Tuesday, January 31, 2017

In Memory of John Hurt (1940-2017)







John Hurt (1940-2017)

Friends and fellow movie buffs, it is with sorrow that I bring you the news that English actor Sir John Hurt died of pancreatic cancer on 25 January 2017 at age 77. He was a widely known actor who was notable for his smooth, distinctive voice and his film roles in "Alien", "The Elephant Man", "V for Vendetta", and series like "Hellboy" and "Harry Potter". His acting profession spanned more than five decades, starting in 1962 with his first movie, "The Wild and the Willing". Four years later, Hurt got cast in his first role in a big-screen adaptation of "A Man for All Seasons", and in 1971, he played a neighbour accused of murder in "10 Rillington Place", starring opposite Richard Attenborough. His role in the film eventually earned him a nomination for a BAFTA Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. While continuing his film career, Hunt starred in television dramas, such as portraying Quentin Crisp in the play "The Naked Civil Servant". It won him his first British Academy Television Award and made him a prominent actor. Hurt had another acclaimed performance in a BBC adaptation of "I, Claudius" as Roman Emperor Caligula the following year.

Not until 1978 was John Hurt recognised as the best character actor at the cinema when he starred in "Midnight Express", which earned him a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Academy Award nomination. During that same time, Hurt would do voice-overs in two animated films. Such roles include Aragon in Ralph Bakshi's interpretation of "The Lord of the Rings" and Hazel in "Watership Down". His talent and fame would spread the word to director Ridley Scott, who cast him as the first victim of an extraterrestrial threat in a movie that proved terrifying space horror - that no one could hear anyone scream. The feature was entitled "Alien", and it featured the character's death placed as the iconic scene of film history, and he would later reprise his role in a 1987 sci-fi parody "Spaceballs". After "Alien", Hurt starred in what was to be a hit and heart-wrenching biography from up-and-coming Director David Lynch about a hideously deformed figure who was the title character of the movie known as "The Elephant Man".

Other roles that Hurt portrayed in movies and television include Winston Smith in "Nineteen Eighty Four", the demonic Horned King in "The Black Cauldron", "Bird" O'Donnell in "The Field" (again nominated for a BAFTA award), the wandmaker Olivander in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone(which he then reprised his role in "Deathly Hallows: Part 1and "Part 2"), Professor Broom in "Hellboy(while also reprised the role in "The Golden Army"), a leader of a dictatorship in "V for Vendetta", Harold Oxley in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulland the War Doctor in "Doctor Who". In 2004, Hurt was appointed a commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was honoured with a BAFTA award for his outstanding contribution to the cinema in 2012. In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him as Sir John Hurt for his services.

Before his death, Hurt recently played a priest in "Jackie", and two of his final movies were "That Good Night" and "Darkest Hour", due to be released soon. My condolences go to his family, and may you rest in peace, John Hurt.

Friday, January 27, 2017

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Review (Australia Day 2017)













The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert


Release Date: 8th September 1994 - Australia


Production Companies
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Australian Film Finance Corporation (in association with)
Latent Image Productions Pty. Ltd (producer)
Specific Films (producer)
New South Wales Film & Television Office


Genre: Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 99 minutes


Budget: A$1,884,200

Box Office Gross: $16,459,245 (Australia)


Plot Summary
Bernadette, Tick and Adam have personal reasons for wanting to leave the safety of Sydney: a contract to perform in a drag show in the Australian desert. In their battered tour bus "Priscilla", the wickedly funny drama queens set off
for the outback... where
their eye-popping
adventures outdo their
eye-popping costumes.


