Month: August 2016

Film Review: SUICIDE SQUAD (USA 2016)

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suicide_squad.jpgSUICIDE SQUAD (USA 2016) *
Directed by David Ayer

Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie

Review by Gilbert Seah

SUICIDE SQUAD is the third D.C. comics extended universe film, following the awful BATMAN V. SUPERMAN that barely made its money back from its costly production. SUICIDE SQUAD has so far received awful reviews, including this one from your humble reviewer. It has also been reported that Suicide Squad fans have petitioned to shut down Rotten Tomatoes after negative reviews.

The film has been reported to be rushed out to meet time schedules with lots of editing and rushed scripting by David Ayer (FURY). It shows!

The Suicide Squad initiative functions as an unorthodox work release program. The modern incarnation, the Suicide Squad, is an antihero “strike team” of incarcerated, death row supervillains. Acting as deniable, covert assets of the United States government, it undertakes high-risk, black-ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. The group operates out of Belle Reve Penitentiary under the directorship of Amanda Waller (played with dead seriousness by Viola Davis).

The members of the squad in this film is taken from different the different volumes of the comic books. In the aftermath of Superman’s death in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, intelligence operative Amanda Waller assembles a team of dangerous criminals – the deranged Harleen Quinzel (Margot Robbie), also known as “Harley Quinn”; elite hitman Floyd Lawton (Will Smith getting star billing), who longs to be reunited with his daughter Zoey; pyrokinetic ex-gangster Chato Santana (Jay Fernandez), who refuses to fight after accidentally killing his wife and children and opportunistic thief Digger Harkness (Jai Courtney) who is supposed to use his boomerang among others. Each member is introduced at the start of the film with a famous tine. Harleen is introduced with the song “Super Freak”; Lawton with “Spirit in the Sky” etc. The Suicide Squad are offered reduced sentences in exchange for their services and implanted with nanobombs so Waller can terminate them should they go rogue. Flag (Joel Kinnaman) leads the squad under instruction from Waller.

Though billed as a comedy action film, the film’s comedy lie mainly in the one-liners. THE SUICIDE SQUAD’s comedy is similar to that of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. Margot Robbie and Oscar Winner Jared Leto (as the Joker) steal the movie. Leto is plain creepy delivering a performance of equal stature to Heath Ledger’s.

One of Waller’s recruits is Flag’s girlfriend, Dr. June Moone, an archaeologist who has become possessed by a malevolent spirit witch known as “The Enchantress” after touching a cursed idol. She and her brother form the villains of the film that have to be taken out by the squad in an extended action sequence in which a barely recognizable downtown Toronto (where the film is shot) is destroyed. (Dundas Square can still be recognized at least.)

Beware. Characters that die midway in the film can suddenly appear live and well in later parts of the film. There is a 2-minute meeting between Waller and Bruce Wayne (Ben Effleck) midway during the end credits, indicating that it might serve as an entry point to a sequel.

Like BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, SUICIDE SQUAD is plain awful. The 2 films contain the similar traits of being incoherent and a complete mess. If there are 10 D.C. comics films slated till 2020, heaven help the D.C. Universe!

Film Review: OPERATION CHROMITE (South Korea 2016)

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operation_chromite.jpgOPERATION CHROMITE (South Korea 2016) **
Directed by Lee Jae-han (John H. Lee)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Sean Dulake, Jung-jae Lee

Review by Gilbert Seah

In order to appreciate the film, a bit of Korean/American history is required. The first is a knowledge of the Battle of Inchon.

The Battle of Inchon was an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favour of the United Nations. The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital of Seoul two weeks later. The code name for the operation was OPERATION CHROMITE, the title of this film. Though not seen in the film, the epic battle began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 19 September.

The battle ended a string of victories by the invading North Korean People’s Army (NKPA). The United Nations and South Korean forces were commanded by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (Liam Neeson) of the United States Army. MacArthur was the driving force (heavily emphasized in the film) behind the operation, overcoming the strong misgivings of more cautious generals to a risky assault over extremely unfavorable terrain.

The plot of the film has General Douglas MacArthur and 8 South Korean troop members led by a South Korean Navy Lieutenant (Lee Jung-Jae) carry out a covert “X-ray” operation. The “X-ray” must succeed in order to carry out “Inchon” Landing Operation. The film concentrates of the X-ray operation and not the Battle of Inchon.

Nothing much is said of this covet X-ray operation in the history books, so a lot of the action going on in the film is likely made-up by the script which takes liberties to create a big budget action film. Extra sentiment is provided whenever possible for example in one scene, by one of the soldiers in the X-Ray operation meeting up with his wife and baby son. General MacArthur also adds his spill on how it is to grow old and hold on to ones principles.

The action segments (chases through the city amidst machine gun fire) are exciting enough but they tend to undermine the reality of a film based on historical events. The segment set on the eve of September 15 to secure a lighthouse, however, is clumsily done as it is hard to see what is going on in the dark of night.

OPERATION CHROMITE is more an action movie than a film based on historical events. The background of the film is the history lesson. Other than that, the group of men that have gone on fighting to make the Battle of Inchon and their exploits are hardly plausible. A parallel can be drawn of the about to be released ANTHROPOID on the real assassination of Rienhard Heydrich.

North Korea would be flabbergasted with premise, story and delivery of this South Korean propaganda piece. The film has already broken South Korean box-office records with an opening weekend box-office gross of $18.5 million on its $15 million production. South Koreans love the film. But the North Korean state-run outlet Uriminzokkiri called the film a product of “ridiculous bravado from ignorant lunatics”.

That said, OPERATION CHROMITE is a pretty bad war film. But for less discerning moviegoers who like that action heroes to be true to life, this film will be a hit, as already proven by the film’s box-office success.

Interview with Cinematographer Jeff Cutter (10 Cloverfield Lane)

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matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

Chatting with Jeff Cutter about Cinematography and his career could have lasted all day. I generally like to limit the questions to about 10-15 when I do these film interviews because these are very busy people and generally less is more. With Jeff, I literally could have asked him 100s of questions as we were just scratching the surface. This is one of my favorite interviews to date. A must read for anyone working or wanting to work in the industry.

Jeff’s cinematography credits include “Gridiron Gang”, “Catch .44”, “Yellow”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Playing It Cool”, and “10 Cloverfield Lane”

Matthew Toffolo: “10 Cloverfield Lane” is set to hit the theatres this week. Can you give us a sneak peak as to what to expect? How was your experience working on the film?

Jeff Cutter: Expect a taut, tense psychological thriller with 1 or 2 big surprises. I…

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Interview with Special Effects Coordinator Donnie Dean (Emmy Winner – American Horror Story)

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matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

A special effects coordinator is an individual who works on a television or film set creating special effects. The supervisor generally is the department head who defers to the film’s director and/or producers, and who is in charge of the entire special effects team. Special effects include anything that is manual or mechanically manipulated (also called “practical effects” or in camera effects). This may include the use of mechanized props, special effects makeup, props, scenery, scale models, pyrotechnics and atmospheric effects: creating physical wind, rain, fog, snow, clouds etc.

Interview with Donnie Dean: 

Matthew Toffolo: “10 Cloverfield Lane” is set to hit the theatres this week. Can you give us a sneak peak as to what to expect? How was your experience working on the film?

Donnie Dean: Unfortunately we’re bound to confidentiality before a film comes out in theaters. I can say we didn’t know until everyone else in…

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Interview with Cinematographer Natasha Braier (The Neon Demon, The Rover)

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matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

Natasha Braier is a Director of Photography on the rise. Her list of credits is already impressive, but 2016 could be her banner year. She is set to film “American Express”, directed by Nash Edgerton and starring Charlize Theron. Her film, “The Neon Demon”, will be coming out later this year. It stars Keanu Reeves & Elle Fanning, and is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Bronson).

For more information, go to: http://www.natashabraier.com/

It was an honor to sit down with the Cinematographer:

Matthew Toffolo: Tell us about THE NEON DEMON. What should we expect to see? Nicolas is a very visual filmmaker – shows more than tells. How was your working relationship with the director?

Natasha Braier: I think working with Nicolas Winding Refn is a gift for any cinematographer, because he is interested in visual story telling, in poetry, in suggesting rather than narrating. He doesn’t care about…

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Interview with Cinematographer Natasha Braier (The Neon Demon, The Rover)

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matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

Natasha Braier is a Director of Photography on the rise. Her list of credits is already impressive, but 2016 could be her banner year. She is set to film “American Express”, directed by Nash Edgerton and starring Charlize Theron. Her film, “The Neon Demon”, will be coming out later this year. It stars Keanu Reeves & Elle Fanning, and is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Bronson).

For more information, go to: http://www.natashabraier.com/

It was an honor to sit down with the Cinematographer:

Matthew Toffolo: Tell us about THE NEON DEMON. What should we expect to see? Nicolas is a very visual filmmaker – shows more than tells. How was your working relationship with the director?

Natasha Braier: I think working with Nicolas Winding Refn is a gift for any cinematographer, because he is interested in visual story telling, in poetry, in suggesting rather than narrating. He doesn’t care about…

View original post 795 more words

Interview with Editor Jake Roberts (Oscar Nominated film BROOKLYN)

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matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

It was a pleasure to sit down with Jake Roberts, the editor of BROOKLYN, which was nominated for 3 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay). Jake has already established himself as one of the top editors in the industry. This year alone he cut two Hollywood Productions coming to a cinema near you. COMANCHERIA, starring Chris Pine & Jeff Bridges. And TRESPASS AGAINST US, starring Michael Fassbender & Brenden Gleeson.

Interview with Jake Roberts:

Matthew Toffolo: Tell us about your experiences working on “Brooklyn”? How many months do you work on editing the film? How does it feel to be the editor of an Oscar Nominated film?

Jake Roberts: ‘Brooklyn’ was a great experience. There was a really positive energy throughout the shoot and it felt like we might be working on something quite special. It was personal to a lot of the people involved and that…

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Interview with Editor Jake Roberts (Oscar Nominated film BROOKLYN)

festreviews Uncategorized

matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

It was a pleasure to sit down with Jake Roberts, the editor of BROOKLYN, which was nominated for 3 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay). Jake has already established himself as one of the top editors in the industry. This year alone he cut two Hollywood Productions coming to a cinema near you. COMANCHERIA, starring Chris Pine & Jeff Bridges. And TRESPASS AGAINST US, starring Michael Fassbender & Brenden Gleeson.

Interview with Jake Roberts:

Matthew Toffolo: Tell us about your experiences working on “Brooklyn”? How many months do you work on editing the film? How does it feel to be the editor of an Oscar Nominated film?

Jake Roberts: ‘Brooklyn’ was a great experience. There was a really positive energy throughout the shoot and it felt like we might be working on something quite special. It was personal to a lot of the people involved and that…

View original post 1,402 more words

Interview with Cinematographer Mitesh Mirchandani (NEERJA)

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matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

Mitesh Mirchandani is a rising cinematographer in the industry who is currently based in based in Mumbai. Only 26, he DP’d the feature film Neerja, which could be the sleeper hit movie of 2016. From here on out, his future is bright.

www.miteshdop.com/

Interview with Mitesh Mirchandani:

Matthew Toffolo:  How is the film scene in India? What do North American audiences need to know about the films your country produces?

Mitesh Mirchandani: There are lots of films being made on a regular basis. Various different genre’s. Lots of interesting and original content coming your way. Indian cinema its not about song and dance anymore. Lots of the films being made in our country tap into the human emotion. So there’s an instant connect.

Matthew:   Out of all the projects you’ve worked on, what film are you most proud of?

 Mitesh: The film currently in cinemas titled “NEERJA”.

Matthew: …

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Interview with Director/Production Designer David Hackl (SAW Franchise)

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matthewtoffolo's avatarMatthew Toffolo's Summary

David Hackl was the production designer and second unit director for Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV, as well as for Repo! The Genetic Opera. He then went on to direct Saw V to critical and financial success. Recently, he directed multiple episodes of the TV series “Real Detective”.

I was fortunate to sit down with David to talk about his career and what’s next:

Matthew Toffolo: You have worked in the Art Department and Directed over 25 films, is there a film or two that you’re most proud of?

David Hackl: I’m very proud of the Saw franchise and feel grateful to have had the opportunity to work on it. It a piece of cinema history now. I also have a real fondness for Outlander as it was one of the most epic projects that I’ve done. I had to research it like crazy and learn everything about…

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