Oscar nominee Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”) directs Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Dune,” the big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestseller of the same name.
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
The film is slated to be released in select theaters in 2D and 3D and IMAX and on HBO Max on October 22, 2021 and will be available on HBO Max’s Ad-Free plan in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos (English Only) on supported devices for 31 days from theatrical release.
Check out the brand-new trailer.
DUNE will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival out-of-competition on September 3 and will screen as a World Exclusive IMAX Special Event at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film stars Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name,” “Little Women”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”), Oscar Isaac (the “Star Wars” franchise) Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Milk,” “Avengers: Infinity War”), Stellan Skarsgård (HBO’s “Chernobyl,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Avengers: Endgame”), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences,” “Lady Bird”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” HBO’s “Euphoria”), Chang Chen (“Mr. Long,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), David Dastmalchian (“Blade Runner 2049,” “The Dark Knight”), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Netflix’s “Sex Education”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), with Jason Momoa (“Aquaman,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Skyfall”).
Villeneuve directed “Dune” from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth based on the novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert. Villeneuve also produced the film with Mary Parent, Cale Boyter and Joe Caracciolo, Jr. The executive producers are Tanya Lapointe, Joshua Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Jon Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert.
Behind the scenes, Villeneuve reteamed with two-time Oscar-nominated production designer Patrice Vermette (“Arrival,” “Sicario,” “The Young Victoria”), two-time Oscar-nominated editor Joe Walker (“Blade Runner 2049,” “Arrival,” “12 Years a Slave”), two-time Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert (“First Man,” “Blade Runner 2049”), and Oscar-winning special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer (“Blade Runner 2049”). He also collaborated for the first time with Oscar-nominated director of photography Greig Fraser (“Lion,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”); three-time Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (“The Revenant,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Quills”) and co-costume designer Bob Morgan; and stunt coordinator Tom Struthers (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Inception”).
Oscar-winning and multiple Oscar-nominated composer Hans Zimmer (“Blade Runner 2049,” “Inception,” “Gladiator,” “The Lion King”) is creating the score.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present a Legendary Pictures Production, a Film by Denis Villeneuve, “Dune.”
The film has been rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material.
From the studio that brought you Anastasia and Ever After comes a fairy tale that doesn’t go by the book. Everyone’s favorite disreputable Super Hero returns with a twist on Deadpool 2 that the whole gang can enjoy. Watch Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) as he teams up with Domino (Zazie Beet), Cable (Josh Brolin) and the rest of the X-Force to prove that family is not an F-word. With over 20 minutes of new footage and jam-packed with surprises, you’ll wonder why the fudge they even bothered with the original version.
Not only does Once Upon a Deadpool help you deliver on that pesky New Year’s Resolution to spend more time with your family, you can also feel all warm and fuzzy about the fact that Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will be donating $1 from every Blu-ray™ Purchase or Digital Buy or Rent from January 1 to January 28, 2019 to Fudge Cancer (US only. Minimum donation of $100,000). Fox also donated $1 for each ticket purchased during the film’s festive theatrical release.
Once Upon a Deadpool is currently available on Digital with Movies Anywhere, as well as on Blu-ray.
“Sicario” means a hitman in Mexico, and the U.S.-Mexico border is the setting for the violent thriller SICARIO 2 DAY OF THE SOLDADO. In the original 2015 film SICARIO, a local policewoman played by Emily Blunt teams with a federal agent (Josh Brolin) and his hired Mexican hitman (Benicio Del Toro) to assassinate a Mexican drug lord, in an effort to gain control of the cartels. In SICARIO 2 DAY OF THE SOLDADO, the federal government is worried that drug cartels’ new lucrative business, trafficking people illegally over the U.S.- Mexico border, now includes terrorists and Brolin and Del Toro take on a new mission to disrupt that trade by starting a war between the cartels.
Like most sequels, DAY OF THE SOLDADO is not nearly as good as the original, although it is still better than many other action thrillers out there. To its credit, one does not have to have seen the first one to follow the story, and the sequel does retain some creative elements from the first one, not just Brolin and Del Toro in the cast but scriptwriter Taylor Sheridan. However, while the first film was dark, it balanced its bleak amoral aspects with Blunt’s morally upright character. The sequel is much darker and unrelentingly so, with little to no light and dark moral balance.
