Daily Archives: September 4, 2013

Movie News & Opinions

Benedict Cumberbatch To Have Role In Star Wars VII?

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It seems a few weeks cannot go by with out a new Star Wars related whisper spreading across the internet (like these ones here and here). It is hardly surprising when such a beloved series has a whole new creative team behind it and the possibility of countless new movies ahead of it. The Star Wars fans have a right to be excited. So when the website Film Chronicles puts up an article with the title “Benedict Cumberbatch is in Star Wars VII”, even the most hard core fanboy and fan girls heads are likely to explode.

benedict cumberbatch sw 7 benedict

But this does appear to be the case. Benedict was previously scheduled to be working with Guillermo Del Toro on his new film Crimson Peak but dropped out and strangely no answer was given. As the shooting schedules would have been roughly the same it is hard not to draw a comparison between the two events. Though no information on his role in the franchise is available, we do know he is a huge fan of Star Wars. Look at the extract below from Collider (via Total Film) to see him gush about the franchise.

“I’ve already asked him if I can be a lightsaber and we’re in talks – about whirring sounds and the rates for the lights and everything [laughs].

“I thought, ‘Yeah, I grew up with them,’ and I just looked recently at when they were released and now I’m like, ‘No, I didn’t grow up with them, I was born with them.’ They were a huge part of my background, and my upbringing.

“I was much more connected to [Star Wars] as a kid, in the way that a lot of kids are because it’s immediate storytelling, very simple – a beautifully, outrageously simple narrative in a way – and a wonderful three-act melodrama, opera. And I loved them. I really, really loved those films and I always wanted to be Han Solo. Everything Harrison Ford did I just thought was the coolest thing ever.”

Is there any role this man cannot pull off? In his epic rise to stardom he has already played Frankenstein and his monster, an iconic Star Trek character, given vocal life to Smaug in the upcoming Hobbit movies and brought Sherlock Holmes to life again for a new generation. This guy is incredible so hearing he is in the new Star Wars movies is a definite thumbs up. Working with JJ Abrams again has got to be a dream combination after seeing their great work on Star Trek Into Darkness. Hopefully Disney will not keep us out the loop to long and we will get an insight into his character soon. If not, be safe in the knowledge that it looks like he could be set to wield a lightsaber very soon.

benedict cumberbatch sw 7 sherlock

Movie Trailers

‘Neighbors’ Official Red Band Trailer Released, Hijinks with Seth Rogen & Zac Efron To Be Had

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As 2014 approaches, more and more trailers for the beginning of the year are dropping in hopes of engaging the audience early, and that’s the case with this surely R-rated comedy, Neighbors. Director Nicholas Stoller, whose most recent credit is the underrated The Five Year Engagement, but whom most know as the man behind Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the spin off, Get Him to the Greek, is at the helm of this Adults vs Frat Bros comedy.

neighbors seth rogen rose byrne

The story goes as follows, a couple with a newborn baby are faced with troubles when a fraternity moves in next door. The story seems pretty simple, but it’s definitely prime for some raunchy comedy with its stellar cast.  Seth Rogen (This is the End)  and Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) star as the older couple, while Zac Efron (High School Musical), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street), and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) play the frat boys. Check out the hilarious, albeit short, red band trailer below:

As I said above, the set up seems prime for some R-rated comedy, and while we’ve seen the whole adults trying to fit in with the younger crowd before, this seems to be more of insane hijinks between the two groups than them trying to fit in with one another. I mean that ending bit with the airbag was freaking hilarious, and the Robert De Niro costume is a funny idea too. While it’s still a ways off, I’m sure come time next year people will be talking about this comedy. In addition to the cast listed above, some notable TV comedic talents star as well; Jake Johnson (New Girl), Carla Gallo (Undeclared), and Lisa Kudrow (Friends) each have a part in this 2014 flick.

Neighbors - Frat boys standing around

Neighbors, formerly titled Townies, is due out May 9 next year.

 

MOVIES

Cinematic Art Ruined by Thieves; The World Says Goodbye to “The Giant Spider Invasion” Spider

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Now this reviewer is a huge fan of films which some people may call B movies. I have never thought of them that way, they are just as valid a form of cinematic entertainment as any other and if they bring joy to a select amount of people then they should be championed because of this. So it is with a sad heart that we have to report (via IO9) that a piece of cinema has been taken from us. That piece of cinema is the huge frikking spider from The Giant Spider Invasion.

The rusty framework of the spider (which had resided at the director’s home) has been stolen from its home in Merrill Wisconsin which was also where the film was made. Below is the video of the crime with comments from director Bill Rebane.

http://v9.anv.bz/scripts/anv_mcp_9.jsvar p = new anv_pl_def();p.loadVideoWithKey(“eyJtIjoiR1JUViIsInAiOiI1MyIsInYiOiIyNjY2MDE3In0=”);

For those that do not know, The Giant Spider Invasion is a cheesy little movie from 1975 which actually feels more like something made in the atomic obsessed 1950s. It is, for the most part, hilariously bad but part of its charm is the lead: a giant spider with red eyes. A lot of people have seen this from the amazing guys of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, who have pretty much been instrumental in keeping awful movies like this alive (even if it is through their ridicule).

giant spider invasion spider 2

It was actually made from a parade float that went on top of a Volkswagen. If you look at the photo below it becomes pretty apparent that it has car lights for eyes. People in the car would hold the spider legs out the window. It may have been ranked in the top 25 worst movies ever made but who cares? It was loads of fun and to be honest, looks a damn slight more realistic than some of the CGI rubbish I have seen going direct to DVD.

giant spider invasion spider

This film had heart even if it did not have a budget and this is what makes it kind of sad. Sure it is not a crime on the scale of someone stealing a frame model of The Terminator but to the director and a lot of fans around the world, this piece of cinematic history meant a lot and to hear of its theft for the purposes of scrap is very sad. If nothing else we will always have the movie to keep us entertained even if the spider has gone to the big scrap heap in the sky.