Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Review

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom


Release Date: 21st June 2018 - Australia


Production Companies
Universal Pictures
Amblin Entertainment
Legendary Pictures
Perfect World Pictures

Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 128 minutes


Budget: $187,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,310,466,296 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
It's been three years since the unleashed dinosaurs destroyed the Jurassic World theme park and its luxury resort. The humans now abandon the island of Isla Nublar while the surviving dinosaurs roam in the jungle. When a dormant volcano threatens to erupt, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing must return to the island to save the remaining dinosaurs from extinction. They soon encounter terrifying new kinds of gigantic dinosaurs while

unravelling a conspiracy

threatening the entire

planet.

Cast
Chris Pratt - Owen Grady
Bryce Dallas Howard - Claire

Dearing

Rafe Spall - Eli Mills
Justice Smith - Franklin Webb
Daniella Pineda - Zia Rodriguez
James Cromwell - Benjamin Lockwood
Toby Jones - Mr. Eversoll
Ted Levine - Ken Wheatley
Jeff Goldblum - Ian Malcolm
BD Wong - Dr. Henry Wu
Geraldine Chaplin - Iris
Isabella Sermon - Maisie

Lockwood
Peter Jason - Senator Sherwood

Crew
Director - J.A. Bayona
Based on Characters - Michael Crichton
Writer - Derek Connolly
Writer/Executive Producer - Colin Trevorrow
Executive Producer - Steven Spielberg
Producers - Frank Marshall

and Belen Atienza

Producer/Unit Production

Manager - Patrick Crowley

Co-Producer/Unit Production

Manager - Thomas Hayslip

Casting Director - Nina Gold

Palaeontology Consultant - Jack Horner

Production Designer - Andy

Nicholson

Supervising Art Director - Jason Knox-Johnston

Concept Artist Supervisor - Virginie Bourdin

Construction Manager - Ray Barrett

Set Decorator - Tina Jones

Set Decorator: Hawaii Main Unit - Carolyn 'Cal' Locks

Armourer - Simon Atherton

Costume Designer - Sammy Sheldon

Hair, Makeup & Prosthetics Designer/

Hair Department Head: Hawaii Unit -

Frances Hannon

Hair Stylist: Chris Pratt - Mary L. Mastro

Director of Photography - Oscar Faura

Second Unit Director/Director of Photography -

Patrick Loungway

Aerial Director of Photography: Second Unit,

Hawaii - David B. Nowell

"C" Camera Operator/Underwater Director of

Photography: Second Unit, Hawaii - Don King

Unit Production Manager - Joan Schneider

First Assistant Director - Michael Lerman

Second Unit Director - Eugenio Mira
Supervising Location Manager: Hawaii Main

Unit - Laura Sode-Matteson

Stunt Coordinator - Rob Inch

Diving Coordinator: Underwater Unit - Dave Shaw

Marine Coordinator: Hawaii Main Unit -

Daniel F. Malone

Cessna Airplane Pilot/Aerial Pilot: Second

Unit, Hawaii - Craig Hosking

Helicopter Pilot/Aerial Pilot: Second Unit,

Hawaii - David Paris

Special Effects Supervisor - Paul Corbould

Special Effects Supervisor: Hawaii Main Unit -

Michael Meinardus

Special Effects Floor Supervisor - Paul Corbould

Special Effects Coordinator - Ben Vokes
Creature Effects Creative Supervisor - Neal Scanlan

Creature Effects Electronics Design &

Development Supervisor - Matthew Denton

Creature Effects Paint Finish Design

Supervisor - Henrik Svensson

Visual Effects Supervisors - David Vickery

and Alex Wuttke

Visual Effects Supervisor: Image Engine Design -

Dave Morley

Visual Effects Producer - Daniel Barrow

Visual Effects Art Directors: ILM -

Stephen Tappin and Jama Djurabaev

Animation Supervisors - Jance Rubinchik

and Glen McIntosh

CG Supervisors: ILM - Stephen Ellis,

Malcolm Humphreys and Tim Nassauer

Digital Artist Supervisors: ILM - Richard Bentley,

Tobias Keip, Ben Lambert, Lee McNair,

Jon Mitchell, Naren Naidoo,

Malcolm Thomas-Gustave and James R. Tooley

Editor - Bernat Vilaplana
Sound Designer - Oriol Tarrago
Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer - Al Nelson
Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer - Pete Horner
Consulting Sound Designer - Gary Rydstrom

