I have had the privilege of watching Mad Max: Fury Road and I have an early review. It is, in a word, insane! That is all that I can say about it for now. Check out the trailer for a glimpse of the insanity.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Mad Max: Fury Road Early Review, Kind Of...
New Trailer For Christopher Nolan's Interstellar - New Footage
Interstellar Trailer 3!
See more Interstellar news @ interstellarmovie.com
Update: You'll need the access code 7201969,
the date of the moon landing.
Hercules (2014) Movie Review - Adequate Lite Entertainment
Hercules is directed by Bret Ratner known for the Rush Hour comedies and X-Men: The Last Stand. It tells a new story of Hercules beyond the familiar myth. The story picks up after Hercules legendary 12 labors. The events of the 12 labors are quickly glossed over in a montage that recaps of events leading up to the events in the film. Hercules is the leader of a small band of fighters. His wandering band of mercenaries are basically bounty hunters. They have an assortment of hard to pronounce and hard to remember Greek names. Hercules and his crew meet with great success as swords for hire but he remains haunted by the mystery behind the death of his beautiful wife and children. He is hired by the king of a local city to help deal with an army of marauders that threaten to take over his kingdom. Hercules must face this challenge by training the cities inexperienced army and leading them against an evil army that greatly out numbers them. Hercules primary tactic that he imparts to the soldiers he's training involves the importance of forming a wall of shields. "Nothing can defeat a shield wall." Really? Nothing?
This movie is not a fantasy film in the tradition of Clash Of The Titans or Sinbad. Everything that happens is presented as the truth behind the legend. It's the "real" story of Hercules. It's as if someone decided that the interesting mythical adventures of Hercules' have been told too often and now is the time that we should see the less interesting true story of the mortal Hercules. It lacks depth or compelling story telling. The events portrayed in the film should be engaging but they come across as cartoonish. No one appears to be in serious danger. We don't know any of the characters well enough to care about them. This is an all too common problem in films. They rush right past the characters and directly into the action as if today's audience has an attention deficit. Hercules succeeds in most of his endeavors far too easily. The problem may also be due in part to the PG-13 rating. An R rating would have allowed for more realistic battle violence. It comes across as a PG rated Conan The Barbarian. It has a bigger budget and is slicker looking but it isn't nearly as interesting to watch. Hollywood finds itself in a difficult position. On the one hand it wants to tell interesting stories for adults but it also needs to sell lots of tickets. Rated R movies don't make as much money and with big stars come big budgets so we rarely see these types of films with an R rating anymore. It's hard to imagine John Milius' Conan The Barbarian or Road Warrior rated PG.
This movie is not a fantasy film in the tradition of Clash Of The Titans or Sinbad. Everything that happens is presented as the truth behind the legend. It's the "real" story of Hercules. It's as if someone decided that the interesting mythical adventures of Hercules' have been told too often and now is the time that we should see the less interesting true story of the mortal Hercules. It lacks depth or compelling story telling. The events portrayed in the film should be engaging but they come across as cartoonish. No one appears to be in serious danger. We don't know any of the characters well enough to care about them. This is an all too common problem in films. They rush right past the characters and directly into the action as if today's audience has an attention deficit. Hercules succeeds in most of his endeavors far too easily. The problem may also be due in part to the PG-13 rating. An R rating would have allowed for more realistic battle violence. It comes across as a PG rated Conan The Barbarian. It has a bigger budget and is slicker looking but it isn't nearly as interesting to watch. Hollywood finds itself in a difficult position. On the one hand it wants to tell interesting stories for adults but it also needs to sell lots of tickets. Rated R movies don't make as much money and with big stars come big budgets so we rarely see these types of films with an R rating anymore. It's hard to imagine John Milius' Conan The Barbarian or Road Warrior rated PG.
The movie has a great look and feel and a cast of excellent actors that give their all. Dwayne Johnson and John Hurt are good as always.
The film is available in IMAX and 3D but watching in 3D adds very little to this film. Hercules is adequate lite entertainment appropriate for ages 12 and up.
Burn, Rent, or Buy? Rent it.
PG-13 1h 38m - Adventure/Action
PG-13 1h 38m - Adventure/Action
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Mad Max: Fury Road - First Look From Comic-Con
Looking forward to this...
Update: I've seen Mad Max: Fury Road. It's insane!
Update: I've seen Mad Max: Fury Road. It's insane!
Meet The New Wonder Woman - Gal Gadot
There she is, Wonder Woman, as seen in the upcoming
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Gal Gadot was Miss Israel in 2004 and is best know for her supporting roll in Fast & Furious 6
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Marvel Announces A Sequel To The Not Yet Released Guardians Of The Galaxy
At Comic Con today Marvel announced a sequel to Guardians Of The Galaxy. This suggest that they have a lot of confidence in the Guardians and that it is going to be a big hit at the box office. That remains to be seen but from what I have seen of the film the confidence is justified. Until the past few months of heavy marketing many had never heard of them and now there is a strong and growing fan base for the Guardians. With so many great merchandising possibilities, Rocket, Groot, and the other characters that appeal to kids and adults alike, it's likely to be a cash cow for Marvel for years to come. Making this announcement so early will help to secure the talent involved for the sequel and excite fans that now have two Guardians movies to look forward to watching.
The sequel's release date is July 28, 2017.
Find out more here @ Marvel.com
The sequel's release date is July 28, 2017.
Find out more here @ Marvel.com
Friday, July 25, 2014
The Death Of Superman Lives - Trailer
In the 1990's Tim Burton was signed by Warner Brothers to direct Superman Lives with Nicolas Cage as The Man Of Steel. There is a trailer for a new documentary that will explore the events surrounding the development and eventual cancellation of the project.
The First Official Image Of Ben Affleck As Batman
There have been quite a few fakes but here is the first official image of
Ben Affleck wearing his batsuit!
Thursday, July 24, 2014
George R.R. Martin's Take on Marvel's The Avengers - SDCC 2014
Hear George R.R. Martin's Take on Marvel's The Avengers at SDCC 2014
It's very interesting to hear George R.R. Martin's thoughts on Marvel characters and stories.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Pirates Of The Carribean V Announced
Pirates Of The Carribean V has been officially announced and has a release date of July 7, 2017.
Find out more @Disney.com
This is too far in the future to think about, reserving judgment for now...
Find out more @Disney.com
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Ken Ralston Interview from 1984
1984 was a great year for movies. Ken Ralston went on to work for Sony Pictures Imageworks as VFX supervisor.
