Film Pulse

‘Abandoned Mine’ Trailer Starring Alexa Vega

Adam — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:10:59 +0000

Gravitas Ventures released a new trailer and poster for its upcoming horror thriller Abandoned Mine (formerly The Mine), which stars Alex Vega (Spy Kids). The film revolves around a group of youngsters who decide to explore a supposedly haunted abandoned mine on Halloween. As it turns out, the mine really is inhabited by some evil spirits and the kids must fight for their survival. The film is written and directed by Jeff Chamberlain and is set for an August 15th theatrical release. Hit the break for the synopsis, trailer, and poster. ABANDONED MINE - Official Trailer from Abandoned Mine on Vimeo.

In ABANDONED MINE, five small-town school friends celebrate Halloween with an overnight adventure into the legendary “haunted” Jarvis Mine. Local legend tells of the angry spirits that have occupied the mine since a family was murdered for still mysterious reasons exactly 100 years ago. But that doesn't stop these young adrenaline junkies from exploring the unknown – and bringing mini-cameras to capture their every move. Yet once deep into the mine their best-laid Halloween plans go awry, leaving the adventurers trapped without escape. Are their misfortunes purely accidental or is the legend true and something more lurks in the darkness? Nothing is what it truly seems as the past and present collide in this psychological thriller written and directed by Jeff Chamberlain and starring Alexa Vega, Reiley McClendon, Saige Thompson, Charan Prabhakar, Adam Hendershott, and Valerie C. Walker.

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Sony Announces Release Dates for ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ 3 and 4

Adam — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:55:45 +0000

With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 set to hit theaters May 2nd, 2014, Sony announced today that the release dates have been set for parts 3 and 4 as well- June 10th, 2016, and May 4th, 2018, respectively. There's no confirmed cast as of yet, however it can probably be assumed that Andrew Garfield will remain as everyone's favorite web slinger. It appears as though fans hoping for Spider-Man to fall back into the hands of Marvel Studios are going to have a long wait ahead of them. Then again, it never really seemed likely that Sony would give up a cash cow like this in the first place. Hit the jump to read the full release.

CULVER CITY, Calif., June 17, 2013 – With Sony Pictures Entertainment now in production in New York on The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2, slated for release on May 2, 2014, the studio is planting its flag on two future release dates for one of the most successful franchises in studio history, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution for Sony Pictures. The next two films in the story of Peter Parker will be released on June 10, 2016, and on May 4, 2018, respectively. Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, “Spider-Man is our most important, most successful, and most beloved franchise, so we’re thrilled that we are in a position to lock in these prime release dates over the next five years.” The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner, with a previous draft by James Vanderbilt, and based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are the producers. The executive producers are E. Bennett Walsh, Stan Lee, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. The Amazing Spider-Man took in over $750 million at the worldwide box office last year.

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Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Trailer

Adam — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:14:26 +0000

Here's the fantastic new trailer for Martin Scorsese's upcoming film The Wolf of Wall Street, which tells the story of the meteoric rise and fall of boiler room operator Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio). The film also features Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, Spike Jonze, Rob Reiner, and Jon Favreau among others. This will be DiCaprio's fifth film with Scorsese, and judging from the trailer, it looks like it's going to be another hit. The Wolf of Wall Street is set to hit theaters November 15th, hit the jump for the trailer.

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Podcast: Episode 71 – Chessboxing, This is the End, Man of Steel

Adam — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:20:51 +0000

http://traffic.libsyn.com/filmpulse/Episode_71.mp3 Click Here to Download This week on the show: We interview director David Bitton on his new film Chessboxing: The King's Discipline which is currently funding on Kickstarter (Click Here to Donate!) We talk about some of what we've been watching Then we dive into two feature reviews- This is the End and Man of Steel And finally we end off with some weekly movie predictions and DVD and Blu Ray releases

