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World War Z Sequel Set for July 2017
It looks like we’re actually getting a sequel to World War Z, which had exactly zero to do with the anthology of stories by Max Brooks (a similar phenomenon can be experienced by watching I, Robot after paging through Asimov’s collection of stories of the same name). This isn’t entirely unexpected, as the original grossed over half a billion dollars at the box office worldwide, and various news items have announced that the film would contain Brad Pitt, be directed by J.A. Bayona, and would work from a script written by Steven Knight. Those involved with the film are being very close-lipped with regards to the plot of the film, but apparently they believe that they have a vast array of stories at their disposal. Since there are not any interesting plot details to discuss, I’d like to talk about the original film and the talent assembled so far.
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How to Murder Children in Your Trailer: “Cooties” Reaction
Sometimes you just want to watch disease-ridden schoolchildren getting murdered by adults. For those times, there is the Cooties Trailer, released yesterday. I had heard absolutely zero about this movie before the trailer dropped online, so I was intrigued by the idea of small children contracting a zombie disease from questionable school cafeteria chicken nuggets. The children then infect each other, attack their teachers and parents, and generally create a terrifying and awkward situation for all those involved.
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“Batkid Begins” Trailer Reaction
I made sure to write this trailer reaction a good three hours after I first saw the trailer to Batkid Begins this morning, otherwise it would have basically been three paragraphs of teary-eyed blubbering. The story was vaguely familiar to me from various news articles, but I didn’t really know too much about it. Presented here, in all its onion-chopping glory, is the Batkid Begins trailer. It tells the story of Miles Scott, a 5-year old leukemia patient, and his Make-A-Wish Foundation wish to become Batman for a day. Produced and directed by Dana Nachman, Batkid tells the story of what transpired behind the scenes of the fulfillment of this wish, and documents how the story propagated around the world, inspired many, and eventually culminated in the entire city of San Francisco banding together to grant Miles’ wish.
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“Mad Max: Fury Road” is a Masterful Action Film
Have you ever seen a Mexican standoff fist fight – with two of the combatants chained together? Mad Max: Fury Road treats us to this scene during a lull in the action, as a way for the audience to catch our breath. This film is an absolute assault on the senses in the very best way possible, and when the credits finally rolled at the end, the reality shock was palpable. I felt as though I needed my mind to recover, to slowly remove itself from the astounding world of George Miller’s action masterpiece, which may be the best action film of the decade, if not the century.
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Latest “Pixels” Trailer Adds Little
If you have very little knowledge of the upcoming Adam Sandler and Kevin James comedy Pixels, in which alien forces invade Earth in the guise of 80’s video game characters, the most recent trailer will certainly give you the aesthetic that the movie is attempting to capture. However, this trailer is likely very bad news, especially in light of the previously released trailers for this movie. The film itself certainly looks interesting, but for me it is difficult to tell which group of talent I should use to gauge the promise of the movie. Further I fear that the repetitive nature of this second trailer will anticipate the paucity of original jokes when the film releases.
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Concerns for “Jurassic World”: Nostalgic and Manipulative?
Guys (and gals), I think Jurassic World might really suck.
This isn’t so much a reaction to a new trailer or piece of movie news as it is a general opinion on the upcoming entry into the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World. I would guess that most people have seen at least one trailer for the film (hell, we got a TV spot during the Superbowl!), and have a general understanding of the plot, but I will provide a basic summary regardless. Jurassic World is set on the same island as the original movie, but the park has been running without incident for the last 20 years or so. Chris Pratt plays a velociraptor trainer who respects and hunts with the dinosaurs (the reason why is unclear), and he is tasked with inspecting the paddock of a new dinosaur attraction at the park, to make sure the paddock is capable of holding the new creature. See, Jurassic World (the park) has been losing money, so the executive board has insisted on genetically engineering a new dinosaur. Of course, it is very smart and destructive, it escapes, and very bad things happen.
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Pixar’s “Inside Out” Receives Standing Ovation at Cannes Film Festival
The newest Disney and Pixar film, Inside Out, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier today to uproarious applause. Directed by Pete Docter, Inside Out is the first Pixar film to debut at Cannes since Up (also from Docter), and looks to be a worthy entry into the Pixar canon. In celebration of the successful showing of Inside Out, of which I have been excited for nearly four years, I decided to post this reaction to the most recent full trailer for the film which can be seen here.
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Mad Max Blows Top off Cannes, Impresses Critics
Mad Max: Fury Road opens in theaters tomorrow in the United States, and the critical reception that this film has received is absolutely staggering. This morning, the movie played at the Cannes Film Festival to much excitement, and the positive reviews are already stacking up. If you find yourself unaware of the Mad Max movie and the buzz surrounding it, consider this a pep rally of sorts for a film that, for me at least, began the year lumped with other blockbuster sequels (like Jurassic World and Terminator: Genisys) but has slowly built itself up to a curiosity with its trailers, and now enjoys the status of full-on must-see.
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Intriguing Paul Verhoeven Film “Elle” To Be Distributed by BSB Productions
It was announced in a Variety Exclusive today that Paul Verhoeven’s new film Elle will be distributed by Said Ben Said’s production company BSB Productions. This is the same production company that had a hand in films by other visionary directors like Roman Polanski’ Carnage, Brian de Palma’s Passion and David Cronenberg’s A Map to the Stars, so there’s definitely a track record of quality films, here. I don’t normally delve into production news, so this piece is more of a reaction to Verhoeven’s comments on the film, which has me quite excited.
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What’s Wrong with American Godzilla Movies?
Godzilla, as an idea, is not complicated. He is a large, God-like lizard capable of great destruction and power. The Godzilla films of the past pay respect to Godzilla as a mystical being, as something to be feared as a vengeful deity, or revered as a benevolent savior, depending on the particular plot. But, Godzilla as conceived in 1950’s Japan is a symbol of the dangers of atomic weaponry and warfare. He is a sci-fi veiled warning that an unabated nuclear arms race poses a grave threat to all of humanity. This aspect is absent any and all American attempts at portraying the titanic lizard on screen, as the ideas which Godzilla symbolize are replaced by cheap destruction, CGI, and failed attempts at providing a human element to the story. The substance is gone, and no amount of scenery-chewing A-listers can bring it back.
Film Criticism and Fiction Writing by Derek Jacobs
