Reel Facts & Opinions: The Year in Film 2014 - Episode IX

The temperatures of the 10^th month of the year may be cooler, but the heat of Awards Season is beginning to rise. Here are the notable films of October.

It all gets going with…

GONE GIRL – David Fincher (SE7EN, FIGHT CLUB) directs this adaptation of the best-selling novel in which a man’s wife goes missing. Stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Tyler Perry, and Neil Patrick Harris.

ANNABELLE – This horror flick about a creepy doll which causes shenanigans is loosely based on a true story, and also serves as a spinoff to last year’s THE CONJURING.

THE GOOD LIFE – Philippe Falardeau, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film in 2012, directs this drama about humanitarian efforts in the Sudan. Stars Reese Witherspoon and Corey Stoll.

THE HOMESMAN – Tommy Lee Jones stars and directs this Western in which three women travel across the harsh Nebraska territories. Co-stars Hilary Swank, Meryl Streep, John Lithgow, James Spader, Miranda Otto (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), and Hailee Steinfeld (TRUE GRIT).

THE JUDGE – Robert Downey Jr. stars as a big-shot lawyer who comes home to re-unite with his father. Co-stars Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Bob Thornton, and Vera Farmiga (THE DEPARTED). Directed by David Dobkin (FRED CLAUS).

DRACULA UNTOLD – Luke Evans (THE HOBBIT) stars as the fanged blood-sucker in yet another adaptation of The Count. This CGI-heavy action flick also stars Sarah Gadon and Dominic Cooper (CAPTAIN AMERICA).

WHIPLASH – J.K. Simmons (SPIDER-MAN) plays a hard-nuts music teacher who whips a young jazz drummer into shape. Co-stars Miles Teller

KILL THE  MESSENGER – This stylish period-piece is based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb who uncovered the CIA/Contra scandal in the 1980’s. Stars Jeremy Renner, Barry Pepper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ray Liotta, Oliver Platt, Michael Sheen, Robert Patrick, and Andy Garcia.

FURY – David Ayer, who is best-known as the writer for the Oscar nominated TRAINING DAY (2001), directs this WWII film centered around a tank crew. Stars Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, and Jason Isaacs.

THE BEST OF ME – Michelle Monaghan (MY WEEK WITH MARILYN) and James Marsden (X-MEN) star as two former high school sweethearts who are reunited after 20 years.

BIRDMAN – Michael Keaton plays a former superhero-playing actor who tries to mount a comeback. He is joined by Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts. Directed by Alejandro Gozalez Inarritu (BABEL).

YOUNG ONES – This science fiction drama in which water is hard to find stars Michael Shannon (TAKE SHELTER), Nicholas Hoult, Elle Fanning, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

JOHN WICK – Keanu Reeves plays an ex-hitman who his pursued by an old friend. Stars Bridget Moynahan, Willem Dafoe, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Adianne Palicki, and Jason Isaacs.

23 BLAST – Dylan Baker, who played Dr. Connors in the original SPIDER-MAN films, takes a turn in the directors’ chair in this true story about a high school football player who goes blind…and still plays the game.

NIGHTCRAWLER – In this creepy crime thriller, Jake Gyllenhaal plays an underground free-lance crime journalist. Co-stars Rene Russo and Bill Paxton.

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP – In this adaptation of the best-selling novel, Nicole Kidman plays a woman who loses her memory after a car accident. Co-stars Colin Firth (THE KING’S SPEECH), and Mark Strong.

HORNS – Daniel Radcliffe (HARRY POTTER) stars in this fantasy/horror flick in which a young man is accused of killing his girlfriend, and then discovers his paranormal abilities…including devil horns protruding from his head. It is based on the novel of the same name, and co-stars Juno Temple and Heather Graham.

*

Next month, Episode X looks at the month of November; as the Year in Film 2014 enters its final two months.

