Category Archives: Trailers

2010s, Coming Soon, Lists, Trailers

Most Anticipated Releases – July 2019

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Happy Birthday, America! Summer is in full swing and there is a whole slew of great looking films coming to theaters. With so many things going on during the summer I want to make sure you have a guide for the best movies headed your way. Granted, not all of these will match every person’s taste. Hopefully if one or two aren’t your style the others will fit you well.

Spider-Man: Far From Home – July 2

If you haven’t seen Endgame then don’t watch this. For that matter, don’t read this article. Just go buy a ticket a watch it. Help it beat Avatar and The Force Awakens.

Well, Thanos and his armies are finished and the remaining Avengers are moving on with their lives after the traumatic events of Endgame. It will be interesting to see where Marvel plans to go from here. They have our attention and all of our money so now they can really shoot for the fences and give us all the superhero movies we never even knew we wanted.

I haven’t found anyone who doesn’t like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. He brought the wit and frenetic energy to the web-slinger that we’ve been missing for quite a while. This really feels like a new beginning for the entire MCU, because from the trailer we now know that it does come after the events of Endgame. However, Kevin Feige back in April before Endgame was released said that this would be the final movie of phase three instead of beginning phase four. Part of me thinks that was just a dodge to keep from giving away details from Endgame including the fact that Spider-Man and all of his snapped buddies come back to kick butt.

Regardless of whether it is an end or a beginning, I’m excited to see what antics this friendly neighborhood Spider-Man gets into when he and his school friends leave the five boroughs and head to Europe for a summer vacation. We know that Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) will be making an entrance and at least according to Nick Fury he’s a good guy from an alternate dimension. I hope that’s true because he’s never been a good guy in this dimension before. Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 2nd.

Midsommar – July 3

We’ve always been taught to be afraid of the dark. What happens when the really scary things happen in the daylight?

Right on the heels of a fun superhero movie comes the creepiest looking movie of the year. Ari Aster made Hereditary last year and he was immediately recognized as a fresh new voice in the horror/thriller genre. Midsommar is his much-anticipated follow-up film and the trailers make it look like a suspenseful slow-burning horror film that leaves all the lights on instead of being all dark and creepy with shadows and jumpscares.

It looks like a combination of The Wicker Man (the original one from 1970s, not that horrible remake with Nicholas Cage.) with its strange pagan rituals and The Stepford Wives (the original one from the 1970s, not that horrible remake with Nicole Kidman.) with the idyllic surroundings and cheerful almost too happy people. It just makes you know that there is something darker lingering under the surface. If you haven’t seen either of those or Hereditary, I would recommend seeing them if this looks interesting to you. Midsommar will be in select theaters in time for the July 4th holiday.

The Art of Self Defense – July 12

Could this be the Lex Luthor origin story? After learning karate he unlocks his hidden passion to take down the ubermensch.

A dark comedy set in the world of karate. The film centers on Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), who is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity, violence and hypermasculinity and a woman (Imogen Poots) fighting for her place in it. Casey undertakes a journey, both frightening and darkly funny, that will place him squarely in the sights of his enigmatic new mentor.

Let’s face it, Jesse Eisenberg is a wimp. At least that is the persona that he has chosen with his film career. Well, this film looks like it is playing right into that sniveling weakling persona and it could be the most Jesse Eisenbergian character that Jesse Eisenberg has ever played. Feeling inadequate, he is going to try and learn how to be a man and things are going to go wrong. If you couldn’t tell, this is a dark comedy and probably has a lot to say about the kind of stereotypical machismo that we all understand. The Art of Self-Defense will fight its way into theaters on July 12th.

The Lion King – July 19

Does it count as live action if all the characters are CGI?

Everyone knows the story of the lion prince who would be king who is betrayed by his evil uncle and leaves the kingdom in the wake of his father’s traumatic death. While he is away he makes friends and tries to forget his past. But his past finds him and he must choose whether he believes in himself enough to take his rightful place as king. Sounds Shakespearean right? That’s because it’s Hamlet with Lions.

As needless as they are, most of the Disney live-action remakes have been good. None have surpassed their originals in my opinion and I think Lion King will be fighting an uphill battle to even get close. It is widely considered to be the pinnacle of Disney Animated Musicals. It doesn’t seem like this one can really miss at the box office. It is a sure success. Parents who loved the original taking their kids to see the movie that they were shown when they were babies. Hopefully, it will update and spin the story in a new way, but even if it doesn’t I think it will make heaps of money and probably get mostly favorable reviews. We’ll find out on July 19th when The Lion King marches into theaters.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – July 26

Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film according to the trailer, but 10th if you call Kill Bill two movies. Or maybe he’s not counting Death Proof. Anyway, I count ten.

Tarantino has called this his most personal film. Tarantino moved to a community called Torrance just southwest of L.A. with his mother in 1966 when he was 3 years old. Some of his earliest memories may have included discussion around the dinner table about Hollywood and hippie culture. When the movie was announced, and it was revealed that Sharon Tate would have a role, it was assumed that this would be a movie about the Manson family murders, but Tarantino has denied that saying that while many of the characters overlap, the movie is actually about the loss of innocence in the late 60s.

