Punch Drunk DVDs: ‘IT (2017)’, ‘My Little Pony The Movie’, ‘The Foreigner’, ‘Mark Felt’, And More!

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January 9, 2018

NEW THIS WEEK

IT (2017)

The most acclaimed horror blockbuster in years, IT,
finally brings Stephen King’s classic novel to the big screen, in all it’s
terrifying glory. When their small town of Derry Maine is threatened by the
titular monster (typically in the form of the bloodthirsty child-eating clown
Pennywise), seven young outcasts are forced to band together and face their
darkest fears in order to defend the children of the town from the evil force.

We Said: “IT is
beyond a shadow of a doubt the most blood-curdling film of the year and
possibly the best King adaptation yet. That’s not a small feat because the
novel is so good on multiple levels. The film captures perfectly so many of
King’s pet themes, particularly adolescence and the fear that comes with being
on the cusp of adulthood. The world has begun to change for you in ways that
nobody is prepared for. As the innocence of youth fades, the darkness that
comes with maturity has started to creep in, and at least in the small town of
Derry, Maine that darkness isn’t an imagined thing. Monsters really do lurk
under the bed, in the sewers, and in the shadows.” Rating: 4 out of 5

BUY NOW

The beloved TV show makes the leap to movies, with fan
favorite ponies Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie,
Fluttershy and Rarity going on an epic quest to save Ponyville from a dark and
powerful force. When the evil Storm King (Live Schreiber) and his minion
unicorn Tempest Shadow (Emily Blunt) threaten the peaceful ways of Equestria,
it’s up to the Mane 6 to save the day!

We Said: “This being My
Little Pony, your idea of the stakes may vary. While those who adore
the series may shake in their saddle when the ponies squabble and fight, others
will find this to be incredibly low stakes. Then again, you probably aren’t
going to see My Little Pony: The Movie unless you’re already among the
converted, and that’s who it aims to please.” Rating: 3 out of 5

BUY NOW

The Foreigner

Quiet London businessman Quan (Jackie Chan) is thrust back into
his former life of violence when his teenage daughter is senselessly murdered
in a random terrorist attack. Taking the law into his own hands, Quan becomes a
one man army of revenge, butting heads with the government red tape keeping
him from the terrorists who took away the peaceful life he fought so hard to
acquire.

We Said: “The Foreigner doesn’t reinvent
the wheel, but overall it is an enjoyable action film that shows you a glimpse
at another side of Jackie Chan, but still satisfying your thirst for the Chan
we all know and love.” Rating: 3.5 out of
5

BUY NOW

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House

Liam Neeson stars in this thrilling biopic of the legendary
Mark Felt, aka “Deep Throat”, the man who leaked information to the press that
was crucial in uncovering the truth of the Watergate scandal.

We Said: “Those expecting the
film to jibe perfectly with other Hollywood portrayals may come away
disappointed, but that’s only because they’ve only ever known one side of the
story. With Felt’s revelation still so fresh, we are only just now seeing how
everything unfolded from his conflicted point of view, and of course it would
be different from the journalists he made contact with. That’s what makes Mark
Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House absorbing, and at least
for now the definitive take on Deep Throat.” Rating: 3 out of 5

BUY NOW

Also Available: 68 Kill, Acrossthe Universe (2017) 4K, November Criminals, Friend Request, Bad Day for the Cut,
Bullet Head, Amanda & Jack Go Glamping, The Prates of Somalia, and Marshall

Christian Bale Still Has “Enormous Regrets” Over ‘Terminator Salvation’

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

There are only two things I remember about Terminator Salvation. The first was that jarring CGI Arnold Schwarzenegger; the second was Christian Bale blowing up on set in a tirade that went viral and made him a laughingstock for weeks. Everything else is a blur. But Bale still remembers it quite well, although it sounds like he wishes he didn’t.

Doing some reflecting while on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bale talks about how he knew doing the film was a terrible idea, and yet a weird sense of pride had him saying “yes” anyway. It was a decision he would come to regret…

“I said no three times. I thought that the franchise…I went ‘Nah, there’s no story there.’ I’d seen seen the first one and enjoyed that back in England, I’d been to the movies and seen the second one.”

“It was an unfortunate series of events involving the writers’ strike, involving Jonah Nolan, who was able to come on, and really start to write a wonderful script, but then got called away for a prior commitment that he had,” Bale explained. “And it’s a great thorn in myside, because I wish we could have reinvigorated [the franchise]. And unfortunately, during production, you could tell that wasn’t happening. It’s a great shame.

