Trailer Tuesday - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The first teaser trailer for the second installment in The Hunger Games trilogy has been released! Check it out:

The sequel to the hugely successful first film, entitled The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, picks up directly where we left off in the 2012 film with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) having outsmarted the Capitol alongside Peeta Mallerk (Josh Hutchison) and winning the Hunger Games. The pair must now embark on a "Victor's Tour" of the other districts and Katniss begins to sense that a rebellion is brewing amongst the poorer districts. The Capitol, however, is still very much in control, and preparing for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, which will incorporate a twist that changes everything for the pair and Panem.

It goes without saying that this film will be successful. The series has gained a huge following before it was even brought to the big screen. Fans of the novel series rushed to the theatres to see the first film, allowing it to earn a very substantial amount at the box office. However, the film itself was well received by critics. Director Gary Ross created a very believable version of Suzanne Collins' novel which was well liked by fans and critics, something that doesn't always happen.

For the second film, Ross left the director role and Francis Lawrence (who's films include I Am Legend, Constantine, and Water For Elephants) was brought on to direct. Lawrence will also be directing the final two installments (which is a two part film adaptation of the third novel in the series, Mocking Jay) of the film series.

The trailer. Wow. What a great first glimpse at the dystopian future that Collins' envisioned. This is what a trailer should look like. It was great from start to finish. We see Katniss and Peeta being welcomed by one of the districts while on the "Victor's Tour", which should be a joyous occasion but is anything but. Something has changed in the public and The Capitol is ready to snuff out this "hope" before it creates an uprising. That means Katniss has become public enemy number 1 in their eyes.

And what a cast! Along with Lawrence (who just picked up an Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook) and Hutchison, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland all return to reprise their roles. Joining them are Jena Malone and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. That scene shown in the trailer with Sutherland and Hoffman is dynamic and I can't wait to see more!

I'm not going to talk too much more about this trailer as I will save my thoughts for our review when the film is released.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is set to be released on November 22, 2013.

For more information on the upcoming film, check out the Wikipedia page or the official page.

Trailer Tuesday - Elysium

Looks like we are in for a summer of sci-fi movies and I couldn't be happier! Check out this trailer for Elysium:

Wow! That was my first thought after seeing this trailer. Just WOW.

Elysium is director Neill Blomkamp's first film since 2009's game-changer District 9. We see Blomkamp once again team up with Sharlto Copley (the two previously worked together in District 9 and Alive in Joburg) and also stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, William Fichtner, and Diego Luna.

In the distant future, the wealthy and elite live on Elysium, a man-made space station in Earth's orbit, and the rest of the population live on what's left of Earth. The elite enforce anti-immigration laws in order to preserve the luxurious lifestyle of those living on Elysium while the people on Earth continue to fight to get into the station. Max (Damon), whose health is deteriating, agrees to take on a dangerous mission that sees him take on the ones in power on Elysium and could not only save his life, but also bring peace and equality to these two worlds.

What really stood out for me after seeing this trailer were the effects. Blomkamp has a knack for creating realistic, sci-fi scenes, props and creatures. He steps outside of the box and does not do what you expect of a sci-fi film director and I believe that is what makes his films come together so well. If this film is anywhere near what he accomplished with District 9 (which was one of the best films of 2009), we are in for a treat!

The film is set to be released on August 9, 2013. 

For more information on the upcoming sci-fi flick, check out the Wikipedia page here and stay tuned to Don't Sit Next To Us for the latest updates. 

Winter's Bone: Life in a Shatter Zone

On a cold and rainy Saturday morning, I watched Winter's Bone.  I was curious about this critically acclaimed  movie from 2010 that I had no access to when it was first released.

A search for more information turned up a very interesting article by Michael Moon and Colin Talley from Emory University entitled Life in a Shatter Zone: Debra Granik's Film Winter's Bone.

From the Article:

Overview:

In their review of the 2010 independent film Winter’s Bone, Michael Moon and Colin Talley draw upon the concept of the “shatter zone” in order to illuminate the local features of the film as well as to locate its place in the history of hill regions as sites of refuge and resistance. This review finds additional contexts for the film in regional music and the long-established "dark-fairytale" tradition of the Appalachians and the Ozarks.

Spoiler alert: this review contains details of the plot.

I highly recommend that you give this article a read. I was particularly interested in the concepts of the totemic animals - from the deer on Ree's sweater, to the carved horn neclace, to the antlers hanging from the mirror of her uncle's truck. 

Did you see Winter's Bone? What did you think?

