Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Oliver Stone And Joseph Gordon-Levitt Unite In Teaser For Snowden

Be forewarned; the teaser trailer for the newest Oliver Stone film, Snowden, is the very definition of teaser, with no footage from the movie being shown. But I can also forewarn you that the teaser, which you can watch below, is quite well crafted and very very chilling.

Male Strippers Will Make Terminators Say Hasta La Vista To Box Office Glory

Magic Mike was an unexpected sensation when it first opened, and so of course, a sequel has arrived three years later, hoping to capitalize on the positive buzz the first film received. Interestingly, the same weekend the first Magic Mike opened back in 2012, the first Ted was unleashed onto the world, and, well, its sequel sort of kind of capsized at the box office this past weekend. Luckily, things are looking much better for Channing Tatum and the gang than they did for a certain raunchy teddy bear.


Monday, June 29, 2015

Five Actresses Who Would Be Great Choices To Play Captain Marvel

A large number of new superheroes will be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the next years, and interestingly, most of them have already been cast. Benedict Cumberbatch will play Doctor Strange, Chadwick Boseman will bring Black Panther to life and Tom Holland will be the MCU version of Spider-Man. But one notable hero is left to cast; Captain Marvel. This character has been one that many have been clamoring for to receive a motion picture, and with such a film arriving in 2018, I thought it might be interesting to look at five actresses who would do the character justice!

Struggles For The Transgender Population Are Highlighted In New John Oliver Segment

Another week, another John Oliver segment that mixes humor with a legitimate issue that isn't garnering enough attention. This time around, Oliver examines the various issues facing the transgender population in America today, which are frequently being compounded by ignorance and bigotry. Take a look at Olivers masterful breakdown of the topic below!

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Ted 2 Review

Not Better Off Ted
Seth MacFarlane has some recurring tropes in his work that, frankly, are more of a hindrance to his creations than anything else. He loves shock humor, he adores cutaway gags and any chance to pay homage to the classic big band music of yesteryear will be taken with aplomb. Maybe the most surprising element of the first Ted was how it mainly eschewed those traits in order to tell a (GASP!!!) cohesive story. To boot, Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) had a relationship that felt quite sweet and real, which helped to ground all of the proceedings.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Dope Review

Just Say Dope
Music plays a major role in Dope, to the point where I feel like classifying it as an individual character within the movie would be actually quite appropriate. In addition to the lead character, Malcolm (Shameik Moore) leading a band with his pals Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) and Jib (Tony Revelori), rare is the scene to not have a tune playing over it. There's real care put into which songs crop up into which scenes, and the various pieces of music is one of many aspects of Dope that feel unique and special.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Thursday Night Grosses For Ted 2 Make It Unlikely For It To Be Bigger Than Predecessor

I thought my $62 million opening weekend prediction for Ted 2 was generous when I wrote up my box office predictions yesterday, and it turns out, I was right. Ted 2 made $2.6 million last night from Thursday night grosses, about on par with the original Ted which also made $2.6 million, though that movie made that cash at Midnight screenings instead of the earlier showings Ted 2 had. A more pat comparison would be 22 Jump Street, a comedy sequel released last year that had much earlier showtimes and made $5.5 million, more than double the grosses of Ted 2.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Are Video Game Movies About To (Finally) Hit The Big Time?

Quick! Name a good video game movie! Can't do it? I don't blame ya*. Movie adaptations of video games have been the sort of affair that sounds good in concept, but falls flat on its face in execution. Critics and audiences have been disdainful of the likes of Need For Speed, and even financially, only one video game film (Laura Croft: Tomb Raider) has crossed $100 million at the domestic box office. Looking at the state of things, it's easy to despair that the idea of a good video game movie is as likely to occur as Half-Life 3.


Will Ted 2 Be Number One This Weekend?

The first Ted became a Hangover-esque word-of-mouth phenomenon, opening to $54 million and making $218 million in its domestic run. To boot, it also became the rare comedy to make serious coin overseas, generating $330 million in foreign territories. No wonder then that Ted 2 arrives in multiplexes everywhere tomorrow, though it's doubtful it can hit the same heights as its predecessor, at least in its total domestic cume.


Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Hollywood Finally Appreciates Ezra Miller, Looks To Cast Him In Harry Potter Spin-Off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a great and underrated movie that owes much of its success to Ezra Miller, whose turn in the film is full of pain, humor, passion and truth. Truth be told, I felt like he should have won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars that year (I still love you Christoph Waltz!), but his failure to even garner a nomination in that category was nowhere near as devastating as his lack of work in the years following Wallflower. C'mon Hollywood! Jai Courtney gets all kinds of work after A Good To Die Hard bombs badly, but Miller can't get anything???


