"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Length: Season 1, 8 Episodes
(Renewed for a Season 2), Runtime range of 41-55 min. per episode
Rating: TV-14
Production Companies: 21
Laps Entertainment, Monkey Massacre, Netflix
Producers: Dan Cohen, Matt
Duffer, Ross Duffer, Justin Doble, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock, Rand
Geiger, Shawn Levy, Iain Paterson, Karl Gajdusek, Cindy Holland, Matthew
Thunell, Brian Wright, Emily Morris
Directors: Matt Duffer, Ross
Duffer, Shawn Levy, Andrew Stanton, Rebecca Thomas
Writers: Matt Duffer, Ross
Duffer, Justin Doble, Paul Dichter, Jessica Mecklenburg, Jessie Nickson-Lopez,
Alison Tatlock
Actors: Winona Ryder, David
Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin,
Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Rob Morgan,
Joe Chrest, Matthew Modine, Anniston Price, Tinsley Price, Mark Steger, Ross
Partridge, Shannon Purser
Stunt Coordinators: Cal
Johnson, Lonnie R. Smith Jr., Anderson Martin, Reece Fleetwood, Michael R. Long
Languages
Speech Available: English, Spanish, German, Italian, French
Subtitles Available: English, French, Spanish, Traditional Chinese,
German
Blurb from Netflix: A love
letter to the ’80s classics that captivated a generation, Stranger Things is
set in 1983 Indiana, where a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends,
family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an
extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural
forces and one very strange little girl.
Stranger Things was almost an instant sensation following its Netflix
release mid-July 2016. It quickly skyrocketed into common pop culture knowledge
and references to the show were everywhere. If this had been a standard
television show, the ratings would have been astronomical.
I’ll admit that I didn’t watch this series right away. For whatever
reason, I’d felt that I didn’t have the time for the eight hours to dedicate to
a good binge-session. Of course, I was silly. It’s been on my ‘to-watch’ list
ever since, though. I wanted to see what the big deal was!
I finally decided to jump down the rabbit hole into the world of ‘80s
nostalgia. My first impression? Wow.
I’m an ‘80s baby. That was the decade of my elementary school years.
This movie touched on so many things from that era that I was practically
pointing at the screen and going “ooh!” for something in every scene. Not
really, but it felt that way. I mean seriously – Dungeons and Dragons (back
then I didn’t play but I was into the cartoon), Trapper Keepers (I still have
one), rotary phones, I swear I saw a Pacer (which was my mom’s car in the ‘80s),
and the RadioShack Realistic brand walkie talkies. I could go on forever.
Aside from just the physical stuff that is sprinkled throughout this
period piece, this series phenomenally captures the feeling laced through the
media landscape of ‘80s cinema. The title sequence electronica and other music
from that decade that permeates the soundtrack sets the tone, reminiscent of
Tangerine Dream’s contribution to the US release version of Legend (1985). There seems to be more
than one reference to that particular movie in the series but it’s also in
close running with the Silent Hill video game (1999). Of course, that was after
this series’ timeline but it fits well enough stylistically once you identify
the shared elements.
If I had to make comparisons, I’d say this series plays out like an
eight hour movie that was a mashup of The
Goonies (1985), Stand By Me
(1986), and E.T. (1982) with shades
of Aliens (1986), Poltergeist (1982), a little bit of Jaws (1975), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). There’s really so much more, but
I could talk Easter eggs with you forever – it’s better just to see for
yourself (and then look them up if you think you missed some).
The creators of the show, twins Matt and Ross Duffer (Abraham's Boys, Wayward Pines, Hidden),
are a package deal better known as The Duffer Brothers. This dynamic duo has
been cited attributing inspiration to the works of greats such as H.R. Giger (Future-Kill, Poltergeist II, Prometheus),
Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth,
Crimson Peak, The Strain), Clive Barker (Hellraiser, Nightbreed, Candyman) , Stephen King (Carrie, The Shining, Firestarter), and John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China) – all masters of
the strange and scary.
I could babble on about references and homage to the ‘80s and the
practical effects creature feature genre, but there’s so much more to shine the
light on with this series.
The casting for Stranger Things was absolutely phenomenal. It’s no
wonder that they won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a
Drama Series at the 2017 SAG Awards, and were nominated for many others.
This series is mostly about the kids, but before I go further in
talking about them, I’ve got to mention Winona Ryder (Black Swan, Frankenweenie, Experimenter). She’s no stranger to dark
movies, though this was her first appearance in a series. I’ve generally
enjoyed her in the past, but this performance was on an entirely new level of
awesome. The experiences of her character deliver a gut-punch of emotions as we
ride this supernatural mystery rollercoaster with her.
