Featuring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer and Djimon Hounsou
Freddy Freeman:“If you could have one superpower, what would you pick? Everybody chooses flight. You know why?”
Billy Batson:“So they can fly away from this conversation?”
Critical Commentary:
These days, in particular the past five years, it seems like every few weeks there is a new comic book movie released into cinemas, 2019 will be no different, just a few weeks ago the juggernaut that it has turned out to be, that being the latest entry into the MCU, “Captain Marvel” (2019) was released which is coasting its way to US$1 billion dollars worldwide. Now we have a new DCEU movie, “Shazam!” (2019) being released, followed in a few weeks by, what seems like the movie event of the decade, “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) which is already promising to have a US$800 million opening weekend alone. It would be easy to see “Shazam!” as a lightweight movie (even its budget is less than half of the last DCEU entry) especially sandwiched between these two behemoths, but in fact it does offer some nice counter programming as recently the MCU may be perceived as going a little darker, this new DCEU movie is definitely lighter in tone as well as performance which for me was quite welcome. “Shazam!” does benefit from three very important and vital elements, one, it is an origin story which means audiences will be familiar with what is being told, two it has some great comic performances, especially from star Zachary Levi and three, it is more comedic in tone, much like parts of the recent DCEU success, “Aquaman” (2018). It also explores the horror genre more than any other comic movie produced to date, especially for a mass audience which is canny as horror is big bucks now.
Ever since the DCEU launched with “Man of Steel” (2013) there has been a darkness and dourness about each subsequent movie leading directly to “Justice League” (2016) which was laughably terrible, a misfire on all levels, the only element of these movies had in common was that they all made extreme amounts of money for Warner Bros., which was why they kept producing them. The other element they all had in common was that for the most part they were becoming more and more critically derided culminating with that same movie, “Justice League”. In attempting to ape the MCU in linking and creating a shared universe the DCEU had also created a rod for their own back, that was up until the mostly well received and box office hit “Wonder Woman” (2017) which seemed to (temporarily) right the ship. Then last year the DCEU had not only its biggest commercial success yet, but also its biggest critical one as well, which may have been more important as well as setting up a new batch of DC origin movies, which leads directly to this weeks release, “Shazam!”, a new look as well as feel for this franchise which may reinforce this once aimless series of movies with new blood.
“Shazam!” is set in mostly in present-day Philadelphia; Billy Batson is arrested by child services after he lures and traps police officers to assist in his search for his mother. At some point a family, the Grazers, adopts Billy and he shares a room with Freddie Freeman, a paraplegic. While at school, Freddie is bullied by a group of kids. Billy intervenes and flees onto the subway where he is summoned by a being known as Shazam. Shazam explains who his is and has Billy grab his staff and say, “Shazam!”, which transforms Billy into an adult with multiple superpowers.
This is the first DCEU movie that really has been handed over to two untested people in director David F. Sandberg and screenwriter Henry Gayden who both have never been in charge of a movie of this size or complexity. In saying that they both acquit themselves very well as this is an origin story so certain beats must be hit, it is everything else that they must concentrate on, in respect to this movie those things are the casting, the action set pieces, the humour and how all these pieces fit together into an overarching narrative. This is a movie that introduces a new mythology to the DCEU in the use of magical entities, so having Sandberg as the director seems like a great idea as he has directed movies that deal in the adjacent genre of horror, where he has had to deal with already existing mythology fitting a story around that. Here he does that very well considering the history that exists in the “Shazam!” which is confusing and sprawling to say the least. This movie also has a heavy horror element reflected in the seven deadly sins as well as the high body count that exists on a personal level, so shock is required. The screenwriter, Henry Gayden, has assisted here to by streamlining the plot as much as possible so that it is always moving forward, not looking back and helping ease an audience into the story by using humour which is accentuated by the ‘body swapping’ (kind of) narrative that feeds the overall feeling of this movie, the humour and horror are juxtaposed so that the audience never fits with either for too long.
As with the vast majority of comic book movies the casting of the central character is one of the key aspects and sometimes is directly linked to the success of the movie both commercially as well as critically, many DCEU characters have been cast by well known leading actors, however “Shazam!” has the relatively unknown Zachary Levi as the titular character. It is a actually a plus for the character of Shazam to be played by Levi as he brings no baggage to the part at all as he needs to play both an adult as well as a adolescent balancing these two things for the entire time he appears in the movie which he does as believably as one could, think Tom Hanks in the classic “Big” (1988). On the flip side of that equation is Asher Angel who plays the young version of Billy who is exceptionally good in the part who has to be the human face of the movie, doing an excellent job considering he has all the heavy lifting to do dramatically. As far as the rest of the cast goes the are all entirely in support of the main character so they are given limited characterisations which is not surprisingly framed by their ages and physical condition which makes the final act in the movie all the more special. The other major actor in “Shazam!” is Mark Strong playing the villain, Thaddeus Sivana, who while the original villan of the titular hero, here Strong seems a little ill fitted to the role, while looking the part his performance seems not only hollow but a little disingenuous and routine, which is where the movie is really let down, much like many of the new comic book movies in regard to both the DCEU and MCU.
It must be obvious by now that every Superhero has an origin story, telling how they gained their powers and decided to fight crime. It may be revealed in their first appearance, or not until an eventual flashback. But once established, it sets ground rules for which tropes are applicable to that particular superhero. The in-story explanation may be that the ultimate source of the hero’s power is magic, Sufficiently Advanced Aliens, or Weird Science. Of course “Shazam!” has a magical base, so it also has magical or mythical villains, in the seven sins, which to an extent help flesh out the universe but they also complicate matters by arbitrarily glomming on to the main villain Thaddeus Sivana. The abilities of Sivana seem to be similar to our heroes but at times we do not know if that is because of his association with the seven sins or if they are with him because of his taking of a mystical energy ball. It is not until the third act that his weakness bears out but that to seems like a on the spot fix made in the editing room and fixed up with reshoots which is a major let down as I felt our hero deserved more than some CGI battle seen a million times before.
This is a very good movie to see in cinemas, it has a healthy does of scares fitting its mystical setting, as well as quite a but of humour with some good performances from the entire cast and unlike many movies it does not give away all its surprises in the trailers that have been released, unlike a certain MCU movie released only a few weeks ago. Not only that but this movie links into the wider DCEU in a few ways, a couple done very subtly, one not so much but still welcome in the overall narrative arc. If you want to take the entire family to a standalone comic book movie that has a lot of heart as well as some lessons then “Shazam!” is for you.
Technical Commentary:
Warner Home Video brings “Shazam!” to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack. The triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 disc, and both are housed inside a black, eco-cutout case with a shiny slipcover. At startup, viewers are taken to a static screen with the usual options along the bottom and music playing in the background.
Video Review
“Shazam!” arrives onto Ultra HD with an excellent HEVC H.265 encode that shows some enhancements over the Blu-ray.
“Shazam!” was shot on the Arri Alexa camera system capable of 3.4K resolution, but those elements were likely mastered to a 2K digital intermediate, given the heavy amount of CG visuals throughout. Still, the upscaled transfer shows a welcomed uptick, displaying more definition. Background information is clearer and more distinct while the details in clothing are sharper. The 4K video boasts a significantly improved contrast, giving Maxime Alexandre’s photography a brighter, more spirited appeal throughout. The biggest and most appreciable upgrade in this Dolby Vision HDR presentation is easily the improved color onscreen.
Audio Review
“Shazam!” has an equally exceptional Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The front soundstage is continuou with lots of background activity and movement between all three balanced channels. With outstanding fidelity and brightness, the mid-range displays precise clarity and definition, exhibiting superb separation between the mids and highs, delivering clean, detailed action sequences without falter or the slightest hint of distortion. Dialogue is clear and distinct in the center, even during the loudest segments.
Special Features
The supplements are only available on the accompanying Blu-ray disc.
The Magical World of Shazam (HD, 27 min): Standard making-of featurette with lots of BTS footage and interviews with the cast and crew.
Carnival Scene Study (HD, 10 min): A closer look at the climactic battle.
Shazamily Values (HD, 6 min): Discussion on the foster kids making up the Shazam family.
Who is Shazam? (HD, 6 min): Brief history on the comic book characters.
Amazon Studios has released the trailer for the coming-of-age drama “Honey Boy” which is set to be released on November 8th.
Shia LaBeouf penned the film which is based on his own relationship with his father at two different stages in his life: as a young boy (Noah Jupe) starting out as an actor and a young man (Lucas Hedges) with a burgeoning career.
LaBeouf plays the father, a former clown performer and recovering heroin addict, in both time periods. Maika Monroe, Natasha Lyonne, Martin Starr, Byron Bowers, Laura San Giacomo, Clifton Collins Jr. and musician FKA twigs co-star.
Former MCU and “Kick Ass” actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson both penned the script and stars in the film which his helmed by his wife Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”).
Johnson play Frey who meets interesting people in a clinic, with whom he forms relationships and who play an important role in his life both during and after his time there – including a mafia boss and a female drug addict with whom he falls in love. James ultimately recovers and never relapses.
Billy Bob Thornton, Odessa Young, Charlie Hunnam, Giovanni Ribisi, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Hurst, Charles Parnell, Andy Buckley and Eugene Byrd co-star.
“A Million Little Pieces” which opens in cinemas on December 6th.
In his intensely personal and semi-autobiographical tale, Antonio Banderas stars as Salvador Mallo – an Almodovar-like director whose growing health problems and creative block have initiated a midlife reckoning. The film flashes back to Salvador’s childhood in the sixties (with Penelope Cruz as his mother) and present-day Madrid where he navigates new artistic challenges.
Asier Etxeandia and Nora Navas co-star in the film which will arrive in cinemas on October 4th and is expected to push the long overdue to be recognised Banderas into the awards conversation.
Featuring: Ally Walker, Robert Davi, Julian McMahon, Roma Maffia, Peter Frechette, Erica Gimpel, Caitlin Wachs, Jamie Luner, Dennis Christopher, Michael Whaley, Shiek Mahmoud-Bey, Heather McComband and Traci Lords
John Grant:“We don’t have a lot of time here, Dr. Lawson. So if you’ve got a theory, I want to hear it.”
Dr. Samantha ‘Sam’ Waters:“You want a “theory”? You’ve got Chinese food in the refrigerator, you like your women in heels, your scotch straight, and yourself definitely on top.”
Released this month on DVD are the last two seasons of a mid-nineties television show that may have seemed forgotten especially in this age of peak TV but actually “Profiler” (1996-2000) was an obvious precursor to many of the series we see now especially on network channels that espouse lead characters with dark pasts with a touch of dark violence. It is possibly of no surprise that this show also arrived on screens at roughly the same time as ‘X-Files’ creator Chris Carters shorter lived (and even darker) “Millennium” (1996-2000).
“Profiler” was an American crime drama that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ally Walker starred as profiler Dr. Samantha Waters during the first three seasons (1996–99), and was later replaced by Jamie Luner as prosecutor-turned-profiler Dr. Rachel Burke during the show’s final season. The series also featured the great character actors Robert Davi, Roma Maffia, Peter Frechette, Erica Gimpel and Julian McMahon who played parts that had or would portray very archetypal roles that would be very familiar to audiences that were fans of the serial killer genre.
The series centred around Dr. Samantha “Sam” Waters (Ally Walker) a forensic psychologist working for the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a unique gift to “see” through the eyes of others which gives Sam a special insight into the workings of the criminal mind. While she performs all of her duties diligently, her real motive lies in a both professional and personal tragedy years earlier in which her husband was murdered by a serial killer known only as Jack of All Trades. Sam is part of an elite team of pros led by her mentor, Bailey Malone (Robert Davi), also in support were Detective John Grant (Julian McMahon), computer hacker George Fraley (Peter Frechette), and forensic pathologist Grace Alvarez (Roma Maffia).
Other characters included Michael Whaley playing Nathan Brubaker who appeared throughout season one; a detective who was a former defense attorney. Shiek Mahmoud-Bey played Marcus Payton in season two who was an FBI agent skeptical of Sam’s methods. A Martinez, who had previously worked with Ally Walker on the NBC daytime serial Santa Barbara, appeared occasionally in the first and second seasons playing Nick Cooper, an ATF bomb disposal expert who was Sam Waters love interest, who was later murdered by Jack. Heather McComb appeared frequently in the first and second seasons as Frances Malone, the wayward and rebellious teenage daughter of Bailey Malone. Traci Lords appeared throughout the second season playing a violent ex-convict named Sharon Lesher, who became the serial killer Jill of All Trades after she was recruited by Jack.
Episodes:
Season Three:
Coronation: The day after Jack’s clever escape from the prison, Sam must look into herself in order to find him. Everything seems to point to her childhood which reveals that Jack has apparently stalked her all his life. Then, Jack abducts an infant and tries to lure Sam into finding him.
Cravings: The team investigates a serial rapist-turned-murderer in Illinois, whose sporadic timing of the attacks puzzles Sam as well as the connection between his victims who are left in the woods. Sam figures out that the killer is an angry and frustrated married man taking out his rage and frustration on about-to-be-wed women. Meanwhile, with Donald Lucas, the Jack-of-All-Trades killer, finally captured and imprisoned, Sam searches for a new house for her and Chloe.
Do the Right Thing: Sam and the team try to track down a new serial killer who castrates his victims and seems to be driven by feelings of public duty and legal responsibility. Meanwhile, John gets into trouble through no fault of his own for something that appears in the news about the case. Also, Sam finds herself attracted to Paul Sterling, the district attorney assigned to prosecute Donald Lucas.
Double Vision: Twelve women of a small Alabama town have mysteriously disappeared. When one of the missing is found dead, the VCTF begins an investigation which leads to the discovery of the remaining 11 women buried in a shallow mass grave. Once on scene, Sam is confounded when evidence points to a domineering, controlling pathology, other evidence points to a more passive one. When Bailey pressures her to narrow her profile, Sam’s anxiety builds and she begins to question her own abilities. But it turns out that there are two killers working as a team, each with different profiles. Meanwhile, Samantha tries to get a date with Paul Sterling, with less than successful results.
The Sum of Her Parts: Years of verbal and physical abuse take a deadly toll when its victim lashes out against his abuser. Unable to kill the actual perpetrator, his mother, the deranged man strikes those who remind him of the wretched woman. The team investigates and Sam accurately assesses the killer’s pathology, but mistakenly assumes the man is acting out against his wife, not his mother. When the ages of the victims begins to rise, Sam realizes her error and theorizes that the killer is slowly working up the courage to murder his tormentor. The team then races to find the ill-fated woman before her son can exact his final revenge. B-Story- Sam realizes she and Chloe must begin a new life, and to that end, decides to move into a new home.
The Monster Within: The VCTF is called in to assist in a stalled investigation which revolves around a series of killings in Allentown, Pennsylvania in which the victims faces have been burned off. Sam is leery about interceding for her former boyfriend, Michael Westmore, who’s leading the investigation. Sam and Bailey disagree about Michael’s handling of the case. Whereas Sam feels her friend should be given some slack, Bailey feels the man’s performance sub-par and should not be excused. Forensic evidence shows that the victims’ eyes were the specific target to the killer. Sam uses her intuition and the evidence gathered to theorize the killer did not want to be seen by his victims.
Perfect Helen: Sam and George travel to his Minnesota hometown to investigate when someone is stealing the corpses of young, recently deceased Jewish woman. George and Sam learn that a Neo-Nazi group is active in the town. Though evidence points to the hate group, Sam feels the crimes are motivated by something other than anti-Semitism. This theory take shape when one of the two of the stolen bodies is found undamaged, with minor cosmetic changes made. Sam puts together a profile that characterizes the perpetrator as someone looking to create or re-create his vision of the perfect woman. Eventually, evidence points to a man who is insanely infatuated with a woman who works in his office. When the man kidnaps the object of his affection, Helen Jefferies, Sam fears he will attempt to ‘immortalize’ his vision of perfect beauty for all eternity.
Home for the Homicide: The youngest member of an orphaned clan kills to keep his dysfunctional family together. The first murder occurs when the young man kills the boyfriend his sister is considering marrying. Her marriage would result in her leaving the family and that would be unacceptable. Sam profiles that the killer is someone who has felt loss and who is desperately trying to hold on to something he values. The VCTF eventually discover this decidedly unconventional family and at first, mistakenly believe the physically abusive eldest brother is the killer. Sam soon realizes, however, that there is another, more emotionally immature force at work. Meanwhile, Bailey realizes his ex-wife, Janet, is seriously involved and considering remarriage. Also, Chloe is upset when Sam invites her new boyfriend, Paul, over for Christmas.
All in the Family: Fueled by the abuse they suffered as children, a brother and sister decide to save another child from the same unfortunate fate. To do this, the warped siblings kill the boy’s parents as well as two others to make it look like a mafia hit. The VCTF investigates the mass murder and Sam immediately bonds with the abused boy, Mark. The parents had mob ties, so it is immediately assumed that their murder resulted from their illegal activities. Though skeptical of this scenario, Sam does not dispute it for that would result in Mark being held by the system until the murder is solved. Meanwhile, Sam’s estranged father returns and the two try to heal their strained relationship.
Ceremony of Innocence: One of Sam’s first profiles resulted in a man being sentenced to death. Ten years later when the man is about to be executed, murders begin happening that match the m.o. of the prior killings. Ballistics evidence proves the same gun was used for all the crimes. Sam, feeling culpable for what might have been a deadly mistake, reopens the investigation. Evidence leads to a lowly bicycle courier who is mortally wounded when he resists arrest. Once the dying man is in custody, the death row inmate is released from prison. Though a wrong seem to have been righted, Sam still feels something is amiss.
Where or When: A serial killer who kills with his bare hands leaves the bodies of his male victims at the Brown Derby, the Trocadero, and other Hollywood landmarks. Sam profiles the killer as someone trying to rectify some trauma he experienced in his past. The team follows a trail of clues that eventually leads them to a rather ordinary cab driver who does not seem to have the strength necessary to commit the crimes. A search of the man’s apartment yields evidence however, that matches Sam’s profile to the letter. Sam soon realizes the man suffers from multiple personality disorder. Meanwhile, the imprisoned Donald Lucas continues to taunt Sam while George meets with Bailey where they discover that Sam’s father, a scientist, participated in experiments that had deadly consequences.
Inheritance: People who seem to have nothing in common are being killed in the Southeast USA. Grace’s autopsies find that all the victims has the same rare blood type. The team uncovers evidence that confirms all the victims were the children of Chris James Allmon, a Charles Manson-like cult leader currently incarcerated in a Georgia psychiatric facility. Sam interviews the adoptive parent of one of the remaining children and quickly surmises their son, Toby Watson, is the killer. She theorizes that he is killing his siblings to ‘cleanse’ himself of his deadly lineage. Meanwhile, Sam confronts her father, Walter Anderson, about his unethical experiments during the 1960s involving viral experiments that led to the mental breakdown of 34 people.
Heads, You Lose: Someone is killing the young and beautiful in Florida’s trendy South Beach by decapitating the victims and leaving their heads on public display. Sam profiles that the killer is striking against beautiful people as a result of his low self-esteem. Evidence eventually points to a young shipping magnate, named Thomas King, who has squandered his multi-million dollar inheritance on South Beach’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. Instead of blaming himself, he is now striking out at those who helped him spend his fortune. Meanwhile, Grace attempts to reconcile the strained relationship she has with her Cuban-American mother. Also, the detective on the case, Mario Monagno, falls for Sam and tries everything he can to land a date with her.
Otis, California: When Donald Lucas, the imprisoned Jack-of-All Trades killer, manages to hack onto the Internet, Bailey fears that he is communicating with a disciple. The investigation leads the VCTF to a small and very strange northern California town, named Otis, which is plagued by a series of Jack-of-All-Trade murders. With the assistance of the crackpot Sheriff Ed Post, Sam, Bailey and the team try to find the suspect. But George gets abducted by the suspect, who is connected to a reclusive, wheelchair-bound professor named Philip Mendez, who is found murdered. The search leads to an underground lab where Sam discovers her father once worked there for his government-sponsored mind-control experiments, in which Lucas was one of the test subjects.
Spree of Love: A series of murders across the Southwest leads Sam and the VCTF team to an unlikely couple: a 32-year-old woman, Josie Wells, and a 16-year-old boy, Alex Lopez, who apparently abducted her from her child’s soccer field in Boulder, Colorado. Sam figures out that the woman was apparently the victim of physical abuse as a child and has abandoned her unhappy and lonely married life and reliving her glory days with the boy she met on a help phone line. Meanwhile, Bailey tries to persuade his ex-wife, Janet, not to remarry for he feels she’s throwing her own life away.
Burnt Offerings: Sam and the team try to catch a mystic arsonist on the loose in Atlanta. Sam profiles that he apparently risks his own life by setting the fires himself on the spot. After a red herring lead involving a photographer always on the scene of the fires, Sam and the team find graffiti messages on walls of the burned out buildings in Persian meaning ‘fire god.’ The man is apparently seeking a ‘chosen one’ immune to fire in order take him to the afterlife to meet his deceased wife. Meanwhile, Sam is worried about Chloe when she becomes emotionally withdrawn when one of her classmates becomes a victim in one of the fires.
Three Carat Crisis: Sam and Bailey get caught up in a jewel heist by a trio of mentally unbalanced crooks named Randy, Kate and Stevie, that quickly turns into a hostage situation within the jewelry store. Sam and Bailey struggle to profile the perpetrators and their relationships with one another before any lives are lost. Sam tries to reason with the ringleader, Randy, to give up. Meanwhile on the outside the building, John quarrels with the pompous and overzealous police commander who wants to catch or kill all the perpetrators, even if it means that all of the hostages will be killed.
Seduction :George and Sam go undercover as IRS agents at Borden & Associates, a management office in Palm Beach, Florida, because five of their clientele have been murdered with one finger from their left hand missing. As Sam profiles the most likely suspect, Bobby O’Hara, who shows a strong interest in her, the firm’s shadowy security chief, Leo Cantrell, becomes suspicious of Sam’s true identity. Meanwhile, Kevin Miller, an arrogant FBI agent working the case, complicates the investigation much to Bailey’s worry for Sam’s safety and Miller’s indifference to otherwise, while John works with the local police detective, Lt. Cynthia Ford, in discovering the bodies.
Grand Master: Sam continues to study the case of Bryce Banks, a 13-year-old chess prodigy, whose life might still be in danger and deals with ‘Pretender’ Jarod (impersonating a police detective named Doyle) who is looking after Bryce. Her fears are proven right when Bryce disappears. Sam and Jarod suspect the enigmatic Father (aka: Ronald Dain) is using the boy in his revenge plans by killing all the members of a top-secret project 20 years before involving brainwashing.
Las Brisas: In the two-part season finale, the Donald Lucas trial begins as the team heads out to Mexico where in the small town of Las Brisas, women have been vanishing without a trace for the past year, and some corpses have been discovered. But their investigation is hampered on both sides of the border by the corrupt police chief, Miguel Villalobos, who is under the thumb of a U.S sheriff, J.D. Tollman, who try to derail the VCTF’s investigation when the murders lead to a powerful U.S. businessman named James Lofton, who’s running a textile factory in Las Brisas and has been seen in the company of local prostitutes, some of whom ended up as victims. While assisting Marta Fernandez, a loyal policewoman with the investigation, Sam and the group commute back and forth to Atlanta for Lucas’ trial with testimony from her, Bailey, George, against Lucas. Also testifying on Sam’s behalf is Sheriff Ed Post from Otis, California who, unknown to everyone, is actually the real Jack-of-All-Trades who has been in hiding all this time and is using Lucas, his disciple, to get close to Sam.
What’s Love Got To Do With It: Sam and Bailey work with FBI field agent Susan Marsh who is tracking Robert Lee Gregg, a conservative civic leader in Atlanta who is suspected in the killing of six gay men. But their investigation is happened by Susan’s former boyfriend, Richard Russell, who is stalking her. Susan insists she’s in control of the situation, but Bailey thinks otherwise when her boyfriend is found murdered and Russell is a suspect. Things get worse when Russell targets Bailey and his ex-wife Janet who are now back together. Meanwhile, Sam leaves the investigation and travels to Miami to investigate the disappearance of a local man who may be connected to the Gregg killings, and she finds herself being pursued by Detective Mario Monagno, who still wants to date her.
