Sunday 31 December 2017

‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Contains the Biggest Action Scene in the Franchise’s History

Jurassic World 2 action

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom certainly has a lot to live up to in terms of box office performance. (Jurassic World is the fourth biggest movie of all time worldwide. That’s nuts, and I actually like that movie!) But putting the financial conversation aside, how will the movie fare from a creative perspective? Hardcore fans are largely thrilled with what they’ve seen so far, but I wonder how general audiences feel about the idea of a dinosaur rescue mission and a volcano threatening to blow up the island.

If it’s action you’re hoping for, it sounds like you won’t be disappointed. Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona says the film contains “the biggest set-piece ever done for a Jurassic movie” and compares another action sequence to something out of a James Bond movie. But is bigger action what this franchise needs?

Empire has debuted a new photo from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom of Bryce Dallas Howard and Justice Smith‘s characters inside one of the park’s old gyrospheres, but you’ll have to head over to their site to see that photo because I’m more interested in a quote they got from Bayona:

Fallen Kingdom [starts] with a massive action piece that feels like a James Bond prologue,” he tells us. “And in the centre there is the biggest set-piece ever done for a Jurassic movie.”

It’s possible that the “biggest set-piece” Bayona teases from the middle of the movie is the volcano escape scene we see in the trailer (if needed, you can refresh your memory by clicking through my detailed trailer breakdown). Remember, co-writer Colin Trevorrow has said that everything we see in that trailer takes place during the first 57 minutes of the film, so there’s a chance that scene is chronologically the last big action scene revealed in that preview. But part of me wonders if Universal is holding back footage from the scene Bayona references – maybe it’s a scene that’s hinted at in the end of the featurette, when Chris Pratt‘s Owen Grady looks at a tranquilized Rexy and says, “This is gonna be awesome”?

As for the Bond-esque action prologue, I wonder if that could take place in the mansion that belongs to James Cromwell’s character, an old partner of John Hammond. We’ve seen footage of Pratt’s character blasting something with an automatic weapon in that mansion, so maybe this film begins with a bang?

But here’s the thing: does the Jurassic Park franchise actually need bigger action scenes? I’m not convinced that’s the key to its success. Yes, Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park had memorable set pieces, but it was also a relatively contained thriller that placed an equal importance on its small, intimate moments as it did the jaw-dropping effects or action beats. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, and while I understand the temptation is going to be there to take things up a notch after Jurassic World, I wonder if the franchise might be better served by getting a bit more introspective and returning to that relatively smaller scale of the first movie. Oh well – maybe that’ll be the case in Jurassic World 3.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom arrives in theaters on June 22, 2018.

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‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Will Have a New Theme Composed by John Williams

Han Solo Theme - John Williams

Over five months ago we found out that John Powell would be composing the score for Solo: A Star Wars Story. Though composer John Williams has been responsible for providing the score for every film in the primary Star Wars saga, Disney and Lucasfilm have opted to let other composers take over for the spin-offs under the Star Wars Story moniker. However, when it comes to Solo: A Star Wars Story, fans will hear some new music composed by John Williams after all.

In a recent interview with the legendary composer, John Williams revealed that he will be composing a theme for the Han Solo movie while John Powell will handle the rest of the score. Find out more about the Han Solo theme revelation below.

Speaking with Variety (via Making Star Wars) here’s what John Williams had to say about his involvement with Solo: A Star Wars Story:

“The present plan is that I’m writing a theme for Han Solo, and John Powell is going to write the score, which he’ll do brilliantly. His assignment is something I’m very happy about. What I will do is offer this to John, and to [director] Ron Howard, and if all parties are happy with it, then I will be happy. John [Powell] will complete the score. He will write all the rest of the themes and all of the other material, which I’m going to be very anxious to hear.”

This is a departure from how the score for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was completed by composer Michael Giacchino entirely, though he did use some cues from Williams’ previous scores for the Star Wars films. One has to wonder if this is in an effort to help get some skeptical Star Wars fans more excited about an origin story that many think is unnecessary.

