Director - Woody Allen
Main Characters
Inez - Rachel McAdams
Gil - Owen Wilson
Muse - Marion Cotillard
Paul - Michael Sheen
There's not a lot I can say about the plot of this movie beyond what you see in the trailer. I'm not jumping out of my seat to go see this one, even in spite of my love for romantic comedies and Rachel McAdams. It just feels like its going to be one of those movies where you hear the story line, and see the cast and think, well this should be good, but still walk away disappointed, but not exactly sure why.........
Also appearing in the film are Kathy Bates and Adrien Brody.
Although Woody Allen is a very well known name in the industry, in looking through his list of Directing credits, I saw a whole lot of movies that I haven't seen, and a few that I had seen but didn't really like. Maybe he's just not my kind of director.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Tree of Life - Coming May 27, 2011
Director - Terrence Malick
Main Characters
Jack - Sean Penn
Mr. O'Brien - Brad Pitt
Mrs. O'Brien - Jessica Chastain
In looking at the poster and trailer for The Tree of Life its pretty easy to see that this film is intended to take the viewer on a very real journey, and its a journey that I personally am very interested to go on.
Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain play Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien, parents to a boy named Jack. At first, everything seems marvelous to the young Midwestern boy, but isn't that supposed to be the way of childhood? As Jack grows, The O'Brien's very different outlooks on life and how things work come to the fore, and in trying to instill their values in their son, they end up contending with each other for the boy's allegiance. Jack's mother represents the way of love and mercy, while his father tries to teach him that in the world at large, the way to go is to put yourself first. Jack is left to try and reconcile the opposing claims of each of his parents. While still a child, Jack experiences the loss of innocence.
From here we follow Jack as a man played by Sean Penn. Jack is 'a lost soul in a modern world' and as the movie progresses toward the end, we get to follow the journey that will lead him to the rest of his life.
I have a little doubt that this is going to be a visually, and emotionally stimulating movie, obviously meant to touch a special place in the heart of the watcher.
Main Characters
Jack - Sean Penn
Mr. O'Brien - Brad Pitt
Mrs. O'Brien - Jessica Chastain
In looking at the poster and trailer for The Tree of Life its pretty easy to see that this film is intended to take the viewer on a very real journey, and its a journey that I personally am very interested to go on.
Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain play Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien, parents to a boy named Jack. At first, everything seems marvelous to the young Midwestern boy, but isn't that supposed to be the way of childhood? As Jack grows, The O'Brien's very different outlooks on life and how things work come to the fore, and in trying to instill their values in their son, they end up contending with each other for the boy's allegiance. Jack's mother represents the way of love and mercy, while his father tries to teach him that in the world at large, the way to go is to put yourself first. Jack is left to try and reconcile the opposing claims of each of his parents. While still a child, Jack experiences the loss of innocence.From here we follow Jack as a man played by Sean Penn. Jack is 'a lost soul in a modern world' and as the movie progresses toward the end, we get to follow the journey that will lead him to the rest of his life.
I have a little doubt that this is going to be a visually, and emotionally stimulating movie, obviously meant to touch a special place in the heart of the watcher.
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Coming August 5, 2011 (US)
Director - Rupert Wyatt
Main Characters
Will Rodman - James Franco
Caroline - Freida Pinto
Caesar - Andy Serkis
After seeing the 2001 version of Planet of the Apes, I've wondered, for 10 long years I've wondered if there would be a sequel. When I heard about Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I thought my questions had been answered, only to find that Rise is not a sequel at all.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes will follow the mythology of the original story, adding some updates. There will be adjustments to fix weaknesses in the original 1970s series. Besides that, the fact that we have come so far in our knowledge of apes, and grown leaps and bounds in the area of special effects, even since the 2001 version, Rise promises to be the best of what we already know of the Planet of the Apes movies, and better.
James Franco plays Will Rodman, a man who is experimenting with genetic engineering in hopes of finding a cure to Alzheimer's. These experiments obviously lead to extraordinary intelligence in the apes, causing an all out war for supremacy.
The passionate, but misguided guy trying to do something great is not a new role for Franco. In fact, for me, it strongly resembles his role in Spiderman 2. Although previously, I had considered Franco to be a decent actor, if falling short of great, performances in the past year have made me wonder if maybe I wasn't giving quite as much credit as he truly deserved. With an Oscar nod last year for his role in 127 Hours I guess maybe I'll have to adjust my view of him. I only hope his performance in Rise will live up to my altered expectations.
Freida Pinto, best known for Slumdog Millionaire plays Caroline, possibly Rodman's love interest in the movie? The trailer doesn't reveal a lot about this character, but it seems pretty obvious to me that she tries to act as some kind of moral compass for Rodman, as she sees the possibility that things could go way out of control.
