Monday, April 25, 2022

Now Showing: Fantastic Four: Doom

Fantastic Four: Doom
Genre: Action/Superhero/Sci-Fi
Director: Gareth Edwards
Writer: Mark Newton
Based on Marvel Comics characters
Cast: John Krasinski, Sarah Gadon, Jason Segel, Jack Reynor, Orlando Bloom, Sarah Snook, Joe Mazzello, Laura Berlin, Aksel Hennie, Dan Bakkedahl, Robert Patrick

Plot: Almost one year after their return from the Negative Zone and the disappearance of Victor Von Doom, Admiral Westbrook (Robert Patrick) sits down to make a deal with the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards (John Krasinski), Sue Storm (Sarah Gadon), Johnny Storm (Jack Reynor) and Ben Grimm (Jason Segel). Westbrook tells the team that he knows they all have superpowers, pointing out Ben’s large, rocky body. He asks the team to conduct a rescue mission back to the Negative Zone to save Victor Von Doom. Reed is suspicious of Westbrook’s request, but agrees if the government will give them the Baxter Building and enough funding and resources for him to work on a cure for Ben’s condition. Westbrook accepts the deal, and Reed stretches his hand across the long table to shake Westbrook’s hand.

The four go to the Baxter Building, which is still damaged from Galactus' attack. Reed immediately begins setting up a lab to make a new dimensional shuttle to take them to the Negative Zone. Johnny uses his flame abilities to weld together damaged pieces of the Baxter Building structure while Ben and Sue use their powers to remove massive amounts of debris from the building. Just as they are putting the finishing touches on the building, Agent Jasper Sitwell (Joe Mazzello) arrives to inform them that his bosses with S.H.I.E.L.D. have sent him there to supervise operations and report back how the “Fantastic Four” are spending the government’s money. Johnny says he's never heard of any government agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. Jasper says that's how his bosses like it. Johnny asks if it is an acronym for something. Jasper confirms it is, but the full name is long and boring and was probably come up with just for the excuse of the much cooler sounding acronym.

Late one night, Ben goes for a walk around the city late at night, when he hears a woman scream. He runs toward the scream, finding a blind woman, Alicia Masters (Sarah Snook), in the process of being mugged. Ben easily fights off the muggers. Alicia asks Ben if he'll walk her home after rescuing her. She holds his hand and is not scared off by his large, rocky hands. She asks to touch his face so he knows what he looks like. Ben tries to tell her that he isn't exactly as handsome as he used to be. Alicia feels his face and tells him that he has dry skin, but other than that he looks fine to her.

Sitwell arrives at the Baxter Building bearing gifts: new uniforms for the team. He tells Reed that his suit is specially made to stretch with his body, Johnny's suit will not burn up from his flames, Sue's suit will turn invisible along with the rest of her and Ben's suit is, well, big. Each suit is adorned with a S.H.I.E.L.D. patch on the chest. Reed cuts the patch off and replaces it with a '4' he has already prepared.

When Reed finishes building the dimensional shuttle, he gets the team ready to head back to the Negative Zone to find Victor Von Doom. Jasper tries to convince the team to take him along as he will not be able to report on the events otherwise, but Sue sufficiently convinces Jasper that it would be too dangerous for him.

The Fantastic Four arrive in the Negative Zone and they land their dimensional shuttle next to the one Doom took. As they inspect it, they find Doom's shuttle crash landed and is inoperable. They are soon attacked by Annihilus (Aksel Hennie) and his insectoid horde. Sue tells Annihilus that they did not come back to the Negative Zone to battle or conquer, simply to rescue Victor Von Doom. Annihilus then takes them to Doom, who resides at the top of the tower. Doom has become an almost god-like figure to the residents of the Negative Zone since he arrived almost one year prior. Victor has been badly scarred, but is otherwise healthy as ever. He greets the Fantastic Four warmly and asks them what took so long. The group heads to the shuttle, but Annihilus and the horde try to stop Victor from leaving as they do not want to lose their new god. Victor sends them all reeling back with a blast of cosmic energy, allowing Johnny to pilot the shuttle back to their dimension.

Victor and the Fantastic Four return back to the Baxter Building. When the news breaks, the press has a field day. Victor, however, quickly becomes annoyed that the press cares more about the heroic Fantastic Four than they do about his return. Victor is quarantined and questioned by Admiral Westbrook and Jasper. Westbrook begins grilling Victor on what side effects he is feeling from almost a year in the Negative Zone. Victor simply tells Westbrook that he feels fantastic. Jasper then chimes to ask if Victor has experienced any special abilities. Victor smiles and says that he’s the same old Victor Von Doom.

Now that the rescue mission is successfully completed, Reed goes about trying to cure Ben's physical issues. Reed surmises that if they can reverse the particles in the Negative Zone cosmic energy, he might be able to reverse it within Ben's DNA strain. They are then interrupted by Jasper. Johnny asks him why he is still hanging around the Baxter Building. Sitwell says that he isn't leaving the team after the rescue of Victor Von Doom, much to the chagrin of the team. He reminds them that the money they are using to help cure Ben comes from his superiors. If he leaves, the money does as well.