“There’s a perverse side to me, where people were telling me that, there’s no way on God’s Earth that I should take that role, and I was thinking the same thing. But when people started verbalizing that to me, I started to go, ‘Oh really? All right, well watch this then.’ So there was a littcharactersle bit of that involved in the choice.”

And then there’s the tirade itself. I had to look it up to see what the whole thing was about, but it was over cinematographer Shane Hurlbut who had wandered into the middle of a key shot. Bale exploded, they were “done professionally” or whatever funny thing he kept screaming about, and the rest is Internet history…

“That was a very unusual occasion. Great learning lesson for me. Do you remember that scene with Linda Hamilton where she’s really going nuts in ‘Terminator 2’? We said, we’ve got to channel that at some point in the film, and that was the scene in which we were channeling it. Great lesson for me of, no matter how much you lose yourself in a scene, you do not allow yourself to behave that way. And yeah, of course I’ve got enormous regrets about it…”

Bale is generally pretty quiet stuff like this so for him to give such a thorough answer suggests it really is something he thinks about. You don’t hear much about that movie or Bale’s outburst anymore, which is probably how he’d want it. [via ThePlaylist]

DVD Review: ‘So B. It’ Starring Talitha Bateman And Alfre Woodard

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

So B. It is a movie that’s based on the 2004 children’s novel of the same name. It follows the story of a young girl named Heidi It, played by Tabitha Bateman, as she leaves the comfort of her own home, which is looked over and ran by neighbor/caregiver, Bernie, played by Alfre Woodard. She advertently leaves to travel across the country to find out the the identity of her mentally disabled mother, while in an also, inadvertent attempt to discover her own.

This movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. The biggest reason as to why this was was due to the trailer. Now, this may very well have everything to do with my own experiences, preferences, judgements, etc… but, when I first heard about this movie and saw the trailer, it didn’t scream “MUST SEE” to me. I had never read the book, in fact, I didn’t know that it was based on a book until after my viewing of the film. So, that excitement and feelings of nostalgia that other people who did read the book have for this movie, wasn’t there for me; and after, viewing the trailer, it still wasn’t necessarily there.

With that being said, I’m always up for pretty much anything in terms of movies, even scary/horror movies given the proper situation, i.e. in a place where I am the controller of the environment instead of a victim to it, but getting back to the film at hand, I must say that I genuinely enjoyed it. The biggest thing that the movie has going for it is the acting, and I think that it’s enough to sell the film. The film is meant to tug at our heart strings and make us feel emotions that we often try to hide in our everyday life. Everyone truly did a phenomenal job in their roles.

Alfre Woodard, as the caregiver to a young girl and her Autistic mother while also dealing with her own mental illness, agoraphobia, or a fear of the outside, does a great job with not just the emotional acting, but when her role calls for more physicality to her acting, as her character is forced to deal with her illness head on, she shines that way too, but, then again, it is Alfre Woodard, so, it’s all but expected. The on-screen relationship that she has with young Tabitha is incredibly believable, and it leads me to believe that the two actors definitely formed some sort of bond while on set. Tabitha, as the young, fierce, independent, but also, lost and sometimes scared girl doesn’t miss any of her emotional beats. To be acting up against someone like Mrs. Woodard had the wrong person been casted they could have very had been out acted by the veteran herself, but Tabitha truly holds her own. When she’s meant to be happy, we revel in it. When she’s meant to feel alone, and scared. We feel it. We she’s meant to be sad, we cry right along with her. She is someone that I definitely think that you should have on your “up and coming, young actors” list. I’m very interested to see what the future has in store for her.

Jessica Collins, as the Autistic mother to Heidi, I thought was extremely believable. Now, I don’t
want to speak from a place of a lack of knowledge, but since I know that there is wide spectrum for Autism, and because that is something that I am not well versed in, I can’t speak to the authenticity or accuracy if her portrayal of someone with Autism, but like I said, she did do really good job of convincing me that she was mentally disabled.

Everyone else in the cast, from Jacinda Barrett, to Dash Mihok, Cloris Leachman, and the late John Heard, people that Heidi meets on her journey, along with the people already mentioned, all helped to collectively create a film that could have very easily had been too contrived and tropey to the point where it’s a turnoff to people who don’t usually go for kind of stuff, but I do think that is something that everyone will enjoy.

