Sunday, 22 November 2015
Who will be James Bond after Spectre?
With Spectre pulling in a decent haul in the box office it seems like a sure thing that the James Bond franchise will continue to produce additional films in the series until the well runs dry. With that said, it’s no secret that actor Daniel Craig has expressed little interest in reprising his role and continuing to star in future films and fans have been debating who should take on the mantle in future installments. There are a ton of fantastic actors available to choose from and we decided to share our thoughts on who we think should be considered for the role:
Tom Hardy
Tom is an interesting pick in that he has the stamina, the charisma, and the looks to play a very interesting hybrid of old school James Bond that Sean Connery and company made famous and the more rugged approach of Daniel Craig. He’s a proven action star that’s still, somehow, somewhat underrated enough to surprise audiences with a fantastic performance. He’s one of our favorites, but not the only one…Idris Elba
Idris Elba is a name who’s been discussed for the role of James Bond for years now. He’s said in interviews that he would love to take on the role and also exhibits a lot of the traits and charisma desired for the role. The shift in ethnicity of the character has been a hot topic on the internet for a long time and seems willing to accept the challenge. He’s one of our favorite’s for the role but there’s potential concern for studios to change JB’s ethnicity in fear that it would affect audience interest.Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is a fantastic actor and a role like this seems well within his range but one has to argue if the role is even a little beneath him. He’s certainly capable of sleep walking through this sort of film and still putting on a better performance than 90% of the other actors in Hollywood. Would he be interested. Would audiences mind if a German actor assumed the role of a character that has traditionally been portrayed as British? Would Britain mind, as JB is clearly one of their cinematographic pride and joys.Clive Owen
Clive Owen has the rugged approach to action films that would make him a clear contender for the role of James Bond. My first recollection of Owen in film was in The Bourne Identity way back in 2003 where he portrayed a stoic product of Treadstone hunting down Damon’s Jason Bourne. The idea of him taking on this sort of role and bringing the suave charm to the character seems like a natural fit… but are the odds in his favor?Jason Statham
Jason Statham, like a lot of the people on this list, exhibits the necessary characteristics to portray what audiences find familiar in James Bond in a lot of his movies. If anything sets him apart from the other actors is that he can also be viewed as a bit more extreme than the others. His filmography is littered with films in which he portrays a manic, almost insane, version of a super spy with a bit more graphic violence than we are accustomed to in a typical Bond movie. Would Bond be willing to adapt to Statham’s edge? Would Statham be willing to adapt to Bond?Damian Lewis
Damian Lewis is a high regarded British actor that has a lot of support on the internet to portray James Bond. He’s by far the popular choice for new actor to take on the role but does he have what’s necessary to take over the now booming bond franchise?Daniel Craig
What should be the obvious choice would be for studios to give Craig a raise and let him continue the upward momentum in box office figures that began when he took over the role. It’s been reported that Craig has never asked for a raise while making Bond movies and considering the records the franchise has recently broken it may be in the studios’ interest to secure their bond for a few more movies.
Mixed reviews aside, Spectre has passed the half-billion mark in box office receipts. It’s safe to say that you can expect to see a new franchise installment sooner rather than later. Vegas has updated the official odds on which actor will take the lead as the new Bond. This [online betting site] lists Damian Lewis as the favorite, with Tom Hardy and Idris Elba trailing close behind.”
Trumbo Is An Insiders Peek Into Old Hollywood
Directed by: Jay Roach
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren
Written by: John McNamara, Bruce Cook (book)
Synopsis: In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood’s top screenwriter until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. (Imdb)
Communism in Hollywood? It happened. In “Trumbo,” director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) brings forth the story of Dalton Trumbo, the most prolific Hollywood screenwriter in was blacklisted and jailed for his political beliefs. Written by John McNamara, and based on a book by Bruce Cook, this is as much a political movie as it is a look at the personality that was Dalton Trumbo. The film depicts the ugly side of Hollywood politics in the late 1940’s, while presenting it in visually elegant way, yet ultimately Cranston steals the show.
Trumbo is an all-time great when it comes to screenwriters, yet it took years to for him to get the recognition he deserved. That’s pretty much that’s what the plot of the movie works towards. The highs and lows of Trumbo’s journey in Hollywood’s lore, and the battle for voicing his beliefs.
This is a film that’s stylistically appealing. The cinematography is cleverly constructed by Jim Denault. The vintage look of the film is enhanced when the characters are watching television and what appears on the TV is actually not stock footage, but rather scenes filmed for the movie. An example of this is when the Trumbo family watches the Oscars and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was actual Oscar footage or it was part of the movie? Production Designer Mark Ricker and Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi do terrific work showcasing Hollywood’s Golden Age with style and elegance.
