Shoot First

Keeping with our recent trend of posting videos, here is the promo for Tarantino XX - a new bluray collection of Quentin Tarantino's first 20 years in filmmaking. With 8 films spread across 10 discs and never before seen extras, those eagerly awaiting the release of Django Unchained can get their education in fast edits, quick depth-laden-and-bathed-in-subtext dialogue and guts galore as QT brazenly dominates his first two decades in Hollywood. What makes this collection unique is that all these films are presented together in one box set which would be unheard of a few years ago given the different studios and distributors involved. But since Miramax sold its film library, this box set contains  films from Warner Bros, Universal, TWC and more. The second bonus disc also contains a 2 hour eight part feature on Tarantino's twenty years of filmmaking which provides some fantastic anecdotes and information. With classics such as Reservoir Dogs, True Romance (screenplay by), Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol 1&2, Inglourious Basterds and Death Proof, this box set is worth the upgrade from DVD for QT fans for the exclusive bonus material.

Some will begrudge the inclusion of True Romance despite the film directed by Tony Scott still bearing Tarantino's watermark, and the absence of films such as Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Til Dawn etc. 

However, this box set cleverly puts together the motion pictures which exist within the same universe. Pulp Fiction's Vincent Vega (played by John Travolta) is the brother of Vic Vega (Mr Blonde played by Michael Madsen) in Reservoir Dogs. A film was also talked about featuring the two but Tarantino decided against it given they both died in their previous screen incarnations and the actors had aged since playing these roles. 

Mr White worked with Alabama from True Romance and Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) aka 'The Bear Jew' from Inglourious Basterds is the father of movie producer Lee Donowitz from True Romance. Kill Bill is a version of Fox Force Five with Mia Wallace - Uma Thurman - playing the title role. Watching the films comprising this set helps confirm connections that have been speculated at and add to the movie universe QT has created.

Watch here, then breathe and enjoy the HD presentation of some of the finest films of the last twenty years.

Star Wars: A Legacy

Much has been said, speculated and hoped for when the announcement of Disney purchasing Lucasfilm and particularly the Star Wars franchise hit the airwaves. Writers, directors and cast have all been proposed via various websites for the new trilogy which will bring Star Wars to a whole new legion of fans and ensure the franchise becomes even bigger than it already is.

With Rick McCallum retiring from Lucasfilm and the very capable and talented Kathleen Kennedy at the helm of where this starship ventures to next, we thought we'd share a short celebration of George Lucas' legendary space legacy that has enthralled fans for decades, changed the Hollywood equation and brought about a new type of independent film that inspires to this day.

You Will Know Her Name

"Pray little girl. Pray for forgiveness."

Chloe Grace Moretz is all set to set the big screen alight (literally) in a new adaption of Stephen King's celebrated Carrie.

With more spiritual and religious overtones than the original and allowing for an update which takes modern day social media into account (through tweeting and status updates), the new Carrie is set to be a hybrid of something old and new that will shock while drawing you into the experience of growing up in Carrie's world. In the brief flashes seen, Julianne Moore is frightfully convincing as Margaret, Carries deeply religious mother who beats and locks up her daughter in the cellar for being "a sinner". The effect on Carrie's psyche when coupled with being the awkward teenager at school bullied for not fitting in, results in a telekinetic onslaught that ensures after Spring 2013, the world will remember her name.. again.

The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead remake arrives in Spring 2013, but it's certainly not too early to give fans and viewers a gore-filled teaser of what's to come and put the concerns of those who loved the original at bay.

With a rosta of crew behind the original returning for this update and director Fede Alvarez hand-picked by Sam Raimi himself, the cult film will be back on the big screen with more gore, laughs and horror than ever before. With many horror franchises dying a premature death at the box office in recent times and none living up to the promise of a fresh new franchise since Saw, it's time for a golden oldie to show the rest how it's done.

This trailer is rated suitable for Mature audiences only.

