Starring: Sean Ryan Fox, Madison Pettis, Jadon Sand, David Arquette, Corey Burton
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: January 6, 2015
Run Time: 141 minutes

Episodes: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Disney Junior’s “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” continues to impress time after time. The show is great and then a few years ago, they introduced Peter Pan into the mix, which made it cooler. Now they have mixed in classic characters like Wendy, Michael and John to complete circle in the all-new special “Battle for the Book!”. This is literally the best episode of the series since it has aired. It is funny, sharp and very entertaining. I am not sure how they are going to top this next time but I can’t wait to see what they have planned next for this show…oh and BTW my two year old loved it also 😉

Official Premise: When Wendy’s special Storybook is stolen by Captain Hook, Jake and his mates go to London to help Peter Pan’s friend (from the classic movie Peter Pan). The longer the book is out of Wendy’s hands, the more she and her brothers (John and Michael) forget about their past adventures on Never Land. The battle for the book continues in Never Land, where Hook plans to destroy the book and its stories in the legendary Ring of Blue Fire. It’s up to our young heroes to save Wendy’s Storybook and the Story of Peter Pan!

“Jake and the Never Land Pirates” includes the following voice cast: Sean Ryan Fox (“Life Tracker”, “East of Kensington”) as Jake, Madison Pettis (“Cory in the House”, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 and 3”, “The Game Plan”) as Izzy, Jadon Sand (“Frozen”, “Wreck it Ralph”) as Cubby, David Arquette (“Scream” movies) as Skully, Jeff Bennett (“Tinker Bell” film series) as Mr. Smee, Bonesand Corey Burton (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”) as Captain Hook.

If the hour-long season three finale of “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” is not enough for you there is still much more packed into this DVD. In terms of special features we get ten “Jake’s Never Land Pirate School” shorts. The shorts are “Flying”, “Tick Tock Croc”, “B-B-Big Bugs!”, “Go Bucky!”, “Saving Captain Hook!”, “Mama knows Best!”, “Dancing with the Pirates”, “I’ve Got My Sword!”, “Hop-Hop-Hop!”, and “Look Out!”. These are great watchings for the for kiddies to enjoy. Also includes inside every DVD is an exclusive checker board bandanna with gold coins, which is not available anywhere else but this DVD release. So if you love “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”, this is a must own!

Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and Ken Howard
Directed by: James Garelick
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 41 mins
SONY Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Imagine you’ve managed to ask a beautiful woman to marry you and now you need to fill out your side of the wedding party. You call around but none of your friends, or people you thought were friends, want to commit. Who you gonna call?

A surprisingly touching and funny film, “The Wedding Ringer” is the story of Doug (Gad), who is set to marry the lovely Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting). When he can’t find anyone to stand up with him the wedding planner (Ignacio Serricchio) points him in the direction of Jimmy Callahan (Hart) who, for a fee, will provide anything you need, from a best man (the package is called the gold bow tie) to a “Gold Tux,” which includes Best Man, multiple groomsmen and a bachelor party. Doug needs a Gold Tux. Jimmy agrees to supply it and recruits several of his friends with various skills (Jimmy feels that every “ringer” should have a distracting trick, be it the ability to talk backwards or having washboard abs to show off when necessary). But he stresses to Doug not to get too attached. Once the wedding is over he and the others are gone.

I must say I went into this movie expecting to hate it. I have not been a big supporter of Kevin Hart and expected another 90 mins of his screaming Chris Tucker impression. However, in “The Wedding Ringer,” he is quite funny and handles the role very well. This is due, in part, to the equally fun performance turned in by Josh Gad. Gad gives Doug a quiet sweetness to his character, one that slowly dissolves as he gains more courage from his new buddies. The script, co-written by director Garelick and Jay Lavender (the duo also collaborated on the 2006 Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Anniston comedy “The Break-Up”) is very witty and the supporting cast, which includes a former football player – the pride of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania – and veteran actor (and “White Shadow” star) Ken Howard. After a month or so of prestigious films looking for some Oscar love this film is a welcome Cineplex treat.

“Birdman,” the film that triumphantly put Michael Keaton back on the map and “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Wes Anderson’s fanciful comedy, led all films this morning when the nominations for the 87^th Annual Academy Awards were announced, with each film garnering (9) nominations, including Best Picture.  Other films with multiple nominations include “The Imitation Game” (8), “American Sniper” and “Boyhood” (6) each, and “Interstellar,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash” with (5).  All of these films, with the exception of “Interstellar,” earned Best Picture nods.  The last film in the Best Picture race is “Selma,” which surprised many by only earning (2) nods.  Due to the revised voting system, only (8) films qualified for Best Picture nominations – a maximum of (10) are allowed.

In the race for Best Director, the nominees are Alejandro G. Inarritu (“Birdman”), Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”), Bennet Miller (“Foxcatcher”), Wes Anderson (“The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”).

Bradley Cooper earned his third consecutive Oscar nomination, this one for Best Actor, for his role as real life soldier Chris Kyle in “American Sniper.”  Other nominees for Best Actor include Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”), Bennedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”), Michael Keaton (“Birdman”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”).  Best Actress nominees are Marion Cotillard (“Two Days, One Night”), Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”), Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”), Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) and Reese Witherspoon (“Wild”)

In the Supporting Actor category, the nominees are Robert Duvall (“The Judge”) Ethan Hawke (“Boyhood”), Edward Norton (“Birdman”), Mark Ruffalo (“Foxcatcher”) and J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”).  Supporting Actress nods went to Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”), Laura Dern (“Wild”), Keira Knightley (“The Imitation Game”), Emma Stone (“Birdman”) and Meryl Streep (“Into the Woods”).  This is Meryl Streep’s NINETEENTH acting nomination, an incredible achievement.

Nods for Best Animated Film went to “Big Hero 6,” “The Boxtrolls,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Song of the Sea” and “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.”

The winners will be announced on February 22, 2015.  Mark you ballots now!

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Actors: Andre Benjamin, Imogen Poots
Director: John Ridley
Rated: R
Studio: XLrator Media
DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015
Run Time: 118 mins

Film: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: .5 out of 5 stars

It had to be tough to make a film about the late, great Jimi Hendrix without the support of his family. Most importantly, this means there will be no “Jimi Hendrix” music in the film. No “Foxy Lady,” “The Wind Cries Mary,” “Purple Haze.” But I could except that fact, as long as the story entertained. Sadly, “Jimi: All Is By My Side” doesn’t.

The film takes place in a one year period between 1966 and 1967. Hendrix (a well cast Benjamin, who is really the ONLY reason to see this film) is playing in New York City at a small club in front of a crowd of dozens. He’s playing rhythm guitar in a terrible band. In fact, the guitar he’s playing isn’t even his. He borrows it each night. One evening he is seen by Linda Keith (Poots), who at the time is best known as being the girlfriend of Rolling Stone Keith Richards. She see’s the talent behind the shy face and convinces Hendrix to express himself through HIS music. She also gives him one of Richard’s guitars, which I assume she had strung for a left handed guitarist. The relationship is clearly business but others get the wrong idea. Linda introduces Jimi to Chas Chandler (Andrew Buckley), currently the bass player for the Animals and a young man looking to get into management. He convinces Jimi that London is the place to be and offers to bankroll his visit. And here is where the film stops. Dead.

Writer/director Ridley won an Oscar last year for his script of “12 Years a Slave.” Here’s hoping he researched that project better. Twice in the film a television personality claims that the up and coming bands on the British scene are Queen and the Who. Unfortunately, Queen did not form until 1970 so this chick may have been Nostradamus’ daughter. On his first night in England, Jimi meets Kathy Etchingham (Hayley Atwell) and the two become a couple. The rest of the film consists of the following scenes, repeated often: Jimi plays horribly, Linda tells him he’s blowing it, Kathy encourages him. Again and again and again. There are also a lot of shots of Jimi trying to tune his guitar (like Robert Johnson before him, Hendrix would often tune his guitars down to get a certain sound) Every now and then the story throws in a quick cameo (look, it’s Eric Clapton…hey, it’s Paul McCartney). Also, Ridley seems to have just looked at a scrapbook of Hendrix photos and then written scenes around them, so that each scene ends up looking like the original photo. Later scenes, including one of Hendrix viciously beating Kathy with a phone, leaving her scarred and bleeding, never happened. Much is made about Jimi having to play an upcoming concert great so that he can legitimize his recent invite to play at the upcoming Monterey Pop Festival. When that concert happens, with a couple of the Beatles in the audience, Jimi wows the crowd with a cover of “Sgt. Pepper” and the rest is history.

If there is a positive to this film it is the performances, particularly by Benjamin, Poots and Atwell. I was 10 years old when Hendrix died on October 15, 1970, but I’ve heard enough of his music and seen enough clips of him on television to know that Benjamin has nailed the persona and the man behind the music. It’s a performance that, in a better film, should have earned him some award consideration. And the fact that there is NO Hendrix penned music in the film but surely they could have had Benjamin do a version of “Hey Joe” (written in 1962 by Billy Roberts) or “All Along the Watchtower” (written by Bob Dylan and out in 1967) to remind viewers of what a musician Hendrix was, rather than just have him fumbling on a guitar and throwing in the occasional lick. Thankfully, late last year. the Hendrix estate announced they are looking to approve a film that treats Jimi right. And don’t just take my word for it. Upon seeing “Jimi: All Is By My Side,” Kathy Etchingham, who was Hendrix’ inspiration for “Foxy Lady,” “The Wind Cries Mary” and others, called it “absolute nonsense.” And to quote David Huddleston in “Blazing Saddles” — “Who can argue with that?”

The only EXTRA is a short piece on how the music for the film was created.

Starring: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, and Carmen Ejogo
Directed By: Ava Duvernay
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 127 minutes
Paramount Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

A curious thought popped into my head while I watched “Selma”, has there ever been a movie about the late, great, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? None came to mind and after doing a simple Internet search after the movie, it appears that no mainstream motion picture has attempted to tackle such an arduous task. And even though his life was only 39 years long, there’s so much storied history to attempt to adapt, it seems like an almost impossible feat to cherry pick the nuggets that are worth portraying. “Selma” does an admirable job finding the right event that parallels the present day struggles.

“Selma” places it’s microscope over 1965, dropping us in Selma, Alabama. The main flare up for controversy is voter registration. Anytime an African-American would attempt to register to vote, they were met insanely hard tests, economic/financial pressure, and of course, the looming threat of violence from residents and the Ku Klux Klan. While there is a civil rights movement, it’s very weak, quiet, and disorganized. Enter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Oyelowo).

King’s presence gives a clearer focus to the angry groups of black people, which seemingly make up a decent percent of the town. The temptation of giving up or simply raising an angry fist to their oppressors is quelled by the soothing words of King. The scenes that work best is when King’s comforting a family mourning the loss of a loved one or withholding aggressive words in diplomatic discussions with President Lyndon Johnson.

