Josh Trank, Director of "Chronicle," to Helm Star Wars Stand-Alone Movie

Josh Trank To Direct Stand-Alone Star Wars Film

June 04, 2014 - In addition to the episodes of a new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm and Disney continue development of multiple stand-alone movies that will offer new stories beyond the core Saga. The newest director to come on board is Josh Trank.

"We're thrilled to welcome Josh into the family," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "He is such an incredible talent and has a great imagination and sense of innovation. That makes him perfectly suited to Star Wars, and for this new slate of movies that reach beyond the core characters and storylines of Episodes I through IX."

Trank states, "The magic of the Star Wars Universe defined my entire childhood. The opportunity to expand on that experience for future generations is the most incredible dream of all time."

Trank captured imaginations worldwide with his critically lauded directorial debut Chronicle, a fresh and engaging take on the superhero genre. Trank is currently at work on The Fantastic Four for 20th Century Fox.

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Oscar-Winning "Frozen" Team to Present at 2014 Student Academy Awards

Oscar® Nominee Demian Bichir, Adrian Grenier, Nate Parker And Oscar-Winning Filmmaking Team From “Frozen” To Present At 2014 Student Academy Awards®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Actors Demian Bichir, Adrian Grenier and Nate Parker, along with the writing/directing/producing team of Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck and Peter Del Vecho, who earned Oscars® for “Frozen,” will present at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 41st Student Academy Awards on Saturday, June 7, at 6 p.m. at the DGA Theater in Hollywood.  The awards ceremony caps a week of industry activities for the 15 student filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad who were selected as winners this year.

Oscar-nominated for his work in the film “A Better Life,” Bichir currently stars in the critically acclaimed television series “The Bridge.” He recently finished shooting his writer-director debut film, “Refugio.”  His other feature credits include “Che,” “Savages” and “The Heat.”

Grenier recently wrapped production on the Warner Bros. feature film adaptation of the HBO series “Entourage.”  Other acting credits include “Cecil B. DeMented,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Goodbye World,” and “Sex, Death & Bowling," which is due out in 2015.  Founder of Reckless Productions, Grenier has also produced and directed such documentaries as “Shot in the Dark," “Teenage Paparazzo” and "How to Make Money Selling Drugs,” and is currently in production on the documentary “52,” which will chronicle the search for the loneliest whale in the world.

Parker was most recently seen in the thriller “Non-Stop” opposite Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.  His other feature acting credits include “Red Tails” and “Arbitrage.”   His next film, “Blackbird,” is slated for released in November.

Lee, Buck and Del Vecho took home Oscars earlier this year for the Animated Feature Film winner “Frozen,” the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Along with becoming the first female feature director in the history of the Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lee also wrote the screenplay for “Frozen” and co-wrote the 2012 Oscar nominee “Wreck-It Ralph.”  Co-director Buck’s other animated feature credits include “Pocahontas” and “Tarzan,” and he received a 2007 Oscar nomination for “Surf’s Up.”  Del Vecho, who produced “Frozen,” also served as a producer on “Winnie the Pooh” and the Oscar-nominated “The Princess and the Frog.”

A complete list of this year’s Student Academy Award® winners can be found here.

Medal placements for each of the five award categories – Alternative, Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Foreign Film – will be announced at the June 7 ceremony.  Gold Medal award winners receive cash grants of $5,000, Silver Medal award winners receive $3,000 and Bronze Medal award winners receive $2,000.

The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level.  Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards.  They include John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.

The 41st Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 7 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required.  Tickets may be obtained online at www.oscars.org or by mail.  Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event. The DGA Theater is located at 7920 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.  For more information, call (310) 247-2677.

Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie Join "Star Wars: Episode VII"

(Lupita Nyong'o (left) and Gwendoline Christie (right); Lupita's photo taken by Alexi Lubomiski for Lancome.)

Star Wars: Episode VII Adds Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie

June 02, 2014 - Lupita Nyong'o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series "Game of Thrones" as "Brienne of Tarth," has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.

"I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape."

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the Saga:  Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

"Dracula Untold" Hits IMAX Theatres Starting October 2, 2014

Universal Pictures' Dracula Untold(TM) To Be Released Into IMAX® Theatres Worldwide Starting Oct. 2

LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), and Legendary Pictures today announced that Dracula Untold, the  origin story of the man who became Dracula, starring Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals), will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX(®) format and released into IMAX(®) theatres internationally starting Oct. 2 and in North America beginning Oct. 17.

Gary Shore directs and Michael De Luca produces this epic action-adventure that co-stars Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Diarmaid Murtagh and Samantha Barks.

"Dracula is perhaps the most iconic horror story ever told, and this new twist on this classic tale is sure to appeal to IMAX audiences around the world," said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. "We're excited to have the opportunity to once again partner with the terrific team at Universal and our long time collaborators at Legendary as we present this exciting film in IMAX."

The IMAX release of Dracula Untold will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(®) with proprietary IMAX DMR(®) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAXnXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube(www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Review: "X-Men: Days of Future Past" - Why So Serious?

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Running time:  131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi violence and action, some suggestive material, nudity and language
DIRECTOR:  Bryan Singer
WRITERS:  Simon Kinberg; from a story by Jane Goldman, Simon Kinberg, and Matthew Vaughn 
PRODUCERS:  Hutch Parker, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Bryan Singer
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Newton Thomas Sigel
EDITOR/COMPOSER:  John Ottman

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring:  Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore, Bingbing Fan, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Evan Peters, Josh Helman, and Anna Paquin

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a 2014 superhero movie from director Bryan Singer.  It is 20th Century Fox’s seventh film based Marvel Comics’ X-Men comic book franchise.  This new movie is a sequel to 2011’s X-Men: First Class and a kind of sequel to 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.  X-Men: Days of Future Past finds the X-Men of the future sending one of their own into past in a desperate effort to change history and to prevent the destruction of the world for both humans and mutants.

The film opens (apparently) sometime in the third decade of the 21st century.  By this time, mutant-hunting machines called Sentinels have wiped out nearly all mutants and also the humans that supported them.  The last of the X-Men are about to make a desperate bid to change their apocalyptic future.  Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart) concocts a plan that sends the mind of Logan/The Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back into the past and into the body of his younger self in the year 1973.

In 1973, Logan must contact the younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and convince him that they must stop Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from committing an assassination that will lead to the creation of the Sentinels.  However, Wolverine finds that the younger Charles is a mess.  Xavier wants no part of his future self’s plan, especially when he discovers that he must cooperate with Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender), his dear friend-turned-bitter enemy.

Released in 2011, X-Men: First Class was a combination prequel to the original film, X-Men (2000), and a partial reboot of the franchise.  First Class was sparkly, fun, energetic, and even a bit sexy.  X-Men: Days of Future Past is ponderous and takes both its subject matter and its plot way too seriously.  I liked the film, but I only really enjoyed certain moments and a few characters.

Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic as Mystique, making the character’s emotions, mission, and anger seem real.  Nicholas Hoult is poignant as Hank McCoy/Beast; so much of his performance is restrained.  Hoult makes the most of subtle facial expressions, and his expressive eyes convey Beast in a way that gives him weight and depth.

What this film lacks is gravitas.  Days of Future Past pretends to be important serious because it metaphorically or symbolically deals with serious and important real world issues.  However, the movie is tedious instead of being weighty in any meaningful a way.  It is as if this film has so much to cover that it almost ends up sinking under the burden of its moralizing via multiple points of view, characters, and competing timelines.

In fact, after seeing Days of Future Past, I realized that Wolverine is not particularly consequential to the plot, or at least the screenplay does not make him seem so.  For what the character does, just about any other X-Men could have made that trip into the past.  [In The X-Men comic book story, “Days of the Future Past,” upon which this movie is based, Kitty Pryde travels into the past – the year 1983.]  I read a review of this movie in which the writer said that this was a movie about Mystique and Wolverine.  In a way, this movie is indeed most about what Mystique wants, and the movie would be better off if it stayed with Mystique longer than it actually does.

Although I like it, X-Men: Days of Future Past is my least favorite X-Men movie.  I found the future Sentinels particularly scary and chilling, and Evan Peters as Quicksilver is a blast.  Of all the X-Men movies, it has the best production values and the best special effects.  It is, however, full of sound and fury, and even in the universe of X-Men movies, it does not signify much of anything.

5 of 10
B-

Saturday, May 31, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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