In the sequel, evidence that links a terrorist bombing with a Muslim extremist who crossed the Mexico – U.S. border sparks alarm in Homeland Security, which turns to the CIA for help. Noting that the Mexican drug cartels have taken over human trafficking over the border, CIA agent Matt Graver (Brolin) recommends a mission to start a war between drug lords to disrupt the trafficking. Homeland Security’s (Catherine Keener) is assigned to oversee the joint mission with Graver and Alejandro (Del Toro), a one-time Mexican lawyer turned hitman after a drug lord killed his family. The plan is to kidnap the 16-year-old daughter (Isabela Moner) of a drug kingpin and pin the blame on another drug lord.
The original SICARIO had some heavy hitters involved, and not just in the cast. That film was directed by Denis Villeneuve, who also helmed BLADE RUNNER 2049 and ARRIVAL, and it featured cinematography by the great Roger Deakins, who shot numerous Cohen brothers films as well as BLADE RUNNER 2049. It starred Blunt as an idealistic policewoman, along with her partner, played by GET OUT’s Daniel Kaluuya, assigned to partner with the CIA’s Brolin and Del Toro. The script was by Taylor Sheridan, who was nominated for an Oscar for HELL OR HIGH WATER, and had a strikingly eerie score by the late Johann Johannsson (ARRIVAL, PRISONERS, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING).
The sequel retains some elements of SICARIO. Brolin and Del Toro return as the same characters but not Blunt or Kaluuya. Director Villeneuve is replaced by Stefano Sollima. Deakins is gone too, replaced by cinematographer Dariusz Wolski. But scriptwriter Taylor Sheridan returns and some of Johannsson’s unsettling but effective, percussive music is included in the score by Hildur Gudnadottir.
The film is relentlessly dark, much more so than the first one, and the plot does not work out as neatly as in the first one. The original SICARIO have a dark and light moral contrast that this one lacks. Director Sollima does a serviceable job of creating suspense, and even terror, in this bloody thriller. But the lack of something to balance the amoral characters makes the story feel unbalanced. Actually there is some attempt to create that contrast, with some supporting characters – the kidnapped girl, a boy in Texas being recruited as a coyote, a deaf Mexican family man, and even twinges of conscience from both Brolin’s and Del Toro’s characters, with references to the hitman’s tragic past. But the lack of a strong counterbalancing character, like Emily Blunt played in the original, is felt sharply. The cast does have one major woman character, played by Catherine Keener, but she is in the same amoral vein as the other characters, and even more so. Isabela Moner, as the kidnapped girl, understandably spends most of her time just terrified.
To its credit, DAY OF THE SOLDADO does not try to repeat the first film as so many sequels do. It is its own story. Besides Brolin, Del Toro and Keener in lead roles, the sequel’s other strength is writer Sheridan. But even his script has some problems. The mission does not work out as cleanly as in the first one, which is OK, but not all that happens makes sense and the characters do not always act in a way that is internally consistent. The action is good if very violent, and the story and pacing are edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, but the ending is not very satisfying and the last scene seems a bit tacked on, mostly there to set up another film.
SICARIO 2 DAY OF THE SOLDADO is a good if dark, brutal action thriller set in the violent world of drug cartels and paramilitary missions but it is nowhere near as good as the first one. Hopefully, the next one will bring back some of the light and dark contrast of the first one, maybe even Emily Blunt’s character, as a counterweight to all the collateral damage.
So despite their breaking all sorts of box office records, are you feeling the slightest twinge of Superhero fatigue? Well, what’s the perfect cure for that ailment? Why another superhero flick, of course. And a Marvel one at that. But there’s a big difference, a twist that sets this flick apart. You see, it’s not a Marvel Studios production, like BLACK PANTHER and his Avengers pals. This movie’s part of the licensing deal between Marvel and Fox that began with 2000’s X-MEN, which “spun-off” three solo Wolverine features, along with the 2016 surprise smash that showcased this hero (mmm, maybe anti-hero, or quasi-hero is more apt). That entry also broke new ground, by taking its comics-based subject out of “family friendly” PG-13 territory (sure the BLADE went there first, but they’re closer to the horror genre), and going full “R” for raunch and racy, which may have inspired last year’s reported final Wolverine flick, LOGAN, to do the same. With this character the “R” could stand for “rib-tickling”, raucous, and ribald since he mocks all in sight, deflating and denouncing all the overused clichés of big budget “super spectacles”. That “merc with a mouth” makes a most welcome return to the multiplexes in DEADPOOL 2.
Hmmm, when we revisit Deadpool AKA Wade Williams (Ryan Reynolds), he’s in anything but a jovial mood. Down right dour and depressed is more like it. The film then flashes back to happier times, just after we left him at the end of his first flick. Wade’s still a killer for hire, though he seems to be going after evil arms dealers and drug kingpins in the Far East. When his red and black suit is stitched and his wounds healed, he returns to the dingy but cozy flat in NYC he shares with his adored girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Actually they want to kick the relationship up a couple of notches, but God (and screenwriters) laugh at future plans, which are uttered just as Wade’s work follows him home. Flash forward as he’s rescued from his funk by old pal, the steel-covered X-Man Collossus (Stefan Kapicic). After Wade heals up at the Xavier School, he decides that this loner should join the group and thus he becomes an “X-Man in-training”. They’re called into action when a teenage mutant named Russell AKA Firefist (Julian Dennison) is threatening to destroy an orphanage for gifted kids called the Essex School. Of course, Wade makes a seriously “bad call” which prompts the feds to ship him and the kid off to an arctic detention center nicknamed “the Icebox” (think of that prison where the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY met, but on this planet). That place becomes more dangerous when a heavily armed soldier from the future named Cable (Josh Brolin) arrives, hellbent on killing the lad. When Wade comes to Russell’s aid, he and Cable make it out of the center just as the warden decides to transport Firefist and several other dangerous mutants to another locale via a truck convoy. To stop Cable, Wade enlists the help of other mutants, forming the “X-Force” team. But can they save the kid before the time traveling super soldier changes the future? And more importantly, what will become of Deadpool’s ceramic unicorn collection?
Once again Reynolds confirms that Deadpool was the role he was born to play. His leading man looks obscured by the full face mask and further hidden by the disease ravaged make-up, Mr. R bounces from the corners of the big screen, blasting the baddies with bullets and “burns”, wielding wisecracks as razor-sharp as his pair of swords. he not only breaks that fourth wall, he vaporizes it with riotous remarks on action thrillers, superheroes, and just general movie clichés and conventions. Reynolds is an expert in motor-mouthed joke delivery, but he also shows us that this mad maniac mix of Bugs Bunny, Groucho Marx, and the genie from Disney’s ALADDIN has a heart that can be broken, despite his mutant healing abilities. Silly slapstick, and whipsmart witticisms make this role the perfect showcase for Ryan’s considerable talents. His opposite may be Brolin as the humorless “man on a mission”, a terrific parody of the standard action hero straight from a toy developer (a holdover from that 20-year-old Joe Dante gem SMALL SOLDIERS). He’s a superb straight man who smoulders with agitation over Wade’s antics. Another sparring partner is the compelling Zazie Beetz as the “wild card ” member of X-Force, Domino. Brimming with confidence, she delights getting under Wade’s skin (or jumpsuit) with her belief that having good luck is indeed a super power. Kudos to Dennison, so wonderful in the recent HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, who brings out the nurturing almost parental side of Wade, as the (really) hotheaded Russell, full of swagger and snark. Once again Baccarin is a slinky, sultry muse for our hero. And great laughs are provided by returning cast mates T.J. Miller as the unreliable Weasel, Karan Soni as the eager, energetic “wheel man” Dopinder, Leslie Uggams as the no-nonsense Blind Al, and newcomer Rob Delaney (of Amazon’s “Catastrophe”) as Peter, a really schlubby average Joe who thinks X-Force is a good career choice, despite having no enhanced skills.