Oyelowo gracefully handles King as best one could. Those famous words we all know from King (the “I Have a Dream” speech) are lacking from this movie, but in it’s place are some powerful, stirring calls for action and Oyelowo combines strength and determination while balancing humility. It’s a difficult task to come off so true to King’s persona, but Oyelowo does it. It helps that he has a fine cast surrounding him, including Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, and others who I am sure will have a future in Hollywood.

“Selma” would not have worked as a straight biopic, but works magnificently as a focus on grassroots activism. It does get a bit muddled when adding the subplot of King’s relationship with his wife. It also doesn’t help when it keeps cutting to gratuitous shots of Oprah Winfrey’s incredibly minor character. Of course when you’re one of the film’s producers, you can be on screen as much as you want. “Selma” is just a progressive step short of taking the stage with other grand movies, but I’m sure it’ll still gladly take a heaping plate of nominations.

As for it’s message, you’ll either get it or you won’t. And if you do get it, you’ll love it or you won’t. That’s perfectly fine though because whether you want to admit it or not, there’s still a big problem when it comes to equality and oppression. I’m not here to make a political statement or stand up on any soap box, but there’s something to be said about the powerful imagery featuring peaceful protesters being bashed with batons and chased down police in riot gear.

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You may not know Al Sapienza by name but you surely know his face. Probably best known as Mikey Palmice on “The Sopranos,” Sapienza has appeared in over 200 films and television programs. On the big screen he’s been seen in films like “Pretty Woman,” “Free Willy 2” and “Lethal Weapon 4” while on television he’s co-starred on such programs as “Law and Order,” “NYPD Blue” and “Blue Bloods.” He has also appeared in both the 1998 and 2014 versions of “Godzilla” This week Mr. Sapienza can be seen alongside Liam Neeson in “Taken 3.” To help promote this appearance Mr. Sapienza took time out to talk to me about what he does and why he does it.

Al Sapienza: Where are you calling from?
Mike Smith: Kansas City.
AS: Kansas City? I love Kansas City. I played the Uptown Theater there. I had some great times in Kansas City.

MS: You wouldn’t want to be here today…it’s three below zero! So what attracted you to do “Taken 3?”
AS: I’m one of those actors who loves to work. I love to work. And I don’t look at work as “work.” I honestly don’t. When I’m working I’m not working. I’m working when I’m not working! It’s fun being creative…being around creative people. Even though I’ve been an actor for 30 years I’m also a fan. I love it. I love movies…I love TV…I love the theater. Before I went on the audition I watched the original “Taken.” To be honest I hadn’t seen it but since I had the audition for “Taken 3” I watched it and I really liked it. Then I watched “Taken 2.” I’m a tremendous fan of Liam Neeson. I think he’s incredible in everything he does. He throws himself into every part he does. And now I finally have the chance to work with him. And it turns out that he’s just a real regular and good guy. Plus it’s a big movie…it’s a big franchise with a big following.

MS: You’ve appeared in other sequels. Is it difficult going into a project like that…one that might have an already established cast and crew?
AS: It’s funny. It’s all the same. If you’re acting correctly…if your just totally in the moment…if you’ve created this fake reality in your imagination and in your mind and just be real yourself…on the acting standpoint it doesn’t matter if it’s a sequel or a one shot deal. You shoot to do a great job all the time. And to me, that’s what is cool about acting!

MS: You’ve done a lot of both film and television. Do you have a preference?
AS: Good question. The only difference to me is that it’s a longer process on a film. You have more time to be creative…they have more time to shoot. Sometimes for a movie that’s an hour and a half you shoot for seven weeks where on a television show that’s an hour long you shoot for eight days. TV really gets your adrenaline going…it really makes you feel good about yourself. When you get to the set and six in the morning you better know your lines…and everybody else’s lines. TV is really more demanding, because you have to be ready to just knock it out where on a film you have more time. What I’m really excited about is cable television. I think that the movies are moving towards being corporate franchises…Batman, Spider-man, Transformers. They keep trying to do this multi-million dollar franchises with all of the marketing and promotions. I think cable television is going to continue to be cutting edge.

MS: Speaking of multi-million dollar movies, you have the rare distinction of having appeared in both 1998’s “Godzilla” as well as this past year’s version. Do you have a favorite?
AS: That’s a tough one. The director of this past “Godzilla” (Gareth Edwards) had done a great film called “Monsters.” He did it on an incredibly small budget, doing all of the special effects himself on his laptop. I really enjoyed working with him, he was such a special guy. I also enjoyed the earlier one, working with Roland Emerich and Dean Devlin. But I think I enjoy Gareth’s film better because I think he tried to be more like the old, classic films…more about science and science fiction.

MS: Normally I’d ask what your next project would be, but if the Internet Movie Data Base is to be believed you have no less than 22 projects between now and next year. So I guess I’ll ask what you do in your spare time?
AS: (laughs) Spare time? I’m an actor, I don’t need spare time. I like to play football on Saturday mornings. There is a long running game played in New York that has been going on since 1964. They play every week, be it snow or rain. As for what is next, I’m very excited about a mini-series running now called “Ascension,” which will be shown on the SyFy Channel. It’s a very, very interesting show with a very, very interesting concept. That’s what I’m really excited about at the moment.