A Reel Review: THE EQUALIZER

 

Director Antoine Fuqua’s adaptation of the 1980’s TV show THE EQUALIZER, in which a retired intelligence officer goes around helping people, holds on very tightly to the spirit of the main character. So tightly in fact, it works against him on the big screen.

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is a kind and helpful man who is always coming to the aid of his co-workers and friends. When he helps out Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a prostitute working for Russian gangsters, his mysterious past comes out of the shadows as he goes on a personal war against the mob.

THE EQUALIZER starts off strong. It begins building a foundation between Robert and Teri. Robert is a widower who carries a burden, while Teri is young and stuck in a life she cannot get out of. Both have already been chewed up and spit out by life, and their interactions together make for some great character moments. Once the plot thickens a little, THE EQUALIZER grinds to a halt. The film goes out of its way to let us know that Robert will go out of his way to help people out; so much that the film loses its focus. A ton of sub-plots come into play which easily could have been cut, and it doesn’t take long for heads to start nodding.

Director Antoine Fuqua seems to struggle with his narrative and pacing, and only livens things up when Robert/Denzel starts going on the hunt and begins wiping out gangsters and crooked cops. Fists are thrown, legs are kicked, triggers are pulled and heads are bashed in as THE EQUALIZER goes for a violent, bloody, and fun mess. When the film is allowed to fight, things are good. But when things calm down, Fuqua doesn’t know what to do with his characters as they merely circle around each other in a dull cat-and-mouse game. Things take forever to unfold and every thrilling moment is followed by several snoozers. Outside of some excellent fight scenes, Fuqua also embraces nearly every cliché element of the standard action-flick, but fails to put a fresh spin on any of them.

Fuqua, who once directed Denzel Washington to an Oscar, doesn’t seem to inject himself much into his actors. Denzel plays his character way too distant, and there isn’t an ounce of empathy to be felt for him. His performance is fine, and is allowed some fun moments, but it feels like it should have been a lot more. Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as the young prostitute eager to get out, and Marton Csokas puts in a stock performance as the mob leader. Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo show up for a welcome cameo and are missed as soon as they leave the picture.

After a fantastic final fight, THE EQUALIZER gets anti-climatic by going for several different endings (including a twist which makes no sense), and the film feels like it takes a thousand years to wrap up. It’s clear that it could have benefitted from another pass in the editing room, as the many sub-plots and sluggish pacing could have been corrected. THE EQUALIZER isn’t a total waste of time; it just passes for a time-waster.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it

 

 

 

Reel Facts & Opinions: The End of the Lawrence/Cooper Era?

 

FACT: During this time of the year, the air is filled with buzz over which movies will be making a serious push into Awards Season…and perhaps one of the biggest surprises so far is the newest collaboration between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, SERENA. The film, which was shot over two years ago, failed to pick up a major distributor and was defaulted to Magnolia, whose sister-company financed the project. Magnolia has apparently decided not to market SERENA as an Oscar contender and has set the film for a February 2015 release date, well past the deadline for Awards consideration.

OPINION: SERENA just may be one of the biggest curiosity pieces in the next five or six months, as it seemed to have all the correct ingredients to contend for Oscar gold. The match-up of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence has worked before; their films AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013) and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012) were critically acclaimed and gained heaps of nominations. The director, Susanne Bier, won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 for IN A BETTER WORLD, and the film seems to have a good story in place...as it is based upon the best-selling novel by Ron Rush. It is entirely possible that distributors are just plain tired of Cooper and Lawrence sharing the screen together and view the film as obvious Oscar-bait (it’s only bait if it doesn’t work), but it’s also possible that all of these correct ingredients just didn’t mix right and turned out a bad movie. The latter seems more likely if we look at recent history; it was only a year ago that George Clooney’s hotly anticipated WWII drama THE MONUMENTS MEN was delayed from the Fall to Movie Siberia (February), and that film was a disaster. Both Cooper and Lawrence have proven that they can survive without each other; Lawrence has her popular franchise THE HUNGER GAMES, and Cooper has dabbled in the dramatic (THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, 2013), and the comic-book universe (this year’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY). SERENA just may be a good reason for this relationship to take a break, or to finally go their separate ways.

