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Showing posts from July, 2017

The Best Performances in Christopher Nolan Films

Like a writer pushing his deadline, guest-writer Greg Rouleau has stepped in to deliver the first of a three-part Movie List of the Month featuring the magnificent Christopher Nolan just before the calendar changed to August ( June's list ). To begin the upcoming movie list series Greg begins by highlighting the Top 10 performances featured in Nolan's film catalog. Here's a look at the selections: #10. Matthew McConaughey - Interstellar (2014) The apex of the “McConaissance” came when McConaughey, fresh off an Academy Award win for Best Actor, signed on to star in Nolan’s big-budget sci-fi epic, with an ensemble that included its fair share of Oscar winners and nominees.  Heading this cast in impressive fashion, McConaughey’s Cooper perfectly embodies the rural American family man who can’t deny his dormant thrill for exploration when he’s chosen to lead a team through a wormhole in hopes of discovering a new home for Earth’s inhabitants.  Coop’s great balance of heart, he

Rapid Reviews: Atomic Blonde and Wind River

Another raved-about entry from this year's SXSW lineup finds its way into theaters nationwide this weekend. David Leitch makes his directorial debut (well, sort of ... he was an uncredited but otherwise acknowledged co-director of 2014's John Wick ) with Atomic Blonde , a Cold War spy-thriller headlined by the shape-shifting talents of Academy Award Winner Charlize Theron. And what's next on tap for the budding filmmaker who possesses a knack for intensely-choreographed hand-to-hand combat sequences? Leitch has been handed the keys to the Deadpool franchise with June 2018's highly anticipated sequel. A remarkably skilled and insanely attractive M-16 Agent from England (Theron) is thrust into the heart of Berlin during the Cold War. Her mission is to coordinate with another implanted spy (James McAvoy) in order to investigate the death of a fellow agent, and to recover a widely valuable list of double-agents. But as her plans quickly become foiled, one after another, sh

Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League (NEW) Trailers

Comic-Com is always a hot bed for debuting new footage, and one of the hot trailers to drop at this year's event belongs to Thor: Ragnarok . In the latest Thor (Chris Hemsworth) saga, the God of Thunder is forced to assemble a team of fighters including The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and others to fend off the evil Hela (Cate Blanchett) who plans to destroy Asgard and reconstruct it in her own dubious image. Thor: Ragnarok arrives in theaters early this November and you can catch the film's first-look trailer below. Another Comic-Com release includes DC's upcoming major title, Justice League . With rumors of re-shoots and Zach Snyder's unfortunate family matter that resulted in him stepping away from the film late in the process, DC's once "gem" is beginning to look like a cursed effort. Batman (Ben Affleck) enlists the help of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to recruit a team of metahumans to combat a world-destroying threat before it's too

Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan, a name that needs no introduction. As one of the most notable filmmakers in the world today, Nolan has earned the right to not be questioned. "Unconventional" is his calling card. So when it was reported that his new WWII epic, Dunkirk , boasts a running time of only 106 minutes, a far cry from the two and half and three hour staples we've come to expect from iconic war films, the only thought running through my head was "in Nolan we trust". In the early stages of World War II, the Germans have cornered Allied forces onto the beaches of Dunkirk, France. And rather than wasting valuable tanks to finish them off, the Germans bombard these helpless soldiers with an aerial attack of gunfire and bombs. But as word spreads to the common folk of Great Britain that their young fighters are stranded on the beachfront, they take matters into their own hands and embark on a heroic rescue mission across the channel to retrieve their soldiers. Look no furt

The Snowman and The Disaster Artist Trailers

From the acclaimed Best Selling Novel comes Tomas Alfredson's (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Let the Right One In) October murder-mystery, The Snowman . Michael Fassbender stars as Harry Hole, a detective determined to find a killer who taunts the police with snowmen at his crime scenes. Readers were enthralled by the novel and if the film can be anywhere near as good, then we may have the year's most gripping crime-thriller on our hands. Check out the debut trailer for The Snowman which just dropped this morning. Tommy Wiseau's 2003 indie film, The Room , has been labeled as one of the worst films ever made, but that hasn't stopped it from earning an impressive cult following. And after debuting a "work in progress" screening at this year's SXSW Film Festival, James Franco's behind-the-scenes darkly comic, albeit respectful, dramatization, The Disaster Artist , became the talk of the town. Franco's brother, Dave, and regular partner in crime, Set

