High Altitude Cruise

Moviefone's posted some pics of Tom Cruise doing ker-razy stunts for the upcoming Mission: Impossible sequel. Why so crazy? Only 'cos he's hanging off the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai! Semi-hyped for this film due to the involvement of Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille), who's making his debut in live-action directing.

Trailer: Battle: Los Angeles

Oh look what do we have here... yet ANOTHER alien invasion movie. This looks marginally better than Skyline, which is getting some pretty serious hammering from critics, but you've seen it all before really. Tell me you don't see bits of District 9, Transformers, Cloverfield, etc. in here - maybe with a little Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker thrown in for good measure. Even though the trailer is cut without any dialogue, I can already sense US jingoism run rampant throughout the pic. EFX look good though :)



PS: is that Michelle Rodriguez I see in another no-nonsense tough chick role?

In Cinemas This Week

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - The first installment of the two-part conclusion to the Harry Potter series finds the bespectacled wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) walking away from his last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever. (Also screening as An IMAX Experience)

Lebanon - In this claustrophobic drama by first-time director Samuel Maoz -- a veteran of the early '80s Israel/Lebanon conflict in which the film is set -- four Israeli soldiers command a tank in a situation that becomes increasingly tense and chaotic. Like Das Boot before it, most of the action is confined to the stark interiors of that tank, as the men wrestle with fear, anger and their own consciences in the face of possible death and worse.

Matariki - Kiwi independent drama from debut director Michael Bennett. It’s the Maori New Year, Matariki – a time for new beginnings – when the lives of eight people are affected by one random act of violence. Aleki, a master car thief, crosses paths with rebellious teenage girl, Spit. Rugby league star Tama saves the life of desperate Gunge – an act of heroism that brings tragedy to his own family. Rick, Tama’s brother, learns to stand up for himself and Megan, Tama’s wife, comes to accept the love that surrounds her; while Lisa, pregnant and wishing on angels, finds a real angel in Tyrone, a big-hearted man who sells Matariki icons in the weekend markets.

Monsters - Six years after aliens invaded Earth, a security force maintains tenuous control in the Infected Zone straddling the U.S.-Mexican border. Andrew (Scoot McNairy), a photographer, is documenting this war-torn area when he's interrupted by an unexpected rescue mission. Samantha (Whitney Able), daughter of a media mogul who just happens to be his boss, needs an escort home, and Andrew reluctantly takes on the job.

Misery Bear: Dawn of the Ted

This has to be the cutest zombie movie parody ever!
Warning: contains horror violence to soft toys...

The Most Overused Line in Cinema

In the tradition of It's Gonna Blow, No Signal, We've Got Company, Let's Enhance, etc., here's You Look Like Shit. Kudos to whoever has the time to compile these - always a good laugh. Warning: contains offensive language.

Remembering Dino

This is a little tribute to Dino De Laurentiis - who passed on today at 91 - a Top 10 list of my favourite DDL films you can rent from fatso. What can I say? The guy is a legend and produced such a diverse range of movies, some great, some not, but always interesting.

10. Maximum Overdrive - Dino made several Stephen King film adaptations - the best being The Dead Zone - but you can't beat this one for sheer WTF fun. It did nothing at the box office, but there's definitely a small following out there who love this goofy pic.


9. King Kong ('76) - campy, entertaining big-budget romp didn't convince fans of the original classic, but it's not as bad as they say, and hey - it's nearly an hour shorter than PJ's version.

8. Barbarella - Vadim's direction is almost lethally static, but this '60s cult classic is still one of the greatest 'trip' movies of all time. I'd put Danger: Diabolik here but it hasn't been released on DVD in NZ yet (Paramount!!). See also: Flash Gordon.

7. Three Days of the Condor - key '70s political conspiracy thriller, up there with The Parallax View and All The President's Men.

6. The Brink's Job - it's a shame this movie is so unknown and neglected. One of my favourite Friedkins, it's a gem of a heist comedy with a brilliant cast.


5. Death Wish - brought on the vigilante movie craze of the '70s, turned Charles Bronson into a massive star.


4. Serpico - THE great police drama of the '70s that's not The French Connection. Al Pacino is pure stunning in this.

3. Manhunter - remains the best of the Hannibal Lecter series. Mann's electrifying direction, creepy-as-hell Tom Noonan. Way less cartoony than the Hopkins films.

2. Nights of Cabiria/La Strada - this pair of '50s Fellini flicks are personal favourites, heart-breakingly beautiful works of art that will never age.

1. Blue Velvet - Dino's faith in Lynch's unique vision created one of the most original films ever made. When this came out in the '80s, it was like an A-bomb dropped in Hollywood.

In Cinemas This Week

City Island - When he recognizes his son, Tony (Steven Strait), whom he hasn't seen in more than 20 years, among a crop of new inmates in the jail where he works, Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) decides to bring the troubled young man home with him, much to the surprise of his wife and kids. Writer-director Raymond De Felitta helms by this offbeat comedy that also stars Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer, Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Alan Arkin.

Glorious 39 - Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne (Romola Garai) becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings forms a rift in the Keyes family. Torn between her love for a government agent (Charlie Cox) and her obsession with a dark family truth, Anne could ultimately be branded a traitor.

The Ghost Writer - A writer (Ewan McGregor) stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident. In director Roman Polanski's tense drama, the author realizes that his discovery threatens some very powerful people who will do anything to ensure that certain episodes from Lang's past remain buried.

The Social Network - David Fincher's biographical drama chronicles the meteoric rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) from Harvard sophomore to Internet superstar, examining his relationships with co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and founding president Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Aaron Sorkin penned the screenplay based on Ben Mezrich's best-seller The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook.