It appears the hype around 12 Years a Slave didn't quite come to fruition, at least not the with the Golden Globes. The acclaimed and predicted Oscar favorite took home just one of the awards it was nominated for. Surprise winners include Her, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers Club.
Here is the full list of winners:
Best Motion Picture - Drama
12 Years a Slave
Best Actress - Drama
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Best Actor - Drama
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
American Hustle
Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
Amy Adams - American Hustle
Best Actor - Comedy or Musical
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Best Supporting Actor
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Best Original Score
Alex Ebert - All is Lost
Best Original Song
"Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Best Screenplay
Spike Jonze - Her
Best Animated Feature
Frozen
Best Foreign Film
The Great Beauty
Best Supporting Actress - TV Movie, Series, or Mini-Series
Jacqueline Bisset - Dancing on the Edge
Best Actress - Mini-Series or TV Movie
Elisabeth Moss - Top of the Lake
Best Television Series - Drama
Breaking Bad
Best Supporting Actor - TV Movie, Series, or Mini-Series
Jon Voight - Ray Donovan
Best Actor - Mini-Series or TV Movie
Michael Douglas - Behind the Candelabra
Best Actor - Television Drama
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Best Actress - Television Drama
Robin Wright - House of Cards
Best Actor - Television Comedy or Musical
Andy Samberg - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Best Actress - Television Comedy or Musical
Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation
Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Are the Globes a tell-tale sign of what is to come with the Oscars? Sometimes. With this I think the Oscars might be full of dark horses. I would watch out for Her, Dallas Buyers Club, and The Wolf of Wall Street. If those get nominations they might just take them. A lot of people were certain 12 Years a Slave and/or Gravity were going to sweep and that didn't happen. The frontrunner so far seems to be American Hustle which is well deserved.
This also marks the first in many years where a Pixar film did not take home Best Animated Feature. The reason being they did not nominate Monsters University. I am pretty sure Pixar would have taken it over Frozen if it was nominated. I'm pretty certain the Oscars won't exclude Pixar, but we will see.
The past seven days
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After their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion across the districts of Panem, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return to ... -
I will admit I hadn't heard a thing about the new Summit Entertainment zombie film, Warm Bodies, until this morning. It is set to hit th...
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Despite the tragedy here in Colorado I still went out to a different theater last night and saw the much anticipated finale to Christopher N...
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Shia LaBeouf tweets his retirement
And the saga continues...
In light of his recent plagiarism scandal and criticism of his dealings with the subject, Shia LaBeouf has resorted to his Twitter account to announce that he is leaving the public spotlight.
"In light of the recent attacks on my artistic integrity, I am retiring from all public life. My love goes out to those who have supported me."
This comes a few days after he tweeted a cease and desist letter from Daniel Clowes' lawyer requesting that he take control of the situation and make it right. LaBeouf openly admitted to plagiarizing Clowes' graphic novel, David Boring, and took the step to share storyboards for a future project that also was lifting more of Clowes' work. In his attempt to apologize about the situation, he also plagiarized his apologies and the world has pretty much made the point directly to LaBeouf to get his shit together. His response seems to be to just leave the public eye which he has kind of done before, so I take this with a grain of salt. I'm sure he is just trying to focus the attention on himself as he always does. I say that after remembering the stink he made about vowing to never work with a major studio again after his bad experiences on the Transformers films. The only person to come to his defense is his Even Stevens co-star, Christy Carlson Romano. She stated, ""He’s always just honored his artistic instincts, even when he was 12 years old to about 15 or 16 as we worked together. This is not just some breakdown, like some other child actors. This isn't some emotional neediness. This is something that he's actively doing."
I'm not sorry to say I won't miss you, Shia. I haven't liked you since Disturbia.
In light of his recent plagiarism scandal and criticism of his dealings with the subject, Shia LaBeouf has resorted to his Twitter account to announce that he is leaving the public spotlight.
"In light of the recent attacks on my artistic integrity, I am retiring from all public life. My love goes out to those who have supported me."