What say you?

*

SERENA is set for release on February 26, 2015. In addition to Cooper and Lawrence, it also stars Rhys Ifans and Toby Jones.

 

 

 

A Reel 50: GOLDFINGER

“No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”

 

This month marks the 50^th anniversary of Guy Hamilton’s GOLDFINGER.

Based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, GOLDFINGER was the third film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional secret agent, James Bond/007.

After the moderate success of the previous Bond films, DR. NO (1962) and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963), GOLDFINGER was approached with a focus on American audiences. The plot, in which the villainous Auric Goldfinger seeks to contaminate the U.S. gold-supply, was changed from the novel…in which Goldfinger actually schemes to steal all of the gold. The original draft of the script was written by Richard Maibaum, who had penned the previous Bond films. After much back-and-forth over the script, screenwriter Paul Dehn was brought in to revise, and this is where the path of James Bond truly began. It was Dehn who suggested a pre-credit sequence with no relevance to the actual plot, and this was the beginning of the Bond Template.

GOLDFINGER would ultimately set the template for future Bond films over the next five decades. Elements such as the pre-credits scene, and 007’s extensive use of gadgets and technology would be used first in GOLDFINGER and they would become the pillars of the franchise. Although it was the third film in the series, GOLDFINGER is truly where James Bond began.

GOLDFINGER was a success with critics and at the gate; earning stellar reviews and breaking box office records in multiple countries despite the film’s setting in the U.S. It made back its production budget of $3 million in just two weeks. At the 37^th Academy Awards, it would win Best Sound Editing, making GOLDFINGER the first Bond film to win an Oscar. Composer John Barry was nominated for a Grammy for Best Score for a Motion Picture. The American Film Institute honors the film in their lists for Best Quote, Best Song, Best Villain, and Most Thrilling Film.

*

This Blogger’s first encounter with GOLDFINGER came in the early 1970’s, when the startling image of Jill (played by Shirley Eaton), covered completely in gold paint, was run in a magazine. The image was tragic and beautiful at the same time, and immediately sparked an interest in this newly discovered world of secret agents and spies. Years later, as an appreciation for film grew, GOLDFINGER could easily be viewed as a textbook James Bond film, with all of the elements essential to the series working as a perfect formula. It is the film you would use to introduce James Bond to a newcomer, and the film to be shown whenever the best of Bond is discussed.

“We must have a few fast falls together some time.”

 

 

 

A Reel Review: TUSK

 

A long time ago…writer and director Kevin Smith was often considered to be the voice of his generation; with his self-deprecating humor and wearing his pop-culture influences without shame on his sleeves, he was a filmmaker whom everyone listened to. These days it’s been unclear exactly what he stands for or what he is trying to tell us, and his newest film, TUSK, is very representative of where his head is.

Wallace (Justin Long) and Teddy (Haley Joel Osment) are a team of podcasters who make a career out of exploiting people. Wallace is lured to the home of Howard (Michael Parks), who promises to tell his tales of adventure on the high seas, but is then horrified to discover that Howard instead wants to turn him into a walrus (you read that right).

TUSK is a horror-film which is horrifying and ridiculous at the same time. Once you wrap your head around the concept of a villain surgically turning a man into a walrus (a concept which is a hard-sell even three-quarters through the movie), the focus goes to the main character, Wallace. Unfortunately for TUSK, Wallace is an unlikeable jerk that you feel no sympathy for; he’s the type that has an over-inflated ego, talks-down to everyone, and makes a living out of other people’s misery. It becomes clear that the film is less about the hero and more about the villain, and this is where TUSK shines. The character of the sick and deranged Howard is fleshed out nicely, with his backstory making for an excellent motivation for his disgusting transformative surgeries. When Howard is allowed to flex his dark side and the blood starts to flow, TUSK makes for some excellent horror.

