Tag: Ben Wheatley

MEG 2: THE TRENCH Dives In With The First Trailer

Get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush this summer in “Meg 2: The Trench,” a literally larger-than-life thrill ride that supersizes the 2018 blockbuster and takes the action to higher heights and even greater depths with multiple massive Megs and so much more!

Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time. Immerse yourself in the most electrifying cinematic experience of the year with “Meg 2: The Trench” – where the depths of the ocean are matched only by the heights of sheer, unstoppable excitement!

Warner Bros. Pictures and CMC Pictures present “Meg 2: The Trench,” with Statham and Jing headlining an ensemble cast that also includes Sophia Cai (“The Meg”), Page Kennedy (“The Meg”), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (“Rambo: Last Blood”), Skyler Samuels (“The Gifted”), and Cliff Curtis (“Avatar” franchise).

“Meg 2: The Trench” is directed by Ben Wheatley (“In the Earth,” “Free Fire”), from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber (“The Meg,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”) and Dean Georgaris (“The Meg,” “Lara Croft: Toom Raider – The Cradle of Life”), and a screen story by Dean Georgaris and Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber, based on the novel The Trench by Steve Alten. The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (“The Meg,” “Bumblebee”) and Belle Avery (“The Meg,” “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”), and executive produced by Jason Statham, Cate Adams, Ruigang Li, Catherine Xujun Ying, Wu Jing, E. Bennett Walsh, Erik Howsam, Gerald R. Molen and Randy Greenberg.

Joining director Wheatley behind the camera are director of photography Haris Zambarloukous (“Belfast,” “Murder on the Orient Express”), production designer Chris Lowe (“The Gray Man,” “No Time to Die”) and editor Jonathan Amos (“Baby Driver,” “Paddington 2”). The visual effects supervisor is Pete Bebb (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Inception”), and costume designer is Lindsay Pugh (“The Matrix Resurrections,” “Krypton”). The music is by Harry Gregson-Williams (“The Meg,” “The Martian”).

Warner Bros. Pictures and CMC Pictures present, in association with DF Pictures, a di Bonaventura/Apelles Entertainment, Inc. production, a Ben Wheatley film, “Meg 2: The Trench.” It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in theaters in North America on August 4, 2023 and internationally beginning 02 August 2023.

Watch The Trailer for Ben Wheatley’s IN THE EARTH – In Theaters April 23

Here’s your first look at the brand-new trailer for director Ben Wheatley’s IN THE EARTH.

As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them. IN THE EARTH stars Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires, Reece Shearsmith, John Hollingworth, Mark Monero.

Ben Wheatley’s films have won numerous awards, received international critical acclaim and have been theatrically released globally. Ben’s films include HIGH RISE, SIGHTSEERS, A FIELD IN ENGLAND, KILL LIST while his latest film “Rebecca”, an adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier classic, premiered on Netflix in November 2020. In October 2020 it was announced that the director would helm THE MEG 2 (link)

When asked what inspired the story of IN THE EARTH, Wheatley says, “I wanted to make a film that was contextualized in the moment. Movies I was seeing that had been made but released during the pandemic felt very old-fashioned. No one is talking about what has just happened… Covid is going to mark a generation. It felt like making a film in 1946 and not referencing the fact that everyone had just gone through the second world war. In that retrospect, I wanted to make something that would be immediate. To talk about this moment. I wanted to make something about the experience I was having right now. And I think that is what horror cinema should be. It takes the moment that we are living in and puts it into a genre.”

The film opens in theaters on April 23rd.

Listen To Portishead’s ‘SOS’ Cover From HIGH-RISE Movie Soundtrack

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Playing now in theatres, on Demand, on Amazon Video and on iTunes, watch Portishead’s music video cover of ABBA’s ‘SOS’ as heard in HIGH-RISE.

HIGH-RISE is the latest film by cult British director Ben Wheatley (Kill List, A Field in England), an ambitious adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel of the same name.

The film stars Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss.

HIGH-RISE stars Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Laing, the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class.

Laing quickly settles into high society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother; Wilder (Evans), a charismatic documentarian who lives with his pregnant wife Helen (Moss); and Mr. Royal (Irons), the enigmatic architect who designed the building.

