You would think that after THE ABC’s OF DEATH gathered so many of the most talented horror directors working in the business, that the well might be a little dry to go back for a second time around. ABC’s 2 proves that there are many talented voices working in the genre. The second entry may not have as many flashy names as the first did (Ben Wheatley, Ti West, Jason Eisener, and Adam Wingard), but it brings together a number of gifted directors that have started to break through in recent years and some that definitely should be well-known names.
What’s so great about ABC’s 2 is that there are so many highlights. Things kick off with a bang with the letter “A.” Quite literally actually. “A is for Amateur” is an entertaining blend of pipe-dream fantasy and reality that delivers a comedic blow to the head. Kristina Buozyte (VANISHING WAVES) directed one of my favorite shorts – “Knell.” An isolated woman suddenly notices from her apartment window a strange alien force affecting a neighboring apartment building. What happens next is more artistic and dreamlike than most of the shorts in this collection. Veteran indie filmmaker Larry Fessenden structures his short around Halloween in New York. His fast-paced editing and filmic style fits well with a story about time and consequence. Later on a zombie court case is equally ironic as it is emotional. “Utopia” is a purposefully slick look at a future society where perfection is strictly enforced. A journey into the “real” world of kid’s cartoon characters left me with a grin ear to ear during the short “Wish.” The film comes to an end with my favorite short of the entire series. “Z is for Zygote” is from relatively unknown short film director Chris Nash. The less said about this twisted fantasy tale the better, but I will admit that it delivered one of the most horrific moments I have ever witnessed in a theater.
Like the first ABC’s before it, this film creates a kaleidoscope of death and horror that feels like you are watching an all night horror marathon. There are so many different genre styles on display that there is a little something that will appeal to everyone’s taste. The marketing for this series has always placed an emphasis on the deaths. With that in mind, I felt that this entry doesn’t quite live up to the slogan “26 new ways to die.” Many of the deaths aren’t as creative as you would expect, and even aren’t as memorable as a few of the kills from the first film. That being said, this group of shorts at least exists on the same level of quality. The first film had such high highs and low lows. Looking back, there are only a few that stand out above the rest in the first ABC’s. Some may say the same about the sequel, but I found that almost all – except for a few derivative and predictable ones – were solid horror shorts that make up a more cohesive and entertaining collection.
Clever titles end many of the shorts with a witty punch line. It starts to become a game to try to guess what the letter is going to stand for. With what appears to be a higher budget and better production overall, ABC’s OF DEATH 2 delivers some exciting stories that manage to use their five minute or less run-time quite well. Sadly, only a few end with an imaginative approach to death, but I can at least say that the sequel far exceeds its predecessor in terms of overall quality and even gives audiences some new directors to keep an eye out for in the future.
Check out the new teaser trailer for Disney/Pixar’s INSIDE OUT.
From an adventurous balloon ride above the clouds to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award-winning director Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Up”) has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In Disney•Pixar’s original movie “ Inside Out,” he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all—inside the mind.
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
Director Pete Docter is the Academy Award-winning director of “Up.” He made his directorial debut with Disney•Pixar‘s smash hit “Monsters, Inc.,” which was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature film. Along with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, Docter developed the story and characters for “Toy Story,” Pixar‘s first full-length feature film, for which he also served as supervising animator. He served as a storyboard artist on “A Bug’s Life” and wrote the initial story treatment for “Toy Story 2.” As one of Pixar Animation Studios’ key creative contributors, Docter garnered an Academy Award nomination for his original story credit on Disney•Pixar’s Golden Globe- and Oscar-winning WALL•E.
Jonas Rivera produced the Academy Award-winning “Up,” for which he was nominated for best picture. Prior to “Up,” he had worked on nearly every Pixar film since joining Pixar Animation Studios in 1994, beginning with “Toy Story” for which he served as production office assistant. His subsequent credits include “A Bug’s Life” (as art department coordinator), “Toy Story 2” (as a marketing and creative resources coordinator), “Monsters, Inc.” (as art department manager) and the Golden Globe-winning “Cars” (as production manager).
Focus Features has released the new trailer for BLACK SEA, the new deep water adventure thriller starring Academy Award nominee Jude Law.
A suspenseful adventure thriller directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald, centering on a rogue submarine captain (two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law) who pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control onboard their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.
Also starring Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall, BLACK SEA opens in theaters January 23, 2015.
Steven King’s books and films are rife with zombie babies, witches, vampires and werewolves. This lengthy list of creatures now includes your average next door neighbor, the serial killer.
In STEPHEN KING’S A GOOD MARRIAGE, Darcy (Joan Allen) and Bob (Anthony LaPaglia) Anderson, a happily married couple, are enjoying a 25th anniversary party hosted by their two children. Their daughter is getting married in a few weeks. The Andersons are empty nesters with a lovely home, Bob has a successful job as an accountant and is a coin collector – theirs seems to be picture perfect marriage, except for one thing… Bob is a serial killer. He’s brutally murdered 12 women and goes by his alter-ego, “Beadie”. He’s also been taunting Maine’s Attorney General with notes signed from him since his first killing in 1980.
Afterwards, the couple returns home for a personal celebration and Darcy talks of buying Bob an elusive 1955 penny as an anniversary present. Earlier in the evening he gave her fish earrings as a gift because she’s a Pisces. The next rainy evening while her husband is away on one of his many business trips, Darcy looks for batteries for the tv’s remote control in the garage. She also discovers the ID’s of the murdered women underneath the workbench hidden behind a carved out board. Bob has concealed the evidence in a craft box keepsake that his daughter made for him years ago. Everything begins to add up. It’s here that the Darcy asks, “How could I be living with this monster all these years and not know?” But more importantly, what happens if he finds out?
Written by Stephen King, the film is adapted from his short story “A Good Marriage” from the collection “Full Dark, No Stars”. King says the inspiration came after reading an article about Dennis Rader, the infamous BTK (bind, torture, and kill) murderer. King also stated that he wanted to “explore the idea that it’s impossible to fully know anyone, even those we love the most.”
Joan Allen is amazing in the film and to see her back on the screen is a welcomed sight. The heavy, emotional depth which her character travels is understated, yet powerful. The Oscar nominated actress delivers another superb performance as her character transforms from victim to survivor. Anthony LaPaglia gives a whole new meaning to serial killer. His every guy persona is alluring and deadly. LaPaglia’s is eerily convincing as Bob the husband, the father and the insane murderer.
Cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco’s mix of over the head/from down below camera angles turn up the chills, as well as the gravity of Darcy’s situation. The pacing all adds to the anxiety as it slowly builds throughout director Peter Askin’s mesmerizing film.
Steven King is literally like a fine wine. His stories keep getting better with age. While watching the movie, you can literally hear the author telling the story around a campfire while hanging on his every word. Whether you’re watching at home – grab your blanket or if you’re at the cinema, cuddle up with someone. STEPHEN KING’S A GOOD MARRIAGE is a suspenseful, edge-of-your seat thriller and will keep you guessing until the final frame.
3 1/2 stars
STEPHEN KING’S A GOOD MARRIAGE is in theaters and VOD on October 3rd
Whoever said the phrase “The only good Nazi is a dead Nazi” may find those words coming back to haunt them October 10th and 11 at St. Louis’ most comfortable theater – The MX Downtown!
The St. Louis chapter of The Zombie Squad will be hosting a premier of the new film DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD which features a fictionalized version of The Zombie Squad, the nation’s premiere zombocalypse preparedness organization as the heroes who battle undead Nazis. Founded and headquartered in St Louis, Mo, Zombie Squad International is an organization committed to educating the public about the importance of emergency preparedness and community service. The organization’s members are proud to have Zombie Squad represented as the American “heroes” in this film, appreciate the how closely the film’s sense of humor aligns with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the organization’s mission.
