The past seven days

Friday, January 31, 2014

Jesse Eisenberg to play Lex Luthor in Batman vs. Superman

This is literally the funniest thing I have seen all week.

Jesse Eisenberg (or as I call him, Michael Cera 2.0) has been announced as the selection for Lex Luthor in Batman vs. Superman. Yes, the guy playing a wimpy virgin in just about every movie has been cast as one of the most iconic villains in the Superman arc and quite possibly in DC Comics history. In addition to Eisenberg's casting, we also learned that Jeremy Irons will be playing Bruce Wayne's trusted butler/guardian, Alfred.

There were a lot of rumors circling around Bryan Cranston for the role of Lex Luthor and I will admit it's just because he went bald for Breaking Bad and it just worked. However, given the age of Henry Cavill many are speculating that was reason enough to go for a younger Luthor as well. Jesse Eisenberg is in Cavill's age bracket and has somewhat proven himself to be cunning and scheming on screen. I am betting his roles in The Social Network and Now You See Me are the only reason he was even considered.
As for Jeremy Irons, director Zack Snyder explained the reasoning for getting an older actor is due to the fact that this is not a Batman origins story. At this point, Bruce Wayne is a seasoned veteran and is older so it makes sense to have his butler be older, too.


So what do you guys make of this? So far all I have seen online is my same reaction of laughter at seeing Eisenberg's picture next to Lex Luthor. I definitely did not see this one coming.

The untitled Batman vs. Superman project is slated to hit theaters on May 6, 2016.


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Universal unveils release dates for 2015

Just days after the announcement that Elizabeth Banks signed on to direct Pitch Perfect 2, we have some release dates from Universal including the acapella sequel.

Pitch Perfect 2 is set for release on May 15, 2015. The press release states that the Barden Bellas will return. Also on Universal's agenda are Everest which will be released on February 27, 2015 in IMAX and IMAX 3D. Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak also nabbed an October 16, 2015 release in IMAX.

In addition to the 2015 release dates we also got some lined up for 2014. Michael Bay's Ouija will be released on October 24, 2014 putting some competition against Paranormal Activity 5 while A Walk Among the Tombstones is slated for September 19, 2014.

American Horror Story: Coven - Finale Review

In the season finale of American Horror Story: Coven, the remaining witches face off in the tests of the Seven Wonders to find out who is the rising Supreme.

It goes without saying, but this will have spoilers.







At the halfway point, show producers Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy promised us a new Supreme by the end of the season. I had my own predictions after the episode last week and I will say I was about half right. I had predicted that the witches would eventually just kill each other and Cordelia would be the only one remaining. The way the episode started out I was half right, especially after Misty and Zoe bit the dust. However, with the rise of the new Supreme we found out not only was it not a young witch but that it was actually Cordelia Goode. Yes, the new Supreme was the intentionally blinded daughter of Fiona, the former Supreme.

Starting with the beginning of the episode, I don't know what the hell purpose there was to having Stevie Nicks come back. All she did was come out of nowhere, sing throughout the house, and then leave. Her portrayal of a witch version of herself was completely meaningless and didn't even need to be there. That's first off.
As the episode went down, I thought the Seven Wonders felt a little rushed. The witch with the most struggles in the beginning oddly enough was Misty, who Myrtle was positive was the Supreme just 5 or 6 episodes ago. I thought the death of Misty was a bit sad, too. The descent to hell trapped Misty in her personal agony of having to dissect a living frog in elementary school. When the hourglass ran out of time, Misty's body just turned into black dust in Cordelia's arms. A very disappointing end to a great character who by all means and estimation should have been revealed as the true Supreme.
After Misty is dead and gone, Zoe, Madison, and Queenie decide to play transmutation tag on the front lawn. Zoe gets tired of being tagged and tries to fly only to find herself impaled on one of the fence posts at the front gates. The resurgence test begins and after Queenie is unable to bring Zoe back to life, Madison refuses to perform the test on Zoe. After being threatened by Cordelia she kills a fly and brings it back to life to prove her power. She then boasts about being the next Supreme to Cordelia, Queenie, and Myrtle and storms out of the room.
In that moment the finale begins to take a turn for the lame. Myrtle has some eye opening experience in about five seconds and convinces Cordelia that she is the next Supreme because she is of genetic relation to Fiona. Almost immediately after, Cordelia begins the tests of the Seven Wonders and completes all of them with ease. She comes head to head with Madison in the Divination test where Madison fails and is then proven to not be the Supreme after all. She is later killed by Kyle in her bedroom because she refused to bring Zoe back from the dead. In short, Cordelia fully rises as the next Supreme after bringing Zoe back to life. Her sight is restored and she instantly is restored to full health and beauty.

In the coming weeks you see television crews inside the house as Cordelia goes public about the witch coven and invites girls from around the world to contact them. She even states to her new council members, Zoe and Queenie, that they will buy more houses if necessary in order to house all the witches coming to them. You also have Myrtle volunteering to be burned at the stake once more as a way to give Cordelia a true clean slate in starting the new evolution of the coven.
The crazy point was at the very end, none other than Fiona shows back up. At this point she is crippled and severely dying of cancer because Cordelia took any remaining power from her when she completed the Seven Wonders. Fiona begs her daughter to kill her and reveals how she tricked the coven into thinking the Axeman murdered her. She placed a spell on him to give him the vision that he had killed her in anger and her intention was to see who the Supreme was and then kill her. When it was revealed to be Cordelia she abandoned her plan and chose to die. Somewhat redeeming, but I would have much rather left Fiona where she was. I liked how she went down. The funniest part was Fiona's hell, though. She is trapped in the mountain cabin with the Axeman in his version of Heaven complete with Papa Legba laughing it up in the background.


Overall, I have to vote this finale as a disappointment. It was promising and I thought Coven was excellent as a whole. However, I think making Cordelia the Supreme was really lame and disappointing. It should have been Misty or Nan. Hell, I would have even taken Madison over Cordelia. This marks two seasons in a row where Sarah Paulson has been the final outcome of the show. I think whatever role she has in season 4 should be assumed as important. Seems to be the way Ryan Murphy thinks.
This finale was still better than Murder House (barely) but it can't hold a candle to Asylum. Including the finale I would rate Asylum as the best season yet with Coven closely following. It's a shame to taint a great season that started out very strong.

Channing Tatum eyed for Gambit movie

You might remember seeing Gambit once already in X-Men Origins: Wolverine where he was somewhat poorly portrayed by Taylor Kitsch. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner is apparently trying to get Fox on board to bring the card-throwing thief back to the big screen, but instead of bringing back Kitsch she has been negotiating with Channing Tatum.

Shuler Donner spoke with Empire and flat out told them she is trying to make a stand-alone Gambit movie:
"I'm dying to do a Gambit movie with Channing Tatum that doesn't have to be a great big movie. It's a thief in New Orleans, it's a whole different story. He's on board, and I have to get the studio on board. How can anyone resist Channing? He's such a sweetheart."

Channing Tatum had this to say about the potential project:
“I would like to play Gambit. Gambit’s my favourite. I’m from New Orleans, around that area. My dad’s from New Orleans, and I like to do a Cajun accent. I could do it for real. No knock on Taylor Kitsch, though, ’cause I actually like his Gambit, but I’ve always lived around Cajun people. Gambit was always like the woman-loving, cigarette-smoking, drinking guy. He was the punk rock of all the superheroes. He’s a thief. He kind of rode the line.”

