Why I haven't been blogging as much

If you're a regular reader of this blog you might have noticed that I haven't been posting as much news recently. I have been aware of it, obviously, and I figured I would tell you guys why that is.

The basic explanation is I don't have as much time. I have a job and I went back to school for the semester earlier in August. My days consist of waking up at 6am, going to school, coming home around for like an hour or so, and then turning around and going to work. By the time I get home I am just beat and when I do go online and read news stories and movie sites, I just don't feel like spending the extra time to write something up to share. I have been keeping up and I read my sites just about every day like I always did, but posting on here has been difficult. A good 13-14 hours of my day is eaten up away from my computer so it just is what it is.
In addition to this subject is I don't have the time to go see as many movies anymore. As it currently stands I have only seen 11 movies in theaters this year. By this time last year I had seen 20+ and the year before I was practically at the movie theater every weekend to see something. I had a lot more time and more to talk about and review. At this point a majority of news stories I could keep talking about I don't want to keep focusing on and that leads into this next reason.

I have hopped on board with a group of moviegoers who are sick and tired of spoilers. I watch the YouTube show, Pretty Much It, and they were the first ones I noticed that really started practicing this and I have seen how it changed their views on film. It seems that the studios are fine with releasing 3-5 trailers for each movie along with set photos, promo spots, and viral campaigns to get people excited. However, all it does is ruin the allure of the movie. I used to be one of those people to read and watch just about everything about an upcoming release that I was excited about, but when I saw the movie I would either be disappointed that all the good stuff was something I already saw in the trailers or that the good stuff I saw in the trailers wasn't even in the movie.

Recent examples of things I have limited myself on or stayed away from:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy: I absolutely loved this movie, but I don't think I would have loved it as much if I would have read and/or watched as much as I did on previous Marvel releases. I watched the first two trailers and then decided to stop. I didn't watch interviews, I didn't look at promo photos past the first set that was released, etc.. I went in pretty fresh and I wound up enjoying that movie probably more than any previous Marvel release.
2. Jurassic World: I was cool seeing the posters and the JW cars at SDCC and all that, but when I saw that people were leaking the Jurassic World maps and stuff like that I decided to step away. I'll watch a trailer but after that I'm done until the movie is released.
3. Star Wars - Episode VII: I am curious about this new Star Wars film, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to spoil it for myself. I looked at the first set of photos that were leaked by TMZ but I am not going to look at any more until we get any official stuff. I will watch the trailer when it comes out and I will look at a set of promo photos but I'm stopping after that.
4. Gone Girl: The trailer looked great so I am stopping before I have the entire movie ruined for me by promotions and viral marketing. 
5. Interstellar: Again, the trailers look great and I don't think Christopher Nolan will disappoint with this one. Why keep watching for stuff that will ruin the movie?
6. Mockingjay - Part 1: I am excited as all hell but after fully immersing myself in the marketing for Catching Fire, I want to leave myself some surprises for Mockingjay. 

When it comes time for trailers and promos to come for other 2015 releases such as The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tomorrowland, Insidious: Chapter 3, and Ant-Man I will be very limited. My first real test with this whole way of viewing movies was Guardians of the Galaxy and I had such a good time that I'm irritated with myself about how I was watching movies before. Movies are supposed to be fun. They aren't supposed to be nitpicked and spoiled before you even walk into the theater. I don't think I even need to go into what happened with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. 
The same applies for television shows at this point. I haven't watched or looked at anything for the fifth season of The Walking Dead other than the initial trailer shown at SDCC. I watched everything leading up to season four and I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I've been scrolling right past TWD posts on websites and on Facebook because I don't want the spoilers. I'm limiting myself on American Horror Story promos, too. I am watching the teasers but I don't think I'm going to watch the first full trailer or look at any other promotional stuff.


Now what does this mean for this blog? Well, there obviously won't be as many posts. I apologize for that if you're a regular reader and I appreciate you taking the time to read, but it's just gotten ridiculous lately. I will still post on here but I am being even more selective with what I post.

First poster for American Horror Story: Freak Show

#WirSindAlleFreaks

Lionsgate to re-release Saw

This Halloween viewers will have a chance to experience Saw in theaters all over again, or for the first time, as Lionsgate is re-releasing the 2004 horror hit. Saw will be shown at select theaters for midnight screenings on October 30th with a full release on October 31st.

Saw was released on October 29, 2004 and it went on to gross a total of $55.2 million and spawned a franchise with seven films which grossed $874 million worldwide. The top earning Saw film was Saw II in 2005 which brought in $87 million at the box office. The Saw franchise was a key moment in Lionsgate's history as it was the studio's first major franchise and paved the road for their global growth.
James Wan directed the first Saw film and co-wrote it with Leigh Whannell. The film starred Whannell, Cary Elwes, Shawnee Smith, Michael Emerson, and Danny Glover. Although Wan only directed one film, he stayed on as a producer for the following six films as did Whannell.

Charlie Hunnam in talks for King Arthur

Charlie Hunnam has reportedly snatched the role of King Arthur in Guy Ritchie's upcoming version of the medieval tale. In addition to Hunnam's apparent casting, word has it that Elizabeth Olsen is the frontrunner for the female lead and Idris Elba has already been cast as a Merlin-like mentor for Arthur.

Ritchie originally developed King Arthur back in 2010 but the project was abandoned after a rival film gained more attention. It was also originally adapted as a series of six films but it doesn't seem like that is still possible.

Underworld reboot in the works at Lakeshore Entertainment

I just...

Lakeshore Entertainment is in the process of a reboot of the 2003 vampire/werewolf story, Underworld. The movie spawned a franchise with a total of four movies with the last release just being in 2012. Back in March there were reports that Screen Gems had commissioned a script titled Underworld: Next Generation, but nothing has really come of it yet. Kate Beckinsale mentioned in interviews that it was unlikely for her to do another Underworld film, but that it was possible for them to do more films without her.
It was assumed, given the title of the script, that they were moving on from Beckinsale's character, Selene, and focus on her vampire/werewolf hybrid daughter, Eve. There is no telling if this is truly going to be a reboot of Underworld or if it will just be a new set of movies, but either way there is more Underworld on the way.

True Blood Series Finale, "Thank You" - Review

Through seven seasons we have seen how the residents of Bon Temps lives have changed in HBO's, True Blood. After tonight's series finale we have answers to the fates of certain characters, resolutions to certain plots, and it was intended for us to feel a sense of closure. All I have to say after watching the finale is the closure we were supposed to have might as well be a unicorn because it did not exist.

I was left with more questions, comments, and disappointments at the end of this series than I was during any of the previous season finales. A few include:

1. Why the hell could Sookie read Bill's mind during the wedding? 
2. I love how Jessica and Hoyt reconciled in the end, but holy shit the marriage was stupid. It did nothing but emphasize how selfish Bill Compton actually was. He knew he could guilt trip Jessica into just about anything at that point so he made her feel bad about him never being able to see his daughter get married. Not to mention the fact that a good half of the episode was wasted on the wedding.
3. Speaking of stupid, Jason marrying Bridget was even dumber. She must have gotten pregnant awful quick after she was supposed to go back to Alaska because they had three kids in less than five years and the oldest one looked like she was at least 4 or 5.
4. Why did Lafayette have absolutely no role in the finale at all? Sure, he and James are seen at Thanksgiving but that's it? Disappoint. 
5. That CGI for the explosion at Fangtasia was so terrible. Not to mention it was lame how they ousted the Japanese.
6. Did Eric have absolutely no concern for Sookie ever again now that Bill was at the point of certain death? Despite Eric's seven season long interest in Sookie we are supposed to believe that he could just drive away from her house and never bother her again? I don't buy it and it was a waste of building up to something fans were hoping and waiting the entire series to see.
7. Why isn't Sookie a vampire?
8. Seeing that Sookie isn't a vampire, what the fuck was the point of introducing Warlow?
9. Who was Sookie's husband?
10. Why did they feel the need to even include Sam in the finale? We already said goodbye to him, despite how shitty of a send-off it was. 
11. The flashback with Gran was just to give us another taste of her and of Tara before it was all over. There was no point to that.
12. I guess Andy must have gotten over Adilyn and Wade awful quick because they looked pretty comfortable at the dinner table. 
13. Speaking of Adilyn, why wasn't she at Jessica and Hoyt's wedding?
14. Sarah Newlin living was a slap in the face, too. I understand Pam and Eric wanting to make money, but come on. Eric's entire arc for this season was to kill Sarah. Her being crazy was just the icing on the cake. 

I just need to stop before that list gets any longer. The bottom line is this was one of the worst television finales I have ever seen. It makes the last episode of Lost look like a masterpiece. Just about the only things I enjoyed were Bill dying (finally) and Eric and Pam reuniting and rising to power once again.
By far the biggest slap in the face is Sookie remaining a fairy. The final poster was a big tease and the entire storyline of Warlow was as well because it put into our heads that it was possible to have a fae-vamp hybrid. Seeing Bill's "Billith" power at one point and Eric's longstanding interest in her, I was certain the finale of this show would be Sookie finally being turned into a vampire... but no. They wasted the whole possibility and lead into it for whatever reason. 

A main issue I have with all of this is they made main characters seem so pointless. They were killed off for no reason, or in a terrible way, and the way they weren't carried on was even worse. The biggest offenders include, and not just for this final season:

1. Alcide
2. Tara
3. Terry
4. Warlow
5. Queen Sophie-Anne
6. Godric

Sookie might as well have pissed on Alcide's grave. The way she moved away from him was appalling. The fact that Sookie was still driving Alcide's truck just made me mad. Just days prior to Bill's death she was mourning Alcide. All of a sudden she was back in it with Bill and in love with him and not wanting him to die. I just can't. Such a great character went right in the trash can.

This finale cemented the fact, and not feeling, that I wasted seven years on this show. I know it was never meant to be a masterpiece but the show just went overboard and got to the point where it was weird just because it could be. The plots made no sense, the character development got shot to hell, and the way they wrapped it up was plain insulting. I should have stopped watching after season four like I wanted to. Instead I stuck it out hoping that each season would be the last and it never seemed to end. They should have made season five the finale and just called it. Instead they dragged it out and gave us this bullshit.
I am still saying the best True Blood seasons are definitely the first two with the third one being in the middle. Season four showed that the show was spiraling down really quickly and seasons 5-7 were just a waste. I'm sorry to say it but I won't miss this show at all and I'm happy it's finally over.

#RIPTrueBlood #TrueToTheEnd

Second teaser for American Horror Story: Freak Show

FX is beginning their campaign for American Horror Story: Freak Show with some force and I love it. Here is the second teaser that just surfaced tonight.

Matthew McConaughey sought after for The Stand

Warner Bros. is moving forward on a theatrical adaptation of the Stephen King novel, The Stand, and they apparently have their Randall Flagg picked out. The studio is perusing Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey for the main villain of the story.

The Stand was made into a four part, television mini-series back in 1994 and starred Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Shawnee Smith, Laura San Giacomo, and Jamey Sheridan. The role of Randall Flagg was portrayed by Jamey Sheridan.
The kicker with the potential casting of McConaughey is that director Josh Boone is evidently pushing for him to be cast in the role of Stu Redman, previously played by Gary Sinise. If McConaughey is interested and it fits into his schedule it looks like he will have a pretty tough choice to make.

This film adaptation of The Stand is sure to be on a fairly grand scale. Boone has already said he is planning on the film being 3 hours long and being R-rated. He also wants to put together an "A-list" cast, so it seems like Warner Bros. also has some decisions to make. Usually studios don't blow major money for R-rated horror films, but I think The Stand would be a good one to spend money on. It's a great story and it has a lot of potential to be a great film, although I do think this would be a great one to split into two films. I'm usually not a fan of the two-part movies, but this story is so complex that it really needs it. 

If you're unfamiliar with The Stand, it follows a group of survivors after a plague wipes out 99% of the population. An Antichrist-like figure, Randall Flagg, rises to power among the survivors as he attempts to lure them to Las Vegas so he can create his own version of a perfect civilization. The survivors are faced with the choice of following Flagg's path of darkness or the path of light led by a 108-year old woman named Mother Abigail. 

Jennifer Lawrence in talks for The Hateful Eight

After a lot of issues and a previous script leak, Quentin Tarantino did decide to bring The Hateful Eight to theaters. Word has it now that Oscar-winner and Hunger Games alum, Jennifer Lawrence, is in negotiations to star in the upcoming Western.

One thing we know is only one member of the "Hateful Eight" is a female and that is the role of Daisy Domergue (aka, The Prisoner). During the live read of the script a couple months ago, the role was read by Amber Tamblyn and Zoe Bell. However, after the internet leak of the script there have been a lot of revisions so it's possible the role Lawrence is up for is someone else or a brand new character.
Other cast members that have been rumored so far include frequent Tarantino collaborators, Michael Madsen and Samuel L. Jackson, along with Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, and James Remar.

This would be an exciting casting choice, but Lawrence's involvement could very well fall through simply due to her busy schedule. She is still set to film additional shots for Mockingjay - Part 2 and is set to team back up with David O. Russell for Joy. The Hateful Eight currently holds a 2015 release as does both Mockingjay and Joy, so it very well could depend on when she's available. If they really want her it's possible the release for The Hateful Eight could change to accommodate her.

New teaser for American Horror Story: Freak Show

Freak Show is set to premiere October 8th on FX

Scoot McNairy rumored for Batman v Superman

Rumors are floating around Batman v Superman (duh) regarding who is playing The Flash. Word has it that Scott McNairy is playing the speedy hero, Barry Allen.

McNairy was spotted on the set of Batman v Superman wearing green fabric on his calves. If you know anything about digital replacement, the green fabric is used for CGI effects and other digital enhancements so naturally the rumors have hit saying the fabric is being used to give him the appeal of being fast.
BvS is being kept completely under wraps so it is impossible to really guess what McNairy was doing on set or what the green legs are for, but if he does wind up playing The Flash I don't think it would be a bad thing. I have never disliked him.

First look at Ant-Man

We got our official first look at Paul Rudd in the upcoming Marvel film, Ant-Man.

Rudd is set to play Scott Lang in the film. Lang is an ex-con who becomes the successor of the Ant-Man suit from Dr. Hank Pym, played by Michael Douglas.
Ant-Man is set for release on July 17, 2015.

New York Film Festival announces lineup

Soon after the Toronto Film Festival ends, we will have the New York Film Festival and it's time to reflect on what possible gems will be introduced to us then. The NYFF runs from September 26th through October 12th.


Opener: Gone Girl

Centerpiece Gala Selection: Inherent Vice

Closer: Birdman of the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

Main Slate:

Beloved Sisters
The Blue Room
Clouds of Sils Maria
Eden
Foxcatcher
Goodbye to Language
Heaven Knows What
Hill of Freedom
Horse Money
Jajua
Life of Riley
Listen Up Philip
Maps to the Stars
Misunderstood
Mr. Turner
Pasolini
The Princess of France
Saint Laurent
La Sapienza
'71
Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Timbuktu
Time Out of Mind
Two Days, One Night
Two Shots Fired
Whiplash
The Wonders


Ones to definitely watch for regarding this festival and in Toronto are definitely Whiplash, Gone Girl, Clouds of Sils Maria, Mr. Turner, Foxcatcher, and Maps to the Stars. Some of them screened at Sundance and received very good feedback then. Some have already predicted that Channing Tatum might get an Oscar nomination for Foxcatcher.