Supervising Sound Editor - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

Production Sound Mixer - John Casali

Dialogue Editors - Cheryl Nardi,

Will Ralston, James Spencer and

Michael Silvers (Uncredited)

Re-Recording Mixer - Christopher Boyes

Additional Re-Recording Mixer - Tom Myers

Foley Artists - Jana Vance and Geoff Vaughan
Composer: Theme Music - John Williams
Music - Michael Giacchino

Music Editors - Paul Aplegren and

Joe E. Rand

Score Recordist and Mixer - Peter Cobbin


Review

It's been three years since Jurassic World revived Steven Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK film series and saved it from extinction. However, the audiences' expectations will change with the new chapter. Unfortunately, FALLEN KINGDOM isn't what moviegoers expect, as it has come in for criticism for its lack of innovation. Some people claimed the film was just a rehash of The Lost World when they saw its trailer. I can't explain how I managed to miss the cinema release of FALLEN KINGDOM, but I managed to catch up with it on BigPond Movies. After seeing this latest instalment, I began to agree with the disappointed moviegoers, as the movie recycled the plot of the previous Jurassic Park movie. The writing feels convoluted, with a few twists that go nowhere. However, the film is not a complete loss because of the direction by J.A. Bayona. To put it this way, I didn't fall asleep.

There are surprisingly dark moments contained in the feature, which is why the movie is not a dud. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have continued with their predictably strong performances, as there is no one whose performance made me cringe. However, Jeff Goldblum makes a surprise return to the movie but doesn't do anything to contribute to its storyline.

I consider FALLEN KINGDOM to be an average effort of the franchise. If you're a die-hard fan, this movie is worth checking out. If you're not into Jurassic Park, you're not missing out on anything.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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91st Academy Awards

91st Academy Awards


Broadcast Date: 25th February 2019 - Australia


Greetings, bloggers. It is with great pleasure that the nominations for this year's Oscar ceremony are confirmed. Unlike the others, the 91st Academy Awards will become the second ceremony without a designated host. The last time that the Oscars went without a host was in 1989.

I was shocked to discover that Black Panther has earned the rare distinction of being the first superhero movie to receive a Best Picture nomination. Also, I was surprised that Bohemian Rhapsody got nominated in the same category, despite having mixed reviews.

Here is the list of the contenders that are nominees for each category.

Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Infinity War - Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl and Daniel Sudick
Christopher Robin - Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould
First Man - Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J. D. Schwalm
Ready Player One - Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk
Solo: A Star Wars Story - Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Dominic Tuohy


Best Film Editing

BlacKkKlansman - Barry Alexander Brown
Bohemian Rhapsody - John Ottman
The Favourite - Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Green Book - Patrick J. Don Vito
Vice - Hank Corwin

Best Costume Design

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Mary Zophres
Black Panther - Ruth E. Carter
The Favourite - Sandy Powell
Mary Poppins Returns - Sandy Powell 
Mary Queen of Scots - Alexandra Bryne

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Border - Goran Lundstrom and Pamela Goldammer
Mary Queen of Scots - Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks
Vice - Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney

Best Cinematography

Cold War - Lukasz Zal
The Favourite - Robbie Ryan
Never Look Away - Caleb Deschanel
Roma - Alfonso Cuaron
A Star Is Born - Matthew Libatique

Best Production Design

Black Panther - Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart

The Favourite - Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton

First Man - Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

Mary Poppins Returns - Production Design: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

Roma - Production Design: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Barbara Enriquez

Best Sound Mixing

Black Panther - Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
Bohemian Rhapsody - Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali
First Man - Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montano, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis
Roma - Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and Jose Antonio Garcia
A Star Is Born - Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve Morrow

