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Latest ‘Prometheus’ Clip Shows a Landing

Damon Houx — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:28:25 +0000

June 8 isn’t that far away, but until then expect to be inundated with clips and trailers for the upcoming, R-rated Ridley Scott epic Prometheus. The latest from the film isn’t that spoiler-y, but it does show off the effects work that went into the movie, and Idris Elba‘s accent. Check it out.

We’re not seeing much Michael Fassbender or Charlize Theron here, but we are getting a better sense of how much care and craft went into the behind the scenes work. Ridley Scott’s films are usually – if nothing else – visually interesting, and filled with great set design. This looks to be of the Alien world, but with more 21st century thinking about the future. Likely there will be no “Mother” with white blinking lights on this ship, but it also has that grungy feel of the original. We’re in (obviously).

Like most modern blockbusters, we’re probably going to see thirty minutes of the film before release, and – much like The Avengers – we’re probably going to see footage that comes from the third act (or possibly the conclusion) in ways that are going to be disappointing when the film hits. The question now is if the regular audience is as stoked for this movie as movie geeks are. Could we see an R rated picture open to over a hundred million domestically? That’s what Fox is hoping for. And perhaps they’ll get it.

Are you in for Prometheus?

Latest ‘Prometheus’ Featurette Reveals Even More

Damon Houx — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:46:28 +0000

For a while there you could say that Ridley Scott’s Prometheus was playing cute. It was embracing one of J.J. Abrams‘s favorite marketing schemes – the puzzle box – where part of the fun was not knowing what the film exactly was until you got into the theater. That game plan has been modified for marketing recently, and now we’re getting a clearer sense of what the film is. And for those who weren’t spoiled by the latest trailer, the new featurette offers even more footage and clues. Check it out…

We get interviews here with Scott, and stars Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace, along with Logan Marshall-Green, for whom this seems his big shot (and he also kind of looks like Tom Hardy, but maybe that’s just me).

The featurette is selling the old school in that it’s showcasing the scale of the sets. In the digital era, it’s nice to see a film have such massive working space because it does make a difference when encountering an alien space to have that reality behind the actors.

Looking up the film on IMDb, it lists Patrick Wilson as one of the stars. He plays Noomi Rapace’s father. My guess is it’s a small role, but the IMDb is the IMDb. The film is set come out June 8, and it’s easily one of the most exciting films of the summer, and it’s playing the same clips and featurette games as The Avengers has. Which means expect a lot more of this stuff in the next month.

Where would you rank Prometheus on your summer want-to-see list?

Trailer for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus

Damon Houx — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:50:21 +0000

Quick of cut and huge of scale, the trailer for Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus ties the film into his 1979 film Alien in two distinct ways. One is the lettering that comes as we get quick flashes of cast members Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace and Idris Elba. The other is a certain prop that looks mighty familiar to fans of the original. Check out the trailer…

What this film is seems still up for grabs. The characters are humans (“They went looking for our beginning”), I guess, and there seems to be a lot of large scale sets, and great science fiction atmosphere. But what’s going on is completely up for grabs, and it’s hard to know if the film follows the original’s Ten Little Indians structure. The cast listing says “and Charlize Theron” which could mean she’s the first or last to go.

This doesn’t seem to offer much Guy Pearce, but to be fair no one gets any on screen dialogue, and this seems to be more about setting a tone, which is the new trailer goal. That tone is “it’s a little like the first film, but much more fast paced and jump scary.” Supposedly this is the first of two of these films.The film comes out June 8, 2012.

Is that what you wanted out of an Prometheus trailer?

Take a Better Look at Ridley Scott’s Prometheus

Damon Houx — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:58:41 +0000

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus is and isn’t a sequel/prequel to his 1979 film Alien. And though it may not feature Alien creatures as we know them from the previous installments, from the latest images to come from the film it’s going to have the same look and feel that’s for sure. The film is due out June, 8 2012, but the first wave of publicity is starting to hit, with new images below. Check out the gallery.

First of all, let me say I like the identifications on these because it makes them look like old school lobby cards. And were these images weathered down, some might look like they came from the first movie.

This is our first good look at the cast, and it will be interesting to see how much the film mimics the structure of the first film. Likely the majority of the cast won’t make it until the end, so it’s quite possible Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace or Charlize Theron are there to provide the shock of an early exit. But my guess is they’ll try to keep such surprises close to the vest. A bootleg trailer leaked over the weekend, which means that a full trailer should be attached to one of the bigger Holiday movies. Since it’s Fox, the best guess is that it will be on Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked.

Do you think Michael Fassbender just looks weird in the still, or does it feel like he’s a android?

Elba in Pacific Rim, Foxx is Django (Unchained)?

Damon Houx — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:00:43 +0000

Much has been rumored about Quentin Tarantino‘s latest film Django Unchained, with Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz considered shoo-in’s for certain parts, and Leonardo DiCaprio supposedly circling the film’s bad guy role. Idris Elba tweeted something that suggested he was meeting with Quentin for the role, and – as The Hollywood Reporter announced – he’s instead going in for Guillermo Del Toro‘s Pacific Rim. Which supposedly puts Jamie Foxx front and center as the most like Django…

Elba, still best known for his role as Stringer Bell on The Wire, joins Charlie Hunnam and Charlie Day. Day stars with Foxx in the upcoming Horrible Bosses, so there’s a degree of separation.And though Elba has been playing smaller roles in some schlocky American movies, he will also be in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, so his star is definitely on the rise.

Deadline Hollywood seems to have started the “Foxx as frontrunner” talk – other rumored included Will Smith and (perhaps he was just campaigning for himself) fellow Wire alum Michael K. Williams. This would be a challenging role for Smith, and perhaps play against some of his movie star qualities – or perhaps he didn’t want to have to cut his quote, or whatever other unknowns factor into such decisions. and with the rate of filming on Men in Black 3, perhaps Smith will not be available in time. Django has a Christmas 2012 release date, so production should be mounting up shortly, and casting will get locked soon.

What are you more excited for, Pacific Rim or Django Unchained?

Thor: Review

Damon Houx — Fri, 06 May 2011 00:01:01 +0000

Thor may be the trickiest of the big Marvel characters to adapt. Both a Norse God, and an extra-terrestrial being, Thor doesn’t have the “normal person thrust into superpowers” hook – which is both good and bad. And to that end Thor is not really an origin tale, so much as a learning experience for the main character. There’s a lot to do here, on top of director Kenneth Branagh putting a big budget fantasy movie on the shoulders of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, both actors who – at best – had some notable supporting performances previous to this. Did they succeed?

The Players

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Writers: Don Payne, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (Screenplay), Mark Protosevich and J. Michael Straczynski (Story)

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard

The Plot

After nearly being crowned King of the other world Asgard, Thor (Hemsworth) is banished to Earth by his father Odin (Hopkins) until he learns some humility. There he meets Jane Foster (Portman), and falls in love. His hammer is also on Earth, but it can only be retrieved by someone who can use it correctly. Meanwhile Thor’s brother Loki (Hiddleston) is now in line to be king, but he learns some dark secrets that change who he is, and leads his father into a sleep that puts him in charge. But Loki is a bad leader, and the only thing that can save Asgard (and possibly Earth as well) is Thor.

The Good

Tom Hiddleston: Hiddleston compares his character to Iago, and what makes the film work at its best is when Hiddleston is on screen. It’s hard to get a bead on his character, in the best possible way – you keep watching him in hopes of getting a better understanding of machinations. But at the center of the character is a real person, who is lashing out in a way that is perfect for a younger, and possibly underestimated brother.
It’s Not an Origin Film: Though it is a lesson film, which in some ways is similar to the origin tale, the film spends little time showing Thor becoming Thor. He’s Thor.
The Cast: Though this leads into some of the problems, everyone is cast perfectly. Hopkins may be the only conceivable choice for Odin, Chris Hemsworth is pretty much perfect as Thor, and the supporting cast are note perfect. but…

The Bad

Talented Cast, Too Bad They Have Nothing to Do: Rene Russo is the wife of Odin, and she probably has about three lines in the film. The Warriors Three and Sif (Jamie Alexander) are in the film, and are defined by their look, or that one likes to eat a lot. Portman’s Jane Foster is sexually attracted to Thor, but other than being at the right place to meet Thor, she doesn’t have much else to do. This is the Thor and Loki show, and everyone else serve the plot to move the story forward. Only Idris Elba seems able to have a little bit of fun. The film is 114 minutes, and it’s possible that the film plays better with an additional half hour or hour of footage.
Empire Building: S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up in the film to build a tent around Thor’s Hammer, but nothing they do in the film is of any consequence, other than to give Thor someone to battle on Earth. Too much of the film is dedicated to things that are more important to the Marvel canon than the film itself. Like the last point – as Marvel has spoiled – Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye shows up in the film, but all he does is point an arrow at Thor and then disappear from the film. It’s cool if you know who Hawkeye is, but Renner has nothing to do but show up. This was fun when Sam Jackson showed up at the end of Iron Man, because it didn’t get in the way of the story, but here it’s the cinematic equivalent of standing behind a newscaster and waving.
Narratives That Are Self-Evident: The film is about how Thor got back his hammer, and the idea of a leader learning humility is a good plot, but how Thor learns humanity almost happens off screen, and the change – though apparent in the character – is not made cinematic. Something happens and Thor changes immediately. On top of that, Thor is kept from his hammer for the majority of the running time, but it’s not even a spoiler to say that he gets his hammer back. Because of that, the majority of the film is a slog when Hiddleston isn’t on screen because there’s little to latch on to, and the thing that would have made this more palatable are characters to care about. It also comes across as a cost-cutting measure, as the middle then is mostly spectacle-free.

The Mixed

Kenneth Branagh: As a director, Branagh lost his way quickly after the great success of Henry V, and his work with the cast is excellent, but his sense of making this exciting is using canted angles, and he doesn’t use the massive amounts of CGI in interesting ways. I think that the film had to exist in some way that sets up the characters, and the film does introduce Thor to cinema in a way that suggests he’d be a good character to follow, and has a number of great friends and foes, but it feels more like a pilot than complete narrative. Sadly, that’s how so many of these comic franchises have been going.

Overall

Not so much terrible as all set up, Marvel seems more interested in getting to The Avengers than they are in telling great stories. Thor may have been toughest to crack cinematically, but that can’t defend a very uninteresting story that offers few grace notes outside of Hiddleston’s performance.

Score: 3.5/10

Thor opens May 6.

Interview: Thor’s Actors

Damon Houx — Tue, 03 May 2011 22:15:39 +0000

For the Thor press conference we were joined by Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Jamie Alexander, and Anthony Hopkins. It was a fun chat, and the group talked about the hardships of maing a big franchise production, and the fun of being in comic book movies. For more with Hopkins, there’s another great interview. But check out the press conference…

Casting/Costumes

We heard from the last panel that Tom thought you were the hero of the movie; and two that you wanted to be Thor. Could you talk a little about that?

Tom Hiddleston: I think there are no villains in this world – there are just misunderstood heroes. And – Loki definitely – I think Loki thinks he is the hero. There’s an aspect of Loki that if you boil this film down to its barest elements, it’s about a father and two sons. And both those sons are competing for the love and affection and pride of their father, Odin. And I think there’s a deeply misguided intention within Loki. And he has a kind of a damage within him. He just goes about getting that pride in the wrong way. I didn’t actually want to be Thor, but I’m 6’2”. So like every other English speaking actor over 6 foot who’s got blonde hair, I went up for the part of Thor. But I’m not built like a house. And there’s no way in Odin’s Asgard I could have delivered what Chris has done.

Chris, could you talk about the most miserable things you did to actually get that kind of physique?

Chris Hemsworth: The most uncomfortable thing was the eating. I didn’t mind so much the working out; I’d never really lifted weights to that capacity beforehand, and – and it was certainly a whole new sort of education, for a good six months. I just don’t naturally sit at that weight, so I had to force feed myself 20 chicken breasts and rice and steak – and all very boring to the plain things. And that was the most exhausting part out of the whole film was the eating. It wasn’t the fun stuff, either. It wasn’t hamburgers and pizza and what have you.

With the physical demands of the role aside, how did you as an actor approach the mighty role of Thor? Did you look into the six hundred-plus issues of the comics, or did you pay more attention to the mythology, like the actual Norse mythology, or did you find a way to combine both? What was important to you, when taking on this role?

CH: Yeah, I started with the comic books, but I didn’t read all – however many of them – there are thousands of them, 40 or 50 years’ worth. But I certainly read enough to get a sense of who he was and the world he was from. And then I read some things on Norse mythology and this sort of fatalistic view they have that everything’s preordained and that leads the Vikings into this fearless sort of attitude in battle and with their lives. And they certainly back their opinions. And they’re not swayed easy. And that spoke volumes to me about the character. But then it was filling your head with whatever information and research you have. But on set, it was just about making it truthful and finding a simpler way that I could relate to it. Instead of thinking, “How do I play a powerful god?” it became about, as Tom said, scenes between fathers and sons and brothers. And you personalize that, and that helps ground the story, I think, for an audience. And then we can relate to it and hopefully an audience can, too.

Kat, your character held the largest comedic role throughout the film. How was that, how did you enjoy it in such a serious superhero film?

Kat Dennings: That’s the thing. I saw the film a week ago, and I hadn’t seen any of the Asgard stuff. I know when you got to our parts in Santa Fe, you felt like you were on a different film. So it didn’t feel like, “Oh, I feel like I don’t belong anywhere.” It felt like he didn’t belong, which is why it’s hilarious. Natalie and I have been friends for years so it was pretty easy. We just hung out and goofed off and were girls; and poor Stellan had to listen to us talk about boys and nail polish.

For the actors who played as Guardians – was it more challenging or more fun to wrap your mouth and your mind around the film’s mock heroic middle English? And as a follow-up for Mr. Elba, how much of a pleasure was it to not have to do a fake American accent?

Jamie Alexander: I had a good time. It was fun learning the accent and training for the film and goofing off with these buttheads. We all trained together, prior to shooting. And it made for a good time.

Idris Elba: One of the challenges for the script and the story and now the audience is that you have these two huge worlds, but they’re equally as well thought out, well written. And Kenneth wanted us to all have a sort of uniform sound. Even though you do say mock English, it was set in that world, but exactly “not English,” which is what I was told. And yeah, fake American accents? Try some Asgard, you know what I mean?

Sir Tony had mentioned facetiously that the costume really does the work for you. But I’m just wondering for the other actors that were in elaborate costumes and the eye gear and things, how does that inform your character, in terms of creating and becoming that person? Or is it just, you’re pretending?

TH: The costumes are incredibly heavy, and if you got up in the morning and you wear a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and some flip-flops, it’s a signal that you might be going to the beach. And if you get up in the morning and you wear a breast plate and a back plate and a cape, and a pair of golden Satanic horns on your head, it’s quite clear that you’re doing something else. We were so helped by not just the costumes, but by the beautiful sets built by Bo Welch, the production designer. You’ve got no furniture to lean on and no props to busy your performance. So there has to be a kind of simplicity, too. The costumes make you stand straighter. And when you’re in big set – it’s like being in a neo-classical museum, and if you go up to the Getty, you have a sense of the size of the place, and that just does stuff to the way you stand.

CH: With Kenneth, one of my biggest notes for me was “just let the costume do it,” because I had this huge helmet on my head and couldn’t hardly see. And Kenneth would just say, “Don’t worry. Just live in it, and just stay as still as you can and just let the costume and the opulence of where I was – my bridge, which is beautiful – do the work.” And the script, of course.

Future Projects/ The Avengers

Loki’s such a great villain because he is so relatable and dimensional, and you don’t really know if he’s right or if he’s wrong, or what he’s feeling or thinking. So when you guys were crafting this, was it with a trajectory towards The Avengers, and are we gonna continue to see Loki as that kind of a character in The Avengers, or is it gonna be a little more diametrical?

TH: I took the character that I saw in the comics. Loki is a master of magic. And he is – in the Marvel universe- the agent of chaos. And his superpower is his intelligence, if you like. He’s a shape shifter; and it’s his ability to stay ten steps ahead of everybody else. So Ken and Chris and Tony and I all talked about having those layers in a way that he’s someone with a fierce intelligence, but also a very damaged heart. I think a red dot will form on my forehead if I give any more information about Loki and The Avengers. All I can tell you is that Loki will be in The Avengers. And it’ll take more than the man to my right to stop me this time.

Regarding the Avengers, you guys play very larger-than-life roles in this film. You’re going into a movie with four or five other larger-than-life characters. So what’s the biggest challenge that you guys see, in combining all these archetypal heroes and villains into this one film?

TH: I think the thing that looks like a challenge is actually the reason it’ll work, as in how can one movie contain so many different flavors and colors and characters. Joss Whedon has made that his strength. And the conflict between each of them will be something that will be expanded on, I think. Would you say?

CH: Yeah, sure. Also, we don’t balance all the other characters. That’s just the writer and Joss Whedon, who’s the writer–director, his job is to navigate that. We come in and do our bit. And that’s all you can concern yourself with. But I definitely think it’ll be an interesting combination. And as Tom said, why it will work is that conflict in those larger than life characters and egos clashing, I think it’ll – there’ll be some great tension there.

Since we now know that Tom secretly wants to be Thor, is there another character in the Marvel canon that anybody would like to take on?

JA: Oh, I have one – X-23. Yeah.

CH: Loki.

TH: Keep the – yeah, the horn in the family. The horns are all yours, Man. Yeah.

IE: I think I’d like a stab at Luke Cage at some point.

KD: I’m just thrilled that I’m still in Thor. I can’t believe I didn’t get cut.

Brothers/Joking Around

Could you talk about the dynamic between yourselves as actors, vying for the attention of Sir Anthony Hopkins, as well as the brotherly dynamic that went from brotherhood to rivalry, and so much as to the bloody nose one of you received on set from said rivalry.

CH: I nearly caught Tom talking about having breakfast with Tony at one point. And I said, “What? He’s having breakfast and I’m not?” But Tony said it, that it’s much easier to like someone on screen if you actually like them off screen. It’s just a more enjoyable ride. And we got along and came into this at the same point in our careers, with the same sort of enthusiasm and love for these types of films. And just had a great time doing it. Yeah, and you either have chemistry with someone, or you don’t. And thankfully, I think it was there, and so to play brothers was, it was easy and fun.

TH: It’s quite literally a bromance. Right, it’s the bro – the bro aspect of the word is for real. But Chris is absolutely right. I can’t imagine having to go to sort of the emotional extremity that we both have to go to if we actually didn’t like each other. It’d be just horrendous to go to work. And I think the fact that we get along makes it easier to just egg each other on, and between takes, we’d raise each other’s game. We had a really, really good time. Also, there are so many things that went wrong, accidents that make you laugh. And it’s such a huge journey. We both spent two years of our lives working on this film, and it’s nice that there’s somebody else who’s alongside. Like Chris had a few drinks at the wrap party, and was hanging out the window on the way back to the hotel, saying -

CH: That’s not true. You’re ruining my career right there.

TH: Sorry. He said to me before we went up to our rooms, he was like, “You’re the only one who understands me.”

CH: I have no idea what I was talking about. Yeah.

TH: But in terms of vying for the attention of Tony, Tony was amazing. And I haven’t actually said this on record, but whenever we had our days working with Tony, he would just regale us with stories of when he was a young actor and starting out in “The Lion in Winter” with Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn. I’ll never forget that story you told about Katherine Hepburn saying, “Stop acting, Tony. You’ve got a good face; you’ve got a good voice. You’ve got a good body. Stop acting.”

Anthony Hopkins: She said, “May I talk to your mama?” And I said, “Yeah.” She says, “Don’t act; you don’t need to act. Watch Spencer Tracy.” I said, “Oh, okay.” It was good advice. But she was a – she was good. Yeah.

TH: And actually, then, then we did the scene in the vault, where Loki finds the sort of, the big, dark secret of his personal history. I think after the first couple of takes, Tony leaned across and said, “Have you got a good agent?” And I said, I said, “Yes, I – I think – I think so.” And he said, “You’re going to need it.”

AH: Obviously, I love to have a laugh. I like to tease people. Ken is part of that as well. I said, “Is he gonna play it like that?” He said, “Yeah.” He said to all the young actors. “Is that the way you’re gonna play it? It’s your career.”

CH: I remember that, being on set with Tom, our first day with, with Tony. And, and going through the rehearsal, and Tony giving us that reaction. “Is that how you’re gonna do it?” And going… “He’s kidding, right?”

TH: But then there was something he said, when we were walking down towards the casket and I said – and he said, “Can I tell you something, Tom?” And I went, “Absolutely. Say it up straight. Tell me, tell me anything.” And he said, “You’re doing this very strange thing with your wrists.”

TH: “Oh, my god, what am I doing?” And he said, “You – you’re just – it looks a little bit camp. Maybe you can butch it up a bit.”

Thor opens May 6. Check it out.

Idris Elba Joins the Cast of Prometheus

Krystal Clark — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:46:15 +0000

The cast of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus continues to grow with the addition of three new actors. According to Mail Online, Idris Elba, Sean Harris and Kate Dickie have all signed on to co-star in the film. They also learned a little more about the tone of the movie from the director himself who spoke to the site about the upcoming production.

Prior to this announcement, we learned that Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Charlize Theron had all been cast in major roles in Prometheus. We also knew the director would have to grab some great talent to fill the supporting parts and he didn’t disappoint. Idris Elba continues to find himself in high profile projects. He has Thor, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and now Prometheus on his upcoming roster. Is there anything he can’t do?

The site claims that the film starts production in three weeks. Scott revealed, “It’s the story of creation, the gods and the man who stood against them. It’s not a small film,’ Ridley joked. “I’m using the giant James Bond 007 stage at Pinewood and six other sound stages to film it,” he added.

The director also decided to clear the air regarding the prequel rumors. We all thought that Prometheus was connected to his Alien series as a predecessor to the original film, but Scott says that’s not true.

“While ‘Alien’ was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of ‘Alien’s’ DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative.”

Hmmm, we’re still confused. The director has the film’s script on lock down and is doing everything in his power to keep it from getting leaked. Therefore, we’ll just have to stay in the dark until the studio decides to release an official synopsis for the film.

What do you think of Elba joining the cast of Prometheus? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Series Showdown: The Wire vs. The Shield

Sunil Rajaraman — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:00:58 +0000

The Wire and The Shield are the two best Police/Crime-themed TV shows of all time. Trying to pick which one is “better” is more or less a futile pursuit, but I will attempt to do so in about 500 words. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of ScreenCrave (I only mention that because Vic Mackey may come after the editors after he reads this).

The Characters

Advantage to The Wire

Jimmy McNulty and his on-again, off-again alcoholism, Stringer Bell’s deviousness, Omar Little’s court testimony at Bird’s trial, Herc, Carver, Greggs, Avon Barksdale, and Brother Mouzone… Need I say more? In a way, you cannot fully appreciate the amount of effort that went into character development for The Wire until after you watch its 5^th and final season. Each main character on The Wire could viably have his, or her own HBO series.

The characters on The Shield are deep, powerful, but somewhat predictable. You learn pretty early on that Vic Mackey only acts out of self-preservation, Dutch and Aceveda are equally egomaniacal through every season, and Claudette is always the voice of reason.

The Story

Advantage to The Wire

Never has a series capture the “heartbeat” of a city quite like The Wire describes Baltimore (in gut wrenching detail). The schools, the drug trade, the police, the journalists the ports, and the politics: you get everything all rolled into one package. You’ll never view city officials the same after you watch The Wire… and you may find yourself empathizing with the drug dealers from time to time.

The stage is set for The Shield on Episode 1 of Season 1: Vic and the Strike Team cover up a very big crime….and oh the tangled web they weave. Unlike The Wire, each episode of The Shield could be watched independently, which some viewers may prefer.

The Series Finale

Advantage to The Shield

The last episode of The Shield, entitled “Family Meeting”, will leave you sleepless for days (provided you watch every episode leading up to the finale). The web completely unravels in one fell swoop – it’s both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

The series finale of The Wire leaves you feeling hollow and wanting more. So many stories are left open ended: what becomes of Bubbles? What about McNulty and Avon? I really hope they create a film adaptation of The Wire someday.

Bottom Line The Wire is some of the best filmed entertainment you’ll ever watch. Do yourself a favor and see what everyone has been talking about for yourself – well worth your time, and well worth the money.

Written by Sunil Rajaraman who is the President and CEO of Scripped.com.

Idris Elba and Johnny Whitworth in Talks for Ghost Rider 2

Krystal Clark — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:14:57 +0000

Just yesterday we learned that Idris Elba has acquired a multi-picture deal with Marvel Studios. The actor has already finished his stint in next year’s Thor, and has been rumored to tackle Luke Cage or Blade next. But according to a new report from THR, Elba along with actor Johnny Whitworth have both been tapped to star in Sony’s upcoming sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

“The story sees Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider (Nicolas Cage), hiding out in remote Eastern Europe and struggling to repress his curse. Blaze is recruited by a sect to take on the devil (Ciaran Hinds), who wants to take over his mortal son’s body on the kid’s birthday.” Elba has been tapped to play “an alcoholic warrior monk tasked with finding Ghost Rider. Whitworth plays a criminal who is recruited by the devil to find the boy and is later turned into a demonic creature.”

Even though Ghost Rider 2 doesn’t interest us in the slightest, we love Elba and Hinds so we might give it a shot just for them. The script for the film was written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor based on a story by David S. Goyer. The combination of those three can either be very good or very bad, only time will tell.

What do you think of Elba and Whitworth joining the cast? Are you interested in seeing the sequel.

Will Thor’s Idris Elba Play Luke Cage or Blade Next?

