Though WILLOW (1988) was one of director Ron Howard’s few box-office disappointments, it definitely deserves a second look and you’ll have the opportunity to do so this weekend (May 17th and 18th) when it plays at midnight Friday and Saturday at the Tivoli as part of the Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight series.
At once an epic celebration and a gentle spoof of the sword-and-sorcery genre, WILLOW was a collaborative effort between Howard and George Lucas and the pair threw an eclectic bunch of elements is thrown into the stewing pot – much like what Lucas did with Star Wars. Val Kilmer as the hero looks like Conan the Barbarian but acts like a clumsy Han Solo; the chief Villainess looks like a real-life version of the evil queen in Disney’s Snow White; the chief baddy looks like Darth Vader. Willow is well, a Hobbit.
There are even some fairies like Tinkerbell. The plot involves a mythical messiah who will rid the land of the despotic queen’s rule. All the first-born are summarily killed, except for the messiah-like figure who is set loose in a cane basket to float down a river and . . . well, you’ve got enough unobtrusive Biblical imagery to go around.
Admission is only EIGHT BUCKS!
I won’t be there this weekend doing my trivia/intro thing because I’ll be at Wonderfest in Louisville as a presenter at the Rondo Awards and as the host of the RAY HARRYHAUSEN SUPER-8 TRIBUTE SHOW, but I’ll be back at the Tivoli Memorial Day weekend for the midnight shows of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY…….also….I have a cat named Willow.
Here’s your first look at MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. starring Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson. The one hour drama will air on the ABC network.
Joss Whedon (MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) shows us not all heroes are super with MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fresh from his role in the summer’s box office smash, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) returns to the worldwide law enforcement organization S.H.I.E.L.D. He puts together a small, highly trained, team of Agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown. That team consists of straight arrow Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), an expert in combat and espionage; pilot and martial artist Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen); and brilliant if socially awkward scientists Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). They’ll be joined by civilian new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet).
Prepare for an epic adventure that showcases the hope and wonder of the human spirit. This is a world of Super Heroes, aliens and the unusual – of action, spectacle and world spanning stories. The show will speak to the human condition through the lens of our very human, non-powered S.H.I.E.L.D agents – that together we are greater than we are apart, and that we can make a difference in the world.
Executive Produced and co-written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse, Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), Jeffrey Bell (Angel, Alias) and Jeph Loeb (Smallville, Lost, Heroes) comes Marvel’s first live-action TV series, MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
From the official Facebook page of Andy Serkis (aka Caesar).
Hi there – I thought you might all like to see a shot from the set of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – more to come! #DawnofApes
Twentieth Century Fox announced this week that production had begun on director Matt Reeves’ DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES along with an official synopsis.
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.
Andy Serkis, celebrated for his performance in the last film, reprises his role as Caesar. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES also stars Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Enrique Murciano, Kirk Acevedo and Judy Greer.
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In). The producers are Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Oblivion), Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Tom Hammel (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is executive producing.
Oscar®-winning visual effects house WETA Digital – employing a new generation of the cutting edge performance capture technologies developed for Rise of the Apes and Avatar – will again render photo-realistic, emotionally-engaging apes. The film’s key behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Michael Seresin, production designer James Chinland, and VFX Supervisors Joe Letteri and Dan Lemmon, VFX producers Ryan Stafford, editor Bill Hoy and Stan Salfas, and costume designer Melissa Brunning.
Twentieth Century Fox will release DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES worldwide, July 18, 2014.
Following their successful collaboration on 2 GUNS and LONE SURVIVOR, Foresight Unlimited, Envision Entertainment and Emmett/Furla Films are joining forces to produce the surreal thriller HOTEL 33, starring Oscar®-winning actor Nicolas Cage (LEAVING LAS VEGAS), it was announced today by Foresight CEO Mark Damon and Emmett/Furla’s Randall Emmett.
