I’m a sucker for character posters and Paramount Pictures has released a killer collection for their highly anticipated action blockbuster “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”. The new posters highlight the film’s incredible ensemble led by the franchise’s star Tom Cruise. Also getting their own posters are Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, and Henry Czerny.
“Dead Reckoning Part One” is the latest installment in the action-packed globe-trotting espionage series that chronicles the adventures of Ethan Hunt and his team of fellow IMF agents. The film once again sees Cruise teaming up with director Christopher McQuarrie to tell what is believed to be the last leg of Hunt’s journey.
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” hits theaters July 12th. Here’s a look at the brand new character posters.
I revisited “Jurassic Park” on the big screen a short time ago, not out of some critical obligation, but for a much different reason. My son just started his freshman year of college and he’s taking a film appreciation course. His first assignment was to write an essay on his favorite film. Interestingly he chose “Jurassic Park”, the blockbuster mega-hit that turns 30-years-old this week.
Steven Spielberg is considered by many to be the father of the summer blockbuster. “Jaws”, the Indiana Jones films, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and of course “Jurassic Park” make a really strong case. “Jurassic Park” would become Spielberg’s biggest money-maker. It shattered box office records becoming the highest grossing film of all-time (until James Cameron’s 1997 “Titanic”). The film was a hit with critics and went on to win three Academy Awards. It’s still beloved by many besides my son.
Image Courtesy Universal Pictures
“Jurassic Park” was based on a Michael Crichton novel of the same name. Smelling a potential smash hit, Spielberg and Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to Crichton’s novel before it was even published. Crichton was then hired to write the screenplay with David Koepp. They set their story on a fictional island near Costa Rica where a wealthy entrepreneur and his team of scientists have created a theme park around the cloning of dinosaurs. It was a story ripe with potential, but only if the special effects could sell its ambition. “Jurassic Park” turned out to be an incredible visual achievement and a groundbreaking step forward for movie technology.
Richard Attenborough plays businessman John Hammond, a gazillionaire who bought his own island to build his dinosaur park. After an accident leads to the death of one of his dino handlers, Hammond is pushed by his investors to bring in a team of experts to verify whether the park is safe for the public. Hammond invites paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) and paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern). The lawyer for the investors Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero) invites math whiz and chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum).
Image Courtesy Universal Pictures
Once on the island the group are taken to meet Hammond. On the way they are astonished at the sight of a massive living, breathing brachiosaurus. They arrive at the park’s visitor center where Hammond gives them a tour of his laboratory. The group’s amazement turns to skepticism once Hammond reveals the science behind his venture. In one particularly terrific scene they all gather around a table for lunch and discuss the wisdom and ethics of Hammond’s venture. As Goldblum’s Dr. Malcolm candidly states, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
In a last ditch effort to impress his guests Hammond sends the group along with his two grandchildren Tim (Joseph Mazzello) and Lex (Ariana Richards) on an automated SUV tour around the park. Meanwhile Hammond’s disgruntled computer programmer Dennis Nedry (Wayne Night) has secretly been paid handsomely by an outside corporation to swipe dinosaur embryos from the park’s lab. Nedry shuts down the security systems enabling him to steal the vials and escape to a nearby dock where a boat awaits. But he inadvertently shuts down the SUVs leaving three doctors, a lawyer, and two kids stranded outside of a Tyrannosaurus Rex enclosure.
Image Courtesy Universal Pictures
With the electric fences deactivated the T-Rex escapes attacking the two SUVs in what many consider to be the film’s most memorable sequence. Watching it again I was blown away by Spielberg’s masterclass on scene construction. The framing of his shots, the crisp editing, the impeccable sound design, visual effects wizard Stan Winston’s mind-blowing animatronics, and other details such as Spielberg using no score during the bulk of the sequence. It’s a scene full of nail-biting tension even for people like me who already knows what happens.
In addition to the stand-out special effects, Spielberg, his DP Dean Cundey, and production designer Rick Carter deserve loads of credit for creating a convincing setting that grounds a fantastical concept. Shot mostly in Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, and on the Universal Studios lot, Spielberg and his team manage to sell Jurassic Park as a palpable place full of awe and wonder. And it still sparks the imagination after all these years.
Image Courtesy Universal Pictures
And while I’m doling out credit, Crichton and Koepp earn their’s by putting together a fun and engaging array of characters. Neil and Dern are the leads and they fill the shoes of their characters well. And there is terrific supporting work from Attenborough, Night, Ferrero, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bob Peck. But there is one thing I distinctly remember from my previous viewings and it still holds true today – Jeff Goldblum steals every scene he’s in. His Malcolm is smart, weirdly charming, hilarious, even heroic when he needs to be. Unfortunately he gets put on the shelf in the last act, but Goldblum still makes every scene he’s in better.
This was easily one of my favorite Retro Review revisits so far. It was nice to see how remarkably well “Jurassic Park” holds up, but I wasn’t expecting to have so much fun with it. It’s a movie that really flourishes on the big screen and puts an emphasis on the value of that experience. I can enthusiastically say that I liked “Jurassic Park” more this time than during my original 1993 theater visit. Maybe I’m just starving for a good summer tentpole movie. Or maybe this is simply Spielberg once again proving himself to not only be the father of the blockbuster but also the king.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing James Wan’s terrifying supernatural horror film “Insidious” on 4K UHD for the first time in this killer new limited edition steelbook. Premiering in 2010, “Insidious” would gain a big following and spawned a sequel and two prequels. With the fifth film set to hit theaters this next month, Sony has put together a coolly designed package that’s a must for fans and collectors alike.
The new 4K UHD steelbook edition of “Insidious” releases on June 13th, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and breakdown of the bonus features.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Year: 2010
Rating: R (thematic material, violence, terror and frightening images, and brief strong language)
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Director: James Wan
Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell
Produced By: Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, Oren Peli
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell and Barbara Hershey
INSIDIOUS is the terrifying story of a family who, shortly after moving, discovers that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to realize that it was not their house that was haunted.
4K ULTRA HD DISC
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, approved by director James Wan
It seemed like the once lucrative Transformers franchise had reached its end after 2017’s abysmal “The Last Knight”. It was the fifth film in the series and easily the most expensive. But it flopped at the box office, losing the studio over $100 million. Not long after director Michael Bay would step away and the future of the Transformers on the big screen was in doubt.
But then came “Bumblebee”, an unexpected hit with fans and critics. The film was a spin-off prequel that didn’t come close to cracking the $1 billion mark reached by the Transformers films during their heyday. But it also didn’t cost nearly as much. Even better, it told a smaller scaled and more intimate story that revolves around human characters that audiences could genuinely invest in. The results were pretty great.
Now five years later we have a new Transformers movie called “Rise of the Beasts”. The film is a standalone sequel to 2018’s “Bumblebee”; one that continues the prequel storyline which leads up to the original 2007 film. The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II”) and is written by a team of five screenwriters. That’s not always a good sign but the script is actually pretty good and their story definitely follows closer to “Bumblebee” than the final Bay film.
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Set in 1994, Anthony Ramos takes the lead human role playing an ex-military electronics expert named Noah Diaz. He lives in Brooklyn where he struggles to help support his hard-working mother, Breanna (Lauren Vélez) and his 11-year-old brother, Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez). Making things tougher, Kris is fighting sickle cell disease and he risks losing his access to much needed healthcare because of mounting hospital bills.
Elsewhere in the city, Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) works at a museum as a researcher of newly discovered artifacts. She’s good at her job. Unfortunately she works for a boss who is always taking credit for her hard work. Elena begins studying a falcon statue, taking a special interest in the unknown insignia engraved on its chest. In doing so she accidentally cracks it open revealing a mysterious glowing shard.
After Kris is turned down for treatment, Noah turns to his streetwise friend Reek (Tobe Nwigwe) who convinces him to steal a shiny silver Porsche for some quick and much-needed cash. It goes about as well as you’d expect. The Porsche is actually a Transformer named Mirage (voiced by a hit-or-miss Pete Davidson) and he’s answering the call of his leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen). We learn Optimus has summoned his fellow Autobots after picking up the signature of the Transwarp Key – yep, the very shard Elena has discovered inside the Falcon.
We learn the Transwarp Key can open a portal between time and space. The few Autobots hiding themselves on earth want to use it to get back to their home planet of Cybertron. But a planet-devouring entity named Unicron (Colman Domingo) also wants it as it would give him access to an unlimited number of worlds to consume. So Unicron sends his ruthless henchman Scourge (Peter Dinklage) to earth to retrieve it.
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Of course that leads to a series of battles between Scourge and the Autobots. We’re also introduced to an ancient group of Transformers long hidden on earth called Maximals. And then there’s Noah and Elena who find themselves thrust into the middle of a war with their planet’s survival on the line. All fit nicely into the story and there are some surprisingly interesting storylines that play out. Better yet, the human characters have some emotional weight. Solid performances from Ramos and Fishback are a big help.
Of course you also have the action sequences, most of them well staged and with just enough restraint to keep from boiling over into mind-melting excess. And even though everything culminates in a sprawling king-sized CGI showdown, the action as a whole has a smaller and more focused feel to it – again, more like “Bumblebee” and less like the five Bay films.
