Saturday, December 6, 2014

Movie Poll: Black James Bond

A friend of mine recently mused about the idea of an African American or black actor playing James Bond, since thus far, over 23 movies, you may have noticed that all the James Bond characters were white. 2 names at the top of that list happen to be Denzel Washington and Idris Elba. Washington become a candidate during an AMA Reddit session where he expressed interest in the role, and then came along a Twitter trend #DenzelIsJamesBond to promote the actor’s bid for the role. My friend came up with Idris Elba’s name and Elba, too, has spoken on the matter, saying that he hates the term Black Bond, but that isn’t going to stop people from speculating about his involvement in the franchise. Who do you think is ideal for the role? I'd go with Elba, because he's British and is much younger compared to Washington.

denzel washington idris elba

Friday, December 5, 2014

James Bond Girls Movie Poll

In most James Bond films, it is a given that at least one Bond girl dies. In the upcoming James Bond film Spectre, the 2 Bond girls in question are Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci. Who do you think is most likely to get killed in the upcoming installment of the franchise?


monica bellucci lea seydoux
Monica Bellucci and Lea Seydoux

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Edgar Wright Exits Ant-Man

Edgar Wright Not Directing Ant-Man Anymore

Edgar Wright Ant-Man director

 


This is one of the most bizarre news pieces to reach my ears. Edgar Wright, who has been attached to Marvel’s Ant-Man movie since 2006, before the first Iron Man movie, has decided to leave the project to someone else. People are already speculating about the reasons behind this, and the best guess happens to be to do with creative differences. 

This is strange given that the execs have probably known the direction Wright was taking the film in for years, despite it morphing and changing along the way, especially with Marvel’s successful Phase 1. The core reason for the split was to do with rewrites. 

So far, I doubt Marvel has had a rotten apple in its lineup, commercially that is. I happen to be an ardent supporter of the DC universe and hope that the upcoming Dawn of Justice movie will turn the tables. Is this latest news of Marvel’s Ant-Man movie a sign of the tide turning? Franchises sometimes extend themselves a bit too far. I think Marvel is reaching that point, and the best example I have for this is the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which doesn’t stand up to the quality of Marvel’s cinematic lineup, not that it was made to be that way, though. If it tried to be that way, the budget would probably balloon out of control.  

I am disappointed by Wright’s departure because his movies are dense with humor, a key component of almost every single Marvel movie thus far. Wright has given audiences laughs consistently with all his movies, and he can handle a butt load of CGI, and a prime case would be Scott Pilgrim v. The World, so he is definitely capable of handling the science fiction elements of the movie. Chances are that the studio will find a suitable replacement for the director, but it still won’t be Edgar Wright, now would it?

Monday, January 13, 2014

Michael Douglas Joins Marvel's Ant-Man as Hank Pym

Michael Douglas is Scientist Hank Pym

Michael Douglas red carpet

Michael Douglas was the last person I expected to see attached to a comic book movie, and yet he finds himself cast as Hank Pym in Marvel’s upcoming Ant-Man movie. This latest casting decision sheds more than ample light on the potential plot of the film, especially since we already know that Paul Rudd is also slated to appear in the film.

It was Douglas’ character Hank Pym that invents the technology allowing a human to be transformed into different sizes, like an ant’s. Later on, Scott Lang steals the technology from Pym in order to rescue his daughter. For what it’s worth, we can guarantee that Paul Rudd will now play Scott Lang, since director Edgar Wright was toying with the idea of including both Pym and Lang in his film project. This is what he had to say in an ancient interview he gave, sourced from Empire Magazine, taken from Superhero Hype:

The idea that we have for the adaptation is to actually involve both. Is to have a film that basically is about Henry Pym and Scott Lang, so you actually do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60's, in sort of Tales To Astonish mode basically. And then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang's story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Henry Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him.

If this is to be believed, we might have a prologue with Michael Douglas in a superhero outfit, despite the fact that he’s 69 years old. But we mustn’t forget that this interview was given in 2006, and much might have changed since then, especially since at the time, Marvel’s Phase One movies hadn’t even hit the movie theaters. And if you hadn’t noticed, this is the latest Marvel casting news that has gone unopposed by the internet and twitter, specifically. DC and Warner Bros. on the other hand, deal with a backlash almost on every single occasion. Remember the news about Batman and Wonder Woman?

Sunday, January 12, 2014

2014 Golden Globe Awards Movie Predictions

Golden Globe Predictions 



With only moments to spare before tonight’s most famous movie and television stars stroll the soaking wet red carpet at this years Golden Globes, I have completed my winners list for this years FILM categories.  The following winners are based on my opinions of this year’s nominees and nobody else’s.

Best Foreign Language Film: Blue is the Warmest Color
Best Animated Film: Frozen
Best Screenplay: Her
Best Director: Steve McQueen
Best Supporting Actor- Jennifer Lawrence
Best Supporting Actor- Jared Leto
Best Actress (Comedy) - Amy Adams
Best Actor (Comedy) - Joaquin Phoenix
Best Actress (Drama) - Emma Thompson
Best Actor (Drama) - Chiwetel Ejiofor
Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical- Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Motion Picture Drama- 12 Years a Slave



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Riddick Blu-ray Review (2013)

Riddick Blu-ray Review (2013)

'Riddick' has more in common with 'Pitch Black' than its immediate predecessor 'The Chronicles of Riddick', which took the conventional route for a sequel (to Pitch Black) by trying to elevate its scale and scope. This third installment is smaller in terms of its ambitions, but that is a compliment in most regards.

Vin Diesel's anti-hero gets stranded on a planet left for dead this time around. He not only has to contend with the species calling the planet their home, when two groups of bounty hunters which include Dave Batista and Katee Sackhoff, try to hunt him down to get hold of one of his possessions.

Unlike 'Chronicles' which was PG-13, Riddick earned an R rating, which paved the way for more graphic violence, language and a dose of sexual content to top it off. While the second half is action and dialogue heavy, the first deals with primarily Riddick on his own, fending off creatures from the air, water and land alike and sees the character show his true grit and aggression as a result. That's not to say that the finale is lackluster by any means, since it is as severe, but the first half, where Riddick is virtually isolated, seems to test our lead by forcing him into a corner. The results of this movie are impressive, considering that only a $38 million budget was utilized, and while the scope of the movie was greatly reduced, seeing Riddick return to his origins is a welcome change.

Riddick Blu-ray Special Features and Extras

  • Unrated Director's Cut: The Blu-ray edition of Riddick features the film's 119-minute theatrical cut and the extended 127 minute director's cut.
  • The Twohy Touch (HD, 6 minutes): This segment looks at why another Riddick movie was made, or rather had to be made, through interviews with director David Twohy and company.
  • Riddickian Tech (HD, 10 minutes): Explores the science and technology of the Riddick universe.
  • Vin's Riddick (HD, 9 minutes): Chronicles the conception and transformation of Vin Diesel's character.
  • Meet the Mercs (HD, 11 minutes)
  • The World of Riddick (HD, 11 minutes): Explore the planet Riddick finds himself in.
  • Riddick: Blindsided (HD, 5 minutes): A motion comic. 

Blu-ray Specifications

  • Format: Color, Director's Cut, Widescreen
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
  • Subtitles: French, Spanish
  • Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
  • Region: All Regions
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Number of discs: 2
Riddick Blu-ray cover 2013


Monday, January 6, 2014

Ralph Fiennes Clip in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Ralph Fiennes in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

 In this clip of the upcoming 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', Ralph Fiennes' concierge is accused of murder by Edward Norton's policeman. While at first he seems calm and composed, at a moment's notice, Fiennes decides to make a run for it. The film will be released in March 2014 .

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Samson the next Bible Movie?

Samson Bible Movie

Is it time for Hollywood to retell the story of Samson?

Samson pillars painting

2014 is going to see quite a number of biblical movies grace the movie theater. First, there’s Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ starring Russell Crowe, which of course, is about Noah’s Ark. Then, there’s Ridley Scott’s ‘Exodus’ which will see Christian Bale as Moses himself. Hollywood seems to be gaining a liking for The Bible, despite its generally liberal masses. I kept thinking about other potential Bible stories that may be turned into film, and one that popped into my mind was that of Samson. 

According to the Hebrew Bible, Samson was a means by which God could aid the Israelites, who were suppressed by the Philistines at the time. He possessed supernatural, omnipotent strength and in his endeavors, he single handedly annihilated the Philistines, up until his death. He was a Nazirite, set aside for God, and his vows included abstinence from alcohol and shaving and cutting hair among other things. As long as he protected his vows, he would be able to preserve his powers of unimaginable strength.  

