Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron
Release: 22 April 2016 (USA)
Steve Jobs: Film Review
By Armando Inquig
‘Steve Jobs’ depicts the man as a flawed yet brilliant innovator: a salesman who expects employees to meet his standards, and a creative and artistic mind obsessed with product design.
Starring Michael Fassbender as Jobs, the movie is structured like a three-act play. Each act focuses on a pivotal product launch: the Macintosh in 1984, the NeXT (also known as The Cube) in 1988, and the iMac in 1998. Each act is preceded by flashbacks or a series of TV and news montages.
Just before Jobs takes the stage for each product launch, he’s confronted by various figures from his past. These include his ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston), Lisa, a daughter he once denied was his, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Apple CEO John Scully who played a role in Jobs’s dismissal, and original Mac team member Andy Hertzfeld. Through these interactions, his exasperated marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) consistently supports him, striving to maintain focus amidst the distractions that always seem to surface at the most inopportune moments.
While the film’s structure offers an intriguing approach, it leaves the characterization of the title character feeling unsatisfying and inconsistent. The movie doesn’t delve deeply into his history as an adopted child, omits key aspects of his professional relationship with Wozniak, and the reference to the invention of the iPad—shown as Jobs reacts to his daughter’s use of a portable cassette player—comes off as forced. Given the numerous recent portrayals of Jobs, this film fails to provide fresh insight.
The movie reaches its pinnacle in the third act, set in 1998 before the iMac launch, as Jobs reconciles with his daughter. Here, Fassbender truly captures the essence of Jobs, closely resembling the tech icon’s familiar image. This segment is a pleasure to watch.
Aaron Sorkin’s script provides a riveting, humorous, and captivating glimpse behind the scenes of Steve Jobs during pivotal product launches. However, it doesn’t match the depth, purpose, or impact of his work on ‘The Social Network’.
Gotham Season 2: What we know so far
Season two of Fox’s “Gotham” will premiere later this month.
By Armando
Fox has been releasing promo materials the past few weeks as we head into Gotham’s second season premiere later this month. Judging from these promos, it appears that Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock will be busier than ever as Gotham’s villains old and new begin to rise to power.
Star Ben McKenzie recently revealed on EW that the show’s story arcs will be more serialized in it’s treatment of villains, as opposed to season 1 wherein new villains were revealed and disposed of in the same episode.
Here’s the official synopsis that Fox released to go along with the announcement of the premiere date.
“The stakes are higher than ever as Gotham explores the origin stories of some of the most ambitious and depraved Super Villains, including The Riddler, The Joker and Mr. Freeze, and Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) uncovers more secrets from his father’s past.”
A new promo video can be seen below:
“This is not a red herring,” writer/producer Bruno Heller told E! Online in February. “It’s the beginning of the story of how the Joker came to be, how the Joker was created, where he came from, who he is. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Cameron Monaghan is the Joker. He might be.”
And to fans who have been waiting for Gotham’s season 1 Blu-ray, all 22 episodes will be available on Tuesday, September 8th in glorious 1080p. Additionally, it will also be available for streaming on Netflix beginning September 21st, the same day season 2 premieres on Fox. The 4-disc season 1 on blu-ray will include special features that will not be available via streaming services.
“Gotham” Season 2 premieres Monday, Sept. 21, on Fox at 8 p.m. EDT.
Classic Film Review: A Detective’s Dilemma In Alfred Hitchcock’s “Sabotage”
By Armando Inquig
Although ‘Sabotage’ is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s lesser-known films, its darker elements mark it as a significant precursor to his later works.
Released in 1936, Sabotage is one of Hitchcock’s British productions before he moved to the US and transitioned into Hollywood. The film is narratively daring for its time, incorporating dark and tragic elements that Hitchcock would later become known for.
The film follows cinema owner Karl Verloc (played by Oscar Homolka), a man who engages in attacks against the city’s infrastructure. His wife, Mrs. Verloc (Sylvia Sidney), and her younger brother, Stevie (Desmond Tester), are unaware of his activities.
Detective sergeant Ted Spencer (John Loder) is assigned to investigate Verloc and infiltrate his life under the guise of a cinema patron. As Spencer delves deeper into his investigation, Mrs. Verloc gradually senses that something is wrong with her husband. It is soon revealed that Verloc, pressured by his co-conspirators, is planning to carry out a big sabotage act.
Verloc secretly instructs Stevie to deliver a film canister containing a lethal bomb, set to explode in the heart of London. Stevie is unaware of its contents and innocently agrees to transport the canister. But the bomb tragically detonates on a crowded bus, killing the young boy and sending shockwaves through the city. Mrs. Verloc is devastated by the loss of her brother and, in a moment of anger, she confronts Karl, eventually stabbing and killing him.