Life seems like paradise to the solitude-seeking Laing. But as power outages become more frequent and building flaws emerge, particularly on the lower floors, the regimented social strata begins to crumble and the building becomes a battlefield in a literal class war.

Read Michael Haffner’s review here.

Watch it at home by clicking HERE.

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Join Tom Hiddleston At The HIGH-RISE In New Trailer

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In his Fantastic Fest 2015 review, Michael Haffner writes HIGH-RISE “is a masterful satire of society’s instinctual lust for depravity.”

This week the clever new trailer for Ben Wheatley’s film came online with the invitation:

“Ever wanted something more? Join us at the high-rise.”

Haffner says of the plot: “Dr. Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) has just moved into a new building designed by architect Anthony Royal (Jeremy Irons) – a wealthy hermit who takes up residence on the top floor of the multi-story building. In fact, the building is situated as such that each floor is a class of their own, going from the lower class on the bottom to the wealthy at the top. As Laing adjusts to life in the high-rise, he becomes more aware of tension between the classes, which ultimately leads to all-out chaos.”

HIGH-RISE also features Sienna Miller, Elisabeth Moss and Luke Evans.

The film will be released in 2016.

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Fantastic Fest 2015: HIGH-RISE – The Review

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What if the party never ends? More importantly, what if the guests actually want to drive themselves to the point of no return? This is one of many ideas that takes up occupancy in Ben Wheatley’s masterful new work. HIGH-RISE is about excess to a crazy level. The characters, situated in their little microcosms on each floor are practically begging for the apocalypse. They are boozing and pushing themselves past the point of depravity because… well… what else is there.? No one wants to return to reality the next morning. When the drinks run dry and the record plays its last tune, do we really want to go back to a sense of normality?

Dr. Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) has just moved into a new building designed by architect Anthony Royal (Jeremy Irons) – a wealthy hermit who takes up residence on the top floor of the multi-story building. In fact, the building is situated as such that each floor is a class of their own, going from the lower class on the bottom to the wealthy at the top. As Laing adjusts to life in the high-rise, he becomes more aware of tension between the classes, which ultimately leads to all-out chaos.

HIGH-RISE presents an unpredictable world. Even though there’s an obvious structure that’s inherent to the building, Ben Wheatley shows that everyone is essentially the same. The base needs and desires of humans are all the same regardless of their social or financial status. Wheatley shows how each class uses sex and alcohol and “the party” as a way to escape the harsh reality of life. What gets darkly funny is how “the party” becomes a status symbol and a way to create a rivalry among groups. Life is a competition, even if it’s something that seems as trivial on the surface as a night of excess. But that is what’s most interesting about J.G. Ballard’s novel and Amy Jump’s script that Ben Wheatley understands: happiness is equated with overindulgence.

Tom Hiddleston delivers a subtly nuance performance. Even when he doesn’t appear to be doing anything, his line delivery or shifts in posture create a character that carries this ensemble film. Elisabeth Moss creates a fragile character that you hope will escape the struggling marriage and lonely life she lives, even though you know that this is a hopeless wish. Who delivers a star-making performance is Luke Evans. His career has consisted of background or supporting characters, and although he plays another supporting character here, he finds a way to stand-out in a considerable way. His journey from the start of the film to the anarchic finale is more moving and tragic than any character in the film. It’s a character that you love to hate, but Evans gives it just enough humanity that Academy voters will be hard-pressed to avoid acknowledging.

Ben Wheatley has a knack for placing the perfect song with a particular scene. This is especially evident in his exceptional prior film SIGHTSEERS. HIGH-RISE is no exception. Pop music from the 1970’s and classical compositions breathe life into the film. But Portishead’s cover of Abba’s “S.O.S” is one of the most memorable musical moments I have seen in a theater this year.

HIGH-RISE can be looked at as a spirtual cousin to Fellini’s LA DOLCE VITA. The elite appear to be asleep in both films in a dream world that is foreign to many. However, Wheatley’s film continues the conversation past the dream state. It shows what happens when they awake from their night of champagne and caviar and how they are supposed to live when the champagne runs out. HIGH-RISE is a masterful satire of society’s instinctual lust for depravity. Made with Kubrick-like precision, HIGH-RISE is an uncompromising look at an apocalyptic dystopia that might be the most relevant and important film of the year.

 

Overall rating: 5 out of 5

 

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