This comes a few days after he tweeted a cease and desist letter from Daniel Clowes' lawyer requesting that he take control of the situation and make it right. LaBeouf openly admitted to plagiarizing Clowes' graphic novel, David Boring, and took the step to share storyboards for a future project that also was lifting more of Clowes' work. In his attempt to apologize about the situation, he also plagiarized his apologies and the world has pretty much made the point directly to LaBeouf to get his shit together. His response seems to be to just leave the public eye which he has kind of done before, so I take this with a grain of salt. I'm sure he is just trying to focus the attention on himself as he always does. I say that after remembering the stink he made about vowing to never work with a major studio again after his bad experiences on the Transformers films. The only person to come to his defense is his Even Stevens co-star, Christy Carlson Romano. She stated, ""He’s always just honored his artistic instincts, even when he was 12 years old to about 15 or 16 as we worked together. This is not just some breakdown, like some other child actors. This isn't some emotional neediness. This is something that he's actively doing."
I'm not sorry to say I won't miss you, Shia. I haven't liked you since Disturbia.
[Rumor] Jesse Plemons sought for Episode VII
It's getting closer and closer to filming for Star Wars: Episode VII and with that we are bound to get some more casting and plot rumors. The latest is that Jesse Plemons, most recently known as Todd in Breaking Bad, is being eyed for a male lead as the offspring of Luke Skywalker.
I want to make it clear that he has not been cast yet. The reports are that he has been called back for another audition and/or screen test with J.J. Abrams. This does not mean he will be cast and it doesn't mean he won't be. This is all pretty much blowing smoke at this point, but I figured it was worth mentioning for the sheer fact that he would be a pretty believable as a Skywalker. Depending on the picture Plemons does resemble Mark Hamill a bit. However, I think if this role is supposed to be a teenage role and will potentially last three movies that he is a bit old. He will be 26 this year and I'm not trying to say he looks old for his age, but he definitely doesn't have a baby face. It won't be believable that he is a young teenager.
I bet we will get more info on Episode VII in the next couple of months regardless. They can't keep people waiting forever.
What do you think about Jesse Plemons potentially being cast in Star Wars? Is he a good fit or a bad fit?
I want to make it clear that he has not been cast yet. The reports are that he has been called back for another audition and/or screen test with J.J. Abrams. This does not mean he will be cast and it doesn't mean he won't be. This is all pretty much blowing smoke at this point, but I figured it was worth mentioning for the sheer fact that he would be a pretty believable as a Skywalker. Depending on the picture Plemons does resemble Mark Hamill a bit. However, I think if this role is supposed to be a teenage role and will potentially last three movies that he is a bit old. He will be 26 this year and I'm not trying to say he looks old for his age, but he definitely doesn't have a baby face. It won't be believable that he is a young teenager.
I bet we will get more info on Episode VII in the next couple of months regardless. They can't keep people waiting forever.
What do you think about Jesse Plemons potentially being cast in Star Wars? Is he a good fit or a bad fit?
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - Review
After the mysterious and sudden death of his neighbor, Jesse begins experiencing odd paranormal disturbances. While investigating the bigger picture he discovers he has been specially marked for possession in Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.
Let this be a disclaimer that this review will contain spoilers. If you haven't seen this movie and want to, I suggest you come back after you have seen it. You don't want the ending spoiled for you. Trust me.
Last chance.
I will be the first to say that I absolutely despise the Paranormal Activity movies. I think they are boring, full of cheap scares, and a bit over stretched. With that said, I was not excited to see The Marked Ones especially after I learned it was a spin-off. I saw the trailer and while I gave it credit for actually looking more eventful I still didn't put much stock in it. After seeing it I have to admit, despite how embarrassing this is for me, this was a pretty damn good horror movie and by far is the best of the Paranormal Activity franchise so far.
