Friday, November 30, 2018
Breaking News
Now Showing: Burial Rites
Genre: Drama/Historical
Director: Cate Shortland
Writer: Willem Mainwright
Based on the novel by Hannah Kent
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Domhnall Gleeson, Fiona Shaw, Brendan Gleeson, Katherine Langford, Natalia Dyer, Mads Mikkelsen, Matt Smith, Rupert Grint
Plot:
Agnes Magnusdottir (Jennifer Lawrence) had two accomplices who were also convicted of the crimes. Agnes and the others were sentenced to be executed by beheading. One of the convicted murderers, Sigga, had her sentence reduced because she was young and not very bright and Agnes has allegedly led her astray. Fridrik (Rupert Grint) the man who murdered one of the men, confessed to the crimes. The authorities gathered that Agnes had killed Natan Ketilsson (Matt Smith) because he had reportedly spurned her.
The District Commissioner Bjorn Blondal (Mads Mikkelsen) requested the assistance of a young priest, Assistant Reverend Thorvadur Jonsson (Domhnall Gleeson) who everyone called Toti, in a matter that involved the condemned woman, Agnes Magnusdottir. She had asked that her spiritual advisor be replaced. It was one of the last worldly rights she would have and Blondal had to see that it was granted. It was important that this murdering sinner find redemption and find the Lord. Toti who had just finished his studies was bewildered. Why would this condemned woman ask for him? And as a new priest, was he equipped to handle such an unusual and demanding task? His father, also a reverend, told him that he had no choice. It was his calling and he had the Lord to rely upon.
Since there were no adequate prisons in Iceland, it was decided that Agnes would spend her last days under the custody of a government official. Jon Jonsson (Brendan Gleeson), District Officer, was called upon to take Agnes into his home to await her execution. His wife and daughters were frightened and appalled by this turn of events, but Jon was a dedicated officer and felt it his duty to comply with the request. Agnes was brought to the farm and initially treated with great derision. Jon and Lauga (Natalia Dyer), the younger daughter, would not speak to her. Only Margret (Fiona Shaw), his wife, and Steina (Katherine Langford), his elder daughter communicated with her.
Agnes turned out to be a good servant and worked hard at the chores that Margret gave her to do. She was visited by Toti and at first thought she made a mistake because the assistant reverend was so young. He persisted, however, spurred on by his father who told him he could not abandon his responsibilities. His sermons, prayers and readings from the New Testament had no impact on Agnes. He began to just talk to her like a friend and began to know about her tragic and tumultuous life which was marked by abuse and abandonment and poverty.
Toti did his best to bring Agnes to God before her death. At the end, she could not evade the executioner. But oddly enough, it was in the last few months of her life that she shined. She impressed those around her, proved herself to be a good and faithful worker as well as a kind soul with a bright mind.
The night before the execution, the family sat together. Steina’s face was streaked with tears. The servants were huddled together. They all watched as Agnes and Toti sat together. He held her hands and whispered quietly to her. She only looked at the floor, trembling. Margret had Steina help her lift a trunk up on the bed. She took a fine wool shawl from the trunk, walked over to Agnes and put it around her shoulders. Margret took out a skirt, blouse and apron from the trunk and laid it on the bed. She asked Lauga to give her the brooch. After a slight hesitation, she gave the brooch to her mother.
Margret clasped Agnes' fingers so tightly that it hurt. Margret told Agnes that she was not a monster. They will remember her. “You’ll be all right, my girl. My girl,” Margret told her. Steina hugged her sobbing in her ear. Lauga called her name and nearly collapsed. Toti said it was time to go.
Toti knew that it was all over. He brought his horse next to Agnes’. Jon was on his horse on the other side of Agnes. A neighbor ran out and gave Toti a flask. He told Agnes to drink it, drink it all. When they arrived, Jon and another man helped Agnes down from the horse. Toti held her hand as they walked. Forty men had gathered around the platform. They stayed back. Fridrik was going first. Jon was on his knees muttering the Lord’s Prayer. Agnes told Toti she wasn’t ready. He promised not to let go of her. Then the sound of the first axe fall echoed throughout the valley.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Release: Asylum
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Director: Neil Burger
Writer: T.F.W. Hallowayne
Based on the novel by Madeleine Roux
Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Mackenzie Foy, Charlie Plummer, Ryan Lee, Barry Keoghan, Ryan Potter, Ben Barnes, Jack O'Connell, Nathan Fillion, Claire Foy
Budget: $29,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $21,082,195
Foreign Box Office: $26,776,002
Total Profit: -$11,336,101
Reaction: Not exactly the numbers we were looking for. The film continues Finn Wolfhard's rough luck at the box office - of the five films he has appeared in for the studio, only Lullabies for Little Criminals managed to make a profit (and barely, with a profit of just $278,006).
"Asylum is a safe spooky story for younger audiences. The film's mystery may not make a lot of sense, but it does hit enough solid notes to work. Director Neil Burger gets great mileage from the setting and locations in the film, and the cast is fairly solid." - Shawn Moseby, Fresno Bee
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Now Showing: Asylum
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Director: Neil Burger
Writer: T.F.W. Hallowayne
Based on the novel by Madeleine Roux
Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Mackenzie Foy, Charlie Plummer, Ryan Lee, Barry Keoghan, Ryan Potter, Ben Barnes, Jack O'Connell, Nathan Fillion, Claire Foy
Plot: Dan Crawford (Finn Wolfhard) arrives by taxi at New Hampshire College. The driver takes him to Brookline, the building that houses the dorms for the New Hampshire College Prep program Dan is there to participate in. Dan is excited to participate in this program because he feels he might have a better chance of meeting like-minded kids as opposed to the kids at his high school who are there more to socialize than to learn.
Dan finds his room in the dorm and discovers that his roommate has already arrived. As Dan unpacks on his side of the room, he finds a disturbing picture of a man whose eyes have been scratched out.
Dan’s roommate, Felix (Ryan Lee), comes into the room. Dan tells him about the picture and Felix tells him that there is an old office on the lower floor that has similar photos in it. The two then decide to go to the ice cream social to welcome the participants. Dan finds Felix’s company to be annoying, so he is happy when Felix wanders off. Then Dan begins to feel faints and is rescued by a beautiful young girl who introduces herself as Abby Valdez (Mackenzie Foy). They talk for a few minutes and seem to hit it off. Abby then introduces Dan to Jordan (Charlie Plummer), a young man she met on the bus to the college. The three of them begin to talk and the conversation turns to Brookline. Dan tells them about the pictures Felix told him about. Abby, an artist, is immediately interested and convinces the boys they should check it out.
Dan leads his new friends to the room Felix told him about and is surprised to discover it is locked up. Jordan picks the lock. The trio make their way to the back of the reception room and enter what appears to be the warden’s office. Inside they find a great many photos that are unsettling. When Abby finds a picture of a sad little girl, she decides to take it despite the fact that Dan and Jordan try to talk her out of it. Finally, Abby leaves the photo in its place on the wall.
Dan returns to his dorm room, but he does not see his room but a dirty cell. Dan closes the door, checks the number, and opens the door again. When he does, his dorm room has returned. Later, Dan cannot sleep so he does some research about Brookline on the Internet. Dan finds a website that talks about the history of the asylum, but the only new information it offers Dan is the fact that Brookline once housed a notorious serial killer known as the Sculptor. This man, Dennis Heimline (Jack O'Connell), is thought to have died the day the asylum closed, but his body was never found.
Dan has breakfast with Abby the following morning. As they go to sign up for their courses, they decide the three of them should take a few classes together. Afterward they go to orientation.
Dan has a nightmare and decides to go outside for some fresh air. Dan finds Abby sitting on the steps outside. Her family is in turmoil as her parents fight over her father’s career ambitions. They talk for a while before returning to their rooms.
Dan attends his first class, History of Psychology. Afterward, Dan approaches the professor to ask about a possible extra credit project she jokingly mentioned. Dan wants to do research into Brookline. The professor seems passionate about Brookline, mentioning that the locals want it torn down despite the history of the building, but reminds Dan that they are not earning credit for the courses.
Dan, Abby, and Jordan spend a great deal of time together of the following few days. Dan wants to ask Abby out, but lacks the courage, especially when Felix suggests Abby is out of his league. However, Dan finally finds the courage and asks Abby to have dinner with him.
