It has been more than a decade since the release of Nia Vardalos's comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film that earned her an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, and resulted in an ill-fated television show and some equally ill-fated copycat films. It seems that the actress is now planning a comeback, of sorts, in the form of a sequel to her successful film.
If there is a balm for the summer movie blues this year, it's going to be the wide release in art-houses and VOD of Roman Polanski's latest film, Venus in Fur. Our very own Dominic Mill has a lot to say about the movie in his review, and within about a month, we in the US will be able to decide for ourselves if this is Polanski's return to top form. Our lucky neighbors across the pond will get Venus in Fur on May 30, though, and it's from the UK that the latest trailer arrives.
Remember when Batman Begins came out and everyone was really impressed by how dark and gritty and realistic it was, in stark contrast to the primary colors and campiness of later era Batman films like Batman Forever and Batman & Robin? Yeah, that was really cool in 2005. What we might not have expected though was that every single superhero movie to come out following Nolan's franchise would aspire to the same darkness. Even the far lighter Marvel Universe films cannot shy away from moments of serious existential angst from our heroes, and forget about DC making anything not soaked in the deepest, darkest dye. Now, we can toss away any hope of Fox's reboot of The Fantastic Four having a nice, happy ring to it, even if it is based on a Marvel comic book.
Not five minutes ago, I was reminded that Denzel Washington is a total badass. It's easy to forget that sometimes - he has a calm, gentle smile and a nice level voice. But maybe that's what makes Denzel so very good in films where he gets to beat the hell out of people: he doesn't look all that intimidating. In The Equalizer, the latest film from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, Denzel shows off his badass chops when he takes on Russian gangsters.
Although it had its initial premiere at Sundance, the Steve James-directed documentary Life Itself, about film critic Roger Ebert, has headed off to Cannes and today, we have the first trailer, which features quite a few filmmakers and critics discussing what Ebert meant to the contemporary cinematic culture.
Did you know that the Wachowski siblings have not made an original film since the end of The Matrix trilogy? Both Cloud Atlas and Speed Racer were adaptations, which makes it more than a decade since we had an original Wachowski product at the movies. That makes this summer's Jupiter Ascending at least moderately exciting for fans of the operatic sci-fi that those crazy siblings are so good at.
For such a popular show, BBC's Sherlock has certainly had a limited run. With only nine episodes over its four year existence - and a two year break in between seasons 2 and 3 - the show has gained the reputation of trying fan patience almost to the breaking point. But there is good news in Sherlock land, as a possible shoot-date for season 4 might be solidified before long.
It's that time of year again. Time to get in out of the warm, healthy sun, sit down with a pound or two of movie theater popcorn, and watch gigantic robots battle it out to the thrum of heavy metal music and the waving of American flags. That's right: contemporary auteur Michael Bay's next entry into his seminal Transformers franchise will be hitting theaters in just over a month. Are you ready for Transformers: Age of Extinction?
In a Hollywood landscape populated by sequels, franchises, and multiple reboots, it's amazing that a sequel to 2010's comic book adaptation Dredd has been unable to gain traction. Dredd has everything that Hollywood could ask for: a comic book universe, a morally questionable main character, sexy and badass women, and lots of violence. But poor marketing killed Dredd at the box office and, despite achieving cult status via DVD and streaming, a sequel has remained a distant pipe dream.
Zach Braff has faced a good bit of backlash ever since he decided to turn to Kickstarter to fund his Garden State follow-up film, Wish I Was Here. Between public anger about a major star using a website intended to help struggling artists and some rather nasty implications about the pretension of the finished product, Braff has had to power through on his vision and hope for the best. Now, Wish I Was Here has an official release date and a proper trailer, and we can all decide if Braff deserves the nastiness that has been thrown at him.