As visually pretty as the movie is, Cranston is still the centerpiece that the movie revolves around. He’s not just great as Trumbo, he is Trumbo. The transformation is incredible. His body movement, facial expressions, and look is spot on. His drawn out speech pattern, where he talks slowly but emphatically, is how you imagine the real life Trumbo spoke. He has the cigarette hanging out of the edge of his mouth at most times, and the thick black framed glasses, just the mere look gives you an idea what Trumbo was like. It’s a Best Actor type of performance no doubt. It’s crazy to think that an actor of the caliber of Cranston is finally getting his due and shot at being leading man, after years on television. For goodness sake he was the dad from Malcolm in the Middle!
The supporting cast is really strong. Diane Lane plays Trumbo’s wife, she’s the vital character in the movie who holds down the family during all the chaos. John Goodman has found a niche in Hollywood in recent years as playing the entertaining sidekick. He’s funny and entertaining as low-budget film producer Frank King, and adds some clever side gags. Lois C.K. stars as Arlen, Trumbo’s confidant and friend whose a bit of a loose cannon. C.K. shows some impressive range. Helen Mirren is Hedda Hopper, a journalist who teams up with the negatively portrayed John Wayne to start a smear campaign against Trumbo. What can you say about Mirren that hasn’t been said already, she always gives a fine performance.
This is a film with great all-around filmmaking and acting. A collaboration that’s helmed by the great performance by Cranston. “Trumbo” has two layers to it. One on the commentary about perception and beliefs that not only resonated in Hollywood but in the country in the 40’s and 50’s, the other on the fascinating life of ups and downs that Trumbo had. Trumbo is humorous, educational, and fascinating. The man that penned “The Brave One,” “Roman Holiday,” “Exodus,” and “Spartacus” to name a few finally gets his deserved due on the big screen. A writer that stood for his beliefs and endured hardships due to the Hollywood Blacklisting and managed to hold his ground. Roach and Cranston team up to give Trumbo the ultimate compliment by telling his story.
Rating: R
Runtime: 124 minutes
Release Date: November 13, 2015 (wide)
“James White” Cries At Us, Not With Us
James, a 21-year-old New Yorker, struggles to take control of his self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges.
The more films I watch from both low and high culture, the more steadfast I become in my belief that all films are exploitation movies. Exploitation movies typically take sex and/or violence and show it in lurid detail for the sole and obvious purpose of making money. But really the vast majority of films exist to make money, and most every film is exploiting some type of real life pain in its quest to entertain the audience. The purpose can be more complicated than solely to bring in the moola, but the formula remains generally the same.James White, Josh Mond’s debut feature, is very much exploiting its subject matter. A movie about a young man taking care of his mother as she dies of cancer, it feels very much like a cathartic film. But it is also torture. This is a Sad Movie. It’s meant for people who are on the hunt for a good cry. I remember reading a New Yorker article about the phenomenon of people looking for tear jerking literature. Many even recommended the books in Amazon.com reviews for being able to upset them so. I assume these people would look for the same in their movies, and really, it is good to cry. Crying all day and night, I can assure you, is exhausting, but every now and then turning on the water works is good for cleaning out the cobwebs.
James White didn’t get me to cry, however, mainly because it’s carousel of cancer related drama was repetitive, predictable, and somewhat torturous to watch. It’s unfortunate because the other major elements of James White, mainly the titular character, James, who is played with reckless abandon by Christopher Abbott in a performance that reminded me of Brando’s chest thumping gorilla act as Stanley Kowalski, are ripe for a yummy picture pie. James is a wild child of the New York City nightlife. He’s twenty-something, paunchy, ruggedly handsome, not working, and temperamental to the point of bad boy-ism. The constant closeups totally focused on James make us want to get inside him, to understand why such a jerk is also so irresistible. It’s the age-old question I’ve been asking ever since I tried the Manhattan nightlife scene and was spit out like a flavorless wad of gum. I noticed people like James White got a lot more out of that life than I did, and I became friends with some of them, too, despite also hating them.
But James isn’t made out to be the complicated soul with a predilection to punch. Instead he’s apologized for as a sufferer of a bad parent (his absent father has already passed away in the beginning of the film) and is struggling to get a grip on life while taking care of his dying mother (played angelically by Cynthia Nixon). Carrying mom to the bathroom and listening to her body spill out all kinds of fluids should win any boy Son of the Year, and that’s what James is willing to do. He loves her and she loves him. And while that love is poignant, it’s also a little bit flat.
James White makes James “likeable” instead of making him human. For all his anger issues, his inability to get a job, his minor irresponsibility in taking care of his mother, it is more than understandable given the circumstances. James’ faults are made easily forgivable, and therefore aren’t interesting or challenging. Many people I’ve talked to groan at the challenge of sympathizing with a character who is too unlikeable to be “likeable.” It is a much richer experience to be challenged rather than patronized. The cartoonist Roz Chast’s memoir Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant? is freakishly honest about the burden of taking care of her elderly parents in their last years of life. The result isn’t disgust for Chast, but a deep emotional bond with her, a level of universality that is rarely ever reached.
