The Fifth Element Review

The Fifth Element

Release Date: 15th May 1997 - Australia

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures (presents)

Gaumont

Distribution

Madman Entertainment

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 126 minutes

Budget: $90,000,000

Box Office Gross: $263,920,180 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

In the 23rd century, life

has become boringly

repetitive for ex-Marine

Korben Dallas, who drives

a flying taxi and eats

takeaway from the same

Chinese restaurant that

delivers directly to his

window. Unbeknownst

to Korben, a tremendous

alien evil has joined forces

with Zorg and threatens

to destroy the Earth.

Combining the four

earthly elements with

an alien 'fifth' element can

only prevent this event

from coming. Before long,

Korben finds himself a

key player in saving the

Earth when a beautiful

alien, Leeloo, falls through

the roof of his cab,

revealing herself to be

the elusive fifth element.

Only Korben and Leeloo

hold the key to humanity's

survival in the ultimate

battle between good and

evil. But time is running

out.

Cast

Bruce Willis - Korben Dallas

Gary Oldman - Zorg

Ian Holm - Cornelius

Milla Jovovich - Leeloo

Chris Tucker - Ruby Rhod

Luke Perry - Billy

Brion James - General Munro

Tommy 'Tiny' Lister - President Lindberg

Lee Evans - Fog

Charlie Creed-Miles - David

Tricky - Right Arm

John Neville - General Staedert

John Bluthal - Professor Pacoli

Matthieu Kassovitz - Mugger

Christopher Fairbank - Mactilburgh

Kim Chan - Thai

Richard Leaf - Neighbour

Julie T. Wallace - Major Iceborg

Clifton Lloyd Bryan - Mangalore Aknot/

Mondoshawan/Airport Guard

Aron Paramour - Mangalore Akanit

Alan Ruscoe - Mangalore Kino

Vladimir McCrary - Human

Aknot

Al Matthews - General Tudor

Maïwenn - Diva Plavalaguna

John Bennett - Priest

Ivan Heng - Left Arm

Sonita Henry - President's Aide

Tim McMullan - Scientist's Aide

George Khan - Head Scientist

John Hughes - Head of Military

Roberto Bryce - Omar

Said Talidi - Aziz

Justin Lee Burrows - Mondoshawan

Richard Ashton - Mondoshawan

Jerome St. John Blake - Mondoshawan

Kevin Molloy - Mondoshawan/Ground Crew

Bill Reimbold - Mactilburgh's Assistant

Colin Brooks - Staedert's Captain

Anthony Chinn - Mactilburgh's Technician

Sam Douglas - Chief NY Cop

Derek Ezenagu - NY Cop

David Kennedy - Flying Cop

David Barrass - Flying Cop

Roger Monk - Flying Cop/Military Technician

Mac McDonald - Flying Cop

Mark Seaton - Flying Cop

Jean-Luc Caron - Flying Cop

Riz Meedin - Flying Cop

Jerry Ezekiel - Flying Cop

Indra Ové - VIP Stewardess

Nicole Merry - VIP Stewardess

Stacey McKenzie - VIP Stewardess

Rachel Willis - Stewardess

Genevieve Maylam - Stewardess

Josie Perez - Stewardess

Natasha Brice - Stewardess

Sophia Goth - Check-In Attendant

Martin McDougall - Warship Captain

Pete Dunwell - Diva's Manager

Paul Priestley - Cop

Jason Salkey - Cop

Stewart Harvey-Wilson - Ruby Rhod Assistant

Dave Fishley - Ruby Rhod Assistant

Gin Clarke - Diva's Assistant

Eve Salvail - Tawdry Girl

Kaleem Janjua - Shuttle Pilot

Tyrone Tyrell - Shuttle Co-Pilot

Kevin Brewerton - Shuttle Mechanic

Vincenzo Pellergino - Ground Crew

Ian Beckett - Baby Ray

Sonny Caldinez - Emperor Kodar Japhet

Zeta Graff - Princess Achen

Eddy Elwood - Roy von Bacon

Yui - Fhloston Hostess

Laura De Palma - Fhloston Hostess

Michael Culkin - Hefty Man

Lenny McLean - Police Chief

Robert Oates - Fhloston Commander

John Sharian - Fhloston Captain

Fred Williams - Hotel Manager

Sibyl Buck - Zorg's Secretary

Sarah Carrington - Scientist

Ali Yassine - Scientist

Sean Buckley - Scientist

Dane Messam - Military Technician

Nathan Hamlett - Military Technician

Cecil Cheng - Military Technician

Scott Woods - Lab Guard

Leon Dekker - Lab Guard

David Garvey - Staedert's Technician

Stanley Kowalski - Staedert's Technician

Omar Williams - Staedert's Technician

Robert Clapperton - Robot Barman

Robert Alexander - Warship Technician

Mia Frye - TV Stewardess

Leo Williams - Power Operator

C. Keith Martin - Power Operator

J.D. Dawodu - Zorg's Man

Patrick Nicholls - Zorg's Man

Shaun Davis - Zorg's Man

Roy Garcia - Zorg's Man

Alex Georgijev - Zorg's Man

Marie Guillard - Burger Assistant

Renee Montemayor - Burger Assistant

Stina Richardson - Burger Assistant

Fitz Hall - Young Boy (Uncredited)

Inva Mila - Diva's Singing Voice (Uncredited)

