Michael’s Top Movies of 2015

TWENTY-FIFTEEN

2015 has come and gone, but it has left us with some films that will stay with us forever. Here are a few of my favorite films from the past year:

10- The Martian

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9- Sicario

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8- Trumbo

TRUMBO Final One Sheet
7- Room

Check out Liz’s review: http://reelnewsdaily.com/2015/10/16/review-room-is-gut-wrenching-and-extraordinary/

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6- The Big Short

Check out my review: http://reelnewsdaily.com/2015/12/03/review-the-big-short-delivers-big/

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5- The Hateful Eight

Check out Melissa’s review: http://reelnewsdaily.com/2015/12/23/christmas-day-must-see-the-hateful-eight-keeps-you-in-the-dark-while-in-a-bright-white-blizzard/

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4- Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Check out my review: http://reelnewsdaily.com/2015/12/22/review-star-wars-the-force-awakens-minor-plot-spoilers/

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3- Spotlight

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2- Mad Max: Fury Road

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1- The Revenant

Check out my review: http://reelnewsdaily.com/2015/12/05/review-the-revenant-is-dicaprios-journey-to-oscar-gold/

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Honorable mentions:

Creed
’71
Slow West
Straight Outta Compton
Ex Machina
It Follows
Bridge of Spies
Dope

‘The Hateful Eight’ 70mm theater announcement – Roadshow features 8 different special programs & t-shirts (maybe)

IMG_4533-During a press conference today in New York, Quentin Tarantino announced that “44 markets and over 100 theaters” would show the 70mm version “for two weeks, exclusively for one week.” He went on to explain that sometimes if theaters were not capable, they would bring in screens and projectors.

Thomas from in70mm.com and I have been tracking the 70mm showings, but the new website has a much more extensive list.

Tickets on sale here: Tickets.thehatefuleight.com

Tarantino was very appreciative of the effort The Weinstein Company had put in getting the film out in 70mm. He explained that Warner Brothers tried to push 70mm for Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar, but in the end, that was only show in a handful of theaters.

To mark the occasion, Quentin and TWC are commemorating the opening with the “12 Days of HATEFUL EIGHT Giveaways”, where each day a different HATEFUL EIGHT prize, memorabilia or once-in-a-lifetime experience will be given away to moviegoers who buy roadshow tickets in advance leading up to the Christmas day opening.

TWC and Tarantino’s presentation of THE HATEFUL EIGHT will mark the widest 70mm release that the industry has seen in over twenty years.  The film will open in 44 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Washington DC, Houston, Detroit, Phoenix, Seattle, Tampa, Minneapolis, Denver, Miami, Cleveland, Orlando, Sacramento, St. Louis, Portland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Baltimore, San Diego, Nashville, Kansas City, San Antonio, West Palm Beach, Birmingham, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Austin, New Orleans, Providence, Knoxville, Santa Barbara, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver.  Quentin and cast members from THE HATEFUL EIGHT will be touring the country making surprise appearances in select cities at 70mm roadshow showings.

Not since the 1966 film KHARTOUM starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier has a film been shot in Ultra Panavision 70 format.  In 2012, TWC distributed Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed film THE MASTER in a similar 70mm format. Beloved by filmmakers and cinephiles for its wide-scope and high-resolution image quality, Ultra Panavision70mm stock captures nearly twice the landscape of the more common 35mm and digital styles.  Because of its unique quality and its importance to the art of filmmaking, Quentin, TWC, and a number of other major Hollywood directors and studios have negotiated deals with Kodak to continue production of 70mm and other film formats despite their higher costs and complexity of use.

The lead cast for THE HATEFUL EIGHT will include: Samuel L. Jackson (DJANGO UNCHAINED), Kurt Russell (ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK), Jennifer Jason Leigh (MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE), Walton Goggins (Justified), Demian Bichir (A BETTER LIFE), Tim Roth (RESERVOIR DOGS), Michael Madsen (RESERVOIR DOGS), and Bruce Dern (NEBRASKA). Written and directed by Tarantino, THE HATEFUL EIGHT is produced by Richard N. Gladstein, Stacey Sher and Shannon McIntosh.  Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein and Georgia Kacandes are executive producing, and Coco Francini and William Paul Clark are associate producing.

There are 8 different versions of the program featuring a different character in the middle of each one!

