Columbia Pictures says filming is now underway on The 5th Wave, an action-adventure film based on Rick Yancey’s bestselling young adult book and starring Chloe Grace Moretz. J. Blakeson is directing from a script by Susannah Grant, with Columbia Pictures aiming for a January 29, 2016 release date.
Yancey’s The 5th Wave spent 21 weeks on the NY Times’ bestsellers list. The second book of the trilogy (The Infinite Sea) just hit stores last month.
In addition to Moretz, the cast includes Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Alex Roe, Maika Monroe, Zackary Arthur, and Liev Schreiber. Tobey Maguire, Graham King, Lynn Harris, and Matthew Plouffe are producing the film, with Denis O’Sullivan and Richard Middleton executive producing.
According to the announcement, fans of the book will be able to see what’s happening with the film via updates on social media. “One of the ways Rick Yancey made The 5th Wave so special is that it feels like it’s happening right now – and the characters react as teenagers today would react,” said Dwight Caines, president, Theatrical Marketing for Sony Pictures. “To stay faithful to that, we are making sure fans are on the inside from Day One.”
The Plot:
In The 5th Wave, set in the present day, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, 16-year-old Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie meets a young man who may become her final hope.
Keanu Reeves stars in ‘John Wick’ (Photo Credit: David Lee / Lionsgate)
“It’s not what you did, son, it’s who you did it to,” says Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist). “That nobody?!,” yells his son, Iosef (Alfie Allen). “That nobody…is John Wick,” answers Viggo, trying to convey to his cocky and belligerent son that he has made the worst mistake of his life by stealing John Wick’s car and killing his puppy in the action crime thriller John Wick.
After losing the love of his life, retired hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) gets one last gift from his wife: a beagle puppy so he won’t be alone while he mourns her passing and to give him something to take care of. While filling up his 1969 Mustang, Wick is approached by Iosef who wants to buy his car. Wick quickly tells him it’s not for sale and leaves. Later that night, Iosef, along with a few other Russian thugs, break into Wick’s home, kill his puppy, beat him unconscious, and steal his car.
What Iosef and his goons don’t realize is that they just attacked the most lethal and feared ex-hitman in New York City. Having lost everything he loves, John comes out of retirement and brings out his old arsenal of weapons. While it was Iosef acting without orders, Wick targets not only Iosef but his powerful father, who’s the head of the Russian mob in New York City.
Action-packed with countless, over-the-top shoot-outs and thrilling car chases, John Wick is a compelling revenge thriller that’s this generation’s Death Wish. Reeves delivers a solid, brooding performance as ex-professional assassin Wick, who’s lost his humanity with the loss of everything he ever cared about. Michael Nyqvist is perfectly cast as the Russian Mob boss who knows his son is a careless, arrogant idiot but is still determined to try to protect him from Wick.
The best actors in the film are, unfortunately, underutilized. Ian McShane shows up in a few scenes and is terrific as Winston, the New York underworld’s referee. Equally well-cast yet underused is Willem Dafoe as Marcus, Wick’s only friend from the old days. It’s a true shame that McShane is only given two scenes and Dafoe three and a half. It’s a true waste of excellent actors who could have given the film even more depth and menace.
The production is first-rate, set in a New York City where thugs lurk in dark corners, mobsters own the streets, and the night-life is ominous and slick. The use of the Hotel Cosmopolitan for the assassins’ designated safe zone is superb for both humor and fast-paced action scenes.
Stylish and exciting, John Wick is an action, revenge thriller that will have the movie audience rooting for John right up until the credits roll.
* * * * *
John Wick is rated R for strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use.
Jim Parsons will be channeling his inner elf for the NBC animated special Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. Parsons will be lending his voice to play Buddy in the stop-motion hour-long holiday special airing on December 16, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT.
The holiday show is based on the hit film Elf which starred Will Ferrell, as well as on the Broadway musical. In addition to Parsons, the voice cast includes Mark Hamill, Ed Asner, Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Gilbert Gottfried, Kate Micucci, Rachael MacFarlane, Max Charles and Steve Higgins.
The Plot:
The special is an all-new retelling of Buddy’s delightfully absurd yet heartwarming story and blends the look and feel of the stop-motion animated Christmas specials of the past with the sharp sensibility of the modern-day classic holiday film.
