movie taco: may 2013
TRANSCRIPT
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IN THIS ISSUE
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Bling Ring
Despicable Me 2
Epic
Fast and Furious 6
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
The Great Gatsby
The Hangover Part III
The Host
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Iron Man 3
Kick-Ass 2
Man of Steel
Monsters University
National Treasure
Now You See Me
Oblivion
The Smurfs 2
Snow White and the Huntsman 2
Star Trek Into Darkness
READ THE MAGAZINE, LISTEN TO THE PODCAST!
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MOVIE TACO PODCAST, RELEASED EVERY
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FEATURING EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS OF ALL THE
BIGGEST MOVIES, AS WELL AS DISCUSSION OF
UPCOMING RELEASES AND THE BIGGEST NEWS
STORIES! EPISODE 4 IS OUT NOW AND
FEATURES REVIEWS OF OBLIVION, SCARY
MOVIE 5 AND G.I. JOE 2.
MAY 2013
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GREAT SCOTT!
ROMP
Baz Luhrmann is a director that likes to make films that are big, loud and covered in glitter
In 1997, he took William Shakespeares classic tale of a first love lost, Romeo and Julietand
turned it into a camp, annoying display of frivolity. He hopes to do the same of F Scott
Fitzgeralds masterpiece The Great Gatsbythis month, as he releases his much-delayed
adaptation (or should it be, ruining) starring frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio, in th
first of several Oscar-baiting roles this year, as well as Baz newcomers Carey Mulligan, Tob
Maguire and Joel Edgerton. Maguire is making his first appearance in a major film since
Spider-Man 3 after being replaced by Rafe Spall in Life of Pi. Mulligan, who has somewhatfailed to live up to her Best Newcomer status, must try to overwrite the image of Mia
Farrow as Daisy Bucannan that everyone has in their minds, just as DiCaprio must do with
Robert Redfords image.The Great Gatsbywill open the Cannes Film Festival and be released worldwide on
Blue Sky Animation, a studio once as promising as Pixa
and Dreamworks who have, apart from Robotsa nd
Horton Hears A Who, stuck pretty close to their winninbut tired Ice Age formula, are the people behind this n
adventure that promises to mixAvatarwith Fern Gully
The trailers use of spectacle and Coldplay music does
give a good impression, but well have to give it a
chance!
EPICopens Memorial Day weekend.
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PICK A CARD,
ANY CARD
At the start of 2013, it looked like the Simil
Movie Faceoff of the Year would be betwe
Incredible Burt Wonderstone and this, Loui
Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk)s Now You S
Fortunately for everyone involved in this fi
Burtwas a massive critical and financial flo
it looks like this quirky thriller starring Jess
Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Mark Ruffalo and Mi
Caine will be a much better and more mon
making film. Now you see the audiences in
seats! Now, theyre still there!
Now You See Me opens on May 31
hether you like, or even tolerate, Todd Phillips Hangover films, theres no denying that they have changed come
nema in the modern age. Since the first film was released in Summer 2009, grossing hundreds of millions of dollar
e international box office, more comedies have been occupying billboard space, crossing the $100m mark and riva
ecial-effects blockbusters at the Summer box office. The Hangover Part III is set to open this Memorial Day weeke
e United States, opposite both Fast and Furious 6 and animated fantasy Epic. Now, its not uncommon for a come
en opposite one or two blockbusters, but it is rare for anyone to expect the comedy to come in at least at #2 in th
fice!
rsonally, I wasnt a huge fan of either of the previous movies. The first, which was declared unbelievable hilariou
raight-faced critics and audiences alike, was a moderately entertaining action caper, but not at all funny. The sequ
as slightly funnier, but far more offensive and painful to watch (not a good thing). This third film is being set up as
ompletely different and to be honest, the trailer is pretty good. John Goodman also has a fairly major role as a ne
lain. Could he become comedys equivalent of Dwayne Johnson, an experienced star brought in to save a dying
anchise?
e Hangover Part III is released Memorial Day weekend.
