Andrew Lesnie passes on all too soon

Andrew Lesnie, cinematographer behind both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, has passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. He was 59.

A man of tremendous vision and good humor, Lesnie also collaborated with Peter Jackson on King Kong and The Lovely Bones, as well as lensing the Babe movies, I Am Legend and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. His last film was The Water Diviner, for Russell Crowe. He was an Academy Award winner for his work on The Fellowship of the Ring.

Lesnie took the art of cinematography and pushed it to a new plateau in the modern era, masterfully combining digital effects and color timing with iconic, painterly shot compositions. He was an innovator and a pioneer and one of the great artists of the fantasy genre.

His visions will live on for ages - here's a very small sample of Andrew Lesnie's ability to plunge us into a scene and take our breath away.

The Flix is Out There! X-Files streaming in HD!

Guess what, Scully? The Lone Gunmen just told me that Netflix has begun streaming The X-Files TV series in glorious high definition - for the first time ever!

We'd heard that Fox had begun remastering he series in HD for an eventual blu-ray release, which is probably going to emerge from the shadows when the new limited series begins to air. 

But until then, we can get a taste of how the series looks in widescreen and how those fledgling first season episodes look in high def. 

So turn out the lights - and go tape an X in your window. 

Daredevil mopping up the mean streets

I’m only two episodes in, but I’m pretty much hooked on Daredevil. Marvel’s dominion over the superhero universe continues, now following in the footsteps of Frank Underwood on Netflix with an initial season of 13 episodes. Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) plays Matt Murdock – blinded in his youth, his other senses become hyper-attuned to compensate, giving him the power to sense approaching threats or tell when someone’s lying to him by the sound of their pulse quickening. By day, Murdock is a fledgling attorney looking to protect the innocent, by night he’s a hooded vigilante looking to punish the criminal underworld infecting New York’s Hells’ Kitchen. 

Season One is very much an early days origin story. Murdock doesn’t yet have his trademark red suit, and he’s still finding his way. Flashbacks to his youth with his pugilist father are particularly effective. So far, Matt’s compatriots, his law partner “Foggy” Nelson (Elden Henson) and client-turned-office-runner Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) less so. But these first episodes are establishing their world, so there’s every hope we’ll see those characters improve. By the end of episode 2 we still haven’t even met crime boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) yet, so it feels like Daredevil is just getting rolling, but in riveting, high-quality style.

Cox is excellent, delivering a calm intensity as Murdock, and we’re seeing a uniformly great cast – Rosario Dawson appears in episode 2. Murdock’s fighting scenes are particularly fantastic. Episode 2 concludes with a spectacular 5-minute single-shot hallway fight sequence that’s like something out of Oldboy or The Raid. This is a grim New York, slowly rebuilding itself in the wake of “the incident” – the catastrophic damage wrought in The Avengers, with shady mob construction deals turning the area into a criminal killing ground – providing plenty of work for Murdock in both of his identities.

While Gotham started out strong, it quickly fell into a rut, feeling more like conventional network TV. Daredevil is much more grounded and realistic, both in the physical environment of New York, and in the bone-crunching cinematic quality of DD’s phenomenal fight sequences. It recently broke that the show has already been renewed for a second season, but with different showrunners, as the incredibly busy Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) is pretty tied-up relaunching Spider-man and Steven DeKnight is working on Incursion, among other things – New Executive Producers Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez have worked closely with Goddard and DeKnight on season one, so we shouldn't panic that the show’s going to collapse after such a promising start.

If you haven’t dived into Daredevil yet, it’s time to get binging!

New Thrones figures from Dark Horse

So great to have Game of Thrones back on the air, and greater still to have new figures appearing in stores! On Friday I nabbed Tywin Lannister, Littlefinger and Joffrey - First of His Name! Pretty fantastic!

Now our pals over at Funko have been awfully cagey about when (dare I say "if?") their next wave of Legacy Thrones figures is arriving. Will they really wait for Comic Con in July?! It's been a while, Funko. But while we're left scratching our heads, good old Dark Horse continues to release new ones, albeit largely unarticulated. In addition to the ones mentioned above, we know we're getting The Hound, a big Hodor and Bran set, plus a terrific sculpt of Brienne of Tarth due as well.

What I did not know until today is that they have a wave in the chamber for this September, too, featuring none other than Ser Jorah Mormont! Jorah looks great, and while this isn't my favorite armor of his, it's a pretty great sculpt of a particularly awesome character. 

                                                                                                                                                               

Then we have Dark, or "Darth" Sansa, as some folks like to call her. While a great rendering of the character, it feels like they've missed the likeness mark here, and her expression is just a bit too Stepford for me. Still! A great addition and now Baelish won't have to stand around by himself! So a pleasant surprise on the heels of another fascinating episode of Thrones last night. 

Dark Horse is plowing through most of the major characters. Come on, Funko - step it up! I'll be honest - I was bowled over by the articulation of Funko's Legacy line - their Jaime Lannister is amazing. But Dark Horse has given their figures a certain...something. I guess I'm just going to have to collect both!

Rogue One: Star Wars without Jedi!

A Star Wars film that puts the emphasis on Wars, director Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) helped wrap up events at Star Wars Celebration by giving a preview of what to expect from next year's first Star Wars stand-alone picture, Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One.

We'd heard that this initial non-trilogy outing might focus on events prior to A New Hope, which Edwards and team confirmed, announcing that Rogue One would show the original raid that allowed the Rebellion to gain possession of the plans to the Death Star. 

Starring Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) as a rebel soldier, Rogue One will evidently be a sci-fi Where Eagles Dare, with Edwards citing Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan as inspirations. Edwards went on to explain that the film's tone will exist in a gray area where villains aren't totally black and good guys do bad things - it's war, with both sides doing what's necessary to survive. 

Rogue One won't involve the Jedi, but will instead focus on the soldiers - the boots on the ground. People without powers being heroes. This all sounds terrific, evoking a real Empire Strikes Back vibe. Zero Dark Thirty Director of Photography Greig Fraser has been recruited to give the film the necessary Seal Team atmosphere and feel.

I had my issues with Godzilla, but the HALO jump sequence was spectacular. If  Edwards can bring that kind of juice to Rogue One, it should blow the doors off.

Anthology will be the brand given to all standalone/spin-off Star Wars films. Rogue One starts shooting this summer

for a December 2016 release.

Trailer for The Force Awakens energizes and delights

The fan community and the public at large converged mightily yesterday, damn near breaking the internet with the gleeful discovery of the new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. You've undoubtedly already seared your retinas by now, but here it is again anyway:



Pretty impressive. I love the epic sensibilities on display here, especially in shots like this:

We're seeing beloved iconography turned on its ear and revisited in new and slightly disturbing ways, cementing the notion of a new era that's been shaped by the memories of the past:

It's been a long time since the Endor funeral pyre, but artifacts of this bygone era are resurfacing. 

And speaking of artifacts, visitors to Celebration Anaheim got an up-close reveal of some of the new costumes, and learned that in this new Star Wars era, the Rebellion will be referred to as "The Resistance," and the Empire will be called "The First Order."

We also learned the name of a new planet - Jakku. 

But perhaps most intriguingly, Mark Hamill's familiar voiceover about the strength of The Force in his family concludes with a new wrinkle: "...you have that power, too." So who's the new member of the family? A son or daughter of Luke? Of Leia and Han? 

J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy have managed to deliver a tantalizing glimpse that delights and satisfies, giving us some wonderful echos of the past, deftly reimagined, feeling both fresh and new.

Abrams also bought pizza for the throngs camping out overnight at Anaheim, eager for their Force Awakens experience. 

Clearly, a guy who really wants to deliver and satisfy the audience. 

J.J., you've got us hungry for more!

Force Awakens Imagery Avalanche!

With Star Wars Celebration Anaheim underway, we're seeing the arrival of some of the most detailed promotional art to date, with detailed reveals of Kylo Ren and Chrome stormtrooper Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). 

With the trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens due shortly, this looks to be the beginning of a major new phase of promotion and revelations!

Branagh's Cinderella Enchants

There’s a seven-minute Frozen short on the front-end of Disney’s new Cinderella, so as the parent of a six-year old, resistance was futile. Frozen Fever was cute enough, but Cinderella was nothing short of spectacular. Kenneth Branagh has had a fascinating career as a director, from lavish adaptations of Shakespeare (his Henry V debut is staggering) to Marvel’s Thor. He’s got a romantic classicist’s sensibilities and knows how to keep the storytelling tempo moving at a vigorous pace. With screenwriter Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass), Branagh has mounted a lavish new version of the timeless fairy tale for a new generation of viewers that’s fresh, yet feels delightfully old fashioned. 

