Karim Aïnouz directed Firebrand, based on a screenplay by Jessica Ashworth and Henrietta Ashworth from the 2013 novel Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle.
The story is about the royal relationship in blood-soaked Tudor England. Twice married, accomplished, and educated, Katherine Parr, played by Alicia Vikander. She reluctantly agrees to become the sixth wife of the tyrannical King Henry VIII, played by Jude Law.
Katherine’s decision to marry Henry carries immense personal risk, considering the fate of her predecessors, who were either divorced, beheaded, or dead. Her situation becomes even more perilous when Henry appoints her as regent, the nation’s ruler, during his absence for overseas battles, setting her on a treacherous path.
Amidst Henry’s court’s political intrigue, Katherine’s sympathies for the radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom become a cause for suspicion. The courtiers, fearing the threat to their power, conspire against her and sow seeds of doubt about her loyalty to the increasingly ailing and paranoid king.
Once Henry returns to England, his courtiers convince him to turn his fury on the nation’s radicals, including Katherine’s childhood friend Anne Askew, played by Erin Doherty. Anne becomes one of the many people convicted of treason and burned at the stake.
Horrified and privately grieving, Katherine finds herself under ever-increasing scrutiny and suspicion. Knowing that even a whisper of scandal might lead to her downfall, Katherine must unleash her own scheme to fight for survival.
Other supporting cast include Eddie Marsan, Simon Russell Beale and Sam Riley.
Aïnouz is an award-winning director and screenwriter. Firebrand is his first British/American film.
Bringing back David Yates, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore introduces Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald, a wizarding villain that Johnny Depp played prior.
The rest of the cast includes Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne.
Directed by Reed Morano, The Rhythm Section follows Stephanie Patrick, played by Blake Lively. She is an ordinary woman on a path of self-destruction after the tragedy of her family’s death in a plane crash.
When Stephanie discovers that the crash was not an accident, she enters a dark, complex world to seek revenge on those responsible and find her redemption. Based on the novel by Mark Burnell, who created a series of books based on the character Stephanie Patrick. Burnell also wrote the screenplay for the movie.
Morano is an Emmy-winning director for The Handmaid’s Tale and a talented cinematographer. The Rhythm Section also stars Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown.
The movie trailer looks legit, and it’s exciting to see Lively get a movie of this caliber. Lively also starred in A Simple Favor with Anne Kendrick. I highly recommendA Simple Favor. Lively’s part is smaller, but it’s a good movie.
The movie clip is an intense car chase that keeps you on the edge of your proverbial seat.
The next trailer, designed for social media platforms, I don’t see much of a difference.
The next two featurettes lack enough information to tell you about the story, which is crucial to making this movie entertaining, and not just another female action movie.
The two movie clips show how Lively’s character is withdrawn but emerging and calculating.
Written and directed by Brady Corbet, Vox Lux seems to be a convoluted story about a pop star, played by Natalie Portman.
The real story begins in 1999 when teenage sisters Celeste, played by Raffey Cassidy, and Eleanor, Stacy Martin, survive a seismic, violent tragedy.
The sisters compose and perform a song about their experience, making something lovely and cathartic out of catastrophe – while also catapulting Celeste to stardom. Now it’s 2017, and the 31-year-old Celeste, which is now played by Portman, is a mother to a teenage daughter of her own and struggling to navigate a career fraught with scandals when another act of terrifying violence demands her attention. Jude Law plays her husband, and I am not quite sure if this movie has some comedy elements based on the movie trailer.
Corbet is an actor who is getting his feet wet as a director. He acts more in movies than writing and directing. With big names like Portman and Law, he may shine on this feature film. I look forward to seeing movie clips and interviews with the director and actors.
The trailers take the movie to a whole new angle or level. We see more of the relationships between all the characters. I am wondering if this movie is in flashbacks – not linear. The second trailer tells us more about the story – caustic and funny.
The movie trailer shows sharp cuts and quick shots. I am reminded of Oscar winner Birdman starring Michael Keaton. The chaotic life of a pop star instead of the chaotic life an actor.
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson, as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in a galactic war between two alien races.
Brie Larson is from my hometown and an Oscar winner for the movie Room, which I highly recommend. She works hard at her craft and believes in the roles she plays.
Captain Marvel is not the first film Boden and Fleck collaborated on. Half-Nelson, starring Ryan Gosling, is their first movie. It is about a drug addict teacher whom a student discovers. Boden and Fleck collaborated on other short films. All are garnering their nominations and awards, including Half-Nelson. Please scroll down and watch their interview about directing the latest Marvel movie.
Taking on a blockbuster movie production such as Captain Marvel is a bold but exciting move for these two crackerjacks. Boden wrote the screenplay with the help of over half a dozen other writers.
The second trailer is much better and tells the story of Larson’s character, which I like and find refreshing. The first trailer is farther down and just as fun to watch.
Also cast in the movie is an impressive talent such as Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson, and Annette Bening.
Larson worked out for nine months before shooting the film. She immersed herself in the role, which included super jets.
The three movie clips give us a feel for how the movie flows. I can’t tell if Jude Law’s character is a good or bad guy yet. Only time will tell, but I hope he’s a good guy.
It’s leaning toward Law’s character being a good guy because it looks like they are having fun. A playful fight scene like this doesn’t move the plot along. I hope the plot is exciting and not a typical superhero story.
Jude Law talks about what it means to be in a Marvel movie and how it influences the box office. He refers to all the Marvel movies interloping in each other’s movies. He dressed down for the red carpet premiere, and I like it. He seems to understand the superhero movie-making process.
In the following movie clip, we don’t get a good look at the bad guy. From what I see, he seems innocuous without the mean kicks.
From 15 interviews available on my YouTube Channel, I picked these two interviews for here. One is with the directors, and the other with Brie Larson. I chose these two interviews because the directors explain how they approached the topic to make an authentic movie. In Larson’s interview, she talks about how hard she physically trained for this role.
The featurette about the cast is pretty simple and doesn’t indicate anything new about Marvel. The camaraderie is evident and a pleasure to see during the quick cuts to the different actors. It looks like an excellent movie for popcorn entertainment.
This is an excellent interview with Samuel L. Jackson about working with Larson and Gregg again. He talks about how this Marvel movie is different than the rest. His character, Nick, is younger in this Marvel movie because it takes place in the 1990s.
The world premiere of Captain Marvel included an Air Force fly to acknowledge Carol’s Air Force background in the movie. Two interviews with Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson at the world premiere recognize the Air Force and the young men who protect our country.
I like Jackson more and more. This guy rocks. He is so comfortable in front of the camera, unforgettable.
I am including Pinar Toprak’s soundbites regarding her music composing. She discusses her journey from presenting a demo to creating the theme song. Anyone who loves movies will appreciate this interview.
King Arthur has Guy Ritchie written all over it with the choppy shots and hard rock music. After viewing the trailer, I am not sure of the storyline with a bold fantasy and gothic stroke.
Ritchie brings an edge to the story in his own dynamic style to the epic fantasy action-adventure. We’ve all heard or read the story growing up. Starring Charlie Hunnam in the title role, the film is an iconoclastic take on the classic Excalibur myth, tracing Arthur’s journey from the streets to the throne.
Jude Law is in the movie as well and knows Ritchie well from their Sherlock movies. I hope the next trailer share more of the storyline.
