one floor below ( romanian : un etaj mai jos ) is a 2015 romanian drama film directed by radu muntean .

it was screened in the un certain regard section at the 2015 cannes film festival .

it was screened in the contemporary world cinema section of the 2015 toronto international film festival .

one floor below

the key to appreciating
one floor below
is to keep in mind that it takes place in a country still troubled by its past .
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much more accomplished is
one floor below , ” radu muntean’s excellent and much - awaited follow - up to
tuesday , after christmas” , the 2010 festival hit that remains one of finest achievements of the so - called new romanian cinema . just like in his previous features (
summer holiday , ”
the paper will be blue” and
tuesday… , ” all co - written by alexandru baciu and razvan radulescu ) , at the center of
one floor below” is a male character under moral pressure , entangled in a thickening web of self - delusion while striving to preserve some sort of control over his life .
here’s slow burn , and there’s wondering if the thing is even lit . one floor below , the latest from romanian director radu muntean is an exercise in frustration and disorientation . no wonder its protagonist is a professional freelance bureaucrat . though figuring out just what exactly our closed - lipped middle - aged protagonist does all day is just one mystery in this odd and , eventually , very satisfying film .
the moral tug - of - war between reporting a homicide and remaining silent lies at the core of radu muntean’s lean , absorbing anti - thriller “one floor below . ” like a pot set to bubble only every few seconds , the drama is tightly measured to ensure a controlled level of tension that remains discreetly constant , nicely melding with muntean’s skilled construction of three - dimensional bourgeois life . the helmer’s affinity for young , middle - class relationship stories is expanded here , and the confidence he gives his actors , as always , serves him well . while understated , “one floor below” non - judgmentally homes in on a weighty theme and deserves a high place on the fest circuit .
after being the sole unfortunate witness of a domestic quarrel that ends up in a murder , patrascu finds himself at odds with two very close neighbors : one is the bizarre murderer , the other one his very own conscience .
the moral tug - of - war between reporting a homicide and remaining silent lies at the core of radu muntean’s lean , absorbing anti - thriller “one floor below . ” like a pot set to bubble only every few seconds , the drama is tightly measured to ensure a controlled level of tension that remains discreetly constant , nicely melding with muntean’s skilled construction of [ … ]
mauntean attempts to examine hard truths about masculine insecurity , but sandu ' s ethical conundrum doesn ' t feel like one at all .
muntean and co - scripters alexandru baciu and razvan radulescu are never explicit about what sandu is thinking ( this wouldn’t be a romanian film if they were ) : is he protecting his family ? himself ? an undercurrent of so much of new romanian cinema has been the need to strip bare how people treat each other as fellow human beings , a theme that “one floor below” subtly examines not via the murder , but through sandu’s lack of a sense of the common good : keep your head down , don’t get involved — a message hardly limited to one balkan nation .
so many of the great recent romanian films like the death of mr lazarescu , beyond the hills , everybody in our family , child’s pose work so well because of black humour , nonstop talking and an unbearable , increasing vice - grip . one floor below is a break from this formula . it really isn’t up until the very end of the film that any of the characters’ feelings are on the screen in a flagrant manner . as such , don’t expect this to be much of a crowdpleaser . luckily patarescu and dima stick with their own inspections until the end .
one day , just as he and jerry arrive back at their building from a walk , patrascu passes an apartment one floor below his own and hears a heated argument kicking off between student laura ( voiced by maria popistasu , who also plays laura’s sister later ) and her next - door neighbor , vali dama ( iulian postelnicu ) . it’s obvious that the two have been having an affair , and that the married vali is possessive and possibly a bit violent . when vali suddenly bursts through the door and sees patrascu on the stairwell , no more than a curt hello is exchanged between them . however , it’s clear that in that instant vali now knows that patrascu knows about the affair , and this glancing , two - second exchange will have far reaching repercussions for both of them .
a good life , an average life , is severely shaken , and sandu’s quandary — to tell or not to tell — channels directly into his conscience . what works so well in “one floor below” is how muntean sets this dilemma off against the patrascus’ daily existence : they have friends and family , olga helps matei with his math homework , sandu enters jerry in a canine contest . at the registration office the people know and like him ; he has a sense of humor — his private phone ring is a recording of ceaucescu’s voice . is a sense of societal responsibility a necessary component of a decent fellow ?
the city to city program , spotlighting london this year , includes four world premieres in its slate : tom geens’ “couple in a hole , ” george amponsah’s “the hard stop , ” david farr’s “the ones below” and michael caton - jones’ “urban hymns . ”
dima ( iulian postelnicu ) lives downstairs with his wife . however he was having an affair with the young woman on the ground floor . soon after that overheard fight , she’s taken out in a bodybag after a ( rumoured ) blow to the head .
as i was watching the film , i admired how subtle it is in portraying a man whose sense of social belonging and responsibility has been destroyed almost totally by the authoritarian political system he grew up in . at the same time , i feared that the way of articulating the subject matter may be too offhand and subtle for it to fully register with audiences that haven’t grown up ( as i have ) within the former communist block . the key to appreciating
one floor below” is to keep in mind that it takes place in a country still troubled by its past—just like the son of the main character proves to be troubled by chaotic , video game - fueled dreams in the film’s last , strangely comforting scene that is as close as muntean gets here to articulating something akin to hope .
paul hanganu loves two women . adriana his wife and the mother of their daughter , the woman with whom he ' s shared the thrills of the past ten years , and raluca the woman who has made him redefine himself . he has to leave one of them before christmas .
the camera almost never leaves sandu patrascu ( teodor corban ) , but it’s not quite accurate to say audiences see the action through his eyes — rather , the character’s steady presence forces us to question his motivation without condemning him . he’s a perfectly “normal” guy , sharing a business with his wife , olga ( oxana moravec ) , as car - registration expediters , lavishing attention on his golden lab , jerry , and being a decent dad to his son , matei ( ionut bora ) . while going home , he hears a violent argument in a first - floor apartment between laura ( maria popistasu ) and her horny , married neighbor on the second floor , vali ( iulian postelnicu ) . lingering a little longer than he should in the hall , sandu encounters vali exiting .
contemporary world cinema — the program with the broadest global reach — adds 56 movies , including 26 world premieres . leanne pooley’s “25 april , ” which uses animation to tell the story of the 1915 battle of gallipoli ; christopher doyle’s “hong kong trilogy : preschooled preoccupied preposterous” ; eric khoo’s singapore hotel - set “in the room” ; and salem brahimi’s family drama set in 1980s algeria , “let them come , ” which is one of six films featured in the fest’s contemporary world speakers series , have been added to the lineup .
all this comes wrapped in a suspense scenario : muntean’s signature device is a long take of an ostensibly innocent conversation , usually focused on technicalities in a specific field ( dental care in
tuesday” , computer equipment in
floor” ) , with a subtle tension mounting due to viewers being privy to the characters’ hidden secrets . by stretching those moments in time , muntean not only builds palpable tension , but also shows the length his characters are willing to go in order to avoid confrontation with the truth and maintain illusion of order in their lives ( this very delusion may be , in fact , his favorite subject ) .
