My Day with Film (Wednesday, 12/14/16)

Wednesday, 12/14/16


Dear Diary,

Since I last wrote, the first full trailer for Chris Nolan's DUNKIRK arrived online! It looks pretty awesome.

Is that Harry Styles I see in there? He actually looks like a human being! And Tom Hardy as an attack pilot?! Way cool. Allegedly, some IMAX screenings of ROGUE ONE around the country get to see the prologue of DUNKIRK projected from 70mm film. Unfortunately none of the theaters near me are lucky enough to have that. 

Also since writing yesterday, I saw that Alan Thicke died tragically at the age of 69. I heard he was out playing hockey with his son and had a heart attack. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and with anyone else who was close to him. I used to love GROWING PAINS. With only about two weeks left, it'd be cool if 2016 could spare the rest of the greats. 

In the gym earlier this afternoon, I heard "Shake Ya Tailfeather" from the BAD BOYS II soundtrack over the PA system. I nearly forgot how hard that song is. Instantaneously cranked my workout to the next level. 

Then after my workout I went to see OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY. Some of the antics rival PROJECT X from a couple of years ago, but overall it isn't quite as memorable. It would've been a hoot to see the all-star cast go totally off-the-wall to deliver something as gleefully unhinged as PROJECT X or the first HANGOVER. They come close but never quite get there. Perhaps the saddest thing of all is that the movie just isn't that funny. Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, and Kate McKinnon have all delivered sidesplitting work in the past. I can't believe they couldn't push the envelope just a little bit more with this cast. There's a loose plot involving the Chicago branch of a data security company getting the sack unless they find a way to secure a big contract before everyone leaves for the holidays. So, they invite an important client (THE PEOPLE VS. O.J. SIMPSON's Courtney B. Vance) to their office Christmas party with the hope that he'll experience their culture firsthand and choose to work with them over the likes of Dell and Oracle. Holiday hijinks ensue. If you haven't seen this one yet, wait until next Christmas after it hits Redbox. 

I saw on Twitter today were that the nominees for this year's SAG (that's "Screen Actors Guild) Awards were announced. You can check the list out courtesy of Variety. The big surprises that everyone's buzzing about are Viggo Mortensen's well-deserved inclusion in the race for Best Actor race for his turn in CAPTAIN FANTASTIC and Emily Blunt's Best Actress nomination for THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. Many are calling Blunt's nomination "the shock of the year" as she beat out the likes of ELLE's Isabelle Huppert and 20TH CENTURY WOMEN's Annette Bening who, up to this point, were two favorites to contend for the Oscar. I've yet to see ELLE or 20TH CENTURY WOMEN, but they can't be any worse than THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. Blunt's performance is okay but certainly not worthy of any major awards.

Another big thing I saw was that the first trailer for BLADE RUNNER 2049 is imminent. It will run exactly 98 seconds (the significance of that number, I'm not sure) and could be online as early as Sunday or Monday. If you ask me, it'd be smart for Warner Brothers to piggyback on ROGUE ONE. Aside from DUNKIRK I'm unaware of any other major blockbuster teases for opening weekend. BLADE RUNNER appeals to the same general demographic as STAR WARS, so why not? Maybe the hype of everything mushed together - DUNKIRK, STAR WARS, AND BLADE RUNNER - would just be too much. We'll see.

The last two news stories I noticed were that ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK's Ruby Rose is in talks to join PITCH PERFECT 3, and DOCTOR STRANGE was the highest grossing film in America during the month of November, raking in an estimated $222 million. According to Box Office Mojo, Marvel's latest has earned just under $650 million worldwide so far.

I'm concluding my day with a very special digital IMAX 3D screening of ROGUE ONE. I couldn't be more stoked! I watched A NEW HOPE and part of THE FORCE AWAKENS last night because the hype was just too real. I also wanted the context and nuances of the original fresh in my mind before going into this one. Hopefully I'll get even more out of it that way. I wanted to play more STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT beforehand because there's new DLC that just came out, and I've played maybe five minutes of it. It's got maps and heroes inspired by the new film. Maybe I'll play a game or two after I get home. 

I will type up my full review and share it tomorrow so that anyone going to the first shows can be informed. I promise to be as spoiler-free as possible! 

