The Lone Ranger: Too Dark for Disney?

The Lone Ranger is a Disney movie with a bit of a difference. Like Pirates of the Caribbean before it, The Lone Ranger gets away with some pretty harsh scenes of violence due to its 12 rating. Disney used to mean princesses, knights, enchanted castles and charming romances. It does not mean murder, revenge and slaughter. And yet The Lone Ranger reaches beyond your typical Disney moments of darkness and includes the gunning down of lawmen, a terrifying villain in William Fichtner and the slaughter of the Comanche by the United States army.

The Lone Ranger sees the titular lawmen turn outlaw after teaming up with more-than-just-a-sidekick, Native American Tonto. After his brother is brutally murdered (and has his heart cut out... see kids it's full of fun!) John Reid turns vigilante with the help of new spirit horse (eventually named Silver) and damaged Indian Tonto played wild and weird by Johnny Depp. Seeking the men responsible and their leader Butch Cavendish (freaky Fichtner) The Lone Ranger takes to wearing a mask and must get to the bottom of why the Comanche are being blamed for attacking settlers before a war (or just plain old genocide of the Natives) breaks out. With the trans-continental train track being built as a back drop, the quest for revenge and justice sees the mismatched pair uncovering corruption at every turn.

Armie Hammer nails the stoic hero while Depp tones down the Jack Sparrow excess while still making Tonto memorable, noble and fun. Hans Zimmer's score is brooding, dark and occasionally mournful until the glorious final set piece unleashes the William Tell Overture to rousing effect. Verbinski mounts a hell of an action packed set piece with trains, horses and plenty of characters to throw around but it's all a bit too ridiculous at times and as a result has to frequently rely on grating CG visual effects. However after sitting through two hours of nearly as much talk as action, kids and adults alike will undoubtedly be relieved to see some spectacle.

The Lone Ranger is bloated. Some scenes feel unnecessary and one late in the game character reversal is so obvious that it feels like a long wait for the revelation. Helenha Bonham Carter is completely sidelined but makes the most of very limited screen time while the slaughter of the Comanche is talked about but barely shown. After all no matter how dark and violent this gets, it is still a Disney film. The film is admirable for flipping the old Western traits on its head and showing a hugely sympathetic side of the Native Americans while also relegating their representation to the odd, amusing but also wise Tonto. It's no Dances with Wolves but it goes some way to showing the dreadful treatment of the Indians at the hands of settlers, particularly for a big dumb fun summer blockbuster.

According to Box Office Mojo, The Lone Ranger may have only just managed to scrape back it's over $200 million budget with a particularly poor domestic take. It looks likely that instead of becoming a Pirates size franchise, this might be the Standalone Ranger after all.

Watch the trailer:

Recent reviews at I Love That Film: 

You're Next Review

We're the Millers Review

Lovelace Review

2 Guns Review

Monsters University Review

Man of Steel Review

This is the End Review 

Fast and Furious 6 Review

Iron Man 3 Review

What's going on with The Wolverine?

Don’t call The Wolverine a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, no matter how much it looks like one. This is being forcefully billed as a standalone picture, most likely to distance itself from the disappointment of Gavin Hood’s 2009 prequel.

The Wolverine follows the original X-Men trilogy, the Wolverine prequel and the X-Men prequel First Class to become the sixth instalment in the series.

Based on a hugely popular limited series of early 80s comics by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, it has taken some perseverance and determination from Fox and Jackman to see the return of everybody's favourite X-Man.

With Christopher McQuarrie’s script in place and director Darren Aronofsky set to helm the film, all looked good for the return of Wolverine in 2010. Then despite signing contracts with Fox, Aronofsky suddenly jumped ship.

The directors considered to replace Aronofsky included the likes of Jose Padilha (now shooting the Robocop remake), Antoine Fuqua (Olympus Has Fallen), Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) and Justin Lin (Fast and Furious 6).

However in June 2011 a new director was found. James Mangold, the director of the Oscar bothering Walk the Line and modern classic Cop Land took the reigns with Mark Bomback hired for a rewrite.

James Mangold’s film will see Wolverine get out of his depth while in the Land of the Rising Sun. He will be at his most vulnerable; being pushed to his physical and emotional limits and forced to confront samurai steel and his own immortality. 

It features Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper, a villain torn straight from the pages of the comics. A girl who likes to play with toxins, Viper is snake-like and cares little for other people.

 

Most importantly is the addition of Will Yun Lee (Die Another Day) confirmed to be playing Kenuichio Harada a.k.a. The Silver Samurai. His mutant ability to charge his weapon with energy capable of cutting through anything and his silver coloured samurai style armour will make him a formidable enemy.

Mangold has been tweeting his influences while making the film; influences that include classics such as Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, Powell and Pressburger’s Back Narcissus and Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Vertigo. 

The Wolverine opens nationwide July 26, 2013.

Here is the brand new trailer:

What do you think? Is this the Wolverine movie you've been waiting for?

UK Cinema Releases this Weekend: What will you be seeing?

It's finally Friday and the weekend begins before you know it! If you want to hear me talking about the films that open this weekend in cinemas, then tune in to either Amazing Radio soon after midday or Marlow FM very soon after 5pm.

This week there are four releases I'm discussing. The first is the big one for the week; Star Trek Into Darkness. With the beloved Benedict Cumberbatch joining the cast, this one is bound to do even better than its predecessor, JJ Abrams' 2009 reboot. Personally having never been a fan of Star Trek, I'm absolutely loving what Abrams has done with this franchise and looking forward to seeing what he does with the other little science fiction series now.

Mud starring Matthew Mcconaughey as a fugitive hiding out on a Mississippi islet looks less bombastic than Star Trek but equally interesting. Promising a grittier performance from Reese Witherspoon (as Muds' sweetheart) than usual and from Jeff Nichols the director who gave us Take Shelter, this should be a gripping coming of age story as two young boys find and befriend Mcconaughey's fugitive.

Both the other releases for the week are world cinema options and as a result are frustratingly difficult to find in any cinemas near me personally. Our Children is the story of a couple who fall in love, get married, continually pop out kids and then crushing depression takes hold of the wife and it all spirals into absolute despair and tragedy from there. Probably not ideal Friday night, popcorn munching fare but still worth a watch. I reviewed Our Children here.

The next option is only slightly less depressing but a far easier watch than Our Children at least. A Hijacking is the story of a Danish ship that is boarded by Somali pirates and the crew are taken hostage for a long and arduous negotiation process while the pirates demand a ransom. It's got some of the stars of The Killing and Borgen and is fantastic. I reviewed A Hijacking here.

Fancy any of these? What will you be watching this weekend? Remember to tune in and have a listen to the radio shows to here more about these film releases.

More Star Wars Sequels and Spin Offs Every Summer

Disney has announced that every summer for the foreseeable future will now see a new Star Wars film unleashed on audiences. Starting in 2015 with J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII, every summer will now be dominated by a sequel or spin off from George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away.

The news comes as little surprise to any fan keeping their eye on the internet for updates on the new Star Wars films since Lucas decided to sell the rights. What is slightly disconcerting is the sheer regularity of product that Disney intends to dish out for fans of Star Wars.

Following hot on the heels of Abrams’ hotly anticipated trek into a new science fiction franchise, what can fans expect from future Star Wars films?

Created by Josh Lange

With the announcement that Abrams’ is responsible for the seventh entry in the main timeline of films, following on from the prequels and the original trilogy, it is safe to say that once every two or three years, we will be getting a Star Wars: Episode VIII and Episode IX. With those potentially taking up the summers of 2017 and 2019, the next question is will there be an extension in the future? Could the summers of 2020 and beyond feature a fourth trilogy of Episodes X, XII and XII? Will Abram’s stick around long enough to shepherd the franchise boldly forwards?