this year’s opener of the section was naomi kawase’s
an ,
a cloyingly sentimental yarn of an elderly pastry chef transforming lives around her through the magic she does with the titular pancake filling . kawase is a long - time cannes darling and i may be alone in my emotional immunity to her films , but it needs to be said that this particular one feels extremely calculated in its effort to become an arthouse version of the popular inspiration - through - cookery genre that gave us
babette’s feast” and
chef ” at its best , and
chocolat” and
eat pray love ” at its worst .
sandu patrascu is an ordinary romanian citizen , living in a comfortable apartment in bucharest . he has a good job ( in the vehicle registration business ) , a wife ( no - nonsense olga ) , a teenage son ( computer - obsessed matei ) and a ( trained ) dog . on the whole , he feels good about himself . one day though , he gets upset by an incident he is the witness of : a violent quarrel taking place on the other side of a female neighbor ' s door . worse , vali , another neighbor , leaves the apartment while sandu stands in the staircase listening . even worse , laura , the young woman he has heard shouting is found murdered . what will patrascu do under such circumstances ?
high - profile crowd gathers to celebrate u . k . film at the toronto film festival
david gordon green’s “ our brand is crisis , ” starring sandra bullock and billy bob thornton ; james vanderbilt’s cbs scandal film “ truth , ” starring cate blanchett and robert redford ; and “twilight” director catherine hardwicke’s “miss you already , ” starring drew barrymore and toni collette , will world premiere at the 2015 toronto international film festival , it was announced tuesday .
natalie portman’s “a tale of love and darkness , ” based on amos oz’s bestselling novel , will receive its north american premiere following its debut at the cannes film festival .
in all , toronto added almost 100 films ( including more than 40 world premieres ) across its gala , special presentations , city to city , contemporary world cinema and wavelengths programs . it also added 38 international short films to short cuts .
the festival will close with the world premiere of paco cabezas’ “mr . right , ” a romantic comedy with a hitman twist , starring anna kendrick and sam rockwell .
wavelengths , the festival’s experimental strand , adds 54 films ( 10 feature length ) , videos and installations .
galas “disorder , ” director alice winocour , france / belgium ( north american premiere ) “man down , ” director dito montiel , usa ( north american premiere ) “miss you already , ” director catherine hardwicke , united kingdom ( world premiere ) “mississippi grind , ” director ryan fleck , anna boden , usa ( canadian premiere ) “mr . right , ” director paco cabezas , usa ( world premiere ) ( closing night film )
david gordon green’s “our brand is crisis , ” starring sandra bullock and billy bob thornton ; james vanderbilt’s cbs scandal film “truth , ” starring cate blanchett and robert redford ; and “twilight” director catherine hardwicke’s “miss you already , ” starring drew barrymore and toni collette , will world premiere at the 2015 toronto international film festival , it was announced tuesday . natalie [ … ]
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jermaine fowler and omari hardwick of sorry to bother you take us back in time to the worst jobs of their careers .
out of enthusiasm , a militia soldier abandons his platoon and decides to fight for the cause of the revolution . his lieutenant and the rest of the crew look for him during the confused night of 22 - 23 december 1989 .
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after the terrible news of a fatal car accident involving her son , a desperate mother will do anything in her powers to set her child free .
emanuel spends his days at a sanatorium . falling in love with another patient , he narrates his and his fellow patients ' attempts to live life to the fullest as their bodies slowly fade away , but their minds refuse to give up .
a newbie agrees to deliver the wrong merchandise for money . he will learn soon that this trip will change his views about life , forever .
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two weeks before his release , a teenage prisoner learns that his mother has returned home . meanwhile , he finds himself in love with a student working in the penitentiary as an intern .
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enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with prime video .
patrascu ( teodor corban ) spends a lot of time caring for his happy golden retriever . his son is so consumed with videogames he mumbles about passcodes in his sleep . everything about his life is mundane to the point that , as an audience member , you begin projecting great importance onto every strangely front - and - centre detail . oh , i should point out that patrescu probably knows there’s a murder in his building . but he isn’t sure and , more importantly , he feels guilty because he only suspects because he was eavesdropping on an argument , and the potential killer caught him in the act .
“life is also made of stuff like this , ” a bored , by - the - book cop tells patrascu after a semi - formal interview , in which patrascu gives nothing away . it’s a line that resonates throughout this movie . there’s a lot of stuff on the screen , and some of it is excruciatingly boring . it is up to you , in the audience , to figure out if what we’re seeing is actually plot , or if these long scenes about nothing are just the naturalism inherent in new romanian cinema .
yet this is all by design . as patrascu rolls what he thinks he knows over in his mind , he’s hired by dima to help him change the title and deed of his car . he takes the job , maybe so he can keep a closer eye on the young man . perhaps dima hires him so he can keep an eye back . why didn’t patrascu mention the argument to the cops ? dima also starts showing up around the house , helping patrascu install motion sensors to the kid’s xbox console . in any other suspense movie riffing this hard on rear window , a line about installing a webcam would mean soundtrack stingers and close - ups . not here . this is detached , flat film - making at its most bare . you figure out which lines of dialogue deserve to be underlined .
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radu muntean’s new drama revolves around teodor corban as a man who withholds key evidence when his downstairs neighbor is found dead .
appreciation may vary when it comes to particular examples of the romanian new wave , but you ' ve got to give these filmmakers their due : they’re great at titles . from the starkly apt the death of mr . lazarescu and the quantitatively resonant 4 months , 3 weeks and 2 days to the irony - laden child’s pose , so many of the major recent romanian films have monikers that wring heady significance from a seemingly innocuous detail . it’s all about finding austere poetry in the messy stuff of everyday life , on every level .
like several other protagonists in muntean’s films , sandu patrascu ( corban ) is a middle - aged , middle - class average joe , but more honest and grounded that the philandering heroes of christmas and boogie . a professional fixer who navigates the intricacies of romanian bureaucracy for people with vehicle - registration problems , he’s well - liked by clients and colleagues , loving towards his wife olga ( oxana moravec ) and geeky pubescent son matei ( ionut bora ) , and positively doting towards his golden retriever jerry , whose poop he always bags responsibly .
some time passes as patrascu has dinner with his family , and goes back to work , but when he comes home that evening , the building is in a quiet uproar . laura has been found dead . maybe it was an accident , maybe not : the neighbors aren’t really sure . but when vali starts hovering about the building entrance , making excessively friendly overtures towards matei and trying to read patrascu’s poker face , it’s clear he’s worried that sandu might reveal what he knows , especially when a policeman ( muntean - regular adrian vancica ) starts making door - to - door enquiries .
the script plants hints about patrascu’s motivations like a trail of tiny breadcrumbs , which make this something of thriller in its very low - key , hyper - realistic way , filmed with unfussy clarity by tudor lucaciu . a vast swathe of the running time is taken up with observing patrascu going about his business as the dmv - like vehicle - registration center , interludes which almost become drolly amusing in their monotony . and then suddenly there’s a thunderbolt of violence , and all the masks of civility slip .
a moral quandary melds with a skilled construction of three - dimensional bourgeois life in radu muntean ' s lean , absorbing anti - thriller .
teodor corban , iulian postelnicu , oxana moravec , ionut bora , tatiana iekel , vlad ivanov , mihaela sirbu , ioana flora , maria popistasu , liviu cheloiu . ( romanian dialogue )
later that day , sandu gets word that laura is dead , possibly murdered . the police come to question the building’s occupants , and sandu stays mum , not even telling olga about the argument , although there’s little doubt in either his mind or the viewer’s that vali murdered laura . but maybe , just maybe , if sandu doesn’t say a word , it will all blow over .
but vali lives in the same building , and he’s not going away . he hangs around , a figure of quiet menace with a s–t - eating grin that’s designed to make sandu uneasy . then he asks sandu to help with his car registration , and ingratiates himself in the family by connecting matei’s xbox and offering computer advice . vali is wondering why sandu didn’t turn him in , sandu is wondering whether vali is a threat to his family , and tension is building on all sides .
the script’s ability to keep all these ideas in play while maintaining a satisfyingly low - key approach speaks to its strengths , reinforced by the way the camera constantly privileges sandu with frequent shallow focus and lighting . corban , still best known for “12 : 08 east of bucharest , ” warrants the camera’s attention , delivering a performance in which the interior struggles exist just under the skin . he’s a fully developed character , and his near - omnipresence , within a limited span of time , increases the sense of pressures doggedly wearing at his soul . postelnicu’s chilling aura , steeped in menacing smugness , lingers even when he’s offscreen .
muntean again works with his usual tech collaborators ( d . p . tudor lucaciu and editor alexandru radu ) , achieving a degree of minimalism that never feels empty or trying . his characters are the focus , and through them , a regular life becomes weighted with a moral dilemma of quasi - dostoevskian proportions .
reviewed at cannes film festival ( un certain regard ) , may 14 , 2015 . running time : 93 min . ( original title : “un etaj mai jos
)
production : ( romania - france - germany - sweden ) an epicentre films ( in france ) release of a multi media est , les films d’apres midi , neue mediopolis filmproduktion , bleck film & tv production , with the participation of cnc , institut francais , hbo romania , cofinova 11 , cine plus , chimney . ( international sales : films boutique , paris . ) produced by dragos vilcu . delegate producer , oana kelemen . co - producers , francois d’artemare , alexander ris , christine haupt , anna croneman . co - executive producers , jessica ask , fredrick zander , frank evers , helge neubronner , andreas eicher .
crew : directed by radu muntean . screenplay , alexandru baciu , muntean , razvan radulescu . camera ( color , widescreen ) , tudor lucaciu ; editor , alexandru radu ; music , electric brother ; production designer , sorin dima ; costume designer , eliza frone ; sound , andre rigaut , alexandru radu ; line producer , christine haupt ; assistant director , sebastian mihailescu ; casting , andrei amarfoaie , carmen sandu .
with : teodor corban , iulian postelnicu , oxana moravec , ionut bora , tatiana iekel , vlad ivanov , mihaela sirbu , ioana flora , maria popistasu , liviu cheloiu . ( romanian dialogue )
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
movies and tv shows are certified fresh with a steady tomatometer of 75 % or higher after a set amount of reviews ( 80 for wide - release movies , 40 for limited - release movies , 20 for tv shows ) , including 5 reviews from top critics .
writer - director radu muntean occupies his characters with trivial matters but the weirdly ambiguous conflict between the two men eventually comes to a boil .
like a pot set to bubble only every few seconds , the drama is tightly measured to ensure a controlled level of tension that remains discreetly constant .
the film takes a character who would be merely incidental in a more conventional film and uses him to construct a poignant meditation on responsibility , guilt and community .
it ' s a bit of a shaggy dog tale and quite a disappointment from this talented director .
a surprising and provocative piece of romanian filmmaking . [ full review in spanish ]
surprising romanian thriller with deep moral conflicts and a strong dramatic load . [ full review in spanish ]
in its quiet accretion of everyday details , with key events happening off - screen or on the obscure margins , the beautifully shot tale is equal parts dostoyevsky and chantal akerman .
deftly scripted , subtle and challenging , this is a film which reminds us why muntean is such an important contributor to the romanian new wave .
read more : interview : director radu muntean talks ‘tuesday , after christmas’ & prison set documentary .
and i mean slowly . muntean is fascinated , as he was in ‘tuesday’ with the lived - in business of living , but here he indulges that fascination to the point of exasperation and beyond . in drab shots indifferently composed , we follow patrascu through seemingly every minute step of his everyday routine , to the point that it feels like most of the film is him driving around grey streets in an ugly compact car , monosyllabically answering his cellphone , trying to find a parking spot , going to an office , bringing in some forms , trading tired cliches with old acquaintances , and on and on and on .
of course this is entirely the point . we are supposed to watch incident , encounter and conscience work upon him incrementally , until he’s pushed towards a moment of crisis , but patrascu as a character is so frustratingly passive that when a final confrontation does occur , it is too little drama , too late on and we still have no real idea if he has undergone any actual arc of change . dima too is a mystery to us , his motives for involving himself threateningly with patrascu and not simply thanking his lucky stars he didn’t talk , are muddy . and patrascu’s wife and son are ciphers , merely there to be hovering presences on the fringes of the man’s banal daily life .
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eric kohn and anne thompson discuss their favorite films of the year so far . they also debate several new releases and share some streaming recommendations .
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the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
roger ebert ' s speech on empathy for the
11th hour
series on april 9th , 1994 , being republished here in honor of his birthday june 18 .
roger ebert was born on this day in 1942 , and died a little over five years ago . i owe a good part of my success…
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a tribute to the late tab hunter , a gay matinee idol and hollywood trailblazer .
the cannes international film festival is the most talked - about film festival of the year , where directors from around the world showcase their newest work , from the most challenging art cinema to the big blockbusters . for many years , roger ebert and a team of contributors have covered cannes , and we are continuing that tradition with start - to - finish coverage from around the festival .
cannes may be still abuzz with the roaring engines of george miller ’s
mad max : fury road ”—a joyful act of kinetic overkill that provided a tingly morning jolt to members of the press—but there’s also a quieter fare playing here that can be no less thrilling in its own unassuming way .
whereas the main competiton kicked off yesterday with matteo garrone ’s
tale of tales , ” an interesting if uneven rumination on the theme of loss and disenchantment , today saw the opening of a side section called un certain regard , which is nominally a second - string competition , but sometimes offers films to rival the quality of those officially vying for the golden palm ( as was the case with such fare as alain guiraudie ’s
stranger by the lake ” and ruben östlund ’s
force majeure ” ) .
formally speaking , the film’s inoffensive simplicity suggests finger - painting , and offers about as much sophistication in terms of character development and theme . also , to this foodie’s disappointment , kawase doesn’t try to come up with a way of filming food preparation itself that would seem appropriately loving and sensual . instead , we end up literally staring into a simmering pot of beans for much of the film’s running time , while the main character ( rather bullyingly ) brings good cheer to everyone she meets—especially her grumpy boss , whose dislike of sweets is an all - too - easy shorthand for the chronic unhappiness from which he suffers .
an interview with terry gilliam , director of
the man who killed don quixote .
the place for everything that doesn ' t have a home elsewhere on rogerebert . com , this is a collection of thoughts , ideas , snippets , and other fun things that roger and others posted over the years .
more moviegoers see films on video in some form than ever before - - whether streaming on demand , cable or satellite , instant download services , dvd or blu - ray . even high - profile pictures become available to home viewers before or at the same time as their theatrical release . reviewing them is a job for . . . the demanders !
our far - flung correspondents are cinephiles from all over the world , hand - picked by roger ebert to write about movies from their unique international perspectives . they include contributors from ( alphabetically ) brazil , canada , egypt , great britain , india , mexico , the philippines , south korea , turkey and the u . s . they converge every year at ebertfest .
since he started as film critic for the chicago sun - times in 1967 , and began covering movies locally and at international film festivals , roger ebert has met and interviewed countless movie idols , artists and unknowns - - some of them even before they became famous . there ' s hardly a major figure in the history of movies , from the last part of the 20th century into the 21st , that he hasn ' t encountered .
roger ebert has attended international film festivals and events for almost half a century , from the kolkata international film festival to the academy awards . in addition to his coverage , our contributors report the latest from cannes , telluride , toronto , sundance and other movie showcases world - wide .
life itself ,
based on roger ebert ' s memoir and directed by steve james , will open in theaters and be available on demand on july 4 , 2014 .
the opening shot of a movie can tell us a lot about how to view and interpret what follows . it can even represent the whole movie in miniature . the opening shots project collects illustrated analyses of some of jim emerson ' s favorites , and contributions from scanners readers .
the ebert club is our hand - picked selection of content for ebert fans . you will receive a weekly newsletter full of movie - related tidbits , articles , trailers , even the occasional streamable movie . club members also get access to our members - only section on urltoken


alone in the dark ii is a 2008 german-american horror film starring rick yune , rachel specter and lance henriksen .

the film was directed by peter scheerer and michael roesch .

it is a sequel to uwe boll 's 2005 film alone in the dark , although it features an entirely new cast and a story that is unrelated to the original film .

alone in the dark ii ( film )

turner was a female character that appeared in second alone in the dark film .
alone in the dark ii was filmed in new york city and los angeles . it is loosely based on the atari alone in the dark video game series .
alone in the dark ii was filmed in new york city and los angeles . it is loosely based on the infogrames ' alone in the dark video game series .
alone in the dark retrospective – slasher film with an oscar winning . . .
this article is a stub about stuff in the alone in the dark first film and its sequel , which is loosely connected to the original . you can help the alone in the dark wiki by expanding it .
not a sequel to the original alone in the dark film , this film replaces christian slater from the original film with another actor who looks nothing like him .
no one is ever alone , or in the dark is this unnecessary , dull , sequel .
the infobox template in this article is missing some required data . you can help the alone in the dark wiki by filling it in .
this section is needed but has not been written yet . you can help alone in the dark wiki by writing it .
reviewing the film for ign , r . l . shaffer wrote :
uwe boll ' s alone in the dark did not require a sequel . critics hated the film . fans hated the film . . . . thankfully though , alone in the dark ii is actually a much better film than the first . it ' s a touch light on action , and the setting is far more limited in terms of production design , but the tone is a little more in keeping with the ideas of the game franchise . . . . look at alone in the dark ii more as a reboot than a sequel and it plays ok .
what the fuck , this is not alone in the dark , this is more like shit mix with other shit . 0 . 5 / 5stars
sorry to say , but this movie just doesn ' t have the fun or character of it ' s 2005 predecessor , alone in the dark .
to be honest i didn ' t think the first alone in the dark movie was quite as bad as its reputation . it was flawed but watchable .
alone in the dark , released in 2005 and directed by uwe boll , is a very loose adaptation of the franchise that popularized and kick - started the survival horror genre of video games . the film uses a few character names and basic plot elements from 2001 ' s alone in the dark the new nightmare , but this is where the similarities between the two continuities end .
is a 2008 horror film , starring rick yune , lance henriksen , bill moseley , rachel specter and danny trejo , directed by peter scheerer and michael roesch . it is a sequel to uwe boll ' s 2005 film alone in the dark .
a direct - to - video sequel entitled alone in the dark ii was released in 2008 . uwe boll produced , but did not direct , the second movie ( the actual directors , peter scheerer and michael roesch , were also the directors for the house of the dead sequel dead aim ) .
thankfully though , alone in the dark ii is actually a much better film than the first . it ' s a touch light on action , and the setting is far more limited in terms of production design , but the tone is a little more in keeping with the ideas of the game franchise . now , that doesn ' t mean this sequel follows the plot of the game series at all - - it doesn ' t , not even one bit . but at least , alone in the dark ii feels like it ' s trying to be a real movie , and it succeeds because it ' s not nearly as embarrassing as the first .
michael is almost fully in the dark as he tells his mother his fears of losing his family .
the other problematic aspect to alone in the dark is that it appears to have a bit of an identity crisis . it wanders back and forth between attempting to be a slasher film and trying to be a thriller . in the process of trying to pander to both crowds , the film sometimes misses out on pleasing either . a lot of the slasher film tropes are abandoned in an attempt to fall into the thriller sub - genre but the deaths are much too violent for alone in the dark not to be classified as a horror film . it finds its footing by the end but the tug of war that seems to be going on is distracting .
alone in the dark was released by infogrames in 1992 for the pc . following capcom’s 1989 game , sweet home , alone in the dark was one of the very first survival horror video games and used many elements of the cthulhu mythos in its story line ( which is kind of funny , since h . p . lovecraft himself hated games ) . the survival horror genre later became popularized by capcom’s tremendously successful resident evil series and konmai’s silent hill series . alone in the dark spawned four sequels and stood as a pretty respectable franchise , that was until uwe boll got his grimy hands on it and directed a horrible movie with the same title , loosely based on the games .
the film is to be released in 80 cinemas in the us on 9 october , then countrywide on 23 october . in the uk the film will open on 13 november .
alone in the dark ii is presented in 2 . 40 : 1 anamorphic widescreen . i ' ll hand it to boll and co . , it ' s rare to see a dtv film , let alone a sequel , shot on film . 35mm no less . and their efforts yield a surprisingly theatrical presentation despite the film ' s obvious budget limitations . there is a fine haze of grain on the print - - common among super35 prints . the film also exhibits a soft haze throughout that doesn ' t lend itself to sharp , clean image detail , but at least the film looks like a real movie , as opposed to most low - grade dtv titles out there .
okay . well , while the first
alone in the dark
movie , you know , the one with christian slater and tara reid , was hardly a masterpiece , then i had expected the sequel to at least be equally ' good ' , if not better . that was not the case .
alone in the dark ii
was even less interesting in story and plot than its predecessor , however unlikely that was . but alas , it was . i will say that they had an interesting cast , which included bill moseley and lance henriksen ! two of the more iconic names and faces in the horror genre . but even their appearances did little to lift up the train wreck that is known as
alone in the dark ii
. it should be said , though , that the movie had rather good special effects , which at least added some element of enjoyment to it . the evil force that was supposed to be threatening the world in the movie , was just simply not interesting enough to even present anything even remotely worthwhile to the story .
alone in the dark ii
is simply just not worth it . and if you are a fan of the game franchise , do yourself an immense favor and stay well clear of this one .
the new steve jobs film premiered back in early september at the 42nd annual telluride film festival in colorado and reviewers seem to like the film . here is what the reviewers had to say following that preview :
winslet also discussed how the film was shot , saying : “the way in which that film was shot was extraordinary…” said winslet .
alone in the dark is one of my all - time favorite movies ( ok , just kidding ) . yeah , this movie isn ' t perfect , but it ' s not too bad either . going in to this movie , i was fully expecting the same complete rubbish that alone in the dark was . however , i was fairly surprised . it was by no means perfect , but it wasn ' t that bad . it seems like a decent movie that was made with a really low budget . only thing i don ' t know is , why is this movie called alone in the dark 2 ? it has not much similarities with the first film . . anyway its a good movie with some great actors : )
steve jobs also premiered at the new york film festival in early october . and then closed the london film festival on 18 october .
half and hour into the movie , i was compelled to turn it off and move on . this movie has all the traits of an uwe boll creation , so that should tell you how watchable alone in the dark 2 is .
look at alone in the dark ii more as a reboot than a sequel and it plays ok . production values are high for a dtv flick , and the film is surprisingly competent - - it ' s just incredibly dry , and not particularly entertaining . the dvd looks pretty good , but the 5 . 1 mix is a mess . extras are pretty mundane , too . rent this one at your own risk .
was surprised . like others have said it won ' t change your world but you can do far worse than this movie . i was entertained . if you saw alone in the dark 1 and didn ' t like it don ' t let it discourage you from seeing this one . i thought the cast , script and acting was far better in this movie . ( i know that ' s not exactly saying much ) they wisely choose to ignore the first movie completely . probably should have just called it alone in the dark : the fate of existence instead of alone in the dark 2 . i know some people have issues with rick yune ' s casting in the lead role but i honestly don ' t know what the big deal is . i thought it brought something different to the table .
the biggest problem with alone in the dark is the pacing . tension is established throughout the first act and then things really drop off in the second , only to pick up again in the third . the ups and downs make the film play out as a little bit uneven and off kilter . fortunately , the last 30 minutes really reward the viewer’s patience . the finale is grand by design and will not disappoint .
rd
changed my makeup so that they couldn ' t use anything from the first film for the second film .
uwe boll ' s alone in the dark did not require a sequel . the film , which made about $ 5 at the box office , was a massive flop . critics hated the film . fans hated the film . the story was dumb and incoherent , and the execution of the material was downright abysmal . add in tara reid ' s laugh - out - loud performance ( which allegedly was excised from boll ' s own
director ' s cut
) and you ' ve got the worst film of 2005 , by a long shot .
exorcist ii : the heretic director john boorman :
the idea of making a metaphysical thriller was terribly seductive to my psyche .
they hide in plain sight , suddenly visible in one frame and gone in the next .
alone in the dark is a mostly solid horror film that has moments of greatness and moments of mediocrity . it is definitely worth a look for genre film fans . while it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table , it is entertaining and features a variety of great performances from all of its leads . the new line dvd has plenty of special features , including an audio commentary with director and interviews with the cast , as well as the punk band that appears in the film .
he describes events in the film as being nothing like the reality : “almost nothing in it is like it really happened . ”
that ' s just over a month after the film started showing in the us . in the us the film hit 80 theatres from friday 9 october before roling out to all cinemas on 23 october .
yes . . . it ' s that time again ! i bit the bullet and continued my venture into celluloid atrocities . however , alone in the dark 2 . . . is so bland , so unimpressively average that . . . it makes little impression . good or bad .
3 . the iconic ( an overused word , but appropriate in this case ) image of father merrin standing outside the macneil house illuminated in a beam of light was inspired by magritte ' s the empire of light ii .
but everything finally settled down , with a leading man selected and a couple of trailers for the movie released . the film premiered at the telluride film festival in colorado at the end of september , so some reviews appeared as early as that . then the film was also shown at the new york film festival at the beginning of october .
in addition to boasting a great cast , alone in the dark is also noteworthy for having one of its killers don a hockey mask before jason ever did so in a friday the 13 th film . it’s often been speculated that this picture served as inspiration for jason’s iconic hockey mask and the town that dreaded sundown provided inspiration for bag - head jason . whether or not there is a correlation , it’s an interesting bit of trivia , to say the least .
alas , alone in the dark ii doesn ' t fail because it ' s a bad movie ; it ' s just not a very good one - - dragged down by a dull narrative and uninteresting leads . the film is certainly better than its predecessor , and many will probably find themselves enjoying what ' s here , but the sequel is still not nearly as entertaining , or scary , as the games that inspired it . let ' s hope this is the last we see of this wasted franchise , at least until the rights are no longer in the hands of boll and company .
but last year newtype magazine broke the story that plans were in the works to adapt the entire berserk story into anime . the first step in this plan is a trilogy of movies—all to be released in 2012—that cover the first story arc once again . with the second film , berserk golden age arc ii : the battle for doldrey , hitting theaters this weekend in japan , now seemed like the perfect time to cover the first movie , berserk golden age arc i : the egg of the king , which came out back in february . but does the first film in the trilogy set a standard of quality worthy of the source material , or is this one of those times that it would have been better off leaving well enough alone ?
reviews could easily sink dark tower into the high teens over three days giving christopher nolan’s dunkirk a third weekend no . 1 win in the vicinity of $ 16m . to date , the world war ii british movie has amassed $ 116m through two weeks . the dark tower was financed 50 / 50 by mrc and sony at a reported $ 60m . sony is hoping that king fans and african american and hispanic audiences will take this title to a higher level at the b . o . dark tower follows the last gunslinger , roland deschain ( idris elba ) , who is locked in an eternal battle with the man in black ( matthew mcconaughey ) and determined to prevent him from toppling the dark tower , which holds the universe together . in the king series , there are also easter eggs and homages to the author’s previous classics such as the shining , pet sematary and more .
berserk golden age arc i : the egg of the king was released in japanese theaters on february 4 , 2012 . a western release is planned for sometime this fall . stay tuned to kotaku east for the review of the second film in the series , berserk golden age arc ii : the battle for doldrey , late next week .
in the first few weeks since opening just 60 cinemas in the us , the steve jobs film has made $ 2 . 26m . the movie will go on full release in the us on friday 23 october .
an absolute mess of a film , makes the original look like a masterpiece .
at least the first one was so crappy it was entertaining . this is not . no conection to the first one , cruddy effects , bad acting , and just plain boring . that is the biggest problem . boring ! in the first , there were plenty of cheesey action scences to keep you entertained . this time , they do nothing but talk about witchs . snore . also , it has even less to do with the game then the first . the first was loosly based on alone in the dark : new nightmare . this on has no bussiness even being called alone in the dark 2 . only connection at all : the main charcter is still named edward carnby , but now hes a asian guy who cant act to save his live .