Warner Bros/DC confirm Aquaman film

A while back we received rumors that Jason Momoa was in negotiations to play Aquaman in the upcoming Warner Bros/DC Comic movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and a separate Aquaman film. There are now reports that Warner Bros. has commissioned not only one, but two Aquaman screenplays and that Momoa's casting is basically confirmed.

Last week we got a schedule of release dates from Warner Bros. through the year 2020 and speculation immediately began on exactly what all of those release dates might be. The plan is obviously to compete with Marvel's Cinematic Universe and create a similar one for the new DC Universe that was kicked off by Man of Steel last year.
So far we have Gal Gadot portraying Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman and it's being assumed that one of the many untitled projects is a solo Wonder Woman film. The focus now has shifted to Aquaman where Warner Bros. is "aggressively" developing the project as they have commissioned two screenplays in hopes that they could use one or combine the two for a quick development process. Script #1 is being written by Gangster Squad writer, Will Beall, while the second script was given to 300: Rise of an Empire writer, Kurt Johnstad.
As far as Jason Momoa goes, there hasn't been any official release by Warner Bros. regarding his casting, but it's pretty much a given that if he is playing Aquaman in Batman v Superman that he will also helm the solo movie and be part of Justice League. Recently a Detroit radio station was caught red-handed teasing the project and Momoa's involvement, but director Zack Snyder made a surprise call into the show and claimed that Aquaman could, "cut the flesh of Superman if they came in contact." If that's the portrayal they're going for then I guess they picked the right actor.

There are so many untitled dates on the Warner Bros/DC schedule so it's difficult to wrap your head around it all, but realistically speaking we could see Aquaman as early as 2016. There is a spot on August 5, 2016 as well as two unfilled dates in 2017 (June 23rd and November 17th). There is no real timetable on Justice League anymore, but many expect it by 2017. Realistically at this point we could have solo films for Wonder Woman and Aquaman in 2016 and early 2017 and have Justice League on November 17th.
However, Zack Snyder is currently shooting Justice League back-to-back with Batman v Superman, so they might turn tradition upside down and release Justice League in 2016 before any other solo films. There really is no telling, but I don't know why they would let a project sit on the shelf for two years after filming wraps.

Marvel moving forward with The Inhumans

After achieving a very unexpected success with Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel has announced they are moving forward with a screenplay for The Inhumans.

The last we heard about this project was back in 2012 when Marvel President Kevin Feige discussed the possibility of more unexpected heroes appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after The Avengers. There is already a screenplay that has been developed by Joe Robert Cole and Marvel is evidently ready to shop it around to filmmakers. The project is being approached similar to how Guardians of the Galaxy was in terms of having a screenplay and letting filmmakers revise and make changes.
A brief history on The Inhumans: Basically, this group of heroes are the result of alien experimentation. The Kree (sound familiar?) abandoned the experiments and their subjects, so the group moved on and formed a society on Attilan made up of their own and led by king Black Bolt and his family. They made their first appearance in a Fantastic Four comic back in 1965.

Robin Williams passes away at 63

Actor and comedian Robin Williams has died at age 63. Authorities and his wife have confirmed his death as he was found dead at home around noon on Monday, August 11th. So far the word is that he died from asphyxiation of an apparent suicide.
Williams struggled with drug and alcohol addiction early in his career. He suffered from cocaine and alcohol addiction after his success on the television series, Mork and Mindy. He kicked his habit after being present on the night that fellow comedian John Belushi overdosed and died during a drug binge in 1982. Williams relapsed in 2006 and sought treatment to kick the habit once again and in July of this year he checked himself into a rehab facility once again for treatment from alcohol. Sources close to him have revealed he had been struggling with depression as of late.

His wife, Susan Schneider, released this statement:

“This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”

My heart is just hurting right now. I don't recall a genuine tear coming to my eye with the death of a celebrity, but my eyes are misty right now. Robin Williams was my childhood. Films like Mrs. Doubtfire, Hook, Jumanji, Aladdin, and so much more just defined life and what comedy was for me. Learning those voices as a way to make my family laugh will always sit with me and without this man I wouldn't have ever done it. We have lost a genie, a loveable bat, a man trapped in a board game, an obsessive photo developer, Peter Pan, and one of the funniest men to ever grace this Earth.
It saddens me whenever I see someone who brings such joy to so many others suffer inside and feel that they have no way out. I am sympathetic for his wife, his children, and his friends. Having it be this difficult for a fan to accept makes me realize how unbearable it must be for someone who knew him personally.

May you finally have peace, Mr. Williams. You made my life and the lives of so many others wonderful and full of laughter. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel announced

After an impressive weekend at the box office, Paramount has announced there will be a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The date the sequel has received is June 3, 2016. Michael Bay will be returning to produce and writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec will return to write the screenplay. 

