Moviefone Editorial

Tag: Ambulance

  • ‘Ash’ Interview: Eiza González and Aaron Paul

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    Opening in theaters on March 21st is the new science fiction horror-thriller ‘Ash’, which was directed by musician Flying Lotus and stars Eiza González (‘Ambulance’) and Aaron Paul (‘Breaking Bad’).

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Ambulance’ 

    (Left) Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release. (Right) Aaron Paul in Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
    (Left) Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release. (Right) Aaron Paul in Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Eiza González and Aaron Paul about their work on ‘Ash’, their first reaction to the script, their approach to the characters, and working with director and composer Flying Lotus.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Eiza González and Aaron Paul about their work on ‘Ash’, their first reaction to the script, their approach to their characters, and working with director and composer Flying Lotus.

    Aaron Paul in Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
    Aaron Paul in Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Aaron, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and why did you want to be a part of this project?

    Aaron Paul: Well, really because of Eiza, I am obsessed with her. I’ve been dear friends with her for many years. We got sent this script at the same time, and before I read it, I hit her up. I said, “Have you read this? How is it?” I was just hoping that it was incredible because it was a dream of mine to be able to tackle something with her. So, we both read it at the same time. It was just such a fun ride. We both sat down with Fly Lo, our incredible director, and we just had each other’s backs from the beginning. To be able to witness Eiza and how she tackles projects was really inspiring. She is just such a boss. You know what I mean? She cares for every single moment of the movie. Her preparation is just unbelievable. The number of notes that she has is amazing. She cares deeply. It was thrilling.

    (L to R) Aaron Paul and Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
    (L to R) Aaron Paul and Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.

    MF: Eiza, what was your experience working with Aaron on this project?

    Eiza González: I love him. I’m so grateful to be on this journey with him. I really am. I can’t expand enough on how lucky I am to have him in this film and as a friend.

    Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
    Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.

    MF: Eiza, can you talk about your approach to playing Riya, and because she suffers from memory loss, is that freeing to perform as an actor or more complex?

    EG: I think it’s both. I think it’s a combination of those things. It is my biggest fear. I think that who I am is an amalgamation of my memories, right? We all are, and my identity, my growth, comes from my memories. My expansion as a human being, as an artist, it all stems from memories. There’s nothing that scares me more than losing all that. There’s a beautiful juxtaposition of meeting a character the way that we meet Riya, which is this covered in blood, obviously lethal human being, while simultaneously being incredibly soft and vulnerable. I find it challenging, especially in this genre, being able to find female characters that feel so flushed out in such a simplistic way, and without having to explain themselves. But also, it’s two underlying currents happening simultaneously, and that is a dream as an actress. We just struggle to find characters like that, that are not necessarily tied to incredibly grounded roles. I love that. I felt like a little kid, like a child, doing things for the first time. I didn’t want to forget that, while I was sort of in the journey of looking for answers, I still wanted Riya to feel like a raw soul, lost and confused, because that’s where you connect with her. It was challenging. It’s a challenging movie, and at plain sight, it doesn’t look like it, but it has so many layers and so many undercurrents, that the director and the actors must be really in sync to be able to fill in the blanks and make sure that every little place has a moment that the audience can hold on to. Because you’re asking for audiences to sit for an hour and a half with a movie that only is in one space with two characters. That’s challenging. That’s a hard thing to achieve.

    Flying Lotus in Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
    Flying Lotus in Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.

    MF: Eiza, I was really impressed with Flying Lotus’ work as both a director and composer on ‘Ash’. What was it like to work with him and watch him execute his unique vision for this project?

    EG: Oh, it was a dream. Aaron has worked with some of the best directors in the industry, and I’ve been very lucky to work with some of the best who direct. You can tell from the get-go when someone knows and when they don’t know. He was fearless, and sometimes that comes in different ways. You don’t have to come in with overwhelming overconfidence. It doesn’t mean that you must walk in with confidence, it just means you must have passion about something and a very clear passion. He just was so excited, but with really grounded ideas, and with a very clear point of view. He had built a team around it that really envisioned that. Once you’re with someone like that, you’re on the other side. You must drop into it and bring your knowledge. He is a new director, and Aaron has a lot of experience, and I’ve had a fair share amount of experience. He had an attitude of, “I want to learn.” Sometimes you have resistance both ways as an actor, because you have a very clear idea. I can imagine, as a director, you have an idea, but he was always open. He’d be like, “Oh, okay, let’s do it this way and then let’s try it your way.” Then some of the times it worked, and sometimes it didn’t. But it’s collaboration. That’s just a dream come true.

    Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
    Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.

    MF: Finally, Aaron, what was your experience like working with Flying Lotus on this film?

    AP: It really is a dream, and you can see every frame of the film was just so well thought out and just the glow of the set every day. Every day everybody was talking about, “My God, it’s just so amazing to be here.” Because you don’t see anything like that. It has such a new look, you know? It’s a brave swing, and it’s just such a fun, crazy, artsy film to be part of.

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    What is the plot of ‘Ash’?

    On a distant planet, an astronaut wakes up to find the entire crew of her space station has been killed. Riya (Eiza González) has no memory of herself or of the situation in which she finds herself, jogged by only quick, nightmarish flashes of her partners and their mission. Feeling paranoid, she must decide if she can trust the man (Aaron Paul), whom she supposedly knows, sent to rescue her after he received a distress signal from her location.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Ash’?

    Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s 'Ash'. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
    Eiza González in Flying Lotus’s ‘Ash’. Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.

    List of Eiza González Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Eiza González Movies On Amazon

  • Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to Play ‘Wonder Man’

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 2021's 'Candyman.'
    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 2021’s ‘Candyman.’

    Though he’s been best known for playing two DC Comics characters – Dr. Manhattan in the HBO series ‘Watchmen’ (to Emmy-winning effect) and Black Manta in ‘Aquaman’, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is headed across the comic book border to Marvel, signing on to star in ‘Wonder Man’, a new series in development at Disney+.

    The series has ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ director Destin Daniel Cretton aboard as executive producer (and to direct at least some, if not all the episodes) and ‘Hawkeye’ veteran Andrew Guest serving as head writer.

    In August, we learned that Ben Kingsley will also show up in the series as Trevor Slattery. The character, a bumbling actor originally hired to play a version of villain the Mandarin for ‘Iron Man 3’, further showed up in a Marvel One-Shot and then returned for Cretton’s ‘Shang-Chi’.

    A Wonder Man primer for those who may not know the slightly obscure character: he was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first arrived on Marvel’s pages in ‘Avengers #9’, which was published in 1964. The character’s real name is Simon Williams, son of a rich industrialist whose company runs into trouble after competition from Tony Stark.

    Angered by how Stark has affected his family, Williams accepts an offer from Baron Zemo that grants him super strength and durability. He battles the Avengers several times, before joining them.

    Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery in 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.'
    Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.

    His comics runs have also included stunts as a stunt man and actor, so Slattery’s addition to the show points towards something that could spoof Hollywood.

    James Gunn had Nathan Fillion lined up to cameo as the character in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (in a series of film festival posters featuring Williams’ work) but that scene ultimately didn’t make the final cut of the movie.

    Deadline’s story on Abdul-Mateen’s casting offers no details on how the MCU version of the character will adapt the comic book backstory, but we’d imagine there will be some changes along the way. Most notably, with Tony Stark dead, there will be little crossover on that front.

    Though Stark tech successor Riri Williams, AKA Ironheart, will have been introduced by this point in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and her own Disney+ series, so perhaps there will be some overlap).

    Abdul-Mateen is a busy, in demand actor who last showed up in Michael Bay’s ‘Ambulance’. He’ll be back as Black Manta for James Wan’s superhero sequel ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, currently scheduled to swim into theaters on December 25th next year.

    There are also a few other projects in the works, including TV drama ‘The Scent of Burnt Flowers’ and potential movie ‘I Helped Destroy People’, which he’ll also produce.

    Marvel Comics' Wonder Man. Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com.
    Marvel Comics’ Wonder Man. Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com.
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  • Movie Review: ‘Ambulance’

    Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
    (L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in director Michael Bay’s ‘Ambulance.’ Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

    Opening in theaters on April 8th is the new action thriller ‘Ambulance’ from ‘Transformers’ and ‘Armageddon’ director Michael Bay. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal (‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (‘Aquaman’) as bank robbers who hijack an ambulance and take an EMT (Eliza Gonzalez) hostage.

    The result is Michael Bay’s version of a mash-up between ‘Heat’ and ‘Speed,’ which is mostly entertaining and features impressive performances from Gyllenhaal and Gonzalez, but ultimately falls flat before it reaches the finish line.

    The movie begins by introducing us to Will Sharp (Abdul-Mateen II), a war veteran with a small child who is desperate to find money for his wife’s upcoming surgery. With insurance companies reusing to help, he turns to his adopted brother Danny (Gyllenhaal), who is a life-long criminal. Danny agrees to give Will the money, if he helps him with a bank heist that is about to go down with a possible take home over $32 million. Will reluctantly agrees, but the heist goes terribly wrong.

    The Special Investigation Section of the LAPD led by Captain Monroe (Garret Dillahunt) are on to Danny and waiting for him and his crew when they leave the bank. After a street shootout with the cops, which leaves their entire crew dead, Danny and Will make their escape by hijacking an ambulance with EMT Cam Thompson (Gonzalez) and a wounded policeman (Jackson White) on board.

    Now, with the entire LAPD chasing them through downtown Los Angeles, Danny starts to become unhinged, and Will contemplates how he can get himself out of this situation, while Thompson tries to keep her patient alive. Danny then enacts a dangerous plan to escape, and Will must decide between helping his brother or doing the right thing and ending this horrible ordeal.

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal
    (L to R) Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal in director Michael Bay’s ‘Ambulance.’ Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

    Whether you like his movies or not, you must respect Michael Bay as a master director. Bay makes movies on the biggest scale possible, and I’d put him in the same category with filmmakers like James Cameron and Zack Snyder. In some ways, ‘Ambulance’ is the most entertaining and fun movie that Bay has delivered in years and has all of the big action sequences you would expect from the director.

    But it also contains a lot of the “Bay-isms” that have plagued his films over the years, like an unbelievably ridiculous plot, characters that only make smart decisions when the script calls for it and putting action above character development.

    The filmmaker also makes more than a few meta references to his own films, which seemed strange and takes you right out of the movie. For example, two police officers’ bond over a scene from Bay’s ‘The Rock,’ and later compare themselves to the characters in ‘Bad Boys.’ The references were probably added as fun Easter eggs, but I found them to be unnecessary and a distraction from the rest of the movie.

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is an amazingly talented actor and I’ve really enjoyed him in films like ‘Aquaman,’ ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7,’ as well as the HBO mini-series ‘Watchmen.’ But unfortunately, his performance in ‘Ambulance’ does not work for me.

    He is introduced as our hero but immediately agrees to rob a bank with his brother, and even though we know that he is doing it to save his wife, he still makes some terrible decisions and causes several crimes. The film wants to wash away his involvement in the bank robbery by the end, so that the character of Will can be the true hero of the movie, but at that point it was too late for me to be able to root for him.

    Eiza González in 'Ambulance.'
    Eiza González in ‘Ambulance,’ directed by Michael Bay. Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

    Who you do root for in this movie is Eliza Gonzalez’s Cam, who is the true hero of the story and frankly, I would have loved to see a film about just her working as an EMT. She is definitely the breakout star of the movie and is great opposite Gyllenhaal and his frantic energy. The actress does her best to ground the film in some sort of reality, which is no small task considering the outlandishness of the plot.

    Jake Gyllenhaal gives a fantastic performance as Danny Sharp, channeling all the crazy energy of Nicolas Cage in ‘Face/Off.’ Gyllenhaal is completely over-the-top, but it works within the parameters of what Bay has created. Again, the problem for me is that I didn’t know who to root for. Danny is clearly the bad guy, but Gyllenhaal is so charismatic compared to Abdul-Mateen II that it’s hard not root for him instead.

    Several supporting actors give strong performances, the best coming from Garret Dillahunt who plays police Captain Monroe. Dillahunt is a “that guy” actor and has appeared in countless TV and film projects, so you will recognize him instantly. In a ‘Heat’ analogy, he plays the Al Pacino to Gyllenhaal’s Robert De Niro. Dillahunt has an interesting approach to playing his role that works really well, but unfortunately the character is not given enough screen time.

    The same could be said for Keir O’Donnell who gives a very interesting performance as an FBI agent who is also a former friend of Danny Sharp. There is a bit of back and forth between the two characters, but with such an interesting backstory and relationship, again, I wish more time had been invested with this character.

    The bank shootout at the beginning of the film is really well choreographed and looks great on screen, but it doesn’t add anything that we didn’t see in Michael Mann’s classic ‘Heat.’ The same can be said for the ambulance chase sequences, which have Bay’s fingerprints all over it, but again, do not add anything that we couldn’t see from watching ‘Speed.’

    And if I were to make a ‘Speed’ analogy with this film, I would say that Eliza Gonzalez is really playing the Keanu Reeves role, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Sandra Bullock’s character and Jake Gyllenhaal in the Dennis Hopper part.

    In the end, ‘Ambulance’ is a fun and entertaining movie that just leaves you a little empty by its conclusion.

    ‘Ambulance’ receives 3 out of 5 stars.

    Brad Fischer, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Michael Bay, Eiza González and Jake Gyllenhaal
    (L to R) Producer Brad Fischer, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Director/Producer Michael Bay, Eiza González and Jake Gyllenhaal attend Universal Pictures ‘Ambulance’ Premiere at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, April 4, 2022. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
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  • Super Bowl 2022 Trailer Roundup

    'Moon Knight'Poster. Photo Courtesy of Disney+.
    ‘Moon Knight’Poster. Photo Courtesy of Disney+.

    The Super Bowl took place this Sunday, and whether you were rooting for the Rams or backing the Bengals, we hope you got the outcome you were hoping for. Go sports!

