The past seven days

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Kick-Ass 2 and The Hobbit 2 both pushed back

Well this is sad news.

Kick-Ass 2 and The Hobbit: There and Back Again have had their release dates pushed back. Kick-Ass was originally slated for June 28, 2013 and will now be released on August 16, 2013. The Hobbit's original release was set to be July 18, 2014 but it will now be released on December 17, 2014.
The moves seem to be all about competition. It appears they didn't want The Hobbit in direct competition with X-Men: Days of Future Past and Guardians of the Galaxy so they moved it. However there are three big name movies that are set for December 2014 like Tomorrowland, the new Annie remake, Night at the Museum 3, and Minions.
The shift of Kick-Ass 2 now puts it on the same weekend as Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and The To-Do List. Previously it was set to compete against The Heat and White House Down.


Personally, I am sick of all these release date shifts. I already got shit on by Hollywood when they moved Carrie and The Great Gatsby.

Gary Oldman to star in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The cast for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues to grow. In the past week or so we learned that Jason Clarke and Kodi Smit-McPhee had joined the cast and now we have confirmation that Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, just about everything) has also been cast. It's been suggested that Oldman is going to play Dreyfus, the leader of the human resistance against the apes.

This cast is starting to get pretty exciting.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Walking Dead announces its 4th season

In more television news, it was also announced today that production on The Walking Dead's fourth season is set to begin this May in Atlanta. Season 4 will premiere in October on AMC and will contain 16 episodes.It will also be the first season to premiere with the new showrunner Scott Gimple in full control. The thing will be if he sticks around long enough to finish a season.

We are currently in the middle of Season 3 which just returned from its mid-season finale earlier this month.

Archer renewed for a 5th season!

FX has renewed the animated comedy Archer for a 5th season which will contain 13 episodes. We are currently in the middle of Season 4 which is set to end in mid-April with a 2-part season finale.
Archer has dominated the time slot it has on FX drawing in 44% more viewers in the 18-34 age bracket than it did for Season 2 and 36% more viewers than Season 3. It also is the #2 top watched cable show for the 18-34 age demographic right behind The Walking Dead.
Nick Grad, the president of FX original programming and development, called Archer "one of the very best comedy series on television." He later added that the quality of the show is "undeniable."


This is great news.

[Random] My top 10 Nine Inch Nails music videos

Movie news has been pretty slow lately, so why not do some random fun stuff. After the announcement that Nine Inch Nails is returning this year I started listening full force again and watching the music videos. I saw a columnist on Bloody-Disgusting sharing his favorite NIN videos, so I thought I would do the same. It's always fun to see the comparisons.



10. Starfuckers, Inc.
I think my love for this video, and song in general, is based on principle. Trent released it to stiff it to the music industry, I think. The video is what it is, but I still love it. Enjoy some "Starsuckers."


09. Wish
This is a great song in general and the video is a good mixture of crazy. I remember seeing it for the first time when I was like 13 on the Closure VHS set. I prefer the live versions of "Wish" but this classic album version with the video is always good, too.


08. March of the Pigs
I put this at #8 simply because the video isn't anything special, but the song is. I would put the song a lot higher on the list, but the video is very simple.


07. Survivalism
This is a good one off Year Zero. I love the lyrics to the song and I think the video correlates perfectly with the theme of not only the song but of the album itself. I also love how they incorporated the music video into the Lights in the Sky tour.


06. The Perfect Drug
Great video and a great song. Simple as that. For some reason I can't find the original video on YouTube to link down below, but you can probably find it somewhere. It's definitely worth seeing. All that's on YouTube is remixes and RockBand clips.
[EDIT] I totally spaced the NIN Vimeo page. You can watch the official video here: http://vimeo.com/3612941

05. Down in It
This is another one that I remember from the Closure set and I always loved it. It might just be because I love the song (favorite off Pretty Hate Machine) but either way it is a good video. The story behind it is even better. You guys should Google that one.


04. Pinion
This is one that is short and sweet... and awesome as shit.


03. Help Me I Am In Hell
Another that is pretty short and sweet. It is just amazing, though.


02. Happiness in Slavery
This is a close run for first place, but it still can't beat my first choice. This video is just incredible and it is almost impossible to find on YouTube so I can't link it below. I have no doubt you can find it on Google somewhere so I would suggest finding it and checking it out. Amazing song and a great video companion.
[EDIT] I totally spaced the NIN Vimeo page. You can watch the full, very NSFW, video here: http://vimeo.com/3556108

01. Closer
Yeah, yeah it's a given, right? I don't give a fuck. This is a great music video and I have loved it ever since I was a wee teenager. It is unmatched and no one will ever beat it. Simple as that.






Enjoy =^D

Kathy Bates to have villain role in American Horror Story

It seems like FX is trying to bring back some Annie Wilkes. It was confirmed this week that Kathy Bates has joined the cast of the FX drama American Horror Story for season 3 where she will play Jessica Lange's best friend turned enemy.
Aside from Jessica Lange, AHS veterans also returning for season 3 are Lily Rabe, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, Taissa Farmiga, and Sarah Paulson. This will also mark a reunion for Conroy and Bates who previously starred together in HBO's Six Feet Under.


I quit watching American Horror Story after season 1 primarily because I hated how it ended and that it was so damn predictable. I guessed the show's ending 3 episodes before the finale. I didn't watch Asylum but I will probably give it a try when it's on Netflix or something. If I like Asylum I might give season 3 a chance simply because I love Kathy Bates. I mean, it's impossible to forget scenes like this one...


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

James McAvoy may star in The Crow

Yet another new rumor circling around the unfortunate remake of The Crow.

Rumor as it James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class, Wanted) may play the title role of Eric Draven in the remake of The Crow. The story of The Crow, in case you don't know, is of Eric Draven after he is brutally murdered along with his fiance. He returns to life as an undead vigilante to avenge the death of both himself and his fiance. The original film was released in 1994, starred the late Brandon Lee, and was directed by Alex Proyas. Most people only know about The Crow due to the fact that Lee died during filming during an on-set weapons malfunction.
The remake is still set in motion by Relativity Media and has F. Javier Gutierrez attached to direct.


I personally love The Crow. It is one of my favorite movies and ever since I heard they were going to remake it I have been against it. I find it insulting to both the fans and to Brandon Lee. As far as casting McAvoy, I don't doubt he would do a great job but I just don't want any of this to happen. It's a shame.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Trent Reznor announces the return of Nine Inch Nails

I am so excited for this I can't really describe how exciting this is. I am so ready for this.

Here's the word from the man himself:
"Nine Inch Nails are touring this year.
I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas, which led to some discussion on performing, which led to some beard-scratching, which (many steps later) led to the decision to re-think the idea of what Nine Inch Nails could be, and the idea of playing a show. Calls were made to some friends, lots of new ideas were discussed, and a show was booked - which led to another, which somehow led to a lot of shows.
The band is reinventing itself from scratch and will be comprised of Eric Avery, Adrian Belew, Alessandro Cortini, Josh Eustis, Ilan Rubin, and me. The first shows will begin this summer, followed by a full-on arena tour of the US this fall, and lots of other dates worldwide to follow through 2014.
Lots of details and dates to come. See you soon.
TR"

Tour dates have yet to be announced, but we do know that the tour will start in the summer of 2013 and extend well into 2014. I am predicting a rather extensive overseas leg of this tour and/or multiple shows in certain cities. The lineup is a bit different but brings back some old faces like Alessandro Cortini who toured with NIN during With Teeth and Lights in the Sky and Ilan Rubin who replaced Josh Freese for Wave Goodbye. The newcomers are Eric Avery from Jane's Addiction, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, and Josh Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv.

In case you didn't know, Nine Inch Nails is my favorite band so I am just jumping at this. I read about this when I woke up this morning and I was so excited I couldn't bring myself to hop on here and share the news. I have calmed down, barely, but I wanted to share it. 

New Carrie and Spider-Man images emerge

Not only do we now know what Spider-Man's new costume looks like in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but we also have a new image from Carrie starring Chloe Moretz.



New images and poster for Evil Dead

Just a little over a month away!










Sunday, February 24, 2013

2013 Academy Award Winners!

Nothing too surprising this year, but it was a good show. I have to say because I can admit when I am wrong... Seth MacFarlane was a great host. I hope he hosts again in the future.

Anyway, here are the winners!

* Best Picture:
Argo

* Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

* Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

* Best Director:
Ang Lee - Life of Pi

* Best Original Screenplay:
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained

* Best Adapted Screenplay:
Chris Terrio - Argo

* Best Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

* Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

* Best Animated Feature:
Brave

* Best Animated Short:
Paperman

* Best Foreign Language Film:
Amour

* Best Cinematography:
Life of Pi

Best Editing:
Argo

* Best Costume Design:
Anna Karenina

* Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Les Miserables

* Best Sound Mixing:
Les Miserables

* Best Sound Editing (there was a tie):
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

* Best Visual Effects:
Life of Pi

Best Live Action Short Film:
Curfew

Best Production Design:
Lincoln

Best Original Score:
Mychael Danna - Life of Pi

* Best Original Song:
"Skyfall" - Skyfall

Best Documentary Feature:
Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary Short:
Inocente 


The categories with the star next to them indicate that my prediction was correct. The only categories that I predicted and missed are Best Original Score and Production Design. All the rest without stars I didn't predict so I didn't technically lose. Alright, I'm done tooting my own horn.
I'm a bit disappointed that Quvenzhane Wallis didn't take Best Actress, but she has many years ahead of her. I'm happy Jennifer Lawrence won and I must say that I like her more after seeing her fall up the stairs while walking to accept her statue. That was awesome. I am also kind of bummed that Hugh Jackman didn't win, but I fully expected Daniel Day-Lewis to take it. We all did.
The main surprise for me was Life of Pi winning Best Original Score. I was sure it was going to go to Argo or Lincoln, so that was one that got everyone.