Fresh from last year’s surprise hit ATOMIC BLONDE, director David Leitch effortlessly slips into the “driver’s seat’, for this frenetic follow-up (guess we can safely label this a “franchise”). He keeps the story barreling down the road, navigating the big action stunts with more gags than several recent comedies, and never slows down (I might have missed some of the jokes, since the audience laughter was longer than the film makers anticipated). Of course Leitch had a wonderful map to guide him in a script supplied by returning writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, now joined by a most promising newcomer…Ryan Reynolds. Once again, there’s a fantastic opening title sequence, this time zeroing in on the “sexy” Bond titles, along with inspired cameos, and some hysterical mid-end credits scenes (truly worth delaying the rest room run). I don’t want to spoil the many unexpected moments, so I’ll simply say that if you liked the first one, you’ll like this one, too. The laughs are truly “superhero-sized” in the enormously entertaining DEADPOOL 2. Way to go Wade, you ‘wascal!
Wow. Ten years. Really? Must be since they incorporated the fact into their logo, so it’s gotta’ be true. So, time really zips by when you’re having fun. And fun is the often overused word when it comes to the prolific (19 and counting) output of Marvel Studios. Like many great achievements, people scoffed at first. That comic book juggernaut, nicknamed the “House of Ideas” by Stan “the man” Lee decades ago, thought the best way to bring their big staple of characters and properties to cinemas would be to make the films themselves. Or at least they’d make sure their beloved heroes would be portrayed with respect to the source material, and would delight their millions of fans across the globe. That scoffing came from movie reporters and analysts who thought this was pure folly. After all, Marvel’s biggest stars, the X-Men and Spider-Man, were off-limits, since their cinematic exploits were licensed to Fox and Sony, respectively. Plus the subject of their first film was Iron Man, a “B-lister”, and the star was an actor whose career had seen better days, Robert Downey Jr. ( the punchline for many late night talk show hosts). I wonder how those nay-sayers enjoyed their “humble pie” (à la mode, perhaps). All the Marvel Studios films have opened at number one with most in the top ten box office “grossers” of their release years (and a few like MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS and now BLACK PANTHER in the all time top ten). As “Phase Three” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU) comes to a close, multiplexes will be packed once more to experience the longest, most ambitious, character-filled superhero epic yet. Face front (toward the screen, true believers) for AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.
This will be one of the toughest review to write, since I’ve got to avoid all the delights and surprises in store. Talk about “walking on eggshells”! Well, I’m not giving too much away by saying that the film begins soon after the end of last year’s THOR: RAGNAROK, when the starship carrying the last survivors of Asgard, guided by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), encounters a massive space vessel. As suspected, it is the battle cruiser of the mad Titan Thanos (voice and motion-capture by Josh Brolin). He and his aides, which he refers to as his “children”, are looking for several “infinity stones” which, when inserted into slots in a gauntlet (or glove for reg’lar folks), will make Thanos all-powerful and nearly unstoppable as he brings “order” to the cosmos. After a brief battle, the master sends his kids off to acquire the other gems. One duo takes a smaller ship to NYC to grab one that is guarded and worn by the sorcerer supreme, Dr, Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) as the center of the “eye of Agamotto”. Luckily for the doc, he is joined in battle by his trusted aide Wong (Benedict Wong), along with Tony Stark AKA Iron Man (Downey), his apprentice/intern Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and a frustrated Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), whose “performance issues” thwart his AKA. Another Thanos pair goes after the stone imbedded in the forehead of the “synthoid” called the Vision (Paul Bettany) who is hiding out with Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson) in Scotland, after breaking out of a maxium security facility at the end of 2016’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. But where are the other wanted ex-Avengers: Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), the Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson)? Meanwhile, in the deep reaches of space, the sextet of the stars, the Guardians of the Galaxy, literally bumps into Thor. When the Asgardian tells them of Thanos’s plans, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who was raised by the Titan as his adopted daughter, knows that her “pop” is headed to the planet Knowhere. Thor hops in a pod ship along with Rocket Racoon (Voice of Bradley Cooper) and teenage Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) and speeds off to the planet of a weapons maker, while Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) pilots the main ship, the Milano to help Gamora, Drax (Dave Bautista),and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) take on the mad Titan. After many fights and escapes, all the heroes gather their forces inone location, the country of Wakanda, and fight to save the universe alongside King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Steve’s old pal James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan). But is Thanos too mighty for the “Earth’s mightiest heroes”?
