Movie Moxie Podcast 67: The Hunger Games & Fightville

On this weeks episode of the Movie Moxie Podcast, Shannon chats about films with a lot of fight in them including this year's box office toppler The Hunder Games and MMA documentary Fightville.

Timecoding:
0:00 - 1:00 Intro
1:00 - 11:00 The Hunger Games review
11:00 - 16:00 Fightville review
16:00 - 17:45 DVD release for April 3, 2012
17:45 - 22:15 DVD release for April 10, 2012
22:15 - 23:15 This weeks release
23:15 - 24:05 Outro

Show Notes

• I mention the definition of dystopic "the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian."
• If you are looking for a spoiler-filled discussion of The Hunger Games check out Marina & I's recent chat over at Before the Dawn.
• I mentioned signing up for any of the Movie Moxie newsletters will get you first dibs on any giveaways like the recent movie passes giveaways for Lockout and The Cabin in the Woods.
• Recent DVD release I highly recommend include Tyrannosaur, The King of Devil's Island, Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey & The Real MASH. Films I'm curious about that hit DVD include Sleeping Beauty, I Bought a Zoo, The Iron Lady, Logan's Run: The Complete Series (who knew it was a series?)
• See here for more of April 10 & April 3, 2012 DVD releases
• I mention this weeks upcoming Toronto releases which you can check out in my Film Fan Fridays column which goes live every Friday (or have it delivered to your inbox here).
• Along with recent Theatrical releases in my weekly Film Fan Fridays also check out DVD Releases in my DVD Tuesdays Post

Movie Moxie Podcast - A 100% spoiler-free film review podcast
You can also subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Subscribe through iTunes here.

Up next week: Lockout and The Cabin in the Woods

Guest Podcast: 2-Headed Shark Attack on The Saturday B-Movie Reel

I recently had the honour of guest co-hosting on The Saturday B-Movie Reel to chat about 2-Headed Shark Attack on an edition of 'Could B Syfy' with host Kevin Bachelder and fellow co-host & shark film enthusiast Jeff Long from The B-Movie Shelf. Although the film isn't the deepest of the shark works out there, is sure is a heck of a lot of fun with a high-cheese factor and lots of chomping. Check out our chat about it here over at Tuning into SciFi TV.

You can also check out my DVD review of 2-Headed Shark Attack here.

The Three Musketeers (2011) DVD Review

DVD Review of the adventure film The Three Musketeers starring Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans adapted from the book by Alexandre Dumas


Image Courtesy of Alliance Films
Legal Line (C) 2011 Constantin Film Production GMBH, NEF Productions, S.A.S and New Legacy Film LTD. All Rights Reserved By Constantin Film Verleih GMBH. Distributed Exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

Dir: Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Death Race (2008), AVP: Alien vs Predator)
Cast: Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Matthew Macfadyen, Mads Mikkelsen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Christoph Watlz, Orlando Bloom, Freddie Fox, Juno Temple, James Corden
USA/UK/France/Germany, 2011

Reason to see: 2011 Book to Film Club Selection plus it was on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (#21)

I wasn't quite sure what to make of The Three Musketeers (2011) before heading in, as it's a highly noted classic adventure story that has been adapted in to so many films over the years and then to have the man who brought us the Resident Evil films, Paul W.S. Anderson directing, I was even more dumbfounded. But the trailers looked fun and I adored the cast (Mads! Milla! Ray! Oh my...), so I picked it for the Book to Film Club and said I was going to give it a chance.

Now, I do have to admit that getting through the book The Three Musketeers was a HUGE challenge. It was the hardest read (but I didn't dislike it) and the biggest challenge of the 2011 Book to Film Club because it was so long and so dense. Thankfully, the film is a lovely adaptation trimming away oodles and oodles of things I didn't miss and keeping all the adventure, including main story and the spirit of all of the characters. Before reading the book I was mostly excited because of the casting. I'll see anything that Mads Mikkelsen (After the Wedding / Efter brylluppet, Valhalla Rising) & Ray Stevenson (King Arthur, Kill the Irishman) are in, especially together, and I continue to love Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief) , Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil Series) & Luke Evans (Tamara Drewe, Immortals). Plus, now I have to know where the heck Matthew Macfadyen has been hiding (period films?) because he in instantly going on my to-watch list as he is an excellent actor.

I know that is a lot of names, but that is because the film has so many delicious characters from our young protagonist D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) who is off to prove himself and quickly becomes entangled with the Three Musketeers of Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Aramis (Lucas Evans) who although highly skilled are not really needed anymore and come to odds with the Cardinal's (Christoph Watlz) guards lead by Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen) and pretty much rule the place even though it's in the hands of a very king Louis (Freddie Fox). And then of course we have Milla Jovovich as the cunning Milady, whom is highly skilled in many ways.

How they flushed out all of the characters so well is a huge feat in it of itself, I'm a big fan of ensemble casts in action/adventure films and they are able to create and hone the characters including their own unique set of skills, they interpersonal relationships, histories and motivations all without feel like it's being telecasted to you. And I didn't go in super knowledgeable reading the book - I could barely tell the Musketeers apart! But here, it was easy and delightful to know who was who; and what trouble they are getting into. And there is a lot of trouble to get into, the film is full of plots and trickery and the mystery of solving your counterparts motivations and the meticulous planning to work on and through the deception. Honestly, the planning won me over more than I anticipated. But the art direction and styling was also gorgeous, although they certainly took some liberties with devices which gave it a fun vibe and you really just have to go with it.

I loved watching The Three Musketeers, it is literally one of the most fun out of all of the movies I have seen all year. It's outrageous, outlandish and over the top but it's backed by a solid plot, a fantastic set of characters and a brilliant cast. I really enjoyed the performances of each and every person in the film who breathed in the joy, romance, adventure and life into the film. Absolutely wonderful!

DVD Extras:

• Feature Commentary with director/producer Paul W.S. Anderson and producers Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer discussing the draw to the film, the influences which run the gambit from classic Hollywood to current games, a fair amount of character & character dynamics especially in reference to how close they tied them to how they are depicted in the book including the age of D'Artagnan, lots of detail on the locations especially the amazing amount of real locations (including a private castle) as well as what (if anything) was changed/altered/enhanced by visual effects. They also chat the sword work including the fact almost everything is done by the actors with real swords and the individual fighting styles, the elaborate costumes, the influences that developed the look and feel of the film, the different romance stories in the film, the conscious choice to ensure the characters and struggles were relatable to a current day audience, the appeal of the film to a large audience, challenges (and luck) with the weather and the authenticity of many of the weapons and creations at least conceptually to the time. It's quite an informed and entertaining commentary, and I loved how well they know and note the book, and share which moments are straght from the book as well as reasons behind changes made - it was great to hear their perspective.
• Cast and Crew (20 minutes) behind the scenes, film clips and interviews withdirector Paul W.S. Anderson, producer Jeremy Bolt & on the actors and their connection to their character; the actors discussing bringing their characters to life and also the connection of the characters to the book and the different takes they took to other ways the characters have been portrayed in other Musketeer films. Really great character bios on each of Althos (Matthew Macfadyen), Milady (Milla Jovovich), Aramis (Luke Evans), Porthos, (Ray Stevenson), D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman), Richelieu (Christoph Watlz), Buckingham (Orlando Bloom), Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen), Planchet (James Corden) & a look at them as Paul W.S. Anderson's Three Musketeers.
• Achieving the Look (15 minutes total) 4 Featurettes on the Costumes (5 minutes), Production Design (4 minutes), A New Dimension of Musketeers on the film being in 3D (5 minutes) and Uncovering France in Germany (2 minutes) with behind the scenes, concept art, on set & on locations footage, film clips and interviews with director Paul W.S. Anderson, producer Jeremy Bolt, costume designer Pierre-Yves Gayraud, production designer Paul Denham Austerberry, stunt coordinator/2nd unit director Nick Powell and actors Matthew Macfadyen, Orlando Bloom, Mads Mikkelsen, Freddie Fox, Gabriella Wilde, Milla Jovovich, James Corden, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Logan Lerman.
• 17th Century Action (10 minutes) 5 Featurettes on different action elements of the film from Fencing to specific fight & action sequences and new concepts/combinations used for the film including re-invisioning Milady. Includes interviews with director Paul W.S. Anderson, stunt coordinator/2nd unit director Nick Powell and actors Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans, Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelsen, plus behind the scenes on shooting, rehearsals with fencing instructor Imke Duplitzer, plus discussing individual styles of the fighting styles of the different characters, the fact that the actors trained & did their own fights,plus the huge sets and amazing locations for the and the impressive amount of actual sets over green screens which are used more for enhancement
• Deleted & Extended Scenes (12 scenes, 13 minutes) really interesting added footage, and I absolutely loved that they added an 'extended footage' watermark for the extended scenes to indicate what had been added.
  

