Halle Berry | Geekscape

The Last Boy Scout (1991) VHS Movie Review

by AnalogJonesTOFFebruary 7, 2019

The Last Boy Scout (1991) VHS Movie Review

We try to tackle the Super Bowl of action films in our The Last Boy Scout (1991) VHS Movie Review.

Quick Facts
The Last Boy Scout was released to United States theaters on December 13, 1991. The budget for the film was $75 million and had a box office of $59.5 million. Other movies in the theater at the time were Hook, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, The Addams Family, Beauty and the Beast, My Girl and Cape Fear. The Last Boy Scout finished 2nd in its opening weekend at $7.9 million behind Hook at $13.5 million.

Directed by: Tony Scott (Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II)
Produced by: Joel Silver (Lethal Weapon and Predator) and Michael Levy (Die Hard 2)
Screenplay by: Shane Black (Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
Story by: Shane Black and Greg Hicks
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Starring:
Bruce Willis as Joseph “Joe” Cornelius Hallenbeck
Damon Wayans as James “Jimmy” Alexander Dix
Chelsea Field as Sarah Hallenbeck (Teela from Masters of the Universe)
Noble Willingham as Sheldon Marcone
Taylor Negron as Milo (Russell from Bio-Dome)
Danielle Harris as Darian Hallenbeck
Halle Berry as Cory
Bruce McGill as Mike Matthews (Animal House)
Kim Coates as Chet (Sons of Anarchy)
Chelcie Ross as Senator Calvin Baynard (Major League)

The Last Boy Scout (1991) VHS Movie Review | VHS Box Art Front and Back

VHS Back of the Box Description
The Last Boy Scout is the Super Bowl of action movies, a flat-out blitz of excitement, blow-you-away special effects and hilarious gimme-five humor set against the world of pro football.

Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans star as a seedy detective and disgraced quarterback, teaming to dodge ambushes, fire off one-liners and bust chops. When the going gets tough, they get tougher. And funnier. They came to play. And to settle a score in this raging fireball where bigger is better, hits are harder and bad guys end up deader.

Sending in plays from the sideline are guys with experience screenwriter Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), producer Joel Silver (the Die Hard and Lethal Weapon films) and director Tony Scott (Top Gun). Along with Willis and Wayans, they ensure The Last Boy Scout isn’t like other films. Be prepared.

Movie Trailers
Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema Century Collection

Trivia

♦ Shane Black wrote this after struggling with Lethal Weapon 2 and a break up that triggered him to quit writing for almost two years:

“I was busy mourning my life and, in many ways, the loss of my first real love. I didn’t feel much like doing anything except smoking cigarettes and reading paperbacks. All things come around. Time passed, and eventually, I sat down and transformed some of that bitterness into a character, the central focus of a private eye story which became The Last Boy Scout. Writing that script was a very cathartic experience, one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I spent so much time alone working on that. Days which I wouldn’t speak. Three, four days where I maybe said a couple of words. It was a wonderfully intense time where my focus was better than it’s ever been. And I was rewarded so handsomely ($1.75 million) for that script, it felt like a vindication and like I was back on track.”

♦ At the time this was a record purchase for an original screenplay ($1.75 million).

Troubled Production

♦ Joel Silver, Bruce Willis, and Tony Scott fought a lot on set. Silver was described as “insane, with long, horrible fits of sanity,” and was compared to a fighter pilot riding as a passenger. “As soon as you hit a little bit of turbulence, he’s right away going to throw the guy out of the window and take over the steering.”

♦ The original cut for “borderline unwatchable.”

♦ Bruce Willis and Damien Wayans DID NOT like working with each other.

♦ Assistant director James Skotchdopole (a fantastic second unit director, True Romance, and Untouchables) attributed the tension on-set to an “overabundance of alpha males on that project. Bruce was at the height of his stardom, so was Joel, so was Tony and so was Shane. There were a lot of people who had a lot of opinions about what to do. There were some heated, early-Nineties, testosterone-charged personalities on the line. It was a ‘charged environment,’ shall we say.” Writer Shane Black had to wrestle with the script. “I was forced to do more rewriting on that movie than on anything else I’ve done. There was tremendous pressure from the studio to get Bruce Willis and have this be a follow-up to Die Hard. He was reluctant, and rightly so: ‘This whole movie is about me saving my wife. I just did that in Die Hard.’ So they said, ‘OK, let’s minimize the wife, and while we’re at it, add a big finale.’ There was a general pressure to make somehow more significant and better!

♦ Different editors were hired in an attempt to address Scott’s tendency for filming excessive coverage with multiple cameras. Editor Mark Helfrich (Predator and Rush Hour) described sorting through “mountains of raw material” to edit the first cut: “There was more footage shot for The Last Boy Scout than on any film I had ever worked on.”

♦ Expert action movie editor Mark Goldblatt (The Terminator/T2 and Starship Troopers) recalls it as one the most painful and frustrating experiences of his entire career and refuses to discuss it in interviews. Although, he did mention in a podcast interview that several other editors were hired and then fired before him and that Warner Bros. began testing the movie before it was finished.

♦ When editor Stuart Baird (Superman and Lethal Weapon) was hired, the film finally took a positive turn. Baird had been brought in to help re-edit other troubled productions, including Tango & Cash (1989) and Demolition Man (1993). He got the film edited down NC-17 to R with quick cuts away from the hardcore violence.

Nominated for two MTV Awards
Best Action Sequence – For the helicopter blade sequence (Won by L.A. Freeway Scene – Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

Best On-Screen Duo – Bruce Willis & Damon Wayans (Won by Dana Carvey and Mike Myers – Wayne’s World)

Come back next week for another sports-related VHS Movie Review.

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Email us at analogjonestof@gmail.com with any comments or questions!

Bryan Singer Reveals First Look At Halle Berry’s Return As Storm In ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

by Shawn MaddenApril 22, 2013

Filming is underway in Montreal and director Bryan Singer has tweeted another tease from the set of X-Men: Days Of Future Past. This time around giving us our first look at Halle Berry’s return as Storm and her new look in the highly-anticipated film. It’s too bad she isn’t rocking the mohawk but the costume definitely fits with the story that they’re adapting. This first look at the character’s re-designed look follows the recent news that Adam Canto had joined the film’s cast.

Storm watch #HalleBerry #XMen #DaysOfFuturePast twitter.com/BryanSinger/st…

— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) April 22, 2013

X-Men: Days Of Future Past is set to hit theaters July 18, 2014

Director Bryan Singer Officially Confirms Halle Berry For ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

by Shawn MaddenMarch 4, 2013

Just yesterday we got confirmation from the Halle Berry herself that she would be joining the massive cast of the highly-anticipated X-Men: Days Of Future Past, and now director Bryan Singer has confirmed that the actress will definitely be returning as Ororo Munroe/Storm.

Couldn’t be more excited that #HalleBerry has joined the cast of #XMen #DaysofFuturePast. Hopefully she can improve the weather in Montreal.

— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) March 4, 2013

Hopefully we get to see Berry rock the mohawk and take on some Sentinels this time around.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past is scheduled to hit theaters July 18, 2014.

Halle Berry Confirms Her Involvement With ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

by Shawn MaddenMarch 3, 2013

Director Bryan Singer has already brought back a number of actors from the original X-Men trilogy for X-Men: Days Of Future Past, and one of the most frequently asked questions was if we would see Halle Berry returning for the next film.

Well, after months of speculation we’ve finally got an answer to whether or not we will see the actress return as Ororo Munroe/Storm . While speaking with Access Hollywood, promoting her latest film The Call, the Berry has confirmed that she will indeed be returning for Fox’s next film in the X-Men franchise.

“I am [excited], yeah,” she said, when asked if she’s looking forward to donning her superhero duds again. “I love Storm. That’s one of my favorite characters that I’ve played. And people love that character as well.”