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‘This Is the End’ Review

Kevin — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:16:54 +0000

Release Date: June 12, 2013 MPAA Rating: R Director: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen FilmPulse Score: 8/10 Seth Rogen & Company shed all pretenses and facades, opting to play caricatures of their respective film personalities and, really, it's about time. Goldberg and Rogen could have given their characters fake names and distinctive personalities, but honestly, they would have ended up exactly as they are. Seth Rogen channels an amalgamation of all previous Seth Rogen roles, with James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson doing the same - all while trying to survive the end of the world. The concept of these actors portraying themselves is quite beneficial because in doing so, it saves the viewer a substantial amount of time by not having to sit through character introductions or character development. You know who they are, you know their on-screen personalities and you know their individual brands of humor. So right there you cut about 40-50 minutes of superfluous "fat" out of the film because let's face it - a comedy's main objective is to make you laugh and This Is the End gets down to completing that objective rather quickly with hilarious small talk. With that being said - short review: If you like James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and/or Craig Robinson and their styles of humor - you should and probably will enjoy this comedy. If you don't - then, you probably couldn't care less that this exists. This is the End centers around Jay and Seth attending James Franco's house-warming party after smoking copious amounts of marijuana. Others are attending, such as Michael Cera playing the douchiest version of himself to great comedic effect (with Capri Sun in-hand), Jason Segal discussing the nuances of comedic brilliance that is How I Met Your Mother with Kevin Hart, Christopher Mintz-Plasse in cocaine-face, Emma Watson as well as Rihanna...for whatever reason. Then...the Apocalypse occurs. Maybe? They aren't quite sure at first, maybe it's just a series of sinkholes. Maybe wildfires. Maybe the Lakers won, but Baruchel's pretty confident that it's the Apocalypse. Whatever it may be, it quickly dispatches the majority of the party-goers except for Franco, Hill, Rogen, Baruchel, McBride and Robinson. From this point out it's just a matter of the six of them surviving. A good amount of laughs are accumulated during the beginning stages of their survival. Craig Robinson struggling to move Franco's giant penis sculpture; discussing their rations, one of which is a Milky Way bar that is in high demand; Johan Hill messing about with a revolver from the 2006 film, Flyboys and, of course, the matter of sleeping arrangements. This is the End does, eventually, go into some surprising territory and, in doing so falls into the disappointing lull that most comedies fall into - they focus on moving the plot along and in the process forget about the comedy that the audience is there for in the first place. When This is the End starts to focus (too heavily) on CGI destruction and CGI monsters, all while forgetting the humor, the film does become a tad boring. However, there is more than enough comedy in their bickering and arguing along with numerous film references in the first two-thirds of the film that more than makes up for lack of laughs towards the end.

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Kickstart Sunday: ‘CHESSBOXING: The King’s Discipline’

Adam — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 07:34:40 +0000

Every week on Film Pulse we like to highlight a film that is currently being crowd-funded, in order to promote unique and interesting independent film projects. Kick your week off right by donating to this filmmaker and help them make their vision a reality. This week we'd like to highlight David Bitton's CHESSBOXING: The King's Discipline. Though it almost seems like this is just too crazy to be real, chessboxing is an actual thing, and this documentary aims to shed some light on this quickly growing hybrid sport. Who wouldn't want to watch people stimulate their brains with chess while pounding each other in the face? Click here to donate to the Kickstarter campaign, hit the break for more information, and be sure to tune in to the podcast on Monday when we speak with the film's director.

Chessboxing: The King's Discipline will tell the story of this man's struggle to transform his sport from underground cult curiosity into a respected and recognized mainstream phenomenon.

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‘Stuck in Love’ Review

Ernie — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 07:32:16 +0000

Release Date: June 14, 2013 (Limited) Director: Josh Boone MPAA Rating: R Film Pulse Score: 5/10 “Love stinks yeah yeah.” Well that’s what the J. Geils Band tells us. It can leave us emotionally guarded. It can leave us hoping against hope that it will come back to us after it’s gone. It can confuse us, blind us, mystify us and make us swoon all at once. It can tear us apart. “Love stinks yeah yeah.” But then again as another fine group once told us “all you need is love.” Josh Boone, in his feature directorial debut, looks at love and all of its trappings and complexities. Bill Borgen, the patriarch of a family of writers, is a divorced, successful writer who still longs for his ex-wife Erica. Despite her leaving him for another man he knows she’ll come back to him. At least that’s what he keeps telling himself. Their daughter Samantha is a newly published author who is emotionally guarded and refuses to be in a serious relationship. Their son Rusty is a bit introverted and pines for his perfect girl but lacks the courage to pursue her. This is how we meet the family and you can pretty much start speculating just how things are going to go from there. All of the relationships feel natural but the problem is that in the grand scheme of things it all feels a bit overwrought especially when it starts taking dips into the melodramatic pool. There are moments that simply feel unnecessary and appear to only exist for sentimental reasons. It really would have felt better if Boone had the conviction to keep it real and not go for the “happy ending.” Show the pain and the growth you may gain from a broken relationship. It’s unfortunate that most of the relationships start out nicely and feel real but they slowly fall victim to Boone feeling the need to put some sort of obstacle in their path. Some feel natural while others just come out of left field. Despite this the film somewhat works in a way thanks to the performances. Greg Kinnear is great as Bill and Lily Collins is solid as his daughter Samantha. They have a natural rapport and you can buy them as father and daughter. Nat Wolff fairs well as Rusty and Liana Liberato is good as his love Kate. Jennifer Connelly is quite good as Erica. The only one who doesn’t seem to do as well is Kristen Bell but that’s mostly due to the fact that her part is fairly underwritten and she does what she can with it. As romantic comedy/dramas go this one is serviceable. It features solid, natural performances but has a fairly methodical structure that is eventually steep in melodrama, which unfortunately brings the film down. This film really could have used some more of that “love stinks” and not “love conquers all” vibe. At least it would have felt more real and believable.

