MINI-REVIEWS: BARB & STAR, THE WORLD TO COME, FRENCH EXIT & LAND

The following are quick, capsule reviews of Lionsgate's Barb & Star Go to Vsita Del Mar which is now available to rent on all streaming platforms, The World to Come from Bleecker Street which is now playing in theaters and will be available On Demand on March 2nd, Sony Classics' French Exit which is now playing in New York and Los Angeles and will expand nationwide on April 2nd, as well as Robin Wright's Land from Focus Features which is now playing in theaters.  

WONDER WOMAN 1984 Review

Wonder Woman 1984 is not a good movie. Unfortunately. It's not that it's soul-crushingly bad, but it's just not good and it for one reason or another feels like it's completely mistaken silly for entertaining. Absurdity for ambition. There is a wealth of good intent imbued on the project as writer/director Patty Jenkins returns to continue crafting the titular character into more of a beacon of hope than ever, but come the end of this bloated two and half hour epic it's nearly impossible to see how anyone associated with the project could have mistaken it for quality rather than recognizing the bizarre (and often times extremely cheesy) choices that were made, not to mention the incredibly preposterous nature of it all. It's almost as if the film actively goes out of its way not to necessarily make its message more convoluted, but rather like it's trying to do or say more than what is actually on its mind. In other words, it's trying to make the simple idea at its center feel more complex and therefore more sophisticated when in reality said execution simply feels perplexing. The oddity that is this Wonder Woman sequel is difficult to describe as it's still somewhat mind-blowing that Jenkins along with co-writers Geoff Johns (a former executive at DC Entertainment and a prolific writer and producer) and Dave Callaham (seasoned franchise screenwriter) submitted this screenplay to Warner Brothers with the confidence not only that it would be approved, but that it was good while it's even more confounding that Warner greenlit this $200 million experiment. All of this is difficult to come to terms with as I very much am in the bag for excessively bombastic superhero films that have a distinct point of view and while Wonder Woman 1984 is most certainly excessive and most definitely carves out where it wants to stand in the pantheon of the genre none of what transpires on screen ever feels satisfying despite the virtue of what the film is trying to convey. Its a baffling misfire, an ill-conceived attempt at looking to the past in order to enlighten us about our future, but most of all it's disappointing. With the first Wonder Woman film three years ago Jenkins crafted an equally ambitious, but more balanced film that honed in on the titular character’s optimism and slight naivety while utilizing the tangible and rather terrible world she entered as a way of highlighting those qualities. 2017's Wonder Woman found the right avenues to take in order to balance the many ambitions it hoped to accomplish with its story and characters whereas Wonder Woman 1984 crams in so many disparate ideas and goes so far out of its way in such ludicrous fashion in order to say what it wants to say that hardly any of it resonates.

Official Trailer for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

By the time this third How to Train Your Dragon film opens next March it will have been a longer period of waiting in between the second and third installments of the series than it was between the first and the second and that wait for the initial sequel seemed like forever. It was because of that longer than usual wait that it seemed the box office for 2014's How to Train Your Dragon 2 was not what either writer/director Dean DeBlois hoped for or what DreamWorks Animation was betting on. The film made only $177 million domestically on a $145 million budget, but thankfully there was the internations totals for the film which garnered this thing another $444 million bumping its worldwide haul to that of just over $620 million. And so, it is likely DreamWorks lowered the budget a bit, but was still happy to have DeBlois cap off his trilogy of films with the continuing adventures of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless. In this third and presumably final film (though there will no doubt be plenty of television series and maybe even spin-off movies should the brand endure) we see Hiccup fulfill his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia while Toothless' discovery of an untamed, elusive female Night Fury draws him away from his longtime friend. Of course, when danger mounts at home and Hiccup's reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind. I've always had something of a soft spot for these films as they have both proved to be far better and far more enchanting and ambitious than I both expected them to be and in comparison to what DreamWorks usually rolls out in the animation department. There is a weight to these characters and their world and the emotion brought forth in both chapters thus far is notable in the beauty with which they are conveyed in the animation. That level of quality doesn't seem to have been diminished here despite that likely cut in the budget. The film looks flawless with it's sweeping landscapes and the characters look and feel as endearing as ever. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World features the voice talents of America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington, Craig Ferguson, F. Murray Abraham, T.J. Miller, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Hounsou, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and opens on March 1st, 2019.

