Films

I liked the look of the Ghost in the Shell trailers so thought I would go and take a look today. Not being a fan of Manga I was not entirely sure what to expect other than something cyberpunk. The plot was simple but engaging enough with lots of action to stop you getting bored. The film very was visually appealing and Rupert Sanders directing, particularly the cinematography, was stunning.

The sense of scale to the city backdrop was a little disappointing. Bladerunner did a superb job of creating a setting that felt infinite and at the same time claustrophobic. Ghost in the Shell’s city just felt claustrophobic.

The has been some kerfuffle about Scarlett Johansson getting the lead role rather than an Asian actress and I wish they had cast an Asian actress but not for reasons of political correctness. It feels like Hollywood has a limited vocabulary of actors and anything they can do to widen that should be welcomed with open arms, in my opinion. Be adventurous with casting. I don’t think it would be difficult to get somebody equally as talented and perhaps a little cheaper.

It was definitely above average.

I imagine it was a pretty expensive film, though, so they'd want a 'bankable' lead rather than an unknown of any ethnicity. New actors generally come to prominence smaller roles or lead roles in smaller, less expensive productions.

http://movieweb.com/shining-movie-alternate-endings-stanley-kubrick/

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining Had a Much Darker Alternate Ending

http://movieweb.com/ghost-in-shell-movie-suffered-whitewashing-box-office/

Paramount Admits Whitewash Controversy Hurt Ghost in the Shell

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39487917/marvel-boss-says-some-retailers-are-blaming-sales-fall-on-diverse-characters

Marvel boss says some retailers are blaming sales fall on diverse characters

That's rather conflicting.

I'm on babysitting duites tomorow...meaning it's Smurfs time.

I very much doubt "whitewashing" had anything to do with it. I didn't go see it because it looked like generic CG-laden boring shit from the trailer. End of.

The Burning. It's the early 80s, there's a summer camp and lots of teenagers. It's either a sex comedy or a slasher flick. Well, look at the title. Yes, there's a maniac on the loose hunting teenagers and some surprisingly big names in the cast in what must be their first appearance for most of them, including a young Holly Hunter (who has like one line), Fisher Stevens and Seinfeld's Jason Alexander. Yes, George is most definitely getting upset! Passable if unremarkable early 80s horror, mostly of interest for the cast.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was OK, seemed a bit of an excuse o have lots of cute CGI creatures running around the screen.

Hush. A deaf woman living in the country becomes the target of a sadistic killer in this gripping 2016 horror thriller from writer-director Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil). This movie is a lean, mean exercise in nerve-wracking suspense and tension from my favourite modern horror director and genuinely had me on the edge of my seat. Cracking stuff!

I didn't care for Hush at all, up (down?) there with It Follows, The Babadook and Lake Mungo.

I recently came across this, thought it was more interesting and entertaining that the real trailer.

Damien Omen II. Seven years after the original Omen and Damien, now living with his uncle and aunt and cousin, is about to turn 13 - and about to learn his true identity and destiny, even as dark forces conspire to remove anyone who threatens that destiny coming to fruition. This 1978 horror sequel to the original Omen has always been a favourite of mine, I used to watch this endlessly as a kid - that explains a lot, doesn't it? - though I hadn't seen it for more than 20 years, so I was pleased to find it still stands up well with a great cast including William Holden, Lee Grant and Lance Henriksen, though its best asset is undoubtedly Jonathan Scott-Taylor, who is perfectly cast as the creepy Damien. Really enjoyed it!

Saw the South Korean film The Handmaiden by the director that did Oldboy, fucking brilliant.

Saw Guardians of the Galaxy 2 at the cinema today. Pretty good; probably not quite as good as the first but still pretty solid for the most part, and still the only series within these endless comic book movies I find particularly appealing. Kurt Russell was great, and I was happy to see Karen Gillan getting a bigger role too (and even some quasi-redemption for her character as well). I certainly don't see any particular reason to slag it off, frankly.

Good to hear, Guardians 1 was good and the trailers for the new one were fun but some of the things said in reviews were worrying. I'll probably just wait for it to come on sky movies or something.

I watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a fun little New Zealand comedy drama starring Sam Neill who end up on the run with an adopted boy after the death of his wife.

I also watched All Hallow's Eve, a terrible anthology horror movie with the most uninspired plots, direction and awful picture quality and sound design. I read it was straight to DVD which is worrying because it means a studio saw it and decided to distribute it. Should have been straight to youtube.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/16/the-handmaiden-park-chan-wook-review-sarah-waters-fingersmith

Saw The Handmaiden on Sunday and it's a brilliant film. I loved the American version of Oldboy so I thought I would look up some of his other films. He directed a film called Stoker in 2013 which was written by Wentworth Miller who plays Michael in Prison Break. Not seen it yet cos I thought I would try his Marxist SF Dystopia, Snowpiercer https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/20/snowpiercer-first-look-review-edinburgh-2014

Snowpiercer: first look review - something of absurdist theatre, Terry Gilliam meets Samuel Beckett
   
Despite the drawn-out production process, the Boon Jong-ho-directed sci-fi fable about a giant train turns out a wonderfully realised delight

It's a great film that also has John Hurt and is apparently being turned into a TV series http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/projectinvolve-recruits-high-profile-sponsors-83122

Absolutely brilliant film. It started out as a French graphic novel. The world has entered a post-apocalyptic second ice age.

https://jaysanalysis.com/2014/11/08/the-deeper-meaning-of-snowpiercer-2013/

Snowpiercer stands out as a recent example of a trend fans of film are witnessing more of: philosophically-focused science fiction and fantasy.  While it could be argued that many science fiction classics deal with some philosophical themes, the trend has become far more common than in previous decades.  In the last several years, films such as After the Dark, The Double, Enemy, Another Earth, as well as many others ask audiences to grapple with complex conundrums such as globalism, meaning and the self, morality and death, and even deeper esoteric questions, like alternate worlds and mystical symbology.  

http://www.empireonline.com/movies/alien-covenant/empire-special-alien-covenant-virtual-reality-issue-revealed/

Empire's Special Alien: Covenant Virtual Reality Issue Revealed


Something’s coming... Ridley Scott’s terrifying new sci-fi Alien: Covenant graces the cover of the latest issue of Empire magazine – and in addition to the regular issue, we’ve rustled up something special.

Alien Covenant Empire VR

Arriving on Alien Day, 26 April (a nod to planet LV-426), we can proudly present the UK’s first ever Virtual Reality magazine. Only 10,000 copies of the limited edition issue will be released, each containing a VR headset to be used with a smartphone.

Disney have made an Avatar ride in one of their parks using animatronics. Almost hard to believe how much better it all looks than the CGI, if they'd done something like this in the movie I'd understand why people went crazy for the effects. Wouldn't have made the movie good but it'd look better than the videogame cutscenes that had 2 cinema releases.

Bad Words. Jason Bateman is a foul mouthed 40 year old slacker who has his own reasons for using a loophole to become an entrant in a national Spelling Bee in this very funny film that has got to be one of the few decent comedies of the 2010s. Enjoyed this just as much second time, really funny but with a bit of heart too. Very enjoyable.

Rambo gets a reboot in India. Tiger Shroff in the title role, with Siddhartha Anand directing

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/05/20/indian-remake-of-rambo-starring-tiger-shroff-in-the-works

Stallone comments as only Stallone can.

I read recently they are remaking Rambo in India !! .. Great character.. hope they don't wreck it

http://www.mensxp.com/entertainment/gossip/37034-sylvester-stallone-responds-to-tiger-shroff-playing-an-indian-john-rambo-we-are-him.html

Logan Lucky looks pretty fun.

Wonder Woman has been banned in Lebanon because Gal Gadot is from Israel.
http://screenrant.com/wonder-woman-movie-ban-lebanon/

The Cabin in the Woods. A group of college friends - a jock, a brain, a nerd and a virgin - head off for a weekend at an isolated cabin in the woods, and soon unleash an ancient evil. So far, so cliched, right? Wrong. Everything you think you know is inverted in this delightfully cheeky and imaginative comedy-horror co-written by Joss Whedon. Some of the last act reminds me, of all things, of Carnival of Monsters! Great fun.

The Cabin in the Woods is great. If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend Tucker and Dale vs Evil. Another comedy-horror that turns the slasher genre on its head, this time focusing on the killer hillbilly aspect with Alan Tudyk on fine form.

Wonder Woman was a proper grade-a origin movie taking a lot of pages from Marvel's book only not cramming so many unfunny quips every five minutes. Gadot is convincing with her grace in combat, her stubborn streak, and the naivety in her convictions. Pine is great as Trevor, with his mind firmly set on making a difference while still having some time to be tender, he and Diana's banter on the boat is amusing. The only flaw I would have with their relationship is with the romance element...they just come off more as pals in this despite the later developments...I kind of like that actually. It's more believable. Most strong romances start with two buddies.

While there are certain moments I wish had more character conflict to them, and without spoiling, one major reveal is yet another Deadpool opening credits trope, I liked the pacing and structure. We don't get to see how all the pieces fit together in Diana's ongoing adventures after this one, but we do get an understanding of why she chooses to stick around after the adventure concludes.

I wasn't even bothered with how shlocky the final battle is, even if I think the climax really didn't need it to get the point across.

Definitely go see it.