Trailer Check: Warcraft: The Beginning (2016)

© Legendary Pictures | Source: stage3

I think I already mentioned it but, again, 2016 will be THE year for gamers.

I mean, first of all, we have SquareEnix expressing their love for their fans by adding an animated series and a movie to the already highly anticipated release of Final Fantasy XV. Then on May 20, Angry Birds: The Movie will be released, featuring the voices of some of our favourite actors like Peter Dinklage and Sean Penn. But that’s still not everything! Far more exciting will be the movie adaptations of the two fan favourites Assassin’s Creed and World of Warcraft, the latter of which I will focus on in this Trailer Check. 

© Buena Vista Pictures | Source: Guardian

So far, video game adaptations turned out poorly, more often than not. Just think about Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Super Mario Bros (1993) and Bloodrayne (2006), or better, don’t think about them. Granted, there were also some reasonably good ones, like Prince of Persia (2010), the first two Resident Evil movies (2002+2004) or Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) – although calling them good seems to be a rather subjective evaluation; general ratings seem to differ slightly, but a fan’s heart loves what it wants to love. However, it would be nice for a change if a video-game-to-movie adaptation could do without rose-coloured glasses and a viewer’s determination to excuse and tolerate just about everything, just as long as it means they get to see their favourite characters on the big screen. 

And here’s where World of Warcraft comes in, because the trailer does seem extremely promising. Critics speak about the possibility of a new, golden era of video game movies, heralded by Warcraft: The Beginning, which will be released on June 10, and Assassin’s Creed, which is scheduled for December 21. The fantasy world created for Warcraft impresses with a love for details and a vastness reminiscent of Middle Earth from The Lord of the Rings saga. But just have a look yourself:

Calling this first impression of Azeroth anything less than beautiful would be a blatant lie. Like I said, the style of Warcraft reminds highly of Middle Earth and just maybe we really are looking at what is to become the next big fantasy epos.

© Legendary Pictures | Source: screenrant

Enemies will unite – Worlds will collide

Azeroth, the peaceful realm of humans, is on the brink of destruction. A whole tribe of Orc warriors, fleeing their destroyed world of Dreanor in search of a new home, have set their eyes on human territory, determined to take it by force if necessary in order to sustain their own survival. As the Dark Portal, the gateway between the two worlds, opens, Orcs and humans clash in a CGI-gestating battle that will determine their fates. But what neither of them reckons with is the approach of another threat that might exterminate both nations.

© Legendary Pictures | Source: aceshowbiz

The trailer promises, next to an amazing rendition of the fantasy realms, a wide array of fantastic beasts: massive wolves, gryphons, strange green babies – you name it. Another positive feature is that the Orcs aren’t depicted as mere enemies, but have their own motivations and a cast of heroes as well, giving them more depths as characters. All in all, the trailer certainly looks promising and let’s all cross our fingers that Warcraft: The Beginning won’t line up with the rest of all these mediocre (euphemistically speaking) game-to-movie adaptations, but will indeed ring the bell for a new, golden age of video game movies to come.

Film Review: Crimson Peak (2015)

© Universal Pictures International  |  Source: A Tale of Two Dans

USA; 119 min.; drama, romance, mystery, horror, gothic

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Writing: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins

Cinematography: Dan Laustsen

Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Burn Gorman, Leslie Hope

“Love makes monsters of us all.” – Lady Lucille Sharpe 

In an interview with The Guardian, director Guillermo del Toro stated that it wasn’t his intention to “reinvent” the gothic romance. He rather planned on bringing modern audiences closer to those stories abundant with supernatural occurrences, repressed eroticism and/or shocking psychological revelations. His Crimson Peak is indeed a very much by-the-book effort, presenting everything I’ve come to expect from the genre. And while Del Toro provides us with intriguing images and a thrilling final act, he mostly fails to establish strong lead characters and truly frightening sensations.

Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) falls head-over-heels for young Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). After a rushed marriage, the handsome baronet moves his new wife to live in his run-down family estate somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But Edith does not feel quite at home. For one, there’s Thomas’s controlling and grim sister Lady Lucille (Jessica Chastain), and then Edith is also haunted by a bunch of ghostly creatures who warn her of her new, apparently murderous, accommodation.

The Sharpe mansion is indeed the star of Del Toro’s film. Gloomy hallways, strange noises, old-fashioned furniture, a 19th-century elevator, dying flies on cupboards and moths flying out of every dark corner, blood-red clay seeping through the floorboards like the earth is ready to swallow the place whole – this house stands out as an ominous character on its own. The set design, in addition to the lush costumes and moody lighting choices, creates an atmosphere of spine-chilling opulence and a sense of unhealthy nostalgia, of lingering in a past that is rooted in rotten deeds.

I immediately get this The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) vibe. There’s a fair bit of Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940) in there as well, and an abandoned wheelchair alludes to some Jane Eyre-ish madness in the attic. The film opens up another Poe-esque dimension with its abrupt outbursts of relentless, graphic violence. For me personally, these moments harbour much more shock than any of the ghost appearances throughout the film. Mostly computer-generated, these abstract and out-of-this-world looking beings never quite manifest themselves as a tangible threat to my peace of mind, and, most often, they pop up and vanish in a rather predictable fashion. While this particular look and the tame, old-school scare tactics probably were exactly what the Mexican director aimed to achieve, I had a difficult time being spooked by these swirling CGI spectres.

What also puts a damper on my overall enjoyment of the film is that most of the main characters suffer from a lack of depth and intrigue. Edith, especially. She starts off as an independent spirit (no pun intended) and shrivels into a meek, helpless creature whose sole purpose seems to be to uncover the manor mystery for us. I find this unfortunate since Mia Wasikowska is one of those actresses with beautiful understatement and emotional strength, and a bit more substance for her to work with would have been nice. Same goes for Tom Hiddleston. He succeeds in portraying the charming, tall and handsome stranger, but has to present a rather unconvincing development of his character towards the end of the film. Charlie Hunnam, as Edith’s secret admirer Dr. Alan McMichael, is the knight in shining armour, and that’s all there is to him.

It is Jessica Chastain as Lady Lucille who really steals the show. When the narrative focus shifts to her character in the final act, the film picks up pace and reaches a dynamic, captivating conclusion, in which even Edith’s self-esteem is ready to return. Chastain’s portrayal is calm and repressed, yet freaked and discomforting. She makes the most of a plot twist that I saw coming from miles away, and is ready to be fully wrapped up in lunacy. Fortunately, she doesn’t feel the need to resort to exaggerated fits of laughter or gaping eyes. Lucille’s craziness is dry, wonderfully wicked and even self-empowering.

Del Toro’s homage to gothic horror succeeds in evoking immersive visuals and paying tribute to genre classics of old. Unfortunately, a bunch of not-too-interesting core characters and a mostly too conventional approach to the material can occasionally result in a rather tedious viewing experience. And while the ghosts fail to stir my blood, Crimson Peak shines most in its finale in which it’s the human characters that leap down their respective spiritual abysses. 

Rating:

Trailer Check: Pan (2015)

© Warner Bros. | Source: YouTube screenshot

When in 1902 Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie first created his character Peter Pan, little did he know that the young boy who was solid against growing up would become a popular hero not only in literature but also in a different medium. Many films have featured cheeky Peter throughout the decades, from the silent movie Peter Pan (1924) and the Disney classic of the same title from 1953 to Steven Spielberg's live-action sequel Hook (1991), starring the late Robin Williams as an adult version of the flying youth in green tights.

This month, Joe Wright, director of visually stunning productions such as Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007), offers us a look behind the established Barrie story. His film, simply going by the name of Pan, is meant to function as a prequel and explain to us how Peter came to the mythical Neverland and how he first encountered his famous nemesis, Captain Hook.

