NOVEMBER, 12


NEW WORLD II: HEROES OF THE REBELLION

Sci-Fi / Action Adventure

The Cast: Gerard Butler, Keira Knightley, Patrick Stewart, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, John Hurt. Cameo by John Daws.

The Director: Ridley Scott
The Producer: Tony Scott
The Screenwriter: John Daws

The Plot:

Myers (Gerard Butler) with Ahmenia (Keira Knightley) walk through the wastelands, the streets decimated and building reduced to rubble. Myers comments to himself that this looks more like a war zone than a nuclear accident. As he walks through the streets the pungent smell of the dead fill the air around him. He realizes he is walking on top of a dead community. Up in the distance the resemblance of a building, lost like the rest appears. The Empire State Building still stands, all be it with 30-40 floors less than it used to have. He approaches the building and hears movements and whispers in the dark streets around him, he walks unfazed into what used to be the building lobby. He lays Ahmenia on the floor and looks around. Nothing can be seen but he can tell he is being watched. He shouts for assistance, his words echoing in the deaf sound of nothingness. He walks further into the building and just then sees a blue glow from the North West corner of the building. Startled he keeps composed and says that he has come from the Towers and wishes to speak Obenkin Sendar. He has been sent by a young girl with a similar blue glow. Whispers start around the room, from all sides, on their own quiet but at this moment as loud as thunder, meaning that there must be a huge number of people. As he tries to look through the dark the whispers suddenly stop and silence returns. A voice speaks back asking who he is. Myers tells the voice his name and explains that he means no harm. He was sent to be taught by Obenkin Sendar and his friend is seriously hurt.

The whispers begin again this time more aggressively and fast. This lasts for a what seems to be a lifetime before falling silent again. Then the room lights up, brighter than anything he has seen for days. He can see that the windows are all covered so the light does not leak through to show any inhabitants. More surprising is the fact that there is just one person in the room other than himself and Ahmenia. Myers inquires where everyone else has gone. The man steps forward surprised at the question and asks what he means. Myers explains the whispers and the man says that they are the whispers of the dead and only special people can hear. The man introduces himself as Obenkin Sandar (John Hurt). Myers asks if there are any medical supplies for his friend who has been seriously injured. Obenkin walks over to Ahmenia and puts his hand on stomach, the hand is not human. She glows blue and before Myers eyes her wounds heal and she awakens. A startled Ahmenia jumps to her feet. Myers calms her down and explains where she is and what is going on. Obenkin reaches out his hand, this time it is human and shakes Ahmenia’s.

Myers explains everything that has happened up to this point and what is going on, Obenkin sits listening intently. Obenkin agrees that they have been through a lot but what they have been told is not percent accurate and what they have experienced is only half of the story. Obenkin says he will explain the rest.

He explains that Pure as she was known by Myers was actually not human. She is from an ancient race that visited the planet over 200 hundred years ago. The race was dying and they wanted to prolong their existence by working with humans. The scientists saw the special abilities and the similarities in genes and DNA and thought that they could join the humans and aliens into hybrids. They had special abilities which were of benefit to humans and humans held the key to be hosts to the aliens, both co-existing as one. Pure was the one of the aliens left behind to test with. As the aliens aged very slow she was actually somewhere between 100 and 300 years old. The combining of alien and human was a success so much so that other people became very interested in the possibilities of having powers. He said that once the corporations took over the science went and the power plays started to take shape. People saw the potential for armies or for themselves to be more powerful than anyone else. One man above all took advantage. A man named Shadal Missm. He took over the science teams and used the alien DNA on himself to give himself more power than any human. He then forced the scientists to make an army of powerful humans. He used this army to kill all the remaining alien species except for Pure and then purged Earth's populace. What the humans now know as the nuclear fallout was actually an execution of all humans except for a select few that followed Shadal, the idea that he can rebuild the race with servants to follow them as the savior of the human race. He is the man responsible for the towers that houses the planets.

Myers was shocked and had more questions. He wanted to know how he had the hybrid army follow him. Obenkin tells Myers that the scientists had found a way to use the alien DNA to control the humans via mind control. He says that the whole current human race are actually hybrids that have their powers locked away but that at any time they could be controlled and their powers be exploited, even Myers and Ahmenia. Ahmenia, who is in disbelief, asks Obenkin who is in charge now as Missm must have died by now. Obenkin does not know but the NWA have people within their ranks that have the knowledge passed down in each generation. Most of these are normal humans, descendents of the original survivors.

Myers asks how Obenkin knows all of this. He explains that he was there when this all happened. He tells them that he is in fact one of the alien species that went into hiding before the rest of his species was killed. He has been in hiding for a very long time waiting for people to be ready to make a stand. He has been hunted but has survived all these years.

Ahmenia asks what he means by the people who will make a stand. He asks them if they have ever felt like they were different, better in some ways and like something was missing. Myers and Ahmenia both nod and explain they were always the smartest, fastest and strongest amongst their peers and have both at times felt like they were something more. Obenkin explains that he feels it too and says that he will help them become that something more. He tells them to come with him, as he slowly hobbles off, Myers notices that the man walks like someone who is very old, much older than his appearance. They walk up a flight of stairs to the next floor. In there a number of other people are in the room. Obenkin explains these are the other survivors.

In the wastelands huge numbers of NWA squads scour the destroyed streets looking for Myers and Ahmenia led by Riddick Marquais (Ralph Fiennes). As tells one squad to search in one still standing building while he walks over to a part of the wastelands not being searched. As he walks around the corner a dark figure stands there. Riddick places a round disc on the floor and Sylar (Patrick Stewart) appears, sitting in his office chair. Sylar asks for a report.

Riddick tells him that there is no sign of either of them so far and says they could be anywhere. As he does he is interrupted angrily by the dark figure who asks Riddick why he doubts his master. Riddick quickly apologizes to Master Simms (Gary Oldman). Sylar tells Riddick that if Master Simms can feel their presence then they must be close. Master Simms asks what the state of things is within the towers. Sylar says that the people are still wanting answers into his death and are not happy with Sylar being put in charge without a vote. Simms laughs and says soon it will not matter. Sylar tells Riddick to continue searching and report back when he has found something, then he disappears. Riddick bends down to pick up the disc. As he rises back up to speak to Master Simms he sees that he is no longer there.

