Back in April at FanX, I attended a very similar panel called “So You Want to Be A Movie Critic?” that hosted many of the same people that the one here did. Due to this, people might be wondering why I would revisit the issue so quickly, and that’s simply because there was a lot of new and relevant material that was presented this time around. It would behoove anyone who wants to look into a career as a critic to pay attention.
The biggest point of discussion was what is the difference between a movie review blogger and a legitimate film critic? It’s a rather valid question as pretty much any idiot with a computer can throw their opinions out into the wilds of the internet and say they are a “critic.” It could also be argued that a lot of critics started out this way and only became well known once their writing style improved and they became more educated in film theory.
And that right there — education — is the key difference between the two.
A real film critic will have taken the time and invested the energy into being a true student of film. Whether that means they have a degree, are a creator or have slogged through hundreds upon hundreds (thousands, even) of movies to learn how to dissect and analyze one through its script, directing, lighting, etc. This isn’t something you can just pick up; it takes years of dedication, study and watching truly horrendous (and great) movies to learn how to do this. Basically, if the first time you had ever heard of Georges Méliès was in the movie “Hugo”, then you have a lot more homework to do.
It’s also a common misconception that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and while it’s true that anyone is allowed one, it doesn’t mean that theirs is as valid as someone who is an expert in the topic at hand. A person can have the opinion all they want that the latest “Transformers” movie was a fantastic example of what quality cinema should look like, and they would be wrong. Movies need to meet certain standards to say they are of a high quality, and “Transformers” misses on almost every level (writing, acting, directing, editing … the list goes on).
To be clear, this doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t be allowed to love and be fans of anything they want; by all means, think that “Transformers” was the best action movie ever made and “Scream 4” was a horror gem, but that doesn’t mean they’re good . Even the most cynical movie critic has a movie that is near and dear to them that is absolute garbage; the difference there is that they are aware enough to know that it’s bad but love it anyway.
So if you truly want to be a critic and learn about film, you’ve got some work ahead of you. In the meantime, why don’t you listen to the panel and hear for yourself what everyone had to say.
If you happen to be in or near Austin for the Sin City 2 premiere, I can’t think of a better way to see it then with Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Steven Tyler. The event will be hosted by the Austin Film Society and include tickets to an after party where they will be selling these gorgeous limited edition posters by artist Paul Shipper. They are printed using 4 inks and one metallic on MOHAWK paper, and will cost $45.00. The print (featured below) will be available for purchase at the after party hosted at the Rattle Inn.
Tickets to the screening start at $30.00 and can be upgraded to VIP status for $130.00. Any posters not sold at the after party will be available on the Odd City Store, beginning Friday, August 22.
You can purchase tickets and scope out more details HERE. The poster is below.
Machinima announced the start of their new series from Paramount Digital called “Chop Shop”. This gritty new series focuses on a man trying to rekindle a relationship after his stint in prison for stealing cars “Chop Shop” comes from the producers of “Need for Speed” and “Act of Valor” and will feature talent like Robert Patrick and many others. The show will launch on Machinima Prime July 18, trailer is below.
Press release below:
For Immediate Release
MACHINIMA GEARS UP FOR NEW, GRITTY ACTION SERIES “CHOP SHOP” PREMIERING ON FRIDAY, JULY 18
CO-STARRING ROBERT PATRICK, THE PARAMOUNT DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT SERIES IS PRODUCED BY THE BANDITO BROTHERS
Los Angeles, CA (July 2, 2014) – Machinima, the leading global video entertainment network for fanboys and videogamers, in conjunction with Paramount Digital Entertainment, today announced that the gritty new action drama”Chop Shop” will launch on Friday July 18, 2014. ”Chop Shop” follows a crew of car thieves as they rise from the mean streets of Los Angeles to become high level international players. The series will premiere exclusively on Machinima’s Prime Channel (YouTube.com/MachinimaPrime).
