"1917" is the latest film to slip in as an awards show contender, with a bafflingly late release date (the film won two Golden Globes before it even had a wide release). The largest point of discussion has been the stylistic choice to film and edit the story to appear as if it's happening in one take. Though this reason might not be incentive enough to watch for those that don't enjoy historical war dramas, it should appeal to those with an interest in more advanced technical filmmaking techniques such as this.

Unfortunately, 1917 suffers from a Bandersnatch effect, as the novelty of this technical gimmick quickly wears off. The crew deserve all the credit for the difficult labour involved with creating this illusion, but as Duncan Jones recently tweeted, 'Cutting is like punctuation. It's a tool that can be as creative as the content.'

1917 would have benefited greatly if more consideration had been given to developing the story and its characters. It begins to feel very surface level in addressing the ethical dilemmas of war and combat, or the toll that it takes on the soldiers that fight in battle.

Will and Tom are the two lead characters tasked with delivering a message to stop some soldiers on their side from going into a battle where they'd be falling into a trap. The premise and execution of it on a storytelling level is very simple and straightforward. It's by no means a bad film, but it's peculiar to see it be ranked so high in the award show season. There are respectable performances from the lead actors, and the many A-list names that pop in for a scene or two, but overall it's just okay.

Watch the video review of "1917" here:

READ MORE

Family is more than just a word. It's also the central theme of the latest DCEU release, "Shazam," a notably more youth-oriented film in the successful franchise than its predecessors. Though Zachary Levi has been the face of this film, it's Asher Angel whose dramatic performance is the most important grounding point of the film. At only sixteen years old, Angel brings an incredibly honest and heartfelt performance of Billy Batson, a child on the run and searching for a family and home to call his own. It's no surprise that Levi's comedic chops are put to good use as the 'Shazam' persona that manifests when young Billy is gifted with the ability to transform himself into a virtually indestructible superhero. Levi's exuberance and infectious charm are sure to garner him a whole new legion of fans once this film has it's wider release.

Mark Strong is another strong point of the film, as the tormented villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, who has spent his life searching for the same power that Billy eventually gains. Strong has had a career full of successful runs in characters with grit and darkness, and this is sure to be another fan-favourite role in his body of work. The stories for both Billy and Sivana fit together cohesively, for how they reflect the opposite ends of the spectrum in regards to childhood loss and trauma. While both characters are given back story to bring explain some of their worse habits, their arcs across the film reflect the deeper message that in the end it's not traumas that define a person's worth in life but their actions instead. The diverse ensemble cast offer an excellent range of solid performances, from the other foster children to the supporting characters of Sivana's story. Director David F. Sandberg also treats the adults in the audience to some creative horror-influenced imagery without being too intense for the many children that are sure to turn up for this fun ride.

Score: 8/10

READ MORE

"Shazam" dropped it's first teaser trailer at Comic Con as part of the giant DCEU panel hosted by WB in Hall H. As this is the first large-scale introduction the Shazam character has had to the mainstream public, the trailer was designed to show some context to Shazam's origin story. Young Billy Batson is an orphan that moves into a new foster home and after defending one of his foster brothers from some bullies, meets an ancient wizard on the way home that bestows superpowers on him. With a simple utterance of the word "Shazam!" Billy is transformed into an adult superhero form (portrayed by Zachary Levi). With some understandably childish antics and jokes, being that the central characters are children themselves, this is sure to be the most light-hearted in tone of the DCEU films thus far. However, there were already numerous displays to tie this film in with its predecessor, including newspaper clippings about Superman and a batarang belong to Batman.

"Shazam" will be released in theaters on April 5, 2019.

