Contents: 3-15:
Reviews of this month’s film....
4-5
6-9
e v i s u l Exc rview e t n 10-13 I
14-15
16-17
On DVD this month...
17:
A list of DVD releases for this April
18-19:
In cinema next month...
19:
A list of films to be released in May
Creators:
Creators Note:
Journalist and Editor: Charlie Derry: http://www.charliederry.com charlie.derry@live.co.uk
We’ve only seen a few films this month but what great films they have been, or at least The Avengers blew my mind. I also had to the chance to interview Pusher director Luis Prieto which you can read too.
Designer and Art Director: Mikie Daniel: http://www.mikiedaniel.com mikie@mikiedaniel.com
2
Reviews of this month’s film...
3
The Cabin In Premiered at the South by Southwest film festival last month, The Cabin In The Woods is an American horror directed and co-written by Drew Goddard with co-writer Joss Whedon. Following five friends – Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz), and Holden (Jesse Williams) – who go for a break to a remote cabin in the woods, where they soon realise that not everything isn’t quite right and together must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods. As you probably already know – The Cabin In The Woods is not a typical horror film. The great thing about this film is that it deconstructs the typical horror movie clichés that we are used to and turns the genre on its head by mocking traditional conventions. So we know the story – a group of young friends each with their own well-worn archetypes go on a ‘break’ from university to find themselves the target of some haunting situation that means inevitable death for most if not all of them. Here, however, the group of friends are being observed by a mysterious conspiracy of international scientists, headed up by Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford), who are controlling the strange and
4
creepy ongoings that the cabin-goers experience. But is that a new concept? No, not really. Shark Night 3D did the same last year with a plot that followed a group of hillbillies that fed their sharks on the teens that visited their lake for summer break. So what’s different about The Cabin In The Woods? Well Goddard’s film takes these typical genres and overly played-out films to mock them, and that’s what fans are loving. There’s no shouting
“The Cabin In The Woods is a clever take on the horror genre.”
“Don’t go down their, you’ll get eaten”, rather a “Yes, you keep heading towards your inevitable death because we all want to see you die.” Unfortunately this mockery doesn’t come off remarkably well, as whilst it’s obvious that the intention is there, it’s not enough for you to join in on the laughter. Cabin In The Woods is far from a serious film, but it is not as ‘silly’ or ‘fun’ as I had hoped either. Focusing on the American horror clichés that we usually hate about such films, The Cabin In The Woods has to heavily focus on these scenes to make the story make sense.
Whilst it makes fit for a solid plot, it is these scenes that we have to watch for the most part of the film which at times is just plain boring. When these scenes then contrast with ones of the government men controlling them to give the film its unique twist, unfortunately this didn’t quite work at first either. This was because the film made this second story line obvious from the start, giving us more information on what these government men were doing from the off start so that by the time the teenagers got to the cabin we were already pretty aware of what was going on. It was only towards the end of the film that these contrasting stories managed to come together well enough for it to work without complaint (maybe only for me, but still). One thing that can be applauded in The Cabin In The Woods is that the film had a cast of decent actors for a change who as well had a decent script to work with. As the directorial debut for the author of Cloverfield there was a lot of good aspects to the film, but for me it just all failed to come together to make the brilliant film I heard so much about. The actors may of all performed solidly throughout, but it wasn’t a fun experience to be a part of this group. It was only Jenkins
n
The Woods and Whitford watching over them that provided any form of entertainment, and whilst I can admit that I laughed more than a few times, that doesn’t mean that the film was funny overall. Not even including Chris Hemsworth – The Avenger’s Thor – was enough to persuade me otherwise. Again, it was only towards the end of the film that I began to appreciate it – and for those that have seen the film I mean from the elevator scenes onwards. This last twenty minutes were a great piece of cinema, and really reflected Goddard’s previous work with Whedon on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as a writer. The Cabin In The Woods a clever take on the horror genre and I did enjoy the plot, but it just wasn’t enough to make me want to see it again.