In the meantime, my thoughts have turned to what will be the Star Wars films filling multiplexes between the main episodes of the franchise and who will be taking the reigns for Disney?

Spin offs have already been rumoured for a young Han Solo, Boba Fett, Yoda and Lando Calrissian. The prequels already gave us the back-story on Anakin, Leia and Obi Wan but there is still plenty of room for further expansion with a huge range of characters from the universe.

The spin offs have an impossibly huge universe as set up by Lucas but also by the endless amounts of fan fiction that have already been written around the characters and even the most minor and insignificant ones at that.

Created by Josh Lange

The trick for Disney will be to keep the franchise fresh and approachable to newcomers without alienating the long term fans. Too much introducing of new cute and fluffy characters will lead to accusations of trying to sell toys as with the introduction of the Ewoks back in Return of the Jedi. Too much focus on existing characters might take away some of the mystery and allure surrounding particular characters.

With J.J. Abram at the helm of the first in the new summer Star Wars films, Disney has made a smart move and will likely get off to a good start. His Star Trek managed to appease long term fans while attracting a whole new audience to that science fiction franchise. The question is will he be able to do the same with Star Wars and what will his involvement be in the further sequels and spin offs?

More to the point, will this Disney cash cow continue to deliver the goods for may summers to come or will the Star Wars udders dry up pretty quick?

Iron Man 3, Bernie and 21 & Over

I have three more preview screenings lined up over the next fortnight; Iron Man 3, Bernie and 21 & Over. April is turning into a very busy month for film screenings. I already had Evil Dead, Olympus Has Fallen and The Look of Love in the bag but now I have three more to add to the list.

While I'm not the biggest comic book lover in the world; Iron Man, Batman and Hellboy are definitely my three favourite comic book characters and Robert Downey Jr has been consistently charming and funny in the last two Iron Man films. The addition of Shane Black on writing and directing duties is the biggest draw though. Shane Black has written some brilliantly witty and action packed scripts and his directorial debut with Downey Jr starring was the wonderful Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. That film made me fall almost completely in love with Downey Jr and is a huge reason for his successful comeback surely. If only it had done the same for Val Kilmer.

Also that Superbowl spot for Iron Man 3 that just featured a bunch of people falling out of a plane with Iron Man deciding what to do next was pure marketing genius. THAT's how to get me interested in a film (without showing me too much of the story)! I hope Kingsley is as epic as he looks! Here is the Superbowl spot if you haven't seen it, plus the full trailer:





Bernie re-teams director Richard Linklater with Jack Black after the success of School of Rock. I'm looking forward to seeing this as I've got a lot of love for Linklater and it looks pretty quirky, fun and with an interesting and slightly different role for Black than normal. Still, it's really just filler until Before Midnight gets here! I sure hope that nice Mr Matthew McConaughey is playing a slightly more pleasant character than in Killer Joe though! Check out the trailer below:



Finally there is 21 & Over which looks pretty funny but I wouldn't be surprised if all the best bits are in the trailer. I guess it could potentially be this generation's Ferris Bueller. Or it could just be a horrible mess full of crass stereotyping. I want to hope its as fun as the trailer looks in places. Check it out:



Any of these take your fancy?

Do you want to see a Die Hard 6?

A Good Day to Die Hard made a bit of a killing at the international box office despite mostly negative reviews, many critics pretty much despising it. A Good Day to Die Hard managed to make nearly $300 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo despite earning an extremely rotten 15% over at Rotten Tomatoes. That's over three times its $92 million production budget and therefore Willis' rumour mongering that there will be a Die Hard 6 should likely become a reality.

For fans of the franchise, this is bound to elicit strange and strong mixed feelings, pretty much like the last few films of the series have. Die Hard 4.0 left me dying to go back and watch the original film rather than sitting through this sequel. I loved the original trilogy. Die Hard is the greatest action film of all time for my money. Die Hard 2 might have some problems and inherent silliness but it stuck to what the series knew best; keeping McClane confined, his wife as damsel in distress and having everyone's favourite cop escaping explosions through ridiculous means (ejector seat anyone?)

