Last year, Sony set a September 2014 release date for the sixth instalment in the Resident Evil series, with director Paul W.S. Anderson and star Milla Jovovich both set to return, before things fell deathly silent on the sequel front.

Obviously that date is now out of the question, but Anderson has offered a brief update on Resident Evil 6 during the Beijing International Film Festival, with Tracking Board reporting that the film will going by the title of Resident Evil Rising, and that Bingbing Li will be returing to the cast in the role of Ada Wong.

According to the site, Resident Evil Rising “will follow Alice (Jovovich) and her crew as they rush to The Hive, where The Red Queen plots total destruction over the human race.” So far, there’s no word on when filming might begin, nor a revised release date.

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Before the Emmy Award-winning drama returns to the small screen with 24: Live Another Day, Jack Bauer is back in comic book form courtesy of IDW Publishing as  writing sensation Ed Brisson (Secret Avengers) and Eisner Award nominee Michael Gaydos (Alias) restart the clock on the high-octane saga with a brand new series; check out a preview of 24 #1 right here…

24 #1 is out on Wednesday, priced $3.99.

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Earlier this month Richard Donner broke the news that the long-gestating sequel to the 1980s classic The Goonies could finally be moving forward, and now the director has offered a brief update on the movie, confirming Steven Spielberg’s involvement, and revealing that it was Spielberg who came up with the story for the follow-up.

“Hopefully we’re going to get this done,” Donner told TMZ. “Steven came up with the idea of doing a sequel after 30 years. You don’t do it without him. We’ve been trying for a while, but then he came up with another storyline and he’s right on.”

Asked about the possibility of the original cast returning, Donner replied: “God knows. It’s up to them. If they have any sense they will, and if they don’t they won’t.”

Would you like to see the original cast back for The Goonies 2 after all these years? Let us know in the comments below….

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With just two weeks to go until its premiere, FOX has released an action-packed new promo for the upcoming event miniseries 24: Live Another Day, which you can check out right here after the official synopsis…

Four years after the events in the series finale, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is now an exile and is being hunted by a CIA agent. Nevertheless, he is willing to risk his life and freedom to avert yet another global disaster. He attempts to thwart an unthinkable terrorist attack in London that could change the world forever.

Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is now working underground, and William Devane reprises his role as James Heller who is now President of the United States. Benjamin Bratt stars as CIA head Steve Harries, Yvonne Strahovski plays CIA agent Kate Morgan, Giles Matthey is CIA computer tech Jordan Reed, and Gbenga Akinnagbe is cast as a strong and arrogant field operative named Erik Ritter. The cast also includes Michelle Fairley, Stephen Fry, Michael Wincott, Tate Donovan, Branko Tomovic, Emily Barrington, Duncan Pow and Kim Raver.

24: Live Another Day gets underway on FOX on May 5th.

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Science Fiction meets Samurai this week in an epic new adventure from John Raffo (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) entitled 7th Sword; check out a preview of the first issue here…

Daniel Cray—a samurai mercenary—stumbles upon the legendary city of ZenZion, a mysterious desert outpost under siege from a vicious warlord. The peace-loving citizenry beg Cray to defend them… forcing Cray to reluctantly draw his deadly “Malathane” sword one last time to battle a relentless army of robots and their savage masters.

7th Sword #1 is out on Wednesday, priced $3.99.

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Robb Ghag reviews Amazing X-Men #6…

“Nightcrawler is back at the Jean Grey School! But when Mystique comes calling, he may be returning to the afterlife very soon.”

Nightcrawler is back in the start of an all new adventure “All in the Family” Part One.  Back from the dead in the last issue with the help of his little brothers; the “Bamfs”, it’s clear to almost all that a piece of Nightcrawler was lost as he was resurrected from the land of the dead.

Jason Aaron continues as writer of the series as Cameron Stewart picks up the pencils where Ed McGuinness left off last issue.  With Nightcrawler back from the dead, it was only a matter of time before Mystique came to look in on her son.

It’s far from a happy family reunion, especially when his father: Azazel gets into the mix.  Needless to say Bamfs, gunshots and swords are all brought to the table when the epitome of a dysfunctional mutant family gets together.

Don’t get me wrong, I am more than happy that Nightcrawler was brought back from the dead, especially after his heroic sacrifice in X-Men: Second Coming.  Unfortunately I feel this book has come to an end and should have quit after the last issue.  I guess with X-Men: Days of Future Past just around the corner to be released, they can never have too many “X” books.

Robb Ghag works for an Arts & Entertainment Brokerage in Toronto Canada. An Animation and Film school graduate, he specializes in Risk Management of Animation and VFX studios throughout North America.