Hollywood obviously has found a new pastime: taking established and beloved stories and turning their lore upside down. In these re-tellings, characters who formerly just played small parts enter centre stage, offering a new look onto things (Snow White and the Huntsman). Or previous villains are depicted as morally ambivalent and victims of cruelty and fate (Maleficent, Cinderella).

In Pan, as we can see from the trailer, good old Captain Hook (Garrett Hedlund) is endowed with a human side - and an Indiana Jones outfit. Teamed up with Peter (Levi Miller) and Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara), he tries to free Neverland of the tyrannical reign of Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman), a ruthless and sinister-looking pirate. 

But do we really need a humanised Hook? Do we need to see a budding friendship between him and Peter and, eventually, the events that turned the two into arch enemies? Basically, what I'm asking is: Do we really need such a spin on the established Peter Pan story? What's wrong with Hook just being passionately annoyed by bratty Peter and his entourage? Why can't we just accept that he wants their demise simply because he's a grumpy, evil man who should work on his people skills? Things are never just black or white, I give you that. However, imposing a good nature onto a character of whom we all know that he's a scoundrel, takes the fun out of everything. I mean, what's next? A re-telling of 101 Dalmatians in which we are informed that Cruella De Vil actually loved animals but turned into a fur-coat-crazy bitch because her father was mauled by a rabid dog? Stop white-washing your villains, Hollywood! I love them just as naughty as they are.

So, there it is: I really can't be bothered by the plot hinted at in the Pan trailer. I don't want another, dubious, lovey-dovey explanation why the bad guys aren't really bad or why the good guys aren't really good. I prefer my perception of Captain Hook not to be tainted by some quickly made-up plot twist that is meant to surprise audiences. I personally find that those re-tellings never manage to bring more complexity to those established characters. They always flatten them out.

Apart from the plot level of the trailer, the visual level left me unimpressed as well. Adventurous sequences and CGI-fuelled moments abound. Blazing canons, giant crocodiles, wild rides on outsized birds, sword and fist fights and a whole bunch of colourful creatures overrun the scenery. Forgotten are the moments in which Peter's story was, first and foremost, a tale about friendship, childhood and coming of age. Pan supposedly tries to impress on a bigger scale. Here, Peter's fate is determined by prophecies and destiny. His purpose: saving the whole of Neverland from tyranny. Hints at heartfelt moments between the characters are sacrificed for an explosion of (sometimes rather cheap-looking) special effects, and instead of feeling thrill, I felt overstimulation and boredom. 

Granted that re-tellings also offer an opportunity to flesh out those female characters that often are less than spectacular in the source material, Pan's take on Tiger Lily is yet to be evaluated. In the trailer, she appears like a regular sword-swinging gal with a passion for multicoloured headgear, and gives pep talks to Peter.

Hugh Jackman seems to be the true star of this production. From the trailer his performance as Blackbeard seems to be deliciously malicious. His outward appearance is perfectly grim and striking, and I have my hopes up that the Aussie actor did indeed get the chance to play a memorable villain. As things are now, in five years time, there'll probably be a Pan re-telling showing us that Blackbeard is actually a lovely man who enjoys stroking kittens as well as long walks on the beach.

"Sometimes to truly understand how things end, we must first know how they begin", says Tiger Lily at the beginning of the trailer. Well, you know, sometimes I'm not so sure about that.


Release: 09 October 2015 (USA)  |  16 October 2015 (UK)
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Manic Monday & Trailer Check: The Walk (2015)

© Sony Pictures Releasing | Source: YouTube screencap

Today's the day that Manic Monday and Skyscraper Appreciation Day fall together. For this excellent occasion, I was looking for a topic that is suitable for both our slightly suicidal minds at the beginning of the week and our adoration for impressively high-built architecture. After some searching around, I'm sure that I have found it in Robert Zemeckis' upcoming cinematic endeavour, The Walk. Let's check out the trailer.

  

In the opening shot, the camera quickly runs up a highrise - storey after storey after storey. Nothing's audible except for the wind howling around the skyscraper. Finally, when the camera has reached the rooftop, a young man appears. He walks to the edge of the building, eyeing another highrise some metres away. Music anticipating thrill, excitement and danger sets in while the camera grants us a look down into a vertigo-inducing abyss.

