First Trailer for Barry Jenkins' IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

The first look at writer/director Barry Jenkins' follow-up to his Best Picture winner (and first feature film), Moonlight, has appeared online today in honor of author James Baldwin who would have celebrated his ninety-fourth birthday today. How this is relevant is the fact Baldwin is the author of the source material for Jenkins' latest feature, If Beale Street Could Talk. The 1974 novel, which took its title from the 1916 W.C. Handy blues song "Beale Street Blues", is a love story set in Harlem in the early 1970's and follows Fonny (Stephan James of SELMA and who played Jesse Owens in Race) and Tish (KiKi Layne who will also star in the upcoming Rupert Wyatt thriller, Captive State, alongside John Goodman and Vera Farmiga). Fonny and Tish are in love with this beauty providing some layer of protection from the harsh reality of their family lives as well as the outside world. That is, until Fonny is falsely accused of rape. Of course, one wouldn't really get any of these story elements from this first trailer as Jenkins and Annapurna Pictures have decided to go more the route of a Terrence Malick-like pitch that features the stunning imagery of the film as captured by cinematographer James Laxton. This is largely effective as it is clear Jenkins is going for the emotional gut-punch to reel you in as he has his characters look directly into the camera, the expressions on their faces conveying a multitude of thoughts and feelings while their lips quiver as if on the edge of letting it all come out, but Jenkins cuts to black before they have a chance to do so. We're both mystified and hooked because we long to know what these beautifully rendered images have to say. I missed the 2016 documentary, I am Not Your Negro, which chronicled Baldwin as he told the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, "Remember This House". The film is available to stream for free with an Amazon Prime subscription at the moment though, so I'll be sure to catch up with it soon as my anticipation for this new work from Jenkins is obviously through the roof.  It's also notable that this is the first time any Baldwin work has been adapted into an English-language film; something that Jenkins has acknowledged was difficult. Though, judging by this first trailer it certainly seems the filmmaker figured out a way to do it justice. If Beale Street Could Talk also stars Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Ed Skrein, Brian Tyree Henry, Regina King, and opens November 30th, 2018.

First Trailer for FLATLINERS Re-Make

Another confession when it comes to another new trailer for a re-make of an old movie: I've never seen the original. In this particular instance, we're talking about the 1990 Joel Schumacher film, Flatliners, that starred Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and Julia Roberts. Honestly, I'd heard of the film before, but never enough to make me feel the need to seek it out. This seems both a positive and negative for the re-make as this clearly wasn't a property Sony Pictures imagined might profit from brand recognition, but rather could be a genuine effort on the part of director Niels Arden Oplev (the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and writer Ben Ripley (Source Code) to "re-imagine" the material and bring it into the modern day. To this effect, it seems this new film won't necessarily be as much of a re-make (all the characters will technically be new characters) as it will be a progression of how far science has come since that first film was released. This is an interesting enough approach and the team involved, including a strong cast that is headed by Ellen Page, seems credible enough to pull something off that might end up being legitimately engaging. By the same virtue of public perception though, this new Flatliners could just as well be written off as unnecessary and disappear from cinemas come September without so much as a peep. It will undoubtedly be one worth watching as it seems reviews and pre-release buzz will ultimately decide the fate of this one-especially if it ends up being any good and people react to it in ways that provide positive word of mouth. On a final note, Sony wasn't completely ignorant to the nostalgia factor that is fueling so many Hollywood decisions at the moment and have enlisted Sutherland for a role in this new film, but have confirmed he will not be reprising his role as Nelson from the original. Flatliners also stars Nina Dobrev, Kiersey Clemons, Diego Luna, James Norton, and opens on September 29th, 2017.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Review

