Hancock: master thread

[viber_91]

New interview with Will:

http://www.fivetvonline.tv/news.php?news=632

[Ale]

Interview with Jason Bateman:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle4158139.ece

[Ale]

A bunch of pics from 'Hancock' on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448157/mediaindex

[Ale]

Will Smith Covers Jet Magazine

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/3803/jetkr3.jpg

http://think2wice.org/2008/06/smith-covers-jet-magazine

Edited June 1, 2014 by Ale

[viber_91]

New Hancock Review:

Rating: ***''*

Smith movie comes a certain level of expectation, as the man essentially embodies the career Tom Cruise had ten years ago. As the biggest movie star on the planet, he must tread the line between commercial and artistically fulfilling, whilst also not disappointing his core audience. Hancock is a movie that does both admirably, but doesn't gel quite well enough to rank as a home run. Hancock's plot sees Big Willy play the titular alcoholic Superhero, who seems to do just as much bad as good when rescuing folk. When he saves the life of a kind-hearted PR agent (Bateman), he vows to make him more likeable in the eyes of the judgemental public. Those who have seen the trailer won't be surprised to learn that there is no real villain here; sure, people are out to get him - but no one who could really hurt him. It's not your conventional 'bad guy versus good guy' flick, or even a slant on it; it's a film about a drunken superhero who wants to figure out who he is. While this is all very well done, the tone can be drastically uneven and a twist comes out of nowhere, only to be explained away with a couple of lines of dialogue. The script has many problems, too - the main one being an overreliance on coincidence that is hard to swallow at times. There are still moments of real brilliance though, and it's Hancock's attitude problem that's the reason for most of them, as Smith's sharp comic timing shows little sign of blunting. Peter Berg, too, is a director still firmly in the mould of Michael Mann (who produces and makes an amusing cameo), meaning he likes his handheld camera and knows exactly where to put it (usually on an extreme close-up of Smith at a particularly ponderous moment.) Theron is fine, if untested, while Bateman is excellent in a beefed-up supporting role. It has many flaws, and some will find them distracting; but for this reviewer, the pros outweighed the cons and delivered a film that while far from perfect, still hit all the right chords. Stick around after the credits for the best line in the movie.

Review by Mike Sheridan

http://bigscreen.ie/reviews/film/Hancock/5665

Edited June 21, 2008 by viber_91

[viber_91]

Another one:

Rating: ***''*

Easy sell for this: Will Smith = alcoholic superhero. Throw in another great exercise in comic timing from Jason "Arrested Development" Bateman and a slow-burner from Charlize Theron and you've got a winner.

Bateman's a PR exec who takes on Hancock's case after being saved from a train wreck (Hancock does the train-wrecking), and tries to rework his image so LA starts seeing him as a hero, and not a super-strong bum. Theron is Bateman's homely wife, who doesn't want to see him get burned by a loser like Hancock.

Director Peter Berg proved he could pull off a smart thriller with The Kingdom and he expands on that here, pushing the d-runk flying, whale-chucking, city-trashing jokes as far as they'll go - and then flipping the movie into a whole other zone after the first act. Worked as a nice surprise for me after seeing the trailer - which gives zero hints about where it's heading - so we'll leave it at that here. It's enough to say: this is darker than it looks, and more interesting. The action works, but it's the smaller moments that makes this film so enjoyable - Hancock using his super-strength to shave, popping out bulletproof glass with a flick etc - it's a like a kitchen sink drama (where they occasionally chuck the kitchen sink out of the kitchen).

A few more points in its favour:

*First ever on-screen cameo from Berg's mentor Michael Mann.

*One of the few big-budget films in recent years to come in at the chimp-approved 92 minute-mark. Apparently there was a two-hour cut which may appear on the eventual dvd, and there are a few moments where you wonder if they've chopped out some backstory (mainly with the film's designated Brit baddie Eddie Marsan) - but I'd take that over a bloated two-hour blahthon anyday.

*It's a drunk superhero - what's not to love?

http://www.chimpomatic.com/reviews/?id=17460

Edited June 21, 2008 by viber_91

[E - Style-Greesy - E]

Well, I don't think this movie is gonna be one of the bests from Will but I think it's pretty cool and I'm gonna watch it! :)

[Ale]

Will Smith talks Hancock

http://itn.co.uk/news/b6b5aa6c9d559bacd4bb48d9558bad32.html

[Guest dreamscaper]

It is interesting that the Jet cover was all I have seen so far for cover images advertising/promoting Will Smith's new Hancock movie - except for the back of a few comic books I have not seen much of the poster image forn the movie. Charlize Theron has been on a number of recent covers but with no movie cover shots - just standard glamour shots. Of course any pics of Theron in the sexy outfit from later in the movie would basically be studio sanctioned Hancock movie spoilers so I'm not surprised by their absence so far.

:yeahthat:

[viber_91]

Cool new poster:

[3cookies]

i'm definitely gonna be there with my sons. They're already talking about going to see it. Thats one thing that I have to give Will credit for, is making movies that I can watch with my sons.. because for the most part... we don't like the same movies. LOL... so anytime they suggest seeing one of Will's movies, I automatically get hyped.

lol

xo,

cookie

[E - Style-Greesy - E]

i'm definitely gonna be there with my sons. They're already talking about going to see it. Thats one thing that I have to give Will credit for, is making movies that I can watch with my sons.. because for the most part... we don't like the same movies. LOL... so anytime they suggest seeing one of Will's movies, I automatically get hyped.

lol

xo,

cookie

Yeah, that's really cool!!!

That's what I like about Will so much and it is the same with his music! ;)

U can listen to it with ur sons, too! :)

[viber_91]

New review:

Rating: *****

Ten minutes into Will Smith’s latest, Hancock, you can’t help but feel that you’re getting exactly what the latest trailer promised you. There’s a big car chase, there’s lots of gunfire, and in the midst of it is Will Smith as Hancock, lying on a park bench, nursing a bottle and a mighty-looking hangover. Thing is, Hancock has super powers, even if he’s reluctant to use them. So cue one superhero rescue sequence later, replete with $9m of damage done in the process, and the scene is set for the mix of comedy and action that you’re probably ready to sign up for.

Sadly though, it doesn’t seem to be what everyone else was there to make. For enter stage left comes Jason Bateman’s PR agent Ray, a down-to-earth man who – courtesy of a really impressive rescue scene – meets Hancock and decides, by way of appreciation, to tackle his image problem. For Hancock isn’t a liked superhero – courtesy of the trail of destruction he leaves in his wake – and it soon turns out that there’s a warrant for his arrest, in addition to passers-by hurling abuse in his direction.

But this is where the tone of the film changes, as it takes an unexpected and generally unsuccessful turn. For Ray – who lives with his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) and small son - is a man who wants to change the world but can’t (the irony being of course that Hancock can change the world, but frequently doesn’t). When he sees how the world takes to Hancock, he sees his chance to do some good, and persuades him to surrender himself to the authorities, curb his drinking, control his anger and do a little time.

This should have been, certainly in the hands of a gifted comedian such as Smith, the opportunity to flex some comedy muscles, and one or two moments do demonstrate what could have been here. After all, doesn’t this whole reluctant, sarcastic, one-liner spouting hero thing sound like something Will Smith could do in his sleep?

Yet the film, oddly, switches more towards melancholy drama than summer blockbuster, and it never really recovers as a result. As Hancock faces his issues, the tone suddenly seems to become more sombre than Smith’s last film, I Am Legend, and you’re never quite sure why.

And it leaves Hancock the film in a quandary, for in the aftermath of this it has an identity crisis it never really resolves. Considering its brief 92 minute running time, much of it is spent with the key characters sitting around and chatting, looking mournful and appearing to be anything-but the cast of a superhero movie. This, however, isn’t a choice that those behind the camera feel confident with, because every now and then they throw in an overt blockbuster moment. In fact, come the middle of the film is a quite terrific fight scene, swirling with great special effects and real big screen impact. Then, quick as a flash, it’s gone again, as everyone sits around to work out their problems and have another chat. It’s the same too for those few comedic moments: when they’re thrown in, they work quite well, but they simply feel like they were put there to sell the movie, rather than part of a coherent whole.

The frustration is that there’s a boldness in what Hancock is attempting to do. It bothers to throw in a couple of curveballs (whether you like them or not), and the underlying concept of a superhero movie where the central character struggles with his place in life - to the point of regularly hitting the bottle - is open to exploration. But there’s simply not the courage of Hancock’s convictions to do it. Considering it’d be a tough sell at the best of times to get away with all of this in a Will Smith 4th July movie, it’s perhaps the ultimate lack of belief in its own concept that hurts the film most.

There are other problems, too, that come as a by-product of Hancock’s choices. There’s no villain of note, no real peril to push against for instance. Plus, even when Hancock is locked up, you never get the feeling – save for the odd news report – that he’s needed on the outside. And by the time it’s all wrapped up with an ending that fails to satisfy or impress, you’re left wondering just what it was that they actually intended to make in the first place (although you’ll still be able to calculate how much you reckon YouTube contributed to the budget, in exchange for all the name checks it gets).

Yet in the midst of all of this, the ingredients are there. There’s some great effects work in places (and the occasional bit of, er, not-so-great effects work, especially the early flying sequence), Charlize Theron is on good form and there are sparks and splutters when Hancock occasionally threatens to burst into life. But Peter Berg’s final cut has the feel of a film that’s been chopped around a little too much (with reports of reshoots running quite close to the eventual release date), and to call it uneven would be, sad to say, rather generous. Berg, to his credit, composes some good sequences here, but it’s a long way from his outstanding Friday Night Lights.

Sadly, that muddled advertising campaign that’s been talked about elsewhere on the Internet has ultimately proven to be a fair reflection of the end product. Removed from a summer release slot, and with a bit less pressure to deliver a traditional Will Smith blockbuster, Hancock may have stood more a chance, and been able to follow through on its gamble. As it stands, it hedges too many bets, and is likely to neither satisfy those after a run-of-the-mill Will Smith action comedy, nor those in search of something a little deeper. A pity.

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/73195/hancock_review.html

[3cookies]

That's what I like about Will so much and it is the same with his music! ;)

U can listen to it with ur sons, too! :)

you're absolutely right.. good example. "Here He Comes'... imagine a (then) 7 year old sneaking round the house singing with an active imagination talkin bout

"Here He Comes" ... with a cape on... LOL... yea. its real fun.

xo,

cookie

[viber_91]

New clip:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N8KgtON9l3o