Author: AllieHanley

Allie Hanley waves her Geek Flag proudly as she writes Film, TV, and Pop Cuture articles for several websites and a magazine. She occasionaly lands cool intervews with some of the Hollywood's most influential movers and shakers. Her favorite TV show is "Game Of Thrones" followed closely by "The Walking Dead." She has high hopes for HBO's "Westworld" and loves all things pop culture. Her favorite interview in recent times was with Gary Oldman. She attends Comic Con International every year and sometimes guest panels on smaller cons talking from topics like Women of Sci/fi, film, etc. Follow on Twitter @HallHHooker

Fantastic Fest Friday Night Headliner Interview: ‘Rabbit’ Writer Director Luke Shanahan

by AllieHanley

Fantastic Fest kicks off Thursday September 21 in Austin with a host of genre films that encompass everything from a comedy vampire flick, a documentary about a man who lost his virginity to an alien, and an eerie kidnapping film starring Adelaide Clemens in a double role.

Notably the festival is also hosting smaller satellite versions in New York, Denver, and San Francisco where movie fans will be treated to a taste of what Austin is hosting for the next nine days.

Premiering Friday night for the first time any where is the twisty film from writer/director Luke Shanahan, “Rabbit.” It’s about twin sisters both played by Adelaide Clemens (Silent Hill: Revelation). When one goes missing the other has portentous dreams that may lead to finding her missing sister, or perhaps something else.

In an interview, Luke Shanahan talks about why horror fans need to turn out for the film Friday and Monday at Fantasic Fest.

Allie Hanley: In your new film “Rabbit” tell me about where the original idea came from?

Luke Shanahan: I have a set of twins that are very close to me as friends. The thing is,  they aren’t close. In fact they have been driven apart by their intimacy. One day at lunch, one of the twins says to me, “We’re so close, I’d even feel the pain I reckon if Rachel (her twin), was being tortured…. I can’t escape her.” What an amazing idea I thought and the seed of RABBIT was born.

AH: Right when you think you know where the story is going it takes a turn and incorporates a twist, several times. Did you have those twists from the get go or did they come along later in the process?

LS: I had always written the story as it appears on the screen. It was never an intention to confuse or bamboozle my audience. And memory at most times, appears to all of us as fragments of a dream. So I feel the non-linear nature of the story-telling  <in “Rabbit”>replicates this, and is tonally consistent throughout.

AH: I feel like “Rabbit” is part of a larger story (details omitted to avoid spoilers). Did this originate from something larger?

LS: I would love, love, love to delve deeper into <what you referenced> and I have a really engaging and large back-story in my top drawer as to what you referenced. I have sketched most of it out. Its big and it would make a great “American Horror Story” style show.

AH: Well, with the current rating of “American Horror Story” you may be able to break in with your own tale! Tell me about casting and working with Adelaide Clemens?

LS: Adelaide is incredible. I needed an actress that was instinctive, brave and committed. Adelaide and I were in sync in all the choices we made. very little, needed to run to discussion. Her process is what I’m so in awe of. As example, she asks very little by way of “What’s my motivation?”

She is more, what else can I give the moment or scene? She inhabited the two sisters and never needed to resort to cheap parlor tricks. Aesthetically, there is not big differences on the screen regarding make-up, wardrobe or hair and so she had to emotionally separate them. She was extraordinary.

AH: So your film is premiering in Austin at Fantastic Fest. Any cool things you are looking forward too?

LS: Apparently I have to get ready for all the BBQ’S. being an Aussie – I can’t wait. The added bonus is that I’ve a film in a festival that I’ve long admired from afar. The scope of films at this years festival will leave me with little time for much else. So meat and movies – I’m a happy man.

Fantastic Fest film goers can see “Rabbit” Friday, Sept. 22, 9:00 PM, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (North American Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 25, 2:30 PM, is the second screening and for those without a badge, your best chance for getting in ($10 without badge). Line-up an hour in advance to further your chances of getting a seat.

Link to full schedule

Link to online ticketing app

Geekscape Talks With ‘American Assassin’s Dylan O’Brien!

by AllieHanley

“American Assassin” from CBS Films treated Austin to a very early screening of their new film at the Alamo Drafthouse theater on Tuesday. Stars of the film, Taylor Kitsch (Battleship) and Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf) introduced the film and then answered fans questions about their roles in the soon-to-be released September 15 film.

Dylan O’Brien discusses role in new action thriller “American Assassins.”

The film follows Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) as a newly recruited CIA black ops agent under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate the theft of plutonium. As they get closer to the thief, they uncover a plot from a rogue agent (Taylor Kitsch) to steal a nuclear bomb.

Dylan O’Brien discussed his role exclusively with Geekscape.

Allie Hanley: Congrats on the new film. Can you please tell me about your character on “American Assassins?”

Dylan O’Brien: Sure. I play Mitch Rapp. Well, it’s sort of an origin story. My character is a guy who’s had something very traumatic happen to him. He tragically loses the love of his life in a terrorist attack on a vacation. His world gets flipped upside down and this causes him to start training himself to seek vengeance. The CIA intercepts him and then recruits him for this division called Orion.
It’s an interesting coming of age story using the context of the world of the CIA counter terrorism. This character has to grow-up in this world and figure out if he’s just looking to seek vengeance for the rest of his life, or if he can stay in control and be an asset for his country.

AH: This role sounds a bit darker than some of the roles you’ve done in the past.

DO’B: Darker? Yes, it’s a good story and I guess it is pretty violent but nothing crazy. This character is maybe a little older than characters I’ve played in the past. He’s in his mid-twenties, engaged, loses his fiancé, and starts training to be a killer, so ya, I guess you are right <laughing>.

AH: Will this film be well received in the current political climate?

DO’B: We hope. That was a big concern of ours, -everyone going in. It was mine at first too. I do think we did a lot of work to the script to make it grounded and as authentic as we could. We were all really aware of, and have to be sensitive to the responsibility of the story. At the same time though it is relevant, and broadcasting <playing> to a sort of neutral landscape while being authentic and grounded. It just happens to be ubiquitously topical right now.
So, at the same time it’s a fictional story  and at the end of the day it’s an action thriller. It’s not the main focus or message.

If you would like to see the Q & A that followed the film follow this link to twitter.

 

  • Rating: NR
  • Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
  • Directed By: Michael Cuesta
  • Written By: Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz
  • In Theaters: Sep 15, 2017 limited
  • Studio: Lionsgate and CBS Films

Geekscape Movie Review: ‘The Dark Tower’

by AllieHanley

Much anticipated film “The Dark Tower” opens this weekend starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. If you never invested the many hours of reading it takes to tackle the eight book and massively wordy series from Stephen King that the film is based upon, then you probably would think the “The Dark Tower” isn’t half bad despite the overwhelming hate the film is getting from critics.

A young boy, Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), is having visions of other worlds. There’s a man in black who seems to be bent on destroying a tower (Matthew McConaughey), and a gunslinger (Idris Elba) who is opposing him. The boy is sure the world in his visions is real even when those around him insist he’s nuts. His destiny is to seek out the truth for himself which means he will have to face The Man In Black.

Critics are panning the film but is it because they know it took four writers, a massive effort with lots of setbacks to deliver the hour and thirty-five minute film? Is it because there is an expectation that the film should reflect everything that happened in all eight books? Is it because they expect the screen adaption to be more like a trilogy akin to “The Lord of the Rings?” Is it that they don’t know “The Dark Tower” is actually a sequel to the books. Yes, it’s a sequel. If you read the books then you may recall that the worlds are on a wheel, representing that life repeats. Roland defeated The Man in Black, but then Roland knew it was all going to happen again. This next time would be different and the film represents the next life of Roland.

If you set all that you know about the long tale that the film is based upon and just watch “The Dark Tower” as is, the film stands on it’s own two feet. It has a beginning, middle, and an ending that makes sense. It’s paced evenly. Has an intriguing story, excellent villain in casting McConaughey, and it’s a fantasy. So why the massive hate out there?

There are two distinct ways to view the film. One is with a background in Stephen King (which I have), and one without. I chose to judge the film based on it’s own merits rather than expecting it to somehow encompass the eight novels (that would perhaps have worked better as a TV series as first pitched long ago). It’s the only fair way to judge a film.

Complaining that the film took ten years, a zillion directors who came and went, etc. should have no bearing on the finished work. The truth is, some films take more effort than others. Sony thinks the effort was worth it and is counting on Stephen King fans to turn out and see the film. However, this is where the issue may lie, and unfairly so.

If you are a film studio and you green light a movie counting on that built-in fan base, then you should try and stick to the source material but the plausibility of that happening is near to zero. That’s not opinion. You can’t take eight books and cram it into a film. A percentage of critics seem to think that justifies burying the film in negative reviews. “The Dark Tower” isn’t “The Lord of the Rings” but to some it could have been, and therein lies the root behind the lousy reviews generally.

Expectation is sometimes hard to curb especially in this case because of the source material. The solution lies in the marketing. The studio should have made a better effort in delivering  a message that stressed that “The Dark Tower” is a loosely based adaptation of King’s work and most importantly that it’s a sequel to the books. There were a lot of interviews out there beforehand that could have highlighted the nature of how King ended the books to curb expectations. Additionally, marketing could have better opened minds that the underlining goal was to create a version that worked in less than 2 hours for the big screen and not have King fans expecting the next “Lord of the Rings” -esque cinematic experience. The expectation is not set appropriately and the critical scores fairly/unfairly reflect this.

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 30: Matthew McConaughey seen filming “The Dark Tower” on June 30, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

What did they get right? Casting McConaughey as the villain. He literally drips vileness all over his character and plays Walter, aka The Man in Black,  as an evil devil filled with hate. He gets ample opportunity to showcase his nastiness in equally small and devastating ways on screen. McConaughey smartly drops the Texan accent and never once feels like the actor I’ve seen in a zillion movies. He personifies The Man in Black.

Another smart move was casting Idris Elba. The character itself doesn’t have a lot of range. He’s basically a fallen good guy who has turned a loss into a need of revenge. In the books the character had way more depth, in the movie he’s just barely more than two dimensions. It’s apparently enough motivation for Elba to deftly play a man nearly broken and living on the hope that he will get revenge someday. He’s intense when deservedly so, and then able to shift gears and appear fatherly to the boy Jake in quieter scenes. His character doesn’t have a lot of dimension but Elba still plays Roland as best as the writing allows.

Tom Taylor who plays “Jake” looks to be in that horribly awkward age of not being a kid, and not being an adult. Nonetheless, he can act and you’d think he’s done thirty films. His character has the most to work with getting to exhibit a wide range of emotions. Hopefully future casting directors will see through the lousy ratings and get this actor more work.

The special effects are decent with the exception of a fight scene where Roland gets struck so hard his body flies up and hits a wall which looked like a dark cartoon. Other than that, the effects were solid. Some interesting sets and back drops, costumes looked good and several odes to other works of King for fans to be on the lookout for. Yet the film is in contention despite it having a passing grade on all criteria.

“The Dark Tower” stands on it’s own two feet when not held in context to its source material as the creators wanted. Yes, screenwriters chose to gloss over the deeper dynamics of the source material in lieu of a faster, perhaps less meaningful overall story. Despite that, the story is still balanced, characters motivations make sense, and it’s evenly paced. The studio undoubtedly is counting on Stephen King fans to fill the seats this weekend and that’s where the expectation may fall short because of critics panning the film. You can’t expect built-in fan support for a project that doesn’t deliver on the source material. Unfortunately, and fair or not, “The Dark Tower” doesn’t deliver on King’s opus work simply because his tale is too massive for the medium and should be done via episodic TV (if done at all).  Cinematically “The Dark Tower” equates to a nice diversion and probably won’t stay in the minds of moviegoers as anything special. It rises to just above mediocrity.  If you either watch the film as a stand-alone, or with the idea that it’s a sequel to the eight books it’s based upon, you may get more out of it.

Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5

·        Rating: PG-13 (for thematic material including sequences of gun violence and action)

·        Genre: Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Western

·        Directed By: Nikolaj Arcel

·        Written By: Nikolaj Arcel, Akiva Goldsman, Anders Thomas Jensen, Jeff Pinkner

·        In Theaters: Aug 4, 2017  Wide

·        Studio: Sony Pictures

Geekscape Interview: Writer Director David Lowery Talks Romance With ‘A Ghost Story’

by AllieHanley

Now playing in limited theaters is a film that tells the unexpected tale of a ghost. It’s not spooky and it’s not horror story — rather it’s a romance from writer director Davie Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) who presents a quiet film that takes its time to explore the idea of what happens after you die, and the longing to connect.

Recently deceased, a white-sheeted ghost (Academy Award-winner Casey Affleck) returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife (Academy Award-nominee Rooney Mara), only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, and he is forced to watch passively as the life moves forward without him.

Allie Hanley: Your passion project film “Ghost Story” is what seems like a sad story about loss when in actuality it’s a romantic tale about everlasting love. What’s the drive behind writing this piece?

David Lowery: It was a bunch of things actually. All of my movies are a bunch of things. In this case, it was being concerned with big existential questions like my place in the universe, and where do we go after we die, but also very personal intimate things like where are my wife and I going to live next year, and where are we going to move too, and should we even move? It was just a very big confluence of those things, and very personal things going through my own life.

The love story aspect of it, -its funny because I never set out to make love stories and I never set out to write love stories and yet a lot of my movies end up having that. I think that’s partially because I am a very romantic person and I can’t help but gradually turn everything into a love story. I think a lot of that is due to have Casey and Rooney in the story and their fantastic chemistry. A lot of that was not written on the page to the degree they performed it. I think they are very simple and undefined characters in the screen play.

The actors didn’t have a lot to go on but by casting two remarkable actors who had a lot of chemistry together, -a fondness for each other, I knew it would turn into something more than what was written on the page.

Out of that came what is essentially a love story. It starts and ends with the two of them together. I knew it wasn’t there on the page but I knew once we started shooting I was happy for the way it transformed. In the end I was very happy because like I said I am very much a romantic.

David on his two characters and how they are intertwined through time:

In my own life, and probably in your own, there are these things that reoccur. You find yourself either visiting the same places, or watching things happen that repeat, or just weird coincidences in life that feel, that make you feel like there are more things in this universe than meets the eye. I don’t necessarily think that time is cyclical but there are these times, -and I don’t have any particular theory about them, but I do think history repeats itself and time recurs to some degree.

