The past seven days

Monday, September 30, 2013

Breaking Bad finale breaks series record

The series finale of Breaking Bad brought in a total of 10.3 million viewers for the Sunday finale shattering ratings records for the series and dominating all network show premieres on ABC, CBS, Fox, and Showtime. "Felina" is now the most watched episode of Breaking Bad and the third most watched finale on cable. It is right behind The Sopranos (11.9 million) and Sex and the City (10.6 million). Breaking Bad beat out the numbers of Monk (9.4 million) and The Closer (9.1 million). As far as the most watched finales on television, Breaking Bad didn't even get close. The top three most watched finales of all time are M*A*S*H (105.9 million), Cheers (80.4 million), and Seinfeld (76.3 million).

However, it still didn't break any AMC records. The Walking Dead still holds the #1 most watched episode on AMC with 12.4 million viewers for the season three finale. However, it did shatter numbers set by Mad Men nearly three times as the fifth season of Mad Men premiered to a meager 3.5 million.

These numbers are pretty phenomenal due to the fact that Breaking Bad is pretty lucky it even made it to five seasons. After the first season in 2008 it was barely hanging on with 1.2 million viewers. Until the second half of season five, Breaking Bad hardly averaged 2 million viewers per episode. Viewer numbers seemed to grow not only after the first half of the fifth season, but after the existing episodes made available for streaming on Netflix. After that, season "5B" gained at least 5 million viewers per episode. Another fun factoid in addition to these finale numbers is the fact that the follow-up show, Talking Bad, totaled 4.4 million viewers. That isn't bad at all.

Disney to develop live-action Cruella de Vil movie

In addition to live-action adaptations for Snow White, Maleficent, and Cinderella, Disney is following suit and continuing the trend with a live-action movie for Cruella de Vil. You know Cruella as the rather famous Disney villain from 101 Dalmatians.

Cruella first appeared in the 1956 animated feature and was later portrayed, very well, by Glenn Close in a live-action version of the film in 1996. There is no word on exactly what this movie will focus on in regards to Cruella, but I am pretty sure the fate of this will depend on the success of Maleficent next year. If Maleficent isn't a hit I don't think they would move forward on another Disney villain movie.




Breaking Bad series finale review - "Felina"

In the series finale of Breaking Bad, Walter White returns to New Mexico to close the chapter of his life which made him a national fugitive and sent him into exile. It also serves as the perfect opportunity for him to carry out his final plans and wishes.


I just want to warn you, although it should go without saying, if you have not watched "Felina" yet you should not be reading this. There are spoilers.


So get out now.




 Last chance.







You can't say you weren't warned.










First of all we need to state the basics just to remind ourselves that it actually happened:

1. Walt is dead and wanted to be killed.
2. Jesse is free. He had been held prisoner by Jack and forced to cook the blue meth.
3. Walt seriously stuck it to just about everyone that ever got on his bad side. Lydia, Uncle Jack & the Gang, Todd, Elliott, and Gretchen all had a visit from Heisenberg himself. In a way he even stuck it to Jesse.
4. Skyler is alive and still under investigation... and is still a bitch.
5. Skinny Pete and Badger will do just about anything for money. 
6. Walt tells Skylar the location of where he originally buried his money and disclosed that is where they will find the bodies of Hank and Gomez.

I would also add that Walt is a damn ninja, but that isn't the important thing here.

Now that we have established everything, I would like to say that I wasn't a huge fan of this episode as a finale. Was it a bad episode? No. Was it a good finale for the show? No.
I personally think "Ozymandias" or "Granite State" would have been better finales, especially "Granite State." To begin with, the episode was still too short for me even though it was 75min. I think they should have at least brought it up to 90min. Second, it was too slow. They gave us 50min of slow pace and then suddenly made the last 15min crazy and anxious. I understand why they put bits of this episode in different episodes and it was to give some backstory to how it ends and let you know something is coming, but at the same time I think they should have left it alone and had one big, final episode.
What they did is they took the classy road for Walt. They didn't have him come barging back into Albuquerque and murder everyone in his path in cold blood. The first example being the fact that he doesn't kill Elliott and Gretchen, but he sure leaves an impact in a way that only Walt can. He approaches them with his $9 million and tells them they will give it to Walter Jr. in the form of a trust fund when he is 18. He doesn't ask, he tells them. As his personal insurance, he leaves the impression to them that if they choose to not use the money for Walter Jr. or go to the police they will be hunted down and murdered by hitmen. The hitmen pointing the laser sights at them for the price of $200,000? Skinny Pete and Badger with basic laser pointers. This move was effective because it did show that Walt had bigger fish to fry and he realized that. He knew that without Elliott and Gretchen his money would not only never see the light of day, but it would never make it to his children.I think everyone, including myself, figured that Elliott and Gretchen were screwed after Walt saw them publicly deny Walt had anything to do with the founding of their company. The truth of it was he saw the two of them as pawns that he could put wherever he wanted.
The second example of this being the Ricin in the Stevia. Walt surprises Lydia and Todd during their weekly tea party and he sneakingly replaced Lydia's Stevia sweetener with Ricin and she unknowingly adds it to her tea. Walt could have easily taken out both Lydia and Todd another way, but he chose to slowly stick it to Lydia and tell her he poisoned her when she comes down with severe flu-like symptoms.
The third example, and most important, is Jesse. Walt went to Jack's with the armored car fully intending to kill everyone including Jesse. However, when he saw that Jesse was basically a slave he made a different call. Instead of killing his former partner because he assumed the blue meth was willingly being cooked by Jesse, Walt took the high road and saved Jesse's life and gave him the choice of killing him or going free. Jesse decided to leave Walt to deal with death his own way and drove Todd's car to freedom. In reality, the only person Walt killed face to face in this episode was Jack.

