kodi smit-mcphee – We Are Movie Geeks

Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS Premieres At Cannes – See It In Theaters June 24

Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS had it’s star-studded premiere on Wednesday night at the Cannes Film Festival. One of the big tentpole movies to show at the festival, the biopic on the King of Rock and Roll was enthusiastically received.

Variety reported “The film received an uproarious 12-minute standing ovation, the longest of this year’s festival so far. As the the cheers went on and on, a teary-eyed Butler hugged an equally-emotional Priscilla Presley, who flew to the South of France to give her blessing for the movie about her late husband.”

Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ standing ovation during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 25, 2022.

Jerry Schilling, Tom Hanks, Priscilla Presley, Olivia DeJonge, Austin Butler, Alton Mason, Catherine Martin, Toby Emmerich and Baz Luhrmann attending ‘Elvis’ Premiere at 75th Cannes Film Festival.

ELVIS is an epic, big-screen spectacle from Warner Bros. Pictures and visionary, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann that explores the life and music of Elvis Presley, starring Austin Butler and Oscar winner Tom Hanks.

Here’ a sampling of the reviews:

Variety says, “The film’s richest irony is that Butler’s performance as the young Elvis (the one who’s far closer to his own age) is an efficient shadow of the real thing, but his performance as the aging, saddened Elvis, who rediscovered success but lost everything, is splendid. He’s alive onstage more than he was doing “Hound Dog,” and offstage, for the first time in the movie, Elvis becomes a wrenching human being. Luhrmann has made a woefully imperfect but at times arresting drama that builds to something moving and true. By the end, the film’s melody has been unchained.”

The Hollywood Reporter: “there are moving moments, especially in Butler’s performance as he transforms into the puffy, sweaty Elvis of his final years (thankfully, his prosthetics are less of an eyesore than Hanks’), his marriage to Priscilla dissolving and causing sorrow for both of them. One might wish for a biopic with more access to the subject’s bruised, bleeding heart, but in terms of capturing the essence of what made Presley such a super nova, Elvis gets many things right. As a tribute from one champion of outrageous showmanship to another, it dazzles.”

Deadline: “Technically this is every bit as brilliant as you might think a Baz Luhrmann production would be, and that includes Oscar winner Catherine Martin’s costumes and production design. The musical aspects are superb in every way. Also there is a poignant coda with actual footage of the real Elvis performing in the final month of his life onstage in Las Vegas, wearing that glittery white jumpsuit, his face puffed and hidden behind those dark glasses.”

In an interview with Butler, GQ says, “The young actor made a pilgrimage to Graceland and met Elvis’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, who embraced him and told him he had a lot of support. “She looked like an angel,” Butler says. “I walked down the hall with Baz afterwards with tears in my eyes.” Read the GQ article with Butler HERE

A thoroughly cinematic drama, Elvis’s (Butler) story is seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). As told by Parker, the film delves into the complex dynamic between the two spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

https://elvis.warnerbros.com/

AUSTIN BUTLER as Elvis and HELEN THOMSON as Gladys in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “ELVIS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
COPYRIGHT: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Starring alongside Butler and Hanks, award-winning theatre actress Helen Thomson (“Top of the Lake: China Girl,” “Rake”) plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!” “Breath,” “Hacksaw Ridge”) portrays Elvis’s father, Vernon, and DeJonge (“The Visit,” “Stray Dolls”) plays Priscilla. Luke Bracey (“Hacksaw Ridge,” “Point Break”) plays Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays Dixie Locke, David Wenham (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, “Lion,” “300”) plays Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “The High Note”) plays B.B. King, Xavier Samuel (“Adore,” “Love & Friendship,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) plays Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow.

Also in the cast, Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things,” “The Broken Heart Gallery”) plays TV director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (“Gallipoli,” “The Pacific”) as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany (“The Great Gatsby,” “Hunters”) as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies (“Peter Rabbit,” “Hunters”) as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Camp”) as Billy Smith, Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn (“Home and Away”) as Bill Black.

