Movie News - Poster Reveal: Jupiter Ascending

I've been looking forward to this movie for awhile now, so I'm super excited about the new movie posters that were released today.  Here's the one featuring Channing Tatum...

 

July can't get here soon enough!  I love the futuristic look and style of the poster itself, and from the trailers I've seen it seems to fit the movie well.  And those ears...

What do you think of the poster?

Other movies I'm looking forward to:

Noah

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Transcendence

Maleficent

Edge of Tomorrow

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

What movies are you looking forward to?

Movie News - Poster Reveal: Maleficent

Several exciting things happened this week.  This was one of them:

I'm loving this new poster!  But even better, the first Trailer was also released this week!!  You can see that here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYemY3xFsB4

I can't wait to see Angelina Jolie as Maleficent!  What do you think? 

Movie News - Poster Reveal - Riddick

"Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick" are two of my favorite sci-fi movies.  "Pitch Black" was brilliant, "Chronicles" a little less so, but still highly enjoyable.  So when I heard they were finally making long awaited third film in the series I was very excited!

"Riddick" hits theaters in September 2013, and here is a shiny new poster for the film.

 

What do you think of this poster?  I like it - it's kind of raw and gritty...  And the tagline, "Survival is his revenge" is perfect!  

But do you know what is even better?  Karl Urban will be in the film too!

And y'all know I likes me some Karl Urban!  I can't wait!

Movie News - Poster Reveal - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I meant to post this several weeks ago, but forgot.  Or lost track of time.  Or was distracted by something shiny.  I'm not sure what happened.  Probably everyone has already seen this by now, but I'm posting it anyway because I think it is glorious!

So pretty...But enough about me and what I think.  What do YOU think?  Are you excited to see Part 2 of The Hobbit?  Do you like the artwork so far?

Movie News - Poster Reveal - World War Z, Poster the Next

So not even a full day after I posted yesterdays Movie Poster Reveal, I notice that there's a NEW poster for World War Z that, as far as I can tell, was just released today.

Please to enjoy the NEW World War Z Movie Poster, starring Brad Pitt himself:

 

Pretty good, yeah?  I'm liking the look - what do you think?

Movie News - Poster Reveal - World War Z

So I noticed the black and white version of this a week or so ago, then forgot about it, and then today found this new color version.

Gorgeously creepy, horrifying, and surreal -  I love it!  I'm very much looking forward to seeing the movie in June - hopefully I'll have time to read the book the movie is based on before then.

What about you? What do you think of the new poster, and will you be seeing the movie?

Movie News - Ender's Game Movie Poster

 

As you can see, the movie poster for the movie adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Sci-Fi novel Ender's Game was released today.

I'm still conflicted about whether to see this movie.  I think I probably will, because "Hooray For Sci-Fi" and all that.  However, political and social issues aside, the movie poster is pretty stunning!  It's not at all how I imagined the Battle Room when I read the book, but this is actually so much better.  The rest of the artwork is a little generic, but the view through the airlock sort of makes up for it, I think.  Apparently, having ones back to the camera in movie posters is the new hooded man of book covers.  Oh well.

What do you think about the movie poster?  Like it? Hate it? Don't care?  Are you planning on seeing Ender's Game when it comes out in November?  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Movie News - Star Trek Into Darkness Poster

Last week, this happened:

Synopsis:
"When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew."

I'm very excited about this movie, as I've been a fan of the franchise for...well...just about forever.  However, this poster is a little too reminiscent of the movie poster for The Dark Knight Rises.  I like it, I just wish it was more original.

What do you think?

Movie News - Another New Man of Steel poster!

So, THIS happened today:

 

I'll just say right off the bat, I don't like it much.  It's very bland and washed out, and the quality isn't nearly as good as some of the other movie posters we've seen lately.  But I'm still excited to see Man of Steel when it comes out.

What are your thoughts regarding this new Man of Steel movie poster?  Love it or Leave it?  Let me know in the comments.

Movie News - Life of Pi Posters

Last week I shared three recently released posters for a movie that I'm super excited to see, OZ The Great and Powerful.  This week I thought we could take a look at another set of recently released posters for ANOTHER movie that I'm highly anticipating - Life of Pi.