The Walk is the story of Frenchman Philippe Petit and one of the most spectacular high-wire acts in history. When in 1974, he came up with the plan to stretch a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York to walk from one building over to the other, his attempt was not only illegal, but also bound to put him in mortal danger. As far as movie premises go, this one will most certainly spark the interest of an adventure-loving, the-extreme-cherishing audience.

However, the trailer also has us know that the visual execution will fit the spectacular nature of the plot. We are promised an IMAX 3D experience, and the fast-paced tracking shots up tall buildings as well as the multiple glances down heady heights can only profit from a three-dimensional build-up.

The illegal aspect of Petit's story indicates that the film might also harbour a heist-movie-like quality: the act between the Twin Towers has to be planned without other people noticing, stealthy undertakings lead the high-wire artist and his crew through ventilation shafts and on the run from watchmen. As indicated by the trailer, this might add another layer of thrill to the film.

With Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead and other cast members including Charlotte LeBon, James Badge Dale and Sir Ben Kingsley, The Walk features actors who are certain to shine with talent and likeability. It'll probably be easy to be engrossed in Petit's adventure and to root for his success.

This well-done trailer promises an engaging thrill ride that will bring audiences to dizzying extremes visually and make their pulses race plotwise. I personally cannot wait for The Walk to enter cinemas. But however manic your Monday may be, BSPeeps: don't try this at home! Please appreciate your skyscrapers from afar. 

Wide Release:  9 October 2015

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Trailer Check: Southpaw (2015)

© The Weinstein Company | Source: YouTube screencap

southpaw /ˈsaʊθpɔː/ 

  A left-handed boxer who leads with the right hand

Oxford Dictionaries

I'm a sucker for sports movies, especially those about boxing. Raging Bull, Rocky, Warrior, The Fighter - you name it, I've watched it. So, naturally, I'm beyond excited for the release of Antoine Fuqua's latest feature in two days time. And if I choose to go by the most recent trailer alone, Southpaw is certainly bound to impress.

There seems to be a familiar formula at hand here. Like every self-respecting boxing movie, Southpaw needs a washed-up boxer at its centre who, against all odds, has to use the power of his mind and fists to regain his dignity. In this case, Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) loses control over his life and sporting career after the tragic death of his beloved wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams). In order to get back on track and, most importantly, win back the custody for his young daughter Leila (Oona Laurence), he teams up with boxing coach Tick (Forest Whitaker), the obligatory good soul of the story, and promoter Jordan Mains (Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson).Yes, when it comes to plot, Southpaw fulfils all the requirements necessary to satisfy fans of the genre. 

The look conveyed in the trailer further recommends the film as a rather down-to-earth summer movie far from all the superhero and dinosaur fare going on this year. Instead of with CGI ecstasy and ambitions of world domination, Southpaw presents us with a quite unusual topic for a blockbuster of the hot season: a raw human interest story. Fittingly, Training Day director Fuqua has created a gritty atmosphere, using a washed-out colour scheme and occasional depictions of violent outbursts. Billy's hardship is present in every second of the trailer. 

The script penned by The Shield producer and Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter also adds a certain gangster flair to the story by depicting Maureen as a victim of two rivalling sporting camps, and Billy as a desperate husband out for revenge. This contributes to the general feeling of mayhem and unease palpable in the two-minute preview as well. It only remains to be seen if the film will eventually be able to effectively unite the genres of sports drama, underdog tale and crime thriller, which it evokes in the trailer.

It might still be slightly early to start off award season, but Gyllenhaal certainly looks like he's about to put a foot in the door to the upcoming Oscar race. The trailer suggests a physical and emotional tour de force by the 34-year-old actor. I personally cannot wait to see his character travel from self-loathing to self-esteem. And with the likes of Whitaker and McAdams as support, the rest of the cast isn't meant to disappoint either.