As part of WellGo USA’s distribution of the film, DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD will premiere in St. Louis at MX Theaters (618 Washington Ave.) the weekend of October 10 and October 11. Both evenings will be hosted by the Zombie Squad’s St. Louis Chapter and feature a number of festivities including raffles, photo ops, zombie themed drinks, and more. The Pre-Show Party begins at 8:30 each night. DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD will screen both nights at 10pm. There’ll also be a Post-Show Party in the MX lounge until 1 a.m.
Here are more details of this bloody fun event:
Oct 10th Premier- Zombie Squad and MX Movies will be hosting a “red carpet” pre-screening “Splat-tacular” Happy Hour at 8:30pm Friday the 10th at MX Movies. The screening will be followed by an after-party celebration in the MX Movies bar/lounge with zombie themed drink specials and raffles.
Oct. 11th Screening-Zombie Squad and MX Movies will host a pre-screening Happy Hour at 8:30pm Saturday the 11th at MX Movies. The screening will be followed by an after-party celebration in the MX Movies bar/lounge with zombie themed drink specials and raffles.
The Facebook invite for the DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD St. Louis premiere can be found HERE
DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD is the long-awaited sequel exploding with zombie Nazis, gore, sex, and Molotov cocktails. At Fantastic Fest last year it won Best Picture and Best Screenplay in the “Gutbuster Comedy” section.
DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD is the tale Martin, the sole survivor of the bloodbath that was DEAD SNOW. He believes the zombie horde has been defeated – and all it cost him was an arm. The good news: A new arm has been attached. The bad news: It’s a super-powered Zombie arm that wants to kill him, and anyone else it can reach! Meanwhile, Colonel Herzog and his zombie troops have reformed to march upon an unsuspecting Nordic town and an American “Zombie Squad” (Martin Starr, Jocelyn DeBoer and Ingrid Haas) are preparing for the impending zom-pocalypse. “
DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD has been receiving rave reviews where it counts.
Shock Till You Drop said:
“If you liked the first film, you’re going to go nuts for this… The film is bigger, packs more gore, and takes things in outlandish new directions.”
Film Threatraved:
“Bigger, brasher, bloodier, and with more bowels, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead is a blast.”
Bloody Disgusting remarked:
“Grab the popcorn and a barf bag and prepare to giggle your ass off.”
Zombie Squad International has licensed the Zombie Squad name to Tommy Wirkola and his production company, Tappeluft pictures, for the film Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, the sequel to the 2009 Sundance hit, Dead Snow. The movie hits theater screens everywhere on October 10, 2014 and features a fictionalized version of Zombie Squad.
Founded and headquartered in St Louis, Mo, Zombie Squad International is an organization committed to educating the public about the importance of emergency preparedness and community service. The organization’s members are proud to have Zombie Squad represented as the American “heroes” in this film, appreciate the how closely the film’s sense of humor aligns with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the organization’s mission.
Check out the insane trailer for DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD:
In celebration of the newly released film THE BOXTROLLS, Sir Ben Kingsley sat down with a small group of press to talk about his voice over work, and his new project LEARNING TO DRIVE. Check it out below!
A family event movie from the creators of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnie (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.
You haven’t done much voice work before, was that what attracted you to the role? And was it fun playing that kind of character?