DOWNSIZING Review

Immediately after walking out of director Alexander Payne's latest, Downsizing, I wasn't sure what to think. My first thought was that it was all over the place, but in a commendable way. I think I like it, I thought. I'm still pretty sure I enjoyed it and it has been quite some time since I saw it. Everything about the film though, is designed to upend your expectations of it. Being an Alexander Payne film titled Downsizing one immediately assumes this is will be a raw human drama about a middle-aged white male losing his job and realizing his life never amounted to the ambitions of his youth while likely coming to terms with the passing of time and its fleeting nature. It would be fair to assume that, but this Downsizing is not. Rather, the consistently good yet similarly themed films of the writer/director seem to have sparked a need for a different kind of endeavor in Payne and while Downsizing still shares a number of ideas (maybe one too many, even) that have very clearly sprung from what is on Payne's mind at the moment he certainly doesn't go about conveying them in the fashion one might expect given his filmography. Rather, Downsizing is very much designed to be one of those sincere, but rather goofy high-concept comedies of the nineties. One where everything in the world of the movie isn't that bad for our protagonist even though they seem to be discouraged by the results of what they've become i.e. lame adults. One where the production design relates this new technological advancement to something familiar a la the microwave "ding!" that goes off each time the shrinking procedure is complete. One where the score is heavily made-up of those cheesily inspiring springs that intend to make the audience really feel the wonder of the moment at the film's main discovery (think Jurassic Park). I guess, in a lot of ways, Downsizing is like Jurassic Park as it is a movie that revels in a discovery that is potentially the greatest thing since landing on the moon while also being one where man plays God; warning us of the potential dangers of technology. These advancements in both films, one being cloning dinosaurs and the other being shrinking humans, are thought of inherently as beneficial. While Downsizing ultimately seems to be for the better it doesn't shy away from the controversy that grows to surround the procedure and so, unlike Jurassic Park, Payne isn't preaching that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. He seems to think we should. He knows we need to do something and Downsizing is a way of saying as much about saving the planet without being overly serious or hackneyed about it. Too bad it doesn't have dinosaurs though.

MOTHER! Review

mother! is one of those films where it is easy to appreciate the intent without being able to necessarily enjoy it at all. That is to say, while there is much to discuss in the latest from auteur Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan), there isn't much of it that is enjoyable. That isn't to say every movie-going experience has to be enjoyable as mother! still offers an escape in one form or another, but while Aronofsky is very clearly trying to make a statement here it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly he is trying to say. For further proof as to why mother! is simultaneously admirable and bewildering is the fact it is also one of those films where each scene is a puzzle piece the viewer is supposed to put in place to slowly realize the bigger picture. mother! is deliberately confusing in that it wants you to try and figure out what is going on and what the metaphor is that's at work, but while this coyness may at first seem to be both crafty and a product of Aronofsky's knack for crafting visuals to pair with what are otherwise ephemeral concepts it is by the time the film reaches its third act and things begin to fall into place that mother! is neither surprising nor unsettling enough given this buildup. It is also very easy to see how many people will disagree on this point and either find it wholly fascinating and become enamored with discussing the film or not understand what the writer/director was aiming for and thus dismiss it as a symptom of confusion. While I can't say I fall into either of those extreme categories it is almost more disappointing that I don't as what is most evident after walking out of mother! is that Aronofsky was looking to evoke a reaction from his audience-whether it be fascination or disdain. Rather, mother! is a film that gets points for being something different, for taking on the challenge of making this huge metaphor work for what it is, but that it never transcends the correlation between what is being presented and what they represent so as to bring something new and insightful to the table is disappointing. mother! is a film where nothing seems to quite make sense and everyone around the protagonist seems to know what it going on while the main character and audience surrogate is left in the dark. Because of these kinds of set-ups where the audience is unsure of what is happening and why people are acting the way they are the movie becomes increasingly frustrating to the point the third act really needs to deliver on the purpose of having executed the majority of the film in this fashion, but while mother! could be interpreted as many things one thing it is not, but certainly seems to hope it will be, is groundbreaking.

