Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Lawrence star in this first clip for Paramount Pictures Mother!
A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (black swan, requiem for a dream), Mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice. (Trailer)
Director Darren Aronofsky’s MOTHER starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeifferwill be in theaters September 15th.
A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.
Check out this terrifying new trailer:
Look for continued coverage of Darren Aronofsky’s MOTHER here at We Are Movie Geeks
Today the world will be taken by storm. Check out the new Official Teaser for GEOSTORM now, in theaters October 20.
After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world’s leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong—the system built to protect the Earth is attacking it, and it’s a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything…and everyone along with it.
Dean Devlin (writer/producer, “Independence Day”) makes his feature film directorial debut with suspense thriller GEOSTORM, starring Gerard Butler (“Olympus Has Fallen,” “300”), Jim Sturgess (“Cloud Atlas”), Abbie Cornish (“Limitless”), Alexandra Maria Lara (“Rush”), Daniel Wu (“The Man with the Iron Fists,” “Warcraft: The Beginning”), with Oscar nominees Ed Harris (“The Hours,” “Apollo 13”) and Andy Garcia (“The Godfather: Part III”).
Butler stars as Jake, a scientist who, along with his brother, Max, played by Sturgess, is tasked with solving the satellite program’s malfunction. Cornish stars as Secret Service agent Sarah Wilson; Lara as Ute Fassbinder, the ISS astronaut who runs the space station; Wu as Cheng, the Hong Kong-based supervisor for the Dutch Boy Program; with Garcia as U.S. President Andrew Palma; and Harris as Secretary of State Leonard Dekkom. The film also stars Adepero Oduye (“The Big Short,” “12 Years a Slave”), Amr Waked (“Lucy,” “Syriana”), Robert Sheehan (“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,” “Season of the Witch”) and Eugenio Derbez (“Instructions Not Included”).
The film, written by Dean Devlin & Paul Guyot, is being produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Devlin, and Skydance’s Dana Goldberg. Herbert W. Gains and Electric Entertainment’s Marc Roskin are the executive producers. Rachel Olschan of Electric Entertainment and Cliff Lanning co-produce.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Roberto Schaefer (“Finding Neverland,” “Quantum of Solace”), production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (“White House Down”), costume designer Susan Matheson (“The Big Short,” “Safehouse”) and VFX supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun (“Clash of the Titans,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still”).
A Warner Bros. Pictures and Skydance presentation, GEOSTORM is a joint venture between Skydance and Electric Entertainment, Inc.
Set to hit theaters October 20, 2017, it will be distributed in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX, by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox have released a new trailer for the Romantic Dramedy RULES DON’T APPLY, written, directed and produced by 15 time Academy Award nominee Warren Beatty.
An aspiring young actress (Lily Collins) and her ambitious young driver (Alden Ehrenreich) struggle hopefully with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire (Warren Beatty), who they work for.
It’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes’ #1 rule: no employee is allowed to have any relationship whatsoever with a contract actress. Hughes’ behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and unexpected ways, and as they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, their values are challenged and their lives are changed.
Watch the trailer now then tune in at 11:30amPT/2:30pmET for a Reddit AMA with Director Warren Beatty.
The film stars Alec Baldwin, Annette Bening, Haley Bennett, Candice Bergen, Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, Lily Collins, Steve Coogan, Alden Ehrenreich, Taissa Farmiga, Ed Harris, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt and Martin Sheen.
RULES DON’T APPLY opens in theaters everywhere November 23, 2016.
Legendary filmmaker Warren Beatty stars as Howard Hughes in RULES DON’T APPLY, which Beatty wrote, directed and produced. Photo Credit: Francois Duhamel.
Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox have released the trailer for the upcoming dramedy RULES DON’T APPLY, written, directed and produced by 15 time Academy Award nominee Warren Beatty (HEAVEN CAN WAIT, REDS).
Opening in theaters on November 23rd, the movie stars Alec Baldwin, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Haley Bennett, Candice Bergen, Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, Lily Collins, Steve Coogan, Alden Ehrenreich, Taissa Farmiga, Ed Harris, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt and Martin Sheen.
An aspiring young actress (Lily Collins) and her ambitious young driver (Alden Ehrenreich) struggle hopefully with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire (Warren Beatty), who they work for.
It’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes’ #1 rule: no employee is allowed to have any relationship whatsoever with a contract actress.