Cast
Hugo Weaving - Tick/Mitzi
Terence Stamp - Bernadette
Guy Pearce - Adam/Felicia
Bill Hunter - Robert 'Bob' Spart
Julia Cortez - Cynthia Campos
June Marie Bennett - Shirley
Alan Dargin - Aboriginal Man
Mark Holmes - Benjamin
Sarah Chadwick - Marion
Daniel Kellie - Young Ralph
Leighton Picken - Young Adam
Ken Radley - Frank
Hannah Corbett - Ralph's Sister
Trevor Barrie - Ralph's Father
Rebel Penfold-Russell - Logowoman
Murray Davies - Miner
Frank Cornelius - Piano Player
Maria Kmet - Ma
Joseph Kmet - Pa
Margaret Pomeranz - Adam's Mom (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Writer/Director - Stephan Elliott
Executive Producer - Rebel Penfold-Russell
Producers - Al Clark and Michael Hamlyn
Production Designer - Owen Paterson
Art/Additional Director/Catering: Sunday -
Colin Gibson
Costume Designers - Lizzy Gardiner
and Tim Chappel
Key Makeup/Hair Artist - Cassie Hanlon
Makeup/Hair - Angela Conte
Director of Photography - Brian J. Breheny
Stunt Coordinator/Safety Supervisor -
Robert Simper
Film Editor - Sue Blainey
Sound Supervisor/Mixer - Phil Judd
Additional Sound Designer/Sound Recordist -
Guntis Sics
Sound Coordinator/Effects Editor - Steve Erskine
Music - Guy Gross


Awards

1994 Academy Awards
Best Costume Design - Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner (Won)


Review
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, was an iconic film not just for Australian viewers. Back in the year of its release, the movie was considered risqué, but nowadays, the lifestyle choices of the main characters are (mostly) accepted by the broader community. PRISCILLA was a low-budget road comedy with an unusual premise about cross-dressers (sans one) stuck in the desert of Australia. The script is well-written with humour, including a few jabs at ABBA and poignancy with scenes containing prejudice and discrimination that some viewers may find offensive.

The film takes you to the outback scenery in its cinematography with kitschy costume design and disco-flavoured background music to see the glitz, glamour and flamboyance in PRISCILLA. Hugo Weaving was in one of the lead roles and was an unknown actor. He acted with fellow newcomer and co-star Guy Pearce, who was the sassiest of the bunch, and Terence Stamp was an old drama queen who didn't seem to hold his stuffiness any longer.

PRISCILLA is a flashy and comical film and a must-see for Aussie film-buffs.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

89th Academy Awards



Broadcast Date: 27th February - Australia


Hello, cinema-goers and welcome to another year of the Oscars. The nominations for the 89th Academy Awards got unveiled, and the host of the ceremony will be television comedian/host Jimmy Kimmel. The movie musical La La Land has received fourteen nominations, including Best Picture. It is yet to tie the record with previous Oscar winners like Titanic and All About Eve.

Here is the list of nominees that are soon to win the Oscars.


Best Visual Effects

Deepwater Horizon - Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton
Doctor Strange - Stephanie Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould
The Jungle Book - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon
Kubo and the Two Strings - Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould


Best Film Editing

Arrival - Joe Walker
Hacksaw Ridge - John Gilbert
Hell or High Water - Jake Roberts
La La Land - Tom Cross
Moonlight - Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon


Best Costume Design

Allied - Joanna Johnston
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Colleen Atwood
Florence Foster Jenkins - Consolata Boyle
Jackie - Madeline Fontaine
La La Land -  Mary Zophres


Best Makeup and Hairstyling

A Man Called Ove - Eva von Bahr and Love Larson
Star Trek Beyond - Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo
Suicide Squad - Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson


Best Cinematography

Arrival - Bradford Young
La La Land - Linus Sandgren
Lion - Greig Fraser
Moonlight - James Saxton
Silence - Rodrigo Prieto  


Best Production Design

Arrival - Patrice Vermette and Paul Hotte
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Stuart Craig and Anna Pincock
Hail, Caesar! - Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh
La La Land - Sandy Reynolds-Wasco & David Wasco 
Passengers - Guy Hendrix Dyas and Gene Serdena


Best Sound Mixing

Arrival - Bernard Gariepy Strobl and Claude La Haye
Hacksaw Ridge - Kevin O'Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace
La La Land - Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth


Best Sound Editing

Arrival - Sylvain Bellemare
Deepwater Horizon - Wylie Stateman and Renee Tondelli
Hacksaw Ridge - Robert MacKenzie and Andy Wright
La La Land - Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
Sully - Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman  