Below please find a direct link and embed code to the teaser trailer:
“Chop Shop” centers on Porter (John Bregar), a car thief recently released from a five year stint in prison, who finds himself struggling to rekindle a relationship with his former girlfriend Sofia (Ana Ayora) and their five-year old son he hardly knows. Porter soon reconnects with his old partner in crime Caine (Rene Moran), who’s volatile and aggressive nature puts him at odds against Porter’s new life. Torn between family and friendships, Porter faces the most difficult decision of his life and realizes that to change his future he might have to relive his past.
“”Chop Shop” continues Machinima’s push to deliver our audience top level scripted series”, said Andy Shapiro, Vice President of Scripted Content at Machinima. “We can’t wait to see how the audience will react as the story unfolds week after week.”
Elliott Lester (Blitz) directs the Bandito Brothers (Act Of Valor) and Joshua Weinstock produced series, alongside writers Josh Baizer and Marshall Johnson (Mortal Kombat: Legacy). Series stars John Bregar (Being Human, Kick Ass 2, The Mentalist), Rene Moran (Shameless, Lie to Me, Switched at Birth), Ana Ayora (Marley & Me, Castle), and acclaimed actor Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Sopranos, The X-Files, True Blood).
“”Chop Shop” is one man’s journey from prison back to his hell on the streets of Los Angeles. Between the amazing action, you also find this struggle between returning to a life of crime and the family that he has to protect,” said director Elliot Lester.
“Our creative team has crafted a remarkable series for the digital space and Machinima is the perfect home for the show,” said Dani Bernfeld, Vice President, Paramount Digital Entertainment.
About Machinima
Machinima is the leading video entertainment network for young males and video gamers around the world. One of the top entertainment networks on YouTube, Machinima delivers more than 2.4 billion video views per month and reaches more than 170 million viewers monthly. The network features scripted series, original content, weekly and daily shows, official publisher content, and gameplay videos, all aimed at the coveted 18-34 year-old male demographic. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and backed by MK Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Google Capital.
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
About Bandito Brothers
Bandito Brothers is a full service media company that creates, produces, manages and distributes authentic and immersive audio-visual content. Bringing together world-class filmmakers, athletes, and technologists in its state of the art facility situated on a square acre in the heart of Los Angeles, Bandito Brothers strives to redefine the studio of the future.
Recent film projects include: ACT OF VALOR, which stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism, that Relativity Media released #1 at the box office on February 24, 2012; WAITING FOR LIGHTENING, a documentary about the extraordinary life of skateboard legend Danny Way that Samuel Goldwyn Films released on December 7, 2012; and the action film NEED FOR SPEED, based on the popular video game, that DreamWorks is releasing on March 14, 2014.
Auteur Edgar Wright, walked away from Ant-Man after eight years of development last month, reportedly due to creative differences with Disney-owned Marvel. Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios President, has reassured fans and stated that the screenplay he wrote with Joe Cornish would still form the basis of the final film.
During a recent interview, Feige talked a bit about Wright’s Ant-Man, confirming that the story they locked into place for the film all those years ago has impacted how Marvel approached its cinematic universe (specifically the lineup for The Avengers), knowing how Ant-Man would later come into play.
So, what really went wrong?
Who can say what really caused this rift, but I will miss the originality of Wright’s voice, I enjoy the continuity and fan service of both Marvel and the MCU, but can see it can also become a trap. I certainly feel that obsessive continuity, overemphasis on constant, universe wide events and the retreading of villains and story lines has ultimately limited the audience for the comics. There was an era — the 70s— where Marvel was very experimental; where three of their most popular characters were Shang Chi, Dracula and Conan; and where even established characters like Dr. Strange seemed to operate in a radically different world than the Avengers. As a consequence, I don’t find myself bothered by incongruities in tone between various franchises as long as the world building and storytelling is enjoyable.