What is so unsatisfying about this? For me, it felt too... calm. I think I was just expecting more than we got. I had predicted and assumed Walt would die but I didn't think he would die of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen while covering Jesse from gunfire. He just staggered around and bled to death in the meth lab. It is symbolic and I get it, but I don't think it was the best way to have Walt go. Sorry.
As for Jesse going free I am a bit torn. I have been rooting for Jesse through this whole thing, but I had kind of hoped that either Jesse would die or wind up in jail. As Walt said, he was always more of a danger to himself than anyone else. You know and I know now that Jesse is free he is probably well on his way back to using to forget the pain and will wind up dead anyway. And the scenario everyone has of him running to save and/or raise Brock is bullshit and I will get to that in a little bit.

Another issue I am having is the loose ends. Fanboy it all you want people, but the finale did not wrap everything up in a nice little package.

1. The main loose end is Brock. Most people don't see him as an issue, but I do. He was a big part of Jesse's priorities and when Todd killed Andrea that threw a lot of things into the air. At this point we have no idea if Brock is even alive. Todd got back into the car, but it was brought up that they still had the kid to deal with. Did Todd go back and kill Brock or did they take off and leave him alive?
Like I mentioned a second ago, Jesse going free to get to Brock isn't feasible. If Brock is even alive he would have nothing to do with Jesse. He would have gone to Andrea's grandmother. Jesse would never legally get Brock or have any claim over him.

2. What happens with Skyler? Sure, Walt gave her the information so she could make a deal with her prosecutors but does it work? Does Skyler go to jail or does she get off? Not only that, but with all of the legal attention on her does the illegal activity at Beneke ever come back up?

3. What ever came of Huell being tricked by Hank?

4. What became of Jesse? Did he come back to his house and just reappear or did he take off and go to Alaska? Was the vision of him making a wood box a jump to the future showing that Jesse does eventually find peace or was it just a dream?

5. Who wrote "Heisenberg" in Walt's house? It obviously wasn't Jesse seeing that he was being held prisoner. Was it Jack? Was it Todd? Was it Lydia? Was it one of the random skate punks?

6. What happens to Lydia's daughter? She is now motherless and will no doubt learn at some point that her mother was in the meth business. 

It might just be me, but I like finales that wrap everything up. I think the issue is the way I witnessed Six Feet Under end. That show by far has the best finale I have ever seen and I love how it ended everything. It showed you what happened to the characters and you got to see how their lives played out after the events of the final episode. For a show like Breaking Bad it would have been great to have that for an additional 10-15min. We could have seen where Jesse went or what happened with Skyler. It wasn't terrible it was just bland.


But there were good moments!

1. The laser pointers on Elliott and Gretchen. Genius!
2. "I did all of this for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really... I was alive."
3. Todd's creepy ringtone for Lydia was hilarious.
4. Jesse finally letting go of his rage and leaving Walt to deal with death on his own.
5. Walt's ninja skills with the tea meeting, breaking into Elliott and Gretchen's house, and breaking into Skyler's apartment.
6. Walt telling Lydia that he poisoned her and then hanging up on her. I clapped. 
7. "It's over and I needed a proper goodbye."




Any thoughts from you guys on the finale? Did you like it? Did you not like it?
Any favorite Breaking Bad moments?

It's been fun.












#GoodbyeBreakingBad #BreakingBad

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Emily the Strange gets a new writer; Moretz still attached to star

It has been three years since it was announced that Chloe Grace Moretz had signed on to play Emily in a long awaited film adaptation of Emily the Strange. Dark Horse Comics started the project in 2008 and officially settled with Universal and Moretz in September 2010. Since then there has practically been nothing else said about this project. No plot, no script, no additional cast, etc.. The closest we got was the announcement that Melisa Wallack was writing the script.

We now have word that the project has picked back up and a new writer has been brought on. Kealan O'Rourke has been hired to rewrite the script originally penned by Melisa Wallack. The story will apparently tell the origins of the punk, gothic cult-figure who gains abilities which fuse technology and imagination. It will also focus on her four cats Sabbath, Nee-Chee, Miles, and Mystery.
More potential good news? Moretz is still attached to star. There has been a lot of speculation that she may have dropped the project due to her rising popularity and busy schedule. Along with Carrie being released next month, Moretz has six films scheduled for the next two years. For 2014 alone Moretz has Laggies, The Equalizer, Sils Mara, and Dark Places. For 2015 and beyond she has If I Stay and The White Circus. My guess is that if this movie is going to be made at all we probably won't see it before 2015 if not 2016. However, Moretz will be close to 20-years old by then and pushing the believability of portraying a 13-year old. Especially with the way this girl is maturing.When she was originally cast she was 13-years old and most people, including me, jumped at it because we figured the movie would be filmed and released soon. She was the cute little girl from Let Me In and Kick-Ass. However, she went on to get older and star in Dark Shadows, Hick, Hugo, Kick-Ass 2, and Carrie. She also had a brief stint on 30 Rock
At this point I would re-cast and find a younger actress or I would can the project entirely. Either that or make this an animated feature and have Moretz voice the character. She probably won't even be available to film until she is 18+ anyway. It's one thing to play a high school student when you're that age, but not a 13-year old. The thought of them potentially making Emily older just to fit with Moretz rubs me the wrong way.

