I’m just as excited for ANCHORMAN 2 as the next guy, but as you can probably tell from the picture above, this new teaser trailer doesn’t feature any scenes from the film, but instead features Ron Burgandy (Will Ferrell), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and Champ Kind (David Koechner) talking about the upcoming film.  Once again, Brick doesn’t get it right and then Ron jumps in and tells a fat faced girl in the audience to “stay classy”.  It’s all good fun, but it’s also a gag we’ve seen before.  I know the film is still seven months away, but we’ve seen numerous set photos, so I’m sure they have enough to put a real trailer together.

Directed by Adam McKay, ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES will star: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, James Marsden, Kristen Wiig, Christina Applegate, Meagan Good, Luke Wilson, David Koechner and Harrison Ford, along with numerous celebrity guest cameos. It opens in theaters on December 20^th, 2013.

The post Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd stay classy in the new Anchorman 2 trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

We all knew that Warner Bros. would be partnering with any and everyone on the marketing for MAN OF STEEL, but I didn’t expect Wal-Mart to be one of the primary partners.  But the superstore giant has money to burn and so the next time you’re at Wal-Mart picking up some toiletries or perhaps trying to find something to do in the middle of the night, you’ll see plenty of MAN OF STEEL merchandise.  And one of the things you’ll be able to find is exclusive movie tickets to advance screenings.  Yep, Wal-Mart is apparently in the movie ticket business now, so there’s that.  To help get the message out, Wal-Mart has released a two minute featurette about MAN OF STEEL, featuring Henry Cavill, Zack Snyder and plenty of others (no Christopher Nolan, sorry) discussing Clark Kent and Superman and what he means to the world.  I understand where they’re going, but I’m already getting sick of the deeper meaning Snyder and others are trying to jam down our throats with superman.  Along with a new featurette, we have a couple of new banners for you, featuring Henry Cavill as Superman facing off against Michael Shannon’s General Zod.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013. Man of Steel official synopsis: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The post Henry Cavill, Zack Snyder and others talk Superman in a new Man of Steel featurette appeared first on Flix 66.

Cut to present day, where a twentysomething named Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario, who was nominated for something called the Best Scared-as-S**t Performance at the MTV Movie Awards) gets word that her grandmother has left her estate solely to her and that her cousin is none other than Leatherface, which would have made for some horrifying Thanksgiving gatherings. And wouldn’t you know it, Heather, along with her boyfriend (R&B singer Tremaine Neverson) and best friends (Tania Raymonde, ABC’s LOST; Keram Malicki-Sánchez, IRVINE WELSH’S ECSTACY), hop in a van and head to Texas, where the inheritance—namely a mansion—awaits.

John Luessenhop’s (2010’s TAKERS) TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D may start where Tobe Hooper’s original left off, but it doesn’t even get close to the effectiveness of it. Leatherface (Dan Yeager, taking the skin mask from Gunnar Hansen, in addition to four other imitators), even in his 60s(?), is still up to his tricks, firing up the ol’ chainsaw and hanging intruders on meat hooks. This is old hat and so not scary to anyone who has seen him do it dozens of times before. That said, more loyal fans are rewarded with some nice nods to the original: Leatherface’s older brother, Drayon aka The Cook, is played by Bill Moseley (taking over for Jim Siedow, who played the role in the first two TCM movies but died in 2003), who portrayed Chop Top in TCM 2; final girl Marilyn Burns makes a cameo as Heather’s grandmother; the sheriff is named Hooper, after originator Tobe.

TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D is the first TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE entry released in 3D and the seventh overall. For those trying to figure out where TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D sits in the franchise’s timeline, it exists in an alternate universe than the Platinum Dunes reboots—something we can all envy. It also disregards TCM 2 (1986), TCM III (1990) and TCM: The Next Generation (1994). (The fact that TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D is set nearly 40 years after the events of the original and yet Heather is only in her 20s still doesn’t add up.)

TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D, even with the gimmick (admittedly more welcome than Smell-O-Vision, what with the rotting corpses and decades-old meat), does nothing to reignite interest in the series. In actuality, the only scares here come from the clips of the original that open this entry. Even the Atari 2600 game had more frights.

TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 2.40:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. This high-definition transfer of TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D boasts fine details throughout and a look that adds to the atmosphere. In addition, although much of the movie takes place at night, none of the characters or scenarios are muddled in such exteriors.

Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English 2.0 Dolby Digital; Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Subtitles in English and Spanish. This is a very effective audio soundtrack, with high-pitched screams, revving chainsaws and various ambient noises all coming through with commendable range.

Audio commentary with director John Luessenhop and actor Dan Yeager: Luessenhop and Yeager give a decent commentary, although they spend far too much time commenting on what’s onscreen.

Audio commentary with producer Carl Mazzocone and filmmaker Tobe Hooper: Mazzocone and Hooper, who come from different TCM generations, sit down to discuss both versions and elements of the genre.

Special “Chainsaw Alumni” audio commentary with stars Bill Moseley, Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn Burns, and John Dugan: This is a bit of a crowded track that may have worked better as a documentary, but the alumni have a fine chemistry that make the track a light-hearted listen.

TEXAS CHAINSAW Legacy (6:46): This featurette gathers a number of interviewees to discuss the significance and influence of the original TCM.

Resurrecting the Saw (9:13) jumps ahead nearly 40 years to focus on bringing TC 3D to the screen.

The Old Homestead (14:50) looks at how the Sawyer residence was recreated for TC 3D to match the one in the original movie.

Casting Terror (12:18): The primary cast (including Alexandra Daddario, Tremaine Neverson and more) share their thoughts on their characters and experiences working on the movie.

Leatherface 2013 (14:53) zeroes in on Dan Yeager, who portrays Leatherface, a character he says is “unique in the pantheon of horror icons.”

Lights, Camera, Massacre (11:31): Here, crew members discuss utilizing 3D, something that had never been used for a TCM movie.

It’s in the Meat (7:49) looks at other (gory) special effects used in the movie.

On Set Subjects: Five Minute Massacres: There are six behind-the-scenes featurettes compiled here, which can be viewed separately or as a whole: “Burning Down the House,” “Trapped in the Van,” “Factory Action,” “Leatherface in Action,” “Hot Times in Louisiana,” and “Bloody Good Times.”

An Alternate Opening (3:21) and the Theatrical Trailer round out the special features.

Also included is a Digital Copy and UltraViolet.

The post Texas Chainsaw 3D Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Recently, we reported that Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal were circling the role as the two princes in Disney’s adaptation of the Broadway musical INTO THE WOODS.  Now it looks as though the lovely Emily Blunt will be signing on for the lead.  Most of the cast is still in negotiations but we do know that both Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep are locks.  Also in talks is Christine Baranski (The Good Wife) along with James Corden (THE THREE MUSKETEERS).  Rob Marshall will be directing the film and is no amateur at musicals previously helming CHICAGO and NINE.  The cast so far is definitely very interesting and should be fun to see some of them stretch their singing chops.  I love Emily Blunt so that’s always a good choice especially in this fairy tale mashup.

The official INTO THE WOODS synopsis of the Broadway musical: A young maiden called Cinderella, an abstracted boy named Jack, his mother, the giant he upsets, a childless baker and his wife, Rapunzel, a couple of princes, a witch, Little Red Riding Hood, and the wolf all find themselves in the woods, where they are forced to face their fears, and learn a few lessons along the way. (The Wrap)

The post Emily Blunt to join Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep in Into The Woods appeared first on Flix 66.

When fanboys go to sleep at night, this is the kind of stuff they dream about.  In what could only be considered a pipe dream until today, it’s being reported that Christopher Nolan and his people and the James Bond producers, Eon are actually having very loose conversations about the director helming a film in the series.  Of course, like with any news story of this caliber, there are a few details you should consider before you get too excited.

First, the source is Baz Bamigboye from the British Daily Mail.  Although not necessarily a tabloid, it’s not exactly the most respected newspaper as far as sources go.  But Baz was right on several aspects of SKYFALL and so he has some credibility when it comes to James Bond scoops.  The next thing to consider is that he makes a point to say the talks are in the very early stages, so these kind of talks happen all the time between producers and creative talent.

But, the positive thing to keep in mind is that Christopher Nolan hasn’t been secret about his love of the Bond franchise and even claims it as an inspiration for his Batman films.  But Nolan is hard at work on INTERSTELLAR, which is going to keep him busy for a while and the Bond producers want to get moving on the next Bond film to capitalize on the success of SKYFALL.  But maybe that means he’s not looking to direct the next Bond film, but maybe one after that.  There’s also the issue of final cut and creative flexibility, which Nolan would of course demand.  I don’t see Eon being to difficult in that regard, especially if it means giving the reigns to Christopher Nolan.  Who knows, but the prospect of one of the most original and talented directors taking on the James Bond franchise is pretty exciting.

The post Christopher Nolan is in casual talks to direct a James Bond film appeared first on Flix 66.

Jumping right into the action, the film opens with an exciting chase on an indigenous alien planet as the crew is faced with life and death decisions while balancing moral and logical duties.  Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) are being chased through a strangely colorful forest as Spock (Zachary Quinto) is trapped in an active volcano.  The situation is exhilarating and complex enough that it could be used for a final scene, but STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS doesn’t hold back and maintains the same level of intensity and non-stop action throughout the film.

As a testament to the marketing, most of the plot details have been relatively quiet, even the clips and images promoting the film show up mostly in the opening scene.  Out of respect, I will continue that trend with a brief spoiler-free summary.  After a terrifying inside attack on the Starfleet organization, the crew of the Enterprise set out on a manhunt to capture their greatest adversary in a force of unstoppable destruction.  As they piece the details and motivations of their mission together, The Enterprise discovers they are a pawn caught between two formidable enemies in a high stakes chess match.

Like the first film, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS shines in its great characters, focusing more on their internal struggles.  Holding a more personal vendetta, Captain Kirk continues to defy orders allowing emotions to drive his actions. While Spock continues to be too logical, not allowing his emotions to show enough, hurting those who care about him most.  Kirk and Spock are one of cinemas great teams.  Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are brilliant in their portrayals and propel the friendship between the Captain and First Officer to new heights.  Each provide the perfect amount of humor and sentimentality through an electric chemistry.  That goes for the rest of the cast as well including: Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov, who all take a bit more of a back seat to our two leads this time around but still have plenty to do.  The other major standout is Benedict Cumberbatch, who you may know as Sherlock Holmes on the acclaimed television series Sherlock.  Cumberbatch exudes a commanding charisma making him a villain of epic proportions.  Credit also belongs to the writing as the character is given depth and believability.

My one major gripe is in the final conclusion. I can’t go into much detail, but the film did such a nice job building the drama and unrelenting tension, only to quickly discard it all with an easy resolve.  Perhaps J.J. Abrams who will now be switching gears directing the new STAR WARS film, wanted to wrap everything up himself but I believe it ultimately hinders the film from reaching its full potetial.  On the upside, he throws everything in the book at this film making for one exciting, heart-pounding ride that in my opinion is the current summer champ.

For those who love the series, there are more than enough (perhaps one too many) references and parallels to past storylines, characters and dialogue that will tickle you endlessly and work so well within the context of this alternate universe of the Star Trek world.  I am by no means a purist or Trekkie if you will, but I have seen the original episodes and films and believe STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS will once again satisfy both fans and newcomers to the series.  Like the current Bond era, the new Star Treks may just be the best.

The post Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Tobey Maguire is the lead in our tale. He plays Dr. Jeff Lang, a man who seemingly has it all. He has a beautiful wife in Nealy (Elizabath Banks), a cute kid and a secure job. But the narration in the beginning tells of possible trouble in the future.

Jeff’s life gets more complicated when he experiences a raccoon problem in his lawn. The raccoon rips up the lawn and always seems to avoid Jeff’s many traps and maneuvers. This part of the story amused me to no end. The raccoon has a personality of his own and tortures Jeff incessantly. Jeff starts imagining the raccoon in other parts of his life and it invades his dreams. This is totally relatable to anyone that has an issue, no matter what it is, that you can’t quite solve and it doesn’t seem to go away. It consumes you to do irrational things to get rid of the problem.

This is not the only thing that is bugging Jeff these days. His sex life with Nealy has been dormant for quite a while. When he tries to initiate it one night, Nealy gives the old ate too much excuse. That’s never a good sign. There’s a great scene where Jeff confides in his old friend Rebecca (Kerry Washington) about his marital difficulties. Director/Screenwriter Jacob Aaron Estes fast forwards a day which led to the last time Jeff and Nealy had sex. It’s interesting and zany at the same time. It actually felt similar in a way to a scene in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE where Kubrick sped up a sex scene to comical effect. Estes does this throughout THE DETAILS. There are visual flourishes here and there, but he doesn’t go overboard. The musical score is top notch and puts you in the right mindset.

Jeff also has to deal with a peculiar neighbor named Lila (a delightful and unhinged Laura Linney). She’s one of those neighbors who complain all the time about something. It could be that you are being noisy, violating some city code or some other trivial thing. Supporting characters played by Ray Liotta and Dennis Haysbert also make their mark. Liotta, who plays Rebecca’s husband Peter, delivers one of the better speeches I’ve seen in a film. It deals with being a good person. It actually makes you think about your own life and how you would confront certain situations. Haysbert tugs as the heart strings as Jeff’s basketball buddy who is battling kidney problems. His storyline doesn’t work as well as the other ones, but it does give the film some needed humanity. That comes by the way of what these two men do for each other.

Jeff’s life gets all out of whack because of the raccoon and romantic entanglements that come his way. Each character plays their part to the hilt. It’s great seeing Maguire show more emotion than we are accustomed. All of his past characters tended to be on the mild mannered side. Here he shows the full spectrum of emotions from rage to bewilderment. Banks gives another strong performance that can be added to her stellar resume. She really has a unique ability to go from a lighthearted scene to a more dramatic scene on the dime. It’s effortless.

I was thoroughly entertained by THE DETAILS. It does peter out some at the end. The loose ends are tied up a bit too neatly. It doesn’t negate what fun that you will experience as Jeff’s life unravels in every imaginable way.

Blu-ray Review

Video: The colors come alive in this transfer. I especially liked the rich colors of the flowers and plants on screen.

Sound: There’s a nice clarity and diction to the sound.

Alternate Beginning (2:06): More ominous than the theatrical choice. It explains a bit more which in this case is not a plus.

Alternate Ending (4:51): Different result for Jeff. Very silly. Estes made the right move.

Previews

The post The Details Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Here’s the thing about movies featuring nothing but older stars; no matter how great they are or how good the story is, it still feels like watching your parents try to be funny.  And as we all know, that feels more awkward than anything else and that’s the prevailing feeling I got watching the first trailer for LAST VEGAS, where Michael Douglas invites his old friends out to Vegas for his bachelor party.  Sure, I enjoy watching Morgan Freeman learn how great mixing Red Bull and vodka can be as much as the next guy, but at the end of the day, it’s just another old joke.  So some of the jokes are going to hit while others are going to make you groan.  Watch the trailer below and see what you think.

The official, brief synopsis for LAST VEGAS: LAST VEGAS tells the story of four best friends in their late-60’s, who decide to escape retirement and throw the ultimate Las Vegas bachelor party for the last single member of their group.  The John Turteltaub directed film stars Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romy Malco and Roger Bart.  LAST VEGAS is set to hit theaters on November 1st.

The post Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro party too hard in the Last Vegas trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

I know he’s adored by HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL fans everywhere, so at the risk of sounding like a pre-teen girl, I still don’t feel Zac Efron is as big of a star as he should be. The guy has a lot of charm and charisma and I’ve been impressed with just about everything he’s been in. But for whatever reason, he can’t seem to find that role that catapults him into superstardom, at least not with adult audiences. All of that might change with the action thriller AUTOBAHN. Zac Efron and Amber Heard (is she or isn’t she dating Johnny Depp?) are set to star as two Americans backpacking through Europe that are hired by drug smugglers. But the job takes a wrong turn and the couple has to hide out along the Autobahn, using the highway to throw off the drug dealers. It sounds like it has a little bit of a TRANSIBBEREAN vibe to it, which isn’t a bad thing. The film will be helmed by British director Eran Creevy, who is quickly making a name for himself with films like SHIFTY and most recently, WELCOME TO THE PUNCH with James McAvoy. Although the latter didn’t fare too well in theaters, it does have its fans and was incredibly stylish, so Creevy might be one to keep your eye on.

Quick funny story about my experience on the Autobahn; I was traveling with a friend from Vienna to Prague and we had a debate about how far the Autobahn extended. I was convinced it went all the way through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Long story short, it doesn’t and we got pulled over for speeding by a very angry Slovakian highway patrolman. I know; another dumb American. So just keep in mind that the Autobahn is primarily in Germany if you’re ever traveling overseas. (THR)

The post Zac Efron and Amber Heard are set for Autobahn appeared first on Flix 66.

Maybe Michael Bay killed the mystique of the giant robot on robot action, but I’ve found myself curiously unimpressed with anything I’ve seen from Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM. If I had never seen a CGI spectacle featuring robots beating up other robots, then maybe I’d be more stoked for PACIFIC RIM, but since we’ve had three such movies, I just can’t get excited. But the fact that Guillermo del Toro is directing, along with the inspired casting (mainly Charlie Day) will get me in the theater and this latest trailer finally shows us some excitement and intensity that was lacking in previous trailers. Check it out below and decide for yourself if this will be a great summer thrill ride or if it will feel too familiar.

PACIFIC RIM official synopsis: When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

PACIFIC RIM stars: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman, Charlie Day, Clifton Collins Jr., Rinko Kikuchi, Robert Maillet and Burn Gorman. The Guillermo del Toro science fiction film will hit 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on July 12.

The post Pacific Rim finally has a trailer that will get you excited appeared first on Flix 66.

Kickstarter is a great way to fund movies you want to make that are based on a TV show or maybe a comic. ‘Veronica Mars’ was relatively low risk because if the fans didn’t open up their pocket books, then no harm, no foul. The project would barely register on the Hollywood radar and no one would really care. But if you’re an actor and you’re trying to get a movie starring you, directed and written by you and it doesn’t go well, that could end up being a career killer. So what I’m trying to say is; regardless of how you feel about Zach Braff turning to Kickstarter to fund his next movie, you have to respect the guy for having the guts to try. Because he could have fallen on his face and ended his career.

But thankfully, the former ‘Scrubs’ star is flying high with over $2 million raised so far and so the pieces to WISH I WAS HERE are starting to fall into place. He just upped the excitement factor by casting the great and underused Anna Kendrick in the film. She’ll be playing the wife of the lead character’s brother. She joins a cast that already includes Zach Braff, Mandy Patinkin and Josh Gad. Filming should get underway soon.

WISH I WAS HERE official synopsis: “Wish I Was Here” is the story of Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff), a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to find his identity; a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he’d always dreamed he’d be as a little kid. When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids (ages 5 and 12) and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. The result is some funny chaos, until Aidan decides to scrap the traditional academic curriculum and come up with his own. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn’t find.

The post Anna Kendrick joins Zach Braff’s Kickstarter project, Wish I Was Here appeared first on Flix 66.

When Reese Witherspoon isn’t yelling at State Troopers for pulling over her fiancee, she’s actually an actress.  Although her star was probably a little too bright to be pulled down by one off-screen incident, she knows that the best way to make people forget how crazy and obnoxious you are is to give them another great movie.  While he male counterparts would line up the first action movie that came their way, I would have thought she’d try to get a romantic comedy out there to appeal to her fans.  But no, Reese Witherspoon is eying one of the more exciting projects on the horizon and is set to reteam with her WALK THE LINE costar in Paul Thomas Anderson’s INHERENT VICE.  We don’t know who she’ll be playing just yet, but she joins a great cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin J. Anderson.  Filming on the project should begin soon and I’m guessing this will be an awards contender when it’s finally released. (Deadline)

The official synopsis of Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Inherent Vice’: In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre that is at once exciting and accessible, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there.  It’s been a while since Doc Sportello has seen his ex- girlfriend. Suddenly she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Undeniably one of the most influential writers at work today, Pynchon has penned another unforgettable book.

The post Reese Witherspoon joins Owen Wilson and Joaquin Phoenix in Inherent Vice appeared first on Flix 66.

If I was a recognizable character actor, popular for my portrayal of a drunk ad exec on ‘Mad Men’ and I wanted to break into the world of feature directing and screenwriting, I can’t think of a better actor to have lead my first effort than Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Because no matter how bad you write or how many mistakes you make, Hoffman is going to make you look good because he can deliver any line of dialogue like it’s Shakespeare.  It seems John Slattery feels the same way as he’s just assembled a great cast to lead his adaptation of Pete Dexter’s novel GOD’S POCKET.

But Philip Seymour Hoffman isn’t he only big name signing on for Roger Sterling’s debut.  He’s also tapped his ‘Mad Men’ co-star Christina Hendricks, along with Richard Jenkins and John Turturro.  GOD’S POCKET will mark John Slattery’s directorial debut and he’ll also be adapting the screenplay.  There’s no word yet on when production will start.

The official synopsis for GOD’S POCKET: Set in the gritty blue-collar neighborhood of God’s Pocket, Mickey’s crazy stepson Leon is killed in a construction ‘accident’ and Mickey quickly tries to bury the bad news with the body. But when a local columnist comes sniffing around for the truth, things go from bad to worse. Mickey finds himself stuck in a life and death struggle between a body he can’t bury, a wife he can’t please and a debt he can’t pay.

The post Philip Seymour Hoffman joins Christina Hendricks in God’s Pocket appeared first on Flix 66.

After a flurry of final one-sheets for MAN OF STEEL, we now get an onslaught of new images from the film.  Most of these are images of Henry Cavill looking very Superman-y, but hidden in the batch is a picture with a caption that might get some Superman fanboys riled up.  As was long rumored, it’s now confirmed that there won’t be a Jimmy Olsen in the film, but instead, there will be a Jenny Olsen, to be played by unknown Rebecca Buller.  I’m not a die-hard Superman comic reader, nor do I have any great personal attachment to any of the characters, but I’d like to believe that everyone can collectively give a “who cares” to the news of changing the character from a man to a woman.  It doesn’t and shouldn’t matter and I don’t think the sex of Clark Kent’s fellow reporter will have any impact on the story.  But knowing Zack Snyder, I’m sure he’ll have a little joke thrown in there somewhere to address it.  Regardless, the world is excited to see what Snyder has in store for us with his take on Superman.  Below you can see almost a dozen new images, featuring Superman both young and old, as well as images of his parents.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013. Man of Steel official synopsis: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind. (Facebook)

Go to Page 2 to see the rest of the new images.

The post Henry Cavill is Superman in new pics from Man of Steel, plus the Olsen mystery is solved appeared first on Flix 66.

The brutish killers spare Signe, instead deciding to take her captive in a camp formed by their leader, a vicious woman named Dagmar (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, CHERNOBYL DIARIES). There, it’s revealed that Signe will be volunteered as a surrogate so that the camp’s only other girl, a pre-teen named Frigg (Milla Olin, also in her debut) will have a sister. Frigg soon befriends Signe against Dagmar’s demands. But when she’s tasked to cut off one of Signe’s fingers as punishment, she uses the knife to cut her free, allowing her to…escape!

From there, ESCAPE (known as FLUKT in its native tongue) finds the pair on the run from Dagmar and company, trudging dirty and muddy fields, jagged and rocky mountains, wide open fields. These locations, all found in Norway and captured by cinematographer John Christian Rosenlund, offer a wealth of picturesque visuals.

The screenplay, written by Thomas Moldestead (COLD PREY, COLD PREY 2), tells us very little about the girls. At just 80 minutes, there is almost no time for much development—they need to be mistreated, abused, fleeing, struggling, and surviving. Really, such development is not as necessary as one might seem, because the movie isn’t about where the girls have been, but rather about where they’re going to end up. (Most of the backstory is actually about Dagmar, delivered by the man who offers shelter to Signe and Frigg.) With so few details (especially early on), so much depends on the abilities of the leads, and fortunately, both Isabel Christine Andreasen and Mila Olin have the presence to make us sympathize with and root for their characters. If any American directors get wind of this movie, they may find them to be worthy stars.

ESCAPE is directed by Roar Uthaug, the Norwegian filmmaker who helmed the effective 2006 slasher COLD PREY aka FRITT VILT. Uthaug keeps the story (however minimal it is) moving briskly, loading the movie with many sequences of chases and attacks. The downside there is that very little of the action offers anything fresh and is comprised mostly of bearded animals swinging weapons at whoever they come across.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 2.40:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. Entertainment One’s high-definition presentation of ESCAPE faithfully captures John Christian Rosenlund’s cinematography and the stunning Norwegian locales, bringing full life and color (from the muddy browns to the sky blues) to the picture.

Audio: Norwegian DTS-HD Master Audio; English 2.0 Dolby Digital. Subtitles in English. The dialogue is clean and clear, while Magnus Beite’s score and sound effects come through surround sound speakers with tremendous power.

The Visual Effects (2:40) offers a brief look at the amount of special effects in ESCAPE.

Deleted Scenes (5:41): There are five here, which can only be viewed as a whole.

Bloopers (1:51) collects a few flubs from the cast.

Trailer

The post Escape Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

DIVERGENT – Official Book Summary:  In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. (Summit)

The post Shailene Woodley might jump in new photo from Divergent appeared first on Flix 66.

Remakes aren’t always a bad thing, especially when a film is being remade from one language to another.  Americans don’t like subtitles and our foreign brethren make a ton of great movies every year, so there’s always plenty of material to choose from.  The next foreign film on the list to go through the American Hollywood grinder is the 2009 Italian film THE DOUBLE HOUR.   Joel Edgerton and Michelle Williams are set to star in the remake of the psychological thriller, which will be directed by MARIA FULL OF GRACE helmer Joshua Marston.

Joel Edgerton can currently be seen in THE GREAT GATSBY with Leonardo DiCaprio and Michelle Williams most recently appeared in the Disney film OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL.  There’s no start date yet on THE DOUBLE HOUR as it looks like things just got started at Cannes. (Deadline)

The official synopsis of the Italian film: Guido (Filippo Timi), a former cop, is a luckless veteran of the speed-dating scene in Turin. But, much to his surprise, he meets Slovenian immigrant Sonia (Ludovica Rappoport), a chambermaid at a high-end hotel. The two hit it off, and a passionate romance develops. After they leave the city for a romantic getaway in the country, things suddenly take a dark turn. As Sonia’s murky past resurfaces, her reality starts to crumble. Everything in her life begins to change—questions arise and answers only arrive through a continuous twist and turn of events keeping viewers on edge until the film’s final moments.

The post Joel Edgerton and Michelle Williams sign on for a remake of The Double Hour appeared first on Flix 66.

Where was I?  Oh, right; there’s another new Toy Story short hitting TV some time in October, marking the fourth short film since TOY STORY 3.  This time, the gang tackles the horror genre.  According to producer Galyn Susman (in an interview with TV Guide), the plot this time “Bonnie is on a road trip to go see grandma with her mom and the toys are in the trunk.  Mom gets a flat tire and they have to spend the night at a motel and all kinds of chaos ensues.”  It sounds like fun, but let’s face it; you’ll follow these characters anywhere.  Below you can see the first image from the new short, TOY STORY OF TERROR.

The post Buzz, Woody and Jessie look stressed in the first image from Toy Story of Terror appeared first on Flix 66.

Can you believe it has been almost four months since we’ve seen Jessica Chastain in a movie?  It sounds crazy, but it’s true.  The busiest actress in Hollywood actually doesn’t have anything coming up for a while unless they finally update the release date for THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY.  I assume that will come out some time this year, but if not, then all of you Jessica Chastain fans will have to pin your hopes on the currently filming adaptation of MISS JULIE.  The first images from the film have been released and given the heavy subject matter and historical setting, it’s likely this will hit during awards season.

The film stars Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton.  Liv Ullman is directing, who hasn’t directed anything since FAITHLESS back in 2000, although she has acted in some movies, including TWO LIVES most recently.  The images above and below don’t tell us much, but as with most period films, I’m guessing there’s a lot of uncomfortable clothing and repressed feelings and emotions.

The official synopsis of the original Miss Julie play by August Strindberg: One of the greatest classics of modern theater — the fateful drama of a willful young aristocrat’s seduction of her father’s valet during a Midsummer’s Eve celebration. Inspired by the new ideas of naturalism and psychology that swept Europe in the late 19th century, the play is reprinted here complete with Strindberg’s critical preface.

The post Jessica Chastain and Colin Farrell look very proper in the first images from Miss Julie appeared first on Flix 66.

When it was first announced that Richard Gere would be singing a pretty big part in the big screen adaptation of the musical CHICAGO, I cringed.  That was director Rob Marshall’s first major film role and I thought the casting of Gere was going to make that his last film.  But Gere nailed all the songs and surprised a lot of people, giving Rob Marshall some street cred when it comes to casting actors in singing roles.  So keep that in mind when you learn that Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal are going to be joining the already A-list cast of Rob Marshall’s next musical, INTO THE WOODS.

Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal will play a couple of obnoxious princes that seduce Cinderella and Rapunzel respectively.  The role of the princes isn’t large, but they do get to sing a song, meaning that their singing ability will be more important than their acting ability, which makes their involvement even more befuddling.  But I’ve been wrong many times before when it comes to actors trying to sing and I’m guessing Rob Marshall has heard them and knows what he’s doing.  Remember that the duo join James Corden, Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep in the film, making for one heck of a cast for Marshall to work with.  Not only that, but there’s still the lead female roles to fill, including some of the leads, so this could get exciting pretty quick. (HeatVision)

The official synopsis of the Broadway musical: A young maiden called Cinderella, an abstracted boy named Jack, his mother, the giant he upsets, a childless baker and his wife, Rapunzel, a couple of princes, a witch, Little Red Riding Hood, and the wolf all find themselves in the woods, where they are forced to face their fears, and learn a few lessons along the way.

The post Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal join Johnny Depp in Into The Woods appeared first on Flix 66.

Although Vin Diesel is trying, it remains to be seen if audiences will come out to see him in RIDDICK.  PITCH BLACK was a surprise, low budget success that launched his career, but THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK was a bit of a mess (although I know a lot of  you liked it).  So Vin Diesel is hoping that his FAST AND FURIOUS success will attract audiences back to the Riddick saga and then I’m guessing he’s going to resurrect his XXX franchise and it will feel like it’s 2002 all over again.

The full trailer for the film has been released and it appears to be much more PITCH BLACK and less THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, which is a good thing, although I’m not sure how I feel about that slow motion, MATRIX style action.  I am disappointed we didn’t get more Katee Sackhoff.  I know I’m just another Battlestar Galactica geek, but I’ve been hoping Sackhoff makes it post BSG.  Directed by David Twohy, RIDDICK stars: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff, Nolan Gerard Funk, Dave Bautista, Bokeen Woodbine and Jordi Molla. It opens in theaters on September 6, 2013.

The official RIDDICK synopsis: Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.  The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.

The post Vin Diesel and Katee Sackhoff star in the new Riddick trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

THE WOLVERINE stars Hugh Jackman, Brian Tee, Will Yun Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Rila Fukushima and James Fraser. The James Mangold directed film is set to open in theaters on July 26th, 2013. (via James Mangold’s Twitter)

THE WOLVERINE synopsis: Arguably the most beloved character in the X-Men universe, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) returns to the big screen in the all new epic action-adventure THE WOLVERINE.  This time, Logan finds himself in modern day Japan, out of his element and in an unusual world, facing a menacing nemesis that could mean the end of The Wolverine.  Vulnerable for the first time and facing emotional and physical limits, he confronts his samurai adversaries as well as his own inner turmoil regarding his immortality.  But the battles will leave Logan stronger and more powerful than ever before.

The post Hugh Jackman and Hiro Sanada rehearse a fight scene in a new set photo from The Wolverine appeared first on Flix 66.

Writer, director and actor Jon Favreau seems to be dipping into his IRON MAN 2 pool to extract some talent for his next project CHEF.  His biggest snag was Robert Downey Jr. reported just last Friday from Cannes. Next on the list is Scarlett Johansson who is no small fish herself.  Barring any crazy scenarios, these two stars can also be seen together in THE AVENGERS 2.  Not much is known about the indie comedy CHEF, except that it centers around a chef (Jon Favreau) who loses his job at a L.A Restaurant.  In order to get his life back together he stars up a food truck.  I think it should be a mix of emotional family drama and comedy.

Modern Family’s “it” girl, Sofia Vergara is also in the cast and between her and Scarlett Johansson, CHEF has some very beautifully voluptuous ladies. I’m finding Vergara to be a little over-exposed currently and I wonder how she will translate to the big screen.  The full cast includes, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale. CHEF plans to star production July 8th. (Cannes)

The post Scarlett Johansson joins her fellow Avenger Robert Downey Jr. in Chef appeared first on Flix 66.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will combine both casts from the X-MEN series that will include Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Nicolas Hoult, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Jason Flemyng and Peter Dinklage.  Directed by Bryan Singer the film is set to hit theaters on July 18th, 2014.  Singer has been posting a lot of images via the X-Men Facebook page, so hopefully we’ll see some footage from the film soon.