Why do I say this? Well, first off there is no footage of people sleeping. None. That made me extremely happy. Second, it was consistently eventful throughout the entire movie. There was none of this boring as hell for an hour and then eventful for the last 10-15min. I also thought the acting wasn't all that bad either. The kids were believable and they weren't as annoying as the previous teenagers we have had, especially in Paranormal Activity 4.
As far as the plot goes I thought this one probably had one of the most interesting storylines. The basics of it are Jesse's neighbor was a witch and tried possessing his classmate, Oscar, and then the demon marked and possessed Jesse. I think the setting was a nice change of pace because it dealt with completely different people in a different area of California.
The movie, obviously, was full of gimmicks but there was the good and the bad.
The best gimmicks:
The haunted Simon Says toy
The rehash of the bite mark as the symbol for "the marked ones"
The time travel reveal
The bad gimmicks:
Falling backwards and not hitting the ground
Super strength in beating up gangsters
A lot of the gimmicks and elements were easter eggs, to a point, referencing the previous movies. These are not limited to the Spanish newspapers in Katie's house (PA4), the reuse of the bite mark (PA), the word "meus" written on the wall (PA2), The box of stolen VHS tapes (PA2), grandma Lori's house being the witch coven (PA3), and young Kristi and Katie appearing in the neighbor's basement.
Now this all led up to something... I do have to say the ending was not only the best part of the movie, but it was definitely the best of the entire franchise.I recognized the grandma's house almost immediately because despite not liking the movie as a whole, I will say that my favorite part of Paranormal Activity 3 was when Dennis ran down the hallway and opened the door with the room full of witches just standing there. Hector, Marisol, and the gangsters raid the coven and these crazy, yelling witches come out of nowhere and get blown away shotgun style. They enter the house and encounter a demonic Jesse and more witches that seem to appear out of nowhere. Marisol and the gangsters bite the dust leaving poor Hector the cameraman running from Jesse.
Remember me saying one of the best gimmicks was time travel? Here is where this comes into play. It is explained to a point that the witches can travel from point to point in reference to demonic possession. Yes, this means they can travel through time to the event of a full possession. Hector is running from Jesse and he opens a door in grandma's house and finds himself in a familiar spot. I immediately recognized it as Katie and Micah's house from the very first Paranormal Activity. You see Katie walking down the stairs as she did at the end of PA, she grabs a knife, and when she turns around she looks at Hector and starts screaming for Micah, as in the first movie. This is what we didn't see in the movie because the camera stays stationary in the master bedroom. Micah sees Hector, pushes him, and then Katie starts stabbing him. Hector gets scared and when he turns around you are surprised by a full demonic Jesse popping up and killing Hector. There is speculation that the person who turns off the light on the camera downstairs is Alex from Paranormal Activity 4, but I think it looked like Katie.
Here is my theory about this ending... This all literally happened at the same time from the very beginning. We just didn't know it at the time. I think Katie could have had a brief relief from the trance to scream for Micah and lure him downstairs because she saw Hector in the kitchen. We didn't know it because as mentioned before, Micah's camera was stationary in the bedroom.
Director Christopher Landon has done a nice job wrapping this all together to this point. I'm not saying I am suddenly a big fan of Paranormal Activity franchise, but this was a nice surprise. No shit, I screamed when Jesse popped up at the end looking like the devil. It caught me 100% off guard. I think this was a good set up for Paranormal Activity 5 and it finally made a connection between the previous four movies that is more than Katie randomly popping up everywhere. It's nice to know this spreads beyond this singular family and this witch coven is worldwide. Bloody good show.
Let this be a disclaimer that this review will contain spoilers. If you haven't seen this movie and want to, I suggest you come back after you have seen it. You don't want the ending spoiled for you. Trust me.
Last chance.
I will be the first to say that I absolutely despise the Paranormal Activity movies. I think they are boring, full of cheap scares, and a bit over stretched. With that said, I was not excited to see The Marked Ones especially after I learned it was a spin-off. I saw the trailer and while I gave it credit for actually looking more eventful I still didn't put much stock in it. After seeing it I have to admit, despite how embarrassing this is for me, this was a pretty damn good horror movie and by far is the best of the Paranormal Activity franchise so far.
Why do I say this? Well, first off there is no footage of people sleeping. None. That made me extremely happy. Second, it was consistently eventful throughout the entire movie. There was none of this boring as hell for an hour and then eventful for the last 10-15min. I also thought the acting wasn't all that bad either. The kids were believable and they weren't as annoying as the previous teenagers we have had, especially in Paranormal Activity 4.
As far as the plot goes I thought this one probably had one of the most interesting storylines. The basics of it are Jesse's neighbor was a witch and tried possessing his classmate, Oscar, and then the demon marked and possessed Jesse. I think the setting was a nice change of pace because it dealt with completely different people in a different area of California.
The movie, obviously, was full of gimmicks but there was the good and the bad.
The best gimmicks:
The haunted Simon Says toy
The rehash of the bite mark as the symbol for "the marked ones"
The time travel reveal
The bad gimmicks:
Falling backwards and not hitting the ground
Super strength in beating up gangsters
A lot of the gimmicks and elements were easter eggs, to a point, referencing the previous movies. These are not limited to the Spanish newspapers in Katie's house (PA4), the reuse of the bite mark (PA), the word "meus" written on the wall (PA2), The box of stolen VHS tapes (PA2), grandma Lori's house being the witch coven (PA3), and young Kristi and Katie appearing in the neighbor's basement.
Now this all led up to something... I do have to say the ending was not only the best part of the movie, but it was definitely the best of the entire franchise.I recognized the grandma's house almost immediately because despite not liking the movie as a whole, I will say that my favorite part of Paranormal Activity 3 was when Dennis ran down the hallway and opened the door with the room full of witches just standing there. Hector, Marisol, and the gangsters raid the coven and these crazy, yelling witches come out of nowhere and get blown away shotgun style. They enter the house and encounter a demonic Jesse and more witches that seem to appear out of nowhere. Marisol and the gangsters bite the dust leaving poor Hector the cameraman running from Jesse.
Remember me saying one of the best gimmicks was time travel? Here is where this comes into play. It is explained to a point that the witches can travel from point to point in reference to demonic possession. Yes, this means they can travel through time to the event of a full possession. Hector is running from Jesse and he opens a door in grandma's house and finds himself in a familiar spot. I immediately recognized it as Katie and Micah's house from the very first Paranormal Activity. You see Katie walking down the stairs as she did at the end of PA, she grabs a knife, and when she turns around she looks at Hector and starts screaming for Micah, as in the first movie. This is what we didn't see in the movie because the camera stays stationary in the master bedroom. Micah sees Hector, pushes him, and then Katie starts stabbing him. Hector gets scared and when he turns around you are surprised by a full demonic Jesse popping up and killing Hector. There is speculation that the person who turns off the light on the camera downstairs is Alex from Paranormal Activity 4, but I think it looked like Katie.
Here is my theory about this ending... This all literally happened at the same time from the very beginning. We just didn't know it at the time. I think Katie could have had a brief relief from the trance to scream for Micah and lure him downstairs because she saw Hector in the kitchen. We didn't know it because as mentioned before, Micah's camera was stationary in the bedroom.
Director Christopher Landon has done a nice job wrapping this all together to this point. I'm not saying I am suddenly a big fan of Paranormal Activity franchise, but this was a nice surprise. No shit, I screamed when Jesse popped up at the end looking like the devil. It caught me 100% off guard. I think this was a good set up for Paranormal Activity 5 and it finally made a connection between the previous four movies that is more than Katie randomly popping up everywhere. It's nice to know this spreads beyond this singular family and this witch coven is worldwide. Bloody good show.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Zoe Saldana cast in Rosemary's Baby mini-series
Zoe Saldana has been cast in the title role as Rosemary in the upcoming television adaptation of the 1967 classic, Rosemary's Baby. The project was greenlit by NBC in December and will air in four parts. Saldana is just coming out of filming Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. You have probably seen her before in Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Avatar, and Columbiana.
Rosemary's Baby tells the story of a young woman and her husband who move to a "haunted" apartment in Paris. After becoming pregnant, Rosemary becomes suspicious of her neighbor's intentions with her child's future.
Rosemary's Baby tells the story of a young woman and her husband who move to a "haunted" apartment in Paris. After becoming pregnant, Rosemary becomes suspicious of her neighbor's intentions with her child's future.
Shia LaBeouf receives cease and desist letter
In addition to LaBeouf plagiarizing Daniel Clowes' graphic novel for his 2012 short film, LaBeouf has been doing much more in the past week or so. Not only was his original apology to Clowes was also plagiarized, but he has now gone to a sky-writing team and Twitter to push the matter a bit farther. LaBeouf tweeted a photo of a sky-written phrase, "I'm sorry Daniel Clowes," and managed to define what a cloud is in case we forgot.
Now he has taken to Twitter again and tweeted excerpts from a cease and desist letter Clowes' lawyer, Michael Kemp, sent to LaBeouf's attorney. The excerpts include, "your client is out of control. We have been waiting since December 27th to hear how Mr. LaBeouf intends to make it right, but all that has happened is further wrongful acts." Kemp also included the sky-writing incident was "foolishness." Kemp also proclaims that LaBeouf's actions on Twitter further violate the rights of Daniel Clowes. LaBeouf has since deleted the tweets on the manner.
I hope these people just sue Shia LaBeouf. He is proving what a moron he is. Someone needs to just sit his ass down.
Now he has taken to Twitter again and tweeted excerpts from a cease and desist letter Clowes' lawyer, Michael Kemp, sent to LaBeouf's attorney. The excerpts include, "your client is out of control. We have been waiting since December 27th to hear how Mr. LaBeouf intends to make it right, but all that has happened is further wrongful acts." Kemp also included the sky-writing incident was "foolishness." Kemp also proclaims that LaBeouf's actions on Twitter further violate the rights of Daniel Clowes. LaBeouf has since deleted the tweets on the manner.
I hope these people just sue Shia LaBeouf. He is proving what a moron he is. Someone needs to just sit his ass down.
2014 BAFTA nominations
One week before the big Oscar announcements, we have the nominations for the 2014 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Gravity is a surprise leader with 11 total nominations while 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle each earned 10. One movie missing that has been popular in other award lists so far is Dallas Buyers Club, so that is a bit of a surprise. The BAFTA's are set to air on February 16, 2014.
Best Film:
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Outstanding British Film:
Gravity
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Philomena
Rush
Saving Mr. Banks
The Selfish Giant
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer:
Colin Carberry & Glenn Patterson - Good Vibrations
Kelly Marcel - Saving Mr. Banks
Kieran Evans - Kelly + Victor
Paul Wright & Polly Stokes - For Those in Peril
Scott Graham - Shell
Best Foreign Film:
The Act of Killing
Blue is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
Metro Manila
Wadjda
Best Documentary:
The Act of Killing
The Armstrong Lie
Blackfish
Tim's Vermeer
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
Best Animated Film:
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University
Best Director:
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street
Original Screenplay:
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Adapted Screenplay:
12 Years a Slave
Behind the Candleabra
Captain Phillips
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actor:
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Christian Bale - American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips
Best Actress:
Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Judi Dench - Philomena
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Matt Damon - Behind the Candelabra
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Oprah Winfrey - Lee Daniels' The Butler
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Best Original Score:
12 Years a Slave
The Book Thief
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
For the rest of the nominees, head on over here to look.