Hughes’ behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and unexpected ways, and as they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, their values are challenged and their lives are changed.
“Franco and Harris are blistering as a father and son confronting their past.”— says Dan Callahan of The Wrap on the new thriller THE ADDERALL DIARIES.
THE ADDERALL DIARIES is A Twisted Journey Through Sex, Drugs, and Lies that Unfolds on Blu-ray™ and DVD on July 5 from Lionsgate
Follow a troubled author’s journey to uncover the truth of his past in the sexy, gritty film The Adderall Diaries, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD July 5 from Lionsgate. Theatrically released by A24, the film stars Academy Award® nominee James Franco (Best Actor, 127 Hours, 2010), four-time Academy Award® nominee Ed Harris (Best Supporting Actor, Apollo 13, 1995), Amber Heard (The Danish Girl), with Cynthia Nixon (HBO’s “Sex and the City”), and Golden Globe® winner Christian Slater (TV’s “Mr. Robot”). Nominated for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival, The Adderall Diaries is written and directed by Pamela Romanowsky (The Color of Time) and executive produced by Robert Redford (A Walk in the Woods). Oscar® nominee James Franco is riveting as a famous but troubled author whose fascination with a high-profile murder case brings his own dark past into focus. Based on the best-selling book by Stephen Elliott,The Adderall Diaries follows one man’s desperate journey through sex, drugs, and lies as he tries to separate fact from fiction and ignite a life-changing romance. Ed Harris and Amber Heard costar in this gritty story about the shocking discoveries that lie beneath the truth.
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The home entertainment release of The Adderall Diaries includes audio commentary with the director, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and deleted scenes. The Adderall Diaries will be available on Blu-ray and DVD for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.
BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary with Director Pamela Romanowsky
“The Adderall Diaries: A Director’s Perspective” Featurette
“Live from New York, it’s the Tribeca Film Festival.”
I’m sure that is how some people’s coverage of this year’s TFF started off. It makes sense considering the opening night film was a documentary about Saturday Night Live! Plus, some writers can’t help but resort to puns and cheap gimmicks to appear witty. Hell, I used it and haven’t even seen the film yet. But my TriBeCa experience didn’t start off with belly laughs. Instead it began with a double feature of films about shitty parents.
THE ADDERALL DIARIES stars James Franco as an author struggling with writer’s block, which could be the inspiration for my deconstruction of an opening to this recap. The film is based on the memoir of the same title by Stephen Elliott. Franco’s version of Elliott deals with drug addiction (mostly Adderall), a BDSM fetish that could ruin a burgeoning relationship, and a haunting past retold through fractured memories. The acting is solid but the story is just too disjointed to truly feel invested in any of these characters.
Throughout the film we are consistently told (mostly by Stephen himself) that he has struggled his whole life. From our perspective it seems everything is simply handed to him. When we first meet Stephen he gets an amazing book deal, the idea for his next novel falls into his lap, and shortly after so does Amber Heard. It is Stephen’s self-destructive tendencies that mess it all up but we are unsympathetic because we don’t really know who he is. We are given a superficial glimpse but it is revealed early on that Stephen is an unreliable narrator.
Regardless of its shortcoming, there are still some great moments in the film, mostly those that involve Stephen’s best friend Roger (Jim Parrack). He adds some levity to the film but also acts as a realistic wake up call for Stephen. Regardless of which flashbacks actually are true, we see that Stephen and Roger came from the same place but their lives diverged on two very different paths. The always fantastic Ed Harris also gives another great performance as Stephen’s father, who may or may not be the monster he initially appears. The editing of the film also deserves credit for making the narrative much more interesting to watch than the story should allow.
Out of a curiosity, I read an article about the memoir while waiting for my second screening. This definitely appears to be a case where the source material is far better than what it inspired. I would recommend fans of Stephen Elliott check out the film since they will likely be able to connect more of the pieces than someone unfamiliar with the book. For everyone else, the film feels like a less intelligent and far more Americanized version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The film is enjoyable in its own way but it is frustrating to think how much better it could have been…
GRANDMA
Paul Weitz will always have a special place in my heart for his hugely influential directorial debut, American Pie. While he does not sport a spotless filmography, he does impress with films like About A Boy and the highly underrated In Good Company. (I’d also like to make a special mention to the even more underrated TV show Off Centre, which I couldn’t help but mention during an interview with Sean Maguire a few years back.) While GRANDMA doesn’t stack quite as high as those other films in my book, it is definitely close. This may be Weitz’s most intimate film to date but that also lends itself to an annoying problem. While the characters are vibrant and it is easy to invest in the story, at times the film can feel too small for its own good.