It’s not clear how closely the movie will follow the comic storyline, but the official synopsis of the comics (via Wikipedia) is: The storyline alternates between present day, in which the X-Men fight Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a future timeline caused by the X-Men’s failure to prevent the Brotherhood from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly. In this future universe, Sentinels rule the United States, and mutants live in internment camps. The present-day X-Men are forewarned of the possible future by a future version of their teammate Kitty Pryde, whose mind traveled back in time and possessed her younger self to warn the X-Men. She succeeds in her mission and returns to the future, but despite her success, the future timeline still exists as an alternative timeline rather than as the actual future.

The post Wolverine and Beast hang out on the set of X-Men: Days of Future Past appeared first on Flix 66.

As much as I wanted to, I didn’t even get a chance to see Terrence Malick’s TO THE WONDER in theaters.  I’m not sure it ever came to my city and if it did, it came and went without a thud.  Apparently, no one else saw it either since the film hasn’t made anything at the box office and is already slated to hit Blu-ray this summer.  But I think we all know Terrence Malick couldn’t care any less what critics or fans think of his films and so he’s hard at work on his next effort, KNIGHT OF CUPS.  The above, official image should be familiar to everyone that has been paying attention, or to anyone that searched for “Christian Bale” during THE DARK KNIGHT RISES run.  It’s an official version of all those set photos we saw last summer.

It’s great that we have an official image from the film and I like the colors and style of the image, but it would have been great to get an official synopsis from the film or at least a release date.  Right now, the only “official” thing we have about the film is from the film’s financiers in that KNIGHT OF CUPS is “a story of man, temptations, celebrity and excess.”  We also know that a lot of actors have been spotted on set, but if you know anything about Terrence Malick, you know that just because you film some scenes, that doesn’t mean you’ll make the final cut.  But here are some of the possible stars of KNIGHT OF CUPS; Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Isabel Lucas, Wes Bentley, Imogen Poots, Freida Pinto, Teresa Palmer, Ryan O’Neal, Antonio Banderas, Joel Kinnaman and Jason Clarke.  But for right now, we can assume that Christian Bale and Natalie Portman will show up in the final product.  Again, no release date yet. (THR)

The post Christian Bale and Natalie Portman stroll the beach in the first official image from Knight of Cups appeared first on Flix 66.

In 2009, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS was my favorite film of the year.  In 2012, DJANGO UNCHAINED received the top honor.  Both films have two things in common, they were directed by Quentin Tarantino and they starred Christoph Waltz.  Waltz won a supporting Academy Award for both roles and has quickly become one of my favorite actors.  Waltz apparently leaving Django’s Candy Land and is looking to join the action thriller CANDY STORE by Academy Award-winning writer Stephen Gaghan who will also direct.  Waltz will be join one of his fellow Oscar nominees from last year, Robert De Niro, who has won two Oscars of his own for THE GODFATHER: PART II and RAGING BULL.  De Niro seemed to have become more of a caricature of himself in his later years up until last years incredibly moving THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.  With the players involved, CANDY STORE is looking to be one to keep our eye on.

CANDY STORE will be directed by Stephen Gaghan who also penned the screenplay. Gaghan directed SYRIANA and wrote one of my favorite films TRAFFIC. Along with Christoph Waltz and Robert De Niro the film will star Jason Clarke and Omar Sy.

The story of CANDY STORE is set in the criminal underworld of Brooklyn and follows a former operative who discovers the very global organization he fought against is now in his backyard.  When he teams up with a disgraced local cop (Robert De Niro), their investigation leads them to an international sex trade entrepreneur (Omar Sy), a Cold War consigliere posing as a typical American suburbanite (Christoph Waltz), and a beautiful girl wrapped up in an elaborate threat against Manhattan. (Lionsgate)

The post Christoph Waltz joins Robert De Niro at the Candy Store appeared first on Flix 66.

DESPICABLE ME 2 official synopsis: Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster, Despicable Me, delighted audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history. In Summer 2013, get ready for more minion madness in Despicable Me 2. Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy animated adventure featuring the return of Gru (Steve Carell), the girls, the unpredictably hilarious minions…and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.

DESPICABLE ME 2 (click the link to watch the trailer) will feature the voice talents of Steve Carell returning as Gru, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong and Benjamin Bratt replacing Al Pacino.  The animated follow up directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, hits theaters on July 3rd, 2013. (Universal)

The post Steve Carell stars as Gru in the new Despicable Me 2 poster appeared first on Flix 66.

Will Smith isn’t quite the name he used to be, but I personally would never bet against the guy.  He has the resume and success that until he releases a few bombs, we should go ahead and assume he can still pack the seats.  But Big Willy’s problem isn’t that he’s releasing bad movies, it’s that he’s not releasing movies at all.  MEN IN BLACK III came out last year, but before that, we have to go back to 2008′s SEVEN POUNDS.  He has AFTER EARTH coming later this year, but since he’s taking a back seat, that’s really his attempt to make his son Jaden Smith a superstar.

But Will Smith does have some promising movies on the horizon.  He has a smaller role in the fantasy WINTER’S TALE, the drama AN AMERICAN CAN and just recently signed on for FOCUS after Ben Affleck dropped out.  He also has the long rumored sequels to some of his more famous films, including I ROBOT 2, HANCOCK 2, BAD BOYS III and even MEN IN BLACK 3.  I’m not sure anyone actually wants sequels to any of those films, but with Will Smith involved, I’m sure people will come out in droves to see them.

Now you can add a remake of the 1969 film THE WILD BUNCH to the list of projects Will Smith has coming up.  But this won’t be a Western.  Instead, this will be a modern day retelling and Will Smith is slated to star in the lead role as a DEA agent putting together a team to knock off a Mexican drug cartel.  Originally, this was being set up as a vehicle for Tony Scott to direct and had a screenplay written by Brian Helgeland.  But it’s believed Helgeland never finished the script and Tony Scott passed away in August of last year, so I presume they’ll have to find a new creative team now that Will Smith is on board.  This is in the early stages and they clearly still have a lot of work to do, so no start date has been announced. (TheWrap)

The post Will Smith lines up the wicky-wicky wild Wild Bunch appeared first on Flix 66.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE is set to star Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair) Stephanie Leigh Schlund (Cashmere), Jenna Malone (Johanna Mason), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee), Amanda Plummer (Wiress), Lynn Cohen (Mags), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee), Alan Ritchson (Gloss), Bruno Gunn (Brutus), Meta Golding (Enobaria), E. Roger Mitchell (Chaff) and Maria Howell (Seeder). THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE is directed by Francis Lawrence and will be released in theaters on November 22, 2013.

The official synopsis: THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour’ of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever. (Instagram)

The post Jennifer Lawrence stands alone on the new poster for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire appeared first on Flix 66.

The first trailer for the time traveling romantic comedy, ABOUT TIME is out and the film is from Richard Curtis, who also brought us LOVE ACTUALLY.  You can probably get that from the trailer as the film has a very British, romantic feel to it.  You might think the mix of time travel and romantic comedy would lead to some grand plot, but it seems they keep it pretty simple, which actually works for the film.  I found myself laughing and getting involved and that was just from the trailer.  It also doesn’t help that Rachel McAdams is adorable.  Check out the trailer below and see for yourself.  ABOUT TIME hits theaters on November 1st.

Here’s the official ABOUT TIME synopsis: At the age of 21, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson from the Harry Potter films) discovers he can travel in time… The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim’s father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life—so he decides to make his world a better place…by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think. Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to train as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary (Rachel McAdams). They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he’s never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again—and again—but finally, after a lot of cunning time-traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his best friend from professional disaster and to get his pregnant wife to the hospital in time for the birth of their daughter, despite a nasty traffic jam outside Abbey Road. But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can’t save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. There are great limits to what time travel can achieve, and it can be dangerous too. About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.

The post Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson star in the first About Time trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

Wow. All I can say is, wow.  In some very odd news, aging action star Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to star in the campy 1984 B-movie remake of THE TOXIC AVENGER. Hollywood is really scraping the bottom of the barrel for their remakes nowadays. I enjoyed the cult hit as much as the next person but on the ‘it’s so bad and silly it’s good’ level it’s suppose to be enjoyed. But THE TOXIC AVENGERS following has grown into three sequels, an animated series, even a musical, and now apparently a remaking starring the former governor and The Terminator himself, Arnie.

If you are unaware of the unusual superhero movie, THE TOXIC AVENGER is an action comedy about nerdy janitor named Melvin who is thrown out a window into some toxic waste by some evil bullies.  Unexplainably, Melvin turns into a muscular monster with a mop saving the people of Tromaville from all the terrible people in the world.  The remake is to be directed by Steve Pink (HOT TUB TIME MACHINE) and will be produce by Elysium Films, Akiva Goldsman, Richard Sapersein, Charlie Corwin and Michael Bearoya.  Arnold Schwarzenegger will not play the title role but rather a mentor role like Obi Wan Kenobi or Mr. Miyagi type.

Arnold Schwarzenegger most recently starred in the abysmal THE LAST STAND and can next be seen reteaming with his THE EXPENDABLES co-star Sylvester Stallone in ESCAPE PLAN September 13, 2013. (Variety)

The post Arnold Schwarzenegger looks to star in The Toxic Avenger remake appeared first on Flix 66.

I normally try to give a rundown of the basic plot in my reviews, but that’s virtually impossible with CLOUD ATLAS, at least with a literal interpretation. The film revolves around two sets of connected “souls” throughout time. One set is represented by Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, who start out very far apart, but through the search for truth and learning how to be better people, their souls eventually find each other closer to the end of time. The other set of souls is represented by Jim Sturgess and Doona Bae, who have the opposite course as Hanks and Berry. They start out early on by being together, then their journeys to do the right thing lead them further and further apart throughout time, despite their best efforts to hold onto each other.

I use the term “souls” because that’s the best way to describe what we’re watching. We follow the various characters over several time periods, including the 1800’s, 1970’s, 2010’s, distant future and then after earth. All the while, we’re picking up bits and pieces about each of the characters and learning how they’re connected and what’s driving them closer together or further apart. The various timelines are told in a linear fashion within themselves, but they’re intertwined together to show how the characters grow in each time period. If you focus on the “action” in the storylines or get hung up on the actors and their makeup, then you’ll miss the point of each segment. Even with the brilliant narration at various points in the film, you still have to pay attention to what’s being said and the decisions the characters are making because as the tagline promises, everything is connected.

Everyone will have their favorite characters, of course, but all of the actors do well with what they have. Tom Hanks is his usual brilliant self, Berry is efficient as the strong, determined woman and Jim Sturgess is surprisingly good as the hopeless romantic trying to make things right. But the real highlight came from Hugh Grant, who represented controlling, evil power across the time periods. Even though he was unrecognizable at times, he added a lot to his characters and his performance heightened the intensity. I was less thrilled with Ben Whishaw and Jim Broadbent’s storylines and felt that their intertwining with the rest of the characters was lacking, at least when compared to the four main characters.

So why did so many people hate the film? For starters, you have to buy into the whole souls colliding aspect of the story. If you don’t pick up on that or don’t buy into it, then you’re left with a very superficial film. It’s also easy to get distracted by the intertwining of the stories. It was done to show the character growth and keep the pacing of the film somewhat even, but it can be distracting if you’re not looking deep enough. At times, The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer were maybe too subtle in their attempts to connect people and not everyone appreciates subtlety in film. And sometimes a film can be too existential (TREE OF LIFE) to the point of losing audiences that are more interested in seeing action than interpreting visuals.

The biggest compliment I hear given to CLOUD ATLAS is that it was ambitious. That’s true, but I think I give credit to ambition less than others. The very idea of translating David Mitchell’s novel into a movie is ambitious, but ambition means nothing if you don’t succeed. The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer succeeded in what they set out to do, which is effectively tell a complicated, meaningful film and make the whole thing enjoyable at the same time.

CLOUD ATLAS was one of my favorite films of 2012, but when asked for a recommendation, I don’t think I would ever suggest CLOUD ATLAS. If you’re not prepared to concentrate on the film and read more into it than what is on the surface, I don’t think you’ll appreciate it. That said, if you want a movie that will impress you with its ambition and inspire you with its themes, then I highly recommend giving CLOUD ATLAS a chance.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: CLOUD ATLAS looks amazing on Blu-ray, with each setting coming through in beautiful detail. While most films stick to one color tone, CLOUD ATLAS has a wide range and they all look great on this transfer.

Audio: The great score in CLOUD ATLAS sounded immaculate and the surround sound came through perfectly.

Focus Points (54:46): This is comprised of seven featurettes, including A Film Like No Other, Everything Is Connected, The Impossible Adaptation, The Essence of Acting, Slaves & Sextets, The Bold Science Fiction of Cloud Atlas, Love Life and Longing in Cloud Atlas. Let’s be honest; if you’re a fan of the film, it just wouldn’t be possible to have an extensive enough documentary about the film. However, this is pretty decent. We get plenty of interviews and behind the scenes interviews, but I would have liked more explanation into the scenes and less recap of the film. We do get a brief clip of Tom Hanks talking about reading the script and not having any questions. Then the interviewer asked him if he understood it and he yelled “No!” That seems to be a general consensus amongst the cast.

The post Cloud Atlas Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

THALE follows Leo and Elvis, two young men who cleanup crime scenes. Leo is stoic and hardened from his work. Elvis is the sensitive newbie who can’t hold his lunch. When they are called to a remote estate where an old man had died several months prior, they discover much more than they could have imagined. Near the outhouse they discover a tunnel that leads down into the earth. Inside are several rooms filled with frightening paraphernalia, gas masks and tubes of what appear to be failed medical experiments.

In the backmost room, Elvis discovers an audiocassette player, next to a tape marked “THALE” and a date. There are several of these tapes with different years lying near the player. Most are filled with ambient noise, but after searching Elvis discovers something. There is an older man’s voice talking to someone, a woman who never responds. Gradually the tapes become more cryptic and tense; the man is obviously afraid of the woman and deeply disturbed by something that has happened. When a nude woman suddenly appears from a bathtub behind them, filled with a milky substance, Elvis and Leo realize they’ve uncovered something far more insidious than they could have believed.

I enjoy both indie and horror films in general – if they’ve made it big enough to have a blu-ray or solid theatrical/festival release, then I would generally consider myself a fan. THALE succeeds in a lot of ways Indie films tend to stumble, the foremost and most obvious example being the acting. The cast of THALE is small, but the film is extremely intimate so the limited cast feels completely appropriate. Elvis (Erlend Nervold) and Leo (Jon Sigve Skard) are both wonderfully cast and bring the gravity of their situation directly to the heart of the audience. Silje Reinåmo as title character Thale gives an intense and amazing performance, despite never speaking a word during the entire film.

The beauty of THALE is also its undoing. The story unfolds slowly but with tension that will keep you clutching your seat. I watched THALE in a dark room in the middle of the night, and I found myself getting up several times to check on noises that I heard because they so closely matched the sounds utilized so beautifully in THALE. My problem with THALE, though, is that there is never really any payoff for the suspense that builds. The pacing feels great until you hit about an hour in, when things feel like they should come off the rails.

Maybe it is a testament to foreign filmmakers that they don’t feel the need to go overboard but to me it just feels anti-climactic. My other issue must be taken up with their marketing department. THALE is a suspenseful thriller but it is NOT a horror film. To brand it as such implies some further weight the movie never quite achieves. Overall I would highly recommend THALE to anyone interested in the suspense genre, but I don’t think it is one for horror aficionados. Sadly, the Blu-ray lacks ANY special features, which makes this an even harder sell.

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Video: (1080p, 1.78:1 Widescreen) The presentation of THALE is certainly adequate, though it does have some of the hallmarks of foreign low-budget films in the video feeling a little too PBS/old British presentation. The color schemes are very carefully presented and the unsaturated world in the hidden rooms greatly contrasts the natural beauty of the surrounding area.

Audio: (Norwegian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0) The audio on THALE absolutely shines. There are some moments where you feel like you are truly in the room with these three folks and this owes much to the phenomenal use of sound mixing and scoring. I highly recommend utilizing the original Norwegian rather than listening to the English dubbing, which is just awful.

The post Thale Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

RED 2 synopsis: In the follow to 2010′s RED, Frank (Bruce Willis), Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), and Marvin (John Malkovich) fight an unrelenting onslaught of hired killers, heavily armed terrorists, and powerful government officials in their desperate race to prevent a missing portable nuclear device from falling into the wrong hands. (Moviefone)

The post Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and the rest of the gang in the new Red 2 poster appeared first on Flix 66.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013. Man of Steel official synopsis: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The post Superman flies in more new posters for Man of Steel appeared first on Flix 66.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 synopsis: For Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy – between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone, high school graduation can’t come quickly enough. Peter hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away – but that’s a promise he just can’t keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.

Directed by Marc Webb, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will star Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as Rhino, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, Sally Field and Martin Sheen. The sequel will be swinging into theaters on May 2, 2014. (Superhero Hype)

The post Andrew Garfield moves that bus in new set photos from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 appeared first on Flix 66.

In less than two weeks, the moment that millions of fans have been dreaming about will finally become a reality; ‘Arrested Development‘ will return for a fourth season.  I haven’t written much about the return of ‘Arrested Development’, but I think everyone that signed a petition or sent in a letter to the show’s creators should take a moment and give themselves a pat on the back.  It’s rare that shows return like this and if it wasn’t for the great DVD sales and the die-hard enthusiasm from the fan base, this never would have happened.  If the first trailer for season 4 is any indication, the show will pick up right where it left off in season 3, which is perfect.  I was halfway expecting them to try and do something completely different, but thankfully, it looks like they’re going to keep the good thing going.  And just from this trailer, you can pick out all of your favorite ‘Arrested Development’ -isms, which should please the fans.  Now how soon is too soon to start a petition for season 5?

Instead of Fox, this time the show will be brought to you courtesy of Netflix, which has made a fortune lately with shows like ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Hemlock Grove’.  So if  you were on the fence about signing up, then this should be all you need to make it happen.  Truth be told, ‘House of Cards’ should have been all you needed, but now you have some extra incentive.  If the clamoring from disgruntled fans was any indication, the company’s biggest success will be with the return of the Bluths.  All the cast of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT will be returning for the fourth season and will star: Jason Bateman, David Cross, Portia de Rossi, Michael Cera, Will Arnett, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter.  All 13 episodes will be available for streaming via Netflix on May 26th.

The post The Bluths return in the first Arrested Development season 4 trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

On a rainy night in Boston a young woman (Hough) runs out of a house, her hands covered in blood.  She runs to a neighbor and begs for help.  Soon she is on a bus heading for Atlanta.  She decides to get off at a little town in North Carolina (the setting of many of Sparks’ stories) called Southport.  Calling herself “Katie” she soon has a job and, apparently, buys a house (which in this post 9/11 era seems pretty amazing without having to show ID) and settles into her new life.  She even gets friendly with the widowed owner of the local general store.  But she’s still on the run and the law is getting closer than she knows.

Stretching believability more than the slingshot that used to propel Wiley E. Coyote, SAFE HAVEN is a formulaic story that seems to come from a class of Romance 101.  The leads are attractive, the scenery beautiful (it only seems to rain when the leads are out in a canoe, making their day even more romantic) and the world a perfect place for love.  The saving grace of the film is that the leads are giving their all to rise above the treacle.  Dancer Hough has begun to carve a Hollywood career out of earnest performances in films like “Footloose” and “Rock of Ages” and doesn’t hurt herself here.  She has to do a little more acting here then in the other films and she does a good job dealing with her different emotions.  Duhamel is also well suited as Alex, “Katie’s” new love interest.  He is a father who lost his wife to cancer and must not only deal with his emotions but those of his children.  Duhamel has always been a likable performer and that works in his favor here.  Also strong is David Lyons who portrays the cop on “Katie’s” trail with a secret of his own.

It also helps that the producers, including Sparks, hired the gifted Hallstrom to helm the project.  A three-time Oscar nominee and director of such films as CHOCOLAT, WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE and a personal favorite of mine, ONCE AROUND, Hallstrom does his best to keep the story interesting even at its most predictable.  Hallstrom also directed the Sparks-inspired DEAR JOHN so his familiarity with the Nicholas Sparks formula is a plus here.  On the production side, the North Carolina scenery is rendered as beautiful as a post card and the musical score, by another DEAR JOHN alum, Deborah Lurie, also carries the tone of the film.  A twist at the end of the film gives it a little more weight than the usual Sparks story but unless you’re a fan of the author and his work this may not be your cup of tea.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  Presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio the 1080p resolution captures all of the beautiful colors in North Carolina

Audio:  Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 the sound is clear and sharp.  Several scenes showing the cast out among nature are well mixed, with the chirps of birds and insects blending clearly with the dialogue.

Deleted and Extended Scenes (5:19):  Five very quick outtakes which really add nothing to the story.

Alternate Ending (3:37):  Not true.  This is exactly the same ending with a couple of editing cuts.

Igniting the Romance in “Safe Haven” (9:15):  Pretty much a standard “making of” featurette featuring the cast, director Hallstrom and producer/author Sparks.

Josh Duhamel’s Lesson in Crabbing (3:05):  A funny bit documenting Duhamel’s bad streak of luck trying to catch a crab.

Set Tour (2:18):  Who better than Sparks to lead a tour of the various locations used in the film.

Theatrical Trailer

The post Safe Haven Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

No, it’s not “the” F-word.  In the case of the Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan (who was great in RUBY SPARKS) comedy, the “F” means “friend”, which can be a bad word if you’re not careful.  After tackling the horror, fantasy genres, Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe knows that in order to be anything in Hollywood, you have to be able to do romantic comedy/dramas.  So THE F WORD is his first attempt at proving himself a ladies man and if nothing else, he at least has an interesting premise to get him started.  I think the friendship between an adult man and an adult woman is one of the most fascinating relationship dynamics, especially if one or the other wants it to be more romantic than friendly.  But that dynamic really hasn’t been explored well on film.  TV shows do it all the time, but it’s different when you have 13 to 24 hours and multiple years to fully develop it.  Along with Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, the film stars Adam Drier, Rafe Spall and Megan Park.  Michael Dowse (GOON) is directing the film that doesn’t have a release date, but will be debuting at Cannes.

THE F WORD is actually based off the play “Cigars and Toothpaste” by T.J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi, but scripted by Elan Mastai.  The official synopsis: THE F WORD. It’s not what you think. It means “Friends” as in, “Can’t we just be Friends?” Ok, it’s not an obscenity. In fact it might be one of the coolest things about us as humans. But when you’re looking for love, it’s frustrating, uncomfortable, heart-wrenching and even infuriating.

The post Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan get close in the first images from The F Word appeared first on Flix 66.

You can say a lot of things about THE GREAT GATSBY (click the link to read our review), but I’d hardly call a summer movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and a Jay-Z soundtrack “experimental”.  Analysts were worried that audiences wouldn’t show up to the Baz Luhrmann directed film because of the clash of the 1920′s setting and the hip-hop soundtrack, but it seems that moviegoers didn’t care and made the film a success, at least at the weekend box office.  The film’s marketing reminded me of SEX AND THE CITY 2, where it became more of an event for people, especially women.  The tactic seemed to work, to the tune of more than $50 million.  As well as the film performed, it wasn’t good enough to dethrone IRON MAN 3, which held onto a large chunk of its audience and managed to keep the #1 spot in the country.  Even though it technically lost 70% of its audience, I can’t help but be impressed that IRON MAN 3 made over $70 million in its second week.  Open up those checkbooks, Marvel.

Next week sees the anticipated release of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS.  Early reviews have been mixed, but it’s so hard to tell with the Star Trek films since a lot of die-hard Trekkies haven’t bought into J.J. Abrams’ vision.  Even without the great early reviews, I expect STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS to easily take the top spot away from IRON MAN 3.  Although it won’t be #1, I expect THE GREAT GATSBY to continue to do well by way of counter programming.  Lucky for Warner Bros., the people interested in Gatsby probably don’t care about Star Trek.  Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.

1. Iron Man 3 $72.4m

2. The Great Gatsby $51.1m

3. Pain & Gain $5m

4. Peeples $4.8m

5. 42 $4.6m

6. Oblivion $3.8m

7. The Croods $3.6m

8. The Big Wedding $2.5m

9. Mud $2.4m

10. Oz The Great and Powerful $.8m

(Deadline)

The post Weekend box office: The Great Gatsby does well but Iron Man 3 is still #1 appeared first on Flix 66.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 synopsis: For Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy – between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone, high school graduation can’t come quickly enough. Peter hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away – but that’s a promise he just can’t keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.

Directed by Marc Webb, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will star Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as Rhino, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, Sally Field and Martin Sheen. The sequel will be swinging into theaters on May 2, 2014. (Marc Webb)

The post Paul Giamatti in the first photo as Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 appeared first on Flix 66.

TV spots, trailers, posters, stills, promotional tie-ins; must be summer movie season. Warner Bros. is banking that MAN OF STEEL is going to be huge and given how epic the TV spots and trailers are trying to make the film look, I’d say there’s a good chance they’re right. But in the days of everyday heroes like Iron Man and Batman, the real question is whether or not the world still needs Superman. Of all the summer movies, I’m probably most excited to see what director Zack Snyder has in store for us with MAN OF STEEL, but even more than that, I’m excited to see what the rest of the world thinks about it. Snyder is hit and miss with his movies and I’m still not sure I forgive him for SUCKER PUNCH.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013.  Man of Steel official synopsis: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The post Henry Cavill and Amy Adams star in another epic TV spot for Man of Steel appeared first on Flix 66.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment are proud to announce that THE GREAT ESCAPE will arrive on Blu-ray for the first time on May 7, 2013. Based on a true story, THE GREAT ESCAPE is “a motion picture that entertains, captivates, thrills and stirs” (Variety).   In 1943, the Germans opened a maximum-security prison-of-war camp, designed to hold even the craftiest escape artists. By doing so, they unwittingly assembled the finest escape team in military history – brilliantly portrayed by Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn – who worked on what became the largest prison breakout ever attempted. The Blu-ray comes fully loaded with over three hours of special features including commentary with Director John Sturges and crew, multiple making of featurettes, the original theatrical trailer and more.

To enter to win, Like us on Facebook by visiting the FLIX66.COM FACEBOOK CONTEST PAGE. Once there, answer the trivia question and you’ll be entered.

This contest ends on Thursday, May 16th at noon EST.

More free Sweepstakes and Contests and at Online Sweepstakes.

The post Win a Blu-ray of The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen and James Garner appeared first on Flix 66.

Kate Winslet had a busy 2011, starring in CONTAGION, CARNAGE and the HBO miniseries MILDRED PIERCE, but since then she’s been kind of quiet, only popping up quickly in the atrocious MOVIE 43.  But the very talented British actress has several projects in the pipeline, including the Jason Reitman directed LABOR DAY, which will hopefully hit later this year, along with A LITTLE CHAOS and DIVERGENT, which is currently filming.  You can add THE DRESSMAKER to the list of projects as well as Kate Winslet has just signed on to star in the adaptation of Rosalie Ham’s novel.  The film will be directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, who hasn’t directed anything since A THOUSAND ACRES back in 1997.  Production on the film starts this fall.

The official synopsis of Rosalie Ham’s novel: After twenty years away, Myrtle Dunnage returns to Dungatar. Dungatar is a small country town, where the townspeople’s eccentricities are many and varied – from Sergeant Farrat’s predilection for cross-dressing, to pharmacist Almanac’s retributive scheme of potion dispensing, not to forget the affairs and assorted dark secrets. But none of these can compare to the sin of Tilly (Kate Winslet) and her mother: to have come from somewhere else. At first ostracized, the townspeople gradually accept her in order to make use of her extraordinary dressmaking skills and, at last, Tilly feels that she might have found home. But small towns are strange places, where vanity rules, and, once again reviled, she sets out to teach the town a lesson. In the process she faces the ghosts of her past, and wreaks a havoc that provides a most satisfying revenge. Peopled with exotic characters, this is a story of love, hate and haute couture, set in a country town that’s disconcerting to visit but a bitingly comedic and heart-breaking place to live. A warm and nasty book, THE DRESSMAKER evokes Drysdale’s ‘Drover’s Wife’ dressed in Chanel. (GoogleBooks) (ScreenDaily)

The post Kate Winslet is set for The Dressmaker appeared first on Flix 66.

Some of the marketing for BROKEN CITY said words to the effect of When everyone has a motive, how do you know who to trust? The answer, apparently, is a convoluted script where nobody receives full attention and none of the characters ever really go anywhere. Mark Wahlberg (TED) stars as Billy Taggart, former NYPD-turned-private investigator. He was forced to leave the force when he was charged with murdering a young man in the line of duty. When the charges didn’t stick, apparently thanks to some evidence being hidden by the Mayor and Chief of Police, he was forced to retire.

BROKEN CITY picks up seven years later. Taggart has a business but he’s barely making ends meet, so he naturally takes a job from the Mayor (played by Russell Crowe) to find out if his wife is having an affair. The mayoral election is in full swing and with days remaining, Mayor Hostetler says he doesn’t want any surprises coming out and ruining his chance to keep the office. Of course, nothing is at it seems, and the further Taggart gets in the investigation, the worse things look for the Mayor.

This is one of those movies where everyone seems to have a motive for doing unseemly things. The key to a movie like this is to get the audience involved to the point where we figure things out WITH the protagonist. That means we have to care about what and why things are happening, and we have to have enough information about the characters and their motivations to understand (whether we accept them or not) the reasons behind their actions. BROKEN CITY never makes this connection. The only character with a reasonable arc is Billy Taggart (Wahlberg) but even his journey doesn’t have any real meat to it.

Like many “Hollywood” films, more time is spent on the action elements (which are too few and far between) and getting big names rather than procuring a great script and developing characters in a ‘real’ world. Taggart’s journey in the film feels very contrived, including his relationship with his girlfriend (tied to the incident from seven years ago). But the same can be said of all the relationships in BROKEN CITY. No one exists further than mere caricature, including Hostetler (Crowe) and his wife, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. All in all, BROKEN CITY is just mediocre. The actors thankfully add some weight to their roles but in the end is isn’t nearly enough to atone for the pace and poor writing. A poor outing from actors and a director I usually enjoy.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: (1080p, 2.40:1 Widescreen) The visuals on BROKEN CITY are great and director Hughes definitely accomplished the ‘noir’ style he was attempting. The city is crisp and gritty, making me long to return to NYC.

Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) BROKEN CITY features a phenomenal, gripping audio track that pulls you in (even after you’ve completely lost interest in the story).

Deleted Scenes (08:35) Eight scenes are presented here, including BROKEN CITY’s alternative ending. There is a little more character development here, adding to some of the conflict in Taggart’s relationship with his girlfriend. The scenes with the girlfriend add a great deal and really should have been included but they would have hurt the pace of the film (which is already abhorrent).

Putting It All Together (34:59) Director Allen Hughes provides input on his vision for BROKEN CITY, putting together a contemporary Noir film. This is an eight-part documentary feature with lots of interesting tidbits from cast and crew, though I’m not sure why anyone would want to check it out after watching BROKEN CITY. If you enjoy the film, you’ll probably enjoy this short documentary. Otherwise just avoid the entire thing.

The BROKEN CITY Blu-ray package also comes with the standard UltraViolet digital copy, an iTunes compatible digital copy (kudos to Fox for continuing to include these), the Theatrical Trailer (02:19), and a few sneak peeks at other upcoming titles.

The post Broken City Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

I have to admit; it’s really, really nice to do a story about Robert Downey Jr. that has nothing to do with Iron Man.  Sure, I hope he comes back to the franchise just as much as the next guy, but the internet has been a little crazy lately with the will-he-or-won’t-he talk about IRON MAN 4 and THE AVENGERS 2.  So consider this good news that the guy is adding a non-superhero movie to his plate, this time reteaming with his IRON MAN director Jon Favreau for the indie comedy CHEF.  Not a whole lot is known about the film, only that it centers on a very emotional chef that loses his job at a Los Angeles restaurant and starts up a food truck in order to get control of his life and win back his family.

There’s no word yet on what role Robert Downey Jr. would be playing, but I hope it’s a crazy, outlandish character.  I love RDJ in his straight man roles, but he’s just as good when the gloves come off and he can go crazy (think TROPIC THUNDER).  Robert Downey Jr. joins a cast that already includes Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale.  It’s also important not to confuse this film with the one that Bradley Cooper is trying to bring to the big screen.  Cooper’s film is about a famous chef that loses his Paris restaurant and then tries to start over in London.  I know, they sound similar, but they’re different.  And now with Favreau taking the name first and attracting an A-lster like Robert Downey Jr., my guess is that Bradley Cooper will be renaming his film shortly. Production on Favreau’s CHEF is starting on July 8th.  The timing of the announcement comes at the dawn of Cannes, where I’m sure plenty more casting announcements will be made over the next week or so.  (Variety)

The post Robert Downey Jr. joins Sofia Vergara in Jon Favreau’s Chef appeared first on Flix 66.

It feels like the process of bringing THE EQUALIZER to the big screen has been going on for a long time. Back in 2010, the film was going to star Russell Crowe in the title role, but after a few director changes, Crowe was eventually dropped and replaced by Denzel Washington. Washington has seen a few director changes himself, most recently with Nicolas Winding Refn attaching and then detaching himself to the project. But it seems to have found a home with Washington and his TRAINING DAY director Antoine Fuqua and now we can start moving forward with some other casting announcements.

The formerly innocent Chloe Grace Moretz is looking to take the female lead in the film as a young prostitute that seeks the help of the reclusive private detective. The role was originally cast for an older woman, but supposedly, Chloe Grace Moretz did a reading and wowed everyone in the room. The part is being compared to Jodie Foster’s in TAXI DRIVER, but that’s a little obvious since it’s one of the few parts that also features an underage prostitute that needs help from an older man. The film is due to hit theaters on April 11th, 2014, so production on this is going to have to start sooner than later.

While there’s no official synopsis yet for the big screen adaptation of THE EQUALIZER, it’s presumed that the movie will follow the basic outline of the TV show. The original 1985 series was about a private detective with a shady past that seems to have an endless supply of high powered contacts. He helps people that have problems that the police are unwilling to help out with. Think ‘The A-Team’, but with only one guy. I like the idea of Denzel Washington in the role and it reminds me of his character from MAN ON FIRE, which I thought he was great in. I also like the addition of Chloe Grace Moretz, meaning that I’m officially looking forward to the film. (Deadline)

The post Chloe Grace Moretz is joining Denzel Washington in The Equalizer appeared first on Flix 66.

I’m not so sure Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn can pack theaters like they used to, but Ferrell has ANCHORMAN 2 on the way later this year, which should prove to be a huge hit. Vaughn has THE INTERNSHIP, which is barely getting any excitement since it was announced it would have a PG-13 rating. It’s ridiculous that the duo from WEDDING CRASHERS would make a PG-13 comedy, but I can’t help but think Google had something to do with that. But I digress. The point is that Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn are going to be combining their comedic talents in the film DADDY’S HOME. The movie will mark the directorial debut of Etan Coen, who made his name co-writing scripts for TROPIC THUNDER and IDIOCRACY among others.

DADDY’S HOME is about “a mild-mannered radio executive (Will Ferrell) who strives to become the best stepdad ever to his wife’s two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling, freeloading real father (Vince Vaughn) arrives, forcing stepdad to compete for the affection of the kids.” And that basically sounds like the basis of every comedy featuring two big comedians; one straight-laced guy plus one wild card equals comedy gold. (Deadline)

The post Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn team up for Daddy’s Home appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, ONLY GOD FORGIVES stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Burke, Yayaying, Vithaya Pansringarm, Byron Gibson, Sahajak Boonthanakit and Gordon Brown. The film opens in theaters on July 19th.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES official synopsis: Bangkok. Julian (Ryan Gosling) runs a Thai boxing club as a front for a drugs operation. He has everything he wants for and is respected in the criminal underworld though, deep inside, he feels empty. When Julian’s brother murders a prostitute the police call on retired cop Chang – the Angel of Vengeance (Vithaya Pansringarm). Chang allows the father to kill his daughter’s murderer, then ‘restores order’ by chopping off the man’s right hand. Julian’s mother Jenna (Kristin Scott Thomas) – the head of a powerful criminal organization – arrives in Bangkok to collect her son’s body. She dispatches Julian to find his killers and ‘raise hell’. Increasingly obsessed with the Angel of Vengeance, Julian challenges him to a boxing match, hoping that by defeating him he might find spiritual release… but Chang triumphs. A furious Jenna plots revenge and the stage is set for a bloody journey through betrayal and vengeance towards a final confrontation and the possibility of redemption.

The post Ryan Gosling looks blue in new poster for Only God Forgives appeared first on Flix 66.

Of course, a movie featuring Meryl Streep doing a different voice, starring in the film adaptation of a famous Broadway play is what we would call an awards chaser.  And I knew that going into the trailer, but I still found myself interested and even chuckled a little bit towards the end.  As for Meryl Streep’s voice…well, I didn’t like her voice in IRON LADY or JULIE AND JULIA, but those were award winning roles, so maybe I’m not the best judge of Meryl Streep’s voices.

AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY boasts an impressive cast that includes Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard and Margo Martindale.  The John Wells directed film hits theaters on November 8th.

The official synopsis of the Tracy Letts novel: One of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history, August: Osage County a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest—and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed.

The post Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts star in the first August Osage County trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

I recently watched Paul Thomas Anderson’s MAGNOLIA again and I was reminded how great of a writer Paul Thomas Anderson is when he’s doing an original script.  It’s not that I had anything against THERE WILL BE BLOOD; it was a great film.  It’s just that I prefer PTA when he’s writing his own stuff.  So although I’m looking forward to his next film, INHERENT VICE, I’m less excited for it since he’s adapting an existing novel.  That said, ‘Inherent Vice’ is loved by those that have read it, so it seems he has some good source material and I can’t argue with the 1960′s/70′s Los Angeles setting.  And he’s putting together quite a cast, which already has Joaquin Phoenix set as Doc Portello and Benicio Del Toro on board to play Doc’s lawyer.  Today, Owen Wilson has joined the cast in an unspecified role.  Although Owen Wilson might seem like an odd choice at first, I can see him perfectly in the 1960′s Los Angeles setting.  I assume it’s only a matter of time before Philip Seymour Hoffman or John C. Reilly join the cast.

The official synopsis of Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Inherent Vice’: In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre that is at once exciting and accessible, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there.  It’s been a while since Doc Sportello has seen his ex- girlfriend. Suddenly she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Undeniably one of the most influential writers at work today, Pynchon has penned another unforgettable book. (TheWrap)

The post Owen Wilson joins Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice appeared first on Flix 66.

One of the more intriguing films to come out of the Sundance film festival was David Lowery’s AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS.  Although it’s getting dumped in an awkward August 16th release date, this is one of those smaller films that could pick up steam with critics and make some noise come awards season.  Of course, I said the same thing about THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES and that one seemed to have come and gone with barely a thud.  The fine folks over at The Playlist got their hands on some new photos from the film, along with an updated synopsis (below).  The film promises to be a tear-jerker and an emotional drainer, but how well it will stick with audiences and critics remains to be seen.  Those that caught the screening at Sundance seemed to have loved it, but that doesn’t always equate to success.  The good news is that the film features Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck in starring roles and I’ve been impressed with both of them during their young careers.

AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS official synopsis: Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara), an impassioned young outlaw couple on an extended crime spree, are finally apprehended by lawmen after a shootout in the Texas hills. Although Ruth wounds a local officer, Bob takes the blame. But four years later, Bob escapes from prison and sets out to find Ruth and their daughter, born during his incarceration. Set against the backdrop of 1970′s Texas Hill Country, first time director David Lowery paints a poetic picture, evoking the mythology of westerns and saturating the dramatic space with an aching sense of loss. Featuring powerful performances by Affleck and Mara as well as Ben Foster and Keith Carradine, AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS is a story of love, motherhood and searching for peace while faced with an unrelenting past.

The post Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck in new photos from Ain’t Them Bodies Saints appeared first on Flix 66.

THAT THING YOU DO! is the story of The Wonders!, a four-piece boy band who hit it big when they have THE hit single, titled “That Thing You Do”. Our foursome suddenly sky-rocket, from practicing in their garage to signing with a small-time manager and getting a small regional showcase, to finally touring with national recording tour and having one of the top records in the country, all in the course of a few weeks.

During that time, we get to see the guys play fully through their stereotyped (but accurate) characterizations. Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is our hero, the beatnik drummer from whose eyes we get to see The Wonders! journey. Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech) is the talent, the lead singer and songwriter at the head of the group. Lenny (Steve Zahn) is the fool, and Zahn plays it with the type of zeal that made me excited whenever I saw his name attached to indie flicks during this era. Finishing the group we have T.B. Player (Ethan Embry) on the bass and unofficially Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler) as Jimmy’s girlfriend and the real heart of the group.

All of the cast are near-perfect in their roles. This is one of those films where the pieces all come together right in front of us, and suddenly we get to see the magic that plays out. Guy joins the band after they’ve already started playing together, because their original drummer, Chad (Giovanni Ribisi) breaks his arm. His arrival, while being the catalyst for the success The Wonders! experience, is also in many ways the beginning of the end of the band, and while we get to witness the signs throughout THAT THING YOU DO! it is still painful when it happens.

The title song is catchy, thankfully, because you’re going to hear parts of it at least 50 times during THAT THING YOU DO!. In fact, I believe the song charted during the mid-90’s, when the film was originally playing in theaters. All-in-all THAT THING YOU DO! is a lot of fun, though there isn’t a whole lot of substance. The plot, in fact, is pretty thin when you really get to think about it. But honestly, none of that matters when you’re having this much fun. If you enjoyed this era of music at all you’ll have a great time checking out THAT THING YOU DO! on Blu-ray.

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Video: (1080p, 1.85:1 Widescreen) The video presentation is pretty nice for THAT THING YOU DO!. The colors pop off the screen and the visual presentation is a testament to not only Hanks but to the professionals with whom he worked on this picture.

Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) The audio is equally nice, bringing THAT THING YOU DO! to the middle of your living room. (Important to note in music-heavy films, make sure to try out your sound mix on your surround sound system. Dialogue and music don’t play through all systems the same way.) If you love the music you’ll have your whole family dancing around the house by the end of this one.

Extended Version (02:27:33) Like most extended versions of films you’ve seen a few times, THAT THING YOU DO! tries to cram in a whole lot of character development and extra moments into this ‘extended’ version. Way too many scenes are added here. Another testament to the filmmaking – none of the scenes are really BAD… they just don’t move THAT THING YOU DO! forward and end up really slowing down the pace. Good job getting rid of these scenes. This is included for folks who REALLY LOVE the flick.

The Wonders! Big in Japan (07:01) The cast and crew did press tours in Europe and Japan to promote the movie. Lots of behind the scenes moments and some great footage. Sometimes it is just fun to watch folks having a good time, and these guys had a fantastic time promoting THAT THING YOU DO!.

The Story of the Wonders (30:53) An in-depth, great special feature that really adds to the package of THAT THING YOU DO!. Tom Hanks spends a lot of time discussing the process and the characters. This is the kind of special feature that makes you love the film more and more.

Feel Alright Video (02:35) Kind of a music video, but really a montage of scenes from THAT THING YOU DO!, this is another of The Wonders! hits from the movie.

Making THAT THING YOU DO! (13:48) A shorter making of featurette, this one is based around a discussion with Hanks. Featuring interviews with the actors and some great behind the scenes moments, this is another great addition to THAT THING YOU DO!. The cast spent a lot of time together working on getting the chemistry right, which paid great dividends.

THAT THING YOU DO! Reunion (10:19) Johnathon Schaech, Charlize Theron, Tom Everett Scott, and Ethan Embry got together to talk about making THAT THING YOU DO!. This is a pretty interesting feature and reveals a few insights not in the other features on this blu-ray.

HBO First Look – The Making of THAT THING YOU DO (13:03) A feature that debuted on HBO back when THAT THING YOU DO! was released, this one is put together differently than the others on the Blu-ray but it contains many of the same anecdotes and interview footage.

The THAT THING YOU DO! Blu-ray also includes the three Theatrical Trailers (01:39, 02:25, and 02:07 respectively) and the TV Spot (00:33) that aired to promote the feature.

The post That Thing You Do Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Well, after the ridiculous teaser for the teaser trailer, we finally have the official trailer for director Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY, featuring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney flying through space.  Really, those three names alone are enough to get me excited for this film, but the real question is whether or not Cuaron can make the concept of two astronauts trapped in space interesting for two hours, even if those two astronauts are Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.  From the first trailer, one thing is for certain; this will be a beautiful film.  Unfortunately, that’s about all I got out of it, so we’ll have to wait until GRAVITY hits theaters on October 3rd to find out if the story is as captivating as it promises to be.

The official synopsis for GRAVITY: Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney). But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

The post Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star in the first Gravity trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will combine both casts from the X-MEN series that will include Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Nicolas Hoult, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Jason Flemyng and Peter Dinklage.  Directed by Bryan Singer the film is set to hit theaters on July 18th, 2014. (Bryan Singer)

The post James McAvoy gets his chair in X-Men: Days of Future Past photo appeared first on Flix 66.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES IMDB synopsis: Aliens invade Earth and inadvertently spawn a quartet of mutated reptile warriors, the Ninja Turtles, who rise up against them to defend the world.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, WRATH OF THE TITANS), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will star Megan Fox as April O’Neil, Will Arnett as Vernon Fenwick, Alan Ritchson as Raphael, Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, Jeremy Howard as Donatello, Pete Ploszek as Leonardo and Danny Woodburn as Splinter. (Superhero Hype)

The post Megan Fox as April O’Neil in set photos from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared first on Flix 66.

The cast of THE AVENGERS knows they were underpaid for the film and although Robert Downey Jr. got $50 million for the film, keep in mind the movie made well over a billion dollars in ticket sales and probably just as much on DVD and Blu-ray, not to mention toy sales and other merchandising. But the other stars took in between $2 and $4 million. I don’t think the cast is expecting to get eight figures for their roles, but they do deserve their normal fee since the sequel is all but guaranteed to make as much money or more than the first. Basically, there’s a lot of pie to go around and the actors want a bigger piece, which is understandable. You and I would want more money if our companies started making more.

It has been reported that Robert Downey Jr. is acting like the ringleader for the group (this reminds me when Lisa Kudrow became the negotiator for the cast of ‘Friends’) and he’s demanding his cast mates get paid fairly before he signs on for any more films. The negotiation has already started, with Downey publicly insinuating that he’s done with Iron Man and Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige commenting that anyone can play Tony Stark, ala James Bond. Its nice posturing from both sides, but when all of the crap is cleared out, what we know is that Marvel needs the cast of the Avengers more than the cast needs Marvel. If Robert Downey Jr. is successful in uniting the cast, then Marvel will have no choice but to pay them what they want. THE AVENGERS 2 could work with a single different actor playing someone like Hawkeye, but it has no chance of working with different actors playing Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Nick Fury and The Hulk.

Marvel’s cheap stance works great on actors that need another chance (Robert Downey Jr. in the first IRON MAN), actors that are right on the brink of super-stardom (Chris Evans), or actors that clearly have a lot of potential and just need their big break (Chris Hemsworth). But Marvel has done something with THE AVENGERS and their standalone films by creating a connected, intertwined movie universe. THE AVENGERS worked so well because we recognize the faces and know the characters. It’s why the Justice League film makes fanboys so nervous; Warner Bros. hasn’t established most of the characters and a grand summer blockbuster is not the time to introduce popular, new characters. To put it clearly; Marvel was right to low ball the actors to get them on board, but now that they’re all superstars, they have to pay them.

Replacing Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth is not going to be as easy as Marvel is letting on. Iron Man works so well because of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth made THOR watchable because of his charm and screen presence. These are two A-list superstars that carried their respective films. Without doing a complete reboot, I don’t see any way for Marvel to seamlessly insert new actors into these roles. And if they do, they’ll need A-list caliber actors, which will command the same salaries as RDJ and Hemsworth anyway. The other stars are important and I’d have a hard time imagining other actors in those roles, but they’re not quite as pivotal as Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth. Marvel has created a monster so to speak and they don’t really have a good way out.

I feel confident that when all of this is said and done, the entire cast will return for THE AVENGERS 2. The film has already been committed to by the CEO’s of Disney and Marvel to their shareholders and even if they take a hit financially on salaries, Marvel has to make the film. But that’s where my confidence stops. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth did their standalone follow-ups (which supposedly involved very contentious negotiating), Robert Downey Jr. did IRON MAN 3 and so Phase 2 for Marvel is pretty much complete. But after THE AVENGERS 2, I don’t feel so optimistic. My guess is that Phase 2 will be the end of the Marvel franchise as we know it and in 2016, most if not all of the characters we know will be recast. That’s a sad thought, but we should be thankful for what Marvel gave us with Phase 1 and 2 and hope that they can duplicate that success with a new cast for Phase 3.

The post Marvel needs Robert Downey Jr. and the cast of The Avengers more than they need Marvel appeared first on Flix 66.

Another new clip from STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS has been released, featuring Zachary Quinto as Spock, diving into the mouth of a volcano to save an unspecified species.  Die-hard Trekkies will be happy to hear that the crew of the Enterprise might actually discover a new life form and add some “trek” back into Star Trek.  Although to be fair, this clip is taken out of context, so maybe they’re just trying to save some grasshoppers or something.  Check it out below and decide for yourself.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS will star Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve and Peter Weller.  The J.J. Abrams directed film will hit theaters on May 17th, but will debut in IMAX screens on May 15th.

Star Trek Into Darkness official synopsis:  In the wake of a shocking act of terror from within their own organization, the crew of The Enterprise is called back home to Earth. In defiance of regulations and with a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads his crew on a manhunt to capture an unstoppable force of destruction and bring those responsible to justice.  As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

The post Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana star in a new Star Trek Into Darkness clip appeared first on Flix 66.

Based on the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, THE GREAT GATSBY follows young writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he moves to New York City during the spring of 1922. Carraway finds himself living across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her hard edged cheating husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).  Nick’s neighbor is a rarely seen, mysterious millionaire by the name of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) who throws extravagant parties and lives a lavish lifestyle.  Striking up an unlikely friendship, Nick begins to spend quite some time with Gatsby, still learning very little about the man.  But when Gatsby’s secret forbidden love for Daisy is revealed, the man behind the mystery begins to be exposed.

Perhaps I’m out of line, but the actual story of THE GREAT GATSBY, while still a relevant and quite heart-breaking literary masterpiece, is less appealing and secondary to just about every other aspect in the film.  The era of loose morals, bootlegging, lively jazz, fancy cars and extraordinary clothing takes precedent.  You put just about any story in that setting and you have yourself a pretty decent picture.  THE GREAT GATSBY is no exception, highlighted by the fantastic art direction and colorful costumes, both categories of which will surely be nominated come Oscar time.

Equally solid is the acting.  Once you get past an awkward narration from Tobey Maguire who at times sounds as if he is impersonating an old man, everyone plays into the grandiose style quite nicely for their respective roles, especially Joel Edgerton and Leonardo DiCaprio.  I have been following Edgerton’s career for a few years now and he is consistently a commanding presence on screen.  He is no different here, taking on a more villainous role than usual and easily holding his own against the powerhouse that is Leonardo DiCaprio.  When Gatsby is nervous for his first meeting with his long lost love, Leo is firing on all cylinders, showing sophistication, warmth, humor and controlled excitement all at once, proving again that he is one of our greatest living actors.  Gatsby’s introduction in particular, is one that will leave you forgetting all about that homely Robert Redford in the 1973 version.

Luhrmann delivers a fast-paced, energetic glitzy spin on a classic tale.  The 3D is unnecessary, even distracting at times, as the foreground is filled with unfocused objects.  Once the film breathes a little so does the 3D.  However, that’s also when the excitement starts to falter loosing some of the energetic steam the first two acts built up so well.  The whole look and sound of THE GREAT GATSBY helps get past the familiarity and emptiness of the story that touches on corruption, love and deceit, bringing the focus back on the extravagant lifestyles.  People really knew how to dress back then.  The women in their flapper dresses, head garments, and long pearls had it going on, while the men in their bow ties, vests and slicked back hair with fedora were strikingly sophisticated.  For these superficial reasons, THE GREAT GATSBY works quite well.

I think it is pertinent to say THE GREAT GATSBY soundtrack is among the best to which I have ever listened. Yes, that is a big statement.  Director Baz Luhrmann worked with Executive Producer Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter to produce a sound and score that alone is worth seeing the film.  Astonishingly good, the 1920′s era blends perfectly with a modern sound using artists like, Beyonce, Florence & The Machine, Emile Sande, Gotye and Jack White, who specifically is used brilliantly during a key emotional scene. The film comes alive with the music propelling the picture to a higher greatness than the material probably deserves.  In fact, I freely admit that I might be giving THE GREAT GATSBY too much credit due mostly to the music and costuming. Nevertheless, it swept me up and now I have a hankering to purchase myself a one-piece male swimsuit and can’t stop using the phrase “Old Sport.”

The post The Great Gatsby Movie Review appeared first on Flix 66.

FUNNY GIRL is loosely based on the life of Fanny Brice. Brice was a successful comedienne, singer and actress in the first half of the 20^th Century. I say loosely based because many of the facts and characteristics of the real life characters have been changed or altered. Producer Ray Stark was the son-in-law of Brice, so he naturally was looking out for her and his scoundrel father-in-law.

The film starts out as Fanny (Streisand) looks back at her career and how it all started. She wasn’t an overnight success. She struggled as a chorus line girl and dancing around on roller skates. Time and time again someone though saw a spark in her and put her in another role. After one adventurous routine, Fanny meets the dashing Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif). Nick is best described as a card shark and an entrepreneur. He has a twinkle in his eyes and always quick with the word. In real life Nick was more of a scoundrel, thief and deadbeat. His character was the one who got the most scrubbing to have movie audiences at least sympathize and fall for him. Fanny took to Nick right away. She was blinded to his faults and her insatiable ambition. It would be a crucial mistake in many ways.

Eventually Fanny would join up with the Ziegfeld Follies and the immortal Florenz Ziegfeld (Walter Pidgeon). Their first meeting was one to remember. It showed the determination in Fanny and her willingness to take on anyone. She didn’t want to sing a song about being beautiful because she didn’t feel that way. This was a recurring theme throughout the film and everyone would reassure her that she was beautiful in her own way. Fanny put her own spin on the song without Mr. Ziegfeld’s knowledge. This delighted the crowd to no ends, but wasn’t looked on fondly by the boss. You could say that Fanny is a lot like Streisand. Streisand has made her mark by doing things her way and butting heads if necessary. This hasn’t endeared her to some people in the film business. Her feistiness works perfectly for this character and the travails that she went through to get to the top.

The core of FUNNY GIRL is the relationship between Fanny and Nick. The duo take turns pursuing each other. Much of it is standard movie romance with its ups and downs. I never found it all that compelling. Sharif is not given much to do. He’s basically there as window dressing. He looks good on the screen and spouts his lines with some flair. You just never really know though what drives Nick and that’s an issue. Another big problem is that the first half is much better and more fun than the second half. The first half showcases the blossoming romance between Nick and Fanny. There’s vitality to the story and the musical numbers which were directed by Herbert Ross. The second half just dragged and slogged along as Nick’s prospects get dimmer and dimmer. At that point you just want the movie to end, so you don’t have to experience this anymore.

Streisand is the front and center star of FUNNY GIRL. She dominates every scene she is in and other characters suffer somewhat because of this. Streisand played this part in Broadway beforehand. She is comfortable and free with the character. Her comic timing is impeccable. Her facial expressions say so much without her uttering a single word. And it goes without saying that her singing is top notch. The songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill range from great to forgettable. The two standout songs are “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade”. Streisand attacks those with such furor that it burst through the screen. The closing number, “My Man”, is tender and fierce at the same time. None of the other actors make much of a mark with their singing. Sharif does not fare well in this regard. Famed director William Wyler does his best in filming the dramatic scenes. Much of it feels like a play being filmed as a movie. The sets look like sets instead of having an authentic look.

FUNNY GIRL works mainly because of the talents of Barbra Streisand. If someone else would have starred in this film, it never would have worked. This is a case where a role is perfectly suited for an actress. I may not be a huge fan of this movie or of Barbra Streisand, but even I can see the talent on display here.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: The vibrant colors stand out in this lovely transfer. It doesn’t look like a movie that is over 40 years old.

Audio: Musicals depend on the sound being crystal clear. Barbra Streisand fans can rest easy that you can hear every syllable she sings with the utmost clarity.

Barbra in Movieland (10:09): This feature focuses on the filming of the song “Don’t Song on My Parade” and all that it entails. The caretaker of the closed rail station that they filmed at is given plenty of screen time.

This is Streisand (5:34): A short feature that glorifies Barbra Streisand. Fans will surely be let down by the utter lack of information provided here. This was one of the most useless features that I have come across.

Previews.

The post Funny Girl Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

GRAVITY official synopsis: Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney). But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The post George Clooney and Sandra Bullock float away in the first Gravity poster appeared first on Flix 66.

If I was going to redo my ten most anticipated movies of 2013 list, I would add CAPTAIN PHILLIPS to the top of the list, based solely off of this trailer.  I’ve missed Tom Hanks in these type of Oscar-worthy performances.  Sure, I loved CLOUD ATLAS, but his role as the captain of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama is the type of meaty role that I wish Tom Hanks would do every year, but really hasn’t done since SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.  The film is based off the true story of the Alabama, which was the first US ship in over 200 years to be hijacked by pirates.  Captain Phillips gained national notoriety when it was revealed he gave himself in exchange for the safety of his crew.

Oh, and the film is directed by Paul Greengrass, whose last effort, GREEN ZONE, was a bit of a disappointment.  Thankfully, it looks like Greengrass is getting back to good stories as well and taking a break from Matt Damon could probably do him some good, although I do hope he and Damon return to the Bourne franchise at some point.  In the meantime, if CAPTAIN PHILLIPS turns out to be half as good as the trailer promises, I think Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass could be busy guys come awards season.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS stars Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini and John Magaro.  The Paul Greengrass directed film will hit theaters everywhere on October 11th.

The post Tom Hanks stars in the impressive first Captain Phillips trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

The first trailer for the Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright trio’s THE WORLD’S END is here and even though I like these guys and their previous films, I can’t help but think they’d be better off keeping things more simple.  In THE WORLD’S END, a group of friends reunite to try and do a pub crawl they failed at when they were younger.  The trailer was funny in the beginning, but as soon as eyes started glowing and monsters started attacking, I started to lose interest.  Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are hilarious without any grand special effects.

THE WORLD’S END stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, David Bradley and Mark Heap.  The Edgar Wright directed film is set to hit theaters on August 23rd.

THE WORLD’S END official synopsis: In the third installment of director Edgar Wright’s trilogy of comedies starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, following the successes “Shaun of the Dead” (2004) and “Hot Fuzz” (2007). In “The World’s End,” 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their home town and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.”

The post Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in The World’s End trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

We haven’t seen much of John Travolta recently.  Other than last year’s disappearing SAVAGES, Travolta hasn’t done a film since the silly FROM PARIS WITH LOVE in 2010 and the down right terrible OLD DOGS in 2009.  It looks like the SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, GREASE man will be signing on to star in THE FORGER. Produced by Code Entertainment along side The Solution Entertainment Group, THE FORGER will be directed by Emmy Award-winning television director Philip Martin and plans to start shooting later this year.  John Travolta has an incredible resume, but I will always love him as Vincent Vega in PULP FICTION.  Travolta can next be seen in KILLING SEASON with Robert De Niro to come out later this year.

THE FORGER synopsis: Written by Richard D’Ovidio (THE CALL), THE FORGER tells the story of a former child art prodigy and second generation petty thief, Ray Cutter (John Travolta) who arranges to buy his way out of prison to spend time with his ailing son, only to be forced to change his plans and commit one last big job for the syndicate who financed his early release.

The post John Travolta to star in The Forger appeared first on Flix 66.

Every time I post a “trailer for a trailer”, I feel obligated to apologize profusely for it.  I despise this trend of releasing trailers for trailers more than any recent Hollywood trend in memory.  But in Hollywood’s defense, I remember ET doing this kind of thing more than 20 years ago (which is when I last watched ET).  So I guess this isn’t really anything new for them.  Another reason to be moderately interested in this particular teaser of a trailer is that it’s the first footage from Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY, which has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride through development.  Robert Downey Jr. was attached for the longest time, but then he dropped out, only to be replaced by George Clooney.  Sandra Bullock on the other hand has stayed with the project through the turmoil and she and George Clooney are the only two stars in the film.

The official synopsis for GRAVITY: Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney). But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Warner Bros. has put a lot of money into the film that’s being heralded as the next “AVATAR” for its special effects and if you read the synopsis below, you can see why this is such a gamble for them.  GRAVITY is set to hit theaters on October 3rd while the first trailer is set to hit on May 8th.  And even though it’s not on the Flix 66 video player, I’ll apologize anyway for the 30 second commercial ET is going to make you watch for the barely 10 second preview.

The post George Clooney flies through space in a brief tease of the Gravity trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

I can’t say I had much interest in the adaptation of ENDER’S GAME, probably because I’m not that familiar with the story, but also because I keep hearing how hard it’s going to be to bring to the big screen.  But maybe it’s the nice special effects or the joy of seeing Harrison Ford back in a science fiction movie, but the first trailer for ENDER’S GAME actually looks fun.  I could have done without the voice-over and I’m not sure what kind of accent Asa Butterfield has, but the story looks exciting and the idea of training kids to fight space wars is intriguing.  But I haven’t read any of the books the film is based on, so I can’t say whether or not they’ve stayed true to the original book from Orson Scott Card.

Directed by Gavin Hood, ENDER’S GAME stars: Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley, Nonso Anozie, Stevie Ray Dillmore and Viola Davis. ENDER’S GAME will hit theaters on November 1st, 2013.

ENDER’S GAME official synopsis: In the near future, a hostile alien race called the Formics have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young minds to find the future Mazer.  Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy but strategically brilliant boy, is recruited to join the elite. Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult challenges and simulations, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he’s trained by Mazer Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

The post Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld star in the first Ender’s Game trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

Somehow the idea of Martin Scorsese making a Japanese language film starring Andrew Garfield and Ken Watanabe doesn’t excite me as much as it should. But Martin Scorsese is extremely excited about adapting Shusaku Endo’s novel SILENCE, which is a pet project that he’s been working on for years since it recently got the go ahead to move forward. Andrew Garfield will be playing Rodrigues and Ken Watanabe will be playing his translator. You can read the full synopsis below. While speaking about the film with Variety, Martin Scorsese said “Then again, it’s a thriller. Thriller meaning they are undercover. I’m interested in this, whether it’s undercover priests or undercover cops”. Location scouting is underway, though no production start date has been set. For those in the know, SILENCE was adapted once before in a 1971 Japanese film.

The official synopsis from Wikipedia: Young Portuguese Jesuit, Sebastião Rodrigues (based on the historical figure Giuseppe Chiara) is sent to Japan to succor the local Church and investigate reports that his mentor, Fr. Cristóvão Ferreira, has committed apostasy. (Ferreira is a historical figure, who apostatized after torture and later married a Japanese woman and wrote a treatise against Christianity.) Fr. Rodrigues and his companion Fr. Francisco Garrpe arrive in Japan in 1638. There they find the local Christian population driven underground. Security officials force suspected Christians to trample on fumie, which are crudely carved images of Christ. Those who refuse are imprisoned and killed by anazuri (穴吊り), being hung upside down over a pit and slowly bled. Those Christians who do step on the image to stay hidden are deeply shamed by their act of apostasy. The novel relates the trials of the Christians and increasing hardship suffered by Rodrigues, as more is learnt about the circumstances of Ferreira’s apostasy. (Variety)

The post Andrew Garfield and Ken Watanabe join Martin Scorsese’s Silence appeared first on Flix 66.

As I started writing this news, I came to the realization that official news about Ben Affleck’s next project is exciting. That blows my mind since I still think of Ben Affleck as Chuckie from GOOD WILL HUNTING. But the guy can direct, as proven by three great films and his Best Picture Academy Award for ARGO. So for those of you anxious to see which film he was going to officially commit to next, you can rest easy that he’ll be adapting Dennis Lehane’s (who also wrote GONE BABY GONE that Affleck directed) novel ‘Live By Night’ and returning to the comfort of Boston. Pre-production on the film actually started today for the film that Ben Affleck will produce, direct, write and star in the film. The official synopsis is below and it sounds like quite a meaty project for Affleck.

LIVE BY NIGHT official book description: Boston, 1926. Prohibition has given rise to an endless network of underground distilleries, speakeasies, gangsters, and corrupt cops. Joe Coughlin, the youngest son of a prominent police captain, has graduated from a childhood of petty theft to a career in the pay of the city’s most fearsome mobsters. But life on the dark side carries a heavy price. Beyond money and power, even the threat of prison, one fate seems most likely for men like Joe: an early death. But until that day, he and his friends are determined to live life to the hilt. Joe’s dizzying journey up the ladder of organized crime takes him from the flash of Jazz Age Boston to the sensual shimmer of Tampa’s Latin Quarter to the sizzling streets of Cuba. Live by Night is a riveting epic layered with loyal friends and callous enemies, tough rumrunners and sultry femmes fatales, Bible-quoting evangelists and cruel Klansmen, all battling for survival and their piece of the American dream.

The post Ben Affleck chooses Live By Night as his next project appeared first on Flix 66.

