5 films om naar uit te kijken in 2018

Nu dat ik mijn gebruikelijke oudejaarslijstjes voor 2016 heb gepost, krijg ik van alle kanten de vraag opgedrongen naar welke releases ik het meest uitkijk in 2017. Daar kan ik natuurlijk een antwoord op geven, wat ik ook een paar keer gedaan heb. Of ik kan de vraag vanaf nu lekker negeren en niet aan de verwachtingen voldoen, door een lijstje te maken van films in 2018 waar ik reikhalzend naar uitkijk. Hierbij doe ik het laatste. Wat ook een beetje dom is natuurlijk, want de vraag voor 2017 blijft zo bestaan. Ach, een beetje vooruit werken kan geen kwaad...

Han Solo Star Wars spin-off

Met Rogue One als mijn onbetwiste nummer één van 2016 ligt de Han Solo-solofilm (wat bekt dat toch lekker!) voor de hand. Tuurlijk heb ik hier zin in. Han Solo is de ultieme schavuit van het witte doek. Hoe vaak zagen we charme en moed enerzijds en hebzucht en hartenleed anderzijds zo treffend verenigd in één personage? En je krijgt er altijd gratis een wandelend vloerkleed getooid met een ammunitiegordel bij. What's not to like? Nou, nieuwe acteurs die die iconische rollen spelen bijvoorbeeld. Harrison Ford doe je niet zo maar dunnetjes over. Dat is ook het bezwaar dat ik heb tegen prequels/re-imaginings/spin-offs gecentreerd rond personen in plaats van gebeurtenissen. Je bent afhankelijk van personages die je al kent maar die zowel herbevestigd als heruitgevonden moeten worden, en dat is een gevaarlijke zaak. Willen we überhaupt wel meer van hun achtergrond weten, neemt dat niet weg van hun mystiek? Bad Han Begins? Han Solo's ontstaansrelaas boeit me eerlijk gezegd minder dan de geschiedenis rond de eerste missie van de Rebel Alliance, een stukje historie waarvan we de afloop al kennen, maar waarvan we verder amper iets afwisten. Bleek Rogue One toch goed voor een hoop intrigerende nieuwe personages, alsmede voor optredens van oude in kleine rollen die onze harten deden smelten van nostalgisch wederzien. Het valt te bezien of de nog titelloze avonturen van Young Han Solo even aangrijpend blijken.

 
Avengers: Infinity War

Die andere grote actie-franchise onder Disney's paraplu, het Marvel Cinematic Universe, kijkt juist vooruit, naar de toekomst. Ook hier tig oude personages (en legio nieuwe), maar in nieuwe situaties. 'Tig' behelst in dit geval volgens Marvelbons Kevin Feige maar liefst 67 personages. Ik vond de hoeveelheid figuren in Captain America: Civil War al wat veel van het goede... Desondanks, in het bronmateriaal, de Marvel Comics die ik al ruim twintig jaar verslind, werkt dit soort mega-crossovers vaak als een tierelier, dus ik gun ze het voordeel van de twijfel. Infinity War is bovendien de apotheose van het MCU, sinds in The Avengers de eerste tease naar super-superschurk Thanos plaatshad en er vervolgens in elke tweede Marvelfilm wel zo'n Infinity Stone de revue passeerde. Tijd om na tien jaar alle plotlijnen bijeen te brengen en het kookpunt dat steeds verder bereikt lijkt in het MCU eindelijk eens tot bedaren te brengen. Waarop Marvel vervolgens vast een nieuw tienjarenplan in de kast heeft liggen. Marvel Zombies of zo.

Isle of Dogs

Voor wie minder opheeft met al dat Hollywoodspektakel, ligt er in 2018 eindelijk weer een nieuwe Wes Anderson in het verschiet. Wes wie? Je weet wel, die briljante Amerikaanse indie-regisseur met zijn unieke visuele stijl, die narratief altijd zo geslaagd het midden houdt tussen tragedie en komedie en wiens films zo quintessentieel 'quirky' zijn (een treffende Nederlandse vertaling is nog niet voorhanden). Misschien wel mijn favoriete regisseur. In 2018 is het alweer vier jaar sinds zijn laatste, het briljante The Grand Budapest Hotel, dus het wordt wel weer eens tijd. (Tenzij je kunt leven met zuiver commercials van zijn hand in de tussentijd, die mij juist alleen maar naar meer doen smaken...) Stop motion bovendien, slechts zijn tweede film in dat format, na het briljante Fantastic Mr. Fox. Waar gaat het over? Iets met honden en Japan en meer weten we nog niet, maar de naam Wes Anderson is voor mij al ruim voldoende. Dat geldt ook voor de acteurs, want het lijkt tegenwoordig wel alsof er een wachtlijst is voor rollen in Wes Anderson films, zo graag wil iedereen met die man in zee gaan. Vaste partners Bill Murray, Edward Norton en Jeff Goldblum zijn opnieuw van de partij, terwijl dit keer ook Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson en Tilda Swinton acte de présence geven. Als stemmetjes van stop motion honden, dat wel. Onder Anderson kan dat alleen maar tot briljante taferelen leiden.

Early Man

Over stop motion gesproken, 2018 zal een goed jaar worden voor die techniek, aangezien er ook een nieuwe Aardman op ons ligt te wachten. Je weet wel, die heerlijk Engelse animatiestudio van Wallace & Gromit en Shaun the Sheep. Dit keer geen vervolg op een prijzenwinnende short, maar een origineel concept. Over holbewoners die samenleven met dino's. Okee, zo origineel is dat concept niet - laat staan wetenschappelijk verantwoord! - maar het potentieel als de koddige versie van One Million Years B.C. is groot. De Britsheid blijft behouden met stemmenwerk van in ieder geval de heren Redmayne en Hiddleston. Hier kan simpelweg niets misgaan.

Jurassic World 2

En dan is er deze titel nog. Uiteraard de film waar ik, als Jurassic fanaat, het meest likkebaardend op zit te wachten. Nieuwe regisseur (want als je de kans geboden wordt om een Star Wars film te regisseren zeg je geen nee, zoals Colin Trevorrow) is de Spaanse J.A. Bayona, van wie ik nog niets aanschouwd heb (ligt aan mij, want hij heeft wel degelijk eerder films gemaakt). Dit keer geen park op een eiland, geen getrainde Raptors en geen mixklonen (of toch...?). In JW2 ligt de techniek voor het klonen van prehistorisch gespuis te grabbel, dus 'anything goes'. Chris Pratt (met gun) en Bryce Dallas Howard (met hoge hakken) mogen eens te meer aan de bak om het aantal verspilde mensenlevens te beperken. Aangezien iedereen het leuk vindt om te zien hoe dinosauriërs mensen opvreten, zullen ze daar niet geheel succesvol in zijn. Verder helaas nog weinig details. Rex & Raptors gegarandeerd. Hopelijk voor de afwisseling eens mét veren, zoals het hoort. Wordt uitgebracht een week vóór mijn verjaardag. Heel strategisch, Universal...

De Tien Beste Films van 2016

Hoewel 2016 niet zo sterk was als 2015 - echte levensveranderende titels bleven achterwege - viel er tussen al het overhypede Hollywoodspektakel en het bescheidener werk in de filmhuizen toch voldoende te genieten om van een geslaagd bioscoopjaar te spreken. Mijn persoonlijk record aan bioscoopbezoeken ging ruimschoots aan diggelen met maar liefst 102 gangen naar de bios 'voor de lol' en 32 persvoorstellingen, waardoor ik met enige zekerheid durf te zeggen dat ik al het belangrijkste, niet te missen materiaal daadwerkelijk ook niet heb gemist. Deze tien titels - en de re-release van de onsterfelijke klassieker Once Upon a Time in the West, die als heruitbreng helaas achterwege moet blijven - bleven me het meest bij en kan ik iedereen met een beetje interesse in bewegend beeld van harte aanbevelen.

