Thursday 11 February 2016

‘Hardcore Henry’ Trailer: Action Cinema Goes First-Person

hardcore henry trailer 

I’m fascinated by how the language of video games has begun to leak into filmmaking. As gaming has become more commonplace and mainstream, a new generation of directors raised with controllers in their hands have begun to blend the mediums. And you don’t just see this in big, dumb action movies – the stylistically ambitious drama Son of Saul bears a distinctive video game thumbprint, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
But Hardcore Henry wears its video game influences on its sleeve in a huge way and it is very much a big, dumb action movie, albeit one of the more ambitious big, dumb action movies to come around in quite some time. A new trailer for this insane exercise in mayhem has arrived and it teases a movie that looks to be, for better and worse, unlike anything we’ve seen before.
Hardcore Henry (which was just called Hardcore when it made the festival rounds last year) is shot entirely from the first person POV of its title character, a mute, amnesiac cyborg who is brought back from death by his scientist wife. Things go wrong, the wife is kidnapped, and Henry must use his newly enhanced body to go on rescue mission that involves fighting his way through literal armies of criminals and mercenaries and what-have-you. It looks like it was a pain in the ass to make and the trailer utilizes a great Queen song. Oh, and there’s Sharlto Copley doing his Sharlto Copley thing. Where do we stand on Mr. Copley these days? Does anyone know?



Festival reviews of Hardcore Henry were mixed, with some critics praising its high energy, absurd action, genuinely impressive commitment to its central gimmick. Others dismissed it as vile, pointless trash made for pre-teens with too much Mountain Dew in their veins and too much Call of Duty on the brain. In any case, the film certainly looks fascinating – this is very much a product of right now. This movie simply couldn’t have existed a decade ago and it deserves a closer look.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Strap in. Hardcore Henry is one of the most unflinchingly original wild-rides to hit the big screen in a long time:  You remember nothing. Mainly because you’ve just been brought back from the dead by your wife (Haley Bennett). She tells you that your name is Henry. Five minutes later, you are being shot at, your wife has been kidnapped, and you should probably go get her back. Who’s got her? His name’s Akan (Danila Kozlovsky); he’s a powerful warlord with an army of mercenaries, and a plan for world domination. You’re also in an unfamiliar city of Moscow, and everyone wants you dead. Everyone except for a mysterious British fellow called Jimmy (Sharlto Copley.) He may be on your side, but you aren’t sure. If you can survive the insanity, and solve the mystery, you might just discover your purpose and the truth behind your identity. Good luck, Henry. You’re likely going to need it…
Hardcore Henry will play at the SXSW Film Festival next month before opening on April 8, 2016. You can check out the new poster below.
hardcore henry trailer

‘The Purge: Election Year’ Trailer: Politics Is the Deadliest Game of Them All

the purge 3 trailer 

Writer/director James DeMonaco‘s The Purge movies have never been shy about melding politics and horror. The series’ creepy, Twilight Zone-esque elevator pitch – a near-future America legalizes all crime for one night every year – has been a vehicle to examine how corrupt systems favor the wealthy and powerful while literally leaving the poor and the helpless out on the streets. You can argue about the results (I think they’ve been pretty good), but it’s always nice to see a grisly horror series bring a little bit of actual meat to the slaughter.
The trailer for The Purge: Election Year has arrived and it looks like the next natural step forward for this series. But most importantly, Frank Grillo is back, which is the real reason to celebrate.
As the title implies, the third film moves deeper into the political realm, following Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), a presidential nominee who has built her entire campaign on eliminating the Purge. Naturally, those in power see her as a threat and plot to have her assassinated during the Purge, which, in this universe, is literally the perfect crime. However, they didn’t count on the presence of Grillo’s Sergeant, who became Charlene’s bodyguard after surviving the events of 2014’s The Purge: Anarchy. Mayhem in and around the Washington D.C. area ensues.


And since this is a Purge movie, you can bet your severed fingers and toes that there will be outlandish costumes, creepy masks, and literal armies of bloodthirsty maniacs out to get to their murder on. Thanks to the setting, the killers this time around have taken on a more “patriotic” flavor, twisting American imagery and even borrowing a thing or two from the French (guillotines, anyone?). Even with the wider scope, The Purge: Election Year does look like just another Purge movie and you should know by now whether or not that will appeal to you in any way, shape, or form. I like these movies well enough – the blend of nasty horror and dystopian science fiction satire pushes the right buttons for me. However, the real treat is seeing Grillo back in action. His mysterious, vengeful soldier was the highlight of the previous film, lending gravitas and old school badassery to a film otherwise filled with remorseless killers and shrieking victims. Grillo is a fine actor and there are few performers I’d rather watch speak softly and carry a big weapon through an evening of bloody anarchy. The Purge: Election Year is set to open, rather appropriately, on July 1, 2014. Expanding the universe introduced in the hit franchise that electrified the culture and earned $200 million at the worldwide box office, Universal Pictures’ The Purge: Election Year reveals the next terrifying chapter that occurs over 12 hours of annual lawlessness sanctioned by the New Founders of America to keep this country great. It’s been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn…or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.

Priyanka Chopra’s first Marathi production goes on floors

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Actress Priyanka Chopra’s first Marathi film as a producer has gone on the floors. The actress has stepped into the sppace with her Purple Pebble Pictures production house and took to twitter to inform that he is now geared up for a Marathi film. The 33-year-old actress took to her online photo-sharing account on Instagram and announced the news aling with an image wherein the script and the clapboard of the film are kept in front of a photo frame of Lord Ganesha. Priyanka, who will have a guest appearance in the flick, captioned the image as:

 Congratulations @purplepebblepictures for starting # Ventilator.. Our 1st Marathi film!good luck to #rajeshmapuskar and the team! Ganpati Bappa Morya. 

 Congratulations @PurplePebblePic for starting #Ventilator.. Our 1st Marathi film!good luck… http://t.co/nI3bi9YXUQ — PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) 
February 10, 2016 Titled “Ventilator”, the film will have several veteran Marathi film and theatre actors, directed by Rajesh Mapuskar who also directed “Ferrari Ki Sawaari”. 

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/priyanka-chopras-first-marathi-production-goes-on-floors/#sthash.P2hyGrTs.dpuf