Victor soon finds out that his company, Doom Industries, has been taken over by the board of directors led by billionaire Michael Stockton (Dan Bakkedahl) after they had him declared dead. He tries to say that he wasn't dead, but Stockton informs Victor that until the lawyers do their  paperwork the company belongs to him and the board, not Victor because as far as the law is concerned Victor is dead. Victor becomes angry. As his hands shake with anger, the whole room begins to shake as well. Stockton wonders if it’s an earthquake or yet another alien attack and goes to look out the window. When he turns back around, Victor is gone.

Ben finds Alicia again on her nightly walk home. She can smell him and asks if he is stalking her. Ben says that he was wondering if she wanted him to walk her home again to make sure she is safe. She says that would be nice. As they walk down the street, they stumble upon a carjacking in process. Alicia asks Ben to help. Ben walks over to the car and lifts the back of it off the ground, keeping the thief from being able to drive away. The thief gets out to attack Ben, but once he sees the large, orange, rocky figure, the car thief runs away. The owner of the car thanks Ben for his help. Ben goes back over to Alicia and they continue walking to her apartment. When they reach the front steps, Alicia gives Ben a kiss.

Victor goes back to his home country of Latveria where is the heir to the throne, but has refused to accept it even after his parents died. He encounters Zora Vukovic (Laura Berlin) at the royal palace. He’s surprised to see her there, but she reminds him that as his distant cousin, she was the only one with royal blood left in the country when he left. Victor reveals that he has come back to Latveria because his company was stolen from him. Zora convinces him that he should take back what belongs to him rather than pouting about it in Latveria. She asks how he got the scars on his face. Victor then looks in a mirror and finally notices the scars, damaging his pride and ego. Victor sees a metal mask from one of his ancestors hanging on the palace walls. He reminds her of the story of their ancestor being forced to wear an iron mask so that he couldn’t claim his rightful spot in the palace. Victor puts on the mask.

Reed is hard at work on the device he hopes will cure Ben’s condition. Sue interrupts him, stating that he needs to eat, sleep and have a life still. Reed says it isn’t fair for him to have a life if Ben can’t. Sue then points out a news article about a carjacking being thwarted by an “orange rock monster” and says that Ben is living a life. Sue gives Reed a kiss. She says that she knows Ben is his best friend, but there are others to care about as well.

Victor goes back to New York to reclaim his company. When Stockton refuses to turn back over control of Doom Industries to him, Victor tells them to call him “Doom”. They laugh at the request. In a rage, Victor uses his cosmic powers to kill Stockton and the rest of the Doom Industries Board of Directors with a large cosmic blast that levels the entire floor of the building and disintegrates the members of the board into a green dust. Victor then goes through the building destroying various objects with his cosmic blasts as the employees scramble for the exits.

Reed believes he has finally figured out how to reverse Ben's transformation. Ben is wary though, stating that by using the energy that made him this way in the first place it could just make things worse. Johnny jokingly asks how it could get worse than that. The conversation is interrupted by Jasper. He turns on a TV, which shows the destruction going on at Doom Industries. Reed says that they need to stop Victor. Jasper tells them that he'll need to talk to his superiors about a big move like that, he pulls out his phone, but Johnny grabs it and melts it with his powers. The Fantastic Four then suit up.

The team confronts Victor on the top of the Doom Industries building. Reed and Sue try to talk him into coming with them, even offering for Reed to cure Victor of his new abilities. Victor laughs, asking why he would ever want to get rid of them - they’ve made him into a god. He then sends a cosmic blast all around, knocking the Fantastic Four off the top of the tower. Reed stretches out and catches Ben, but Ben’s weight causes Reed’s arms to stretch all the way from the top of the building to the ground. Sue catches herself with a forcefield and flies back to the top of the building, alongside the flying Johnny. When they reach the top, Victor uses his powers to teleport away. Johnny says it isn’t fair that Victor appears to have a bigger variety of powers.

Back in the Baxter Building, the team tries to figure out how to find Victor. Sue comments that Victor’s cosmic blasts look a lot like the energy from the Negative Zone. Reed then surmises that if Victor really is harnessing that energy, he can easily track it anywhere on the globe due its unique signature. He then pulls up an energy radar screen with a blip over Latveria. Ben asks how exactly they are supposed to get to Latveria on short notice. Jasper raises his hand and says he can get them a plane.

Jasper pilots a large cargo plane across the Atlantic Ocean. Johnny flies beside it, while Sue, Reed and Ben ride inside. Once they get near the palace, Ben jumps from the plane, landing with a large crash. Johnny lands beside him, still engulfed in flame. Sue and Reed fly down to the ground in a forcefield. The Fantastic Four storm the palace where they are attacked by an army of robots programmed by Victor to defend the castle. Ben tells the others to find Victor while he deals with the robots. Ben begins “clobbering” the robots, smashing them all to pieces with his stone fists. Reed, Sue and Johnny find Victor in the throne room with Zora where Victor has finally taken over the throne as his birthright. Johnny throws a fireball at Victor, but he blocks it with a cosmic shield before firing an energy blast at Johnny that makes his powers uncontrollable. Reed reaches across the room to grab Victor, but Victor covers himself in a layer of cosmic energy, causing Reed to become too elastic and unable to grip. Victor is then about to teleport again, but Sue covers him in a forcefield that blocks him from leaving.

