Here’s 3 new international posters for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 courtesy of Marvel and Columbia Pictures – Marc Webb’s sequel that stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan and Paul Giamatti lands this summer….
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – US (2nd May) – UK (18th April) – Australia (17th April)
12 YEARS A SLAVE (2014) – Movie Review ★★★★½
12 Years a Slave stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson and Brad Pitt – Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup a free black man from upstate New York who is tricked by two con men, abducted and sold into slavery and sent to New Orleans – the film is based on a memoir written in 1853 by Northup himself and brought to the screen by the director of Shame Steve McQueen. VERDICT the last time I felt this appalled at the cruelty of my fellow human whilst watching a movie was Spielberg’s Schindler’s List – McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is one of those rare films that through all the heartbreak and unimaginable horror that’s taking place on screen, you find yourself submerged in the characters & unable to avert your eyes from it – unlike Tarantino’s dark humored Django Unchained, McQueen’s movie about American Slavery has nothing to smile about, it’s brutal, uncompromising and delivers an intense powerful history lesson to those who may have forgotten our past – along with a haunting soundtrack by Gladiator’s Hans Zimmer and a well worked script by U-Turn’s John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave is a picture driven by some courageous actors giving staggering performances, the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor playing the lead of Solomon Northup, a family man snatched and sold into slavery, Michael Fassbender who plays Edwin Epps, a cruel plantation owner who whips and sexually abuses his slaves, and Lupita Nyong’o making her feature movie debut playing Patsey – McQueen uses his directing trait of intimate camera shots, taking the viewer as close to the action as possible, you almost feel the blood spraying from the backs of the victims as they are whipped and in some of the movie’s scenes you feel like you’re watching it all in slow motion, the camera pauses almost admiring it’s shot, a fine example of this is when when Northup is hung from a tree, his feet barley touching the floor, everything is going on about him whilst he struggles with every breath to stay alive – it’s great film-making allowing the viewer to feel the intimacy & at times suffocation of that particular scene, a technique all too evident in McQueen’s previous 2 pictures behind the camera – if I was being slightly negative I would have increased the movies run time slightly but overall 12 Years a Slave is Steve McQueen’s masterpiece, a beautifully shot, uncomfortable to watch epic and one that should be watched by all….
SAVING MR. BANKS (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★½
SAVING MR. BANKS stars Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman & Bradley Whitford – Director John Lee Hancock brings us the story of Author P. L. Travers that not only reflects on her childhood spent with a loving, caring but alcoholic father but also looks at the many trials and tribulations filmmaker Walt Disney had in securing the rights to Ms Travers beloved character MARY POPPINS and the process in bringing it all to the screen VERDICT I’ve yet to meet anybody who dislikes Robert Stevenson’s Mary Poppins and watching SAVING MR. BANKS sorted of acted as a behind the scenes glimpse at want went on back in the 60’s of this much loved Disney Classic – Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are both outstanding as Disney & Travers respectively but it’s easy to overlook two other towering performances from Colin Farrell playing the drunk but loving father Travers Goff who you get to meet in various flashback in Australia in the early 1900’s, it’s a deliverance of such a role that makes me believe Farrell is right up their amongst the elite in his field and then there’s Paul Giamatti who plays the delightful Ralph a limousine driver who strikes an unlikely friendship with Travers whilst driving her around LA – Hancock and his team manage to capture the era of the time perfectly, it’s cinematography is delivered with stunning beauty and them familiar, chirpy tunes from 64’s Mary Poppins are introduced throughout the movie and delivered wonderfully well by the Sherman Brothers who are played so so well by Jason Schwartzman & B.J Novak – my favorite scene in the movie has to be Travers singing and dancing along to “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”, it’s pretty emotional and nailed by the cast – overall SAVING MR. BANKS is a delicious feast of family entertainment that will make you look at Mary Poppins in a different way but love it even more….
Like most I first came across the name Mel Gibson back in the 80’s whilst watching the classic movie Mad Max and Its sequel The Road Warrior – after two movies I was already in awe of this actor with his distinct chiseled features, his well formed action physique and his deep piercing blue eyes – you just knew that this actor with a swagger of a more seasoned pro would one day rule the acting boardwalks and that movie greatness was just around the corner. Combining star quality with actual talent is rare amongst the modern crop of Hollywood’s A-List stars but one thing for certain is that Mel Gibson has it in abundance – reminiscence of screen greats of yesteryear Steve McQueen, John Wayne and Kirk Douglas Mel Gibson always manages to fill the screen with this almighty presence, he approaches his work in a very cavalier manner and has this uncanny ability to captivate his audience, whether that be in the action arena or throwing it down on the comedy circuit Mel Gibson has the tools for any occasion.