Everyone’s been talking about the adorable young cast. Finn Wolfhard (Aftermath, The 100, Supernatural), Millie
Bobby Brown (Once Upon a Time in
Wonderland, Intruders, NCIS), Gaten Matarazzo (The Blacklist), Noah Schnapp (Bridge
of Spies, The Peanuts Movie, Panic! At the Disco: LA Devotee), and Caleb
McLaughlin (Forever, Shades of Blue, The
New Edition Story) came together like a ‘dream team.’ I loved their group
dynamic and my geeky heart felt right at home among them.
David Harbour (Quantum of Solace,
Snitch, The Equalizer) was the solid center of this cast. He’s clearly not
entirely your ‘by the books’ kind of guy and you get to see flashes of his past
as the series unfolds. I’ve read a lot where people claim to see shades of the
Indiana Jones character in his performance. I can see that (though I think a
lot of that is the hat). On the other side of the coin, we have Matthew Modine
(Weeds, The Dark Knight Rises, Jobs).
He lived through the ‘80s cinema landscape as star of both Vision Quest (1985) and Full
Metal Jacket (1987). His role here flips the script a bit and comes from a
darker place – no pun intended.
While children are the main focus of this series, it’s not necessarily
a show geared to kids. My daughter’s at the age where she wants to start
pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone in media such as movies and shows of
this nature. I know I had a yearning to watch the stuff I ‘wasn’t supposed to’
when I was far younger. After my watch-through, I’m comfortable with letting
her give it a go. The disturbing nature of some of the events and how an
individual handles that sort of thing is really the clincher.
Less than a month from release, Netflix announced that Stranger Things
was renewed for a second season. They’ve given two teasers so far – one as an
ad during the Super Bowl, and the other released to YouTube as an adapted take
on the opening title sequence, giving a rundown of the episodes we can expect
in the Halloween 2017 release. Season Two boasts 9 episodes, one more than its
preceding season, and new cast members. Among them are Sean Astin (Click, The Syrain, Bad Kids of Crestview
Academy) and Paul Reiser (Concussion,
War on Everyone, The Little Hours). I can’t wait to see what their
contribution is.
The next installment is said to get “weirder and darker” according to
the Duffer Brothers. Ross Duffer was quoted in an EW article
as saying "Just like we treated the first season like a big movie, we
wanna treat this like a big movie as well and we don’t wanna coast on these
characters. We’re trying to swing for the fences on this one.”
I’ve got to say that the teaser showcases some scary and trippy
elements of what’s to come. I can’t wait for Halloween! I know what I’ll be
doing as soon as the trick-or-treaters finish swiping all the candy.
If you’d like to get a peek into the minds of the Duffers and explore
aspects left hanging from Season One and what might be coming in Season Two,
you can check out a Variety article here.
Please note that the article is HEAVILY spoiler riddled. I’d recommend giving
it a peek after you watch the first season.
But
I Digress... is a weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be
pinned down to just one thing. It's Cat's celebration of tangents,
random references, and general fan geekdom that both intertwines with,
revolves around, and diverges from our movie-review core. In homage to
the beloved Brit comedians, we want to bring you something completely
different!
Tagline: What if
your life becomes a movie… that you hate?
Genre: Romance,
Comedy, Drama
Length: 97 minutes
Rating: NR
Production Companies:
Haciendo Cine, Ibermedia, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales,
Lagarto Cine, Storyboard
Producer: Carolina
Alvarez, Hugo Castro Fau, Harnan Guerschuny, Carlos Nunez, Gabriela Sandoval,
Pablo Udenio
Director: Hernan
Guerschuny
Writer: Hernan
Guerschuny
Actors: Rafael
Spregelburd, Dolores Fonzi, Ignacio Rogers, Telma Crisanti, Ana Katz, Daniel
Kargieman, Eduardo Iaccono, Marcelo Subiotto, Blanca Lewin, Gabriela Ferrero,
Pino Siano, Marta Paccamicci, Cecilia Czornogas, Alfonso Ponchi Baron, Pablo
Krantz, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Luciano Rosso
Stunt Doubles: None
Languages
Speech Available:
Spanish
Subtitles Available:
English, Spanish
Blurb from Netflix:
A pretentious film critic who despises romantic comedies realizes that his life
is turning into one when he falls for a free-spirited woman.
Selina’s Point of View:
I didn’t enjoy this.
We’ll start with the base understandability of the film.
Normally, I don’t harp on the subtitles. That’s totally
Cat’s bag right there, but these were atrocious. They weren’t even all in
English and they went by so fast that you’d have to be a speed reader to keep
up – which I am not. I’m fast, but not like that. This hour and a half movie
took two hours to watch because I had to keep rewinding to catch shit I missed.
Also, it’s listed as a Spanish film. It’s only partially a
Spanish film. A lot of it is actually in French.
Subtitles aside, language meshing aside, the actual format
and story of the film wasn’t my thing at all.