Brand discipline is very important, but so is creative versatility. Even the MCU is synthesizing the cross-pollination of multiple generations of characters and plots that diverge radically in tone. Some characters, like Star Lord and Rocket Raccoon, weren’t even part of the Marvel Universe originally. The danger of containing every concept within the constraints of a single creative universe is that it will make the Marvel Studios less open to unique ideas and less agile. The weakness of the first half of AOS season one, the decision to drop a cross generationally appealing Avengers: EMH, the stunted ending of Captain America 1, and the mediocre execution of Iron Man 2 (some would say 3 also) and Thor 2, show the fault lines.
However, It’s fairly obvious that the timeline is what soured relations. Marvel hired Edgar Wright for Ant-Man before Marvel took off. Edgar Wright made Marvel wait for years and he made two other “passion” projects before he finally put his attention into Ant-Man. When Edgar finally was ready to stop postponing it, he was in a different landscape as Marvel had successfully built a wonderful cinematic universe that must be adhered to. Edgar always objected to a connected movie before it became popular and mandatory. So, when it came down to it Marvel HAD to choose a cohesive connection with an established character than the whims of a cult director. Period. End of story.
I hate saying this. It truly is Edgar Wrights fault for delaying the movie and had he focused on making Ant-Man instead of Pilgrim and Worlds End then we would have had ‘his’ film. He snoozed way to long and was unwilling to budge. I love Edgar’s movies. However, I have invested trust in Marvel and I do think Ant-Man will be better for it in the long run.
In a recent interview Lauren Shuler Donner, producer of every single “X-Men” movie including the upcoming “Days of Future Past,” revealed that Gambit has found a new vessel and its name is Channing Tatum.
This announcement left me less than excited, I have no problem with Channing Tatum, he’s a fine young man I’m sure, I just don’t care about Gambit. That being said, I think “Iron Man” taught us all that our expectations can be exceeded and that new life can be breathed into a character that allows you to see it in a way you hadn’t prior. I hope they prove me wrong.
Tatum will play Gambit in an upcoming spin-off movie centering on the character. Previous attempts at solo mutant movies have gotten mixed reactions at best. Though those movies were years ago right? “First Class” was fantastic and “Days of Future Past” appears to be following down that path. Perhaps the people in charge have righted their course and have spectacular things ahead.
So while this announcement didn’t exactly have me jumping around the house excited, I’m hopeful. So there you have it, Channing Tatum is going to be Gambit, and he’s getting his own movie. What are your thoughts? Are you more excited than me? Can someone explain to me why this character is appealing. I want to know. Cheers.
Arthur C. Clarke liked to joke that, after he left his teens and his brains more or less gelled up, he was never really more than ten years old anyway.
He argued this because usually his daily life and working memory mostly focused on actions, events and memories from the last ten years of his experience and as he moved forward and grew older, this just kept shifting. He’d look back on books that he’d written outside this range and was surprised that he’d written them that way. The mental processes of the 30 year old author Clarke seemed strangely alien to him as an author at 50 or 60.
Then again this was the guy who gave us Against the Fall of Night and The City and the Stars. One of the main concepts in those stories was how to keep a human culture viable over a billion year time span. And a lot of it really has to do with diverting people’s attention. As creatures of nostalgia and short attention spans we are eager to forget history.
It has been interesting to recognize, as I sail through life, how little I’ve changed in some ways, even more than how much I have changed. In part, because nostalgia, but also because some things just get me in the gibblies. Star Wars— loved it since I saw ‘Empire’, love it just as much now. Doesn’t really matter that the movies aren’t as I remember them. It’s interesting, inherently, to see how I’ve changed, and how I react to them as an adult. It tells me a lot about myself as a kid.
When I was 22, I was amazed at how much wiser I had grown since 21. When I was 23, I was amazed that I had grown wiser *faster* over that year than I had the year previous. This continued until about age 27, and now every year feels exactly the same. I don’t know if those initial feelings were an illusion. I assumed that they were, and that the feeling would continue up until old age. The gaining of wisdom and shifting of opinion is not a steady process. Sometimes it’s slow. Sometimes it’s rapid-fire for a while. Sometimes it’s sudden and big. Am I different now then five years ago? Yes. Ten? Yes. Fifteen? Yes. Will I be different ten years from now? How about tomorrow? Probably yes. You might not be in an age of enlightenment like your early twenties but you are definitely still learning and growing as a person.
