The “Security” Poster and Trailer
Here’s the poster and trailer to Security starring Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley. It looks like a pretty straight-forward actioner and a good way to spend an hour and a half.
Them! (1954)
Them! (1954)
Director: Gordon Douglas
Screenplay: Ted Sherdeman and Russell S. Hughes from a story by George Worthing Yates
Stars: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Fess Parker, Richard Deacon and Leonard Nimoy.
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a movie about giant ants!”
Tagline: FANTASTIC MONSTERS ATTACK EARTH!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Nuclear testing in the desert has turned ants into gigantic killing machines. Before the nests are discovered some of the ants make their way to the LA sewer system. If they’re not all destroyed it could be the end of mankind.
What could have been another silly movie about giant bugs is actually one of my favorite horror movies of all time. It’s played straight with an excellent cast. Fans of my age will love that you get Matt Dillon, Davy Crockett and Spock in the same movie!
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Where Eagles Dare (1968)
Where Eagles Dare (1968)
Director: Brian G. Hutton
Screenplay: Alistair MacLean (from his novel)
Stars: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn ‘Where Eagles Dare’ into a movie!”
Tagline: They dare to climb a terrifying new peak in suspense… all the way up to hell!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
During World War II an American General is held captive by the Nazis in a mountain top fortress. An English Officer (Burton) and American Ranger (Eastwood) are dropped behind enemy lines to rescue the General. Yet there may be more to this mission than either are aware…
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30 Things We Learned from the “John Wick: Chapter 2” Commentary
Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 30 Things We Learned from the John Wick: Chapter 2 Commentary. Here are three of my favorites…
15. Common lobbied hard for a role in the sequel after loving the first film and even flew himself to Los Angeles for fight training.
16. There was apparently much debate over whether or not Wick actually needs to shoot Gianno D’Antonio (Claudia Gerini) even after she’s sliced her own wrists. They fought for it though because “in order to fulfill what you need to do you have to pull the trigger.”
20. They agree that one of the secrets to John Wick violence is to start with something funny, end with something funny, and fill the in-between with as much brutality as they can muster.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Director: Elia Kazan
Screenplay: Tennessee Williams (adapted from his play) and Oscar Saul
Stars: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ into a movie!”
Tagline: …When she got there she met the brute Stan, and the side of New Orleans she hardly knew existed.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When creditors take over the family estate Blanche Dubois (Leigh) is forced to move into her sister, Stella (Hunter) and Stanley (Brando) brother-in-law’s cramped New Orleans working class apartment. Blanche considers herself a lady which doesn’t sit well with Stanley who believes that he and Stella are due money from the estate. Stella and Stanley already have a antagonistic relationship which becomes even more strained with Stella there. Things reach a brutal climax when…
I originally saw Streetcar Named Desire years ago and loved it. Recently re-watching it, I still really liked it (especially Brando’s performance) but dropped the rating from an “A” to a “B”.
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Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Screenplay: Dan Gilroy and Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly from a story by John Gatins based on the character created by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace
Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly and John Goodman
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a King Kong movie!”
Tagline: All hail the King!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A group of scientists led by a military team are brought together to chart a mysterious island. Immediately they encounter Kong and get the worst of it. Trapped on the island they must fight their way to a pickup location. To get there the survivors will have to deal with natives, the island’s giant monsters and Kong!
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White Heat (1949)
White Heat (1949)
Director: Raoul Walsh
Screenplay: Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts from a story by Virginia Kellogg
Stars: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Edmond O’Brien
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s get Cagney back as a gangster!”
Tagline: James Cagney Is Red Hot In “White Heat”!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Psychotic and sadistic gang leader Cody Jarrett leads his gang on a crime frenzy. When an undercover cop infiltrates the gang, it is just a matter of time until one of them is dead.
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Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
Director: William A. Wellman
Screenplay: Leopold Atlas & Guy Endore & Philip Stevenson
Stars: Burgess Meredith and Robert Mitchum,
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn Ernie Pyle’s reports from the front lines into a movie!”
Tagline: The mightiest action drama ever filmed!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Based on Ernie Pyle’s Pulitzer prize winning reports from the front lines, Story of GI Joe, made Robert Mitchum an international super star. Pyle’s reports focused on the foot soldiers, putting a human face on their day-to-day lives.
Pyle and his typewriter went where the action was most intense. Sadly Pyle was killed by enemy fire while covering the war in the Pacific.
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Witness (1985)
Witness (1985)
Director: Peter Weir
Screenplay: Earl W. Wallace & William Kelley
Stars: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Alexander Godunov, Danny Glover and Viggo Mortensen.
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s have an Amish boy be a fish out of water in the big city – he’ll be the sole witness to a murder. We’ll then send the big city cop to Amish country to protect the kid and he’ll be the stranger in a strange land! Let’s do it!”