The Three Musketeers (2011) is available on DVD as of March 13, 2012. Check it out over at Amazon.ca & Amazon.com

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it; I grin from ear to ear for the entire time, every time I watch it
I'll own it
I highly recommend it to fans of adventurous and fun-spirited films

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews


(Left to right) LOGAN LERMAN (white shirt), LUKE EVANS, RAY STEVENSON (back to camera) and MATTHEW MACFADYEN star in THE THREE MUSKETEERS, an Alliance Films' release.


(L-R) CHRISTOPH WALTZ and MILLA JOVOVICH star in THE THREE MUSKETEERS 3D, an Alliance Films release

(L-R) ORLANDO BLOOM and CHRISTOPH WALTZ star in THE THREE MUSKETEERS 3D, an Alliance Films release.

© Shannon Ridler, 2011 - 2012
Originally reviewed for Theatrical Release - November 28, 2011

Film Fan Fridays for Friday April 13, 2012

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!


Images: The Cabin in the Woods Poster (Courtesy of Alliance Films), Jason Patric in KEYHOLE (Courtesy of eOne Films) and Hard Core Logo 2 (Courtesy of Alliance Films)

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday April 13, 2012!

We have a jam packed week of film from around the world and from right here in Canada two, with lots of hype for many of the films. An exciting week of releases unfolds...

In limited release this week we have films from 2 iconic Canadian directors, both of whom I love, with Bruce McDonalds Hard Core Logo 2 and Guy Maddins Keyhole. Also exciting to see in release is The Hunter starring Willem Dafoe based on the novel by Julia Leigh; this one was a hopeful for the Book to Film Club but it was too hard to determine the release date even though now we have it! I definitely recommend reading the book, described as a 'Tasmanian gothic'. Also out this week in limited release is Hong Kong film A Simple Life and drama/romance The Deep Blue Sea starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston (Thor). And on the documentary front Hot Docs Bloor Cinema has in release the haunting looking Girl Model as well as Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (co-directed by Werner Herzog!).

In wide release this week we have the fun horror jaunt of The Cabin in the Woods (it's clever and easily a must-see for horror fans) and the bombastic scifi/action/prison break/comedy Lockout (it's pretty entertaining although you really have to just 'go' with it). I've got my eye on StreetDance 2 which is a follow up to the 2010 dance film StreetDance and uses the classic dance-movie premise of mixing up the styles, and it looks like they mix up the cast too as it's mostly a new crew with the exception of George Sampson as Eddie and Stephanie Nguyen as Steph. Yes, I know the original StreetDance *that* well that I can tell. Also out in wide release is The Three Stooges for the slapstick comedy fans, and I'm a little suprized I only started hearing about this week - but I'm more in the StreetDance/The Cabin the in Woods/Lockout circle(s) over comedy ones.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon



Images: The Hunter Poster (Courtesy of eOne Films), Lockout Poster (Courtesy of Alliance Films) and A Scene from StreetDance 2 (Courtesy of eOne Films)

Festival Watch

Images Festival
25th Annual festival of independent film, video and other time-based media
April 12 - 21, 2011 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Reel World Film Festival
12th annual festival celebrating diversity in film, video, and new media
Continues until April 11 - 15, 2012 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

TIFF Kids International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival for Children and Youth
Continues until April 22, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday April 13, 2012 Releases

The Cabin in the Woods
Dir: Drew Goddard - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Amy Acker
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Deep Blue Sea
Dir:Terence Davies (The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth)
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, Ann Mitchell, Simon Russell Beale
USA/UK
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Girl Model
Dirs: David Redmon, Ashley Sabin (Intimidad, Kamp Katrina)
Documentary
USA/Russia/Japan/France
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
Dirs: Werner Herzog (Encounters at the End of the World) & Dmitry Vasyukov - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
Germany
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Hard Core Logo 2
Dir: Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo, Roadkill, Pontypool, Trigger)
Cast: Care Failure, Bruce McDonald, Julian Richings, Shannon Jardine, Sera-Lys McArthur, Adrien Dorval
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

The Hunter
Dir: Daniel Nettheim - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O'Connor
Australia
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Keyhole
Dir: Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg, Brand Upon the Brain!)
Cast: Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini, Udo Kier, Brooke Palsson
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Lockout
Dir: James Mather & Stephen St. Leger - feature film directorial debuts
Cast: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun, Lennie James
France
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

A Simple Life / Tao jie
Dir: Ann Hui (All About Love, The Way We Are, The Postmodern Life of My Aunt)
Cast: Andy Lau, Deannie Yip
Hong Kong
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

StreetDance 2
Dir: Max Giwa, Dania Pasquini (StreetDance)
Cast: Falk Hentschel, Sofia Boutella, George Sampson, Stephanie Nguyen
UK/Germany
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Three Stooges
Dir: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly (Hall Pass, Fever Pitch)
Cast:Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Hudson, Sofia Vergara
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of April 13, 2012**

Vlog; April book selection The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Book to Film Club time - Looking at our April book selection The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

The Cabin in the Woods Movie Passes Giveaway (Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa & Winnipeg)

Image courtesy of Alliance Films

Want a chance to win movie passes and see up the upcoming flipped on it's side horror film The Cabin in the Woods starring Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams?