I loved the overall theme of the show which basically was the tribute to the movie music over the years. We had a reunion (kind of) for Chicago as well as performances from Seth MacFarlane, Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Radcliffe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Hudson, Adele, Norah Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey, and Barbara Streisand. We also had cameo appearances from Michelle Obama, William Shatner, and Ted. Yes, the star of MacFarlane's stupid teddy bear movie.
As far as presenters went it was fairly ordinary. Jack Nicholson shared the Best Picture announcement with Michelle Obama, Kristen Stewart hobbled onstage looking like she was on drugs, and Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy kind of proved they have no comedic chemistry whatsoever. Oh, and Dustin Hoffman grabbed Charlize Theron's ass. I saw it.

Overall the show wasn't bad. I thought some of MacFarlane's jokes went a little far, but anyone who has any common sense knows that was to be expected. I actually thought he was a good host. He was the best one since Hugh Jackman, for me, and was definitely better than Ricky Gervais ever was.
Congrats to Argo and all the winners. To the losers... better luck next time!


[Updated] Quvenzhane Wallis will star in Annie musical reboot

This is exciting.

Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) is not only up for a Best Actress Oscar tonight, but it has been confirmed that she will headline a new Annie reboot where she will star in the title role. The film has been planned for a holiday 2014 release so probably November or December. The President of Production at Columbia commented on Wallis' talent stating her "amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can't wait for audiences to further discover her."

Annie will be directed by Will Gluck (Easy A) and produced by James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith through Overbrook Entertainment and also Jay-Z, Jay Brown, and Ty Ty through Marcy Media.

[UPDATE] Annie has been given a Christmas release, so we will have it on December 25, 2014. 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Breaking Dawn Part 2 earns seven Razzie statues

The Razzies basically awards actors and movies for the worst performances of the year, in case you weren't aware.

This year The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 walked away with seven total taking the categories for Worst Ensemble, Worst Director (Bill Condon), Worst Actress (Kristen Stewart), Worst Supporting Actor (Taylor Lautner), Worst Picture, Worst Screen Couple (Taylor Lautner and Mackenzie Foy), and Worst Rip-off or Sequel. Twilight had 11 total nominations making the record of being nominated more times than there are categories. Ouch haha.
Other winners for the Razzies included Rihanna for Worst Supporting Actress for her debut in Battleship, Adam Sandler for Worst Actor for That's My Boy, and That's My Boy also edged Breaking Dawn Part 2 (by one vote) for Worst Screenplay.

I personally find the Razzies hilarious and the results for this year is probably the best thing I saw all day. Thanks for another great year, guys!

My predictions for the 2013 Academy Awards

I think there are going to be some surprises waiting for us regarding the 85th annual Academy Awards, but for now I am going to share my predictions for how the awards will go this year. I'm not going to predict every category as I have not seen every movie, such as documentary shorts and foreign films, but I will do my best.

Best Picture:
I think Argo is going to take this one. Starting out a lot of people were thinking Lincoln was a sure thing but seeing how unpopular Lincoln has seemed to be at the other award shows I don't think it will take Best Picture. Not unless the Academy is going to surprise us. I personally think Beasts of the Southern Wild or Les Miserables should win but those are both long shots. The only other movie besides Lincoln I can see giving Argo a good run for its money is Silver Linings Playbook.

Best Director:
Seeing that the Academy stiffed Ben Affleck, who has swept this category everywhere else, I don't really know who else to pick. They also stiffed Tom Hooper for Les Miserables. Out of the choices I think it will go to either Ang Lee or Steven Spielberg, leaning more toward Ang Lee. I would like to see Benh Zeitlin win for Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Best Actor:
There is no competition for this category. It should be Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables, but it's going to be Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln.

Best Actress:
This one is tough for me. I would love to see Quevanzhane Wallis win for Beasts of the Southern Wild. She was fantastic and I want her to win badly. However, I would also be happy with Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook. I think Lawrence is probably going to win it.

Best Supporting Actor:
It's going to be either Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook or Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained. Leaning more toward De Niro.

Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables. Enough said.

Best Animated Film:
I have no doubt Brave is going to take this one. Pixar almost never loses in this category. I would like to see either ParaNorman or Frankenweenie win this one, but I highly doubt either of those will beat out Brave. They probably won't even beat out Wreck-It Ralph.

Best Cinematography:
It should be Skyfall but it will be Life of Pi.

Best Costume Design:
I would give it to Les Miserables, but I am thinking this one will go to Anna Karenina.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Les Miserables. It could go to The Hobbit, though.

Best Original Score:
I think it should go to Thomas Newman for Skyfall, but it probably will go to Alexandre Desplat for Argo.

Best Original Song:
"Skyfall" by Adele. If it goes to anyone else I am turning the show off.

Best Production Design:
Les Miserables, again, is my pick but it probably is going to Life of Pi or Anna Karenina.

Best Animated Short:
Paperman is my choice and what I think will win. At least it should win.

Best Sound Editing:
The Dark Kn.... oh wait, I forgot. Skyfall.

Best Sound Mixing:
Skyfall or Les Miserables

Best Visual Effects:
This one is no doubt going to Life of Pi. I think it should go to The Avengers or The Hobbit. I'm not a Lord of the Rings fan, but I am smart enough to know Peter Jackson is a wizard when it comes to visual effects.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Argo or Silver Linings Playbook

Best Original Screenplay:
Hands down should be Moonrise Kingdom, but I am predicting Amour or Django Unchained.


We'll see how my predictions turn out tomorrow night! 




Kodi Smit-McPhee cast in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

After the addition of Jason Clarke last week the cast seems to be gaining some more momentum with the announcement of another lead role. Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, ParaNorman) has been cast in another unspecified lead role. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place 15 years after the events of the first film and focuses on the human survivors struggling to survive in San Francisco. The thing that confuses me a bit about McPhee's casting is he is still a teenager which means he would have been a baby/toddler when the monkey virus outbreak happens at the end of the first one, but they might make his character a little older than he is. Either that or maybe he's playing Clarke's son or something.
This marks the second Matt Reeves film that McPhee will appear in. McPhee had a lead role in Let Me In back in 2010. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sixth film added to McPhee's busy schedule. His upcoming projects also include A Birder's Guide to Everything, The Congress, Romeo and Juliet, The Wilderness of James, and The Young Ones.


I'm excited for this because I actually like Kodi Smit-McPhee for what it's worth. I loved him in Let Me In and I think as far as voice work went he did a great job in ParaNorman. Then again, I liked ParaNorman in general. I'm curious to see exactly what role he will have.


Friday, February 22, 2013

Two new posters for Catching Fire featuring the Victory Tour

I squealed a little bit.



Matthew Vaughn to produce Fantastic Four reboot

After Matthew Vaughn dropped out of the director's chair for X-Men: Days of Future Past I think just about everyone was wondering what other projects he had on his plate. It seems Fantastic Four was on his list. It was announced today by Mark Millar via Twitter that Vaughn was set to produce the upcoming reboot to be directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle).

I thought we were getting Fantastic Four next year, but apparently I was wrong. We can expect Fantastic Four on March 6, 2015.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Peter Dinklage will not be full CGI for X-Men

Peter Dinklage, most commonly known for Game of Thrones, was confirmed last week for X-Men: Days of Future past and almost immediately there was conversation about which character he might have been cast as. Bryan Singer has pretty much confirmed for us that Dinklage will be playing the "main antagonist" and also knocked down the rumor that he was going to be a CGI character due to the fact that Dinklage is... well, a little person.
"He’s not going to be a CGI character.  He’ll be himself.  Not that he’ll be playing Peter Dinklage, he’ll be playing this character.  It’s not a shy character. He's just such a phenomenal actor. I’m a huge fan of Peter’s and Game of Thrones.  He was my first choice and I was really happy.  It’s so funny to talk to him because he does that impeccable accent [on Game of Thrones] and then you talk to him and he’s this guy from New Jersey."

I'm personally pretty happy that he won't be CGI because I found the automatic assumption that they would alter his physical state rather insulting. I look forward to seeing exactly what Peter will bring to the table.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Sony announces the PlayStation 4

Just because I have always preferred the PS to any other gaming device. Yeah I said it. The Xbox can suck it.


Sony announced at an NY event today that their next gaming console will be the PlayStation 4. This is the next major console following the PlayStation 3 which was released in 2006.
The PS4 will be equipped with an x86 processor with 8 CPU's, enhanced GPU, and 8GB of RAM. It also will introduce the "Dualshock 4" controller which has a share button, a 3D camera for easier tracking, and a touchpad. Also with the new DS4 controller you will be able to take charge of another controller to help friends when they are stuck on a game.
Among the new features the PS4 will also have a new sleep function which will allow the console to stay in a low power state when not in use and allowing it to boot right back up where you left off. This eliminates having to turn the system on from scratch and see the reboot screen whenever you turn the console on. Social media will also be integrated into the PS4 with the revamping of the PlayStation Network and additions of Facebook features and more active sharing which to me sounds similar to Xbox Live.

HOWEVER... so far it doesn't seem like you will be able to play your beloved PS3 games on the PS4. Well, not the discs. You apparently will be able to stream any PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS Vita game on the PS4, but it is just that. You can stream which means there will probably be a service introduced where you can pay to stream various games, that you already own, on your console. That is a major downside, imo.

Universal hoping to release Fifty Shades of Grey by 2014

I am shaking my head as I write this...

Universal announced a couple of things. First of all, the big one is they are hoping to release the film adaptation for EL James' novel Fifty Shades of Grey by summer 2014. That puts it a little over a year out from now which means they need to get on casting and production mighty quick. What else does that mean? It will probably suck more than it already was going to because it will be rushed. Universal's chairman Adam Fogelson said they don't feel the need to rush things, though. "It’s conceivable that we could be ready to release it as early as next summer.” I call bullshit. Even mentioning a release date barely a year from the statement is what we call rushing, Mr. Fogelson.
Now... I read the first Fifty Shades book and I don't think I have ever read anything like it. And that isn't really a compliment. I found it disgusting, offensive, and just plain dirty and that is coming from me. I tried reading the second book and stopped about halfway through. I just couldn't read any more. With that said, I don't know how the hell they are going to make these books into movies. I'm surprised they sell these books in airports and have them in libraries. They're smut. Plain and simple.


Other announcements Universal made included comments on possible sequels to Identity Thief and Mama along with a brief update on Snow White and the Huntsman's sequel:

After grossing $85 million at the box office they are feeling pretty confident that they can turn Mama into a franchise. Universal's International President made the comment that they feel confident in the future of the story and that it could turn into more than just one film. However, the film's director feels differently claiming he thinks the story is stretched as far as it can go.  I didn't see Mama so I can't really comment on how good or bad of an idea this is.

Fogelson also commented on the positive future to Identity Thief after it had pretty good success at the box office this month. He thinks they created great characters and wants to re-team Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman for a sequel. I saw Identity Thief and I thought it was pretty funny, but I can understand why so many people didn't like it. I feel like they should stop but the way the movie ended left it open for a sequel, unfortunately.

And it does still seem that Kristen Stewart rekindling with Robert Pattinson was the right decision after all. Fogelson also mentioned that the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman is indeed in development and it will feature both Stewart and Chris Hemsworth. Initial reports last summer claimed that Stewart had been scrapped from the sequel development because of her infidelity scandal with director Rupert Sanders. "We’re actively developing the movie right now with Kristen’s character central, as well as the Huntsman role." He also went on to mention that he does not believe Rupert Sanders is going to return to direct. Probably a smart move.



Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Casting news for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Not only will Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (damn that is a tongue twister) take place 15 years after the first film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but it now has its first star. Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Lawless, Public Enemies) has been cast in a lead role in what has said to be a story about human scientists struggling to survive alone in San Francisco. The plot is unconfirmed as director Matt Reeves is keeping it tightly under wraps, but either way it should be interesting. Especially since it seems like James Franco will not be returning to star in the sequel.

Look forward to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes which is set for release on May 23, 2014 in 3D.

First image for X-Men: Days of Future Past... sort of

Director Bryan Singer sent this image via Twitter. To me it just looks like prototype wheelchairs for Professor X, but you be the judge.


Monday, February 18, 2013

John Williams hopes to score new Star Wars films

Well... at least we finally have a potential positive about this whole Star Wars situation.

John Williams (Star Wars I-VI, Jurassic Park, Superman, etc.) is hoping to return and score the new Star Wars films Disney is rolling forward. However, speculation is high due to Abrams' long history with composer Michael Giacchino (Lost, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek). However, Giacchino has also had a decent hand in composing for Disney films. His Disney resume includes scores for John Carter, La Luna, Cars 2, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (the Disney Parks ride), Up, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. Giacchino has also won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for his score to Up.

Now with that said, I wouldn't mind terribly if Giacchino composed the music for the future Star Wars films but it also isn't confirmed that J.J. Abrams is going to do more with Star Wars than just Episode VII. I think if Abrams walked after Episode VII that Giacchino probably would as well which leaves another new director with a new composer. I would much rather have John Williams. He scored all six Star Wars films, he knows the cues, he knows the story through the music, and he could take it to new heights regardless of who he is working with. The only downside is that Williams is currently 81-years old. My fingers are crossed.

Friday, February 15, 2013

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows an introvert boy named Charlie as he starts his freshman year of high school. He watches from the sidelines until two seniors, Sam and Patrick, take him under their wings and introduce him to their group of friends where he learns lessons on high school, sexuality, drugs, and life in general.



I knew The Perks of Being a Wallflower was based on a book and despite not reading the book I decided to watch the movie anyway. There are two main reasons I chose to watch before reading:

1. Stephen Chbosky wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Chbosky also wrote the original book, so I felt that having the original author carrying this movie about his own book was a good sign that it wouldn't disappoint from the source material.

2. My (terrible) city didn't have a single theater that carried this movie when it was released, so I really had no choice but to wait until it came out on DVD. I bought it on the release date and watched it that night.

Now... I really loved this movie. I cannot even begin to describe how watching this movie made me feel and really why I loved it so much. It sounds incredibly cliche and I hate using this, but it got it. It understood the feeling you get entering high school and being alone. It got the feeling of finally being accepted by someone. It just got it.
I obviously felt strongly about the plot. It was well carried out and put together. It left you in the dark about some things throughout most of the movie, like Charlie's flashbacks and exactly what he was able to not think about all the time, but it didn't leave you so in the dark that you felt confused. I also felt the style of having Charlie's letters to the unnamed friend being the narrative was brilliant. It gave the perfect internal dialogue to explain the situations with the other characters that it made you feel like you were thinking of it yourself.  I give that a big thumbs up.

As far as characters go I think they were all very well played and well acted.
I was impressed with Logan Lerman because, let's be honest, I haven't ever thought of him as anything but the little kid from The Butterfly Effect or Hoot. Let me say that I think he has a bright career ahead of him if he makes good choices in what roles he accepts. He did a great job with the character of Charlie and I really enjoyed him.
Emma Watson was also a delight because she has proven to me that she is more than Hermione Granger. She is a very believable actress and I thought she was the perfect choice for Sam. My only problem is I think she was a little too put together given her character's history and reputation, but I still enjoyed it. I don't think it necessarily took away from the character.
Despite being impressed with the others I have to say my favorite was Ezra Miller. Hands down. I feel like he wasn't even trying and that's what made it so great. I really liked him in We Need to Talk About Kevin and with The Perks of Being a Wallflower he showed he is really versatile and has a lot of compassion on the screen and with his characters. He was the most believable for me and I loved the character of Patrick in general. He wanted other people to be happy and I feel like he did that so he could be happy right along with them.

Another thing I loved is it didn't exploit the experiences that Charlie was introduced to. Things like drug use, alcohol consumption, sex, and understanding the concept of friendship weren't portrayed as the cool thing to do as a teenager. It was just the stuff he was introduced to after meeting Sam and Patrick that Charlie just kind of rolled along with. From what I have heard from those who have read the book that was a big difference as some felt the book did exploit the experiences and made it sound like Charlie did them to continue to be accepted. I don't know for sure because I haven't read it yet but that is what I've heard. They also cast actors close to the ages of their characters which was nice. I'm sick of teenagers being played by 27-year olds.


The only weird part for me was, and this is very small of a complaint, but I think the fact that the seniors had no sense of just how young Charlie was compared to them was a bit unrealistic. There was a good 3-4 year difference between Charlie and his friends and the fact that they seemed to have no sense of "wait this kid is 14-15" didn't seem to cross their minds at any point was kind of weird. I also found it weird that Charlie's sister seemed to have no clue about his friendship with the kids in her grade level. She obviously cared about her brother but she didn't seem to have any interest in who he was hanging out with.



Other than that small complaint I want to reiterate that this was a very good movie. It was put together well and it was truthful. I plan to read the book before too long but this movie easily gets a 90% rating from me. Since Tuesday I have watched it three times.

[Rumor] Harrison Ford to return for Star Wars Episode VII

Latino Review is claiming they have the scoop on a pretty big announcement. The rumor is that Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Han Solo for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII to be directed by J.J. Abrams.


Now... Latino Review is pretty reputable and have a good track history with these sort of things, so I am not just brushing this off as of right now. I don't anticipate they will bring back just Han Solo so if this is true I would expect Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher to follow Ford in joining the cast. I also hope that if all of them return they don't rely on CGI to make them all look younger. Just set it far enough into the future to make their ages believable.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

[Update] Peter Dinklage to play villain in X-Men: Days of Future Past

Yesterday news broke that Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) had been added to the steadily growing cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Director Bryan Singer announced the addition via Twitter and speculation of which role Dinklage will have began almost immediately. While the character still remains unannounced we do know that he will indeed be playing the villain.

Like I said, speculation is all we have to go off right now but here are the top two predictions circling around the web world right now:

One prediction is that Dinklage will take on the role of Mr. Sinister, the genetically altered human with a strong telekinetic sense and mind influence ability. He doesn't really factor into the Days of Future Past arc, though. However, he does cross paths with Sebastian Shaw at some point (the main villain from X-Men: First Class) so this is possible.

Another guess is the villain will be Bolivar Trask. He is the baddie who saw the rise of the mutants as a threat to humanity despite having two mutant children of his own. He is also the military scientist who created the Sentinels, the mutant hunting robots. If you've been following the latest X-Men news you know that the Sentinels are supposed to have a big role in Days of Future Past.



Personally, I think Trask would be a better villain so I'm hoping that is the one Singer goes with.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Peter Dinklage tapped for X-Men?

Bryan Singer is continuing to make some bold decisions regarding X-Men: Days of Future Past and he isn't really hiding it. Singer announced via Twitter that he has tapped Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) for a key role in the film. There is no word on exactly what role this is. Dinklage is joining several cast members who have a pretty solid history with the X-Men movies thus far so it should be interesting to see this one unfold.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is set to hit theaters on July 18, 2014.

Iron Man 3 poster highlights Iron Patriot

Yeah, that is a thing.


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Walking Dead sets a new series record

The Walking Dead returned to AMC this past Sunday to finish off its third season. Now that the ratings have arrived it seems that the fans obviously had no interest in watching the Grammys.

The show shattered a previous series high in viewers setting a new record with 12.3 million viewers in the first time slot and an additional 4.3 million for the 10pm replay. The previous record was 10.3 million viewers for the season 3 premiere back in October.


Not bad for a show about zombies, eh? Season 3 is set to wrap on March 31st.

Monday, February 11, 2013

All CG characters teased for X-Men: Days of Future Past

Director Bryan Singer is beginning some teasing regarding X-Men: Days of Future Past. Not only is Singer teasing us with potentially doing full CGI for one or two characters but he is also not quite sure whether Halle Berry will return as Storm or if Storm will appear at all.

Regarding the CG characters Singer had this to say to MTV when asked about the current technology:
"A CG Nick Hoult or a CG Ewan McGregor, maybe 20 years from now might be perfect, but it’s a little tough on the eyes when it’s not real.  I definitely want to use this technology again, and I might even be using some of it in a different way in X-Men. I don’t want to say how, yet, but I’m definitely using some of this technology on X-Men, which I never used in any of the other X-Men films."