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin and Katherine Waterston
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hours 28 mins
Warner Brothers

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Paul Thomas Anderson’s seventh feature film is the perfect culmination of a visual and storytelling style that he has been honing to a fine point since his first film, “Hard Eight,” in 1996. “Inherent Vice,” based on the 2009 novel from reclusive author Thomas Pynchon, hits perfectly. With outstanding performances, great music, and stunning – yet unobtrusive – production design.

The only thing I can think of that can be thought of as negative, is that this movie MUST be viewed multiple times. There are layers upon layers, and so many things that are easily missed with a single viewing. This film is definitely not for a passive viewer. I have seen this film several times now and I can’t even say that I completely follow the story. But I trust that all the information is there.

Watching Paul Thomas Anderson make the switch from the 2.35:1 aspect ratio down to the 1.85:1 ratio has been strange; as I have always loved anamorphic widescreen. But Anderson has complete control of his film frame, and no longer has that angsty drive to move the camera constantly. He puts the camera exactly where it needs to be and just lets the actors perform. And perform they do.

Joaquin Phoenix gives another spectacular performance; as does his co-star, Katherine Waterston, who matches him perfectly. Waterston was unknown to me up to this point – even though she is the daughter of Sam Waterston – but she holds her own within this ensemble cast. Her character of Shasta Fay Hepworth is probably the least quirky of all the characters within this story, but she delivers a much-needed vulnerability.

While the story is set in 1970, it doesn’t feel like a period piece. It LOOKS like one, but doesn’t feel like one. The costumes, set decoration, hair styles, and all around general look of this film say 1970 but it doesn’t do it in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. You are never distracted by the cars they drive, or the fact they use telephones with cords on them. “Inherent Vice” is a period piece with a contemporary feel. Which is a hard thing to pull off. It’s easy to lose a younger audience by showing them a time and technology they never knew.

With a running time of 148 minutes it would be easy to get scared off by the length, but this film is never slow. It runs the perfect line of fast-paced performances offset by long, continuous takes. There are at least two shots within this film that are over five minutes long. And they work!

“Inherent Vice” is an off-beat masterpiece. Its story is as real as the actor’s portraying the characters believe; and they make the audience believe. It is one of the only films I have seen this year that I feel has the potential to have multiple awards consideration. Lead actors, ensemble, score, adapted screenplay and directing. It is a solid film from every angle, and definitely, DEFINITELY worth seeing.

Peter and Michael Spierig, also know as The Spierig Brothers, are known for directing horror/sci-fi genre films like “Undead” and “Daybreakers”. Their most recent film, “Predestination”, based on the science fiction short story “—All You Zombies—” by Robert A. Heinlein stars Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook (also interviewed here). Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the directing duo about their latest film and what we can expect.

Eric Schmitt: What was it you felt about the Robert A. Heinlein story “-All You Zombies-” would translate well into a film?
Peter Spierig: I’ve read the short story several times, read it first many years ago, and it stuck with me. I’ve never read a time travel story quite like that. You have to remember that it was written in 1958, so it’s still very original and different. Michael read it too and he had the same reaction.
Michael Spierig: My first reaction was “I don’t get it.” I read it again, still didn’t get it. Then I read it again and said “there it is, I get it!” [Laughter] What we loved about it is that it’s a completely original and new spin on the time travel story. It’s old and in the grand scheme of things it would make for a really good mind bender with heart and soul in it. We liked the idea of doing a genre that’s been done before and putting a different spin on it.

ES: With Daybreakers, you took the vampire genre and made it grandiose as far as how widespread it was. A very “maximum” take on vampirism. Then you go to Time Travel and it seems like a very minimalist approach to the subject. Was that by design?
MS: Yes! (Laughs) Peter and I wanted to test ourselves and see if we could do a more low tech approach to science fiction. The assumption today is that science fiction is all robots and space ships, and we kind of liked the idea of trying to tell a more intimate story of fate and identity without having to make it so grandiose. We really wanted to do an actor’s piece. We said when we first started that we wanted to dumb down the special effects where when people see it, they don’t even know there are special effects. A transgender character in a time travel movie seemed so out there, I think it’s so interesting, that it didn’t warrant massive battle sequences. It was a story about a person looking for their identity, and we just loved that. It was a bit of an experiment for us to do this, a more intimate film.

ES: Did you feel that there would be certain challenges in explaining the story’s revelations without the audience feeling rushed?
PS & MS: YES!!!
PS: It’s a very tricky thing; as a filmmaker, there’s no revelations for you when you’re cutting the film because you know it so intimately. So to place the beats in the film, it’s very tricky. So that’s where you rely on showing other people and testing. Do people get enough information at this point? Do we need to add more? What we discovered was that some people get it, some were ahead of the story, others don’t get it at all. I guess there’s a nice balance in the middle, but it’s very tricky to find that (middle). We hope that there are people who don’t get it, who are intrigued enough to go back and watch it again.
MS: I like how there will be people who are ahead of the game, ahead of the story. So we threw in a few jokes to kind of say “Okay, those of you who are ahead of us, here you go!” (This response had to be heavily edited to keep from spoiling some of the film’s reveals!)