Best Film:
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Outstanding British Film:
Gravity
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Philomena
Rush
Saving Mr. Banks
The Selfish Giant
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer:
Colin Carberry & Glenn Patterson - Good Vibrations
Kelly Marcel - Saving Mr. Banks
Kieran Evans - Kelly + Victor
Paul Wright & Polly Stokes - For Those in Peril
Scott Graham - Shell
Best Foreign Film:
The Act of Killing
Blue is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
Metro Manila
Wadjda
Best Documentary:
The Act of Killing
The Armstrong Lie
Blackfish
Tim's Vermeer
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
Best Animated Film:
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University
Best Director:
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street
Original Screenplay:
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Adapted Screenplay:
12 Years a Slave
Behind the Candleabra
Captain Phillips
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actor:
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Christian Bale - American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips
Best Actress:
Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Judi Dench - Philomena
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Matt Damon - Behind the Candelabra
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Oprah Winfrey - Lee Daniels' The Butler
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Best Original Score:
12 Years a Slave
The Book Thief
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
For the rest of the nominees, head on over here to look.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Matt Reeves to direct third Planet of the Apes
Fox must have some crazy confidence in Matt Reeves as they have signed him to return and direct a third Planet of the Apes film. This comes before the second, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, has even been released. Reeves stepped in to direct the sequel after Rupert Wyatt departed the planned trilogy after Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The upcoming follow up takes place 15-years after the events of the first film. In addition to the news of Reeves returning, it is also possible that he might co-write the screenplay with Mark Bomback.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set for release on July 11, 2014.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set for release on July 11, 2014.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
You're Next - Review
After the Davison family reunion is cut short after masked killers attack their house, one reunion guest utilizes her extraordinary skills and talent to defend herself in You're Next.
A bit of a silly plot summary, eh? Well, I thought so too. I skipped You're Next in theaters for the sheer fact that I thought it looked too much like The Strangers. To be quite honest, when I saw the first trailer I thought it was a surprise sequel but soon realized it was another movie with a similar premise. The only reason I watched this one now is the fact that I kept seeing it pop up on a lot of "best of 2013" lists. Was I happy that I skipped it in theaters? Sure. I'm not regretting giving this one a chance, though.
With that said, I did enjoy You're Next for what it's worth. There were some good kills in it and it wasn't overly corny. I thought the acting suffered and the characters needed a lot more development, but it was a fun horror flick. The effects weren't horrible and it did have a sort of underground feel to it.
When I say the acting suffered and the characters needed more development I mean it. The best actor in the entire film was Sharni Vinson and oddly enough, she was the main character. I get the fact that a lot of the people in this movie were also in V/H/S and I can understand why they were included here, but that doesn't mean they are all that great. As far as character development goes, there was literally none. You don't know why this family seemed to have a lot of tension between them and why certain siblings seemed to be more irritable than others. It was just a mess. Again, Sharni Vinson was the only character that really had any development and I think that was because they had to. You can't have a mid-20's girl suddenly kick into survival, killer mode with no explanation. Her being raised in a survivalist compound wasn't the most realistic but it worked.
The main thing I did appreciate from this movie was the fact that the masked people didn't remain unknown the whole time. We see their faces, we know their motive, and it wasn't just random people who decide to crash a party and kill people. It was a nice change.
Overall I wouldn't say this was the best movie but it was appreciated. I wouldn't put it on my "best of 2013" list but it definitely wasn't on the worst.
A bit of a silly plot summary, eh? Well, I thought so too. I skipped You're Next in theaters for the sheer fact that I thought it looked too much like The Strangers. To be quite honest, when I saw the first trailer I thought it was a surprise sequel but soon realized it was another movie with a similar premise. The only reason I watched this one now is the fact that I kept seeing it pop up on a lot of "best of 2013" lists. Was I happy that I skipped it in theaters? Sure. I'm not regretting giving this one a chance, though.
With that said, I did enjoy You're Next for what it's worth. There were some good kills in it and it wasn't overly corny. I thought the acting suffered and the characters needed a lot more development, but it was a fun horror flick. The effects weren't horrible and it did have a sort of underground feel to it.
When I say the acting suffered and the characters needed more development I mean it. The best actor in the entire film was Sharni Vinson and oddly enough, she was the main character. I get the fact that a lot of the people in this movie were also in V/H/S and I can understand why they were included here, but that doesn't mean they are all that great. As far as character development goes, there was literally none. You don't know why this family seemed to have a lot of tension between them and why certain siblings seemed to be more irritable than others. It was just a mess. Again, Sharni Vinson was the only character that really had any development and I think that was because they had to. You can't have a mid-20's girl suddenly kick into survival, killer mode with no explanation. Her being raised in a survivalist compound wasn't the most realistic but it worked.
The main thing I did appreciate from this movie was the fact that the masked people didn't remain unknown the whole time. We see their faces, we know their motive, and it wasn't just random people who decide to crash a party and kill people. It was a nice change.
Overall I wouldn't say this was the best movie but it was appreciated. I wouldn't put it on my "best of 2013" list but it definitely wasn't on the worst.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Paul Walker to "retire" from Fast & Furious
It seems that Universal has made up their minds on the fate of Paul Walker regarding the Fast and Furious franchise.
Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, will be retired from the series. He had already filmed scenes for the seventh installment and it seems that instead of "killing off" the character, he will be retired in a way that they hope will please the fans. Screenwriter Chris Morgan stated that Walker's character will still be an important part of the film and will not be omitted in any way. Here's to hoping Morgan and director James Wan have come up with something respectful and fitting to the story.
Fast & Furious 7 recently received a new release date of April 10, 2015.
Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, will be retired from the series. He had already filmed scenes for the seventh installment and it seems that instead of "killing off" the character, he will be retired in a way that they hope will please the fans. Screenwriter Chris Morgan stated that Walker's character will still be an important part of the film and will not be omitted in any way. Here's to hoping Morgan and director James Wan have come up with something respectful and fitting to the story.
Fast & Furious 7 recently received a new release date of April 10, 2015.
Star Wars moving from Dark Horse to Marvel
Marvel announced today that they will begin printing Star Wars comics and graphic novels beginning in 2015. This was anticipated as many guessed Disney would try and integrate all of their assets together into major divisions. Their acquisition of both Lucasfilm and Marvel was pretty much a given that this would happen. Dark Horse, the second largest to DC and Marvel, is losing a property they have held since 1991. Marvel previously printed Star Wars comics from 1977 to 1986, but they left the franchise to focus on superheroes.
And yes, this will allow for Star Wars and Marvel crossover comics. Prepare yourselves for the inevitable Jedi and Avengers collaborations.
And yes, this will allow for Star Wars and Marvel crossover comics. Prepare yourselves for the inevitable Jedi and Avengers collaborations.
Batman vs. Superman budget set; more details revealed
Production is moving smoothly for Zack Snyder's sequel to Man of Steel. We have new behind the scenes details on the film including budget, filming location, and when filming is set to wrap up.
Michelle Grinnell, public relations for the Michigan Film Office, has stated that this film with have the state's biggest production since Oz The Great and Powerful. The budget has been set at $131 million and that's only for the Michigan location. That doesn't include other locations or post-production, so I am betting in the end the budget will surpass $131 million.
In addition to the budget, we learned that filming will take all seven sound studios at Michigan Motion Picture Studios and will utilize other locations in the state. The other location we know of right now is Yorkville, IL where production is building the Kent Farm. Filming is set to wrap in August.
Sources: #1 #2
Michelle Grinnell, public relations for the Michigan Film Office, has stated that this film with have the state's biggest production since Oz The Great and Powerful. The budget has been set at $131 million and that's only for the Michigan location. That doesn't include other locations or post-production, so I am betting in the end the budget will surpass $131 million.
In addition to the budget, we learned that filming will take all seven sound studios at Michigan Motion Picture Studios and will utilize other locations in the state. The other location we know of right now is Yorkville, IL where production is building the Kent Farm. Filming is set to wrap in August.
Sources: #1 #2
Veronica Mars - First Trailer
Veronica Mars was resurrected via Kickstarter last year and the task at hand is to not only make it satisfying for those who funded it on Kickstarter, but to make it appealing to an audience that didn't. Not everyone watched the television show so this could be a tough sell to those who have no idea who Veronica Mars even is. If you are unaware, the movie revisits Veronica who is a former teen detective. In the show, Veronica went from high school through college as a teen detective under the direction of her detective father. The first couple of seasons followed less mysteries that lasted over a long arc, but as the show progressed to the third and final season, Veronica was solving new mysteries every episode. Veronica Mars lasted from 2004-2007.