Best Original Song

"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from La La Land - Music by Justin Hurwitz and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"Can't Stop the Feeling" from Trolls - Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster (Shellback)
"City of Stars" from La La Land - Music by Justin Hurwitz and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"The Empty Chair" from Jim: The James Foley Story - Music and Lyric - J. Ralph and Sting
"How Far I'll Go" from Moana - Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda 


Best Original Score

Jackie - Mica Levi
La La Land - Justin Hurwitz
Lion - Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka
Moonlight - Nicholas Britell
Passengers - Thomas Newman


Best Animated Short Film

Blind Vaysha - Theodore Ushev
Borrowed Time - Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj
Pear Cider and Cigarettes - Robert Valley and Cara Speller
Pearl - Patrick Osborne
Piper - Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer


Best Live Action Short Film

Ennemis Interieurs - Selim Azzazi
La Femme et le TGV - Timo Von Gunten and Giacun Caduff
Silent Nights - Aske Bang and Kim Magnusson
Sing - Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy
Timecode - Juanjo Gimenez


Best Documentary - Short Subject

Extremis - Dan Krauss
4.1 Miles - Daphne Matziaraki
Joe's Violin - Kahane Cooperman and Raphaela Neilhausen
Watani: My Homeland - Marcel Mettelsiefen and Stephen Ellis
The White Helmets - Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara


Best Documentary - Feature

Fire at Sea - Gianfranco Rosi and Donatella Palermo
I Am Not Your Negro - Raoul Peck, Remi Grellety and Hebert Peck
Life, Animated - Roger Ross Williams and Julie Goldman
O.J.: Made in America - Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow
13th - Ava DuVernay, Spencer Averick and Howard Barish


Best Foreign Language Film

Land of Mine (Denmark) in Danish - Martin Zandvliet
A Man Called Ove (Sweden) in Swedish - Hannes Holm
The Salesman (Iran) in Persian - Asghar Farhadi
Tanna (Australia) in Nauvhal - Martin Butler and Bentley Dean
Toni Erdimann (Germany) in German - Maren Ade


Best Animated Feature Film

Kubo and the Two Strings - Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner
Moana - Ron Clements, John Musker and Osnat Shurer
My Life as a Zucchini - Claude Barras and Max Karli
The Red Turtle - Michael Dudok de Wit and Toshio Suzuki
Zootopia - Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer


Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

Arrival - Eric Heisserer from 'Story of Your Life' by Ted Chaing
Fences - August Wilson from his own novel (posthumously)
Hidden Figures - Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi from 'Hidden Figures' by Margot Lee Shetterly
Lion - Luke Davies from 'A Long Way Home' by Saroo Brierley and Larry Buttrose
Moonlight - Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney from 'In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue' by Tarell Alvin McCraney


Best Writing - Original Screenplay

20th Century Women - Mike Mills
Hell or High Water - Taylor Sheridan
La La Land - Damien Chazelle
The Lobster - Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Fillipou
Manchester by the Sea - Kenneth Lonergan


Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis - Fences as Rose Lee Maxson
Naomie Harris - Moonlight as Paula
Nicole Kidman - Lion as Sue Brierley
Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures as Dorothy Vaughan
Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea as Randi


Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali - Moonlight as Juan
Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water as Marcus Hamilton
Lucas Hedges - Manchester by the Sea as Patrick Chandler
Dev Patel - Lion as Saroo Brierley
Michael Shannon - Nocturnal Animals as Detective Bobby Andes


Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert - Elle as Michelle LeBlanc
Ruth Negga - Loving as Mildred Loving
Natalie Portman - Jackie as Jackie Kennedy
Emma Stone - La La Land as Mia Dolan
Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins as Florence Foster Jenkins


Best Actor

Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea as Lee Chandler
Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge as Desmond T. Doss
Ryan Gosling - La La Land as Sebastian Wilder
Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic as Ben Gash
Denzel Washington - Fences as Troy Maxson