Crew

Story/Screenplay/Director - Luc Besson

Screenplay - Robert Mark Kamen

Associate Producer/Post-Production

Supervisor - John A. Amicarella

Producer - Patrice Ledoux

Co-Producer - Iain Smith

Casting Director - Lucinda Syson

US Casting Director - Francine Maisler

Production Design 'Moebius' Giraud,

Jean-Claude Mézières, Sylvain Despretz,

Patrice Garcia, Sean Hargreaves, Kanel Tazit,

Hélène Giraud, Jacques Rey, Michel Gibrat,

Humbert Chabuel and Pierre-Alain Chartier

Art Directors - Michael Lamont,

Jim Morohan and Kevin Phipps

Assistant Art Directors - Frederic Evard,

Gary Tomkins and Paul Kirby

Draughtsmen - Su Whitaker,

Peter Francis, Jon Billington, Pat Johnson,

David Wood and Stephen Morohan

Construction Coordinator - Ray Barrett

Set Decorators - Maggie Gray and Anna Pinnock

Property Master - Barry Wilkinson

Costume Designer - Jean-Paul Gaultier

Assistant Costume Designer - Graham Churchyard
Armourer - Simon Atherton

Chief Makeup Artist - Lois Burwell

Makeup Artist: Bruce Willis - Amanda Knight

Hairdressers - Lisa Tomblin and Sarah Love

Director of Photography - Thierry Arbogast

Steadicam Operator - John Ward

Location Managers - Andrew MacDonald Brown

and Kevin de la Noy

Production Managers - Sarah Bradshaw

and Barrie Melrose

First Assistant Director - Chris Carreras

Key Second Assistant Director - Cliff Lanning

Assistant Director: Second Unit - Jamie Christopher

Second Unit Director - Pascal Chaumeil

Stunt Coordinator - Marc Boyle

Special Effects Supervisors - Nick Allder and Neil Corbould

Special Effects Workshop Supervisor - Trevor Wood

Pyrotechnics Supervisor - Thaine Morris

Creature Design Supervisor - Nick Dudman

Key Animatronic Model Designers -

Monique Brown, Chris Barton and John Coppinger

Senior Animatronic Model Designers -

Malcolm Evans, Joe Scott, Jim Sandys

and Gary Pollard

Special Visual Effects Supervisor - Mark Stetson

Art Directors: Digital Domain - Ira Gilford

and Ron Gress

Supervising Visual Effects Director of

Photography: Digital Domain - Bill Neil 

Digital Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -
Karen E. Goulekas

Digital Effects Producer: Digital Domain -

Tamara Watts Kent

Lead Digital Compositing Supervisor: Digital

Domain - Jonathan Egstad

Digital Compositing Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Bryan Grill

Sequence Supervisors: Digital Domain -

Remo Balcells, Sean C. Cunningham,

Sean Dever, Joshua I. Kolden, Christine Lo,

Franklin Londin, Rodney J. McFall,

Christopher Roda and Scott Stokdyk
Miniature Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Niels Nielsen

Director of Photography: Camera, Digital

Domain - Paul Gentry

Editor - Sylvie Landra

Sound Designer and Supervisor - Mark A. Mangini

Sound Design - John Popisal and John P. Fasal

Supervising ADR Editor - Curt Schulkey

Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Jenkins,

Mark Smith and Ron Bartlett

Foley Artists - Ellen Heuer and James Moriana

Music/Words and Music: "The Little Light

of Love" - Éric Serra


Awards

1998 Academy Awards
Best Sound Effects Editing - Mark A. Mangini (Nominated)

Review

The concept was first conceived by French filmmaker Luc Besson decades ago when he was 16. THE FIFTH ELEMENT is a colourful and entertaining sci-fi movie made after his groundbreaking 1994 masterpiece, Leon: The Professional, was successful. Some moviegoers found it dumb and cheesy, while others thought it was impressive. I believe so myself, and there's nothing wrong with this movie that came out in the same year as the Star Wars special editions and James Cameron's Titanic, except for one defect. It may have prevented THE FIFTH ELEMENT from being accomplished as the best movie of 1997. Immersive visuals, cityscapes, and masterful concepts, all beautifully designed with regal splendour, as Luc Besson interpreted the future for sci-fi-loving audiences. It may have inspired George Lucas to create more of this city scenery for Attack of the Clones, one of the Star Wars prequels.

The cast is no more than the extraordinary visuals on the left side of a plate. Bruce Willis was a multi-talented actor who ended up in this farce, even though he wasn't my favourite action star. He was convincing as the ex-military turned cab driver who finds himself in a predicament to save the universe, Korben Dallas. Milla Jovovich was pleasant to watch, as the actress fits the bill as Korben's love interest and is the key to everything. Gary Oldman enjoys playing villainous roles without being typecast. Here, he portrays the immorally corrupt businessman Zorg, who speaks with a Southern accent that differs from Oldman's English accent and is over-the-top rather than serious. All the actors are good. One particular performance I did not like was by Chris Tucker, whose musician Ruby Rhod acts like a prima donna and is very annoying.

