Grumpy Cat's Lifetime Christmas Movie Gets A Trailer. God Help Us. Everyone.

It came upon the midnight clear,

That hideous trailer of old,

From Lifetime bending memes on earth,

To fill their bank accounts with gold:

"We'll make millions, sell toys to girls and men,

From the internets all-grumpy King."

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the trailer play.

New Female Centered Potential Spider-Man Movie From Sony Sounds Like It Could Be....Good????

MASSIVE THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 SPOILERS FOLLOW

A ton of things have been wasted in the Amazing Spider-Man films (primarily in the second one, though the first one wasted opportunities to lend gravitas to The Lizard), but Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy may be the biggest waste. She and Andrew Garfield had good chemistry, but those romantic scenes in the second one, while sporadically engaging, were bogged down by plodding repetition.

The True Scariness of The Nightmare Before Christmas

What's This? What's This? There's Hot Topic Merchandise Everywhere

We human beings are fascinating creatures. We absolutely love consistency in our daily lives, but we also occasionally find ourselves being eager for change in our daily lives. That’s especially true as we get older and think about all the other parts of the world we have yet to experience. Who has time to stick to the familiar when there’s so much more to explore out there in this big wide world of ours? Why, the idea of settling for the routine can be more frightening than any ghost or ghoul.

The Next Coen Brothers Movie Has A 2016 Release Date!

Whether it's through True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davis, Burn After Reading or the incomparable No Country For Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen have been an unstoppable directing duo in the 21st century after breaking through in the 90's with the likes of Fargo and The Big Lebowski. The duo will have a new movie called Hail Caesar! out soon, with a cast that includes Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.

Anita Sarkeesian Interviewed By Stephen Colbert Helps Highlight Hostile Seixm In Gaming

If there's one thing I love as much as Stephen Colberts witty humor, it's women rights. Frankly, it boggles my mind that in the year 2014 society still has so many egregious examples of sexism against females, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the world of video gaming. Back in August, Anita Sarkeesian made a video pointing out extremely sexist roles for women in video games, which was met with the kind of calm response you could expect from the interwebs; rape, bomb and death threats greeted her.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (S2E6) Review: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

The Agents of what used to be a massive organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. sure don't get a lot of breaks in life. However, although the crux of the episode centers on more trouble for what's left of Nick Fury's spy agency, there's some breakthrough news to come for these guys and gals secretly protecting the world. But first, they have to deal with the fact that HYDRA just framed them for an attack on the United Nations.

Wanna First Peek At Black Panther?

Perhaps the biggest piece of Marvel's massive news today (and this is saying something considering Inhumans and Captain Marvel films were announced) was the official date and information given to Black Panther. Having been one of Marvel's most famous heroes for ages, we've all been eagerly awaiting some confirmation on the Wakanda hero to get his own film. Well, we certainly got boatloads of information on the character today, including concept art of the hero!

Marvel Announces Captain America 3, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Avengers 3, Black Panther, And Tons Of Other Movie News

Marvel had a huge event today where they announced some truly tremendous news on their future movies. Let's waste no time and get right to discussing this overload of awesome news, shall we?

Jason Aldeans Burnin' It Down Is Occasionally Catchy But Overall Weak

Just a bit of scruff on his chin, a cowboy hat, tall frame...Jason Aldean could be taken for a country music singer any day of the week. But his astounding success in the world of country music is likely to surprise anyone. He's had twelve number one songs in his nine year old career, and every song he's released in the last six years has either gone gold or platinum. His first track, Burnin' It Down, is the first from his new album called Old Boots, New Dirt, and the success it's found is astonishing. 

Some Thoughts On Benedict Cumberbatch As Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange, as depicted in the comics

Speculation over who would be playing Marvels Supreme Sorcerer has been running rampant for years. For a two month period starting around this years Comic-Con, Joaquin Phoenix was in heavy discussions for the role that went nowhere. Tons of actors were rumored for the role during the month, including Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody and Collin Farrell. One name that had come up numerous times, even during a Q&A session at Comic-Con with the actor, was Benedict Cumberbatch, who seems to the be the one who Marvel will get to play Doctor Strange.