One question I have is whether John Powell’s work on the Han Solo movie score is being worked on independently without hearing John Williams’ new theme or if Powell will let that theme influence the rest of the score. The latter is more likely so there’s a bit more of a cohesive nature to the score, but it could go either way.

This will be the first time John Williams has composed original Star Wars music outside of the primary saga films, though his themes have always been present in the Star Wars movies, TV shows, video games and more.

After his work on Solo: A Star Wars Story is complete, Williams will presumably compose the score for Star Wars: Episode IX, which could end up being the last time he composes music for the Star Wars universe. There’s no word on whether Williams will have any involvement in Rian Johnson’s new Star Wars trilogy that will take place outside of the Skywalker saga, but considering the composer’s age and the new direction for the franchise, I’m betting he’ll retire from Star Wars with Episode IX, but we’ll have to wait and see.

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Will Boba Fett Appear in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’?

boba fett

Solo: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters in May of 2018, but we’ve yet to see a teaser trailer or any official stills from the movie that takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope (though an unofficial promo image recently surfaced online). That’s likely because Disney and Lucasfilm want the focus to be on Star Wars: The Last Jedi for the time being, but fans are still eager to get their first look at the Star Wars origin story of one of the most favorite characters in the entire saga.

While we don’t have a new look at Solo: A Star Wars Story yet, a certain detail hinting at the appearance of another fan favorite character may have slipped right under our noses. Director Ron Howard posted several photos from the set when the film was still in production, but none of them had anything particularly revealing in them. However, one fan took a much closer look at one of the photos, and it just might hint at an appearance by the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett in the Han Solo movie.

Here’s the photo in question that has fans buzzing about the return of Han Solo’s longtime rival:

In case you can’t spot the possible hint at Boba Fett’s presence, take a look at this and see what you think:

Solo: A Star Wars Story - Zoomed In Boba Fett - Mike Mitchell

Yes, that silhouette in the background of the photo (pointed out on Reddit) certainly looks like a Mandalorian helmet. Initially I thought the positioning of the rangefinder (or antenna) on the helmet was a little off based on where the helmet appears to be facing, but when comparing it to Mike Mitchell’s illustration on the right, it looks to be a perfect match.

However, it should be noted that just because we see what appears to be a Mandalorian helmet in the background of this shot doesn’t mean that Boba Fett will make an appearance. Though it would certainly make sense that Han Solo’s rival would be part of the character’s life before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, let’s not forget there are other Mandalorians out there.

If Boba Fett doesn’t specifically make an appearance, it would be interesting if this Mandalorian was Star Wars Rebels character Sabine Wren making a background cameo. But since Sabine Wren is fairly young, this scene would have to take place much later in Han Solo’s early years, significantly closer to the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, for the character to be old enough to be frequenting an establishment like this.

For now, this is nothing more than a blurry image that happens to have a shadow looking similar to that of Boba Fett’s helmet. We still have no confirmation on whether the bounty hunter will make an appearance in the movie, but if a movie focusing on Boba Fett is back in the works as has recently been rumored, this would be a good way to set it up. Hopefully we’ll get more details on the Solo: A Star Wars Story soon enough.

Solo: A Star Wars Story features Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo, whose origin will be explored in the years leading up to his involvement in the battle between the Empire and the Rebellion. This includes finding out how he meets Chewbacca (Joonas Suotomo) and ends up in the possession of the Millennium Falcon, which we know he won at some point from Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).

The rest of the cast includes Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Paul Bettany.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is set to open in theaters on May 25, 2018.

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This Week In Trailers: Foxtrot, TWISTED, Like Me, Entanglement, Somebody Feed Phil

Green Band Trailer

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising?

This week we look at an Oscar contender from the desert, watch a different kind of food show from the guy who made a mint off of Everyone Loves Raymond, have our third eye melted, try not to be a total creeper, and host one of the best shorts I’ve seen this year.