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Ahead of its release in June, DreamWorks Animation has debuted the first 5 minutes of the upcoming animated fantasy sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 online, and we’ve got it for you right here…

“The thrilling second chapter of the epic How To Train Your Dragon trilogy returns to the fantastical world of the heroic Viking Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless. The inseparable duo must protect the peace-and save the future of men and dragons from the power-hungry Drago.”

Featuring in the voice cast of How to Train Your Dragon 2 are Jay Baruchel (This Is the End), Gerard Butler (Olympus Has Fallen), Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street), America Ferrera (End of Watch), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Kick-Ass 2), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) and Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond).

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is set for release on June 13th.

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Villordsutch reviews the third episode of Game of Thrones Season Four….

Breaker of Chains

Directed by Alex Graves
Written by George R.R. Martin

“What did I once tell you about the Capital?”
“We’re all liars here.”
“Come, my lady. I know you’ve had a difficult day. You’re safe now. I promise you that. You’re safe with me, sailing home.”

Take it as a guarantee that here be spoilers!

If ever a show was designed to bait the Daily Mail then this is it.  With incestuous rape (currently a hot web topic) being committed in front of their recently deceased son, followed by fornication involving bisexual love and later a healthy dose of cannibalism, Game of Thrones ticks all of the boxes.

After last week’s Purple Wedding which was watched by millions of people wincing at the cruel idiot King Joffrey and his numerous attempts at being the big man by putting down the little people; at the same time those millions of people wishing the little shit a very slow a painful death, which unfortunately was only for a few mere seconds.  This week our story moves up a pace in its delivery with certain scenes uncomfortable to view and others placing a sly smile across your face - not as memorable as last week’s Purple Wedding obviously but it’s still good television and when it ends you want there to be a trailer so you get a least something to feed your craving until next week.

Dontos (the Fool) and Sansa

After the sudden demise of Joffrey, Dontos leads Sansa through the rather empty street of King’s Landing towards a little row boat near the rocks as the screams of Cersei echo behind them and the bells of King’s Landing call out for the murderer to show their face.  Dontos paddles into the mist towards a ship with Littlefinger waiting aboard.   Littlefinger explains that the necklace that Dontos had passed on to Sansa an episode or so ago wasn’t a family heirloom, but something he had commissioned some weeks back and was the source of the poisoning, though we are still unsure how it was administered.  To thank Ser Dontos for his hard work instead of gold as offered he receives an arrow to the head and Littlefinger sails away with Sansa into the mist.

Margaery and a Dead/Future King

Whilst Margaery muses on whether she is cursed or even a queen, and also seems rather disturbed by her late husband’s passing, the very wise Lady Olenna is more than happy that her granddaughter will not be spending her remaining years with the sadistic murdering little worm, as well as attempting to explain of the virtues of powerful family allegiances.  It’s here we turn to a rather darker moment – what starts as an implied ‘Thank God your shit of a son is dead!’ delivered beautifully from Charles Dance as he ignores Cersei tohis line of questions to Tommen (the surviving son) on why he’d be a better King than Joffrey.

Jaime enters and asks the others to leave, thus leaving him and Cersei stood next to their dead son. Within seconds Jamie is forcing himself upon Cersei eventually leading to rape.  Now across the web this is one big hot GoT potato as some are saying it isn’t as the book says, and watching last night to me brother raped sister.

Arya and the Hound Road Trip

On to what is becoming an enjoyable part of GoT, and the Arya and Hound road trip gives us the wake up slap that this isn’t the comedy part of the show.  What starts as amusing and a possible change in the way the duo will be seen in the next coming few weeks changes in minutes as the Hound robs the man and his daughter of all they have and proclaiming they’ll be dead by winter.

A Hand Goes to a Brothel

Oberyn is in mid-orgy and explaining to his young friend to enjoy life and what it gives whilst you can when Tywin appears with guards and begins to question Oberyn and his previous experiences with poisons as it appears that in his younger days he studied poisons and their effects.  Oberyn asks if Tywin is accusing him of killing Joffrey which Tywin is not and in fact he has come to offer Oberyn a seat on the panel of Judges.  Tywin also wants to know what Oberyn and Tyrion were discussing in the brothel a few episodes back.  Oberyn squares up to Tywin with no fear of this man, questioning the evils deeds that led to the rape and death of Oberyn’s sister by the Mountain; after Tywin says he was unaware of the actions of his men at the time and the Mountain was not acting upon the orders given when he committed this act, he offers Oberyn the chance to come face to face with the Mountain.

A Visit From the Pod

Pod, the most loyal of Squiress visits Tyrion in his cell as he waits for his trial in two weeks, having been accused of Joffey’s murder. Unable to sneak wine in past the guards, Pod does manage to smuggle in some candles, cheese, sausages and others items on his body for his Lordship.  It’s here Pod reveals that he’s been told if he testifies against Tyrion he would have become Sir Podrick Payne, however he turned down the bribe.  Upon hearing he said no to the bribe Tyrion asks to see Jaime and tells Pod he must leave King’s Landing for fear of his life suddenly ending.

Popping to the Village for a Bite to Eat

Those from beyond the wall pay a rather brutal visit to a village, slaughtering all but one of the villagers and sending the child free with the news that his parents will be devoured by the time he reaches Castle Black.  The Crows however can do nothing as their stories of their numbers and armies they hold are soon to be brought out to the open for all to see, with no clear reinforcements coming from the South, other than rapists and thieves.

Killing Horses and Openly Peeing

We have a “Pee Off” people!  Daenerys (Princess Stampyfeet) arrives at Meereen with slaves, armies and trebuchets (oh my!) and without the aid of any sort of amplification device she manages to speak the enter city about being free.  The city sends out its champion and he takes out his manhood and pees in front of her highness. After a rather cringe-worthy picking of a her own champion, the city’s champion is quickly dispatched via use of a dagger in a horse’s head and the trebuchets send the city all of the collars removed from the slaves along the road to Meereen.

Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.

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To coincide with the return of the X-Men next month, X-Men: Days of Future Past stars Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender have announced that Fox will count down to the release of the mutant sequel with the X-Men X-Perience as the stars bring the film to audiences around the world through global premieres, live chats, and special videos and photos.

The festivities will get underway on Saturday, May 10th with the global premiere in New York, before the cast members – including Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore, Evan Peters and Fan Bingbing – split up and cover various locations around the world:

Saturday, May 10th- NEW YORK
Monday, May 12th- LONDON
Tuesday, May 13th- MOSCOW
Wednesday, May 14th- SINGAPORE
Thursday, May 15th- SAO PAULO
Friday, May 16th- MELBOURNE and BEIJING

Here’s the official announcement video:

X-Men: Days of Future Past is set for release on May 22nd.

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If there’s one thing that everyone can agree is missing from Sony’s rebooted Amazing Spider-Man series, it’s Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson – presumably, because J.K. Simmons done such a fine job at portraying him in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.

Well, it seems that we might get to see Jameson in 2016′s The Amazing Spider-Man 3, with director Marc Webb teasing his inclusion during Google+ Hangout to promote the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2:

“I like the idea very much of him coming up in the next film. It was more easy to accept a new Spider-Man than someone who could out do J.K. Simmons in that role. He is so iconic. That’s something we’ve really talked about. Obviously I love that character because he poses such an interesting dilemma for Spider-Man. The answer is I don’t know but I think you can expect to see him in the future.”

Would you like to see Jameson making his debut in Sony’s rebooted Spidey universe, and if so, who could they get to play him? Let us know in the comments below…

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is out now in the UK and opens in North America on May 2nd, with a cast that includes returning stars Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man), Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy), Sally Field (Aunt May), Chris Zylka (Flash Thompson), Campbell Scott (Richard Parker), Embeth Davidtz (Mary Parker), Martin Sheen (Ben Parker) and Denis Leary (George Stacy) alongside new additions Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) as Electro, Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) as Harry Osborn, Paul Giamatti (12 Years a Slave) as The Rhino, Chris Cooper (American Beauty) as Norman Osborn, Colm Feore (Thor) as Donald Menken, Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) as Felicia Hardy, Marton Csokas (The Lord of the Rings) as Dr. Kafka and B.J. Novak (The Office) as Alistair Smythe. Read our reviews here, here and here.

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Filming on Terminator: Genesis, the fifth instalment and quasi-reboot of the Terminator franchise, kicked off in New Orleans yesterday, with Skydance Productions marking the occasion by posting an image of the film’s clapperboard, revealing the working title of ‘Vista’ (and, curiously, an ‘R.I.P. Sarah’ sticker)…

Meanwhile, The Arnold Fans got the first set photo of a leather-clad Arnold Schwarzenegger on the set of the film…

Terminator: Genesis is set for release on July 1st 2015, with Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) directing a cast that also includes Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as Sarah Connor, Jai Courtney (A Good Day to Die Hard) as Kyle Reese, Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) as John Connor, Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games) as Danny Dyson and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man), Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games), Byung-hun Lee (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Michael Gladis (Mad Men) and Sandrine Holt (House of Cards) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.

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Warner Bros. Pictures set the stage for the biggest superhero showdown of all time back in January when it announced that the Man of Steel sequel Batman vs. Superman had been pushed back to May 6th 2016 – a date that put it head-to-head with Marvel Studios and the now confirmed Captain America 3.