The Fantastic Four track Victor to his palace in Latveria. They equip the dimensional shuttle to take them there. Unbeknownst to them, Jasper has stowed away for the trip. They land the shuttle on top of the palace in Latveria. They storm into the palace and confront Victor. He tries to teleport away again, but Sue uses her powers to create a forcefield around the palace that prevents his teleportation. Victor then tells the team that they can’t have him arrested because now that he has finally taken the throne of Latveria he has diplomatic immunity. Ben then comes in and throws one of Victor's robots at him, knocking him out. Reed announces that he has an idea.

With Sue’s forcefield still restricting Victor’s powers, they take him back to the Baxter Building. Reed plans on using the device he made to cure Ben on Victor instead. They hook an unwilling Victor up to the device and activate it. Suddenly the device begins to overload. Reed tries to turn it off, but the device explodes. Sue creates a forcefield around the team to protect them. When the dust settles, they find Victor has vanished. Reed checks the energy radar, but Victor is nowhere to be found. Johnny asks if the explosion could have killed Victor, but Sue says that’s unlikely. Reed apologizes to Ben for the device being destroyed. Ben says not to worry about it as he’s learning to be okay with his new appearance. Jasper asks the team what they plan on doing about Victor. Reed says that he isn’t sure how to find Victor yet, but if he ever pops up again the Fantastic Four will be ready for him.

Post-Credits: Victor Von Doom, alive and well, sits on his throne atop the tower in the Negative Zone. The energy from the Negative Zone begins recharging his powers making his eyes glow green.



Sunday, April 24, 2022

In Development

Black Hole: Ty Simpkins (Sleeping Beauties, Kiss Me Katie), Jack Kilmer (OZ, To The Max), Annalisa Cochrane ("One Of Us Is Lying", "Cobra Kai") and Tucker Albrizzi (My Musical Adventure in Another World as an Old Man!, "A.P. Bio") will complete the primary cast of the comic adaptation Black Hole from director David Robert Mitchell and writer John Malone. Simpkins and Kilmer will play two friends of Tye Sheridan's character. Cochrane will play the girlfriend of Toby Wallace's character, while Albrizzi will play a local teenager infected with "the bug" - an STD that caused physical mutations.

Batman: In the Shadows: Two more familiar faces have signed on to appear in the latest Batman blockbuster. Hong Chau (Task Force X, Grand Theft Auto) and Julia Garner ("Ozark", Batman: Arkham) will both reprise their DC Comics Universe roles as Lady Shiva and Dr. Harleen Quinzel, respectively. No word yet on whether the Joker himself will make an appearance though. Joining them will be Rochelle Aytes (Magic Camp, "S.W.A.T."), who has been cast as the wife of Chris Rock's Distric Attorney. The behind the camera crew remains the same, with Joseph Kosinski directing and APJ writing.

El Dorado: Ron Livingston (Thrill of the Kill, The Tender Bar), Thomas Jane (Heavy Rain, Odysseus - Part Two), Jay Hernandez (Rainbow Six, Less) and Clive Standen (Atlantis, "Vikings") have joined the big ensemble cast of the adventure-horror film, El Dorado. Livingston will play a ship commander, Jane will play an ethnologist, Hernandez will play a guide, while Standen will play a mercenary. Antonio Campos is directing the adventure based on a script by Billy Cruder.

American Idiot: Jennifer Jason Leigh (Winter's Displeasure, Kindred) and Keegan Allen ("Walker", No Escape) will round out the cast of Amerian Idiot. Leigh will play the mother of Jeremy Allen White's character, while Allen will play the boyfriend of Katherine Langford's character. David Michod directs the film from a script by Meirad Tako.

Grayson: Chris Zylka (Novitiate, "The Leftovers") and Jimmi Simpson (Unhinged, Silk Road) have joined the DC Comics Universe production, Grayson. Zylka will play a bow and arrow-wielding vigilante Roy Harper, while Simpson will play Bludhaven police officer Macklin Arnot. The filmmaking duo Daniels is directing the film from a script by Jimmy Ellis.

Haven: Tom Cruise (Rodeo, INFINITY) has signed on to a rare supporting role in Ben Stillers' Haven. He will play the larger-than-life founder of the perfect town of Haven. Also signing on for supporting roles will be Lakeith Stanfield (Firestorm, Drawing Dion), Bradley Whitford (The Case Against 8, Superman: The Last Son of Krypton) and Sally Field (Free Spirit, Excellent Women). Ben Stiller is starring in and directing the film from a script by John Malone and Chad Taylor.