Long-time fans of Kevin Smith will lap up a lot of what this film has to spill. Smith loads up the film with his usual pop-culture references and uses his characters to speak his opinion on his favorite things; movies, hockey, comics, and (ahem) podcasting. Smith also pushes his fascination with bodily fluids and once the juvenile-level humor starts coming in, TUSK loses its bite. The film bounces back and forth between a straight-up horror film and a parody, and it’s impossible to tell what the film is trying to do. It’s frustrating, because the horror elements work so well and they become negated by all the stupid crap Smith can’t help but to inject into the film. TUSK winds up being a self-referential vanity project over a horror movie.

Acting is superb. Justin Long has to do the most work in conveying the horror of his situation and nails it. Michael Parks is fascinating as he changes colors every five seconds. Haley Joel Osment is treated like an extended cameo, and Genesis Rodriguez, who appears as Wallace’s girlfriend, puts in an outstanding performance and signals the world that she can act. Towards the middle of the film, a very famous actor makes an uncredited appearance as a private detective hot on the trail of the killer, and the extended-extended cameo takes too much time and air out of the film. Smith can’t keep the camera off him and his scenes drag on for way too long, which gives the impression that TUSK was stretching to make its silly story go for a feature-length.

Thematically, TUSK is all over the map. As a horror film it floats well, but Kevin Smith’s lack of maturity torpedoes it too often. In the hands of an adult the material could have been embraced in all of its glorious gore. TUSK has nothing to say about anything with only a few bright spots.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it

A Reel 20: ED WOOD

“This is the most uncomfortable coffin I’ve ever been in!”

 

This month marks the 20^th anniversary of Tim Burton’s ED WOOD.

Based upon the life story of infamous director (for all the wrong reasons) Ed Wood, Tim Burton’s loose comedic biopic was based upon the novel Nightmare of Ecstasy by Rudolph Grey. The film was the brainchild of writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who as film students at USC originally conceived the project as a documentary. As the project progressed and changed to a concept of a feature film, it eventually landed on the desk of quirky and stylistic director Tim Burton; the man responsible for hits EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990), BATMAN (1989), and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993).

The pairing of Burton with a story about Ed Wood, a director who would gain notoriety as one of the worst directors of all time, was a perfect one. Burton had always been a fan of the man’s work, and this admiration would seep into the film as ED WOOD would ultimately not make fun of his films, but would express a deep love for filmmaking in general. Burton would also inject his personal relationship with screen legend Vincent Price into the film; his Ed Wood character would strike a beneficial working friendship with horror-film actor Bela Lugosi.

ED WOOD would wind up with an ensemble cast. Johnny Depp jumped at the chance of playing the lead, and he was joined by Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Lisa Marie, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray, pro-wrestler George “The Animal” Steele, Juliet Landau, Mike Starr, and a young Vincent D’Onofrio who would cameo as Orson Welles. On top of it all, Martin Landau would turn in a spectacular performance as an aging Bela Lugosi; which would win him an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

In addition to Landau’s win, ED WOOD would be nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Musical or Comedy), and Best Actor (Depp). Rick Baker would win an Oscar for Best Makeup. The film had underperforming box office numbers, but the very strong reviews and accolades for the cast would earn it popularity long after it left the silver-screens. Much like the director whose name is on the film, ED WOOD would gain traction as a cult-favorite as time went on.

*

This Blogger’s first encounter with ED WOOD came in the early Spring of 1994, when a certain film professor showed the class a working print copy of the film, nearly six months before it was to be released in theatres. That working print, shown to us in glorious VHS, was an incomplete version…with running time-codes, black spots where edits and effects had to be inserted and a notable absence of opening and closing credits. The film, even in an incomplete version, was dubbed worthy of being shown in a film class as there was a lot the world (and evidently film-students) could learn from ED WOOD. Not only is it perfectly crafted, well-acted, and written to the point where it is infinitely quotable, but Burton was able to find the heart and soul in the story of a very weird man. Burton’s Ed Wood character was the Little-Engine-That-Couldn’t; a very earnest director who spun his wheels really fast and hard but could never quite make it over that mountain. That’s what made it work so well. ED WOOD was a triumph of Tim Burton’s career, and proof that he is capable of finding true cinema.