Best Sound Editing

Black Panther - Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
Bohemian Rhapsody - John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
First Man - Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
A Quiet Place - Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
Roma - Sergio Diaz and Skip Lievsay

Best Original Song

"All the Stars" from Black Panther - Music by Mark Spears, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth and Anthony Tifftih; Lyrics by Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Anthony Tifftih and Solana Rowe
"I'll Fight" from RBG - Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns - Music and Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
"Shallow" from A Star Is Born - Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt
"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Music and Lyrics by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

Best Original Score

Black Panther - Ludwig Goransson
BlacKkKlansman - Terence Blanchard
If Beale Street Could Talk - Nicholas Britell
Isle of Dogs - Alexandre Desplat
Mary Poppins Returns - Marc Shaiman


Best Animated Short Film

Animal Behaviour - Alison Snowden and David Fine
Bao - Domee Shi and Becky-Neiman Cobb
Late Afternoon - Louise Bagnall and Nuria Gonzalez Bianco
One Small Step - Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas
Weekends - Trevor Jimenez


Best Live Action Short Film

Detainment - Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon
Fauve - Jeremy Comte and Maria Gracia Turgeon
Marguerite - Marianne Farley and Marie-Helene Panisset
Mother - Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Maria del Puy Alvarado
Skin - Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman

Best Documentary - Short Subject

Black Sheep - Ed Perkins and Jonathan Chinn

End Game - Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

Lifeboat - Skye Fitzgerald and Bryn Mooser

A Night at the Garden - Marshall Curry

Period. End of Sentence - Rayka Zehtabachi and Melissa Berton

Best Documentary - Feature

Free Solo - Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill
Hale County This Morning, This Evening - RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim
Minding the Gap - Bing Liu and Diane Quon
Of Fathers and Sons - Talal Derki, Ansgar Freirch, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert
RBG - Betsy West and Julie Cohen


Best Foreign Language Film

Capernaum (Lebanon) in Arabic - Directed by Nadine Labaki

Cold War (Poland) in Polish and French - Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski

Never Look Away (Germany) in German - Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Roma (Mexico) in Spanish and Mixtec - Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Shoplifters (Japan) in Japanese - Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

Best Animated Feature Film

Incredibles 2 - Brad Bird, John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle
Isle of Dogs - Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson
Mirai - Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito
Ralph Breaks the Internet - Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Clark Spencer
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 


Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Screenplay by Joel & Ethan Cohen, based on the short stories All Gold Canyon by Jack London and The Gal Who Got Rattled by Stewart Edward White

BlacKkKlansman - Screenplay by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee, based on the memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth

Can You Ever Forgive Me? - Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, based on a memoir by Lee Israel

If Beale Street Could Talk - Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, based on the novel by James Baldwin
A Star Is Born - Screenplay by Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters, based on the 1937 screenplay by William A. Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

The Favourite - Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
First Reformed - Written by Paul Schrader
Green Book - Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly
Roma - Written by Alfonso Cuaron
Vice - Written by Adam McKay

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams - Vice as Lynne Cheney

Marina de Tavira - Roma as Sra. Sofia

Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk as Sharon Rivers

Emma Stone - The Favourite as Abigail Masham

Rachel Weisz - The Favourite as Sarah Churchill

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali - Green Book as Don Shirley
Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman as Phillip "Flip" Zimmerman
Sam Elliott - A Star Is Born as Bobby Maine
Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Jack Hock
Sam Rockwell - Vice as George W. Bush


Best Actress

Yalitza Aparicio - Roma as Cleodegaria "Cleo" Guiterrez
Glenn Close - The Wife as Joan Castleman
Olivia Colman - The Favourite as Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born as Ally Maine
Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Lee Israel

Best Actor

Christian Bale - Vice as Dick Cheney
Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born as Jackson "Jack" Maine
Willem Dafoe - Eternity's Gate as Vincent Van Gogh
Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody as Freddie Mercury
Viggo Mortensen - Green Book as Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga

Best Director

Spike Lee - BlacKkKlansman
Pawel Pawlikowski - Cold War
Yorgos Lanthimos - The Favourite
Alfonso Cuaron - Roma
Adam McKay - Vice