Interesting.

Now, regarding Storm's return he basically said he wasn't sure if he wanted to use the character or not. He confirmed that each returning character plays a vital role in the story, but he isn't quite sure where Storm fits into the mix.
“I can’t say. I don’t know yet. And it’s not necessarily a deal making aspect at all. I want to make sure it’ll make sense. But I love working with her.”

Friday, February 8, 2013

Moonrise Kingdom - Review

Moonrise Kingdom is the tale of two 12-year old children who fall in love and decide to run away together in their small New England island town. Their disappearance causes a town-wide search party to go after them during the biggest storm in the island's history.



The only reason I watched Moonrise Kingdom was because of the hype it had received during this awards season. I honestly knew nothing about the movie but I like to see the movies that get everyone's panties in a bunch. All I knew is that it had Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, and Bill Murray. Truth be told I didn't even read a synopsis until I got the Netflix envelope. Sometimes I think it's best to go into movies this way because I had absolutely no expectations or anything regarding this movie. Moonrise Kingdom was yet another film that had me walking away completely in love.
My synopsis above basically tells the backbone of this movie. Two 12-year old kids, Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop, meet during some sort of program at the local community center and shortly fall in love. They become pen pals as they live on different sides of the small island they both reside on and eventually they devise a plan to run away together. Sam is part of a scout group called Khaki Scouts who's scout leader, played by Edward Norton, is a down to business math teacher. Suzy is the oldest of four and is considered weird and troubled by her parents, siblings, and peers. The only person who seems to understand Suzy is Sam and the only person who seems to understand Sam is Suzy. When the plan to run away is executed, Edward Norton seeks the assistance of Suzy's parents (played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) and the local police captain (played by Bruce Willis) along with Sam's fellow Khaki Scouts to help find where the children have run off to.

First of all, I found the story to be rather original. We have had stories and movies of young kids who dabbled with innocent romance before but this movie was played out a little differently. The characters of Sam and Suzy were rather mature despite being 12-years old. Sam was an orphan who had been abandoned at scout camp by his foster parents and Suzy was coping with being a complete outcast in her own family. These experiences gave the children a little backbone and it made you feel like they knew what they were doing despite being so young. I think that is why the characters meshed so well together. It was absolutely brilliant.
Along with the characterization of the children I thought the adult characters were just as good. Edward Norton's performance as Scout Master Ward was almost hilarious. He plays this man who obviously took the scout master job to feel like he had a higher calling and responsibility. It was almost like he felt like having the respect of his scouts made him feel he had the control and discipline he always knew he could keep. I also loved Bruce Willis as Captain Sharp. He seemed like a good man who was just going through the motions of his life and his career until this event happened. He stepped up and wanted to do what was right for all the parties involved.
Aside from the brilliant characters I think the dialogue was perfect. The conversations Sam and Suzy had were so well written. Like I mentioned before, despite the characters only being 12 it felt like you were listening to a conversation between 20-year old adults. Somehow it worked, though. I never felt like the dialogue was unrealistic at any point. That goes for any of the characters.


I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this movie. It was a very pleasant surprise for me. I highly recommend checking out Moonrise Kingdom if you haven't done so. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Planned SW spin-offs for Han Solo and Boba Fett?

Disney is about an inch away from making me go insane.

EW is claiming two of the Star Wars spin-offs Disney is planning will be a movie about a young Han Solo and a movie about Boba Fett. The Solo film would take place in the time between Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) and A New Hope (Episode IV). The Boba Fett movie would take place between A New Hope (Episode IV) and Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) or between Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) and Return of the Jedi (Episode VI).
Given the time frame of these apparent spin-offs this gives Disney the perfect opportunity to bring back characters like Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt, Yoda, all the Stormtroopers and Rebels they want, etc.. I have no doubt they will, too.

Truth be told... we don't need any of this. We don't even need a new trilogy. This shit is all about money and it's disgusting.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Disney confirms stand-alone Star Wars films

Disney is sure having a field day with this new toy they acquired.

Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that the rumor of stand-alone Star Wars films that will not be part of the new trilogy is in fact true. Disney is working on separate Star Wars films that are not going to be considered an "episode" that fits into the new Star Wars trilogy which is set to begin with Episode VII. Here is an excerpt from Iger's comments via CNBC:
"I can confirm to you today that in fact we are working on a few standalone films, Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are both working on films derived from great Star Wars characters that are not part of the overall saga. We still plan to make Star Wars 7, 8, and 9 roughly over a six-year period of time, starting in 2015. But there are going to be a few other films released in that period, too."

Now... another rumor has surfaced that the first stand-alone film is going to be centered around Yoda but naturally Iger had nothing to say about that rumor. I personally hope that remains to be a crock of shit, but knowing what Disney is capable of it is most likely true. I wonder if everyone who was happy about Disney acquiring Star Wars is still happy.

