It’s been a year since Paul Walker tragically passed away, leaving behind his “family” of costars to grieve his untimely loss. This trailer for the next and possibly final Fast and Furious franchise very much feels like his epitaph.
Even on its own, the movie shows off exactly what we love about these movies, along with some new upgrades. Jason Statham is looking like he’ll make a pretty perfect villain for the anti-heroes, and the Rock flexes out of a cast.
Furious 7 come out April 3, 2015.
Despite the huge sums still being raked in by such superstars as Robert Downey Jr. (his $75 million comes from his 7 percent, first-dollar slice of Iron Man 3, as well as his $12 million HTC endorsement deal) and Sandra Bullock (a 15 percent, first-dollar deal on Gravity and about $10 million more for her summer hit The Heat), most actors are feeling a definite squeeze, especially those in the middle.
“If you’re [a big star], you’re getting well paid,” says one top agent, “but the middle level has been cut out.” Sometimes with a hacksaw. Leonardo DiCaprio made $25 million (including bonuses) for The Wolf of Wall Street, while co-star Jonah Hill got paid $60,000. Granted, that’s an extreme example — Hill offered to do the part for scale (and got an Oscar nomination for his trouble).
But studio cost-cutting has meant that mid-level stars are being nickel-and-dimed in ways that would have been unheard of in the gilded ’90s (i.e., Marvel Studios’ reportedly offering Mickey Rourke a mere $250,000 to star opposite Downey in Iron Man 2). Before breaking out the violins, though, remember that even mid-level stars are far better off than most other actors. According to the most recent SAG statistics, the average member earns $52,000 a year, while the vast majority take home less than $1,000 a year from acting jobs.
Your gut reaction to these findings may be, “Who cares?” It’s hard to feel sorry for actors still reaping pretty big salaries for their roles.
But the issue, in my opinion, is that this gouging of the “middle-tier” actors causes a lack of segmentation for talented actors. To save money, studios have to skim on great secondary actors in order to afford the high-priced “star” who is consuming the budget.
And without a diverse wealth of talented actors breaking into bigger and bigger roles, you’re bound to see the same actors repeatedly being called in to breathe life in the latest adaptation, sequel, remake, reboot or what have you.
Starring Keanu Reeves (and other cool people), “John Wick” just might be one of the best action films since “Taken.” But not everyone agrees…
Plus, we talk about the Age of Ultron trailer Marvel released this week. Enjoy!
Check out Maria’s full review: http://bit.ly/1zx2lXx
Age of Ultron trailer: http://bit.ly/1oMlVud
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The early reviews for Kick-Ass 2 are already out people and friends! You know what that means: It’s time to translate critic-speak so the rest of us can actually find use from their oddly chosen words.
Let’s roll.
…but in a film whose heroine is a 15-year-old girl beating up a bunch of bad dudes, that’s not just bad taste — it leaves a bad taste. -Cath Clarke (Time Out London)
For cleverly observed satirical barb or gritty, real-world dilemma, there’s an equivalent, jarring misstep into lazy cliche. -Matt Risley (Total Film)
A more modest success than the first Kick-Ass, but still of-a-piece with its scurrilous predecessor. -Owen Williams (Empire)
To call your film Kick-Ass is to work on the assumption that your audience is excited by the prospect of having their asses metaphorically kicked. -Robbie Collin (The Telegraph)
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The early reviews for Elysium are already out and being established as the narrative for what we’re supposed to think about this movie (too honest?)
So I took the liberty of gathering soundbites from these reviews and giving you the translations you didn’t even know you wanted. Let’s begin.
And yet for all the accomplished direction, fine performances from the entire cast (though the villains do veer toward one-dimensionality) and the successful landing of a very ambitious story, Blomkamp stumbles in the basic structural work of the screenplay. -Kevin Jagernauth (The Playlist)
Translation: It gets boring sometimes.
District 9 writer-director Neill Blomkamp delivers a less dazzling but absorbing and intelligent bit of futurism. -Scott Foundas (Variety)
Translation: It’s not as good as District 9, but you probably won’t care.
The purity afforded Max, in stark contrast to the cartoonish evilness represented by Fichtner, Copley, and Foster, dulls the force of Blomkamp’s inventive set pieces and gadgetry, which are at the heart of his undeniable talents. -Chris Cabin (Slant Magazine)
Translation: The main character is boring unless he’s blowing stuff up.
Frankly, “Elysium” is a bit of a liberal’s wet dream… -William Goss (Film.com)
Translation: Elysium is a bit of a liberal’s wet dream.
All the interest and goodwill built up by the sharply conceived preliminaries is washed away in a succession of scenes that feel crushingly routine and generic, not to mention guided by ideological urges. -Todd McCarthy (The Hollywood Reporter)
Translation: The ending sucks.
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Does Wolverine’s healing factor work on his own movies? Let’s find out.
Has this summer’s box office apocalypse been canceled by Pacific Rim?