Best Director

Dennis Villeneuve - Arrival
Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge
Damien Chazelle - La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins - Moonlight


Best Picture

Arrival - Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder and David Linde
Fences - Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington and Todd Black
Hacksaw Ridge - Bill Mechanic and David Permut
Hell or High Water - Carla Hacken and Julie Yorn
La La Land - Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt
Lion - Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder
Manchester by the Sea - Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck and Kevin J. Walsh
Moonlight - Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner 


Academy Honorary Awards

Jackie Chan
Anne V. Coates
Lynn Stalmaster
Frederick Wiseman

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Monday, January 23, 2017

Monster Trucks Review











Monster Trucks


Release Date: 12th January 2017 - Australia


Production Companies
Disruption Entertainment
Nickelodeon Movies
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Animation

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia 


Genre: Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 105 minutes


Budget: $125,000,000

Box Office Gross: $64,493,915
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Tripp is a high school senior with a serious passion for trucks and builds his own, using bits and pieces of scrapped cars. What he never expected was that he would find a monster in his truck.

Tripp discovers a creature who can act as an engine to his monster truck, allowing him to perform superhero feats. Tripp names him "Creech," and the two go an unforgettable adventure together, forming an unbreakable bond. (Source - Metro Cinemas)


Cast
Lucas Till - Tripp
Jane Levy - Meredith
Thomas Lennon - Jim Dowd
Barry Pepper - Sheriff Rick
Rob Lowe - Reece Tenneson
Danny Glover - Mr. Weathers
Amy Ryan - Cindy
Holt McCallany - Burke
Frank Whaley - Wade Coley
Samara Weaving - Brianne
Tucker Albrizzi - Sam Geldon
Chris Gauthier - Mr. Geldon
Cinta Laura - Ariel

Crew
Director - Chris Wedge 
Story - Matthew Robinson
Story/Executive Producers - Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
Screenplay - Derek Connolly
Executive Producer - Cale Boyter
Producers - Mary Parent and Denis L. Stewart
Co-Producer - Kurt Williams
Production Designer - Andrew Menzies
Costume Designer - Tish Monaghan
Cinematography - Don Burgess
Special Effects Supervisor - J.D. Schwalm
Automation Supervisor - Andrew Verhoven
Visual Effects Supervisor - Nicolas Aithadi
Film Editor - Conrad Buff IV
Composer - David Sardy


Review 
The year 2017 has just started and the movie season is already getting interesting. Today's review is on the film titled 'MONSTER TRUCKS' and though shot in live-action with some CG animation rendering, it was Director Chris Wedge's first feature to be used in that format after taking a break from the animation industry of Blue Sky where he was known for creating the animated movie series of 'Ice Age'. While 'MONSTER TRUCKS' is aimed at family audiences it misses the warmth that was seen in most classic family-oriented movies, it is entertaining with plenty of action and well-written jokes to laugh at. Even having a moral storyline that can be understood by both young and older audiences.

The actors Lucas Till, Jane Levy and Rob Lowe deserve a mild applause for their very decent performances except that their characterisations were in need of depth to prevent it from being plain and underdeveloped.

None of the critics were into 'MONSTER TRUCKS' and have tolerated it as it did leave a bad taste in their mouths. I don't mind that it was colourful and very entertaining, I just find it a good picture. This has been quite an easy movie to follow, I would recommend viewing it on the big screen.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Monday, January 16, 2017

Red Dog: True Blue Review














Red Dog: True Blue


Release Date: 26th December 2016 - Australia


Production Companies
Woss Group Film Productions
Screen Australia
Essential Entertainment
Good Dog Enterprises
Endymion Films (in association with)
ScreenWest (in association with)
Film Victoria (in association with)

Distribution
Roadshow Films


Genre: Family/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 88 minutes


Budget: $45,000,000

Box Office Gross: A$5,218,716 (Australia)


Plot Summary
Eleven-year-old Mick goes to live with his grandfather in a remote territory, where he befriends a dog who will one day become the Australian legend known as Red Dog. Together, they go on many adventures that prove to be life-changing for both of them.