Another pleasant surprise that I wanted to bring up actually came up after the end of the film, when the credits were rolling. Under the director title, I saw the name “Gyllenhaal,” “Stephen Gyllenhaal,” to be exact. “Gyllenhaal” isn’t a name that one sees often, thus it was much to my surprise when I found out that Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s father was the man behind this film. So, to my future father-in-law, thank you for making a film that definitely exceeded my expectations.

So B. It will be released on DVD January 9, 2018

Rating: 3 out of 5

‘Bad Times At The El Royale’ Adds Dakota Johnson And Russell Crowe

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

Drew Goddard is keeping secret the plot of his awesomely-titled upcoming film Bad Times at the El Royale, but one thing that can’t be hidden is the cast he’s putting together. Already set to reunite Goddard with his Cabin in the Woods star Chris Hemsworth, along with Jeff Bridges, the latest big additions are Russell Crowe and Dakota Johnson according to The Tracking Board.

Details on the film are slight, but we know it’ll be set in the 1960s at a crappy rundown motel near Lake Tahoe, attracting a motley group of strangers. Goddard, whose screenplay for The Martian earned him an Oscar nomination, will direct based on his own script. He’s also cast Tony winner Cynthia Ervio and Pacific Rim: Uprising‘s Cailee Spaeny, but it’s unclear how sizable their roles are compared to the bigger names.

Shooting on Bad Times at the El Royale is expected to begin soon. It’s one of the hottest projects going around Hollywood right now so don’t be surprised if more stars join up.

Todd McFarlane Says ‘Spawn’ Will Be His ‘Jaws’

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

Does anybody want a Spawn movie without Spawn? We’re apparently about to find out because Todd McFarlane has that as his big idea for the dark, R-rated comic book film he’s been trying to make for 20 years.

Speaking with AZ Central, McFarlane compares the lack of Spawn in his film to the way Steven Spielberg so effectively used the shark in Jaws. Is it an apt comparison? Eh.

“I like to explain that it’s my ‘Jaws.’ Spawn doesn’t say a word the entire movie, and it’s the same way with ‘Jaws.’ It’s about the sheriff and the people, chasing the ghost. That’s it…The lead role isn’t Spawn, the lead role is a cop, like Sheriff Brody from ‘Jaws.’ I think we can hook a fairly significant actor that we want. Unlike a superhero movie, we wouldn’t need an actor to put on prosthetic (makeup) or go to the gym. We just need him to act.”

We’ve been down this road before with McFarlane, and again it doesn’t sound like McFarlane is really making a Spawn movie. He’s making a cop movie with a Hellspawn in it. That said, he’s only working with a $10M budget, so this will keep costs down, and he’s got the power of Blumhouse behind him. Blumhouse can do more with $10M than just about any studio on Earth.

McFarlane adds that they are now entering the casting and budgeting phases with a script ready to go. I think at this point my confidence is with Blumhouse more than it is with McFarlane, who has never directed anything and has an idea for Spawn that sounds seriously sketchy.

Review: ‘Dare To Be Wild’, Mary Reynolds Biopic Never Reaches Full Bloom

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

What is the key to saving the environment? Well according to the movie Dare to be Wild, which is based on the true story of Mary Reynolds and her journey to competing in the Chelsea Flower Competition, one of the keys to saving the environment is to simply build more natural gardens because the gardens and lawns of today are too manicured and don’t properly capture the simplicity and beauty of nature enough.

I applaud the movie for what it was attempting to say and do, but I just really could not get into or become even the slightest bit of invested in this movie or its characters. The message of the movie is there, but I think that the way in which they presented it needed a bit of work. The movie attempts to be a lot of things; it’s a whimsical fairytale – equipped with talk of actual fairies, birds chirping, miraculous happenings that can’t be explained, all wrapped up into a lighthearted and cartoonish-feeling production. This movie is also a cross-country, adventure-treking, rom com of sorts; equipped with the finding of oneself and their mission, and an attractive man to help you forget where your true priorities should lie.

This movie is ripe with cliches; cliches that almost un-do the core message and point of the movie which is environment preservation and sustainability. Yes, we are told what the point is, but the way in which they tell us to do that (i.e. building the natural garden) kind of overshadows the point of the movie. I understand that that the building of gardens that resemble nature is Mary’s method for preserving and sustaining the environment, but the overused cliches and disconnecting elements that are used to tell the story don’t really help to get that message across.

I didn’t know anything about Mary Reynolds before watching this movie, but I must say that after doing a quick google search and clicking on the first YouTube video that I came across, that that short 3:48 video did more for my investment in Mary and her mission more than a 1 hr and 40 min did.

I don’t how big of a role love played in her story. If it truly did play huge part, then I’ll just chalk my point up to life’s inability to inherently make sense. However, if it didn’t play a huge part and that storyline was thrown in for the sake of making the story “more interesting,” then I would have to call that decision the biggest downfall of the movie.

The story is about Mary and her journey to compete in the Chelsea Flower Competition, it’s about her agency and what it is she had to do to make it happen. However, what ends up happening in the movie is that she creates and ends up going along with this narrative that she NEEDS her love interest, Christi, to be a part of and believe in her idea in order for it to come fruition. I didn’t like how they made her success dependent on someone else; and the love and approval of a man at that.
Now, if that is how things truly played out, then I suppose you can forget everything that I have said up until this point about the matter; but even then, the way in which their relationship plays out on screen is still pretty infuriating.

One example from the movie that I wanted to discuss is when Mary is trying to find contractors to help her build her garden. She goes in front of this group that includes Christi to plead her case in front of everyone as to why they should get involved. They all seem pretty receptive of the idea except for Christi, in fact he completely shits on her idea in front of everyone. Then, in the very next scene, Mary is all googley-eyed at him while he walks her to his tree house – I realize now as I am writing this how weird that last part sounds, but remember this movie is part whimsical fairytale, so I guess it’s true to theme. As this all unfolds you’re left extremely confused thinking “well wait, why is she acting like he didn’t just embarrass her in front of a group of people and call her idea and mission a waster?” That kind of inconsistency not only in their relationship but between entire scenes is what makes the movie crumble because you’re left trying to make sense of what you’ve just seen instead of paying attention to the content and/or message of a scene.

I think it’s great that a movie revolving around saving the environment was made because it is a pretty important issue. I think that it’s also greta that someone like Mary Reynolds and her story were given he opportunity to be told. I think it speaks to one of the powers of movies and storytelling in the fact that it is able to shine a light on even the most niche of stories and accomplishments. However, I do think that the filmmakers could’ve made a better movie had they focused their sights on and paid more attention to the message and the why’s of not only the message but the method as well, instead of just regurgitating out the same movie tropes that we’re all so used to seeing time and time again.

Dare to be Wild is available on On Demand January 9, 2017

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Michael Pena Says ‘Ant-Man 3’ Already Being Discussed

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

Marvel has everything on lock, to the point that a small film like Ant-Man, featuring a character most people have never heard of, can still gross over $500M and launch a sequel. Ant-Man and the Wasp is shooting now with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Douglas back and suited up. But the breakout character of the first movie wasn’t even a superhero, it was Michael Pena as Ant-Man’s chatty sidekick Luis, and it sounds like he may be sticking around for a while.

IGN caught up with Pena who is set to star in 12 Strong opposite Thor: Ragnarok‘s Chris Hemsworth, and he says talk of Ant-Man 3 started on day one of shooting…

“We talked about it on the first day [of ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’]. It’s a whole different kind of club to be in, the Marvel Universe. I don’t know if they’ll use me for the third movie, I still really don’t know. It’s cool to make a little bit of a mark on that Marvel Universe and it’s kind of a cool club, they run a really cool studio.”

Trust me, if there’s a third movie Pena will be in it. He managed to have the funniest scenes, which is no small feat considering his competition was Paul Rudd. And maybe if Pena does return he’ll get to share the screen with other Marvel heroes? Like maybe…Thor? Surely he asked Hemsworth about that, right? Not really.

“I didn’t but I should have so maybe I should say something? I’ve never worked with anyone else from the Marvel Universe. I’ve just worked with Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas which is a pretty cool list.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp opens July 6th directed once again by Peyton Reed.

‘Black Panther’ TV Spot Reveals New Footage, IMAX Confirms Specially Formatted Scenes

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

February 16th is going to be a black national holiday judging from the number of people I know taking off from work to see Black Panther. Can’t really blame them. It looks absolutely incredible and unlike anything we’ve seen from Marvel from a cultural perspective and from in terms of scale. Black Panther is a hero who is more than just powers, he’s the ruler of his own country, a badass fighter, and the coolest dude in any room. And now we have more reasons to be pumped for this movie to just get here already.

Marvel debuted an extended TV spot at halftime of last night’s National Championship game, and it’s basically a mini-trailer there’s so much in it. While there is a lot of footage we’ve already seen, the new stuff focuses mainly on Michael B. Jordan as the villain Erik Killmonger, whose designs on T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) throne are made clearer than ever. He wants everything, not just to be ruler of Wakanda, but the rare metal Vibranium (which Captain America’s shield is made of) and all of the country’s technological secrets.

