Here’s the latest trailer for CAMP X-RAY – Camp X-Ray was a detention center at Guantanamo Bay before closing in 2002 – The movie is Peter Sattler’s debut behind the camera & looks pretty special – the story follows Amy Cole (Stewart) a young soldier who’s assigned to Guantanamo as a guard, whilst their she has to deal with hostile jihadists, macho & aggressive squadmates and an inmate who she befriends and connects with – the film also stars Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria & John Carroll Lynch & hits our screens in October take a look at the trailer and Enjoy!
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – Movie Review ★★★★
“Apes Together Strong !”
Director: Matt Reeves – Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, and Kodi Smit-McPhee – Synopsis: After a global disaster wipes out a huge chunk of the population a group of genetically evolving apes led by Caesar and a pocket of human survivors in San Francisco battle for supremacy and out & out survival – Verdict: Being a huge fan of the original franchise back in the 60’s and thoroughly enjoying Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes back in 2011, I was excited to see if Matt Reeves (director of Cloverfield) could continue where Wyatt left off and produce something memorable and Reeves did not disappoint – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a well balanced action flick that’s not all about the incredible motion capture and mind blowing effects, it’s a film with an emotional spine, a storyline that’s dark and gripping and one that is powerfully played out by it’s great cast including Lord of the Ring’s Andy Serkis as Caesar, Zero Dark Thirty’s Jason Clarke as Malcolm and the veteran Gary Oldman who like a good wine gets better with age playing Dreyfus the leader of the human colony – but one of the standout characters in the film is Koba the bitter and terrifying Ape that resents the humans and goes against Caesar to start a war, his character is brutal but you can sympathize with his plight as he’s been tortured for years by the humans and his character has become entangled with rage and hate – Koba is played motion capture by Toby Kebbell – Matt Reeves handles all the action scenes with aplomb whilst giving several nods to the classic Ape movies of yesteryear in the process – two of my favorite scenes in the film has to be the tower raid by the apes on horseback with guns OMG and the fantastic, breathtaking and moving showdown between Caesar’s & Koba towards the movies climax – Overall: please revisit Rise of the Planet of the Apes and then treat yourself to it’s sequel Dawn of the Apes an exhilarating, cinematic triumph that’s every bit as good as the first and a fabulous addition to the Apes growing franchise….
Here’s four new character posters & the latest trailer for George Miller’s upcoming MAD MAX : FURY ROAD that looks epic in every department – the movie lands next summer and has a killer cast that includes Tom Hardy (Warrior), Charlize Theron (Prometheus), Hugh Keays (Mad Max), Nicholas Hoult (Days of Future Past) and Zoe Kravitz (Divergent) – I for one loved the original trilogy so can’t wait for this new chapter in apocalyptic madness….
Here’s a close up of Ben Affleck as BATMAN in Zack Snyder’s Superman sequel Batman vs Superman : Dawn of Justice that also stars Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons & Holly Hunter
Very Sad News – the Iconic TV and Movie star James Garner has died aged 86 – James starred in two of TV’s finest shows in The Rockford Files and Maverick and gave memorable performances in movies such as The Great Escape, Grand Prix, Victor Victoria, The Hour of the Gun, The Children’s Hour, Duel at Diablo and many more – he was nominated for an Oscar for 1985’s Murphy’s Romance and was awarded the Screen Actors Guild’s Life Achievement Award in 2005 – his passing is sad news but thanks to his countless performances on screen James Garner will always be remembered & enjoyed for years to come….
Here’s the latest batch of character posters from Marvel’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – judging by the trailers and the promotional material I’ve seen this looks downright outrageous and could be the film of 2014 – the action looks slick, the characters colorful and the cast assembled appears to be spot on – let’s just hope it delivers….
From the director who brought us Gladiator, Alien and Blade Runner comes a biblical epic set during the times of Moses and Rhamses EXODUS : GODS and KINGS – the film stars Sigourney Weaver, Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley and Aaron Paul and judging by this trailer looks pretty damn mouth watering – after recent dud’s including Prometheus and The Counselor I’m hoping for a return to form from one of cinema’s greatest filmmakers – the movie lands December this year – above are some new stills and here’s the trailer…. Enjoy!
