It’s been at least two years now since I first saw Daniel Radcliffe on The Graham Norton Show, sporting the unattractive hair extensions that would define his character, Igor’s, look. Admittedly, I have been excited for Victor Frankenstein since I first heard of its production. A Frankenstein ‘re-imagining’, told from Igor’s point of view, and one starring both Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy?
There’s some good news and bad news. Bad news is that the Turtles are still huge slabs of ugly and April O’ Neil is still objectified. Good news is that Tyler Perry is not currently Madea.
Is it selfish for adults to demand more from children’s entertainment? Adults have access to a wealth of different mediums of entertainment to enjoy, so should we crave animated films, mostly intended for a younger audience, to cater towards adult audiences? Indicators of these include dealing with deeper and darker themes, adult-only jokes/pop culture references and generally being an entertaining film that doesn’t go for the lowest common denominator.
Christmas films are a part of our cinematic language, and nothing feels better than hanging out with loved ones, drinking cocoa while watching It’s a Wonderful Life, or saying your favorite lines from A Christmas Story (“You’ll shoot your Eye out!”). As great as these films are chances are you won’t pop in a copy of Scrooge on a hot Saturday afternoon in August.
Every week Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: Star Wars:
Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men is a unique genre mash-up that contains elements of western, horror, drama, and crime films. The film follows the interwoven arcs of several characters in West Texas in the early 1980s. While hunting, Lleyelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) comes across millions of dollars at the bloody scene of a drug deal gone awry.
Another trailer with Sam L. Jackson in it! Anyway, the buff and often shirtless Tarzan returns to the jungle.
A few weeks back the Film Inquiry team vented their rage at the films we felt have undeservedly found a home in the good graces of both critics and audiences. This week, as we gear up for the good nature and cheer of the holidays, we thought we would go the other way and make cases for those films which though finding little love upon their theatrical releases, have managed to make themselves comfy in the warmth of our hearts. It doesn’t matter that critics, audiences and the film culture at large more or less forgot about these films the week after they were released, we know that everyone else is just making a terrible misassessment of work that is of undeniable quality.
Being an actor is hard – and most people should notice this. Spend a few moments trying to learn that exchange of dialogue from that movie you watched the other day, and you’ll quickly realize that regurgitating lines while maneuvering your face in a way that matches what you’re supposed to be feeling is like trying to rub your stomach and pat your head simultaneously (although I can do that flawlessly.) Good acting should capture your soul.
Sometimes, you just hate yourself for doing something you know is bad. In this case, it’s watching an Adam Sandler flick again. Drawing on the gimmick of an adjective and a number, The Ridiculous 6 follows the exploits of an outlaw, raised by Native Americans, who discovers he has five half-brothers.
A central attribute to a film’s success or failure is the performances of its stars as certain characters. Now, while it is usually the adult actors or the adult actresses who are the stand-out stars in a feature film, there are also roles where it is the child that puts a new perspective on the approach to and execution of acting. Like adults, the child stars can adapt from supporting roles to leading.
In the tradition of Hollywood using British actors to represent true blue American icons comes I Saw The Light. This film presents the life of Hank Williams, whom is considered one of the most influential American singers and songwriters of 20th century America. As with many great artists, Hank’s journey is rife with the pitfalls of fame thrust upon his personal life and health.
What a relief Creed is. With a current cinematic landscape dominated by remakes, reboots and sequels, the initial idea of Creed just sounded so unnecessary. A pseudo-combination of a Rocky reboot that is a sequel whilst also working as a remake just felt like something we really didn’t need.
Despite his iconic status as James Bond’s most celebrated foe, Ernst Blofeld has a chequered history in the 007 franchise. It seems as though no one really quite knew what to do with him. The fluctuating, inconstant persona gifted to him by so many various actors was not helped by a legal skirmish in the wings that flared up seemingly every six months.
After his father’s death and disintegrating marriage, David Lamb finds self-discovery in mentoring a little girl on the awesomeness of nature. Tommie, the 11-year-old girl, is on a path headed toward apathy and emptiness due to her terrible social and home life. In an effort to have her walk a better path, Lamb takes Tommie on a road trip to the Colorado Rockies to see the beauty of a snowy mountain wilderness.