News: Pacific Rim 2: It's Actually Happening!

Well, better late than never!

News broke today that a sequel to Pacific Rim is not only in the works, but has also managed to snag itself a release date. The film is set for an April 7th, 2017 release. Director Guillermo del Toro will return to assume writing and directing duties.

This news honestly made my day. I've been hoping for a Pacific Rim sequel since I saw it for the first time in theaters on opening night last July. I thought it was just such a jaw dropping theater experience. The visuals were stunning, the action beyond delivered and actually managed to make us laugh! Not to mention it had GIANT ROBOTS FIGHTING GIANT MONSTERS! Holy cow why did it take so long for a sequel to get confirmed?
Sure it might not have "Citizen Kane-like" depth but it's not supposed to. It's supposed to pay homage to both monster movies and anime in the best way possible. And I say it succeeded.
Pacific Rim is basically like what Michael Bay could do but he won't do because he doesn't respect his audience enough to.

And while the film earned a majority of positive reviews from critics and moviegoers alike, it surprisingly ended up underperforming at the domestic box office. So much so that on opening weekend it lost to Grown Ups 2. Ugh, more like "Groan Ups 2". That being said, Pacific Rim blew away the foreign box office! Which does make sense, considering the film takes place in Japan. And that it looks like Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers on the budget of 200 million dollars, it's no surprise this film has an overseas smash.

Anyone else find it kind of fitting that the day before the premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction, Universal drops this bomb of a news scoop? Considering how many have called Pacific Rim,
"A thinking mans Transformers".
Can't fault perfect timing I guess.

Even though I'm pumped for Pacific Rim 2, I do wish Guillermo del Toro would make a third Hellboy film to complete his trilogy. Come on, the second one ended in a way that just begged for a sequel. And for all you haters out there who wish del Toro would go back to making more original movies like Pans Labyrinth, don't worry because next year he has Crimson Peak for us so just wait.

All in all I'm stoked. This is cool news for me but what are your thoughts? Post them below and tell me your opinions.

Movie Review #89: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Tom Cruise stars in a futuristic alien invasion time travel movie costarring Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton in a film directed by the same man who brought us The Bourne Identity. This sounds like the recipe to an sci-fi action movie magnum opus, how on earth is this film bombing at the box office?!?!?!

Yes, I finally got around to seeing Edge of Tomorrow! The film that is being hailed by fans and critics alike as one of the most original science fiction films of the decade. Yet for some reason, this film has been failing to deliver at the box office. And this makes me very sad because this film is as good as everyone has been saying it is. Why more people are not flocking in herds to get in line and see it on the other hand is a question that I have no answer to.

Edge of Tomorrow is based on a Japanese manga called All You Need is Kill, which by the way is a much cooler title than the one they ended up going with. The story is about a military officer played by Tom Cruise who, for reasons I will not give away, discovers that he is caught in a never ending time loop between a doomed battle between an invading alien race. He later discovers of another soldier who had the same problem he currently has. Together they join arms and plot to wipe out the alien race once and for all.

I was looking forward to this film before the trailer or even a poster was released. Time travel is a topic of science fiction that fascinates me very much and I am always interested in anything and everything Tom Cruise stars in. Say what you want about him as a person, but no one in Hollywood commits to a movie more than Tom Cruise does. He's the hardest working man in the business for a reason. The guy does all his own stunts and he even learned how to sing and play guitar for his role in Rock of Ages. Oh and yeah, that Dubai Tower scene from Ghost Protocol? Yeah that wasn't CGI or a stunt double. That was all Cruise. The man is insane and will probably get himself killed. But it's that commitment and essence of craziness that makes me appreciate him as an actor. And I haven't even talked about his film track record! He has been making consistently great films since the 1980's with very few career ruining duds. And I'll tell you one thing, Edge of Tomorrow is anything but a dud.

Wow what a rush! If you want nonstop, turn-your-brain-off action for nearly three hours........ then go watch Transformers Age of Extinction. But if you're hungry for an science fiction action thrill ride crafted with intelligence and care, then this is your ticket because Edge of Tomorrow might just be one of the best science fiction films in recent memory. I would put it alongside Moon, Sunshine, Star Trek, Minority Report and Inception as a science fiction movie we're going to continue raving about long after it comes out on Blu-ray.

I was slightly skeptical of the action scenes because I absolutely detest shaky camera direction and director Doug Liman popularized this type of filmmaking with The Bourne Identity. Thankfully the action is filmed very smoothly using a lot a wide shots. And considering 75% of the film takes place during an alien battle, this film would have really suffered from poor action direction. Another technical element that I really dug were the aliens. They honestly didn't look like any sort of creature I had seen before. The only thing I can describe them to be like were the machines from The Matrix. And the way they attacked was really bizarre, hectic and erratic. They really stood out from all the other generic little green men we've seen in films like Signs, Independence Day and War of the Worlds.

