SLOW WEST Review

SLOW WEST

Directed and written by: John Maclean.

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Caren Pistorius, Ben Mendelsohn.

Synopsis: A 16 year old Scottish boy tries to find his love in America with the help of a jaded bounty hunter.  

Latest X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Trailer Sells The Movie The Best

According to my very authoritative Twitter feed, it seems people are not too keen on Bryan Singer's return to the X-MEN franchise, but I'm down for it. In what appears to be the last trailer before the release of the movie on May 23rd, 2014 and it's the best one. It gives us the best set up for the movie and a good feel for how the movie will go plot-wise.

Check out the trailer from the X-Men Movies YouTube Channel The Dissolve

X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Trailer Is Beyond Epic

The X-Men franchise has had its ups and downs. The first two films were strong, followed by a weak Wolverine film, then a weak part three. Then, FIRST CLASS happened, and everything got turned around.

The newest film is jammed packed with almost everyone from the original franchise and FIRST CLASS. It's an epic undertaking that, if he's able to pull it off, Bryan Singer could make one of the grandest superhero film in recent memory.

Check out the trailer after the break.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Trailer Is All Moody And Stuff

This movie sure feels like a crazy anomaly. You have a franchise's first director who left due to studio interference directing the sequel to the reboot/prequel with much of the original cast intact. The novelty alone is interesting, but what's even better is that this movie is based on of the better X-men stories from the comics. Now, we have a trailer for it.

Check it out after the break thanks to the X-Men Movies YouTube channel.

For Funsies: Joel McHale Puts on His Best Fassbender

It's PROMETHEUS eve everyone, and I hope you're ready. Here's a fun little parody that was featured on The Soup this week. It features Joel McHale spoofing this viral clip featuring Michael Fassbender that was floating around about a month ago. This is a testament to how funny McHale and his Soup writing team are. And if you don't watch The Soup on a weekly basis, you are missing out!





See you at PROMETHEUS at midnight tonight!

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Full PROMETHEUS Trailer Drops!

Okay guys. I can't remember being this pumped for the summer movie season for a long time. Either it's going to be a fun filled summer of great movies, or these trailer companies are getting better with making kickass previews. Now, WonderCon is going on right now (think of a smaller Comic Con), and we got a great trailer that premiered there yesterday. We've had teasers and teasers of teasers for Ridley Scott's newest film, PROMETHEUS, over the past couple months, but thankfully now we have a full trailer that gives sheds a little more light on story and gives us some great visuals.

Check it out after the break.

Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movie Picks

Jonesy here with another installment of Netflix Instant picks. Some weeks my picks have a theme, and others, like this week, is a tad more random. With Spring Break coming up for some, now is the time to catch up on a few movies/TV shows on Netflix.

HUNGER

Part of the Criterion Collection that shows how strong of an actor Michael Fassbender is. HUNGER is powerful, moving, and visually stunning. 

THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW

This is a sentimental pick for me. I felt like I grew up watching Nick at Night, and this was one of my favorite shows. The whole ensemble is wonderful to watch and just fills the nostalgia part of my heart.

HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29

Strange title, but a fantastic documentary. Many famous names are dropped who were among the students during this time including Tommy Lee Jones, George W. Bush, Al Gore, Meryl Streep, and Gary Trudeau.  The rivalry between these schools run deep, and this film mixes old 1968 footage and present day interviews to describe the feelings during and around the game.

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Prometheus-ish Clip: Peter Weyland gives a TED Talk....in 2023

One of the most anticipated movies coming out this year is Ridley Scott's prequel-but-not-really film, PROMETHEUS. We all anticipated the teaser trailer, which ended up showing us next to nothing but a lot of really cool images, and now today we are seeing the beginnings of a viral marketing campaign.

A piece was created by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof shows Peter Weyland giving a speech at TED in the year 2023. This clip is not the in the movie but sheds some light on Guy Pearce's character.

Check out the clip after the jump.

