Category: Movies

“A lot of people try to imitate Mifune, but nobody can.” Stop and watch this now! The first official trailer has debuted online for a fantastic documentary called Mifune: The Last Samurai, profiling the life and work of Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. If you’re a cinephile you’re already very familiar with Mifune – he starred in numerous Akira Kurosawa films including The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Rashomon, as well as tons of other classic Japanese films. This doc examines his life work with old footage and photographs and tells his story from the early beginnings of his career, to his falling out with Kurosawa and final roles. Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are two of the filmmakers who talk about how incredible Mifune was, with more special guests. I caught this film at the Telluride Film Festival and loved it – highly recommended. ›››

Continue reading Trailer for Steven Okazaki’s Documentary ‘Mifune: The Last Samurai’

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There are film festivals, and then there is Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The time of year die-hard film fans liken to Christmas is once again upon us, and we’re only moments away from this year’s batch of cinematic craziness and insane experiences being unleashed. If the last couple of years are any indication, 2016 is going to be a virtual madhouse in Austin thanks in large part to that special brand of madness only the Alamo Drafthouse can deliver. The movies are just the beginning, too, as the programming during the week of Fantastic Fest always seems bigger and better than the previous year. Movies and TV premieres; a Satanic escape room; a special, horror VR experience; and countless hours of additional insanity are just a few of the items that have piqued our interest for this year so far. And it’s only getting started. ›››

Continue reading The Insane & Endlessly Superb Fantastic Fest 2016 is Finally Upon Us

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“By standing beneath a spaceship, we are living the impossible.” 20th Century Fox has released a new full-length international trailer for the drama Hidden Figures, hitting theaters in January. This film is about three intelligent women who worked for NASA and helped provide some of the math equations and calculations to send astronaut John Glenn into orbit (in 1962). The first trailer had plenty of good footage, and this one has even more. The impressive cast features Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, and Glen Powell. This looks much nerdier than I was expecting, but still totally triumphant – even the music is more inspirational in this trailer. It may perhaps be a nice hidden gem arriving early next year. Take a look below. ›››

Continue reading New International Trailer for ‘Hidden Figures’ Women at NASA Movie

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“Why’d you join?” There’s tons of Star Wars fan films out there, but it’s nice to see something brand new that connects directly with The Force Awakens. Jakku: First Wave is a quick, 3-minute short film made by filmmaker Benjamin Eck about three Stormtroopers about to land on Jakku (the desert planet from The Force Awakens) for the Battle of Jakku. It’s a simple concept and was made on a very small budget, but it’s an engaging and effective little short that provides yet another unique perspective from the Star Wars universe. The dialogue is what stands out the most, with a tiny bit of levity and a lot of emotion. Take a look. ›››

Continue reading Watch: ‘Star Wars’ Fan Film About Stormtroopers Landing on Jakku

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We’ve all heard the quote before. Jean-Luc Godard once said: “It’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to.” Filmmakers are often inspired and influenced by other art, whether it be music or paintings or photography or other films. Sometimes it’s easy to spot in films, other times the influence is deeper and more nuanced. There’s a series of videos created by editor Vugar Efendi called “Film Meets Art” that highlight various examples of cinema borrowing exact shots or poses or color or composition or clothing (or all of the above) from paintings and other classic art. It is actually an impressive examination of creative influence and how it plays directly into cinema. I wanted to feature both of the videos, with Part II out this week, because there’s so much to admire in each of them. I love the shot from There Will Be Blood. ›››

Continue reading Art Inspiring Cinema Examined in ‘Film Meets Art’ Compilation Videos

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“Hey, what happened to my kiss?” Paramount has debuted a new trailer for Robert Zemeckis’ latest, titled Allied, a WWII romantic thriller about the relationship between a French Resistance fighter and a British Intelligence officer. Brad Pitt stars as an officer stationed in North Africa in 1942, who falls for a resistance fighter named Marianne Beausejour. They reunite in London but the war still stands in the way. Marion Cotillard also stars, along with Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Goode, Raffey Cassidy, Charlotte Hope and Jared Harris. The first teaser from a few months ago didn’t show that much, but this new trailer gives us a bit more including a huge tease at the end. I’m a sucker for WWII films, so I can’t help but say I’m intrigued. ›››

Continue reading Watch: New Trailer for Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Allied’ with Pitt & Cotillard

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Holy crap, yes!! So this is what Neill Blomkamp has been up to! Ever since Ridley Scott’s new Alien movie put Blomkamp’s new Alien movie on hold, we’ve been wondering what he has been working on and if he’s been developing another original project. One of his next projects has been revealed. Blomkamp is rebooting the BMW Films series, bringing back Clive Owen, and the first teaser has debuted online (following an Instagram photo Blomkamp posted with Jon Bernthal). Many years ago, BMW put together a series of short films directed by some of the best action directors at the time. I remember going crazy for these shorts, I had everyone in high definition because they were so damn good. And I’m crazy happy to hear they’re back for more! This is a short tease, but it’s an exciting reminder that a new series of films are on the way. Enjoy. ›››

Continue reading First Teaser for Blomkamp’s Reboot of BMW Films with Clive Owen

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“What do we do now?” Sony has finally released the first full trailer for the sci-fi movie Passengers, from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, directed by Morten Tyldum (of The Imitation Game previously). The story is set far in the future entirely on a passenger ship carrying thousands of people to a colony on the other side of the galaxy. Chris Pratt stars as a mechanic whose sleep pod malfunctions, leaving him awake and alone and unable to last the 60 years left on the ship’s journey. The cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen and Laurence Fishburne. This project has been in development for years and years, once with Keanu Reeves attached to star, and I’m glad we finally get to see it. From the footage in these first trailers below, the movie looks like it’s going to be wonderful. So glad it looks this good. Really can’t wait to see this. ›››

Continue reading Must Watch: First Full Trailers for Sci-Fi ‘Passengers’ with Chris Pratt

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“Outside of these walls, there are no guarantees.” Another outstanding short film to watch. Dust is a sci-fi, fantasy short film produced by Ember Labs and directed by Mike Grier. We originally featured the teaser trailer for this short film way back in 2013, a year after it was on Kickstarter getting funding. Now it’s finally complete and it’s gorgeous, some of the best short film cinematography I’ve seen all year (by Michael Nie), with some incredible world-building and mythology to draw you deeper into the story. This was shot on location in remote areas of Japan with VFX added later. The film follows a tracker who takes a black-market merchant out into the wilderness to find the source of the “dust” that is poisoning the air. There’s all kinds of cool flora and fauna hidden throughout this, and the main character (named Irezumi) is awesome. Enjoy. ›››

Continue reading Must Watch: Ember Lab’s Outstanding Sci-Fi Fantasy Short Film ‘Dust’

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“If I’m innocent, it means that everyone’s vulnerable… And that’s everyone’s nightmare.” Netflix has debuted one more official trailer for the Amanda Knox documentary, which has earned some rave reviews at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month. Now with extra buzz and extra attention, the doc is getting a strong push before it hits the streaming service later this month. The documentary focuses on Amanda Knox specifically, the young woman who was accused of killing her roommate in Italy back in 2007. Featuring extensive interviews with her as well as her former co-defendant and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, Italian prosecutor Giuliano Mignini and Daily Mail reporter Nick Pisa. Which side of the story do you believe? One review from TIFF says that it “makes the case for a larger look at the story it stuffs into a too-short runtime.” ›››

Continue reading One More Trailer for Netflix’s Acclaimed ‘Amanda Knox’ Documentary

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