Release Date: 13th April 2012
Director: Drew Goddard
Famous Faces:
Richard Jenkins, Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth and Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams, and Fran Kranz
5
Avengers Assemble Release Date: 26th April 2012
Director: Joss Whedon
Famous Faces:
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, and Scarlett Johansson
6
Written and directed by Joss Whedon, Avengers Assemble centres around the Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)’s, need for a superhero team. Uniting Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), The Avengers are brought together to face Thor’s Godly brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his Chitauri alien army as they declare war on Earth. Continuing on from the epic big-screen adventures from the Marvel comics that have already begun with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Avengers Assemble has already grossed more in its first week than all of these Marvel films together in the same time period. And it’s not surprising really, as Marvel have done an amazing job of getting us ready and excited for this assemble. Most of us have seen at least one of these superhero films, if not all of them, and have had time to invest in these characters; now, with these characters joining forces for the very first time, everyone has something different to look forward to. So whether you’ve gone to see Iron Man for Robert Downey Jr’s witty
charm, or Thor for Chris Hemsworth’s brilliant accent, or even if just for Scarlett Johansson in a black skintight jumpsuit, you’re sure to leave the cinema satisfied. Set around the premise of war and an alien invasion, Avengers Assemble is all about the action, but at the beginning of the film when it is very heavy on scenes of mass gun shootings and big explosions, at first it comes off as a lot less lighthearted than most would hope. As you get into the film, however, you see that this is just to make an impact at the start, and that
“Whedon shows us how to use big budget action scenes in the right way.” as the film goes on these excessive scenes of fighting begin to blend better with other aspects of the film. Whilst there is an awful lot of action, the use of big explosions doesn’t come off as an unnecessary use of a big budget here, but it rather strengthens the film from Whedon showing us how to use big budget action scenes in the right way. From the film’s trailer I was worried that the mechanical machines flying through the New York City looked very Michael Bay and it was only too easy to conjure up fears of the
film looking like another Transformers movie. Fortunately this isn’t the case at all, and these robotic mechanisms are actually pretty cool. The CGI and 3D enhancement was some of the best I have seen (3D will always be an unnecessary addition to a film but there were parts where it really worked). There was no blurriness in the fighting scenes, which was of the greatest advantages as you have a genuine interest in these characters; whilst a lot of action films avoid any focus in these battle scenes to speed through having to give any focus, with The Avengers you wanted to know who is fighting who and how they are each using each of their unique weapons of choice to do so, which was a big plus. Whilst Avengers Assemble is by no means a comedy, it is also one of the funniest films I have seen in a long time. Whedon’s writing is pure genius here, often diverting from the seriousness of the situation with some hilarious one-liners or by using distractions in some almost predictable scenarios. The comedy isn’t in your face as if the jokes are purposefully put in places to make you laugh, but are rather fitted in well all over the place which came off as very organic humour. Occasionally giving the threat that not everyone is going to make it, as well, Whedon also manages to
7
make the audience fall silent. His contrasting use of fear and humour in his writing is what’s so incredible about this film, and it’s this great script that you constantly notice throughout. The biggest focus in the film is on the character development, which is the most important aspect of the film as the team meet each other – with a couple of exceptions – for the first time. Without focusing too much on their back stories, only using a couple of flash backs to remind us of a couple of necessary points, the emphasis is on the characters attempting to work together as a team. Most of us will have already have a favourite character so it’s likely that we all wanted more from each of them, but with so many characters, of course there are some aspects of their personalities that aren’t fully developed. Everyone may have had their time to shine, but the one criticism I would have to give is that a better introduction was needed for Hawkeye. It wasn’t completely obvious as to why he was good enough to be in The Avengers, but the fact that we got to see a different side of his character as well, played extremely well by Jeremy Renner, helped to rebalance this. Other than that his character was played up really well, with some amazing camera shots of him firing his arrows; the
8
moment that laser shines in your eyes as he flies in front of the screen was quite a memorable one. Another character I felt the film didn’t handle very well was Black Widow. We’ve met her before in the last Iron Man film, but whilst she has her moments, and whilst Scarlett Johansson is undeniably sexy and her character powerful, she doesn’t have a lot else going for her. It was hard to glamourise her role as only being able to shoot one alien at a time whilst others were
“It’s one of the biggest blockbuster movies you will see.” smashing through hundreds. Yes she can easily get her legs around a man’s head to break his neck, but against the other characters hers often seemed a little out of place. The character that everyone will be talking about, however, is Mark Ruffalo for the re-casting of The Hulk. We’ve seen The Hulk before portrayed by Edward Norton, but whilst he is a great actor, he had no sensitive side to his character. Ruffalo in The Avengers, however, was much easier to feel sympathy for and his character therefore built up a big fan base this time around. The CGI also allowed
Ruffalo to play The Hulk via motion capture which worked brilliantly, further allowing the audience to see the connection between Bruce Banner and the beast he is constantly cautious of becoming, and it’s because of his place in a team that we were able to see his character flourish. For me though, it was Tom Hiddleston as Loki that stood out. Not so much a fan of his character in the Thor film, his role has progressively strengthened to reach the high level of power his character emanates here. Hiddleston is great in the role and quite surprisingly, only because of his unburdened accent and quite dainty composure, he makes a brilliant antagonist. His acting was solid and he has definitely made a name for himself, more so than before, through this role here. But despite certain flaws or qualities in individual characters, as a group their assembling was brilliant. Beginning with different duels between each characters and then having the team finally coming together after – without giving any spoilers – finding something to avenge was the best development, and by the end of the film the team have a great chemistry. Despite a 140 minute running time you don’t find yourself checking your watch to see how long is left. Avengers Assemble is constantly brilliant. Of
course there was certain aspects of the film that were missed out, the most disappointing revolving around Thor’s arrival (which if you have seen the film then you will know what I mean), but there wasn’t anything left out that would leave the audience questioning. You may not believe that the film will actually be this good – it’s easy to become sceptical with everyone giving such huge praise – but it really is all that. It is undoubtedly one of the biggest blockbuster movies you will see and it is definitely my favourite film of the year so far. All we have to do now is see if The Dark Knight Rises can top this in the summer.
9
‘
Luis Prieto Talks Remaking Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Pusher’
10
With the release of the first trailer for the upcoming crime thriller, Pusher, Charlie Derry interviews the film’s director Luis Prieto about remaking a Nicolas Winding Refn cult classic, as well as working with British actor Richard Coyle and world class model Agyness Deyn. Set to be released later this year, Pusher is the first in a trilogy of films that explores the criminal underworld of Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally written and directed by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, best known for last year’s highly acclaimed crime thriller, Drive, and released in 1996
with the same name, Pusher is known for being the film that launched Refn’s career. This latest English language remake is Spanish born director Prieto’s first Englishlanguage film, but when the producers first approached Prieto with the idea of remaking the film, Prieto didn’t agree straight way. He comments: “At first I refused because I didn’t want to remake such a great film.” With Refn now serving as Executive Producer, this helped to convince Prieto to remake the film. “Having him as an executive producer was both a blessing and a gift. From the very start Nicolas was extremely respectful with my decisions as director and he never stepped in the way of my work,” says Prieto. “He was so cool with me - I recall him telling me, ‘Remember this is your film, not mine.’ It was very special.” Pusher, the first film in the series, follows a London drug pusher named Frank (played by Richard Coyle) for a full week as his life turns into chaos when a deal goes wrong. The more desperate Frank’s behaviour gets the more isolated he becomes, until there is nothing left standing between him and the nine millimeter bullet his debtors intend to put through his skull. Prieto first saw the film at a film festival when it was originally released over sixteen years ago. “I only had a vague memory of the film,” he says. “But I remember that the
performances were incredible and that the film had a documentary style to it.” But neither Prieto nor the film’s producers wanted just to remake the film. “From the start the producers wanted a new interpretation of Refn’s film,” says Prieto. “When I first read the script I thought that it was wonderful. I proposed what I would do with it and everyone was very excited about my reinterpretation.” “The only thing that I share from the original is the script, which Matthew Read has done a great job of rewriting,” he continues. “So you could say that I just took advantage of the interest of the producers to make the remake to actually shoot my film.” Prieto’s vision was to make the original film happen in a modern day London. He says: “The material felt very close to me and I gave it my vision. I thought that if I tried to do what Refn did then I could only fail because his Pusher is great.” One way that Prieto managed to capture a whole new film rather than making a complete remake was to not let the actors or the crew see the original film beforehand, with only the exception being Danish actor Zlatko Buric who plays the same role of Milo as he did in Refn›s original. “I told everyone that we were actually making a different film,” he says. “When I asked Zlatko to
