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Watch the first trailer for Murder on the Orient Express

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Following yesterday’s poster for Murder on the Orient Express [check it out here], 20th Century Fox has unveiled the first trailer for Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel which you can watch below after the official synopsis…

SEE ALSO: First look at the killer cast of Murder on the Orient Express

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder on the Orient Express stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett, Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard, Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Leslie Odom Jr. as Doctor Arbuthnot, Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham, Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen, Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados, Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt, Derek Jacobi as Masterman, Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman, Sergei Polunin as Count Andrenyi, Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Beniamino Marquez, Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel and Tom Bateman as Bouc. The film is slated for a theatrical release on November 3rd in the UK and November 10th in North America.


Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne join Ant-Man and the Wasp as Janet Van Dyne and Goliath

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Marvel has kicked off its panel at the San Diego Comic-Con International this evening with Ant-Man and the Wasp, beginning with some casting news on the sequel.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne are swapping the DC universe for the MCU, with Pfeiffer set to play Janet Van Dyne and Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster, a.k.a. Goliath. Furthermore, Hannah John-Kamen’s role has been revealed, and she’s playing the villain The Ghost, while Walton Goggins is portraying Sonny Burch.

Ant-Man and the Wasp reunites Ant-Man director Peyton Reed with with stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Pena (Luis), David Dastmalchian (Kurt) and T.I. (Dave), and also stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster/Goliath, Hannah John-Kamen as The Ghost and Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch. It is is set for release in the UK on June 29th, 2018, and in the US on July 6th, 2018.

First teaser trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence

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Paramount Pictures has debuted the first teaser for writer-director Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming psychological thriller mother! which stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Brian Gleeson; watch it here…

A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

mother! is set for release on September 15th.

Darren Aronofsky’s mother! gets a new trailer and poster

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Ahead of its release next month, a new trailer has debuted for writer-director Darren Aronofsky’s mother! along with a poster featuring Jennifer Lawrence. The upcoming psychological thriller features a cast that also includes Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Brian Gleeson; take a look below…

A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

mother! is set for release on September 15th.

Movie Review – mother! (2017)

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mother!, 2017.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Kristen Wiig

SYNOPSIS: 

A wife and husband must deal with the introduction of  two strangers into their seemingly normal life.

mother! is certainly deserving of its exclamation point, and could have several more as well as some question marks thrown in there too. It is a mind bending, whirl or images and sounds that the brain in the moment of watching can often struggle to comprehend, teasing subtext and edge of your seat peculiarity throughout.

Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem play a married couple (named only in the credits as Mother and Him) who live in the husbands seemingly childhood home. It is large and in the middle of nowhere, previously ravaged by a fire which still haunts the home and has been meticulously rebuilt by Lawrence’s character. This has allowed her husband to focus on his work, as a writer and poet with a creepily obsessive following and suffering with writers block.

They are quickly joined by a new doctor (Ed Harris) who was told their house was a B&B he could stay in. The wife’s apprehension is dutifully ignored by her husband who quickly invites the man to stay and starts swilling on the strangers whisky. The strangers wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) shows up next day and is casually dismissive and outright cruel towards Lawrence, with little respect for her and her home resulting in a smashed heirloom of her husbands.

Things quickly go from bad to worse with the families sons showing up, their friends and family invading their house amongst a tragedy and smashing her immaculately planned home. All this strife somehow leads to the titular Mother’s impregnation and the seeming start of something good, before the movie takes us down a nightmarish, whirlwind of insanity and seemingly religious allegory.

In a movie where her character is not entirely fleshed out beyond “housewife” Lawrence makes this movie her own, her expressions often mirroring the confusion and perplexed feelings we as an audience have towards her husbands continual ambivalence to her wants and needs. Bardem patronises her with a benign and seemingly warm smile that makes his anger and stoicism even more pronounced when we wields them. Pfeiffer is wonderfully cruel, angry and controlling in her role and deserved more time if anything.