Chris Pratt lands Guardians of the Galaxy lead role

Many names have been floating around regarding the role of Peter Quill (aka, Star-Lord) in the upcoming Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy over the past couple months. That list included Zachary Levi, Jim Sturgess, Joel Edgerton, John Krasinski, Lee Pace, Michael Rosenbaum etc.. One name that I don't think anyone gave much attention to was Chris Pratt and oddly enough he is the actor who has landed the role of Star-Lord.
Chris Pratt's resume includes work on Parks and Recreation, Moneyball, Zero Dark Thirty, The O.C., and the old WB show Everwood. A lot of people are starting to think that Pratt's involvement proves that director James Gunn is going for a more comedic approach to Guardians of the Galaxy. Not to mention the rumors last week that Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler were being considered for roles in the film.

Now that Star-Lord has been cast they have to focus on casting other characters which include Drax the Destroyer, a giant tree named Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Gamora. There is also rumored involvement of Thanos who is assumed to be the main bad guy for The Avengers 2.
I previously posted about Star-Lord so if you missed that go ahead and click here.


Mark your calendars! Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1, 2014.

Monday, February 4, 2013

How will the Hulk fit into Marvel Phase Two and Three?

While it appeared that the only way we may continue seeing Bruce Banner (aka, the Hulk) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was through small parts and/or cameos it seems that we were wrong. Or could still be wrong.

Rumor has it that Marvel is working on a separate storyline for the Hulk that will send him far away and will take place in another stand-alone Hulk movie. Kevin Feige pretty much confirmed that another Hulk movie won't take place until after The Avengers 2 which would automatically put it in Phase Three. The only real confirmation for Phase Three so far is Edgar Wright's Ant-Man which was originally supposed to wrap up Phase Two.
However, with the introduction of Doctor Strange there are a couple Hulk arcs that are possible for not only a stand-alone Hulk movie but as a potential lead into both The Avengers 3 and the stand-alone Doctor Strange movie. Those arcs being, of course, "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk." Some good points highlighted via Latino Review give a possible outline for the future of Dr. Banner.

Let's start with Planet Hulk:
1. Don't expect to see the Hulk until The Avengers 2, but he might show up in a Phase Two post-credit scene to set up a potential stand-alone Hulk movie.

2. After being deemed incredibly dangerous, Hulk is banished from Earth and shipped off into space by Marvel's version of the Illuminati which includes Tony Stark (aka, Iron Man) and Doctor Strange.

3. After Hulk is shipped off is where the Planet Hulk arc comes into play. He is sent into space where he is held captive on the planet Sakaar and forced to participate in gladiator games. Hulk eventually becomes a hero and leads a rebellion against the Red King.

Now here comes the potential entrance of World War Hulk:
1. After the rebellion the Hulk has a pretty decent amount of loyal followers which is basically an army and at this point, the Hulk is pissed off more than usual. The thought is that Hulk will return to Earth with his army to begin the "World War Hulk" arc.

2. In "World War Hulk", he basically returns and he and his army fight just about every hero and heroic team on Earth. Eventually the teams and heroes are pitted against each other in gladiator style combat which is similar to what he was forced into on Sakaar.


Now this is fully possible due to the fact that Mark Ruffalo signed a 6-movie deal with Marvel which began with The Avengers. He still technically has five more appearances to make. I have no doubt he will be in both The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3, but that leaves 3 more movies he has to appear in and I highly doubt they will just be after-credit cameos.

Yet another thing that makes this possible, which is my personal theory, is the fact that World War Hulk includes Fantastic Four and X-Men. Seeing that we will be getting a new Fantastic Four in 2014 and we already have the ball rolling on X-Men with the release of X-Men: First Class and X-Men Days of Future Past for next year... it is completely possible that The Avengers 3 could center around the Hulk with this "World War Hulk" scenario. It would be a great way to bring every Marvel hero into play at the same time without overloading. I think that would be awesome, by the way.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Iron Man 3 - Extended Super Bowl Spot (HD)

Wreck-It Ralph dominates Annie Awards

We knew people loved Wreck-It Ralph but I don't know if people anticipated it would practically demolish the competition at the 2013 Annie Awards. The Disney Animation film walked away with 5 awards (out of 10 nominations) including Best Animated Feature.

Best Animated Feature:
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Director:
Rich Moore - Wreck-It Ralph

Best Writing:
Phil Johnston & Jennifer Lee - Wreck-It Ralph

Best Storyboarding:
Johanne Matte - Rise of the Guardians

Best Voice Acting:
Alan Tudyk as King Candy - Wreck-It Ralph

Best Editing:
Nicholas A. Smith, Robert Graham Jones, and David Suther - Brave

Best Music:
Henry Jackman - Wreck-It Ralph

Best Character Animation:
Travis Knight - ParaNorman

The full list of winners can be seen on Gold Derby.


Friday, February 1, 2013

Emily VanCamp lands Captain America lead role

Rumor has it that we have the female lead for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Emily VanCamp (Revenge) has apparently landed the role which is rumored to be Sharon Carter, an occasional girlfriend of Captain America. This is still unconfirmed, but I don't doubt this is true.