Given the fact that Fox seems fully resistant to bring a much desired R-rated Deadpool movie to the big screen, Gambit could be a nice bet for a low level X-Men movie. You wouldn't need a lot of mutants to appear and due to the nature of the character, it probably wouldn't get anything worse than a PG-13 rating. I don't think Channing Tatum would necessarily be my first choice to play Gambit, but he definitely couldn't be worse than Taylor Kitsch was.



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Thor 3 announced by Marvel; writers locked down

This hasn't been a major, formal announcement but hiring screenwriters is enough to confirm that a third Thor film is in the works by Marvel. The studio reportedly has hired Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost to pen the script. The pair previously wrote the animated X-Men: Evolution series. Yost also worked on Thor: The Dark World while Kyle moved his way up in the Marvel executive offices and is currently the senior VP of production and development. Chris Hemsworth will also be returning as the God of Thunder.

This comes soon after the Russo brothers began negotiations to return and write the third Captain America film. There are no plot details released for the third installments of either Thor or Captain America, but there is a possibility we might see either of them in 2016 or 2017. Marvel has locked up dates during both years for untitled projects. There are a number of projects that could go to these dates such as Thor 3, Captain America 3, Iron Man 4, a new movie about the Hulk, or it could go to the rumored Doctor Strange project. There are even talks of a Black Panther movie and it is also possible 2017 could be The Avengers 3. Either way, there are a lot of stories being tossed around at Marvel and they have until 2021 to get it all done. I would imagine they'll wrap up the characters we have now before fully moving onto Phase Three characters (like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange), but you never know.

Here is the current timetable of Marvel films coming our way:

2014 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4th), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2nd), X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23rd), Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st)

2015 - The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1st), Fantastic Four (June 19th), Ant-Man (July 17th)

2016 - X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27th), The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (June 10th), Untitled Marvel Project

2017 - Untitled Marvel Project

2018 - The Amazing Spider-Man 4 (May 4th)


Oscar nomination rescinded for Alone Yet Not Alone

This is a rare occurrence for sure, but the Academy's Board of Governors has rescinded the Best Original Song nomination for Alone Yet Not Alone. Reasoning has been cited as insider campaigning. Former Academy member Bruce Broughton, and writer of the film's song, apparently sent a hefty amount of emails to his Academy friends in order to bring the attention to the song and to the film. The Board came to a conclusion that Broughton's actions were not in compliance with the promotional regulations and policies in place and that including the film would make the competition unfair and biased.

Despite losing out on one nominee, the Academy also concluded that there will be no replacement named. The Best Original Song category will now only have four nominees. Those nominees are:

"Happy" by Pharrell Williams - Despicable Me 2
"Let It Go" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez - Frozen
"The Moon Song" by Karen O. & Spike Jonze - Her
"Ordinary Love" by U2 - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom


M. Night Shyamalan to reunite with Bruce Willis

Yes. The Shyamalan curse is about to return.

It has been said that Shyamalan is in talks to resurrect one of his first scripts in a film effort which will reunite him with Bruce Willis. Willis starred in the Shyamalan films The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable and has been absent for his long list of flops ever since. The Sixth Sense went on to receive six Oscar nominations (including Best Director), two Golden Globe nominations, and four BAFTA nominations.
Shyamalan sold the script for Labor of Love years ago and the project fell through at 20th Century Fox because they didn't want him to direct. Now the project has gained new attention at Fox.

If you have paid any attention, M. Night Shyamalan hasn't exactly had the career many expected him to have after The Sixth Sense. Out of all his films the only two I would even consider worth watching are The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Signs wasn't bad at the time, but I re-watched it a while back and I realized then how stupid it was. His list of flops include Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Village, The Last Airbender, Devil (writer/producer) and After Earth. The Last Airbender has been said to be one of the worst movies ever made, he has been nominated for a total of nine Razzie Awards, and if you Google his name the third suggested result is "M. Night Shyamalan sucks." I remember seeing a preview for Devil and when his name popped up in the trailer the theater I was in started booing and throwing popcorn at the screen. So yeah, he doesn't have the best track record in Hollywood.
However, seeing that this script was written before all of the shitstorms we have seen it might have some promise. Labor of Love tells the story of a bookstore owner in Philadelphia grieving the loss of his wife. After he begins to feel guilty for not letting her know how much he loves her, he decides to walk from Philadelphia to her favorite spot in California. Filming is set to begin in mid-September.

How much you want to bet the twist is he died with her and is stuck in limbo or something like that. Seriously, any takers?



Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Jonathan Banks signs on for Better Call Saul

Prepare yourselves for Mike Ehrmantraut.

Jonathan Banks, who played Mike in Breaking Bad, has signed on for the AMC prequel Better Call Saul. He will team up with Bob Odenkirk once again as a series regular. In Breaking Bad, Mike was the head of security for Gus Fring (aka, the meth kingpin of New Mexico) before joining forces with Walter and Jesse. He also worked for Saul Goodman (Odenkirk) on the side.

Banks previously earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Mike. The events of Better Call Saul will focus on the strip mall attorney's career prior to the events of Breaking Bad. No other previous characters have been confirmed just yet, but Vince Gilligan hinted that some others could pop up throughout the series.


Monday, January 27, 2014

Quentin Tarantino suing over script leak

Last week Quentin Tarantino announced he was indefinitely delaying his upcoming film, The Hateful Eight, due to the fact that the script was leaked online. Tarantino has now filed a lawsuit against Gawker because the site posted a link to the leaked script. He filed the legal complaint in the Central District of California courts citing copyright infringement and contributing to copyright infringement. Tarantino has hired Martin Singer to lead his case.

Deadline has an overall reading of the complaint:
“Gawker Media has made a business of predatory journalism, violating people’s right to make a buck. This time they’ve gone too far. Rather than merely publishing a news story reporting that Plaintiff’s screenplay may have been circulating in Hollywood without his permission, Gawker Media crossed the journalistic line by promoting itself to the public as the first source to read the entire screenplay illegally. Their headline boasts, ‘Here is the leaked Quentin Tarantino Hateful Eight Script’ — here, not someplace else, but ‘here’ on the Gawker website. The article then contains multiple direct links for downloading the entire screenplay through a conveniently anonymous URL by simply clicking button-links on the Gawker page, and brazenly encourages Gawker visitors to read the screenplay illegally with an invitation to ‘enjoy’ it. There was nothing newsworthy or journalistic about Gawker Media facilitating and encouraging the public’s violation of Plaintiff’s copyright in the screenplay, and its conduct will not shield Gawker Media from liability for their unlawful activity.”

Basically, he is saying that by posting the link and keeping it active, Gawker was encouraging their readers to download and read the script thus indulging in copyright infringement. Tarantino admitted that he had only shared the initial draft with a handful of people, including Michael Marsden, and was frustrated to learn one of them shared it with an agent who then shared it with the world. As a result, Tarantino has shelved the project and decided to publish the full story as a Western ensemble and explore the film potential again in the future. 

This isn't the first time Gawker has been in trouble for this sort of thing. A few years back they were advised by their legal team to remove links to Lena Dunham's book proposal that they obtained after it was sold to Random House. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The way of the world seems to be if it's on the internet it's basically free for anyone to see. That is if it's in the right hands.

Elizabeth Banks to direct Pitch Perfect 2

Elizabeth Banks is set to make her directorial debut with the sequel to the 2012 acapella smash, Pitch Perfect. Banks starred in and produced the first movie and will be replacing director Jason Moore. She will also return with an acting role. Along with Pitch Perfect you might have seen Banks in The Hunger Games, What to Expect When You're Expecting, 30 Rock, Scrubs, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and The 40-Year Old Virgin. Her next release is The LEGO Movie in February.
Along with Banks' return, it has been described as "likely" for Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson to return as Beca and Fat Amy. Kay Cannon is also returning to write the script.

