I have less and less time for fairly lengthy pieces like these. Considering I was on vacation I decided to take a crack at this one when it was offered to me. After all, you just have to find time every now and then for writing a piece that has the potential to be read by thousands. Sadly, the reviews on my blog don't count in that regard, as they're lucky to be read by more than three people (my mom doesn't even check them out, for heaven's sake!). Of course, recently I started aiming at writing reviews that I can post on IMDb in abbreviated form, but still, the use of taking the time and effort for such pieces is debatable considering my otherwise fairly busy existence. It kinda sucks for my blog, but it just doesn't have that much priority.
I had a blast watching this fourth season of the magnificent and hugely underrated HBO show Boardwalk Empire. Top-notch quality television like the previous seasons, despite a somewhat slow start (which is not unusual for HBO series). The only true downside of the thing is I received the DVD version rather than the requested Blu-Ray set, which means a breach in viewing style compared to the previous three seasons, which do grace my BD collection. Lesser video quality and a lower number of special features (saves time!) didn't hinder my appreciation of the show's fourth and penultimate season, as you'll find checking out the deservedly high rating I bestowed upon it. That said, I still have a tough time reviewing entire seasons of TV shows, considering there is so much to say about them. The piece already ended up longer than most similar reviews by the hand of my peers, but there's still plenty of material left unaddressed. I didn't even mention Michael Shannon's fabulous performance as former Prohee Nelson Van Alden in this run, which so poignantly mixes dark humour with social drama, as we follow the man's descent into a life of true crime which paradoxically finally makes him a likeable person. The show's tendency for wonderful team-ups of characters you would never see coming is also left largely unexplored, even though it formed one of the most enjoyable experiences this season. Reviewing seasons of television shows in an adequately limited number of words remains quite a challenge for me. I'm sure many readers won't be bothered by the frustrating results as much as I am myself though. Certainly not the small numbers who read it here.
Good for you, Sophie! About time the very capable younger actors of the Game of Thrones cast got some recognition resulting in other jobs. And this sounds like a very interesting job at that. The story of how Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus came to be is almost as legendary as the story the book tells itself. Writing such an iconic novel at such a young age was as much an accomplishment then as it is now, I reckon. A wonderful period drama can be construed around the tale of the Shelleys and their trip through Europe that inspired the influential Gothic horror novel, which itself has been adapted to the big screen so often (though never again as compelling as the 1931 Boris Karloff version was). Since Turner already has the necessary experience dressing in fancy period costumes and dealing with all kinds of messed up characters in the role she inhibits, the part sure seems right for her. Hopefully her portrayal as Mary Shelley will prove just as strong and watchable as her work as Lady Sansa.
Speaking of classic novels, at the moment I'm also working my way through Jules Verne's most celebrated works. What rollercoasters of adventure yarns they prove to be! There's a reason they have been turned into movies throughout the history of the cinema, starting in its earliest days (Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902), for example). Small wonder Hollywood continues to be interested in additional retellings. It worked well enough for them with Journeys 1 and 2 (Journey to the Center of the Earth and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, respectively). Though the first film didn't see as wide a release due to the relatively small number of movie theaters equipped with 3D technology, Journey 2 proved quite the boxoffice smash, possibly also because of the involvement of Dwayne Johnson (who replaced Brendan Fraser as the adult male lead). And so the studio is eager to see more Journeys and Johnson reprising his role. I gotta say, I'm not against more sequels based off the delightful works of Verne, as these movies in many ways incorporate the catchy adventurous spirit of his novels (though admittedly not their attempts at scientific uplifting). I just wish they weren't so kids oriented by making a teenager the protagonist (though letting two horror writers pen the script sure is a step in the right direction!). Then again, Josh Hutcherson is only playing a teenager, as he's currently 22 years of age. However, following his and Johnson's merry romps is still a far cry from experiencing the fascinating exploits of intrepid scientists, as is the case in the source material. Plus, two more sequels back to back feels a little excessive. Even if they do deal with From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon both, that two-book story can easily be condensed into one film, as the entire first novel deals with preparing to get the protagonists off-world. I bet Hutcherson and Johnson reach our beloved satellite a lot faster by comparison. Or maybe they won't go to the moon at all, but will end up stuck in a balloon for five weeks. Still plenty of Verne stories left after all.
