“Passengers” Movie Trailer Looks to be an Epic Sci Fi/Drama

The sheer scale of this seemingly secretive (until now) project is on full display in its first trailer. The Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt feature was helmed by Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”) from a script by Jon Spaihts (“Prometheus”).

The story focuses on two space passengers (Jim and Aurora) who wake up 90 years too early while after being in suspended animation on their way to a new planet. On board a giant spaceship (along with 5000 passengers in suspended animation) with every possible luxury (and with the mere concept that the remainder of their lives will be on a ship), the two fall in love but not until they come to realize that they are in danger.

Check out the trailer below! Whoever made the cut of the trailer gave away a little too much of the story if you ask me. The film is set to be released December 21st.

Cinematic Showdown: Martin Scorsese films vs. Ridley Scott films

I know that I usually do a movie versus a movie but felt compelled to pit Scorsese against Sir Ridley Scott (he’s a knight ya know!). Both of these directors are highly accomplished and each is more known for their contributions to some of the best films of all time. Scott really made his mark with Alien (1979) and Scorsese with Mean Streets (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976). Both are now into their late careers and still turning out great films – The Martian (2015) by Scott and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) by Scorsese.

The benchmark this go around involves the following:

1. Film Diversification – How much variance does each filmmaker have with their filmography?
2. Accolades – Which director generated the most awards?
3. Box Office Success – Tallying the total box office receipts. For simplicity sake, we will be viewing domestic box office while negating the film’s budget. Also, the numbers will not be adjusted for inflation.
4. Critical Success – What was the critic consensus like for their films?
5. Pop Cultural Impact – This is the most subjective category but I will attempt to argue a filmmakers influence over others and the impact they’ve had in other mediums.

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1. Film Diversification

Ridley Scott is obviously taken by sci/fi and fantasy stories and Scorsese crime dramas. However, how much did each seem to deviate from these genres?

 

Let’s take Martin Scorsese first. He’s known by many for raw, exciting dramas that have organized crime involved to some degree. This is ever true when you consider films such as The Departed, Goodfellas, Casino, and Gangs of New York. He does deviate from what he is mainly known for. Take for example the films, The Aviator (one of the many Scorsese/DiCaprio collaborations), Shutter Island, Kundun, The Color of Money, and Hugo. Each of these shows that Scorsese can handle different subject matter and still be highly effective. He tackles the thriller with Shutter Island, the biographical drama in The Aviator and Kundun, the poolsharking drama The Color of Money, and the family drama in Hugo (his ode to the history of film and its vital importance).

Ridley Scott doesn’t just do films involving aliens now. He’s done a lot of great films (and some stinkers as well). What should first come to mind is Blade Runner followed by Gladiator, Legend, Thelma & Louise, and Black Hawk Down. When Ridley Scott….sorry, Sir Ridley Scott is really on, he knocks it out of the park. Others unworthy of note include: Hannibal, American Gangster, Robin Hood, and G.I. Jane. However, this category isn’t which films are better but rather which are more diverse. It seems that Scott isn’t necessarily limited to a particular genre either.  Many may argue that his strongest suit is the genre of sci-fi and they’d be right but you can’t ignore his other contributions.

Who has the edge? Scorsese. There simply seems to be more of an attempt from the Raging Bull director to branch out of the highly popular genre associated with his name and challenge himself in other arenas. Note:  Scorsese has done four crime dramas: Goodfellas, The Departed, Gangs of New York, and Casino. Scott has done four sci-fi films: Alien, Prometheus, Blade Runner and The Martian (with another sequel to the Alien series titled Alien: Covenant coming out in 2016).

“When you love someone, you’ve gotta trust them. There’s no other way. You’ve got to give them the key to everything that’s yours. Otherwise, what’s the point? And for a while, I believed that’s the kind of love I had.” – Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Casino)

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2. Accolades  

We need to narrow down our consideration include the Oscars, BAFTAs, The Director’s Guild of America Awards and the Golden Globes. Note: Both have Best Picture Oscars.

Martin Scorsese (can you believe he’s only 5’ 4”?!) (Keep in mind that he was also nominated tons of times. For a list of all of his awards, check here.