That date puts it one week prior to Marvel's Doctor Strange, so even if TMNT has a lasting effect the box office ride won't be too long. Some are also thinking announcing a sequel was jumping the gun a bit. This weekend the Turtles brought in $65 million at the box office, but the film cost $125 million to make not including the marketing. That is a lot to make up. Seeing that it is still competing with Guardians of the Galaxy and we have upcoming releases for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and Expendables 3, I think this box office ride will also be a short one. They're going to have to rely on the international box office to boost up the numbers.

They also aren't reading the reviews and that's obvious. Just because people went to see it doesn't mean they liked it. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles currently holds a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes and seems to hold an average of 2.5 stars pretty much everywhere else. Just to put the RT rating into perspective, Step Up: All In has a 42% rating. Yes, the fourth installment of a terrible dance franchise has a higher rating. Into the Storm even has a higher rating. I don't think a sequel should be in the cards for Paramount, but Michael Bay never stops. Look at the Transformers franchise.

Universal acquires The Vampire Chronicles

Prepare yourselves for a reboot of Interview with the Vampire.

Universal announced that they have acquired the rights to Anne Rice's classic series, The Vampire Chronicles. The acquisition went to Image Entertainment and Brian Grazer. The rights include all existing novels and any future novels Rice releases. It even includes the screenplay for Tale of the Body Thief written by Rice's son, Christopher Rice. Interview with the Vampire and Prince Lestat were also included in the acquisition.
On board to produce anything that comes of this is Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman (of course) and the President of Imagine Entertainment, Erica Huggins, will oversee production.

We have seen film adaptations of Anne Rice's novels already with the most notable being the 1994 adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. The film starred Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Kirsten Dunst and is considered a vampire cult favorite to this day. We also saw Queen of the Damned in 2002 which was based off the novel of the same name as well as "The Vampire Lestat." Rice has publicly expressed her dislike of the Queen of the Damned film stating that filmmakers mutilated her work.
Rice has also delved into television as well writing the 2001 Showtime series, The Feast of All Saints, and the 1997 CBS pilot, Rag and Bone. NBC had announced in 2002 that they wanted to adapt the "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" book trilogy for television, but it never went into production.

Personally, I have always loved Anne Rice novels and have read a lot of them. I liked Interview with the Vampire but I absolutely hated Queen of the Damned. The soundtrack was the best part of that movie. I am trying to be open to more Vampire Chronicles films, but I just can't jump on. Some things should just be left alone.

Camp X-Ray - First Trailer

This film received less than luke-warm reviews at Sundance, but I think it looks interesting enough to give it a shot. Kristen Stewart seems to be trying to get back to what she does best and that is independent film. I'm not sure how believable this story is going to be to anyone, like me, who knows a lot about the military but we shall see. I'm intrigued.

In Camp X-Ray, Stewart plays a US Army soldier who forms a strange bond with a detainee while stationed at Guantanamo Bay. It also stars Cory Michael Smith, Lane Garrison, and Peyman Maadi. It's set for some form of theatrical release and VOD availability on October 28th.

Lea Seydoux sought after for Bond 24

Sam Mendes has apparently chosen his own personal Bond girl and that girl is Lea Seydoux. If you saw Blue is the Warmest Color you would recognize her as she played a free-spirited young lesbian named Emma.

Bond 24 has hit a couple speedbumps as of late. The most recent being a massive script re-write by Bond veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. It seems that the re-write did the trick as casting is now starting to move forward. Director Sam Mendes expressed his desire to cast Seydoux in the role of a young agent. There is no telling whether she would be a villain or an ally, but she would definitely be interesting casting. Seeing that Naomie Harris is returning as Miss Moneypenny I wasn't so sure we were going to have a typical "Bond girl" for Bond 24.

List of every superhero movie through 2020

With the newest announcements from Warner Bros. regarding the DC Universe, we now have a more clear view of what movie theaters will be showing for the next five years and it's a bit overwhelming. This includes superhero movies as well as the planned Star Wars flicks.

Let's take a look at what we have on tap:


May 1, 2015

The Avengers: Age of Ultron (Marvel)

June 19, 2015

Fantastic Four (Fox)

July 17, 2015

Ant-Man (Marvel)

December 18, 2015

Star Wars: Episode VII (Disney/Lucasfilm)

March 25, 2016

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros./DC)

May 6, 2016

Captain America 3 (Marvel)

May 27, 2016

X-Men: Age of Apocalypse (Fox)

Summer 2016

Star Wars Spin-off #1 (Disney/Lucasfilm)

July 8, 2016

Doctor Strange (Marvel)

August 5, 2016

Untitled DC Project

November 11, 2016

Sinister Six (Sony)

March 3, 2017

Untitled Wolverine Project (Fox)

May 5, 2017

Untitled Marvel Project

Summer 2017

Star Wars: Episode VIII (Disney/Lucasfilm)

June 23, 2017

Untitled DC Project

July 24, 2017

Fantastic Four 2 (Fox)

July 28, 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (Marvel)

November 3, 2017

Untitled Marvel Project

November 17, 2017

Untitled DC Project

2017 (unknown)

Venom and/or female Spider-Man spin-off (Sony)

 March 23, 2018

Untitled DC Project

May 4, 2018

Untitled Marvel Project

Summer 2018

Star Wars Spin-off #2 (Disney/Lucasfilm)
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (Sony)

July 6, 2018

Untitled Marvel Project

July 13, 2018

Untitled Fox Project

July 27, 2018

Untitled DC Project

November 2, 2018

Untitled Marvel Project

April 5, 2019

Untitled DC Project

May 3, 2019

Untitled Marvel Project

Summer 2019

Star Wars: Episode IX (Disney/Lucasfilm)

June 14, 2019

Untitled DC Project

April 3, 2020

Untitled DC Project

June 19, 2020

Untitled DC Project



It is worth noting that a lot of the 2016 and 2017 releases are no doubt close to official announcements (cough, Justice League, cough) but for now we just have the dates reserved with the studios. Looking at this full schedule you can really begin to see how ridiculous this is getting. I love superhero movies and all, but damn.