I get what the film was trying to accomplish. They were
trying to take a look at something pretentious and show how stupid it was –
hollow and empty. Instead of reaching their goal, they just made an already
unbearably snotty premise/character even worse.
For the record – when we say we’re not critics, we mean we’re
not that character. The views we share on Trust the Dice aren’t meant to tell
anyone that this is definitely, one-hundred percent, the way you should be
looking at the movies we share with you. If you have an opposing stance, argue
with us! We’re always up for a good debate. Our opinions are just that:
opinions. We expect that some people will agree and others simply won’t. We’ll
never look down on you for liking or hating something we feel the opposite of.
We preach that people should have minds of their own, and we absolutely mean
it.
Judge for yourself. Always.
Unless you like Uwe Boll (Postal, BloodRayne, House of the Dead). If you like Uwe Boll, get
out. (Obviously, just kidding.)
The Film Critic came
off a bit like a Woody Allen (Magic in
the Moonlight, Blue Jasmine, Scoop) film and, quite frankly, I don’t like
Woody Allen films. I’m sure there’s a reason people love his stuff so much, but
I can’t – for the life of me – figure out why.
The only part of this film that I found at all interesting,
or even attention-catching, was near the beginning when the main character went
into a rant breaking down the romantic comedy recipe. That was both funny and
sad while being completely true at the same time.
Even with that one moment, I still hated this film. I can’t
recommend it.
Cat’s Point of View:
I didn’t love this movie. I had a bit of a love/hate
relationship with The Film Critic, in
fact.
A lot of what I didn’t enjoy was due to the fact that in
parts it was a bit of a pretentious take on a pretentious character. The
movement of the camera as the lead actor walked along wasn’t exactly the worst
shaky cam but it was unpleasant. Not all of the camera work was like that so it
seems to tell me that was on purpose. There’s even this one pan out shot
pulling away that mimics the same type camera shot happening on the movie
screen within the film simultaneously. That screams ‘trying to be artsy’ to me.
Part of me understands that the whole voice-over narration
in French was illustrating how big of a douche-canoe this guy is because
thinking in French sounds more pleasant than Spanish – his words, not mine. The
main problem I had with that, though, was that the subtitles were already
having a hard enough job keeping up – they were a bit laggy and the translation
was shady every so often – but then throw a second language into the mix and I
just had to throw my hands up in the air a couple times.
There was a fair amount of untranslated text, as well.
That’s frustrating for me in a movie like this because the passages have to
have some meaning to what’s going on, or an underlying message that highlights
something about what the character is thinking or going through. One thing I
like about watching anime with subtitles is that they generally translate
everything on the screen from text to signs. No such luck here.
There were parts that I did enjoy in the movie, though –
albeit grudgingly. I got so disgruntled that it kept me from really getting as
invested as I would have liked to be. Even though the main character, played by
Rafael Spregelburd (Water and Salt, The
Gold Bug, Finding Sofia), is a cynical pervy creeper; I appreciated the
parallel of what he was experiencing in his own life with the movies that he
loved to hate on in his reviews.
Irony, right? Reviewing harshly a movie about a cynical
movie reviewer. We maintain that we’re not critics, we’re fangirls… we’re just
not fans of everything.
There was a subplot that was unexpected and the movie rather
deftly both followed and balked at the recipe of the genre it poked fun at
emulating.
I think the highlight of the movie for me was a scene that
had me actually pointing at the screen and bouncing in my chair as I hollered
“That guy!!” The Argentinian actor I randomly recognized was Luciano Rosso (Einstein, Rasputin, La ultima fiesta).
He seems to have it all – he can act and dance and his body control is just
crazy. He has a level of control over his expressions that rival ‘rubber face,’
himself, Jim Carrey (Fun with Dick and
Jane, I Love You Phillip Morris, The Bad Batch). Look him up on YouTube.
There are some hilarious videos in viral circulation of him lip syncing
exaggeratedly to music – and then there’s his noir handlebar mustache that
makes him look like he stepped out of a black and white silent movie villain
role.
An excerpt of the stage production Un Poyo Rojo is featured
in the movie. Rosso is one of the two actors taking part. The stage show is
apparently a body of work that has been evolving since 2008, according to an
article I found. It began in Buenos Aires, which was the location for filming
for this movie, before it hit the road to reach an international audience in
later years. I found the segment fascinating, as well as hilariously awkward in
the context of the film.
I can’t say that I’d recommend this movie to anyone. It was
too aggravating for me. For that same reason, I would be unlikely to watch it
again.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 48%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 37%
Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 2/5
Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 1/5
Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 1.5/5
Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score
– 2.5/5
The Random Rating:
PG-13
P.S. There’s a
child speaking in Spanish after the credits with no picture and no subtitles.