Word goes that his path was set by God so as to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. His falling for a Philistine woman was then, planned by God. This simple act sets in motion a chain of events that results in sheer carnage. When his betrothed Philistine woman is given to another man, he burns the fields of the Philistines. This enrages the Philistines who exact vengeance by killing his betrothed. This in turn, infuriates Samson even further (his loved one was killed, obviously) so he slaughters even more Philistines. The story goes on and on, with Samson taking on an entire army by himself until he is betrayed by Delilah, another woman he falls for. She finds out that if Samson breaks his vow, by say, cutting his hair, he’ll lose his superhuman strength. Delilah, swayed by the coin the Philistines offered, cuts Samson’s hair, thereby allowing the Philistines to capture him. But in his very last hours before he was to be sacrificed, he pulled down the two pillars (his hair grew back somewhat) he was tied to, killing many more Philistines and himself, in the end.

When the story is put out as I have done in the previous paragraph, it seems preposterous. Well, that’s because I’ve left out most of the detail to make the story as concise as possible. I was first introduced to Samson through those Bible cartoons they used to show back in the day. It started off with Jesus, Moses and then eventually the series made its way to Samson. He was more likeable in the cartoon than in the Bible. He had to be in order to make the program viewable for children. Ripping apart a lion with his bare hands (yes, he does this, too) wouldn’t sit well with all those parent’s councils watching over TV shows, waiting to pounce on anything that may seem inappropriate. 

When I first thought about a Samson movie, I saw some real potential for a film. There’s a tremendous amount of tragedy to be seen with the loss of his first betrothed, to his eventual betrayal at the hands of Delilah. Even the fact that he was blinded after his capture, should set hearts to ache at some point. Then there’s all the violence that could end up in the movie. A fight with a lion, and the countless scores of Philistines he so easily obliterates. There’s scope for some really strong rated R material that should appeal to older audiences and teenagers. Add to this his weakness for untrustworthy women who are no doubt appealing in more than one way, and you have the possibility of some raunchy sex scenes, not that we’re trying to besmirch The Bible in anyway. There were 2 notable loves in his life, so there’s room for at least a couple of erotic scenes. 

Tragedy, love, lust, violence. These components should make for an interesting screenplay. But the story of Samson has some inherent flaws. Firstly, when I was watching that cartoon years ago, I couldn’t help but compare Samson to Hercules. He is a one man army. He took down most of the Philistines by himself. Portraying this onscreen should be extremely difficult. In fact, it won’t be highly feasible to have an individual do all those deeds by himself. Unless it’s an animated feature like those cartoons were. Of course, we could pair him up with a band of misfits and such to make the scenario more plausible, but then the film would turn into the Hercules movies set to be released this year, with Kellan Lutz and The Rock playing the Greek hero in separate movies, both planning on providing a more realistic take on the Greek hero. Hence, a realistic take makes it difficult to differentiate Samson from the Hercules movies to be released soon. Then there’s the matter of the hair. The bottom line is that if you cut Samson’s hair, he loses his powers. To most, this is ludicrous and trivial. Imagine a seen where the villain, Delilah, in this case, creeps up on Samson after some shenanigans in bed, and cuts his locks off to weaken him. It’s almost impossible to see that deed done in a serious manner on screen, without creating a laugh or two. 

I thought that Samson would thus be an unfilmable idea, primarily due to the hair, but it turns out that I was wrong. There’s a 1949 movie ‘Samson and Delilah’ which won 2 Oscars and a 1996 TV movie with Elizabeth Hurley in it. There were also some films in the 1960s made in Italy, with titles such as ‘Samson vs. The Pirates’. I’m guessing that it falls into the category of a mash up film of sorts, the kind you see with monsters, like Godzilla vs. King Kong. Must be quite entertaining. Anyway, it seems that Hollywood was working on Samson long before I thought about it. While the movies that are currently available on the Biblical character may not be suited to the tastes of the present generation, it may only be a matter of time before someone harvests an idea that translates the idea into a palatable film for the present day. If Noah’s Ark can make a Hollywood premiere, why can’t Samson’s glorious locks?