Santa narrates the story of Buddy’s travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had. Along the way his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father’s eyes to the magic of Christmas.
Can we get through Halloween first before having to think about the winter holidays? Apparently not, as The Recording Academy is ready to promote their upcoming one-hour special, A Very Grammy Christmas. The music-filled holiday special has signed up Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Pharrell Williams, and Tim McGraw to perform popular holiday tunes and current hits on the show, with more musical guests to be announced later.
The Recording Academy also revealed the Album of the Year Grammy nominees will be announced during the A Very Grammy Christmas special. CBS will air the show on December 5, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT.
Tickets are on sale now for the November 18th taping of the show which will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.
Ginnifer Goodwin voices ‘Fawn’ (Photo Courtesy of DisneyToon Studios)
Once Upon a Time star Ginnifer Goodwin will be voicing the role of Fawn in Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast, directed by Steve Loter. The straight-to-DVD release from DisneyToon Studios is the latest entry in the Disney Fairies series and will be available on March 3, 2015. The voice cast also includes Mae Whitman, Megan Hilty, Lucy Liu, Raven Symone, and Anjelica Huston.
“Fawn is a character who loves all animals unconditionally,” said Loter. “She will help any animal that needs her, but sometimes Fawn thinks too impulsively, when she should be thinking with her head, as well as her heart.”
“Fawn was inspired by my daughter and her unconditional love of animals,” Loter added. “But Ginnifer had a very strong hand in crafting the character. Her sense of fun and her wondrous view of the world gave Fawn direction. You can hear the smile in Ginnifer’s voice—this is a character that loves life and lives it to its fullest.”
DisneyToon Studios also released an official description of the new character, Gruff: “The heartwarming story explores the ancient myth of a mysterious creature whose distant roar sparks the curiosity of Tinker Bell’s friend Fawn, an animal fairy who’s not afraid to break the rules to rescue the NeverBeast before time runs out. The fairies meet Gruff who is a massive creature and the subject of an ancient Pixie Hollow myth. Hidden in a dark lair on the fringes of the fairies’ beloved home, Gruff is discovered by curious and empathetic animal fairy Fawn, who sees something special in his glowing green eyes. His penchant for stacking rocks mystifies Fawn and her friends—but Gruff’s true purpose is the real surprise.”
Michael Keaton and Edward Norton in ‘Birdman’ (Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight)
I have a feeling I may be in the minority with my review of Birdman. I haven’t read any other reviews, but from limited discussions with other critics and a general sense of buzz, I feel like the general take on this movie is that it’s impressive and one of the better films of 2014. I wouldn’t necessarily argue about those two points … but I also can’t say I’ll care to remember this movie longer than it takes me to finish this review.
The movie is about an actor (Michael Keaton) who hit it big with a costumed superhero franchise but has since been unable to be dissociated with the character or his ego, and he’s looking to reinvent himself as a serious actor and to gain credibility. More importantly, he thinks these things will make him relevant in the way he wants to be. And so, he sinks all his money into a Broadway show, not only adapting the material himself but starring and directing in it as well.
He already has 2 of the other 3 core actors in place (Andrea Riseborough and Naomi Watts), but in a pinch and needing someone who can boost ticket sales, Keaton brings in Edward Norton. What begins as the shot in the arm the play needed quickly turns into a chaotic mess of drama and confrontation.
All of this is taking place while Keaton’s daughter (played by Emma Stone) is working as his assistant and recovering from addiction. There are also subplots about Keaton’s relationship with Riseborough, Norton’s relationship with Watts, Stone and Norton being attracted to one another, the power that one specific theater critic has over the play’s future, and there’s even a smattering of Zach Galifianakis thrown in.
If that sounds like too much to cover, that’s made worse by nearly everyone in the film, short of Norton and Keaton (for the most part), being little more than stereotypical archetypes that seem to be in the movie purely as a means of progressing/hindering the psychosis of Keaton. If you’ve seen the trailer you may already have an idea about this and I’m not going to go too far into it as I feel like that would be spoiler territory. Suffice it to say, the pressures in his life are getting to him, and his coping mechanisms are non-existent.