With the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon film franchises, a Best Director & Best Picture Oscar for 1995’s Brave Heart and his lead starring role in countless other movies throughout the years to only pick 3 of his best most significant films for this post has been beyond difficult – to celebrate his 58th Birthday and my 100th post here’s the Essential Mel Gibson
A deserved mention to notable absentees that are also vintage Mel Gibson – Conspiracy Theory, Mad Max, Maverick, Ransom, Signs, Gallipoli, The Beaver and Tequila Sunrise (and for that matter anything else that Mel Gibson has had a starring role in)
THE SPECTACULAR NOW (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
from the writing team of Neustadter & Weber (500 Days of Summer) and the director of 2012’s Smashed James Ponsoldt comes THE SPECTACULAR NOW with a cast that includes Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winsted and Jennifer Jason Leigh – Sutter (Miles Teller) a popular, party loving high school senior, who may have a slight drinking problem and who’s just split from his longtime girlfriend Cassidy (Brie Larson) discovers there’s more to life than being Mr Popular when he meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley) a nice intelligent girl who has an unusual interest in Manga & Scifi Comics – when Sutter asks Aimee to tutor him one thing leads to another, friendship becomes love interest and Sutter’s philosophy on life starts to change forever VERDICT I think the movie world will be seeing a lot more of Miles Teller the undoubted star of the movie, an actor with bags of charm, charisma and acting talent who rather reminds me of a young John Cusack – his performance in Nicole Kidman’s Rabbit Hole was impressive and in THE SPECTACULAR NOW he is responsible for giving the movie it’s soul, his chemistry with Shailene Woodley throughout the film is compelling, emotional and downright amazing – overall if your looking for a movie to make you think WOW wasn’t that something special! – a movie that you will instantly fall in love with whether it be for it’s story, it’s characters or possibly both then THE SPECTACULAR NOW is one of them movies – it is incredibly beautiful – a unique coming of age drama with a gorgeous cast of young Hollywood accompanied by a magical soundtrack from The Way Way Back‘s Rob Simonsen and a storyline that’s sweet, sensitive and completely inspiring….
OUT OF THE FURNACE (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe & Sam Shepard – When Rodney (Affleck) disappears and the local law doesn’t do enough to find him it’s left to his older brother Russell (Bale) to takes matters into his own hands to find justice VERDICT Scott Cooper’s directorial debut Crazy Heart was a pretty average affair lit up by a fabulous Jeff Bridges performance but his second feature behind the camera OUT OF THE FURNACE is a powerful, mood driven picture set in and around the Blue Collar Rust Belt containing some Cracker Jack performances, a haunting soundtrack but most of all the brutal reality you feel whilst watching these two brothers who have not only combated war & prison but have had to contend with everyday life, struggling by in the gritty harshness of a small steel town – the acting is one of a master class with Christian Bale giving a sublime display of the wiser older sibling, Casey Affleck plays the younger brother visibly damaged by his time in the war who gets sucked into the underground fight scene to settle his debts, it’s a quite heartbreaking performance and easily his best onscreen display since 2010’s The Killer Inside Me and then we have Woody Harrelson playing to perfection the uncompromising, despicable hillbilly drug lord who’s character is such a far cry from that of Haymitch in The Hunger Games – overall from them opening scenes at the drive-in movie theater, the to the dingy underground fight clubs OUT OF THE FURNACE is an underrated, riveting piece of cinema that should not be missed!!!
Two new movie stills have landed – the first showing Ben Affleck in David Fincher’s GONE GIRL “A woman mysteriously disappears on the day of her wedding anniversary” the film is a big screen adaption of Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name and also stars Rosamund Pike & Kim Dickens – the second picture on the right is from the new biopic The Imitation Game about British wartime cryptographer Alan Turing played by Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch and is directed by Norwegian filmmaker Morten Tyldum
DON JON (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, Julianne Moore & Tony Danza – DON JON is written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and follows Jon Martello Jr. (Levitt) an Italian American, a sort of modern day Don Juan who has this list of things he really really cares about: “my body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls, my porn” – and although Jon’s a good looking guy and is actually quite sexually active he also has an addiction he just loves looking at porn on the web and prefers it to actual sex (his words) – on a typical night out with the guys Jon meets Barbara Sugarman (Johansson) and she’s about to change his life forever VERDICT Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s DON JON has the lot, it’s smart, incredibly funny, downright dirty and delivers an important message on how media can be fun but also strangle and be a controlling element in one’s life – due to it’s racy subject matter the film is not for children and can be quite cringe worthy at times with some hilarious American Pie style humor thrown in for good measure – along with fabulous performances from Levitt and the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson DON JON also has some great turns by the movies support cast including – Tony Danza wearing his matching white vest is a dead ringer playing Jon’s dad and the hilarious Brie Larson playing Jon’s sister, only uttering one sentence but is so funny glancing up from the dinner table on occasion, her eye’s rarely leaving her mobile phone (a trait I’m sure is only too true for most teenagers) – overall DON JON is a delight to watch and I’m so pleased that Levitt cast himself in the lead and not Channing Tatum as he originally planned, Levitt just carries the movie with a swagger and is totally more believable playing out some of the movies more personal, fun bit’s such as the confessional, the singing to himself in the car, his relationship with his dad (just like looking in the mirror) and his friendship with Julianne Moore’s character towards the films finale – DON JON is a movie I would highly recommend but it is NOT one for the whole family….
Here’s some new character posters for Noam Murro’s 300 : Rise of an Empire that stars Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson & Rodrigo Santoro – the film follows the Greek general Themistocles as he battles an invading army of Persians under the mortal-turned-god Xerxes – the film will also give us more of insight into the backstory of Xerxes, and how he became “the God King”
300: Rise of an Empire – US (7th March) – UK (7th March) – Australia (6th March)
LEE DANIEL’S THE BUTLER (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast – Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terence Howard, Jane Fonda, Lenny Kravitz and Robin Williams – The true story of Eugene Allen a man who served eight presidents during his time as a butler at the White House, he not only had to bring up a family during the racist trauma that occurred during the 50’s and 60’s but also contended with the civil rights movement, the war of Vietnam and other such events that happened during his lifetime – Eugene Allen’s name was changed in Lee Daniel’s movie to Cecil Gaines – VERDICT Being a big fan of Lee Daniel’s work that have included 2009’s Precious and last years superb The Paperboy I was excited to finally watch his latest movie The Butler – this was a heartbreaking but at times uplifting story of a man’s journey that started as a child working on the cotton fields, witnessing his dad being murdered and his mum raped to his life working in a hotel and then becoming a Butler in the White House – one of the things I love about a Lee Daniel’s picture is that he manages to not only tell a good story, that’s really engaging but his films are often surprisingly funny and are always extremely well acted – The Butler is no exception, there are some gut wrenching moments in the movie with scenes such as the one in the cafe with the black & white segregation areas, the aftermath of the assassination of JFK with his wife Jackie Kennedy sat alone in the White House with her clothes splattered with her husbands blood and the scary scenes of the fire bombing of a bus by the Ku Klux Klan these are all terrifying moments in our history that are captured superbly well by Lee Daniels – I also enjoyed the way Daniel’s showed us through the eye’s of Cecil Gaines each President he had served for, Cusack’s Nixon and Schreiber’s Johnson were my picks but they were all portrayed well, the movie at times reminding me of 94’s Forrest Gump – the performances of Forest Whitaker who played Gaines and his onscreen son played by David Oyelowo contributed greatly to making The Butler such an effective, compelling movie to watch, the relationship between the two often strained with Cecil not understanding his son’s actions until the films finale when he realized that his son was in fact the true hero for fighting for what he believed in and joined him on a protest – overall Lee Daniel’s The Butler is a powerful, moving and at times uplifting picture that deserves your attention – a must watch!!!!
ALAN PARTRIDGE (2013) – Movie Review ★★★¾
Cast – Steve Coogan, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sean Pertwee & Colm Meaney – When DJ Alan Partridge’s radio station is taken over and it’s name is changed, it’s everyman for himself as the threat of job loss looms and one of the DJ’s decides to take matters into his own hands by taking the station hostage VERDICT Alan Partridge is a character portrayed & created by British comedian Steve Coogan and although I have not seen much of the TV show I found myself enjoying Partridge’s big screen outing – yes the script is wafer thin and at times some of the jokes fell flat but more often than not I found myself giggling and squirming at the antics of the staff at Partridge’s Radio Station – some of the best scenes in the movie include moments when our DJ finds himself naked and locked out of the hostage taken Radio Station, the board meeting when Partridge meets the new owners and tries to impress upon them his worth to the company by sacking another staff member and the delightfully funny finale with Coogan and Meaney on the tour bus – overall Alan Partridge is one of the better comedies of 2013 – it’s a character I may consider watching more of in the future and a movie that I would highly recommend….