We've got you covered with passes to giveaway for advance screenings in Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa & Winnipeg!

The Cabin in the Woods Synopsis:
"Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen.

If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, a mind blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out.

Produced by Whedon and directed by Goddard from a script by both, the film stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Toronto Screening Details:
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012; Show Time: 7:00 PM
Location: AMC Yonge & Dundas 24, 10 Dundas Street East in Toronto, ON M5B 2G9
Click here for Toronto Screening & Enter PIN of TOMOXIECABIN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Halifax Screening Details:
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012; Show Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Empire Dartmouth Crossing, 145 Shubie Drive in Dartmouth, NS B3B 0C3
Click here for Halifax Screening & Enter PIN of HALMOXIECABIN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ottawa Screening Details:
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012; Show Time: 7:00 PM
Location: SilverCity Gloucester, 2385 City Park Drive in Ottawa, ON K1J 1E1
Click here for Ottawa Screening & Enter PIN of OTTMOXIECABIN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winnipeg Screening Details:
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012; Show Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Empire Grant Park 8, 1120 Grant Avenue, Unit 127 in Winnipeg, MB R3M 2A6
Click here for Winnipeg Screening & Enter PIN of WINMOXIECABIN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are a limited number of passes for the screenings, so act quick!

Missed your chance? See The Cabin in the Woods in theatres when it opens in wide release on April 13, 2012.

Thank-you to Alliance Films for the movie passes giveaway! Cheers.

The Cabin in the Woods Trailer:

DVD Releases for April 10, 2012

Time to take a look at a selection of DVD releases for Tuesday April 10, 2012!


King of Devil's Island image courtesy Evokative films, Sleeping Beauty & The Darkest Hour mages courtesy of eOne Films, The Iron Lady & One Life images courtesy of Alliance Films

• King of Devil's Island Fantastic Norweigian-set film based on true events from the boys home/correctional facility on Bastoy in 1915. Formidable performance from the young cast, a very keen look at human nature and the power of drive for freedom. Best film I've seen in 2012 so far.
• Sleeping Beauty vague description is "A haunting portrait of Lucy, a young university student drawn into a mysterious hidden world of unspoken desires."; but everything seems to lend to some kind of prostitution which lands it in the category of I can't quite decide what to make of this film. Sounds creepy for sure but I just can't imagine with the talent involved that it isn't amazing and/or social commentary. Stumped.
• The Terror Experiment aka Fight or Flight, I'm curious about this one that has a fear-is-contagious/zombie feel, starring C. Thomas Howell, Judd Nelson and Jason London from 2010
• The Darkest Hour Young folk go to Moscow to find and fuel financial dreams, and end up battling alien invasion! Although it's entertaining, I didn't find this one as good as it oculd have been.
• The Iron Lady 2 time Oscar winning biopic with with Meryl Steep as Margaret Thatcher
• The Terrorists with Sean Connery and Ian McShane
• Brokedown Palace with Kate Beckinsade & Claire Daines from 1999
• One Life nature documentary that looks absolute spectacular (Not currently available on Amazon.com).
• Sharkwater: Special Earth Day Edition One of the first documentaries I ever reviewed! Great film spreading the word, love, and sad endagerment of sharks (Not currently available on Amazon.com).
• Into the Abyss Werner Herzog's most recent doc following death row inmate Michael Perry.
• Prince and the Showgirl The film that My Week with Marilyn is inspired by.
• Logan's Run: Complete Series I had no idea there *was* a TV serious that followed the trippy dystopic film from the 70's. Might have to check this one out
• Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series with the redux on it's way it's no surprize they are re-release the series, and not only the complete thing (update: it has a release date of today, but doesn't appear as available!); but you can get your hands on the choice picks of: Dark Shadows Best of Barnabas and Dark Shadows Fan Favorites
• One Tree Hill: The Complete Ninth and Final Season I'm mystified that this show got to it's 9th season and I still don’t know what it's about…sports?

Titles on Amazon.ca(Canada):


Titles on Amazon.com (US):