Monday, January 8, 2018
Release: Planet LV 426
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Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
Director: Anthony Russo
Writer: Carl Flimmer
Cast: Frank Grillo, Melissa George, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jacob Tremblay, Lulu Wilson, Jack O'Connell, Charlie Hunnam
Budget: $100,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $100,432,020
Foreign Box Office: $217,022,802
Total Profit: $65,898,182
Reaction: We are definitely pleased with the performance of this Alien sequel/Aliens prequel. While it didn't set the box office on fire, it provided the studio with a healthy profit.
"While technically telling a new story in the universe, Planet LV 426 covers a lot of familiar ground - not all of it good." - Dave Cone, New York Post
"Planet LV 426 plays almost like a greatest hits compilation of the first two Alien movies (Alien and Aliens) - and I'm not complaining one bit." - Roger Taggart, Chicago Tribune
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Breaking News
The first half of Last Resort Films' release schedule for next season has reportedly been leaked onto the internet. Most of the films have already been announced, but there are still a few surprises that had yet to be announced. Some of the surprises include Metal Gear Solid, no doubt an adaptation of the acclaimed video game, and Six Billion Dollar Man, which would appear to be an update of the Six Million Dollar Man character. The season appears to be heavy on sci-fi content with the two films mentioned above, plus Silver Surfer, Red Planet, The Prisoner and Into Thin Air. You can read the full list at https://sites.google.com/site/lrfimdb/season-3. If the leaked titles are any indication, Season 3 could be a pretty good one with a lot of big films.
Now Showing: Planet LV 426
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
Director: Anthony Russo
Writer: Carl Flimmer
Cast: Frank Grillo, Melissa George, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jacob Tremblay, Lulu Wilson, Jack O'Connell, Charlie Hunnam
Plot: On the Illium Range , Russ (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Anne (Melissa George) and their children Timmy (Jacob Tremblay) and Newt (Lulu Wilson) — are in their vehicle searching gold. Timmy is yelling to Newt about cheating at monster maze (a game the children play inside the colony's air ducts) because Newt can go in places the other kids cannot reach due to her smaller size. Anne stops the fight, before the family stumble upon a derelict spacecraft. Anne and Russ head inside to investigate, but Russ is attacked by a Facehugger. Anne calls back to Hadley's Hope, the colony, for help as Newt screams.
Russ awakens in the colony's infirmary 25 hours later while Anne, Dr. Kent (Charlie Hunnam) and sergeant Draper (Frank Grillo) check on his present condition. Timmy and Newt are not allowed in to see their father, but them to sneak through the air ducts so that they can see him. They reach a vent overlooking the infirmary, from where they observe as Dr. Kent tells Russ and Anne that more people have been sent to investigate the ship. At that moment, several of the men return, some of whom have also been subdued by Facehuggers. Suddenly, the Chestburster inside Russ emerges, killing him as Newt watches in terror. Hell breaks loose.
A few days later, Anne, Newt, Timmy and the rest of survive colonists are being moved to a sub-level storage room for safety. One of the men explains that the Xenomorphs are hunting them one by one and it is better to barricade themselves and make a stand because the Marines are on their way.
One of the colonists,tells Anne that they have located the Xenomorph's nest inside the colony's Atmosphere Processing Plant and that an armed party has been sent to kill the creatures. However, Veldman (Jack O'Connell) and Draper, the men commanding the party, soon radios in and frantically explains that there are a lot more Xenomorphs than they anticipated, and that they have discovered what has happened to the missing colonists and livestock. Then, the signal is lost.
The Xenomorphs head for the colony en masse. In the sub-basement, Anne asks another colonist for a gun, telling them that, if it comes to it, she would rather kill her own children than let the Xenomorphs take them alive. After hearing gunshots outside, one of the men insists they open the door and try to help the survivors. Against the protests of others, the barricade is opened and they find a badly injured and dying Veldman, along with the entire Xenomorph horde. The Xenomorphs pour inside the storage room and proceed to slaughter or capture everyone.Draper arrives suddenly and kills some xenomorphs before being killed. Amidst the chaos, Anne prepares to kill her children, but Timmy insists they can escape trough the air ducts. However, as they try to flee a Xenomorph Warrior attacks Anne and kills her. Timmy grabs her pistol and shoots the creature, but is hit by the acid blood that bursts from its body, killing him too. Only Newt manages to escape.
Two weeks later Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)and colonial marines arrives in a planet and find Newt.
Release: The Secret History
The Secret History
Genre: Drama
Director: Ang Lee
Writer: Clive Steinbeck
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Ansel Elgort, Josh Hutcherson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Freddie Highmore, Alex Wolff, Ewan McGregor
Genre: Drama
Director: Ang Lee
Writer: Clive Steinbeck
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Ansel Elgort, Josh Hutcherson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Freddie Highmore, Alex Wolff, Ewan McGregor
Budget: $28,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $31,202,022Foreign Box Office: $30,471,986
Total Profit: $3,131,852
Reaction: Another lower-budget film makes a small profit. Ever since the release of Share, we were interested in making another smaller budgeted film. The budget grew a bit after the hiring of Ang Lee and after Chloe Grace Moretz demanded a significant pay increase to perform a nude scene. It all still worked out though.
"Honestly, it's just really hard to care about these characters. The actors are uniformly talented, but the characters are all just very unlikable - and not in a dark and humorous, but rather in a cold and boring way." - Desmond Rodgers, TIME Magazine
"The film is really a return to form for director Ang Lee. For the past several years, he has been making films undeserving of his superb craftsmanship (Life of Pi was overrated, there, I said it). The morally confused characters give Lee a creative landscape with which to analyze the human experience." - Matthew Ellis, USA Today
"Ansel Elgort's poor performance shows once again that he really only excels at playing his usual character, but the fine performances of Timothee Chalamet, Chloe Moretz and an unusually slimy Josh Hutcherson more than make up for it." - Michael Van Patten, Slant Magazine
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Now Showing: The Secret History
Genre: Drama
Director: Ang Lee
Writer: Clive Steinbeck
Based on the novel by Donna Tartt
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Ansel Elgort, Josh Hutcherson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Freddie Highmore, Alex Wolff, Ewan McGregor
Plot: Richard Papen (Timothee Chalamet) leaves his small home town in California to go to Hampden College in Vermont. In Vermont, Richard tries to continue his study of Ancient Greek, only to be denied admittance to the course, as Classics professor Julian Morrow (Ewan McGregor) limits his enrollment to a tiny hand-picked group. Richard becomes obsessed with the group, observing them around campus and noting what he considers a cold attitude toward the world around them.
Eventually, Richard manages to ingratiate himself with the group by helping to solve a Greek grammar problem. Soon after, armed with advice from the group on how to impress Morrow, Richard meets with him and is finally admitted to the Classics tutorial. The group includes fraternal twins Charles (Freddie Highmore) and Camilla (Chloe Grace Moretz) Macaulay, as well as Francis Abernathy (Alex Wolff), whose secluded country home becomes a sanctuary for the group, linguistic genius Henry Winter (Ansel Elgort), an intellectual with a passion for the Pali canon, Homer, and Plato; and back-slapping Bunny Corcoran (Josh Hutcherson), a bigoted jokester.
Richard is baffled by the friendship between Henry and Bunny, which becomes more mystifying when Bunny announces that he and Henry will spend winter break together in Rome, even though Henry appears to barely tolerate Bunny, and Bunny cannot afford such an expensive vacation himself. It is soon revealed that Henry is paying for the whole trip. Richard takes a job on campus and spends winter break, the coldest in a years, in an unheated warehouse. He nearly dies from hypothermia and pneumonia, but is taken to the hospital by Henry, who has returned early from Italy.
After winter break, Richard sees the relationship between the others and Bunny becoming even more strained. Finally, he learns the truth from Henry and Francis, that during a party, Henry accidentally killed a local farmer who lived near Francis' estate. Bunny uncovered the truth during the trip to Italy by reading Henry's journal, and has been blackmailing the group since. The group, led by Henry, now view Bunny as a danger.
No longer able to meet Bunny's demands, and fearing that he will report them, the group decides to kill Bunny. After a drunk Bunny tells Richard about the killing, the group confronts Bunny while he is hiking and Henry pushes him down into a ravine to his death.
Charles develops a drinking problem and becomes increasingly abusive towards his sister Camilla. Francis confirms to Richard that the twins are having sexual relations. Francis himself begins to suffer panic attacks. Morrow discovers a pleading letter sent to him by Bunny, imploring him to help him. He never reports the crime, instead leaving the faculty.
