movie taco: may 2013

7/30/2019 Movie Taco: May 2013

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IN THIS ISSUE

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Bling Ring

Despicable Me 2

Epic

Fast and Furious 6

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

The Great Gatsby

The Hangover Part III

The Host

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Iron Man 3

Kick-Ass 2

Man of Steel

Monsters University

National Treasure

Now You See Me

Oblivion

The Smurfs 2

Snow White and the Huntsman 2

Star Trek Into Darkness

READ THE MAGAZINE, LISTEN TO THE PODCAST!

FROM THE AWARD-WINNING HOSTS OF THE

JIMMY AND LUKE SHOW COMES THE OFFICIAL

MOVIE TACO PODCAST, RELEASED EVERY

MONTH EXCLUSIVELY ON BUZZHUB.TK AND

FEATURING EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS OF ALL THE

BIGGEST MOVIES, AS WELL AS DISCUSSION OF

UPCOMING RELEASES AND THE BIGGEST NEWS

STORIES! EPISODE 4 IS OUT NOW AND

FEATURES REVIEWS OF OBLIVION, SCARY

MOVIE 5 AND G.I. JOE 2.

MAY 2013


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GREAT SCOTT!

ROMP

Baz Luhrmann is a director that likes to make films that are big, loud and covered in glitter

In 1997, he took William Shakespeares classic tale of a first love lost, Romeo and Julietand

turned it into a camp, annoying display of frivolity. He hopes to do the same of F Scott

Fitzgeralds masterpiece The Great Gatsbythis month, as he releases his much-delayed

adaptation (or should it be, ruining) starring frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio, in th

first of several Oscar-baiting roles this year, as well as Baz newcomers Carey Mulligan, Tob

Maguire and Joel Edgerton. Maguire is making his first appearance in a major film since

Spider-Man 3 after being replaced by Rafe Spall in Life of Pi. Mulligan, who has somewhatfailed to live up to her Best Newcomer status, must try to overwrite the image of Mia

Farrow as Daisy Bucannan that everyone has in their minds, just as DiCaprio must do with

Robert Redfords image.The Great Gatsbywill open the Cannes Film Festival and be released worldwide on

Blue Sky Animation, a studio once as promising as Pixa

and Dreamworks who have, apart from Robotsa nd

Horton Hears A Who, stuck pretty close to their winninbut tired Ice Age formula, are the people behind this n

adventure that promises to mixAvatarwith Fern Gully

The trailers use of spectacle and Coldplay music does

give a good impression, but well have to give it a

chance!

EPICopens Memorial Day weekend.


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PICK A CARD,

ANY CARD

At the start of 2013, it looked like the Simil

Movie Faceoff of the Year would be betwe

Incredible Burt Wonderstone and this, Loui

Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk)s Now You S

Fortunately for everyone involved in this fi

Burtwas a massive critical and financial flo

it looks like this quirky thriller starring Jess

Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Mark Ruffalo and Mi

Caine will be a much better and more mon

making film. Now you see the audiences in

seats! Now, theyre still there!

Now You See Me opens on May 31

hether you like, or even tolerate, Todd Phillips Hangover films, theres no denying that they have changed come

nema in the modern age. Since the first film was released in Summer 2009, grossing hundreds of millions of dollar

e international box office, more comedies have been occupying billboard space, crossing the $100m mark and riva

ecial-effects blockbusters at the Summer box office. The Hangover Part III is set to open this Memorial Day weeke

e United States, opposite both Fast and Furious 6 and animated fantasy Epic. Now, its not uncommon for a come

en opposite one or two blockbusters, but it is rare for anyone to expect the comedy to come in at least at #2 in th

fice!

rsonally, I wasnt a huge fan of either of the previous movies. The first, which was declared unbelievable hilariou

raight-faced critics and audiences alike, was a moderately entertaining action caper, but not at all funny. The sequ

as slightly funnier, but far more offensive and painful to watch (not a good thing). This third film is being set up as

ompletely different and to be honest, the trailer is pretty good. John Goodman also has a fairly major role as a ne

lain. Could he become comedys equivalent of Dwayne Johnson, an experienced star brought in to save a dying

anchise?

e Hangover Part III is released Memorial Day weekend.


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MOVIE

TACOS

SUMMER

2013


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The year was 1933. The US, and the world, was an extraordinarily different place from what it is

oday. Comic-books were enjoyed for the most part because they offered a rest from the stress an

pain of the violent and tragic wars that had befallen the worlds nations (and the arguably even m

ragic war that was to come). A writer of these comic books, Jerry Siegel, and an artist, Joe Shuste

created a hero who, if he existed, would be able to cure the stress of people, the fear of the outbr

of war, as he would be able to defend every man, woman and child from whatever enemy may wi

o harm them. That hero was Superman. The man of steel first appeared on the page in the June

1938 issue ofAction Comics, but it wasnt until 1978 that he flew onto the silver screen, portrayed

Christopher Reeve, a handsome and athletic young actor who took the world by storm. That film,

directed by Richard Donner and heralded as a masterpiece of blockbuster cinema by audiences an

critics alike, a decision the latter were helped to make by appearances from proper actors Marlo

Brando and Gene Hackman. Three sequels followed, the first as beloved as the original 1978 film,

econd and third disdained. In 2006, Bryan Singer attempted to recreate the magic he brought to


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Men films with his Donner

mage Superman Returns,

hich was enjoyed by fans and

tics, but only by those who

tually went to see it!

w, 35 years after the original

m and 80 years after the

aracter was created, Zack

yders updated big screen

rsion of the hero is about to

rive in cinemas, complete with

e more realistic, darker tone

at made Chrstopher Nolans

ectacular Dark Knighttrilogych a worldwide success.

eaking of Christopher Nolan,

e great man himself is credited

producer and script supervisor

Man of Steel, a fact that is

aking the film look a whole lot

ore attractive to people who

e Bat-fans, but not Supe-fans.

ll Man of Steeltop the Donner

ms, or fly off peoples

emories in days. Well have to

it and see!

extended review ofMan of

eelwill be printed in next

onths issue.

CAST OF STEEL

HENRY CAVILLs biggest role to date is certain

Tarsem Singhs 2011 epic Immortals, which wa

fairly successful at the box office, considering i

rating and lack of major stars. He also had the

in tiny thriller The Cold Light of Dayalongside

Willis and Sigourney Weaver, which was releas

the UK this time last year!

RUSSELL CROWE is an Oscar-winner and three

time Best Actor nominee, and has starred in su

beloved films as Gladiator,A Beautiful Minda

most recently, as Javert in the hit musical Les

Misrables.

AMY ADAMS is another

actor familiar with

21st

century musicals, as

she came to fame as the

star of Disneys 2007

Enchamted. She is a multi-

Oscar nominee, for roles in

films like The Master, The

Fighterand Doubt.


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2010, Matthew Vaughn released Kick-Ass. That sentence would change superhero films, comedy films, a

ms and British films for the next three years. The standard was set so high by Vaughns superbly funny,

harming and entertaining reality-superhero film that, not only did he fail to meet the high bar with his gout-not-amazingX-Men First Class, but every genre-crossover film released since hasnt either (were talki

owboys and Aliens.)

aughn isnt directing this sequel, due out in the Summer, as he was supposed to be makingX-Men: Days

uture Pastinstead. However, he mysteriously dropped out of that project at the last moment, leading to s

ntrue Star Wars rumours, and was replaced byX-Men veteran Bryan Singer, to everyones delight. Direct

stead is Jeff Wadlow, who isnt

articularly experienced, but is apparently

with the graphic novels on which thesems are based.

he green-band trailer for the film

howcases a lot of scenes about Chloe

Moretzs Hit-Girls starting high-school,

nd how she uses her alter-ego to

vercome bullies and sports! This film

ould be like the superhero-action-sweary

ersion ofMean Girls (or, to a lesser


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or near to ten years, the Fast and Furious films came and went every few years, and surpris

itics and most audiences with their stability: who was watching these, who was enjoying

ese? Then, in Summer of 2011, something extraordinary occurred. A good, fun, extremely

uccessful and brilliantly casted Fast and Furious film was released! Fast Five, or Fast and Fur

Rio Heistadded action hero extraordinaire Dwayne Johnson to the cast, and boy did he

eliver. Hes back in the sixth film, which hits cinemas worldwide on May 24, the same date a

oth The Hangover Part III and Epic. Will the success ofFive berepeated, or will Vin Die

and his drivers be

overtaken by The Wolfp

or the residents of

BlueSkys 3D forest? Jus

Lin, who directs this film

has already pulled out ofuture installments- not

good sign for the film.

