The Best Movies of 2013

It is about that time again. This time we are talking the best movies of 2013.
Now, as always, I will only discuss the movies that I saw this year. I did miss some major movies this year that I might add if I see them before the end of the year. I also want to reiterate that this is all my personal opinion and are in no particular order. Deal with it.

Let's get started!


Side Effects

I feel like this movie didn't get enough attention. It was interesting, had a great cast (minus Channing Tatum), and had a great ending. I even watched it twice. If you didn't see it I would check it out.

Dark Skies

This was one that most people thought was really bad, but I enjoyed it. I thought the premise was somewhat unexpected and I appreciated that.

Evil Dead

I did have gripes with this movie, but overall it is one of the best horror movies we have received in years. As a reboot it wasn't that great, but as a stand alone movie it was fantastic. Great effects.

Antiviral

I went in not knowing what to expect. I did really like it, though. It was a very interesting concept and I like movies that stretch your brain a bit and make you think. By the end of the movie I just sat there and was like... that was really cool. Very appreciated.

Iron Man 3

Not the best Iron Man movie, but a decent attempt. The effects were good and the story kept you intrigued enough. Minus the confusion and outcry over the butchering of The Mandarin, I enjoyed this one enough to make this list and not the worst list. The way I see it, Iron Man 3 was better than Iron Man 2. That's all that matters in the end.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Great. It was just great. The effects, the acting, the story, and just everything was awesome. Benedict Cumberbatch stole the show and I loved it.

The Hangover Part III

Calm down, everyone. I put this one on this list because of a couple reasons. First, it was so much better than The Hangover Part II. Second, this movie actually had a story greater than the characters get hungover and try and trace their steps. It actually had a plot and some conflict but managed to stay true to the characters and stay funny. It was a pretty good movie in general, not just for a Hangover movie.

This is the End

I regret not seeing this in theaters. By far the funniest movie I have seen all year. If you thought it was going to be bad, pray for forgiveness and watch the movie.

Man of Steel

Similar to what I said about Iron Man 3, this one makes the list based on a couple reasons; General Zod being the biggest reason. Michael Shannon was fantastic and brought so much to the table. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner also made this one for me. Granted it was full of overdone Zack Snyder effects and was basically all CGI, but it was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be.

Monsters University

I wasn't expecting much because it was a prequel, but I walked away with a smile. Good show, Pixar.

The Heat

Before I saw This is the End, this one was my funniest of 2013. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy need to do another comedy together. They were meant for each other.

V/H/S/2

This is on the list for the sheer fact that I saw the cult segment. It was just fantastic. I would have loved to see a full length movie on that subject. 

The Conjuring

Best horror film of the year. Maybe even the best of the decade. James Wan deserves all of the praise for this movie and went out of the genre with a bang. It was stressful, interesting, beautifully shot, and rather creepy. I loved every single second of this movie. Getting an R-rating for being "too scary" says it all. It lived up to the hype.

The Wolverine

It was better than X-Men Origins. That's all that is important.

Elysium

This one had a lot of problems, but based on concept and effects I decided to put it on here. It's worth seeing at least once.

Insidious: Chapter 2

I enjoyed this one as much, if not more, than the first one. James Wan delivered another quality product and it was terrifying.

Gravity

This is probably my #1 of the whole year. It was such a great movie. I hope it wins Best Picture.

Ender's Game

A decent book adaptation with fantastic special effects. I would check it out if you didn't.

Thor: The Dark World

Another quality Marvel release that was better than Iron Man 3. Just saying. It was better than Man of Steel, too.

Frozen

I put this on here for animation and animation only. I didn't like the movie as a whole all that much, but the animation was beautiful. The characters as a whole weren't bad either.

American Hustle

Funny, interesting, sad, happy, total package. I enjoyed this movie a lot. Kudos to David O. Russell for giving us another gem. 


Like I said, there are still a couple I would like to see before the year is up so this list might change a bit. Do you agree with my list? Did I miss something you liked? Did I add something you hated? Let me know in the comments.

Also check out my list of the best posters of 2013 (link) and my best Netflix picks of 2013 here.

The Worst Movies of 2013

It is about that time again. It's time to talk about the worst movies of 2013.
Now, as always, I will only discuss the movies that I saw this year. I did miss some major movies this year that I might add if I see them before the end of the year. I also want to reiterate that this is all my personal opinion and are in no particular order. Deal with it.

Let's get started!


Texas Chainsaw 3D

I didn't see this in theaters but figured since I am a horror buff that I would give it a shot. Let's just say I'm happy I got this through Netflix and didn't waste my money on it at the box office. It was just ghastly. The story was lame, the acting was borderline hilarious, the effects were awful, and I can imagine that nothing would have even been visible in 3D. Moving on.

A Haunted House

Unoriginal. Unfunny. Tired. Stupid. End of story. 

Movie 43

I don't really have much to say about this one. I thought it tried a bit too hard. I don't think it was as bad as people made it out to be, but it was still pretty bad.

Warm Bodies

aka, Twilight zombies. I didn't like this movie. It was just stupid for me. The idea of a zombie coming back to life and saving the world because he falls in love was lame. I didn't like the humor and I didn't find it that interesting. I had to pause it for a while to keep myself from falling asleep. It just dragged and dragged.

The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia

It made the first one look like a masterpiece. I just found it very predictable and boring. 

21 and Over

Never even saw the whole movie because I turned it off. That's all I need to say.

Jack the Giant Slayer

It just... ugh. 

The Last Exorcism: Part 2

Yet another one I turned off after a half hour or so. I'm glad I didn't go see it in theaters. The again, the first one wasn't good either.

On the Road

Good cast but bad movie. It was too long, too disconnected, and it really wasn't that great of a book adaptation. I now understand why it got trashed at the festivals. 

The Lords of Salem

I should have liked this movie and I was kinda borderline about it, but in the end I found it to be very weird and quite blasphemous. I think that Rob Zombie used this movie primarily for shock value and it had no real substance. I like witches when it comes to story but this one didn't quite come together for me. It's unfortunate.

The Purge

I loved the concept and hoped it would be good, but it just wasn't. There was a lot wrong with it, it was too short, and they wasted a great concept. 

World War Z

Holy shit, what a terrible movie. It had no substance, no character development, terrible effects, and took absolutely nothing from Max Brooks' book other than the title. The fact that they're making a sequel is downright painful. I blame everyone that gave it great box office numbers.

The Lone Ranger

There is nothing to really say about this one. It was just so bad. 

Carrie

I went into this interested and somewhat excited, but I left disappointed which was expected. Chloe Moretz was severely miscast, the effects were not very good, the acting was overdone, and the directing was even worse. Yet another attempt at Carrie in the trenches.


Yeah, 2013 definitely had some stinkers. But there were good ones to shine through which I will post next. Do you disagree with me? Did I miss a movie that you didn't like? Let me know in the comments.
Also feel free to check out the Worst Posters of 2013. You can see what made the cut here. 

114 scores eligible for Oscars

Quite a list!

The shortlist for Best Original Score has been released and it contains a whopping 114 options. Included are Gravity, Man of Steel, The Book Thief, 12 Years a Slave, Star Trek Into Darkness, Pacific Rim, The Conjuring, and many more. Here is the full list:

Admission by Stephen Trask
Ain't Them Bodies Saints by Daniel Hart
*All is Lost by Alex Ebert
Alone Yet Not Alone by William Ross
The Armstrong Lie by David Kahne
Arthur Newman by Nick Urata
At Any Price by Dickon Hinchliffe
Austenland by Ilan Eshkeri

Before Midnight by Graham Reynolds
The Best Man Holiday by Stanley Clarke
*The Book Thief by John Williams
The Butterfly's Dream by Rahman Altin

The Call by John Debney
*Captain Phillips by Henry Jackman
Closed Circuit by Joby Talbot
The Company You Keep by Cliff Martinez
The Conjuring by Joseph Bishara
Copperhead by Laurent Eyquem
The Counselor by Daniel Pemberton
The Croods by Alan Silvestri

Despicable Me 2 by Heitor Pereira

Elysium by Ryan Amon
Ender's Game by Steve Jablonsky
Enough Said by Marcelo Zarvos
Epic by Danny Elfman
Ernest & Celestine by Vincent Courtois
Escape from Planet Earth by Aaron Zigman
Escape from Tomorrow by Abel Korzeniowski
Evil Dead by Roque Banos

47 Ronin by Ilan Eshkeri
42 by Mark Isham
Free Birds by Dominic Lewis
Free China: The Courage to Believe by Tony Chen
Fruitvale Station by Ludwig Goransson

G.I. Joe: Retaliation by Henry Jackman
Gangster Squad by Steve Jablonsky
*Gravity by Stephen Price
The Great Gatsby by Craig Armstrong

The Hangover Part III by Christophe Beck
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters by Alti Orvarsson
Haute Cuisine by Gabriel Yared
*Her by William Butler & Owen Pallett
*The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug by Howard Shore
Hollywood Seagull by Evgeny Shchukin
Hours by Benjamin Wallfisch
How Sweet it Is by Matt Dahan
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by James Newton Howard

Identity Thief by Christopher Lennertz
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone by Lyle Workman
Insidious: Chapter 2 by Joseph Bashara
Instructions Not Included by Carlo Silotto
The Internship by Christophe Beck
The Invisible Woman by Ilan Eshkeri
*Iron Man 3 by Brian Tyler

Jack the Giant Slayer by John Ottman
Jobs by John Debney

Kamasutra 3D by Sreejith Edavana & Saachin Raj Chelory

Labor Day by Rolfe Kent
*Lee Daniels' The Butler by Rodrigo Leao
Live at the Foxes Den by Jack Holmes
Love is All You Need by Johan Soderqvist

Mama by Fernando Velazquez
*Man of Steel by Hans Zimmer
*Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom by Alex Heffes
The Missing Picture by Marc Marder
*Monsters University by Randy Newman
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Alti Ovarsson
Mud by David Wingo
Murph: The Protector by Chris Irwin & Jeff Widenhofer

Now You See Me by Brian Tyler

Oblivion by Anthony Gonzalez & Joseph Trapanese
Oldboy by Roque Banos
Olympus Has Fallen by Trevor Morris
Oz the Great and Powerful by Danny Elfman

*Pacific Rim by Ramin Djawadi
Pain & Gain by Steve Jablonsky
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters by Andrew Lockington
Philomena by Alexandre Desplat
The Place Beyond the Pines by Mike Patton
Planes by Mark Mancina
Prisoners by Johann Johannsson

R.I.P.D. by Christophe Beck
Reaching for the Moon by Marcelo Zarvos
Romeo & Juliet by Abel Korzeniowski
Runner Runner by Christophe Beck
*Rush by Hans Zimmer

Safe Haven by Deborah Lurie
Salinger by Lorne Balfe
*Saving Mr. Banks by Thomas Newman
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by Theodore Shapiro
Short Term 12 by Joel P. West
Side Effects by Thomas Newman
The Smurfs 2 by Heitor Pereira
The Spectacular Now by Rob Simonsen
*Star Trek Into Darkness by Michael Giacchino
Stoker by Clint Mansell

Thor: The Dark World by Brian Tyler
Tim's Vermeer by Conrad Pope
Trance by Rick Smith
Turbo by Henry Jackman
*12 Years a Slave by Hans Zimmer
2 Guns by Clinton Shorter

The Ultimate Life by Mark McKenzie
Unfinished Song by Laura Rossi

Wadjda by Max Richter
Walking with Dinosaurs by Paul Leonard-Morgan
Warm Bodies by Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks by Will Bates
We're the Millers by Theodore Shapiro & Ludwig Goransson
What Maisie Knew by Nick Urata
Why We Ride by Steve Gutheinz
The Wind Rises by Joe Hisaishi
Winnie Mandela by Laurent Eyquem
*The Wolverine by Marco Beltrami

* the frontrunners most likely to make the final decision list
The highlighted ones in red have already received Golden Globe nominations

Golden Globes nominations announced

The 2014 Golden Globes has its nominations. 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle lead the nominations with 7 each. I think these, as always, will serve as a precursor of what to expect for the Oscars. I expect lots of 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle. However, Gravity could be a dark horse as well as Dallas Buyers Club.

Here are the nominees:

Best Picture - Drama:

12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush

Best Actress - Drama:

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Kate Winslet - Labor Day

Best Actor - Drama:

Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks - Saving Mr. Banks
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford - All is Lost

Best Picture - Comedy or Musical:

American Hustle
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actress - Comedy or Musical:

Amy Adams - American Hustle
Julie Delpy - Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig - Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Enough Said
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County 

Best Actor - Comedy or Musical:

Christian Bale - American Hustle
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix - Her

Best Animated Feature:

The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film:

Blue is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Past
The Wind Rises

Best Supporting Actress:

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

Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne - Nebraska
David O. Russell - American Hustle

Best Screenplay:

Spike Jonze - Her
Bob Nelson - Nebraska
Jeff Pope & Steve Coogan - Philomena
John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave
Eric Warren Singer & David O. Russell - American Hustle

Best Original Score:

Alex Ebert - All is Lost
Alex Heffes - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Steven Price - Gravity
John Williams - The Book Thief
Hans Zimmer - 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Song:

"Atlas" - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
"Let it Go" - Frozen
"Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
"Please Mr. Kennedy" - Inside Llewyn Davis
"Sweeter Than Fiction" - One Chance

Click here to see the television nominations. A lot of people are complaining that they snubbed Sons of Anarchy, Homeland, and Game of Thrones.

 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer set for release

We will be receiving the first trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (aka, a movie with a title that's too damn long) next Wednesday, December 18th. Fox has already released four posters for the film to lead into the trailer premiere as well as a viral marketing PSA on how to avoid the Simian Flu.

From what we know, this film directed by Matt Reeves takes place 15 years after Rise of the Planet of the Apes and is still moving toward the events in the original 1968 Planet of the Apes film. There will be more ape talking and an attempt to balance Caesar's evolution with the surviving humans.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Gary Oldman, Judy Greer, Jason Clarke, and Andy Serkis as Caesar. It hits theaters on July 11, 2014.

Frank Grillo joins The Purge 2

Universal sure isn't wasting any time with The Purge 2, that's for sure. Frank Grillo has joined the cast in a lead role that is unspecified as of right now. The film has already received a release date of June 20, 2014 so all of the prep and filming needs to be quick to make that date. Grillo has recently starred in Warrior and Homefront and will be seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The Purge told the story of a society that suspended all law and order for one night out of the year to purge criminals and deviants. It did fairly well at the box office and even earned its own "scare zone" at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood. There are no immediate details on exactly what the sequel will be about, but I don't think it will be much different.

Rosemary's Baby miniseries approved by NBC

A great horror classic is now getting its turn on television. Rosemary's Baby, originally released in 1968, is getting a television miniseries greenlit by NBC. The adaptation will be a four hour series, most likely aired in four parts, and will be based on the 1967 novel by Ira Levin. Agnieszka Holland will direct while Scott Abbott and James Wong are writing the screenplay.  This was announced as a project in development by Lionsgate Television back in July.

Rosemary's Baby tells the story of a young married couple who move into a haunted apartment in Paris. The wife becomes pregnant and subsequently becomes paranoid about the safety of her child because she believes her neighbors have mysterious, evil intentions for her child. The 1968 film adaptation starred Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon. It was directed by Roman Polanski.
I personally love Rosemary's Baby and with the success of shows like Bates Motel and American Horror Story, I don't think this is very surprising. I would expect differences from the film and most likely from the book as well. If you have never seen the film or read the book I would encourage you to do so. It's a great story.

12 Years a Slave leads SAG Nominations

The Screen Actors Guild Awards has its nominations. 12 Years a Slave leads with four total while Lee Daniels' The Butler and August: Osage County were also heavy hitters. Snubs include The Wolf of Wall Street, All is Lost, and Inside Llewyn Davis.

The nominees are:

Ensemble in a Motion Picture:

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Lee Daniels' The Butler
Dallas Buyers Club

Female Lead in a Motion Picture:

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks

Male Lead in a Motion Picture

Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips 
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Forest Whitaker - Lee Daniels' The Butler

Female Supporting in a Motion Picture:

Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb - Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey - Lee Daniels' The Butler

Male Supporting in a Motion Picture:

Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini - Enough Said
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Drama Series:

Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland

Ensemble Comedy Series:

30 Rock
Arrested Development
The Big Bang Theory
Modern Family
Veep

Female Actress Drama Series:

Claire Danes - Homeland
Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad
Jessica Lange - American Horror Story
Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey
Kerry Washington - Scandal

Male Actor Drama Series:

Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels - The Newsroom
Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones
Kevin Spacey - House of Cards

Female Actress Comedy Series:

Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep

Male Actor Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Jason Bateman - Arrested Development
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Don Cheadle - House of Lies
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

Female Actress TV Movie or Miniseries:

Helen Mirren - Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss - Top of the Lake
Angela Bassett - Betty & Corretta
Helena Bonham Carter - Burton & Taylor
Holly Hunter - Top of the Lake

Male Actor TV Movie or Miniseries:

Matt Damon - Behind the Candelabra 
Michael Douglas - Behind the Candelabra 
Jeremy Irons - The Borgias 
Rob Lowe - Killing Kennedy
Al Pacino - Phil Spector

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture:

All is Lost
Fast & Furious 6
Lone Survivor
Rush
The Wolverine

Outstaning Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series:

Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
Homeland
The Walking Dead


This makes me realize how little movies I have seen this year. I haven't seen most of the ones that got nominations.

Andrew Garfield might not be Spider-Man much longer

Sony has already announced their intentions to run their terrible Amazing Spider-Man movies into the ground with at least four movies total. However, we have some speculation regarding the casting of the most important character. Andrew Garfield, who has been contracted through a third Amazing Spider-Man, recently discussed the future of the franchise and made his uncertainty about playing Spider-Man for four movies.

Release years have already been announced for the third and fourth. The Amazing Spider-Man 3 will hit in 2016 with The Amazing Spider-Man 4 hitting in 2018. During an interview with Yahoo! Movies, Garfield had this to say:

"I mean I’m under contract for another one after this… as far as a forth one? That’s not anything to do with me."

This could mean a couple things. First off, by the time 2018 rolls around Garfield will be 35. That's a bit old for a teenage hero if you ask me. Tobey Maguire wasn't even that old when Spider-Man 3 came out in 2007. Second off, I imagine Garfield doesn't want to just be known for playing Spider-Man. Granted he got pretty famous for The Social Network, but what has he done since? Well, other than play Spider-Man. The answer is nothing notable. This doesn't surprise me one bit. I wouldn't even stick around through the third one, but that's just me. I don't even think Garfield is a good Spider-Man.

Planet of the Apes takes Fast & Furious 7 release date

Fox has shifted its schedule a bit to cater to the delay of Fast & Furious 7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has shifted and will now be released on July 11, 2014, the slated release weekend of Fast & Furious 7. Planet of the Apes previously had a release date of July 18th. There is still no news on exactly when Fast & Furious 7 will resume filming, so my guess is a late 2014 release date or a push all the way to 2015. Even with that said, Universal still hasn't announced an official release date shift so as of right now the plan is to still have Fast and Furious on July 11th. Obviously Fox doesn't think they'll make it either.

Godzilla - First Trailer

I do have to say that this looks a lot better than I was expecting. I will probably be seeing it and will probably skip the rest of the trailers that are no doubt to follow. I don't want the action spoiled. Godzilla is set to hit theaters on May 16, 2014 in 3D.

Callum Keith Rennie joins Fifty Shades of Grey

It took a while, but the cast of Fifty Shades of Grey is starting to shape up. Battlestar Galactica veteran Callum Keith Rennie has joined the cast as Ray Steele, Anastasia's stepfather. Rennie has recently been seen on The Killing and Californication.

Ray Steele is described as an Army vet who married Ana's mother after her first husband died. Though they later divorced, Anastasia still considers him her real father and was taught about self-defense, guns, and tools by him. He is also a skilled carpenter and an avid fly fisher. He doesn't have a huge role in the books so I wouldn't be surprised if the movie role is expanded a bit.

Fifty Shades of Grey is set to open in theaters on February 13, 2015. 

Jason Momoa in talks for Batman vs. Superman

Jason Momoa nearly joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as he was considered for the role of Drax the Destroyer. He was ultimately not cast as the role went to Dave Bautista, but now the DC Universe has its eye on Momoa for Batman vs. Superman.

Rumor has is that Zack Snyder is eyeing Momoa for the film's big villain which has yet to be announced. However, the role as of right now is considered unannounced but the internet is quick to come to the conclusion that he could be playing Doomsday. Another theory being supported by the internets is that he could be playing Martian Manhunter.
If you have never seen Momoa in anything, he is most recognized for the reboot of Conan the Barbarian. You know, the reboot that basically failed to go anywhere. I think it's a bit too soon to start speculating villains or heroes at this point. I feel like including Martian Manhunter would be a waste unless they are planning on including him in Justice League. With Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman being in Batman vs. Superman I feel like adding another hero would be a bit too much.

Ben Whishaw to play Freddie Mercury

It was rumored a while back that Ben Whishaw (Skyfall) was in the running to replace Sacha Baron Cohen in the Freddie Mercury biopic. We now have confirmation that Whishaw will indeed be portraying Mercury in the untitled biopic.
Dexter Fletcher has been confirmed to direct. The story is set to start in the 70's with the band's formation and ends around the time of the 1985 Live Aid concert set. Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out of the film after being attached for quite sometime due to creative differences with the remaining band members.

Gal Gadot cast as Wonder Woman

I'm a little late to the party, but it has been announced that Gal Gadot has been cast to play Wonder Woman in Batman vs. Superman. This confirms that Wonder Woman will be introduced in some way prior to Justice League in 2017 and somewhat backs up the theory that she will not be receiving her own movie.

Gadot is an Israeli born actress who is most recognizable from her work as Gisele in the Fast and Furious films. She also competed as Miss Israel in the 2004 Miss Universe pageant and served two years in the Israeli military. This will be her first major starring role and will no doubt be a recurring role. She beat out actresses such as Olga Kurylenko and Elodie Yung for the role of Wonder Woman.
Many are wondering the motivation behind casting Gadot as Wonder Woman and are hoping she isn't treated like Black Widow was in The Avengers. In other words, the basic consensus seems to be that people don't want her to just be a pretty face with minor support to the main heroes, Batman and Superman. She will also be sharing the screen with Amy Adams who was pretty lame in Man of Steel.

I personally think Wonder Woman is one of those comic heroes that is impossible to cast and/or portray correctly. I don't have much hope for this character at all so this doesn't bug me.