Pierce Brosnan’s final turn as 007 was probably his worst. Die Another Day was bombastic, even for the James Bond franchise. Producers wanted a different take, so they brought in a new guy, a tougher guy, Daniel Craig.
ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: James Bond earns his stripes, falls in love, and wins a crucial poker game, all to have it crash around him. Continue Reading
After trying out more famous actors (Robert Downey, Jr.) and more famous characters (Hulk, Thor, Captain America), Marvel moved into left field, throwing lesser-knowns into (hopefully) major franchises (Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy) and less-statured characters (Ant-Man).
That was a big hit. Of course, Doctor Strange was already on the table, but surely the success of Guardians helped executives breathe sighs of relief. Casting the most recognizable actor face of genius, or face of acting genius, no, guy who plays geniuses, Benedict Cumberbatch, eased tensions as well.
ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: The world’s greatest surgeon permanently injures his hands, and then he becomes the world’s greatest wizard. Continue Reading
Saddle up for another ride with the greatest king in English history, Arthur, a king who never existed.
Or did he? The makers of King Arthur, would have us believe that this new tale is based partly on the real past, on “recently discovered archeological evidence.”
(Keep in mind, the natives of northern Britain were Picts. Legend had them wearing blue woad dye in battle. All references to “Woads” are meant to be Picts.)
ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: In 452, Arthur, the man who would be king, takes his knights to the north of England to save a Roman boy and repel the Saxon invasion. dbd dating sim
Norse mythology is ascendant in recent years in the culture. Thor and American Gods are the chief examples, of course, but Nicolas Winding Refn’s Valhalla Rising addresses the mythos in a distant, forgotten (or perhaps never known) past.
Released in only two theaters in North America, Valhalla Rising grossed $30,638. Inception, opening the same day (2010, Stateside), probably earned that in 20 minutes.
So what? Valhalla Rising is a terrific movie full of great visuals, moody music, mind-bending pacing, gory violence, and a silent warrior.
ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: Silent but deadly, a mute warrior named One Eye leads Christian Norsemen to the New World. Continue Reading
The first of eight Star Wars films without a title crawl, Rogue One changed the series in other ways. Gone are long Jedi fights and light saber duels. Missing is interfamilial drama.
ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: A band of rebels breaks into an Imperial planet to steal plans to a gray orb the Empire is calling the Death Star. Continue Reading
The Western, it is said, is a dead film genre. Denmark, a land settled for thousands of years before Americans tried their hands settling the Great Plains, threw their hats in the ring with The Salvation.
The movie barely saw US theaters, an interesting aspect considering the film was made in English and set in the US. Such was the power, however waned, of American films in general and Westerns in particular.
ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: After his family is murdered, a Danish immigrant embarks on revenge in the Old West. Continue Reading
World-class effects spawned the career of Harry Hamlin and capped Ray Harryhausen’s, effects master–oh, wait, this is not that movie. This the is the remake. The one from 2010. You remember it. released in 3D, it made a modest splash at the box office, enough to garner a sequel.
ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: Release the Kraken! Continue Reading
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