War for the Planet of the Apes

Matt Reeves closes out his third (and perhaps final?) installment of the rejuvenated Planet of the Apes franchise with this weekend's release. And while lofty praises continue to pour in for this latest effort, the film doesn't quite justify its combative title. Instead, Reeves bridges his story arc with the 1968 original film through an ambitious effort that reaches for a more emotional angle than battle-infused centerpiece. While Caesar (Andy Serkis) and the rest of his advanced ape society reside deep in the wilderness, they suffer a severe number of casualties during ambush attacks from a human army led by "The Colonel" (Woody Harrelson). But as the majority of the ape population wishes to trek beyond the mountains in search of a new land to call home, Caesar and a select few turn their backs on the tribe and seek vengeance on The Colonel. The feuding leaders meet in the midst of a deadly showdown that could determine the fate of humanity. Matt Reeves' aspiri

Blade Runner 2049 (NEW) and A Wrinkle in Time (Teaser) Trailers

This October Denis Villeneuve ( Arrival and Sicario ) will re-brand Ridley Scott's beloved sci-fi universe with the sequel Blade Runner 2049 . Set three decades after Scott's effort, a new Blade Runner named Officer K (Ryan Gosling) enlists the assistance of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) in order to combat a dark secret with the potential to destroy society. Villeneuve is one of the hottest filmmakers in the industry and fresh off an Oscar nod, Ryan Gosling in the lead role has to excite everyone. Catch the just-released newest trailer for Blade Runner 2049 below. Ava DuVernay tackles the classic Madeleine L'Engle novel, A Wrinkle in Time, slated for a March 2018 release. Following the disappearance of her father (Chris Pine), Meg Murry (Storm Reid) travels into space with her brother and friend in order to find him. This debut trailer for DuVernay's effort looks spectacular and feels authentic. With Reese Witherspoon, Michael Pena, Zach Galifianakis, Oprah Winfrey and

FILOSOFI KOPI 2 : BEN & JODY (2017) REVIEW : Revisi Nilai Hidup Untuk Sebuah Kedai Kopi

  Kisah pendek yang diambil dari Dewi Lestari ini telah dibudidayakan menjadi sebuah produk yang namanya sudah mahsyur. Selain film, produk dari Filosofi Kopi ini diabadikan menjadi sebuah kedai kopi yang nyata. Dengan adanya konsistensi itu, tak akan kaget apabila film yang diarahkan oleh Angga Dwimas Sasongko ini akan mendapatkan sekuel sebagai perlakuan selanjutnya. Tentu, kekhawatiran akan muncul karena cerita pendek dari Filosofi Kopi pun hanya berhenti di satu sub bab yang telah dibahas di film pertamanya. Sayembara muncul ditujukan kepada semua orang untuk membuat kisah lanjutan dari Ben dan Jody ini. Sayembara ini sekaligus memberikan bukti kepada semua orang bahwa Filosofi Kopi tetap menjadi film yang terkonsentrasi dari penonton seperti film pertamanya. Yang jelas, Angga Dwimas Sasongko tetap mengarahkan Chicco Jericho dan juga Rio Dewanto sebagai Ben dan Jody. Angga Dwimas Sasongko pun berkontribusi dalam pembuatan naskah dari cerita terpilih yang ditulis oleh Jenny Jusuf s

