THE BIG SICK (4/4) - Just amazing, MUST WATCH!

THE BIG SICK is a movie produced by the comic genius Judd Apatow (and Barry Mendel). His movies are usually about this nerdy guy, who falls for a hot girl and cuteness, romance and comedy ensues - a romantic comedy. With Kumail Najiani being that nerd, who also happens to be a comedian in real life, it seems like it may be the same formula. Only this time, the nerd happens to be brown and muslim. That already sounds daring and interesting enough. Right?

But there's a lot more to this film. This film has a soul and theme that's very relevant and important in these times. A film that (almost) normalizes being brown, and being muslim. A love story, that's honest, truthful, scary and deeply touching. In more than one ways. Topped with some brilliant humor (written by Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon) and some amazing performances (Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar and Anupam Kher in his 500th film), this film becomes a stand out film of the year. No wonder it's been buzzing since Sundance earlier this year. And now you have an opportunity to watch it at your nearest cinema, starting tomorrow.

The Big Sick is based on the real-life courtship between Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail Nanjiani) and grad student Emily Gordon (Zoe Kazan) who fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.

So let's break it down. What's good...

• The film is really funny, and emotional, and romantic. It's a true romantic dram-edy. And really FUNNY!
• Kumail Nanjiani rocks being a sweet, cute & funny nerd. Is he really like that? Maybe. But he plays the part of Kumail wonderfully. (Oh wait, he's playing himself. Hmmm...)
• The cast is phenomenal. Zoe Kazan is awesome. Anupam Kher and Zenobia Sheriff as parents are just perfect. Zenobia makes a daunting, strict mom. Adeel as the typical pakistani brother is cool!
• Ray Romano (I didn't recognize him for a minute, or more) and Holly Hunter are seen like never before. As the loving parents of Emily, who fall in love with her ex-boyfriend, as she lays in coma; they bring so much emotion & love along with great humor. It's amazing to watch them.
• It tackles the issue of race and cross-cultural tensions with quite an honest sensitivity. The cultural dilemma of the man (Kumail), his family and even the other parents is quite well portrayed.
• If you are brown or desi (south asian), you will feel that the subject is handled well from their standpoint as well. It kinda shows the pain and suffering they go through.
• A lot of diversity. Well, it is a story of brown muslim man. But that brings lots of wonderful brown actors on screen. Adeel Akhtar, Shenaz Treasurywala, Zenobia Shroff, and Anupam Kher in his 500th film. And lots of brown girls playing "candidates".
• Another film about comedian's trying to make it. All you comics, and comic lovers. Go for this!
• It's also a story of hope, dreams and following your dreams. An all-in-one buffet!

And what's not-so-good

• You may find some stereotypes, and may find them annoying or offensive. But I can tell you as a brown person, it's nothing bad.
• Anupam Kher doesn't get to do more. He's a brilliant actor. Hollywood needs to learn to use him better. PLEASE!
• Another film about comedian's trying to make it. Haven't we had enough?
• Although the point of view of south-asian family is shown, it could have been explored more. But I guess the film is not about that.
• I am not in it!!!.. I mean, seriously. How many brown people movies are there? how did I miss it? :(

So... If you don't like good comedy, with feelings/emotions and more, you may want to think about it. But if you like good movies, check it out NOW!

Watch the official The Big Sick trailer with a special introduction from Kumail Nanjiani and Ray Romano. The Big Sick is based on the real-life courtship between Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail Nanjiani) and grad student Emily Gordon (Zoe Kazan) who fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash.

SYNOPSIS: Based on the real-life courtship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, THE BIG SICK tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents. When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry (Hunter and Romano) who he's never met, while dealing with the emotional tug-of-war between his family and his heart. THE BIG SICK is directed by Michael Showalter (Hello My Name Is Doris), written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani, and produced by Judd Apatow (Trainwreck, This Is 40) and Barry Mendel (Trainwreck, The Royal Tenenbaums).

