The past seven days

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Most Anticipated Films of 2015

We've examined the best and worst of 2014 so now it's time to look forward and talk about what we are most looking forward to in 2015. Shouldn't need clarification but if it does, this is an opinion list so if you are anticipating something that isn't on here feel free to comment and talk about it! Are you not excited about what is on this list? Leave a comment and talk about it.

These are listed in the order of release, as it currently stands, and does not include rumored 2015 releases. If it doesn't have an official date it won't be included. Let's get started!


Selma (January 9th)

Seriously, who doesn't love a movie about Martin Luther King, Jr.? Aside from that it does look really good. I don't know if I will see in theaters, but I do plan on seeing it at some point next year.


Still Alice (January 16th)

Again, I am not sure if I will see this in theaters but it does look good. It's also gaining a lot of awards buzz already.


Fifty Shades of Grey (February 13th)

I am not putting this on the list because I think it will be good, but I am curious to see it. That and part of me is curious to see how it will do at the box office. If it's a smash I'm sure we will be Fifty Shades Darker and/or Fifty Shades Freed in the next couple of years.


Fast and Furious 7 (April 3rd)

Who doesn't want to see this? Come on.


Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1st)

No explanation is needed.


Mad Max: Fury Road (May 15th)

This one looks more than enjoyable.


Tomorrowland (May 22nd)

I think the concept alone is worth giving this one a try. The teaser looked cool, too.


Insidious: Chapter 3 (June 5th)

I'm more than curious to see where they are going to go with this one. I also am rooting for Leigh Whannell.


Jurassic World (June 12th)

Terrible trailer aside, seeing this one is a given.


Inside Out (June 19th)

Been a long time, Pixar. 


Ant-Man (July 17th)

I'm not happy with this project at all because I don't see the relevance to the rest of the MCU at this point and the whole thing with Edgar Wright was bullshit, but I'm curious. Here's to hoping it will at least serve as relevant to Captain America: Civil War or to the Infinity War films. That's the only hope they have because I don't see Ant-Man turning into a standout character in the MCU.


Goosebumps (August 7th)

My childhood is calling me. I'll see this one, for sure.


Sinister 2 (August 21st)

If it's as good as Sinister was I will be satisfied.


Peanuts (November 6th)

Who doesn't want to see Charlie Brown again? Good grief.


Spectre (November 6th)

My body is ready for more 007. That's all there is to it.


The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (November 20th)

They left off at a good spot, so I think they could do great things with this last installment. I just hope they include the epilogue and don't destroy the last half of the book.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens (December 18th)

Duh.



Out of all the releases we are getting next year I did manage to narrow the list down to less than 20 movies. I'm not guaranteeing that I will see all of these in theaters because I didn't make it to the theater a lot this year, but I do plan on seeing all of these at some point. I'm sure I will see more but these are on the top of my list.

Happy New Year, everyone. Bring on 2015!


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Best Films of 2014

It's that time again, boys and girls. I will start by admitting I didn't see as many movies this year as I usually do and not nearly as many as I would have liked to, but I did see enough to make a "best" and "worst" list. I always start with the worst, which you can see here, so now I will get to the best ones. Didn't think these were great? Enlighten me on why.

Also note these are not in any particular order from best to worst or anything like that. If they are in any sort of order it's just in the order of when I watched them. I also will mention that some of these films were technically made in and/or received limited releases in 2013, but if they got a wide release in 2014 I'm counting them.


Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Before you judge me on this one, let me explain. As a franchise bit this was by far the best one of the Paranormal Activity franchise. It was suspenseful and did what the previous four movies failed to do... IT KEPT MY ATTENTION. This movie had a lot more going on than just nighttime speed shots of people sleeping for an hour. It was actually fun to watch which is why it is on this list.



Devil's Due

As far as horror went this year, Devil's Due was one of the better ones. It kept my attention and was just fun to watch. Was it the best? No, but it wasn't the worst. It was better than what's on the worst of 2014 list.



The LEGO Movie

I can't say enough things about this one. It was funny, the animation was gorgeous, and it was just... I can't even put it into words. I loved it.