Oscars – Best Director (The Departed), Best Picture (The Departed)

The Directors Guild of America – Best Director (The Departed), Lifetime Achievement Award 

Golden Globes – Best Director (Hugo), Best Director (The Departed), Best Director (The Aviator), Cecil B DeMille Award

BAFTAs – Academy Fellowship, Best Director (Goodfellas), Best Screenplay (Goodfellas), Best Film (Goodfellas), Best Film (Goodfellas)

Sir Ridley Scott (he was knighted in 2003)

Oscars – Best Picture (Gladiator)

BAFTAs – Michael Balcon Award

The Director’s Guild of America –

Golden Globes –

 

Who has the edge? No brainer here. Scorsese takes the cake again. It’s surprising that Scott hasn’t won more awards. I thought at least he’d come close to Scorsese.

“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those … moments will be lost in time, like tears…in rain. Time to die.” – Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

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3. Box Office Success

Ridley Scott

The total box office for Scott’s feature films is $1,556,001,958. That’s a good chunk of change.

In tallying up the domestic grosses for all of Scott’s films, I utilized Wikipedia which gives a list at all of the money generated from his films (check here).

Martin Scorsese  

On that other hand, Scorsese has also had a very successful run at the box office. His stats (listed via Wikipedia here), are pretty overwhelming.

The total take in for Scorsese (not adjusting for inflation) is $2,120,100,000. That’s a big step up from Scott but note that his first film was in 1977 whereas Scorsese began in 1967. Theoretically, Scott could still catch up.

Who has the edge? Scorsese. Pretty cut and dry here. However, with a sequel to Prometheus (to be directed by Scott) coming out soon, the gap should get smaller.

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States. Even before I first wandered into the cabstand for an after-school job, I knew I wanted to be a part of them. It was there that I knew that I belonged. To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood that was full of nobodies. They weren’t like anybody else. I mean, they did whatever they wanted. They double-parked in front of a hydrant and nobody ever gave them a ticket. In the summer when they played cards all night, nobody ever called the cops.” – Henry Hill (Goodfellas)

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4. Critical Success    

 

Martin Scorsese

The average rating Scorsese receives on Rotten Tomatoes is 83%.

Sir Ridley Scott

The Alien director has an average film rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 61.72%.

Keep in mind that when calculating these numbers, I used Rotten Tomatoes. Being that the aggregator website was only launched in 1998, the actual number of reviews per older movie will be less (in total).

Who has the edge? Scorsese. Scott just can’t catch a break. Scott’s films are very polarizing, at least critically.

“In space no one can hear you scream” – tagline from Alien

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5. Pop Cultural Impact

Ridley Scott

Once Alien took hold in Hollywood, it influenced a bevy of directors and became a box office force with its sequels and prequel (I’m not counting the Alien vs. Predator movies). You couple this with the transcendent film, Blade Runner, and Scott has become known as a thoughtful, visionary director that has a unique take on all of his films, including more recently with Gladiator, Prometheus, and The Martian (forget The Counselor, Body of Lies). Even my personal favorite, Legend, is a cult hit in its own right. Who can forget Tim Curry’s Darkness against Tom Cruise’s Jack in the 1986 fantasy film? More than Scott’s brilliant use of visuals to tell a story, it is his contribution to cinema with Blade Runner that catapults him into another stratosphere. Although the film wasn’t a particular smash hit when it came out in 1982, it has since garnered a giant following with even a sequel in the works with Ryan Gosling starring alongside Harrison Ford. Concepts of love, existence and morality come into play beautifully. Perhaps the reason the film wasn’t a giant success from the get-go was because it was ahead of its time.

 

Martin Scorsese

Just as Scott pushes films that attempt to challenge us in a way, Scorsese is more focused on how people are affected through the gravitas of their situations.  Let’s say he’s more character driven. Just think about it and all of the awards he’s garnered, including all of the awards his actors/actresses have received. You want to tell a more heartfelt, complex character story? Look no further than Scorsese. Just take the great Raging Bull film or the tense drama Taxi Driver. He’s attached to what makes people tick.

 

Who has the edge? Scott. You cannot deny the influence both of these directors have had already (and they’re still kicking it today!). The reason for Scott in this case is because he seems to have more influence on the masses and not ‘the academy’ per say. Scott’s passion for big ideas does not go unnoticed. He is not only a visionary talent but will likely be placed in the philosophical conversation (thanks Blade Runner). Look, the ‘academy’ understandably loves Scorsese’s films but should probably be more open to films that focus on broader ideas and the sci-fi genre all together.

