Here’s some brand new Character Posters and a TV spot for the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier – the film’s great cast includes Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson – the film is based Two years after the events of The Avengers…. Enjoy!
From filmmaker Jonathan Glazer comes UNDER THE SKIN a haunting tale of an Alien preying on Hitchhikers in Scotland – the film stars Scarlett Johansson and Paul Brannigan and is based around Michel Faber’s novel of the same name – Glazer also brought us the delicious Sexy Beast and the strange yet somewhat wonderful Birth so teaming up with one of my favorite actresses Johansson and with a backdrop that is Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands my anticipation for the movie couldn’t be any higher – here’s the official poster (that is visually stunning), some movie stills and the latest official trailer…. Enjoy!
Under the Skin – US (4th April) – UK (14th March) – Australia (N/A)
GRUDGE MATCH (2014) – Movie Review ★★★½
“I’ll be a fighter. I was born to be a fighter.”
Grudge Match stars Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Kim Basinger, Alan Arkin, Kevin Hart & Jon Bernthal – From Peter Segal the director of 50 First Dates & Get Smart comes a sports comedy following a pair of aging & bitter Boxing rivals that are coaxed out of retirement for one final dance around the ring 30 years after their last match ended in controversy and resentment VERDICT I grew up watching these two acting heavy weight’s in the likes of Rocky and Raging Bull and was captivated by their performance in Copland so when it was announced that Stallone and De Niro would return to the ring and reunite for this movie I was quite excited – I wish I could be as enthusiastic about this review as I was taking my seat at the films recent screening – the film wasn’t as good as I had hoped for, the best bits seemed to have been shown in the trailer and although the onscreen sparring of two of my favorite actors was deliciously fun at times, a mediocre Rothman & Kelleher’s script, the annoying Kevin Hart who’s rubbish in pretty much everything I have seen and a pretty lack luster performance from Kim Basinger only helped the picture in becoming a lightweight affair – Grudge Match is not a bad movie but one that I had high hopes for and although I found myself enjoying certain aspects of the film like the movies many homages to Stallone’s Rocky I still left the theater feeling slightly disappointed – overall if your after a break from the glut of serious & dramatic themed movies of late then Peter Segal’s Grudge Match may be what your after – it’s a far cry from being a knockout but I’m pretty sure you will be entertained and even leave the cinema with a little smile – stay after the credits for a couple of superb outtakes….
Gareth Edward’s latest is a movie remake of GODZILLA that will hit our screen’s in 3D next summer and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche – I got high hopes for this movie as I loved 2010’s Monsters directed by Edwards – here’s the trailer…. enjoy!
Godzilla – US (16th May) – UK (16th May) – Australia (15th May)
Since making his movie debut opposite Barbara Stanwyck in 1946’s The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Kirk Douglas was destined to become a Hollywood Great – in his wonderful career Kirk appeared in over 70 movies, was nominated for 3 Academy Awards and in 1968 was the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award – he appeared alongside his friend Burt Lancaster on 7 different occasions and 3 times alongside John Wayne – some of my favorite movies include: Spartacus, War Wagon, The Vikings, Lust for Life, Ace in the Hole and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral – In my opinion he is the greatest actor of his generation – Happy Birthday 97 year old Kirk Douglas
HER is Written and Directed by Spike Jonze and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara & Olivia Wilde – the movie centers around Theodore (Phoenix) a lonely writer who finds himself in a relationship with a computer operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson – Spike Jonze’s work may not be everybody’s cup of tea but there’s no denying his genius on work such as Adaptation & Being John Malkovich – here’s the final trailer & some new stills for HER…. enjoy!
HER – US (10th January) – UK (24th January) – Australia (N/A)
Who would have imagined from them early days playing characters such as Tallulah in Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone or Iris in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver that this young lady born on this day in 1962 would have become a screen legend and bagged 2 Academy Awards for Best Actress and countless other awards in the process? – It was 12yrs after her brilliant role in Taxi Driver that Jodie Foster delivered one of the best performances of her career as Sarah Tobias who is brutally raped in Kaplan’s The Accused them opening scenes in the bar were pretty horrific, this film sits at number 3 on my Essential Jodie Foster – at number 2 is one of my favorite films of 1997 Robert Zemeckis’s scifi movie Contact starring alongside Matthew McConaughey & William Fichtner – and at number 1 is The Silence of the Lambs playing F.B.I. agent Clarice Starling attempting to catch a serial killer with the help of psychopath Dr. Hannibal Lecter played wonderfully well by Anthony Hopkins, the relationship between Foster & Hopkins is what gave this film it’s bite, them scenes with Clarice trying to gain Lecter’s trust are compelling viewing – the film went on to win the Top 5 Academy Awards – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Screenplay – now I have named my Essential Jodie Foster it’s only fair to mention the one’s that just missed out but still rank high on her CV : i must confess to having a soft spot for the wonderful Maverick (with Mel Gibson) Jodie looked amazing in this movie and the chemistry between the two is beautiful to watch – Catchfire (with Dennis Hopper) this movie usually gets panned but I really enjoyed it, the film was also directed by Hopper – and David Fincher’s 2002 home invasion movie Panic Room (with Kristen Stewart) such a gripping thriller with a wonderful cast and shot by the the master Fincher….