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‘Only God Forgives’ Theatrical Trailer

Adam — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:10:27 +0000

Here we have the newly released theatrical trailer for Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives starring Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas. Though it was met with plenty of boos at its premiere at Cannes, this remains one of my most anticipated films of the year. The film is set for a July 19th release in theaters and VOD, hit the jump for the trailer and synopsis.

Julian, a respected figure in the criminal underworld of Bangkok, runs a Thai boxing club and smuggling ring with his brother Billy. Billy is suddenly murdered and their crime lord matriarch, Crystal arrives from London to bring back the body. When Jenna forces Julian to settle the score with his brother’s killers, Julian finds himself in the ultimate showdown.

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Lynn Shelton’s ‘Touchy Feely’ Trailer

Adam — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:16:47 +0000

Here's the new trailer for Lynn Shelton's upcoming film Touchy Feely, which stars Rosemarie DeWitt as a massage therapist who suddenly develops a crippling aversion to human touch. Shelton previously directed Dewitt in 2011's Your Sister's Sister. The film also stars Ellen Page, Scoot McNairy, Allison Janney, Josh Pais, and Ron Livingston. It originally screened at Sundance this year and was picked up by Magnolia Pictures. Touchy Feely will be hitting theaters on September 6th, hit the jump for the trailer and synopsis.

TOUCHY FEELY is a closely observed examination of a family whose delicate psychic balance suddenly unravels. Abby (Rosemarie DeWitt), is a sought after massage therapist and a free spirit, while her brother Paul (Josh Pais) thrives on routine and convention, running a flagging dental practice and co-dependently enlisting the assistance of his emotionally stunted daughter Jenny (Ellen Page). Suddenly, transformation touches everyone. Abby develops an uncontrollable aversion to bodily contact, which not only makes her occupation impossible but severely hinders the passionate love life between her and her boyfriend (Scoot McNairy).

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Grindhouse Weekly: ‘Fritz the Cat’ (1972)

Adam — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:52:08 +0000

For this entry of Grindhouse Weekly, I wanted to discuss an animated feature and while there certainly aren't many, they do exist. Of the handful of notable releases, the granddaddy of them all is 1972's Fritz the Cat. Based on characters by famed comic artist Robert Crumb, Fritz the Cat follows the exploits of an anthropomorphic cat, who is a college student at NYU. The film garnered an X rating from the MPAA, the first animated film to do so, and became the most successful independent animated feature to date. Directed by famed animator Ralph Bakshi, the film takes a satirical look at youth culture of the 60s including race relations, drugs, sex, violence, politics, and religion. As Fritz goes on his various sex and drug fueled misadventures, he encounters everything from Rabbis to Nazi bikers. It's a film that revels in its offensiveness, going out of its way to be as dirty and crude as possible, making sure that it pisses off everyone in its wake. Women will hate the objectification and violence toward them, African Americans will hate the depiction of their race as jive-talking crows, and white men...well white men probably won't be offended. It's the type of film that's controversial for the sake of being controversial, where it acts like it has something to say, but in the end it's just a thinly veiled excuse to show naked animal people doing it. Because the film was released in 1972, the animation style fits the time, however looks extremely dated by today's standards. Ralph Bakshi worked on a number of other adult-themed animated films including Heavy Traffic and American Pop, however most may know him from his last film, Cool World, with Brad Pitt. Bakshi's crude animation style, and watercolored backgrounds fit Crumbs illustrations well enough, but Crumb had some serious issues with the film's content after its initial release. Crumb, as well as some critics at the time, found the movie to be something of a mess, that favored shock value over any kind of cohesive message. Overall however, the film was a giant success, bringing in over $100 million, which to this day hasn't been surpassed by any other independent animated film. This success of course spawned a sequel released in 1974 titled The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat. This title partially came from the fact that Robert Crumb hated the first film so much that he killed off Fritz in the comics. While Skip Hinnant returns to voice Fritz, Ralph Bakshi was not involved, and Robert Taylor was brought in. The sequel wasn't met with the same kind of praise as the original, and was generally considered a flop by most critics. Taylor however, would go on to direct and animate shows for Disney such as Duck Tales and Bonkers. Love it or hate it, it's impossible to deny that Fritz the Cat was a groundbreaking film that pushed the envelope of adult animation. It paved the way for independent animators to make their own adult-themed films, and proved that there was a market for such a thing. For those interested in traveling through the history of animation, Fritz is probably someone you'll definitely want to meet.

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