[Trailer 2] Only God Forgives
[yahoo id="movies.yahoo.com/video/only-god-forgives-trailer-2-200017747"]
The theatrical trailer for director Nicolas Winding Refn's (Drive) and Ryan Gosling's (Drive) second collaboration, Only God Forgives, was released over the weekend. The film received an iffy reaction from crowds when it premiered at Cannes last month, but it should find a solid following from fans of Drive. I still can't get enough of the color scheme Refn utilized for the film, and it'll be interesting to see how much of an effect the color scheme will affect the scenes. This one's a quick post because I'm trying to be as open as I can be when I check out Only God Forgives next month when it hits theaters on July 19th.
[via Yahoo]
New concept art from the abandoned Akira live-action adaptation
Akira is arguably the most influential anime film ever. When it was released in the States in the late 80s, it opened the door for domestic anime releases. Without Akira, anime wouldn't be as popular in the States (or even really exist in such a widespread capacity), as it showed American audiences an alternative to the Disney animation style. Akira's influence has spread throughout all reaches of pop culture, from clothing to even hip hop (as illustrated in Kanye West's "Stronger" video).
However, since Akira's release, Hollywood has struggled to make a live-action adaptation of the film. A plethora of big names were mentioned for Akira at different points, including Keanu Reeves, Robert Pattinson, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Kristen Stewart, Keira Knightley, and Mila Kunis. Given the gravity of the anime and the difficulty to do it justice (let alone the technology and budget to properly do it), the project has been scrapped numerous times.
Luckily, concept art has been released to give a glimpse into the stylistic approach that could have been used. A lot of proposed liberties were taken with the script, including changing the setting from Neo-Tokyo to Neo-Manhattan, which would have been occupied and run by Japan. Based off of these concept shots, the live-action Akira film would have kept the spirit of the anime alive. Will we ever get to see it? Probably not, but at least the artists were on the right track.
[via Crunchyroll]
[Trailer] Elysium
http://youtu.be/QILNSgou5BY
When District 9 was released in 2009, it caught a lot of people's attention. Finally, the sci-fi genre had found a new type of film for the genre that wasn't bogged down by an emphasis on special effects or a hard sci-fi slant that wouldn't appeal to broader audiences. Beyond that, writer/director Neill Blomkamp explored social themes within the film, using the separation of aliens and humans as a metaphor for segregation and xenophobia. This isn't anything new in science fiction, as sci-fi writers have always used aliens as an analogue for social relations. However, as I alluded to earlier, the sci-fi film genre has moved away from exploring such issues, instead focusing more on special effects and character design.
Elysium, Blomkamp's new film, follows similar themes found in District 9. In a future where Earth has been ravaged, a space habitat, the titular Elysium, exists as a mecca for the wealthy where disease, hunger, poverty, and crime cease to exist. Of course, the inhabitants of Elysium look down upon the poor living on Earth, refusing to grant immigration rights to those desperate to relocate. When Max (Matt Damon) is left in critical condition following a work accident, he's outfitted with an exoskeleton that will help get him to Elysium and, hopefully, topple the utopia's regime.
While the conflict between the wealthy and the poor isn't anything new (especially when compared to the recently-released trailer for Snowpiercer), Blomkamp isn't one to sacrifice action and sci-fi elements when discussing such issues; like what District 9 did, Elysium should be able to properly balance action with deeper themes. I mean, come on, Matt Damon has a robotic exoskeleton, and that's pretty badass in and of itself.
Harmony Korine is "sizzurping" Spring Breakers on DVD, Blu-Ray
Spring Breakers has to be one of the most divisive films of the year. While I personally liked the film's themes when I saw it at SXSW a few months ago, most audiences didn't appreciate director Harmony Korine's (Kids) attempt at capturing the hazy party atmosphere of a Florida-set spring break. Perhaps caving into the audience reception of the film, Korine is editing the film for its home media release, referring to the process as both "sizzurped" and "chopped and screwed." They're outdated terms that kind of illustrate how out of touch Korine can be, but I guess the descriptions help fit what he's attempting to do.
What isn't known is whether or not the film on DVD and Blu-Ray will be completely re-edited, or if it'll exist concurrently with the film's original cut, much like various Director's/Extended/Unrated Cuts found on other home media releases. I'd assume that the "sizzurped" version of Spring Breakers will be an addition, but you can never be too sure with Korine. I guess we'll just find out on July 9th when Spring Breakers finds its way into our homes.
[via Complex]
Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back for Terminator 5
When Arnold Schwarzenegger famously said, "I'll be back," who would have known he'd return to the Terminator franchise 30 years after he uttered those words? The former Governator has recently confirmed he'll be portraying a Terminator in the upcoming Terminator 5 sequel. This might break the film's canon, given Schwarzenegger's age and the believability for Skynet to even create old Terminators. But hey, that's for the nerd writers to figure out, right?
In all seriousness, Schwarzenegger's return to the franchise that helped establish his popularity will be both a great PR casting for the film, but also help the former bodybuilder's return to Hollywood. A few years ago, Fast & Furious 6 director Justin Lin was set to direct, but he pulled out to finish his last film in the Fast & Furious franchise. However, Lin could theoretically return, which would be even better news for the film's potential. It'll also be interesting to see if Schwarzenegger still has the chops to be a Terminator, given his age. However, with a lot of time left before production even begins, Schwarzenegger will have a lot of time to get in the chopper.
[via Collider]
[Trailer] 300: Rise of an Empire
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If your testosterone levels aren't high, they're about to increase exponentially after you watch this first trailer for 300: Rise of an Empire. Acting as a bookend prequel/sequel to Zack Snyder's 300, Rise of an Empire follows Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), an Athenian warrior, during The Battle of Artemisium. The film's events will take place before, during, and after 300, which gives the producers a natural way of rehashing clips from the original 300. Rise of an Empire will also give a bit of a backstory on the film's antagonist, Xerses, and how he rose to power. The screnplay was co-written by Snyder and Kurt Johnstad based off of an unpublished graphic novel by 300 creator Frank Miller, so the tone should stay true to what people have grown to love from 300.
Basically, expect more muscles, more blood, more yelling, and more gratuitous sex scenes on a heavily computer generated backdrop when 300: Rise of an Empire hits theaters March 7th, 2014.
[Trailer] Snowpiercer
http://youtu.be/KPBQ-dGbO8I
In a future where an attempt to stop global warming resulted in an artificial Ice Age, the majority of life on Earth has died. The survivors are forced to live on a train, the titular Snowpiercer, that simply runs across the planet, driven by an engine that is always in perpetual-motion. Over the years since the initial experiment failed, the train has been split into various classes where the rich live in the front while the poor live in the back of the train. You see where I'm going with this, right?
Snowpiercer is Bong Joon-ho's English-language debut, following in the steps of other famed Asian director, Takashi Miike. The director of The Host is joined by Chris Evans (The Avengers), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk about Kevin), and Jamie Bell (Jumper) in the sci-fi thriller. There's no release date set for Snowpiercer, but with its South Korean release slated for August 1st, I assume North American distributers will be able to get it stateside by the end of the year.