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Welcome to World of Movies, your weekly dose of the latest movie releases and what’s happening in the film world. Coming up in this episode,
Revenge is best served cold by the ‘Monkey Man.’
And we rank our favorite antiheroes in our top 3.
But before all that, here’s what’s hot off the presses.
Hot off the Presses:
Mad Max: Furiosa (new trailer)
We kick off this week’s hottest trailers battling ruthless despots in the desert with ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.’ The title femme fatale is determined to both exact revenge on the man who killed her mom and find her way back home.
Beetlejuice 2
Next up is an excellent mash up of horror, fantasy and comedy in the sequel ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, once again directed by acclaimed helmer Tim Burton. A mysterious discovery brings back the title demon, who gleefully returns to wreak havoc.
The Penguin
And we round out our roundup of the newest trailers this week with ‘The Penguin’, based on the DC comics character of the same name. This show serves as a spinoff of ‘The Batman’ and explores the rise of Oswald Cobblepot from a nobody to a criminal mastermind.
MOVIE REPORT: Monkey Man
1.
‘Monkey Man’ is a thrilling new action flick directed, produced, written by and starring Dev Patel. It tells the story of Kid, a young man who has just one mission in life: to kill the people responsible for the death of his mother. ‘Monkey Man’ is co-produced by Jordan Peele, and both he and Dev know exactly why we all love a good revenge movie.
2.
So ‘Monkey Man’ not only stars Patel, he also came up with the story, co-wrote the screenplay, produced the film and it’s his directorial debut. While he really impressed everyone around him in doing so, including Jordan, Dev also learned something about himself in the process.
3.
You heard the man! If you’re ready for some awesome fighting and an excellent revenge tale, then make sure to check out ‘Monkey Man’!
Coming up
Coming up, we’ll rank our favorite antiheroes in our top 3.
But before we do that, here’s the latest movie news.
Movie News:
Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ set for Cannes Film Fest!
The first chapter of Kevin Costner’s new Western epic, ‘Horizon: An American Saga’, will be making its debut during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The hotly anticipated movie, which the Oscar winner stars in, wrote, directed and produced largely with his own money, will go into wide release in June, with Chapter 2 arriving just two months later. There are said to be plans for a third and fourth installment, but those have not yet been filmed. Opposite Kevin, the blockbuster features a star studded cast that includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone and many more.
‘Horizon’ will screen out of competition during the prestigious fest on the 19th of May, and in a statement, Costner declared that it’s been 20 years since he’s had the pleasure of being on the Croisette, but he’s just been waiting for the right project, and he’s proud that this one is it, adding that he can’t think of a better place to unveil his new epic than at the world’s biggest gathering of cinema lovers.
Executives have not yet unveiled the roster of films that will be in the running for this year’s coveted Palme d’Or, but in addition to ‘Horizon’, the ‘Mad Max’ prequel ‘Furiosa’ will be screened out of competition, as will the opening night movie, the surreal French comedy ‘The Second Act’, starring Lea Seydoux and Vincent Lindon. The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival runs from the 14th to the 25th of May.
Top 3: Antiheroes
1.
Earlier in the show we saw a vigilante mercilessly seeking vengeance in ‘Monkey Man,’ so now let’s rank our favorite three antiheroes.
We kick things off with Tyler Durden, Brad Pitt’s character from ‘Fight Club’. Now this movie is one of the best we’ve ever laid eyes on to date. One of the main reasons for that is the compelling characters, ranging from Robert Paulsen to Marla Singer to The Narrator to, of course, Tyler Durden. Tyler stands for everything society doesn’t want him to be. And it’s precisely these anarchistic feelings residing in all of us that are relatable. Our community dictates that you should go to college, start a family and be a happy consumer until the day you die. Well, that’s not how this rebel intends to live his life.
Quote: Brad Pitt and Edward Norton
BP: “Finally something came along that seemed to pinpoint something.. I know Edward and myself certainly recognize.”
EN: “Yeah.. it was actually about something.”
BP: “It was funny.. It was so damn funny.”
EN: “It was about a sort of generational zeitgeist I recognized. The complaints that I was familiar with and the people that I knew. It put a name onto some things that I think a lot of us feel but have not been able to say.”
2.
Our runner up is Captain Jack Sparrow from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series. This guy is both pirate and our protagonist, so it’s pretty much impossible for him not to be an antihero. But to get this high on our list requires more than just being a scoundrel and an outlaw. The reason Captain Jack did so well is of course the sublime performance of Johnny Depp. Let’s face it, there’s only one actor in the world who could have pulled this off. His quirks and mannerisms are so specific that the swashbuckler has become one of the most iconic characters of all time.
B-Roll: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Men Tell No Tales’
“Whatever is on that boat is after Jack and Jack on this boat. So I am going to swim for it.”
“How dare you do exactly what I would do if I were you?”
“Carina stop that.”
“No, no, no, don’t stop that.”
“This has gone far enough.”
“It has not. Don’t listen to him, you know, just keep carrying on. Go on, go on.”
3.
And we’re on to the winner… our favorite antihero is… ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’s Jordan Belfort! Unlike Tyler Durden or Jack Sparrow, Jordan is actually a real person, making the things he did even harder to justify. Nonetheless, the movie is absolutely fantastic and even though, when you think about it, the protagonist is completely unlikeable, audiences find themselves rooting for the guy anyway. For those who haven’t seen the film, Belfort is basically a stockbroker who ran a massive scam that made him millions of dollars. Besides that, he lived a life so extreme when it comes to women, drugs and booze, that even the most seasoned party animal can’t help but watch in awe.
Quote: Leonardo DiCaprio
“You have this character in Jordan Belfort who really gave into every hedonistic urge possible. He was almost like a Roman Emperor. But it is about today. It is in a modern context and we talk about Wall Street in this film. But ultimately, this attitude is in our culture. And that was what was interesting to explore for us. Somebody that gives into every indulgence. And it is very conscious in this film. We didn’t show the repercussions of that. It was almost like this hypnotic ride that you keep going forward until you crash.”
Coming up:
Coming up, we get carried away by mesmerizing fight choreography in our top 3. And chat with the duo behind the spectacular production design of ‘Mank.’ But before that, an intriguing survival story in ‘Firebrand.’
MOVIE REPORT: Firebrand
TRAILER
“We’re proud of you. You were an excellent regent.
The Queen!
I wish I could have done more.
I bet.
You must be careful always to hold the line.
Revolution is upon us!
Flirting with the radicals. It could endanger the stability of this realm.
My conscience is clear.”
1.
It’s no secret that Henry VIII married, divorced and killed his wives, but one, Queen Katherine Parr survived and is now the subject of the movie ‘Firebrand’, and for director Karim Ainouz, making a movie about the only surviving Queen of the time, was a no brainer.
QUOTE
“I feel that there’s an obsession with dead women, right? Like, men are obsessed with dead women, so I think it’s interesting that, why are there so many movies about the women that were decapitated, they were poisoned, like you know. Katherine of Aragon was poisoned, Anne Boleyn was her head cut off and the other one. But I was like, why was there never a movie made about the woman who survived him?”
2.
While this film is obviously set a long time ago in the courts of England, don’t watch it expecting a big period production. This story is a lot simpler than that.
QUOTE
“A lot of the film doesn’t take place in the sort of big spaces of the palace, or you know, the sort of grandness or royalness. Ok we know how they dressed when they had the presentation clothes, you know, for the court, but like, what is the jumpsuit of the Tudors? You know, like what did they dress before they go to bed? So I think that too makes you feel, maybe closer to them. Sometimes I make. Joke, this is like scenes from a marriage, you know, but it just so happens that the marriage is a Queen and a King and it’s the 1500s.”
TRAILER
“I believe that I was chosen by God to change the king’s mind.
Clever girl.
Is my father often angry with you?
Are you a liar?
I never know what he’s going to do. I never know what he’s thinking.
I will never break you.”
3.
‘Firebrand’ hosts a stellar cast with Alicia Vikander taking the role of Katherine Parr, and an almost unrecognisable Jude Law as King Henry VIII. A somewhat surprising role for the British actor.
QUOTE
“When you think of Jude Law, you think of this wonderful actor who was in exquisite films. So he is somebody who was very he’s a very handsome man. He has very loved. So I think it was really interesting for for him as well to enter a space where he’s not loved as a character. And I think is very brave, you know, because don’t we all want to be loved? But I think it’s like for an actor to have been love for so long for something that he represents to enter something completely different was really exciting.”
4.
Pulling in a top-notch cast like this is no easy feat, but Karim’s directorial style was a key factor in encouraging the actors to signup.
QUOTE
“I think the theme is something very clear to me, like what are we talking about? What is the main theme of that story, but how you do it, I think for me, it’s always a process of exchanging and of sharing and of listening. You know, like I love, for example, in this movie the writers and then the producer and the actors brought so much to these characters, so I see myself more like as somebody who’s sort of guiding the process.”
5.
And that process led to the brilliant ‘Firebrand’, so check it out as soon as you can.
TRAILER
“Sometimes we think you know us better than we know ourselves.
Did I hurt you?
No never.
He’s demanding evidence against her, that she betrayed him in some way or the other
You have such a lively mind, it has lead you too far.
It is becoming extremely dangerous.
No more lies kept.
What is the point of me being queen if I don’t have the courage of my convictions?”
People Behind the Scenes: Jan Pascale & Donald Graham (Production designers ‘Mank’)
In the 2020 comedy drama “Mank”, directed by David Fincher, 1930s Hollywood is seen through the eyes of the alcoholic screenwriter Herman j. Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman.
Shot in glorious black and white, the film won two Oscars, for both the cinematography and the production design by Jan Pascale and Donald Graham, who gave some insights into their work on the night they received their Academy Award, and the first question was of course, how they made the sets so incredibly striking.
Quote: Jan Pascale & Donald Graham
So, what did they find to be the most challenging aspect of working on this film?
Quote: Jan Pascale & Donald Graham
For several scenes in the film, parts of the mansion that’s featured in the 1940s classic “Citizen Kane” had to be rebuilt. A daunting task, even for these two seasoned designers.
Quote: Jan Pascale & Donald Graham
So why don’t you try that for yourself and watch 1941’s “Citizen Kane” and 2020’s “Mank” back-to-back? Because both of these great movies are available on VOD!
Top 3: Recent movies with epic fight choreography
1.
Earlier in the show, we watched in awe as Dev Patel dismantled bad guys like a pile of Jenga blocks in ‘Monkey Man.’ So let’s keep the spectacular show going with some recent films that boast enchanting fight sequences.
John Wick 4
First up is ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ once again starring Keanu Reeves as the lethal highly skilled title assassin. With the bounty on his head constantly increasing, John seeks out the underground organization called the High Table in a bid to bring their reign to an end.
The Woman King
Next up is the historical feature ‘The Woman King’ based on powerful true events. The movie puts a spotlight on an African kingdom protected by an army consisting of all women, as they fiercely face off against their enemies.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
And the recent movie most packed with epic fight scenes according to us has got to be the superhero flick ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.’ The technologically sophisticated title kingdom is forced to defend itself against an adversary like no other.