New trailer for The Conjuring features real family

The newest, and hopefully the last, trailer for The Conjuring features some unexpected guests. They would be none other than the Perron family (aka, the family the movie is based on). The new marketing tool is that it has taken the family 30-years to tell their story and they are backing the movie claiming it's all true. The real Lorraine Warren has also come out in support of the film and is now talking about how "real" her paranormal investigations are.

I have had real high hopes for The Conjuring since I saw the first trailer, but all of this new marketing is starting to ruin it for me. They're showing too much footage and saying too much. I will still see this, but my excitement level has decreased a little bit.

The Conjuring hits theaters on July 19th.

Pixar vows to scale back on sequels

Pixar gained the reputation as the animation studio that could do no wrong. It seemed that whatever Pixar touched did well and that they would never fail. They have won and been nominated for Oscars, Golden Globes, Annie Awards, Satellite Awards, Grammys, etc.. On top of the world, right? But then Cars 2 happened.

Ever since Cars 2 it seems that Pixar has been drowning a bit and the biggest part is their propensity toward sequels. Cars 2 is by far the least successful and worst reviewed Pixar film to date and the follow-up, Brave, did better but it wasn't nearly at par with Pixar standards. At least not for the critics. Their solution? Make the next release a prequel to Monsters, Inc.
Prior to Toy Story 3, Pixar had only released one sequel (Toy Story 2) in 10 films. In the past four Pixar films released only one has been an original story (Brave) and they have noticed a significant decline in critic reviews and viewer satisfaction. To add onto this, Pixar recently announced their next film in development is yet another sequel. This time it will be the sequel to 2003's Finding Nemo promptly titled Finding Dory which is set to hit theaters in 2015. The rumors are still flying high for a Toy Story 4 and The Incredibles 2, as well.
Pixar's formula has been to try and release two films each year. They haven't stuck too well with the plan seeing that Brave was the only 2012 release and Monsters University is the only 2013 release. They're trying to turn it around, along with making more original stories, but it doesn't look like the two films per year will fully come back until 2015. The only film Pixar has slated for 2014 is The Good Dinosaur. For 2015 we have Finding Dory and Inside Out along with more untitled Pixar projects scheduled all the way through June 2018.

Pixar chief (and President of Walt Disney Animation) Ed Catmull mentioned these concerns recently while speaking with Buzzfeed:

“For artistic reasons … it’s really important that we do an original film a year. Every once in a while, we get a film where we want or people want to see something continuing in that world — which is the rationale behind the sequel. They want those characters, which means we were successful with them. But if you keep doing that, then you aren’t doing original films.”

If the plan for more original films indeed sticks, I wouldn't expect another sequel or prequel until the second 2017 release or the 2018 release. At least I hope not.
To add onto this whole topic, I think Pixar's issue is also part of the fact that they went nuts with 3D re-releases. Disney did in general. We had re-releases of Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo. In addition to the Pixar re-releases we also had The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. We were supposed to have The Little Mermaid 3D this September, but Disney scrapped it after the box office failures of Monsters, Inc. 3D and Finding Nemo 3D. Add onto that the fact that just about every Disney and/or Pixar film is released in 3D regardless. Bottom line: This is a problem.

I hope Pixar can turn this around because it is extremely obvious what the problem is. The saddest part is that it is ridiculously easy to turn around.

Nine Inch Nails - Came Back Haunted music video premieres

Apparently it can cause seizures, so exercise some caution.

[Music] Avenged Sevenfold announces new album

Avenged Sevenfold has announced their follow-up to the 2011 album, Nightmare. The new album, titled Hail to the King, will be released on August 27, 2013.

Despite the awful cover art that looks like an 8th grade art student did it, I have high hopes for this album. I am a big A7X fan so I am hoping this is going to surpass Nightmare. It is their first album without The Rev, so we will just have to wait and see. I have my fingers crossed.

Julianne Moore sought after for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

This isn't really a spoiler, but in case you didn't know... many characters from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will carry over into the Mockingjay movies. However, there are still some new characters that need to be cast. One of those is Alma Coin, the leader of the rebellion against the Capitol. I'm sure many actresses are being considered for this role, as it is a very important one, but the woman on the top of Lionsgate's list right now is Julianna Moore.

Moore is an Oscar nominated actress with many decent credits to her name. She also has a busy 2013 including Carrie, Seventh Son, and Don Jon. I personally think she would be a fantastic choice and I hope this happens. There are a few pretty high end actors that have joined the cast, like Philip Seymour Hoffman and Donald Sutherland, so I don't think this is necessarily out of the question.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is set for November 21, 2014 and Part 2 is set for November 20, 2015.

In case you are completely ignorant of The Hunger Games beyond the first movie and want a spoiler, go ahead and click the jump and I will introduce you to President Coin a bit more.

Fifty Shades of Grey given 2014 release date

The movie adaptation of E.L. James' book Fifty Shades of Grey will hit theaters on August 1, 2014. That is if they can get the R-rating. The film is being put on by Universal and Focus and will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Universal acquired the rights to the entire trilogy in March 2012 and announced their intent to release movies shortly after.

Fifty Shades of Grey tells the erotic (and rather offensive) story of a young billionaire, Christian Grey, and a college student, Anastasia Steele, who fall in love and practice a rather intense BDSM relationship. The book trilogy has become one of the fastest selling book series of all time selling over 70 million copies in both.

Cameron Diaz joins Annie

Cameron Diaz has joined the new adaptation of Annie as Miss Hannigan. The role was originally offered to Sandra Bullock but she passed on it. Diaz will play the eccentric orphanage owner who gives her orphans, including Annie, a hard knock life.
Whenever I think of Miss Hannigan I think of Carol Burnett, so Diaz certainly has some big shoes to fill with this one.

So far we have Oscar nominee Quevenzhane Wallis set in the title role of Annie and Jamie Foxx set as the Daddy Warbucks character, Benjamin Stacks. Jay-Z and Will Smith are on as producers and Will Gluck is directing. Annie is set to hit theaters on December 25, 2014.

Catching Fire set for Comic-Con International 2013

[UPDATE] Catching Fire will be in Hall H on Saturday directly after the Warner Bros. and Legendary Presentations at 1:35pm. Here is the schedule for Saturday.

 
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has been set to appear at Comic-Con International in San Diego. There will be a panel along with a new trailer that will premiere on July 20th. You are able to visit the official Facebook page and submit questions (using the hashtag #CatchingFireComicCon)to be asked to the unannounced cast members that will attend. The panel will be moderated by Fandango correspondent Dave Karger. Catching Fire has been voted on Fandango as the most anticipated movie of 2013. It opens on November 22, 2013.

The powers that be are predicting Lionsgate will be setting up shop in Hall H and that Marvel will be holding panels the same day, so get your tents and sleeping bags ready to go. San Diego Comic-Con International is celebrating their 44th year and will be running from the evening of July 17th to July 21st.

Legendary Pictures separating from Warner Bros.

One of the best partnerships in recent history appears to be coming to a close.

Legendary Pictures is responsible for films like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, The Hangover trilogy, Man of Steel, Inception, 300, Watchmen, etc.. It appears that the company is looking to part ways with Warner Bros. and bond to another company.
Many were hoping the recent executive reconstruction at Warner Bros. would convince Legendary to stick around but it doesn't seem to have made much of an impact. Companies in the running to partner up with Legendary are Universal, Sony, Fox, and Lionsgate.
However, there is a bit of a hiccup with all this. Legendary CEO Tomas Tull has expressed interest in keeping the company separate from any co-financers in an attempt to do what Warner Bros. did with Harry Potter only with the future DC Comics movies. By going solo on production Legendary will then gain all the benefits of the films. If this doesn't happen and Tull finds a studio he likes, the deal will most likely go through before their next big release, Pacific Rim, which comes out on July 12th.

The only issue I see with this is... are the DC Comics movies contracted through Warner Bros. or through Legendary? If they are through WB I don't see how Legendary can gain access to continue making these films without the partnership, especially if they co-finance with a company like Sony who owns quite a few Marvel franchises like Spider-Man.


[UPDATE] - Universal has won the prize. Legendary announced on July 10th that they have merged with Universal and their television partners NBC, USA, and SyFy. 

Jim Carrey refuses to support Kick-Ass 2

In light of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, Jim Carrey has refused to do any promotional press for his upcoming movie Kick-Ass 2. Carrey vented on Twitter saying "I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence." He continued on with, "I meant to say my apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart."

Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar's response wasn't as sympathetic:

"As you may know, Jim is a passionate advocate of gun-control and I respect both his politics and his opinion, but I'm baffled by this sudden announcement as nothing seen in this picture wasn't in the screenplay eighteen months ago. ... Like Jim, I'm horrified by real-life violence (even though I'm Scottish), but Kick-Ass 2 isn't a documentary. No actors were harmed in the making of this production! This is fiction and like Tarantino and Peckinpah, Scorcese and Eastwood, John Boorman, Oliver Stone and Chan-Wook Park, Kick-Ass avoids the usual bloodless body-count of most big summer pictures and focuses instead of the CONSEQUENCES of violence, whether it's the ramifications for friends and family or, as we saw in the first movie, Kick-Ass spending six months in hospital after his first street altercation. Ironically, Jim's character in Kick-Ass 2 is a Born-Again Christian and the big deal we made of the fact that he refuses to fire a gun is something he told us attracted him to the role in the first place. Ultimately, this is his decision, but I've never quite bought the notion that violence in fiction leads to violence in real-life any more than Harry Potter casting a spell creates more Boy Wizards in real-life. ... Jim, I love ya and I hope you reconsider for all the above points. You're amazing in this insanely fun picture and I'm very proud of what Jeff, Matthew and all the team have done here."

This is an interesting one. That is for sure.

Monsters University - Review

Mike Wazowski follows his dream of being a scarer all the way to Monsters University where he meets his future scare partner, James P. Sullivan.


