Stephen Daldry Trash Poster
Check out the first official one sheet poster for Trash, the new film from Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry. Set in Brazil the film follows three kids who make an astonishing discovery in a garbage dump soon find themselves running from the cops while trying to right a terrible wrong. The film also stars Martin Sheen and Rooney Mara, set for a release in January 2015.
Official International trailer here as well, although be warned it may test your foreign language skills:
Alleluia Review
The Plot
Smooth, sophisticated hustler, Michel (Laurent Lucas) meets his match when he tries to woo single mother, Gloria (Lola Duenas) out of her money. After she offers to stay with him and help him flatter other women out of their money, Michel soon finds that his new found partner in crime may be crazier and more lethally dangerous than he ever expected.
The Good
Alleluia begins almost like a pleasant romance as Gloria is forced into a date with a Michel after they meet online. But as act one (of four) ends, things take a sudden sinister turn and Duenas’ character makes an incredible transformation, quickly becoming barely recognizable as the unsure single mother she started out as. As each act progresses to the next, with Michel moving onto his next target, Gloria becomes increasingly unstable and deranged as she struggle with having to watch the man she loves romancing other women.
Whilst Laurent Lucas is just as talented an actor as his co-star, his effortless seduction techniques are somewhat upstaged by Duenas. Together they make a great team, with the chemistry between the two displayed naturally. But when looking at the two main stars singularly, Duenas’ Gloria is surely the dominant half of their on screen partnership. Her conversion from single, insecure parent to controlling, powerful killer is performed so subtly and yet so suddenly, leaving the audience suitably sunned. Thinking back to the film’s opening scene will leave audiences bemused how things slipped so quickly and subtly into nightmarish horror.
Director Fabrice du Welz accompanies this beautifully, approaching the violence with a ‘less is more’ attitude for the most part, with emphasis on the ‘more’. For while violent scenes are relatively gore free, du Welz still manages to make the experience as shocking as possible.
The Bad
A few problems with the script does bring Alleluia down a touch. Certain scenes and events just don’t seem to have been thought out as clearly as they should have been. The major one being an out of the blue musical performance by Duenas as she serenades her lover. Although it manages to finish with a fantastic bit of dark humour, the scene still feels out of place and somewhat distracting as an unexpected and inexplicable sudden shift in tone.
Just as confusing is the way in which Gloria’s daughter is swept out of the story in one simple scene which seems rushed to some degree. Almost as if the writer had forgotten that the young girl couldn’t fit into the rest of the story at a certain point and so quickly went back and slotted in a few lines of dialogue without thinking it through.
As well as this, Lucas’ character development seems rather unrealistic in regards to his reaction to Gloria’s horrific transformation. This is partly why Gloria’s development feels so shocking by the films end, as Michel appears to let her get away with an awful lot before he even attempts to do something about it. And when he does wake up to the fact that Gloria is essentially sabotaging each and every hustle he tries, his initial attempt at solving the problem is so incredibly feeble.
The Ugly Truth
Lola Duenas is the undisputed star of the show, with Gloria’s psychotic transformation quickly proving the film’s captivating main attraction, as she dramatically overpowers the film’s supposed villain in every way. Whilst Alleluia is not without it’s odd and uneven moments, overall it’s still an entertaining watch with some light touches of dark humour.
Jackie Chan wants major Expendables 4 Role
Having missed out on appearing in The Expendables 3 due to a clash with his commitments to film Chinese Zodiac, Jackie Chan has emphatically reiterated his desire to have a major role in planed sequel The Expendables 4. Speaking to Red Carpet News in London during a rare visit to the UK, Jackie confirmed that he would not be satisfied with just a brief cameo in the ensemble action franchise but would clearly be enthusiastic about working with Sylvester Stallone.
Interview clip below:
What If Review
The Plot
When recently single Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan) he feels an instant connection. However, when she reveals she has a boyfriend, Wallace agrees to just be friends. But can a boy and girl really stay just friends…?
The Good
It’s been 3 years since the Harry Potter franchise ended but to most fans, Daniel Radcliffe will always be the Boy Who Lived in their eyes. What if being his third film since Deathly Hallows Part 2 (after The Woman In Black and Kill Your Darlings) it seems to be quite clear that Radcliffe wants us to know that he is more than just a one hit wonder. Well more than an eight movie mega franchise hit wonder. With horror and thriller safely under his belt, Radcliffe’s latest gives him the chance to show his talent in the romantic comedy genre. And he does not disappoint.
A lot of the success in this is due to the great chemistry between not only Wallace and his best friend Allan (Adam Driver), but also the Sally to Wallace’s Harry, Chantry (Zoe Kazan). Driver brings the goofy side of the romantic comedy effortlessly whether by his excitement over post-coital nachos or his clearly thought out advice for Wallace. Kazan on the other hand helps bring a fantastic friendship to life as she and Radcliffe own the screen together. The element that works best in What If is easily the script. The dialogue flows throughout the film naturally, never leaving a dull moment.
Although the basic premise of What If is superficially similar to films like When Harry Met Sally or Friends With Benefits, it actually does a fine job at striving to avoid overly familiar cliches and delivers something fresh,funny and sweetly sincere.
The Bad
There’s nothing particularly awful that can be said about What If, though despite it’s best efforts, ultimately it can’t entirely escape rom-com familiarity and inevitable comparisons to timeless classic When Harry Met Sally. Dealing with the dilemma of maintaining purely platonic friendships between men and women, the film reaches predictable if satisfying conclusions.
The Ugly Truth
What If is a When Harry Met Sally for the new generation of romance. With a great chemistry running between the cast and plenty of chuckles to be had, it’s certainly not a bad way to spend a couple of hours. It delivers something fresh and satisfying, making it easily one of the very best recent additions to the rom-com genre.
Daniel Radcliffe in depth interview below from the What if Premiere press conference in London:
Jackie Chan wants Brett Ratner or Will Smith to direct Karate Kid 2
Speaking to Red Carpet News during a recent appearance at the BFI in London martial arts superstar Jackie Chan confirmed that while he won’t direct the American set sequel to The Karate Kid due to his lack of cultural understanding, he’d welcome either frequent collaborate Brett Ratner or Will Smith as directors.
With Ratner recently resurgent thanks to achieving a box office hit with Hercules and production stalled on Rush Hour 4 in lieu of a workable script, h seems like the most viable candidate to replace recently departed Breck Eisner following planned rewrites of its script for The Karate Kid 2. However Will Smith would be a more surprising choice in the director chair.
Interview clip below: