Edge of Tomorrow (Review)
Edge of Tomorrow
aka All You Need is Kill
2014
Screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth
Based on the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Directed by Doug Liman
It’s come to our attention thanks to the multitude of video games being adapted into film, that the transition from the one media to the other is just too rife with problems to work. From Mario Mario walking the dinosaur in an alternate dimension to Kristin Kreuk seductively dancing for bathroom funtime, no one seems to have any idea how to turn video games into non-terrible cinema. Which is part of why Edge of Tomorrow is amazing, because it is the perfect video game movie! All they had to do was base it on a book…
Beyond the obvious video game connections, Edge of Tomorrow is a fun action film that stands out from the dour “dark and gritty” or somber 9-11 commentary that so often infects modern action cinema. It really took me by surprised just how entertaining it would be. I was expecting a more serious action drama that took itself too seriously, but that was quickly dashed once the resurrection jokes began.
An alien invasion and a time loop is the setting for Edge of Tomorrow. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) does military PR, having the terrible job of trying to spin nonstop losses into recruitment drives for more meat for the grinder. With a full scale invasion of the European continent imminent by the humans, Cage is in England where he’s told he’ll be joining the battle on the front lines. Cage attempts to talks his way out of the assignment, but ends up arrested for disobeying orders and awakens in handcuffs on a military base where he’s informed he’s a private and a deserter who will be thrown into battle during the invasion which happens in 24 hours.
Read more…
All You Need Is Kill gets dumb new title and cool new poster
All You Need Is Kill has been renamed The Edge of Tomorrow, because we can’t have cool things. Despite sounding like a Lady GaGa song or a Star Trek title, it’s in fact a reference to the sort of Groundhogs Day plot of All You Need Is Kill, as Tom Cruise’s character relives the same day over and over again. Of course, there are better names, like The Edge of Kill, The Kill of Tomorrow, The Kill of Kill, Die, Danger, Die, Die, Kill, Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Egg Sausage and Kill, and Groundhogs Kill.
But at least we get this cool poster!
Categories: Movie News Tags: Emily Blunt, Tom Cruise
All You Need Is Links
All the news that if you didn’t read it, it’s news to you!
**Alexa Vega in Machete Kills:
**Michael Arndt, who helped write Toy Story 3, is writing Star Wars Episode VII. No word on a director yet except for a different rumor every day, all of which we’re ignoring.
**Collider has the first picture of Tom Cruise in All You Need is Kill, a movie titled by my 7 year old self. It’s basically Groundhog Day vs. Starship Troopers and is based on a manga by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton costar.
The story unfolds in a near future in which a hive-like alien race, called Mimics, have hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, shredding great cities to rubble and leaving millions of human casualties in their wake. No army in the world can match the speed, brutality or seeming prescience of the weaponized Mimic fighters or their telepathic commanders. But now the world’s armies have joined forces for a last stand offensive against the alien horde, with no second chances.
Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and then dropped—untrained and ill-equipped—into what amounts to little more than a suicide mission. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an Alpha down with him. But, impossibly, he awakens back at the beginning of the same hellish day, and is forced to fight and die again…and again. Direct physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop—dooming him to live out the same brutal combat over and over.
But with each pass, Cage becomes tougher, smarter, and able to engage the Mimics with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt), who has lain waste to more Mimics than anyone on Earth. As Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated battle becomes an opportunity to find the key to annihilating the alien invaders and saving the Earth.
**Serial murderer Nancy Grace has a book called The Eleventh Victim which became a Lifetime movie starring World Metta Peace and a pill-popping Jennie Garth.
**Ninja Dixon sketches the Mark of the Devil!
**And You Thought It Was Safe examines The Creature Walks Among Us
**Will The Man with the Iron Fists stop Can’t Stop The Movies?
**Speaking of CSTM, the Pre-Code Follies have been moved to their own site, Pre-Code.com!
**CinemaKatz is cursed by The Raven!
**TheVern dances The FP!
Until next time, which will be later today!
Categories: Movie News Tags: Alexa Vega, Bill Paxton, Emily Blunt, Jennie Garth, Lifetime, Machete Kills, Michael Arndt, Nancy Grace, Star Wars, Tom Cruise, World Metta Peace
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
2011
Written by Simon Beaufoy and Paul Torday (novel).
Directed by Lasse Hallström
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a film about a ridiculous premise that becomes less ridiculous as the premise comes closer and closer to fruition. It is a journey of achieving what seems impossible if you just have a vision and drive (and unlimited money!) The film is very very British, complete with dry humor and accents that force you to pay attention. Based on the 2006 novel by Paul Torday, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen just sounded weird when I first heard of it, but a free movie is a free movie, so why not attend? And I enjoyed Salmon Fishing, so it was well worth it.
Once again, Tars has sold out and attended an advanced screening for free! But this time, they were peppering the Bay Area with so many free screenings of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen that it was hard to avoid wandering into one…. And as usual, we attend as members of the public and not as a critic, even though the critics get all the best rows reserved for them (and none ever show up! Lazy, lazy critics!) Director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules) I have lost track of recently, though he hasn’t lost any of his charm since I last saw a film of his a decade ago. The film looks beautiful, with some gorgeous Scottish countrysides and Morocco standing in for Yemen giving us some great desert scenery.
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Categories: Good, Movie Reviews Tags: Amr Waked, Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lasse Hallström, Paul Torday, Simon Beaufoy, Tars sells out!
The Muppets (Review)
The Muppets
2011
Directed by James Bobin
Written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller
After a far-too-long absence at the theater (I remember going to see Muppets From Space in a deserted theater like it was yesterday…), the Muppets return to the big screen in a big way. And as you can guess from the mention of seeing Muppets From Space, I’m a huge Muppets fan. Enough that I can rattle off obscure background Muppets and spot errors on the Muppet wiki. But I’m putting the fanboy aside to give a nice objective review. And that review is positive. Not because I liked the film (I did), but because it’s a good film.
The Muppets are more than just puppets, just entertainment for kids. The Muppets are entertainment for all ages, treating the audience of all ages with respect and dignity. They may not have invented that kind of entertainment, but they rode it to a new plateau. Jim Henson was never afraid to tread new ground, always experimenting and improving, wanting to put out quality products that appealed to everyone.
As for the Pixar short before it – most of the jokes seem to be just the concepts of the fast food toy characters rather than actual story. But it is funny and does deal with abandonment issued and support groups. And some of those toys look like they come from neat fake franchises. I should just design fake Happy Meal toys as a hobby…
It’s time to start the music…
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Categories: Good, Movie Reviews Tags: Alan Arkin, Amy Adams, Bill Barretta, Bill Cobbs, Chris Cooper, Dave Goelz, David Grohl, David Rudman, Donald Glover, Emily Blunt, Eric Jacobson, James Carville, Jason Segel, Jim Henson, Jim Parsons, John Krasinski, Judd Hirsch, Ken Jeong, Matt Vogel, Mickey Rooney, Muppets, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicholas Stoller, Peter Linz, Rashida Jones, Sarah Silverman, Selena Gomez, Steve Whitmire, Whoopi Goldberg, Zach Galifianakis