ES: There’s definitely a point in the film having to do with the bar, where a light just goes on in your head and you have a complete “Oh shit!” moment. Even with Sarah, it took me a little while to realize that this man, well, it really isn’t a man. How did you go about casting Sarah for the role of John?
MS: We went back and forth on whether we should even attempt it – one actor playing both parts. We talked about casting two separate people, and got very serious about it. But then we thought “God, it would be so good if we could pull off an actor playing both of these roles. It would make the characters more interesting and I think you would care about the characters more.” We started auditioning people, and we saw every actress in Australia. People started touting this actress called Sarah Snook. She had done that Ryan Kwanten film “Not Suitable for Children,” so we had known of her. She came in and auditioned and really just blew us away. We did several auditions with her, actually; an initial audition, one in make-up, a test shot of her acting both female and male. This is also when we rely on our FX artist, Steven Boyle, who’s been with us since we did short films. I showed Steve Sarah’s audition videos and asked him “Can we really do this? Can we turn her into a man? Can we pull this off?” Steve looked at us and said “Yes I can do it. I promise we can do it.”
PS: With that being said, we wanted it to be a blend of male and female. We didn’t want it to be to masculine so you couldn’t see the feminine side. It’s a delicate balance, because if we put Sarah under a tremendous amount of make-up, it would have either looked silly or taken away from the performance.

ES: Did anyone mention on set that when she was made up as John that she looked like a young Leonardo DiCaprio?
MS & PS: Oh Yeah! Everyone!
PS: We all said it! It’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Jodie Foster’s love child. We also got a lot of Edward Furlong as well.

ES: Since you guys have worked with Ethan in the past, was he immediately at forefront of your minds when casting for Predestination?
PS: We didn’t really have an actor in mind until we finished the script. When we finished we said “You know who would like this material? Ethan.” It’s along the lines of what his genre tastes are, so we sent it to him. I think within one or two days, he said “Just tell me where and when – I’m in.”
MS: The thing he also asked us was what part he was playing. We told that we were still trying to figure that out and we’d get back to him.
PS: The amazing thing about Ethan is that he’s brave in a sense that he completely trusted us with the casting. He didn’t know who Sarah was initially, but he had faith that we were making the right decision. He’s fearless and he likes taking risks. We’ll forever be indebted to him for having the courage to say “Yes” to us.

ES: One of the things I noticed watching the film was that Ethan and Sarah had a very “organic” relationship in the bar scenes. From your perspectives, how did that develop over the course of filming?
MS: We had a lot of rehearsal time with them talking about the scenes. Our rehearsal time is not primarily about lines, it’s about why the scene has to exist in the movie. They spent a lot of time together working on their (respective) character’s mannerisms and that sort of thing. Sarah and Ethan are both incredibly intelligent, and I think they connected on that level. They’re both really smart actors and they ask the right questions. They wanted their collaboration to be very much intertwined.
PS: We spent a lot of time on the bar dialogue. There isn’t a single line that isn’t essential to the movie. Some of the lines have double meanings, even the joke that Ethan tells is critical to the film. We’re huge fans of the Science Fiction genre, so we really wanted to do this film with meaning.

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Last week I listed off my top five films of 2014, it was an admittedly quiet year for me movie-wise but 2015 looks to be an embarrassment of riches.

My top Five Films Coming in 2015. In order of release:

March 13: In the Heart of the Sea
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw
Ron Howard’s take on Nathaniel Philabrick’s telling of the Tragedy of the Whale Ship Essex–aka the terrifying true story that inspired Moby Dick.  The trailer, featuring copious digital sperm whales, is nerve-wracking and in the hands of Howard, once again directing his Rush star, Chris Hemsworth, I can’t wait to see this on the biggest screen possible.

May 1^st: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, James Spader
In the wake of The Winter Soldier and the outer space developments of Guardians of the Galaxy, where exactly does that place the Avengers team? By the looks of the trailer we got in October, possibly thrown into disarray by one of their very own Tony Stark’s inventions. Go figure. It’s almost disconcerting how well James Spader’s voice translates into sinister robot Ultron.

June 12^th: Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer

The first Jurassic Park is my favorite film of all time but while Lost World boasted a great cast (more Goldblum!), somewhere around the t-rex rampaging through LA the sequels began to lose their sparkle. The third brought the franchise into mindless action territory and the less said about it, the better. It’s therefore with such relief that the trailer—focusing on the theme park concept of the first film coming to fruition looks to be a fresh take on the concept. Plus Chris Pratt. On a motorcycle. Surrounded by a gang of velociraptors. That is all.

October 2^nd : The Walk
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale

Robert Zemeckis directs the true story of Philippe Petit—the only person to traverse the gap between the Twin Towers on tight wire. It’s a story that’s already been covered on screen by the highly acclaimed documentary Man On Wire, but the vertigo-inducing trailer of this dramatization has me intrigued.

October 16^th: Crimson Peak
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Charlie Hunnam, Doug Jones
Before Del Toro “cancelled the apocalypse” in the super fun Pacific Rim, he broke into Hollywood with amazingly atmospheric smaller films like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Orphanage. Crimson Peak looks to be a return to that, his first horror film in English. Mia Wasikowska is a young woman who is attracted to a “mysterious outsider” (Tom Hiddleston) and brought to his family home which is evidently alive. Del Toro regular Doug Jones on the cast list surely means we’ll be getting some cool ghosts and creatures in the home too. Described as a gothic romance, the images of the film that have been released are visually stunning and if Hiddleston is in sinister mode, count me in. This is definitely the film I’m most excited for in 2015.