Tom Cruise really surprised me in this film. The trailers made him out to look like your typical hero that has to save the day. But when the film starts out, it's the exact opposite! I won't say much else but needless to say, he undergoes a massive character arc that was really surprising. And Tom Cruise absolutely killed this role! The only other actor who might have possibly stolen the show was Emily Blunt! It comes as a sight for sore eyes to see a strong female lead in an action movie. As of recently we have seen women in action films portrayed as weak or helpless. So to see a strong woman train a helpless, weak Tom Cruise and put him in his place time and time again is not only refreshing to see, but also very funny!

The amount of humor in this film was definitely the most surprising part. Some of the humor comes from the training sequences between Cruise and Blunt. It's just hysterical watching Tom Cruise getting thrown around like a toy. But most of the comedic scenes involved the supporting cast, who were also fantastic. Bill Paxton plays an army sergeant and I instantly thought of his character from Aliens.

Roger Ebert made a rule for movies he called the "Stanton-Walsh Rule," which stated that no movie that has Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in it can be altogether bad. I believe that that same rule applies to Bill Paxton playing a comedic supporting role in an action movie. Think about it; Aliens, True Lies and now Edge of Tomorrow. It's only common logic! Hmmm, maybe I'll make some more of these "rules" in the future..... I digress.

While this film is very funny at times, it isn't afraid to get dramatic and intense. I really liked the relationship that formed between Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. It's a very interesting relationship because Cruise repeats the same days over and over again and has to meet and get introduced to Emily Blunt's character time and time again. Meaning that he gets to learn her story while she only knows him for the two days he repeats. It's a very bittersweet relationship that I'm glad the writers touched on. Even more surprising that it was never became romantic. That's a huge cliche that could have been so easy to do and the better for this film for not succumbing to popular tropes and cliches.

And that really describes Edge of Tomorrow the best. It doesn't follow your standard story with your basic characters. It thought outside the box, colored outside the lines and went against the flow. It might not have been the most successful route, but almost everyone who saw this film are glad they went this direction. As am I.

Final Report: If you are looking for a nonstop action thrill ride that never stops surprising you, then Edge of Tomorrow just might be the movie event of the summer for you. And if you enjoy clever humor and intelligent writing that actually makes its audience think, then I implore you to give this movie your time of day. I guarantee you that you won't regret it.

Movie Review #88: Maleficent (2014)

Funny story about this film: I saw it on friday but there was a miscommunication between who I was going to see this film with. She said 7:30 when it was actually 6:45. So in the end I missed about 15-20 minutes of the film. To say the least, it was pretty ridiculous. I saw it nonetheless and I do have my thoughts about it: The 70-75 minutes I did see of it.

Maleficent is the story of the classic Brothers Grimm character and legendary Disney villain Maleficent. The story differentiates from the animated film though with the way the film plays out. It focuses on Maleficent's perspective which is a viewpoint you don't hear from very often: The villain's take.

 It seems that ever since Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland was released in 2010, Disney has been trying to make a similar film in the same vein of it. Why? Because Alice in Wonderland grossed over a billion dollars worldwide and became the third highest grossing live action Disney film of all time. And since the only thing Disney loves more than acquiring every franchise possible, it's money. And they've been trying to replicate that formula for a while with last years Oz the Great and Powerful and Maleficent being the most recent attempt to once again strike billion dollar gold.

The film is directed by Robert Stromberg. Who's that you might ask? He's a very well known visual effects artist and a two time Oscar winning production designer for Avatar and Alice in Wonderland who's making his directorial debut. Yeah cue the red flags. The last time a well known production designer made his directorial debut we got The Cat in the Hat directed by Bo Welch. Yeah, yikes. Not to mention this film broke a record with the highest budget for a first time director at $200,000,000. And this film has been passed around from director to director even more so that Pokemon cards. These are some facts that are enough to raise suspicions.

You walk into the movie about Maleficent expecting to see a film about Maleficent and you definitely get that. I'm not a big fan of Angelina Jolie as an actress or a person, but she is without a doubt what makes this movie. For starters, her makeup is unbelievably good. From the horns to the high prominent cheekbones they got her look nailed to a tee. The makeup is done by Rick Baker and it shows. He's the same guy who did the makeup and prosthetics for the Men in Black films. To say the least, his work is immaculate. She also manages to give a rather sympathetic villain performance. The film revolves around her having cursed Princess Aurora, but as time goes on her heart starts to soften and feelings for her start to form. It's a good character arc to see a villain go through. Most of the humor falls flat, but whenever Maleficent speaks completely deadpan, it's rather funny.

The supporting cast on the other hand are completely forgettable. Sharlto Copley plays the king and his acting is just downright awful. It's so angry and over-the-top that's it's almost laughable. And I don't mind him as an actor! If anything, he was one of the few things I liked about Elysium! But he was just so miscast for this part. I could see like Sean Bean in this role but not Copley. I'm gonna sound like a jerk for saying this, but his voice really annoys me. I know that it's his voice and that's a terrible thing to nitpick about, but it just really grates on my ears whenever he yells. It's like Alanis Morissette singing while scraping nails on a blackboard. To me at least, it's that bad.

I am a huge fan of Elle Fanning but she has nothing to do in the role of Princess Aurora. She looks the part, but adds nothing. The three pixies that take care of Aurora might be some of the most annoying comic relief characters since Rebel Wilson in Pitch Perfect. What makes them even worse is that they aren't even funny! I think Jar Jar Binks has made me laugh more than these three bumbling embarrassments.

The visuals as a whole do manage to dazzle. Strombergs' background as I said before deals heavily with visual effects and production design and this film really shows it. Give or take a few instances where the CGI looks very obvious. Particularly in the pixies and the woodland creatures. The creatures in the forest looked like CGI Muppets. Kind of in the vein of Labrynth and The Dark Crystal. To say the least, they worked better as puppets.

The film's runtime is 97 minutes long. Yet it somehow cost 200 million dollars to make. Really? At least The Lone Ranger had that unbelievable train battle sequence that made me say "Oh, that's where the 250 million dollars went!" With the runtime not even reaching 100 minutes it doesn't feel like I got my money's worth! If you're still really looking forward to seeing Maleficent (which I wouldn't recommend) the least you could do is save yourself a few bucks and catch it at matinee price.

Final Report: Maleficent looks nice and provides a terrific star showcase for Angelina Jolie as the title character. But the supporting cast members are expendable. Not to mention that the 97 minute run time hardly makes it feel like you spent your $10 wisely. Kids and anyone who shops at Hot Topic frequently will probably have a good time. Anyone who doesn't fall into those first two categories will most likely forget about it. And sadly I fall in the latter category.

Movie Review #87: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

X-Men Days of Future Past is the seventh installment in the superhero franchise and has undoubtably the most stacked cast of celebrities and mutants alike!
Returning to the screen are fan favorites like Wolverine, Professor Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, Storm, Beast, Rogue, Iceman, Kitty Pride, Colossus, Havoc and even Toad!
Joining them for the first time on screen are Quicksilver, Bishop, Blink, Sunspot and Warpath.

But for some reason, Nightcrawler is nowhere to be seen. Seriously? The coolest X-Men that completely stole X2 gets shafted and they bring back Rogue of all characters?! Well at least they brought back Toad. That's a pretty cool addition.

X-Men Days of Future Past takes place in the year 2023 and the world has been overrun by these robots called Sentinels, (which are basically Terminators). Humanity has become a race of expendable cattle and the only mutants still alive have joined together and have survived off the grid. And the only way to end this war is to send Wolverine back 50 years in time to 1973 to stop the Sentinels, thereby saving both human and mutant kind.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but X-Men: Days of Future Past is my most anticipated film of 2014. I love the X-Men movies. Hey, I can even watch The Last Stand and Origins Wolverine and not hate myself for doing so! But we can all agree that when Singer left, the franchise took a nosedive into mediocrity and less awesomeness. That is of course until 2011 when Matthew Vaughn gave us X-Men First Class: The prequel to end all prequels that also doubled as an adrenaline shot of greatness into a suffering franchise. It reignited everyones excitement for X-Men. And last years' The Wolverine furthered that.

Now we have Days of Future Past. Which on paper alone sounds like it could possibly be The Avengers of X-Men movies just from the people involved by combining both the original cast and that of the prequel and having Bryan Singer returning to the franchise as director for the first time in 11 years! What's not to get pumped for?

But as enticing as that sounds, it could very well disappoint to no end. Rumors about an astronomically large budget ranging from next to $250,000,000 have put some on edge. I even heard a story that this is the most expensive film 20th Century Fox has produced not directed by James Cameron. Ever since X2, Singer hasn't quite been the same. Last years' Jack The Giant Slayer tanked at the box office and Valkyrie got "meh" reviews. Heck, he couldn't even make a Superman film that could rebuild the franchise! And not to mention the controversial headlines about him making the news... That being said, expectations and tensions are high. But the time has come and it's finally here. And how is it?

Looks like there is still life in this franchise and Bryan Singer's career after all! Not only does this mark a franchise high, but this might just be my new favorite superhero movie of all time! Even more than The Avengers! Which, keep in mind, is the film that opened my eyes to movies and cinema that is basically the movie that made me start this blog! Yeah, it's that good.