Not many filmmakers have spanned the decades quite like Martin Scorsese, it was the late 80’s that I first watched his classic, gritty drama 1973’s Mean Streets and since then have watched pretty much everything this New Yorker has set to film, from his early collaborations with De Niro and Keitel in the mid 70s early 80s to this centuries dynamic pairing with DiCaprio, Scorsese is truly one of cinema’s finest Movie Directors – he has received 7 Academy Award Nominations for Best Director (winning for 2006’s The Departed) and in 2010 he was given the Cecil B. DeMille Award – below is what we think are his TOP 10 MOVIES Behind the Camera
Our number 1 choice is 1990’s Goodfellas that stars Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci who went on to win an Oscar for his colorful portrayal of Tommy “What do you mean I’m funny?” Devito, the film is the best gangster movie I’ve ever seen and in my opinion the crown jewels on Martin Scorsese’s incredible CV – following close behind is the electric Taxi Driver, the brutal Gangs of the New York and boxing drama Raging Bull – at number 5 is the Howard Hughes tale The Aviator and at number 6 De Niro re-teams with Joe Pesci for the epic mobster, gambling drama Casino – at number 7 is the return of the hustler in 1986’s The Color of Money that’s followed by a trip down the streets of Little Italy in Mean Streets and the uncompromising movie remake of Cape Fear – finally at number 10 sees Daniel Day Lewis in 19th Century New York in The Age of Innocence
Martin Scorsese was born on this day in 1942 in Queens, New York – his latest movie is The Wolf of Wall Street that stars Leonardo DiCaprio and lands Christmas in the US and early next year internationally….
HOW I LIVE NOW – (2013) – Movie Review ★★★¾
Cast – Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, George MacKay and Harley Bird – Based on the award winning novel by Meg Rosoff – Daisy (Ronan) an American is sent to the English countryside to stay with family when a terrorist attack strikes, leaving her and her cousins fighting for survival VERDICT since watching Saoirse Ronan in 2007’s Atonement I have been a big fan, it’s amazing to think she’s only 19yrs of age and has already giving us some pretty impressive performances in films such as The Lovely Bones, Hanna, Violet & Daisy, Byzantium and her latest Kevin Mcdonald’s How I Live Now – a nuclear terrorist attack is hopefully something we never have to go through – the film’s big moment is when the cousins are out swimming and enjoying the countryside, there’s a deathly silence, almost a tremor and then that’s when the ash starts descending down upon them like flurries of snow – they make it back to their cottage and within minutes the electric goes off, their world is about to be turned upside down – Mcdonald captures all of this on film with a certain beauty but still manages to be aggressive with the narrative, the realism and brutality of what’s happened is there for you to see – Saoirse Ronan and young Harley Bird are both superb, the scenes of them on the run, being chased in the woods and that haunting moment at the boys camp are film highlights – overall How I Live Now is a heart wrenching tale of love and war, that’s engrossing, has a superb soundtrack and some young talent that I’m sure will be see in movies for years to come….
Monsters University (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Vocals by Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Joel Murray, Charlie Day, Helen Mirren & Alfred Molina – after a school trip to Monsters Inc. a young monster by the name of Michael “Mike” Wazowski dreams of becoming a Scarer – 11 years later at Monsters University Mike comes across James P. “Sulley” Sullivan – at first the two loathe each other, trying to outdo the other by any means necessary BUT if they are to make their monster dreams a reality and become Scarer’s then they must put aside their dislikes and team up to win the annual “University Scare Games” VERDICT I love the Disney Pixar Universe and Monsters University is one of their best in recent years – it also happens to be their first movie prequel and contains another delicious soundbite by Randy Newman – you will have so much fun watching Mike and Sulley first meet, joining the Oozma Kappa team at the Scare Games and their hilarious encounter with new characters such as Dean Hardscrabble’s evil looking dragon centipede that runs the University – she truly is scary – some of the movies best moments include the scene when Mike & Sulley are chasing down Archie the Pig and of course the Scare Trials towards the end of the movie are so much fun – overall Monsters University is a rare breed, a movie prequel that’s better than it’s original – if you like your animation to be cute, full of smart dialogue and so funny your sides will split then Monsters University is for you!
Runner Runner (2013) – Movie Review ★★★
Stars Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie – A Princeton student (Tiimberlake) gets cheated out of his college savings whilst betting on an online poker game & decides to track down Ivan Block (Affleck) who is the owner of the Online Betting Company to get his money back but instead gets lured into Block’s lifestyle a life of Women, Money & Corruption VERDICT Brad Furman’s movie is pretty predictable – the characters although performed well by Affleck & Timberlake lack any humanity and you feel nothing for either of them – in my opinion the picture should have been more aggressive with a darker tone but instead it ends up being a satisfying yet forgettable slice of cinema – overall I would wait for it’s DVD release and not waste your dollar at the box office…
DARK TOURIST (also known as The Grief Tourist) stars Michael Cudlitz, Melanie Griffith & Pruitt Taylor Vince – Michael Cudlitz from TV’s “Southland” plays Jim a security guard who’s grim & morbid hobby is visiting places that tragedy or disaster has struck, his dark addiction takes him to Louisiana where he connects with a local mass murderer named Carl Marznap… VERDICT Suri Krishnamma’s DARK TOURIST draws obvious inspiration from the likes of as “Taxi Driver” and “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” to deliver a dark, upsetting & at times uncomfortable movie to watch – it’s lead Michael Cudlitz is utterly mesmerising, you watch with wide eyes as his character spirals into an abyss of obsession slowly loosing his grip on reality – along with Cudlitz there’s a small but effective turn by Melanie Griffith who plays Betsy a waitress who befriends Jim whilst serving him at the cafe she works – Krishnamma allows the film’s pace to be deliberately slow at times, this lends to the pictures terrifying nature, and allows the tension to build until its disturbing finale – hats off to all involved especially Cudlitz who deserves all the plaudits! ★★★★
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