Tag Archives: anti-hero

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Movies

‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’: Angelina Jolie is Back in Anti-Hero Sequel

Video
https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/disney/maleficent-mistress-of-evil/maleficent-mistress-of-evil-trailer-2_h1080p.mov
new Official trailer for “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”

Will Sleeping Beauty Spin-off Franchise continue Disney Magic?

Joker is not the only iconic villain getting a feature film this fall. On October 18th, Academy Award winning actress Angelina Jolie will be returning to the role of “Sleeping Beauty” antagonist Maleficent in “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”

While the story of “Sleeping Beauty” dates back to the twelfth century, it was Walt Disney who gave Maleficent her name and famous look in the popular 1959 animated film adaptation. In that movie, Maleficent is the main villain, an evil fairy who curses Princess Aurora to die before her sixteenth birthday—that is unless she is saved by true love’s kiss, which being a Disney princess, she of course is.

Since Disney’s rendition of the classic fairy tale, Maleficent has been a pop-culture icon. For the past sixty years, her greenish face, dark cloak, horned crown, and crow-like aura have made her the embodiment of wickedness. She stands alongside Ursula, Scar, Jafar, and Captain Hook as the greatest Disney villains of all time.

In the 1959 movie, Eleanor Audley provided the voice of Maleficent—the same actress who voiced Cinderella’s evil stepmother nine years earlier. Over the years a few different actresses have taken on the role. Lois Nettleton voiced Maleificent in the 2001 “Mickey’s House of Villains”; Kristin Chenoweth played her in the 2015 Disney Channel TV movie “Descendants”; and several women have portrayed her in different theatrical productions.

“Sleeping Beauty” is certainly a timeless tale, and thus Maleficent is an everlasting villain. However, there is one recent performance of the antagonist that stands above the rest. And that is Angelina Jolie’s.

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/disney/maleficent-mistress-of-evil/maleficent-mistress-of-evil-trailer-1_h1080p.mov
ORIGINAL OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR “MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL”

Evil Rendition is Part of the Appeal

Jolie first played Maleficent in the 2014 “Maleficent.” This live-action Disney film was an alternate telling of the Sleeping Beauty story with an obvious focus on the villain. Nevertheless, Jolie did not reimagine Maleficent as empathetic. Despite being the main character, Jolie’s Maleficent is as despicable as ever. Fortunately, her haughty, bad-tempered sternness is exactly what makes her so entertaining. While it is incredibly difficult to pull of a live-action performance that does justice to an iconic cartoon character, Jolie has the right amount of attitude and moxie to pull it off.

 “Maleficent” was somewhat ahead of its time too, as it came out one year before Disney’s 2015 “Cinderella,” which kicked off the studio’s current cycle of live-action remakes. Today, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” feels a little more expected, as this year has already given live-action reimaginings of “Dumbo,” “Aladdin,” and “The Lion King” and will get one of “Lady and the Tramp” with the release of Disney+ in November.

While some fans criticize Disney for these constant rehashes, shaming the company for lacking creativity and constantly chasing the easy dollar, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” promises to offer a bit more novelty. Although the story is based off of characters and concepts from “Sleeping Beauty,” its screenplay is original. The narrative appropriately picks up a few years after the 2014 film left off. Princess Aurora is grown up and wants to marry her beloved Prince Phillip. Unenthused about this prospect, Maleficent is determined to put a stop to the wedding, and will employ all the dark magic she has to do so.

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/disney/maleficent-mistress-of-evil/maleficent-mistress-of-evil-creating-anicon_h1080p.mov
Featurette – “Creating an Icon”: FOR “MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL”

Although not Prime Marketing Focus, Maleficent will be in great company

The story will dig deeper into the Aurora’s royal family, their political ties, and the secret supernaturalism that lurks within the film’s fantastical world. As it is foremost a story about the villain, it will obviously be dark and moody in tone. However, it is still a PG rated Disney movie, so there is bound to be a high degree of playfulness, adventure, and family fun as well.

Returning for the sequel along with Jolie, the young Elle Fanning is reprising her role as Princess Aurora. Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton, and Sam Riley will also be returning from the 2014 film. Joining the cast will be the talented Michelle Pfeiffer, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harris Dickinson, and Ed Skerein amongst others. Behind the camera, we will also see Joachim Rønning replace Robert Stromberg as director and Ellen Mirojnick replace Anna B. Sheppard as costume designer—the only category that the 2014 movie received an Oscar nomination for.

