Thirty-six years after the events of Beetlejuice, the Deetz family returns home to Winter River after Charles Deetz’s unexpected death. Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened, releasing Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton).

When it comes to filmmakers who carry their own singular vision, Tim Burton stands out above the rest. As an artist through and through, Burton has brought his singularly unique creativity to the big screen for more than 50 years, and now he returns to the world of what some would call his quintessential film in, Beetlejuice. Long noted for its signature performances, a crazy mix of horror-comedy and striking visuals, Beetlejuice was a wholly original piece of cinema, and fans have long wanted to know what happened to the Ghost with the Most! Now, thirty-six years later, Burton has returned to provide us with this answer, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice provides a wildly original sequel with plenty of surprises. Burton again throws the Deetz family directly into the path of Betelgeuse and a trip deep down into the Afterlife, and with his fresh sense of creativity and completely goth aesthetic, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an absolute treat of a movie!

While Burton does let demonic ‘bio exorcist’ Betelgeuse loose again to wreck his own kind of unique sense of havoc on the Deetz family once more, he’s also handling some deep themes of the passing of time, the heaviness of loss and whether it’s really the dead who haunt the living, or the other way around. Even though it’s entirely fantastical and completely out there in its presentation and aesthetic, audiences will feel just how personal and reflective this film is for Burton, and watching it, you feel as if the filmmaker is going back home in a way. It also allows him to unleash his inner creativity, and every frame is permeated with his unique ink-pot palette of goth glam, and the kookiness of the Afterlife leads to some incredibly bizarre yet brilliant moments on screen. Burton also gets to dial up both the horror and the comedy of this piece, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits with a solid whack this time around!

Michael Keaton gave a lightning-rod performance as Betelgeuse back in 1988, and for years, fans have longed for him to return to this classic! Now we get our wish, and he smashes it out of this park as our favourite kooky, perverted, devious ghoul. Banished back to the bureaucratic slog of the Afterlife, Betelgeuse is still offering up his ‘bio-exorcism’ services to the living, and when disaster strikes the Deetz family, he finds his way back into the world of the living and into the arms of his ‘beloved’ Lydia (Winona Ryder). For Keaton, Betelgeuse is a second skin for the actor, and he cranks up his performance as he brings Lydia back into his world while also trying to stay away from his ‘vindictive’ ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci), who has her own score to settle with the Juice! Keaton’s comedic timing is spot-on, and it’s a lot of fun to watch him as he wrecks his own unique type of chaos, as only he can, in a damn lively performance.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a family saga, and once again, the Deetz family are pulled into a macabre predicament as death is in the air, and they return to the ghost house! Thirty-six years later, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) has made a life for herself as a wildly popular medium, with her own Hollywood show that has set her up with preening sycophantic producer Rory (Justin Theroux), and she is still haunted by her near-marriage to Betelgeuse. She’s also still dealing with the flamboyant outbursts of her step-mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), who is left distraught by the sudden passing of her husband Charles, and seeking a new way to court the limelight with her art, and then there’s Astrid (Jenna Ortega), Lydia’s precocious and sullen teenage daughter, who can’t stand her mother and falls into a predicament that leads to a reunion between Lydia and Betelgeuse… much to his enjoyment. Ryder, O’Hara and Ortega have fantastic chemistry together, and it’s a lot of fun watching them together on screen. This sequel allows new sides to be revealed from our characters, and drama does ensue, and it all leads to a very intriguing watch.

Tim Burton ups the ante with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and he helps audiences descend into the wild, colourful, and completely off-the-wall landscape of the Afterlife. And what follows is a groovy, disco-led fun time! While not wanting to run into spoilers, I will say that the narrative of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice leads to some pretty interesting moments, and the schlocky shock value of this sequel will leave you wide-eyed and giggling in your seat. This is a wildly unique picture, courtesy of Burton’s unique goth vision, and the screen sparkles with his moody use of neon-fusion-lit lighting and his ghoulish set dressing. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice also has a fantastical musical element to it, and this is a picture that surrounds its audience from all sides and is one of the most original cinema events of the year! There’s a balance of both nostalgia and something that is strikingly fresh, and the characters literally jump off the screen. I personally have to give kudos to Keaton and Ryder, while O’Hara is the unmistakable scene stealer as the completely unfiltered Delia, and seeing Betelgeuse wreck his own unique brand of havoc will leave you smiling.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a wildly fun cinema experience that will leave you smiling and shrieking in equal measure. It’s a complete gift from a director who is fully expressing his unique filmmaking style, and for those audiences needing a ghostly bit of fun, you’ll find it with this gothic gem.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Watch the brand new trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Thirty-six years after the events of Beetlejuice, the Deetz family returns home to Winter River after Charles Deetz’s unexpected death. Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened, releasing Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton).

