Tag: Noomi Rapace

Ridley Scott’s Next Film Is ‘Prometheus II’!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

While talking with Empire Magazine about his tantalizing new movie The Martian, Ridley Scott said that he’s already begun scouting locations for his next movie, Prometheus II. The offhand comment sent me into fits of geeky glee.

First here, let’s attempt to get everyone on the same page. Number one; Aliens was James Cameron’s (Terminator, Terminator 2, Avatar, etc.) movie, as much as Alien³ was—I say this very lovingly—David Fincher’s (Seven, The Game, Fight Club, on and on. . .) and Alien: Resurrection was—again, with love—that wonderfully crazy French bastard, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s (Amelie, City of Lost Children, Delicatessen) and Joss Whedon’s (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, The Avengers, etc.) “love child.” I deeply enjoyed each of these films on their own; appreciating what each filmmaking team brought to the original story told by Ridley Scott’s Alien. I considered each to be its own perspective and take on the Alien universe and appreciated them as such. I’m still working on my own romance/buddy-cop/comedy version that ends in a space port with the fiance running from a hive of xenomorphs to stop her true love from leaving over a misunderstanding about seating arrangements for their wedding while her space-cop partner tries to deny his feelings for the alien queen. Working title: Alien Schmalien.

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The point being, Prometheus was meant to be Ridley Scott‘s extension of the Alien lore specifically, rather than the visions of other filmmakers or what the studio had in mind. The problem some may have had with the film is where it deviated from those other visions.

The problems I had, that some others might share, may have had to do with the contributions of Damon Lindelof—this is just a theory. It’s based on the number of projects I’ve been so excited to see that have come up short in the execution of the final vision—stories I discover Damon Lindelof had a hand in creating. For example: Lost, World War Z, Tomorrowland, Cowboys vs Aliens, The Leftovers, etc. Has anyone done this math yet? I believe Lindelof has excellent taste and his interest in projects he wants to be a part of is fantastic. I also believe he’s got some great skills for building intrigue and investment in a story line but he can’t seem to master the fundamental skill of the satisfying wrap-up.

I truly believe Lindelof is an excellent storyteller; his characters, dialogue and scenarios are top notch—he just can’t seem to stick the landing. He’s almost an inverse of George Lucas in some ways, who has marvelous worlds and story arcs bleeding from his very essence but seems to have trouble with characters talking.

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Fassbender & Rapace mugging for EW

So, for those who didn’t enjoy Prometheus at all, I think these are the two likely reasons: those who are not actually Ridley Scott fans (Blade Runner, Legend, Thelma & Louise, on and on. . .) but probably James Cameron fans and/or those who couldn’t see past the weaker parts of the story. Good news for those who are Scott fans? Lindelof is not (yet?) part of Prometheus II. But that doesn’t mean we fans are out of the woods just yet—the writers attached at the moment are Michael Green and Jack Paglen. Green (Green Lantern, Heroes) and Paglen (Transcendence) are another couple writers who, so far, are working with great material but not generating the results we’d hope for. I’m always excited to think that anyone can transcend expectations and emerge a hero!—uh, lantern. I only have their pasts to temper my hopes with for Prometheus II and I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’re all impressed—even those who aren’t Scott fans and would rather be watching Sex and the City (Green). On second thought, maybe not those ticket-buyers. (Some days I’m a Carrie—others, a Samantha.)

My recommendation to anyone looking to set the dial on their own expectations (good or bad) is to watch Alien and Prometheus—these are directly Ridley Scott’s visions of this universe. Any of the other films, entertaining as they may be, won’t properly let you know what you’re in for. If you’re just a fan of the marvelous Aliens, you’ll be better off hosting a Terminator 2/Avatar marathon—”Come with me if you want unobtainium!” If you’re a fan of the grossly underloved films Alien³ and/or Alien: Resurrection I think we should get together to form our own support group. Seriously.

Bottom line? I’m stoked! IMDB has Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace—two names I cut and pasted to make sure I didn’t misspell them—attached to reprise their roles as android David and archaeologist/scientist Elizabeth Shaw. The story will likely involve their voyage to the homeworld of the “engineers.” Again, full on stoke mode! And you can be sure that we will keep you up to date as any new details emerge.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: The Drop

by MCDave

Surprisingly, it’s been nearly 15 months since we lost the gifted actor James Gandolfini. And with his final onscreen performance in the upcoming crime-drama The Drop reaching theatres this weekend, for movie lovers everywhere, only now is the reality of our loss beginning to sink in. Adapted from the Dennis Lehane (author of Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River) short story titled Animal Rescue, Gandolfini’s sadly short-lived career comes full circle in this mob-centered tale.