Spielberg Delivers Another Masterpiece in Lincoln

Despite what some cinema tells you, it is highly unlikely Abraham Lincoln was a vampire hunter. A more accurate and compelling account of events is in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, which brings the character to life and presents four months of the celebrated President’s term leading up to his assassination.

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis made Spielberg wait a year before he agreed to become the President in front of the cameras and the result is breathtaking.

“Daniel did something at first that made me sad,” remembers the director. “He wanted to wait a year and it was a masterstroke, because he had a year to do research. He had a year to discover how Lincoln sounded and he found the voice. He had Lincoln so embedded in his psyche, in his soul, in his mind, that I would come to work in the morning and Lincoln would sit behind his desk and we would begin.”

This quote given to Time magazine earlier this month, epitomizes how Daniel Day-Lewis painstakingly became Lincoln, and in the film his eerily realistic portrayal of one of the most recognized but understudied (internationally) President of the United States arrives at the right time to inspire and educate a new generation.

When the film opens mixing blood and mud on the battlefield, echoing the gritty war shots Spielberg perfected and nauseated audiences with in Saving Private Ryan, it becomes evident why this bloodshed must not be in vain and something good must come out of the end of war which Lincoln attempts.

A mature Lincoln has begun another term in office while facing a revolt in the Capitol and having to fight off claims of dictatorship by the democratic opposition as well as trying to find unity in his imploding Republican party feuds. Testing times force Lincoln to think, act and do what he believes is best for his country.

Shown as a family man, mourning the loss of his 11 year old son and holding his kingdom at home and outside together, Lincoln had a gift of looking at the bigger picture when making decisions that would shape the future. His fight to get votes to abolish slavery and do the right thing, ensuring that the long term effect of ending the war resonated in eternity highlights how decisions are made in courtrooms and cabinets that affect the world and the measure of a man is the morals and values he holds and abides by, which will shape the outcome of the decisions made.

What results is a performance-driven masterpiece of a movie with Spielberg extracting a Lincoln mould from Day-Lewis that is constantly battling with the elements of his society. Shot with muddy tones that reflect the dirt in battle, in Lincoln’s cabinet and in the era that fought against abolishing slavery, by the time the viewer completes Spielberg’s journey through Lincoln’s life the audience is baptized in hope and pride. Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones provide décor to Lincoln’s world that help provide a glimpse into his challenges at home and outside, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt alongside Jackie Earle Haley deserve a mention too for breathing life into their characters in a way that transcends the screen.

Oscar buzz is abound and many are rooting for Spielberg’s Lincoln to dominate in Best Picture and Best Actor categories at the very least, and hopefully Best Director too. But awards-speak aside, Lincoln is a must-see film that delivers a big screen experience taking you back to a time which has shaped our present in more ways than the obvious. 

Countdown to A Good Day to Die Hard

The countdown to Christmas has begun and with the festive season comes films which belong to this particular time period. There’s the schmaltzy feelgood film where the main protagonist realizes the error of his ways and makes amends by the end, where he’s learned a valuable life lesson about himself and humanity. These films follow the Dickens’ model oft repeated and based on A Christmas Carol, a story which in itself is remade in many ways year after year.

The theme is seen in many popular films that have become unconventional Christmas hits, repeated on television year after year and featured on top ten lists of Christmas movies despite not being obvious choices and having little to do with Christmas or just being set at that time of the year.

Edward Scissorhands, Trading Places, Gremlins and Home Alone are regularly branded this kind of film for having pivotal moments occur at Christmas and depicting a canvas of snow that transcends the screen and overflows into the hearts of filmgoers. All the main characters in these films learn something by the end of the film that they didn’t know at the start – knowledge about themselves or something (e.g. Gremlins!) that makes their life better.

But the most unlikely and popular Christmas movie features a gun-toting, foul mouthed action hero who gatecrashed an office party and left realizing that his job may be to save innocent citizens but it’s also about his family too and he’s got to tow the line. Yes, John McClane in Die Hard is an unsurprising favourite for Christmas and with the promise of new film entry in the franchise arriving round the corner on Valentines Day 2013, it’s the perfect time to revisit Nakatomi Plaza and see where it all began.