I’m excited to see what all the fuss is about, besides a cast that includes Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, and Al Pacino. Apparently, it got a six-minute long standing ovation at Cannes. That seems excessive. Have you ever clapped for an extended period of time? It hurts your hands. Tarantino is probably one of the biggest geeks about that culture which included kung-fu movies and spaghetti westerns. I’m sure that much of that respect and admiration comes through. If there is one thing that you can count on Hollywood to love, it’s itself. We’ll see what secrets Tarantino holds in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on July 26.

Do you have any thoughts on the movies I mentioned? What are you hoping to watch in July? Leave a comment below or find me on social media. I’m always ready to talk about movies.

2010s, Article, Coming Soon, Lists, News, Trailers

16 Most Anticipated Films of the Rest of 2018

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With the collapse of MoviePass over the past few weeks, it looks like I might need to be a little more picky in my choice of movies. I’m still going to hold onto it and I will try to use it as often as they will allow, but with service outages just about every night and no access to new releases, it will definitely be limited. Before the AMC Stubs A-List people come out of the woods to accost me, my closest AMC is about 80 miles away, so that is a no go. I’m waiting to see if Regal announces any plans, but in the meantime, I have signed up for Sinemia which allows me to see three movies a month in any format.

With that in mind, I took a look at all the upcoming films for the remaining five months of 2018 and tried my best to whittle it down to my top 15 most anticipated. There are probably three times this many that I will actually do my best to see. A lot of these only have a limited release announced and the word of mouth before and performance during that run will make the difference in whether they will ever see a national roll out. So this is me doing my part to make sure I get to see them in my neck of the woods. 

Eighth Grade – August 3rd

I figured I would cheat right out of the gate and make this list 16 instead of 15. Technically, this one hit a few theaters in July, but it hasn’t been near me until now. I haven’t seen it yet, but I am really looking forward to it. Comedian Bo Burnham makes his directing debut as we follow teenager Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she maneuvers transitioning from middle school to high school. From the trailer it looks like something wonderful that I am going to love.

BlacKKKlansman – August 10

Spike Lee’s latest movie, produced by Jordan Peele, follows the true story of a real black police officer, Ron Stallworth, who managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. This is the first I’ve ever seen of John David Washington who stars, but it also stars Topher Grace as David Duke as well as other big names like Adam Driver and Alec Baldwin. This one can join the list of 2018 films with a racially charged message (Sorry to Bother You, Blindspotting, and another coming up on this list).

Searching – August 31

I’ve heard good things about John Cho’s performance in this. It seems like he has the difficult task of holding it all together since it uses the same gimmick that we have seen a couple of times now (Unfriended), the whole movie occurs on a computer screen. 

The Predator – September 14

Director Shane Black (Hawkins from the first Predator movie), has taken the reins of the franchise for its latest chapter. Sure to be an entertaining viewing experience, the movie stars Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jacob Tremblay.

The House with a Clock in its Walls – September 21

Jack Black is hit or miss. This could be bad like Goosebumps, but the kid actor (Owen Vaccaro) looks good and it seems like a cool concept. I’m more interested in this than the next Fantastic Beasts movie. That’s saying something considering the fact that I’m currently wearing a “Become an Obliviator!” t-shirt. 

First Man – October 12

Ryan Gosling and director Damien Chazelle join forces again after La La Land for this look at Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. With Gosling as Armstrong, the movie delves into the dramatic events leading up to the historic launch.

Bad Times at the El Royale – October 12

Drew Goddard’s (The Cabin in the Woods) latest movie follows the lives of seven troubled strangers as they stay at a rundown hotel in search of redemption. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, and Dakota Johnson lead this star-studded cast. This could easily be either my favorite of the season or a jumbled mess. There is a thin line between the two.

The Hate U Give – October 19

Based on an acclaimed young adult novel of the same name, we follow Starr (Amandla Stenberg) as she tries to figure out the right path after witnessing her childhood friend die in a fatal shooting by a police officer. It sounds like the teenage version of the recent firestarter, Blindspotting. It looks powerful. 

Can You Ever Forgive Me? – October 19

This is a rare serious role for Melissa McCarthy. I’m always up for watching an actor stretch their creative legs and show me something I haven’t seen before. Apparently, this comes from the true story of author Lee Israel who began forging letters from literary legends when her writing career was in the doldrums. If it’s really good, we could see nominations come award season. 

Bohemian Rhapsody – November 2

Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) plays Queen front-man Freddie Mercury in this look at the band before its legendary Live Aid concert. Queen is usually my answer when asked for my favorite band, and Mercury is a very interesting figure that should make for a good watch. If all goes according to plan, Malek is looking at some major award season consideration for this one.

The Sisters Brothers – November

The Sisters Brothers are John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix. That’s enough to get me interested, but it looks like a dark comedy. This could easily be the year the John C. Reilly really breaks out. I’ve been waiting for it since Walk Hard.

Ralph Breaks the Internet – November 21

Six years after the original, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) head off on a new adventure. This time they discover what’s out in the internet after finding a pathway through a wi-fi router. I’m hoping this is a sequel more like Incredibles 2 than Cars 2 or worse The Emoji Movie. It looks funny from the trailer and the internet creates a lot of fodder for humor, but my worry is that with as quickly as things move on the internet, this could feel stale by the time it hits DVD. 