A Sense Of Maturity Has Lifted This Years Best Blockbusters To Success

SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, FURIOUS 7 AND MAD MAX: FURY ROAD LIE AHEAD!

Summer blockbusters are looked down on by many as some sort of "mindless" type of entertainment, but that's giving the cinematic subgenre a mighty short thrift. Dating back to the very first summer blockbuster, Jaws, there's been a level of thought put into the best characters and plots of these movies that truly takes them to the next level. Would the original Star Wars trilogy be half as compelling without the complex arc that Han Solo undergoes? Even Independence Day, a movie that's got a plot whose dumbness would even give dirt a bad name intellectually, has its best moment hinge on the President of The United States give an inspirational speech even in the face of the immense amount of tragedy he's encountered.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Tom Holland Is The New Spider-Man!!!

It's been the question on everyone's mind ever since Marvel announced they'd gotten the rights to have Spider-Man in their movies...who would be the new version of Peter Parker? I'd been rooting for Tony Revelori to get the role (he proved he could pull of a meekish personality and deliver one-liners beautifully in The Grand Budapest Hotel), but it appears Marvel has gone in a new direction for the character. Marvel has just announced Tom Holland has been chosen to be the new Spider-Man, with Jon Watts directing the 2017 Spider-Man feature!


Monday, June 22, 2015

Hannibal Has Been Cancelled. In Unrelated News, Mad Mikkelsen Is Having NBC Executives For Dinner

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Tragic news everyone; Hannibal has been cancelled. The cult TV show never got powerhouse ratings, but it did have a devoted fanbase and it did fare well compared to other programming on NBC. Alas, the network has seen it fit to axe the show, which is currently in the middle of its third season.

John Oliver Calls For More Attention On Women Targeted Internet Abuse

John Oliver is such a beloved figure in the media not only because of his quick wit, but also for the way he delves into serious real world issue that desperately need more attention. One such tragedy that he focused on recently was the hideous amount of abuse, such as death and rape threats, that many women get on the internet. His video dealing with the subject matter can be seen below.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Why Exactly Is Cars 2 The Worst PIXAR Movie?

A two year hiatus from releasing a motion picture left many wondering if audiences would show up for the newest PIXAR film, Inside Out, but this weekends box office made it blatantly clear that there was no reason to fret. The newest effort from the studio made $91 million in its opening weekend, the biggest opening for an original film (one that's not a sequel or based on a preexisting source material) in history. To boot, it was the second biggest opening for a PIXAR movie in history, only behind the mammoth $110 million debut Toy Story 3 had five years back.


Saturday, June 20, 2015

Love & Mercy Review

All You Need Is Love...And Elizabeth Banks
Where exactly has John Cusack gone off to? After appearing in the highest grossing movie of his career in 2009 with the blockbuster 2012, the actor has become rare to find in a major feature film. Since the start of this decade, he's only starred in two movies that made it to wide release (Hot Tub Time Machine and The Raven) and has spent his time appearing in direct-to-DVD action films and thrillers. A pity, since Love & Mercy shows the guy still has chops and deserves better than what he's worked with recently.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Inside Out Has Tremendous Thursday Night Grosses Pointing To Joyful Opening Weekend

Well, looks like Inside Out is off to a great start at the box office. The newest PIXAR venture is off to an incredible start financially, with its Thursday night grosses taking in $3.7 million. Two years ago, Monsters University made $2.6 million from Thursday night showings on its way to an $82.4 million opening weekend. If Inside Out were to follow that pattern, it would make $122 million for the weekend.


Thursday, June 18, 2015

Inside Out Review

Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Sometimes, stories with high concepts can go awry, Maybe the filmmakers got too bogged down in trying to utilize every new corner of the universe they created that they got distracted from the task of actually making a cohesive story. Despite the numerous paths that the plot at the center of Insider Out could have gone down, I'm elated to tell you, dear reader, that it does not lose itself. This is a tightly crafted, exceptionally written tale that delves into the inner psychology of the mind in a manner that can create enormous laughs or a flood of emotions at the drop of the hat.

Skadoosh! Po And His Dad Reunite In The First Kung Fu Panda 3 Trailer!!

