Top 10 Comedies
10. Booster Gold II: The Booster Gold Story
9. The Death of the Honest Man
8. Maple Leaf
7. Doctor Love
6. Don't Hang Up
5. Plastic Man
4. Booster Gold: Lost in Time
3. Hands on a Hard Body
2. Booster Gold
1. Skin Tight
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Top 10 Comedies
Top 10 Comedies
10. Booster Gold II: The Booster Gold Story
9. The Death of the Honest Man
8. Maple Leaf
7. Doctor Love
6. Don't Hang Up
5. Plastic Man
4. Booster Gold: Lost in Time
3. Hands on a Hard Body
2. Booster Gold
1. Skin Tight
Now Showing: Mass Effect: First Contact
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: Alex Garland
Writer: Seth Overton
Based on the video game series
Cast: James McAvoy, David Oyelowo, Stanley Tucci, Alice Eve, Vincent Cassel, Woody Harrelson, Michael Sheen, Gwendoline Christie
Plot: A man in an astronaut suit exits a spacecraft. A small American flag sign is embedded on his right shoulder. He takes his first steps on a surface covered in dark grey talcum powder-like dust, with a variety of scattered pebbles, rocks and boulders. As he walks, his first words are: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". The text [MOON LANDING - 180 YEAR ANNIVERSARY DIGITAL REMASTER] appears on screen as the camera zooms out revealing a conference screen.
Leading NASA scientist Jack Harper (James McAvoy) is nervously giving a presentation on the latest discoveries in Mass Effect physics, a discovery he deems as revolutionary as the moon landing and the next cornerstone in human space travel advancement. David Anderson (David Oyelowo) sits in the audience, trying his best not to roll his eyes at all the hyperbole. He notices General Williams (Michael Sheen) enter the conference room and makes a sign to him. Williams rushes to the seat next to Anderson and apologizes for being late. He tells him he had to oversee the Charon mission.
Meanwhile, a group of astronauts led by Jon Grissom (Vincent Cassel) are on a mission near Pluto. Following information from translated data cache on Mars, humans had discovered that Charon, Pluto's moon, is actually a massive piece of dormant alien technology, encased in ice. After they defrost the artifact, it becomes clear it is a mass relay.
As the mass relay activates itself, the title screen appears: "Mass Effect: First Contact"
2149 CE - NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C
Jack Harper exits the conference room with his palms sweaty and trembling. He lets out a sigh of relief now that everything is over. Public speaking has never been his strong suit. He is greeted by a woman who introduces herself as Eva Core (Alice Eve), an astronaut in training. Eva tells him she has some follow-up questions regarding mass effect technology and space travel, more specifically whether he believes it could possibly lead to contact with alien life-forms. Harper looks at her for a second then directs his gaze towards the ground, trying to formulate a few thoughts, but stuttering in the process. Anderson chimes in, telling her that contact with alien life has already happened, in the form of microorganisms and bacteria in space. If she is referring to intelligent alien lifeform, he doubts it exists and if it does, he certainly wouldn’t want to establish contact with it.
Harper rushes to the bathroom, while Anderson tells him he’s expecting him in the control room afterwards. He locks the bathroom door and buries his head in his palms. He acted like a bumbling fool. He could have told her that he, himself, is fascinated by this subject, and the things we could learn from a more technologically advanced alien civilization. He could have mentioned this really old movie he is a fan of called “2001: A Space Odyssey”, which is not holovision-compatible, but he has an old device it can be played on, if she’s interested in seeing it. He could have contradicted Anderson, telling him that his cautiousness is natural, but progress always involves certain risks. Instead, he said nothing.
He washes his face with cold water then takes some pills and heads over to the control room. In the control room, he sees Jon Grissom on a giant screen talking to Anderson about the mass relay they had discovered. They debate whether they should regroup at the nearest space station and attempt a manned mission through the relay. Anderson is against it and tells them they should return to Earth. Harper agrees and tells them the relay needs to be studied more before such a mission can be deemed safe. He seems a bit more collected after taking his medication.
In the following months, Harper and his team of scientists study the relay’s energy fields and come to the conclusion that they could design a spacecraft capable of passing through. He tells Anderson, who is still cautious about sending his team on this mission. Now that after seeing the relay, Anderson is more open to the idea other intelligent lifeforms existing, they debate whether extraterrestrial life could be aggressive or not. Jack Harper argues that an incredibly advanced civilization should be above petty human warmongering. David seems amused by his naiveté.
They finally agree on a plan to send a time capsule probe, similar to the Voyager Golden Records, which contains sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. As they debate on what they should include, Harper and Anderson form a friendship over their interest in old books and movies. Jack opens up about how he feels like he messed up an opportunity with Eva a few months back. He recounts the entire experience.
A few days later, Anderson opens up about his own experience with anxiety and how his father set some very high standards for him that he always felt were out of reach. He concludes that most of the bad feelings dissipated when he learned to stop being so hard on himself. David sees Eva Core enter the room. He puts his hand on Jack’s shoulder, as if trying to pass on some confidence to him, then leaves them together. Harper apologizes to Eva for their previous encounter. She tells him he has nothing to apologize for and that she was happy when Anderson told her he would like to resume their previous conversation. After they talk for a while, he musters up the courage to ask her out for coffee. He then awkwardly backtracks in that he doesn’t usually drink coffee since it messes up his stomach, but maybe he could have some other beverage. She laughs and then agrees.
A few months pass, and Harper, Anderson, Eva Core, General Williams and Jon Grissom are gathered in the control room to watch the sending of the probe through the relay. Jack takes Eva’s hand as the moment gets closer. She rests her head on his shoulder. Everyone cheers once the probe goes through.
2150 CE – European Space Agency, Paris
Jack Harper is giving another presentation, this time in stark contrast with his first attempt, projecting confidence and charisma through his posture, oratory skills and overall demeanor. Everyone claps as he announces that preparations of the first manned mission through the relay are underway and the expedition should begin the following year. He exits the conference room as everyone applauds and cheers. Eva hugs him, telling him she’s proud of him. She asks him if he had any anxiety throughout. He answers that he did, but somehow, it didn’t matter.
As preparations for the manned mission are underway, Eva comes to Jack with unexpected news. She applied to be part of the crew and got accepted by Grissom. This leaves Jack worried and somehow puts Anderson’s concerns into perspective for him for the first time. He tells her she shouldn’t go since it is a dangerous mission and she’s a rookie. This upsets her, they argue for a while with her telling Harper how hypocritical of him it is to label this mission dangerous now. He, himself, is upset that she applied behind his back.
Harper talks to Anderson, who tells him Eva has her own dreams and aspirations and that he should support her. He vouches for her and tells him she will certainly be a more than capable crew member.
Harper brings Eva flowers and apologizes for his outburst. She forgives him and also apologizes for not telling him sooner. They spend their last evening together before the mission finally watching “2001: A Space Odyssey”. After the movie is over, Jack enthusiastically asks her what she thought. She yawns and tells him the movie seemed more exciting when he was recounting it. They both laugh and cuddle together.
The next day, the crew, consisting of Jon Grissom, Eva Core, Harkin (Woody Harrelson) and Jill Dah (Gwendoline Christie) embark on the spacecraft. The event is broadcast all over the world. Grissom is shocked to see little children in the crowd wearing T-shirts with his face. Harkin tells him he’s an international hero. They’re already making a biopic on him. Grissom jokes that he hopes he lives long enough to see it.
Williams, Anderson and Harper are in the control room watching history in the making - the first team of human explorers passing through a mass relay. In the spacecraft, Grissom gives orders to every crew member as they prepare to enter the relay. As they pass through, they are instantly transported to another relay in Arcturus, 36 light-years away. The explorers discover that the mass relays are part of a vast network, making travel across the galaxy possible.
2151 CE – Paladen, Turian Homeplanet
A turian commander, Edan Had’dah (Stanley Tucci), leads a group of turian soldiers through the Paladen forests. They speak in their native tongue (subtitled in English). One of the turians says that an unidentified spacecraft was spotted landing nearby.
They see an unidentified species in the distance. It is Grissom and his team. Edan is unsure what to make of them. He sees Eva scanning the flora with a device to send the data back home. He decides to approach them, ordering his team to be ready in case of aggression. He shouts at the group.
Harkin almost shoots his gun, when Grissom stops him. Grissom puts his gun down and signals to Edan that they come in peace. To Edan and his team, it all seems like gibberish. Another turian vehicle is seen approaching from the distance. Harkin tells Grissom that they should fight them now before their backup arrives. Grissom tells him to stand down.
A gun is fired as the screen cuts to black. Multiple gunshots are heard signaling that a fight has ensued between the two groups.
2151 CE – NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C
Jack Harper sits in shock staring at the wall in front of him. News of the mission have reached Earth once the spacecraft passed back through the relay. Jon Grissom was the only one who made it out alive. Eva, Harkin and Jill Dah died in the gunfight. The second turian vehicle eventually brought a translation device. Human languages were added to the device from the deciphered time capsule probe the turians had received. Grissom negotiated with the turians and managed to retreat, while also bringing back the bodies of his team members. Tears of pain and anger run down Harper’s face as the caskets are transported out of the spacecraft.
In the following years, The Systems Alliance charter is signed by the eighteen largest nations on Earth. The Alliance soon becomes the military and exploratory spearhead of humanity. Furthermore, the animosity between humans and turians reaches peak level.
The Turian War begins. We see General Williams hug his granddaughter Ashley, before embarking on a mission to protect the human colony Shanxi. Anderson joins the Alliance and soon after becomes Captain of the SSV Normandy. Edan Had’dah spends his time studying the human time capsule probe and becomes overwhelmed with guilt over causing the war. He decides to take his own life.
Finally, we see Jack Harper walk down a hallway. He walks past a Cerberus logo and enters his office. On his holo-vision computer, he reads a think-piece on the climate of xenophobia amongst the Alliance public and the emergence of extreme pro-human groups like Terra Firma and Cerberus. The author cites Harper as their most ardent figurehead, dubbing him an “illusive man”. He smiles as he reads that part, thinking it is a fitting nickname.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Release: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Fernando González Molina
Writer: Meirad Tako
Cast: Mackenzie Foy, Mason Cook, Jace Norman, Michael Rainey Jr., Willow Smith
Budget: $8,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $17,338,902
Foreign Box Office: $8,205,888
Total Profit: $5,757,167
Reaction: Expenses were kept very low on this film with only one actor (Mackenzie Foy) making above "scale" (the acting minimum wage) and a director who has only made small Spanish-language films. This made the project low-risk, but we're still happy the film managed to turn a small profit.
"The film's music and talent show aspects help it stand out a bit despite some fairly bland casting choices." - Reggie Dunn, Sacramento Bee
"While Mackenzie Foy once again shines on the big screen, she is surrounded by actors who can't keep up with her abilities, resulting in a very uneven effort." - Chris Mears, Slashfilm
"Teen movies live and die on the charisma of their lead actors. In that department, Crazy Little Thing Called Love is a mixed bag. Mackenzie Foy is charming as always, and Jace Norman excels at playing a character you want to punch, but Mason Cook is boring and Willow Smith does not have the talents of her mom and dad." - Paul Landon, Film School Rejects
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Rated R for language
Last Resort Films Jukebox: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
1. "Glow Like Dat" - Rich Brian
2. "Hit 'Em Up" - 2Pac ft. The Outlawz
3. "Love of My Life" - Queen
4. "Somebody to Love" - Queen
5. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Queen
Monday, July 29, 2019
Now Showing: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Fernando González Molina
Writer: Meirad Tako
Cast: Mackenzie Foy, Mason Cook, Jace Norman, Michael Rainey Jr., Willow Smith
Plot: It is the first day of high school, the freshmen of this year starts to enter their classes.