With all of the live action remakes, record breaking Marvel movies, “Toy Story 4,” and Disney+ preorders, 2019 has been one of Disney’s most profitable years to date… and we are still yet to see what kind of damage “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and “Frozen 2” do at the box-office. Because of the inner-studio competition, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” will likely not be the company’s most lucrative film of the year. It will also have to go up against “Zombieland: Double Tap” on opening weekend. Nevertheless, with strong marketing, star power, and a considerable fan base, it will likely fare well enough financially, and might just get some positive critical reception as well, all in all being a satisfying project for audiences and Disney alike.

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Movies

‘American Dreamer’: Comedian Jim Gaffigan Defies Expectations as Anti-hero and Leading Man

Video
https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/independent/american-dreamer/american-dreamer-trailer-1_h1080p.mov

Deep waters run Dark in Ride-share Dramedy

Looking at the poster for the new movie “American Dreamer,” one might immediately assume that it is a lighthearted comedy. Even watching the trailer, you may find yourself waiting for it to turn comedic and for the premise of a down-on-his-luck rideshare driver to crack a joke and become burlesque.

However, the laughs never come, and instead of becoming lighter, the tone grows darker. Suddenly, you realize that “American Dreamer” is not a comedy at all, but a suspenseful thriller about drugs, kidnapping, and domestic drama.

Our initial expectations of humor in “American Dreamer” are due to the fact that the movie stars Jim Gaffigan, a renowned stand-up comedian who is best known for his self-deprecating stage presence as a buffoonish and lazy glutton. His most recognizable jokes are about food, he has written a book titled “Dad Is Fat,” and his current tour is called the “Secrets and Pies Tour.”

Gaffigan became a household name in 2005 when he released the hit comedy album “Beyond the Pale,” which features his famous “Hot Pockets” bid. Gaffigan’s success as a comedian has since earned him many roles as an actor. He has appeared in numerous movies and headlined his own sitcom titled “The Jim Gaffigan Show” on TV Land. All of these roles are relaxed and cheerful. For the most part, they just have the recognizable stand-up playing the same persona that he depicts on stage. 

“American Dreamer” is something different, though. In it, Gaffigan plays the leading man, but the movie’s tone offers close-to-no comedic relief. Gaffigan’s character, Cam is a tragic father figure, a desperate divorced parent struggling to pay child-support. In order to make ends meet, Cam eventually starts chauffeuring a drug dealer around town.

From here, it looks like “American Dreamer” is taking a page directly from Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” or TV shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Ozark,” employing the trope of average, but helpless people getting involved in the dangerous world of drug trafficking. Already, this is pretty sinister and uncharted territory for Gaffigan, but the plot only becomes more ominous when Cam kidnaps the drug dealer’s child for ransom, making him an undisputed anti-hero.

For the rest of the film, we are in a state of dramatic irony, as the drug dealer is trusting Cam to transport him while he tries to figure out what happened to his son. Little does he know that the culprit is actually right in front of him, right in the driver’s seat.

Clearly, the movie provides an opportunity for Gaffigan to play a new kind of character and branch out from his type-casted routine. Unfortunately, early reviews of the film have not been flattering, calling it clichéd and flat. However, despite their complaints about the movie as a whole, most critics have been relatively satisfied with Gaffigan’s performance.

Other than the leading comedian, “American Dreamer” touts a pretty novice cast and crew. German filmmaker Derrick Borte directed “American Dreamer,” and the decision to cast Gaffigan can perhaps be attributed to him along with producer Scott Floyd Lochmus and casting director Matthew Messinger. Actors Robbie Jones, Isabel Arraiza, and Tammy Blanchard co-star alongside Gaffigan. Overall, there are very few recognizable names attached to the project, not to mention the extensive list of indie studios behind the film—Saban Films, Storyland Pictures, XYZ Films, and Sugar Studios LA to name a few.

No Free Rides, Ever

At the end of the day, though, it may still be difficult to see a man that is known for innocent Hot Pocket and bacon jokes play such a complicated and immoral character. Going back to the movie’s mere poster, it is hard to look at a picture of Jim Gaffigan starring intensely at the camera and take it seriously, even (and perhaps especially) when he is surrounded by flames above the punny tagline “There Are No Free Rides.” 

Given the persona that Jim Gaffigan is associated with, “American Dreamer’s” intensity could read as ironic, and familiar audiences may always be fighting an impulse to laugh at it. This makes it all the more difficult for Gaffigan’s character to come off as authentic. And the most tragic aspect of all this is that the comedian may really be a capable of playing diverse roles, but if this debut for him flops, even if it is for reasons beyond his control, it may restrict him to playing the funnyman for the rest of his career.

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