Netflix Movie World: January 2015

Saturday, 31 January 2015

The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 28

This week I watched The Zero Theorem, 300: Rise of an Empire, Elite Squad, Non-stop.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

The Zero Theorem - The depth is only matched by the bizarre.

The Zero Theorem (2013)
Watch The Zero Theorem
Written by: Pat Rushin (screenplay), Terry Gilliam (additional dialog)
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Christoph Waltz, Lucas Hedges, Melanie Thierry
Rated: R

Plot:
A man afraid of everything wants to work from home, while trying to determine his purpose in life.

Review:
A man lives in a secluded, burned down church amidst futuristic buildings. He is afraid of everything and experiences nothing, wondering why he exists. He is focused on his work, not caring what he does or why, but working to pass the time hoping the meaning of life will come to him. His faith is so acute he ignores distractions. He believes one phone call he missed in his youth, will call again and provide him with his purpose. In the end he realizes that work or a phone call cannot make him happy, it will not provide meaning.
For most people this movie is too bizarre and the plot is too far removed from normal.
It depends, but only if you like the bizarre. It's not easy to grasp.

300: Rise of an Empire - It's like 300, but unnecessary.

300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
Watch 300: Rise of an Empire
Written by: Zach Snyder & Kurt Johnstad (screenplay), Frank Miller (graphic novel "Xerxes)
Directed by: Noam Murro
Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro
Rated: R

Plot:
Themistokles must repel Artemisia and the Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes.

Review:
Another unnecessary sequel. While the original 300 pushed style over substance, this movie has less style and substance. The creators tried so hard to recapture the first movie that they set this during the exact same time period. Despite the eye candy ploy of Eva Green there is little of interest. The first movie while stylistically unique had a compelling story, and this simply isn't and doesn't.
Skip it.

Elite Squad - Stopping criminals and corrupt cops in the war zone of Brazil.

Elite Squad aka Tropa de Elite (2007)
Watch Elite Squad
Written by: André Batista, Rodrigo Pimentel, Luiz Eduardo Soares (book), Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha, Rodrigo Pimentel

Directed by: José Padilha
Starring: Wagner Moura , André Ramiro , Caio Junqueira
Rated: R

Plot:
It's difficult to distinguish cops from criminals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When the violence in the slums becomes too much for the police, they call in the Elite Squad.

Review:
The movie does a thorough job of detailing what is wrong with the police force, and at the same time the problems faced. This causes it to drag a bit, at least for an action movie. Though, through this characters are developed. It's a harsh movie. Cops have to be more ruthless than the drug dealers they hunt, and it is a hunt. It's a culture shock compared to America. It's very raw and doesn't feel far removed from documenting what actual conditions may be. Corruption runs rampant and the police force is outnumbered, so cops can't stop crime. They instead make peace. The Elite Squad are the type of cops needed to halt the proliferation of crime.
It depends.

Non-stop - The terrorists prepared for everything, everything except Liam Neeson.

Non-stop (2014)
Watch Non-stop
Written by: John W. Richardson & Christopher Reach and Ryan Engle (screenplay), John W. Richardson & Christopher Reach (story)
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Corey Stoll, Lupita Nyong'o, Anson Mount
Rated: PG-13

Plot:
When threatened by terrorists, Liam Neeson, an air marshal, must save the lives of everyone on the plane.

Review:
Liam Neeson has a particular set of skills, and he's nearly created his own genre. It's a thrilling movie, with a few twists and mysteries. Forgiving the unrealistic aspects, it falls apart at the end with flimsy villains.
Skip it.

65th Annual ACE EDDIE Awards Winners

Last night the group had their black-tie ceremony where trophies were handed out in ten categories of film, television and documentary.

Award-winning filmmaker Frank Marshall received the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year, Career Achievement Awards went to industry veterans Diane Adler and Jerry Greenberg. The Robert Wise Award, which has only been presented a few times in the organization history, was presented to journalist Carolyn Giardina of The Hollywood Reporter.

If one movie I do believe deserves an editing award for job well done is Boyhood as is hard to imagine the amount of material an editor has to deal after 12 years of filming and how figure out how much story time to give to each age and body-change of the protagonist. The movie won Best Edited Drama.

To check winners in all categories go here.

Winners are in *BLUE.

---///---
1/2/15
Today the American Cinema Editors announced their nominations for the EDDIE Awards with a very unusual tie in the best edited drama that originated six nominees in the category.

Best Edited Drama
Joel Cox and Gary Roach for American Sniper
*Sandra Adair for Boyhood
Kirk Baxter for Gone Girl
William Goldenberg for The Imitation Game
John Gilroy for Nightcrawler
Tom Cross for Whiplash

Best Edited Comedy or Musical
Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione for Birdman
Fred Raskin, Hughes Winborne and Craig Wood for Guardians of the Galaxy
Wyatt Smith for Into the Woods
Leslie Jones for Inherent Vice
*Barney Pilling for The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Edited Animated Film
Tim Mertens for Big Hero 6
Edie Ichioka for The Boxtrolls
*David Burrows and Chris McKay for The Lego Movie

Best Edited Documentary
*Mathilde Bonnefoy for Citizenfour
Aaron Wickenden for Finding Vivian Maier
Elisa Bonora for Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me

To read the announcement at the official site and to learn the Television categories go here.

