Thursday, June 29, 2017

Transformers: The Last Knight Review











Transformers: The Last Knight


Release Date: 22nd June 2017 - Australia


Production Companies
Paramount Pictures
Hasbro (in association with)
Di Bonaventura Pictures
Huahua Media
Ian Bryce Productions
Amblin Entertainment (Uncredited)
Platinum Dunes (Uncredited)

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 149 minutes


Budget: $260,000,000

Box Office Gross: $605,425,157 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Humans are at war with the Transformers, and Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving the future lies buried in the secrets of the past and the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Now, it's up to the unlikely alliance of Cade Yeager, Bumblebee, an English lord and an Oxford professor to save the world.


Cast

The Humans
Mark Wahlberg - Cade Yeager 
Josh Duhamel - Lt. Colonel William Lennox
Laura Haddock - Vivian Wembley
Isabela Moner - Izabella 
Jerrod Carmichael - Jimmy
Anthony Hopkins - Sir Edmund Burton
Stanley Tucci - Merlin
Liam Garrrigan - Arthur
Martin McCreadie - Lancelot
Rob Witcomb - Percival
Marcus Fraser - Gawain
John Hollingworth - Tristan
Daniel Adegboyega - Saebert
Ben Webb - Hengist
John Turturro - Agent Seymour Simmons
Glenn Morshower - General Morshower
Nicola Peltz - Tessa Yeager (Voice) (Cameo)

Autobots
Peter Cullen - Optimus Prime (Voice)
John Goodman - Hound (Voice)
Ken Watanabe - Drift (Voice)
John DiMaggio - Crosshairs (Voice)
Omar Sy - Hot Rod (Voice)
Jim Carter - Cogman (Voice)
Reno Wilson - Sqweeks (Voice)
Steven Barr - Topspin (Voice)
Tom Kenny - Wheelie (Voice)
Frank Welker - Canopy (Voice)
Steve Buscemi - Daytrader (Voice)
Mark Ryan - Bulldog (Voice)

Deceptions 
Frank Welker - Megatron (Voice)
Jess Harnell - Barricade (Voice)
Reno Wilson - Mohawk (Voice)
John DiMaggio - Nitro (Voice)
 
Others
Gemma Chan - Quintessa (Voice)


Crew
Executive Producer/Director - Michael Bay
Story - Akiva Goldsman
Story/Screenplay - Art
Marcum, Matt Holloway
and Ken Nolan
Executive Producers -
Steven Spielberg, Brian
Goldner and Mark Vahradian
Producers - Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Don Murphy
Co-Producers - Matthew Cohan and Michael Kase
Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - K.C. Hodenfield
Casting Director - Denise Chamian
Production Designer - Jeffrey Beecroft
Senior Art Director - Sebastian Schroeder
Costume Designer - Lisa Lovaas
Director of Photography - Jonathan Sela
Second Unit Director/Supervising Stunt Coordinator - Mike Gunther
Stunt Coordinator: Opening Scene - Rob Inch
Special Effects Supervisor - John Frazier
Special Effects Coordinator - Jim Schwalm
Visual Effects Supervisors - Scott Farrar, 
Jason Smith, Wayne Brinton, Sheldon Stopsack,
Antoine Whyte and Rohit Prakash Gujar
Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM - Julian Foddy 
and Dave Fogler
Effects Supervisor - John Hansen
Animation Supervisors: ILM - Paul Kavanagh 
and Rick O'Connor
Editors - Roger Barton, Adam Gerstel, 
Debra Neil-Fisher, John Refoua, 
Mark Sanger and Calvin Wimmer
Music - Steve Jablonsky


Review
Ten years after the beginning of the 'Transformers' film series tentatively nicknamed by fans as "Bayformers" because Michael Bay was behind its influence. The director unveils a fifth chapter which was his last feature with the toy-line based movie franchise before he could oversee its growth into a cinematic universe. Although Marvel, DC and Star Wars are usually one step ahead of their successes, it doesn't mean that 'Transformers' will continue through a change of direction in a oncoming spin-off and future movies. Though Steven Spielberg and Paramount were the ones that began this explosive series of five movies with an almost fully-capable director. Critics were hostile to the series of its increasing lengths, shaky cams, plotting and lowbrow humour but warmed to the unrealistic action, eye-popping visuals and big explosions. The fans were divided on each movie that was considered the best and the worst with the first instalment being a mild exception. 

