Fox Plan League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Reboot
Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel is getting another shot at a big screen adaptation it seems, with 20th Century Fox looking to rekindle the franchise after 2003’s lacklustre attempt.
Though no cast, writers or directors have been announced yet, Fox are currently searching for help to bring back the Victorian era supergroup which include Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde, the Invisible Man and Captain Nemo.
It’s extremely unlikely that any of the original cast will return, particularly as Sean Connery retired from acting due to his infamous unhappiness with the experience of making the first film. Indeed to this day LXG remains an embarrassing footnote on Connery’s impressive career as his disappointing final screen credit.
More news as we hear it but in the meantime, who would you like to see direct, write and star in the upcoming reboot?
Man Up Review
The Plot
When unlucky in love Nancy (Lake Bell) is mistaken as Jack’s (Simon Pegg) blind date, she decides to take fate into her own hands and steal the date for herself.
The Good
Man Up is a brilliantly written comedy which perfectly encapsulates the awkwardness of a blind date. From Jack’s awkward bumbling greeting to bumping into the ex and the old school friend. It’s silly at times but the dialogue stays fresh throughout and Bell and Pegg are a perfect pairing.
Thankfully, the story focuses on just one day, following Nancy and Jack as they wander around the sights of London while Nancy tries to blag her way through the day as the 24 year old triathlete that Jack’s expecting. One of the biggest highlights comes from Rory Kinnear in a scene stealing role which is undoubtedly the craziest he’s had yet. It’s Lake Bells performance which is the most striking though, Nancy is a wonderfully fleshed out character and Bell nails the british accent perfectly.
The Bad
Though the storyline is fresh and fun for the entirety, Man Up does succumb to the inevitable big gushy romcom ending that we’re all used to and perhaps secretly hoping for. Still it’s perhaps a shame really as up until that point, the film has willfully avoided becoming overly sentimental. Recently divorced Jack and pessimist Nancy had their fair share of big romantic gestures it seems and are finally just accepting the reality in romance.
Perhaps had the plot gone past just one day, the grandstand finale could feel a bit more warranted. Thats not to say that the 24 hour timeline for the film isn’t still a good point. Just that the plot should have really chosen one of these instead of both…
The Ugly Truth
Man Up brings a brilliantly realistic pairing with Bell and Pegg playing off each other well as mismatched romantic underachievers. Though it falters a bit with the cliched finale, the film remains a consistently funny and adorably awkward way to spend 90 minutes.
Review by Johnny Ellis
Check out red carpet London premiere interviews below:
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond Review
The Plot
When Casey (Britt Robertson) comes across a badge that transports her to a whole new world whenever she touches it, she goes in search of the truth behind it all. With the help of inventor Frank Walker (George Clooney) and a young girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) she soon discovers Tomorrowland.
The Good
Director Brad Bird (Mission Impossible 4) brings a huge spectacle of a film to the screen in a way that only Brad Bird could. Serving as both an original sci-fi film and an advertisement for Disney World, Tomorrowland is a sight to behold. Opening with a flashback to ‘where it all began’ with young George Clooney’s inventor desperately trying to build a Rocketeer type jetpack and Britt Robertson’s Casey finding the pin that instantly takes her to Tomorrowland – in some completely breathtaking and seamless transitions – Tomorrowland’s first half is a treat to the eyes.
It’s the latter half that brings the important message to the forefront though. Without spoiling too much, Tomorrowland’s moral is incredibly poignant for today’s day and age. Comparisons can be made to Interstellar and even slightly Nightcrawler (at least in terms of its themes…). It’s hard to go into any more detail without spoiling the experience. Sufficed to say, Clooney and Robertson are fantastic, but the real highlight comes from Raffey Cassidy who knocks them out of the limelight most of the time. An incredible feat for a 12 year old actress!
The Bad
While the main cast are spectacular, the main antagonist, Hugh Laurie’s Nix, feels hugely underused. Considering he is set up early on, he doesn’t reappear for a good while, instead his robot minions – who alas, are human form and not yellow… - are used as the main threat for a big chunk of the storyline. Laurie’s character is an interesting one. His ideas and plans feel occasionally warranted but they aren’t explored as fully as they could or should have been. What starts out as an interesting villain, soon ends up a forgettable one.
And though the two halves of the film, the former, stunningly breathtaking spectacle, followed by the latter, poignant and thought provoking moral, are both interesting and well done on their own, together they affect the pacing of the 130 minute runtime. The latter half thus feels slightly more dragged out than the opening.
The Ugly Truth
Brad Bird brings his usual swooping visuals to a genuinely thought provoking story which will make you reflect on the state of our world today. It’s just a shame that the two don’t connect together so easily. At times it becomes clunky and unsure of itself, but when it works it’s a triumph.
Review by Johnny Ellis
Lionsgate Plan Now You See Me 3
Now You See Me somehow managed to magic up a $350 million worldwide box office haul, ensuring Lionsgate rushed ahead with a sequel. Seemingly confident that the combination of card tricks, Jessie Eisenberg and James Franco’s brother was a safe bet the studio defiantly ignored mostly lackluster reviews.
With Now You See Me 2 not yet in cinemas Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has officially confirmed that “We’ve already begun early planning for Now You See Me 3″.
Admittedly it’s hardy surprising given the success of the first film and heavy investment in the sequel that Lionsgate at least have some vague plan in place for how they might continue the franchise should the sequel pull a magic box office number out of it’s hat next summer.
Poltergeist Review
The Plot
After a family moves into a home that sits on a former cemetery, they soon become haunted by evil forces and must come together to save their youngest daughter when she’s taken captive.
The Good
Remaking a horror film as classic as Poltergeist was always going to be an idea which would provoke some worry. Released 33 years after the original, this remake does a perfectly fine job at updating it for modern audiences. The original story is still there, but with the addition of drones and a reality show ghost hunter in the form of Jared Harris to help things move along.
Thankfully it’s not a complete shot for shot remake and does actually try to bring something new to the story. One prime example being that when the family do start to take notice of the strange activities going on in their new not so humble abode, they start to work to get rid of it instantly, as apposed to, say, using your child as an experiment/plaything for the poltergeist (see the original for more…). With a plot that runs 20 minutes shorter, Poltergeist somehow manages to cram in more activity in than it’s predecessor. Though perhaps this might not have been the right way to go about it…
The Bad
Unfortunately it’s impossible to view Poltergeist without instantly bringing comparisons to the original, and because of this, it falls short. While it’s certainly brave of director Gil Kenan (Monster House) and writer David Lindsay-Abaire (Oz the Great and Powerful) to go a different way, the fact is that this remake barely constitutes a horror. Where the terror of the original came from the slow burning threat which is eventually paid off, this new version only manages to shock with the use of cheap jump scares.
The cast too don’t seem to be very invested or confident with the idea of it either. Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt make for simple and uninteresting characters that seem bored with the script. Meanwhile the biggest highlight of the child actors is Kennedi Clements (whose biggest previous credit includes Jingle All The Way 2…) and this is only really because she’s the unfortunate child who gets taken in by the ghouls.
The Ugly Truth
Poltergeist should be respected slightly for not trying too hard to stay exactly like it’s original and instead trying to bring something new to a classic. However all attempts that are made are scuppered by cheap jump scares and a bored script.
Review by Johnny Ellis