“This is the one! ‘This’ is the one I’ll be remembered for!”

 

 

 

A Reel Review: THE DROP

 

The final film of the late-great James Gandolfini should make his long-time fans very happy. It is a film which throws the gruff actor back into the world of organized crime; a world which he gets to stomp around, swear, plot and scheme and make his presence known. Gandolfini being back in a crime-drama is a strong selling point for THE DROP, but it is far from the only one.

Marv (Gandolfini) and his cousin Bob (Tom Hardy) run a bar which serves as a drop-off point for money being funneled to Chechnyan mobsters. When the bar is robbed, everyone looks to cash-in…while Bob encounters Nadia (Noomi Rapace), a mysterious woman with a dark past.

THE DROP is a very complex film as it weaves a tangled web of mystery around the situation and its characters. Loyalties are constantly questioned, and motivations are played as close to the chest as possible. It is a feature-length poker-game, with all of the players bluffing and dealing their way out of the mystery and trying to see who will blink first. Set in modern-day Brooklyn, THE DROP is very gritty, dark and realistic. There is a great atmosphere of dread and tension being built throughout, and it is difficult to take your eyes away from the screen for a second.

Director Michael R. Roskam, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 for BULLHEAD (Best Foreign Language Film), keeps the plot moving forward briskly and never lets the script’s complexity bog things down. Characters are not only very well developed, but he finds ways to make everyone’s dark and questionable past-actions play into the plot. There are plenty of curveballs thrown here that the audience will never see coming, and the eventual playoff is worth every pitch.

Gandolfini is at his best here as the gruff, yet troubled bar-owner. His character is a wounded man of pride who didn’t quite make it to the upper-level mobster that he always aspired to, and this gives Gandolfini plenty of great material to work on and go deep with. He is matched in stride by Tom Hardy, who is an equally troubled and complex character. Hardy keeps the emotions of his character close with only peeks behind the curtain…and it is one of the most layered performances Hardy has ever done. Noomi Rapace is excellent despite being a little under-written, and the show is nearly stolen by Matthias Schoenaerts, who as Nadia’s ex-boyfriend comes into the tale looking to cash-in on the drop.

The finale is a whopper of a twist which not only works as shock-value, but brings all of the characters exactly where they deserve to be. Michael R. Roskam has weaved a perfect little crime-drama in THE DROP which has all the essential elements working right; plot, character, heart, and payoff. It makes for excellent cinema and a perfect curtain call to one of our finest actors.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

 

 

 

Reel Facts & Opinions - The Year In Film 2014: Episode VIII

With only four months left in the year, the month of September can often serve as the un-official start of Oscar Season. But at the same time, it can be a place of exile for films not fun enough for the summer and not good enough for a late-year Oscar push. Here are the notable films for September 2014.

It all begins with…

THE LONGEST WEEK – Jason Bateman continues his second career as an indie-film draw in this love-triangle story. Co-stars Billy Crudup (WATCHMEN), and Olivia Wilde (TRON: LEGACY).

FRONTERA – Ed Harris (APOLLO 13) leads this contemporary Western set on the current borders of Arizona and Mexico, where a murder leads to an illegal immigration investigation. Co-stars Michael Pena, Eva Longoria, Amy Madigan, and Aden Young.

NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY – Documentary on Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis (see what they did there?), who in 1970 threw a no-hitter while high on LSD.

NO GOOD DEED – Idris Elba (THOR, PACIFIC RIM), stars as a charming stranger with deadly intentions.

DOLPHIN TALE 2 – That damn dolphin from the 2011 hit film gets in a pickle again. Stars Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson, and Sawyer Nelson. Directed by Charles Martin Smith.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY – Director Ned Benson weaves a tale of tragic love. Stars Jessica Chastain (ZERO DARK THIRTY), James McAvoy, William Hurt, Bill Hader, and Viola Davis.

