Spielberg on the importance of studying classic films



Kids, listen to Uncle Steven. He speaks the truth. I know way to many cinephiles, hell film critics, that don't really watch older films that were made before the 1970's, sometimes before the 1980's. Why? Could just be the fact that millenials don't care about film history. There's also a major stigma in regards to black and white films with younger audiences. My advice? How can you deny yourself from watching such masterful stuff as Vertigo, Citizen Kane, Sunrise, Bicycle Thieves, 12 Angry Men, Modern Times, Psycho, Rear Window, Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity and Touch of Evil among hundreds more. Do your homework, if you want to be part of the future of film criticism this is the best way to get street cred.

David Lynch says he will not direct another movie again


The day David Lynch wins an Oscar will probably be the day our society has a significant cultural change and abstract surrealist cinema will actually be making millions at the American box-office. Suffice to say, this will not be happening in the foreseeable future - Now it seems like neither will an actual feature length movie from the venerable writer-director. 

 Imagine a society where a David Lynch could potentially become mainstream; it briefly happened in the early ‘90s when, for one season, ABC'S Twin Peaks was the toast of the town and the obsession in millions of American homes. Of course Lynch couldn't help it and slowly veered the series' tone into, well, a David Lynch kind of world filled with abstract ideas, unresolved mysteries, and the strangest of supporting characters. With all that being said, Twin Peaks frenzy could technically happen again with the upcoming revival, premiering at Cannes in a few weeks, and on Showtime May 21st.

Here's Lynch explaining why he's done making movies:
“Things changed a lot,” Lynch says of the later years of his career. “So many films were not doing well at the box office even though they might have been great films and the things that were doing well at the box office weren’t the things that I would want to do.” When pressed if that means “Inland Empire” is his last movie, Lynch replies “yes, it is.” 
“The feature film and the form of the feature film is not so pleasing to people these days. A continuing story seems to be what is interesting for people nowadays. Cable television is the new art-house.” 

'Dunkirk' Has an Official and, Probably, Final Trailer Released, But I'm Still Not Convinced




Christopher Nolan is trying to reinvent the war movie with “Dunkirk,” just like he tried to reinvent sci-fi with “Inception.” “Interstellar,” “The Prestige” and the superhero movie with “The Dark Knight Trilogy.” What strikes one most upon first look of the film’s trailer is how un-Nolan the whole thing feels. However, what one should expect are the incredibly ambitious shots that the venerable English director is known for pulling off. What a risk he’s taking by casting a mostly unknown bunch of actors, safe for Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Mark Rylance in supporting roles, to do the job. Completing the cast are Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Jack Lowden, Barry Keoghan and, yes, One Direction’s Harry Styles, who beat out more than 1000 other actors that auditioned for the role.  Nolan has promised “pared back” dialogue and confirmed “Dunkirk” is a “survival tale.” My rule has always been "Trust Nolan," he’s proven his worth. This could be just the story that Oscar ordered. 

 HOWEVER, I'm still not buying into this film being anything special. At least, judging from what I've seen thus far. There seems to be something missing here. The scope is very much there, he's aiming for a David Lean-esque opus, there also seem to be shades of Das Boot. What I don't see is how this could be any different from the piled-up war films we've gotten over the last half-century.  The thing that made "The Hurt Locker" such an indisputably great war movie was that it presented us with a very different take on the war film, almost an immediate and incendiary reaction to the current fight with middle eastern Jihadi terrorism. Nolan is giving us a WWII film, a war which has been portrayed endless times cinematically. What could he possibly present that hasn't been done before? Or better yet, can he top this staggering long take from "Atonement" depicting the battle of Dunkirk:



    I don't know ... Something still feels "off" about this movie. This seems to be heavily inspired by David Lean, but I don't know if Nolan has the subtlety to pull it all off ... He's going to be aiming for grandiose moments here, bombastic in fact, and I just don't know if he'll be able to pull it all off without his usual overreaching.

    'Blade Runner 2049' Releases Two Visually Sumptuous Teasers




    Now THIS is more like it. Denis Villeneuve is a visually gifted filmmaker and these teasers are showing, in full force, the potential of his upcoming "Blade Runner 2049." The full trailer is supposed to be released on Monday.

    Here’s the official synopsis:

     "Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years."

     The good news is not only Villeneuve behind the camera - Hampton Fancher, who wrote the original Blade Runner, and Michael Green (Logan), have collaborated on the screenplay. But, that's not the best part. Quite possibly the greatest cinematographer of my time, Roger Deakins, is photographing the film. Can the anticipation get any greater?

     Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James with Dave Bautista and Jared Leto star in the film, which will be released on October 6. 

    Lucasfilm Head Kathleen Kennedy on Episode 9: After Carrie Fisher's Death "We Pretty much Started Over"















    As we reported to you a month or so ago, Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia had a "significantly important" role in Episode IX (HERE). The tragic death of the actress has brought upon a lot of questions, most of which involve how to replace her in the ongoing saga. 

    Lucasfilm were in the middle of heated meetings to settle the delicate problem at hand. All signs were leading to Fisher getting digitized, but now it seems like the SW creative team pretty much had to start from scratch in regards to "Episode IX," due for release in 2019.

     Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy tells Entertainment Weekly that the impact of Fisher's passing will be significant “Obviously with Carrie having passed away, it shook everybody,” Kennedy told EW “We pretty much started over.”
    Let us not forget that Fisher also appears briefly as Leia at the end of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," as a CGI recreation. In that same movie they also digitized the late British actor Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, and who played Death Star commander Grand Moff Tarkin in the original series. The film used CGI for the astounding effect which left some fans cold and distanced, including myself. The technology will, however, only get better in the next few years, with even Martin Scorsese having a crack at it by digitizing Robert De Niro into his younger self in the upcoming "The Irishman," but it seems like Disney won't be going that route after all.

    "The Wall"



    Having just seen Doug Liman's latest film, "The Wall" starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson an John Cena, I couldn't help, but start thinking about Liman's track record and how great his hits to misses ratio has been so far in his 18 year career. No small feat, especially given the current climate of  today's blockbuster-crazed Hollywood standards. His filmography is impressive (Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs. Smith,  Edge of Tomorrow, Fair Game and, now, The Wall). Yes, those are not artful films, but they are solid entertainments. 

     "The Wall" has two American Soldiers trapped by a lethal sniper, one of them (Aaaron Taylor-Johnson) has an unsteady wall as a shield, whereas the other soldier (Played by John Cena) is stuck, shot and bleeding to death, in the middle of the crossfire. The Iraqi sniper decides to not shoot the latter soldier, he has an end game planned, which Taylor-Johnson's solider tries to solve throughout the film's 81 minute running time. 

     Liman's film is minimalist, claustrophobic and highly visceral, in the same tradition as one-location thrillers like "127 Hours," "Buried," "Phone Booth," "Locke," "Cube," "Tape," "All Is Lost," "Cube," and "Saw." This genre of film, with minimal sets, minimal props, and minimal effects are known as Bottle Movies. It takes a highly talented director to pull this "stunt" off. The film can't feel repetitive. An assortment of well-prepared, elaborately conceived storyboarded shots is a must. 

     There's is nothing overtly spectacular, or flashily stylized about "The Wall." But, just like Liman's strongest films, it entertains. It's almost as if Liman has been Hollywood's secret weapon for almost 20 years. He's reliable, efficient and incredibly well-seasoned in his filmmaking approach - He is also an above average filmmaker in regards to shooting action and decently fleshing out character as well, I can't wait to see what he does next [B-]

    "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"

    Image result for guardians of the galaxy vol 2 600 x 200

    Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise hit in 2014. The business it did in 2014 was astonishing and completely shocked the industry. This was a summer movie that had the brains to pull off action, comedy and drama all in a single shot.  Now, fast forward 3 years and we've got its much anticipated sequel. Many fans will absolutely love this film and rightfully so. James Gunn has done a great job with these two films and it will definitely be enjoyed even if it is half the measure of the first film.

    First off, I will say this right off the bat: The movie is good. It is light and funny and digestible in ways that far too few summer movies ever are. This is a decent sequel to an above average movie.     The cast returns and delivers even more banter and jeering at each other, which is something I loved about the original, which does add to the characters and makes you care way more than you ever should for these band of misfits. Chris Pratt, although charming in a goofy token way, I'm still not convinced he's all that talented an actor, but, especially, the voice work of Bradley Cooper really tie this film's characters together. Supporting cast members such as newbie to the series, Kurt Russell or seasoned alumni Michael Rooker, all deliver. Also, Dave Bautista. I really do believe Bautista is the revelation of these movies, he's the funniest and quirkiest, that's for sure. His "dumb act" works so well that I just can't seen anyone else pulling off the lines that he has. He is just so good and might just be the MVP of the films.