THE BLING RING (click the link to watch the trailer) official synopsis: In the fame-obsessed world of Los Angeles, a group of teenagers take us on a thrilling and disturbing crime-spree in the Hollywood hills.  Based on true events, the group, who were fixated on the glamorous life, tracked their celebrity targets online, and stole more than 3 million in luxury goods from their homes. Their victims included Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson, and the gang became known in the media as “The Bling Ring.”  In THE BLING RING, Oscar Winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola takes us inside the world of these teens, where their youthful naivete and excitement is amplified by today’s culture of celebrity and luxury brand obsession.  The members of the Bling Ring introduce us to temptations that any teenager would find hard to resist.  And what starts out as youthful fun spins out of control, revealing a sobering view of our modern culture.

THE BLING RING stars Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Nina Siemaszko, Erin Daniels, Patricia Lentz, Stacy Edwards, Gavin Rossdale and Maika Monroe.  The Sofia Coppola directed film will hit theaters this summer on June 14th. (The Playlist)

The post Emma Watson gives attitude in new photos from The Bling Ring appeared first on Flix 66.

Before work started on FAST AND FURIOUS 6, it was rumored that Jason Statham would be joining the mix of buff action heroes.  But something went askew and supposedly, Jason Statham turned the role down and life moved on.  Well, either Jason Statham realized he can’t carry his own movie or Universal ponied up some more dough because now it looks like he’s going to be appearing in FAST AND FURIOUS 7, which has already started production.  Michelle Rodriguez recently told DesdeHollywood about the casting, saying “Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, when you see these guys in a room you know they belong together [...] You can see in their eyes that they have gone through a lot [...] I applaud Universal for getting him on-board!”

So assuming Michelle Rodriguez knows what she’s talking about, FAST AND FURIOUS 7 will be THE EXPENDABLES of car racing movies.  The question remains as to what role Jason Statham will play, but given the British accent and the fact that the villain in FAST AND FURIOUS 6 (Luke Evans) is also British, I’m going to guess they’ll have some connection.  And supposedly, the villain for the seventh film is spoiled in the sixth, so I’m guessing all of this speculation will be a moot point in a couple of weeks.

Directed by Justin Lin, FAST AND FURIOUS 6 stars: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Gina Curano, Luke Evans, Gal Gadot and Michelle Rodriquez. The film will hit theaters on May 24th, 2013.

The post Jason Statham is officially joining Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson in Fast and Furious 7 appeared first on Flix 66.

JANE GOT A GUN has gone through more cast and crew changes than any film of recent history.  After news recently broke that Bradley Cooper had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, the indie western film wasted no time in finding a replacement for its villain in none other than Ewan McGregor.  I find this casting a bit exciting, not only because he McGregor rarely plays a villain (although he did dabble in last year’s HAYWIRE), but also because he will reunite with his Star Wars costar in Natalie Portman. This is a very exciting project with some very talented big names so I’m anxious to see the final product.

To recap the story and all the casting shenanigans, JANE GOT A GUN stars Natalie Portman as a woman that is seeking help from her ex-lover (was going to be Michael Fassbender but will now be Joel Edgerton) when her outlaw husband (was going to be Joel Edgerton, but then was going to be Jude Law, then became Bradley Cooper and now is Ewan McGregor) is injured and being hunted by his former gang. The film was to be directed by Lynne Ramsay (WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN) but now will be helmed by Gavin O’Connor (WARRIOR). (Deadline)

The post Ewan McGregor replaces Bradley Cooper in Jane Got A Gun appeared first on Flix 66.

When Barr (Joseph Sikora) is accused of murdering random strangers with a sniper rifle, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) shows up to make things right.  It seems Reacher and Barr have a history dating back to their military days and Reacher is making good on a promise.  But the case is not as open and shut as initially thought and so Barr’s attorney, Helen (Rosamund Pike), asks Jack to look into it for her.  He starts to unravel a conspiracy mystery and as he does, the bad guys start trying to kill him, albeit unsuccessfully.

A lot of the appeal of the character of Jack Reacher is how he lives his life.  He’s a drifter, owns nothing, answers to no one and is as tough as they come.  Those basic qualities are enough to carry a character in a book because in a book you can take your time establishing characters and minor details can be revealed that help build those characters.  Movies don’t have that luxury.  So it was sometimes hard to get behind Jack Reacher as we followed him along during his investigation because we had zero personal connection to him.  It would have helped to have a better understanding of his situation and why he lives the way he does.  And I understand the mystery of Jack Reacher is part of the fun of the character, but for his first movie, we needed to know more about him.

With all that said, the movie works because of Tom Cruise.  Once you just accept that you’re not going to learn what makes Jack Reacher tick, you can sit back and enjoy him being a great tough guy.  I got a thrill out of watching him plow through bad guys with ease and if anything, I wanted to see more of him interacting with other characters.  I was less interested in the motivations and actions of the villains and more interested in seeing Jack Reacher be Jack Reacher.  I was less than impressed with Rosamund Pike, who overacted every scene she was in.  I’m not sure if she didn’t understand what she was saying or if she was getting bad direction from Christopher McQuarrie, but she was a distraction in an otherwise top notch cast.

The murder mystery and investigation is actually done very well.  I would hesitate to use the term “twist”, because I don’t think it was a surprise to anyone, but the mystery is revealed very well by McQuarrie and the story obviously had a lot of thought and time put into it.  The action scenes are also very well done, providing a realistic approach to the story rather than succumbing to the blockbuster tendency to go over the top.  I appreciated that they made Jack Reacher human in his reactions to getting hit; he’s not Superman and when someone hits him, he stumbles.  That’s refreshing in any movie that features a tough guy.

JACK REACHER does have its problems.  I’m not sure why Paramount decided to start with the eighth book in the series rather than maybe going with “The Enemy” (technically the ninth book in the series, but the first one if we’re going in chronological order).  “One Shot” was not the best way to introduce the character, but even with that glaring problem, the film is still enjoyable.  Tom Cruise fans will forgive the problems and enjoy watching him give another great performance while others might be disappointed with the lack of setup.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  JACK REACHER looks incredible on Blu-ray.  I was most impressed with the night scenes and specifically, the car chase.

Audio: As good as JACK REACHER looked, it sounded equally impressive.

Commentary with Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie:  McQuarrie and Cruise have been friends for a while and it shows in this commentary track how well they get along.  They offer a very engaging track and cover everything you’d want to know about the film while keeping the facts and tidbits coming consistently.

Commentary with Composer Joe Kramer:  This is really a score-only track, with Kramer occasionally jumping in and talking about his score and its impact on the film.  This really wasn’t my thing.

When the Man Comes Around (26:47): The cast and crew show up to talk about how great the source material is, along with the process of getting Lee Child’s blessing on Tom Cruise and the film itself.  Fans of the Jack Reacher novels should enjoy this.

You Do Not Mess with Jack Reacher: Combat & Weapons (10:28): I’m not sure what weapons they’re referring to, but this is a nice featurette on the fighting in the film and how they strived to make it as realistic as possible.

The Reacher Phenomenon (11:13): This featurette is all about Lee Child.  He shows up to talk about his books, the characters and why Jack Reacher is so popular around the world.

The post Jack Reacher Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Manit (Jon Foo, TEKKEN) witnessed his parents being murdered in front of him as a young boy.  And even though the assassins tried to finish the job with a bullet to Manit’s temple, he amazingly survived and was hidden by a kind nurse to be raised by a Thai fighting master.  As Manit matured, it was evident to his master that the attempt on his life left him severely emotionally handicapped, devoid of the ability to emit any human emotions.  With no other direction in his life, Manit submerged himself in the disciplines of the martial arts so he could one day take revenge on those who killed his parents.

There has never been a shortage of martial arts films to go around.  Great fight sequences are the most frugal way to make an action film on a tight budget.  Though it seems in the last few years, all of the original thought and focus that has lifted fight scenes to unprecedented heights has only been equaled by plots that have sunk to parallel new lows.

In BANGKOK REVENGE, the writers are not even making an attempt to have a coherent narrative, asking the audience to get behind a protagonist who has zero emotions due to being shot in the head as a child, while his parents were “Bruce Wayned” in front of him.  Now crossing Spock with Batman is not such a terrible idea for an action hero, but when the guy who supposedly has no emotions does nothing other than hunt down and kill anyone that had anything to do with his parents death for 82 minutes, well that seems to undermine the entire concept of the character.  The last time I watched any action film with a leg kick that crossed even Peter Dinklage’s summit point; revenge was probably a pretty big part of the story.  Not to mention that very emotion happens to be 50 percent of the big bold title printed on the box. Like I said, the writers were not even trying here.  Instead, this film is just a virtual porno of great fight scenes interlaced with “fluff” material that could be fast-forwarded through with the same confidence of not missing out on any intricate “story” elements.

Jon Foo actually exhibits a pretty decent display of a man with no emotions, even if he is beating everyone up, but the dialogue and the rest of the performances are so pathetic that there’s no way to differentiate between the character’s signature trait and just plain bad acting.

Unlike films such as THE RAID: REDEMPTION or NINJA ASSASSIN, BANGKOK REVENGE is not even worth owning just to throw on the screen in the background at a house party.  Sure there are some stand-out moments of unique fighting maneuvers, but they are far too seldom to warrant the attention needed to suffer through scenes that may end up leaving the audience just as emotionless as its main character.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  1.85:1 Widescreen, 1080p/AVC MPEG-4: Even with low-budget productions in the HD era, the cameras are so advanced that it’s hard to produce a bad image if modern day technology is in use.  This film is very sharp and the colors are nicely saturated.

Audio:  Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1: Surprisingly the sound mix on this film was very good as well, special effects were nicely rendered and the punch/kick connections added greatly to the overall fight scenes.

Trailer (2 min):  The theatrical trailer is the only “bonus feature” on this disc, sparing you from keeping it in your player a minute more than it has to be.

The post Bangkok Revenge Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

If you can’t get the busy Anne Hathaway to star in your film, Keira Knightley is a nice consolation prize.  The newly married British actress has signed on to star in the film LAGGIES for director Lynn Shelton.  The film is about a twentysomething woman that responds to her boyfriend’s proposal by claiming to go on a work retreat, only to spend the week hanging out with her new high school-aged friends.  Shelton recently directed the film TOUCHY FEELY about a masseuse that decides she doesn’t like touching people.

LAGGIES has seen a bit of a casting carousel in the lead role.  Rebecca Hall was circling the project for a while but wasn’t able to commit after she signed on for TRANSCENDENCE. So then Shelton went with Anne Hathaway, only to run into a scheduling problem when Hathaway decided to join Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR.  It seems Shelton can’t compete with anyone in the Nolan universe.  So she wasn’t going to be fooled a third time and has gone with Keira Knightley, whom I don’t believe has any ties to Christopher Nolan.  Keira Knightley joins a film that already has Chloe Grace Moretz, Mark Webber and Sam Rockwell attached to star.  Filming is scheduled to start soon. (Deadline)

The post Keira Knightley replaces Anne Hathaway in Laggies appeared first on Flix 66.

You can file this one under the “well, obviously” category.  Tom Cruise has officially signed on to star in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 5, marking a return to the lucrative franchise for both Cruise, Paramount and Skydance Productions.  Cruise is the first domino to fall into place, but expect a director and a screenwriter to be announced soon since it has been rumored for a while that Tom Cruise would bring his JACK REACHER director, Christopher McQuarrie, into the franchise as well.  Given that JACK REACHER hits Blu-ray tomorrow, it would be perfect timing to announce Tom Cruise today and then McQuarrie later in the week.

Of course, the real question is where are they going to go with the franchise.  Before GHOST PROTOCOL came out, the word was that Paramount was looking to replace Tom Cruise with Jeremy Renner.  But Renner was barely an afterthought in Protocol and public opinion on Tom Cruise seemed to sway back in his favor, so it’s unclear if Paramount is still having second thoughts on Cruise.  What is clear is that Tom Cruise relies heavily on the success of his Mission Impossible franchise to lead to other big time roles.  After MI4, he signed on for JACK REACHER, OBLIVION, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL and several other films that are in various stages of production.  Adding in a successful fifth installment would only continue his A-list status. (Deadline)

The post Tom Cruise signs on for Mission Impossible 5 appeared first on Flix 66.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 synopsis: For Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy – between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone), high school graduation can’t come quickly enough. Peter hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away – but that’s a promise he just can’t keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.

Directed by Marc Webb, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will star Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as Rhino, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, Sally Field and Martin Sheen. The sequel will be swinging into theaters on May 2, 2014. (Superhero Hype)

The post Emma Stone in new set images from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 appeared first on Flix 66.

I’ve been pretty open minded about the sixth FAST AND FURIOUS film, but as I was preparing these movie clips, I had to pause and think about whether or not these clips of Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson were from FAST AND FURIOUS 6 or from FAST FIVE.  I”m not necessarily saying this is going to be another case of THE HANGOVER PART II, but the two films have a very similar vibe, although to be fair, I don’t remember any tanks in FAST FIVE.  Every sequel has to take it up a notch and by the time you get to the sixth film in the series, I guess that’s when you add in tanks on highways.  But let’s be honest; if you went to see the first five films, then you’re probably going to go see the sixth, regardless of what they do or how ridiculous things get.

Directed by Justin Lin, FAST AND FURIOUS 6 stars: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Gina Curano, Luke Evans, Gal Gadot and Michelle Rodriquez. The film will hit theaters on May 24th, 2013.

FAST AND FURIOUS 6 official synopsis: Since Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian’s (Paul Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete. Meanwhile, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Luke Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.

The post Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Michelle Rodriguez star in new clips from Fast and Furious 6 appeared first on Flix 66.

It’s the turn of the 20^th Century in New York City.  If you need anything in NYC the person to see is Dolly Levi (Streisand).  Currently she is on her way to Yonkers to assist Mr. Horace  Vandergelder, a well known and unmarried “half-millionaire.”  Dolly’s official reason for her visit is to assist Horace in getting his niece out of town before she elopes.  Unofficially the widow Levi is looking for husband number two.  Learning that Horace is already preparing to propose to another woman, Irene Molloy (Marianne McAndrew), Dolly convinces Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford) and Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin), two young men that work for Horace, to journey to New York and have a night out on the town.  She can even give them the name of a woman to look up, one Irene Molloy.

Directed by the great Gene Kelly, HELLO, DOLLY! is very hit or miss as a film.  Though at one time the most popular show in Broadway history (it’s 10 Tony Awards was a record that stood for almost four decades until THE PRODUCERS won 12), HELLO, DOLLY! is not Herman’s best work.  Later shows, like “Mame” and “La Cage aux Folles” have much more memorable tunes.  I would venture that those of you reading this would be hard pressed to recall a song from the show other then the title tune (in my opinion the only other memorable tune is “Before the Parade Passes By”).   Where it hits is the way director Kelly has opened the show, taking a more personal bit of theatre and expanding it into a full-fledged production.  Kelly cast the show with a plethora of musical talent, both current and future, among them future Tony award winners Michael Crawford and Tommy Tune, as well as, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, a lot of the supporting cast from THE MUSIC MAN.  I’ve had the pleasure of seeing both Crawford and Tune on stage so to see them so early in their career is a treat.  In what would be his last film, Lockin is quite endearing.  Sadly he was murdered after he moved to Hawaii to open a dance studio.  And of course, you can never go wrong when you have Barbra Streisand singing on screen.

Unfortunately Streisand is also part of the misses.  At age 26 she’s just too young to be playing Dolly, a part originated by Carol Channing, who was 41 at the time.  Other actresses who also played Dolly include Phyllis Diller, Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Ginger Rogers and Pearl Bailey.  Also miscast is Matthau, who wears his hang-dog expression pretty much the entire film.  He’s also tone-deaf.  There are many well known stories of Streisand and Matthau fighting constantly on set, with one quarrel ending with Matthau telling Babs that she “had no more talent than a butterfly’s fart.”  And while I’m a huge fan of both Crawford (I saw him in “The Phantom of the Opera” three times) and Tune, they also seem out of place here.  Crawford’s English accent is almost out of place for the time and place as is Tune’s native Texas twang.  Also, Tommy Tune, who has won 9 Tony Awards during his career, is 6’ 7” tall.  He towers over the rest of the cast to the point of distraction, especially during the dance numbers.  The man is all legs!

That all being said, fans of the film WALL-E will remember that HELLO, DOLLY! was the little robots favorite movie.  And who can argue with that?

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  The film has been beautifully transferred and is presented in the original 2.20:1 aspect ratio.  The colors seemingly jump from the screen and the picture fills the screen from end to end.

Audio:  Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and is very clear.  The musical numbers are well mixed.

Directing Dolly:  Gene Kelly Remembered (10:39):  A very informative interview with Patricia Ward Kelly, a film historian and Gene Kelly’s widow.  Among the revelations is that Streisand was always questioning Kelly as to what he was doing and why, apparently preparing for her directing debut with “Yentl” 15 years later.

1969 Featurette (6:53):  When I was a young boy in the 60s this was something that would play in theatres before a film or on television after the Sunday night movie.  The film gives a behind the scenes look at the filming of the “Before the Parade Passes By” number that closes the first act of the film.

Theatrical Trailer and Spanish Theatrical Trailer

The post Hello, Dolly! Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Christopher Nolan is nothing if not consistent.  He likes his actors and although the lead might change from Christian Bale to Hugh Jackman to Leonardo DiCaprio to Matthew McConaughey, the supporting cast remains the same.  So it’s no surprise that Michael Caine will be joining Christopher Nolan for INTERSTELLAR, making it six in a row for the Caine-Nolan teaming.  It has worked pretty well so far, so who can blame them for wanting to keep going?  Adding Michael Caine to your movie instantly makes it more respectable (not that Nolan needs help with that).

This news is hot on the heels of the announcement that Jessica Chastain would be taking the third lead in the film, bringing the confirmed cast members to four, including Caine, Chastain, Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.  In some other INTERSTELLAR tidbit news, Hoyte Van Hoytema will be the director of photography on the film, replacing Nolan’s longtime DoP Wally Pfister.  Pfister is busy shooting TRANSCENDENCE with Johnny Depp, so Nolan had to find a replacement.  Also, Hoytema will be shooting the INTERSTELLAR in IMAX, adding to the already grand scale of the film.

The plot of INTERSTELLAR is still being kept under wraps.  What we do know is that it’s a combination of an original script from Christopher Nolan’s brother Jonathan Nolan and involves a group of explorers that go through a worm hole and get involved in time travel and alternate dimensions.  But Nolan won’t be using the original script alone, he’s also merging some of his original ideas into Jonathan’s script, meaning it will be even more ambitious than the first draft suggested.  With McConaughey, Hathaway and Chastain leading his cast, he should be able to pull off anything he wants to.  All of this will be coming together for a Fall, 2014 release date. (Deadline)

The post Michael Caine joins Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway in Interstellar appeared first on Flix 66.

We all knew IRON MAN 3 would do well at the weekend box office, so the only question was just how well would it do. While some speculated it could bring in Avengers type money, I was less optimistic. Obviously, the success of the first two Iron Man films as well as the record breaking success of THE AVENGERS would mean big things for IRON MAN 3 (click the link to read our review) and it managed to capitalize on the hype to the tune of almost $175 million. To put it in perspective, the first IRON MAN made $98 million, IRON MAN 2 made $128 million and THE AVENGERS made $207 million. So IRON MAN 3 is doing quite well. Where it’s really cleaning up is overseas, where it has made a whopping $388 million. So yeah, anything you read that says there won’t be an IRON MAN 4, you can just ignore. You can say a lot of things about Disney, but one thing that’s absolutely true is that they love money. And as long as Iron Man is making it, there will be Iron Man movies.

Next week continues the summer movie season with the delayed release of THE GREAT GATSBY. The Leonardo DiCaprio starring film has been gaining steam recently with the great soundtrack and hip trailers, so it will be interesting to see how well the film does. I’m guessing it will do well, but it probably won’t be able to dethrone IRON MAN 3, especially with the good word of mouth IRON MAN 3 is getting. I think we’ll probably have to wait until STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS debuts the following week to see a new #1. Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.

1. Iron Man 3 $175m

2. Pain & Gain $7.6m

3. 42 $6.2m

4. Oblivion $5.8m

5. The Croods $4.2m

6. The Big Wedding $3.9m

7. Mud $2.9m

8. Oz The Great and Powerful $1.8m

9. Scary Movie 5 $1.4m

10. The Place Beyond The Pines $1.3m

(Deadline)

The post Weekend box office: Iron Man 3 does very well, but doesn’t break any records appeared first on Flix 66.

Well, after months of speculation and searches for an actor to take over the role of Eric Draven in THE CROW reboot, it looks like they’ve finally found their man.  And the lucky winner/loser (depending on your view of the reboot) is Luke Evans.  I don’t know if you’d recognize Luke Evans if you saw him walking down the street, but the guy has been in several things you might have seen, including THE THREE MUSKETEERS, IMMORTALS, THE RAVEN and he’s the villain in the upcoming FAST AND FURIOUS 6 and he has the upcoming HOBBIT films and DRACULA coming up.  So he’s going to be a very busy guy over the next couple of years.

The original story of THE CROW centers on musician Eric Draven, who along with fiancee, is brutally murdered by a group of thugs.  But he gets possessed with superhuman powers, aided by a crow and gets vengeance on those that did him wrong.  The new version of the film will be directed by F. Javier Gutierrez and it’s presumed that he’ll stick closely to the original story. (Deadline)

The post Luke Evans is The Crow for director F. Javier Gutierrez appeared first on Flix 66.

It flew under the radar for much of the early marketing season that most summer movies go through, which led me to believe THE HANGOVER PART III wasn’t the epic conclusion to the franchise that Warner Bros. might have hoped.  That was confirmed when the first trailer hit with a dud.  But things got better for the third film with the second trailer, which was actually pretty funny.  Now we have a few TV spots, several posters and the film seems to be back on everyone’s radar.  Today, we get the first clip from the film, featuring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis discussing the situation and whether or not they should try to help Chow (Ken Jeong).  And yes, they make a joke about Chow’s name, which I bet is the first of many jokes they’ll make about saying goodbye or getting some food.

THE HANGOVER PART III is set to star Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Gillian Vigman, Sasha Barrese, Jamie Chung, John Goodman, Mike Epps, Mike Tyson and Jeffrey Tambor.  The Todd Phillips directed film hits theaters on May 24th, 2013.

The Hangover Part III official synopsis: The third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ record-shattering comedy franchise. This time, there’s no wedding.  No bachelor party.  What could go wrong, right?  But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.

The post Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms search for Chow in the first clip from The Hangover Part III appeared first on Flix 66.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013.  And this probably means nothing, but have you noticed that the TV spots, trailers and official marketing never call him “Superman”?  I’m not familiar enough with the original comics to say if this is intentional or not, but I’m guessing it’s going to be addressed in the film.

Man of Steel official synopsis: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth.  As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do.  But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The post Henry Cavill soars on the new poster for Man of Steel appeared first on Flix 66.

If you’re wondering why the comedy GIRL MOST LIKELY doesn’t ring any bells, it’s because it was called IMOGENE for the longest time.  Sound familiar?  It was the movie Kristen Wiig signed on to right after BRIDESMAIDS blew up.  Anyway, the first trailer for the film is out and it actually looks pretty fun.  Kristen Wiig has a monopoly on that normal-girl-with-crazy-friends schtick, but it really works for her and GIRL MOST LIKELY looks like another success.

GIRL MOST LIKELY stars Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening, Matt Dillon, Darren Criss, Natasha Lyonne, Christopher Fitzgerald and Michelle Hurd.  The Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini directed film opens in theaters on July 19th.

GIRL MOST LIKELY official synopsis: Kristen Wiig stars as Imogene, once a promising young New York playwright whose promise has fizzled, thanks to a crisis of confidence. Heavily in denial about being dumped by her society boyfriend, Imogene uses her skill for drama to stage an elaborate fake suicide as an appeal for his sympathy. But her attempt backfires when she’s put into the custody of Zelda, her estranged gambling addict mother (Annette Bening), and must return home with her to the Jersey shore. Desperate to get back to her Manhattan circle of so- called friends, Imogene must finally deal with her family, including her unique brother (Christopher Fitzgerald), Zelda’s new boyfriend The Bousche (Matt Dillon), plus a cute young lodger (Darren Criss),who together help Imogene sort out her place in the world.

The post Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening star in the Girl Most Likely trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) near death experience through the wormhole in THE AVENGERS has messed with his mind.  He no longer sleeps and has frequent panic attacks, which in turn has consumed his time with work and strained his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).  Despite these personal problems, there is still evil in the world.  A ruthless terrorist called Mandarin (played by the always exquisite Ben Kingsley) is taking over the air waves and dishing out random acts of violence, usually in the form of public bombings.   He is backed by THE INCREDIBLES villain type Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who went from being a once nerdy fan of Stark to becoming a strapping evil genius.

Picking up the danger level considerably, IRON MAN 3 deals more with Tony Stark without the steel armor of Iron Man.  Here is where the film succeeds at its fullest.  A darker more tortured Tony Stark for a man that is usually cocksure and egotistical, makes for a refreshing and compelling change of pace.  After a thrilling near total destruction of Mr. Stark and his assets.  The man finds himself stranded miles away without the iron.  Films always work their best when the cool gadgets don’t work.  It brings an every man quality to our hero that gives a sense of reality in the film world.  Tony can’t catch a break as his suits keep getting destroyed and he has to do what he does best, think on his feet and build quick primitive (I’m using that word very loosely) devises to keep him going.

Highlighting Tony’s love for Pepper, his friendship with bodyguard / head of security Happy (Jon Favreau) and War Machine turned Iron Patriot Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle), and enlisting some help from a young boy, IRON MAN 3 shows sweeter moments in Stark without loosing his brash honesty and surely quips.  The films biggest weakness is when it comes to Iron Man’s enemies.  Killian has invented a way for amputees to grow their limbs back.  But by doing so they become some sort of acrobatic, eye glowing, fire breathing mutant.  They look normal at first but when ever they choose they can burn a hole through anything they touch. The way these evil characteristics are delivered stretch the boundaries into cartoony even for the Marvel superhero world, especially for the final battle, which counteracts the more realistic danger the film had previously established internally through Stark.

The 3D is nice but completely unnecessary.  Sometimes the action is a little over explosive and grand, losing a lot of the human element and instead becomes more like a Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich movie.  The abundance of plot holes and questionable choices only further that comparison. The film runs a little long with an odd Bond like situation where the villain divulges his plans in the second act.  But due to the high energy direction of Shane Black, IRON MAN 3 is still a solid barrel of fun.  Robert Downey Jr. keeps the film alive with his natural charisma and humor.  With perhaps one of the greatest action scenes to date, Iron Man finds himself needing to find a way to save several passengers falling out of a crashing plane, when he can only carry four.  The whole segment is ripe with tension and creativity that alone propels the film to better than it probably deserves.

The post Iron Man 3 Movie Review appeared first on Flix 66.

It doesn’t take much for the latter to be born in the 1960s New Jersey shown in NOT FADE AWAY. One night, suburban teen Douglas (John Magaro, Josh Radnor’s LIBERAL ARTS) hears The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and wonders, in complete amazement, “What’s that?” A few weeks later, The Rolling Stones appear on television and that settles it. Douglas and his friends Gene (Jack Huston, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE) and Wells (Will Brill, KING KELLY) will pick up some instruments and start a band.

Equipped with just the right hairstyles and clothes, they play a few gigs here and there. Using the line “time is on your side” as their mantra, the boys decide to put together a demo to take to record companies. You can imagine how Douglas’ old-school father, Pat (James Gandolfini, maintaining some of Tony Soprano’s tendencies—the part where he eats ice cream on his couch beckons the gangster’s many late-night snackings), feels about the whole thing.

NOT FADE AWAY is the feature debut of David Chase. Chase has been on something of a hiatus since 2007, after he chose Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” as the anthem for one of the defining television moments ever: the final scene of THE SOPRANOS. That show, too, frequently used classic rock on its soundtrack. Here, Chase (with the aid of Steven Van Zandt, who plays guitar for The E Street Band and portrayed Silvio on THE SOPRANOS) uses The Stones, The Beatles, The Rascals, and The Kinks as guiding points in the ups and downs of an aspiring rock band.

There is a lot of name-dropping and clip-showcasing, with countless bits about Vietnam and snippets of everything from THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE to THE TWILIGHT ZONE to BLOW-UP, to remind us time and time again that we’re watching a movie set in the ‘60s.

NOT FADE AWAY captures the teenage need to be something other than what your parents want you to be. But that also turns out to be one of its flaws. When Douglas spouts the line, “You wouldn’t understand being in a band—that’s my true family,” at the dinner table, we know that he believes it more than anything in the world. But it’s also the point (even before the band starts to carry on about magazine shoots and press conferences) that we start hoping for a record producer (here played by Brad Garrett, CBS’s EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND) to knock some proper sense into the boys.

We should be rooting for the band—whatever their name is—to succeed, maybe sell some t-shirts and bumper stickers. But instead, they do everything to prove to us that they were destined for obscurity.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 1.85:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. This high-definition transfer of NOT FADE AWAY has a tremendous level of clarity and definition to it, with wonderful details in the period settings and costumes.

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; French 5.1 Dolby Digital; Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Subtitles in English, French and Spanish. While the dialogue is clean and without any detectable disturbances, it’s the soundtrack—with tracks from The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, and more— that really makes this transfer worthwhile.

The Basement Tapes is divided into three sections: The Boys in the Band (13:32), which looks at the origins, the music and the cast; Living in the Sixties (12:26), which details the role the era had in the story; and Hard Art (10:04), which focuses more on the story.

Building the Band (3:06) expands on the casting of NOT FADE AWAY and turning actors into musicians with the help of Steven Van Zandt.

Deleted Scenes (5:33): There are four here, which can be viewed separately or as a whole. They are: “Naming the Band,” “Thanksgiving,” “Eviction,” and “You and Me Gonna Tangle.”

The post Not Fade Away Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

I’m not really sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way I started to really like Channing Tatum.  Maybe it was 21 JUMP STREET or maybe HAYWIRE, but somehow he went from annoyingly stiff to surprisingly charming and funny.  The new WHITE HOUSE DOWN trailer feels more like a Lethal Weapon film, but somehow it works, mainly because of Channing Tatum.  I found myself amused with this new trailer and I think this just jumped up on my list of anticipated movies of the summer, despite all common sense telling me it shouldn’t.

WHITE HOUSE DOWN stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Joey King, James Woods, Richard Jenkins, Rachelle Lefevre and Jimmi Simpson.  The Roland Emmerich (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, 2012) directed film opens everywhere on June 28th.

WHITE HOUSE DOWN synopsis: After losing out on his dream job of protecting the President of the Unites States, Secret Service agent John Cole (Channing Tatum) takes his daughter on a tour of the White House.  While on that tour, Cale finds himself confronting an unthinkable terrorist act.  A heavily armed military group has seized control of the White House and taken President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) hostage.  With all of the other agents dead and America’s government falling into turmoil, it’s up to Cale to save his country, his President and his little girl before time runs out.

The post Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx save America in the new White House Down trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

After dropping out of the very troubled JANE GOT A GUN at the last minute due to “scheduling conflicts”, Bradley Cooper has rebounded nicely by getting Steven Spielberg to direct AMERICAN SNIPER. And if gaining a Spielberg film meant losing Jane, you can see why he would do it. Bradley Cooper originally bought the rights to Chris Kyle’s autobiography almost a year ago, but hasn’t been able to get the project moving. But now that he has The Bearded One set to direct, this should get going quickly as Spielberg is making it his next movie. I guess that means ROBOPOCALYPSE won’t be seeing the light of day any time soon.

For a while, AMERICAN SNIPER was going to be a reunion of Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell, with the trio circling the project back in September. But Russell never officially signed on and there’s no word whether or not Jennifer Lawrence is still interested. I would imagine the inclusion of Steven Spielberg would make the project even more attractive than it already was.

The official Amazon.com synopsis: He is the deadliest American sniper ever, called “the devil” by the enemies he hunted and “the legend” by his Navy SEAL brothers . . .From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle’s kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for this book. Iraqi insurgents feared him so much they placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow U.S. warriors, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time. (THR)

The post Bradley Cooper and Steven Spielberg are set for American Sniper appeared first on Flix 66.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD official synopsis: Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself.  In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD will star: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Jamie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi and Tadanobu Asano. Directed by Alan Taylor, THOR: THE DARK WORLD is scheduled to hit theaters on November 8th, 2013. (EW)

The post Chris Hemsworth is looking dramatically rugged in new photo from Thor: The Dark World appeared first on Flix 66.

THE BLING RING stars Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Nina Siemaszko, Erin Daniels, Patricia Lentz, Stacy Edwards and Maika Monroe.  The Sofia Coppola directed film will hit theaters this summer on June 14th.

THE BLING RING official synopsis: In the fame-obsessed world of Los Angeles, a group of teenagers take us on a thrilling and disturbing crime-spree in the Hollywood hills.  Based on true events, the group, who were fixated on the glamorous life, tracked their celebrity targets online, and stole more than 3 million in luxury goods from their homes. Their victims included Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson, and the gang became known in the media as “The Bling Ring.”  In THE BLING RING, Oscar Winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola takes us inside the world of these teens, where their youthful naivete and excitement is amplified by today’s culture of celebrity and luxury brand obsession.  The members of the Bling Ring introduce us to temptations that any teenager would find hard to resist.  And what starts out as youthful fun spins out of control, revealing a sobering view of our modern culture.