To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard, Austin, Texas native Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.

Oscar nominee Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) directed from a screenplay by Baz Luhrmann & Sam Bromell and Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner. The film’s producers are Luhrmann, Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Toby Emmerich, Courtenay Valenti and Kevin McCormick executive produced.

The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Mandy Walker (“Mulan,” “Australia”), Oscar-winning production designer and costume designer Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), production designer Karen Murphy (“A Star Is Born”), editors Matt Villa (“The Great Gatsby,” “Australia”) and Jonathan Redmond (“The Great Gatsby”), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Thomas Wood (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), music supervisor Anton Monsted (“Australia,” “Moulin Rouge!”) and composer Elliott Wheeler (“The Get Down”).

Principal photography on “Elvis” took place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland, and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program.

A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, A Bazmark Production, A Jackal Group Production, A Baz Luhrmann Film, “Elvis” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is set to release in theaters in North America on June 24, 2022, and internationally beginning 22 June 2022.

THE POWER OF THE DOG – Review

THE POWER OF THE DOG BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH as PHIL BURBANK in THE POWER OF THE DOG. Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX © 2021

Just a few weeks after THE HARDER THEY FALL, Netflix gives us another sprawling Western. Ah, but there are a few big differences. The West is still pretty wild, though the entry is a tad “milder’. The former was filled with desperate shoot-out and showdowns, I don’t believe anyone in this story “throws down” on anybody, other than some “target practice. Yes, there’s lots of violence but it’s more of the verbal and psychological nature. Oh, and the new one is set nearly fifty years after FALL, so them “new-fangled” cars are spookin’ the horses. Its gorgeous cinematography highlights the “wide-open spaces” which helps to amplify the big distance between the two brothers, with one of them channeling THE POWER OF THE DOG.

In 1925 Montana we meet the Burbank brothers, who have taken over the sprawling cattle ranch from their parents. Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) prefers to get down and dirty with the hired cowhands. His brother George (Jesse Plemons), who Phil dismissively calls “Fatso”, quietly does the books and tends to the big house that they share. He does join Phil for the big cattle drive to the market, perhaps because of a stop on the trek. In the tiny town of Beech, young widow Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst) runs the inn and restaurant, with help from her lanky intellectual son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Settling in there for Dinner, Phil is miffed that George is late for his toast to the memory of their mentor, the late ranch foreman “Bronco” Henry.. George is back in the kitchen conversing with Rose. Phil takes out his anger on Peter, their server, and amuses his men by taunting the lad for being “soft’ and “dandified”. Weeks later, George stuns Phil with the news that he has married Rose and he’ll be bringing her there to live with them in the estate. After sending Peter off to medical school, Rose arrives and is given an icy “welcome” by Phil. Thus begins their war over the stoic George. When Peter arrives during his Summer break, it seems that Phil has another target for his cruelty. But when Peter accidentally stumbles upon Phil’s secret “retreat’, the tables are turned. A friendship slowly begins to build. Does Phil really like the lad, or could he have an ulterior motive?

Anchoring this near-century old saga is the masterful performance of Cumberbatch, playing the type of role we’ve never seen from him. Truly going “against type”, Phil gives us a hint of the actor’s versatility. We’re told that Phil dropped out of Yale, which gives us a hint of his inner conflict. He rejects the “book-learnin'” to become one with the dirt, grime, and sweat. Cumberbatch conveys that self-loathing which strikes out at others, instead of internalizing. He wants to be one with “the help”, but can’t indulge in their basest pleasures. Perhaps Cumberbatch’s most telling moment happens when George tells him of his secret nuptials. In those few seconds, Phil’s face is a mix of anger, resentment, and sadness. His Phil should repel us but instead draws us in. Nearly as compelling is Dunst as the “wedge” between the Burbanks. Rose is worn down, not only from kitchen drudgery but from the source of her widowhood (Mr. Gordon hung himself). Her need to survive, to fend for her and her son, has superseded her psyche’s need to heal. The attention from George is a lifeline, letting her feel desired once more. Dunst shows us the inner light shining through those dark, tired eyes. And with meeting Phil, we see those eyes dimming, as she plunges back into despair. Plemons gives George quiet dignity, much like his recent role in ANTLERS. He’s eager to start his own life, away from his suffocating brother (his taunts of “Fatso” seem to pierce him like tiny poisoned darts). George’s quiet demeanor masks an inner strength, as Plemons shows us in his body language, lifting his posture and quickening his lumbering step. The other part of this quartet is Smit-McPhee who imbues Peter with an aloof unfazed bravado, not wishing to hide his “smarts’ in order to blend in. The same can be said of his sensitivity, though his later actions show that his pursuit of knowledge truly guides him. But there’s more to him than his thirst for a doctor’s degree, though Smit-McPhee plays him often as a “blank slate’. In smaller roles, we’re treated to work from one of our busiest young actresses and an Oscar-winner who’s part of an acting dynasty.

The scope of the breathtaking scenery never overwhelms the intimacy of this family dynamic thanks to the skillful, subtle direction by Jane Campion, who also wrote the screenplay adaptation of the novel by Thomas Savage. She perfectly captures the eerie quiet of the old West, almost making the rolling hills and flat plains another character in the story. The mundane everyday tasks are captured which gives extra power to the unexpected confrontations (piano vs, banjo). In some sequences, it appears that Phil is almost an avenging ghost, banished from his home by the “schemer” Rose. We’re almost lulled into a languid pace until the third act throws us a “curve”. Being unfamiliar with the source material, I can honestly and enthusiastically say that I did not know where the plot was going. How refreshing. And what a rarity, indeed. Coupled with the superb performances by the gifted cast, THE POWER OF THE DOG holds us in its own powerful grip.

3.5 Out of 4

THE POWER OF THE DOG opens in select theatres on Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG, Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Announced As Centerpiece Selection For 59th New York Film Festival

Film at Lincoln Center announces Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog as the Centerpiece selection for the 59th New York Film Festival, making its New York premiere at Alice Tully Hall on October 1.

Campion reaffirms her status as one of the world’s greatest—and most gratifyingly eccentric—filmmakers with this mesmerizing, psychologically rich variation on the American western. Adapted from a 1967 cult novel by Thomas Savage that was notoriously ahead of its time in depicting repressed sexuality, The Power of the Dog excavates the emotional torment experienced at a Montana cattle ranch in the 1920s. Here, melancholy young widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst) has come to live with her sensitive new husband, George (Jesse Plemons), though their lives are increasingly complicated by the erratic, potentially violent behavior of his sullen and bullying brother, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose mistrust of both Rose and her misfit son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) leads to tragic consequences. Mirroring the unpredictable story turns, Campion crafts a film of unexpected cadences and rhythms, and her daring is matched every step of the way by her extraordinary, fully immersed cast and a mercurial, destabilizing score by Jonny Greenwood. A Netflix release.

“I am very honored that The Power of the Dog has been selected as the Centerpiece Gala at this year’s New York Film Festival,” said director Jane Campion. “Public screenings we long took for granted feel exceptional now, so it is going to be a very emotional and joyous experience for me and my team to be there and present the film to such a film-celebrating audience.”

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Jane Campion back to the festival with one of her very best films,” said Dennis Lim, NYFF Director of Programming. “Everything about The Power of the Dog is alive with surprise: its narrative turns, its rich characterizations, its complex ideas about masculinity and repression. It will introduce many to the work of the underappreciated novelist Thomas Savage, but it also reminds us of what cinema can do as a medium for accessing and expressing inner life.”

Four of Campion’s previous films—Sweetie (1989), An Angel at My Table (1990), The Piano (1993), and Holy Smoke (1999)—have been official selections of NYFF, and in 2017, Film at Lincoln Center presented Jane Campion’s Own Stories, a retrospective of her film and television work.

The NYFF Main Slate selection committee, chaired by Dennis Lim, also includes Eugene Hernandez, Florence Almozini, K. Austin Collins, and Rachel Rosen.

Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema and takes place September 24 – October 10, 2021. An annual bellwether of the state of cinema that has shaped film culture since 1963, the festival continues an enduring tradition of introducing audiences to bold and remarkable works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent.

WAMG Giveaway: Win the DVD of the Sci-Fi Shocker 2067

RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, will release the sci-fi/thriller 2067 on November 17, 2020 on DVD and Blu-ray.

Check out the trailer:

Now you can win the Win the DVD of 2067. We Are Movie Geeks has two to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie is that has a number in its title. (mine’s 12 MONKEYS. It’s so easy!)

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES. NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.

2. WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES

2067 stars Kodi Smit-McPhee (X-Men Apocalypse, Let Me In) and Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood,” “Sacred Lies”) and is written and directed by Seth Larney (Tombiruo) RLJE Films will release 2067 on DVD for an SRP of $29.96 and Blu-ray for an SRP of $29.97.

By the year 2067, Earth has been ravaged by climate change and humanity is forced to live on artificial oxygen. An illness caused by the synthetic O2 is killing the worlds’ population and the only hope for a cure comes in the form of a message from the future: “Send Ethan Whyte”. Ethan, an underground tunnel worker, is suddenly thrust into a terrifying new world full of unknown danger as he must fight to save the human race.

The 2067 DVD and Blu-ray include the following bonus features:

· Director Commentary

· Behind-the-Scenes of 2067 including an in-depth look at the story, cast, director, the look of the film, costumes and makeup, the time machine, editing and VFX, as well as the music

DARK PHOENIX – Review

Finally caught your breath from the epic superhero showdown from six weeks ago? Well, you’d better be since another big batch of Marvel characters is battling it out at the multiplex this weekend. So, what’s the big difference? For one thing, many of them are barely out of their teens. Oh, and their powers are due to genetic mutations. Yes, after a three-year hiatus the Marvel mutants return to the big screen, but they’re not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe…yet. Twentieth Century Fox snapped up the screen rights in the last century(!), so this is the seventh entry in a film franchise that began way back in 2000 (along the way there’s been two spin-off series, with Wolverine and Deadpool, five more flicks). Plus this is really a prequel with many younger actors taking over the roles from that 19-year-old initial adventure. Hopefully, any confusion will be cleared up as we dive deep into what may be the finale of the franchise, based on the acclaimed comic story arc that introduced DARK PHOENIX.

At the story’s start, we’re bopping through a couple of decades. First, a childhood trauma brings grade schooler Jean Grey to the attention of scientist/school founder Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy). A quick cut and we’re in 1991 as the space shuttle Endeavor is launched into orbit. Charles is monitoring the flight with NASA back at his School for Gifted Youngsters. When the shuttle comes in contact with a swirling cosmic energy cloud that begins to tear it apart, Charles sends out a rescue team: Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) and the now-grown Jean (Sophie Turner), all supervised by Raven AKA Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Things turn deadly when the X-Jet (now really a rocket) arrives for the rescue of the crew. Jean is engulfed by the cloud, yet she somehow survives. Back at the school, she’s examined by Hank McCoy AKA Beast (Nicholas Hoult), who gives her a clean bill of health though he notices some odd energy pulses. But it’s Charles who is most alarmed as he detects that this force is revealing too many of Jean’s childhood memories and amplifying her rage. When she lashes out at a post-mission party and flees, the X-team are in pursuit. The encounter ends tragically and eventually brings Erik AKA Magneto (Michael Fassbender) out of hiding at his island commune/sanctuary he shares with other outcast mutants. Also tracking down Jean is the mysterious Vuk (Jessica Chastain), who may be part of another group wanting to possess the power now residing in the young woman (now dubbed Phoenix). The big question is: will she be the planet Earth’s defender or its destroyer?