Tom Hardy stars as Bob Saginowski, a loner bartender at his cousin Marv’s (James Gandolfini) former bar in Brooklyn. The dive-bar establishment is now owned by Chechen mobsters as a haven for funneling illegal funds. After Bob and Marv are robbed at gun point one evening just minutes after closing time, tensions start to rise as the Chechens demand repayment and local law enforcement gets involved.

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I must admit that I had wavering expectations prior to viewing Michael Roskam’s The Drop. On one hand, Dennis Lehane’s storytelling has a long history of success, yet, Roskam’s lack of experience made him feel like an unusual choice for director. Thankfully, The Drop‘s sequence of events unravels nicely and a brilliant cast, carried mostly by the work of James Gandolfini and a personal favorite of mine, Tom Hardy, helps solidify the directorial effort from a rather unknown filmmaker. As expected, Gandolfini delivers a very natural performance in his final role, one that has a chance of garnering a posthumous Oscar Nomination in the Supporting Actor category. Most impressive though is how The Drop distances itself from being a carbon copy of the mainstream gangster film mold that prides itself on drugs, violence and plenty of shoot-em-up scenes. Instead, the feature uses these essential mob-genre ingredients merely as a backdrop to an in-depth character study. And although the pacing feels sluggish at times, we’re left with a slow-mounting intensity that builds beautifully.

'The Drop' (2014) Trailer: James Gandolfini (Screengrab)

Despite the film’s unique character-driven noir-ish tone, The Drop tells a very peculiar tale, one that leads to many surprises and leaves the audience unsure of how to feel. For example, during a pivotal moment at last night’s screening, a majority of viewers erupted into laughter during an admittedly odd scene. While I highly doubt that humor was anything close to the reaction director Michael Roskam was going for during that vital moment, a strange turn in the story left moviegoers baffled at how to respond. Furthermore, The Drop closes with an almost contradictory scene that I felt the movie could have done without. However, none of these criticisms are glaring enough to tear down an otherwise fine adaptation from the entire cast and crew.

I would hardly call Michael Roskam’s The Drop a “must-see” film. However, fans of Gandolfini and Hardy are sure to find plenty of enjoyment in their latest crime-focused feature. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking here, just a stellar collection of performances and clever storytelling.

GRADE: 4/5

View plenty of other work from MCDAVE at his host site

 

Weyland Industries Recruiting At San Diego Comic-Con 2012

by Shawn Madden

The movie may have been out for awhile now but the viral campaign for ‘Prometheus’ seems nowhere close to being done. First we had the post credit flash leading to people wondering “What is 10.11.12?” And now it seems Weyland Industries will have a presence at San Diego Comic Con.

Project Prometheus

Could this be similar to what Marvel did last year with recruiting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents? Does this tie-in with 10.11.12 in some way? Why is there even more questions even after the movie?! Damn you Ridley Scott. Color me intrigued.

Viggo Mortensen Offered Lead In ‘The Last Voyage Of The Demeter’

by Shawn Madden

‘The Last Voyage Of The Dementer’ has been in production for quite some time now. The film about the ship that carried Dracula’s coffin from Transylvania to England has had director Neil Marshall (‘Doomsday’, ‘The Descent’) attached for quite some time now and rumors of Ben Kingsley (‘Iron Man 3’, ‘Shutter Island’) to play the ships captain and Noomi Rapace (‘Prometheus’) to possibly star as Anna Billington.

We haven’t heard any news on this project until now. Bloody Disgusting has reported that the lead role of Henry Clemens has been offered to Viggo Mortensen (‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘A History Of Violence’)

The most recent draft of the film has been written by Lowell Cauffiel and is said to be “a tale that is reminiscent of the first movie in the Alien franchise, in which a crew is slaughtered one-by-one by a mysterious passenger.”

‘Prometheus’ DVD/Blu-Ray Will Feature An Extended Cut And Deleted Scenes

by Shawn Madden

Sir Ridley Scott recently spoke with Collider and not only did he express his interest in doing a sequel he also spoke about an extended cut of the film as well as some of the deleted scenes. Warning: minor spoilers lie ahead if you have not seen the film.