Meanwhile, IMAX has confirmed director Ryan Coogler shot some scenes special for the larger format, giving fans up to 26% more of Black Panther being dope and all that.

Fit for royalty. #BlackPanther is specially formatted to show up to 26% more image in IMAX! Get tickets now: https://t.co/mRfXi9eDGv pic.twitter.com/SVLP62oorg

— IMAX (@IMAX) January 8, 2018

Tickets to Black Panther are on sale now and you can pre-order yours here!

X-Men Producer Calls Brett Ratner “Horrible”, Says TJ Miller Won’t Be Recast In ‘Deadpool 2’

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

Between Brett Ratner, Bryan Singer, and now TJ Miller, the X-Men franchise has been up to its mutant eyeballs in sexual misconduct allegations. The latest concern Miller, the Deadpool funnyman who played sidekick Weasel in the first movie and will return for Deadpool 2. Recently we learned he had been accused of sexually assaulting and punching a woman, while in a separate instance harassing a transgender woman who used to be his friend. With the total removal of Kevin Spacey from All the Money in the World a new standard has been set for these situations, but Miller doesn’t have to fear Christopher Plummer coming in to take his role. Yet.

Speaking with Rotten Tomatoes, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner has responded to fan requests Miller be replaced by saying that it isn’t likely to happen…

“We’re in the final editing,” she said. “I don’t think so.”

Of course, it COULD be done if she really wanted to, I think. Ridley Scott had Spacey out the door and his scenes reshot with Plummer in just a couple of weeks. Deadpool 2 doesn’t open until this summer.

It’s far more likely that Miller won’t be asked back for Deadpool 3 if there is one, but Donner doesn’t commit to that either, replying with “That’s a whole studio thing. I don’t know” when asked.

Oh, he’s gone alright. You can count on that. Donner probably doesn’t want to say much of anything now that might affect the movie’s bottom line. She takes a much tougher stance when the issue of Ratner is brought up. The director of the worst X-Men movie, period, X-Men: The Last Stand, is alleged to have made demeaning comments to star Ellen Page about her sexuality, along with other sexually abusive statements towards her and other women on set. Donner doesn’t hold back here, admitting that she too was a target of Ratner’s…

“I back her up 100 percent,” Shuler Donner said, referring to Page. “Absolutely. He’s horrible. I’m aware he’s very demeaning to women, extremely demeaning to women, myself included. Yes, I was aware. Anybody that’s female, he’s demeaning.”

When asked if Ratner might be booted from the Hollywood community as a whole, Donner responded with “I hope so.” He’s already been dropped from the Hugh Hefner biopic he had been working on, and I don’t see offers flying his way so she may get her wish.

As for her longtime collaborator Bryan Singer, who was recently expelled from directing Bohemian Rhapsody over some unusual behavior on his part, Donner takes a more hopeful stance…

“Listen, I love Bryan, but Bryan has a lot of demons,” Shuler Donner said. “Bryan has some problems, and Bryan needs to take care of his personal problems. That’s all I can say.”

Soon after, Singer was booted as an exec-producer on Legion, which Donner is a producer on, because of further misconduct allegations. The same may happen on the recently-renewed X-Men series, The Gifted.

That Doctor Doom Movie Is Apparently Still On For Now

By

John Nolan

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January 9, 2018

Every single year at Comic-Con we get news on a number of potential comic book movies. Some of them get made, but a lot of them quietly vanish never to be heard from again. One that we learned about last summer was a movie from Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley that would center on Fantastic Four supervillain Doctor Doom, but little has been heard about since. And with the Fox/Disney deal in place it could’ve been on shaky ground, anyway. But Hawley says, as far as he’s concerned, the Doctor is still in.

At the winter press tour for the Television Critics Association, Hawley tells Rotten Tomatoes his Doctor Doom movie is moving along as if nothing changed. Ooookay.

“I haven’t had a phone call, and I’m just operating under the assumption that it’s business as usual,” Hawley said. “Obviously, the merger, should it go through, will take a year at least. Certainly no one’s reached out to me from Marvel or Fox to say, ‘Well, you know, maybe we should take a beat or maybe we should rush.’ I’m working on the script, and we’ll see what the landscape is when I deliver it.”

This is one of the weirder projects because it centers on one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, one that is fairly irredeemable in my book. But if the character were to survive the Kevin Feige cut and make it into the MCU we could see him reimagined into someone similar to Loki, who is more of an antihero at this point.