Actors: Renee
Firestone, Klara Firestone, Gilbert Gotfried, Rob Reiner, Mel Brooks, Judy
Gold, Sarah Silverman, Carl Reiner, Robert Clary, Etgar Keret, Aaron Breitbart,
Jake Ehrenreich, Alan Zweibel, Susie Essman, Larry Charles, Deb Filler, Elly
Gross, Jeffrey Ross, Harry Shearer, David Steinberg, Lisa Lampanelli, Roz
Weinman, Abraham Foxman, David Cross, Shalom Auslander, Hanala Sagal
Genre: Documentary
Rated: NR
I don’t often include documentaries in my Top 20s. Nothing
against the specific movies that have come out since I started writing this
column… I just find that documentaries are usually significantly boring. There’s
normally this monotone voice droning on about facts without any entertainment
involved. There are documentaries that are exempt from that recipe, of course,
but it’s just what I normally see when I opt to watch one.
This documentary is full of well-known comedians talking
about offensive comedy, though. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out any
possible way for this film to be boring.
I’ve heard of, and enjoyed, the work of nearly every single
comedian that I see listed on this film’s IMDb page. That’s pretty cool, but
the fact that the topic of Last Laugh
is so relevant to things currently happening in the news – makes it even more
interesting.
Jewish graveyards are being vandalized, anti-Semitism is in
the news almost daily, and the biggest YouTuber in the world is being accused
of being a nazi.
Quick side note – even as a Jew, I mostly stand with
PewDiePie here. I’m not a member of the bro-army, I’m a JackSepticEye girl, but
I’ve seen the videos the Wall Street Journal referenced and what that
publication did was unacceptable.
Disney was right to drop Felix – personally I have no idea
why they were with him to begin with, he’s always pushing boundaries that
Disney doesn’t like to push – but the Wall Street Journal was completely in the
wrong. They took his videos, cut them until they were barely recognizable, and
posted them out-of-context. Felix’s sense of humor is offensive as all hell,
but he’s not a nazi. And allowing a supposedly legitimate news source to post
out-of-context information is a slippery slope. It gives credit to people like
Trump that use the term ‘fake news’ to protect themselves from real facts being
used against them.
I’ll move on, but I wanted to make my point of view very
clear on this. It’s less about standing up for PewDiePie and more about
standing against news sources using ‘alternate facts’ (lies) to support what
they want their news stories to be.
Anyway. Last Laugh
is all about why it’s important to joke about offensive topics. From what I’ve
seen in the trailer – they’re not wrong. It’s an important message told through
humor. That’s good stuff.
19 – The
Discovery (March 31)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Endgame Entertainment, Netflix, Protagonist Pictures
Director: Charlie
McDowell
Writer: Justin
Lader, Charlie McDowell
Actors: Rooney
Mara, Riley Keough, Robert Redford, Jason Segel, Jesse Plemons, Kateri
DeMartino, Ron Canada, Anastasia Tsikhanava, Brian McCarthy, M.J. Karmi,
Kimleigh Smith, Richard O’Rourke, Connor Ratliff, Adam Khaykin, Paul
Bellefeuille
Genre: Drama,
Mystery, Romance
Rated: NR
Although this film seems a little heavy-handed with
religion, I’m still intensely interested in it.
I’m not a very religious person, I have trouble believing in
that kind of thing – though I know enough to know I don’t know anything. I
don’t begrudge anyone else their religious beliefs. In fact, I think religious
beliefs are incredibly important for many people.
Due to my non-religious beliefs, I struggle with the idea of
death and an after-life. It’s hard for me to believe there’s anything after
death outside of the transfer of energy from our bodies to whatever’s nearby
and decomposition. Obviously, it’s not a comforting thought when put in the
context of my own eventual death or the death of loved ones. I have some minor
arguments to support the idea of reincarnation, but not in the sense preached
by Eastern religions. Not even in the sense of the soul leaving the body – but
based completely on the workings of energy. Since I’m not a scientist – it may
all be bullshit, but it’s the only comfort I can give myself when thinking of
death.
The Discovery is a
film that asks the question: “what would happen if we could scientifically
verify an after-life?” That’s a fantastically interesting question and one I’d
love to see an answer to. Since this is a Netflix film, I expect an intriguing
answer told in a story of incredible quality.
18 – The Ottoman
Lieutenant (March 10)
Tag Line: In a
land on the brink of war, the most dangerous place to be is in love.
Production Company:
Eastern Sunrise Films, Y Production
Director: Joseph
Ruben
Writer: Jeff
Stockwell
Actors: Michiel
Huisman, Hera Hilmar, Josh Hartnett, Ben Kingsley, Haluk Bilginer, Affif Ben
Badra, Paul Barrett, Jessica Turner, Peter Hosking, Selcuk Yontem, Eliska
Slansky, Hasan Say, Deniz Kilic Flak
Genre: Drama, War
Rated: R
I enjoy war movies. Especially ones with this kind of
storyline that pits the passiveness of the medics against the offensive tactics
of the soldiers. It’s my belief that peace and pacifism is something to be
respected, but I also believe that there are times that violence is the answer
and cannot be avoided.
