Entertainment news and reviews
The Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales teaser trailer has just been released. The fim which is directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg has an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Kaya Scodelario, Orlando Bloom, Javier Bardem, David Wenham, Brenton Thwaites and Geoffrey Rush.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will be released in Australia on the 26th May, 2017.
You can view the Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales teaser trailer below.
Summary: Peter Jackson’s last foray into the world of Middle Earth begins with Lake-town under severe attack after Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) has left the Mountain and is looking for revenge. Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and co can do very little but watch as the attack occurs.
Meanwhile while others group together to rescue Gandalf (Ian McKellan), Bilbo is left stunned as the Mountain has a strange affect on Thorin (Richard Armitage) who seems to be going crazy as he insanely looks for the Heart Of The Mountain. His group grow increasingly worried as various armies march on the mountain to claim it and Thorin continues his search without honouring his debts or even bothering to help those who are trying to defend the Mountain.
Year: 2014
Australian Cinema Release Date: 26th December, 2014
Australian DVD Release Date: TBA
Country: USA, New Zealand
Director: Peter Jackson
Screenwriter: Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, J.R.R. Tolkien (novel)
Cast: Richard Armitage (Thorin), Erin Banks (Lobeila Sackville Baggins), Timothy Bartlett (Master Worrywort), John Bell (Bain), Manu Bennett (Azog), Nick Blake (Percy), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Jed Brophy (Nori), Adam Brown (Ori), John Callen (Oin), Billy Connolly (Dain), Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug/Necromancer (voice)), Luke Evans (Bard), Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins), Stephen Fry (Master Of Laketown), Ryan Gage (Alfrid), Mark Hadlow (Dori), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), Miranda Harcourt (Olga), Ian Holm (Old Bilbo), Brian Hotter (Otho Sackville Baggins), Stephen Hunter (Bombur), Kelly Kilgour (Soury), William Kircher (Bifur), Martin Kwok (Ragash (voice)), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Simon London (Feren), Sylvester McCoy (Radagast), Ian McKellan (Gandalf), Thomasin McKenzie (Astrid), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), Mark Mitchinson (Braga), James Nesbitt (Bofur), Mary Nesbitt (Tilda), Peggy Nesbitt (Sigrid), Dean O’Gorman (Fili), Lee Pace (Thrandiul), Sarah Peirse (Hilda Bianca), Mikael Persbrandt (Beorn), Allan Smith (Ragash), Merv Smith (Tosser Grub), Conan Stevens (Keep Of The Dungeons), Ken Stott (Balin), John Tui (Bolg), Aidan Turner (Kili), Hugo Weaving (Elrond)
Runtime: 145 mins
Classification: M
Adam Ross: You can check out Adam’s The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies review on The Good The Bad The Ugly Film Show Ep #111.
Greg King: You can check out Greg’s The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies review on www.filmreviews.net.au
Nick Gardener: You can check out Nick’s The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies review on The Good The Bad The Ugly Film Show Ep #111.
David Griffiths:
Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth six-peat is understandably a life-long ambition that he wanted to achieve. Outside of George Lucas and Star Wars it is arguable that no director in the history of cinema has ever shown so much dedication to a series of films. And let’s be honest while The Lord Of The Rings trilogy were a real feat in filmmaking The Hobbit series has rarely reached the same amazing peaks. The first film while serviceable at times seemed more like a documentary on a walking tours of New Zealand than it did as a huge mythical epic, while it was also plagued by the new technology Jackson brought to the film which had some cinema goers feeling like they were watching the film in fast forward.
What gave us hope that Jackson would be back to his best with The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies was its predecessor, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug. Smaug was what everybody was expecting from this series, Jackson back to being able mix good characterisation with some very creative action, but sadly it seems that film is going to be the high mark of the series because Five Armies seems to be completely hit or miss.
The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies is going to be a film that will be enjoyed if you like epic battles, but if you’re a serious movie buff there will still be things that seriously irk you about the film. The battle itself is lengthy but to be honest the directors of Game Of Thrones seem to have spoilt us so much over the past couple of seasons that even some of the action here seems to be a little disappointing on the big screen.
There are several moments during which the audience will be left completely scratching their heads. For example the scene in which Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Saruman (Christopher Lee) and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) sweep in to save Gandalf not only contains some shockingly bad special effects that look like they may have been lifted from a 1980s straight-to-video nasty but also leaves you wondering that with the power of Elrond on show for all to see why he doesn’t then and go and help out with the battle?
