WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES - Official International Trailer

There's a new International trailer for War For the Planet of the Apes with added, unseen footage. This movie will most likely be of the epic variety. Can't wait.

Last week I wrote:

This looks good, especially with addition of Woody Harrelson. I'm still wondering, where's James Franco's scientist? Didn't he start this whole mess? He should be jailed.

I recently re-watched the original 1968 film and the social issues raised in that film are just not present in these latter-day films. Different times, I guess. I do have to say that the first film of this reboot series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was far better than its sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Rise had less strenuous action and more character-based plotting, but alas when you're trying to build a massive blockbuster franchise you probably need to add more and more action to please the mainstream. 

Here's the Official synopsis for this upcoming sequel:

In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel.  After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.  As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

“War For The Planet Of The Apes” opens on July 14, 2017.

Helen Keller Meets Charlie Chaplin, 1918

Charlie Chaplin and Helen Keller meet on the set of "Sunnyside," 1918

Keller & her party had dinner with Chaplin and were screened two of his films, A Dog's Life and Shoulder Arms. "Before he reeled off the pictures, he let me touch his clothes, his shoes, his moustache that I might have a clearer idea of him onscreen. He sat beside me and asked me again and again if I was really interested--if I liked him and the little dog in the picture." Keller's teacher and companion, Anne Sullivan, described the scenes with sign language in the palm of Keller's hand. "Onlookers declare that she led the laughter as the absurd situations developed and that she did not miss one of the subtle bits of comedy."

Source: Discovering Chaplin

In ALIEN, the light effects in the egg chamber were made by lasers, borrowed from the Who, who were practicing in a sound stage next to the studio lot

Nathan, Ian (September 17, 2011). Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of the Making of the Film. Voyageur Press.

THE WOLF MAN turns 75 today - Released on December 12, 1941!

I actually didn't mind the remake with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, it stayed true to the original and gave a chance for a new generation to marvel at this classic in the horror movie genre. In fact the lack of good werewolf movies in the last century puzzles me to no end, what happened?

If you haven't heard of the Universal Monster classics then you haven't done your homework, "The Wolf Man" is a classic beyond belief, right up there with "The Invisible Man" and "Bride of Frankenstein."

Official Poster for Christopher Nolan's DUNKIRK

Martin Scorsese explains why he no longer watches new movies

Martin Scorsese at a New York Press Conference for "Silence": 

“There’s over saturation. particularly in our world as it is now and nothing really does have a meaning. Images for example are everywhere. Cinema used to be in a building and even on television, you’d see a film or whatever. I must say a lot of the films that I’m aware of…and I don’t see that many new ones over the past two or three years, I stopped because the images don’t mean anything."

“We’re just completely saturated with images that don’t mean anything. Words certainly don’t mean anything anymore, they’re twisted and turned. So where’s the meaning? Where’s the truth? So we have to strip away everything. It goes back to that question I had in ‘Mean Streets’, how do you live a good life? A life which is good, meaning compassion, and respect for others, in a world like today or in a world where I grew up, quite honestly.”

Then there's this, Scorsese's open letter to his daughter Francesca back in 2014:

Dearest Francesca,

I’m writing this letter to you about the future. I’m looking at it through the lens of my world. Through the lens of cinema, which has been at the center of that world.

For the last few years, I’ve realized that the idea of cinema that I grew up with, that’s there in the movies I’ve been showing you since you were a child, and that was thriving when I started making pictures, is coming to a close. I’m not referring to the films that have already been made. I’m referring to the ones that are to come.

I don’t mean to be despairing. I’m not writing these words in a spirit of defeat. On the contrary, I think the future is bright.

We always knew that the movies were a business, and that the art of cinema was made possible because it aligned with business conditions. None of us who started in the 60s and 70s had any illusions on that front. We knew that we would have to work hard to protect what we loved. We also knew that we might have to go through some rough periods. And I suppose we realized, on some level, that we might face a time when every inconvenient or unpredictable element in the moviemaking process would be minimized, maybe even eliminated. The most unpredictable element of all? Cinema. And the people who make it.

I don’t want to repeat what has been said and written by so many others before me, about all the changes in the business, and I’m heartened by the exceptions to the overall trend in moviemaking – Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, David Fincher, Alexander Payne, the Coen Brothers, James Gray and Paul Thomas Anderson are all managing to get pictures made, and Paul not only got The Master made in 70mm, he even got it shown that way in a few cities. Anyone who cares about cinema should be thankful.