I haven't read the book by Yann Martel that the movie is based on, so I know very little about the story other than what I've seen in the trailers.  However, the visuals I've seen, both trailers and these stunning movie posters, have made me desperate to see this movie. 

Adventure, Hope, Triumph.  Which do you like best? I think my favorite of the three is Hope, but Triumph is pretty stunning also.  I think each of these is closer to art than advertising.

 

What do you think?  Are you looking forward to seeing Life of Pi?

Welcome to Skyfall Day!!

Skyfall Day has FINALLY arrived!!

 

I'm going to go see this tomorrow - and I can barely WAIT!

What are your plans for this weekend?

Movie News - OZ The Great and Powerful Posters

So, while the Elections and Hurricane Sandy were taking up all my attention, THIS HAPPENED:

I think all three of these posters are stunning - although the third is a bit busy for my taste, and both of the monkeys in the foreground are terrifying - but I think the second is the best of the lot.  The contrast between the gorgeous background and the frightening image of the witch and the growling tree in the foreground is absolutely amazing.  I also love the subtle reference to the red poppies and the yellow brick road.

I've been looking forward to seeing this movie for a while, but it has fallen off my radar with all the highly anticipated movies coming out in the next few months, so I'm glad that Disney is starting to ramp up the publicity on this one.

Are you looking forward to OZ The Great and Powerful?  What do you think of the three posters above and which one do you like best or least?

Movie Review - Resident Evil 5: Retribution

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) * * * *
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Michelle Rodriguez

From IMDB:
"The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex."

My Thoughts:
Many people feel that by now, the Resident Evil franchise has run its' course and should be allowed to die a gruesome, bloody death, followed by a quick shot to the head to keep it from coming back to life as an undead reanimated mutant.

I am not one of those people.

I do not know why I like this series of movies so much, as I usually dislike horror films in general and blood and gore in specific.  But I love these movies, and I suppose most of the blame belongs to Milla Jovovich, who I adore.

However much I may have loved the first few films in the series, I have to honestly admit that RE5, while not bad, was not all that it could have been.  The beginning of the film recaps the story up to now quite nicely, beginning immediately where the previous film ended, and then, as so often happens, Alice wakes up in an Umbrella Corp cell, unsure of where she is or how much time has passed.  She soon learns that she is deep below the surface of the ocean in a secret testing facility where the Umbrella Corporation is continuing their testing of the T-virus.  A rescue team is on the way to extract her, but she must travel through the testing facility to meet them so they can escape to the surface.  Umbrella Corp has perfected the cloning technology that began with Alice, and have created clones of many of the people from Alice's past, who she encounters throughout her escape, and depending on the clone's programming/brainwashing, may be helpful or trying to kill her.  Add in the hundreds of infected mobs roaming the facility, and Alice has her work cut out for her.

Unfortunately, the plot is nearly non-existent.  Alice has to meet the extraction team and escape - that's it.  Along the way she fights mutants and infected that she's defeated before, in a variety of situations, and there is very little of anything that is new or fresh.  Basically this movie is all about getting Alice out of the impossible situation that she found herself in at the end of RE4, and moving her into position for the real story and action that is to come next.  The ending scenes of RE5 are truly amazing and horrifying as she learns just how close to extinction the human race has come, and I wish that most of RE5 had been cut and we had just been brought straight to the exciting part.  I hope they do end up making RE6, because THAT is where the story will get good again, but with so much wasted time and space in RE5, I don't know if that will ever happen.

Most of that probably didn't make much sense unless you've already seen the movie - Sorry for that.  I guess my point is that they wasted a lot of time getting her to where she needs to be next.  I just hope we get to someday see what happens after she got there, as the ending of the film is a giant cliff-hanger.

As usual, the film is visually compelling and stunning for the most part, although sometimes more gory than it really needs to be.  The fight scenes are pretty awesome, as is to be expected, and there are major scares around almost every corner.  I really wanted to be able to give Resident Evil: Retribution five stars, but it probably deserves less than three.  I'm splitting the difference at four stars due to some of the amazing visual moments in the film (watch for the underwater pyramid of undead, and the final shot in the film - both are stunning!).  Basically if you are a fan of the franchise you'll probably love the movie.  If you aren't already a fan you probably won't, and if you haven't seen any of the previous films then this may not be the best place to jump in for the first time.