Best Picture

Black Panther - Kevin Feige
BlacKkKlansman - Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee
Bohemian Rhapsody - Graham King
The Favourite - Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos
Green Book - Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga
Roma - Gabriela Rodriguez and Alfonso Cuaron
A Star Is Born - Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor
Vice - Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin J. Messick


Academy Honorary Awards

Cicely Tyson

Lalo Schifrin

Marvin Levy

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

Kathleen Kennedy
Frank Marshall

Make sure you let me know who you think the winners will be. My predictions for the winners of the following categories are

Best Actor - Rami Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Animated Feature - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Visual Effects - Avengers: Infinity War 

Good luck!

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Shanghai Noon Review

Shanghai Noon


Release Date: 10th August 2000 - Australia

                         

Production Companies
Touchstone Pictures (presents)
Spyglass Entertainment (presents)
Roger Birnbaum Productions
Jackie Chan Films Limited (in association with)

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia 


Genre: Western/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 110 minutes


Budget: $55,000,000

Box Office Gross: $99,274,467
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Bumbling Chon Wang works
as an Imperial Guard in the
 Forbidden City of China.
When Princess Pei Pei is
taken hostage, Wang
pursues her captors to the
wild frontier land of Nevada,
where he meets good-
natured thief and occasional
cowboy Roy O'Bannon.
Using O'Bannon's love for
money, Wang convinces him
to help recover the princess,
and together the two form a
curious partnership -- the
likes of which the West has
never seen. (Source - Google)


Cast
Jackie Chan - Chon Wang
Owen Wilson - Roy O'Bannon
Lucy Liu - Princess Pei Pei
Brandon Merrill - Indian Wife
Xander Berkeley - Van Cleef
Roger Yaun - Lo Fong
Jason Connery - Andrews
Walton Goggins - Wallace
Adrien Dorval - Blue
Rafael Baez - Vasquez
Kate Luyben - Fifi

Crew
Director - Tom Dey
Screenplay - Alfred Gough and Miles Millar
Associate Producer/First
Assistant Director - Bruce
Moriarty
Executive Producer/Stunt
Coordinator (Uncredited)/
Stunt Actor (Uncredited) -
Jackie Chan
Executive Producers - Willie Chan and Solon So
Producers - Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman
Co-Producers - Jules Daly and New Dowd
Casting Directors - Matthew Barry and Nancy Green-Keyes
Production Designer - Peter J. Hampton
Costume Designer - Joseph A. Porro
Director of Photography - Dan Mindel
Second Unit Director - E.J. Foerster
Stunt Coordinator - Brent Woolsey
Stunt Choreographer - Chung Chi Li
Special Effects Supervisor - David Neil Trifunovich
Visual Effects Supervisor - Tim Landry
Film Editor - Richard Chew
Music - Randy Edelman

Music Supervisor - Kathy Nelson


Review

It's one of the movies that have the plot scenario of "east meets west" as 'SHANGHAI NOON' is a mixture of western, comedy and martial arts action. A great film to meld three genres as a result of Jackie Chan's blend of his action style and humour. His previous work in 'Rush Hour' was clear proof of his ability to do this and it made quite an impression. Chan's talent in multi-tasking in this way is a similar feature that succeeds the film set in modern times, whereas this one takes place in the Old West. 

The hugely popular duo of Chan and Owen Wilson were perfect choices of this lighthearted take on multiple genres. Jackie was a wonderful actor to take on the "fish out of water" character as Chon Wang (get it!). Owen Wilson brilliantly portrays the outlaw character Roy O'Bannon. They have an incredible chemistry and together make for a dynamic duo.

It's never too late not to miss all the excitement of 'SHANGHAI NOON'. It's taking steps as a martial arts/western comedy and never lulls you into boredom and is surprisingly entertaining to all audiences everywhere. 