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : I haven’t done much of this before and I was sent the most beautiful script which rang true. The honest starting point for a family film I think is a very bold, very mature move — orphans. And they go through a struggle. They fight some very dark forces and they achieve their own light, and their own friendship and their own future. To present this as a family film is very refreshing, because I’m sorry to say that I think family films often wipe off the top two generations of the family and say anyone taller than this table won’t like this movie. It’s stupid, because that’s not a family film. But this is and it will have resonance for all the members of the family that see it. I say it’s rooted in truth because I can tell a good script from a bad. My training in my former years… I had no training, sorry. My former years as an actor were with tremendously good writers, one in particular, and therefore the way that this rang true, the way the patterns of human behavior in terms of loneliness, of longing, of care, of nurturing, of loss, of greed, of power, of indifference, they’re all there on the canvas. They’re all beautifully etched. So it was not a great leap for me to say, “Absolutely, yes,” to the script. Then I saw the drawing of the chap and saw that he was very different from me and therefore my voice would have to come from a different place. I’d have to find a voice that resonated from a very different place and would include all those frailties, those inadequacies, those longings, those addictions, delusions, narcissism, vanity. The guy’s a mess, held together by an absolute determination to be admitted into a club that does not want him. Because it’s so perfectly written, any actor would recognize, “Well, that’s the worst thing to do to that guy.” The worst thing you can do to that guy is to say, “You can’t come in,” because sooner or later, he’ll smash the door down. And he does. He demonizes a whole tribe of people who actually have nurtured and looked after an orphan beautifully, who are creative, inventive, loving, bonded. And they create their own civilization by what upper ground throws away. They never steal. They actually just use what is discarded and they make their world out of it. So given that the character was so beautifully presented to me as a portrait artist, my portrayal involved finding a voice that was completely relaxed, not my own. So I invited the recording studio to build a kind of airplane seat. It took five minutes. They had everything in the studio. It took them five minutes. They had everything there — the reclining chair, something to put my feet on. They were great. Moved the microphone, moved the script panel, and I did the whole thing reclining, lying down. It also helped me not to make physical gestures. When we speak, we tend to augment our language with our mannerisms. If I did that, it would perhaps lessen, shrink, what I was giving the animators. If I had to push something with my physical gesture, it means my voice isn’t doing enough. So I was completely still, which I found very, very freeing, as you say. I didn’t impose many limits on myself other than of course the character’s journey and his narrative function in the piece. Tony was mostly in the studio with me in England, not in America, and he helped me a great deal by letting me know that certain vocal mannerisms that I acquired as the character were great gifts to the animator. He said, “The animators will love that. When you do that, they can do all sorts of extraordinary things with it.” So I played with elongating my vowel sounds. I played with putting the letter ‘H’ where it shouldn’t be in a word to try and sound posh. All those little mannerisms, he encouraged me to really make them part of my bit of the portrait. Then the rest of my portrait, which is unprecedented for me, is to say, “And the other department do my body language.” I’ve never done that before. It’s always been me that I delegated the whole lot, because I had to, to the animators, to the guys who work with these people.
Knowing that, once you saw it, what was your impression and what struck you?
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : They put something together, a speech that Snatcher gives to his goons, to his stooges, about ambition, how in some people, some creatures are of limited ambition and will be locked in their own small ambitions and world and others are capable of great ambition. And it’s actually politically a horrible speech when you examine it. It’s pretty nasty. I enjoyed very free reign, lying down in the studio, letting this voice come out, and I saw this clip. He’s walking down a flight of stairs and they accompanied one of my words with an amazingly narcissistic gesture of brushing back these awful threads of hair that he has hanging down. And I thought, “I have nothing to worry about. Absolutely everything I’m trying to do is there in that puppet.” Extraordinary exercise really.
I found it interesting that the adults had no redeeming qualities whatsoever and that can be the viewpoint of someone who’s five, six, or seven
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : Whether it’s the viewpoint or not, the fact is that if you’re going to offer a story, narrative to the audience about orphans struggling, you have to have a tidal wave against which they have to struggle. It can be indifference. It can be abandonment. It can be incarceration. It can be domineering cruelty. But in the narrative our heroine and hero have to struggle through the darker side of life and I congratulate LAIKA on having the courage to say, “Look boys and girls, it’s not a bowl of cherries.” That is really courageous because I don’t think anything is learned by feel good movies.
Looking at your vast body of work, speaking to the comedic elements of the character.
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : Absurd, really.
(con’t): Do you see elements of Richard III?