If Sony didn't want to piss off North-Korea they shouldn't have made this movie in the first place. Seems a little late and a little pointless to make cuts now, as the damage is done. The premise alone guaranteed an angry response from everybody's favourite Stalinist nation. I can't imagine it never occurred to studio execs that the Great Leader and his minions might take offense by a film that deals with his assassination at American hands. It would of course have been great if the North-Korean response would have been as silly as the movie itself appears will be, by stating they would have preferred Kim being killed by Will Ferrell instead of Seth Rogen or something. However, I doubt humour is in the North-Korean dictionary, if indeed there are any other words in it than Kim (oh my, what an incorrigible Western white racist I am!). Anyway, Sony seeks to keep all mockery of the beloved dictator to an appropriate minimum. I doubt it will do them any good, but I hope two different cuts will be available so we can appreciate the differences. I'm pretty sure neither version will be allowed on the North-Korean market though.
Looks good. Looks positively final too. A sense of foreboding and imminent closure is clearly instilled with all the little hints at the show's ending found here. 'All Empires Fall', not very subtle, but it can't hurt to let the viewer know this grand show will soon come to an end. And am I gonna miss it. Boardwalk Empire is definitely on my Top-3 of currently running shows. Spectacular production values, compelling writing, intriguing mix of fiction and history and some of the loveliest acting you'll find on telly these days: what's not to like here? But as always, all good things must come to an end. Besides, I haven't even seen season 4 yet, so the finale is not so close for me as for most others. It's a nice thing the teaser makes it clear some of my favorite characters are still alive - some of them just had to be, according to the history books - but I can take a spoiler or two, as they are unavoidable when you're in a line of (unpaid) work that includes posting movie news. Nevertheless, as has become obvious throughout previous seasons (or indeed, most HBO shows for that matter), death still ever lurks around the corner for the characters we've come to appreciate. So we better enjoy seeing these folks interact with each other on screen for a final season, while we still can. For even if they do survive all the way up to the end, we won't be seeing them again anyhow.
There's no denying Sir Ridley Scott is the closest thing we have today to the Cecil B. DeMilles and David Leans of yesteryear. While most of his contemporary colleagues opt to film against mostly blue-screen backdrops on this type of epic film, Scott prefers to deal with the real thing as much as the budget allows. And thanks to his long list of past successes, his budgets tend to be fairly large. Hence his opportunity to shoot scenes on sets like the one above, which can best be described as 'lavish'. Which is not to say Scott has difficulty employing the use of digital trickery when tangible means fall short. There's still a Red Sea to part the blue way (or green, it's all the same). The appeal of lush visual effects, spectacular set construction and grandiose costume design aside, will this new retelling of the familiar Exodus story offer anything of novelty? Maybe Scott took a note from Darren Aronofsky's Noah, which told the Biblical tale in a more streamlined form (also to accommodate viewers of other persuasions, it cannot be denied). However, Scott is a much more straightforward director with a tendency to prefer the classical approach of storytelling. I very much doubt his take on Exodus will deviate much from previous incarnations, surely not as much as Noah dared to be different. Which may be for the better, considering the fairly uncomfortable, haphazard results that spawned (also thanks to studio interference).
And there's more ancient Egypt to go around in Hollywood these days. Which will not surprise audiences who knew better than to walk away before the end credits of X-Men: Days of Future Past had rolled completely. As Bryan Singer's tease of the treatment shows here, X-Men: Apocalypse will open more or less on the same note its predecessor left us, namely the backstory of the age old mutant En Sabah Nur, who will grow over the centuries to become the new X-nemesis Apocalypse. Spectators familiar with the comics won't be surprised by this particular bit of background story for the mutant megalomaniac, as it is integral to the formation of this big Marvel baddie and his 'not all mutants were created equal' philosophy. The scene also serves to flesh out his prime henchmen, the Four Horsemen, which may be of major importance to the various X-Men we're familiar with, as some of them will undoubtedly be chosen to represent Apocalypse - whether they want to or not - in the movie's present day and age. Or is Singer going to be very brave and ignore the events of Days of Future Past by diving directly in the alternate reality popularly known as the Age of Apocalypse? I would applaud that decision, but I'm sure it won't come that far, as the studio will be convinced it will needlessly confuse the general audience, which might have some difficulty accepting the notion of alternate universes which in the comics has become a routine ingredient of the X-franchise. It would also detract from the cinematic universe studio Fox is currently hoping to built (though Days of Future Past showed disappointingly little evidence of that, hinting at the studio's insecurity as to how to proceed on that front) if things were to be mixed up too much at this point. Lastly, Days of Future Past's overly cheerful ending, where a dark finale heralding the rise of Apocalypse seemed to have made so much more sense than the happy-happy joy-joy climax we were served instead, goes to show Singer too isn't so brave as to stir things up that aggressively. I don't expect to be surprised by X-Men: Apocalypse too much from a narrative perspective, as I'm not at all surprised by the hints dropped through this Instagram tease.