THE DROP – Tom Hardy (THE DARK KNIGHT RISES) stars in this crime drama directed by the Oscar nominated director of BULLHEAD, Michael R. Roskam. Co-stars Noomi Rapace (PROMETHEUS), and James Gandolfini.

20,000 DAYS ON EARTH – Drama and reality combine in a fictional look at 24 hours in the life of musician Nick Cave.

THE MAZE RUNNER – In a clear attempt to cash-in on THE HUNGER GAMES success, this adaptation of the best-selling novel involves kids running around a maze trying to survive.

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU – Jason Bateman appears in his second dramatic comedy of the month, this time joined by Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, and Kathryn Hahn. Directed by Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM).

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES – Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling mystery novels, Liam Neeson stars as an ex-cop working as a private investigator.

TUSK – Kevin Smith’s second movie since he announced his retirement involves a podcaster who falls into the clutches of a sadistic killer. Stars Justin Long, Genesis Rodriguez, Michael Parks, and Haley Joel Osment (THE SIXTH SENSE).

SPACE STATION 76 – A dramatic comedy which riffs on the cheesy science fiction TV shows of the 1970’s. Stars Patrick Wilson (WATCHMEN), and Liv Tyler.

THE EQUALIZER – Denzel Washington stars in this loose adaptation of the 1980’s TV show. Co-stars Marton Csokas (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Melissa Leo (THE FIGHTER), and Chloe Grace Moretz (KICK ASS). Directed by Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY).

THE BOXTROLLS – From the studio that brought us the successful animated films CORALINE and PARANORMAN, comes this tale of little mischievous trolls who have raised an orphan boy. Stars the voice-talents of Ben Kingsley, Toni Colette, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, Tracy Morgan, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost.

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY – Viggo Mortensen (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), and Kristen Dunst (SPIDER-MAN) star in this 1962-set murder mystery thriller. Co-stars Oscar Isaac (INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS).

JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE – OutKast’s Andre Benjamin stars as Jimi Hendrix in this biopic.  

*

Next month, Episode IX looks at the month of October.

 

 

 

 

Reel Facts & Opinions: Controversy over GODS AND KINGS

 

FACT: There has been some controversy over the casting decisions made in Sir Ridley Scott’s upcoming Biblical epic EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS, which is due for release this December. The uproar is centered upon the casting of Caucasian actors to play key roles of the Egyptian royal family. The film, which is an interpretation of the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt as led by Moses in the Old Testament Book of Exodus, stars Christian Bale (THE DARK KNIGHT) as Moses, and Joel Edgerton (WARRIOR) as Ramses.

OPINION: These casting decisions are not unlike the controversy over the casting of LES MISERABLES in 2012. In that situation, fans of the stage production were upset that Hollywood stars were in the lead roles instead of the talented singers and actors who were involved in the Broadway production. The bottom line in the LES MIS situation is that you will never get general audiences into the theatre to see a movie with actors they never heard of. Similar to the comic-book films, you have to get everyone through the gate. Now back to EXODUS, are there talented Egyptian actors out there who could have carried these roles? Sure, but how many of them are household names? Practically none. Movies care about art, but this is a business and they do care about dollars too…and famous faces and names sell tickets.

This is certainly not the first time this has happened. Cecil B. DeMille’s THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956), which deals with the same characters as EXODUS, had the same approach; Charlton Heston was born in Illinois and played Moses, while Yul Brenner was born in Russia and played the Egyptian king Ramses. Besides all this, the casting of native Egyptians would require the film to be subtitled, which is often a turnoff for audiences. Not to mention that religious art has depicted their characters as Caucasians for centuries.

What say you?

*

EXODUS is directed by Sir Ridley Scott (GLADIATOR, ALIEN), and stars Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Ben Kingsley, and Sigourney Weaver. It is due for release on December 12^th.