Pfft! Does the world need another heist movie? Nah. Does the world need more natural disaster movies? Not after Geostorm we don’t! But what about a movie that combines the “best” of both? Brilliant! Bring on The Hurricane Heist!
Gleefully hyping the presence of The Fast and Furious and XXX director Rob Cohen, the trailer then hits us over the head with cheesy one-liner after cheesy one-liner on top of cliche, literally set to the sounds of “Rock You Like A Hurricane”. But it looks just dumb enough to be some fun as long as stars Maggie Grace, Toby Kebell, and Ryan Kwanten are in on the joke. Before you ask, no, it isn’t about thieves trying to steal an actual hurricane, although that would be something to definitely pay for. Here’s the synopsis:
Under the threat of a hurricane, opportunistic criminals infiltrate a US Mint facility to steal $600 million for the ultimate heist. When the hurricane blows up into a lethal CATEGORY 5 storm and their well-made plans go awry, they find themselves needing a vault code known only by one Treasury Agent (Maggie Grace), a need that turns murderous. But the Treasury agent has picked up an unlikely ally, a meteorologist (Toby Kebbell) terrified of hurricanes but determined to save his estranged brother kidnapped by the thieves. He uses his knowledge of the storm as a weapon to win in this non-stop action thriller ride charged with adrenaline throughout.
Duncan Jones has been talking his pet project, Mute, for so long that it’s kind of amazing that it’s finally here. Or more accurately, it’s kind of amazing that there isn’t more buzz surrounding the release, because I doubt very many people know anything about it. But the sci-fi/noir is due to hit Netflix soon, and that may be a problem in itself, because we see movies fall down the memory hole as soon as the streaming giant releases them. Hopefully that won’t happen here.
A teaser for the film has been released ahead of a full trailer on January 30th. The Moon, Source Code, and Warcraft director has gathered Paul Rudd, Alexander Skarsgard, Justin Theroux, and Seyneb Saleh for a futuristic tale about a mute man’s search for his missing girlfriend. Here’s the synopsis:
Set in the near-future, Leo (Alexander Skarsgård) is a bartender living in the pulsing city of Berlin. Because of a childhood accident, Leo lost the ability to speak and the only good thing in his life is his beautiful girlfriend Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh). When she vanishes without a trace, Leo’s search for her takes him deep into the city’s seedy underbelly. A pair of wise-cracking American surgeons (Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux) are the only recurring clue and Leo is forced to take on this teeming underworld in order to find his love.
The works of William Shakespeare have been reinterpreted, modernized, even sequel-ized enough times to be common place. And that’s fine; Shakespeare should be adapted and expanded upon like anything else. But if you’re going to do it, have something new to bring to the table, otherwise don’t bother. It’s a lesson director Claire McCarthy would have been wise to learn before her adaptation of Ophelia, which stars Daisy Ridley as the oft-misunderstood potential lover of Hamlet.
Similar to Disney’s Maleficent, the film seeks to tell the Hamlet story from the perspective of Ophelia, which is an idea definitely worth exploring in theory. Ophelia is one of the most discussed characters in literary history, tragic heroine or feminist icon? The movie doesn’t do much to clear up the debate, choosing instead to load up the film with one bad subplot after another that has little to do with increasing our understanding of who Ophelia is.
After a howlingly bad intro with Ridley’s flat narration over Ophelia’s final scene in Hamlet, we’re then whisked away because we don’t know her true story. A young, “willful” Ophelia has no station in this land of kings and queens, but she’s rambunctious enough to catch the eye of Queen Gertrude (Naomi Watts), who perhaps sees some of herself in the girl. Ophelia rises up as a lady-in-waiting, one that draws scorn from the other ladies, but earns the attraction of a surprisingly passionate Hamlet (George MacKay). There’s also Hamlet’s uncle Claudius (Clive Owen with fantastically fake hair) stirring up palace intrigue, and Getrude’s exiled twin sister Mechtild, who happens to be a witch. Never heard of Mechtild, eh? She’s a new character created in the novel by Lisa Klein, and her presence is just one of the odd additions that muddle why Ophelia needs her own story to begin with.