After All Of The Teaser Teasers, Comes The Teaser Trailer For PROMETHEUS

I'm glad that marketing departments are getting lazy to the point of releasing teaser trailers for teaser trailers. Today we got the release for the new Ridley Scott movie, PROMETHEUS. This non-Alien prequel has been the source of much speculation. Now that it's finally here, check it out after the jump.

New PROMETHEUS Poster Is Pretty Awesome

Javi here. So now that it's been properly confirmed, we have the teaser poster of the upcoming Ridley Scott movie, PROMETHEUS. The big news with this movie is trying to figure exactly what the hell it is. Apparently it's not a prequel to ALIEN, but it has Xenomorphs, and it has the Space Jockeybut. Either way, the poster looks awesome it has a big face that has popped up in a lot of the set photos that have been popping up. Thanks to Aint It Cool for posting this.

PROMETHEUS comes out on June 2012. It is directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender.

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X-MEN: FIRST CLASS review: She said

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Written by Ashely Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, and Matthew Vaughn

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: During the Cuban Missile Crisis, fellow mutants, Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, join together with the US military to help stop evil mutant, Sabastian Shaw.

Jane Eyre- She said

Directed by Cary Fukunaga

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench and Jamie Bell

Synopsis: A simple governess finds herself falling in love with her employer only to find out he's hiding a terrible secret.

Like Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Charlotte Bronte's classic, JANE EYRE, seems to be remade every few years whether it be in a TV miniseries, movie, or play. This version, from director Cary Fukunaga, plays up the more Gothic elements of the classic story.  Even though the story is over 150 years old, the rich characters, sweeping scenery, and epic romance still hold up today.

We follow our heroine, Jane (played by Mia Wasikowska), through a troubled childhood where she is sent away to school by her aunt, and because of her unaltered and tenacious spirit, is constantly punished and scorned by her teachers.  Eventually, she becomes the governess of the manor, Thornfield, to care for Adele, the ward of the elusive Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender).  When she finally sits down to talk with Rochester, he abrasive manner doesn't faze Jane.  She sees right through his demeanor and verbally keeps up with his snippy remarks.  This fascinates Rochester.  He becomes infatuated with her and believes she's the one that can shine light into his dark world. 

Wasikowska and Fassbender are fabulous portraying these iconic characters.  Wasikowska's Jane is subtle yet strong.  She reminded me of a somewhat quieter Elizabeth Bennet from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE;  same amount of wit and charm but on a lower key.  She makes Jane Eyre a complicated, dynamic figure where we see her history and how it's shaped her internally.  Fassbender takes an interesting approach to Rochester.  In the book, Rochester can come across as extremely arrogant, which he is, but never really likable.  Fassbender shows his arrogance coupled with a flirty nature almost similar to "the guy" in high school that all the ladies longed for.  He humored them, but he was never interested because he was looking for someone deeper and more intellectual.  Then all it takes is one girl to match his wit and snarkiness, and he's infatuated and in love.  This Rochester was enjoyable and fit into the dashing, dominant, yet has-a-weak-spot-for-the-one-he-loves, Victorian gentleman perfectly.

While they individually embodied their characters, I never fully believed their chemistry.  This is to no fault of the actors.  When an epic novel rich in detail is adapted into a movie, it's very difficult to not only establish the relationship but wholeheartedly convince us of their love.  Even though the movie runs at a healthy two hours, I wanted Eyre and Rochester's relationship a little more developed, so that we feel the weight and tragedy when the "secret" is finally revealed.

Fukunaga makes use of the breathtaking manor and picturesque scenery of England.  The visuals alone are worth the price of admission.  Thorfield, the Rochester manor, becomes it's own character as it's so mammoth and ancient we almost hear every creak and movement throughout.  Fukunaga plays up the Gothic aspect and makes use of our imaginations when Jane explores the house at night with only a candle for light.  There is no extra light provided, so we're just waiting for a ghost or someone to pop out around any corner.

All in all, this adaptation will bode well in the Jane Eyre catalogue.  Will it be everyone's favorite? Probably not.  However, when taking such a classic novel and really taking to it with a fresh perspective, it makes the movie memorable.   

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