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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.
History’s Clock Never Stops Ticking
The present and the future becomes the past in a hurry.
Having said that, Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming World War II epic Dunkirk about the past during the mid-1940s is a heroic present for the 21st-century future.
400,00 men. 933 ships. 9 days.
The harrowing events portrayed in the film Dunkirk strive to capture the legitimately incomprehensible odds Allied soldiers faced against the merciless German army during World War II on the beaches of France. Incredibly, the battlefields of World War II may never be seen again in the context of the three figures listed above. Wars, throughout time, have contained many threads of commonality with innovative changes and strategies according to the century and respective technological advancements. Still, the magnitude of the Battle of Dunkirk is still staggering.
And it’s that reality of history, the scale of the Battle of Dunkirk, that sparks curious intrigue for Mr. Nolan’s first filmmaking venture into an event during a historic war that defined the 20th-century. Beyond Dunkirk being the first war film by Mr. Nolan, which is an exciting moment as a directorial benchmark and cinematic reference point, one of the storytelling gifts the aforementioned director gives movie fans is the skill to scale a moviegoing experience onto the largest IMAX screen while simultaneously grounding the story and characters in deeply intimate struggles (internal and external) with powerful acts of heroism, defeat, and mystery.
And mind-bending surprises in the finale.
Or, in another word, prestige.
Christopher Nolan’s Epic (Cinematic) War Takes Shape
The first full trailer for THE movie of this summer has arrived…
In a word: Dunkirk.
Director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan and BFF soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer appear ready to deliver yet another cinematic epic. The ticking clock at the beginning of the trailer and the ominous heartbeat at the end of the trailer signals an unrelentingly gritty war movie with just the slightest bit of hope barely visible in a living hell that will require the ultimate sacrifice, courage and cleverness to merely survive through the greatest obstacles of the body and the mind.
Welcome to Christopher Nolan’s first war movie: Stunning visuals rooted in realism, practical effects galore, brilliant writing with twists-and-turns and a supreme cast with the underrated wild card (cough cough Harry Styles). And being a film by Mr. Nolan, rest assured that there will a mind-bending aspect attached. How or what will it be?
As the cinema fan Christopher Nolan himself would say, “That’s why we go to the movies…to experience a film that connects with us on a deeply curious and enlightening level.”
And experience Dunkirk I will.
There’s Plenty of Time to Wonder…
7 months and counting.
The first cinematic treatment for Wonder Woman (not counting a TV movie) is set to hit movie theaters on June 2, 2017. Yes, that’s 7 months away. And yet, incredibly, the intrigue for this groundbreaking film won’t lose intensity between now and then. The amazing Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) and visionary director Patty Jenkins are leading this game-changing superhero film in an industry that’s currently dominated by male superheroes. The pop culture history, significance and impact of Superman and Batman (as just two examples) is remarkable and surreal.
These superheroes are societal icons.
Having said that, women and young girls need a superhero and icon akin to Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent on the big screen and in toy stores to directly relate to. Thankfully, that day will be arriving soon. Until next June, please check out the brand new trailer for Wonder Woman.
This trailer lasso together a wonderful truth:
Wonder Woman will change the world in amazing ways we cannot (and can) imagine.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 