Trailer: Black Sea

Give me a solid old-school adventure like Black Sea over your latest effects-pumped Marvel superhero epic any day. Directed by Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland), this submarine flick is a rarity these days: a mid-budget action-thriller emphasising performances and strong character work, hinging on a tense real-world/working-class type scenario. Jude Law's accent is a bit suspect, but the film has received some encouraging reviews so far: Empire says it's a "superbly shot men-on-a-mission thriller with chest-tightening tension and a striking contemporary resonance", and Time Out London: "its blend of old-fashioned storytelling values and zeitgeisty relevance make it a worthy addition to sub-aquatic cinema's nerve-juddering legacy." We're looking to secure a couple of screenings in March - fingers crossed! In the meantime, get your palms clammy with the trailer below:

Trailer: Big Game

Finnish director Jalmari Helander's debut film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was a terrifically twisted yuletide adventure, combining decidedly offbeat humour and a glossy, commercial sheen into a fun little romp. His follow-up Big Game appears to take this sensibility one step further into action-blockbuster realm, with an awesomely ridiculous plot about a young hunter (Rare Exports' Onni Tommila) who rescues the President of the United States (Samuel Jackson!) after Air Force One is shot down. Containing elements of everything from Cliffhanger to Home Alone, Big Game looks like rip-roaring tongue-in-cheek entertainment, a project that could definitely catapult Helander into the Hollywood big leagues. 

Trailer: Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation's latest animated feature Big Hero 6 is coming to NZ theatres on Boxing Day and it looks freakin' awesome! Based on a lesser-known Marvel comic character, this superhero flick, about a young tech-geek prodigy and his cuddly inflatable robot buddy, looks to combine all the slam-bang blockbuster action we've come to expect from the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Pixar's gorgeous state-of-the-art CG animation and smart, all-ages humour (the city design looks stunning). Fatso will be hosting previews in Auckland and Wellington on December 21 -- stay tuned to find out how to win tickets. In the meantime, check out this fantastic trailer below:

Trailer: Furious 7

The trailer for the SEVENTH entry in the non-stop Fast and Furious franchise -- simply entitled Furious 7 -- is out of the gate and it's a slick, action-packed beauty that fans will totally lap up. Fast and Furious 6 reached new heights of crazy for the series, what with cars pulling down a cargo jet, and it's probably safe to say that Furious 7 is going to offer plenty more physics-defying vehicular mayhem (cars falling out of the sky!) to complement its themes of family togetherness that Vin Diesel loves hammering home. I'm particularly interested in seeing how new-to-franchise director James Wan (The Conjuring), coming mostly from a horror background, will handle the big-budget action; he's got a good eye, and having done one decent action-y thriller in Death Sentence, I don't think he will blow it. Trickier perhaps, would be the work-around Paul Walker's untimely death. How will they write him out of the film? How's the doubling with his brothers going to look? It's hard to tell any of this from the trailer, but damn I'm hyped.

Movie Cliché Supercut: "Let Her Go!"

Here's one of the most commonly used lines in action/thriller movies -- so common that I haven't even really thought about how often it is used -- made a lot more execrable and laughable seen in such quick succession. Highlights: Jon Lovitz in Loaded Weapon and Richard Gere's horrible Irish accent in The Jackal.

David Fincher: "And the Other Way is Wrong"

David Fincher is, without a doubt, one of the finest, most visually precise of all living American filmmakers. With his marvelously twisty -- and twisted -- new film Gone Girl just out, editor Tony Zhou -- who's previously broken down the style of other directors like Edgar Wright and Michael Bay -- has put together this terrific, illuminating look at Fincher and what he does (or more so, doesn't do) in his work. If you haven't seen the bulk of Fincher's films, spoilers follow, so approach at your own peril.

Teaser Trailer: Inside Out

Oh Pixar, you tease!! Just so no one out there gets TOO excited, the first trailer for the next film, Inside Out, contains about 30 seconds of footage, and the rest is made up of clips from their previous films. Still, it feels like it's been way too long since we've had an original Pixar movie, and this one definitely looks promising (it's more appealing to me than say, Brave, anyway). Being partially set inside the mind of a 11-year-old girl, and with Monsters Inc. and Up director Pete Docter at the helm, there's plenty of potential for going wild with the premise. June 2015 couldn't come sooner...

Keanu Avenges Dog's Death and Wows Fantastic Fest

If anyone needs a career resuscitation, it's Keanu Reeves. Although he did praise-worthy work with his underseen-and-appreciated 2013 directorial debut Man of Tai Chi, the gargantuan calamity that was 47 Ronin proved to be a large nail-in-the-coffin for the star. Enter his forthcoming hitman action-thriller John Wick, seemingly out of nowhere. After premiering at Fantastic Fest over the weekend, twitter lit up with raves about the film, which is apparently directed by his Point Break stunt double! The trailer makes it out to be a throwback to the bullet-ridden action flicks of the '90s, which is fine by me; any film that has Keanu uttering the line, "That dog was a final gift from my dying wife" must be kinda fun, right? Read more tweets here, and watch the trailer below:

For the Star Wars Fan with Everything #34

What do you get when you strip John Williams' score from the Throne Room scene in Star Wars? Sublime, hilarious awkwardness...

Friday Clips #10

We're long overdue for a Friday Clips post! Below: a supercut of Wes Anderson's POV-vehicle shots; an Honest Trailer of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is actually one of their more positive efforts but still points out, deservingly, lapses in the movie's narrative logic; a LEGO short film that spoofs Guardian of the Galaxy's mix tape; a video showing Pixar's beautiful colour script at work...

Trailer: Grand Piano

Grand Piano looks and sounds pretty absurd, but potentially absurd in that hugely entertaining way that sometimes Brian DePalma's films can be. Also I'm a sucker for a good limited-location thriller, so this looks like it'll be right up my alley. Elijah Wood stars as a stage-fright-stricken concert pianist who's targeted during his comeback performance by a psycho who tells him he will die if he plays one wrong note. Pinnacle Films will be releasing this film from Spanish director Eugenio Mira -- who interestingly, did the score to the great sci-fi indie Timecrimes! --  on October 1 on DVD and Blu-ray. Reserve it here. Watch Elijah plonk on some keys anxiously in the trailer below:

For the Star Wars Fan with Everything #33

It was only a matter of time before the viral fundraising phenomenon known as the "ice bucket challenge" reached the Star Wars galaxy, and behold, here we have Luke Skywalker,  Han Solo and assorted Episode VII cast members dousing themselves with ice cold water for the ALS Association. Enjoy!

Trailer: Birdman

Wow, Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman is shaping up to be a pretty awesome return-to-form  for Michael Keaton. Though I haven't been too taken by the director's work of late (not since Amores Perros anyway), it's especially heartening to see the underrated Keaton back in a meaty-looking lead role. Of course, the premise, focusing on the comeback of a washed-up actor known for playing a superhero, is intriguingly meta stuff that Keaton can definitely sink his teeth into. Adding to the exciting promise of this project is the news that it was apparently shot to look like it was all filmed in one long take by celebrated cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity, Children of Men). Check out the trailer below for some Keaton magic....

Guardians of the Galaxy: Best Marvel Film Yet?

As Marvel heads into Phase 3 of its Cinematic Universe, there's a sense -- for me at least -- that a little novelty has been lost with their recent, workmanlike sequels. James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy could be the one to change that. Introducing a set of fresh characters -- and pretty left-field ones at that -- this "space opera" is garnering great early reactions, some of which can be found here and here. I'm intrigued just for the involvement of James Gunn, a director whose previous, much smaller films -- the gore-soaked monster flick Slither and brutal, bleakly funny comedy Super -- displayed a irreverent sensibility that could bring a distinctive edge to Marvel's slick, generally cookie-cutter factory. If you've ever wanted to see Vin Diesel play a tree and Bradley Cooper a raccoon, have a peek at the eye-popping trailer now:
Next week we will be giving away 10 Guardians of the Galaxy prize packs, containing an in-season double pass to the film, a sticker roll and a key chain. Look out for the email in your inbox!

NZIFF '14: Picks of the Fest

It's now just over week away before the New Zealand International Film Festival kicks off in Auckland, and as per tradition, time to share a few picks from the programme -- which I might add, is really solid this year. I've done some picks over at Flicks, but here are five more you might not want to miss...