Humorous, imaginative, and explosive. Those are the three simple words I use to describe THE FIFTH ELEMENT. It's been good to rewatch this movie, but I know it's cheesy. Most moviegoers would agree this is a semi-decent feature.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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The Real Macaw Review

The Real Macaw

Release Date: 26th September 1998 - Australia

Production Companies

Adelaide Motion Picture Company

Becker Entertainment (presents)

Australian Film Finance Corporation Limited

Bellwether Films

The South Australian Film Corporation

New South Wales Film and Television Office

Film Queensland

Genre: Family/Adventure

Rating: G

Runtime: 92 minutes

Budget: $5,000,000 (estimated)

Box Office Gross: $741,876 (Australia)

Plot Summary

In 1870, a pirate in the
Amazon captured a macaw
parrot and took it aboard
his ship, along with
priceless temple treasures.
After a fallen lamp set the
ship on fire, the pirate, the 

bird, and the treasure drifted 
somewhere in the South
Pacific. The parrot watched
parrot watched the wounded
pirate bury it on a deserted

island, then died.

It's 1997 in Sydney, and

the parrot is the same!
Mac, now 149 years old,

lives with his old pal,
the lovable Grandpa. His
15-year-old grandson,

Sam, also adores Grandpa.

But their fun-filled world

shatters when Sam's father

discovers Grandpa is deeply

in debt and arranges to

sell of Grandpa's lifelong

home and move him to

a "pet-free" retirement

centre.

The prospect of being

separated from his

grandfather is too much for

Mac to bear, and he reveals

to a stunned Sam that he

can talk. Talk for real! Plus,

he knows where the buried

treasure lies! So Sam and

eccentric Mac set off to

find it.

Cast

Jamie Croft - Sam Girdis

Daniel Murphy - Mac (Voice)/Pet Store Owner

Jason Robards - Grandpa Girdis

Joe Petruzzi - Rick Girdis

John Waters - Dr. Lance Hogan

Deborra-Lee Furness - Beth Girdis

Gerry Connolly - Lou Rickets

Robert Coleby - Mr. St. John

Petra Yared - Kathy Girdis

Nathan Kotzur - Scarlatta

Kevin Hudes - Businessman on Plane

Penny Everingham - Nurse Gimlet

Murray Shoring - Dr. Thompson

Anna-Maria La Spina - Museum Receptionist

Simon Chan - Phillip

Tango - Mac

Crew

Director - Mario Andreacchio

Based on an Original Story/Screenplay/
Co-Producer - Bruce Hancock

Based on an Original Story/Screenplay -
Matthew Perry

Executive Producer - Richard Becker

Producer - Margot McDonald

Co-Producers - Tim Prescott and
Rocky Bester

Casting Director - Ann Fay

Macaw Trainer - Peter Gregg

Production Designer - Ross Major

Art Director - Michael Rumpf

Set Decorator - Lisa Brennan

Director of Photography - David Foreman

Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin

Editor - Edward McQueen Mason

Supervising Sound Editor - Wayne Pashley

Production Sound Mixer - Paul 'Salty' Brincat

Re-Recording Mixer - Pete Smith

Music - Bill Conti

Review

Greetings, everyone. Here's another review, this time a family movie! When we think of family movies where live animals steal the spotlight from human actors, Babe is a prime example. Filmed primarily in Australia, the film was a worldwide success. However, a few of its Australian-filmed competitors didn't get the same recognition, and each was a box-office failure. Filmmaker Mario Andreacchio from South Australia has struggled since his movie Napoleon, which starred no humans, underperformed. He ultimately agreed to direct the feature, as another bird-centric film, Paulie, was about to open in theatres for that same year. THE REAL MACAW didn't do so well with its low box office receipts and got shipped into direct-to-video packaging for American audiences. Nothing in the film was altered or re-edited except the macaw's voice, which John Goodman re-dubbed.

THE REAL MACAW is too predictable for a family movie. It addresses some tried-and-true themes, particularly the family's inner turmoil, one of its main focuses. Fortunately, the film draws viewers in with its delightful comedy and feathered star, a wisecracking bird full of personality and spunk, voiced by Daniel Murphy, the original actor's ad-libs. This actor does a much better job of giving the parrot its squawk than John Goodman did in the American version.

Unrecognisable Australian film talent spearheaded the cast, except for Jason Robards, the movie's only American actor in the movie, and, to a lesser extent, Jamie Croft. The late actor is so out of place that even his grandfather role couldn't save it from being a forgettable film with forced international marketing. Croft delivers a solid performance as a young boy desperate to save his grandfather from a retirement home and financial trouble.

THE REAL MACAW is just too average. It's much harder to find in a bargain bin in a second-hand retail store, as if it were a rare bird (no pun intended). You'll all understand this critique and agree that this movie isn't suitable for a family audience.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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Solo: A Star Wars Story Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Release Date: 24th May 2018 - Australia

Production Companies

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 135 minutes

Budget: $300,000,000

Box Office Gross: $393,151,347 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Before crossing paths with the Rebellion, Han Solo was an Imperial Militant turned space pirate cruising the Outer Rim with his faithful companion, the mighty Wookiee, Chewbacca. That's how he became the galaxy's most notorious smuggler and eventually earned a legendary reputation.

Cast

Alden Ehrenreich - Han Solo

Joonas Suotamo - Chewbacca

Donald Glover - Lando Calrissian

Emilia Clarke - Qi'ra

Woody Harrelson - Beckett

Paul Bettany - Dryden Vos

Thandiwe Newton - Val

Phoebe Waller-Bridge - L3-37

Jon Favreau - Rio Durant (Voice)

Linda Hunt - Lady Proxima (Voice)

Ian Kenny - Rebolt

John Tuin - Korso

Warwick Davis - Weazel
Charlotte Louise - Margo
Sema-Tawi Smart - Chanteuse
Clint Howard - Ralakili
Dee Tails - Quay Tolsite
Attila Vajda - Sagwa
Anthony Daniels - Tak (Cameo)
Kiran Shah - Karjj
Lily Newmark - Lexi
Samantha Colley - Ottilie
Hal Fowler - Mimban Lieutenant
Dave Chapman - Rio Durant & Lady Proxima Lead Performer

Katy Kartwheel - Rio Durant Performer
Harley Durst - Moloch Performer
Andrew Jack - Moloch (Voice)

Ray Park - Maul (Cameo)

Sam Witwer - Maul (Voice) (Cameo)

Crew

Director - Ron Howard

Based on Characters - George Lucas

Screenplay/Executive
Producer - Lawrence Kasdan

Screenplay/Co-Producer - Jonathan Kasdan

Associate Producer/First Assistant Director - Toby Hefferman

Executive Producers - Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Jason D. McGatlin

Producer/Unit Production Manager - Simon Emanuel

Producers - Kathleen Kennedy and Allison Shearmur

Co-Producers - Will Allegra and John Swartz

Co-Producer/Visual Effects Supervisor - Rob Bredow

Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager - Susan Towner
Dialect Coach - Andrew Jack

Casting - Nina Gold, Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera

Production Designer - Neil Lamont

Lucasfilm Design Supervisor - James Clyne

Concept Artists - Matt Allsopp,

Julian Caldow, Jack Dudman, Will Htay,

Vincent Jenkins and Jon McCoy

Illustrators: US/Visual Effects Concept Artists:

ILM - Aaron McBride, Brett Northcutt,

Chris Voy and Stephen Zavala

Supervising Art Director - Alastair Bullock
Senior Art Director - Gary Tomkins

Art Directors - Alex Baily, Peter Dorme,

Ashley Lamont, Tom Weaving

and Tom Whitehead

Digital Art Directors - Oliver Carroll

Stephen Swain and Andrew Palmer

Art Director: Props - Oliver Roberts

Construction Manager - Paul J. Hayes
Set Decorator - Lee Sandales

Property & Weapons Master - Jamie Wilkinson

Costume Designers - David Crossman and Glyn Dillon

HOD Modeller - Pierre Bohanna

Supervising Modellers - David Merryweather

and Stephen Wotherspoon

Special Creature Effects - Neal Scanlan

Hair Designer - Lisa Tomblin

Makeup Designer - Amanda Knight

Director of Photography - Bradford Young

Aerial Director of Photography: Aerial Unit -

Hans Bjerno

Supervising Location Manager - Mark Somner

Second Unit Director/Action Designer -

Bradley James Allan

Action Designer - Christopher Clark Cowan

Stunt Coordinators - Mark Ginther,
Steve Griffin and Roy Taylor

Fight Coordinator - Guillermo Grispo

Helicopter Pilots: Aerial Unit - Will Samuelson

and Marc Wolff

Special Effects Supervisor - Dominic Tuohy

Special Effects Coordinator - Alicia Davies

Supervising Animatronic Designers -

Vanessa Bastyan, Maria Cork and Gustav Hoegen

Electronic Design & Development Supervisor -

Matthew Denton

Creature Movement Choreographer - Paul Kasey

Creature and Droid Puppeteer/Senior Animatronic

Designer - Chris Clarke

Visual Effects: Supervisors: ILM - Patrick Tubach,

Julian Foddy, Greg Kegel and Nigel Sumner

Visual Effects Supervisor: Second Unit - Richard Bain

Visual Effects Producers - Janet Lewin,

Erin D. O'Connor, T.J. Falls and Daniel Carbo
Visual Effects Producers: ILM - Chris Bannister,

Sophie Dawes and Kacy McDonald

Animation Supervisors: ILM - Matt Shumway,

Alexander K. Lee and Chris Lentz

Computer Graphics Supervisor: BLIND LTD -

Andrew Booth

Compositing Supervisors: ILM -

Chernogorod Aleksei, Nicolas Caillier,

Jay Cooper, Abishek Nair and Denis Scolan

Asset and Environment Supervisors: ILM -

Jeffrey De Guzman, Clement Gerard,

Carlos Munoz, Russell Paul, Steve Walton,

Sunny Li-Hsien, Dan Wheaton and

Susumu Yukuhiro

Digital Artist Supervisors: ILM - Florent Andorra,

Joel Bodin, Karin Cooper, Beth D'Amato,

Samual Dawes, Nicolas Delbeco, Tim Dobbert,

Lucio Farina, David Meny, Andrew Ritchie,

Victor Schultz IV and Shivas Thilak

Film Editor - Pietro Scalia

Additional Editors - Christopher Rouse

and Cheryl Potter

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer/

Re-Recording Mixer - Tim Nielsen

Additional Sound Designer - David Acord

ADR Mixer: Skywalker Sound/Supervising

Sound Editor - Matthew Wood

Production Sound Mixer - Stuart Wilson

Dialogue/ADR Editors - Brian Chumney

and Steve Slanec

Re-Recording Mixers - David Parker

and Christopher Scarabosio

Foley Supervisor - Frank Rinella

Foley Editors - Kimberly Patrick,

Dee Selby and Qianbaihui Yang

Foley Artists - Ronni Brown and

Margie O'Malley

Score Composer and Adapter - John Powell

Composer: Han Solo Theme and Original

Star Wars Music - John Williams

Score Recordist and Mixer - Shawn Murphy

Review

Fans worry this new anthology film may be an unnecessary addition to Star Wars lore, following behind-the-scenes drama. It began when the producer fired the original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, leaving Ron Howard in charge, who re-shot 75% of the picture. The controversy from The Last Jedi has left some loyal fans baffled and concerned about the franchise's future. SOLO wasn't a box-office success, partly because of this disinterest. Although the film wasn't a total failure for Disney and Lucasfilm, they need to rethink their strategy before taking on another hugely successful movie. However, it may have been the first time in the series.

I have read much of Han Solo's original backstory from a single non-canonical Expanded Universe book and learned a few facts. This feature fleshes out much of the character's backstory, improving elements already explored in the novel, such as Han saving Chewbacca's life and making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. I liked the father-and-son scriptwriting duo, Lawrence & Jon Kasdan, for adapting the story of the notorious smuggler who became Han Solo. I'm disappointed that a few storyline discrepancies would seriously hurt the movie.

Alden Ehrenreich has outdone himself in portraying a young Han Solo. He isn't trying to emulate Harrison Ford's older version of the character, and he doesn't have his rugged good looks or improvisation skills. He has done the integrity his role needs, and that is what you get paid for being: the titular character he likes. Donald Glover is perfect as the smooth-talking, charismatic Lando Calrissian. I haven't watched Game of Thrones. Not because I'm unfamiliar with actress Emilia Clarke, since she was horribly miscast as Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genisys. Frankly, she's performing much better than in her previous role, but she did okay. Other standout performances were from Woody Harrelson as Han's mentor, Beckett, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Lando's sassy droid companion, L3-37.

That said, SOLO is a feel-good science fiction movie. It's not the best, but it's near-perfect in everyone's opinion. This standalone feature contributes little to the franchise. I am satisfied with how things have turned out. Longtime fans and cinema-goers would watch this movie to see if it met their expectations.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Singin' in the Rain Review

Singin' in the Rain

Release Date: 25th December 1952 - Australia

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Loew's Inc. (produced by)

Genre: Musical/Romance

Rating: G

Runtime: 99 minutes

Budget: $2,500,000

Box Office Gross: $7,241,009 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

When silent films gave way to 'talkies,' everyone struggled with the bumpy transition. Don and Lina keep getting cast as a romantic pair, but when their latest film becomes a musical, only Don can sing the lead. After much practice with a diction teacher, she still sounds awful, so they hire a bright, up-and-coming actress, Kathy, to dub the film.

Cast

Gene Kelly - Don Lockwood

Debbie Reynolds - Kathy Selden

Donald O'Connor - Cosmo

Brown

Jean Hagen - Lina Lamont

Millard Mitchell - R.F. Simpson

Douglas Fowley - Roscoe

Dexter

Rita Moreno - Zelda Zanders

Cyd Charisse - Dancer

King Donovan - Rod (Uncredited)

Judy Landon - Olga Mara (Uncredited)

Kathleen Freeman - Phoebe Dinsmore (Uncredited)

Madge Blake - Dora Bailey (Uncredited)

Crew

Directors/Musical Numbers Staging and Directors - Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen

Story/Screenplay - Betty

Comden and Adolph Green

Producer/Songs: Lyrics -
Arthur Freed

Art Directors - Randall Duell
and Cedric Gibbons

Set Decorators - Edwin B.

Willis and Jacque Mapes

Costume Designer - Walter Plunkett

Makeup Creator - William Tuttle

Director of Photography -
Harold Rosson

Special Effects - Warren Newcombe and Irving G. Ries

Film Editor - Adrienne Fazan

Recording Supervisor - Douglas Shearer

Songs: Music - Nacho Herb Brown

Musical Director - Lennie Hayton

Awards

1953 Academy Awards

Best Supporting Actress - Jean Hagen (Nominated)

Best Music: Score of a Musical Picture - Lennie Hayton (Nominated)

Review

When SINGIN' IN THE RAIN came out in 1952, it was Gene Kelly's finest hour in one of his best musical performances in cinema history. It didn't even get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It was a mild showcase early on, but it eventually became a classic. However, I watched the film a second time and revisited it in memory of the late Debbie Reynolds, who passed away two years before I completed this review. A triumphant musical comedy from Kelly, co-director Stanley Donen, and producer Arthur Freed, it shows much of what they did with Vincente Minnelli in An American in Paris. It reminisces about the golden years when movies transitioned into the 'talkies' era.

It would explain how much the producer has been through this experience, where he had his roots as a lyricist co-writing songs for earlier musicals at MGM, which he later borrowed for SINGIN' IN THE RAIN as a homage to that period. The film's charm, wit, and infectious energy make it a beloved classic. Kelly's confidence, combined with Donen's co-supervision and Freed's experience, made this movie an all-singing and all-dancing extravaganza. It includes bits of slapstick comedy, and the sequences follow a routine Kelly sang and choreographed, most of which feature the famous number everyone is humming.

The cast is talented, including Kelly, the movie's standout actor, a highly coordinated dancer, and a prolific director. He performed well, considering it's his movie. The young actress Reynolds was decent as the lovable sweetheart Kathy Selden, and Donald O'Connor brought joy and laughter as Cosmo Brown. I congratulate the two of them on the chemistry they share with Kelly. Jean Hagen plays the vain, self-centred actress Lina Lamont, whose bad Brooklyn accent doesn't suit any 'talkie' picture.