It is of course hugely unlikely that these two comic book movie titans will open on the same day, but so far both Warner Bros. and Marvel Studios have refused to budge, but now it seems the first cracks are showing in Marvel’s armor, with Variety reporter Brett Lang quoting Disney chief Alan Horn as stating “We’ll see. We’re struggling with it” with regards to the big face-off.

So, might Marvel Studios be the one to blink first in the showdown between Captain America and the World’s Finest?

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The producers of HBO’s hit fantasy series Game of Thrones found themselves in coming in for criticism with the latest episode of the show, ‘Breaker of Chains‘, which deviated from George R.R. Martin’s source material by having Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) rape his sister and lover Cersei (Lena Headey) next to the corpse of their incestuous offspring Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson).

Although director Alex Graves has since told Vulture that the sex “was meant to be consensual”, it certainly didn’t come across like that in the episode, with fans subsequently criticising the show for messing with Jaime’s arc (especially after he’s just lost a hand preventing a rape). Well, Martin himself has now weighed in on the subject, posting his feelings on his official LiveJournal:

I think the “butterfly effect” that I have spoken of so often was at work here. In the novels, Jaime is not present at Joffrey’s death, and indeed, Cersei has been fearful that he is dead himself, that she has lost both the son and the father/ lover/ brother. And then suddenly Jaime is there before her. Maimed and changed, but Jaime nonetheless. Though the time and place is wildly inappropriate and Cersei is fearful of discovery, she is as hungry for him as he is for her.

The whole dynamic is different in the show, where Jaime has been back for weeks at the least, maybe longer, and he and Cersei have been in each other’s company on numerous occasions, often quarreling. The setting is the same, but neither character is in the same place as in the books, which may be why Dan & David played the sept out differently. But that’s just my surmise; we never discussed this scene, to the best of my recollection.

Also, I was writing the scene from Jaime’s POV, so the reader is inside his head, hearing his thoughts. On the TV show, the camera is necessarily external. You don’t know what anyone is thinking or feeling, just what they are saying and doing.

If the show had retained some of Cersei’s dialogue from the books, it might have left a somewhat different impression — but that dialogue was very much shaped by the circumstances of the books, delivered by a woman who is seeing her lover again for the first time after a long while apart during which she feared he was dead. I am not sure it would have worked with the new timeline.

That’s really all I can say on this issue. The scene was always intended to be disturbing… but I do regret if it has disturbed people for the wrong reasons.

How did you feel about the scene? Let us know your thoughts below…

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Our weekly round up of the latest stories from the world of screen superheroes, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America 3, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Fantastic Four, Batman vs. Superman, Arrow, Gotham, Son of Batman, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans Go! and more…

Captain America: The Winter Soldier may have lost its place at the top of the box office charts, but the Chris Evans’ headlined solo sequel has helped reach a landmark for the Marvel Cinematic Universe this week; with the film crossing the $600 million mark around the globe, Marvel Studios’ blockbuster superhero franchise has now overtaken the James Bond series to become the second-highest grossing movie franchise of all time. With nine movies to date, the MCU has banked almost $6.3 billion globally, and will surely overtake the $7.709 billion record held by Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter franchise by the time that Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron have graced our screens…

…That brings us nicely to the hotly-anticipated Phase Two sequel and with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes reassembling for principal photography under director Joss Whedon at Shepperton Studios, both Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo have been having a little fun posting behind-the-scenes images on Twitter, while Lou Ferrigno has confirmed that he’ll be back to lend his voice to The Incredible Hulk, and Whedon himself has offered up a few words about the film, specifically expanding the cast of the follow up to his 2012 mega-blockbuster: “I fiercely dislike the idea of just throwing in more people for the sake of doing that, but last time I had all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes versus one British character actor, and I needed more conflict… I’m having a blast with Ultron. He’s not a creature of logic – he’s a robot who’s genuinely disturbed. We’re finding out what makes him menacing and at the same time endearing and funny and strange and unexpected, and everything a robot never is…”

…In other Avengers sequel news, it’s been revealed that UK fans will get to see Age of Ultron a week earlier than our friends across the Pond, with the film set to land on these shores on April 24th 2015, as opposed to its North American date of May 1st 2015…

…Joss Whedon wasn’t the only person talking about Age of Ultron this past week, with Marvel chief Kevin Feige discussing not only the climactic Phase Two offering, but also Guardians of the Galaxy (in brief: Thanos has been cast), Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man, the yet-to-be-officially announced Doctor Strange being the doorway to the supernatural side of the Phase Two universe, and on Marvel’s decision not to back down from Batman vs. Superman with 2016′s Captain America 3. Read what he had to say here…

