Jason Bourne is back and uses the biggest sporting event to showcase in an action-packed tv spot why people should care that he’s back.
Yes, we know who he is. He definitely knows who he is, but this time around it looks like he remembers everything. If that’s the case then the CIA may be in for another beating Paul Greengrass-style with all the shaky-cam we can shake a stick at.
Looks like, if this tv spot is any indication, that Jason Bourne wasn’t taking it easy physically while he was gone. He definitely didn’t skimp on the lifting.
A month before we marvel at Captain America: Civil War we shall be treated to the latest film adaptation of Disney’s animated film The Jungle Book which itself is an adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling of the same name.
This film has such an impressive pedigree. In the director’s chair is Jon Favreau who is the man who help begin the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man. The cast is a who’s who of some of the most recognizable actors working today: Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Lupito Nyong’o, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Esposito and Bill Murray.
The Jungle Book is being touted as the next step in visual effects in filmmaking with everything except the young Mowgli being computer-generated. The film’s sizzle reel trailer wowed everyone at this past summer San Diego Comic-Con and this Super Bowl trailer does everything to help make that sizzle turn into a full-blown firestorm of hype.
The Jungle Book is set to come out on April 15, 2016.
It’s that time of the year when the country (to some extent the world) witness a sporting event that’s become almost ritualistic in how it gathers it’s audience. I’m talking about the yearly Super Bowl pitting the NFC champions against the AFC champs. Even if one wasn’t a huge fan of football, the Super Bowl has become such an event day not just for the game, but the half-time show. Then there are the commercials which has become just as anticipated as the game itself.
It’s this day that we get major studios plying their upcoming films for the summer blockbuster season and Disney is not a studio to let this day pass without showing something new regarding one of their biggest films this summer.
The first Captain America: Civil War trailer a couple months ago got everyone anticipating the film. Now we have the Super Bowl TV spot to fan the flame of hype for the film that dared to go up against Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice when they both had the same release date: May 6, 2016. The latter film blinked and opted to dominate the film landscape a couple months earlier.
This tv spot emphasizes the fractured nature of Avengers that lends to the film’s title of civil war.
So, which team are you on? Are you on Team Captain America? Or are you more the Team Iron Man?
It’s been quite a bit since I last picked an AMV to use as an example of why anime is such a collaborative piece of creative art.
The latest “AMV of the Day” splices together just the right scenes from three anime. There’s the classic Mamoru Hosada scifi/slice-of-life anime film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Then there’s the more recent and well-received 5 Centimeters Per Second by Makoto Shinkai. Lastly, there’s the Tatsuyuki Nagai directed series Ano Hana.
Binding all three together is the song “Clarity” (also happens to be the title of the video) by the group Zed.
It’s a video that focuses on the three anime’s and it’s use of heightened reality as a storytelling tool. In the end, I also happen to just love the work done by caramelloxify on this video.
Anime:The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Ano Hana
It’s been a year since Through the Shattered Lens lost one of it’s own: Semtexskittle.
In honor of his passing I’d like to share one of the films he and I share a love for. I think he may have been one of the few who truly wanted this film to be nominated as one of the ten films picked for Best Picture for the year it came out. While the Academy voters were sorely shortsighted for not nominating the film, it still remains one thing Chris shared with everyone at the site. Whether it was his love of sports, anime, video games and everything in-between.
Growing up it was unavoidable that I would end up loving the rock band Eagles. It was something I pretty much had no choice in the matter. I blame my Dad for this situation. I say this with love because The Eagles is that one band that’s become part of the American pop consciousness.
The band formed in 1971 with Don Henley, Glenn Frye, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. They would make their debut album a major success and follow it up with a sophomore effort that was just as critically-acclaimed as much as it was a success with the public. It was from this second album that today’s “Song of the Day” comes from and also one of my Dad’s favorite songs from the band. It was his second favorite after “HotelCalifornia”and would be part of his regular listening rotation during long drives to and from home and work.
While I would dismiss the band in my youth as was typical of most children who wanted to branch out from their parents when it comes to what they like. In the end, as time went by I would fall in love with the band. Some looked at Don Henley as the architect of the band’s success and one would not be wrong, but I always thought that Glenn Frye was the soul of the group. As lead vocals for the band he gave the band’s song the emotion it needed to resonate with the listening audience.
This is why it was saddening news to hear that Glenne Frye passed away earlier today after a long battle with ill-health. Here’s to the soul of the Eagles as we slowly stare at another tequila sunrise as we say goodbye to Glenn.
RIP Glenn Frye
Tequila Sunrise
It’s another tequila sunrise Starin’ slowly ‘cross the sky, said goodbye He was just a hired hand Workin’ on the dreams he planned to try The days go by
Ev’ry night when the sun goes down Just another lonely boy in town And she’s out runnin’ ’round
She wasn’t just another woman And I couldn’t keep from comin’ on It’s been so long Oh, and it’s a hollow feelin’ when It comes down to dealin’ friends It never ends
Take another shot of courage Wonder why the right words never come You just get numb It’s another tequila sunrise,this old world Still looks the same, Another frame, mm…
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
Happy Birthday to the man with the imposing presence: James Earl Jones
David Bowie has passed away and the world is much less brighter with his passing.
While I’ve been a fan of most of David Bowie’s music, I consider myself more of a fan of his rare appearances playing other characters in other people’s films. Whether it was as the alien Thomas Jerome Newton in The Man Who Fell to Earth, to John in The Hunger and right up to his role as Jareth, King of the Goblins in the fantasy film Labyrinth, Bowie has always made himself such a presence whenever he was on the screen.
One of my favorite roles he played recently was in the 2006 film The Prestige by Christopher Nolan. In it he played the role of the eccentric genius Nikola Tesla who gains as a patron Hugh Jackman’s magician, Robert Angier. Not as showy a role as some of the others mentioned above, but Bowie easily conveys not just tired and beaten down Tesla who by this point has been hounded by Edison for years, but also understanding that his own genius has led him to obsessing over what his intellect has come up with.
Even as he battled cancer these past 18 months before losing his fight, David Bowie continued to do what he loved. Releasing a new album this month and now he lives on in his music and up on the silver screen.
“Commencing countdown, engines on…Check ignition and may God’s love be with you.”
Late today the heavy metal and hard rock world were hit with some sad news. Lemmy Kilmister (born Ian Fraser Kilmister) died at the age of 70 from cancer.
Lemmy was the frontman and the face of the band Motörhead and one the great bassist of hard rock and heavy metal. His band would help influence the rise of both speed metal and thrash metal. The band would combine the speed of punk with the heavy sound of metal. While he would never acknowledge his contribution to both speed and thrash, Lemmy and his band’s influence would be felt early on. Metallica even covered one of the band’s classic songs, “Overkill”, as a birthday gift to Lemmy.
Lemmy lived his life as he saw fit. He drank, did the drugs, had the sex and continued to do so despite what the world at large thought of such behavior. He was one of the true gods of rock and his presence will be sorely missed. Yet, despite his passing he would be the first to tell everyone to get off their asses and celebrate his life and not mourn his death.
I plan to do just that and drink a couple fingers of bourbon in his honor.
Rest in peace Lemmy.
Killed by Death
If you squeeze my lizard I´ll put my snake on you I´m a romantic adventure And I´m a reptile too
CHORUS: But it don´t make no difference ´cos I ain´t gonna be, easy, easy the only time I´m gonna be easy´s when I´m Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
I´m a lone wolf ligger But I ain´t no pretty boy I´m a backbone shiver and I´m a bundle of joy
CHORUS
But it don´t make no difference ´cos I ain´t gonna be, easy, easy the only time I´m easy´s when I´m Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
Through the Shattered Lens 