This kind of picture has a lot of singing and dancing. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is a golden oldie and a must-see feature for all, and it will attract a new generation of musical-goers. I look forward to seeing more classic musicals. I intend to review a few shortly.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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Ready Player One Review

Ready Player One


Release Date: 29th March 2018 - Australia 

 
Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
Village Roadshow Pictures
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Partners
De Line Pictures

Distribution
Roadshow Distribution 


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 140 minutes


Budget: $175,000,000

Box Office Gross: $582,890,172 (Worldwide) 


Plot Summary
In 2045, a teenager enters a treasure hunt inside a virtual reality universe called OASIS after its creator dies and the fortune that he leaves behind is the grand prize. (Source - Metro Cinemas)


Cast
Tye Sheridan - Parzival/
Wade
Olivia Cooke - Art3mins/
Samantha
Ben Mendelsohn - Sorrento
Mark Rylance - Anorak/
Halliday
Simon Pegg - Odgen Morror
T.J. Miller - I-R0k
Lena Waithe - Aech/Helen
Philip Zhao - Sho
Win Morisaki - Daito
Hannah John-Kamen -
F'Nale Zandor
Ralph Ineson - Rick
Susan Lynch - Alice

Clare Higgins - Mrs. Gilmore

Laurence Spellman - Lame Tattoo Guy (Reb)

Perdita Weeks - Kira
Joel MacCormack - Sixer #6655

Isaac Andrews - Halliday - 7 Years Old
Letitia Wright - Reb (Safe House)
Mckenna Grace - Elementary
Kid
Lulu Wilson - Elementary Kid
Jacob Bertrand - High School
Kid

Crew
Producer/Director - Steven
Spielberg
Based on Novel/Screenplay/
Co-Producer - Ernest Cline
Screenplay - Zak Penn
Executive Producers - Bruce
Berman and Christopher
DeFaria
Executive Producer/Unit
Production Manager - Daniel
Lupi
Executive Producer/First
Assistant Director - Adam Somner
Producers - Donald De Line,
Dan Farah and Kristie
Macosko Krieger

Co-Producer/Visual Effects
Producer - Jennifer Meislohn

Casting Directors - Lucy
Bevan and Ellen Lewis
Production Designer - Adam
Stockhausen
Set Decorator - Anna Pinnock

Supervising Art Director - Mark Scruton

Senior Art Director - Stuart Rose

Supervising Design Director/
Visual Effects Art Director:
ILM - Alex Jaeger
Costume Designer - Kasia Walicka-Maimone
Cinematography - Janusz Kaminski
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator - Gary Powell
Special Effects Supervisor - Neil Corbould
Special Effects Co-Supervisor - Keith Dawson
Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM - Roger Guyett and
Grady Cofer 

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain - Matthew E. Butler
Associate Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Daniele Bigi
Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain - Daniel Brimer
Visual Effects Art Director - Christian Alzmann

Digital Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain - Joel Behrens

Animation Supervisor - Kim Ooi

Animation Supervisor: ILM - David Shirk
CG Supervisor: Digital Domain - Brian Gazdik

Film Editors - Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn
Supervising Sound Designer/
Re-Recording Mixer - Gary Rydstrom
Music - Alan Silvestri


Review
'READY PLAYER ONE' has every fanboy’s dream of having each of their favourite works of popular culture blend with a dystopian setting and elements of a virtual online role-playing game into a huge crossover. I’m surprised that Steven Spielberg is still the world’s most legendary filmmaker and he hasn’t slowed down despite his advanced age. He is slowly regaining his balance at helming what is to become his biggest sci-fi movie ever. 

The visuals were amazing and so does the brisk pace but the huge surprise for us is the endless list of pop cultural references of films, music, literature and video games. I liked how the movie has contained so much that includes 'The Iron Giant' to 'Halo' as each had come from a variety of nostalgia, even Spielberg lend a few self-references of film series like 'Back to the Future' and 'Jurassic Park'. However, the lack of character development prevents this feature from escalating into this year’s best film list. This particular flaw didn’t stop the movie from being lauded by critics as having improvements to the story-line which are not used in the original book.

The actors had some unique talent when being in a star-studded cast and their acting has been ranged from decent to terrific. Actors like Ben Mendehlson and Mark Rylance are no exceptions when they were truly capable on their own performances. Tye Sheridan remains the best of these performers and somehow he just went from being Cyclops of 'X-Men' to a non-superhero role of the main protagonist in a sci-fi film. 

Spielberg isn’t ready to retire just yet and 'READY PLAYER ONE' is his new captivating masterpiece. It's not so much a good feature but actually worth-seeing and therefore is semi-decent. Many pop-cultural fans are excited to see the film again and so am I, you may have to wait until in the near future when the film comes out on Blu-ray, DVD and net-stream. 

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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In Memory of Margot Kidder (1948-2018)

Margot Kidder (1948-2018)

Actress Margot Kidder died on May 14, 2018, at age 69. She was best known for portraying Lois Lane in the original "Superman" film series. We always remember her as the one and only actress who can play this sassy character.

In her 20s, she began her acting career on television before moving into film roles. In 1978, she became famous as the Daily Planet's ace reporter in "Superman," opposite Christopher Reeve. Kidder and Reeve were largely unknown as the two leads. In a 2004 interview, Kidder described her relationship with Reeve as sibling-like, showing both affection and hostility. Still, it would have been more interesting for these two actors to have wed than to have the on-screen chemistry they've had. It would have surprised all the moviegoers. She reprises the role in three more movies before ending with "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace." Other film roles include "Sisters," "The Great Waldo Pepper," "The Amityville Horror," "Trenchcoat," and "Heartaches," among others.

Over the years, Margot has appeared on television for minor roles, guest appearances, and voice-overs in shows including "Captain Planet," Phantom 2040," "Smallville," and "The Haunted Hour." Unfortunately, she had some troubling experiences, including her mental breakdown in 1996, which affected her acting career, as it was slowly declining. It's a cruel world to miss an actress like her, despite her shortcomings. She excels at portraying strong-willed female characters. We will miss her deeply, and no other actress could play Lois Lane as well as Margot.

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Avengers: Infinity War Review

Avengers: Infinity War

Release Date: 25th April 2018 - Australia

Production Companies

Marvel Studios

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 149 minutes

Budget: $400,000,000

Box Office Gross: $2,048,359,754 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Thanos, an intergalactic warlord, begins his quest, venturing into the cosmos to find the Infinity Stones and gain the power to eradicate half the universe. Now it's up to the Avengers, with Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, to risk everything to stop the invincible Mad Titan before he collects all the stones and carries out his insane plan.

Cast

Chris Evans - Steve Rogers/

Captain America

Robert Downey, Jr. - Tony Stark/Iron Man
Mark Ruffalo - Bruce Banner/
Hulk
Chris Hemsworth - Thor

Chris Pratt - Peter Quill/

Star-Lord

Josh Brolin - Thanos

Scarlett Johansson - Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Don Cheadle - Lt. James

Rhodes/War Machine

Benedict Cumberbatch - Doctor Strange

Tom Holland - Peter Parker/

Spider-Man

Chadwick Boseman - T'Challa/Black Panther

Benedict Wong - Wong

Zoe Saldana - Gamora
Karen Gillan - Nebula
Tom Hiddleston - Loki

Paul Bettany - Vision

Elizabeth Olsen - Wanda

Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Anthony Mackie - Sam Wilson/The Falcon

Sebastian Stan - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

Idris Elba - Heimdall
Danai Gurira - Okoye
Vin Diesel - Groot (Voice)

Bradley Cooper - Rocket Raccoon (Voice)
Gwyneth Paltrow - Pepper Potts

Dave Bastille - Drax the Destroyer

Pom Klementieff - Mantis

Peter Dinklage - Eitri

Benicio del Toro - The Collector

William Hurt - Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross

Letitia Wright - Shuri

Sean Gunn - On-Set Rocket

Terry Notary - Cull Obsidian/

On-Set Groot

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor - Ebony Maw

Carrie Coon - Proxima Midnight

Michael James Shaw - Corvus Glaive

Winston Duke - M'Baku

Florence Kasumba - Ayo

Kerry Condon - F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Voice)

Monique Ganderton - On-Set Proxima Midnight

Jacob Batalon - Ned (Cameo)

Tiffany Espensen - Cindy

Isabella Amara - Sally

Ethan Dizon - Tiny

Ariana Greenblatt - Young Gamora

Ameenah Kaplan - Gamora's Mother

Ross Marquand - Red Skull

(Stonekeeper)

Stan Lee - Bus Driver (Cameo)

Samuel L. Jackson - Nick Fury (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Cobie Smulders - Maria (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Directors - Anthony & Joe Russo

Based on the Marvel Comics/Groot Creator/

Executive Producer - Stan Lee

Based on the Marvel Comics/Captain America

and Groot Creator - Jack Kirby

Star-Lord/Mantis Creator - Steve Englehart

Star-Lord Creator - Steve Gan

Gamora, Thanos and Drax Creator - Jim Starlin

Groot Creator - Larry Lieber

Rocket Raccoon Creators - Bill Mantlo and

Keith Giffen

Mantis Creator - Don Heck

Captain America Creator - Joe Simon

Screenplay - Christopher Markus and

Stephen McFeely

Associate Producer/Senior Visual Effects

Producer - Jen Underdahl

Associate Producer/Unit Production Manager -

JoAnn Perritano

Executive Producers - Louis D'Esposito,

Jon Favreau, Michael Grillo, James Gunn

and Trinh Tran

Producer - Kevin Feige

Co-Producer - Mitchell Bell

Casting Director - Sarah Finn

Production Designer - Charles Wood

Concept Artists - Bob Cheshire,

Sean Hargreaves, Andrew Redder.

Paul Catling, Paul Chandler,

Roberto Fernandez Castro, Tim Hill,

Chris Kesler, Oliver Pron, Pete Thompson

and Ivan Weightman

Head of Visual Development - Ryan Meinerding

Visual Development Concept Illustrators -

Anthony Francisco, Rodney Fuentebella,

Ian Joyner, Alexander Mandradjiev,

Jerad Marantz, Fausto De Martini,

Josh Nizzi, Andy Park, Phil Saunders,

Constantine Sekeris, Tully Summers,

Justin Sweet and Jackson Sze

Supervising Art Director - Ray Chan

Art Directors - Julian Ashby,

Thomas Brown, Jordan Crockett,

Jann K. Engel, Beat Frutiger,

Kevin Houlihan, Chris 'Flimsy' Howes,

David Scott, Mike Stallion and Brian Stultz

Set Decorator - Leslie Pope

Property Master - Russell Bobbitt

Costume Designer - Judianna Makovsky

Hair Stylist: Ms Saldana - Peter Tothpal

Makeup Department Head - John Blake

Department Head: Prosthetics Makeup,

Legacy Effects - Brian Sipe

Makeup Effects Consultant: Vision - Mike Elizalde

Director of Photography - Trent Opaloch

Director of Photography: Additional

Photography - Paul Hughen

"A" Camera Operator: Second Unit/

Edge Director of Photography - Ronald Hersey

First Assistant Camera: "A" Camera - Taylor Matheson

"B" Camera: 2nd Unit, Edinburgh - David Worley

Production Supervisor - Jason Tamez

Supervising Location Manager - James Lin

Location Managers: UK/Scotland -

Duncan Bradfoot, Lindsey Powell,

Aurelia Thomas and Naomi Liston (Uncredited)