Tagline: Harrison Ford is John Book – A big city cop who knows too much. His only evidence: a small boy who’s seen too much…
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Samuel, a small Amish boy in the big city for the first time, is the sole witness to a murder. Detective John Book comes to realize that the murder Samuel witnessed is the key to a much bigger corruption.
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“12 Angry Men” (1957)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Reginald Rose
Stars: Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb Lee, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec and Robert Webber.
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn ’12 Angry Men’ into a movie!”
Tagline: Life Is In Their Hands — Death Is On Their Minds!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A jury moves into the deliberation room to decide the fate of a young man accused of first degree murder. It appears open and shut until one of the jurors demands that they discuss the case and introduces a small reason for doubt. Tensions mount as the jurors decide the fate of a man’s life.
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The Best Twist Endings in Movies that We Never Saw Coming
Gem Seddon and GamesRadar present The Best Twist Endings in Movies that We Never Saw Coming. The list is a great one and it was hard to just come up with three for my favorites. Beware of spoilers!
14. Primal Fear (1996)
The movie: In the dock for a grisly murder, altar boy Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton in his first-ever role) pleads diminished responsibility on account of his split personality, a condition that causes him to veer between stammering innocent and twisted killer. That’s alright though, he’s got defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) to help him achieve justice…
What’s the twist? Once his lawyer has got him off the hook, Stampler reveals that the innocent side of his personality was mere performance. There is no “Roy”: he’s a killer to the core.
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16. Shutter Island (2010)
The movie: US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is despatched along with his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) to Ashcliffe, an isolated psychiatric facility on Shutter Island. The pair are tasked with investigating a murderer who has seemingly vanished without a trace from within its walls…
What’s the twist? Surprise! Teddy’s not an agent – he’s actually Andrew Laeddis – a convicted killer who murdered his wife after she murdered their three children. Yeah, not a happy twist, this one.
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3. Se7en (1995)
The movie: Having worked his way through five of the seven deadly sins, serial killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey) inexplicably turns himself in to detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman), promising to show them where the last two bodies are hidden. As the trio reach the wasteland Doe has led them to, a delivery van arrives to bring them a package.
What’s the twist? The package contains the severed head of Detective Mills’ wife. Consumed by jealousy of the investigator’s happy home life, Doe becomes envy and kills Tracy. Mills then becomes wrath, shoots Doe in the head, and completes the madman’s sick master plan.
Extraction (2015)
Extraction (2015)
Director: Steven C. Miller
Screenplay: Max Adams and Umair Aleem
Stars: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano and D.B. Sweeney
The Pitch: “Hey, I can get Bruce Willis for a day, let’s make a movie!”
Tagline: Vengeance runs in the family..
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Bruce Willis plays a veteran CIA field agent. Lutz is his son who desperately wants to follow in dad’s footsteps, but is instead kept in an office. When Willis goes missing while on a mission, Lutz leaves the office to rescue him.
I was hoping for a lot more from Extraction. Miller is a good director. Lutz has star potential. Carano has proven she can carry a film (Haywire). Yet Extraction falls short of the potential that they bring.
I didn’t include Willis in the equation, because Extraction is just another film that he appears in. Although getting top billing, Willis reportedly filmed all of his scenes in one day and other than name recognition, doesn’t bring anything special to the role. I’m a Bruce Willis fan and look forward to the next project that really excites him. Extraction wasn’t it.
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Frank Miller’s Sin City TV Series One Step Closer to Reality
Deadline is reporting that a Frank Miller’s Sin City tv series is closer to becoming a reality.
…Glen Mazzara, the showrunner whose resume includes The Shield, The Walking Dead and The Omen…
…would take over the writing chores with Len (Luficer) Wiseman set to direct.
If this comes to pass on a network like AMC, or FX or one of the other networks that’s not afraid to make Sin City without wholesale changes, then I’m all over it. Bet you are too.
Close Range (2015)
Close Range (2015)
Director: Isaac Florentine
Screenplay: Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor
Stars:Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund, Caitlin Keats and Jake La Botz
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a Scott Adkins action movie!”
Tagline: Colton MacReady…is coming home.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When Colton MacReady (Adkins) learns that his shady brother-in-law has endangered MacReady’s sister and niece, it’s up to him to save them.
If you’re after an action-packed movie starring Scott Adkins, you’re going to be happy with Close Range.
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David Fincher – Invisible Details
I think we’d all agree that David Fincher is an amazing film-maker. I wonder though, how many of us knew just how much Fincher used CGI in his movies. I was shocked to learn the attention he pays to detail using CGI. I love knowing that Fincher cares that much about getting it right.