And I’m also moved by the artists who are continuing to get their pictures made all over the world, in France, in South Korea, in England, in Japan, in Africa. It’s getting harder all the time, but they’re getting the films done.

But I don’t think I’m being pessimistic when I say that the art of cinema and the movie business are now at a crossroads. Audio-visual entertainment and what we know as cinema – moving pictures conceived by individuals – appear to be headed in different directions. In the future, you’ll probably see less and less of what we recognize as cinema on multiplex screens and more and more of it in smaller theaters, online, and, I suppose, in spaces and circumstances that I can’t predict.

So why is the future so bright? Because for the very first time in the history of the art form, movies really can be made for very little money. This was unheard of when I was growing up, and extremely low budget movies have always been the exception rather than the rule. Now, it’s the reverse. You can get beautiful images with affordable cameras. You can record sound. You can edit and mix and color-correct at home. This has all come to pass.

But with all the attention paid to the machinery of making movies and to the advances in technology that have led to this revolution in moviemaking, there is one important thing to remember: the tools don’t make the movie, you make the movie. It’s freeing to pick up a camera and start shooting and then put it together with Final Cut Pro. Making a movie – the one you need to make - is something else. There are no shortcuts.

If John Cassavetes, my friend and mentor, were alive today, he would certainly be using all the equipment that’s available. But he would be saying the same things he always said – you have to be absolutely dedicated to the work, you have to give everything of yourself, and you have to protect the spark of connection that drove you to make the picture in the first place. You have to protect it with your life. In the past, because making movies was so expensive, we had to protect against exhaustion and compromise. In the future, you’ll have to steel yourself against something else: the temptation to go with the flow, and allow the movie to drift and float away.

This isn’t just a matter of cinema. There are no shortcuts to anything. I’m not saying that everything has to be difficult. I’m saying that the voice that sparks you is your voice – that’s the inner light, as the Quakers put it.

That’s you. That’s the truth.

All my love,

Dad

The sad fates of silent comedy stars, beyond Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd

Max Linder

Auir2blaze[S] writes:

When there was renewed interest in silent comedy in the 1960s, Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin were all around to help promote their own work, by reissuing movies, appearing on TV, doing tours of college campuses etc.

All of the performers had already died well before that (except for Laurel and Hardy, who have remained well known to this day). Their life stories are pretty sad, I guess not that uncommon with a lot of really funny people.

• Max Linder: Suffered from depression stemming from his experience in First World War, killed himself in a suicide pact with his wife in 1925, age 41
• Larry Semon, studio stopped financing his movies, he went bankrupt, had a nervous breakdown and died of pneumonia and tuberculosis in 1928, age 39
• Mable Normand: struggled with cocaine addiction and health problems, died of tuberculosis in 1930, age 37
• Roscoe Arbuckle: after years of being blacklisted was finally making a comeback and was just about to sign a major contract with Warner Brothers when he died of a heart attack in 1933, age 46
• Charley Chase: struggled with depression and alcoholism. After his brother died in 1939 (his brother was also an accomplished comic director, James Parrott) he blamed himself for not doing more to help his brother deal with his drug addiction, and he started drinking more heavily. Died of a heart attack shortly after, in 1940, age 46
• Harry Langdon: kept acting for the rest of his life, but never regained the stardom he had had in mid-1920s, died of a a cerebral hemorrhage in 1944, age 60

THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS Trailer, Teaser Poster and The Milking of a Franchise

At some point The Fast and the Furious franchise hit a dead road with "Tokyo Drift" in 2006. Three years later they tried to revitalize the franchise with "Fast & Furious," a step in the right direction, but that still failed in my books. So four F&F films and four duds, in my opinion. Then the strangest thing happened: "Fast Five." The Rio location worked. The addition of The Rock did wonders to spark the franchise. Diesel looked rejuvenated. I actually like a film from this god forsaken franchise. That was it for me as far as these movies go and the two that followed "The Fast and the Furious 6" and "Furious 7" were well-met, but I thought they were just fine. Anyway, these films really seem to strike a chord with high-schoolers. They love cars. They love skimpy chicks. They love Vin Diesel, who happens to be highest paid actor in Hollywood alongside, guess who, The Rock. These films are cash cows.



Don't forget, they eventually have to go to space.

Box-Office: MOANA stays at the top spot for third straight week, OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY debuts with respectable second place, LA LA LAND grabs second best per-theater average of all-time

First reactions to ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY are uniformly positive

Based on tweets post-screening at last night's Hollywood premiere.