Release: Caesar Part II


Caesar Part II
Genre: Epic/Historical/War
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: John Malone & Chad Taylor
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Cillian Murphy, Uma Thurman, Douglas Booth, Steve Coogan, Will Poulter, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jeremy Irons, Martin Donovan





Budget: $200,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $235,560,802
Foreign Box Office: $381,495,230
Total Profit: $111,894,946

Reaction: Another epic-sized hit for this epic series, which currently stands as the highest grossing film of the season (although will likely be surpassed by either Fantastic Four: Doom and/or Batman: In the Shadows). The studio can't wait to see what the writers cook up for the conclusion of the trilogy.


"While lacking in some areas of world-building and character development that made the first Caesar so memorable, this sequel more than makes up for it in bigger battles scenes and deeper, darker conflict between the various parties. The first film was a major GRA player, and I expect much of the same from this one." - Michael Carthage, Associated Press




"The ladies and Jeremy Irons take a bit of step back in this film, understandably as it is more of a war film than its predecessor. As a by-product of that though, Cillian Murphy gets more to play with and he makes the most of it, giving a conniving villainous performance. Not to be outdone, Leonardo DiCaprio is once again great in the title role and Christopher Nolan's direction adds to the epic scale of the production." - Frank Estelle, Boca Breeze



"Even more brutal than the first, Malone, Taylor and Nolan in my opinion match, if not better the first. Can DiCaprio win the best actor GRA for playing the same role, only time will tell. The opening and ending of the film really encapsulated what I like about both these films. Topped off by Cillian Murphy stealing absolutely every scene he is in Caesar part II delivers and the some. If a third is to be I await its arrival." J. Darrell Ellington, Behind the Camera







Rated R for bloody violence and some sexuality

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Top 10 Lon Charles Films

 
Sherman J. Pearson here for another edition of Top 10. Earlier this round we got a new film from writer Lon Charles, the musical Hair. While not his best film by any means, it did inspire me to take a look at his filmography.

Top 10 Lon Charles Films
10. Newbury Street
9. Crowley
8. The Temptations
7. The Glass Menagerie
6. Stepford
5. Sinatra
4. Stained
3. The Crucible
2. Solution
1. Deprogramming

Now Showing: Caesar Part II

Caesar Part II
Genre: Epic/Historical/War
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: John Malone & Chad Taylor
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Cillian Murphy, Uma Thurman, Douglas Booth, Steve Coogan, Will Poulter, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jeremy Irons, Martin Donovan

Plot: The Year is 75 BC. Julius Caesar (Leonardo DiCaprio) is sailing across the Aegean Sea with a few assistants from Rhodes toward Anatolia where he will begin his political career. As Caesar adjusts the sails, the boat is overtaken by a group of Cicilian pirates. They force Caesar and his assistants onto their boat before sinking his. The pirates bring them back to their camp on the tiny island of Farmakonisi, where they inform Caesar that he will need to make arrangements to have his assistants collect 20 talents of silver as ransom for his release. Caesar laughs at the small number they have in mind, suggesting they demand 50 talents of silver instead. The pirates are dumbfounded at the notion that a prisoner would negotiate for a higher ransom, but agree and send Caesar's assistants to Anatolia with a few of the pirates as escorts to collect the ransom. Caesar is clearly not afraid of the pirates. When they inquire why, he tells them that soon, once the ransom is paid, he will have them captured and crucified. The pirates laugh off the threat as a joke.

As soon as Caesar's assistants return with 50 talents of silver, the pirates release Caesar. As he leaves the island, he assures the pirates that he meant what he said before. He hastily sails to Anatolia and brings word of the pirate menace to the governor there, Marcus Junctus (Martin Donovan). Caesar asks for a naval fleet to come with him back to Farmakonisi to capture all the pirates and see them punished. Junctus laughs at the demands of the young Caesar in front of him, insisting he is not going to risk his city's military over a grudge worth 50 talents of silver. Angered, but undeterred, Caesar marches down to the docks and finds a group of sailors willing to come with him back to the island to capture the pirates under the promise that the sailors can keep any goods they take off the pirates.

Caesar and his makeshift naval fleet quickly capture all of the pirates on Farmakonisi and bring them back to Anatolia. Caesar tells Junctus that he wants to have the men officially crucified, but Junctus refuses as he could easily sell the men off as slaves instead. Caesar heads down to the prison where the pirates are being held and informs the guards that he is going to crucify his prisoners. The guards looks at each other, confused, before releasing the pirates into his custody. Caesar then convinces the guards to help him in the process of crucifixion as it is more than a one man job. Along the coast Caesar and the guards nail each pirate to a wooden cross. As they scream in agony, Caesar reminds the pirates that he told them this would happen. Then, to cease the screams, Caesar grabs a sword from one of the guards and slashes each of the pirate's throats. Caesar hands the sword back to the guard and rinses his hands off in the waters of the sea.