In the Social Class 1, Alex (Mason Cook) join his class mates, he doesn't really care about everybody because he is the edgy boy from junior high school that think he is the best. His only friend is Johnson (Michael Rainey Jr.) that he met in junior high and started a rap group together The Angle.
But that day when that girl stand in front of the class and introducing herself and her name is Anne (Mackenzie Foy). His heart beating fast, he couldn't take his eyes out of her and from that day he always thinking of her.
Johnson always tells him that they can't be together because of the different religion that they believe in, but Alex is one stone head that still think that it's doesn't matter. They can still be together, its the matter of how strong their believe to their God.
He started chatting with her Through social media and Shyly have interaction with her in school. He always nice to her. But on their 3rd day of chatting, Anne told him that she has a boyfriend whose in the next grade and his name is Aaron (Jace Norman)
He couldn't believe it, he felt like his heart had been crushed into thousand of pieces and spend the whole night crying in his bed behind the blanket while he listen to Rich Brian's song "Glow Like Dat" (https://youtu.be/adDD43CvrUc) But he still one hella stone head, he still try to be nice and gentle to her and she happy with that because secretly she also fallen in love with him but she is a loyal girl and still has a feeling towards her boyfriend although she often caught him dating with other girl.
And Kate (Willow Smith), her best friend always mad at her because of the stupid decision she made, Kate suggest her to brake up with Aaron and be together with Alex but she still in fact in love with Aaron. Kate always reminds her that appearance is not the main thing. She also tells Kate that she doesn't choose Alex because of the appearance, since Aaron himself is "hella ugly" and rowdy looking but she doesn't want Alex get hurt, because Aaron is one of a bully jerk at school.
Day by day, their relationship become closer and closer and they always hangs out together after school. But one day when Alex and Anne was hanging out, Aaron across them and without saying anything punch Alex in the face.
Alex thrown back a little just to see a blur, he can touch that blood come out of his nose. He felt daze and hardly try to get up but before it happens Aaron stomp his face a couple of time until he blackout.
Johnson that didn't get the reply on the sms service become concern and catch them up in the usually hang out place where he found Alex lying on the ground with wounds all over his head. He brought Alex to his house and ask his mom to give him the treatment since his mom is a doctor.
A couple hours later he woke up thankfully with no serious injury and tell the story to Johnson and burned him up but he doesn't let Johnson to do anything to Aaron because if he want to,he could beat the crap of him, but he didn't throw any punches because he Doesn't want to hurt someone that Anne love and it may also make Anne hate him so he suggest Johnson to just write a disstrack for Aaron and performed on the annual Smansa (Smansa is their school's name) Got Talent in his school.
Days and days with no interaction neither at school nor from handphone (because his Handphone broken because Aaron stomp on it and tear it apart) he just completely sad all day and it really bother Johnson that he mad at him and throw his lyric book to Alex and then go from Alex's house.
After a couple of month he can buy a new phone and he found that his Whatsapp account had been blocked by Alex, so he chatted her best friend Kate instead and ask her to ask Anne about why she blocked him. 20 minuted passed and he got a reply in a screenshot about how Anne doesn't want Alex get hurt more and hope he can just look away from her, she knows that she seems like villain but she just doesn't want Alex to get hurt. Because she loves him.
Alex's heart get nudged by the chat, he never thought Anne would think about him that much, he thought Anne ignores him because Anne hate him but the chat really make the tears come out from his eyes.
He immediately calls Johnson and rush the Diss track and produce it in one night it was title 'Fuck Aaron' and They sampled the beat from the greatest diss track in their opinion "Hit 'Em Up" by 2Pac Feat The Outlawz. (https://youtu.be/41qC3w3UUkU)
A month before the Smansa Got Talent he invite some of his class mate to perfom 3 Queen songs that they love so much "Love Of My Life"(https://youtu.be/sUJkCXE4sAA),"Somebody To Love"( and as the ending "Bohemian Rhapsody" ( with Alex as vocalist, Johnson as Guitarist, Joshua as Bassist, Jonathan as Drummer.
On the afternoon, Alex and Johnson are on the usual hang out place "Latados Cafe" that also the usual place where Anne and Alex hang out. But at that afternoon they saw Anne with her boyfriend. Johnson straight up standing and try to approach them to give her boyfriend some Taekwondo fists and kicks but Alex hold him and they just pass them and while Aaron doesn't see and Anne in a big surprised, Alex gives her his warm smile as always.
They have been practicing for the whole month and today is the big day, before they performing their song, Alex come to Anne and beg her to watch even if she brings her boyfriend, he wants to see her face while they performing and Anne only gives a little nod and Alex smile then thank her and back to his group.
It is the time, Anne, Kate, and Aaron sit on the front seat. Aaron slightly surprise and angrily look at Anne but he tried to calm down.
The curtain's open and Alex immediately hit the first note on the piano and give the rendition of Love Of My Live that for a high school students is impressive, Anne's heart felt hurt hearing his voice and try to not drop any tear.
After Bohemian Rhapsody ended and Aaron pissed by the way Anne looking at Alex and take Anne away. Alex sees that and he stand up and the music immediately changed into "Fuck Aaron" and the first line make Aaron look at him And Alex throws middle finger to him in front of teachers and parents.
Teachers and parents don't move because middle finger doesn't have any meaning there, so with plenty of F-bomb teachers and parents start to frowning but let the young blood a go, and the annihilation upon Aaron continue for 6 minute.
After the performance, Alex cannot find Anne and he goes to the back of the school just to see Anne get harassed by Aaron and just like he did to Alex without say a word a roundhouse kick land to the side of Aaron's head and knock him out.
Tomorrow morning Anne told Kate that she broke Aaron up because he was harassing her but she also doesn't start any relationship with Alex either. But Alex give the decision to the time and fate.
In the evening, Alex and Johnson visit Aaron in the Hospital. And they spit on the bully's face.
[Closing credit starts with another Queen song titled 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' (https://youtu.be/zO6D_BAuYCI)]
Resume: Mackenzie Foy
Season 1
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Budget: $122,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $110,636,010
Foreign Box Office: $148,826,328
Total Profit: $58,315,399
Foy's first role for the studio was as the young female lead in one of LRF's early hit films, the video game adaptation The Last of Us. The film was a box office hit and was well-received critically, especially for the performances of Foy and her co-star Anson Mount.
Season 2
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Writer: Mo Buck
Budget: $42,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $66,790,065
Foreign Box Office: $64,625,377
Total Profit: $70,084,275
Foy's performance in The Child Martyr was voted as the 5th Best Performance in LRF History as part of the LRF 100! poll. Additionally, she won the Best Supporting Actress Golden Reel Award. Her co-star Brie Larson won Best Actress for her efforts. The film was mostly well-received by critics, and was a surprise hit at the box office.
Season 4
Director: Ava DuVernay
Writer: Mo Buck
Budget: $22,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $25,738,049
Foreign Box Office: $21,309,373
Total Profit: $278,006
In Season 4, Foy was back to work for the studio with another harrowing role as a young drug addict. The film, Ava DuVernay's first for the studio, was a critical success. Foy was nominated for Best Actress for her performance. While she didn't win that award, she did win Best Starring Couple alongside her co-star Chris Pine.
Season 6
Director: Peter Jackson
Writer: Seth Overton
Budget: $167,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $254,120,878
Foreign Box Office: $418,900,100
Total Profit: $289,988,428
Foy took a break from her gritty leading roles to take on a smaller supporting role in Peter Jackson's big-budget fantasy film. She played a girl with rabbit ears who meets the main characters towards the end of the film. Made in Abyss was a big hit at the box office, and received mostly positive reviews from the critics.
Season 9
Director: Neil Burger
Writer: T.F.W. Hallowayne
Budget: $29,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $21,082,195
Foreign Box Office: $26,776,002
Total Profit: -$11,336,101
Foy returned to work for the studio in Season 9 for the debut film of writer TFW Hallowayne (who has retired after four films). The film was an adaptation of a YA horror novel that saw Foy play a teenager at a college for a summer writing course. The film was a box office bomb, and it didn't fare any better with the critics.
Season 10
Director: Mo Buck
Writer: Mo Buck
Budget: $27,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $33,906,332
Foreign Box Office: $25,457,890
Total Profit: $6,219,396
One of the most anticipated films of Season 10 ended up being Mo Buck's directorial debut, the autobiographical Letter to Myself. Foy was part of a talented young ensemble cast. The film made a small profit at the box office and proved to be a major hit with the critics. The film was nominated for 7 Golden Reel Awards (winning two - Best Soundtrack and Best Supporting Actress for Joey King).
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writer: Roy Horne
Budget: $42,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $51,309,341
Foreign Box Office: $40,559,238
Total Profit: $20,111,853
Foy finally returned to leading roles for the studio with the anime adaptation Kite. The film paired her with Russell Crowe, and the two took home the Golden Reel Award for Best Starring Couple. That wasn't all though, as Foy won the Best Actress Golden Reel Award for her performance in the film. She is the first actress to win Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Golden Reel Awards.
Up Next: Mackenzie Foy will next be seen in the teen romantic drama Crazy Little Thing Called Love from writer Meirad Tako. After this season, Foy does not currently have any other films lined up.
Review:
- Highest Grossing Film: Made in Abyss ($673,020,978)
- Most Profitable Film: Made in Abyss ($289,988,428)
- Most Awarded Film(s): Kite (3 wins, 3 nominations), Letter to Myself (2 wins, 5 nominations)
- Best Reviewed Film: Kite (Metascore: 84)
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Release: Don't Hang Up
Genre: Crime/Comedy/Drama
Director: Tom McCarthy
Writers: Mo Buck & Dominic Wilkins
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Michael Keaton, John Slattery, James Spader, Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn, Zach Galifianakis, Scoot McNairy, Garret Dillahunt, Neal McDonough, Keith Carradine
Budget: $40,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $159,448,198
Foreign Box Office: $53,821,482
Total Profit: $157,032,845
Reaction: Outstanding numbers! Don't Hang Up has become the highest grossing non-action comedy in the history of Last Resort Films, having grossed over $213 million at the box office.
"Don't Hang Up is a film with a top-notch ensemble cast anchored by stellar performances from Ryan Reynolds and Michael Keaton. They both deliver dramatic and comedic performances, making you care about their characters even when they are doing less than stellar things." - Michael Van Patten, Slant Magazine
"Director Tom McCarthy has always been good at balancing comedy and drama, but really the kudos has to go to the script by Mo Buck and Dominic Wilkins and the spot-on casting of the lead roles with Keaton and Reynolds." - Michael Wilmington, Rolling Stone
"This season has already been very strong with a lot of potential awards favorites, but even among that competition Don't Hang Up stands out. It is a crowd-pleasing crime dramedy of the highest quality." - Charles Yost, Oregonian
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Rated PG-13 for language
In Development
How to Survive in Hell: Mel Gibson (The Squared Circle, Carbon) and Dave Bautista (Flash Gordon, Nexus) have joined How to Survive in Hell, the latest film from director Shane Black. Gibson will play the the leader of a dystopian future United States, while Bautista will play his personal bodyguard. Dominic Wilkins penned the script.
Hunter: Walton Goggins (Kingmaker Chronicles, October Crisis), Ken Watanabe (Mortal Kombat, Mass Effect: The Shadow Broker), Mark Strong (Bioshock, Oh Johnny Boy) and William Hurt (Salem's Lot, "Condor") have all joined the very macho cast of director Jaume Collet-Serra's latest film, Hunter. Goggins will play a Major under Col. Maddox's (Jeff Bridges) command. Watanabe will play Commander Takakura, leader of the kill team tasked with hunting a mysterious beast. Strong will play a mysterious member of the team with unknown affiliation, and Hurt will play a scientist. Mark Newton penned the script based on the novel by James Byron Huggins.
Time Passages: John Legend (La La Land, "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert") and Vanessa Hudgens (Polar, Second Act) have signed on to co-star in the upcoming juke box musical from director Rob Marshall and writer Jacob Jones. Legend will play the film's narrator, a nightclub singer. Meanwhile, Hudgens will play a high school classmate of the main characters.
Torso: Denis Villeneuve (101, Cosa Nostra) is finally back to work following his Best Director GRA nomination for Cosa Nostra back in Season 5. He has been hired to direct a film about the hunt for the "Cleveland Torso Killer". Jake Gyllenhaal (Blackbird, Batman: Caped Crusader), Jason Clarke (Star Trek: Enterprise, Nation's Pride) and Jack Reynor (Suzanne, Days Without End) are set to star in the film. Gyllenhaal has been cast as Elliot Ness, who became the director of public safety after capturing Al Capone in Chicago. Clarke and Reynor will co-star as the detectives assigned to the murders who team up with Ness to stop the killer. John Malone (Scion 3, Ranger) penned the film, his first film as a solo writer since Nevada, Iowa back in Season 8.
Swamp Thing: Booster Gold: Lost in Time won't be the last DC Comics Universe film in Season 12. Alexander Skarsgard (Halo 4, Numero Uno) and Keira Knightley (The Death of the Honest Man, The Raven in the Night) have signed on to headline a film based on the character Swamp Thing. Skarsgard will play scientist Dr. Alec Holland, who is turned into a plant-like beast following an accident. Knightley, meanwhile, will play Abby Arcane, a woman with connections to Holland's lab who seeks to uncover the secrets of the swamp. Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island, The Kings of Summer) has been hired to direct the film based on a script by APJ (Uncharted 2, Batman: Caped Crusader).
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Now Showing: Don't Hang Up
Genre: Crime/Comedy/Drama
Director: Tom McCarthy
Writers: Mo Buck & Dominic Wilkins
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Michael Keaton, John Slattery, James Spader, Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn, Zach Galifianakis, Scoot McNairy, Garret Dillahunt, Neal McDonough, Keith Carradine
Plot: Low-life and uneducated, Nick Swan (Ryan Reynolds) still lives with his equally uneducated and lazy father, Bob (Michael Keaton) in their small studio in Los Angeles. How they manage to pay the rent remains a mystery, but despite their lack of income and social life, they both seem relatively happy. Nick spends most of his day smoking pot and playing video games, while Bob tries to work on his laughably bad impressions, despite his son’s reluctance. Their quietude is disturbed by an incoming call. Nick never answers, as his father insists to pick it up to try his impression on the unsuspected caller. It’s a telemarketing firm and Bob uses the call to do the best impression he has to offer: Jack Nicholson. The lady, barely speaking English, can’t believe she’s talking to the Jack Nicholson. Bob puts it on speaker phone. Nick, stoned, has a hard time to contain his laughter. Bob ends the call and these situations are killing him on the inside. They left the life they had a long time ago, left everything behind to come in L.A. so Bob could work in comedy clubs, doing his impression, but he never made it and doing this still hurts him inside. He was never able to live out of his “talent” and it will always a tough pill to swallow for him. He reminds that to his son, who says that it’s never too late for him to do it. He has an idea for his dad.
A couple of hours later, Bob follows his son around reluctantly and he begs to go back home, claiming his son should be playing video games, not forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to do. Nick assures him it’s going to be fun and he forces him to enter a comedy club, where Nick meets with the manager, revealing his father that he booked him a gig, for tonight, right now. Bob, ever scared to go up on a stage, as unprepared as ever, tries to talk the manager out of it, but he’s having none of it. Bob argues with his son that he shouldn’t have done that without asking him first. Nick says he has a great idea for tonight, they’ll do prank calls, live in front of the audience, it worked with the lady, it will certainly work again. Bob argues that the only reason she fell for it was because she had a hard time speaking English, let alone understanding it, but Nick thinks otherwise.
John (John Slattery) and James (James Spader) Pollock are two brothers who, although they don’t really look alike, think very much alike and like to dress the same. The put on their savviest brown corduroy jacket and leave out on the street, entering the comedy club where Bob Swan is supposed to perform later. They each grab a beer at the bar and they sit, awaiting for the evening to begin. In the alley behind the comedy club, Nick is rolling a joint, right before his father hits the stage, he will be up there with him as a show of support. He managed to be in charge of the phone and he’s stocked.
It’s now Bob’s turn to go on the stage and he’s introduced to little to no reaction from the crowd, being completely unknown. He presents the content of his number and a few people are intrigued by it. Nick takes the phone and he decides to ask for someone in the crowd for a person to prank. A man gives the number for his mother, a huge Frank Sinatra fan. Bob is a little worried, because his Sinatra impression isn’t really impressive, but he’ll give it a try anyway. They call the old lady and she has a hearing problem, so she really thinks it’s Frank Sinatra. He plays along with her for a couple of minutes to the crowd’s delight. He does a couple more, some work, some don’t really, but overall, he’s satisfied with his performance. When they get off stage, they are joined by John and James Pollock, who pose as Hollywood agents and they say they were impressed by their act. They schedule a meeting for tomorrow and they shouldn’t miss it for the world, before leaving. Bob is a little sceptical, but Nick, probably still a little high, is proud of his dad and ecstatic that his talent was recognized.
The following day, Bob and Nick are in front of the warehouse where they were supposed to meet with the Pollocks, but what they see doesn’t reassure Bob. They’re in front of a textile manufacture, one of the last of its kind in the surroundings of Los Angeles and he thinks they were set up. Upon the insistence of Nick, they go in, where they meet James and John. Right off the bat, Bob asks them if they are really Hollywood agents and this is where they revealed that they scammed both of them. They believe that together, they could do great things, so they proceed to pitch an idea to the duo that could make them rich. They are both expert scammers, the Pollocks scammed the Swans by making them believe that they were agents when they are simply owners of a small manufacture that employs just a couple of people and Bob can make certain people believe that he’s a famous person. They could use what they have to achieve something in their lives, something that could turn their lives around. Bob is unsure, so they do an example of what they could do. They give Bob a phone with a pre-written speech. It’s a sales pitch, but he does them with a celebrity’s voice, so the person on the phone believes the product he’s selling is endorsed by a famous person. The average person won’t be fooled by it, but old people will comply, rather easily, so they say. The thing he’s selling is a clothes package compromised of discarded products right here in the factory, so basically, they receive rags of clothes that won’t have any utility. Bob does a phone call and he’s able to fool an old man getting is credit information in the process. James goes online and he’s able to take money from the man. They made their first dollars of it. Bob asks if this is legal and they assure him that it is, they checked with lawyers and everything. Bob is still sceptical, but Nick is all for it, he thinks it’s a great opportunity for them to make money, more money than they ever made. To lure Bob in, the Pollocks tell him he has a talent they could use and Nick, well, he’s just Nick, they’ll figure something out. Bob finally budges and accept, but he’s still reticent, he doesn’t want to be the only one on calls duty.
The next day they meet again to finally start their little operation. James and John are already there, of course, and Nick and Bob come in afterwards. Since Bob expressed his resentment on being the only one who calls people, Nick found a way for him to get involve. James and John also took their time to think about it, but given Nick’s lack of distinguishable talent, they didn’t manage to find anything that could also get him involve, which is why they were more than happy than to learn that he thought of an idea on his own: he will be a more traditional scammer, resorting in more traditional ways to usurp money from people, not doing impressions, only getting money. They both sit down at their desk and pick up the phone, dialing numbers they were assigned. During this time, James and John look away, after all, they have a manufacture to run. They do calls after calls, Bob is way more efficient than Nick, but both of them have fun nevertheless. At the end of the day, they go back in James and John’s office, where they find both of them practicing their putting game to notify them that they will be leaving for the night. They take a look at the amount they raised during the day and both of them are satisfied.
The next day, Nick isn’t able to call people on the phone, instead he is tasked by John to ship the fraudulent boxes around town, to the people they scammed that are nearby. Of course, the number of old people in Los Angeles is somewhat limited, so, with Nick’s initiative, they decide to go national, so their clientele his bigger, if we can call it a clientele. He has another idea for the Pollocks, if he scams someone, in say… Denver, then they don’t need to send him a package and just say that it got lost in the mail, but of course, they will never be reached again, the number they gave to their customer leads directly to a McDonalds. On the first call of the day, Nick calls a number, a random number, a number like every other, like the ones he dialed yesterday, but the old lady seems really invested in the call. Her name is Diane Warren (Ellen Burstyn). She seems a little confused, which makes Bob feel a little bad. He insists a little and she finally gives in her credit card number and she has a hard time to even do this. When the call ends, Bob starts to wonder if any of this is ethical, if he’s not breaking any moral laws he has. He confesses his insecurities to James who refers him to Christian Fuller (Keith Carradine), their lawyer. Christian confirms that he checked in the law books (spoiler alert, he didn’t) and they’re not doing anything illegal as long as they actually send the boxes. Bob still has his doubts, but when he sees his son, back from his delivery run, happy, genuinely happy, he decides to not to a big fuss about it and to keep calling.
Diane’s daughter Suzan (Ann Dowd) comes back in the living room, only to see her mother with a credit card in her hands. She wonders what she has done this time and she takes it out of her hand. She looks at her mom, her eyes empty, denuded of life, devoid of any spark that was once there. Seeing her mother like that breaks her heart, but she doesn’t cry, she’s a tough woman, and she takes care of her sick mother. All this would be enough to overwhelmed an ordinary person, but the immense and undeniable love she has towards her mother pushes her to take care of her in these difficult times. She goes on the computer and checks the bank statement. She made a purchase with the card and she doesn’t know what she is. She contacts the phone number mentioned, but it leads to a McDonalds. She thinks something is fishy, so she grabs her phone and calls the PI that helped her when she was getting a divorce.
In a montage, we see the father and son duo having fun as they scam people over the phone, with the Pollocks looking on, still sitting in their office, counting the money. When Nick and Bob get their cut, they are listed as the secretaries at the manufacture to avoid suspicions. The montage ends on one night, when the Pollocks stayed late and have a meeting with Fuller. They ask if they could be held accountable if they ever get caught, and Fuller says he has a plan to get them out.
Andy Wayne (Scoot McNairy), the PI contacted by Suzan, meet in a café, where Suzan mentions that she doesn’t have a lot of time as she doesn’t want to leave her mother alone for a long time. Andy inquires how her mother is, and Suzan says her condition worsened since the last time she required Andy’s services. He says he dug deep, really deep, but he found nothing, it’s a dead end. He thinks her mother got scammed and he asks if they ever received something. They indeed received a box full of rags, now she definitely thinks it was a scam. She can’t believe someone would do this to vulnerable people like that, it’s disgusting. Andy agrees with her and he’ll ask around to see if he hears anything similar.
Back at the manufacture, Bob is on a break and he and Nick share stories of times they fooled people real bad. Nick is currently scamming a man real bad, posing as an African princess that wants to marry him, by communicating by e-mail with the man. They have fun time at the expense of the poor idiot who fell for it and can’t believe he actually sent money for her plane tickets.
On the other end of the spectrum, Norbert Nordström (Zach Galifianakis) is genuinely sad, looking all over the internet to try to see a news about a plane crash in the Atlantic, the Indian or the Pacific ocean, but nothing. No plane disappeared too. He looks one more time at the pictures of the African princess, who wanted to marry him. She received the payment, his bank statement can prove it. He decides to drown his sadness with whisky, but he decides to call his good friend, Kevin Garland (Garret Dillahunt). Kevin’s who’s an officer for the LAPD, receives a text from Norbert, who wants him to have a shoulder to cry on. He secretly wishes Norbert forgets about him, but a part inside him, his good side, will always have a soft spot for Norbert, who doesn’t have any other friends. He reluctantly accepts and wonders what saddened the poor man like that.