10: The Wailing (Hong-jin Na, Zuid-Korea)

Hoewel in eigen land niet eens zo bijster populair, viert Koreaanse horror onder genreliefhebbers wereldwijd al jaren triomfen. Spijtig genoeg blijft de meeste titels een Nederlandse release bespaard, maar The Wailing vormt een aangename uitzondering. Na's bizarre cocktail van politiekolder, Westerse religie, Oosterse mystiek en nagelbijtende suspense houdt de kijker in een relaas over gruwelijke moorden, duivelse verschijningen en vaderlijke zorg 156 minuten lang in een constante staat van verrassing.

9: Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, VS)

De teloorgang van het platteland door de economische misère levert deze bijzonder puike neo-Western op, waarin een goede vader en zijn minder goede criminele broer het heft in eigen handen nemen en terugnemen wat het hunne is. Gevatte dialogen met aanstekelijke humor en fraaie landschapsvista's enerzijds, anderzijds stof tot nadenken en de vraag aan wiens kant we moeten staan, die van de wanhopige boeven of de plichtsgetrouwe maar vuilbekkende dienders die hen moeten opsporen? Geen daadwerkelijke desperado's hier, wat garant staat voor een onontkomelijk dramatische ontknoping.

8: The Revenant (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, VS)

Ook dit overblijfsel uit 2015 mag een neo-Western genoemd worden, maar is vooral een schokkend wraakepos. Leonardo DiCaprio acteerde zichzelf dan eindelijk naar die lang verdiende Oscar als een voor dood achtergelaten pionier die zich in de barre winter omstreeks 1820 tegen alle natuurwetenschappen in in leven weet te houden door pure wraakzucht jegens de man die zijn zoon doodde. Schitterende locatiefotografie, innovatieve cameravoering en acteerprestaties die nog lang bijblijven maken de worsteling met de wildernis buiten en binnenin de mens tot een zinderende helletocht.

7: Zootropolis / Zootopia (Byron Howard & Rich Moore, VS)

Disney's meest politieke tekenfilm tot dusverre maakt voor de verandering nou eens verhaaltechnisch effectief gebruik van het concept van 'sprekende 'beestjes' om ons een ingenieuze parabel over verontrustende ontwikkelingen in onze dagelijkse maatschappij voor te schotelen. In een wereld vol dieren proberen schimmige krachten de burgerij op te splitsen door middel van irrationele angst. Een dapper konijn en een slinkse vos moeten een onwaarschijnlijk bondgenootschap aangaan om de ineenstorting van de samenleving te voorkomen. Intrigerende politieke parallellen en legio geslaagde woordgrapjes voor de ouders, visueel spektakel, leuke liedjes en fijne personages voor de koters.

6: Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight, VS)

Toch zou die Oscar voor Beste Animatie heel goed aan Zootropolis' neus voorbij kunnen gaan, ten faveure van Kubo and the Two Strings. Kubo heeft wellicht niet zo'n geraffineerd ideologisch verhaal, maar de stop motion animatie is wonderschoon, van het allerhoogste niveau wat studio Laika tot nu toe heeft geproduceerd. Het verhaal over een kleine jongen met magische gaven die een boze geest moet uitbannen met behulp van de in een aap en een strijdkever gereïncarneerde zielen van diens ouders, is geworteld in de beste mythische tradities, Japans of westers.

5: Arrival (Denis Villeneuve, VS)

Villeneuve bewijst opnieuw zijn creatieve genie in dit fascinerende, nadenkende verhaal over een buitenaardse aankomst. Wanneer intimiderende ruimteschapen op Aarde arriveren, dreigt de mensheid haar eigen wereld in paniek in brand te steken. Slechts een poging tot wederzijds begrip leidt tot het afwentelen van de ondergang, in dit naar Hollywoodmaatstaven diepzinnige wetenschapsdrama dat het niet van bombastisch spektakel maar van enerverende expositie en een wetenschappelijk gefundeerd plot moet hebben. Een plottwist á la Interstellar, maar dan minder ridicuul, ligt in het verschiet en zal niet allen kunnen behagen, maar Villeneuve komt er ruimschoots mee weg.

4: Deadpool (Tim Miller, VS)

Wie de superheldenrage in Hollywood na een dik decennium onderhand wel zat is, mag zich laven aan deze subversieve anti-held, die zijn heroïsche tegenhangers met aanstekelijk succes op de hak neemt. De onderbroekenlol en het expliciete geweld is wellicht niet voor iedereen even aangenaam, maar Deadpool weet een groot aantal demografieën te verenigen in zijn bizarre hoedanigheid als schunnige superheldenromkom. Ryan Reynolds rekent bovendien fenomenaal af met de fouten uit zijn verleden in deze herschepping van de 'Merc with a Mouth', tot grote vreugde van zowel Marvel-fanboys als het algemene publiek.

3: Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, Duitsland)

Voor aangrijpender humor met een herkenbaar alledaags hart moeten we dit jaar echter in Duitsland zijn. Ondanks de imposante speelduur van 162 minuten laat Toni Erdmann ons geen moment onberoerd in zowel tragiek als hilariteit in de queeste van een vader diens volwassen dochter nieuwe levenslust te schenken. Die raakte ze kwijt aan het grijze bedrijfsleven, dus infiltreert hij in deze genadeloze wereld met niets meer dan een pruik en valse tanden om haar terug te veroveren. Fantastisch optreden op alle fronten van Peter Simonischek als de titelfiguur. Terechte kans op Oscar voor Beste Buitenlandse Film.

2: The Red Turtle (Michael Dudok de Wit, Frankrijk/Japan)

Die nominatie zou echter ook heel goed kunnen passen bij The Red Turtle, het onwaarschijnlijke maar bijzonder ontroerende cinematisch kind van Nederlandse, Franse en Japanse origine. Minimalistische maar emotierijke animatie en dito dialogen in dit verhaal over de worsteling van een schipbreukeling om zich op een eenzaam eiland in leven te houden, en hoe een mysterieuze rode schildpad hem doet berusten in zijn lot. Zakdoeken mee voor deze weergaloos fraaie contemplatie over een menselijk leven.

1: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Gareth Edwards, VS)

Ondanks alle emotionele pracht en praal van de voorgaande titels kan een geek als ik echter niet anders dan volledig meegaan in de monumentale triomf van Rogue One. Hoewel doorspekt met (heerlijke!) nostalgische verwijzingen naar het roemruchte verleden, blijkt de film toch een eigen kloppend hart te kennen als oorlogsfilm met opmerkelijk duistere diepgang. Deze beste film uit de reeks - feitelijk niet eens echt in de reeks! - sinds Return of the Jedi is zowel de ultieme knipoog naar het verleden als de belofte voor de toekomst dat goede Star Wars films onder de doctrine van Disney nog steeds tot de mogelijkheden behoren.

Today's Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Hollywood wordt verweten te teren op de nostalgische onderbuik van haar publiek. Populaire franchises worden teruggebracht naar hun basis met zoveel mogelijk knipogen naar vroeger. Uiteraard mag Star Wars, de moeder aller fanfranchises, niet aan het herkauwlijstje ontbreken, terwijl de reeks tegelijkertijd klaargestoomd wordt voor de toekomstige generatie. Disney lost die tegenstrijdigheid op door zich in de eigenlijke 'Episodes', ondanks de aanwezigheid van oudgedienden, vooral te richten op wat komen gaat, terwijl in de 'Anthology' serie juist de oudere fan zijn hart kan ophalen bij nieuwe verhalen over oude situaties. Rogue One geeft geslaagd de aftrap met één grote nostalgietrip naar het allereerste uur van de ruimtesage, het getouwtrek om die wapenplannen.
 