…Despite the fighting talk from Kevin Feige, Disney chief Alan Horn sounded less confident about the showdown between Captain America and the World’s Finest, with Horn quoted as stating ““we’ll see, we’re struggling with it” when asked whether the third Cap movie will stand its ground against Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel sequel…

…In other MCU news, two new images from Guardians of the Galaxy have been released this week, both of which give us another look at Chris Pratt (The LEGO Movie) as Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, both with and without his mask. Check them out here…

…As Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. edges towards its season finale (and renewal or the dreaded cancellation), ABC has dropped a promo and poster for Tuesday’s 20th episode ‘Nothing Personal’, which sees the return of J. August Richards’ Deathlok, as well as another guest appearance from Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill. Meanwhile, we’ve also got a batch of images from the penultimate episode of the season ‘Ragtag’, and of course, if you haven’t already be sure to take a look at Anghus Houvouras’ review of this week’s episode ‘The Only Light in the Darkness’, which you can read here…

…It doesn’t arrive in North American cinemas until this Friday, but Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has got off to a strong start internationally, with the Spidey sequel enjoying a solid opening last weekend with $47 million from 14 territories, including £9 million from the UK – the biggest debut of the year so far on these shores. By the time the film reaches the States (where it’s tracking a $95 million opening), it will have already opened in most markets, so by this time next weekend we should have a pretty good idea of whether it’s likely to put up a challenge to The Winter Soldier’s box office before it faces more superhero competition from X-Men: Days of Future Past. For those of you yet to have a chance to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 yet, you may want to check out a new clip and TV spot here, although you’ll probably want to avoid Marc Webb discussing a pretty major spoiler about the sequel…

…Sticking with Webb for a moment, and the director has teased the possibility of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson making his debut in Sony’s rebooted Spider-Man universe in the next sequel, 2016′s The Amazing Spider-Man 3: “I like the idea very much of him coming up in the next film. It was more easy to accept a new Spider-Man than someone who could out do J.K. Simmons in that role. He is so iconic. That’s something we’ve really talked about. Obviously I love that character because he poses such an interesting dilemma for Spider-Man. The answer is I don’t know but I think you can expect to see him in the future…”

Continue on to the next page for X-Men: Days of Future Past, Deadpool, The Fantastic Four, Batman vs. Superman, Arrow, Gotham, Son of Batman, Batman Beyond and Teen Titans Go!… 

The post The Week in Spandex – Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Batman vs. Superman, The Fantastic Four, Arrow, Batman Beyond and more appeared first on Flickering Myth.

Finding Fela, 2014

Directed by Alex Gibney

SYNOPSIS:

A look at the life and music of Nigerian singer Fela Kuti.

It would be fair to say that Fela Kuti isn’t as well known a singer as someone like Bob Marley or James Brown. However, those who do know his story and music will tell you that he is one of the most influential Nigerian musician and a huge part of the change that the country went through during the its turbulent times. The purpose of Finding Fela appears to be to let those who aren’t aware of his work to show what a true pioneer he was.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★

Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.

The post Sundance London 2014 Review – Finding Fela (2014) appeared first on Flickering Myth.

Obvious Child, 2014
Written and directed by Gillian Robespierre
Starring Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, David Cross, Richard Kind and Polly Draper

 SYNOPSIS:

Brooklyn comedian Donna Stern gets dumped, fired and pregnant just in time for the worst/best St. Valentine’s Day of her life.

Anyone who has seen the superb Parks and Recreation might recognise Jenny Slate as the super irritating sister of John Ralphio – a character that, while funny, is among the most annoying things ever created for television. Her character in Obvious Child couldn’t be more different and Slate gives a star-making performance in this incredibly sweet and loveable “romantic comedy”.

However to call Obvious Child a “romantic comedy” would be a disservice to how cleverly written and well-directed the movie is by first time director Gillian Robespierre. It does act as a beautiful subversion of the genre as it doesn’t bow down to the conventions put forward by its big budget counterparts. By the same token, Obvious Child also doesn’t feel like your typical “indie” comedy that its synopsis portrays. Obvious Child is so much better than all of these conventions.

Jenny Slate plays Donna, a stand-up comedian who gets dumped, discovers the book shop where she works is being shut down and then falls pregnant from a one night stand with a guy named Max – all within the same week. Deciding to get an abortion (on Valentine’s Day of all days), Donna spends the next couple of weeks trying to discover what it is she really wants from life as her relationship with the (almost too) nice Max grows.