After the disappointment of Die Hard 4.0 in which McClane had a whole city to play with but unlike in Die Hard with a Vengeance, no Sam Jackson to banter with or schools full of kids under threat, I had low expectations for A Good Day to Die Hard. I wished it all the best as any fan would but didn't get my hopes sky high like I had done for Die Hard 4.0. As a result, I quite enjoyed A Good Day to Die Hard and gave it probably one of the kindest reviews it received.

So now my thoughts turn to Die Hard 6. Do I want to see the action franchise that I was raised on fall further into disrepute? Do I want to see McClane make a wise-cracking, ass kicking comeback? Well obviously I would rather the latter but what if another unwanted (by many) sequel just makes things worse? Willis is balder, grouchier and angrier every time we see him on and off screen. Perhaps it's time he kicked back, put the slippers on and started wearing cardigans and smoking a pipe.

On the other hand, I hope Fox dig deep and find the funds to snag a great director, a great screenplay writer and really make something that works this time. It's got to be personal. It has to have a villain that can top Alan Rickman. It's got to keep McClane cooped up and out of his depth. I want to see McClane cocky and determined but also vulnerable, scared and completely outgunned. Take him out of his comfort zone. Make him beg for his life or for the lives of those he loves. Forget the G.I. Joe invincible action man bullshit. No more computer generated stunts. Do all the action in camera and old school.

Dare I say it, if there has to be a Die Hard 6 then maybe it's time McClane finally died... hard!

What do you think? Will you give Die Hard one more chance?

Dark Knight Rises Epic Featurette

No words of mine will do this justice.  This is 13 minutes of the cast and crew talking about why The Dark Knight Rises may very well be the greatest blockbuster of all time.  Nolan compares it to a silent film where the images are key to telling the story.  And after seeing some of the images here, you're not going to argue.

Bale, Hardy, Hathaway, Oldman, Caine, Freeman, both Nolan brothers and Christopher Nolan's producer partner wife Emma Thomas all get their time to talk and there's plenty of footage to feast your eyes on so tuck in!

If you've seen the trailers and TV spots and been reading about the film, there are no spoilers here.  If you want to go in cold, don't watch it but you're a stronger person than I if you can resist clicking play below.



What the hell do you think of THAT?

Avengers and Prometheus: Worldwide Distribution Madness!

 North American readers... ever wondered why the hell you're suddenly getting huge Blockbuster films like Avengers and Prometheus released later than the rest of the world?

Readers from the rest of the world... have you been wondering why here in Europe and elsewhere, we are being blessed with earlier release dates all of a sudden?

Well I've done some digging and come up with something resembling answers.  After first getting the chance to see Avengers on the big screen a full week before the Americans, I began wondering just what the hell was going on with the distribution plan of this most anticipated of blockbusters.  And then I find out we're getting Prometheus similarly early. 

My first thought was that staggered distribution is beneficial as the studios can fly the talent out to premieres and press junkets in many different parts of the world and they can essentially follow the release of the film, promoting it as they go.  But why not start with the USA as always used to be the case?  And also isn't this good for pirates?  Won't shoddy filmed copies from one country end up on street corners of some other country as soon as the film first gets shown on a big screen.  I'm pretty sure this was the case when I stupidly purchased a dodgy copy of Alien VS Predator in Malaysia.  The whooping, cheering and general enthusiasm of the audience watching the film on my dodgy copy meant it must have come from America!  (I mean that as a compliment!)

The point is it's not just down to staggered distribution patterns as these have been happening for years and America always got their big blockbusters first followed by the rest of the world.  So what's happened now to cause this (quite frankly) AWESOME shift in distribution tactics?

Rolling Stone report: 'It's somewhat unusual for a major commercial film like The Avengers to open abroad ahead of its U.S. release, but in this case, it may have worked in the film's favor. Given that American grosses for superhero movies typically dwarf international grosses, it looks like The Avengers will be a massive domestic hit.'

So the idea may be to get international audiences to be more excited about the film if they see it first.  As the international market is so huge, a film needs to get a fair shot at it and if it does not do well domestically, it may be less likely to gain success elsewhere.

The Hollywood Reporter said: 'Avengers posted the biggest opening day ever in New Zealand, earning $800,000. The film also bowed to $2.9 million in France and an even stronger $3.7 million in Italy -- the second-biggest opening day for Disney and the second-best for a Marvel title. All told, Joss Whedon's film earned an eye-popping $17.1 million from only 10 markets... Avengers, which is beginning its foreign rollout a week ahead of its domestic launch May 4, likewise enjoyed a record start in Taiwan, scoring the best opening gross of all time with $1.2 million. And it scored the second-highest opening day in the Philippines, grossing $1.3 million'

 

Seems like the early release in these foreign markets definitely had some impact.  These are huge numbers and the studios are no doubt licking their lips at the extra money rolling in from what they once saw as an opportunity for a little extra money after cleaning up at the domestic box office!  After the recent success of films like Titanic 3D in China, Hollywood are going to be increasingly paying attention to ways they can increase their revenue from all us suckers for American product that live outside their borders.

 

 

Bob Mondello writes: 'Hollywood studios have started premiering big films overseas before they come to the United States, and Battleship is a prime example of this practice: It first hoisted anchor six weeks ago in Japan, then cruised into Europe a week later. Soon after, it steamed into Russia and Pakistan, and has since docked in every movie port of call on the planet except the U.S., Canada and Paraguay... The Amazing Spider-Man will amaze Japan and New Zealand five days before it amazes the U.S. And if you positively can't wait to see Ridley Scott's prequel to Alien, Prometheus, you'll want to book a flight to Europe. Prometheus will open a week early in Europe to get ahead of soccer's Eurocup finals, which the studio figures will be a huge distraction to young males, the film's target audience.'

 

This is a fascinating article and just click on Mondello's name above to read more.  It is particularly interesting to note the consideration of football in the release pattern.  Is this solely the reason behind Prometheus' early UK release?  I can't quite believe it but I'm very interested in seeing how this develops in the future.  Just as long as the studios don't start delaying the UK release of films because they think we're all a bunch of football mad nutters who run around with shaved heads, flags painted on our faces and beating each other senseless because 'our' boys lost or beat another team.

 

What do you think dear international readers?  Should I just keep my mouth shut and enjoy the early releases in the UK?  American readers... is this pissing you off?  Sound off below!

A Universal Celebration: Lovefilm Just Got Lovelier

Good readers you may have read my rant a while back about the Lovefilm rental service VS Universal Studios dispute that has been ongoing since 2009.  If you haven't, go read it here!


Back in March I was basically having a right good bloody moan about it and was sick and tired of the poor communication that was happening between Lovefilm and their customers... myself included.  So I wrote:

'Since 2009 there has been a dispute between Lovefilm and Universal Pictures.  Lovefilm can't rent out any post-2009 Universal Pictures films.  This means just this month I cannot put Safe House, Wanderlust, Contraband or The Greatest Movie Ever Sold on my rental list.  I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!'
 
I really was mad.  Like shaven headed crystal meth dealing teacher Walt White mad!  Mad enough to phone Lovefilm.  Mad enough to repeatedly email Universal.  Mad enough to bombard Lovefilm's Facebook with whingy comments.  Mad enough to give Netflix a go.  I had my 1 month free trial and got through the first three series of Breaking Bad and then quit.  The selection is not great and I couldn't figure out how to make myself a list.  I've currently got around 120 titles waiting to be sent to me or watched via streaming so it's important for me to be able to add films to lists.  Netflix didn't cut it!