Maybe I’m just stuck in some sort of subconscious high school suppressed Gen X manchild stasis. Maybe this is the reason that golden era hip hop is like comfort food to me. Maybe Star Wars is just my ‘power animal’ and every time I watch the Death Star explode it says ‘slide’ to me.
Perhaps adulthood is when we begin to trust in all those old sayings and cliches, the ones that made us sigh and roll our eyes as kids. However, If I’m not changing, I’m not growing. If I’m not growing, I’m not learning. And if I’m not learning, I’m not living.
-Dagobot
Get at me on twitter: @markdago
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I can get tired of uncreative spectacle. If I never see an actor slowly dodge as an arrow/axe/bullet narrowly misses his cheek, that’d be great. Or someone falling and then right before they hit the ground their vehicle/jetpack/wingsuit kicks in and starts working. So many generic action movies have cliches like those that they can taint a whole film and leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Blockbuster fatigue isn’t just fatigue from too many blockbusters. It’s from too high a percentage of shotty spectacle-only content-empty blockbusters. And it’s also from too high a percentage of sequels, remakes, reboots, or nostalgia based movies. Last year, there were 23 remakes, reboots or sequels in the top 100. Twenty three!
Not enough of these blockbusters use their effects to create distinctive, lasting, and hopefully iconic images that linger in the mind. Older films didn’t have the technology we have today, but those filmmakers and technicians used what resources they had in the service of evoking strong emotions as well as moving the story along. That’s why I think the comparatively primitive films of yesteryear continue to find audiences today.
If I had to list 5 great images of classic fantastic films (Let’s say pre-70s/80s), images of nightmare and wonder, some special effects-driven, others not: 1) The unveiling of the robot in “Metropolis,” 2) The lightning-fueled creation of the Creature in James Whales “Frankenstein,” 3) The moment Dorothy opens up the door to her house to the Land of Oz and the film goes from black & white to color in “The Wizard of Oz,” 4) King Kong’s fight atop the Empire State Building in the original “King Kong,” and 5) The appearance of the monolith on prehistoric earth in “2001: A Space Odyssey,”
So, it’s got to be the CGI, right?
The democratization of VFX technology isn’t the problem. Maybe It’s because imagination needs to work its way through so many filters to make it to the multiplex. This is a great time we live in. There are plenty of innovators using all sorts of techniques to create beauty onscreen. But you can’t expect the Picasso’s to outnumber the knock offs, can you?
Captain America: The Winter Soldier…a bona fide blockbuster, loaded with CGI, and not all of it perfect. However, it still came across as a very grounded, practical vision. Comic book heroics made believable through a restrained deployment of mega effects (crashing helicarriers), and quirky, imaginative ones (Arnim Zola’s 4-bit mug). This is a case of film makers judiciously standing on the shoulders of effects giants, selecting the right tools for the job, and killing it.
There have always been bad movies. The difference is, the bad movies have better VFX now. But a good movie is still a good movie. I need more awesome. What awe requires is the unknown, the new. We can always be awed but maybe we’re done being awed by the same old things. And why wouldn’t we be.
-Dagobot
Get at me on twitter: @markdago
Like me on THE Facebook: facebook.com/markdagoraps
Download my latest EP for free: markdago.bandcamp.com
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Welcome back to the second installment of BSR! Weekend Movie Previews. This one is for the weekend of May 2, 2014.
As per usual, a quick disclaimer before we get started: I have not seen any of these movies, nor have I researched any of them. I am mostly just trusting in the universal power of pop culture osmosis to inform my admittedly clueless opinions. All of the film information presented here, including the plot summary, has been pulled from the Opening This Week page of IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/nowplaying/). This week we are previewing “The Protector 2”, “Locker”, “Walk of Shame”, “Belle”, and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”.