So there's my opinion - What's yours?  Leave a comment and let me know what you thought of Resident Evil: Retribution, or if you are planning on seeing it.

Movie Review - The Odd Life of Timothy Green

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) * * * *
Director: Peter Hedges
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton and CJ Adams

From IMDB:
"After receiving bad news from a fertility doctor, Cindy and Jim Green try to bury their dreams of having a child by writing out all the great traits their child would have and putting them in a box in the garden. During a freak storm in the middle of the night, they awake to find a boy named Timothy, with leaves growing from his ankles, standing in their kitchen calling them mom and dad. Cindy and Jim are thrown into the midst of parenthood and over the coming months, Timothy will teach them more than they could have imagined about being parents and raising a child, no matter how he comes into their lives."

My Thoughts:
I've adored Jennifer Garner for years and years, and so even though I didn't think I was particularly interested in what seems at first glance to be a kid's movie, when Bob said he wanted to see it I was more than willing.  But it turns out that The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a thoroughly adorable movie suitable for both children and adults.

The story starts off a little sad as the couple find out they can never have children of their own, and they return home to their mid-western small town home and begin to deal with their grief by making a list of every great and awesome quality that they would want their child to posses, and burying the list in a box in their vegetable garden.

When Timothy first arrives they aren't quite sure what to think, or what to do, and as they try to introduce Timothy to their friends and family while making everything seems totally normal are hysterically funny.  Before long they realize that Timothy is, one by one, fulfilling all of the items on their original list.  Meanwhile, Timothy begins to lose the strange leaves attached to his legs, a fact which he carefully hides from his new parents, who try so hard to protect Timothy and make his life awesome while struggling to not make the mistakes of their own parents..

I won't spoil the ending even though it was predictable from the very beginning of the film, but in spite of the film's predictability it was satisfying, fun, cute, adorable, and nearly perfect in all of its' sugary sweetness.  Great writing and good pacing make this a fun movie, suitable for all ages.  I give it 4 stars, and Bob loved it.

Have you seen The Odd Life of Timothy Green yet?  What did you think?

Movie Review - The Bourne Legacy

The Bourne Legacy (2012) * * * *
Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton

From IMDB:
"An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on Aaron Cross, a new hero, who experiences life-or-death stakes which have been triggered by the events of the previous three films."

My Thoughts:
Over the last few years I have quite enjoyed the first three movies in the Bourne saga, partly because they are great action films, partly because of the "mystery/spy" elements, and partly because I'm one of those people who just really likes Matt Damon.

I do!

Stop laughing.

So when I began to hear rumors that a fourth Bourne film was in the works, and that it would NOT have Matt Damon in it, I was very disappointed and skeptical, and was literally mere seconds away from swearing a solemn vow to refuse to see The Bourne Legacy when I realized it was starring Jeremy Renner - who, as it happens, I like even more than Matt Damon.

Still I wasn't sure it would work.  It's a new agent, ok, I can handle that. It's good to mix things up a little, freshen up the story.   Then things started sound confusing - simultaneous timelines, different black ops agencies, and super-powers?  Say, whaaaaaat??

So, yeah. But it turns out that The Bourne Legacy is a REALLY good film.  Aaron Cross is an agent in a different program - the agents are treated with various drugs to increase their physical and mental abilities, and closely monitored and studied.  But when Jason Bourne and Pamela Landy blow the lid on Treadstone, the resulting investigations threaten other secret programs, and the head honchos begin cleaning house to cover their own asses - eliminating all their agents and researchers.  Cross manages to evade his own assassination attempt, and goes looking for the doctor who can get him more of the drugs that will help him maintain his mental acuity.  Unfortunately, she's also being targeted by the agency for knowing too much, so of course, they both go on the run to try to save their own lives.

Shakespeare it isn't - but what it is, is loads of fun.  Renner does a great job as Agent Cross, effectively portraying both the hardened agent and also the vulnerable not-so-bright soldier he used to be before the drugs opened his eyes to a whole new world that he is now terrified of losing.  I've always loved Rachel Weisz, and she's amazing in this role - brainy, frightened, hysterical at times, yet pulling it together to get the job done when it counts.

Of course in a movie like this there's lots of explosions and chase scene, and while some have complained that there were too many chase scenes or that some of them lasted too long.  I heartily disagree, but I will admit there was a brief moment where I thought, "Just escape already!" but then something awesome happened so it was all ok!