Movies like this argue both points to the audience, allowing
us to make up our own minds – which is important.
Sure, this film had some romance in it and a lot of action,
but that makes the arguments easier to swallow.
The Ottoman Lieutenant
also sports a phenomenal cast. Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List, Lucky Number Slevin, Gandhi), Josh Hartnett (Penny Dreadful, Girl Walks into a Bar, Black
Hawk Down) and Michiel Huisman (Game
of Thrones, Orphan Black, The Age of Adaline) are experienced in general
and with this kind of film/storyline. I believe that if anyone can tell this
story well enough to make a great film, it would be them.
17 – Atomica
(March 17)
Tag Line: Earth
needs a hero.
Production Company:
Lifeboat Productions
Director: Dagen
Merill
Writer: Kevin
Burke, Frederico Fernandez-Armesto, Adam Gyngell
Actors: Tom
Sizemore, Sarah Habel, Dominic Monaghan, Phil Austin, Tony Doupe, Hahn Cho,
Jennifer Spriggs, Sarah-Eve Gazitt
Genre: Sci-Fi,
Thriller
Rated: NR
Syfy films can go really well, or they can go incredibly
badly. I’m interested in the storyline and the cast looks pretty damn good for
a television film… but I’m keenly aware of the fact that it is still a Syfy
film. The trailers make Atomica look
pretty epic, so it’s kind of impossible for me to ignore.
Even with the trailer looking awesome, I’m still skeptical.
The potential might be much greater than the reality.
16 – Lavender
(March 3)
Tag Line: The
past won’t forget.
Production Company:
South Creek Pictures, 3 Legged Dog Films
Director: Ed
Gass-Donnelly
Writer: Colin
Frizzell, Ed Gass-Donnelly
Actors: Dermot
Mulroney, Abbie Cornish, Justin Long, Diego Klattenhoff, Peyton Kennedy, Lola
Flanery, Sarah Abbott, Mackenzie Muldoon
Genre: Drama,
Thriller
Rated: NR
This is another film with a great cast involved. I believe
Abbie Cornish (Seven Psychopaths, Sucker
Punch, Limitless) has the talent she needs to make sure her character is
portrayed in the thrilling manner she needs to be. Clearly, Dermot Mulroney (Shameless, Sacrifice, Crisis) can pull
off just about anything as well.
Justin Long (Skylanders,
Yoga Hosers, Ghost Team) seems to be playing a part that I’m not exactly
used to seeing him in. I’m sure he’ll do great, but I’m still looking forward
to seeing how it goes.
The storyline looks interesting, but they probably could
have done a better job with the trailer. It actually makes the plot look very Silent Hill (2006). I don’t believe
that’s the case, but we’ll be seeing… won’t we?
15 – Table 19
(March 3)
Tag Line: Don’t
fit in? Take a number.
Production Company:
3311 Productions, 21 Laps Entertainment, Story Ink
Director: Jeffrey
Blitz
Writer: Jay
Duplass, Mark Duplass
Actors: Anna
Kendrick, Stephen Marchant, Amanda Crew, Lisa Kudrow, Wyatt Russell, Maria
Thayer, Margo Martindale, Craig Robinson, Tony Revolori, June Squibb, Elizabeth
Ludlow, Thomas Cocquerel, Andrew Daly, Rya Meyers, Andy Stahl, Megan Lawless,
Richard Haylor, Chris Whitley, Sheri Mann Stewart, Tommy O’Brien
Genre: Comedy,
Drama
Rated: PG-13
Anna Kendrick (Pitch
Perfect, Trolls, The Last Five Years).
She’ll always be my main reason for wanting to see any film
she’s in. I LOVE me some Anna Kendrick. I even sat through a film with someone
I HATED in it because of how much I love Kendrick.
It helps that this is a comedy and that is Kendrick’s bread
and butter. She has great comedic timing.
The rest of the cast is decent as well, the plot seems
hilarious, and the trailer shows a significant amount of hilarity. I really
don’t see how this film could go wrong.
14 – Brimstone
(March 10)
Tag Line: Retribution
is coming.
Production Company:
N279 Entertainment, Backup Media, Film I Vast, FilmWave, Illusion Film &
Television, Prime Time, X-Filme Creative Pool
Director: Martin
Koolhoven
Writer: Martin
Koolhoven
Actors: Dakota
Fanning, Kit Harington, Carice van Houten, Guy Pearce, Paul Anderson, Emilia
Jones, Adrian Sparks, Carla Juri, Vera Vitali, Frederick Schmidt, William
Houston, Ivy George, Jack Roth, Naomi Battrick, Bill Tangradi, Jack Hollington
Genre: Mystery,
Thriller, Western
Rated: R
I’m not a fan of Westerns, which really sucks because they usually
have such in depth and interesting plots.