Overall Win? Martin Scorsese. You have to hand it to the director. With his box office draw, excellent storytelling, and diverse filmography, he remains one of the best directors working in Hollywood.

“You talking to me?” – Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)

 

 

Alien: Covenant is our next Alien movie!

It was previously announced that the Ridley Scott project would be titled Alien: Paradise Lost, referring to the John Milton book, but this has since been changed. Along with the new title and logo, a synopsis of the anticipated film was also released by 20th Century Fox (see below).

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created in ALIEN with ALIEN: COVENANT, the second chapter in a prequel trilogy that began with PROMETHEUS — and connects directly to Scott’s 1979 seminal work of science fiction. Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.

Source: Coming Soon

Production on the film is set to begin in February 2016 in Australia with an eye for October 2017 release. Although that is a sweet title and logo, I do find it concerning that the writers that are onboard this project are Jack Paglen (Transcendence) and Michael Green (Green Lantern). If you don’t know already, both Transcendence and Green Lantern were critical and commercial failures. Perhaps, these writers learned from their mistakes. At least we have Ridley Scott back again at the helm (coming off the mega successful The Martian). Show me where the engineers come from!

The Martian is Out of this World

It took me awhile to come up with a fitting title. Look, it’s still the morning and I haven’t had my coffee yet. So, I just saw this movie last night and I must say that the film met my expectations on every level. With a credible director (Ridley Scott), screen writer (Drew Goddard – Cabin in the Woods) and an excellent cast, it is hard for this film to go wrong.

If you don’t have an idea already, the story is about how astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is believed to be dead after a violent storm on Mars and how he tries to survive long enough (with limited supplies) on Mars to await rescue. The backdrop wastes no time in setting up Watney’s misfortune. Through Watney’s video logs and actions around a Mars Base, we get to see how he responds to the harsh environment and how he uses his intuition to create food and water. To be the lone human on a planet would imaginably take a toll on anyone, but Watney deals with his situation the best he can through humor. Eventually, Watney is able to make limited contact with NASA.

NASA director (Jeff Daniels), NASA Mars director (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and NASA Crew director (Sean Bean) all debate how it is best to handle Watney’s situation. They even work with China and its innovative technology. Meanwhile, the crew on Hermes, that presumed Watney dead from their previous mission, are told of his survival and also debate how they can best help. The crew is rounded out with Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), Rick Martinez (Michael Pena), Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), and Chris Beck (Sebastian Shaw).

Let me just say that the entire cast works very well. Matt Damon totally sells the lone astronaut. Throughout most of the movie we are with him. The core of the film working rested on Damon’s shoulders and he knocked it out of the park. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was at least nominated for an Oscar next year. The supporting cast couldn’t be any better either. Along with part of the cast listed above, other supporting actors you may recognize include: Donald Glover (Community), Benedict Wong (Marco Polo) and Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire).

Outside of the performances, the look of this film is gorgeous. The sweeping landscape of volatile Mars is breathtaking (and I never use the word breathtaking). As Watney takes strolls on Mars (because he can) it really is worthwhile. This made the more philosophical moments of the movie stand out. Everywhere he goes on the planet, he is the first to explore. He’s also the only human on the entire planet so he’s the first to do a lot of things. These profound ideas stuck with me.

“I’m going to have to science the shit out of this!” – Watney

What is probably even more interesting is the science that was used in order to survive. Watney, being a botanist, used his skills to grow plants and create water. These scenes detailed how one would likely do these things on Mars. Although how he creates his food may be gross, it was essential to his survival. It is this emphasis on utilizing science to solve problems that I really enjoyed.

There are also slight moments that deal with God. In interviews with Ridley Scott (director), he mentioned that there has to be something beyond ourselves. I believe he instills his ideology within this movie (and many others – Alien, Prometheus, Blade Runner). The whole idea behind the sequel to Prometheus is to examine where ‘we’ come from, which was also instrumental in the film’s actual title – Alien: Paradise Lost. That movie will be Scott’s next directorial gig and is expected to be released in 2017.