The post Emma Watson looks happy on the final poster for The Bling Ring appeared first on Flix 66.

We haven’t heard much from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES for a while.  The last thing we heard, Blake Lively was up for the film that merges Jane Austen’s classic novel and zombies, but that was back in the fall of 2011.  Before that, this was Natalie Portman’s baby and she has long since abandoned it.  But now, MIRROR MIRROR star Lily Collins is set for the lead role, probably hoping that everyone will forget about her portrayal of Snow White.  This time, Burr Steers is in the director’s seat.  Burr last directed CHARLIE ST. CLOUD.

The official Amazon.com synopsis: It is known as “the strange plague,” and its unfortunate victims are referred to only as “unmentionables” or “dreadfuls.” All over England, the dead are rising again, and now even the daughters of Britain’s best families must devote their lives to mastering the deadly arts. Elizabeth Bennet is a fearsome warrior whose ability with a sword is matched only by her quick wit and even sharper tongue. But she faces her most formidable foe yet in the haughty, conceited, and somehow strangely attractive Mr. Darcy. As the two lovers meet in the ballroom and on the battlefield, they’ll soon learn that nothing—not even bands of ninjas, hordes of flesh-eating zombies, or disapproving aunts—can stop true love.

The post Lily Collins signs on for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies appeared first on Flix 66.

The epic marketing angle for MAN OF STEEL continues even into TV land, where the latest TV spot for the new Superman film feels a lot like the trailers we’ve seen in that we don’t see much of Henry Cavill and then Russell Crowe gives a long speech and asks the question, “What if a child aspired to something greater?”  At this point, I can’t tell if I’m genuinely excited to see MAN OF STEEL or if I’m just really curious to see if director Zack Snyder can pull it off.  I appreciate the epic-ness of it all, but I also hope they don’t forget that Superman is also fun.  We just haven’t seen that in the marketing material yet.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013.

MAN OF STEEL official synopsis: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The post Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe star in the epic new Man of Steel TV spot appeared first on Flix 66.

THE SWEENEY shoots out of the starting block with a bang. We see two groups of men, both of which appear to be discussing a heist. The ambiguity of the discussion leads us to wonder what is going to happen, but our questions are soon answered as The Sweeney descend on unprepared criminals with both semi-automatics and baseball bats. These aren’t your grandmother’s Bobbies. You get the feeling right from the start the Sweeney have probably crossed some lines, lines that change you into the very people you are pursuing…

This, in and of itself, is enough depth for the film. Sadly, we get a lot of ‘other’ background drama, simple types like adultery and family dynamics. These don’t play nearly as well as the action sequences, though they are written fairly well. Starring Ray Winstone (SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, 2012) as Regan, the leader of the Sweeney and Ben Drew aka Plan B, a Brit-pop star, THE SWEENEY does well showing the tortured souls of those who, with regularity, fight the most violent of criminals. Winstone and Drew are cut from the same cloth though their characters are considerably different in motivation and purpose; their casting was inspired.

Joining them is Hayley Atwell, who you’ll most likely remember from her small role in 2011’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Atwell plays Nancy, a member of the Sweeney who has fallen for Regan even though she’s (unhappily) married to an internal affairs officer. Strangely, this particular internal affairs officer has been watching the Sweeney for some time and, during the course of THE SWEENEY, ups the stakes and begins a full formal investigation of Regan and Co.

This is the first of quite a few problems with THE SWEENEY. Too much time, especially in the second act, is spent on trite conflict intended to add depth to the story that falls short. The character development of Regan and Carter (Drew) is nice but neither story gets quite enough attention to really mean anything to us as viewers. In the end there are simply too many nods to the original show and too little real, meaningful conflict. If you are someone who watched and enjoyed the original you’ll probably enjoy this. If not, there are elements to enjoy but the movie as a whole is just subpar.

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Video: (1080p, 2.40:1 Widescreen) The video is appropriately gritty but also has some very nice qualities. THE SWEENEY does a great job taking advantage of your HD television and really puts you in the middle of the action.

Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) Audio for THE SWEENEY may not seem very important, but this is a dialogue heavy action flick and the audio is well suited to the task.

Audio Commentary with writer/director Nick Love and various producers never properly identified This is a very good audio commentary though I wish, due to the accents, they had included subtitles of the commentary. There are quite a few interesting tidbits here, but for those of us in the USA they are hard to make out. The participants talk over each other, and talk each other up quite a bit, but there are still some good moments here if you can stomach the rest. It would have been nice, though, if Mr. Love would stop talking about his limited budget and revised shooting schedule. Be proud of your work, you don’t have to make excuses over and over (and over, and over, and over…).

Behind the Scenes of THE SWEENEY (25:49) The cast and crew discuss working on the film. Nick Love talks about how long he’s been working to bring THE SWEENEY to the large screen (5 years) and the intense pressure to ensure the chemistry and action matched people’s expectations. This is an incredibly in-depth look at the film, highly recommended for anyone who enjoys THE SWEENEY.

Preparing THE SWEENEY (15:05) The featurette focuses on the development period, the writing and re-writing, the casting process, and putting all of the pieces together so THE SWEENEY would work for fans and for new generations. Part of the problem, featured here as the solution to the film.

Shooting in Trafalgar Square (15:18) THE SWEENEY features a phenomenal, long foot chase through one of the epic London locations. This reminded me a lot of HEAT and in a good way.

The New Regan and Carter (04:19) Winstone and Drew talk about their roles, with writer/director Nick Love providing some additional detail. They are easily the strongest moments of THE SWEENEY, if only they had done as nice a job on the rest of the flick.

On the Shooting Range (04:32) Cast and crew spent some time on the shooting range together to train and bond while putting together The Flying Squad for THE SWEENEY. Familiarity with weapons is important in any film featuring a lot of gunplay, and THE SWEENEY did a nice job with these actors.

Top Gear and the Caravan Park (08:34) The crew from Top Gear (a BBC television show) stopped by and helped THE SWEENEY film crew with the final chase sequence. Very cool for any fans of either show.

Animated Storyboard – Trafalgar Square (02:26) Featuring voiceover from Love, there are a few interesting tidbits featured here.

Animated Storyboard – The Caravan Park (01:57) Another feature that would have been boring if not for the little facts about filmmaking and the process from storyboard to final product.

The post The Sweeney Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Although I commend him for making strides on his quest to break free from Harry Potter, I can’t say that I’ve been too excited about Daniel Radcliffe‘s projects so far.  He has KILL YOUR DARLINGS, THE F WORD and HORNS all on the way and none of them strike me as anything I’d want to see.  He did have the brief series ‘The Young Doctor’s Notebook’ with Jon Hamm that looked interesting, but got bad reviews and my interest has since waned.  But now Daniel Radcliffe has signed on for something different; TOKYO VICE.  In the film, Daniel Radcliffe will play a reporter in Tokyo that gets caught up in the crime underbelly of the city.  It’s actually based on a true story and if it’s successful, I imagine it could spawn a series of Daniel Radliffe.  Anthony Mandler will be making his feature film debut with the project from a script by J.T. Rodgers.

The Amazon.com synopsis: From the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club: a unique, firsthand, revelatory look at Japanese culture from the underbelly up. At nineteen, Jake Adelstein went to Japan in search of peace and tranquility. What he got was a life of crime . . . crime reporting, that is, at the prestigious Yomiuri Shinbun. For twelve years of eighty-hour workweeks, he covered the seedy side of Japan, where extortion, murder, human trafficking, and corruption are as familiar as ramen noodles and sake. But when his final scoop brought him face to face with Japan’s most infamous yakuza boss—and the threat of death for him and his family—Adelstein decided to step down . . . momentarily. Then, he fought back.

In Tokyo Vice, Adelstein tells the riveting, often humorous tale of his journey from an inexperienced cub reporter—who made rookie mistakes like getting into a martial-arts battle with a senior editor—to a daring, investigative journalist with a price on his head. With its vivid, visceral descriptions of crime in Japan and an exploration of the world of modern-day yakuza that even few Japanese ever see, Tokyo Vice is a fascination, and an education, from first to last.

The post Daniel Radcliffe is set to star in Tokyo Vice appeared first on Flix 66.

THE ENDER’S GAME official synopsis: In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite.

Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he’s trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

Directed by Gavin Hood, ENDER’S GAME stars: Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley, Khylin Rhambo and Viola Davis. ENDER’S GAME will hit theaters and IMAX on November 1st, 2013. Stay tuned for the first trailer to be released next week. (EW)

The post Ben Kingsley is tattooed in new photo from Ender’s Game appeared first on Flix 66.

Maybe it’s the overly optimistic hope of my inner fanboy, but I’m getting more and more excited for THE WOLVERINE.  This new CinemaCon trailer is only a minute long, but it has everything you could want in a Wolverine movie; Hugh Jackman looking awesome, Wolverine fighting ninjas, Wolverine toying with the bad guys and a ton of violence.  We still haven’t seen much of Viper or Silver Samurai yet, but I guess there has to be some surprises when the movie hits theaters in July.  To be honest, it shouldn’t be that difficult to make a great movie around Wolverine since he’s such a naturally great character.  It’s almost sad it hasn’t been done well to date and even more sad that X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE got it so wrong.  If director James Mangold can add a nice story in there and keep the action grounded, I think we’re going to be in for a great ride.  And come on, it’s Wolverine versus samurais; how can you not be excited to see that?

THE WOLVERINE stars Hugh Jackman, Brian Tee, Will Yun Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Rila Fukushima and James Fraser. The James Mangold directed film is set to open in theaters on July 26th, 2013.

THE WOLVERINE synopsis: Arguably the most beloved character in the X-Men universe, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) returns to the big screen in the all new epic action-adventure THE WOLVERINE.  This time, Logan finds himself in modern day Japan, out of his element and in an unusual world, facing a menacing nemesis that could mean the end of The Wolverine.  Vulnerable for the first time and facing emotional and physical limits, he confronts his samurai adversaries as well as his own inner turmoil regarding his immortality.  But the battles will leave Logan stronger and more powerful than ever before.

The post Hugh Jackman stars in the CinemaCon trailer for The Wolverine appeared first on Flix 66.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK: Life doesn’t always go according to plan…Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything — his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

THE DETAILS: After 10 years of marriage, Jeff and Nealy Lang (Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks) have an idyllic suburban home and a relationship on the skids. But, when a family of hungry raccoons ransacks their perfectly manicured backyard, Jeff becomes obsessed with eradicating the pests by any means necessary. Soon, the relentless rodents lead way to a battle of wits with a very meddlesome neighbor (Laura Linney), and before he knows it, Jeff finds himself buried in an absurd mess of infidelity, extortion, organ donation and other assorted mayhem.

LAY THE FAVORITE: Beth Raymer (Rebecca Hall) leaves her dancing job at a Florida strip club to become a Las Vegas cocktail waitress. In walks Dink (Bruce Willis), a professional sports bettor who sees through her bubbly exterior and offers her a job placing wagers all over town to gain an advantage over the casinos. Her surprisingly impeccable mind for numbers soon cements her status as Dink’s good-luck charm, until his gorgeous-but-frigid wife, Tulip (Catherine Zeta-Jones) , starts to get jealous. Faced with no other choice but to fire Beth, Dink’s luck runs out when she heads to New York to work for a smarmy bookie, a turn of events that lands her squarely on the wrong side of the law.

BACHERLOTTE: When it comes to raucous, raunchy and riotously inappropriate pre-wedding behavior, why should guys have all the fun? Control freak Regan (Kirsten Dunst), smart-mouthed Gena (Lizzy Caplan) and bubble-headed Katie (Isla Fisher) celebrate the impending nuptials of their longtime, high school whipping girl Becky (Rebel Wilson) in an epic girls’ night out filled with strip clubs, ex-boyfriends and innumerable unmentionables (among them, Becky’s wedding dress).

BUTTER: In Iowa, butter carving is as cut-throat as a Presidential election, plagued with scandal, greed, blackmail, and sex—except with butter! When long-reigning champion butter sculptor, Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell), is forced to step down, his zealous wife, Laura (Jennifer Garner) enters the competition herself, to fight for their status as butter royalty. A win seems virtually guaranteed for the poised and studied candidate when a formidable contender emerges: the fresh-faced, effortlessly charismatic 10-year-old Destiny (Yara Shahidi), an African-American foster child of local couple, Jill and Ethan (Alicia Silverstone and Rob Corddry).

SUNSHINE CLEANING: Academy Award® Nominee Amy Adams, Golden Globe® Winner Emily Blunt, and Academy Award Winner® Alan Arkin find an unexpected way to turn their lives around in this “colorful, refreshingly quirky comic drama” (Leah Rozen, People). Desperate to get her son into a better school, single mom Rose (Amy Adams) persuades her slacker sister Norah (Emily Blunt) to join her in the crime scene cleanup business to make some quick cash. With the help of their ill-fated salesman father (Alan Arkin), they climb the ranks in a very dirty job, finding themselves up to their elbows in murders, suicides, and… specialized situations.

To enter to win, Like us on Facebook by visiting the FLIX66.COM FACEBOOK CONTEST PAGE. Once there, answer the trivia question and you’ll be entered.

This contest ends on Friday, May 10th at noon EST.

More free Sweepstakes and Contests and at Online Sweepstakes.

The post Win a Blu-ray prize pack featuring Silver Linings Playbook, The Details and more! appeared first on Flix 66.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will combine both casts from the X-MEN series that will include Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Nicolas Hoult, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Jason Flemyng and Peter Dinklage.  Directed by Bryan Singer the film and is set to hit theaters on July 18th, 2014. (Bryan Singer)

The post Hugh Jackman heads X-Men: Days of Future Past photo appeared first on Flix 66.

Jessica Chastain is set to star in the screen version of the popular novel, THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE.  Written by Diane Ackerman, the novel is a true account during WWII about the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo who saved hundreds during the Nazi invasion.  The film will be directed by Niki Caro with the screenplay written by Angela Workman. Niki Caro previously directed the very underrated WHALE RIDER in 2002, the Charlize Theron driven NORTH COUNTRY in 2005, then most recently A HEAVENLY VINTAGE in 2009. The director seems to have a knack for female driven films, so THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE might be right up her alley.  Here is the novel’s synopsis:

When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw—and the city’s zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen “guests” hid inside the Zabinskis’ villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants—otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.

Any studio would be lucky to get Jessica Chastain in their film as she is quickly becoming one of the most talent and desired actresses.  Jessica Chastain is also one of the hardest working actors.  She recently starred in the horror film MAMA, the bootlegging crime drama LAWLESS, and the Academy Award winning film ZERO DARK THIRTY for which she was also nominated for Best Actress.  In 2011, she starred in several solid films including, THE HELP, TEXAS KILLING FIELDS, TAKE SHELTER, THE DEPT and my personal favorite THE TREE OF LIFE. THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE is expected to hit the market in Cannes. (THR)

The post Jessica Chastain will star as The Zookeeper’s Wife appeared first on Flix 66.

Well acted, the film is a clever look at how the youth of today, despite having a slacker mentality, are still concerned with their future.  Jonah is a likable guy with a personality that draws people towards him.  When he is forced to contemplate his life without his own offspring it scares him.  Even his roommates/partners get involved in trying to find the right woman.  Eventually, when no one else will help out, Stevie herself offers.  After a comedy of errors in trying to mechanically inseminate her, the two decide to do the deed.  A lot.  But eventually it becomes obvious that both have hidden feelings for the other and, despite another 45 minutes of film left to follow, the ending has been telegraphed to you.

The young actors are all appealing.  Kwanten, best known in the States for his work as Jason Stackhouse in the popular HBO series “True Blood,” hits all the right emotional notes necessary to make you truly care about his character.  Yes, he’s a bit of an overgrown man-child but you can’t help but feel the fear he’s facing.  The same can be said for Snook.  She too must bare her emotions, and her body, in an attempt to help her friend.  She has her reservations but knows deep inside that she is doing the right thing.

Director Templeman, making his feature film debut, shows an eye for relationships and the various comedies that pour forth from them.  Writer Michael Lucas, who in real life went through a lot of what Jonah does in the film, has created three dimensional characters that the audience can easily support.  That being said, it is the weakness (if that’s even the right word…I hesitate to say laziness) of the second act that truly affects the entire film.  It’s not a fatal problem but it does take away from the story when you’ve already figured out the ending.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  The 1080p transfer is sharp and clear, helped by the fact the film was filmed digitally, and is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Audio:  Available in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or Dolby Digital 2.0, the sound transfer here is very well done, most notably the scenes that take place at the trio’s house parties.  The audio and dialogue are clear and strong over the various background music being featured.

Interviews with the Cast and Crew (58:11):  A series of four mini-featurettes featuring pretty informative talks with director Templeman and the films (3) leads: Kwanten, Corr and Snook.

Behind the Scenes (14:23):  a fairly standard featurette featuring interviews and a behind the scenes look at the making of the film.

Theatrical Trailer

Additional Previews

The post Not Suitable for Children Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Yesterday, we found out that the great Michael Fassbender agreed to play the title character in Shakespeare’s MACBETH.  Today Fassbender gets his Lady MacBeth in Academy Award winner Natalie Portman. Both recently finished shooting together in an untitled Terrence Malick (THE TREE OF LIFE, TO THE WONDER) film.  Since it’s Terrence Malick, one or both of them could potentially be cut out as well. They both can be seen in their own upcoming superhero projects. Michael Fassbender has X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, while Natalie Portman has THOR: THE DARK WORLD to come out later this year. With these two super stars added to the project, I’ll be curious to see who jumps in as the supporting characters, particularly the three witches.

Apparently, Natalie Portman has been wanting the role for quite some time, even looking at stage productions of the famous William Shakespeare play.  There seems to be some sort of a Shakespeare adaptation that comes out nearly every year, so wait and ye shall receive.  I’m fan of both actors, beginning with Fassbender in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and Natalie Portman in LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL.  I always believed if I were to ever meet Natalie Portman, we would have dynamite chemistry.  My infatuation borders on unhealthy but my wife keeps me in check.

If you are unfamiliar with MACBETH, it follows a ruthless Scottish lord who with the help of his cunning wife and three witches overtakes the throne.  It sounds like the film will be a bit more violent but not sure if it will stick to the 11 century vernacular.  So far MACBETH will star Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender.  It will be produced by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman with Jacob Koskoff and Todd Louiso adapting the Shakespeare play to a screenplay.  MACBETH will be directed by relatively newbie Justin Kurzell and set to start shooting later in 2013. (Screen Daily)

The post Natalie Portman joins Michael Fassbender in MacBeth appeared first on Flix 66.

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a second; nobody in charge of making the Die Hard films cares about the Die Hard franchise. Bruce Willis will play a clown at your birthday party if you paid him enough. Fox barely cares about their X-Men franchise and everything else is just a way to make money. The original director is in jail and none of the writers even attempted to stay true to the original John McClane. And that’s a brief history review of why A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD got made and why it was painful to watch. But the fact of the matter is; when you take a once beloved American action hero and stick him overseas, foreign audiences will eat it up. In the case of Die Hard 5, that was to the tune of over $300 million. So if you’re an executive at Fox and you have a chance to make a cool $300 million on a modest budget starring Bruce Willis, without putting any energy into it, why wouldn’t you greenlight the project?

That brings us to DIE HARD 6 or as they’re calling it right now DIE HARDEST (please no). The sixth film in the lucrative series is currently being written by Ben Trebilcook and will see John McClane in Tokyo. Yep, if Russian audiences will come out in droves to see Bruce Willis in Russia, just imagine what the Asian audiences will do to see him in Tokyo. But the real kicker to this news is Trebilcook when he said “It is extremely faithful to the franchise and characters and is a natural progression. It’s also a very plausible storyline. I feel it could be the Rocky Babloa of the Die Hard franchsie”. No, I don’t know if he was able to say that with a straight face, but if he thinks Fox is going to make a Die Hard movie that isn’t just a series of mindless (and cheap) stunts, then he’s mistaken. My guess is that he was hired to write a script that does just that and he’s just kidding himself. This is still in the treatment phase and there’s no word on whether Jai Courtney will return or who will direct, but expect things to start moving quickly. Bruce Willis isn’t getting any younger. (TheWrap)

The post Bruce Willis will go to Tokyo for Die Hard 6 appeared first on Flix 66.

After walking in on his wife having an affair with a coworker, Pat (Bradley Cooper) suffers a mental breakdown and is institutionalized.  We pick up with Pat upon his release and in an effort to try and welcome him back, his friends set him up with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence).  Tiffany has problems of her own and has recently been fired from her job for sleeping with all of her coworkers.  Pat is desperate to win his wife back and when he learns that Tiffany might be able to deliver a letter to his ex-wife for him, he agrees to help her win a dance competition in exchange for her help.

The beauty in the film lies in the performances from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence with the former proving he’s more than just a pretty face or an action star.  If you weren’t sure about his abilities as an actor, then SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK should quiet any concerns you might have.  He’s a great actor and he proves it consistently here.  Jennifer Lawrence proved her acting ability in WINTERS BONE, but she picks it up as Tiffany, winning a much deserved Academy Award for her performance.  By the time you get to supporting players like Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver and even Chris Tucker, they become the icing on the proverbial cake.  Together, the incredible cast more than makes up for all of the film’s shortcomings.

Admittedly, the dance competition was hard for me to get behind and maybe I’ve been jaded with pre-teen fare like ‘Glee’ and PITCH PERFECT, but I felt the whole idea was predictable and beneath the film.  All of the characters in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK are so detailed and fascinating that having the film end with a big dance number just didn’t do the film justice.  For half a movie, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is a smart, sophisticated romantic comedy with adult characters that have real problems.  But then they start dancing and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we had just regressed as a film.  Like everyone in the audience, I wanted the characters to get together at the end, I just wish they had done it without the Hollywood ending.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is an extremely efficient film, excelling in every category a movie can excel in.  The direction is great, the script is well written and the performances are all award worthy.  But it’s also a bit predictable and the film never fully explores the great characters it sets up.  Throw in a final act that would feel more in line with a Reese Witherspoon rom-com and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK falls into the good-but-not-great category.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK looks gorgeous on Blu-ray.

Audio: The audio in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is equally impressive.

Deleted Scenes (26:14): Deleted scenes are one of my favorite special features, but very seldom do they ever do anything for me.  These would be the exception since they’re actually pretty decent and could have easily been inserted into the final film.

Silver Linings Playbook: The Film that Became a Movement (28:37): This is a grand title for a featurette that’s basically your typical making-of feature.

Q&A Highlights (26:58):  This is a hodgepodge of various Q&A sessions with the cast and crew.  I like the format, but there wasn’t a whole lot of new information here.

Dance Rehearsal (1:20):  Behind the scenes dance rehearsal footage with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

Learn to Dance Like Pat and Tiffany (11:45):  ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ vet and the film’s choreographer Mandy Moore teaches you how to dance like Cooper and Lawrence.

Going Steadicam with Bradley Cooper (00:57): Bradley Cooper pretends he’s a cameraman.

The post Silver Linings Playbook Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Enter Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt), a slick, soft-voiced hitman with Johnny Cash on the radio. He knows that whether Trattman had a hand in the heist or not, he should be offed to avoid any other “kids” from taking any more games. Any instability makes the mob look bad and could lead to the games shutting down, which in turn means less revenue. And where does that leave them? As Cogan notes, “America is not a country, it’s a business.”

KILLING THEM SOFTLY is set in a rainy and dark New Orleans, where the roads all look like back alleys eager to collect corpses. Even the daytime scenes carry a certain level of dread. It is a visually impressive work, with one of the more memorable deaths of the decade, set to slow-motion and Ketty Lester’s “Love Letters.” The film doesn’t try to glamorize the seedy world, nor does it try to make a killer into a hero.

In an attempt to add a layer, director Andrew Dominik (2007’s THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD) forges a link between the crime world and the economic crisis, with words from various politicians (Obama and Bush II included) coming through in voiceover. This stretch only hurts and proves to be weak commentary.

Still, there are many great parts of the script, adapted by Dominik from George V. Higgins’ novel Cogan’s Trade (Higgins also penned The Friends of Eddie Coyle, which was adapted into a 1973 movie with Robert Mitchum): the hired hoods (Australian native Ben Mendelsohn and ARGO captive Scott McNairy) have some perfectly worded back-and-forths, while Pitt and James Gandolfini’s scenes have a well-executed sense of former camaraderie.

While KILLING THEM SOFTLY excels in its visuals and dialogue, its strongest point is the cast. Aside from Brad Pitt, who gives Jackie all of the personality and development he’s required, there is a gallery of other talented names who all add to the film: Richard Jenkins, as the Driver, is calm and shows his time spent through his spectacles; Gandolfini, as Mickey, a once-intimidating recruit who is now a hooker-loving drunk, plays the exact opposite of what you’d expect from Tony Soprano with complete confidence; and it’s nice to see Liotta taking a beating instead of spouting manic threats.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY played at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d’Or.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 2.40:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. The colors, tones and details found in this high-definition transfer are incredible, bringing the production design and cinematography to the forefront. The nighttime exteriors are appropriately gloomy, the day sequences are bright and the clothing and skin tones are textured.

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles in English and Spanish. The audio transfer, too, is effective, with each gunshot and thud presented with power.

The Making of KILLING THEM SOFTLY (5:17): Writer/director Andrew Dominik, as well as some of the stars (including Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini and Ray Liotta), discuss the themes, the cast and approaching the subject material.

Deleted Scenes (9:51): There are four here, which can be viewed separately or as a whole. They are: “Janice,” “The Doctor,” “The Doctor, Part 2,” and “Not Working Tonight, Right?”

The post Killing Them Softly Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Recently, news broke that Quvenzhané Wallis (the cute little Oscar nominated girl from BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD) would star as the title character in the new ANNIE remake. Now, it looks as though Jamie Foxx is close to securing the role as Daddy Warbucks, renamed Benjamim Stacks.  I guess Daddy Warbucks isn’t a modern enough name to implicate the character as being ridiculously wealthy.

I think Jamie Foxx should make a great Warbucks Stacks and seems to be gathering a lot of roles lately.  After staring in my personal favorite film from last year, Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED, Foxx can be seen with Channing Tatum in WHITE HOUSE DOWN June 28th.  Foxx will also be playing the villain Electro in THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 next summer.  Quvenzhané Wallis is an amazing young actress even picking up a best actress Oscar nomination last year, so she seems to be a relative easy choice to play the lead character.

ANNIE has already had two musical film adaptations, in 1982 starring Albert Finney and Carol Burnett and a made for TV movie in 1999. Based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, the story follows a young orphan trying to find her real parents as she is stuck in an orphanage ran by the cruel Miss Hannigan.  However, when Annie gets to live with the billionaire Benjamin Stacks (that might be tough to get use to) for a short time, she is able to win the hearts of everyone. Of course this all happens with a bunch of singing and dancing as well.  James Lassiter, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jay Z will produce the film.  If you remember Jay Z has already sampled the popular “It’s A Hard Knock Life” from the musical, so clearly he’s a fan. Will Gluck (EASY A) will direct the film set to come out Christmas Day 2014. (THR)

The post Jamie Foxx to play Daddy Warbucks in Annie appeared first on Flix 66.

In four short days, you’ll learn what the rest of the world already knows; IRON MAN 3 is impressive.  Some critics are even hailing it as the best Marvel film yet, meaning it might even be better than last year’s ensemble, THE AVENGERS.  Most critics seem to point to star Robert Downey Jr. for giving another great performance and director Shane Black for breathing new life into the Iron Man franchise.  As if you needed more motivation to check it out, watch the clip below and get a feel for the intensity and excitement you’ll be in store for on Friday.  This clip is vaguely familiar and I think this was originally shown as part of the Super Bowl trailer.  It’s still a great scene and I’m guessing this occurs pretty early on in the film.

Directed by Shane Black, IRON MAN 3 stars: Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col. James Rhodes/War Machine), Wang Xuequi (Dr. Wu) and James Badge Dale (Eric Savin/Coldblood). IRON MAN 3 hits theaters this Friday, May 3rd, 2013.

IRON MAN 3 official synopsis: Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

The post Robert Downey Jr. jumps out of a plane in new clip from Iron Man 3 appeared first on Flix 66.

Here is ELYSIUM’S official synopsis: In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet’s crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium – but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens’ luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

ELYSIUM stars Mat Damon, Jodie Foster, Alice Braga, Sharlto Copley, Wagner Moura, William Fichtner, Talisa Soto, Jose Pablo Cantillo and Diego Luna.  The Neill Blomkamp directed film opens in theaters on August 9th, 2013. (Cinema Teaser)

The post Matt Damon is looking tough in two new Elysium photos appeared first on Flix 66.

I think every talented actor has to do a Shakespeare movie at some point in their career as a sort of right of passage.  Given that Michael Fassbender is one of the more talented actors working today, it makes perfect sense that he’d tackle Shakespeare and so he’s looking to sign on to star in SNOWTOWN director Justin Kurzel’s take on MACBETH.

Although this version will be spoken in the original language and will take place in the 11th century (like the original play), Kurzel promises a more visceral telling and plenty of epic battle scenes.  Production is set to start this fall which means Kurzel’s planned adaptation of John Le Carre’s OUR KIND OF TRAITOR is presumably on hold.  That film had Ralph Fiennes and Mads Mikkelson attached to it, but as great as that team up sounds, it can’t compete with Michael Fassbender doing Shakespeare. Supposedly, negotiations are already underway with a “Hollywood leading lady”.  But with Michael Fassbender attached, I doubt they’ll have any problems getting other actors to come on board. (ScreenDaily)

The post Michael Fassbender to take on MacBeth for director Justin Kurzel appeared first on Flix 66.

Whether or not Baz Luhrmann’s take on THE GREAT GATSBY is a success remains to be seen, but I think we can all agree that the film is going to be visually stunning. Luhrmann has proven he can combine beautiful scenery with a great film (MOULIN ROUGE), but he’s also proven he can make a beautiful film without any substance (AUSTRALIA). But the director has more successes on his resume than failures, so I can’t help but get excited for THE GREAT GATSBY. Plus, it reunites him with his ROMEO & JULIET star, Leonardo Dicaprio, and Leo doesn’t make many bad films. Only two weeks to go and these new images should be enough to get you excited to see what Luhrmann has in store for us.

Directed by Baz Luhrmann, THE GREAT GATSBY stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire and Adelaide Clemens. The film opens in 2D and 3D on May 10, 2013. Check out the new images below.

Go to Page 2 to see the rest of the images.

The post Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire in new images from The Great Gatsby appeared first on Flix 66.

Either you watched Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn’s last film, DRIVE, and you loved the stylized violence, or you watched it and wished it was more like FAST FIVE.  If you’re in the former group, then you should be excited about their next film, ONLY GOD FORGIVES.  For proof, check out these three new clips from the film, featuring all the balet-like violence you could ask for in five minutes, along with plenty of Ryan Gosling acting tough without saying much of anything.  I’m excited for the film, but that July 19th release date has be nervous the film is going to be lost in the middle of all the summer blockbusters.  I think it would do much better with a late summer or early fall release date.

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, ONLY GOD FORGIVES stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Burke, Yayaying, Vithaya Pansringarm, Byron Gibson, Sahajak Boonthanakit and Gordon Brown.  The film opens in theaters on July 19th.

The post Ryan Gosling stars in violent new clips from Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives appeared first on Flix 66.

I’ve been so amped up for IRON MAN 3 on May 3rd and THE GREAT GATSBY on May 10th that I completely forgot about FAST AND FURIOUS 6 opening on May 24th.  Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Paul Walker return to their lucrative series at the end of this month and from the looks of the final trailer, they’ve basically said to heck with it and now they just want to blow stuff up and drive fast.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that; they have the characters established and at least they’re not trying to fool anyone with a story or a plot.  And I wonder if Dwayne Johnson just walked over from the G.I. JOE: RETALIATION set to do his scenes for FAST AND FURIOUS 6.  His outfit and facial hair look the same.

Directed by Justin Lin, FAST AND FURIOUS 6 stars: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Gina Curano, Luke Evans, Gal Gadot and Michelle Rodriquez. The film will hit theaters on May 24th, 2013.  Check out the final trailer below.

The post Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson star in the final Fast and Furious 6 trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

That’s right folks. The Inuit spirits turned Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix) into a bear. Now in the form of his only living brother’s enemy, Kenai must hide from those he loves and figure out how to adapt at his new lifestyle. Thanks to the help of a young, motherless cub, Koda (Jeremy Suarez), Kenai slowly accepts being a bear during his pursuit to reach the peak of the mountain to ask the spirits to change him back to his human form.

As much as I enjoy animated flicks, there was something about this picture that did not sit well with me. Poor dialogue? Boring script? Generic animation? It blows my mind that a seasoned veteran like Joaquin Phoenix could stomach voicing this flat tale. Everything Kenai did was irritating and frustrating.  The extreme carelessness, selfishness and prideful nature were over the top and these unattractive characteristics did not result in large enough life lessons that we can learn from as we do in most Disney classics.  The only saving grace in this film was Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas recreating their STRANGE BREW characters, but this time as Canadian moose, Tuke and Rutt.  They added a bit of that silly humor that was sorely lacking in this picture.

For whatever reason, the decision makers at Disney craved more from Kenai and Koda so they threw together another mediocre animated picture and brought us BROTHER BEAR 2.  This time instead of loss, the story focuses on love. Nita (Mandy Moore) is preparing for her wedding day but is bound to another from her past. Who? You guessed it:  Kenai, the bear-boy!  Together, Kenai (Patrick Dempsey) and Nita must visit a sacred spot and burn the necklace that unites the duo.  And, the moose are back – also looking for love.

With even more voice talent in the sequel, I’m convinced that Disney gave the actors an offer they couldn’t refuse to participate in this predictable tale. Guessing who voiced the assorted characters might have been the most entertaining element to watching BROTHER BEAR 2, because without that distraction I would have been bored out of my moose-loving mind.  The complete lack of creativity in the storytelling was upsetting.  Pulling ideas from Disney’s hit film, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, seeing Nita’s betrothed chase down Kenai was very similar to Gaston challenging Beast. Even the final scene of BROTHER BEAR 2 was reminiscent of when Beast transforms as the last petal falls.

Disney proved people transforming into bears can work in film, just look at the recent Pixar picture, BRAVE. But, at least with BRAVE jokes were consistent, characters were easy to like and care for and the story was perfectly animated.  But, the creative team failed with both BROTHER BEAR and BROTHER BEAR 2. Perhaps I’m too picky and cynical for the target demographic.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Audio (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1): Even though the script was poor, the audio was crisp and clear.

Video (2.35:1, 1.66:1): Both BROTHER BEAR and BROTHER BEAR 2 had sharp pictures.

BROTHER BEAR Special Features:

Rutt and Tuke’s Commentary: The Canadian moose duo (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in character) provide some laughs as they comment throughout the film.

Paths of Discovery: The Making of Brother Bear(44:00): This is an intense feature. You can watch all four segments Beginnings, Mirror to the World, Welcome to the Family, and Music and Songs with the help of a play all button. These segments break down even more! Lots of cast and crew sharing typical “making of” information.

Deleted Scenes (11:00):  The three deleted scenes are introduced by directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker. Two of the three were rightfully cut. I laughed out loud  at the squirrel deleted scene. It would have been superfluous to the story but it was a bit of comic relief that might have added some punch to the story.

Koda’s Outtakes (3:00): This animated gag-reel was semi-funny, but I’ve seen better (See: MONSTER’S INC. closing credits).

“Fishing Song” Never-Before-Heard Song (4:00)

“Transformation” Song with Original Phil Collins Lyrics (2:00)

“On My Way” Sing-Along Song (4:00)

“Look Through My Eyes” Music Video (4:00)

Bear Legends: Native American Tales (3:00): This feature highlights Native American legends and tales.

Making Noise: The Art of Foley (3:00): A fun look at sound design.

Art Review (10:00): The creative crew walks viewers through the process of getting the animation from an idea to the big screen. Lots of details.

BROTHER BEAR 2 Special Features:

Behind the Music of Brother Bear 2 (8:00): Producers and other key players in the BROTHER BEAR 2 team discuss the music from the movie.

The post Brother Bear / Brother Bear 2 Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

For better or worse, I think using Kickstarter as a way to fund movies is here to stay.  It publicly started with Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas turning to the fundraising site for a ‘Veronica Mars’ movie and now Zach Braff is using the site to fund his indie film WISH I WAS HERE (click the link to visit the Kickstarter page).  The ‘Veronica Mars’ success wasn’t such a surprise given every TV show has its fans and people would gladly pay money upfront to see a movie version of their favorite show.  In fact, the only surprise is that more dead TV shows haven’t tried this same approach.

But what makes Zach Braff’s success surprising is that he’s one guy promising to make a movie.  And it’s actually a movie that doesn’t sound like it will have mass appeal.  The story involves a struggling couple that decide to home-school their kids when they lose their private school funds.  Zach Braff has his fans, but I would hardly put him on the list of loved celebrities, so the fact he got $2 million in four days is incredible.  And I looked through the list of “gifts” he’s giving away to contributors and I didn’t see much there to get excited about.  Essentially, fans are paying for the privilege of seeing Zach Braff’s next movie.

I guess the point to the rambling is that if Zach Braff can get over $2 million via Kickstarter, I think filmmakers are going to start coming out of the woodwork to solicit money for independent films.  There are good arguments for and against this practice, but I kind of like the idea of the fans choosing what gets made in Hollywood rather than a greedy exec that just wants to make that bottom line look better.  Of course, it’s only a matter of time before someone takes advantage of Kickstarter and just adds the funds into the studio’s pocket rather than using it to make a truly independent film.

The post Zach Braff raises over $2 million in Kickstarter funds in four days for Wish I Was Here appeared first on Flix 66.

With almost $200 million raked in worldwide, the juggernaut that is IRON MAN 3 has gained a lot of momentum before its US release next weekend.  Aside from being excited for the film, the only thing I can think about when I hear these crazy box office numbers is how much fun Robert Downey Jr.‘s agent and lawyer are going to have negotiating with Disney and Marvel for future deals.  In case you didn’t know, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow aren’t signed on for any more Iron Man films and they’ve both been dropping hints that IRON MAN 3 might be their last.  But as we all know, money talks and Robert Downey Jr. loves his Iron Man character, so it’s only a matter of time before Disney ponies up the cash and RDJ slips on the armor again.  But while speculation about IRON MAN 4 will continue until THE AVENGERS 2, check out another new TV spot for #3 and get excited for next weekend.

Directed by Shane Black, IRON MAN 3 stars: Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col. James Rhodes/War Machine), Wang Xuequi (Dr. Wu) and James Badge Dale (Eric Savin/Coldblood). IRON MAN 3 hits theaters on May 3rd, 2013.

The post Robert Downey Jr. reminds you who he is in a new TV spot for Iron Man 3 appeared first on Flix 66.

It seems everyone complains about Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, but in Bay’s defense, every time he tries to venture away from movies about stuff blowing up, it turns out to be a bit of a box office disappointment.  You can add PAIN & GAIN to that list as it looks like the film might not even crack $20 at the weekend box office.  So you can bet that Michael Bay will let loose in TRANSFORMERS 4 and I’ll be that he’ll just blow everything up he can find.  And then there’s THE BIG WEDDING, featuring Robert De Niro, Katherine Heigl, Kirsten Dunst, Diane Keaton and many others.  Predictably, the giant ensemble wedding comedy hit with a thud and looks like it won’t even make $10 million.  The good news for everyone that stayed home this weekend due to lack of interest is that next weekend officially kicks off the summer movie season.  So you should have a reason to leave your house until late August.

Next week sees the much anticipated release of IRON MAN 3 and given the raving reviews from critics that have already seen it, I’d say the third film in the Iron Man franchise has big things in store next weekend.  I don’t think it will break THE AVENGERS records, but it’s going to be huge and no one will be happier about that than Robert Downey Jr., who I’m sure will remind Disney of that when they start negotiating future Iron Man deals.  Wisely, no other big movie is scheduled to compete with IRON MAN 3.  Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.

1. Pain & Gain $20m

2. Oblivion $17.6m

3. 42 $10.1m

4. The Big Wedding $7.5m

5. The Croods $6.5m

6. G.I. Joe: Retaliation $3.4m

7. Scary Movie 5 $3.3m

8. The Place Beyond The Pines $2.6m

9. Olympus Has Fallen $2.6m

10. Jurassic Park 3D $2.5m

(Deadline)

The post Weekend box office: Pain & Gain beats Oblivion but The Big Wedding struggles appeared first on Flix 66.

For those of you hoping that your favorite X-Men character was going to get his own movie, I’m sorry to disappoint you. As much as I want to see the German acrobat back on the big screen, this news is about a different NIGHTCRAWLER all together. In this film, NIGHTCRAWLER is about a determined man that gets caught up in the nighttime crime journalism world of Los Angeles. The film will be directed by Dan Gilroy, who also wrote the script. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Dan’s brother is Tony Gilroy, he of the Bourne franchise fame. But Dan has written quite a few films himself, including TWO FOR THE MONEY and REAL STEEL.

Dan’s keeping NIGHTCRAWLER in the family by also casting his wife, Rene Russo, producing with Tony and turning editing duties over to John Gilroy. But I guess none of the Gilroys are lead actors, so they’ve cast Jake Gyllenhaal as their leading man. Filming is set to start in October. (The Wrap)

The post Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo join Nightcrawler for director Dan Gilroy appeared first on Flix 66.

With the rousing, Oscar winning success of ARGO, it’s only natural that everyone involved would have their other works examined for a possible repeat success. One of the names that doesn’t get mentioned in ARGO conversations is that of Joshua Bearman, who wrote the original Wired article that led to the film. Bearman is writing another article called CORONADO HIGH, which is about a group of teenagers that smuggle drugs into the predominantly rich resort city near San Diego, California.

This time, it looks like George Clooney isn’t going to merely produce the film, but he’s looking to direct CORONADO HIGH. Given the subject matter and the inevitable analysis of the social classes, this feels like it’s right up George Clooney’s wheelhouse. But George Clooney is a busy man these days; he’s finishing up MONUMENTS MEN now and will be starring in Brad Bird’s TOMORROWLAND this year, so there’s nothing set in stone for CORONADO HIGH just yet. (The Wrap)

The post George Clooney and Grant Heslov are looking to make Coronado High appeared first on Flix 66.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. And for Rob Marshall, that “who” is Johnny Depp. Continuing with their epic and extremely profitable love affair, Disney is tapping Johnny Depp for the lead in the film adaptation of the musical INTO THE WOODS. The film interweaves several classic fairy tales and focuses on a couple that try to reverse a curse so they can conceive. INTO THE WOODS has been very popular on Broadway, picking up several Tony awards in 1988 and then again when it was revived in 2002. Disney is looking to pair Johnny Depp with Meryl Streep, who would be playing the evil witch.

Everyone involved has been in a musical before to varying degrees of success. Johnny Depp did SWEENEY TODD with Tim Burton, Meryl Streep did MAMMA MIA and director Rob Marshall found a lot of success with CHICAGO, but not so much with NINE. But with Disney behind the curtain, Marshall, Depp and Streep should find plenty of success. David Krane is currently working on the music for the film, but no start date has been announced. (Variety)

The post Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep are in talks for Into The Woods for director Rob Marshall appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Harmony Korine, SPRING BREAKERS, follows four young adult females (Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine) who rob a fast food restaurant to fund their spring break. They get caught and thrown in jail but are bailed out by a drug dealer (James Franco) who wants them to kill an acquaintance named Arch. Check out the trailer for SPRING BREAKERS below.

The post Spring Breakers, starring Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez, is coming to Blu-ray in July appeared first on Flix 66.

9. BAD BOYS II (2003): After suffering the backlash from PEARL HARBOR and ARMAGEDDON, BAD BOYS II is Michael Bay’s F-you to the world. He took everything that people had been complaining about (senseless plot, mindless action, racist and misogynistic undertones) and threw it into the audience’s face. The result is a film that’s so bad, it’s good, but only if you can laugh along with Michael Bay.

8. TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (2011): I’m in the minority with the Transformers films, but I enjoy the giant robots killing themselves and destroying the earth. But the third film in the franchise gets a little out of hand, culminating with the third act, which features a 45 minute battle scene in Chicago where Michael Bay pulls out every stop to make it as over the top as possible. But hey look; giant robots.

7. PEARL HARBOR (2001): He tried. PEARL HARBOR is Michael Bay’s TITANIC in that he tried to combine his trademarked extravagant action sequences with a touching love story. But the love triangle got uncomfortable really quick and the action felt out of place for a WWII film. It’s not as bad as the critics made it out to be, but it was still a sign that Michael Bay needed to focus on being Michael Bay.

6. TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (2009): Now that he had the characters established, Michael Bay could get back to doing what he does; blow stuff up. The second Transformers film does just that slightly edges out the third film because of the great forest battle. The story got a little confusing and I wasn’t sure even Bay knew where it was going, but hey; giant robots.

5. THE ISLAND (2005): After the F-you that was BAD BOYS II, Michael Bay followed that up with THE ISLAND, where he wanted to merge his action style with a complex science fiction story with moral implications. But critics and fans rejected the film, pointing to outdated, overused action stunts, a plot that never really got going and empty lead characters. I cite this film as the reason Bay went all action and no plot with his Transformers movies; why bother if fans just want to see stuff blow up in new ways?

Go to Page 2 to see 4 – 1

The post From Bad Boys to Transformers, we rank Michael Bay’s films appeared first on Flix 66.

Scarlett Johansson will star in LUCY, the next action-thriller film by writer and director Luc Besson. Universal will distribute LUCY, which will follow Scarlett Johansson’s character who is forced to be a drug mule. But when the drug accidentally ingests into her system, she becomes a deadly weapon.  Her super powers include Jedi mind like ability to move objects, quickly absorb knowledge, not feel pain and simply kick butt.  Sounds like a smashing good time.

Luc Besson has a knack for finding strong female leads as terrific action heroes.  The French director is a writer/director who I will always eagerly see what he does next.  Sure, he’s had a few misses, but I consider THE FIFTH ELEMENT to be one of the all-time greatest purely fun action movies out there.  And LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL is one of my all-time favorite films period. His next film MALAVITA is set to release September, 2013.  Scarlett Johansson can next be seen in Joseph Gondon Levitt’s directorial debut, DON JON, and reprising her role as Black Widow in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. (THR)

The post Scarlett Johansson joins Luc Besson’s Lucy appeared first on Flix 66.

Reviews are flying in from around the world for IRON MAN 3 since it hits theaters this weekend in a lot of places.  Those of us in the United States won’t get a chance to see it until next Friday, so we’ll have to settle for a short clip.  Speaking of those reviews, they seem incredibly positive, meaning the first part of Marvel’s Phase 2 is off to a nice start.  So while the internet continues to speculate as to whether or not Robert Downey Jr. will return for IRON MAN 4 (I think he’s going to play Tony Stark until he can’t walk anymore), let’s pause and enjoy IRON MAN 3.

Directed by Shane Black, IRON MAN 3 stars: Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col. James Rhodes/War Machine), Wang Xuequi (Dr. Wu) and James Badge Dale (Eric Savin/Coldblood). IRON MAN 3 hits theaters on May 3rd, 2013.

The post Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow discuss New York in new clip from Iron Man 3 appeared first on Flix 66.

When a detective comes to investigate the deaths of the two robbers, both of whom were killed during their fight with Jin-xi, we are suddenly presented with a very different version of events. Detective Xu Bai-Jiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) has studied martial arts and knows his history and he quickly puts together a theory about our peaceful Jin-xi… could he be the missing son of the most powerful crime syndicate in the country, missing since orchestrating a terrible massacre and killing many, many innocent people? Is it possible this loving man from this tiny town could be an incredible and terrible warrior?

Acting in a subtitled film can be hard to gauge but I found myself often watching the actors and their emotive expressions sometimes instead of diligently reading the subtitles.  In preparing this review, I’ve actually re-viewed some moments of the film several times just because I thought they were so great. DRAGON (WU XIA) was expertly cast. Everyone from the central cast outward plays their part incredibly well. Yen and Kaneshiro are both strong in their roles and Yu Wang (who plays The Master) lends a gravity and terror to his scenes that is almost overwhelming.

Like many martial arts flicks, the real star of DRAGON (WU XIA) is the martial arts. Every single shot during the fight scenes is lovingly and beautifully crafted. You have to hand it to Peter Chan, the filmmaker who brought us THE WARLORDS (2007), as he has certainly stepped up his game. DRAGON (WU XIA) doesn’t spend too much time on the premise, but that’s a good thing considering the story is probably one you have seen a hundred times before. But the movie has some incredible moments, and DRAGON (WU XIA) is presented so beautifully and with such a kick to the pants attitude it really made its way into my heart.

The only problem with the film is with the non-action scenes, which are the majority of the film. DRAGON (WU XIA) spends a lot of time building backstory and character through exposition, a little too much time for my taste. Instead of showing us the progression of events that drove us to this point, there is a lot of talk about past actions… and the pace really suffers. The first act is a very nice balance of action and dialogue, and the final act is a nearly perfect demonstration of filmmaking in this genre, but it’s REALLY hard to get there. The second act is just too slow and offers so little gratification that DRAGON (WU XIA) almost misses the mark. If you can make it through, you are in for a treat. I highly recommend this film, though the Blu-ray misses some of the special features that might elevate it to “must have” status.

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Video: (1080p, 2.4:1 Widescreen) The video presentation is beautiful and DRAGON (WU XIA) really shines in the slow motion martial arts sequences. They shot some of them at 500 frames per second, and the care with which many images were crafted is easily seen.

Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1) The audio is equally impressive on the DRAGON (WU XIA) Blu-ray. Some sections are really quiet but it works. Overall a tremendous presentation.

The Making of DRAGON (22:27) The DRAGON (WU XIA) Blu-ray features eight quick “making of” snippets focusing on all kinds of aspects of the film. Yen, Chan, and the rest of the cast share their experience with enthusiasm that you might find disconcerting if they didn’t come across as so genuine. All-in-all, a nice feature.

Featurettes with Donnie Yen (05:40) Three featurettes chronicle additional aspects of the film. These are just deeper dives into the technical aspects of the film. Includes Staging the Action, Influences and Inspiration, and On Set, On Location. These are all in English with Donnie Yen talking about his experiences on DRAGON (WU XIA) while we see footage from the film.

“Lost In Jianghu” Music Video (05:14) The theme from DRAGON (WU XIA) is presented here in music video form. Somewhere between a trailer and a music video, the video quality is poor but it is kind of interesting to see this presentation.

The post Dragon (Wu Xia) Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

PACIFIC RIM stars: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman, Charlie Day, Clifton Collins Jr., Rinko Kikuchi, Robert Maillet and Burn Gorman. The Guillermo del Toro science fiction film will hit 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on July 12. (Warner Bros.)

The post Pacific Rim reveals new poster appeared first on Flix 66.

I hadn’t thought of it since I started writing this, but I think this new international trailer for THE GREAT GATSBY must be the 6th or 7th trailer for the film we’ve seen.  And once again, we get a lot of hip music, fast editing and plenty of Leonardo DiCaprio looking very intense, Tobey Maguire all wide-eyed and Carey Mulligan looking like she walked into the room by accident.  I’m curious to see how well this does in theaters in a couple of weeks and how well audiences will react to Baz Luhrmann’s take on the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.  I, for one, am looking forward to it and every trailer looks better than the next.

Directed by Baz Luhrmann, THE GREAT GATSBY stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire and Adelaide Clemens. The film opens in 2D and 3D on May 10, 2013.  Check out the latest international trailer/TV spot below.

The post Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan star in another international trailer for The Great Gatsby appeared first on Flix 66.

From there, the movie takes a fairly nonlinear approach, flashing backward and forward to bulk up the storyline and introduce the main characters who will unwittingly become entangled in the robbery. There’s police officer Will (Forest Whitaker, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND), who just stops in for a cup of coffee; recent parolee Nick (Sean Faris, NEVER BACK DOWN), with his pregnant girlfriend (Nikki Reed, THE TWILIGHT SAGA); Will’s partner Barnes (Marton Csokas, ROMULUS, MY FATHER); negotiator Jeff (rapper Common); owner Charlie (Stephen Lang, AVATAR); waitress Bonnie (Jessica Szohr, nominated for something called the Best Scared-as-Shit Performance at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards for her turn in PIRANHA) and Man in the Suit (Ray Liotta, GOODFELLAS).

Why a diner? Why not, say, a bank, which has more bills than ketchup bottles? Well, that’s all revealed as the movie quickly moves along its 88-minute runtime, as are the identities of the rats, moles and wrongly accused—all staples of robbery-in-progress movies. Along with the expected abundance of pointed guns, random “f-words” (to make the baddies sound extra tough) and one-dimensional character arcs, it’s clear that screenwriter Jay Anthony White (2006’s PROJECT 313) has little interest in avoiding genre clichés.

PAWN is the directorial debut of David A. Armstrong, who served as director of photographer on all but one SAW movie and won a Student Academy Award in 1999. His efforts won’t put him anywhere near the forefront of the action/thriller game, but he does show a certain amount of promise by keeping all of the storylines and characters—however stale they may be—in order.

The major draw of PAWN is the cast, with a series of names and faces that look good (or at least intimidating) on a poster. But their talents are wasted: Whitaker’s best line delivery centers on his ordering coffee; Liotta again phones it in as a routine tough guy, making him just a few more wrong turns from being on the level of Michael Madsen; Chiklis (who also serves as producer) dons an ill-advised British accent that is both distracting and confusing.

Those three men are likely how PAWN got financed. They may also be the reason it went direct to video.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 2.40:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. PAWN has an overall clean picture, although some of the nighttime exterior scenes look fairly mucky and lack strong detail.

Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1; Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles in English and Spanish. The audio is quite good, with clear dialogue, strong sound effects and a bassy score.

PAWN: Behind the Scenes (23:09): This making-of featurette offers clips, on-set footage and interviews with much of the primary cast/crew to give an overview of the production of PAWN.

Also included is a DVD Copy of PAWN.

The post Pawn Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

First it was THE LONE RANGER (set to hit theaters July 3rd), now it appears Armie Hammer has signed on to another classic television show adapted for the big screen in THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. To make things even more familiar, still up and coming Armie Hammer joined a huge star in Johnny Depp for THE LONE RANGER and now he joins another mega star in Tom Cruise for THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

Apparently Warner Bros. has been pushing the project for sometime, first with director Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. But they both dropped out and were replaced by director Guy Ritchie (SHERLOCK HOLMES) and Tom Cruise. I know very little about the television show personally but the television show ran from 1964-1968. Two clever agents of the United Network Command for Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.) named Solo (Cruise) and Kuryakin (Hammer) battle the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity (T.H.R.U.S.H.). (Deadline)

The post Armie Hammer to join Tom Cruise in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. appeared first on Flix 66.

A remake of the classic musical GUYS AND DOLLS has been in the works since before I started writing about movies in 2005.  It seems every couple of years, it goes through an initial development and all of the popular actors of the time start clamoring to be a part of it.  But until now, there were issues with the rights to the musical which were held by Jo Loesser (the widow of songwriter Frank Loesser) and she couldn’t find a deal she liked.  Well, I guess Fox said something that the other studios couldn’t (read: they paid more) and now Fox officially owns the movie rights to the musical.

And of course, Fox needs some serious star power to go along with their new property and right now, they want Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to reunite (they were in G.I. JOE: RISE OF COBRA), taking over the iconic roles from Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.  Of course, all of this is in the very early stages and neither actor would sign without a script and a director.  But if Fox can get the right filmmakers in place, they might sign on because both Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have expressed interest. (Deadline)

The post Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are being eyed for Guys and Dolls appeared first on Flix 66.

Woody Allen is an acquired taste, but even the most die-hard Allen fans have to admit that the guy has made more bad movies than good movies.  He’s like a jump shooter that knows he’s eventually going to hit one.  So now that he has wrapped up BLUE JASMINE, the eccentric New York director is planning his next film and is looking to cast America’s sweetheart, Emma Stone.

Woody Allen doesn’t reveal anything about his films ahead of time, so we have no idea what the film is about or even what it will be called.  But we do know that it will shoot in France, marking a return for Allen where he filmed MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.  Somewhere along the way, we can bet that there will be a beautiful young woman that tempts an older man.  And we can also bet at least one character will be unfaithful.  After all, this is Woody Allen, not Christopher Nolan. (Deadline)

The post Emma Stone is set to star in Woody Allen’s next film appeared first on Flix 66.

The more I see from Sofia Coppola’s THE BLING RING, the more interested I become with the film.  Initially, the idea of seeing spoiled Hollywood girls rob spoiled celebrities didn’t appeal to me, but with a couple of good trailers and a good first clip, my interest is officially peaked.  And yes, some of that has to do with my curiosity to see how Emma Watson does carrying her own film post-Potter, but this new trailer showcased some new dialogue and stylish direction from Coppola.  And Sofia needs this one to get back in the critics’ good favor after the disaster that was SOMEWHERE.  Check out the trailer below and see for yourself if you’ll catch this one in June.

THE BLING RING stars Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Nina Siemaszko, Erin Daniels, Patricia Lentz, Stacy Edwards and Maika Monroe.  The Sofia Coppola directed film will hit theaters this summer on June 14th.

The post Emma Watson stars in the new trailer for The Bling Ring appeared first on Flix 66.

The internet was abuzz yesterday and today with the news that director Gus Van Sant (GOOD WILL HUNTING) shot a sex scene featuring Alex Pettyfer and an unknown actress as a sort of “audition” for the FIFTY SHADES OF GREY gig.  The scene in question is supposedly the one where the older Christian Grey seduces and takes the virginity of the younger Anastasia Steele.  Now, Alex Pettyfer is only 23, so I’m not sure how old that makes the girl in question, but that’s just one of many things that baffle me about this news.

First, does Gus Van Sant really have to audition anymore?  The guy has an incredible resume and his work should speak for himself.  Second, why does he want this film so bad?  Finally, why Alex Pettyfer?  I’m curious if this test scene was more to get Van Sant the job or to get Alex Pettyfer a job period.  These questions and more should be answered soon since Universal paid a hefty price for the movie rights and I have to assume they want to get the ball rolling.  Kelly Marcel (SAVING MR. BANKS) is writing the script as we speak. (TheWrap)

The post Alex Pettyfer shot a sex scene for Gus Van Sant’s Fifty Shades of Grey audition appeared first on Flix 66.

Let’s ignore the gimmicks for a second and look at the story.  In the 1940’s, a popular actor, Roger, is framed for murder and reaches out to a washed up, alcoholic private detective, Eddie, to help him solve the case.  But Eddie had a bad experience with actors a long time ago and is reluctant to help out.  Eventually, he decides to help Roger but things get dicey when Roger’s sensual wife, Jessica, is caught in a compromising position with the guy he’s accused of murdering.  All the while, Eddie and Roger have to avoid the menacing Judge Doom and his goons, who are determined to see Roger pay for his accused crime.

Basically, we have a classic noir story and one that you could easily picture Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney tackling and turning into a classic film.  It’s also one that you might hesitate to let your kids watch.  But I point all of that out, only to make the point that WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT is a great story that just happens to have a few gimmicks in it and not the other way around.  The story is why the film has stood the test of time and it’s just as much fun to watch 25 years later as it was in the theaters for the first time.

But technology changes rapidly and newcomers to the film might wonder what the fuss was about.  Well, at the time, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT was a breakthrough in its showcase of animation and live action.  It has been done since, but it still hasn’t been done with such a seamless integration to the story.  What’s more impressive is the combination of classic WB and Disney characters.  The dueling piano scene with Daffy and Donald Duck is priceless.  Imagine today combining Batman and Iron Man in the same movie, even for a few minutes.  It would be nearly impossible given the politics and lawyers involved, but Spielberg’s behind the scenes maneuvering made it possible.

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT is and always will be one of my favorite films.  Maybe nostalgia plays into my love of the movie, but I still find myself impressed with how enjoyable of a film this is, due in large part to the story and the great performances from everyone involved.  I can’t imagine today’s generation will be impressed with it the way those of us alive in 1988 were, but the film has much more to offer than its special effects.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  Disney is the king of Blu-ray, but I think some people might be confused with the video quality of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT.  Remember that the goal of home video (in my mind) is to be faithful to the source material and with that in mind, Disney did a great job with this transfer.  This is how it was meant to be seen and I’m thankful Disney didn’t digitally enhance anything to make it look smoother.

Audio: The audio for WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT was equally enjoyable.

Commentary with Robert Zemeckis, Frank Marshall, Steve Starkey, Ken Ralston, Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman: I couldn’t always tell who was talking, but I enjoyed this commentary for its thoroughness.  These guys really cover every aspect of the film from casting, story idea to the marketing.  Fans of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT will enjoy this track.

Toontown Confidential: In the subtitles menu, you can select this and see fun text based facts pop up while you watch the film.

The Roger Rabbit Shorts (25:03): Kudos to Disney for restoring and including these three shorts on this Blu-ray set.  I remember seeing these at theaters, but haven’t seen them since.  Needless to say, I enjoyed seeing them again.

Who Made Roger Rabbit (10:58): Charles Fleischer (voice of Roger Rabbit) hosts this all too brief behind the scenes look at the film.

Behind the Ears (36:47): This is a nice behind the scenes featurette, but it’s in standard definition, so be warned.

Deleted Scene (6:01): The filmmakers introduce the Pig Head sequence.  Again, it would have been nice to convert this to HD.

Before and After (2:57): A comparison of live action to the final animated shots.

Toon Stand-Ins (2:59): Similar to the above featurette, but we see models and actors standing in for their eventual animated replacements.

On Set! (5:02): Bland behind the scenes footage of Robert Zemeckis on set.

The post Who Framed Roger Rabbit Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

RUSH stars Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Stephen Mangan, Christian McKay, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Jamie de Courcey, Pierfrancesco Favino and Natalie Dormer.  The Ron Howard directed film races into theaters on September 20th. (EW)

The post Chris Hemsworth is prominent on new Rush poster appeared first on Flix 66.

The WWII tank film FURY is starting to pick up a little traction.  With Sony producing, David Ayer writing and directing, and Brad Pitt set to star, FURY just needs to fill the rest of the cast.  Today we get word that TRANSFORMERS star Shia LaBeouf is in talks to play one of the five-man American crew aboard a tank behind enemy lines in 1945 Nazi Germany. The story sounds very intriguing, similar to the fantastic foreign film LEBANON (click the link to read the review) about four men in a tank across enemy lines the 1982 First Lebanon War.

David Ayer most recently helmed the compelling END OF WATCH and I’m curious what he will do here.  With Brad Pitt as commander of the Sherman tank and Shia LaBeouf soon to be on board, there are still three remaining seats.  Who will they be? Currently, FURY is set to release in theaters Nov. 14, 2014. (Variety)

The post Shia LaBeouf to join Brad Pitt in Fury appeared first on Flix 66.

Of all the Marvel movies, I consider THOR the weakest of the bunch.  But I’m most excited to see what they can do with the character now that he’s been established and Chris Hemsworth is a more popular actor.  The first trailer for THOR 2: THE DARK WORLD is out and although it’s short, I like what I’m seeing so far.  I like the idea of bringing Tom Hiddleston back as Loki to help Thor defeat a big evil and I’m okay with the idea of bringing Natalie Portman to Asgard so we can kind of have a reverse fish-out-of-water thing that we had in the first one.  The question is; does this trailer reveal that she dies?  Judge for yourself and check out the trailer below.

Directed by Alan Taylor, THOR: THE DARK WORLD will star: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Jamie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi and Tadanobu Asano. THOR: THE DARK WORLD is scheduled to hit theaters on November 8th, 2013.

The post Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston star in the first Thor 2: The Dark World trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

In a very sought after role, Naomi Watts looks to be the victor as she seems to be very likely to join the cast in ST. VINCENT DE VAN NUYS.  Watts will be joining Bill Murray Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd in the film produced by The Weinstein Company, Chernin Entertainment and Don Cheadle’s Crescendo.  Naomi Watts was nominated for her fearless performance in last year’s THE IMPOSSIBLE and appears to be the only dramatic actress among some of Hollywoods funniest people.

The script was written by Theodore Melfi (sometimes Ted), who will also direct the film said to be like SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK mixing comedy and drama through human pathos.  Bill Murray will play the  grouchy title character who has a relationship with a russian prostitute played by Naomi Watts.  Murray becomes an unlikely influence on a young neighbor boy who is the son of a single mother played by Melissa McCarthy. ST. VINCENT DE VAN NUYS is still in early stages of production so we will keep you updated as news progresses.

The post Naomi Watts to join Melissa McCarthy and Bill Murray in St. Vincent De Van Nuys appeared first on Flix 66.

Set in post-WWII Los Angeles, we follow a tough-as-nails cop John O’Mara, (Josh Brolin) that happens to be one of the few honest, hard working guys on the force. He’s tasked with going after the famed criminal Micky Cohen (Sean Penn), but since Cohen has most of the city on his payroll, O’Mara will have to put down the badge and go after Cohen head on.  This sets off a Dirty Dozen type sequence where O’Mara recruits detectives to join his “gangster squad”.  Predictably, we get the full gauntlet of clichés, including the cocky ladies man, the old timer, the eager young guy, the knife thrower and the nerdy tech geek.  But the biggest cliché of the bunch is Sean Penn’s Micky Cohen, who was mimicking all of the old gangster films he probably watched as a kid.  It’s a surprising misstep for Penn, who along with Daniel Day-Lewis, is almost automatic with his Oscar nominated performances.  But his portrayal of Cohen is more of a Razzie-worthy performance than anything we’ve seen him in.