Dan is very nervous about his date with Abby, especially since he is not really sure it is a date. This nervousness turns to annoyance when the counter guy at the diner flirts with Abby. In a lull in the conversation, Dan tells Abby about a mystery email he had in his sent folder that disappeared. Abby finds it amusing and teases him.
Dan and Abby return to Brookline where they find Jordan waiting in the hall outside Abby’s room. Jordan is mad because Abby is late for their standing study date. After some conversation, Jordan forgives them. They discuss Dan’s mystery email and Jordan suggests it might have been a data ghost, something he saw on Dr. Who.
The trio decide to go into the basement again. Jordan once again picks the lock and they reenter the warden’s office. Dan discovers a hidden doorway behind a file cabinet. Through the doorway they find a file store room and stairs into a deeper level. Abby and Dan descend the stairs while Jordan remains in the file room. Dan and Abby find multiple patient rooms, another file room, and another office. Dan is fascinated by the pristine condition of the office. Jordan calls to Dan and Abby. They go back to the first file room and discover the cabinets are filled with admittance cards for the patients.
Dan, Abby, and Jordan are caught in the file room by hall monitor Joe (Barry Keoghan). Dan quickly snatches the admittance card for Dennis Heimline before Joe escorts them out.
Dan looks at the admittance card for Dennis Heimline once he got to his room and is surprised to see it indicates that Heimline was recovered at some point. Dan then looks inside an envelope he took from the pristine office and reads a note that appears to be a doctor’s ruminations on insanity and its possible cure. When Dan finally falls asleep his has a nightmare.
Dan meets Abby and Jordan in the dining hall, but accidentally angers Abby for unknown reasons. Dan goes to class alone and then returns to his room where he finds an envelope waiting for him containing a disturbing note.
Dan asks Felix about the note, but Felix appears clueless. Dan decides to skip his next class and go to visit the man who wrote the website about Brookline. When Dan arrives, the man, Sal Weathers, welcomes him inside and introduces him to his wife. However, when Dan tells the couple his name, Sal kicks him out of the house. Dan returns to campus and goes to the dining hall. When Jordan and Abby join him, Abby tells the boys that she found an admittance card in the basement for her aunt, Lucy Valdez.
Abby explains to Jordan and Dan that her aunt was a difficult child. For this reason, Abby’s grandparents sent her away, but no one knew for sure where. Abby once found letters from her grandfather to her father that suggested he visited New Hampshire often in those years. For this reason, Abby thought there was a possibility Lucy had been sent to Brookline, so when they found the admittance cards, she looked for her aunt’s name and found it. For this reason, Abby wants to go into the basement again, but both Jordan and Dan refuse to go with her.
The following day the participants in the program are required to pick new classes. Dan is saddened that he, Abby, and Jordan do not pick any classes together. Later, Jordan sits at dinner working a mathematical problem that is supposed to be unsolvable that he has decided to solve. When Abby arrives, Jordan admits that he has been having nightmares since going into the warden’s office, explaining why he does not want to go in there again. At the same time, Dan discovers that Abby has been drawing pictures of the little girl whose photo she saw in the warden’s office.
Dan goes to check his mail and finds an odd letter marked with only his room number.
Inside the odd letter is a quote about insanity by Ray Bradbury. Dan decides he has to go back into the basement to get answers.
Dan passes Joe as he heads down to the basement. He waits a few minutes to make sure Joe will not catch him. In the basement, Dan finds a music box with an engraving that makes him think it belongs to Lucy, Abby’s aunt.
Dan returns to the pristine office and finds a set of stairs that go lower under the building. At the bottom of the stairs, Dan discovers an operation theater. Dan passes out and has a vision of a man beginning an operation in the operation theater. Abby finds him. Then Abby rouses Dan.
Abby and Dan come out of the basement to find chaos in the lobby. Joe has been found dead by Felix. The police are there and they question everyone, forcing Abby and Dan to come up with a lie to cover the fact they were in the basement.
In his room, Dan finds some papers in his pocket. Dan reads them and realizes they are notes written by the warden suggesting he was experimenting on the patients. Dan is shocked to see the warden’s signature as they have the same name.
Dan calls his parents the next day to find out if he could be related to the former warden of Brookline, but they are less than helpful.
Abby is concerned about Jordan, so she sends Dan to check on him. When Dan arrives, no one is in Jordan’s room, but Jordan’s side of the room is covered in mathematical equations. Jordan arrives and demands Dan leave for invading his privacy.
Dan goes back to his room and takes a nap. He has a nightmare. When Dan wakes, he heads downstairs to meet Abby and finds Yi (Ryan Potter), Jordan’s roommate, unconscious on the stairs. Dan calls for help and is interrogated by the police.
Abby and Dan hang out with Jordan afterward in his surprisingly clean room. Abby tells them she learned her aunt stayed in the area after the asylum closed. Dan then tells them about the Sculptor, Dennis Heimline. They encourage Dan to tell the cops, but the officer he tells, Officer Teague (Ben Barnes) is not impressed.
Dan has trouble sleeping, so he goes down to the vending machines. Jordan shows up and tells Dan that Dan had sent him a text to meet there. Dan insists that he did not, but the text is on his phone. Dan returns to his room to find Felix gone. Dan gets a text asking him to go to the fifth floor. When Dan arrives, he finds Felix unconscious and a large man standing over him. Dan and the man fight. The man hits Dan on the head and flees out the window as the police arrive. The police do not believe Dan's story.
A cop follows Dan to his classes the next morning. Afterward, Dan discovers his parents have flown in. Dan, his parents, and the police talk. Dan’s parents reveal that Dan has had some mental difficulties in the past and is seeing a therapist.
Dan returns to his room that afternoon and discovers he has written some odd things in his notebooks in someone else’s handwriting.
Dan goes to the church where Abby learned about her aunt to ask questions of his own. Dan learns that Daniel Crawford (Nathan Fillion), the warden, grew up in the area and had two brothers who lived there. After the asylum was shut down because of Crawford’s experiments, Crawford was placed on trial. Crawford killed himself in jail, and his brothers fled town. On the way back to campus, Dan finds Sal Weathers’ dead body.
Dan returns to Brookline and learns that Abby has told her father about her aunt. Abby’s father did not react as she had imagined he would. As Dan consoles her, someone shoves a note under the door that invites Dan into the basement.
Dan decides to go to the basement despite Jordan and Abby’s arguments against it. Abby insists on going with Dan while Jordan stands guard in the warden’s office. As Dan and Abby make their way through the basement, Dan sees evidence that someone has been there other than them. Then, Dan is attacked from behind.
Dan wakes in the operating theater. Felix turns out to be his attacker. As Dan engages Felix in conversation, it becomes clear that Felix is not himself. Felix admits to being the one who killed Joe and injured Yi. Felix even admits to killing Sal Weathers. Dan tries to escape and is helped when Jordan suddenly comes into the room. Together Dan and Jordan are able to knock Felix out. They put him on a stretcher and Dan picks up a scalpel to kill him. There is some consciousness inside Dan that wants to kill Felix, but Dan manages to gain control of his own mind and body.
Dan, Abby, and Jordan carry Felix, stretcher and all, to the stairs. As they go up the stairs, the cops arrive. The trio explain to the police what happened. The police are skeptical, but they seem to believe most of the story. Mrs. Weathers (Claire Foy) tries to attack Dan in the courtyard, but the police subdue her. Abby then shows her the music box from the basement of Brookline. Abby explains that she believes that Mrs. Weathers' forehead scar proves that she is Abby’s Aunt Lucy.
Dan packs up to leave with his parents. Abby comes by to say goodbye. Dan hopes Abby will come to visit him because Jordan is coming to live with Dan and his adoptive parents. As they leave, Dan finds a note tapped to his door that says, "I’ll be seeing you real soon." It is signed by Daniel Crawford.
Release: Scion 2
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Director: Jeff Nichols
Writer: John Malone & Chad Taylor
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jovan Adepo, Taron Egerton, Vera Farmiga, Harris Dickinson, Liv Tyler, Kelsey Asbille
Budget: $161,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $223,991,034
Foreign Box Office: $299,777,877
Total Profit: $78,500,232
Reaction: A pretty sharp drop off at the box office from the first film in the series. While that may appear worrisome on paper, it did not take us at the studio by surprise. The film had an unprecedented amount of cast turnover, with only Chiwetel Ejiofor (and Russell Crowe in video footage form) returning from the first film. Thankfully the film still turned in a pretty impressive profit (and cost a little less due to lower talent costs).
"The world building on display is truly remarkable. Easily the best film since Avatar at building its alien world and characters with such rich details and personal touches." - Perry Manson, CinemaBlend.com
"Director Jeff Nichols and writers Malone and Taylor have crafted a grand sci-fi film in terms of both scale and quality. Like the first Scion film, this one raises complicated moral and ethical questions its characters must answer - with some fun action and intrigue in between." - Jeff Stockton, The Roundup
"While Scion 2 is definitely a unique sci-fi/fantasy story, it really feels like the title should be 'Scion 2 Part 1' with how incomplete the story feels in the end. Phoebe is still no closer to saving the human species, and the film ends on a cliffhanger." - Mark Plainsview, ReelViews
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Interview: Chad Taylor
PD: How did the story of Scion 2 evolve from the first film?
CT: Well the first Scion is predicated on one very simple premise: can this small group of people keep the human race alive? And the film then ends with a very definitive crisis that makes that task much more difficult. But the door is still open. And so instead of focusing on this group of humans, we wanted to make the shift to exploring Agora and see if Phoebe can find her footing there. While the image of the mass slaughter might stick in some people's minds, Scion actually ends with an act of compassion and we wanted to show the ripple of effects that that act would have. I'll speak with John in that I think we both looked forward to building a world distinct from Earth and this sequel really allowed us to do that.
PD: You've collaborated with three different writers now (with John Malone on Scion and Scion 2, APJ on Mortal Kombat and with Mo Buck on an upcoming film). What has that process been like?
CT: Well I've now worked on multiple projects with each of those writers so I'd say it has went really well. I don't want to act like some trailblazer but it was definitely breaking norms when I approached APJ and John respectively about co-writing projects. I've always seen the value in it because my goal as a writer is to write the best film possible and I don't care if I need help to do that (or if someone needs my help to make their project better). There have been multiple times when I have an idea that I know is great but have some mental block preventing me from being able to flesh it out. And that is why I love the co-writing process because it helps in unlocking the potential that some projects will struggle to reach if only approached by one narrow-minded writer.
PD: Are there other writers you would like to collaborate with in the future?
CT: Off the top of my head, I think my style would mesh well with Lon Charles. Despite flashy projects like Scion and Booster Gold, most of my filmography is more grounded in the drama genre. I've always appreciated Lon's ability to locate compelling true stories and adapting them into compelling films - and he's a better casting director than I am!
PD:You made your directorial debut last season. Do you have any plans to direct more in the future?
CT:Part of doing Somewhere, Somehow was proving to myself that I could do something like that. Step out of my comfort zone and utilize everything I had learned during my many hours on set for LRF films. It was exhausting and stressful and I was so relieved when post-production wrapped. Plus there are so many great directors out there right now that I am still dying to work with. But I think I will do it again in the future. I still don't want to overreach my abilities and so I still want to do a smaller film. At this point, I am circling an original project about a tumultuous period in the life of a social media starlet that I feel would be up my alley. But I've got a lot of other projects I am still wanting to finish in the meantime so it will be a while until that sees the light of day.
PD: What's next for you?
CT:Now that I have two projects out of the way in the early part of the season, I will not be seen again until Calamity in Round 7. Mo Buck is one of the hardest working (and busiest) men in show business and I'm glad I was able to find a way into his schedule and work on this film. Other than that, I have a few more smaller dramatic films in the foreseeable future. Next season comes Justice League International, a film I hope we can make live up to the hype. And speaking of superheroes, I've set my sights on writing a script based on a superhero I created when I was a young kid. I'll admit, it is weird writing about a hero with no source material for guidance. But I also hope I can utilize that creative freedom to make a name just as memorable as the others.
Now Showing: Scion 2
Scion 2
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Director: Jeff Nichols
Writer: John Malone & Chad Taylor
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jovan Adepo, Taron Egerton, Vera Farmiga, Harris Dickinson, Liv Tyler, Kelsey Asbille
Plot: 10 years after the execution of the Achilles crew.
Agoran chieftain Creon (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is the most respected man on Agora, renown for both his valor in the protection of the planet and diplomacy in ruling it. Of the children of Creon and wife Jocasta (Vera Farmiga), Aras (Jovan Adepo) is the oldest and already making a name for himself as a noble warrior – although he is much more introverted than his father and more interested in science and learning than in fighting. While he has many younger siblings, the person nearest his age in the household is human Phoebe (Saoirse Ronan).
For the past ten years, Phoebe has stayed scrictly within Creon’s Royal Acropolis and is still kept secret from the general population. Creon and Jocasta have raised her as neither family nor slave, instead her role falling somewhere in between. Although clearly an outsider, she has developed a cordial bond with the both of them. While he started out as younger than her (Agorans age faster and live longer than humans), Aras still thought he deserved the most attention as the oldest of Creon’s Agoran children and was jealous of the attention Phoebe stole from him growing up. After being tasked with teaching her their language and customs, he became more sympathetic towards her situation and has become protective of her from his rude younger siblings.
Aras goes on a hunting trip with his best Luqan (Taron Egerton), who is also a skilled fighter but actually enjoys the art of war unlike Aras. Luqan tells Aras he has recently started a group of Agorans who are proud of their people’s past war victories and are worried that Agora may be losing some its advantage in that regard. He offers Aras membership but Aras tells him he can’t join because he is a member of the royal family (which Luqan is understanding of). Luqan asks Aras about his love life and Aras is coy in his answer. Luqan tells him that he has heard rumors that Creon will be announcing Aras’s betrothment ceremony soon.
During their latest learning session, Aras teaches Phoebe about Agora’s history. Because of their plentiful natural resources, they have often been a planet primed for invasion by nearby species but over time, they have developed into the most skilled fighting species in the galaxy (especially when it comes to defense). While his father has successfully kept the country safe during his years of ruling, things have been tough recently as the worst drought in centuries as weakened Agoran’s population (she is unaware of the drought because it hasn’t had an impact on a family of Creon’s status). Aras can tell she is bored and he asks her what’s wrong. She admits that she has recently started to wonder about her own race and is frustrated that Creon never wants to tell her about what happened ten years ago. She has vague memories from her childhood but she wants to know more about humans. She asks Aras if he knows anything about her past but he lets her down by saying he must keep his word to his father that he would not tell.
Sensing her irritation, he offers to to end the learning session early and take her out to explore the Grand Forest behind their compound. Although still on royal property, she points out the danger if they are caught. He looks her in the eyes and says he’ll protect her if so. She wants him to promise and he does. They gallivant through the forest, playing games and clearly having fun. When they are playing tag and Aras trips, Phoebe falls to the ground in exhaustion beside him and rolls into his arms. There is clearly a romantic connection hinted at but Aras pulls away and says it’s time they go back. Upon returning, they are scolded and punished by Jocasta.
Creon and Jocasta plan Aras’s mate selection ceremony – a customary rite of passage for Agoran citizens – even though Aras insists he is “not ready”. Creon is eager to secure his line of succession but Jocasta believes that he is “not ready” because he has feelings for Phoebe. While Creon agrees that a happy marriage is key to a successful ruler, he says they both know an Agoran-Human relationship could never be compatible. Phoebe overhears their conversation from the room next door and is defeated – knowing there is at least some truth into what they are saying.
Phoebe begs that he hold it off, to give them time to figure “this” out. He makes it obvious that he wants to but he has no real say in the matter. When she tries to object, he tells her that it would never work because of something her father learned years ago - their respective physiology would prevent them from being able to consummate a relationship. She tries to explain that her feelings would go beyond that limitation but he tells her the decision is final and storms off.
At the public ceremony in front of a gathered audience in the capitol, Jocasta hands her son off to the royal shaman. After an intense grilling of Aras in front of the audience, the shaman gets his vision and searches through the crowd until he finds Selene (Kelsey Asbille). She and Aras go through a handfasting ceremony and she officially becomes his betrothed.
Phoebe, watching from afar, becomes frustrated and decides to finally venture outside of the Acropolis and seek out the ship her family arrived with years earlier. She closely studies the map of the world, building off the the information Aras has taught her. She puts on a disguise, successfully eludes the staff of the compound and escapes. She at first travels on foot through the city, staying in the shadows but is in awe of the new sights and sounds stimulating her senses. In order to make it to her destination quicker, she attempts to steal a coleo sitting idle on the street. Coleos are beetles the size of Agorans that are the Agorans use as their primary form of transportation. She thinks she escapes without being seen but the Agoran who owns the coleo notices it riding off and hitches a ride with nearby stranger to track it down.
With the Agorans quickly gaining ground on her, Phoebe learns on the fly how to stear the coleo. They race down on a narrow road which cuts through a barren wasteland that used to be farmland. She finally loses control and the creature kicks her off his its back. The Agorans disembark their vehicles and make their way towards her but someone comes speeding in on his bike and kills the inquisitive Agorans. He helps Phoebe onto the back of his high-speed motorbike and speeds off.
It becomes immediately obvious to Phoebe that the person is a mixture between a human and Agoran - partially scaled skin with blue reptilian eyes, but otherwise human features. She is stunned – assuming she was the only one of her kind on the planet. He introduces himself as Kayn (Harris Dickinson)– the firstborn spawn from a series of experiments to infuse human DNA with Agoran. He explains that he was sent by his people to track down Phoebe and finally confirm her existence. He has been scoping out the Acropolis for weeks but found it to be impenetrable and was relieved when Phoebe left on her own. The drought has hit their colony the worst as their space for growing food is limited as is and they have little alternatives. He was tasked with trying to make contact with Phoebe to see if she could convince Creon of mercy for their colony. Because she is being hunted, he explains that he must take her to a place she will be safe – his home colony.
After the betrothment ceremony, Aras still feels guilty about how he responded to Phoebe before the ceremony and goes to check on her. It becomes immediately clear that she is nowhere to be found and he starts to panic. He alerts his father of this and Creon becomes upset. On one hand, he knows the backlash that will ensue if the people discover he’s let a human live on their planet for all these years. On the other, he is scared for the girl’s life – knowing the high likelihood of her death if discovered.
When Phoebe and Kayn arrive at the underground colony, Phoebe is stunned by the dozens of crossbreed children on their hands and knees bowing down to her. Kayn says he forgot to mention that she is something of a messianic figure around these parts – although no one knew if she was actually alive since she’s never been seen in public. Kayn takes her to see his mother Caieta (Liv Tyler) – the head matriarch and de facto leader of the colony.
Caieta explains to Phoebe what went on behind closed doors during when Phoebe was a child on Agora. She recollects her being captured from her family by Phoebe’s father, put into a coma, and had a medically-induced pregnancy while she was out. After the slaughter of Agrippa and crew, Caieta made the life-altering decision to remain living in secrecy and help the other captured Agorans through their pregnancies. She knew that if she went back to her family on the surface – her crossbreed children would likely be executed. Phoebe is visibly shaken by this, now aware of the desperate acts of her father’s crew to extend human life and the effects that had on some Agoran communities.
Creon debates with Jocasta about whether or not he should discuss this situation with his military council. He decides to instead propose to them another raid on the colony to ensure of no human life on Agora (without revealing the existence of Phoebe). Aras interjects and offers to lead this covert mission with a smaller group of soldiers to eliminate any potential beings in the colony and rescue Phoebe (but not tell his fellow soldiers about her). Creon sees this as an opportunity to publicly tout Aras as a military hero if successful and that public favor will pay off when he inherent the role of Chieftain. Creon approves of Aras’s proposal and decides not to tell his council.
As all of Aras’s focus is on this Phoebe situation, Selene feels she is getting the cold shoulder after having just moved into the royal Acropolis and becomes depressed as he preps for the mission. She laments to Luqan, who also feels Aras is starting to mysteriously isolate himself. As Luqan becomes more inquisitive about the situation, Selene leaks her knowledge of the mission to annihilate the colony. Luqan’s ears perk up, as his Agoran nationalist faction still annually celebrate Creon’s original mission from ten years ago. He becomes excited and says he has to talk to Aras.
In conversation with Caieta, Phoebe says she believes that Creon would be sympathetic towards the colony if he knew full-blooded Agorans lived down there. She then opens up about the kind of man he is – one that she admires more since coming down here. She realizes that he didn’t tell her about the crimes of her father because he did not want her to be ashamed of her parents – just as he wants Aras to respect him. She goes on a walk with Kayn who gives her a tour of the underground colony. Some of the children are severely malnourished, which breaks her heart. As they walk, the two of them start to form a playful chemistry as they both bond over the experience of being a strangers in a strange land.
They finally arrive at the rustic Achilles, sending goosebumps up and down Phoebe’s arms as she remembers her childhood. He shows her the rover he de-constructed to build his motorbike (there’s a lot of downtime down here). She cracks a smile when finding a photograph of her on top of her father’s shoulders fixated on the mantle. Phoebe puts two and two together and realizes that the crossbreeds must have seen this and thought she was the leader of their kind. Kayn tells her there is one last thing he wants to show her and turns on the ship’s video display. A video of Agrippa (Russell Crowe) plays that he recorded for when she got older. Phoebe starts to cry by seeing this.
Just before Aras is about to lead his soldiers on their mission, Luqan approaches him. Obviously unaware of the true goal of the mission, Luqan begs that Creon reveal this raid to the public. Because of the drought, public morale is exceedingly low and this could be an opportunity to boost the public’s confidence in Agora again. Aras is torn up about lying to his friend but sticks to his guns and is adamant that the mission must remain a secret. Luqan, a decorated warrior in his own right, is willing to compromise if Aras lets him join the mission to help. Aras is adamant that is better if he stays here in the capitol. Luqan leaves bitterly disappointed.
Creon sends his son off and tells him he hopes Phoebe is safe. He admits that he was finally ready to talk to her about what had transpired during the raid of the Achilles. He wanted to apologize for killing her family but that it was necessary given the circumstances. And that even though she was a human, a child is a child no matter the species and saving her was the only thing he thought to do. Aras hugs his father and promises that he will bring her back and he can tell her this herself. They hug as Creon tells Aras he believes his son is already ready to be a leader and this will let the world know that. He provides him with a flare-like device that will turn a portion of the violet sky into orange and indicate the mission was successful.
While his fellow soldiers discuss tactical information, Aras is zoned out with his eyes closed. We then see Luqan, trailing the covert mission in his vehicle from some ways back, in his warrior attire ready to join if need be. They arrive at the ship and start to look for entryways into the potential colony. After some looking, they discover a garden patch with a hatch leading to an underground tunnel. As they prepare to go down, Aras turns to his fellow comrades and in an instant kills all five of them. Luqan, spying from afar, is horrified by this act as Aras enters the hatch.
Kayn hears a commotion from above the colony and warns the others. Aras arrives, no weapons drawn, solo into the underground colony with all of the crossbred humanoids staring at him. There is an eerie silence as he walks through the crowd, no one saying a word. Finally he encounters Caieta, a full-bred Agoran like himself. He pleads with her that he is here to do no harm, but only retrieve Phoebe. Before Caieta can answer, Kayn comes running at Aras full speed and takes him down. They get into a scuffle with Aras quickly gaining the upper hand. He remains adamant that he is here to do no harm but he will kill him if he has to. The fighting reaches an abrupt stop when Phoebe makes her entrance.
She pleads with Aras to let go of Kayn and he does so immediately, nearly in tears by discovering that she is still alive. He rises from his knees and embraces her, telling her how worried he was about her safety. Luqan, now undergound and still spying, has a look of disgust on his face and hurriedly exits the colony. Aras vows to bring her back to the Acropolis safely. Phoebe looks at Kayn, Caieta and then back at Aras. She tells him that these are her people here – people whom around she doesn’t have to worry about being what she is. As much as she respects Aras’s family back at the Acropolis, it is ultimately a life of isolation and exclusion.
Aras, his hand in hers, says that when they arrive back at the capitol, he will convince his father to both spare this colony and give them aid with supplies. He explains that he doesn’t care about the political consequences this will bring, the thing he most cares about is her. When she asks him to promise, he pulls her closer and kisses her. Aras ensures the colony members that he will be back to help them. As they leave, Kayn looks on in defeat but his mother convinces him that it is for the best since they will get the assistance they are in need of. She does not realize that he is really in pain over seeing a girl he admires leave with another man.
Back in the captiol, Creon frantically awaits news and is very relieved when he spots the orange signal in the sky. After seeing this, he makes a public speech announcing the successful clearing of the human colony once again. He vows that this will be an honorable day on Creon for centuries to come, as well as the day Aras proved himself a fearless leader. As he says this, Luqan approaches from behind and slits Creon’s throat, letting the body fall in front of his feet. The crowd panics as Luqan’s faction mates prevent Jocasta and her children from escaping.
Luqan takes center stage and begins to make his speech. He explains that Creon lied originally about exterminating all humans on Agora and he lied today about Aras’s mission. He reveals there is a thriving community of crossbreeds living underground that pose a major threat to full-blooded Agorans everywhere. When he announces this as a military takeover, the crowd starts to cheer. Aras and Phoebe are approaching the city and can start to hear Luqan’s speech.
Luqan promises that because Creon is now dead, they can finally eliminate the human species that committed heinous crimes against Agora. He announces the primary goal will be eliminating colony’s most valuable asset – a full-blooded human that is currently in the company of Aras. The crowd is shocked to hear a human is living on their planet. Luqan ensures that once he and his men complete their goals, Agora will regain its reputation as the most fearless and impenetrable planet in the galaxy. The crowd erupts in cheers. Phoebe takes Aras’s hand and tightly grabs it as they look at each other with fear in their eyes.
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Director: Jeff Nichols
Writer: John Malone & Chad Taylor
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jovan Adepo, Taron Egerton, Vera Farmiga, Harris Dickinson, Liv Tyler, Kelsey Asbille
Plot: 10 years after the execution of the Achilles crew.
Agoran chieftain Creon (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is the most respected man on Agora, renown for both his valor in the protection of the planet and diplomacy in ruling it. Of the children of Creon and wife Jocasta (Vera Farmiga), Aras (Jovan Adepo) is the oldest and already making a name for himself as a noble warrior – although he is much more introverted than his father and more interested in science and learning than in fighting. While he has many younger siblings, the person nearest his age in the household is human Phoebe (Saoirse Ronan).
For the past ten years, Phoebe has stayed scrictly within Creon’s Royal Acropolis and is still kept secret from the general population. Creon and Jocasta have raised her as neither family nor slave, instead her role falling somewhere in between. Although clearly an outsider, she has developed a cordial bond with the both of them. While he started out as younger than her (Agorans age faster and live longer than humans), Aras still thought he deserved the most attention as the oldest of Creon’s Agoran children and was jealous of the attention Phoebe stole from him growing up. After being tasked with teaching her their language and customs, he became more sympathetic towards her situation and has become protective of her from his rude younger siblings.
Aras goes on a hunting trip with his best Luqan (Taron Egerton), who is also a skilled fighter but actually enjoys the art of war unlike Aras. Luqan tells Aras he has recently started a group of Agorans who are proud of their people’s past war victories and are worried that Agora may be losing some its advantage in that regard. He offers Aras membership but Aras tells him he can’t join because he is a member of the royal family (which Luqan is understanding of). Luqan asks Aras about his love life and Aras is coy in his answer. Luqan tells him that he has heard rumors that Creon will be announcing Aras’s betrothment ceremony soon.
During their latest learning session, Aras teaches Phoebe about Agora’s history. Because of their plentiful natural resources, they have often been a planet primed for invasion by nearby species but over time, they have developed into the most skilled fighting species in the galaxy (especially when it comes to defense). While his father has successfully kept the country safe during his years of ruling, things have been tough recently as the worst drought in centuries as weakened Agoran’s population (she is unaware of the drought because it hasn’t had an impact on a family of Creon’s status). Aras can tell she is bored and he asks her what’s wrong. She admits that she has recently started to wonder about her own race and is frustrated that Creon never wants to tell her about what happened ten years ago. She has vague memories from her childhood but she wants to know more about humans. She asks Aras if he knows anything about her past but he lets her down by saying he must keep his word to his father that he would not tell.
Sensing her irritation, he offers to to end the learning session early and take her out to explore the Grand Forest behind their compound. Although still on royal property, she points out the danger if they are caught. He looks her in the eyes and says he’ll protect her if so. She wants him to promise and he does. They gallivant through the forest, playing games and clearly having fun. When they are playing tag and Aras trips, Phoebe falls to the ground in exhaustion beside him and rolls into his arms. There is clearly a romantic connection hinted at but Aras pulls away and says it’s time they go back. Upon returning, they are scolded and punished by Jocasta.
Creon and Jocasta plan Aras’s mate selection ceremony – a customary rite of passage for Agoran citizens – even though Aras insists he is “not ready”. Creon is eager to secure his line of succession but Jocasta believes that he is “not ready” because he has feelings for Phoebe. While Creon agrees that a happy marriage is key to a successful ruler, he says they both know an Agoran-Human relationship could never be compatible. Phoebe overhears their conversation from the room next door and is defeated – knowing there is at least some truth into what they are saying.
Phoebe begs that he hold it off, to give them time to figure “this” out. He makes it obvious that he wants to but he has no real say in the matter. When she tries to object, he tells her that it would never work because of something her father learned years ago - their respective physiology would prevent them from being able to consummate a relationship. She tries to explain that her feelings would go beyond that limitation but he tells her the decision is final and storms off.
At the public ceremony in front of a gathered audience in the capitol, Jocasta hands her son off to the royal shaman. After an intense grilling of Aras in front of the audience, the shaman gets his vision and searches through the crowd until he finds Selene (Kelsey Asbille). She and Aras go through a handfasting ceremony and she officially becomes his betrothed.
Phoebe, watching from afar, becomes frustrated and decides to finally venture outside of the Acropolis and seek out the ship her family arrived with years earlier. She closely studies the map of the world, building off the the information Aras has taught her. She puts on a disguise, successfully eludes the staff of the compound and escapes. She at first travels on foot through the city, staying in the shadows but is in awe of the new sights and sounds stimulating her senses. In order to make it to her destination quicker, she attempts to steal a coleo sitting idle on the street. Coleos are beetles the size of Agorans that are the Agorans use as their primary form of transportation. She thinks she escapes without being seen but the Agoran who owns the coleo notices it riding off and hitches a ride with nearby stranger to track it down.
With the Agorans quickly gaining ground on her, Phoebe learns on the fly how to stear the coleo. They race down on a narrow road which cuts through a barren wasteland that used to be farmland. She finally loses control and the creature kicks her off his its back. The Agorans disembark their vehicles and make their way towards her but someone comes speeding in on his bike and kills the inquisitive Agorans. He helps Phoebe onto the back of his high-speed motorbike and speeds off.
It becomes immediately obvious to Phoebe that the person is a mixture between a human and Agoran - partially scaled skin with blue reptilian eyes, but otherwise human features. She is stunned – assuming she was the only one of her kind on the planet. He introduces himself as Kayn (Harris Dickinson)– the firstborn spawn from a series of experiments to infuse human DNA with Agoran. He explains that he was sent by his people to track down Phoebe and finally confirm her existence. He has been scoping out the Acropolis for weeks but found it to be impenetrable and was relieved when Phoebe left on her own. The drought has hit their colony the worst as their space for growing food is limited as is and they have little alternatives. He was tasked with trying to make contact with Phoebe to see if she could convince Creon of mercy for their colony. Because she is being hunted, he explains that he must take her to a place she will be safe – his home colony.
After the betrothment ceremony, Aras still feels guilty about how he responded to Phoebe before the ceremony and goes to check on her. It becomes immediately clear that she is nowhere to be found and he starts to panic. He alerts his father of this and Creon becomes upset. On one hand, he knows the backlash that will ensue if the people discover he’s let a human live on their planet for all these years. On the other, he is scared for the girl’s life – knowing the high likelihood of her death if discovered.
When Phoebe and Kayn arrive at the underground colony, Phoebe is stunned by the dozens of crossbreed children on their hands and knees bowing down to her. Kayn says he forgot to mention that she is something of a messianic figure around these parts – although no one knew if she was actually alive since she’s never been seen in public. Kayn takes her to see his mother Caieta (Liv Tyler) – the head matriarch and de facto leader of the colony.
Caieta explains to Phoebe what went on behind closed doors during when Phoebe was a child on Agora. She recollects her being captured from her family by Phoebe’s father, put into a coma, and had a medically-induced pregnancy while she was out. After the slaughter of Agrippa and crew, Caieta made the life-altering decision to remain living in secrecy and help the other captured Agorans through their pregnancies. She knew that if she went back to her family on the surface – her crossbreed children would likely be executed. Phoebe is visibly shaken by this, now aware of the desperate acts of her father’s crew to extend human life and the effects that had on some Agoran communities.
