The EPIC movie Q&A (ISYS100)

The EPIC movie Q&A (ISYS100)

Lawless (released 11/10/12)

Recently I posted about some of the films I'm looking forward to for the remainder of 2012. I thoguht I'd add another one that didn't quite make it on the list - "Lawless".

"Lawless" is written by Aussie musician/screenwriter Nick Cave and directed by fellow Aussie John Hillcoat, known for such films as "The Proposition" and "The Road". The film is set in America during The Depression and is about a family of bootleggers who must deal with the conflict and threats from a number of people who want in on their successful, albeit illegal business. In addition to this they must contend with a new deputy intent on making their lives difficult.

The film has a wonderful cast including Shia LaBeouf and the amazing actors Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce (not only a terrific actor but another Aussie to add to the mix!). This one looks like an awesome period crime drama. The film is released nationally in Australia Thursday 11 October.

Taken 2

This is the most recent movie Ive seen last week.
You can see that In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter.

Liam Neeson is back folks as a human wrecking machine in the sequel to the movie ‘Taken’ and while we’ve seen a few trailers so far for ‘Taken 2′ which sees him in action rescuing his wife and saving his daughter, who by the way seems to have inherited some of the kickass genes from her father in the movie, this newest trailer lets us see some more vintage Leesom badassary.
The movie is slated to hit theaters October 5th so I’m sure we’ll see a few more trailers yet but this is definitely a good start.

 

Director: Olivier Megaton

Stars: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace 

Language: English

The Way

I watched this on DVD the other day and thought it was a really good film to recommend. “The Way” is about an older man, estranged from his nearly 40 year old son who discovers that his son has died whilst overseas. The man, Tom, travels overseas to identify and collect the body and he discovers that his son was embarking on a journey called the "El camino de Santiago", otherwise known as “The Way of Saint James” – a pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Tom decides on the spur of the moment to walk the pilgrimage in son’s place, taking his son's ashes with him and leaving traces of them as he travels the route through Spain. The journey has a deep and profound impact on Tom as he shares experiences with the people he meets along the way.

 

The film was released in 2010 and was written, produced and directed by Emilio Estevez. Estevez also has an important cameo as the deceased son and the lead role of Tom is played by his real-life father, famous actor Martin Sheen. I’d recommend checking this one out if you get a chance – it as one of those films that I wasn’t expecting too much from but was highly impressed and pleasantly surprised with what was delivered. If nothing else it’s worth checking out for the wonderful scenery of the French/Spanish countryside and the poignantly written and sensitive direction of the film. Enjoy!

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli and based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones.

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 78th Academy Awards in 2006.

Plot:

Sophie, a 18-year-old girl, was cursed by the witch of the waste with the body of a 90-year-old woman after meeting the wizard Howl who has been cursed as well by the evil sorceress. She finds her way to the moving castle inhabited by the wizards Howl, and works with him to break their curses.

Release date(s)	September 5, 2004 (2004-09-05) (world premiere)November 20, 2004 (2004-11-20) (Japan)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥2.4 billion USD$24 million
Box office	¥23.2 billion $231,711,096 (worldwide)

Solitary Man

Solitary Man is a 2009 American film co-directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The film stars Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Mary-Louise Parker and Danny DeVito.






<sup>plot:

The story is about what is Ben Kalmen's life like between his successful career and hitting the skids.</sup>

Release date(s)	September 2009 (2009-09) May 7, 2010 (2010-05-07) (United States)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15 million

Spirited Away

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.

It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival (tied with Bloody Sunday) and is among the top ten in the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.

Plot:

Chihiro Ogino,a sullen 10-year-old girl ,enters a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures.

Most of animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki are good. Howover, Spirited Away is  my  favour.

Release date(s)	July 20, 2001 (2001-07-20)
Running time	123 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥1.5 billion (US$19 million)[1]
Box office	¥22,391,683,900 (US$274,925,095)





New Dragon Gate Inn (Dragon Inn)

New Dragon Gate Inn is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Raymond Lee and produced by Tsui Hark, starring Tony Leung Ka-fai, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung and Donnie Yen. It was released as Dragon Inn in North America.