I personally was really surprised with Pitch Perfect. I watched it thinking the previews made it look kind of funny and when I walked away really loving it I was surprised. Hopefully the sequel will pack the same punch as the first one did and won't stretch things too far. I'm happy Elizabeth Banks has more of a part in this, too. She's quite the funny lady.


Friday, January 24, 2014

First poster for Fifty Shades of Grey

Nothing too special. It looks like a stock photo with a Photoshopped skyline to me.



Fifty Shades of Grey stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.

Hugh Jackman joins Peter Pan reboot

Just yesterday we learned Garrett Hedlund had been cast as Captain Hook in Joe Wright's Pan. We now have confirmation of rumors circulating around Hugh Jackman. The X-Men veteran has indeed been cast as Blackbeard. The role was originally offered to Javier Bardem but he passed on the role, so the studio approached Jackman.

Pan is set for release on July 17, 2015.


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Ant-Man shifts release dates again

In the wake of the release date shift of Batman vs. Superman, Marvel has decided to jump on the opportunity. After shifting Ant-Man once already, Marvel has made the decision to shift the film once again to July 17, 2015. Yes that is the old Batman vs. Superman release date.

Ant-Man was originally slated for release in November 2015 and was shifted to July 31, 2015. With this new shift it will put it even closer to The Avengers: Age of Ultron and will pretty much seal the deal for Marvel taking over the summertime. One downside about this is the fact that the new release date of May 6, 2015 for the Man of Steel sequel puts it in the same weekend as the untitled Marvel project rumored to be Doctor Strange. I wouldn't be surprised if the untitled project is delayed or shifted up a week or two just to avoid the direct competition.


Garrett Hedlund to play Captain Hook

Joe Wright's reboot for Peter Pan is shaping up smoothly. We just learned that the role of Captain Hook has gone to Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy). Previously there were rumors that Hugh Jackman was being looked at for the role of Blackbeard.

Hedlund reportedly beat out Jack Huston and Ezra Miller for the role of Captain Hook. The role is described as a lead role, but it's not confirmed whether he is already a captain in this adaptation. Given the age of the actors being considered I wouldn't be surprised to see him be an ordinary pirate and not a captain just yet.

Pan is set for theaters on July 17, 2015.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

First teaser for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Here it is!



This is a pretty nice change to the mockingjay pin as it shows the wings fully extended as Katniss spreads her wings as the "mockingjay." It is still fairly similar to the Catching Fire poster, though. At first glance you'd probably think it was the Catching Fire poster. There is a similarity between all the posters so far.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tensions rise on Fifty Shades of Grey set

Seems that there is some trouble in paradise for Fifty Shades of Grey. The movie is currently shooting, but there are reportedly some tensions between director Sam Taylor-Johnson and book author E.L. James. Apparently James is arguing about how the script is written and wants the movie to be a page by page adaptation of the book. Taylor-Johnson responds with telling James she should stick to writing books.

Ouch.

In addition to that, there have been problems with the Vancouver residents. During a recent scene in the rain, local residents were very vocal about their disapproval of the rain machine and stated if any water got into their homes they would sue to the production. The producers had to meet halfway and eventually wound up moving to a new location. Sources say one resident took it upon himself to shake a cowbell out his window and ruin every take.


You know.... sometimes people should take it as a sign. Maybe this movie just shouldn't be happening.


Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to score Gone Girl

This is exciting news.

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor will be returning to the world of Hollywood with his partner Atticus Ross to score Gone Girl, the new film by David Fincher. Reznor and Ross previously scored Fincher's films The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The pair won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for their work on The Social Network.

Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. It tells the story of a woman who mysteriously disappears on the night of her fifth anniversary. It is an adaptation of the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn. It is set for theaters on October 3, 2014.




Sundance 2014 acquisions

There is a decent number of Sundance acquisitions this year. The popular film festival occurring this weekend gave films from just about every genre. Acquisitions include:

  • Magnolia and Paramount have picked up Happy Christmas. The film is directed by Joe Swanberg and stars Anna Kendrick, Lena Dunham, and Mark Webber. Magnolia previously released Swanberg's film, Drinking Buddies.
  • Focus Features picked up the newest offering from Zach Braff, Wish I Was Here. Braff's follow-up to Garden State features Kate Hudson, Josh Gad, and Ashley Greene. It received overall positive reviews over the weekend. 
  • Fox Searchlight acquired I Origins starring Michael Pitt and Brit Marling. 
  • A24 picked up domestic rights for Laggies starring Chloe Moretz, Keira Knightley, and Sam Rockwell. This is another one that received overall positive reviews and is aiming for a Summer release. A24 also acquired Obvious Child
  • Sony Pictures Classics picked up Whiplash starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons.


I might make it to Sundance one day...

Monday, January 20, 2014

Shailene Woodley out of Spider-Man for good

Well, it is very likely she is out for good.

You might recall the news that Shailene Woodley (Divergent) was cast as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and despite filming and completing her scenes, she was cut entirely from the film. Rumors quickly circulated that the production felt they made a mistake casting Woodley and cut her scenes so they could recast Mary Jane for The Amazing Spider-Man 3. However, others said that her scenes just didn't fit and they cut them to save the character of Mary Jane for the next movie simply to avoid overcrowding.
Either way, it appears that we might never see Woodley in a Spider-Man film. Why? According to her, she has quite the schedule ahead of her. Seeing that Divergent has already been picked up for two sequels she stated at Sundance this past weekend that she would rather not take on two major blockbuster schedules at the same time. The sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are set to arrive in 2015 and 2016. Woodley also has The Fault in Our Stars arriving this year. The Amazing Spider-Man 3 is set to arrive in 2016 so if she is still committed to the role she will definitely have a busy year. If that's something she doesn't want I wouldn't expect her back, but if the production is adamant about keeping her after all they might just have to be willing to work around her schedule.

Mary Jane Watson is the second love interest of Peter Parker and in this case is coming after Gwen Stacy. Mary Jane was previously portrayed by Kirsten Dunst in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and has yet to be seen in Marc Webb's movies. I don't necessarily dislike Shailene Woodley, but I don't think she was the greatest choice for Mary Jane. I honestly feel the same way about Emma Stone being cast as Gwen Stacy. Love Emma Stone, but she was not a great choice at all.

New trailer for Maleficent




So... I'm a little confused. Is this a new story to tell how Maleficent started semi-good and then went bad or what? I had hopes for this because Maleficent is easily my favorite Disney villain and I think Angelina Jolie was perfect casting, but this just doesn't look that good. Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora is almost funny. It also seems they are trying to do another Snow White and the Huntsman treatment and make the princess more of a brave, warrior type instead of a classic damsel in distress.

Ugh. Either way we will find out soon. Maleficent is set for theaters on May 30, 2014. It stars Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley, and Imelda Staunton.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Spectacular Now - Review

After suddenly breaking up with his girlfriend, a popular senior stumbles into a relationship with a lesser known girl at his high school. The two teens help each other learn the advantages, struggles, and the dangers of living exclusively in the present in The Spectacular Now.