In the case of Brimstone
I find the plot, the characters, and the cast SO interesting that I wind up
forgetting it’s a Western. If it can speak to someone like me, someone who hates
the genre, that says a LOT about the film as a whole.
13 – Raw (March
10)
Tag Line: What
are you hungry for?
Production Company:
Petit Film, Rouge International, Frakas Productions, Wild Bunch, Canal+, Cine+,
Centre National de la Cinematographie, Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Federal
de Belgique, Casa Kafka Pictures Movie Tax Shelter Empowered by Belfius, La
Wallonie, Bruxelles Capitale, etc.
I’m not immune to marketing tactics, and this film is being
marketed brilliantly. Rumors state that people at the first showing of this
film either vomited or passed out – depending on where you hear the story from.
Now, obviously, I know that’s most likely a whole load of bullshit… but I’ll be
damned if I’m not curious.
The trailer has some stereotypical indie moments in it, but
if you can get passed that there’s a significantly interesting plot with a lot
of horror in it. Not jump-scares, which is where a lot of horror goes these
days, but a psychological kind of terror. Something so scary because it feels
like it could happen.
I can’t wait to see this one.
12 – Life (March
24)
Tag Line: We were
better off alone.
Production Company:
Columbia Pictures, Skydance Media, Sony Pictures Entertainment
This may not seem like the most original idea that’s ever
graced the silver screen… but it looks like an awesome take on it. It was
almost impossible to sit through the trailer without thinking about how much I
want to see the film.
The cast is also something to write home about. Jake
Gyllenhaal (Source Code, Nightcrawler,
Accidental Love), Ryan Reynolds (Woman
in Gold, Deadpool, The Captive), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Helix, 47 Ronin, Mr. Holmes) are all incredible professionals with
insane talent. I’d have wanted to watch any movie with all three of them in it
at the same time.
11 – The
Zookeeper’s Wife (March 31)
Tag Line: They
gave all they had to save all they could.
Production Company:
Scion Films, Czech Anglo Productions, LD Entertainment, Rowe / Miller
Productions
Director: Niki
Caro
Writer: Angela
Workman, Diane Ackerman
Actors: Jessica
Chastain, Johna Heldenbergh, Daniel Bruhl, Timothy Radford, Efrat Dor, Iddo
Goldberg, Shira Haas, Michael McElhatton, Val Maloku
Genre: Biography,
Drama, History
Rated: PG-13
World War II era films are my weakness. Growing up, I hated
history classes, but I always read about the holocaust in my spare time. It’s a
part of my cultural history and something human kind really fucked up on in the
past. If we don’t learn from our mistakes… we’re doomed to repeat them.
I was so interested in learning about the horrific event
that, when I was a teen, my favorite film was Escape from Sobibor (1987) for a little while. Heartbreaking film.
The Zookeeper’s Wife concentrates
on that era, but it takes a different spin on the stories that resulted from
the holocaust. It looks at things from the viewpoint of two ‘safe’ citizens
that try to find a way to help the people who are being unjustly abused and
killed. We get to see how the struggles of the times affected more than just
the soldiers and those in the camps. It’s a story I am very much looking
forward to seeing.
10 – The Boss
Baby (March 31)
Tag Line: Born
leader.
Production Company:
DreamWorks Animation
Director: Tom
McGrath
Writer: Marla
Frazee, Michael McCullers
Actors: Alec
Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Lisa Kudrow, Tobey Maguire, Jimmy Kimmel, Miles
Christopher Bakshi, ViviAnn Yee, Eric Bell Jr.
Genre: Animation,
Comedy, Family
Rated: PG
This film isn’t getting nearly enough press. I haven’t seen
so much as a single commercial about it. I had NO idea it was DreamWorks until
I watched the trailer. It looks adorable and hilarious. In fact, I haven’t
really seen any films like it, to be honest. I feel like this is what you would
get if you took Toy Story (1995) and
mixed it with Stewie from Family Guy (1999
- ). That’s a pretty awesome combination.
9 – Don’t Kill It
(March 3)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Archstone Pictures, Burning Sky Films, Bottom Line Entertainment, Last Pictures
Director: Mike Mendez
Writer: Dan Berk,
Robert Olsen
Actors: Dolph
Lundgren, Kristina Klebe, Elissa Dowling, Michael Aaron Milligan, Billy
Slaughter, Aaron McPherson, Miles Doleac, Sam Furman, Jasi Cotton Lanier, Tony
Bentley, Chloe Guidry, Laura Warner, Michelle West
Genre: Fantasy,
Horror
Rated: NR
The name of this film might seem familiar to our usual
readers. A little bit ago, it was featured in one of the weekly crowdfunding
articles. It didn’t quite meet its monetary goal on Indiegogo, but because it
went with a flexible goal, they received the money that was pledged to them
anyway. I can’t wait to see what they did with it!