Aronofsky, as writer and director, has certainly poured a huge amount of effort into this seemingly inspired by psychological horrors of the past, whilst dealing a sprinkling of humour over the whole affair. Ordinary sounds are amplified, images allude as much as inform and the final third moves at such speed it is hard to get your head around the various allusions its appearing to make. Possibly that is the films greatest strength as much as it may be a weakness in getting ordinary movie going public to watch. It is so easy to interpret the last act as so many things depending on the audiences own prejudices that many people will simply be confused by it. Personally I can’t wait to watch again and see if I take something different the second time around.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Matt Spencer-Skeen – Follow me on Twitter

Murder on the Orient Express gets a star-studded poster

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20th Century Fox has released a new poster for Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel Murder on the Orient Express featuring Branagh, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., and Johnny Depp; take a look below…

SEE ALSO: Watch the trailer for Murder on the Orient Express here

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder on the Orient Express stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett, Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard, Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Leslie Odom Jr. as Doctor Arbuthnot, Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham, Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen, Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados, Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt, Derek Jacobi as Masterman, Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman, Sergei Polunin as Count Andrenyi, Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Beniamino Marquez, Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel and Tom Bateman as Bouc. The film is slated for a theatrical release on November 3rd in the UK and November 10th in North America.

Second Opinion – mother! (2017)

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mother!, 2017.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson and Kate Mara.

SYNOPSIS:

A poet suffering from writer’s block and his young wife live in a massive, remote house.  Following a fire, she has devoted herself to renovating it and has created a beautiful home for them to share.  Then one unexpected visitor arrives on their doorstep, followed by another and a few more.  Soon the couple’s home and lives have been taken over by hordes of people.  He revels in it.  For her, it’s a living nightmare.

Take a bow, Darren Aronofsky!  mother! isn’t just the Marmite movie of the year, it’s also provoked such a myriad of reactions that it’s single-handedly resurrected the fine art of post-film discussion.  Something that will last long after the movie has departed from cinema screens.

By all accounts, Aronofsky wrote the script in just five days.  They must have been the longest and most intense days going: his vision, especially in the later stages, is expansive and complex, crammed with a multitude of ideas and themes.  It’s a large slice of modern gothic, part horror that tips over into Grand Guignol, part thriller but, most of all, the director’s own commentary on the modern world.

Everything is shown through the eyes of Mother (Jennifer Lawrence).  She doesn’t have a name, nor does her significantly older husband Him (Javier Bardem), or any of the other characters.  Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer, the first in a long line of unwelcome visitors, are simply Man and Woman.  But they’re not meant to be fully rounded characters, rather representatives of themes and attitudes.  Mother is the proverbial domestic goddess, proud to the point of possessive of how she’s transformed the house and reluctant to share it with anybody bar her husband.  Yet there’s a disconnect in their relationship and it’s Pfeiffer who puts her unerring finger on the reason.  All that devotion to the house is just a distraction because what the younger woman really wants is a baby.

Not that the fabulously foxy Pfeiffer views motherhood through rose-tinted glasses.  “You give, and you give, and you give.  And it’s just never enough.”  She may be saying it at a time of profound grief, but the line echoes up and down the film.  It’s what Mother has been doing all the time, but she always seems to be short-changed.

That’s just one of many themes.  There’s the cult of celebrity, although social media has been deliberately – and curiously – left out: the house is in a mobile phone black spot and that’s just the way the couple like it, opting for a solitary land line.  But there’s no escape, because when those first, uninvited visitors arrive, it turns out that Ed Harris is a huge fan and has deliberately tracked down his idol.  He’s not alone because, when his writer’s block is dislodged, the poet publishes some new work and the whole world seems to beat a path to his door.  The focus switches to religion, he becomes something of a Messiah figure, but his followers are destructive, self-centred and disrespectful.  He loves their attention, but it’s all for his self-glorification, not for their betterment.  And you can only conclude that Aronofsky has a seriously jaundiced view of the human race.

Meanwhile, the ideas keep on coming: Mother’s anxiety and possible depression, the environment ….. and more.  If anything, there are probably too many, so that some of them are explored, others are left under-developed.  As a writer, he’s taken on too much and something had to give.