In 53 BC, Marcus Crassus (Jeremy Irons) looks out horrified upon a desert littered with the corpses and wounded bodies of his Roman soldiers. After receiving poor information about the preparedness of his enemies in the Parthian Empire, Crassus now faces the infamy of one of the biggest defeats in the history of the Roman Empire. His camp receives word from the Parthians of a proposed peace truce that would allow the few remaining Romans to retreat to Syria without taking any more losses. Aware of the stain this will have on his reputation compared to Pompey and Caesar, Crassus is reluctant to meet with the Parthians but his soldiers confront him and say they will mutiny if he does not. Crassus reluctantly accepts to meet with them.

At dawn, Crassus and a few of his men ride in to a neutral location to meet with the Parthians. Upon arriving, Crassus’s lieutenants become suspicious that this is a trap. They go to grab Crassus’s horse by the bridle to prevent it from fully entering but this causes the horse to be apprehensive and Crasuss is accidentally dismounted. This raises tensions exponentially and the two sides begin to fight. Eventually, Crassus takes a sword to the chest and is mortally wounded. As he is struggling for his last breaths, the Parthians bring over a pot of molten gold and declare “For The Richest Man in Rome”, before pouring the gold down his throat.

In Gaul, the Gallic Wars are wrapping up under Caesar’s watch. Mark Antony (Douglas Booth) delivers the news of Crassus’s death to Caesar and then ends with the rumor that his corpse was beheaded and his head was used as a prop in a Parthian play. Caesar is devastated by this news. Antony then tells him that the Senate has requested both him and Pompey send a legion each to Parthia to help replenish the fight there. He agrees. In Rome, Pompey Magnus (Russell Crowe) receives the news and is told about the loss of legionary eagles in Syria, which is humiliating for the republic. Pompey, worried about Caesar’s growing power and reputation out west, calls for an emergency meeting of the Senate in hopes of declaring himself sole consul in the wake of Crassus’s death and Caesar’s absence.

When Caesar hears that Pompey is back in Rome making a play at what sounds like a dictatorship, he asks Antony to head to Rome on his behalf while he wraps things up in Gaul. Antony is surprised by the task and asks what Caesar what he expects. Caesar asks that Antony make an appeal to the Senate to ease tensions. Antony is skeptical that the Senate will listen to him. Caesar confesses that he doesn't expect the Senate to necessarily listen to Antony or do anything he requests, but it will afford him a little extra time to formulate a plan of action.

Mark Antony arrives in Rome and immediately makes his way to the Roman Forum. When he enters the chambers, Cato the Younger (Cillian Murphy) seems immediately offended that Caesar has sent his errand boy to address the Senate rather than coming himself. Cato suggests to the other senators that they should just strip Caesar of his command and brought back to Rome as a citizen for pulling such a stunt. Antony comments that it would only be fair if the same would apply to Pompey, and hints that Caesar could be willing to agree to such a compromise. Cato demands that Antony and Caesar leave Pompey out of this discussion, proclaiming that Rome would be lucky to be under Pompey's rule as opposed to a potential tyrant like Caesar. Antony accuses Cato of dirty politicking. At this accusation, Cato yells for guards to come and remove Antony from the Forum, encouraging them to use force if Antony does not comply. Antony shakes off the guards grip and leaves the Forum under his own power. Cicero (Steve Coogan) pulls Cato aside after he has calmed down and says that should have gone better than it did. Cato defiantly proclaims that Caesar's Triumvirate died with Crassus and with it died Caesar's rise to power. Cicero urges Cato to be careful with who he makes enemies with.

Cato and a group of Roman centurions pay a visit to Antony not long after. They tell Antony to inform Caesar that he is ordered to end his consulship in Gaul and return to Rome - without his legion. Antony returns to Caesar's camp in Gaul and passes along Cato's message. Caesar comments that if Cato wants a fight, a fight he will receive.

Cato walks down a street in conversation with Servilia (Uma Thurman). They discuss the work of her son, Brutus, who has been working as Cato’s assistant. Servilia says that her son has his eyes set on running for pontifex, a priest who maintains Rome’s relationship with the gods. Cato says that he is impressed by Brutus’s ambition and that he will have Cato’s full support in those future endeavors. Just then, Brutus (Will Poulter) approaches with reports of rumors that Caesar is continuing to defy orders and planning to march south with his legion. Cato is irate and ready to call Caesar’s bluff, saying that as prideful as Caesar is, he won’t commit a capital offense of this magnitude. As Cato hurries off, Brutus asks his mother if she thinks Caesar will really bring his army into Rome. Servilia cracks a sly smile.

At his home, Pompey is preparing for bed when he hears a crowd approaching. This makes him initially cower in fear as he gets flashbacks to the day of Julia’s death. Instead, he is surprised to find that it is a supportive crowd. A well-respected Roman Senator steps forward with a large sword and presents it to Pompey. “We charge you to march against Caesar and save the Republic.” Pompey does not immediately respond. After a beat, he says “I will, if there is no other way” and his republican supporters erupt into cheers.

In Gaul, Calpurnia (Daisy Edgar-Jones) arrives to be at her husband’s side. She lets him know that the stalemate has led to the Senate resorting to what is known as the Final Act, a special order used in times of emergency that ratify all other laws. In this case, Pompey has been chosen to lead the republic during this time of uncertainty. Caesar shakes his head in disbelief. He reminds her what is at stake here: the Republicans in Senate want to strip him of his consulship because he has the largest army in Rome, most of whom are ready to retire and return to Rome with a promise of land - the very precedent Pompey set years earlier. But with land also comes a vote and that is what they truly fear: the support that he has built - by hand - over the last decade. He kisses his wife and tells her to trust him in the coming months.

He stands before his legion and begins to tell a story from weeks prior. As they all know, the Republic have been struggling in Parthia. Cicero, in an attempt at playing peacemaker, requested that Pompey and Caesar each send one legion to help the fight in the Parthian War. Caesar, wanting to honor his late friend, agreed. “Do you know what Pompey did?” he asks as the soldiers murmur. Pompey requested that his part of the deal be a legion that he had loaned to Caesar six years prior, meaning that Caesar would essentially be sending two legions and Pompey none. “He wanted me to send a fifth of my men, who have valiantly fought to uphold the name of the Roman Republic in Gaul, and risk their lives out East while his men relaxed under the Spanish sun.” The crowd grows angry at Pompey’s actions but Caesar begins to laugh and says that he can beat the “most respected general” at his own game. Out rides that very legion, who have defied Pompey’s commands and will instead support Caesar in his conquest towards Rome.

Caesar and his legion approach the northern border of Italy at the small Rubicon River. They pause on the banks of the Gaul side, where Antony approaches Caesar and says there is no turning back if they go forward. Caesar looks at his reflection in the water for a moment of quiet peace before leading his horse into the water and turning around to his legion to loudly proclaim: “the die has been cast”.

Caesar and his legion begin marching toward Rome. The first city in their path is Ariminum. Caesar and Antony are both surprised when they are faced with zero resistance from the locals, with them instead pledging their allegiance to Caesar. Caesar is bit disappointed to not have a battle, so he tells the governor of Ariminum to send a messenger to Rome. The governor asks what the message should be. Caesar says that the message should inform Rome that the city has fallen to his forces and that Caesar and his legion will be on their way to Rome shortly. The governor complies and sends a messenger off toward Rome. Caesar tells his men to rest up and enjoy themselves that evening for they will be continuing their long march in the morning.

In Rome, the message is received by the Roman Senate and Pompey. The senate discusses what to do among themselves. Some think that they should all stay in Rome to help govern the populace, but others are sure that they will all be slaughtered once Caesar inevitably reach the Forum. Cicero proposes sending messengers to Caesar to negotiate their own safety from his legion. Cato interjects, vehemently saying that he will never negotiate with Caesar and would take his own life before ever stooping to such a pitiful act. Cato then asks Pompey if there is enough time to prepare a larger force to defend Rome from Caesar. Pompey shakes his head no. Unable to come to a decision, they look to Pompey as their new leader and ask him what should be done. Pompey agrees with Cato that negotiation is not the answer as it would make them appear inferior to Caesar. He tells them that he will leave Rome and make his way to Campania. There, he will be able to recruit more soldiers and prepare for a war against Caesar and his legion.

Cicero, unwilling to bet against Caesar again, sends his own messenger to go to Caesar and request a negotiation between Caesar, Pompey and the Senate. Cato arrives at Cicero's home and tries to convince him to join the rest of the Senate in staying by Pompey's side. Cicero calls that plan a death sentence. Cicero tells Cato that he's going to look out for his own best interests and stay as far away from battle as he can. Cato calls Cicero a coward and storms off.

Caesar’s legions nears Rome and he is paid a visit by Servilia, who he is happy to see. They briefly catch up and, afterwards, he goes to kiss her but she pulls back and says she has another visitor. Brutus enters and Servilia introduces the two of them. She says that she has to go but that he knows where to find her, with a wink. Brutus is star-struck upon Caesar and says that he is honored to be in his presence. Caesar asks what Brutus does and learns of his job with Cato. This brings an immediate apprehension to Caesar’s posture but Brutus says that Pompey killed multiple of his relatives so he will not side with him. He then reveals that he has some of Cato’s strategic plans that he is willing to give to Caesar. Julius smiles and asks why Brutus would be willing to sell out his boss like that. Brutus pauses and then says that, after talks with his mother, that he has always suspected that Caesar is his father. Caesar maintains his smile and thanks Brutus for the vital intel but harshly rejects the notion that he is his son. He walks Brutus out and mentions that Brutus’s mother has laid with many men in Rome so surely his real father is out there somewhere.

Weeks later, the war is officially underway and Caesar’s army is struggling. His legion quickly approaches the city of Dyrrhachium, the place that Brutus revealed is a major source of Pompey’s army’s resources. If they can cut off the supply, he will kneecap Pompey’s legion while gaining supplies. However, Pompey has received word and is able to make it to the town and fortify it before Caesar arrives. Caesar wants to fight but Pompey’s defensive position is unwilling to budge. At night, he paces back and forth as he reads a letter in his hand. He receives word that Caesar would like to meet with him one-on-one. His lieutenant advises against it but Pompey says he can hold his own with his old friend.