Despite a rather gloomy preface, the trailer ensures that there'll also be a goosebump-inducing, spirit-raising finale at the end - as there should be. With the song "Kings Never Die" by Eminem and Gwen Stefani playing in the background, there's no doubt that, eventually, Southpaw is all about the underdog making it out of a personal crisis. Like most of its successful boxing predecessors, it seems to make use of the feel-good factor, allowing audiences to leave the cinema in an uplifting, nothing's-impossible kind of spirit.

Southpaw's uppercut may come unexpectedly, but it definitely has all the potential to throw a wicked punch towards critical praise and box office glory. Let's get ready to rumble!

Release: 24 July 2015

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Trailer Check: Minions (2015)

© Illumination | Source: www.picnations.com

When Illumination Pictures released Despicable Me as their first animated movie in 2010, no one really expected its great success. Out of seemingly nowhere a cute and witty super villain story captured the hearts of viewers of all ages. But it was really the undefinable, yellow, midgetty helpers of villain Gru that rose to instant stardom. In Despicable Me 2 (2013) their clumsy and fun nature got even more room to shine and now, 2 years later, Bob, Kevin, Stuart, and their friends get their own feature film. In Minions, a sort of origin story, we get to see the story of how our favorite yellow friends came to work for Gru. Before its July 10 release, let’s take a look at what’s in store for us:

The trailer comes along in the style of a proper, factual BBC documentary. For it to be proper we need:

•    A narrator with a British accent (Geoffrey Rush) ✔

•    Impressive landscapes ✔

•    Prehistoric/ historic events to be explained (finally someone retells all of Earth’s history from  

       the long-disregarded Minion perspective!) ✔

•    A realistic way of reenacting these historic events (thank God we live in an animated world!) ✔

This short teaser of the Minion ‘docu-fiction’ introduces us to their very old tribe and provides episodic glances of their involvement with the mightiest T-Rey of them all, in the building of the pyramids, the Napoleonic Wars, and the demise of Dracula.

We also finally learn the motivation behind it all: What is the Minions purpose in life? – Nothing short of serving “the most despicable master around”. How these fun-loving creatures can be drawn to something so evil remains a mystery to me. Yet again, it might have to do with their love for gloating at others mishaps as we have previously seen in the Despicable Me movies. The German ‘Schadenfreude’ once again proves to be the best descriptive in this situation.

The source of comedy in Minions (next to their cuteness of being) is once again the almost tragic clumsiness and physical comedy of the tiny, yellow creatures. Difficult qualities to have, and the trailer already hints at the suffering that came from it. After all, “finding a master [is] easy – keeping a master, that’s where things got tricky”. Many tragic, yet funny turns see the Minions bring about their masters’ demise.

Still, probably realizing that the short historic episodes can’t carry the movie, the plot also aims at some depth. After losing all their masters the Minions fall into a depressive spell, here reflected by their cold, arctic home and the long, listless faces. But then along came… Kevin! Together with Stuart (catch phrase: “Banana”) and scared, little Bob he sets off for the heroic expedition of finding their ultimate master. Both the quest and coming-off-age motifs are prominent parts of the story. The three heroes discover a whole new world in 1968, when they arrive in NYC. The charming time frame of 42 B.C. (before Gru) tells us there are many adventures to be had until the Minions finally end their Odyssey.

The sounds of “Under Pressure” and the voice of Pierre Coffin as the Minions underlay the trailer. Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Carell, and Steve Coogan voice-act in the movie.

Minions looks like it will be a fun summer movie for the whole family to enjoy. Not too many demands of depth can be made for a light-hearted, animated feature film, but I am still not 100 % sure the movie can live up to the hype. It remains to be seen whether the movie can go the distance with its episodic storytelling – and protagonists that only speak mumble-jumble can only cover so much plot. Of course the character list sees the top-billed actors voicing humans, so there is some potential of plot extension, but the trailer only feeds off the cute and funny yellow creatures. 

Still, let’s just lean back, sign up for a fun ride, and eat some “BANANA”!

Release: 10 July 2015
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