Movies

CineFix enumerates most of the ways that movies – or stories in general – play out, including the simple cause-and-effect, multiple timelines, and tales told in reverse, before highlighting stellar examples for each structure.

This behind-the-scenes featurette for the Assassin’s Creed movie shows how they recreated the game’s trademark leap of faith mechanic. Stuntman Damien Walters actually did a 125ft freefall, but not into a stack of hay.

The opening moments of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV introduces the root of the conflict and Aaron Paul’s character Nyx Ulric, one of the elite soldiers in the magic-wielding kingdom of Lucis. Nyx and his fellow Kingsglaive are strong, but their enemies have machines and monsters.

YouTuber kaptainkristian praises the use of digital animation in Jurassic Park, one of the first movies to convincingly blend visual effects with live action. It found success not by relying solely on software, but by studying real animals and using physical puppets when necessary.

Amy Adams plays an expert linguist who’s tasked with deciphering a message from an alien race that touched down on Earth. We have a strong suspicion that the trailer is misrepresenting the movie, but we’re still optimistic about it.

A lighthearted drama based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s eponymous book about Katherine Johnson and her fellow black female mathematicians at NASA during the ’60s. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer.

No Small Parts’ brief profile of the late Anton Yelchin, most known for his role as Pavel Chekhov in Star Trek and as Bobby Garfield in Hearts in Atlantis. Yelchin knew early on that he wanted to be an actor, debuting in an episode of ER at the age of 10.

(PG-13: Language) A harrowing documentary about the conflict between Peru’s minorities and its government. In the early 2000s, Peru invited foreign companies to take advantage of the country’s natural resources, most of which lay in constitutionally-protected land.

(PG-13: Language, Gore)Nerdwriter praises the messy but purposeful violence in the work of writer and director Shane Black. Beyond eye candy and cheap laughs, Black’s brand of violence is relatable and adds depth to his characters.

Briar Levit’s Graphic Means is an upcoming documentary that will explore the history of graphic design production and desktop publishing, starting from the meticulous analog processes of the ’50s to the instant gratification and one man operations we have today.

Aside from doves and dual-wielded pistols, John Woo’s most lasting contribution to the world of cinema is Gun Fu. He first used the mix in his 1986 film A Better Tomorrow, combining martial arts with firearms to create exciting close combat gunfights.

“One shall stand, one shall fall.”Shout Factory will be releasing a remastered version of the 1986 classic Transformers: The Movie. The Blu-ray release contains both widescreen and full frame versions, as well as several behind-the-scenes docs, original trailers and more.

(PG-13) Mondo and the Alamo Drafthouse present what is quite possibly the nastiest coloring book ever made. The Sausage Party coloring book features scenes from the movie, a profanity-laden word finder and a “glory maze.”

Amy Adams, Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Renner star in this adaptation of Ted Chiang’s award-winning short story Story of Your Life, in which a linguist is tasked to communicate with an alien race that touched down on Earth. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario).

Screen Junkies takes on yet another comic book classic that Zack Snyder ruined. Watchmen may well be unadaptable, but if we’re going to do it anyway it should have been a miniseries. And not directed by Zack Snyder.

Christopher Nolan reunites with Tom Hardy in a World War II drama about the Miracle of Dunkirk, an Allied emergency operation conducted in 1940 where they attempted to evacuate more than 300,000 French, British and Belgian soldiers from France.

(SPOILERS) After discussing what American Beautygot right, Lessons from the Screenplay talks about what it nearly got wrong. The film’s screenplay contained passages that could not be conveyed onscreen, as well as nearly 20% of the film that was cut at the last minute.

From director and writer Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) comes an Asian adaptation of Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith. The Handmaiden is about a rich and sheltered Japanese girl and her Korean handmaiden, who’s secretly plotting to steal her employer’s inheritance.

Now You See It made an abridged history of the movie-making capital. Hollywood started as a rebellious albeit greedy movement, then devolved into a monopoly of studios. The rise of the internet and affordable equipment could finally put an end to the blockbuster factory.

Vitaly Mansky wanted to make a documentary about life in Pyongyang through the eyes of a young girl. But authorities’ constant interference turned it into an scripted satire – a more accurate representation of what Mansky was trying to capture anyway. Playdates here.

Andrew Garfield plays American World War II hero Desmond Doss, a medic who refused to bear arms because of his faith and principles. He received the Medal of Honor for saving dozens of his fellow soldiers in Okinawa. Directed by Mel Gibson.

Lessons from the Screenplay examines Sam Mendes’ American Beauty. The movie echoes its central theme – finding one’s true self – by having all of the characters reflect its different manifestations. Then it uses dialogue to subtly flesh out these characters.

Three girls are abducted by a man suffering from multiple personality disorder. He’s exhibited 23 different personalities, but it appears he has one more, and this one involves a change in his physical form as well. James MacAvoy stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller.

Dan Perri has created titles and title sequences for Star Wars IV, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York and more. He spoke with the Oscars about his career, his tools and his penchant for adapting rather than stamping his own style to the movie he’s working on.

(PG-13: Language) Aiman is an upstanding corrections officer in Singapore’s maximum security prison. He befriends the facility’s chief executioner, who counts Aiman’s dad as one of his kills. To her sister’s horror, Aiman is groomed to be the old man’s replacement.