Tony Stark and crew were not satisfied
with just one weekend record. Super heroes of each movies set for this movie.the Avengers get 8.7 rate from 150 000+ users in IMDB.
Avengers sets second box office record
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Avenger sets 2nd box office record. They scored
$ 103.2 million on second week after scoring the huge ever US opening weekend,
with takings of $207.4 million. It’s the first time pass $ 100 million for
second week ever by a movie. Actually Tony Stark and crew were not satisfied
with just one weekend record. Super heroes of each movies set for this movie.the Avengers get 8.7 rate from 150 000+ users in IMDB.
They
ready to protect the world against Nick Fury and loki. The movie has edited very creatively, sensitively and correctly.
Every super hero has a good part and they have good connection with others. That
was the secret of the success in the Avengers said by Joss Whedon. Johnny
Depp's Dark Shadows opened last Friday and it isn’t success very much. Indeed,
2012 is a better year for super hero’s trend. Spider man and bat man will come
to theaters next. More viewers hope, the Dark knight rises will beat The
Avengers.
8:55 PM
Top 3 movies 2012, you can’t miss
Saturday, May 12, 2012
We are talking about best 3 movies after May and before the
world end (23.12.2012).
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The movie will be the
biggest trend of the year. This is the 4th product after lord of the
rings trilogy. Movie’s storyline blow to history again. The hobbits are
creating on fantasy base. The Film will release on 14 December 2012 (USA). You can
know more, IMDB or BLOG or FACEBOOK.
The Dark Knight Rises
Many bat man’s movies released last 20 years. But the dark knight
(2008) changes the trend and this is the second creation. This time cat women
join with Bruce wayne. The Dark Knight returns to protect a gotham city. Movie will
release on 20 July 2012 (USA) which estimated $250,000,000 budget. You can know
more, IMDB or WEB SITE or FACEBOOK.
The Amazing Spider-Man
This is the 4th product of Spiderman collection. This time Peter
Parker finds a reason for his parents disappeared. The movie has a 3D version. You
can visit , IMDB or FACEBOOK.
9:24 PM
DVDs and Blu-rays will release with new Piracy Warnings.
Friday, May 11, 2012
The U.S. government adds New Unskippable Piracy Warnings for
DVDs & Blu-rays. You have to wait a total of 20 seconds for 2 previews. So 10 seconds for each one. First preview have
old FBI warning logo and Special Agent badge. The special agent logo belongs to
Homeland Security Investigations. There is
a warning under the two badges.
Next preview has the National Intellectual Property
Rights Coordination Center's seal. You can guide more information the IPR Center website about this new section.
New policies protect movie’s copyrights but customers must waste 20 seconds.
“The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by
federal law enforcement agencies and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison
and a fine of $250 000.”
New policies protect movie’s copyrights but customers must waste 20 seconds.
2:22 AM
Battleship review
Monday, May 7, 2012
WAY better than expected. This is a transformers type movie. The people will be enjoying who love decent action movies.
Months ago, I went CRAZY when i watched the trailers. A few days ago, reading the bad reviews really lowered my expectation. I decided not to waste my money on this. Yesterday two of my friends, who are not big fans of action movies, told me that this movie is OK, not a disaster! So i thought, "what the heck, let's give it a shot."
Today i watched this movie and it TOTALLY made my day! While watching this movie i was actually waiting for bad parts. Surprisingly, i was entertained the whole time! Especially the action scenes made me go, "Oh My God! Damn! Holy S***!" You have to watch it to believe it... trust me, it's THAT Awesome!
I thought the acting was good and Rihanna was impressive, not great. But, impressive. This movie will be one of best action movies 2012. But The Dark Knight Rise will be more attractable.
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