Looks like there’s no egg-shell pieces between my toes, so let’s get into some specifics. Hey, how about this cast? Of course most of the ensemble have played these characters many times, so it’s often like slipping on an old comfortable pair of slippers (for Downey it’s seven features and a cameo as Stark, for Evans as good ole’ Cap it’s five and two). Despite the horde of heroes, some actors are given the time to show us a different side to them. Downey’s still got the genius swagger, though it’s tempered with a mounting, sweating anxiety. He’s a man who now seems to be living the nightmares that have plagued his nights for years (at least six). Cumberbatch is exuding more confidence, along with a different swagger, as the wondrous wizard, using the skill and courage from the last act of his solo flick. Same’s true for Holland, who, in this film’s final moments, reminds us that Peter is still a sensitive young lad (still a lot of boy in the Spider-Man). The film’s romantic heart, in addition to Quill and Gamora, is the unique romance between the Vision and the Scarlett Witch. Bettany’s artificial man is more caring and compassionate than most men made of flesh and blood. It’s a wonder that the longing looks from the formidable Olsen don’t melt his circuitry. As mentioned, there’s lots of heat on that space ship, but it’s mixed with dread. Saldana must finally confront her past, knowing that she may be consumed by it. Her later scenes with Thanos allow her to really flex her dramatic chops. Special mention should be made of Ruffalo who balances pure fright and comic frustration with supreme skill.
And in the opposite corner (from the good guys), is a villain every bit worthy of this wave of wonder men and women. Thanos is a true marvel, expertly crafted by an army of incredibly talented craftspeople and artists (and certainly “leagues” beyond another “baddie” from last year’s multi-hero flick from the “Distinguished Competition”). This seven foot purple-hued behemoth has real weight and brawn (we can imagine the planets buckle beneath his boots) as he swats away his foes as though they were annoying gnats. Yes, he looks like a monster, but his humanity breaks through, thinks in large part to the excellent work of Brolin. We see the unpredictable brutality, the amused glint in his eye before delivering a fatal blow. But in the later scenes and flashbacks the brute displays a tenderness and an aching, regretful sorrow. Andy Serkis has cultivated a reputation for being the premiere motion capture actor in his work as Gollum and Caesar (from the PLANET OF THE APES series). Brolin’s Thanos is a most worthy successor. As for his “children”, Carrie Coon intimidates as the towering dark-eyed Amazon-like Proxima Midnight. And Tom Vaughn-Lawlor is pure smirking, sinister savagery as the effete telekinetic Ebony Maw. Oh, and I don’t want to leave out the always superb Peter Dinklage as …oops, don’t want to give that away…it’s one of the film’s most delightful surprises.
Thanos as drawn by his creator Jim Starlin
And what one director could keep all these “plates spinning”? Well. there’s two men keeping this entertainment express on track, the Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony. Here they’re building on the terrific work they accomplished in the last two Captain America films. We know they can map out those multi-hero battles, but they somehow pace (really it just zips along) the story to allow for many intimate sequences, truly fleshing out the drama and bringing the laughs (don’t be put off by the somber marketing, the jokes are there). The Russos are the first film makers since the talented James Gunn to work with the Guardians, who pivot seamlessly from last year’s VOLUME 2 (it helps that Gunn’s one of the executive producers). Somehow everyone gets a moment to shine (amazing, even though this is the longest MCU flick at two and a half hours). Much of the credit there must also go to another impressive team: screenwriters Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely (this is their fifth MCU effort). As I said, they haven’t neglected the humor, an element essential to the Marvel franchises (other comic book flicks are finally wiseing up to this), but this is darker story than we’ve really seen before. Sure, the Earth’s been in real jeopardy, but with the fearsome Thanos and company at play, we get that it’s for “all the marbles”. The scars, physical and psychological, may never fully heal. That’s even reflected in the incredible score from prolific film composer Alan Silvestri. The biggest “game changer” may be the last act which, the producers have been fairly upfront about this, has an EMPIRE STRIKES BACK feel. The studio’s detracters can’t complain about them sticking with a tried (or trite) and true formula. It’s big, but never bloated. More importantly it makes us eager to see the Marvel-ous movies that will follow the truly epic AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Nuff said!