    But what if you were more concerned with the trailers, TV spots and ads that traditionally look to exploit the massive viewing audience that the big event attracts? We’ve got you covered.

    In one handy, convenient place, we’ve rounded up all the exciting footage that wasn’t on the field. Even if, as has been the tradition of late, several of these trailers and spots made their way online long before kick-off.

    TV Trailers 

    MOON KNIGHT

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    While the superstar of the Marvel trailers from this year’s game was a certain magician’s multiverse madness, the MCU’s Disney+ TV arm still had something to show, as Oscar Isaac and ‘Moon Knight’ brought new footage from the show.

    Isaac plays Steven Grant, an unassuming fellow working in the British museum, who discovers the reason he’s been experiencing such vivid dreams of late – he’s just one identity filling his head, which is primarily owned by that of Marc Spector, who becomes the Egyptian mythology-powered vigilante Moon Knight, whose brand of justice tends to be more violent than some of the other Marvel heroes.

    It’ll be fascinating to see how Moon Knight is merged with the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, though at this point, Team Marvel has proved a dab hand at juggling a wide range of different characters.

    LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER

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    Amazon has spent so much money on the rights to additional stories from JRR Tolkien’s canon (and on making the TV show) that we began to wonder whether the trailer would just be a 10-second shot of a ring.

    But no, this is an all-action look at the series, which has cost nearly half a billion dollars to acquire and make so far. There’s no doubting the ambition on display, as the clock turns back to a time before Frodo and co. (and even Bilbo) from Peter Jackson’s movies when Middle-earth was under threat from dark forces and different races had to come together to save their various homelands. Yes, it happens a lot in Middle-earth.

    The likes of Morfydd Clark (playing the younger version of Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel), Peter Mullan and Benjamin Walker are in the cast here, and the show will be on TV screens starting September 2nd.

    Movie Trailers

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    Jordan Peele, who has established himself as a master of horror (and an Oscar winner) with ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’ is back on the terror beat with his latest. In this case, Daniel Kaluuya (who starred in ‘Get Out’), Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun lead the cast for the movie, which is still wrapped in some layers of mystery, even after this initial trailer.

    We do at least know that Palmer plays a woman who works tangentially for the movie industry, wrangling horses in a business that has been passed down through her family. All seems to be going well until the power at a ranch mysteriously goes out and something horrible appears in the clouds.

    What’s exactly going on? Is it aliens? Ghosts? Alien ghosts? We’ll find out when the movie arrives July 22nd.

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    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2

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    Released a couple of days before the game, the new spot for the ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ sequel focuses a lot on Knuckles, the new threat for our hero, who boasts the vocal talents of Idris Elba. It’s a blend of footage we’ve seen in the first trailer and some new action, plus the likes of human co-stars Jim Carrey and James Marsden.

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    AMBULANCE

    A slightly disappointing spot for Michael Bay’s new film, mostly because there’s little new following the main trailer, which was a while ago. Still, get ready for glimpses of Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul Mateen II as brothers who rob a bank but then need to hijack the titular vehicle, sparking a chase across LA.

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    THE LOST CITY

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    Who is ready for Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum to go exploring jungle climes and far-flung temples? Plenty of us, it appears. The action-comedy, which also features Daniel Radcliffe and Brad Pitt, looks like it could be a lot of fun.

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    JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION

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    While a shorter version played during the game’s ad space, the first full trailer for the latest ‘Jurassic World’ entry arrived days before kick-off, bringing together two generations of ‘Jurassic’ casts and unleashing lots of the requisite dino action. Let’s just say it looks suitably massive.

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    THE ADAM PROJECT / NETFLIX

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    Like Universal and others, Netflix released its Super Bowl effort in advance, putting out a long clip essentially promoting the streaming service’s 2022 output which is, it must be said, laden with star names and anticipated movies.

    ‘Knives Out 2’ is among the biggest, but the trailer also offered another look at Ryan Reynolds’ time-travelling action-adventure ‘The Adam Project’.

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    Commercials

    AUSTIN POWERS / GM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoqiQtc79CQ

    Mike Myers brings back his scheming supervillain Dr. Evil, who realizes he must save the world from itself to control it. Cue electric cars! The likes of Seth Green, Rob Lowe and Mindy Sterling reprise their roles from the ‘Austin Powers’ movies for a spot that mostly makes us wish A) Verne Troyer was still around to be Mini-Me and B) that they’d make another movie.

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    THE CABLE GUY / VERIZON

    A double dose of Jim Carrey this year, here returning to a role he hasn’t played since Ben Stiller’s 1996 crackpot comedy. That might have flopped, but it’s still fun to see Carrey doing his thing as the crazed cable tech, here confused by how the world has moved on to wireless internet, in this case from Verizon. He’s still got it, that Carrey.

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