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : Absolutely. The wonderful thing about Richard III is in his first soliloquy is in front of the audience and he explains exactly how he’s feeling and how he’s going to behave. He tells them, “Look, I’m mangled and wounded and I’m going to get the crown.” And Snatcher is in a sense, he can’t take rejection. There’s a reason for that, I don’t know the reason. But there’s a reason that he has an utter inability to be rejected. It turns him into a maniac. I saw a splendid version of Richard III ages of ago, and I could see what he was doing, but I could see why. I wasn’t allowed to join into why and really the why in Richard is it hurts to be me. I think there is something about the villains that I’m able to play that isn’t villainous. They’re vulnerable and wounded. I use that with Archibald Snatcher. Richard III and Othello — because he begins the play I’ve just been passed over for promotion and the world will suffer. And it does. At the end of the third act, Othello is responsible for seven deaths.
There’s a theme of transformation and there’s a huge difference between the hero and the villain. The hero just wants to transform into someone who knows who he is and the villain wants to move up the ladder, even though it’s shown very clearly that …
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : He’s allergic to it…
(con’t): And it’s not like kids movies where he’s brought down by the destruction of a machine. He does himself in where he has the choice to turn away. He even seems to know what’s going to happen and he does ti anyway. That’s almost tragic. Did you find that tragic element to it?
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : I totally embraced the tragic element of his demise. He’s arc is doomed because of the way he’s been constructed. The way he has arrived, the way the God’s have made him, fashioned him that way. There is, in the script and in my portrait and hopefully in bigger context of the movie, there is that thread of tragedy, absurdity, danger, redemption, reunification, all the threads. I definitely warmed to the wound that will eventually consume him. Cheese is a great metaphor for success or power and power will absolutely corrupt Snatcher. And he has the choice. He thinks by being empowered that he can conquer the addiction. It happens to other people. It won’t happen to me. Bang!
You’ve got a lot of interesting projects coming up, can you talk about some of the ones you’re most excited for people to know about?
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : Where do I begin [laughs]. LEARNING TO DRIVE, I’m particularly fond of. ROBOT OVERLOARDS, I’m looking forward to that one. That’s going to the London Film Festival. But, LEARNING TO DRIVE coming to Toronto, I’m excited to see, not how it’s received, how it touches people and attracts them.
You come from different cultures. I’m fascinated by different culture. You have families and grandkids… do they all get together. What does it look like at your house over the holidays?
SIR BEN KINGSLEY : It’s very hard for an actor to answer that because an actor, my pattern of life is so random that there are no such things as Holidays with a capitol H because I could be anywhere in the world and my children appreciate this. And as long as we keep in touch by email and telephone, everything is fine. No one ever says, “But it’s family.” No one ever says that. For me, that’s nonsense. Family is family over the internet, over Skype over telephone. Love is love, you don’t actually have to go through a ritual to prove that you love somebody. They all know dad’s very busy and I’ve looked after them well. They’ve all got homes, thanks to good ole dad. They’re happy, safe and loved.
Focus Features has released the new trailer for their upcoming film, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
Premiering at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in September, Catherine Shoard (The Guardian) says in her review, “Felicity Jones makes for a formidable opposite number; she’s a consistently brilliant actor who needs a breakthrough. Though Redmayne will deservedly hoover up a great swagbag of awards, Jones shouldn’t go home empty-handed. One beautifully underplayed scene between the two near the end hits with such choking force the viewer is left almost giddy.”
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING is the extraordinary and uplifting story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, and of two people defying the steepest of odds through love. The film, based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, is directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh (Man on Wire).
In 1963, as a cosmology student at the storied U.K. university Cambridge, Stephen (portrayed by Eddie Redmayne of Les Misérables) is making great strides and is determined to find a “simple, eloquent explanation” for the universe. His own world opens up when he falls deeply in love with an arts major, fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones of The Invisible Woman). But, at 21 years of age, this healthy, active young man receives an earth-shattering diagnosis: motor neuron disease will attack his limbs and his abilities, leaving him with limited speech and movement, and will take his life within two years.
Jane’s love, fierce support, and determination are unwavering – and the duo weds. With his new wife fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen refuses to accept his diagnosis. Jane encourages Stephen to finish his doctorate, which includes his initial theory of the creation of the universe. They start a family, and with his newly earned and widely hailed doctorate Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of – time. As his body faces more limits, his mind continues to explore the outer limits of theoretical physics.
Together, he and Jane defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed – well into the 21st century.
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING opens in select cities starting November 7th.
A heart-stopping fourth trailer, with unseen footage, has come online for Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR, starring Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine.
Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that the highly anticipated INTERSTELLAR from Christopher Nolan will be released in 70mm IMAX film, 70mm film and 35mm film formats on Wednesday, November 5th, two days ahead of its nationwide release. The advance showings will play in select theaters in more than 225 locations across the U.S. and Canada.
“To see Christopher Nolan’s ‘INTERSTELLAR’ on the big screen is an unforgettable movie going experience,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “From IMAX to traditional film and digital projection, we are pleased that audiences will have the opportunity to see this awe-inspiring film in a wide variety of formats and we are very excited to be making the film available 2-days early for moviegoers.”
INTERSTELLAR was shot using a combination of 35mm anamorphic film and 65mm IMAX film to maximize the crispness and clarity of the image and give the audience a truly cinematic and immersive experience. These advance engagements highlight those theaters presenting INTERSTELLAR in its native formats.
On Wednesday, November 5th, 2014, INTERSTELLAR opens in the following film formats:
– Select IMAX theaters will be offering The IMAX Experience® featuring 15 perf/70mm film projection which combines the brightest, clearest images at almost 10 times the resolution of standard projection formats, with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theatre geometry to create the world’s most immersive movie experience. Select sequences will expand to fill the entire screen and will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity.
– INTERSTELLAR in the 70mm film format offers brighter, clearer image, with three times the resolution of standard projection formats, using the process of projecting light through celluloid to deliver clear images in rich analog color with state-of-the-art digital sound.
– The 35mm film presentations project light through the 35mm frame to deliver clear, high resolution images with rich analog color combined with state-of-the-art digital sound in most locations.
Tickets for these advance showings on November 5th are available today at interstellar.withgoogle.com and at participating theater box offices. Tickets are also available for the nationwide release on Friday, November 7th, 2014, when “INTERSTELLAR” opens in theaters everywhere including its digital engagements:
– IMAX digital projection uses dual projectors with sub-pixel alignment to produce clear, high contrast images with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theatre geometry, creating the world’s most immersive digital movie experience. Select sequences will expand to fill the entire screen.
– The film in 4K digital projection produces a clear, bright, high resolution image with absolute stability and cleanliness, combined with uncompressed digital sound for a powerful movie-going experience.
– Digital projection presents a clear, bright, stable image that never degrades in terms of cleanliness or fidelity and uses uncompressed digital sound for a powerful movie-going experience.
INTERSTELLAR stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars. Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.
20th Century Fox has unveiled a new trailer for director Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated film, EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS. The movie stars Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn and Ben Kingsley.
This is a film that requires an IMAX viewing and one that would have been presented in Cinemascope years ago. The scale of it looks like Cecil B. DeMille’s THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and going by the visuals from this new trailer, Scott has mastered Epic as an artform.
20th Century Fox previewed parts of the film for the media on Tuesday. Variety’s Awards Editor Tim Gray writesthe film falls into the,
“they don’t make ‘em like that anymore” category, with big battle scenes and aerial panoramas of ancient cities, rustic settlements and military camps, all rendered in 3D CGI glory. And the footage really shifted into high gear with the depiction of four of the 10 plagues. (Spoiler alert: The locusts steal the show.)”
How it will do come Oscar time?
“Impossible to tell, based on snippets. But all the artisan contributions looked mighty impressive.”