I love Chloe Moretz, don't get me wrong, but I just think her moment for this project has passed. Maybe the moment for the project in general has passed.


 



College Humor's Breaking Dead mashup is a winner

What happens when The Walking Dead meets Breaking Bad?
This is probably the best video College Humor has ever done. Holy cow, I wish this was real.




Friday, September 27, 2013

Rob Riggle joins Dumb and Dumber To; Jennifer Lawrence to have a cameo?

In addition to the announcements of Billy in 4C and Sea Bass returning for Dumb and Dumber To, we do have some news that the movie will indeed have some new characters. Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street) has joined the sequel to play twins; "a handyman named Travis and his unstable brother, Captain Lippencott." Other actors on board to bring new characters are Laurie Holden, Kathleen Turner, and Steve Tom.

Another rumor flying around Dumb and Dumber To is that Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence will have a cameo in the movie. Reports are Lawrence spent one day on set and is apparently playing the younger version of Kathleen Turner's character. She just happened to be in the Atlanta area as she is currently filming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Parts 1 & 2, so it will be interesting to see if Lawrence actually filmed or if she was just visiting.


Dumb and Dumber To tells the story of Harry and Lloyd trying to locate Harry's long lost daughter so she can hopefully donate a kidney.


Horrible Bosses 2 gets 2014 release date

Horrible Bosses 2 has received an official release date!

Sean Anders' sequel to the hilarious 2011 comedy will be released on November 26, 2014. It will face-off against the Fox animated film, Home, at the box office and will try to take away the second weekend numbers from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. The sequel will have returning actors Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis and has been written by John Morris and Sean Anders.

I personally loved Horrible Bosses so I am really excited for more. I am a bit curious how they are going to do this, though. Are they now the hated bosses or do they have new bosses to hate on?

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Paranormal Activity 5 gains director and new writers

Despite not having a 2013 Paranormal Activity release, the powers that be are working to give us two Paranormal Activity films in 2014. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is a spin-off set for release in January and Paranormal Activity 5 is expected for the Halloween season in October. We now know screenwriters Jason Pagan and Andrew Deutschman are going to write Paranormal Activity 5 and newcomer Gregory Plotkin is on board to direct. This will be Plotkin's directorial debut. He previously served as an editor and co-producer of the previous films.

Plotkin is taking the directorial reigns from directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost. The pair previously directed Paranormal Activity 3 and Paranormal Activity 4 as well as the online dating "documentary," Catfish. Pagan and Deutschman are taking over the writing after several different writers, mainly including Oren Peli and Christopher Landon.

Bryce Dallas Howard in talks for Jurassic World

Word on the internets is that Bryce Dallas Howard is in negotiations for a lead role in Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World (aka, Jurassic Park 4). Rumor has it Howard met with Universal alongside David Oyelowo (The Butler) when the release date was pushed from 2014 to June 12, 2015.
Howard has made a slight shift from acting to directing short films, but she has most recently been seen in The Help and 50/50. You also may recognize her from Terminator: Salvation and as Victoria in The Twilight Saga. She is also Ron Howard's daughter, but that isn't the important thing here.

There are currently no plot details for Jurassic World, but it evidently will return to Isla Nubar.


Boardwalk Empire renewed for fifth season

HBO has decided to renew the crime drama Boardwalk Empire for a fifth season. The show started its fourth season just three weeks ago and has a decent amount of Emmys to show for it.

Boardwalk Empire stars Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, and Michael Shannon. It tells the story of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the so-called ruler of Atlantic City who doubled as a politician and gangster in the prohibition era. It airs on Sunday nights on HBO and is in the fall lineup after True Blood ends. Interestingly enough, this news comes shortly after HBO announced True Blood will end after its next season and that The Newsroom will continue at least one more season. 


Catching Fire soundtrack revealed; includes Coldplay, The Lumineers, and Imagine Dragons

The full tracklist for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has been revealed. It contains some pretty interesting choices, in my opinion. Check it out for yourself!

1. Atlas - Coldplay
2. Silhouettes - Of Monsters and Men
3. Elastic Heart - Sia (feat. The Weeknd & Diplo)
4. Lean - The National
5. We Remain - Christina Aguilera
6. Devil May Cry - The Weeknd
7. Who We Are - Imagine Dragons
8. Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Lorde
9. Gale Song - The Lumineers
10. Mirrors - Ellie Goulding
11. Capital Letter - Patti Smith
12. Shooting Arrows at the Sky - Santigold
13. Place for Us - Mikky Ekko
14. Lights - Phantogram
15. Angel on Fire - Antony and the Johnsons



The full soundtrack will be available on November 19th, just a few days ahead of Catching Fire's release on November 22nd.
This album is expected to do very well as the soundtrack for The Hunger Games was the best selling soundtrack for 2012. It was also certified Gold by the RIAA and became the fastest selling soundtrack on iTunes. In addition to a Golden Globe nomination and three Grammy nominations, Taylor Swift's single for the album, "Safe and Sound," won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

[EDIT] Check out my review of Catching Fire here



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Need for Speed first trailer premieres

So... this is based off the video game, right? Either way I think it looks pretty ridiculous. Nothing but yet another fugitive in a race car movie with bad fire effects.


Need for Speed stars Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, and Michael Keaton. It is currently set to open on March 14, 2014. It is the newest movie from Scott Waugh (Act of Valor).

New Dumb and Dumber To photo brings back memories

You sold my dead bird to a blind kid?!

Yes... Billy in 4C is back and it looks as though he finally got his bird.












#DumbTo



Watch the credits for American Horror Story: Coven

Creepy and delightful.



American Horror Story: Coven airs on FX on Wednesday, October 9th.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Gotham television series picked up by Fox

Fox has picked up a television series titled Gotham which is set to focus on the origins of police Commissioner James Gordon from the Batman/DC Universe. This comes after Fox acquired television rights from Warner Bros.. Not to mention right after ABC premiered Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tonight.

Gotham will be a full series commitment for Fox. It is notable to mention how odd it is that Gotham will appear on Fox instead of The CW which has aired several DC properties in the past, specifically the Superman origins series Smallville. The network has also been airing Arrow and will shortly be airing a series on The Flash.


Either way, this will prove to be interesting. I'm wondering who will be cast as Gordon.

On set images of Dumb and Dumber To

Oh Harry and Lloyd. I never thought I would be so happy to see you again.




Monday, September 23, 2013

Wes Chatham and Elden Henson join Mockingjay

Wes Chatham and Elden Henson have joined the cast of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2. Chatham will play Castor and Henson will play Pollux.

You have seen Chatham in films such as The Help and W.
Henson looks more familiar as he has been seen back as far as the Mighty Ducks trilogy. Since then you've seen him in Idle Hands, The Butterfly Effect, She's All That, and most recently in Jobs. He has been formerly billed as Elden Ratliff and Elden Ryan Ratliff.

Now to the important stuff... Castor and Pollux aren't huge characters, but they do serve their purpose. The two are brothers and work closely with Cressida (Natalie Dormer) and Messalla (Evan Ross). They are both Capitol cameramen who join the rebellion and film propaganda pieces by following Katniss. Pollux and Castor are each a former Avox*.






*If you don't know what an Avox is, they are basically runaways from the Capitol and have been punished for rebelling. They have their tongues cut out and are Capitol servants who serve the tributes and Capitol citizens.

Carrie receives an R-rating

This isn't surprising. The upcoming reboot of Carrie starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore has received an R-rating. Carrie surprisingly is October's only wide release horror film, so it is a bit curious that it will be R-rated due to the fact that it will most likely mean lower box office numbers. However, we all saw with The Conjuring that an R-rating doesn't necessarily mean the kiss of death. But when you think of it, seeing that Carrie is the only October horror release I think people will see it regardless just because it's Halloween season. There aren't Saw movies anymore and this year won't have a new Paranormal Activity movie.
Carrie is set to hit on October 18th and is the newest adaptation of Stephen King's 1974 novel which was his first published. However, most people recognize the 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. It later brought on a 1999 sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, and a 2002 made for television adaptation. Neither were very good, but what can you do.


Friday, September 20, 2013

Timur Bekmambetov to direct Ben-Hur reboot

Director Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) has been announced as the director for MGM's reboot of the Charlton Heston classic, Ben-Hur. The 1959 film won a total of 11 Oscars and is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time.
Ben-Hur tells the story of a Jewish charioteer who crosses paths with Jesus Christ. Hur's family is accused and convicted of treason during the time of Christ. Hur fights to clear his name and is inspired by the rise of Jesus Christ. 

This will mark another addition to the current trend of Biblical epics. It joins Darren Aronofsky's Noah which is set for March 28, 2014 and Ridley Scott's Exodus which is set for December 12, 2014. It also joins the theatrical release of the hit television mini-series The Bible and the follow up, Son of God.

I personally don't think Bekmambetov is a good choice for a movie like this. His style is too... visual. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was a disaster and Wanted wasn't all that great either. I would have chosen someone else, but that might just be me.



Thursday, September 19, 2013

Disney and Bruckheimer part ways

Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have decided to part ways. The two have decided to not renew their contract once it expires next year.

This partnership has been one of the most successful in Hollywood since the 1990's. By ending this partnership Disney will be able to focus more on bigger franchises and sub-divisions such as Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. It also allows Bruckheimer to produce more adult themed films. However, the partnership will continue for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales as well as a third National Treasure.The fifth Pirates film was recently delayed by Disney in an attempt to lower the insane budget.

Oddly enough it also arrives just months after the Disney/Bruckheimer film The Lone Ranger was one of the biggest financial disasters in Disney history. Fairly recent flops from Bruckheimer also include G-Force, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Jerry Bruckheimer released this statement:
“I am very appreciative of the wonderful collaboration and support I have had at the Walt Disney Company for over twenty years and the 27 movies we have made together. The good news is we will continue working together on Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, and other projects we have developed together at the studio. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with these amazing people at The Walt Disney Studios, many of whom have become my good friends. As we continue to make adventure films, we look forward to returning to films like Black Hawk Down, Enemy of the State, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Rock.”


I personally see Jerry Bruckheimer as another Michael Bay at this point. Give him $200 million and all you'll get is a disaster with a bunch of crazy stunts and explosions. Adios, Jerry. I don't think Disney will miss you much. 

Happy talk like a pirate day!

Ye scurvy dogs. All hands on deck!



[Updated] Saoirse Ronan up for Star Wars?

Rumor alert!

Word has it that Saoirse Ronan has read for a lead role for Star Wars Episode VII and Episode VIII. Of course there is no information on exactly what these roles are but apparently this is a lead female role. Ronan has most recently been seen in The Host and Byzantium.
Latino Review is also sticking to their guns about Benedict Cumberbatch being involved with the new Star Wars trilogy. They are claiming Cumberbatch's denials are lies and that he will have a major role to come into play more with Episodes VIII and IX. You no doubt know Cumberbatch from Star Trek Into Darkness.
They are also reporting that a small portion of the film will be shot in Las Cruces, NM. This is speculation that the movie will bring us back to Tatooine or perhaps to the Sith home planet of Korriban.


I wish Disney would just announce something already.




[UPDATE] Saoirse Ronan has confirmed that she read for Episode VII. She also added, "so has everyone," so apparently the role is being very widely approached.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Disney to ignore Escape From Tomorrow

Escape From Tomorrow, the so-called "guerrilla Disney film," was expected to run into a massive legal battle with Disney due to the fact that it was illegally filmed at Disneyworld in Orlando, FL. However, the marketing strategy directer Randy Moore is using doesn't appear to be working as Disney is ignoring the fact that the film even exists.

Instead of pursuing the justified and expected legal battle, the company and its lawyers have decided to basically ignore the film and the policies it breaks. By filming inside the theme park without permission or a permit, they committed trespassing and Fair Use copyright policies. Most people expected Disney to slap a gigantic lawsuit both for unauthorized filming and defamation, but by ignoring this movie entirely it is not just giving Moore and his film a free pass but is most likely dooming it to the underground, indie scene forever. Especially since the reviews from Sundance weren't all that positive.

I saw the trailer last week and I do have to say it looks interesting, but I am not expecting it to be all that good. I have been to Disney parks more times than I can count and have first hand filmed inside the park. The Cast Members let you film but they are always watching. I can only imagine how many times they had to stop and start while making this movie. Editing must have been a disaster.
If you want to try and see Escape From Tomorrow it is supposed to be getting a limited and VOD release in October. It tells the story of a family on vacation in which the father starts going insane while trying to trek through the theme parks. From what I have heard there are things like pedophilia in there, so it's a bit out there.

Now that the trailer has been allowed back on YouTube, you can watch it:


Disney release date shifts include The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory

Due to the director issues Disney/Pixar's The Good Dinosaur experienced, they have chosen to shift the release date. It is now delayed over a year past the original date of May 30, 2014 to November 25, 2015. This now makes 2014 the first year since 2005 without a Pixar film.
In addition to this shift, Finding Dory has now been delayed from November 25, 2015 to June 17, 2016. This now makes the next Pixar release to be Inside Out which is slated, as of right now, for June 19, 2015.
Disney has also shifted Maleficent to the original Good Dinosaur date of May 30, 2014 instead of June 2, 2014. Now it won't have to compete with Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.


So to sum this all up... this really sucks. I do not want to wait 3 years for Finding Dory.

Jessabelle delayed by Lionsgate

The new horror film by Saw VI director Kevin Greutert has been significantly delayed by Lionsgate. Originally it was slated for January 10, 2014 and now we won't see it until August 29, 2014. There isn't any news as of right now what prompted the delay.

Jessabelle stars Sarah Snook, Mark Webber, and Joelle Carter. The basic plot is:
"A girl who is forced to return to her father’s home in Louisiana when a car accident leaves her without the use of her legs. What she finds there is a mystery surrounding her own birth and an angry ghost that seems determined to destroy her.”

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The Expendables 3 adds Kelsey Grammer

Kelsey Grammer has joined The Expendables 3 as an ex-mercenary who aids the heroes on their mission. Filming is currently underway in Bulgaria so this is a bit of a late addition. Originally the role was supposed to have Nicolas Cage, but it now has gone to Grammer.

So far the cast includes Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Terry Crews, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Kellan Lutz, and Antonio Banderas. New additions also include Teresa Palmer and Luke Hemsworth.


Kelsey Grammer is probably most recognized for voicing Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons and playing the title character in Frasier. He has recently been starred in the television drama Boss.






Monday, September 16, 2013

Leigh Whannell to write Insidious 3

After the $41 million debut of Insidious: Chapter 2, it was pretty much a given we would eventually have a third Insidious film. Not to mention the way the sequel ended. We now have confirmation there will indeed be a third film and that Leigh Whannell will return to write the script.

The sticky spot here is James Wan. He has directed both Insidious films along with the other $40+ million horror release The Conjuring. However, he has announced his intent to move away from the horror genre and try other films and is currently directing Fast & Furious 7. Now with that said, it is pretty much a given that Wan will not return to direct Insidious: Chapter 3.
This is a huge push backwards in so many ways. It is possible that Whannell could try and direct and I'm sure he could do a great job, but Insidious has Wan all over it. I don't think anyone else could bring the same magic.
However, Jason Blum and Oren Peli will return to produce. It is possible that Peli could step in and direct, but he has only directed Paranormal Activity. The rest of his credits are mostly producing.

Here is the official press release:

ENTERTAINMENT ONE, FILMDISTRICT, AND
SONY PICTURES WORLDWIDE ACQUISITIONS DEVELOPING
THIRD INSTALLMENT OF INSIDIOUS FILM FRANCHISE
PRODUCED BY BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS 
INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER TWO Screenwriter Leigh Whannell to
Write Script of Third Film
Los Angeles  September 16, 2013 – Entertainment One (eOne), FilmDistrict, and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) announced today that together they will be developing the third chapter of the micro-budgeted INSIDIOUS film franchise which Leigh Whannell has signed on to write.  Whannell has written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 which just had a stellar first weekend release in North America debuting to more than $40 million at the box office making it one of the largest horror genre openings ever and one of the biggest openings for a film released in the month of September.  Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions, which produced both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, is producing the next installment along with Oren Peli.  Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh Jones, Peter Schlessel, Lia Buman and Xavier Marchand are executive producing.
In a joint statement, Peter Schlessel, FilmDistrict’s CEO, Xavier Marchand, eOne’s President, Film Production, and Steven Bersch, President of SPWA, said, “The release of the first INSIDIOUS resonated with audiences around the world and quickly became one of the most talked about films in 2011. This weekend moviegoers enjoyed the terrifying continuation of the first film and we are confident they will be excited to see the third chapter of the INSIDIOUS world. There is nobody better suited to bring audiences the next chapter of this haunting story than Leigh who has brilliantly written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2.”
Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse said, “FilmDistrict, eOne and SPWA have been incredible partners on the INSIDIOUS franchise. We are all so grateful for how audiences embraced James Wan and Leigh’s latest film and are excited to see what Leigh has in store for the third chapter.”
The first INSIDIOUS told the story of Josh and Renai Lambert and their son Dalton, confronting the demons that possess the young boy.  The project was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and distributed by FilmDistrict in the US.  eOne handles rights to the film in Canada, U.K. and Spain, and Sony handles rights in the rest of the world.  It was released on April 1, 2011, and has grossed $97 million worldwide.  With the picture’s reported $1.5 million budget, it has led to the film being called the most profitable film of 2011.
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, the terrifying sequel, follows the haunted Lambert family as they seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.  Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, and Barbara Hershey reprised their roles in the film directed by James Wan, who also directed the first installment.
Whannell is represented by Paradigm.


Sunday, September 15, 2013

Insidious: Chapter 2 sets box office record

James Wan's newest horror film has set a September box office record. Insidious: Chapter 2 has set an opening weekend record dominating the weekend with a $41 million debut. It still is behind Hotel Transylvania which currently holds the biggest September opening at $42 million, but Insidious now holds the title of the biggest single-day horror opening for a live action film.

Insidious: Chapter 2 beat out Luc Besson's The Family which opened at $14 million.




Starting to see exciting box office numbers for horror this year and they have each belonged to James Wan. Well played, sir.

Insidious: Chapter 2 - Review

Insidious: Chapter 2 continues to follow the Lambert family as they try to uncover all the secrets causing them to still be trapped within a spirit world.


Let me just start off by asking this simple question: How is it that the MPAA gave The Conjuring an R-rating for being simply "too scary," but they let Insidious 2 slip by with a PG-13?
I don't scare easy at all and I found this movie to be one of the scariest things I have ever seen. I really liked the first Insidious because it scared me and I never get scared so I was excited for the sequel. Not only did the sequel not disappoint on its own, but the intensity level was seriously amped up for this one. The anxiety level is insane.

It pretty much picks up right where the first movie left off, but it also gives more background on Josh (Patrick Wilson) and how his childhood allowed the spirits in to begin with.You soon realize that the black bride from the first has continued to follow the Lamberts, specifically Josh.
The thing that got me was this movie wasn't really about Dalton or the other two kids. The first movie was primarily about Dalton, of course, and his unexplained coma. This one had Dalton and he played a key role but it wasn't too inclusive. The main characters by far were Josh, Renai (Rose Byrne), Elise (Lin Shaye), and Lorraine (Barbara Hershey)

As far as the actual acting goes I thought Patrick Wilson knocked it out of the park, especially at the end. I don't want to spoil anything but he takes himself to a whole other level. That isn't saying the rest of the cast wasn't good as well because they were. The only one I couldn't get into was the kid who plays Foster, but I didn't like him in the first one either. I thought Carl (Steve Coulter) was a nice addition to the cast. 
Directing is another story. James Wan has given us another great horror film and he pulled out all the stops. He didn't utilize cheap scares and as he did in The Conjuring, he built a great atmosphere and relied on his characters and their development. I find myself getting more into the creepiness of a movie when I am connected to the characters and Wan does a great job with doing just that. He sucks his audience in and doesn't let them go, even when the credits start rolling. I applaud you, Mr. Wan. Please don't stop making horror films.


Without giving anything away, I just would like to say this movie scared me. I do not scare easily and hardly at all, so I mean it. I jumped, I gasped, and I even had a moment where I screamed. I found Insidious: Chapter 2 very intriguing and it was a great horror movie. It would go far enough to say it was scarier than The Conjuring, but I didn't find that one terrifying. I loved The Conjuring because it was a great film and while it was creepy, it didn't scare me to the bone. Insidious 2 did and it did so even more than the first one. Big thumbs up.

Don't let the PG-13 rating and the bad reviews fool you, guys. It's a great horror movie.










* You can see more Insidious: Chapter 2 at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights as they present Insidious: Into the Further. Information can be found here.
After seeing this movie I don't think I would step foot in that haunted maze. Just saying.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Julianne Moore confirmed for Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2

I could have sworn this already came out (UPDATE: It did), but we have confirmation that Julianne Moore will play President Alma Coin in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2.

Without giving too much away, Moore will play the President of  District 13 who you will soon find out is a lot more complicated than it seems. Click the jump for some spoilers on Coin.




Thursday, September 12, 2013

First trailer for Escape From Tomorrow revealed

If you haven't heard of Escape From Tomorrow, in a nutshell it is the guerrilla film secretly shot at Disneyworld. Yes, it was shot without permission or permits which has thus far prevented its release despite it screening at Sundance.

However, the film has managed to get a release date for VOD and theaters this October and we now have a theatrical trailer.

Here is the link via Playlist: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/escape-from-tomorrow/trailer
"An epic battle begins when a middle-aged American husband and father of two learns that he has lost his job. Keeping the news from his nagging wife and wound-up children, he packs up the family and embarks on a full day of park hopping amid enchanted castles and fairytale princesses. Soon, the manufactured mirth of the fantasy land around him begins to haunt his subconscious. An idyllic family vacation quickly unravels into a surrealist and darkly comic nightmare of paranoid visions, bizarre encounters, and an obsessive pursuit of a pair of sexy teenage Parisians. Chillingly shot in black and white, ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW dissects the mythology of artificial perfection while subversively attacking our culture’s obsession with mass entertainment."

Now... I don't really know what to say about this trailer or the movie in general, but you can be damn sure I will be seeing it. Now, that is if I can see it. The trailer is already being yanked off YouTube like it's a porno video. I am curious to see if the release date is going to stick.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Breaking Bad spin-off to air on AMC

AMC and Sony Television have reached a licensing agreement on the proposed Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul. The series will serve as a prequel and will focus on Saul Goodman, Walter White's lawyer. It will also be produced by Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad.

Originally the series was set to air via Netflix due to the boom the company has had with the streaming of Breaking Bad. AMC originally had passed on the show, but the negotiations fell through with Netflix so AMC has agreed to air the show.

Plot details for American Horror Story: Coven revealed

We also have a new teaser featuring pretty much the entire cast. Keep a close eye and see who you recognize!
“A young girl, Zoe, is shattered to discover she possesses a strange genetic affliction tracing back to the dark days of Salem. Zoe is whisked away to Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, a mysterious school in New Orleans devoted to safeguarding the few remaining descendants who share this unique bloodline. Harboring a secret agenda, Fiona Goode, the most powerful witch of their generation, returns to town, reigniting old rivalries with the Coven’s deadly enemies, the Voodoo.”

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 delayed

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was originally set for a July 10, 2015 release date, but it now seems as though Disney is delaying the project until 2016 or later. They are citing that, apparently, they want to make sure the film is as good as it can be.

This is a fairly surprising move by Disney, but at the same time it isn't. Not only did Independence Day 2 get delayed as well but yesterday they announced Ant-Man was moving from November to July. Not to mention they have The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Inside Out, Finding Dory, and Star Wars: Episode VII slated for 2015. It's also possible we could also see Cinderella and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in 2015 as well.
My personal opinion is Disney is trying to be a bit more... cautious. They have had two multi-million dollar box office flops in two years; those flops being John Carter and The Lone Ranger. Not to mention the fact that not a lot of people seemed to like On Stranger Tides or At World's End. I think they are taking their time to see what they can shave off the budget to make it a bit less painful if the fifth Pirates flops worse than the previous two have.

Other than the delay all we know is Johnny Depp is set to return as Captain Jack Sparrow and Kon-Tiki directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg are on board to direct.

The Killing canceled for the second time

After being revived by AMC for a third season, the network has decided to pull the plug on The Killing. The show was originally canceled by AMC after the second season due to poor viewer numbers and overall negative reviews. After yet another season of the same old story it is gone for good.

It will be interesting to see what out of this world show AMC replaces The Killing's time slot with. Either that or if an on-demand network, like Netflix, will pick it up for the few people who enjoyed it.

Jurassic Park 4 officially titled Jurassic World

We can start referring to the fourth installment of Jurassic Park as Jurassic World and, of course, it will be filmed and released in 3D.

We also have a release date of June 12, 2015. Yes, another 2015 release date for the summertime. Currently it is the only film scheduled for that weekend, but I'm sure that will change. Soon after Jurassic World we will have Assassin's Creed and Inside Out.
Jurassic World is set to enter production early next year and will have Colin Trevorrow in the director's chair.


Personally, I don't really like the title too much. It feels like what they would call a new land at Universal Studios. *shrug*



Monday, September 9, 2013

Ant-Man moved from November to July

Disney and Marvel have shifted the start of Phase Three a bit earlier as it was originally set to start on November 6, 2015. We now have word that Ant-Man will open on July 31, 2015 instead. Now it will not be competing directly next to Bond 24.

This puts it closer to The Avengers: Age of Ultron which opens in May, Inside Out which opens in June, and directly after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales which opens in early July. This also adds more credibility to the story of Star Wars: Episode VII moving to December 2015. This also puts it right after Batman vs. Superman which opens on July 17, 2015.

Well, here we go. Yet another summer release for 2015. 


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Xbox One to launch November 22nd

Microsoft announced the new Xbox One will launch on November 22, 2013 in thirteen areas. These areas include Australia, Ausria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.

For the unchanged price of $500 the console will include a new Kinect sensor, headset, controller, HDMI cable, power supply, and guide. In addition to this, Microsoft will be releasing 23 games including Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Dead Rising 3, Watch Dogs, and more. That is nearly not as many as the PS4 which will have at least 100 games available within the first year of release. It also remains to be $100 more expensive than the PS4 and is to be released 7 days after.




Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Fifty Shades of Grey casting backlash with fans

Fifty Shades of Grey fans are causing quite the ruckus in regards to the casting of Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. In other words, they are demanding new lead actors.

This basically comes about because the fans did what Twilight fans did back in the day and had fan favorite actors picked among themselves and are now pissed that they didn't get them. Fans are now demanding that Hunnam and Johnson are dropped and they be replaced by Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel. Aside from Bomer, fan favorites for Christian Grey include Henry Cavill and Ian Somerholder.

Universal has bit back at the fan protest stating via Twitter that more goes into casting a motion picture than appearance. Co-producer Dana Brunetti tweeted,
"There is a lot that goes into casting that isn’t just looks. Talent, availability, their desire to do it, chemistry with other actor, etc. So if your favorite wasn't cast, then it is most likely due to something on that list. Keep that in mind while hating and keep perspective.”
The book's author, EL James, has apparently said she didn't get her casting choice. She was pushing for Robert Pattinson as Christian and that didn't happen. Fans are using that to fuel this fire and say the studio is inconsiderate of the woman who gave them the source material. People are not bearing in mind that James is a producer on this film and she would have had a lot of input on the casting and was no doubt present for the screen tests. Plus, the Robert Pattinson claim is from some guy who claims she said it at a party this summer.


Look... to put it bluntly, the average moviegoer doesn't know jack shit about the inner workings of making a movie and this proves it. People get so blinded by fanboy tendencies that they personally attack the studios for casting certain people against the populous. I will admit that I have fangirl moments and can get mad at casting, but when it comes down to it, I know movie casting isn't up to what people think. A prime example would be Ben Affleck's casting as Batman. Not to mention the initial backlash over the casting of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in Twilight. People hated the fact that they were cast and they became worldwide superstars after the first movie was released. Kristen Stewart even went on to become the highest paid actress in Hollywood.
People need to calm down and stop signing petitions that won't do anything. A studio won't drop an actor because the general populous says they don't like it. If that were the case Ben Affleck would have been dropped as Batman that next day.

Just more proof of the kinds of people that like these shitty book series.

New images from Carrie along with featurette

We have a new featurette for Carrie alongside some new images. I think the shower still looks like something from Psycho, but that might just be me.







The featurette isn't that great of quality. It looks like someone just recorded it off the television and posted it online. It does have some new footage, though. You can watch it over here.

True Blood will end with Season 7

This is the best news I have seen yet in regards to this show.

HBO has announced that the next season of True Blood will indeed be its last. The show will start its final, seventh season next summer. True Blood came on HBO in September 2008 with the story of a young waitress who begins a relationship with a vampire in the wake of vampires "coming out of the closet" into public view. The show continued on to reveal multiple supernatural entities and species, witchcraft, ancient creatures, and a ridiculous amount of characters and subplots.
Similar to the sixth season that just wrapped a couple weeks ago, the seventh will only have 10 episodes. The sixth season was the first season without showrunner and producer Alan Ball and it was noticeably different. The show focused back on Bon Temps, the human characters and their importance, and began weeding out the overwhelming abundance of characters and subplots.

Personally I think True Blood has gone on far too long, so this is great news. I still think it should have ended at season five (at the latest). Adios, Bon Temps!


Monday, September 2, 2013

[Updated] Charlie Hunnam joins Fifty Shades of Grey

The wait is over as we now have official word that Charlie Hunnam has secured the role of Christian Grey, the adopted young billionaire in Fifty Shades of Grey.

This comes after rumors surfaced a week or so ago that Hunnam was under consideration for the role. You probably recognize him from Sons of Anarchy and Pacific Rim. He will play Christian, the BDSM practicing CEO of his own company who coaxed Anastasia into becoming his sex slave. He is described as being tall and muscular with dark copper hair and grey eyes.

I don't know if Hunnam is the best choice, but I'm sure people will make it work. I just hope he is ready for the impact. He will be the next Robert Pattinson, I'm sure. He joins Dakota Johnson who has secured the role of Anastasia Steele.



[UPDATE] As of October 12, Charlie Hunnam is no longer attached to Fifty Shades of Grey. He dropped out of the project citing creative differences and scheduling conflicts. Read more about it here and here.
On October 23, Jamie Dornan was cast as Christian Grey. Read more about it here.

Dakota Johnson to lead Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey finally has their first casting announcement. Dakota Johnson has landed the coveted, lead role of Anastasia Steele.

You may have seen her previously in supporting roles for 21 Jump Street and The Social Network, but this will be Johnson's first major role. The 23-year old is the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson and the granddaughter of Tippi Hedren who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
She will play Anastasia, a 20-year old college student who is coaxed into becoming a young billionaire's sex slave. She is described as being shy and insecure but strong willed and stubborn. She is more tomboyish, pale, and dark haired with blue eyes.

This is probably the closest casting for a book adaptation I have seen in a while, so we will see how this goes.

UPDATE: Charlie Hunnam will play Christian Grey