A better idea might have been to do what so many have done, which is just use Shakespeare as the framework for a totally different story. The screenplay by Semi Chellas struggles to breathe within the confines of the Hamlet story, and once it gets going Ophelia still feels like an observer to events going on around her. And when things happen that she was not directly involved in, entire events are simply made up, creating almost an entirely new work of fiction. So why not just do that? And yet, when it boils down to the finale, Shakespeare’s classic poison plot from Romeo & Juliet is cribbed from pretty shamelessly.
I couldn’t wrap my brain around the production values, which are lush and green, but also stagey and cheap looking. It’s like they wanted it to both look like a stageplay but also natural, and couldn’t decide which way to go. Indecision is a killer for this film in general.
Ridley gives Ophelia all of the strong qualities she gave to Rey in the Star Wars movies. She’s brave, curious, and eager for a mentor, a role Gertrude is only too happy to fill unlike that tool Luke Skywalker. But that’s really the problem in a nutshell. Ophelia and Rey are not the same, they shouldn’t be remotely alike. Rather than Hamlet seen from a different perspective, it’s as if someone just didn’t like the Ophelia character and changed everything about her . Ophelia is both hopelessly beholden to Shakespeare and yet unwilling to completely break free from it. Who exactly is this movie for?
Steven Spielberg is not a man without options, and last week we learned he was eyeing West Side Story and Indiana Jones 5 as is next projects. And considering his speed, especially of late, there was always the chance he could even add one more. Well it seems he’s made a decision on what comes next, and Harrison Ford might want to start getting into fighting form.
THR reports that Indiana Jones 5 is next on Spielberg’s to-do list, with production eyed to kick off in 2019. That’s well in line with the sequel’s release date on July 10th 2020. Can I say something, though? I know a lot of people are excited about this, but we were just as thrilled before Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which also has Spielberg’s name on it. Does anybody remember that movie fondly? All I’m saying is to please temper expectations, especially since Indy 5 will have the same screenwriter in David Koepp.
Meanwhile, Spielberg is taking early steps on the classic musical, West Side Story, with a casting call sheet revealed by journalist Mark Harris. His husband, playwright Tony Kushner, will be writing the script so he would know. The familiar characters of Tony, Maria, Bernardo, and Anita are available for somebody out there looking for their break, because I’m guessing Spielberg won’t be going for big names on this one. He’ll be looking for whoever can best fit the role, and it’s a process he takes extremely seriously. Remember that he recently dropped The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortaro as his next film because he couldn’t find a Jewish child he liked for the lead role.
After directing The Childhood of a Leader, actor Brady Corbet announced his follow-up, Vox Lux, a musical featuring Rooney Mara and Jude Law. That was back in 2016 when plans were for it to arrive some time last year. Obviously, that didn’t happen, and now Corbet is swapping out one of the stars for an Oscar winner.
Natalie Portman has stepped in to replace Mara in the film, making this a reunion with Law who she co-starred with in Closer. The ambitious project will find Portman in the role of Celeste, a pop star whose 15-year journey sees her rise from national tragedy to superstardom. Sia will be providing brand new original music, and at one point there were hopes Under the Skin composer Mica Levi would do the score. It’s unclear if that’s still the case.
Mike Flanagan has plenty of experience with horrors, having worked within the genre on Ouija: Origin of Evil, Oculus, Before I Wake, and most notable, last year’s well-received Stephen King adaptation Gerald’s Game. The latter film is likely what landed him his newest gig, a big screen take on King’s The Shining sequel novel, Doctor Sleep. Good luck.
THR reports Flanagan will direct the film, although no writer is currently attached. The story is as bat shit crazy as Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrence was in Stanley Kubrick’s classic version of The Shining. The sequel will follow a grown-up Danny Torrence, and honestly the book synopsis can do it better justice than me:
On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless – mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”
Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival.
So like I said, “good luck”. Following The Shining is going to be very tough. King wasn’t a big fan of Kubrick’s adaptation so I’m curious to see if he takes more of an active interest in this one.