There are parallels throughout history that repeat and I like taking something that is very personal and very meaningful to one person, -and in this case Rooney’s character and the note she leaves, and suggesting that it’s not that personal and that other people have done the same thing. I like the idea that you can go through out history and find it again, and that it’s not as special as it may seem.

And that goes for not just the note that he finds but also his death. It feels like a personally profound experience for him and yet everyone dies. He see the same little girl who meets an untimely end and he realizes that that’s just something that everyone is going to go through. It’s special for us but it is also universal.

I also think that is true of the house. He thinks this house is his, and he is bound to it, and he needs to stay there. Over the course of the movie he finds that that’s not the case. Not one person defines the space and he learns that in fact the right thing to do is to move on. So all of those ideas were ideas that I felt could be better represented if I used time as the galvanizer. So by traveling through time you are able to explore these ideas more clearly, with greater lucidity, and hopefully with a greater sense of more profundity.

Once the audience gets to the 45 minute mark and realizes that the movie is not what they thought it was, that’s when it starts getting good for me. I know some people are disappointed that it goes in that direction, but for me that’s when it comes to life.

David Lowery’s sense of spirituality and the story:

I am not an overtly spiritual person even though I was raised in a devout spiritual home. That’s not a huge part of my life anymore but nonetheless it does affect how I see myself in the universe and how I see the universe, whether you look at the film from that perspective or not. You could look at the film from a very atheistic point of view; Either way you look at it, it’s all about looking at a way to define oneself. Or you could go the other way and look at it as a way to not define oneself. Those questions are very important.

This movie is about a ghost. Anytime you bring up a ghost into a movie it explicitly brings up thoughts of the afterlife and where one goes after one dies. Those are important questions for everyone to answer on their own terms and to consider on their own terms. Also in this movie there are no answers. We are not saying that this is what’s going to happen after you die, or this is where you go, and here’s what you need to do to get there.

However, by engaging in that question about what happens and not giving the answers, it allows us to explore those questions. It gives audiences a chance to think about those questions. For me making this film, it was a way for me to explore all of those themes and ideas, I don’t have the answers for myself. I am still growing as a person and I am still trying to understand what it all means but the process is an important one and for me making this film was a big part of engaging in that process. 

Allie: Can you talk to me about the choice you made behind having the ghost appear simply as the sheet?
David: That was always something that I wanted to do. I had seen photographs, music videos, and even “Beettlejuice” using it. I loved the fact that it’s a very simple image that has become the universal symbol for a ghost. I love that it’s so child-like and naïve to the point that it’s actually a child’s Halloween costume and yet at the same time it represents something so big and complicated.

The idea that a spirit wants to remain in the existence and haunt people can be represented by a sheet with two eyes cut out of it is very interesting to me. I wanted to take that very simple image, and utilize it in a different way. So it was a desire upon my part to use that simple idea and explore it. I liked that there was something sort of funny and goofy about it.

We could lean into that a bit because it is silly when he first sits up in the scene in the hospital and he walks down the hall. It allows the audience to laugh. Culture has allowed it to become funny. If you trace it back in time, the real reason we have that Halloween costume is because of the shrouds that were put over our bodies when they were buried a long time ago. So there is a lot of history and meaning to it that has been set aside in favor of the immediate symbolism. That doesn’t make it any less profound if we can get away with taking this goofy idea and bringing a bit of gravity to it.

“Ghost Story” is now playing in limited distribution.

https://youtu.be/9pOh2ZoUui8

Rating: R (for brief language and a disturbing image)

 

  • Genre: Drama
  • Directed By: David Lowery
  • Written By: David Lowery
  • In Theaters: Jul 7, 2017 limited
  • Runtime: 87 minutes
  • Studio: Ideaman Studios 

Geekscape Review: ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’

by AllieHanley
Assuming that you’ve seen the first two ‘Apes’ films, this review is SPOILER FREE for the third installment.
In a film landscape filled with remakes and sequels it’s interesting that a trilogy of films about apes somehow supersedes all of the super heroes, robot-machines and furious car films not only in special effects, but in sheer story-telling ability. This third film in the franchise from  writer director Matt Reeves (his second in the series) cements itself as easily the best of the three.

In this outing Caesar and his growing family have made lives for themselves in the forest. The renegade gorilla Kubo, from the second film who wanted to destroy humanity, is long gone. All is well until humans bring war to the group of apes who just want to survive and prosper in peace. Caesar walks a deadly line where he will either become like Kubo to save his family or face extinction. That moral dilemma of either becoming like your enemy or transcending to a higher place is part of what makes “Apes” tick.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” isn’t a perfect film but the flaws are few and in between. “Apes” once again stars the very impressive Andy Serkis as Caesar and a bunch of green dots that enable him to appear as an erect walking and talking chimpanzee. Weta Digital who helped develop the special effects has truly outdone themselves. Of course people generally don’t go to a film just to see the special effects but this film could make a case for exactly that. Skillfully, it doesn’t have too because the film delivers on much more than just how realistic the actors look as apes.

 The story takes place fifteen years after the second, and while apes can communicate using sign language, only a few have the ability to vocalize due to the mutation that took place in the first film. Because of this plot point, an actor’s ability to be able to emote through layers of prosthetics in previous films was challenging; And while the green screen and CGI motion capture was really good, it was still obvious. The textures just weren’t there and the characters sometimes looked like animation. With the advent of even better technology though, this barrier that prevents actors coming across as real and genuine has been broken. The blur between an actor playing an ape has transcended to one that looks totally believable. While this is not the end all, be all why this film succeeds it does add a lot to the over all experience and quality of the story and film.

Adding to the film’s positive landscape is another bold and dynamic soundtrack from Michael Giachina (Rogue One, Doctor Strange) who is innately aware that a large portion of the actors are using sign language to communicate. His music takes great care to evoke emotions alongside actors who don’t get to vocalize a lot of audible language. Giachina even includes a few riffs of the original “Planet of the Apes” theme if you listen for it.

Reeves and his crew do an excellent job of creating an atmosphere of oppressiveness where the apes live in a world of rainy, cloudy environments. The color palettes are dreary and are expertly designed around characters who won’t be vocalizing. The environment and staging of the scenes go a long ways in helping to tell this story and it’s an easy bet that some nominations will be coming down later this year for the design work done on this film (besides the technical aspects which will be easily nominated as well).

There’s always going to be praise for Andy Serkis because he’s just so damn good. I almost don’t want to write about it because everyone will report on just how great he is when it comes to these kinds of roles but honestly its all true and deservedly so. It’d be nice if the Academy Awards recognized his work this year outside of something technical, and just gave him a Best Actor Nomination already, and not one he has to share with the entire cast. Outside of the challenges of performing with all the head gear and green dots, etc required by the role, Serkis has this physical ability to evoke so much with just a look in his eyes. Without Serkis, “Apes” wouldn’t be where it is today, hands down. There are plenty of big films out there with humongous stars leading the way with bigger than life talent, but many of them are interchangeable. This is so not the case when it comes to the esthetic that Serkis brings to Caesar.

 

The film is not perfect. Colonel, played by Woody Harrelson, is given the task of militarily leading a group of humans against Apes. It’s not Harrelson giving a lousy performance, he’s great, it’s just that the character is too overtly contrived. Yes, you need motivation for why a character will do what they do (vague to maintain spoiler free), however his underlying need for revenge is just the same old expectation you see in every film the revolves around revenge. Since Caesar is also walking that line it would have been nice to have just a bit less of you killed so and so, so now I must kill you. With that said, the plot twist near the end made up for it, and I absolutely loved the way the story ended up fitting into the original 1968 “Planet of the Apes” narrative from writers including Mark Bomback.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” stands on it’s own, stands as part of a worthy trilogy, and stands inside of the Apes mythos while never feeling like it’s stretching to do that.

All three films combined can go up against any re-imagined and or rebooted franchise films in the past twenty years and be cited as the best. That’s something to be said but when you really get down to comparing it to franchise films that rely heavily on action and go weak on character development and or story, “Apes” never forgets character development. Explosions, dramatic deaths, visceral fight scenes mean nothing if you don’t care about the characters. Reeves keeps that tightly in focus as he weaves a tale about survival of the fittest. As spectacular as the special effects are in this film, they wouldn’t mean anything if the actors didn’t have a meaningful story to perform. “War for the Planet of the Apes” is easily the best of the three in an already stellar franchise.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5

Rating:
PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, thematic elements, and some disturbing images)

 

  • Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama
  • Directed By: Matt Reeves
  • Written By: Mark Bomback, Matt Reeves
  • In Theaters: Jul 14, 2017 wide
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox

 

Geekscape Sits Down With Edgar Wright to Discuss ‘Baby Driver’

by AllieHanley

Out next week is Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver,” which played at Austin’s SXSW earlier this year to high critical acclaim. We are talking 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and that’s unheard of for an action film!

The movie is about an extraordinary getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who uses music to hyper focus on driving getaway cars in robberies. After being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he dreams of the day of escaping with his soulmate into the sunset. Part romance but mostly thrilling action, Edgar Wright creates a visually spectacular story, that pays close attention to creating compelling characters with a pounding sound track.

As music played a large role in both ‘Guardians of the Galaxy” films,  music is incorporated in a similar way from director/writer Wright in his new film “Baby Driver.” I got invited to sit down with the director and discuss his music and location choice for the heist film out June 28.

Take reading this interview to the next level and play the soundtrack here on YouTube at the same time!

Allie Hanley: Music plays such a fabulous role in “Baby Driver.” When you originally came up with the idea of the story how did the music play into it?

Edgar Wright: As much as the music is a main motivator factor in the main character’s life, the whole idea for the movie came about because I would be listening to music and visualizing these scenes. It goes back as far as, -I wouldn’t say I’ve been working on the movie for 22 years, but I’ve been thinking about it in some sort of form because the opening track of the movie, “Bell Bottoms” by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. When I was 21 I use to listen to that on audio cassette tape the whole time. And I use to sort of visualize a car chase. And way back then, I wouldn’t even call myself a film director but I would start to visualize this action scene, -which was a million miles away from what is actually on film 2017. So that’s crazy to me.

So really, the music was sort of the inspiration for the movie and then it developed into a movie about a character that is obsessed with music.

On setting the story’s location:

EW: Well it’s interesting to me because it was written when I first got the idea I was in London but I knew it couldn’t be in London because you don’t really get car chases in London. London is car chase proof! Mainly because of the one way system, and banks are not likely to be next to freeway systems so it just doesn’t happen. When you get robberies in London they’re usually on scooters and such.

Then I wrote it in Los Angeles and set it in Los Angeles. Then when we were actually getting ready to make the movie you start having budgetary concerns and things like tax-breaks in a city, certain places become more attractive to the producers. And initially I was a bit reluctant to that but I ended up doing a little tour of tax break cities and I was like fascinated. So me and my production manager went to Cleveland, Detroit, New Orleans, and then Atlanta.

Atlanta was where I had been to a number of times but only at a press capacity. I’d been to a studio there that was miles away from anything. So I had never really gotten to know the real place. It was in spending more time there and asking to location manager to take me to places I had never been to before and other places that people weren’t filming in that sold me on writing it for Atlanta. It’s the biggest location right now doubling for LA and New York.

It’s also a big music city and a big car city too. It’s also a main travel hub, so it’s a target for crime. So a lot of the stuff that happens in the movie genuinely happens in the city. So, all of those things came together. Once I had rewritten the script for Atlanta with the help of a friend of mine who was from there,… I rewrote it and it was cool.

Setting it in Atlanta distinguishes it a bit from many of the LA heist films like “Heat,” “Point Break,” “The Driver.” It also makes more sense for the characters to be heading west, so when they get on the road it’s like they are heading to the other ocean. Even though it wasn’t my first idea, now Atlanta is synonymous in my head.

On treading the line between incorporating nostalgia and creating something new:

EW: Essentially you start to see it through the eyes of your actors… early on in the audition process. …Music if used properly essentially can be timeless. I really didn’t want to have too many contemporary songs in the movie because I didn’t really want to date the movie the much. Everything in the movie is a little bit dates, -the cars, the IPod Classic, the fact that he doesn’t have a smart phone. I thought he would be off the grid, even when he makes that song, he uses all analog equipment. He did it tape to tape, like not ever having a computer.
You take things that are familiar and unfamiliar and nostalgic and new, and hopefully through that you create your own flavor that feels of itself, ya know. That’s the idea anyway.

Originally screened at SXSW.

Rating:
R (for violence and language throughout.)

 

  • Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By: Edgar Wright
  • Written By: Edgar Wright
  • In Theaters: Jun 28, 2017 wide
  • Runtime: 90 minutes
  • Studio: Sony Pictures

 

We Attended The Alamo Drafthouse ‘The Bad Batch’ Film Premier Event!

by AllieHanley

Writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night) debuted her new film Sunday at a truly eclectic event venue just outside of Austin, called Stunt Ranch. There was a lot to see and do including a Q & A with Amirpour, the film’s star Suki Waterhouse, and Alamo Drafthouse’s own Tim League hosting from a chair wearing pajama bottoms. He discussed his love for Amirpour while also apologizing for his attire and emotional state as he is in the middle of recovering from several broken ribs and other injuries from an accident.

In the spirit of “keeping Austin weird” the event was just more than your standard screening with a “Q and A” session as it also featured a vast pit barbecue, trapeze (yes you read that right), ax throwing, zip lining, jumping into a huge air filled cushion bag from 30 feet up, pictures in front of a flaming van, a pool, and even more. In true Alamo Drafthouse style the event was also simulcast to other theater venues across the US so movie goers who live outside of Austin could enjoy the wasteland film.

The film “The Bad Batch” stars Suki Waterhouse, as well as four other high profile, actors, Jason Mamoa (starring in Justice League as Aquaman), Keanu Reeves (John Wick), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar) and as a total surprise Jim Carrey (Dumb and Dumber) who was in a role that made him barely recognizable. You have to wonder just how did this apocalyptic film featuring cannibalism, capture the attention and the participation from such well known actors into a genre film?

The story can be described as a high bred of “Escape from New York,” “The Hills Have Eyes,” and maybe even a bit of “Mad Max.” This wasteland tale takes place in the badlands of Texas, but think more golf cart rather than supped-up hot rod.