Back in the Empire State Building Myers and Ahmenia are strapped into chairs. Obenkin sits in front of them. He explains that what is about to happen will not be pleasant and not without pain. He says that he will unlock their minds and free them from the hold that has them potentially as mindless drones. He asks everyone to clear the room and prepare the defenses for an attack. Once they leave he begins. A glow of energy shrouds them. They both start to scream and struggle in their chairs and the noise becomes unbearable. Obenkin shouts to them to stop fighting and focus on him. They continue to struggle and the glowing progresses around the room, up the walls and eventually around the building.

Riddick and his men notice in the distance a huge light around a still semi-standing building. As the men continue to gather to look at the light it suddenly disappears. Everything goes back to darkness for 10 or seconds before a loud, thunderous blast can be heard. The sound of something coming towards them, getting louder and louder can be heard. Riddick understands what it is and tell his men to take cover. As they do a cloud of dust, glass, bricks and mortar fly past them. The blast so strong it had travelled over 15 miles through them. As they recover and wipe the dust from their faces and visors they can see the Empire State Building lit up like a Christmas tree. The side of the building along with the windows and doors covering them has been ripped clean off. Riddick contacts Sylar and tells them that they have found the location of Subjects A and B and are making their way towards them.

Back in the building Myers and Ahmenia have been ripped from their chairs. Obenkin lies on the floor. Ahmenia runs over to Obenkin as she rolls him over she sees the face of Dalsha Simms and is frozen is shock. She calls Myers over. As they look back they see Obenkin again. He says he felt Shadal Missms presence. They say he appeared as Dalsha Simms. With everyone very confused Obenkin turns to them and say they are now free from their hold and their powers are unlocked. He told them that they already know how to use the powers now and also points out that they are different from the other humans. They were not engineered by scientists and are naturally born with these powers. He tells them to free the world and save everyone. He then lies down and closes his eyes. A blue energy comes out of his body and floats up towards the sky.

Myers is distraught, confused and worried. Ahmenia in contrast is strong. She tells Myers that they have a mission and Obenkin gave his life to help save the planet, a planet that he didn’t even come from. Myers rises and grabs Ahmenia by the arms. They stare at each other for a second and Myers tells her that they must avenge him and tell the world the truth. He says they must stay together and stay strong and that he will never let anything happen to her again. They embrace and kiss.

As they do, they hear a large thudding sound from outside. They turn and look out of the side of the building and see around a hundred or so soldiers marching towards the building. They rush down to the first floor and consult the people standing there. Myers steps forward and tells them that Obenkin has died. They followers look saddened. Ahmenia tells them he died for something he believes in and that he needs to be avenged. She asks one of them (John Daws) if they are all survivors from the Alien species. The man nods. Myers says that a large tactical soldier group is approaching and we need to be ready. He asks them how many of them there are. One man steps forward and says they have 18 people. Myers and Ahmenia split them into two groups and take them to different positions within the building. Myers takes a small group of four to a different location.

Back in Sylars office Dalsha is sitting in the chair opposite. He says that he had a brief moment within the mind of Obenkin while he was weak. He saw subjects A and B. They are free from his control and now have their powers. Sylar sits back in shock. He says that they will be too powerful to stop. Dalsha tells Sylar that Riddick is more than a match for them and is trained. Sylar is still unsure and says that their parentage suggests otherwise. Dalsha dismisses his concerns and says that Obenkin did not tell them he was their father and their human mother is not alive to tell them either. They will therefore have doubt in their abilities. Sylar contacts Riddick and tells them the news that Subjects A and B have their abilities. Riddick tells them not to worry.

Outside of the building the NWA team approaches the entrance. Riddick stops them short and tells a 10 man team to enter first. As they approach the lights within the building go out. Riddick tells the men to continue into the building and to use their night vision. Their eyes all turn red, suggesting that these men have their alien powers. They begin to walk through the entrance with no one in sight. As the first two men get between the large doorway, Ahmenia gives a loud shout signaling the others. The two teams in the building all start to glow blue and large bursts of energy fly around the room. It joins into one and thrusts through the doorway throwing all 10 of the men through the air to their deaths. Riddick tells the remaining men to attack.

They begin an assault on the building. Bursts of energy fly through the air, blue and red fists punch each other and rocks and rubble are flung at the two sets of enemies. One group of the rebels is on the first floor, the second hiding on the second. As the NWA progress into the building, Ahmenia shouts for a second time. The second group appears above them from a hole in the ceiling. They shoot down bursts of energy taking out 20 or so men and taking them off guard. They fall down from the floor and continue the fight.

As Ahmenia jumps down, Riddick walks in and comes face to face with her. She freezes in fear and Riddick grabs her by the neck with a red glowing hand. He smiles and says how pleased he is to see her. He hits her and knocks her unconscious. As he beings to walk out leaving the rest of his men to fight he is knocked down by a burst of blue energy coming from the outside of the building. Myers appears with his team of four men.

Myers and Riddick begin to fight while the other men attack the NWA from behind taking out other 10 or so men from the fight. As Riddick and Myers fight Ahmenia come around and shouts that he is the man who kept her captive. Myers is angered by the news and fights with more purpose. Bolts of energy and blocks of rubble are thrown at each other. Riddick eventually takes control knocking him down. As he approaches for the final blow, Ahmenia uses her powers to throw a huge broken off wall at him. Myers recovers and produces his laser sword and puts it at Riddick’s throat.

Riddick squirms and starts to beg for his life. Myers asks who is behind all this. He says that he will never tell them. Myers raises the laser sword high above his head and Riddick closes his eyes. Just before he can swing down three of the NWA soldiers throw Myers back. They grab Riddick and start to run away, using their energy to throw all kinds of obstacles in their way. They do not continue the chase.

Myers and Ahmenia walk back into the building and see all the dead bodies. None of the Aliens survived but they had taken all but three men down. Myers asks what he should do now. Ahmenia says they have to contact Sylar. He says he does not know if he can trust him but Ahmenia reminds him that he was the one who helped save her so we have to trust him.