Star Wars Rebels (S1E3): A New Evil Emerges

This episode finally unveils the most heavily promoted new character on Star Wars Rebels, The Inquisitor. An antagonistic character with an eye-catching design and voiced by Jason Isaacs, he's been a fixture of most marketing for the show, but makes his first physical appearance on the program three episodes in (to be fair, he did appear in a hologram at the end of the TV movie). Before we get to his debut though, we've got to deal with the recent shenanigans of the crew of the Ghost.

Box Office Analysis: The Biggest October Of All-Time Draws To A Close

Box Office Analysis is trying a new format where I take more of a larger look at a number of films at the box office instead of just one particular movie or topic. 

John Wick Review

A Shot In The Dark Becomes A Bullseye

There's one indisputable fact on this planet; puppies are adorable. I'm pretty partial to pugs myself, but all kinds of adorable puppies grace this Earth and make the world a better to place to be. The awesomeness of puppies was proved with Tom Hardy in The Drop last month, and now Keanu Reeves gets to pile on more evidence to this fact with John Wick. Reeves play the titular character, a widower whose sole solace from the pain he feels from his wife's passing is a puppy named Daisy his deceased wife gave him just before her passing.

The Book Of Life Review

Guillermo Del Toro has lent his name to a vast amount of projects since he became a household name with the Hellboy features and Pans Labyrinth. Since the second Hellboy, he's only directed one feature (last years beautifully exciting Pacific Rim), but has produced several more than that. His most recent endeavor as a producer is The Book Of Life, an animated feature from Reel FX and director Jorge R. Gutierrez. Gutierrez makes his debut as a director of a feature length film with this production, his previous defining work being the Nickelodeon program El Tigre.

Christopher Nolan Has Left The DC Comics Building

Christopher Nolan pretty much revolutionized blockbuster cinema with his Dark Knight trilogy, which took a cinematic icon (Batman) and made him the center of an epic saga filled with great acting and compelling stories. Nolan was kept onboard for the first DC Comics feature after The Dark Knights trilogies conclusion, Man of Steel, though here he was solely a producer. Steel had lots of Nolan's influence, but none of that influence felt personal. Instead, Zack Snyder just seemed to be mimicking the "darkness" and "brooding" of The Dark Knight trilogy without realizing those weren't the sole elements that made those movies successful.

Christian Bale Will Be The Steve Jobs We Deserve And Need

You can call me crazy, but I think the newest Steve Jobs biopics casting for the role of the famed icon is a bit of an upgrade on Ashton Kutcher. This new Jobs movie has been in development for ages now, with Aaron Sorkin writing and directors like David Fincher passing on it. But Danny Boyle is confirmed to direct and now we have an actor confirmed to play Steve Jobs himself!

The First Trailer For Insidious 3 Tiptoes Through Terror

I've never seen the first two Insidious features, but their marketing is always pretty memorable. Like most horror features in modern cinema, they rely on long pauses and jump scares, and this newest installment continues the tradition of the past in terms of both aesthetic and scares.

The Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer Is Here To Amaze You Beyond Belief

The first poster for The Avengers: Age of Ultron

After it got leaked earlier today, the internet went into a frenzy on the first trailer for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The massively anticipated sequel to the third highest grossing movie of all-time was supposed to unleash its first trailer next Tuesday on Agents of SHIELD, but the leak has forced Marvel to release it officially, in glorious HD, right now. So ladies and gentleman, here's a nice Wednesday surprise, the first trailer for The Avengers: Age of Ultron!

Agents of SHIELD (S1E5) Review: All The Pieces Fall Together

One reason Agents of SHIELD has found so much improvement this season is because of the expansion of focus the show has had in the past few episodes. More characters (like Fitz, Lance, Simmons and Melinda May) are being given storylines with more depth and fun that really enhance them and make the stakes more dramatically effective. That's a stark contrast to last season, when most things in the show revolved around Skye, a character who last season was decent at best, absolutely grating at worst.

Editorial: The Modern Disney Animation Resurgence Is Nothing Short Of Fantastic

An awesome image Wired made for their magazine to celebrate recent features
from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Hooray for Bolt and Winnie The Pooh
getting some recognition! 

With Big Hero 6 on the horizon, many have shifted their attention to Walt Disney Animation Studios, and specifically their numerous recent achievements. Seriously, the studio has been on fire lately, churning out one entertaining feature after the other. As this awesome and in-depth Wired article notes, the last few years have restored luster to the company, with the phenomenally successful Frozen just clinching that the company has reformed itself.

Toby Keiths New Song Brings Together Booze And Patriotism

I kinda owe my whole obsession with country music to Toby Keith, a guy I grew up listening to whose music was a constant fixture in my household. How Do You Like Me Now?!, Courtesy of The Red White And Blue, and especially I Wanna Talk About Me were songs I heard endlessly and adored. What's great is that those songs hold up wonderfully as an adult. They remain not only great to listen to, but also have great lyrics and tackle some nicely realized situations unique to country music.

New Disney Animation Film, Moana, Revealed!!

 As a Disney Animation fanatic, nothing makes me happier than the announcement of new projects from the studio. A level of secrecy hangs over the studios future films; the only film beyond Big Hero 6 that's been officially revealed is Zootopia. But today, Walt Disney Animation Studios finally unveiled their other 2016 project, Moana, the newest movie from Ron Clements and John Musker!

Box Office Analysis: Brad Pitt Looms Over Channing Tatum And Ben Affleck

Box Office Analysis is back from the dead this week, though I'm trying a new format where I take more of a larger look at a number of films at the box office instead of just one particular movie or topic. 

Fury Review

In The Army, Yes You Can Be In A Brad Pitt Movie, In The Armyyyyyyyy

Movie stars are a rare thing these days, but I think it's safe to say Brad Pitt is one of the few we have today. He has the stunning good looks, a romance the entire nation fawns over and he's got more than a few big movies under his belt. When he's fighting zombies or being a baseball manager, audiences can't get to his movies fast enough. His darker features though, like Killing Them Softly, do tend to falter at the box office.

Llamas With Hats Is A Beautiful Dissection Of Human Nature

It's Saturday. As I contemplate my review of Fury and act super lazy, I'm struck by the beauty one can find in the internet series Llamas With Hats.

Editorial: Can We Start Giving Superhero Movies Some Respect?

The writer with the largest presence on Rope of Silicon, Brad Brevet, used to be one of my favorite writers when it came to the world of cinema, but sometime last summer, a shift happened in his writing. It was like a switch flipped in his brain or something, every single thing he wrote was dripping in gratuitous cynicism. Now, a cynical approach is not only a perfectly fine way to write pieces on movies, it can be a great angle if one does it in a successful fashion. Unfortunately, Brevet has made it tiring to read his endless mean-spirited attitudes towards blockbuster filmmaking.

Trailer For Top Five Analyzes Career Of Chris Rock

Chris Rock has been an on again/off again presence in the world of cinema, with Grown Ups and Madagascar movies being pretty much the majority of his recent contributions to the world of film. His next starring effort, Top Five, is one he wrote and directed, so it's certainly seems to be one he's passionate about. Check out the first trailer for it below.

The Strength Of One Man Is Put To The Ultimate Test In Trailer For Unbroken

With Paddington and Hot Tub Time Machine 2 moved to 2015, only three movies are now scheduled to be released on Christmas Day. One of those is Unbroken, a film many believe has massive potential for Oscar and box office glory, but I'm not too sure. The first trailer struck me personally as sort of middling; the WWII content seemed enthralling, but the sports stuff just seemed like a parody trailer played straight. But now a new trailer has debuted, attempting to change the tune of skeptics like myself. Check it out below.

Editorial: The Evolution Of Television Has Only Begun

Yesterday, the inevitable announcement arrived; HBO Go would be released as its own separate service. No other details were released, but presumably a monthly payment for HBO Go would get you all kinds of big movies and TV shows like Game of Thrones or Girls on your mobile devices. Many had been awaiting this day for ages, but it still managed to be the gauntlet being thrown down in terms of the future of television. The dominance of Netflix now full recognized, corporations are now realizing that way of consuming entertainment is no fad. The only way they can survive is to adapt.

Neil Patrick Harris Is Hosting The Oscars!!!

You were creeped out by him in Gone Girl, you were even more creeped out by him in The Smurfs, and you were dazzled by him in pretty much anything else he's ever done (iincludingGone Girl, while Smurfs I can take or leave).

But now Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the Oscars according to Deadline!