First Trailer for DOWNSIZING Starring Matt Damon

Director Alexander Payne has always been hit or miss for me. I like certain works more than I do others, I find certain premises more appealing than I do some, but this is with most things in life. The difference with Payne is the fact each of his works seem to have this throughline of similar themes to them which mainly consist of men his age, or whatever age he was at the time of writing the screenplay, dealing with certain things men of his age tend to deal with. There is nothing particularly wrong with this-write what you know, after all-but with his latest titled Downsizing it seems the writer and filmmaker was looking for a way of doing something different with the themes he wanted to explore and likely re-visit in some capacity. Payne is the guy who brought us Election and About Schmidt as well as the guy who crafted Sideways, The Descendants and Nebraska. Point being, he can tell very human tales while also having a knack for exaggerations of certain types. And so, it seems in many ways that Payne is trying to get back to some of the more artistic licenses he took with his characters and their scenarios in his early days rather than telling simple, but grounded tales that are purely true to the human spirit. Payne still hopes to scratch at something human yet intangible, but he also wants to convey this in a fun and interesting way. Enter the premise of Downsizing where a kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time. It's clear from this first full trailer that Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor (who last worked with Payne on Sideways) have a lot on their minds and much they'd like to discuss and it will be interesting to see how Payne, a typically small-scale filmmaker, handles what looks to easily be his biggest film to date, but more I'm curious to see what point of view Payne and Taylor have come at things from as far as the human race and the environmental and economical imprint we're leaving on this planet. And while reactions out of the festival circuit have been mixed at best I'm anxious to see what this picture ultimately amounts to. Downsizing stars Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Laura Dern, Jason Sudeikis, Neil Patrick Harris, James Van Der Beek and opens on December 22nd, 2017.

First Trailer for MOTHER! Starring Jennifer Lawrence

The first trailer for director Darren Aronofsky's long-awaited follow-up to his big budget studio tentpole Noah has debuted and man, does it make things curiouser and curiouser. The film, which is led by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, is said to tell the story of their central couple's relationship being tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their otherwise tranquil existence. The trailer certainly lives up to delivering on this short synopsis as Aronofsky taps quickly into the atmosphere he is establishing by acknowledging that Lawrence's character "brings new life" to every room she has re-imagined in this apparent haven Bardem's character has created for her to make their own. That is, until the likes of Ed Harris and then Michelle Pfeiffer show up seemingly out of the blue, but with nefarious purposes that Bardem's character may or may not be in on. One thing is clear though, Lawrence's character has no idea what their purpose or intent is. The remainder of the trailer plays out in horror movie-like fashion as we get a barrage of images that tell us Aronofsky's latest effort may in fact be more trippy than anything the auteur has produced thus far (and that's saying a lot). Titled mother! not much is known about the film outside of who it stars and a skeleton of a plot, but more than anything what stands out about the aura surrounding this film is the fact we're finally living in a post-Hunger Games world. No more will we be treated to only David O. Russell pictures in between the franchise tentpoles, but Lawrence is now free to consistently engage in whatever sparks her interest despite the fact she'll surprisingly reprise her role in another X-Men film next year. Still, if her upcoming filmography is any indication it seems we'll be seeing more interesting work where mother! comes from as Lawrence is an endearing if not a diverse performer whose choice of projects always piques my interest. While mother! will have its wide release while I'll be in attendance at the Toronto International Film Festival I'll certainly be seeing it there and can't wait to unfold the mystery this movie is certain to be. mother! also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Kristen Wiig, and opens on September 15th, 2017.