Without the constraints of a time travel plot, nor a big baddie (Apocolypse), or even a role (lead or cameo) from fan-favorite Wolverine (this being the first completely Hugh J-free X flick), the young cast gets to explore the drama that springs from these complex relationships. Straight from the finale of that cable TV dragon show, Turner expertly portrays both sides of the conflicted Jean Grey, going from unpredictable unstoppable monster to a fragile teen trying to cope with a past filled with tragedy and deceit. Much of the latter comes from McAvoy as the controlling mentor who twists the truth for his ideas of justice. His foe (and brother who “takes the p*#s out of him”) is the always compelling Fassbender who brings a touch of nobility and passion to the comics supervillain. Lawrence conveys a sense of sad frustration as reformed baddie now pseudo-co-parent Raven. Sheridan is a stoic, devoted beau as Cyclops Scott. Although they’re under tons of makeup, Hoult and Smit-McPhee are excellent as the more outwardly odd mutants, Beast and Nightcrawler. Unfortunately, the guy who seems to be having the most fun with his abilities, Peters as Quicksilver (a scene stealer in the last two installments) is side-lined much too early (now he needs a spin-off). And the incredibly gifted Chastain is wasted as a one-note ethereal baddie who spends much of her limited screentime as the whispering demon to Turner, all while glaring under a white “fright wig”.

First-time director, though a long-time producer and writer on this series, Simon Kinberg captures much of the emotional power of the original comics saga by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and the sorely-missed Dave Cockrum (Simon wrote the adaptation), much more than in the previous screen treatment in the much-reviled X-MEN: THE LAST STAND. And though it’s one of the better flicks in the series (miles above the last dreary, dismal slog from 3 years ago), it still lacks a real coherent plot path, veering off for some alien menace, then stopping dead to denounce the bigoted, evil world at large just before the next big action set piece. Most of these are very involving, making great use of top of the line CGI, but edited with a “jerky’ pace, speeding up then slowing to a crawl, with the camera spinning around so fast we have a tough time figuring out who’s who, and who’s where. The biggest fault with the flick may be that of timing (something out of Kinsberg’s hands) because its original release date was last November. Since then we’ve seen a horrific 1970s car crash in the prologue of another superhero flick (SHAZAM), and just six weeks ago we were treated with a superhero battle finale capped with a noble hero making the ultimate sacrifice. Plus it was packed with charm and humor, elements sorely lacking in this X-adventure. But if this is indeed the end of the series (Disney’s purchase of Fox went through, so the folks at Marvel Studios could relaunch the “mutant movies” soon, which may have prompted a clever “inside joke” during a big battle), it’s going out on a fairly high note (though it lacks the giddy fun of X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and the “grand opera” of X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST), while even tossing in the first movie appearance of a truly obscure character who epitomizes the tacky 70s (hint, the initials are DD, but it’s not Daredevil nor Devil Dinosaur). So we wave goodbye to that “fancy-schmancy” elite school in the last frames of DARK PHOENIX with a strong feeling we may return once more.

3.5 out of 5

Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Nicholas Hoult, Kodi Smit-McPhee And James McAvoy Talk X-Men Movies In New DARK PHOENIX Celebration Video

It all leads to this moment.

20th Century Fox has released a new video in celebration of the upcoming release of DARK PHOENIX. The film stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, and Jessica Chastain, and is scored by composer Hans Zimmer.

Watch the celebration video now.

DARK PHOENIX arrives in theaters everywhere this Friday, June 7.

This is the story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic DARK PHOENIX.

During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet.

Sophie Turner stars as Jean Grey in Twentieth Century Fox’s DARK PHOENIX. Photo Credit: Doane Gregory.

The film is the most intense and emotional X-Men movie ever made. It is the culmination of 20 years of X-Men movies, as the family of mutants that we’ve come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.

And where is Wolverine in all of this?

Rolling Stone spoke with Director Simon Kinberg for the answer:

“Beginning with the original X-Men movie, back in the pre-superhero-industrial-complex year of 2000, every non-Deadpool entry in the franchise has had one thing in common: Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Dark Phoenix, due in theaters on June 7th, is the exception, and it’s not just because Jackman bid farewell to the character in James Mangold’s superb 2017 film Logan.