However, Dwayne John

has said that, rather tha

Fast 7, the next films to

released could be a spin

for his character, superc


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Abrams is the director ofStar Trek Into Darkness, one of

e years biggest movies. He is currently the most famous

orking director in Hollywood, par maybe Spielberg and

rantino, and he is setting off next month to write and

rect Star Wars Episode 7, the most eagerly anticipatedm of all time. He has only made 4 films. But you see, it

esnt matter these days how many films youve

rected. What matters is how many youve written script

afts of, produced and how much TV experience you

ve. If one man has a lot of experience in TV, its JJ. He

as one-half of the power team behind Lost (see below),

e biggest TV drama of the 21st

century, and also created

OST BEGINNINGS: OUR TOP 5 CHARACTERS FROM SEASON 1

FROM LEFT: HURLEY

WALT

CHARLIE

CLAIRE

JOHN

Fringe,Alias and Felicity. Being behind so many hu

shows gains you attention in Hollywood, and so

Abrams was invited by Tom Cruise and his co-

producers to helm 2006s Mission: Impossible III, t

follow-up to what was at the time the highest-grospy film of all time (now its Skyfall). The film was

superb, and propelled Abrams to being chosen to

make a Star Trekreboot. This film, starring Chris P

and Zachary Quinto was a massive success among

critics and Trekkies, and at the box office. A seque

sure to be made, but first, Abrams had to make hi

dream project. After all, Christopher Nolan got to

make Inception after The Dark Knight, so Abrams

ou can read a special feature on Lostin the August 2013 issue ofMovie Taco.


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HONEST POSTERS

STAR TREK INTO

make Super 8 after Trek. The majority of critics

d audiences loved Super 8, a warm homage to

ven Spielberg. Movie Tacowasnt a huge fan of

rams directing style that was on show in the film,

recognised the passion that was behind its

ation. Abrams returned to Starfleet, and his

ond film about the Enterprise crew is due to hit

emas on May 9th

in the UK, and May 16th

in the

ted States. However, Abrams has already started

rk on an even bigger, more highly anticipated sci-

dventure blockbuster: the aforementioned Star

rs Episode 7. The original SW cast members are

e to reappear and George Lucas has taken a step

k, and will not be directing or writing the film.

at could possibly go wrong? The official synopsis

STID is as follows:

er being called back home, the crew of the USS

erprise find a seemingly unstoppable force which

attacked Starfleet and left Earth in chaos.ptain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise

tasked with leading the deadly manhunt to

ture the party responsible and settle an old score.

the films villain, Abrams has hired Benedict

mberbatch, star of BBCs massive drama series

rlockand fanboy favourite. After all, his Sherlock

star Martin Freeman managed to pull off the

ding role in The Hobbit, and its looking like

mberbatchs STID character John Harrison (orhn as fans are predicting) will take a fairly leading

e alongside Chris Pines Kirk in the film.

have Star Wars to look forward to in 2015, but

me fans will be more excited about this. It should

a nice break from the usual ugly, unstylish and

pidly written films released over the summer.

r Trek Into Darkness is released in the UK on Maynd the US on May 17. It will be reviewed in next


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ALSO OUT THIS SUMMERTHE LONE RANGER

This looked set to be one of the coolest films of the year some time ago, but

has started to lose fan engagement over time. Still, the people behind it are

fairly reliable, so it cant be that bad!

THE WOLVERINE

Hugh Jackman is back in what has turned into the

Summers least anticipated movie. A lack of posters and

trailers until a few weeks ago failed to create knowledge

of the films existence, and the trailer was pretty bad. We

still have hope, however, as Hugh Jackmans Logannever fails to entertain and could make even the worst

film OK.