SPIDER-MAN : HOMECOMING (2017) REVIEW : Lika Liku Hidup Remaja Super

Setelah memiliki berbagai macam transisi dan pengulangan, pada akhirnya Marvel dan Disney memutuskan untuk mengakuisisi Spider-Man dari Sony untuk bisa masuk jajaran Marvel Cinematic Universe -nya. Dengan begitu, Marvel Cinematic Universe memiliki ekspansi dunia yang semakin rumit dan punya deretan manusia super yang semakin penuh sesak. Tetapi, hal itu bukan menjadi sesuatu yang perlu ditakutkan oleh Marvel Cinematic Universe karena dunianya sudah memasuki fase ketiga yang memang butuh komplikasi lebih. Dengan bergabungnya Spider-Man menjadi salah satu anggota dari Marvel Cinematic Universe , akhirnya manusia laba-laba ini masuk menjadi pemeran pendukung di Captain America : Civil War. Kemunculannya di seri ketiga dari Captain America ini menjadi usaha mencari perhatian dari Marvel kepada fansnya. Sehingga, Spider-Man seolah-olah dilahirkan kembali dengan citra diri yang berbeda dengan film-film sebelumnya. Spider-Man milik Marvel Cinematic Universe ini digambarkan memiliki usia

Rapid Reviews: Despicable Me 3 and The House

If there's one current animated franchise I always look forward to, it's the Despicable Me films. Credited directors Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin and Eric Guillon (co-director) bring to theaters the third installment of this series. Yet, with each subsequent journey into the hilarious and complicated life of former-super-villain Gru (voice of Steve Carell), the Despicable Me franchise seems to take a step backwards. After foiling an attempt at capturing the disgruntled former child star and 80s retro villain, Balthazar Bratt (voiced by South Park creator Trey Parker), Gru and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) are fired from the Anti-Villain League (AVL). And just as Gru breaks the unfortunate news to his trio of adopted daughters, he's visited by a man who reveals that Gru has a twin brother named Dru (also Steve Carell) who happens to possess a taste for villainy himself. The estranged siblings engage in some mischievous behavior behind Lucy's back and it leads on a path back to Bal

The Dark Tower (NEW) and Geostorm Trailers

It took a while for Stephen King's series-origin novel, The Dark Tower , to finally get transferred onto the big-screen, but with each new trailer the excitement builds for Nikolaj Arcel's adaptation. Idri Elba stars as The Gunslinger, a man who protects the Dark Tower from The Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) who wishes to reign terror on both their world and planet Earth. A new international trailer has just landed for The Dark Tower and gives an even deeper glimpse into the upcoming August release. Check out the new footage below. If you're itching for a cheesy end of the world action flick with some insane visual effects, then Dean Devlin and Danny Cannon's have just what you're looking floor with their October release, Geostorm . Set in a future where severe storms have threatened human survival on Earth, humanity comes together to build a satellite system that can control the weather. But when those satellites begin to malfunction just as Earth faces a cata

Rapid Reviews: Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Beguiled

While many critics and outlets constantly insist that audiences are starving for the Spider-Man film that they deserve, it feels too much like revisionist history. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man starring Tobey McGuire in 2002 (89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 Meta-Critic score) and Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield in 2012 (72%, 66) both opened to strong critical approval. Yet, this rapid return to the Peter Parker character is a whole new ballgame with a completely different feel and trajectory. Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU) enters the heart of its third "Phase" with a mountain of steam, but can Spider-Man: Homecoming deliver? Set a few months after the events of Captain America:Civil War , a 15 year-old Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is operating under the watchful eye of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his loyal assistant Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). But as Peter tries harder and harder to impress Stark with his superhero alter ego Spider-Man

DVD Outlook: July 2017

If I'm being honest, July doesn't have much to offer in terms of its upcoming DVD and streaming releases. You'd be better served catching up on other movies from previous months ( June's suggestions ), heading to the theaters for a new release, or binge watching a show or two. Either way, here's a look at the new titles available this month. Free Fire - 2 and a half stars out of 4 - ( Read my rapid review here ) I haven't been too kind to directly Ben Wheatley in the past, but the unique filmmaker puts his stylish eye to good use in the shoot em up action comedy, Free Fire . Set during the late 70s in Boston, two parties meet inside of an abandoned warehouse to take part in a massive arms deal. Yet, when tensions begin to rise for a multitude of reasons, the weapons get put to good use in an epic shoot out. Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson and Sharlto Copley lead a strong cast that produce stellar performances in a script that's heavy on both actio