De afloop is bekend, maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Hoe het de Death Star uiteindelijk verging is niet van belang, wel hoe het onding tot stand kwam en hoeveel moeite de Rebellen moesten doen om de bouwplannen te bemachtigen. Spil in dit relaas is de getroebleerde Jyn Erso, die door het verzet wordt geronseld in een speurtocht naar haar vader. Zoals ook voor Luke gold, kampt Jyn met flinke 'daddy issues'. Papa Erso werd destijds met geweld van haar ontrukt door kwade Keizerlijke genius Krennic, die zijn technologisch vernuft benutte voor de verwezenlijking van zijn droom des doods. Geplaagd door zijn geweten probeert de ongelukkige echter de opstandelingen van vitale kennis te voorzien. Reden genoeg voor de norse rebellenkapitein Andor om samen met Jyn de waarheid achter de Death Star te achterhalen. Tegen haar zin in, want ze zit niet te wachten op een hernieuwde kennismaking met zowel het verzet als haar vaderlief.

Gareth Edwards blijkt de juiste keuze voor de regiestoel van Rogue One, nadat hij hiervoor met succes Godzilla heruitvond op een wijze die recht deed aan diens verleden, maar fris genoeg was voor het heden. Hij overgoot het reuzenreptiel met een intrigerend duister sausje en doet nu hetzelfde met Star Wars, want de helden in Rogue One zijn lang zo heldhaftig niet. De kersverse Rebellenalliantie moet haar draai als vrijheidsstrijders nog vinden, vooral de methodes die haar afzetten tegen de onderdrukker die zij bestrijdt. Andor is bijvoorbeeld niet te beroerd om pardoes een paniekerige informant uit de weg te ruimen. Dat zijn eigenlijke missie hem kaarsrecht tegenover zijn beschermeling Jyn plaatst, is al gauw duidelijk en zorgt voor het nodige vuurwerk tussen de onvrijwillige bondgenoten. Op hun eerste trip kruisen zij het pad van een fanatieke rebellenleider wiens werkwijze te grof was voor de Alliantie. De manier waarop zijn gesluierde aanhangers in een drukke woestijnstad achteloos hun tegenstanders te lijf gaan, zal onder Edwards geen toevallige parallel met de brandhaarden in het Midden-Oosten vormen. Het is aan Jyn om de rebellie op diens eerste grote missie om te vormen tot een coherent geheel van goeieriken, zoals we die kennen uit de originele trilogie.

Het siert Edwards dat Rogue One voorzien is van volwassen morele diepgang en bovengemiddelde karakteruitdieping in wat feitelijk een onvervalste oorlogsfilm is, maar nooit verliest hij de pure lol uit het oog die Star Wars zo kenmerkt. Dankzij het bonte samenraapsel aan personages - waaronder een Keizerlijke overloper, een blinde Force-adept, een lekker cynische droid - en hun overtuigende onderlinge chemie, vormt de film een weergaloos avontuur vol exotische locaties en humoristische terzijdes. Het plezier dat de cast, van de stoere heldin tot de vilein schmierende schurk, beleeft, spat zichtbaar van het scherm. Kleine misstappen, zoals het gemakzuchtig snel heen en weer schakelen tussen diverse locaties in het begin van de film, zijn daardoor makkelijk te vergeven. En hoewel Jyns aanhoudend pleidooi voor de kracht van hoop wat geforceerd overkomt, stoort het nergens. Het hinten naar 'nieuwe hoop' is immers slechts één van vele verwijzingen naar de originele trilogie die het nostalgische gevoel van Rogue One zo aanstekelijk maken.

Want hoewel voor iedereen onderhoudend, is Rogue One een feest van herkenning voor de fans. Het respect dat Edwards en zijn kompanen voor vooral Episode IV koesteren, is in elk shot voelbaar. Herkenbare sets, muziek, dialoog en cameo's van allerhande oude personages worden een dikke twee uur lang over ons uitgestort, waarbij een gevoel van nodeloze uitpersing der klassieken zich nimmer opdringt. We vergeven zelfs het gemis van de iconische openingstitels. Rogue One is overduidelijk een product van liefde. En natuurlijk een visueel genot. X-Wings en Star Destroyers, maar ook nieuwe voertuigen, vliegen ons om de oren en de Death Star zelf zag er nog nooit zo glorieus uit. Het spektakel was gegarandeerd, maar voelt met de puike cast en dito regie haast meeslepender dan ooit. Bovendien hoeft de film geen frustrerende overkoepelende mysteries voor latere delen op te bouwen, waartoe The Force Awakens was veroordeeld. Rogue One is geen schaamteloze uitmelking van onze nostalgie, maar Edwards' liefdesbrief aan de fans, waartoe hij klaarblijkelijk ook zichzelf rekent.

Oscars 2016: The Predictions

It's late January, so it's time for another round of predicting who will and won't go home with one (or more) of them little gold statuettes. Based on uncanny prior experience deducting winners, in-depth knowledge of the Academy's politics and personal acquantaince with all its members, I should get a lot of these right. Too bad I have little of the above, I'm just a guy with a gut feeling and an opinion, coupled with above average knowledge of movies and stuff. So there's bound to be a few misses here, but then, the Academy sadly never asks what I think. 


Best Film:
First Choice: I wanna say Mad Max: Fury Road, since that's the film I thought best of all the movies nominated I've seen. Which is less than half of them, admittedly. Gimme a break, the other half hasn't even been released here yet! I plan on seeing the rest ASAP. That being the case, I have a hunch it's gonna be The Revenant.
Second choice: The Big Short. Because Inarritu already won Best Picture only last year, so it wouldn't be fair to the others. Mind you, a lot of black people will remind you fairness is not something the Academy takes into account...

Best Actor:
First Choice: Leonardo DiCaprio. Nominated six times before. So don't you think it's about time as much as 'about time' can get?
Second choice: Michael Fassbender. Even though he didn't look much like Steve Jobs physically, he certainly got the rest right to make for a memorable performance.
 
Best Actress:
First Choice: Cate Blanchett. Because, you know... Cate Blanchett!
Second choice: Brie Larson. For getting stuck in a room and acting her way out.

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: Christian Bale. Another hunch, but I'm not that impressed by this batch of candidates.
Second choice: Mark Rylance. Such a sweet, mild mannered performance. For a spy hellbent on destroying the US of A and the assorted freedom that goes with it. But still we like him.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Rooney Mara. Because I like to think Cate Blanchett's talent is highly inspirational. Getting intimate with her increases the acting capabilities of others, perhaps? Not to say Mara was no good prior to meeting Cate. Far from it in fact.
Second choice: Rachel McAdams. Because I've seen the other options on the big screen and I can't pick.


Best Director:
First Choice: George Miller. Because I want him to win, not because I think he actually will. Anybody capable of crafting such an insanely fantastic world at his advanced age and getting embraced by audiences and critics alike deserves to win.
Second choice: Adam McKay. A more likely scenario.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Spotlight. Seems the least unlikely candidate.
Second choice: Inside Out. It's gonna win Best Animated Feature for sure, but it quite deserves this one as well.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: The Big Short. Because it's so highly intelligent and complicated. Oh no, it isn't, that's just what Wall Street wants you to think so nobody asks them the hard questions and they keep getting away with the shit they pull. And that's exactly what this script makes painfully clear.
Second choice: The Martian. A hunch. And because science is fun again.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: Inside Out. Duh.
Second choice: I wanna say Shaun the Sheep, because I almost cried, but reason makes me say Anomalisa. Because it's unlike most animated features getting this nomination. It's not for kids, for one thing. So that makes it a different thing which deserves a chance to shine. But Inside Out is gonna take its glory, make no mistake.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Son of Saul (Saul Fia). No competition.
Second choice: El Abrazo de la Serpiente. Still, no competition though.