For a more in depth look at Don’t Kill It, along with Trust the Dice’s interview with producer
Scott Martin (Awaken, Battle Force, Made in California), refer to our very first “This Week in Crowdfunding” article.
8 – The Belko
Experiment (March 17)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
BH Tilt, Blumhouse Productions, Itaca Films, MGM, Orion Pictures, The Safran
Company
Director: Greg
McLean
Writer: James
Gunn
Actors: Adria
Arjona, Abraham Benrubi, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rooker, John C. McGinley, John
Gallagher Jr., Josh Brener, Sean Gunn, Mikaela Hoover, Brent Sexton, David
Dastmalchian, Owain Yeoman, Melonie Diaz, Rusty Schwimmer, James Earl, David
Del Rio, Gail Bean, Joe Fria, Maruia Shelton, Stephen Blackehart, Benjamin
Byron Davis, Silvia De Dios, Valentine Miele, Ximena Rodriguez, Luna Baxter,
Fran Fiol, Alfonso Olave
Genre: Action,
Horror, Thriller
Rated: R
This film is an American business version of Battle Royale (2000). It’s the same base
idea, without subtitles, and with some kickass actors involved. Judging from
one of the three trailers I saw for this film, I believe they also poke some
fun at the relatable idea that no one reads the shit they sign. So, it’s got a
valid point, too.
I love films like this that go into the experimentation of
human nature. I have a rather dark outlook of humanity, so these films tend to
fit the way I see the world. Sad, I’m aware. I’d love for someone to prove me
wrong. No one LIKES thinking this way.
My only issue is that I still have trouble seeing John C. McGinley
(Burn Notice, Get a Job, 42) as
anyone but Dr. Cox from Scrubs (2001-2010).
Maybe this film will fix that.
7 – MindGamers
[aka DxM] (March 28)
Tag Line: Let the
Mind Games begin.
Production Company:
Terra Mater Factual Studios
Director: Andrew
Goth
Writer: Andrew
Goth
Actors: Tom
Payne, Dominique Tipper, Sam Neill, Melia Kreiling, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Oliver
Stark, Predrag Bjelac, Julian Bleach, Ursula Strauss, Turlough Convery, Simon
Paisley Day, Ryan Doyle, Alexandra Marinescu, Pamela Forster, Copcea Alexandru,
Andreea Mihaesei
Genre: Action,
Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rated: R
This film looks artsy, but also intense and entertaining. It
has an understated, but incredibly talented, cast and the plot seems to be kind
of like the end of the first book of the Divergent
series. Whatever else this film has going for it, the trailer makes it very
clear that the project will be visually stunning.
It would be worth watching just for the visuals alone, but
with everything else it has going for it? If it’s in a theater near me, I might
just buy a ticket.
6 – Goon: Last of
the Enforcers (March 17)
Tag Line: Twice
as hard as the first time.
Production Company:
No Trace Camping, Caramel Film
Director: Jay
Baruchel
Writer: Jay
Baruchel, Jesse Chabot, Adam Frattasio, Douglas Smith
Actors: Elisha
Cuthbery, Kim Coates, T.J. Miller, Liev Schreiber, Jay Baruchel, Wyatt Russell,
Alison Pill, Seann William Scott, Callum Keith Rennie, Marc-Andre Grondin,
Andrew Herr, David Paetkau, George Tchortov, Nathan Dales, Jonathan Cherry,
Boomer Phillips, Richard Clarkin, Sylvia Zuk, Karl Graboshas, Ellen David,
Claire Stollery
Genre: Comedy,
Sport
Rated: NR
I only just saw the first movie in this series two months
ago. I absolutely adored it and I remember, very clearly, how impressed I was
with Seann William Scott (Movie 43, Cop
Out, Planet 51). I don’t know if this film is a creative sequel, or still
based on a true story, but I super don’t care. I’m just glad it’s coming out
and I can’t wait to see it.
Also, it’s Jay Baruchel’s (Man Seeking Woman, How to Train Your Dragon, This is the End) first
full length film credit as a writer/director. I’m absolutely in love with Jay
Baruchel and that information makes me want to see the film even more
It seems to only be coming out in Canada, but I’m definitely
going to find a way.
5 – Kong: Skull
Island (March 10)
Tag Line: Awaken
the king.
Production Company:
Legendary Entertainment, Warner Bros.
Director: Jordan
Vogt-Roberts
Writer: Dan
Gilroy, Max Borenstein, Derek Connolly, John Gatins
Actors: Tom
Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey
Hawkins, John Ortiz, Tian Jing, Toby Kebbell, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham,
Thomas Mann, Eugene Cordero, Marc Evan Jackson
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Fantasy
Rated: PG-13
Confession time. I’ve never seen any of the King Kong
movies.