Cast
Phoenix - Blue Dog
Jason Isaacs - Michael Carter
Levi Miller - Mick
Bryan Brown - Grandpa
Hanna Mangan Lawrence - Betty Marble
Justine Clarke - Diane Carter
Thomas Cocquerel - Bill Stempie
John Jarratt - Lang Hancock
Steve Le Marquand - Little John
Zen McGrath - Theo Carter
Kee Chan - Jimmy Umbrella
Winta McGrath - Nicholas Carter
Syd Brisbane - Big John
Calen Tassone - Taylor Pete
Kelton Pell - Durack
Josie Alec - Abby
Igor Sas - Dr. Samuel
Jon Doust - McLeod
Catlin Berestford-Ord - Catherine

Crew
Director - Kriv Stenders
Screenplay - Daniel Taplitz
Executive Producers - Di Bain, Graham Burke, Greg Parker, Joel Pearlman, John Poynton, Colin Vaines and Marc van Buuren
Producer - Bryce Menzies
Producer/Music Supervisor - Nelson Woss
Co-Producer/Editor - Jill Bilcock
Co-Producers - Mark Kraus and Chris Veerhuis
Casting Director - Christine King
Production Designer - Sam Hobbs
Art Director - Emma Fletcher
Set Decorator - Christine Lynch
Costume Designer - Anna Borghesi
Director of Photography - Geoffrey Hall
Second Unit Director/Director of Photography -
Ernie Clark
Stunt Coordinator - Zev Eleftheriou
Head Dog/Horse Trainer: Animals All Around -
Zelie Bullen
Additional Dog/Horse Trainer: Animals
All Around - Craig Bullen
Special Effects Supervisor - Peter Stubbs
Editor - Rodrigo Balart
Re-Recording Mixers - Marco August Comba
and Chris Goodes
Music - Cezary Skubiszewski


Review
The massive success of Red Dog inspired family viewers and dog lovers as they went to see this film in Australian cinemas. The humorous and melancholy drama of this true story has touched them. However, the plans for a prequel did surface in 2015, when filming had begun. It premiered on Boxing Day in the year after that. More family-friendly in its distinctive appeal, TRUE BLUE was a bit of a disappointment and didn't have as much charm as the original movie. The newly added indigenous themes to the prequel assist in relating more to the native Australian culture. The narrative is not too reminiscent of several boy-and-his-dog films like Disney's Old Yeller.

The movie has a few extraordinary standout actors like Bryan Brown, an Aussie legend, who is much-fitted in his challenging but more severe role as the grandfather. British thespian Jason Isaacs was quite a narrator when portraying the older version of the young boy. Levi Miller is a natural choice as the young boy who discovered Red Dog and became his first master.

Overall, it was a solid, emotional and entertaining family movie that seemed to have drawn a step back from its top-dog predecessor. Viewers like you would see the picture, as I highly recommend it.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

Monday, January 9, 2017

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition Review














Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice:
Ultimate Edition


Release Date: 20th July 2016 - Australia (Blu-ray Only)


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)
DC Comics
DC Entertainment
RatPac Entertainment (in association with)
Atlas Entertainment
Cruel and Unusual Films


Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 182 minutes


Budget: $250,000,000


Plot Summary
It's been nearly two years
since the city of Metropolis
was almost devastated by
the colossal battle between
Superman and General Zod. Some people begin to fear him for his great power, including Gotham City's vigilante Batman, who sees Superman as a threat to everyone else and embarks on a personal vendetta. Contrariwise, Superman fears that Batman's actions are reckless and tries to stop him. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor, owner of Lex Corp, is devising something big that will destroy humanity! Will one triumph over the other? Or will Lex Luthor take over Metropolis?


