(MENAFN- Arab Times) E time-shifting sci-fi thriller 'edge of tomorrow' has perfectly encapsulated what it is to be a summertime moviegoer. we're dropped into a battlefield of digital effects with the fate of the world at stake. torrents of gunfire and explosions surround. some alien clonks us over the head. we black out and it all happens again. and again. 'edge of tomorrow' in which tom cruise plays an officer who continually relives a day of combat against extraterrestrials probably isn't a commentary on the repetitiveness of today's blockbusters. its star after all has been the unchanging unstoppable avatar of big summer movies. but in the film directed by doug liman ('swingers' ''the bourne identity') the action-star persona of cruise is put into a phantasmagorical blender. as military marketer maj. william cage he's thrown into battle against his will by an unsympathetic general (the excellent brendan gleeson) and then finds himself stuck in a mysterious time loop.
cruise dies dozens of times over and over often in comical ways. does this sound like a great movie or what?
the selling point of 'edge of tomorrow' may indeed be seeing one of hollywood's most divisive icons reduced to wile e. coyote. he's like a real-life version of the video game 'contra' with the code of seemingly endless life. dying again and again cruise has rarely been so likable. based on the 2004 japanese novella 'all you need is kill' ''edge of tomorrow' begins in the de rigueur fashion of news clips that catch us up on five years of alien invasion that has ? with historical symmetry ? encompassed europe and left the beaches of northern france as the primary point of battle. cage is dumped on an aircraft carrier callously sent into battle by a commanding officer (a very fun bill paxton spouting lines like 'battle is the great redeemer' in a kentucky accent) and outfitted in a high-tech exoskeleton he doesn't know how to operate. when he lands on normandy or thereabouts he's an easy target for the aliens dubbed mimics. the mimics resemble black scampering dreadlock wigs or electrified rorschach tests. when a particularly big one swallows cage his day resets. this is 'groundhog day' with guns. this time around though it's not sonny and cher that wake him up each day but a drill sergeant calling him 'maggot.' whereas bill murray got to learn how to play the piano and fall in love cage must become a better killer. he strives to make it through the battle getting a little further each time before dying. he quickly pairs with the most celebrated fighter in the war (emily blunt) who recognizes his strange predicament. narrative
'edge of tomorrow' which was penned by christopher mcquarrie jez butterworth and john-henry butterworth entertains in its narrative playfulness ? another entry in the burgeoning fad of puzzle-making sci-fi as seen in 'inception' and 'looper.' few filmmakers have liman's knack for smart plotting; his much earlier 'go' inventively connected three intertwined stories. the zippiness does fade in the second half of 'edge of tomorrow.' and the title (perhaps the most belabored way possible of saying 'tonight') could also use a replay. but among countless sequels and remakes the high-concept 'edge of tomorrow' ? both a tom cruise celebration and parody ? is the right kind of a rerun. 'edge of tomorrow' a warner bros. release is rated r by the motion picture association of america for 'intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence language and brief suggestive material.' running time: 119 minutes. three stars out of four. also:
los angeles: 10-year-old actor max charles has been cast as bradley cooper and sienna miller's son in clint eastwood's war drama 'american sniper' thewrap has learned. charles who starred on abc's 'the neighbors' and plays young peter parker in the 'amazing spider-man' movies recently voiced the titular human lead in dreamworks animation's 'mr. peabody & sherman.' cooper stars as decorated navy seal chris kyle who is credited with the most sniper kills in us military history. after surviving multiple tours of duty in iraq kyle returns to the us only to encounter personal tragedy. miller plays kyle's wife taya while charles will play their son colton kyle. jake mcdorman luke grimes cory hardrict and kyle gallner will play cooper's comrades and film also co-stars several real-life navy seals including kyle's friend kevin 'dauber' lacz. eastwood is directing the warner bros./village roadshow war drama from a script by jason hall. cooper is producing through his 22nd and indiana banner along with eastwood robert lorenz andrew lazar and peter morgan. village roadshow pictures is co-producing as well as co-financing with warner bros. whose jon berg is overseeing the project. charles is a veteran child actor with numerous tv appearances and voice-over credits whose previous feature credits include guillermo del toro's 'pacific rim' and the farrelly brothers' comedy 'the three stooges.' he'll soon be seen alongside booboo stewart in the post-apocalyptic thriller 'the well' and he also plays a younger version of holt mccallany's character in the indie movie 'white space.' charles is represented by cesd and symington talent management.
los angeles: jordan vogt-roberts is in talks to direct the video game adaptation 'metal gear solid' for sony pictures an individual familiar with the project has told thewrap. sony had no comment. ever since he directed the well-received coming-of-age indie 'the kings of summer' fans have waited to see what director vogt-roberts would do next as it was only a matter of time before hollywood studios came calling.
released on sony playstation in 1998 'metal gear solid' follows solid snake a soldier who infiltrates a weapons facility to stop a group of terrorists known as foxhound from launching a nuclear strike. the game was created by hideo kojima and avi arad will produce the movie for sony whose production president michael de luca will oversee the project for the studio. hollywood has been trying to launch adaptations of popular video games such as 'metal gear solid' for years with new regency and ubisoft prepping 'assassin's creed' and 'splinter cell' with michael fassbender and tom hardy respectively. meanwhile once-hot projects such as 'halo' and 'bioshock' remain stuck in development hell. vogt-roberts is represented by uta. the news was first reported by deadline.(agencies)
by jake coyle by: jake coyle
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