Yes, I know almost everything about all of them, but that’s
because of YouTube channels like WatchMojo and TV Shows/Movies that reference
King Kong. Still, even not being a ginormous fan of the giant monkey, this film
looks great.
Plus, you can’t really go wrong with Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager, High-Rise, Thor: The Dark
World), Samuel L. Jackson (Cell,
Chi-Raq, Avengers: Age of Ultron), John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane, Trumbo, The Gambler), and Brie Larson (Don Jon, Short Term 12, Digging for Fire),
can you?
4 – Power Rangers
(March 24)
Tag Line: Together
we are more.
Production Company:
Lionsgate, Saban Brands, Saban Entertainment, Temple Hill Entertainment, Walt
Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Director: Dean
Israelite
Writer: John
Gatins, Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Michele Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney, Haim
Saban, Shuki Levy
Actors: Elizabeth
Banks, Bryan Cranston, Becky G. Sarah Grey, Naomi Scott, Bill Hader, Dacre
Montgomery, David Denman, Clayton Chitty, Ludi Lin, Emily Maddison, RJ Cyler,
Fiona Vroom, Lisa Berry, Patrick Sabongui, Caroline Cave, Anjali Jay, Morgan Taylor
Campbell, Kayden Magnuson
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13
One confession out of the way, let’s get on to the next.
Let the hate-fest begin: I hate the original Power Rangers series (1993-1999).
I’m sorry. I know it’s popular, got a cult following, etc.
But I hated it then and I still do. I know it has nothing to do with the corny
stuff, though, because I love Sailor Moon
(1995-2000). I couldn’t really explain why I dislike the Power Rangers… I just do.
This film, however, looks pretty damn good. It almost makes
me want to give the original material another chance. And THAT, my friends, is
the sign of a really good reboot.
3 – Ghost in the
Shell (March 31)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Arad Productions, DreamWorks, Grosvenor Park Productions, Paramount Pictures,
Reliance Entertainment, Seaside Entertainment, Steven Paul Productions
Director: Rupert
Sanders
Writer: Jamie
Moss, Masamune Shirow
Actors: Scarlett
Johansson, Michael Pitt, Juliette Binoche, Michael Wincott, Pilou Asbaek, Rila
Fukushima, Takeshi Kitano, Chin Han, Chris Obi, Joseph Naufahu, Peter Fernando,
Aswoa Aboah, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara, Pete Teo
Genre: Action,
Drama, Sci-Fi
Rated: NR
I have been looking forward to Ghost in the Shell since the moment I found out there was going to
be a live action version. I’m practically dancing in my seat just thinking
about how close we are to the opening of this film.
Do I need any more reason other than thinking the anime is
awesome?
2 – Beauty and
the Beast (March 17)
Tag Line: Be our
guest.
Production Company:
Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Bill
Condon
Writer: Stephen
Chbosky, Evan Spiliotopoulos, Jeanna-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Actors: Dan
Stevens, Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Ewan McGragor, Josh Gad, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian
McKellen, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline, Sonoya Mizuno, Hattie
Morahan, Audra McDonald, Adrian Schiller, Henry Garrett, Nathan Mack, Alexis
Loizon, Zoe Rainey
Genre: Family,
Fantasy, Musical
Rated: PG
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
is my favorite of the old-school Disney cartoons. I related to Belle when I was
a little girl because of how independent she was and how enthusiastic she was
about reading. I’ve seen a few live action versions of it before, but they
strayed so far from any incarnation of the story that I was familiar with, that
they might as well have been something else entirely.
This film looks like it’s going to be very close to the original
Disney project, which makes me happy. Besides, I think Emma Watson (My Week with Marilyn, The Bling Ring, Noah)
is going to make an amazing Belle.
1 – Logan (March
3)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Donners’ Company, Kinberg Genre, Marvel Entertainment, TSG Entertainment,
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Director: James
Mangold
Writer: James
Mangold, Scott Frank, Michael Green, John Romita Sr., Roy Thomas, Len Wein,
Herd Trimpe, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, David James Kelly
Actors: Hugh
Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant,
Elizabeth Rodriguez, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, Quincy Fouse,
Reynaldo Gallegos, Krzysztof Soszynski, Stephen Dunlevy, Daniel Bernhardt, Ryan
Sturz
Genre: Action,
Drama, Sci-Fi
Rated: R
This is supposedly going to be the last time Hugh Jackman (Chappie, Pan, Movie 43) plays Wolverine….
and he’s playing my FAVORITE incarnation of the character: Old Man Logan. It’s
the end of an era.
The sadness of losing our Wolverine aside, the look of the
trailer is incredible. The storyline actually looks great… and so do the
characters.
Ladies and gents we may just have a stand-alone Wolvy movie
that’s worth the millions they put into it!
