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If you live in Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg or Halifax you have a chance to win a double pass to a screening of Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring” starring Emma Watson on Wednesday, June 19th thanks to Movie Knight and eOne Films! Read on for full contest details.
Note: This is a spoiler-free chat of Man of Steel.
On tonight’s episode of Movie Monarchy, Matt and Eric discuss Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” and Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. They’ll also chat about the DVD/Blu-Ray picks of the week and this week in news and trailers. Kirk Haviland from Movie Junkie TO joins our hosts in the discussion.
Dir. Zack Snyder
Starring. Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams
Man of Steel – in spite of its grand, overbearing self – understands the core of its robust superhero: the lofty pursuit to defeat evil through moral means, a model of heroism for the human race. Superman cuts to the truth of all Marvel and DC heroes: he embodies what humans cannot understand, or dare believe in, but nevertheless protects their world against evil and destruction. He does this mostly with a smug smirk.
Zack Snyder’s version, produce by Dark Knight mastermind Christopher Nolan, tries to suit the red-caped Man of Tomorrow, played by Immortals’ Henry Cavill, in a conflicted interior. Nolan, who originally pitched the story, is obsessed with troubled heroes ensnared in an existential crisis and thus Man of Steel swirls in a similar direction. Cavill, fortunately, can plausibly embody torment, but his firm, well-defined facial features make room for a gallant smirk that eases all seriousness.
Dir. Joss Whedon
Starring. Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion
Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is said to have been shot over a 28-day period in the very director’s Santa Monica house while, most curiously of all, shot in b&w in RED Epics. Before editing The Avengers, Whedon wiggled out this project as a way, I suppose, to introduce (re-introduce?) his fan base to the shrewd wit of The Bard’s comedies.
And yes this is a full-out comedy – no brooding, existential walks through a storm or a climactic rigged sword fight sequence. As there are no tragedies in Much Ado About Nothing, just instead a lot of confusion, double entendres, and misunderstandings. The film, by taking on a reckless upstairs-downstairs-inside-outside dynamic, tries to show the spreading of rumors and unravelling of affections all in one farcical space. Whedon, who adapted the work to screenplay, keeps Shakespeare’s idiomatic prose and allows his actors to twist out the wit and subtlety as they see fit. [Read More]
Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg are quietly becoming the kings of raunch comedy. With films like “Superbad”, “Pineapple Express” and now “This is The End”, they have quickly shown they have a keen eye for comedy and have put together a talented and funny group of guys who they continue to have a blast with.
While they have written (and in Seth’s case, acted in) some of the funniest films of the last decade, “This is The End” is the duo’s directorial debut and it couldn’t have gone better.
During this very candid chat, myself and a wide array of my peers talked with Rogen & Goldberg about everything from telling their good friends how to act as themselves, to being first time directors to how they handled the creation of Satan’s dick.
Continue on for the full, spoiler-filled and lengthy interview with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
On tonight’s episode of Movie Monarchy, Matt and Eric discuss Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s “This is The End” as well as “The Purge”, “The Internship” and “The East”. They’ll also have their home video picks of the week and chat about this week in news. Movie Knight’s own Parker Mott joins the panel once again.
Dir. Zal Batmanglij
Starring: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Patricia Clarkson
Continuing their collaboration after 2011′s “Sound of My Voice”, Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij re-team for “The East”, a hybrid procedural/conspiracy thriller film that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Sharing some of the same thematic elements from “Sound of My Voice”, Marling and Batmanglij are once again able to craft a thoroughly entertaining; albeit somewhat silly thriller.
Read on for the full review.
John McClane is back and this time, he’s on vacation.
This past Tuesday marked the release of the fifth entry in the “Die Hard” franchise titled “A Good Day To Die Hard”. In this newest entry, McClane travels to Russia to try and find his son, who he finds out is working undercover and in danger.
Should you re-connect with this franchise like John McClane does with his son in Russia, or should you stay estranged?
Read on for the full Blu-Ray review of “A Good Day To Die Hard”.
Dir. Shawn Levy
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, Max Minghella
Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have good chemistry. Both give decent performances in the underrated, albeit extremely silly “Starsky & Hutch” and are surprisingly vile but likeable in “Wedding Crashers”. This chemistry is why it’s such a shame that “The Internship” feels slightly out of touch. Crafting a story based upon an overused cliche that “old people” aren’t very good with technology, Shawn Levy delivers a film that feels formulaic, unfunny and flat out dull.
This is a film that should have been made shortly after 2005′s surprise hit “Wedding Crashers”, capitalizing on it’s success and the chemistry between the two leads whereas now they are shortly becoming irrelevant.
With a bland overlong story, one-note jokes and wasted chemistry, “The Internship” feels more like a two hour recruitment video for Google more than a film.
Read on for the full review.
To celebrate the recent release of WWE Films’ “12 Rounds 2: Reloaded” on DVD and Blu-Ray, Movie Knight has teamed up with the folks at 20th Century Fox and Think Jam! to give our lucky readers a chance to win a copy of the film on Blu-Ray!
Read on for full details on the contest.