I watched this movie because I had heard great things about it from a lot of different people. People were saying it was different, fresh, and a nice spin on the romantic genre. I wouldn't say this was a bad movie, but it was definitely not something we haven't seen before.
The main character of Sutter (Miles Teller) is an extremely typical character. He is the life of every party but is struggling underneath his facade with alcohol and internal pain. Because that's not typical at all. He winds up falling for this girl Aimee (Shailene Woodley) by complete accident and winds up using his own problems to sabotage their relationship after a short time. Again, it's been done. On the way to the end of the film you see Aimee evolve and mold herself to Sutter because she loves him and wants to be what he is used to, but Sutter is more determined to "live in the now" and not let the boundaries of the future tie him down. Yes, that is despite the great thing he has going with this girl.

The point I am making with this is despite what I heard about this movie, it is yet another typical teen romance film. It does have high points but they are nowhere near the amount of typical, expected moments this movie is full of. As far as acting goes this basically solidified my annoyance with Miles Teller. I just find him very annoying and I don't understand why he was cast in this movie. He had no chemistry with Shailene Woodley at all. Speaking of Woodley, I thought she was probably the best part of this movie. She played unassuming and shy quite well.
In terms of character I think this was the weakest aspect. You get the backstory of these characters, but not enough to make it feel relevant. It's almost like Sutter was with Aimee just to have someone to hang out with. There was a lack of chemistry and an overall lack of want between these two characters. It was very one-sided. Sutter is very selfish and constantly treats Aimee like a backup plan. Not to mention he is almost always under the influence of alcohol and she desperately adopts that lifestyle because she knows that's how he is. She was supposed to be a smart kid and came off desperate. He was supposed to be a loveable, popular kid and came off as a drunken douchebag.
The ending was probably the worst part of it because it seems like they skipped over a solid 2-3 months of time and then threw you back into the story. You don't know what happened between these people that got them to that point, you don't understand how these characters evolved... you just are left empty at the end. 

Again, not a total loss but don't go in expecting anything spectacular (no pun intended). The Spectacular Now is yet another badly cast teen romance drama. It's a shame given the hype this movie got among critics. If you have a choice, (500) Days of Summer was a lot more satisfying.




Friday, January 17, 2014

Batman vs. Superman pushed to 2016

It looks like we will have to wait another year to see Ben Affleck as Batman. Warner Bros. announced an inevitable schedule change for the Man of Steel sequel. The "untitled" Batman vs. Superman project has shifted from July 17, 2015 to May 6, 2016. In place of the DC Comics film, the new reboot of Peter Pan has now taken the July 17th spot.

Batman vs. Superman will now be released in the same year as X-Men: Apocalypse and an untitled Marvel project rumored to be Doctor Strange. It also moves it just a year apart from the planned Justice League movie and the same year as the announced Flash film. Whether this will shift more DC movies as a chain reaction is still unknown but it's possible. I won't be surprised if they move Flash to 2017 and delay Justice League to 2018. Reasoning for the delay was cited as a creative issue. In order for the filmmakers to fully capture their vision they needed more time. This also moves the budget to the second quarter of the fiscal year, so they now have more money to spend on it. There also is a rumor that Ben Affleck recently injured himself, but that hasn't been confirmed.

I personally don't mind this. It takes some of the heat out of the 2015 year which is already ridiculously overcrowded. 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Paranormal Activity 5 casting call reveals characters

A newly released casting call has revealed the new family that Paranormal Activity 5 will focus on. The characters will be Ryan, Emily, and their 6-year old daughter Leila. Also in the mix is Ryan's younger brother Mike.

Ryan is described as a 26-31 year old male who is a "big kid." He is a game designer who relocated from New York to Palo Alto, CA to take a job with Rockstar Games. His wife Emily is a self-described "hippie" who is more serious than her husband. Her sister also passed away a year before the events of the film. The daughter is described as a fearless tomboy.

Now, of course the plot is assumed to be a family quickly discovering there is something wrong with their house. Who knows if this will have a tie into The Marked Ones or not, but we will see shortly. Paranormal Activity 5 is set to hit theaters on October 24th.


2014 Oscar nominations announced

American Hustle and Gravity turned out to be the hits with the Academy this year as they both lead with 10 nominations each. 12 Years a Slave ended up with 9 total. There are quite a few surprises including the complete snub of Monsters University and the fact that Jonah Hill got nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Also a bit surprising: Tom Hanks not being nominated for Captain Phillips, Cate Blanchett not being nominated for Blue Jasmine, Spike Jonze not being nominated for Best Director, Blue is the Warmest Color not being nominated for Best Foreign Film (that was just expected), and Monsters University not being nominated for Best Animated Feature. Seriously, why the hate for Pixar this year? It wasn't a bad movie and the animation was beautiful.

The Academy Awards will air on March 2nd.

Here are the nominees!

Best Picture:

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor:

Christian Bale - American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress:

Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill - The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb - Nebraska

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Alexander Payne - Nebraska
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Screenplay:

Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine
Craig Borten & Melisa Warlick - Dallas Buyers Club
Eric Warren Singer & David O. Russell - American Hustle
Bob Nelson - Nebraska
Spike Jonze - Her

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope - Philomena
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke - Before Midnight
Billy Ray - Captain Phillips
John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Animated Film:

Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Croods
The Wind Rises

Best Original Score:

Alexandre Deslplat - Philomena
Thomas Newman - Saving Mr. Banks
William Butler & Owen Pallett - Her
John Williams - The Book Thief
Steven Price - Gravity

Best Original Song:

"Alone, Yet Not Alone" - Alone, Yet Not Alone
"Let it Go" - Frozen 
"Happy" - Despicable Me 2 
"The Moon Song" - Her
"Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best Cinematography:

Phillipe Le Sound - The Grandmaster
Phedon Papamichael - Nebraska
Bruno Delbonnel - Inside Llewyn Davis
Emmanuel Lubezki - Gravity
Roger Deakins - Prisoners

Best Visual Effects:

Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Foreign Language Film:

The Broken Circle Breakdown
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Missing Piece
Omar

Best Documentary Feature:

The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
The Square
20 Feet from Stardom

Best Documentary Short Subject:

CaveDigger
Facing Fear
Karama Has No Walls
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Jack Hall

Best Production Design:

American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her
12 Years a Slave

Best Costume Design:

American Hustle
The Grandmaster
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
12 Years a Slave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Dallas Buyers Club
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger

Best Sound Editing:

All is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor

Best Sound Mixing:

Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor

Best Animated Short:

Feral
Get a Horse!
Mr. Hublot
Possessions
Room on the Broom

Best Live-Action Short:

Aquel No EraYo
Avant Que De Tout Perdre
Helium
Pitakko Mun Kaikki Hoitaa?
The Voorman Problem




Wednesday, January 15, 2014

More info on American Horror Story Season 4 surfaces

Despite having a minor teaser of the theme during this past week's Coven episode, we now have more information regarding the fourth installment of American Horror Story.

Co-creator Ryan Murphy teased fans a bit more by giving us knowledge that it will take place in the year 1950 and that it will be a period piece. He also includes how they try and not do what they have done before, so to expect something different. The final teaser, "Jessica Lange is already practicing her German accent so I'm very excited!"


So I did some research on the year 1950...

  • The Cold War was in full effect as early as January.
  • In January, there were some German doctors and scientists who came out and admitted to being Soviet spies. They passed nuclear data from the British and Germans to Russia. 
  • The first steps toward the European Union were set in place in May.
  • The Korean War began in June.
  • Communist riots erupted in Berlin, Germany in September. Also in the same month, West Germany purged all Communist leaders. 
  • East Germany approves Communism in a landslide vote in October.

It is also worth mentioning that 1950 was still pretty much the tail end of World War II. Although the European Occupation was pretty much wrapped up by 1945, people were still picking up the pieces in the 1950's. It is possible that this season could be about remaining Nazi's and war criminals. Just putting that out there. I also think with the time frame it could have something to do with the Holocaust or the Cold War. It might be an excited theme to have Communism and spies.