I think most all movies about ‘colonizing’ Mars (so, not John Carter or Total Recall) have been dismal at best. More recently, there was Mission to Mars (2000) that was about how a rescue mission turns into the discovery that the planet is responsible for life on Earth. Oh, and Gary Sinise’s character decides to live with the aliens at the end. In the same year, Red Planet (2000) was released about a mission to Mars to colonize it as Earth is dying. The crew ended up finding aliens on the surface and people die. Then there’s the space comedy, Rocketman (1997), with Harland Williams playing a goofy scientist going on the first trip to Mars. I can say, with confidence, that The Martian is the best movie about colonizing Mars.

The Martian is not only a great movie but an important one. I know that NASA has been trying to push the movie to make the public more aware. The film not only deals with the plausibility of living on a different planet, but promotes cooperation with other countries (ignoring politics) in a globalized effort to live outside ourselves.

To check out a review of the book on which the film is based, click here.

Grade: A

Prometheus 2 to be called Alien: Paradise Lost, director provides more details

Alien: Paradise Lost

Yup. That is the new title, which director Ridley Scott revealed while doing press for his other upcoming feature The Martian (which is set to hit theaters October 2nd). The ‘Paradise Lost’ portion of the new title refers to John Milton’s famous poem about the fall of man. Paradise should also refer to where the Engineers (from Prometheus) come from. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and the android, David (Michael Fassbender) were last seen leaving the planet in search of where the Engineers come from. Being that the Engineers created us, logic goes to show that their world is a sort of heaven, or paradise.

Ridley Scott went on to state that the sequels title is such because “we’re heading back to why and how and when the beast was invented. We’ll go back into the back door of the very first Alien that I did thirty years ago.”

Specific scene (that seemed slightly out of place) in Prometheus:

Shaw’s Father: Everyone has their own word; heaven, paradise. Whatever it’s called, it’s someplace beautiful.
Young Shaw: How do you know it’s beautiful?

So, this is likely a hint that the planet that the Engineers are from is not necessarily a ‘paradise’ in the strictest sense of the word.

Alien: Paradise Lost looks to have new creatures, including the Engineer/alien hybrid (which is being called “The Deacon”) that was seen towards the end of Prometheus. The film will begin shooting in February of 2016 for a 2017 theatrical release.

This isn’t the only ‘Alien’ film to go before cameras as it was previously announced that Neill Blomkamp was developing his own film, Alien 5, which would take place after Aliens and focus on Ripley’s character. I should also note that since Ridley Scott is producer on both the Prometheus movies and Blomkamp’s Alien 5 (or whatever you wanna call it), that the Prometheus movies are getting priority over Blomkamp’s. The plan is likely to shoot Alien 5 in 2017 for a 2018 release.

Let’ talk about that Doctor Strange movie.

There are ‘most’ of you out there that have no idea who Doctor Strange is but much just like Iron Man, you will likely become very familiar with the name upon the film’s release in November of 2016. The story follows a morally conflicted neurosurgeon after he is involved in a horrible car accident. The accident makes him useless as a surgeon but he ends up discovering the power of magic and alternate dimensions.

It’s pretty ‘out there’ and may not attract many based on that premise alone but the cast of the movie will definitely turn heads. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) has been cast as the films lead a few months ago. If you haven’t seen him in Sherlock then drop everything right now and watch it. It’s the best Sherlock Holmes easily.

Check out the rest of the cast!

Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, upcoming The Martian) as Baron Mondo — villain

Rachel McAdams (True Detective, The Notebook) in an undisclosed role — just announced today.

Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as Doctor Strange’s mentor, The Ancient One

Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal TV series, Casino Royale, Valhalla Rising) as a mystery villain

The film comes from a script by Jon Spaihts (co-writer of Prometheus, The Darkest Hour) and directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Deliver Us from Evil). Tonally, the filmmakers involved make sense. Also, remember this is a Marvel film that actually looks to deviate from a lot of the type of movies they’ve been churning out in the last five years or so. So, the change is welcome.

Captain America: Civil War (May 2016) will begin Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which is followed by Doctor Strange. The rest of Phase Three is includes the following movies:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
an untitled Spider-Man movie
Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War part 1
Black Panther
Captain Marvel
Avengers: Infinity War part 2
Inhumans

If you want a breakdown of the ‘phases’, then check out the Wikipedia listing here.