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: This one is really hard. All contenders have very bold, innovative cinematography.  Sicario and Mad Max: Fury Road sure impressed me, but I think it's gonna be The Hateful Eight.
Second choice: Sicario. Because it's kinda the underdog here, and everybody loves an underdog.
EDIT: Fuck that, it's gonna be The Revenant, too!

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Competition is not as strong here. The Revenant.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. If you've seen it, you know full well why. Crazy production design for an insane world.
Second choice: The Martian.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: Cinderella. Lavish got a new dimension. In 3D.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. Again, crazy.

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. It's becoming my mantra in the technical department, but I just have strong faith in it.
Second choice: The Revenant. That's that handsome Leonardo DiCaprio fella under all that mud and blood, you know?

Best Score:
First Choice: The Hateful Eight. Same reason as Leo: it's high time after six snubs. Plus, he has been a master at his work for decades and this score was just totally brilliant. More so than the movie itself in fact.
Second choice: Sicario. Because it scared me, which it was supposed to.

Best Song:
First Choice: Spectre. Because the writing's on the wall. I didn't much care for it at first to be honest, but it really grew on me.
Second choice: whatever. Youth.

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road, same as before.
Second choice: Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: Star Wars: The Force Awakens actually. The soundscape of Star Wars is a universe on its own even now another has taken over, and at least one sound award should acknowledge that fact.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: Ex Machina. For being subtle and not drawing attention to itself, but still totally believable. For those who didn't know, Alicia Vikander doesn't actually look like that in real life, that's all VFX.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. Because of that whole Mad Max thing I got going here, in case you missed it.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: The Look of Silence. Can't go wrong with Indonesian genocide. Part 2.
Second choice: Amy. Because it appeals to the masses more than Ukrain, Nina Simone or drug cartels.


Februay 28th will tell me how right, or rather, how wrong, I am. What a lovely day!

Today's Column: Franchises fighting their past

Another month, another column of mine:

Column: Franchises in gevecht met hun eigen verleden

Nostalgia is key in the current Hollywood strategy. Of course the studios are eager to get the new generations acquainted with classic fare it might not have bothered to check out on their own accord - if their parents think it's awesome, it can't really be, right? - but at the same time, the existing fan base and its substantial financial potential are not to be ignored. So today's new istallments in major franchises like Terminator, Jurassic Park and Star Wars are drenched in the stuff that generates that good ol' feeling for the older fans. Old actors return, old oneliners are uttered throughout and old locations are revisited. Not to mention old plot lines are blatantly rehashed, as with the disappointing Terminator Genisys. However, the nostalgia of these new films only brings to mind the truly classic installments, ignoring those sequels that didn't either turn a profit or please the fans. Do we want to be remembered of less than stellar fare when we can set our minds on the glory of the true undying classics that preceded them? Maybe not, but it sure as heck doesn't help the consistency in these franchises. They're not remakes, or even reboots. They acknowledge what happened before happened in the same universe, but they refuse to acknowledge all of it, leaving us with major questions. What has become of Isla Sorna? Did Ripley not die, but was it a hypersleep dream? Terminator Genisys uses the Trek way out and states the current story takes place in an alternate time line, which is supposed to be a smooth way to ignore Rise of the Machines and Salvation, but makes for an overly convoluted whole in the Terminator franchise. So that wasn't the smartest move, or the most respectful since there are still plenty of fans - myself included - who actually didn't think so little of Rise of the Machines and Salvation.

Basically Hollywood is suggesting to us which films we should remember fondly and which had best be forgotten. But why should the studios dictate what is canon and what isn't? Isn't that up to the fans who embrace these franchises and the stories they tell, taking the good with the bad? The case of the recent 'recanonizing' of the Star Wars universe, to make it work more in Disney's favour, is a poignant example of how a studio is appropriating a franchise for its own gain rather than the fans'. Thirty years of Expanded Universe, mostly written by fans who turned their love for the space saga into a profession, is brisquely declared 'non canon', even though many stories are actually more intelligently crafted and more emotionally compelling than some of the canon entries. Such rewriting of history won't stop the fans from appreciating the good stuff and detesting the bad in the future. They'll make up their own mind on what things they will lovingly look back at.

Judging from the lackluster box office results and the poor audience reception, Terminator Genisys might not be one of those things...

Today's News: a bit of everything

This week's crop of news, courtesy of yours truly and the Internet:

Nieuwe trailer Ted 2

Little is added to what we already knew of this film's plot, but a big can of raunchy jokes has been opened here. Makes you wonder how much more of this we're in for when the actual movie hits theaters, since all manner of bodily fluids and sexual positions have been adressed in this three minute red band trailer alone. One thing this preview makes amply clear is that we shouldn't expect too much from the plot; as if we did. Yes, it's pretty intriguing from a philosophical view point, basically being a retelling of that classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Measure of a Man. To what extent does artificial intelligence qualify as 'life'? And what are its rights under the law as dictated by man? All wildly fascinating stuff, make no mistake. But hey, we're talking about a live teddy bear in this case, so forget about any of it sticking for very long. It's not meant to be taken seriously by nobody. The only sticky stuff present in Ted 2, as overtly indicated by this trailer, will be sperm and alcohol.

Butterfield favoriet voor Spider-Man

Butterfield is as good a choice for a younger Peter Parker as any, to my mind. His name certainly sticks out from the others on the shortlist, him having had the most big screen production experience and critical accolades that come with it. That said, do we want a younger Peter Parker? This is Spider-Man after all, not Spider-Boy. True, but in most every incarnation of the character, he started out at high school. He also did in both the Raimi trilogy and the recent Amazing Spider-Man reboots, but in both cases, the actor that portrayed the wallcrawler definitely felt older than the character was supposed to be (since in both cases, he was). So maybe it's about time we let the younger generation try its had at webslinging. No kids on the current Avengers slate, so let's diversify a bit and add one. It's sticking close to the Ultimate Universe the Marvel Studios movies have a knack of imitating. It might make the impact of the upcoming events in Captain America: Civil War hit home harder. Restricting superhero activity is one thing for adult superhumans, but what about teenagers? Requiring them to register their powers to the government, thus limiting their life options from an early age, does feel rather harsh. Hopefully a teenage Spider-Man played by an actual teenager does add some such intriguing new layers of superhero logistics and laws, if played right. And I'm fairly confidant Butterfield can play it right.

Nieuwe posters Fantastic Four

I'm still not convinced these four are right for their respective parts, though. And from the buzz online, it appears I'm not alone in that hesitation. So far the responses to the trailers and other promotional material has predominantly been on the negative side. Maybe it has something to do with Marvel's apparent campaign of smearing the quartet's name because Marvel Studios doesn't own the rights to the franchise anymore. That would be quite cynical and detestable, considering the FF's illustrious history at Marvel since 1963. However, I haven't followed most of the recent FF stories, so I don't know if rumours are true. I just know what I see, and I see these trailers and I'm simply not feeling overly excited by them. Other than the lack of chemistry of the actors and the characters I'm fearful of (which hasn't been proven yet), I can't quite put my finger on it. The actors are fine in their own right, and I know from readint the comics there's plenty to like about the characters in general. Maybe it's the director? Rumours again are not kind. Josh Trank apparently isn't the most easy of directors to work with. Which forms a decent segue to...