"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet." It is with these words that the original Star Wars introduced fans to a galaxy far, far away nearly forty years ago; despite the nearly four decades between then and now though, those words couldn't be more relevant today. It is in these two short, but descriptive sentences that one can understand the basis of where Rogue One comes from and its relevance in setting up the dots that will be connected throughout the original trilogy of films. For a Star Wars fan, this is nothing if not incredible-that the smallest of details from within the universe can be fleshed out so as to expand upon the rich layers of the world George Lucas created all those years ago seemingly opens up endless possibilities. For writers Chris Weitz (About a Boy, Cinderella) and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) though, one could see how this might be more than a little intimidating to take on. As one might be inclined to do in such a situation Weitz and Gilroy have more or less crafted an old school genre film out of a franchise brand that has more or less become a genre of its own. And so, Rogue One is a genre film executed in a film universe that has defined the science fiction blockbuster genre since its inception forty years ago. That may sound inherently disparaging, but it really isn't. Rather, adjusting the Star Wars universe to fit that of a "(wo)man on a mission" template is rather inspiring and director Gareth Edwards (Monsters. Godzilla) has skillfully adapted the rich and textured aesthetic of 1970's sci-fi to this story that takes place just before Princess Leia sent her trusty droids to seek out an old Jedi friend. Though Rogue One may not ultimately break any new barriers and will undoubtedly serve more as the rule than the exception when it comes to this new breed of Star Wars stories we'll be receiving consistently for as far as Disney's bank accounts can go (hint: they go really far) it is still a more than competent action/adventure story that introduces a few new memorable characters, worlds of which we've never seen before, and a narrative that despite every single person in the audience knowing where it's headed still manages to keep us on the edge of our seats.

BLOOD FATHER Review

There is nothing particularly new or even original about Blood Father and yet there are still signs of life within what would appear to be a corpse of a movie. Every actor over the age of fifty that once counted on their name above the title to bring in box office returns has attempted an action/revenge picture that can be traced back to Liam Neeson's success with Taken. Of course, that film worked because Neeson was playing somewhat against type and in a caliber of film he often didn't appear in. Neeson himself has ridden that success through two terrible sequels, a number of entertaining Jaume Collet-Serra flicks, and other B-movie actioners that have given the esteemed actor a brand new phase in his career (though that phase does seem to be coming to a close). We had the inevitable Nicolas Cage attempt in Stolen, Kevin Costner tried his hand with 3 Days To Kill, Sean Penn had The Gunman, Pierce Brosnan even took up the action mantle again to get in on the game with The November Man, and Mel Gibson naturally tried his hand with 2010's Edge of Darkness. Remember that one? It wasn't bad, really, but it certainly didn't match Neeson's success (hardly making back its $80 million production budget in its late January release slot) and it certainly wasn't enough to overshadow the storm of controversy Gibson garnered himself that year or four years prior. In that film Gibson played a homicide detective investigating the death of his activist daughter, but in Blood Father Gibson's character, much like in real life, has ended up on the other side of the law. An ex-con who only comes to reunite with his estranged seventeen year old daughter after she kills her drug dealer boyfriend. Gibson strangely enough plays Mike Link who we find at a point of acceptance with his shortcomings. It obviously parallels where many imagine Gibson is at with his career and life in general-Link's opening scene leading him to comment that, "You can't be a prick your whole life and then say never mind." While Blood Father may utilize our idea of current Mel Gibson to emphasize both the desperation and hope in its protagonist's plight the film outside the presence of Gibson is very much a generic action thriller that sees a dad in need of redemption kicking ass, taking names, and risking it all for the sake of his misguided daughter.

New Trailer for ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

Since the teaser trailer dropped for Rogue One four months ago a lot has changed. That initial teaser gave us a glimpse of the Star Wars universe from a perspective we hadn't really seen before-through the lens of an actual war film. Director Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) had clearly become accustomed to operating on a large scale while focusing in on the character intricacies that take place within that scale. Though there has been talk concerning production drama as producer/writer/director Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) was reported to have first been brought in for reshoots and has since been bumped up to supervising the final edit of the movie. While the studio is certainly downplaying the negatives of what this could imply it is hard to be overly confident in a product that gets the board room treatment rather than the original vision of a director that you supposedly hired for their unique vision. I rather loved the first teaser we received and hoped Edwards final film reflected the tone and space of mind that trailer conveyed, but with reports of such post-production troubles I doubt we'll see that original vision. Still, this is a Star Wars movie and I'm going to see it regardless-hopefully the changes won't be too drastic and this will ultimately still be Edwards film. If you're not up on what is going on, Rogue One will take place just prior to A New Hope as it tells the story of the rebels who set out on the mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. Chrs Weitz (About a Boy, Cinderella) penned the screenplay with Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) credited as coming in and overseeing necessary changes. All of that said, this new trailer still looks fantastic and I can't wait to see this portion of the Star Wars universe on the big screen. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, and Jiang Wen, and opens in theaters on December 16th, 2016.