Foresight Unlimited will handle international sales for HOTEL 33, which will be produced by Randall Emmett and George Furla, and executive produced by Envision Entertainment’s Remington Chase, Stepan Martirosyan and Vitaly Grigoriants, and Foresight’s Mark Damon. Malek Akkad is also an executive producer on the film.
Newcomer Kellie Madison wrote the script and will direct HOTEL 33 which will start production in September 2013.
The film is based on the presumed event surrounding the disappearance of 32 people on the opening night of the Grand Hotel in Williamsport, PA in 1953. While Detective Kaminsky (Nicolas Cage) is investigating the event, four teenagers break into the now-abandoned hotel for a night of festivities. Things soon go awry, and Detective Kaminsky now has to turn his attentions to discovering the mysterious happenings surrounding the strange disappearance of two of the four teenagers.
Open Road Films is distributing the film theatrically in the U.S.
“This is a real-life mystery based on factual events — a frighteningly look at the nature of evil, exploring and revealing timeless truths about the dark side of human nature, fear and the paranormal and will leave audiences shocked and captivated for years to come. It’s going to be fantastic!!!!” said Kellie Madison.
“Up-and-coming talent Kellie Madison has done a wonderful job in giving the script a seriously terrifying tone,” commented Mark Damon. “Nicolas Cage is of course one of the great actors of our time and is perfectly suited to the role of the iconic haunted detective,” he continued.
“This is now the fourth movie Nic and I have worked on together. He is not only a friend but a true talent and I cannot be more excited to be working with him again,” commented Randall Emmett.
Cage’s upcoming films include David Gordon Green’s southern drama JOE based on Larry Brown’s novel and THE FROZEN GROUND to be released by Lionsgate in late 2013.
Kellie Madison wrote the screenplay for Anchor Bay Entertainment’s DEAR MR. GACY starring William Forsythe (“Boardwalk Empire”) and is based on Jason Moss and Jeffrey Kottler’s New York Times Best Selling book “The Last Victim” about Jason’s real-life chilling encounter with infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. HOTEL 33 will be her feature film debut.
What happens to a group of travelers who are in an underground nightclub in Chile when a massive earthquake hits? Hint: Nothing good!
Well, except that it gave me the opportunity to sit down with Eli Roth to talk about his new movie AFTERSHOCK, in which he stars, co-wrote, and produced. I would say that’s a pretty darn good outcome! Check it out below.
In the middle of a night of wild partying, a hapless American tourist (Roth) and his friends are suddenly plunged into a living hell when a powerful earthquake rips through the coastal town of Valparaíso, Chile.
What do you think it is about travel that sets a good tone for a film?
Eli Roth: Well, travel – Everyone has fantasies of traveling. We all want to escape our lives and go somewhere fun. A lot of times we want to go as far away from our lives and comforts as possible, but that also sets up a great horror movie because all the things that are wonderful about travel – the isolation, being in a new place, not knowing anyone – that can all turn against you. Every time I sit down to write a movie I try to write something completely different. I go “Ok, I’ve never done this type of movie before!” and then, after the fact, I realize that every movie is about a bunch of people going to a new place, then something horrible happens… and I don’t try to do that! People say that no matter what you’re making the same movie. No matter how hard you try you are always making the same movie over, and over, and over – on some level. With travel – it’s always fun, when you are watching a movie, to see an exotic location. A lot of people don’t know anything about Chile, or have never been there, or maybe they know it from wine, or maybe they know the miners. That’s what Nicolás López would joke about – “Oh, you think this is the city of God, and we all live in a giant favela.” [laughs]
I went down there to write the movie with him, and it was so beautiful. It’s like being in Santa Barbara. Gorgeous vineyards, and oceans. Santiago is very similar to Los Angeles. It looks like here in Los Feliz. There’s a W Hotel, Starbucks, amazing restaurants… It’s a fantastic city. Valparaíso, where we shot the movie – they allow graffiti to happen so graffiti artists from all over the world have turned this town into a walking museum. It’s crazy. It was a wild experience shooting there. I think travel sets up a great – it’s such a perfect setup for a horror movie. Every one has that experience where they go to a different town and they go to the wrong store, or they say the wrong thing, or they have the wrong encounter – and you just get this feeling of people looking at you – and suddenly it’s terrifying. So, we wanted to make a movie about society, and the fragility of society – and what happens when it all collapses, which is what happened. It all came from real stories of what Nicolás told me it was like that night of the earthquake. We didn’t want to make the serious Oscar version, so we fictionalized the earthquake and the events, but all of the events happened. The friend getting the hand cut off, the speakers crushing people in the clubs, the tsunami, the prison breakouts – all of that really happened that night.
WIth all of those events actually happening, and shooting on the location of the actual earthquake, how was your reception in the town? Especially with the subject matter hitting so close to home?
Eli Roth: People loved it! People love movies, and they knew that it was fiction – but, when we shot the club scene, Lorenza Izzo, who plays Kylie was in the club, and her friend got his hands cut off. She was there when they were trying to find the hands, and she had to run through a plate-glass window. You either had to try to find the hands – and then the aftershocks hit, and they were like “The club is going to collapse! It’s going to collapse!”. Then, the cell phone service went out, so nobody had GPS. Everyone realized that they were so dependent on their phones that they didn’t even know where to go! You couldn’t call the police, you couldn’t call the fire department. When we were shooting that scene, people were covered in dust – and they were saying “This is exactly what it was like!”.
Wow…
Eli Roth: … but they knew we were fictionalizing it, so no one was offended by what we were doing. Nico is such a popular filmmaker down there – people were really excited. They love horror movies down there, so I had a huge, huge fan base in Chile. My films have done very well in Latin America, so people were like “I wanna be covered in blood!” [laughs]. People were excited to be in it. It was fun! It was a great energy.
How does being one of the writers on a film affect your acting approach? Does that give you more of a license to improv or change things around as you go?
Eli Roth: Absolutely! I remember after INGLORIOUS BASTARDS Quentin (Tarantino) said “Now you can write great parts for yourself” and “You’ve proved you can act. You’ve done it alongside the best, and you’ve done it under me.”. I trust Nico so much. Nico, our third writer Guillermo Amoedo, and I had such a great time writing this script – but a lot of the dialogue came from me going there on a location scout, and hanging out with Ariel and Nicolás Martínez, who plays Pollo. Pollo’s his nickname anyway. So, a lot of the dialogue is us just goofing around. We’d go “Oh, that’s really funny. Let’s put that in the movie.” By the time we had the script – it was so fast in the way we shot it, that we really had to be tight. We didn’t have a lot of time for improv, so the improv came in the weeks leading up to the shooting. One of the nice things about being the producer, and the writer with Nico, is that anything we came up with we shot. The whole opening, where we were at the Adidas party – Adidas was actually throwing a party and they were like “Do you want to shoot here?”. We weren’t suppose to start shooting till January 15th, and the party was December 15th, but it’s summertime there. So, I just got on a plane, took the cameras down, and we went in and just improved a whole bunch of stuff – that became the entire opening before the vineyard. That was the fun thing about the way we shot this movie. Nico pioneered shooting on a Canon 7D.
Really? A 7D? That’s impressive!
Eli Roth: It’s amazing what he’s done. He’s a genius! His first movie PROMEDIO ROJO, which is on Netflix – they call it Latin American Pie… He made it when he was 19 years old, and people are looking like him like he’s Robert Rodriguez. It’s so funny, and it’s on Netflix with subtitles. You’ve gotta see it! Then, he made a movie called SANTOS which, at 23, was a huge flop. Everyone was like “Haha. You’re washed up!”.
Nicolás had a show called PILOTO MTV that he dropped out of school at 15 for – because he was writing, directing, producing, and acting in it. It aired after JACKASS. It was a massive hit in Latin America. This is when he was 16 years old! You can look him up on YouTube. Look up PILOTO MTV. You’ll see fat Nicolás López at 16 years old with hair. They’re fucking hilarious! [laughs] I keep telling him he has to subtitle them. They’re so fucking funny! It’s totally ridiculous.
After that he did PROMEDIO ROJO. He was writing for the main newspaper in Santiago when he was 13 years old. He had a column in the main paper. He’s hyper-intelligent. So, after SANTOS failed he buckled down, got sponsor money, and he made this movie FUCK MY LIFE – QUE PENA TU VIDA. He did it for, like, $200,000, and he shot it on a 7D. He sent the footage to Technicolor, and they blew it up. They released it in theaters and it made more money that THE SOCIAL NETWORK and THE HANGOVER PART II. It was a huge hit. So, then was like “You don’t need a film camera anymore. You can shoot a feature film on an SLR. We tried the Canon 5D Mark II. I went down to Chile. We shot tests on it, we blew it up, and it looked like we had shot it on a Luxor 35mm. If you light it right, and put the right lens on it, and you know how to shoot it, it can look like expensive 35mm film. I said “Well, what about shooting on film?” and he said “Dude. My sister watches everything on her iPad. She’s 12. She doesn’t give a fuck. Kids don’t give a fuck.”. Say it’s in theaters. If you’re movie’s a smash hit it’s in theaters for 17 days, and then it’s on iTunes anyway, So, we wanted to make this in a different way. “Let’s shoot a movie in English for the world. Let’s shoot a mainstream genre movie ” and we sold it all over the world. It’s being released theatrically worldwide. In America it’s on 100 screens and on VOD, and iTunes. “Let’s see if that works.” We did the movie for so little. We financed it by pre-selling it to every other country. His movies – QUE PENA TU VIDA (FUCK MY LIFE), QUE PENA TU BODA (FUCK MY WEDDING/MARRIAGE) , and the third QUE PENA TU FAMILIA (FUCK MY FAMILY) I have a cameo in – they’re all on Netflix with subtitles. It’s a great example of how the new generation is making movies. I thought “Ok. Everyone is saying you need ‘this’ camera and you really need to do it ‘that’ way. Let’s go and see if we can pull off a movie on a 5D.” – and that’s how we did it. Part of the fun is that we didn’t use CG. We wanted to make it real. We really wanted to smash the ceilings. We really wanted to destroy the cemetery, and we did! That was one of the nice things about shooting down there. It’s so much cheaper to shoot, and with the 5D we had 5 or 6 cameras covering stuff, we really destroyed stuff. There’s very, very little CG in the movie.
Since you were destroying things, it had to be one shot, right?
Eli Roth: One shot. Destroying that club is one shot. I remember watching them rehearsing, and the ceiling collapsing, and 80 girls in high heels trampling over each other and I said “Wow. I didn’t realize Chile had this many stunt girls!” and Nico goes “Ah! Gringo! Stunt girls? These are extras!”. I was like “Are you serious dude? They could get hurt.” and he goes “Ahhh. Stop being such a Gringo!”. We would just close our eyes, and thank God no one got hurt. I remember firing a blank. There’s a scene where an actor gets shot with a gun, and we have a pregnant woman firing a gun. I said “López, it’s dangerous to shoot a blank at this…” – “Naw… Naw… It’s fine” and Pablo, the AD is like “Ah, here. Point the gun at me.” He points it, and fucking shoots at Pablo, and he’s like “See. I’m fine. All right. Let’s go”. It was that. The way we tested the gun was that the AD stood in front because we had to fire it, and he was like “Ok. We’re good!”.
The best example of Chile is shooting in the cemetery when I’m crushed under a rock. I looked around, and there were skeletons next to me, cracked open tombs, bodies… and I said “Man, the art department did an amazing job!” and he’s like [laughs] “Gringo! Art Department!” and I was like “What?”, and he goes “We haven’t dressed anything! They just opened this for us. It’s been closed since the earthquake.”. There was so much in Chile that was destroyed from the earthquake and wasn’t fixed that, so we could go to locations that were still destroyed, like the cemetery. It’s all real. There was just a piece of concrete on me. That’s it. That was the only dressing,
Not to give anything away, but I’ve always wondered… Is it strange to see yourself tortured, or even killed on film?
Eli Roth: Actors love to see themselves die. They love it. It’s the one thing in our lives that we can never see. Now, you could see your birth. Someone could videotape your birth. You could watch that and go “I don’t really remember that, but that’s what happened.” but our death, we’ll never know. We’ll never know what our death looks like. You’ll never see it. You can watch it, but that moment of dying – you’re never going to see that. So, watching yourself die, and seeing yourself dead is a fantasy that most people have. It’s a morbid curiosity. It’s natural to imagine what your funeral is going to be like. What you’re going to look like as a dead body? What’s going to happen to you after you die? All of the stuff you do – what does it mean? What happens to everything? Does anyone remember you? It’s all ultimately meaningless. Then you’re dead. End of story. Next. Nobody cares. [laughs] So people have a fantasy – for actors- to watch themselves die. People have come up to me and said “I don’t want to be an actor, but I’d love to be killed in one of your movies.” Everybody has that fantasy. As kids, when you’re playing games, when someone shoots you, you go “Aghhhhh” and you play dead. When you try to take the ketchup from the fridge and your sister comes home, and walks into the kitchen to see you playing dead… It’s something that everybody does. It’s a natural curiosity.
So, I got the chance recently to go to the Goretorium.
Eli Roth: You did?
I did. My twin sister and I went for our birthday. It was a great time… which leads me to my next question. I’ve heard rumors that you have dressed up and hidden in your previous haunted houses. Have you, or do you do this in the Goretorium?
Eli Roth: Of course. Any time I’m in Vegas. If I’m there, I’ll jump in and scare people. It’s as thrilling to scare people as it is to be scared.
AFTERSHOCK stars Eli Roth, Andrea Osvárt, Ariel Levy, Nicolas Martinez, Lorenza Izzo, and Natasha Yarovenko, and Selena Gomez.
It’s been two years. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are happily living uneventful lives at home. Tattoos have been lasered off, files purged. The last they heard from disaster-magnet Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), he’d been tossed into a Thai prison and, with him out of the way, the guys have very nearly recovered from their nights prowling the seamy side of Las Vegas in a roofie’d haze, and being kidnapped, shot at, and chased by drug-dealing mobsters in Bangkok.
The only member of the Wolfpack who’s not content is Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Still lacking a sense of purpose, the group’s black sheep has ditched his meds and given in to his natural impulses in a big way—which, for Alan, means no boundaries, no filters and no judgment—until a personal crisis forces him to finally seek the help he needs.
And who better than his three best friends to make sure he takes the first step.
This time, there’s no bachelor party. No wedding. What could possibly go wrong? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.
THE HANGOVER PART III is the epic conclusion to an incomparable odyssey of mayhem and bad decisions, in which the guys must finish what they started by going back to where it all began: Las Vegas.
One way or another… it all ends here.
THE HANGOVER PART III will be in theaters May 23rd.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of THE HANGOVER PART III on May 20that 7:00 PM in St. Louis.
Answer the following question:
In the credits of every film Todd Phillips has directed, the picture is addressed as __________________.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com
3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.
4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
This film is rated R by the MPAA for pervasive language including sexual references, some violence and drug content, and brief graphic nudity.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes THE HANGOVER PART III, the third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ record-shattering comedy trilogy.
THE HANGOVER PART III reunites stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha as Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug. Also returning to the cast are Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow; Heather Graham as Stu’s first wife, Jade; and Jeffrey Tambor as Alan’s father, Sid. Joining the ensemble for the first time is John Goodman, starring as the guys’ new nightmare, Marshall. Todd Phillips directs from a screenplay he wrote with Craig Mazin, who previously collaborated with him on the screenplay for THE HANGOVER PART III. The film is produced by Phillips and Dan Goldberg, with Thomas Tull, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink serving as executive producers.
The film also reunited key members of Todd Phillips’ creative team from the first two films: director of photography Lawrence Sher, editor Debra Neil-Fisher and costume designer Louise Mingenbach. They are joined by production designer Maher Ahmad (“Gangster Squad”) and editor Jeff Groth (“Project X”). The music is composed by Christophe Beck, who created the scores for “The Hangover” and “The Hangover Part II.”
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Green Hat Films Production of a Todd Phillips Movie: THE HANGOVER PART III. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all-stars as the global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent in FAST & FURIOUS 6. Reuniting for their most high-stakes adventure yet, fan favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, John Ortiz, Gal Gadot and Elsa Pataky are joined by badass series newcomers Luke Evans and Gina Carano.
Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian’s (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete.
Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.
Building on the worldwide blockbuster success of Fast Five and taking the action, stunts
and narrative to even greater heights, FAST & FURIOUS 6 sees director Justin Lin back behind the camera for the fourth time. He is supported by longtime producers Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel, who welcome producer Clayton Townsend back to the series.
FAST & FURIOUS 6 opens Friday, May 24th!
Universal Pictures and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of FAST & FURIOUS 6 on May 21stat 7:00 PM in St. Louis.
Answer the following question:
Fast Five’s unexpected take on Dom, Brian and their extended family pulling off a daring multimillion dollar heist with a hardnosed federal agent hot on their trail, was the ultimate thrill ride for audiences in April 2011. The film debuted domestically to $86 million during its opening weekend and set a record best for Universal Pictures.
How much exactly did Dom, Brian and the crew heist?
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com
3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.
4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
FAST & FURIOUS 6 has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language.
Returning to this installment is a talented production crew of series’ architects led by director/executive producer JUSTIN LIN, who has directed the last three films in the Fast & Furious franchise that exploded in global popularity, and producers NEAL H. MORITZ (Fast & Furious series, I Am Legend, R.I.P.D.), Vin Diesel (Fast Five, Fast & Furious, Los Bandoleros) and CLAYTON TOWNSEND (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Bridesmaids, Any Given Sunday). CHRIS MORGAN (Fast Five, Fast & Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wanted, upcoming 47 Ronin) is an executive producer and writes the screenplay based on characters created by GARY SCOTT THOMPSON (The Fast and the Furious).
Also coming back to the franchise is an accomplished behind-the-scenes team, including cinematographer STEPHEN F. WINDON (Fast Five, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), editors CHRISTIAN WAGNER (Fast Five, Fast & Furious, Mission: Impossible II) and KELLY MATSUMOTO (Fast Five, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), costume designer SANJA MILKOVIC HAYS (Fast & Furious series, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) and executive producers AMANDA LEWIS (Fast Five, Fast & Furious) and SAMANTHA VINCENT (Fast Five, Fast & Furious). Production designer JAN ROELFS (47 Ronin, Get Him to the Greek) and composer LUCAS VIDAL (The Raven, The Cold Light of Day) join Lin’s crew for Fast & Furious 6.
Coming to theaters November 8, here’s the first trailer for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning play by Tracy Letts, and directed by John Wells (“Shameless”, THE COMPANY MEN). Stars Meryl Streep as pill-popping matriarch Violet Weston and Julia Roberts as her complicated adult daughter Barbara.
Along with some of the male leads, definite nods for Roberts and Streep. But is there a 4th Oscar in store for Meryl? And does Julia find herself in the Best Supporting category? We’ll know for sure how the Weinstein Company’s film fares when the nominations are announced Thursday, January 16, 2014.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Letts’ play made its Broadway debut in December 2007 after premiering at Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre earlier that year. It continued with a successful international run.