“Jackman could still have fit into the timeline, Kinberg notes, in keeping with his small role in 2016’s X-Men Apocalypse. But there was another issue: In the original Dark Phoenix saga in the comic books — and even in the botched previous adaptation in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand — the love triangle between Cyclops, Jean Grey (the X-Men member who becomes Dark Phoenix, and Wolverine is key to the narrative. “If you know the Dark Phoenix story, you’d want to really service the love story between Logan and Jean,” says Kinberg. “And I think the notion of Hugh Jackman, as great as he looks for his age, and Sophie Turner — it didn’t sit well with me. Or anyone else!”

“Plus, Kinberg wanted to keep the focus on the title character. “There was an element of this being Jean’s story,” he says. “And I was committing so fully to it that I didn’t want to run the risk of pulling away from Jean by going to the well of a fan-favorite character in these movies. I wanted this to be a very different experience of seeing an X-Men movie.”

For more on The Dark Phoenix, head over to the comic book section of Marvel
https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/the-definitive-dark-phoenix-reading-guide-part-one-the-beginning

https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/dark-phoenix

New DARK PHOENIX Trailer Adds Emma Frost To X-Men Movie Universe

This summer, the world will go dark.

20th Century Fox has released the new trailer and poster for DARK PHOENIX. The film stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, and Jessica Chastain. DARK PHOENIX is scored by composer Hans Zimmer.

Watch the new trailer now.

In DARK PHOENIX, the X-MEN face their most formidable and powerful foe: one of their own, Jean Grey. During a rescue mission in space, Jean is nearly killed when she is hit by a mysterious cosmic force. Once she returns home, this force not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable. Wrestling with this entity inside her, Jean unleashes her powers in ways she can neither comprehend nor contain. With Jean spiraling out of control, and hurting the ones she loves most, she begins to unravel the very fabric that holds the X-Men together. Now, with this family falling apart, they must find a way to unite — not only to save Jean’s soul, but to save our very planet from aliens who wish to weaponize this force and rule the galaxy.

DARK PHOENIX arrives in theaters everywhere on June 7, 2019.

Director Simon Kinberg and Michael Fassbender on the set of Twentieth Century Fox’s DARK PHOENIX. Photo Credit: Doane Gregory.

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Raven/Mystique in Twentieth Century Fox’s DARK PHOENIX. Photo Credit: Doane Gregory.

ALPHA- Review

With the Summer winding down, and Labor Day well in sight, are moviegoers nostalgic for an adventure set it the “good ole’ days”? Hmmm, not sure if they were all that “good”, but the emphasis is on the “ole”, er “old” in the week’s new release. We’re going way, waaay back with this epic, around 20,000 years to be exact to the “cave man” tribal days, when humans were both hunters and the hunted. It’s not fun in fur skin time as in the comic strip “B.C.” or THE FLINTSTONES, nor is it the fantasy of early man evading dinosaurs as in the ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. films or the comedy CAVEMAN (loved the stoned “stop -motion” T-Rex in that). . No, it’s a bit closer to the 1980’s double bill of QUEST FOR FIRE and CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, though more “family friendly” but tougher than the TV ads would lead you to believe). Plus it borrows an element of the superhero flicks in that it’s an “origin” story. But not about a “cosmic crusader’s” beginning, rather it’s the start of a relationship that still exists (and shows no signs of stopping). According to the filmmakers this bond began when a lost, lonely young man met ALPHA.