Creon debates with Jocasta about whether or not he should discuss this situation with his military council. He decides to instead propose to them another raid on the colony to ensure of no human life on Agora (without revealing the existence of Phoebe). Aras interjects and offers to lead this covert mission with a smaller group of soldiers to eliminate any potential beings in the colony and rescue Phoebe (but not tell his fellow soldiers about her). Creon sees this as an opportunity to publicly tout Aras as a military hero if successful and that public favor will pay off when he inherent the role of Chieftain. Creon approves of Aras’s proposal and decides not to tell his council.
As all of Aras’s focus is on this Phoebe situation, Selene feels she is getting the cold shoulder after having just moved into the royal Acropolis and becomes depressed as he preps for the mission. She laments to Luqan, who also feels Aras is starting to mysteriously isolate himself. As Luqan becomes more inquisitive about the situation, Selene leaks her knowledge of the mission to annihilate the colony. Luqan’s ears perk up, as his Agoran nationalist faction still annually celebrate Creon’s original mission from ten years ago. He becomes excited and says he has to talk to Aras.
In conversation with Caieta, Phoebe says she believes that Creon would be sympathetic towards the colony if he knew full-blooded Agorans lived down there. She then opens up about the kind of man he is – one that she admires more since coming down here. She realizes that he didn’t tell her about the crimes of her father because he did not want her to be ashamed of her parents – just as he wants Aras to respect him. She goes on a walk with Kayn who gives her a tour of the underground colony. Some of the children are severely malnourished, which breaks her heart. As they walk, the two of them start to form a playful chemistry as they both bond over the experience of being a strangers in a strange land.
They finally arrive at the rustic Achilles, sending goosebumps up and down Phoebe’s arms as she remembers her childhood. He shows her the rover he de-constructed to build his motorbike (there’s a lot of downtime down here). She cracks a smile when finding a photograph of her on top of her father’s shoulders fixated on the mantle. Phoebe puts two and two together and realizes that the crossbreeds must have seen this and thought she was the leader of their kind. Kayn tells her there is one last thing he wants to show her and turns on the ship’s video display. A video of Agrippa (Russell Crowe) plays that he recorded for when she got older. Phoebe starts to cry by seeing this.
Just before Aras is about to lead his soldiers on their mission, Luqan approaches him. Obviously unaware of the true goal of the mission, Luqan begs that Creon reveal this raid to the public. Because of the drought, public morale is exceedingly low and this could be an opportunity to boost the public’s confidence in Agora again. Aras is torn up about lying to his friend but sticks to his guns and is adamant that the mission must remain a secret. Luqan, a decorated warrior in his own right, is willing to compromise if Aras lets him join the mission to help. Aras is adamant that is better if he stays here in the capitol. Luqan leaves bitterly disappointed.
Creon sends his son off and tells him he hopes Phoebe is safe. He admits that he was finally ready to talk to her about what had transpired during the raid of the Achilles. He wanted to apologize for killing her family but that it was necessary given the circumstances. And that even though she was a human, a child is a child no matter the species and saving her was the only thing he thought to do. Aras hugs his father and promises that he will bring her back and he can tell her this herself. They hug as Creon tells Aras he believes his son is already ready to be a leader and this will let the world know that. He provides him with a flare-like device that will turn a portion of the violet sky into orange and indicate the mission was successful.
While his fellow soldiers discuss tactical information, Aras is zoned out with his eyes closed. We then see Luqan, trailing the covert mission in his vehicle from some ways back, in his warrior attire ready to join if need be. They arrive at the ship and start to look for entryways into the potential colony. After some looking, they discover a garden patch with a hatch leading to an underground tunnel. As they prepare to go down, Aras turns to his fellow comrades and in an instant kills all five of them. Luqan, spying from afar, is horrified by this act as Aras enters the hatch.
Kayn hears a commotion from above the colony and warns the others. Aras arrives, no weapons drawn, solo into the underground colony with all of the crossbred humanoids staring at him. There is an eerie silence as he walks through the crowd, no one saying a word. Finally he encounters Caieta, a full-bred Agoran like himself. He pleads with her that he is here to do no harm, but only retrieve Phoebe. Before Caieta can answer, Kayn comes running at Aras full speed and takes him down. They get into a scuffle with Aras quickly gaining the upper hand. He remains adamant that he is here to do no harm but he will kill him if he has to. The fighting reaches an abrupt stop when Phoebe makes her entrance.
She pleads with Aras to let go of Kayn and he does so immediately, nearly in tears by discovering that she is still alive. He rises from his knees and embraces her, telling her how worried he was about her safety. Luqan, now undergound and still spying, has a look of disgust on his face and hurriedly exits the colony. Aras vows to bring her back to the Acropolis safely. Phoebe looks at Kayn, Caieta and then back at Aras. She tells him that these are her people here – people whom around she doesn’t have to worry about being what she is. As much as she respects Aras’s family back at the Acropolis, it is ultimately a life of isolation and exclusion.
Aras, his hand in hers, says that when they arrive back at the capitol, he will convince his father to both spare this colony and give them aid with supplies. He explains that he doesn’t care about the political consequences this will bring, the thing he most cares about is her. When she asks him to promise, he pulls her closer and kisses her. Aras ensures the colony members that he will be back to help them. As they leave, Kayn looks on in defeat but his mother convinces him that it is for the best since they will get the assistance they are in need of. She does not realize that he is really in pain over seeing a girl he admires leave with another man.
Back in the captiol, Creon frantically awaits news and is very relieved when he spots the orange signal in the sky. After seeing this, he makes a public speech announcing the successful clearing of the human colony once again. He vows that this will be an honorable day on Creon for centuries to come, as well as the day Aras proved himself a fearless leader. As he says this, Luqan approaches from behind and slits Creon’s throat, letting the body fall in front of his feet. The crowd panics as Luqan’s faction mates prevent Jocasta and her children from escaping.
Luqan takes center stage and begins to make his speech. He explains that Creon lied originally about exterminating all humans on Agora and he lied today about Aras’s mission. He reveals there is a thriving community of crossbreeds living underground that pose a major threat to full-blooded Agorans everywhere. When he announces this as a military takeover, the crowd starts to cheer. Aras and Phoebe are approaching the city and can start to hear Luqan’s speech.
Luqan promises that because Creon is now dead, they can finally eliminate the human species that committed heinous crimes against Agora. He announces the primary goal will be eliminating colony’s most valuable asset – a full-blooded human that is currently in the company of Aras. The crowd is shocked to hear a human is living on their planet. Luqan ensures that once he and his men complete their goals, Agora will regain its reputation as the most fearless and impenetrable planet in the galaxy. The crowd erupts in cheers. Phoebe takes Aras’s hand and tightly grabs it as they look at each other with fear in their eyes.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Last Resort Films Jukebox: Outlaw Country
1. "Missouri River Song" - Bill Staines
2. "Stay a Little Longer" - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
3. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" - Johnny Cash
4. "Sonho Dourado" - Daniel Lanois
5. "Scare Easy" - Mudcrutch
In Development
Halo 4: Another entry in the hit Halo film series is on the way. Alexander Skarsgard (Numero Uno, Halo 3) and Sarah Gadon (Halo 3, God of War) are set to reprise their roles from the other main entries in the series as the Master Chief and Cortana, while Robin Wright (Halo: Reach, "House of Cards") will reprise her role as Dr. Catherine Halsey from the prequel Halo: Reach. Gareth Edwards and Mo Buck return to their positions behind the scenes as director and screenwriter, respectively.
Village of Madness: Brad Anderson (Roanoke, Beirut) has been hired to direct his first film for Last Resort Films since Roanoke in Season 1. This time he will tackle the witchcraft-themed mystery, Village of Madness. Joel Kinnaman (Metal Gear Solid, "Altered Carbon"), Haley Bennett (The Cry of the Owl, Six Billion Dollar Man) and Scoot McNairy (Booster Gold II: The Booster Gold Story, Life on Mars) will star in the film. Kinnaman will play a farmer, Bennet will play a young woman accused of being a witch, and McNairy will play a priest. Billy Cruder (Adr1ft, Lost Planet) wrote the script.
Batman: Caped Crusader: Jake Gyllenhaal (Heavy Rain, A Farewell to Arms) will be back under the cowl as Batman in the highly-anticipated sequel to Season 4's Batman: Gotham Knight. Jonathan Pryce (The Dead Zone, Batman: Gotham Knight), Bryan Cranston (Triple Identity, Ranger) and Madeline Petsch (Ranger, Ringer) are also set to return from the previous film as Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and his daughter Barbara, respectively. Joseph Kosinski (Batman: Gotham Knight, Metal Gear Solid) returns to direct, once again from a script by APJ (Plastic Man, Huntress).