By now, Detective Spencer is seemingly having some feelings for Mrs. Verloc. He is torn and grapples with the implications of it all. Will Detective Spencer abide by his obligations and turn Mrs. Verloc in, or will his emotions prevail and help her escape?
In true Hitchcockian fashion, the film navigates complex ethical dilemmas involving loyalty, justice, and the consequences of actions, themes that became a hallmark of his storytelling style and continued throughout the rest of his career. His direction is steady, focused on the psychological complexities of the characters without devolving into conventional tropes.
“Sabotage” is released as “The Woman Alone” in the United States, and is now available in Blu-ray in the United Kingdom in a high-definition format.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review
This is the best Galaxy Note to date — and a great overall phone — even with the loss of a couple of major features.
The quick take
Samsung has brought the once-oversized Galaxy Note closer in line with the more traditional Galaxy S line in 2015, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Cleaner software, a new-and-improved hardware design and the industry-leading S Pen add up to a wonderful phone, even though some will bemoan the loss of a removable battery and SD card slot.
The Note 5 has one of the best screens available in a phone, is easier to hold thanks to the new hardware design and the internals offer a significant performance boost over the Note 4 — and even so, battery life is a non-issue. This is a Note made for even more people to enjoy, and it’s a really great choice if you want a large screen.
Samsung Stays Ahead of the Curve with Bold, Big Screen Smartphones
Galaxy S6 edge+ features dual edge display for ultimate multimedia experience; Galaxy Note5 takes multi-tasking on mobile to new heights
NEW YORK, August 13, 2015 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., announced today the global launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5. Both devices represent Samsung’s commitment to the big screen smartphone market, which Samsung boldly pioneered in 2011 with the original Galaxy Note.
The Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 blend form and function with industry leading features, including: the best screen technology, the most advanced camera for high quality photos and videos, the latest fast wireless and wired charging, and an incredibly powerful processor. With increased 4GB RAM, both smartphones offer the most powerful capacity and processing power on the market, enabling users to enjoy more seamless multi-tasking, keep up with messages, post updates to social networks faster, and enjoy graphic-heavy games without suffering lag time.
With its curved 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen, the Galaxy S6 edge+ makes the edge experience even bigger to provide a more immersive multimedia experience. The newly-designed Galaxy Note5 provides an unmatched set of productivity tools such as SideSync, along with a much refined 5th generation S Pen capabilities to better serve the major multitasker.
Converse’s Chuck Taylor Redesigned For The First Time In A Century
By Armando
The stuff of teenage rebellion and rock ’n’ roll is now more comfy.
The Chuck Taylor, one of the world’s most iconic shoes, got a redesign as Converse unveiled today the “Chuck II” at a press conference in South Boston.
If you ever owned one, you probably are thinking this redesign is long past due. With all the advances in sneaker technology, the shoes haven’t changed much in 98 years. Additionally, it has been somewhat challenging to wear while doing any sort of athletic activity.
So it’s no surprise that the upgrades are on the interior, while keeping the same classic look that made it a fashion icon as its forebear. The redesign includes a foam padded collar, perforated micro-suede liner and a new “Lunarlon Sockliner” that adds cushioning and arch support. A lot of these technologies came from Nike, which bought Converse in 2003 for $305 million.
And there’s also the name change to Chuck II. Named after the Indiana basketball star, “Chuck Taylor” was the first to get his name on signature sneaker shoes when it came out in 1917.
“The launch of Chuck II is a groundbreaking moment for Converse as we continue to move the brand forward through creativity and innovation, ushering in not just a new sneaker, but a completely new way of thinking,” Jim Calhoun, president and CEO at Converse, said in a statement.
Here it is, the Chuck II:
Available later this month, the sneakers will be $70 and $75 for low-tops and high-tops respectively, and will be available in black, white, red, and blue when they launch next week.
Photos from Comic-Con 2015
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Comic-Con Trailer!
Delcourt Group Debuts In English On ComiXology
More Than 150 Delcourt Group Titles To Be Released Exclusively by ComiXology
July 6th, 2015 New York, NY/ Paris, France Delcourt Group, the leading independent comic book publisher in France, took a big step in their global expansion today with the debut of an exclusive line of English language digital-first comics on comiXology, the revolutionary cloud-based digital comics platform. This major publishing program premieres this month with three of the bestselling titles published in France, including The Curse of the Wendigo, which was illustrated by artist Charlie Adlard, best known for his collaboration with Robert Kirkman on The Walking Dead, and Come Prima by Alfred, the graphic novel which won the Prix du Meilleur Album at the 2014 Angoulême International Comics Festival. Announced in advance of San Diego Comic Con 2015, the initiative calls for more than 150 acclaimed Delcourt titles to be published over the next 12 months exclusively through comiXology.