That young man in question is Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee), the teenage son of tribal leader Tau (Johannes Hauker Johannesson) and his mate Rho (Natassia Malthe) during the last Ice Age, somewhere in Europe. The story begins with Keda’s first (and perhaps last) buffalo hunt. When things take a disastrous turn, the film flashes back to several days prior. As with all the young men of the tribe, Keda must prove himself worthy of going on the hunt by sharpening stones into deadly spear-heads. He makes the “cut’ and says goodbye to Rho as he accompanies Tau along with some other “newbies’ and the tribal elder males on the long journey to find that herd. Along the way, they join forces with another hunting tribe (they’re old pals with Tau), and pick off a wild boar (though Keda hesitates at striking the killing blow to the beast). Tau points out a wolf pack that is observing the hunters from a distance, explaining to Keda about their leader, the “alpha”. The boy also experiences nature’s brutality as another young hunter is snatched away by a predator sprinting out of the darkness. Finally they encounter the buffalo herd grazing not far from a cliff’s edge. We’re “caught up” as Tau thinks that his son has “joined his ancestors” at the bottom of a ravine. The heartsick papa gathers meat and skins before he and the hunters make the long trek back to their homes. Long after they depart, the bloody, bruised, and battered Keda wakens. Despite his broken leg and multiple wounds, he’s determined to rejoin his tribe. He evades the beasts while trying to locate food and water along with shelter until the wolf pack finally catches up with him. Keda wounds one of them with his dagger as he scurries up a tree. When the wolves finally depart, Keda is shocked to find that the one he sliced still lives. He nurses the wolf back to health, as they form their own pack, two lost hungry wanderers uniting to survive while trying to find their families. But can Keda and the wolf he names Alpha return home before the brutal Winter ends their tentative friendship?

In his first feature as solo director (previously he teamed with brother Allen). Albert Hughes has crafted an epic adventure showcasing the beauty of nature and its cruelty. The images gleaned from multiple locales around the globe are stunning (in Imax 3D, the stars at night vividly sparkle and glisten, as though you can reach out and grab one), but the towering vistas never detract from this human (and animal) tale of unlikely partnership. Hughes elicits a compelling performance from Smit-McPhee, who carries the bulk of the story on his weary shoulders, emoting with his “ancestors”, that vibrant sky, and the enigmatic liquid-blue stare of Alpha. We see the wonder and danger through Keda’s expressive eyes as he matures from timid youth to quick-thinking and acting adult survivor. Smit-McPhee share a believable paternal bond with Johannesson who’s tough and surprisingly tender as his father and tribal leader, while Malthe is a nurturing though worried mother. As I mentioned earlier, this is not the sweet tale of inter-species bonding being sold in the previews and trailers. It’s a harsh, cruel young world that Keda and Alpha must navigate, with death hiding from every rock and shrub. A fall into a frozen body of water is not for the claustraphobic (flashbacks to the second OMEN flick), and a moonlit encounter with a hungry pack plays like a hellish nightmare (those red glowing eyes). All highlighted in the suburb cinematography by Martin Gschlacht. The screenplay by Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt from a story by Hughes never drags even as it takes a moment or two for some whimsical sequences that are “first” in the man/dog origin such as the first bowl of water, first “fetch”, and so forth. The story of first friendship is both an intimate tale of survival and a thrilling spectacle of that simpler time. And at a taut 90 minutes, it’s a great movie night for the family (well, for the grade school-aged tots). The next time you look past that cold nose into those glistening eyes so delighted to see you, you might just see more than a smidge of ALPHA in your best furry friend.

4 Out of 5

Win Passes To The Advance Screening of ALPHA In St. Louis

ALPHA, a story of survival set 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, opens everywhere August 16th. But lucky St. Louisans can see in in advance! We Are Movie Geeks is giving away passes for an advance screening on August 14th.

For a pair of tickets, all you have to do is add you name and email in our comments section below.NO PURCHASE REQUIRED. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is often overbooked to assure a full house.

Europe, 20,000 years ago. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone — he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before the deadly winter arrives.

ALPHA stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leonor Varela, Natassia Malthe, Priya Rajaratnam, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson

Play The X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Retro X: Arcade

20th Century Fox gives a throwback to 1980’s arcade classics with their Retro X: Arcade.

Check out this fun Arcade HERE: SpacePortArcade.com

Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE.

Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign.

As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

The cast includes Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, Ben Hardy.

See X-MEN: APOCALYPSE in theaters May 27th.

Visit the official site: www.foxmovies.com/movies/x-men-apocalypse

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