Bruce Willis returns in A Good Day to Die Hard and family is still very much a part of the equation and the force that pulls him into the action. John McClane had a bad reunion with his wife, Holly in the original film that turned into an action packed hostage film where our hero beat the odds to walk away with the girl. In Die Hard 2: Die Harder they said lightning couldn’t strike the same place twice but little did they know John McClane was back beating terrorists in a darker take on the series adapted from the novel 58 minutes. Featuring a terrifying scene where an entire plane of innocents is brought down as McClane can only watch, he finally saves his wife in a touching moment where he guides a plane to the ground exclaiming “Here’s your landing light, Holly!” Heartwarming stuff in an action film. Again.

In Die Hard with a Vengeance his wife calls in to check up on McClane while he’s engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a villain avenging the death of his brother in the first Die Hard. Formulaic but with Samuel L Jackson and Jeremy Irons muscling in providing support, the third outing is enjoyable most of the time.

Live Free or Die Hard (also known as Die Hard 4.0 outside the US) took a clever cyberterrorist plot loosely inspired by a Wired article called ‘A Farewell to Arms’ and introduced us to McClane’s estranged daughter. Controversy about the rating aside, the film made money and had some spectacular action sequences proving many wrong that maybe it was time for John McClane to hang up his vest.

A Good Day to Die Hard finds John McClane travelling to Russia to help out his estranged son John “Jack” McClane Jr (Jai Courtney) whose career choice puts him in situations his father has had to deal with on account of the worst bad luck ever. Thinking he’s helping Jack, McClane soon realizes his son’s life is a career choice and messes things up for everyone creating a situation with more international terrorists that he need to fix while bonding with his son and making amends. Bigger in scale from previous outings and taking the action from New York to Moscow, the film has some insane car chases, tanks galore and the biggest helicopter in the world makes its presence felt. Oh and the climax takes place in Chernobyl.

With upped action featuring a double barrel of explosive punches, dialogue and guns in McClane and son, and with an appearance from Lucy, John’s daughter who was introduced in the previous outing, A Good Day to Die Hard is all set to be a family film of a very different kind. Talks of the franchise being prepped for Courtney’s shoulders are premature and the focus is very much on making this entry one with explosions so big you’ll feel the aftershock for weeks after seeing the film.

So Christmas is coming and it’s the perfect time to watch a Die Hard movie, because the McClanes are coming to make hearts bleed on Valentines Day and bleed they shall with bullet-holes, badass action and everyone’s favourite cowboy catchphrase. Forget the 12 days of Christmas, it's now 12 weeks until the new Die Hard movie.

Yippee Ki-yay guys. Peace on Earth until February, then bring on A Good Day to Die Hard.

Removing the 3D Choice Has a Box Office Impact

We recently posted with disappointment at the figures for Dredd 3D, but this article seems to have highlighted one of the reasons people who intended to see it, didn't.

Films which are released in 3D and have an option for 2D statistically add more to their box office through offering choice. Some people can't handle the 3D due to visual impairments, others steer clear due to the rising expense and some just prefer to watch 2D films. Dredd being available only in 3D with the visual experience of Slo-Mo and Mega City One may be enticing, but not enough to harvest an audience of mostly 18-34 year old males who would want to go and see this film together but have to weigh up the expense of a 3D film compared to other options.

Here's hoping the home video release makes an impact and this isn't the last we've seen of Dredd.

World War Z Trailer

Jurassic Park Returns in 3D

Steven Spielberg has had varying degrees of success when attempting to invite new audiences to his movies. Many of his classics have hit the 20th anniversary mark since their original celebrated release and still hold up.