I admit I was leery of Lily James’ casting – her Lady Rose on Downton Abbey can be annoyingly cloy in the extreme. But that’s the character, and James makes Ella (the “Cinder” is a stepsister add-on) a completely charming and earnest fairy tale character, moving her from innocence to grief, and onward to determination. The cast is full of Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones vets. Downton’s Daisy (Sophie McShera) is a loopy and mean-spirited stepsister, with Winterfell’s Robb Stark himself (Richard Madden) as the Prince. Cate Blanchett shines with icy venom as the wicked Stepmother, manipulative and venal via Prada. 

Cinderella remains a powerful myth for children, beyond the mere “Someday my Prince will come” veneer, speaking to children about surviving tragedy and the finding of self. Growing up in an idyllic country home with the household mice as friends, born out of her innate kindness. The Eden of childhood is fractured by the loss of a parent, which leaves the door open for the phantom of a replacement mother, a potent childhood fear. Try as she might to connect with her new siblings and Stepmom, they’re immediately put off by Ella’s beauty and grace and commence their campaign of humiliation. Which in turn leads Ella to daydream and wander, leading to a completely delightful chance encounter with the local King in training. A sequence of Ella tearing off across the countryside on horseback is breathtaking. 

The Prince is smitten, and when covetous resentment threatens to keep Ella a prisoner from all possibilities and dreams, the notion of magic – of belief – comes front and center, where Branagh unleashes a marvelous, delirious transformation sequence and a Royal Ball that will launch the dreams of legions of young girls and boys alike. Helena Bonham Carter has unhinged fun as the Fairy Godmother, and Branagh makes sure that sense of fun keeps Ella aloft throughout the entire film. Hayley Atwell, Derek Jacobi and Stellan Skarsgård round out the excellent cast. Branagh is a sensational choice to direct here, and this refreshed edition of such a beloved classic is a splendid achievement on every level. Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos serves up a visual feast of environments and moods, which captures the characters and makes the idea of magic seem completely reasonable. A note to costume enthusiasts – Sandy Powell blows the cover off the ball here. Cinderella’s gown, and wedding dress (spoiler alert) are beyond stupefying. No prom will ever be the same. 

In perhaps their deftest touch, Branagh and Weitz’s most gratifying nod to the times has Ella’s victory come less from dependence on being rescued by a hero, and more on her own self-reliance, embodied by her determination to hold fast to her values – that bravery tempered with kindness can vanquish any foe and capture any dream.

Outward and Inward: The Solitary Trail of Wild

“That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.” I’m not sure if Nietzsche liked to hike the wilderness, but it’s a phrase that’s hard to shake when considering the odyssey of Wild, based on the memoir of Cheryl Strayed.

The death of Strayed’s mother from cancer sent her into a downward spiral of heroin and sex, an abyss she chose to climb out of by hiking the thousand-plus miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. Reese Witherspoon produces and stars as Strayed, easily her strongest performance since Walk the Line. Director Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club) uses the vast wilderness landscapes as contrast to Strayed’s deeply interior journey of self-reclamation. When we first see her, Witherspoon’s gazing on the ruin of a toenail, visceral evidence of how woefully unprepared she is for the crucible of the wild. Vallée and screenwriter Nick Hornby uses a time-hopping flashback structure to push deeper into Strayed’s collapsing past as she trudges further along the ever-changing labyrinth of the uncertain trail.

I didn't read Wild, so I can only assess the film on its own terms, though the reaction has seemed a bit divisive between book readers - who mostly love it - and non-readers who seem a bit more detached. Wild has to be appreciated as the bravely solitary baring of a fragile soul. Witherspoon is in nearly every scene and carries the weight of the film with enough emotional heft to rival her enormous backpack. It's refreshing to see an actress deconstruct their persona a bit, and play someone with a flawed past that drags behind them like so many footprints. With so much dependent on flashback, she does a solid and convincing job of embodying someone trying to find a way to close old wounds and look in the mirror again. She may not face the kind of immediate jeopardy of films such as Deliverance or 127 Hours, but Witherspoon realistically shoulders past potential perils with a convincing mix of flint and vulnerability, determined to keep moving forward.

Laura Dern is terrific in the fleeting scenes as Strayed's mother, making it easy to see the hole in the world her passing would leave. Wild may seem less frenetic than Vallée's attention-getting Dallas Buyer's Club, but it would be a mistake to think he's turned down the burner. He's drawn to tormented souls in search of salvation, and deserves credit for making a film that dares to be quiet and reflective at times, to give Cheryl Strayed - and Reese Witherspoon - the time and space to find themselves in the untamed expanse of nature, where solitude is the mirror you can't look away from.