And I'm not just being a fanboy freaking out over the action, special effects and seeing both casts on screen. It's actually a miraculously well crafted action film that is funny when it wants to be funny and very dramatic when it has to be. It's not just a great comic book movie, a great superhero movie or even a great Marvel movie! It's just a great film!

Where do I begin talking about this? How about the beginning? Specifically the opening title sequence. It might seem like a strange thing to mention, but I was instantly reminded of X2. You had the classic John Ottman theme playing, an animated title scrawl of DNA animation and it even ended with Cerebro being unlocked like with the first three films. Those are very small details that wouldn't have made a difference if they were left out, but the fact that they included them just really made me say, "Way to go Singer!"

Time travel is always a tricky topic. Aside from being a classic staple in sci-fi literature and films, it often times comes off as either overly complicated, convoluted or riddled with plot-holes. That is not the case here because Simon Kinberg has written an airtight script that somehow, miraculously leaves no storyline left unfinished and even corrects all of the issues fans have been complaining about for years with X-Men: The Last Stand and Origins Wolverine! Some might find that to be disrespectful for completely negating the existence and timeline of practically every X-Men movie except for First Class, but I think it's a really gutsy move that pays off in the end.

Let's talk character because this film has them all! We get to see a very different side of Wolverine in this film. Instead of him being angry using violence to solve his problems, he solves them by talking and negotiations. It's really nice seeing an emotional side to Wolverine that there is a soft side to such a tough, gruff dude.

James Mcavoy and Michael Fassbender are flawless as Young Xavier and Erik. I loved seeing how both are so similar to each-other and yet so different. They're both on the same side, but Xavier takes the longer more peaceful approach, with Erik does whatever it takes to win the fight. Their back and forth is terrific and it doesn't hurt that they're both amazing actors. I might like their portrayals even better than Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian Mckellin's!

I was a bit on the fence about Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. I wasn't over the moon about her in First Class but she was dynamite here! They gave her a great motivation and character arc that really expanded on her personality. While Wolverine might have gotten top billing, it really is Lawrence's show and she was dynamic. It also doesn't hurt that she's both a talented actress and very good looking!

The new X-Men like Bishop and Blink don't really get much screen-time, dialogue or development, but they were welcome additions that I was happy to see. Especially Quicksilver. I owe this guy a huge apology because when I saw his costume I thought he looked like a second rate steampunk cosplay wannabe. And.... yeah the costume still looks cheesy but every frame this guy is on screen he steals it!
There's a particular scene that shows off his powers in the funniest and most visually astounding way. All set to the most fitting Jim Croce song. Take a guess which one. It's pretty obvious.

Members of the original cast like Storm, Iceman and Rogue are completely underutilized and reduced to nothing more than fan pleasing cameos. Heck, Havok and Toad are practically shafted after their one scene, which was a pretty cool scene if I might add. I was really excited to see those two especially. I just wanted a little something more from them. But if that's the only issue I had, that's really good by my standards!

Days of Future Past is essentially Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg's apology letter to everyone . Singer for leaving The Last Stand in the hands of Brett Ratner when he went off to direct Superman Returns, and Kinberg for writing the script to the Last Stand. But it's all right because they are now forgiven in my eyes!

Final Report: It's not every day that the movie you've been waiting all year to see delivers beyond your wildest dreams. But X-Men Days of Future Past did just that. It's action packed, perfectly paced, clever, smart, witty, emotional, dramatic It's not just what a great summertime blockbuster should be, it's just a great movie in general! And possibly my favorite Marvel movie to date!

Movie Review #86: Godzilla (2014)

With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound

He pulls the spitting high tension wires down

Helpless people on a subway train

Scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them

He picks up a bus and he throws it back down

As he wades through the building toward the center of town

Oh no, they say he's got to go. Go go Godzilla!

Godzilla: The King of Monsters! Without a doubt, the most legendary and the coolest of all movie monsters in the history of film! This icon of classic cinema is celebrating his 60th anniversary this year. Godzilla has appeared in so many sequels I don't even know how or where to start counting! But no matter how corny or cheesy the sequels were, no one could forgive Roland Emmerich for his 1998 radioactive turd of a remake. To call the film bad is an understatement. To call it a disappointment is not even close to accurate. It's nearly unwatchable! Leave it to American cinema to desecrate what filmmakers overseas got right from the start. But with the right cast, solid writing and the perfectly cast director, America just might be able to make a pretty darn great Godzilla film.

Like with each season of 24, Godzilla films don't really depend too heavily on the plot because it will most likely stays the same. Godzilla is on the loose and either the humans have to kill him before he wipes them out or some other huge monster wipes them both out. And luckily in this film, it's the latter! That's all you really have to say. Forget complexity, let's get down to the monster smack-down we've been waiting for!

Problem is is that it takes its sweet time getting to the juicy action and that's the biggest problem many people will have with this film. If it's Pacific Rim 2 you're looking for, then you're going to be seriously let down (save the last 25 minutes though). The film doesn't have epic battle after epic battle strung together like with Pacific Rim. The first two thirds of the film is all very tense buildup with some terrifically exciting action sequences peppered throughout the many dialogue and dramatic scenes.

For me though, I kind of loved the sweet, sweet anticipation they built up. It made the climactic finale even more rewarding. And some of the dramatic moments had a definite dramatic weight and emotion that actually kind of got to me. Particularly an early scene between Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche. Expertly handled, somber and bittersweet.

All of the acting was well handled. You could tell that all of the actors took this film seriously and it shows. Ken Watanabe can do no wrong in my eyes. Elizabeth Olsen was really good also. Aaron Taylor Johnson was fine, but to me he felt like Sam Neil in Jurassic Park. You know what I mean? He might have the title of "main character" but no one who walked out of Jurassic Park walked out talking about Sam Neil. They were either talking about the dinosaurs or Jeff Goldblum. With Godzilla, you're going to walk out talking about Godzilla and Godzilla's awesome fire-breath. Speaking of Godzilla, let's talk about the star of the show (even though he's only in it for like 35 minutes).

Godzilla looked unbelievable. I adore his design. Instead of making him look like a chicken-walking iguana with a fat head, they returned to the original design and improved upon it. The detail put into him is astounding. He looks absolutely massive! The King of Monsters isn't fully seen until perhaps halfway through, but when we finally hear his mighty roar I was instantly brought back to the first time I heard the T-Rex from Jurassic Park. It was just... wow.

And they brought back his fire-breathing! During the final battle, (which is worth the price of admission alone), I was just waiting on the edge of my seat for him to let it loose. And when he does, oh boy is it a sight to behold! During the battles' climax, there is a scene that was so unbelievably satisfying and beyond words incredible that the members of the audience started clapping and cheering! I of course joined them because I too felt that way. I just had never been to a movie that made an audience break out into cheering before the end credits before! Something about that really made me smile when that happened.

I feel like this could be the Jurassic Park for a new generation of movie fanatics. That's a huge statement but I do believe that Godzilla could be the next "landmark/defining film" of the 2010 decade. Right alongside Inception and The Avengers.

Final Report: Godzilla is a lumbering, larger-than-life beast of a film that takes it's time to get rolling. But when it gets going, it's impossible to get it to stop! With some of the most spectacular special effects I've ever seen and a perfect balance of humanity and destruction, Godzilla is one summer blockbuster that must be witnessed on the biggest of screens. What else can I say other than, go go Godzilla!

The Big News We've All Been Waiting For: Star Wars Episode VII Cast Revealed!

Exactly one day ago, I complained in my last news post that I wanted less Justice League casting news and more Star Wars Episode VII news. I guess ask and thou shall receive! And not a moment too soon.

You know if they really played their cards right they should have released this on May 4th. Now that would have been perfect timing!)

So yes, the moment we have been waiting for since this film was announced way back in 2012 has finally arrived. Everybody was wondering if the cast of the original trilogy would reprise their roles. The answer has now been confirmed as a yes! The original gang will return to the galaxy far far away to reprise their star making roles once again.!

Star Wars Episode VII will star......

• John Boyega (Glad to see a fresh face!)
• Daisy Ridley (Ditto)
• Adam Driver (I've heard he was cast a while ago and expected him to be on here)
• Oscar Isaac (I'm not sure how much folk singing takes place in the outer rim)
• Andy Serkis (Just as long as he isn't doing a motion capture Jar Jar, I adore it)
• Domhnall Gleeson (Hey look it's a Weasley!)
• Max von Sydow (Seeing his name on this list really made me smile)

And reprising their roles are......

• Mark Hamill
• Carrie Fisher
• Harrison Ford
• Peter Mayhew
• Anthony Daniels
• Kenny Baker

Wow. Oh my gosh I love it already. I know that I shouldn't get too excited to save myself from possible complete and utter disappointment. But with a list of unknown actors, lesser known actors and big names like this it's impossible not too! 

I love the Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis choices. Serkis in my eyes can do no wrong. Whether in a motion capture or live action performance! Sydow is one of the all time greats. It's wonderful to see a true legend join the Star Wars universe. (Do you think it's possible that he's going to play an Obi Wan Force ghost? I did hear a rumor about a Kenobi ghost....)

I can really picture Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson as Jedi. Isaac especially. He just has the look of a Jedi or possibly a gangster. If anyone in this cast is going to be a gangster it's Adam Driver. Not only does the guy just look like a complete scumbag on a good day, but I heard a rumor that he will play the villain. (I don't know why but he kind of strikes me to be Boba Fett!)

As for Boyega and Ridley I don't have a clue. It could go either way. Fingers crossed!

I'm a bit sad that Billy Dee Williams or Warwick Davis weren't on the list. It would have been cool to see Lando and Solo reunite once again. Hey, maybe Davis will make a cameo! There's always something in the Star Wars universe he can play.

All in all, I'm stoked. After nearly a year of nothing but weak rumors we finally got what we've been asking for. Sure there are a ton of actors I would have liked to have been cast, (Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender for starters) but I love how they have sided with lesser known actors. Just like the original trilogy. And from what I've been hearing, that's exactly what they are trying to do. It sounds like they are trying to make this new trilogy to please the fans. What's not to love?

May the Force be With This Film.

News: Justice League Gets A Release Date! (I rant about Dc Comics)

To my great surprise, the forthcoming Batman and Superman film starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor and Cyborg is NOT the Justice League film but actually a sequel to Man of Steel!

Gee, Warner Bros. sure had me fooled!

Zack Snyder announced today that the Justice League, or as I like to call it "Dc's last attempt at competing with the multi-billion dollar comic book behemoth that is Marvel," has been given a release date for 2018. Four years from now and two years after the Man of Steel sequel a.k.a Batman and Superman a.k.a Justice League Lite a.k.a Dc's second to last attempt at competing with the multi-billion dollar comic book behemoth that is Marvel."

If you are really bad at detecting obvious sarcasm, you can clearly tell that I am less than pleased with Warner Bros. and Dc Comics game-plan (if you can even call it that). I just feel like the only reason we are getting a Batman and Superman film and a Justice League film so soon is that they are scrambling to make money in any way, shape or form. And if that means churning out ridiculously hyped up rushed, half-baked films, then that's what they'll do. Just to make an easy $1 billion dollars. And if the films turn out to be complete and utter crap, the studio executives wouldn't care because they just robbed you blind of your hard earned $10, ($15 if you see it in I-Max 3-D!)

I don't want to be just another angry nerd behind a keyboard, because I want this film to be great! And hey who knows, with the route they are going on this film could still be absolutely incredible! It's just that I don't feel like it is going to be from the countless big name characters announced to the weird casting choices. It just seems like they are playing all their cards WAY to early in the game.

Let me remind you of Marvel's grand plan for an Avengers film:
Marvel took a risk when they released Iron Man way back in 2008. As we all remember, the end credits scene was of Tony Stark talking to Nick Fury about "The Avengers Initiative." An Avengers film wasn't confirmed upon Iron Man's release. They would only advance the plan if Iron Man was a hit, and it was a smash. And in 2012, 5 years later after the very mention of an Avengers film, Marvel's grand plan came to fruition in the form of the biggest comic book blockbuster of all time. It was everything we wanted the movie to be and then some. It was awesome and we loved it and you know why we loved it? It's because they took time to plan out what they wanted to do and how to do it right and they hired the people who were perfect for the job.

Now I've figured out what the biggest difference between the executives at Marvel and Dc. I can sum it up in one word: Patience. Dc is scrambling to compete with Marvel in the movie business by throwing everything but the kitchen sink into their next films that probably don't even have a script written. Marvel takes time and consideration when producing their upcoming films to make sure that they are the best they can be.

In a perfect world, this is what would happen: Warner Bros. and Dc Comics should give us solo films for the Justice League heros before the main event. That way the characters won't get glossed over and underdeveloped. A job that the Justice League film shouldn't have to do.

So yes. Those are my thoughts on The Justice League/The Dc dilemma. Underneath this crusty shell of negativity I do have hope. I'm just incredibly uncertain. Here's hoping we get less Justice League casting news and more Star Wars Episode VII castings news in the future!

Movie Review #85: Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1984)

Do you ever have one of those films that just gets you? A film so bizarre that no matter how hard you try you can't give your friends a valid or even a comprehensible reason for why you love this film as much as you do.
This is just one of those films for me.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure not only marks the big screen debut for Paul Reuben's character of Pee Wee Herman, but also the directorial debut for one of the most original figures in hollywood for the next 20 years, Tim Burton.

I've said in the past that I am an enormous fan of Tim Burton. While  he might be considered to be inconsistent filmmaker as of the past 10 years, in his early years he crafted some of the most creatively entertaining pieces of cinema. And this being his debut film is no exception.

The plot is very simplistic. Pee Wee Herman's bike has been stolen and he embarks on an epic journey to reclaim his most prized possession. On the way he encounters a fugitive on the run, a biker gang and he learns the cold hard truth about the Alamo's basement.

The reason this film works so well is for the reason I just said: The plot is basic and uncomplicated. With this, the film focuses more on making a consistent stream of memorably funny sequences and hysterical one-liners instead of a twisting and turning storyline. And with Paul Reubens himself and acclaimed SNL cast member Phil Hartman co-writing the script, you can be sure that the comedy is not in scarce supply.

I'm kind of a tough sell for comedies. Not many movies or TV shows can make me truly laugh out loud. And the ones that can generate a chuckle out of me can rarely continue to make me when I re-watch them. That is not the case with Pee Wee's Big Adventure. I laugh harder every time I revisit this this film!

If you had to ask me what my favorite part of this film is, I would have to think about that for a bit because there are so many iconic scenes that instantly stick out when I think of this film like the breakfast machine, the Alamo, Large Marge, and of course the dance sequence at the biker bar. They are all so memorable because of how goofy they are and maybe that's why this film appeals to me so much. It might come off as episodic to some, but I didn't mind.

Many, if not all great directors have a particular style you can see through their films that tell you off the bat who this film was directed by. Usually it takes many directors a few films before you can see a pattern develop in their filmmaking. That is not the case with Tim Burton. You can instantly see that this film has Burton written all over it. From the creepy dream sequences to the iconic score from none other than Danny Elfman himself, this is Tim Burton at his prime and most bizarre.

Final Report: Pee Wee's Big Adventure is, in a word: Bizarre. It's a film that I had a tough time reviewing because I couldn't think of much else to say aside from, "It makes me laugh." It's a peculiar piece of 80's nostalgia that I highly recommend to everyone. What can I say? It's just one of those films.

Movie Review #84: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Comedy month will continue later with reviews for Zoolander and a few of my personal favorite comedies. But right now the summer movie season has come a month early for us and for the third consecutive year in a row, Marvel kicks it off in style!

Captain American: The Winter Soldier is the third installment in Marvel's Phase 2 which began with Iron Man 3 and followed by Thor: The Dark World. And it would only seem fair for The Star Spangled Man to get a sequel!

In this film we get to see how Steve Rogers has been adapting to the 21st century. This is the first time we've seen him in action in present day after the events that happened in The Avengers. We see that he's now working with SHIELD and Black Widow on military missions. Trouble emerges when a mysterious masked figure called The Winter Soldier emerges and starts wreaking havoc and it's up to Captain America to stop him.

My description of the plot doesn't do the film justice. I tried to make it as simplistic as possible because the plot is far more complicated and interesting than what I wrote. I just don't want to give away any spoilers at all because I don't want to be the guy that ruined a movie for you.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier does what Catching Fire did, which is blend enthralling action sequences with an enticing political storyline. But unlike how the first half of Catching Fire felt like a political thriller while the latter half was a full blown action flick, The Winter Soldier seamlessly blended both halves evenly to give us one of the best Marvel movies to date.

This is without a doubt the best solo Avenger film since the first Iron Man and the best Marvel sequel since Spider-Man 2. I was flabbergasted by how terrific just about everything in this film was! I'm especially surprised because this is a sequel and if Marvel has faltered in one area, it is that they have struggled with making worthy successors to the first film in the franchise. While I did enjoy Iron Man 3 and really liked Thor: The Dark World, (not so much for Iron Man 2) I never considered them to be great. But not only would I consider Captain America: The Winter Soldier great but for a better word, marvelous.

How is the action? Terrific. I love the fact that they used as little CGI as possible. Not that I have anything against CGI! It's an incredible tool that has advanced the development of action movies. But like all good things, CGI should be used in moderation. Which it is in this film! I loved the hand-to-hand combat fight scenes. They had a sense of realism to them and realism is something that isn't always achieved in a comic book film. There is a particular car chase scene early on in the film that might be one of the best I've seen in years.

The action is awesome as expected, but what really makes this addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe so memorable are the relationships between the characters and the excellent script.

Before this film, I considered Captain America as a "minor" Avenger. He doesn't really have any great powers," is what I used to think. This film put me over the edge to realize that Captain America is a force that you do not want to mess with and makes his shield as powerful a weapon as Thor's hammer in my eyes. The scene in the elevator when he took out an entire team of highly trained soldiers and hit men using only his fists made me say, "Okay, I'm on board. This is one hero that really earns the title of super."

Scarlet Johanson is wonderful as Black Widow. The relationship formed between her and Steve is not just shown but actually put to the test. The two have such believable chemistry together that I would not be surprised if the two of them started an actual relationship in the films to come. That would be tough to explain to Hawkeye though. Speaking of which, where was Hawkeye in all of this? Heck, Anthony Mackie as Falcon probably had more lines here than Jeremy Renner did in The Avengers!

While we're one the subject, Falcon was a great addition to the cast! I really liked his character and how he is sort of going to become Captain America's right hand man. Plus, that wing suit is probably the coolest gadget not made by Tony Stark. I can't wait to see him in Age of Ultron along side the rest of the Avengers.

Aside from sequels, the other field that Marvel has struggled in recently is that of villains. Mickey Rourke was forgettable in Iron Man 2, I can't even remember the name of the villain in Thor 2 and don't even get me started on The Mandarin. It seemed that outside of Loki, Marvel had no other memorable villains. Well now they have two: The Winter Soldier and Alexander Pierce.

These two characters reminded me a lot of General Tarkin and Darth Vader from Star Wars. Pierce being Tarkin and The Winter Soldier being more like Darth Vader. Robert Redford plays Alexander Pierce who I think was the perfectly cast in this role as a corrupt political puppet-master behind the ins and outs of SHIELD. He shows both sides of personality by commanding a great presence about himself as a leader and being downright despicable as a villainous mastermind. Like Tarkin, Pierce is the top dog who calls the orders. The Winter Soldier on the other hand like Vader, does his masters bidding. I love the backstory given to him and how he connects this film to the first Captain America film. Which leads me to the script.

The writing is solid. We learn about Steve Rogers personal life. All of the things he's been catching up on in pop culture and history and Natasha even tries to set him up with a girlfriend. And that situation really highlights their relationship with each other. It isn't romantic, but rather a great bond of trust and friendship and I love seeing that.

My problems with the film are very few. There is a scene involving an A.I. (of sorts) that I felt was a bit out of place. I also thought that it gave into the cliché that the bad guy tells you his entire evil plan before he kills you which really gets under my skin. And I wish that Alan Silvestri composed the score because I really enjoyed his work on the first film.

Final Report: With a powerhouse script that doesn't skimp out on character development or political depth and riveting action sequences, Captain America: The Winter Soldier raises the bar extremely high for all Marvel films to follow. So hit me with your best shot X-Men Days of Future Past! Give me your best because this is one superhero flick I do not see being bested for a while.

Sorry this is being posted so late. I did see the film (twice) during its first week, I've just been having trouble getting time to finish this post up. So sorry for the wait.

Movie Review #83: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

With today being April Fools Day, I figured that why should I review just one comedy? How about I review some of my favorite comedies throughout the entire month of April?
It would bring me back into the groove of consistently reviewing movies weekly. Which is something I have been lacking on recently and I do apologize for that.

Aside from Tom Hanks, there was no other actor in the 1990's as big as Jim Carrey. He just about ruled the world of comedy movies with monster success after monster success. Especially in his breakout year of 1994, when he had not one, not two, but three enormous box office hits and now proclaimed comedy classics.
Those films being The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and the one that started it all, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

I personally regard Carrey as one of the funniest guys on the planet. I am a huge fan of his wacky voices and the ways he can morph his face into the funniest and just downright stupidest of expressions. I can really relate to his comedic style because I make people laugh by making goofy faces and silly voices. Many of my friends have actually encouraged me to become a voice actor or find a job in radio because of this. So in short, he's really inspired me and he will never stop making me laugh.

Carrey broke out of the television career he had on the popular sketch comedy show In Living Color with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. A movie about a pet detective who gets hired by the Miami Dolphins football team to track down their missing mascot that just so happens to be a rare Bottle-nose dolphin named Snowflake.

It's hard to think of anyone but Jim Carrey playing the character of Ace Ventura because the guy is so committed to the roles he is given. I mean even by the way he walks shows how into character he is! Many of the films laughs come from scenes that have no dialogue when we're just watching Carrey wander around like a complete dope.

Carrey said in an interview that since the character of Ace Ventura was so in tuned to animals that he should act like an animal! He based Ventura's actions off of those of a bird. Like the way he struts about, his ridiculous hair and even the colorful shirt he has on. Details like that add to the character in such a great way. He just wouldn't have been as funny!

Quite a few of the verbal jokes are also very memorable. There are a ton of great insults, put downs and analogies said by Carrey that are simply hysterical. Some of which I have actually used in my everyday conversations!

The supporting characters are pretty expendable. None of them really stood out. Probably because Carrey's hammy performance filled up the entire screen. That is except for the villain. Without spoiling anything, but what they did with the villain's backstory is completely ridiculous, but in a strange way actually ends up making sense. It's pretty memorable to say the least.

Even though this movie is very funny, it's also very stupid. I mean, immensely stupid. I'm not saying it becomes unfunny, but rather just a bit annoying. To me at least. Jim Carrey haters would most likely rather want to take a bath with their favorite electrical kitchen appliance (If you get what I mean).

Final Report: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective might come off as more obnoxious than a Yoko Ono concert to some. But to fans of the classic Jim Carrey formula like me, it's a pretty good time.