Upcoming Releases - March '11

Here is a selection of films due out in UK cinemas next month.


The Adjustment Bureau - 4th March
Romance | Thriller
99 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp
Director: George Nolfi

'On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)--a woman like none he's ever known. But just as he realizes he's falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself--the men of The Adjustment Bureau--who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path...or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.'

Official site: http://www.theadjustmentbureau.com/


The Tempest - 4th March
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
110 mins
PG certificate
Main cast: Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Alfred Molina, Alan Cumming, Chris Cooper
Director: Julie Taymor

'In Julie Taymor's version of 'The Tempest,' the main character is now a woman named Prospera. Going back to the 16th or 17th century, women practicing the magical arts of alchemy were often convicted of witchcraft. In Taymor's version, Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year daughter on a ship. She ends up on an island; it's a tabula rasa: no society, so the mother figure becomes a father figure to Miranda. This leads to the power struggle and balance between Caliban and Prospera; a struggle not about brawn, but about intellect.'

Official site: http://tempest-themovie.com/


Ironclad - 4th March
Action | Adventure
121 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: James Purefoy, Brian Cox, Jason Flemyng, Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti
Director: Jonathan English

'It is the year 1215 and the rebel barons of England have forced their despised King John to put his royal seal to the Magna Carta, a noble, seminal document that upheld the rights of free-men. Yet within months of pledging himself to the great charter, the King reneged on his word and assembled a mercenary army on the south coast of England with the intention of bringing the barons and the country back under his tyrannical rule. Barring his way stood the mighty Rochester castle, a place that would become the symbol of the rebel's momentous struggle for justice and freedom.'

Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ironclad.film?ref=ts


Rango - 4th March
Animation | Action | Adventure
107 mins
PG certificate
Main cast: Johnny Depp, Timothy Olyphant, Bill Nighy, Isla Fisher
Director: Gore Verbinski

'A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.'

Official site: http://www.rangomovie.com/


Battle: Los Angeles - 11th March
Action | Sci-fi | Thriller
116 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan
Director: Jonathan Liebesman

'For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world - Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before.'

Official site: http://www.battlela.com/


The Company Men - 11th March
Drama
104 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones
Director: John Wells

'The story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company - and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.'

Official site: http://www.companymenmovie.com/


You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - 18th March
Comedy | Romance
98 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Gemma Jones
Director: Woody Allen

'Follows a pair of married couples, Alfie (Hopkins) and Helena (Jones), and their daughter Sally (Watts) and husband Roy (Brolin), as their passions, ambitions, and anxieties lead them into trouble and out of their minds. After Alfie leaves Helena to pursue his lost youth and a free-spirited call girl named Charmaine (Punch), Helena abandons rationality and surrenders her life to the loopy advice of a charlatan fortune teller. Unhappy in her marriage, Sally develops a crush on her handsome art gallery owner boss, Greg (Banderas), while Roy, a novelist nervously awaiting the response to his latest manuscript, becomes moonstruck over Dia (Pinto), a mystery woman who catches his gaze through a nearby window.'

Official site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/youwillmeetatalldarkstranger/


Submarine - 18th March
Comedy | Drama
97 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Paddy Considine, Sally Hawkins, Craig Roberts, Noah Taylor
Director: Richard Ayoade

'A comedy which follows Oliver Tate, a precocious 15-year-old whose worldview is exceedingly clever and largely delusional. Oliver has two objectives: To lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to stop his mother from leaving his father for her dance teacher.'


Limitless - 23rd March
Thriller
Running time and certificate: TBA
Main cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Anna Friel, Abbie Cornish
Director: Neil Burger

'Aspiring author Eddie Morra (Cooper) is suffering from chronic writer's block, but his life changes instantly thanks to NZT, a revolutionary new pharmaceutical that allows him to tap his full potential. With every synapse crackling, Eddie can recall everything he has ever read, seen or heard, learn any language in a day, comprehend complex equations and beguile anyone he meets as long as he keeps taking the untested drug. However, there are people willing to do anything to get their hands on his stash of NZT. With his life in jeopardy and the drug's brutal side effects grinding him down, Eddie dodges mysterious stalkers, a vicious gangster and an intense police investigation as he attempts to hang on to his dwindling supply long enough to outwit his enemies.'

Official site: http://www.iamrogue.com/limitless


The Eagle - 25th March
Adventure | Drama
114 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong
Director: Kevin Macdonald

'In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.'

Official site: http://focusfeatures.com/the_eagle



Information obtained from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, http://www.filmdates.co.uk/, and the films' official websites.

Alt movie poster #1

Alternative movie posters pay homage to film as well as showcase artistic talent and creativity. Some are minimalist, some complex, some include in-jokes for those who have seen the movie. This feature celebrates the work of fans, artists and designers whose love of film is clear to see.

Black Swan

Created by: Laz Marquez

Source: http://lazmarquez.squarespace.com/



Have you seen any alternative movie posters you'd like to share or created your own and would like it featured? Get in touch!

The Good, the Bad and the Weird [18/02/11]

Bringing you recent movie news stories that caught my eye for different reasons. 


The Good:

As the first blogathon on my blog was on Philip K. Dick movie adaptations, it's pretty obvious I'm a fan. So, news this week that Michel Gondry is going to be adapting and directing Ubik, one of Dick's most acclaimed novels, is exciting stuff for me.

Gondry should be used to head-spinning stories after directing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep so I think he'd do a pretty good job. It has also been stated that the screenplay will remain loyal to the original text, although that will remain to be seen, as most of Philip K. Dick's works get a lot of alterations when transferred to the big screen.

Source: Collider  


The Bad:

Is it just me or does this sentence from Screen Rant sound like a menacing threat?: "Bay and his Platinum Dunes production company have evidently been courting Lautner pretty aggressively for some time now, and it looks like a Bay/Lautner team-up is officially upon us."

Apparently, the pair sent out a script to all the major studios, which has sparked a bidding war. What is the film about? Well, insiders have said it's Mr & Mrs Smith meets Wanted...yeah, because those two films were both great (not).

Expect lots of explosions, a weak story and Lautner taking his top off a lot to please his Twilight fanbase.

Source: Screen Rant  



The Weird:

Last week, someone tweeted to the mayor of Detroit that the city should have a statue of Robocop. He politely said there were no plans to erect such a statue but then there was such an amazing amount of support for it that a campaign was created to collect donations.

In just one week $50,000 was raised and now a 7 foot tall statue of the mighty Robocop is imminent! Next up, every city that has a movie character linked to it should get its own statue.

Source: /Film

My 5 favourite... Irish actors

From Jedi Knight to Batman villain, Hogwarts Professor to Satan, Irish actors have had many diverse roles in Hollywood. Here are my 5 favourites;
  
• Brendan Gleeson (IMDb page) Made his breakthrough in Braveheart with Mel Gibson. Has appeared in a number of historical films such as Troy, Kingdom of Heaven and Gangs of New York. Joined the cast of the Harry Potter film series as 'Mad-Eye' Moody and appeared opposite fellow Irishman Colin Farrell in In Bruges.

• Cillian Murphy (IMDb page) Blue-eyed actor with a strong screen presence, Murphy has made his name working with two of Hollywood's hottest directors. He made a great first impression in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later... and joined him again for Sunshine. He also starred as the evil Dr. Crane in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and briefly in The Dark Knight, before starring in Nolan's highly rated Inception.

• Gabriel Byrne (IMDb page) Has had varied roles in a number of popular films including Miller's Crossing, Little Women and most famously, Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects. Paradoxically, he starred as both a priest (Stigmata) and Satan (End of Days) in the same year.

• Stephen Rea (IMDb page) Best known for his collaborations with director Neil Jordan. So far, the pair have worked together on nine films, Angel, The Company of Wolves, The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy, In Dreams, The End of the Affair and Breakfast on Pluto. Also starred in the cult rock film Still Crazy and popular graphic novel adaptation V for Vendetta.

• Liam Neeson (IMDb page) Has starred in a large number of well-known Hollywood films including Schindler's List, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Love Actually, Batman Begins. He has taken on some iconic roles including the voice of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia films, Greek God Zeus in Clash of the Titans and Hannibal Smith in The A-Team.

So those are my favourites, who are yours? Drop me a comment.

BAFTA 2011 winners

It was a good night for The King's Speech on Sunday, picking up seven British Academy Film awards, including Best Film, Best British Film and Best Actor for Colin Firth (a very popular winner). Inception and The Social Network both picked up three awards, with David Fincher winning Best Director for the latter. 

