Truly great movies leave indelible marks. It may be through an emotional connection to the story. It may be through a remarkable performance or a signature scene. But it could also be through the brilliant imagery that films carves into your mind. That’s what this feature is all about – highlighting great images from great movies.
With the sweltering heat of summer and the barrage of big budget popcorn flicks in full swing, what better time to look ahead to the cooler temperatures and hopefully great movies on the horizon. Fall and Winter will be here before you know it and it has grown into a much more diverse time of the year for movies than it once was. That is an exciting prospect especially considering how mediocre the 2015 movie year has been so far. But the second half of the year looks good. Here are just a handful of movies that I’m really excited for.
No movie could possibly excite me more than a new Star Wars film. Disney takes the franchise’s reins which can be exciting considering their willingness to expand the franchise. It can also be troubling considering their potential willingness to milk it for every dollar it is worth. I choose to be optimistic and my love for Star Wars, from childhood to present day, drives my optimism and enthusiasm. This is a special series to me and it means everything that Disney and J.J. Abrams gets it right.
007 purists will probably laugh me out of the room, but Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond has provided all I have ever wanted from the immensely popular franchise. Craig has brought a unique flavor to Bond and the subtle and not-so-subtle changes have won me over completely. Craig’s fourth Bond film “Spectre” lands in November and it looks insanely good. Considering the events of “Skyfall”, this installment should have a lot of story to tell and did I mention the casting of Christoph Waltz? I’m all in!
Some people’s enthusiasm for Ridley Scott has started to dry up. Personally speaking he remains one of my favorite working filmmakers which is the main reason I am excited for “The Martian”. In my opinion (for what it is worth) Scott has mastered big cinematic storytelling and he has also provided some of my favorite films of all time. Just as intriguing is the film’s cast including Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristin Wiig, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sebastian Stan, and more.
Speaking of filmmakers that automatically grab my attention, Jeff Nichols is one of my favorite directors which is impressive considering he has only three films to his credit. But all three have been superb especially “Take Shelter” and “Mud”. “Midnight Special” is Nichols’ new film about a father who takes his son on the run after realizing he is endowed with special powers. Watching Nichols play in a more science fiction sandbox is thrilling. He is a director who deserves an audience.
I have never fully bought into director Alejandro González Iñárritu the way many have. At the same time I always find myself interested in his style. “The Revenant” is a movie that may change my mixed feelings about Iñárritu and some are saying it is the film which could finally net Leonardo DiCaprio the long awaited Oscar. The western revenge tale also stars Tom Hardy which is just icing on the cake. The first trailer just hit the web and it looks absolutely fabulous.
This may be a bit of a cheat for my American readers mainly because “Macbeth” doesn’t have a firm 2015 US release date (although one is speculated). But my friends in the UK only have to wait until October 2nd. The film premiered this year at Cannes and the buzz doesn’t surprise me. I mean we are talking about Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard starring in the William Shakespeare tragedy. Whether the film can fully deliver is a question, but all the pieces are in place for something special.
Another exciting film which premiered at Cannes is Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario”. The first trailer is fantastic. It is tense, gritty, and violent. But what would you expect from a film about border violence and drug cartels. But what really excites me is seeing Emily Blunt getting a tough leading role. Readers know she is a favorite of mine who I believe deserves meatier material. It looks like she is getting that kind of role in “Sicario”. Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro make the supporting cast equally exciting.
While the film hasn’t been getting a ton of great reactions from early audiences, I still find myself excited for “Knight of Cups”, the latest film from ‘do-it-my-way’ filmmaker Terrence Malick. We got the first look at “Knight of Cups” several months back via a trailer that is as cryptic as the movie will probably be. Still I found myself utterly enthralled by what I saw and my appreciation for Malick’s visual and lyrical style of filmmaking makes this a must-see.
I have a real soft spot for disaster films so it’s no surprise that an upcoming disaster film has caught my attention. I’m talking about “Everest” based on the true events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. The story is perfect for the cinematic treatment and judging by the trailer this looks like a film that could actually make thrilling use of 3D. And listen to this cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Kiera Knightley, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Watson, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, and Sam Worthington.
“Bridge of Spies” caught my attention the moment I first read about it. First, it is a Cold War period thriller from director Steven Spielberg. When Spielberg is on his game he is hard to beat as a filmmaker. It also stars the always reliable Tom Hanks in a role that looks custom made for him. But the most intriguing thing about the film is that Joel and Ethan Coen were writers which automatically makes me think this could be a special movie. Put them all together and that is one heck of a combination.
San Diego Comic-Con has evolved over the years. That can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. What started as a comic book convention has evolved into a full-blown entertainment extravaganza. Movie fans have grown accustomed to a host of new reveals from an assortment of superhero, horror, or sci-fi films. This year one of the big ones was from Warner Brothers and DC Comics. It was a new trailer for “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice”.
The sheer scope of this project was enough to excite me beyond measure while also concerning me that WB had bitten off more than it could chew. The first teaser certainly scratched my comic book superhero itch, but it also left tons of questions and worries. Well at Comic-Con we got a bigger, bolder, and more revealing trailer that shot my excitement levels through the atmosphere. So many nuggets of information was shared. It is impossible to process it all with one viewing. Here are a few random thoughts and observations about the new footage we were given:
Those are just a few random thoughts about this exciting trailer. There are so many other potential nuggets of revelation. Have you seen it? Did you think it was as thrilling as I did? Whether you did or whether you didn’t, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
The entire Expendables franchise started as a nostalgic rekindling of the once prominent over-the-top action genre. It wasn’t afraid to parody itself or play with the familiar action cliches of the 1980s and early 90s. And half of the fun was just seeing these actors together hamming it up and shooting a ton of bullets. The first film was entertaining and it set the table for the second installment which I thought was funnier and more self-deprecating while clinging to the all-important nostalgia. Now we have an inevitable third film which tries to keep the ball rolling.
“The Expendables 3” is made for a PG-13 audience (at least so it says), but don’t be misled. The body count is still astronomical and bullets fly aplenty. But the blood is reined in just enough to somehow keep it from an R rating. Unfortunately its desire for a broader audience, while noble in purpose, is undermined by the fact that the movie simply isn’t as fun or nostalgic as either of the first two pictures.
Sylvester Stallone and his action ensemble returns minus Bruce Willis who declined because he wanted more money (one of the film’s funnier jokes takes a shot at the publicized dispute). And in keeping with the franchise’s trend, several new stars are added into the mix. Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and action star extraordinaire (sarcasm absolutely intended) Kelsey Grammer. These are some interesting names and it would be fun to see what the movie would be like if they were all that was added to it.
But in an attempt to inject some youth and potentially pass the torch, a group of new Expendables are added to the group. This is one of the film’s major blunders because none of these youngsters are the slightest bit interesting. They are cardboard cutouts and sometimes their acting makes Stallone’s look good. In case you don’t know, that is no compliment. They are walking talking cliches and they zap the movie of its fun and playful energy.
But the film’s main dish is the action and as I mentioned there is plenty of it. The problem is it lacks the pop that we’ve seen in the other flicks. What I mean is the action scenes rarely energize the movie. In the earlier films regardless of whatever narrative problems they would be having you could count on the action to liven things up. Here it often feels generic and monotonous. There are moments when they do pull off one of those great over-the-top stunts that feels right at home in the 80s. There are other moments that just feel like a boring grind.
Thankfully some of the old action veterans do save this from being a disaster. Mel Gibson is deliciously maniacal as the head baddie. While his grand scheme and ultimate motivations are murky, Gibson has a ball with the character and I loved every minute he was on screen. Harrison Ford was also a hoot as a grumpy hard-nosed CIA officer. Arnold Schwarzenegger is also fun and every line he has seems to be poking fun at himself. Same with Wesley Snipes. But many of the cast gets lost in the shuffle and rarely get their signature moment in the film. Too many characters and not enough screen time to go around.
In the end “The Expendables 3” lacks the fun, the excitement, and the charm that the franchise built itself on. The action isn’t good enough this time around to save the film from its clunky and paper-thin plot. And while some of the old guys are a lot of fun, namely Gibson and Ford, too many characters are shortchanged thanks to the introduction of an insipid younger crew. It’s unfortunate because I have always enjoyed these movies as entertaining nostalgic escapes. “The Expendables 3” has left me wondering if this ship has run its course.
A way way back I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award and I took part in it. Recently my pal Justine at Justine’s Movie Blog nominated me again. It has been a while so I thought it would be fun to do it again. Thanks Justine! If you don’t frequent her site you’re missing out. Loads of great content worth checking out. I know you’ll enjoy it.
The rules state that I nominate 15 other bloggers. No need for the nominees to feel obligated to join in. This is just my opportunity to offer up recognition to some very deserving bloggers who put out quality content. Check these folks out:
Now the rules state that I list 10 unique facts about myself that you might not know. Here ya go:
Bill Murray is an interesting actor who has had an interesting career. It has been a long career marked by numerous successes in lead, supporting, or even cameo roles. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Bill Murray is that most of the time he plays a variation of the same type of character. Sometimes he amps it up as high as it will go, other times he dials it down to subtle levels. Either way we often get some of the same characteristics in a Bill Murray character and it has served him well since his peculiar feature film debut all the way back in 1975.
His latest effort teams him up with writer and director Theodore Melfi. The movie is “St. Vincent”, a comedy/drama that plays with that familiar Murray onscreen personality yet offers the actor an opportunity to flex his dramatic muscles. Murray doesn’t disappoint. As you can probably guess, he plays a man named Vincent. He’s a Vietnam War veteran living in Brooklyn who seeks refuge from his misery in all the wrong places – alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling just to name a few. Vincent is right in Murray’s comfort zone. He is sarcastic and snarky and the humor we get from him is dry and subtly self-deprecating.
Melfi’s film starts by clearly defining Vincent’s miserable circumstances. It also exposes us to Vincent’s numerous unpleasantries. It doesn’t take long for us to originate our opinions of this man. He’s rude, cranky, frequently drunk, dishonest, and shameless. His finances are a mess, he is in deep with racehorse bookies, and his self-destructive habits are wearing on his health. These problems are accentuated but also confronted when a recently divorced mother (Melissa McCarthy) and her young son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) move in next door. But at the same time we eventually see that there is more to Vincent than the gruff, jagged exterior.
“St. Vincent” is all about the characters and each has their own distinct personal problems to navigate. The central relationship is between Vincent and Oliver. From the very first moment they meet the direction of the film becomes obvious. As I watched I kept thinking of a darker, edgier, subtler “Uncle Buck” minus the family dynamic. But while things are pretty predictable that doesn’t mean the movie isn’t without value. The relationships evolve at a deliberate pace which actually works in the story’s favor. But perhaps the biggest surprise came in the movie’s final act. The melodrama is ratcheted up and I knew my emotions were being set up. Yet despite that I found myself responding to it even though it felt a bit manipulative.
Bill Murray is such a natural performer at this stage in his career and he delivers a strong performance filled with more layers than you might initially think. Young Liberher is fine although it is a pretty standard performance for that type of child’s role. One of the big surprises was McCarthy. It’s not that she was great or groundbreaking. Instead I was just pleased to see a performance from her that I didn’t mind sitting through. We also get Naomi Watts as a Russian dancer and “woman of the night”. She is solid as always although I think her character is easily the most flimsy and uneven.
Again, if you know this is a Bill Murray comedy you have an idea of what you’re going to get. But “St. Vincent” allows for enough nuances to let Murray extend himself beyond what we often see him do. This isn’t a film that breaks any new ground but it does tell a good story although a fairly predictable one. You won’t find a single surprise and there are moments where the movie could have dove into some unfamiliar waters. But at the same time it does offer a handful of intriguing characters whose lives draw us in for better or for worse. That’s something many movies never accomplish.
Keith & the Movies