DESPICABLE ME 3 Review

The Despicable Me franchise has officially reached that point in its life where it doesn’t have any idea where to go next and so it begins digging into the main characters past to try and come up with characters to fill in roles they have yet to address. You’ve seen it before in countless films whether it be something along the lines of Austin Powers in Goldmember or even something as wacky as the Fast & Furious franchise that can’t help but to keep bringing people back and connecting them in unforeseen ways. With the inevitable Despicable Me 3 the folks over at Illumination animation have decided to take this route and approach their film as if Gru (again voiced by Steve Carell) fell into something of a Parent Trap situation, but the two never ended up going to summer camp together. Instead, it is after the passing of their father that his long-lost twin brother, Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell), contacts the newly married and newly heroic Gru in order to connect and maybe try to pull him back into his old ways of villainy. It’s a fine enough device, I guess, and it mostly works because Carell’s voice work is so amusing in how he slightly differentiates the two and then has to subsequently voice both Gru and Dru doing impressions of one another in what is arguably the most entertaining and genuinely funny scene in the movie. If any other scene in the film had a hint of the kinds of layers or even this kind of wacky creativity in the sense of trying to accomplish something due only to the fact it presents an interesting challenge then the film as a whole might have in fact been more interesting, but as it is Despicable Me 3 is more of the same, but busier. Busier in that it wants you and the children you’re presumably taking to the theater to think there is a ton of stuff happening on screen when in reality all you’re seeing is a collection of disparate scenes strung together by the standard objective of attempting to steal the biggest jewel in the world. That said, Despicable Me 3 doesn’t really have to be anything more than what it is as it is just funny enough and just consistently colorful enough to feel like the shiny new product it needs to be in order to please the masses who will spend their hard-earned money on it.

New Trailer for DESPICABLE ME 3

Despicable Me 3 will likely be the biggest earning film of the summer movie season and today Universal and Illumination have released the second trailer for the film. While I never expected in the summer of 2010 while watching the genuinely fun and inventive Despicable Me that it would become one of the biggest animated franchises of its day here we sit seven years later and four films in as not only has Gru (Steve Carell) and his minions received two sequels, but his minions themselves have had their own movie. After the underwhelming sequel though and rather bad Minions spin-off my expectation for anything noteworthy to come out of this franchise has significantly decreased. Sure, there are still a few funny bits in this second trailer it seems to be a totally different third installment than what the previous trailer pitched. Whereas the clip released in December highlighted Gru coming up against a new villain Balthazar Bratt (voiced by Trey Parker) this new trailer solely focuses on the reveal that Gru somehow has a twin brother we've never heard about and that there will be a wrestling of the conscience on Gru's part over whether to remain true to his new life or fall back into being a bad guy. If anything, this trailer makes it seem as if Parker's Bratt is simply the cold open villain in a bit meant to pull in parents of children whose adolescence took place when South Park was in its heyday with the 80's-inspired character further capitalizing on our current nostalgic fascination with that decade. While I certainly hope that isn't the case given the initial trailer was much funnier than this one, we shall have to wait and see exactly how Gru's ever-expanding story unfolds. Still of note, there are more minions to be seen here than Gru's daughters which, if you might recall, were really the heart and soul of that original film and could certainly serve that purpose again here with the introduction of Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell). Of course, none of this really matters to Universal or Illumination as they both well know that Despicable 3 is destined to make buckets and buckets of money. Despicable Me 3 also features the voice talents of Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate, Pierre Coffin, Dana Gaier, and opens on June 30, 2017.

First Trailer for DESPICABLE ME 3

The barrage of trailers for 2017's biggest summer releases continues with what will likely be one of if not the biggest movie of the summer next year: Despicable Me 3. While I never expected in the summer of 2010 while watching the genuinely fun and inventive Despicable Me that it would become one of the biggest animated franchises of its day here we will be seven years later and four films in as not only has Gru and his minions received two sequels, but his minions themselves have had their own movie. After the underwhelming sequel though and rather bad Minions spin-off my expectation for anything noteworthy to come out of this franchise has significantly decreased. Sure, there are still a few funny gags in this first look trailer for the third installment in Gru's ever-expanding story and the last bit is an especially inspired piece of physical comedy, but there are more minions to be seen here than Gru's daughters which, if you might recall, were really the heart and soul of that original film. They were what made telling the story of a villain so compelling, conflicting, and ultimately rewarding. While I can understand why Universal and Illumination have picked Trey Parker of South Park fame to fill the role of the baddie here due to the fact the parents who will likely be taking their children to see this were in their adolescence when South Park was in its heyday and the 80's-inspired villain plays perfectly into both Parker's childhood and our current nostalgic fascination with that decade I find it hard to believe that whatever story is to be derived from this showdown of villains will also be derivative of any of the heart and soul that initial film showed so much of. Of course, that doesn't really matter to Universal or Illumination either as they both well know that Despicable 3 is designed to make buckets of money and buckets of money it will make. Despicable Me 3 features the voice talents of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, and opens on June 30, 2017.

MASTERMINDS Review

The best thing one can say about Masterminds is that it seemingly accomplishes what it sets out to do and be. Of course, that's a pretty solid compliment if you're going for a certain type of quirky/oddball comedy that not everyone will understand or even care to understand. It has always felt as if director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) has marched to the beat of a slightly different drum than any other comedy director and that continues to show in his feature films as he documents characters that are interesting or strange because of the inherent state of their personality rather than documenting the actions of fairly average individuals who are put into extraordinary circumstances. That isn't to say the ensemble cast of Masterminds don't find themselves in the middle of some pretty spectacular circumstances because they do, but this is due to the fact they voluntarily sign up for crazy expeditions rather than them being thrust upon them. Now, this isn't original to Hess' films of course; plenty of comedies find humor in the eccentric and the zany, but Hess notches it up a few levels-making his films feel as if they are operating not in the real world, but from the perspective of these bizarre minds that allow us to see the world how they see it: in unconventional and bizarre ways. This is especially glaring in Masterminds as it reminds us time and time again that what is happening is based on a true story that occurred in 1997 and at the time, was the second-largest all-cash robbery in U.S. history. As with most "based on a true story" movies the film version of these events takes the real life events and paints them in broad strokes though it at least seems that writers Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Emily Spivey have kept the general facts of the case intact enough while interpreting those actions to inform character decisions that give way to the more outlandish tone the film sports. Of course, how are we to know that what we're treated to in Masterminds isn't exactly how the real David Ghantt perceived things to be during these time in his life? The point is-it doesn't matter. Whether they were or not I can appreciate that Hess takes on a certain singular style and approach and applies it to every scene making what was already a fascinating story that much more enjoyable...if you enjoy Hess' particular brand of nonsense, that is.

SAUSAGE PARTY Review

I feel like, by today's standards, there is very little that can truly offend me or anyone else for that matter. Whether it is our culture that has desensitized us to the point of indifference when it comes to matters once kept to the privacy of people's homes or the fact we'd like to think we're more progressive for not being ashamed of the natural things humans do-there is an argument for either side. The point is that whether you are blasé or still blush when it comes to talking about sex in public the consensus, at least at this point in my life which naturally dictates my group of friends and peers being of similar mindsets, is more or less that we need to get over ourselves and stop making such a big deal over what everyone has. We should be more like the Europeans. A penis is a penis and in Sausage Party a sausage may as well be a penis. If one falls into the camp of shying away from such conversations and believe that a certain amount of mystery should still exist between people then you'll likely want to shy away from this new Seth Rogen production as well. Taking the premise from any number of children's movies (The Brave Little Toaster, Toy Story, Secret Life of Pets) where when the humans ago away the inanimate objects come out to play Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg have ran with that idea, but this time with food, which of course comes to meet a terrifying end-yes, more terrifying even than Sid. It's a premise ripe for parody and a genuinely funny idea if what you're aiming for is a twisted, dark tale that not only tells the story of what it might be like if food were living, breathing beings, but per usual also includes some musings on life and what it all means. It's grocery shopping with shades of existential analysis. Of course, that all seems a little silly when talking about a movie that has a talking douche as the main baddie, but alas-that is where we are today. Some may scoff, some may simply laugh it off, but such minds and twisted ideas have always been present in society-they just likely haven't been able to reach as large a platform as Sausage Party has and thus the discussion around every new generation's looser morals and lack of respect for what was once holy only grows louder. Sausage Party isn't wholly indicative of society today though, it's simply indicative of one aspect of society and ends up essentially being a discussion about how that society can co-exist peacefully whether one believes in keeping certain aspects and ideologies private or not.

GHOSTBUSTERS Review

I'd like to think there's not as much ignorance in the world as the internet tells me there is, but the small corner of the World Wide Web known as IMDb and more specifically the user reviews for 2016's reboot of Ghostbusters would suggest everything I've hoped to be true about this world is in fact wrong. Given the film has been out in wide release for less than 24 hours at the time of this writing it's astonishing how many harsh and outlandish tirades have been hurled at this film. Of course, we're not here to discuss the inability of what are likely now forty year-old men to share in the wealth of their childhoods, childhoods that provided such pleasures at the original 1984 film, and extend those same feelings of excitement and pure joy to the kids of today and moreover the young girls and women of today who have undoubtedly always looked to the portrayal of their gender in Hollywood and wondered why they were always so restrained. As far as I'm concerned and as far as I can tell (I was born in 1987 so I don't exactly "get" the hoopla that surrounds the original) despite how much the original Ghostbusters was a huge success and universally praised at the time of its release I've never understood the level of infatuation with it. Sure, it's a perfectly enjoyable comedy with a charismatic cast and unique premise, but in the thirty plus years since its release I can't help but think the film has lost some of its charm otherwise I wouldn't feel as out of the loop. With this new, all-female version director Paul Feig has both paid homage to the original film while creating a world and characters all his own. Written by Feig with the help of The Heat screenwriter Kate Dippold this new Ghostbusters universe doesn't capitalize wholly on the gimmick of the gender swap, but more it uses this basis of an idea to explore a familiar world from a new perspective. While no matter how good the film might have turned out to be there would undoubtedly still be people decrying the fact it exists at all, but that it is a lot of fun if not necessarily an exceptional comedy will surely only anger them more. To remain focused on those who take away from the unadulterated fun that Ghostbusters can provide though is to be reminded of the disappointment this world can be whereas to simply take the new Ghostbusters on its own terms can make you believe good does in fact exist among us. In short, it's a delight.

Red Band Trailer for SAUSAGE PARTY Starring Seth Rogen

A work-in-progress cut of Seth Rogen‘s R-rated animated comedy, Sausage Party, debuted at Austin's SXSW festival last night and now we have the first Red Band trailer for the film. While I wasn't sure what to expect from the film given it seemed to intend to skew all that we held precious as children there are a lot of laughs in this first look and it certainly hints at a film just as warped as one would need to be to succeed as the first R-rated CG animated movie. The trailer starts off sweet enough, perfectly lampooning Disney/Pixar films before evolving into something much scarier and frankly, much more disturbing than something even Sid from Toy Story might have cooked up in his creepy ass bedroom. Sausage Party follows a group of unsuspecting weiners and meat products when they come to understand the truth about where they will eventually ending up. The film is being produced by Sony and Megan Ellison of Annapurna Pictures who tweeted out last night after the premiere that it was the greatest moment of her life and that she always believed the film would be Annapurna's first franchise. Also of note is the fact Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg have enlisted Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin) to compose the original music. Clearly, these guys are cutting no corners in making sure they have the best collaborators to make what is more or less a parody as close to the real thing as possible. The animation actually looks quite striking and if they are willing to go as weird and out there with this first look trailer I can only imagine what the full-length feature holds. If reactions out of last nights screening are any indication, this should be pretty great. Joining Rogen in the voice cast is Jonah Hill, James Franco, Kristen Wiig, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, Michael Cera, David Krumholtz, and Salma Hayek. Sausage Party opens August 12, 2016.

First Trailer for GHOSTBUSTERS Starring Melissa McCarthy

Much has been made of director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy) taking on a new installment in the Ghostbusters series when, for a long time, it was thought there might be a chance of a third installment featuring the original cast. When Harold Ramis passed over two years ago now though, the script for the third film was said to be getting a re-write, but eventually director Ivan Reitman left the project and a slew of directors were offered the job afterward, but nothing came to fruition until Feig got involved with the idea of doing more of a reboot than a sequel, but this time with an all female cast. While not much is known or has been seen of the film sans a few images and the posters included below, I've been interested to see what direction the gifted comedic director would take this franchise given he'd stated prior to filming that he wanted to make this scarier than the originals, but in turn hired one of the dreamiest comedic casts imaginable. Melissa McCarthy was a natural choice given she's headlined each of Feig's films since their 2011 breakout, but it was also nice to see him reunite with Kristen Wiig and bring her back to the kind of big, mainstream comedies she seems to have been avoiding while the additions of current SNL highlights Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones only upped the anticipation even more. These always felt like both wise and rather bold choices and given what we see in this first trailer it seems those choices might pay off big time. At this point I have complete trust in Feig as a director of comedy and can't wait to see what he's done with this property moving forward. Also starring Chris Hemsworth, Andy Garcia, Michael Kenneth Williams, Matt Walsh, and Cecily Strong, Ghostbusters opens on July 15th, 2016.

ZOOLANDER NO. 2 Review

I'm not one who necessarily believes that comedy sequels are necessarily going to be horrible. I understand the case that is made for why many of them are and do in fact agree that Dumb and Dumber To may be one of the worst movies ever made, but as a rule of thumb, as a blanket statement, I like to think there is more to this phenomenon than that. No one will argue that comedy is the most difficult genre to pull off successfully and when one does so to the effect that it connects with a large group of people it is hard to not want to return to that well in hopes of capturing those same gracious returns once more. What is strange about this latest nostalgia-fueled sequel though, is that it didn't seem to connect with many people upon its initial release back in 2001. Ben Stiller likely knew this about his dimwitted male model character when he came up with it for a pair of short films for the VH1 Fashion Awards in 1996 and 1997. Stiller knew there was never a real chance the character would catch on or even that his modest comedy would make a boatload of cash, but he clearly loved the material and put his creative mind to the petal to not only come up with something silly, but something topical that provided commentary on the frivolity of the fashion world when compared to something as sobering as sweat shops and child labor laws. Then, something happened that Stiller never would have guessed or foreseen in a million years-Zoolander became something of a staple of the post 9/11 world in that it was released a few weeks after the attacks and provided some much needed silliness to divert our national consciousness away from all the horrible things that were happening. In this regard Zoolander, a film about the titular idiot model becoming the pawn of corrupt fashion executives in order to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia, held a special place in many people's hearts. It didn't hurt that the film was a genuinely good, funny comedy, but that fondness for this safe haven of a comedy has now snowballed into a world dominated by social media that consistently referenced and recapped the original enough that Stiller and co-stars Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell (each who have long since passed their pique popularity) couldn't help but to re-visit these characters in hopes of reaping those gracious returns once more. Instead of being the warm, safe place to return to in times of sadness or stress though, Zoolander No. 2 only makes it clear how sad the reality of these characters lives actually are. Even worse, the legacy of Stiller's once pristine fashion satire is now tainted by having dressed it up in something ugly.

New Trailer for ZOOLANDER 2

I will never forget reading my local newspaper's movie section the weekend after the September 11th attacks and the writer pondering what would become of the movies that were left on the release schedule that year. The main picture on the article was one of Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc.-the family movie that would come out two months later and give us all a good dose of the warm feels we so desperately needed. The story also heavily discussed Arnold Schwarzenegger's Collateral Damage and it's content that would cause it to be delayed an entire year. In the middle of all of this was Zoolander. Two weeks after the World Trade Centers were destroyed Paramount dumped Ben Stiller's third feature directorial effort into theaters and not much was thought of it. At the time, I was fourteen years old and didn't see the movie until early December while attending a friends birthday party where we all decided to see a movie at the local dollar theater. Long story short, I loved it and only came to love it more over the fifteen years since it's release. As the once budding stars of Zoolander have each gone on to have successful comedic careers this sequel is something of a fitting conclusion to the The Frat Pack era while also being something of a re-energization. For example, the new trailer is packed with great cameos and awesome gags that make me more hopeful than I ever imagined I'd be for a sequel to a fifteen year-old cult classic. It's also interesting to note Ben Stiller is listed as the director here rather than Justin Theroux (who was originally hired to direct after writing the screenplay). Zoolander 2 opens on February 12, 2016 and also stars Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor and Will Ferrell.