The film is supposed to open next weekend with a projected box-office intake of $280M-$350M, a smashing blockbuster if there ever was one. Now let's see what the overall critical consensus will be this week when the embargo lifts and reviews come out. I'm supposed to see the film tomorrow morning at 10am, you can rest assured a reaction will be posted.

Disney is milking the Star Wars franchise now for all it's worth. Just like the Marvel movies. This isn't art, it's commerce. ROGUE ONE will probably get $350M + opening weekend and then they'll announce another 6 films.That is just how it works these days. We all know what happened post- Jaws/Star Wars in Hollywood, the 80s was the worst cinematic decade we ever had, that's when the Indie film scene bloomed to the rescue. At least nowadays we have access to so many more films outside of the studio system via different streaming services. The amount of quality indie, foreign films being produced these days is at an all-time high. It's just Hollywood/Disney that has sold its soul to the devil. The problem is the mainstream is eating this stuff up.

My last top 10 entry might change. Glad I didn't publish yet. #RogueOnepremiere
— Gregory Ellwood (@TheGregoryE) December 11, 2016

Embargo but last third – superb and moving #RogueOnepremiere
— Gregory Ellwood (@TheGregoryE) December 11, 2016

Holy Sith! @RogueOneMovie is unbelievably wonderful! No lie: it is #EmpireStrikesBack great! An excellent chapter in the @starwars Universe!
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) December 11, 2016

#RogueOne screening just wrapped. Oh. My. God.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) December 11, 2016

Takes a bit to get going but #RogueOne turns out to be a kick-ass action pic. And it nails the ending.
— Matthew Belloni (@THRMattBelloni) December 11, 2016

I expected it to be funny. I didn't expect to be choked up. Moments of true bravery, and some speeches we need right now. #RogueOne
— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) December 11, 2016

#StarWars #RogueOne is AWESOME!! SO GREAT!! LOVED it even MORE than #TheForceAwakens!! Fans are going to LOSE THEIR SHIT!!!!!
— Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) December 11, 2016

Holy crap did I love Rogue One. It’s gonna take days to wipe the smile off my face. So many surprises and so much fun. Get excited.
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 11, 2016

So much cheering during the movie. Audience loved it pic.twitter.com/WvLgW7OQWJ
— Aaron Couch (@AaronCouch) December 11, 2016

My new #StarWars rankings:

1) Empire
2) A New Hope
3) #RogueOne

— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) December 11, 2016

#RogueOne is pretty much everything I was hoping for & then some. So moving/satisfying for so many reasons. Already dying for a 2nd viewing.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) December 11, 2016

One word: WOW! I was absolutely enthralled! #RogueOne
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) December 11, 2016

#RogueOne was incredible. Sooo good. 😭😭😭 I was almost in tears it was that good.
— Tony Revolori (@TonyRevolori) December 11, 2016

Oh my God I loved #RogueOne so much!!
— Jim Vejvoda (@JimVejvoda) December 11, 2016

1sr Rogue One review. It was actually AMAZING!!! Super fun & exciting. Ties in w/episode 4 perfectly. #StarWars
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) December 11, 2016

… there is a complexity that exists in rogue one that I have never seen in another Star Wars film- layers and layers of gray.
— p dubbs (@petewentz) December 11, 2016

#RogueOne is FANTASTIC. Incredible action, both planetary and interstellar, and looks GORGEOUS. Most importantly, it feels like Star Wars.
— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) December 11, 2016

As much as I like The Force Awakens… yes I like Rogue One even more. Thursday can't get here fast enough to see it again!
— John Campea (@johncampea) December 11, 2016

Star Wars fans will be very happy with #RogueOne. It's fun, action packed, doesn't feel neutered by reshoots. Donnie Yen and K2so standouts.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) December 11, 2016

Perfect Felicity Jones an action heroine I would follow into space battle any day, in a film full of great hero turns #rogueone
— jen yamato (@jenyamato) December 11, 2016

The last time I loved a Star Wars movie as much as I loved #RogueOne, it was 1977.
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) December 11, 2016

ROGUE ONE had me from the opening to the very end. Incredible action mixed with a script fans are going to love. Going to make people happy.
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) December 11, 2016

I just saw Rogue One. I'm gonna say it.. this might be the BEST Star Wars movie!! I can't wait…
— Dane Cook (@DaneCook) December 11, 2016

ROGUE ONE WAS AMAZING 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
— Veronica Merrell (@veronicamerrell) December 11, 2016

I FREAKIN LOVE STAR WARS OMG ROGUE ONE WAS AMAZING 😭
— Vanessa Merrell (@VanessaMerrell) December 11, 2016

ROGUE ONE = excellent. People around me saying even better than THE FORCE AWAKENS. Congrats Disney/Lucasfilm/amazing talent involved.
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) December 11, 2016

So… #RogueOne? It's freaking great! So many crowd-pleasing moments! It's emotional, exciting and incredibly satisfying. Loved it!
— Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) December 11, 2016

James Franco Has 19 Films That Are Set To Be Released in 2017

9 of these he is directing.