Not only is this a film that will divide audiences, but its latter stages could easily repel them: they are both distressing and deeply disturbing.  The climax is nothing short of outrageous but, right from the opening moment, mother! exerts a remarkable, almost hypnotic spell.  There are times when you feel you just can’t watch any more, but you do – if only to see just how far Aronofsky will go.

mother! also comes with its own exclamation mark, complete with sound effect.  It’s the director’s little joke, making you expect something lighter.  It’s his only gag.  This is shocking, spectacular and surreal, all in equal measure.  And 100% compelling.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Freda Cooper.  Follow me on Twitter, check out my movie blog and listen to my podcast, Talking Pictures.

Movie Review – mother! (2017)

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mother!, 2017.

Written and Directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Brian Gleeson.

SYNOPSIS:

A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

An isolated home surrounded by nature may seem like an ideal paradise and not the most efficient way of wide scale blasting everything from celebrity sycophancy to religious cults, but when has writer/director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan and this critic’s personal favorite movie of all time, Requiem for a Dream) ever not been ambitious? Anyone that has ever sat through one of his films is completely aware of his no holds barred, button-pushing, anger-inducing approach to taboo themes. You can’t really blame the auteur; he has something to say and he’s going to express it with blunt force.

In mother!, Aronofsky’s muse this time around is Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, who is paired with the equally talented Javier Bardem. Their characters receive no names, instead credited as Mother and Him, and seemingly have a happy marriage underway despite the generational gap between their ages. With that said, it’s also interesting to note that Darren Aronofsky is in his late 40s and dating the 27-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, leaving one to wonder if, and just how much, the celebrated filmmaker is pulling this and the unrelated controversial material that follows from his own thoughts, world views, and beliefs.

Speculation aside, mother! is assuredly about the all-too common unpleasant dynamic in a relationship where one person, typically the woman, is taken for granted to the point of invisibility. Strangers played by Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer randomly show up (the direction here is excellent, knowing how to ramp up tension and the right moments to give audiences a little more information), and are taking a liking to by Him. How much? So much that he is grateful that someone finally appreciates his work, which is something that he actually tells Mother while her words of “I always express my love your work” go in one ear and out the other. Adding insult to injury, she is left cleaning the house and doing laundry while the men go on a hike. Not to spoil too much (that would be an absolute crime with an experience this insane), but more uninvited guests arrive and are welcomed with open arms by Him, who completely ignores the fact that Mother is about to have a mental breakdown any second. To be fair, who wouldn’t? The situation spirals into chaos involving reckless partying, murder, and destruction, all which Him nonchalantly shrugs off because he now has potential inspiration for his poetry.  Also, he’s a self-centered fame hound obsessed with fan attention.

Jennifer Lawrence sells this pandemonium in top form (at the very least, she deserves an Oscar nomination); she is vulnerable, possibly a little unstable (we see her slip some sort of potion into her water whenever things get otherworldly), and most importantly, knows how to erupt like a volcano when all control is lost. Whenever Him rudely says something ignorant without even the slightest bit of consideration for her feelings, we feel her pain thanks to beautifully realized facial expressions of genuine hurt. The decision to never leave the perspective of Mother also pays off, allowing us to better relate to the paranoia, anxiety, and all-around confusion that is consistently cranked up until reaching absolute insanity. Regardless of her vivid imagination, she is still the sanest person in the entire movie.

What’s important to make clear is that mother! intentionally does not play out grounded in reality. Even the character of Him is an exaggerated take on spouse neglect, but Aronofsky builds off of one theme to aim higher into further stimulating content. At the halfway mark, mother! firmly enters the realm of full on dark twisted, tragic fairy tale after hinting at some sinister horror vibes throughout the first hour. And that’s exactly what mother! is; art-house horror that shreds nerves while sickens you to your stomach. Ambition continues to be strong with Darren Aronofsky, as this ride begins with social commentary on relationships and before you know it, suddenly has become a bonkers retelling of the birth of Christ.

All of this warped chaos is lensed by frequent Aronofsky collaborator Matthew Libatique, and together they have once again excelled. Subtle observations like how bright the colors are outside in contrast to darkly lit rooms inside the house are creatively composed by using distance shots that allow both to fill up the frame. There are also quite a few unbroken takes, used more liberally during the film’s multiple crescendos, that heighten the horror taking place. And trust me, there is some dark imagery here that the duo fearlessly showcase.