G.I. Joe: Retaliation AKA G.I. Joe CRAP Retaliation

G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Director: Jon Chu
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, and Bruce Willis
New Release Review

I can't believe we saw this in theatre. We were desperate to see something and March had been a month with little to offer in terms of decent movies. It was the last weekend of the month and there we were, stuck with nothing on our Spring 2013 Movie List and an incredible need to just be in the theatre, not caring what we were going to see.

This "sequel" starts with the G.I. Joes being framed for stealing nuclear warheads from Pakistan by Zartan who, as seen in the finale of the first film, is impersonating the American President. The team is attacked and eliminated, including Duke (Tatum), with Roadblock (Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) as the only survivors.

Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) and Firefly (Ray Stevenson) attempt to rescue Cobra Commander (who is NOT being played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) from a futuristic prison in Germany. In a very random and unorganized scene, Storm Shadow is captured, to almost immediately after, break out and manage to rescue Cobra Commander. He is injured in the escape and heads, again randomly, to the Himalayas to recover. And then we are introduced to the Blind Master (RZA), the leader of the Arashikage Clan (the clan that Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow grew up and studied in), sends Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and his apprentice Jinx (Elodie Yung) to capture Storm Shadow so that he can answer for the murder of the Hard Master (who we saw in a flash back in the first film, murdered by what was assumed to be a young Storm Shadow).

Branded as traitors and Enemies of the State, Roadblock, Flint and Lady Jaye return to the USA where they set up base in Roadblock's home town and plan to take down Zartan and the Cobra. Battles continue, cheesy lines are abundant and the already messy storyline continues until it's lame ending.

Can you tell that I did not enjoy this film in the slightest? Okay, maybe I am being too harsh. But it was awful. Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad fight scenes. Bad graphics. Bad everything!

Where the previous film (see our Throwback review here) tried to become more futuristic, this film tried to revert back to the original tactics that we all knew and loved from the G.l. Joe franchise. However, it failed miserably. The story had to be the worst part of the film. It jumped all over the place, never quite finding its way. Everything seemed to happen at random. There was no explanation (not that we always need one but is appreciated when new things seemingly "pop" up out of nowhere) as to why things were happening. They just did. It's almost like the writers had a free-for-all and took whatever ideas they all had, and mashed them up into one big, giant pile of crap.

The other major issue with this film is that it did not follow ANY of the storylines that were previously created in the first film. There was no mention of former Joe team members. They simply just weren't there. Sure, Tatum was included in the cast. But was killed off within the first 15 minutes of the film (which apparently was an extended appearance by Tatum than was originally planned).  Never mind references the events that took place in the 2009 film.

The acting was so bad, it's not even worth mentioning. Don't be fooled: despite what the promotional material for this film showed, Willis is BARELY in the film. But I will give him this: the scenes he was in, were the best ones. 

And why was this film in 3D? It definitely did not warrant a 3D conversion. From the 2D version that we saw, there was no point in having this film featured in 3D. Not one thing flew out at the screen. And there was nothing worth enhancing in terms of graphics. Enhancing them would only magnify this monstrosity.

Final Verdict: Skip it. Do I need to explain any further why? Simply a waste of time. Did the people behind this film spend the entire budget on converting it to 3D and securing action stars Willis and Johnson? Well, it wasn't worth it. And the comedic relief? Sure, we laughed. We laughed at how pathetic this latest Hasbro film was. Now YOU know, and knowing is half the battle.

Roger Ebert: Dead at age 70

I don't know how I went through today without knowing this had happened. I honestly just read a headline and had an honest-to-goodness "whaaaaat?" moment: I'm truly shocked.

I want to say so much about the man whose blog and twitter feeds have inspired me to start writing what I think about movies. I know I'm not the only one. I don't know what film criticism will be like without him but I do know that we're all better off for having read his words at all. I feel like I knew him because knowing what someone likes and dislikes is a very intimate relationship. I'd see a movie based on his recommendation because I trusted his opinion, and now that is over.

I wish I could say something profound. I want to be eloquent in this moment but all I can offer is my reaction: I'm terribly saddened by this news. Roger Ebert's recent shift from TV to the web inspired me and now his voice is gone. I feel like a friend has died though I'd never met the man, nor even seen him in person. Funny, insightful, and always intelligent, that is how I'll remember Roger. How will you?

A Variety article can be found here if you are so inclined.