On Deleted scenes:

SCOTT: This is fundamentally the director’s cut. But there will be half an hour of stuff on the menu because people are so into films—how they’re made, how they’re set up, and the rejections in it. That’s why it’s fascinating. So this will all go on to the menu.

Collider: Well I’m curious about the deleted scenes. Specifically in this film, Noomi [Rapace] mentioned maybe there was a fight scene with her and an Engineer.

SCOTT: The Engineer fight scene was pretty good. It will definitely go on the menu. It won’t go on the long version. The problem about it is, while she gives as good as she gets with an axe (she’s very physical), he’s so big, for him to be clouted with a conventional weapon somehow diminished him. It’s subtle. It’s drama. I didn’t want to diminish him by having this person who has a weapon to be able to back him off. It minimized him. That’s why when he deals with people inside his cockpit, it’s over. Wham, wham, wham. Even the shot doesn’t mean anything. And so all she has time for is introducing him to the big boy inside the lab.

Collider: You’re going to do an extended cut on the Blu-ray/DVD. Is it a lot longer?

SCOTT: Twenty minutes.

Collider: So there’s, like, twenty minutes that will be added back in for a longer version?

SCOTT: Maybe. But I’m so happy with this engine, the way it is right now. I think it’s fine. I think it works. It can go in a section where, if you really want to tap in, look at the menu. To see how things are long, and it’s too long. Dramatically, I’m about putting bums on seats. For me to separate my idea of commerce from art—I’d be a fool. You can’t do that. I wouldn’t be allowed to do the films I do. So I’m very user friendly as far as the studios are concerned. To a certain extent, I’m a businessman. I’m aware that’s what I have to do. It’s my job. To say, “Screw the audience.” You can’t do that. “Am I communicating?” is the question. Am I communicating? Because if I’m not, I need to address it.

 

Personally, I love the film and can’t wait to see this extended cut to see if it adds onto the film. And with how the film has already surpassed its budget in under two days of being out domestically…a sequel is pretty much guaranteed.

‘Prometheus’ is in theatres now.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: ‘Prometheus’ (A Different Opinion)

by Scott Alminiana

*Warning: This review contains spoilers to the movie*

Prometheus has landed and it’s landed with a thud. Ridley Scott’s return to sci-fi was something I was doing celebratory back-flips over (not really, I’d hurt myself if I’d have actually tried a back-flip) and this was  a movie I have been looking forward to for quite sometime. As far as I’m concerned this movie is a steaming pile of Bantha fodder.

I’m not going to give a detailed synopsis of the movie due to the fact that anyone who has seen the trailers has pretty much seen the movie already. Basically the store breaks down as such, scientists (and I use that term very loosely) discover “an invitation” from the stars and go looking for the answer to the creation of man. They land on a mysterious planet and bad things happen, the end. For a detailed synopsis of the movie as well as different opinion on it check out Matt Landsman’s review.

People have been referring to this as a “thinking man’s movie” and that’s a statement I completely disagree with. Trust me, I’ve thought about this movie a lot over the last few days and despite the basic premise the rest of the movie is not thought out at all. The basic premise of ‘man looking for his maker’ is a cool idea but the presentation fails in almost every way possible.

Screen-writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof ask two big questions in the movie, “who created us” and “why do our creators hate us.” Yet they only answer the first question with a very simple “because they could.” Dammit Lindelof, that’s about as in-depth and thought-provoking of an answer as the one you gave for “what is the island.” There is absolutely zero character development in this movie and it says something about a movie when the most interesting and thought out character is an emotionless android.

Michael Fastbender’s David, who is the aforementioned android, easily steals this movie and aside from the visuals, is the best part of it. But what about the other characters? Well, the Prometheus is said to have a crew of seventeen and yet out of those we only (sorta) get to know five of them, not that we really get to know any of these people. These are supposed to be scientists and yet none of them, save for Noomi Rapace’s character Elizabeth Shaw, seems to care about the most important discovery in human history. Hell, one of the characters (I’m not even sure if he even has a name) is said to be a geologist and it seems like he could give two shits about the geology of this mysterious planet he’s on. If this is a “thinking man’s movie” shouldn’t I want to know what the characters think about the most important discovery in the history of man and shouldn’t I care about them in some way? Yet, when people start dying horrifically I could not care less nor could I probably tell you who they even were. They might as well have been red shirts from Star Trek.