TIFF 2015: THE MARTIAN Review

It's weird. With everything The Martian has going on and going for it you'd think it might be more of a straightforward action film, but rather this is a movie about problem solving. Problem solving in the cheesy sense of never giving up, but legitimate in that our protagonists circumstances have him stranded on Mars. These days, one almost goes into a Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) picture with the expectation of receiving something handsome without necessarily having any sustenance and that reaction has been warranted over the last few years (Prometheus has it's lovers and it's haters, but I'm in the former camp). What makes The Martian different than say Robin Hood, The Counselor or even Exodus though is that it once again sets the director up in what seems to be his most comfortable and inspiring setting: space. In going back to the cosmos, the director does his own problem solving and dives head first into his grand new science fiction film by embracing every aspect that makes up this story. Whether that be in the Mars-based segments with Matt Damon's astronaut Mark Watney or on Earth at the various NASA headquarters with engaging intellects like Chewitel Ejiofor and Jeff Daniels. Beyond having rounded up a stellar cast Scott has more or less crafted his most entertaining film in years by really seeming passionate about the material. Of course, rather than space, this could be the reason all of his films taking place out of our planet's orbit tend to generally turn out for the best. Scott is an explorer, a man who likes his scope large and his stories fairly bombastic. What bigger canvas is there to paint on than space?

Teaser Trailer for ZOOLANDER II

It will be fifteen years since the original Zoolander debuted next year it's hard to believe Ben Stiller and his pals were able to get people interested in the male model once again let alone get a sequel made. I will never forget reading my local newspaper's movie section the weekend after September 11th and the writers pondering what would become of the movies that were left on the release schedule that year. The main picture on the article was one of Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc.-the family movie that would come out two months later and give us all a good dose of the warm, comforting experiences that we so desperately needed. The story also heavily discussed Arnold Schwarzenegger's Collateral Damage and it's content that would cause it to be delayed an entire year. In the middle of all of this was Zoolander. Two weeks after the World Trade Centers were destroyed Paramount dumped Ben Stiller's third feature directorial effort into theaters and not much was thought of it. At the time, I was fourteen years old and didn't see the movie until early December while attending a couple of friends joint birthday party where we all decided to see a movie at the local dollar theater. We didn't know what Zoolander was about, but we knew it had the guy from Meet the Parents and the other guy from Shanghai Noon that was also in Meet the Parents, so we were game. It may not have been an instant classic, but over the years Zoolander has come to be the flagship film for the once dominating Frat Pack and a reliable quote factory for people of a certain generation. While what we have here is only a short teaser, the fact it even exists is something of a miracle and hopefully a clear indication that Stiller knows what he's doing in continuing this characters story. Zoolander II opens on February 12, 2016 and also stars Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor and Will Ferrell.

First Trailer for Ridley Scott's THE MARTIAN Starring Matt Damon

I picked up Andy Weir's novel, The Martian, a few months back and plan on beginning to read it within the next few days. Naturally, my goal is to finish Weir's book before the film version arrives this Thanksgiving, but while that sounds completely plausible I have a bad habit of taking long breaks in between books. That said, I will at least have a strong point of visual reference once I do begin to read the novel as the first trailer for director Ridley Scott's (Gladiator, Alien) film adaptation has now premiered and gives away slightly more than I wanted or expected it to. Over the last few weeks we have received a barrage of marketing material in the form of stills as well as an introductory video yesterday to the Area 3 crew before the launch of their mission to mars. With the trailer though, we get our first glimpse at the tone of the film and Scott's visual style this time around. I have really relished in his visual approach for his last few films (Prometheus naturally coming to mind) and that seems to have been applied here as well. The visuals are stunning and, without knowing more of the story than what the trailer indicates, the narrative seems to have some exceptionally gripping aspects that I hope push this further than the rather lackluster efforts he's delivered as of late. The guy simply turns around projects so quickly it's hard to see how he can take the necessary care, but at the age of 77 it's likely not wise to argue with then man. The Martian stars Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover and opens in 3D on November 25th. Hit the jump to also see the featurette released yesterday as well as several stills from the film.