If there are no further questions, let’s go ahead and dig into the pile.
The Protector 2 (2013)
Trailer:
R 104 min – Action
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Stars: Tony Jaa, RZA, Petchtai Wongkamlao, JeeJa Yanin
Summary: When the owner of a major elephant camp is murdered, Kham finds himself the number one suspect and on the run from both the police and the deceased’s vengeful the twin nieces. But luck is on Kham’s side when he runs into an Interpol agent sent to Thailand on a secret mission.
Thoughts: I am conflicted on this. I have a lot of Martial Arts Movie Fan Friends who swear by Tony Jaa, but I have never found his movies that compelling. Looking at this newest release and comparing it to “Raid 2”, and seeing how little wire work was in that, and how much wire work and CG enhancement there seems to be in this, it all kinda turns me off. Would it have killed them to have at least one shot of an elephant in the trailer? Just one? Regardless some martial arts badassery is better than none, right?
Ida (2013) – [Limited]
Trailer:
PG-13 80 min – Drama
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Stars: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik, Jerzy Trela
Summary: Anna, a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi occupation.
Thoughts: I know nothing about anyone involved in this film, but it looks just stunningly, gorgeously executed. There is always room in the world for film, lovingly crafted.
Walk of Shame (2014)
Trailer:
R 95 min – Comedy
Director: Steven Brill
Stars: Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Sarah Wright
Summary: A reporter’s dream of becoming a news anchor is compromised after a one-night stand leaves her stranded in downtown L.A. without a phone, car, ID or money – and only 8 hours to make it to the most important job interview of her life.
Thoughts: Similar to “The Other Woman” last week, I am probably not the demographic for this flick. Having said that Elizabeth Banks has some serious comedy chops, and Gillian Jacobs at times is my favorite thing about “Community”. Plus, when is James Marsden going to get a real role in a Superhero movie. I really don’t count that mopey extended cameo version of Cyclops he did in the “X-Men” movies, I mean a real role in an MCU flick. Not sure who he would be though, I thought he would’ve been a decent Captain America at one point. Anyway, “Walk of Shame” – a comedy by the guy who directed “Drillbit Taylor”. There you go.
Belle (2013)
Trailer:
PG 104 min – Drama
Director: Amma Asante
Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson
Summary: An illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle.
Thoughts: I am always leery of films that proclaim loudly that they are based on a True Story. I always need to run to Wikipedia and try to research up on it to see what is real and what isn’t, and I have been burned far more often than not. Having said that, this film looks like it is trying to tackle a bigger truth than the run of the mill truth, with which I am fine. Ultimately, I am not sure how well it will work, since the trailer seems a bit overly earnest and obvious. However, the cast looks really great, and the cinematography looks good.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Trailer:
PG-13 142 min – Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Director: Marc Webb
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti
Summary: Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains against him, impacting on his life.
Thoughts: I didn’t hate the last Spider-Man movie, but I wasn’t over the moon for it either. I can kinda see why they thought it was a good idea to re-boot the origin, but I don’t think I can agree that it worked as well as they probably hoped. I think the last film, similar to “Man of Steel”, made some good creative choices, but I feel like they squandered a lot of good will too in order to up the dramatic conflict quotient. I did really like the more practical approach to the web swinging effects, and based on the trailer for this one, that part still looks great. But…. seriously, this movie looks exhausting.
Disagree? Call me out in the comments below. Agree? Please defend me in the comments below, we are probably outnumbered.
Welcome to the first, of what we hope are many BSR Weekend Movie Previews.