Bad Words

Hilarious. Just plain hilarious. 



Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This skyrocketed to my favorite Marvel film immediately after I walked out of the theater. The suspense was amazing and seeing how Hydra was still in the picture even after all this time was fascinating. It took a comic character and gave us a great political thriller in the middle of a bunch of superhero movies with humor elements and cartoony characters. Fantastic.



Godzilla

For what it was it was great. The effects were on point and the story itself was a nice refresher to have. It could have been bad but it wasn't.



X-Men: Days of Future Past

Was it as good as X-Men: First Class? No, but it was still pretty good even with a few disappointments.



Deliver Us from Evil

It was more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie and I appreciated that.



Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Despite the long title it was still good. By far some of the best visual effects of the year. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one but I still liked it.



Guardians of the Galaxy

Easily by top movie of 2014. It was funny, interesting, touching, and it really showcased its strengths. James Gunn is a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as is the group of criminal heroes. I can't even begin to describe why I loved this movie.



The Boxtrolls

Great animation and a fun story.



Interstellar

Long as hell but Christopher Nolan did it again. Loved it.



The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Not as good as it could have been and I still don't think it should have been split into two movies, but they picked a good stopping point and what they did do they did well. I'm looking forward to wrapping it up next year.



Camp X-Ray

This movie got a lot of crap and I don't really know why. I thought it was enjoyable for the kind of movie it was and it further proved that Kristen Stewart needs to get back to doing small films like this. It's really where she shines.



The Sacrament

Holy shit. That's really all I can say.



The Babadook

GREAT. The way this movie played with my mind was amazing. It was more psychological than visual gore and I really appreciate movies like this. The foreign horror market is really kicking America's ass right now.



Gone Girl

Wow! I'm really bummed I didn't get the chance to see this one in theaters.



I might still add to this list because I still have a couple movies I am trying to cram in before the year is up, so keep an eye out. Hope you enjoyed!

Worst Films of 2014

It's that time again, boys and girls. I will start by admitting I didn't see as many movies this year as I usually do and not nearly as many as I would have liked to, but I did see enough to make a "best" and "worst" list. As always I will start with the worst. There are always people who disagree with me and think I'm nuts, but that is the fun of doing these lists. It's interesting to see how people justify thinking these movies were great.

Also note these are not in any particular order from best to worst or anything like that. If they are in any sort of order it's just in the order of when I watched them. I also will mention that some of these films were technically made in and/or received limited releases in 2013, but if they got a wide release in 2014 I'm counting them.


Maleficent

Despite beautiful cinematography and visual effects, Disney basically murdered the best classic villain they have. The origin did not work, there was a serious lack of dragons, and the story just didn't work. Sorry.



Transformers: Age of Extinction

Ugh, don't even get me started. Just another special effects poop from Michael Bay.



Transcendence

Lacking story, bad acting, plot holes, and an overall lack of reality. Sorry, Johnny Depp. You were kind of on my shit list this year.



Lucy

This movie wasn't horrible, but it moved way too fast and similar to Transcendence, it just had a lack of reality. It was very hard to believe this woman had all of these abilities in the short amount of time shown. I usually don't say this, but the movie needed to be longer by a good 30-45min.



If I Stay

Horrible. Just horrible. The concept is great and the book wasn't bad, but the acting slayed this one. I'm a fan of Chloe Moretz, but she is getting worse as she ages and it's not working for her. The lack of chemistry between her and her male counterpart was almost painful to watch and the charm it should have had was not there. Big disappointment.



Nymphomaniac: Volume 1

No comment. It was just horrible.



Nymphomaniac: Volume 2

Ditto.



The Quiet Ones

Lack of originality, predictable twist, and flat acting. Another one that could have been good but it just wasn't.



The Fault in Our Stars

I didn't quite understand why everyone loved this movie so much. Yes, it's a sympathetic tale of two young kids with cancer who fall in love, but that's really all it is. When it was over I didn't feel like my life had changed or that I had learned some major lesson. It was just sad and not really that impressive. I felt that Shailene Woodley was just doing what she does best and playing an angsty teenager. If she does manage to get an Oscar nod for this movie I will be in shock.



Neighbors

I did laugh but it tried way too hard to be funny. That and there was just a bit too much dick. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate penis but not at this level... and not when Seth Rogen is near the thought.



Oculus

It was a good premise, but it didn't really hold enough to be a full film. Karen Gillan is awesome but her character was a bit too crazy and it made you wonder how she didn't wind up in a mental ward long before her brother got out of one. It tried too hard to be creepy and to mindfuck you and that was its downfall.



The Purge: Anarchy

I don't know what I expected seeing that The Purge was a huge crock of shit, but Anarchy wasn't much better. It was an improvement and I did appreciate them actually showing the night but it still was just meh. Better than the first one but not something I would watch again.




I might still add to this list because I still have a couple movies I am trying to cram in before the year is up, so keep an eye out. Hope you enjoyed!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Sony will not release The Interview at all

Just kidding on that whole VOD/DVD release. Sony Pictures responded to criticism about cancelling the theatrical release of The Interview by canceling its release altogether. The studio released a statement that they have no plans to release the James Franco comedy at all after US officials reportedly linked the Sony hack and theater threats to North Korea. As of yesterday the studio said they were looking into releasing the film on VOD and on home media, but those plans have apparently changed.

This decision could mean the rights to the film could go to another studio, but after all of this controversy I don't know what studio would want to pick this film up. On the other hand, if another studio did pick it up they could make a lot of money because there are a lot of people who have now said they'd watch the film just out of spite, even if they didn't want to see it to begin with. As it currently stands, this will result in a loss of millions of dollars to Sony Pictures as the film alone had a budget of $42 million. That isn't even counting the money spent on marketing and actor salaries. The Sony leaks told us that Seth Rogen received $8.4 million while Franco received $6.5 million.

Like I said in my previous posts about this, I didn't want to see The Interview to begin with and I wouldn't even watch it out of spite like many are saying they would. I thought the premise was stupid and I was surprised when I first heard about it that a studio actually funded the idea. I'm not saying I'm a supporter of North Korea or of Kim Jong-Un, but a little common sense would tell you it wasn't a very good idea in the first place. I'm sure at some point this film will see the light of day, but it isn't looking too promising right now.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Viola Davis joins Suicide Squad

Warner Bros. and DC have officially cast Oscar-nominee Viola Davis in the upcoming adaptation of Suicide Squad. Davis will portray Amanda Waller, the government official in place to oversee the group's operations. She is essentially the Nick Fury of the Suicide Squad.

Davis was among the shortlist of sought after actresses for the role which also included Octavia Spencer and Oprah Winfrey. There are still some kinks to work out with her schedule as she is currently on the television series, How to Get Away with Murder, but I am sure they can work it out. There are also rumors that Davis might get a Summer job filming some small easter eggs for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Viola Davis gained a lot of popularity after the 2011 film, The Help, which earned her nominations for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA. She's also been seen in Ender's Game, Get on Up, Prisoners, and Eat Pray Love




Sony pulls theatrical release of The Interview

After several theater chains such as AMC, Cinemark, and Regal Cinemas decided to not show the upcoming Sony release, The Interview, the studio has decided to pull the film from its theatrical release altogether. This is a result of the recent "Sony hacks" by internet hackers as they issued 9/11-type threats against theaters still choosing to show the film next week. The studio is already exploring options to release the film such as an on-demand style VOD release or straight to DVD.

Sony's response was:
"Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome."

Many theater chains who ultimately decided to drop the film prior to Sony's announcement have now come out and said the cancellation is due to Sony's lack of confidence in the film. Regal Cinemas made a statement saying they feel the cancellation is due to negative press over the film and that the studio had lacked confidence since news first broke of the film. Others feel that it would have destroyed the usual high box office numbers over Christmas and would have forced families to not see films such as Annie and Night at the Museum 3. Rest assured, those are still your holiday releases for this year and you won't have Seth Rogen or James Franco present to ruin it.

I don't think this is a bad move by the studio. People online are bitching about freedom and how the studio has given into the hacker demands, but the way I see it is this whole situation had no victorious outcome. You either screen the movie and potentially risk thousands of American lives or you pull the movie, lose some money, and give the hackers what they want. I don't see it as a freedom issue. I see it as playing things a bit safe and trying to avoid something terrible. Whether the threats had validity or not, I can guarantee that no one wanted anything going down at any theater in America. The last thing we need is more Century 16 shootings or bombings. Come on, people. Just wait until Sony releases it on VOD or DVD and shut up about it.

In my opinion, The Interview was a stupid premise to begin with and if I remember correctly it had already received a delay due to the subject matter. It was a gamble by Sony to even make this movie and they obviously lost the bet.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Sony hackers threaten attacks on theaters screening The Interview

The Sony hackers have just upped the stakes on their recent releases against Sony Pictures Entertainment. In a new group of files today, the internet hackers issued threats against every theater screening the upcoming James Franco comedy, The Interview. Yeah, the movie where Franco and Seth Rogen are recruited by the CIA to kill the leader of North Korea. The group claims 9/11 style attacks will hit at different times and different places for all theaters screening the film under the belief that the film will cause a war with North Korea.

The message is as follows:
"Warning
We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made.
The world will be full of fear.
Remember the 11th of September 2001.
We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.
(If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)
Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
All the world will denounce the SONY.
More to come…"


Personally, I am happy that I wasn't planning on seeing The Interview to begin with but at the same time this all seems to be overkill.  These hackers have released a great deal of things including the script for the upcoming James Bond film, private studio emails, and full unreleased movies so I think they might just be enjoying the spotlight and figured that terrorism was popular enough at the moment.
Another thought I had, which I don't know how this would help matters, was that Sony is doing this themselves to boost popularity of the studio. Sony releases haven't done so well lately so they definitely needed the hype. I don't know if this is a good way to go about it, but there haven't really been any top agencies going after these hackers. With threats like these coming out I am a bit confused why the FBI hasn't launched a probe on these hackers, but that might just be me.

So yeah, you might want to wait until The Interview comes out on DVD if any of this has credibility.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Bond 24 officially titled Spectre

We now have an official title for the upcoming "Bond 24" film that is set for November 2015. Bond 24 has received the official title, Spectre. Along with the announcement there was also the first teaser poster that came with a small hint of its own.



The title is short for SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion and it is notoriously led by Ernest Blofeld.  
Spectre will have Daniel Craig returning as 007 and recently announced that Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz had joined the cast, too. It was previously thought that Waltz would be playing Blofeld, but the press conference suggested differently.

In addition to the teaser poster we got a glimpse at the new Bond car, an Aston Martin DB10.


Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Full Suicide Squad cast revealed

It seems that there was a lot of truth behind the rumors behind Suicide Squad as we now have the main cast out in the open. In addition to a prior announcement of Margot Robbie playing Harley Quinn, the rest of the cast includes:

Jared Leto as The Joker
Will Smith as Deadshot
Tom Hardy as Rick Flag
Jai Courtney as Boomerang
Cara Delevinge as Enchantress


This will mark Jared Leto's return to the screen after his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club He will also have a lot of eyes on him because he is the first actor to tackle The Joker since Heath Ledger's performance in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight back in 2008. Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his performance as the DC villain.
Will Smith was previously rumored for Boomerang but that role has gone to Jai Courtney. DC Universe veteran Tom Hardy will be filling the shoes of the Suicide Squad's military leader, Rick Flag. Hardy previously played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

The film isn't completely cast because Warner Bros. is still looking for an actress to play Amanda Waller. The role was previously played by Angela Basset in 2011's Green Lantern but the studio is evidently wanting to further distance themselves from that trainwreck. Actresses on the shortlist, according to sources, are Octavia Spencer, Oprah Winfrey, and Viola Davis. Out of those choices I think I would go with Viola Davis, but there is no telling what direction they will go.
There is also no mention on whether any characters from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will have cameos or not, but the main one to expect would be Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. If anything he might have a small cameo or at least some mention.