Season Four:
Reunion, Part 1: The day after getting shot by the real Jack-of-All-Trades, a wounded Bailey calls upon FBI profiler Rachel Burke to find Sam after Jack kidnaps her and subjects her to tortuous mind games by confining her within an abandoned warehouse and trying to get her to be like him in killing to achieve a sense of superiority. In the meantime, Rachel quickly works out the self-serving confessions of Donald Lucas, who she correctly assumes was a pawn in Jack’s game and by questioning Samantha’s father about her history, finally learns Jack’s real identity as Albert Newquay and of his methods.
Reunion, Part 2: A kidnapped Sam (Ally Walker) stalls for time as the murderous Jack of All Trades (Dennis Christopher) twists the facts hoping to convince her that she too will kill — when the subject and timing are right — while a recovering Bailey (Robert Davi) and new profiler Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner) grope for clues about Jack’s hideout. But Jack shows a new card when he lures Sam’s young daughter, Chloe (Evan Rachel Wood), into his web of deceit by convincing her that her mother was responsible for her father’s slaying.
Blind Eye: Now a member of the VCTF team, newly relocated Agent Rachel Burke sorts through a series of murders where the killer singles out successful career women and subjects them to perform humiliating housework and compulsive cleaning before posing them naked in kitchens or bathrooms. While Rachel narrows in on a suspect (guest star Scott Allen Campbell) whose timid, fearful wife (guest star Paula Malcomson) may be the missing link, she must first overcome her combative relationship with an increasingly skeptical John.
Old Ghosts: An obsessed Malone is haunted by an unsolved case in Georgia concerning several teenage girls who were slain with a knife 15 years ago, and when more older victims are suddenly found – marked with slashes on their bodies — his focus zeroes in on their original prime suspect who has resurfaced in the area. Once he has the VCTF team on board, he enlists Rachel’s help to connect the two crime sprees but his decision to exhume the earlier victims understandably draws the wrath of their ever-grieving parents.
Infidelity: When Rachel and Bailey investigate a series of Ohio murders in which the mutilated victims are cheating husbands, they suspect that the killer is the vengeful boyfriend of a woman common to all of the dead men… until she offers an unconvincing confession. Meanwhile, the VCTF team must contend with a local sheriff who wants to join their force, Grace must deal with her crumbling marriage and new pregnancy, and George is left limping after a painful car accident.
To Serve & Protect: When a series of random murder victims are found on the streets of St. Louis, Rachel and the VCTF team believe the killer is a military veteran who uses weapons of opportunity, and their focus shifts to an incoherent, ranting homeless person who fits the profile. However, Rachel wonders if she should widen her field of suspects to include any ex-serviceman, and trained killer, who is susceptible to an altered state psychosis. Back at VCTF headquarters in Atlanta, George ignores his increasing reliance on prescription pain pills while recovering from his minor car accident.
Original Sin: As Christmas nears, Rachel and the VCTF work into the night in search of a twisted serial killer who goes on-line to select his victims, all of whom are carefully screened, seeking a candidate he can make over into his ideal woman. Meanwhile, Rachel is surprised when her troubled younger brother, Danny, drops in from out of town and displays telltale signs of substance abuse. Also, Rachel finally confronts George about his own addiction to pain pills and other drugs.
Train Man: Rachel and Bailey respond to the growing list of isolated elderly men and women who are strangled while riding the rails in the Southwest, and Rachel notes cigarette burns that indicate the young killer must have been a victim of abuse as well. While the killer eyes his next targets, the VCTF theorizes that the dead victims must be surrogates for an angry drifter who feels rejected by society and taking it out on other derelicts. Meanwhile, Rachel begins to suspect George’s painkiller addiction due to his increasingly erratic behavior while Bailey quarrels with the by-the-book Arizona Sheriff Cunningham over their investigation.
Quid Pro Quo: Rachel and the VCTF team search for a serial killer who strangles women with knots of their own hair. But when the latest victim is the daughter of powerful mob boss James Perrone, the FBI profiler must gain the grieving father’s confidence to learn more about her habits. Meanwhile, Rachel is under pressure from the Bureau’s Organized Crime Division director, Joel Marks, to take advantage of her access to Perrone and wear a wire to trick him into confessing to a fellow mobster’s murder, thereby ending a lengthy investigation.
Clean Sweep: Rachel and the VCTF work with Jarod when two dirty Secret Service agents, who are their most direct link to the killers of a fellow agent, are found slain. However, while romantic sparks fly between the pair, Jarod suddenly disappears and is tortured by the murderer Todd Baxter, who is on a crazed mission to eliminate everyone he thinks is involved in the agency’s corruption. Meanwhile, Grace learns of George’s addition to painkillers and pep pills and threatens him to quit or she’ll inform on him.
Random Act: When John’s girlfriend is hurt during a convenience-store robbery, he shoots one of the criminals. Rachel and Bailey grow concerned that John may seek justice outside the law and his shooting comes under review, leading him to resign out of anger and guilt over his girlfriend’s condition.
Besieged: Rachel appears on a radio call-in show at her old college when a rapist calls to play mind games. While searching for the rapist, Rachel reunites with an old boyfriend who has since married her old roommate. She also meets the therapist assigned to her brother’s drug rehabilitation. In the meantime, George misses work in his attempt to kick his addiction to painkillers.
Proteus: Rachel faces charges for a past incident involving Grant while the team searches for a killer. Elsewhere, Rachel becomes more romantic with Tom Arquette and Bailey orders George to get help for his painkiller addiction.
Paradise Lost: Rachel and her colleagues track down the killer of a woman and her two daughters. Meanwhile, George’s substance abuse problem creates a huge embarrassment just as a congresswoman begins an investigation of the team and Danny finds out about Rachel dating his drug counselor.
The Long Way Home: Rachel trails a serial kidnapper she once prosecuted, while her brother runs away from rehab.
House of Cards: Rachel tries to find a pattern when a sniper kills several people at a public park. In the meantime, George thinks Kim Doyle might replace him and Grace worries about her pregnancy.
Mea Culpa: The team links a 12-year-old’s abduction from a diner to three recent murders, while Rachel’s home is ransacked.
Pianissimo: As the team investigates a pianist’s death, Jarod from The Pretender returns to help Rachel deal with her being harassed by FBI Agent Marks.
On Your Marks: Marks continues his revenge plot while the team investigate the deaths of two men who don’t seem to have any backgrounds.
Tsuris: The team investigates the murders of businessmen as Marks continues to spook Rachel.
Evil resurfaces in Derry as director Andy Muschietti reunites the Losers Club in a return to where it all began with “IT Chapter Two,” the conclusion to the highest-grossing horror film of all time.
Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise, he has returned to terrorize the town of Derry once more. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate ways. However, kids are disappearing again, so Mike, the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the others home. Damaged by the experiences of their past, they must each conquer their deepest fears to destroy Pennywise once and for all…putting them directly in the path of the clown that has become deadlier than ever.
IT CHAPTER TWO is directed by Andy Muschietti and stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor and Bill Skarsgård.
IT CHAPTER TWO releases in New Zealand cinemas on September 5, 2019.
Featuring: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rebecca Ferguson, Rafe Spall, Laurent and Larry Bourgeois and Liam Neeson
M.I.B UK Branch Head:“Always remember: the universe has a way of leading you to where you’re supposed to be, at the moment you’re supposed to be there.”
The latest movie in the ‘Men in Black’ franchise arrived in cinemas recently in the form of “Men in Black International” (2019), with little fanfare, compared to others this Summer and left quickly the same way after a thud at the box office as well as indifference to critics and audiences. This was never a huge franchise but it was based on something not only fun, silly as well as full of action but the entire idea was based around superstar Will Smith, his relationship to not only the outside world but the pocket universe he inhabited with all sorts of fantastical ideas and in jokes, not forgetting his relationship with the great Tommy Lee Jones, and in the third movie Josh Brolin. While the first three movies were controlled by a small group, that being Smith, director Barry Sonnenfeld and the producers the results were very much up and down with the nadir of the series still remaining the first entry “Men in Black” (1997) which at the time cemented Smith a a global star, while also showing a new side to character actor Jones. While Sony was able to squeak out three movies that have all done at least acceptably well at te box office there was little appetite in any of the big three returning so the series has been rebooted to move its location from the US to the UK, recasting all the parts and changing the production team. Attempting something like this fifteen or twenty years ago may have seemed like something original but in 2019 it is just another unoriginal property trying to gain an audience with its youngish cast and hopefully a director who is able to add some originality. However, like so many movies lately all that happens is using a predictable story, average special effects, actors going through the motions or even revealing that they are out of their depth and finally nothing of any substance that audiences will actually appreciate.
Surprisingly I had thought to have seen the very worst movie this year in the misfire “Hellboy” (2019) which to was a reboot of sorts but now I can confirm that this sci-fi/comedy is a complete disaster. While both movies share some of the same issues at least in “Hellboy” the actors were not only committed but offered performances that were in line with the movie they appeared in. Sure, the effects were not great, the story was a re-tread, albeit not a good one and the narrative was all over the place but you could at least see onscreen performances that were far better than the material. In “Men in Black International” however we have some actors who have all had recent success in Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Rebecca Ferguson who are all uniformly terrible unable to breathe any life into each of their own parts while adding little to the overall plot and narrative, showing singularly the difference between being a star and a character actor. The best way to illustrate this is the difference in performance only between Will Smith and Chris Hemsworth or even Tessa Thompson and Tommy Lee Jones, in one case you can see where actors know their parts, their roles and the story they are in.
The other important aspect of “Men in Black International” international are the writers and director who have been recruited to reboot this franchise. A movie as is often the case begins and ends with the script, here it has been written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway who have some experience, unfortunately this comes in the form of some very ill-conceived movies in the form of the absolutely awful “Punisher: War Zone” (2008) and “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017) both of which were essentially franchise killers, the same could possibly be said with “Men in Black International”. Their only real success was on the original MCU movie “Iron Man” (2007), however it is well worth noting this was a co-writing credit and they have never been asked back, something telling as successful writers have almost always been asked to return. In terms of director F. Gary Gray who has this decade been a part of one of the biggest studio franchises in the ‘Fast and Furious’ series with his entry “The Fate of the Furious” (2017) and an original biopic in “Straight Outta Compton” (2015) both of which were global successes the option to enter into sci-fi must have seemed like a great opportunity. To be fair there is nothing wrong or bad about his direction, he has obviously had a job to do and his executed it, unfortunately it is almost everything else that has been at fault which may come from his lack of control with bigger names in terms of stars and producers around him. There is no doubt that Gray has had a vast amount of experience with action and humour which does exist but not to a degree one would consider original, just cribbed from the first movie in the franchise.
“Men in Black International” begins in 1996 where Molly Wright witnesses her parents being neuralysed by agents of Men in Black while she helps an alien escape, avoiding neuralysation herself. Twenty-three years later, rejected from FBI and CIA due to her “delusions” regarding alien life, Molly tracks down an alien landing and follows MiB agents to their headquarters in New York City. Caught entering the agency, Molly makes an impression on Agent O, arguing that she has proven her skills and has no life outside her search for the agency. She is awarded probationary agent status as “Agent M” and assigned to the organisation’s London branch.
It may have seemed like a good idea to cast Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson after their perceived success in the MCU movie “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) where some seemed to think they had chemistry, however Thompson, who has proven herself to be a very good actress over a variety of different movies, seemed to have more actual chemistry with co-stars Tom Hiddleston and Mark Ruffalo. This movie proves two things, that Chris Hemsworth is a character actor at best, is no comedian and is unable to carry a movie by himself. Watching “Men in Black International” and the two leads is painful at best with neither of them able to take control offering performances that seem one note, beyond their abilities and they also seem miscast completely. Not only that but the rest of the cast do not come of well either with dialogue that is not only heavy handed, completely woke and out of place but forced so much that the entire movie is boring. Both Rebecca Ferguson and Rafe Spall seem to not know what movie they are in, with characterisations that are vanilla and bland, to be fair Ferguson is not helped but a terrible wig, shoddy CGI and it seems no make-up, she is left floundering at sea for her part. The two veterans and A listers in Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson are not in the movie enough or are just reciting lines from a certain ‘Star Wars’ prequel which may seemed like a cool thing to do but comes off as hammy in the very worst way imaginable.
Of course, one of the major components of a movie like “Men in Black International” are the special effects of which a large portion are made up of CGI which like many Summer tentpole movies is overused and overdone here especially when interacting with real props, locations and of course the actors. Most of the effects stand out like a sore thumb which is not great especially for the audience who are taken out of the movie at every instant. As mentioned the treatment of Rebecca Ferguson in terms of her make-up and special effects is nothing short of deplorable. There are fully CGI characters contained within the narrative, they look not fully designed or realistic in terms of their own environments which in today’s movie going experience is unforgivable. A great example of a three-dimensional CGI character, for example would be Rocket from the MCU movies, there is nothing even close to that good here. It seems that the laziness within the script as well as the acting has made its way into the special effects and CGI which is something that could not have been said for the first three movies.
What I would have loved to have seen in this reboot firstly was an original script something that was not a knockoff of the first movie in all but name which cries out of laziness to get something into theatres. This movie is almost a beat for beat copy of that original movie except where there were consequences, a divide between the real world and the alien one, where there was some logic to the way the world actually works and a variety of other elements this has all been merged into one giant mess. There is also a large chuck of artificial wokeness that inhabits this movie with little subtly, it is almost like everyone involved is at pains to point out that there is woman involved, but in case you missed it women have been involved in all three movies.
In my mind I could not recommend this mvie at all, in fact it is possibly the worst movie released this year which is saying something as we had “Hellboy” only a few months ago. Avoid this at all costs!
Featuring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, and Helen Mirren
Deckard Shaw:“This job requires stealth. Look at you.”
Luke Hobbs:“I’m trying to save the world, which, for the record, will be my fourth time. ‘Cause I’m really good at it.”
If there was any time a movie proved that ego trumps talent or even common sense it is exemplified in this week’s release of the rather wordy but accurate “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (2019) which takes two of the stars from the main ‘Fast’ franchise who are either too big to shoehorn into that main movies or simply don’t get on with the majority of other actors in that same set of movies. “Hobbs & Shaw” does something that most sequels or spinoffs do to entice moviegoers, that is cash in on what is now a global brand, attempt to up the ante with special effects as well as action, cram in as many recognisable faces as well as cameos so it distracts from the fact that these are fairly unoriginal as well as set up possible sequels and spinoffs so the brand is pushed forward (or at least that is the great trick of the studio, stars and producers). It may be hard to believe but it has been two years since the box office smash “The Fate of the Furious” (2017), which like its predecessors and this spinoff created a space where CGI surpassed physical stunts, the actual plots introduced new characters and moved into having MCU/Mission Impossible style stories and for some reason the idea of family was doubled down on even though there were serious ructions within the cast.
What is not surprising with “Hobbs & Shaw” is that the writers, stars and director have all forced the family narrative so far that the Shaw character has his mother and sister in the movie and of course Hobbs has his daughter and his entire family, so only that the finale of the movie is set in his ‘home’ of Samoa. In terms of story none of this makes the slightest bit of sense but if you are watching this in cinemas at this stage as an audience we simply do not care. This isn’t a slight at all it is just obvious that if you firstly believe that these two are the ones recruited to get whatever it is that are supposed to do, that their entire families would be introduced, that the laws of physics that are in play here would make the MCU blush, that there are 1960s James Bond villains here and that with all the action nothing is accomplished and that the amount of destruction that is displayed would make Roland Emmerich blush then you will the theatre happy, but possibly a little bewildered.
This film franchise has been on the precipice twice, once after the third entry was released “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2005), secondly after the sudden death of star Paul Walker, when “Furious 7” (2015) was still in production. But now against all odds the billion-dollar franchise returns with its ninth (sort of) instalment, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”, apparently the start of a new set of movies for both Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, both having proved over the past few years that they have much to offer potential audiences. The franchise that began as a cautionary tale about street racing has re-invented itself at least twice, once as a heist series and now as some kind of hybrid franchise, balancing a few time-honoured genres.
This movie’s plot, if you could call it that, begins with a crew of MI6 agents attempting to retrieve a virus, Snowflake, which can be programmed to decimate millions of people, from terrorist organization Eteon. Brixton Lore, an Eteon operative with advanced cybernetic implants kills all agents except for their leader, Hattie Shaw, who injects Snowflake into herself as a dormant carrier and escapes. Brixton frames Hattie as a traitor who killed her team and stole Snowflake, forcing her to go on the run. Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw are both informed of the missing virus and are assigned to work together reluctantly to track it down. You can guess how these wacky personalities don’t get on then put their issues aside and crush the bad guys all the while making sure you know how important their families are or become.