Trank stopt met Star Wars

... this bit of news. No more Star Wars for Trank. Much like Gareth Edwards and Rian Johnson, he seemed like a fine choice. A talented young upstart, fresh from his first critical and commercial success. And therein no doubt lies the problem, as other than Chronicle, Trank has nothing to his name just yet. Sure, he directed a likable indie superhero flick, but handling a big blockbuster movie, especially one that comes with high expectations and related pressure, is another thing entirely. Word is things didn't go so smoothly on the set of Fantastic Four. So that might have made the right folks at Disney/Lucasfilm a tad nervous. You're not giving Star Wars to someone who can't even emotionally handle a small property like FF. Especially when there's ample time to find a successor. So the second entry in the Star Wars Anthology series is now in need of a new director. But what about Fantastic Four 2? Fox has already been planning that sequel for some time, with Trank slated to direct it. There's no word yet on whether Fox and Trank will part ways. Which again makes you wonder how much of these rumours are true. A grain of salt is a good thing to take with all this stuff for sure. The Internet may be playing Jedi mind tricks on us.

Eerste teaser Fifty Shades Darker

And here's a mind trick for the members of the female audience who're into this sort of thing. A thirty second tease of Jamie Dornan putting on a tux and a silly mask, followed by a moaning sound. Not very subtle but it will do the trick. Less than two years to go until the release! Make sure to note it in your agendas and plan your lives accordingly, ladies! Even though nobody will honestly accuse Fifty Shades of Grey of being a good film, I'm sure the womenfolk will gobble up the sequel vigorously. But hey, men do the same with "their" franchises like Fast and Furious and all those darn superhero movies, so let's not get overly sexist here. Just remember, guys: in about three years time this will all have blown over and we can resume the everyday course of life as it nothing happened. It's not like anybody is talking about the Twilight movies and books anymore these days. Thankfully.

Today's News: Fantastic rogue pirate quest

This week's news, first batch:

Nieuwe trailer Fantastic Four

Hardly a fantastic trailer. Of course many things are still under wraps, so it's by no means a fair representation of the final product, but it simply looks bland at this point. From what I gather, it's supposedly an adaptation of the first few volumes of Ultimate Fantastic Four, which did deserve the moniker more than most FF stories I've read. It just doesn't look nearly as elaborate, grandiose and colourful as the story told in those issues, but more like a darker, grittier take on the previous films. No giant portal to the N-Zone, no fabulous barren universe ravaged by an anti-life overlord, no Mole Man with his monster men annex mushroom manipulations. Just a fancy looking device reminiscent of Captain America's soldier serum chamber slinging our quartet to a retread of Thor's Dark World, and then they get their powers and fight Dr. Doom again and bladiblah. I'm also really skeptical about the casting. Each of these actors has proven themselves on their own, but I'm less comfortable seeing them as this small ensemble. I'm just not feeling the chemistry. I know this is the 21st Century and I shouldn't think in such reactionary terms, but I'm particularly ticked off by the political correctness of casting a coloured guy as Johnny Storm, just for the sake of representation. That wouldn't be so bad per se, if Storm didn't have a sister who has still remained white, thus needing to explain it all away as adopted family. At least they had the guts to make their father black, which isn't the usual order of things (which rather tends to see white people adopting kids of colour). Maybe I'm just biased towards this entire project because it's only been so recently since the previous iteration of the FF. Kinda like what happened to Spider-Man, and look at how that turned out: chaos and mishandling of the character, and an eventual return of sorts to the Marvel fold. If that's what in store for us with the Fantastic Four, I'd say just skip a few steps and let Marvel handle its First Family properly from the get-go.

Details Star Wars: Rogue One bekend

Sounds intriguing, but also marred by the same flaw that characterized the Prequel Trilogy: we already know the outcome. The mission was a success, the plans were stolen and the Death Star destroyed. Yay rebels, yay Rogues. However, it's not like every story of which we were familiar with the ending made for a dull film. Plenty of examples to prove the opposite, and who knows, Rogue One might be counted among them in the future. Not to mention, we get to enjoy the good ol' days of Imperial rule, when Darth Vader was still the exquisite bad guy we fell in love with in the first Star Wars film. Just no Jedi in this scenario, but that makes for a decent change of Force enhanced fisticuffs. I have no doubt a war movie type of flick set in that galaxy far, far away could make for a smashing picture. Didn't the grimy battles of Yavin and Hoth make for some of the finest moments in the classic trilogy? I'll admit I'm less keen on the opportunities offered (likely not so coincidentally) of a crossover between this film and the story of the new animated Disney show Star Wars Rebels, set roughly around the same time frame. If this is truly a standalone film, as we were promised, make sure it does indeed keep itself from tie-ins to other stories in different media, so the story doesn't become muddled with references to characters and plot lines we may not all have seen. Well, that's just the Disney way and we'll have to live with it, I suppose.

Eerste foto Johnny Depp in Pirates 5

Aaarrrhh! That's right, me mateys! Tie that pirate to th' mast and squeeze 'im of all 'is treasures! Ironic that Disney would debut this particular picture first, as it so blatantly expresses the philosophy of milking the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise dry for every piece of eight the audience has left. Johnny Depp sure looks gloomy reprising the role (though admittedly, he's in character here) and I'm sure some second thoughts must have sailed through his mind when he experienced that injury on set that kept him from filming for a month. From what we know about the plot of Dead Men Tell No Tales, it follows the set formula strictly. A new supernatural pirate threat is let loose, Captain Jack Sparrow must once more team up/deal with the treacherous Barbossa and navigate his crew of butch buccaneers through the dangerous waters of the High Seas and rum abuse on a quest for some legendary artifact to save their sorry skins. Apparently, Dean Men Tell No New Tales, they just regurgitate old ones. Oh heck, it's probably good for a laugh or two, and I doubt anyone thinks this is gonna be inspired stuff beforehand. Javier Bardem gets to play an evil pirate, that's something worth seeing on the big screen at least. But few will deny Sparrow's shenanigans are getting old.

Galaxy Quest wordt TV-serie

Somebody may have taken the motto 'Never give up, never surrender!' a bit too literally. Sure, Galaxy Quest was a great movie, but its story matter just doesn't seem applicable to a TV-show. It was a one-shot. A story about television veterans haunted by the popularity of that one cancelled TV show, finding the need and strength to embrace its legacy in defense of people in need of the help of their characters, and thus finally embracing the characters themselves. End of story. You can adapt that story into a miniseries for a limited number of episodes if needs be. But a regularly running multiple season show? I don't see that potential in this premise. Besides, it's a spoof of Star Trek. I would find it ironic to say the least a cancelled TV series would spawn a spoof series, almost fifity years after the fact. Though it does say something about the longevity of Star Trek as a popcultural phenomenon. But I can guarantee you, a Galaxy Quest series would suffer a similar fate as the original Trek series sooner rather than later. There's just so many jokes you can distill from Trek before people get it and warp on.

Today's News: A threesome of trailers

Trailer! Trailer! Anyone want a trailer?