Myers puts on his glasses and makes the call. Sylar answers and asks where he has been. Myers says that he is aware of what is going on and that Sylar must get out of the city and find them. Sylar asks where and Myers tells him to just get out of his office and away from his guards and he will contact him again. They hang up.

Sylar tells Dalsha, who is still sitting in his office that they have survived and Riddick has failed. Dalsha says he has failed but is not dead. He tells Sylar to go and meet them and lure them into a trap. Subjects A and B must be brought under control. They are now the only remaining purebreds and we need to use them to continue our progress. Sylar asks how long until their arrival. Sylar says they have arrived, taken over their government and are now sending back the technology and ships so we can continue into space. Sylar says that having a population as an army will make them an unstoppable force against any other race that stands in their way. Sylar packs up and leaves.


Stark’s Comment:
For the good: ‘New World I’ didn’t make it at box office as expected: it made 74 millions and net gains of only 24 millions. But it happens often in CMP that sequels make it much better than the original movie (remember here examples like ‘Silver Sable’, ‘Assassin’s Creed’, ‘The Resurrected’ and of course ‘Justice League’, among many others), so I hope this will be the case too.
For the bad: This spectacular production should be a blockbuster for sure. But maybe we have already had all the good luck possible this Season by now…

Behind The Scenes:
-The only new face in the cast not seen in the previous movie is John Hurt.
-The Scott Brothers have teamed up before in CMP not only in ‘New World I’ but also in ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ and ‘Uncommon Valour: Only The Valiant’.
-Ralph Fiennes has already played a villain this Season in the megahit ‘Assassin’s Creed 2’.
-This is the 11th time that Keira Knightley works in a John Daws’ movie. It is also the 8th time that Patrick Stewart works for him.
-Keira Knightley has also been directed by Ridley Scott in the ‘Uncommon Valour’ movies and ‘The Gunpowder Plot’, so this is their 7th work together.
-Harry Stark wants to release the third installment of this saga next Season. But John Daws has not finished the screenplay yet so right now it is not known if that will be possible or not.

DARK THEY WERE, AND GOLDEN EYED

Sci-Fi / Space Travel

The Cast: Matthew Fox, Maria Bello, Rafi Gavron, Chloe Moretz, Jake T. Austin, Alan Tudyk, Kevin Durand

The Director: Jack Bender
The Producer: JJ Abrams
The Screenwriter: Chad Taylor

The Plot:

The Bittering Family live a nice, quiet life in a lively neighborhood, in a popular suburb. They are the stereotypical smiling family. Harry (Matthew Fox) is a tempered father, who brings the money into the household, but isn't home much. Cora (Maria Bello) is his smiling, sidekick wife who cares for the children 24/7.Dan (Rafi Gavron), Laura (Chloe Moretz) and David (Jake T. Austin) are their three kids, who are still teenagers, and want to break away, yet still love their parents.

But warfare is slowly developing on Earth. Harry's friend Stewart(Tudyk) tells him about a set of spaceships preparing to fly to Mars, and colonize there. Harry sounds interested, but waits a few days to tell his family. When he does, they reject the idea. He then warns them of the dangers brewing from atomic warfare, and that he is not accepting no for an answer. He tells them to pack their bags, they're leaving in two days for New York, where the ships are.

We go through a montage of Harry going to work and taking his valuables while saying bye to co-workers, Cora takes Laura and David to say goodbye to their grandmother, while the oldest son Dan visits his girlfriend Jessica(Anna Kendrick) one last time to tell her bye. No dialogue is heard throughout the whole scene,as emotional music overdubs it.

The family gets on the ship, and flies away. It had been months since the last ships had flown, so this ship is alone in the sky. Stewart jokes with Harry that they'll get there and start to miss war-ridden Earth. They arrive and are met with unusal circumstances.

Harry feels his hair flutter. The tissues of his body draw tight. His wife seems to whirl away in smoke. The children look like small seeds that can be sown to Martian climes. The wind blows as if to destroy their identities. The air might draw his soul from him. He feels he is submerged in a chemical that will dissolve his mind and cause oblivion of the past.The survivors from the flight set up a village as they can’t find the other colonies.

The family shares a nice little breakfast, despite their uncertainty of their exsistence. there is a constant fear for their future. Harry, who had once been the reason for the family traveling to Mars, is now panicking and wants back on Earth. But as the weeks pass, his counterparts(his family and the other colonists), grow comfortable with their surroundings.

Cora tells Harry that Earth is better off with the atom bomb. Cora turns on the radio in their cottage and calls Harry and the kids to come. The man on the radio exclaims that the atom bomb has hit New York, which means all of the ships have been destroyed, and a return back to Earth doesn’t look plausible. They’re safe on Mars. Harry wants to wait until the war is over to be able to travel back to Earth.

While the family interacts with the other colonists, and becomes more active, Harry isolates himself. He spends hours and hours on a plan to build a rocket-ship. Their cottage is destroyed by the strong winds, and Harry is left alone. He only eats frozen food from Earth, as he’s paranoid about Mars food. He notices something wrong with the animals. They start to change, as do the plants. The family cow grows a third horn, the grass in the colony turns violet and the summer becomes blistering hot. Dan fights with his dad, over his decision to leave. He tells him that he has adopted the martian language, and he prefers to be called Linnl from now on. Harry is in shock.

He then explores the open land for resources to help with the rocket, and see’s another colony in the distance. He travels over there, but there is no humans. Just a small population of dark, slim, golden-eyed martians. Astonished by this he heads back to his colony. He runs into town, asking if anyone wants to help build the rocket. But they all are too occupied with Mars. Nobody is willing to help. He notices significant changes in the physical appearances of his counterparts, even his family. David’s eyes have transitioned from grey to yellow. Cora is as golden and slender as his daughter Laura. Stewart is now darker than ever before. Harry’s physique is reminiscent to that of Dan’s. Harry gives up the idea of a return. He succumbs to his fate and starts to harvest crops and make a living on Mars.