Kung Fu Panda is one of those ideas that shouldn't work in theory, but man oh man, does it ever excel. The first one was such a charming and well made adventure, and surprisingly, the sequel was no slouch either. Kung Fu Panda 2 also surpassed expectations and wound up being a worthy successor to the original. Hopefully the third movie, Kung Fu Panda 3, follows suit and becomes another mighty Po adventure, and the first footage from the movie can be seen in the first trailer, which you can watch below.


This Is Gonna Be An Emotional Weekend For Jurassic World

If you had told me a week ago Jurassic World would have the biggest opening weekend of all-time, I would have called you a madman. Now? It's a fact Jack; the newest film in that dino filled franchise made $208 million in one weekend, enough to dethrone The Avengers as the largest opening weekend for a movie in history. It's all but a certainty that Jurassic World will lead again, the only question is, how much will it make?

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The Peanuts Movie Gets New Trailer That's Both Intriguing And Troubling

The Peanuts Movie is a film that fills me with hope and trepidation. The animation really brings Charles M. Schulzs artwork to CGI life in a pleasing manner, and a lack of celebrity voices in the cast is also cool to see. But could these guys at Blue Sky Studios really pull off a new feature length film starring Charlie Brown and the gang? All these conflicting emotions ran rampant as I started to watch the newest trailer for The Peanuts Movie, which you can watch below.


Monday, June 15, 2015

Channing Tatums Gambit Movie Just Found A Director In Rupert Wyatt!

The solo Gambit movie, starring Channing Tatum as the titular mutant, has reportedly approached numerous directors in the past to helm the motion picture, with rumors stating that the likes of J.C. Chandor and Darren Aronofsky were approached for the film. Now, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Rupert Wyatt is set to direct the 2016 movie!


Sunday, June 14, 2015

PIXAR Chronicles: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2

A wide variety of directors have worked at PIXAR, which, interestingly, is both exemplified and contradicted in their first three movies. Between the two Toy Story films and A Bug's Life, four different filmmakers got to direct a movie for the studio, but all of them except for John Lasseter got co-director status. Truth be told, in the context of the individual films, this seems reasonable; Lasseter had no co-director on Toy Story, and it feels natural that he'd want to handle the second film for the company while also nurturing a prospective new director (Andrew Stanton). Toy Story 2 meanwhile had a, to put it lightly, hellish production, one that necessitated that Lasseter would need help in the form of Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon to bring the film to fruition.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Jurassic World Review

A Whole New World
From the time of Gertie The Dinosaur in 1917, dinosaurs have been one of the most frequent entities to be seen in film. Even with the endless amount of ancient creatures in cinema, Jurassic Park is easily the most famous depiction of dinosaurs, and frankly, it's one of my favorite movies. It's one of those taut films that just captivates the imagination with its stories, characters and dino action. Plus, there's few endings more wonderful than the T-Rex roaring as the banner "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth" falls.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Only In One Of Its Songs Does A Land Before Time Sequel Rise To The Level Of Watchable

Welcome to a new edition of my bi-weekly column called When Good Songs Happen To Bad Movies, in which I look at pretty well done songs that just so happened to debut in more subpar features.
Remember in my write-up for Quest For Camelot for this column how I discussed how Disneys success in the world of animation bred imitators? Well, Disney wasn't ahead of the curve on everything, as the same year they debuted their first direct-to-video follow up to a theatrical animated movie, Universal was unveiling their first sequel to The Land Before Time, a 1988 Don Bluth effort that the studio hoped to squeeze more cash out of by creating a cheap follow up.

The Good Dinosaurs Revamped Cast Ditches John Lithgow And Neil Patirck Harris For Steve Zahn

Well now, ain't this an interesting development. A lot of news has surfaced recently regarding The Good Dinosaur, an ultra-secret project from PIXAR that's had numerous production difficulties. Still, those sort of incidents can be par for the course when it comes to PIXARs movies, which tend to have numerous production stops and starts until the final product arrives. Thanks to a new teaser trailer,  the film is on a lot of peoples radars now, and the newest development the film has undergone should further discussion of the feature.


Jurassic World Off To Massive Start In Thursday Night Screenings

The park is open and boy howdy is it successful. Jurassic World made $18.5 million last night in Thursday screenings, setting the stage for a massive debut in its opening weekend. Man of Steels $116 million opening weekend will be easily be dethroned by Chris Pratt and his raptor squad at the biggest June opening weekend come this Sunday, but how much cash is this one gonna pull in for the overall frame?