At a neutral location, Caesar gets straight to the point and asks why Pompey is avoiding battle. Pompey evades the question and sympathizes with Caesar over Crassus’s death before saying that he believes that has led to Caesar making irrational decisions. Caesar says that by avoiding battle, he will only prolong this stalemate and cause the locals here to turn against him. Pompey says that he is not here to negotiate with a criminal. Caesar takes a step forward and says he knows that Pompey is trying to subject Caesar’s army to a war of attrition but, unlike Pompey and his army, his men are the strongest and bravest in the world. Pompey takes a step back and says they will see if that ends up holding true. They fiercely peer into each other’s eyes as Pompey lifts up the letter in his hand and reveals it is a handwritten message from Julia. “I still miss her every day, you know,” Pompey says. “I know.”

As the days wear on, Caesar’s precarious camp location means his men must rely on forage to get by. Mark Antony approaches Caesar and says that he has received word that the local townspeople have grown hostile towards Pompey. Caesar is pleased to hear this and says that it is time to strike. However, it turns out to be an act of deception from Pompey to spread that false rumor and he capitalizes on the distraction to attack Caesar’s army from behind. His attrition strategy worked as Caesar’s men are unprepared and lack the energy to properly fend off the attack. Caesar and Antony initially lead their men in battle but are eventually forced to retreat. A look of elation is on Pompey’s face as he watches Caesar leave.

Pompey lays out the options for the war with Caesar to the members of the Senate who have accompanied him, including Cato. The first idea he mentions is to allow Caesar to flee and then build up a big enough army that Caesar would never dare engage again. Cato scoffs at that plan, insisting that if Pompey wants the respect of the people he will lead an attack on Caesar before he can make to Hispania where he is sure to have many allies. Pompey is indecisive until Cato begins screaming that now is not the time for introspection, now is the time to lay siege on Caesar's army and end the so-called civil war once and for all before Caesar takes any more of the empire from them. Pompey looks around at the other senators who nod their head in agreement with Cato.

Caesar and his men continue their withdrawal - Caesar is sure to never use the word retreat in front of his men - toward the east. In Apollonia, Caesar and his men stop to tend their battle wounds. Antony asks what the plan is going forward. Caesar tells Antony that he has received word that the city of Gomphi is loyal to them and will open its gates to them. Antony expresses relief as he confesses that morale is low with the men currently. Caesar bristles at such an idea. He stands before his resting men and assures them that things will turn around for them once they reach the gates of Gomphi. He promises them food, wine and women. The men cheer. When Caesar and his army arrive at the gates, the guards refuse them entry into the city. Caesar assures the guards that envoys from the city promised he and his men entry. The guards do not budge, stating the city magistrates have not allowed them to allow access to Caesar or his men. Caesar calmly tells the guards that refusing them entry will not end well for them, but the guards do not budge. Caesar gives Antony a nod. Antony then orders two men to hurl their javelins at the guards, impaling them. Caesar then orders his men to sack the city and take what was promised to them. Caesar watches on as his men break down the gates to the city and begin destroying everything in their sight. By the next morning, the city is a bloodbath, with Caesar's men having taken out their frustrations on the city by killing, plundering and raping. Antony is uneasy with how things went down, but Caesar comments that it should cure the soldiers' low morale for the time being. A few days later, following the trail of Caesar's army, Pompey and his army come upon the burnt, bloodied remains of the city of Gomph and its residents. Pompey is surprised by the destruction as it is uncharacteristic of Caesar's methodology.

Pompey and his legions finally catch up with Caesar in a valley outside of Pharsalus. Pompey's men take the higher ground and spread out to nearly surround the entire valley. Caesar sees Pompey's forces in position and laughs at his rival's conservative approach. Pompey tells his men not to attack unless attacked. Caesar orders a group of soldiers to stay hidden in their tents until the battle begins so that Pompey cannot see their total numbers. Caesar sends his first line of soldiers to attack Pompey's forces. Pompey then orders his cavalry men on horseback to push Caesar's forces back and pin them down closer to their camp. The hidden soldiers emerge from the tents when this happens and spear all of the horses and their riders. While this is happening, Caesar orders every single one of his men to attack at once. Disorganized and less battled-hardened, Pompey's forces begin to quickly fall to Caesar's army despite greatly outnumbering them. Pompey panics and flees back to camp. He gathers up his things and rides away from the war on his horse. Caesar's troops soon overrun Pompey's camp. Caesar is disappointed when he finds Pompey's tent deserted. Caesar looks out across the battlefield and sees it mostly littered with the bodies of Pompey's men. Realizing that he's won the battle, Caesar makes an offhand remark that he figured the war would be over with him holding Pompey's severed head, not with Pompey running away without his army like a scared rabbit.