One of the great obstacles for young couples, even in this modern age, is the big meet, or reveal, to the family of the romantic partner. The women are often not “good enough” for Mother’s “perfect son”. And then there’s the woman’s father, armed with withering stares and sometimes physical aggression (as part of protecting “Daddy’s lil’ girl”). Certainly this has been the subject of movie dramas and thrillers, but recently it has become a comedy staple thanks to the box office smash MEET THE PARENTS and its two follow-ups. Well, now movie mogul Tyler Perry is jumping in, this time as producer, and gives us an African-American spin on this awkward part of the mating ritual. It’s time to meet the PEEPLES.
We first meet Wade (Craig Robinson) on the job entertaining and educating preschoolers with song. It’s not quite his dream job, but that’ll come along soon. Right now he’s happy to be sharing a lush NYC apartment with his gorgeous lawyer girlfriend Grace (Kerry Washington). She’s headed out to see her family at their home on the Hamptons this weekend. Wade wants to join her, but Grace insists on going solo. Seems it’s the annual “Moby Dick” festival and she wants to save Wade from the boredom of non-stop Melville readings. After Wade drops Grace off at the jitney bus, he confers with his toy shop/doll doctor brother Chris (Malcom Barrett), and makes a decision. Wade’s got the ring and has been waiting for the right moment to pop the question to Grace. Why not surprise her at the Peeples family home, and propose there. After a long trip, Wade arrives at stately Peeples manor. And the family has no idea who he is. Grace has never mentioned Wade to them. Aaakwaard! Over the course of the tense weekend, Wade works tirelessly to impress them, particularly the stern father Judge Virgil (David Alan Grier), and find the perfect moment to ask Grave that very important question
These fairly uncomfortable situations requires a good cast in order to keep our interest. Luckily the film is anchored by the likable, talented Robinson as the good-natured, put-upon everyman. Here he expands on the persona he’s developed on the big screen (HOT TUB TIME MACHINE) and small (“The Office”). We’re rooting for him even when the script requires him to do some ridiculous things (would his character really prance about in disco diva attire?). It’s easy to see why his Wade would be smitten by Grace when she’s played by the lovely Ms. Washington. Unfortunately this film doesn’t showcase her considerable acting chops as did last year’s DJANGO UNCHAINED or on her hit TV drama “Scandal”. She’s either embarrassed or flustered at Wade’s antics or tis rying to calm down her “daddy”. Said character is a mostly one-note, up-tight stiff , until he needs to soften by the film’s group-hug finale, so it’s not much of a challenge to the comic talents of Grier who dashed off so many characters during his long stint on TV’s “In Living Color”. The Judge is tempered by his more enlightened wife played by S. Epatha Merkerson (forever Reba the mail lady on “Pee Wee’s Playhouse”). She’s warm and nurturing, so it’s no surprise that she needs a little something extra in order to deal with her hubby. Tyler James Williams plays with his “Everybody Hates Chris” TV role as the Peeples kid brother, a braniac who yearns to be a “playa” (and has his own lil’ secret). Too often he’s just required to either fawn over Wade or bounce about in wide-eyed exasperation. Kali Hawk is quite fetching as CNN reporter sis Gloria, but can her folks really be that clueless about her romantic life, especially after spending time with Kimrie Lewis-Davis as her camera-woman “bestie” Meg (my sympathies for an cringe-inducing dinner table aria)? Barrett gives some fast-talking wiseguy charm and energy to Wade’s horndog brother Chris. Icons Diahann Carroll and Melvin Van Peebles appear very briefly for a scene, but don’t have much to do as does SNL vet Ana Gasteyer as the town Mayor (who also has secrets, of course).
First time feature director Tina Gordon Chism does a good job pacing the proceedings based on her own screenplay. The Hamptons locations are quite lovely, but we can’t escape the sitcom feel of the film. It seems as though three or four half hour episodes have been stitched together ( “The Sweatlodge Incident” ” Papa’s Saxophone Gig”, etc.). The same problem befell the PARENTS series as they wore out their multiplex welcome. Too many situations are placed to grab the big laughs with little character consideration (Washington is a schoolgirl outfit is quite, uh, diverting, but would Grace do that mere feet away from the folks?). A scene where Wade encounters several Hamptons ex-beaus of Grace seems very contrived. A romantic encounter that goes quickly to black seems as though the film makers are too concerned about offending anyone. This contributes to the general blandness of the film. If you’re a fan of the actors then you’ll want to take this East Coast trip. Let’s hope much better, original, edgier fare is in their film future.
Warner Bros. Pictures has announced a change of release dates for two of its most-anticipated event films: “All You Need is Kill,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, and “300: Rise of an Empire,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures. The announcement was made by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
“All You Need is Kill” has been moved to the Summer release corridor, opening on June 6, 2014, with select international markets predating the domestic release, starting the weekend of May 30, 2014. The earlier international release date was specifically chosen to put the opening two weeks ahead of the start of the World Cup. The move reflects the studio’s already strong belief in the huge science fiction actioner, which marks the first collaboration between two proven hit-makers, Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman.
The release date of “300: Rise of an Empire,” a new chapter in the epic “300” saga, has moved to March 7, 2014, with international territories opening day-and-date, reflecting the global popularity of the franchise. The first “300,” which was released in March 2007, went on to earn more than $456 million worldwide.
Fellman stated, “We have tremendous confidence in ‘All You Need is Kill’ and view it as a perfect tent pole for the Summer frame, with its combination of great cast, compelling story and tremendous action.”
Fellman also noted, “Moving ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ to March 7 continues in the tradition of the first ‘300,’ and kicks off the Spring movie-going season in epic style. The film is on track to become all that audiences have come to expect from the franchise.”
Kwan Vandenberg said, “We are thrilled about ‘All You Need is Kill’ heating up our Summer `14 slate. It is an action-packed adventure, told by an extraordinary cast, which is sure to have global appeal.
“We are also excited about the continuation of the ‘300’ saga,” Kwan Vandenberg added. “The first ‘300’ movie was a huge success internationally, and the day-and-date release of the new film is a great opportunity to turn its opening into a worldwide event.”
Told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster “300,” this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. “300: Rise of an Empire” pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes, and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present, a Cruel and Unusual Films/Mark Canton/Gianni Nunnari Production, “300: Rise of an Empire.” The action adventure stars Sullivan Stapleton as Themistokles and Eva Green as Artemisia. Lena Headey reprises her starring role from “300” as the Spartan Queen, Gorgo; Hans Matheson stars as Aeskylos; David Wenham returns as Dilios; and Rodrigo Santoro stars again as the Persian King, Xerxes.
The film is directed by Noam Murro, from a screenplay by Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad, based on the graphic novel Xerxes, by Frank Miller. It is produced by Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Bernie Goldmann. Thomas Tull, Frank Miller, Stephen Jones and Jon Jashni serve as executive producers.
Opening in 3D and 2D in select theatres and IMAX on March 7, 2014, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
About “All You Need is Kill”:
Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in “All You Need is Kill,” directed by Doug Liman.
The story unfolds in a near future in which a hive-like alien race, called Mimics, have hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, shredding great cities to rubble and leaving millions of human casualties in their wake. No army in the world can match the speed, brutality or seeming prescience of the weaponized Mimic fighters or their telepathic Alpha commanders. But now the world’s armies have joined forces for a last stand offensive against the alien horde, with no second chances.
The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong and Franz Drameh.
Liman directed the film from a screenplay by Dante W. Harper and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and Christopher McQuarrie, based on the acclaimed novel All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff, Tom Lassally, Jason Hoffs, Gregory S. Jacobs and Jeffrey Silver are the producers. The executive producers are Doug Liman, Dave Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Kim Winther and Tim Lewis serving as co-producers.
“All You Need is Kill” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures. Opening domestically on June 6, 2014, the film will be distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow.