When people don’t conform they are tattooed with a number and the initials BB for “Bad Batch” and dropped off into a place that looks absolutely desolate. Waterhouse is captured within the first few minutes of the film and brought to a town called “The Bridge” where god awful things happen to her. You won’t be able to look away.

Meanwhile in another town not far from The Bridge is Comfort, where Reeves character, The Dream (that’s his name) has a harem of pregnant, automatic weapon carrying women, who act as his personal guards. He delivers a life inspiring speech about the dream… “We aren’t good. We are bad. We are the Bad Batch!” in typical Reeves style where the dialogue borders on corny but at the same time is exquisitely perfect. The town throws nightly raves featuring free acid tabs and pounding beats.

If this hasn’t sparked your interest then consider ten scantily clad muscle bound men lifting weights, an awesome acid trip featuring stunning images of the night sky, an adorable gray bunny, a human being butchered, and a resounding sound track that at times makes you want to stand up and dance.

At risk of spoiling it no more details will be provided except to say that “The Bad Batch” is absolutely riveting. Amirpour’s breathless and mesmerizing story-telling has made me a fan for life.  Amid a summer of rehashed tales and massive marketing campaigns for super hero films, I recommend stepping into something different. “The Bad Batch” won’t disappoint genre film lovers.

I want to see it again.

The film opens June 23.

This film premiered at Fantastic Fest last September.
Rating: R (for violence, language, some drug content and brief nudity)

 

  • Genre: Thiller, Horror, Genre
  • Directed By: Ana Lily Amirpour
  • Written By: Ana Lily Amirpour
  • In Theaters: Jun 23, 2017 limited
  • Runtime: 115 minutes
  • Studio: NEON

 

Geekscape Movie Review: Tom Cruise’s ‘The Mummy’

by AllieHanley

‘The Mummy’ opening this weekend is a big tub of greasy popcorn fun starring Tom Cruise. This new take on the classic tale is filled with some twists and revamping of the core story.

Whether you are intricately aware of the original Universal Mummy films or the later ones starring Brendan Fraser this foray earnestly tries to incorporate new story elements including a female mummy, and Cruise playing a character with questionable morals.

Sidekick to Cruise is “New Girl” star, Jake Johnson who brings an excellent amount of levity to the story that seems to break up some of the action and dark scenes with solid laugh out loud moments that mostly work even when the dialogue gets cheesy. His character is often the voice of reason even when Cruise’s wants to go off the deep end.

In an attempt to provide context and avoid one and two dimensional characters ‘The Mummy” has two prologues which is kind of different but smart considering this is an action led narrative. Both mini stories do help establish Russell Crowe’s surprising character, but more importantly, gives motivation for Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) as she becomes a mummy for crimes she committed.  Unfortunately, even with these added character prologues, both still rise to just being two dimensional.

While Admanet’s motivation is clearly set on power we don’t get to see much else of what makes her tick. To be a great villain a story needs to show more depth and this is one of the reasons “The Mummy” is more fluff than substance. In the same vein, is Russell Crowe’s character (intentionally leaving out his name). He’s a bit ambiguous and the character creates more questions than answers. This may be intentional, as I would assume to see him showing up in the “Dark Universe” films that will be featuring other Universal monsters like Dracula and Wolfman. Look for Easter Eggs in the workshop and office hinting at other famous creatures (they are not obvious).

One of the major action sequences that takes place is when the cargo plane crashes as seen in the trailers. The work that went into the scene almost makes the entire film worth going to see as well as some underwater sequences. Cruise loves his action and in that he totally delivers in this film.

“The Mummy” isn’t going to win a bunch of awards in the story or acting department. However, that doesn’t mean that it still can’t be fun. Cruise delivers on what he’s known for, bigger than life stories with gigantic incredible action scenes. For many that’s enough to make an outing to the theater worth the effort. The story does do some different things with the classic Mummy tale but the choices for some will be predictable. Those who love the traditional creature feature of yester year won’t mind but those looking for substance will find it difficult when the narrative plays second fiddle to expansive action scenes.

Final Verdict: 3 out of 5

  • Rating: PG-13
  • Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Horror
  • Directed By: Alex Kurtzman
  • Written By: David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie, Dylan Kussman
  • In Theaters: Jun 9, 2017  Wide
  • Runtime:120 minutes
  • Studio: Universal

Geekscape Movie Review: ‘Wonder Woman’

by AllieHanley

Director Patty Jenkins gets the “Wonder Woman” mythos.

In the comics and the cartoons Princess Diana of Themyscira (aka Wonder Woman) is the female equivalent to Superman. She defends the innocent and sees herself as a designated protector of mankind. She has immense strength, adept hand to hand combat skills, and a magical lasso that elicits the truth from whomever it entangles.

Wonder Woman is an Amazon princess (Gal Gadot) who lives on a secluded island of warrior women. When a World War 1 pilot (Chris Pine) crashes in a single engine plane he brings news of the horrors of war. Princess Diana feels compelled to join the fight.

“Wonder Woman” is not a perfect film but it easily surpasses the last two DC films “BvS” and “Suicide Squad.” It wouldn’t be an oversell to tell you that “Wonder Woman” leaves those two films in the dust. Her character may have been introduced in “BvS” but this film gives her previous performance context and then delivers her origin as a set-up to “Justice League” (Nov 2017).

Gal Gadot as Princess Diana is given the right dialogue and opportunity to shine in this performance thanks to screen writer Allan Heinberg and director Jenkins who adeptly navigates the balance between femininity and power. Gadot’s physicality is aptly demonstrated in several fight scenes that illustrate why Wonder Woman could hold her own when she takes out German spies determined to steal back a recipe book for deadly gas.

Chris Pine plays a version of “Star Trek’s” James T. Kirk, who at one point describes Princess Diana as “hot,” unfortunately foregoing the colloquialism of 1914 . Even with that story misstep early on, Pine overcomes with his natural charisma and midway through the second act personifies a believable Steve Trevor.

The supporting cast includes a lot of fantastic performances notably from Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, who affected a cool accent and delicately balanced her performance to convey her character’s challenge of being a mother and Queen of the Amazons. Her right hand, played by Robin Wright as General Antiope, had several believable fight scenes and what may have been her first outing in such a physically demanding role.

Steve Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy, played by Lucy Davis, may have only had a few scenes but nonetheless delighted with her charm as given the assignment to make Princess Diana less warrior woman and more lady like.

The two main villains Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya) and Ludendorff played by well known actor and previous super hero villain in several X-Men films Danny Huston, unfortunately weren’t given quite enough screen time to really cement themselves as driving forces in the narrative. Both characters were presented two dimensionally and would have benefitted from just a bit more substance. Dr. Maru’s disfigurement is never addressed and her motivation to do such evil and why she was so dedicated to Ludendorff would have made a lot of difference. Something tells me those scenes may have been left on the cutting room floor in lieu of keeping the film at 2 hours and 21 minutes.

The visual creation of Paradise Island, and several WWI war zones including a no-mans land and war trenches were expertly created and added a lot to the story’s credibility. Notably a first in super hero trope of films from both DC and Marvel but no one’s keeping score anyway.

There’s a balance that Jenkins carefully treads between Wonder Woman being feminine yet powerful. That essence in itself defined early feminism when the comic came out in the early 1940’s and made many appearances including cartoons “Justice League,” “Super Friends” and the semi-campy 70’s TV show staring Lynda Carter.

Admirably Jenkins finds a way to instill Wonder Woman’s core attributes remaining faithful to what the iconic version of what Wonder Woman stands for, while not overtly cramming a feminist agenda down the audience’s throats. Jenkins and crew delivers the perfect version of both classic and contemporary heroine into the modern age of superhero films. This film will stand the test of time and even though it is a beacon to women that female super heroes can kick ass just as well as their male counterparts, the story holds its own in spite of, and despite being a feminist film.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5

Rating: PG-13

 

  • Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Directed By: Patty Jenkins
  • Written By: Allan Heinberg, Zack Snyder, Jason Fuchs
  • In Theaters: Jun 2, 2017 wide
  • Runtime: 141 minutes
  • Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

 

 

 

Geekscape Exclusive Interview: ‘V,’ ‘Alien Nation,’ ‘Bionic Woman’ creator, Kenneth Johnson talks ‘Man of Legends’

by AllieHanley

Kenneth Johnson’s writing, producing and TV directing resume reads like a best of 70’s and 80’s TV. He’s known for creating the ground-breaking and influential science fiction television miniseries “V, ” as well as producing “The Six Million Dollar Man” and created other iconic Emmy-winning shows such as “The Bionic Woman,” “The Incredible Hulk,” and “Alien Nation.”

Johnson’s “Man Of Legends” is about a man who cannot die. He’s lived for more than 2,000 years and been witness to many of mankind’s achievements and atrocities. His life and those he’s touched is told through the eyes of those who have witnessed his struggle to be a better man in the eyes of the one who cursed him.

After reading an early copy I reached out to the author to discuss his story that hits shelves July 1.

Allie Hanley: I am such a big fan of “V,” “Alien Nation,” “The Bionic Woman” and “Hulk.” It wouldn’t be remiss to say you shaped a good portion of my childhood and teen years with those shows. I even had a bionic woman Barbie doll that went on “dates” with Steve (Six Million Dollar Man) and GI Joe. I named my dog “Max” and wanted him to be on every episode of “The Bionic Woman.”

I was sad when there were no longer any more episodes of “Alien Nation,” -loved the sour milk in lieu of alcohol, and was excited when “V” came back but it just wasn’t on par with yours!

Can you tell me about your new book “Man of Legends?”

Kenneth Johnson: While reading Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad” several years ago I came across a reference to my protagonist, which stirred my imagination. When I learned that Percy Shelley had also written poems about him I began some serious research and realized what an amazing tale could be woven together from all the legends about him. I also saw what a tremendous impact he could have had on the last 2000 years of world history (history is another of my passions). How he could have had life-changing encounters not only with Twain and Shelley (plus his wife Mary), but also sparked a young Tuscan boy to create a Renaissance painting, helped Scotsman James Watt to design the steam engine that kick started the Industrial Revolution, helped get Al Capone arrested, introduced the British Earl of Condom to the item that bears his name, inspired Gandhi, Einstein & so many others. …And made some unwitting mistakes that had ripple effects proving how no good deed goes unpunished.

AH: What made you want to tell the story from many perspectives rather than a narrative from Will’s viewpoint?

KJ: Also…having the different voices and speech patterns of the multiple characters telling the story adds a wonderful spice and sparkle to the reading experience — or listening experience to those who get the audio-book. Wait till you hear how they sound — it plays like an intriguing radio drama. Well, a great deal of the book is from Will’s POV. But he wouldn’t have the necessary knowledge to describe the experiences of the other characters whose voices I employed. Also I wanted the readers, like the characters in the novel, to experience my flawed hero Will as a flesh and blood man. Then through what we hear from Will plus Jillian and Father Paul and the love of Will’s life Hanna, we get to peel back the many layers of his story. To learn how he’d been born 20 centuries earlier and made a mistake back then that brought down a curse upon him: though he can suffer the pain of mortal injury he cannot die. And he must continually move forward every three days, unable to go backwards. Thus he’s on a constant quest to understand why this has befallen him, and if redemption is possible.

That’s the theme which drives the novel and threads through each of the characters in the story: trying to discover one’s reason for being.

And in Will’s case to also understand the mysterious sleek young man whom Will has glimpsed many times over the two millennia…who seems so eager to help him… yet is also consummately dangerous.

AH: With so many perspectives and characters was there one that you really loved and why?

KJ: Unfair! That’s like asking, “Who’s your favorite child, Kenny?” Each character is unique and so is his/her perspective on the story. Together with Will they create a rich tapestry ranging from the sharp reporter Jillian (troubled by her own demons),  to a country singer on the skids whom Will jumpstarts, to gritty, streetsy graffiti artist Tito, to five-year-old Maria, orphaned daughter of a prostitute, to Father St. Jacques the ambitious, self-serving French priest who represents Vatican authorities that have been relentlessly pursuing Will for 1600 years. …But I think that Katharine Hepburn-esque Hanna, now 85, who Will saved from drowning in the River Seine in 1937 and who became the love of his life as she traveled with him for a year, and is lovingly reunited with him in the course of the novel, is one who touches me the deepest. She is a sparkplug, a spitfire, a warm, brilliant woman any man would cherish and the romance she has with Will really is one for the ages.

AH: Were you raised religious and how did that play into your story?

KJ: As for me,  my mother went to a Methodist Church and so did I as a kid…mostly because I had a crush on a Judy Witherspoon who went there. As a teen and beyond I found it more interesting to learn about various other religions, beliefs, mythologies and superstitions and realized that almost all of them had caused far more harm than good. — But that the worthwhile kernel at the core of each of them seemed a far simpler concept…which is also touched on in my novel: an Ethic. A way of living right.

AH: There’s a few touching pages in your story that you dedicate to the death of a dog and do they go to heaven. Can you elaborate on that?

KJ: The young college student Nicole is mourning her recently deceased, beloved dog and Will explains why it hurts so much:

Because watching a puppy grow through maturity to old age and death is experiencing the whole life cycle. — Which is a metaphor for what Will has been going through for 2000 years…including seeing his wife and children,

and all the others whom he’s cared for, age and die…while he goes on and on. — That’s why he’s avoided Hanna, as much as he loved her…to save her the pain of seeing him still young.

As for the Great Mysteries, the novel certainly touches on them too. And I personally come down on the side of Will and Hamlet, “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of…”

AH: Your style of writing is easily visualized. It wasn’t hard seeing this as a serialized TV show. Any movement in that direction and or where would you like to see this go?

KJ: Thanks for the compliment. Being first and foremost a director I’m always thinking cinematically. I very much hope to turn the novel into a TV project… ideally a four-hour or so miniseries which would allow more adequate time than a movie to really delve into all the mysterious, entertaining, fun, frightening, hopefully thought-provoking material I’ve been able to weave into the book.

AH: What are you working on now and how can readers follow you?

KJ: There is a KJ Facebook page for the novel, and there’s far more info at www.kennethjohnson.us — particularly about our current efforts to mount a big theatrical movie remake of my original miniseries V, as the first of a movie trilogy.

Geekscape Movie Review: ‘Alien: Covenant’

by AllieHanley

Opening this weekend is Ridley Scott’s  sci-fi horror thriller “Alien: Covenant” from 20th Century Fox. This ones takes place ten years after “Prometheus” and deftly answers many of the questions that left “Alien” fans somewhat disenchanted.