If Sean Penn’s performance was the worst, then Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of the alcoholic, smooth talking Jerry Wooters was the highlight of the film and gave a brief glimpse of what could have been.  But I’m not so sure that’s a credit to his acting or just his natural charm that shines through no matter what role he’s in.  I was excited to see Gosling and Emma Stone team up again, but they lacked the chemistry that was so evident in CRAZY STUPID LOVE.  That’s not meant to be an insult to them, it’s more a fault of the director, who just couldn’t get the most out his insanely talented cast.  Everyone was either underused or not used properly.  It’s tough to blame any of the actors since all of them have proven resumes that speak for themselves.

GANGSTER SQUAD feels like a comic book movie in that it relied heavily on established characters and the actors portraying them and tended to ignore story and character development.  It’s a very violent film, but violence in film should make an impact of some sort and even when the violence was trying to be edgy (like when Cohen burns some henchmen in an elevator shaft), it comes off superficial and numb.  GANGSTER SQUAD is based on a fascinating true story that’s gritty, shocking and interesting at the same time.  I’m not sure why screenwriter Will Beall chose to ignore all of the best parts of the true story in favor of tired movie clichés.

GANGSTER SQUAD is a cliché-ridden, unfocused, bubble-gum movie that thinks it’s a serious crime drama.  If you judge a movie by what it’s trying to be, then GANGSTER SQUAD is an epic failure.  But if you look at it as a comic book take on the L.A. crime scene in the 50’s, you might at least find it moderately enjoyable.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  GANGSTER SQUAD might not live up to expectations as a film, but as far as the Blu-ray quality, it’s impressive.

Audio: GANGSTER SQUAD sounds as good as it looks.

Commentary with Ruben Fleischer: Given the drama around the picture, I expected Fleischer to give a more passionate, interesting commentary.  But in truth, this was a complete bore.  He didn’t seem like he wanted to be there and the long gaps between comments was off-putting.

The Gangland Files: This is a Picture In Picture feature, which I always enjoy, but pulls from other features on the disc rather than offering anything new.  So if you like PiP features, then I would watch this and skip everything else.

Focus Points: The Set-Up (45:37): There are 15 mini-featurettes here that you can watch all at once or individually.  Most of them cover a specific actor’s character while others cover a specific aspect of the film.  I didn’t see anything in here that blew me away and I’m not usually a fan of a hodgepodge of mini-featurettes.

Deleted Scenes (11:52): We have seven deleted scenes here and no, the infamous theater shootout is not included.  There’s an extra scene with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone if you were hoping for more of them together.

Rogues Gallery: Mickey Cohen (46:58): I wasn’t aware of a show called “Rogues Gallery”, but it exists and this episode focuses on the real life gangster Mickey Cohen. It’s narrated by William Devane and I found it to be pretty interesting.  This might be a case where real life is more fascinating than the movie.

Then and Now Locations (8:03): This is pretty much what it says; a look at Los Angeles now and from the 50’s.

Tough Guys with Style (5:12): I’m not sure why this is separated since it’s not long enough to amount to anything.  The cast members talk about the style in the film, but again, there’s not much here.

The post Gangster Squad Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

We haven’t even bothered posting all of them, but by my count, this is the 12th different TV spot for IRON MAN 3.  Yep, 12 different commercials have been rotating on TV for a while now and as we inch closer to the May 3rd release date, you shouldn’t expect to turn on the TV without seeing Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in an IRON MAN 3 commercial.  This one is better than most and offers some exciting footage that I hadn’t seen before as well as the standard banter between Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow.  But if you weren’t already planning on seeing this in a couple of weeks, I’m not sure this will change your mind.

Directed by Shane Black, IRON MAN 3 stars: Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col. James Rhodes/War Machine), Wang Xuequi (Dr. Wu) and James Badge Dale (Eric Savin/Coldblood). IRON MAN 3 hits theaters on May 3rd, 2013.

The post Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow star in another new Iron Man 3 TV spot appeared first on Flix 66.

I think we can all agree that Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana are in pretty good shape.  So it’s a (dis?)credit to J.J. Abrams that he was able find an outfit that made even the two of them look bad and out of shape.  Just for a mental note, if you’re ever planning on buying a skin tight body suit, don’t buy a turquoise one.  No one can pull it off and this first clip from STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is proof of that.  Outfits aside, the clip itself is pretty exciting and hopefully a good sign of what we can expect from the Star Trek sequel.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS will star Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve and Peter Weller.  The J.J. Abrams directed film will hit theaters on May 17th, but will debut in IMAX screens on May 15th.

The post Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are in danger in the first Star Trek Into Darkness clip appeared first on Flix 66.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will combine both casts from the X-MEN series that will include Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Nicolas Hoult, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Jason Flemyng and Peter Dinklage.  Directed by Bryan Singer the film and is set to hit theaters on July 18th, 2014.

The post Halle Berry as Storm in new X-Men: Days Of Future Past photo appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Kimberly Peirce (BOYS DON’T CRY), CARRIE will star Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Kyle Mac, Gabrielle Wilde and Alex Russell.  The horror remake will be screaming into theaters October 18. (Kinogallery)

The post Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore in new images from Carrie appeared first on Flix 66.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013.

The post Henry Cavill walks tall on the new Man of Steel poster appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Alan Taylor, THOR: THE DARK WORLD will star: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Jamie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi and Tadanobu Asano. THOR: THE DARK WORLD is scheduled to hit theaters on November 8th, 2013.

The post Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman in new images from Thor 2: The Dark World appeared first on Flix 66.

Everyone’s favorite stoner duo is back – and animated – in CHEECH & CHONG’S ANIMATED MOVIE, rolling its way into Blu-ray and DVD April 23 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Directed by Branden and Eric D. Chambers, this high-larious feature-length adventure is the perfect film to watch at home with your best buds!

CHEECH & CHONG’S ANIMATED MOVIE showcases the legendary toker jokers like you’ve never seen them before – in animation. Catch the buzz as their most outrageous routines and laugh-out-loud lines from their ground breaking Grammy Award-winning albums come to life, including the original Ode recordings of “Dave’s not here,” “Let’s make a dope deal” and more. With help from a bud-lovin’ body crab named Buster, Cheech & Chong “the masters of the smokin’ word” deliver the ultimate comedy high and give you the munchies for more.

To enter to win, Like us on Facebook by visiting the FLIX66.COM FACEBOOK CONTEST PAGE. Once there, answer the trivia question and you’ll be entered.

This contest ends on Monday, April 29th at noon EST.

More free Sweepstakes and Contests and at Online Sweepstakes.

The post Win a Blu-ray of Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie appeared first on Flix 66.

That task will come to a simple enough end and journey will eventually lead to Candyland, a Mississippi plantation where Django’s wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) is serving for the sadistic, goateed Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Schultz and Django have to put on such an unstable charade, one that could crumble with one false move, that the viewer is on edge for the entire 70+-minute sequence.

DJANGO UNCHAINED is Quentin Tarantino’s latest epic, a tale of relentless revenge that holds no punches and offers no bandages—something that critics of course would pout about upon release. It’s the second of his alternate history films, following 2009’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, which offed Hitler in the third act. While QT doesn’t bother to lynch Robert E. Lee, he does give the slave the shot at vengeance he would have been strung up for even daydreaming about.

With DJANGO UNCHAINED, Tarantino won his second Best Original Screenplay Oscar. It lacks the pop culture know-how of his previous statue winner, PULP FICTION, but it has some of the sharpest and most clever scenes he’s penned to date. (The KKK scene is one of the funniest QT’s written; Candie’s mouthwatering over a “Mandingo fight” and his skull speech prove him one of the most frightening villains of the year.) The cast, too, does such a phenomenal job, both with the dialogue and their characters: Foxx shows he was the best man for the part, having taken the role after Will Smith (apparently fearing he’d never win a Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Award playing a vengeful slave) turned it down; DiCaprio illustrates he can play a heel just as well as anyone of his generation; Samuel L. Jackson, as Candie’s right-hand-slave Stephen, maintains his cool as a QT veteran; and it’s no wonder that Waltz, with his calm command, won his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar, despite playing a character relatively similar to Hans Landa.

Still, DJANGO UNCHAINED isn’t without its faults. It runs too long. The film runs 166 minutes only because Tarantino didn’t wrap up the story when he should have—a half hour earlier. The fat only adds more dynamite and a chance for Tarantino himself to prove he’s somehow gotten worse at acting since his role as Jimmy in PULP FICTION.

It’s stocked with other familiar faces, as well, with visits from Don Johnson, Franco Nero, Bruce Dern, Russ Tamblyn, Jonah Hill, Zoë Bell, Robert Carradine, Michael Parks, and Tom Savini. That’s genuine Tarantino. So, too, is Django’s name, lifted from Sergio Corbucci’s iconic spaghetti western, which starred Nero. So, too, is the soundtrack, with tracks from Jim Croce and Rick Ross. (If “Cat People” can play over 1940s Germany, then why not “I Got a Name” over the pre-Civil War South?).

DJANGO UNCHAINED does what a great film from a revolutionary director should: entertain us, make us think in a new way and get us ready for whatever’s next.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 2.40:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. This Starz/Anchor Bay Blu-ray offers a flawless high-definition presentation of DJANGO UNCHAINED. The greens, blues and browns of the exteriors and interiors are captured wonderfully, as are the costumes (notably Django’s bounty hunter uniforms and Calvin Candie’s suits) and production design (Candyland is thoroughly detailed).

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1; French Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles in English, Spanish and French. The audio transfer is also given complete attention, as every sound effect (from the gunshots to dynamite explosions) and soundtrack cue (from Jim Croce’s voice to Ennio Morricone’s scores) comes through speakers with tremendous power.

Remembering J. Michael Riva: The Production Design of DJANGO UNCHAINED (12:50) pays tribute to the work of Riva, who died of a stroke during production of DJANGO UNCHAINED. (Side gripe: Why is there no piece devoted to Sally Menke?)

Reimagining the Spaghetti Western: The Horses & Stunts of DJANGO UNCHAINED (13:46): In this featurette, Tarantino, stunt coordinator Jeff Dashnaw and more discuss the importance of the stunts and horses, with emphasis on the safety provided on the animals.

The Costume Designs of Sharen Davis (12:03) looks at the many outfits, including Django’s too-cool blue velvet suit.

Promos for the TARANTINO XX Blu-ray Collection and the DJANGO UNCHAINED soundtrack.

Also included are a DVD/Digital Copy and UltraViolet.

The post Django Unchained Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

If you were wondering where Keanu Reeves was hiding these days, apparently the answer is Beijing.  The actor has been hard at work on his directorial debut, THE MAN OF TAI CHI, and has enlisted the help of some of his pals from THE MATRIX, including stuntman Tiger Hu Chen and fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping.  But martial arts fans may also recognize the name Iko Uwais, who was the main guy in THE RAID.  For my money, THE RAID is one of the best martial arts films in years, so it’s a shame we didn’t get to see him in this first teaser trailer.

The trailer itself seems to feature some decent fight choreography, but it’s tough to get past the cheesy voice over from Keanu Reeves.  It’s ironic that he probably put himself in the film to give it some star power, but he’s probably going to be the first thing people complain about when they see it.  There’s no release date yet for MAN OF TAI CHI, but given the niche market for this type of film and the fading star of Keanu Reeves, this one will probably open big in Asia and go straight to Blu-ray here in the US.

The post Keanu Reeves stars in the first Man of Tai Chi trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Marc Webb, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will star Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as Rhino, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, Sally Field and Martin Sheen. The sequel will be swinging into theaters on May 2, 2014.

The post Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan in new character photos from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 appeared first on Flix 66.

I do love hummingbirds and the video of the hummingbirds was breathtaking.  I don’t study birds, but I never knew hummingbirds stayed perfectly still while their wings flapped.  We saw plenty of proof of this while Meryl Streep’s voice over explained how hummingbirds contribute to the pollination of various flowers.  The hummingbird parts were so interesting that I could have easily watched an entire feature on them alone.  But in this feature, they were really the only bird to be appear.

Unfortunately, the parts on bats, bees and the human element were less interesting.  Still beautiful, but just not what I want from a feature titled WINGS OF LIFE.  On the upside, we did get some interesting anecdotes about the involvement of bats and bees in the pollination process.  In the first ten minutes, we watched a flower trap a bee, attach some pollen to its back and then watch that same bee take that pollen to another flower.  We also saw a bat spread pollen in the desert, which was also interesting.  And I think that was the point of the feature; to show how flowers pollinate and how other creatures get involved in the process.  But if that was truly the goal, then why not call it Disneynature: Flowers?

So aside from reminding me to water my plants and fill up my hummingbird feeder, I struggled to get much out of DISNEYNATURE: WINGS OF LIFE.  I marveled at the video quality and appreciated some of the visuals, but I was disappointed at the narrow scope and the missed opportunities.  I also throw a caution to those that watch this with young children; at the end we get the standard, ominous warning of how the earth is suffering from pollution.  Although this is true, little kids could be caught in that trap between understanding the message and not understanding what they can do to help.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: By my count, this is the sixth Disneynature film and like its predecessors, the video quality is impeccable.  Even if it doesn’t give you what you hoped for, the visuals it does provide are stunning.

Audio: The sound is a constant mix of Meryl Streep’s voice over and background music, which is definitely nothing to brag about.  Some of the dialogue is tough to listen to and I would have rather heard the natural nature sounds as opposed to the background music.

The only special feature is a preview of DISNEYNATURE: BEARS

The post Disneynature: Wings of Life Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Even though OBLIVION (click the link to read our review) didn’t have any competition at the weekend box office, I was a little concerned how Tom Cruise’s return to science-fiction would fare with the general public.  As it turns out, the general public likes Tom Cruise and science fiction to the tune of more than $37 million.  Overseas though, OBLIVION is raking in all sorts of cash, proving that the world loves Tom Cruise.  The film might have made even more money if it wasn’t for most of the East Coast being glued to their TV’s while keeping up on the Boston Marathon bombings.  In some ways, watching the Boston PD chase down the two suspects was more fulfilling than anything you can find at the movies.  The Jackie Robinson biopic, 42, continued strong, easily capitalizing on Major League Baseball’s Jackie Robinson day.  Meanwhile, as the Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling drama, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES expands to more and more theaters, it’s starting to pick up, although just over $4 million isn’t anything to brag about with that kind of cast.

Next week is the calm before the summer blockbuster storm.  We have the Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson action-comedy PAIN & GAIN, which looks like a fun movie.  We also have the ensemble THE BIG WEDDING with Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl and Amanda Seyfried, along with Reese Witherspoon’s and Matthew McConaughey’s MUD.  OBLIVION is getting good word of mouth, but I’m guessing Michael Bay’s PAIN & GAIN will take the top spot.  Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.

1. Oblivion $37.5m

2. 42 $17.6m

3. The Croods $9.7m

4. Scary Movie 5 $5.9m

5. G.I. Joe: Retaliation $5.7m

6. The Place Beyond The Pines $4.5m

7. Olympus Has Fallen $4.3m

8. Evil Dead $3.9m

9. Jurassic Park 3D $3.8m

10. Oz The Great and Powerful $3.2m

(Deadline)

The post Weekend box office: Oblivion beats out 42 and The Croods appeared first on Flix 66.

I’ve been strongly opposed to THE CROW remake since it was first announced that Bradley Cooper (click the link to read an editorial I wrote two years ago)  was attached to take on the role of Eric Draven.  Then for a brief time, James McAvoy was circling the role and that seemed like an even worse idea.  But now it seems that Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston, is actually in talks to star in THE CROW remake for director F. Javier Guitierrez.

So if we can get past how bad the idea of a remake of THE CROW is in the first place, then we can start trying to decide if the actor chosen to replace the late Brandon Lee is a good choice.  Of the names mentioned so far, Tom Hiddleston is probably the best choice.  He’s recognizable as Loki, but American audiences don’t know him too well outside of that role.  And he supposedly is passionate about J. Obarr’s original graphic novel and has even done preliminary makeup tests.  He’s an extremely talented actor and has experience in action movies, so it seems like an obvious match.  If Tom Hiddleston does sign on, then this should start filming this fall.

The post Tom Hiddleston might replace Bradley Cooper in The Crow remake appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Bryan Singer, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER stars Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor , Ian McShane, Stanley Tucci, Warwick Davis, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan Bremner and Eddie Marsan.  The epic fairytale film hits Blu-ray on June 18^th, 2013.  Watch the trailer below.

The post Jack The Giant Slayer, starring Nicholas Hoult and Ewan McGregor, is coming to Blu-ray in June appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Alan Taylor, THOR: THE DARK WORLD will star: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Jamie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi and Tadanobu Asano. THOR: THE DARK WORLD is scheduled to hit theaters on November 8th, 2013.

The post Chris Hemsworth gets caught in the storm in the first poster for Thor: The Dark World appeared first on Flix 66.

I was reviewing a list of most anticipated movies of the summer from a few critics and noticed that Hugh Jackman‘s THE WOLVERINE didn’t show up on any of the lists.  Although it’s for sure a small sampling, I found it a little odd and wonder if the overall lack of excitement is shared amongst the fans.  Maybe it was the disappointing X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE or maybe it’s been too long since we’ve seen Hugh Jackman as Logan on the big screen.  Either way, I think Fox has some work to do if THE WOLVERINE is going to be the summer blockbuster they hope it is.  For me, any Wolverine is good Wolverine, so I’m excited to see what’s in store for us.

THE WOLVERINE stars Hugh Jackman, Brian Tee, Will Yun Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Rila Fukushima and James Fraser. The James Mangold directed film is set to open in theaters on July 26th, 2013.

The post Hugh Jackman gets violent in new images from The Wolverine appeared first on Flix 66.

I was really disappointed in 2011 with the complete lack of marketing for director Nicolas Winding-Refn’s DRIVE.  I felt it was one of the best movies of the year and the fact that it barely pulled in $35 million at the box office was severely disappointing.  So although I was elated when I learned that Ryan Gosling and Refn were teaming up again for ONLY GOD FORGIVES, I suspected that the movie would come and go at theaters with barely a whimper and would be forced to try and find a life on Blu-ray like DRIVE.  But with a couple of cool teaser trailers, a nifty poster and several stills, it seems the marketing team is determined to not repeat those mistakes and hopefully, America will be able to appreciate the beautiful violence that only Refn can capture on film.  Check out three new images from the film, including two of Ryan Gosling and Refn on set.

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, ONLY GOD FORGIVES stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Burke, Yayaying, Vithaya Pansringarm, Byron Gibson, Sahajak Boonthanakit and Gordon Brown.  The film opens in theaters on July 19th.

The post Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn in new images from Only God Forgives appeared first on Flix 66.

I’m only scratching the surface with my description as OBLIVION has many twists and reveals.  I wouldn’t say many of those twists and reveals are all that surprising but I’ll refrain from the spoilers nonetheless.  While OBLIVION creates an interesting world with a story that could go a variety of ways, the choices made lack a certain originality nor do they contain a lasting punch.  The run time feels much longer than the actual two hour length as it spends far too long on the drama that quickly becomes redundant.

Director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) knows how to make a great looking picture.  The grand beauty of OBLIVION is clean, crisp and effortlessly striking.  However, the story unravels in a way that is a step behind the audience.  While we are waiting for the next moment, the camera is lingering on the previous one.  Rather than celebrate the thrilling action by quickening the film’s pace, Kosinski attempts to force an emotional connection simply by keeping the camera on scenes longer than he should.

With that said, Cruise is a great match as the curious hero, who wants to do right by finding the truth.  He’s got a natural believability as a relatable protagonist who doesn’t always listen to protocol.  Accompanied by at times a gripping but also intrusive musical score, the action scenes look magnificent and provide sufficient intensity, albeit one is very similar to the Rebel Alliance fighting off TIE fighters as they destroy the Death Star in STAR WARS.  While these items make an enjoyable picture, none of them bring it to the next level.

Like many films in the sci-fi genre, most of the setup in OBLIVION is told through Jack’s narration.  Always a key that the audience knows only what he knows, which in this case isn’t much of the truth.  As a science fiction fan, I admit that I allow a little more leeway into a film that creates a new world with unusual circumstances in an almost supernatural setting even if the presentation and choices are a bit sloppy.  OBLIVION tells a fairly interesting premise, but takes far too many elements from past films that have told them better. I’m all for borrowing from others but OBLIVION doesn’t incorporate enough original ideas to propel itself to a memorable stature.

I think ultimately audiences will enjoy the film, but only at surface level.  While the film is pretty to look at, OBLIVION can’t quite get past the ‘swimming in treaded waters’ aspect to go beyond average.

The post Oblivion Movie Review appeared first on Flix 66.

While not a true sequel, GHOSTS OF GEORGIA starts with similar feelings as the previous film in the franchise, THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT, in that this is also based on a “true story”. This film follows a young family who is moving into a decrepit and isolated Georgian home to try to escape the problems with which they’ve been dealing. We’re tipped off to the films off-kilter and lazy presentation from the opening credits… too much in the way of technical trickery, without much intriguing story, mars this film’s presentation.

A fairly simple story, THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA brings us the Wyrick family (young, white, middle class) who are moving to a home in the country to try to mitigate some of mother and daughter’s mental health issues (are they seeing things or are they crazy??).  Lisa Wyrick is the mother, played fairly one-note by the beautiful Abigail Spencer (you might remember her from COWBOYS & ALIENS in 2011). She has apparently suffered from visions her entire life. Upon arriving at their new home, Lisa’s visions increase in frequency and intensity; the daughter, Heidi (played by Emily Alyn Lind), also begins to see things and talk to people who have apparently been dead for many years.

The whole movie is built on a slippery premise that the home was once a stop for the Underground Railroad, and something terrible happened that is now tormenting the family. Just because I love her, props to Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck from the recent BATTLESTAR GALACTICA reboot) for inhabiting the one character who’s fairly interesting – Lisa’s sister Joyce – who, unlike Lisa, has chosen to embrace her gift and acts as Heidi’s compass during the “scary” inanity that ensues. Joyce provides a few light moments in addition to the heavier (read: PLODDING) pace of the rest of the film.

Sadly, the interesting “based on a true story” premise of this film, like it’s predecessor, falls short. Eventually the pace of the film, like the tricks used to make us feel disoriented, starts to feel boring and lose their effectiveness. One thing I learned in film school, I think I’ve mentioned before, is that filmmakers should create a story that is compelling and, depending on the type of story, suspenseful, scary, funny, etc. Those feelings should be derivative of the story and identifying with the characters and the situation… that’s what the best movies do for us, isn’t it? Recently there have been a slew of lazy films, like THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA, that use film tricks like quick cuts and color desaturation to make us feel disoriented rather than relying on the story and, in fact, taking away from it… Don’t get me wrong, technical savvy is a useful trick, and it works to limited effect. The problem is, at the end of the day, the suspense doesn’t mean anything so it doesn’t stay with you. And at the end of this day, neither will THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA. The cover of the Blu-ray is far more interesting, and scary, than the movie. Look away and save the money.

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Video: (1080p, 2.39:1 Widescreen) The video presentation for THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA is generous, even with the limitations of what passed for the final cut of the film. A nice transfer brings all of the granularity and shifting colors to your HD-TV, should you care to see them.

Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) The audio is slightly less well presented, but works well for THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA. You’ll probably notice some of the sounds actually scare you more than the images on the screen – they’re presented well here on this lackluster film.

Audio Commentary featuring Tom Elkins (Director), David Coogeshall (writer), and Brad Kessell (Co-Producer) These guys seem very nice, and I’m sorry THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA wasn’t better for them. It just doesn’t work anywhere as well as they seem to think. The commentary is considerably more interesting than the movie, but I’m not sure why anyone would watch it.

Seeing Ghosts: The True Story of the Wyricks (10:18) A very interesting little featurette, the actual family featured in THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA discusses their actual experience. I’m sure not whether to believe them or not, but they’ve obviously gotten some mileage from their story.

Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director Tom Elkins (17:47) 13 scenes are shown here that were deleted or “refashioned” from THE HAUNTING OF CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA. Director Elkins provides an optional commentary for them. Apparently the reactions to early screenings were even worse, if you’d believe his comments.

Outtakes (03:59) I don’t understand outtakes being included on a film like THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA… I guess it works with the generally off-kilter presentation.

THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA also comes packed with the new industry-standard UltraViolet digital copy (the bane of my movie-loving existence) and with a theatrical trailer both for this travesty (02:08) and the original theatrical trailer for THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT (02:27).

The post The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film flies into theaters on June 14th, 2013. (comingsoon)

The post Henry Cavill stands strong in new Man Of Steel image appeared first on Flix 66.

A sequel to the hilarious comedy 21 JUMP STREET has been implied even before the original hit theaters.  In fact, the end scene basically set up the sequel, implying that our hero cops, Jenko and Schmidt (Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill) would be headed to college to continue their undercover ways.  Today, Sony officially announced at CinemaCon that a sequel is coming in 2014.  We don’t have any details yet, but if they go with the college angle, then they open up a whole new door for comedy.  I’m just not sure what they’re going to do for character development.  But the original was one of the best comedies in years, so I’m excited to see what they do with the sequel.

The original film starred Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson, Dave Franco and a cameo from almost all of the original stars, including Johnny Depp.  For obvious reasons, it’s not likely that Depp would return.  We’re also not sure if Chris Miller and Phil Lord will be returning for directing duties, but since the film is scheduled to hit in 2014 (probably in the early summer), we should start hearing more concrete news soon.

The post Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are set for a 21 Jump Street sequel in 2014 appeared first on Flix 66.

Hot off the heels of the first images of Jamie Foxx as Electro (click the link to see the pics), today we get some new images of Spidey himself, Andrew Garfield and the lovely Emma Stone shooting some night scenes on the set of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2.  Although any photo of Stone is a good photo, these images aren’t going to reveal too much about the plot of the film, other than it seems in this scene that there might be some trouble between Parker and Stacey.  I wasn’t that impressed with the first one, but I am dying to see if director Marc Webb has the guts to kill off Gwen Stacey in the sequel and stay true to the comics.  Avoiding that spoiler might be a reason to see this in theaters.

Directed by Marc Webb, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will star Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as Rhino, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson and Felicity Jones. The sequel will be swinging into theaters on May 2, 2014. (SuperHeroHype, SocialiteLife)

The post Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone look cute on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 appeared first on Flix 66.

Will Smith is the man and there’s no denying that.  Other than maybe Tom Cruise, Will Smith is the most consistently successful box office star in the world.  So he’s earned the benefit of the doubt in most cases, so we shouldn’t be too quick to second guess his recent decisions.  But I’m not too crazy with anything I’ve seen from AFTER EARTH and with news hitting today that he’s going to be stepping in for Ben Affleck in FOCUS, I’m left scratching my head.  If you recall, FOCUS was originally set up to star Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone (which sounds incredible), but then they dropped out and Ben Affleck stepped in as a con-man that teaches a young Kristen Stewart the trade, but when they become romantically involved, they end up going their separate ways only to be reunited years later.

And yes, the idea of Ben Affleck and Kristen Stewart romantically involved on camera was enough to turn off just about everyone, so Ben Affleck dropped out almost as fast as he became attached and reports now surface that Kristen Stewart has also left the project.  But now Will Smith is set to bring his multiple trailers to the Warner Bros. lot for writers/directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.  The film still needs the every important female lead and I’ll go on record now that Zoe Saldana is going to be asked to star in the film at some point.  WB seems intent to get this thing moving quickly, so with Will Smith attached, expect to hear more casting announcements soon. (THR)

The post Will Smith replaces Ben Affleck in Focus, Kristen Stewart drops out appeared first on Flix 66.

While watching the first trailer for R.I.P.D., I couldn’t help but get an overwhelming feeling like I’d seen it before.  Except the first time I saw it, it starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones and was about a secret society that protected the earth from aliens.  This time around, the film stars Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as the young, eager cop and old, grumpy veteran respectively and instead of fighting aliens, they protect the earth from dead souls.  Other than that, the jokes feel familiar, as well as the plot.  I even vaguely remember the first trailer for MIB playing out like this one, but I’m not sure.  But even though it feels like a been there, done that type of trailer, it could still turn out to be pretty fun.

R.I.P.D. stars Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Mary Louise-Parker, Robert Knepper, Mike O’Malley, James Hong and Kevin Bacon.  The Robert Schwentke directed film will blast into theaters on July 19^th, 2013.

The post Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges star in the first R.I.P.D. trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER will star Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp and Robert Redford. The Russo brothers Anthony and Joe will direct with the opening date set for April 4th, 2014. (JFX Online)

The post Chris Evans and Scarlett Johannson in new set photos from Captain America: The Winter Soldier appeared first on Flix 66.

Enter Woochi (Kang Dong-won, of Jang Hoon’s SECRET REUNION), a Taoist wizard who, hundreds of years before, had been made the scapegoat of a murder and was imprisoned in the artwork of an ancient scroll with his shape-shifting buddy (Yoo Hae-jin, who won a Korean Film Award for MOSS). As the movie is titled WOOCHI: THE DEMON SLAYER and not WOOCHI: THE GUY WHO SITS ON THE COUCH AND LETS HIS NATIVE LAND BE OVERTAKEN BY GHOULS, we know that Woo-chi will be tasked to retrieve the flute and slay the demons.

This should all set the stage for a series of sequences with Woochi wiping out the race of demons. But instead, that is saved almost exclusively for the climax. One of the causes of this is that Woochi is too busy stirring up trouble, playing the womanizer and grooming his ego to seriously consider being a legend in his country. The other is that only a pair of monsters has been unleashed and so Woochi is limited in his foes.

The protagonist is a bit of a goofball and so WOOCHI: THE DEMON SLAYER comes off a bit silly. Some of the line deliveries (mainly in part to the awful dubbing, which sounds like voiceover work form B-level foreign cartoons) and special effects (which, at times, are reminiscent of dated video games) feel so awkward and lazy that it’s hard to tell if the audience is supposed to take the movie seriously. While a portion of the action scenes are intended to be on the outlandish side (the car chase topped off with a bow and arrow assault, for example), surely we aren’t meant to laugh at the production team’s hard work.

One of the key crew members is action director Doo-hong Jung (THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD, as well as this year’s G.I. JOE: RETALIATION) who, with aid from stunt coordinator David No (John Dahl’s THE GREAT RAID), provides terrific choreography for the fight sequences.  Another, of course, is director Choi Dong-Hoon (2006’s TAZZA: THE HIGH ROLLER, 2012’s THE THIEVES), who falters in his efforts by trying to expand the plot (worked from a Korean folktale) so much that he ends up nearly ignoring what the viewers want: action. (Somehow, the movie was one of the highest-grossing Korean films of its year.) Choi Dong-Hoon’s poor vision proves to be the biggest flaw of WOOCHI: THE DEMON SLAYER. What could have been a thrilling action-fantasy ends up being an absurd and overlong bore.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 1.85:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. WOOCHI: THE DEMON SLAYER looks very good in high-definition, with strong blacks and fine detail.

Audio: Korean DTS-HD 5.1; Korean Dolby Digital 5.1; English Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles in English. The sound effects come through speakers with great presence, adding nicely to the fantasy elements of the movie.

The Newest Korean Style Hero Movie (5:51) is a brief promotional piece, with interviews and on-set footage.

Deleted Scenes (13:43) offers a selection of discarded scenes that add some more action and character development.

Making Of (25:09) showcases some great behind-the-scenes footage of stunts being tested and performed.

The Production Featurettes are divided into six sections: The Training Process (3:48), The World Outside the Frame (8:48), Production Design (14:34), Action and Special Effects (16:08), Shooting and Lighting (6:22), and Post-Production – Sound and Editing (6:00).

The Magic of Computer Graphics is divided into four parts: Visual Arts (15:17), CG Scenes in the Pre-Production Stage (26:04), CG Mixed in with the final stage (10:43), The CG Process – The Before & After (2:41).

The Interview Gallery serves up comments from the Director & Cast (5:18) and the Director, Key Staff & Cast on Pre-Production (10:55).

Original Trailer

The post Woochi: The Demon Slayer Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

If you haven’t made up your mind whether or not THE LONE RANGER is your cup of tea, then I’m not sure this final trailer for the summer blockbuster is going to do anything to sway you one way or the other.  It’s what you expect from Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski; sylized, comic violence and plenty of one-liners.  Although to their credit, this trailer does do better justice to the action stunts than the previous trailers did.  It seems they may have actually done a few things that we haven’t seen before.  I was skeptical about the train stunts since I feel like we’ve gotten a lot of train related action scenes lately, but again, this trailer eased some of my concerns.  Personally, I think the movie looks fun, but I have a feeling Johnny Depp’s Tonto is going to get on my nerves.

THE LONE RANGER stars Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter (shocker!). The Gore Verbinski directed film hits theaters on July 3rd, 2013.

The post Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer star in the final trailer for The Lone Ranger appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, ONLY GOD FORGIVES stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Burke, Yayaying, Vithaya Pansringarm, Byron Gibson, Sahajak Boonthanakit and Gordon Brown.  The film opens in theaters on July 19th. (EW)

The post Ryan Gosling absent from new teaser poster of Only God Forgives appeared first on Flix 66.

R.I.P.D. stars Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Mary Louise-Parker, Robert Knepper, Mike O’Malley, James Hong and Kevin Bacon.  The Robert Schwentke directed film will blast into theaters on July 19^th, 2013.