Nikita (1990)

Cast

Anne Parillaud, Tchéky Karyo, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana, Rolande Blanche, Alain Lathière, Jeanne Moreau, Philippe Leroy, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Jean Reno

Plot

Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is a teenage junkie who participates in the robbery of a pharmacy owned by a friend's parents. The robbery goes awry, and she kills several policemen.
Sentenced to life in prison, Nikita is given a new identity and trained as a top secret assassin.

Opinion

Nikita wasn't up to my expectations. The story, with a promising beginning, is way too flat, and lacks of tension required by an action/thriller film.
Luc Besson uses the cinecamera masterfully, and the first scenes of the film are really beautiful and strong.
Anne Parillaud, sweet yet ruthless, delivers an incredible performance loaded with charm. Jeanne Moreau as Amande and Jean Reno as Victor leave a mark, even though they have a small part.

Buy on Amazon.com | Buy/Rent on Amazon Instant Video

Quotes

Amande: There are two things that are infinite: femininity and means to take advantage of it.

Rating

7.0/10

Friday, 30 January 2015

New Behind The Scenes Shots From 40 BELOW AND FALLING!

Here's a couple more shots from the set of 40 BELOW AND FALLING that I'm producing along with Andrew Scholotiuk, Darren Arsenault, Corinne Ferguson, Pierre-Andre Rochat. The Director is Dylan Pearce who I leave alone now as much as I can as he is obviously focused on delivering his vision in 3D of course and 4K!

That snowmobile you see in the first shot plays a very key role in the movie and it's cool to see it in the flesh rather than read about it in the script! You can see Shawn Roberts (Redford) behind it with the boom mic extended - a chilly day but rewarding for all.

The second shot is of Jewel Staite (Kate) outfitted in a formal gown. Being shot in Edmonton and it's Northern Alberta region, it's definitely brisk in winter; but as we know and many, many other productions, that country is simply gorgeous. And the story demands it! Can't wait for you to see it.

It's extremely interesting to be a part of the mechanism behind making a movie and this crew is absolutely top notch. And day to day planning is of utmost concern especially with an outdoors winter production. For those of you not in the know, we get daily Call Sheets outlining everything you can imagine from call times to set requirements to locations all methodically laid out and in order. It's wonderful to see it all come together so elegantly.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Starring high in demand Canadian actress Jewel Staite (series regular on Joss Whedon’s hit TV show Firefly and his feature film Serenity, and star of the AMC/Netflix drama series The Killing) and Canadian actor Shawn Roberts (star in the hit movie franchise Resident Evil, co-star in Edge of Darkness, and X-Men) – 40 Below and Falling tells the story of Kate Carter, a teacher from a small, Northern Canadian town, who is moving back to the big city for her wedding. After quitting her job and packing up her life, Kate feels certain that this is the future she has always wanted – that is until her flight gets cancelled by a blizzard and she meets a surly stranger named Redford. With all road travel being suspended, Kate is forced to hop on the back of Redford’s snowmobile and embark on an adventure that will leave her questioning the decision she has made about the man she is set to marry.

For the full boilerplate for the movie, be sure to check it out here. More cool stuff when I can get it for you - stay tuned!

Ang Lee To Tackle BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK In Native 3D 4K HFR!

(Photo) Jim Dorey. 2013.

When Ang Lee tackles a project he gives it his all and in this case the project is Ben Fountain's novel BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK and he is going to shoot it in native 3D 4K and ultra high frame rate.

When I spoke to Ang awhile back he told me that he's excited to work with 3D and having it available to him for projects - and now that we know what his next 3D project will be, my eyes lit up.

As Lee did with LIFE OF PI, he will be leaping over new technological and creative barriers. To help him do so he's hired one of the best in Demetri Portelli (HUGO, 47 RONIN, THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET) and his team to handle the stereoscopic 3D. They'll be using Sony F65 cameras and the word is Lee's vision is breathtaking. As if you are really there. Think the D-Day scenes in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN but add in perfect immersive 3D shot in 4K and ultra high frame rate. Of course I'm sure Lee has many more surprises for us! Can't wait for this.

Here's the storyline courtesy of Variety:
Bravo Company and 19-year-old private Billy Lynn survive a harrowing Iraq battle that is captured by news cameras. They are brought home by the U.S. administration for a promotional tour, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of a Thanksgiving Day football game, all while facing an imminent return to the war. Almost the entire movie takes place during the day of the game, with flashes back to the underlying events and Billy’s heroism.

This is a filmmaker driven project that is original and you simply know that care will be taken to present it in new and spectacular ways. More info when we get it!

Source: Variety

Eden Lake (2008)

Genre

Horror | Thriller

Director

James Watkins

Country

United Kingdom

Cast

Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Jack O'Connell, James Gandhi, Thomas Turgoose, Bronson Webb, Shaun Dooley, Finn Atkins, Thomas Gill, James Burrows

Plot

Jenny (Kelley Reilly) and her boyfriend, Steve (Michael Fassbender), escape their everyday life to a remote lake in the green English countryside.

Their quiet weekend falls apart when a gang of kids, which have fun in provoking adults, first insult them and then steal their car. The situation gets worse when Steve decides to face them.