When he tinkered with the much-love E.T. presenting new footage and editing which infamously turned guns into walkie-talkies, the film failed to capture the imagination of a new generation. Even those who grew up watching it and loved it found the new version difficult to warm to. Editing it seems, is everything. Take a classic and change a few things, and if you don't do it with masterful strokes (as George Lucas has succeeded in doing at certain points) then you risk robbing an audience of their childhood favourite films. Having learned from the E.T experience, Jurassic Park is not being re-cut for the big screen but having a 3D overhaul similar to the way James Cameron's Titanic had earlier this year. 

Jurassic Park has many signature Spielberg shots, is high on thrills, dinosaur action, threatening scenes and puts people in peril in ways that push all the right buttons. Watching it in HD reminds the viewer how good this film could look and couple that with genuine moments on screen that would make crowd pleasing 3D, it's a welcome conversion that will finally give the world a dinosaur movie in 3D done right. Skepticism is rife with online buzz about how this is yet again milking a departed cash cow but see the trailer on the big screen in 3D and you'll be reminded exact why it could be time to return to Jurassic Park.

Jurassic Park returns to the big screen in 3D on April 5, 2013.

Skyfall's Box Office is Sky-High

Skyfall has exceeded $287m (£180m) in its first ten days despite it not having opened in the US yet. The response to the film, especially in the UK is showing something previous Bond films haven’t had much of – repeat screenings.

With a reinvention of sorts (even literally via a fall, death and resurrection) and ability to fit the Bond mould while also breaking away from the expected campiness of it, Skyfall is one of the best Bond films yet. Facing an aging double-O-agent who isn’t quite ready for retirement yet and a world where employees risk their lives for the greater good, the film brings Bond firmly into today’s world where societies are facing the enemy within. Even MI6 isn’t immune as a former agent lurks from the shadows taunting M to bring down the organisation in a role brilliantly played by Javier Bardem.

Given the overwhelmingly positive reaction to a new Bond that arrived with Casino Royale and the lows of Quantum of Solace, a lot was at stake in bringing James Bond back to the big screen and playing to an audience that hadn’t seen him in four years. There was no need for a re-introduction, but a sense of the world needing him had to be re-established. When Casino Royale was unveiled the filmmakers were battling with introducing Daniel Craig as a new Bond and also attempting to make the character relevant today. When M jibes that Bond is a “relic of the cod war” we’re told he needs to prove himself not only to his audience but also his boss. The relationship comes full circle in Skyfall as despite Judy Dench’s M being up for trial, Bond never doubts her in the same way she doesn’t doubt his ability to do his job. The complex relationship plays out well and the backdrop of the big hanging question which asks ‘is the world really ready for Bond to return’ is answered within minutes.

And at the box office too. When the film credits roll and the titles come up stating “James Bond will Return” there are whoops and cheers in the audience at cinemas across the UK. The relationship is further cemented as the film delves into the character’s past (as well as M’s and MI6’s past – see the pattern?) and provides a basic reason for his being. Subtext is scattered throughout the film in scenes which revel in reflecting the unspoken conversation that’s taking place. Berenice Marlohe in a small but key role reflects the fear that exists in the world, society and Bond’s insecurities. In her death scene his unflinching focus on his opponent shows how he’s a colder, more ruthless agent paying attention to the moment at stake rather than the casualties. His vision is definitely of the bigger picture. As is MI6’s and M’s. With the rhetoric she cites when defending her actions and the role of MI6, M is not just making a statement but predicting what will play out. There are scenes of brilliance that are picked up with a deeper meaning on a second viewing. 

With Skyfall on target to become the highest grossing Bond film ever, and occupying the number one position in more than 25 territories worldwide even before the US release, Sam Mendes and Barbara Broccoli can rest assured their tightly edited, exotic action thriller has made the world fall in love with 007 all over again. 

Fighting the Future

The Alex Garland-Pete Travis sci-fi adaptation of the 2000AD comic, Dredd, has finished its theatrical run in the US with a disappointing $13 million to show for it. Despite its strong opening in the UK (garnering $1.7 million in opening weekend alone securing the number one box office position - an achievement for an 18 rated film that has not occurred since Saw 3D) and decent reviews, the film has not secured what was considered the “sweet spot” for a sequel to be immediately greenlit.