What an odd career this guy seems to be having. Wasn't he supposed to become the next heartthrob star in Hollywood? I don't think he wanted that after all. He must just be having too much fun. He doesn't really care if anyone sees his films, he just loves creating art, no matter how bad it might be. No wonder one of these 19 films coming out is "The Masterpiece," which is a sort of homage/making-of recreation of Tommy Wiseau's infamously bad "The Room," in which Mr. Franco will be playing Wiseau himself. It must be his love letter to bad movies, the same way "Ed Wood" was Tim Burton's. Godspeed Mr. Franco, we salute you.

Courtesy of IMDB

Actor (133 credits)

 2018Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad (filming)
Lemmy (voice)

 2017Blood Surf (post-production)
Metalhead Troy

 2017Pretenders (filming)
Maxwell

 2017The Long Home (post-production)
Dallas Hardin

 2017Actors Anonymous (post-production)
Jake Lamont

 2017Black Dog, Red Dog (completed)
Leo

 2017Future World (post-production) 

 2017Kill the Czar (post-production) 

 2017/IIKin (filming) 

 2017The Deuce (TV Series) (post-production)
Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino

- Episode #1.8 (2017) ... Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino

- Episode #1.7 (2017) ... Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino

- Why Me? (2017) ... Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino

- What Kind of Bad? (2017) ... Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino

- Episode #1.4 (2017) ... Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino

Show all 8 episodes

 2017The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards (post-production)
Conrad

 2017The Institute (post-production)
Dr. Cairn

 2017The Mad Whale (post-production) 

 2017/IIThe Masterpiece (post-production)
Tommy Wiseau

 2017The Vault (post-production)
Ed Maas

 2017Zeroville (completed)
Vikar

 2016Why Him? (post-production)
Laird Mayhew

 Killing Animals (completed)
Mr. Hurston

 Mississippi Requiem (post-production) 

 2017The Labyrinth
Narrator (voice)

Kirk Douglas's bittersweet insight on aging. “I am now a hundred years old. I read about Hollywood, and I don’t know the people. Where is Burt [Lancaster]? Where is Laurence Olivier? They’re all gone. I miss them. I feel lonely.”

I wrote about Kirk Douglas turning 100 yesterday. The screen icon has been interviewed by Variety for this incredible achievement in his life. Read this and don't tell me you don't feel some kind of melancholic sadness. Full Variety interview HERE.

Tim Miller responds to "DEADPOOL fans that wanted answers

“I just want to say one thing to the geek audience out there, because it’s important to me what the geeks and nerds of the world think because they are my brothers and sisters. I didn’t want to make some stylized movie that was 3 times the budget. If you read the internet — who cares, really? But for those of you who do, I wanted to make the same kind of movie that we made before because I think that’s the right movie to make for the character. So don’t believe what you read on the internet.”“I wish them nothing but good — I hope it’s great. I hope it’s a great movie. Because I love the character and I think it’s great, and I love all the actors and I want to see them successful again. I haven’t met David, but he’s a great guy from everything I’ve heard. I want nothing but the best for the character. And for Fox, too. They deserve to make more money. They need to make more money [laughs]. They were great. They were terrific.”

Thoughts on Scorsese's SILENCE since the Embargo has finally lifted

It's a damn-near masterpiece; Imperfect, but, I do feel that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. At the very least, it's 100 times better than "Kundun," which was a spiritual bore. This is going to be a major WTF for the "Wolf of Wall Street"/"Goodfellas" crowd, but screw them. Scorsese doesn't care about awards when it comes to this film and we should all be grateful about that. All the concerns I had about Andrew Garfield's casting are thrown out the window the moment he shows up in the film's first scene. It's a powerful performance, ditto Adam Driver. They play two jesuit priests in the 17th century that decide to go to Japan to locate and "save" their mentor, played by Liam Neeson, who iss rumored to have apostatized.  For the dozen or so minutes Neeson is on-screen he's mesmerizing. Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is also a standout.