Scott has surrounded himself with such artists as production designer Arthur Max (GLADIATOR), cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (PROMETHEUS), editor Billy Rich (PROMISED LAND), costume designer Janty Yates (GLADIATOR), composer Alberto Iglesias (TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY) and screenwriter Steven Zaillian (SCHINDLER’S LIST).
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Prometheus) comes the epic adventure EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS, the story of one man’s daring courage to take on the might of an empire.
Using state of the art visual effects and 3D immersion, Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses (Christian Bale) as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton), setting 400,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS hits theaters everywhere on DECEMBER 12, 2014.
Texarkana is the home of several murders that occurred in 1946 by a masked killer that was given the name “The Phantom Killer.” It’s a city made up of two counties – one in Arkansas and one in Texas. Ironically, producers Ryan Murphy and Jason Bum have approached the film THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN in a similar fashion. On the surface the film is a sequel to the 1976 slasher of the same name, and yet, the film often feels like a remake as well including recreations of some of that film’s kills. A meta-sequel/remake is too much of a mouthful to say, so what do you actually call it? Regardless of its label, this new TOWN is worth visiting simply for the sake of it taking a unique approach to bringing to the screen a killer we’ve seen before.
It’s 2013 and the people of Texarkana have gathered for the annual celebration to watch the 1976 film THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN. Jami (Addison Timlin) and Corey (Spencer Treat Clark) sneak off from the outdoor festivities to ignite there own fireworks, but the couple are quickly interrupted when Jami notices a figure watching them in the distance. You can bet that this isn’t just a peeping Tom. The couple is quickly chased through the woods and Corey is killed in front of Jami. What’s more horrific is that the masked killer who resembles the ’76 cinematic killer purposefully lets Jami go. As bodies begin piling up and copy-cat theories surface around town, Jami sets out on her own investigation which leads her to believe that there is more to this real life horror story.
I’ve never been to Texarkana, although I did drive through it to attend Fantastic Fest. It is what you would expect. Small, rural, and not necessarily of this time period. That being said, in the eyes of director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (GLEE, AMERICAN HORROR STORY) the 70’s are all the rage. Every shot, costume, and set drips with retro 70’s style. After seeing scene after scene of this, you are forced to wonder if Texarkana really does look and feel like a blast from the past. There are a few instances where we see a computer or other piece of modern technology. It becomes so desperate in its artistic choices that I rolled my eyes when I saw an old television with dials on the front of it. The fact that the film continually reminds of the date and year at the bottom of the screen doesn’t help this fact.
Cinematographer Michael Goi extends the throwback style even more with the way the film is shot. Soft focus, double-focus, and tracking shots make THE TOWN… look like it was shot by Brain De Palma’s second unit director. I actually enjoyed this aspect more than the preposterous set dressings. As a fan of 70’s thrillers, I couldn’t help but smirk at some of the visual nods and impressive camera work. More often we see modern horror films attempt to recreate the look and feel of the 80’s, so in a way it’s kind of nice to have someone acknowledge a time when movies looked slightly different than reality. The key word there is slightly.
THE TOWN… will appeal to fans of throwback horror and those looking for a grisly night at the theater. The opening scene is especially fun, brutal, and terrifying! The film doesn’t wink at the audience as much as recent remakes like MY BLOODY VALENTINE and doesn’t try to force any unnecessary humor into the story. Fans of the original film will no doubt spot similarities between this and the ’76 film. There’s no attempt made to hide the fact that this is a pseudo-remake, even though it’s a sequel by definition. What mainly sets it apart though is that the tone feels more like a grim murder mystery than a straight-up slasher. Detective work and tedious interviews bog down the last half a little bit, but the story holds your attention enough to keep you guessing who is behind the murders until the final reveal – even if the finale may be the weakest point in the whole bloody affair. It speaks volumes that the point in which the audience reacted the most to was when the classic Orion logo appeared before the film began – a burst of laughter and applause erupted from the crowd. THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN succeeds more at 70’s gimmicks than scares, but at the very least it reminds us of the good ol’ days.