Alex + Ada: Donald Glover (Real is Better, "Atlanta") and Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde, The Mummy) are set to star in an adaptation of the comic series Alex + Ada from director Ava DuVernay (Lullabies for Little Criminals, A Wrinkle in Time) and writer H.G. Hansen (Maximum Ride, Eleanor & Park). Glover will play Alex a young depressed man who is given a lifelike android as a gift. Boutella will play Ava, the android.
Spark of Madness: David O. Russell (Joy, American Hustle) has signed on to direct his first film for studio. Steve Carell (Last Flag Flying, Beautiful Boy), Laura Linney (The Dinner, "Ozark") and Melissa Leo (Deprogamming, Bunny Lake is Missing) have been cast in the project, which will reportedly feature some top-secret cast members the studio and filmmakers are keeping under wraps. Carell will play a screenwriter struggling with his next project, Linney will play his high school crush, and Leo will play a studio executive. James Morgan (Mr. Big, Cosa Nostra) and Ann Morrow (Decrescendo, The Price of Fame) wrote the script.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 9 Round 2)
His scenes in ID were easily the highlight of the film. Seeing his startlingly young drug dealer interact with the likes of James Franco and Seth Rogen is something I didn't expect to see, and Lieberher holds his own pretty well.
2. Alden Ehrenreich
Alden Ehrenreich has branched out from just working on John Malone-penned films and has continued to grow as a young star. He brings an edge and charisma to his performance in American Dream that the film sorely needed.
1. Tom Hardy
When the LRF 100 voting was revealed, Tom Hardy was officially named the 8th Biggest Star in the studio's history at that point. But now, only two films later, Tom Hardy has become a legitimate contender for the top title held by Tom Cruise.
Aside from the one aspect of the film I truly enjoyed, the film had a big "been there, done that" feel. Rob Zombie is also a bizarre choice to direct, with his sensibilities being pretty far off the story of the film. I sure hope he was paid well.
2. God of War
This film was a mess, plain and simple. It had a lot of potential, but it is let down by an unfocused script. Not only did we not really get an origin for Kratos, but the villain is unclear through much of the story.
1. John Boyega
Who decided that John Boyega is supposed to be a movie star? Sure, he comes across as affable and inoffensive, but he's the acting equivilent of watching paint dry. He is boring and doesn't really bring anything to the proceedings.
Release: ID
Genre: Comedy
Director: Rob Zombie
Writer: Alex Conn
Cast: Alex Wolff, RJ Cyler, Abraham Attah, Jacob Tremblay, Noah Schnapp, Bella Thorne, Jaeden Lieberher, Seth Rogen, James Franco
Budget: $20,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $29,311,802
Foreign Box Office: $19,907,865
Total Profit: $12,243,009
Reaction: The comedy genre has been pretty hit or miss for the studio, mostly miss (when not paired with the action genre), so making a solid profit on this one is a win.
"While the cast gives their best effort, ID is a comedy that falls a bit flat. Many of the films comedic gags have executed better in other films." - Stephen Ridley, Boston Globe
"Sure, the film feels a bit unoriginal and messy at times, but the parts that are original are pretty hilarious. I dare you not to laugh when Jaeden Lieberher shows up. James Franco and Seth Rogen work their usual chemistry to great effect in their cameo appearances." - Shawn Moseby, Fresno Bee
"Comedy is a pretty subjective genre, so take this review with a grain of salt. That said, I honestly just didn't find the film to be as funny as it seems to think it is. Rob Zombie's grungy film-making style often gives the scenes a weird look that doesn't really work with the story at hand." - Charles Yost, Oregonian
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Last Resort Films Jukebox: ID
2. "I'm On A Boat" - The Lonely Island ft. T-Pain
3. "I'm Not Okay" - My Chemical Romance
4. "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" - Skrillex
5. "Emily" - From First To Last
6. "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" - The Smiths
7. "Jocelyn Flores" - XXXTentacion
8. "Fuck Tha Police" - N.W.A.
9. "What's My Age Again" - Blink-182
10. "I Love Rock 'n Roll" - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Now Showing: ID
Genre: Comedy
Director: Rob Zombie
Writer: Alex Conn
Cast: Alex Wolff, RJ Cyler, Abraham Attah, Jacob Tremblay, Noah Schnapp, Bella Thorne, Jaeden Lieberher, Seth Rogen, James Franco
Plot: The film starts in an English class with the substitute teacher talking about To Kill A Mockingbird. Then we go to the hallway where our lead character Matthew (RJ Cyler) asks out the popular girl Ava (Bella Thorne) she declines saying she wouldn’t have sex with her if they paid her and she also has a cute football player boyfriend Blake. Matthew and his friend Alec (Alex Wolff) and Zach (Abraham Attah) are hanging out talking about tonight where they will make themselves famous at the music festival where all the kids are attending.
They go home and they realize they have to babysit their 10 year old brother Harry (Jacob Tremblay) and his friend Finn (Noah Schnapp). Finn is watching porn upstairs waiting for Harry. Harry comes home and they click out. Harry is excited to see the new animated film Hershey Kisses Revenge. They go to the music festival with the kids as Finn is excited to be like big boys. They eventually are declined entry due to their 10 year olds with them.
They eventually go to the movie theater where Alec’s mentor Joel (Seth Rogen) and Gabe (James Franco) with filmmaking works. Harry asks to see Hersey kisses revenge. They eventually see a re run of Fifty Shades of Grey and Harry cries and Finn is loving it even chanting at the screen.
The gang decides to drop Harry off with Joel. The gang decides to go to a strip club. But first they get fake IDs at a sketchy Fake ID place and they head to the strip Club. They present their fake IDs and the security guard looks at all of their fake IDs and thinks that Finn and Gunnar are lying and have Fake IDs and Matthew and Alec and Zach say that he is being bigoted to the midget community. The security guard brings his boss down and his boss scolds him for his bigotry.
They go to a strip club and they get lap dances and Matthew is about to have sex with a girl in the bathroom and the guard finds out for sure that all of their IDs are fake. They all get kicked out and Zach leaves as he doesn’t want his parents to find out.
The remaining parts of the gang go to a motel and they order a prostitute. As this is happening Joel and Gabe are scoring some drugs at a top drug dealers house. They realize this drug dealer is a 12 year old kid (Jaeden Lieberher). This 12 year old acts like a gangsta and talks like a gangsta. They eventually get the drugs and they give some to Harry. Back at the motel Matthew and Alec are eating at a nearby McDonalds and they go home to check on the prostitute. The prostitute is playing checkers with the kids. The prostitute is revealed to be Ava. Ava leaves and repeats that she wouldn’t have sex with Matthew if you paid her. Ava reveals that her football player boyfriend is secretly gay and is afraid to come out. Matthew is videotaping the conversation. They eventually order an Uber and they go to pick up Harry and they see he overdosed on the drugs that Joel gave him. Joel puts a knife in Harry like in Pulp Fiction. Harry wakes up. They drive back home and try to eliminate all evidence that they left. All the parents come home and the kids explain that they just had a relaxing evening watching movies and playing card games. Matthew and Alec debate outing the football player Blake but they decide not to and they flip on the TV and see a riot at the local movie theater that they are not showing Hershey kisses revenge and there are interviews with Joel and Gabe on the TV and the two teenagers laugh and the film ends.
Friday, November 23, 2018
Release: American Dream
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Josh and Benny Safdie
Writer: Chad Taylor
Based on the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, John Boyega, Jeff Goldblum, Maika Monroe
Budget: $28,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $31,932,789
Foreign Box Office: $27,113,602
Total Profit: $8,097,891
Reaction: We are happy that this one narrowly avoided losing money, instead ending up with a nice small profit. American Dream is the fourth consecutive profitable film with Alden Ehrenreich receiving top billing (following To the White Sea, Death Dream and Ranger).