Directed by: Michael Showalter
Written by: Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
Produced by: Judd Apatow and Barry Mendel
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Aidy Bryant and Anupam Kher

Official Site: www.TheBigSickmovie.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebigsickmovie/
Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/thebigsickmovie/
Hashtag: #TheBigSick

Dominic Santana, a STAR in making, on his BIG BREAK as Suge Knight in "All Eyez On Me"

Dominic Santana is one of those actors that have the talent, the brains and the heart to be great. A hard working actor, who started his journey doing background work 10 years ago, and then moved on to TV roles and independent films. He gets his first real BIG BREAK in "All Eyez On Me", playing the real life character of Suge Knight, Tupac's parter, producer and friend, who was the co-founder & CEO of Death Row records. And he brings it ON. He's charming, he's fierce, he's loyal, he's a gangster, he's a businessman, he's lil crazy, and he's cool. I'm talking about Dominic's Suge Knight, in the movie. Dominic gives a strong and wonderful performance in the movie, that calls for his own spin off for a Suge Knight/Death Row Records Movie.

We had an opportunity to talk to Dominic recently, before release of "All Eyez ON Me" (Releasing June 16th, 2017). And here it is...

Art SHrian, from MyNewYorkEye interviews Actor Dominic Santana (playing Suge Knight) from Tupac Biopic "All Eyez On Me "

Casting for "ALL EYEZ ON ME" & working with director Benny Boom

In conversation with Dominic Santana, co-starring in "All Eyez On Me" as Suge Knight, co-founder & CEO of Death Row Records. #AllEyezOnMe #Tupac #TupacBiopic #TupacMovie

Tupac & Suge were true partners, they were like family

In conversation with Dominic Santana, co-starring in "All Eyez On Me" as Suge Knight, co-founder & CEO of Death Row Records. #AllEyezOnMe #Tupac #TupacBiopic #TupacMovie

Suge Kinght couldn't have been behind Tupac's murder

In conversation with Dominic Santana, co-starring in "All Eyez On Me" as Suge Knight, co-founder & CEO of Death Row Records. #AllEyezOnMe #Tupac #TupacBiopic #TupacMovie

About Dominic Santana:  Dominic Santana was born in Fayetteville, NC to an Army Officer Father and popular singer/writer Mother, Tracey Santana.  Upon moving to Wilmington, NC he began to seek out information on the local film scene and met Sam-Art Williams (Producer, "Martin"). Dominic began working as an extra on films such as "Black Knight" starring Martin Lawrence and hit shows like the WB's "Dawson's Creek" where he landed his first speaking role on a major television show.

A last minute script change called for a tall actor on the spot.  After, a Fincannon & Associates casting staffer suggested Dominic; he auditioned right on set and was given the role. Dominic was called by longtime friend Micah Noble to audition at Screen Gems Studio for then newly started Swirl Films and within twenty minutes he was cast in their first production "20 Funerals”.  Although, it was a small role Santana delivered such a strong performance he was cast as the lead in "Dead Heist" in 2006.  Then again, opposite Tom Sizemore and Ja Rule in "Furnace" in 2007.

After, booking a role on several episodes of the CW hit series "One Tree Hill" he was again brought in to co-star in what would be a cult hit and most played movie ever on BET, "Love For Sale" which premiered to over ten million viewers and quickly became a fan favorite! 

Santana has also appeared in shows and films such as "Whitaker Bay", "Palmetto Pointe", "Little Britain USA", BET's "The Game", Bolden!, "The Dempsey Sisters" and more.

Currently, Dominic is co-starring in the Tupac biopic "All Eyez On Me" as Suge Knight.  The Morgan Creek film will be released nationwide through Lionsgate June 16th.  Worldwide release to be announced.

The life and death of Tupac Shakur. ★Subscribe Here and NOW ► http://bit.ly/Movietrailers ★ Join us on Google+ ►http://plus.google.com/+FilmsActuTrailers ALL EYEZ ON ME Trailer # 2 (Tupac Movie - 2016) Directed by Benny Boom Cast : Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Kat Graham Release Date : 11 November 2016 ALL EYEZ ON ME New Trailer (2Pac Film) © 2016 - Open Road Films Subscribe now 2 our youtube channel get the latest official movie trailer, film clip, scene and promo video !

Synopsis: "ALL EYEZ ON ME tells the true and untold story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur. The film follows Shakur from his early days in New York City to his evolution into being one of the world’s most recognized and influential voices before his untimely death at the age of 25. Against all odds, Shakur’s raw talent, powerful lyrics and revolutionary mind-set propelled him into becoming a cultural icon whose legacy continues to grow long after his passing.

A chat with Tim Smit, director of "KILL SWITCH", starring Dan Stevens.

Acclaimed writer-director Tim Smit explodes on to the scene with his futuristic, VFX-heavy feature debut!

KILL SWITCH releasing this June 16th, charts the story of a pilot battling to save his family and the planet, based on Smit’s short What’s In The Box? Set in a future version of the world, the video game style plot follows an experiment for unlimited energy, harnessing parallel universes, which goes wrong. Chased by drones and soldiers, pilot and physicist Will Porter must race through an imploding world to get the Redivider box to a tower, which will save humanity, including his family, in the real world.

We had an opportunity to chat with Tim, here are the excerpts:

- This was a wonderful short, and now a wonderful movie. What inspired you to come up with this amazing & "almost crazy" concept?

Thank you! The main inspiration came from the desire to make homage to the first person shooter game, wrapped in a sci-fi story. The goal was to make this sci-fi story take place in Amsterdam, to provide a not so common combination of elements, such as cool visuals against the typical Dutch streets. So based on these preliminary ideas, I began developing the short and started to figure out how I could do this with no budget and no professional actors. This caused me to delve into the wondrous world of digital effects, allowing me to create some form of production value without the costs that are usually associated with such a production. The feature was actually set up very similar to the short, meaning a low-budget approach with me doing the majority (if not all) of the VFX.

- The film is wonderfully cast. How was the casting for this project?

Casting was new for me, and actually the process is not that easy. There are so many talented actors and I wanted to make sure we assembled a cast that was comfortable working with a POV movie project, as well as a lot of VFX. I met Dan Stevens through my casting director in London. We hit it off talking about science and film. He is very intelligent and loves sci-fi. For the role of Abby I needed an actress that could portray the beautiful, yet darker role, alongside Dan. Berenice Marlohe was an interesting choice for this. Part of the cast is also Dutch, which was a gamble being an international project, but we really lucked out with Tygo Gernardt. An amazing actor, and wonderful human being.

- You have a strong background in VFX. How did that help in making this film?

My VFX background is primarily the result of my background in physics. My love for science sparked my creative brain to develop a sci-fi project, while also sparking my technical side to develop and learn VFX. Without the knowledge in science, I would have had a harder time figuring out how to create the VFX necessary for Kill Switch. I worked on other films as a VFX artist and supervisor in order to develop the skills I needed for Kill Switch. Without this prior knowledge, we could have never made the movie for the low-budget that we had.

- What do you think about future of storytelling in terms of VFX, VR, AR and interactive storytelling?

I believe we find ourselves on the brink of a new medium of storytelling. The advances that are currently being made in the fields of VR and AR are mind-blowing. Projects like the HTC VIVE, OCULUS, PSVR, Magic Leap etc. show the enormous potential of the things to come. I am certain movies will find a unique place in that new future. We will probably see a division between a passive experience like watching a movie in VR, or an active experience by bridging the gap between movies and video games. It depends on what the viewer is interested in at any given point. I would certainly want to be involved in creating content if there is a cool story to be told that lends itself for these new formats. Imagine watching a story on fold right within your own room, and suddenly the room transforms into a digital/virtual world placing you literally in the story...The possibilities are going to be endless. The thing that will determine this success though, is features of the (wearable) VR/AR device (size, capabilities, price etc.) and finding the right form to tell the story with (finding the right balance between whether something should be a game or a movie experience. Active vs. Passive).

- What was the most challenging part as a first time filmmaker? What's your message to other first time filmmakers?

The most challenging part for me was knowing when to compromise or stick to your guns. Making a film is a group effort, even if you end up doing most of the work. So make sure you know how to talk to your crew and where maintain your vision and where not. Also sometimes, especially while filming, it is very difficult to judge when something is correct or not. You can be under a lot of pressure, and things might seem different from that perspective. So you really need to plan everything you can in advance, particularly when you are a first time filmmaker. Another tip I would give; it is said that 50% of the directing job is casting. This is very true. Lastly, don't give up! You will get knocked down a couple of times, and will face difficult obstacles. But if you love your project, don't give up. You will get there!

KILL SWITCH

Directed by: Tim Smit

Written by: Omid Nooshin and C. Kindinger

Cast: Dan Stevens, Bérénice Marlohe, Tygo Gernandt, Charity Wakefield

Distributor: Saban Films, Lionsgate

Release Date: Available on Ultra VOD May 19th, in select theaters and On Demand June 16th

Running Time: 91 minutes

Rating: R

The MUMMY - Rebooting the franchise, & starting the DARK UNIVERSE. But...

If THE MUMMY it's franchise-starter for UNIVERSAL's DARK UNIVERSE, it does a good job at that too. If it's a mindless summer entertainer, it does a decent job of that too. But if it's supposed to be a anything more, it doesn't do that well. And considering that it has a wonderful cast of Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Sofia Boutella and Annabelle Wallis amongst others, its almost a shame that it doesn't rise to more!

SPOILERS? Not sure...
It's a very cliche story of a lost artifact that turns our hero into a vessel for "pure evil" (of course you don't want that!). To defeat the pure evil, the hero has to sacrifice himself. In that process, there's a woman, who he really cares about (not sure why, how, and it's not convincing at all), so he has to save her as well. But eventually, he manages to destroy the "pure evil" and save the woman, without having to really sacrifice himself. 

GOOD:

• Russell Crowe - He plays the Dr Henry Jekyll (and Mr Hyde), and he's really good. When are we getting his own movie? I'm sure we are!
• Tom Cruise - The 54 year old, can play a convincing 30s soldier, who is intense like "Tom Cruise". It works for the movie.
• Sofia Boutella - She is rocking as princess Ahmanet. Another role with tattoos & markings on her body, and she's the tattooed girl of Hollywood. But regardless, she's good!
• CGI/VFX/Action - The usual HOLLYWOOD summer extravaganza, it's fun to watch.

Not-So-Good:

• There's no real story. Re-hash of everything we have seen, with almost nothing new to offer.
• Love story between Nick (Tom) and Jenny (Annabelle) doesn't play out. And it's a BIG bummer, since the climaxe kinda relies on it.
• Tom Cruise - He could bring so much more to the movie. The fiddling with dark-side. the romance. Ground breaking action (like Mission Impossible). But no, nothing!
• CGI/VFX/Action - It's nothing we haven't seen. Nothing!

So, you should go ahead and watch the film, if you like Tom Cruise, or THE MUMMY, or just want to have brainless fun. But if you are expecting anything more, it's on you!

On June 9, it takes a monster to defeat a monster. Watch the final trailer. #TheMummy. -- Follow: https://www.facebook.com/TheMummy/ https://twitter.com/themummy https://www.instagram.com/themummy/ -- Tom Cruise headlines a spectacular, all-new cinematic version of the legend that has fascinated cultures all over the world since the dawn of civilization: The Mummy.