I think the tricky part at hand here is what I already mentioned; there are tons of moviegoers out there who have no clue who Veronica Mars is. The show isn't available for streaming anywhere, so it's not like people will be able to catch up before the movie comes out. From what I can see in the trailer, it seems that the movie is in the same style as the show. That's nice for those of us who watched the show but it can be perceived as cheesy by the average viewer going in unaware of the previous story at all. I feel like this movie should have happened years ago or not at all. Sorry my fellow Veronica Mars fans, but I am not totally convinced.
Veronica Mars is set for release on March 14th. Returning cast members include Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, and Enrico Colantoni.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Producers Guild Awards nominations revealed
Usually, the Producers Guild Awards (aka, the PGA's) give us more hints of which direction the Oscars are going to go. If this year is typical, expect some surprises and dark horse candidates. This is mostly television, but the films do give some hint to how the Oscar voters might vote.
The nominees are:
Best Theatrical Picture
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Outstanding Producer of an Animated Theatrical Picture
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Epic
Frozen
Monsters University
David L. Woper Awart for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
American Horror Story: Asylum
Behind the Candelabra
Killing Kennedy
Phil Spector
Top of the Lake
Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
A Place at the Table
Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
Life According to Sam
We Steal the Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
Which Way is the Front of the Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Drama
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Comedy
30 Rock
Arrested Development
Big Bang Theory
Modern Family
Veep
Outstanding Non-Fiction Television
30 for 30
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Duck Dynasty
Inside the Actors Studio
Shark Tank
Outstanding Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Competition Television
The Amazing Race
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef
The Voice
Outstanding Sports Program
24/7
Hard Knocks
Monday Night Football
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
SportsCenter
Outstanding Children's Program
Dora the Explorer
iCarly
Phineas and Ferb
Sesame Street
Spongebob Squarepants
Outstanding Digital Series
Burning Love
Epic Rap Battles of History
Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Video Game High School
Wired: What's Inside
If you want to see the list of producers by name, check it out here.
The nominees are:
Best Theatrical Picture
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Outstanding Producer of an Animated Theatrical Picture
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Epic
Frozen
Monsters University
David L. Woper Awart for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
American Horror Story: Asylum
Behind the Candelabra
Killing Kennedy
Phil Spector
Top of the Lake
Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
A Place at the Table
Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
Life According to Sam
We Steal the Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
Which Way is the Front of the Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Drama
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Comedy
30 Rock
Arrested Development
Big Bang Theory
Modern Family
Veep
Outstanding Non-Fiction Television
30 for 30
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Duck Dynasty
Inside the Actors Studio
Shark Tank
Outstanding Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Competition Television
The Amazing Race
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef
The Voice
Outstanding Sports Program
24/7
Hard Knocks
Monday Night Football
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
SportsCenter
Outstanding Children's Program
Dora the Explorer
iCarly
Phineas and Ferb
Sesame Street
Spongebob Squarepants
Outstanding Digital Series
Burning Love
Epic Rap Battles of History
Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Video Game High School
Wired: What's Inside
If you want to see the list of producers by name, check it out here.
The Walking Dead sets return date
We will get the final half of season four of AMC's The Walking Dead on February 9th. That's the good news.
The better news is we have a new poster:
We just wrapped up the New Years marathon where AMC aired all 3.5 seasons in two days, but in case you missed it they will be running another marathon starting on February 2nd. The mid-season finale left us in a pretty fragile state so I'm excited to see what happens next.
The better news is we have a new poster:
We just wrapped up the New Years marathon where AMC aired all 3.5 seasons in two days, but in case you missed it they will be running another marathon starting on February 2nd. The mid-season finale left us in a pretty fragile state so I'm excited to see what happens next.
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