Film District recently send us over still for the upcoming release of Spike Lee's new film "OldBoy". The film is a remake of the 2003 film directed by Chan-wook Park(Stoker). It stars Josh Brolin (True Grit), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) , Sharlto Copley (Elysium) and Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers). "Oldboy" hits theaters on 11/27.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://oldboyfilm.com

Plot Synopsis:

OLDBOY is a provocative, visceral thriller that follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment . Co-starring Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, OLDBOY was directed by Spike Lee, from a script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend, The Cell, Thor). The film was produced by Roy Lee, Doug Davison and Nathan Kahane.

Film Geeks like myself are definitely looking forward to this film. The Weinstien Company recently released the official teaser poster for Quentin Tarantino's anticipated film "Django Unchained" His latest film features an all star cast that includes Jamie Foxx,Leonardo DiCaprio, Kurt Russell, Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson, and Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz. Quentin Tarantino's" Django Unchained" is slated to hit theaters on christmas day.

Plot Synopsis:

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award®-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles - dead or alive.

Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South's most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.

Django andSchultz's search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award®-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of "Candyland," an infamous plantation where slaves are groomed by trainer Ace Woody (Kurt Russell) to battle each other for sport. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candie's trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival...

Written and directed by Academy Award®-winner Quentin Tarantino, DJANGO UNCHAINED is produced by Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone. The executive producers are Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Michael Shamberg, Shannon McIntosh, and James Skotchdopole. DJANGO UNCHAINED will be released in the U.S. on December 25, 2012, and internationally by Sony Pictures.

Tribeca Film Festival announced today that Joss Whedon's upcoming film "The Avengers" will be the closing film of the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, which takes places on April 28th. The film is one of the most anticipated films of the upcoming summer movie season. "The Avengers features an all star cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson. In conjunction with this announcement, Marvel Entertainment and Walt Disney Pictures has released a still of the film.


Press Release:

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express, announced today that Marvel’s The Avengers, presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures, will close its 11th edition on Saturday, April 28. Closing night will take place at Tribeca BMCC PAC and is sponsored by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin.

Honoring the spirit of the Tribeca Film Festival, the screening will allow the opportunity for Marvel’s The Avengers to celebrate everyday heroes from police agencies, fire departments, first responders and various branches of the U.S. military. These local heroes will have an opportunity to attend the screening and meet the cast.

Marvel Studios’ producer Kevin Feige says, "We are proud that Marvel's The Avengers is the closing film of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and we are excited to welcome local heroes to the screening as special guests. We all know and love our iconic Super Heroes, but when it really counts, it's our real-life heroes who save the world every day by making it a better place for all of us."

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers is an engaging, character-driven story packed with action, adventure and special effects. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins to assemble the iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. Marvel’s The Avengers is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

“Marvel’s The Avengers is an exciting ride that absolutely transports audiences,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder of the Tribeca Film Festival. “It is the perfect way to end our 11th Festival.”

Comments director Joss Whedon, “Showing at Tribeca is both an honor and a double homecoming for me, who grew up in Manhattan, and for the movie, which wrapped production there. I’m thoroughly psyched to be closing the festival with our intimate little think-piece.”

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is produced by Marvel Studios’ Producer Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The story is by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon, and the screenplay is by Joss Whedon. The film releases May 4, 2012, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The 11th annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 18-29, 2012.

Visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival for more information about TFF’s 2012 programs and the full line-up of films.

Iron Man 2
Year: 2010
Director: Jon Favreau
Studio: Paramount Pictures / Marvel Entertainment
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 124 Mins

This past weekend, the 2010 summer film season kicked off, with a film that I have been looking forward to all year. Yes, I’m taking about Robert Downey Jr’s latest film “Iron Man 2”. This is a film that I’ve been waiting for, since the end of the first film.

The film picks up where the first film left off with Tony Starks (Robert Downey Jr) having to deal with the world knowing that he is “Iron Man”. The government isn’t helping matters by wanting the suit and technology for themselves and facing pressures from the press and the public that wants him to share the technology with the military. He also having trouble in his personal life as something strange is happening to him and he doesn’t want his friends to know about it. If matters weren’t worse, a Russian scientist (Mickey Rourke) find out that Starks is Iron Man and wants to exact revenge for what Starks’ father did his father and claim the technology for himself. In order to stop him, he must uncover the dark secrets of his father’s legacy and find out what’s happening to him, before something unthinkable happens. The film also co-stars Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Samuel L. Jackson.