Cast
Henry Cavill - Clark Kent/
Superman
Ben Affleck - Bruce Wayne/
Batman
Jesse Eisenberg - Lex Luthor
Amy Adams - Lois Lane
Diane Lane - Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne - Perry
White
Jeremy Irons - Alfred
Pennyworth
Holly Hunter - June Finch
Gal Gadot - Wonder Woman
Scoot McNairy - Wallace Keefe
Callan Mulvey - Anatoli Knyazev
Tao Okamoto - Mercy Graves
Michael Cassidy - Jimmy Olsen
James Mamoa - Aquaman (Cameo)
Ray Fisher - Victor Stone/
Cyborg (Cameo)
Joe Morton - Silas Stone (Cameo)
Ezra Miller - Barry Allen/
Flash (Cameo)
Kevin Costner - Jonathan Kent
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Thomas Wayne
Lauren Cohan - Martha Wayne
Brandon Spink - Young Bruce
Wayne
Robin Atkin Downes -
Doomsday
Harry Lennix - Secretary
Swanwick
Carla Gugino - Kelor (Voice)
Christina Wren - Major Carrie
Farris
Jena Malone - Jenet Klyburn
Wunmi Mosaku - Kahina Ziri
Dennis North - Senator
Barrows
Sebastian Sozzi - Cesar
Santos
Rebecca Buller - Jenny
Coburn Goss - Father Leone
Joseph Cranford - Pete Ross
Emily Peterson - Lana
Patrick Wilson - President of the United States (Voice)
Patrick Leahy - Senator Purrington (Cameo)
Debbie Stabenow - Metropolis Governor (Cameo)
Vikram Gandhi - Himself
(Cameo)
Andrew Sullivan - Himself
(Cameo)
Charlie Rose - Himself
(Cameo)
Neil deGrasse Tyson -
Himself (Cameo)

Crew
Director - Zack Snyder
Batman Creators - Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Superman Creators - Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Character Creator: Wonder
Woman - William Moulton Marston
Character: Alfred Pennyworth -
Jerry Robinson (Uncredited)
Writer/Executive Producer - David S. Goyer
Writer - Chris S. Terrio
Associate Producer/First Assistant Director - Bruce Moriarty
Executive Producers - Christopher Nolan,
Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns, Benjamin Melniker,
Michael Uslan and Emma Thomas
Producers - Charles Roven
and Deborah Snyder
Co-Producer - Curt Kanemoto
Co-Producers/Unit Production Managers -
Jim Rowe and Gregor Wilson
Casting Directors - Jo Edna Boldin,
Kristy Carlson and Lora Kennedy
Production Designer - Patrick Tatopoulos
Concept Artists - Michael Meyers,
Vance Kovacs, Victor Martinez, Robert KcKinnon,
Christian Schuerer and Ed Natividad
Supervising Art Director - Tom Sizemore
Art Directors - Lorin Flemming,
Beat Frutiger, Gregory S. Hooper and
Tom Frohling
Art Director: New Mexico Unit - Patricio M. Farrell
Specialty Vehicles/Batmobile Dennis McCarthy
Set Decorator - Carolyn Loucks
Property Master - Doug Harlocker
Costume Designer - Michael Wilkinson
Makeup Department Head - Victoria Down
Key Makeup Artist - Kate Biscoe
Director of Photography - Larry Fong
Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell
"B" Camera Operator/Director of Photography:
Second Unit - William R. Dalgleish
Supervising Location Manager/Production
Supervisor - William Doyle
Location Manager: Chicago - James McAllister
Production Supervisor - Matthew Hirsch
First Assistant Directors: Second Unit - Rob Burgess,
Brandon Lamboin and Julian Wall
Second Assistant Director - Misha Bukowski
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator - Damon Caro
Stunt Coordinator - Tim Rigby
Fight Choreographers - Ryan Watson
and Guillermo Grispo
Aerial Coordinator - David Paris
Special Effects Supervisor - Joel Whist
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor - Joe Letteri
Visual Effects Supervisor - John 'D.J.' Des Jardin
Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Guillaume Rocheron
Visual Effects Supervisor: Scanline VFX -
Bryan Hirota
Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital - Keith Miller
Visual Effects Producer - Josh R. Jaggars
Visual Effects: Method Studios - Olivier Dumont,
Troy Moore, Douglas Bloom, Lisa Goldberg,
Christopher D. Sanchez and Crystal Rossman
Animation Supervisor: Weta Digital - Simeon Duncombe
Visual Effects Production Supervisors:
Scanline VFX - Frank Belina, Stephen Davis,
Evan Fraser, Hans Heymans, Joel Kittle,
Yvonne Munde, Eric Petey, László Sebõ and
Dan Warom
Sound Designer & Supervisor - Scott Hecker
Sound Designer - Chuck Michael
Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Jenkins
and Michael Keller
Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker
and Rick Owens
Editor - David Brenner
Music - Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL
Additional Music - Steve Mazzaro,
Andrew Kawczynski and Benjamin Wallfisch
Score Mixer & Recordist - Alan Meyerson
Score Wrangler - Bob Badami