The film is a remake of Dragon Gate Inn (1966). New Dragon Gate Inn was shot as a standard wuxia action thriller, with fast-paced action including martial arts, sword fighting and black comedy set in ancient China.










PLOTE:

How Wai-on Chow and Mo-yan Yan deal with  the bulk of the East Factory forces, brigands and the innkeeper at Dragon Inn in the desert region in order to avoid his boss's child to be killed the bulk of East Factory forces.

Release date: 1992 (initial release) Director: Raymond Lee Running time: 103 minutes Genres: Martial Arts Film, Wuxia, Chinese Movies Languages: Cantonese, Standard Cantonese, Standard Mandarin

Home Alone (1990s)

This is a highly successful and beloved family comedy when I was a child. An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.

 This movie describes the story of the smart child ( Kevin) uses his wisdom to solve the dangerous situation .
Kevin McAllister is an arrogant 8-year-old boy who hates the fact that he lives in a family who constantly bullies him. While his family leaves for their European Christmas vacation, they leave him behind by accident. Despite this, Kevin makes the best of this situation, as he finally earns the freedom he's always wished for by jumping on beds, eating ice cream, watching gangster movies, and doing what ever he pleases. However, two robbers, the ever so stupid Marv and his right-hand man, the highly intelligent Harry invade his neighborhood by stealing precious valuables of his neighbors. Now, it's up to Kevin to save the day! He must save his house from being robbed before it's too late with a series of traps.

                                                                    Official Trial

                     Director: Chris Columbus
                     Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern
                     Language: English
                     

Training Day

This is one of my favorable movies which features Oscar winner Denzel Washington , Eva Mendes, Ethan Hawke and etc.  ( Highly recommended for people like violent and gangster kinda film)

The film follows a single day in the life of an LAPD cop, Jake Hoyt (Hawke), who is scheduled to be evaluated by Detective Alonzo Harris (Washington), a highly decorated LAPD narcotics officer who could advance Jake's career. In Alonzo's car, the pair of officers observe teenage Mara Salvatrucha members dealing drugs in a park. Instead of arresting the buyers, Alonzo confiscates the drugs and tells Jake to take a hit from the marijuana. Jake initially refuses, but Alonzo puts a gun to his head and says Jake's failure to use drugs could get him killed by a street dealer.

 

 

 

The ending is what spoils the film as a whole is the ending that defies general logic really as there is no chance that Alonzo leaves Jake without killing him after paying Smiley to do it. He would finish it himself and then go to pay the Russians without having to deal with him again in front of his neighbourhood. I was sure that the ending would see them get involved in a shootout with the gang from early who they had a battle with that would see Alonzo killed and Jake carrying on in narcotics but in different manner from how he was taught, turned out I was very wrong.

 

 

Avatar re-released in IMAX 3D

When James Cameron’s Avatar was released it gained a huge amount of popularity. A blockbuster spectacle movie, as Cameron is inclined to make, it was a huge hit across the world. The scope and scale of the film and the world that was created is rarely matched in many cinematic releases. Adding to the hype was the technology that Cameron and his team developed and pioneered during the film’s pre-production period in order to bring to the screen such rich and diverse environments seldom found in today’s films. Upon its initial release Avatar broke box office records and re-affirmed James Cameron as the internationally successful film making titan that he has become.

 

When I first saw Avatar it was in IMAX 3D and I was totally blown away. I had never before experienced such an immersive, engaging film. The way the 3D worked to allow you to plunge into the vibrant environment of the film’s alien planet, Pandora, was quite simply amazing; and the expansive format of IMAX, encompassing an almost total field of vision, combined exceptionally well with the other elements of the film to deliver the immersive effect intended.

