That A Wrap! # 2: Trailers, Crows and Unnecessary Sequels

That's a Wrap #2

Hello and welcome to 'That's A Wrap!' The weekly post where I wrap up the film news for this week.

In last  week's blog I mentioned how I am not a huge fan of comedy sequels being made. So you can guess how I reacted when it was reported that Ben Stiller has hired a writer to write Dodgeball 2.  I found Dodgeball to be one of the best and most quotable comedies from the '00s era. It was predictable but when you have a hilarious script as well as well written and memorable characters you can forgive it's minor flaw. It was also a good underdog story, just like Rocky but with a more comical approach. I'm not convinced that they could make another film out of this and have it as funny and clever as the original. However, it has been reported that Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) and White Goodman (Stiller) will unite in this second outing to tackle a bigger foe and I would actually like to see that as I can imagine it being a good comedy duo.  I still believe a sequel to this is not necessary but who knows it could be good!

Another sequel that has been talked about this week is Ghostbusters 3. For years script writer and co-star Dan Aykroyd has been trying to get the sequel up and running but it seems as though this will finally happen as it has been reported that they should start shooting next year. I'm personally getting tired of hearing about this film as it's something I don't think should be made. The original was such a hit both with critics and at the box office and is still today popularly viewed and is seen as an '80s classic.  Though the sequel was mediocre and wasn't anywhere near as good as it's predecessor it didn't damage my fond memories of watching the first one but I think this might. For me it feels as though these actors just want to relive their times in the '80s, back when Ghostbusters was that big film that everyone was raving about. Time has moved on, new comedy actors have arrived and are entertaining us. For me just seeing actors coming back to a film thirty years after the first one is uncomfortable to watch. It just seems desperate. It's not clear if Bill Murray will return for the third outing but if he doesn't I'd say good for him as he has moved on to other projects. Aykroyd states that they are introducing Ghostbusters to a new generation, well why don't we just make sure that when we have kids we'll show them the original? It's too early to judge whether the film will be good or not but for me it is that sequel that seems unnecessary.

There has also been a release of first trailers for upcoming films this year. The first is for Keanu Reeves' directorial debut Man of Tai-Chi. As you can imagine from a teaser trailer it doesn't reveal much about the plot but this does however confirm that there will be a huge amount of fighting involved. The majority of the trailer focuses on fight sequences and from what I have seen they look well choreographed and highly entertaining. This could be an impressive first picture from Reeves however after watching the trailer I still he needs to improve on his acting. 

Another teaser trailer that has been released this week is the Ratchet & Clank movie, which is obviously based on the popular game franchise. In the last decade not many video game based films have wowed critics or even their fans but this one I do believe has potential. One reason why I believe this is because instead of going for a typical live action route it will be done in 3D animation, so the well known characters will look exactly how they look in the games. Staying close to the source material artistically I believe plays an important role when you are adapting something, whether it be from a book, graphic novel or a video game. When I went to see The Adventures of Tintin though it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for I still found it staying true to Herge's world with Steven Spielberg choosing performance capture rather than having it shot in live action. You felt as though you were in the comic strip and that's how I feel Ratchet & Clank will be with it being done in 3D animation. For an early teaser trailer I was very pleased with the outcome. I especially loved the breaking the fourth wall gags and them realising they are being animated on a computer.  If you haven't watched it yet then I'd highly recommend it, it reminded me of a teaser trailer from Pixar, not revealing anything but manages to get you hooked.

Thor: The Dark World's trailer has now been released and if you haven't seen it yet you should really check it out. I was overall impressed with this first trailer for the God of Thunder's second solo outing. From what I can tell it's going to be bigger and darker, which I think are the two key elements when making a sequel to a big film e.g. Dark Knight, Terminator 2, Empire Strikes Back.

On the topic of Thor, actor Thomas Hiddleston who played Thor's arch nemesis Loki has been rumoured to play The Crow in the reboot, which is currently in development. I believe with Hiddleston's build he is a good choice to play the anti-hero. It was reported that Channing Tatum and Mark Wahlberg were also in talks to play the comic book character. As much as I like both actors I think they're too well built to play this character   . 

More movie news coming next week. Have a great weekend!

Remember, the thoughts I have expressed in this blog are only my own and I do not intend to influence others.

 

Film Review: To the Wonder

Director:  Terrence Mallick

Starring:  Ben Affleck, ​Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem & Rachel McAdams

In 2011  director Terrence Mallick came to my attention when I went to see his film The Tree of Life. It was one an unforgettable cinema experience. A film that was completely different to other films I would usually watch but it was one that I thought about for days. It made me think as well as feel something. When I heard Malick's new film entitled To the Wonder was coming to one of my local cinemas I couldn't wait to watch another unconventional film by him. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes!

To the Wonder is a beautiful and powerful film by Malick, whose main focus for this film is love and religion. The story follows the ups and downs of the relationship between Neil (Affleck) and Marina (Kurylenko). Neil is an American whilst Marina is a French single mother. They both decide to move to America, where their love for each other begins to fade. During these difficult times Marina comes across a priest (Bardem) who is struggling to have faith in his religion whilst Neil  encounters a childhood friend (McAdams) who he begins to reconnect with.

The script is, for the majority of the time, passionately written. There are a few lines where I found myself slightly confused to what they meant. The lines written along with the beautiful cinematography feels like a collaboration between a poet and a painter. Both different arts interwoven  in order to create this effective mise en scene. Though the film concentrates on visuals for the narrative more than dialogue it felt as though the use of physicality through the characters was the dialogue. Mallick seems to be one of those directors who believes actions speak louder than words and here he shows that. Though the film is beautifully shot I always felt as though the story wasn't overshadowed by the cinematography.

The acting was naturalistic and as a result made me believe in the characters and in times felt a slight connection. I did, however, find Affleck to be slightly uncomfortable in scenes where his character has no motives.  His character Neil wasn't as well presented compared to the others. Whilst other character's objectives were shown clearly, Neil's wasn't. However, as I carried on watching the film I started to believe maybe that was the whole point. As the story develops Marina realises how distant and mysterious Neil becomes and it feels as though that's how we as an audience should feel too, we should view Neil as a complete mystery that we want to solve but know we may never get to.  

Though I couldn't keep my eyes off the stunning imagery shown I still felt that I was somewhere familiar, somewhere that I felt I could connect to. Having it set in a modern period was possibly a reason I felt a closer connection to this story as well as the themes of love and questioning the existence of God. Different aspects of love are explored in this film and I felt as though anyone could find even a fragment of it that they could connect with.

The narrative is highly unconventional but this shouldn't come as a surprise if you have watched The Tree of Life. It was reported that Malick had edited out performances from actors including Michael Sheen, Jessica Chatstein and Rachel Weisz and it felt as though their absence caused holes in the narrative to occur. However, for me this did not create too much of a problem as I found the story to still continue even with missing parts. Malick doesn't want to make the narrative easy for his audience and I believe in this film he wanted them to keep up with the story even when months or years had passed without us being fully aware.

Watching To the Wonder is like observing a painting, what you see before you could be viewed as something completely different in the eyes of another. That is one of the reasons why I loved this film, it allows audiences to have their own interpretation of it,  play an active role whilst viewing. When I left the cinema, like I did with The Tree of Life it left me thinking as well as feeling something. It made me wonder at how love can release a variety of emotions within someone. It can make someone happy, angry, confused or even upset. I believe Malick achieved what he set out to do and though this has received harsh reviews from many critics and film goers I frankly believed it is one of the best films I have seen this year.

That's a Wrap!

​Hello and welcome to That's a Wrap!  The weekly post where I wrap up the film news for this week. 