     Guardians of the Galaxy's strong point has always been its cast and James Gunn knows it. Gunn is highly talented as a filmmaker and screenwriter, but, no matter how good of a job he does here, and it's quite ambitious to be juggling multiple storylines the way he does here, the film is a bit of a mess at times.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 suffers from "sequelitis" as in it is way too similar to the first film. There isn't enough to distinguish it from the original and that just doesn't cut it. There was a freshness and inventiveness that the first one had, a sense of discovery of a new world, a unique vision, no thanks to Gunn, that really transported you. There's a reason why many people compared it to the original "Star Wars." It really did bring you back to a time when movies could transport you to the stars and entertain. 

     Truthfully, the only way to distinguish both films apart are the soundtracks. While both soundtracks are awesome, they're both different in a lot of ways. From Blue Suede to Fleetwood Mac, that's the big difference musically...but visually, it's more of the same. That's probably the biggest and only complaint that I have with this film. As much as I like seeing these guys and gals kick some otherworldly ass, I still wish there was just a little bit more to it than what we got. Most of the reviews seem to be indicating the same qualms.

    If Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 seems to be rehashing the original's formula, albeit with a new character here and there and a revamped soundtrack, I think it was purposely done that way to make as many fans happy with the end product, obviously this means it ain't risk-taking cinema, but did we really expect that from the Marvel canon? The first film has been justly celebrated because it felt like a diamond in the rough, we didn't think Marvel had it in them to create something wholly new and different [B-]

    "The Dark Tower" looks unbearable




    There is a reason why I've refrained from talking about "The Dark Tower" here at World of Reel. I just can't jump into the bandwagon with this one. I mean, the cast looks great and the source material is Stephen King, no sluch to solid film adaptations of his own novels, but something feels off here. The trailer seems to indicate that special effects will most definitely be overused in terms of character development to CGI ratio. The director is Nikolaj Arcel, a well-seasoned vetran screenwriter over at the Euro circuit,  whose only other directing credit was actually the critically acclaimed Danish period piece "A Royal Affair." What's he doing directing this? for a paycheck? Or does he see something in the source material that is completely passing by me? At some point JJ Abrams was attached to the project, then it was Ron Howard. Something happened for them to both leave post-production. The budget here is $60 million, hopefully the trailer isn't revealing of the film itself and we will be getting more attention to character and less attention payed on inanely overdrawn CGI ...

    "The Dark Tower" is set for release on August 4th.

    Brad Pitt: ‘The Assassination Of Jesse James’ Is "My Favorite Movie Of Anything I've Done"




    This new GQ interview with Brad Pitt is turning into an all-timer. We already mentioned the revelation of his alcoholic days pre and post Angelina Jolie breakups, where he said he's never be seen without a Vodka highball in his hand, but now, albeit much less serious stuff, he reveals his favorite movie of his body of work and also that he crashed at David Fincher's place during the tumultuous breakup.

     "I would say more in comedic stuff, where you’re taking gambles. I can turn out the hits over and over and I just—my favorite movie is the worst-performing film of anything I’ve done, ‘The Assassination of Jesse James.’ If I believe something is worthy, then I know it will be worthy in time to come.”

     On Frank Ocean' music helping him through tough days post-breakup
    “I find this young man so special… I can’t find a bad [song]”
    I found this quote I wrote about "The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford," it really is a transcendant film.

    "This classic from 2007 is one of the last features Roger Deakins shot on film, ever since then he has made the full transition to digital film. It’s hard to pick just one image from Andrew Dominik’s masterpiece as it is one of the most beautifully photographed movies of the 21st century"
    [GQ]

    New Blade Runner 2049 Posters!







    Denis Villeneuve is a superfan of the film. That I can guarantee you. How do I know? I spoke to him about the film at a party in Montreal a year or so ago. What else do I know? He isn't going to reveal whether Deckard is a replicant or not, although, if you've seen the director's cut of the 1982 film, Ridley Scott has more or less told us he's a replicant. Then why has he aged here? There must be a reason. Do androids age?

    "Blade Runner 2049" hits theaters October 6th.

    Vladimir Putin Watched ‘Dr. Strangelove’ With Oliver Stone




    The Washington Post is reporting that Oliver Stone, interviewing Putin for the upcoming his upcoming Showtime Documentary “The Putin Interviews,” showed the former KGB agent Kubrick’s famous Cold War satire "Dr. Strangelove." According to the WaPo article, Putin had previously never seen the film before. Stone, obviously, doesn't reveal how Putin responded to the film, which will air in four hour-long segments beginning June 12.

