2015 Super Bowl TV Spots

We got a lot of TV Spots during the Super Bowl and while some didn't quite hit the mark, there were others that did. Here is all of the TV Spots aired during the Super Bowl.
















I think my favorite spot from this year was easily Tomorrowland with Inside Out closely following. There was also a disappointing, and surprising, lack of Avengers: Age of Ultron from the Super Bowl trailers this year. I figured we would get some sort of new teaser for the Super Bowl but I was wrong.

Fifty Shades of Grey breaks Fandango records

It seems that a surprisingly large amount of people want to see Fifty Shades of Grey in public. The erotic film, which still is a month away, has become the highest selling R-rated film in Fandango history. It has also somehow become the 4th most anticipated film of 2015 according to Fandango users.
Fifty Shades of Grey has beaten the previous record holder, Sex and the City 2, and has also beaten The Hangover II and The Hangover III. Fandango Chief Correspondent Dave Karger has said it's on track to be the fastest selling R-rated film of all time.


The film, based on E.L. James' novel, follows a young college student named Anastasia Steele who enters a world of sexual discovery and exploration at the hands of a BDSM obsessed billionaire named Christian Grey. It is set for release on February 13th.

Fifty Shades of Grey receives an R-rating

After much speculation and rumors that a final cut of Fifty Shades of Grey would receive an NC-17 rating, you can all take a breath because the MPAA has officially given the film an R-rating.

The description for the rating includes "strong sexual content including unusual behavior, dialogue, and graphic nudity." Most people, including myself, have wondered how the film could possibly do EL James' book proper justice by not having an NC-17 rating but it seems they either did enough convincing editing or omitted certain events entirely to achieve the R-rating. Personally, I am sure they will release an extended cut with deleted scenes and whatnot on Blu-Ray. If it performs well they might even do a limited theater engagement with a more explicit cut of the film.

Either way, we will get a chance to see for ourselves on February 13th.

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!

Fifty Shades of Grey - New Trailer

We have the second, and probably final, trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey. The trailer shows a lot more footage than the first one did and it also gives some insight to the sexual nature of the film. Fifty Shades of Grey is set for release Valentine's Day 2015 and stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - First Teaser

This teaser was originally supposed to premiere during next week's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode on ABC, but like just about everything it leaked online. Marvel did quick damage control by blaming Hydra for the leak and then uploaded the trailer on their YouTube page. I guess it's not a leak if it's in 1080p on YouTube.

Personally, I think this trailer looks fantastic. It's menacing, conflicting, and it looks like it's definitely going to be even crazier than The Avengers was. Not to mention Ultron looks and sounds like a fucking badass. I am very excited.

Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters on May 1, 2015. 

Insidious: Chapter 3 poster debuts; Trailer hits tomorrow

We got our first poster for the third chapter in the Insidious trilogy and also learned that the first teaser for the film will hit the internet tomorrow.

Insidious: Chapter 3 follows a new family as Elise (Lin Shaye) tries to help a teenager rid herself of a paranormal entity. This marks the directorial debut of Insidious co-creator, Leigh Whannell, and also stars Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott. The film is set for theaters on May 29, 2015.

Age of Ultron trailer might air before Interstellar

A new rumor has begun making its way around regarding the trailers set to screen before Christopher Nolan's Interstellar in November. The biggest name on the list is Marvel's upcoming release, The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

This rumor most likely started as a majority of major trailers premiere six months prior to the film's release. Seeing that Age of Ultron has a release date of May 1st, that would put it on schedule to have a trailer surface sometime in November. However, seeing that Interstellar shares a release date with the Walt Disney Animation release, Big Hero 6, it is possible that an Avengers trailer might be attached to that instead.

Either way, we should be getting the first glimpse at Age of Ultron within the next month or so. I doubt they'd make everyone wait until the new year before a trailer comes out.

Fantastic Four pushed back to late Summer

In addition to Fox announcing a Deadpool film, they made a couple more changes to their schedule. The upcoming Fantastic Four reboot has been pushed back from June 16, 2016 to August 17, 2015. It is taking the spot of Assassin's Creed which seems to have been pulled from the schedule altogether.

Many are speculating that Fox is going to test the August market after Marvel's overwhelming success with Guardians of the Galaxy. For a film that has yet to have any official marketing (seriously, not even a logo), it is somewhat curious as to what caused a delay. Is it to try and have a better box office market or is it because they needed more time? Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, and Toby Kebbell.
As far as Assassin's Creed goes, this is even more curious. Michael Fassbender has been attached to star and produce for quite sometime, but Fox removing it from the schedule entirely isn't a good sign. Production on this has been moving at turtle speed and with it still not moving forward when it had a release date of less than a year away was a bit odd. The project isn't officially dead at this point, but it has a big fat "TBD" as of right now.

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.

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.

Fifty Shades of Grey - First Trailer

I would say I should probably read the book again but I really don't want to. Just like I don't really want to see this movie. If I wanted to watch a bad plot with creepy bondage sex I would watch a porno online for free.




But, nevertheless this is a big thing for a lot of people. As far as the casting goes I actually think the actors they decided on are good choices. They seem to have a lot of chemistry which is never a bad thing for a film like this. I foresee this being another Twilight type franchise. It will be widely made fun of and criticized, but the true fanbase will love it no matter how bad it is. Fifty Shades of Grey whips its way into theaters (oh, that pun) on February 14, 2015.

And in case you really don't know what this story is about... do not go see this with your parents. It will get very awkward very quickly.


EDIT:  I decided to take the plunge and re-read the first book and continue on with the second and third. I was curious to see if I could make it through all three of them. After finishing the trilogy and watching this trailer a couple more times I will compliment them on one thing... it looks very close to the book.
You can pinpoint exact scenes from the book and they are right there in the trailer. Examples being Christian carrying Ana down the hall in the bathrobe (it is described in much detail), seeing Ana's hair in the braid (explained in the book), Christian's "special" jeans (explained in the book), Ana's dinner with the Grey family (a rather... awkward chapter), Christian flying the glider with Ana in Georgia (surprise), him picking her up in the helicopter (duh), etc.. It is all there. If the whole movie is that close they definitely did something not many movie adaptations achieve.
Another thing I will reiterate since I already mentioned it is this is really good casting. Since I found out that Dakota Johnson had been cast I did remember briefly seeing her in The Social Network and recalled people online saying she is becoming a notorious scene stealer. Although she was close I wouldn't say she stole the whole scene from Justin Timberlake in The Social Network, but she definitely overpowered Jason Segel in The Five Year Engagement and she was only in it for maybe 5min. She looks a bit older than she actually is, but there is no denying that she is very likeable and that is definitely something they needed for Ana because the character is unbelievably annoying. She doesn't become likeable, for me, until the last quarter of the third book.  She is crippled by attraction, stubborn, and weak minded.
As far as Jamie Dornan goes, I think he has a lot of promise but there is no telling for sure. Here's to hoping he has the creep factor because Christian is definitely a creeper and is very intense. If I see the movie and he isn't making me uncomfortable then they went with the wrong actor. Simple as that.

Jupiter Ascending delayed until 2015

This is a rather surprising move since the release is a month and a half away, but Warner Bros. has decided to push Jupiter Ascending from July 18th to February 6, 2015. The sci-fi flick directed by the Wachowski siblings Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum.

The July release put the film against The Purge: Anarchy, Planes: Fire and Rescue, and Sex Tape so to say the weekend was crowded is not stretching it. The new release puts it against Mortdecai, Seventh Son, and Run All Night. However, I personally don't understand this move. That is how much money wasted on marketing, materials, post-production, etc.. Not to mention the fact that 2015 is much more crowded than 2014.

But at the same time I don't give a shit because this movie looks terrible. Bummer.

Star Wars Episode VII budget revealed; casting almost complete

Disney Chairman Alan Horn has been giving some information regarding Star Wars Episode VII. Some are still speculating a full announcement regarding casting and whatnot will happen on May 4th (aka, May the Fourth be with You). Either way, it is coming soon as principal photography starts in May. However, for now we have some news on the budget, filming, and casting.

Horn revealed that the budget Disney has granted the film will range between $175 and $200 million. This includes Episodes VII, VIII, and IX as well as any potential spin-off movies. This shows that Disney is being a bit more cautious with their money after the flops of John Carter ($250 million) and The Lone Ranger ($215 million). This also puts the Star Wars franchise on track with the Marvel films in terms of budget and will give J.J. Abrams his biggest budget yet as Star Trek Into Darkness only topped at $190 million.
He also gave some info regarding the casting which is still not 100% completed but is evidently close. The only thing that worries me in terms of casting is how much preparation is needed for any physical scenes. I recall the actors signing contracts for Episode I back in 1997 and the film wasn't released until 1999. Similar things went down for Episodes II and III because the actors had to train for lightsaber battles and fight scenes. If they are casting people just weeks prior to shooting I am nervous about preparation and quality. Either that or the budget is going full CGI.
As for the news that Episode VII had already started filming, he did confirm that second unit filming has already begun. George Lucas is also consulting with Abrams, so let's hope that isn't a sign of another shit storm.

Horn also gave some insight on future releases and stated that the tradition of May release dates might be returning for Episodes VIII and IX. The main reason for the December release of Episode VII is primarily because Disney refused to grant Abrams any extra time. They wanted it out in 2015 and told him to get it done.


Patience. We must have patience.

Magic Mike 2 receives 2015 release date

Expect production on this to start before too long.

Despite being overly crowded already, Warner Bros. has elected to give the sequel to Magic Mike (rumored to be titled Magic Mike XXL) a July 3, 2015 release. It will face off against Terminator: Genesis in a rather important 4th of July holiday weekend.
Channing Tatum recently revealed that everyone is likely to return for the sequel including a newly dubbed Oscar-winner, Matthew McConaughey.

I still don't understand this because Magic Mike sucked ass (figuratively and literally), but it made money so what can you do.

Toby Kebbell joins Fantastic Four

We know who the superhero team is. Now we know who will be their nemesis.

British actor Toby Kebbell has been cast to play the iconic Marvel villain, Doctor Doom, in the upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four. Doctor Doom (aka, Victor von Doom) was previously portrayed by Julian McMahon in the 2005 version. He joins Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, and Kate Mara.

Kebbell is recognizable to me as I recently saw him in The East. He can be seen in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes this July and in Warcraft set for March 2016.

Fox announced release dates including Wolverine sequel

Fox isn't wasting any time pushing their own Marvel franchises and yet another installment of Taken. The following release dates have been made official:

• Fantastic Four 2 will hit on July 14, 2017
• A sequel to The Wolverine is set for March 3, 2017
• Taken 3 has reserved January 9, 2015
• The Secret Service has switched from March 6, 2015 to October 24, 2015. It swapped places with an untitled Vince Vaughn flick. 
• Frankenstein, starring Daniel Radcliffe, has moved from January 16, 2015 to October 2, 2015
• An untitled Marvel project has reserved the date of July 13, 2018

Call me crazy, but I am expecting the untitled Marvel film to be yet another X-Men movie. There would be no telling whether it will be a solo origins movie or a continuation of X-Men: Apocalypse, set for release on May 27, 2016. At least not until we see Days of Future Past this May and Fantastic Four. I would bet if a FF sequel is hitting in 2017 that we won't see those characters again the very next year. Fox just doesn't own that many Marvel properties so we have limited options here. Especially since they gave up Daredevil.
However, Fox has already hired Simon Kinberg and given him the task to create an Avengers-like movie for with the Marvel properties they own, so it could very well be an X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover movie. Maybe something that takes place the same time as The Avengers, but without the other characters actively showing up.

Personally, I am still hoping for a Deadpool movie but who knows if they will ever have the guts to make it happen.

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.

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.

Marcia Gay Harden joins Fifty Shades of Grey

Marcia Gay Harden is the latest addition to Fifty Shades of Grey in a pretty decent wave of casting news. She will play Christian Grey's adoptive mother, Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey. She is also the adoptive mother to Elliot Grey (Luke Grimes) and Mia Grey (Rita Ora). Grace is a pediatrician described to have sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. Christian's father, Carrick Grey, has yet to be cast.

Marcia Gay Harden recently finished filming the latest from Woody Allen, Magic in the Moonlight, and has appeared on HBO's The Newsroom. Fifty Shades of Grey began filming this week and will hit theaters on February 13, 2015.