Krystal Clark — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:03:18 +0000

Idris Elba is just one of the many talented actors featured in Marvel’s upcoming Thor adaptation. In the film he plays Heimdall, one of the warriors from the mythical land of Asgard.The actor recently revealed (via Total Film) that he has a multi-picture deal with Marvel Studios, which might open the door to him playing more characters such as Luke Cage and even Blade.

When asked about his part in Thor, he said, “It was great to work with Kenneth (Director Kenneth Branagh) and the Marvel team, very dedicated guys, amazingly detailed, very clever.” He also stated that Thor won’t be the last Marvel film we see him in, but unfortunately he can’t reveal any more than that.

Elba was further pressed about the subject and asked what other character he would be interested in playing in the Marvel Universe. “I wouldn’t mind having a crack at bringing Blade back, personally. But erm, there’s a couple of things there that they have… Luke Cage is… very interesting.” What about Black Panther? Isn’t he in the Marvel Universe? He always gets forgotten about in these conversations.

As for Luke Cage and Blade, I always saw Tyrese Gibson as Cage. He’s been rumored to play the role for years so I got comfortable with the idea of him playing the part. As for Blade, I can’t let go of Wesley Snipes in that. Growing up with that series makes it hard to see anyone else in the role. Plus, Snipes had the martial arts background to match his character which made his incarnation of him even more believable.

Who do you think Elba should play next? Luke Cage, Blade, or Black Panther.

Takers: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:40:03 +0000

Takers is what happens when half of Danny Ocean’s crew is combined with the team from The Italian Job, and the assassins from 1998′s The Big Hit. These are professional thieves, who dress nice, drive fast cars (and bikes), and aren’t afraid to kill someone when it comes to their money. Takers isn’t a particularly special heist movie but the actors try their best to make it one (and they look pretty good while doing it).

Here’s our review…

The Players:

Director: John Luessenhop
Screenwriters: John Luessenhop, Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus, Avery Duff
Cast: Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Matt Dillon, Michael Ealy, Hayden Christensen, Zoe Saldana, Tip “T.I. Harris, Chris Brown, Jay Hernandez
Cinematography: Michael Barrett
Original Music By: Paul Haslinger

The Plot:

A group of career criminals are coaxed into performing an elaborate heist at the insistence of one of their former crew members. Not only is the job difficult but they only have a few days to plan (compared to the usual year) and their “inside” contacts are less than trustworthy. Hot on their tale is an overworked cop, who won’t rest until he brings the thieves to justice. Throughout his investigation and their preparation for the gig, the lines of good and bad become blurred.

The Good:

The Action: The trailer doesn’t do this film justice when it comes to the action. There are some slow-motion John Woo style shoot outs in this movie, along with a great Parkour sequence featuring Chris Brown pummeling through downtown Los Angeles. The sequences look so good because they’re all practical. The gun shots, the car crashes, the fight scenes, they’re all solid and appear real.
Idris Elba: The British actor plays the leader and co-founder of the crew (along with T.I.’s character) and he’s the center of it all. No move is made without his consent and he’s believable as a patriarchal figure amongst this group of grown men. He has the screen presence to pull it off.

The Bad:

Dialogue: There’s a lot of repetitive dialogue. “Goddammit” was used more times than I can count, even in situations when it didn’t need to be. Also, there were several corny lines used such as “It’s Showtime!” and “Let’s get paid!” They were forced attempts to sound hip.
ADR: The dubbing used was terrible especially towards the end during the actual heist. There are a lot of wide shots used and the director probably wasn’t able to pick up good audio so he had the actors go back and do ADR. Unfortunately, the words don’t match their mouths and instead of sounding as if it was happening in the moment, it sounds like an out of place narration.
Cliches: Several stereotypical situations that we always see in action movies rear their ugly head. Three of them play a huge part in the story so I won’t spoil it for you, but their easy to spot. The light bulb will go off and you’ll say to yourself, “I’ve seen this before!”
T.I. Harris: He’s one of the main characters in the film and it’s hard to watch his scenes because his acting is so bad. He over exaggerates all of his lines, and half the time you can’t understand him because of his thick Southern accent. How is it that Elba uses his British accent yet recites his dialogue clearly, and T.I. doesn’t?

Overall:

Takers is surprisingly entertaining. The acting and the story isn’t much but there are several sequences that are worth a second look.

ScreenCrave.com » idris elba

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