A pregnant teenage girl and her eccentric grandmother drive around town trying to scrounge up $630 to pay for her abortion appointment later in the day. There are many scenes that are funny, moving and at times both. While the premise is fine, there really is no sense of urgency motivating the picture. The grandmother is cash poor but explains that she has checks coming in the following week that would cover the procedure. Why not wait? Because morning sickness is starting to kick in. That is the sole reasoning behind the events that unfold. There are other examples of weak motivations and unexplored routes that held me back from really loving the film.
Getting past nitpicks, GRANDMA really does have a lot going for it. Namely, Lily Tomlin. Her name is sure to come up during Awards season this year and not just because Sony has already made it clear they plan a big push. This really is her film and she shines throughout. Tomlin owns the role expertly pulling off the hip granny routine without ever feeling like a shtick. That is actually her car they spend much of the runtime driving around in which speaks volumes for how much she put into this film. While it likely will not end up as one of my favorites of the festival, GRANDMA is definitely one to check out when it gets a wider release.
“Launch Control this is Houston. We are GO for launch.”
A harrowing moment in human history became an exhilarating cinematic event two decades ago when acclaimed director Ron Howard chronicled NASA’s tense 1970 lunar mission crisis in the Oscar-nominated film Apollo 13.
To NASA enthusiasts and Saturn V rocket experts, the launch sequence, along with James Horner’s emotional score, is the greatest in movie history.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the unforgettable tale of courage and conviction with Apollo 13: 20th Anniversary Edition, coming to Blu-ray and Digital HD on June 2, 2015.
Newly restored and remastered using the original high-resolution 35mm film elements, the commemorative edition comes with an array of bonus features including “Apollo 13: Twenty Years Later,” an all-new retrospective featuring exclusive interviews with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.
The restored version of Apollo 13 premieres on March 27 at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood. NASA astronaut Captain James Lovell, the real-life subject of the film, will be on hand for the 20th Anniversary world premiere restoration.
Nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture, Apollo 13 is the inspiring and riveting story of the space flight that gripped the nation and changed the world. Although it had been less than a year since man first walked on the moon, as far as the American public was concerned, Apollo 13 was just another “routine” space flight — until these infamous words pierced the immense void of space: “Houston, we have a problem.”
Apollo 13: 20th Anniversary Edition stars Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan and Ed Harris in the story of NASA’s epic operation to save the lives of three astronauts battling to survive an ill-fated mission to the moon.
Bonus Features:
Apollo 13: Twenty Years Later: A Conversation with Director Ron Howard and Producer Brian Grazer
Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13
Conquering Space: The Moon and Beyond
Lucky 13: The Astronaut’s Story
U-Control: The Apollo Era
U-Control: Tech-Splanations
Feature Commentary with director Ron Howard
Feature Commentary with Jim and Marilyn Lovell
FILMMAKERS Cast:Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan Directed By:Ron Howard Written By:William Broyles Jr., Al Reinert From the Book By:Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger Produced By: Brian Grazer Executive Produced By:Todd Hallowell Director of Photography:Dean Cundey Production Designer:Michael Corenblith Edited By:Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill Costume Designer:Rita Ryack Music By:James Horner
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY: Street Date:June 2, 2015 Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Selection Numbers: 61168453/61168448 Running Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes Layers: BD-50 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Rating: PG for language and emotional intensity Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby 2.0; French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Brazilian Portuguese DTS Digital Surround 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Swedish, Danish Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian and Brazilian Portuguese Subtitles
Opening in theaters on Friday, March 13th is RUN ALL NIGHT. The action thriller stars Oscar nominees Liam Neeson and Ed Harris and is directed of Jaume Collet-Serra (NON-STOP).
Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective (Vincent D’Onofrio) who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy’s only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass.
But when Jimmy’s estranged son, Mike (Joel Kinnaman), becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. With Mike on the run, Jimmy’s only penance for his past mistakes may be to keep his son from the same fate Jimmy is certain he’ll face himself…at the wrong end of a gun. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy just has one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.
