‘Terminator Genisys’ Review 0 4985

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Who exactly is Terminator Genisys made for? That was the question going through my mind throughout the latest installment in the long-running, diminishing returns sci-fi action franchise that once married real ideas and humanity with thrilling action but now resembles the type of generic, flavourless blockbuster that so often permeates the multiplexes these days.

In a narrative that’s not too far away from announcing that you should just plain ignore Rise of the Machines and Salvation, Genisys kicks off by explaining how the dreaded Skynet went online and resulted in the world being a wasteland of despair before the famous John Connor (this time played by man-of-the-moment Jason Clarke) rises up and leads the Resistance against the machines.

Everything is as Terminator fans know and expect, with the machines sending back a T-800 Terminator to 1984 to kill John’s mother, with Kyle Reese (played now by Jai Courtney) being sent back to the same time to protect her. However, this is where Genisys differs as when Kyle gets back there nothing is as it was expected to be.

Plot-wise it’s best not to know much beyond that and, to be honest, even in seeing the movie it’s hard to really decipher it all – both in terms of the specific ins and outs of the time travel and perception of events and in the general bombastic filmmaking style – because it’s never really clear whether the movie itself knows exactly what it’s doing.

As I posited up top; who is this movie really for? If it’s for fans of the first two Terminator movies – for those either old enough to remember them in cinemas or from renting on video – as is clearly evident in the constant referencing to those films, then it’s just going to disappoint because it lacks the smarts, thought-provoking concepts, genuine emotion and above all else truly amazing and memorable action sequences. Also, in its approach of moving things forward and trying to be its own movie, it ultimately brushes the originals aside as if they never mattered at all.

On the other hand if the movie is to be treated as very much its own machine, as it were, then it’s entirely frustrating because it repeatedly leans on the shoulders of the originals for support – not so much hat-tipping but rather pointing a giant foam finger shouting “Remember that scene!” – in a way that will leave new, unfamiliar viewers cold. At the same time, as a modern blockbuster, with all the new age CGI bells and whistles, it merely blends into that most crowded of crowds. This is undoubtedly a by-product of the cinematic age in which we live, where liquid metal is no longer ground-breaking, but nevertheless it does nothing to create any sort of memorable blockbuster experience.

Now that’s not to say that the movie is completely worthless. A major plus point is the performance of Arnold Schwarzenegger – he said he’d be back, didn’t he? – who by now has that character perfected down to an absolute tee and he seems to be the only truly self-aware, so to speak, actor in the film. His comic relief – trying to blend in with an unsettling forced smile etc. – is a welcome break from an otherwise po-faced instalment; it’s not quite at the level of Salvation on that front but there are moments that definitely come close.

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Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor

Emilia Clarke has a lot of beauty and screen presence and she can certainly hold her own in a male-driven world, as any Game of Thrones fans will know, and she’s solid here but doesn’t get anywhere near to filling the considerable boots of Linda Hamilton. Courtney continues to be a charisma vacuum of the highest order – along with the A Good Day to Die Hard, this is another fifth franchise instalment marred by his sheer presence – and there are several other actors, namely J.K. Simmons and South Korean superstar Byung-hun Lee (as this film’s superfluous liquid T-1000), woefully underutilized in nothing roles.

The action sequences are fine, perfectly watchable in the modern blockbuster sense, but that’s all they are and in an age where there are so many big movies like this coming out, that just isn’t enough. There’s no real flair in their direction or content and so it ends up just lurching from one ordinary set-piece to another without a single one that will have you dying to talk about with friends afterwards.

While it’s not the outright disaster that it had the potential to be – and let’s be honest that a lot of us were truly expecting – Terminator Genisys is nevertheless another disappointing instalment in a once great franchise. Where T2 in particular posed fascinating questions – about everything from the logic of time travel to the responsibility of humans when it comes to creating technology – which had you pondering long after the credits rolled, this feels like it throws up questions that it doesn’t know how to answer; they are confusing rather than complex, a distraction rather than a welcome challenge. The film is just about passable fare if you’re not looking for anything intellectually demanding but even in the realm of leave your brain at the door mindless entertainment, it leaves a lot to be desired.

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I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Tolkien Biopic to Be Released in May 0 5287

10th May, 2019 is when Tolkien will be released to the world, an autobiographical film that will revolve around the early days of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien before he became the literary giant that he is today.

Here on Thoughts on Film we are big fans of his work and the recent films made by Peter Jackson. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), are responsible for originating a universe that has gone on to inspire movies, animation, fiction, and modern media interpretations.



This is why Tolkien is regarded by many as the greatest fantasy author of all time. His creative stamp can be seen nearly everywhere in modern media. There’s the direct reinterpretation of his work in the recently released action roleplaying game Middle Earth: Shadow of War, where players are thrust into a major role in Tolkien’s literary canon. George R.R. Martin, who originated the now globally-popular Game of Thrones series on HBO, openly reveres LOTR as the inspiration for his work, citing the early death of Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring as having a profound effect on his “own willingness to kill characters at the drop of a hat.” On the web, more Tolkien-inspired work can be found on leading slot portal Slingo and its many online titles dedicated to the fantasy genre, including Amazon Queen, Fae Legend Warrior, and Magic Castle, all of which feature elements that can be traced back to the author’s massive body of work. Technically speaking, the same can be said of nearly every major fantasy brand out there today, from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: the Gathering. In short, almost every type of entertainment that features western fantasy can be traced back to the works of Tolkien.

In the upcoming Tolkien movie, the man will be played by Nicholas Hoult, whom is best known for Mad Max: Fury Road and Hank McCoy in the most recent X-Men movies. And now, the actor’s versatility will be tested as he steps into the shoes of the most iconic fantasy writer of all time. Starring alongside Hoult will be the actress Lily Collins as Edith Bratt – the woman whom Tolkien loved above all and is reportedly the inspiration for all “elven princess characters” in the LOTR series.

Helming the film is director Dome Karukoski whose CV includes 2017’s Tom of Finland, a critically acclaimed chronicle of the life and works of the controversial artist of the same name. And while media outlets haven’t yet heard from either the cast, director, or crew of the film, an official synopsis of the movie has been released via Collider. “Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “Fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.” It sounds like a real treat for film, literature, and Middle Earth fans.

Feature: 2019 Oscar Predictions 0 4031

I think it’s fair to say that the run up to this year’s Oscars has been a little messier than usual, from unexpected and bizarre wins at other awards shows (Vice winning Best Editing at the BAFTAs, anyone?) to ridiculous decisions by the Academy to change the show around.

The latter has proved a particular point of contention with both those in the industry to onlookers on social media, with choices such as not letting all the songs be performed to introducing a Best Popular Film category (whatever that means) to not airing four categories live; Editing and Cinematography proved a particular issue, sending the folks of Film Twitter into a Hulk-like rage.

Thankfully all of these decisions except for the one to not have a main host have taken the walk-back of shame; I look forward to Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair again. Of course there’s still the issue of plenty of thoroughly deserving films, filmmakers and performances not being up for any Oscars at all (*cough* Toni Collette! *cough*) but of course that’s not an issue unique to this year.

The show must go on, as they say, and I thought a week out from this year’s ceremony I’d throw my hat into the ring as far as predictions goes. Below I’ve listed what I think will win in each category, as well as what I personally would like to see pick up that little gold man come next Sunday evening.

Best Picture

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Green Book

Lead Actor

Want to win: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Will win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Lead Actress

Want to win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Will win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor

Want to win: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Will win: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Supporting Actress

Want to win: Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Will win: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Director

Want to win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Animated Feature

Want to win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Adapted Screenplay

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: BlacKkKlansman

Original Screenplay

Want to win: First Reformed
Will win: The Favourite

Cinematography

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Documentary Feature

Want to win: Free Solo
Will win: Minding the Gap

Foreign Language Film

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Film Editing

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Editing

Want to win: A Quiet Place
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Mixing

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Production Design

Want to win: Roma
Will win: The Favourite

Original Score

Want to win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Will win: Black Panther

Original Song

Want to win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Will win: Shallow (A Star is Born)

Makeup and Hair

Want to win: Mary Queen of Scots
Will win: Vice

Costume Design

Want to win: Black Panther
Will win: The Favourite

Visual Effects

Want to win: Avengers: Infinity War
Will win: Ready Player One

Animated Short

Want to win: Bao
Will win: Bao

Live Action Short

Want to win: Marguerite
Will win: Marguerite

Documentary Short Subject

Want to win: Black Sheep
Will win: Lifeboat

Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to leave your predictions/wishes for the winners below or tweet @TOF_UK or @rosstmiller.

Roll on Sunday!