Review
It originally premiered in its theatrical cut in 2016, BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE remains starkly divisive among fans of DC's two titular protagonists who were the main centre of this movie. Those displeased with the film's dour tone and characterisation should have balanced some lightheartedness instead of its brutal and gritty nature. I had imagined this would be a mild disaster for director Zack Snyder and the DC extended universe, which he helped to create in trying to face the shadow of Marvel. In the film's history, the studio compromised it when they insisted on having a faster-paced cut and trimmed 31 minutes of the picture. Because of this, the final product received a negative backlash, and Snyder took the blame for its reception.

Now that the ULTIMATE EDITION is available to the general public, we can finally experience the missing scenes. However, some bits of awkwardness remained in the new and improved feature. One of those would be the unnecessary introduction of Doomsday and a few expositional scenes. The ULTIMATE version improves the coherence taken down from the narrative and the characterisation. Some of the acting performances in this movie also improved (minus Jesse Eisenberg's insane Lex Luthor).

The ULTIMATE EDITION of BATMAN V SUPERMAN is promising and might make up for those greatly disappointed by the final version. Unfortunately, this edition is out on Blu-ray. It's for those who have waited for a long time for this movie.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Wednesday, January 4, 2017

2012 Review












2012


Release Date: 12th November 2009 - Australia


Production Companies
Columbia Pictures (presents)
Centropolis Entertainment
The Mark Gordon Company (Uncredited)

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 158 minutes


Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $791,217,826 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
The world is ending
because the Earth's core is
heating up, which causes
the crust to become
unstable, as discovered
by Dr. Adrian Helmsley,
who is part of a worldwide
geophysical team. Warning
U.S. President Thomas
Wilson that the Earth's
crustal structure was
destabilising and that
failure to prepare to save
a fraction of the world's
population would lead to
the destruction of the whole
species. Meanwhile, the
same information has been
stumbled upon by writer
Jackson Curtis. As the
world's leaders rush to
build "arks" to escape the
oncoming disaster, Curtis
struggles to find a way
to save his family. In
the meantime, volcanic
eruptions and earthquakes
of unprecedented strength
are wreaking havoc worldwide.


Cast
John Cusack - Jackson Curtis
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Adrian Helmsley
Amanda Peet - Kate Curtis
Thandie Newton - Laura Wilson
Oliver Platt - Carl Anheuser
Tom McCarthy - Gordon
Silberman
Danny Glover - President
Thomas Wilson
Woody Harrelson - Charlie Frost
Liam James - Noah Curtis
Ziatko Buric - Yuri Karpov
Alexandre Haussmann - Alec
Philippe Haussmann - Oleg
Johann Urb - Sasha
John Billingsley - Professor West
Chin Han - Tenzin
Osric Chau - Nima
Tseng Chang - Grandfather Sonam
Lisa Lu - Grandmother Sonam 
Blu Mankuma - Harry Helmsley
George Segal - Tony Delgatto 
Stephen McHattie - Captain Michaels
Patrick Bauchau - Roland Picard
Jimi Mistry - Dr. Satnam Tsurutani
Ryan McDonald - Scotty
Merrilyn Gann - German Chancellor
Henry O - Lama Rinpoche
Zinaid Memisevic - President 
Sergey Makarenko
Paul Tryl - Zultan

Crew
Writer/Executive Producer/
Director - Roland Emmerich
Writer/Producer/Music - Harald Kloser
Associate Producer - Kristin Winkler
Executive Producers - Ute Emmerich and Michael Wimer 
Producers - Mark Gordon and Larry Franco
Co-Producers/Visual Effects Supervisors -
Volker Engel and Marc Weigert
Co-Producer/Second Unit Director - Aaron Boyd
Casting Director - April Webster
Military Advisor - Ron Blecker
Production Designer - Barry Chusid
Concept Artists - Tex Kadonaga and
James Clyne
Supervising Art Director - Don MacAulay
Set Decorator - Elizabeth Wilcox
Costume Designer - Shay Cunliffe
Director of Photography - Dean Semler
Aerial Directors of Photography: Second Unit -
Anne Foerster and Hans Bjerno
Underwater Director of Photography - Pete Romano
Unit Production Manager - Michael J. Malone
Location Managers - Hans Dayal, Ann Goobie
and Frederick G. Schroeder (Uncredited)
First Assistant Director - Tommy Gormley
First Assistant Directors: Second Unit -
James Bitonti and Andrew M. Robinson
Second Assistant Director: Second Unit -
Misha Bukowski
Second Second Assistant Director - Gary Hawes
Stunt Coordinator - John Stoneham Jr.
Aerial Coordinator - Frédéric North
Special Effects Supervisor - Mike Vézina
Special Effects Coordinator - Cameron Waldbauer
Animatronic Effects: Legacy Effects - J. Alan Scott,
Rob Ramsdell and Brian Namanny
Visual Effects Supervisor: SPI - Peter Nofz
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Scanline VFX -
Stephan Trojansky
Visual Effects Supervisor: Scanline VFX - John H. Han
Visual Effects Supervisor: Double Negative - Alex Wuttke
Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain - Mohen Leo
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor:
Scanline VFX -  Bryan Grill
Visual Effects Designers: Hydraulx - Colin & Greg Strause
Visual Effects Producer - Josh R. Jaggars
Digital Effects Supervisors: Digital Domain -
David Hodgins and Darren Poe
Animation Supervisor: Hydraulx - Joshua Cordes
CG Supervisor: Uncharted Territory - Michael Grobe
Computer Graphics Supervisors: Digital Domain -
Haarm-Pieter Duiker and David J. Stephens 
Computer Graphics Supervisors: SPI - Daniel Eaton
and John Haley
Compositing Supervisor: Double Negative -
Matthew Twyford
Editors - David Brenner and 
Peter S. Elliott
Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer -
Paul N.J. Ottosson
Supervising Sound Mixers - Jeffrey J. Haboush,
Michael Keller and Rick Kline
Production Sound Mixer - Michael McGee
Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker and
Michael Broomberg
Music - Thomas Wander
Score Mixer - Shawn Murphy


Review
In a lead-up to the New Year's Eve celebrations, I revisited the apocalyptic disaster flick 2012. The film premiered in 2009, and the prediction of the supposed doomsday outcome for 2012, which is integral to the storyline, fortunately, didn't happen in real life because it is false. Since then, all the fears and scepticism from everyone and myself about the movie have faded. Because there was no such apocalypse in this timeline, it's come to my attention that 2012 was a big-budget, flawed disaster movie on a large scale and featured a long-running time that minimises the impact of the destruction scenes. Director Roland Emmerich seems more interested in the dark tone and visual effects than using his efforts to try and fix the incoherent storyline.

John Cusack, Amanda Peet and Danny Glover's characterisation of their roles seemed too thin for an ambitious movie with such a mediocre script. While Danny is a suitable actor to portray a Barack Obama-like authority figure, his role wasn't the biggest in his career. The best actor that can pull through this picture is Woody Harrelson. He overacts as an ill-fated conspiracy theorist who informs Cusack that the world is ending.

However, this isn't exactly a deep, profound and emotional feature from the director. This movie is not worth a second viewing and is very likely an insult to the intelligence of moviegoers. It's likely better than Revenge of the Fallen from Michael Bay, which came out in the same year.

Star rating: (5/10) Average