Jersey Boys

Growing up, Francesco Castelluccio frequently ran on the wrong side of the streets in New Jersey. His old friend Tommy DeVito pressured him into doing things like being the lookout and getaway driver for a heist, among other things. He even made friends with a local mob boss by the name of Gyp DeCarlo through the barbershop where Francesco worked.

Still, he knew that there was more that life had to offer outside of New Jersey, and his phenomenal voice was going to be his ticket out of there. Unfortunately opportunities like that don't just come knocking at a moment's notice, it takes patience for them to appear. So when Tommy DeVito invited Francesco (now going by the name Frankie Valli) to join his band, Frankie jumped at the chance. Soon they named themselves The Four Seasons and were playing small-time gigs at local bars, bowling alleys, and other places. In 1962, Frankie and The Four Seasons wrote a song titled Sherry that skyrocketed the band to fame and fortune. The rest is history.

I never saw the original Jersey Boys stage production prior to seeing the movie, but now I'm wishing I had, because the movie adaptation was awesome. I had heard a few songs by The Four Seasons prior to seeing Jersey Boys, but overall I wasn't that familiar with who they were. In the film, the songs were wonderful; John Loyd Young as Frankie Valli was a great choice as far as his singing goes. I would say the same thing with the rest of the cast and their respective voices. Unlike Pitch Perfect, where the negative content of the film overshadowed the performances of the songs so much that I couldn't enjoy them, watching Jersey Boys was great enough that I could sit back and listen to the music and actually have a good time.

That being said, the one and only thing I could have done completely without was the language. With about 40+ f-bombs amidst an array of more mildly colorful language which made it receive an R rating, Jersey Boys seemed much harsher than I felt it needed to be. If the language had been toned down I'm pretty sure Jersey Boys could have gotten away with a PG or maybe a soft PG13 rating. Granted, I don't know how closely both the play and the movie followed the actual events of the story and The Four Seasons themselves, so I don't know if they used that much language in real life or not. Either way, that was the only thing I would have changed. Otherwise Jersey Boys was a fantastic experience that I would pretty highly recommend, especially for those who remember Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Earth to Echo

Summer is coming to a close, and three close friends - Tuck, Munch, and Alex - are trying to make the most of their last days together. A new highway development bought the land that their neighborhood is in, so they are being forced to move out of their homes. As the three friends try to find things to keep their minds off of the inevitable move, they start to notice that their phones are doing weird things, such as show an image that looks like a map, as well as emit weird noises. Their search to find the source of the interference on their phones leads the kids to the desert, where they come across a tiny robotic alien that has crash landed and is in trouble. After attempting to communicate with the alien, Tuck, Munch, and Alex come to realize that the images on each of their phones is a map to parts of the alien's (whom they named Echo) spaceship. What follows is a race to find all the parts to the ship and get Echo safely off Earth before government officials who are also looking for the ship find it and stop Echo from ever leaving Earth.

Just from the trailers alone, I thought it was going to be a really cheesy kid's flick that looked like a rip off of both E.T. and Super 8. While it did have it's moments that were pretty cheesy, and one or two scenes were reminiscent of both E.T. and Super 8, I actually really enjoyed it. The trailers made it seem like it was geared towards younger kids, like around elementary school age; however, it was a bit more mature than that. By 'mature', I don't mean vulgar or bad (thankfully) - more like the tone and story seemed to be geared more towards middle school kids and older. It had a good, fun story, and the kids who played Tuck, Munch, and Alex respectively were pretty good in each of their roles. I also liked (for the most part) the cinematography of Earth to Echo - it was filmed 'amateur' style, much like the Paranormal Activity series, Cloverfield, etc., as if the audience was part of the action instead of just watching from a distance.