Thursday, June 11, 2015

Chiwetel Ejiofor Will Play Baron Mordo In Doctor Strange!

Baron Mordo
The cast of Marvels Fall 2016 film, Doctor Strange, continues to expand! Benedict Cumberbatch will play the titular hero, and Tilda Swinton is in talks to play his mentor, The Ancient One. And now, nearly five months after first hearing about him being in talks to appear in Doctor Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor has been confirmed to be in the movie as Baron Mordo, a nefarious villain!

New Ant-Man Posters Connect To The Avengers In A Fun And Creative Way




The Ant-Man marketing is kicking into high gear, with numerous TV spots hitting the internet the past few days and a six minute sneak peek set to play on IMAX 3D screenings of Jurassic World. I have a hunch a new trailer will hit the interwebs in the next few days, but even if we don't get that, some awesome new posters (which can be seen below) have dropped connecting Ant-Man to his Marvel Cinematic Universe comrades in a fun way.

Jurassic World Set To Engulf The Box Office

One of the biggest movies of 2015 has finally arrived in the form of Jurassic World, which is likely going to break the record biggest June opening weekend in its first frame. The question on everyones mind is just how big this dino-centric film will be.


The Career Of Christopher Lee Thrived On Versatility

Christopher Lee had a voice as commanding as any in Hollywood, and a filmography as terrific as you could imagine. The legendary actor, tragically, has passed away at the age of 93, living a long life full of incredible achievements, both on a personal and cinematic level. His vast work in the world of acting contains numerous roles audiences across the world fell in love with, including the antagonist Saruman in the Lord of The Rings films.


Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Chris Hemsworth Is Now A Part Of The Awesome Sounding Ghostbusters Reboot


After Spy, I'm totally down for whatever Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy are up to. Their Ghostbusters reboot (which Feig is directing with McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon starring as the titular team ya gotta call) already sounded promising, but now, a new cast member has been added to the project that really makes this one sound special; according to Paul Feigs Twitter feed, Chris Hemsworth will play the receptionist for these new Ghostbusters,

Alien Review (Classic Write-Up)

In Space, No Can Hear You Scream, Or Make A Great Movie
Sci-fi and horror are two genres that are routinely mixed in storytelling, likely because the vastness and mysterious nature of outer space mixes well the inherent terror associated with horror. Because, really, few things scare human beings as much as being confronted with the unknown, and that's the kind of fear that's taken ahold of the crew of the spaceship Nostromo. The various men and women aboard this spacecraft have discovered an extraterrestrial is among them, and it's vicious attacks are picking off each crew member one by one.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Jon Bernthal Is Playing The Punisher In Daredevil Season 2!!!

Well, this is huge news. The Punisher is coming to Daredevils second season, and he'll be played by Jon Bernthal, the actor who broke out big time on The Walking Dead playing Shane Walsh. Since then, he's had major supporting turns in The Wolf of Wall Street and Fury and will have upcoming turns in 2015 features Me, Earl And The Dying Girl, We Are Your Friends and Sicario.


The Final Hunger Games Movie Gets A Trailer That Promises An Event Like No Other

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part One is the kind of movie you enjoy when watching, but manages to be more than a bit underwhelming when considering it as a whole afterwards. I'm convinced a primary reason for that is because the whole movie builds up to the idea of forthcoming events of enormous consequence, and they do this build up in an exciting manner, but Part One never really delivers anything of note, ending on a cliffhanger that feels like all that hype was for naught.


Monday, June 8, 2015

Matt Damon Is Marooned On Mars In First Trailer For The Martian

Getting lost anywhere sounds like quite the stressful situation to me, but what if one were to be stranded on an entirely different planet? That is the predicament at the center of The Martian, the newest film from Ridley Scott which just debuted its first trailer, which you can watch below!


Spy Review

Spies Like Us
Susan Cooper is the main character of Spy, and let me just start this review off by saying how delightful she is as a character. Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a warm, friendly personality whose unintentionally awkward and constantly being belittled by a number of her co-workers, including Bradley Fine (Jude Law). Paul Feigs script for Spy manages to create a delightful personality for Susan thriving on conviviality, while also giving her goals pertaining to the fact that everybody at the CIA (where she works) underestimates her.


Saturday, June 6, 2015

The Bridge Of Spies Trailer Has Tom Hanks Stuck In The Cold War

The customary timetable for Steven Spielberg, when making movies, is that, after taking a few years off, he'll do not one, not two but typically three movies in a 12-18 month duration. That tradition continues this Fall, when we'll get one of two Spielberg features that are set to debut between now and July 2016. That first movie, Bridge of Spies, just dropped a trailer you can watch below!

Friday, June 5, 2015

The State Of Marvels Television Shows

 There's been a large amount of rumors swirling around Marvel Television this week, with Heroic Hollywood running an article surrounding a large amount of rumors of what's in development at Marvel Television. Some of it, mainly stuff that isn't Hulk prequel program, sounds cool (although I don't want Ms. Marvel to just get her own show...I'd also like her to be the lead of the Inhumans movie!), but it did get me thinking about the overall state of three current Marvel Television shows. Those programs are Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and Daredevi, all of which I'll discuss in great detail below!

Spy Starts With A Bang And Insidious 3 Off To Solid Start For The Weekend, While Entourage Heads Financially Downward

Melissa McCarthy better prepare for a great weekend, as her newest movie, Spy, got off to a great start at Thursday night screenings last night. Spy grossed $1.5 million last night, a 50% increase from the $1 million Thursday night grosses of McCarthy's 2013 vehicle The Heat, and a nearly 20% increase over the $1.3 million start for Tammy (it's hard to compare Spy's box office with that 2014 feature though, just because Tammy not only opened over a holiday weekend, but also opened on a Wednesday).


Thursday, June 4, 2015

Go For A Walk With The New Trailer For Joseph Gordon-Levitts Next Movie


Well, just as I was talking about Robert Zemeckis and his fascination with motion-capture in the 21st century, here comes the new trailer for his next movie, The Walk, which arrives in October. I thought Sony might hold off on a new trailer until Pixels and Ricki And The Flash, but our most extensive look at the film yet, which you can look at below, has arrived much earlier.

A Diverse Box Office Brings Melissa McCarthy As A Spy, Demons And Bro's

It may sound hyperbolic, but Melissa McCarthy is easily one of the most reliable comedians on the planet right now. After all, if a movie like Tammy ,with dismal reviews and an even more appalling marketing campaign, could somehow get to $88 million domestically, than anythings possible. That might sound like an insult in disguise, but I don't mean it as such. Tammy appears to be as low as a Melissa McCarthy vehicle can go, with her highs (Identity Thief with $134 million and The Heat with $159 million) being considerable achievements.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Aloha Review

Sun, Sand, Surf And Boredom
Sitting there in that movie theater, watching an endless amount of frames flicker across the enormous screen, I could feel tedium consuming my entire being. What had I become? Where had I gone? Who am I? These were the sort of lofty inquires I'd have much rather pondered than watching Cameron Crowes Aloha, an exercise in filmmaking that attempts to prove how monotonous one singular feature film can be.


Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Caitlyn Jenner Is A Hero

First off, she's known as Caitlyn Jenner now. That's the name she's chosen for herself. She is no longer Bruce Jenner. Please get that simple fact right, because otherwise, your article is wrong from the get-go thanks to an inaccurate title.

How Have The Biggest Movie Studios Fared So Far In 2015?

Five months into the year, I thought I'd take a look at how seven of the biggest movie studios in America have fared so far in 2015 domestic box office. The results wildly vary in terms of success or failure, so let's cut to the chase and get right into the analysis!


The First Trailer For The Good Dinosaur Is Here!!!

My excitement for Inside Out (which is only a little over two weeks away!) is enormous, but lest we forget, it's not the only PIXAR movie coming out this year! The long in development The Good Dinosaur finally makes its way to the big screen this Thanksgiving, and the first teaser trailer for the project has dropped! Check it out below!


Monday, June 1, 2015

Long In Development Little Mermaid Movie Loses Sofia Coppola As Director

It might seem peculiar, given Hollywoods current fascination with live-action adaptations of classic fairy tales (see: Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland, Malfeicent and the forthcoming Pan and The Jungle Book) that The Little Mermaid gotten a modern day take yet. However, trying to merge live-action actors with the underwater environments that much of the story takes place in would be a tricky proposition. Not an impossible one though, which is why a new film based on Hans Christian Andersons tale has been in development for a while.


Tron 3 Is Dead, Long Live Tron 3

There's no way in hell you haven't heard about this by now, but I just thought I'd toss in my two cents on the subject that's been grabbing headlines all weekend; Disney has cancelled Tron 3. The project had been pretty much declared dead until two months ago, when it was announced that the film would be shooting in October.