I had the pleasure of viewing one of the most fascinating thrillers that I think I’ve ever seen, Like Me, within these past couple of weeks. It’s a film that explores the perils of isolation and loneliness that has been caused by internet culture. I had the opportunity of talking with the Director/Writer/Editor of the film, Robert Mockler, where he went into more detail about those themes, the importance of not giving away too much so as to not ruin other people’s interpretation of his work, and a ton of other things. Check it out below!
Before I get into the questions that I have planned for you I just wanted to take the time to tell you, and I had put this in my review for your film, that this was one of those films that reminded me why it is that I love film and why it is that I know that I have chosen the right passion to pursue. I myself want to be a filmmaker and I know that this is one of those films that will continue to have an impact on me for years to come. So, I just wanted for you to know that all of your time and effort that was put into this film wasn’t in vain by any means.
That means so much to me. Thank you for saying that… I don’t really know how to respond. I mean that’s really nice of you to say, thank you so much.
No problem! I just wanted to make sure that I got the opportunity to say that to you. So, going ahead and getting into the questions that I have planned for you, I have 7 questions, does that sound ok?
Yeah, totally! I must say, I’m always really nervous during these things, so if things get awkward I’m just letting you know that that’s totally on me, not you. I’m losing my mind right now; we’re about to premiere at 7. I’m riddled with nerves; so if I’m out of it, then my apologies and I’m so sorry.
Well let me just tell you that this is my first time ever conducting an interview, so you’re kind of making history right now with me.
[Laughs] So, it’ll be a journey.
[Laughs] Yeah, definitely. So the first question that I have for you is all about your inspiration for the film. I personally could tell that isolation plays a huge part in this film, so I was wondering if you could talk a little more about what inspired you to create a film that explores this topic.
Loneliness and isolation is something that I’ve dealt with in my life. It’s something that is very personal to me. I guess, it’s just drawing from personal experiences and seeing how its affected my life and others around me. I hope that… I don’t know, I don’t want to say too much because there’s a part of this where I feel like if I say too much like I’m robbing an interpretation of the movie. One of my favorite filmmakers is Kubrick; he avoided talking about meaning. I don’t know how to tackle questions that start to open up that world because I like that there is a margin that’s undefined that hopefully people can explore on their own like you already have. I hope that that answers the question somewhat
I completely get where you’re coming from. Looking more specifically at the film, one of the things that I noticed is that you pay a lot of attention to the act of consumption; whether it’s character eating copious amounts of food or (the main character) Kiya’s consumption of various technology and drugs. I know that one of your things is that you don’t want to give away too much, but I was hoping that you could expound a little more on that idea?
Yeah! Well, the film is about loneliness and how we medicate our loneliness in some ways and I feel like we medicate our loneliness through things like technology and drugs. So, that’s exactly right.
Would you say that that was the inspiration behind that beginning montage scene where we get a lot of close-ups of Kiya consuming those things?
Yeah… I feel like I’m constantly consuming… consuming some things that may be toxic and I’m aware of it, but I’m still doing it. It comforts me for short periods of time, but I know that it’s not necessarily something thats good for me, so I guess part of the film is kind of exploring constantly consuming toxic qualities of our culture to quiet our isolation and the pain that comes with that.
Talking a little bit more about that montage scene, I actually think that that is going to be one of the things really sticks with people after they’ve watched the film. The biggest reason as to why I say that is because you took something as trivial as close-ups of someone consuming various things and made the imagery come off as being really abrasive, disturbing, and even uncomfortable; and I know that that was a choice that you made throughout the film. So, I wanted to know if that was an initial intentional thing or was it something that just kind of unfolded as you went along in the filmmaker process? If so, why were you going for that kind of uneasiness within the viewer?
I basically viewed that as a way of diving into Addison’s (Kiya’s) character’s brain in some way and expressing this fragmented sense of her identity and I hope that that was able to come through.
I loved your use of color. For me, color is one of those things that I personally pay attention to when watching films because I think, when used correctly, it’s a great unspoken way of learning more about the characters and story at hand. When we usually see a story about isolation and loneliness, the colors are usually muted, dull, boring, and really desaturated. Within this world that you created for this film, those colors are anything but; you use a lot of vibrant, contrasting, and neon colors. I wanted to know why it is that you decided to go against the grain in that way?
Again, I think it has to do with this world being a reflection of this character’s brain. Although, we’re dealing with themes of isolation and loneliness, there’s something about this moment in her life that’s this reckless protest against society that I think is making her feel alive for the first time; and I hope that that use of color gets across that idea and hopefully amplifies that concept. Not to give away too much, but toward the end of the film that last scene looked a little different in the sense that the color is almost completely pulled out of it, it’s more subdued and muted and that was definitely intentional.
I was hoping that you could talk a little about the presence of water. Now, I may have been digging a bit too deeply into it, but I noticed that water plays a subtle but still noticeable part within this film; we see shots of the ocean, lakes, the gas station that Kiya visits is named “Wave”, the mural on Marshall’s wall resembles that of an ocean; so, I was wondering if you could talk about the symbolism of water and how that plays into the larger narrative of the story.
I’ll try to me, let me know if it all makes sense; again this may all sound pretentious, but for me there’s this idea of oceans separating people throughout history. The ocean was this kind of obstacle in keeping different cultures from connecting and learning from one another. For me, the idea of oceans was exploring that territory in some way. I don’t want to specify too much in that way because again, hopefully I can still leave room for some kind of interpretation there; so, hopefully, I can kind of point to something and not completely spoil it.
What is the biggest thing that you would want for people to takeaway from this film?
I don’t think that’s for me to say. There’s things that I hope people see but I understand that not everyone is going to connect with it in a way to where they necessarily see… I guess for instance some people are just going to connect with it. For me, a lot of the reason why I like certain films is because I’m connected to a feeling and kind of completely disconnected from something that I can verbally explain which is why I love film in general; there’s this energy that I’m attracted to that I can start to make sense of later. Hopefully, people are interested in the mood and energy that we were trying to express and then from there I hope that they see areas that we tried to lean into.
Well, that’s all of the questions that I have. Thank you for taking time out of your day to talk with me, I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much for talking with me. I really enjoyed it and I’m glad that you enjoyed the film. Hopefully, we get to talk again some time.
Like Me premieres in theaters today, January 26, 2017.
The film American Folk stars Joe Purdy, Amber Rubarth, David Fine, and Krisha Fairchild. The movie follows two people’s journey cross-country as they attempt to get back to NY from California after their plane is grounded following the attacks that occurred on 9/11.
Truthfully, I don’t have much to say about this movie. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but there also wasn’t anything spectacular, groundbreaking, or insightful about it either. I actually think that one of the biggest flaws of the the movie is it’s lack of a perceived point to the narrative of the story.
I could tell that the film was trying to push this theme of the power of music especially when it comes to it being a connecting force between other people. While we do see the two main characters, Purdy and Rubarth, coming into contact with different kinds of people so as to show the rise in compassion and unison that occurred following the attacks; and to the movie’s credit we do see how through these different interactions that they are telling the audience that American people come in all different sizes, shapes, colors, come from different backgrounds, have different stories to tell, etc…; the movie itself doesn’t really do anything more for the theme at hand. We’re never shown the ways in which music is/can be powerful. Just showing the two main characters singing folk songs every now and then, where a majority of the time those moments are spent by themselves does nothing to show us the power the music.
I also think that having the September 11th attacks as the background setting for this movie was more of a lazy attempt at creating contrived emotion. If they did want to go with that background setting and particular theme, then the filmmakers would have been better off showing how music brings people together, how it can help to fight any kind of racism or xenophobia that I know sprang up during that time, or how it helps people in times of grief; but we’re never shown any of that and I think it was such a missed opportunity.
As I’ve already said this wasn’t a terrible movie; I’ve seen a lot worse when it comes to the overall story, the structure of said story, the writing, the editing, and even the acting (I actually think that the performances were the best part of the movie). However, if the filmmakers were indeed looking to create something that was meant to be incredibly meaningful, then it definitely could have been a lot better.
American Folk opens in theaters and On Demand January 26, 2017
In this day and age of a movie industry that is more focused on ROI and creating franchises more than they are worried about creating something with artistic quality that is meaningful and worthwhile, the thriller Like Me; written, directed, and edited by Robert Mockler; starring Addison Timlin, Ian Nelson, and Larry Fessenden; is a breath of fresh air to say the least. Watching this movie is akin to an outer body experience; it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before and for that reason alone I think that everyone should give this movie a watch if the opportunity ever presents itself.
This is one of those movies where one simple viewing does not suffice. Your first viewing is so much of a mindfuck that I guarantee that most of your time will be spent on trying to understand what it is that you’re taking in and I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. It’s that kind of positive confusion that’s due to the abrasive, sometimes disturbing, and even uncomfortable images matched with the overall absurdity of the situation at hand that draws people in and keeps them engaged to the very end. However, don’t get me wrong, this movie still requires that kind of active participatory viewing on the part of the viewer because there are those scenes that are not heavily reliant on the “What am I watching right now?” kind of reaction.
Once you get past the overall shock of it all and do ultimately decide to give the film that much needed 2nd watch that is when you are able to then get into the story and its reason for creation. This movie is a social commentary on the perils of isolation that has been caused by this new, millennial, internet culture.
The main character is a 17 year old named Kiya (Timlin), whose mission it is to go out of her way to commit these heinous and outlandish acts, risking her own freedom and life in the process, all in the name of internet fame; this film truly exemplifies the idea that “any publicity, is good publicity.” However, one of the things that we are meant to understand is that through this search for notoriety from people that you don’t personally know it in turn, creates this immense sense of isolation and emptiness because that striving for that sense of connection is, at its core, based on these false pretenses that if you have people that are giving you attention, it can then fill that void of loneliness, when in reality it can’t.
In my attempt at trying to find out more about the man behind one of the films that I know will continue to have an impact on me for years to come, I was surprised to find that this was Robert Mockler’s first film. Visually, this movie was everything for me. I love coming across filmmakers that remember that film, at its core, is a visual medium and then attempt to experiment with it in a way that I’ve never seen before. I also wanted to quickly add in that Mockler’s use of color is amazing. I’m someone that pays quite a bit of attention to the use of color in film and his choices filled my heart with immense amounts of joy.
Getting into the actual meat of the plot I know that it’s something that I’ll have to watch and sit with quite a few more times to be able to really unpack everything that I know is there. Any film that requires that kind of activity on my part is something that I can appreciate, truly.
Robert Mockler, if you ever get the chance to read this, I just wanted to personally thank you for creating a piece of art that has reminded me why it is that I love film and why it is that I know that I have chosen the right passion to pursue. This movie was incredible and it’s something that everyone should put on their “must watch” list.
James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander in a Wim Wenders movie? Sounds pretty untouchable, but reviews out of TIFF for Submergence haven’t been great at all. In fact, I had forgotten it existed because there has been so little discussion on it. The newly released trailer may get people talking again, and the cast is tough to ignore.
Wenders gets behind the camera for the adaptation of J.M. Ledgard’s book, penned, perhaps unfortunately, by The Last Face writer Erin Dignam. McAvoy plays a British covert agent with Vikander as a bio-mathematician (!?!), who meet and fall in love in France, only to be separated by the demands of their respective careers. Honestly this doesn’t sound like something I’d dig, and the trailer suggests a film that might be really dry despite the presence of McAvoy and Vikander. There’s just something stilted about it. Hopefully I’m wrong.
Here’s the synopsis: James (James McAvoy) is a British agent under the cover of a water engineer, while Danny (Alicia Vikander) is a bio-mathematician working on a deep-sea diving project to explore the origin of life on our planet. On a chance encounter in a remote resort in Normandy where they both prepare for their respective missions, they fall rapidly, and unexpectedly, into each other’s arms and a deliriously wild love affair develops, even though their jobs are destined to separate them. Danny sets off on a perilous quest to dive to the bottom of the ocean. James’s assignment takes him to Somalia, where he is sucked into a geopolitical vortex that puts him in grave danger. Both characters are subject to different kinds of isolation as they pine for each other; their determination to reconnect becomes as much an existential journey as a love story.