Henry begins living and sleeping with Camilla, which drives Charles further into alcoholism. When Charles is arrested for drunk driving incident with Henry's car, Henry fears Charles will let something slip to the police. Charles, jealous of Henry, barges into Camilla and Henry's hotel room and tries to kill Henry with Francis' pistol. Henry gets hold of the gun. The others in the group pile on him, and Charles ends up shooting Richard in the abdomen. Henry kisses Camilla farewell and shoots himself in the head. His suicide leads the police to believe that Henry shot Richard, legally saving Charles.
With Henry's death, the group disbands. Francis attempts suicide, and even though he is gay, is forced by his rich grandfather to marry a woman in order to gain his inheritance. Charles is sent to rehab, but runs away with a married woman. Richard, after recovering from his wounds, becomes a lonely academic with an unrequited love for Camilla.
In Development
Gorky Park: Brian De Palma's latest directorial effort has just secured the acting services of Ciaran Hinds (Justice League, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Alan Tudyk (Salem's Lot, Trumbo) and Hugo Weaving (Hacksaw Ridge, The Dressmaker). Hinds will play a KGB agent, Weaving will play Joel Edgerton's supervisor, and Tudyk will play a professor who aids in Edgerton's investigation.
The Prisoner: Christopher Nolan's latest mysterious sci-fi film has landed three more talented actors. Nicholas Hoult (Rasputin, Equals), Elizabeth Olsen (Wind River, Captain America: Civil War) and Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer, Sabotage) have all joined the film. Hoult will play Liam Neeson's son, Williams will play Neeson's wife, and Olsen will play a potential love interest of Tom Hardy's.
Dracula Lives: The sequel to the first film released by Last Resort Studios, Dracula Origins, is finally getting set to shoot. The film was delayed after Scott Derrickson decided to direct Share and the studio decided to wait for him instead of hiring a different director. The film is set to follow some of the same territory as Bram Stoker's original novel. Oscar Isaac is the only actor returning from the first film. Joining him will be Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Every Secret Thing) and Michael Fassbender (Atlas Shrugged, Assassin's Creed). Ridley will play play Mina Harker, the possible reincarnation of Vlad/Dracula's dead wife (played in Dracula Origins by Camilla Belle). The studio considered bringing Belle back to play Mina, but ultimately decided to go in a different direction (although Belle could still appear in possible flashbacks as she did sign on for a sequel). Fassbender, meanwhile, has been cast as Abraham Van Helsing. The deal with Fassbender is reportedly wide-reaching and could result in him popping up in other monster movies as well as his own spin-off film.
Into Thin Air: Last Resort Films has just optioned the latest script from writer James Morgan, Into Thin Air. The story is reportedly about a criminal who uses time travel to get rich. Tim Roth (600 Miles, Selma) will play the thief, while Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic, The Two Faces of January) has been cast as an FBI agent on the case. Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) has been tasked to direct the film.
The Informers: Elizabeth Wood (White Girl) has been given the task of directing an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' short story collection, The Informers. Lon Charles wrote the script which will depict the interconnected lives of several people in Los Angeles: rich kids, rock stars, vampires and kidnappers are among the group. Blake Jenner (The Edge of Seventeen, Everybody Wants Some!!), Logan Lerman (Every Secret Thing, Indignation), Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) and Glen Powell (Everybody Wants Some!!, "Scream Queens") will play a group of young, rich kids in the film.
Release: Atlas Shrugged
Genre: Drama
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Based on the novel by Ayn Rand
Cast: Charlize Theron, Ben Affleck, Michael Fassbender, Jeremy Renner, January Jones, Edgar Ramirez, Richard Jenkins
Budget: $80,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $80,736,056
Foreign Box Office: $71,832,748
Total Profit: -$21,691,745
Reaction: We're not sure which sunk this film more: the very high talent costs or the tarnished reputation from the previous awful Atlas Shrugged adaptations. Either way, this film was not the hit we were hoping for or expecting.
"Frankly, this is simply a film that did not need to be made, regardless of the talent the studio lined up." - Michael Van Patten, Slant Magazine
"It's impossible to make a movie not worth watching with the all-star cast director Cary Fukunaga lined up for this Ayn Rand adaptation. Charlize Theron supplies the necessary class, intelligence and dignity to pull off the role of Dagny Taggart." - Ben Bernard, New York Times
"While the direction is nice and the acting is mostly good, aside from a phoned-in performance from Fassbender, the film can't help but come across as cold." - Henry Stewart, Chicago Sun-Times
Friday, January 5, 2018
Now Showing: Atlas Shrugged
Genre: Drama
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Cast: Charlize Theron, Ben Affleck, Michael Fassbender, Jeremy Renner, January Jones, Edgar Ramirez, Richard Jenkins
Plot: With the economy in shambles, Dagny Taggart (Charlize Theron), Vice President in Charge of Operations for Taggart Transcontinental, works to repair the Rio Norte Line to service Colorado, the last great industrial area in the nation. The company is effected when the Mexican government decides to nationalize Taggart's San Sebastian Line, which had been built to service copper mills belonging to Francisco d'Anconia (Edgar Ramirez), which turned out to be worthless. Dagny's brother James (Jeremy Renner), in an effort to solve the company's financial problems, uses political influence to pass legislation that destroys Taggart Transcontinental's only competition in Colorado. Dagny now has to fix the Rio Norte line immediately and plans to use Rearden Metal, a new alloy created by Hank Rearden (Ben Affleck).
The State Science Institute denounces Rearden metal, which causes Taggart's stock to crash. Dagny decides to start her own company to rebuild the line, still using Rearden metal. The rebuilt Rio Norte Line is a huge success. In Colorado, Dagny and Hank, who have since become lovers while working together, discover a motor in an abandoned factory that runs entirely on static electricity. They decide to seek out the inventor.
The government passes new legislation that cripples industry in Colorado. Ellis Wyatt, an oil industrialist suddenly disappears after setting fire to his own wells. Dagny is forced to cut trains, but the situation continues to worsen. Soon, more industrialists disappear. Dagny believes that there is some sort of destroyer at work, taking men away when they are most needed. Francisco visits Reardon and asks him why he remains in business under such repressive conditions. During the visit, a fire breaks out and they work together to put it out, leading Francisco to understand Rearden's love for his mills.
Rearden is put on trial for breaking one of the new laws, but he refuses to participate in the proceedings, telling the judges they can coerce him by force but that he will not help them convict him. The judges don't want to be seen as thugs so they let Rearden go. Economic dictator Wesley Mouch (Richard Jenkins) needs Rearden’s cooperation for a new set of socialist laws, and James Taggart needs economic favors that keep his ailing railroad running after the industrial collapse of Colorado. James appeals to Rearden's wife Lillian (January Jones), who wants to destroy her husband. She tells him that Rearden and Dagny are having an affair. James uses this information in a trade with Mouch.
A new law is put into place requiring all patents to be signed over to the government. Mouch uses Rearden's affair with Dagny to blackmail him into signing over his metal to protect Dagny's reputation. Dagny quits over the new law and retreats to a mountain lodge. However, she soon returns to work when she learns of a massive accident at the Taggart Tunnel. She receives a letter from a scientist she had hired to reverse engineer the engine she and Rearden found, and fears the scientist will be next target of the destroyer. In an attempt to stop him from disappearing, she follows him in an airplane and crashes in the mountains.
When she wakes up, she finds herself in a remote valley where all the missing industrialists are living. She learns that they are on strike, calling it a strike of the mind. She meets John Galt (Michael Fassbender), who turns out to be both the destroyer and the man who built the motor. She falls in love with him, but she cannot give up her railroad, and leaves the valley. When she returns to work, Dagny finds that the government has nationalized the railroad industry. Government leader want her to make a speech reassuring the public about the new laws. She refuses until Lillian comes forth to blackmail her. Dagny proudly announces her affair with Rearden to the nation, reveals that he has been blackmailed, and warns the country about its repressive government.
With the economy on the verge of collapse, Francisco destroys the rest of his holdings and disappears. The politicians stop even pretending to work for the good of the people, as their vast network of influence peddling creates chaos. In an attempt to gain control of Francisco's mills, the government stages a riot at Rearden Steel. But the steelworkers organize and fight back, led by Francisco, who has gone undercover at the mills. During the fight, Francisco saves Rearden’s life and convinces him to join the "strike."
As Mouch prepares to give a speech on the economic situation, John Galt takes over the airwaves and delivers a lengthy address to the country, laying out the terms of the strike he has organized. In desperation, the government fires Mouch and seeks Galt to make him the new economic dictator. Dagny goes back to the valley, inadvertently leading the government to him. They take Galt prisoner and torture him, but he still refuses to help them. Dagny, Rearden, Francisco, and the other strikers rescue Galt in an armed confrontation with guards. With Galt rescued, they return to the valley, where Dagny finally joins the strike. Once the government completely collapses, the strikers prepare to return to work to build the country back up.
Release: Dino Crisis
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
Director: Matt Reeves
Writer: Billy Cruder
Cast: Karen Gillan, Daniel Kaluuya, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Stephen Lang, Jack O'Connell, Taylor Handley
Budget: $99,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $76,139,537
Foreign Box Office: $238,727,392
Total Profit: $56,796,380
Reaction: This movie was very obviously saved by the film's performance in foreign territories. The film did especially well in Russia and Asia. Not sure why domestic audiences weren't very interested, but the concept of the film does easily translate itself to other cultures.
"An exciting, uneven thriller that uses great special effects to pit dinosaurs against soldiers. This movie should not have been very watchable given the source material, but director Matt Reeves uses every trick up his sleeve to keep this movie churning at a quick, entertaining pace." - Paul Onkean, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Despite the cast's pedigree, all of the characters in this film are stock, one-note cliches that have been done to death. Karen Gillan is an immensely watchable actress, but the tough female lead has a real "been there, done that" quality." - Stephen Ridley, Boston Globe
"This routine video-game spinoff borrows heavily from James Cameron action flicks and the Jurassic Park films but doesn't do much else." - Michael Wilmington, Rolling Stone
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Now Showing: Dino Crisis
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
Director: Matt Reeves
Writer: Billy Cruder
Cast: Karen Gillan, Daniel Kaluuya, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Stephen Lang, Jack O'Connell, Taylor Handley
Plot: The Secret Operation Raid Team (SORT) has sent an agent, Tom (Jack O'Connell), to investigate a research facility on Ibis Island. During the recon mission, he learns that Dr. Edward Kirk (Stephen Lang), a world-renowned scientist who was reported dead three years ago, is leading a secret weapons project within the facility. SORT sends four agents: Regina (Karen Gillan), an intelligence agent and weapons expert; Gail (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau), team leader; Rick (Daniel Kaluuya), computer expert and hacker; and Cooper (Taylor Handley), communications expert, to acquire Kirk and return him to custody. The team arrives on the island under cover of darkness, dropping in via parachute. Cooper is blown off course and lands in the jungle away from the others. Lost in the dark, he is chased down by a Tyrannosaurus rex and eaten. The other three agents, unaware of his death, proceed with the mission.
Once inside the base, the agents discover the eviscerated and partially devoured corpses of security personnel and scientists. After splitting up to restore power to the facility, Gail goes missing. Whilst searching for him, Regina is confronted by a Velociraptor. Re-uniting with Rick, the two determine it was the dinosaurs that caused the bloodbath at the base. Although their mission to recover Dr. Kirk still stands, it is now more important to signal for a rescue. Regina sets out to activate the main antenna to contact their airlift. On her way, she is attacked by another Velociraptor and is rescued by Gail, who then leaves to continue searching for Dr. Kirk. After restoring communications, Regina heads back to the control room and they receive a signal on their communicators. Believing it might be Cooper or Tom in trouble, Rick wants to investigate. Gail shoots down the idea, wanting to follow up on a closed-circuit television sighting that might have been Kirk.
They come across Tom,badly injured and near death. Rick takes him to the medical room, however a Velociraptor attacks them, but Tom sacrifices himself to kill it and save Rick. Later, Regina and the team manage to locate Kirk and apprehend him. As they are preparing to leave via helicopter, the T. rex returns and destroys the helicopter, forcing them to flee back into the base while Kirk manages to escape. Regina and Rick flee into the facility and locate keys to a watercraft, but find a vortex in the way of getting to it. Rick speculates this is the spacetime distortion that brought the dinosaurs back. The two split up to find an alternate route off the island, and Regina ends up being held at gunpoint by Dr. Kirk. He is about to kill her when the gun is shot out of his hand by Gail, and they arrest him again.
