The Möbius Strip: Still hooked on a feeling

Posted on May 17, 2017 by reelentropy

Image courtesy Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios.

As expected, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continued its reign over Mother’s Day weekend with $65.2 million. It will be interesting to see how it fares against Alien: Covenant this weekend- Box Office Mojo

The MCU’s first offering, Iron Man, was humor-heavy, but it was Guardians of the Galaxy that really made Kevin Feige and company push for laughs in their movies- Reuters

Guy Ritchie’s $175 million King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, on the other hand, absolutely crashed and burned, pulling in just $15.3 million — compared to industry estimates coming into the weekend of just $25 million, which still would have constituted a massive flop. The film was initially pitched as the first of six King Arthur movies for Warner Bros.- The Guardian

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‘King Arthur’ much better than its fate

Posted on May 13, 2017 by reelentropy

Arthur gets a wonderful visual analogue for his hero’s journey through Excalibur. The political power he rejects is reflected in the extreme physical power the sword grants, and his relationship to his own ambitions is mirrored by his relationship to the sword throughout the film. Photos courtesy Warner Bros.

8/10 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is careening toward a disastrous reception, and that’s a shame, because it’s awesome.

After betraying his brother, Uther (Eric Bana), King Vortigern (Jude Law) rules England with an iron fist. His cruel kingship is challenged when Arthur (Charlie Hunnam), a London brothel bastard, draws the sword Excalibur from its stone, a devastatingly powerful enchanted blade that only answers to the king of England. Arthur rejects the crown, wanting only to return to the slums, but is pushed by Sir Bedivere (Djimon Hounsou) to help overthrow the evil king, who’s already gone to the trouble of burning Arthur’s old home anyway.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword weaves a strange and compelling spell. To describe the movie in one word, it’s ominous. There’s a keen sense of impending doom from the first scene onward, one that coexists with writer/director/producer Guy Ritchie’s signature light-heartedness. Though it has plenty of action, this isn’t an action movie — it’s a well-disguised thriller, designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats through moodiness and anticipation.

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‘Vol. 2’ not as good as first, but with new and different merits

Posted on May 5, 2017 by reelentropy

Images courtesy Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios.

7/10 In August 2014, the first Guardians of the Galaxy burst into theaters as a wildly different offering from the MCU. From the formula that was finally beginning to grow stale — and kept right on doing so with its next offerings — came this vibrant, disco-Star Wars movie drenched in ’70s and ’80s nostalgia that swept movie goers and ticket tearers alike right off their feet. Its influence was felt almost immediately in the marketing campaigns for Suicide Squad and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, writer/director James Gunn brings us another radically different creation. Where the first was a gleeful romp across the stars, Vol. 2 is an introspective movie with surprisingly difficult themes about family and regret. It’s a much more subdued but no less ambitious movie.

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‘The Circle’ trades complex plot for atmospheric chills

Posted on April 28, 2017 by reelentropy

One of The Circle’s most subtly creepy aspects are the sometimes-chilling comments that follow Holland everywhere she goes after she goes transparent. There’s a remarkable attention here, though it doesn’t quite descend into the horrifying reality of the Youtube comments section. Images courtesy STX Entertainment.

7/10 The Circle could have been better in several ways, but mostly gets where it wants to go.

The movie follows Mae Holland (Emma Watson), a recent college graduate who is hired by The Circle, an Orwellian vision of Facebook and Google. Holland is initially skeptical of the organization, but after the company picks up her father’s multiple sclerosis treatments and saves her life with its constant surveillance, she warms up to some of its more radical ideas. Eventually, she becomes the first person to go “completely transparent” by having a camera on her person at all times streaming live to the Internet. Continue reading →

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Remaking ‘The Raid’ is a stupid, self-defeating idea and it’s never going to work

Posted on April 27, 2017 by reelentropy

The original movies are some of the most exhilarating ever made, and maybe they’ll reach a broader audience with future headlines. Image courtesy Sony Pictures Classics.

The American remake of 2011 cult classic Indonesian martial arts film The Raid: Redemption seems to finally be getting underway. All the paperwork was done way back in November 2011 — the movie didn’t even release in the U.S. until the next March — and it’s gone through several start-and-stop preproductions, with Chris and Liam Hemsworth in talks and Taylor Kitsch and director Patrick Hughes both attached and dropping out in 2014.

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