Honorable Mentions: Steven Spielberg‘s rejoining Tom Hanks in an as-yet untitled Cold War Thriller, The Hunger Games wraps up, plus there’s a couple slightly known franchises called James Bond (Spectre) and Star Wars that might interest some filmgoers like me coming back to big screens in 2015…

Australian actress Sarah Snook starred in the horror film “Jessabelle” last year and stole the attention of Hollywood due to her performance. Her latest film “Predestination”, co-starring Ethan Hawke, features her in a major breakout role. If you get a chance you must see this film, which hits theaters on January 9th. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Sarah to discuss the film and her transformation

Eric Schmitt: What interested you in the role in Predestination to begin with?
Sarah Snook: The main thing was really the challenge of acting as such an amazing character. You don’t really ever get to act as a man, if you’re a woman.

ES: What preparation went into playing the role of John?
SS: In the physical, I did some training to bulk up my muscular frame. It helped to get into a very masculine feel, testosterone driven. Everyday I would go to one of those “Pumping Iron” gyms, so I’d be surrounded by those testy (testosterone filled) men, and I’d be like “Yeah, brother! We’re one in the same!” Otherwise, I did a lot of research into transgender and how people adapt to that sort of lifestyle change.

ES: What about your voice? You went from a southern belle in “Jessabelle” to almost a city guy in John, how did you train for the voice acting?
SS: The did help a little by distending my voice in editing. I kinda wanted to look at movies like “Barfly” to study those types of down and out characters, get a gravely tone. It definitely helped with the pitch bending, though. It gave my voice my color. The difference between those two characters (Jessabelle and John) is really the fun part for me.

ES: It honestly took me a few minutes to even realize that it was you playing John. When I saw it, I was like “Whoa!”. How long did the make up take to transform you?
SS: It was a 3 hour make up job. It was mostly very fine, thin pieces – three or four layers to define my chin, stubble, a broken nose and earlobes. The earlobes were strange at first, but it lengthened my face.

ES: Did anyone mention to you, when you did go through the transformation, that you resembled a young Leonardo DiCaprio?
SS: (Laughs) Yeah, they did! It was also a random group of characters. “Hey, you look like-”.

ES: Did they take you off set to see how you would blend in as a man?
SS: (Laughs) No. No, I was too shy. There was one instance that was great – I was walking with the make-up artist to the set and I was walking ahead of the artist by maybe a meter or so. This group of girls walk past us and they looked about 18 or 19, three girls. They walked past us and giggled at the make-up artist “Oh my god – he’s so hot!” Then one of the girls said “Wait, who’s that other hot guy?!” (Laughs)

ES: That must have been very flattering!
SS: (Laughs) I don’t know about hot! I didn’t think I was necessarily a hot guy!

ES: The bar scenes with you and Ethan seemed very “organic”. How did you and Ethan develop such a natural looking relationship in front of the camera?
SS: We did rehearsal all through production, the two of us with Peter and Michael (Spierig). And also we started working on the weekends, Sundays we would get in the same room and make sure we were on the same page with our characters. With the bar scene, we did that in the 2nd or 3rd week of shooting. So by then, we had developed a pretty good relationship. The best part about the bar scene is that they shot it in one big sequence, which allowed Peter and Michael to just cut it up in the editing room. The whole thing was one scene – the bar, the pool table and the booth.

ES: How do you think the story will translate to audiences? Do you feel that audiences will see Predestination as a “complete” movie, and that they’ll be able to digest the content?
SS: I think overall, the story for me is what was great. It’s a very compelling script and a very compelling idea. It’s something that people can have a debate or dialogue about. All the questions that would come up about the characters and the storyline – audiences can actually engage it.

LOS ANGELES, CA January 6th, 2015 – Actress/filmmaker Jennifer Blanc-Biehn is starting off 2015 with a bang, taking on a meaty role in Dimension Films’ action-horror film Everly, starring Salma Hayek and directed by horror filmmaker Joe Lynch. Everly is available on iTunes and VOD January 23rd, with a theater release February 27th.

Blanc plays Dena, a prostitute that corners Hayek in her apartment for a showdown in the holiday-themed killing spree adventure that brings out Blanc-Biehn’s inner Ninja, who did her own stunts in the film.

“Playing Dena was fun because I got to bring all that anger to the surface and really let go,” said Blanc. “She’s a fierce, woman and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to play her and work with Joe Lynch, Salma and so many involved.”

The gore-fest, which screened in September at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, takes place entirely on the floor of an apartment building, as Hayek – the target of a very lucrative mob hit – takes down assassins left and right without ever leaving home.

Blanc-Biehn and her husband, actor/filmmaker Michael Biehn, are known for their many different projects as actors and recently getting attention for horror and action films through their company Blanc-Biehn Productions, so Blanc-Biehn understands the delicate technical intricacies within action films, especially with female performers.

“It’s wonderful to see more women getting empowering, kick-ass roles, and Joe knows how to make us look good,” said Blanc-Biehn of filmmaker Lynch (Wrong Turn 2, Knights of Badassdom). “He brings out that primal energy in your performance, with a gorgeous visual style.”

For more information on Jennifer Blanc-Biehn go to www.facebook.com/blancbiehn @jenniferblancb thebbbasement.com and blancbiehnproductions.com

ABOUT JENNIFER BLANC-BIEHN:

Actress, producer and director Jennifer Blanc-Biehn has been working steadily in show business since she was a child, studying Drama at NYC’s Professional Children’s School. At thirteen, the New York native landed her breakout role in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs and has since appeared in dozens of television shows and movies over the past thirty years such as Dark Angel, Party of Five, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,The Victim, Hidden in the Woods, Friends Til the End, The Wrong Woman , Among Friends, The Night Visitor 2, and runs her own production company, Blanc/Biehn Productions, with her husband, actor Michael Biehn.