A quick disclaimer before we get started: I have not seen any of these movies, nor have I researched any of them. The whole point of this weekly feature is for me to pass judgment on films I have not yet seen. I am trusting in the universal power of pop culture osmosis to inform my admittedly clueless opinions. All of the film information presented here, including the plot summary, has been pulled from the Opening This Week page of IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/nowplaying/). This week we are previewing”For No Good Reason”, “Locker”, “The Other Woman”, “Brick Mansions”, and “The Quiet Ones”. A real winning hand of flicks…
So, without further ado, grab hold of my hand, close your eyes, take a deep breath and let’s make the jump…
“For No Good Reason” (2012)
Trailer:
R 89 min – Documentary | Biography | History | Music
Director: Charlie Paul
Stars: Johnny Depp, Ralph Steadman, Hunter S. Thompson, Terry Gilliam
Summary: Johnny Depp pays a visit to Ralph Steadman, the renowned artist and the last of the original Gonzo visionaries who worked alongside Hunter S. Thompson.
Thoughts: I wonder how Hunter S. Thompson would feel about the person Johnny Depp has become since his death in 2005. Hunter’s death, not Depp’s, though a case could be made that Depp died then, too, since that is about the time that the choices that made him edgy and interesting stopped. Depp became completely boring as an actor starting around the time he played Willy Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Hopefully, this trend will now end with his most lackluster recent turn in the very disappointing “Transcendence”. Anyway, “For No Good Reason” is a documentary about an artist that was associated with Thompson, and includes Johnny Depp as host and narrator. Looks pretty good.
“Locke” (2013)
Trailer:
R 85 min – Drama | Thriller
Director: Steven Knight
Stars: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott
Summary: A successful construction manager’s life is drastically changed by a series of phone calls while he drives.
Thoughts: This flick is getting a lot of great and positive critical praise, at least according to the trailer. I am still not sure what it is about, even after that wonderfully detailed summary from IMDb. Tom Hardy’s accent seems even more incomprehensible than his Bane accent, which is pretty amazing. Speaking of Hardy and accents, could they just release the new “Mad Max” movie already? He can do whatever accent he wants in that, I am just really ready for some non-talking animal (pig or penguin) George Miller awesomeness. It has been far, far too long.
“Brick Mansions” (2014)
Trailer:
PG-13 90 min – Action | Crime | Drama
Director: Camille Delamarre
Stars: Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, Gouchy Boy
Summary: An undercover Detroit cop navigates a dangerous neighborhood that’s surrounded by a containment wall with the help of an ex-con in order to bring down a crime lord and his plot to devastate the entire city.
Thoughts: I am a big Luc Besson fan – probably more so of the lower budget actioners he knocks out in his sleep as Writer/Producer. He is the behind the scenes ringleader of such awesomeness as Jet Li’s “Kiss of the Dragon” and “Unleashed” (his best non-Chinese produced films), “From Paris With Love”, “Transporter”, “3 Days to Kill”, “Lockout”, etc. “Brick Mansions” is actually a remake of the very awesome “District B13” which also co-starred David Belle (who is known as the father of modern Parkour), and Besson co-wrote and produced. This version is also noteworthy as one of the last screen appearances by the late Paul Walker. It looks like, based on the trailer, that it is pretty much a beat for beat remake of the original (with a lot of the same actors besides Belle, reprising roles). It does look like there are some added character arcs and motivations for the Walker character, which would was glossed over in the original. All of that aside, I will probably see it because of crazy insane fighting action. You don’t see these movies for the acting or the plot.
“The Quiet Ones” (2014)
Trailer:
PG-13 98 min – Horror
Director: John Pogue
Stars: Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Olivia Cooke, Erin Richards
Summary: A university professor and a team of students conduct an experiment on a young woman, uncovering terrifyingly dark, unexpected forces in the process.
Thoughts: I love horror movies and TV shows that are based on real events. But not in that “Ooohh, this really happened” kinda way. More like in the “Hey, how many adolescent kids are in the story that are totally ignored and just hanging out in the background stewing at the injustice of being left out of everything, and probably thinking ‘hey, I wonder what would happen if I threw this rock at the vase on the other side of the room when no one is looking’” kinda way. Having said all of that, Jared Harris is super creepy, so him in a horror movie is probably a good thing.
