Entertainment One released the first trailer for The Divergent Series: Allegiant, the third film in the Divergent Series Friday afternoon.
Tris and Four go over the wall.
After the earth-shattering revelations of INSURGENT, Tris must escape with Four and go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. For the first time, they will leave the only city and family they have ever known. Once outside, early discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless with the revelation of shocking new truths. Tris and Four must quickly decide who they can trust as a brutal battle ignites beyond the walls of Chicago which threatens all of humanity. In order to survive, Tris will be forced to make impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
The film is directed by Robert Schwentke, and stars Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Naomi Watts, Theo James, Bill Skarsgård, Ansel Elgort, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Q, Jonny Weston, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Nadia Hilker.
The first Divergent film made $150 million in theaters and the sequel dropped off a bit with $130 million earlier this year.
The Divergent Series: Allegiant will be in theaters on March 10, 2016.
Every year has its fair share of great performances. Backing out even further, every decade is defined by films, filmmakers, and certain actors. Sometimes, a film thrives on the ensemble (Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas). Other times, it relies heavily on one central, singular performance. From the drunks to the derelicts, to the terminally ill, here are the greatest performances of the 90s, the greatest of a decade more diverse than some might remember.
Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – Up to this point in her career, Shue had been the go to 80s girlfriend/girl next door type we all fell in love with in Adventures in Babysitting and The Karate Kid. But as a hard-edged, vulnerable prostitute Sera in Leaving Las Vegas, Elisabeth Shue managed to shed that saccharine charm to embody a wounded soul. Less the hooker with a heart of gold, and more a broken human being in need of a real connection, Sera finds a connection in Nicolas Cage’s far more broken Ben. It speaks to her own psychological fragility that the only life Sera can invest in is a life that cannot be saved Shue’s raw turn is an eye-opening revelation, and an inversion of the prototypical hooker cliches in film.
Harvey Keitel, Bad Lieutenant (1992) – It was an interesting decade for Harvey Keitel. When he wasn’t dominating scenes both big and small in Tarantino flicks, Keitel was diving headlong into some challenging and, often times, disturbing indie waters. Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant is the deepest, darkest rabbit hole any actor could ever imagine, and Keitel is hypnotizing as the worst cop to ever grace (or defile) the screen. Addicted to drugs, booze, and gambling, and lost in a world of self-loathing and desperation, Keitel’s unnamed detective is impossible to turn away from, no matter how unsettling his precarious situations may become.
Holly Hunter, The Piano (1993) – Hunter’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Ada McGrath was a tricky performance for one of the more underrated actresses of all time. But she was up for the task. As a mute pushed into an arranged marriage, Hunter and director Jane Campion substitute dialogue with the power of glimpses, glances, and all the emotion that can be conveyed with the physical rather than the spoken. It is a towering achievement from Hunter.
Edward Norton, American History X (1998) – Derek Vinyard is not a two-dimensional white supremacist in a simple tale of hate and redemption, no matter how upfront he is about his vile hatred for the non-white world. He speaks loudly, as does the ten-inch swastika on his sculpted chest, but Edward Norton’s portrayal of Derek is so vibrant, so layered, so very detailed, it’s a shame he lost the Academy Award in 1998. Derek is a bright kid whose anger was misdirected after his (racist) fireman father died in a black neighborhood. The arc of Norton’s character is fascinating, up and down, and it goes through arguably more evolutions than any other character in film history.
Tom Hanks, Philadelphia (1993) – For all the wonderful performances Tom Hanks gave the world in the 90s, cementing his status as one of the greatest of all time, it was his first of two consecutive Academy Award winning performance that still resonates the loudest. His role as Andrew Beckett was a timely performance, it helped put a very familiar face on the AIDS epidemic in America, and Hanks’ physical transformation is compelling, heartbreaking, unforgettable.
Anthony Hopkins, Silence of The Lambs (1991) – Sure, the idea of Hannibal Lecter may have gotten sullied over years of diminished sequel returns, but the debut of Hopkins in the role is still captivating. It’s a seminal performance in film history, and it resurrected Hopkins’ film career. Despite not appearing in the film more than twenty minutes or so, Lecter looms over each and every scene like an all-seeing, all-knowing monster lurking in the shadows. Jodie Foster may deserve to be on this list alongside Hopkins, but I contend Hopkins brought the best out of Foster in the film; her evolution was spurred by Hannibal the Cannibal.
Frances McDormand, Fargo (1996) – The Coen Brothers’ masterpiece, in a career chock-full of masterpieces, is a tale of seedy criminals, kidnapping, murder, and overall despicable human beings doing despicable things to one another. It could have been a bleak, hateful film shot in a charming locale, were it not for the performance of McDormand as Marge Gunderson. Marge is the moral center of the picture, a loving wife, expecting mother, and wonderfully bright police officer. McDormand’s performance is the most important on this list, because without her conviction to be a great human being the entire film around her falls apart.
Ralph Fiennes, Schindler’s List (1993) – I love The Fugitive as much as the next person. And I think Tommy Lee Jones was fantastic in his role as Sam Gerrard, the U.S. Marshal hunting down Richard Kimble. But his win over Ralph Fiennes is still one of the most egregious errors in Oscar history. Nazi Captain Amon Goeth was one of the cruelest humans to ever live, and Fiennes embodies him with menace and psychotic zeal. Clearly, Goeth’s used the force field of war as a way to satisfy his serial killer tendencies. It is a volcanic, monstrous performance, one that stings your eyes and stamps your memory forever.
Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – Bookending this list with the two lead performances in Leaving Las Vegas feels right, as it was a movie thriving almost exclusively on watching these two characters fight against their own survival. Cage’s turn as Ben, an alcoholic hell bent on drinking himself to death in Sin City, is anything but one note. It is sad and bleak, no doubt, but much like alcoholics it bounces from peaks to valleys. There are surprisingly funny moments in Cage’s performance, followed by quick outbursts of anger, late-night convulsions, and so much booze. No matter how painful watching Ben’s fall may be from moment to moment, Cage invites us into this man’s last days, asking us not so much to judge as to observe, and maybe make our own conclusions as to what brought him to this place. Cage has never been better, and I doubt he will ever be this great again.
Tracy Morgan continues his comeback from a near fatal car crash, and has agreed to join Mike Epps in Lee Daniels’ upcoming Richard Pryor biopic. Foxx was one of Pryor’s idols, and the two collaborated on a few projects throughout the years, including the vastly underrated 1989 comedy Harlem Nights.
The Wrap broke the news about Tracy Morgan’s involvement, and for my money he seems a perfect fit for the heavier, gravel-voiced Redd Foxx. He will join Mike Epps as Pryor, Kate Hudson as Pryor’s wife, Jennifer, Taraji P. Henson and Eddie Murphy as Pryor’s parents, and Oprah Winfrey as his grandmother. It’s a star-studded cast, so hopefully Daniels can handle this material (I’m not a fan).
After returning to host Saturday Night Live, Tracy Morgan appears to be steadily working himself back into Hollywood. Playing Redd Foxx could be a nice role for the comedian. Filming on the yet untitled biopic begins in March.
Doug Liman was Channing Tatum’s first choice to direct the comic-book adaptation of Gambit before Rupert Wyatt signed on and eventually backed out. Now, it seems Liman may return to the director’s chair.
The Hollywood Reporter has the story that Doug Liman has made it through several rounds of meetings and interviews, and Fox is getting closer to sign the Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Edge of Tomorrow director on board for the X-Men spinoff. Most recently, Liman wrapped production on Mena, a drug-cartel thriller with Tom Cruise, so Gambit looks to be his follow up.
While Liman has found major commercial success with action films The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, apparently those films needed someone to step in post-production and Liman lent to the troubled productions on both. Whatever may be behind these troubled productions doesn’t change the fact that Liman is a solid action filmmaker. His 2014 Edge of Tomorrow suffered from one of the more confused and muddled marketing campaigns of all time, but it was still more than competent.
Gambit is set for an October 7, 2016 release date, so Fox needs to put the pedal to the metal.
Let me first state: I LOVE Horror films AND Thrillers AND VILLAINS. They all put me on the edge of my seat and keep me coming back for more. When you’re sit in a dark theatre or darkened room in your house and are drawn into a story that gives you goosebumps, you feel ALIVE! The blood rushing to your head in anticipation of which characters will survive the taunts of a “madman” OR “madwoman.” To discover the story of what lead the tormentor to torment the tormented is fascinating.
Often times many mistake thrillers/suspense thrillers for horror films. So let’s clear up the difference before we get to the list.
A suspense thriller is a genre of literature, video game stories, or TV programs that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as part of its main elements. It entertains because it keeps the audience hooked with…An-tici-PATION!*
Horror is a genre of literature, video game stories, or TV programs whose intent is to scare, or startle their audience into fear and terror. Basically, it’s there to give you the willies, scare the SHITE out of you, and make sleep at night almost impossible. AWESOME huh?
There is nothing more fun to me than sitting down to watch a villain lay out his/her wicked plan. It’s a bit like watching a train wreck or passing by an awful auto accident. We know we should look away, but where is the fun in that? We love them! We love all the awful things that they do and we can’t wait to see what will happen next. Below is a list of nine film villains that we can’t get enough of on the big, or small screen.
In no particular order:
Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter – The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (also: Manhunter (1986), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002), etc.)
Although this list is in no particular order, Dr. Hannibal Lecter is by far the most chilling, diabolical, and dangerous villain on this list. His penchant for order and manners and he need for retaliation and retribution when those things are not achieved are the things of legend..and nightmares.
Clarice Starling (Jodi Foster), a FBI trainee, is pulled out of the academy to assist Agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) on a case. She is tasked with interviewing the most notable serial killer of the modern age, Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter. Sir Anthony Hopkins stars as Dr. Lecter, the once a renowned and famous psychiatrist who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital after it is discovered that he is an infamous cannibalistic serial killer. She is sent to the prison psychiatric hospital to interview him in hopes that he can provide insight into the inner workers of an active serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill.” Bill was given that name by the authorities because he skins his female victims.
Crawford and the doctor have a complicated past and he knows that he will not work with him but he hopes that he will be intrigued enough by Starling to assist with the case. Hannibal plays a cat and mouse game with her and only agrees to help Starling if she shares personal information about herself. She agrees because she senses/knows that he can provide a lens into that type of killer that cannot be learned. And thus begins the mind… Silence of the Lambs is definitely on the list MUST-WATCH films.
Fredrick Sykes AKA “The One-Armed Man” – The Fugitive (1993)
We meet Fredrick “The Man with One Arm” Sykes in a little 1993 film you may have heard of, the Fugitive. Harrison Ford stars ad Dr. Richard Kimble in this film adaptation of the bestselling thriller novel of the same name. Dr. Kimble is a well-respected surgeon, who is falsely accused, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. From the time of his arrest he has stuck to his story that a one-armed killer is to blame, but no one believes him. Who has ever heard of a one-armed killer and what reason would he have to murder the good doctor’s wife?
During transport to death row the van is hit by a train, the good doctor escapes, and sets out to clear his name and find the one-armed villain who murdered his wife. During his escape is he cornered by the authorities at the edge of storm drain over dam. Kimble jumps into the waters to escape. Tommy Lee Jones also stars in this thriller as Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard, the cop in charge of the manhunt for Dr. Richard Kimble, and he will search “every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, hen-house, outhouse and doghouse in that area,” to find him.
Over the course of the manhunt Gerard is not so convinced that Kimble is the “real” killer. Things just don’t add up, but his job is to get his man and he won’t stop until the job is done.