Now, as to why this is impressive and one of the better films of 2014, let me tackle the latter aspect first: 2014 isn’t a strong year for cinema. Being one of the better films doesn’t really mean much. As for the impressive part, all of that is thanks to director/co-writer Alejandro González Iñárritu. While he didn’t seem all that interested in making the supporting characters three-dimensional, he did shoot the film in a very interesting manner. Not only are there a ton of very long takes without a cut, but when those cuts do happen they are masked in such a way as to give the impression that the bulk of the movie is one long, continuous camera movement. This isn’t actually true and it’s easy to spot where things are cut but the attempt is there and it’s done rather successfully.
This approach to the narrative is great in theory, but after being impressed in the first half-hour, the next 90 minutes seemed more like Iñárritu felt he had to continue with a gimmick than something that was crucial to telling the story. And while the movie comes in right under the two-hour mark, it felt quite a bit longer. This was exacerbated by the final 15 minutes of the movie looking more like the product of test audiences than what I would hope the original draft might have looked like. Without spoiling things, let’s just say that punches are pulled, and the manner in which events end up almost make the movie a farce.
As I close the book on this one, let me remind you that I won’t be surprised to be in the minority opinion. I’m nonplussed and would much rather have re-watched Fight Club, for a number of reasons, but I give Iñárritu credit. The movie is ambitious initially, and he pulled off some really great cinematic choreography to make the shots line up as they do. Sadly, that effort quickly felt forced and with the melodrama of the whole affair ramping up with each scene, I became less and less engaged with the story as the time ticked away in the theater. While I give Birdman an ‘A’ for effort and intent, the final grade won’t be quite so high.
GRADE: C+
Birdman is rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and brief violence.
Shailene Woodley stars in ‘White Bird in a Blizzard’ (Photo by Sandra Valde-Hansen/Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
I haven’t seen a bad performance out of Shailene Woodley. Some of that may be due to a string of roles that have similar sensibilities and so while each character has range, that range isn’t so far removed from the others. Still, I have to give her credit and I continue to want to see what films she’s involved with in the future.
Having said that, I’m rather disappointed in White Bird in a Blizzard. Based on the novel by Laura Kasischke and written for the screen by director Gregg Araki, the movie is a period piece (of sorts) about a teenage girl (Woodley) whose mother (Eva Green) goes missing. And rather than spend lots of time trying to fancifully spin things, let’s just get it all out of the way. The movie slowly chugs along, starting in 1988 and jumping to 1991. That’d be fine, if ANY of the characters showed some development whatsoever.
As I mentioned, Woodley does fine but her character goes nowhere. At 21-ish, she’s no different than she was at almost 18. Her father (Christopher Meloni) walks around like a zombie. Her mother acts like an alien trying to understand how to be human most of the time. Her high school boyfriend (Shiloh Fernandez) seems like an amalgam of almost every other Araki male protagonist.
Her friends are such stereotypically cliché kinds of archetypes (an overweight black girl with sass, and a thin, effeminate gay boy) that’s it practically offensive. Even Thomas Jane as the detective assigned to find Woodley’s mother seems like some paint by number assemblage of what a grizzled detective should be (who’s both attractive and attracted to 18-year old girls). Woodley even has a therapist (Angela Basset) who doesn’t do anything to move her character forward. I mean, come one … you’re going to bring in a therapist, played by Angela Basset no less, and she’s going to do NOTHING?
I suppose if the point of the movie is that nothing in life can change who you are, then this is a freaking masterpiece. However, as I don’t think that was the intent, it all just seems hollow and flawed. There are even attempts to be twisty and crafty near the end, which are so simultaneously telegraphed and nonsensical that they just land like a dull thud on the ground. If it weren’t for my innate anxiousness about Araki as a filmmaker, leading me to think that anything could happen at anytime because he’s proven to eschew traditional sensibilities, then I’m not sure anything in this movie would have given my heart cause to beat.
Simply put, the movie’s plot is like a bad Law & Order: SVU episode; a comparison made more apparent with the casting of Meloni. However, I like Law & Order (even SVU). I don’t like White Bird in a Blizzard. And that’s sad because I was really looking forward to this movie because it was Woodley working with Araki. I thought that would make for something new and exciting. But as I tell many of my friends more often than I should: I’m no so smart.
