Razzie noms, Indie Spirit noms, artsy films, biopics & sequels & Keanu
2014 R Action Thriller
New York City, New York, USA
Trivia: According to Keanu Reeves, he did 90% of his own stunts in the film. Keanu Reeves learned and memorized the nightclub fight sequence the day that the scene was filmed. During hand to hand combat scenes, John Wick shows himself to be a Judoka. Derek Kolstad had no actors in mind when "John Wick" was a spec script. The writer only had non-living action stars in mind before it was produced.
Plot: An ex-hitman (Reeves) comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.
2014 R Action ThrillerDirectors:
Chad Stahelski (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (supervising stunt coordinator)), & SAG winner David Leitch (uncredited) (Best Stunt Ensemble-The Bourne Ultimatum (2007))
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Bridget Regan, Lance Reddick, & a special cameo
Plot: An ex-hitman (Reeves) comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.
Review: At first watch of the trailer, I did not want to see this at all. It looked like another poorly acted Keanu Reeves action yarn. He's unpredictable. The premise also looked more like The Big Lebowski than it did a serious action flick. However, since I've heard amazing things from other film critics who I trust so I gave this one a go and it didn't disappoint. So you're probably thinking, "All that for a dog?" As a dog owner myself, all I can say to you is, "Mess with my dog, and I would fuck you up too." Given the unique situation John Wick finds himself in, that dog was the only thing he had left, so who could really blame him. What ensues is a stylish, pulse-pounding action flick with an amazing hard-hitting soundtrack and a surprisingly anchoring and at times heart-breaking performance by Reeves. I hope this is little taste of things to come from the guy and these 2 upcoming directors.
Rating: Noteworthy
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2014 R Dramedy
Nominated: Independent Spirit Award (2)
Director:
Justin SimienWriter:
Justin Simien (screenplay)
Plot: The lives of four black students at an Ivy League college.
Review: This movie looks pretty funny. It seems, from the trailer, to make fun of a lot of people, not just Caucasian folks. I can get over being butt-hurt about the title unlike some of the trolls on the IMDB forums, to actually give this movie a chance. Plus, I love those Racist Insurance Commercials. They're hilarious!
Rating: TBD
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R 2014 Drama
2X nominee: Cannes Film Festival
Director:
Ned BensonWriter:
Ned Benson
Cast: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Bill Hader, Ciarán Hinds, William Hurt, Jess Weixler, Ryan Eggold
Plot: One couple's story as they try to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.
Review: Having the name-sake of a Beatles song myself, as well as loving them, I was curious just by the name of the film. The premise of seeing a movie that shows 2 sides of the same love story also looks interesting. The 3 film epic of 2 different films from the 2 different characters' perspectives has never been done before. I will definitely have to see the separate films: Her & Him, after I watch this to really get the full experience since that was the original intention anyway.
Trivia from IMDB: The project was shot as a two-part movie following the story of a couple played by James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain from both of their points of view. The two films premiered in 2013 at the Toronto Film Festival. After the premiere, although it received rave reviews,Ned Benson started cutting the movie again, as one feature, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. All three movies received a theatrical release. The movie's name is based on "Eleanor Rigby", a song by the English band The Beatles.
Rating: TBD
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2014 Bio Drama Music
SAG nom: Stunt Ensemble
Grammy nom: Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Director:
Tate Taylor (The Help)Writing Credits
| Jez Butterworth | ... | (screenplay) (Edge of Tomorrow) |
| John-Henry Butterworth | ... | (screenplay) (Fair Game) |
| Steven Baigelman | ... | (story) (Brother's Keeper) and |
Plot: A chronicle of James Brown's (Boseman) rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Review: I have so many reasons to be excited about seeing this. 1. I was born and raised in Augusta, GA so I know all about James Brown. 2. I was in the movie 42 and got to see Boseman act up close. He's talented, hard-working, humble, and very friendly. I just don't understand why they didn't film this in Augusta. They could've filmed at his actual house. GA has so many tax credits for film, has been huge for film since 2007 when they started the tax incentives, and Augusta has tons of actors and musicians with ATL also being just 2 hours away. Missed opportunity IMO.
Rating: TBD
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2014 PG-13 Drama Mystery Sci-Fi
Razzie Award nom: Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
Director:
James Manera ("Nash Bridges")Writing Credits
| James Manera | ... | (screenplay) (Indecent Proposal-2nd unit dir) & |
| Harmon Kaslow | ... | (screenplay) (Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike (producer) ) & |
| John Aglialoro | ... | (screenplay) (Atlas Shrugged: Part I ) |
| Ayn Rand | ... | (novel) |
Cast: Kristoffer Polaha ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), Laura Regan ("NCIS: Los Angeles"), Greg Germann, Rob Morrow, Lew Temple, Stephen Tobolowsky,
Plot: Approaching collapse, the nation's economy is quickly eroding. As crime and fear take over the countryside, the government continues to exert its brutal force against the nation's most productive who are mysteriously vanishing - leaving behind a wake of despair. One man has the answer. One woman stands in his way. Some will stop at nothing to control him. Others will stop at nothing to save him. He swore by his life. They swore to find him. Who is John Galt?
Review: I love the premise of the first film, but found it really boring so I skipped part 2. Now that this 3rd one is nominated for a Razzie, I have to see it lol. I hope that it's good, but if it is, then hat means that the Razzies were politically motivated.
Trivia: As they were for the previous installment (Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike), all of the roles in this movie have again been recast. Instead of Taylor Schilling or Samantha Mathis, Dagny Taggart is now played by Laura Regan; instead of Jsu Garcia or Esai Morales, Francisco D'Anconia is now played by Joaquim de Almeida; instead of Grant Bowler or Jason Beghe, Henry Rearden is now played by Rob Morrow; etc.
Rating: TBD
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2014 R Horror
Plot: A hopeful young starlet uncovers the ominous origins of the Hollywood elite and enters into a deadly agreement in exchange for fame and fortune.
Review: The fact that a horror film made it into a film festival at all, let alone winning an award, gives me a good feeling about this. This looks like Black Swan meets a possession film. It looks artistic in a really interesting way. I'm really looking forward to seeing this.
Trivia: Shot in 18 days. An audience member passed out during the climax of the film at the New York premiere. Production was denied shooting permission at a Los Angeles bar once the script was read and the material deemed "too evil." Nick Simmons who stars as Ginko, is the son of Gene Simmons from the band KISS. The film started as a Kickstarter project and was aided by the support of author Chuck Palahniuk's ('Fight Club') fans. 100 donors to the project had their names thanked in Chuck's 2014 novel 'Beautiful You.' Co-writer/co-director Dennis Widmyer runs Chuck's official website and manages his social media.
Rating: TBD
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2014 PG-13 Dramedy
Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)
| Peter Glanz | ... | (screenplay) |
| Peter Glanz | ... | (story) |
| Juan Iglesias | ... | (story) |
Plot: Affluent and aimless, Conrad Valmont lives a life of leisure in his parent's prestigious Manhattan Hotel. In the span of one week, he finds himself evicted, disinherited, and... in love.
Review: This seems like a Wes Anderson-type film. It seems like it might be hard to like the characters, but I think that's the point. It's a satire with a little romance. I love Billy Crudup. I've loved him since Walking The Dead.
Rating: TBD
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2014 NR Horror ComedyDirected by
| Rodney Ascher | ... | (segment "Q is for Questionnaire") |
| Julian Barratt | ... | (segment "B is for Badger") |
| Robert Boocheck | ... | (segment "M is for Masticate") |
| Alejandro Brugués | ... | (segment "E is for Equilibrium") |
| Kristina Buozyte | ... | (segment "K is for Knell") |
| Alexandre Bustillo | ... | (segment "X is for Xylophone") |
| Larry Fessenden | ... | (segment "N is for Nexus") |
| Julian Gilbey | ... | (segment "C is for Capital Punishment") |
| Jim Hosking | ... | (segment "G is for Grandad") |
| Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen | ... | (segment "L is for Legacy") |
| E.L. Katz | ... | (segment "A is for Amateur") (Cheap Thrills) |
| Aharon Keshales | ... | (segment "F is for Falling") |
| Steven Kostanski | ... | (segment "W is for Wish") |
| Marvin Kren | ... | (segment "R is for Roulette") |
| Juan Martínez Moreno | ... | (segment "S is for Split") |
| Erik Matti | ... | (segment "I is for Invincible") |
| Julien Maury | ... | (segment "X is for Xylophone") |
| Robert Morgan | ... | (segment "D is for Deloused") |
| Chris Nash | ... | (segment "Z is for Zygote") |
| Vincenzo Natali | ... | (segment "U is for Utopia") ("Hannibal") |
| Hajime Ohata | ... | (segment "O is for Ochlocracy") |
| Navot Papushado | ... | (segment "F is for Falling") |
| Bill Plympton | ... | (segment "H is for Head Games") |
| Dennison Ramalho | ... | (segment "J is for Jesus") |
| Todd Rohal | ... | (segment "P is for P-P-P-P Scary!") |
| Jerome Sable | ... | (segment "V is for Vacation") (Stage Fright) |
| Bruno Samper | ... | (segment "K is for Knell") |
| Jen Soska | ... | (segment "T is for Torture Porn") (American Mary) |
| Sylvia Soska | ... | (segment "T is for Torture porn") |
| Sôichi Umezawa | ... | (segment "Y is for Youth") |
Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)
| Robert Boocheck | ... | (segment "M") |
| Alejandro Brugués | ||
| Jeff Buhler | (The Midnight Meat Train) | |
| Alexandre Bustillo | ... | (segment "X is for Xylophone") |
| David Chirchirillo | ... | (segment "Evan Katz") (Cheap Thrills) |
| Julian Gilbey | ... | (Julian Gilbey's segment) |
| Jeremy Gillespie | ... | (Segment 'W') |
| Toby Harvard | ... | (segment "G is for Grandad") |
| Jim Hosking | ... | (segment "G is for Grandad") |
| Juan Martínez Moreno | ... | (segment writer) (segment "writer") |
| Julien Maury | ... | (segment "X is for Xylophone") |
| Nicholas Musurca | (Stage Fright) | |
| Chris Nash | ||
| Hajime Ohata | ... | (written by) (segment "O is for Ochlocracy") |
| Jerome Sable | ||
| Jen Soska | ||
| Sylvia Soska | ||
| Ant Timpson | ... | (series creator) (The ABCs of Death) |
| Sôichi Umezawa | ... | (written by) (segment "Y is for Youth") |
| Marc Walkow | ||
| Álex de la Iglesia | ||
Stars:
Martina García, Andy Nyman, Tristan Risk
Plot: Another 26-chapter anthology that showcases death in all its vicious wonder and brutal beauty.
Review: I really like anthology films, but most never live up to my expectations. I hope this one does. I haven't seen the first one, but it doesn't matter with these films.
Rating: TBD
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