Marvel definitely does not sound like they’ll be slowing down anytime soon. It seems like every comic book character will be getting their due at the box office. It’s a win-win for comic book fans. Also, who doesn’t like Benedict Cumberbatch?!

August 2015 Movie Releases (DvD & Blu-Ray)

August 4^th

Insurgent – The movie cousin to The Hunger Games has a sequel. Based upon the YA(young adult) novel, this sequel focuses on the war between four factions (Amity, Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless). Tris is one of the divergents (having all 4 characteristics) as she helps lead the way in a fight for peace or something like that. Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet and the god awful Jai Courtney.

Do You Believe? – A religious movie about how a pastor influences another pastor to be more pastorly. Starring: Mira Sorvino, Sean Astin (Rudy), and Cybill Shepherd.

True Story – This is that James Franco and Jonah Hill movie that was based on a true story. It focuses on the relationship between a writer, Finkel (Hill) and a murderer, Longo (Franco), taking upon Finkel’s identity. Finkel was a writer for the New York Times Magazine and was actually fired for fabricating parts of a news story in 2002.

Child 44 – Tom Hardy plays a Russian Intelligence agent (in the Joseph Stalin era) who takes on a case involving multiple murders of children. Leo Demidov’s (Hardy) case leads to high authorities in the Russian government. Based upon the first in a trilogy of novels by Tom Rob Smith, the story follows Demidov’s exploits. Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, The Professional), Joel Kinnaman (The Killing, upcoming Suicide Squad), Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Vincent Cassel (Trance), and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, The Golden Child).An incredible cast doesn’t always spell box office success. Still, I am likely to rent this.

A Little Chaos – A movie about competitive garden designers that are tasked to create a one of a kind water fountain on the grounds of le chateau de Versailles. I’m not making this up. Starring: Kate Winslet (The Reader), Alan Rickman (Harry Potter), Stanley Tucci(Transformers 4: Age of Extinction), and Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead).

Adult Beginners – A drama about a businessman (Nick Kroll) that loses it all but while staying with his sister (Rose Byrne) learns valuable life lessons. Starring: Nick Kroll (The League), Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class), Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man), Joel McHale (Ted) and Jason Mantzoukas (The Dictator, The League).

The Salvation – Mads Mikkelsen stars as a vengeful settler in the American West circa 1870s after the murder of his family. After killing the man responsible, the leader of their gang also seeks revenge. Looks like a decent flick. Starring: Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Hannibal), Eva Green (Casino Royale), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen).

Barely Lethal – This movie follows a 16 year old teenager assassin after she fakes her own death and enrolls in a suburban high school. She quickly learns that school clicks and popularity come at a price. Starring: Jessica Alba (Sin City), Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones), and Samuel L. Jackson (every movie). Yawn!

Madame Bovary – A drama focusing on an adulterous wife as she tries to escape her boring lifestyle. Starring: Mia Wasikowska (In Treatment, Alice in Wonderland), Ezra Miller (Trainwreck, upcoming Flash), Paul Giamatti (Sideways) and Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man).

Jackie & Ryan – Katherine Heigl still manages to headline movies, although this one looks straight to video. The story involves two musicians as they find themselves in love. Starring Katherine Heigl, Ben Barnes and Clea DuVall.

 

August 11^th

Hot Pursuit – All of the previews for this mess looked like a rip off of The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. This is a ‘female buddy’ film that has a conservative cop (Reese Witherspoon) and the wife of a drug dealer (Sofia Vergara) that must team up against a drug cartel. If Sofia’s blabbering accent on Modern Family isn’t enough for you, then check this out!

Unfriended – A high school girl that killed herself due to a cruel prank now communicates via Skype in video group chats! Okay, it sounds lame but at least it’s a different way for the genre of horror to reach another generation of kids.

Robot Overlords – Humans are slaves to a race of robots that conquered the world. People are confined to their homes and must wear implants. I’m not sure how this escaped me as it stars Ben Kingsley (Ghandi, Tut) and Gillian Anderson (X-Files). I may watch if the SyFy Channel picks it up.