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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Aquaman Review

Aquaman


Release Date: 26th December 2018 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
DC Comics (Uncredited)
DC Entertainment
The Safran Company

Cruel & Unusual Films

Distribution
Roadshow Films


Genre: Action/Adventure/

Fantasy

Rating: M

Runtime: 143 minutes


Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,148,528,393 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Arthur Curry is born to two people from two different worlds and is the half-born heir to the legendary underwater kingdom of Atlantis. To stop his half-brother Orm from waging war on the surface world, Arthur must do whatever it takes to become king.


Cast
Jason Momoa - Arthur Curry/Aquaman
Amber Heard - Mera
Willem Dafoe - Vulko
Patrick Wilson - King Orm
Nicole Kidman - Atlanna
Dolph Lundgren - King Nereus
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II - Manta
Temuera Morrison - Tom Curry
Ludi Lin - Captain Murk
Michael Beach - Jesse (Manta's Father)
Randall Park - Dr. Stephen Shin
Graham McTavish - King Atlan

Leigh Whannell - Cargo Pilot
Tainui Kirkwood - Young Arthur (3 Years Old)

Tamor Kirkwood - Young Arthur (3 Years Old)
Denzel Quirke - Young Arthur (3 Years Old)

Kaan Guldur - Young Arthur (9 Years Old)
Otis Dhanji - Young Arthur (13 Years Old)
Kekoa Kekumano - Young Arthur (16 Years Old)
Julie Andrews - Karatheon
(Voice)
John Rhys-Davies - Brine King
(Voice)
Djimon Hounsou - King Ricou
(Voice)
Andrew Crawford - Brine
King & King Ricou
Sophia Forrest - Fisherman Princess
Natalia Safran - Queen Rina
Jack Andrew - Mike (Bully)
Frankie Creagh-Leslie - Matt (Bully)

Ilya Melnikoff - Submarine Captain

Hank Amos - Submarine Pirate

Kyryl Kolstov - Submarine Crew Member
Patrick Cox - Cue Ball

Luke Owen - Biker

Robert Longstreet - Professor James

Devika Parikh - Newscaster Morgan

Sonny Le - Metalsmith

Jon Fabian - Italian Vendor

Mabel Tamone - Italian Young Girl

Rita Dinardo - Italian Old Woman

Anthony Standish - Barfly

Nicoletta Bianca - Italian Mother

Victor Leto - Flower Stall Vendor

Vincent B. Gorce - Italian Bell Father

Gabriella Petkova - Italian Bell Girl

Oriana Iacono - Italian Bell Mother

Pearl Alice Grantham - Ancient Atlantean Woman

Noa Tsuchiya - Ancient Atlantean Child

Alice Lanesbury - Arthur's Teacher

Nicolas Bosc - Atlantean Soldier #1

Joshua Levinson - Atlantean Soldier #2

Crew
Story/Director - James Wan
Aquaman Creators - Mort Weisinger
and Paul Norris
Story/Executive Producer - Geoff Johns
Story/Screenplay - Will Beall
Screenplay - David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Executive Producers - Jon Berg,
Walter Hamada and Zack & Deborah Snyder
Producers - Rob Cowan and Peter Safran
Casting Directors - Anne McCarthy and Kellie Roy

Visual Consultant - John Fox

Production Designer - Bill Brzeski
Concept Illustrator/Visual Effects Art

Director - Ed Natividad

Concept Illustrators - Wayne Barlowe,

Pascal Blanche, James Carson, Matt Donnici,

Jeremy Love, Scott Lukowski, Victor Martinez,

Rob McKinnon, Brad Nielsen, Christian Scheurer,

Sebastian Meyer, Mukesh Singh,

Howard Swindell, Dane Hallet, Eddy Taylor,

Rowan Cassidy and Liam Beck

Supervising Art Director - Richard Hobbs
Art Directors - Desma Murphy,

Michelle McGahey, Eugene Intas,
Bill Booth and Peter Wyborn
Set Decorator - Beverley Dunn
Property Master - Richie Dehne

Assistant Property Masters - Richard Mansfield

and Emile Oliver
Costume Designer - Kym Barrett

Specialty Costume - Jose Fernandez

Hair/Makeup Designer - Lesley Vanderwalt

Makeup Effects and Specialty Costume Design:

