185 Comments

Movie Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron – Easy, Stupid Fun With A Ridiculously High Budget

  By , ,

The summer movie season rolled out with the first big blockbuster of the season. The much anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron is finally out. While not the best in the series, it certainly looks like the most expensive.

The premise is this. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has created a villain. Ultron was initially designed to protect the planet earth. Of course, because it’s artificial intelligence, it immediately becomes an evil robot bent on world domination.

When will people learn?

The avengers, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) all get together to save the day. As if there weren’t enough main characters to remember, be prepared for a couple more including Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and sister Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).

The humor that made the first few movies good is still there and fans of the comic books series will appreciate some of the tongue in cheek comments, like why Thor is the only one who can lift his hammer. There’s a few side stories going on where the writers try to inject some humanity into their characters, by showing the burgeoning love affair between the Black Widow and Hulk, as well as Hawkeye’s rural life.

Despite that, this movie is nothing you don’t expect. It’s easy, stupid fun with a ridiculously high budget. Everything unfolds as you’d expect and it’s pretty much a paint by numbers big budget action movie. They didn’t climb too far out of the box on this one.

It’s absolutely CGI heavy, with extensive battle scenes filmed from impossible angles, with people doing impossible things. While visually stunning, it feels a bit like the battle scenes were padded out for the purposes of fleshing out a simplistic script.

Everyone reprises their characters with the same enthusiasm as they had in the first few movies. That’s a feat in and of itself, as they’ve all been at this for a while. Iron Man is still charming, the Black Widow is still creepy, and everyone still wonders why Hawkeye is even there.

This is Joss Whedon’s last direction go around with this franchise, and I will say he went out on a high note. The movie is well done, fun to watch and easy to follow. It’s exactly what a big budget blockbuster should be, and Whedon has managed to keep it going for awhile now. Here’s hoping when someone else takes the helm, it will be just as good.

captain-america-the-winter-soldier-chris-evans-age-of-ultron - 14MAY22015

There’s already a new one planned, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1, that is expected out in 2018. This is a franchise that has still managed to not lose its steam and will probably be around for a long time to come…as long as they keep making money.

While a bit heavy on battle scenes and CGI, it’s still a commendable effort and was the perfect start for the summer movie season. If you’re looking for fun that won’t make you think so much, this one is worth the watch. .

WE GAVE IT: 4 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

4 stars

 

[youtube id=”MZoO8QVMxkk” width=”680″ height=”356″]
avengers-age-of-ultron - 14MAY2015
No comments

Cult Horror Film ‘The Craft’ Is Getting Remade, Find Out Who Will Be Directing The Remake!

  By

Another Hollywood remake? Of course! We don’t need original stories anymore. Sony has announced that they will be developing a remake of the 1996 teen thriller, The Craft. That’s right, 1996! Apparently, every movie from the ’80s has already been remade.

THR was the first to report the news, and according to their report, Sony has already found a director/writer for the project. Newcomer Leigh Janiak will be writing and directing the film. Leigh will have some help in the writing department from her writing partner, Phil Graziadei.

Janiak and Graziadei made their first splash in Hollywood with the 2014 horror film, Honeymoon. It premiered at SXSW last year with mixed reviews.

For those of you out there who have no idea what the original 1996 film was about, let me try my best to explain. The Craft starred Robin Tunney as teenager Sarah Bailey. Sarah transfers to a new high school in L.A., and joins a group of wannabe witches who “practice witchcraft and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who even slightly anger them.”

The good news is that this will be a female-centric film directed by a female director. The bad news? It’s another remake. Hopefully this opens more doors for Janiak. Maybe down the road some studio will allow her to create a completely original film.

…that will be remade in 2036.

No comments

Eddie Redmayne In Talks To Star In Harry Potter Spinoff ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’

  By

A little over a month ago we learned Eddie Redmayne was being considered for the lead role in the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But at that time, there were also a few other names being tossed around, including, Matt Smith and Nicholas Hoult.

However, it now looks like Eddie has the job if he wants it. According to the reports, the Oscar-winner just wanted to see a completed script before he agreed to anything. He apparently liked what he saw on the script, and now a deal is close to being completed.

This all coming from a report by Variety. It’s important to note that nothing has been confirmed. In fact, some sources claim director David Yates is still looking at a few other actors, but it does look like Redmayne is the clear front-runner.

What do we know about this movie? Not much. We know the story is set in New York seven decades before Harry Potter’s adventure at Hogwarts, and we know it’s based on the Hogwarts textbook of the same name, following the adventures of its author, Newt Scamander.

And we’re sure some of you are probably wondering if this should be viewed as a prequel to the Harry Potter franchise. According to J.K. Rowling, this film is not a prequel, but simply an “extension of the wizarding world.”

We’ll continue to keep you updated as we learn more information. The film is scheduled to hit theaters November 18, 2016.

No comments

Did Sarah Jessica Parker Just Confirm A New ‘Sex and the City’ Movie? Get The Details Inside!

  By

For some reason, people still want to see another Sex and the City movie. The amount of people wanting a Sex and the City 3 is too damn high.

We know this because thousands of people went a little crazy after Sarah Jessica Parker sent out a tease on her Instagram account. She posted the photo you see below, with a mysterious caption that read, “Well. I guess the cat’s out of the (little brown) bag. As usual, we will keep you posted on every detail as we are able. I’m under a strict gag order until then.”

OH ‘EM GEE! THIS MUST BE IT, RIGHT? SHE JUST BASICALLY CONFIRMED THE NEW MOVIE. IT’S SO OBVIOUS!

No, no, no. We are sorry to disappoint, but this Instagram post had nothing to do with Sex and the City. Warner Bros. claims a third film is “nowhere near development.”

So what is the story behind this Instagram post? The actress is simply planning to expand her shoe line to Bloomingdale’s stores. She announced the news on the official Instagram account for her company, SJP Collection.

“Pinch me, I’m dreaming. After months and months of sworn secrecy, I can finally shout the news from the rooftop. Or even better, from the iconic @bloomingdales awning. Welcome to New York, @sjpcollection. You’re going to love it here. Finally, a permanent home in NYC.”

Sorry, folks! Looks like you’ll have to continue waiting.

No comments

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Is Getting Great Reviews From Critics!

  By

We have been hyping this new ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ movie for several months now. Showing you trailer after trailer of incredible action. It’s impossible not to get excited.

And now the early reviews for the film are coming in, and they’re making it even harder to control the excitement. 41 reviews have been counted so far on Rotten Tomatoes, and the official rating is standing at 98% fresh. It’s averaging a 9/10 rating, which is pretty freaking incredible.

We are not going to spoil anything for you; however, we are going to show you some quotes from the early reviews coming in.

Cinemablend’s Eric Eisenberg claims it’s a must-see film…

“It’s bombastically entertaining and action packed, but it doesn’t disregard emotion and story; and it’s a fitting follow-up that will make lovers of the Road Warrior giddy. But it’s also entirely accessible to those who have never even heard of the Mel Gibson-starring films. It’s a tremendous cinematic experience courtesy of George Miller, and a must-see.”

Justin Chang from Variety confirms this film will make Fast & Furious look silly…

Thirty years have passed since our last visit to George Miller’s sun-scorched post-apocalyptic wasteland, and yet ‘worth the wait’ still seems a puny response to the two hours of ferocious, unfettered B-movie bliss offered by ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’ The sort of exhilarating gonzo entertainment that makes even the nuttier ‘Fast and Furious’ movies look like Autopia test drives…”

And finally Mark Hughes from Forbes claims the trailers don’t even show the best parts of the movie…

“However, nothing in the previous Mad Max movies prepared me for what I experienced in Fury Road. Not even that terrific trailer demonstrates what is really in store for audiences. As amazing as the trailer looks, it doesn’t have any of the actual best footage or scenes, a rare example of studio marketing assembling a stellar pitch yet managing to hold back all of the greatest surprises.”

Good luck focusing on work for the next few days. Mad Max: Fury Road slams into theaters May 15th, 2015.

154 Comments

Watch This Oddly Satisfying Supercut Of Owen Wilson Saying ‘Wow’ In Movies

  By , ,

ow

It’s a boring Monday for movies. Avengers: Age of Ultron continues to dominate the box office, Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara’s ‘Hot Pursuit‘ comedy opened with a miserable $13.3 million, and several people have been calling the Vacation trailer the worst trailer in film history.

But none of that is important. What is important? Owen Wilson, and his strange habit of saying “wow” in almost every single film he stars in.

It’s something I have noticed before, and even SNL briefly made fun of it during this hilarious Wes Anderson parody movie trailer. But now YouTube user and Owen Wilson fan Owenergy Studios is bringing out all the “wows” and putting them together in a hilarious video on YouTube.

Unfortunately, embedding has been “disabled by request,” so you will have to click on this link to watch it. It’s worth the click though. The most incredible part is how every “wow” sounds a little different than the previous wow. I never knew there were so many ways to say wow.

And since this is a video post, it’s only right if I include an actual video on this page. After you watch Owen Wilson say wow for 2 minutes, come back here and watch Nicolas Cage freak the f–k out for almost 5 minutes.

 

No comments

The First Red Band Trailer For The New ‘Vacation’ Film Has Been Released! (VIDEO)

  By ,

We have a special treat for you all this Friday. The red band trailer for the Vacation reboot has been released, and it’s actually not that bad.

One thing you’ll notice right away are the references to the original film. The trailer even begins with footage from the original 1983 comedy. And then we jump straight into raunchy town, which makes sense considering this is the red band trailer.

Like always, we’re not going to ruin the trailer by telling you everything that happens inside of it. Just watch it for yourself and be surprised.

We will tell you that this film is filled with some pretty big names in the comedy game. You have Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Charlie Day, Nick Kroll and Keegan-Michael Key. With a cast like that, you have to expect a lot of laughs.

And the fact that the studio decided to release this film in the middle of summer proves they are confident in this project. You can catch Vacation in theaters July 29, 2015.

Watch the trailer below…

 

We might have also found the Official Movie Poster!

Vacation (2015) Movie Poster (maybe…)

Vacation-Movie-Poster 2015

No comments

Mark Ruffalo Talks About His Favorite Scene From ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’

  By

ult

Mark Ruffalo has been one of my favorite actors for a long time now. He’s wonderful in huge movies like The Avengers, but he’s also great in smaller films like The Kids Are All Right, Foxcatcher, Thanks for Sharing and of course 13 Going on 30.

There is just something comforting about him. For some reason, I’ve always felt like he was a good dude in real life, and this was confirmed earlier this week during his ‘AMA‘ event on Reddit. It was probably one of the best AMAs I’ve ever read, so when you have the time, click on that link and read all his answers.

But for this post, we are going to focus on one question/answer. One Reddit user asked the actor what his favorite Age of Ultron scene was, and the Hulk replied with a thoughtful answer…

“One of my favorite scenes, honestly, was just the superheroes hanging out, drinking beers, having a party and goofing off with Thor’s hammer! That’s classic Joss Whedon, and those moments when we see our superhumans just being human are really, I think, some of my favorite moments in the movie. And I think it’s part of the reason why the movie worked so well, is because Joss Whedon really understands that, and is interested in that himself.”

That was probably my favorite scene in the movie too, although, that’s not really surprising because I love anything that makes me laugh.

But that scene was also great because it set up another hilarious moment later in the movie. I know a lot of people disagree with this, but I actually thought this sequel was better than the original. It was more entertaining.

No comments

This ‘Absolutely Anything’ Trailer Is Absolutely Hilarious, Simon Pegg And Robin Williams Star

  By ,

‘Absolutely Anything‘ is an upcoming British sci-fi comedy directed by Terry Jones. The film, which was written by Jones and Gavin Scott, has an all-star cast behind it.

Simon Pegg and the lovely Kate Beckinsale star in the movie, and you’ll also be hearing the voices of several famous actors, including Eric Idle, John Cleese, and the late Robin Williams. This was Robin’s final work before he died last year, and it looks like he ended things with a hit.

The trailer you see at the bottom of this page is hilarious, but before you watch the trailer, read the official synopsis below…

Absolutely Anything follows a disillusioned school teacher (Pegg) who suddenly finds he has the ability to do anything he wishes, a challenge bestowed upon him by a group of power-crazed aliens (voiced by Cleese, Gilliam, Jones, Palin & Idle), watching him from space.
 
As he struggles to deal with these new found powers and the events that subsequently arise, he calls upon his loyal canine companion Dennis (voiced by Robin Williams) to help him along the way.
 
Mishap after mishap finally leads him to the ultimate conundrum that all men dread and at which many have failed….should he choose the girl….or the dog….?

Absolutely Anything will hit theaters August 14, 2015. Check out the trailer below…

 

No comments

Good News: ‘John Wick’ Sequel Is Happening, Keanu Reeves Will Return!

  By

Even though I am not a huge fan of sequels, I am extremely excited to hear this news. Lionsgate announced earlier this week that it plans to produce a sequel to the surprise 2014 hit, John Wick. The revenge thriller, which stars the wonderful Keanu Reeves, was a huge hit with fans and critics last year.

Jason Constantine, President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Lionsgate, released the following statement…

“With such tremendous fan and critical support for ‘John Wick,’ we knew that there was still so much more of this story to tell. We are thrilled that Keanu, David and Chad have re-teamed with us and promise to bring audiences even more excitement the second time around.”

The film earned $78 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. That’s a pretty good return, but it wasn’t enough money to make a sequel seem likely.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I am not usually a fan of sequels. Mainly because that’s the only thing Hollywood is feeding us right now. However, the situation is a little bit different with John Wick. It wasn’t a big budget film.

I don’t think anyone expected this R-rated action movie to get a sequel, and that’s why I am supportive of this project. The people behind John Wick made a film they were proud of, released it to the world, and the audience loved every minute of it.

It’s a success story. I like success stories, especially when they involve a good guy like Keanu Reeves.