When I first heard that Pixar was making a Monsters Inc. film I thought, like everyone else, that it was going to be a sequel and was really looking forward to it. When I discovered that it was a prequel about Mike and Sully going to college I have to admit that I was initially turned off and really disappointed. I had high hopes for where they could have taken these characters and it got stomped on. However, after seeing more previews and promotion I got kind of excited and decided to give Monsters University a chance and I have to say that I did like it. I thought it was really funny and they did a good job mixing in characters from the previous movie into the prequel along with adding some really fun new characters.
As far as animation goes, I don't think it was necessarily the best Pixar has done but it was still pretty impressive. The detail in the monsters surpassed certain aspects of the first, I thought. None of the main characters looked the same so that was refreshing. They took the time to create many different monsters.
The plot surprised me a bit in terms of the actual flow of the movie. I liked how this movie was more for Mike and not so much Sully. From the way the previews looked it seemed that Mike would take the backseat to Sully once again but that wasn't the case. It was Mike's story and Sully was more of a supporting character. It shows how the two actually became friends and that was great.
One thing I do have to reiterate is how funny this movie is. I think this is probably the funniest movie Pixar has done yet and I enjoyed it a lot. Charlie Day's character had be on the floor at one point and a lot of the college-age antics they gave the monsters was hilarious. Definitely one for the kiddos.


Overall I would recommend Monsters University to anyone at any age. It is funny and has the typical good moral story at the bottom of it. It wasn't better than Monsters Inc. but it wasn't by any means bad. Very enjoyable.

Has Shailene Woodley already been replaced for Amazing Spider-man?

This is a possibility.

Just a few days after Marc Webb announced that Mary Jane Watson (played by Shailene Woodley) had been cut entirely from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, we have news that Sarah Gadon (Cosmopolis) has joined the Spider-Man franchise in an unannounced role.
Marc Webb said that despite Mary Jane being cut from the sequel she would appear in full in the third Spider-Man movie. However, no one mentioned if Mary Jane would still be played by Woodley and rumors of the role being re-cast have been going crazy ever since this news broke. It is possible that Webb lied to everyone and just said it to avoid having to admit that Woodley was a victim of bad casting. Then again, Gadon could be playing a completely different character that we don't know about yet.

The only thing this has all proved is that whatever the exact story is for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 obviously is not needing Mary Jane. Of course if it does and they just cut the character out entirely then that sucks. We'll just have to wait and see what role Sarah Gadon will have. I'm sure it will surface before too long.

Helena Bonham Carter to play Cinderella's fairy godmother

And this isn't even a Tim Burton flick.

Helena Bonham Carter (Les Miserables) has been added to the cast of Kenneth Branagh's upcoming adaptation of Cinderella. Carter will be playing the fairy godmother who gives Cinderella her one night to try and win the prince. This version of the tale will feature the godmother more than in the Disney cartoon. She is disguised as an old beggar woman who watches over Cinderella

The film also stars Lily James as Cinderella, Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother, and Richard Madden as the prince. Filming is set to begin this fall in London.

Robert Downey Jr. will return for The Avengers 2 & 3

There has been much rumor and speculation around Robert Downey Jr.'s future as Iron Man. People were saying Iron Man 3 was the last time we would see Downey as Tony Stark, others said he had already signed on for more movies, few said that Iron Man was gone for good, etc..

We now have confirmation that Downey will indeed reprise the role of Tony Stark for The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3. Now keep in mind that this is a 2-picture deal and it does not include a commitment to a fourth Iron Man movie. This also pretty much guarantees that Tony Stark will not make an appearance in any other Phase Two or Phase Three movies no matter how small the part. Not unless separate contracts are signed.
Seeing that Robert Downey Jr. has made it public that he doesn't want his career to be centered around Iron Man and that he thinks he would like to retire from the character at 50, I think it's safe to say The Avengers 3 will be the last time we have Downey as Tony Stark. If Marvel continues with these characters past Phase Three he will no doubt be absent.

Microsoft revises Xbox One restrictions

Microsoft must have realized they got their asses handed to them when Sony announced the PS4 at E3 last week. It basically combated everything the Xbox One had including required internet connections and restrictions on game sharing and selling,

Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One will no longer require gamers to log onto the internet in order to play offline and that game sharing, selling, and buying will remain the same as it does now. They also mentioned that games will be available via Xbox Live for download instead of buying a physical disc, but not required.


I still think the PS4 will come out on top, but we shall see how this pans out. The fact that the price tag still is at $500 has prevented some minds from changing.

James Gandolfini passes away at age 51

This is a sad moment. Like, seriously.

James Gandolfini, most recognized for his role as Tony Soprano, has passed away in Rome, Italy at the age of 51 of a rumored heart attack. He was on vacation with his family.

Rest in peace, sir. You were a fantastic actor.

Sam Taylor-Johnson to direct Fifty Shades of Grey

Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) has been tapped to direct the adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, the erotic story of a college student who enters a risky, relationship with a young business executive. You probably don't know who this woman is but she entered more spotlight after marrying a man 23 years younger than her after he starred in her movie (aka, Aaron Taylor-Johnson from Kick-Ass). It is speculated that they have brought her in to try and give more to the story other than make it the raunchy, BDSM story that it is. Trust me, I managed to read the entire book.