Fox delays Poltergeist reboot

Fox announced some release shifts today to go along with some announcements from Warner Bros. They have decided to delay both the Sam Raimi reboot of Poltergeist and the upcoming Matthew Vaughn film, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Poltergeist was originally supposed to premiere opposite Fifty Shades of Grey on February 13, 2015 but it will now be released on July 24, 2015. Taking the February slot will be Kingsman: The Secret Service which was originally slated for this October.
I think Fox probably saw Kingsman as a more competitive film to go up against the sure to be box office hit, Fifty Shades of Grey. It isn't necessarily a Valentines Day movie, but neither is Poltergeist. I think more people would be apt to choose that one than they would a horror film.

Batman v Superman release changes again

It appears that Marvel has officially won the battle of the release date. Warner Bros. announced that the release date for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has now changed for the third time to March 25, 2016.

BvS previously shared the release date of May 6, 2016 with Captain America 3. The studios have been battling for months over this release date and Marvel refused to budge. Warner Bros. obviously thought their best plan of attack would be to move the date again and grab audiences 6 weeks prior to the release of Captain America.
In addition to this release shift, Warner Bros. has also announced untitled dates for 9 films and 2 "event films" that haven't received titles yet.

The current WB/DC Comics schedule is now:

August 5, 2016
June 23, 2016
November 17, 2017
March 23, 2018
July 27, 2018
November 16, 2018 (event film)
April 5, 2019
June 14, 2019
April 3, 2020
June 19, 2020
November 20, 2020 (event film)


One plus side for WB is that, as of right now, none of these dates are shared with a Marvel project. That will avoid more problems like BvS has experienced. Either way this is a very ambitious schedule and I highly doubt any of these dates will stick if people don't like Batman v Superman and/or Justice League. There is no way.

Jennifer Lee to adapt A Wrinkle in Time

The classic novel, A Wrinkle in Time, has escaped a film adaptation for 50-years but Disney is planning to change that. The mega-giant has hired Frozen director, Jennifer Lee, to adapt the novel for the screen.

A Wrinkle in Time is considered one of the earliest young adult sci-fi novels and it has been read in schools for many years. I remember having to do a book report on it in 5th grade. It follows a young girl who finds out her father was a government scientist. It is assumed that since Lee is writing a screenplay that she will most likely be directing as well, but that isn't confirmed. What is confirmed, for the most part, is this project has fallen under Walt Disney Animation Studios so it will be animated or at least utilize motion-capture CGI.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies finally filming?

This movie has been in development hell for years. Actress after actress has passed on it, writers have left, directors have left... name it and it's happened. However, it now seems that the movie might finally make it into production this September.

The cast that has stuck around this time includes Sam Riley, Lily James, and Bella Heathcote and the film will be directed by Burr Steers. The film will be an adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's novelization. I personally have zero excitement left for this project as it has been way too long since it was first announced. Casting has gone from Natalie Portman to Emma Stone to Anne Hathaway to Blake Lively to Lily Collins, etc.

Girl bye.

Female Spider-Man spinoff planned for 2017

Sony has been pretty full of surprises lately regarding the Spider-Man franchise. We are learning more about the Sinister Six along with learning that The Amazing Spider-Man 3 has been delayed until 2018. We now have information regarding a female Spider-Man spinoff reportedly planned for 2017.

This comes after much criticism of the superhero genre in general regarding the lack of female heroes. With the massive success of Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend, the fact that it is 44% female says a lot about the success of female based films. We also can cite films like Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Frozen.
Sony is still trying to do damage control after the ridiculous disappointing The Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed to make money at the box office. It has since become the lowest grossing Spider-Man film of all time. The last hope to save Sony's singular superhero franchise revamp a little bit with new heroes and... a woman.
Many are speculating that this spinoff will be centered around Black Cat (aka, Felicia Hardy). Hardy had a brief cameo in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, played by Felicity Jones, so she is the obvious choice to expand this franchise aside from the already planned Sinister Six and Venom movies. Other female possibilities could include Spider-Woman and Silver Sable.

I don't think this is by any means a stupid or bad move on Sony's part. If they have learned anything from what Marvel and Disney have done they should know by now that you can't carry a franchise based off of just one hero. If the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe was centered around Iron Man people would have abandoned it by now. They were smart and made separate movies for each character and found a way to tie them all together. If they put Peter Parker on the back burner for a while and focused on other characters for a bit I think it's possible for this franchise to have some revival and a renewed sense of interest.