Transformers : Age of Extinction (2014) – Movie Review ★★★★
Director: Michael Bay – Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Titus Welliver, T.J. Miller & Sophia Myles – Synopsis: After the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons that caused chaos and pretty much destroyed Chicago, the human race think that all aliens (autobots included) are a threat. So taking matters into his own hands Harold Atinger (Grammer), a CIA agent establishes a unit who track down these threats and eliminate them. Meanwhile a local robot expert Cade Yeager (Wahlberg) discovers an old truck abandoned at a local run down cinema and upon examining it, he discovers it’s a Transformer and none other than the big dude himself Optimus Prime. This discovery puts Yeager and his daughter at risk when Atinger’s death squad find out Prime’s whereabouts – Verdict: Regardless of what you may think of the guy’s movies (and we all have our opinions) Michael Bay knows how to put bums on seats, his style of direction at times is chaotic but in a good way, he entertains us, fills the screen with huge visuals that not even your dreams can conjure up, his movies are always barrels of fun, full of great looking characters and always set to fabulous music that sets the scene beautifully giving you goosebumps & standing the hairs on the back of your neck vertical – his latest Age of Extinction is no exception, it’s the best in the Transformers franchise and delivers a thrill ride from start to finish – the casting of Mark Wahlberg was a masterstroke, it’s his energy, undoubted action chops and screen presence that gives Age of Extinction the edge over the first 3 in the series, with the right material Wahlberg is one of the screens action giants, his experience also allowed the youngsters Peltz and Reynor to knit well into the film giving great chemistry, both I’m sure will be future stars – Grammer & Welliver are reliable villains and Tucci like he does in every movie steals all the scenes he’s part of – it was also exciting to see the leader of the Dinobots the gigantic Grimlock brought to life, his design simply awesome, the film in 3D was spectacular at times even jaw dropping and unlike many in the last few years it was controlled and not over used – Bay’s use of the low camera shot makes everything onscreen look larger than life, the gorgeous sunsets, the pretty girls with low cut skirts and the robots or aliens he projects all look delicious to the eye – Overall: anyone who don’t enjoy this style of escapism at the cinema obviously don’t enjoy action movies – Age of Extinction is one hell of a ride, it’s what the big screen was made for and thankfully filmmakers like Michael Bay don’t listen to those who slam his every move, he just goes about his business making blockbusters that make dollars for the studio and more importantly making film fans like me excited for his next venture – in my view along with Stephen Spielberg and James Cameron he’s one of the most important directors working in the blockbuster arena today….
3 Days to Kill (2014) – Movie Review ★★★¾
Director: McG – Cast: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen, Richard Sammel, and Eriq Ebouaney– Synopsis: After being told he has months to live, CIA agent Ethan Renner (Costner) decides to quit the agency, mend some bridges and build a closer relationship with his estranged wife and daughter before checking out – but his past wont let go and when’s he’s offered a deal to take an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment Ethan has no choice but to step back into the line of fire and track down the world’s most deady terrorist – Verdict: McG can be quite the filmmaker, he knows how to deliver action to the screen with thunderous results, they’re usually fast flowing, with big set pieces and pretty entertaining affairs such as Charlie’s Angels, Full Throttle and Terminator Salvation – but sadly McG can also direct the odd dud like 2012’s comedy This Means War that had a superb cast but was the worst film by a distance that year and sucked in every department – luckily for us 3 Days to Kill sees the director return to form, it’s smart yet simple script written by the French maestro Luc Besson is played out by a stella cast including the class act that is Kevin Costner, the eye candy Amber Heard and Ender’s Game actress Hailee Steinfeld all giving the movie a solid footing, making the movie enjoyable to watch and bringing believability to their characters and scenarios – I believe most of the outside shots were on location in Paris and Belgrade and this lent to the feel of a European thriller, typical of McG the action scenes are crisp, exciting & at times explosive and the wry humor throughout is delivered with masterclass by Costner who seems to be getting to an age like Eastwood did ten years back where you can see the swagger of an aging acting pro oozing confidence and looking great doing so – yes at times it maybe cliched and predictable, and yes Steinfeld and Heard were underused but Overall I had fun with 3 Days to Kill McG has delivered an energetic action thriller, that’s funny, sentimental and so so enjoyable….
The Raid 2 (2014) – Movie Review ★★★★½
Director: Gareth Evans – Cast: Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsyah, Arifin Putra, Julie Estelle, Alex Abbad, Yayan Ruhian & Oka Antara – Synopsis: Picking right up from the end of the first raid, Rama is forced to go undercover with the thugs of Jakarta to protect his family and bring down the corruption within his police force – Verdict: Filmmaker Gareth Evans and his muse Iko Uwais reunite to bring us another slice of exciting, heart thumping Indonesian action that not only contains some of the most delicious, badass fight scenes ever brought to the screen but is also a rarity in being an action sequel that’s better than it’s original – Evans unique blend of bone crunching, blood splattering action, colorful visuals, fast flowing seamless cinematography along with a well written script that’s more involved, more character driven than the first and all beautifully played out is a just a delight to watch – The Raid 2 is full of grandeur action scenes all of which are pure loco and will blow your mind, from the mud-filled prison fight scenes that’s brutal, breathtaking and epic to watch, to some jaw-dropping set-pieces that include some of the explosive characters in the movie such as the carriage train scene with the delightful hammer girl taking on an army of henchman, Prakoso’s amazing fight in the restaurant and Rama’s duel with The Assassin in the kitchen are exciting, blood soaked and definitely not for the squeamish – Overall: if Gareth Evans The Raid got your attention then this sequel will blow you away – The Raid 2 is a masterpiece of an action film that’s astonishing to watch and unflinching in it’s execution – Evan’s has no equal when it comes to the action arena, his film making style is raw, relentless and incredibly entertaining – I for one can’t wait for the third outing but until then I will dose myself up with my Evans fueled addiction and re-watch both The Raid’s until the day comes when Rama hits our screens once more….
Sadly one of the great method actors of our time has died aged 98 – ELI WALLACH played a huge part in my love for film after watching his performances in such classics such as The Magnificent Seven alongside Yul Bryner, The Misfits opposite Marilyn Monroe & Clarke Gable, How the West Was Won with Lee J. Cobb & co, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly alongside Clint Eastwood, The Hunter with Steve McQueen and so many more – at 98 Eli should be remembered not for awards, accolades or press worthy news clippings but for a body of work full of genuinely great film roles and his last-ability in an industry of much change since making his film debut back in 1956 in Elia Kazan‘s Baby Doll – to say goodbye to one of the screens finest I will leave you with a quote from Sergio Leone‘s 1966 classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly where Eli Wallach played the outlaw Tuco “There are two kinds of people in the world, my friend: Those with a rope around the neck, and the people who have the job of doing the cutting”
Here’s the latest movie posters from the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES remake that stars Megan Fox and William Fichtner – the film looks darker than previous efforts and with Michael Bay’s involvement you can also expect a Transformers vibe too – also we have a banner from Steven Quale‘s disaster flick INTO THE STORM that stars Richard Armitage & Sarah Wayne Callies
Happy 65th Birthday to one of the screen’s great actresses MERYL STREEP – to celebrate I’ve posted this small collage of movie stills of Meryl with some of her leading men, the 6 I felt had that chemistry, that spark, that made that particular movie an incredible viewing experience – amazingly Meryl has been nominated for an an Academy Award more times than any other actor or actress out there – she has won 3 of her 18 Oscar Nominations and has also won 8 of her 28 Golden Globe nominations – next up for Meryl is a small role in Tommy Lee Jones western The Homesman, then playing a Witch in Rob Marshall’s Into the Woods and she has just signed up to play an aging rocker in Diablo Cody‘s Ricky and the Flash – it’s hard to believe that Meryl is 65 today, she still commands the screen churning out incredible performances whilst looking as beautiful and graceful as she did bursting onto our screens back in the late 70’s – once again Happy Birthday Meryl Streep the queen of the screen your truly one of a kind !!
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