Blog Archives
1 Ticket Will Transport You to the Peril of 400,000
War is hell.
But the new film Dunkirk (an epic war story set for release this week) has been viewed as heavenly by movie critics regarding its acting veterans and young newcomers, storytelling dynamics and daring cinematic achievements involving practical effects in the air, on the land and in the sea.
Famed director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan explained his first ambitious journey into framing and telling a real story from history.
Having followed the inception of this film (I had to) concerning the earliest reports of what Mr. Nolan was up to following his 2014 science-fiction epic Interstellar, the fragmented bits of information that were revealed throughout the past couple years that a war film was the director’s next venture was genuinely thrilling. This news was before any IMAX cameras were reserved by his production team. And as Mr. Nolan says in the video interview above, Dunkirk strives to be an experience wherein the silver screen offers no barrier for the audience from feeling the intense action sequences being projected on said screen.
Dunkirk portrays a hellish ordeal for 400,000 Allied soldiers. For history’s sake, that’s a good thing and precisely what Mr. Nolan was aiming for with his brand new cinematic epic on a massive scale.
War is hell. However, if the events of Dunkirk had turned out differently, then something much larger than a solitary war would’ve become hell.
For that reason alone, people should see Christopher Nolan’s newest film centered on that surreal, and historically consequential, evacuation effort.
Zimmer’s Super 8
Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated World War II epic Dunkirk doesn’t premiere in movie theaters for a couple weeks.
Lucky for us, one of the songs for the forthcoming war film by composer Hans Zimmer made its way out of enemy gun fire, via WaterTower Music (ie- Warner Bros.).
What is it with famed directors and composers and the word “super” and the number 8 (think J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg and Michael Giacchino of the science-fiction thriller Super 8)?
At 8-minutes in length (8:03, to be precise), the titled track, “Supermarine” is everything you’d expect from a Hans Zimmer-Christopher Nolan collaboration. That’s an intense, emotionally climbing tempo with a larger-than-life feeling that puts you squarely into the action projected on silver screens so immersive as to blur the line between the film and reality.
This is the point where you’re itching to play the song again. Go ahead. I’m doing the same thing. And if the soundtrack is already this powerfully engrossing, just imagine what the action sequences are that this music was acutely designed for…let alone the sound of the remaining soundtrack.
Mr. Nolan and Mr. Zimmer seem poised to present war cinematically and musically we haven’t yet seen and heard experienced.
As if “Supermarine” isn’t enough of a clue to confirm that declaration.
2049 Will Be Here Before You Know It
Science fiction was redefined with Ridley Scott’s 1982 cinematic benchmark Blade Runner.
Later this year, in October of 2017 (or 2049 in movie years), the highly-anticipated sequel will arrive in movie theaters. Blade Runner 2049s trailers have revealed that Harrison Ford will return to be a prominent player in the new story. Mr. Ford’s portrayal as Rick Deckard is iconic. In the overarching movie universe, Rick Deckard doesn’t receive equal fandom to Han Solo or Indiana Jones. To be fair, Han Solo and Indiana Jones are simply on a higher level. That’s a fact. However, in science fiction circles, Rick Deckard is not only a household name, but a beloved character among fans.
That’s also a fact. With past generations and new generations expected to buy tickets to the sequel this October, Rick Deckard’s cultural influence will only grow with Blade Runner 2049.
The original Blade Runner is a strange, entertainingly wild and curious journey into a world that has inspired science fiction films throughout the past few decades. And yet its stunning visuals and dark city setting in a dystopian future remains distinctly original. Thankfully, the practical effects (when possible) appear to be the storytelling preference for director Denis Villeneuve and his team. Interestingly, Warner Bros. Pictures decided that, in an effort to promote Blade Runner 2049, they would create a nearly 4-minute video that takes fans inside the making of this film.
A recent “making of” video with cast and production team interviews, plus bonus footage, released months before the theatrical release?
What?
The old rules for marketing films has, for sometime now (as explored many times on Jimmy’s Daily Planet), been increasingly dissolved in favor of teasing disclosures and a long, long train of intrigue. Thus far, this extended promotional strategy appears to have worked for recent blockbusters (Interstellar, Jurassic World, Star Wars, etc.). This “Time to Live” featurette for Blade Runner 2049 is, even in the “nothing is private anymore” era, pushing the envelope for cinematic marketing.
Judge for yourself.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel very strongly about the following:
I want that Frank Sinatra singing hologram machine!
Oh, and Blade Runner 2049 (yes, I’ll say it alongside cast member Dave Bautista) looks better than the original.
Only the future will tell in 2049 on October 6, 2017.
The Impossible Will Become Possible in the Next Mission: Impossible
Until Mission Impossible 6 (title TBD) premieres in theaters, every fan of the action-packed franchise will be cruising around Tom for any exciting details concerning those always exhilerating, death-defying stunts.
Exhibit A: TV host Graham Norton during his recent interview with the aforementioned actor.
Credit Graham Norton for his effort to try to pry any type of detail about Mr. Cruise’s forthcoming stunt guaranteed to shock us all in the best ways imaginable. We all want to know. Well, we don’t want to know, but instead we want to see something incredibly risky. That’s the business us fans are in.
Remember when he scaled the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol?
How does Tom Cruise top that?
As the Mission Impossible 6 producer disclosed in the first video above, it seems like Mr. Cruise is literally preparing to accomplish such a (mysterious) mind-blowing feat. Attempting to wrap my head around it still seems impossible.
I suppose that’s part of the mission of these action movies.
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