Tweede teaser Star Wars: The Force Awakens

With every little bit of info released, the hype for this film is building. Though so far scepticism reigned supreme in my case, I cannot help but now feel a rising level of optimism as well, against my better judgment. There's only so much iconic imagery of the original Star Wars movies against the backdrop of an intriguing new setting you can give a guy before he breaks. That shot of the downed Star Destroyer just looked too cool to ignore. The first teaser lacked such sweeping images, but now that the release date is approaching, successively splendid shots will be revealed. Still, I'm not too high on some other old cards being played. An aged Han Solo doesn't get me nearly as excited, even though I love(d?) the character. It's just exemplary of the rehasing of old glory that's currently driving Hollywood, usually to lackluster results. Whether it will work for Star Wars is very much the question. At least Ford is still a capable actor we can take serious, but what of the likes of Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, who've made a career making fun - lovingly, but still - of their characters of old? That's the good thing about Chewbacca or R2-D2, they don't really rely on the people inside them to convince us. So for the moment, I revel more in the visual effects than in the acting, but that's a Star Wars staple anyway. The old stuff aside, what to make of the elements new to the Star Wars series? A mysterious chrome Stormtrooper, a beach ball Droid, novel characters and locations we need to learn to love (or not)... There's still plenty that can go wrong, but I can't help but feel there are definitely things going right.

Eerste trailer Scream: The TV Series

You gotta admit, this trailer is quick to make the statement most people will when they see it: 'you can't do a slasher as a TV series'. Doesn't stop this show from trying though. Being selfreflexive is of course one of the trademarks of the Scream series of movies, so it's good see this quality wasn't lost on the producers. But it's going to take spectators a little more than that to convince them to bother to watch this show. In all other respects, it doesn't seem to have much going for it, at least nothing the movies didn't show. Teens, murders, humour, that sort of thing. On the big screen, it worked well enough to spawn three sequels over the years, but on a TV show, even for a single season, you risk getting repetitive pretty darn soon. Unless the series still has cards to play this trailer doesn't reveal. Even if it does, as we are currently living in the Golden Age of Television, we have plenty of excellent programs to pick from, and I doubt many would opt for a slasher series based on a worn out series of movies. Unless it's raining very often and hard outside on those dreary afternoons.

Nieuwe teaser trailer Ant-Man

Posted above is the actual trailer for Marvel's latest flick, rather than the teaser mentioned in my article. At the moment of posting, I didn't take the different time zones State side into account, so the full trailer wasn't released the next day, but rather a few hours later, making my bit of news redundant even sooner than I had anticipated. But then, redundancy is the key term for teasers of trailers anyway. Other than the true Internet nerds who will end up seeing the movie in theaters anyway, nobody will really bother to watch such teasers, certainly not the paying "general audience" as it has come to be known as. In my mind, there really is little point to crafting trailers into events of their own in this manner, as trailers are a means to an end rather than the end itself, which is the final film. Where will this madness end? Teasers for teasers for teasers for trailers for movies? I'm making a stand to put a stop to this. Give me a teaser, then a trailer or three and then release the damn film. Release a bunch TV spots too, if needs be, but nothing more in the audiovisual department. As for this full lenth trailer for Ant-Man, as is the case for Star Wars I'm progressively liking what I see. It's always a hard blow when one of your favorite directors - Edgar Wright, in this scenario - departs a project, but in this case, the successor took a hint or two in terms of humour, resulting in at least one hilarious Wrightian gag (you'll know it when you see it). Hopefully the final film will echo more Wright, though I wouldn't expect the new director to ignore his own personality entirely, that would be unfair to him. And even if there's little more Wright to discern, it's a Marvel film, how bad can it be? *cough*IronMan3*cough*

Today's News: catching up with lots of trailers

Not done just yet with the news of last week. Let's get that out of the way fast, since this week's news begs attention as well.

Titel eerste Star Wars solofilm bekend

I suppose this was last week's bit of 'breaking news' (insert exclamation mark or two). Even though the Star Wars spin-off films aren't nearly as hugely anticipated as the upcoming Episodes proper, they're still Star Wars movies. The title of the first solo feature, as directed by Monsters Man Gareth Edwards, is now revealed to be Rogue One. Still no plot synopsis, but if the name is any indication, it will undoubtedly involve the famous Rogue Squadron pilots, of which Luke Skywalker was once a member in the Rebel Alliance, before his status as a Jedi Knight took precedence. Rogue One is generally the call sign of the X-Wing Squadron's leader, so could it be about that? With Felicity Jones as the protagonist, will she play a tough female fighter pilot kicking some Imperial ass all over that galaxy far, far away? Sounds a bit like Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, but hey, that show took a hint or two from Star Wars itself. Maybe the title is simply a huge misdirect and the movie will actually be about something entirely different. Could be, considering the persistence of those bounty hunter plot rumours. But maybe they keep on popping up because people want a bounty hunter movie, as nearly everyone had hoped this first solo feature to be a Boba Fett flick. Doesn't mean that project is off the table if Rogue One is really about Rogue's pilots, since this certainly won't be the last Star Wars spin-off. From the talented Edwards, I'll take any Force filled Fighter fest I can get, rather than facing the inevitable letdown that's gonna be Abrams' Episode VII...

Nieuwe trailer San Andreas

Speaking of letdowns and things resembling other things, this trailer just screams 2012. The plot looks very much like that of Earthquake, except with one main character rather than multiple. I just can't understand why this hugely expensive project was greenlit so soon after 2012's release. Do studio execs really think Dwayne Johnson's presence and lots of visual effects are enough to entice audiences to go see it in theaters? Though I like rampant destruction as much as the next man, to my mind there simply seems little appeal to this film. The devastation scenes are gonna be fun at best, but never original or inspired, while the rest of it just seems utterly dull. Maybe someone in Hollywood knows something the general audience doesn't at this point, and the long expected big bang is finally imminent on the American West-Coast. A big earthquake with lots of property damage and huge numbers of fatalities won't be fun, but would make the film a hot current event at least. But other than that, I can only see this movie being shattered and crushed by the success of others at the box office.

Nieuwe trailer Inside Out

In terms of originality and box office success, I have more hope for this film, Pixar's latest. First of all, it has the Pixar name going for it. It may have taken a dent or two lately because of the lack of inspired projects, but it's still strong enough to stand out amidst a crowd of animation competitors. Second of all, the plot seems much more thoughtful than in the case of most animated features of late, and finally hails another Pixar original rather than a dreaded sequel or spin-off. Lastly, considering the success of characters like the Smurfs and the Minions, clearly colour coded little entities with distinctly different personalities are sure to appeal to kids everywhere en masse, so positive box office results are more or less guaranteed. The only thing in that regard I would have done differently is push the release date back a few more weeks, to stay clear more of the Minions movie and avoid animation competition, but otherwise Inside Out will do just fine. Will it be on the same creative level as the Pixar greats of the previous decade? I dare not speculate. It sure has a unique premise it seems, but whether it will connect to audiences without degenerating into a mindfuck? Probably, but certainly not a given as of yet.

Eerste trailer Hotel Transylvania 2

And here's a less original animated feature for you. An unavoidable sequel from a lesser studio, it's hard to deny. Doesn't mean it will be bad, per se. After all, everybody loves monsters, animated or otherwise. The success of the first film clearly established that, otherwise this sequel would not exist. So far, Hotel Transylvania seems to stick to relatable events, family squabbles and such. No creatures secretly controlling our minds, evil characters hellbent on taking over the world, or other grandiose plot points in this franchise. The plethora of strange and spooky creatures ensures the visual impact needed, while the plot keeps it much more down to Earth. Dracula's daughter has married an outsider (an everyday human) and spawned a halfbreed kid, and now his family, including his overly oldfashioned and conservative father, must learn to cope with current events. Hardly an unrecognizable problem. Just with unusual characters, vampires and werewolves and stuff. I like that notion of turning things upside down. Hopefully Hotel Transylvania 2 will acknowledge the potential of this emotional plot and not let the monstrous take priority over the human aspect.

Meer character posters Avengers: Age of Ultron

Speaking of inhuman characters, here's two of them. Mutants really, though that term is taboo in Marvel Studios's canon. Obviously the new Avengers were the last ones to get their own character posters, since the studio considers the popular returning characters the big audience draw, while these two still have to prove themselves. Quicksilver already turned out a great character in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but that of course wasn't 'Marvel's' Quicksilver. It's gonna be a challenge starting from scratch with the same powers and adding a distinct separate personality on the same creatively enjoyable level. Hopefully the sibling relationship with Scarlet Witch is utilized to maximum effect to make this Quicksilver a decidedly different and original take on the same character. Considering the simultaneous release of these character posters, it seems to be what Marvel is aiming for. After all, they could have mixed things up and paired either one of these with the posters for other newbies like Ultron or Vision (the latter still unaccounted for), but they didn't. Of course, the big question then is, will Olsen and Taylor-Johnson show the necessary chemistry between them to make us like these siblings? I saw the new Godzilla again this week, in which these actors played husband and wife. Can't say they did a particularly compelling job in that role. Hopefully brother and sister suits them better...

Today's Column: don't give in to hype, that leads to the Dark Side

My last column for MovieScene (this year):

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/158331/column_de_hype_ontwaakt


I'm getting increasinly tired by people asking me to embrace the hype surrounding the new Star Wars movie. They shout 'just roll with it!', like a friggin' soccer droid, willfully ignoring the fact this hype will continue for a whole more year and might end up in fatal disappointment. Expectations are already soaring to outrageous heights, and it just seems totally unlikely any fan will ever get what they are currently hoping for. Unless they keep their expectations low of course, which the majority opts against, but I consider the best way to stay sane. Based on the few loose images and deplorable lack of context the teaser provides, vast legions of fans already believe this film will be on par with the original trilogy. Even though nobody still knows what it's all about. We don't know these characters and their situations, but that doesn't stop the die-hard believers from playing a long-term guessing game, which mostly consists of projecting their desires for this movie's plot and its place in the larger canon onto a handful of random shots, chosen mostly for instilling the feel of the good ol' days. The fans' eagerness is coupled with a frightfully obnoxious and zealously disturbing faith in J.J. Abrams, since he supposedly "rescued" Star Trek from falling into obscurity (even though that franchise is currently worse off than ever). Granted, his work on Star Trek showed he had more affinity with Star Wars, since both movies felt more like a Star Wars film than an actual Trek movie (which shows you just how little he cared and Trek was just another rung up the ladder to doing Wars for the man). But they didn't feel like a good Star Wars film. Abrams might be a self-proclaimed Star Wars fan as much as the common nerd-on-the-street, but that doesn't mean he'll automatically direct a fantastic new addition to the saga that will get everyone what they want. As goes for most major franchises, some of the worst stories have been created by people considering themselves major fans, but who still failed to grasp just what made a good installment, with dire results.

This teaser, which mostly consists of coupling legendary set pieces and vehicles with unknown new characters and questionable new gimmicks - I still haven't heard a satisfying theory as to what use two small additional sabers on the side could be - is not enough to make me cast off any doubt and go along with the hype. I prefer to take any new bit of information on the film, be it rumours or actual footage, with a grain of salt. And I would have thought most fans would have learned their lesson when they got swept away with the hype surrounding Episode I, which proved the folly of getting one's hopes up to such immeasurable and unrealistic heights. Maybe The Force Awakens turns out good - honestly, I hope so - but just to be on the safe side (which is the side between Light and Dark, mind you), I won't let the hype get me drunk on excessive joyful anticipation.

Today's News: movies, chappies and junkies

There's been some neat news these past few days, and I got a chance to post my fair share:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/157896/nieuwe_trailer_voor_the_hobbit_the_battle_of_the_five_armies

A rather decent little trailer, says I. Seems Middle-Earth will go out with an appopriate bang, as did The Hobbit book to a lesser extent. Moderation surely isn't Peter Jackson's style, particularly if he knows he's not likely to show off like this again. Might as well go all-out one last time. Tolkien purists surely gave up on him right after An Unexpected Journey anyway. This precious trailer looks breathtaking and makes me water my mouth accordingly. However, I'm not the one who needs to be convinced to go see this movie, as I've been planning to do so for a few years now. I guess this trailer doesn't really need to be enticing anyway, as people who want to see the movie will see it anyway and people who don't, won't be pulled in any more by this preview, even if it does look awesome. This trailer definitely is for the fans, who live in the greatest of anticipation for one more month before the cinematic age of Middle-Earth comes crashing down. Unless they do find a way to decently adapt The Silmarillion for the big screen after all.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/157867/eerste_trailer_minions

Then there's this trailer. There's a multitude of evil minions in Tolkien's stories, but none are as cute as these. You don't see Orcs getting a movie of their own. (Well, you do, but that's not what I mean.) But it's clear people enjoyed the shenanigans of Gru's little aides more than they did Gru's own sinister schemes, so a spin-off was required by the laws of Hollywood. It's still unclear whether Steve Carell's Gru is in the movie, as some sites claim he is while others deny as much. I think it likely this will serve as an origin story, showing how Gru and the Minions hooked up. Do we need to know that? Not really. I guess people just really like the Minions so much they want to see more of them than their creators originally intended. They're kinda like the Smurfs in that regard: they're small and there's many of them with various personalities, they have their own language, they're monochromatic, etc. If they're indeed a runaway success, will that mean we'll forget about Gru the same way the majority of the Smurfs reader are not aware of Johan and Pirrewiet? That would be a shame, as I think the Minions work best playing off Gru, who himself is an equally delightful character (the voice and nose alone crack me up). It's up to this Minions movie to determine whether the Minions have a staying power of their on, or whether we prefer Gru to be present as well.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/157866/junkie_xl_werkt_mee_aan_soundtrack_batman_v_superman

As a fellow Dutchman it's of course expected of me to feel a sense of pride at Junkie XL's accomplishments. Well sure: good job, Mr. XL! Other than that this news doesn't evoke much emotional feelings in me other than gladness we'll be getting a good score for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (now if only we also got a good title...). Hans Zimmer's status as one of the world's leading movie soundtrack composers has long since been established. His tunes can be heard during my workouts on many an occasion (Gladiator is a particular favourite of mine). Junkie XL is just a bonus. His track record of Hollywood scores is still on the short side, but so far he has done well. I liked his score for 300: Rise of an Empire more than the one from its predecessor. Divergent's soundtrack is not nearly as memorable - can't remember a single accord of it for the life of me, to be honest - but at least it didn't leave as sour a taste as the rest of that film did. I like the notion of two composers sharing duties between superheroes' separate scores. It makes sense someone else trackles Batman for this film, as Zimmer already scored that character for the entire Dark Knight trilogy. Since this is a different Batman, a different theme is in order and so a different composer is a logical conclusion. Since we are talking about the same Superman as the one from Man of Steel however, it's only apt that Zimmer keeps scoring him. Big question now is: who's gonna score the inevitable combined superhero/Justice League theme? Zimmer, XL or somebody else entirely?

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/157879/eerste_trailer_chappie

Neill Blomkamp continues to dabble in socially pertinent science fiction flicks. It worked out great in District 9, a little less so with Elysium, but there's still more contemporary injustice to be commented upon. From the looks of the trailer, Chappie seems to deal with a 'nature versus nurture' debate: does an artificial intelligence become a criminal because he was "raised" in such an environment, or were there signs of bad behaviour in his personality from the get-go? Does he acknowledge good from evil to begin with, or are such notions beyond his understanding because of the limits in his programming? Is a life of crime considered a logical and reasonable existence under the situations according to the codes written within him? It'll be interesting to see what Blomkamp has to say on the matter, since things are never so black and white in his work. The gritty, down-to-earth look of his Sci-Fi remains catchy, especially in a story closer to home than one dealing with space stations and exoskeletons. This film definitely is worth keeping an eye on. It'll be fascinating to see a robot attempting a robbery for financial gain, rather than a bunch of them trying to take over the world for a change.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/157895/titel_star_wars_episode_vii_onthuld

Meh... Damn silly title. I can understand it's not an Episode proper, considering the new studio, the new director and the new direction the franchise takes (but despite the very old cast members returning). But I still find Star Wars Episode VII to be a catchier title than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The latter kinda sounds like a video game, a bastard child of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed or something. And is this title suggesting the actual Force was asleep during all the previous movies? Yeah, right! I guess J.J. Abrams is the 'Force' in question and he has awoken to make something new and exciting of the franchise (or so he thinks), rather than the dull generic crap he pushed on us with his dreadful Star Trek reboots, during which he was obviously too much asleep to give a crap. And please tell me that isn't the official logo for the movie. It looks like a cheap fan creation. Not that there aren't any fans who could have come up with better titles, of course. How about Star Wars Episode VII: The Empire Takes Over the Franchise?

Today's Video: showing off my excessive dinosaur toy collection

Believe it or not, but a fellow forum member of the Dinosaur Toy Forum (yes, there actually is such a thing) recently asked me to create a video walkthrough of my overly extensive dinosaur toy collection. Not one to turn down a request that touches my ego, I filmed this 20-minute walkthrough yesterday and uploaded it on YouTube today. Since I unfortunately did not have enough memory storage on my camera to film it all in one take, it ended up in three pieces: one briefly covering about everything there is to see in my kitchen, dining room and lounge (top), and two short compendium pieces that cover the attic (below), for those few dinosaur die-hards who could stand to watch more. I must apologize for the phony English accent I apply when, basically, talking to myself. Dinosaur (toy) enthusiasts will get a kick out of seeing just how many wonderful models of prehistoric critters (plus assorted nerd toys) have accumulated over the years and now grace my living area. Everybody else will likely consider it a obsessive waste of time, money and effort, but I've grown accustomed to that.

Today's Column: Skoop and the high times of the film critic

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Today's News: more and more

News just keeps piling up. At times it seems like I'm the only one posting any on MovieScene lately. Which is one of the reasons my blog is witnessing a decrease in updates. Oh well, at least all this news means there is always something to post on my blog when there is time available.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156615/marvel_voegt_nog_vijf_films_toe_aan_huidige_planning

Seems overkill, to announce movies so far ahead without anything to go on but a title (at least, I hope Marvel has some to fill in those release dates, though they're not spilling those beans just yet), and of course, a plan. However, this is not so much about the movies, as it is a show of strength and confidence. Marvel flexes its muscles to let the world know they're totally prepared to accept DC's recent challenge in annual cinematic universe crafting. DC has so far revealed they're planning ahead up till 2019, now Marvel does the same. You didn't think it was a coincidence this latest planning of the House of Ideas ran until 2019, did you? Plus, DC so far sticks to one movie a year, while Marvel eagerly doubles that amount, and in case of 2017 even triples it. With this slate of release dates, Marvel is making a statement they mean to stay the biggest player in terms of superhero movies. And backed up by the ever expanding might of Disney, they can make good on it. However, unlike DC, Marvel hasn't named any properties yet that can fill those slots. They better put their money where their mouth is soon, because (most) people don't remember release dates, they remember names. Like The Batman in 2019. I wonder what marvel hero gets to go up against that one, DC's strongest franchise still. Ant-Man 2 maybe?

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156632/nieuwe_comic-con_poster_jurassic_world

The first real Jurassic Park poster since 2001. And it's both beautiful and bad news. Of course, this is a great mix between the old - the thrashed Explorer vehicle, the beloved Velociraptor, the Isla Nublar setting - and the new - Jurassic World being built on the bones of the previous park in the background, but it also displays a disturbing, deeply rooted conservative attitude towards the JP dinosaurs. This is 2014. No respectable paleontologist will back that retro dinosaur as being an accurate representation of a Velociraptor. It worked in the early Nineties, but today's Raptors don't have arms like that and they are covered in feathers. However, Colin Trevorrow seems more adamant to recapture the glory of the first Jurassic Park film by reintroducing that vintage dinosaur look than by adhering to one of the elements that made JP great: making realistic animals of what otherwise would have been typical movie monsters. Say about Jurassic Park III's narrative quality what you will, at least it dared to show progression by adding feathered dinosaurs, and thus up-to-date science, to the mix. It would be a definite step back if Trevorrow chickened out on that just because audiences didn't think that much of JP III. Why? Because JP's representation of dinosaurs resonates strongly through popular culture. It's basically the dinosaur franchise that all others tend to copy. So if JP gets it wrong (and they admittedly have a few times), others will copy those mistakes and audiences are spoon fed the wrong notions about actual dinosaur looks and behavior. After two decades, Dilophosaurus is finally showing signs of ridding itself of that nonsensical neck frill and venom spitting action in the collective mind of the general audience. Does Trevorrow mean to reuse such silly concepts too, just because they look cool? If so, Jurassic World's dinosaurs are just that indeed: living theme park monsters, not actual animals. Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions here though. I know that Raptor image on the poster is copied from a still of the kitchen scene from the first movie. It's probably too early to apply one of the final dinosaur designs for Jurassic World on any promotional material yet. So for now I'll keep my faith in Trevorrow. And I want one of those posters, but I'm not gonna get it as I don't care to visit San Diego just to pick one of these up.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156631/eerste_trailer_the_imitation_game

Benedict Cumberbatch adds another socially awkward genius to his repertoire. This time it's Alan Turing. And once again he excels in playing such a character, it would appear. This trailer makes me very interested about the actual movie. There's some terrific actors in there and a fascinating historical background to serve as a dramatic narrative. I'm not at all familiar with the director - the Norwegian Morten Tyldum - but this type of film seems to suit him. Or the studio's had some great trailer editors working on it, that's also a possibility. And already there is Oscar buzz generated around this film. Kinda obvious; solid actors, war story, gay emotional conflict, all typical Academy Award ingredients. I'm always put off by people dropping the word 'Oscar' around a movie that is still so far from its release date. It goes to show just what a political game the Oscars are. Then again, people suggested Oscar buzz for The Monuments Men well in advance too, but they haven't been doing that again since its release. Was it because it was a disappointing movie, or maybe because there was no homosexual aspect to any of it? Nevertheless, this trailer suggests a good film to me, so until I see it in theaters, that will suffice. But I'm not prematurely jumping on the Oscar bandwagon until the nominations are in. I am increasingly getting in on the Cumberbandwagon though. Ever since Sherlock, I developed a much more appreciative sentiment towards the man, and I'm even willing to forgive him his transgressions partaking in the further exploitation of the Star Trek franchise.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156643/nieuwe_trailer_star_wars_rebels

Speaking of exploitation, Star Wars has experienced that ever since 1978. And since Disney has bought the franchise, exploitation has been turned up a few notches. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Disney scrapped the then running animated series The Clone Wars and is now replacing it by Star Wars Rebels, which is... another animated series from the same creators! And it's set only a few years after Clone Wars, allowing the series to reintroduce some of that show's characters (like Obi-Wan Kenobi, as this new trailer shows). Other than that, the sense of adventure in a war torn galaxy remains the same, though this series does go for a slightly younger target audience. However, both this show and its predecessor feature a young Force sensitive protagonist, while the style of animation hasn't changed a bit. It basically makes you wonder why Disney didn't just pick up with Clone Wars where it left off. It makes little difference to me. I didn't watch Clone Wars, I have little interest in Rebels either. I prefer to stick to the big screen, even though I'm dreading what J.J. Abrams is doing to the franchise.