Somebody Feed Phil Trailer

This trailer will not be shortlisted on anyone’s Best Of list.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Phil Rosenthal’s I’ll Have What Phil’s Having in ways that make this new series a must-watch for me. At the heart of what makes Phil such an engaging guy to watch about food is that he is the very antithesis of your Bourdain’s, your Zimmern’s, your Flavor Town Fieri’s. It’s so casual that it’s alarming just how Joe Schmoe Phil is about the various places he’s gone in the world to grab a bite and this trailer echoes exactly what made his series a gem.

Entanglement  Trailer

I don’t think Thomas Middleditch has any other speed.

If what made Silicon Valley so snackable for you when it came to Richard Hendricks’ personality quirks then director Jason James latest is for you. At first I was thinking this was yet more of the same from Thomas but, I cannot tell a lie, I genuinely liked this trailer. It moved effortlessly, is edited quite nicely, gives you the Cliff’s Notes of what has gathered us all here today, and establishes good reasons why it deserves your attention. Even though those Verizon commercials, for me, are chipping away at the fondness I have for the guy’s awkwardness this is a good example of how to leverage what brought you to the dance.

Foxtrot Trailer

Yes please.

Director Samuel Maoz has made a splash in not only getting a film like this made but in having it be good enough to be put in the running for an Oscar next year. What’s most enjoyable about this is that while I don’t completely understand the narrative it has so much charm going for it. Where you think it’s going to wallow in negativity and moroseness it flips the script as we head towards the end by being ebullient and full of life. The use of pull-quotes, without question, only help to boost this film’s chances to getting more people to stop for a moment. It’s a crowded field and, this time of year, it’s tough to get any kind of attention. Hopefully this helps.

Like Me Trailer

Peep this:

A reckless loner sets out on a crime spree that she broadcasts on social media. After releasing a video of herself robbing a convenience store, she amasses a huge following. While traveling along the coast, she encounters a drifter, an Internet troll, and a paint huffing outsider who are all pulled into her circle of chaos, junk food, and drugs.

If you’re a fan of The House of the Devil and Compliance then, hopefully, the producers behind that have a new yarn it wants to unfurl. Director Robert Mockler has something interesting to say here, visually. What I like most is that it’s playing with the medium in ways that at least feel fresh on the surface. Now, it could end up being not as engaging as it purport itself to be but this trailer is hypnotic and entrancing, if nothing else. The way these disparate images mesh and collide without seeming to possess anything in common is a risky proposition but I’m a fan.

 

TWISTED Short

Obviously not a trailer but since it’s the holiday weekend and I’m sure you have plenty of room in your schedule to spare 15 minutes you must check out the latest from director Jay Cheel.

Cheel directed the fantastically engaging Beauty Day and How to Build a Time Machine but he’s back with a short film that, on the surface, seems about one thing but becomes about something else entirely by the end. Short form film, books, television, anything, done well can show you how talented someone is at being concise yet having a powerful impact. Cheel excels at delivering a fully satisfying narrative that also communicates something fascinating about the human condition.

Nota bene: If you have any suggestions of trailers to possibly be included in this column, even have a trailer of your own to pitch, please let me know by sending me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com or look me up via Twitter at @Stipp

In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week:

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Donald Trump Tweets Support For Iran Protests; Takes Another Jab At “Fake News”

It seems like Donald Trump isn’t slowing down with his tweets before the end of the new year. He recently took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the anti-establishment protests in Iran. And in an unrelated tweet, he blasted “fake news” media…again. The Iranian protests began at the end of last week and were a reaction to living standards and rising food prices. The protests have since spread to major cities including the capital of Tehran. Trump responded to the…

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Starz Working With Altice On “Fair And Reasonable” Distribution Agreement, Cable Company Responds — Update

UPDATED 2:58 PM PST, Dec. 30: In regards to the distribution agreement between Altice and Starz, Altice USA spokesperson, Lisa Anselmo told Deadline: “We are focused on providing the best content experience and continually evaluate which channels meet the needs and preferences of our customers relative to the cost of the programming imposed by the content owners.” “Since our last contract renewal, Starz began offering a direct to consumer streaming service, which…

