Since today is my birthday I thought I'd make a list of the Top 10 Best Birthday Moments from all different types of movies with some brilliant ideas of what to do and what not to do on your birthday. So sit back and enjoy some of the funniest, creepiest, scariest, and most adorable birthday moments in film!
The Bourne Legacy - aka the new Bourne movie sans Matt Damon - is actually a pretty decent continuation on the action packed thriller that made Damon a house-hold name.
Without the main hero headlining the sequel it might be construed as a huge Hollywood cash-grab. And to all who think so... you're absolutely right. Hollywood reminds us once again that you can never have too much of a "good thing."
What I liked about Legacy is the story is mingled in with the Bourne Ultimatum story-line, where Jason Bourne finally exposes the shadowy figures behind Blackbrier and Treadstone - the secret military programs that turned him from a simple soldier into a killing machine.
Director Tony Gilroy, one of the writers for the previous three Bournes, does a sound job here. I actually enjoyed the film. It doesn't plunge headlong into action, but instead takes its time to introduce its newest hero, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). Runner and doctor/scientist (played by Rachel Weisz), make a great team as two hunted souls who initially need each other for utilitarian reasons. While this movie isn't nearly as good as the first three films (duh) - there wasn't any cool "ah-ha" moments like Legacy's predecessors - the story still moves at a fast paste, the locations are stylishly shot and the action sequences are well executed, sans the finale motorbike chase scene on the streets of Manila. What was that?! That scene could have easily been cut in half or scraped altogether.
I'm sure they will continue the story a few years from now, and when they do I hope they bring back its star player. I could easily see Cross and Bourne teaming up.Wouldn't that be something?! RATING: C-
I've been waiting for this trailer for a while now. I'm glad it's finally here! Check out the first trailer for Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths. The comedy from the In Bruges writer and director reunites himself with actorColin Farrellwho plays a struggling screenwriter who inadvertently gets entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his two oddball friends (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken) kidnap a gangster's (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu. This looks like a fantastically fun, dark, hilarious comedy with great work from the entire cast. I definitively can't wait to see this one. Enjoy!
Martin McDonagh(In Bruges, great movie btw) wrote and directed this dark comedy. Along with the cast previously listed, the film also includes, Gabourey Sidibe, Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko. CBS Films will release Seven Psychopaths in theaters this fall, October 12, 2012.
Total Recall equals this summer'stotally unnecessary remake. Sure, this Sci-fi thriller has a few shining moments - neat visual effects, backed by one sexy cast, definitely an upgrade from the original. But when all is said and done, it’s totally forgettable. The action sequences, though cool at times, tried too hard to resemble the Bourne series. At times, I felt like I was watching a B-rate video game in slow-mo. There were too many action sequences and not enough mind games to balance them out.
Director Len Wiseman, who is married to Kate Beckinsale, made her an action star via the Underworld movies, and he continues that trend here. She is a total badass, Colin Farrell definitely needs a lot of help to keep his “wife” from completing her mission to destroy him.
While I was able to follow along (it's not rocket science), a little more clarity in regards to the plot-line would have been nice. Also, character development was lacking a bit. Sure, I wanted to good guys to prevail, but honestly, since I really couldn’t get attached to the characters, I really didn’t care what happen to any of them in the end.
Generally remakes are lazy, cynical attempts to cash in on nostalgia of past years and are usually irredeemably lame. This remake wasn't “lame” per se, but the fact that these movie producers and directors get paid millions on someone else’s idea is kind of annoying. Overall, I did enjoy this movie (it met my semi-low expectations), so it wasn’t a total waste of time, but it is a total renter at best. RATING: C-
In 2011, the talented and charming actor earned more than $53 million to reprise his iconic role as Capt. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This number is incredibly high, not to mention more than what most people will see in their lifetime much less for one single movie.
Previously the highest paycheck for a single movie had gone to Tom Hanks who received $50 million for his part in the Da Vinci Code. Clearly producers thought Depp was worth the steep price they paid for his quirky and unforgettable performance.
Considering the success of Pirates 4 it was a cost that certainly paid off at the box office - which has already grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Let's be honest, no one can imagine Pirates of the Caribbean without the slightly mad, but endlessly entertaining Capt. Jack Sparrow.
Depp's $53 million is, no doubt, extremely impressive, but another big player in film salaries is Tom Cruise. He may not be able to match Depp’s huge paycheck for a single movie, but according to Forbes 2012, he is the highest-paid actor. With all the movies he is in, Tom Cruise averages $75 million a year - not too shabby. Just below him is one of my favorite actors,Leonard DiCaprio, who pulls in an impressive $37 million a year.Depp comes in 6th place making $30 million a year. For the full list click here.
We definitely haven't see the last of Capt. Jack Sparrow. Pirates 5 will most likely be released in 2014. I wonder how big his paycheck will be this time around.
"I don't know what space exploration will uncover, but I don't think it'll be exploration just for the sake of exploration. I think it'll be more the fact that it allows us to see things. That maybe we should have seen a long time ago. But just haven't been able to until now."
Some of the scenes were filmed at the Coachella Festival in 2017, where Lady Gaga was the first female headliner in ten years. Festival-goers paid ten dollars to see the scenes being filmed, although recording devices were locked away to prevent any footage being leaked.
I feel film matters because we use it to tell stories about who we are as a society. They are a record of what makes us human and what concerns us in our everyday lives. Film has the power to transform emotions and it gives us opportunities to expand our horizons. It has the power to connect us to a whole new world outside our own. It's magical. Moreover, film is the most prevalent form of communication and entertainment in the postmodern world. Even while we are mindlessly absorbed in a favorite entertaining past time, we are subtly and unconsciously washed with layers of cultural values. Some films are fleeting entertainment while others are truly magnificent, dazzling, thought-provoking works of art.
Long Live Film!