Along with this news, there are more rumors swirling around the casting now that the picture has a director. The given is, of course, that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been singled out as a contender for the role of Christian Grey but the word is he probably won't pursue the role. The other rumor is that Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) is in the running for Anastasia Steele.

Mary Jane cut from The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Mary Jane Watson was originally supposed to have a brief role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Shailene Woodley was even seen filming on set. However, director Marc Webb has announced that Mary Jane's scenes have been cut entirely from the film and they are saving her introduction until The Amazing Spider-Man 3. The is no word on whether the scenes filmed for the sequel will be saved and included in the third movie or if they will remain cut and unused.

This comes after Woodley mentioned it in the upcoming issue of EW where she was discussing her upcoming film Divergent:

"Of course I’m bummed. But I am a firm believer in everything happening for a specific reason…Based on the proposed plot, I completely understand the need for holding off on introducing Mary Jane until the next film."

Maybe this means the whole rumor of Gwen Stacy dying is going to be a reality?

Selma Blair officially out of Anger Management

It's been rumored the past couple days, but it has been confirmed that Selma Blair has exited the FX show Anger Management. Lionsgate cited that Blair will "not return to the show" but didn't really specify why. The rumors rolling around are that Blair and co-star Charlie Sheen have been fighting and that Sheen threatened to quit if Blair wasn't fired.

Blair played Kate, Sheen's therapist who doubled as his sort-of girlfriend. There is no word on who will replace the character void on the show yet. The show returned to FX in January for 90-episodes of the 100-episode order than FX placed. Sheen's other co-stars include Shawnee Smith, Martin Sheen, Daniela Bobadilla, and Brett Butler.

Dumb and Dumber sequel picked up by Universal

Universal Pictures and Red Granite are moving forward with the sequel to the 1994 film, Dumb and Dumber. The film, as you should know, starred Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels along with Charles Rocket and Lauren Holly. The sequel was originally scrapped by Warner Bros. that both Carrey and Daniels have agreed to be a part of and the Farrelly brothers are directing. The plot, apparently, will follow the duo as they venture out to find Harry's illegitimate daughter a kidney transplant.

I wonder how many more dead birds they've sold to blind kids.

Jurassic Park 4 aiming for 2015 release

I guess the indefinite postponement Universal put on Jurassic Park 4 didn't stick too well. Word is out that they are aiming for a 2015 3D release for the film that will be directed by Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed). Steven Spielberg is on the case to meet with Trevorrow and the producers to read the script and go over some more details before the film officially enters production.

This was seen at the 2013 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas (via ComingSoon.net).

Jurassic Park 4 will share the 2015 release year with The Avengers 2, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, Star Wars Episode VII, Snow White and the Huntsman 2, Avatar 2, Prometheus 2, Fantastic Four, Assassin's Creed, Ant-Man, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, and Finding Dory. Those are just a few major movies scheduled for 2015.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For pushed to 2014

Robert Rodriguez's upcoming sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For has been pushed back almost a full year from this October to August 22, 2014. This comes after people realized Rodriguez had two movies opening a week apart. The other being Machete Kills, the sequel to Machete.

Very disappointing.

Man of Steel Easter Eggs have surfaced

This obviously has spoilers, so if you haven't seen Man of Steel and keep reading it's your own fault.


Easter Egg time! Here are some little eggs in Man of Steel that you may or may not have caught.

1. LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises logos were present

During the big battle in Metropolis one of the buildings blasted was a LexCorp building and an oil tanker also had the logo. As you should know, this is a nod to Superman's arch nemesis Lex Luthor.
Also, the satellite that Zod and Superman destroy while fighting in space is a Wayne Enterprises piece of equipment. Wayne Enterprises of course is owned by none other than Bruce Wayne (aka, Batman).

2. Supergirl was there... sort of.

When Clark enters the Kryptonian ship in the Arctic he encounters some cryotubes. They show us a mummy-like corpse in one of them, but there is also an empty chamber. Several of us online have speculated that the chamber was inhabited by Kara Zor-El (aka, Supergirl), Clark's Kryptonian cousin. Zack Snyder and David Goyer have declined official comments on it, but they have both said they left several loose ends open on purpose.

3. Star Sapphire

Carol Ferris (aka, the USAF Captain working with the General) is sometimes known as the semi-love interest of Hal Jordan (Green Lantern). She also doubles as the supervillain/superhero Star Sapphire. There is no word on whether the character was brought in just to think Superman is "hot" or whether she will prove to be more relevant.


This isn't all of the eggs floating around the internet, but these are the three I think are the most relevant to the potential future of Man of Steel and/or the impending Justice League movie.

Girl Meets World to premiere in 2014

Disney has announced the upcoming spinoff to Boy Meets World has officially been picked up as a series by the Disney Channel and will premiere in full in 2014. There is no exact premiere date, but Girl Meets World brings back Cory and Topanga (aka, Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel) back to the small screen for the first time since Boy Meets World ended in 2000. The show is centered around their daughter, Riley Matthews (Rowan Blanchard).