The rest of the cast is made up of the likes of Charlize Theron, who plays Meredith Vickers, representative for the  Weyland Corp and an uptight bitch. That’s pretty much the extent of her role here. Logan Marshall-Green plays Shaw’s boyfriend/fellow scientist Charlie Holloway, we only know they are an item because they have sex about half-way through the movie (see, told you there’d be spoilers). His character doesn’t do much other than pout and get drunk when they get to the planet and then bang Shaw, I don’t think he actually performs any science in the entire movie (aside from the science of sex that is). Then there’s Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland, who is caked in prosthetics and bad make up. Why they cast him in this I’m not really sure, they could have just cast an actual old man and we would have ended up with the same results minus the bad make up. These are all cliched characters that we’ve seen plenty of times in other movies.

Director Ridley Scott knows how to make a beautiful looking movie and that goes for this one as well, despite it merely being window dressing this time around. Sure, the movie has some cool action sequences as well as some gruesome parts, like a scene in which Shaw must perform surgery on herself. That scene is the closest this movie gets to the gruesome horror of original Alien. Scott previously stated that this movie isn’t so much a prequel as it is more of a movie that contains the DNA of the original, which is a very true statement in every way.  Do we see xenomorphs in Prometheus? Well sorta. We do get to see an early form of the xenomorphs and that is pretty cool. Truth be told, I’m okay with this not being a direct prequel to Alien- if it had been I would have been even more disgusted with the finished results than I currently am.

If Ridley Scott and company wanted to truly make this a “thinking man’s movie” then they should have created a better movie with characters that actually think in the first place. Will this movie get a sequel? Probably, but will it be any good? Probably not. If you want to see a movie filled with cardboard characters and lack of a plot but that looks amazing then this is the movie for you. If you want to see a good movie, go re-watch Alien and Aliens.

Score: 2/5

 

The Geekscape Movie Review – Prometheus

by Matt Landsman

In the 1979 Ridley Scott classic, Alien, the terrors were dark, mysterious and rarely seen.  This isn’t the case at all in Prometheus, where the origin of the titular creature in Alien is explained, and new, even larger questions about humanity are raised.  I’m glad that it was Scott who chose to revisit his own work rather than another director. Prometheus is not prequel so much as it’s a further exploration of the same universe, but little did we know just how vast this universe actually was. The film is an anxious, relentless, cerebral horror film.  And make no mistake, it’s more horrifying than any of the previous installments in the franchise.

In the haunting opening images, a pearly white, perfectly-muscled tall humanoid called an “engineer” (Space Jockeys if you want to go by Alien terms) is dropped off by a ship and abandoned on a planet where he must carry out a sacrificial deed.  Flash forward quite a long time to where explorer scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and her boyfriend Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) have discovered ancient cave drawings of early humans communicating with beings from the stars.  Aging tycoon Peter Weyland (a heavily made-up Guy Pearce) commissions Shaw and Holloway to lead a mission to a mysterious planet which has been mapped out in the cave drawings in an attempt to meet whoever made man kind and answer some of life’s essential questions.

In the two years it takes to arrive on the alien world, the robot David (Michael Fassbender) tends to the ship and studies the humans in a state of stasis. He takes it all in and he’s amused by human-kind.  From the second he first appears on screen to the end of the film, David steals the entire movie.  Fassbender’s performance has a curious gravity that makes him the most likeable character, regardless of his moral and emotional ambiguity.

Once on the planet, Holloway is quick to point out ant-hill like structures saying that “God doesn’t use straight lines.”  But weren’t they going there to find god in the first place? Anyway, the team of scientists and David don helmets and head into the ant-hill like cavernous structure.  The things they find inside lead them to evidence about the origins of mankind, but manage to raise even larger existential questions as the crew members are horrifically picked off one by one.

Prometheus is more grotesque any in the “series” to date (and it being part of said series is debatable).  In tone, it’s most comparable to Alien but a lot more physically grounded and a lot less grounded philosophically.  It’s open to some big interpretations. Aliens turned out to be more of a war/action film, and it’s true that there are elements of that thrown into the mix here too and Alien 3 and 4 aren’t even worth talking about.  The images in the film are meant to be graphic and shocking, to create terrifying iconography that would stay with the viewer to leave the same impression that you would get experiencing “God’ close up for the first time yourself.  What would you say to him? What would you expect him to tell you?

