The Evolution of Film from 1878 to 2014

Source: SlashFilm

Check out this stellar video on the evolution of film spanning from 1878 to 2014. It's pretty impressive to see how far the film industry has come. And with the advancement of technology, movies now-a-days are able to reach cinematic highs. But whether it's the jump from silent films to talkies, hand drawn animation to computer animation, or 2D to 3D, there is always something new on the horizon, making the movie experience even better. Enjoy! 

For for full list of movies click here.  The creator of this video, Scott Ewing adds;

This montage began as a labor of love and quickly became an obsession of mine. Many days and hours were spent researching clips, downloading and editing. The following montage chronicles the evolution of film from its conception in 1878 by Edward J. Muybridge to the Lumiere brothers in 1895. Georges Melies a trip to the moon in 1902 was a total game changer and from there we go to the first theatrical releases starting in 1920-2014 … this portion of the montage is chronological.

There are some notable films which are absent from the montage such as the Great Train Robbery (1903), The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) and Birth of a Nation (1915). These and many others were either impossible to find or did not fit in with the creative direction of the montage. And for those who might notice, There is also a Dumb and Dumber (1994) dancing clip between Tropic Thunder and 500 Days of Summer...this was intentional I assure you.

Exodus: Gods and Kings Trailer

Source: Firstshowing

 "Let's just see who's more effective at killing."

The very first trailer for Exodus: Gods and Kings is here at last. Director Ridley Scott is back at it again with another period piece. Let's just hope he brought his Gladiator A-game this time. I really, really want this to be a phenomenal movie, but after seeing this teaser-trailer, I have a few reservations.  It sort of feels like an expensive stage play, staring Batman, ahem Christian Bale. But I could be wrong (I really hope I am wrong).  The production and visuals look stunning. We shall see.  Take a look...

Exodus: Gods and Kings is directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Robin Hood, Alien, Blade Runner) and written by Adam Cooper & Bill Collage (Tower Heist, Accepted), with a rewrite by Steve Zaillian (American Gangster, Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). The film follows the biblical story of Moses' (Christian Bale) life from his adoption by Egyptian royals through his revolution against Pharaoh Ramses II (Joel Edgerton). Aaron Paul, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro and Sigourney Weaver also star in the film. 20th Century Fox brings this film to theaters on December 12, 2014.

What's your take?...

Unbroken Trailer

Source: Firsthowing

"The light will always follow darkness." 

The trailer I've been waiting for is finally here, and it looks phenomenal. From sophomore director Angelina Jolie comes Unbroken, an incredible true story based on the late Louis Zamperini's life, who recently passed away.  I fell in love with the book written by Laura Hillenbrand of the same name, and was thrilled to hear they were adapting this inspirational, World War II story into a motion picture. This Christmas we will get to see Louis' incredible survival story of how he lived on a raft for 47 days after his plane crashed, which left him stranded in the middle of the war zone, only to be captured by the Japanese Navy. I can't wait to see it!  Take a look...

 

Angelina Jolie (who last directed In the Land of Blood and Honey) directs Unbroken as her sophomore filmmaking effort, also producing the film which has a script writtenby William Nicholson (Les Misérables) and Richard LaGravenese (Behind the Candelabra), later rewritten by Joel and Ethan Coen and based on Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling novel. The will to push through any obstacle, the drive to not give into defeat. The epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII—only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Universal will release Unbroken on Christmas Day, this year.

Are you as excited to see this as I am?

David Fincher's Full Trailer for Gone Girl

Source: Firstshowing  

"This man of mine might kill me."

20th Century Fox has finally debuted the second official trailer for David Fincher's adaptation of Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and  Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy Dunne.  I was a huge fan of the book by Gillian Flynn of the same title, but I am an even bigger fan of director David Fincher, so you can bet this movie will be nothing short of spectacular.  I will say, though, I half expected this trailer to be a little more sleek, more haunting/alluring and a ton more captivating, but regardless this movie is bound to blow. your. mind. 

Gone Girl is directed by the phenomenal David Fincher (Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Zodiac, Panic Room, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo previously) and written by Gillian Flynn, based on her own best-selling novel of the same name. In a story primarily told in flashbacks, Rosamund Pike plays a wife who goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, and her husband (Ben Affleck) becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. Also starting: Scoot McNairy, Neil Patrick Harris, Missi Pyle, Patrick Fugit, Emily Ratajkowski, and Tyler Perry. The murder mystery hits theaters on October 2, 2014. And  I'm even told the movie will have a different ending from the book. 

Worth your time?

Transformers: Age of Extinction Review

There are always five basic cinematic trademarks to every Michael Bay movie: product placement, neon lights, slow-motion action sequences, hot babes and lest we forget... explosions. No Michael Bay movie would be complete without that self-indulgent flair. And you can bet the 165 minute never. ending. story., based on the beloved children’s cartoons in the 80's, had exactly that.

I really wanted to like Transformers: Age of Extinction, but in the end I just wanted it to be over.  It was a wise decision, though, to replace the stuttering and bumbling awkward boy played by Shia LaBeouf, with a widower named Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), who divides his time between building defective robots in his barn and telling his 17 year daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz), she cannot date until she graduates high school. 

I would say the first half of the movie was off to a great start. I actually enjoyed it for what it was. It was fun, funny, exciting, interesting and captivating. It wasn't until the story took us to Hong Kong that I wanted to die. Half the dialogue is just the characters loudly describing what they were seeing, and some of it was so bad I actually started beating my head against the back of my seat to make it stop. There was so much happening all at once that by the end I didn’t really care what happen to our main heroes. I got tired of Optimus Prime batting for the humans, then changing his mind, only to get back on board again. He wasn’t this fierce unwavering Autobot leader we know him to be, but rather unsure of himself and kind of annoying. Plus the special effects are a lot been-there-done-that. 

 

An action movie doesn’t have to be clever to be good. But it shouldn’t be this dumb. The plot is deceptively simple, despite being turned into an incomprehensible hot mess. But if plot is what you're after, what are you doing at a Michael Bay movie? 

RATING: D+