Agents of SHIELD (S2E4) Review: Getting Past The Inevitable

Agents of SHIELD
Season 2, Episode 4
Face My Enemy
Or......Getting Past The Inevitable 
MARVEL-OUS SPOILERS AHEAD

Nostalgia is a central theme in this episode of Agents of SHIELD, whether its from how the opening mission of the story (Phil Coulson and Melinda May going to a fundraiser in disguise as a couple) has shades of decades old program Mission: Impossible or Coulson reminiscing about a cup of coffee he and May never got to have. For the most part, it's a successfully integrated element that manages to do interesting things with characters like Coulson and May.

New Trailer For Foxcatcher Is Sublime And Terrifying

I get scared real easy, I mean, just a simple bump in the night will have me panicking. Many modern horror films though have become so routine in their scares though that even I have a hard time finding anything to be frightened by. But each trailer for Foxcatcher has stirred up feelings of fear in me, with this ominous tone that's just terrifying. Check out what I mean by watching the theatrical trailer for Foxcatcher below.

Star Wars Rebels (S1E1) Review: Send In The Droids

I can't tell you how nervous I was for this episode. I mean, adding C-3PO and R2-D2 to the world of Star Wars: Rebels just reeked of poorly done fan-service. There are so many possibilities in this universe, and we're already reusing characters from the original trilogy? My cynical mindset was fully in control as I started watching the episode...and then C-3PO and R2-D2 entered the screen and it all melted away. Gosh darn it, I love those droids, and I was so, so, so happy to see them again.

Robert Downey Jr. In Captain America 3 Takes The MCU To The Next Level

Last night, me and a buddy of mine watched Star Wars: Rebels, chit-chatted for a while, having too good of a time for me to think to check my phone. When I got home, I looked on The Hollywood Reporter for any major Hollywood news, and at the bottom of the page, was some humongous news; Robert Downey Jr. was going to be in Captain America 3. And this wasn't just a post-credits scene, no no no, this was to set up a cinematic adaptation of the Civil War storyline.

As you can imagine, I'm more than a little excited.

American Dad! Season 12 Premiere Review

In an unconventional move, TBS put the very first episode of American Dad! they'll air on YouTube last night, but with a major catch; it'll only be available for 48 hours. So be sure to check it out! Now, on with the review!

Big Hero 6 Gets New Action And Fall Out Boy Packed Trailer From New York Comic Con

Less than a month separates the American moviegoing population and the newest feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Over the weekend at New York Comic Con, a new trailer for the feature (dubbed a sizzle reel) was unveiled, giving us more of a look at the action elements of the feature, as well as more of a look at the other members of the titular team. Check it out below!

The Judge Review

Insert Courtroom Pun Here

Relics of the past adorn the first frames of The Judge, items meant to be deep symbolism by the end of the cinematic venture. For me, they hold no more meaning after 142 arduous minutes than they did once the film began, but truth be told, that's not a specific knock at the worn baseball glove that opens the movie. Very little of The Judge is actually worth caring about, and those relics are easily some of the misfires smallest offenders in terms of failure.

First Photo of Marvel's New Daredevil Netflix TV Show Released!

The Man Without Fear has spent 11 years away from the world of cinematic media, thanks to a poorly received 2003 feature starring Ben Affleck. But Daredevil is finally back home at Marvel Studios, and the company has big plans for the character in 2015. He'll be the first of five TV shows the media empire will create for Netflix and at the New York Comic-Con today, they revealed a first look at Daredevil, which you can catch below!

An Official Dancing Baby Groot Toy Is On The Way!

With over $323 million made at the box office, not to mention rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, Guardians of The Galaxy has become a cinematic phenomenon. But perhaps the most memorable bit from the No. 1 movie of 2014 (aside from everything else in the movie....and that Jackson Pollack joke) is the final scene of the film, which depicts a baby version of Groot dancing to Jackson 5's I Want You Back.

The Skeleton Twins Review

Going from SNL to the world of film is a voyage many have taken to a wide range of results. Some like Adam Sandler found great success with the transition, while the likes of Jimmy Fallon found other avenues for their comedy. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig have certainly had their hits, especially Wiig with Bridesmaids, but they've chosen to do more offbeat projects in their spare time instead of starring typical comedy features. That approach is an excellent maneuver if it results in more movies like The Skeleton Twins.

Will Arnetts Lego Batman Is Getting His Own Movie!

Adam West. Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer. Kevin Conroy. George Clooney. Christian Bale. Ben Affleck. These are the men who have brought Batman to life over the years through various mediums, with their interpretations of the Caped Crusader ranging from great (Bale, Conroy) to unknown (Affleck) to abysmal (Kilmer, Clooney). But the best version of him yet is the most recent, Will Arnetts turn as Lego Batman in this years spectacular The Lego Movie. And now, that particular version is getting its own film!

Katy Perry, Sadly Not Weird Al, Is Performing At The Super Bowl Halftime Show!

Oh man, do I love the Super Bowl. It's gotta be one of my favorite television events of any given year. Now, I'm not at all a football fan. In fact, I'm terrible when it comes to sports. I don't know a hockey puck from a badminton birdie! That being said, I love eating all that Super Bowl junk food, I simply adore the movie commercials and the Super Bowl halftime show has had some fun times in the past.

The First Trailer For The New George Clooney Movie, Tomorrowland, Is Here!!!

Brad Bird. Maybe you don't know the name right off the top of your head, but boy oh boy, you're likely more than aware of his work. The director of several famous Simpsons episodes in the early 90's soon graduated to directing feature films, starting his career off with the masterpiece The Iron Giant, following that with two ventures at PIXAR, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, and then his first live-action film, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. And now, his next film, Tomorrowland, has a trailer that you can watch at the link below. An embedded version will be added shortly.

Dracula, Ben Affleck And Robert Downey Jr. Compete For Victory (Box Office Predictions)

Tons of new releases this week, four to be precise, and even some new stuff in the world of limited releases. Let's not waste any time and dive right into this weeks edition of Box Office Predictions!

Bridesmaids Director Paul Feig Set To Direct Ghostbusters Reboot

Ghostbusters 3 has been a potentiality for years, mainly through Dan Aykroyds refusal to give up on the franchise. But Bill Murray has always said he'd never do another one, and earlier this year the director of the two original Ghostbusters films Ivan Reitman also said he's not up for another proton pack adventure. That seemed like the end of the road for the busters...until now. Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids and The Heat, is officially onboard to direct the film.

Agents of SHIELD (S2E3) Review: Chill Of An Early Fall

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

This particular episode of Agents of SHIELD made me realize just what this show was reminding me most of thus far in the season; The Empire Strikes Back. Now, the episodes we've seen so far haven't been as good as that Star Wars adventure, and A New Hope is infinitely better than the first season of Agents of SHIELD. However, this second season does share one extremely noticeable aspect with the 1980 Jedi adventure; they both take already developed characters and toss them in darker scenarios, testing them to their limits.

Iron Man 4 Is Happening....Maybe. Sort Of. I Dunno.

Jurassic Park 4. Any potential new season of Arrested Development. Iron Man 4. These are just three projects that have been in development forever, that constantly are brought up in interviews. Fans dream of seeing them, but weirdly, despite my adoration of Iron Man, I'm cool with no Iron Man 4. Now, if there was one, I'm sure I'd be pumped and jazzed for it, but right now, I can honestly say I'm OK with leaving Iron Man in its current form as a trilogy. 

The Walking Dead Is Back For A Sixth Season

There are many TV shows I haven't given a watch despite people telling me how awesome they are. Mad Men is one such program, and with its return imminent, I'm sure me never watching Twin Peaks will make me a monster in the world of pop culture. But one television phenomenon I've never watch is The Walking Dead, a show that I at first didn't watch due to my uneasiness with scary stuff. But maybe, just maybe, I'll catch up with it on Netflix before its newly announced sixth season.

Dierks Bentley Yearns For Human Connection In His Newest Song

While the likes of Chase Rice settle for singing about women in a manner that would have been sexist in the 1930's, Dierks Bentley sets his goals higher in terms of musical content. The signer has always been more at home with songs that have some sort of painful emotion laced on them. Now, he's done some fun upbeat tunes (5-1-5-0, Drunk On A Plane), but his more somber work is just masterful. Just one listen of Settle for A Slowdown and you'll know that it is in working with the more melancholy aspects of the human condition that Bentley finds glorious success.

Box Office Analysis: What Will Be Huge In October 2014?

Well, Gone Girl just became the biggest opener of David Finchers career, and Annabelle furthered The Conjuring franchise in a significant manner. But we still have four more weeks of October to week, and tons of new releases to look at it. And while I'll be analyzing these features in more detail in my weekly Box Office Predictions column, let's take a quick peek at the rest of this month as a whole, shall we?