I think The Bourne Legacy lives up to it's predecessors and deserves 4 stars.  A little more character development might have bumped it up to five stars, but overall it's a great action film, and if you like the previous Bourne movies I believe you'll like this one as well.

I'm way late on this review, so most of you have probably seen it already - What did you think of The Bourne Legacy?  Leave me a comment and let me know if you agree with me, or if you think I'm all sorts of wrong about the film!

Movie Review - Total Recall

Total Recall (2012) * * * *
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston

From IMDB:
"A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run."

My Thoughts:
Total Recall is, as I'm sure everyone is aware, a remake of a 1990 film of the same name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside, and inspired by a short story written by Philip K. Dick.

In the original film, Douglas Quaid ends up on Mars and saves the red planet from a maniacal overlord.  It's campy and comedic as often as it is serious, and for its' time the technology was breathtakingly imaginative.

The remake however, goes a different way.  It's serious through and through, the technology is still awesomely inventive (a hand-phone? Yes PLEASE, sign me up!), but it's grittier and darker, and completely Earth-bound.  The special effects were very well done (I loved the "weightless" scene), and overall the movie is visually stunning.  Colin Farrell did a better acting job than I expected, and Kate Beckinsale shines (as she usually does - no surprise there) as Quaid's "fake" wife. 

My problems with the movie were that I had a really hard time suspending my disbelief throughout several sections of the film (Elevator through the Earth's core?), and that I kept comparing it to the original in my mind while watching it.  But overall I do think it was a good film, it was loads of fun, and told a fantastic spy/mystery story.

But I did kinda miss Mars a little bit.

Have you seen Total Recall yet?  What were YOUR thoughts about the film?

Movie Review - The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) * * * * *
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hardy, Matthew Modine.

From IMDB:

"Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy."

My Thoughts:
I totally loved this movie.  I'm not even gonna try to be all critical and professional about it either.  It's an awesome movie, you must see it, and you must love it!

*sigh*

Ok, fine.  I suppose you don't "have" to "love" it.  But I am betting that if you are a fan of Nolan's take on Batman in general, as evidenced in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," then you probably will love "The Dark Knight Rises."

(Here there be spoilery things).

This third installment in Nolan's series felt to me like a perfect third and final movie in a trilogy.  The story is involved, and fantastically layered, providing answers to questions that we didn't know we had, and tying certain events back to previous points in the story.  (As an example, when the residents of Gotham's prison system are released, we see some familiar characters, who take an active role in the story as it unfolds).

The movie is long, and could have been made shorter with tighter editing, without sacrificing any actual plot content, but at the same time, it didn't feel like a long movie, to me at least. Several plot twists, and some truly great action scenes and character growth moments made this film a winner.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the way that Batman, who disappeared in disgrace at the end of The Dark Knight, is able to rehabilitate himself and his image.  During his 8 year absence, the city government and citizenry have grown and learned to care for themselves - the police, who were previously too terrified to fight against the mob and other criminals infecting Gotham's underbelly, are now all too willing to fight against the terrorists, and take back their city when given the chance, creating a situation where Gotham finally doesn't need its' Dark Knight any more, but instead has the symbolism of heroes to look up to and emulate.

But the bottom line is it is awesome and you should totally watch The Dark Knight Rises on the big screen.  I give it five stars, and even Bob enjoyed it.  Go see it as soon as possible! 

But when you do, take a moment to think about the victims and families involved in the shooting in Colorado.  My thoughts and best wishes go out to them, with the hope that someday, the true meaning of what Batman and all the other Super-Heroes stand for will be realized and understood by everyone, and events like that will no longer happen in our world.  As Bruce Wayne says, "Anyone can be Batman."  Let's try to remember that, because we can all be heroes in our own way.

Movie Review - Magic Mike

Magic Mike (2012) * * *
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, and Olivia Munn

From IMDB:
"Mike, an experienced stripper, takes a younger performer called The Kid under his wing and schools him in the arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money."

My Thoughts:
Magic Mike is an interesting film, in that it has a far deeper storyline than the trailers lead one to believe. Mike is a creative soul who wants to open his own business making unique furniture made from one-of-a-kind found objects.  To reach that goal, he works as a constructions worker, does mobile auto detailing, and dances at a strip club, all to try to save enough money to one day realize his dream.  He meets a young guy who is down on his luck, and inducts him into the strip club and into a whole new way of life.  The story unfolds over the next three months, as Mike himself grows more and more disillusioned with his current lifestyle and begins to realize that his dreams and goals have shifted, even as The Kid sinks deeper into the party lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and casual sex.  Mike wants desperately to connect with someone, but nearly all the women he meets only want him for sex - except for The Kid's older sister, who initially wants nothing to do with Mike, and is concerned about her younger brother.  As the two spend time together, a fragile bond begins to develop, until one disastrous night when everything nearly falls apart.  Mike realizes he needs to make a decision, but is unsure which path he should take - easy money, or a shot at a real relationship.

 Magic Mike is not a movie for everyone.  The stripping scenes are fun and crazy, and the guys are hot.  However there is a lot of swearing, and some drug use.

I quite enjoyed the film for what it was, but Bob completely hated it.  So if you go see it, be warned that Magic Mike is a little darker and deeper than what the trailers lead you to believe.  However, you might go for the strippers and end up staying for the story.  I give it three stars - it was a decent film.

Have you seen Magic Mike?  Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Movie News - New Man of Steel poster unveiled!

According to Collider.com, a new Superman Man of Steel movie poster was unveiled at San Diego Comic-con on Saturday.

It's very simple, yet I think it's pretty stunning.

 

What do you think?

Movie Review - Prometheus

Prometheus (2012) * * * * *
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron

From IMDB:

"A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."

My Thoughts:
I'm sure that by now you've probably seen the movie Prometheus, or read about it online.  Even if you haven't seen it, you are most likely already aware of all the problems that have been noted by the many, many people who have seen the movie.

And really, there are lots of problems.  I freely admit that there are a lot of things that happen in the movie, that when you think about it, don't make any sense.  People make choices that are illogical.  The scientists ignore basic scientific protocols.  The guy with the nifty mapping probes gets lost.  Another guy decides to touch something that most people would run away from.  Why was the medical machine only programmed for one gender?

The list goes on and on.

The thing is, though, that for the most part, while you are actually watching the movie, you don't really notice all of that.  And the reason you don't really notice all of that is because the movie itself is so big, and huge, and awesome, and amazingly gorgeous, and freaky, and wonderful, and terrifying, all at the same time, that while you are caught up in the moment you don't really stop to think "Hey, how come no one has asked her why she's running around half naked and covered in blood?  Is this a common event that happens so often that no one around her gives it a second thought, or are her fellow crew members all just asshats?"  It isn't until after you leave the theater and start to think about the movie that you suddenly realize that there were things that didn't quite fit.

In my opinion, that's a good thing.  I loved Prometheus!  It's awesome and amazing!  It scared the crap out of me at least twice and Bob has the fingernail imprints in his arm to prove it.  And I loved the movie not because it's perfect, but because it's not.

People do stupid illogical things, like take their helmets off before they know if the air is safe to breathe.  People push buttons when they have no clue what those buttons do.  People panic and get lost even when they are holding a map.  Humans can be so passionate about something that they will do all sorts of stupid, dumb, illogical things while pursuing their passion.  It happens.

In addition to that, one of the things that I like best about the movie is the level of discussion and thought that has resulted from people watching the film.  This movie has made people think - not just about what's wrong with the movie, but with bigger things, like philosophy, and creation myths, and archetypal personality-types, the origin of the universe, relationships between a creator and its' creation, and what being human means.  Folks are writing articles and blog posts and tweets about this movie and how their perceptions of these concepts, and the resulting dialogue has been fascinating.  To me, at least.

But that's what I think a truly great movie should really do - make people think.  About stuff that doesn't even have anything to do with the actual story being told in the film.  Of course a movie should tell a good story, and this is where Prometheus falters slightly, but it more than makes up for its' missteps by taking people's mind and thoughts and hurtling them different directions and causing conversations about ideas.

That's why I give Prometheus five stars.  That's what I loved the most, and that's why I think everyone should see it, no matter whether or not you like Science-Fiction, or Horror, or Suspense-Thrillers.  Prometheus is all those things, and also so much more.

Have you seen Prometheus?  Do you agree or disagree with me?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments!