An epic sci-fi adventure set in a distant world, G-LOC premieres on DVD, Digital, and On Demand August 11 from Lionsgate. Fan favorites Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”) and Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers franchise) star in this poignant, allegorical story set in a fantastic other-world where humans are pitted against one another for survival. Also starring John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings franchise), Tala Gouveia, Toby Osmond, and Shayne Ward, the G-LOC DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98. Check Out the Trailer:
With Earth virtually destroyed, Bran Marshall flees to the Rhea, a planet hostile to Earthlings. Escaping onto a Rhean supply ship, he finds the crew slaughtered, with the only survivor a female warrior named Ohsha. As the two try to kill one another, the ship is damaged by meteorites. Bran (Moyer) and Ohsha must join forces to salvage the craft before it impacts the planet below — and the humans that live there. This gripping sci-fi epic stars Stephen Moyer, Casper Van Dien, and John Rhys-Davies.
An epic sci-fi adventure set in a distant world, G-LOC premieres on DVD, Digital, and On Demand August 11 from Lionsgate.
Fan favorites Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”) and Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers franchise) star in this poignant, allegorical story set in a fantastic other-world where humans are pitted against one another for survival. Also starring John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings franchise), Tala Gouveia, Toby Osmond, and Shayne Ward, the G-LOC DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98. Check-out the trailer:
With Earth virtually destroyed, Bran Marshall flees to the Rhea, a planet hostile to Earthlings. Escaping onto a Rhean supply ship, he finds the crew slaughtered, with the only survivor a female warrior named Ohsha. As the two try to kill one another, the ship is damaged by meteorites. Bran (Moyer) and Ohsha must join forces to salvage the craft before it impacts the planet below — and the humans that live there. This gripping sci-fi epic stars Stephen Moyer, Casper Van Dien, and John Rhys-Davies.
CONCUSSION is the film that the NFL won’t want you to see. Not because it has new information about the link between football and a serious form of dementia called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) but because it serves as a reminder, particularly to young players and their parents, of the risk in playing the nation’s most popular sport. The film dramatizes the NFL’s hostile response to the news and its rough handling of the doctor who discovered the problem. The NFL does not look good in this film, and that is bound to trouble some fans.
Will Smith plays that doctor, Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist originally from Nigeria who discovered CTE. A brilliant man with a string of degrees, Dr. Omalu was working for the Allegheny County Coroner’s office in Pittsburgh when he did an autopsy on former NFL star Mike Webster (David Morse), whose life had unraveled a decade after retirement amid erratic behavior. Omalu knew next to nothing about football but was unsatisfied with a pat explanation about cause of death of a man only in his 50s. The thorough Omalu decided to take a microscopic look at the ex-player’s brain. What he saw shocked him, and led to his discovery of a new disease.
CONCUSSION focuses on Omalu’s story and especially on how poorly the NFL treated him. The film’s title is a bit of a misnomer, as not just concussions but cumulative smaller shocks to the brain can cause CTE as well, although concussions are the most obvious indicator of brain trauma. However, the film is rather light on medical details and it leaves out the work of other researchers who took up the topic following Omalu’s discovery. Instead, the film focuses more on Omalu’s own story, his discovery, his immediate circle of supporters and their attempts to bring the risks to the attention of the NFL.
As Smith plays him, Omalu is a sweet, idealistic workaholic who does not allow himself much of a personal life in his pursuit of the classic immigrant’s American Dream. His boss, Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks), is both his mentor and role-model for how to be an American. The one social outlet he allows himself is attending church, where his pastor asks him to help another new immigrant, a beautiful former nurse from Kenya named Prema (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). Inevitably, romance blooms.
This is one of Smith’s best roles in years, and the actor does a nice job with Omalu’s accent. It is a rare chance for Smith to play a heroic character but in a more subdued, even slightly nerdy way, which he pulls off with a great deal of charm.