Much like last year’s In A World…, Obvious Child shines in its amazing central performance and it’s Slate’s magnetic presence that really makes you warm to her character that could have been dreadful if played by a lesser actress. In reality, a character like Donna would be 100% unlikeable. She’s bratty, lackadaisical and incredibly lazy when it comes to making life choices.  But Slate somehow takes this irritation and turns her into a well-rounded and sweet character. She is supported perfectly by a very well-cast crew and they help make Donna all the more charming. Gaby Hoffman in particular is great as her reassuring roommate who helps get her back on her feet with nothing but genuine support.

While Obvious Child tells its story tightly, there is a small section of the movie that just feels a little bit out of place. Perhaps it was just an excuse to get David Cross into the movie, but his appearance where he tries to seduce Donna is not only pitched wrong, it really serves little purpose. The comedy of the scene doesn’t work, the tone is off compared to the rest of the picture and Donna’s character motivations aren’t fully explored. Had Cross been in the movie more, the scene might have played better. It’s not a deal-breaker in terms of the film’s enjoyment, but it is a deterrent away from a more interesting story.

It’s easy to fall in love with Obvious Child and everyone involved, as Jenny Slate is simply wonderful and Gillian Robespierre’s writing and direction is superb. It’s a really heart-warming movie with genuine humour and likeable characters which will play to the “indie” crowd while not falling into the traps of the genre tropes. Simply put, Obvious Child is a joy to watch.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.

The post Sundance London 2014 Review – Obvious Child (2014) appeared first on Flickering Myth.

They Came Together, 2014

Directed by David Wain.
Starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler.

SYNOPSIS:

A couple tell the story of how they first met, which just so happens to have all the plot points of a by-numbers romantic comedy.

Just look at that poster. At first glance, the tone appears like any other romantic comedy. There’s the skyline of New York, the smiling faces, Paul Rudd. There’s also a neat little innuendo gag about coming together. A little average, but good enough.

But then you look a tad closer, at the disclaimer at the bottom. “Please Note: New York City plays such a central role in this story, it is like another character in the movie.” Huh…and then at the quotes usually reserved for glowing reviews. “Ed Helms will star opposite Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler!”; “The film shoots in July!” They’re all production news items. They Came Together isn’t just ‘any other romantic comedy.’

The self-reflexivity is present from the film’s outset, with Joel (Rudd) and Molly (Poehler) telling the story of how they first met to another couple, Karen (Ellie Kemper) and Kyle (Bill Hader), over dinner. Hader’s role is a doubly aware one. Not only is he lampooning the archetypal sympathetic ear role in rom coms, he’s also mocking his own, self-confessed cast-type as the ‘guy who plays the guy the lead actor needs to give exposition to.’ e.g. “You’re going to Hawaii!?”

This important facet of They Came Together is that rather than spoofing specific films, a la Scary/Epic/Date (delete as appropriate) Movie, it mocks the conventions at the heart of its targeted genre, more in the mold of Airplane! and Naked Gun.

In place of the quickly dating, reference-based jokes that have dominated spoof movies for the past decade-or-so, They Came Together cracks a series of running gags that poke fun at the entire genre. The “Wait…” joke, where characters dramatically pause to tell each other just one more thing before they leave, is done to death so much so that it rises again as a comedy zombie. During the ‘getting to know each other’ montage, the actors suddenly transition into a black and white, behind-the-scenes music video with Norah Jones and the other cast members fooling around on the instruments. “What a great song,” Kyle comments knowingly after the montage. “Where can I buy it?” And characters have the most absurdly vague traits in common. “Fiction books? …I love fiction books!” The persistent tomfoolery is inspired.

That last running gag serves for one of the movie’s best lines. Eggbert (Ed Helms) hates fiction, as the ‘guy-who-isn’t-right-for-the-girl’ character is want to do, and can’t understand why people enjoy reading anything other than historical fact. He recalls asking his English teacher about The Great Gatsby, “did any of this actually happen?” No. “Then why did someone write it down!? It’s just not real.” He’s talking just as much about the romantic comedy genre as his choice in literature.

It’s no surprise, then, that the jokes that fall flat are the ones that divert from the genre-spoofing intention. The superhero costume toilet incident, the white supremacist parents and the grandmother incest gags come off as cheap for a film so reflexively smart. For those brief scenes, They Came Together becomes no better than the movies it lampoons.

The strange thing is, for all its rejection of heart and subversion of sentimentality, you still become emotionally invested in the protagonists and their plight. Well, I did at least. There was only one other person in the audience who laughed as hard and consistently as myself. He’s called Andy and we’re best friends now, after we had to save our favourite cinema by winning a dance-off competition. It just goes to show, even when being spoofed, how effective romantic comedy conventions are.