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Specialty Box Office 2017: ‘The Big Sick’ Is Highest Grosser, But Overall Results Flat

The specialty box office generally flatlined this year. The overall 2017 takeaway among this year's crop of limited theatrical roll-outs is that the box office did edge lower this year, though a mostly strong fourth quarter averted a sharp downturn — though that is not historically unprecedented. Still, there were some specialty stars that opened earlier in the year. There were over seven hundred films in theaters in 2017, most of which were limited-release titles. Films…

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NPR News: Baltimore Residents Blame Record-High Murder Rate On Lower Police Presence

Baltimore Residents Blame Record-High Murder Rate On Lower Police Presence
An activist says police are less present after controversies over police brutality. "We wanted them engaged in the community. We didn't want them beating the hell out of us," pastor Kinji Scott says.

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NPR News: How Crime Rates In New York City Reached Record Lows

How Crime Rates In New York City Reached Record Lows
Crime in New York City is at its lowest levels since the 1950s. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton says a renewed focus on disorder, as well as serious crime, led to the decline.

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NPR News: Police Arrest Man In Fatal 'Swatting' Prank

Police Arrest Man In Fatal 'Swatting' Prank
Wichita, Kan., police fatally shot a father of two Thursday after a false 911 report claimed a man was holding his family hostage at that address. The suspect is thought to be behind the call.

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NPR News: A Soldier Among Those Killed In Bronx Fire After Rescuing Others From Blaze

A Soldier Among Those Killed In Bronx Fire After Rescuing Others From Blaze
Emmanuel Mensah, 28, had just completed basic training and was visiting for the holidays. When the fire engulfed his apartment building Thursday, he saved several people but died trying to save more.

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NPR News: Erica Garner, Who Became An Activist After Her Father's Death, Dies

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She became a prominent figure calling for an end to police brutality after New York City officers put her father in a fatal chokehold. She suffered brain damage following a heart attack.

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NPR News: The Photos That Tell Some Of 2017's Biggest International Stories

The Photos That Tell Some Of 2017's Biggest International Stories
As 2017 draws to a close, we take a look back at some of the year's most important stories, as told through powerful images from around the world.

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NPR News: PHOTOS: Malick Sidibe Shows Mali's Youth With A Groovy 'Twist'

PHOTOS: Malick Sidibe Shows Mali's Youth With A Groovy 'Twist'
A Paris museum is showing the first major posthumous exhibit of work by the great photographer. As Sidibe himself once said, "I think photos are the best way of living a long time after you die."

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NPR News: A 1960s 'Hippie Clinic' In San Francisco Inspired A Medical Philosophy

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Fifty years ago a community health clinic first opened its doors as a safe, sympathetic space for countercultural youth. Today its motto is the same: "Health care is a right, not a privilege."

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NPR News: Transgender Rights Lead NPR's Top LGBTQ Stories of 2017

Transgender Rights Lead NPR's Top LGBTQ Stories of 2017
From so-called "bathroom bills" to a teen wrestling champion, 2017 saw transgender rights surge to the forefront of public consciousness.

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NPR News: U.S. Military To Allow Transgender Recruits After Trump Administration Drops Appeal

U.S. Military To Allow Transgender Recruits After Trump Administration Drops Appeal
An LGBT activist says the Trump administration has waved "the white flag," dropping an appeal of court rulings blocking a ban on transgender troops.

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NPR News: NPR Readers Select Mueller Probe As Top Political Story Of The Year

NPR Readers Select Mueller Probe As Top Political Story Of The Year
The investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and ties to the Trump campaign was chosen as the top political story of 2017, narrowly beating out the fallout from sexual harassment.

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NPR News: FACT CHECK: Trump's 'New York Times' Interview On Russia, Taxes, Health Care And More

FACT CHECK: Trump's 'New York Times' Interview On Russia, Taxes, Health Care And More
President Trump sat down with the Times for a wide-ranging impromptu interview. NPR's editors and reporters have annotated Trump's claims.