The Conjuring spin-off moving forward

We got news a couple months back that after the major success of The Conjuring, New Line Cinema announced their intent to move forward with three spin-offs. The main one mentioned was a spin-off about the Annabelle doll. We now have official confirmation that New Line is moving forward with the Annabelle spin-off and it's assumed it will focus on the origins of the doll's possession before the Warrens obtained the object.

Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton will lead the low-budget film and it will be directed by John Leonetti. Leonetti served as the main cinematographer for The Conjuring. James Wan, who directed The Conjuring, will serve as an executive producer.

Devil's Due viral video is a winner!

This is one of the better viral campaigns for a horror movie that we've received in recent years. I cracked up through this whole thing. "Why would they do this!?"



Devil's Due, presented by 20th Century Fox, comes out this Friday, January 17th.

2014 Razzie nominations

Ooh, 2013 was a fun year for sure. I'm a bit surprised to not see movies like Carrie and Jack the Giant Slayer on here, but you can't win them all. Here are the 2014 Razzie Award nominees:

Worst Picture:

The Lone Ranger
After Earth
Grown Ups 2
A Madea Christmas
Movie 43

Worst Actor:

Johnny Depp - The Lone Ranger
Ashton Kutcher - Jobs
Jaden Smith - After Earth
Sylvester Stallone - Bullet to the Head, Escape Plan, Grudge Match
Adam Sandler - Grown Ups 2

Worst Actress:

Lindsay Lohan - The Canyons
Naomi Watts - Movie 43
Selena Gomez - Getaway
Tyler Perry - A Madea Christmas
Halle Berry - Movie 43, The Call

Worst Supporting Actor:

Chris Brown - Battle of the Year
Larry the Cable Guy - A Madea Christmas
Taylor Lautner - Grown Ups 2
Will Smith - After Earth
Nick Swardson - A Haunted House, Grown Ups 2

Worst Supporting Actress:

Lady Gaga - Machete Kills
Salma Hayek - Grown Ups 2
Katherine Heigl - The Big Wedding
Kim Kardashian - Tyler Perry's Temptation
Lindsay Lohan - InAPPropriate Comedy, Scary Movie 5

Worst Screen Combo

Cast of Grown Ups 2
Cast of Movie 43
Lindsay Lohan & Charlie Sheen - Scary Movie 5
Tyler Perry & the worn out wig and dress - A Madea Christmas
Jaden Smith & Will Smith - After Earth

Worst Director:

The 13 people who directed Movie 43
Dennis Dugan - Grown Ups 2
Tyler Perry - A Madea Christmas, Temptation
M. Night Shyamalan - After Earth
Gore Verbinski - The Lone Ranger

Worst Screenplay:

After Earth
Grown Ups 2
The Lone Ranger
A Madea Christmas
Movie 43

Worse Remake or Sequel:

Grown Ups 2
The Hangover III
The Lone Ranger
Scary Movie 5
The Smurfs 2


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

My 2014 Oscar Predictions

We are now a little over a day and a half from learning the official Oscar nominations, so I figured I would share my personal predictions of what we might see this year. I'm not claiming to know everything, obviously, and I could be wrong but it's fun to guess.

Best Picture:

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Saving Mr. Banks
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor:

Christian Bale - American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress:

Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks

Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini - Enough Said
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb - Nebraska

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Spike Jonze - Her
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original Screenplay:

Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine
Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack - Dallas Buyers Club
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - Inside Llewyn Davis
Alfonso Cuaron & Jonas Cuaron - Gravity
Spike Jonze - Her

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope - Philomena
Tracy Letts - August: Osage County
Billy Ray - Captain Phillips
John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Animated Film:

Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
Monsters University

Best Original Score:

Alexander Ebert - All is Lost
Randy Newman - Monsters University
Steven Price - Gravity
John Williams - The Book Thief
Hans Zimmer - 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Song:

"I See Fire" - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
"Let it Go" - Frozen
"Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best Cinematography:

Barry Ackroyd - Captain Phillips 
Sean Bobbit - 12 Years a Slave
Bruno Delbonnel - Inside Llewyn Davis
Emmanuel Lubezki - Gravity
Hoyte Van Hoytema - Her

Best Visual Effects:

Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
Star Trek Into Darkness


Like I said, this is just a prediction list. I'm excited to see how many I got right and wrong. The Oscar nominations will be revealed on Wednesday, January 16th. 


Planet of the Apes receives 2016 date

Now for some release date news we got today.

  • In addition to the announcement that Matt Reeves will direct a third installment of Planet of the Apes, we now have an official release date. The third installment is set to hit theaters on July 29, 2016.
  • Next up, we have an official release date for the Poltergeist reboot. The horror rehash will hit theaters on February 13, 2015. Yes, that is the same weekend as Fifty Shades of Grey.
  • To avoid too much competition for the Valentine's Day weekend, Fox has shifted the newest Nicholas Spark's adaptation, The Longest Ride, from February 13, 2015 to April 3, 2015. 

We also got minor, assumed, confirmation that Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana will return for the Avatar sequels. Plot details for the sequel have yet to be released, but we do know that their characters will have children and will be filmed entirely in New Zealand. We won't see Avatar 2 until 2016 while Avatar 3 and Avatar 4 are set for 2017 and 2018. 

Michael Pena in talks for Ant-Man

Now that January is about half over we are starting to get more valuable news. Marvel isn't skimping on announcements right now as we have news that Michael Pena (End of Watch) is in early talks for Ant-Man. The role offered to Pena is unknown at this time, but reports suggest he is keen on accepting. Pena is a very versatile actor who has tackled, and succeeded, in both comedies and dramas. Edgar Wright has described Ant-Man to be a bit of both comedy and drama, so he might just be a perfect fit.

Kevin Feige and the rest of Marvel are now working on casting the female lead. Rumors are circulating around Bryce Dallas Howard and Rashida Jones, but there is no telling who might be cast next. Filming is supposed to start in April, so I figure we will have some more solid casting news before too long.


Man shot in Florida over texting in movie theater

I just thought this was ridiculous and had to share.

The basics of this story are a 71-year old retired police officer fatally shot a man because he wouldn't stop texting inside a Tampa, FL movie theater. The man claimed he felt imminent danger after the 43-year old texter threw a bag of popcorn at him after refusing to stop texting. After the bag was thrown the man pulled out a .380 calibur and shot the texter in the chest. The texter was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died of a single gunshot wound.
The movie being screened was Lone Survivor, an adaptation of a Navy SEAL team fighting in Afghanistan. The retired officer, Curtis Reeves, retired a Captain from the force and was instrumental in creating the area's first tactical response team. He recently participated in crime stoppers and worked at a local Busch Gardens theme park. He is scheduled to appear in court today.


I'm sorry, but if the texting is bothering you that much maybe you should just change seats and sit in front of the person. You don't confront them, cause a scene, and kill someone. Why this guy had a gun on him in the first place is beyond me. Yet another installment of, "Congratulations, you're an asshole."

[Rumor] Marvel seeking Johnny Depp for major role

Rumor alert!

This is minor but potentially big. According to the mighty internets, Marvel has someone in mind for Doctor Strange and that person might just be Johnny Depp. Previous rumors circling around this project included Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Viggo Mortensen potentially being cast in the lead role.

Sources are claiming that Depp accepted a meeting with Marvel to discuss the character and the role. Depp has been vocal in the past about his desire to jump on board with Marvel at some point if the opportunity presented itself. It is also notable to mention Depp's longstanding relationship with Disney. He is basically their poster child for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and has also starred in Disney films such as The Lone Ranger and Alice in Wonderland. He is also scheduled to reprise the role of the Mad Hatter in a second Alice in Wonderland installment as well as donning Captain Jack Sparrow at least once more.
Disney and Marvel are both probably thinking that Depp will draw viewers to a new, unknown character. It is also notable to mention the fact that he is a good 20-years older than the title character. Depp will be 51 this year and Doctor Strange is described to be about 30-years old. However, it has been said that if he signs the contract the script will be altered to fit him in pretty much any way possible.

Now... one important thing to remember is that we won't see a Doctor Strange movie until at least 2016. It is part of Phase Three which is kicking off with Ant-Man on July 31, 2015. The earliest we will see anything about Doctor Strange is probably a post-credits cameo after The Avengers: Age of Ultron or after Ant-Man. I wouldn't think they would hint at him earlier than that.


What do you think about all this? Would you like to see Depp enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe or do you think he should walk away?


Monday, January 13, 2014

Magic the Gathering movie in development

Not too long after Magic the Gathering celebrated its 20th anniversary, we have confirmation that the long standing game will get a movie. 20th Century Fox has picked up the rights while Simon Kinberg is set to produce and develop the story into a potential franchise.

Whether it should be or not, at least Magic the Gathering has franchise potential. Over the past 20 years there have been numerous expansion packs which give a lot of different characters potential. There isn't any information other than this so far, but I'm sure this will hit theaters by late-2015 or 2016. If they want competition with another fantasy storyline, they could try for 2015 and compete with Warcraft

Michael Douglas to play Ant-Man

This is coming totally out of left field. Marvel sure played this one out well.

We have new news about Edgar Wright's Ant-Man coming in 2015. Previously, we all believed the casting of Paul Rudd to mean we had our Hank Pym. We now have confirmation that Paul Rudd will be playing the role of Scott Lang and Hank Pym will be portrayed by none other than Michael Douglas.
If you are as unaware of Ant-Man as most people are, there are multiple people who have taken on the suit. It originated with Hank Pym and later moved onto a reformed thief named Scott Lang. Lang took on the role of Ant-Man after Pym retired his identity. Given the age of Michael Douglas I am wondering exactly how much of a presence Rudd is going to have in this one. Unless they show the slight origin on Lang while at the same time following Douglas on his road to retirement remains unknown. It also remains unknown whether Rudd or Douglas will appear in future Marvel films like The Avengers: Age of Ultron or The Avengers 3. Either way this is shaping up to be an interesting project.

Michael Douglas makes another rather impressive addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to Douglas we have had other acclaimed actors such as Robert Redford, James Spader, Bradley Cooper, Jeff Bridges, and Tommy Lee Jones appear (or set to appear) in Marvel films.


Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Purge 2 receives a new title

Let The Purge 2 now be known as The Next Chapter of The Purge.

Yes, Universal has picked an extremely stupid title for their fast-tracked sequel to The Purge. The sequel is currently in production as they aim for a June 20, 2014 release date. The film stars Frank Grillo, Michael K. Williams, Zach Gilford, and Carmen Ejogo.
Returning are writer/producer Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions, James DeMonaco, and Platinum Dunes partner Michael Bay.

I personally hated The Purge, so I am not excited or looking forward to The Next Chapter of The Purge. I thought it was a great concept they flushed down the toilet with weak characters, a lacking plot, and a severe lack of detail.

2014 Golden Globes winners

It appears the hype around 12 Years a Slave didn't quite come to fruition, at least not the with the Golden Globes. The acclaimed and predicted Oscar favorite took home just one of the awards it was nominated for. Surprise winners include Her, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers Club.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Motion Picture - Drama

12 Years a Slave

Best Actress - Drama

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

Best Actor - Drama

Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical

American Hustle

Best Actress - Comedy or Musical

Amy Adams - American Hustle

Best Actor - Comedy or Musical

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle

Best Supporting Actor

Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Director

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity

Best Original Score

Alex Ebert - All is Lost

Best Original Song

"Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best Screenplay

Spike Jonze - Her

Best Animated Feature

Frozen

Best Foreign Film

The Great Beauty



Best Supporting Actress - TV Movie, Series, or Mini-Series

Jacqueline Bisset - Dancing on the Edge

Best Actress - Mini-Series or TV Movie

Elisabeth Moss - Top of the Lake

Best Television Series - Drama

Breaking Bad

Best Supporting Actor - TV Movie, Series, or Mini-Series

Jon Voight - Ray Donovan

Best Actor - Mini-Series or TV Movie

Michael Douglas - Behind the Candelabra

Best Actor - Television Drama

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Best Actress - Television Drama

Robin Wright - House of Cards

Best Actor - Television Comedy or Musical

Andy Samberg - Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best Actress - Television Comedy or Musical

Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical

Brooklyn Nine-Nine



Are the Globes a tell-tale sign of what is to come with the Oscars? Sometimes. With this I think the Oscars might be full of dark horses. I would watch out for Her, Dallas Buyers Club, and The Wolf of Wall Street. If those get nominations they might just take them. A lot of people were certain 12 Years a Slave and/or Gravity were going to sweep and that didn't happen. The frontrunner so far seems to be American Hustle which is well deserved.
This also marks the first in many years where a Pixar film did not take home Best Animated Feature. The reason being they did not nominate Monsters University. I am pretty sure Pixar would have taken it over Frozen if it was nominated. I'm pretty certain the Oscars won't exclude Pixar, but we will see.








Friday, January 10, 2014

Shia LaBeouf tweets his retirement

And the saga continues...

In light of his recent plagiarism scandal and criticism of his dealings with the subject, Shia LaBeouf has resorted to his Twitter account to announce that he is leaving the public spotlight.

"In light of the recent attacks on my artistic integrity, I am retiring from all public life. My love goes out to those who have supported me."


This comes a few days after he tweeted a cease and desist letter from Daniel Clowes' lawyer requesting that he take control of the situation and make it right. LaBeouf openly admitted to plagiarizing Clowes' graphic novel, David Boring, and took the step to share storyboards for a future project that also was lifting more of Clowes' work.  In his attempt to apologize about the situation, he also plagiarized his apologies and the world has pretty much made the point directly to LaBeouf to get his shit together. His response seems to be to just leave the public eye which he has kind of done before, so I take this with a grain of salt. I'm sure he is just trying to focus the attention on himself as he always does. I say that after remembering the stink he made about vowing to never work with a major studio again after his bad experiences on the Transformers films. The only person to come to his defense is his Even Stevens co-star, Christy Carlson Romano. She stated, ""He’s always just honored his artistic instincts, even when he was 12 years old to about 15 or 16 as we worked together. This is not just some breakdown, like some other child actors. This isn't some emotional neediness. This is something that he's actively doing."

I'm not sorry to say I won't miss you, Shia. I haven't liked you since Disturbia.



[Rumor] Jesse Plemons sought for Episode VII

It's getting closer and closer to filming for Star Wars: Episode VII and with that we are bound to get some more casting and plot rumors. The latest is that Jesse Plemons, most recently known as Todd in Breaking Bad, is being eyed for a male lead as the offspring of Luke Skywalker.

I want to make it clear that he has not been cast yet. The reports are that he has been called back for another audition and/or screen test with J.J. Abrams. This does not mean he will be cast and it doesn't mean he won't be. This is all pretty much blowing smoke at this point, but I figured it was worth mentioning for the sheer fact that he would be a pretty believable as a Skywalker. Depending on the picture Plemons does resemble Mark Hamill a bit. However, I think if this role is supposed to be a teenage role and will potentially last three movies that he is a bit old. He will be 26 this year and I'm not trying to say he looks old for his age, but he definitely doesn't have a baby face. It won't be believable that he is a young teenager.

I bet we will get more info on Episode VII in the next couple of months regardless. They can't keep people waiting forever.


What do you think about Jesse Plemons potentially being cast in Star Wars? Is he a good fit or a bad fit? 


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - Review

After the mysterious and sudden death of his neighbor, Jesse begins experiencing odd paranormal disturbances. While investigating the bigger picture he discovers he has been specially marked for possession in Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.


Let this be a disclaimer that this review will contain spoilers. If you haven't seen this movie and want to, I suggest you come back after you have seen it. You don't want the ending spoiled for you. Trust me.






Last chance.










I will be the first to say that I absolutely despise the Paranormal Activity movies. I think they are boring, full of cheap scares, and a bit over stretched. With that said, I was not excited to see The Marked Ones especially after I learned it was a spin-off. I saw the trailer and while I gave it credit for actually looking more eventful I still didn't put much stock in it. After seeing it I have to admit, despite how embarrassing this is for me, this was a pretty damn good horror movie and by far is the best of the Paranormal Activity franchise so far.
Why do I say this? Well, first off there is no footage of people sleeping. None. That made me extremely happy. Second, it was consistently eventful throughout the entire movie. There was none of this boring as hell for an hour and then eventful for the last 10-15min. I also thought the acting wasn't all that bad either. The kids were believable and they weren't as annoying as the previous teenagers we have had, especially in Paranormal Activity 4.
As far as the plot goes I thought this one probably had one of the most interesting storylines. The basics of it are Jesse's neighbor was a witch and tried possessing his classmate, Oscar, and then the demon marked and possessed Jesse. I think the setting was a nice change of pace because it dealt with completely different people in a different area of California.

The movie, obviously, was full of gimmicks but there was the good and the bad.

The best gimmicks:

The haunted Simon Says toy
The rehash of the bite mark as the symbol for "the marked ones"
The time travel reveal

The bad gimmicks:

Falling backwards and not hitting the ground
Super strength in beating up gangsters


A lot of the gimmicks and elements were easter eggs, to a point, referencing the previous movies. These are not limited to the Spanish newspapers in Katie's house (PA4), the reuse of the bite mark (PA), the word "meus" written on the wall (PA2), The box of stolen VHS tapes (PA2), grandma Lori's house being the witch coven (PA3), and young Kristi and Katie appearing in the neighbor's basement.

Now this all led up to something... I do have to say the ending was not only the best part of the movie, but it was definitely the best of the entire franchise.I recognized the grandma's house almost immediately because despite not liking the movie as a whole, I will say that my favorite part of Paranormal Activity 3 was when Dennis ran down the hallway and opened the door with the room full of witches just standing there. Hector, Marisol, and the gangsters raid the coven and these crazy, yelling witches come out of nowhere and get blown away shotgun style. They enter the house and encounter a demonic Jesse and more witches that seem to appear out of nowhere. Marisol and the gangsters bite the dust leaving poor Hector the cameraman running from Jesse.
Remember me saying one of the best gimmicks was time travel? Here is where this comes into play. It is explained to a point that the witches can travel from point to point in reference to demonic possession. Yes, this means they can travel through time to the event of a full possession. Hector is running from Jesse and he opens a door in grandma's house and finds himself in a familiar spot. I immediately recognized it as Katie and Micah's house from the very first Paranormal Activity. You see Katie walking down the stairs as she did at the end of PA, she grabs a knife, and when she turns around she looks at Hector and starts screaming for Micah, as in the first movie. This is what we didn't see in the movie because the camera stays stationary in the master bedroom. Micah sees Hector, pushes him, and then Katie starts stabbing him. Hector gets scared and when he turns around you are surprised by a full demonic Jesse popping up and killing Hector. There is speculation that the person who turns off the light on the camera downstairs is Alex from Paranormal Activity 4, but I think it looked like Katie.

Here is my theory about this ending... This all literally happened at the same time from the very beginning. We just didn't know it at the time. I think Katie could have had a brief relief from the trance to scream for Micah and lure him downstairs because she saw Hector in the kitchen. We didn't know it because as mentioned before, Micah's camera was stationary in the bedroom.

Director Christopher Landon has done a nice job wrapping this all together to this point. I'm not saying I am suddenly a big fan of Paranormal Activity franchise, but this was a nice surprise. No shit, I screamed when Jesse popped up at the end looking like the devil. It caught me 100% off guard. I think this was a good set up for Paranormal Activity 5 and it finally made a connection between the previous four movies that is more than Katie randomly popping up everywhere. It's nice to know this spreads beyond this singular family and this witch coven is worldwide. Bloody good show.

















Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Zoe Saldana cast in Rosemary's Baby mini-series

Zoe Saldana has been cast in the title role as Rosemary in the upcoming television adaptation of the 1967 classic, Rosemary's Baby. The project was greenlit by NBC in December and will air in four parts. Saldana is just coming out of filming Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. You have probably seen her before in Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Avatar, and Columbiana.

Rosemary's Baby tells the story of a young woman and her husband who move to a "haunted" apartment in Paris. After becoming pregnant, Rosemary becomes suspicious of her neighbor's intentions with her child's future.




Shia LaBeouf receives cease and desist letter

In addition to LaBeouf plagiarizing Daniel Clowes' graphic novel for his 2012 short film, LaBeouf has been doing much more in the past week or so. Not only was his original apology to Clowes was also plagiarized, but he has now gone to a sky-writing team and Twitter to push the matter a bit farther. LaBeouf tweeted a photo of a sky-written phrase, "I'm sorry Daniel Clowes," and managed to define what a cloud is in case we forgot.
Now he has taken to Twitter again and tweeted excerpts from a cease and desist letter Clowes' lawyer, Michael Kemp, sent to LaBeouf's attorney. The excerpts include, "your client is out of control. We have been waiting since December 27th to hear how Mr. LaBeouf intends to make it right, but all that has happened is further wrongful acts." Kemp also included the sky-writing incident was "foolishness." Kemp also proclaims that LaBeouf's actions on Twitter further violate the rights of Daniel Clowes. LaBeouf has since deleted the tweets on the manner.


I hope these people just sue Shia LaBeouf. He is proving what a moron he is. Someone needs to just sit his ass down.

2014 BAFTA nominations

One week before the big Oscar announcements, we have the nominations for the 2014 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Gravity is a surprise leader with 11 total nominations while 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle each earned 10. One movie missing that has been popular in other award lists so far is Dallas Buyers Club, so that is a bit of a surprise. The BAFTA's are set to air on February 16, 2014.

Best Film:

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena

Outstanding British Film:

Gravity
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Philomena
Rush
Saving Mr. Banks
The Selfish Giant

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer:

Colin Carberry & Glenn Patterson - Good Vibrations
Kelly Marcel - Saving Mr. Banks
Kieran Evans - Kelly + Victor
Paul Wright & Polly Stokes - For Those in Peril
Scott Graham - Shell

Best Foreign Film:

The Act of Killing
Blue is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
Metro Manila
Wadjda

Best Documentary:

The Act of Killing
The Armstrong Lie
Blackfish
Tim's Vermeer
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks

Best Animated Film:

Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University

Best Director:

Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street

Original Screenplay:

American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

Adapted Screenplay:

12 Years a Slave
Behind the Candleabra
Captain Phillips
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor:

Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Christian Bale - American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips

Best Actress:

Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Judi Dench - Philomena
Sandra Bullock - Gravity

 Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Matt Damon - Behind the Candelabra
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave

Best Supporting Actress:

Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Oprah Winfrey - Lee Daniels' The Butler
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine

Best Original Score:

12 Years a Slave
The Book Thief
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks

For the rest of the nominees, head on over here to look.



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Matt Reeves to direct third Planet of the Apes

Fox must have some crazy confidence in Matt Reeves as they have signed him to return and direct a third Planet of the Apes film. This comes before the second, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, has even been released. Reeves stepped in to direct the sequel after Rupert Wyatt departed the planned trilogy after Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The upcoming follow up takes place 15-years after the events of the first film. In addition to the news of Reeves returning, it is also possible that he might co-write the screenplay with Mark Bomback.


Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set for release on July 11, 2014.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

You're Next - Review

After the Davison family reunion is cut short after masked killers attack their house, one reunion guest utilizes her extraordinary skills and talent to defend herself in You're Next.


A bit of a silly plot summary, eh? Well, I thought so too. I skipped You're Next in theaters for the sheer fact that I thought it looked too much like The Strangers. To be quite honest, when I saw the first trailer I thought it was a surprise sequel but soon realized it was another movie with a similar premise. The only reason I watched this one now is the fact that I kept seeing it pop up on a lot of "best of 2013" lists. Was I happy that I skipped it in theaters? Sure. I'm not regretting giving this one a chance, though.
With that said, I did enjoy You're Next for what it's worth. There were some good kills in it and it wasn't overly corny. I thought the acting suffered and the characters needed a lot more development, but it was a fun horror flick. The effects weren't horrible and it did have a sort of underground feel to it.

When I say the acting suffered and the characters needed more development I mean it. The best actor in the entire film was Sharni Vinson and oddly enough, she was the main character. I get the fact that a lot of the people in this movie were also in V/H/S and I can understand why they were included here, but that doesn't mean they are all that great. As far as character development goes, there was literally none. You don't know why this family seemed to have a lot of tension between them and why certain siblings seemed to be more irritable than others. It was just a mess. Again, Sharni Vinson was the only character that really had any development and I think that was because they had to. You can't have a mid-20's girl suddenly kick into survival, killer mode with no explanation. Her being raised in a survivalist compound wasn't the most realistic but it worked.
The main thing I did appreciate from this movie was the fact that the masked people didn't remain unknown the whole time. We see their faces, we know their motive, and it wasn't just random people who decide to crash a party and kill people. It was a nice change.

Overall I wouldn't say this was the best movie but it was appreciated. I wouldn't put it on my "best of 2013" list but it definitely wasn't on the worst.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Paul Walker to "retire" from Fast & Furious

It seems that Universal has made up their minds on the fate of Paul Walker regarding the Fast and Furious franchise.

Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, will be retired from the series. He had already filmed scenes for the seventh installment and it seems that instead of "killing off" the character, he will be retired in a way that they hope will please the fans. Screenwriter Chris Morgan stated that Walker's character will still be an important part of the film and will not be omitted in any way. Here's to hoping Morgan and director James Wan have come up with something respectful and fitting to the story.

Fast & Furious 7 recently received a new release date of April 10, 2015. 


Star Wars moving from Dark Horse to Marvel

Marvel announced today that they will begin printing Star Wars comics and graphic novels beginning in 2015. This was anticipated as many guessed Disney would try and integrate all of their assets together into major divisions. Their acquisition of both Lucasfilm and Marvel was pretty much a given that this would happen. Dark Horse, the second largest to DC and Marvel, is losing a property they have held since 1991. Marvel previously printed Star Wars comics from 1977 to 1986, but they left the franchise to focus on superheroes.

And yes, this will allow for Star Wars and Marvel crossover comics. Prepare yourselves for the inevitable Jedi and Avengers collaborations.


Batman vs. Superman budget set; more details revealed

Production is moving smoothly for Zack Snyder's sequel to Man of Steel. We have new behind the scenes details on the film including budget, filming location, and when filming is set to wrap up.

Michelle Grinnell, public relations for the Michigan Film Office, has stated that this film with have the state's biggest production since Oz The Great and Powerful. The budget has been set at $131 million and that's only for the Michigan location. That doesn't include other locations or post-production, so I am betting in the end the budget will surpass $131 million.
In addition to the budget, we learned that filming will take all seven sound studios at Michigan Motion Picture Studios and will utilize other locations in the state. The other location we know of right now is Yorkville, IL where production is building the Kent Farm. Filming is set to wrap in August.


Sources: #1 #2

Veronica Mars - First Trailer





Veronica Mars was resurrected via Kickstarter last year and the task at hand is to not only make it satisfying for those who funded it on Kickstarter, but to make it appealing to an audience that didn't. Not everyone watched the television show so this could be a tough sell to those who have no idea who Veronica Mars even is. If you are unaware, the movie revisits Veronica who is a former teen detective. In the show, Veronica went from high school through college as a teen detective under the direction of her detective father. The first couple of seasons followed less mysteries that lasted over a long arc, but as the show progressed to the third and final season, Veronica was solving new mysteries every episode. Veronica Mars lasted from 2004-2007.

I think the tricky part at hand here is what I already mentioned; there are tons of moviegoers out there who have no clue who Veronica Mars is. The show isn't available for streaming anywhere, so it's not like people will be able to catch up before the movie comes out. From what I can see in the trailer, it seems that the movie is in the same style as the show. That's nice for those of us who watched the show but it can be perceived as cheesy by the average viewer going in unaware of the previous story at all. I feel like this movie should have happened years ago or not at all. Sorry my fellow Veronica Mars fans, but I am not totally convinced.



Veronica Mars is set for release on March 14th. Returning cast members include Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, and Enrico Colantoni.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Producers Guild Awards nominations revealed

Usually, the Producers Guild Awards (aka, the PGA's) give us more hints of which direction the Oscars are going to go. If this year is typical, expect some surprises and dark horse candidates.  This is mostly television, but the films do give some hint to how the Oscar voters might vote.

The nominees are:

Best Theatrical Picture

American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Outstanding Producer of an Animated Theatrical Picture

The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Epic
Frozen
Monsters University

David L. Woper Awart for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television

American Horror Story: Asylum
Behind the Candelabra
Killing Kennedy
Phil Spector
Top of the Lake

Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures

A Place at the Table
Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
Life According to Sam
We Steal the Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
Which Way is the Front of the Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington

Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Drama

Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards

Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Comedy

30 Rock
Arrested Development
Big Bang Theory
Modern Family
Veep

Outstanding Non-Fiction Television

30 for 30
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Duck Dynasty
Inside the Actors Studio
Shark Tank

Outstanding Live Entertainment & Talk Television

The Colbert Report
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Competition Television

The Amazing Race
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Sports Program

24/7
Hard Knocks
Monday Night Football
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
SportsCenter

Outstanding Children's Program

Dora the Explorer
iCarly
Phineas and Ferb
Sesame Street
Spongebob Squarepants

Outstanding Digital Series

Burning Love
Epic Rap Battles of History
Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Video Game High School
Wired: What's Inside


If you want to see the list of producers by name, check it out here.



The Walking Dead sets return date

We will get the final half of season four of AMC's The Walking Dead on February 9th. That's the good news.

The better news is we have a new poster:


We just wrapped up the New Years marathon where AMC aired all 3.5 seasons in two days, but in case you missed it they will be running another marathon starting on February 2nd. The mid-season finale left us in a pretty fragile state so I'm excited to see what happens next.