    Stone had previously interviewed Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, both world leaders that have had difficult relations, to say the least, with the United States. This is just fascinating stuff and one would love to be in the room where Kubrick's cold war masterpiece is shown to Putin. Oh to be a fly on the wall .... Hopefully Stone's cameras were rolling and recording Putin as he was watching the film, one would be curious to SEE his reaction to the atomic bomb being dropped and the whole planet vaporizing into nothing but dust ....

    Ethiopia has ATM-like kiosks that load pirated movies on your USB stick






    Disguised as unassuming ATM points, the bright yellow kiosks act as full-fledged self-service media distributors and can be readily found in local malls across the country, TorrentFreak reports. As you might guess, the legalities of setting up such machines are highly questionable, to say the least.
    “At the beginning of this year, All Mart (the Walmart equivalent here) brought in a new machine. It’s basically a monitor with a USB port but shaped like an ATM. It’s called SwiftMedia and there’s a guy who ‘maintains’ it,” a source told TorrentFreak.
    “Basically you go to this very big store and you approach the machine and you plug in a USB drive. The screen will turn on and it will let you browse through a massive archive of movies.”

    Brad Pitt on Angelina Jolie Divorce: 'I Was Boozing Too Much'




    Props to Brad Pitt for being so candid and open about his alcoholism. I cannot believe the intimacy and unrestrained thoughts that have come from this interview.

    I had a "bout" or two in my day with drinking. I was a massive party animal between the ages of 20-23, had my fair share of drinking, which, mind you, never bled through during the week, just the weekends, but, still, with Vodka and red bull being the preferred drink of choice 3 days of the week, that's not what I'd call normalcy . I still feel the remnants of that phase to this day. It was an intense, freewheeling time, from Thursday to Sunday there was always something going on , or, at the very least, I made sure something was going on, but it always had to do with drinking. It was fun while it lasted and the stories I have will forever be etched, but irresponsible is took-kind of a word to use for those days. The other instance was more recently, as early as 2 years ago, if my timing is aptly correct. If Pitt's downfall were Vodka highballs, mine was beer, I was drinking around 3-4 bottles a night, not that much in the scheme of things. Would I qualify the latter as a problematic time in my life? In the grand scheme of things, looking back on it all, yes it was problematic, I've learned alcohol is detrimental and not really needed for consumption by any happily living human being. I've been more or less sober now for a year and never felt better.

    Here's Pitt in his own words:

     "Truthfully, I could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka. I was a professional. I was good," Pitt said. "I was boozing too much ... It's just become a problem. And I'm really happy it's been half a year now, which is bittersweet, but I've got my feelings in my fingertips again."

    "I was really on my back and chained to a system when Child Services was called. And you know, after that, we've been able to work together to sort this out ... and fortunately my partner in this agrees. It's just very, very jarring for the kids, to suddenly have their family ripped apart."

    "For me this period has really been about looking at my weaknesses and failures and owning my side of the street," the actor said. "I'm an [asshole] when it comes to this need for justice. I don't know where it comes from, this hollow quest for justice for some perceived slight. I can drill on that for days and years. It's done me no good whatsoever. It's such a silly idea, the idea that the world is fair. And this is coming from a guy who hit the lottery, I'm well aware of that. I hit the lottery, and I still would waste my time on those hollow pursuits."

    [GQ]

    "The Big Sick"



    From my Sundance dispatch 2.1.17

     All hesitations you might have had about this Judd Apatow-produced film were thrown out the window once Kumail Nanjiani appeared in Michael Showalter’s millennial romantic comedy “The Big Sick.” Najiani, known for his supporting role in HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” doesn’t need to act as much as just be himself on-screen. The film is a touching and heartfelt personal account of his real-life relationship with his wife Emily Gordon (as played beautifully by Zoe Kazan), which was initially troubled by an undisclosed illness which left her hospitalized in a coma. “The Big Sick” is one of the best romantic comedies to come around in ages, a future classic of the genre. Sometimes the movie Gods align and everything in a production ends up working; the actors, the screenplay, the director, the photography. An effortlessly great film is born in the process. This is the best Judd Apatow movie and it wasn’t even directed by Apatow [A-]

    J.J. Abrams says the death of theatrical releases is "Inevitable"



