Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Directed by: James Gray
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Ruth Negga, John Ortiz, John Finn, Kimberly Elise, LisaGay Hamilton, Jamie Kennedy
The worldwide phenomenon continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.
The second movie in two years (after Winter’s Bone) in which Jennifer Lawrence plays a character who feeds her destitute family and herself partly by catching and killing squirrels.
Netflix Rating: 3 out of 5
Thought it was perfectly adequate. Entertaining. Probably won’t go out of my way to watch any more of them.
For a film often touted as one of the best British movies of all time, Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now is, at least on paper, a relatively surprising choice – just look at the towering achievement of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes, or the grandeur and scale of David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia; a huge number of films pale in comparison to two of the best films ever made.So what is it about Roeg’s film that on the same level as the best of British cinema?
Firstly, and quite simply, there aren’t many films that can claim to be as meticulously crafted as Don’t Look Now, and, in terms of technical skill, Roeg’s film is something of a masterclass. Squeezing tension from even the most mundane situations, such as the eerily prescient toy soldier Christine is playing with before her tragic death (“fall in”), Roeg manages to keep a deeply unsettling atmosphere running throughout the film from the opening sequence to the final credits. And what an opening it is, too. Roeg kicks the story off in dramatic style (an opening that Lars Von Trier surely drew influence from for Antichrist) with the tragic death of a little girl in a vivid red plastic coat.
This coat will be seen sporadically later on as John, the young girl’s father, is plagued by visions of his late daughter while working in overcast Venice. Are his wife’s obsessive attempts to speak to their daughter through a psychic eating away at his sanity? Or does he have psychic abilities himself? Either way, he’s not sure what’s going on in Venice, and he wants to know – and this inquisitive self-doubt is imbued in the audience; we want to know what’s going on as much as John does. But even the most invested of audiences would struggle to predict the grizzly outcome of this beautifully made story.
Don’t Look Now is a ghost story where even the ghosts aren’t quite as straightforward as they seem, as well as a film driven towards its devastating conclusion by a combination of smoke, mirrors, and a vivid red plastic coat. It truly is one of the greats.
The historic mansion is located on Rocky Point Road in East Marion. It was originally built in 1893 to use as a coast guard lifesaving station, the but it’s five story tower was digitally removed for its onscreen appearance.
Franklin’s House: Brisbane House Upper East Side, 14S of 1107 Fifth, Astoria Studios in Queens
Grace’s father, Franklin, owns a beautiful apartment at Brisbane house, located on the Upper East Side. Brisbane House’s lobby is featured a few times, including for a surprise-interrogation of Grace by the New York police.
The filming location of Franklin’s apartment itself, however, is not located in Brisbane House but unit 14S of Central Park South Gate House on Fifth avenue. Designed in 1925 on top of a previous structure, 1107 Fifth became New York’s first 57 room penthouse, which were split in to 6 separate units in 1940.
Unlike Grace’s townhouse, little of the interior of 14S was altered for the show, as barely any of it was actually used in filming.
While the dining rooms, seating areas and balcony do belong to 14S, Franklins epic living room and bedrooms were sets built at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens.
Beige Chloe Shirt, Max Mara Blazer, Cashmere Max Mara Flo Coat and Manolo Blahnik Shoes with a Celine Bag.
Two Tone Top in Crepe de Chine with Chest Pockets by Chloe
Tempra Double Breasted Max Mara Blazer
“She dresses securely as the business woman she is. She is the classic Upper East Side lady and dresses as one would expect. She has a great career and she is wearing Max Mara and very expensive designer brands. She is very high-end. Her jewelry is mainly Cartier.”
Elena Alves
Pale Pink Gala Dress from BCBG, Free People Olivia Bolo Necklace
“I wanted her to almost look like a Greek goddess,” says Signe Sejlund. “I needed to make ten of those dresses because of what happens to the poor woman in The Undoing, so I could not find a secondhand dress for her, which I would have preferred. This dress could look like a secondhand dress in my opinion. Elena needed to be extremely sexy and at the same time, her dress needed to reflect that she is entering a world that she is definitely not a part of. Her jewelry is really inexpensive, and I think the necklace cost about $10 and the dress is $150, so it is cheap but because she has this gorgeous body, everything looks amazing on her. Her hair is wild, and she almost looks like a savage.”