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MOVIE
TACOS
SUMMER
2013
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The year was 1933. The US, and the world, was an extraordinarily different place from what it is
oday. Comic-books were enjoyed for the most part because they offered a rest from the stress an
pain of the violent and tragic wars that had befallen the worlds nations (and the arguably even m
ragic war that was to come). A writer of these comic books, Jerry Siegel, and an artist, Joe Shuste
created a hero who, if he existed, would be able to cure the stress of people, the fear of the outbr
of war, as he would be able to defend every man, woman and child from whatever enemy may wi
o harm them. That hero was Superman. The man of steel first appeared on the page in the June
1938 issue ofAction Comics, but it wasnt until 1978 that he flew onto the silver screen, portrayed
Christopher Reeve, a handsome and athletic young actor who took the world by storm. That film,
directed by Richard Donner and heralded as a masterpiece of blockbuster cinema by audiences an
critics alike, a decision the latter were helped to make by appearances from proper actors Marlo
Brando and Gene Hackman. Three sequels followed, the first as beloved as the original 1978 film,
econd and third disdained. In 2006, Bryan Singer attempted to recreate the magic he brought to
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Men films with his Donner
mage Superman Returns,
hich was enjoyed by fans and
tics, but only by those who
tually went to see it!
w, 35 years after the original
m and 80 years after the
aracter was created, Zack
yders updated big screen
rsion of the hero is about to
rive in cinemas, complete with
e more realistic, darker tone
at made Chrstopher Nolans
ectacular Dark Knighttrilogych a worldwide success.
eaking of Christopher Nolan,
e great man himself is credited
producer and script supervisor
Man of Steel, a fact that is
aking the film look a whole lot
ore attractive to people who
e Bat-fans, but not Supe-fans.
ll Man of Steeltop the Donner
ms, or fly off peoples
emories in days. Well have to
it and see!
extended review ofMan of
eelwill be printed in next
onths issue.
CAST OF STEEL
HENRY CAVILLs biggest role to date is certain
Tarsem Singhs 2011 epic Immortals, which wa
fairly successful at the box office, considering i
rating and lack of major stars. He also had the
in tiny thriller The Cold Light of Dayalongside
Willis and Sigourney Weaver, which was releas
the UK this time last year!
RUSSELL CROWE is an Oscar-winner and three
time Best Actor nominee, and has starred in su
beloved films as Gladiator,A Beautiful Minda
most recently, as Javert in the hit musical Les
Misrables.
AMY ADAMS is another
actor familiar with
21st
century musicals, as
she came to fame as the
star of Disneys 2007
Enchamted. She is a multi-
Oscar nominee, for roles in
films like The Master, The
Fighterand Doubt.
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2010, Matthew Vaughn released Kick-Ass. That sentence would change superhero films, comedy films, a
ms and British films for the next three years. The standard was set so high by Vaughns superbly funny,
harming and entertaining reality-superhero film that, not only did he fail to meet the high bar with his gout-not-amazingX-Men First Class, but every genre-crossover film released since hasnt either (were talki
owboys and Aliens.)
aughn isnt directing this sequel, due out in the Summer, as he was supposed to be makingX-Men: Days
uture Pastinstead. However, he mysteriously dropped out of that project at the last moment, leading to s
ntrue Star Wars rumours, and was replaced byX-Men veteran Bryan Singer, to everyones delight. Direct
stead is Jeff Wadlow, who isnt
articularly experienced, but is apparently
with the graphic novels on which thesems are based.
he green-band trailer for the film
howcases a lot of scenes about Chloe
Moretzs Hit-Girls starting high-school,
nd how she uses her alter-ego to
vercome bullies and sports! This film
ould be like the superhero-action-sweary
ersion ofMean Girls (or, to a lesser
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or near to ten years, the Fast and Furious films came and went every few years, and surpris
itics and most audiences with their stability: who was watching these, who was enjoying
ese? Then, in Summer of 2011, something extraordinary occurred. A good, fun, extremely
uccessful and brilliantly casted Fast and Furious film was released! Fast Five, or Fast and Fur
Rio Heistadded action hero extraordinaire Dwayne Johnson to the cast, and boy did he
eliver. Hes back in the sixth film, which hits cinemas worldwide on May 24, the same date a
oth The Hangover Part III and Epic. Will the success ofFive berepeated, or will Vin Die
and his drivers be
overtaken by The Wolfp
or the residents of
BlueSkys 3D forest? Jus
Lin, who directs this film
has already pulled out ofuture installments- not
good sign for the film.