Kirk reveals that the dinosaurs were brought to their time by an experiment he was running using his Third Energy technology. A rift in space was created and a pocket of the island from their time was exchanged with the same from the past, bringing dinosaurs back into their time. Kirk then tells them that if the reactors are set to overload, the energy coming from them and the vortex should cancel each other out if they come into contact. After Regina gets the stabilizer and initializer and uses them to overload the reactors, the energy shakes the base, causing a vent to fall on Gail allowing Kirk to get free again. The team heads towards the waterway to escape the blast, but Gail says they still need to capture the doctor. He starts to hobble away on his gun to go after Kirk, and orders Regina and Rick to leave without him if he does not return in thirty minutes. Regina is given the choice to either go after Dr. Kirk with Gail. Gail reveals that the whole mission was a front and the U.S. government did not want Kirk, but instead wanted the Third Energy to use in warfare. A T. Rex appears, and the surviving extraction agents must fight it to escape. After killing the dinosaur, Regina, Rick and Gail escape the island via a watercraft, but Dr. Kirk has disappeared.
In Development
Inferno: The cast of Tom Tykwer and Mo Buck's Divine Comedy adaptation has filled up with the addition of Jaimie Alexander (Thor, "Blindspot"), Ron Perlman (Drive, Pacific Rim) and Jared Harris (Lincoln, Allied). Alexander will play Francesca da Rimini, Ron Perlman will play a centaur, and Jared Harris will play Plutus, an informer of Satan.
Red Planet: Daniel Bruhl (Sherwood, Rush) and Paul Bettany (Captain America: Civil War, "Manhunt: Unabomber") have joined the cast of Josh Trank's Red Planet. Bruhl will play the crew's technical systems engineer, while Bettany will play an astrobiologist. Dwight Gallo wrote the script.
Animus: James Earl Jones (The Lion King, "Agent X") has been hired to provide the voice the Mr. N, the man holding the main characters captive in Animus. Jeff Nichols directs from a script by Jack Ryder.
Gorky Park: Bryan Cranston (Blood Meridian, Trumbo) and Michael Shannon (Blood Meridian, The Raven in the Night) have joined Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander in the Brian De Palma directed adaptation of Martin Cruz Smith's novel Gorky Park. Cranston will play an American sable trader, while Shannon will play an American detective looking for his missing younger brother.
The Prisoner: Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk, Interstellar) has a reached a deal with Last Resort Films to direct a film based on the classic British television series, The Prisoner. He has enlisted Tom Hardy (Without Remorse, Mad Max: Fury Road), Liam Neeson (The Commuter, Silence) and Jessica Chastain (Molly's Game, A Most Violent Year) to lead the cast. Hardy will play Number Six, a man who finds himself stuck in a mysterious village. Neeson will play Number Two, the man seemingly in charge of the village. Chastain will play Number 313, a doctor in the village.
Release: Velvet
Genre: Thriller
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Lon Charles
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Tatiana Maslany, Tim Robbins, Veronika Vernadskaya, Vladimir Mashkov, Rade Serbedzija
Budget: $38,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $50,153,011
Foreign Box Office: $57,853,527
Total Profit: $6,916,651
Reaction: We were a little worried about this one, to be honest. We were concerned that the sexual content and the lack of A-list stars would hamper the financial performance of the film, but thankfully the film squeaked by with a small profit.
"The weak, poorly-thought-out ending ruins an okay blackmail thriller. I could practically hear writer Lon Charles and director David Cronenberg shout 'Gotcha!'" - Charles Yost, The Oregonian
"Russian actress Veronika Vernadskaya stands out in a seductive and deceptive performance, and director David Cronenberg shows once again that he can always get a great performance out of Robert Pattinson." - Clark Davis, JoBlo.com
"The plot is preposterous. I've thought long and hard about how everything comes together in the end and I still can't figure it all out. Avoid this one if you appreciate common sense and logic." - Jeremy Raren, RottenTomatoes.com
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Last Resort Films Jukebox: Velvet
2. "Shot in the Back of the Head" - Moby
3. "Fill the Blanks" - Appaloosa
4. "Rampage" - Kavinsky
5. "Stitches" - Orgy
6. "Tick of the Clock" - Chromatics
7. "So Long, Lonesome" - Explosions in the Sky
Now Showing: Velvet
Genre: Thriller
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Lon Charles
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Tatiana Maslany, Tim Robbins, Veronika Vernadskaya, Vladimir Mashkov, Rade Serbedzija
Plot: An engaged couple, Dan Ellis (Robert Pattinson) and Eva Hunt (Tatiana Maslany), take a short vacation from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Dan works as an aid to Eva's father, Walter (Tim Robbins) , the US ambassador to Russia who does not approve of their relationship, although this does not affect the couple's relationship. While in St. Petersburg, the two indulge in many drug and sexual activities, eventually engaging in a drug-fueled threesome with a local model named Nina (Veronika Vernadskaya). The sexual tryst becomes a personal issue when they receive a letter containing pictures of the ménage à trois. Realizing this could ruin their careers, as well as the career of Eva's father, they venture deep into Moscow to find Nina. On their journey, they encounter their blackmailer, Ivan (Rade Serbedzija), the housekeeper of the hotel, who told them about Nina.
Ivan demands a sum of $200,000 for the pictures he took, and takes Eva hostage before running off, though he eventually lets her go. Ivan encounters Dan and the men begin firing at each other, but the blackmailer escapes. Going into his apartment, they find the man shot dead. A police officer, Detective Petrov (Vladimir Mashkov), later contacts them and seems to suspect them of murdering the man. Later on they find Nina dead in her apartment and presume the entire ordeal is over. Just as they begin to celebrate, another mysterious man calls them and demands $1,000,000 in exchange for the pictures, which they agree to pay through Eva's contacts and with the help of Petrov. They arrange to meet at an old warehouse, but they do not see the man when they get there.
Dan tells Eva to stay in the car while he goes looking for the man inside, handing her a gun. After he disappears into the warehouse, Petrov appears at Eva's side of the car and knocks on the window. Eva informs him that the man said there should be no police, but Petrov tells her that if she wants to see Dan leave the building alive, she must let him go. After a while Eva hears gunfire and runs into the building, shooting at an SUV which is exiting the warehouse. She then finds Petrov dead inside. Later the mysterious man calls her again and says he has Dan, and demands a sum of $5,000,000 for his safe return, otherwise he will kill him. She gets her father to help her pay the ransom. The man informs her that Dan is tied up and dying in the basement of a store in Moscow. When Eva arrives, she discovers Dan tied up in the basement, having limited oxygen being fed to him via a mask. She frees him.
Dan and Eva continue their lives together, without any further interference from the man. During the Christmas season, Eva and Dan visit her father again in Moscow. Eva goes shopping in the city, and plans on going for a drink with Dan after. However, Dan calls Eva and informs her he will be working late. Eva decides she will continue shopping and meet Dan at home. When she boards a subway train in the evening, she notices in the train car on the rails next to hers: Ivan, Nina and Petrov. They are smiling as Dan enters the train-car to join them. Eva realizes that they plotted everything to get their hands on the $6,000,000. As the train pulls away, Dan notices that Eva has seen him.
Release: And Then There Were None
Genre: Crime/Mystery
Director: Joe Wright
Writer: James Morgan
Based on the novel by Agatha Christie
Cast: Emily Blunt, Jeremy Irons, Ben Whishaw, Paul Bettany, Matthew Goode, Emma Thompson, Cillian Murphy, Ian McKellen, Kit Harington, Kate Beckinsale
Budget: $50,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $64,845,020
Foreign Box Office: $65,240,036
Total Profit: $79,765,046
Reaction: Further evidence that Agatha Christie is still relevant after all these years. The very talented and very British cast didn't hurt though. The home video sales were tremendous. Clearly people want to rewatch the film and look for clues.
"The all-star cast directed by Joe Wright breathes fresh life into an old corpse." - Stan Kyle, Omaha World-Herald
"The building blocks of Agatha Christie's famous mystery are kept intact, but this new version's drab atmosphere and serious tone feel disconnected from the playfulness of the book." - Justin Rodriguez, Detroit Free Press
"Even though it was written in 1939, as a serialized newspaper story, it feels modern in its moral complexities. Fans of British mysteries won't want to miss this well-cast and well-executed film." - Matt Carson, Arizona Republic
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The Fountainhead: After being one of the best parts of last season's action film XIII , Mark Strong (XIII, Kingsman: The Golden Circle) ... -
The Fountainhead: Michael Stuhlbarg (Jonestown, A Serious Man) has joined Zack Snyder's adaptation of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead . ...
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Salem's Lot Genre: Horror Director: Samuel Bayer Based on the novel by Stephen King Cast: Chris Pine, Mark Rylance, William Hurt, Maika ...