Throwback Thursday - G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

After seeing G.I. Joe: Retaliation this past weekend, I thought it was only fitting that for this week's Throwback Thursday we review the first film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Director: Stephen Sommers
Starring: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, and Dennis Quaid
Released: 2009
Box Office: $150,167,630 (USA)
Throwback Review

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra takes place in the near future where weapons master James McCullen (Christopher Eccelston) has created a weapon capable of destroying a city. He has utilized a new chemical weapon called nanotech to create four warheads through his company M.A.R.S. and sells them to NATO. NATO troops led by American soldiers Duke (Tatum) and Ripcord (Wayans) who are to deliver the warheads but their convoy is ambushed by the Baroness (Sienna Miller) and a group of unknown soldiers. Duke recognizes the Baroness to be his ex-fiancee Ana Lewis and neither are able to kill the other. He (along with Ripcord) are rescued by a group of elite soldiers, including Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park), Breaker (Said Taghmaoui), and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and they are taken to the G.I. Joe base. There they meet General Hawk (Quaid) who reluctantly lets them join his team.

With the aid of the Doctor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), McCullen plans to use the nanotechnology to build an army of soldiers. They plan to use the warheads as a way to create chaos that will result in a new world order, led by M.A.R.S. The Joes work together to try and stop McCullen while Duke also tries to save Ana (The Baroness).

The film is weak. It's not awful, but it is weak. The storyline isn't bad - it's just so far from the original G.I. Joe franchise. This is what makes the film so laughable to most audiences and critics. I understand where the makers of the film were coming from; they wanted to maintain that G.I. Joe mentality but update their devices and foes to make them more relevant to the current film industry that is filled with high-tech action movies. But by doing that, they lost all of the charm and nostalgia from the original series and even the toys that people grew up on.

The cast was pretty good. Quaid, Gordon-Levitt and Eccelston were the obvious strong points of this cast, with Gordon-Levitt "commanding" the screen with each scene he was in. Eccelston is a fantastic villain but was given barely anything to work with. The rest of the cast were decent but nothing remarkable. Tatum was purely eye-candy in this role and Wayans was clearly included for comedic relief (which he provided in spades). The rest of the cast? Forgettable.

Final Verdict: Skip it. Only marginally better than the latest film in the franchise and a little long, especially with the weak storyline and lackluster cast. If you're feeling nostaglic, want to hear some classic G.I. Joe lines (Quaid gets to say the line "...and knowing is half the battle") and are in the mood for a mindless action film, this is good choice. But don't expect it to be on par with the other action films of this generation. It's more like the cheesy-ness of Battleship but tries to be like Transformers. After watching the latest G.I. Joe film, you'll be wishing the makers stuck with the format used in this film.

Rotten Tomatoes

Oz the Great and Powerful OR Oz the Good and Able

Oz the Great and Powerful
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz
New Release Review

Well it's been almost four weeks since these Movie Geeks have been to the movies. A travesty, I know. The lack of decent films being released on top of being a busy month, March has not been kind to Don't Sit Next To Us. But, don't fret! We are back! And here is your first new release review: Oz the Great and Powerful.

Oz takes place twenty years prior to the events that take place in The Wizard of Oz where we first meet Oscar "Oz" Diggs (Franco) who is working as a small-time traveling magician. Escaping a confrontation with the circus strongman, Oscar takes off in a hot air balloon and is sucked into a tornado that takes him to the Land of Oz. After his crash landing, Oscar meets a witch named Theodora (Kunis) who believes Oscar is the wizard prophesied to overthrow the Wicked Witch who killed her father, the king of Oz. The two begin the journey towards Emerald City after Oscar jumps at the notion that he will be the new king of Oz. They share a flirtatious moment and Theodora quickly falls for Oscar, hoping that she will be his queen.
Along the way, they encounter a flying monkey named Finley (Zach Braff) who Oscar saves from a lion. Finley pledges a life debt to Oscar and becomes a trusted companion for the wizard.

When he arrives at Emerald City, Oscar meets Evanora (Weisz), Theodora's sister, who tells him that the Wicked Witch resides in the Dark Forest and can be killed by destroying her wand. Oscar and Finley go on a mission to destroy the witch so that Oscar can become King of Oz. Instead of meeting the Wicked Witch, Oscar discovers that it is Glinda the Good Witch who he was sent to kill and that Evanora is the true Wicked Witch. Reluctantly, Oscar joins forces with Glinda to stop Evanora and reclaim Oz.

I was rather indifferent about seeing this film in theatre. The storyline and the graphics definitely had me intrigued, but not enough to run to the theatre during opening weekend to see it. I happened to see it randomly and was happy with the outcome. It was enjoyable. It was a decent story with top notch 3D graphics. If it weren't for those graphics, the film would not be as fun.

This is what a 3D film should be - it enhanced the overall look of the film and it added depth, literally and figuratively. It made the audience feel like they were in the film. There are a lot of films out there that simply add the 3D effect in order to earn more revenue but definitely don't need it. This was not one of those films.