First Assistant Director - Chris Castaldi

First Assistant Director: Second Unit - David Sardi

Second Assistant Directors - Jeff Okabayashi

and Matt Haggerty

Second Unit Director/Director of Photography:

Second Unit - Alexander Witt

Additional Second Unit Director/Fight (Uncredited)/

Stunt Coordinator - Sam Hargrave

Aerial Coordinator/Pilot - Cliff Fleming

Stunt Coordinator - Vic Armstrong

Stunt Coordinator: New York Unit - Stephen A. Pope

Fight Coordinator/Stunt Double (Uncredited) -

James Young

Fight Coordinator - Daniel Hernandez

Motion Capture/Movement Choreographer -

Terry Notary

Picture Car Coordinator - Dennis McCarthy

Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick

Legacy Effects Supervisors - Lindsay MacGowan

and Shane Mahan

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital -

Joe Letteri

Visual Effects Supervisor - Dan DeLeeuw

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Kelly Port

Visual Effects Supervisors: Weta Digital -

Matt Aitken and Charlie Tait

Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM - Russell Earl,

Jeff Caprogeco and Dan Snape

Visual Effects Supervisor: Method Studios -

Greg Steele

Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite - Andrew Morley

Visual Effects Supervisor: Framestore - Patric Roos

Visual Effects Supervisor: Cantina Creative -

Stephen Lawes

Visual Effects Supervisor: Additional - Swen Gillberg

Associate Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM -

Robert Weaver

Associate Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Aleksandar Pejic

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor: Second

Unit - Mark O. Forker

Senior Visual Effects Producer: Double

Negative - Melinka Thompson-Godoy

Visual Effects Producer - Lisa Marra

Visual Effects Producers: ILM - Katherine Farrar

Danielle Legovich and Cabral Rock

Executive VFX Producer: RISE Visual Effects

Studios - Florian Gellinger

DFX Supervisor: Digital Domain - Scott Edelstein

Animation Supervisors: ILM - Kevin Martel,

Shawn Kelly, Eric Leong and Gang Trinh

Animation Supervisors: Weta Digital -

Sidney Kombo and Paul Story

Senior Animation Supervisor: Method Studios -

Keith Roberts

Animation Supervisors: Method Studios -

Daniel Mizuguchi and Christopher Perkowitz-Colvard

Animation Supervisor: Cinesite - Eamonn Butler

Animation Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Jan Philip Cramer

CG Supervisors: Weta Digital -

Gourdal Sebastien, Glen Sharah and

Sean Noel Walker

CG Supervisor: Cinesite - Chris Petts

Senior Virtual Production Supervisor - Matt Madden

Digital Model Supervisor - Bruce Holcomb

Compositing Supervisor: Framestore - Christian Zeh

Compositing Supervisor: Lola Visual Effects -

Edson Williams

3D Stereoscopic Supervisor - Evan Jacobs

Editors - Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt

Sound Designer - David Farmer

Sound Designer/Effects Editor (Uncredited) -

Nia Hansen

Supervising Sound Editors - Daniel Laurie

and Shannon Mills

ADR Supervisor - Daniel Laurie

Sound Mixers - Arda Koca and John Pritchett

Re-Recording Mixers - Tom Johnson and

Juan Peralta

Foley Artists - Shelley Roden and John Roesch

Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan

Music - Alan Silvestri

Score Recordist - Peter Cobbin

Review

When Thor: Ragnarok premiered to acclaim in 2017, it set the stage for Black Panther's February 2018 release. Both films set box-office records and outperformed most non-MCU films. Hype has grown as the wait for the newly released AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR has ended, and audiences are enthusiastic about its larger-than-life scale. Better than Age of Ultron, this is the franchise's darkest and most unexpected movie. It contains a melancholic cliffhanger borrowed from the same scenario as The Empire Strikes Back. This ending is heart-wrenching and may shock and surprise everyone who isn't a Marvel aficionado.

INFINITY WAR has a profound emotional impact on the storyline, with action sequences and splendid visuals. The movie adds heroes who had just crossed over from previous MCU standalone films. These include Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and Guardians of the Galaxy (except a few, such as Ant-Man, The Wasp, and Captain Marvel, who all have forthcoming movies before they appear in the second part of the feature). This big movie runs 149 minutes. It is even better than the first Avengers instalment.

The actors return to the large ensemble cast, playing lead and supporting roles in this highly structured, big-budget crossover. Josh Brolin is one of those actors. He portrays the villain Thanos, reprising the role from earlier Marvel movies. Brolin gives his all to make the infamous Mad Titan a complex character with compelling motives. He achieves a more threatening antagonist than the MCU has envisioned in Killmonger and Loki. The musical score is perfect, thanks to Alan Silvestri, who has returned to compose the third instalment of The Avengers.

INFINITY WAR is a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat experience and the best MCU movie. I recommend watching the first two films before deciding which one you plan to see, assuming it's this one.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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