CLOSED CIRCUIT (2013) – Movie Review ★★★
Cast – Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciaran Hinds, Julia Stiles & Jim Broadbent – the film starts with an explosion in a crowded London market thought to be from a terrorist attack – it’s not long after before the police arrest Farroukh Erdogan as the prime suspect and the mastermind of the attack – Two Lawyers Martin Rose (Bana) and Claudia Simmons-Howe (Hall) who both carry personal baggage of their own are both recruited by the British Attorney General to represent Farroukh in the court of law, but as both lawyers delve deeper into the bombing they discover shocking discoveries and a web of intrigue, secrecy and cold blooded murder VERDICT as terrorism, political & courtroom thrillers go this is a pretty average affair, with some very good actors caught up in a pretty miserably slow-burning storyline that collapses into a heap of tiresome cat & mouse chase scenes with the London backdrop sadly underused – overall Closed Circuit is not the worst movie you will see this year but considering it’s cast, it’s screenplay by the usually reliable Steven Knight (Eastern Promises & Dirty Pretty Things) and a young director in John Crowley who’s directorial credits include the superb 2007 Boy A then you would be right in expecting something more than this average, at times yawn-fest of a movie….
Each year it gets more difficult to name the Top Movies of the year and this year has been the toughest I can remember – having seen hundreds of films in 2013 to finally narrow it down to just 13 was a mammoth task – below I have posted absolutebadasses Top 13 Movies of 2013…. Enjoy!
No. 13 and strangely enough it was also released on Friday 13th is INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 one of the best Horror Sequels in recent years from Horror Maestro James Wan
No. 12 is the Science Fiction Blockbuster ELYSIUM a popcorn munching, thrill ride from one hell of a director and a cast that includes Damon, Foster, Copley and Fichtner
No. 11 is the visually beautiful THE GREAT GATSBY that is given the Baz Luhrmann treatment, with a sparkling cast that is complimented with one of the best Movie Soundtracks of the year
No. 10 is Jeff Nichols’ underrated beauty MUD a film full of majestic cinematography, a wonderful story and an incredible gutsy performance from Texan Matthew McConaughey
No. 9 is Chan-wook Park’s creepy English movie debut STOKER that was written for the screen by Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller and stars Mia Wasikowska & Nicole Kidman
No. 8 is Ben Stiller’s movie remake of THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY the movie is simply the most touching & inspiring film of the year that will make you cry with laughter and leave you bouncing inside
No. 7 is the breathtaking GRAVITY that has to be seen in 3D and on the big screen, the film is directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón and stars Sandra Bullock & George Clooney
No. 6 is Marc Forster’s Zombie flick WORLD WAR Z it’s a hard hitting, fast paced action horror that delivers big time with it’s scares and overall execution – these Zombies makes those from The Walking Dead look like pussies
No. 5 is ONLY GOD FORGIVES an unbelievably atmospheric thriller, with sumptuous use of color, a haunting soundtrack & it’s directed by that Danish mind twister Nicolas Winding Refn
No. 4 is the tense, edge of the seat thriller PRISONERS that left me exhausted and needing a manicure – the film stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal
No. 3 is one of Ron Howard’s finest movies to date RUSH you can almost smell the burning rubber of Hunt’s Mclaren in this incredible cinematic experience based on the formula one rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda
No. 2 returns us to Middle Earth in the second part of Peter Jackson’s majestic Hobbit trilogy in THE HOBBIT : THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG the movie is visually stunning and with it’s 3D element you’re drawn into the world of Tolkien like never before
No. 1 and the Best Movie of 2013 is Guillermo del Toro‘s PACIFIC RIM – it’s one of the most exhilarating, jaw dropping and immensely fun movies for many a year – hats off to Guillermo, I was expecting another Transformers rip-off movie instead I was just blown away – you get so immersed in the action of this scifi flick that it feels like your operating one of those monstrous Jaegers yourself – huge thumbs up and can’t wait for Guillermo to helm a sequel….
“After a stint in prison a street racer who was framed gets the chance to act revenge on the guy who sent him down” – Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul headlines Scott Waugh’s NEED FOR SPEED – from the writer and producer of Underworld comes the Stuart Beattie (Tomorrow, When the War Began) directed fantasy horror film I, FRANKENSTEIN that stars Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy and Yvonne Strahovski – here’s two new movie posters…. Enjoy!
absolutebadasses 