However, Dwayne John
has said that, rather tha
Fast 7, the next films to
released could be a spin
for his character, superc
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Abrams is the director ofStar Trek Into Darkness, one of
e years biggest movies. He is currently the most famous
orking director in Hollywood, par maybe Spielberg and
rantino, and he is setting off next month to write and
rect Star Wars Episode 7, the most eagerly anticipatedm of all time. He has only made 4 films. But you see, it
esnt matter these days how many films youve
rected. What matters is how many youve written script
afts of, produced and how much TV experience you
ve. If one man has a lot of experience in TV, its JJ. He
as one-half of the power team behind Lost (see below),
e biggest TV drama of the 21st
century, and also created
OST BEGINNINGS: OUR TOP 5 CHARACTERS FROM SEASON 1
FROM LEFT: HURLEY
WALT
CHARLIE
CLAIRE
JOHN
Fringe,Alias and Felicity. Being behind so many hu
shows gains you attention in Hollywood, and so
Abrams was invited by Tom Cruise and his co-
producers to helm 2006s Mission: Impossible III, t
follow-up to what was at the time the highest-grospy film of all time (now its Skyfall). The film was
superb, and propelled Abrams to being chosen to
make a Star Trekreboot. This film, starring Chris P
and Zachary Quinto was a massive success among
critics and Trekkies, and at the box office. A seque
sure to be made, but first, Abrams had to make hi
dream project. After all, Christopher Nolan got to
make Inception after The Dark Knight, so Abrams
ou can read a special feature on Lostin the August 2013 issue ofMovie Taco.
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HONEST POSTERS
STAR TREK INTO
make Super 8 after Trek. The majority of critics
d audiences loved Super 8, a warm homage to
ven Spielberg. Movie Tacowasnt a huge fan of
rams directing style that was on show in the film,
recognised the passion that was behind its
ation. Abrams returned to Starfleet, and his
ond film about the Enterprise crew is due to hit
emas on May 9th
in the UK, and May 16th
in the
ted States. However, Abrams has already started
rk on an even bigger, more highly anticipated sci-
dventure blockbuster: the aforementioned Star
rs Episode 7. The original SW cast members are
e to reappear and George Lucas has taken a step
k, and will not be directing or writing the film.
at could possibly go wrong? The official synopsis
STID is as follows:
er being called back home, the crew of the USS
erprise find a seemingly unstoppable force which
attacked Starfleet and left Earth in chaos.ptain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise
tasked with leading the deadly manhunt to
ture the party responsible and settle an old score.
the films villain, Abrams has hired Benedict
mberbatch, star of BBCs massive drama series
rlockand fanboy favourite. After all, his Sherlock
star Martin Freeman managed to pull off the
ding role in The Hobbit, and its looking like
mberbatchs STID character John Harrison (orhn as fans are predicting) will take a fairly leading
e alongside Chris Pines Kirk in the film.
have Star Wars to look forward to in 2015, but
me fans will be more excited about this. It should
a nice break from the usual ugly, unstylish and
pidly written films released over the summer.
r Trek Into Darkness is released in the UK on Maynd the US on May 17. It will be reviewed in next
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ALSO OUT THIS SUMMERTHE LONE RANGER
This looked set to be one of the coolest films of the year some time ago, but
has started to lose fan engagement over time. Still, the people behind it are
fairly reliable, so it cant be that bad!
THE WOLVERINE
Hugh Jackman is back in what has turned into the
Summers least anticipated movie. A lack of posters and
trailers until a few weeks ago failed to create knowledge
of the films existence, and the trailer was pretty bad. We
still have hope, however, as Hugh Jackmans Logannever fails to entertain and could make even the worst
film OK.
THIS IS THE END
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the writers ofSuperbad)s
directorial debut looks set to be at least the cleverest
comedy idea of the Summer, if not the funniest overall. Itfeatures Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel,
Danny McBride, Michael Cera and Emma Watson playing
themselves, making fun of each others career ups and
downs as the apocalypse tears apart Francos house and th
party they are all attending.
WHITE HOUSE DOWN
The second terrorists-invade-the-White-House filmreleased in 2013 (after the mediocre Olympus has
Fallen), this is Roland Emmerichs most realistic film yet,
after showing us the possibilities of an alien invasion
(Independence Day), and modern ice-age (The Day After
Tomorrow) and a lot of simultaneous earthquakes (2012).
Channing Tatums biggest starring role to date, this
should be great!
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THE
REST
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MOVIE TACOS ANIMATIONPREVIEW
Despicable Me 2, our most anticipated animated film of the ye
sure to be superb, with the original voice cast and directors
returning, as well as new stars Kristen Wiig and Al Pacino! Yes,
Pacino! The first film was close to perfect, and felt more like hi
water-mark Pixar than Universal, and this will probably be bett
than the prequel/sequel that Pixar are releasing this Summer (
below). Read more aboutDM2 in the July 2013 issue.
Monsters University comes at a point when Pixar, formerly the k
of animated cinema in Hollywood, havent released a good film i
years, and havent released a good original film in 4. Thats a ver
long period for a studio who once made Finding Nemo, The
Incredibles, Ratatouille and Wall.Eback to back! We all love
Monsters Inc, but a prequel to it isnt really what we need from P
right now! Read more aboutMonsters Universityin the June 20
issue.
Ryan Reynolds is the king of animated film this year, providing
voices for both Dreamworks smash-hit The Croods and Turbo,
original adventure featuring a talking snail (Reynolds) who ente
race! Whaaaaat you say! A snail? Racing? How could that be
Leave that to the magic of animation!
Read more aboutTurbo in the July 2013 issue.
The Smurfs 2isnt technically an animated film, seeing as it
featured such fantastic and experienced live-action comedy
actors as Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays and Sofia Vergara. Th
first film was surprisingly good and a surprise hit, following in t
steps of its distant cousinAlvin and the Chipmunks, and this on
will probably be better, unlikeAlvin, as it has even better actor
joining the cast, and an even more original plot.
Read more aboutThe Smurfs 2 in the July 2013 issue.
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ron Man 3
Iron Man 3 is the first ever season-specific superhero movie. The
whole story is set at Christmas, and popular Christmas songs are
played several times throughout the film. Im unsure as to whether
the film was intended for a December 2012 or 2013 release, but it
was almost certainly one of the two. Then again, maybe ShaneBlack just wanted to make another film set at Christmas. Almost
all the films written by Black feature Christmas, along with a
hilarious voiceover by the main character. Iron Man 3 is no
different, and Robert Downey Jrs voiceover begins before the
red Marvellogo even appears on screen. Its a wonderfully well-
written voiceover, featuring all the usual stutters and corrections
we have come to expect and love from Downeys Tony Stark.
Despite these familiar vocal features, Stark is a very different man
when the film begins (or, ten minutes in, after a 1999 prologue).His relationship with Pepper Potts is more intense, he has far more
free time (no longer being the CEO of Stark Industries) and he is
unknowingly suffering from PTSD following the events of last
yearsThe Avengers (Assemble).
Speaking of that film, nobody expected Iron Man 3 to top it, or
even match its brilliance, wit, visual beauty and charm. Therefore,
I shouldnt have felt, whilst watching Iron Man 3, that I was being
let down. I have become so used to going to see a Disney/Marvel
film that is purely a trailer forAvengers (Thor, Iron Man II, Captain
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the people whos bodies were responsible for their creation are no longer living.
aking of Ty Simpkins, im surprised he didnt get his own character poster, as he features just as prominently and is just as important to the sto
n Cheadles Rhodey (and even The Mandarin). Cheadle shouldnt be blamed for his uninteresting role in the film, After all, he played an importa
ron Man 2, and his character was one of a small group who didnt appear in Avengers. People may have just forgotten about Rhodes: people
aning Marvel. However, the few minutes of screen time allotted to Cheadle give him some great comic moments, such as when he tells Tony h
sword. James Badge Dale gives a terrifying performance as Mandarins senior henchman, and his resemblance to Matthew Fox (ive been on
ostmarathon recently) gave me the creeps. Coincidentally, he and Fox both appear in the upcoming World War Z.