I doubt “Rise of the Beasts” will win over the franchise’s more hardened detractors. And to be fair it’s not without its flaws. Davidson’s comic routine wears thin after a while. Some of needle-drops are laughably bad. And the movie does something with Ramos’ character during its big climax that is beyond goofy. Still Caple Jr. proves to be a sharp and capable filmmaker who does a good job balancing humanity with that big robot entertainment many audiences want from a Transformers movie.
Earlier this year I remember first seeing “The Expendables 4” on the list of upcoming 2023 movies. I hadn’t heard anything about it before reading the list and have heard nothing about it since. But is until yesterday when Lionsgate dropped the first trailer for the next installment in the previously dormant all-star action franchise. It’s the first Expendables film since 2014 and it’s said to have been given a $100 million budget. Wow!
“Expend4bles” brings back many familiar faces including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture. New to the series is Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Eddie Hall, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and more. The new trailer is full of the machismo-fueled action that has been a staple of the series. It’s said to be Stallone’s last turn as lead character Barney Ross with Statham taking the reins of any future movies. I enjoyed the first two films but didn’t care for the third. I’m curious to see how this one turns out.
“Expend4bles” hits theaters September 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Director Richard Donner (“Superman”, “Lethal Weapon”) and screenwriter Chris Columbus (“Gremlins”) came together in the early 1980s to put to screen a story conceived by Steven Spielberg. It was a youthful adventure comedy called “The Goonies”. It finished among the top ten highest grossing movies of 1985 and over time became a popular cult classic.
Produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, “The Goonies” featured a collection of young soon-to-be stars including Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, and recent Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan. They come together in what was a spirited and nostalgic slice of 1980s cinema that is still a lot of fun after nearly 40 years.
While I’ve never held “The Goonies” in as high regard as its most ardent fans, there’s a certain ‘turn back the clock’ charm that makes it such a joy to revisit. You see it in the cast, the screenplay, the style of filmmaking, and even the little period details such as the pull-tab Pepsi cans, getting a high score on “Pole Position”, and of course the catchy chorus of Cyndi Lauper’s pop hit “Good Enough”. There’s a sentimental transporting effect it has that may make me sound like a sap but I really don’t care.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
All the action, adventure, and humor is built upon a simple yet endearing narrative frame. In sleepy Astoria, Oregon four rambunctious boys who call themselves “the Goonies” gather for their last weekend together. The local bank is set to foreclose on their homes to make room for a new country club and golf course. For Mikey Walsh (Sean Astin) and his family that means packing up and moving away. But first he has a couple of days left to spend with his neighborhood friends, the fittingly named Mouth (Cory Feldman), the aspiring inventor Data (Ke Huy Quan), and the klutzy Chunk (Jeff Cohen).
While rummaging through the Walsh family’s attic the boys discover something unexpected among Mikey’s father’s things – a Spanish treasure map dating back to 1632 that is connected to a local pirate legend named One-Eyed Willy. That gives Mikey an idea. What better way to spend their last weekend together than on an adventure to find the dead pirate’s treasure? And who knows, if they do find Willy’s loot maybe Mikey can get the bank off his parents’ backs and save their home.
So the four pals give Mikey’s big brother Brand (Josh Brolin) the slip and follow the treasure map to an old abandoned restaurant on the coast just outside of town. But they quickly discover they aren’t the only ones at the ramshackle joint. It’s actually the hideout of the notorious Fratelli’s, a trio of wanted criminals consisting of the surly Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and her two nincompoop sons, Francis (Joe Pantoliano) and Jake (Robert Davi). There’s a third Fratelli son – the deformed and abused Sloth (John Matuszak) who’s kept shackled in a cell.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Before long Mikey, Data, Mouth, and Chunk are joined by Brand, a cheerleader named Andy (Kerri Green) who Brand has eyes for, and Andy’s best friend Stef (Martha Plimpton). Their search leads them deep below the old restaurant where all sorts of dangers await. Meanwhile hot on their heels are the Fratellis who take an even bigger interest in catching the Goonies once they hear that treasure is involved.
As you watch you can’t help but see Spielberg’s fingerprints all over the movie. Yet it’s Donner who holds it all together. The late director spoke candidly about the joys and challenges of working with so many high-energy child actors. And there are times where both overflow into the movie. But Donner does a good job corralling and getting the most out of his young yet rowdy talent.
After all these years there remains a time-tested appeal to “The Goonies”. This sassy and hyperactive romp can be a bit too loud and boisterous (something that has stood out more and more the older I get). But it’s hard not to respond to the heartfelt innocence and childlike charms that seep from nearly every pore of this beloved movie. And even if I don’t hold it in as high esteem as some, I can’t deny that it still brings a smile to my face every time I turn it out.
Keith & the Movies 