 

August 18^th

Little Boy – A seven year old boy ventures off to bring his father back home from the World War II. The boy’s innocence incites those embedded in the war. Starring Emily Watson, Kevin James (you read that right), Michael Rapaport, Tom Wilkinson and Ali Landry (that hot Dorito’s commercial girl).

Lambert & Stamp – This documentary chronicles the journey of aspiring filmmakers, Christopher Stamp and Kit Lambert, as they try to produce a movie during the 1960’s underground music scene. The doc also features footage with famous people related to The Who, Richard Barnes, Roger Daltry, and Pete Townshend.

5 to 7 – This is a romantic comedy that follows a woman who writes about falling in love. Things get crazy when the person she is in love with is the French diplomat’s wife! Gasp! Caged Heat sounds better.

Strangerland – A family moves to the Australian outback when a dust storm results in the loss of their children. A search party forms to find the missing children amidst rumors and suspicion. Spooky! Starring: Nicole Kidman (Fur), Joseph Fiennes (Voldemort’s brother) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings).

The Riot Club – In this thriller, two freshman join an infamous club at Oxford. One day, all of the spoiled, rich students get in over their heads. Based upon the play, Posh.  The movie,Skulls, is probably much better than this but that ain’t saying much!

Vendetta – Remember Dean Cain? Well, if you haven’t went out of your way to research where he’s been, you’d still only remember him for playing Superman in the TV series, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Mr. Cain has been playing in direct to video movies for quite some time. In this movie, he plays a cop who must get revenge after his wife is murdered by The Big Show (Paul Wight or WWE fame). This looks like hung-over viewing.

 

August 25^th

Aloha – An all-star cast surrounds this box office disappointment. Brian Gilcrest is a US weapons consultant that becomes disgraced, then later talks to a robot and then eventually heads to Hawaii to oversee the launch of a spy satellite. He must also get permission for the launch from the Hawaiian council as part of his assignment. Directed by fan-favorite Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) and starring: Bradley Cooper, Emma, Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, Alec Baldwin, and Bill Murray.

Citizenfour – This riveting looking documentary showcases how filmmaker, Laura Poitras (who focuses on gov’t surveillance of private citizens post 9/11) receives an encrypted email by “citizenfour” who claims to have inside knowledge of covert surveillance by intelligence agencies. “Citizenfour” ends up being Edward Snowden. The documentary focuses on key interviews with Snowden and Julian Assange. Looks very interesting.

Where Hope Grows – Holy 1980s! This movie stars Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) and William Zabka (bad guy from The Karate Kid). The story focuses on a former professional baseball player who retires because of panic attacks. He eventually develops a relationship with a store clerk who has Downs Syndrome. His perspective on life changes and hope is learned…blah…blah…blah….I’ll pass.

Two Days, One Night – Marion Cotillard (Inception, La Vie en Rose) stars in this drama about how working class people who may have been disenfranchised from society. Sandra (Cotillard) tries to return to her job after an episode of depression only to find that her employer no longer needs her. She learns her fate is to be decided by her fellow employees in a vote.

Big Game – A teenager finds the President of the United States in a pod while hunting. Together they must make it through the woods alive as terrorists close in. Starring: Samuel L. Jackson (every movie) and Onni Tommila.

Skin Trade – Dolph Lundgren stars as a detective out for revenge after his family was slain by the mob. The mob is eventually connected to a human trafficking ring and Dolph must work with Tony Jaa (Ong Bak, The Defender), a Thai detective, to destroy them once and for all. Hung-over viewing.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters – Set in an alternate universe, DC’s trinity (Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman) find themselves framed for a bombing. DC’s main guns all have different origin stories and must decide whether they want to save the world or conquer it. Voice actors: Benjamin Bratt, Michael C. Hall, Tamara Taylor, Jason Isaacs and C. Thomas Howell. It’s a comic book animated movie! Count me in.

Lila & Eve – A drama/thriller surrounding a mother, Lila, who loses her son in a drive by shooting.  Lila eventually meets Eve, another mother who lost her daughter the same night. Together they go after the criminals responsible. Starring: Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez. Lifetime should starting making theatrical releases.

October Gale – This follows a doctor who tries to assist an injured man on an island from a man that is hunting him. Starring Patricia Clarkson, Scott Speedman, and Tim Roth.