oughout the film, Tony Stark appears to be very alone. Even when he is still in his massive house, living with his hot gir lfriend (oh yeah, we hav
ntioned Gwyneth Paltrows Pepper Potts yet), his friends, Rhodes and Happy (former Iron Man director Jon Favreau, featuring heavily in the o
d but becoming incapacitated later, aswe predicted) are too busy to hang out with him, and his suits are his only friends. Luckily, when he arri
nessee later on, he meets his kid-friend almost immediately- in a wood- shed. Isnt that original? Despite Mandarin, and Guy Pearces BIG bad
ng a continuous threat throughout the film, the more active baddies who actually participate in fights and shoot-outs are the Extremis experim
nea-pigs. I found no enjoyment watching these characters in action, and they look and act like a a group of mutants from one of the bad X-Men
IRON MAN!Badge Dale was the one exception to this bunch of bad actors, and luckily he didnt do much Extremis -y stuff.
s was not the extraordinaryAvengers follow-up we could have gotten, but it also wasnt the massive failure we could have gotten. Fans of actio
medy, Christmas and the like will gobble this up, as have the critics. I, for one, stopped gobbling after the first eight-tenths, but only because I w
ecent food. Does that metaphor work? Who cares! Its Christmas! Oh, wait
http://buzzhub.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/buzzhub-preview-iron-man-3/http://buzzhub.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/buzzhub-preview-iron-man-3/http://buzzhub.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/buzzhub-preview-iron-man-3/http://buzzhub.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/buzzhub-preview-iron-man-3/ -
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G.I. Joe: Retaliation
er Ebert, the legendary film critic who passed away this month, always said that when he wrote reviews, he wrote from the
of whom the film was directed at. If he was watching Terrence Malick, he would think Would an intelligent professor of fi
hology like this. If he was watching The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, he would think would an excitable, easily-enterta
n-year old enjoy this film. He did get to reviewG.I. Joe: Retaliation, the much-delayed sequel to the awful 2009 action film
obra before he died, and despite watching it from the point of view of a target audience member as he always did, he gave
s- a fairly low rating. When it was announced last year, just weeks before the films release, that it would be postponed by al
, almost everyone presumed the reason was to go back and add more Channing Tatum, given his string of successful releas
y 2012. As it turns out, that wasnt the reason, as Tatum is (Spoiler, but in the trailer) killed off within 20 minutes of the film
ise, its up to his best friend and co-Joe Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson) to take over as both the lead of the GIs and of the film
obably the best actor working in stupid, entertaining action movies today, and its always a pro to see his name pop up on p
t would otherwise be totally unbearable films, ie. Fast Five andJourney 2 The Mysterious Island. Most of his best stuff in th
s interaction with Tatum, which of course ends after 20 minutes. He quotes Jay-Z like a poet and talks a lot about his young
ghters (who would ever imagine Dwayne Johnson with daughters!) He is decent for the rest of the film, but not amazing. Br
s up. Enough said. Willis made us think he was getting back on top of his game with his award-worthy performance in Moon
gdom last year, but with Looper, The Expendables 2, A Good Die To Die Hardand this, he has proven once again that hes a t
on star nowadays. Red 2 cannot come and go fast enough! Jonathan Pryce has fun on screen as both the US president and h
rator, and there is some great Snake Eyes action. A major set-piece with ninjas on a cliff is sure to have 8-year old boys jum
down in their seats.
looks like Citizen Kane compared with the first film, which makes sense considering that any sign of relation to that film is
oon as Tatums character dies. There is fun to be had here, and thats in some ways what movies are for. However,Fast and
d in particular Iron Man 3 are going to provide, cleverer and more original actions scenes and witty jibes, so hold onto your
ust a few more weeks!