Celebrated filmmaker Tim Burton is ready to let loose his uniquely quirky gothic creativity once again in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which will see him re-team with frequent collaborator Michael Keaton for a creepy and kooky new comedy afterlife adventure that finds the living and the dead colliding in a hell of BANG! Burton reacquaints audiences with the Deetz family once more as Lydia, her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), and her mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) all come under the spell of the self-proclaimed ‘bio-exorcist’ Betelgeuse as they take a haywire trip below into the Afterlife. And it’s about to get damn crazy in the process.

Set to the pulsating groove of The Bee Gees 1979 disco classic, ‘Tragedy’ this new trailer showcases a wealth of new footage and really gives a greater impression of what audiences will get to experience with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice! Burton’s unique creativity is on full display in what will be a totally bonkers film experience, and fans, young and old, will be very pleased with the result.

It’s utterly fabulous to once again see Michael Keaton return to the role of Betelgeuse, and it’s damn electric as one of his all-time greatest characters! Keaton again embraces Betelgeuse’s gauche crazy personality, and he absolutely goes for it as he’s finally ee-acquainted with his long lost ‘love’ in Lydia while also trying to stay away from his vindictive ex Delores (Monica Bellucci). Knowing that it’s Keaton in the lead, I’m sure we’ll see a completely brand-new side to the character, and it’ll add a hell of a lot of colour to the picture.

 

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice promises plenty of whacky fun, and audiences will be in for something completely out of the left field when it arrives in cinemas on September 5.

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Check out the all-new trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family (Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara) return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s (Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

The living are about to get gatecrashed by the dead, as Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), alongside her mother Delia (O’Hara) and teenaged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) come face-to-face with the grotesque and rambunctious energy of foul-mouthed bio-exorcist, and love-smitten demon Betelgeuse (Keaton) who has unfinished business with the Deetz family, and who is about to turn their world once again upside down.

Burton once again brings his trademark creativity and unique filmmaking flair to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and this is a film that is going to take audiences by surprise! Along with the original returning cast, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice also features two newcomers to the production, with the gorgeous Monica Bellucci playing the role of Betelgeuse’s vindictive undead wife, Delores, and she’s none too pleased with the arrival of the Deetz to the world of the dead, along with Willem Dafoe as Wolf Jackson, a ghost detective who, in life, was a B movie action star, and who is hot on Betelgeuse’s trail!

This first trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a damn good watch and promises plenty of cracking fun for audiences, and it’s very easy to see that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is going to be an absolute must-watch movie when it arrives in cinemas this year

So get ready for showtime when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrives in cinemas on September 9.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Focusing in on broken war veteran Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins), Dumbo brings audiences into an absolutely enchanting environment of the early 1920s, and the birth of a baby elephant with very big ears called Dumbo.

Tim Burton is one of my all-time favourite directors and here he gives us a film that is truly enchanting with plenty of bright colours, and a strong resonance of hope and dreams. Known for his ability to focus his narratives around outsider characters, the story of Dumbo seems like a perfect fit for Burton’s talents and frequent Burton collaborator Eva Green agrees, “Tim Burton is directing, he understands outsiders, people who don’t fit in, vulnerable souls like Dumbo.”

Not only has Burton worked his creative genius into the project, but this film is also a reunion piece for the director with the likes of Michael Keaton, Eva Green and Danny DeVito lending their talents to the whimsical story. All of the performers seem to have been blown away by the size and scope of the project, and of it’s relevance as a narrative Danny DeVito, who portrays circus owner Max Medici, summed it up best by saying ‘we need this movie right now.”

Get ready for your heart to soar a little higher when Dumbo arrives in cinemas on March 28.

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While I’ve definitely felt my eyes get teary with the film’s latest trailers, this last one is extremely poignant and it promises plenty of heart and whimzy. Check it out below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), a former circus star, finds his life turned upside-down when he returns home after the end of the First World War scarred and broken. Finding himself employed by circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) who enlists him to care for a newborn elephant, named Dumbo, whose oversized ears make him a laughing stock in an already struggling circus. But when Holt’s children, Milly and Joe, discover that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V. A. Vandemere (Michael Keaton) and aerial artist Colette Marchant (Eva Green) swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star.

Dumbo is a great choice for Burton to helm with its unique subject matter and time setting and you can really see the director’s artistry come alive here. It’s also a bit of a reunion for Burton as well as he’s packed the film out with an amazing list of frequent collaborators who include the likes of Michael Keaton, Eva Green and Danny DeVito.

Get ready for all the magic imaginable as one little elephant finds his courage and sets out to soar high when Dumbo arrives in cinemas on March 28.

The post A heartwarming new trailer arrives for ‘Dumbo’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Here’s the official synopsis below:

Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), a former circus star, finds his life turned upside-down when he returns home after the end of the First World War scarred and broken. Finding himself employed by circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) who enlists him to care for a newborn elephant, named Dumbo, whose oversized ears make him a laughing stock in an already struggling circus. But when Holt’s children, Milly and Joe, discover that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V. A. Vandemere (Michael Keaton) and aerial artist Colette Marchant (Eva Green) swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star.

Following in the footsteps of the heartwarming first teaser, this new trailer for Dumbo takes you inside the magic of the circus and Dumbo’s extraordinary ability to fly. Alongside everyone’s favourite baby elephant, Dumbo will also explore the story of Colin Farrell’s Holt Farrier, a former circus star who suffered greatly through WWI and is now at a loss with his life and how to raise his two young children. But together with Dumbo the Farrier’s may just find the hope they need to soar once more.

I’ve long regarded Tim Burton as one of my all-time favourite filmmakers and to see him back at the Walt Disney Company really brings a smile to my face. With his extraordinary imagination and desire to entertain I’m certain that Dumbo will take audiences on a fantastic ride of magic and wonder and prove that no matter how hard things get, with a little bit of hope, anything is possible.

Check out our full reaction for the new Dumbo trailer below, and you be guaranteed that the tears started to roll pretty quickly:

Get ready to witness the impossible and find your courage when Dumbo arrives in cinemas on March 28, 2019.

The post Experience the magic of ‘Dumbo’ with its brand new trailer appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), a former circus star, finds his life turned upside-down when he returns home after the end of the First World War scarred and broken. Finding himself employed by circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) who enlists him to care for a newborn elephant, named Dumbo, whose oversized ears make him a laughing stock in an already struggling circus. But when Holt’s children, Milly and Joe, discover that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V. A. Vandemere (Michael Keaton) and aerial artist Colette Marchant (Eva Green) swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star.

Burton looks to have clearly elevated the film with a new focus to the story around the central figure of Holt, a broken war veteran played by Colin Farrell who finds himself charged with the care of Dumbo. Both are lost souls looking for some kind of love in a new and rapidly changing world and it’s here that I sense Burton is really exploring the idea of family and how in the hardest of times its the one thing that we can cling to.

Dumbo sparkles with imagination and Burton and his team of magnificent artists have done a terrific job of realizing the fantastic world of circus with plenty of bright lights and big colours and Dumbo looks like it will be a film that will thoroughly enchant it’s audience, both young and old with enchanting story of magic and love.

Make sure you’ve got tissues beside you when Dumbo arrives in cinemas because it is sure to be film that will really tug at your heartstrings and will cause a flutter in your heart of March 28, 2019.

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After losing his fiancee in a horrific and brutal terrorist attack, young college student Mitch Rapp (O’Brien) finds his life irreversibly changed forever. Giving up everything he devotes himself to hunting down the terrorist masterminds behind it. But his plans take a side route when he is recruited by a speciality CIA training school run by legendary Cold War warrior Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) and Rapp is moulded into a lethal operative. Now remade as a perfect weapon, Rapp finds his mettle tested as he is tasked to stop a rogue operative codenamed ‘Ghost’ (Taylor Kitsch) before he can unleash a nuclear holocaust.  

If you think American Assassin is just your run of the mill, cliched action film, well, your very, very wrong. Instead, director Michael Cuesta takes Vince Flynn’s intense source material and runs with it, producing a thriller that really plays up every nail-biting second and delivers action scenes that are particularly gnarly. Flynn’s Rapp series has a reputation for being in-your-face reads which don’t hold back on the violence, or his staunch Republicanism, and the movie reflects this brilliantly.

In making this film, Cuesta has approached the filming with realism in mind, and this leads to some particularly violent moments as O’Brien’s Rapp takes his targets apart with military efficiency. None of the action is wasted and the film’s stunt and fight choreography team throw in tonnes of material that make Rapp’s actions believable. His style of combat is a mashup of Krav Maga by way of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and our hero has no hesitation about going straight for the jugular or overdoing it with his knife work to get the job done. The film has a hard edge to it, and it really works in its favour, without it, frankly, it wouldn’t be true to the spirit and flavour of the Mitch Rapp series.

Young star Dylan O’Brien really steps up to the plate and throws himself headfirst into the action as Mitch Rapp. In mere moments he goes from a fun loving All-American college boy to that of an obsessed and brutal terrorist hunter. O’Brien is consumed by rage and unleashes it on his adversaries, or anyone who gets in his way, with very violent repercussions. This switch in emotional range combined with his physical transformation into a that of muscled-up tough guy makes for a worthy new action hero.

Every hero needs a mentor and O’Brien’s Rapp finds his in Michael Keaton’s Stan Hurley. Hurley is a former Navy SEAL and Black Ops assassin who learned his trade during the Cold War and who is in charge of overseeing the CIA’s brutal O’Reilly Program training school. Keaton plays Hurley as the ultimate hard ass, a man who has seen it all and who is unimpressed by Rapp’s emotionally-charged vigilantism. But as the film progresses a sense of respect grows between the two of them. This type of character is a rarity for Keaton, but he really makes a great go of it. His performance is authentic and I’d love to see him return to the role of Hurley in possible sequels.

Finishing out the main cast is Taylor Kitsch as rogue mercenary ‘Ghost’. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge Kitsch fan and I really relished seeing him fall to the dark side. His character is sort of the dark mirror to Rapp, a reflection of what he could become if he strays too far. Again the word that I have to keep using with this film is authenticity, and you just buy Kitsch as ‘Ghost’, especially his sordid history with Hurley, which comes to a head in an emotionally charged showdown that leaves both characters bloody.

American Assassin also broke new ground for me in relation to how contemporary it was in its politics and setting. It bases its subject matter around the Iranian Nuclear Accords and this use of slightly uncomfortable geopolitical subject matter makes for a more engaged and exciting watch.

American Assassin is definitely not for those looking for an easy time at the movies, but if you want an edgy rush then you’ve come to the right place. While Vince Flynn sadly never got to see his character make it to the big screen after he died following an aggressive battle with prostate cancer, in my thinking I believe he would have been proud of the care and detail that were placed on making this film a damn fine watch. I have my fingers crossed for a sequel as I’d love to see how O’Brien grows and evolves as Rapp because he’s one badass spy.

Image: Roadshow Films

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Academy Award nominee Michael Keaton jumps head first into the larger than life story of Kroc, and does a tremendous job of bringing this indomitable businessman to life. If there is one idea that symbolises Keaton’s performance, then it has to be his tireless persistence to win. Nothing gets in Kroc’s way as he makes his climb for the top. Often ridiculed for being a dreamer, he never gives up on himself and backs up his grand scheming with backbreaking effort and a killer instinct to dominate the business world. Keaton is effortlessly snarky as Kroc, and even though he starts out at the bottom, he certainly won’t let anyone push him around. But while Keaton’s portrayal of Kroc is indeed inspiring, his performance also carries a certain cautionary tale that comes with a mantra of success at any cost.

Actors Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch provide scene-stealing support as brothers Richard ‘Dick’ McDonald and Maurice ‘Mac’ McDonald respectively, the men who started it all. While Lynch creates plenty of whimsy as Mac, Offerman is a revelation as the relatively straight Dick, and runs into serious dramatic territory here. The war of wills that plays out between Keaton and Offerman leads to plenty of friction on screen, and it is a bitter battle up until the final credits. B.J. Novak also supplies some top thinking as business strategist Harry J. Sonneborn ,who gifts Kroc with a revolutionary idea that ultimately robs the McDonald brothers of their creation.

Director John Lee Hancock is the go-to guy in Hollywood for engaging and thought-provoking biopics (The Rookie and The Blind Side), but he’s never taken on a figure quite as intense or charismatic as Kroc. Miller balances the biographical aspects of the film with a gripping narrative, and injects a thematic journey from a classic road movie as Kroc travels vast distances in an effort to build his empire.

While underdog stories are old hat in cinema, what makes The Founder unique is the spin it puts on this classic idea. The phrase ‘go west young man’ is bandied around a lot for young people who venture out into the unknown to find their fortune. Kroc himself took this same journey, although he was 52 at the time and definitely not a young man. But that is part of the magic that is found here in The Founder, that no matter how old you are you can still chase your dreams, and inevitably find the success you always desired.

Image source: Roadshow Films

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