Unfortunately, that style also brought some problems along with it. It was cool to see it that way, but the 'shaky-cam' became quite a bit unsettling as the film carried on. Those who have problems with motion sickness might want to skip Earth to Echo, as it had a LOT of shaking throughout. There were times near the end where the camera was shaking so bad that it was near impossible to tell what was going on. Also, all the adults in Earth to Echo were portrayed as mindless people who don't actually pay attention to their kids. There's one scene in particular that's sadly played for laughs where Tuck calls out to his parents that he's on his way out to visit his friends, and his parents don't even acknowledge him throughout the whole conversation. Seeing that kind of made me mad, but also grateful that my own parents aren't like that. It made me appreciate them even more.

Still, those complaints I have against Earth to Echo weren't enough to make me hate the film. or think about not recommending it to moviegoers. I think if you can withstand a lot of 'shaky-cam' cinematography and not get motion sickness, then you should go see Earth to Echo. Especially parents who have young kids, I think they would enjoy it.

Earth to Echo makes its way into theaters for a wide release on July 2, 2014.

Rian Johnson will be in charge of Star Wars Episode VIII

While J.J. Abrams is busy getting Star Wars Episode VII ready for a December 2015 release, Disney has been busy behind the scenes in putting together the next two installments in the main series, as well as multiple spinoffs. They have already announced the hiring of Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, The Raid: Redemption) and Josh Trank (Chronicle) as directors for two unknown spinoffs, respectively. However, they just recently dropped another bomb - Rian Johnson, who previously directed the sci-fi big budget film Looper, will be taking over the reigns for Episode VIII.

In addition to sitting in the director's chair for Episode VIII, Rian Johnson will be writing the script for Episode IX as well. There is no word yet on whether he will be back in the director's chair for Episode IX, or whether Disney will follow the formula of the original trilogy by having a different director for each episode, yet sticking to the same tone and story.

Every time I hear confirmed news regarding the Star Wars universe, I get more and more excited. I will definitely be going to the midnight premiere of at least Episode VII, and hopefully the next installments in the main series as well as the spinoffs. I've been a huge fan of the series (yes, even Episodes I, II, and III) since my parents introduced them to me as a young kid. It will be awesome to see it continue for the next few years.

Star Wars Episode VII opens on December 18, 2015. No official release date for Episode VIII, IX, or the Josh Trank directed spinoff. The spinoff directed by Gareth Edwards will be released December 16, 2016.



Sources: First Showing , Screen Rant

Edge of Tomorrow

If you had told Major Bill Cage at the beginning of the day that he would be promoted to the front lines of battle against an alien enemy, and in the heat of battle would be soaked in alien blood which would cause him to gain the ability to restart the day over and over again, chances are he would have scoffed at you. Probably anyone in his position would have thought you were crazy and put you in a psych ward. As it turns out, that's exactly what happens. Branded a deserter for not complying with orders to go to the front lines and film the soldiers fight to rally morale back home, Cage is now forced to relive an invasion on France (think of an alien invasion version of the storming of Normandy's beaches). Along the way Cage meets a soldier named Rita Vrataski, the only other person alive who knows exactly what's happened to him. Together they must relive the last 30 hours, each time getting a little bit closer to finding and stopping the alien source of power controlling the time loop, and in the process saving millions of lives.

Based on the Japanese graphic novel All You Need Is Kill, Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best sci-fi films I've seen in recent years. I know there probably aren't many Tom Cruise fans out there, but I personally have liked just about everything I've seen with him in it. Edge of Tomorrow is no different. There were some things I was initially confused about in regards to how certain events fit into the story, but after reading a few other people's reviews, and thinking about it myself it made a lot more sense, as well as made it much more impressive. It was a little weird to see Tom Cruise as sort of a self-proclaimed wimp in the beginning, stating that he couldn't stand the sight of blood from even a paper cut, and then through the course of the film turn into the gung-ho hero type. I've been used to seeing him in more heroic roles right from the start. And yet, he managed to pull it off tremendously. Emily Blunt was also great in her role as Rita Vrataski. Thankfully, I didn't see anything in Edge of Tomorrow that could possibly make a sequel work, unless they decide to go with a prequel. To be honest though, I actually think a prequel would be interesting if the story focused on the beginning of the alien invasion as to why they attacked in the first place. Unless I missed the explanation, there wasn't anything that said why the aliens attacked Earth.

For those who saw (and loved) Groundhog Day, and/or are sci-fans, this is a must-see film. Even if you're not a Tom Cruise fan, I would still highly recommend Edge of Tomorrow.

The first full trailer for the big screen adaptation of Paddington is here

To kick off the release of the first trailer of the big screen adaptation Paddington, this past week has brought a creepily humorous meme turning the popular children's story into a horror story, photoshopping the lovable Paddington Bear into stills of different horror flicks. Thankfully, the real trailer for the upcoming adaptation is far less creepy. 

With the title character played by Colin Firth, Paddington will tell the story of how the teddy bear makes his way from his home in the forest to the big city to look for some adventure. While traveling the city Paddington comes across a taxidermist who wants to stuff him. He finds refuge from the city and the taxidermist through a kind family - the Browns - that takes him in as one of their own. 

I wish I could put into words just how happy I was initially to see one of my favorite childhood memories being adapted into film. After seeing the trailer however, I still have hope that it's going to be wonderful, but I wish Hollywood would stop going for the more vulgar/toilet humor and go back to the days of comedies like Cool Runnings, Toy Story, Princess Bride, etc. I really did not need to see Paddington Bear sticking toothbrushes in his ears and licking the stuff that came out. I'll save that rant for another day though.

Paddington will make his way into theaters in the UK on November 23, 2014 and will then arrive in the US a month later on Christmas Day 2014. 

Sources: Film School Rejects and Entertainment Weekly

Maleficent

If it were not for the betrayal of a dear friend named Stefan (or so she thought), Maleficent might not have turned evil and cursed his newborn daughter Aurora to an eternal sleep-like death. War might have also been avoided if both Stefan's human kingdom and Maleficent's magical fairy kingdom had learned to live together in peace.

Alas, the arrogance and greed of man can be a powerful thing - and not in a good way. Despite having grown up together and becoming the best of friends after Stefan stumbled into Maleficent's home as a child, his human nature got the best of him once the king offered the throne to anyone who could vanquish Maleficent and destroy the magical realm. After sneaking out of the castle to "warn" Maleficent of the coming danger, Stefan caused her to fall into a deep sleep, and while she rested he cut off her wings to bring them back to the king as proof of his deed. When she woke up and discovered what he had done, her heart hardened and she developed an intense hatred for the man she once loved. As revenge for his treachery, Maleficent visited Stefan at his castle and cursed his daughter Aurora to fall into an eternal sleep-like death after pricking her finger on a needle of a spinning wheel when she turned 16.

I honestly was kind of surprised at just how dark Maleficent turned out to be. I knew from the trailers it wasn't going to be a feel-good type of love story that Disney is so well known for but I wasn't ready for the tone to be similar to that of, say, Snow White and the Huntsman, or even Oz the Great and Powerful. Not to mention that the focus this time is one of Disney's most notorious villains instead of the princess. In a weird sort of way, I sort of appreciated the dark nature of the film, however I wonder if it was too dark for a kids movie. Disney's original cartoon Sleeping Beauty still had a pretty dark nature, but Maleficent seemed to take that darkness and multiply it. If this were a PG13 or R movie I might not make such a big deal out of it, however since it's specifically targeted towards kids I'm hesitant to instantly recommend Maleficent for young kids. Personally, I know I would have freaked out at some of the things portrayed onscreen if I had seen it at a young age.

And yet, with all the darkness prevalent throughout the film, there were some positive changes from the original story I greatly appreciated. For instance, instead of cursing Aurora and then waiting for her to die, Maleficent feels remorse and tries to take away the curse. When she is unable to do so, Maleficent becomes a make-shift fairy godmother, watching Aurora from a distance to make sure she is safe from harm. This action in turn makes Maleficent's heart soften and makes what was a pure evil character more complex.  (SPOILER WARNING) Another thing I appreciated was that Disney pulls a move similar to what they did with Frozen where someone else other than a stereotypical lover delivers the act of true love that breaks the spell. It was also interesting to see the background story come to life onscreen as to what made Maleficent so evil.

In the end, I really did enjoy it, and I would recommend Maleficent to families with kids probably around middle school age and up. Parents of younger kids should be careful though.

Godzilla

Though man has tried to understand - and in essence control - nature, there is still quite a bit that we cannot even begin to understand. However, all of our knowledge could not have prepared humanity for what was to come, a problem that began in 1954. You see, on a little island there were reported nuclear tests, but nobody realized the "tests" were actually trying to kill off something terrible; a force of nature which if left to its own devices, was feared to be detrimental to humanity. Unfortunately, those nuclear attacks only made the terror bigger and more dangerous.

Fast forward 50-plus years later, and a new threat has emerged. A Japanese nuclear plant is destroyed by what was thought to be a natural earthquake, forcing people to evacuate the area. It turns out that "earthquake" was caused by a terrible monster called a M.U.T.O. (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Object), and it just so happens that the M.U.T.O. feeds off of nuclear energy. Both the U.S. and Japanese governments try to contain and cover up the existence of the monster, but are eventually unable to do so. It isn't until they have exhausted all their options that they realize their only hope lies in the very force of nature they tried to kill off 50 years earlier.

That force of nature? A giant creature named Godzilla.

"The arrogance of man is that nature is in our control and not the other way around...Let them fight!" That sentence alone pretty much sums up Godzilla, especially those last three words. It took quite a bit of convincing from friends who saw it before I did to get me to break down and see it for myself. I wasn't expecting to be blown away by a great story or acting, and Godzilla for the most part met my expectations. The acting was almost completely wooden, what felt like a waste of talent. I was hoping that the star-studded cast, as well as the fight(s) between the monsters would help to elevate the film to at least a "good to see it in the theater at least once" kind of summer flick. Unfortunately, it couldn't even do that for me. Not even the final fight between Godzilla and the M.U.T.O. made it something I would want to see again (though I will admit it was an epic scene to witness). The only things I could say that are positive are - Gareth Edwards did do a good job of not showing Godzilla right from the start, instead only showing flashes of him until near the end. It kind of reminded me of old monster movies that have done the same thing. A few years ago, a reboot of The Wolfman came out and tried the same technique, but that one failed in its attempts to be scary. As mentioned above, the fight scenes between the M.U.T.O. and Godzilla were pretty epic, and at the very least made it watchable.

Another thing I had trouble with was the cities Godzilla chose to destroy. I've been wondering lately why is it that Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City - or if it's overseas then it's most likely a place like Japan,  such as what happens in Godzilla - are the ones that get destroyed? Very rarely have I seen any other cities get destroyed by either a monster attack (Godzilla), alien attack (Independence Day) or a homicidal maniac (The Avengers, or action flicks such as the Die Hard series). For me personally, it's getting kind of old to see such massive destruction to the same cities every time. I would kind of like to see a smaller scale of destruction, and to different cities than the ones mentioned above. Don't get me wrong, I still love these types of films, but it's still getting a little old.

If you're looking for a good action/monster flick, this isn't the droid you're looking for. Personally, I would consider this the kind of film to rent on a rainy day or if you're bored and just want to pass a few hours. To be honest, if the news is true and there is going to be at least one sequel, I'm not really looking forward to it. Somehow I get the feeling I'm going to get roped into seeing it, but I highly doubt it'll be good if the first one is any evidence of what's to come. Although, I do hope I'm wrong.

Sonic the Hedgehog is heading to the big screen

Last seen in a short cameo for the animated film Wreck-It Ralph, Sony Pictures announced at E3 (a popular gaming expo) that SEGA's popular video game speedster Sonic the Hedgehog is officially getting his own live-action/computer generated film. Sony Pictures will collaborate with Marza Animated Planet to distribute Sonic's feature film debut. Producer Neal Moritz will be in charge of production for Original Films, and first-time feature film writers Evan Susser and Van Robichaux will co-write the script.

In a press release about the upcoming adaptation, Sony Pictures stated that "The film will look to capture Sonic’s irreverent tone and spirit, reuniting him with some of the most revered and infamous characters of the franchise, including the evil Dr. Eggman." I hope so, as long as they stay true to the spirit of the original character(s) I feel like it should turn out fine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't turn into a flop like The Smurfs. Sonic has been featured in several television shows over the years since his inception back in 1991, so it shouldn't be too difficult to bring him and his friends to the big screen.

As of right now, there is no release date or casting news for Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sources: First Showing , Screen Rant

New Trailer for Step Up All In debuts

Apparently the popularity has not died down for the Step Up franchise, as there is now going to be a fifth installment coming in August 2014. Titled Step Up All In, the newest dance film will be the first one to unite people from each film in the series.

According to the trailer, the story will take place in Las Vegas and then Los Angeles, where the flash mob crew from Step Up: Revolution travel to try to make it into the big leagues. When they are unable to get a breakthrough, the crew finds out about an underground dance competition in Los Angeles called The Vortex where the grand prize is a three year contract. To enter, they call on friends from previous Step Up films for help.

As mentioned above, Step Up All In will feature Ryan Guzman (Sean) and Misha Gabriel (Eddy) from Revolution, Stephen "tWitch" Boss (Jason) from Step Up 3D, Briana Evigan (Andie) from Step Up 2: The Streets, Alyson Stoner (Camille) from the original Step Up, and series regular Adam Sevani will return for his fourth outing as Moose.

The Step Up series is not known for its storytelling, but rather more for its choreography/dancing and visual effects. That's not to say it's a bad thing in and of itself, because the majority of the dance sequences in the franchise are admittedly pretty cool; however, it would be nice if these films focused a bit more on the story and acting rather than just on the dancing. Personally, I'd like to see a different storyline than the overused 'amateur dance group tries to make it big, so they enter into a competition to battle it out with the best'. Step Up: Revolution sort of did that with the crew trying to stop a major corporation from tearing down a neighborhood and forcing people out of their homes, but it still was greatly lacking in the acting department. And even then the film began with the crew trying to enter into a competition.

Still, it looks like from the trailer it will be a fun time. I'll be happy as long as it is better than Step Up: Revolution. That didn't really capture my attention as much as I would have liked. So far, the best one I've seen of the Step Up series is Step Up 2: The Streets.

Step Up All In will arrive in theaters August 8th, 2014.


Source: Screen Rant

Marvel has finally found its Ant-Man director and screenwriter

There is finally some good news coming from Marvel regarding their upcoming Ant-Man film: Peyton Reed will take the reigns from Edgar Wright as director, and Adam McKay will assist in fleshing out the script. This news comes after a long and exhaustive search that led Marvel to approaching at least eight potential directors before finally settling on Peyton Reed. It looks like Ant-Man can move forward at last and is on schedule to make it to its original July 2015 release date.

Adam McKay was originally rumored to be one among several high-profile directors with a comedic background in the running to direct Ant-Man, however there were rumors that for unknown reasons he stepped away from his discussions with Marvel about the project. Since that time, Marvel has officially confirmed his involvement as the screenwriter.

A couple good things about Peyton Reed in the director's chair is:  A) He does have a comedic background, with films such as Yes Man and The Breakup in his portfolio; and B) Reed already has some experience with working on a Marvel film due to his involvement in Fox's original Fantastic Four film back in 2003. What's interesting, though, is Peyton Reed parted ways with Fantastic Four for creative differences, much like the situation between Marvel and Edgar Wright.

Time will tell if hiring Peyton Reed and Adam McKay was a good decision. As of right now, production for Ant-Man is supposed to begin in a few short weeks, and yet they still haven't completed the script for it yet. It's not unheard of to move forward without a finished script; however, it usually doesn't bode well for the film as a whole.

On top of the news of Peyton Reed and Adam McKay officially moving forward with Ant-Man, we also have an official synopsis for the upcoming superhero film: "Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world." The premise sounds interesting, let's just hope Reed and McKay can deliver a good film for Marvel.


Ant-Man will be a part of Marvel's Phase 3 after Avengers: Age of Ultron is released. Guardians of the Galaxy opens August 1, 2014. The Avengers: Age of Ultron will arrive on May 1, 2015. Ant-Man on July 17, 2015. Captain America 3 on May 6 2016. Unannounced films are set for July 8, 2016 and May 5, 2017.



Source: Screen Rant

Jeremy Renner will return for Mission: Impossible 5

In an almost unsurprising move back in 2011, shortly after Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was released, news leaked out that there would be a fifth installment to the popular spy franchise. Since that time fans (such as myself) have been waiting almost impatiently for what was in store for the franchise.

In recent weeks there has been a swirl of rumors surrounding the production of Mission Impossible: 5, but it has been confirmed that Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg will both be back, Chris McQuarrie will be in the director's chair, and the script was written by Drew Pearce and re-written by Will Staples. Also, just yesterday it was confirmed that Avengers and Bourne Legacy star Jeremy Renner will be reprising his role as Agent Brandt from Ghost Protocol. There's no official word yet on whether Paula Patton will reprise her role for MI: 5 yet.

During an interview with Yahoo, Jeremy was asked about whether he would be involved with True Detective, but he said he would not be joining the show due to time restraints involving several big projects, on top of the fact that he would not be interested in joining anyways: "It’s kind of unlikely. In fact, I’m kind of strapped time-wise doing Avengers 2, and Mission: Impossible 5 is rearing its head, and then they want to do another Bourne movie. It’s unlikely I can find the time right now. And that’s all right. It’s just really high-class problems — pretty awesome to have. Even if I really wanted to do it, which I don’t, I couldn’t."

This isn't exactly a confirmation from Paramount regarding his return to the franchise, but it sure sounds like he's very confident he's returning. I sure hope he does return, I loved his character in Ghost Protocol. Until then, Jeremy's going to be pretty busy with Avengers: Age of Ultron, Bourne 5, and Kill the Messenger. Renner also has an upcoming guest role on FX's Louie, as well as doing the narration for last month's The World Wars miniseries on the History Channel.

Avengers: Age of Ultron will be coming to theaters May 1, 2015. The unnamed Bourne 5 will be released during the summer of 2015. Mission: Impossible 5 is scheduled to be released Christmas Day in 2015.

Sources: Slashfilm and Yahoo

Breaking Dawn Director Bill Condon has been tapped to bring Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast to life

Last year the news broke out that Disney's Beauty and the Beast would be following in the footsteps of Oz the Great and Powerful, Alice in Wonderland, and this year's Maleficent in getting a live-action remake. That project is now officially moving forward with a director finally attached. Variety is reporting that Bill Condon - best known nowadays for directing Twilight: Breaking Dawn pt. 1 & 2 - has been picked by Disney to helm the live-action remake.

The original Disney animated Beauty and the Beast - which was itself an adaptation of a French fairy tale - is one of the few animated features to have the honor of being nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and is widely regarded as one of the best animated Disney films of all time. So loved, in fact, that it spawned several straight-to-DVD sequels, as well as a multitude of various memorabilia over the years.

While some people's reactions might be of disdain due to hatred of the Twilight series, one should also remember that Bill is the man responsible for the Oscar-winning Dreamgirls, as well as Gods and Monsters before that. If Disney keeps this live adaptation as a musical, then Bill is an even better choice as he is the one who wrote the screenplay for Chicago. In other words, he has experience with musicals, so if Disney decides to go down that route again, then Bill Condon is the perfect guy for the job.

I have to admit though, I personally had mixed emotions about a live adaptation of such a beloved classic when I first heard it was going to happen. Still, I honestly would love to see how a live-action Beauty and the Beast would work onscreen. Part of me hopes they keep the 'musical' aspect of it, but at the same time I wouldn't mind a different take on the classic story.

As of right now there is no release date for the live-action Beauty and the Beast.



Sources: Screen Rant and Variety

'Sinister' Director Scott Derrickson in talks to helm Marvel's Dr. Strange

For a long time now, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been attempting to bring his own passion project Dr. Strange to the big screen. Now it looks like it will finally happen, as Sinister and Exorcism of Emily Rose director Scott Derrickson is in early discussions to helm the project for a Phase 3 release.

In the comics, Dr. Stephen Strange is a former doctor who gets into an accident and loses his ability to perform surgery due to the loss of the nerves in his hands. As a result, he goes on a search across the globe for any and every cure that can help him regain the feeling in his hands. Ultimately his search brings him to someone called The Ancient One who specializes in the occult. Strange travels to meet The Ancient One in the hopes that he can cure his hands, but The Ancient One refuses. Instead he offers to teach Stephen mysticism. It isn't until Stephen sees just what The Ancient One is capable of doing that he agrees to be his student. Stephen tutors under The Ancient One for several years before returning to the United States.

Due to its dark and mystic nature, Dr. Strange will be different to what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is used to, even more so than Guardians of the Galaxy.  Scott Derrickson is best known for two popular horror flicks: The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and his most recent one, Sinister. Dr. Strange is right up his alley in terms of the tone of the story. I have no doubt that he is the perfect man for the job.

As of right now there is no release date for Dr. Strange; however, there are two dates - July 8, 2016 and May 5, 2017 -  held by Marvel that currently have no film set to be released, so the general consensus is that Dr. Strange will fill one of these two dates.

Once Scott officially signs on for Dr. Strange (and hopefully he does), then the search will begin for who will portray the title character.



Source: Variety

Will Smith set to star in untitled NFL film about concussions

According to Variety, Will Smith is set to star in an as of yet untitled film about concussions in the National Football League (NFL). Based on a GQ magazine article titled "Game Brain" written by Jeanne Marie Laskas, the film will be just one of a few productions surrounding the issue of concussions and its impact on players in the NFL. Scott Free Productions, Sony Pictures and The Shuman Company will be producing the film. Giannina Facio, Ridley Scott, and Michael Schaeffer will be in charge of production for Scott Free, while David Wolthoff and Larry Shuman will be in charge of production for The Shuman Company. Peter Landesman will be in the director's chair, as well as write the script.

As mentioned above, "Game Brain" was written by Jeanne Marie Laskas and told the story of Dr. Bennett Omalu (who will be portrayed by Will Smith). Dr. Omalu was the forensic neuropathologist who first made the connection between football players and concussions, and brought his disturbing findings to the public.

On top of this new film about the NFL, there will be others tackling the same subject. Parkes/MacDonald Productions will be adapting the book "League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle of Truth" and actor Isaiah Washington will be starring in the indie drama Game Time Decision.

Until this new project comes out, Will Smith will appear in Focus, produced by Warner Bros., with co-star Margot Robbie.



Source: Variety

Lucasfilm announces two more additions to the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII

A few weeks ago, director J. J. Abrams finally confirmed what was thought to be the entire cast of the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise. Since then, Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm recently came back and announced there would be two more female characters added. Those final two spots have officially been fulfilled.

One of the two spots has been fulfilled by Supporting Actress Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o. Last seen in 12 Years a Slave, as well as Non-Stop, Lupita has long been apart of the multitude of Star Wars rumors floating around. The second, and final, spot in the cast of Episode VII was given to Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie.

In a press release regarding the casting of both Lupita and Gwendoline, Lucasfilm stated: "Lupita Nyong’o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.

'I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII,' says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. 'It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.'"

Lupita and Gwendoline will be joining the rest of the cast of Episode VII, which include: Star Wars alumni Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels (C3PO) Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Kenny Baker (R2D2), as well as newcomers Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac. Also joining them will be Max von Sydow, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley.

Other than the original Star Wars characters, we still don't know who will be playing what character. Now that the film has finally begun filming, hopefully that news will come soon enough.


Star Wars: Episode VII will be released on December 18th, 2015.



Sources: Screen Rant , Lucasfilm

X-Men: Days of Future Past

In the not-too-distant future, mutants are being hunted down and destroyed by robots called Sentinels. Created by a scientist named Bolivar Trask, these Sentinels are able to adapt to any powers/abilities the mutant species has, rendering them almost invincible if a large group of them attack. After years of war between humanity and mutants, only a handful of mutants are left to survive. These few - which include Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine, Kitty Pride, Colossus, among others - are left to constantly be on the run and use the combination of all their powers to stay alive. After running away for so long, their final hope rests in Kitty Pride's ability to send someone's consciousness back in time to stop the creation of the Sentinels. Since the trip back in time is dangerous, Wolverine is the only mutant able to survive the trip. Wolverine is tasked to find the shapeshifter Mystique before she assassinates Bolivar Trask and ignites the war between humans and mutants, and to bring the disbanded X-Men back together.

Most, if not all, of the recent reviews I've read have said that X-Men: Days of Future Past (DoFP) is the best X-Men film to date. I'm not quite sure I would go that far, yet it did manage to exceed my expectations. It's not that I was expecting the film to tank; on the contrary, I was hoping director Bryan Singer would succeed in making an engaging X-Men film that would bring the franchise back around and get back to what made the original trilogy so good. It was great to see a few of my favorite mutants from previous films back on the big screen. I also loved the scenes with Quicksilver. There's one scene involving him, Wolverine and Professor X where they are breaking Magneto out of prison for assassinating President John F. Kennedy that is visually a really neat sequence because it gave the audience a small taste of what Quicksilver can do with his powers. It's been rumored that Quicksilver will be back in X-Men: Apocalypse. I hope so, I would love to see more of him and his powers.

Despite really enjoying this latest installment in the franchise, however, I'm still inclined to believe that X2 is the best in the X-Men franchise. X2 had a great blend of action and drama, and a way for us to get to know each of the characters without making it seem like anything was rushed or characters were underdeveloped.

My biggest issues involved the story itself and how the continuity errors were "fixed". Bryan Singer promised fans that this latest installment would fix problems from the previous installments. While X-Men: DoFP did fix quite a bit, there were still some things that were either left unfixed from earlier films (or at least it seemed to be unfixed),  as well as problems created by the new timeline due to the events of DoFP. I will say though, that the ending - without giving too much away - did seem like it was trying to make a completely clean slate and create an entirely new timeline for future installments. I hope this is the case, because if there is anything that is still canon from the original trilogy or from the prequels, then there could be some problems.

Another thing I had trouble with was how some of the mutants were treated. In the future timeline, the audience met a couple new mutants, including Bishop, Sunspot, Warpath and Blink; yet there wasn't enough time to flesh out their characters so it felt like they were wasted. I'm hoping we will see them again for upcoming installments.

Overall, Days of Future Past was a lot of fun, and I'm really happy that the franchise seems to be back on track to become great again. I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen when X-Men: Apocalypse comes out May 27, 2016.

Josh Brolin has been officially cast as Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy

In light of recent bad news from Marvel regarding the departure of Edgar Wright from Ant-Man, a bit of good news has surfaced surrounding the character Thanos (also known as The Mad Titan) - specifically on who will be playing him. Latino Review first reported that Josh Brolin will be portraying The Mad Titan, and that rumor has officially been confirmed by Variety.

There's been no confirmation yet on whether the character will be computer generated (CGI) with a bit of voice work, or if he will be motion capture (also referred to as mo-cap). Depending on how long Brolin's been attached, there is also a possibility that Marvel has decided to go the 'traditional' route and provide makeup and a bit of prosthetics for Thanos.

Since Marvel has a reputation for thinking things through to future films (made evident by their announcement they have films planned out until 2028) to create an entire universe, it's highly likely that Josh Brolin has been attached for quite some time and the news is just now being released.

Thanos will have a small role in this year's Guardians of the Galaxy, but will have a bigger role - as the main villain most likely - in Avengers 3. It's unclear whether he will show up in at least the end credits of Avengers 2, if at all.

Josh Brolin being cast as Thanos has me even more excited for Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as the upcoming Avengers 2 and 3. He's a great actor, I have no doubt he can do the role justice. I'm looking forward to seeing what Marvel does with GotG. The same goes for Avengers 2 and Avengers 3.

Sources: Screen Rant , Latino Review , Variety