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
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Watching Oblivion, I figured out some stuff that Joseph Kosinski likes to put in his films. Thats to say, the two films he
has directed: both major Hollywood tentpole science-fiction blockbusters. The first was, of course, 2010s
disappointing Tron: Legacy, the main fault of which was the lack of a major star and the casting of the spectacularly
uncharismatic Garret Hedlund in the lead role. Oblivion, luckily, does not follow this fate, thanks to the fact that TomCruise, unarguably one of the most charming and charismatic actors working in Hollywood today, is the star (and
producer), playing Jack Harper, the last man on Earth, who wanders around fixing drones in a funny suit that looks like
what Ted and Barney wore in The Time Travellers episode ofHow I Met Your Mother.However, he isnt actually the
last man on Earth. Firstly, he is accompanied by Andrea Riseborough (50% Kate Winslet, 50% Bonnie Wright), his co-
worker/ girlfriend, and together they share a hilariously bad swimming pool love scene early on in the film. Secondly, as
shown in the trailers, Jack discovers Morgan Freeman and a gang of rebels underground, and they start to reveal to him
the secrets of what is happening to the Earths citizens now that they are living in a giant pyramid -shaped space
station. Aaaah Morgan Freeman. what has he done to his career. He hasnt had a memorable role in over a decade,
and all he does now is turn up in small roles as either a carbon copy of his performance in the Batman films as Lucius
Fox, or his role as God in Bruce and Evan Almighty. He appears on screen in Oblivion for less than 5 minutes, depsite
appearing on the poster! Another actor giving a lot of time to the promotion of the film that isnt in it that much is OlgaKurylenko, who has toured the world giving interviews, each of which is twice the length of her Oblivion screen-time.
The film starts off with some truly spectacular money-shots, featuring beautiful CGI images of the Washington
Monument collapsing into the ground, amongst other dystopian sites. These images set the scene for the rest of the
film: a lot of spectacle, not so much heart, charm or engagement. Oblivion may as well be a nature documentary, it is so
low on characterisation. Sure, Tom Cruise is believable as Jack (at least more so than he was in his last film, the
disgracefulJack Reacher), but his character is nothing new or interesting. The same can be said for the rest of the film.
Not one frame of imagery, line of dialogue or piece of costume in Oblivionhasnt been taken from an older, far superior
film. The whole premise is a rip-off ofWall.E, and ill be counting the days from now on until Pixar file a lawsuit against
Universal. The segments
Oblivion
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eaturing Jack tending to plants and robots simultaneously whilst
heesy 70s music plays on a phonograph are carbon copied from the
onderful Silent Running. The music is a mix ofTron: Legacyand,
ong with every science fiction film released since
010, Inception. There are a few other things taken from Christopher
olans masterpiece, including Jack and Olga Kurylenkos characters
elationship, which the viewer only realises the full extent of late in
he plot.
fter 90+ minutes of not-particularly-interesting effects and no plot,ome interesting twists and turns arrive which pulled me back into the
orld of the film and made me warm towards it a little bit more.
here is one superbly entertaining scene like nothing you will ever
ave seen or even imagined before, and you will not forget it (if you
ave seen the film you will know of what I speak) until the day you
e! The final reveal is OK, but has been done recently enough in
arious sci-fi reboots, remakes and rip-offs, namely Total Recall, The
unger Games, and even if you go back far enough, The Matrixfilms.
here is fun to be had here, but there could have been more. Its as
ood an accompaniment for your popcorn-munching that youll find
cinemas this year, but if you want something with a little bit more
epth, youre going to have to look at the upcoming projects of more
xperienced directors than Kosinski. After all, he has only directed
wo films!
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The Host
It is widely considered that Roger CormansThe Man With The X-Ray Eyes(or X, as it was called on release)
is the best film of the 1960s B-movie heyday. The films extraordinarily entertaining combination of gore,romance and adventure make it a very enjoyable watch, even if one has only started watching it so as to be
able to laugh at it. InX, Ray Millands lead character takes a drug designed to expand the human mind, but
ends up with two black, bulging eyes that can see through any surface. Another film that features unusually
exaggerated eyes is The Host, the new teen-oriented sci-fi/romance/action/drama/adventure from Twilight
author Stephenie Meyer and director Andrew Niccol.
What??? Surely thats not the Andrew Niccol who directed superb 1997 sci-fi Gattaca and 2005 drama Lord of
War, or even the decent 2011 futuristic thriller In Time? How could he stoop so low as to direct this
apparently awful pile of rubbish? Honestly, I cant answer that question. Whilst I watched (0r, attempted to
watch), this spectacularly bad film, I couldnt help but wonder what extremely ambitious and expensiveproject Niccol is planning that he needed to fund using his payment for this. It must be something on the
scale ofCloud Atlas, something no studio is willing to fund. Hopefully, it will be something so brilliant, we will
be able to forgive Niccol for directing (and writing!) The Host.
Regular readers of my reviews will know that im a big fan of Stephenie MeyersTwilightbooks, and the
subsequent series of films, which featured superb casts, original stories and extremely moving romance. I
attempted to read The Hostseveral years ago as I awaited the release of the final Twilightbook, but I lost the
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plot after 50 or so pages. That books complicated plot and cast of characters turned many potential readers
away, and so the film and Niccols script have dumbed down the story by about 700%. Gone are the
confusing flashbacks and sideplots and in is the continuing and unengaging narrative involving Saoirse
Ronans characters Melanie (human, Texan, sarcastic and apparently hilarious) and Wanderer (alien,
possessed Melanies body, Californian [they are alien after all], and very serious indeed). We dont see much
of Melanie, but we do get a strong sense of her character through the infuriating internal monologues that
feature from the beginning of the film to near the end. How the author of some of my favourite books of thepast decade, and the director of some of my favourite sci-fi films of the past century managed to pull of such
a failure in both their respective genres that I wanted to stand up and run out of the cinema screaming is a
mystery to be, but it must be partially the fault of the studio. Oh wait, was a studio even involved? The films
budget of $44m was only half that of recent teen sci-fi hit The Hunger Games (a film that looks twice as good
as Citizen Kane when compared with The Host), and was clearly entirely spent on Niccols fee and some shitty
helicopter shots of the desert. Oh yeah, and William Hurt and Diane Kruger, two fantastic actors who let
themselves down severely in this film. Diane Kruger is barely in the film, and is only there to make an angry
face and stomp around the desert in some ill-judged high-heel boots.
Saoirse Ronan is a decent actress, and a lovely girl, but doesnt have the realistic sexual emotions or basicacting skills to pull off playing, not one, but two characters! The film looks boring and awful, with its orange
and white colour scheme and unoriginal setting.
One last thing about The Host: Emily Browning makes a cameo near the end. Why?
Basically, everything good aboutXis bad about this. Get a DVD of that, and dont be fooled into thinking
that just because you like Twilight, youll like this. Its all lies! What this film needs isnt an alien possession,
its an exorcism!
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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
At time of writing, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is probably the biggest flop of 2013 so far, and has sentthe future careers of its stars Steve Carell and Jim Carrey into a vortex of uncertainty. Whos to blame anyone
for not going to see it, considering the almost non-existent publicity campaign and the impossibly tedious
title (Alan Arkin couldnt even remember what it was called in a recent interview). The terrible thing is is that
its not actually thatbad. The negative reviews would have you think its a terribly unfunny, heartless bag of
rubbish, like its recent cousin Identity Thief, but its far more than that. Yes, it could be much funnier,
especially considering how the long that script has been bouncing around, and all the people who have had
the chance to alter it. Yes, all the actors are just doing what they always do and nothing new. Yes, it has
probably the most unethical, outrageous ending of any comedy film for the past 5 years. But at the centre of
all this is a sweet, enjoyable and fairly well-made film about a bunch of losers playing with magic and trying to
figure out whos the best.
How I Met Your Mothers Barney Stinsons fascination with slight-of-hand tricks has prompted a new interest
in the methods in recent years, a fact that both Wonderstone and upcoming thriller Now You See Me are
cashing in on. This film does use many of the jokes featured in that show amongst other things, but adds
expensive CG effects and the use of a big screen to add to the illusion. Unfortunately, it is just an illusion.