The post Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges stand tall on the first poster for R.I.P.D. appeared first on Flix 66.

Alain (Schoenaerts) has decided to leave Belgium with his young son, Sam (Armand Verdure).  As they travel by train to the north of France, they exist on Alain’s wits.  When Sam is hungry he searches the train for food left by others and, when they need money, he’s not above stealing.  When they reach their destination, the home of Alain’s sister (Corinne Masiero), Alain finds work with a man who deals in security.  His first job is as a bouncer in a dance club.  One night a fight breaks out and Stephanie (Cotillard) is injured.  Alain drives her home and gives her his number, asking her to call if she needs anything.  When the call comes, it will turn out that they need each other.

A powerful drama featuring an Oscar-worthy performance by Cotillard, RUST AND BONE is best described as a buddy film-action-romance.  And then some.  As Alain’s boss begins to trust him he gives him better assignments.  From bouncer to night watchmen to helping install surveillance equipment in local food and department stores in order to catch the staff stealing.  Stephanie also has a job…she is a trainer at Marine World, dealing with the daily performances of the killer whales.  One day an accident causes the platform Stephanie is standing on to collapse and she is thrown into the water.  When she wakes up in the hospital she is missing her legs from the knees down.  We never really know what happens (in my opinion, judging on the imagery, I’m guessing they are bitten off – nothing else related to the accident seems to be the cause) but the scene where she first discovers what has happened is gut wrenching.  As I said above, an Oscar-worthy performance.  When she’s released from the hospital she calls Alain and they begin a relationship that appears to be in the “friends’ only” category.  Learning that Alain was once a skilled kick boxer his boss sets up local fights in the area.  Not in the ring but in parking lots.  Stephanie accompanies him to the fights and she seems to serve as an inspiration.  One night, while Alain is sharing his exploits of the night before with her, Stephanie remarks that she’s still not sure if “it still works” after her accident.  The two make love and have now entered into the “friends with benefits” category.  This is never more evident than when Alain, Stephanie and a group of friends go out to a club and Alain leaves with another woman.  But it will take an almost complete upheaval of both of their lives before their true feelings are revealed.

Directed by Jacques Audiard with a skilled hand, RUST AND BONE features two brilliant performances, with Schoenaerts matching Cotillard emotion for emotion.  He is a man who gets by on anger.  He scolds his son…he thrives on it in his fights.  He even makes love angrily.  Only Stephanie seems to have the cure to that anger and the scenes the two share together are the films’ best.  Production values are top notch and the story moves along seamlessly thanks to a brilliant score by Alexandre Desplat.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  The 1080p transfer is very impressive, particularly the various outdoor locales featured.  The film is presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio.

Audio:  Recorded in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1  It’s often hard to pay attention to the audio when you’re reading subtitles but the mix here was very well done, especially the scenes featuring the whales.

(Like the film, all of the extras are presented in French with English Subtitles)

Audio Commentary:  A very indepth and insightful commentary delivered by Director Jacques Audiard, his co-screenwriter Thomas Bidegain and Journalist Arnaud Calistri, who often contributes “making of” pieces to DVDs.

Making RUST AND BONE: A Film by Antonin Peretjatko (59:57):  An excellent “making of” featurette that details the shooting of the film including the special effects.  A “must see” if you’re a fan of the ins and outs of making a movie.

VFX Breakdown by Mikros (2:25):  A look at how various special effects shots progressed during the filming process.

On the Red Carpet: Toronto International Film Festival (2:53):  Brief interviews with the cast and crew relating their experiences making the film.

Deleted Scenes (6:45):  (6) excised scenes, none of which really add anything to the story.  If you wish there is a commentary about the scenes by Audiard and Bidegain.

Theatrical Trailer

The post Rust and Bone Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Another MAN OF STEEL trailer has been released and although it’s still great and does feature a lot of new footage, it feels pretty similar to what we’ve seen before.  Clark Kent is discovering who he is while his two fathers have different ideas about what he should/could become.  We get it; Superman is a complicated man.  But what’s missing is seeing the traditional Clark Kent and the witty banter between him and Lois Lane.  We got a little of that at the end of this trailer, but I’m curious if we’re going to get much of Clark at the Daily Planet at all, or if we’re going to spend most of the film following Lois Lane as she investigates Superman.  Either way, I’m still excited, I’m just curious as to why we’ve seen three trailers so far that all feature the same thing.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film hits theaters on June 14th, 2013.

The post Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon star in the new Man of Steel trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

Director Michael Bay announced at CinemaCon that Stanley Tucci (THE HUNGER GAMES) will join the cast of TRANSFORMERS 4.  Clearly this film is being made strictly for money.  It blows my mind that stars like Stanley Tucci and Mark Wahlberg would join a franchise that is in a hard nose dive.  But I guess if the public keeps dishing out the money, I can’t blame Tucci and Wahlberg for wanting in on the action.  TRANSFORMERS was fantastic. The sequel was a headache-inducing mess.  I didn’t even see the third installment, but I was told from everyone (I’m not exaggerating) that I wasn’t missing anything.  I can tell you that I have no desire to see a fourth.

Currently the plot has yet to be revealed, but the untitled fourth Transformers movie will be direct once again by Michael Bay.  TRANSFORMERS 4 will star Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor with a release date of June 27, 2014. You can see Michael Bay and Mark Wahlberg collaborate before that in PAIN & GAIN to hit theaters April 26th.(ComingSoon)

The post Stanley Tucci joins Mark Wahlberg in Transformers 4 appeared first on Flix 66.

Fans seemed to be curious as to what Jamie Foxx was going to look like as Electro in the upcoming sequel, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 and now they have their answer…blue.  Of course, it’s tough to tell anything with Jamie Foxx wearing a heavy coat over his costume, but at least we get a little bit of an idea what the final product will look like.  We still don’t know how big of a part Electro will play in the sequel, but I’m impressed with the makeup job they did on him.  Filming is well underway in New York City, so hopefully a crafty photographer can get a complete shot of Jamie Foxx in action.  Where’s Peter Parker when you need him?

Directed by Marc Webb, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will star Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as Rhino, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson and Felicity Jones. The sequel will be swinging into theaters on May 2, 2014. (SuperHeroHype)

The post Jamie Foxx seems blue in the first look at Electro on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 appeared first on Flix 66.

Based on a series of Japanese sci-fi novels by Chohel Kamayashi, YUKIKAZE is being adapted by Warner Bros., who has just signed on mega star Tom Cruise as the lead.  Yukikaze takes place during the early 21st Century where an alien force, using a dimensional porthole, has invaded and inhabited earth the past thirty years.  However, humans are once again on the rise, putting together a special combat force to win back their planet.  In case you were wondering, Yukikaze is the name of the hero’s reconnaissance fighter plane.

With OBLIVION opening in theaters this Friday and ALL YOU NEED IS KILL opening in 2014, Tom Cruise is on a current string of science fiction films.  I would guess, because Yukikaze is based on a Japanese series that it could easily be turned into another Tom Cruise franchise.  But that’s just speculation.  If you want to get a head start on the story, you can find the popular novels adapted into to five anime films. So now the question is, who is going to direct this surefire blockbuster? (Deadline)

The post Tom Cruise is set to star in the Sci-Fi film Yukikaze appeared first on Flix 66.

Years later, Jubeh (Tak Sakaguchi, Ryuhei Kitamura’s VERSUS) is found guilty of being responsible for 50 deaths in a mere seven days, and is locked away in a juvenile delinquent center called the Pterodactyl Juvenile Reformatory. It’s swarming with cockroaches and run by Ishihara (Miho Ninagawa, who appeared in two episodes of the anthology series MASTERS OF HORROR), the granddaughter of a Nazi freund. Her number two goes by Ilsa (Miho Harita), no doubt a nod to the Nazisploitation mascot portrayed by Dyanne Thorne.

This is the sort of prison where the staff positions its inmate on all fours and goes elbow-deep to inflict severe, nearly life-ending pain and pull out anything they can find (is that a child’s doll?). Any chance of freedom is a guaranteed visit to the psychiatrist. That’s a chance Jubeh is willing to take, and when he’s offered freedom in exchange for joining the reformatory’s baseball team, The Gauntlets, he takes it. Their opponents will be Saint Black Dahlia High School. Baseball? More like deadball!

DEADBALL is directed by Yudai Yamaguchi, who previously helmed YAKUZA WEAPON, MEATBALL MACHINE and BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL, and co-wrote the aforementioned VERSUS. More of a draw for Japanese cinema fans might be that it was produced by Sushi Typhoon, the studio responsible for ALIEN VS. NINJA, MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD, COLD FISH, HELLDRIVER, and KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR.  Going on just that, we know that DEADBALL will be a relentless splatterfest. And to no surprise, it is, complete with impalings, scalpings, severed noses, exploding and squished bodies, and, of course, baseballs rigged to turn into garrotes. (There is much more, but spoiling any further would ruin half of the fun.)

And if you can handle the levels of bright red blood that come along with Japanese splatter flicks, then DEADBALL is highly enjoyable. The special effects mostly hit, but there are times when viewers may find themselves laughing at the production values and not the over-the-top violence. One scene that stands out is when Jebhu takes the mound and immediately causes blood to erupt from anyone in the field—a moment that looks like it was completed with Microsoft Paint. But parts like that are few and fans of the subgenere (the sub-subgenre might be “baseball death films”) won’t be disappointed.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 1.78:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. Well Go USA gives DEADBALL a nice, natural transfer, complete with faithful tones and colors.

Audio: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Subtitles in English. The audio track is a major draw for this disc, as it boasts effective SFX, particularly in the more violent moments.

Spinoff Short: FINAL DEADBALL (20:43): This short film loses a lot of the appeal of the original, going light on the blood and skipping baseball altogether.

Making of DEADBALL (12:18) gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the movie’s production.

Cast Interviews (7:36): A number of cast members, including Tak Sakaguchi, Miho Ninagawa and Mickey Curtis sit down to discuss DEADBALL and their characters.

Sushi Typhoon Trailers

The post Deadball Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Cillian Murphy is reported to have nabbed one of the three male leads along side Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany in Wally Pfister’s directorial debut film TRANSCENDENCE.  I have a been a big fan of Cillian Murphy since I first saw him in one of my favorite films of 2002, Danny Boyle’s 28 DAYS LATER.  Since then he has been a regular in Christopher Nolan films, which continually are among favorite movies in their respective years, including all three Dark Knight films and INCEPTION. Murphy’s casting is no coincidence, seeing that Christopher Nolan is producing the film and director Wally Pfister was the cinematographer in each of those films.

TRANSCENDENCE impressive cast list now includes Cillian Murphy, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman. The sci-fi film follows a scientist who uploads his brain to a computer before he is assassinated.  Directed by Oscar winning Cinematographer Wally Pfister, TRANSCENDENCE is slated to release April 25, 2014. (Latino Review)

The post Cillian Murphy will join Johnny Depp and Rebecca Hall in Transcendence appeared first on Flix 66.

With a cast full of some of my favorite funny people, I think this could end up being pretty good.  THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY stars Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig,Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Katheryn Hahn, Patton Oswalt and Sean Penn.  Directed by Stiller as well the comedy adventure is slated to hit theaters Christmas Day.

The post Ben Stiller in the first image of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty appeared first on Flix 66.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS will star Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve and Peter Weller.  The J.J. Abrams directed film will hit theaters on May 17th, but will debut in IMAX screens on May 15th. (The Playlist)

The post Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana in new character posters for Star Trek Into Darkness appeared first on Flix 66.

Directed by Bryan Singer, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will combine both casts from the X-MEN series that will include Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Nicolas Hoult, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Jason Flemyng and Peter Dinklage.  Directed by Bryan Singer the film and is set to hit theaters on July 18th, 2014. (Bryan Singer via Twitter)

The post Patrick Stewart in first set photo of X-Men: Days of Future Past appeared first on Flix 66.

Continuing with their early marketing strategy, Lionsgate/Summit debuted the first trailer for THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE today during the MTV Movie Awards (does anyone still watch that?).  It’s probably not as much as you were hoping for (no Finnick), but given we’re still seven months away from the film hitting theaters, I think we should just be thankful we got anything at all.  I’m sure there will be a much better trailer featuring Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) back in action soon and from the looks of things, there’s plenty of action and drama in the second installment.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE is set to star Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair) Stephanie Leigh Schlund (Cashmere), Jenna Malone (Johanna Mason), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee), Amanda Plummer (Wiress), Lynn Cohen (Mags), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee), Alan Ritchson (Gloss), Bruno Gunn (Brutus), Meta Golding (Enobaria), E. Roger Mitchell (Chaff) and Maria Howell (Seeder). THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be released in theaters on November 22, 2013.

The post Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson star in the first Hunger Games: Catching Fire trailer appeared first on Flix 66.

An animated French film, A MONSTER IN PARIS takes you all through the City of Light from the Eiffle Tower to the River Seine with fun stylizing that borders on appearing like claymation. In fact, the monkey, Charles, very much reminded me of the PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS primate with the use of index cards as his form of communication.

It was very distracting to see two characters look almost identical, specifically when comparring Lucille and Maude. The simliarities between the females gave the impression that the animators just added glasses to distinguish between the two and did not spend time on creating another character.

Though the overall story was somewhat flat, the musical numbers were highly entertaining and fun. Even the sad sounding tune ‘A Monster in Paris’ was beautifully performed by Sean Lennon (son of John & Yoko).  All of the upbeat riffs from Lucille and Francoeur made you want to tap your toes and clap your hands. It was a bit of a stretch to me that Francoeur could not speak but could sing actual words… why wouldn’t he just sing all the time to communicate instead of making meek sounds and sad humming noises? This question, along with the issue listed above, pulled me out of the picture and I had to remember to focus on engaging and forget those small distracting details.

The voice talent used in the English version of A MONSTER IN PARIS was excellent; everyone was perfectly cast. Adam Goldberg, Jay Harrington, Bob Balaban, Danny Huston and Catherine O’Hara brought a lot of personality to their respective characters. Though the main human characters were likeable enough, Francoeur was central to the heart of this film. Even with his massive size, dapper disguise, and lack of vocabulary, it was easy for the audience to connect with the oversized flea. The emotions expressed with his eyes were powerful giving the viewer a glimpse into the fear and joy that Francoeur experienced.

Watching the action sequence with Prefet Maynott (Huston) chasing down Francoeur and friends, I felt a bit bored because it felt like it took too long while trying to squish in a love story between Emile and Maude.  Overall, this picture is short of being special or memorable. It entertains and is cute enough but the terrific musical moments can only carry a film so far.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Audio (DTS-HD 5.1):  A MONSTER IN PARIS has a nice blend of talking and singing characters and the audio was perfect in this picture.

Video (1080): The sharp bold colors were perfect for this drama.

This disc does not have the option to watch the movie in French, but does allow you to change your audio from 5.1 to 2.1Dolby Digital and you can have English subtitles on an English movie. I was very disappointed in the lack of special features as there were zero.

The post A Monster In Paris Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Although 42 has definitely overperformed at the weekend box office, the bigger news is how poorly SCARY MOVIE 5 has one. True, the franchise was dead a long time ago, but how soon we forge that SCARY MOVIE 4 raked in over $40 million (5 is barely pushing $15 million) on its opening weekend and many thought the franchise was dead when that one hit theaters. Maybe it’s because Anna Faris decided to finally leave the franchise (she had appeared in the previous 4), or maybe it’s because America is sick of Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan. Or, maybe it’s because Dimension films is out of ideas and is just a pale reflection of what it was back in the late 90′s. Either way, this will hopefully signal an end to the Scary Movie franchise. On the positive side, the Jackie Robinson baseball biopic 42 did very well, no doubt capitalizing on baseball’s opening day and the upcoming Jackie Robinson tribute day that’s coming up. Over $25 million is a pretty good haul for a movie without any stars (sorry, Harrison Ford hasn’t been a star in a while and this isn’t his movie anyway).

Next week sees the release of Tom Cruise’s OBLIVION. Early reviews have been glowingly positive, so it’s possible the film will live up to the promise we’ve seen in the trailers. We also get the release of Rob Zombie’s THE LORDS OF SALEM, but given the lack of marketing, I don’t see that competing with OBLIVION for the top spot. The good news is that summer movie season is only a few short weeks away. Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.

1. 42 $26m

2. Scary Movie 5 $13.4m

3. The Croods $12.6m

4. G.I. Joe: Retaliation $10.2m

5. Evil Dead $9.3m

6. Jurassic Park 3D $8.2m

7. Olympus Has Fallen $6.6m

8. Oz The Great and Powerful $4.6m

9. Tyler Perry’s Temptation $4.3m

10. The Place Beyond The Pines $3.9m

(Deadline)

The post Weekend box office: 42 overperforms while Scary Movie 5 bombs appeared first on Flix 66.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film hits theaters on June 14th, 2013.

The post Henry Cavill stands tall as Superman in a new promo image from Man of Steel appeared first on Flix 66.

Okay, so maybe the actual clip isn’t as exciting as the title would have you believe, but I blame the marketing team behind Sofia Coppola’s THE BLING RING for letting the first clip from the film be one of Emma Watson doing a pseudo pole dance.  They know what they have on their hands and that’s a grown up Hermione who is definitely breaking out of her good girl image.  But it’s one thing to break out of an image, it’s another thing to do it successfully.  In Emma Watson’s case, I think teaming with Coppola was a good choice and even though the title of the clip says “stripper”, the actual clip seems to set up a group of kids that are taking things too far, with no regard for right and wrong.

THE BLING RING stars Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Nina Siemaszko, Erin Daniels, Patricia Lentz, Stacy Edwards and Maika Monroe.  The Sofia Coppola directed film will hit theaters this summer on June 14th.

The post Emma Watson does a sexy pole dance in the first clip from The Bling Ring appeared first on Flix 66.

Mr. Hitchcock had just finished the very successful NORTH BY NORTHWEST in 1959 and wanted to try something a little different and fun.  After reading the book “Psycho” by Stephen Rebello, he immediately bought up every possible copy to insure his ending would be kept a secret.  At that time in Hollywood, the idea of such a prestigious director making a slasher film where the leading lady is murdered half way through the picture, was considered quite insane.  Between the studio hesitating to fund such a project and the MPAA ratings committee not allowing such minute details as a toilet being shown on screen, Alfred had his work cut out for him.

When it comes to casting and cutting the film, Hitchcock relied heavily on his spouse and partner Alma Reville, played by the oh so talented Helen Mirren.  Alma always supported her husband’s work not simply out of faithfulness but also because she believed in him; at times was even the inspiration or voice behind many of his good ideas.  HITCHCOCK  does a nice job shifting the focus more about these two individual characters and their relationship together.  I think the one thing most people will come away with is just how influential and impressive Alma Reville was to the overall success of Alfred Hitchcock.  Part of the fun is seeing some of the fantastic actors of the time performed by current day stars, like Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins and even THE KARATE KID’s Ralph Macchio as screenwriter Joseph Stefano.  They do a great job and are just a few people who are part of the overall inspired casting in HITCHCOCK.

If you haven’t seen PSYCHO, watch it now.  After familiarizing yourself with the director a little more, I think one will easily enjoy the self referential and tributes that HITCHCOCK refers to.  The not-so-subtle attempts at the director mimicking his films are funny and entertaining.  Anthony Hopkins gives the perfect blend of accuracy and parody.  He looks and plays the part with wry humor but with respectable believability to the overall tone of what the peculiar director may have been like.

HITCHCOCK is more of a speculation film rather than a historic accuracy.  The film goes for light-hearted laughs rather than hard truth.  It is a real shame the film came out in the height of all the Oscar films.  While the film was nominated for an Oscar in makeup, HITCHCOCK is by no means an award winning film.  But it does accomplish its goal  as a very well-executed, enjoyable little flick that I believe was marketed all wrong.  Light and fun are two key words that come to mind and for anyone who is a fan of PSYCHO and the director, HITCHCOCK is a must see.

The post Hitchcock Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

One thing you can say about Lionsgate/Summit; they believe in marketing their big budget movies early and often.  Such is the case with THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, which has seen several marketing posters and images hit online and the movie is still seven months away.  Today, we get a couple of good looks at Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, enjoying the cold weather of District 12.  I can only assume a teaser trailer is right around the corner, probably in time to capitalize on the summer blockbuster season.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE is set to star Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair) Stephanie Leigh Schlund (Cashmere), Jenna Malone (Johanna Mason), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee), Amanda Plummer (Wiress), Lynn Cohen (Mags), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee), Alan Ritchson (Gloss), Bruno Gunn (Brutus), Meta Golding (Enobaria), E. Roger Mitchell (Chaff) and Maria Howell (Seeder). THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be released in theaters on November 22, 2013. (HungerGamesExplorer)

The post Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss Everdeen in new images from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire appeared first on Flix 66.

R.I.P.D. stars Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Mary Louise-Parker, Robert Knepper, Mike O’Malley, James Hong and Kevin Bacon.  The Robert Schwentke directed film will blast into theaters on July 19^th, 2013.

The post Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges get serious in the first image from R.I.P.D. appeared first on Flix 66.

Well acted but confusing as heck, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is a film that has a message about love, fathers and sons, redemption and…I have no idea.  I told you it was confusing.  We learn a lot about Cheyenne from others.  He was big in the 80s.  Until (2) young fans killed themselves.  Now he seems to have separated himself from life, except for those moments home with Jane.  Still, he occasionally ponders a puzzler, such as “Why is Lady Gaga?”  When he learns his father is close to death he travels home to the states.  There he uncovers a mysterious project his father had been working on for years.  It seems Cheyenne’s pop was a Holocaust Survivor and had been tracking, for years, a guard from a concentration camp that at one time humiliated him.  Cheyenne is introduced to Mordecai Midler (Judd Hirsch), a preeminent Nazi hunter who had been in contact with Cheyenne’s father.  He’s not interested in helping Cheyenne so he heads out across the country to track down the man his father could never find.  Think of the movie as one of those cool mash-ups:  EDWARD SCISSORHANDS:  NAZI HUNTER.

Penn, with two Oscars at home, has nothing to prove acting wise.  I have no idea why he took this part.  He does have a couple of dramatic monologues interspliced within his mumbling, giving the film occasional life.  McDormand is equally good.  When the two are sharing the screen the film, in relation to Cheyenne and Jane, begins to make sense.  It’s when Cheyenne is setting up a fan with a beau or chatting up his randy, oversexed friend that the focus begins to fall.  Which is a shame because the actors seem to be really trying.  Besides Penn and McDormand you get very strong work from Stanton, Hirsch, Joyce Van Patten and musician David Byrne (Talking Heads) as himself.  The story, as it was, is layered in too much symbolism to care about any of the characters.  Also, the things Cheyenne encounters, most notably a wandering buffalo, who pays a visit to the back porch while Cheyenne is crossing America.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video:  The transfer is clear and bright, making great use of the various places Cheyenne inhabits (Ireland, the American heartland).  Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Audio:  Recorded in DTS Master Audio 5.1  The sound is well transferred and not overdone.  Even when Cheyenne is talking at his softest his words are clear.

Trailers for other Mirimax Films, including SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

The post This Must Be The Place Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

Director Cameron Crowe has an excellent record of finding terrific actors and making solid films, and in the case of ALMOST FAMOUS and JERRY MAGUIRE, great films.  Mr. Crowe’s next untitled project just added Rachel McAdams to the mix.  She will be joining a couple of Hollywoods current young superstars in Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone. McAdams can most recently be seen in Terrence Malick’s highly anticipated film TO THE WONDER, opening in select theaters this week.  Apparently McAdams part didn’t get left on the cutting room floor like so many of Malick’s actors tend to do.

Plot details on the project from Sony Pictures are still somewhat vague but speculation is Rachel McAdams will play an old love interest to Bradley Cooper.  As well as directing, Crowe also wrote the film that is said to be a mix of comedy and drama (much like nearly all his films).  The untitled project is currently scheduled to start production in October. (The Playlist)

The post Rachel McAdams to join Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone in new Cameron Crowe film appeared first on Flix 66.

Given the lack of promotion, or should I say the lack of early promotion, for THE HANGOVER PART III, I can’t help but wonder if there were issues with the film.  When the first, unfunny trailer came out, I suspected that Warner Bros. was nervous about the film and had decided not to pour too much marketing money into it.  But this second trailer completely changes the ballgame.  It’s actually pretty funny and gives me hope that the third film in the trilogy will be as funny as the first.  But what’s most surprising is that they actually seem to justify bringing everyone together again for one final party.  I know, I’m as surprised as you are.

THE HANGOVER PART III is set to star Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Gillian Vigman, Sasha Barrese, Jamie Chung, John Goodman, Mike Epps, Mike Tyson and Jeffrey Tambor.  The Todd Phillips directed film hits theaters on May 24th, 2013.

The post Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis star in a much funnier trailer for The Hangover Part III appeared first on Flix 66.

It can’t be all Superman, all the time, so we finally get some good looks at some of Henry Cavill‘s costars in the film, including his parents, Lois Lane and of course, Michael Shannon as the big baddie, General Zod.  With MAN OF STEEL only a couple of months away, the marketing campaign is heating up, starting off with a full spread in the latest issue of EW.  I’m sure fast food tie-ins, billboards and anything else you can think of aren’t far behind.  This is the big moneymaker of the year, so Warner Bros. is going to want to milk every last cent from the film.  Anyway, check out some new images from the film below and get ready for the marketing onslaught.

MAN OF STEEL stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Ayelet Zurer, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced film hits theaters on June 14th, 2013.

The post Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon in new images from Man of Steel appeared first on Flix 66.

RUSH is the true story about rival drivers competing in Formula 1 racing. Competitive sports movies are always a safe bet and true stories always add an extra bonus. Perhaps director Ron Howard can elevate this racing film to more than just a good time at the theater.

RUSH stars Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Stephen Mangan, Christian McKay, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Jamie de Courcey, Pierfrancesco Favino and Natalie Dormer.  The Ron Howard directed film races into theaters on September 20th.

The post Chris Hemsworth and Olivia Wilde star in new photos from Rush appeared first on Flix 66.

Soon after Daigo drops out of school, his half-sister Kiriko (Hikari Mitsushima, the DEATH NOTE movies and Sion Sono’s LOVE EXPOSURE), who lost her voice as a child and communicates only in hand-written notes, takes him to a 3D movie with deformed girls and a plush rabbit that leaps from the screen into Daigo’s arms. One night, Daigo is visited by a giant white bunny, who takes him to an amusement park. The next night, the creature pulls him through his mattress and into an insane asylum, where he’s held captive. It’s up to Kiriko to rescue her brother from the evil rabbit (who may or may not have a tie to the siblings’ past), as their illustrator father (Teruyuki Kagawa) is too busy working on a new rendition of THE LITTLE MERMAID to get concerned over his son’s nightmares.

Directed by Takashi Shimizu (JU-ON: THE GRUDGE, JU-ON: THE GRUDGE 2, as well as the American remakes), TORMENTED was released in its native Japan as RABBIT HORROR. Both suit the movie, but the latter works as both a descriptive title and a branch of the killer animal subgenre (NIGHT OF THE LEPUS, anyone?). The movie has faint nods to THE LITTLE MERMAID (Ariel, like Kiriko, was mute) and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (more American McGee than Lewis Carroll) that some will find serve the story, but it lacks much originality overall. Worse, there are almost no scares, as the antagonist is, after all, just some creep in an Easter Bunny costume.

TORMENTED may add a giant bunny and lose the jerks and jitters that made THE GRUDGE an annoyance, but it still resorts to the ghost and possession tales that Shimizu has made a steady career out of. Fans of the director, though, will find few flaws in this and continue to support the man at the box office.

TORMENTED premiered at the 2011 Venice International Film Festival and screened at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film, where it was acknowledged “for its originality and unique view of childhood through a child eyes,” an earned compliment on its impressive visuals.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 16:9 Widescreen in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. The high-definition transfer of TORMENTED is primarily weak, as there are few fine details (in skin textures, costumes or sets) and many of the nightmarish sequences are hazy, ugly and lifeless.

Audio: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Japanese Stereo. The audio, however, is quite effective, with a score and sound effects that enhance the atmosphere.

Trailer and Previews

The post Tormented 3D Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.

David O. Russell’s next film has begun production in Woburn, Massachusetts and today we get the first set photos of stars Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale and Amy Adams on set, with what appears to be a very heated Jennifer Lawrence.  As far as set photos go, they’re not going to give us a whole lot, but it’s a nice peek at what the three stars will look like in the still untitled film.

The film is set to star Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Louis C.K., Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.  The film used to be called ‘American Bullsh**’, but that title was dropped for obvious reasons.  The film is about a notorious con artist (Bale) who is forced to work for a high strung FBI agent (Cooper) to take down other con artists and bad guys.  Jennifer Lawrence will be playing Bale’s wife in the film while Jeremy Renner will play a politician and Amy Adams will play Renner’s wife. (ComingSoon)

The post Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale and Amy Adams on the set of their new film appeared first on Flix 66.

RICKY STANICKY is a movie that has been wanting to be made for quite a while.  A few years ago, James Franco was attached.  But now funny man Jim Carrey has signed on to star in the Summit Entertainment comedy and will be directed by his old friend Steve Oedekerk (KUNG POW: ENTER THE FIST).  Oedekerk’s previous connection to Carrey was from writing BRUCE ALMIGHTY and writing and directing ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS.

RICKY STANICKY is a comedy that follows a couple of guys who have been blaming all their problem on a fake person.  After using their pretend alibi to get out of far too many situations for nearly twenty years, their wives demand to see Ricky Stanicky.  Committed to their lie, they hire an out-of-work actor (Jim Carrey) to play the part of their made-up person.  I’m not sure this premise can sustain itself for a full ninety minutes, but I believe Carrey is the right man for the job to pull out some decent laughs.  He was by far the best part of THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (click the link to read the review) and is expected to be pretty great in KICK-ASS 2. (THR)

The post Jim Carrey to reteam with Steve Oedekerk in Ricky Stanicky appeared first on Flix 66.

That’s Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler, who not only squeezes in a song but hops on a stripper pole in the first ten minutes) Decker. They’re not Alice (Marisa Tomei) and Phil’s (Tom Everett Scott) first choice to babysit their three children, but Phil’s parents are on a cruise and so the kids—Harper (Bailee Madison, JUST GO WITH IT), Turner (Joshua Rush, NBC’s HEROES) and Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, in his debut)—are put into the care of her father and mother, “a tornado with lipstick.”  To no one’s surprise, helicopter mom Alice decides to stick around the house while Phil goes on his business trip. From there, it’s a clash of parenting techniques, with Artie and Diane promoting a relaxed environment and Alice a taut, gluten-free childhood. You can see where this movie is going.

Directed by Andy Fickman (2010’s YOU AGAIN and 2007’s THE GAME PLAN), PARENTAL GUIDANCE has no interest in giving insight into parenting or parent/child relationships. It thinks it does (namely in the final act), but really it’s concerned with the predictable. You can bet that if cake is a no-no in the Decker household, it’ll be devoured by the kids and thrown in Alice’s face and around the kitchen.  From there, the youngest boy calls Artie “Farty” and uses a Super Soaker to make it look like he wet his pants, an image Fox felt the need to put on the back cover art of the DVD and Blu-ray. Later, Billy Crystal gets hit in the crotch with a baseball bat at a little league game, the gang disrupts a Tchaikovsky symphony and Barker urinates on a half-pipe, nearly causing Tony Hawk to break his neck.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE is brimming with this sort of humor. The script, written by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse (Sony Pictures Animation’s SURF’S UP), is at its worst not when the jokes and scenarios are expected, but when they don’t even make sense. Take, for example, the scene where Artie is fired for his lack of familiarity with social media (“Tweet? I’ll make any noise you want!”), even though he owns iProducts and so must have some idea what Twitter is. To think that Addario and Syracuse spent more than three seconds coming up with scenes like that and songs that start with, “Come out, come out, Mr. Doodie.”

It’s hard not to hate almost all of the characters. Alice is an uptight mom who’s breeding her kids to be whiny, obsessive-compulsive brats, and Artie and Diane are out of line in telling their daughter how to raise Harper, Turner and Barker. The exception is Phil, who should take his offspring to counseling and send his know-it-all parents-in-law on the next flight back to Fresno.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: 1.85:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. This Fox Blu-ray offers a clear picture throughout.

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English Descriptive Audio 5.1; Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1; French Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles in English and Spanish. The audio transfer is also fine, with audible dialogue and clean music for the duration. (The beloved classic “Come Out, Mr. Doodie” has never sounded so good.)

Audio commentary with director Andy Fickman and Billy Crystal: Fickman and Crystal give a lighthearted track that touches on various aspects of the production.

FXM Productions Presents: In Character with Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Maris Tomei (4:56): The leads sit down to chat about their characters and the movie.

Deleted Scenes (13:00): There are 15 deleted/extended scenes, with optional commentary by Fickman.

The Gag Reel (12:48) offers a selection of flubs from the cast.

Theatrical Trailer

Also included is a DVD/Digital Copy.

The post Parental Guidance Blu-ray Review appeared first on Flix 66.