Now there hasn't been a 'Transformers' feature this toxic since 'Revenge of the Fallen' came out with a huge critical disdain. 'THE LAST KNIGHT' is outgrowing fans' anticipation as it was a bit self-aware, disjointed, silly and formulaic in its storyline and characterisations. It devoted on the secret history subplot which has been done a few times on the previous films and shown too much screen-time on the humans than most of the Transformers. Even Optimus Prime being brainwashed into Nemesis Prime could have been necessary if it had not been brief for the whole movie. As far as it goes, Bay could be losing his touch with the latest chapter which itself was distinguished by too many writers. It probably wasn't the moment that he was expecting in his send-off for the robots in disguise.

Mark Wahlberg returns as Cade Yeager as well as a few familiar actors like John Turturro and Josh Duhamel from the original three movies are back in this nadir. Newcomers like Isabella Moner and Laura Haddock are welcomed in the newer 'Transformers' movie but their acting wasn't quite up the par with Wahlberg's saving grace of his performance. The other standout player was Anthony Hopkins who was truly a distinguished gentleman whom like John Malkovich and Stanley Tucci are each of the supporting players cast in an instalment of giant robots. Hopkins gets the most fun than they've deserved as he shines in a prominent role as the keeper of the Transformers' hidden origins.

It's time for the franchise to change its gears as 'THE LAST KNIGHT' holds no secrets of being less fun and less exciting in the year's action-packed and power-charged blockbuster. Despite its overhype and shimmering potential, it will soon be the end of 'Transformers', but maybe not. In my opinion, it was subpar and the least unforgettable entry of the series. I'm sorry to say that this is not the movie what fans had wanted to see as the director has worn out of his welcome.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

Friday, June 23, 2017

The Mummy (2017) Review











The Mummy


Release Date: 8th June 2017 - Australia 


Production Companies
Universal Pictures 
Perfect World Pictures (in association with)
Secret Hideout
Conspiracy Factory
Sean Daniel Company

Distribution 
Universal Pictures Australia


Genre: Action/Adventure 
 
Rating: M

Runtime: 111 minutes


Budget: $125,000,000

Box Office Gross: $409,231,607 (Worldwide)
 

Plot Summary 
Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension. (Source - Metro Cinemas)


Cast
Tom Cruise - Nick Morton
Sofia Boutella - Ahmanet
Annabelle Wallis - Jenny Halsey
Jake Johnson - Sgt. Chris Vail
Courtney B. Vance - Col. Greenway
Russell Crowe - Henry Jekyll
Marwan Kenzari - Malik
Javier Botet - Set
Selva Rasalingam - King Menehptre
Shanina Shaik - Arabian Princess
Neil Maskell - Dr. Whemple
Rhona Croker - Helen
Sean Cameron Michael - Archaeologist
Andrew Brooke - Mr. Brooke (Emergency Worker)
Matthew Wilkas - Reporter
Sohm Kapila - Reporter
Hadrian Howard - MP
Dylan Smith - Pilot
Parker Sawyers - Co-Pilot

Crew 
Screen Story/Producer/
Director - Alex Kurtzman
Screen Story - Jon Spaihts and Jenny Lumet
Screenplay - David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman
Associate Producer - Kevin Elam
Executive Producers - Jeb Brody and Roberto Orci
Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Sarah Bradshaw
Producers - Sean Daniel and Chris Morgan
Casting Directors - Francine Maisler and
Lucinda Syson
Production Designers - Jon Hutman and
Dominic Watkins
Supervising Art Director - Frank Walsh
Senior Art Directors - Andrew Ackland-Snow,
Jules Cook and John Frankish
Set Decorator - Jille Azis
Property Master - David Chessman
Costume Designer - Penny Rose
Master Armourer - Simon Atherton
Special Makeup Effects Designer - David White
Director of Photography - Ben Seresin
2nd Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator - Wade Eastwood
Fight Coordinator - Wolfgang Stegemann
Special Effects Supervisor - Dominic Tuohy
Special Effects Coordinator - Alicia Davies
Visual Effects Supervisors - Asregadoo Arundi,
Erik Nash, Darren Poe and Edson Williams
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Pablo Helman
Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Greg Butler
Visual Effects Supervisor: Factory VFX -
Eric D. Christensen
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Glen McIntosh
Film Editors - Gina & Paul Hirsch and
Andrew Mondshein
Music - Brian Tyler


Review
During the 1920s to the late 1950s, Universal Studios produced most of the classic horror movies that were iconic and have nostalgic qualities for people who grew up with these movies. There were several iconic monsters in Hollywood to choose from like Hunchback, The Phantom, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and The Invisible Man just to name a few. Recently, Universal Studios has announced that they will be creating a line of monster movies in the form of the Dark Universe which will overlap in the sense that these characters will make appearances in the same way that happens in the universes of Marvel and DC. The Dark Universe was now created to resurrect the classic ghouls that once haunted the silver screen in their new reawakening. Unfortunately, the first of these remakes for the new franchise was 2017's 'THE MUMMY' which has a dismal profit at the box office. 

Unlike the previous interpretations that includes the 1932 classic and the loose remake of the trilogy, it was a hollow, overblown and misguided attempt to thirdly re-embrace the titular character's origins and the supernatural themes. Audiences weren't interested in the new revitalisation of an iconic monster that was less mummified and swapped of its gender. The feature of its story is too wrapped with exposition and some of the plot points were unnecessarily added to the beginning of a newly rejuvenated universe of scary monsters by Universal.

The aging star Tom Cruise should be ashamed for starring in this unrelenting big-budgeted picture. He is not to blame for his large career setback and though he took the fall when it should have been
the writer/director Alex Kurtzman's. He still has a touch of charisma left from his middle-aged looks, but was unable to save a remake that is beyond worth saving. Russell Crowe was featured in the supporting cast as the mysterious Dr. Jekyll as the character was borrowed from an classic novel. Sofia Boutella delights in her acting playfulness with sheer fright and seduction as Ahnamet, the undead Princess of Egypt.

'THE MUMMY' has a few scares to terrify the moviegoers but not able to thrill them into the completely forgettable monster-mash. I advise viewers who have and haven't seen the campy fun of the 1999 remake see this film one time and not bother to rewatch it. Otherwise if you are looking for a good monster movie, rewatch 'The Mummy' trilogy instead.

Star rating: (4/10) Below Average

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

In Memory of Adam West (1928-2017)







Adam West (1928-2017)


Hello everyone, it's with sadness that I inform you that Adam West, the noted television and film actor known for portraying Batman in the 1960s titular campy show and movie adaptation, died on June 9th, 2017, at age 88, after a short battle with leukaemia. West is known as the third actor to play the caped crusader and a favourite of many comic book readers. When the dark, gritty feel was introduced in the 1980s and became an integral part of the comic series, not everyone admired his horseplay and the show's goofy tone. He had a huge sensation with the Bat fandom, and we will remember him within our memories.

West's acting in television began in the late 50s in a children's show, though he did not take the stage name of Adam West until he moved to Hollywood in 1959. West's film appearances before Batman include supporting roles in "The Young Philadelphians" opposite Paul Newman, "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" and "The Outlaws Is Coming" with The Three Stooges and numerous guest appearances and supporting roles on various classic television programs. It was then that producer William Dozier discovered the young actor after seeing him perform in a commercial for Nestle Quik and cast him as Bruce Wayne and his eponymous alter-ego in the campy television series, which aired on American television from 1966 to 1968. Aside from playing the titular character for television and film, West also featured in a public service announcement telling schoolchildren to heed Lyndon B. Johnson's call to buy stamps of U.S. savings to support the Vietnam War. Shortly after Batman, West and his few co-stars like Yvonne Craig and Burt Ward fell on hard times when they got severely typecast because of their high-profile roles. Not even his first post-Batman film, "The Girl Who Knew Too Much", tried to avoid his status with Batman, and despite all of his issues, West continued acting in more films. He even did more guest spots in television programs like "Fantasy Island", "Bewitched", "Bonanza", "Maverick", "The Love Boat", "Laverne and Shirley", etc. In later years, during his celebrity status, he appeared as himself in shows like "NewsRadio", "The Adventure of Pete and Pete", "Murphy Brown", "The Ben Stiller Show", "The Drew Carey Show", and "The Big Bang Theory" and also in the feature "Drop Dead Gorgeous".

Outside of his acting, West was a professional voice actor because of his distinctive voice and did voiceovers in a few films like "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons". Even on television, where he did guest voices on shows like "Rugrats", "The Simpsons", "The Critic", "Johnny Bravo", "Kim Possible", "Futurama", and "SpongeBob SquarePants". Before that, he often reprises the Batman character in Saturday morning cartoons produced by Filmation and Hanna Barbera and recently in two direct-to-DVD movies (with one forthcoming), including "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders" and "Batman vs. Two-Face". West also voiced in an episode "Beware the Gray Ghost" of "Batman: The Animated Series". Instead of the dark-winged avenger (whose role has been taken by Kevin Conroy), he plays Simon Trent. Like him, his character is a former actor who has trouble finding work after portraying a superhero in the classic TV series The Gray Ghost. He later had a recurring role in "The Batman" animated series as Mayor Grange and guest-starred as Thomas Wayne in "Batman: The Brave and the Bold". In Seth MacFarlane's animated sitcom "Family Guy", he was the voice of the eccentric mayor of Quahog. He voices a parody of himself as portraying a cat-like superhero obsessed with felines, Catman, in Nickelodeon's "The Fairly OddParents".

Anyone old enough to remember Adam West will miss him as long as his memory lives on.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Wonder Woman (2017) Review












Wonder Woman


Release Date: 1st June 2017 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
Atlas Entertainment
DC Entertainment
Rat-Pac Dune Entertainment (in association with)
Cruel & Unusual Films
Tencent Pictures
Wanda Pictures

Distribution
Roadshow Films


Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 141 minutes


Budget: $149,000,000

Box Office Gross: $822,854,286 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
All her life, Diana grew up as the Princess of Amazons on the island of Themyscira, surrounded by females, cut off from the society of men and the entire human race, and is a warrior in training. When an American pilot named Steve Trevor crashes his plane offshore and reveals a war in the outside world, Diana decides to step in and assist.
Discovering her full
powers and embracing
her destiny as Wonder
Woman, she leaves home
to fight alongside men
in the war to end all wars.


Cast
Gal Gadot - Diana Prince/
Wonder Woman
Chris Pine - Steve Trevor
Robin Wright - Antiope
Connie Nielsen - Hippolyta
David Thewlis - Sir Patrick
Danny Huston - Ludendorff
Lucy Davis - Etta
Saïd Taghmaoui - Sameer
Ewen Bremmer - Charlie
Eugene Brave Rock - The Chief
Elena Anaya - Dr Maru
Lilly Aspell - Young Diana (8
Years Old)
Lisa Loven Kongsli - Menalippe
Ann Wolfe - Artemis
Ann Ogbomo - Phillippus
Emily Carey - Diana (12 Years Old)
James Cosmo - Field Marshall Haig
Martin Bishop - Kaiser
Wilhelm II
Doutzen Kroes - Venezia
Brooke Ence - Penthesilea
Hari James - Trigona
Ann Ogbomo - Philippus
Samantha Jo - Euboea