EW has some sneak pictures to tide us over until then:

Sony confirms The Amazing Spider-Man 3 & 4

Sony is rolling along with their recent, and rather successful, reboot of Spider-Man. Seeing that The Amazing Spider-Man raked in over $750 million in 2012 and the is sequel currently in production, they have announced the release dates for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and 4. We will get the third installment on June 10, 2016 and the fourth on May 4, 2018.

The details for each movie are non-existent and the sequel is still being filmed in NYC, so I wouldn't expect any more information for quite sometime. However, certain cast and crew members (specifically Andrew Garfield) have signed multi-year deals so it's pretty obvious that they will be sticking around until 2018. This also pretty much confirms that Sony is clinging onto the rights to Spider-Man, so those wishing for the Spidey cameo in a future Avengers movie can stop holding their breath.

We also have some new characters that are rather important to the Spider-Man story that will be introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 such as Mary Jane Watson (played by Shailene Woodley) and Harry Osborne (played by Dane DeHaan). I have no doubt one or both of them will have a major part in the future Spider-Man movies Sony has just announced. 
My only concern with this is Andrew Garfield's age. He's already 29 and is portraying a 17-year old. By the time 2018 hits he will be pushing 35. That is a bit ridiculous.

Loki will not return for The Avengers 2

For all of you Loki fanatics out there you might as well soak in the parts of Thor: The Dark World that he will appear in because it seems they will be his last... at least as far as the movies go.

Joss Whedon has confirmed that Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) will not appear in The Avengers 2. He is quoted as saying,

"First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki’s not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back, not as an insult, it’s just a nice word.”

So there we have it. I can respect that Whedon isn't relying on the tricks and humor that has worked in previous movies and wants to give us something new. I also think with the villains they are introducing are badder and a bit beyond the scale of Loki, so he is the least of their worries at this point. 

True Blood "Who Are You, Really?" - Review

The sixth season of True Blood premiered this evening with "Who Are You, Really?" Was it worth the watch?

For me personally... no.

I have been a True Blood viewer since season one and haven't ever missed an episode since. Despite being an avid viewer I am the first person to say this show has a lot of problems and has been steadily going downhill for several seasons. From what I can tell from tonight's premiere it's only going to keep getting worse.
I think Alan Ball leaving the show has a lot to do with tonight's disappointment, but in all fairness it has been on a downward spiral since season three. I can't think of a story arc that I have really liked since season two. The characters have close to no development anymore and there are always (repeat, always) too many things going on at once. If it isn't something with Sookie it is Pam being forced to turn Tara or Andy knocking up a fairy or Lafayette seeing ghosts or whatever the hell is going on with the Authority or the government or Sam falling in love with yet another trainwreck or Alcide fighting with past friends... the list just goes on and on. I don't think I can even remember everything anymore.

But enough of complaining about the show in general.
Tonight we saw Bill basically become the full embodiment of Lilith, the vampire God (aka, Billith). He chases the gang through the Authority building as they escape and scatter to their separate ways. Jason disowns Sookie for choosing vampires over him, Eric and Nora give Sookie her house back and return to Bon Temps, Tara and Pam return to Fangtasia only to be ambushed by the cops, and Bill lures Jessica back to him and plays some crazy mind game to convince her he didn't understand what was happening to him. And, of course, on top of all that we have Andy, Arlene, and Terry trying to take care of all the fairy babies, Sam is dealing with the death of Luna and trying to keep her daughter safe, and Alcide is taking his full duties as pack master into his hands. *wipes brow*

I thought, as always, everything wasn't quite blending well and we have already had a lot of new characters introduced. They didn't do a very good job of both continuing on from the season finale last year or meshing the new characters. It all just gets thrown together and it's a mess. In order to full make this show tolerable again they should just kill off some of the characters with the annoying subplots. It's confusing.
I am honestly to the point where I might stop watching. 

Episode rating: C-

Man of Steel - Review

Clark Kent is put forced to face the truth of his race and his destiny after ancient members of his race come to find and destroy him on Earth. In an attempt to save the human race from General Zod's genocide, Clark is forced to reveal who he really is to the world in Man of Steel.


I'm going to jump right into this because I don't really have much else to start with. And yes, there are spoilers so beware.

1. It was way too long. They could have cut a half hour out and no one would have known the difference.
2. The whole Lois Lane knowing exactly who Superman was the whole time bugged me.
3. The beginning dragged a lot and despite the drag they didn't really reveal a ton of information. Zack Snyder did what he does best and focused on shots that aren't really relevant just because he can make them look cool.
4. There was a lack of downtime. The amount of constant action was a bit overkill.
5. The sound effects are downright painful. I consider myself an individual with good hearing, but when your ears start hurting and ringing because of the volume and high pitch of the effects there is a problem.
6. Clark got the Superman suit way too fast. Speaking of the suit, I still hate it and the new logo.


Now with that said, I do have to say that despite all that I did like Man of Steel. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was anticipating and I was very shocked. However, I still am not a fan of Zack Snyder. I think his overuse of visual effects and the lack of time management is ridiculous and I have felt that way for years.
I also felt that this movie had the origin but it lacked. They showed Clark being sent to Earth from Krypton and then it hit fast forward 33 years where he was working odd jobs in the Arctic trying to find where he came from. They used flashbacks as the explanation and even then it was really choppy. It's like they dragged on with the part on Krypton and then all of a sudden rushed through to play catch-up and gave him the suit. It's like they just assumed that everyone knows the Superman story. I like to think people do but not everyone. That is just a given and they ignored that.

Like I said, I did like it for the most part. I thought the effects although overused were pretty well done. I also thought the acting far exceeded my expectation. Henry Cavill was awesome and I absolutely loved Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, and Michael Shannon. All of them were great. The only disappointment I really had was with Amy Adams. She was a terrible Lois Lane and I don't understand why she was cast.
I loved the parts where Clark was in Kansas and where he was searching for the right times to use his powers. I thought that was extremely well done. The only parts that really lacked, for me, was on Krypton and the battle in Metropolis. That just took too damn long.


What did you guys think of Man of Steel? The reception has been so mixed up so far.

David Goyer explains Justice League aspirations

Man of Steel doesn't officially come out until midnight tonight, but Warner Bros. has already tapped director Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer to write and direct a fast-track sequel for Man of Steel. They are also hoping it will kickstart other DC movies leading into the Justice League movie.

David Goyer has already revealed that Warner Bros. is starting to move on Wonder Woman and Aquaman to create a shared universe for Justice League to expand on. He also says that with Superman revealing himself to the world in Man of Steel opens up a whole can of worms when it comes to the superheroes being known. It also could lead to Batman putting back on his cowl after the events of The Dark Knight Rises. Another bit of info that is important to remember is he mentioned that they want the fast-track Man of Steel sequel to be before Justice League and that kind of pushes the desired 2015 release out of possibility.


Now... to me this sounds like they are trying to mimic what Marvel did almost exactly. Iron Man started it and the other heroes kind of followed suit ending (sort of) with The Avengers. Batman kind of played the Iron Man role with Nolan's trilogy, so if Superman is acting as DC's version of Thor in terms of letting the general public know of the "superhuman" heroes then that will open up the arena for even more Superman and for Wonder Woman and Aquaman to follow.

In other words, DC and Warner Bros. are just taking notes on what is working for Marvel.

Schwarzenegger confirmed for Terminator 5

Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed that he will be playing the Terminator in the upcoming fifth installment of the Terminator film franchise. Other news is that filming is apparently going to start in January.

Now this comes after Terminator: Savlation (2008) with Christian Bale and Sam Worthington was pretty much a failure and after fans hoping Arnold would come back as a human character and not as the Terminator. Another concern is about his age. Having him in Rise of the Machines was pushing it and that movie is already 10 years old. Paramount also had tapped Justin Lin to direct but he chose to do Fast and Furious 6 instead. However, seeing that filming isn't going to start for another 6 months they could potentially bring Lin back.

Official Insidious 2 poster

It's actually pretty creepy.

Rumors about Star Wars Episode VII characters begin

Rumor alert!

The latest rumor is about Episode VII's protagonists. People are saying that the protagonists will be Leia and Han's twin children, Jaina and Jacen Solo. A casting notice has apparently surfaced with this information:

Two 17 year old twins, a girl and a boy, are trained by their uncle Luke to be the greatest Jedi’s in the galaxy. Problems arise when the male twin turns to the dark side.
Jaina Solo – Female, 17 years old, lead. – Jacen’s twin sister, one of the greatest Jedi’s in the galaxy, trained by her uncle Luke Skywalker
Jacen Solo – Male, 17 years old, lead – Jaina’s twin brother, one of the greatest Jedi’s in the world. A loner who is constantly struggling with the idea of what’s right and what’s wrong. Starts to turn to the dark side. Full of conviction that what he is doing is the “right thing”. Will eventually become Darth Caedus.

 If this is true it would explain why initial rumors of Chloe Moretz being considered for a role were surfacing. This also would allow Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill to all return and actually be relevant to the plot.
HOWEVER... these characters are in the expanded universe storyline and it was previously reported that the EU would not be the basis for Star Wars Episode VII. I also don't see why they would include that much info on a casting call. My consensus is this is probably fake. Sorry guys. 

Sony wins the battle - PS4 revealed

It seems Sony has won the battle of the console with the reveal of the Playstation 4. Some major features that Microsoft didn't include with the Xbox One:

1. The PS4 won't require an internet connection to play
2. You can buy, sell, and share games as you please without penalty
3. Over 140 PS4 games are in development with at least 100 to be released at the time of the console launch
4. The price tag is $399 which is $100 less than the Xbox One

The basic consensus, and I saw it on my Facebook and Twitter accounts all night, is that Microsoft has seriously shot themselves in the foot and I agree. The PS4 runs miles around the Xbox One in terms of features and price. The inability to play games offline is absurd and the argument of "well everyone is online now" is ridiculous. Not everyone wants to play a game online. It's just a basic fact.

Goodbye Microsoft. The war is over.

