ScreenCrave.com » Antonio Banderas

Puss in Boots: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:00:38 +0000

The Shrek franchise drove itself into the ground after three sequels, so perhaps the only way to go forward was a spin-off. And it’s true that one of the best things about Puss in Boots – the fifth film in the franchise – is that it never feels like a Shrek movie. The film follows the feline character (voiced by Antonio Banderas) in a stand-alone adventure. But even though it’s not beating you over the head with pop-culture references, it does feel like is something that was originally meant to be a direct to video title.

The Players:

Director: Chris Miller
Writers: Charles Perrault (character), Brian Lynch, David H. Steinberg, Tom Wheeler, Jon Zack
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thorton, Amy Sedaris
Original Music by: Henry Jackman

The Plot:

Fighter and lover Puss in Boots (Banderas) is a wanted cat that’s great with the ladies. He’s drawn to rob Jack and Jill (Thorton, Sedaris) because they have magical beans, but while on the job he runs into Kitty Softpaws (Hayek), and chases after her once they enter into a dance fight/seduction. It turns out she’s been working with Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis), and Puss and Humpty grew up together and have a complicated history. The three team up to steal the beans to eventually get the goose that lays golden eggs.

The Good:

Kitty!: Cats are cute, and the film takes full advantage of having felines as its leads. The highlight of cuteness might be the cat bar dance fight, but if you’re a cat person, this plays to those strengths.
Occasional Wit: Fortunately this film doesn’t play on the pop culture references of previous Shrek films, and so it not only works as a stand-alone movie, it doesn’t feel as of the moment. Though – as a whole – it’s a little leaden as a narrative, there are moments when the filmmakers use the wide screen and 3-D for great comic effect. There’s also a great aside with Jack wanting to be a father and trying to prove that to his wife. It’s a nice silly running joke.
Kids Film: You’ve got charming leads, cartoon animals, and a brief running time. This may not be Pixar-level work, but it’s also neither painful or obnoxious, which many popular kids films are. It’s also got a reasonably respectable moral about redemption and all that, so on those standards the film is successful.

The Bad

Back Story: The film pauses and mocks that Puss must explain at great length how he and Humpty Dumpty grew up together. It’s a long section of the movie that shows how the two became friends and then how things went bad. Sequences like this slow a movie to a crawl and are predictable to boot – we know how it’s going to end up. It’s just boring storytelling.
Plotting: Humpty Dumpty’s plan is convoluted, and the end involves a change of heart, but it’s mostly nonsense that moves the narrative forward. When films like this have no real stakes or interesting reasons or emotional pull to their reveals it just makes everything feel like plate spinning, which is really what gives this that direct to video feel. Ultimately the main goal with a fourth sequel to a Shrek movie is going to be “making money,” but this feels a little too driven by that.

Overall:

This is passable children’s entertainment in an era marked by spectacular kids films. In no way is it terrible, but it’s also a film where Billy Bob Thorton manages to be funnier than Zach Galifianakis because the latter serves mostly as a plot point.

Rating: 6.5/10

Puss in Boots opens October 28.

Photos:

Trailer:

Haywire Trailer Will Beat You Silly

Damon Houx — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:00:48 +0000

The story of Haywire is familiar. Government agent goes on an appointment and ends up betrayed. But the players are exciting. Steven Soderberg reteaming with The Limey screenwriter Lem Dobbs. Newcomer Gina Carano going face to face with Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Bill Paxton. Though the January release date doesn’t inspire confidence, it’s trying to be 2012′s Taken. And it looks to deliver. Check out the trailer…

The main question mark seems to be Carano, as she was a professional fighter in MMA, but this is the big leagues. But Soderberg is usually smart in his casting, it seems unlikely he didn’t think she could handle it. It’s also nice to see a good looking action movie that doesn’t star Jason Statham or Sylvester Stallone. So much of the summer action can also fall into the sci-fi fantasy genres, which means less actual hand to hand combat and more CGI stunts.

Soderberg’s panel at comic-con went well, so we’re in the build for the film’s release, and the first official trailer does create some excitement about the project. We’re still a ways out and Soderberg’s got Contagion in the can and ready for a September release. As Soderberg said at the con, the rumors of his retirement have been greatly exaggerated.

What do you think of this trailer?

First Photo of Kitty in Puss in Boots Spin-Off

Krystal Clark — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:18:11 +0000

DreamWorks may have put the final nail in Shrek’s coffin with last May’s Shrek Forever After, but the rest of the series characters are alive and kicking. Over a year ago it was announced that a Puss in Boots spin-off was in the works and we’ve got the first photo of the debonair cat alongside his new companion Kitty (voiced by Salma Hayek). Take a look…

The Shrek spin-off tells the hilarious and courageous (daring, bold, brave) tale of Puss’s (Antonio Banderas) early adventures as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and the street-savvy Kitty to steal the famed goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

It’s kind of weird seeing Banderas and Hayek together again — in cat form. This could be an extremely watered down, animated version of Desperado without the guns, sex, or live-action. I like the fact that Kitty will be an equal to Boots and not some damsel in distress type of character, plus she has really good taste in belts!

Puss in Boots will debut in theaters November 2011 and of course it will be in 3-D.

What do you think of the first photos from the film? What do you think of Kitty?

Source: Coming Soon

Shrek 4: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:00:21 +0000

Another Shrek, another chance to see your favorite animated characters and another chance to be reminded of the genius that was the first film, without this being the first film. The problem with this entire series is that it started with a bang, fell to a whimper, and with it’s grand finale is simply enough to make up for how much it’s lost without really ever wow-ing us. Shrek Forever After is a good movie, they were creative in finding a way to make the characters fresh again, and there were definitely enough laughs in it to leave me satisfied, BUT it wasn’t without a few problems. But lets starts at the top…

The Players:

Director: Mike Mitchell
Produced by: Teresa Cheng and Gina Shay
Writers: Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke
Actors: Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Julie Andrews (Queen), Jon Hamm (Brogan), John Cleese (King), Craig Robinson (Cookie), Walt Dohrn (Rumpelstiltskin/Priest/Krekraw Ogre), Jane Lynch (Gretched)
Music By: Harry Gregson-Williams

The Synopsis:

As Shrek settles into his perfect life, he begins to get bored and wishes he could have just one day to himself. He makes a pact with deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin to get back to feeling like a real ogre again, but of course he forgets to read the fine print and is damned to a twisted version of Far Far Away — where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona have never met — he sets out to restore his world and get a kiss from his true love in order to set everything right again — oh what a kiss can do in Far Far Away!

The Good:

Bit of a Comeback: This is definitely no where near as good as the first film, but it’s definitely a revival from the third and on a slight improvement from the second.
Donkey: Whichever main characters you liked in the first film, you’ll like in this film, mainly because they went back to the beginning, came up with a way to make it fresh and then capitalized on what you loved. For me The Donkey is still the saving grace and the minor characters are really where the belly laughs come in.
Kids/Adult Film: This is definitely a good kids/adult film, meaning that there were definitely a lot of opportunities for both parties to enjoy the film. I would bring my little brother, despite the little girl next to me who pointed to the screen and said “I don’t like that movie.”
Music: The music and the throw backs to famous songs is so important for this film and as always the music was well placed and well used to really make those laughs hit home.
Solid Ending: It’s as predictable and cheesy as it comes, but a nice twist on the original story and if there was ever a moment to go a little over the top, this was it.
Fun Cameos: As always, it’s the smaller characters that pop up in each film that make this series so fun. There were a lot of good cameos but…

The Bad:

Not Enough in the Cameos: There were lots of different characters and cameos, but they were never fully utilized. Craig Robinson has about 3 lines, 3 good lines, but that’s all. Same goes for John Hamm and Jane Lynch. They were solid and fun, but just not as potent as say the gingerbread man in the first film.
No Surprises: Overall, the film is very predictable. Which might have worked for the ending, but you need some suspense in the middle to keep you going. The thing that the first film had going for it was that it was an original idea, with brand new animation and a something different for us to be blown away by. This film tried to revive itself by creating a new world and did so in part, but it was very predictable and may have been an improvement for the Shrek series, but doesn’t really compare to some of the other animations out there today.
3D: For me, the 3-D in this film felt like a gimmick. It was fun and well added but not needed. It felt like they were trying to make a little extra money on their last hoora!

Rating: 7.5/10

Shrek Forever After made it’s premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival on April 21st and is scheduled to hit theaters on May 21st.

Overall:

It’s no work of genius but the last 30 minutes have the best jokes which will definitely leave you walking out of the theater smiling and it’s worth seeing.

Photos:

Trailer:

Tower Heist: Movie Review (1)
Bridesmaids: Movie Review (0)
Paul: Movie Review (7)
The Green Hornet: Movie Review (2)
Glee: Season 2 Episode 3: Grilled Cheesus – TV Review (13)
Howl: Movie Review (0)
Despicable Me: Movie Review (1)

Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas Join Knockout

Krystal Clark — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:03:34 +0000

Just when you thought the cast for Steven Soderbergh‘s action flick Knockout couldn’t get any bigger, it does. Over at The Playlist, they’re reporting that two more actors have signed on to co-star in the film that already includes Michael Douglas, Dennis Quaid, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and newcomer Gina Carano.

The newest faces to join Knockout are G.I. Joe’s Channing Tatum and Antonio Banderas. According to the site’s sources, Tatum will star as “one of the elite specialists on Carano’s team named Aaron — a military gearhead-type who’s sent to try and bring her back in once she’s been double-crossed and gone rogue.” They go on to say that his role might be smaller and more supporting in the grand scheme of themes.

On the other hand Banderas has been brought on as a late edition to the film, where he’ll star as the head of a Black-ops European unit. The premise for Knockout centers on a woman raised in the military, who left to work for a Blackwater-esque company to make better money but is betrayed by one of her teammates. Almost all the male characters in the movie have shady dealings under their belt, so she has to watch her back at all times.

Even though Tatum won’t have a major role in Knockout, who would turn down a spot in a Soderbergh film? He had a blink and you missed it part in Michael Mann‘s Public Enemies last summer, so he shouldn’t have any objections to this gig. I’m also happy to hear Banderas taking on a role that doesn’t require him to be an animated cat. He did a lot of great action roles in the nineties, and I cant wait to see him return to his glory days. The film is set to start production in February and will shoot in Barcelona, Dublin and New Mexico.

What do you think of Tatum and Banderas joining Knockout? Do you think their good casting choices?

Interview with Antonio Banderas and Laura Linney

Justine JC — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:00:28 +0000

Written and directed by Richard Eyre, The Other Man features both the melodramatics and the realities of an international love triangle between Laura Linney, Antonio Banderas, and Liam Neeson.

Due to recent circumstances Neeson was unable to join the interview, but luckily we had the opportunity to sit down with both Linney and Banderas – they couldn’t have been a more personable duo.

Here’s what they had to say about the film…

What about your characters resonated with you? What drew you to the project?

Laura Linney: I wasn’t really attracted to the role, to be honest. I wanted to work with Liam again, work with Richard Eyre again, getting to know Antonio and work with him. I said yes almost before I even read the script. I just said “yes,” then I read the script. And I said guess what, this is my challenge.

Antonio Banderas: On my side, same thing. The quality of the people I was going to work with. I was more troubled by the character, in terms of knowing that I have to stay in a territory that was an unknown zone for me. It related to me when I read the script for the first time – when I met Richard he confirmed that. He said “well, yeah, I know you are not afraid to go for a character like that, who is in a way, quite pathetic, if you will.” ***SPOILER ALERT***The only thing real that I have is her (Linney). If don’t have her, I have nobody. I’m pretending, the whole entire time, to be somebody else. I think that’s what Richard Eyre was looking for - he took me to places, basically for inspiration, unknown places. Here’s a cliff, and you have to jump. You know at the end of this jump there’s gonna be rocks down there, but you’re gonna find water too. But that’s the whole entire feeling that I had when was doing the movie.

From an emotional standpoint, did you find it was difficult to justify your character’s infidelity?