Crew
Director - Patty Jenkins
Creator: Wonder Woman -
William Moulton Marston
Story/Producer - Zack Snyder
Story/Screenplay - Allan
Heinberg
Story - Jason Fuchs
Executive Producers - Jon Berg, Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns, Stephen Jones, Rebecca Steel Roven and Steven Mnuchin
Producers - Charles Roven,
Deborah Snyder and Richard
Suckle
Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - Tommy Gormley
Co-Producer - Curt Kanemoto
Casting Directors - Kristy Carlson, Lora Kennedy and Lucinda Syson
Military Advisors - Paul Hornsby and Andrew Robertshaw
Horse Master - Daniel Naprous
Production Designer - Aline
Bonetto
Supervising Art Directors -
Dominic Hyman and Peter
Russell
Art Directors - Steve Carter, James Collins, Phil Harvey, Stuart Kearns, Dominic Masters, Arwel Evans and Remo Tozzi
Art Director: Italy Unit - Domenico Sica
Action Vehicles Supervisor -
Alex King
Set Decorator - Anna
Lynch-Robinson
Costume Designer - Lindy
Hemming
Costume Armourer Supervisor - Patrick Whitaker
Makeup & Hair Designer - Christine Blundell
Supervising Armourer - Ben Rothwell
Armourers - Jon Baker,
Lee Garside, Liam McCartney,
Mick O'Toole and David Bayliss
Director of Photography -
Matthew Jensen
Supervising Location Manager - Charlie Somers
Second Second Assistant Directors:
Second Unit - Paul Cathie and Tom Browne
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -
Damon Caro
Stunt Coordinators - Tim Rigby,
Wayne Dalglish and Marcus Shakesheff
Stunt/Fight Coordinators (Uncredited) - Allen Jo
and Ryan Watson
Fight Choreographer - Guillermo Grispo
(Uncredited)
Special Effects Supervisor - Mark Holt
Special Effects Coordinator - Carmila Gittens
Visual Effects Supervisor - Bill Westenhofer
Visual Effects Supervisor: Double Negative -
Alex Wuttke
Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Jessica Norman
Visual Effects Supervisor: UPP - Viktor Muller
Visual Effects: Weta Digital - René Borst,
Jong Jin Choi, Simeon Ducombe,
Steve McGillen, Keith Miller and
Lena Scanlan
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor - Frazer Churchill
Visual Effects Consultant - Jim Bergstrom
Visual Effects Producer - Amber Kirsch
Visual Effects Consulting Producer - Emma Norton
Visual Effects Producer: MPC - Laurence Berkani
Animation Supervisors: Double Negative -
Ben Wiggs and Nicholas Symons
Compositing Supervisors: Double Negative -
Brian Connor and Daniel Rauchwerger
Editor - Martin Walsh
Associate Editor - Matthew Tucker
Supervising Sound Editor - James M. Mather
Production Sound Mixer - Chris Munro
Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Burdon
and Gilbert Lake
Foley Artists - Peter Burgis,
Jason Swanscott and Zoe Freed
Music - Rupert Gregson-Williams
Composers: Additional Music - David Buckley,
Tom Howe, Andrew Kawczynski and
Paul Mounsey
Score Mixers - Alan Meyerson and
Forest Christenson


Review
When WONDER WOMAN came out recently in cinemas, I was relieved that all the rumours about the movie not exceeding its huge expectations got put to rest. The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) finally attained its mojo when (in my opinion) it all started with Suicide Squad. It wasn't the first time I'd seen Wonder Woman in a standalone film, as I saw the 2009 direct-to-video animated version on pay TV. It is a privilege that this female character has her cinematic spotlight, especially when the other female-led superhero movies that came before, such as SupergirlCatwoman and Elektra, couldn't dominate the box office charts, especially when competing against other films of the genre that were male-centred. Unlike the few previous entries from DCEU, which were mediocre to average at best, this one does not, by all means, disappoint DC fanatics.

However, the action sequences were perfectly timed and flowed well with the editing and detailed storyline. I have no problems with the movie whatsoever. Zack Snyder's involvement is limited as he helped co-envision the plot and was also an acting producer. WONDER WOMAN has rightfully earned its place as an uplifting, intense, but pro-feminist-focused film that portrays women as resourceful, skilful and powerful. Traditionally, wherein superhero films, you often see females as damsels in distress or supporting heroes (not lead actor status). But this can be a very anti-feminist perspective.

Continuing the Wonder Woman mantle is Gal Gadot, who continues her astonishing performance of the superheroine who's now transformed into a god-like figure similar to Superman. Co-starring with the lead actress is Chris Pine, who magnificently portrays Steve Trevor, her soon-to-be ill-fated love interest. They both provide sensational chemistry in professing their on-screen love and successfully convince the audience of their unbreakable romance.

I can't think of anything negative to say about this movie. It is a worthy addition to being one of the all-time greats in the DC movie archives. I would be surprised if this film does not follow up with a sequel. I hope it leaves as big an impression as this terrific movie did on me.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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