There has been a huge amount of exciting news for film fans this week.  The one that personally stood out for me was the news that Disney are planning to release a new Star Wars film every year after 2015, which is the year JJ Abrams' ​​​Episode VII​ will be released.  It has been reported that in between the films for the new and third trilogy in the Star Wars ​ ​franchise there will be standalone films released.  These will include characters such as Han Solo and Boba Fett getting their own film.  Personally I'm especially excited for Boba Fett to have his own movie.  When I was young and I witnessed his insulting death for the first time I didn't take much notice of it until I was older when I realised how much of an interesting and bad-ass character Boba Fett was.   I do hope the film will be set after the events of Return of the Jedi ​where we will see how Boba Fett survived.

In other news involving Disney, director Joss Whedon has given some update on the sequel to last year's brilliant box office smash hit ​Avengers Assemble​. ​​​The director has stated that the film should start shooting in February 2014.  Until then we will just have to wait patiently and enjoy the upcoming Marvel films in the next couple of years, including Iron Man 3​ (April 25th), Thor: The Dark World​ (November 8th), Captain America: Winter Soldier​ (April 4th 2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy ​(August 1st 2014).  With Whedon over looking the whole of 'Phase 2' I am very confident that the future for Marvel films in the next few years will be exciting.

On the topic of sequels it has been confirmed that 21 Jump Street 2​ will hit cinemas in 2014.  I absolutely loved the first film with it's funny gags, clever script and most all the perfect chemistry between Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.  I am not too sure how to react to the news that there will definitely be a sequel.  I have always felt with comedies that making a sequel could possibly ruin the smartness and originality that the original had.  Films such as Porkies​, The Hangover​, and American Pie​ have all had sequels and none have been able to match with their predecessors (though I did find the American Pie sequels to still be funny).  With Anchorman 2, ​Ted 2 and a possible Zoolander 2​ on the way it worries me that all of these may make their creators go from comical geniuses to cash cows*.  I could however be wrong about these upcoming comedy sequels, we will all have to wait and see.  I do hope like everybody that these will bring laughter to us just like their predecessors did.

Zombieland 2​ may not be hitting our cinema screens any time soon, however the new TV series has just begun showing with the pilot episode now available on Lovefilm and Amazon.com.  I  haven't had chance to sit down and watch it but I have had chance to view the trailer... When I first heard there would be TV series adaptation of the popular 2009 hit film I was expecting it to be set in the same universe with different characters and from what I have seen in the trailer I can state I was wrong.  Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin have all been replaced by new actors.  This isn't the first time this has happened however when you have a memorable character such as Tallahassee (Harrelson) it is impossible to find an actor who could portray him to the same standard.  When I watched the trailer I didn't laugh at  the jokes, which I considered to be weak.  Let's hope that Zombieland 2​ arrives quickly!!

​On the topic of comedy it has been rumoured that Family Guy​ creator Seth MacFarlane has been approached to host the Academy Awards again next year. The reaction to MacFarlane's hosting at Oscars was divisive, however I was one who found him to be an entertaining host.  With him being the man behind Family Guy​, American Dad ​ and Ted​ it mustn't have come as a surprise that his jokes were going to be crude and offensive.  With MacFarlane stating he may not host ever again due to his heavy business schedule it seems very unlikely this will happen.

More film news coming next week.​

​*Remember, this is just my personal opinion.

Hey!

​Hello, fellow film fans.

My name is Chris Marland,  a good friend of Raichious ​Muffin creator Matt Hancox. 

Ever since I was young I have been passionate about cinema. Every time I went it was a special treat for me. Once the lights went down I was about to enter a new world where the impossible could happen and the words "That would never happen" were perminantely banned. The film could make me laugh, cry, have me think differently about myself as a person and life in general. When I look back on my life so far it doesn't surprise me that my times at the cinema have not been forgotten. The characters, the imaginative stories, the special effects, the scenes that created cinema magic have all stayed alive in my mind and will continue to.

I could talk about films for days and having the chance to have my own blog page where I can discuss cinema is something I have always wanted to do.​ Here I will be reviewing films, talking about upcoming films, discussing films that have been and gone, and anything else that involves cinema.

​I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I will enjoy writing them.

​Chris Marland.