The acting was okay. Not what I expected from this cast. Franco wasn't anything special as the title character. He provided a few laughs but that's about it. It seemed like he was going through the motions with this film. But it also looked like he wasn't given much in terms of character development and depth.

The three witches (Kunis, Weisz and Williams) were very bland. Which was extremely surprising to me as all three are talented (in different ways) actresses. When they were evil, they weren't evil enough. And the film incorporates one of the most iconic evil characters in film/literature history. It definitely didn't feel that way with this portrayal of the character. Basically, I was bored while watching these characters.

Braff as the flying monkey, Finley, was decent. However, he reminded me a lot of Billy Crystal. His voice, his comedic timing, all things that Crystal has done in the past (think Monsters Inc.). Though his character was welcomed as he provided the majority of the comedy in this film.

Final Verdict: See it. It's a decent family/adventure film. It's from Disney, so you know right off the bat that it will be good to see. However, this re-imagining of the classic story of Oz is not where it should be. It is nowhere near the masterpiece that Tim Burton created with 2010's Alice in Wonderland (check out our review here). But it is an acceptable March release. Perhaps Franco's other March release, Spring Breakers provides him with a character that is more in his league and he can do more with.

Rotten Tomatoes

Trailer Tuesday - The Wolverine

For all you Marvel geeks out their, check out the teaser trailer for The Wolverine:

Looks like we are in for another summer of superhero films!

Everyone's favourite anti-hero is back in this second installment in the Wolverine and X-Men series. But this isn't your typical sequel. Because Marvel likes to make the X-Men series complicated, The Wolverine takes place after the events of the third X-Men film, X-Men: The Last Stand. For those that remember, X-Men Origins: Wolverine took place before Wolverine joined the X-Men in the first film (X-Men). AND it is the sixth installment in the series, that also includes: X2: X-Men United and X-Men: First Class. The seventh installment, X-Men: Days of Future Past is already slated to be released in 2014.

Okay, now that we got that crazy background out of the way, let's discuss this week's trailer.

Hugh Jackman is back as the title character and is more disgruntled than ever. Still dealing with the fallout of the events in The Last Stand, Wolverine (Logan) is brought to Japan to meet with a mysterious man who he had once saved. The man, who is now on his death bed, presents Logan with a way to end his eternal life. Having struggled with his fate and what he has become for years, Logan is thrown into a state of vulnerability that he hasn't seen since he was a child. 

There is no doubt that this film will be successful. Jackman has proven several times over that he has become the character of Wolverine. He has also proven that he can carry his own film featuring this fan-favourite X-Men character. This film also features another fan-favourite, this time in the form of the storyline which is based on the highly regarded comic book arc of the same name.  

The last Wolverine film did not fare too well against critics so the team behind this second Jackman film decided to do something different. From a fan of the television series, I hope we get to see a few of our favourite and more well known X-Men characters which was something the previous film did. I'm still waiting for a bigger part for Gambit.

The latest in the X-Men series is set to be released on July 26, 2013. And yes, it will be in 3D. Because what isn't these days?

For more information on the upcoming Marvel film, check out the Wikipedia page or the film's official page.

Olympus Has Fallen

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo
New Release Review

Somehow, this movie managed to fly completely under the radar of us here at Don't Sit Next to Us - we had no idea that it was coming out and had heard nothing about it. We didn't even see a trailer! It was based on a poster and a basic plot summary that we decided to give Olympus Has Fallen a try. After all, just about anything with Morgan Freeman is worth seeing, isn't it? Add in director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Tears of the Sun) and you've got a very good time at the movies.

Olympus Has Fallen  is the story of Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler) as he works to free President Benjamin Asher (Eckhart)  from the Korean terrorists who are holding him, Secretary of Defense McMillan (Leo), and other key cabinet members hostage in the White House.

The plot isn't really that simple but it isn't that much more intricate, either. Olympus Has Fallen follows the classic action movie formula where the story isn't too complicated, the bad-guy is very clearly defined, the star is an extremely capable and highly-trained hero, and the time frame for the story is short. I don't mean the running time of the movie because Olympus Has Fallen is actually a little longer than average at 2 hours. What I mean is the story takes place over a single night, and that allows for some scenes to occur in what feels like real time. This adds a huge amount of tension and suspense to an otherwise predictable genre.

I was thoroughly impressed with Olympus Has Fallen as an entertaining and suspenseful action movie. In fact, I thought that it felt a lot like the first Die Hard movie with the somewhat roguish hero working alone in the otherwise sealed building controlled by terrorists to save the hostages and, by extension, the world. Granted, not the most original story, but enjoyable nevertheless. I'd even go so far as to call Olympus Has Fallen a must-see for action fans - it's that entertaining.

IMDB
Rotten Tomatoes