"Iron Man 2" picks up, where the processor left off. Jon Favreau’s direction was as good as the first film. Favreau does a good job keeping your interest considering that most of the big action scenes don't take place until final act. He’s able to keep your interest; by the way that he directs his actors. The performances were very good here. Robert Downey Jr. is still very good as the title character. He brings the energy that is needed to make Tony Starks very likable. I can't imagine anyone else playing the role, as Downey Jr has that it that is needed for the role. The supporting performances were also very good, as Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow were also good here as they brought a presence to their roles, which also makes this enjoyable.

What also makes Favreau's direction good was the fact that he didn't get too crazy with the use of special effects until the last act of the film. I liked, how he was able to let the film's story become one of the film's focal points as the material in the screenplay was good. He also goes a good job moving the film at a reasonable pace, so that you are drawn into the story and not the effects.
The screenplay this time around was handled by Justin Theroux, who only has one screenplay to his credit ("Tropic Thunder", in which he co-wrote with Ben Stiller back in 2008). If I had known this going in, I probably would have been feeling nervous considering how material like this is being handed to inexperience writers. Thankfully, I never knew that going in, because I expected a good time and enjoyed it.

For the most part, I liked how Theroux handled the characters in the Iron Man universe, even though I thought that Paltrow's character was a little bit under used here. I would have to have more tension between her and Downey Jr. Besides that little gripe; he does a good job making sure that each of the characters has their moment. It makes the material fun to watch. Theroux also does a good job exploring the trouble and backstory of Tony Starks and his corporation. It really makes the character more interesting and it gives material that Downey Jr can work with and make it as one of his own characters, Also, I liked about that script was the fact that most of the main action sequences were held back until the second half of the film. It doesn’t feel cramped in to that point that you're feeling like your watching an effects film. Overall, this is a very fun film and a good entry in the "Iron Man" series.

“Iron Man 2” isn’t a films that going to win on style points, but it’s sure to make fanboys like me happy with the material and the way the property is being handled. This is a fun start to the summer movie season, as “Iron Man 2” is fun and entertaining.

Review Rating Four Stars

Now here’s something we haven’t seen in awhile, a thriller with the “Fatal Attraction” like formula. “Fatal Attraction” was one of the biggest hits of the 1980’s which showed Michael Douglas having an affair with Glenn Close (I still can’t figure out why he would cheat on Anne Archer) which he later tries to break off, but Glenn is obsessed with seeing this as more than a one night stand. She ends up going ballistic as she infiltrates Michael’s life and almost completely destroys it. Like “Die Hard,” “Fatal Attraction” became a formula of choice for many movies to emulate, and it was a formula that audiences could not get enough of. It more or less brought about movies like “Single White Female” (which will forever put you off of getting a stranger as a roommate), “The Crush” (a crappy and idiotic movie whose only asset is Alicia Silverstone’s pre-vegan hot bod), and “Unlawful Entry” with Ray Liotta, Kurt Russell, and Madeline Stowe. That one was the gender reversal of “Fatal Attraction.”

Soon, that formula was exploited for all it was worth, and we haven’t seen that formula much since the late 80’s or early 90’s. The only other one I can think of was “Swimfan” (which I have not seen but looks like crap) with Erika Christensen and Jesse Bradford who has a fling with Erika’s character, and you know the rest. Now we have “Lakeview Terrace” which is kind of a combination between “Unlawful Entry” and “Pacific Heights” with a tiny bit of “Training Day” put in. The movie is indeed formulaic, but it’s also a lot better than I expected it to be. This is probably because both writer David Loughery and director Neil LaBute take more chances and are not afraid of taking of getting under your skin with touchy topics like racism and interracial marriage.

The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson in one of the best performances I have seen from him in a while as Abel Turner, an officer of the LAPD and a widower who is raising his son and daughter on his own in this seemingly peaceful suburb. Before he knows it, the house next to him is being invaded by the new neighbors. Abel thinks that the new neighbors are a black couple, and that the white guy is actually the mover, But as he continues to spy on these three people, he soon comes to see that the two black people are not a couple, and this is made all the more clearer when the white guy ends up kissing the black girl. Sam does this whole scene of observation without saying a word, but we can clearly see how he feels about what is going on right next door to his house. It’s another reminder of what a great actor Samuel L. Jackson can be, and he is perfectly cast in this role.

Okay, now I want to stop saying white guy and black woman, so let’s look at these people as individuals, shall we? Patrick Wilson (“Little Children”) plays Chris Mattson who has recently started work at a supermarket chain as a manager, and Kerry Washington plays his wife Lisa. They are very much in love, and they are ecstatic at the fact that they are now something they have always wanted to be, homeowners. Abel ends up welcoming Chris to the neighborhood by pretending to rob him at gunpoint while he sits in his car. From then on, Abel begins to mess with Chris ever so subtly and he clearly gets off on it. Abel makes light of the fact that Chris is playing rap music by saying:

“In the morning, you’ll still be white.”

Ouch.

After that, the blissful situation this couple thinks they have turns into a nightmare. Abel’s security lights are ever so bright and shine right into their bedroom, the wires to their air conditioning system are cut, and the tires to their Prius get slashed. Some of these things happen before Abel’s kids find the happy couple making out in their pool. It is clear from the get go that Abel has a very serious problem with this interracial marriage, and he doesn’t so much say this as he implies it at any given opportunity. The impact it has on this couple is severe as they go through problems of their own. Lisa is eager to start a family, but Chris wants to wait, maybe forever. Chris doesn’t say this of course, but we can sense what is being said without being said.

This is perfect material for Neil LaBute to play around with. Neil started as a playwright and his work deals with the subjects that are easily considered politically incorrect. Subjects that are taboo like racism, abortion, and issues of sexuality are Neil’s pathway into the human mind and what it is capable of. He later graduated to being a filmmaker with “In The Company Of Men” which was as critically acclaimed as it was controversial as it dealt with two men who seduce a deaf woman and then cruelly dump her in some vain attempt to prove to themselves that are superior to women. With “Lakeview Terrace,” he continues to mine the uncomfortable territory that we seek to escape, and he succeeds in creating an unsettling feeling in a formulaic thriller.

“Lakeview Terrace” doesn’t break any new ground, and by the last half, we have a good idea of how everything is gonna end. But it gives us some interesting characters that are for the most part grounded in reality. The relationship between Chris and Lisa becomes more and more complicated as Abel prods at them even more and exposes secrets that Chris tries to keep away from her like his smoking. We also get a good dose of tension between Chris and Lisa’s father who cannot help but ask Chris if he plans to have children with his daughter. It is a union that threatens to be torn apart by the prejudices of others, but they both keep trying to rise above it as if it shouldn’t be an issue. But while it really shouldn’t be, that doesn’t matter to others who are under the control of their fears more than they realize.

There are strong performances from Patrick Wilson who tries to handle the situation with Abel as much as he can before he finally loses it. The moment where he gets his revenge by putting up floodlights that shine into Abel’s bedroom is hilarious, but the laughs end up sticking in your throat, and you wonder why you are really laughing. You can’t help but wonder what it really says about you as a person. “Lakeview Terrace,” while being a typical thriller, challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and to see how we can be so blind to the prejudices that are so much a part of us, and when we finally recognize them, it is too late to undo the damage they cause.


Kerry Washington is also great here as Lisa, Chris’ wife who in many ways has a bigger set of cojones than her husband could ever muster. She is prepared to face challenges than her husband would, but that doesn’t make her any less afraid of Abel. I kept waiting for her to head over his house when he ends up having a bachelor party for one of his fellow policemen and tell his ass off. That would have been a great scene.

The movie belongs to Samuel L. Jackson who gives us a character who we never doubt cares about his kids, maybe even more than he should. With the role of Abel Turner, he gives us one of the more intensely scary characters that he has not given us for some time now. While the last half of the movie does take away from the dimensions he gives the character, Jackson is never short of a riveting presence whenever he is on screen. The moment he has with a suspect who took a shot at him is one of the more scarier and intense moments that I have seen in a movie this year. I don’t know of many other actors out there who can give a “don’t mess with me” look better than Jackson does. This reminds you of why he is still a very much in demand actor after all these years.

The ending of the movie in some ways is a little too convenient in the way it wraps up the story, but it doesn’t completely sell out the movie the way the ending of “The Brave One” did. It takes a familiar formula and keeps you on the edge of your seat more than most films of this type do today. I admired the filmmakers and the actors for not being afraid to push the boundaries of certain issues with this movie because it really gets you thinking a lot about what’s happened after you leave the theater.

I completely forgot that this movie has a PG-13 rating while I was watching it. “Lakeview Terrace” really pushes that rating to the max, and it really should have been rated R consider how mature the material is. Then again, we have come to expect ridiculous from our conservative friends at the MPAA. It’s crazy what people can get away with these days.

“Lakeview Terrace” is far from original, but I still liked it more than I thought I would, and I have no problem giving it a solid recommendation. It is kind of sad though, to see after all these years after the riots sparked by the Rodney King verdicts that we cannot simply all get along. I am always open to people proving to me that we can though.

***1/2 out of ****