Duuun dun. Duuun dun. Duuun dun. Everyone knows that sound. Just those few bars of that theme song can send chills down your spine. What dark entity lurks in the deep dark waters? It is a killing machine that runs on pure instinct. It kills without prejudice.
In the original film, directed by Steven Spielberg, a group of teenagers are having a nighttime party on the beach. One of the young ladies decides to go for a midnight swim in the ocean. While she is treading water, and waiting for her male companion to join her, she is pulled under (her date passed out on the bank). The next day her remains are found by a deputy on the beach. The medical examiner determines that the possible cause of death was shark attack. The new police chief, Martin Brody (Roy Schneider), of this small ocean-side community of Amity Island hears about the attack and wants to close the beaches. He runs into problems from the mayor and townspeople because it is the height of the tourist season. In order to save their season the mayor hypothesizes that perhaps she died in a boating accident, which Chief Brody reluctantly accepts.
But the true villain rears its massive head and after another fatal shark attack Brody enlists the help Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a oceanographer brought in by Brody, to examine the remains of the victims to determine cause of death. He confirms the chief’s fears that the deaths were caused by shark attacks. A local shark hunter, Quint (Robert Shaw), offers up his services to the community for a nominal fee. He will find and kill the man-eater with the help of Chief Brody and Hooper. They set off in their boat in search of the great fish, but this is not ordinary shark. Jaws is out for human blood and won’t stop until he’s had his fill…or is dead. The DEFINITELY “needed a bigger boat.”
Whoever thought that a sweet middle-aged nurse could be so twisted. At first glance Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) is an unassuming “schoolmarm’ type. She is not particularly pretty, but she’s not unattractive. She’s just nondescript and often overlooked. No one would have think that she is a Nurse Ratched type of villain lingered right beneath the surface.
Annie is also the Number 1 fan of the famous novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan). Sheldon is the author of very successful series of romance novels that feature the character Misery Chastian. While traveling from Colorado to his home in New York City he is caught in a blizzard and his car goes off the road. Annie finds him and brings him back to her home. When he regains consciousness he finds that he has two broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. Upon waking he also learns that he has been rescued by his “number one” fan and as a reward he lets her read his latest manuscript, that she saved from the wreckage, in the “Misery” series.
While she feeds him he pisses her off and he sees a sliver of crazy, but she apologizes and all seems to be good. Well, things were good until she goes out and buys a copy of latest book, Misery’s Child, and learns that Misery dies at the end of the book. She goes nuts and almost smashes a table over his head. He then finds out that she didn’t call his agent and then NOBODY knows where he is. She CRAY! She burns his latest manuscript and is insists that he write a new book to resurrect the dead Misery Chastian. What follows is a sledge-hammer to the feet and more torture than ANYONE deserves over a book series. That girl CRAY!
Bard Tales Productions and Lucky 9 Studios released a nine-minute fan film depicting the origin of Miles Morales.
The film is written and directed by Ivan Kander, and stars Demetrius Stephens as Miles Morales.
“The Miles character really resonates for me. Morales feels like a character who is more a reflection of today’s Brooklyn teenager—a smart, but not super-genius kid who is forced to take up the mantle of a fallen hero. And, not to dig into race too much (I am a white Jew after all), I think we need to see more non-white superheroes on screen. This may seem like a semantic thing, but I do think it’s an important notion on a base level for impressionable kids to see their action figures come in all sizes and colors,” said Kander on his blog.
The film was picked up by the AV Club and has started its viral climb amassing 91,547 Youtube views since Nov. 11. The creator of Miles, Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis took the time to endorsed the film as well.
In the seven minutes of footage Kander understands the source material and conveys Morales’s situation without over explaining or talking down to the audience. There is some clunky dialogue, but that is a side-effect of using comic book dialogue in a film.
About Miles Morales: After Norman Osborn was arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D, and publicly revealed as the Green Goblin, Osborn Industries was left abandoned. Nearly two months before Peter Parker’s death, a thief broke into Osborn Industries. Unbeknownst to the thief, a spider genetically enhanced with the Oz Formula crawled into his bag.
Miles Morales, a young kid from Brooklyn, visited his uncle Aaron Davis against his parents’ wishes, because of his uncle’s criminal past, after being awarded the final spot in a charter school lottery. At his uncle’s apartment, Miles was bitten by the Oz-enhanced spider, which emerged from Aaron’s bag, and Miles discovered he received super-human abilities like camouflage, increased agility, and some sort of stun blast. After revealing his newly found powers to his best friend, Ganke Lee, both concluded he had power similar to Spider-Man’s, including wall-crawling.[4][5] But Miles reacted negatively, as he just wanted to be normal, and decided to leave heroism to the original Spider-Man.
Months later, Spider-Man died saving his family from Osborn. Miles arrived late to the scene. Struck with grief at not helping Peter Parker before his demise, Miles decided to follow Parker’s philosophy — with great power comes great responsibility — and so continue Peter’s legacy. (Source: Marvel Database)
Monkeys Fighting Robots has teamed up with the fine folks over at MegaCon to give some mega fans free tickets to MegaCon Fan Days, November 21-22, at the Orange County Convention Center.
All you have to do is comment on the Facebook post below for a chance to win a pair of MegaCon Fan Days tickets! ($40 value)
The winners will be announced on November 18, 2016.
Who doesn’t want to see Finn kick some ass with a lightsaber!?
Thursday night, ABC debut new Star Wars: The Force Awakens footage during their TGIT (It doesn’t have the same ring as TGIF). Where the trailer doesn’t have a lot of new footage, there are a couple scenes that just make you nerd out as a Star Wars fan.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
There is no denying why Suffragette is an important film. Even though we live in a 21st-Century world where women are capable of achieving anything, gender bias has never stopped spreading it’s toxins. So then, you ask yourself this question, why would I want to watch Suffragette, a movie based on the fight british fight for voting rights in the early part of the 20th century? Then you see Meryl Streep is in the movie. I’ve seen her on the poster and she’s always fantastic in her projects … right? While she does play an important role in Sufragette (Emmeline Parkhurst- the leader of the Suffragette movement), Meryl Streep is on the screen for no more the four minutes during the picture. Are you a little confused at this point? To be honest, I am as confused as you are about Suffragette. Normally, this would be a movie where I would be gushing to tell you all the reasons why you should seek it out, but as I type this, I’m literally at a loss for words. It’s really a shame, because while Suffragette is about a topic so relevant in our modern world, I can’t in good conscious recommend it.
Is the movie based on a true story? I wouldn’t go that far, more like based on actual events. Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) is merely a fictional composite meant to represent women of that time. Remember, that this was a time period where women would work and be exploited by both their bosses and husbands until they passed on. Emmeline Parkhurst (Leader of the British Suffragette movement played by Meryl Streep) suggests that ladies stop being so genteel and start causing Havoc. Then of course you have Emily Wilding Davison (Natalie Press), who thought she could draw attention to the movement by literally throwing herself in front of the King’s Horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby and dying for the cause. She certainly was right about drawing attention to the cause.
Are you still baffled as to what possible problem I could have with Suffragette? Well, it begins with the contrasting styles of storytelling in this picture. In the beginning, we are front row to one of the greatest struggles that currently is still taking place around the world: equality for woman. As the story unfolds, we bear atrocity after atrocity leveed towards women (i.e. stripping parental rights, sexual deviance) so intensely that one couldn’t help but want to apologize to all women for what men have put them through. If director Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) and screenwriter Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady) had just stuck that narrative, we would have a movie unparalleled in 2015. However, they choose to make this movie neat and tight and wrap it up with a nice Hollywood formulaic ending. Why? Why would you do this? Haven’t we heard of the phrase less is more? One can’t help but wondering if the ending is another example of studio interference.
Abi Morgan – the screenwriter, is also a source of what ails Suffragette. She attempts to tell a balanced story about a very important time in our history focusing on multiple members of the British Suffragette movement. Her story certainly discusses Carey Mulligan (Maude Wills) but it also focuses on Anne Marie Duff (Violet Miller ) , Helena Bonham Carter (Edith Ellyn) , Meryl Streep (Emmeline Pankhurst) , and Natalie Press (Emily Wilding Davison). The problem with this is that the only person that the audience remotely cares about is Wills because she has the most interesting story to tell. Why would you focus on these other characters if, quite frankly, the characters are a bore? I understand that the Suffragette movement had multiple influential women who played key roles but it’s not like Suffragette pretends to be a historically accurate. Suffragette is an example of a movie that just does way too much and in that process ends up losing a majority of the audience.
One shining light in the doldrums of Suffragette is Carey Mulligan. Even in a sea of issues that weigh this film down, Mulligan’s performance is another example of talent always rising to the top. Mulligan takes a cumbersome script that focuses on every single female (or so it would seem) in the Suffragette movement and manages to radiate on screen. She brings a fire and intensity to this role that quite frankly I’ve never seen from her (even when she was nominated for an Oscar in 2009 in An Education). With awards season in full swing, she certainly will be a topic of discussion.
In the end, although Suffragette discusses a topic that is very relevant in 2015, it’s simply not relevant enough to warrant paying to see it this weekend.
Eric D. Wilkinson with one bold move has become the coolest person of the week. The screenwriter has taken out a full-page in The Hollywood Report to pitch his idea for Die Hard 6. Wilkinson directed his open letter to Bruce Willis, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Len Wiseman. All three are working on the sixth film.
A Good Day To Die Hard was such a bad film and Wilkinson figures out how to keep that film in the mythos and return to John McClane’s gritty roots, read the story pitch below.
Former hero cop John McClane, 60 years old and beat to shit, is a convicted felon, being carted off to a Federal prison. Why?
Flashback to 1979, where 24-year-old New York City Patrol Officer John McClane is part of a team of cops assigned to investigate the murder of 6-year-old Ethan Peller, working under the direction of an up-and-coming Detective Stan Winshaw. Strong police work leads McClane to suspect possible sex trafficker Clarence Sutton, who mysteriously vanishes moments before McClane can make the arrest. The rule-breaking McClane and his superior Winshaw butt heads. The trail goes cold and the case is never solved. When McClane makes unprovable accusations about Winshaw he is transferred to the city’s bleakest division.
34 years later, Detective John McClane takes a personal leave and heads to Moscow to help his estranged son, who is being tried in a Russian court. While McClane is out of the country, the remains of Clarence Sutton are discovered, not only with DNA evidence linking Sutton to the murder of Ethan Peller, but additional evidence that ties John McClane to Sutton’s killing.
Upon McClane’s return from Russia, he is arrested, tried and convicted for the murder of Clarence Sutton. He is given a 30-year prison sentence in ADX Florence, an ultra-maximum-security, or ”supermax” prison which houses some of the most dangerous criminals in the country, including Omar Al-Maqdisi and Abdul bin Saeed, masterminds of the two worst terrorist attacks on American soil.
Following the Russian adventure, John had successfully reunited his family and reconnected with his wife Holly. Now, while he serves his sentence, Holly has been spending all of her time and effort on his appeal – especially once new evidence surfaces which may not only exonerate McClane, but also implicate Stan Winshaw (now a decorated police Captain) who may have framed John for the murder of the suspect they were chasing nearly forty years ago. However the day Holly goes to the prison to deliver this news personally to John, a riot breaks out, and before she can safely leave, the prison is put on lockdown.
But this is no ordinary prison riot.
By nightfall, inmates control the facility, holding Holly McClane and many other hostages. We soon learn that the riot itself was a distracting subterfuge… part of a plan to break both Al-Maqdisi and bin Saeed out of prison so they can help complete a horrific new terrorist attack in New York City.
However the one thing the terrorists didn’t count on was the one man who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time… And when it comes to John McClane, old habits die hard.