There will be people that walk out of mother! at various points, even though they shouldn’t. Aronofsky is once again challenging audiences in the maniacal, extreme way he has perfected. The scariest aspect of mother! is that it sadly is actually a cautionary tale, demanding audiences to reflect on their bad habits before careening into an unhealthy mindset. Love your life partner, don’t give one single fuck about fame or followers, and live your life in a way that is not reminiscent of a cultist. The reason the film draws attention to the fact that there is a generational gap between the ages of the two lead characters is simple, it’s uncomfortable at first but easily the least fucked up thing in mother!. Prepare for unabashed, unforgettable madness.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, friend me on Facebook, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com


Murder on the Orient Express gets a new trailer

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20th Century Fox has debuted a new trailer for director Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel mystery crime novel, Murder on the Orient Express; check it out below…

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder on the Orient Express stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett, Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard, Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Leslie Odom Jr. as Doctor Arbuthnot, Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham, Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen, Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados, Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt, Derek Jacobi as Masterman, Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman, Sergei Polunin as Count Andrenyi, Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Beniamino Marquez, Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel and Tom Bateman as Bouc. The film is slated for a theatrical release on November 3rd in the UK and November 10th in North America.

Everyone is a suspect in Murder on the Orient Express character posters

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Ahead of its release next month, a batch of new character posters have arrived online for Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel, Murder on the Orient Express featuring Branagh, Olivia Colman, Penelope Cruz, Sergei Polunin, Daisy Ridley, Derek Jacobi, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Tom Bateman, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Leslie Odom Jr., Lucy Boynton, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Marwan Kenzari, and Michelle Pfeiffer; check them out here and click on any of the posters for hi-res versions…

 

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder on the Orient Express stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett, Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard, Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Leslie Odom Jr. as Doctor Arbuthnot, Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham, Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen, Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados, Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt, Derek Jacobi as Masterman, Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman, Sergei Polunin as Count Andrenyi, Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Beniamino Marquez, Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel and Tom Bateman as Bouc. The film is slated for a theatrical release on November 3rd in the UK and November 10th in North America.

Michelle Pfeiffer would love to play Catwoman again

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Actress Michelle Pfeiffer would love to reprise the role of Catwoman once more.

catwoman michelle pfeiffer

Pfeiffer gave an iconic performance of the Batman quasi-villain Catwoman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, and with her return to the superhero genre for Ant-Man and the Wasp, she has told Variety that she would love to return to the role.

She also stated, that if it were to happen, she would like to take advantage of CGI after having to put a live bird in her mouth for Batman Returns.

“I can’t believe I did that,” she said, “I could have gotten a disease.”

Many consider Pfeiffer’s performance as Selina Kyle to be the best ever big-screen rendition of the character, ahead of Halle Berry’s efforts in 2004’s Catwoman and Anne Hathaway’s turn in Christopher Nolan’s 2014 feature The Dark Knight Rises.

You can see Pfeiffer’s return to the genre for Ant-Man and the Wasp when it releases in 2o18.

SEE ALSO: Casting call reveals 80s flashback in Ant-Man and the Wasp

Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer in clip from Murder on the Orient Express

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With less than a month to go until Murder on the Orient Express arrives in cinemas, 20th Century Fox has released a new clip from the upcoming star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel featuring Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer; take a look below…

SEE ALSO: Michelle Pfeiffer would love to play Catwoman again

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder on the Orient Express stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett, Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard, Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Leslie Odom Jr. as Doctor Arbuthnot, Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham, Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen, Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados, Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt, Derek Jacobi as Masterman, Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman, Sergei Polunin as Count Andrenyi, Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Beniamino Marquez, Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel and Tom Bateman as Bouc. The film is slated for a theatrical release on November 3rd in the UK and November 10th in North America.