James White doesn’t go for all that. It doesn’t challenge us intellectually. And that’s fine. But that’s where I get to the idea of exploitation. Ingmar Bergman’sCries & Whispers is an agonizing cinematic experience, in a good way. Michael Haneke’s Amour is a slow burn that pays off in a dark, morally ambiguous twist. Both of these films deal with similar situations of sickness, family, love, death, and burden. I’d argue they, too, are exploitative of their subject matter. And they are very good films (Bergman’s is one of the best ever, and Haneke’s solid, though very well received when it released in 2012). Mond’s James White is a far cry from Bergman or Haneke, but it shares in their exploitative ways, only to much less success, even if it garners more tears.
The Night Before Encompasses the Drug-Induced Holiday Spirit
Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have been friends since childhood, and for a decade, their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been an annual night of debauchery and hilarity. Now that they’re entering adulthood, the tradition is coming to an end, and to make it as memorable as possible, they set out to find the Nutcracka Ball – the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.
Christmas movies and Holiday programming can be a lackluster, by the motions experience with lame situations, stale jokes, and contrived moment. However, The Night Before which reunites Joseph Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogen with writer and director Jonathan Levine (the under-appreciated cancer comedy/drama gem 50/50) is an alternative to Holiday cheer with crudeness and debauchery as well as some needed sweetness. Anthony Mackie has joined them for the crazy, drug-induced sleigh ride. Since this is there last night of their decade spanning tradition, they want to live it up and finish off with great memories. What happens is a chaotic night of random situations and bizarre circumstances. Actress Lizzy Caplan, most recognizable to people as the CIA agent alongside Rogen and Franco in news articles aboutThe Interview last Christmas, plays the love interest to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character.
The best thing about The Night Before how the three actors (Levitt, Rogen, and Mackie) worked well together. They are having a great time and, at times, so is the audience. Not since the original Horrible Bosses has comedic actors conveyed believable bro-chemistry in a mainstream comedic release on this level. Hilarity ensued as they rock New York City and end up in crazy situations. (Behind the scenes antics one typically sees during closing credits would be very fun to watch.) One let down was the desire for more laughs. We come to expect consistent hilarious jokes and gags especially considering what audiences are accustomed to when Sony teams up with Seth Rogen. The Night Before was quite amusing and funny enough, but I wished it was a hilarious experience that I expected from Rogen, Levitt, and Levine. (That sounds like a law firm, doesn’t it!?)
All in all, I enjoyed The Night Before for being an edgy Christmas movie that allows moviegoers to escape and join in on the fun. This is not your father’s Christmas movie. Delightful surprise cameos in the third act provide necessary additional energy, some funny moments, nice twists, and touching moments. The Night Before may not be high art or even a Christmas classic, but moviegoers should have a good time laughing, some will more than others.
Review: The 33 Is A Story Of Hope
Directed by: Patricia Riggen
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Juliette Binoche, Rodrigo Santoro
Written by: Mikko Alanne (screenplay), Craig Borten (screenplay), Michael Thomas (screenplay), Jose Rivera (screen story), Hector Tobar (book)
Synopsis: Based on the real-life event, when a gold and copper mine collapses, it traps 33 miners underground for 69 days.
When the real life story of the Chilean miners trapped for months in a cave went international, there was no doubt that this would turn into a movie. Patricia Riggen does the story justice in“The 33”. The movie is shown from two perspectives, those inside the cave, and those outside of it. As the title suggests the story is about 33 Chilean miners that get trapped mile deep inside a cave. Mario (Antonio Banderas) is the handpicked leader of the men down under. He’s the voice of reason. Amid panic and chaos, Mario is the calming rational voice that is in under control of the limited food supply. On the outside Maria (Juliette Binoche) is the driving force in pressuring the government to continue the search. The link between the trapped miners and the families fighting to get them back is government representative Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro), who looks like the lost twin of actor Oliver Martinez.
Unless you’ve been trapped in a cave, the coverage of this story has been featured all over the news and the story ending has been revealed. The interest in the movie lies in the characters. While all of the 33 miners aren’t prominently featured in the movie, there are a handful that are introduced. The distinction between their personas is what keeps things intriguing in a dull and dark cave. Aside from Banderas character being the main featured one, Lou Diamond Phillips plays Don Lucho, Mario Casas is Alex Vega, the soon-to-be father and youngest of the miners.
Binoche is the rock of the movie. She’s the emotional force. Antonio Banderas gives one of his better performances in years. For someone that seemingly has been fading away from the big screen, he re-establishes his presence in this film.
“The 33” is a pleasing movie about a scary situation. The performances as very good, and credit Riggen for making the movie version of the story compelling. It’s unimaginable what these men had to go through, and it’s remarkable that they overcame the odds. It’s a feel good story that plays good on film, but it’s more than that. It’s a look at how difficult and scary the mining profession is. The struggle people have to make a living in countries like Chile. Ultimately it’s the families that matter the most, it’s the bond and love they have for each other. The 33 men were brothers when they went in and till the very end of the 69 days they were trapped in the cave, and this movie smartly centers around that concept.
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 127 minutes
Release Date: November 13, 2015
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