The command crew aboard a colonization ship is suddenly awakened from hyper sleep after their ship carrying 3,000 passengers and 10,000 fertilized embryos suffers a malfunction. In the midst of making repairs a discovery is made. A planet that may be the perfect place to settle is just a mere two weeks away versus their planned destination being another four years journey.

There’s a saying… when it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Which would you pick?

In perfect “Alien” form, “Covenant” revisits a similar plot structure that is evident throughout the franchise. This one keeps those same beats; the initial hope of finding a new planet, that first attack and death, a turn coat, the imminent death of everyone who doesn’t escape back to the ship, and of course the traditional ending where you think it’s over, but it’s not. Those familiar beats made the first one work, and even though familiar they still make “Covenant” a very worthy sequel.

What sets this one apart is that it begins with a flash back. It’s Peter Weyland (Guy Pierce reprising his role) at the “birth” of his creation, David (Michael Fassbender). It becomes apparent that David’s idea of perfection and creation will exceed Weyland’s idea of godhood. This is later realized in brilliant fashion as David does some pretty twisted experiments in search of his own godhood.

When all hell starts to bust loose and the horror truly begins.

Another twist to this story is the dual role that Fassbender plays as not only the aforementioned “David” but also a less emotional “Walter” who is accompanying the colonization ship in a similar role as David in “Prometheus.” Fassbender a true talent, is able to instill a new persona in “Walter” and realize his “David” as two completely different synthetic humans but still similar. I never once felt like his performance was in any way overly contrived.

In an early scene where both David and Walter appear on the screen together, the special effects are so well executed you can’t tell that there’s digital compositing going on. The scene takes place in a wheat field during an attack and “Walter” protects a crew member from a Xenomorph and David shows up just when it looks like everyone is about to die, saving the day.

Another mesmerizing scene is when David teaches Walter how to play a flute, and then sort of seduces him. The reality of Fassbender seducing himself on camera is quite the visual treat and added a bit of light heartedness to the horror film.

As is a common theme of most horror films, the characters invariably start making bad decisions that cascade into catastrophe. The Xenomorphs are relentless and hungry, and they come in several varieties including one that looks vaguely human.

In true “Alien” fashion the only one who seems to be making good decisions and has a bit of luck is Daniels (Katherine Waterstone), a lady who has the resolve to run the right way and when invariably cornered has the wherewithal to trap the Xenomorph inside a flying tractor-like vehicle and then eject that out of the space craft (yes, just like Ripley without the cool “get away from her you bitch!” line.)

“Alien: Covenant” is the culmination of Ridley Scott’s movie making career. You can see bits and pieces of characters and styles from many of the films he’s famous for, even “Blade Runner.” This film works on many levels as a horror film first and foremost. Earlier this year Scott made an appearance at SXSW and said his goal was “to scare the shit out of you” with this film. On that front, he succeeds as well as the existential experience he creates with his story that speaks to God, creation, genocide, and even rebirth.  Every frame of this picture can be seen as a symbol. As for what those symbols mean, begs for repeated viewings to take it all in.

5 out of 5

  • Rating:
    R (for sci-fi violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality/nudity)
  • Genre: Horror, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Directed By: Ridley Scott
  • Written By: John Logan, Dante Harper, Jack Paglen, Michael Green
  • In Theaters: May 19, 2017  Wide
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox

Geekscape Film Review: ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’

by AllieHanley

Opening this weekend is “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” which takes the classic tale in new directions for better or worse.

Maybe there is an expectation among some critics and fans for a King Arthur film to have certain aspects of the traditional telling; Themes like magic, romance, and betrayal. Perhaps there is also an expectation to include Merlin, Guenevere, and Lancelot characters which have all played integral parts to the shaping of the Arthurian storyline, but which are all absent from this version.

Does that automatically equate to Richie’s “Legend of the Sword” not being worthy to stand on it’s own?


 

Richie’s hoped up telling is a mix of the fantastical reminiscent of 1981’s “Excalibur” and  Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings,” as well as incorporating Richie’s fast paced style. Think “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels,” and “Snatched.” Take those three elements and mix them all together and you get an attempt that will be received by many as too many elements that don’t necessarily go together.

“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” stars Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) in peak physical form as Arthur. In this version he is no longer the humble squire to his adopted/knighted father but rather a medieval gangster who was raised in a brothel. He’s sharp witted, fast on his feet and has friends named Wet Stick and Back Lack. Far from the classical version.

Crucial to this tale is the villain. The traditional foe of Arthur has always been Mordred. This version’s villain is Arthur’s uncle Vortigern (Jude Law) whose thirst for power supersedes all boundaries of what is sacred. Unfortunately, even with Law’s impeccable ability as an actor, we get a mostly single note, one dimensional villain. There are some early scenes, and one towards the end which almost gives you some hope but its still not enough to flesh out the characters motivations. That’s too bad because I really enjoy seeing Law as a bad guy.

Maybe there is a director’s cut down the line with more scenes that flesh out Vortigern and his all consuming desire to be King. As is, there isn’t much feeling one way or the other for the antagonist.

There is a prologue to the film (just like in Excalibur) where you get to see Arthur’s very early beginnings with his dad King Uther (Eric Bana), Igraine (Poppy Delevingne), as well as Vortigern’s wife and daughter. There was a part of me that wanted to see that movie more than the three acts that followed. Eric Bana was totally impressive and I’d like to see him get more roles in this genre.

Also, the prologue has the largest amount of fantastical elements in comparison to the rest of the film with massive war elephants, balls of super-charged magical energy pounding the defensive forces, and the sinister Mage Mordred (Rob Knighton) behind it all. His costume was excellent, and further more so are all the costumes in the film.  Nothing that resembled those horrible costumes the knights wore in the TV show that got cancelled last week “Emerald City.” Those were the absolute worst I’ve seen in awhile!

The opening sequences of “Legend of the Sword” is nothing less than spectacular and I thought one of the best parts of the film. It’s almost like shooting the film was divided up, and someone else wrote and directed that part, while someone else did other parts of the film, and in the end they put them together.

There are many positives to this film including a resounding sound track composed by Sam Lee and Daniel Pemberton. “The Devil and the Huntsman stands out;”  Click here for a listen. The sequence that shows Arthur growing up also has a fantastic bit of music from Daniel Pemberton, “Growing up Londinium”  hear it here. Too many times the score and sound track are forgotten and in this film they really play an integral part to giving the film this epic feel and I wanted to pay them homage.

Another technical part of the film that was outstanding was the sound editing. I could hear arrows whizzing by, horses running, people out of breath when fighting etc. People are going to say… when you start complimenting those aspects the other parts must suck.

All of the acting including the dialogue between Hunnam and his co-actors was interesting. Jude Law got some juicy moments to be evil, and then there were moments when the dialogue was overly contrived.  Again, did someone write one scene and then hand it over to someone else? The styles didn’t always quite align. Rather than a classic English style, Richie gives his modern gang banger twang injected into Arthur’s confidants but then in another scene you get a more formal English sound. If you are the type to notice, then this could be a love/hate thing.

I am a fan of most of Richie’s work, and just like seeing a Quentin Tarantino film, there is going to be a particular style that not everyone gets or even enjoys and I bet he’s fine with that.

Richie gave an interview online and said he envisions this film to go as far as six films in total. Personally, I would love to see King Arthur and more tales that come after this one however, because there is a lack of singular vision in this first one, the chances of a second one in my mind are 50:50. The American box office can be finicky sometimes while the International could love this film. We’ll know within the first week if it’s popular enough to warrant a sequel. Also, going into week 2 it will be competing with “Alien: Covenant” which shares a good portion of the same demographics.

“Legend of the Sword” is also a bit top heavy with the fantastical elements mostly in the prologue and then the final part of act 3. Again, it’s almost like multiple films, multiple styles meshing into one that doesn’t entirely fit. This is where I envision most critics are going to pound this film. I say most, because I like to write reviews for everyday people who make up most of filmgoers. I’ve seen close to 50 films already this year. How I see a movie and it’s failings isn’t how most of my friends see them. I do my best to wear glasses that many could see through rather than a few.

An aspect that I personally really enjoy in a Guy Richie film is when he likes to speed up a story and do these fast video montages. They are thrilling to watch. However, sometimes as fun as they are they end up moving the story to quick and those scenes that would have given a character more dimension, and gravitas get glazed over. As exciting as Arthurs growing up montage is, it neglects character building that is needed in establishing Arthur as a thinking, feeling, evolving person, and that takes more time than the estimated 3 minutes spent in this version.

Critics are going to beat this film up because the narrative is jumbled sometimes, and the main characters lack dimension. However, it’s a fantasy film where action takes center stage. Richie has fun injecting some new bits and unique storytelling that may be for some, and not others. In the end though, “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” is a fun take on the classical tale. It’s not to be taken too seriously, and rightly so. Going to the movies with your family and friends is about having a good time, and that’s what you’ll get.

“Legend of the Sword” has a few issues that may be deal breakers for discerning film goers. The first one is that the story is just a bit disjointed in style and pacing. You get a lot of bits and parts that are brilliant but you also get a narrative that has too many one dimensional characters. I’ve seen this happen to a lot of fantasy films that have such promise but the special effects and action sequences end up taking over and leaving the story in the dust. I wouldn’t be surprised though if a lot of people forgave this failing and just went with the flow and enjoyed it for it is, a big fantasy with tons of action.

2 1/2 Stars Out Of 5

Rating:
PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive content and brief strong language)

Genre: Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Drama

Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Written By: Joby Harold, Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram

In Theaters: May 12, 2017 wide

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

 

 

 

Gillian Anderson On Starz ‘American Gods’ Is Stunning As The God Media

by AllieHanley

The second episode of “American Gods” from Starz network is starting to show great promise. Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle ) is journeying alongside Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) to Chicago to meet up with some “old friends” in hopes of persuading them to join his cause.

Creators Michael Green and Bryan Fuller have a tough job building the universe that Neal Gaiman created in his novel “American Gods” as one that can translate visually to television. Rather than come out and say exactly what’s going on, the story does a wonderful job of letting the audience discover as Shadow learns bit-by-bit that he’s stepped into perhaps another world.

On a shopping trip Shadow encounters Media (Gillian Anderson) as she appears on the screen of a TV display in a box store. She speaks to him through the TV as Lucille Ball on the classic show “I Love Lucy.” Does that come across as strange? She lets him know she’s got her eye on him and is willing to pay him whatever he wants to join her. Shadow isn’t sure if what he is seeing is real or if he’s loosing his mind post jail. She explains how the TV is the altar and she is the God. And how “time” and “attention” equate to lambs blood. In a world where people are watching something all the time, you can guess she’s probably got to be one of the most powerful of all. Poor Shadow is even more confused.


Mr. Wednesday explains that Lucy is actually Media (appearing as Lucy Ricardo).

Gillian Anderson not only looks amazing as the late Lucille Ball but she personifies the Lucy character while also playing “Media.” It’s crazy but wonderful. Her short performance is nothing less than immensely intriguing, and I can’t wait to see how Media moves forward as it’s been shared she will also be appearing as Judy Garland and three other characters from television pop culture. Check it out for yourself below.

“American Gods” is on Sunday nights on Starz or anytime when you have the app.

Incidentally, someone asked me if I recommend getting the Starz app subscription. They were unfamiliar with the network and had recently gotten Amazon Prime and were considering the add-on for Starz. So if you are new to Starz and considering adding the the app, I whole heartedly recommend it, not only for “American Gods” but also “Black Sails,” “Outlander,” ‘The White Queen,” and the new show “The White Princess.” Starz will also allow you to watch the first episodes of many of their shows on their website for free. I have to warn you, once you do get the Starz app and have access to all those episodes, you will be in for many late nights of binging, especially “Outlander.”

 

 

The Geekscape Non-Spoiler Review: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 2’

by AllieHanley

James Gunn’s new film “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2,” opening this weekend, brings back everything good we loved about the first one, and then some.

What’s on most people’s minds who are intending to see GOTGVol2 is if it will be as good as the first one.

Let’s face it, that’s a tall order to fill for writer/director James Gunn and the other ten people who share the writing credit for this sequel (seriously, ten people).

The first film pretty much embodied near perfection and landed on many top ten lists for fans and critics alike in 2014. Gunn proved he was adept at instilling a retro feel mixed with space opera camp and fans ate it up.

“Volume 2” continues the story with the theme of talented misfits doing their best to one-up each other as they help Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) discover his origins. Gunn recaptures a lot of what made the first film so memorable and injects it into a new story that elaborates on the main characters and adds a few news ones.

Not a lot of time has gone by since the first story ended. Peter Quill is pretty happy with his reputation as Star Lord; The sort-of human from Terra who saved the Galaxy alongside his team. However, when he gets the opportunity to get to know his biological dad, Ego (Kurt Russell), he starts thinking about what he might have missed out on as a kid. That dynamic between father and son is part of the emotional narrative of the film.

In this outing, GOTGVol2 focuses more on the dynamic between the characters as we get to know more about why they do what they do, especially Yondu (Michael Rooker), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan) and new character Mantis (Pom Klementieff).

Like the first film, every character gets their moment, especially baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) who captures the big screen in several comedic scenes that will probably be many people’s favorite part. However, the film has so many solid characters that not one really stands above another, a true ensemble.

A notable performance from the versatile Michael Rooker as space pirate/ Ravager “Yondu” is a stand out amongst a fine cast, including a small role for Sylvester Stallone and Jeff Goldblum who seem headed for more in the Marvel Universe.

In a film of mostly positive there are a few negatives including the strange accent that Klementieff used for Mantis. Reminiscent of an Asian American speaking English with a heavy Asian accent. The film has a lot going on, including a ton of Easter Eggs, but at times almost seems a little bloated but it’s hard to fault the sequel because it moves along quite fast except the third act feels just a tad too long. All in all, these are nit picky compared to the overall quality of the film.

You may recall that the soundtrack “Volume 1” was almost like a character unto itself in the first film, and was a big part of Quill’s motivation. “Volume 2” nearly achieves that same vibe in this film however it seems Gunn might have chosen to put slightly less emphasis on music in order to focus the narrative a bit more on character interaction and smartly so.

Sequels tend to focus too much on being exactly like the first. Gunn is astutely aware of that and has created a follow up that embodies the essence of the first while creating enough of it’s own narrative to be on nearly equal ground. There is a bit of a lag in act 3, and visually a heap of action that becomes almost dizzying in 3D, however the film lands lightly on its feet with just enough sentimental emotion to justify any slip. Easter Eggs abound and GOTGVol2 fits nicely into the Marvel Universe as did the first one.

4 out of 5

PG-13,2 hr. 17 min.

  • Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
  • Directed By:    James Gunn (II)
  • In Theaters:    May 5, 2017 Wide
  • Walt Disney Pictures

‘Blade Runner 2049’ To Host Live Q & A With Cast

by AllieHanley

The sequel to one of the most applauded and well received science fiction movies of all time “Blade Runner,” has a sequel coming to theaters October 6 “Blade Runner 2049.” In front of the film, is an early promotional event on Facebook Monday, May 8 at 9 AM PST with the cast and director.

The live Q & A will include actors Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and film director Denis Villeneuve on this link: Facebook Blade Runner 2049

The new film is set thirty years after the events of the first film with a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), who unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

For more info on the upcoming film click bladerunnermovie.com or follow on Twitter: @BladeRunner, Facebook: @BladeRunner2049, Instagram: @BladeRunnerMovie

https://youtu.be/GDscTTE-P-k

Last Chance To See ‘Logan’ In Theaters As Special Noir Event

by AllieHanley

Alamo Drafthouse once again proves why it’s the best theater chain in America with their upcoming, and one night only screening of a noir version of “Logan.”

Drafthouse and 20th Century Fox teaming up to show the film as a noir is a brilliantly appropriate event that both pays homage to the genre as well as giving fans one last chance to see Hugh Jackman on the big screen as Wolverine. This one-time screening event will be followed by an exclusive, live streamed Q & A with director James Mangold across the country beginning at 8 PM EST on Tuesday, May 16th.

The black and white version is a stunning send off to the most brutal telling in the X-Men cinematic universe as Logan and Professor X’s stories come to an end.

Also, Los Angeles fans will also get the chance to see “Logan” slash through the big screen as Alamo Drafthouse and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment co-present LOGAN NOIR with American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre. Tickets for all screenings are available now at drafthouse.com/logannoir.

“It’s an absolute honor to bring this unique and very special chapter to Alamo Drafthouse,” said Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and CEO. “Being able to do this with the film’s creator only adds to the gravity of the event and we plan to make this an epic evening in all of our theaters.”

Attendees in every location will be able to participate in the live discussion with Mangold via Twitter using the hashtag #AskAlamo.

Attendees are requested to wear only black and white clothing and as a parting gift commemorating Logan’s final ride, all theater guests in monochromatic attire will receive an exclusive commemorative event poster.
drafthouse.com/logannoir

Interview: ‘The Black Witch’s’ Laurie Forest On Her Thrilling Debut Novel

by AllieHanley

There’s a new voice in Fantasy and her name is Laurie Forest. Her first book, “The Black Witch” is arriving on book shelves and online May 2 from HarlequinTEEN. Even though it’s being pitched as young adult, I found great pleasure in reading her work and could easily see older adults enjoying it as well.

It’s a thick 600 page fantasy that reads more like 300 pages. You may find yourself having a hard time putting it down and consequently some late nights. Filled with a mix of traditional characters such as Elves, Witches, Shapeshifters, and Dragons as well as some new ones that make “The Black Witch” a solid entry into the fantasy genre.

The story’s lead character is Elloren Gardner. She is believed to be the heir apparent to her grandmother Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch who drove back enemy forces to save her people during the Realm War. While Elloren looks exactly like her Grandmother she’s shown no evidence of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else. After being granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University. Her educational journey is more than the magic she studies, and the people she meets. It’s about discovering that life and what you were taught to believe is not always the whole story.

photo credit: Beltrami Studios

Allie Hanley: I read an early, uncorrected proof of THE BLACK WITCH and I think I might have seen one error. Your book is 601 pages! Tell me a little about your process in writing.

Laurie Forest: I wrote the first books in the series by writing pretty much every day for a year. Almost without fail. For at least an hour. It was an incredible experience to immerse myself in the story that intensively. One of my favorite writing quotes is “the muse can’t resist a working writer” and I think that’s so true.

AH: Your main character, Elloren Gardner, discovers that the history she was raised with isn’t necessarily the truth. How did that plot point come about and does it reflect anything in today’s world for you?

LF: That plot point came about because I feel it’s very relevant in today’s world. History books can be very subjective. And I think that history, when seen through the lens of a group that views outsiders as “evil” or “lesser,” can be a dangerous thing. We can find examples of this all throughout history and certainly in the world today. I think it’s a very good idea to study history from multiple points of view – and as Professor Kristian tells Elloren, the resulting confusion can be a positive thing. Because the confusion stemming from multiple points of view is better than a simplistic idea of history that demonizes others and can inadvertently promote injustice.

AH: When Elloren gets to school she’s housed with some very unlikely characters, tell me about them?

LF: Tricky question to answer without spoilers (so don’t read past here if you haven’t read the book!). Elloren is thrown in with Ariel and Wynter, two Icarals—winged people who are despised by pretty much everyone in the Western Realm for no sound reason really, save cultural/religious tradition. Both Ariel (a Gardnerian) and Wynter (an Alfsigr Elf) have been deeply impacted by their outcast status, but in very different ways. And Elloren (along with the reader, perhaps) initially sees them as demonic. As that’s what she’s been taught to see.

AH: They say one of the keys to writing a great book is to pretend you are writing it to your biggest fan. Who were you imagining reading this book as you wrote it, and what did you want them to take away from reading it?

LF: Honestly, I wrote the book mainly to entertain and challenge myself Toni Morrison famously said: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” That’s kind of what was going on here. Past that, I’m writing my book for my close friend who has terminal cancer—to entertain her and I have to hurry up and finish the series so she can read it (she has charged me with the task of finishing a rough draft of the entire series this year, and I’m going to do it—because we’re running on borrowed time). She is one of the best people I have ever known and it is my greatest author honor to have been able to give her some reading excitement and pleasure.

AH: You have a wide cast of characters. Is there one in particular that you really love and why?

LF: Right now I’m kind of in love with Ariel Haven—because I feel like she has the heart of a true hero deep inside of her. She’s been broken down by the society she’s been born into, but they haven’t been able to break her completely. Can’t say more without spoilers!

AH: When this is released I anticipate readers will devour it. Have you written part 2 and can you give a small preview of where Elloren is headed?

LF: Book Two is written, as is half of Book Three (and the outline for the entire series). Elloren is headed towards a collision course with her hidden powers. And it will be a pretty dramatic reveal! And she’s a flawed character—so she’s got a steep learning curve ahead of her if she’s going to become strong and heroic in this world (and shed the last vestiges of her people’s destructive ideas). There’s also conflict on the romantic front for poor Elloren 😉 (I read somewhere once that authors should torture their protagonist – Elloren isn’t going to have an easy road, I will say that).

AH: In support of your book, will you be doing a book tour and how can fans find out more?

LF: I’ll be doing a book launch tour from May 2nd – May 18th and bringing news of THE BLACK WITCH all over the country! Very excited. My epic tour schedule can be found on my Facebook page as well as my website.

Celebrate Global Fan Event ‘Alien Day’ April 26!

by AllieHanley

Die hard “Alien” fans get their own special day to celebrate their favorite Xenomorph. April 26th has officially been deemed Alien Day. So, bust out your Alien shirt and attend a screening of the classic movie that started it all “Alien” (1979).

This one-night screening event features the original “Alien” film starring Sigourney Weaver at participating RPX Regal Cinema theaters. Fans will enjoy the thriller plus be treated to footage from “Alien: Covenant” and a one-of-a-kind exclusive commemorative ticket. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, April 18th for “Alien” and for advance tickets for “Alien: Covenant” at regmovies.com.

For more information on all ALIEN DAY activities, go to www.AlienUniverse.com where they have a contest for original fan art, trivia, and will also have a live stream featuring a Q & A April 26th. Check the site for specifics.

Fans can also join the #ALIENDAY conversation on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Tribeca Film Festival Adds Game Festival Featuring Metal Gear’s Hideo Kojima

by AllieHanley

Tribeca Film Festival has added a 2 day gaming event to their film festival schedule April 28-29. The event entitled “Tribeca Games” is partnering with Kill Screen to launch the inaugural Tribeca Games Festival in New York City which is featuring a keynote by respected Metal Gear creator, Hideo Kojima.

Tribeca Games Festival has set up a schedule and panels with topics that will explore the storytelling medium, examine game history past and future, as well as offer behind-the-scenes looks at some of the most fascinating games of the past year.

In addition to Kojima’s keynote, Tribeca Games Festival will also feature conversations with industry luminaries like Ken Levine (director/writer of the BioShock series) and Sam Lake (creator Max Payne, Alan Wake, Quantum Break) plus an extensive set of talks and programming.

The festival will also include a panel discussion on the Virtual Realty themed movie “The Lawnmower Man” which is celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary and host filmmaker Brett Leonard. Game panels set to include topics on the extremely popular “Overwatch” game as well as new games like “The Banner,” and lots more.

For more info and tickets: www.tribecafilm.com/games.

 

Geekscape Review: ‘Ghost in the Shell’… and thoughts on that ScarJo casting!

by AllieHanley

Opening this weekend is the much anticipated live-action film “Ghost in the Shell.” The story is based off of a Japanese Manga (1989) and the cult classic animated film of the same name (1995) from Japanese creator Masamune Shirow.

There’s a self appointed army of critics out there that are going to tell you this film sucks chiefly because it doesn’t have an Asian in the title role.

I am not that critic but that doesn’t mean the story doesn’t suck.

“Batou” played by Pilou Asbæk getting his eyes robotically enhanced.

“Ghost in the Shell” is a day-in-the-life of a cop who is investigating some murders that are politically motivated; And it’s also the plot of “Blade Runner” if you want to boil it way down to its essence with the classic story of “Frankenstein” thrown in for origin and motivation.

The visuals are nothing less than stunning and I believe on that alone a fair amount of people will be satisfied with this rendition of “Ghost.” The color palettes and the majestic city views have so much texture and grit you can almost believe this is our future.

The real reason “Ghost” legitimately is not winning me over is the lack of story development as well as the very thin characters. However, I will concede that “Ghost” is more of a day-in-the-life story and not a life story if you get my drift.

Even so, “Ghost” feels like a much bigger story and we only get a slice of it in the 106 minutes. It’s rare that you ever see a story lack of feeling too short. I can’t help but think if director Rupert Sanders had included 12 minutes of more scenes supporting character development that it would have made a world of difference. As is, “Ghost” feels shallow and I have no real vested interest in any character.

In my view “Ghost” could be an episode of any cop show on TV, throw in the Monster from Frankenstein as the lead detective, dress up the setting with futuristic visuals and then you would have “Ghost in the Shell.” I feel like I am stomping all over some of your beloved memories of the anime but this film rendition just doesn’t hold up to today’s standards.

The story revolves around “Major,” a robot with a human brain. Her creators have mixed messages on how they define her existence. One considers her to be a weapon, while another sees her as a human inhabiting a robotic body/shell.  Further, to make it all work, “Major” doesn’t remember her previous life (just like Frankenstein’s monster). In response to the missing memories she is told by her creators a fabricated story. One also emphasizes “that we are not our memories but we should base ourselves on our actions.”

“Major” is more robot than human, even in the way Johansson portrays her. The lack of humanity in the character also contributed to a disconnect between her human narrative, and I can’t help but think of the original “Robo-Cop.” It’s hard to feel anything for “Major” because she doesn’t seem to be feeling anything herself except two small scenes. One where she pets a dog, and another when she meets her human mother. Even so, “Major” is so confused by it, and there is no other stand-out scene where you can actually feel anything for the character, even when she is facing death.

Let’s switch gears and talk Paramount’s decision to cast Scarlett Johansson in the role and the critics who are tearing this film up based on that.

What did we learn from Kevin Costner’s “Field of Dreams?” If we build it, they will come. Sorry that’s just not true when applied to the film making process despite what a wide assortment of film critics seem to be saying by denouncing “Ghost.” Their reasoning is based on an internal quota count of Japanese actors lacking in lead roles.

Those same film critics seem to think that you can make a film out of a cult classic, that had moderate success, fill it with Japanese actors and that will equate to financial success for Paramount Studios who is shelling out millions of dollars to produce. Honestly, would you get out of your leather recliner positioned squarely in front of your big screen / surround sound home theater to pay $11 each and $30 for popcorn and drinks to see a film with no one you recognize?

Some of you might, because you grew up with the Manga and you enjoy Anime. However, the amount of people required to make this a financial success have never even picked up a Manga let alone seen the cartoon. So how do you make it a financial success?

Well you have to contend with the thought process of many Americans who consider this when selecting a film: Should I stay home and avoid having to deal with parking, the snot nosed kids and their parents who think it’s okay to bring a horde of small children to a PG13 film (that will neither sit down, shut up, and refrain from kicking the back of my theater chair), as well as the guy who smells like he’s never brushed his teeth in his adult life?

Is this somehow more appealing than just staying home and re-watching the director’s cut of “Blade Runner.” It’s true. Why do you think “Netflix and Chill” has become so popular… skip that thought.

That’s the reality of the movie-going experience in most towns who don’t have The Alamo Drafthouse that won’t put up with that behavior. I almost forgot, there’s also that annoying idiot who checks his/her phone every few minutes. If that’s you, for Gods sakes knock-it-off, you are rude!

So there are fellow critics condemning the film and calling it whitewashing and cultural appropriation.

The fact is Americans are staying home more often than not despite the increase in box office revenue (increase attributed to cost per ticket, and money spent on 3D, IMAX, and concessions). So when a studio plans to spend big money on a film, they aren’t checking in with the political climate of film critics who think they are gatekeepers to society’s thirst for films. They are checking in too what sells. That’s why we have so many brainless “Fast and Furious” sequels. Love you Vin!

Ladies and Gentleman, Scarlett Johansson is what sells. If you made “Ghost in the Shell” with an entire cast of Japanese actors (because it’s based on a Japanese story) then you might as well be making a film that is going to be released in Japan. When they made “Godzilla” (2014) with Aaron Taylor Johnson and Bryan Cranston no one went nuts, especially when Godzilla was attacking San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge (or was it the Bay Bridge?). Dang it, Godzilla is Japanese, it should have been attacking a bridge in Japan! Please, give me a break.

If the source material is Japanese why does that equate to having to have Japanese actors in it? I’ve seen Romeo and Juliet done a zillion ways in all sorts of languages and films from countries outside of England.

Casting well known actors in title roles is nothing new for Hollywood. Condemning “Ghost” claiming cultural appropriation steps outside of the bounds of being a film critic in my opinion. When did film nerds graduate to casting films in Hollywood? There’s a union in Hollywood dedicated to the entire craft of casting. It’s not about just the acting, its also about the bank each actor represents in relation to the budget of the film… in relation to how much the film could possibly make. If studios didn’t pay attention to this we wouldn’t get films like “Star Trek” and the reincarnation of the Star Wars Universe.

More importantly, the subjective qualification of Art should never be based on the day’s political trends. To do so, smothers the entire process of creation.

When you start casting films based on a quota of nationalities (notice I didn’t say Race) then you are defeating the purpose of art.

A movie like “Ghost in the Shell” couldn’t have been made without a Westerner in the lead and be an International success. The possible returns were too risky and the studio made the right call in casting her. If only, they had paid attention to the potential robustness of the story as much as the casting.

So film nerds get off you high horse and look at the economics, and further the choices of the film makers. Films are today’s pop culture, and if the market doesn’t support it and the demand is not there, then studios would not make it. If you insist on denouncing a film because it lacks your subjective list of nationalities rather than the merits of the film, then you are ultimately being a hypocrite. Let the art form speak for itself without having political motivation drawn into the opinion. This film is being released world-wide. Isn’t it better to have a mix of nationalities in the cast, than all Japanese? It’s a futuristic story and I see all nationalities co-existing in the future and living as one massive singular group.

Finally, I love science fiction films. There was a time when Hollywood wouldn’t touch science fiction. Nothing was being made because it all sucked and no one would go see a science fiction film in the theater unless it had Ridley Scott or James Cameron attached. If moviegoers don’t trek to the theater then we don’t get anymore science fiction films. If they don’t make bank then what are the chances of a film like “Arrival” even being made. Making a Hollywood movie is part art, and part business and critics who review need to stay out of politics and focus on the merits or lack of for the film they are reviewing.

To ensure the success of frankly, not a very ingenious story, Paramount did the right thing; they cast super star Scarlett Johansson in the title role of “Major.” The end.

“Ghost in the Shell” never explores these characters nor gives me any idea why they are willing to die for “Major.”

Bottom Line:

If you set your expectation to something lower than mind blowing, you might like it. The biggest thing going for “Ghost” are the visuals. There are no details left undone. I especially enjoyed the wide angles of the city where you can see what a possible futuristic Earth might look like complete with advertising in every nook and cranny. Those aspects reminded me a great deal of “Blade Runner” as already mentioned. The soundtrack has it’s moments but why didn’t they go with someone like Junkie XL or Daft Punk? That would have taken it next level in that department instead we get an average sound track.

Since this is just an ultra glamorized version of “Blade Runner” and even some aspects of “Tron,” I am going to give it a passing grade, but barely. The issue is that the story has way too thin a line of one-dimensional characters. You never get to see enough of them to really understand their motivations, even the villain. The only actor who gets a shadow of a chance to have some substance is Juliette Binoche, who plays one of the scientists who takes a motherly role over “Major.” She is the only character that makes the most sense in only that we get to see the repercussion’s of her decisions and her own way of dealing with them. The rest of the characters, even “Major,” have little substance.

Final Score: 2 1/2 out of 5

  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, suggestive content and some disturbing images)
  • Genre:
    Action & Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Directed By: Rupert Sanders
  • Written By: Jonathan Herman, Jamie Moss
  • In Theaters: Mar 31, 2017  Wide
  • Runtime: 106 minutes
  • Studio: Paramount Pictures

 

SXSW Announces Gaming Awards Winners: Full List Here

by AllieHanley

 South by Southwest Gaming Conference and Festival announced the winners for the 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards last week in Austin. The awards are sponsored by IGN and Imaginary Forces and cover 23 different categories. The fourth annual Gaming Awards ceremony was hosted by WWE Superstar Xavier Woods and popular gaming broadcaster OMGitsfirefoxx.

Highlights of the SXSW event include Game of the Year winner Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog); Mobile Game of the Year winner Pokémon GO(Niantic); Esports Game of the Year winner Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment).

Full List: 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners:

Excellence in SFX – Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE

Excellence in Musical Score –DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software

Excellence in Technical Achievement – Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE

Excellence in Visual Achievement – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Excellence in Animation – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Excellence in Art – Firewatch – Panic Inc. / Campo Santo

Excellence in Convergence – Batman: The Telltale Series – Telltale Games

Excellence in Multiplayer – Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment

Most Memorable Character – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Nathan Drake

Most Promising New Intellectual Property – Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment

Most Fulfilling Community Funded Game – Starbound -Chucklefish Games

Excellence in Gameplay – DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software

Excellence in Design – Dishonored 2 – Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios

Excellence in Narrative – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award – That Dragon, Cancer – Numinous Games

Gamer’s Voice Multiplayer – Arena Gods – Supertype

Gamer’s Voice Single Player – Owlboy – D-pad Studio

Fan Creation of the Year – Brutal Doom 64 – Sergeant_Mark_IV

Trending Game of the Year – Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment

Esports Game of the Year – Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment

Tabletop Game of the Year – Arkham Horror: The Card Game – Fantasy Flight Games

Mobile Game of the Year – Pokémon GO – Niantic

Video Game of the Year – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

How the award process works:

(From the Press Release)

“Submissions for the SXSW Gaming Awards opened in August 2016 through the official Gaming Awards page and closed in December. Finalists for the SXSW Gaming Awards categories were selected and voted on by the SXSW Gaming Advisory Board and select staff, consisting of more than 40 industry experts well-versed in everything gaming and geek culture. Once finalists were revealed, the general public, along with the Advisory Board, were invited to cast their vote on IGN.com to help determine the winners in each category, which were unveiled and honored at tonight’s SXSW Gaming Awards ceremony.”

About SXSW Gaming

This year’s event took place from March 16 – 18, 2017 at the Austin Convention Center, with a mixture of convention floor demos and goods for sale, and industry panels discussing the latest on the industry.

SXSW Announces Audience Awards 2017 Winners

by AllieHanley

 The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival has officially ended in Austin Texas. Over the weekend the 2017 Audience Awards were announced for the Film Tract of the Festival.

Over the course of nine days, the 2017 SXSW Film Festival screened 130 features, consisting of 84 World Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, and 5 US Premieres, with 54 first-time filmmakers. 128 shorts screened as part of 12 curated shorts programs. The 258 films were selected from 7,651 overall submissions, consisting of approximately 2,432 features and 4,975 shorts. 

 The 2017 Audience Awards Winners:

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: The Light of the Moon
Director: Jessica M. Thompson

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: Dealt
Director: Luke Korem

HEADLINERS
Audience Award Winner: Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: Mr. Roosevelt
Director: Noël Wells 

DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
Director: Jennifer M. Kroot

VISIONS
Audience Award Winner: Becoming Bond
Director: Josh Greenbaum

MIDNIGHTERS
Audience Award Winner: 68 Kill 
Director: Trent Haaga

EPISODIC
Audience Award Winner: Dear White People
Director: Justin Simien

24 BEATS PER SECOND
Audience Award Winner: May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
Directors: Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio 

GLOBAL
Audience Award Winner: Divine Divas
Director: Leandra Leal 

FESTIVAL FAVORITES
Audience Award Winner: The Big Sick
Director: Michael Showalter 

Audience Award: 24 Beats Per Second
May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
3/18/2017, Alamo Ritz 2, 4:00 PM

Audience Award: Documentary Feature Competition
Dealt
3/18/2017, Alamo Lamar A, 4:00 PM

Audience Award: Documentary Spotlight
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
3/18/2017, Stateside Theatre, 7:30 PM

Audience Award: Festival Favorites
The Big Sick
3/18/2017, Alamo Ritz 1, 2:30 PM

Audience Award: Midnighters
68 Kill
3/18/2017, Alamo Lamar A, 11:00 PM

Audience Award: Narrative Feature Competition
The Light of the Moon
3/18/2017, Alamo Lamar A, 1:30 PM

Audience Award: Narrative Spotlight
Mr. Roosevelt
3/18/2017, Alamo Ritz 1, 5:30 PM

Audience Award: Global
Divine Divas
3/18/2017, Alamo Ritz 2, 1:00 PM

Audience Award: Visions
Becoming Bond
3/18/2017, Alamo Ritz 2, 7:00 PM

For specific information on these films check out www.SXSW/film

SXSW Announces Innovative Awards: Full List

by AllieHanley

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals announced the digital industry’s most transformative advancements of 2017 on March 15, in Austin, Texas.

The SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards ceremony was held Tuesday evening and was hosted by “Sleepy Hollow” actresses Lyndie Greenwood and Janina Gavankar. This was the 20th year of the award show that showcases the evolving and broadening trends in the digital industry including software, apps, and devices.

The awards include 13 awards and 6 special honors, including Best of Show, People’s Choice, Breakout Trend of the Event, Speaker of the Event, Meme of the Year and the David Carr Prize, which were presented to innovators spanning categories from healthcare to sustainability, privacy & security, music, finance, communication integration and beyond.

New to the Awards ceremony this year was the second annual David Carr Prize, awarded for the best essay submitted from writers, bloggers and journalists. Created last year to honor the late David Carr, a friend and great contributor to SXSW and the journalistic community, the essay topic follows Carr’s interest in the convergence of new media, technology, and culture. Mike Armstrong took home this year’s David Carr Prize for his essay “The Heart of Something Heartless,” about morality and emotions in Artificial Intelligence.

How the awards were selected from the press release:

“A panel of judges comprised of industry peers and experts selected the winners based on four criteria: creativity, form, function and overall experience, except for the People’s Choice Award. SXSW Interactive attendees voted for the People’s Choice Award at the second annual Innovation Award Finalist Showcase on Sunday, March 12, where the 65 finalists had the opportunity to exhibit and demo their work.”

2017 SXSW INTERACTIVE INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS:

Health, Med and Biotech – Awarded for the new technology that best improves the quality, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care in health and medicine.

 PRIME Needle Free Injector by Portal Instruments, Cambridge, MA

Follow the link above to see a video on how it works. It’s a device the delivers injectable medicine WITHOUT a needle.

Innovation in Connecting People – Awarded for the best new way to connect and communicate with others.

Blendoor by Stephanie Lampkin, San Francisco, CA

Follow the link above to see a video about the app. It facilitates diversity in human resources by focusing on merit and not molds.

Innovative 3-DIY – Awarded for making 3D printing technology more accessible or affordable, or to the Maker using such technology in new and exciting ways.

3Doodler PRO by 3Doodler, New York, NY

This device is a handheld printer that lets you make 3d constructs.

Music and Audio Innovation – Awarded for 2016’s best device or service that changes and improves the way we listen to and enjoy music.

HOLOPLOT Wave Field Generator by Holoplot GmbH, Berlin, DEU

The website shows applications for the tech. It’s a device that allows you to send audio/ control audio via sound beams. You could have an event and with this tech have a designated section with one audio stream (or multiple) and another section with a different audio stream with precise control.

New Economy – Awarded to those redefining the exchange of goods and services, from the sharing economy, to virtual currency, to micro-finance, to mobile-device-payment systems and beyond.

Blinker App by Blinker Inc., Denver, CO

It’s an app that helps you sell you car with ease.

Privacy and Security – Awarded for 2016’s most progressive accomplishment in the way we go about securing our data and ensuring our privacy. <from press release – “2016”>

D3CRYPT3D by PADECA LLC, Chamblee, GA

A system designed to keep your information safe, encrypted, and ways to access it as well as monitor.

Responsive Design – Awarded for excellent digital design, creating the best-integrated interaction in terms of content, aesthetics, and functionality.

My Grandmother’s Lingo by SBS Online Australia, Sydney, NSW, AUS

Online tutorial for teaching a language.

SCIFI No Longer – Awarded for the coolest scientific achievement or discovery that before 2016 was only possible in science fiction.

DuoSkin by MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA | Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA

DuoSkin is a fabrication process that enables anyone to create customized functional devices that can be attached directly on their skin. Using gold metal leaf, a material that is cheap, skin-friendly, and robust for everyday wear, we demonstrate three types of on-skin interfaces: sensing touch input, displaying output, and wireless communication. 

Smart Cities – Awarded for innovations in eco-friendly or sustainable energy, transportation, and IoT technology, making life in the connected world a smarter, cleaner, greener, and more efficient Internet of Everything

V3 by Pavegen, London, UK

This is flooring that captures information about the traffic coming in to your event/store.

Student Innovation – Awarded to the student with an exceptional interactive technology project or startup; both of which are the future.

BionicM – Powering Mobility for All by Xiaojun Sun | JSK robotics lab at The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, JPN

Robotic devices to be utilized by amputees.

Visual Media Experience – Awarded for content creation and delivery that moves beyond passive viewership by providing a more immersive and engaging entertainment experience.

JourneyMaker by The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

It’s a personal map to a museum based on some whimsical choices.

VR and AR – Awarded for breakthroughs in augmented reality & virtual reality technology including the application of new hardware or software which truly make the Virtual a reality.

Tilt Brush by Google, San Francisco, CA

It’s a program that lets you 3d paint in virtual reality.

Wearable Tech – Awarded for the new hardware that revolutionizes the convenience, comfort, functionality, efficiency, and fashion of having a device literally “on you.”

Halo 2 Made for iPhone Hearing Aids by Starkey Hearing Technologies | Karten Design, Eden Prairie,   MN

Hearing aid that is controlled with your phone.

SPECIAL HONORS for SXSW 2017

BEST OF SHOW – Finalist from the competition, who, overall, best exemplifies the values of innovation, inspiration and creativity.

 The Sensel Morph by Sensel, Mountain View, CA

It’s a device that replaces your touch pad on your computer, plus some much more.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE Voted on by the SXSW Interactive community at the second annual Interactive Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase 

 Johnson & Johnson CaringCrowd by CI&T and R/GA, New York, NY

Crowd funding that is dedicated to improving global public health.

BREAKOUT TREND OF THE EVENT – Trend that gained the most traction during SXSW Interactive 2017.

 Deep Machine Learning

SPEAKER OF THE EVENT – Speaker from SXSW Interactive 2017 whose presentation makes the biggest impact on the digital community.

Joe Biden

MEME OF THE YEAR – Most ubiquitous meme that went viral in calendar year 2016 and that we just can’t get out of our heads or off of our screens.

Prankster Joe Biden

 Formal Announcement from SXSW to the winners:

 “The Interactive community extends our sincere congratulations to this year’s winners for this esteemed industry accolade and well-deserved recognition,” said Mason Stewart, SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Coordinator. “Over the next few years, we look forward to seeing many more outstanding achievements from the winners of the 2017 SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards.”

For a complete list of SXSW Interactive Innovation Award finalists and winners, visit the following: https://www.sxsw.com/awards/interactive-innovation-awards/.

SXSW’s VR Cinema Attraction Features Some Incredible Experiences!

by AllieHanley

SXSW’s first ever Virtual Cinema tract opened Tuesday at the JW Marriott in Austin, TX. The event features a wide variety of virtual reality experiences that badge and film wristband attendees can access from Tuesday 14 though Thursday 16.

While virtual reality isn’t quite a household name in entertainment, many studios are investing now in the technology and the talent (producers, writers, directors) to create virtual reality entertainment (and augmented reality). I sampled some of the experiences and the equipment including the Sony Playstation VR headset, Oculus Rift, The HTC Vive, and more.

SXSW is once again, ahead of the game by featuring the medium in its own showcase with 38 curated experiences that evoke the entire spectrum of emotional range.

“Chocolate” sponsored by Viacom NEXT

If there was just one SXSW VR that sums up the joy that can be found in technology it would be this short 4 minute VR from Tyler Hurd. I asked Tyler what his main goal was in creating the VR,

“I wanted it to evoke childhood wonder, the joy and awe feeling you get when you look at something shiny.”

His VR lives and breathes in a world of childhood wonder.

The “Chocolate” experience includes you wearing a back pack that contains the bass part of the soundtrack which delivers a full body sound, head phones, and a HTC Vive, plus two hand controllers. When it begins you hold the hand controllers in front of you and they calibrate to ones in the experience. The sound of a house music-like beat surrounds you as you look around in a surreal night sky.

The hand controllers convert to a unique looking devices that have little alien wispy tendrils on top that flow as you wave them around. You get a quick look at yourself before it officially starts and you a colorful alien with multiple long crustacean legs.

As it begins you can see your hand controllers in front of you and you can wave them around; About 1/3 of the way through little kittens will be shooting out of them into the air (yes little kittens!), where they will float like bubbles. As they float down you can interact with them with the controllers and make them change positions and float up some more.

While this is happening with the house music flowing appears large Budha like cats that are smiling… and then the little kittens the shoot up in the air. Does this sound weird yet? Yes, it is weird but at the same time it’s just fun and evokes joy exactly as the creators hoped to achieve, and after all, who doesn’t love Chocolate?

“Behind The Fence” Created by Lindsay Branham

The juxtaposition is “Behind the Fence,” from producer Sally Smith who visits a real world concentration camp of Muslims being held in the mostly Buddhist country of Myanmar. She goes behind the scenes and literally gets into the mud with the suffering people who have been relegated as criminals and denied citizenship. If you know much about Buddhism this is quite shocking.

Sally shared with me that she has traveled all over the world and witnessed many atrocities.

“If only I could bring people with me, they would want to do something about this.”

Using VR in this manner is a way to bring people first hand to places and experiences and her hope is to create awareness. Her film while worthy felt a bit short on explanation but in fairness the situation is political, convoluted, and probably worth a lot more than the seven or so minutes using the Samsung VR. For more info Novofilm.


“Fistful of Stars”

Now this is what VR was created for… a journey into the Orion Nebula, using real photos as a basis for the experience.

Creator New York city native, Eliza McNitt spoke to me that she “wanted to create an environment where you felt like you were floating in the stars.”

This VR experience is similarly set up like the Universal’s “The Mummy” VR (detailed in previous article), where you actually sit in a pod that slowly tilts and turns enhancing the experience while the others were sitting or standing. It begins with a floating view of the Hubble telescope and you slowly spin, taking in the cosmos as narrated by Dr. Mario Livio, senior astrophysicist at the Hubble Telescope Institute (1991-2015). The sound track comes from The Hubble Cantata, a composition featuring a 30 piece ensemble, a 100 person choir, and two stars from the Metropolitan Opera.

McNitt’s shared that her hope is that this will lead to an episodic version and I can’t help but see this as a wonderful tool for teaching students about the cosmos. While this was a unique experience you get the feeling that this technology still has a ways to go but Fistful of Stars is a proof positive of the future of the technology.

SXSW Special VR Event ‘The Mummy’ Info and Mini Review

by AllieHanley

SXSW kicked off officially today and the city of Austin and convention center is literally swarmed with people from all over the world. It’s hard to decide what and where to go so Twitter can be very helpful. Yesterday, almost by accident I came across a post about some Virtual Reality activation for Universal’s “The Mummy” starring Tom Cruise.

If you’ve seen the trailer then you may already know there is an exciting plane crash scene where the cast are literally floating through the rapidly descending plane. This Virtual Experience (VR) is a 20 minute How-We -Did -It video. In a day and age where CGI replaces so much, this action sequence (plane crash) has been shot using 90%practical effects according to the Universal release.

What happens and is it worth the effort?

You go to Ballroom B on the far side of the convention center. You can only go one direction so do not think you can save time and go from E straight to A and B. Seriously you have to walk around so be sure to adjust your schedule to accommodate the walk. Once there, you have 2 choices. If you pre signed up (info at bottom) you get an assigned time and go right in. If you didn’t get a reservation you may wait in the standby line. The line on Friday was 30 people deep. They take 20 people every 20 minutes. When I arrived only 7 of 20 showed up… so the line does move.

Once inside, there is a brief film trailer with Tom Cruise discussing his dedication to one-upping himself in every film and that this Zero G action stunt is one of his most grandiose stunts to date. There are some very limited set pieces including a sarcophagus from the film to check out as well.

After the briefing you enter a very unique screening room. See pics. There are 20 open, half circle pods that you sit in. There are plenty of staff to assist you in donning the VR camera and Bose headphones so the change out is fast. As the video begins, it’s the same video again. I couldn’t believe that this was going to be the VR experience. I was almost willing to concede this was a huge waste of time and effort but then the VR kicks in and it’s pretty spectacular.

The screening room.

I’ve seen a few VR experiences including the “Game of Thrones,” “F/X’s American Horror Story: Asylum” and “Interstellar.” This one rates as next to best. “American Horror Story” last year at San Diego Comic Con was just incredible. This one is pretty worthy though.

The pod moves to help simulate some of what you will be feeling. The 20 minutes is a scenes from a separate camera crew that was in the jet when they filmed the zero G sequences for the film. They are actually in there with the film crew and cast and you get an unbelievable view of what it was like to be in that jet and how the stunts were performed (all by Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis).

Should you do it?

I would recommend doing this VR experience if you want a break from the conference meetings, or if you are in between films. If you have a limited amount of time and have never done a VR Experience then you should make a point to try it out. If you done them before and you have a tight schedule this may be something you can skip. It’s also next to the Vimeo which has been relocated from where it was last two years. You may be able to screen a film or TV show and schedule this close to it.

How to Sign Up:

Here is the link to sign up. It opens everyday at 6 PM CST for the next day. It will list the day you are reserving on the page. Then you need to select how many people, there is only an option for 1, and then go to the bottom of the page to find the “next” button. A friend of mine missed out because he was on his phone and didn’t scroll down far enough. He assumed it locked up. It will ask for your email. A confirmation for your time will come quickly to your email. You can only make one reservation a day per name and email. They do have a record at check in.

Geekscape Interview: John Wick 2 Director Chad Stahelski Talks Sequel, Chapter 3, and Morpheus and Neo On Set

by AllieHanley

“John Wick: Chapter 2” is headed to theaters this weekend and will be tallying up one of the largest body counts, shot for shot in cinematic history  — and that’s an incredibly awesome thing! We love action movies at Geekscape and the sequel to John Wick takes it to a new level this time out with more backstory and bigger and “badder” action scenes.

In “John Wick,” the first film, which stars Keanu Reeves, we learn about a retired hitman known as the boogeyman, who was lauded as one of the deadliest assassins ever. In a twist of fate he’s pulled out of retirement after the death of his dog (a gift from his deceased wife) and the theft of his car. In “John Wick: Chapter 2” we see him trying to be retired, even going so far as to cement in his weapons once again into the garage floor. “Trying” is the key word. A figure from his past calls in a marker that requires John to do his bidding or pay a hefty price.

A reluctant hitman is not a happy hitman. What transpires is next- level debauchery all set to some of the most breathtaking action scenes set to grace the big screen. Think “The Raid II” and “Ronin” for an idea of how big this film is! JW2 brings to mind moments of the film “Ronin” where action and tension played center stage even to actor Robert De Niro. Like that film, “John Wick Chapter 2” allows the scenes to breath and expand from quiet to spectacular crescendo’s of action but still keeps an eye on story and character development. Car chases, hand to hand, and of course gun play take center stage in the John Wick films but director Chad Stahelski knows you can’t forget about story and character motivation. Even though in a film like JW2 where you don’t have a lot of time to get in deep with characters he still pays attention to character motivation.

Before I could ask him a question he fires off to me:

Chad Stahelski: So what was your favorite part of the movie?

Allie Hanley: I liked the shot sequence of when “Gianna” took her hair down and you could see the sharp end of her hair clip and you knew something was going to happen.

CS: She is such a bad ass.

AH: I like the way she went out on her own terms and the whole sequence that leads up to that in the soaking tub.

CS: That’s my favorite scene. I am a big fan of the artist Caravaggio and the catacombs in that scene are based almost sole off of his paintings.

The actress that plays that role, Claudia Gerini, she is like 42 years old and does her own one-woman show. I went to Rome looking to cast. She invited me <to her show> because she knew I was interested in talking to her. So I went to her show which goes on for two hours and she plays seven characters, she can do the splits, she’s a black-belt in tai kwon do, she does this incredible song-and-dance introspective kind of thing; And it was one of the most entertaining things I had seen in years. I was like I gotta cast her!

“John Wick” has a mythology and a dialogue. It’s a little left of center in that it’s not really plot motivated. It’s more TV based. If you watch “Taboo” or “Ray Donovan,” you follow the guy; You really don’t care what the plot is, you want to follow the drama. That’s how we modeled JW2. We cast actors who were willingly to embrace those types of characters which is a rare thing.

That’s how we got Riccardo Scamarcio, who plays Santino. He’s goes along with everything, and he’s awesome. Then you find actors like Common and the iconic Laurence Fishburne who is larger than life. Ian McShane couldn’t be more embracive of a character than he is with “Winston” -like from the very first film and the very first page he just got it and then he just runs with it.

I challenge anyone to go take a line of dialogue from this film and go say it to yourself and not find it sort of silly, -you know what I mean? And then when you have Laurence Fishburne deliver it and you are like “Wow” and that’s a bit challenging.

AH: What was the first day on set like for you when you had Keanu and Laurence in front of your camera?

CS: That scene was the rooftop. “The man, the myth, the legend! <line from the film>” I don’t know if you know this story but The Bowery King (Fishburnes character), was written with Fishburne in mind. I worked with him for like ten years on “The Matrix,” so we became friends and he is very influential in how I see actors and acting.

Cut to a couple years later and I am in New York prepping JW2 and Keanu just walks in cold into my office and says, “Hey I talked to Fish the other night, and he says what’s up? He loved the first movie and wants to know why isn’t he in the next movie?” I was like, “ya, ha ha.” Keanu was like “No, really. He wants to be in the film.” It was that simple and the next thing you know is that he is in the movie.

Cut to a month later when we are in the scene… up on a rooftop in Brooklyn and he’s literally giving the line “John Wick, the myth… the legend” and we take the shot up to a certain point and Laurence gets to the point of “You’re not very good at retiring” and Wick is like “I’m working on it” and the set goes quiet. Then Laurence looks over and asks, “You gonna yell cut?”

I was geeking out. I was thinking Oh my God, I am directing Neo and Morpheus! So that was my Hollywood moment when I was a little embarrassed.

In answer to your question it was pretty fucking cool. To be a huge fan and part of that process of going from stunt man, to stunt double to actually directing two iconic characters in my film.

AH: So tell me about John Wick 3?

CS: Oooom um. Good question.

AH: You got a script?

CS: I don’t know. Well, when we wrote John Wick 2 it was actually a big chunk of stuff and where we ended number two felt like a very nice stopping point. We didn’t want to stuff everything into it. I’d say we have a lot of ideas, we have an outline, and I know where I want it to go, and I know where Keanu would like it to go. So we are currently in development and that’s a fancy word for we are still thinking about it.

AH: You’ve worked with Keanu over a large span of time. You must really know him. What’s he like?

CS: I can’t tell you how great it is to work with Keanu. He’s quite the human and I don’t mean that as just an actor or an action guy who is just a great guy. He has interest in… pick a topic. He loves life, he’s interested in life, and he’s a great dude to talk too. If you ever get a chance to interview him you should, he’s just such a great guy.

AH: What ideas are you entertaining next?

CS: My biggest desire in film right now is to do a female action movie. We are just trying to find the right property for it and we are talking to several great writers about that right now.

_____________

It’s just been announced that Chad is going to be directing the reboot for “Highlander” and according to Collider.com he plans to do it over three films.

Sundance Film Review: ‘The Lure’

by AllieHanley

In the mood for something strange and different? Polish film maker Agnieszka Smoczynska’s “The Lure” played at Sundance last week to a mixed  (but mostly positive) crowd.

The story is definitely a doozie. Two young mermaids decide to take a land vacation and end up in Warsaw, Poland where they join a night club band as singers. It’s set in the 80’s so the costumes, music, and set stylings reflect that era.

Golden and Silver are looking for fun and when one of them finds love for a human and the other  for human flesh, two worlds collide. Even a visit from Triton (as a heavy metal reveler) warning them of the consequences of their folly isn’t enough to put the brakes on these two mermaids.

There are a few challenges in watching the film. First off, it’s a musical and the Polish to English translation of the lyrics doesn’t always seem to make lyrical sense, so there’s that. There’s also some confusion going on for me as to the character motivations. I’m not sure if it was the language barrier, scenes being deleted for this cut, or not fully flushed out characters – but there were numerous times where dream sequences, cut scenes, and side stories did more to confuse than move the story forward. That uneven flow made the film less enjoyable despite some wonderful performances from the cast.

“The Lure” has a certain attraction. As a first time director, Smoczynska does a intriguing job with essentially a unique story, set in a place not often seen in modern movies, and using music as a medium to tell the tale, it certainly falls into the spectrum of weird but good.

However, due to poorly executed character development (and translation issues) the film barely rises to above average. The film screens great as a Midnighter and will certainly find its audience.

2.5 out of 5

https://youtu.be/vxhi_3hDUPE

Geekscape Movie Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split”

by AllieHanley

M. Night Shyamalan returns to form with his engaging potboiler “Split” opening this weekend wide from Universal Pictures.

A man named Kevin (James McAvoy / X-Men) kidnaps three young ladies who come to discover that their captor has 23 distinct personalities.

<Spoiler Free>

You’ve seen enough Shyamalan films over the years to know that his style is all about stories where you don’t know what’s going to happen next, and then when it happens, it’s not at all what you’d expect. That twist has become his signature move, and how well he takes us on the journey to that twist, is the defining aspect of his film being a hit or miss. “Split” easily classifies itself as one of his films that works and is true-to-form to what first put Shyamalan on the cinematic map. “Split” is definitely on the same page as his breakthrough film “The Sixth Sense” and later “Unbreakable,” but where those two films are quiet and somber this one is more visceral in scope.

“Split” is best enjoyed knowing little going in, so with respect to that I touch on only the most broad strokes of the film.

Easily the biggest factor to what makes the whole movie come alive is McAvoy’s performance. Not unlike Joanne Woodward who starred in “The Three Faces of Eve” back in 1957 who took home an Oscar for her role depicting three personalities, McAvoy takes it beyond the next level. His character is comprised of 23 personalities, of which 6 are featured in the film. With minor wardrobe changes, McAvoy convincingly portrays each character with different speech patterns, walks/shuffles, and idiosyncrasies that convey an impressive array of skill as an actor. Even so, Oscar rarely pays attention to films of this nature but in the genre of sci-fi thrillers, McAvoy kills it!

Running in hand with him is another striking performance from emerging talent Anya Taylor (The Witch) as the lead of the three who are kidnapped. She gave an enthralling performance in “The Witch” and takes some of that raw inner energy she brought to that role, and instills it in her character “Casey.”

Shyamalan pays attention to details in character development giving back-story as to why “Casey” is reacting the way she does. Doing so gives her character depth and gravitas so that the character feels real and reacts in ways that make sense avoiding mismatched character motivations so evident in films of this nature.

While “Split” isn’t quite on par with ‘The Sixth Sense” it far exceeds many of Shyamalans films in recent past. However it isn’t anything new and ground breaking, rather it’s just more of the same. “More of the same” meaning, his stories are generally about a situation that may or may not be supernatural but in the end probably is, and has twists, and probably another twist. That sums up all his films that come to mind. Shyamalan’s “Split” is ranked as one of the better incarnations of his repertoire as his characters are flushed out and equally well acted. The delivery of information is well-paced and the style is engaging mostly from start to finish.  However because he didn’t break any new ground, despite the spectacular acting from McAvoy, the film scores just above average.

4 out of 5

  • Originally screened at Fantastic Fest
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
  • Directed & Written By: M. Night Shyamalan
    In Theaters: Jan 20, 2017  Wide
  • Runtime: 116 minutes
  • Studio: Universal Pictures

Geekscape Interviews: Comic Artist Drew Geraci Talks ‘The Demands Book 2: The B-Sides’

by AllieHanley

Well known Marvel and D.C. comic artist, Drew Geraci, has just release his second fictional book, “The Demands Book 2: The B-Sides.” It picks up not long after the first, with resilient and sharp-witted Laney Kilburn who has even bigger plans for her band, The Demands. Getting in the way of those plans is the Russian mob and their new boss who’s out to get them.

Drew has worked on most of the big titles from Marvel and D.C. over the past 25 years including The Avengers, Stars Wars, and more. His artistic work has been featured on movie posters like “Guardians of the Galaxy” to everyday items you might find at the store with images of characters from The Avengers he drew years and years ago. He got the itch a year ago to try his hand on the keyboard rather than the inkwell stylus with his first book “The Demands” which immediately found success on Amazon with a 4 ½ stars out of 5 from readers.

Allie Hanley: You’ve written some really colorful characters in your second book “The B-Sides” of “The Demands” about a band that wants to make it big. Who’s your favorite character and why do you like to write them?

Drew Geraci: Cricket, a new character introduced halfway through Book Two. She’s pure id, with no filter and says the most inappropriate things at times. She talks to ghosts, wears thrift-store chic, very bohemian. She meets Laney at a club, recognizes her as a member of The Demands, and blathers until Laney goes from feeling very annoyed to amused. Hence, they become besties. Cricket’s easy to write because I can go astray with free-form association, but I keep her grounded enough that she’s not one-dimensional comedic relief.

AH: Laney Kilburn is a wise cracking, take no shit kind of woman. Where did you come up with her and why did you opt to have this character be female?

DG: When I came up with The Demands, Mitch was going to be the main character. Same background and ‘voice’, as me. As I kept writing, I came up with more interesting things for the ‘token’ female, a clean slate. I made her a tomboy who played football as a kid. But she was an army brat who moved a lot and she grew up withdrawn as a result. She wasn’t popular in any of the schools and was considered the weird girl who carried her guitar around everywhere.

Compared to other classmates, she thought herself ugly and mousey. She loved playing guitar as an emotional outlet. Skipping college, she stagnated for a time until, out of the blue, at 22, she moved away on her own from Laurel, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, PA. This where she’d read about the local music scene. Then she gets a crash course of grown-up lessons. I physically based Laney as the grunge, blonde twin of Kate Micucci (of Garfunkle & Oates). Short but scrappy when cornered. Forming The Demands was a welcome reset button on her life.

AH: It’s unusual to read a story about a struggling band and the back door dealings, why did you want to tell this story?

DG: The impetus came from my disgust over the current music landscape of prepackaged, formulaic dance songs and pop ballads sung by beautiful people. To break big through this omnipresent sound with an aggro guitar-heavy sound is nigh-impossible in this era. Add the mobster element, and The Demands have a herculean task to make their act national. But they have the conceit of youth to keep pushing against all odds.

AH: What’s in the future for “The Demands?”

DG: The band and the mob will find their lives intertwined. Once it’s rumored that The Demands performed at mobbed-up clubs, they’re considered guilty by association, which gives The Demands street cred and a large following in Pittsburgh. Both parties have some damning secrets about the other, but if either side acts on it, most likely they will all end up in federal prison; And the band has to make deals with the devil (not literally) on more than one occasion to stay one step ahead of the mob.

AH: You are a working artist for some of the top names in Pop Culture, like Marvel and Star Wars. What are you working on right now.

DG: I’ve been doing some web comics for Marvel lately and I enjoy it since it’s uncharted territory for me. I do plenty of art commissions. Also, I’m 10K into The Demands Book Three: Standing Room Only.

AH: Where’s the weirdest place you came across a piece of your artwork?

DG: Avengers art I did showed up at a Sears Tire Center when I went to get my tires balanced. On a sunscreen reflector (that you put on your car’s dash in the Summer). It was by the motor oil and wiper blades!

AH: What plans do you have to do signings for you book and artwork for 2017.

DG: That’s still in the planning stage. Earlier this year, I did a library book signing and a Q&A with other new authors. I’m currently wracking my brain about guerrilla tactics, thinking outside the box. So much competition, no matter your merit, your work still has to be seen by a larger audience. But, having announced that Book Three is forthcoming, I’m not ready to give up any time soon. I’ve been told by quite a few experts that I’d make a lot more money if I did a steamy 50 Shades of Grey sex story, but that’s not my scene.

AH: Where’s the best place to buy your book?

DG:I now have an Amazon page which includes kindle and paperback of both Demands books, plus many of the comics collections I’ve worked on all these years.


Drew’s second book currently has a 5 out 5 rating on Amazon. Click here for a link to learn more.

Geekscape Interviews: ‘Assassin’s Creed’ Author Christie Golden

by AllieHanley

The Assassin’s Creed universe will see a movie and several new books release this week. Ever wonder how someone works within an already established universe to add their own story and spin?

Christie Golden – author of more than 50 novels including stories within the Star Trek Universe, Star Wars, World of Warcraft, Halo, and Assassin’s Creed spoke exclusively to Geekscape about the challenges of working within already flushed out literary worlds.

Allie Hanley: The video game “Assassin’s Creed” has a worldwide following of loyal gamers and has achieved massive success for Ubisoft. It spawned upwards of nine game sequels as well as novels based off of the game’s story. And that in turn has now segued into a film version, “Assassin’s Creed,” starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard premiering this December 21 wide.

Alongside that, you have several books coinciding with the film, one of which is the film’s novelization, and another story that runs alongside the film’s story but is your own creation. Can you tell me about those?

Christie Golden:  “Assassin’s Creed: Heresy” revolves around the new Templar Director of Abstergo’s Historical Research Division, Simon Hathaway.  He thinks it’s important for high-ranking Templars to connect with their ancestors, and chooses to experience the memories of Gabriel Laxart, his own ancestor who fought alongside Joan of Arc.  There are parallels between the events of history and the events taking place in the present day as Simon stumbles on an old secret and begins unraveling a mystery.

The novelization, while it is, obviously, the story of the movie, adds another element of being able to get inside the heads of the characters in a way a movie can’t.  There are also other Assassins in the film in addition to Cal Lynch, played by Michael Fassbender, and there are four short stories about the ancestors of these characters at the end, as a cool bonus.  “Heresy” takes place right before the events of the movie “Assassin’s Creed,” and since I was doing both I could set up a few things from the movie in the first, and refer to events of “Heresy” in the second.  Kind of fun!

AH: In your new Assassin’s Creed novel, “Heresy,” you weave a fascinating fictional story that fits inside of the Assassin’s Creed universe of modern day but also incorporates the history of Joan of Arc. Can you talk a bit about the process of story building inside the constraints of history, especially such a well known figure as Joan of Arc?

CG: It was a bit intimidating, of course.  I mean—Joan of Arc.  She’s been very well-researched, and I read a lot of books, studied geography, visited certain websites, and so on.  I was fortunate that, due to her two trials (her Trial of Condemnation and the Trial of Nullification, years after her death) so much of her life was recorded in her own words and those of people who knew her well.  The more I learned about her, the better she seemed to fit into the world of Assassin’s Creed.  It was uncanny and just perfect.  I know that Ubisoft has a reputation for stellar treatment of history, and I’m a fan of history myself, so it was good to be able to do a solid job on the research.  She was so amazing in real life, her story didn’t require much “tweaking.”

AH: You’ve written novels that take place in already created universes like “Star Trek” and “Star Wars;”  How did you get the “rules” down for Assassin’s Creed and do you play the games?

CG: I don’t play the games, but I had a young friend who would cheerfully do “play-throughs” for me and Ubisoft was wonderful about providing references.  I’d also done two previous projects with Ubisoft through Inside Editions, “Blackbeard: The Lost Journal” and “The Abstergo Employee Handbook.”  And of course, part of the fun of “Heresy” was getting to break some of the rules, or at least challenging the line of thought that the Templars were always the bad guys and the Assassins always the good guys.  In “Heresy,” everyone’s a little bit gray.

AH: What’s the biggest challenge you faced with creating the dialogue in “Heresy” for Joan of Arc?

CG:  I love dialogue, I was in theater and I seem to have a real “ear” for it.  So the challenge was getting the characters well-enough developed so that I could all but hear them speak.  One thing that was a positive, -having so much of Joan’s own words to work with, and also it became a bit of a negative in that I was writing for today’s reader, and I had to make sure she spoke in ways that those readers could connect with.  So some more formal language that sounded stilted to modern-day ears was adjusted here and there, but many lines are still verbatim as they were recorded.

AH: What kind of care goes into writing within a world such as “World of Warcraft” that has a massive following and what kind of response do you get from fans?

CG:  I have a rule, and that is that I don’t take on any project that I don’t A) already know and love or B) believe I could get to know and love.  Some of the most fun projects have come from franchises I knew nothing about initially.  I would steep myself in the material, get all excited and geeky about it, then be able to produce something that (hopefully) both the creators and the fans would enjoy.  Most of the reactions I have gotten have been overwhelmingly positive. A bit, not so much, of course. Some people don’t like my “voice”/style of writing.  Others don’t like the topics I choose to cover. Fans invest a lot of themselves in these worlds, and you have to respect that, but you have to make writing a good book first. Warcraft was special in that (after my first book, “Lord of the Clans”) I was an avid player of the game. So I can put in things like a tree struck by lightning on the side of a path, and the player grins because they know exactly what tree I’m talking about.

AH: What books do you have on the horizon?

CG:  I have several projects lined up, but most of them are NDA so I can’t talk about them yet! I can, however, say that I’ve just finished a novelization of Luc Besson’s “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.”

AH: If fans want to reach out to you on social media or read up on your newest work, what’s the best place to do so?

CG:  I do try to be responsive to my readers, because I appreciate that they support my work which puts food on my table!  They can follow me on Twitter, @ChristieGolden, on Facebook as Christie Golden, read my blog at https://christiegolden.wordpress.com or visit my website which is really hard to remember…www.christiegolden.com.  🙂  I like to keep things easy!

AH: I’ve read that you attend events like New York Comic Con; what’s on your schedule for fans to meet you and get their books signed?

CG: This was a very exciting year travel-wise for me, I went to nine conventions, including one in Colombia!  Thus far this year I’ve got nothing settled, but as soon as I know anything I’ll be posting it on all my various social media sites. I really do enjoy getting out to meet my readers. Writing is such a solitary business, it’s gratifying to thank folks in person and really connect as human beings and not just words on a screen.

Christie’s “Assassin’s Creed: Heresy” coincides with the film and can be read as a stand-alone or with the novelization. The thriller blends classic imaginative elements of science fictions with authentic historical details and is an original Assassin’s Creed story taking place partly in the modern day, and in the day of Joan of Arc.

You can currently pick a copy up at your local book store or online. The novelization debuts the same time as the film, Dec. 21.