Re: John Wick

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Just got back from seeing this, feels very much like an 80s mob revenge action flick. I half expected the Carloco logo to pop up in the credits. Anyway, they've figured out that Keanu as a man of few words beats Keanu as a man of many words, so that works well. Kind of a fun little crime environment/ecosystem is built up, and the action is very loud and well assembled. Ultimately disposable and probably only a couple steps off of Shoot 'Em Up style sillyness, but it was find for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Recent movie playlist

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John Wick.

It's an action film starring Keanu Reeves and Swedens own Michael Nyqvist playing a russian (?) gangster for some reason. You don't need to know more than that. Harmless fun and well shot in places.

Nyqvists accent is horrible though.

Re: John Wick

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holy fuck, how had i not seen this yet? great action flick. hope hollywood was paying attention, as THIS is what a modern '80's-style action flick should be. so fun. no overly-long exposition or fluff shots, it just "is".

also, OBVIOUSLY a sequel to point break. wick drives the same car as utah. utah went nuts after "losing" bodie, dropped out completely, returns as a hitman, enjoys a successful career, found a new love, etc. telling you, it's johnny utah.

also, does theon greyjoy ever not disappoint his father? talk about type cast....

Re: John Wick

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Forbes wrote:Keanu Reeves Is Back: Lionsgate Announces 'John Wick 2'

“People keep asking if I’m back and I haven’t really had an answer, but yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.”

That quote-worthy line, which was featured heavily in the trailers, works both as a declaration of the film’s lead character, as well as a commentary on the reemergence of its lead actor. It is now a prophecy. John Wick 2 is a go, and Keanu Reeves is indeed “back.” Lions Gate Entertainment is officially going forward with John Wick 2. Also returning are original directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and screenwriter Derek Kolstad. I won’t speculate on returning cast members since revealing who might in-fact return would constitute a spoiler for the first film. Okay, I’m guessing Lance Reddick will be around in some capacity. The film will be released by Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label and will be produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk, who produced the first picture. Lionsgate will be selling the film’s international rights at Cannes this week, and the release date is currently unknown.

Now this isn’t exactly a shocking development, as Reeves and other related parties have openly discussed the likelihood of a second chapter in the John Wick saga, but this is still a welcome development just the same. John Wick was one of the happier surprises of last year, one of the best films of 2014 as well as a rare film that performed above expectations through sheer force of will. If Keanu Reeves’s Speed is the best of the would-be Die Hard knock-offs, then John Wick, which concerned a retired hitman who seeks out the young mob-connected punk who murdered his dog, is easily the best of the “older actor goes on revenge-fueled killing spree” to come out in the wake of Liam Neeson’s Taken. Although my opinion that John Wick is better than Taken is probably less controversial than my opinion that Speed is better than Die Hard, but I digress.

The picture was a somewhat last-minute pick-up for Lionsgate, just 11 weeks before its debut and with no financial obligation beyond prints-and-advertising. I was aware of the movie beforehand, as I’m in that odd category known as “Keanu Reeves fan,” but I was under the impression that it would be something of an under-the-radar release, perhaps a mostly-VOD offering along the lines of Salma Hayek’s Everly. But bit-by-bit the film became more of a big deal, first as it was acquired by Lionsgate, then it was slotted for a somewhat wide release on October 24th (“Hey, Box Office Mojo now lists it with bold letters in their release calendar!”), and then when it was given an IMAX release. Point being, by the time, October 24th rolled around, John Wick was indeed being treated as a serious theatrical release.

Lionsgate did a heck of a job turning what could have been a VOD/DTV action title into a genuine mainstream release, and something of an event for action junkies. I’m not just saying that because I got quoted in the ad campaign right before release. Of course, it helped that the film was good and had material for great trailers. I was lucky enough to see it relatively early on (a couple weeks after the film’s smashing debut at the Fantastic Fest), and I was quite impressed. But what pleased me most about the film’s reception is how it represented something of a coronation for longtime Keanu Reeves fans, and something of an open acknowledgement that Mr. Reeves, long ridiculed for his underacting and somewhat quirky personality, was in-fact (A) very cool, (B) a darn good actor and an engaging screen presence, and (C) a much smarter guy than he was often given credit for, even by those who had seen his dynamite “film versus digital” documentary Side By Side back in 2012.

The film felt like a generational homecoming, uniting fans who had grown up with (depending on your age) Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Point Break, Speed, and/or The Matrix trilogy. Now he has mostly done smaller-scale fare (like Thumbsucker and Street Kings) and periodic “big” movies that didn’t leave much of an impact (Constantine, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 47 Ronin) over the last twelve years. But point being, the John Wick capitalized on a generation that grew up with Reeves and were now old enough to be the critical consensus and thus give him his due. Lionsgate was able to parlay the film’s unexpected quality into a chief marketing chip, and the film continued to build steam thanks to strong reviews while Reeves sold the hell out of it (partially by teasing a probably non-existent Bill and Ted 3 in interviews). A video game tie-in with the Payday 2 video game didn’t hurt either.

The end result is John Wick, which was tracking at $7 million on its opening weekend ended up with a $14m debut weekend, including strong business from IMAX and various PLF theaters. Now those are not blockbuster numbers, but it frankly felt darn good, as a critic, to see what clearly was a case of a good film overperforming thanks partially to overwhelming critical support. That may be a periodic occurrence for artier fare and/or indie darlings, but it’s exceedingly rare for wide releases. So yes, as stupid as it may sound, I took some pride and some ownership in the relative box office triumph of John Wick, which earned $78m worldwide off a $20m production budget. It also earned around $20m from digital platforms alone, as well as around $17m from DVD and Blu Ray sales.

Again, it’s not a monster hit, but it’s not hard to imagine that John Wick 2 (or whatever they end up calling it) ends up being, on a relative scale, the kind of breakout sequel I always talk about. Now I’m not saying that John Wick 2 is going to open with massive numbers, but it’s hard not to see the sequel to the buzzy and leggy original film, one whose reputation has only grown in the months since its theatrical release, blowing up a bit over opening weekend as a result of earned goodwill from the first installment. Lionsgate presumably sees this as a new franchise, and frankly the film’s “expanded universe” is actually interesting enough to make me want to see more of the world.

But beyond mere speculation, we are in-fact getting a second John Wick. Because sometimes we deserve more than the truth, because sometimes we deserve to have our faith rewarded. John Wick was a rare case of an unexpected mainstream genre hit in a world where the genre-centric box office hits seem all-but-preordained with little room for a genuine surprise. To the critics who championed the film, to the fans who saw it early and told your friends, to the Lionsgate marketing department who helped make an iconic hit out of a movie no one else wanted, savor this win. It is well-deserved. The press release is below/after the junp.
LIONSGATE RELOADS “JOHN WICK 2”
Keanu Reeves, Directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski Return

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) has confirmed plans to produce a sequel to 2014’s critically-acclaimed breakout hit “JOHN WICK,” it was announced today by Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger, Co-Chairmen of the Theatrical Motion Pictures Group. Keanu Reeves along with directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski as well as screenwriter, Derek Kolstad are set to return for the sequel. The film will be released through Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment and will be produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk, who produced the first film.

In the follow up to last year’s adrenaline-fueled revenge and redemption thriller, legendary hit man John Wick is back.

“With such tremendous fan and critical support for ‘John Wick,’ we knew that there was still so much more of this story to tell,” said Jason Constantine, President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions. “We are thrilled that Keanu, David and Chad have re-teamed with us and promise to bring audiences even more excitement the second time around.”

Jason Constantine and Eda Kowan at Lionsgate will oversee the project on behalf of the studio.

Lionsgate International will be selling the picture internationally at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.
awesome news. but... forbes? weird.

Re: John Wick

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I've actually been reading Mendelson's column for a couple years now, it's a decent look at films from a slightly more dollars and cents perspective, although he really liked John Wick a lot, he gives its quality more credit than I probably would.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: John Wick

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DH wrote:"John Wick 2" Co-Director Steps Down

The sequel to last year's beloved cult action thriller "John Wick" has lost one of its two directors.

The first film starred Keanu Reeves stars as an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his late wife's dog.

Collider reports that David Leitch, who co-wrote and co-helmed the first film with Chad Stahelski, will step down from the director's chair so that Stahelski will take the helm solo.

Leitch remains involved with the film though and will still serve as executive producer. The reason is thought to be due to Leitch focusing his attention on another project which has yet to be revealed.

Re: John Wick

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/film wrote:‘John Wick 2′ Plot Details Promise More of What You Already Love

John Wick, with all of its head-shooting, puppy-avenging, Keanu-growling madness, is one of the best action movies ever made. And you know what? I’ll say it. We’re all thinking it. It’s one of the best movies ever made. Screw you, Michelangelo Antonioni! This is real art right here.

Humorous hyperbole (or is it?) aside, the official news of a sequel blew up our brains like a bullet from one of Baba Yaga’s pistols. Now that John Wick 2 plot details are really starting to trickle out, our excitement is starting to coagulate and take form. This is really happening, and you can learn the details after the jump.


The good folks at Collider sat down with Keanu Reeves himself to chat about his upcoming horror movie Knock Knock, but naturally, the conversation turned to John Wick 2. Although he wasn’t exactly spilling over with specific plot details, Reeves did discuss the main thematic premise of the sequel, which sounds like it will tie in nicely with the concepts explored in the original:

I think we have a really good premise, and it’s an organic premise. It’s basically — to me there’s John Wick and then there’s John. You know, John is the married guy whose wife just died, and that five years of his life. Then there’s John Wick, who’s the mythical assassin. In this, John Wick’s past comes and infiltrates John’s life and John Wick, in a way, has to fight for John.

In other words, John Wick 2 will follow a similar formula as a great many action flicks – badass hero must break out his special set of skills to protect the side of his life that’s been freed from violence and mayhem and shooting dozens of henchmen in the head. That may sound formulaic, but let’s remember that the first film was a built on a very typical template of revenge and retribution, except the person being avenged was an adorable Beagle puppy. We trust that director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will find a way to invert our expectations once more.

In related news, Stahelski and Kolstad apparently listened to the fans when it came time to crack this story:

Chad and the writer, Derek Kolstad, they’ve really listened to what people have enjoyed about the work and how they speak about it. So there’s definitely that influence of the other world, the Continental world, the look, the feel, what it is about the movie, what made people like it; is definitely being paid attention to and the world opens up in this chapter.

John Wick isn’t just a well-shot, beautifully choreographed action movie – it’s also set in a totally lunatic landscape of working assassins, many of whom work out of the swanky, professional-hitman-friendly Continental Hotel. A worthy sequel could expand on that world-building and introduce more strange and amusing rules into this borderline fantastical world. We’re not saying they have to make a TV spinoff called The Continental that will expand this series into a large franchise, but they should. Really. C’mon. Pretty please.

Oh, and Reeves promises that the the clean, perfectly shot action of the first film will return and that he’s currently training himself in new martial arts techniques so he can showcase all kinds of fresh ways to obliterate people:

We’re gonna do the same kind of thing in the sense of — what are the guiding principles? So it’s longer takes, know where you are on the space, who’s doing what, action with consequence. And then going to other levels of what the gun fu was, which was jiu-jitsu and judo mixed with weapons and different styles of weapon training. So we’ve been opening up, I’ve been learning some other tools and different styles of that, and trying to develop some more techniques in terms of judo and jiu-jitsu and bring those elements into the work. And then we have some other things that might be a little different… But it’s all organic. It’s not like all of a sudden John Wick has superpowers, it’s got to be connected to the character.

So yeah, Reeves is saying all of the right things, but this is the moment where we must pause and inject a healthy shot of trepidation into our enthusiasm. John Wick represents an actor and a directing team working at the height of their powers. It was lightning in a bottle and it’s tough to recreate such happy accidents. With original co-director David Leitch stepping away to work on another project, can Stahelski capture the same magic solo?

Places enthusiasm cap back on.

Yes.

For more details (and there are a lot of ’em), make sure you check out the full Collider interview linked above. John Wick 2 will shoot this fall for an unspecified release date. Hopefully, everyone involved will have the good sense to call it John Wick Returns or The Life and Death of John Wick or something. John Wick 2 is a just a little too mundane for a such a crazy movie series.

Re: John Wick

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finally saw this over the weekend. so, so great. it's like a video game in real life. easily one of the best pure action films in recent memory. in my "top" list for the year for sure. i liked it better than the first one, i think.

Re: John Wick

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The Continental
The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.

Re: John Wick

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watched part 4 over the weekend. it really is, from needle drop through the end of the credits, one long action sequence. barely gives you room to breathe, and when it does, it's high-tension, high-stakes drama. it's really incredible to watch. the amount of coordination and training that had to go into filming this is staggering. even at 3 hours long, i didn't remotely notice. and even if you take the training and stuntwork for granted, some of the inventiveness for the ideas of how fights could go is over the top. like, you might thing that after 3 films, they're tapped as far as new ways to do fights, but you'd be very wrong. i tapped out of F&F films after the second or third one so can't comment on that, but when thinking of franchises that are beyond two films that don't have a bad film in the bunch, i really can't think of any besides John Wick. they are modern-day '70s kung fu films, but with guns (and also some kung fu, including nunchaku in this film). applause. that being said, i haven't revisited the prior films again yet, so don't know how they hold up, but can't imagine that the answer isn't "fucking great".