At a lean 80 minutes long, They Came Together is a wonderfully brave piece of comedic filmmaking. By embracing the spirits of Zucker, Zucker and Abrahams, they’ve freed themselves from narrative restraints to create a movie delightfully wacky. And to them, just as they’re exiting through the door, you’ll hopefully find yourself saying: “wait…thanks.”

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Oliver Davis is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors. You can follow him on Twitter (@OliDavis).

The post Sundance London 2014 Review – They Came Together (2014) appeared first on Flickering Myth.

Hits, 2014

Directed by David Cross.
Starring Matt Walsh, Meredith Hagner, Micheal Cera and David Koechner.

SYNOPSIS:

A disgruntled New Yorker’s cause is taken up by a hipster think tank from Brooklyn.

“Written and directed by David Cross, based on a true story that hasn’t happened yet.”

*Google translates opening credits*

“Strap in.”

Preconceptions are always a little tricky, expecting a film to be something it ain’t. Cross’ name, particularly when it’s associated with such a level of creative control, brings to mind what he represents: anarchy, absurdity, Arrested Development. Cera’s name on the credits, albeit his performance brief, shapes one’s expectations further. So it’s surprising how carefully considered and affectionate the first 70 minutes of Hits is.

The film is a character-based comedy drama set in the ironically named town Liberty in upstate New York. It’s hard to choose who exactly the protagonist is, as Cross rather expertly transitions between at least three substantial narrative threads, like a circus performer spinning plates. Each is characterised by desire – Katelyn (Meredith Hagner) is obsessed with becoming famous, idolising the reality TV stars of Teen Mom and The Voice, rehearsing interviews with Ellen about her successful singing career; David (VEEP‘s Matt Walsh/elongated Louis CK), her father, just wants the city council to address the pothole on his street and recognise his civil rights; and Donovan (James Adomian), a Brooklyn-based political activist, wants to raise this gross injustice’s profile to the nation.

But their desires are empty. Katelyn can’t sing; for all his ranting and raving, David actually has nothing to say; and Donovan speaks in vacuous rhetoric like ‘boots on the ground,’ ‘grass roots’ and ‘social media engagement.’ Damn hipsters. They all desire recognition in some way, but, truthfully, have very little worth recognising about them.

This is played upon considerably, and Cross treats them and their large array of supporting characters callously. But there is a sensitivity beneath this all. Moments like David only hearing angels when his daughter sings, or when, in one of her Ellen rehearsals, Katelyn wells up talking about how great her father is, give an extra dimension to what could have been a rather cynical and mean-spirited film. Though there’s nothing wrong with that if hipsters are involved. Damn hipsters.

The drama moves along slowly for the opening 70 minutes, gathering pace for the quarter hour climactic showdown at the city’s weekly council meeting. And then, half way through David’s rousing speech, a room full of oversized-spectacle wearing, groomed moustachioed, bow-tie clad hipsters (damn, damn hipsters) cheering him on, Cross delivers the punchline; the ‘Hit.’ Only then do you realise that the preceding hour-or-so was simply an elaborate set-up. Here now comes the farce, the anarchy and anger for which Cross is famed. The rage is palatable. This is what those opening words – ‘Directed and Written by David Cross‘ – promised. It just so happens that he’s rather good at the quieter stuff, too.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★

Oliver Davis is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors. You can follow him on Twitter (@OliDavis).

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Tokarev, 2014.

Directed by Paco Cabezas.
Starring Nicolas Cage, Rachel Nichols, Peter Stormare, Danny Glover and Aubrey Peeples.

SYNOPSIS:

When the Russian mob kidnaps the daughter of a reformed criminal, he rounds up his old crew and seeks his own brand of justice.

Watching Nicolas Cage in Tokarev, having recently watched him in David Gordon Green’s excellent Joe just a few weeks apart, reminds me of a line from Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part III; “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in”. The difference being Cage’s decision to make utter rubbish like Tokarev isn’t a matter of potential life and death, it’s just exceptionally poor judgement from an actor who has shown us he still knows a good script when one lands on his desk.

Tokarev is the definition of what used to be called ‘straight to video’ and seeing Nicolas Cage headlining such garbage is as upsetting as it gets (as far as feeling sorry for a multimillionaire actor can be). Of all of Cage’s run of eight woefully sub-par movies, starting from 2011’s Season of the Witch with only The Frozen Ground and Joe being at least halfway decent, this is the only one which has zero cinematic qualities and looks like it was shot by a man without a shred of talent for directing. Even the terrible Stolen, directed by Con Air’s Simon West, tried to deliver big thrills even if it failed every time but Tokarev doesn’t even try anything resembling originality.