Andy Serkis, undoubtedly best known for his role as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as the upcoming production of The Hobbit will be playing Caesar the ape who changes the course of history, for humankind and his kind alike. After playing a character like Gollum, I'm pretty sure being believable as an ape will be absolutely no problem for Serkis. Of course, there's also the fact that he is credited with the role of Kong in the 2005 remake of King Kong. This role however will surely be more difficult than his previous foray into the actions of an ape, due to the fact that there is supposed to be a lot more intelligence behind the character of Caesar than that of Kong.
Finally, the special effects. WETA, the special effects house responsible for Avatar is handling the effects for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. (Am I the only one finding the full name of this movie annoying to type, think and say?) Even in the 2001 version, the special effects left quite a bit to be desired, but if the trailers are any indication, this won't be a problem this time around. It'll be nice to be able to really get into the story with out the distraction of awareness of how fake the apes look.
Main Characters
Will Rodman - James Franco
Caroline - Freida Pinto
Caesar - Andy Serkis
After seeing the 2001 version of Planet of the Apes, I've wondered, for 10 long years I've wondered if there would be a sequel. When I heard about Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I thought my questions had been answered, only to find that Rise is not a sequel at all.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes will follow the mythology of the original story, adding some updates. There will be adjustments to fix weaknesses in the original 1970s series. Besides that, the fact that we have come so far in our knowledge of apes, and grown leaps and bounds in the area of special effects, even since the 2001 version, Rise promises to be the best of what we already know of the Planet of the Apes movies, and better.
James Franco plays Will Rodman, a man who is experimenting with genetic engineering in hopes of finding a cure to Alzheimer's. These experiments obviously lead to extraordinary intelligence in the apes, causing an all out war for supremacy.
The passionate, but misguided guy trying to do something great is not a new role for Franco. In fact, for me, it strongly resembles his role in Spiderman 2. Although previously, I had considered Franco to be a decent actor, if falling short of great, performances in the past year have made me wonder if maybe I wasn't giving quite as much credit as he truly deserved. With an Oscar nod last year for his role in 127 Hours I guess maybe I'll have to adjust my view of him. I only hope his performance in Rise will live up to my altered expectations.
Freida Pinto, best known for Slumdog Millionaire plays Caroline, possibly Rodman's love interest in the movie? The trailer doesn't reveal a lot about this character, but it seems pretty obvious to me that she tries to act as some kind of moral compass for Rodman, as she sees the possibility that things could go way out of control.
Andy Serkis, undoubtedly best known for his role as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as the upcoming production of The Hobbit will be playing Caesar the ape who changes the course of history, for humankind and his kind alike. After playing a character like Gollum, I'm pretty sure being believable as an ape will be absolutely no problem for Serkis. Of course, there's also the fact that he is credited with the role of Kong in the 2005 remake of King Kong. This role however will surely be more difficult than his previous foray into the actions of an ape, due to the fact that there is supposed to be a lot more intelligence behind the character of Caesar than that of Kong.
Finally, the special effects. WETA, the special effects house responsible for Avatar is handling the effects for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. (Am I the only one finding the full name of this movie annoying to type, think and say?) Even in the 2001 version, the special effects left quite a bit to be desired, but if the trailers are any indication, this won't be a problem this time around. It'll be nice to be able to really get into the story with out the distraction of awareness of how fake the apes look.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Coming December 16, 2011 (Canada)
Director - Guy Ritchie
Main Characters
Sherlock Holmes - Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. Watson - Jude Law
Irene Adler - Rachel McAdams
Professor Moriarty - Jared Harris
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a REAL official trailer for this movie, although quite a few uploads to youtube are claimig to be just that. I'll post one a little later once it comes out.
I was really pumped when I heard they were making Sherlock Holmes into a big budget motion picture in 2009, and even more so when I heard who was cast. My only reservation was whether the movie would be true to the atmosphere, and reality of the classic novels. I'm referring to the fact that although there always seemed to be something going on that defied reality, and spoke to the uneducated of being supernatural, Holmes and Watson were always able to prove, beyond any doubt that everything that had happened could be explained. I was worried that to try and ensure a good profit for the movie, they would add in some elements of the paranormal or supernatural. I was extatic that my concerns were unfounded. The first movie was awesome for me, I especially enjoyed the way Guy Ritchie filmed the sequences where you get a peek inside the mind of Holmes as he's working something out.
I have just as high hopes for the upcoming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. With Downey Jr., Law and McAdams all reprising their roles from the first movie, there is no concern about the performances. With the addition of Holmes' arch nemesis Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), the story line promises to be at least as strong as the first installment. Also joining the characters is Holmes' brother Mycroft Holmes played by Stephen Fry who voiced The Cheshire Cat in 2010's Alice in Wonderland.
Although A Game of Shadows isn't based on any one particular Holmes story, and will follow an original story line, it is said that the script was inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's, The Final Problem which is the first time Professor Moriarty was featured in a Holmes novel.
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