When he gets there, Norbert explains the situation to Kevin, his voice shaking, Kevin struggling not to laugh, it would break his already fragile heart even more. Kevin looks at the chain of events with an outsider point of view, and he clearly sees the signs, Norbert was catfished and scammed at the same time. He presents the problem, head on, to Norbert, who denies it all at first, convinced that she was still coming, but upon Kevin’s insistence, he realises that he is a complete idiot. Kevin loosens Norbert’s turtleneck and pours him another glass of whiskey, he’s going to need it. He puts on his favorite song and leaves for the evening, promising Norbert that he’s going to find the assholes.
That same evening, Suzan tries to get something out of her mother, who struggles to remember the circumstances of the day she was scammed. She’s now struggling to make up complete sentences, or even to create an organized thought, but a recurring theme in her gibberish is Frank Sinatra, her favorite singer. Suzan is convinced that it has something to do with it and she notes it down, to tell it to Andy, who believes the case is a complete dead end. Perhaps this detail will rejuvenate his desire to go on with the investigation. As she’s writing it down, she thinks it’s silly, but she makes sure to call Andy to tell him about it nevertheless.
One month later, James Pollock comes up to Nick and Bob and tells them to act normal as they have a legitimate business deal for the manufacture and they wouldn’t want, say Nick, to ruin it. Nick seizes the occasion to say that they won’t make as much money with the deal than they made for them. John comes in and says it’s exactly what he shouldn’t do. Their business partner, that the viewers recognize as Andy Wayne, passes just in front of Nick and Bob’s desks and both of them stare at him, he turns around and delivers an ice cold glare at them. When he enters the Pollock’s office, the Swans discuss their impression of Andy. They do their best to try to listen to the conversation, but no luck, but they can assess that the overall mood is good. A couple of minutes later, they leave the office and John presents both Nick and Bob to Andy, as their secretaries. Andy notes that it’s peculiar of them to have two male secretaries and Bob answers with his Sinatra impersonation that they are the best, that’s why. Andy leaves the manufacture, but not without shaking hands with both John and James. Andy is walking in the streets and he meets with Kevin, who’s patrolling on foot just a couple of blocks away. He mentions everything he saw inside, including Bob and his impression. He says the manufacture is way too small to generate the revenues they’re declaring and he can’t believe it’s just a mere coincidence. Kevin gives an envelope to Andy while thanking him. They go their separate way. He immediately calls Suzan and refers her to a lawyer, she’s going to need one soon.
Over the next few weeks, Kevin, each day, passes in front of the manufacture, hoping to see something unusual. In the first three weeks, nothing catches his attention, except this delivery truck who leaves the manufacture every day at about the same hour, with the same driver. One day, he decides to pass in front with his car and to follow the truck. He intercepts it, claiming his omitted to stop at a stop sign. Nick, the driver, argues a little bit, but just enough to piss off Kevin. He now orders a complete search of his truck as Nick argues that it’s an unnecessary and he believes he’s abusing of his authority. Kevin looks in the back and sees the fraudulent packages. He arrests Nick and puts him in the back of his car, leaving the truck in the streets. Kevin calls for backup and they go back to the manufacture, where he arrests Bob, James and John.
Back at the precinct, they requested Christian, their lawyer, who suggests that they don’t really answer the question. They say they have enough evidence to prove that they were scamming people but everything they say could be used against them, so they better be careful, especially the two loudmouths, Nick and Bob. They are all furious that they got caught because Nick blew a stop sign, especially his father. James and John and unusually calm. Kevin comes in and interrogates, the four suspects, but neither of them want to acknowledge who really scammed the people.
On their end, Suzan finally meets with Greg Marshall (Neal McDonough), the lawyer Andy recommended. They are waiting for another plaintiff to discuss the details. Norbert arrives in a hurry, the back of his turtleneck covered in sweat, breathing heavily. He says he’s sorry, but he ran all the way here and it’s further than he imagined. Greg says he should’ve taken the bus, but Norbert doesn’t take the bus, it’s too gross. He tells both of them that they will have to testify and with what the police discovered, they have a good chance of winning.
During this time, at the precinct, Christian has some alone time with the Pollocks, he confirms that he will do what was discussed. In another room, Nick and Bob are still arguing, but it soon comes to an end, when Nick starts to express remorse for ruining the whole thing. He was doing this to keep his father happy, happier than he ever saw him, but it all came crashing down because of him, the stupid idiot. Bob hugs his son and tells him that it’s not his fault, it could have happened to anyone.
One week later, in the courthouse, all four of them are on trial for fraud and a couple of other things. Greg presents the case. Hundreds of people are behind a massive movement and were scammed and are now officially suing Nick and Bob Swan as well as James and John Pollock. The first witness to testify is Norbert Nordström. He retells everything that happened to him, in detail, the conversations, the pictures and everything that came with it. At some point, Greg asks him to spare a little detail, they don’t want to know absolutely everything. He claims he was completely heartbroken about and he really believed that she was coming here to marry him. Norbert, his voice shaking, starts to sob on the stand. Nick remembers this particular scam vividly, he discussed it with his father as his best scam yet and probably the funniest he did, but he know feels bad for Norbert, now that he knows what he’s been through, he still thinks he looks funny, though.
The next witness is Diane Warren, but the judge quickly realises that they won’t get anything out of the poor woman, whose condition worsened even more. He calls her daughter to the stand instead, so she can testify on her behalf. She retells everything. The disease slowly taking her mother away from her, the struggle she has to live with daily and the unhuman feeling of watching her mother die slowly, losing all her dignity. She thinks its evil to take advantage of vulnerable people like that, as the crowd cheers in approval. She tells how her mother got influenced on giving her credit card number over the phone and every detail surrounding it. By the end of her testimony, she’s crying uncontrollably, like she’s letting out all the frustration and sadness she accumulated in the last couple of years, since her mother has been sick.