Murder on the Orient Express featurette takes us behind-the-scenes

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With just two weeks to go until the release of Murder on the Orient Express, a behind the scenes featurette has arrived online for Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel which features interviews with Branagh, Josh Gad, Tom Bateman, Lucy Boynton, Leslie Odom Jr., Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Penelope Cruz; take a look below…

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder on the Orient Express stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett, Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard, Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Leslie Odom Jr. as Doctor Arbuthnot, Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham, Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen, Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados, Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt, Derek Jacobi as Masterman, Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman, Sergei Polunin as Count Andrenyi, Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Beniamino Marquez, Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel and Tom Bateman as Bouc. The film is slated for a theatrical release on November 3rd in the UK and November 10th in North America.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas spotted in latest Ant-Man and the Wasp set photos

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With production on Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp shifting from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, JustJared has got its hands on a new batch of set photos from the superhero sequel, which gives us our first look at Michelle Pfeiffer on set.

Pfeiffer is playing Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp, who – as we learned in the first movie – has been trapped in the Quantum Realm. From the look of these set photos, which include Michael Douglas sporting a brown wig, it would suggest the scene in question here is a flashback of some kind.

SEE ALSO: Rumoured plot details for Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrinkAnt-Man and The Wasp. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

Ant-Man & The Wasp sees Peyton Reed returning to the director’s chair and stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Pena (Luis), David Dastmalchian (Kurt), Abby Ryder Fortson (Cassie Lang), Judy Greer (Maggie), Bobby Cannavale (Paxton) and T.I. (Dave), while new additions to the cast include Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster/Goliath, Hannah John-Kamen as The Ghost, Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch and Randall Park as Jimmy Woo.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is set for release in the UK on June 29th, 2018, and in the US on July 6th, 2018.

The post Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas spotted in latest Ant-Man and the Wasp set photos appeared first on Flickering Myth.

Movie Review – Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

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Murder on the Orient Express, 2017.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom, Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daisy Ridley.

SYNOPSIS:

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

There has been quite a while since we last had a big-budget murder mystery on the silver screen – I’m not counting The Snowman on accounts to how awful that movie is. Even longer since we last had a murder mystery with a cast with the pedigree Murder on the Orient Express has. It is a shame that the genre started to be diluted into horror, and detectives were replaced by common people trying to survive or find serial killers.

Murder on the Orient Express takes us back to a time when detectives were held in high regard and Agatha Christie novels were all the rage. Based on arguably her most famous book, we are transported to a time of first-class train travel when you had to wear a tuxedo to the dinner cart. From the opening scene director Sir Kenneth Branagh and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos presents us a majestic world that’s so set on being old-fashioned, it is filmed on Panavision 65mm. The rest of the movie is just as beautiful, but not as good as the other murder mysteries it tries to imitate.

If you don’t know the story by now, or if you haven’t read the title of the movie Murder on the Orient Express, there is a murder – and it happens aboard the Orient Express. Branagh pulls a double shift as he not only directs, but stars as famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (don’t ever pronounce it Hercules, he hates it) a man tired of his fame, but never of his moustache. If you walk away from this movie with just one thing, it should be the image of Branagh waking up with a sleeping mask for his moustache so it keeps flat overnight.

Even though Branagh plays the detective as a man tired of seeing the darkness in the world, he is the movie’s biggest source of glee and joy. Poirot has an infectious sense of humour, and every other line will get a chuckle out of you by seeing the way he himself chuckles at his own words.

There are other 13 passengers on the train, but they are so underdeveloped you will only recognize them because of the known faces playing them. Even then, the performances don’t disappoint, from a star-in-the-making Leslie Odom Jr. as a doctor with hidden rage, to Michelle Pfeiffer squeezing her screen time as much as possible to make her character almost as three-dimensional as Poirot.

Murder on the Orient Express shines whenever Poirot is on-screen, and whenever Branagh is behind the camera. From beautiful tracking shots of the train or the surroundings, to an overhead shot inside the already claustrophobic train keeps you in awe while the plot thickens. Unfortunately, the movie has some poorly timed CGI that makes even the very real train sets look fake.

In case you, like me, are not familiar with the book or the 1974 adaptation, this is not a whodunnit. The audience never gets enough clues to work out who the murderer is. Instead Poirot magically deduces things left and right with no other explanation other than he’s the world’s greatest detective.

Murder of the Orient Express is not nearly as self-aware as Clue, but it embraces its unrealistic silliness to the point where it feels like a joke played straight, and that’s what makes this attempt at a murder-mystery revival an enjoyable experience. The fact that it also looks beautiful makes this worthy of the biggest screen you can find, and a bunch of friends to go along and laugh at that incredible moustache.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Rafael Motamayor

The post Movie Review – Murder on the Orient Express (2017) appeared first on Flickering Myth.


Second Opinion – Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

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Murder on the Orient Express, 2017.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom, Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Olivia Colman, Derek Jacobi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Tom Bateman, Lucy Boynton, and Marwan Kenzari.

SYNOPSIS:

A lavish train ride unfolds into a stylish & suspenseful mystery. From the novel by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express tells of thirteen stranded strangers & one man’s race to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

It’s hard to wow audiences with yet another remake based on one of Agatha Christie’s greatest mysteries. Hardly anyone was clamoring for another take on Murder on the Orient Express, but that doesn’t render director Kenneth Branagh’s (Thor, Cinderella) film of poor quality or a fruitless endeavor; there are a number of moviegoers unfamiliar with the story, likely of a younger age range. Not to mention, it’s a solidly crafted experience that gives many recognizable names a platform to act as a significant character playing off of one another. There’s also the fact that when a cast this noteworthy is assembled, it becomes difficult to predict who will be the victim let alone who did it.

And with so many characters and so little time (it clocks in at just under two hours), Branagh pulling double duty as the Sherlock Holmes reminiscent ridiculously intelligent and observant detective Hercule Poirot (rocking a badass twirly handlebar mustache which is surely where all the wisdom comes from) begins, albeit reluctantly, conducting interviews on each of the dozen or so individuals that had nearby access to the brutally stabbed deceased. The kicker is that the whole incident occurs while Hercule is traveling to London on the Orient Express to receive his next case, meaning the man now has to work the job during the very little downtime he does have. What else are you going to do when a blizzard and avalanche derail passage completely?

Stirring up both pros and cons, Hercule does indeed investigate the passengers one by one, finding various clues across them all, which makes the resolution that much tougher for new viewers to predict. However, this is all at the expense of drastic character development; there comes a point where Murder on the Orient Express is solely about small details and how the characters relate to one another, rather than anything of emotional value. The ending certainly ties everything all up in a way that mitigates some of the shortcomings, but all the scenery chewing in the world and last-minute moving motivational reveals can’t undo that outside of basic social commentary on class systems and race, there isn’t much substance to Murder on the Orient Express. At least not in the year 2017.

Kenneth Branagh is determined to make up for this with style and cinematic flair, utilizing a number of tracking shots (whether it be following characters as they board the train or elaborate long takes studying multiple individuals reactions within the same moment). Even his presentation of Hercule is a work of showmanship meant to awe as he acknowledges and catches on to subtle irregularities (a mispronunciation under a specific accent, going over the bloody stab wounds inflicted during a crazed state of mind, and more including the grandstanding final accusation sequence). Establishing shots depicting frozen temperatures are also deceptively beautiful to look at, although there is a bit of distracting CGI on surrounding mountains and in weather effects.

It’s also nice that the victim still gets quite a few scenes after the death by way of flashbacks further shedding light on the complicated mystery at hand. Again, this also detracts from the movie as well, as much of the dialogue is lengthy exposition designed to arouse suspicion or deliver alibis, and truthfully, it does get repetitive watching person after person going through the same procedure. With that said, I really can’t imagine those well-versed in Murder on the Orient Express absolutely loving the film; regardless of predetermined knowledge it is still a well-made picture from all of the key pillars (direction, writing, acting, cinematography), but the journey can’t be as entertaining with the outcome already in one’s mind. The characters simply aren’t that deep to warrant multiple viewings looking at the narrative from different perspectives.

Now, with zero context so I don’t accidentally give away any spoilers, I want to single out Branagh himself, Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leslie Odom Jr., Penelope Cruz, and Willem Dafoe as all having some terrific scenes and generally putting in great work. Yes, this remake is watchable for fans of the source material, but it also could have been a disaster with the wrong cast. Murder on the Orient Express runs its course from beginning to end, neither picking up steam nor derailing into subzero hell, making it the safest Thanksgiving Day theater option to kill two hours while that delicious turkey is cooking. It’s intriguing in the moment but will be forgotten on the ride home.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, friend me on Facebook, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, check out my personal non-Flickering Myth affiliated Patreon, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

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Movie Review – Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

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Murder on the Orient Express, 2017.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom, Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Olivia Colman, Derek Jacobi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Tom Bateman, Lucy Boynton, and Marwan Kenzari.

SYNOPSIS:

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Murder mysteries are funny things. They have to be gripping enough to get you invested in the crime and the outcome of the case while telling a logical and perhaps emotional story. Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is indeed gripping and intriguing, but still doesn’t quite get you invested in the characters, even with the star-studded cast Branagh assembled.

As Detective Hercule Poirot attempts to go on a long overdue vacation, he is pulled into a mysterious murder committed aboard the train he’s riding on with a dozen other passengers. The story is a true ‘who dunnit?’, with each passenger a potential murderer and the truth getting more complex the closer Poirot gets to the murderer.

Those unfamiliar with Christie’s novel will probably enjoy following the clues and guessing who the murderer is. Though the case is complex with so many possible suspects, it is fairly simple to follow and Branagh does a good job of making it accessible to all audiences. However, the film gets a bit repetitious as it goes on. Each interview with the train’s passengers plays very similar to the last: Poirot talks with them about why they’re on the train, if they knew the victim, picks up on a lie, deduces the truth. The only thing that really differentiates each talk is the setting in some other part of the train or on the snowy mountainside. Aside from a couple of the interrogations, there’s nothing new each adds to really deepen the mystery and advance the story either.

Where the interrogations do work is revealing a bit more about the suspects and giving the cast a chance to shine on their own opposite Branagh. This does work in the cast’s favour since its such a huge ensemble piece, and some of the revelations about the suspects are intriguing, but overall these scenes are a bit too much of the same. Outside of a couple suspects, there’s little emotional weight to get invested in them until the very end.

Branagh, however, does know how to utilize his cast well. Each actor plays their part well with Branagh giving a great performance as Poirot. He’s charismatic, funny and easily gets the audience on his side. The supporting cast are given equal focus, though the stand outs among them are Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr., Josh Gad and Michelle Pfeiffer. They get some of the film’s more meatier scenes and pull you into their characters. Ridley and Pfeiffer in particular have some nice chemistry with Branagh, playing off Poirot’s intelligence and makes you question their seemingly innocent nature.

Murder on the Orient Express looks gorgeous too. Branagh’s eye for direction shows off in the film with some stunning visuals and cinematography. There are several one-shot takes used here, following Poirot through the train station or train itself. He also creates some nice settings, such as the mountainside side chat he has with Ridley. Though the interrogations themselves are rather repetitive, Branagh made a smart choice by changing the setting to show off the set or play with the film’s visuals. When there is a bit of action, however, it’s a bit tough to follow because there’s a lot of close-ups and cuts, making it hard to tell who punched who or how a character ended up on the floor. The pacing of the film itself is fine. There are times when the film slows down due to the next interrogation, but it moves along at a nice pace for the most part which is a good thing for a film just under two hours.

Overall, Murder on the Orient Express is a fine film. The cast helps elevate it and the mystery is engrossing, though the repetitious nature of some of the scenes hinder the film’s momentum without adding any more substance to it. Branagh’s acting and direction are the highlight of the film and the film has some great visuals. The film’s positive elements aren’t quite enough to outweigh the negatives, but despite those few flaws, audiences will probably enjoy the this interpretation of Christie’s classic mystery.