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NPR News: British Monarch Recognizes Citizens' 2017 Contributions To Public Life

British Monarch Recognizes Citizens' 2017 Contributions To Public Life
Every new year the British monarch recognizes people who have made a contribution to public life in the U.K. While the "New Year's Honors List" usually includes members of the political, social and economic elite, the majority of those honored are ordinary people who have helped others in their daily lives.

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NPR News: Apple Issues Apology After Admitting To Slowing Down Older iPhones

Apple Issues Apology After Admitting To Slowing Down Older iPhones
Apple is doing damage control after iPhone owners expressed outrage when the company admitted to intentionally slowing down older phones to preserve battery life. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Will Oremus, who is covering the story for Slate, now that Apple has put out an unsigned apology.

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NPR News: Trump Voter Reflects On First Year Of Presidency

Trump Voter Reflects On First Year Of Presidency
Last January, NPR's Ari Shapiro went on a road trip to talk with voters in the days leading up to the inauguration of President Trump. We check back in with one of the people we met — strawberry farmer Chuck Wooten, who voted for President Trump.

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Watch Big Bash LIVE: Adelaide Strikers vs. Brisbane Heat (ESPN)

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Offset Says Woman Claiming He Impregnated Her is a Liar and an Extortionist

Offset is threatening a woman who's been claiming all over social media he got her pregnant ... claiming she's trying to extort him for a fortune ... TMZ has learned. Cardi B's fiance hired the powerful law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, which…

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Ty Dolla Sign Intentionally Blocks Traffic Outside Popular L.A. Club

[[tmz:video id="0_mg7fr9k7"]] Ty Dolla $ign thought he was all that Friday night outside a popular West Hollywood club, blocking traffic and ignoring the protestations of angry motorists ... that is, until the cops entered the picture. Ty rolled up at…

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Joey Bada$$ Commissions Custom Jewelry to Honor Late Friend

Joey Bada$$ found a way to memorialize his late best friend and still look like a baller. The rapper commissioned a custom piece to honor his boy, Capital STEEZ, who at 19 committed suicide on Christmas Eve 5 years ago. We're told JB hit up…

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Bruno Mars Sued Over Single 'Uptown Funk'

Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson are under fire for their Grammy winning single, "Uptown Funk" by a rap group who claims the song is just way too similar to their 70s hit. A female rap trio named The Sequence released the single "Funk You Up" in 1979 ... a hit…

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How Darth Vader Helped Make Christopher Reeve Superman

Christopher Reeve superman

Here’s some movie history for you: Darth Vader had a hand in making Christopher Reeve Superman. Sort of. David Prowse, the actor who played Darth Vader (at least physically; James Earl Jones, of course, provided that iconic voice), confirms that when Reeve needed to bulk up to play the Man of Steel, he turned to Prowse for help.

David Prowse filled out Darth Vader’s imposing form in the original Star Wars trilogy, donning Vader’s iconic black costume and mask and stalking around from film to film. While James Earl Jones lent Vader his now-iconic voice, Prowse made the character a physical threat, and when it came time for Christopher Reeve to play Superman, it was Prowse the actor turned to for help.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, when Christopher Reeve, who is the best on-screen Superman we’ve ever had and likely will ever have, was cast to play the Man of Steel in Richard Donner‘s Superman, the actor was quite thin, weighing in at only 170 pounds for his 6 foot 5 inch height. Donner ordered Reeve to bulk up for the part, and that’s where Prowse came in. “I get a call from Dick Donner and he says, ‘Can you get down to the studio as quick as you can, we’ve got a Superman,'” says Prowse in an archival interview. You can watch the interviews with Prowse, Reeve and Donner in this archival video.

Prowse went on to train Reeve for six weeks. In the interview, Prowse says, “[Christopher Reeve] was fantastic. He was a very lovely person. We were like brothers, we got along so well together. And during the course of the period I had him, I took him from 170 pounds when we started and he was 212 [pounds] when he went into the suit.”

“The thing is, on this part particularly, you have to start from the outside and work in,” Reeve says in the interview. “You can do all the interior work you want to do, and it still isn’t going to get you to Superman if you don’t have the physical strength to go with it…The thing is, the stronger I get — and I am still not all that strong, but I’m getting there — the stronger I get, the more it helps my mental attitude toward the part.”

Reeve would go on to play Superman for four films – Superman, Superman IISuperman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. In addition to appearing as Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New HopeStar Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Prowse also appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

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‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Contains the Biggest Action Scene in the Franchise’s History

Jurassic World 2 action

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom certainly has a lot to live up to in terms of box office performance. (Jurassic World is the fourth biggest movie of all time worldwide. That’s nuts, and I actually like that movie!) But putting the financial conversation aside, how will the movie fare from a creative perspective? Hardcore fans are largely thrilled with what they’ve seen so far, but I wonder how general audiences feel about the idea of a dinosaur rescue mission and a volcano threatening to blow up the island.

If it’s action you’re hoping for, it sounds like you won’t be disappointed. Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona says the film contains “the biggest set-piece ever done for a Jurassic movie” and compares another action sequence to something out of a James Bond movie. But is bigger action what this franchise needs?

Empire has debuted a new photo from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom of Bryce Dallas Howard and Justice Smith‘s characters inside one of the park’s old gyrospheres, but you’ll have to head over to their site to see that photo because I’m more interested in a quote they got from Bayona:

Fallen Kingdom [starts] with a massive action piece that feels like a James Bond prologue,” he tells us. “And in the centre there is the biggest set-piece ever done for a Jurassic movie.”

It’s possible that the “biggest set-piece” Bayona teases from the middle of the movie is the volcano escape scene we see in the trailer (if needed, you can refresh your memory by clicking through my detailed trailer breakdown). Remember, co-writer Colin Trevorrow has said that everything we see in that trailer takes place during the first 57 minutes of the film, so there’s a chance that scene is chronologically the last big action scene revealed in that preview. But part of me wonders if Universal is holding back footage from the scene Bayona references – maybe it’s a scene that’s hinted at in the end of the featurette, when Chris Pratt‘s Owen Grady looks at a tranquilized Rexy and says, “This is gonna be awesome”?

As for the Bond-esque action prologue, I wonder if that could take place in the mansion that belongs to James Cromwell’s character, an old partner of John Hammond. We’ve seen footage of Pratt’s character blasting something with an automatic weapon in that mansion, so maybe this film begins with a bang?

But here’s the thing: does the Jurassic Park franchise actually need bigger action scenes? I’m not convinced that’s the key to its success. Yes, Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park had memorable set pieces, but it was also a relatively contained thriller that placed an equal importance on its small, intimate moments as it did the jaw-dropping effects or action beats. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, and while I understand the temptation is going to be there to take things up a notch after Jurassic World, I wonder if the franchise might be better served by getting a bit more introspective and returning to that relatively smaller scale of the first movie. Oh well – maybe that’ll be the case in Jurassic World 3.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom arrives in theaters on June 22, 2018.

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‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Will Have a New Theme Composed by John Williams

Han Solo Theme - John Williams

Over five months ago we found out that John Powell would be composing the score for Solo: A Star Wars Story. Though composer John Williams has been responsible for providing the score for every film in the primary Star Wars saga, Disney and Lucasfilm have opted to let other composers take over for the spin-offs under the Star Wars Story moniker. However, when it comes to Solo: A Star Wars Story, fans will hear some new music composed by John Williams after all.

In a recent interview with the legendary composer, John Williams revealed that he will be composing a theme for the Han Solo movie while John Powell will handle the rest of the score. Find out more about the Han Solo theme revelation below.

Speaking with Variety (via Making Star Wars) here’s what John Williams had to say about his involvement with Solo: A Star Wars Story:

“The present plan is that I’m writing a theme for Han Solo, and John Powell is going to write the score, which he’ll do brilliantly. His assignment is something I’m very happy about. What I will do is offer this to John, and to [director] Ron Howard, and if all parties are happy with it, then I will be happy. John [Powell] will complete the score. He will write all the rest of the themes and all of the other material, which I’m going to be very anxious to hear.”