Then to be honest there are some incredibly amazing moments in the film as well. Some of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Thorin’s fight scenes with Orcs on the ice-cap mountain do look extremely good, despite the fact that at times such as Legolas’ rock-jumping sequence the audience is left having to suspend their believability of what it is happening. Then Jackson also creates some very touching moments between characters that tug on the audience’s heart strings in a way that an epic action film like this shouldn’t be able to. The up-and-down nature of The Hobbit series seems to battle itself to no end in this finale of the franchise.
With such a huge ensemble cast gathering together for this final film, it’s understandable that some actors don’t get the screen they deserve. As previously mentioned actors like Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett have their skills completely underused while Billy Connolly seems to only turn up for the comedic effect of playing Dain. The big winners out of The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies are Orlando Bloom, who on the back of his performance in Smaug should have done enough to remind Hollywood producers that he is always a pretty decent actor in big blockbusters, Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage. Freeman has become a really easy actor to warm to throughout the series while Armitage who was mainly a television actor before this series of films has really revealed himself to be a seriously good character actor who should have a huge career ahead of him.
It is sad that Jackson’s Middle Earth saga has come to a close, it is even sadder that it has had to happen with such a mediocre film, especially when you take into consideration the lofty heights set by The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. That may well be something that comes to haunt Jackson’s career from here on in as it is just too easy to compare anything he makes now back to a series that really changed the cinema landscape. The best hope that The Battle Of Five Armies has is that it is like Unexpected Journey and begins to grow on you the more times that you watch it.
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Other Subculture Entertainment The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Army reviews: For our full The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies review make sure you check out The Good The Bad The Ugly Film Show Ep #111. You can also read our review on The Book The Film The T-Shirt.
Trailer:
This week on The Good The Bad The Ugly Film Show Adam, Dave, Greg and Nick take a look at new release films ‘Penguins Of Madagascar’, ‘The Imitation Game,”Big Hero 6,’ ‘The Water Diviner,’ ‘Night At The Museum 3: Secret Of The Tomb’ and ‘The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies′ . This episode also contains interviews with Ken Jeong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom and Cate Blanchett.
To listen to the show you can download it for free from our Podcast Channel – Listen/Download here.
Prejudice. Anger. Betrayal. And the chance that true love could actually conquer all. It could only be the greatest love story of all time…
Filmed live on Broadway and starring the British actor Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings) and two-time Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad, this dazzling new production of Romeo and Juliet is a modern take on one of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays. Staged on Broadway for the first time in 36 years, director David Leveaux brings a dynamic energy and contemporary setting to his interpretation of this eternally tragic tale of star-crossed lovers.
With 2014 marking the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, Broadway’s Romeo and Juliet will appeal both to the regular theatre-goer and those coming to Shakespeare for the very first time.
Official website: http://www.romeoandjulietbroadway.com/
View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2VjsmEVeKI
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CAST Romeo Orlando Bloom Juliet Condola Rashad Friar Laurence Brent Carver Nurse Jayne Houdyshell Lord Capulet Chuck Cooper Lady Capulet Roslyn Ruff Mercutio Christian Camargo Benvolio Conrad Kemp Tybalt Corey Hawkins Prince Escalus Geoffrey Owens Lord Montague Michael Rudko Lady Montague Tracy Sallows |
PRODUCTION
Scenic Design Jesse Poleshuck Costume Design Fabio Toblini Lighting Design David Weiner Original Music/ Sound Design David Van Tieham Directed for the screen Don Roy King
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SCREENING FROM MAY 17 AT SELECT CINEMAS NATIONALLY
VIC: Cinema Nova, Village Rivoli Cinemas, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Balwyn, Sorrento Athenaeum, Upper Yarra Arts Centre and The Memo Healesville
NSW: Dendy Opera Quays, Cremorne Orpheum, Dendy Newtown, Palace Norton Street, Event Cinemas Bondi Junction, Event Cinemas Castle Hill, Avoca Beach Picture Theatre, Palace Byron Bay, Greater Union Newcastle
ACT: Dendy Canberra, Palace Electric
QLD: Dendy Portside, Palace Barracks, Noosa 5 Cinemas, BCC Toowoomba Strand Cinema, BCC Pacific Fair
SA: Palace Nova Eastend, Event Cinemas Marion
TAS: State Cinema
Fans of actress Kate Bosworth may want to check out the Kate Bosworth Biography that David Griffiths has just written for Entertainment Scene 360. The Entertainment Scene 360 Kate Bosworth biography can be found here.