On Christian’s request, James and John Pollock are put on the stand at the same time. They present themselves as honest businessmen who are in charge of a manufacture. They made up a completely false story about how they hired Nick and Bob as their secretaries, about how they were insistent on the fact that they wanted to be hired together. They gave them complete freedom and they did their job well. What they did with their free time is unknown to both of them, as they are really busy men. The judge seems unconvinced by their complete ignorance on the subject, but they seemed to be able to convince him that they never scammed anyone directly. They were involve, but didn’t get their hands dirty. Nick and Bob try to argue, but Christian orders them to stay silent.
When Nick gets on the stand, he expresses remorse towards Norbert against Christian’s advice. He reveals that the whole thing was James and John’s idea and he only did it for his father, who seemed genuinely happy. He retells their life story to try to get sympathy from the judge, but it doesn’t seem to work. He says he regrets everything that he has done or could’ve done to everyone he scammed over the last few months. He understands he’s guilty, but so are James and John. The Pollocks try to interfere, boiling, but the judge shuts them up.
It’s now Bob’s time to go on the stand. He starts by admitting that everything that is son said is true and that everything the Pollocks said were lies. He admits his part in the scam and shows remorse and seeks forgiveness from the victims. He admits scamming Diane Warren and he remembers expressing doubts about the legality of the whole thing to Christian, who told him everything was legal and being a man without institution and being piss poor, he believed and carried on, because for the first time in his life he was able to live a seemingly normal life and he was happy to see his son… just happy too. He looks at Suzan in the eyes and begs for her forgiveness. He knows he acted like an asshole and he will live with this on his conscience until the end of his days. What he did was a disgrace and he knows it. The whole room is captivated by what he has to say, everybody listening closely. He accepts his culpability and he’s truly sorry for hurting anyone and the many old, vulnerable folks he stole money from. Bob sheds a tear on the stand and starts to cry uncontrollably. Nick gets up and he’s stopped by a security guard. The judge allows it and Nick joins his father up on the stand to hug him and to tell him it’s ok.
In the end, all four of them are declared guilty and are sentenced to prison sentences. Nick and Bob are heartbroken and they realise that their life is over. But then, the judge says something else. For their honesty and their confession, the judge sentenced Nick and Bob to a lesser sentence in a cushy prison, as if there are such things as cushy prisons. James and John and mad because Christian’s plan didn’t work and they start to realise he’s a really bad lawyer. Nick and Bob are still somewhat happy about it.
When Bob gets in prison, he uses his call to call Suzan. He begs her to not hang up, but she does anyway. He slides down the wall, sits down on the floor and looks around him, desperately. Nick, on the other side of the prison facility, found a new passion in drawing, where he takes art classes and does caricatures of famous people. He finally found something he’s good at. He looks down at his drawing, Frank Sinatra. He imagines his father impersonating him and throws the drawing away, a gesture symbolic of their new beginning.
Friday, July 26, 2019
The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 12 Round 7)
I'll be honest, I'm surprised that I liked this film. It's certainly not perfect, and some of the characters were pretty annoying, but it was a well-plotted teen romantic comedy - something that doesn't hit the release schedule very often.
2. Cold
James Morgan penned a solid crime film and found the perfect director to take it to the next level. The older actors were all very strong in their roles, and Michael Stuhlbarg was great in a very rare leading role.
1. Booster Gold: Lost in Time
It's not often that the third film in a series is the best, but that's the case with the Booster Gold trilogy. The cast has really grown into their roles. Billy Magnussen has become a legitimate movie star over the course of the three films, and Chad Taylor has really tapped into the characters he's been writing. Hopefully this isn't the end of the road for Taylor and these characters.
I'm not saying Bogdanovich is a bad director by any means, but he was such an odd choice for the film in question. The man is almost 80 years old, which makes it pretty odd that he's behind the camera for a teen rom-com, not to mention that the man has only directed two films in the last 20 years.
2. Cold
I enjoyed the story and David Fincher's directing, but I was not a fan of the casting. It came across as gimmicky and I was distracted by it. Most of the younger actors don't even look all that much like their fathers playing the older characters, which made it even more distracting.
1. Bella Thorne
She was easily the weakest part of The Vegan Movie. She came across as very grating and annoying, and she's not talented enough of an actress to pull off a purposely unlikable actor successfully.
Release: Cold
Genre: Crime/Mystery
Director: David Fincher
Writer: James Morgan
Cast: Tom Hanks, Kurt Russell, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jeremy Irons, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Cooper, Colin Hanks, Max Irons, Wyatt Russell, Gabriel Macht, Astrid Berges-Frisbey
Budget: $75,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $104,379,199
Foreign Box Office: $76,223,327
Total Profit: $28,371,904
Reaction: The Mystery genre can be a risky one, and when you factor in how expensive the cast and crew was, this film ended up being a surprisingly risky endeavor. That said, we felt the script deserved the expense that comes with a David Ficher film of this sort.
"David Fincher has crafted a taut, thrilling mystery with Cold. He takes what was already a solid script from James Morgan, and elevated it into one of the better films of the season so far." - Willa Pulaski, Salon.com
"While some of the casting is distracting and gimmicky (Max Irons and Kiefer Sutherland don't even look all that much like their fathers), but the film does give Michael Stuhlbarg a great role he can sink his talented teeth into." - Ken Hammerschmidt, Washington Post
"Cold isn't always clear with its mystery, which can be frustrating at certain points. It's hard to find too much fault with that though, since it puts us into the mind of Det. Randolph, for better or worse." - Glenn Howard, Total Film
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Rated R for graphic violence, disturbing images, language and sexual content.
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