If you’re thinking of seeing this for Woodley, just go watch any of her other movies. In particular, you could watch The Spectacular Now and see where this movie seemed to take all of its pointers for how to film a Shailene Woodley losing her virginity (this scene alone was really strange to watch considering it was so, so similar). If you’re thinking of seeing this for Araki and hoped that his luck in adapting Mysterious Skin to the screen would happen here again, just go re-watch that. If you’re thinking of seeing this for some other reason, just don’t. I’m perfectly fine when movies move at a glacial pace if there’s going to be some sort of payoff. Here, you’d just be paying the price of admission.
GRADE: D+
White Bird in a Blizzard is rated R for sexual content/nudity, language and some drug use.
Are you a fan of horror movies in which every character does the exact opposite of what a normal person would do? How about horror films where characters make the same mistakes over and over again, continuously believing that repeating their errors will somehow end up with a different result? Do Ouija boards freak you out? If you answered yes to these questions, then the PG-13 Ouija will be worth checking out once it hits DVD or cable.
Applying logic to any of the actions of characters in Ouija would be an exercise in futility. The 2014 horror film Ouija uses the creepiest board game in existence as fodder for a ridiculous teen scream flick that has minimal scares and is far too talky for its own good. Lame banter between teenagers who apparently do not have parents slows the pace to a slug’s and does nothing to disguise the fact there’s very little actually going on over the course of the film’s thankfully short 89 minutes.
The Plot:
Debbie (Shelley Hennig) and Laine (Olivia Cooke) have been BFFs since they were kids, and for some reason even as youngsters, they were really into their Ouija board. They played by the rules: never asking the board questions when they were by themselves, never playing in a graveyard, and always remembering to say goodbye to the board before putting it away when they were done. Fast forward from elementary to high school and Debbie’s agitated about something, but Laine has no idea what it is.
Debbie’s been playing the game by herself, and whoever she’s communicating with doesn’t like it when she decides to say goodbye forever by burning the board. Shortly after Laine stops by to check on her, Debbie finds the board intact and in her bedroom. Instead of running and shrieking from the house, she picks up the planchette and looks through it. Her eyeball rolls back in its socket, she plucks a string of lights from her wall and proceeds to hang herself in the foyer. Bye, bye Debbie.
Days after Debbie’s funeral, Laine and some of Debbie’s friends decide the bright thing to do is to use the Ouija board at night, in the dark, in Debbie’s house (her parents took off on vacation because, you know, that’s what you do immediately after your only child kills herself) in order to find out why Debbie took her own life. The dumbest decision ever leads to the group contacting homicidal spirits in the house who would be best left undisturbed.
The Bottom Line:
Character development and logic have been tossed out the window, which would be okay if the number of actual frightening moments made you forget that you care nothing about any of the pretty teens who populate the film. But even the “jump scares” are telegraphed so far in advance that “twitch scares” would be a more accurate description.
Even if you’re passionate about dumb horror movies, Ouija is so by-the-numbers and predictable it’s not really the type of film you need to make an effort to go to a theater to check out. First-time director Stiles White’s rookie effort lacks style and he fails to understand that it takes more than actors reacting to noises in the dark to create a sufficiently creepy atmosphere. And, tacking on a series of false endings doesn’t help to up the fright level.
Making a movie about Ouija boards is actually a great idea. Unfortunately, this film wastes a frightening premise and is about as scary as an intense game of Candy Land.
GRADE: C-
Ouija is rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content, frightening horror images, and thematic material.
Mary J. Blige’s much anticipated 13th album, The London Sessions, arrives on December 2, 2014 and she’s just dropped the official music video for “Right Now.” Directed by Mike Ho, the video focuses on the music rather than flashy visuals, with Blige pictured on the streets of London before heading into a club to take the stage.
Disney’s finally unveiled a video for Into the Woods that includes members of the cast singing. Based on the award-winning stage musical, Into the Woods features an all-star cast directed by a man who knows his way around movie musical. Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine) directs from a script by James Lapine (who wrote the original musical), and the film will feature Stephen Sondheim’s tunes from the Broadway show including “Children Will Listen,” “Giants in the Sky,” “On the Steps of the Palace,” “No One Is Alone” and “Agony.”
Disney’s opening Into the Woods on December 25, 2014.
The Plot:
Into the Woods is a modern twist on several of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), all tied together by an original story involving a Baker and his Wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the Witch (Meryl Streep), who has put a curse on them.