This week on The Good The Bad The Ugly Film Show Nick, Adam, Dave and Greg take a look at new release films ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’, ‘Drinking Buddies’, ‘Frozen’, ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug’, ‘Philomena’, ‘The Railway Man’, ‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’ and ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’. This episode also features interviews with Ben Stiller, Judi Dench, Jonathan Groff, Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellan. The boys also launch a new competition thanks to The Electric Shadow Open Air Cinema.
Please note that Part 1 of the show will be placed online after the embargo has been lifted on our review of ‘Saving Mr Banks’. All other reviews can be heard on Part 2,3,4,5 though.
To listen to the show you can download it for free from our Podcast Channel – Listen/Download here
Summary: With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies Frodo embarks on a perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring. Hunting Frodo are servants of the Dark Lord, Sauron, the Ring’s evil creator. Of Sauron reclaims the Ring, Middle-earth is doomed.
Year: 2001
Australian Cinema Release Date: 26th December 2001
Australian DVD Release Date: 15th April 2010 (new version)
Country: New Zealand/United States
Director: Peter Jackson
Screenwriter: Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, J.R.R. Tolkein (novel)
Cast: Noel Appleby (Everard Proudfoot), Sean Astin (Samwise ‘Sam’ Gamgee), Sala Baker (Sauron), Sean Bean (Boromir),Jorn Benzon (Rumil), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas Greenleaf), Billy Boyd (Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took), Marton Csokas (Celebron), Megan Edwards (Mrs. Proudfoot), Mark Ferguson (Gil-Galad), Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins), Alan Howard (The Ring (voice)), Peter Jackson (Albert Dreary), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Lawrence Makoare (Lurtz), Ian McKellan (Gandalf The Grey), Peter McKenzie (Elendil), Sarah McLeod (Rose ‘Rosie’ Cotton), Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Ian Mune (Bounder), Craig Parker (Haldir), Cameron Rhodes (Farmer Maggot), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Andy Serkis (Gollum/Witch King), Harry Sinclair (Isildur), Liv Tyler (Arwen), David Weatherley (Barliman Butterbur), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins)
Runtime: 178 mins
Classification: M
Dave Griffiths’s ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring’ Review:
Originally appeared on www.helium.com.
For science fiction fans ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring’ was the beginning of an epic journey, for film fans this was the beginning of a franchise that would change the cinema world forever. Many doubted that director, Peter Jackson would ever be able to bring the classic work of J.R.R. Tolkein to the big screen, but he did it and created history along the way.
‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’ is the first film in ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ series at sees aging wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) realise that the power of a very special ring is starting to get the best of a curious hobbit called Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm).
Gandalf asks young hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) to look after the ring but when it is soon realised that the evil Saruman (Christopher Lee) is raising up the dark forces and is desperate to gain the ring Gandalf instead decides that it is time for Frodo to go and destroy the ring in the fires of Mordor.
Soon Frodo is joined by the likes of Samwise Gangee (Sean Astin), Peregin Took (Billy Boyd) and Meriadoc Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) on a journey where they need others including Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Legolas Greenleaf (Orlando Bloom) to protect them. But with danger at every corner and never knowing who to trust this is never going to be an easy journey.
Peter Jackson draws in the audience from the very beginning. Normally in a franchise you would never expect a main character to die in the first film, but Jackson shows very early on that that isn’t the case with ‘The Lord Of The Rings’. Both Frodo and Gandalf’s lives are put at risk on a number of occasions and as a result you are kept on the edge of your seat.
Jackson also captures the landscape of New Zealand remarkably well and despite this largely being an action film you can’t help but marvel at the beauty of the film. He also uses that same creative eye when creating some of the ‘creatures’ that appear on screen and despite a couple of dodgy moments it is easy to see why this film was ahead of its time when it comes to special effects.
Despite being such a monumental however ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’ does have its downfalls at times. With so many characters being introduced in this the first film it is at times difficult to keep track of who-is-who and it is a little disappointing that you don’t get to learn a little more about important characters such as Aragorn and Legolas. It’s hard to care for them during battle scenes when you haven’t really been told that much about them.
‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring’ is an epic movie of every scale but it is a film that Peter Jackson should be extremely proud of it as it was a fantastic way to kick off this series of films, and despite being the first of a trilogy the audience certainly doesn’t feel like they haven’t been taken on a journey by the time the final credits roll.
Other ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring’ Reviews By Dave Griffiths: Nil
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