one - by - one , michael destroys those closest to him , sending the film toward its inevitable tragic conclusion , which the bbc called “a shattering act of violence which leaves him unassailable , invincible — and utterly alone . ” ( g )
the film spectrum began as a labor of love in may 2005 , and after years of obsessive research , launched in october 2011 . two months later ,
even exists in the first place . the first was a colossal flop , earning only half of what uwe boll’s previous film (
warner bros . ’ dunkirk is currently at $ 4m - $ 5m today with a weekend three of $ 14 . 5m to $ 16 . 5m . this film still has its imax auditoriums in its control , and again , no surprise here if it overtakes dark tower depending on the audience reaction to dark tower . on the high - end , dunkirk’s grasp will be $ 132 . 45m .
in the second weekend the movie made 69 percent less profit than it did in the previous weekend .
when the night falls , and the creatures of the dark are crawling out of the shadows , there is only one man who stands between us and evil : edward carnby .
he told the wall street journal that the film examines “only one aspect of jobs’ personality . ”
now , there’s a sequel to boll’s cinematic mess , alone in the dark 2 . although , he doesn’t direct the sequel , he is the producer and the film bears his fingerprints . we open with a dark and stormy night , three people , one of them severely injured , are rushing through a wooded area running from an unseen force , looking for refuge , which they find in a decrepit public restroom . coke - head , xavier ( zack ward ) hears the group approaching and hides in one of the bathroom’s stalls . the injured man appears to have some fatal disease for his body is running with black veins that are slowly growing longer . the woman in the group produces a dagger , which becomes the center point of a little later in the film , and removes a small vial from its hilt . after destroying the vial , whatever they were running away from finally reaches the bathroom , butchers the group and attacks xavier .
jack sholder ( a nightmare on elm street ii : freddy’s revenge ) is the cowriter of the film’s screenplay and also serves as the director . he shows proficiency at using lighting , camera angles , and audio cues to build tension but loses some of his momentum in the film’s second act . his script is a tad generic but with a very talented cast bringing the characters to life and a no holds barred kind of finale ; the viewer almost forgets that a lot of things about the film are just average .
tracking initially showed the dark tower opening at no . 1 in the low $ 20m range , but the film , which is not a faithful adaptation of the book not to mention a patchwork of genres , has been blasted by critics with a 20 % rotten tomatoes score . sony , much like with emoji movie last week , held the review embargo date until the latest possible time on this film .
this single - disc dvd comes packed in a black amaray case with a glossy slipcover . artwork is consistent with the first film .
the film was released in germany on september 25 , 2008 , in the united kingdom on july 27 , 2009 and in the united states on january 26 , 2010 . an american blu - ray release is sold exclusively by best buy .
i did not know what to do last night , as it was unexpectedly raining in dubai . i stopped by the grand cinemas at the mercato mall and for some unknown reason , decided to spend . . . sorry waste 30 dirhams to see that movie . yes , i found myself alone in the dark too ! the only guy in that movie theatre . at first i thought i was early , which actually was the case , then as the movie started , i realized that i was still alone in the dark . then after half an hour watching that movie , i did understand why . . . but never did understand the story of that movie , if any . anyway , arriving early was also good in itself , as i did at least enjoyed the commercials and movies preview . but alone in the dark 2 , was absolutely crap ! bad acting , with newbie actors staring from time to time at the camera ( damned ! they told me already it is not a prop ! ) , the worst special effects i have ever seen so far , the worst cg , the worst story and i still wonder how they managed to make a sequel . the veins appearing on that chinese guy are amazing ! ! ! you can even see the glue to stick them to the skin ! ! ! ! 1 ( awful ) out of 10 , but honestly it deserves a 0 or minus something . . .
the series does just as well on fan polls . the godfather is tied with the shawshank redemption for the highest score on urltoken ( 9 . 2 ) , while the godfather part ii comes in third ( 9 . 0 ) . that’s two of the public’s three favorite movies .
that spoils pretty much the entire plot of the film , including what could have been good plot twists .
michael’s journey from war hero to vicious killer in the original godfather sets the stage for the godfather part ii . the sequel tells two simultaneous tales : the rise of the father , and the fall of the son . in one storyline , we see the journey of vito ( robert de niro ) from sicily to ellis island ; from his petty first crime to his first murder in 1920s new york .
jason fraley holds an m . f . a in film & electronic media from american university and a b . a . in journalism from the university of maryland . he has contributed to
much of the film’s power is due to coppola’s right - hand man , cinematographer gordon willis , who provides one of the most talked - about lighting jobs in history . with daring overhead lighting and experiments in overexposure , willis creates what critic david thomson called a “bold exploration of film noir in color . ” ( b ) unfortunately he was never quite appreciated in his day , snubbed for nominations in both godfather i and ii , and receiving only two nominations in his career : zelig ( 1983 ) and the godfather part iii ( 1990 ) . the academy made it up to him with a lifetime achievement award the same year as roger corman , who had launched coppola’s career .
in part ii , hyman roth is kind enough to remind us of the corruption of sports , saying he’s liked baseball ever since chicago threw the world series in 1919 . in havana , fredo’s connection to roth is established against the backdrop of a cuban nightclub show . and in the little italy flashback , fannuci appears to have leverage of an italian opera singer . the shot of his silhouette passing the stage is quite disturbing .
with a dvd follow - up of the original
alone in the dark
movie , my prejudgment whispered in my ear that this will be just another worthless follower . actually , it wasn ' t that bad . the film had a much smaller budget than the original , but you could probably guess that since this was a straight to video movie . the cast is great and fun to watch . ok , this film is never going to win an oscar . it takes itself to seriously , the effects are occasionally ropey ( but good considering the budget ) and the acting is not always up to de nero ' s standard . but this is a great b movie . the cinematography is actually quite good considering the shooting time and the lighting in extremely good .
the movie may have been premiered , but boyle apparently told deadline that at the time he was still
tweaking little bits
in the film prior to release .
the movie was in eighth place over its opening weekend , and things have got steadily worse for it . according to macrumours the film has been pulled from more than 2 , 000 cinemas in the us after flopping at the box offic . in the second weekend the movie made 69 percent less profit than it did in the previous weekend .
15 . in fact , the response to the movie was so negative that boorman reedited the last part of the film ( which itself was heavily rewritten doing shooting ) in an attempt to improve reception as it rolled out in more and more theaters . he failed .
sony was originally going to make the film , but pulled out . instead , universal is running the project .
think about it . he goes off to sicily without contacting her , then pops back into her life to propose . she spends the rest of the film , and the sequel , locked up inside the corleone compounds . coppola foreshadows this in part i , showing kay behind the jail bars of the corleone gates . when kay is stopped at the lake tahoe gates in part ii , she fittingly wears a pinstriped outfit to echo her own jailed existence .
when more than one studio continually returns to the drawing board over the course of the decade , trying to stuff a piece of complex literature like dark tower into 90 - 120 minute structure , maybe it’s time to move on . dark tower , unlike harry potter , apparently is not easy to adapt one book at a time to screen so sony / mrc’s version pulled bits from all eight novels in the series . lindelof even said in a 2009 usa today interview that he loved the dark tower books and king so much , he was “terrified of screwing it up” and after lost couldn’t devote another seven years to a property of that magnitude .
exorcist star linda blair :
anybody who thinks this is a horror film is wrong .
, executives were very displeased with the slow , philosophical tone of schrader ' s film . they also wanted
however , sculley thinks that jeff daniels , the actor who portrays him in the film ,
accurately summarized a lot of the things i felt then , and now .
when the night falls , and the creatures of the dark are crawling out of the shadows , there is only one man who stands between us and evil : edward carnby . one of the most popular characters in video game history , edward carnby returns for a second mission .
oddly , it does have some slight resemblance to the game this time ( and someone is briefly alone in the dark , giving it one up on the original ) . the opening scene is very much like the one in the latest game ( the only one i’ve played all the way through , to be honest ) , where a dying exposition - spewing character gives info and an artifact to our hero . well , sub - hero . it’s actually paré , who would actually make a fine edward carmby ( and is dressed like him ) , but he just disappears from the movie and then yune steps in . sort of like
despite being as fiscally conservative as possible , film financiers assert that even if dark tower makes $ 90m worldwide , both sony and mrc will lose an estimated combined 25 % of their production cost ( around $ 15m ) , which is low next to other disasters this summer .
observed :
fraley , a film buff , is known for his savantlike ability to name every best picture winner in history , by year .
“pacino’s work in the middle film of francis ford coppola’s trilogy is the gravest of the greatest leading performances on film , ” wrote premiere magazine , who ranked it the # 20 best performance of all time . “the hollow - eyed pacino wins our empathy even as he wreaks evil . ” ( d )
praised the site for offering
lengthy , spirited reviews . . . with the ethos of a true film aficionado .
deadline spoke with woz about the film and the apple co - founder was enthusiastic , calling the film
authentic
.
i give full credit to danny boyle and aaron sorkin for getting it so right , ” he said .
in a screening of the movie in san francisco , sorkin was asked what jobs might think about the film if he were alive today , sorkin said , “if this movie were about someone else , he’d like it . ”
i just can ' t believe that a sequel to an absolute rubbish film would turn out to be good . after watching the first crappy alone in te dark i thought this one will also be the same , i rented it because i couldn ' t find another movie that looks good . uwe boll did not direct it so i was saying to myself
it shouldn ' t be bad as the first one
. the film was better than i expected . the story has a good pace with plenty of
plot
and action through - out the movie , and the acting was surprisingly good . and with that i mean that some of the actors were actually really good and the others decent ! so don ' t expect a perfect movie .
this movie suffers from the same problem as evangelion : you are ( not ) alone : much of the time , it is frame - for - frame , line - for - line , identical to the tv series . there is not a single deviation
the man in black fled across the desert , and the gunslinger followed .
because , you know . . . alone in the dark 1 was such a great film and all . was it really necessary to make an even worse sequel to an already horrible film ? this one is shockingly good at being completely worthless . the special effects were a complete mess . the acting was very hit or miss ( some did a fairly decent job however it ' s not worth sticking up for them as they agreed to work on this filth ) . the story is all over the place . i ' ve never seen a movie that felt like those involved realized nothing good was going to come of it so they just gave up and threw together what had been done and submitted it as a finished product . now i have .
one east coast producer / director who is also a die - hard dark tower fan criticized , “they crammed too much into the trailer , as well as too much in the film while oddly leaving key characters out . also , the studio and the filmmakers are trying to appeal to people who know nothing about the book rather than the hardcore fans who will see it , and spread the gospel of how amazing this series is . ”
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
prolonged prologue : the film opens with a long text crawl describing the backstory , while at the same time lazily narrated by uwe boll himself .
the movie is filmed in three different formats 16mm , 35mm , and digital , to represent the different times in which the scenes take place .
while dark tower was rallying as a top ticket seller earlier in the week , its sales slowed the minute reviews hit – the woe studios face in this rotten tomatoes era . last night’s money for the film directed by nikolaj arcel was notable , higher than focus features’ atomic blonde ( $ 1 . 52m ) last thursday ( which posted a $ 7 . 1m friday and $ 18 . 3m opening ) , and on par with ghost in the shell ( $ 7 . 7m friday , $ 18 . 7m weekend ) .
i played the games , and i always thought , that they would be amusing horror movies . . long before dr boll started to produce all that trash . all of them , every single game calling itself
alone in the dark
. . take place at night , and hey . . you were a - l - o - n - e . . . so what kind of movie have we got here ? without any connection to part one , though there was an open ending with carnby ( slater ) being attacked by some kind of monster , this new
masterpiece of german wanna - be - movie makers
has nothing , i repeat nothing to do with part one . . . what we get is some weird witch story . . about a crappy looking knife . . and some rotting b - or c - movie actors like ralf - i want to be like arnold - möller . there ' s no story . . believe me , and if there were one you wouldn ' t like to follow it . but : there are some amusing elements to be found in alone in the dark : so , slater ( poor guy lost all his reputation after his boll engagement ) has converted to ( wtf ? ) rick yune . . the guy from
die another day
or
fast and the furious
. . so why did they take an asian actor ? 90 percent of this pile of * * * * is shot at daylight . . so why do they call it
alone in the dark
? ? but for god ' s sake there ' s even more things to tell about this disaster . . but it would waste your time reading it as it were a waste of time to write it down . . there is no reason to watch
alone in the dark2
. . even for trash freaks !
dominion : prequel to the exorcist director paul schrader :
i had a different film in mind , more one about merrin ' s journey than strictly a horror vehicle .
speaking at a panel discussion about steve jobs after a screening of the film in manhattan , boyle describes jobs [ as portrayed in the movie ] : “everybody knows how [ jobs ] did behave , that he was a difficult guy , especially to some people . for reasons you see in the film , he explains why he’s like that : that he wants a players , and b players discourage the a players . he was brutal in explaining it , and also brutal on himself . ”
at this point , the corleone family is done . as tom and frankie lament in a powerful prison scene , the corleones have suffered the same fate as the roman empire . michael is left to ponder this as he sits alone at his lake tahoe estate , weighing the consequences of his actions and recalling better times when his loved ones were still alive .
sealed evil in a can : the movie has this , though watching the movie it can be hard to tell exactly what it is . the movie talks about a dark world that mirrors our light world , but at other times , it suggests that the abkani tribe that discovered them are the evil in the can . but then , it ' s uwe boll , so . . .
the ultimate foreshadowing is , of course , young vito’s life predicting michael’s . the parallel tales of part ii allow for some very clever transitions moving from vito’s story to michael’s , and vice versa . these moments , separated by time , are still connected by fate .
though far from a worthy successor to the original ( but why make impossible demands ? ) the film clearly could have been much worse .
if there’s one thing sony and mrc can be commended for , it’s realizing that when it comes to mounting audacious and risky projects , to do them at a low cost , never at valerian $ 180m levels . while the chances for a dark tower sequel are slim , sony / mrc will make sure that fans aren’t left unsatisfied : there’s a tv series already in the works with former walking dead showrunner glen mazzara . while the series will be separate from the film and focus on a younger gunslinger , the dark tower show is set to feature appearances by the pic’s stars elba , dennis haysbert and tom taylor . the series is also based on the fourth novel the wizard and glass .