"The Safdie Brothers have taken the basic concept of John Schlesinger's 1969 classic Midnight Cowboy and put their dark, unique twist on the material. The film focuses on similar characters, but Chad Taylor's script has their lives spiral wildly out of control like a violent K-hole." - Ken Hammerschmidt, Washington Post
"This script just hums along like a finely tuned automobile. Each scene puts the characters into moral dilemmas and forces difficult decisions out of them. While the film may lack the edge of its source material, the film is strong effort from the cast and crew." - Mark Gilbert, Boston Globe
Thursday, November 22, 2018
In Development
Burial Rites: Domhnall Gleeson (The Beatles, Missoula), Fiona Shaw (The Tree of Life, Dorian Gray), Brendan Gleeson (Live by Night, "Mr. Mercedes") and Mads Mikkelsen (Mass Effect: Silent Assassins, The Question: The End) have joined Jennifer Lawrence in Burial Rites from director Cate Shortland and rookie writer Willem Mainwright. Brendan Gleeson is set to play a government official called upon to house Jennifer Lawrence's character while she awaits her execution, Shaw will play his wife. Brendan Gleeson's son Domhnall will play a young priest, while Mikkelsen will play a local police commissioner. The film is based on the novel by Hannah Kent.
Alternative: Tim Burton's upcoming film about God resetting Earth and choosing a leader has added Kellen Lutz (Road Rash, Extraction), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood, The Circle) and Kaya Scodelario (Looking for Alaska, Maze Runner: The Death Cure) to its ensemble. Lutz will play a fallen angel, Coltrane an angel, and Scodelario will play Eve opposite Nicholas Hoult as Adam. Meirad Tako penned the film.
Mandingos: The slavery-themed drama from director Steve McQueen and writer Mo Buck has added Donald Glover (Real is Better, "Atlanta"), David Oyelowo (A Wrinkle in Time, The Cloverfield Paradox), Tyler James Williams (Detroit, Dear White People), Bobby Cannavale (Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, The Lady in the Lake) and Matt Dillon (Going in Style, "Wayward Pines") to its impressive ensemble cast.
Rachel Rising: Bailee Madison ("Good Witch", The Strangers: Prey at Night), Hayley Atwell (Reality, Van Helsing), Richard Armitage (Lancelot, Ocean's 8) and Theo James (Cleopatra, How It Ends) have signed on to the cast of Karyn Kusama and H.G. Hansen's upcoming comic adaptation, Rachel Rising. Madison will play a teenager possessed by a demon, Atwell will play a murderous woman, Armitage will play a demon, and James will play the boyfriend of main character (played by Taylor Schilling).
Happy Nuke Year: Charlie Sheen (9/11, Mad Families), John Cena (Blockers, The Wall) has re-teamed with his Platoon and Wall Street director Oliver Stone for the political satire Happy Nuke Year. Sheen will play an eccentric Libertarian Senator in the film. Also joining the cast are Sharon Stone (Fading Gigalo, The Disaster Artist), Ryan Guzman (Standing Back, "9-1-1") and Maulik Pancholy ("30 Rock", "Weeds"). Stone has been cast as Nicolas Cage's wife, Guzman as Gal Gadot's brother, while Pancholy has joined the cast as a young Senator and friend of Shia LaBeouf's character. The film is the debut of writer Jacob Jones.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Last Resort Films Jukebox: American Dream
2. "Peroration Six" - Floating Points
3. "Ruined Lives" - Oneohtrix Point Never
4. "The Greek Mirror" - Tangerine Dream
5. "Second December" - John Chantler
6. "Boring Angel" - Oneohtrix Point Never
Now Showing: American Dream
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Josh and Benny Safdie
Writer: Chad Taylor
Based on the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, John Boyega, Jeff Goldblum, Maika Monroe
Plot: Tommy Deakin (John Boyega) makes the abrupt decision to quit his job at a local fast food restaurant and leave Georgia behind to pursue his dream of becoming a model in Los Angeles. Using an online classifieds site, Tommy finds a roommate in aspiring writer/director Kitt Merchant (Alden Ehrenreich). Upon moving in, Kitt and Tommy hit it off as Kitt acts as a sort of cultural tour guide for the city.
Tommy’s wide-eyed optimism about the city takes a hit when he is rejected by multiple gigs that he tries for. Kitt tells Tommy not to get down and invites him to go for a night out on the town with him. A night at the club spirals into something more when they join Kitt’s friends on an adventure through the hills. They break into an expensive house for sale that overlooks the city and starting shooting heroin. It is here that Tommy discovers Kitt’s intense drug habit. He stays clean himself.
While on drugs, Kitt becomes much more honest about his outlook on Los Angeles. He tells Tommy that his real dream is to go to Las Vegas and become an entertainer there. Amidst Tommy’s struggles in modeling, Kitt recommends that Tommy get in contact with an old photographer he used to know – Blackjack (Jeff Goldblum). Upon receiving some of Tommy’s modeling shots, Blackjack hires him.
It soon turns out that it is not just modeling. Blackjack is in the erotic photography business and, in his desperation to find work, Tommy is convinced to go along with it. His chemistry with another model, Jade (Maika Monroe), proves to be successful for Blackjack and starts receiving a nice payday for the photo-shoots (which he only gives a fraction of to Tommy). Tommy begins to fall for Jade as their sexual tension builds up on set. Tommy learns that Blackjack used to be one of Tommy’s suppliers and his welcoming nature finally convinces Tommy to try heroin. After having a near panic attack, which is calmed by he and Jade finally having sex, he decides drugs aren’t for him.
Meanwhile, Kitt is descending deeper into drugs and spends most of his days trying to complete his 200-page screenplay. He now rarely leaves the apartment, despite Tommy’s insistence. Blackjack tells Tommy he is impressed with the fanbase he is building and tells him that he thinks he could act too. He then approaches Tommy with the idea of doing filmed porn. Jade tells him that he if he does it, she’ll do it with him, but he is reluctant as this is getting farther and farther away from his dreams (and why he moved to L.A. in the first place). He tells Blackjack he needs a night to sleep on the decision.
Back at the apartment, he decides to read Kitt’s screenplay as Kitt lays passed out on the porch (looking more frail than when we were first introduced to him). After reading it, Tommy becomes excited and wakes Kitt up. He tells him to send the script into an agent and get the film made so he can star in it. Kitt is happy that Tommy likes it and tells him that he will finally try to get it made. Upon arriving on set for another shoot, Tommy tells Blackjack that he will not do the porn and Blackjack becomes furious. He tells he can’t do the modeling either now and fires him on the spot.
As they sleep one night, Kitt and Tommy are jolted awake by a loud banging on the door. Blackjack is on the other side, warning that “this is your last chance”. He tries to open the door but fails. He leaves by shouting “I WARNED YOU”. The next day, Tommy visits Jade at her apartment to inquire about Blackjack’s behavior but she offers nothing. She also seems to have no romantic interest in him anymore and wishes him the best of luck with his future modeling career.
On the way home, Tommy suspects that he is being followed and tries to maneuver home. Upon arriving at the apartment, he notices the trailing car parked outside and spies on the two men inspecting their weapons. He starts to have a meltdown and asks Kitt what to do. Kitt, who is looking sickly and is already heavily on drugs, recognizes the car and also starts to panic. He tells them that the men are likely there to harm the both of them.
Out of desperation, Tommy tells Kitt (who is falling deeper into his high) that they are going on a road trip to Las Vegas. Since Tommy’s car is being tracked, he recommends they sneak out the back and take Kitt’s car. On the drive, Tommy recounts his life story to a passed out Kitt. He starts crying as he says how scared this episode has made him feel and he is hoping this fresh start will lead to the place he’s been looking for. Under the bright lights of the Vegas strip, Tommy parks the car and tries to wake up Kitt up but realizing he is not breathing.
As he starts to panic, he notices Kitt is getting a phone call from Blackjack. He answers but does not say anything. Blackjack, thinking that Kitt is angry at him, apologizes for going to these drastic measures and says that he really wishes that the Tommy deal would have worked out. He goes on to say that Tommy would have made him loads of money if he would have went all the way but the boy was too damn wholesome. He says that he just wants his money and then all will be well again and hangs up.
Tommy puts the pieces together and realizes that Kitt essentially loaned him out to Blackjack so he could earn back Blackjack the money that Kitt owed him. And when Blackjack visited their apartment and "this is your last chance" was directed at Kitt and not Tommy. Tommy checks Kitt’s bag and discovers that he never even tried submitting the screenplay. Disoriented, he leaves Kitt and the car behind and starts walking down the strip. A passerby compliments his rugged look and asks if he ever considered becoming a model. In the background, Kitt's car sits idle - bathed by the glimmering neon lights that shine above.
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