"Silence" has more greatness in its 159 minute running time than any other movie I have seen this year.  I do love the questions being asked: Why does God remain silent while evil acts happen all around us? It is in no way a pro-religion film, but it does feel like Scorsese's most personal statement. Think of Scorsese as Garfield's Rodrigues, questioning himself about being brought up Christian, but seeing the light in Buddhism. I Can't believe Scorsese showed this to the Pope. The film doesn't necessarily take sides, you can be an atheist, like myself, and absolutely revel in this film's themes and sumptuous frames concocted by Socrsese and Prieto.

I find that the last 25-30 minutes are what elevate the film to greatness. It ends up being more than just about torture, agony, suffering and rises to a surreal sense of beautiful sadness, a kind of nirvana that is deceitful.  Either you hop along to Scorsese's "Silence" or you don't, either you are fascinated by its themes or you're not. I know I was.

More thoughts to come ....

Source: Metacritic

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan are making a Russian/Chinese produced movie together: Journey to China: The Mystery of Iron Mask

This picture looks absolutely ridiculous, but isn't that what is expected when it comes to a Chinese/Russian produced film starring these two action heavyweights?

My buddy tells me they are going to have edit that skull out if they want it to be released in China. Supposedly in China they have rules on not showing skulls or any kind of body horror if they can be related to superstition.

Oleg Stepchenko, a Russian journeyman whose credits include the horrendously "Jacked$," is the director of this film.The film is set for release in the winter of 2017 in Russia. No current U.S. release date is confirmed, but you can rest assured, given the stars at the helm and the $48M budget, that we will likely be able to see this film. That is if you want to actually see it.

IMDB has the synopsis going like this:

The English traveler Jonathan Green receives from Peter the Great an order to map the Russian Far East. Once again he sets out for a long journey full of incredible adventures that will eventually lead him to China. The cartographer will unexpectedly face a lot of breathtaking discoveries, encounter bizarre creatures, meet with Chinese princesses, and confront deadly martial arts masters and even the king of all dragons - the Dragon King. What could be more dangerous than meeting eye to eye with Viy, except doing it again? What would be stronger this time - a staunch skepticism of the scientist or the old black magic that has seized power of Eastern lands?

Monster Trucks, the movie that should have been direct to DVD got it's poster... and it looks like they put as much time on the poster as they put as much time in on the movie.

This ain't a joke folks, it ain't a joke ....18 months of re-shoots and post-production, $125M budget; Suffice to say, this will be the first major box-office bomb of 2017

ROGUE ONE Projected for $280-$350 Million Global Opening

Did we ever doubt the power of the Star Wars name? Deadline is reporting that "Rogue One" can expect to make as much as $350M globally on opening weekend and $140M-$150M domestically. I predict the numbers will be higher, projections for these sort of bona-fide blockbusters are always under-projected just in case there's under-performing, but you can bet "Rogue One" will be making more than $150M opening weekend. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it outperforms "The Force Awakens." The brand is just getting started, the juggernaut that's Disney is behind hit and the numbers will grow with every movie released.

"Yeah, yeah, we already know Rogue One‘s opening isn’t going to be as high as Force Awakens a year ago, which pulled in an all-time global debut of $528.97M. Episode VII was propped by pent-up demand, and the latest film is a spinoff. Still, Rogue One with a frosh dramatis personae will kick off pretty damn high with a worldwide start over five days between $280M-$350M. Only 19 movies have opened to north of $300M worldwide to date. This year, Batman V Superman ($422.5M) and Captain America: Civil War ($379.5) were two of them.

"In the U.S./Canada, industry projections currently lie between $140M-$150M in 4,100-plus sites, with a heavier interest among men than women. Still the notion among distribution chiefs is that the latter sex will come along for the want-to-see in the days following the pic’s release. By comparison, Force Awakens opened in 4,134 locations. 400 Imax theaters will have the Gareth Edwards-directed Rogue One for four weeks around the globe."

Source: Deadline

New picture of Baby Groot in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

TIFF sensation LADY MACBETH finally has a trailer

From my review dated 9.19.16:

"If Pugh is a revelation, so is Oldroyd. This is an auspicious and striking debut film that spells the start of a genuinely talented filmmaker as he handles his camera in breathtakingly spacey and formidable fashion. He creates an indelible character in Lady Katherine, a woman that is not easily understood, but dares to break the conventions of the times by doing unspeakable things. Oldroyd captures our gaze with every frame and doesn’t balk at the story’s more shocking sections. He means to shake us and does.”

“Lady Macbeth” opens on June 2, 2017.

John Williams may be best associated for his work with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter, but his score for 'Home Alone' will always be one of my favorites.