11
‘
forget about his previous characterization he told me not to worry about it, as, back in 1995 while they were shooting it, the drugs in the film were real, and so was the consumption, so he practically didn›t remember anything.” Not only is Pusher Prieto’s first hard-hitting feature, moving away from the comedy genre that he often deals with, but this is also the director’s first English-language film. Prieto, however, comments that he felt quite at home shooting it, as he comments:
12
“I’m sure the fact I went to film school in the US helped me to feel that way.” As well as starring Richard Coyle in film’s the lead role, Pusher also stars British actors Bronson Webb (Game of Thrones), Agyness Deyn (Clash of the Titans), Mem Ferda (The Devil’s Double), Paul Kaye (Match Point), and Daisy Lewis. “British actors are great!” says Prieto. “And I was a lucky to get to direct Richard Coyle, who for me is one of the most talented actors in the UK. He’s so special and powerful, and Agyness Deyn, as well, was a real
actress, even if this was her first experience.” Known best for her modelling career, this is Deyn’s first major role in a film after “When A briefly appearing and Ri in 2010’s Clash Of The Titans. “I were to chose Agyness on scr without knowing who she really everyon was,” says Prieto. mesme “It wasn’t until later that the with t casting director perform told me that she was a top model, but the truth is that she is a top person and a top actress.”
Deyn plays the role of Coyle’s girlfriend Flo, and from the trailer alone it’s easy to see that the two have great Agyness chemistry together. “When ichard Agyness and ogether Richard were together on reen, screen everyone ne was was mesmerized with their erized performance,” says Prieto. their “They were really mance.” incredible and moving. I love them, and I’m sure that they are both going to be very busy
once the film comes out.” Talking about his influences whilst making Pusher, Prieto comments that, “The style is very similar in some ways to some of my previous work.” Best known for his Spanish-language film Bamboleho, which he also wrote and which won over 45 international awards, and the Italian teenromance Ho voglia di te, Prieto relates to both of these films as an influence whilst making Pusher. He says: “For the camera
movement I am closer to my short film Bamboleho, and for the look you could say that is closer to some of my Italian films.” When asked if Prieto plans to work on more British films in the future, he replied: “I hope so! I loved the whole experience and I hope there will be more opportunities to come, so fingers crossed and let’s see what the future brings.” Now in its postproduction stage, Pusher will be available in cinemas from 31st August.
13
Mirror Mirror Following Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland and Catherine Hardwicke‘s Red Riding Hood, Mirror Mirror is the latest in a series of childhood fairytale reimaginings which is directed by Tarsem Singh. Based on the classic Brothers Grimm tale Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, the film follows The Evil Queen (Julia Roberts) who, having stolen control of a kingdom, exiles the princess Snow White (Lily Collins) into the woods and orders her to be killed. Set free and told to never return home, Snow White enlists the help of seven dwarves, determined to win back her birthright and free her Prince Charming (Armie Hammer) from The Evil Queen’s spell. Despite being part of a rapidly growing franchise of fairytale re-tellings, Mirror Mirror is different in the sense that it is targeted at a much bigger audience. Other fairytale re-tellings so far, and much like Rupert Sanders‘ upcoming take on the Snow White story is expected to be, have been a dark twist on the Disney films we are all familiar with. Singh’s take
14
on the Snow White is very much a family adventure, however, and is much closer to original tale by the Grimm brothers and the classic 1937 Disney version. Is that a pro or con? Well it’s a bit of both. It may be a great happy ending film to go see with any younger relatives you may have but if you’re looking for a decent cinematic experience then I probably wouldn’t bother. Whilst we may know the story, Mirror Mirror looks at the classic Snow White story from a slightly different perspective as the film is narrated by The Evil Queen. This bigger focus on the Queen and the use of a bad-ass bunch of dwarves rather than the comical and overly cartoontype characters from the Disney film are two of the highlights of Mirror Mirror. From these two points alone the film does manage to do something different with the story, but other than that it doesn’t quite have the same charm. From the director of last year’s epic Greek mythology based action film Immortals,
the film still has some great visuals and really captures a story book feel to it. The main observation, however, is that Singh had a much better script to work from here which made all the difference. The script, from newcomers Melisa Wallack and Jason Keller, isn’t a masterpiece but it is cheesy in all the right places. It is again the dwarves that offer some of the best lines, which further solidifies their place in the film. As for the other characters, lead star Lilly Collins is a believable and sympathetic heroin and really suits the pale-faced and red-lipped princess that she is playing. Whilst she will undeniably be smiling a lot more than Twilight star Kristen Stewart will even be able to handle in the upcoming adaptation, Collins plays a character that won’t get any reaction from anyone over the age of about eight. Her portrayal was all Princess and no edge, which for what was asked of her was perfect, but
Release Date: 2nd April 2012
Director: Tarsem Singh
Famous Faces: Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, and Armie Hammer
let’s face it she’s no Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, and I think that’s more what an audience or looking for these days. Whilst you may have thought that having Julia Roberts in a lead role too would be enough to make this film stand out, unfortunately it doesn’t. Her role here may be much better than some of her recent films, and her acting is brilliant throughout (I mean, it’s still the amazing actress from films such as Notting Hill and Pretty Woman), but it just doesn’t make that much of a difference. Even Sean Bean makes a – slightly unbelievable – appearance, but in comparison to Sander’s
upcoming film which is set to star the likes of Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, it just didn’t stand a chance. Not even the story book romance worked that well. Armie Hammer may have
“Not even the story book romance worked that well.” looked the part (I’m pretty sure he was made for the role of Prince Charming), but his character was extremely irritable from the start. I’m not sure if it was because of
the accent that perfectly fit his ‘Um-yah’ character in The Social Network or not but again, I don’t think he was the right actor to capture the attention of anyone of legal age. This is where the targeted family audience becomes a problem, as it just doesn’t relate to the majority audience. If you have children or are under the age of 12 yourself then you will probably love this, but if you’re looking for something a bit different and with a bit more lust and gore then I would suggest to wait for Snow White and the Huntsman later this year. We also have Jack The Giant Killer and Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters to look forward to too.
15
On DVD this month...
16
April DVD Releases: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Date: 23rd April Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is asked to help discover the truth about a woman who has been missing for forty years, seeking the help of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a young computer hacker.
Romantics Anonymous Date: 16th April
Dream House Date: 16th April
What happens when a man and a woman share a common passion? They fall in love. And this is what happens to the boss of a small chocolate factory, and a gifted chocolate maker he has just hired.
Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) quits work to move his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) and their two daughters into their dream home, but they soon discover that their idyllic house was once a murder scene.
The Future Date: 23rd April When a couple decides to adopt a stray cat their perspective on life changes radically, literally altering the course of time and space and testing their faith in each other and themselves.
Black Pond Date: 16th April
The Lady Date: 23rd April
An ordinary British family and their Japanese friend are accused of murder when a stranger dies at their dinner table. Black Pond is an existential comedy drama starring British comedian Simon Amstell.
The story of Aung San Suu Kyi (played by Michelle Yeoh) as she becomes the core of Burma’s democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, writer Michael Aris (David Thewlis).
17
In cinemas next month...
18
May’s Cinema: American Reunion Date: 2nd May The cast of the American Pie franchise reunite for their high school reunion, as some couples are now married with children, whilst others are still doing naughty things with pies and their friend’s mothers.
Jeff, Who Lives At Home Date: 11th May
What To Expect When You’re Expecting Date: 23rd May
Dispatched from his basement room on an errand for his mother, slacker Jeff (Jason Segel) might discover his destiny when he spends the day with his brother (Ed Helms).
A look at love through the eyes of five interconnected couples experiencing the thrills and surprises of having a baby, as they come to understand that life doesn’t always deliver.
Now Is Good Date: 25th May 17-year-old Tessa who, diagnosed with terminal cancer, compiles a list of things she’d like to do before she dies, determined to experience some regular teen thrills whilst she still has the chance.
The Lucky One Date: 2nd May
Men In Black 3 Date: 25th May
Adapted from Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel of the same name, following a US Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) who, whilst fighting in Iraq, finds a photograph a woman whom he credits for keeping him alive.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return as Agents J and Agent K, but this time Agent J must travel back in time to the 1960s to change history and stop an alien from assassinating a much younger version of his partner.
19