The Runner – Nicolas Cage is back again as a once idealistic politician that must re-examine his life after a sex scandal destroys his career. Not to be confused with a good movie, this stars Nicolas Cage, Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave), Peter Fonda (Easy Rider) and Connie Nielsen (Gladiator). Will Nic Cage ever make a comeback from box office obscurity?

The Day After I saw Tomorrowland

I would see anything with Brad Bird’s name attached to it and this has led me to see his next outing, Tomorrowland. I have been trying to balance my time reading comics, watching TV shows and other movies that it took me longer than expected to see the sci-fi Disney picture. Ever since production has started on this project there was a certain level of secrecy and all anyone knew was that Disney was developing a movie with Brad Bird, whose last film was a giant success —Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Then we got a creative marketing campaign that didn’t delve ‘that much’ into the overall story but the scope of the film looked to be large and very ambitious. All we really got from the story was a girl that, when she touched a pin, was transported to a futuristic world. No one would really know anything about the movie until its actual release.

So, was the movie actually any good? No. I would say that the film was an overall disappointment. The film is ambitious and asked big questions but the story was clunky and one-sided (we’ll get back to this in a bit). It is safe to say that the special effects are top notch but nothing particularly groundbreaking. The direction of the movie, especially the action scenes, was near perfect but this is to be expected with the level of talent in director, Brad Bird.

This movie had everything going for it if it wasn’t for the clunky story, which although original, is a call to action. Some may easily identify this film as extremely anti-political as Tomorrowland’s foundation is built with the world’s best and brightest people who are free from government. I can see why Clooney was attracted to the project as it surely means well but the overall message is too on the nose without taking into consideration an alternative perspective to serve as rhetoric.

*Mild Spoilers*

The story shows how a young boy named Frank went to the 1964 World Fair and ended up on a journey that led him to a futuristic world – Tomorrowland. Flash forward to the present and we follow a teenage girl, Casey, as she is given a special pin that transports her to Tomorrowland but only for a limited amount of time. She eventually ends up at Frank’s (now older) house where she is told that what she experienced was basically just a commercial and that the real Tomorrowland is dying. While briefly there, Frank begins to believe that Casey is special and can help save the world. They all head to Tomorrowland (an alternate universe) to save the world. Upon arriving, they encounter the leader, General Nix, who tells them that their world cannot be saved because they choose to ignore all the warning signs that are being fed to it from a tachyon machine on Tomorrowland.

There were also subplots that do not serve the purpose of the story or they weren’t fleshed out enough. Frank’s reason for leaving Tomorrowland in the first place isn’t thoroughly explained. Casey’s background and family life spends is focused on too much. Even the subplot with Frank and the robot, Athena, veers too much into it’s own story.

The film was simply trying to be too many things while having a strong message to be a ‘dreamer’ and ‘maker’ while re-emphasizing that their isn’t a need for government. A world of artists and scientists without government seems nearly impossible. This is primarily the case when trying to figure out what the best policy is for ‘x’.

The other notion that the film implies is that by simply wanting to be a ‘dreamer’ and ‘not giving up’ meant you were deemed to succeed (and taken to Tomorrowland). That is just not the case as there are many of those that live in poverty that do not have the tools to enable themselves — education, housing, jobs, etc.

Story aside, the film succeeds on almost every other level — direction, special effects, script and the musical score by Michael Giacchino (Up, Star Trek). I do not think that this movie will necessarily hinder any future work from Brad Bird, especially when he does so well in directing big pictures. However, I believe Brad Bird should stay away from writing as he and Damon Lindelof (Lost, Prometheus) wrote the screenplay this time around.

Sure, the film had Disney-esque elements (a certain light-heartedness to it), good special effects and a great production but it also came with needless subplots that didn’t serve the story and a deep seeded political ideology that was too heavy handed.

*Disney cannot seem to get any new franchises started. Look at John Carter and The Lone Ranger.

Grade: C-

Tomorrowland Movie Trailer hits!

The mystery behind this project is slowly being revealed. George Clooney and Brit Robertson star in this film directed by the great Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol).

The premise is of a former boy genius meeting up with a scientifically curious teen as they go on a journey to uncover secrets of a place somewhere in space and time known as Tomorrowland.

The Disney film is written by Damon Lindelof (Lost, Prometheus) and Brad Bird and is set to come to theaters on May 22,2015.