Flickering Myth Rating: Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Ricky Church

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Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp wraps production, new set photo of Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer

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Director Peyton Reed has taken to Twitter to announce that filming has wrapped on next year’s Marvel Studios sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp. Star Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne) also marked the occasion by sharing a post to Instagram, while a new – and potentially spoilerly – set photo of Michael Douglas (Hank Pym) and Michelle Pfeiifer (Janet Van Dyne) has surfaced from the final day of filming; check them out here…

SEE ALSO: Rumoured plot details for Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp

Instagram Photo

 

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrinkAnt-Man and The Wasp. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

Ant-Man & The Wasp sees Peyton Reed returning to the director’s chair and stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Pena (Luis), David Dastmalchian (Kurt), Abby Ryder Fortson (Cassie Lang), Judy Greer (Maggie), Bobby Cannavale (Paxton) and T.I. (Dave), while new additions to the cast include Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster/Goliath, Hannah John-Kamen as The Ghost, Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch and Randall Park as Jimmy Woo.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is set for release in the UK on June 29th, 2018, and in the US on July 6th, 2018.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp director talks Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne

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In the latest issue of Empire Magazine, director Peyton Reed has been chatting about the upcoming Marvel sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp, during which he shared a few comments about the film’s four main characters – Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiifer). Here’s what he had to say about each (via CBM):

Scott Lang – “The events of Captain America: Civil War gave us something clear, which is: what was Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne’s reaction to Scott having taken this technology out into the world in Civil War? We had a lot of fun playing around with that. And we play with size and scale a lot. I love the idea of Giant-Man.”

Hope Van Dyne – “This is really her coming out party as a hero. Her power set is fantastic. She and Scott both shrink, but there the flying, and the fighting style of The Wasp is different from Ant-Man’s.”

Hank Pym – “The events of Civil War, and how Scott reacted to that, have thrown a big wrench into the works. But his curiosity has been reawakened about the Quantum Realm and whether Janet’s still alive down there.”

Janet Van Dyne – “She’s a very important character. It’s fair to say if someone were to have spent thirtysomething years in the Quantum Realm and survived, it would have an effect. What did she eat? All she eats is cereal called Quantum Krispies.”

SEE ALSO: Ant-Man and the Wasp will be Marvel’s first romantic comedy

SEE ALSO: Ant-Man and the Wasp may open a “whole entire new multiverse” for the MCU, according to Evangeline Lilly

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink: Ant-Man and The Wasp. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

Ant-Man & The Wasp sees Peyton Reed returning to the director’s chair and stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Pena (Luis), David Dastmalchian (Kurt), Abby Ryder Fortson (Cassie Lang), Judy Greer (Maggie), Bobby Cannavale (Paxton) and T.I. (Dave), while new additions to the cast include Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster/Goliath, Hannah John-Kamen as The Ghost, Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch and Randall Park as Jimmy Woo.

The post Ant-Man and the Wasp director talks Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne appeared first on Flickering Myth.

Paul Rudd talks Ant-Man and the Wasp, praises Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer

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With much of the Marvel focus on Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War at the moment, it’s easy to forget that Marvel Studios had a third movie set to arrive this year in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Recently, we’ve had a brand new image from the film, as well as a couple of pieces of promo art, and now leading man Paul Rudd has been chatting to Variety about the movie, which sees his Ant-Man sharing top billing with Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp – and with good reason, according to Rudd:

“You know, we’re a team,” said Rudd. “In the comics, that was the same story, Ant-Man and Wasp worked together. And so we just finished shooting, so we’ll see what the final movie is, but we’re very much partners in the film.”

Rudd also praised his new co-star Michelle Pfeiffer, as well as the returning Michael Douglas: “She’s absolutely tremendous and it was really cool to see Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas just on set. You look over and go, ‘Oh my god.’ Legends. So, they’re both really lovely people and it was a thrill to get to work with them.”

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Ant-Man and The Wasp, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a super hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.

Ant-Man & The Wasp sees Peyton Reed returning to the director’s chair and stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Pena (Luis), David Dastmalchian (Kurt), Abby Ryder Fortson (Cassie Lang), Judy Greer (Maggie), Bobby Cannavale (Paxton) and T.I. (Dave), while new additions to the cast include Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster/Goliath, Hannah John-Kamen as The Ghost, Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch and Randall Park as Jimmy Woo.

The post Paul Rudd talks Ant-Man and the Wasp, praises Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer appeared first on Flickering Myth.

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