Here is the full list of winners at the BAFTA awards 2011:

Academy Fellowship
Sir Christopher Lee

Best Film

The King's Speech

Best Actor

Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Best Actress

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Best Director

David Fincher (The Social Network)

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)

Best Animated Feature Film
Toy Story 3

Outstanding British Contribution to Film

The Harry Potter film series

Best Original Screenplay
The King's Speech (David Seidler)

Best Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Outstanding British Film

The King's Speech

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Four Lions

Best Supporting Actress

Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)

Special Visual Effects

Tim Burke, John Richardson, Nicolas Aithadi, Christian Manz (Inception)

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech) 

Best Foreign Language Film

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Cinematography

Roger Deakins (True Grit)

Production Design

Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat (Inception)

Costume Design

Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland)

Sound

Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo, Ed Novick (Inception)

Make-up and Hair

Valli O'Reilly, Paul Gooch (Alice in Wonderland)

Editing

Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter (The Social Network)

Short Animation

The Eagleman Stag

Short Film

Until the River Runs Red

Orange Rising Star Award

Tom Hardy

Movie Art Prints

I found this while looking for some pictures for my Gary Oldman profile:

As a massive Gary Oldman fan, words cannot describe how much I want this print on my wall!

It was designed by Derek Eads and there are some other examples of his movie-inspired work here: Society6

Check them out! I'm off to raid the piggy bank...

In focus: Gary Oldman

Leonard Gary Oldman was born on March 21^st 1958 in New Cross, London. He trained at the Rose Bruford Drama College and then went on to appear in a number of plays including Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr. Sloane and Edward Bond’s The Pope’s Wedding, which earned him awards and critical praise. This led to a long run of work with the Royal Court and Royal Shakespeare Company.

His film career started with a small part in Remembrance in 1982 with Timothy Spall. Then he played Coxy, a racist skinhead, in Mike Leigh’s Meantime. His major breakthrough came when director Alex Cox cast him in the lead role of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy. Oldman followed this by playing Joe Orton in Stephen Frears’ Prick Up Your Ears, written by Alan Bennett and co-starring Alfred Molina, a part which earned him a BAFTA nomination. He also appeared onstage with Molina in Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money, a play which introduced him to the actress Lesley Manville. They married in 1987 and had a son called Alfie in 1988 but sadly, the marriage didn’t last and they divorced in 1990.

Gary began to balance his film roles between US movies and more low-key British ones. In 1990 he starred alongside Tim Roth in Tom Stoppard’s film adaptation of his hit play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, while also appearing with Sean Penn in State of Grace. It would be the director of this film, Phil Joanou, who would introduce him to Uma Thurman, and the pair hit it off immediately, marrying in October 1990.

Oldman’s first major Hollywood lead role came in 1992, with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in which he played the infamous vampire Count. Unfortunately, his marriage to Uma Thurman broke down that same year. But he followed his success as Dracula with a series of bad guy roles in films such as Leon, The Fifth Element, Air Force One and Lost in Space. His marriage to model and photographer Donya Fiorentino (ex-wife of David Fincher) gifted him with two sons, Gulliver and Charlie, but was tumultuous to say the least.

In 1997, Gary made his directorial debut with Nil By Mouth, a hard-hitting film loosely based around his experiences growing up, which deals with drink, drugs and domestic abuse. Nil By Mouth won BAFTAs for Best British Film and Best Screenplay and Gary was nominated for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival.

A few quiet years followed, with only small roles in films such as Hannibal (in which he was unrecognizable) and little-known movies like Interstate 60. Off-screen he was involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle with Fiorentino, during which she made some outrageous claims about his behaviour. The judge found in his favour and he gained custody of their children.

Gary would storm back onto the big screen in 2004, joining the hugely successful Harry Potter series for what is widely considered to be the best installment, The Prisoner of Azkaban. The following year he starred in the first film in another popular franchise, Batman Begins. In both of these he had broken away from the usual ‘bad guy’ roles with which he is most associated, by becoming a godfather to Harry Potter and an ally in Batman’s fight against crime.

Continuing to divide his work between low-key films and big budget Hollywood, Oldman also finds time to do the occasional classic villainous role, such as in The Book of Eli. He has a number of movies on the horizon, including the much anticipated The Dark Knight Rises and the lead role in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

5 Recommended Films:

•  Leon 
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula 
• Sid & Nancy
•  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 
• The Dark Knight

Other films to watch: Prick Up Your Ears, The Fifth Element, Air Force One, Romeo is Bleeding, State of Grace, Criminal Law, Batman Begins, The Book of Eli, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Contender, Immortal Beloved, Basquiat, Interstate 60, Murder in the First, Chattahoochee

 5 Movie Quotes:

• “I like these calm little moments before the storm. It reminds me of Beethoven. Can you hear it? It's like when you put your head to the grass and you can hear the growin' and you can hear the insects. Do you like Beethoven?” – Norman Stansfield in Leon 
• “People think that Hell is fire and brimstone and the Devil poking you in the butt with a pitchfork, but it's not. Hell is when you should have walked away, but you didn't.” – Jack Grimaldi in Romeo is Bleeding 
• “You who murdered a hundred thousand Iraqis to save a nickel on a gallon of gas are going to lecture me on the rules of war?” – Ivan Korshunov in Air Force One 
• “Because he's the hero Gotham deserves. But not the one it needs right now. And so we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight.” – Jim Gordon in The Dark Knight 
• “You will, I trust, excuse me if I do not join you. But, I have already dined, and I never drink... wine.” – Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

5 Pieces of Trivia:

• His sister Laila Morse appeared in Nil By Mouth and plays Big Mo in EastEnders.
• He sings with David Bowie on the song ‘You’ve Been Around’ from Reeves Gabrels’ 1995 album The Secret Squall of Now. 
• He has never been nominated for an Academy Award. 
• He has a tiny cameo in the 1990 film Henry & June, where he’s credited as ‘Maurice Escargot’. 
• He directed a music video for the Jewish Hip-Hop group Chutzpah, shot entirely on Nokia Cell Phones (he is also a spokesperson for Nokia). The actress Juliet Landau directed a 25 minute documentary, Take Flight: Gary Oldman Directs Chutzpah (2009) about the making of the music video.

Review: The Book of Eli

From director pair The Hughes Brothers (From Hell) comes the story of a lone man walking across post-apocalyptic America, heading West, carrying with him a book of great importance. Denzel Washington plays Eli, this softly-spoken man on a mission who won’t let anything or anyone get in his way.

He has to hunt for food, fight off ambushers and walk, endlessly walk, towards his goal. The Earth has been damaged by a nuclear war that tore a hole in the sky, killing most of the population and blinding many survivors.

One day Eli reaches a small town presided over by a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Unfortunately, Carnegie is also a man with a goal, and his goal is to find a specific book that he believes will aid him in ruling this town, and many others like it. He wants to wield the power within its pages, to use it as a weapon for controlling the people who have lost hope. And guess who has the only copy of this book…

After escaping Carnegie and his men by way of a gunfight, Eli is followed by the young Solara (Mila Kunis). He rescues her from some ambushers and she joins him on his journey. They spot a house in the empty wilderness that seems largely unaffected by the devastation and stop to pay a visit. Inside lives an elderly couple called George and Martha (Michael Gambon and Frances De La Tour) who, although appearing very nice and welcoming on the surface, hold a dark secret. When they are tracked down by Carnegie and his men, Eli must find a way to reach his destination, no matter what.

Gary Oldman is on fine baddie form and it’s nice to see him returning to the dark side after recent stints playing a guardian to Harry Potter and a comrade to Batman. Mila Kunis looks cool in her aviator shades and there’s a nice transition for her character, who grows stronger and more independent by the end, after being trapped by Carnegie’s rule for most of her life. It was quite hard to stop thinking of her as Meg from Family Guy though. There is a supporting cast of talented actors who are impressive, if a little underused. As I mentioned, Michael Gambon and Frances De La Tour appear, as do Tom Waits, Malcolm McDowell and Ray Stevenson.

Another of the film’s highlights is the cinematography. The desaturated, stark look complemented the mood, setting and story perfectly. Oscar nominated Director of Photography Don Burgess (Spider-Man, Cast Away, Forrest Gump) deserves praise and the RED digital camera (used on District 9 and Green Zone, amongst others) is gaining lots of fans.

The Book of Eli seems to divide its audience, mainly in terms of how they react to the ending. It’s definitely worth a second viewing, to spot answers to any questions the film might have raised. If you like your post-apocalyptic tales, with some good action scenes and a twist to get you thinking, this is one you should check out.

The British update: Nighy | Caine | Cox

Bill Nighy can next be heard providing the voice of Rattlesnake Jake in upcoming animation Rango, with Johnny Depp. He will be starring in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which has a great cast including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson. The film is about a group of retired Brits who are enticed to India to live at the recently restored Marigold Hotel, a former palace. He will then reprise his role in the final Harry Potter film before lending his voice to the festive film Arthur Christmas, with James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent. He will also be starring in This Beautiful Fantastic, a film about the love affair between a shy children's author and a wild inventor, alongside Rhys Ifans, Felicity Jones and Rupert Friend. There is also an intriguing new film on the cards called Page 8, no information about the story at the moment but the cast has some impressive names: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz and Michael Gambon.

 

Michael Caine will be providing the voice of Finn McMissile in the Disney sequel Cars 2, this summer. After that, he will be appearing in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island alongside Dwayne Johnson and Vanessa Hudgens. Next year he is due to star in Henry5, which is rumoured to be a sci-fi/ thriller version of Shakespeare's play, with Derek Jacobi, Ray Winstone, Gerard Depardieu and Vinnie Jones. And then of course there is the much-anticipated Batman sequel The Dark Knight Rises, directed by Christopher Nolan and co-starring a huge cast of well-known actors including Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway.




Brian Cox will be appearing in The Veteran, a film about a soldier who returns from Afghanistan and discovers a conspiracy involving the intelligence services. Also upcoming is Ironclad, concerning the efforts of the Knights Templar, and featuring a strong cast including Paul Giamatti, Derek Jacobi, James Purefoy and Charles Dance. Later this year, he is appearing in action/ sci-fi Rise of the Apes, a story about genetic engineering leading to intelligent apes and a war for supremacy. James Franco, Andy Serkis and Tom Felton co-star. Finally for Brian Cox this year we have The Home, a horror about a young man sent to a secluded nursing home, only to find that something monstrous is lurking within its walls.

Review: Predators

It is commendable that the creators of Predators chose to return to the series’ roots for this sequel instead of following in the footsteps of the dismal AVP (Alien Vs. Predator) films. It is also clear that they hold the original film from 1987 in high regard. Written and produced by Robert Rodriguez, he chose Nimrod Antal to direct the film because he had enjoyed his previous works Kontroll (2003) and Vacancy (2007).

This film starts off in a jungle and anyone who has seen Predator will be feeling in familiar territory. However, as we meet our group of protagonists (each one landing via parachute and unaware of what has happened to them or where they are) it becomes evident that they are in completely unfamiliar territory. In fact, they aren’t even on the Earth…

As with the film that started it all, we have a group of people who know how to handle themselves in combat. Whereas they were an elite special forces team and their meeting with the Predator was unexpected and unplanned, here we have experts in different forms of warfare and violence, whose appearance on this strange planet definitely isn’t down to chance. They were all put here for a reason, and their skills and abilities set them apart. According to Robert Rodriguez, the title serves as a double-entendre because it could be referring to the human characters in the film as well as the alien hunters.

We have Royce (Adrien Brody) the American mercenary soldier who becomes the group’s reluctant leader. Isabelle (Alice Braga), the only female, is a sniper trained by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Edwin (Topher Grace) seems to be the odd-one-out as he is a doctor and unfamiliar with combat but maybe the Predators thought the group would be needing some medical assistance. Then there is mass-murderer Stans, Hanzo the Yakuza hitman, Russian Special Forces member Nikolai, Mombasa the death squad officer from Sierra Leone and Cuchillo, a drug cartel enforcer (played by Machete himself, Danny Trejo).

So the audience plays the familiar but fun game of ‘Who will be the next one to die?’ and wonders which, if any, of our cast of humans will make it through to the end of the film alive. It’s routine, but enjoyable. The group try to evade the Predators whilst searching for a way off the planet, they face different challenges along the way and even find help from some unlikely sources. This film was always going to be more about action than narrative and it delivers its promised adventure and violence. It doesn’t set any new trends, but it does offer an interesting expansion of the Predator universe for fans of the ugly beasties who take great pride in their trophy collections.

The events of the first film are discussed, and at one point, a character quotes lines from it verbatim. A homage? Or are they just trying to win over those who have watched the other films? Well it doesn’t damage the movie, it just kind of feels like the filmmakers are hiding in the shadow of its revered older brother. Maybe, if there is a next time, they will dare to step out into the open and produce something truly original.