Cato returns to his home in a state of disarray over Caesar’s imminent victory. He sits down to read Plato but becomes distracted halfway through. He puts down the book, grabs his sword, and shoves it into his own chest. He loudly falls to the ground, prompting his servants to rush into the room. One of them retrieves a physician, which causes a larger crowd of Cato’s camp to observe him on the ground. The physician quickly begins to place Cato’s bowels back into his body and sew him up. Cato slowly begins to regain consciousness and realizes that his blow was not fatal. He angrily begins to ask his servants what they are doing and begins to tear open the sewing. When the physician tries to intervene, Cato stops him and says he would rather die by his own sword than live under the rule of Julius Caesar. He starts to pull out his own bowels as the servants look on in horror, with Cato eventually succumbing to his injuries. Back in Rome, Servilia delivers this news to Brutus and he is devastated.

Pompey arrives in Egypt, where he hopes to secure a deal with King Ptolemy - a former client of his - to assist in the war with Caesar. When his ship gets within view of the Egyptian coast, a small fishing boat approaches with three men on board. One of the men tells Pompey’s crew that their ship it too big for coastal waters and that he will need to join them to meet the King. Pompey’s advisors and family are adamantly against this plan but he takes a long hard look at one of the men in the welcoming party and says that he will trust his gut. Pompey boards the boat alone and they begin a quiet ride to the shore. Pompey breaks the silence by turning to the man he was staring at earlier and asks if he was an old comrade of his in Rome. The man nods his head and Pompey smiles. When they reach the shore, one of the men gets off the boat and offers his hand to help Pompey. When Pompey takes it, his old comrade stabs him in the back and then the other two men proceed to stab him multiple times. “For Caesar.” Pompey crumbles to the sand lifeless as his ship looks on in horror.

In Greece, Mark Antony arrives in Caesar’s tent with urgent news. A party of Egyptian soldiers enter and bear him a gift: the head of Pompey Magnus. He looks stunned initially and orders everyone to leave the room immediately, including Antony. Caesar holds the head in his hands and tears begin rolling down his cheeks.

The film transitions to a victorious smile on Caesar’s face as he is anointed Dictator in Rome.

Back in Greece, Caesar sets the head down, closes Pompey’s eyes, and journeys out alone to the sea. He kneels down at the shore and washes his hands clean of Pompey’s blood. A grin slowly emerges on his face and he begins to laugh as he stares out into the sea.


Friday, April 22, 2022

A Second Look: Silver Surfer


Welcome back for another edition of A Second Look with Jeff Stockton! In this segment I will take a "second look" at a past LRF release with a fresh set of eyes.

With a sequel to Mark Newton's The Fantastic Four due out this round, it felt like an appropriate time to take A Second Look at the film that began it all, Silver Surfer. The film was released all the way back in Season 3 and has been retconned in as the official start of the studio's connected Marvel Universe. The film was a huge hit at the box office and was the highest grossing film in the Marvel Universe until Spider-Man came out in Season 19.

Looking at Silver Surfer now, Keanu Reeves remains an excellent choice for the role being completely believable in the early scenes and after becoming the Surfer. The film definitely moves a bit too fast though. With how important the Surfer's search for his home world has become, it would have been nice to spend more time there. A suppose if a film's biggest issue is that it moves to quickly, it isn't that bad.

Original Grade: B

New Grade: B

Silver Surfer Link:
https://lrfdatabase.weebly.com/silver-surfer.html


Release: Hair


Hair
Genre: Musical/Drama/Comedy
Director: Michel Gondry
Writer: Lon Charles
Based on the stage musical and 1979 film
Cast: Harris Dickinson, David Corenswet, Lili Reinhart, Kerris Dorsey, Okieriete Onaodowan, Dylan Playfair, Patina Miller, Marc Blucas, Rihanna (cameo)



Budget: $36,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $46,238,054
Foreign Box Office: $42,779,843
Total Profit: $16,239,123

Reaction: The last couple of musical films we've released based on stage shows haven't done well, so everyone at the studio let out a sigh of relief when this one managed to turn a small profit.



"Michel Gondry is a fun choice to direct a big musical. His visual style suits the hippie/counter-culture era rather nicely. While I personally would have liked the film to be a bit more like the stage show than the previous film adaptation, I don't blame the filmmakers for favoring the more coherent storyline of the original film rather than the play. At the end of the day, this Hair managed to get more right than wrong thanks to Gondry and his cast." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press



"While this new adaptation does not cover much, or really any, ground that Milos Forman's 1979 film didn't cover, it is still a well-cast and well-made remake. In the two lead roles, Dickinson presents just the right amount of naiveté as Claude and Corenswet amps up the charm and energy as Berger." - Gregory Fletcher, Los Angeles Times-Journal




"If you've seen Milos Forman's 1979 classic, then there is no point in seeing this one. It is a little more streamlined and a nicer looking film visually, but it lacks the edge and feels too distant from the anti-war message of the original film and stage musical. I'm sure this film will appeal more to younger audiences unfamiliar with the source material, but fans probably won't find much new to enjoy here." - Cal Crowe, Washington Globe





Rated R for language, drug use and sexuality/nudity