This is a departure from how the score for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was completed by composer Michael Giacchino entirely, though he did use some cues from Williams’ previous scores for the Star Wars films. One has to wonder if this is in an effort to help get some skeptical Star Wars fans more excited about an origin story that many think is unnecessary.

One question I have is whether John Powell’s work on the Han Solo movie score is being worked on independently without hearing John Williams’ new theme or if Powell will let that theme influence the rest of the score. The latter is more likely so there’s a bit more of a cohesive nature to the score, but it could go either way.

This will be the first time John Williams has composed original Star Wars music outside of the primary saga films, though his themes have always been present in the Star Wars movies, TV shows, video games and more.

After his work on Solo: A Star Wars Story is complete, Williams will presumably compose the score for Star Wars: Episode IX, which could end up being the last time he composes music for the Star Wars universe. There’s no word on whether Williams will have any involvement in Rian Johnson’s new Star Wars trilogy that will take place outside of the Skywalker saga, but considering the composer’s age and the new direction for the franchise, I’m betting he’ll retire from Star Wars with Episode IX, but we’ll have to wait and see.

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Will Boba Fett Appear in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’?

boba fett

Solo: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters in May of 2018, but we’ve yet to see a teaser trailer or any official stills from the movie that takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope (though an unofficial promo image recently surfaced online). That’s likely because Disney and Lucasfilm want the focus to be on Star Wars: The Last Jedi for the time being, but fans are still eager to get their first look at the Star Wars origin story of one of the most favorite characters in the entire saga.

While we don’t have a new look at Solo: A Star Wars Story yet, a certain detail hinting at the appearance of another fan favorite character may have slipped right under our noses. Director Ron Howard posted several photos from the set when the film was still in production, but none of them had anything particularly revealing in them. However, one fan took a much closer look at one of the photos, and it just might hint at an appearance by the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett in the Han Solo movie.

Here’s the photo in question that has fans buzzing about the return of Han Solo’s longtime rival:

In case you can’t spot the possible hint at Boba Fett’s presence, take a look at this and see what you think:

Solo: A Star Wars Story - Zoomed In Boba Fett - Mike Mitchell

Yes, that silhouette in the background of the photo (pointed out on Reddit) certainly looks like a Mandalorian helmet. Initially I thought the positioning of the rangefinder (or antenna) on the helmet was a little off based on where the helmet appears to be facing, but when comparing it to Mike Mitchell’s illustration on the right, it looks to be a perfect match.

However, it should be noted that just because we see what appears to be a Mandalorian helmet in the background of this shot doesn’t mean that Boba Fett will make an appearance. Though it would certainly make sense that Han Solo’s rival would be part of the character’s life before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, let’s not forget there are other Mandalorians out there.

If Boba Fett doesn’t specifically make an appearance, it would be interesting if this Mandalorian was Star Wars Rebels character Sabine Wren making a background cameo. But since Sabine Wren is fairly young, this scene would have to take place much later in Han Solo’s early years, significantly closer to the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, for the character to be old enough to be frequenting an establishment like this.

For now, this is nothing more than a blurry image that happens to have a shadow looking similar to that of Boba Fett’s helmet. We still have no confirmation on whether the bounty hunter will make an appearance in the movie, but if a movie focusing on Boba Fett is back in the works as has recently been rumored, this would be a good way to set it up. Hopefully we’ll get more details on the Solo: A Star Wars Story soon enough.

Solo: A Star Wars Story features Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo, whose origin will be explored in the years leading up to his involvement in the battle between the Empire and the Rebellion. This includes finding out how he meets Chewbacca (Joonas Suotomo) and ends up in the possession of the Millennium Falcon, which we know he won at some point from Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).

The rest of the cast includes Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Paul Bettany.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is set to open in theaters on May 25, 2018.

The post Will Boba Fett Appear in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’? appeared first on /Film.



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