the tomatometer rating – based on the published opinions of hundreds of film and television critics – is a trusted measurement of movie and tv programming quality for millions of moviegoers . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
take jobs and the other co - founder of apple , steve wozniak , played by seth rogan . woz is there at the launch of the mac in 1984 , randomly he is there before steve jobs goes on stage to talk next computers during the wilderness years , and even more randomly ( since in real life he no longer is working at apple at this time ) woz is there at the launch of the imac in 1997 . and you know what’s the most annoying thing about this – at each of these events , like a broken record woz is asking jobs to mention the apple ii team . not only does this make him sound like a bit of an idiot , it’s such a shame for woz to be presented in this light given that he actually worked as a consultant on the film – he was paid considerably for his efforts . it’s almost as if nobody listened to a word he said other than some comment he must have made about the apple ii .
wall of text : the opening text crawl , which was added to explain things beforehand after test audiences complained that the film was too confusing .
indeed , a lot changes between vito’s boyhood and adulthood . compare his view of the statue of liberty at both stages in life . at the start of part ii , coppola provides a sweeping shot of young vito and his fellow immigrants staring in wonder at the promise of lady liberty as the ship pulls into new york harbor . coppola romanticizes what it must have been like for those brave people landing on the shores of ellis island .
we think that the issue with the movie is that the team behind it didn’t appreciate their market . with so many apple fans around the world the film could have been a real hit – if it hadn’t portrayed the story in such a negative light .
4 . the film ' s prologue , set in iraq , was actually shot there in 1972 / 3 . the u . s . had no diplomatic relations with the country , and so friedkin had to take a british crew to work on scenes with actor max von sydow . the iraqi government agreed to the shoot under three circumstances : ( 1 ) friedkin & co . had to train local iraqis in film techniques , ( 2 ) they had to teach local iraqis how to make movie blood , and ( 3 ) friedkin had to donate a print of his oscar - winning film the french connection .
still , pacino’s own favorite moment came in the first film . it wasn’t his darting eyes before his first hit ; nor the steadiness of his hand outside the hospital . it wasn’t his hypocritical face at the baptism ; nor his lying eyes to kay at the end . for him , it was that slow walk across the street after the film’s final murder , purging a family outsider .
in addition to rota , coppola refused to “go against the family” and employed his father , carmine , who provides the music for the mafia war montage in part i , where he appears on screen as a piano player . together , the two shared an oscar for part ii , which features the beautiful “immigrant theme . ” how can one not get the chills when the strings kick in at 0 : 30 ? carmine was so excited to win an oscar that he dropped and broke his statue on the way back to his seat .
working hand - in - hand with godon willis’ sepia tones are some of the most ambitious period visuals ever attempted . part i covers ’40s new york , hollywood , sicily and las vegas , but is rather minimal in the exteriors it shows . with a bigger budget for part ii , coppola goes bigger , recreating not only ’50s nevada and miami , but also ’50s cuba ( shot in the dominican republic ) , 1901 ellis island , 1907 sicily and 1920s new york .
an odd film based on a computer game which was based on an even worse film . the computer effects are not bad at times but the character effects could have been done by a pre - schooler . the storyline seems to lose its way and the actors realise this and give up .
such brilliant parallelism pervades the films . we go from opening part i with a slow pull - back to reveal vito sitting at his desk , to opening part ii with michael seated at that same desk . we go from michael pulling out a specially - placed gun for his first murder in a bathroom , to vito doing the same for his first murder on a rooftop . we go from michael’s murder montage at the end of part i to his murder montage at the end of part ii . and we go from vito handling his first guns in his apartment bathtub , to frankie slitting his wrists in a bathtub — a fate originally intended for clemenza . screw castellano for not returning as clemenza . he ruined one of coppola’s most genius parallels .
dark tower is the third huge rock to be rolled uphill this summer along with king arthur and the mummy by the majors , only to watch them all come rolling down at the b . o . quite often when a production problem arises on these films , there’s a rush to solve them by committee natch and i hear that director nikolaj arcel ( in his hollywood directorial debut here following the foreign film nomination for his film a royal affair ) received a heavy dose of notes from both sony and mrc executives , not to mention there’s a heavy guard of producers here in ron howard , brian grazer , akiva goldsman ( who wrote various drafts ) and of course there’s king ( who has been very supportive of the film , rallying fans online to see it on twitter and bringing ny press and fans to see it in bangor maine ) .
however ,
unlike mr . sorkin , i did know the real steve jobs , for about 14 years . . . and the steve jobs portrayed in sorkin ' s film isn ' t the man i knew .
some behind the scenes footage and interviews are also included , but they’re not particularly essential . it’s kind of funny when lance admits he hasn’t seen the first film , and defends it by saying that he “didn’t think it would help” . you are very correct , sir . watching the first film helps no one , unless you love endless opening crawls ( which i was disappointed that this film did not have , though the end credits run over 6 minutes long , which i assume is to get the film to a promised 90 minute run - time ) .
on the bright side this weekend , as hollywood has called for more diversity in film and tv particularly post # oscarssowhite , here are three wide entries that star black actors in leading roles . while the dark tower is making a playing for king fans and genre moviegoers , there was concern among some trackers that kidnap and detroit might be vying for the same audience . indeed there is some significant overlap with both titles’ majorities being females over 25 : detroit is pulling in 44 % and kidnap 42 % according to comscore / screen engine’s posttrak . originally , kidnap moved on to this date to grab the female 18 - 25 demo with detroit expected to lure upscale arthouse demos and african americans . currently percent - wise , detroit is pulling in the greater amount of african americans at 40 % ( its leading demo ) to kidnap ‘s 25 % and dark tower ‘s 23 % .
arriving the same year as hitchcock’s final great film , the godfather marked a pivotal point in the filmmaking continuum of the 20th century . coppola both understands the masters of the past and embraces the flair of the 1970s hollywood renaissance . on the one hand , he wrote the word “hitchcockian” in the margins of his directing bible for influence in directing michael’s hospital visit . on the other , he upped the ante on arthur penn’s bonnie and clyde ( 1967 ) , using 149 “squibs” in sonny’s toll booth massacre and having carlo’s foot fly through a windshield to wipe the camera in a ballsy hood - mount . ( f )
the film will be out ( at least in the us ) very soon , but you don ' t have to wait to get a preview of it now . you can watch a couple of trailers now .
when hertzfeld spoke to re / code he hadn’t seen the final film , but what he saw he said : “deviates from reality everywhere” .
you can chide psycho ii for its hubris , and the fact that it won ' t ever get within shouting distance of a classic . but for a quiet summer escape with an old motel owner we used to know . . . yeah , it could be a lot worse .
1 . ) . the dark tower ( sony / mrc ) , 3 , 451 theaters / $ 7 . 7m fri . ( includes $ 1 . 8m previews ) / 3 - day cume : $ 19 . 6m / wk 1