In his quest to bring CTE to the attention of NFL officials, Omalu is joined by former league physician, Dr. Julian Bailes, played well by Alec Baldwin apart from a Southern accent that tends to come and go. The cast also includes Eddie Marsan as Dr. Steven DeKosky, a top neurologist who co-authored Omalu’s paper on CTE, Paul Reiser as Dr. Elliot Pellman, an NFL doctor who was a central figure in the concussion crisis, and Luke Wilson as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Not only is the NFL not interested in hearing that players are at risk of a serious brain syndrome, much less that potentially all or most players face that risk, the organization is actively hostile to that message. With a multimillion-dollar entertainment empire called into question, the NFL immediately seek to discredit and then silence Omalu. As it is presented in the film, this is done in an iron-fisted, chilling manner, more expected from organized crime than a respected sports organization. The film alludes to the fact that NFL may have been aware of brain-injury issues, and parallels are drawn with the way the tobacco industry tried to deny the health effects of smoking.
The film’s major flaw is that it cannot quite make up its mind what kind of film it wants to be – a medical procedural, corporate misbehavior expose, or an inspirational immigrant tale. It is mostly Omalu’s story, leaving out researchers who built on his discovery and how the NFL treated him. It is light on medical details of CTE and also on what the NFL might have known about players’ brain injuries. Omalu’s personal story is a classic immigrant tale, with a sweet romance to add to that appeal, but the immigrant love story doesn’t develop the emotional pull it should.
CONCUSSION does not make the NFL look good, but it also raises questions about the safety of football at any level, which might give parents pause about letting their kids participate. The film does not present any new information, but serves as a reminder of the headline revelations in a dramatic way. While it is not a perfect film, it is worth seeing for its potential to spark curiosity to dig further into the facts of CTE.
CONCUSSION opens in St. Louis on December 25th, 2015.
Will Smith stars in CONCUSSION, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.
The film stars Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, with David Morse and Albert Brooks. Written and directed by Peter Landesman.
CONCUSSION opens in theaters on December 25, 2015.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of CONCUSSION on Monday, December 21 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
Dr. Omalu’s story was told in depth in a magazine article by Jeanne Marie Laskas, which became the basis for the screenplay. What is the name of the magazine?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
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3. No purchase necessary.
The film has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for thematic material including some disturbing images and language.
Two-time Academy Award nominee Will Smith stars in CONCUSSION, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.
Check out the brand new trailer below.
The AFI announced in September that the World Premiere of the movie would be the Centerpiece Gala of AFI FEST 2015 presented by Audi. The event takes place at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on Tuesday, November 10.
The film also stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Luke Wilson, Stephen Moyer and Albert Brooks.
Written and directed by Peter Landesman, and produced by Ridley Scott, Giannina Scott, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman and Elizabeth Cantillon, CONCUSSION opens in theaters on December 25, 2015.
Hola kids. Melissa here, with another fantastic movie adventure. This past week, I got the chance to sit down with Topher Grace and Stephen Moyer to talk about their new film THE DOUBLE. I think you kids will get a kick out of the fang talk between the two of them!
In THE DOUBLE, the mysterious murder of a US senator bearing the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin “Cassius,” forces Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA operative, to team with rookie FBI agent, Ben Geary (Topher Grace), to solve the crime.
Having spent his career chasing Cassius, Shepherdson is convinced his nemesis is long dead, but is pushed to take on the case by his former supervisor, Tom Highland (Martin Sheen). Meanwhile, Agent Geary, who wrote his Master’s thesis on Shepherdson’s pursuit of the Soviet killer, is certain that Cassius has resurfaced. As Shepherdson and Geary work their way through crimes both past and present, they discover that Cassius may not be the person they always thought him to be, forcing both to re-examine everything and everyone around them.
Written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, the team behind WANTED and 3:10 TO YUMA, the film also represents Brandt’s directorial debut. Produced by Patrick Aiello, Ashok Amritraj, Steffan Brunner, Andrew Deane, and Derek Haas.
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rating: “PG-13” by the MPAA for “for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images and language.”
From Image Entertainment comes this first trailer for the espionage thriller, THE DOUBLE starring Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, Stephen Moyer, Odette Yustman, and Stana Katic.
In THE DOUBLE, the mysterious murder of a US senator bearing the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin “Cassius,” forces Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA operative, to team with rookie FBI agent, Ben Geary (Topher Grace), to solve the crime.
Having spent his career chasing Cassius, Shepherdson is convinced his nemesis is long dead, but is pushed to take on the case by his former supervisor, Tom Highland (Martin Sheen). Meanwhile, Agent Geary, who wrote his Master’s thesis on Shepherdson’s pursuit of the Soviet killer, is certain that Cassius has resurfaced. As Shepherdson and Geary work their way through crimes both past and present, they discover that Cassius may not be the person they always thought him to be, forcing both to re-examine everything and everyone around them.
Written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, the team behind WANTED and 3:10 TO YUMA, the film also represents Brandt’s directorial debut. Produced by Patrick Aiello, Ashok Amritraj, Steffan Brunner, Andrew Deane, and Derek Haas, THE DOUBLE will be released on September 23, 2011.
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rating: “PG-13” by the MPAA for “for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images and language.”
I have to say, when I saw the trailer for this film, I was less than whelmed. Now that I have seen it, I can safely say that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,
PRIEST is the tale of war between man and vampires, based off of the comic series by Hyung Min-woo. An army of warrior, or fighter priests were mans greatest defense against the vampires, but once they were defeated (or so they thought), man cast them aside. After centuries of war, the thought-to-be defeated vampires have returned, with a much stonger leader. Not only have they come back, but they have stolen Priests’ (Paul Bettany) niece Lucy (Lily Collins). Despite the church denying that the vampires were back, or forbidding Priest to go and search for Lucy, he can’t turn his back on her and rebels. He is joined by Lucy’s sheriff boyfriend (Cam Gigandet) and a priestess (Maggie Q) that he once fought alongside. Their journey takes them all throughout their post-apocalyptic world in search of Lily.
Ok, so back to what I said at the beginning. The film was not as bad as the trailer lead me to believe it would be. I can safely say that I was entertained throughout the film. I can also say, that it still wasn’t great. I am actually kind of indifferent to it. The good and bad moments kind of cancelled each other out.
Let’s start with the good. The visuals in the film were beautifully done. Between the visuals and the costumes/props, the film was truly stunning. Paul Bettany’s portrayal of Priest was great. I truly can’t complain about the guys acting ability, or agility. Same with Maqqie Q. I really want to see more of her on the big screen. I think that she has a wide range of talent that we have yet to see. Don’t get me wrong, I love her in action films! I would just like to see her cast in some other roles too. The girl is not only talented, but she is also extremely nice. Karl Urban plays a great villain. There is something very mysterious about him that he can easily transfer over to a character. Also, the three pulled off some beautiful action sequences. All three actors are strong when it comes to action scenes, and it is displayed eloquently in this film.
Now it’s time for the bad. Despite Bettany and Q’s acting skills, which are above paar, this script could not be saved. They had a decent plot line, and plenty of background to make this story better. It wasn’t just the story either. Normally I can tell the difference between bad writing and bad acting, but not in Cam Gigandet’s case. I liked him in BURLESQUE, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a great actor. Not only did his character have the cheesiest lines in the film, but his delivery was terrible. It was painful to watch.
They had had a great storyline going with the internal struggles of Priest, and even Priestess, but they had to muddy all of that up with the worst vampires that I have ever seen on screen (Not including Urban as Black Hat, he was deemed worthy)! Basically, it’s as if one of the zombie’s/creature’s from I AM LEGEND and Pale Man from PAN’S LABYRINTH “got together” and created this dreadful idea of a vampire. Here, I made a visual aid to help the process along…
See, now we are on the same page! There weren’t even vampires in the comic series! They should have stuck to the internal struggles, and human villains. I would have gladly taken the TWILIGHT vampires over these knock-offs. Heck, Gigandet shouldn’t have switched sides. He could have reprised his role as Jame’s from TWILIGHT in this and not only would the vampires have been an improvement, but maybe it would have helped his line delivery too!
Bottom line, the action in this film is neat, the scenery is lovely, but based on everything I was left feeling very “middle of the road” with this one.
It’s your old pal Melissa here, and I have a treat for you! This past week I was invited to the PRIEST Junket, and got a chance to sit down with some of the actors for the film. Then, I thought to myself, who better to share my interviews with than the movie geek community!
So, let’s get to the meat and potatoes!
PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic sci fi thriller, is set in an alternate world — one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.
The first night of the junket we were taken to AMC Century City 15 for a press screening of the film. That theater was amazing! My only complaint is that they had the film up entirely too loud. It actually hurt my ears, and we all know that I have been to a concert or two in my day. That has nothing to do with the film itself, so if you want to hear my opinion about the film you will have to check out my review tomorrow.
The next day was filled with television interviews. Since I host a movie show here in St. Louis, FILM FIEND on WRBU MY46, I was lucky enough to participate. I was pretty darn nervous, but it was fun! I have to say, the cast was incredibly nice! You can check out my interviews below.
Sidenote: I was not mic’d during this, so the sound is a little wonky. Sorry!
Paul Bettany (Priest)
To play this reluctant hero, director Scott Stewart chose acclaimed British actor Paul Bettany, whose diverse credits include acclaimed performances in Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code as well as Jon Amiel’s Creation. He also recently starred as the archangel Michael in Stewart’s directorial debut, the apocalyptic horror-action film Legion. Bettany’s performance in that film convinced the filmmakers that he has what it takes to be a major action star. He is such a great actor, and he’s so much fun to watch in these kinds of roles,” says Stewart. We decided to double down, and even do it in an even bigger way.
Karl Urban (Black Hat)
Priest’s nemesis, the towering villain Black Hat, is played by New Zealand native Karl Urban, best known to moviegoers for his role as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, as well as in The Bourne Supremacy and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
“Black Hat can do just about anything Black Hat wants,” says Glenn S. Gainor. “He can destroy a town in broad daylight, he can survive the hot sun, and he can live among the familiars and vampires at night. His strength and discipline rival that of a priest, which makes him a formidable adversary. But what he really wants is to get Priest to join the forces with him. Karl Urban has the kind of charisma needed to pull off this character.”
Maggie Q (Priestess)
Maggie was so nice! We chatted a bit before the interview about both being vegetarians, and I had to pet her adorable dog Ceasar! It’s always nice to meet someone who cares about animals as much as I do.
When Priest defies the orders of the Clergy by leaving the city in pursuit of Lucy, the Council of Monsignors dispatches a team of warrior priests to bring him back. For the role of Priestess, the group’s leader, the filmmakers chose Maggie Q, a Hawaiian-born actress who brought martial arts skills honed in in several Hong Kong action films. No stranger to Hollywood action roles, she’s starred in Mission: Impossible III, alongside Tom Cruise, and Live Free or Die Hard, with Bruce Willis.
Maggie was excited to work with the director of Priest. “Scott Stewart is a bit of a throwback,” she says. “Scott has created a world that feels like a classic adventure, but you don’t know what year it is, what’s happened before or what’s going to happen next. It’s kind of undefinable and definitely original.”
Lily Collins and Cam Gigandet (Lucy and Hicks)
Priest learns of Lucy’s (Lily Collins) abduction from Hicks, the sharpshooting lawman of the tiny wasteland town of Augustine, played by Cam Gigandet. Gigandet first gained fame for for his role as Kevin Volchok on the FOX television series, “The O.C.” and went on to attract an army of admirers as the predatory vampire James in the blockbuster Twilight.
A young man with a chip on his shoulder, Hicks is eager to prove himself worthy of his badge. “Hicks has had responsibility thrust upon him early in life,” says Michael De Luca. “It’s tough to walk the line of justice in the wasteland. But his father and his grandfather held the job before him. It’s his duty.”
I would like to thank everyone at Studio Gems, Sony, everyone from PRIEST, and everyone at the Four Seasons Hotel (Los Angeles at Beverly Hills).
Thanks for tuning in, and remember…
Stay Fancy Kids,
Melissa
Even Good Has a Dark Side in this new trailer for PRIEST in 3D– In Theaters May 13th.
Synopsis:
PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic action thriller, is set in an alternate world — one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.
From Screen Gems, PRIEST will hit theaters in 3D on May 13, 2011. Visit the film’s official websitehere, on Twitter (@PriestMovie) and onFacebook.
