Nicolas Cage Joins Expendables 3 Cast

Sylvester Stallone has confirmed via his own Facebook page that Nicolas Cage has joined the cast of the inevitable Expendables 3 sequel. Cage has long be one of the names Stallone admitted he wanted to pursue for the next testosterone packed action ensemble piece.

Stallone has been widely advertising  a potential wish-list that includes Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford and Wesley Snipes. Though Eastwood might be a tough target, given their recent track records perhaps Ford and Snipes wouldn’t be quite as unrealistic.

Here’s what Sly had to say in his oddly incoherent statement:

“We have confirmed Nicolas Cage, a master actor who gives a veneer intellectual group. Hopefully we can realize to Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Mickey Rourke. That is the great mission of the producer. We will continue with the same narrative scheme, the agility and the frenzy, which are inherent to the saga. What will definitely be the last? I can not guarantee. In principle it would be two deliveries, but the affection of the people encouraged us to work on a third. I guess as long as we amused ourselves by offering fun and people, we can continue playing ‘The Expendables’. For now we are not as expendable as it should and as some critics want.”

First Image of Last Vegas Cast

Here’s our first official image of Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Klein in character for new comedy film Last Vegas. The quartet of aging stars play four best friends in their late-60′s who decide to escape retirement and throw a Las Vegas bachelor party for the only one of them who has remained single.

This early peek continues to suggest that Last Vegas will indeed shamelessly combine the lucratively popular genres of grumpy old men shenanigans with Hangover style hi-jinks. Although to be fair the title, cast list and initial synopsis should have been your first clues.

Director Jon Turteltaub who previously gave us Cool Runnings, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and National Treasure is the person responsible for whether or not Last Vegas makes you chuckle about old age. Expect those laughs to be mostly fueled by inevitable viagra jokes and Robert De Niro‘s grimacing face.

Matthew Vaughn May Direct New Star Wars Film

Matthew Vaughn recently dropped out of directing X-Men First Class sequel Days Of Future Past, allowing Bryan Singer to step in to take over the franchise. He also turned down the lucrative chance to direct his other obvious superhero sequel in Kick-Ass 2. Now rumour are starting to circulate this may actually be due to the fact that he’s in line to direct Star Wars Episode VII.

Matthew Vaughn is reported to be in talks with Lucasfilm and Disney about scripting and directing next chapter in the Star Wars Saga. It’s been suggested that he and screenwriting partner Jane Goldman may have been among the writers that George Lucas was meeting about the project in August.

It would certainly seem to fit with the initial statement from Lucasfilm spokespersons that they had been talking to leading writers with a background in delivering Hollywood blockbusters. In particular Vaughn’s magnificent work in rebooting the X-Men franchise to critical acclaim, under intense time pressure and budget restrictions, may have made him an obvious candidate.

Though it’s all pretty much unconfirmed speculation at this stage, it’s a rumour that many fans may be hoping proves to be true. Let us know what you think

 

Rust And Bone Review

The Plot:

Put in charge of his young son, Ali leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Ali’s bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.

The Good:

Rust and Bone is a slow moving tale of self discovery for two people, Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) and Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts). The film tackles the very plausible notion of two people from different paths, meeting and becoming friends who become lovers. It a common story but adding  the intense themes of coping with disability is what helped the film take top prize at this year’s London Film festival.

The film’s main strength  lies in Marion Cotillard’s performance, with  her vulnerability and fragility displayed in award winning fashion throughout. The Oscar winning actress expertly pulls on audiences heartstrings as her character comes to terms with her traumatic accident and slowly allows herself to become emotionally dependent on her unlikely new friend. It’s easy for audiences to empathise with Stephanie’s growing need for Ali as she searches for someone who treats her as an equal not an invalid.

Matthias Schoenaerts proves a good sparing partner for  Cotillard in this film and his matter of fact attitude provides an interesting contrast. Scenes where it is just the two of them manage to bring home a sense of realism and unexpected but welcome humour in the situation that is presented.

The cinematography must also be applauded. In some of the beach scenes, you can almost feel the summer breeze as you watch it and forget about the blistery UK Autumn outside. It also allows the audience to feel part of this world, not just a spectator.

The Bad:

Rust an Bone is not without it’s flaws. There are too many elements which makes the overall plot messy and difficult to understand. The struggles of fatherhood, love and the aftermath of a tragic accident  are all strong topics in themselves but it’s a tough challenge to combine them. Characters are wasted, and story elements seem carelessly placed in order to give an excuse for the narrative to move in implausible directions.

It would have been interesting to focus more on Stephanie’s  battle to overcome her fears and work with killer whales again. But this is only explored briefly as the film jumps between different stories. It’s jarring and frustrating as key parts of the film simply aren’t explored in enough depth.

The Ugly Truth:

The film’s strong performances, particularly the brilliant Marion Cotillard, connect well with an audience and make the most of a disjointed narrative. A clunky and confused storyline poses a few too many problems to allow the film to ever be totally enjoyable and may leave some wondering exactly where the film was supposed to be going in the first place.

My Brother The Devil Review

The Plot:

Two very different teenage brothers must face their prejudices head on if they are to survive the perils of being young, British Arabs on the streets of gangland London.

The Good:

For a debut feature film, My Brother The Devil is gripping, engaging, thought provoking and beautifully shot. All the characters and the surrounding situations are believable and as an audience member you can get completely engrossed in what you are watching, which is always a sign of a good film.

Sally El-Hosani picked up the much deserved Best Newcomer Award at the London Film Festival and most certainly is a star director for the future with this film and vision prooving testament to that talent.

My Brother the Devil, takes the audience on a very real journey of discovery for two brothers, Mo and Rashid – played expertly by newcomer Fady Elsayed and James Floyd. The beauty of this film is its self contained aspects. Not venturing much further than its urban council estate setting, the cinematography sheds a hallowed light on what is often depicted in film as a dark, dank and gruesome part of London.

The storyline also takes the film away from its opening generic ‘urban film’ feel and makes a strong social commentary sure to provoke equally strong reactions from audiences. The film is clever without trying to be too clever and Hosani’s passion for the project is obvious. It’s particular interesting to see a young female director tackling such a male focused route.

The Bad:

Although the film provides an interesting twist on the London gang culture genre, the topical and popular subject matter unavoidably brings a certain predictability regardless of budget or plot specifics.

These kinds of films follow a familiar pattern, a violent incident provokes some form of gang rivalry. Audiences will find that this film’s later stages in particular fall prey to being formulaic in a way that distracts from the film’s more original elements. Over hyped-enthusiasm from boastful marketing and word of mouth praise may worsen this feeling of disappointment. It’s ultimately not quite as distinguished from similar films like Victim or Kidulthood as it could have been.

Despite it’s faults My Brother The Devil is still lead strongly by its performances, and may prove to be the stepping stone for much bigger things for Floyd and Elsayed. It is also better than many feature debuts on a shoe string budget, so deserves the majority of praise already garnered.

The Ugly Truth: 

Beautifully shot, an unexpected twist on the tale you were expecting, but sadly not far enough away that it stands on its own two feet.  Most impressive however, is that My Brother The Devil is yet another shining example of UK talent both in front and behind the camera with praise well deserved.