Next (2007) - Weak script sinks Tamahori's Dick adaptation

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Hot and cold meet in terms of colors on this star-pushing poster for Lee Tamahori's Next

A Las Vegas magician can see 2 minutes into his future, as he gets involved in a shooting incident. In its wake he is wanted in order to help retrieve a stolen weapon, and he also falls in love.

 

Next is written by Gary Goldman (Big Trouble in Little China (1986)), Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon (1998)) and Paul Bernbaum (Hollywoodland (2006)), loosely adapting the 1954 short story The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick (The Man Who Japed (1956)), and directed by great New-Zealander filmmaker Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors (1994)).

It is regrettably a very bad Dick adaptation. The script is the main culprit: If you ask questions about the plot (as one usually does), almost nothing holds up in Next.

Jessica Biel (The A-Team (2010)) and Nicolas Cage (Astro Boy (2009)) barely make the cut performance-wise, but nothing much happens to their characters in terms of development. Hollow action and CGI doesn't salvage this miscarriage.

 

Related post:

 

Lee Tamahori: Die Another Day (2002) - Tamahori makes a thrilling, grand piece of Bond escapism

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the movie here

 

Cost: 78.1 mil. $

Box office: 77.6 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.99 times its cost)

[Next was released 25 April (France, Belgium) and runs 96 minutes. Shooting took place from April 2006 - ? in Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada and California, including Los Angeles. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Disturbia and fellow new release The Invisible, to a 7.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5) and grossed 18.2 mil. $ (23.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 7.1 mil. $ (9.2 %) and the UK with 4.9 mil. $ (6.3 %). Tamahori returned with The Devil's Double (2011). Cage returned in National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007); Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007); and Julianne Moore (Gloria Bell (2018)) in Savage Grace (2007). Next is rotten at 28 % with a 4.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Next?

The Illusionist (2006) - A good ensemble makes Burger's period magician indie worthwhile

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Stars appear in desaturated sepia tones on this dreary poster for Neil Burger's The Illusionist

In Vienna in 1889, magician Eisenheim impresses the inhabitants and the city's chief inspector with his incredible illusions. But he gets into a fix when he attempts to reignite his relationship with the duchess girlfriend of prince Leopold.

The Illusionist is written and directed by Neil Burger (Limitless (2011)), based on the short story Eisenheim the Illusionist (1990) by Steven Millhauser (Edwin Mullhouse (1972)).
Burger has crafted a supernatural romantic period drama, which becomes compelling thanks to its good actors; Edward Norton (The Red Dragon (2002)), Paul Giamatti (Saving Mr. Banks (2013)), Rufus Sewell (Extreme Ops (2002)), Eddie Marsan (Tyrannosaur (2011)), Jessica Biel (Accidental Love (2015)) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Anna Kareninia (2012)) as young Eisenheim are all good.
Unfortunately the film ends very dissatisfactory, without real illumination for its audiences. - The illusions are so incredible that one concludes that the magician must have supernatural abilities. SPOILER In this light it is not sufficient that the ending simply suggests that Eisenheim and the duchess 'merely' duped everyone.
Apart from this, I also found that Philip Glass' (A Bronx Sole (2006)) recognizable score feels a bit overly familiar at this point in film history, and the photography (by Dick Pope (Topsy-Turvy (1999)) and visual  concept, - one of browning everything up and setting it in a vignette light, - only struck me as pseudo-refined.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 16.5 mil. $
Box office: 87.8 mil. $
= Big hit (5.32 times the cost)
[The Illusionist premiered 22 January (Sundance Film Festival, Colorado, USA) and runs 110 minutes. Shooting took place in the Czech Republic, including Prague, from April - May 2005. The film opened #20 to a 927k $ first weekend in 51 theaters (a good 18k $ average) in North America, where it peaked in 1,438 cinemas and at #5 (different weeks), behind holdover hit Invincible, new-comers Crank and The Wicker Man and holdover hit Little Miss Sunshine, leaving the top 5 again the next week, grossing strong 39.8 mil. $ (45.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 12.5 mil. $ (14.2 %) and Mexico with 7.2 mil. $ (8.2 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to two notches better than this one. It was nominated for 1 Oscar, Best Cinematography, which it lost to Guillermo Navarro for Pan's Labyrinth. It was also nominated for an Independent Spirit award, won a National Board of Review award and many other honors. Burger returned with The Lucky Ones (2008). Norton returned in The Painted Veil (2006), Giamatti with a voice performance in Asterix and the Vikings (2006) and in the flesh in turkey Lady in the Water (2006); Biel in 7th Heaven (1996-06)) and theatrically in Home of the Brave (2006). The Illusionist is certified fresh at 73 % with a 6.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Illusionist?

