Movie Muser

Steven Spielberg is getting serious once more, this time reteaming with Tom Hanks to take on a tale of the Cold War and the precarious situation between the US and Russia in the 1960s.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, DreamWorks Pictures/Fox 2000 Pictures’ “Bridge of Spies” tells the story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. Screenwriters Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen have woven this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.

‘Directed by three-time Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg, “Bridge of Spies” stars: two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks as James Donovan; three-time Tony Award® winner Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel, a KGB agent defended by Donovan; Scott Shepherd as CIA operative Hoffman; Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan as James’ wife, Mary; Sebastian Koch as East German lawyer Vogel; and Academy Award nominee Alan Alda as Thomas Watters, a partner at Donovan’s law firm. The film is produced by Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger with Adam Somner, Daniel Lupi, Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Matt Charman and three-time Academy Award winners Ethan Coen & Joel Coen.’

The movie will be in cinemas this autumn.

For many years Z For Zachariah was a staple of school classroom, but it’s only now, long after the nuclear fears that ignited it, that it’s coming to the big screen. And a few changes have been made, not least upping the age of the female lead character to avoid the slight creepy edge of the relationship between a teen girl and a grown man in Robert C. O’Brien’s book.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In the wake of a nuclear war, a young woman (Margot Robbie) survives on her own, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth, until she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being. A distraught scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor), he’s nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. A fragile, imperative strand of trust connects them. But when a stranger (Chris Pine) enters the valley, their precarious bond begins to unravel.’

The film will be out in the US in August, but no UK date is currently set.

Following the recent tragedy on Everest caused by the Nepal earthquake, the marketing for San Andreas was deliberately toned down. You have to imagine there were a lot of serious conversations about this one, which is based on the true story of the greatest disaster to hit the mountain until this year.

This first trailer certainly highlights the danger while saying little about the tragedy, and the synopsis glosses over it too.

Here it is: ‘Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival. The epic adventure stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal.’

The film is out in UK Cinemas 24th September.

For a very long time Robert Zemeckis was a many who couldn’t do anything without special effects, but more recently with Flight it looked like he was calming down. However with The Walk it appears he’s back to using effects to try and give a story a grander scale than it might otherwise have had.

And that’s certainly clear in this rather cool new trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man – Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Robert Zemeckis, the director of such marvels as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Polar Express and Flight, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX 3D wizardry, The Walk is true big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds. The film, a PG-rated, all-audience entertainment for moviegoers 8 to 80, unlike anything audiences have seen before, is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the Towers of the World Trade Center.’

The film opens this autumn.

After what seems like a very long wait, Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in a new film version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is on its way, and the trailer has arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘The highly anticipated tale of war, ambition, love, murder and betrayal, directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) and starring Academy-Award nominee Michael Fassbender (Twelve Years A Slave, Shame, Hunger) and Academy-Award winner Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night, La Vie En Rose) will see a UK release on OCTOBER 2nd.

‘Macbeth is the story of a fearless warrior and inspiring leader brought low by ambition and desire. A thrilling interpretation of the dramatic realities of the times and a reimagining of what wartime must have been like for one of literature’s most famous and compelling characters, a story of all-consuming passion and ambition set in war torn Scotland.

‘MACBETH is from the producers of The King’s Speech and Shame. MACBETH also stars Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum), David Thewlis (the Harry Potter series), Sean Harris (Prometheus), Jack Reynor (What Richard Did) and Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby).’

It would seem the Mission: Impossible franchise has decided it wants to sit halfway between a Marvel superhero movie and a James Bond flick, but considering the amount of money those films make, that’s probably not a bad decision for Paramount to have made.

Synopsis: ‘With the IMF disbanded, and Ethan (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, the team now faces off against a network of highly skilled special agents, the Syndicate. These highly trained operatives are hellbent on creating a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with disavowed British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who may or may not be a member of this rogue nation, as the group faces their most impossible mission yet.’

Tom Cruise star alongside Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames, and adds to the cast Rebecca Ferguson and Alec Baldwin

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is in UK cinemas July 30th.