Five years later…

The Hugiano lands on Mars. Warfare has ended on Earth, and the world is peaceful now. Moorehead(Kevin Durand) leads his group of astronauts out of the rocket, and towards the colony. The last astronaut to walk out is Jessica,Dan's girlfriend. It is revealed that they are on a rescue mission to save the survivors from the rockets that landed 5 years ago. They are joyous to find the rocket, and the colony itself. They come inside, to inform the humans that the war is over and it’s time to come home. But after a few minutes,they discover there is no humans. Just dark, slim, golden-eyed martians. They suspect that the martians killed the human colonists.

He then leads his astronauts back towards where they landed. They have a discussion over what they will say happen. They conclude that a plague had wiped out the humans who had landed, and that they must recolonize Mars. They go to the UN for approval, and are given it. Moorehead and his crew set up camp in the area where there plane had landed.

The last shot we see is of Moorehead speaking to Jessica. They are laughing and joking around as they build a house. “I wonder what it’s like to live 5 years on Mars.” she jokes. He laughs and shakes his head, and the camera zooms in on his eye. “I guess we’ll find out.” he says, as his pupil turns golden.


Stark’s Comment:
For the good: It has it all to work. My feeling is that it won’t be a major blockbuster but still a more than nice release.
For the bad: I admit the Studio has invested in this movie a bit less than the usual astronomical budget of many sci-fi productions. But that does not mean that it should be considered a lower quality production.

Behind The Scenes:
-Chad Taylor’s screenplay is based on a Ray Bradbury’s short-story.
-Bender, Abrams and Fox worked together in the tv series ‘Lost’.
-Abrams has directed five movies for CMP and they all have worked at box office. This is the first time in CMP that he produces a movie not directed by him.
-This movie was not initially planned to be released this Season. It was urgently included at the list of releases when the musical biopic written and directed by Taylor was finally postponed due to some delays in its pre-production phase.

MOUSE GUARD

Action Adventure / Animation

The Cast Of Voices: Dominic West, Hugh Laurie, Anton Yelchin, Andy Garcia, Al Pacino, Diane Kruger, Cobie Smulders, Kiefer Sutherland

The Director: Joe Carnahan
The Screenwriter: Dawson Edwards

The Plot:

The mice struggle to live safely and prosper among all of the world's harsh conditions and predators. Thus the Mouse Guard was formed. After persevering against a weasel warlord in the winter war of 1149, the territories are no longer as troubled. It is now Fall of 1152. Day to day dangers still exist, but no longer are the Guard soldiers, instead they are escorts, pathfinders, weather watchers, scouts and body guards for the mice who live among the territories.

One day an old grain peddling mouse attempts to travel a forbidden path without the protection of a Guard member. Word spreads that he never arrived at his destination in Barkstone. Three Mouse Guard members are sent to find him. Saxon (voice of D.West), the headstrong warrior, Kenzie (voice of H.aurie) the wise older mouse who prefers his stick to a sword, and the young & kind Lieam (voice of A.Yelchin) are dispatched by Gwendolyn (voice of D.Kruger), head of the Mouse Guard to find him. Upon their search, they find the missing grain but no mouse. What the trio do find is a detailed blueprint of Lockhaven, home of the Mouse Guard, to which only few Guard members are privy to. The grain mouse is a traitor. Saxon claims that he was probably killed by snake, "which is lucky for him as I'd cut his head of myself for betraying th' Guard" As Saxon and Kenzie ponder the next move, Lieam's wandering encounters a trail of grain leading to a snake. The trio battle the snake, and eventually take it down.

Meanwhile, Gwendolyn has sent word to another of the Guard, Sadie (voice of C.Smulders). Sadie, who once watched the shorelines of the Mouse Territories, is to make contact with another missing mouse, Guard member Conrad (voice of K.Sutherland), as there have been no outgoing communications from his Northern shoreline dwelling. Sadie arrives to initially find no sign of the one legged Conrad. He surprises her with a quick duel, as he drunkenly believed her to be "The Traitor". Once she convinces him otherwise, Conrad explains that some grain merchant is a traitor who would meet his mysterious master,who always remained in the shadows at Calogero. In a flashback sequence, we see the drunk Conrad hanging from the rafters of the Calogero hideout watching the treachery take place. They plan to leave for Lockhaven at first light to warn them, but are surrounded during the evening by crabs. Conrad heroically sacrifices himself to the crabs so that Sadie can escape and warn the Mouse Guard of the traitor.

The trio of Saxon, Lieam and Kenzie decide to take the hidden path to Barkstone in order to go as unnoticed as possible. Kenzie says "What worries me more than knowing of a traitor, is not knowing who the traitor is." Kenzie reminds young and nervous Lieam that they have the advantage, the blueprint map. Unfortunately, they are unaware of the information Sadie carries with her to Lockhaven, nor of the death of Conrad. Before coming across the gates of Barkstone, the trio encounter fellow Guard mouse Midnight (voice of A.Garcia), on his way to deliver swords for sharpening in Windselm. Midnight asks what came of the grain mouse, and Lieam almost tells him about the treachery, but Kenzie steps in to say that he was simply found dead. Midnight continues on his way, and the trio promise to not speak of the map or the grain mouse until everything is sorted out.

They enter Barkstone, and are forced to create a diversion to avoid watchful eyes. Saxon decides its best that he and Kenzie have themselves a fight. So the two of them battle it out, sword versus stick. Meanwhile Lieam attempts to blend in with the townsmice. Lieam's investigation takes an unexpected twist when he uncovers The Axe, a well-organized anti-Guard group. Lieam is mistakenly recruited into The Axe as they are set to leave the city despite no blueprints for Lockhaven. As Saxon finally defeats Kenzie, he's knocked unconscious by an Axe member, and he and Kenzie are both left for dead outside of the Barkstone gates. Lieam is completely unaware, but luckily Celanawe (voice of A.Pacino), a stranger of the mouse cities, retrieves and drags them to his secluded home. When the two mice awaken, they are greeted with Celanwe's claims to be none other than the Black Axe, famed champion of the Mouse Guard who has been long presumed dead.

Saxon, unties himself and fights with Celanawe, which results in his house burning down, but not before Kenzie is able to convince Celanawe that they must work together to stop The Axe. Celanawe agrees because he believes that this militia must be the ones who stole his legendary Black Axe. Elsewhere, in the pouring rain Lieam is uncovered by the Axe as a spy and he realizes that the Axe's leader has a familiar voice.....Midnight.

Lieam is now a prisoner of The Axe as they march towards Lockhaven. Midnight, the Mouse Guard's weaponsmith, is revealed to be the commander of the Axe army. He claims that "The Guard is useless...Gwendolyn exploits us! Cities, towns, and villages hold all the power. And Guard mice are their pawns! The territories need one sole leader! One who can offer security and prosperity. One who is not afraid to hunt down our predators. One who is more than a mere Guard mouse!" In a flashback sequence, Midnight tells the beaten Lieam of how he discovered the Black Axe last year in a secret room below his armory. He tells his army that he will solely walk to the latched gates of Lockhaven to ease any concern they may have, and that is when they will attack.

Saxon and Kenzie travel with Celanawe, both wondering if he truly is the legend he claims to be. Celenawe continues to impress the Guard mice, not only setting the pace for their tracking but detouring them to higher ground and near a stockpile of weapons Kenzie made years before. In the storm of the night, the gates of Lockhaven is approached by a lone mouse...Sadie. She has beaten both the trio and the Axe army to Lockhaven. She warns the mice inside of the impending treachery and Lockhaven immediately locks itself down.

Not long after Sadie's arrival, Midnight's Axe Army follows behind. Midnight notices the archers positioned above, and immediately tells his army to invade. From a battle viewing distance, the oldfur Celenawe tells Kenzie and Saxon of another way into Lockhaven that won't be sealed by the Guard. Saxon agrees despite his initial yearning for a 3 against a few hundred mice battle plan. The Axe Army breaks down the gates of Lockhaven and begin slaughtering every mouse in sight. The mice available to protect Lockhaven are now focused on protecting Gwendolyn. One mouse is able to close an emergency gate leaving half of the army outside against the archers, and Lieam manages to sneak away from his captors. "It is not WE who are trapped with them, but THEY who are trapped with US!" screams Midnight.

In a last ditch effort to stop the outside invasion, the designated 'Apiary Keeper' opens the grates and "agitates the hives", releasing a swarm of bees upon Midnight's army. Gwendolyn is essentially trapped upstairs in her quarters with only Sadie for protection as Midnight approaches. Lieam sneaks around taking out mice with daggers to the heart and even slicing feet from around corners. "A redfur settling a score!" But Midnight and those he has left, have reached Gwendolyn's room. He demands the surrender of Lockhaven as "the Guard no longer serves a purpose." Gwendolyn refuses, and Midnight says "Then you will die by the Black Axe's command."

"You are not the Black Axe. I am. And I have come to claim what is MINE!" says a voice coming from some elegant tapestry of a former Mouse Guard. Then the trio of Celanawe, Kenzie and the battle anxious Saxon jump from behind the secret passage. Battle ensues as Midnight battles Celanawe, and the other Guard mice fight the Axe army. Celanawe is winning and grabs his black axe to finish Midnight off, but Gwendolyn stops him stating that if he dies, he becomes a martyr. As the battle ceases, Gwendolyn announces the plans for the Guard:

"The Guard will protect mice and continue to allow them to prosper, to travel, exchange goods, and to prevent our homes from becoming our prisons. But never at the cost of the cities and the town's liberties. Midnight's fate is banishment without the benefit of the Guard he sought to destroy. March him beyond the scent of the border, and let him almighty ruler there."

We see a final leaf fall from a tree, and then Midnight, arms tied, alone at night..and the faint outline of wolves in the shadows with their piercing eyes glowing in the darkness standing over him. We hear a howl, and fade to black...hearing Gwendolyn's voice one final time:

"And return to Lockhaven quickly Guardsmen. There is much to prepare for....Winter is coming."


Stark’s Comment:
For the good: Here is a both beautiful and very entertaining animated feature. I hope audiences love it because I honestly think it deserves to become a classic of the animation genre.
For the bad: It does not follow the style and aesthetics of Pixar and I am not sure if audiences will connect with a much more classic concept of animation.

Behind The Scenes:
-This movie is based on David Petersen’s comic books. In fact, Petersen has been involved in the movie as animation supervisor. The animation style of the movie fully respects the comic books.
-Joe Carnahan was chosen by Edwards to direct this movie after considering other moviemakers like Wes Anderson or Antoine Fuqua. None of them have directed animated movies before.
-All the members of the cast of voices, except for Sutherland, have worked in Edwards’ movies before.
-Kiefer Sutherland has already made a voice-only work this Season: the megahit ‘Metroid’.
-Dawson Edwards has already written a sequel for the movie.


THE DARK TOWER: Matt Kubrick wanted to release the two final movies of this saga in consecutive weeks but finally Harry Stark decided not to. Anyway, this sixth and final installment won’t be waited for long. Sam Raimi has begun to shoot it in order to be released at the beginning of next Season. This time, Raimi returns not only as producer but also as director, same way he did in the first three movies of the saga. And the regular cast – Russell Crowe, Jake Gyllenhaal, Angela Bassett and William Moseley – is also back to finally offer us some answers to all the enigmas in the story.

DRAGONLANCE: DRAGONS OF WINTER NIGHT: A regular face in CMP’s fantasy movies, Ian McKellen – who already had to deal with dragons in the ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ CMP’s movies - will also be seen in this one playing a wizard. Cobie Smulders – still hot her latest success with ‘Justice League 2’ and being heard this week in ‘Mouse Guard’ – has found time to join this franchise too. And another new face not seen in the first installment of it has also joined the cast: Anne Hathaway, already seen this Season in ‘Assassin’s Creed 2’.

THE COOL: Also seen in ‘Justice League 2’, Marion Cotillard stays busy in CMP playing now a dangerous and sexy woman known as ‘The Streets’ (yes, Denzel Washington’s character is not known as ‘The Streets’, as it was written here past week, but as ‘The Game’). Also in the movie we’ll see two talents that have worked before with Dawson Edwards too: Mos Def (who was already directed by Spike Lee in ‘Fallen Kings’ and ‘Get Down’) and Taraji P. Henson, seen before in CMP in ‘Rebel’ and ‘Daniel’.

VIRAL: Green light for the first work of another writer making his debut in CMP next Season. Michael Banno will make his official presentation in CMP with this zombies’ movie. The surprising director and also producer of it will be Christine Jeffs, better known for making softer and more sentimental movies like ‘Sylvia’.

PINOCCHIO’S TERROR: Alexander Aja and Matt Kubrick have chosen a group of CMP’s debutantes to play the main victims of this evil Pinocchio that will terrorize (and kill) people along the years. They are Chris O’Donnell, Jerry O’Connell, Paige Turcco, Sophia Ewaniuk, Emily Evan Rae, Anna Friel and Brea Grant. None of them have ever worked in a CMP’s movie before.

REPLICANT REBEL: William H. Macy, seen this Season in ‘Turn Of A Friendly Card’, played in ‘Edge Of Human’ an engineer creator of the latest generation of replicants. His character died in the movie. So it is pretty surprising to know that Macy will also be seen in this sequel playing the same character again. French moviemaker Luc Besson is directing this return to Blade Runner’s universe being produced again by Ridley Scott, just finished his work as director in this week’s release ‘New World II’.

SALINTOLOGY: Para Salin (Tina Fey), just like Sarah Palin, has a pretty peculiar family. Salin’s family includes a son fighting in Iraq (Paul Dano, seen before in CMP in ‘The Lovers Stages’), a pregnant teenager daughter (Anna Kendrick, replacing the initially considered Emma Stone, who rejected the job), a preteen daughter that seems to be the only one with brains in the family (Chloe Moretz, joining the shootage just finished her work in this week’s release ‘Dark They Were, And Golden Eyed’, she has worked with Josh Collins before in ‘Velcro’ and ‘Fictitious Images’) and the brainless of them all, Kendrick’s boyfriend (Ashton Kutcher, returning to CMP after ‘Sunshine On Lonely Street’). The kind of family to feel proud of…

THRUST FROM SKYLINE: It seems that many of the stars in ‘Justice League 2’ won’t have time to relax and enjoy their success. Now’s the turn for Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds is the main star in the cast of this futuristic adventure written by the debutante Lawrence Abernathy and being directed by the also CMP’s debutante Duncan Jones.

MALCOLM MANBOOBS: We had not heard from him in CMP for quite some time. After the box office’s disaster of his two latest works for the Studio, ‘Crime Stoppers’ and ‘Comedy Wars’, it seemed like Owen Wilson had disappeared without a trace. But he will be finally back with this comedy, although he only plays in it a very minor role, a high school teacher that seems to have an inappropriate crush on Malcolm’s sister.

20 FEET UNDER THE TUB: New animated production green lighted. This one has been written by Chad Taylor, who already mixed live action and animation in ‘Yogi Bear’. This one tells the adventures of a lizard in an unknown world placed, as the title says, under our tubs. A genius in animation, Brad Bird, responsible of masterpieces like ‘The Incredibles’ or ‘Ratatouille’, will work for the first time for CMP directing this movie.


JOHN DAWS
NEW WORLD II: HEROES OF THE REBELLION

John Daws is a peculiar writer in CMP’s world. He’s been around since Season 2 but he has never been too active compared to other veterans. Daws likes to take his time to write his stories. Hard to labeled, Daws is the brain behind two of the most popular and successful CMP’s sagas ever, ‘Hitman’ and ‘Game Boy’. He has also tried luck with many different genres like thriller (‘Misplaced Affections’), historical productions (‘1066’, ‘The Gunpowder Plot’), mockumentaries (‘No More Bush!’, ‘The Critic’), or parodic comedies (‘Lieutenant USA and His Warm Steel Gang’) and he has succeeded at box office with all of them. Right now, he is involved in his ambitious new sci-fi saga ‘New World’, that has reunited him again with some of his closest collaborators, from Ridley and Tony Scott to Patrick Stewart or his personal muse, Keira Knightley.

1.The first movie of the 'New World' saga didn't work as well as expected in box office. Has that discouraged you to keep working on the sequels?

Not at all. I think it released in a difficult time with lots of other sci-fi movies released. If you look at Blade Runner, which was one of my inspirations for this, it basically flopped when it came out. This was because of films like E.T, Indiana Jones and the like all being released at the same time. Now it is regarded as one of the finest Sci-Fi films ever. I hope that there is some intrigue from viewers as to where this set of films will go. There are lots of questions to be answered and I am hoping people want to find out what those answers are.

2.I've heard you have not finished yet the screenplay for the third movie of the saga. Is it being a particularly hard work to write these movies compared to your previous works?

It has been a challenge but for ironic reasons. There is a whole universe to the new world films. I actually know the whole story and I have actually written a whole 'new world bible'. This discusses all characters, back stories, locations, other planets, races, weapons, vehicles etc.

The bible has been a progression of ideas. I originally had this cool opening scene in my head which is the hover bike speeding though the watelands up to the huge towers from the first film. Then I thought what the tower was and wrote that. Then the idea of the glasses with the virtual computer was an idea so I wrote that down. Then the laser tool was an idea. Then the alien hand found in the wastelands. It went on for a good six months. I wrote each one down and that became the bible glossary. Then I devloped stories to incorprate these random things and then I wrote about characters and where they came from and what they do. Who their parents and grand parents were. Then I had to put all these items into a story outline and that is also all in there. It is pretty huge.

The challenge now has been using all those refereces and story outlines and converting them into entertaining movies. The screenplays are quite long, the first movie was originally almost double in length to what it is now, the second even longer. Trying to trim them down and still keep all the content is the challange and thats why the third is taking so long. These films are bigger than a trilogy and yet without making 15 smaller films that will not be that exciting on their own I am having to fit exciting set peices to move the story along.

The irony is that having this bible has made things more difficult because there are so many ideas and so much content. Now I have to suck that information out. Its much harder than just writing as you go along.

3.You seem to feel very comfortable working with the Scott Brothers. Do you have any other future projects together?

I have lots of other works in progress. I started on several ideas before the new world took over my life. In terms of any works with the Scott brothers none of these ideas were in conjunction with them so I don't know if they will be involved. I think that one film will possibly be directed by myself so I may ask one of them to produce as I will need all the help I can get. As they usually share my vision that will be crucial to making it successful. I work with them because they are British so that helps in keeping certain stories grounded and I work with them because they are masters of certain genres. Tony has an excellent track record with action and Ridley with Sci-Fi so it just works.