RUN ALL NIGHT also stars Nick Nolte, Bruce McGill, Genesis Rodriguez and Oscar winner Common.
The film’s score is from Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producer and composer Junkie XL (Tom Holkenborg).
He previously scored 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE and his additional works include Robert Luketic’s PARANOIA and the young adult film DIVERGENT, based on Veronica’s Roth’s successful trilogy.
The foundation for this new career path was laid in his native Holland, where he created multiple film scores. Earlier in his composing career, Junkie XL also provided music for such films as “Bandslam,” “DOA: Dead or Alive,” “The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury,” “The Animatrix” and “Resident Evil.”
He later continued to grow under mentorships with celebrated composers like Harry Gregson-Williams, on the films DOMINO and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, and Klaus Badelt on CATWOMAN. From there, Junkie XL formed a highly successful association with Hans Zimmer. They have collaborated on films including the 2013 blockbuster MAN OF STEEL, Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, the MADAGASCAR films, MEGAMIND and INCEPTION.
Junkie XL’s music accompanies the night’s journey with Jimmy and Shawn facing the ultimate sacrifice for their sons.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for the tapestry of family conflict in movies, especially if you can wrap it up in a little bit of action, and I believe this movie has all of that,” says Liam Neeson.
Collet-Serra notes, “I think if audiences come for the action, they’ll get hooked in by the emotion, and they’ll enjoy quite a ride.”
In my recent interview with the composer,Junkie XL and I discussed his latest score as well as his upcoming music for some of the most anticipated films in 2015 and 2016.
Warning: Movie plot SPOILERS ahead.
WAMG: Where’d the name Junkie XL come from?
Junkie XL: From my teens, because I was spending too much time listening to music, playing drums or on the guitar. The XL I added later which stands for Expanding Limits.
WAMG: I was wondering how one goes from Tom to Junkie XL.
Junkie XL: You don’t get born a Junkie, you become a Junkie.
WAMG: Director Jaume Collet-Serra said, “It was very important that with a movie called ‘Run All Night,’ we don’t just run from Brooklyn to Queens. You want to run through all of New York. We made a big effort to go into Manhattan several times, as well as Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. We really shot almost everywhere.”
Audiences haven’t seen an action movie like RUN ALL NIGHT in some time. Your score doesn’t overpower the chase scenes.
Junkie XL: When I saw the movie the first time, I thought the more interesting part to tell was not necessarily the action but the story of two dads having a troubled relationship and the two sons. When I started writing the music for the movie, they were actually very emotional themes. The movie opens with that, the movie ends with it – ultimately you need some big action music every now and then. When you have 15 helicopters over a building with a 150 FBI agents looking for two guys, you really can’t score that with a piano and a flute.
There were a lot of moments where I basically advised the director not to use music at all. The chase scene through New York City between the cop car and Liam Neeson, I said let’s basically go back to some really cool chase scenes that we have in the 70’s with just the sounds of bullets like in THE FRENCH CONNECTION – let’s not use music at all.
Another scene where Liam Neeson chases Ed Harris through the train tracks. It was another spot that I wanted to go scoreless and only go with some cool sound effects. Have the music start once Harris’s character is killed.
I think it’s an interesting movie too like you said. There’s not really an action movie at this point that does it like this and there’s some really proper acting in it. My favorite scene is in the restaurant during the conversation between Ed Harris and Liam Neeson. It was another example where I said we don’t need music here – just let the actors act.
WAMG: Fans of this genre will appreciate your themes for Jimmy and Shawn Maguire and as well as Jimmy and his son, Mike. Both are very subtle moments of your score.
Junkie XL: There are two main themes – one is for Jimmy and one is for Shawn. Then it gets sprinkled down to their sons. The theme for Michael is very much related to Jimmy, while the theme for Danny is very much related to his dad Shawn. It seems to make a lot of sense to have just those two. In a movie like this you could go with almost too many themes and then it becomes cluttered. I wanted to make it very clear what the intention is and what these characters are going through.
WAMG: The movie is about surviving the night, but it’s also about redemption.
Junkie XL: The movie is totally about redemption and the most beautiful part of the theme that I hint at, at the beginning, comes at the very end when Liam Neeson’s character dies and his hand falls to the right that we see the card with all the names of the people he’s killed. Plus his son Michael and the FBI agent need redemption too, so at the very end everyone finds some kind of peace. That’s why I took the thematic material from Jimmy and Michael and turned it into a warm, fuzzy motif because at that point in his life he’s fine where he is, and he got to have that moment with his dad. Jimmy’s only got one shot at redemption, at having his son not hate him anymore.