Starring: Glen Campbell
Directed by: James Keach
Rated: PG
Running time: 1 hr 56 mins
PCH Films

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

“Who’s that?” Each time an image flickers on the screen the man watching the film asks the same question. With each questions comes the same answer… “that’s you.” Eventually, 75-year old Glen Campbell nods quietly and seems to understand. “OK,” he says. “I’ll be me.”

One of the greatest entertainers of the last century, Glen Campbell shocked fans in 2011 when he announced that he was battling Alzheimer’s disease. Not one to shy from a fight, Campbell not only decided to record one last album, “Ghost on the Canvas” but chose to embark on a three-week “goodbye” tour…one which lasted 151 shows! “I’ll Be Me” takes you along on that tour and shares with you the ups and downs of this most personal of illnesses.

When I was a kid, Glen Campbell was IT! An accomplished musician (he played on many records in the early 1960s, including hits by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and the Monkees. In late 1964 he filled in for Brian Wilson when the Beach Boys went on tour and his masterful guitar playing can be heard on the bands’ greatest album, “Pet Sounds.” In 1967 he hit the top when he released the single “Gentle on My Mind,” following that up with songs like “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and starring alongside John Wayne in “True Grit.” The 1970s brought him his own television series, “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” and hits like “Southern Nights” and the song he is forever linked to, “Rhinestone Cowboy.” This is how I remembered Glen Campbell. Seeing him here, in excellent shape physically but slowed mentally is jarring. I’ll admit that I felt tears well up in my eyes watching him take in those old family home movies and not recognize himself.

The film is not all sadness. Shots of Campbell going through his normal day, talking like Donald Duck and singing familiar songs (ironically, one of the songs he remembers well is “I Remember You”). Sometimes he’s confused and sometimes he seems to understand what is happening to him. “I can still jump,” he says at one point, “I just can’t stay up as long.” With his loving wife Kim by his side, and three of his children in his band, Campbell’s tour is mostly successful. There are a few bumps in the road, like when the teleprompter (which shows Campbell the lyrics) stops working or when, like a young child who doesn’t understand, he complains about things that normally wouldn’t bother you or I, but there is also a sense of hope in the film. Musically, Campbell is still at the top of his game. He goes off on difficult guitar solos during the shows, and the skill needed to achieve this is there.

The film also contains testimonies from many of the people who have been part of or inspired by Campbell’s career. From songwriter Jimmy Webb to Vince Gill, from Sheryl Crow to Bill Clinton, from Blake Shelton to Paul McCartney, the list is overwhelming. There are also comments from fellow musicians like Kathy Mattea and Chad Smith (from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers) who have dealt with Alzheimer’s in their families. Director Keach places his cameras so that you feel like you are part of the film. You’re not eavesdropping on family conversations, you’re part of them. He’s been behind the camera for many years (when he’s not in front of it) and has proven that he has an amazing eye for telling story. And where Glen Campbell that story is not over. As he tells his family as the tour winds down, “I’m not done yet!”

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For me, as well as many across the United States, October is a very special month. Traditionally, this is the time of year where the leaves on the trees die, landscapes become awash with gray and brown, and nature’s dying elements suddenly spring to life. It is also the time of year where millions upon millions flock to the haunted house attractions scattered across the country, seeking their fix for scares, creeps and downright nasty set-pieces. The film “The Houses October Built” chronicles one group’s journey across the United States in search of the greatest haunt in America, found footage style. Unfortunately, they find that not all participants are eager to be part of their documentary, and the trip of a lifetime turns into the stuff that nightmares are made of. I had the opportunity to speak with Writer/ Director/ Co-Star Bobby Roe and Writer/ Star Zack Andrews about the origins of the film and what they felt sets their found footage film apart from all the others.

Eric Schmitt: The Houses October Built is a Media Mikes favorite of 2014; brilliantly done and really innovative. What was the driving force behind making the film in the first place?
Zack Andrews: We wanted to do a found footage film about the haunts across America, but we were weary at first because the genre has become so watered down. We wanted to do it a different way – A first person view of haunted houses, which is something people hadn’t touched on yet.
Bobby Roe: We found that approximately 30 million people per year visit haunted houses in the United States and felt that if we could hit the right audience, especially in the Mid-West and South, where we all grew up, we could do something original. These are all real actors and real places in the haunts. It’s very organic.

ES: So all of the interviews and haunt scenes in the film were legit?
ZA: Yes, all interviews conducted and haunts were legit.
BR: We wanted to use real places and people, give credit to the craft. Think about it- we had every filmmaker’s dream; We got to shoot on million dollar sets for free! We used all of the real actors from the haunts, all of the real sets – it’s a realism that you can’t fake.

ES: What do you feel will attract people to your film, say over the next found footage film that they lay eyes on?
ZA: People are intrigued by the haunted house aspect and we really looked to appeal to the Halloween world. We’re hoping that audiences find it very intense, because it does take you on a ride. It’s a ride that’s a dream for a lot of people, to be able to road trip and visit all of these different haunts.
BR: And we tried to show different ways in how the haunts were done, like the Zombie Paintball. That was incredible!
ZA: That was a lot of fun! I’ve never seen anything like it before.
BR: Exactly! We’d never seen anything like it and to experience it, man it was great! After we ran the shoot with the regular actors, we had the entire crew go through it just so they could experience it.

ES: Did you receive any resistance from the haunts while you were shooting?
ZA: Not at all – the haunts were one big supportive family.
BR: And it was essentially a free commercial for them.

ES: So which one (of the haunts) was the most effective, in your opinion?
ZA: Each haunt really had something super effective, something that was its own specialty. Ever haunt we visited had something that would stick out. We’d visit a haunt and two weeks later still be talking about that one thing. Like there was one haunt that had a white-out room. We’ve all experienced a completely black room, but this room was completely white, filled with smoke and had one flood light. All of a sudden you would see this white mask appear from no where. It was intense.
BR: This one haunt had a kid, maybe 12-13 years old. He was the best scare actor we had ever seen. He never came out of character and it was amazing. We talked to the owner of the haunt and found out that when he had joined he was failing school, came from a really bad background. After a few weeks of working at the haunt, the kid had completely turned it around. The haunt, this family, gave him purpose. His teachers even called the owners of the haunt to tell them what a positive impact it obviously had on him. The haunt family created a sense of pride in him.

As a fan of the film, it was really great to hear the level of passion that Bobby and Zack had to express about the filmmaking process and the haunts themselves. For many of us, they most certainly lived the dream – traveling the country and visiting the best haunted houses around, all while filming a horror movie. Although the majority of people who read this article and/or see The Houses October Built will never be presented with the opportunity to make such a film, we can still engage these haunts across the U.S. and experience first hand what this group documented. We can see, hear and feel first hand what the masters of this craft have to offer, all the while knowing that the terror that grips our senses is authentic, much like the footage in The Houses October Built.

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Starring: Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Hopper, Zach McGowan, Toby Schmitz, Clara Paget, Mark Ryan, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Sean Michael, Louise Barnes
Rated: TV-MA
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Run Time: 456 minutes

Season: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Ever since “Game of Thrones” blew up on HBO, everyone has been trying to recreate that success. STARZ is the latest to hone in on that with “Black Sails”. This show was described to me as “Game of Thrones” on the sea. I am a big “Game of Thrones” fan, so I figured I would check it out. The show is quite epic for sure. I mean who doesn’t want to see a show about pirates including Long John Silver. I just wasn’t as enthralled as I was with “Game of Thrones”, if we are comparing.The visual effects are stunning but the cast doesn’t really grip me. I have a feeling though this show is going to be going on for a while since the second season starts on January 24, 2015 and the show was already renewed for a third season as well.

Official Premise: 1715. The Golden Age of Piracy. New Providence Island is a lawless territory, controlled by history’s most notorious pirate captains. The most feared is Captain Flint. As the British Navy returns to redeem their land and exterminate Flint and his crew, another side of him emerges. He allies himself with Elenaor Guthrie, daughter of the local kingpin, to hunt the ultimate prize and ensure their survival. Many opponents stand in their way: rival captains, jealous of Flint’s power; Eleanor’s ambitious and intrusive father; and a young sailor recently recruited onto Flint’s crew, John Silver, who constantly undermines his captain’s agenda.

This season comes stocked as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + Digital HD with Ultraviolet included. The 1080p transfers who perfectly with the lavish sets for this production. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track delivers with the action and works perfectly with Bear McCreary’s score.  The special features are jam-packed for this release. There is a behind-the-scenes look with “Black Sails: A Look Inside”. “Dress To Kill” gives into the series’ wardrobe with the costume designer. “Pirate Camp” shows what it takes to get into character. “Folklore Is Finished: Pirate Politics” dives into the shows story. “A Place In History” looks into the shows period. Lastly “Building The Behemoth” looks into the shows production and sets.

Starring: Christopher Egan, Tom Wisdom, Roxanne McKee, Luke Allen-Gale, Anthony Head, Rosalind Halstead
Rated: TV-MA
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Date: December 23, 2014
Run Time: 382 minutes

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When I heard that Syfy was making a follow-up series to the 2010 film “Legion” that starred Paul Bettany, I just thought “WHY?”, this is a film that was a small hit but wasn’t really a great movie at all. I still believe in Syfy and I thought I was give the series a chance. The film takes place 25 year the film and in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. This is a show that also gets better with each episode leading to an explosive finale. The visual effects are quite impressive as well for Syfy and the Angels are awesome! I liked the show because it is not only sexy and sharp. I am looking forward to what they got in store for season two.

Synopsis: Dominion is an epic supernatural drama set in the near future. Specifically, 25 years after “The Extinction War,” when an army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, waged war against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, chose to side with humanity. Rising out of the ashes of this long battle are newly fortified cities which protect human survivors. At the center of the series is the city of Vega, a glistening empire that has formed from the ruins of what was once Las Vegas.

If you follow Syfy shows you know that they don’t cheap out on their casts and “Dominion” is no different. This new series stars Christopher Egan (“Resident Evil: Extinction”), Tom Wisdom (“300”), Roxanne McKee (“Game of Thrones”), Alan Dale (“Lost”), Anthony Stewart Head (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Luke Allen-Gale (“The Borgias”). I have a feeling that season two is going to be even more jam-packed.

Universal is delivering this film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray and Digital HD copy. The 1080p transfer is amazing. The sets for this show are really well done and looks amazing. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround works with the action sequences in the series. The special features do not include much. There is an alternate extended version of the finale “Beware Those Closest to You”, which is a worth checking out. Other than that there is a gag reel and some deleted scenes included.