Holy heck there’s a lot of news coming out of Comic Con. It’s lucky Luke Miksa has your back with a roundup of the best stuff.
Ready Player One
Based on the wildly popular novel by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One is set in a dystopian future where humanity now escapes the now-harsh reality by spending every waking moment in a virtual reality called Oasis; an adventure world filled to the brim with 80’s and 90’s nostalgia. Directed by Steven Spielberg — himself responsible a lot of that nostalgia first-hand — Ready Player One is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated movies of 2018. Between the Iron Giant and the DeLorean time machine, how many Easter eggs can you spot in this trailer alone?
Thor: Ragnarok
If you had any reservations at all about the direction Marvel’s Thor universe was headed, this trailer should rectify that. With an inspired choice of director in Taika Waititi, the neon-soaked, synth-laden trailer for Thor: Ragnarok appears to be the absolute business! October can’t arrive soon enough! Let’s have some fun!
Last weekend was the annual San Diego Comic-Con, which is increasingly less about comics and more about movie and TV studios pushing their slate of upcoming projects, while giving fans a chance to see their favourite actors and film-makers in-person at HUGE panel events. The big news for 2015 was abundant, so I picked a few of the tastiest morsels to focus on:
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
The biggest buzz of San Diego Comic-Con this year surely came from Hall H during the much-anticipated Star Wars panel. With practically everybody in attendance — including wheeling old old-timers Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and post plane crash Harrison Ford — all cast and crew involved shared an evident enthusiasm for the project which infected the packed hall. While they didn’t reveal a new trailer, the following behind-the-scenes video actually does a better job at rekindling fond memories and selling the movie more than a new trailer ever could.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens makes its long-awaited debut this December.
Behold the new theatrical trailer for the upcoming sequel to director Marc Webb‘s (WEBB!!) mediocre 2012 franchise re-start, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The trailer opens with Spidey (Andrew Garfield) in free-fall, much like Chev Chelios at the end of Crank. Unlike Chelios — even though they are both chemically enhanced — Spider-Man swings away at the vital moment to thwart crime instead of hitting the pavement.
Honestly, the trailer looks fantastic. Now that they have done away with telling the origin story (once again!), we can start dwelling on the character of Peter Parker and the action of the film. My only concern is the addition of too many new characters and plots; which, if you remember, is what made Spider-Man 3 such an overblown and underwhelming event.
2013 will be a bumper year for science fiction and the two that have me psyched are the two most original concepts: Guillermo del Toro’s giant-robot/kaiju slugfest Pacific Rim and Neill Blomkamp‘s directorial follow up to the highly acclaimed District 9, Elysium.
Blomkamp will — much like District 9 — load Elysium with sociopolitical commentary, which I always welcome. Films with a message, whether you agree with them or not, at least prompt discussion and are more likely to have a longer shelf life than films without a strong message (which is why science fiction films from the 1970’s and 80’s leave a lasting cultural impression, unlike a majority of today’s product).
Elysium stars Matt Damon and co-stars Jodie Foster, William Fitchner, Alice Braga, and Blomkamp staple Sharlto Copley; Damon and Copley both sporting striking and unique visual looks. It opens in Australia on 15 August, and I can’t wait.
After the rather nifty teaser which dropped late last year, we’ve seen a series of posters for Carrie — based on Stephen King’s 1974 novel — featuring the titular heroine (Chloë Grace Moretz, following in the blood-drenched footsteps of Sissy Spacek); and now finally, a full theatrical trailer which… feels like déjà vu.
There is nothing on display which was not present in Brian De Palma’s original adaptation (or other adaptations to follow); which is clear because this trailer takes us through nearly the entire plot of the movie. Was this due to the marketing execs understanding that a large percentage of the population is already familiar with this story, or is it just a bad, spoiler-filled trailer?
Either way, this boasts all the hallmarks of an unnecessary remake — an odd choice for director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry, Stop-Loss), but I am a Stephen King fan and films based on his novels have dried up since the 90’s, so I remain optimistic. It also stars Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, and Ansel Elgort. It will receive wide Australian release on November 14.
Following up on the success of 2011’s Drive, director Nicolas Winding Refn re-teams with star Ryan Gosling and follows up with the similarly violent and atmospheric Only God Forgives.
This film has all the hallmarks of being a terrific companion piece for not only Drive, but also Pusher and Bronson; all directed by Refn. Check out the amazing Argento-style cinematography and lighting!
Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansrlingarm, Only God Forgives currently does not have an Australian release; which I can not forgive.
Now this is a trailer! This is the End is a high-concept comedy from the brains-trust of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (Superbad, Pineapple Express), and they have gathered their buddies together to film what could be the greatest comedy ensemble to rival Cannonball Run or Ocean’s 11.
The cast consists of Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride as fictional versions of themselves, trapped in Franco’s home as the apocalypse rages around them. The film also includes Emma Watson (it feels so good to hear Hermione swearing), Michael Cera, Aziz Ansari, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, David Krumholtz, Martin Starr, Mindy Kaling, and Kevin Hart. It even includes the Backstreet Boys and Rhianna! Who knows what other special cameos are in store?
I’m predicting This is the End to be a massive success — it will at least be better than this years other ensemble comedy, Movie 43 — and will get a wide Australian release on June 27.
The Wolverine – Domestic and International Trailers
Promotion for James Mangold‘s The Wolverine was modestly quiet for a long time. But this week we have seen a range of promotional materials trickle out including stills, posters, and the obnoxious ‘tweasers’: the micro teasers for the trailers. Then in one fell swoop Fox has released the US domestic trailer as well the considerably different international trailer. Lucky us!
This is the sixth big screen appearance of Hugh Jackman‘s popular X-Man, and by the looks of these trailers we will be getting more of a personal journey in this outing: the film is based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller‘s popular story-arc from the 1980’s which sees our hero in Japan and is the basis of a lot of the characteristics that made old Logan such a popular superhero.
Besides an appearance from Famke Janssen‘s Jean Grey, keep expectations low for surprise appearances by another other X-characters.
The film also stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Svetlana Khodchenkova, and Will Yun Lee as the freaking Silver Samurai!
Will The Wolverine hack its way to box office supremacy on the film’s global release on July 25? Despite the final quality of the film, and taking in to account the lack of competition on that date, the answer is probably.
Deep Impact versus Armageddon. Dante’s Peak versus Volcano. Here we have the 2013 equivalent: the battle of Olympus Has Fallen versus White House Down — both action films dealing with a takeover of the White House and the peril of the US President.
With Olympus Has Fallen only a week away, there will be a few months breathing space between films: White House Down is being released locally September 5.
Which movie will win the battle of the White House? Personally, I’ll take White House Down‘s director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) and stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx over Olympus Has Fallen‘s director Antoine Fuqua and stars Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, and Aaron Eckhart.
Olympus Has Fallen will probably already be available on home video by the time White House Down hits Australian theatres. Will the gamble of leaving such a large gap pay off, or will people be weary of the similar premise by then?
Elisa Iannunzio
Luke Miksa
Sorry I'm Late.com 