After taking on the enormous task of directing a live-action Cinderella film, Kenneth Branagh has decided to take on a new challenge. Variety reports that Branagh will direct an adaptation of popular young adult novel Artemis Fowl for Disney, a project that has been in the Disney pipeline for a while. Branagh will direct and produce (along with Harvey …
After American Sniper was the biggest box office draw of 2014, it seems anyone will pay to see Bradley Cooper in uniform again. Deadline reports Cooper is set to produce Ghost Army, a World War II story about an agency tasked with feeding the Nazis fake intelligence about the actual number of American troops, with the …
We find ourselves in a time and place where the voice of feminism has never been louder. Issues like Gamer Gate, sexism in Cosplay, a woman’s right to an opinion on fantasy, comics, or horror, as well as a myriad of issues outside the realm of pop culture like slut shaming, and blame for being …
Cinderella is a refreshing callback to the unabashed costume epics of the past, when story and aesthetic held equal sway over ambitious filmmakers. Director Kenneth Branagh and his production team luxuriate in breathtaking sets, opulent costumes, and impeccable special effects while still keeping the old-fashioned story of courage and kindness at center stage. Yes, it would have been nice to see a little more cellulite and gumption from our heroine, but it’s hard to complain about a movie that so thoroughly delivers on spectacle and heart. Lush, extravagant, and painfully earnest, Disney’s Cinderella is a worthy adaptation of its classic predecessor. In fact, it’s quite wonderful.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Written by Adam Cozad and David Koepp Directed by Kenneth Branagh USA, 2014 To say that Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit could be worse is both true and damning with the faintest of praise. This reboot of the famous character created by the late Tom Clancy is almost aggressively generic, an uninspired …
No one probably would have expected Kenneth Branagh’s follow up to Henry V to be a black and white, neo-noir, dark romance with gut-wrenching psychological thrills. Dead Again is equal parts suspense and supernatural puzzles but also a very strange send up to classic Hollywood and Hitchcock.
Acting and directing categories during awards seasons are always the hardest to determine. Who to choose and what for film is a constant battle, not to mention who deserves to be nominated. Between the veteran nominees (Clooney, Streep, Scorcese) to newbies in the awards season (Fassbender, Refn and Oldman (!)), let’s see who deserves a …
My Week with Marilyn Written by Adrian Hodges Directed by Simon Curtis UK/USA, 2011 My Week with Marilyn’s key strength, and obvious biggest point of interest for most viewers, is Michelle Williams’ turn as Monroe. Williams excels at portraying various facets of Monroe’s star image omnipresent in pop culture, but the quality of the performance …
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Directed by Chris Columbus
Written by Steve Kloves
USA, 2002
Director Chris Columbus returned with the second Harry Potter installment a year after the first’s release. As a film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a marked improvement over first installment. It’s not even close to being perfect and it has gone down greatly in my estimation since when I first saw the film in the theatre. However there is enough good stuff in there to make it an adequate Harry Potter film while not really holding up when compared to the films following it.
Thor Directed by Kenneth Branagh Written by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and John Payne 2011, USA In a strange twist of fate, Branagh brings a Shakespearean edge to Thor, perhaps the silliest and consequently, the most difficult of all the Avengers superheroes to bring to the screen. Though he does not entirely overcome the silliness …
Two new TV spots for Marvel Studios’ Thor has been released. If your like me and you don’t watch TV, you have to rely on the internet to catch all these promotional clips. There is a bit of footage previously seen in the trailers but not much. Still might be worth a look for hardcore …
Variety reports that Cate Blanchett is set to star as Lady Edwina Mountbatten in Joe Wright’s Indian Summer. The film will follow the critical events during India’s Independence from England. Lord Mountbatten (with Edwina in tow) is sent to oversee the transfer of power to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the summer of …