Until tomorrow,

BC

My Day with Film (Tuesday, 12/6/16)

Tuesday, 12/6/16


Dear Diary,

As I expected, the first trailer for the next TRANSFORMERS movie was released within the last 24 hours. I'd be lying to myself, and to you, if I said this trailer didn't surprise me at least a little bit. There are some striking images, and I dig Anthony Hopkins' voiceover. How on Earth they hoodwinked Hopkins into doing TRANSFORMERS, we may never know. THE LAST KNIGHT doesn't look like a good film by any stretch, but it may mark an improvement from the last handful of nigh-unwatchable sequels. A kid can dream. Here's hoping Michael Bay somehow turns this ship around before leaving it in another director's hands.

I also came across another movie trailer on Twitter today for a film called THE CIRCLE. It apparently stars Tom Hanks, Emma Watson and John Boyega.

So it looks like Hanks plays some sort of a Steve Jobs-type, and Watson and Boyega are a couple of employees who stumble onto something they shouldn't have with one of the company's new gadgets. Sounds like it might be fun, but it could also turn out to feel like an average episode of BLACK MIRROR. With James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) handling the script and direction, and with that cast, prospects seem bright.

In personal news, I was feeling under the weather most of today. While resting up, I finished the season finale of HBO's WESTWORLD which blew my mind a little bit. I feel like I need to rewatch that series about a half dozen times to catch things I missed. This gives me anxiety because there is just too much great content I need to get through and not enough hours in the day. I've been trying to get through a stack of movies on my shelf which consists of KRAMPUS, THE REVENANT, OCTOBER SKY, SPACE JAM, THE THIN RED LINE, THE GAME, and BOYHOOD among others. Since writing yesterday, I also watched GREMLINS all the way through for the first time on Amazon Prime. So that's one more streaming movie I can cross off my ever-expanding list.

Also I read the news today that the U.S.'s bid to extradite Roman Polanski was denied by Poland's Supreme Court. Authorities in the States have been trying to get this bid through for decades. In the late 1970s, Polanski allegedly made inappropriate contact with a 13-year old during a photoshoot in L.A. and has eluded American justice ever since. The rejection of the extradition bid means that Polanski is now free to work and live in Poland as he pleases. With this second chance, let's hope he keeps his nose clean.

David Ehrlich of IndieWire published a list of his 25 favorite films of this year, including the most memorable moments from each. I think it's neat that Ehrlich chose a favorite scene from each one, explaining how the films left their impressions on him personally. This is a far more engaging piece than your standard "end-of-year" Top 10 list. I may try to do something similar once I get around to seeing the rest of the awards contenders.

Lastly, my friend Tyler Keeton has a really cool horror blog called "Dripping Red Cinephile." He just interviewed Gian Keys, who plays Detective Griff Meadows in THE LOVE WITCH. Their discussion is worth your time, and so is this movie!

Until tomorrow,

BC

Thoughts on the First Official Trailer for "Hardcore Henry"

Hardcore Henry | Official Trailer | STX Entertainment

By: Levi Hill

The first trailer for Hardcore Henry was recently released, and it is definitely worth taking a look at - unless you’re easily susceptible to motion sickness. The trailer sells the film as “a motion picture event unlike any other,” and it’s pretty obvious that the movie is taking some pretty enormous risks that could either pay off big time or fail spectacularly.

Hardcore Henry is a first-person action movie, meaning you see everything through the protagonist’s eyes. It is obvious that the film takes a great deal of inspiration from countless "first-person shooter" video games. The protagonist, Henry, is half-man, half-machine. Following the tradition of most first-person shooters, Henry is also mute. As the trailer conveniently states, his “speech module” hasn’t been installed yet.

Hardcore Henry looks interesting purely because of the enormous risk it's taking by being a live-action, entirely first-person narrative. Featuring the talents of Tim Roth, Sharlto Copley and Haley Bennett, the movie doesn’t lack talent in front of the camera’s ”eyes.” However, the film’s plot seems incredibly bland. A menacing group wants the technology that has been installed into Henry; so in order to get to him, they kidnap his wife.

Given the innovative way the film is presented, the plot could be more interesting. If the action holds up, however, a bland plot may not be a glaring issue to most viewers. Thankfully the action in the trailer looks easy to follow, which is surprising considering that the camera will probably be incredibly shaky during most of the action scenes.

Whether or not Hardcore Henry will make viewers sick, à la Cloverfield, or will live up to the creative premise is yet to be seen, but this trailer at least caught my attention.