Robin Hood – November 21

Taron Edgerton as Robin of Locksley back from the crusades with Jamie Foxx as his trainer/sidekick? Sign me up! We might be in for the best Robin Hood movie since Men in Tights.

Mortal Engines – December 14

Based on the Philip Reeve book, and written for the screen by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, this film is set in a world where cities are forced to move around in a constant chase to avoid being overthrown. Essentially, this is a real life game of Agar.io. It looks amazing, but if it is too complicated, it could end up like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. It also doesn’t really have many big names to anchor it except Jackson and Hugo Weaving. 

Alita: Battle Angel – December 21

I got worried when this film moved from a July date all the way back to December. Hopefully, this was so it could get away from juggernaut tentpole films and find a better viewership. I’m not familiar with the original manga also known as Gunnm, by Yukito Kushiro, but James Cameron has apparently been attempting to get a film adaptation made for several years. Now he has finally produced it with Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) directing. It looks like we can expect some amazing visuals. Let’s just hope this movie about a fighting cyborg girl has a bit more heart and substance than the Ghost in the Shell remake. 

Welcome to Marwen – December 21

Based on the intriguing 2010 documentary, Marwencol, about how a man copes with a brain injury through creating a 1/6th scale World War II-era town in his backyard, Robert Zemeckis takes that story and glosses it up with CGI. It stars Steve Carell in the lead role. I expect this to be top of some best of lists at the end of the year. But Zemeckis’ barbie doll CGI could turn some away. Only time will tell. 

Which of these is your most anticipated? What did I miss? Venom? Into the Spiderverse? Let me know what you’re looking forward to in the comments section below!

1990s, Art-house, Best Movie Bracket, Detective, Drama, Film Noir, Lists, Trailers

1997 Best Movie Bracket

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On to the year 1997 in our journey to find the Best Movie of all time. If you’re new to this Best Movie Bracket. You can learn more on my Best Movie Bracket Page. There you can explore the whole idea as well as 20 years worth of reviews and countdowns. 1997 was monumental, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first published and would soon set the world on fire with Pottermania. Scottish scientists successfully cloned Dolly the sheep, we landed a rover on Mars, and we mourned the loss of Princess Diana.

But the biggest news in the film world was of course James Cameron’s epic Titanic. It opened in December and overshadowed everything else that was released that year and even into 1998. Even by today’s standards, many of the effects are amazing and ambitious. It was nominated for 14 Oscars tying 1950’s All About Eve and took home a record tying 11, sharing that feat with 1959’s Ben-Hur. It was the first film to ever cross the $1 Billion earnings mark staying at the top of the box office charts for 15 straight weeks and within the top ten for 26!

You won’t find Titanic on the top of my 1997 best list. I thought it was a good disaster film on par with The Towering Inferno, or Dante’s Peak with a uninteresting romance thrown in between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. I consider myself a fan of both of these actors, but I don’t think it is their best work, and it appears that I’m not alone in this. The only major acting award received for Titanic was a tie at the Screen Actors Guild for best supporting actress for Gloria Stuart. The other two Oscars that Titanic didn’t take home were for screenwriting. Those went to my top two.

1. L.A. Confidential

I find it funny how Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger get the top billing and focus in marketing. When you look at Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce today, it is obvious that they are big name stars. But they owe their Hollywood status to the late director Curtis Hanson. He went out on a limb and took this script that he spent years adapting and put it in the hands of two relative unknowns from Australia who hadn’t even perfected their American accents.

It is a great film that captures the look of this hard-boiled noir time-frame all while feeling modern and supremely entertaining. In addition to the big four characters which is still a lot of most films, we still have James Cromwell, Danny Devito, David Strathairn, Paul Guilfoyle, Ron Rifkin, and even a pre-Mentalist Simon Baker. The story moves very well and we have enough character development to fill several movies. The world feels lived in and tactile. There is action, humor, and plenty of twists and turns to make this one of the most engaging films of the 1990’s.

2. Good Will Hunting

Is this a movie about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks trying to cope with the fact that he is smarter than the average Southie, and even smarter than those stuffed shirts at MIT? I guess that is the basic plot, but it is really much deeper than that. Honestly, his genius really only becomes the reason that anyone cares about him, which is pretty sad. He uses his genius to build his walls higher and thicker, but the walls were put there in the first place through abuse. Abuse that is all too common and is often unnoticed. If Will was just an average guy from Southie like his buddies played by Ben and Casey Affleck would we even see him speaking to a therapist? No, he would have been in jail or worse. 

So, we need that piece of the puzzle to pull the movie along, but in reality, the movie is about how to be a friend, how to form relationships, and how to embrace commitment. Matt Damon and Robin Williams establish a great chemistry together and their scenes together make the film. The whole film rests on Sean’s relationship with Will. Is he going to fold under the hostility and egotistical superiority of this savant? Or will he look deeper than the math problem that is Will Hunting’s genius and actually care about him as a person? And by treating the person can he teach Will how to let others in and how to make a commitment?

Honorable Mentions

So, where were you in 1997? What fond memories do you have? Did I mess up my sinking the Titanic? Did I leave out on of your favorites? let me know in the comments below. You can also share what you enjoy about the top films on social media using the #BestMovieBracket. Thanks for joining me!

2010s, Coming Soon, Lists, Trailers

Ten Indie Movies to Watch this Summer

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You’ve probably already seen my regular Summer Movie Preview. That’s the one with Star Wars and Superhero movies. This is not that list. My favorite movies are usually indie films with a lower budget, a great story to tell, or a unique perspective or spin on things. This is a list of 10 of those movies that are coming soon. I actually have eleven on the list, but don’t worry, I won’t charge you extra.

The dates I have listed are their “limited release” dates. Unfortunately, they may not all reach you on those dates. If you are blessed to be in a primary or secondary market, you have a pretty good shot of seeing these indies. But these look like they will be worth keeping your ear to the ground and maybe even talking to your local theater manager about programming.

Tully – May 4

The third collaboration between writer Diablo Cody and Director Jason Reitman, after Juno and Young Adult. This film tackles motherhood and post-partum depression. Mackenzie Davis shows up like a adult version of Mary Poppins and Charlize Theron somehow makes herself look average. That should win an Oscar for best makeup.

First Reformed – May 18

Paul Schrader (The guy who wrote Taxi Driver) is directing this film and it has me very excited. I love Ethan Hawke’s acting abilities in the first place, but cast him as a disaffected minister struggling with anger and depression and you have me hook line and sinker. I have loved movies like Calvary and Doubt, but they have focused more on the Catholic side of the world of Christian ministry.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties – May 18

I’ve been a big fan of Elle Fanning since I saw her angelic face in Super 8. Now this year she is in this film about a group of aliens who descend on 1970’s London and get caught up in punk rock culture. It looks like a fun version of Under the Skin. She is also starring as the Frankenstein author Mary Shelley in a biopic. How to Talk to Girls at Parties has all the makings of an awesome indie cult favorite. It’s directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and was written by Neil Gaiman. This should be a lot of fun.

Upgrade – June 1

Warning: language and graphic violence in the trailer. No, that’s not Tom Hardy in the lead role, it’s Logan Marshall-Green. I will be surprised if this isn’t a huge hit this summer. Essentially, this guy becomes a cyborg John Wick going on a rampage taking out the guys that killed his wife. The action looks crazy, the banter between the AI chip and the guy is solid, and the social media presence is already pretty high. This won’t win any Oscars, but it will make way more money than it cost to produce and even without a big name attached it will put butts in seats at the theater, count on it.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor – June 8

I want to be his neighbor! We live in a world full of people that hate each other. Blacks vs. Whites, Democrats vs. Republicans, Rich vs. Poor. It is time for the amazing philosophy of Fred Rogers to make a comeback. It is a pure and powerful look at Mr. Rogers as a force for good in the world. He welcomed us to his neighborhood the year my father graduated from high school in 1968 and finally said a tear-filled goodbye the year I graduated from high school in 2001. I hope that this vision of kindness and love takes hold and inspires others to this simple mission of showing unconditional love to everyone.

Under the Silver Lake – June 22

From the mind of David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) comes a crazy looking neo-noir crime thriller. With Andrew Garfield in the lead this looks like it could be an early Oscar contender. The trailer reminds me of Chinatown, Mulholland Drive, and L.A. Confidential all at once and there is nothing bad about that.

Leave No Trace – June 29

It’s really exciting to see Debra Granik get back behind the camera for a feature film. You may not recognize her name, but she is the director of one of the best films of 2010, Winter’s Bone. Making her directorial debut in that film, she wowed critics, earned 4 Oscar nominations and launched the career of a young girl named Jennifer Lawrence. Now, 8 years later, she is back and she has Ben Foster (who I have loved in everything he’s done since 2016’s Hell or High Water) and another relative newcomer (Thomasin McKenzie) who could take off just like J. Law did.

Sorry To Bother You – July 6

I’ve had my eyes on Lakeith Stanfield since 2013’s Short Term 12. You’ll probably recognize him from Get Out or TV’s Atlanta. This film was written and directed by first time movie maker and music front man named Boots Riley. It has the potential to be this year’s Get Out, a film that makes a social commentary in a subversively entertaining way. The trailer is very busy, so I hope they don’t go too far down the rabbit hole, but what a great premise.

Eighth Grade – July 13

Stand-up comedian Bo Burnham makes his directing debut helming a film about the life of a quirky 8th grade girl named Kayla played by Elsie Fisher who previously voiced Agnes in the Despicable Me franchise. I have an eighth grader, it is awkward, but these awkward situations and feelings aren’t unique to this time of our life. They are universal. I feel out of place and goofy every day of my life, the challenge is learning to embrace it, knowing that the things that make us different are the things that make us great.

Blindspotting – July 20

I just watched Fruitvale Station and I’m dying for more of this type of storytelling. Daveed Diggs plays a man who is almost completed with his parole. He’s just a few days away and his plans get interrupted by a life changing event. It looks like it might have a good touch of humor but also just some rich storytelling about race relations and the criminal justice system.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post – August 3

No trailer for this one yet, but it won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance. Essentially, Cameron Post (Chloe Grace Moretz) is in a physical relationship with her best friend. She’s caught having sex in the car at their homecoming dance, and her guardians freak out. The first twist is that her best friend is a girl and Cameron is gay. Her guardians send her off to a Christian conversion therapy camp/school. Ironically, she meets other queer teens and they form a sort of support group to get through the brainwashing.

The subject matter might be a bit risque for Christians but I’m not afraid of hearing those stereotypes. It helps me to be able to go against them and I can’t really blame people for making fun of some religious people.

So, what do you think? Are you going to add any of these to your watchlist? Which ones look the best to you? Tell me in the comments below or reach out to me on social media. See you at the movies!

 

 

2010s, Coming Soon, Lists, Trailers

Ten Movies to Watch this Summer Besides Infinity War

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Summer came early this year with Marvel unleashing their biggest film ever. This one was 10 years and 18 films in the making. Infinity War was great, but was that the best thing that we’re gonna see this summer? I’ll bet you anything, we won’t see any blockbuster come close to doing what Infinity War did at the box office, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t see some great movies released between now and August.

I could waste a lot of time giving you a list of every movie coming out between now and then, but you could just head over to IMDb if you wanted that. Instead, I want to let you know about 10 movies that have me excited this summer other than Infinity War. That doesn’t count because it was on the top of my list and it met and exceeded my expectations.

Deadpool 2 – May 18

Come on… Do I have to explain this one? It’s Ryan Reynolds back in the role that he was designed by our good Lord to play. I hope it can live up to the hype despite some production woes. It will be weird seeing Josh Brolin play another villain so soon after he tore my heart out as Thanos.

Solo: A Star Wars Movie – May 25

I’m not nearly as excited about this one. It looks pretty entertaining and from the brief bits of dialogue in the trailer it seems like Alden Ehrenreich is doing a passable job imitating Harrison Ford. I know all the fanboys will turn out in droves, but I think that the average moviegoer isn’t going to rush out to watch this scruffy looking nerf-herder.

Hereditary – June 8

Excuse me while I go change my pants. This trailer gives me nightmares. I’m not sure what the movie is going to do. I don’t know much about the first time director Ari Aster, except that he looks like he’s 14 and just learned that he can grow hair on his face. This doesn’t look like your normal style of horror movie, I’m hoping it follows in the footsteps of The Witch and The Babadook and does something different.

Oceans 8 – June 8

All female heist film by Steven Soderbergh. I don’t think it needed to be tied to the Ocean’s franchise, but I guess that makes it more bankable. I hope it’s good. The cast looks great. But it could end up being like the Ghostbusters remake if they aren’t careful.

Incredibles 2 – June 15

Finally! A sequel to my favorite Pixar movie. Forget Toy Story 4 and all that garbage. This thing has been cooking for 14 years and finally Brad Bird is delivering what looks like an impressive follow-up. I’ve already heard complaints that no one has aged, that he’s not bringing us to the present or at least giving us teenage Jack-Jack but at this point, I trust Pixar as a whole and Brad Bird specifically and I will be at the front of the line for this one.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado – June 29

Continuing the year of Josh Brolin, we get the follow-up to 2015’s Breakout hit Sicario. The first was directed by Denis Villeneuve who has now launched into the stratosphere with movies like Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival under his belt. At first I was worried, but then I saw that Taylor Sheridan is back in the writer’s chair and he was hesitant to even call it a sequel. Hopes are tentatively high that this can be added to the flawless list on Sheridan’s resume.

Uncle Drew – June 29

I will be completely transparent. This movie is not made for me. I’m whiter than Nick Kroll (oh wait…), but even with that handicap, I still think this looks funny. Tiffany Haddish and the pure joy of watching some basketball superstars donning white hair and beards. This is going to make more money than Tyler Perry dressing in drag, and you can take that to the hoop.

Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6

We pick up with Ant-Man after the events of Captain America: Civil War and apparently he is on some type of house arrest. Hank Pym outfits a partner for him and we get lots of stuff getting smaller than normal and other things getting comically large. This should be a nice exhale after Marvel has been punching us in the gut with Black Panther and Infinity War, and who knows maybe we’ll get another piece of the Avengers 4 puzzle.

Mission Impossible: Fallout – July 27

Unpopular opinion: The Mission: Impossible franchise is more entertaining than James Bond or Jason Bourne. I can’t wait to watch Tom Cruise break his ankle in that scene from the trailer where he jumps from one building to another and shorts it. They take it to the next level and the touches of humor from Simon Pegg are great. Christopher McQuarrie has directed Tom Cruise excellently in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation as well as the original Jack Reacher film. I have no reason to doubt that this will not be a kick-ass ride.

The Darkest Minds – August 3

It’s not the New Mutants X-Men movie that I’ve been hoping for, but close enough. In essence, these teenagers are held captive by the government because they begin to develop powers. Some of them break out to form a resistance group to fight their oppressors. It is based on a YA novel by the same name written by Alexandra Bracken and directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson who previously directed The two Kung Fu Panda sequels.

What about you? Are you surprised by any of these? Do you have one that you are just dying to see? Did I leave something off? Let me know if the comments below or hit me up on social media.

 

2000s, Best Movie Bracket, Review, Trailers

2006 Best Movie Bracket

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What was the best movie of 2006? I’m going to change the way I do this a little bit. Normally I would share some information about the year and other movies that are honorable mentions in the first few paragraphs. However, I’m afraid that most of you are clicking away before you even get to the #1 pick.  So, I’m going to start with my top picks and I’ll try to pepper in more information about the year and other possible choices throughout my reviews.

3rd – Pan’s Labyrinth

From the innovative mind of Guillermo del Toro comes Pan’s Labyrinth. It is a coming of age tale of innocence and imagination. It is a story about a young girl who is other worldly. Like a crystal vase in a sea of tupperware, she doesn’t match her surroundings. Del Toro creates a fantasy world that is draws us in and leaves us feeling like a child who just heard a fairy tale for the first time.

A warning to my more language challenged readers, this film is in Spanish. It is subtitled. I don’t see that as a problem. I would like to hear why you do if you do. The story is set in Spain in 1944 following the Spanish Civil War. So really any language besides Spanish would feel forced and inauthentic. If you claim that you don’t go to the movies to read, then that is just laziness and you need to get over it. The story centers around Ofelia who is traveling with her pregnant mother. They are moving to a fascist command centre in rural Spain led by the fiendish Captain Vidal  who happens to be the father of the mother’s unborn child. Ofelia is the type of child whose imagination feeds her energy. Unfortunately, it is also her imagination that causes Ofelia’s disconnect with the real world.

Ofelia’s exploring leads her to meet a faun. This is the Pan of the English title of the film (del Toro has told us that that is not actually the faun’s name). The first interaction between Ofelia and the faun is revealing because Ofelia doesn’t draw back in horror at the sight of this creature, in fact she seems more comfortable in his presence that with her own mother. This fantasy is her reality and it becomes ours. Ofelia learns the fact that every little girl steeped in fairy tales has yearned to hear, that she is a long lost princess separated from her kingdom.

Half of the story plays out in this ominous and sometimes frightening dreamland. However, del Toro is using the other half of the story to give us a picture of good and evil. The real monster of the film is Captain Vidal despite his normal outward appearance. Let me be quick to say that this is not a kids movie. With the young protagonist and presence of fairy tale creatures it might be tempting to present this to a child, but violence play an important part in this film showing the harsh, unwanted situation that Ofelia’s real life presents her with and blood, guts, and broken bones are all present in this reality.

El Laberinto del Fauno (or Pan’s Labyrinth) is a gorgeously detailed and styled story with characters and creatures to love and despise. Del Toro gives me hope that imagination is not dead. However, it wasn’t the only imaginative film of the year. I would also check out: The Prestige, Little Miss Sunshine, Borat, The Fountain, Paprika, Stranger Than Fiction, The Fall, A Scanner Darkly, Idiocracy, Perfume and Science of Sleep. Perhaps there is still hope yet.

2nd – Children of Men

Children of Men is a near future science fiction film based on a 1992 P.D. James novel and directed by the ever versatile Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Gravity). It is set in 2027, but there is nothing special about that date. It could just as easily be 2050, or 2019. It feels like it is just a breath away. Forget giant asteroids or alien invasions, Children of Men conveys a doomsday scenario that is realistically frightening and contemporary.

Mankind has become infertile, there has not been a new birth recorded for over 18 years. Devolving into chaos from the ticking clock facing everyone, the world has resorted to violence. Britain, the only country that still “soldiers on,” has closed its borders to the swarms of refugees (sound familiar?) Those that make it through the cracks, called “fugees,” are captured and deported. The country is now a completely totalitarian state with state police and surveillance cameras everywhere.

Theo (Clive Owen), a former political activist, is roped into a rescue mission by his ex-lover Julian (Julianne Moore), an outlaw fighting for refugee rights. The job she commandeered him into is to help Kee, an African woman, escape the country. We soon discover that she is pregnant.

The war-torn atmosphere and the mayhem that seems to erupt out of nowhere convey the urgency and danger of the situation. All of it is captured brilliantly by Alfonso Cuarón and the incomparable Emmanuel Lubetzki. Without hope, people are resorting to their base instincts ad lust for survival. Theo’s quest to protect Kee becomes the only thing that matters. The revelation that she is pregnant means that she is fighting for the future of all mankind.

Clive Owen plays Theo as a very ordinary man. With the action in this film, he could have easily become a 007 knockoff, but instead we are left in the frightening mess with him and allowed to feel his fear. In the same way, it would have been easy to write the appearance of this pregnant woman as a miracle, but Cuarón never makes that mistake. It’s hard to categorize this film as either a rich thematic drama when it elevates into a high-octane action film. That is one of the best things about it. It is a great dystopian thriller that is one of the best things that we have seen from a talented young director.

There were a couple of other Science fiction or dramas that almost made this list, but came up just short. Other films to add to your watchlist for the year are, The Lives of Others, Babel, Blood Diamond, Apocalypto, Last King of Scotland, and Little Children.

1st – The Departed

This is why remakes shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. The legendary Martin Scorsese with his screenwriter William Monahan have taken an okay Chinese film, Infernal Affairs, and breathed new life into it, framing it as an American epic crime drama. This is Scorcese’s best since Goodfellas and it deserves mention alongside Scorsese’s other most celebrated films Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.

I don’t want to go into the plot too far. The trailer goes a bit too deep in my opinion. I will just say that it is a high stakes game of lies, secrets, and hidden identities. This is among the greatest of ensemble casts of all time. We have headliners like Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg (Oscar nominated), and Alec Baldwin turning in superb supporting roles while Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon shine under the leadership of a premier director. This was the role that skyrocketed DiCaprio into the stratosphere. He and Scorsese work so brilliantly together, this was the best work he had done at the time. This is an amazing return to form for Jack Nicholson. He relishes every moment before the camera with this diabolical confidence and intensity. I think it was criminal that he wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar.

Speaking of Oscars, The Departed did go home with four awards on that night. Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. As far as crime dramas go, this is one of the best. Take note, this is a gangster film by Scorsese so there is a fair amount of violence and profanity. However, The Departed is somewhat tame in comparison to some of the director’s other films. It is entangling and highly entertaining, truly the best of 2006.

These posts are getting pretty long as I can’t help but write a full review for the film instead of just a quick snippet, so to help with this, starting with 2005, I will be posting my reviews separately and the Best Movie Bracket post will fairly short. It will link to my full reviews and will help explain why I chose one film over another.

Trailers, Weekend Outlook

Pete’s Dragon and Sausage Party – Weekend Outlook

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This weekend I will be seeing Life, Animated in a limited engagement at the Hippodrome Theater. It is only playing for 1 week so if you are here in the Gainesville area, you need to act fast. Unfortunately, I have to work on Saturday, but I may be able to check out another movie on Sunday afternoon. Let’s look at the new films hitting theaters and see if they stand a chance of passing Suicide Squad in its second week.

I kind of see this weekend as the unofficial end of the summer movie season. Very quickly studios are shifting to their fall releases which are typically more dramatic and geared towards adults and particularly Academy members. But the three new wide releases compete for second place this week because Suicide Squad, though it is still receiving less than stellar reviews, is almost certainly going to top the box office during its second weekend. I find it funny that all six of the new movies coming this weekend beat Suicide Squad on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m just saying, you can probably skip Suicide Squad this weekend and see a better movie.

Pete’s Dragon

First up is Disney’s Pete’s Dragon, the name might sound vaguely familiar because it is a remake of the 1977 film of the same name. Disney is looking to push even further out in front in the box office this year with another big family hit to add to Finding Dory, Jungle Book, and Zootopia. Last month they released The BFG, which I enjoyed and which received good reviews overall but which failed to attract the public at the box office grossing on $52 million.

It is hard to find a film to compare to Pete’s Dragon because the source property isn’t nearly as popular as Jungle Book or Cinderella. It is coming out in late August just as school is back in session across the country so it isn’t fair to compare it with others that came in the summer. The reviews are saying that it is great, and it currently holds an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m going to say that it will open somewhere in the neighborhood of Enchanted or The Good Dinosaur which opened at $34 and $39 million respectively.

Sausage Party

If Sausage Party taps into the same audience that Neighbors and Ted  had then we could be looking at a tight race for the top 3. Those two opened to $49 and $54 million respectively. Amazingly, despite the extremely foul content and crude 3D animation Sausage Party is currently looking at an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it could have a very strong showing. On the other hand, it could go the way of This is the End and Pineapple Express. Those were both also Sony pictures and opened to $20 and $23 million.

Seth Rogen and his troupe hope are hoping that Sausage Party’s unprecedented combination of 3D animation and crude humor will connect with fans worldwide. Part of me hopes it doesn’t because I have three kids and they already want to see it and it’s hard to explain to children why they can’t see a cartoon because it was made for adults only.

Florence Foster Jenkins

Meryl Streep is bankable talent for older audiences. It’s been a while since we had a film appealing to older audiences. It could possibly do very well as counter-programming, but a couple of other films have tried this summer and haven’t taken off. Florence is getting very good reviews though. It is currently sitting at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. I think that this should do better than Ricki and the Flash which she released last August to $6 million, but not as well as Hope Springs which opened in a much less crowded August in 2012 and brought in $14 million.

Box Office Projection
  1. Suicide Squad – $46 million
  2. Pete’s Dragon – $36 million
  3. Sausage Party – $32 million
  4. Jason Bourne – $10 million
  5. Florence Foster Jenkins – $8 million

Independent/Limited Release

There are also a handful of Independent films that are worth watching that are premiering this weekend. I hope that if you see them here it might peak your interest and you can keep your eyes open for when they come to your theaters. Also, get to know your local theater managers and try to encourage them to bring more independent films to market or seek out smaller venues that might be more willing to show eclectic films or documentaries that others pass over with a yawn.

Hell or High Water

Blood Father

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnqfDyzCsQk

Anthropoid

 

Trailers, Weekend Outlook

Suicide Squad – Weekend Outlook

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August is coming in like a lion with the release of one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. It will break the August opening record. Alternatively, somehow Christopher Walken and Kevin Spacey agreed to be in a movie about a man who gets turned into a house cat, and the best movie of the weekend is being released by Netflix and will probably never going to see a theater.

Suicide Squad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyJH39ZbPAg

In contrast to the dour, happiness sucking waste of time that was Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad at least proves that DC knows how to have a sense of humor (as twisted as it may be) but that still didn’t make for a great movie.

I knew that the bad guys weren’t going to turn good all of a sudden, but I didn’t think that they would let themselves be held captive by a woman that makes Trump look like a bleeding heart liberal. Seriously, Amanda Waller and by extension the United States government is pure evil.

Visually, the film was great. it had a realism to the effects that was appreciated. It was a gritty and mesmerizing film to watch. However, the story just doesn’t work. There are too many characters and the flow of the movie is constantly interrupted to give us some back story on an extraneous character that is only going to get 5 minutes of screen time and is totally superfluous to the plot. These characters make very stretched choices and nothing feels real. However, that has always been my beef with DC vs Marvel.

Don’t get me wrong, I had fun with the movie, I laughed when I was supposed to and the theater seemed energized. Theaters are selling out, riding a wave of publicity and social media buzz, and the film will certainly break Guardians of the Galaxy‘s previous August record of $94.3 million. They are set up for more films in the future, with the Justice league and a Harley Quinn solo film, but I think I’ve been spoiled with Marvel films that seem like more than just vehicles to sell popcorn.

If you’re looking for a PG-13 film that should have gotten an R rating and want to watch a lot of disturbed individuals do a lot I’ve violent things then this is the movie for you. Maybe I’m just looking for a better class of heroes and villains. Take it or leave it, it’s your choice.

Nine Lives

I think you could find a funnier way to spend an hour and a half if you just binge watched cat videos on YouTube. I can’t believe that these serious actors agreed to be in such a dumpster fire. This won’t crack the top 5 this week and will likely be on the top of my worst movies of the year list. Instead, stay in and save your money. Turn on Netflix and watch a good kids movie.

The Little Prince

Kung Fu Panda director Mark Osborne teams up with Netflix to bring us this animated take on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s beloved novella about a pilot (voiced by Jeff Bridges) who crash lands in the Sahara desert and encounters a mysterious young boy who claims to be an extraterrestrial prince. James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Benicio Del Toro, and Paul Giamatti also lend their voices to this production.

Weekend Box Office Prediction:

  1. Suicide Squad – $139 million
  2. Jason Bourne – $28 million
  3. Bad Moms – $14 million
  4. Star Trek Beyond – $12 million
  5. The Secret Life of Pets – $10 million
2000s, Best Movie Bracket, Detective, Drama, Drugs, Great Movies, Suspense, Trailers, True Story

2007 Best Movie Bracket

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As I mentioned in the last post, 2008 was the beginning of the Comic book adaptation explosion. This march through the years to determine the Best Movie of all time really shows that themes come out in particular years. 2007 was loaded with amazing movies that almost no one saw. They were so good that I may have my first year with multiple winners. I say that no one saw them because the top 3 highest grossing films of 2007 were Transformers, Shrek the Third, and Spider-Man 3. All were panned by critics and had lackluster performance at the box office. This was a year for those Superbad movies and others like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Wild Hogs, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Bee Movie, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Norbit.

That being said, the ugly performance of popular films in 2007 really made the gems shine. We had an artsy Bob Dylan biopic with I’m Not There, and one of the coolest, nerdiest documentaries ever in King of Kong. There was a great entry from one of my favorite directors Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Network) who gave us Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. We saw a minor resurgence of good westerns with a 3:10 to Yuma remake and my pick for best long title movie, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. On the musical front, there were several solid entries from Sweeney Todd, Across the Universe, August Rush, and the hauntingly beautiful Once. There were also two emotionally shattering foreign films in Diving Bell and the Butterfly and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.

Other must watch films from the year include: Hot Fuzz, Ratatouille, Juno, Into The Wild, I Am Legend, Sunshine, Atonement, Gone Baby Gone, Lars and the Real Girl, American Gangster, Persepolis, and Michael Clayton. Charlie Bartlett is the film that sticks in my mind for the late Anton Yelchin, It is not a perfect film, but it is very entertaining with a great cast. However, all of these good films should wait if you haven’t seen any of my top three. I consider two of them modern classics that are almost perfect films.

3rd – Zodiac

Zodiac is a woefully underrated film from David Fincher, the same director that gave us Se7en and Fight Club. Roger Ebert said in his four-star review, “Zodiac is the All the President’s Men of serial killer movies, with Woodward and Bernstein played by a cop and a cartoonist…. What makes Zodiac authentic is the way it avoids chases, shootouts, grandstanding and false climaxes, and just follows the methodical progress of police work.” The cast (Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Robert Downey Jr.) as well as the tone and script are all so tight and precise. It’s a delightful movie and immensely frustrating and entertaining. Now, onto the two films which I will be including in the Best Movie Bracket Competition.

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Trailers, Weekend Outlook

Jason Bourne, Bad Moms, and Nerve – Weekend Outlook

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Will Jason Bourne knock out Star Trek Beyond who was king this past weekend at the box office? With 83% of critics calling Beyond fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, it looks like it might not drop off as quickly as other sequels this year. However, with three wide releases this weekend I think it is highly doubtful that Star Trek will be on top of the charts beyond its first week. Also, will the new Ghostbusters continue to haunt the top 5 in its third weekend? All puns aside, let’s take a look at the new releases this weekend and see what your best bets are at your local multiplex.

Jason Bourne

Yet another big franchise that is getting a reboot or delayed sequel. Matt Damon is back in the titular role after a seemingly failed attempt to pass the baton to Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy. Will the return of the star and director Paul Greengrass guarantee a big opening? I kind of doubt it in this summer of failed sequels. Legacy opened to only $38 million while Damon’s last appearance in Ultimatum was the largest of the series with an opening weekend of over $69 million. I think we will see an opening somewhere between those two films as there is some buzz around Damon’s return. See the other movies opening this weekend and my box office prediction after the jump.

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