“The Other Woman” (2014)
Trailer:
PG-13 109 min – Comedy | Romance
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Stars: Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Summary: After discovering her boyfriend is married, Carly soon meets the wife he’s been cheating on. And when yet another affair is discovered, all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on the three-timing SOB.
Thoughts: I am at a bit of a loss on what to expect from this. I am not a big fan of any of the leading ladies. The plot looks pretty Post-Judd-Apatow-Meaningful-Comedy-Era-By-The-Numbers, and I don’t think I am the target demographic. However, Nick Cassavetes has some decent chops as a director (though, not as much in main stream comedies), and it has Jaime Lannister as the scoundrel husband. It might be too much to expect Leslie Mann to not only be playing his wife, but also his sister. A cameo by the George RR, would probably be asking too much as well.
Ceren Lee is the star of Machinima’s new pilot “Enormous” based on the successful comic series that began in 2012. Her character Ellen is struggling with the loss of her daughter in the apocalyptic viral outbreak, and has motivations of the same to save children, which have been deemed the future. Much like “The Walking Dead” the monsters are not the main focus of the show, in fact they are merely the catalyst that drives the human condition. We have the pilot episode available to watch just after the interview below! We hope you enjoy!
BSR!: How did you become involved in the project?
CL: Matt LaSalle th casting director became a friend of mine through different projects, and he called my manager and said “there is this role for Ceren, that she would be perfect for.” So I headed to the audition and I brought props, like a syringe and other things and I think that is what sealed the deal, because they were so impressed with my props.
BSR: Did you know much about Enormous before going to the audition?
CLI had not seen anything about the project, but as soon as I got the project I went straight to Google and then began reading up on the story and history, looked into the people involved and the illustrations. And then I read the script and that was the clincher, it was so amazingly written.
BSR: So what is the premise of this show, and what is going on with your character.
CL: Were post apocalyptic and there has been this strain of virus or epidemic that has wiped out the world. There are monsters; it’s just the end of the world. There is a group of U.N. search and rescue folk that have gone missing because there is no infrastructure, and their mission is to find children. And use the knowledge they gain on how they’ve survived and use whatever is in them as a cure for this.
Ellen lost her daughter in the apocalypse and because of how she feels with losing her daughter she is dedicated to the at all costs concept. She doesn’t care about the danger involved, because there isn’t anything worth living for if she isn’t redeeming her lost child. You find Ellen, who is grieving, but she has this outer shell, and she has a maternal softness that you see when she finds this kid. You won’t see the bad assness of her until later, with what’s to come. Because you see her with this team, a pilot and this boy, she lets a little bit of her guard down and every child is one step closer to her own.
BSR!: What was your favorite part in playing this role.
CL: My favorite part was the people we worked with. It was so Geurilla you know, and it made us feel like it was more than just a project it was our own. I wasn’t doing a job, everyone was working together on something bigger than the unit. There was this scene we shot in a stairwell and I’m carrying Dallas (the little boy) on my shoulders, and I’m carrying him on my shoulder’s he weighs a hundred pounds and I’m carrying him down the stairs. We had a dolly and a wheelchair as a dolly a director and Tim Daniel and a camera man. And we’re punking this massive real first unit work and having a blast, while I haul a kid down flights and flights of stairs on my shoulders. That badassness was my favorite part.
BSR!: What have you done before this?
CL: This was my first role as a lead and I’ve done a few things otherwise, but predominantly I’m a singer. I have two children and now I’m getting back into acting, so you could say before this my job was my children.
BSR!: What would you hope people seeing this would get from your character?
CL: I really hope when they watch this that just as I felt that it is a very character driven piece. The monsters are just a cherry on the sundae. You know what you come in for, just like “The Walking Dead” you’re watching to see what happens to your people, they’re real and have relationships. This is a very character driven piece and you want to know what happens to these guys. You want to know what happens to the monster but they’re really a bonus. So you want to know what happens next, and I hope everyone comes away with that.
BSR!: What’s next with this series?
CL: I emailed the producer this morning the same thing and he said, “We make more.” So I’m excited to continue this.