4.As the veteran you are in CMP's world, how do you see the evolution of the Studio? Is there more competence now to make a movie shine above the rest?

I think the evoloution has been excellent. For it to carry on as long as it has is pretty amazing. I know I am not producing as much work now but things continue to tick over. The studio keeps making money and as we have seen recently still continues to break its own records.

We have got new screenwriters still joining after four years and some very different works that would not normally be seen from other studios are appearing. Risks are being taken and people are moving away from sequels and computer game adaptations and producing some original works. If you look at the beginning of CMP we have remakes or adaptations of comics and games. Now we have historical epics and wholly original concepts which means we have all grown.

I am probably the only one who has played things safe to be honest which either says I'm not very original or I have a narrow mind. On the other hand I think that I take risks within the safe projects such as some scenes in hitman films, the parody films and some of the 'london films' that take subjects not normally spoken about and treats them honestly. However if you look at my award track record it is pretty poor which means that the safe projects are being shunned for the original stuff and that is not only evolution for the studio but for movie making in general. In many respects we have evolved beyond the 'real' studios and that is shown by the number of movies that we have created before they have.

5.This is the obliged question for you: will we ever see more movies of 'Hitman' or 'Game Boy', your two most succesful sagas?

Who knows. I think that Hitman as we know it has finished because JJ was killed. That saga was his story and while I left it open with a new guy in Ben McKenzies' character it was more of a reference to the fact the brotherhood would always exist with someone. What was never explored was the fact that this Brotherhood has existed for centuries and JJ was not the only hitman. So I think that it could be explored in a way where we go back to the middle ages or back to the origins or something.

Game Boy could be done but I think that evolved pretty well with the exploration of the game world, the use of the 'next gen' world and then the real world. Where could I take it? The only idea I really had was to look at different dimensions of the game world. So you could have Mario from the old days working with Mario Galaxy going up against Dark Sonic and Waluigi or something. I dont want to do it for the sake of it so I would really have to have a good idea.

I like exploring universes. Hitman had a universe and Game Boy had a universe. I can only make films as they exist in those universes so once they have been saturated I will stop. New World has a huge universe and it is all documented so I can tell lots of stories within it from different people perspectives, different timelines, different main protagonists. So hopefully if the second one delivers then we can go forward and really make something of it. I know they are long but I think they are some of the most exciting things I have written so please read through it and I am sure you will at least vote for most wanted sequel.


JUSTICE LEAGUE 2

Following the tradition of taking an inside look to any CMP’s production that breaks any kind of record, this week we have to dedicate this section to the new most profitable movie ever in CMP’s history: ‘Justice League 2’.


THE FRANCHISE

‘Justice League’ was released in Season 13. The movie pretended to be the DC Comics’ alternative to the Marvel’s successful CMP’s saga of ‘The Avengers’.

The initial idea of putting up a ‘Justice League’ saga was given to Harry Stark by Nicholas Cage, who had played Superman in CMP’s ‘Captain America vs Superman’.
Chad Taylor had to write a screenplay that would not fall into any contradiction with current CMP’s sagas like ‘The Flash’ or ‘Wonder Woman’.
Originally, Aquaman was also a member of the JL, but he finally disappeared in the final draft of the screenplay.
The most difficult task during pre-production phase was convincing Christian Bale to play Batman again in the movie, as he was reluctant to do it. Bale made a condition: Christopher Nolan had to be the director of the movie.

‘Justice League’ made a good (but not extraordinary) box office of 130 millions generating 123 millions of net gains for the Studio.

The pre-production of ‘Justice League 2’ begun with a hard controversy. Chad Taylor considered replacing Nicholas Cage by Henry Cavill, who had just played Superman in Dawson Edwards’ ‘Superman: Last Son’. Cage didn’t accept to be replaced. Chris Nolan and Christian Bale threatened with leaving the saga if Cage was replaced. So Taylor had to forget about it.
Unexpectedly, Cage himself decided later to leave the saga and finally Cavill was hired to play Superman.

THE BRAINS BEHIND THE SCENES

CHAD TAYLOR: Since he made his debut as screenwriter in Season 10, Taylor has proven to be an active and versatile author. He is behind another popular CMP’s saga, ‘The Forgotten’, that continues the story of the classic CMP’s trilogy ‘The Heirs’. He has also written some acclaimed movies like ‘The Beatles’, ‘John and Tommie’ or ‘The Bus’. Taylor was nominated for the Best Screenplay GMA in Season 12 with ‘The Beatles’. This Season, he has made his debut as movie director with ‘Amedia’. ‘Justice League 2’ is his most successful movie so far.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN: ‘Justice League 2’ is his sixth directional job for CMP. His previous movies for the Studio were ‘Hot Iron’ (Season 2), its sequel ‘The Law’ (Season 4), ‘Monolith’ (Season 7), ‘Human Axis’ (Season 10) and ‘Justice League’ (Season 13).

DAWSON EDWARDS: Although not directly involved in this movie, Edwards has to be mentioned here as many of the characters seen in it come from CMP’s franchises managed by him. His screenplays for The Flash, Wonder Woman or Superman are obliged references to fully understand the Justice League’s universe.

THE MEMBERS OF THE LEAGUE

CHRISTIAN BALE (Batman): Bale is a veteran in CMP. He starred the legendary saga ‘The Great War Series’. He has also been seen in highly successful movies like ‘Stanley & Livingstone’ (also written by Taylor), ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ or ‘American Tabloid’. Bale is the only member of the League that has played his character before out of CMP’s world in ‘The Dark Knight’ (also directed by Nolan).

HENRY CAVILL (Superman): He has made his debut this very same season also playing Superman in Dawson Edwards’ ‘Superman: Last Son’, directed by James Mangold. The movie made a wonderful box office of 180 millions.

COBIE SMULDERS (Wonder Woman): Her debut in CMP in Season 11 playing ‘Wonder Woman’ turned her into an instant main star in CMP’s world. After that, we have seen her in ‘Justice League’, ‘Get Down’ and ‘Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia’. Before this Season ends, we will have the chance to hear her voice in ‘Mouse Guard’ and to see her joining another CMP’s mega-franchise, ‘Dragonlance’.

RYAN REYNOLDS (Green Lantern): Reynolds has been said to be becoming lately one of the most demanded talents in CMP. He began his career in the Studio playing supporting roles in movies like ‘Lobo’, ‘The Killing Run’ or ‘Killer On The Road’. His first lead role was the successful comedy ‘Crossovers’. Reynolds will be starring soon the first movie written by Lawrence Abernathy, ‘Thrust From Skyline’.

JOSHUA JACKSON (The Flash): Dawson Edwards has turned Joshua Jackson into a regular star in CMP. Only this Season, we have seen him in three different productions: ‘What You Deserve’, ‘Packing Up London’ (both written by Edwards) and ‘Justice League 2’.

THE ENEMIES OF THE LEAGUE

JOSEPH FIENNES (Lex Luthor): The only member of the cast that has won a Golden Moon Award. He won the Best Supporting Actor GMA back in Season 10 being also directed by Christopher Nolan in ‘Human Axis’. He has also worked for the Studio in ‘Change Of Heart’ and ‘One Night Stand’, this one written too by Chad Taylor.

JOSH BROLIN (Vandall Savage): He played his character before in ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Nick Fury’. Brolin has also been seen always playing villains in other CMP’s movies like ‘HF’, ‘Fortune City’ and ‘Shotgun Joe’.

SIMON BAKER (Professor Zoom): This is the only character he has ever played in a CMP’s production. He was seen before playing it in both ‘The Flash’ and ‘The Flash: Blitz’.

MARION COTILLARD (Circe): She got a Best Villain GMA nomination for playing this character in her CMP’s debut, ‘Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia’. Now, as most of the talents seen in ‘Justice League 2’, she will be working again with Dawson Edwards in Spike Lee’s ‘The Cool’.

MARK STRONG (Sinestro): He is the only brand new villain seen in the movie not coming from another CMP’s production. Strong had only been seen before in the Studio playing a minor role in the flopped ‘Kingdom: The Dark And The Light’.

THE ACHIEVEMENTS

‘Justice League’ has become the alltimes top 3 best box office ever in CMP. Only ‘Silver Sable and the Genesis Coalition’ (352 mill.) and ‘The Ice Princess’ (316 mill.) have made a better box office than its 298 millions.

The 588 millions of net gains generated by the movie turn it into the top 1 highest net gains ever made by a CMP’s production. The DVD sales of the movie in the foreign market have broken all kind of records too.

THE FUTURE OF THE FRANCHISE

It is not clear at this moment what will be the future of this saga.

Chad Taylor stated some time ago that he was planning to make five or six ‘Justice League’ movies. But he seems to have changed his mind.
Right now, latest news is that Taylor only will write one more ‘Justice League’ movie. After that, he would focus on writing new movies based individually in some members of the League. So, considering that Edwards already manages the sagas of Wonder Woman, The Flash and Superman, it can be guessed that Taylor could turn his eyes in the future on Batman or Green Lantern.

But those rumors begun before the outstanding numbers made by ‘JL2’ were known. So who knows now what will happen in the future with the Justice League?


This week we have an artsy picture of the starring couple of ‘New World II: Heroes Of The Rebellion’, Gerard Butler and Keira Knightley. They have posed together for ‘Vogue’ magazine at the Medicis Gardens in Florence.



Where’s the limit? That is what’s wondering everybody in CMP’s offices right now. After the amazing 588 millions of net gains generated by ‘Justice League 2’, the question is: at least, theoretically, what might be the highest box office or the highest next gains possible for a CMP’s movie? ‘Silver Sable and the Genesis Coalition’ seemed to have established an unbeatable record when it made 352 million at box office and 420 million of net gains. Well, those 420 million seems nothing compared with those 588. As Harry Stark wrote at this blog past week, ‘I didn’t even know that it was possible to make those numbers’. So the big question now is: is there any limit? Will we ever see a CMP’s movie making 500 million at box office or 600 or more millions of net gains? Only time will tell…

Talking about ‘JL2’, the rumor I heard during the premiere of the movie was that Christopher Nolan had already announced Harry Stark that he had no intention of directing any more movies of the franchise. Nolan didn’t like the idea of being attached to a neverending saga like it happens with other moviemakers. But that was before he knew the outstanding numbers made by the movie. The big question now is: will Nolan think the same after breaking all records with his movie?

It is a recurrent joke in CMP’s world to wonder if someday we’ll get to understand the complex plot of ‘The Dark Tower’ saga. Well, I have good and bad news about it. The last movie of the saga has been greenlighted this week and… The good news is that the plot does offer answers to all the mysteries in the story. The bad news is that it does not offer just one possible ending but two. Yes, Matt Kubrick has decided to let the audience decide what ending do they want, depending if you stay until the end of the final credits or you decide to leave the theatre sooner.

From time to time, ‘Variety’ magazine publishes the list of who they consider the most powerful and influential talents in CMP’s world: those directors, actors and actresses that can impulse a movie production just by announcing they are interested in it. As usual, the names of Spielberg, Scorsese, Ridley Scott, George Clooney, Brad Pitt or Ben Stiller are on the list. The only remarkable novelties are Christopher Nolan (and probably the success of ‘JL2’ has something to do with that) and Cameron Diaz. Some other stars that used to be on the list – Bryan Singer, Keira Knightley, Tom Hanks… – have not shown up this time.

One more week of releases and another edition of the Golden Moon Awards will be here. And that means GMA’s buzz is getting stronger in CMP’s offices. Some movies are already being mentioned as the main candidates to get a nice bunch of nominations. Among them, you can count on films like ‘Amedia’, ‘Daniel’, ‘A Farewell To Arms’, ‘Otto Rahn’, ‘Turn Of A Friendly Card’, ‘Son Of The Bride’ and, of course, ‘Justice League 2’. But, as many of us always write at this blog, there’s no room for all of them so we will have to wait another two weeks before we get to know the name of the main contenders of this edition.