 

New Featurette: ‘The Hateful Eight’ has an all-star cast

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—————————-
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
—————————-
Release: December 25, 2015 (70 mm release), January 8, 2016 (nationwide)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Written By: Quentin Tarantino
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum
THE HATEFUL EIGHT

THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Synopsis:

In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General
Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

Quentin Tarantino taps Jack White’s Third Man Records to release special edition vinyl soundtrack of ‘The Hateful Eight’

hateful eight album

In the true spirit of resurrecting seemingly obsolete media, Quentin Tarantino will not only show The Hateful Eight on 70mm in limited theaters, but its soundtrack, from legendary composer Ennio Morricone, will be released on vinyl in the U.S. on Jack White’s label, Third Man Records. This is a perfect match, as Jack White frequently played Morricone’s songs for waiting audiences when playing as a Raconteur, he also contributed to Danger Mouse‘s star-studded homage “Rome” (as well as released the vinyl) and Quentin Tarantino has used Morricone’s music in his last five films. Although Ennio Morricone, has scored many genres, The Hateful Eight marks the first time he’s scored a western since The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in 1966. He’s often credited for the signature sound of “spaghetti westerns.”

Third Man Records is no stranger to releasing movie soundtracks on vinyl, as they previously releasing the elaborate pressing of the The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Just look how beautiful this is:

Third Man Records opened their first location in 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee and recently opened a larger location in Detroit, Michigan which will soon house a 10,000 square foot vinyl record-pressing plant.

Details on The Hateful Eight soundtrack on vinyl are listed in glorious detail on Third Man Records, available for pre-order now, and they will be giving further details on a limited edition version of the soundtrack on vinyl very soon.

If you would like to see the film in 70 mm, our friends at in70mm.com have been compiling the list of theaters, and we’ve put a map together below. Nothing is official yet, so once tickets go on sale, we’ll have more details.

https://youtu.be/6_UI1GzaWv0

9 movies (with trailers) coming to theaters this Christmas

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas season and I thought I’d put together the list of movies that are coming out on the next big holiday. Although my most anticipated is The Hateful Eight, a close behind are The Revenant and The Big Short. I will admit that I am sure to enjoy Daddy’s Home. Joy might just be too much Jennifer Lawrence (if there is such a thing). 45 Years will be an Oscar contender, as well as Where To Invade Next. Concussion might also just bring back Will Smith. We’ll see. Oh, and Point Break. Um, yeah, whatever.

Which are your most anticipated?
45 years45 Years – Wednesday Dec 23rd – select theaters

A retired English couple (played by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) reflect on their lives after nearly a half-century together, in this wonderfully nuanced character study from writer-director Andrew Haigh.  Geoff (Courtenay) and Kate Mercer (Rampling) pass their days quietly on their country property near a small Norfolk village. One day Geoff receives a letter notifying him that the body of Katya, an old girlfriend of his, has been discovered, perfectly preserved in the Swiss Alps where she fell on their hiking trip nearly fifty years earlier. As the news sinks in, hidden tensions between Geoff and Kate begin to emerge.  Haigh’s decision to favor small, melancholic moments over major dramatic incidents, along with the attention he pays to the subtleties of body language and facial expression, allow 45 YEARS to find a natural build to its finale, while Courtenay and Rampling deliver performances that can easily be counted among the best in their respective careers. (95 min)


WTIN-Join-Chiefs_CR_US_Department-of-DefenseWhere to Invade Next – Wednesday Dec 23rd – select theaters

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT is an expansive, rib-tickling, and subversive comedy in which Moore, playing the role of “invader,” visits a host of nations to learn how the U.S. could improve its own prospects. The creator of “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine” is back with this hilarious and eye-opening call to arms. Turns out the solutions to America’s most entrenched problems already existed in the world – they’re just waiting to be co-opted.

http://wheretoinvadenext.com/


BGS-01810R2The Big Short – Wednesday Dec 23rd – wide release

When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea:  The Big Short. Their bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of modern banking where they must question everyone and everything.  Based on the true story and best-selling book by Michael Lewis (The Blind SideMoneyball),  and directed by Adam Mckay (AnchormanStep BrothersThe Big Short stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES and REGENCY ENTERPRISES Present
A PLAN B ENTERTAINMENT Production of
AN ADAM MCKAY  Film
“THE BIG SHORT”
Executive Producers Louise Rosner-Meyer  Kevin Messick
Produced By Brad Pitt  Dede Gardner  Jeremy Kleiner  Arnon Milchan
Based Upon the book  by Michael Lewis
Screenplay By  Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Directed By Adam McKay

http://thebigshortmovie.com
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheBigShortMovie
Instagram: https://instagram.com/TheBigShortMovie
Twitter:https://twitter.com/TheBigShort
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/Paramount
Official Website: http://thebigshortmovie.com
#TheBigShort


re_select_3-00001914_rgbThe Revenant – Friday December 25th – in select theaters

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Screenplay: Mark L. Smith & Alejandro G. Iñárritu, based in part on the novel by Michael Punke
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent, James W. Skotchdopole,  Keith Redmon
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter

Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. THE REVENANT is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award® winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).

