All posts by Kenna

“Kong: Skull Island” Trailers

adventure, legend, remakes, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Kong: Skull Island is being touted as a reimagining of the origin of the mythic Kong, presented as an interesting, original adventure. I must admit, how can a remake (or reimagining) be original? If it is original, then don’t call it a Kong movie.

In the film, a diverse team explores an uncharted island in the Pacific, which is both beautiful and treacherous.  But as they venture deeper into the unknown, they are unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong. I must admit it’s a fun movie to watch with all the plot points rhythmically in place.

The movie stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary, and John C. Reilly.

The screenplay is by Dan Gilroy, who wrote one of the Bourne movies, and Max Borenstein, who wrote Godzilla, story by John Gatins and Dan Gilroy.

Interesting and Absolutely Lowest “Patriots Day”

drama, thriller, true stories, , , ,

Directed by Peter Berg, Patriots Day is about the after-effects of an indefinable act of terror. Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders, played by Mark Wahlberg, joins gutsy survivors, first responders, and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the bombers before they attack again.

The movie interweaves the stories of Special Agent Richard Deslauriers, played by Kevin Bacon; Police Commissioner Ed Davis, played by John Goodman; Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, played by J. K. Simmons; and nurse Carol Saunders, played by Michelle Monaghan.

This a horrendous story that chronicle captures the suspense of one of the most high-level manhunts in law enforcement history and the strength of Boston’s people.

Based on a true story, which makes it enticing. The cast is brilliant and guided by a true-to-the-core director who worked with Wahlberg on Deepwater Horizon.

“Transformers: The Last Knight” Storyline

legend, science fiction, sequels, thriller, , , , , ,

Transformers: The Last Knight will be a young adult movie for ages to come, and it looks like some cast members are returning. It’s nice to see Anthony Hopkins in this movie, adding some acting credibility.

So, once again, like so many superhero movies, the greatest hero becomes our fiercest enemy.

To rescue Cybertron, Optimus Prime starts a mission that will destroy Earth. Nobody appreciated it!

It’s time for Bumblebee and Cade Yeager to lead the Autobots against their former ally in the ultimate battle to save humanity from devastation.

The movie and cartoons are streaming. All are available on all discs if you want to see it again or haven’t seen it yet.

I love that line, “I am glad I got in that car with you.” It is cheesy, but fun. It’s a great line to say to Wahlberg.

Story About Women Behind the NASA Program “Hidden Figures”

drama, movies opening, true stories, , , , , , , , , ,

I saw the first trailer in the movie theaters about two weeks ago and thought, why hasn’t this story been told yet? It is priceless, and everyone needs to see it.

Theodore Melfi’s Hidden Figures is the inconceivable, not surprising, true story of three intelligent mathematicians who saved the NASA space program.

The talented cast deftly plays these extraordinary women: Katherine G. Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson, Dorothy Vaughan, played by Octavia Spencer, and Mary Jackson, played by Janelle Monáe.

Kevin Costner also stars as the man in charge of the NASA program who sees the undeniable talent in these courageous women.

Also in the cast are Glen Powell, Kirsten Dunst and Kimberly Quinn.

The movie follows a brilliant African-American woman working at NASA who was the brains behind one of the greatest operations. That is the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

The movie is entertaining, if not educating. I hope to see more produced movies like this one. It’s a keeper.

Well-Known Voices Animated in “The Little Prince”

animation, children movies, family movies, kid movies, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Directed by Mark Osborne, The Little Prince is a feature-length animated film inspired by the French novella Le Petit Prince, first published in 1943 by poet, author, and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The novella is one of my daughter’s favorite books.

The movie uses four types of animation: hand-drawn 2D animation, CG animation, paper cutout animation, and stop-motion animation to bring this fable of friendship, love, loss, and loneliness to life.

The Little Prince cast of voices is impressive, including Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Mackenzie Foy, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Albert Brooks, Benicio Del Toro, Ricky Gervais, Bud Cort, and Riley Osborne, with Paul Giamatti. The Little Prince includes an original score and songs by Hans Zimmer and Richard Harvey featuring Camille.

I have to admit this trailer is so cute and sweet. Netflix is producing some notable movies, and I am a happy subscriber.

“Why Him?” Trailers and Movie Clip

comedy, holiday movies, ,

Directed by John Hamburg, Why Him? happens over the holidays. The story follows Ned, played by Bryan Cranston, an overprotective but loving dad, and his family as they visit his daughter at Stanford.

He comes to terms with his biggest nightmare. He meets his daughter’s well-meaning but socially awkward Silicon Valley billionaire boyfriend, Laird, played by James Franco. A rivalry develops, and Ned’s panic level goes through the roof when he finds himself lost in this glamorous high-tech world and learns that Laird is about to pop the question.

Here is the official trailer.

Here is the red trailer.

James Franco is really having a lot of fun with this role.

Beatty and Collins in “The Rules Don’t Apply”

comedy, drama, legend, movies opening, , , , ,

Written and directed by Warren Beatty, The Rules Don’t Apply is about an aspiring young actress, played by Lily Collins, and her ambitious young driver, played by Alden Ehrenreich. They both struggle, hopefully, with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire Howard Hughes, played by Beatty, for whom they work.

It’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen, songwriter, and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey, under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes, arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver, Frank Forbes, who is engaged to his 7th-grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist.

Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test but also defies Hughes’ #1 rule: no employee has any relationship with a contract actress.

Hughes’ behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and unexpected ways. As they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, they challenge their values, which changes their lives.

I am just so happy and delighted that Beatty has another movie to watch. He’s one of my favorite filmmakers.

Here is the official trailer.

Here is the final trailer.

Here is the theme song trailer.

Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell”

animation, fantasy, science fiction, , , , , ,

Directed by Rupert Sanders, Ghost in the Shell stars Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, and here is the first look at the trailer as it launched at an epic event in Tokyo.

The series is popular because the story follows Major. She is the first of her kind, which gives her superhuman powers. She is a mind inside an artificial body.

Finding out she has creators who lied to her about her past life. The creators want to control her, but Major is bent on revenge, and nothing will stop her from discovering her real identity and solving the mystery of who she is.

Based on the international science fiction property with the same name, the story follows Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 faces an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotics’ advancements in cyber technology.

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” Trailer

adventure, animation, drama, fantasy, science fiction, , , , , , , ,

When the movie first arrived, the teaser trailer didn’t say much about the film, but as it says in the trailer, if you know the gothic novel, you know what the movie is about.

Yet, the audience never found the movie worthwhile, as the book did.

Based on the classic graphic novel series Valerian and Laureline and directed by Luc Besson, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a contemporary, unique, and epic science fiction saga.

The imagery looks imaginative and breathtaking. The movie stars Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Herbie Hancock, and Kris Wu.

I find the original master recording by The Beatles fitting for the movie trailer.  The version without instrument or accompaniment adds beauty to the visual effects, though it doesn’t explain the movie’s story very well.

Beckinsale in “Underworld: Blood Wars”

fantasy, sequels, thriller, , , , ,

Directed by Anna Foerster, we have the next installment of Underworld: Blood Wars. The story follows Vampire death dealer, Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, and fends off brutal attacks from both the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her.

With her only allies, David, played by Theo James, and his father Thomas, played by Charles Dance, she must stop the eternal war between Lycans and Vampires, even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The cast also includes Lara Pulver, Tobias Menzies, Bradley James, and James Faulkner.