James Gunn thanks Guardians of the Galaxy fans

James Gunn posted a rather heartfelt message on his Facebook page aimed toward those who saw and are planning to see Guardians of the Galaxy:

"Thanks to all of you who saw (and are seeing) Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend, from the bottom of my heart. The Guardians are a group of oddballs, outcasts, and geeks. The movie is for anyone who ever felt cast aside, left out, or different. It's for all of us who don't belong. This movie belongs to you. And, today, I think we're doing okay.

I am of course happy with all the film has accomplished box-office-wise. But what touches me the most is that the film I told the folks at Marvel I wanted to make two years ago is the film that you're seeing in theaters today - it's that so many of you seem to be directly EXPERIENCING the film I INTENDED. The cast, the producers, the crew, and I felt like we were making something special while we were making it. But it is very rare that a director's INTENTIONS in creating a film, or a scene, or a character, or a line of dialogue are, seemingly, specifically what is experienced by an audience (not to mention critics!), and that seems to be what has happened here. You have allowed a talking raccoon - for a moment, a minute, or a day - to make you a little more human. And for that, I am profoundly grateful.

If I relied on myself to implement these intentions, the film would be a shambling mess. But instead, I had a wonderful cast, genius producers, an incredibly brave studio, sublimely talented visual effects artists, great editors, and the best damn crew of mostly-British bastards to actually implement these intentions for me. Where I had a good idea they would, through alchemy, transform it into a great one. Many of you involved are friends of mine on Facebook. Many of you will read this somewhere else. I love you all.

You may remember me posting here a couple weeks ago how sad I was to be finishing up the film, that I was having trouble letting go of Rocket, and that I was going to miss him. But seeing him (and Groot, and the rest of the team) embraced by the world like they have been, to be UNDERSTOOD, makes it a wonderful letting go. It's like giving a foster pet up for adoption to the most wonderful parents in the world.

And, of course, I'm not really saying goodbye as, while many of you have been enjoying the film, I've spent this weekend hard at work on the sequel. I couldn't help myself! The results are nice but it's really the creative process I love and that keeps me going. I'm on fire with this thing! The Guardians have so many hardships and heartaches and triumphs ahead of them, and I can't wait to share them with all of you.

Onto week two...

Love, James"

To speak directly to this man... James, you are just amazing. I have been a fan for years and was so excited when I first saw you had been hired to direct Guardians of the Galaxy. Now that I have seen it I want to tell you that it was amazing and a lot better than I expected. It was funny and it brought us back to the realization that we are not grounded in reality and that movies should be fun. I hope you come back for the sequel because Marvel and Hollywood in general needs your talent. Thanks again, man. 

Guardians of the Galaxy - Review

After another Infinity Stone falls into dangerous hands, a group of criminals and misfits team up to defend the galaxy from destruction and oppression in Guardians of the Galaxy.




I just have to start by saying this... Guardians of the Galaxy was amazing. I said it. I knew I would say it, but there it is. I seriously loved it and had practically no issues with anything. It was entertaining as hell, funny, and had a lot of fun little tidbits added in. Not to mention we got our first real look at the big Marvel villain, Thanos.

Starting with the plot, I thought it was interesting enough for an origin of these characters. We got enough information to get us started and they did a great job establishing Peter Quill (aka, Star-Lord) as the main character. I really enjoyed the supporting characters and I thought everyone was used fairly well.
The villains were also handled beautifully. Ronan was extremely menacing visually and he looked more like something out of Hellraiser, but I think we can credit James Gunn for that. Nebula was also well done and I loved how she was portrayed. Getting to the big reveal of Thanos, it was enough to keep you both satisfied and wanting more. The visuals looked amazing and I think Josh Brolin was a fantastic choice. It also put a lot more into motion and hinted at things we will most likely see in Phase Three as well as the announced Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.
The only character I felt was extremely underused was The Collector. They made such a huge deal with him being in this movie but he was more enjoyable in the after credits scene for Thor: The Dark World than in Guardians of the Galaxy. It was treated more like a cameo than an actual role.Gamora was also a bit underused and seemed more like the typical tough chick in the universe, but she at least had more explanation and plot.

Either way, I don't think Marvel has anything to worry about regarding this story. Any concerns of people being onboard with a talking raccoon and a giant tree have definitely been squashed. I thought Rocket was probably the most enjoyable character aside from Star-Lord. He was funny and quick on his feet and the way Bradley Cooper voiced him was perfect. I can't even describe how much I loved it.
One thing this movie achieved at great length is taking us out of how "normal" the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become. Up until this point everything seemed very explainable to humans using science, logic, and a little open mindedness. With this story you have to accept that there are creatures and things outside of what we've already been shown that are just as dangerous and relevant. The only glimpse we really have had into the expanded universe, up until now, was with the Thor movies and even then he was exiled onto Earth and the magic of Asgard was pretty easily explained and present on Earth. With these characters and this story it's going to start introducing a lot more comic magic and fantasy that the MCU has lacked. If you thought Guardians of the Galaxy was a stretch you need to remember than these are comic book movies and they are not grounded in reality. 

One thing I am seriously hoping for is that Marvel brings back James Gunn for the sequel. The element he brought to these characters is definitely not something that could be replicated. They made a fantastic choice hiring him.



To talk about a couple spoilers...




The post-credits scene was a waste, in my opinion. Something about letting Howard the Duck have a cameo seemed wasted. I expected something relating to Age of Ultron or even Doctor Strange, but I was not expecting what we got at all. It wasn't relevant.
But, on the subject of what else The Collector had in his possession, we saw quite a few characters that we have already seen in Marvel films. Along with Howard the Duck and Cosmo the Spacedog we caught a glimpse at an imprisoned Dark Elf from Thor: The Dark World as well as a Chitauri warrior from The Avengers. We also saw visions of the Aether and the Tesseract while the Infinity Gauntlet was explained. 


What did you think of Guardians of the Galaxy?

Fifty Shades of Grey already sets a record

Fifty Shades of Grey doesn't hit theaters until February but the film has already set a movie record. After just a week the debut trailer for the film has already been viewed over 100 million times making it the most watched movie trailer of 2014. Universal and Focus Features cite social media and marketing as reason for the success as well as a devoted fan base and some... curiosity by others.

The trailer is only 2 and a half minutes long, but the book trilogy written by EL James has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. It is still uncertain where all the views have come from seeing that the YouTube video only has around 32 million views, but trailers also screen ahead of movies in theaters, they are on iTunes, the Today Show was screening it on their television broadcast, and just about every website writing about this movie has a link to the trailer. The studio did disclose that roughly 40 million views came just from Facebook postings.

Hell, just for fun here is another link to it.

Fifty Shades of Grey stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in the main roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. The film hits theaters on February 13, 2015.

Bill Murray's voice added to The Jungle Book

We are set to receive the new version of Disney's The Jungle Book on October 9, 2015 and casting is just starting to pick up a little bit. In the month of July alone we had Ben Kingsley, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Neel Sethi join the already confirmed cast of Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, and Lupito Nyong'o. The latest actor to join the cast is the rather legendary Bill Murray.

Murray will lend his voice Mowgli's bear friend, Baloo. So far the only live-action actor we will see is Neel Sethi who has been cast as Mowgli. Elba is set to voice Shere Khan, Nyong'o will bring Raksha to life, and Johansson will voice Kaa.
This is Disney's response to the Warner Bros. adaptation of The Jungle Book which is set for October 21, 2016. That adaptation, Jungle Book: Origins, will be directed by Andy Serkis. There is no information on whether one or both films will use straight CGI or motion capture technology, but they are sure to differ in some ways.

If you live under a rock and don't know who Bill Murray is, he is most recognized from his work in the Ghostbusters franchise as well as being cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1977-1980. He also starred in Groundhog Day, Caddyshack, Stripes, Scrooged, Space Jam, and was the new Bosley in the 2000 reboot of Charlie's Angels. More recently he's been seen in Moonrise Kingdom, Zombieland, Lost in Translation, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. The guy is a comic genius and his voice is amazing, so I am more than happy with this casting.

Faith-based romance to challenge Fifty Shades of Grey

We were originally supposed to receive Fifty Shades of Grey this weekend, but setbacks with casting and scheduling pushed the film to Valentine's Day of 2015. The erotic film adaptation of EL James' novels will now have some competition as the faith-based romance, Old Fashioned, has reserved a spot on the same opening weekend.

Old Fashioned is being produced by Freestyle Releasing, the same company that surprised the box office with God's Not Dead earlier this year. Writer/director Rik Swartzwelder stated he wanted to prompt moviegoers with a film about a Godly romance taken seriously. The tagline of the film is, "Chivalry makes a comeback" as it is about a former frat member meets a young, free-spirited woman. Freestyle Co-President Mark Borde is also backing the film as a wholesome alternative to the Fifty Shades film.

This is no doubt a film cut from a different cloth as Fifty Shades of Grey. Couples celebrating Valentine's Day at the movies will now have the choice between a wholesome, religious love story and a bondage filled, explicit erotic story. Also competing with these two films is Fox's reboot of Poltergeist so I guess there is an option for just about anyone out there.

Lorde to curate the Mockingjay - Part 1 soundtrack

Apparently Lionsgate has settled with the teenage Grammy-winner, Lorde, to helm the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. She has also written the first single for the film and had appeared on the soundtrack for Catching Fire.
The New Zealand teen posted this statement via Tumblr:

"To be at the helm of a project like this is easily the most responsibility I’ve ever had, and to me, that says something kind of amazing about the way the world is changing - a globally successful film franchise is allowing a teenager to run their shit. we are opening doors, we are moving walls. this makes me so insanely happy."

I personally don't like her and I have heard "Royals" way too many times, but I can understand why she was chosen. As curator of the album she will be hand picking the artists featured and will also pick the songs. Lorde's close friend Taylor Swift appeared on the soundtrack for The Hunger Games where she won a Grammy for "Safe and Sound" alongside The Civil Wars.

Deadpool test footage is leaked

I know I am a couple days behind on this, but I don't really care. All I have to say is... WHY WON'T THIS EVER HAPPEN?!



DEADPOOL - Official Test Footage [HD] Ryan... by movietrailerz