Almost every trick in Wonderstonehas been altered using CG, and its pretty easy to tell, especially with tricks
like Arkin turning sand into a bird! Most of the illusions featured in the film are explained to the audience, and
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the grand final act, which I wont give away, could easily be pulled off by any member of the films
audience (I pray there wont be a copycat incident) if they had the time and money to go through the
necessary steps. Due to this lack of actual magic on screen, its down to the script and actors to pull of the
trick of making the audience enjoy the film. The script is pretty terrible, clearly written with Ben Stiller
and Owen Wilson instead of Carell and Steve Buscemi (criminally underused, but still hillarious) in mind,
and the purely verbal jokes fall miserably on the floor.
It is the actors who eventually save the film, with the unbelievably likeable Carell pulling every scene
along with his bare hands, and Jim Carrey getting the funniest physical gags as always. Olivia Wilde is
fine in her usual role (she has still yet to match the brilliance of her performance in Butter) and Arkin and
Buscemi are fun to watch having fun.
This may not be a film with a good story or script, or any genuine magic on screen, but it does have heart,
and heart is something thats hard to find in films today.
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FORGOTTEN CLASSIC: NATIONAL TREASURE (2004)
The fact that Nicholas Cage hasnt made any good
films since he won his Oscar has become a running
joke in film critic and Hollywood circles. I couldnt
disagree more, as both of John Turtletaubs National
Treasure films are on my list of favourite films of all
time. In them, Cage portrays Benjamin Gates, an
explorer who, in this first film, steals the Declaration of
Independence with the help of his friend Riley (Justin
Bartha ofThe Hangoverfilms) in order to read atreasure map on the back and be lead to a hidden
treasure under Londons streets. The film has one of
the best casts of any 2000s actioner, including Harvey
Kietel, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Chrstopher Plummer
and Sean Bean, and a brilliant story based around both
accurate and inaccurate US history, but was passed off
by critics as Pirates of a Caribbeans more realistic
younger brother. This couldnt be more untrue, as the
film is far more original and entertaining than any ofthe Pirates films have ever been. Helen Mirren, Ed
Harris and other award-winning, well respected actors
presence in the sequel prove the cred that some
people gave the film. It truly is a forgotten classic!
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The Great Gatsby is opening Cannes 2013,
but another highly anticipated film
screening at the festival will be Sofia
Coppolas THE BLING RING.
Starring Emma Watson, in her most adult
role yet, and Leslie Mann. The Bling Ring tellsthe real-life story of a group of fame-
obsessed teenagers who break into the
houses of Hollywood celebrities.
Other highlights from the Cannes schedule
include Only God
Forgives by Drive director Nicolas Winding
Refn; Steven Soderbergh's Liberace
biopic, Behind The Candelabra; TheImmigrantstarring Joaquin Phoenix and
Oscar-winning actressMarion Cotillard; andthe Coen brothers' latestfilm, Inside LlewynDavis, withCarey MulliganandJustin
Timberlakeplaying theleading roles.
THE HOT LIST MONTHLY
http://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillardhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillardhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillardhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillard -
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THE HOT LIST MONTHLY
Kristen Stewart will reprise her lead role in
the Snow White and the Huntsman
sequel, the head of Universal Pictures
confirmed. Stewart plays the lead role of
Snow White in the film. Though few details
are known about the latest project, it willbe in theaters in 2015. The first movie
received two Oscar nominations for Best
Visual Effects and Best Costume Design at
the 85th Academy Awards.
The first images of Shailene Woodley and Emma Stone as Mary-Jane and Gwen on theAmazing Spider-Man 2
set have made their way online. We saw Stone in action in Mark Webbs 2012 film, but Woodley (also starring
in upcoming teen-flicks Divergentand The Fault in Our Stars) is a newcomer to the Spidey series!
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COMING NEXT MONTH..
THE GREATEST
SUPERHERO MOVIE
PLUS.
THE WOLVERINE: WORLD EXCLUSIVE
WORLD WAR ZMONSTERS UNIVERSITY
THIS IS THE END
MAN OF STEEL,
THE GREAT GATSBY +
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS REVIEWED
THE DARK KNIGHT, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, X2, SPIDER-MAN 2, BATMAN AND ROBIN
WHO WILL WIN?