Blade: Trinity (2004) or, The Vampire Ass-Kicker 3

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Star Wesley Snipes looks bad-ass and is accompanied by two attractive younger stars on this poster for David S. Goyer's Blade: Trinity

'The Daywalker' is again necessary to protect humans, as Dracula and a mass of vampires go for the jugular, this time in a new alliance with two human vampire hunters.

 

Blade: Trinity is written, co-produced and directed by David S. Goyer (Zig Zag (2002)). It is the third and last in the Blade trilogy, based on the Marvel character. Goyer had written the two previous films from 1998 and 2002.

 

The budding Blade franchise dies with the third Blade-film, thus instead forming a trilogy, to some degree due to the limited directorial abilities of Goyer.
The atmosphere, coolness, wild special effects and music-related strengths of the first Blade in particular are gone completely in Trinity, where instead we get new characters that are better described as fighting underwear models, machine guns and a Dracula, who looks like is costumed to resemble, bizarrely, a butch drag queen:

Terrible costumes in Blade: Trinity - especially for Dominic Purcell's (Abandoned (2015)) 'Drag-ula' here

Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds (Free Guy (2021))) and Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel (Hitchcock (2012)) are the new, hunky vampire hunters. The former with an endless string of 'comedic' lines. Not once did they make me even smile. The shallow newcomers are mixed with a hodgepodge of comedic actors and a former wrestler as if to perfect the confusion.
The following story is paper-thin, and it is a sorry end to something that started off so well in 1998.
Parker Posey (Kicking and Screaming (1995)) is one of the only light points of Trinity in a hot vampire role. Below is a look at her 'subtle' acting in the flick.

 

Related posts:

Blade trilogy: Blade II (2002) or, The Vampire Ass-Kicker 2

Blade (1998) or, The Vampire Ass-Kicker
David S. Goyer: Man of Steel (2013) or, Superman v Zod: Sunset of Destruction (writer)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) or, Batman and the Storm, Darkness, Anarchy, Evil, Depression (writer)

The Dark Knight (2008) - Nolan's best Batman (story contribution)

Batman Begins (2005) or, Modern, Dark, Smooth Batman (writer) 

Blade II (2002) or, The Vampire Ass-Kicker 2 (writer) 

Blade (1998) or, The Vampire Ass-Kicker (writer) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch a short teaser for the film here

Cost: 65 mil. $
Box office: 131.9 mil. $
= Flop (returned 2.02 times its cost)

[Blade: Trinity premiered 7 December (Hollywood) and runs 113 minutes. Snipes was paid 13 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from September 2003 - January 2004 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Montreal, Quebec and in Toronto, Ontario. Before, during and after the production, problems were rife, especially stemming from Snipes being dissatisfied with co-stars, the director and other aspects of the film. Reports of racial slurs (from Snipes), unprofessional behavior, one instance of violence against Goyer and marijuana use during production were shared with the media. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release Ocean's Twelve, to a 16.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5), grossing 52.4 mil. $ (39.7 % of the total gross. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 12.9 mil. $(9.8 %) and Germany with 10.3 mil. $ (7.8 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Snipes was later sued by his agency for failing to pay their commission of his salary. And he sued New Line Cinema for breach of contract and racism in a 5 mil. $ suit that was eventually settled out of court. Goyer later reflected; “I don’t think anyone involved in that film had a good experience on that film, certainly I didn’t. I don’t think anybody involved with that film is happy with the results. It was a very tortured production.” Marvel has regained the rights to the character and is working on a new movie starring Mahershala Ali as Blade. Goyer returned with Threshold (2005, TV-series), Snow Patrol: You're All I Have (2006, music video) and theatrically with The Invisible (2007). Snipes returned in 7 Seconds (2005, video), The Marksman (2005, video) and theatrically in Chaos (2005). Blade: Trinity is rotten at 24 % with a 4.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Blade: Trinity?