Whether August: Osage County turns out to be a good film or now, one thing is certain: It put together one of best casts of the year.
You have Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Abigail Breslin, Margo Martindale, Juliette Lewis and Dermot Mulroney. Wow, just wow. It will be interesting to see them get into this material based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and directed by John Wells.
August: Osage County comes out on November 8.
Robert Downey Jr. better learn how to cook.
According to Deadline, Downey Jr. will reteam with Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director and co-star Jon Favreau for the ensemble comedy Chef. Favreau wrote the script and will direct.
Chef, an original idea from Favreau “about a man who loses his job as a chef and starts a food truck to reclaim his artistic promise,” will also star Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale.
Downey Jr. is pretty much the biggest movie star in the world right now and can do whatever he wants. He’s a very funny guy and I like that’s he’s moving away from the bigger franchises like Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes he’s been involved with recently.
The Coen brothers new film is arriving and we get it’s first Red-Band trailer. The film is about a singer/songwriter in the 1960’s who is navigating the folk music scene. The movie will star Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman and Oscar Isaac as Llweyn Davis.
Inside Llewyn Davis comes to theaters December 6.
It’s not surprising to me that this is the case given the fact there has been little marketing, but 300: Rise of an Empire has been pushed back until March 7, 2014. The original release date was August 2nd so it’s weird that there would be very little marketing and zero trailers. Warner Brothers announced that it will take the slot originally filled with Doug Liman’s film, All You Need is Kill.
In a statement yesterday, Warner Brothers said that they wanted to start off the year in an epic fashion, similar to its predecessor, 300. This is probably a smart if there’s nothing to compete with it. The spring time tends to be hit or miss so if it stands out, it could get a lot more people in the seats than toward the end of summer.
What you guys think, good idea?
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann (screenplay), Craig Pearce (screenplay), F. Scott Fitzgerald (novel)
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire
Synopsis: A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.
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DIRECTION
Before I get into the direction for Baz Luhrmann here, I wanted to lay some foundation. Regardless of what you may think of Luhrmann, you need to look at this from the perspective of the film itself and not your opinions of him. Lay down your expectations and live in the moment as this is Luhrmann at his very best. If you’re a fan of the book, you’ll like the direction of this film as it stays pretty straight forward to F. Scott Fitzgerald classic novel. I love the narration by Tobey Maguire’s character, which the story is through the lens (or in this case pen) of Nick Carraway. The camera movements are fast but elegant and with purpose. The transition shots are fantastic and perfectly executed which puts you right into the brilliant pace of the film. Everything is in rhythm. People walking out the doors, wind blowing curtains, music playing and natural elements you see in real life; all in a perfect and intentional rhythm that is beautiful and graceful. Luhrmann uses slow motion to capture certain emotions and moments in the movie to lure in the viewer to be apprehended by the drama. The music unbelievable and executed perfectly. This is probably going to be the biggest criticism Luhrmann gets, especially if you’re not a fan of Jay-Z or modern elements being incorporated into classics. To me, it was perfect. A green light leading the way with gorgeous visuals and a Baz Luhrmann style that’s uniquely his.
Grade: A+
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SCRIPT
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic masterpiece has been revered for a long time and for good reason. It’s a great story filled with drama and love with layers and layers underneath. The script makes the characters interesting, flawed and full of drama, not unlike many stories today. The parallels written back then are very prominent and just as relevant today than ever before, which makes the transition to big screen very easy. Luhrmann and Craig Pearce’s screenplay is well written, keeps to the novel well, and re-creates the story in a beautiful way. The humor was great for the most part and the emotions were real and raw. Two and half hours goes by and you hardly notice it.
Grade: A
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PERFORMANCES
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby is passionate and perfectly casted. He brings lots of emotion and life to that character whom by the end you can’t help but pull for. As love being the driving force for everything he does, he brings charisma, appropriate awkwardness, anger, and passion. Tobey Maguire is also great in this film, although I feel like his performance drops in certain scenes. He’s intentionally drawn internally in some parts while showing his wild side in one scene. Overall though, as the story narrator, writer, and main element to Gatsby’s story, Maguire brings it. Joel Edgerton is at his best as Tom Buchanan. A cocky, selfish millionaire whose morals are always in question is a tough character to play, but Edgerton does it with ease and attitude. Carey Mulligan will probably get some criticism, but I loved her as Daisy Buchanan. She’s cute, innocent and plays the role magnificently. She gets a little cheesy at times with some of her quirks but it worked for the most part. She was big in drawing in the love and emotion that character needed. Jason Clark, Isla Fisher and the other supporting roles I thought were good too.
Grade: A-
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SCORE
The Great Gatsby is perhaps the best soundtrack of 2013 so far. Scored by Craig Armstrong and produced by Jay-Z, the musical elements lift this film into a whole new level. Modern hip hop in a 1920’s era piece doesn’t make sense on the surface and it some places it’s pretty strange, but what would expect from a Luhrmann film? But it works so great amazingly well for me. Jay-Z rapping over a bright-lighted crowded New York City is perfect. A fun hip-hop beat mixed with some dubstep even (Yes, dubstep in The Great Gatsby) during a party scene shot in slow motion was fun, energetic and exactly what it needed. Throw in some jazz and some french horns and you have a classic 1920’s feel that is modernized in a way that could of only been done by Shawn Carter (that’s Jay-Z folks). I haven’t even mentioned that while Craig Armstrong is in the background on this movie, his score is very fitting and is very good. It’s emotional, raw, and brings the right gracefulness you need a story like this.
Grade: A+
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Several movies coming out this weekend including the latest from Baz Luhrmann.
The Great Gatsby
Peeples
Sightseers
Venus and Serena
Aftershock
No One Lives
One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das
Java Heat
Which movie are you looking forward to seeing this weekend? The Great Gatsby was pretty good!…
William Fichtner just made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles worth watching.
According to Deadline, Fichtner will be playing “a lead with iconic stature in the Turtles‘ mythology” in the Michael Bay-produced film. Based on that description, I would say Fichtner will be playing Shredder, which would be absolutely awesome.
Fichtner can be seen in this summer’s The Lone Ranger and Elysium.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is expected to hit theaters on June 16, 2014.
A couple of days ago we posted the new poster for Alfonso Cuarón’s new movie, Gravity, and now the first teaser trailers is here. The teaser is interesting as it could almost work as a short film the way it’s pieced together. The film stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. And by stars, I mean they are the only cast in the film (and no I’m not making that up). The visuals look great and if directed right, it could be pretty good. Take a gander and let us know your thoughts!
One of the most under-the-radar movies coming out this summer in my opinion is Louis Leterrier’s, Now You See Me. This movie seems to have an interesting story and it has an incredible cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Jessie Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson and Isla Fisher to name a few. Anyway, the marketing for this film has almost been non-existent and it’s probably due to the fact the budget is tied up in all the casting for the film.
Well Lionsgate has released the first four minutes of the film in an effort to get people excited about the movie. People haven’t really been talking about this film much, but it seems interesting so I think this is a good movie on Lionsgate’s part. Whether or not it sparks the right buzz is a different question. Now You See Me comes to theaters May 31.
What do you think? Is this a good idea? Comment and let us know!
Shane Black has found his next film.
According to The Wrap, Sony has closed a deal with Black to co-write and direct Doc Savage, which will reportedly be his next film. Doc Savage is a pulp character from the 1930s and 40s who appeared in novels, films, comic books, radio and television. He is a man of many trades who has been trained since birth to be nearly superhuman in every way. He uses his skills and powers to punish evil around the world.
Black recently directed Iron Man 3, which has grossed over $740 million worldwide and had the second-highest domestic opening of all-time last weekend. It was only a matter of time before he’d get hit up for his next film – which we all know will feature lots of comedy and some crazy twists and turns.
It’s been announced that Jurassic Park 4 has been put on hold and will be pushed back to a later date. Universal Pictures was very eager to get the film out as a big summer movie in 2014, but that gave little time for newly hired Colin Trevorrow and company to get production done in time, especially given the fact there will likely be lots of CG. At this time, they aren’t sure when production will resume. Here’s the official statement issued yesterday by Universal:
“In coordination with filmmakers, Universal has decided to release Jurassic Park 4 at a later date giving the studio and filmmakers adequate time to bring audiences the best possible version of the fourth installment in Universal’s beloved franchise. We could not be more excited about the vision that Colin Trevorrow has created for this film, and we look forward to watching as he and the producers create another great chapter in this franchise’s storied history.”
At this time I speculate that it’s still going to happen and Universal still seems happy to have Trevorrow on board, but they want to give him plenty of time to make sure the film is up to par. Given the fact that Jurassic Park 3 was a little bit of a let down, I imagine they will put everything they can into lifting the franchise back up to the first two films. Let’s not forget, this is also Trevorrow’s first big film and he may need that extra time to really make it grandioso. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comment section.
Hey everybody, Alfonso Cuaron has a new film coming out.
Who’s Cuaron you ask? He’s just the guy who directed 2006’s amazing sci-fi film Children of Men. And now we got our first look at his follow-up, Gravity, with this visually stunning poster. Gravity stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock who play two astronauts who get stranded in space.
This is one of my most anticipated films of the year, especially when word on the street is that Cuaron has shot this mostly in real-time. With this visual genius and these incredible actors, Gravity has the potential to be one of year’s best films.
Gravity hits theaters on October 18.
Captain Phillips, a new film directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks, is about the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
This was one of the most amazing stories I’ve ever heard of and is something you think you’d only see in a movie. The fact that this is backwards is incredible. I’m really excited for this.
Captain Phillips opens on October 11.
Martin Scorsese has found his lead for Silence.
According to Variety, Andrew Garfield will star in the legendary director’s adaption of a Japanese novel about a young Portuguese priest who travels to Japan to investigate claims that his mentor has apostatized himself. It’s set in the 17th century. Ken Watanabe will star as Garfield’s character’s interpreter.
Silence kind of has me intrigued. Scorsese obviously knows how to make great films and Garfield has proven he can lead a film (i.e. The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man). Curious to see how this one turns out.
The trio is back.
After Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost will look to bring us another classic with The World’s End.
We recently got our first look at The World’s End with a teaser trailer and it looks like it could be fun. I like the premise of a group of friends trying to finish a pub crawl as an alien invasion (?) happens. And I like that Martin Freeman is in this.
The World’s End hits theaters on October 25.
The new Ender’s Game trailer was released this afternoon and it’s an interesting piece of marketing. Harrison Ford carrying the voice over work does a great job and the visuals smack you in the mouth. While it looks good, we’ve raved about lots of movies so far this year and a couple of them have been less than stellar. Iron Man 3 and Pain & Gain had great trailers that made us excited for the film, but as we left the theater, we experienced something very different. Not necessarily bad but definitely different.
So all that to say, it looks good but get excited at your own risk. Holy crap does it look good though.
Here is the official synopsis, courtesy of Summit:
In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham, all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin, a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite. Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he’s trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.
The film stars Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin, and some pretty big names such as Harrison Ford (Colonel Graff), Ben Kingsley (Mazer Rackham), and Viola Davis, as well as up and coming stars Aramis Knight, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jimmy Pinchak. Ender’s Game is directed by Gavin Hood and comes to us November 1.
The first series in our InSession Movie Series is Baz Luhrmann. Neither Matthew, Nate or I have seen much of his work before and with the excitement of The Great Gatsby coming out, we thought we’d get to know him more. The movies we’ll be discussing are Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet, Australia, and Moulin Rouge!
Grades
Nate: F
JD: B-
Matthew: A-
Review
Click here to read our full review of Strictly Ballroom. Luhrmann’s 1992 film is his first film and it has plenty of layers throughout the movie that makes it good (or in Nate’s case why he hates it).
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Grades
Nate: D+
JD: B
Matthew: C
Review
Click here to read our full review of Romeo + Juliet. It’s a unique perspective on a play that is nothing less than a classic.
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Grades
Nate: C
JD: A-
Matthew: A
Review
Click here to read our full review of Moulin Rouge!. Beautiful colors, great performances, and perfectly executed musical pieces define this film.
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Grades
Nate: C-
JD: B
Matthew: n/a
Review
Click here to read our full review of Australia. Nate and JD disagree on a film that has a great story, but has some elements that become repetitive.
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There are a lot of great films coming out in May of 2013 to start off the summers movie season. Which movie this month will end up being the best?
On Episode 11 of our InSession Film Podcast, we discussed our Top 3 trilogies of all-time. This was a lot of fun.
Nate
1) The Lord of the Rings trilogy
2) Star Wars trilogy (original)
3) Toy Story trilogy
JD
1) The Lord of the Rings trilogy
2) The Dark Knight trilogy
3) Die Hard (1-3)