Analysts claim the poor 1995 Judge Dredd film starring Sylvester Stallone hampered the remakes chances of huge success but predicted at least an $8 million opening, which was missed by around $2 million. The lack of marketing drive and disappointing teaser trailer was swiftly followed with great promise at conventions, a subsequent slickly edited trailer which highlighted the film (but chose to tell the entire story including the film’s climax) was received better and showcased Dredd’s 3D effects. But it may have been too late to salvage the film’s low expectations given the discussions about (and praise for) Karl Urban as the iconic Judge Dredd only began to gain momentum after the film’s release. There’s no doubt Dredd 3D is a good film. It delivers a slice of mayhem rooted in the future, builds up the characters of Dredd and rookie Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) while showcasing the decay of Mega City One’s society held ransom by the dame of disaster Ma-ma (Lena Heady). The ‘Robocop-meets-Die Hard’ approach was ultra violent, imaginative in its approach to 3D (Anthony Dod Mantle’s work with colour, speed and light to highlight 3D was rendered in a way that gave death a beauty to behold) and the film got repeat audiences in the UK as well as a stamp of approval from the character’s creator John Wagner.

Some criticised that the film didn’t hone the satire that existed in the comic books but worked on screen in Robocop, but then the ‘part man, part machine, all cop’ is in part a derivation of Judge Dredd. To draw further from the Mega City One’s original blueprint would create further comparisons with Robocop despite the classic character’s film introduction being one born out of Dredd’s world. If Robocop showed 2000AD fans one thing it was that Dredd and his world could be brought to life. It’s just a shame when it did arrive and get it right, comparisons are made with the one film that should have been seen as a classic homage to it.

Released close to the time when another futuristic remake hit the ground and got buried deep within, Total Recall failed in most departments but succeeded in adding to the world of the future that many wanted to see. Films such as Minority Report which predicted a decade where technology would rule and make our lives easier (surprise, surprise) nailed the future that appealed to many. You may forget the plot of Total Recall, characterisation, performances and its relation to the original, but its interpretation of the future with a viable mass transit system, flying cars and mind altering recreational experiences were all memorable aspects brought to life on screen. The filmmaker crafted the world Total Recall would be set in with meticulous detail but failed to populate it with characters and a plot we’d care about. Dredd 3D kicked you so your face was rubbed in the dirt that was Mega City One, the judicial system and the extent that free will and consequence was veiled by a thinly drawn line.

Dredd worked by not concentrating on the world at large but focusing on the characters (Dredd, Anderson, Ma-Ma) and their roles in it as well as their experiences which reflected what society and the future had become. We get to see the experienced bitter Judge, the ambitious and optimistic new recruit (who happens to be a mutant) and the drug peddlers who value human existence so little (including their own) that life is presented with society all being on death row and awaiting the executioner. Everything in the future is about the moment and prolonging it, which in Dredd is through the outlawed drug Slo-Mo. Even Ma-Ma has given up on her turf and position in it. She’s not clinging to life but has outlived it. Her backstory shows she’s escaped the past and is just watching the present happen, proud to poison it bit by bit as long as she reigns from a distance. What follows is a violent nightmarish bloodbath that injected gorgeous visuals as rays of hope into a future which was only made tolerable by a drug that allowed an individual to enjoy the moment – be it the moment they’re falling to their demise.

Given the introduction to Dredd and his world, it would be a shame to not see this premise developed in some form. When the film arrives on home media, its sure to create a buzz as those who did see the film were very vocal about enjoying it and repeat viewings followed. Just not enough to warrant the film being a blip on the radar in the US where it stood alone at the box office without a franchise, name or promotional campaign to get audiences into theaters.

Dredd is released on bluray, DVD and on-demand in January 2013.