    Know what? I like J.J. Abrams' talent behind the camera, no, really, I seriously do. It is no coincidence that Spielberg all but, took him under his wings and taught him everything there is to know about the medium, he saw something in Abrams that the apprentice proved in such well-made blockbusters as "Super 8," "Mission: Impossible III," "Star Trek," and, yes, even "The Force Awakens." Lens flare et all, the guy has talent and can shoot the hell out of an action sequence. That's why Disney gave him the ridiculously important task to reboot "Star Wars" for the millennial generation. All the snobs out there, and they are snobs, need to realize that this is a filmmaker, with a set vision, that knows what he's doing and whose cinematic instincts are only progressing with time. 
    With all that being said, I am fairly surprised at his stance on VOD. Yes, it might just be the future of the theatrical experience, but, no, there is no way that a filmmaker of your caliber and clout Mr. Abrams should support such an enterprise such as this one. Christopher Nolan has been very vocal about his negative feelings towards VOD and retaining the theatrical experience and it's the right stance to take as he honorable, well-seasoned filmmaker that he is.
    Abrams spoke at a gala dinner for the Milken Institute Global Conference last night about cinema's future and VOD:
    “There is a theater chain that I”m convinced hates movies. You go there. They’re angry with you. It’s cold. There’s no music. The lights go out when the movie starts — there’s no ceremony. It’s the most uncomfortable seats… You’re convinced there’s something in front of the projector. Meanwhile, most people in that audience have better TVs at home than the image you’re seeing ... I understand the economic realities of it, and it’s tough. At the same time, if they don’t make it worth people’s time, you better not call people to the theater and give them that kind of experience. People do want to see movies, and can’t always get to the theater. It seems like an inevitable thing that movies become available at a premium.”

     [The Playlist]

    Azael Jacobs' "The Lovers"




    I saw Azael Jacobs' "The Lovers" a few weeks ago at a morning screening over at the Loews Boston Commons. The fact that I didn't really write anything about it until now is somewhat of a curiosity, but don't be fooled by my tardiness,  Jacobs' film is inherently a total and utter pleasure. It starts off as a been-there-done-that American middle class depiction about, gosh, unsatisfactory suburban angst, but eventually, surprisingly, finds its groove as it goes along. 

     The plot is simple: Husband and wife both have affairs, they eventually discover about each other's marital backstabbing, which, consequentially, brings a new found spark to their marriage. Like all marriages, it can never be as simple as that, finding that spark back in the blink of an eye, there will always be ups and downs in trying to reattain your marital footing. 

     The long-married couple are passionately, at times dispassionately, played by Tracy Letts and Debra Winger, both finding the coldness, warmth and wit needed to pull off the whole thing. They're both on the brink of calling it quits, but the aforementioned spark that happens feels so real, almost euphoric in a way, that you too feel the endorphin rush that must be criss-crossing through their brains at that very moment. We've all had it in our lives, the feeling of adulation, lust if you will, shared with a member of the opposite sex. Your heart beats faster, your libidinous urge is on high-cruise control and you just can't wait to see each other again. The twist here is that happens at the expense of the couple's "lovers," who happen to be bewildered and, do you blame them, frustrated by the outcome of the situation. 

     Jacobs, who directed 2011's vastly underseen "Terri," brings the same warmth to character that he showcased in that beautifully realized film. Although vastly younger than the characters he's depicting, Jacobs is 45, his knowledgeable approach to the subject matter is impressive. With each passing film, "The Lovers" is his fourth feature length venture, he showcases an independent vision that seems all too rare at the multiplex these days. 

    Who here still cares about "House of Cards" Season 5?



    The first two seasons of "House of Cards" took assured and smartly satirical jabs at establishment politics, the story of Frank Underwood and his wife, a sort of Lady Macbeth for Washington cunningly playd by Robin Wright, was freshly conceived by its creator David Fincher. No, really, I dug almost every episode of its first two Netflix seasons, but something happened post-Season 2 that just turned me off. It might have been the fact that Underwood, a sly, cunning, possibly never better Kevin Spacey, finally nabbed the presidency. It all felt too easy and the main mystery for me with the series, how will he rise all the the way up to top of the pyramid, was all but gone and basically solved after 24 episodes. Fine, I went on and tried to watch the third season, but nada, nilch, nothing, not my cup of tea anymore. It turned into the exact reasoning Underwood despised most about Washington elites: Business as usual.