Berry will be joining a massive and very impressive cast for this film. Here’s to hoping that we get to see Storm rock the mohawk in this film.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past is set to hit theaters July 18, 2014.

Source: AccessHollywood

Halle Berry “90% Sure She’ll Be Back” For ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

by Shawn MaddenFebruary 28, 2013

Bryan Singer has talked recently about his interest in bringing back Halle Berry as Storm in the highly-anticipated X-Men: Days Of Future Past, and it appears that it may happen after all. The actress recently spoke with Shadow And Act and may have revealed that she is in final negotiations to join the cast of the film. While the site doesn’t reveal any direct quotes from the actress, they go on to state:

“She did confirm to me that she would be returning in the role. Most likely. Practically 90% sure. And she nodded a lot too.

I can’t say, and neither could she say that it’s definitely a done deal, and that the contracts have all been signed, with all the “i”s dotted and the “t”s crossed.

She told me that are a few details that are still being negotiated which she couldn’t get into. But since she did tell me that the film starts shooting in April, it’s highly unlikely that talks are going to suddenly and horribly fall apart at this point.”

It definitely sounds like the actress is currently finishing up negotiations and may be the next cast addition Bryan Singer tweets about.

X-Men Days Of Future Past is set to hit theaters July 18, 2014.

Bryan Singer Unsure If Halle Berry Will Be Back For ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

by Shawn MaddenFebruary 11, 2013

With production about to being on X-Men: Days Of Future Past, you’d think they had the whole cast lined up. However, director Bryan Singer keeps adding characters from the franchise and with a number of cast from the original trilogy on board, some have wondered if we would see the return of Halle Berry as Storm. It seems that Singer really isn’t even sure at the moment himself.

“I can’t say. I don’t know yet. And it’s not necessarily a deal making aspect at all. I want to make sure it’ll make sense.”

Singer also isn’t revealing yet just who the main character or characters of the film are going to be, but does confirm that every character has purpose in the upcoming sequel to X-Men: First Class.

“I don’t want to say who the protagonists are yet, or talk about that yet, but I will say that every character has a very important function in the story. The story is designed and catered to the combined cast. It’s not just throwing in people to occupy the screen, occupy the billboards.”

Singer also went on to state that the plot of the films story is very much geared around the central cast. With filming expected to begin in a few months, we should expect to hear the final cast line-up very soon.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past is set to hit theaters July 17, 2014.

Source: MTV

X-Men Speculation: Who Will Probably Come Back For Days of Future Past… And Who Likely Won’t

by Eric DiazNovember 28, 2012

Yesterday, X-Men director Bryan Singer took to Twitter to not only announce that certain members of X-Men: First Class would be returning for the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past, but also the announcement that both Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan from the original X-Men films would be returning to their roles as Charles Xavier and Magneto. This all but confirmed what fans have been speculating about ever since Days of Future Past was announced, that the forthcoming movie would be taking place in two timelines–the one featuring characters from First Class, and another “future” (or present) timeline featuring the actors from the original films. As Singer remarked on his twitter feed, “more to come.” This means it is very likely that more actors from the original films will be suiting up soon for mutant action once more. But who? Here are my guesses as to who will be coming back (and who won’t) and why.

Oh, and before anyone chimes in with “but Cyclops and Jean and Prof. X died in X-Men 3, and Magneto lost his powers, yadda yadda yadda” it seems very, very likely that the time traveling storyline of Days of Future Past will end up erasing the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. The fact that both the older Charles Xavier and Magneto are in this one kind of already seems to be pointing towards that, considering their fates at the end of that third film. It seems Bryan Singer is eager to erase the one chapter of the original X-Men trilogy he had no part in. So I don’t think any character deaths or de-powerings in that movie should factor as to whether a certain actor or character returns. With that out of the way, let’s get started on the guessing game, shall we?

Wolverine/Hugh Jackman

I’d say this is one is a no-brainer. Wolverine is the poster boy for not only the comic book franchise, but the movie franchise as well. He’s not my favorite X-Man by any means, but facts are facts…. for the masses, Wolverine = X-Men. Unlike so many actors who distance themselves from the part that made them famous, Jackman seems to love being Wolverine, and doesn’t seem to ever tire of playing him. He is currently filming his second solo outing The Wolverine, and could easily stay in Logan-mode (and in Logan shape) for a few extra months and segue into filming Days of Future Past. Of all the characters from the original films, I expect to see his face in the line-up more than anyone else, barring any unforseen circumstances.

Odds for Returning: 9/10

EDIT: Make that 10/10…no sooner than an hour or so from posting this piece, the Hollywood Reporter makes it official: Hugh Jackman is coming back as Wolverine. That sure didn’t take long.

Cyclops/James Marsden

Of all the A-List X-Men characters, no one got the shorter end of the stick in the film series than poor Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops. This is not a negative reflection on actor James Marsden, who did the best he could in what little he was given to do. When he was unceremoniously killed off in X-Men: The Last Stand, fans were furious, as they were hoping the third X-Men movie would finally be his moment to shine. And from everything I’ve been told, that WAS his original plan, back when Singer was still working on X3, as James Marsden and Bryan Singer are good friends. In fact, Marsden even had a part in Singer’s Superman Returns, which is why he was said to be killed off in such a stupid offhand way in The Last Stand; Marsden made the mistake of being in a competing super hero movie with the fired director of X-Men, and Fox made sure he paid the price. I could see Singer making Days of Future Past partially as “the redemption of Cyclops” and restoring the character to a prominent position in the X-Men universe again.

Odds for Returning: 7/10

Jean Grey/Famke Janssen

Another main character from the franchise who totally got the shaft story-wise in X-Men: The Last Stand was Jean Grey. The less said about how that movie handled the classic X-Men story The Dark Phoenix Saga the better, but it seems Famke is at least open to returning, as she made some comments about coming back to the series as recently as a month ago. When being asked if she had been offered a role already in Days of Future Past, she replied “One never knows. Jean Grey, the Phoenix … she finds a way to reincarnate herself constantly, so one never knows… but I’m in no position to say anything,” And then coyly added “Stay tuned.” Sounds like maybe spelled Y-E-S to me.

Odds for Returning: 8/10

Rogue/Anna Paquin

Actress Anna Paquin has been pretty vocal about how much she hated the plotline where Rogue takes the mutant cure in X-Men The Last Stand, seeing it as a betrayal of everything the mutant metaphor is supposed to represent (Anna, all of fandom agrees with you) If this movie corrects some of those mistakes, she might jump at the chance to come back. On the downside, Paquin just gave birth to twins and still has at least one more season of True Blood to start shooting very soon, which might conflict with being able to make an appearance in Days of Future Past. But who knows, she might be able to squeeze in a cameo if she wants to bad enough. Maybe Anna could bring some of the sassy southern attitude she gives her True Blood character Sookie Stackhouse to Rogue, a character that in the comics has plenty of that to spare.

Odds for Returning: 6/10

Storm/Halle Berry

It has been well documented how much Halle Berry and Bryan Singer did NOT get along on the set of X2. I believe the phrase “you can kiss my black ass” was uttered on set by her at least once in reference to Singer. (For reals, look it up.) She never even wanted to be in the X-Men series in the first place, as during press before the movie came out she mentioned how there were so little roles for black actresses she was “forced to do a comic book movie.” Of course,then the X-Men franchise became the biggest thing she was ever involved with and she shut her mouth pretty quick. But point blank: Halle doesn’t really like playing Storm, the fans don’t like her playing Storm, and Bryan Singer doesn’t like her playing Storm (his original choice was Angela Bassett) So I’d be genuinely shocked if we saw her in this movie. And no one will care if she’s replaced, which has to sting a little for Miss Berry. My honest to goodness feeling is we’ll see a younger Storm in the First Class timeline, but that adult Storm will be dead in the future timeline. But Fox may want her back in, seeing as she’s still a name actress, so I guess anything is possible. But I’m not holding my breath.

Odds for Returning: 2/10

Nightcrawler/Alan Cumming

Add another to the list of “probably nots” – Much like Halle Berry, Alan Cumming has been pretty vocal about how horrible a time he had shooting X2, and how he and Singer did not get along on set. A couple of years back, when asked about Singer, he had this to say: “I can’t deny I think he’s really talented, and I’m really proud of the film (X2) – I think it’s a great film – but I didn’t enjoy working with him on it.” Considering how Nightcrawler was just in the one X-Men film, he’s not crucial to the overall story. It is possible that the character of Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler might make an appearance, but I highly doubt it will be Cumming wearing the blue make-up if he does.

Odds for Returning: 1/10

Mystique/Rebecca Romijn

We already know that Jennifer Lawrence is coming back as Mystique, a character she could easily play in both the past and future timelines. (She is a shape-shifter after all.) Add to that, Rebecca Romijn has been pretty candid about not really wanting to be naked and painted blue anymore. She has a good relationship with Singer and the producers, so I could see her making a cameo as her normal looking self much like the one she had in First Class, but that would be about it.

Odds for Returning: 7/10 (but only as a non made-up cameo)

Beast/Kelsey Grammer

We also already know that the character of Hank McCoy in the First Class timeline will make an appearance in the form of Nicolas Hoult, but what about his future adult self? I personally think that it is not very likely, if only for all the personal problems and bad headlines that Kelsey Grammer has had recently. Fox might want to avoid that particular celebrity train-wreck. Also, as with Ellen Page and Ben Foster, he only appeared in The Last Stand, so has no previous working relationship with Singer. So I see adult Beast as being pretty unlikely to show up.

Odds for Returning: 2/10

Kitty Pryde/Ellen Page

When Ellen Page shot X-Men the Last Stand, she had only one notable role to her name, the thriller Hard Candy. Not too long after The Last Stand came out, she hit it big with Juno, then came roles in Inception etc. She probably doesn’t want to come back to a relatively smallish role in the X-verse at this point in her career, and having only been in the third X-Men movie, she doesn’t have a pre-established working relationship with director Bryan Singer either, similar to Kelsey Grammer. So much like Nightcrawler, we might see the character of Kitty in some form, but I’m not counting on it being Page. Which would be a shame, as she was one of the few highlights from the third X-Men movie.

Odds for Returning: 3/10

Ice-Man/Shawn Ashmore

Shawn Ashmore went from cameo role as Bobby Drake/Ice-Man in the original X-Men to a pretty sizable role in X2, and I believe he is also personal friends with Bryan Singer. For this reason alone I could see him coming back in some capacity, even if it is just a cameo.

Odds for Returning: 6/10

Angel/Ben Foster

Angel was another major X-Men character who was totally squandered by X-Men The Last Stand. Played by Ben Foster, he’s another one that continues to have a career as a working actor and doesn’t need to come back to the franchise just to pay bills. And, also like Ellen Page and Kelsey Grammer, he was only in the third film so therefore doesn’t have any prior working relationship, good or bad, with Bryan Singer. Expect him to be among the missing or dead in the dystopian Sentinel-run world of the future X-Men.

Odds for Returning: 2/10

Gambit/Taylor Kitsch

Taylor Kitsch had a part in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and as awful as that flick was, I thought he was more or less ok in it as Cajun mutant Gambit. Unfortunately, since then Taylor Kitsch has had two very high profile flops to his name, John Carter and Battleship. I think the producers of Days of Future Past will wish to avoid this bad luck charm.

Odds for Returning: 1/10

Juggernaut/Vinnie Jones

Yeah….nope. Don’t think so. That’s all I gotta say about that one.

Odds for Returning: 0/10

The next few weeks and months should be very telling on just how right or wrong I was with these guesses. Anyone else want to chime in with who you think is a sure thing to come back, and who doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hell? Leave a comment below.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Cloud Atlas

by MCDaveOctober 29, 2012

One of the highlights of this year’s Philadelphia Film Festival came in the form of Tom Tykwer and Andy & Lana Wachowski’s (The Matrix trilogy) epic sci-fi adventure Cloud Atlas. Based on David Mitchell’s award winning book of the same name, Cloud Atlas attempts to interconnect the entire past, present and future of human civilizations by weaving together multiple stories that span over six different centuries. In doing so, the trio of directors inherently offer a somewhat jumbled mess of concepts and ideas. But what a beautiful mess it is.

The best way to describe Cloud Atlas is to parallel it to a puzzle box. You see this complete and beautiful “big picture” that is pristine in every way imaginable. Each color delightfully complementing the other and the idea so flawlessly captured, it’s just … perfect. But similar to the movie, you open the box and the perfection is broken up into pieces scattered everywhere. Each of these pieces waiting patiently for you to put them in their proper order, waiting to serve their purpose to the bigger picture. Cloud Atlas is an enormous six-movies-in-one journey, it’s a puzzle. And for that reason, Cloud Atlas deserves every bit of your viewing attention. I firmly believe that it’s a story so grandiose that it’s virtually impossible to dissect and piece together the puzzle in only one viewing. And also for that reason, it not only becomes one of the most polarizing films in recent memory, but Cloud Atlas becomes a cine-phile’s dream project. One that I proudly accept. You can be assured that I plan on watching the remarkable two hour and 43 minute journey many times in my future.

As creatively profound and visually groundbreaking as Cloud Atlas is, the film is by all accounts mightily flawed. But sometimes blemishes can give off a large sense of character, and that holds true with this feature. I recall leaving the theatre somewhat perplexed by what transpired on screen and thinking to myself “there was no emotional punch, there was no shining moment”. And for a film of this magnitude, that type of impact is essential. For this reason alone, Cloud Atlas becomes an understandably displeasing adventure for much of its audience. However, lack of comprehension often leads to massive disappointment in all different kinds of art forms. I tried my hardest to look past this glaring fault and to place my focus solely on Tykwer and the Wachowski’s message of an interconnected history of humanity. Recollecting the film in this light, I can honestly say that Cloud Atlas is one of the most fascinating movies I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

To truly appreciate the entirety of Cloud Atlas, you must first be consumed by each of its stories on their own. The film does a remarkable job of giving an absorbent amount of life to all of the different stories and making them feel extremely unique and disjoint, yet so entwined to a larger agenda. And while none of the feature’s long list of stars particularly stand out (except the underrated Jim Broadbent), Cloud Atlas and its numerous plot lines still serve their purpose and prove to be quite effective. Not only do the stories leave enough clues to unravel the mystery behind Cloud Atlas, they’re exceptionally entertaining and they help you to ease your way through the lengthy sounding duration.

Trapped inside of Cloud Atlas is a beautiful picture waiting to be pieced together. With the appropriate amount of time and effort, it can be. Be warned, Cloud Atlas is definitely not a movie for everyone. It requires all of a viewer’s attention and it demands a level of focus and thought that far exceeds the average Hollywood release. Therefore, we should both love and hate Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski’s for this ambitious piece of work. If you’re up for the challenge, there’s plenty of greatness hiding inside of Cloud Atlas. If not, please move along.

Rating: 4/5

You can check out other MCDave reviews at Movie Reviews By Dave

TIFF 2012 Review: The Wachowski’s and Tom Tykwer’s ‘Cloud Atlas’

by thebigkahunaSeptember 15, 2012

Cloud Atlas is an epic. The nearly 3 hour film is directed by 3 different filmmakers, The Matrix helmers Andy and Lana Wachowski and Run Lola Run‘s Tom Tykwer. The film is packed with an equally impressive cast including Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent and Hugh Grant. But even with a deck stacked this heavy, is it enough to make Cloud Atlas an instant masterpiece?

The film spans roughly 400 years and follows a massive 6 story-lines in each period. The connecting through lines are the spirits (or souls) of each of the characters. The message is simple. Some spirits are destined to always find one another, resulting in a multitude of continued experiences, whether it be fall in love or be eternal enemies. The concept is great… but sadly it just doesn’t work well as a film. Or at least as this film.

The film is often difficult to follow, not unlike Richard Kelly’s equally complicated Southland Tales. And at 3 hours, its unlikely that I will dedicate any more of my life to viewing it again in the pursuit of further clarification.

As a film lover, a film doesn’t always have to be great. But for me to commit 3 hours to a film it had better be at least good. Cloud Atlas falters where so many student films falter – it doesn’t appreciate the length of time available to tell a story. 3 hours divided roughly evenly into 6 stories means that each story has about 30 minutes to get its message across. Slightly longer than a typical short film but not quite long enough for me to develop a deep connection with any single character, the majority of Cloud Atlas‘ storylines fall prey to falling just short of their intended goals. And ultimately the question that I had upon leaving the film was ‘why do I care?’

One of Cloud Atlas‘ own verbalized questions became resoundingly appropriate. “What is the ocean but millions of drops of water?” Perhaps the filmmakers hoped that the film, although not necessarily effective in each of its parts, would create a tapestry that would create a stronger and clearer whole. And maybe they’re right. If the film were told in a linear narrative it would easily fall apart and its parallel themes would be lost. Meanwhile, the dangers of having a non-linear storyline become a tool for projecting a deeper meaning but without the clarity to see it through can become an equally bad idea.

Aesthetically, both Tykwer and the Wachowskis nail the look of the film’s many narratives. Tyker took over the contemporary filmmaking and from what I understand handled four of the story lines. His vibrant and kinetic style is apparent in many of the film’s vignettes. His overall style is something to get lost in and I often forgot that I had been sitting for over 2 hours watching something with no real story to speak of. Meanwhile, the look of The Wachowskis’ futuristic dystopian city and world building are definitely Wachowski-esque. Of all of their credentials thus far, I’d say that the aesthetic energy most on display was most reminiscent of Speed Racer, as was the storytelling (for both good and bad).

It is not impossible to weave a huge number of storylines and characters together masterfully. Filmmakers have been attempting the Herculean task since D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance. But it would seem that Cloud Atlas would have been better left as a book or in a singular filmmaker’s hands. The film has 6 very distinct and interesting worlds each with its own aesthetic that each needed the ability and attention to be explored on their own. Unfortunately, Cloud Atlas seems to have too many moving parts, both in and behind the scenes, parts whose muddled movements result in one weighty and uninteresting epic.

Check Out The Six Minute International Trailer For ‘Cloud Atlas’!

by Shawn MaddenJuly 26, 2012

The first footage from The Wachowski’s and Tom Tykwer’s (director of Run Lola Run) Cloud Atlas has made its way online and looks utterly phenomenal. The adaptation of David Mitchell’s epic labrynth of a novel stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Wishaw, James D’Arcy and Zhou Xun.

The powerful, inspiring epic Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution

Cloud Atlas is set to be released on October 26, 2012.

Is Anne Hathaway Interested In A ‘Catwoman’ Movie?

by Scott AlminianaJuly 23, 2012

So by now most of us have seen the awesomeness that is The Dark Knight Rises as well as Anne Hathaway’s brilliant portrayal of Selina Kyle. If you haven’t seen it yet then you are sorely missing out! Hathaway’s take on Catwoman is has got to be hands down the best version of the character to ever be seen on film, sorry Lee Meriwether and Michelle Pfeiffer you were both good but you weren’t the Catwoman comic fans know and love.

In an interview with Digital Spy, when asked if she would be open to returning to the character (perhaps in a solo film) Hathaway said, “I think it would be lovely to see more of her but only if it’s with the right people,” “She lives in this Gotham City and so it would have to be established by the people who have made this Gotham City. For me, at least.”

So what do you think, would you like to see more of Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman on the big screen? I know I would, especially if Christopher Nolan had a hand in it. There’s no way it could be worse than 2004 Halle Berry Catwoman, right?