Doug Liman still eager for Jumper Sequel

Director Doug Liman has a track record for inventive and original storytelling. From his breakthrough success with Swingers through hits like Mr & Mrs Smith and The Bourne Identity. His latest film Edge of Tomorrow is an ambitious science fiction action epic that stars Tom Cruise in a plot that features time travel and an apocalyptic alien invasion.

Speaking at a preview screening in London Liman was asked whether or not he would still be interested in a sequel to Jumper, the intriguing but commercial unsuccessful effort. Here’s what he had to say about the prospect of a Jumper 2:

I have a lot of ideas for a sequel to Jumper. To me of all my film’s that’s the one I didn’t get quite right. But I’m very good at learning from my mistakes and growing. Most people won’t know this but I made a film before Swingers that didn’t quite work out. But I learnt form that and I brought what I learnt to Swingers. I’m very good at being an honest critic of myself and what I can do better. A lot of what I learnt from Jumper I then applied to Edge of Tomorrow. It is an Arena I’d love to go back to.

The original 2008 film starred Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson and Samuel L. Jackson. It explored the intriguing possibilities of teleportation but failed to capture audience imaginations. Although representing a rare box office disappointment for Liman, some fans have long speculated that with an improved script and updated cast it might still have franchise potential. Though it may still be a little premature for Hayden Christensen’s agent to start dusting of the telephone…

 

300: Rise of an Empire Review

The Plot:

A brave general Themistokles leads a band of inexperienced Greek warriors against the vast armies of the invading Persian Empire led by the depraved god-king Xerxes and Artemisia, the vengeful female commander of the feared Persian navy. Once again the defendant stand of a small band of warriors helps inspire the emerging Greek nation to stand up against a daunting tide of evil.  

The Good:

Those who perhaps found the original 2006 film 300 too horrifically violent may find the sequel’s commercially motivated move towards more teen friendly cartoonish action a welcome shift. Despite the near constant tide of death and graphic dismemberment, the film shouldn’t bother even squeamish audiences too much. The gushing spurts of CGI blood are so big and obviously fake that they ironically serve to conceal anything genuinely gory or unpleasant. The violence looks and feels more like a video game than the real horrors of ancient war. The film is too preoccupied with looking stylish to ever be genuinely terrifying or emotionally tense.

Eva Green is a captivating redeeming feature; almost single handily keeping this film watchable, despite some of its more obvious failings. Armed with a naturally piercing gaze and a dangerously sly smirk she is a seductively menacing presence. It’s rare and almost unique to find a villainess so genuinely ruthless and imposing on screen. The film even does her character the justice of giving her a credible backstory. In truth the film would almost have been better off focusing exclusively on her character’s story in its own right.

Such is the strength of Eva Green’s screen presence that not even gratuitous nudity or outlandish CGI blood splatters can obscure the quality of her performance. Of course a teenage target audience will almost certainly welcome Eva Green nudity even more than the endless slow motion fight sequences.

The Bad:

Leading man Sullivan Stapleton lacks the brutal macho charisma of Gerard Butler’s iconic portrayal of brave but doomed Sparta King Leonidas. Likewise the film’s supporting cast of Greek warriors feel at times like the poor muscle deprived cousins of the original film’s Spartan heroes. The 2006 original boasted a convincingly rugged cast that included Dominic West and Michael Fassbender. Skins star Jack O’Connell for example is a far less convincing shirtless soldier and sadly feels like a poor man’s substitute for more familiar faces.

The main problem for 300 Rise of an Empire is that it confusingly positions itself as a companion piece to the 2006 film, rather than just a straightforward sequel. The muddled timeline sees the story mostly unfold alongside the plot of the original film and frequently jump to older events to explain its elaborate backstory.

300 was a box office phenomenon which understandably left the studio and perhaps fans eager for more. But as a story it couldn’t have been more self-contained. Few endings are ever more definitive than everyone dying. Rise of an Empire struggles to reimagine the original plot and heavy handily add new characters with fresh excuses for slow motion fighting. Anyone unfamiliar with the first film will be a little bemused by the constant contrived references to what the never seen Leonidas and his 300 men are actually up to. Even the characters that do return, like Lena Headey’s Spartan Queen Gorgo and evil Persian warlord Xerxes, have little screen time or impact.

The Ugly Truth:

300: Rise of An Empire recreates the stylized look of Zack Snyder’s 2006 effort but fails to quite capture its angry macho magic. A superb villainous display from Eva Green rescues the film from being lost at sea. As a sequel the film essentially repeats the successful formula and plot of the original whilst making little changes beyond moving the action sequences onto the sea for a series of similar navel battles.

Overall devoted fans of the original will be pleased to see an unlikely sequel finally come to life, but it won’t win over those who don’t appreciate Zack Snyder’s trademark comicbook visuals.

Official Trailer below:

Paddington Bear Teaser Trailer

Here’s the first official teaser trailer for the forthcoming big screen adventures of Paddington Bear, the much beloved duffle coat wearing creation of classic children’s author Michael Bond.  Fusing live action and CGI the film will be based on an original screenplay rather than any of Paddington’s familiar adventures, with Mighty Boosh’s Paul King taking the helm to direct.

As the trailer is eager to remind us, Harry Potter producer David Heyman is also on board to help steer the iconic character into cinemas and the hearts of children worldwide. Check out your first glimpse of the bear in the hat below:

Oscars 2014 Full Winners List

The 86th Academy Awards ceremony took place in Hollywood tonight celebrating another amazing year in cinema. With  Gravity, 12 Years A Slave, and Dallas Buyers Club leading a competitive field of nominees here’s the full list of 2014 Academy Award winners below:

BEST PICTURE – 12 Years A Slave

BEST DIRECTOR – Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity

BEST ACTOR – Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ACTRESS – Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – Her

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – 12 Years A Slave

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years A Slave

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ANIMATED FILM – Frozen

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Gravity

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – 20 Feet From Stardom

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT – The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

BEST FILM EDITING – Gravity

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – The Great Beauty Italy

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING – Dallas Buyers Club

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE) - Gravity

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG) – Let It Go 

ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN – The Great Gatsby

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM – Mr Hublot

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM – Helium

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING – Gravity

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING –  Gravity

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS – Gravity

Oscars 2014 Winners Predictions

Tonight the 86th Academy Awards ceremony take place in Hollywood celebrating another amazing year in cinema. With 12 Years A Slave, Gravity, American Hustle and Dallas Buyers Club leading a competitive field Red Carpet News makes our predictions for each an ever Oscars category below.

BEST PICTURE – 12 Years a Slave
With Gravity set to inevitably sweep the technical awards and David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook having been so well reward just last year, the conventional wisdom is that 12 Year A Slave has the edge for Best Film. Always a competitive category with nine deserving nominees, but arguable it represents the most obvious way for the Academy voters to acknowledge the significance of 12 Years A Slave and the issues it boldly explores.

BEST DIRECTOR – Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Having laboured for seven years to bring Gravity to the screen with ground-breaking 3D visual effect the expectation is that Best Director will be Alfonso Cuaron’s ultimate reward, following the tide of seemingly inevitable technical awards. David O. Russell’s win last year and Steve McQueen’s apparent refusal to actively campaign for Oscar glory may cost them both well-deserved statues.

BEST ACTOR – Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey is widely accepted as the front runner thanks to both an astonishing performance and recent career revival. Having briefly abandoned credible dramatic roles for the relative box office comfort of generic romantic comedies and lazy action efforts, McConaughey has redefined himself with a series of impressive displays. Indie drama MUD, a scene stealing cameo in Wolf of Wall Street and HIV drama Dallas Buyers Club should cumulatively earn McConaughey the ultimate pat on the back from an impressed Academy.

It’s unwise to entirely rule out DiCaprio thanks to a visceral crowd pleasing display in Wolf of Wall Street and Chiwetel Ejiofor could still grab personal recognition for his prominent work in 12 Years A Slave.

BEST ACTRESS – Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Having swept awards season with her flawless display in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, the only thing seemingly standing in the way of another Blanchett acceptance speech is the recent media controversy surrounding Woody Allen’s family. The Academy is expected to be largely immune to tabloid drama but if it does deter voters in any way Sandra Bullock looks the most likely to profit from it.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – Her  
Spike Jonez unique love story Her might have been widely overlooked but it remains a frontrunner over American Hustle and the rest of the field in the best original screenplay category.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – 12 Years a Slave
This category is perhaps the most secure win for 12 Years A Slave. Giving the Academy an easy route to compensating for potentially overlooking Steve McQueen’s harrowing slavery biopic in other categories like best actor and director. Best Adapted Screenplay is a clear nod that suitably honours the important subject matter dealt with and the sheer importance of telling this story.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
A far less certain category than many may assume in truth it’s a  painfully close race between newcomer Lupita Nyong’o and Hollywood’s undisputed golden girl Jennifer Lawrence. Though many assume that Jennifer’s best actress win last year for her previous David O. Russell film will prevent her being rewarded a second time so quickly, it’s simply impossible to underestimate just how beloved the gorgeous American Hustle star is. Her scene stealing microwave destroying could still easily grab her back to back statues.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Jared Leto’s beautifully brittle performance as an AIDS afflicted transsexual is virtually certain to have secured him an Oscar. Aside from being merely an accomplished display of method acting talent it’s also by far the most likeable performance in this category with main competition Barkhad Abdi and Michael Fassbender playing various degrees of villain.

BEST ANIMATED FILM – Frozen
Sadly for the superb Despicable Me 2 it seems impossible to imagine that Disney global box-office phenomenon Frozen will not secure an admittedly well-deserved win. With sing-along screenings already sweeping through cinemas it’s simply too big a pop-cultural phenomenon to fail, particularly given the obvious campaigning power of Disney.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Gravity
It’s barely worth discussing why Gravity will collect a cluster of technical awards this year, beyond acknowledging that the investment of time and technical expertise deserves to be celebrated as much as possible.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby
Baz Lurhman’s intricate and extravagant production of classic prohibition era tale The Great Gatsby boasted astonishing costume work and production design as its main redeeming features. Although the film overall had its flaws, the look and texture of the stylized fantasy world it created was faultless. 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – The Act of Killing
Few documentaries in recent memory have such provocative subject matter. The Act of Killing challenges Indonesian death squad leaders to re-enact their mass-killings in cinematic their chosen cinematic genres. The hype and controversial acclaim heaped on the film around the world may give it the killer edge over more feel-good contenders like 20 Feet from Stardom.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT – The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
The inspirational tale of 109 year old, Alice Herz Sommer, the world’s oldest pianist and Holocaust survivor should be a clear winner. A poignant example of just what a short film is capable of and precisely the kind of untold story they often illuminate.

BEST FILM EDITING – Gravity
Gravity should mop up in almost every technical category thanks to an impressive assembly of skill and composition. Combining tension, action and complex visual effects should make Best Editing another one of those badges of honour.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – The Great Beauty Italy
Writer/Director Paolo Sorrentino’s lavish tale has collected an impressive 21 awards form the 24 nominations it has already received this awards season. It’s a powerful tale of an aging playboy seeking more profound beauty after a lifetime of hedonistic pleasures. Starring Toni Servillo and captivating audiences around the world, it should now add an Oscar to its long list of deserved accomplishments.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING – Dallas Buyers Club
With American Hustle out of the running Dallas Buyers Club should have the credible advantage over unlikely also-rans Bad Grandpa and The Lone Ranger. It’s hard to imagine the academy giving an actual award to the technical team behind Johnny Knoxville’s prosthetic old man testicles or Johnny Depp’s dead bird hat.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE) - Gravity Steven Price
Gravity is assured wins for its visual effects magic, but it also has a very strong chance of securing an award for its well-judged soundtrack.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG) - “Let It Go” from Frozen
Frozen is a musical so wildly popular it has inspired the instant creation of special sing-along screenings. Let It Go is the triumphant high point in that impressive musical arsenal. Pharrell William’s toe tapping Despicable Me 2 theme Happy would also prove a popular winner. But as in the best animated category it’s hard to see much beyond the phenomenal and contagious success of Frozen. 

ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN – The Great Gatsby
Though The Great Gatsby didn’t quite bottle magic it did represent an impressive achievement in key areas such as make-up and production design. The beauty and extravagance of Scott F. Fitzgerald’s classic work was brought to life in a complex theatrical way which took full advantage of the lush 3D visual.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM – Get a Horse!
Disney’s short not only accompanies likely Best Animated winner Frozen but also represents a celebration of both the past and the future of animation by the studio most responsible or pioneering the medium. Making Get A Horse! a clear favourite to follow in Frozen’s award winning footsteps.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM – The Voorman Problem
The likeable star power of Martin Freeman and Tom Hollander combined with a clever philosophical subject matter makes a best short victory likely for The Voorman Problem.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING – Gravity 
Beneath all the visual magic that made Gravity an exhilarating thrill ride was a deft use of both sound and silence. Yet another almost certain technical award for the year’s most obviously stellar technical achievement.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING – Gravity
In space nobody can hear you scream… unless you’re Sandra Bullock, thanks to superb sound mixing from the impeccable technical talents behind Gravity.

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS – Gravity
Tim Webber and the dedicated team behind Gravity’s spectacular space drama have justifiably swept the board at other awards and will no doubt be adding the ultimate prize to their bursting trophy cabinet come Oscar night.