LL: It’s complicated. There’s great value in looking at it from both perspectives. It’s sort of that way throughout the entire film. You can take one view point and one philosophy and watch and it will be a very different experience than watching it with a different philosophy. I’m finding I’m having a very hard time talking about it, or being clear. I’m contradicting myself all over the place whenever I discuss this film. But, you can decide that where she wanted to go is Lake Como, and she wanted to take her husband to Lake Como. Or you can say she’s leading him right to a further intimacy of herself. That she wanted him to know her completely.

I wanted to play it so that both points of view were possible. I wanted to leave it a mystery. So I played it in a way that many, I mean I have my own opinion about it. But I intentionally played it so that it would challenge an audience to figure it out.

Who WAS the “other” man?

AB: I was joking with Liam all the time, saying “you are the other man! The title is making reference to you!” But it was not true. There is a certain satisfaction in taking somebody and making that somebody happy. Fulfilling the dreams of that person. She sees this man, greets him in a certain way – provides him with a big chunk of reality. And that chunk of reality is personal. It’s almost like seeing a plant dying and giving it water. Then seeing the satisfaction of seeing the plant grow. There is a sense of honesty in the character Laura portrays, because I think in the end, clearly, she wants her husband to find out. There is a certain part at the end of the movie where all the characters come together – they recognize each other’s feelings. There’s a fantastic moment at the dinner party at the end of the movie where everyone says we shouldn’t recognize ourselves as good/bad – we are human beings. This is what it is. It explores that aspect of relationships. The movie has a big amount of reflection. It doesn’t give you straight answers, but the possibility of reflecting on things that are very gaping to the soul of human beings.

Richard Eyre has a solid directorial background in theatre. How does that impact the process on set?

LL: Liam and I actually did a production of Th Crucible with Richard Eyre, so it was like being at home for us, it was fantastic. But, yes, with directors who come from the theatre, not all of them, but they tend to understand actors in a deeper way than some people who are just trained in film. Not that one is better than the other but it’s just different. So there’s a much better sense of communication and a deeper connection, I find, with directors who really speak the same language there’s a real collaborative feel, which is essential in the theatre, and I feel essential in film.

Laura, you’ve worked with seasoned vets like Eyre and Eastwood, but your two upcoming films feature virgin directors (Leland Orser and Mark Ruffalo). How do the experiences compare?

LL: I’ve worked with a lot of first time directors, a lot a lot of them. Talent and experience is not the same thing – a combination of the two is wonderful. And sometimes a first time director…I mean they’re learning! So hopefully you’re there to help them learn. Leland and Mark were fantastic. They’re both very good actors so they’ve got a lot of experience themselves. I haven’t seen the films but on set I loved it – I had a great time. And they’re dear friends, and I wanted to help in any way I possibly could. I find the directors with the most experience - Clint, Richard, Harry – they roll with anything. Things that really rattle a first time director, experienced directors don’t even blink an eye. There’s an ease. They know the world’s not gonna fall a part. There’s a sense of acceptance about the chaos.

What percentage of your character choices reflected your own input versus Richard’s?

LL: There are so many layers that add to a film performance. We bring what we bring to the table, then Richard will guide one way or another – he’ll guide you to shift your change or behavior. It’s not so obvious in this. We all have moments where we contribute something.

AB: You give the best material that you have. It’s very difficult for us to know exactly what’s going to be in – but there are choices. I know how respectful you have to be of somebody’s idea. As actors, we can be called interpreters. We interpret someone’s ideas and you have to be very respectful of that because it’s his (Eyre’s) movie. What I cannot do is to fight the guy, and say “no no no” and get into a dynamic that is not creative. At a certain point you have to say, “ok, I get your point, I’m gonna go for it. Because YOU are directing the movie. Because YOU wrote this, because I am working for you. “

LL: We were employees. We are!

What do you hope to leave the audience with?

LL: I mean, I can’t presume what anybody’s gonna take away form this. That’s a question I can never answer for any film. I do know that it will provoke conversation. Whether it pisses people off, or they like it, or it makes them intrigued, thoughtful, wistful, melancholy. I think it will affect people in different ways. I think it’s a little provocative – for some people in a good way, some in an uncomfortable.

AB: Two couples going to a movie, they get out of the movie and they go for dinner. They’re going to be talking about it. They’re going be taking a lot of positions – people are going to support her, Liam – people will see me as a victim. So there are no answers.

The film hits limited theaters on September 25, 2009!

Antonio Banderas Signs On For Next Woody Allen Film

David Hall — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:58 +0000

It doesn’t even have a title yet, but based on the casting so far, Woody Allen‘s next project looks promising.

King of suave Antonio Banderas is confirmed for the cast Allen’s so-far untitled 2010 film. Plot details are still under wraps (damn you Allen and your mysterious tendencies!), so we don’t know what role the Spanish actor will play, but I hope Allen gives him a gun.

So that we’re all up to speed, here’s what we know about the film:

It’s currently in the “pre-production” phase.
Filming will begin this summer in London.
Other cast members include Naomi Watts, Freida Pinto, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins.

It’s not much, but it at least we know it has an all-star cast. Right now, I’m envisioning a crime drama involving an Catholic church gunfight and a cannibalistic psychiatrist… oh wait, I’m just mixing Match Point, Desperado and Silence of the Lambs… woops! Well, without any solid details, can you blame me? Hopefully, once Allen is done with his current project, Whatever Works, he’ll throw us a bone.

Any speculation on what Allen’s mysterious untitled film might be about?

Casting News: Smith in ‘Oldboy’, Carell Joins ‘The Beaver’, and More…

Mali Elfman — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:26:25 +0000

Will Smith may be joining the Oldboy remake with Steven Spielberg. According to Varity “Spielberg had been looking for an opportunity to make a film with Smith.” Apparently they found a film to remake. The film will be based of Chan Wook-park’s 2003 film Oldboy, which is a story about a man that gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and mysteriously given everything he needs to get his revenge. All they’re waiting on now is a writer and approval for the rights.

Antonio Banderas is in talks to joing the cast Simon West’s Salvador Dali indie film. Apparently, he isn’t the only one talking about Dali right now. Variety reports: “At least two other Dali biopics are in the works: Al Pacino is attached to play the artist in ‘Dali & I: The Surreal Story,’ with Andrew Niccol directing; and ‘Twilight’s’ Robert Pattinson stars as Dali in the upcoming ‘Little Ashes,’ which chronicles the young life and loves of the painter as well as filmmaker Luis Bunuel and writer Federico Garcia Lorca.” Which Dali will win!

THR is reporting that Jonathan Lipnicki (aka little boy in Jerry Maguire) will star in the new psychological thriller, The Other Side of Innocence. The role is about “a damaged young man who becomes romantically involved with the unhappy daughter of the local chief detective while a serial killer is threatening their town.” Sounds like quite role! Lipnicki, now a high school senior at Agoura High in Los Angeles (Look at those check bones! When did that happen? Wow I feel old). The film was written by Robert Redlin (After Dark, My Sweet) and Devorah Cutler will direct.

Steve Carrell is in talks to play the lead role in, The Beaver, a script by first-time writer Kyle Killen according to THR. The fim is about “a man who walks around with a beaver puppet on his hand, treating it as something close to a human creature with human feelings.” (Lars and a Real Girl anyone?) Steve Carrell likes to jump between huge projects and awesome small ones. Could me amazing!

ScreenCrave.com » Antonio Banderas

Puss in Boots: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad

Overall:

Rating: 6.5/10

Related Posts

Haywire Trailer Will Beat You Silly

Related Posts

First Photo of Kitty in Puss in Boots Spin-Off

Related Posts

Shrek 4: Movie Review

The Players:

The Synopsis:

The Good:

The Bad:

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall:

Photos:

Trailer:

Related Posts

Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas Join Knockout

Related Posts

Interview with Antonio Banderas and Laura Linney

Related Posts

Antonio Banderas Signs On For Next Woody Allen Film

Related Posts

Casting News: Smith in ‘Oldboy’, Carell Joins ‘The Beaver’, and More…

Related Posts