THIS IS THE END

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the writers ofSuperbad)s

directorial debut looks set to be at least the cleverest

comedy idea of the Summer, if not the funniest overall. Itfeatures Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel,

Danny McBride, Michael Cera and Emma Watson playing

themselves, making fun of each others career ups and

downs as the apocalypse tears apart Francos house and th

party they are all attending.

WHITE HOUSE DOWN

The second terrorists-invade-the-White-House filmreleased in 2013 (after the mediocre Olympus has

Fallen), this is Roland Emmerichs most realistic film yet,

after showing us the possibilities of an alien invasion

(Independence Day), and modern ice-age (The Day After

Tomorrow) and a lot of simultaneous earthquakes (2012).

Channing Tatums biggest starring role to date, this

should be great!


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THE

REST


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MOVIE TACOS ANIMATIONPREVIEW

Despicable Me 2, our most anticipated animated film of the ye

sure to be superb, with the original voice cast and directors

returning, as well as new stars Kristen Wiig and Al Pacino! Yes,

Pacino! The first film was close to perfect, and felt more like hi

water-mark Pixar than Universal, and this will probably be bett

than the prequel/sequel that Pixar are releasing this Summer (

below). Read more aboutDM2 in the July 2013 issue.

Monsters University comes at a point when Pixar, formerly the k

of animated cinema in Hollywood, havent released a good film i

years, and havent released a good original film in 4. Thats a ver

long period for a studio who once made Finding Nemo, The

Incredibles, Ratatouille and Wall.Eback to back! We all love

Monsters Inc, but a prequel to it isnt really what we need from P

right now! Read more aboutMonsters Universityin the June 20

issue.

Ryan Reynolds is the king of animated film this year, providing

voices for both Dreamworks smash-hit The Croods and Turbo,

original adventure featuring a talking snail (Reynolds) who ente

race! Whaaaaat you say! A snail? Racing? How could that be

Leave that to the magic of animation!

Read more aboutTurbo in the July 2013 issue.

The Smurfs 2isnt technically an animated film, seeing as it

featured such fantastic and experienced live-action comedy

actors as Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays and Sofia Vergara. Th

first film was surprisingly good and a surprise hit, following in t

steps of its distant cousinAlvin and the Chipmunks, and this on

will probably be better, unlikeAlvin, as it has even better actor

joining the cast, and an even more original plot.

Read more aboutThe Smurfs 2 in the July 2013 issue.


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ron Man 3

Iron Man 3 is the first ever season-specific superhero movie. The

whole story is set at Christmas, and popular Christmas songs are

played several times throughout the film. Im unsure as to whether

the film was intended for a December 2012 or 2013 release, but it

was almost certainly one of the two. Then again, maybe ShaneBlack just wanted to make another film set at Christmas. Almost

all the films written by Black feature Christmas, along with a

hilarious voiceover by the main character. Iron Man 3 is no

different, and Robert Downey Jrs voiceover begins before the

red Marvellogo even appears on screen. Its a wonderfully well-

written voiceover, featuring all the usual stutters and corrections

we have come to expect and love from Downeys Tony Stark.

Despite these familiar vocal features, Stark is a very different man

when the film begins (or, ten minutes in, after a 1999 prologue).His relationship with Pepper Potts is more intense, he has far more

free time (no longer being the CEO of Stark Industries) and he is

unknowingly suffering from PTSD following the events of last

yearsThe Avengers (Assemble).

Speaking of that film, nobody expected Iron Man 3 to top it, or

even match its brilliance, wit, visual beauty and charm. Therefore,

I shouldnt have felt, whilst watching Iron Man 3, that I was being

let down. I have become so used to going to see a Disney/Marvel

film that is purely a trailer forAvengers (Thor, Iron Man II, Captain


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the people whos bodies were responsible for their creation are no longer living.

aking of Ty Simpkins, im surprised he didnt get his own character poster, as he features just as prominently and is just as important to the sto

n Cheadles Rhodey (and even The Mandarin). Cheadle shouldnt be blamed for his uninteresting role in the film, After all, he played an importa

ron Man 2, and his character was one of a small group who didnt appear in Avengers. People may have just forgotten about Rhodes: people

aning Marvel. However, the few minutes of screen time allotted to Cheadle give him some great comic moments, such as when he tells Tony h

sword. James Badge Dale gives a terrifying performance as Mandarins senior henchman, and his resemblance to Matthew Fox (ive been on

ostmarathon recently) gave me the creeps. Coincidentally, he and Fox both appear in the upcoming World War Z.

oughout the film, Tony Stark appears to be very alone. Even when he is still in his massive house, living with his hot gir lfriend (oh yeah, we hav

ntioned Gwyneth Paltrows Pepper Potts yet), his friends, Rhodes and Happy (former Iron Man director Jon Favreau, featuring heavily in the o

d but becoming incapacitated later, aswe predicted) are too busy to hang out with him, and his suits are his only friends. Luckily, when he arri

nessee later on, he meets his kid-friend almost immediately- in a wood- shed. Isnt that original? Despite Mandarin, and Guy Pearces BIG bad

ng a continuous threat throughout the film, the more active baddies who actually participate in fights and shoot-outs are the Extremis experim

nea-pigs. I found no enjoyment watching these characters in action, and they look and act like a a group of mutants from one of the bad X-Men

IRON MAN!Badge Dale was the one exception to this bunch of bad actors, and luckily he didnt do much Extremis -y stuff.

s was not the extraordinaryAvengers follow-up we could have gotten, but it also wasnt the massive failure we could have gotten. Fans of actio

medy, Christmas and the like will gobble this up, as have the critics. I, for one, stopped gobbling after the first eight-tenths, but only because I w

ecent food. Does that metaphor work? Who cares! Its Christmas! Oh, wait
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er Ebert, the legendary film critic who passed away this month, always said that when he wrote reviews, he wrote from the

of whom the film was directed at. If he was watching Terrence Malick, he would think Would an intelligent professor of fi

hology like this. If he was watching The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, he would think would an excitable, easily-enterta

n-year old enjoy this film. He did get to reviewG.I. Joe: Retaliation, the much-delayed sequel to the awful 2009 action film

obra before he died, and despite watching it from the point of view of a target audience member as he always did, he gave

s- a fairly low rating. When it was announced last year, just weeks before the films release, that it would be postponed by al

, almost everyone presumed the reason was to go back and add more Channing Tatum, given his string of successful releas

y 2012. As it turns out, that wasnt the reason, as Tatum is (Spoiler, but in the trailer) killed off within 20 minutes of the film

ise, its up to his best friend and co-Joe Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson) to take over as both the lead of the GIs and of the film

obably the best actor working in stupid, entertaining action movies today, and its always a pro to see his name pop up on p

t would otherwise be totally unbearable films, ie. Fast Five andJourney 2 The Mysterious Island. Most of his best stuff in th

s interaction with Tatum, which of course ends after 20 minutes. He quotes Jay-Z like a poet and talks a lot about his young

ghters (who would ever imagine Dwayne Johnson with daughters!) He is decent for the rest of the film, but not amazing. Br

s up. Enough said. Willis made us think he was getting back on top of his game with his award-worthy performance in Moon

gdom last year, but with Looper, The Expendables 2, A Good Die To Die Hardand this, he has proven once again that hes a t

on star nowadays. Red 2 cannot come and go fast enough! Jonathan Pryce has fun on screen as both the US president and h

rator, and there is some great Snake Eyes action. A major set-piece with ninjas on a cliff is sure to have 8-year old boys jum

down in their seats.

looks like Citizen Kane compared with the first film, which makes sense considering that any sign of relation to that film is

oon as Tatums character dies. There is fun to be had here, and thats in some ways what movies are for. However,Fast and

d in particular Iron Man 3 are going to provide, cleverer and more original actions scenes and witty jibes, so hold onto your

ust a few more weeks!



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Watching Oblivion, I figured out some stuff that Joseph Kosinski likes to put in his films. Thats to say, the two films he

has directed: both major Hollywood tentpole science-fiction blockbusters. The first was, of course, 2010s

disappointing Tron: Legacy, the main fault of which was the lack of a major star and the casting of the spectacularly

uncharismatic Garret Hedlund in the lead role. Oblivion, luckily, does not follow this fate, thanks to the fact that TomCruise, unarguably one of the most charming and charismatic actors working in Hollywood today, is the star (and

producer), playing Jack Harper, the last man on Earth, who wanders around fixing drones in a funny suit that looks like

what Ted and Barney wore in The Time Travellers episode ofHow I Met Your Mother.However, he isnt actually the

last man on Earth. Firstly, he is accompanied by Andrea Riseborough (50% Kate Winslet, 50% Bonnie Wright), his co-

worker/ girlfriend, and together they share a hilariously bad swimming pool love scene early on in the film. Secondly, as

shown in the trailers, Jack discovers Morgan Freeman and a gang of rebels underground, and they start to reveal to him

the secrets of what is happening to the Earths citizens now that they are living in a giant pyramid -shaped space

station. Aaaah Morgan Freeman. what has he done to his career. He hasnt had a memorable role in over a decade,

and all he does now is turn up in small roles as either a carbon copy of his performance in the Batman films as Lucius

Fox, or his role as God in Bruce and Evan Almighty. He appears on screen in Oblivion for less than 5 minutes, depsite

appearing on the poster! Another actor giving a lot of time to the promotion of the film that isnt in it that much is OlgaKurylenko, who has toured the world giving interviews, each of which is twice the length of her Oblivion screen-time.

The film starts off with some truly spectacular money-shots, featuring beautiful CGI images of the Washington

Monument collapsing into the ground, amongst other dystopian sites. These images set the scene for the rest of the

film: a lot of spectacle, not so much heart, charm or engagement. Oblivion may as well be a nature documentary, it is so

low on characterisation. Sure, Tom Cruise is believable as Jack (at least more so than he was in his last film, the

disgracefulJack Reacher), but his character is nothing new or interesting. The same can be said for the rest of the film.

Not one frame of imagery, line of dialogue or piece of costume in Oblivionhasnt been taken from an older, far superior

film. The whole premise is a rip-off ofWall.E, and ill be counting the days from now on until Pixar file a lawsuit against

Universal. The segments

Oblivion


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eaturing Jack tending to plants and robots simultaneously whilst

heesy 70s music plays on a phonograph are carbon copied from the

onderful Silent Running. The music is a mix ofTron: Legacyand,

ong with every science fiction film released since

010, Inception. There are a few other things taken from Christopher

olans masterpiece, including Jack and Olga Kurylenkos characters

elationship, which the viewer only realises the full extent of late in

he plot.

fter 90+ minutes of not-particularly-interesting effects and no plot,ome interesting twists and turns arrive which pulled me back into the

orld of the film and made me warm towards it a little bit more.

here is one superbly entertaining scene like nothing you will ever

ave seen or even imagined before, and you will not forget it (if you

ave seen the film you will know of what I speak) until the day you

e! The final reveal is OK, but has been done recently enough in

arious sci-fi reboots, remakes and rip-offs, namely Total Recall, The

unger Games, and even if you go back far enough, The Matrixfilms.

here is fun to be had here, but there could have been more. Its as

ood an accompaniment for your popcorn-munching that youll find

cinemas this year, but if you want something with a little bit more

epth, youre going to have to look at the upcoming projects of more

xperienced directors than Kosinski. After all, he has only directed

wo films!


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The Host

It is widely considered that Roger CormansThe Man With The X-Ray Eyes(or X, as it was called on release)

is the best film of the 1960s B-movie heyday. The films extraordinarily entertaining combination of gore,romance and adventure make it a very enjoyable watch, even if one has only started watching it so as to be

able to laugh at it. InX, Ray Millands lead character takes a drug designed to expand the human mind, but

ends up with two black, bulging eyes that can see through any surface. Another film that features unusually

exaggerated eyes is The Host, the new teen-oriented sci-fi/romance/action/drama/adventure from Twilight

author Stephenie Meyer and director Andrew Niccol.

What??? Surely thats not the Andrew Niccol who directed superb 1997 sci-fi Gattaca and 2005 drama Lord of

War, or even the decent 2011 futuristic thriller In Time? How could he stoop so low as to direct this

apparently awful pile of rubbish? Honestly, I cant answer that question. Whilst I watched (0r, attempted to

watch), this spectacularly bad film, I couldnt help but wonder what extremely ambitious and expensiveproject Niccol is planning that he needed to fund using his payment for this. It must be something on the

scale ofCloud Atlas, something no studio is willing to fund. Hopefully, it will be something so brilliant, we will

be able to forgive Niccol for directing (and writing!) The Host.

Regular readers of my reviews will know that im a big fan of Stephenie MeyersTwilightbooks, and the

subsequent series of films, which featured superb casts, original stories and extremely moving romance. I

attempted to read The Hostseveral years ago as I awaited the release of the final Twilightbook, but I lost the


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plot after 50 or so pages. That books complicated plot and cast of characters turned many potential readers

away, and so the film and Niccols script have dumbed down the story by about 700%. Gone are the

confusing flashbacks and sideplots and in is the continuing and unengaging narrative involving Saoirse

Ronans characters Melanie (human, Texan, sarcastic and apparently hilarious) and Wanderer (alien,

possessed Melanies body, Californian [they are alien after all], and very serious indeed). We dont see much

of Melanie, but we do get a strong sense of her character through the infuriating internal monologues that

feature from the beginning of the film to near the end. How the author of some of my favourite books of thepast decade, and the director of some of my favourite sci-fi films of the past century managed to pull of such

a failure in both their respective genres that I wanted to stand up and run out of the cinema screaming is a

mystery to be, but it must be partially the fault of the studio. Oh wait, was a studio even involved? The films

budget of $44m was only half that of recent teen sci-fi hit The Hunger Games (a film that looks twice as good

as Citizen Kane when compared with The Host), and was clearly entirely spent on Niccols fee and some shitty

helicopter shots of the desert. Oh yeah, and William Hurt and Diane Kruger, two fantastic actors who let

themselves down severely in this film. Diane Kruger is barely in the film, and is only there to make an angry

face and stomp around the desert in some ill-judged high-heel boots.

Saoirse Ronan is a decent actress, and a lovely girl, but doesnt have the realistic sexual emotions or basicacting skills to pull off playing, not one, but two characters! The film looks boring and awful, with its orange

and white colour scheme and unoriginal setting.

One last thing about The Host: Emily Browning makes a cameo near the end. Why?

Basically, everything good aboutXis bad about this. Get a DVD of that, and dont be fooled into thinking

that just because you like Twilight, youll like this. Its all lies! What this film needs isnt an alien possession,

its an exorcism!


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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

At time of writing, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is probably the biggest flop of 2013 so far, and has sentthe future careers of its stars Steve Carell and Jim Carrey into a vortex of uncertainty. Whos to blame anyone

for not going to see it, considering the almost non-existent publicity campaign and the impossibly tedious

title (Alan Arkin couldnt even remember what it was called in a recent interview). The terrible thing is is that

its not actually thatbad. The negative reviews would have you think its a terribly unfunny, heartless bag of

rubbish, like its recent cousin Identity Thief, but its far more than that. Yes, it could be much funnier,

especially considering how the long that script has been bouncing around, and all the people who have had

the chance to alter it. Yes, all the actors are just doing what they always do and nothing new. Yes, it has

probably the most unethical, outrageous ending of any comedy film for the past 5 years. But at the centre of

all this is a sweet, enjoyable and fairly well-made film about a bunch of losers playing with magic and trying to

figure out whos the best.

How I Met Your Mothers Barney Stinsons fascination with slight-of-hand tricks has prompted a new interest

in the methods in recent years, a fact that both Wonderstone and upcoming thriller Now You See Me are

cashing in on. This film does use many of the jokes featured in that show amongst other things, but adds

expensive CG effects and the use of a big screen to add to the illusion. Unfortunately, it is just an illusion.

Almost every trick in Wonderstonehas been altered using CG, and its pretty easy to tell, especially with tricks

like Arkin turning sand into a bird! Most of the illusions featured in the film are explained to the audience, and


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the grand final act, which I wont give away, could easily be pulled off by any member of the films

audience (I pray there wont be a copycat incident) if they had the time and money to go through the

necessary steps. Due to this lack of actual magic on screen, its down to the script and actors to pull of the

trick of making the audience enjoy the film. The script is pretty terrible, clearly written with Ben Stiller

and Owen Wilson instead of Carell and Steve Buscemi (criminally underused, but still hillarious) in mind,

and the purely verbal jokes fall miserably on the floor.

It is the actors who eventually save the film, with the unbelievably likeable Carell pulling every scene

along with his bare hands, and Jim Carrey getting the funniest physical gags as always. Olivia Wilde is

fine in her usual role (she has still yet to match the brilliance of her performance in Butter) and Arkin and

Buscemi are fun to watch having fun.

This may not be a film with a good story or script, or any genuine magic on screen, but it does have heart,

and heart is something thats hard to find in films today.


26/29

FORGOTTEN CLASSIC: NATIONAL TREASURE (2004)

The fact that Nicholas Cage hasnt made any good

films since he won his Oscar has become a running

joke in film critic and Hollywood circles. I couldnt

disagree more, as both of John Turtletaubs National

Treasure films are on my list of favourite films of all

time. In them, Cage portrays Benjamin Gates, an

explorer who, in this first film, steals the Declaration of

Independence with the help of his friend Riley (Justin

Bartha ofThe Hangoverfilms) in order to read atreasure map on the back and be lead to a hidden

treasure under Londons streets. The film has one of

the best casts of any 2000s actioner, including Harvey

Kietel, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Chrstopher Plummer

and Sean Bean, and a brilliant story based around both

accurate and inaccurate US history, but was passed off

by critics as Pirates of a Caribbeans more realistic

younger brother. This couldnt be more untrue, as the

film is far more original and entertaining than any ofthe Pirates films have ever been. Helen Mirren, Ed

Harris and other award-winning, well respected actors

presence in the sequel prove the cred that some

people gave the film. It truly is a forgotten classic!


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The Great Gatsby is opening Cannes 2013,

but another highly anticipated film

screening at the festival will be Sofia

Coppolas THE BLING RING.

Starring Emma Watson, in her most adult

role yet, and Leslie Mann. The Bling Ring tellsthe real-life story of a group of fame-

obsessed teenagers who break into the

houses of Hollywood celebrities.

Other highlights from the Cannes schedule

include Only God

Forgives by Drive director Nicolas Winding

Refn; Steven Soderbergh's Liberace

biopic, Behind The Candelabra; TheImmigrantstarring Joaquin Phoenix and

Oscar-winning actressMarion Cotillard; andthe Coen brothers' latestfilm, Inside LlewynDavis, withCarey MulliganandJustin

Timberlakeplaying theleading roles.

THE HOT LIST MONTHLY
http://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillardhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillardhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillardhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/justin-timberlakehttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/carey-mulliganhttp://www.vogue.co.uk/person/marion-cotillard


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THE HOT LIST MONTHLY

Kristen Stewart will reprise her lead role in

the Snow White and the Huntsman

sequel, the head of Universal Pictures

confirmed. Stewart plays the lead role of

Snow White in the film. Though few details

are known about the latest project, it willbe in theaters in 2015. The first movie

received two Oscar nominations for Best

Visual Effects and Best Costume Design at

the 85th Academy Awards.

The first images of Shailene Woodley and Emma Stone as Mary-Jane and Gwen on theAmazing Spider-Man 2

set have made their way online. We saw Stone in action in Mark Webbs 2012 film, but Woodley (also starring

in upcoming teen-flicks Divergentand The Fault in Our Stars) is a newcomer to the Spidey series!


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COMING NEXT MONTH..

THE GREATEST

SUPERHERO MOVIE

PLUS.

THE WOLVERINE: WORLD EXCLUSIVE

WORLD WAR ZMONSTERS UNIVERSITY

THIS IS THE END

MAN OF STEEL,

THE GREAT GATSBY +

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS REVIEWED

THE DARK KNIGHT, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, X2, SPIDER-MAN 2, BATMAN AND ROBIN

WHO WILL WIN?

movie taco: may 2013

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