In an attempt to make this spinoff relevant as well as reflecting how action movies have gone especially in the age of the new ‘Mission Impossible’ movies as well as the genuinely great ‘John Wick’ franchise the producers have recruited director David Leitch who while he proved he was a great stunt co-ordinator and a good second half of a directing duo in Chad Stahelski with their stunning debut “John Wick” (2014). However what time and experience have shown with Leitch’s movies since in “Atomic Blonde” (2017) and “Deadpool 2” (2018) is that he can undoubtedly direct action as well as being able to show some sense of style which is crucial in modern day blockbusters, serving him well in all three of his previous efforts. Where there is a deficiency in his abilities is being able to harness a script and pushing a clear original plot through a narrative that is unique and logical. This is a movie that does not rely on close fights or stunt work, it relies on CGI, over the top action and old fashioned villains, which this has especially the latter with Idris Elba as a one note chief henchman with an unknown head villain who has yet to be revealed ala SPECTRE in old James Bond movies and this is where this movie is myopic and derivative as well as outlandishly illogical to the point where you have to get on or leave the theatre after the first act. To mitigate this as well as having this movie on brand Chris Morgan, writer and producer of the main franchise has been recruited as has screenwriter and sometime director Drew Pearce who attempt to bring something to this movie but as I have said it ends up being like an ugly James Bond movie, instead of alcoholism and womanising we have some kind of weird family narrative which not only feels forced but false as well.
It is beyond obvious to point out that Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are not only the stars of this movie but the essential point of almost every single element, it is rare to see a movie that is so ego driven that there is literally no time for anyone else at all. The very existence for every facet of this movie is either one or both of these people, everyone wants to either be with them, be them or kill them, it is a true case of narcissism as well as a great deal of nepotism. Both main stars do what they do best and have done so throughout most of their careers, that is be big, bold, brash and one note. There are a few supporting actors as well, the main ones being Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby, one playing the villain the other Shaw’s sister who also acts a maguffin of sorts and the only real female in the plot. Elba does what he has done before, that is play a foil for the leads something he has done before, here he is more action oriented and I assume his pay check was the reason for appearing in this movie. On the other hand, Vanessa Kirby who was last seen as an antagonist of sorts in “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2018) here does extremely well in a limiting part, although she shines in the elements of her character that see her as an individual and not a damsel in distress which she is reduced to for long stretches of the plot. There also seemed a need to have cameos from a variety of actors who headline their own movies, Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds was two examples which again seems like throwing elements at a board, seeing that sticks then replicating it later in other instalments which for me as an audience member seems like a cheat and that I am being tested which I really do not enjoy.
As with not only the movies in the ‘Fast’ franchise but in any big budget action movie the use of CGI has completely been accepted by audiences, not only that it is expected, this movie is no exception. In fact, there is almost no scene that does not use CGI for wire work, matte paintings, face replacement and a myriad of other elements that are completely hidden. The effects used in this movie are over the top so that when they do not look completely realistic it is accepted as what is being portrayed is so obviously a fantasy. The issues for me are that because much of the action is not based in the real world any problems can be overcome with CGI which is a complete cheat in my mind as it short-changes storytelling. There is an argument to be made that a restriction in the use of CGI can assist storytelling, great examples are last years “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and “The Dark Knight” (2008) where physical effects are used to accentuate storytelling not replace it, perfect examples.
“Hobbs & Shaw” does exactly what it advertises in that it is a complete action movie that is all fiction, not based in reality and contains some familiar elements and characters from another franchise. It attempts to make the narrative about something real but this seems even more forced than the same elements from the main movies which is saying something. I recommend this for people who like or love the ‘Fast and Furious’ movies and cannot wait until next year for the next instalment. If you are wanting to see something different in a buddy cop-like movie then this may disappoint as the two main stars do not mix that well or very often which for me misses the point of the movie and is a missed opportunity as isn’t this what it was advertised as? Apart from that it is big, loud, violent and humorous so if you enjoy that you will enjoy this, as well as the sequel which I am sure will arrive in the next two years.
Lionsgate has issued a new final trailer for “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut,” the 4K restoration of Francis Ford Coppola’s famed and multi-award winning 1979 Vietnam War epic inspired by Joseph Conrad’s colonialist novel “Heart of Darkness”.
Restored from the original negative for the first time ever, the new take is said to be Coppola’s most realized version of his celebrated film – coming in somewhere between the original theatrical and ‘redux’ versions and the one he dubs his favorite version of the classic movie:
“It’s my favorite version because I feel the first one we released was clipped too short and REDUX is a little too long. This one is ‘just right.”
Lionsgate is releasing “Apocalypse Now; Final Cut” in theaters, including select IMAX cinemas, on August 15th and 18th, ahead of the film’s disc and Digital HD release in 4K on August 27th.
George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman lead the cast alongside Colin Firth, Mark Strong Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden and Andrew Scott in the project which has been lensed by the one and only Roger Deakins (“Blade Runner 2049”), edited by Lee Smith (“Dunkirk”) and composed by Thomas Newman (“American Beauty”). Though not confirmed, there’s strong rumor this has been shot in a way to resemble one continuous take.
1917_official_trailer_hd_UcmZN0Mbl04_1080p
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield and Blake are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers – Blake’s own brother among them.
Universal Pictures will release the project on December 25th.
Altitude Films have released the red-band trailer for rising Australian filmmaker Abe Forsythe’s new zombie comedy feature “Little Monsters” starring Lupita Nyong’o (“Us”) and Josh Gad (“Beauty and the Beast”).
The story follows a washed-up musician (Alexander England) who teams up with a plucky teacher (N’yongo) and a kids show host (Gad) to protect a kindergarten class from a sudden outbreak of zombies during a school excursion to a farm.
Steven Zaillian penned the adaptation of Charles Brandt’s nonfiction book “I Heard You Paint Houses,” De Niro plays Frank Sheeran who admitted killing 25 men for the mob, including his friend, the Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa.
Pesci plays Pennsylvania mob boss Russell Bufalino, and Pacino plays Hoffa. The film will get a theatrical release by Netflix this fall before it jumps to the streaming service, but specific dates are not yet set.
Netflix has premiered the first trailer for the second season of its celebrated profiler series “Mindhunter” which boasts David Fincher (“Se7en”), Andrew Dominik (“The Assassination of Jesse James”) and Carl Franklin (“Devil in a Blue Dress”) as directors of the nine-episode run.
The second season covers the Atlanta child murders of the late 1970s and early 1980s and also features a significant role for Charles Manson. Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany and Anna Torv reprise their roles while Joe Tuttle, Albert Jones, Stacey Roca, Michael Cerveris, Lauren Glazier, and Sierra McClain co-star.
Featuring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz and John Lithgow
Jud Crandall:“They said the ground was… bad.”
Louis Creed:“Sour. They said the ground was sour.”
Critical Commentary
This month heralded the arrival of the Stephen King adaptation and remake, “Pet Sematary” (2019) on to DVD/Blu-ray/4K, which is not known as one of his great works but the original is actually a very decent horror movie with a very good director in Mary Lambert as well as some excellent performance in the cast, most especially the great character actor Fred Gwynne. The original is known for some great shocks, some very good special effects, a very spooky setting as well as interesting enough to almost have become classic. Now with the arrival of what must be considered a new interest in King novels as well as the massive success of “It” (2017) studios are looking at what they can exploit quickly so we now have this remake which is a far lesser success than the original, seeming like a tepid schlocky cash in, which is a shame as it deserved much better than what we have received.
The story revolves around Louis Creed, a doctor from Boston, Massachusetts who moves to the small town of Ludlow, Maine with his wife Rachel, their two young children, Ellie and Gage, and Ellie’s cat, Church. At the university hospital, Louis is left shaken after failing to save the life of Victor Pascow, a student who was fatally injured after being struck by a vehicle. He later experiences a vivid dream in which Victor Pascow leads him to the back of the cemetery and warns him not to “venture beyond.” On Halloween, Church is killed by a truck. Jud takes Louis to the Pet Sematary, then farther to an ancient burial ground to bury Church. The next day, Louis is stunned when Church returns home alive, although he is more aggressive, violently ripping open a bird. I don’t think you need to have the gift of second sight to know where this story is headed but it does devolve into a mess that if you have seen the original or read the book you will not be pleased by where it ends up.
