Tag: Emily Blunt

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Mary Poppins Returns

by MCDave

For some, Mary Poppins is sacred ground, a cherished childhood classic that isn’t to be spoiled in any way, shape or form. And while the 1964 classic never held such a holy place in the depths of my heart, I fully recognize the film’s cemented place in history as it continues to hold a renowned allure more than a half century later. Enter Rob Marshall’s newly released sequel, Mary Poppins Returns. As a savvy veteran of bringing musicals to the big screen with films like Chicago, Nine and Into the Woods, Marshall’s big-time resume and familiarity with the genre make him a natural choice to handle the return of cinema’s most iconic au pair, Mary Poppins.

Set in 1930s London, more than two decades have passed since Jane (Emily Mortimer) and Michael (Ben Whishaw) Banks were whisked away into a world of wonder and imagination as children. Yet, following the recent passing of Michael’s wife, times only get tougher when the bank informs him that he’s violated the terms of a substantial loan and his family’s house will be repossessed in a few days’ time unless he can come up with the money to pay it off in full. Desperate to find a certificate of stock shares that his deceased father left behind, or face eviction with his trio of motherless children, Michael is shocked when Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) returns offering to once again help the Banks children in their time of need

Any lavish praise targeted at Rob Marshall’s work must begin with the casting decision of Emily Blunt as the title character. Her beauty, elegance and exceptional singing voice make Blunt the perfect choice to carry on the legacy of Julie Andrews’ signature character. She’s absolutely magnificent in the role and beyond deserving of her early season Golden Globe and SAG nominations. Blunt’s stern attention to detail is on full display as she revitalizes Mary Poppins and all of her inexplicable marvel on the big screen, it truly is a sight to behold. Likewise, Lin-Manuel Miranda puts himself on the map with a fitting performance as Jack, the neighborhood lamp-lighter, who sings and dances his way into your heart as well. Moreover, all three of the new generation of Banks children are wonderful in their own right, and a crowd-pleasing cameo from Angela Lansbury all come together to further illustrate the depths of Rob Marshall’s brilliant cast. However, Mary Poppins Returns suffers in one key area, the film’s overarching story is bone-thin. Cloudy backstories and weakly developed storylines loom over many prominent characters such as Jane, Jack and Wilkins (Colin Firth), making the film more of a magical experience than a finely crafted movie. Mary Poppins Returns is more like a “spoonful of sugar”, delicious and enjoyable but lacking many of the ingredients necessary to make it a fulfilling dish.

GRADE: 3/5

For more reviews, trailers and movie lists visit MCDAVE’s host site

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Edge of Tomorrow

by MCDave

Make no mistake about it, the hype surrounding Edge of Tomorrow, from both critics and moviegoers alike, continues to grow throughout the film’s opening weekend. With an estimated $30 million in box-office revenue in the works and nearly 9 out of 10 critics voicing their approval, Tom Cruise proves he is still a major attraction. But is the megastar’s latest blockbuster collaboration with The Bourne Identity director, Doug Liman, worthy of all this adoration? Absolutely not!

Tom Cruise stars as Cage, a marketer-turned-Army Recruiter after an unexplained alien invasion threatens the survival of humankind. However, Cage has zero interest in actually setting foot on the battlefield. That is, until his commanding officer orders the under-qualified and cowardly soldier to attack the enemy with the first wave of fighters. Caught in the midst of war, Cage becomes trapped in a time-loop and uses the opportunity to team up with a Special Forces warrior named Rita (Emily Blunt) who transforms him into a killing machine determined to destroy the opposing forces.

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Allow me to precede my arguments with a declaration that the latest sci-fi blockbuster, Edge of Tommorow, is a well-crafted and highly rationalized idea. Yet, Doug Liman’s action adventure is over-pursued and misguided. The whole “time travel” or “time loop” idea is by no means uncharted territory. Somewhat recent comparables such as Duncan Jones’ Source Code or Rian Johnson’s Looper use this scientific anomaly as a far more impressive backdrop to their better executed stories. With Edge of Tomorrow, the audience is asked to buy into an often-used, but convincing, character arc surrounding Tom Cruise’s onscreen personae, Cage. But to the film’s detriment, an unjust finale sells that transformation short and tears down the flimsy foundation it spends nearly two hours building.

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Although Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow contains a mediocre plot and a collection of performances that neither benefit nor detract from the final product, the blockbuster delivers an abundance of remarkably-shot scenes. The camera work and editing are superb enough to satisfy any action junkie imaginable, further demonstrating a need to applaud Liman’s effort for the movie’s sound technical achievements. However, at the end of the day, there’s no escaping a long list of basic fundamental blunders that ultimately confine Edge of Tomorrow to being a run-of-the-mill feature.

Sporting a balanced sheet of pros and cons, the latest sci-fi tale, Edge of Tomorrow, fails to stand out among a long list of similarly-molded films. Its “groundhog day” approach feels long-winded through a moderately engaging story. And although the special effects and captured shots are likely to be marveled at, there isn’t much else elevating Edge of Tomorrow to mainstream blockbuster glory.

GRADE: 3/5

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Watch A 13-Minute Featurette For ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Warner Bros. has just debuted an awesome new featurette for next week’s Edge of Tomorrow.

The HUGE 13 minute long video is narrated by both Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, and it goes much deeper (almost too deep) into the plot than we’ve seen in any previous videos. We also see some of the fantastic production (including the heavy suits), and it’s definitely worth watching through to the end. I wasn’t overly excited for the film when the first trailer released, but after seeing this, I can’t wait to get in line.

Take a look at the video below (which also contains a ton of new footage), and let us know what you think! Edge of Tomorrow hits theatres on June 6th!

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

 

Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

 

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ Gets An Extended Trailer, New Featurettes

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Warner Bros. today debuted a brand new, extender trailer for next month’s Edge of Tomorrow.

I have to say that I wasn’t overly impressed with the first trailer for the film, but each subsequent video has garnered more and more excitement for the upcoming sci-fi.

The new preview clocks in at over three minutes long, and does a great job of explaining just what the hell is going in the film. Of course, you could also read the novel that the film is based on, All You Need Is Kill.

Four neat new featurettes for the for the film have also been revealed, which feature the cast and crew, and help to explain things even further. Take a look at everything below, and let us know what you think! Edge of Tomorrow hits theatres on June 6th!

http://youtu.be/1Lx4VcoXX00

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

 

Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

 

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

New Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt Movie Tie-In Novel Set To Release On 4/29!

by Kari Lane

VIZ Media’s Haikasoru literary imprint supports the upcoming release of the gripping sci-fi action film, Edge of Tomorrow with the release of an official movie tie-in novel available April 29th. The new Edge of Tomorrow paperback will cost $7.99. As you can see from the picture below, the book cover features the official movie poster with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The Edge of Tomorrow novel was written by Japanese author Hiroshi Sakurazaka and was previously published as All You Need Is Kill.

EdgeOfTomorrow_cover

The Haikasoru imprint has also announced the May 6th release of the ALL YOU NEED IS KILL official graphic novel adaptation. Written by Haikasoru editor and noted sci-fi author, Nick Mamatas, and featuring full-color artwork by popular comic book artist Lee Ferguson (Green Arrow, Miranda Mercury), the new graphic novel offers a single-volume retelling of the original ALL YOU NEED IS KILL novel that inspired the EDGE OF TOMORROW movie. The graphic novel carries an MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $17.99 CAN, and features an oversized North American graphic novel trim size of 6 5/8″ x 10 ¼”. An eBook edition will also be available worldwide for $8.99 (U.S. / CAN) for the Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iBooks Store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Book Store, and the Kobo eBooks Store. North American fans can also access the graphic novel digitally on the VIZ Manga App as well as through VIZManga.com.

AYNIK-GraphicNovel-Cover

The Edge of Tomorrow feature film is scheduled to be released from Warner Bros. Pictures on June 6th  in 3D, 3D IMAX and regular 2D. The film is directed by Doug Liman and stars Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton.

The story is set in the future when aliens called Mimics invade. Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. But he dies on the battlefield after only a few minutes, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he gets a message from a mysterious ally – the female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji’s escape or his final death?

 

In 2009, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL served as the launch title for Haikasoru, a unique imprint developed by VIZ Media dedicated to publishing the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy for English-speaking audiences. New York Times best-selling author John Scalzi declared ALL YOU NEED IS KILL to be a novel that, “reads fast, kicks ass, and keeps on coming,” and it has proven to be one of Haikasoru’s most popular titles. Sakurazaka’s other novels include Characters (co-written with Hiroki Azuma) and SLUM ONLINE, which was published in English by Haikasoru in 2010.

 

“Live…die…repeat. ALL YOU NEED IS KILL / EDGE OF TOMORROW delivers a nightmarish, action-packed spin on reliving one’s own triumphs, and failures,” says Nick Mamatas, Editor, Haikasoru. “Catch the original story that inspired the gripping movie with the official movie tie-in edition and in the Western comic book mode with the ALL YOU NEED IS KILL official graphic novel. Both of these debuts are perfect reads leading up to the highly anticipated theatrical debut of Edge of Tomorrow this summer!”

 

“The ALL YOU NEED TO KILL graphic novel stays very true to the original source novel,” says Joel Enos, editor for the new comic. “We made a conscious effort to create something unique that could stand on it’s own away from both the original novel, the film and the upcoming manga, but would nicely complement and pay respects to all three! Lee’s retro-futuristic art style especially puts ALL YOU NEED TO KILL as a comic into it’s own orbit!”

For more information on Edge of Tomorrow / All You Need Is Kill and the Haikasoru imprint, please visit www.haikasoru.com.

For more information on other titles available from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

The New ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ Trailer Is Way Cooler Than The Last One

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Warner Bros. has just released a new (and way better than the first) trailer for the June sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow.

It stars Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Jeremy Piven, and plenty of others in what basically looks like Groundhog Day and Independence Day all mashed together (with just a little bit of Source Code thrown in for good measure).

I wasn’t overly impressed with the first trailer, but this new video actually made me want to check it out. In any case, you can take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Edge of Tomorrow hits theatres on June 6th, 2014!

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

 

Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

 

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

The First ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ Trailer Has Debuted Online

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Now that Oblivion has come and gone, are you ready for another Tom Cruise starring sic-fi action flick?

I think we both know the answer to that (probably not).

In any case, the first trailer for the heavily promoted at SDCC Edge of Tomorrow has just hit the internet. It stars Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Jeremy Piven, and plenty of others in what basically looks like Groundhog Day and Independence Day all mashed together (with just a little bit of Source Code thrown in for good measure).

Still want to see the trailer, or are you buying your ticket right now? Take a look at the first action-heavy trailer below, and let us know what you think! Edge of Tomorrow hits theatres on June 6th, 2014!

he epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

 

Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

 

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

RUMOR: Two Actresses Up For Ms. Marvel Role In Sequel To ‘The Avengers’

by Shawn Madden

It’s a couple years away until production starts on the sequel to The Avengers. However, Marvel already knows what characters will be joining the team and now there’s a rumor that they are already looking at actresses to fill the role of one of these characters. According to Daily Mail, we should expect to see Carol Danvers AKA Ms. Marvel, who has speculated in the past. Not only that but the site goes on to state that Emily Blunt (Looper) and Ruth Wilson (Luther) are up for the role.

“Meanwhile, British actresses Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson are head-to-head in a race for the most sought-after new female role in Hollywood. Emily, 29, and Ruth, 30, are both hotly tipped to play superhero Ms. Marvel in Avengers 2, the sequel to Avengers Assemble.”

So, for now take this rumor very lightly. But it is worth noting that if this is true it wouldn’t be the first time Marvel tried to nab Emily Blunt for a role. She was originally attached to to the role Black Widowin Iron Man 2, and she also turned down the role of Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. Also with Marvel Studios going cosmic it doesn’t sound entirely unlikely. The only issue here is that this site isn’t really known for breaking casting news so we’re going to have to hold out on getting too excited on this one.

‘All You Need Is Kill’ Adaptation Has Been Greenlit

by Shawn Madden

Reports are coming in that Warner Bros. has officially given the green light to All You Need Is Kill, an adaptation of the science fiction graphic novel of the same name. Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) will be directing, while Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are set to star in the film. Originally Brad Bitt was was approached to play the lead, but he has conflicts with other films for which Warner wanted him. Dante Harper wrote the script with executive producer Joby Harold. Cruise began work on the movie last Friday in London. He recently completed production on another sci-fi graphic novel adaptation, Oblivion.

No release date for All You Need Is Kill has been set yet. But we should be expecting an announcement from Warner Bros. sometime soon.

If you’ve never read nor heard of All You Need Is Kill here’s a plot summary:

The story is told from the perspective of Keiji Kiriya, the protagonist, a new recruit in the United Defense Force which fights against the mysterious ‘Mimics’ which have laid siege to Earth. Keiji is killed on his first sortie, but through some inexplicable phenomenon wakes up having returned to the day before the battle, only to find himself caught in time loop as his death and resurrection repeats time and time again. Keiji’s skill as a soldier grows as he passes through each time loop in a desperate attempt to change his fate.

While it does seem cool I am not too sure about the cast and director on this one. But I will have to wait and see before I pass judgement because Tom Cruise has surprised me in the past before.

Source: Deadline

 

Check Out The International Trailer For ‘Looper’!

by Shawn Madden

When I first saw the trailer for ‘Looper’ at WonderCon I was blown away. With an impressive cast and a great concept this is one of the movies I have been looking forward to most this year. We now have a second trailer that sheds a bit more light on the plot of the movie.

Face your past and fight your future on September 28th.