The Conjuring to debut at LA Film Festival

James Wan's upcoming horror film The Conjuring will make its debut at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 21st. There will be two screenings followed by a Q&A session with James Wan. Warner Bros previously screened footage at CinemaCon back in April where the film received several positive reviews. The film also created some buzz when the MPAA slapped an R-rating on it for "simply being too scary for PG-13."

The film tells the true story of the Perron family (portrayed by Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston) who claimed to live with the dead in their Rhode Island home back in the 1970's. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson play Ed and Lorraine Warren, the paranormal investigators who worked with the Perrons.

The Conjuring opens domestically on July 19, 2013.

Xbox One priced at $499; to be released in November

At E3 today, Microsoft announced some new info about the Xbox One.

1. It will launch in November
3. They are not using the Microsoft Points system
2. The price is $499

Now, this new information is in addition to the previous information of having to connect the system to the internet at least once a day, you can only loan to one person, and you have restrictions when it comes to re-selling games. The system has already come under fire by gamers for ridiculously unnecessary features and an overall not being very user friendly.

I just sold my Xbox 360 and it doesn't look like I'm going to be replacing it. Not with an Xbox One, that's for sure. The $500 price tag is ridiculous.

First clear glimpse at The Winter Soldier

Looks great to me.

First poster for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The trailer is apparently coming out next week. The poster doesn't really intrigue me.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is set to come out on December 13, 2013.

J.J. Abrams planning early 2014 start for Star Wars

Director J.J. Abrams has announced that he is currently planning for an early 2014 production start for Star Wars Episode VII. Production will begin in London hoping to meet the 2015 release date that Disney previously announced. Abrams signed on to direct this past February.

Still no word on exactly what Episode VII is going to be about and we don't have an official title or set release date yet, but production is definitely moving.

Actress arrested for ricin letters

So much for being on television.

Actress Shannon Richardson, who has appeared on The Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries, was arrested Friday in Texas for apparently sending ricin laced letters to President Obama and NYC Mayor Bloomberg.
This comes after she blamed her husband, an Army veteran, for sending the letters claiming she found suspicious materials in her refrigerator. She is currently awaiting arraignment in Texas in Federal Court.

Way to go!

V/H/S/2 - Review

V/H/S/2 is the sequel to 2012's V/H/S where two private investigators searching for a missing student find a series of VHS tapes and find more than they bargained for in regards to the disappearance of the student.

I decided to watch this one mainly because I really enjoyed V/H/S, at least for what it was worth. I thought the format was cool and that a lot of things worked. Although the sequel isn't perfect it did fix a lot of problems the first one had and brought a lot more to the table. I really enjoyed V/H/S/2 and I honestly think it is a little better than the first one.

Starting off with the sequences:

1. A man gets a robotic eye after a car accident and is forced to record everything he sees for trial purposes. He starts having visions of dead people and encounters a fellow disabled woman who tries to explain what is happening to him.

2. A man riding his bike through the woods encounters a wounded woman who transforms into the living dead. He is bitten by her and discovered by two fellow bikers and it quickly becomes a zombie epidemic.

3. A small film crew making a documentary about a local cult gets a lot more than they expected to see when they are allowed into the cult's compound to interview their leader.

4. A group of children and teenagers having a slumber party full of tricks and harmless pranks is crashed when a UFO lands and they meet aliens don't seem to be searching for friends.


I have seen many other people say this already, but #3 is by far the best of the entire movie and probably one of the best horror shorts I have seen in a long time. I don't want to ruin exactly what happens because it is just that good. It is the longest of the shorts and takes up a decent chunk of the movie and it is worth every second. 
#1 and #2 were alright. I think #2 was a lot better than #1. I love zombies in general, but this one was just great. The amount of satire and comedy that went into it was great. It was basically a zombie POV video and it was funny and original.
I think the weakest was #4. It felt like a home movie that would show up on Ridiculousness only it got crashed by aliens. That and the dead dog just killed it for me. They definitely didn't save the best for last.

One thing I will give V/H/S/2 is they made more of a story outside of the actual tapes. The first one was just a bunch of shaky cam with thieves who happen to find tapes. In this one the characters are actually invested in each other and there is an underlying plot aside from the tapes. The tapes actually have relevance to what happens with the private investigators and the student. I really liked that.

Overall this was a pretty good horror flick. It was a lot better than V/H/S in my opinion and is definitely worth a watch. It might surprise you.

Nine Inch Nails announces 2013 US tour dates

Nine Inch Nails has released the US and Canada tour dates for the 2013 Tension tour!

9.28  St Paul, MN (Xcel Energy Center)
9.30  Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)
10.01  St. Louis, MO (Chaifetz Arena)
10.03  Monreal, Quebec (Centre Ball)
10.04  Toronto, Ontario (Air Canada Centre)
10.05  Cleveland, OH (Wolstein Center)
10.07  Auburn Hills, MI (The Palace of Auburn Hills)
10.08  Pittsburgh, PA (Petersen Events Center)
10.11  Boston, MA (TD Garden)
10.14  Brooklyn, NY (Barclays Center)
10.15  Newark, NJ (Prudential Center)
10.18  Washington, DC (Verizon Center)
10.19  University Park, PA (Bryce Jordan Center)
10.21  Raleigh, NC (PNC Arena)
10.22  Nashville, TN (Bridgestone Arena)
10.24  Atlanta, GA (Philips Arena)
10.25-27  Ashville, NC (Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit)
10.30  Sunrise, FL (BB&T Center)
10.31  Orlando, FL (Amway Center)
11.01-11.03  New Orleans, LA (Voodoo Festival)
11.05  San Antonio, TX (AT&T Center)
11.08  Los Angeles, CA (Staples Center)
11.09  Phoenix, AZ (US Airways Center)
11.11  El Paso, TX (Don Haskins Center)
11.13  Broomfield, CO (1stBANK Center)
11.15-16  Las Vegas, NV (The Joint)
11.18  Portland, OR (Rose Garden Arena)
11.19  Spokane, WA (Spokane Arena)
11.21  Vancouver, British Columbia (Rogers Arena)
11.22  Seattle, WA (KeyArena)
11.24  Edmonton, Alberta (Rexall Place)
11.25  Calgary, Alberta (Scotiabank Saddledome)


I'm pissed because they chose 1stBANK Center up in Broomfield, but I will go up there for NIN. I don't see why they didn't just pick Pepsi Center.

This NIN tour will feature Trent Reznor, Robin Finck (returning), Josh Eustis, Ilan Rubin (returning), and Alessandro Cortini (returning). I am excited to see Robin Finck come back despite me secretly hoping Aaron North would make a comeback, but not all dreams can come true. I was also hoping Trent could pull Josh Freese back into the groove but again... you can't have it all.

[Update 6/6] Adrian Belew has left the tour lineup citing that it was "just not working." No word yet on who will be replacing Belew in the lineup. 

Warner Bros. gives up rights to gain Interstellar

Warner Bros. has given up the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise along with certain rights to South Park in order to snag Christopher Nolan's upcoming film Interstellar. The studio made the move to gain most of the profit and promotion from Paramount Pictures, the studio currently making the film with Nolan. This now means a future Friday the 13th film and a portion of a future South Park film will be co-financed by the two studios. It also includes that Paramount will co-finance an unannounced future Warner Bros. project. My guess is the project will either be Justice League or a new Batman movie.

Now... let's be clear that future South Park and Friday the 13th films are not currently in production or real planning stages. Warner Bros. put Jason Vorhees on the back burner due to the fact that PG-13 horror movies are kind of popular right now so they don't want to rock the boat with an R-rated horror release. It also has something to do with the fact that Paramount had some sort of property claim on both of these as well. Now that they are back to Paramount new movies for both are pretty likely to be pushed forward.

Insidious: Chapter 2 - First Trailer

Alright, I am so ready for this movie. James Wan is about to own my summer not only with this but with The Conjuring. Bring it!

Nine Inch Nails to release new single on Thursday

O...M...G...


Nine Inch Nails will release the new single from their new album this Thursday, June 6th. The single will be "Came Back Haunted."
The Los Angeles radio station KROQ describes the single as being closer to NIN's roots and not so much the "experimental material Trent's done in the last five years."


I am so excited I could burst. Now to go listen to some NIN all night. kbai

Kristen Stewart to star in two indie films

Kristen Stewart must be trying to keep a low profile seeing that two of her upcoming films are independent releases. She was originally supposed to co-star with Ben Affleck in Focus but she later dropped out of the film shortly after Affleck dropped. She is also set to film the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman at some point, but the film still has no director so that apparently isn't in a huge rush.

Stewart will play a young woman who joins the military to escape a small town in Camp X-Ray. Her character is stationed at Guantanamo Bay and develops a relationship with a male prisoner only to later be abused and hated by Muslim men in her charge. Peter Sattler wrote the project and is making his directorial debut. Filming is set to begin later this year.
She will also star in Sils Maria where she will co-star with Chloe Moretz and Juliette Binoche. The plot and characterization sounds confusing as director Oliver Assayas says Stewart will play an assistant to Binoche, an actress who becomes obsessed with a young actress (Chloe Moretz) who is playing a role who made Binoche's character famous. So I guess it would be like them relaunching Roseanne and Sara Gilbert had an assistant who was obsessed with the girl playing the new Darlene. At least that's what it sounds like to me. Filming for this one begins in Europe this summer.


Personally, and I have said this before, I quite enjoy Kristen Stewart when she is in her element and that honestly is independent film. I am curious about these movies and I am especially intrigued with Camp X-Ray. I think that sounds really interesting.

Benicio del Toro joins Guardians of the Galaxy

After being in unsuccessful talks for Star Trek, Benicio del Toro has joined the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy in an unannounced role. Like most other cast members, his deal will involve multiple films so the role must be pretty substantial.

Rumor has it, and this is just a rumor, that del Toro might have been cast as Thanos. However, that means he will have to at least be in The Avengers 2.

Penelope Cruz cast in Bond 24

Say hello to your new Bond girl.

Penelope Cruz has been cast in Bond 24 and will be the best girl to accommodate 007. She also will be the oldest actress to play in a James Bond movie as she will soon be turning 40. Just a random fact.

Bond 24 is set to begin filming next summer for an unannounced release.