Technical Commentary
Paramount Home Entertainment released Pet Sematary (2019) to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack. The dual-layered UHD66 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 disc, and both are housed inside a black case.
Video Review
“Pet Sematary” arrives on 4K with a strong but disappointing HEVC H.265 encode, showing a few appreciable improvements, but the overall results are fairly similar to the Blu-ray.
Shot on Arri Alexa cameras capable of up to 3.4K resolution but later mastered to a 2K digital intermediate, the upscaled transfer comes with slightly better definition and clarity in the surrounding foliage and in the threading of clothing. However, the 2160p picture comes with its fair share of mildly soft scenes and some instances of negligible aliasing along the sharpest edges.
The best and biggest improvement is the richer and marginally wider color gamut, delivering more vivid, full-bodied primaries than its HD SDR counterpart.
Audio Review
“Pet Sematary” contains a demo-worthy Dolby Atmos soundtrack that’s sure to impress all viewers of this 4K.
One of the best aspects of this object-based design is how nuanced and subtle it is, supplying ambient effects while reserving the louder noises for some scary moments.
Special Features
The bonus material is only available on the accompanying Blu-ray disc.
Beyond the Deadfall (HD): A set of four featurettes looking into various aspects of the production, such as adapting the original novel for contemporary audiences, the production design and shooting locations, the casting and characters, and interview discussions on the plot’s themes.
Featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern and Al Pacino
Cliff Booth:“Alright, What’s the matter partner?”
Rick Dalton:“It’s official old buddy, I’m a has been.”
Well its official the latest (and ninth) Quentin Tarantino has opened, that being the homage titled “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” (2019) (as seen onscreen), a period piece set in the late 60s/early 70s that is basically a ‘hang out’ movie (that is we seem to be just spending time with DiCaprio/Pitt), as well as fictionalising an earlier time in Hollywood as well as featuring almost every single pop culture element of that time and in classic Tarantino fashion also boasts a huge soundtrack that resonates more than the actual plot, if there could be said to be any at all. This movie much like “Inglourious Basterds” (2009) is a loose narrative built around real events but featuring events as well as characters purely fictionalized based on real people who are amalgams of truer characters; the line between reality and fiction is blurred as it has real people on the periphery so legitimising the entire endeavour. What this means for this film as well as others of its ilk is really unknown at this time as history will judge the relative success or failure, but for now it left me a little cold in one way but it was a fun ride while it lasted which is how I feel those involved felt. The time in which this is set is one of the most important aspects of “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”, it is a time of real change, not only in terms of the politics of the day, but the landscape of entertainment was shifting as well, money from outside Hollywood was arriving with conglomerates purchasing studios outright, Hollywood was about to see the arrival of the ‘easy rider, raging bull’ generation (which Quentin wishes he was a part of) and the last real generation of legends were born, that is the last true movie stars. The movie also features a who’s who of actors who have appeared in previous Tarantino movies from his first effort to his last, with some new additions, most notably Margot Robbie who shines in a limited role. Curiously this film marks a major part of the US Summer box office as one of only a handful of original movies released not only during this period but this year in total, it will unlike many original films this year make money for its distributor Sony, in spite of its release, R rating and subject matter.
If this movie was said to be based on anything it is definitely the idea behind Peter Biskind’s book (later documentary “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood” (2003)) which covers much of the results of what occurs within this film. This movie acts as more of a homage to the imagined reality of Hollywood in 1969 as opposed to the real events which makes the entire thing a lot more palatable, especially with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in the lead roles as Clint Eastwood and Hal Needham types respectively, two of the greatest ever in their jobs. Of course, the most obvious person that DiCaprio and Tarantino could have chosen to ape would have been Needhams closest friend Burt Reynolds but that may have been too on the nose, although Reynolds was supposed to make an appearance here. What is obvious throughout this film is that Tarantino has a love for this period that he has emulated throughout his career not only as director but as screenwriter, this is the strength of the narrative where is comes unstuck is in its treatment of real events and people, especially Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski, Bruce Lee and Charles Manson, which do not feature as much as one might think, this was definitely the right decision to make.
The movie initially set in 1969 Los Angeles, centres around actor Rick Dalton, the former star of the 1950s Western television series Bounty Law, who finds his career faltering due to ongoing alcoholism issues. Dalton laments to Cliff Booth, his best friend and stunt double, that his career is over. Booth, a war veteran who lives in a derelict trailer next to a drive-in in Van Nuys, attempts to bolster Dalton’s self-confidence. Meanwhile, actress Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski have just moved into the home next door to Dalton’s. Dalton hopes to befriend the couple and use Polanski to restore his leading man status.
Quentin Tarantino has never been known as someone who tackles issues or is at pains to analyse elements of politics and society in ways others might, but here we see a deep dive into the past with a huge number of themes covered, but in ways that are not heavy handed or will be even obvious to most, which has to be a part of Tarantinos growth as a man as well as a talent. While the plot of “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is pedestrian at best there are few writers of dialogue like Tarantino, this is perhaps his greatest attribute as is his way with a character, both of which come from his upbringing and training. The other great aspect of Tarantinos movies is the look, placement and movement of the camera where he is assisted by legendary and long-time cinematographer Robert Richardson who again shows what a master can do given the freedom he obviously has with his director. “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is possibly the best looking, most assuredly directed film this year, it will certainly take something special to see something any better or well composed.
The movie is led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt who are both effortless in their portrayal of their characters, although with these two at the head of any movie it matters little what they both actually do. Here Tarantino uses them as what they are, movie stars, who as an audience you feel like you are on a journey with them which is almost exactly the point. Neither of them are strangers to Tarantino or his movies as both have worked with him prior to this, so they know what he requires and they play along, almost at times winking to the audience which is to be expected. Of course, one of the other major aspects of a Tarantino movie is the way he casts great character actors in major parts or even just in cameos, in particular he always has actors he loves, so we see Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, Luke Perry, Timothy Olyphant and a whole host of others which for a cinephile is a true treat indeed. No matter who we see in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” they are all serving the purpose of auteur Tarantino who, no matter what you think of him, is in total command. Which brings me to the casting of Margot Robbie, Rafal Zawierucha and Damon Herriman as Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski and Charles Manson respectively who are all excellent as real people in their limited time onscreen, it is a shame as I would have liked to see more of them, all three are unforgettable which is saying something as the three are still major parts of Hollywood history and lore.
Tarantino touches on a host of real events and locations such as the Playboy Mansion, studio backlots, real as well as legendary locations, the Italian movie scene, some of the sentimental L.A. restaurants and hotels which mean a lot to the director. We also see some very real commentary on stardom, popular music, the actual power of stardom, Hollywood homes, modern consumerism, old fashioned greed, drugs, cults, fetishism, auteur power, growing importance of TV, waning of star power, talent versus luck, egotism, truth versus the legend, the end of the swinging 60s into something more serious and troubling, the burgeoning porn industry, the importance of genre and a host of other ideas that will unfold on further viewings I am sure. At its very best “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is a snapshot of Hollywood over a handful of years that highlights some of the ways change took place in Hollywood as well as the entire media landscape which is one of the most important periods in not only Hollywood but the world itself. Through the leads characters eyes we see drugs come to the fore, independent cinema become a voice for a generation, foreign cinema as opportunity that still exists today, the lack of permanence and who that still resonates, the passing of an old guard and of course violence as not only metaphor but a way to cement struggle.
“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” as a movie is interesting as it uses a lot exposition as it disseminates a possible forgotten history which the director wants to keep alive but because of this it sometimes feels like a history lesson and not entertainment. To bring a sense of the time Tarantino where he can uses real footage from movies as well as intercutting his actors with the that footage which is a way to legitimise his own ideas and this works to a degree, especially when Sharon Tate is in a theatre watching herself in “The Wrecking Crew” (1968). The director also recognises the importance of genre as well as changing tastes in regards to genre which Hollywood (and Tarantino himself) lives off and generates billions of dollars each year from.