Watch the full "SHAZAM!" trailer here:

READ MORE

“One of the greatest movies of the year!” – Rex Reed, New York Observer

“An excellent ensemble cast.” - Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal

“Smartly entertaining… [a] pure

pleasure to experience.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

THE IMITATION GAME

Academy Award® Winner for Best Adapted Screenplay

on BLU-RAY^™ and DVD March 31, 2015

Early Digital Download Window Begins March 20, 2015

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company are proud to announce the home entertainment release of THE IMITATION GAME, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, with Charles Dance,and Mark Strong; written by Graham Moore and directed by Morten Tyldum.  Heralded as one of the top films of the year in nearly every major publication, the independently produced film has gone on to gross more than 150 million dollars worldwide, and received eight Academy Award® nominations including Best Picture, five Golden Globe® nominations, nine BAFTA nominations, and three Screen Actors Guild nominations.  It won the Academy Award® for Adapted Screenplay, was named one of the Best Films of the Year by AFI, received the USC Libraries Scripter Award and was awarded Best Adapted Screenplay by the WGA.  It will be available for digital download on March 20^th before heading to DVD and Blu-Ray ™ with Digital HD on March 31, 2015.           

During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to investigate a reported burglary. They instead ended up arresting Turing himself on charges of “gross indecency” – an accusation that would lead to his devastating conviction for the criminal offense of homosexuality. Little did officials know, they were actually incriminating the pioneer of modern-day computing. Famously leading a motley group of scholars, linguists, chess champions and intelligence officers, he was credited with cracking the so-called unbreakable codes of Germany's World War II Enigma machine. An intense and haunting portrayal of a brilliant, complicated man, THE IMITATION GAME is the story of a genius who under nail-biting pressure helped to shorten the war and, in turn, save thousands of lives.

THE IMITATION GAME is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 114 minutes. Blu-Ray™ and DVD special features include The Making of THE IMITATION GAME, deleted scenes and special commentary.  The Blu-Ray™ will also include the exclusive “Q&A Highlights” special feature.  

For more information, please visit TheImitationGameMovie.com.

ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob’s tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 341 Oscar nominations and won 79 Academy Awards.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; SCRE4M; SPY KIDS: THE KING’S SPEECH; THE IRON LADY; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; THE MASTER; SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK; DJANGO UNCHAINED; SCARY MOVIE 5; LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER; PHILOMENA; ST. VINCENT; THE IMITATION GAME; BIG EYES and PADDINGTON. Upcoming releases include WOMAN IN GOLD, SOUTHPAW and UNDERDOGS.

TWC boasts an active television production division which garnered nine Emmy nominations in 2013 and five in 2014. TWC Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Stars and Under The Gunn.  Recent TWC television productions include John Fusco’s Marco Polo, Mob Wives, Million Dollar Shoppers, Rodeo Girls and Trailer Park: Welcome to Myrtle Manor. Scripted projects in development include Ten Commandments and Daniel Stashower’s The Hour Of Peril.  TWC also developed Nanny Diaries and produced The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

ABOUT ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT

Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading home entertainment company.  Anchor Bay acquires and distributes feature films, original television programming including STARZ Original series, children's entertainment, anime (Manga Entertainment), fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports, and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray™ formats.  The company has long term distribution agreements in place for select programming with AMC Networks, RADIUS, and The Weinstein Company. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada and Australia. Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.

THE IMITATION GAME BLU-RAY™ with Digital HD

Street date:                  March 31, 2015

Pre-book:                    February 25, 2015

Catalog #:                    BD62251

UPC:                           013132622514

Run time:                    114 minutes

Rating:                        PG-13

SRP:                            $34.99

Format:                       Widescreen

Aspect Ratio:              Widescreen 2.39:1

Audio:                         English: 5.1 DTSHD-MA

                                    Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

THE IMITATION GAME DVD

Street date:                  March 31, 2015

Pre-book:                    February 25, 2015

Catalog #:                   WC62250

UPC:                           013132622507

Run time:                    114 minutes

Rating:                        PG-13

SRP:                            $29.98

Format:                        Widescreen

Aspect Ratio:              Widescreen 2.39:1

Audio:                         English: Dolby Digital 5.1

                                    Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

READ MORE