 

When Avatar was released on DVD and Blue-ray I grabbed a copy and sat back at home to enjoy the film I had such fond memories of. Whilst I enjoyed the film, I must admit it didn’t quite grab me as much as it did the first time around. Why? What had changed? I think the answer is quite simple: Avatar is a film to be seen on the big screen and in 3D. It was designed that way. It’s interesting to consider given the recent popularity for the major studios to release film in 3D, usually post-converted after the fact and often negatively criticised. Although the 3D process and final product seems to be slightly improving there are definitely some film makers who struggle with its use and others who respect it and seem to have an aptitude for its application. Avatar, however, was produced with 3D in mind right from the get-go and the way it would be used in the film was carefully considered – go watch a bad 3D movie (there’s a number of them out there, just Google it) and then watch Avatar in 3D. It’s obvious the difference is like night and day.

 

 

So when I discovered that Avatar was being re-released in IMAX 3D for a limited time I decided to put my theory to the test. I went along to a screening hoping that the film would live up to my first impressions and wash away some of the disappointment of my home viewing. The verdict? I was right; the film impressed just as much on my second IMAX 3D viewing, proving (to me at least) that Avatar is a film that is meant to be seen on a big screen (the bigger the better!), and preferably in 3D. That’s not to say that this film should not and could not be enjoyed otherwise; just that these are the optimum conditions under which I consider the film can be best enjoyed. I’ll still be watching the film on Blue-ray from time to time and enjoying it but I’ll be doing so with the knowledge that the IMAX 3D experience of the film is far superior to the home viewing experience.

 

If you get a chance, see Avatar in IMAX 3D – and as a further enticement, there’s some additional footage that has been edited into the re-released version that wasn’t in the original release. I liked these scenes and thought they enriched the audiences’ experience by further adding to the development of the characters and storyline.

Top Three movies 2012 (recommended)

There are Three movies that I've seen in the past few months in 2012 and I personally recommended you guys check them out.

       No1. Men in Black 3 (Released 25th May 2012)

   Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
  Starring:  Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin
  Language: English
  Rate:     7.0/10

                                                          Official Trial


      NO.2  Safe House (Released 10 February 2012)

      Director: Daniel Espinosa
      Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds and Robert Patrick
      Language: English
      Rate: 9.0/10  ( Denzel Washington is my hero lol )
                        
                                                       Official Trial

         
      No3. The Hunger Games

      Director: Gary Ross
      Starring: Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Jennifer Lawrence , Willow Shields and Liam Hemsworth

     Language : English
     Rate: 7.5/10
                                                         Official Trial

                                                  
 Here are my top Three Movies so far in 2012 !!!   
HOPE you guys like it and please like or comment about these movies.   :)

 

Top 5: Films I'm looking forward to (Oct-Dec 2012)

Is it just me or is September a little boring? There just doesn't seem to be too many decent films being released this month; at least none that I am overly excited to see. I'm not saying that there aren't good films on at the cinema at the moment, there are - but in most cases these were released earlier and just happen to still be playing on screens across the country. There haven't been many exciting releases that I personally have been eagerly waiting to see that have premiered in September. So, with that in mind I thought I'd do a quick run-down of some of the films I am excited to see before the end of the year. In order of their release dates, this is my top 5 films I'm most looking forward to:


Killing Them Softly (released 11 October 2012)

I do enjoy a good gritty crime drama, and this one looks awesome. Directed by Andrew Dominik, the guy that brought us Aussie cult film ‘Chopper” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” this film has all the potential to be more than just your run-of-the-mill crime film. Adapted from a novel called “Cogan’s Trade”, the film sees Brad Pitt as a professional enforcer who is tasked with investigating and dealing with a couple of hopeless low-level crooks who had thoughtlessly robbed a high-stakes poker game involving the local mob. A great cast that, besides Pitt, includes Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard and awesome Aussie actor Ben Mendelsohn this one is sure to be a memorable and though-provoking crime film.


Dredd (released 25 October 2012)

Based on a comic book by 2000AD, this is not the watered-down comic version that Sly Stallone disappointingly gave audiences way back in 1995. This version is said to be grittier, edgier and more akin to the source material. With a screenplay by Alex Garland, who is known for "The Beach", "Sunshine" and zombie movie "28 Days Later", this film has been getting great reviews at overseas film festivals already!


Argo (released 25 October 2012)

Ben Affleck has been making a name for himself recently as one of the hot young directors to watch in Hollywood. In this film he not only directs but also stars and I have no problem with that – it was a winning combination in his last film “The Town”, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it I say! The film is based on a true story about six Americans holed up in the home of the Canadian ambassador during the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist who concocts a risky plan to save them. What’s the plan? – to pose as Hollywood producers of a fictional feature film, convince the Iranians they’re scouting locations for the film whilst having the Americans assume roles of the film’s crew before flying out of the country to freedom. Political drama, espionage and suspense combined with the cutthroat world of the Hollywood film business – sounds good to me!    


Les Miserables (released 26 December 2012)

This film looks epic! The story is epic, the songs (yes, if you don’t already know this is a musical) sound epic, the cast is epic – this will definitely be one of the movie events of the year. Adapted from the classic novel and musical stage play of the same name, and boasting an all-star cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, Les Miserables is sure to do big business at the box office. Also, directed by Tom Hooper who won the best Oscar in directing for “The King’s Speech”, expect to see this one on the nominees list at the next Academy Awards.

 

The Hobbit (released 26 December 2012)

Talking about epic blockbusters, “The Hobbit” is right up there! Before “Lord of the Rings” there was “The Hobbit” and now we get to see Peter Jackson return to Middle Earth as he brings us his feature film adaptation. Just as much as I want to see this one on the big screen, I’m interested to see how this will compare to the other films set in the world that author J.R.R. Tolkien created. Will it equal the success and grandeur of the LOTR films? What will it be like in 3D?  - and if this is the first in a planned trilogy of “Hobbit” films (Jackson has announced that the singular novel will be split into 3 films and released as a trilogy as opposed to the LOTR films which comprised 3 books in total), what will that be like? Will it be slow and drawn out or is there enough action there to sustain 3 feature films? Jackson has chosen to shoot the film/s at a frame rate of 48 frames per second as opposed to the regular 24 frames per second and footage recently screened at San Diego Comic Con drew some rather negative criticism regarding the ‘look’ of the film. What will the finished product actually look like and will I like it? So many questions…

The Fast & the Furious

Hey guys !   This is one of my favorite movie The Fast & the Furious which is a 2001 American street racing action film starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster directed by Rob Cohen.  The 2001 film is  the original of a franchise series when it was followed by 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) (chronologically the last), Fast & Furious (2009) and Fast Five (2011).



                                                    Vin Diesel

 

Official Trailer

Plots:
Basically, the story is about a LAPD undercover officer Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker)
investigated to infiltrate the local L.A illegal street racing scene so he could find and apprehend the truck hijackers.

Basic infor.

Starring	Paul Walker Vin Diesel Michelle Rodriguez Jordana Brewster Matt Schulze Thom Barry

Running Time: 117 minutes
country : United State
Language: English
Budget: $38 millions

We have lift-off!

This is it! Number one. Numero-uno. The first post on this new blog. And what's it all about? Cinema my friends. Movies, films, the flicks, the pictures, whatever you want to call it - the moving image is what we're all about. This is where we discuss cinema forms and features, from news, views and reviews and celebrate cinema in all its glory. We'll be looking at everything from the latest blockbusters and independent cinema from around the world (yes, that means English and foreign language). We’ll comment on different genres and explore the films that we like, the films that we don’t like and the films that we think you should see. From time to time we may focus on a particular aspect of cinema in general, whether it is a specific focus on film makers, current news and events or a relevant part of film culture. Each post will be our own thoughts, feelings and opinions on the films that we encounter and the cinematic world that we are exposed to. You may not agree or disagree 100%, so feel free to let us know what you think and comment below.

Also, ladies and gents, we are quite open to taking requests, so if there’s a particular film or aspect of cinema that you’d like us to cover, again, just let us know by posting your comments. So, to kick things off why not tell us what you’d like to see in a future post on Five Star Cinema!