For the first time I think Cage has delivered a truly awful performance and that is hard to acknowledge, believe me. We know no one can touch him when he’s on the top of his game and that’s what still draws me in to watch his films, but in Tokarev he’s a man without any direction just let loose to do what he wants with a character whose backstory and development could be written on a pinhead. He’s screaming, crying, looking ‘moody’ and even attempting to be romantic in rapid succession but he never convinces.

He looks so utterly uninterested (as do Danny Glover and Peter Stormare) that he could fall asleep standing at any given moment and, moreover, he looks out of shape for an action role where he’s punching, kicking, and chasing down bad guys. He’s 50 years old and looks perfectly fine for his age but not for this role, which is highlighted in one chase scene which cuts away every time just before he has to accelerate. It’s a role worthy and story worthy of Steven Segal, not Nicolas Cage, one of the best actors of his generation.

I’ve not yet touched on the story because it’s a point of contention. The story is about a man (Cage) with a very shady past who has gone legitimate but when his daughter is found dead with a single shot to the head from a Russian handgun (the titular Tokarev model); he assumes someone from his past is out for revenge for something he and his friends did decades before so he sets out to find her killer. This is all very dull and it’s executed without any skill and with dialogue which is simply awful at times, but if you stick around until the end (and if you switch off way before then I wouldn’t have blamed you) there is a genuinely good twist and the film offers, just for a few minutes, something resembling an interesting concept.

Of course this is far, far too late (because the credits roll just moments after), but what actually happened to his daughter and all the consequences of his former life and his quick temptation to solve all problems with a gun or knife could have made for a great film, if it were not for the previous 70 minutes of Taken-style action. And any film which tries to emulate the already poor Taken is in for trouble.

The ending alone saves Tokarev from being a total disaster because I respect the twist and how it could have made for an interesting film if all the other issues were addressed as well. There are simply too many problems for this to ever be recommended, so I’ll say just to watch Joe instead and let’s all hold hands, hope, and pray that his upcoming partnership with screenwriting legend Paul Schrader in The Dying of the Light delivers and Tokarev can be forgotten.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★

Rohan Morbey - follow me on Twitter.

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The Voices, 2014

Directed by Marjane Satrapi.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick.

SYNOPSIS:

A factory worker accidentally murders his co-worker after hearing voices from his pet dog and cat.

Festival films come thick and fast during the press screenings. It’s hard to keep track of what the next movie is about. Glancing at my notes before The Voices began simply read “Ryan Reynolds’ cat and dog tell him to kill people.” That’s a hell of an elevator pitch.

Initially, the film feels a bit too cartoony. The colour palette is perfectly balanced, full of pleasant reds and greens. The uniforms at the toilet factory where Jerry Hickfang (Ryan Reynolds), a recently released mental patient, works are pastel pink, complementing the rest of the set design beautifully. The town in which he lives is permanently lit in warm sunshine. Even the forest scene, where Jerry commits his first murder, is painted like something from Snow White.

This camp tone was the one aspect of the film keeping me at arm’s length. Reynolds is fantastic (to believe him as such a stuttering loner is some feat, considering he’s the same guy who was plastered along my commute to work, selling male perfume in a dapper suit and designer stubble for four months); the animal CGI is pulled off just right (the dog and cat are real, but their moving mouths are digitally created, a la Babe); and the descent into murder, from a mentally disturbed man struggling against the voices in his head to do good, is portrayed with both a wonderfully dark sense of humour and disturbing poignancy. Some moments, particularly near the end, are profoundly sad. But still, that whiter-than-white palette was cheapening the film.

Then, about half an hour in, Jerry takes the pills his court-appointed psychotherapist keeps insisting he have. The white picket fences and idealistic world are revealed as just a lucid haze. The effects dulled by medication, Jerry’s flat isn’t kitschly decorated, tidy and colour-coded. It’s decrepit, with animal faeces smeared on the floor, the blood from his first murder staining the bathroom, and a stack of dirty Tupperware boxes containing their decapitated remains.

The cute appearance and blackly comic gags of The Voices are a rouse. The undertones are far darker than they first appear. The gimmick that might help this crossover into the mainstream – TALKING ANIMALS! (voiced by Reynolds) – is a relatively slight component to a rather complex film.

Again, during the climax, I could feel myself becoming distanced once again. Jerry’s choices near the end didn’t feel bold enough to redeem his character. But then the closing credits rolled, a bewildering sequence better not retold, a delightful surprise when you thought all your presents had already been unwrapped. And, just like that, I loved it again.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Oliver Davis is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors. You can follow him on Twitter (@OliDavis).

The post Sundance London 2014 Review – The Voices (2014) appeared first on Flickering Myth.