With “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” Tarantino has written and directed a film that contains a lot of material that will appeal to a wide audience, it has big stars being funny, loud and action orientated, it also has a lot of elements people will recognise as being Tarantinoish, he pokes fun at institutions but at the same time he has reverence as he is now part of the same institutions. You will enjoy this if you love movies as well as have an admiration for cinema and its history as well as that being skewered and heavily fictionalised. Ultimately though this will appeal to those who worship at the altar of Tarantino, it will not bring new people in but will legitimise his own success. It still has many elements that make him popular, it is violent, is overly masculine and is not at all woke, it is like the writer and director a throwback which is maybe what we need right now.
Soundtrack:
Treat Her Right – Roy Head & The Traits (1965)
The Green Door – Jim Lowe (1956), performed by Leonardo DiCaprio
I’ll Never Say Never To Always – Charles Manson (1969)
Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel (1968)
The Letter – Joe Cocker (1969)
Summertime – Billy Stewart (1956)
Funky Fanfare – Keith Manfield (1969)
Hector – The Village Callers (1968)
Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man – The Bob Seger System (1968)
The House That Jack Built – Aretha Franklin (1968)
MacArthur Park – Robert Goulet (1969)
Paxton Quigley’s Had the Course – Chad & Jeremy (1968)
Hush – Deep Purple (1968)
Son of a Lovin’ Man – Buchanan Brothers (1969)
Choo Choo Train – The Box Tops (1968)
Kentucky Woman – Deep Purple (1968)
Good Thing – Paul Revere & The Raiders (1966)
Time for Livin’ – The Association (1968)
Hungry – Paul Revere & the Raiders (1966)
The Circle Game – Buffy Sainte-Marie (1967)
Jenny Take a Ride – Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (1965)
Can’t Turn You Lose – Otis Redding (1967)
Soul Serenade – Willie Mitchell (1968)
Bring a Little Lovin’ – Los Bravos (1966)
Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show – Neil Diamond (1969)
Hey Little Girl – Dee Clark (1959)
Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon – Paul Revere & the Raiders feat. Mark Lindsay (1969)
Don’t Chase Me Around – Robert Corff (1969)
California Dreamin’ – Jose Feliciano (1968)
Dinamite Jim (English Version) – I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni (1966)
Out of Time – The Rolling Stones (1966)
Straight Shooter – The Mamas & The Papas (1966)
Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon) – The Mamas & The Papas (1968)
Snoopy vs. The Red Baron – The Royal Guardsman (1966)
Featuring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Phi Vu, Suraj Sharma, Sarah Yarkin, Ruby Modine and Steve Zissis
Tree Gelbman:[to Ryan] “Now you’re stuck in this day. Congrats. Oh, and by the way? You’re going to die. Again… and again… and again.”
Ryan Phan:[cringes] “Carter, tell your girlfriend to stop trying to scare me.”
Carter Davis:“Oh, she’s not my girlfriend.”
[Tree gives Carter an offended look]
Carter Davis:“Well, wait, are you my girlfriend?”
This month saw the release of the latest Blumhouse horror movie “Happy Death Day 2U” (2019) onto DVD and Blu-ray a sequel to “Happy Death Day” (2017) which was yet another box office success for the producers costing a miserly US$5 million, but generating over US$100 million at the global box office, making this yet another example of how Jason Blum is ruling the horror genre as well as utilizing talents such as director Christopher B. Landon (son of Michael) and actress Jesscia Rothe who were not well known quantities but thanks to that first movie were able to return for the sequel. What is interesting with this new sequel was that Landon has put a spin on the horror movie and injected more of a sci-fi feel and look as well as introducing and expanding on new and existing characters to attempt to give the movie more depth as well as a broader appeal. The fact that the first movie was such a hit as well as being reviewed well has meant that Blum has allowed the change of genre as well as expanding the movie, however the results were less than stellar with this new movie making a third less than the original, costing double and not being reviewed very well either, this would appear to kill the franchise before it really got going.
I have made the point before but the past ten years has been a bonanza for genre movies, especially horror, not only does there seem to be more being produced than ever before, especially with the advent of cheap film making equipment, more quality filmmakers entering the genre as well as more production companies realising there is money to be made, especially with the increase in online streaming services. This is where Jason Blum and his Blumhouse production company has entered the market finding a cost/revenue model that works for them, partnering with a major distribution partner in Universal and not limiting itself to theatrical projects, but also partnering with Netflix. In fact, this year Blumhouse will have released nine movies over a variety of mediums their most ever, including the follow to the Oscar winning “Get Out” (2017) in Jordan Peele’s hit “Us” (2019), a belter of a cross-genre film. What is even more impressive is that all the movies that they have released have made enough money to all be profitable which is something few other production companies is able to claim.
“Happy Death Day 2U” starts with college student Ryan who wakes up in his car on Tuesday, September 19. Returning to his dorm room, he walks in on his roommate Carter and Carter’s girlfriend Tree. He resumes work on an experimental quantum reactor with fellow students Samar and Dre. After Bronson, the school dean, shuts down the project for triggering several power outages, Ryan is murdered by someone dressed as Babyface, and wakes up again on Tuesday the 19th. Tree explains her experience reliving Monday the 18th, and she and Carter agree to help Ryan. They learn the reactor was responsible for creating the loop. If you have seen the earlier movie then you know that there is more restarting the story to come as well as twists especially with this movie as it involves a multiverse arc that is not only complex but leaves open the door for more stories, which is a blessing as well as a curse.
“Happy Death Day” written and directed by Christopher Landon is not a bad movie at all, in fact I did enjoy it but in creating a sequel it meant that it could not be exactly the same as the first which was a novel idea to begin with so adding a dci-fi component, from the outside looks like it makes complete sense, especially when you have someone as charismatic and naturally funny as star Jessica Rothe. To his credit Landon is a very experienced screenwriter of genre movies so having him take over the writing as well as directing seems like a good movie but this movie ultimately deteriorates from the opening going to a place that is not wholly original or unfortunately compelling for an audience to follow. The movie itself with an increase in budget means more characters as well as more effects which it uses but it all seems squandered, again a crime in a movie like this that essentially ups the ante but does not really serve the story at all. Don’t get me wrong there are some really nice moments mostly those are picked up from the first movie, especially with Tree’s sorority and her boyfriend’s friends which are all great. When a Blumhouse movie hits it is not because of the budget or stars, it all comes down to plot and narrative which is exactly where this one falls down.
John Krasinski returns as the Tom Clancy-created character who this time out is tracing a suspected shipment of illegal weapons to Venezuela, heading to that South American country to investigate. He soon stumbles upon a far-reaching conspiracy.
As events progress, Ryan and his colleagues around the globe – including the United States, UK, Russia, and Venezuela – engage in a furious race to avoid disaster and stabilize a nation on the edge of ruin.
Director Ruben Fleischer (“Venom”) and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (“Deadpool”) are all returning for the project, as are stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.
The original followed four strangers who meet on the road in the middle of the zombie apocalypse and, while initially at each other’s throats, they soon come to bond with each other and form a close-bonded group.
Paramount Pictures has premiered a new full trailer and international trailer for “Gemini Man,” the upcoming Ang Lee-directed sci-fi assassin thriller in which Will Smith takes on a more youthful facsimile.
Smith plays an ageing assassin attempting to leave the lifestyle, but finds himself hunted by an early twentysomething clone of himself. Smith also plays the clone, utilising extensive de-ageing to take him back to resembling early 1990s Smith.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Amazon Studios, “The Goldfinch” is the film adaptation of Donna Tartt’s globally acclaimed best-selling novel, which won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.
Theodore “Theo” Decker was 13 years old when his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tragedy changes the course of his life, sending him on a stirring odyssey of grief and guilt, reinvention and redemption, and even love. Through it all, he holds on to one tangible piece of hope from that terrible day…a painting of a tiny bird chained to its perch. The Goldfinch.
THE GOLDFINCH is directed by John Crowley and stars Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Oakes Fegley, Aneurin Barnard, Finn Wolfhard, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Ashleigh Cummings, Willa Fitzgerald, Aimee Laurence, Denis O’Hare and Boyd Gaines.
THE GOLDFINCH releases in New Zealand cinemas on September 26, 2019.