First Trailer for ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

It seems strange now in (very short) retrospect that Disney and Lucasfilm didn't place a "sneak peak" type feature of the next Star Wars story on the Blu-Ray release of The Force Awakens this week. Not that fans needed another reason to go out and buy (or purchase a digital copy) of the film, but this extra incentive of being able to see the first footage from Rogue One certainly would have been a worthwhile bonus. Instead, Disney and Lucasfilm have waited a mere two days after Episode VII's home video release to deliver our first look at director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) first installment in what is expected to be an expanded universe of Star Wars films. If you're not up on what is going on it basically boils down to the fact Disney spent $6 billion dollars on the Star Wars brand and they're intent on milking it for all it's worth meaning we'll be getting some type of Star Wars feature once a year for the foreseeable future. In accomplishing this goal, Disney has put together highly credible teams and casts to tell these stories. Rogue One will take place just prior to A New Hope as it tells the story of the rebels who set out on the mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. Chrs Weitz (About a Boy, Cinderella) penned the screenplay with Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) credited as coming in and overseeing necessary changes. The trailer looks downright fantastic and might even capture the balance of old with a twist of new in a way even The Force Awakens didn't manage. I'm not quite sure yet though, let me go watch it about five hundred more times. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, and Jiang Wen, and opens in theaters on December 16th, 2016.

THE BOOK OF LIFE Review

There are a lot of interesting things going on in director Jorge R. Gutierrez's feature film debut, The Book of Life. There are a lot of ideas, some very intriguing storytelling functions and a visual element all its own that will set the film apart from other animated fare for years to come. Still, there is both something distinctly unique to the work while never rising above mediocrity in terms of how affected or entertained I was by it. Surely, those in the Hispanic community that venture out to see this tale of their heritage come to life will get more out of it than I did, but taking it simply on the terms of being a movie it didn't entrance me like I'd hoped it would after seeing the gorgeous trailers. All of this could be due to my lack of knowledge around the history of this holiday, but however unfair it may seem the film should still reach beyond the borders of its intended audience and pull unfamiliar onlookers in. After walking out of the film, I thought to myself I didn't really have much to say about it other than it is a movie, it exists and it's fine for what it is. It says what it wants to say without getting caught up in having to conform to any typical standards that come along with being a movie for children, but that doesn't make it all the more interesting. With this seeming freedom Gutierrez takes the most liberties with the look of his film and adheres to the character design of what is clearly the dolls he grew up being familiar with. His three leads in Manolo (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoe Saldana) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) are each charismatic and charming, but despite this being a story straight out of their cultural background it is one that still feels familiar. I didn't dislike the movie, not at all, but I didn't ever come to care about the characters as I should have given their trajectory and likely serves as the reason I feel so disconnected with the material. There is clearly a lot going on here that will entrance the eyeballs and a fair amount of musical interludes that will perk up the sometimes sullen material, but all in all The Book of Life just feels too routine to amount to anything as great or groundbreaking as it seems to be reaching for.

ELYSIUM Review

Elysium is as much a disappointment as it is a success. While director Neill Blomkamp's first feature came out of nowhere with no sense of expectation and no precedent, it is because not only of the success of that film, but the quality that the bar was pretty high for his sophomore effort. I was especially intrigued by Blomkamp's second effort due to the way he was able to integrate such a strict science fiction plot into a documentary-like style in District 9. The worlds were blended so seamlessly to the point the audience was able to accept that this was not only an allegory for apartheid, but was a finely crafted, and emotionally poignant piece of filmmaking. While much of that could also be applied to Elysium the difference unfortunately comes in the latter part of that description where, while there is ample amounts of allegorical messages and high-tech science fiction, there isn't that element of the film that hits an emotional connection with the audience that makes the film as memorable as the way the directors previous film. What makes the movie just as much a success though is the fact that despite all of this, it still represents some of the better things about large scale filmmaking in today's world. Blomkamp made District 9 for a reported $30 million, but Sony gave the director a reported $115 million for his follow-up and to this great advantage the director created a fully encompassing world that gives the film real scope, real consequences, and a platform big enough to tell a story that parallels the issues of immigration and health care in today's world. While the more money you have the more extravagant the film can be, but what seems to have been lost in the process is the personal touch that was such a crucial element in his debut feature. All of this is to say that while I thoroughly enjoyed myself in terms of pure entertainment value (there are a few great fight scenes, interesting characters, and a bevy of baddies), but I was hoping for more of a compelling story, something that might move me, affect me, or leave me thinking about the film days later. Instead, what we have is an average action flick more in the vein of White House Down and 2 Guns than a film that has aspirations bigger than delivering thrills in the form of explosions.

First Trailer for ELYSIUM

If you've ever read any of my reviews or follow this site at all you might know I am a huge sci-fi nerd and love a good sci-fi flick thus being the reason Elysium made my top 10 most anticipated films of 2013. And if you are any kind of sci-fi fan at all you probably fell in love with director Neill Blomkamp's 2009 directorial debut, District 9. I surely did and was amazed that such a film was made on such a tight budget. District 9 proved to be more touching, more introspective than any other sci-fi film in recent memory and the fact Blomkamp would be getting a good amount more money and big name actors to produce his second feature was almost too exciting to handle. Today, we finally get our first glimpse at his follow-up to District 9 and it looks pretty damn impressive. Matt Damon continues to prove his range as an actor (watch the Behind the Candelabra trailer that premiered yesterday and then this one again) while Jodie Foster also shows up to play what looks like a devilishly delicious, scenery-chewing role. Only the basics of the plot are known in that the earth has been divided into two classes in the year 2154 where the wealthy live on a space station which the film is named after while the poor still take residence on an overpopulated and ruined Earth. Damon's character wants to go to Elysium and thus he enlists the help of a few friends, a cool suit and the adventure begins. Undoubtedly there is much more to the plot than that, but this set-up is what we're served in the trailer along with a great sense of environment that is more gritty and grounded than the slick, clean feel of other sci-fi flicks we've seen recently. I'm more than intrigued by the trailer and can't wait to see the final product, what are your thoughts? Elysium also stars Sharlto Copley, William Fichtner and Diego Luna and opens on August 9th, 2013. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

CASA DE MI PADRE Review

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the trailer for "Casa de mi Padre" was "genius". It was such a broad comedy idea, one that hearkened back to films like "Blazing Saddles" that I was rolling the entire two minutes the trailer lasted. I am also a huge fan of Will Ferrell and while I have always felt people are very divided on the comedian lately it has at least seemed that Ferrell has been attempting to do his best to provide a degree of diversity to his career. Last year his single release was the indie "Everything Must Go" that I rather enjoyed much more than I expected. Later this year he will continue his streak of big studio comedies with "The Campaign" that is likely to be in the tradition of "Anchorman", "Talladega", "Step Brothers", and "The Other Guys". What he has done here though is taken a gem of an idea and extended it to a feature length parody of the Spanish telenova. With it's intentionally low budget looks and over-dramatic performances "Casa de mi Padre" feels like an idea that Ferrell and his friends cooked up on the side as something to do in between bigger projects. Not that this is a bad thing, it has a few moments of pure greatness and the simple aspect of the commitment that Ferrell had to make in order to actually execute the biggest joke of the whole thing is commendable. I found myself glancing at the time a few times, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but seeing the running time of the film is a mere 84-minutes it only made me feel the steam was running a bit low in the second act. Luckily, the finale pretty much lives up to everything I could have hoped for this to be.

From Left: Manuel (Adrian Martinez), Esteban (Efren
Ramirez) and Armando (Will Ferrell) hang out
on their cherished land.

What feels like a flash in the pan idea has been fleshed out by including every possible stereotype of the Mexican culture and their campy soap opera's mixed with something like a spaghetti western that looks like it was lost in the VHS era circa 1975. This may sound a tad ridiculous and I guess that is ultimately the point. Like fans of Ferrell the broad response of this film will likely be the same. Those who don't look too critically upon it will see it simply as fun. Those who do not, and those who are not Ferrell fans will likely not be turned by this one, as it could easily be taken as nothing more than ridiculous. The set up includes Ferrell as Armando Alvarez speaking passable Spanish with English subtitles as a Mexican rancher that loves the land and loves hanging out with his friends Esteban (Efren "Pedro" Ramirez) and Manuel (Adrian Martinez). he has never been highly regarded by his father and has always played second string to his more intelligent brother Raul (Diego Luna). When Raul returns home to announce his marriage to Sonia Lopez (a gorgeous Genesis Rodriguez) it is clear Raul has become entangled in the game of drug trafficking and threatens to take over the territory of local drug kingpin Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal). When Armando develops the hots for Sonia he is forced to face his past that has something to do with the death of his mother as well as saving his love from a death battle shoot out between Onza, Raul, and every other Mexican in the region where Armando bides his time.

Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal) confronts Raul (Diego Luna)
about their conflicting drug business.

Though "Casa de mi Padre" is obviously an SNL-like skit that has been pushed to feature length, it still has a number of bits that land with just the perfect amount of comical grace. Such is the example where a big action scene should take place we are instead given a still photo of miniatures while a note from a crew member scrolls across giving us the reason for this unfortunate segment. It is these little quips that keep the movie from completely turning in on itself and hiding from the world. Ferrell also knows where to place a tune and how to make his character so innocent that he comes off genuinely sincere in situations where he is doing something that has nothing to do with the plot. This would probably bother a certain kind of viewer, but the random moments such as the ridiculous songs here are what makes this funnier that it would have been if they would have tried to play it straight without winking at the audience. This isn't to say the film doesn't have its missteps. There is a side plot that involves the great Nick Offerman (Parks & Rec) as a(nother) mustached American lawmen that is here to offer the racist view of how every Mexican is a drug dealer. Offerman certainly deserves more than this bit part and could have serviced the comedy much better were he given lines that really had bite rather than reminded us of jokes that have been around forever. There is also the fact the tone doesn't warrant itself a feature, rather it feels like it would have been more appropriate on the front page of the Funny or Die page. We all loved "The Landlord" but would it make a good feature? Exactly.

Armando protects the love of his life Sofia
(Genesis Rodriguez) from the law.

I can't be too hard on the film though as I land in the pool of opinion that this isn't supposed to be anything more than a harmless parody and in that regard it keeps its head above water. "Serious" actors such a Luna and Bernal seem to be having a blast here, playing up what they have probably had to deal with in every casting call they've been a part of and Ferrell, as always, is so damn committed to the thing that you feel bad not giving into his indulgences every once in a while. This doesn't have the aspirations of something that wasn't meant to be completely absurd. I mean, for heavens sake we have a scene of love making that uses mannequin body doubles and goes on for way too long. That is the charm of Ferrell though as he isn't afraid to bring the weird and not apologize at the end for what you might have thought you were getting yourself into and what he actually delivered. He was committed 100% so he has nothing to be sorry about. "Casa de mi Padre" though does end up being pretty much exactly what I expected, if not a little less outlandish than I anticipated. It's all well and good though, this isn't a movie for everyone but if you have been a Ferrell fan for most of his career you will be pleased with the majority of what we have here and Ferrell himself certainly doesn't disappoint as he holds this whole thing together with that face and vocal tone that proves even without the comfort of being able to improv his way out of a situation he can still be the funniest guy in the room. It may not be his funniest performance, but I can't disagree with the tagline in that this is probably the funniest movie I've ever read.

CASA DE MI PADRE Review

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the trailer for "Casa de mi Padre" was "genius". It was such a broad comedy idea, one that hearkened back to films like "Blazing Saddles" that I was rolling the entire two minutes the trailer lasted. I am also a huge fan of Will Ferrell and while I have always felt people are very divided on the comedian lately it has at least seemed that Ferrell has been attempting to do his best to provide a degree of diversity to his career. Last year his single release was the indie "Everything Must Go" that I rather enjoyed much more than I expected. Later this year he will continue his streak of big studio comedies with "The Campaign" that is likely to be in the tradition of "Anchorman", "Talladega", "Step Brothers", and "The Other Guys". What he has done here though is taken a gem of an idea and extended it to a feature length parody of the Spanish telenova. With it's intentionally low budget looks and over-dramatic performances "Casa de mi Padre" feels like an idea that Ferrell and his friends cooked up on the side as something to do in between bigger projects. Not that this is a bad thing, it has a few moments of pure greatness and the simple aspect of the commitment that Ferrell had to make in order to actually execute the biggest joke of the whole thing is commendable. I found myself glancing at the time a few times, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but seeing the running time of the film is a mere 84-minutes it only made me feel the steam was running a bit low in the second act. Luckily, the finale pretty much lives up to everything I could have hoped for this to be.