Maroon Faux Fur Max Mara Jacket Customized for different Cut
Bordeaux Green Floor-Length Wrap Chenille Coat
“That coat has a big huge hood in the back and the fabric has so many green colors in it,” says Signe Sejlund, who designed the coat for the show. “Grace has a lot of walks in New York and the green coat both blends in and sticks out - for instance, when she walks in Central Park. New York plays a big part in this show and New Yorkers are very well-dressed. As a Dane, I see New York with different eyes, and I think that I have been able to give New York another look, by giving Nicole clothes to wear that look a little different from what you would expect from a woman like this living in New York. I also think Susanne has created a little different New York look than we usually see.”
Traditional sword and shield movies have seemingly gone the way of the dinosaur. While battle scenes are, on the whole, more epic than ever; it’s a feat accomplished largely by green screen and computers. Hand to hand clashes are heavily altered and supplemented with wire harnesses and CGI projectiles all while being too closely shot and too heavily cut to see what even really going on. Largely gone are the days of pulled back camera and steady shots showing actual choreographed sword and shield battles performed by brave actors and talented stuntmen. Few movies dare to step outside the computerized projection to put vital, fluid action back into the hands of theses craftsmen of the stage and screen. The most recent, and likely the last, of these comes to us as 2011’s The Eagle.
The Eagle tells the story of a Roman legion commander assigned to an outpost at ‘the end of the world’. In this case the end of the world means northern Britain at the far reaches of Roman power. The outpost stands as a part of Hadrian’s wall, an 80 mile long fortification dividing the barbarian British clans in the North from the civilized Roman society in the south. If that sounds familiar to some of you that’s because, yes, Hadrian’s wall IS the inspiration for The Wall in Game of Thrones. Commander Marcus Flavius Aquila is sent to the wall as his first command, following in the footsteps of his father. Well, sort of.
A decade earlier Marcus’ father, under orders, led a legion of 5000 Roman soldiers north of the wall carrying the standard of Rome; A large, golden eagle. However they never returned from their mission to conquer, instead disappearing without a trace into the rough highlands. Marcus now comes to the wall to return glory to this failing legion and honor to his disgraced family by doing the only thing he can: finding the eagle.
This movie has often been panned for its leading star’s wooden performance, but really, what did you expect? Channing Tatum, while one of the most talented comedic actors IVE EVER SEEN, just does not have the chops to be a dramatic lead. The guy is a dancer and by all accounts a total goofball. Just because someone is hunky and white doesn’t mean he has to be a dramatic movie star. Anyways, those critics are not wrong. Tatum’s able to carry himself well as a military officer but nearly all emotion expressed is laughable in its ineffectuality. However that is no reason to write the film off as a whole. If lead casting endangers the film then certainly its ensemble cast saves it.The rest of the film is carried by some theatrical heavyweights such as Mark Strong, Donald Sutherland, and of course Channing’s co-star Jamie Bell. Everyone lays down meaty, substantive performances that lend credence to the films premise and period.
Surprisingly the film takes it’s setting very seriously. All of the locations are genuine with the actors actually trudging through the landscape the story takes place in. The highlands are very much a character in the story as well. Virtually untouched for thousands of years they, along with an unexpectedly true to life representation of British tribes at the time, do a wondrously effective job of transporting the viewer right into the world they are exploring.
But lets be honest, movies like this don’t get made for their historical accuracy or award potential. This is an action movie and boy does it deliver. More so, in fact, than probably any film since Rob Roy or Braveheart. The action is brutal, vital, and real. The camera is pulled back and uncut to allow you to understand just how the Roman war machine so effectively ruled the known world. Stunt coordinator Domonkos Pardanyi has worked on every movie with a battle scene worth watching since the late 1990s. Pulling together the best parts of his previous films like Troy, Kindom of Heaven, Hellboy II, and Prince of Persia, Domonkos created a series of muddy, messy, devastating sequences demonstrating the power of not only each Roman warrior, but the Legion itself.
The drama is a bit heavy handed for something of this ilk but what else do you expect from Kevin Macdonald, acclaimed director of State of Play and the Last King of Scotland? Channing Tatum is a bankable star but perhaps not the right choice of they expected this to be taken as seriously as, for example, Gladiator. However overall it’s a surprisingly entertaining, accurate, and beautiful film. Utilizing some of the best acting talents, locations, and cinematography available (Anthony Dod Mantle of 127 Days and Slumdog Millionaire) the team has assembled a totally watchable and even enjoyable way to spend a few hours on a weekend afternoon. As a farewell to the era of hand to hand, sword and shield cinema I think it does just fine.