Fractured FX - Justin Raleigh

Director of Photography - Don Burgess

Director of Photography: Second Unit - David Burr

"A" Camera/Steadicam Operator - Peter McCaffrey

"B" Camera Operator - Michael Burgess

"C" Camera Operator/DP Insert Unit - Calum McFarlane

Camera Operators: Second Unit - Greg Gilbert

and Jack Wareham

Location Manager - Duncan Jones

Unit Production Manager - Anne Bruning

First Assistant Directors - Simon Warnock

and Albert Cho (Uncredited)

First Assistant Director: Second Unit - P.J. Voeten

Second Assistant Director - Deborah Antoniou

Second Unit Director - John Mahaffie
Stunt Coordinators - Kyle Gardiner and
R.A. Rondell
Fight Coordinator - Jon Valera
Special Effects Supervisor - Brian Cox
Special Effects Coordinator - Leanne Brooks
Visual Effects Supervisors - Kelvin McIlwain

and Charles Gibson
Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM - Jeff White,

Tim Alexander, Philippe Rebours and

Alex Prichard

Visual Effects Supervisor: Scanline VFX -

Bryan Hirota

Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Darren Poe

Visual Effects Supervisors: Method Studios -

David Nelson, Josh Simmonds and

Craig Wentworth

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Jay Barton

Additional Visual Effects Supervisors - Jim Berney

and Vinod Gundre (Uncredited)

Visual Effects Producer - Kimberly Nelson LoCascio

Additional Visual Effects Producers -

Alex Bicknell, Tricia Mulgrew and Crystal Dowd

Visual Effects Supervising Producers: ILM -

Erin D. O'Connor and Susan Greenhow

Visual Effects Consultant - James E. Price

Visual Effects Art Director: Scanline VFX -

Claas Henke

Visual Effects: Weta Digital - Daniel Macarin,

Robin Hollander, Ryan Heelan, Lex De Vroomen,

Dimitri Breidenbach, Jonathan Carre,

Norman Cates, Bimla Chall, Gemma Cooper

Prerana Jaiswal, Sergio Pickelny,

Emrys Plaisted, Naveen Shukla,

Patrick Thompson, Greg A. Vanzyl and

Armando Velazquez Franco

Visual Effects: Luma Pictures - Alejandro Solozano,

Alex Khan, Cameron Sorgi, Catherine Hughes,

Eddie Porter, Gian Lombardi, Jared Simeth,

Joe Censoplano, Justin Brunett, Lily Morgan,

Marcos Romero, Meagan Green,

Raphael A. Pimentel, Sheldon Neill,

Thana Siripopungul and Vince Cerelli

Animation Supervisors: ILM - Cedric Lo

and Kim Ooi

Animation Supervisor: Scanline VFX - Eric Petey

Animation Supervisor: MPC/Scanline VFX -

Clement Yip

CG Supervisors: ILM - Rhys Claringbull,

Barry Kane and Mathias Lautour

Digital Artist Supervisors: ILM - Aymeric Aute,

Marc Jones, Quentin Marmier, Pascal Raimbault,

Jeffrey De Guzman, Georg Kaltenbrunner,

Geordie Martinez, Mohammad Rastkar,

Hugo Debat-Burkarth, Michal Kriukow,

Martin Murphy, Barry Williams, David Fish,

Pat Lun Lam, Naren Naidoo, Gary Wu,

Ryan Hopkins, Zhen Yang Lee,

Erin Nicholson and Takashi Yoshida

Virtual Production Supervisors: The Third Floor -
Eric Carney, Casey Schatz and Steven Tom

Visualisation: Day for Nite - Kyle Robinson,

Gareth Cowan, Andy Cadz, Nigel Allan,

Juri Fripp, Sarah Collier, Lucas Newton

and Jason Peek

Editor - Kirk M. Morri

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer -

Peter Brown

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer/

Re-Recording Mixer - Joe Dzuban

Sound Designers - Stephen P. Robinson,

Eliot Connors and Harry Cohen

Re-Recording Mixer - Tim LeBlanc
Music - Rupert Gregson-Williams

Composers: Additional Music - Sven Faulconer

and Evan Jolly

Composer: Trench Music - Joseph Bishara

Music Supervisor - Michelle Silverman

Score Recordist and Mixer - Alan Meyerson


Review

Due to being mildly disappointed by Justice League, I had low expectations for this incarnation of AQUAMAN as I'm not sure that it would redeem the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). With the recent success of Wonder Woman in bringing DC characters back to life for fans, the title movie had much to live up to its success. Despite hearing a lot of criticism, I was still willing to keep an open mind about the film. AQUAMAN wasn't as good as I expected, but it was an improvement on the previous movie.

I liked how James Wan gets ambitious with his direction in the latest film, just like he did in Fast & Furious 7 years ago. The movie's cinematography is brilliant. The tone is lighthearted. It had an adventurous feel that drew you into the old-school fashion of action and adventure seen in classic movies like the Indiana Jones series. I'm disappointed that the storyline was predictable and much done before with the Chosen One narrative. While the plot is cliched, the characters draw you in, especially how Aquaman's adversaries had justified motives. I'm not going to give those actions away. You'll have to watch it for yourself. What works in the film is the setting of Atlantis, which fans came to expect. Unlike the lost city portrayed in Atlantis: The Lost Empire, AQUAMAN's interpretation of Atlantis looks sophisticated, futuristic, and beautiful. In general, the visuals of AQUAMAN are stunning and create the underwater world of Atlantis.

Jason Momoa returns as Aquaman but with much more authenticity than he showed in Justice League. The rest of the cast is stellar, with standouts like Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe and Temuera Morrison. The music score by Rupert Gregson-Williams reinforced the mood and atmosphere of the film with its mash-up of electronic instruments and a traditional orchestra.

Overall, AQUAMAN has its weaknesses. Many of its features save it from sinking, like the Titanic. It's enjoyable but not one of the best films in the DCEU series. If you're a DC fan, I recommend you see it.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Review

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse


Release Date: 13th December 2018 - Australia


Production Companies
Columbia Pictures (presents)
Sony Pictures Animation
Marvel Entertainment (in association with)
Pascal Pictures
Lord Miller
Arad Productions

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/

Action

Rating: PG

Runtime: 117 minutes


Budget: $90,000,000

Box Office Gross: $393,602,435 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Miles Morales is a teenager from Brooklyn who has been given superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider in a subway that transforms him into the one and only Spider-Man. He soon meets Peter Parker and learns that others like him have shared the same abilities. Miles must put his newfound talents to fair use if he has to confront the evil hulking madman known as the Kingpin, who has pulled different versions of Spider-Man into our world and plans to open portals to other universes.


Voice Cast
Shameik Moore - Miles Morales
Jake Johnson - Peter B. Parker
Hailee Steinfeld - Gwen Stacy
Mahershala Ali - Uncle Aaron
Brian Tyree Henry - Jefferson Davis
Lily Tomlin - Aunt May
Luna Lauren Velez - Rio Morales
Zoë Kravitz - Mary Jane
John Mulaney - Spider-Ham
Kimiko Glenn - Peni Parker
Nicolas Cage - Spider-Man Noir
Kathryn Hahn - Doc Ock
Liev Schreiber - Wilson Fisk
Chris Pine - Peter Parker
Natalie Morales - Miss Calleros
Jorma Taccone - Green
Goblin/Last Dude
Joaquín Cosío - Scorpion
Marvin 'Krondon' Jones III - Tombstone
Lake Bell - Vanessa Fisk

Post Malone - Brooklyn Bystander
Stan Lee - Stan (Cameo)
Oscar Isaac - Interesting Person #1 (Cameo)
Greta Lee - Interesting
Person #2 (Cameo)

Crew
Directors - Bob Persichetti
and Peter Ramsey
Screenplay/Director - Rodney Rothman

Story/Screenplay/Producer - Phil Lord
Executive Producers - Stan Lee,

Brian Michael Bendis and Will Allegra
Producers - Avi Arad, Christopher Miller,
Amy Pascal and Christina Steinberg
Co-Producers - Theresa Bentz and
Christian Henjal
Production Designer - Justin Thompson

Visual Consultant - Alberto Mielgo

Art Directors - Dean Gordon and

Patrick O'Keefe

Character Designers - Shiyoon Kim,

Florent Auguy, Andrea Blasich, Denis Bodart,

Jesús Alonso Iglesias, Craig Kellman,

Brittany Meyers, Sei Riondet, Tony Siruno

and Omar Smith

Comic Book Artists - Jason Latour,

Sara Pichelli, Rico Renzi, Robbi Rodriguez

and Marcelo Vignali

Head of Story - Paul Watling
Story Consultant - Meghan Malloy

Heads of Layout - David Morehead,
Rich Turner and James C.J. Williams

Head of Character Animation - Joshua Beveridge

Supervising Animators - Julie Bernier Gosselin,
Dave Blais, Derek Esparza, Robin George,
Min Hong, Jeff Panko, Dylan Reid,
Humberto Francisco Rosa and Philip Rudolph

Visual Effects Supervisor - Danny Dimian

Head of CG - Daniel Kramer
Editors - Robert Fisher Jr. and

Matt Landon

Supervising Sound Editors - Geoffrey G. Rubay

and Curt Schulkey

Sound Designer - John Pospisil

Re-Recording Mixers - Tony Lamberti

and Michael Semanick

Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker,

Michael Broomberg and Rick Owens

Music - Daniel Pemberton

Music Supervisor - Kier Lehman


Review
During the holiday season, a few blockbuster movies came out in cinemas. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE was one of these films. I'd been looking forward to seeing The Grinch or Bumblebee when I chose the animated superhero feature instead (although I did get a chance to experience Bumblebee the following weekend before Christmas Eve). INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is, according to many critics, the best animated movie of the year. Some have considered it the best film in the franchise since Spider-Man 2. The titular character and brand have been repeatedly adapted by Sony, with recent successes like Homecoming (mainly in conjunction with Disney and Marvel Studios) and the critically derided spin-off Venom. Also, a few Disney-owned movies have featured Spider-Man as a supporting character.

I'm surprised that the animated film has come from Sony's feature animation unit, which didn't have an excellent track record in recent movies like The Emoji Movie and The Smurfs series. I'm lucky that I have not seen these films! The creative maestros behind The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street had a hand in putting a fresh spin on the character with a burst of creativity. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE doesn't deal with Peter Parker's origins as that has already been done in two film series but instead focuses on Miles Morales as he takes up the mantle from the original Spider-Man. It made me curious about the multiple versions of the titular character and how they come in. The movie contains a fun, emotional and action-packed storyline with memorable characters. There are even plenty of thrills to keep moviegoers satisfied.

The animation is fluid and has taken the comic book aesthetic, making this film stylish compared to the other animated superhero features. These films look standard in their approach. With a wonderfully diverse voice cast, all of whom perfectly fit their roles, including Shameik Moore as Miles Morales. Jake Johnson plays an older and cynical Peter Parker who barely gets in touch with his inner heroics. John Mulaney is hilarious and provides comic relief for Spider-Ham. Hailee Steinfeld is exceptional for Spider-Gwen. In his return to form, Nicolas Cage lends his voice as Spider-Man Noir. Also, be on the lookout for Stan Lee's voice cameo appearance. You may get a tear rolling from your eye after watching him. The soundtrack is impressive as it fuses the movie with songs layered with hip-hop and pop music.

I have nothing against INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. It is unlike anything I have seen in a Spider-Man movie. The film proves that Sony can handle the franchise without Disney's ongoing assistance and is necessarily a game-changer. It is also a heartfelt tribute to two of its creators. The franchise wouldn't have existed without these two creators in their efforts. I consider this an extraordinary animated film and a new favourite. It is a must-see for every fan and moviegoer. Be sure to look upon this again when you see it shortly.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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