WAMG: How much of the movie did you see or even know about before composing the score?
Junkie XL: They waited quite a long time and I got in really late in the mix. I received a call somewhere in November from Darren Higman (Vice President of Music at Warner Bros.) and he said that the movie would be opening up soon and would I be interested. I said yes. He then asked if I could write a small demo theme of a couple of minutes that could help convince the director that I was the right guy.
He then told me the story of the film and I was so inspired that I wrote twenty minutes of music. I went to Warner Brothers where I saw the film, and realized the music I wrote would fit perfectly with it and then went back and wrote another 35 minutes of music. I ended up having 55 minutes of a sketchbook.
I met the director for the first time and handed him 55 minutes of music for the film. He listened to the whole thing and Collet-Serra said, “this is like the story of the movie!” He called me back later that night and said it was perfect and exactly what he was looking for.
After I got the job, we started turning it into cues and we only ended up having two meetings about the music because he was so convinced because I got what the movie needed. That’s a very important task for a composer to take that kind of stress off the director. They have a lot of things on their mind and by making a sketchbook of the music, that’s one less thing for them to worry about.
WAMG: The interesting transitions of jumping from one part of the city to the next through visual effects are very compelling. Did you see that before you started composing?
Junkie XL: That was as we went. When I saw the movie for the first time, it didn’t have those shots. At that specific point, the movie was testing so well with audiences, they were able to add those clever special effects. I think it’s important to the story because it shows the audience what’s going on in different parts of the city and correlates to the previous scene. The violence in the film is very personal – it’s not just a bunch of random shootings with people dropping like flies. The music didn’t need to be big during those scenes and it needed to feel personal.
The score gets the biggest halfway through the film when Jimmy and Michael are stuck inside the apartment building with the hired killer (played by Common) and the police are surrounding them, that’s where the music gets really big. It’s also the moment in the film where if they can’t make it through here, there’s not going to be a future to begin with. After that scene, it kind of mellows down again and the violence becomes personal again to the one on one situation. I thought it was great to score that scene really big then go back to small.
WAMG: Nick Nolte’s unexpected cameo is pretty cool. The music is very gritty like the classic hit man films of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Junkie XL: I’ve been doing a lot of research on these older movies. I went as far back as “Le professionnel” with Jean-Paul Belmondo with a score from Ennio Morricone, or even THE GODFATHER – all these movies were scored with a very emotional theme. We’re talking about a modern 2015 movie and it’s hard to make films for a big audience where there’s mostly no music and just music only where it counts.
Unfortunately that’s not the case and people want to be thrilled constantly, but I do feel RUN ALL NIGHT has a high level of 70’s quality to it and how it’s composed. Plus, how it looks and how it sounds – the sound effects are not overpowering either which is usually the case in an action movie. It’s nice for a composer to fill the blanks with music that tells the story, especially on this film. It was great to make music that was actually going to be heard.
WAMG: You covered the gamut of instruments for the score. What was your go-to instruments for the score?
Junkie XL: The signature instrument for Liam’s character was the piano. The signature instrument for Shawn (Ed Harris) was a solo cello. I used a distinct signature rhythm especially for Mr. Price (Common), the hired hitman.
Then I used a lot of unique sound designs from voices and choirs that I recorded a long time ago which was a very signature sound along with synthesizers and certain melodies and harmonies.
WAMG: What other film scores are you composing for?
Junkie XL: I’m going to be writing two during the rest of the year.
I’m starting on the reboot of POINT BREAK. That movie comes out in December so I have some time still.
I’m also working on BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE which I will be doing with Hans Zimmer. He will do Superman and I will do Batman. We did MAN OF STEEL together, plus MADAGASCAR 3 and MEGAMIND. We have a track record of collaboration.
My score is finished for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. It comes out in May, and while I can’t say too much on that, the movie is spectacular.
The RUN ALL NIGHT original motion picture soundtrack is available now from Water Tower Music.
It would appear that Liam Neeson is continuing his Charles Bronson-esque revenge spree with RUN ALL NIGHT. After countless of films that are all marketed in the same style as TAKEN and its sequels, you might be surprised to hear that this new genre exercise is more than just a run and gun thriller. In fact, thanks to a script that lends the occasionally exhaustive action some deeper meaning, RUN ALL NIGHT is one of the best films Liam Neeson has done in years. Now if only Jaume Collet-Serra was as interested in highlighting the drama as much as all the running around, we might have more than just a “good” action marathon.
Neeson plays former hitman and now current alcoholic Jimmy Conlon. Years ago he became notorious in the New York crime scene for his skills of disposing targets. His former boss Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) has also now moved on in an attempt to escape his past. Unfortunately neither of their sons has forgotten the lives the two men once led. Conlon’s son Mike (Joel Kinnaman) still carries resentment for his father’s actions, while Maguire’s son Danny (Boyd Holbrook) thinks he can follow in his father’s footsteps by making shady drug deals with the Albanians. One violent evening that leads to Jimmy killing his old boss’s son takes an even more violent turn once Jimmy and Mike have to go on the run to escape Shawn’s thugs as well as a New York City police department led by a vengeful detective (Vincent D’Onofrio).
The film spends very little time before getting into the action. Once it starts there’s not a brake pedal in site. Car chases through NYC streets lead to foot chases through subway platforms, to an all out messy brawl in a seedy public bathroom. At times you get the feeling the editing is choppy in order to hide Neeson’s lack of agility and old age. Other times the action really lights up the screen. A chase later on through a low-income housing complex is particularly well done even if it is a smidge fantastical. When a hired assassin played by Common gets half his face practically melted off and yet continues to fight, you kind of have to grin and roll with the punches.
Like I previously alluded to, for a “Liam Neeson shoot-em-up” there’s a lot more going on in between the consecutive action sequences. The script by Brad Ingelsby isn’t overly deep but provides a proper set-up for the story of fathers and sons and the sins of their past. Ingelsby previously penned the script for OUT OF THE FURNACE – another film about tough guys and the tough decisions they make – he has a knack for cracking through a character’s hard outer shell and digging into their emotional core. What could’ve been just stereotypical rough and tough guys actually feel like vulnerable characters filled with regret and pain. Ed Harris is fantastic as an aging criminal who carries a heavy heart and Liam Neeson looks especially tired and regretful, even when he’s not hitting the bottle hard. You have two sons, one who is trying to father follow their father’s footsteps while the other is trying to abandon everything related to his father. The rocky tension between Neeson and Kinnaman actually works and adds a level of uncertainty to how things will end up.
Collet-Sera sets up a few intimate scenes in cramped quarters using close-ups to highlight the immediacy of the dialogue. Early on there’s a moment between Harris and Neeson upstairs in a darkened room that delves into their past while giving the audience a bit of foreshadowing. Later on there’s a tender moment between Neeson and Kinnaman in a car as they discuss the family that the son has tried to distance from his father. If only Collet-Sera would let some of these scenes breathe just a little longer they might have made more of an impact. Instead, in no time we are off to the next explosion or headshot without letting these scenes build enough to make much of an impact.
Some of his stylistic choices also left me confused. An attempt to link different parts of the city through intense zoom-outs and zoom-ins to other locations felt gimmicky. These dynamic cross-fades or transitions felt like something out of a modern videogame than a hard-boiled 70’s action film that it strives to be the majority of the time. The emphasis on darkened rooms and shadows is equally as distracting. I understand that the film takes place at night, but throwing the idea of lighting design out the window in favor of “gritty” darkness does nothing but take away from the intensity and performances of the scene.
RUN ALL NIGHT is indeed a non-stop (the title of the director’s previous Neeson entry) rush that lives up to the title. Fans of genre cinema will appreciate this R-rated Neeson flick complete with a burning building, a frenetic car chase, and a bloody shoot-out in a bar set to The Pogues “Fairytale of New York.” Of course, this is another example of Liam Neeson killing dangerous evildoers that are probably half his age in order to save a loved one from peril, but goddamnit if he doesn’t do so with such conviction. While most of his films lately seem to be about how many baddies he can disperse in 90 minutes time, at least here we have some deeper issues at play not unlike what we saw him cope with in the underrated THE GREY. There’s nothing necessarily new to see in RUN ALL NIGHT, but at least there’s some passion to the performances and script – even if the director and producers are more interested in Neeson simply playing his strong and silent hero role.
Overall rating: 3 out of 5
RUN ALL NIGHT opens in theaters everywhere March 13, 2015