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SNOWPIERCER
Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi thriller, set on a moving train in a post-apocalyptic future, has been garnering rave reviews and fervent social media support since its recent release in the States. Equally at home doing a monster movie (The Host) or a crime drama (Memories of Murder), Bong is one of South Korea's finest, most effortlessly genre-jumpin' filmmaker, and everything points towards Snowpiercer being another winner.

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HOUSEBOUND
When was the last time we had a Kiwi horror film worth celebrating? It appears Housebound might be one for the ages. This debut by writer/director Gerard Johnstone was the sensation of SXSW when it played back in March, and the programme notes suggest at it "could easily be the most energising fun you've ever had at a New Zealand movie." Johnstone will be present to introduce the film.

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
One of those textbook must-see classics that somehow I've never got around to seeing, and I imagine this 4K digital restoration of Cocteau's 1946 film will look exceptionally beautiful at the Civic and be the ideal way to see it for the first time.

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JODOROWSKY'S DUNE
Alejandro Jodorowsky -- the visionary Chilean madman behind '70s cult mind-melters El Topo and The Holy Mountain -- once came very close to making his version of Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel Dune. So what happened? Documentarian Frank Pavich tells the story behind Jod's unrealised vision, and it's kinda heartbreaking for anyone who loves movies.

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THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN
Wow, this sounds insane. Fans of bizarre true crime tales will get a kick out of this doco, a fascinating whodunit involving "utopian ideals, sexual intrigue and murderous jealousy" on the tiny island of Floreana in the Galapagos. Say no more, I'm there!

Everything Wrong with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I say this every time -- but I'm oddly excited about the new Transformers movie coming out in a week's time. Of course, I will most likely live to regret it, as it always happens, once Michael Bay has obliterated my senses two-and-a-half hours later (according to IMDB, Age of Extinction clocks in at 166 minutes). It stands to reason that after being burned by three consecutive movies of the same moronic, depressingly soul-draining ilk, I don't imagine the game changing all that much -- and the dudes at Cinema Sins have just done an amusingly snarky job of reminding me everything that's wrong with the franchise by ripping apart the 2009 sequel Revenge of the Fallen. The plot's even more mind-bending than I remembered:

Beary Creepy Paddington

If you were around your usual social media haunts yesterday, chances are you would've come across a bunch of memes skewering the forthcoming live-action version of children's book favourite Paddington by inserting the character into famous horror movie scenes (click here for a collection of them). Now the first trailer's out, and though Paddington comes off slightly less creepy than the memes have made him out to be, the film does have a weirdly disgusting WTF moment where the CGI bear (voiced by Colin Firth) sticks toothbrushes into his ears and pulls out globs of earwax and proceeds to sniff and lick said earwax.

Anyway the trailer seems to have Garfield/Yogi Bear vibe, which isn't really a good thing in my books. But I didn't grow up reading Paddington so hey what do I know... Gather your kids close around the monitor and watch Paddington destroy a bathroom:

Trailer: The November Man

Perhaps inspired by the recent career paths of greying 60+ actors like Liam Neeson (Taken) and Kevin Costner (3 Days To Kill) back into action-movie bad-assery, Pierce Brosnan is getting his chance to walk away unharmed from explosions once again in Roger Donaldson's thriller The November Man. The veteran-CIA-operative-trains-young-protege dynamic here bears more than a little semblance to Donaldson's 2003 spy flick The Recruit (and countless other films), so I'm not expecting anything terribly original, but the actor's fans who miss his days as James Bond are likely to be pleased what they see in this trailer:

Grand Theft Auto V: Judgement Day

The geekier contingent of our customer base might dig this Grand Theft Auto V remake of the killer truck chase scene from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. It's a really impressive recreation that makes you appreciate just how awesome that original chase scene is (and that there are people out there who have enough time on their hands to do things like these).

Recut Trailer: Dumb & Dumber

In the vein of those classic creepy-horror recuts of Mrs. Doubtfire and Mary Poppins, here's Dumb & Dumber re-imagined as an "epic drama". It's not as good as those two but still pretty good...