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Sad News – the Swedish-Born actress Anita Ekberg has died aged 83 – known primarily for her looks Anita Ekberg could also act winning a Golden Globe in 1956 for Promising Newcomer and wooing Hollywood with some decent performances in movies such as Blood Alley that starred John Wayne, with Audrey Hepburn in 1956’s War & Peace, alongside Bob Hope in Paris Holiday and opposite Jack Palance in 58’s The Man Inside before landing her biggest, most important role in 1960 & making everybody’s heart beat that little quicker in Federico Fellini‘s classic La Dolce Vita that Trevi Fountain scene still iconic to this day – R.I.P. & thanks for the movie memories !
Making a list of 25 movies that I think will rock our screens in 2015 was a lot harder than I thought – in no particular date order here is 25 Badass Movies hitting our screens next year !!
The Revenant sees Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy team up for a revenge thriller set around the early 1800’s directed by Birdman’s Alejandro González Iñárritu – up next Tarantino’s western The Hateful Eight that’s stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson, Channing Tatum & Kurt Russell (you drooling yet?) – anybody looking forward to a new Star Wars adventure? well I certainly am and with filmmaker J.J. Abrams at the helm December 2015 can’t come quick enough – the new remake of Fantastic Four is on my list for two reasons the first it’s directed by Chronicle’s Josh Trank and second it’s cast is pretty darn young Hollywood impressive including Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Toby Kebbell & Jamie Bell – OMG have you seen the trailer for Mad Max Fury Road? well if you haven’t why haven’t you? Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult & Charlize Theron look incredible in George Miller’s latest post apocalyptic Action fest….
Crimson Peak sees Guillermo del Toro explore the gothic horror genre and with a cast that includes Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska it’s already got me shivering with excitment – in 2015 Jason Clarke & Jake Gyllenhaal will be battling the conditions in Baltasar Kormákur‘s Everest – Next September, from the talented filmmaker Scott Cooper comes the true story of Whitey Bulger who became an FBI informant who attempts to take down a Mafia family invading his turf in Black Mass that stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Johnny Depp and Sienna Miller – had enough of Marvel Superhero movies yet? me neither and Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron should be the summer blockbuster of 2015 me thinks – just seen the trailer for the latest Terrence Malick movie Knight of Cups and it looks fantastic, the film includes three powerhouses in Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett & Natalie Portman….
It seems like an age the trailer for Matthew Vaughn‘s spy movie Kingsman: The Secret Service has been sizzling on our screens and finally in February we will be able to feast our eye’s on Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Caine kicking some ass – not heard much about The Martian ? well it’s the latest Ridley Scott movie based around Andy Weir‘s novel of the same name, for me the material has great potential and could be the surprise package of 2015 – any new Robert Zemeckis movie is one to get excited for right? well The Walk looks unbelievable and it’s based on a true story surrounding the infamous attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 by French high-wire artist Philippe Petit – next year’s Criminal is directed by Ariel Vromen (the Iceman) and stars Ryan Reynolds, Gil Gadot, Gary Oldman and Kevin Costner and follows an unpredictable and dangerous convict who has the memories & skills of a deceased CIA agent implanted into him, sounds interesting – next up is the return of Dinosaurs to the big screen in Colin Trevorrow‘s Jurassic World that stars Star Lord aka: Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, early stills and the first teaser has me reminiscing of the Spielberg classic but also looking forward to this new futuristic adventure….
One of 2014’s surprise movies was The Maze Runner based on James Dashner’s dark young adult series so finding out the sequel The Scorch Trials is in production and should hit our screen’s late 2015 made me a pretty happy chappy, the film will see the return of cast members Dylan O’Brien and Kaya Scodelario – next November 007 the man with a license to kill return’s in Spectre from director Sam Mendes and will see new Bondites Monica Bellucci, Christoph Waltz & Léa Seydoux add to the familiar faces of Daniel Craig & Ralph Fiennes – Told from the perspective of Igor, Victor Frankenstein promises a new take on Mary Shelley’s novel that stars Harry Potter aka: Daniel Radcliffe and the brilliant James McAvoy, the script comes from the young Max Landis – next summer Brad Bird’s latest Tomorrowland will finally hit our screens and having seen the teaser trailer & being a big fan of young Britt Robertson I am pretty excited for this picture, expecting big things here – if you’ve watched & loved Rush the formula one movie that was sadly overlooked during the 2013 Award Season, then like me you will be excited by the re-teaming of Filmmaker Ron Howard and his main man Chris Hemsworth for the Moby Dick tale In the Heart of the Sea – any Ron Howard picture is a must see on the biggest screen one can find….
I know what you’ve been thinking not another Terminator movie (yep I thought it too) but having finally got too see the first trailer of Alan Taylor‘s Terminator Genisys I am really excited, how can you not be excited by the return of Schwarzenegger to the franchise and the Game of Thrones beauty Emilia Clarke kicking some Robot’s ass, I mean come on ! – when Neill Blomkamp burst onto our screens and into our movie hearts with the amazing District 9 back in 2009 and then followed it with the all action Scifi movie Elysium in 2013, any film project that involves this talented ballsy South African filmmaker will get my utmost attention and in March his latest film will land, and with it’s story looking frighteningly good and it’s trailer bristling with of all kinds of movie goodness then I think you will agree Chappie should be a must watch in 2015 – although it was sad to see Edgar Wright exit Ant-Man I am still optimistic for a superb big screen adaption of yet another Marvel character and with it’s cast including Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd this could fly under the radar and be a gigANTic hit next summer – I really am a huge fan of British Filmmaker Guy Ritchie but felt he lost his way with the Sherlock sequel Game of Shadows, so when I heard he was bringing the popular TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to our screens I was very excited, firstly I’m a huge fan of the show and secondly the casting of agents Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) is perfect in my opinion – and finally no unmissable list would be complete without the inclusion of Tom Cruise and his latest offering to the Mission Impossible franchise – don’t know a great deal about the movie’s plot except that it’s been filming in Vienna, Austria and London and is being directing by Jack Reacher’s Christopher McQuarrie
So that wraps up My 25 Unmissable Movies of 2015 I’m pretty sure there will be some surprises along the way that may not be listed & some that are here that may prove to be real stinkers – but overall my love for the screen will never waiver, I will keep watching, reviewing and sharing my thought’s with all who will listen – I Love Movies !
The Interview (2014/5) – Movie Review ★★★★
“They Hate us caus they Ain’t-us”
Director: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg – Cast: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang and Charles Rahi Chun – Synopsis: The Interview follows Dave Skylark and Aaron Rapaport as two friends running a TV show in the US called “Skylark Tonight” interviewing celebrities who usually spout trashy & outrageous nonsense – the show somehow manages to catch the eye of a certain North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who as it turns out is big fan of the show and grant the pair a one on one interview, upon hearing of this the CIA recruit Skylark and Rapaport to help assassinate the Korean Leader and that’s when the fun really begins Verdict: as you may know The Interview has become a movie shrouded in controversy, and just like a script from a Hollywood movie it all started with Sony axing the film from its planned Christmas schedule due to hacking threats (possibly the North Koreans?) which immediately saw a whole host of celebrities including George Clooney and the President of the United States taking to social media & many news outlets to decry the decision calling Sony weak and asking them to reconsider – it only took a few days for Sony to capitulate, with the FBI now involved in tracking these hackers a statement was put out that The Interview would return to the festive schedule and be shown in selected cinemas after all ! Overall: As a fan of Rogen and Franco’s style of brainless, moronic, insanely daft humor I had high hopes for this film their latest big screen pairing and by it’s end credits boy was I not disappointed – if you dislike gross-out comedy satires that produce the side splitting laughs but also in turn make you reach for the vomit bag, and your only thinking of watching the film due to the nonsensical over the top attention it’s received then you may want to reconsider – The Interview is made of the blackest of humor, some may even call the film distasteful and maybe it is – but overall it’s a well executed, tongue in cheek comedy that centers around a subject matter that shouldn’t be funny but really is, and that all due to it’s great material, it’s high tempo and a superb cast that includes a delicious turn by Randall Park playing Kim Jong Un who’s not only uncanny in resemblance to the North Korean leader but his camp & creepy portrayal makes his performance one of the true comic highlights of the year – if you have loved Rogen & Franco’s past movie pairings in Neighbors, This Is the End and Pineapple Express then I am pretty confident you will love The Interview it’s a comedy that will tickle you senseless, make your eye’s stream like a river and make your belly bounce till it hurts – the scenes that include that Eminem interview, Rapaport’s insertion, Kim Jong Un’s seduction of Skylark including the basketball come orgy and the tank ride, every moment on screen that included Sook played by the fabulous Diana Bang and each and every Franco smile, grimace and utterly stupid sentence spoken make The Interview one of 2014’s finest comedy achievements and one I can not wait to re-watch !!
Here’s the latest trailer for Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea that stars Chris Hemsworth, Brendan Gleeson, Benjamin Walker, Jordi Molla, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland & Ben Whishaw – the film will make a splash at cinema’s in the UK, USA and Australia between 13th and 19th March 2015…. ENJOY !!
“In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. But that told only half the story. “In the Heart of the Sea” reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down”
There’s always been great movies that have come out of Australia : Walkabout, Picnic at hanging Rock, Mad Max, Gallipoli, Crocodile Dundee, Dead Calm, Romper Stomper, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Tomorrow When the War Began, Animal Kingdom, Wolf Creek, Snowtown & many many more… And in 2014 Australian Cinema has continued its fine tradition of bringing us yet more fresh, well acted, gritty & excitingly told new movies – of course there are so many quality films out there but here’s my 5 must see Aussie flicks of 2014
Still Alice (2014) – Movie Review ★★★★
Director: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland – Cast: Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth & Hunter Parrish – Synopsis: Julianne Moore plays Alice a happily married women living in New York, she has three children and is a well thought of linguistics professor at a local college – one day she starts to forget words, and then gets lost on her daily run – Alice seeks help from a doctor which leads to a devastating diagnosis – Verdict: Glatzer and Westmoreland’s Still Alice is an exceptional analysis of a women’s struggle with a rare illness, it’s an important film that opens your eyes & gives you a glimpse of what the many sufferers of Alzheimer’s go through, yes it’s a subject matter that’s tough to watch but Julianne Moore’s portrayal of Alice who’s suffering the early stages of a rare form of the illness is heartbreaking, unsettling & at times disturbing – as an actress she’s effortless in bringing real emotion to the role – as Alice slowly begins to unravel, you feel her pain, your distraught at her predicament and as her appearance slowly becomes disheveled & her memory deteriorates you kind of feel like one of her loved ones, helpless statue like & frozen in the moment watching and hoping things will improve or at the very least stabilize – one of the most painful scenes in the movie is when Alice is recording a video message for herself to re-watch when her illness finally grabs hold & gets too much & her ability to make simple decisions are made more difficult – Moore captures Alice’s pain, her anguish, and her obvious confusion – Its a remarkable, gutsy display and one of Julianne Moore’s finest to date – although Still Alice’s focal point is Moore’s character the movie also has an excellent turn from Twilight’s Kristen Stewart playing Alice’s daughter Lydia, I couldn’t imagine anyone more suited for this role than Stewart and she excels – Kate Bosworth, Alec Baldwin and Hunter Parrish also add great balance to the film playing members of Alice’s family – Overall: although I felt Still Alice could have done with an extra 30mins run time, the movie is excellent, from it’s droning, depressing score that adds to the films tragic nature, the realism captured by Denis Lenoir cinematography and the deeply moving performance from Julianne Moore – Still Alice is a picture of high intensity that pulls at the heart strings, it’s also a movie that I hope will highlight the illness Alzheimer’s and the struggles that people who has the illness go through….
Here’s 2 brand new movie posters – on the left is the teaser for the 24th James Bond outing titled SPECTRE that sees the return of Daniel Craig as super spy 007 and behind the camera once more Sam Mendes – the confirmed cast also includes Dave Bautista, Léa Seydoux, Monica Belluci and Christoph Waltz excited yet? – on the right hand side the latest reboot of Sci-fi franchise TERMINATOR GENISYS that’s helmed by Alan Taylor (Thor 2) and stars Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke, Spartacus star Jai Courtney and the return of “I’ll be Back” and the man who started it all Arnold Schwarzenegger !!
The Babadook (2014) – Movie Review ★★★★½
“Baba dook dook dook!!!“
Director: Jennifer Kent – Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Lyndall-Knight & Tim Purcell – Synopsis: a single mother, haunted by the death of her husband, battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but she soon discovers an evil presence all around her – Overall: Scary & well acted horror films are quite a rarity these days, sadly we live in a movie world of endless remakes that only a quarter of which are decent and the rest once watched sit gathering dust amongst our film collection’s SO as you can imagine when I came across this film, a horror that felt so personal, so dark and one that left the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention I DECIDED that I should shout the praise to all and sundry, to whomever would listen and most of all to the those who love a good old fashioned scare !! The Babadook starts with a thump, within its first 15mins I was already invested in its characters, I felt for Samuel we’ve all been there scared of the demons in our closet or under our bed – and I sympathized with Amelia Samuel’s mum, tortured by her loss, fighting to keep her own sanity and trying to bring up her son in a somewhat normal existence. Being a big fan of the horror genre and not easily scared by things that go bump in the night I was surprised by how haunting an effect Jennifer Kent’s film-making debut had on me, the story also written by Kent is almost like a ghost story of yesteryear, the majority of which is set inside a creepy house in the suburbs that adds to the movies scare, giving you the sense of confinement, suffocating you, a movie cabin fever that just keeps building, and building and building – of course along with its terrific story, it’s effective Kubrick-esque camerawork & an eerie score that at times would make your heart beat twice as quick – filmmaker Jennifer Kent also had to find an actress that would help bring her creation to life, become this broken women, this mum who would do unspeakable things and in Aussie Essie Davis she found exactly that, if I tell you that Essie Davis delivers the best horror performance for an actress since Shelley Duvall went visiting the Overlook in Kubrick’s The Shining then you know that this performance and this movie is something very special – Essie captures Amelia’s vulnerability, she’s a mother unhinged, you can almost feel her pain & you witness her terror as things really do go bump in the night. The Babadook is a nail biting, pillow hiding, lights on kinda horror that’s very reminiscent of early Polanski with splashes of Hitchcock, Kubrick and the imagination of Roald Dahl thrown in – the use of the illustrated book throughout is a master stroke, it’s images are effective and its words within pretty scary – there are some spoiler scenes throughout the movie that pull at the heart strings and these are only possible due to Kent’s groundwork in building characters you truly care for – I can’t remember many filmmakers making their horror movie debut with such gusto but Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook is up there with the very best of them ! This is one subtle, chilling horror that deserves your attention – just make sure you lock all the doors first….
Here’s some exciting casting just released by Warner Bros for the latest comic to screen adaption SUICIDE SQUAD villains-forced-to-be-heroes from the DC universe – the brilliant David Ayer (Fury & End of Watch) is on directing duties with Rick Flag played by Tom Hardy, Deadshot played by Will Smith, The Joker will be Jared Leto and the gorgeous Margot Robbie is tackling the role of Harley Quinn – also on-board is Jai Courtney as Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress – so what do you guys think?
It will also be interesting to see who Warner Bros get to play Amanda Waller and will Lex Luthor appear in this film as expected? SUICIDE SQUAD no doubt will burn the screens down on August 5th, 2016 – get excited this looks all sorts of delicious fun !!
Excited? Arnie is Back ! Here’s the first Terminator Genisys trailer from the Thor 2 director Alan Taylor that stars Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Matt Smith, Jai Courtney and Arnold Schwarzenegger – if the film is anywhere near as fun as this trailer then we are in for a treat…. Enjoy !!
The Homesman (2014) – Movie Review ★★★★½
“I Wish You Would Say One Kind Word To Me”
Director: Tommy Lee Jones – Cast: Hilary Swank, Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep, Hailee Steinfeld, John Lithgow, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, William Fichtner and James Spader – Synopsis: Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported across the country by Mary Bee Cuddy (Swank), who in turn employs low-life drifter George Briggs (Lee Jones) to assist her – Overall: Hilary Swank gives a towering performance as Mary Bee Cuddy a no-nonsense, independent farmer from Nebraska, Swank manages to humanize her character, capturing her weaknesses, her overwhelming loneliness but also her ability to stand up as equal to the male characters in the movie, it’s Swank who ignites The Homesman it’s a truly remarkable and haunting display that burrows deep beneath your skin – it’s a level of performance I feel that only a handful of today’s actresses could actually pull off – along with starring as the quirky drifter George Briggs Tommy Lee Jones orchestrates masterfully behind the camera delivering us a Grimm, Unusual yet Enthralling Western, it’s a film stacked with brutal realism, a dark subject matter & without being over exploitive it succeeds in shocking & surprising allowing its powerful message to be told with an intelligent hand – The movies stunning cinematography is captured by Rodrigo Prieto (Brokeback Mountain) who brings the vast emptiness of the West alive and adds to the pictures devastating and overall bleak narrative, this combined with Marco Beltrami’s wonderful & at times heart wrenching score, loads of wonderful cameo’s the best being James Spader’s arrogant Irish Hotel Owner unwisely pissing off Briggs being one of the best and possibly one of the craziest (didn’t see that coming) moments in cinematic history makes Tommy Lee Jones The Homesman a must watch and one of the best western’s for many a year !!
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