Site: http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-revenant
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RevenantMovie
Twitter: twitter.com/revenantmovie
YouTube: youtube.com/c/RevenantMovie
Google+: google.com/+RevenantMovie
Pinterest: pinterest.com/RevenantMovie
Instagram: instagram.com/RevenantMovie
Hashtag: #


Will Smith stars in Columbia Pictures' "Concussion."

Will Smith stars in Columbia Pictures’ “Concussion.”

Concussion – Friday Dec 25th – wide release

Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known.  Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

#ConcussionMovie
#ForThePlayers


dh1-shtonlineDaddy’s Home – Friday Dec 25th – wide release

Directed By Sean Anders

DADDY’S HOME” follows a mild-mannered radio executive (Ferrell) who strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling and freeloading real father (Wahlberg) arrives, forcing him to compete for the affection of the kids.


THE HATEFUL EIGHT

THE HATEFUL EIGHT

The Hateful Eight – Friday Dec 25th – in select theaters, wide release January 6th

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Written By: Quentin Tarantino
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum
Synopsis:
In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
THE HATEFUL EIGHT Official Socials:
#TheHatefulEight

https://youtu.be/6_UI1GzaWv0


JOY posterJoy – Friday Dec 25th – wide release

Director: David O. Russell
Screenplay by David O. Russell; Story by: Annie Mumolo and David O. Russell
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Elisabeth Röhm, Dascha Polanco and Bradley Cooper

JOY is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces. Jennifer Lawrence stars, with Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen , Elisabeth Röhm and Dascha Polanco. Like David O. Russell’s previous films, Joy defies genre to tell a story of family, loyalty, and love.

SITE: www.JoyMovie.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/JoyTheMovie
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/JoyTheMovie
INSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/JoyTheMovie
OFFICIAL HASHTAG: #JoyMovie


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Point Break – Friday Dec 25th – wide release

In Alcon Entertainment’s fast-paced, high-adrenaline action thriller, a young FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey), infiltrates a cunning team of thrill-seeking elite athletes – led by the charismatic Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez). The athletes are suspected of carrying out a spate of crimes in extremely unusual ways.

https://youtu.be/KvKneCIlIVs

 

 

Quentin Tarantino Says He Will Release Two Different Versions of ‘The Hateful Eight’

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We are only two months away from the release of Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and some interesting news regarding two different versions of the film has been unearthed in a recent interview with VarietyTarantino previously announced the intention of releasing the film as a  limited roadshow engagement this holiday season with the film being presented in Ultra Panavision 70mm, but now we find out that that version of the film will be different from the one being released just a few weeks later in multiplexes.

Tarantino had this to say:

“The roadshow version has an overture and an intermission, and it will be three hours, two minutes. The multiplex version is about six minutes shorter, not counting the intermission time, which is about 12 minutes.”

The director clarified that he was not ordered to cut the theatrical version down, but rather wanted to make the roadshow a unique experience with a little more meat. But that doesn’t mean you’ll see a weaker version in multiplexes, rather, a “different” experience. As Tarantino states, he didn’t want to “treat the multiplex release like this left-handed version, either,” he said. So he tweaked certain scenes to better suit the separate viewing experiences.:

“The 70 is the 70,” he said. “You’ve paid the money. You’ve bought your ticket. So you’re there. I’ve got you. But I actually changed the cutting slightly for a couple of the multiplex scenes because it’s not that. Now it’s on Showtime Extreme. You’re watching it on TV and you just kind of want to watch a movie on your couch. Or you’re at Hot Dog on a Stick and you just want to catch a movie.”

The sequences in question play in “big, long, cool, unblinking takes” in the 70mm version, Tarantino said. “It was awesome in the bigness of 70, but sitting on your couch, maybe it’s not so awesome. So I cut it up a little bit. It’s a little less precious about itself.”

The Hateful Eight roadshow is to play in 100 theaters when it opens Dec. 25.

 

‘The Hateful Eight’ Character Posters Have Arrived

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The Weinstein Company has released the posters for Quentin Tarantino’s new western The Hateful Eight and we have it for you below! Each poster features members of the lead cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern.

In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

Written and directed by Tarantino, The Hateful Eight is produced by long-time Tarantino collaborators Richard N. Gladstein, Stacey Sher and Shannon McIntosh. Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein and G. Mac Brown are The Hateful Eight’s executive producers, and Coco Francini and William Paul Clark are associate producers.

The Hateful Eight will be released in select theaters on December 25, 2015 with an exclusive two-week roadshow opening in 70mm. Following the two-week engagement, the film will open with a digital theatrical release nationwide on January 8, 2016, while continuing to be shown in 70mm as well.

The Full Cast and Plot of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’ Officially Revealed

bannerthehoatefulThe Weinstein Company today revealed the full official cast for Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming post-Civil War western, The Hateful Eight
The Hateful Eight are: Read More →