(l to r) Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan and Benicio Del Toro in SICARIO: Day of the Soldado
Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin star in the upcoming SICARIO: Day of the Soldado, watch the all-new trailer now.
In SICARIO: Day of the Soldado, the series begins a new chapter. In the drug war, there are no rules – and as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to escalate the war in nefarious ways. Alejandro kidnaps the kingpin’s daughter to inflame the conflict – but when the girl is seen as collateral damage, her fate will come between the two men as they question everything they are fighting for.
Get your popcorn ready, the film opens this summer on June 29th.
In SICARIO 2: SOLDADO, the drug war on the US–Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) reteams with the mercurial Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro).
Directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan (SICARIO, WIND RIVER and HELL OR HIGH WATER), watch the new trailer now.
In the 2015 film, FBI Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited by a shadowy government official to join an inter-agency task force to apprehend a Mexican cartel leader. Guided by a consultant with a suspicious agenda and a tendency to use brutal tactics, Kate embarks on a mission that forces her to question her idealism and leaves her unsure who she can trust.
At Oscars 2016, SICARIO, directed by Denis Villeneuve, saw three nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Sound Editing. This was the thirteenth Academy Award nomination for Roger Deakins, the second Academy Award nomination for Jóhann Jóhannsson and the eighth Academy Award nomination for Alan Robert Murray. It garnered no wins at the 88th Oscars.
Here’s yet another “inspired by true events” film , just in time for the somber Fall season. Somber, the right word for this one. Unlike this weekend’s other non-fiction flicks, it’s set in the not too distant past, not decades ago, but in this decade, the 2010’s. It concerns a group of men who regularly risk their lives, and often make the ultimate sacrifice, in order to protect their fellow men. And it shines a light on the families that must stay behind and hope that all goes well. You may be thinking that’s it’s another those on the front line, our soldiers overseas sagas as in the films THE HURT LOCKER and AMERICAN SNIPER. Well, these heroes aren’t on foreign soil, though they are on the front line, one made of flame. And with their special clothing and gear ,they could be mistaken for soldiers. Rather they are firefighters, but they aren’t roaring down the street on a fire truck, dalmatian in tow, ready to climb the ladder to a “towering inferno”. These guys fight the fires that consume forests, hoping to stop their journey before the flames reach the towns and cities. Such is the mission of the Granite Mountain Hotshots from the Prescott Arizona Fire Department. ONLY THE BRAVE fill their ranks.
Nearly ten years ago, Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) bolts upright in bed after a nightmare. It’s the usual scenario that involves a charging bear on fire, an “ursine torch”. For his wife, horse trainer Amanda (Jennifer Connelly), this is fairly common. He then leaves for work as the captain to a squad of firefighters, a hand crew that goes into to stop wildfires, who report to the Fire Chief Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges). They do the “grunt ” work and the prep for nearby towns. But Marsh wants his crew to become officially accredited by the state of Arizona, to become “hotshots”. But he needs to beef up their ranks, so he begins interviews and try outs. One hopeful is Brendan McDononugh (Miles Teller), a directionless twenty-something who retreated to the bottle and the bong after flunking out of some training courses. He’s just found out that a former fling is pregnant with his child, which spurs him to get his “act” together. After surviving an arduous hike, Marsh decides to take a chance on Brendan. As the months past, he rises to the challenge and even bonds with a former tormentor, Christopher (Taylor Kitsch). Eventually the team earns their accreditation, and Eric dubs them the Granite Mountain Hotshots. They become a proficient, well-oiled machine, starting controlled fires to stop the approaching flames while digging trenches to contain the spread. This leads up to a fateful day in June of 2013 when the Hotshots are called in to stop a lightning fire at Yarnell Hill. This routine assignment soon becomes a desperate fight for survival.
With his squinty gaze and stern growl, Brolin is a leader of men in the Clint Eastwood/ Kurt Russell mold (almost a brother to Kurt’s DEEPWATER HORIZON role). He’s tough, but he’s got a soft spot for lost causes, which would aptly describe Teller’s Brendan when we first meet him. Much like his roles in WHIPLASH and BLEED FOR THIS, Teller’s Brendan is another fella’ full of determination, though here we see a bit of his tender side as he tries to be a good father to his unexpected arrival. And there’s quite a father/son bond between his character and Marsh (we never see Brendan’s pop, only his ma’). The mother to all the crew may be Connelly’s Amanda who goes toe-to-toe with Eric while fighting despair as he trudges off in his gear, perhaps never to return. I suppose this would make Bridges the grandfather-figure, full of support and encouragement, trying to calm Eric’s frustrations. And Bridges gets to indulge in the drawling, “chaw-filled”, jaw-jutting delivery that we’ve seen many, many times ( TRUE GRIT, HELL OR HIGH WATER, R.I.P.D). His anchor at home is the criminally underused Andie MacDowell, so fiesty and funny (and sexy) in MAGIC MIKE XXL, but here regulated to comforting Connelly and being a sounding board for Bridges. Among the assorted fire house “beefcake”, James Badge Dale is a most able second-in command, while Kitsch as plenty a good ole’ boy charisma as the “heart of gold” Christopher.
The fire fighting profession hasn’t been exploited often by the movies, despite the compelling cinematic nature of the raging flames, here a destructive charging beast. Of course, film buffs will harken back to Ron Howard’s BACKDRAFT (though there’s no arson mystery here) or that all-star disaster epic that was producer Irwin Allen’s THE TOWERING INFERNO. But the whole Eric/Brendan theme reminded me of the near 50 year-old HELLFIGHTERS with John Wayne (yeah, the Duke) working with the cocky Jim Hutton. So why isn’t this flick as exciting as those earlier entries? Perhaps it’s because director Joseph Kosinski (OBLIVION) keeps hammering in the symbolism of that burning bear (three times). Or maybe it’s because the script by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer (based on the GQ magazine article by Sean Flynn) spends far too much time on domestic drama and not enough on the fiery fields. They even resort to some clunky “two men and a baby” hijinks at one point. Plus the big verbal throw-down between Eric and Amanda doesn’t ring true (angry because he’s not starting a family with her) and feels more than a tad sexist. This leaves only about 20 minutes of the 133 minute running time for actually fighting fires. The story of the “screw-up” who redeems himself to the guys has been a cliché in war flicks for years (I almost expected one of the crew to be nicknamed “Brooklyn”). The men portrayed are real heroes, true lifesavers who deserved a better celebration and tribute than this lackluster and tedious tale. ONLY THE BRAVE just has little spark.
THRASHIN’ screens Wednesday, July 6th at 8pm Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143) as part of Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series.
You never know what’s brewing at Webster University’s Strange Brew cult film series. It’s always the first Wednesday evening of every month, and they always come up with some cult classic to show while enjoying some good food and great suds. The fun happens at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143).
This month is THRASHIN’ from 1986, which I have never seen, but it sounds like Romeo and Juliet set in the world of skateboarding. Two skateboarding gangs battle each other for supremacy, and a member of one gang falls in love with the sister of his rival. Judging from the trailer, it has a young Josh Brolin, a young Sherilynn Fenn, spandex as far as the eye can see, some hideous love scenes, hardcore skating tournaments, hardcore bikinis, and hard-core Red Hot Chili Pepper pits. What it doesn’t seem to have is tattoos! Where are the tattoos?!? Still, THRASHIN’ certainly looks like a great b-movie from the mid-eighties!
THRASHIN’ launched the careers of many early skateboarders including Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Per Wielander, and many more through cameo appearances. If you have any appreciation for the popularity skating enjoyed in the mid-eighties, you have to see THRASHIN’ when it plays Wednesday evening, July 6th at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143) as part of their Strange Brew film series .The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed beer.
“HAIL, CAESAR! is a social satire of the highest order” says Michael Haffner in his review for the the Coen Brothers’ latest movie, playing in theaters now.
HAIL, CAESAR! is an homage to Hollywood’s Golden Age, a valentine to the studio system laced with a lovingly acerbic edge. The film celebrates the dream factory, while cleverly pulling back the curtain to reveal some of the less-than-flattering inner workings of the film business in its heyday.
Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum, HAIL, CAESAR! follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix.
WAMG is giving away to three lucky readers the soundtrack (by composer Carter Burwell) from the film. We’ll also throw in a t-shirt from the movie!
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