Anyway nothing I did worked.  I got no response from the companies involved but a lot of comments on the blog post.  Lots of people telling me to try Blockbuster, Amazon, Netflix etc.  But I LOVE Lovefilm and I wanted to stick with them and so I did.  Here's some of the interesting comments I received:

Anonymous said:  'I've just defected to Blockbuster because of the 'Universal Issue' - found a voucher for a month's trial for a quid. Their service is still not as good as Lovefilm's I'm afraid - the one time I used their 'top ticket' service (a service which guarantees you a title from your list no matter what) they throttled back despatch of my regular titles, so in effect, I'm getting nothing extra, just the guarantee of the title I want. It should be noted that new titles such as 'The Thing' and 'Contagion' aren't initially available as top titles..! In short, I've taken a holiday from Lovefilm but will return after 3 months'

RTB said: 'If Lovefilm don't, can't or won't carry new films from Universal, then they shouldnt be advertising with the strapline "We have everthing"... The only way these people will be made to understand how angry their customers are is if their customers vote with their wallets and take their business elsewhere. Blockbusters here I come!'

Sephen raised the issue of piracy and said: 'Given that LoveFilm and the other studios can play nicely, the fuss over movie piracy is a little undermined by a major studio being unable to settle on a deal with the UK's main (I'm assuming) movie rental service.

I don't pirate movies, but I don't think I'd have a hard time making peace with a decision to pirate Universal movies.'

Janetyjanet added: 'I used to be vocally and vehemently against online pirating of films and still am - but, if it's a Universal film I'm unable to get via LoveFilm, then I've started making an exception.

I don't feel great about doing it - but both parties have spectacularly failed to resolve the issue in over FOUR years so sod 'em...' 

It was great to see these people stumble across my post and give this kind of feedback.  I hope that some of them bothered the hell out of Universal and Lovefilm about the dispute and that in some small way, we played a part in what brings me to put fingers to keyboard today.

The other day I noticed, Lovefilm had added the title Repo Men to the Lovefilm Instant streaming service. I'm not desperate to see the film but I thought I'll add that to my list.  So I did and then the studio that released it caught my eye.  Universal!  I facebooked Lovefilm immediately to see if they would comment on this development but as usual... no reply!

So I did some digging and what did I find?


The Telegraph reports: 'Lovefilm has signed an exclusive streaming deal with Universal Pictures allowing its members early access to movies before they come out on general release.... Jim Buckle, managing director... said: "Lovefilm is proud to offer its members access to the highest quality content across multiple platforms from another of the world's most respected studios...." Additional Universal Pictures titles which are available to watch instantly in the UK include: It's Complicated, Nanny McPhee Returns, Leap Year, Green Zone, The Wolfman, Robin Hood, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, The American, Paul, Fast And Furious 5, Bridesmaids, Johnny English Reborn', Snow White and the Huntsman, Bourne Legacy, Dr Seuss The Lorax and Safe House'

 
















 

The Financial Times reports: 'Lovefilm... has struck a multi-year deal allowing it to show Universal Pictures’ content, marking the end of a two-and-a-half-year dispute between the two companies.
It gives Lovefilm exclusive rights to films such as Kick-Ass, Battleship and Bridesmaids for online streaming, granting subscribers’ access to Universal’s films. It also allows Lovefilm to rent out Universal movies on DVD – over a which disagreement first erupted in 2009.'

So Lovefilm users, this appears to be the beginning of the end!  It's been a long hard fight and it's hard to say if we were being listened to at all but least, finally we can see the signs of progress.  Now all that's left to do is to decide what to watch next?

 
Green Zone, Robin Hood and The Adjustment Bureau are all headed onto my list right now!  Hope they were worth the wait!

Any Lovefilm customers want to share their Universal film wishlist they've been waiting for?  How do the rest of you feel?  Will this have knock-on effects?  Are other rental services going to suffer now that Lovefilm have this 'exclusive streaming deal'?  You tell me!

Hooray for Lovefilm, hooray for Universal but most of all, hooray for all us film lovers!  Victory is ours!