Incredibles 2 Review

Incredibles 2

Release Date: 15th June 2018 - Australia 

Production Companies 

Walt Disney Pictures 

Pixar Animation Studios

Distribution 

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia 

Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: PG 

Runtime: 120 minutes 

Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,242,805,359 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in “Incredibles 2” – but this time Helen is in the spotlight, leaving Bob at home with Violet and Dash to navigate the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life. It’s a tough transition for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-Jack’s emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone must find a way to work together again—which is easier said than done, even when they’re all Incredible. (Source - Google)

Voice Cast

Craig T. Nelson - Bob Parr/
Mr. Incredible

Holly Hunter - Helen Parr/
Elastigirl

Sarah Vowell - Violet Parr

Huck Milner - Dashielle Parr (Dash)

Samuel L. Jackson - Lucius
Best/Frozone

Brad Bird - Edna Moda (E)

Bob Odenkirk - Winston
Deavor

Catherine Keener - Evelyn
Deavor

Jonathan Banks - Rick Decker

Sophia Bush - Voyd

Michael Bird - Tony Rydinger

Isabella Rossellini -
Ambassador

Phil LaMarr - Krushaer/
Helectrix

John Ratzenberger -
Underminer

Bill Wise - Screenslaver/
Pizza Guy

Crew

Writer/Director - Brad Bird

Executive Producer - John
Lasseter 

Producers - John Walker and
Nicole Paladis Grindle

Story Supervisor - Ted Mathot

Story Consultants - Peter Sohn,
Mark Andrews and Michael Arndt 

Additional Story Artist/Character Designer/
Supervising Animator - Tony Fucile

Production Designer - Ralph Eggleston

Character and Costume Designer - Deanna Marsigliesse

Character Supervisor - Bill Wise
Supervising Animators - Alan Barillaro
and Dave Mullins
Directing Animators - Evan Bonifacio
and Travis Hathaway

Director of Photography: Camera - Mahyar Abousaeedi

Director of Photography: Lightning - Erik Smitt 

Film Editor - Stephen Schaffer

Second Film Editor - Anthony Greenberg

Music - Michael Giacchino

Review

It's been 14 years since Pixar released 'The Incredibles' and the stakes have never been higher. After such a long waiting period, a sequel has been released and it has met all expectations. Brad Bird has revisited his own cinematic creations and is again doing the impossible by putting them into this new installment with twice the fun and action as its predecessor. He even went back to his roots in 3D animation in the wake of the box office fiasco that was his second live-action feature 'Tomorrowland'. My small concern on 'INCREDIBLES 2' is that it doesn’t deliver as much of a original story and some bits were all too vaguely familiar from the original. However, it’s nice to get away from the excitement of the Marvel movies and that it is a rare opportunity to see the whole superhero family fight crime while trying to balance it in living with a normal life. 

One of the reasons that this film had brought me here is the whimsical joy of the humour and some of which has come from the antics of the baby Jack-Jack who has recently discovered his super-powers. Added to the movie was its message that promotes gender equality; probably because Elastigirl was the centre of attention and since Pixar nowadays has shifted lead characters from traditional male-dominated world of  animated movies. 

Now it seems that 'INCREDIBLES 2' won’t be up there with the sequels that Pixar has made for the original 'Toy Story', but I admit, it has been a fun, thrill ride and it would be more exciting if I have to see these two animated movies in a mini-marathon. WARNING!: Viewers with epilepsy are cautioned that due to several of the movie’s sequences containing flashing lights as a risk of seizures.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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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.

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 claimed it was a dumb and cheesy film, 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, city landscapes, and masterful concepts were designed beautifully 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 one of the Star Wars prequels, Attack of the Clones.

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 of Korben's love interest and is the key to everything. Gary Oldman enjoys getting villainous roles and doing so without being typecast. Here, he portrays the immorally corrupt businessman Zorg, who speaks with a Southern accent, which 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 re-watch this movie again, 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

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.
The pirate, the bird, and
the treasure drifted

somewhere in the South
Pacific after a fallen lamp
set fire to the ship. The
parrot watched the wounded
pirate bury it on a deserted

island, then died.

The year is 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 is

shattered when Sam's father

discovers Grandpa is in

heavy debt and organises

the sale of Grandpa's

lifelong home and his move

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

the eccentric Mac set off

to find the treasure.

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, a family movie this time! When we think of family movies in which live animals steal the spotlight from human actors, Babe is a worthy example. Filmed primarily in Australia, the film was a worldwide success. However, few of its competitors filmed in Australia did not achieve the same recognition, and each was left financially unsuccessful at the box office. Filmmaker Mario Andreacchio from South Australia has had a tough time since his movie Napoleon, which starred no humans, underperformed. He ultimately agreed to direct the feature as another bird-centric film, Paulie, is about to make its way into 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 and re-edited except for the macaw's voice, which was re-dubbed by John Goodman.

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

The cast was spearheaded by some unrecognisable film talent in Australia, except for Jason Robards, the only American actor in the movie, and, to a lesser extent, Jamie Croft. The late actor is so out of place in this movie that even his role as the grandfather couldn't save him in a forgettable film with forced international marketing. Croft delivers a solid performance as the young boy desperate to save his grandfather from being sent into a retirement community and having financial problems.

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). All of you will understand this critique and agree that this movie isn't good enough for the entire 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 a former Imperial Militant turned space pirate cruising around the Outer Rim with his faithful companion, the mighty Wookie, Chewbacca. It's how he became the most notorious smuggler in the galaxy before becoming a legend.

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 are worried that this new anthology film may be an unnecessary addition to the Star Wars lore after a behind-the-scenes drama. It began with the original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, getting fired by the producer, leaving the production to fall into the hands of a more capable Ron Howard, who re-shot the picture by 75%. 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. Though the film wasn't a total failure for both Disney and Lucasfilm, they need to rethink their strategies before they can go up against another hugely successful movie, and it may have been the first time in the series, however.

I have read much of Han Solo's original backstory from only one book of the non-canonical Expanded Universe and learned a few facts. This feature unravels much of the character's backstory, and some bits already explored in the novel got changed for the better, including Han saving Chewbacca's life, Han making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, and so forth. I liked the script-writing father and son duo, Lawrence & Jon Kasdan, for adapting the story of the notorious smuggler who came to be Han Solo. I'm disappointed that a few discrepancies in the storyline 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 impression and doesn't have his rugged good looks or improvisation. He has done the integrity he needs in his role, and this 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 the Game of Thrones series. Not because I'm unfamiliar with actress Emilia Clarke, since she didn't have the privilege to portray Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genisys. Frankly, she's performing much better than in her previous role, but she did okay. Other actors with standout roles include 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. While this standalone feature does very little to contribute to the franchise. I am satisfied with how it has turned out. Longtime fans and cinema-goers would watch this movie to check their expectations.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Singin' in the Rain Review (Updated)

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 began to be replaced by 'talkies,' everyone struggled to adapt to this bumpy transition. Don and Lina keep getting cast as a romantic pair, but when their latest film becomes a musical, only Don has the voice to sing the lead. After much practice with a diction teacher, she still sounds awful, so they hire a bright, young, up-and-coming actress, Kathy, to do the dubbing.

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 in its early years, but it eventually earned its place as a movie classic. However, I managed to watch the film for the second time and revisit it in memory of the late Debbie Reynolds, who passed away two years before I was to complete this review. A triumphant musical comedy from Kelly, co-director Stanley Donen, and producer Arthur Freed, who have much in common in handling this film as Kelly and Freed did with Vincente Minnelli in An American in Paris. It reminisces about the golden years when movies transitioned into the sound era known as the 'talkies' back then.

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 appeal of the film lies in its charm, wit, and infectious energy, which are the reasons why it is such 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. There are bits of slapstick comedy, and the sequences follow a routine that Kelly sang and choreographed, most of them including the famous number that everyone is humming.

The cast is talented, including Kelly, the standout actor in the movie, a highly coordinated dancer, and a prolific director. He did well in his performance, considering it's his movie. The young actress Reynolds was decent as the loveable sweetheart Kathy Selden, and Donald O'Connor brought joy and laughter into his character role of Cosmo Brown. I congratulate the two for the chemistry they share with Kelly. Jean Hagen plays the vain and self-centred actress Lina Lamont, as her bad Brooklyn accent is unsuited for any of the 'talkie' pictures.

There is a lot of singing and dancing in this kind of picture. 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)

The actress Margot Kidder died on May 14th, 2018, at age 69. She was notable for portraying Lois Lane in the original "Superman" film series. We always remember her as the one and only actress capable of playing this sassy female character.

In her 20s, she started her acting career in television before venturing into cinematic roles. In 1978, she became famous as the ace reporter of the Daily Planet in "Superman" opposite Christopher Reeve. Kidder and Reeve were largely unknown as these two leading characters. According to what she said in a 2004 interview, Kidder and Reeve were like siblings and displayed affection and hostility for each other. Still, it would have been more interesting for these two actors to have wed than the on-screen chemistry that 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," "Heartaches," etc.

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 such an actress despite her shortcomings. She is good at portraying some strong-willed female characters. We will deeply miss her, and no other actress could play Lois Lane better than Margot can.

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