There are some ties to Alien, notably at the end (as to be expected) but the movie feels more like a spinoff within the same universe than a sequel.  This works for me because it shows just how vast this universe can be.  While the technology at the heart of the film and biomechanics are largely fantasized, they feel very realistic, and the film offers a very logical idea as to where we came from.  This is where the movie really shines for me.  Without ever giving a concrete answer, it guides us toward the direction of one viewpoint while still leaving the basic question of man’s identity in the scheme of things open-ended.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the film is that Elizabeth Shaw seeks to meet those who created her and ask them why.  Holloway tells David that the humans made him because “they could” to which David tells him that’s an incredibly disappointing answer. Every base is covered from a logical standpoint.  This is a thinking man’s movie for sure even though it still has the visual trappings and mild sense of humor of a big action blockbuster.  Prometheus is a winner in my book, which is a big sigh of relief since I was greatly anticipating it.  Not only does it serve as a fitting prequel to Alien which is just about as good as the original, but it broadens the horizons, makes the viewer feel small and leaves them asking all the right questions.  Don’t miss this one.

Prometheus Has Landed To Impressive International Openings

by Shawn Madden

‘Prometheus’ the Ridley Scott prequel to ‘Alien’ that isn’t a prequel has already started off strongly this weekend. Going head to head with ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’ the film is the biggest opening day for a Ridley Scott film ever in the UK.

We have had a superb start with Prometheus opening a clear No. 1 grossing £2.2m ($3.39M). This includes an estimated £200k ($306K) from special midnight screenings on Thursday,” the studio told Deadline.

The two x70mm IMAX locations in the UK (London and Manchester) reported sold out showings all day yesterday and even late night screenings were sold out in advance. ‘Prometheus’ has also broken records for advance IMAX screenings set by ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows Part 2’ and ‘Avatar’. It could have performed even stronger in that department but most of the IMAX shows were only playing one evening performance on top of ‘MIB3′ because Sony had a 2-week agreement with IMAX digital.

The movie opens here on Friday and I for one will be there at midnight on Thursday.

 

 

So, Just What Is ‘Prometheus’?

by Shawn Madden

Check out this cool featurette with Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Ridley Scott and Noomi Rapace discussing just what the movie is and if there is a future after it.

And if for some odd reason you have not seen the most current trailer by now:

Find out just what ‘Prometheus’ is all about on June 8, 2012.

Ridley Scott Discusses PG-13 Rating for Prometheus, Teases at Story

by Matt Landsman

Unless you’ve been in a state of hibernation floating around in space for the past few months, you’ve probably heard of Prometheus, the upcoming prequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic, Alien.  While the original alien and the sequel directed by James Cameron were both hard-R’s, in a recent interview with Empire magazine, Ridley Scott seemed to be leaning toward a PG-13 rating.  Scott also spoke on how Prometheus functions as a standalone film in addition to being a prequel, and what sort of surprises fans of the original are in store for.

Since Prometheus has yet to be shown to the MPAA, Scott seemed to hint that the film will be more successful as a PG-13, and nothing that fans love about the tone of the series will be lost.

“Right now I don’t know where we are. The question is, do you go for the PG-13, or do you go for what it should be, which is R? Financially it makes quite a difference, or the risk makes quite a difference, and yet you also have to apply the question — if you soften it, will you financially suffer? As opposed to just going for the throat and gambling. Essentially, it’s kinda R. The little bastards will still get in anyway, so what’s the difference? It’s not just about blood, it’s about ideas that are very stressful. I’m not an idiot, but I’ll do everything I can to get the most aggressive film I can.”

Scott also touched on the mystery at the center of the film—who is the Space Jockey? Fans of the original all clearly recall the giant alien pilot carcass, but evidence in the latest trailer suggests that really all we saw of the creature was its outer space suit. “I always wondered when they did [Aliens] 2, 3 and 4 why they hadn’t touched upon that, instead of evolving into some other fantastic story. They missed the biggest question of them all: who’s the big guy? And where were they going? And with what? Why that cargo? There’s all kinds of questions.”

Prometheus is looking to be one of the most promising movies of the summer, having already delivered two sleek, stylish trailers and a slew of virals for “The Weyland Corporation.”  Regardless of whether or not the movie is a PG-13, I think it will end up appropriately chilling and perfectly match the tone of the original Alien thanks to Scott’s direction.  The film opens June 1st on regular theaters and IMAX and stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron and Logan Marshall-Green.  Check out the trailer below: