Movie Muser

Have your say about cinema

Chloe Moretz & Elle Fanning In The Running For X-Men: Apocalypse – The roles of young Jean Grey and Cyclops are up for grabs

By

With X-Men Apocalypse due to shoot next year, there are a few roles to fill, some of which will be familiar names given new, younger faces. According to The Wrap, Bryan Singer and co. are currently on the lookout for a new Jean Grey and Scott Summer (aka Cyclops).

Shortlist are being drawn up, with those in the running for Jean Grey reportedly include Chloe Moretz, Elle Fanning and Hailee Steinfeld, while the lesser known names in the running for Cyclops include Ben Hardy (East Enders), Charlie Rowe (Never Let Me Go) and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar).

It appears though these are just a few of the names under consideration so don’t be shocked if none of them get the parts and a slew of other people are rumoured before a final name is announced.

The fact those in the running for Jean Grey are more famous than the possible Cyclopses probably isn’t a coincidence and mean the former has a much more important role than the latter.

Whoever get the parts they’ll be on the set in 2015 with a May 2016 release date set.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

Chris Pratt Set To Be Cowboy Ninja Viking – He’s not just a Star Lord

By

It’s been one hell of a year for Chris Pratt, who went from the slightly chubby guy from Park & Recreation to being a bona fide movie star with Guardians Of The Galaxy.

However he won’t just be sticking with Star Lord, as Collider suggests that he’ll be taking the lead role in Cowboy Ninja Viking.

The film has been in the works for some time, based on the comic series by writer A. J. Lieberman and artist Riley Rossmo. The film follows a secret government program to turn schizophrenics into assassins.

Pratt will be Duncan, who comes through the program with the skill sets of a cowboy, ninja and a viking. While most of the patients involved in the program are sent back to insane asylum after the program goes awry in Iraq, he escapes and uses his skills to track down the billionaire who masterminded the program.

While Marc Forster (Quantum Of Solace, World War Z) signed up to direct in 2012, he’s no longer involved and no other director has been hired as yet.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

New Peanuts Trailer – Charlie Brown, Snoopy and co. get their own movie

By


Charles Schulz’s Peanuts has been one of the most popular comic strip for decades and has spawned a slew of TV specials that have become iconic parts of US TV. It’s not too much of a surprise then that it’s becoming a CGI movie.

While it appears to just be going by the name Peanuts, it appears in the UK it will be Snoopy & Charlie Brown: A Peanuts Movie.

Here’s the short synopsis: ‘For the first time ever, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang we know and love from Charles Schulz’s timeless “Peanuts” comic strip will be making their big-screen debut; like they’ve never been seen before in CG-Animated Feature film in 3D.’

It’ll be out in 2015.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

Fresh Seventh Son Trailer – Will we ever actually see the Jeff Bridges fantasy?

By

They’re certainly keeping us waiting for Seventh Son. The movie has been in the works for years and even after it was shot there were delay, as while it was originally due to be released October 2013, it’s not actually arriving in cinemas until next February.

But to help keep up the excitement a new trailer has arrived.

Here’s the official synopsis: ‘In a time long past, an evil is about to be unleashed that will reignite the war between the forces of the supernatural and humankind once more.

‘Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) is a knight who had imprisoned the malevolently powerful witch, Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), centuries ago. But now she has escaped and is seeking vengeance. Summoning her followers of every incarceration, Mother Malkin is preparing to unleash her terrible wrath on an unsuspecting world.

‘Only one thing stands in her way: Master Gregory. In a deadly reunion, Gregory comes face to face with the evil he always feared would someday return. Now he has only until the next full moon to do what normally takes years: train his new apprentice, Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) to fight a dark magic unlike any other.

‘Man’s only hope lies in the seventh son of a seventh son.’

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

Pixar’s Inside Out Character Posters Debut – Meets an eight-year-old girl’s emotions

By


Disney-Pixar has unleashed a set of characters posters for their next treat, Inside Out, an rather intriguing movie that’s set inside the mind of an eight-year-old girl.

We’ve already had a trailer, but now it’s time to meet the girl’s individual emotions. You can take a look at them below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘From an adventurous balloon ride above the clouds to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award®-winning director Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Up”) has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In Disney•Pixar’s original movie ” Inside Out,” he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all—inside the mind.

‘Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.’

The film’s due out in the UK July 2015.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (Blu-ray) – The best DreamWorks Animation movie yet?

By


Most of DreamWorks Animation’s output has been okay but nothing particularly special. They hit on something good with Shrek (and I personally love Prince Of Egypt), but with How To Train Your Dragon it seemed like they’d suddenly stepped up a gear, with great storytelling, a massive scale and genuine heart. However after that nearly everything they’ve made – from Turbo to Mr. Peabody & Sherman – has gone back to being rather rubbish. However with How To Train Your Dragon 2 they’ve made what is probably their best film yet.

It’s several years on from the first film and Hiccup is now older and has led a major change on the Viking island of Berk, where rather than fighting dragons they now befriend and ride them. However not every Viking is as enlightened as they are, after finding an ice cave that’s home to hundreds of new, wild dragons, Hiccup and his friends discover they’re under threat from a man called Drago, who’s determined to rule the dragons by force and if he does that he believes he can control the people too.

Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless, realise they may be the only ones who can help, but he gets an even bigger surprise when he discovers the identity of a mysterious dragon thief. However the fight to protect the creatures may have repercussions Hiccup never expected.

It really is an immensely fun film, with plenty of wit, great characters and some excellent CGI used to create an immersive and cohesive world (something that’s been a bit of a problem with some other DreamWorks Animation stories). However what really pushes it up several notches is the sheer amount of heart it possesses. It’s a film that’s tied together with friendship, family and people learning the importance of the bonds that bind them. How To Train Your Dragon 2 also has an interesting take on family and the difficulties married people can have, even if they still love one another. That leads to a moving and very well-handled sequence that changes Hiccup’s life forever, and which definitely takes it cue from The Lion King in how it’s done.

Of course there’s also plenty of action and lots of magnificent swooping shots of dragons flying. Just on this score it’s a good film, but it’s the fact it really make your care about Hiccup, Toothless and his family that ensures this stand out. And the fact it puts a smile on your face and pulls at your heartstrings doesn’t hurt either.

The special features may also entertain the youngsters, as the majority of them take a closer look at things such as the different species of dragons, Drago’s fearsome war weapons and Hiccup’s inventions. And of course of Blu-ray the film looks at crisp and bright as you’d hope.

And on a sidenote, How To Train Your Dragon 2 should also be praised for having a hero with a disability (Hiccup only has one leg after the events of the first film), but the film never presents it as something to pity, or as something that could potentially stop him from achieving his goals. Indeed with his inventive brain he uses it to his advantage. The makers could easily have made Hiccups peg leg a metaphorical crutch to hang phoney sentiment one, but instead they just treat it as a fact of life, which is very unusual in this type of movie.

Overall Verdict: Many may love Shrek, but to my mind How To Train Your Dragon 2 is the best CGI film DreamWorks Animation has made to date. It looks great, has an involving story and huge amounts of heart that really makes you care about the characters (and their dragons).

Special Features:
Fishleg’s Dragon Stats
Drago’s War Machines
Berk’s Dragon World
Hiccup’s Inventions in Flight
Deleted Scenes
Commentary by Simon Otto, Bonnie Arnold, Dean DeBlois, and Pierre-Olivier Vincent
Image Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
World of DreamWorks Animation

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES: