Friday, June 28, 2013

Top 5: Need to Think Twice Movies

Top 5 Friday continues with movies that make you think twice.
                    5.The Twilight Saga
It makes you think twice about even watching it in the first place.
                    4.Toy Story 3
This makes you re-evaluate life.  Shouldve Andy given away the toys? Should he have taken all the toys to college and not only  Woody? Would things have changed if he kept all his toys, or if he stuffed all of them in the attic. What if Woody was a complete jerk and didnt care about his friends? Think twice about how the story couldve happend.
                    3.The Illusionist
Overall this is a fantastic film. You are in the eyes of the police man (Played by Paul Giamatti. Another reason to see this film) trying to figure out what the heck is going on. You are the police. If the police gets confused, your confused. If he gets a clue you do. It plays out as a mystery. It is a very simple but complex. It makes you feel stupid that you didnt get it once they reveal it at the end. But they didn't reveal everything so you need to think twice about how it needed to happen in order for it to make sense and go along with the other parts of the story.
                  2.Ocean's Twelve
So many twist and turns. Im not joking when I say that every little detail makes you think. You get very involed in everything. When your heavily involved you need to think twice. The groups goal is to rob precious artifacts and/or money. Every part of their mastet mind plan makes you think twice. 
                    1.The Prestiege
You knew this film was going to make you think twice once you hear Christopher Nolan directed it. You have to let your mind and your imagination have no limits. You think you know what they did and how they did it. And who.  I can't say anymore without spoiling it.  Go out and watch it as soon as possible.

                   

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

World War Z Review

World War Z
     Brad Pitt's latest film World War Z was a pleasant surprise. When Gerry (Pitt's Character) and his family are sitting in their home just relaxing like every other family likes to do on a weekend morning. They decide to go on a vacation but on the way something happens. They find themselves in the middle of what we think is a zombie apocalypse. No one knows what it is but zombies are every where. Yes that is what the "Z" stands for. But Gerry, his wife, and his 2 girls make it to safety on a aircraft carrier somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean. The military recruit Gerry to go help them find what started this zombie apocalypse type thing and to see if there is a way to stop it. 
     Now, I just gave you a simple plot summary because I don't want to spoil anything for you. This story is deep. It goes in depth. It's not just another zombie film. It's a film that really stands out. The story is nothing like you have seen before. The best part that I liked about this film were the zombies. The zombies are are not like any other zombie we have ever seen. They are very realistic. These zombies can run. They run faster than the humans which makes you sit on the edge of your seat the whole film. You actually believe that they are a threat to the other humans. The zombies were very well done in World War Z. This was one of the many great things about it. The pacing is something that can go either way for the bad, or for the good. At times it seemed like it dragged on especially when there was no action. But the parts with the action out weighed the parts with no action. The action was the story. The action is what carried this film. Not only the zombie's made the action, but Brad Pitt as well. Spectacular performance on his part. 
     Over all this movie was an awesome 115 min of pure greatness.  Not only did they focus on the action, but they made the action balance out the story perfectly. The action was the story.  The only thing that bugged me was Brad Pitt's hair. A good time in the theater. I give this film a 4.7/5. A 9/10 or a high A-.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Marvel Studio Update

I bet you and I both have been curious about what is coming next in the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man 3 has came out so what is next? Well we all know that the sequel to Thor, Thor:The Dark World is coming out later this year on November 8th. Then to kick off 2014 the 2nd Captain America titled Captain America:The Winter Soldier coming out April 4th and then Marvel's next film will be Guardians of the Galaxy coming August 1st. So what will be next? Well the obvious thing that is coming next is Avengers 2 on May 1st 2015. Then a movie that no one will see. Ant-Man coming November 6th 2015. Then nothing else that we know of. We didn't know when the next films were coming until now. Marvel released 3 new release dates for unknown films. The first one is coming out May 6th, 2016 and the 2nd coming out July 8th 2016 (my birthday I might add. My favorite bday present in a while.) Then the 3rd coming out May 5th, 2017. None of these release dates have a official title yet. But I'm going to guess what they are. The release date of the May 6th date will go to either Thor 3, or Captain America 3. Outside of the Iron Man films, Thor made the most money pre-Avenger. So depending on the box office success of Thor 2 or Captain America 2 that will belong to the May 6th, 2016 date. Now for July 8th. For my birthday present I want a Black Panther Movie. But I don't think it will happen. Kevin Feige (The President of Production at Marvel)has already hinted at a Dr.Strange Movie. So it will be May 6th or July 8th of 2016. So what will come in 2017? The options will be Thor 3, Captain America 3, Black Panther, Dr.Strange, Avengers 3, or depending on Guardians of the Galaxy box office numbers we might even see a sequel. But I'm pretty sure they will separate the Avengers films 3 years apart. So if Guardians does really well they might seperate that by 3 years also for a sequel of that. But I want a Black Panther movie there so he can be in Avengers 3. After all he was one of the founding Avengers.
So My final Predictions is 
May 6th, 2016 will be................Captain America 3 or Thor 3
July 8th, 2016 will be...............Thor 3 or Dr.Strange
May 5th, 2017 will be.................Black Panther or Guardians sequel.  

Friday, June 21, 2013

Top 5 Friday: 5 Comic Book Movies

Today is the inaugural post of Top 5 Friday. And what better way to start it off then counting down the best comic book movies.
5.Thor
If you are starting off a franchise you need to start it off the right way. With Thor being the second to last Marvel film until the Avengers they knew they had to step up their game from Iron Man 2. They definitely did. This film was great for comic book lovers and people who never have heard of Thor before. Not mentioning it was the film with my favorite villain of all time. This film had everything. Drama, romance, and comedy, to make this film perfect for everybody.
4.The Dark Knight
This was the best out of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Everything about this film was spectacular. I praise this film. Nolan's ability to tell stories is phenomenal.This is no exception. This is the best Batman film there ever has been and ever will be. Heath Ledger's Joker has been my favorite performance from any actor in the past 10 years. He stole the show. It's tragic that he died. But he even got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor In A Supporting Role and won. In my opinion he should've got nominated for the best Actor in a Leading Role. He stole the show. 
3.The Amazing Spiderman
I saw this film at midnight. Then I saw it 8 more times in theaters for a total of 9 times. There is nothing I did not like about this film. It stuck a lot better to the comic book then the first Spiderman did, which is not a must for me but I appreciate it when they do. Andrew Garfield was spectacular. And Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey was my favorite part about the movie. 
2.The Man of Steel
Finally. Finally a good Superman movie! The story that introduced a film well worth seeing. This has every component to a good comic book movie. It stayed true to the real spirit of Superman. and that's all that matters. For more go look at my Man of Steel review.
1.The Avengers
What other film belongs in this slot. Nothing. The only film that fits this spot is The Avengers. I love this movie. Seeing it 10 times in the theaters shows that I really appreciate this film. Joss Wheadon is a true fan boy in every way. He did this film in the way people wanted it to be. The 92% critic rating and the 96% audience rating shows for it. It had humor, it had Loki, and it stayed true to the real feel of the Avengers.
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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Box Office Predictions

There are 2 major movies coming out this weekend. One is Brad Pitt's World War Z, and a prequel to one of my favorite movies of all time Monsters Inc titled Monsters University. Which one will reign supreme? Will Man of Steel stay on top of the box office? My answer is no. Man of Steel will not be the top of the box office. Yes it is the best movie of the year so far, but it has an uphill battle to overcome because Superman Returns was not anybody's favorite. And Man of Steel is starting a new franchise. So what will earn the most this weekend? Lets break down World War Z. World War Z has handled their marketing pretty good. It has a 70% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes which I think surprised many. This movie looked just like a normal zombie movie. So with that 70% rating, the marketing being handled fairly well, and it starring Brad Pitt this movie will do fairly well. Now Monsters University. This movie has a lot more going for it then World War Z and Man of Steel do. First off Monsters Inc is one of Pixars best films. If not the best. Right now it has a 77% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And if you think about it, the kids who saw Monsters Inc when it first came out are now going into college. Monsters University is a much more family friendly film then World War Z. So parents will take their whole family to Monsters University rather than forbidding their children under the age of 10 to go see World War Z. With that being said, My prediction for the box office opening day of Monsters University and World War Z is
#1 spot will go to Monsters University with 75 million 
#2 spot will go to Man of Steel. The hype will still continue and earn 74.5 million
#3 spot will go to World War Z with a little under 74 million

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Spiderman, Loki, and The Man of Steel

Over the past couple of days, some big movie news in the world of comic book movies were released lets take a look.
Spider-Man
2 things about Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man came out over the past 3 days. The first one I will talk about is Spider-Man 3&4. Yes we are still a little under a year away from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 but the studio has given the green light for a 3rd and 4th installment for this series of movies. Spider-Man 3 is set to release June 10th, 2016 and part 4 on May 4th 2018. But the weird thing to think about is Andrew Garfield will be near 35 years of age. Please say he will be in college by the time Part 4 comes out. Please. But the next thing affects the second one. Mary Jane has been cut from Amazing Spider-Man 2. Yes there have been set pictures released but Marc Webb said he had "A creative decisions to streamline the story and focus on Peter and Gwen and their relationships. We only shot a few scenes with Mary Jane." This tells me that Marc Webb was not impressed with Shailene Woodley. With them only shooting a couple of scenes with Mary Jane it was going to be a test run with the character. But I'm just speculating, Marc Webb was not impressed with Shailene as Mary Jane. But with Marc saying he has a creative decision, I'm all for there not being a Mary Jane in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Are they going to recast Mary Jane for the 3rd installment? I have no idea. Who would you like to see as Mary Jane? Leave it in the comments.  I want more Gwen and Emma Stone. 
Loki
Loki was my favorite character in the Avengers and Thor. Villains either make or brake a film. And Loki made both films he was in. So that made me very excited when I figured out he was going to have a big part in Thor 2. But Joss Wheadon announced that there was going to be no Loki in Avengers 2! What the heck! Why? Loki is a fan favorite. I predict he dies in Thor 2. Why else would Joss leave out a fan favorite?
Man of Steel
It's faster then a speeding bullet, faster then a locomotive. Is it a plane, is it a bird. No It's the Man of Steel sequel! It has been green lit by the studio and set to released..... Not in 4,3,2 years. But 2014! Why is it coming so quickly? That means David Goyer will need a script pronto. Zack Snyder is signed on to direct it. But I would prefer quality over quantity. And to make a film full of good quantity it will need a good period of time to develop. And not to mention they are targeting a Justice League film in 2015. That is rushing it with no cast, writer, or director on board yet.

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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Man of Steeel Review

Man of Steel

     The story of Man of Steel came about when Christopher Nolan and David Goyer were experiencing writers block while writing the Dark Knight Rises. The decided to take a break. When David was supposed to be coming up with more ideas for The Dark Knight Rises, he came up with the idea of Man of Steel. When Christopher reported back with David and asked what he has done with TDKR, David simply replied "Nothing." Christopher asked what he had been working on and he said he'd been working on a Superman story. When Nolan read it he was shocked. He was really impressed. He called Warner Brothers right away and said they needed to make this film. When an excellent film maker like Christopher Nolan was impressed you know your in for a good time. 

     Like every movie kicking off a new franchise it needs a second to explain the origin of the story. Superman's is a story we have heard dozens of times. It's about a father sending his son down to an unknown planet because their home planet is about to blow. Then he lands in Smallville, Kansas where Jonathan and Laura Kent find him as a baby and take him in as their own. But everyone knows the original story of Superman. Right? So Man of Steel explored the part of the original story that we have not really focused about. And that part is the actual destruction of Krypton. Jor-El (The biological father of Superman)is trying to convince the Kryptonian council to stop what they are doing or else the planet will blow. It focuses more on the actual destruction and explains it  a lot more so we don't have to go through the same origin story we have heard before a thousand times. It makes the film get off to a nice start instead of us getting bored of listening to the same old, same old, original story.

     The first time you see Superman as Clark Kent is not when you expect. Its not when he is a teenager. But when he is a adult. Getting you used to the new Superman universe. You obviously see the older Clark more in the film. So from the first it is getting you ready by establishing the mood for the rest of the film with the new Clark Kent darker side. But you do see teenage Clark Kent. Man of Steel is a non-linear story line. Meaning in which there is flashbacks throughout the film. These flash backs are placed right where they need to be. In the flash backs they show Clark getting used to who he is. He obviously is not a normal person. They show Pa Kent teaching Clark about how to cope with his superhuman abilities. Then they go back to the present day. If you cast Kevin Costner you have to put him in a decent role. Pa Kent is more of a decent role for Costner. Flashbacks beautifully done. 

     The most terrifying villains are the ones who are convinced they are doing the right thing. In the first of the movie, Zod is on the side of Jor-El when they are trying to convince the Council to stop mining the center of Krypton. But the council listen to Jor-El and imprison Zod. Not only is that why Zod is furious, but Jor-El stole an artifact precious to Krypton which allows any one to have unstoppable powers. And guess what Jor-El did with it? He put it in Kal-El (Superman/Clark Kent) to make him bring peace to Earth. In the past installment of Superman, Zod is also the villain(Superman II). In that movie, Zod only has one layer. And that layer was Revenge towards Kal-El. But in Man of Steel he has several. One I can explain with out spoiling is he wants the plans that he wanted to happen on Krypton continue. So he plans to turn Earth into krypton. Villains either make or brake the movie. Michael Shannon's Zod made the movie.

     The general feel of the movie is what a Superman movie should be. A man, sent to earth to save all. That feeling that there is that someone still exists. But Superman is what Superman is, should, and always will be from now on. You will have to go and see it if you don't want me to spoil this amazing film for you. Over all this is an outstanding film. The 2nd best comic book movie (Obviously Avengers is 1st.) A fun enjoyable film for everyone.

     Usually I'm not to fond of giving stuff perfect ratings because there is always something wrong with a film. Nothing wrong with this one. My final verdict for this film is 5/5. 10/10. A++ 

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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Top 5 Fathers or Father Figures

With today being father's day, I find it most appropriate to count down the best fathes in film.
5.Darth Vader
Yes. You might be saying that Darth Vader is not the best father in the galaxy but he is still a father. When I say best father for Darth Vader I mean he is the best villain father. Darth Vader is not a very nice dad he is still a pretty cool guy. His choice in the dark side did make his relationship with Luke a little bumpy. But he did set a what not to do role model for Luke, who learned from his mistakes and chose another path. 
4.Marlin 
No this is not the all famous wizard. But the clown fish.  The clown fish that swam across the whole ocean to find his son. Marlin was not proud of his son. So when Nemo got captured it took a lot of determination from Marlin to swim across the globe to find his son. 
3.Gru
This is a wannabe villain. So when he decides to adopt 3 girls just for his plan, that is not very father like. But he develops a love for the girls. He does everything he can to make sure they are always alright. He is also father to over hundred minions.
2.Uncle Ben
Yes this is not a father. He is an Uncle who is basically a father. He has taken care of Peter from a very young age. He said the most famous quote in comic book history "With great power comes great responsibility." That made Peter use his powers for the good of others. Not for him self. He taught Peter a very valuable lesson. 
1.Jonathan Kent
Yes. My number one spot belongs to Superman's earthly father. Jonathan found Kal-El(Superman) in a big space ship. All of his years he taught Clark how to deal with his unique abilities. He made Clark fell comfortable on this earth.
Honorable mentions
  • Henry Jones from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
  • Mr.Incredible/Bob Parr 
If you feel like I missed any father leave it in the comments
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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Now You See Me

This film which is a mixture between Oceans 11 and The Prestige was truly magical. This film fallows 4 street illusionist by the names of Atlas (Played by Jesse Eisenberg) who is the leader and the main showman of the group, Merrit (Portrayed by Woody Harrelson)who is the smart aleck of the group along with being the mentalist, Henley (Played by Isla Fisher) the escape artist and the only female of the group, and last but certainly not least Jack(Portrayed by Dave Franco) the skill full one and the real "outlaw" of the group. These 4 "illusionist" who were first solo acts came together and they made a magic group called "The 4 horsemen." The 4 horsemen try to pull of the ultimate heist, and by heist I mean bank heist. During their shows they rob banks from all over the world and reward their audiences with the money. With F.B.I. agent Dylan Rhodes (Played by Mark Ruffalo)and is Interpol partner Alma Dray try to fallow the magicians/illusionist and try to stop them from robbing any more banks. But with there targets being illusionist they are always 1-7 steps behind. So the F.B.I. recruit a television star by the name of Thaddeus Bradley (Played by the awesome Morgan Freeman) whose main job is figure out how magicians do their tricks. The films creative idea is one of a kind. Robbing banks by using magic. That's why its in my top 3 movies of the year so far. The first 5 minutes of the film establish everybody's character. Each minute you see each illusionist doing what they do best. Atlas with his illusions, Merrit with his mentalist skills, Henley being the escape artist, and Jack being a master of using his hands to trick people into thinking he is bending a spoon with his mind. The first 5 minutes makes you know what will come from the characters later on.  If it's there personality or there skill the quick character development made this film really enjoyable from the first minute. They introduced the characters so quickly because the pacing goes by really fast. The 4 horsemen all meet up for a period for about 5 minutes in the film. Then it skips to one year later. What the heck! You did such a good job at showing us each individual character develop, but not the whole group develop. But there chemistry was fantastic. They could've paced the film a little better. Show us how they got the job in show business. But when it picks up again is there first show as a group with the last trick in their show. That's when the first heist takes place. Then the movie picks up and never drops again. You see the 4 horsemen do there trick. Then while the F.B.I. tries to run around and catch them, it gives you time to think about how they did it. It is sort of like a guessing game. They did a really good job of making you think of how they did it. Then it goes to Agent Rhodes and his partner along with Thaddeus. After a long time of the audience thinking, Thaddeus tells you how they did it. The big reveal. And you might call your self stupid for not catching how they did it. And that's basically the whole movie. The 4 horsemen, pulling of incredible heist, giving you time to think while the F.B.I. are always staying 5,6,7 steps behind. Then Thaddeus telling us how they did it. It really only has 3 elements to it. But they elaborate on it. They make it exciting. The best part, they left it open for a sequel.

     Over all this movie was phenomenal. Very exciting, it gets the audience fully engaged. It had some minor flaws with the pacing. But everything else from the witty one-liners, to the incredible acting on everyone's part, to the creative script. I give this film a 4.5/5, 9.0/ 10 or a high A-. 
Go out and see this movie as soon as you can!