Movie Muser

Have your say about cinema

A Bigger Splash Trailer – Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, & Matthias Schoenaerts seek seclusion

By


A Bigger Splash certainly has a great cast, with Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, & Matthias Schoenaerts seek seclusion coming together for a film described as ‘an impeccably stylish tale of love, beauty, desire, sexuality; people who in trying to retreat from their world, only find it encroaching further upon them.’

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Rock legend Marianne Lane is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope and interrupts their holiday, bringing with him an A-bomb blast of nostalgia from which there can be no rescue.’

The movie will receive a BFI London Film Festival gala screening at The Odeon Leicester Square on October 9th, with a February 2016 UK release planned. Take a look at the trailer below.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

Final The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Poster Arrives – Jennifer Lawrence is back in action

By


In just a month and a half the wildly popular Hunger Games saga comes to an end (although there has been talk of more sequels or spin-off) with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. Ahead of that comes a final poster, which sees Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss in full-on action mode.

Here’s the film’s synopsis: ‘With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow [Donald Sutherland] in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale [Liam Hemsworth], Finnick [Sam Claflin] and Peeta [Josh Hutcherson] – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.’

The movie arrives in UK cinemas November 19th, with tickets in going on sale on today.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

The Revenant Trailer – Leonardo DiCaprio is left for dead in the American wilderness

By


Although there’s a lot of good buzz for The Revenant, with some saying it could have a strong showing during the upcoming award season, there are also plenty of stories of its difficult production, which went over-budget and stretched out for months longer than originally planned.

Whether or not it will bring Leo DiCaprio the Oscar many think he deserves we’ll have to wait and see.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. THE REVENANT is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).’

It’ll be in UK cinemas January 15th.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

Burnt Trailer – Bradley Cooper is a chef in need of something new

By


Originally titled Chef, Bradley Cooper’s new movie ended up changing its name to Adam Cooper to ensure no one confused it with Jon Favreau’s movie from last year, which had the same title. Now we’ve got a new trailer for the film, which is now called Burnt, to give us a taste of the movie.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Adam Jones (four-time Academy Award® nominee Bradley Cooper) was a Michelin starred chef riding high at the top of the Paris restaurant scene, until his dangerous lifestyle caught up with him and he lost it all. With most of his rivals thinking he’s dead, Adam heads to London with a plan to explode back onto the restaurant scene.

‘BURNT is written by Academy Award® nominee Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Locke, ‘Peaky Blinders’) and directed by six-time Primetime Emmy winner John Wells (August: Osage County, ‘ER’).’

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

Matthew Vaughn Takes On I Am Pilgrim – He’s attached to the spy thriller

By

Kick Ass & Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn is teeing up a new movie, as THR reports that he’s set to direct and produce an adaptation of Terry Hayes’ novel I Am Pilgrim.

MGM is backing the movie, with Hayes writing the script himself (he’s a former screenwriter himself, having penned two of the Mad Max movies, mong others), the novel ‘follows “Pilgrim,” code name for a man who doesn’t exist. The adopted son of a wealthy American family, he once headed up a secret espionage unit for U.S. intelligence. Now in anonymous retirement, he is called upon to lend his expertise to an unusual investigation but ultimately becomes caught in a terrifying race against time to save America from a cunning terrorist’.

It seems MGM is hoping this can be the start of a major franchise (Hayes is already working on the second novel in the series), and believes Vaughn is the man to deliver it.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

Man Up (Blu-ray) – Simon Pegg and Lake Bell have a difficult rom-com romance

By


Whether or not we want to admit it, British cinema is a flavour of the month affair. Seeing as everyone was done stomaching bumbling British romance back in the late nineties, you’d be forgiven for rolling your eyes at Man Up. It’s marketed as “The Best British Rom-com in Years”, features Lake Bell spouting an English accent while Simon Pegg does his ‘lovable everyman’ bit (yet again) and, last but by no means least, it’s called ‘Man Up’, for crying out loud. Still, despite the cacophony of alarm bells just begging you do avoid it like the plague, it’s not an absolute turd – in fact it’s bloody good actually…seriously, it is.

Nancy is a cynical, sarcastic 34-year-old who’s done with dating until a series of mishaps and outright lies lead her off on an impromptu blind date with Jack (Pegg) – a stand-up guy who’s mistaken Nancy for some other girl he’s meant to be taking out. Shockingly, the pair hit it off and everything goes absolutely swimmingly until she lobs the inevitable spanner in the works.

While there are no prizes for guessing how everything pans out, Man Up does manage to surprise primarily thanks to the undeniable likability of Lake Bell. Her Nancy is confident, sarcastic and unbelievably smug, but the actress deftly keeps her on the right side of likeable even though her questionable actions make her a bit of a dick. Couple that with the undeniable chemistry she shares with Simon Pegg, and the ordeal of having to sit through the same regurgitated plot yet again isn’t anywhere near the chore that it should be.

Ben Palmer of Inbetweeners fame has directed Nira Park’s shockingly strong script with aplomb. Yes, the overall plot is more than a tad uninspired, but Man Up nevertheless delivers thanks to the undeniable chemistry, bold (but not overly crass) humour and its warts-and-all approach to relationships. It’s not without its flaws entirely, though – a British rom-com will always be topped with a good helping of cheese and this is no exception. Still, despite its predictability and moments of cavity-inducing sweetness, the tag-team of Palmer and Park has thrown together familiar ingredients and cooked up something a lot better than the usual fare. Even with its inability to leave any stone unturned, it surprises by making the girl be the conniving screw-up for once as opposed to the guy. Sure it does nothing to reinvent the genre, but it’s another element that helps to keep things remotely fresh.

In terms of specs, the HD image is as good as should be expected. The flick’s vibrant palette is reproduced well and the audio remains crystal throughout. Where the package shines though is in the extras. A painfully long 40 minute peek behind the scenes, an interview with the leads, a blooper reel and a trailer all pad out the disc and they’re all pretty terrible. However, they do show the undeniable fun that the pair had together during the shoot, so it’s unsurprising that that shone through on camera. Still, it’s bog-standard stuff and not really worth bothering with in all. Mediocre extras aside though, Man Up is a badly titled but brilliantly crafted retread through familiar territory.

Overall Verdict:
Despite every shitty rom-com claiming to be the best one in years, it’s not far from the truth in this case. A sweet, funny jaunt through what would otherwise be painfully familiar territory – just don’t be put off by the naff title.

Special Features:
‘The Seven Beats of Man Up’ Featurette
Interviews with Lake Bell and Simon Pegg
Blooper Reel
Trailer

Reviewer: Jordan Brown

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES: