Category Archives: Movies

First-look photos at ‘Batman v Superman’ surface days before Comic Con

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With Comic Con just around the corner, we’re bound to see a new teaser for Zack Snyder’s upcoming Batman v Superman superhero flick. For now, I’m more than positive these flashy new pics will hold you over until then. Entertainment Weekly has scored a solid handful of first-look images from Dawn of Justice; it’s latest cover features Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in full costume and there’s simply no denying it–Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Gal Gadot look absolutely fantastic in character. In addition to the cover shot, EW also shares production stills and a single behind-the-scenes image with Snyder director Affleck. Want to see an epic stare-down between Affleck’s Batman and Cavill’s Superman? Or how about a seductive look at Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince? Dive into the gallery below to see all this and more, including a first-look at Jesse Eisenberg as the villainous Lex Luthor still sporting some hair atop his infamous dome.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theatres March 26, 2016.

[Via EW 1, 2]

‘Paranormal Activity’ revealed in sixth and final film in the franchise

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Four films and one spinoff later, the Paranormal Activity franchise is ready to reach its climax and conclusion. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is prepared to guide the supernatural horror flicks that came before it into the light by addressing the many unanswered questions and riddles left lingering over the years. Producer Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions confirmed to USA Today that Ghost Dimension is indeed the final installment and that answers are coming.

“It’s coming to an end. This is it, the finale,” says Blum. “We’re saying it before the movie opens. We’re not going to grind this horror franchise into the ground. This will keep Paranormal Activity as part of this culture and this particular time in a really fantastic way. We couldn’t go just teasing. All the questions that everyone has asked from the past Paranormal Activity films: What does Toby look like? What’s the backstory to the families? These questions have been teased out. Now they will be answered.”

That’s a big one. Ever since the first Paranormal Activity released in 2007, audiences have been forced to use their powerful imaginations to put a face on the invisible, angry entity that has been terrorizing the families featured in all the movies. In Ghost Dimensions, a special video recording device enables the latest family to actually see the paranormal activity going on around them. PA producer and director of the original Oren Peli commented on this major reveal: “We’ve done well without showing Toby, being able to create tensions and scares based on audiences’ imagination,” he said. “But people are very curious.”

Curious, indeed! And by the looks of it, Ghost Dimension may just be the most haunting Paranormal Activity of all. Watch the debut trailer hanging above to see what I mean. Though the many sequels failed to capture the same kind of awe and suspense of the original, this final chapter aims to bring it all home by tying everything that came before it together in a neat bow. Hopefully plot satisfaction and fun scares will have made the journey worth it.

Eight years after the micro-budget original spent $15,000 and made $193 million at the box office worldwide, there’s no denying the powerful effect the Paranormal Activity franchise has had on the horror genre and the box office in general. It spurred the proliferation of scary micro-budget movies including other Blumhouse works like Insidious, Sinister, and The Purge. And perhaps we haven’t seen the last of PA after all?

“At some point, might there be a reboot? You never know. We’ve never discussed it,” says Blum. “[But] we made this movie like it’s the end of this Paranormal line for sure.”

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension hits theatres October 23, and it’s the first PA movie to be released in 3D. Just in time for Halloween! Continue reading ‘Paranormal Activity’ revealed in sixth and final film in the franchise →

Movie trailer round-up: Animated entries ‘Secret Life of Pets’ & ‘Peanuts’ pack humor, heart & fun

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Illumination Entertainment, the maker of Despicable Me and the upcoming Minions movie, has a new animated comedy in the works about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day. The first teaser trailer, embedded above, does a fantastic job of setting the scene featuring Illumination’s slick animation style and signature humor. An overarching plot isn’t being divulged just yet, but that doesn’t even matter–The Secret Life of Pets is sure to draw audiences of all ages to its adorable collection of cats and dogs and video game savvy birds. The stacked voice cast includes Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress, and Albert Brooks.

The Secret Life of Pets releases July 8, 2016.

Jump after the break to see the latest trailer for Blue Sky Studios’ Peanuts adaptation. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: Animated entries ‘Secret Life of Pets’ & ‘Peanuts’ pack humor, heart & fun →

Ridley Scott’s next journey to space stars Matt Damon as ‘The Martian’ stuck on Mars

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Ridley Scott, the director behind Alien and Prometheus, is going back to space with The Martian. Matt Damon stars as an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars when an expedition to the red planets goes sideways. The film’s official synopsis includes additional detail:

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return.

Damon’s Interstellar co-star Jessica Chastain joins him on this new mission and the rest of the star-studded cast includes Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The Martian is based on the best-selling book of the same named written by Andy Weir.

Are you excited to watch Damon survive on Mars? As NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX continue their collective efforts to make a trip to Mars a reality, movies like Interstellar and now The Martian make for some good entertainment that also shines a light on our not-so-distant future.

The Martian releases November 25.

Pixar imagines a world where dinos rule in next animated pic ‘The Good Dinosaur’

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Inside Out hasn’t even hit theatres yet (June 19 where are you?!) and Pixar is already readying audiences for its next animated flick, The Good Dinosaur. A basic teaser trailer came out today and it begs the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? That’s what Pixar is pitching with The Good Dinosaur, which stars Arlo the Apatosaurus (voiced by Raising Hope‘s Lucas Neff) and his small human cave-boy friend Spot.

In an interview with Yahoo, director Peter Sohn–who last helmed Ponyo and served as a Story Artist on other Pixar films like Up!, Wall-E, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo–describes the film as a boy-and-his-dog story, except here the roles are reversed. “Arlo himself is what we would have become, able to articulate and have certain emotions and connection to family,” says Sohn. [The dinosaurs have] become us, essentially… I’m trying to treat Spot in a very kind of animalistic way, where he doesn’t speak very much. He’s very feral.”

While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of. The teaser does little in the way of expanding upon this general logline; it does, however, successfully set up breathtaking landscapes and it leaves you with Pixar’s signature warmth at the end. That heartwarming dino-human print is featured on the first official poster for the movie and it hangs after the break.

The Good Dinosaur roars into theatres November 25.

Update (6/12): The Good Dinosaur‘s voice cast is undergoing major changes. Lucas Neff is out and child actor Raymond Ochoa (Mars Needs Moms) is in to voice Arlo the Apatosaurus. Deadline reports the rest of the new cast: “Jeffrey Wright as Arlo’s dad, Poppa; Steve Zahn as a pterodactyl named Thunderclap; AJ Buckley as Nash, a T-rex; Anna Paquin as Ramsey the T-rex; Sam Elliott as a tough T-rex named Butch and Marcus Scribner as Arlo’s brother Buck.” Continue reading Pixar imagines a world where dinos rule in next animated pic ‘The Good Dinosaur’ →

Disney unplugs from The Grid, scraps ‘Tron 3’

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Sour news for Tron: Legacy fans: The Hollywood Reporter says that Disney is opting not to move forward with a threequel. In April 2009, Legacy directer Joseph Kosinski shared his enthusiasm for making another Tron: “For us, the storytelling will be easier because we won’t be saddled with 28 years of backstory. From a technical standpoint, in order for it to be a Tron movie, we’re going to have to push the envelope.” Unfortunately, none of this will come to fruition.

Though Disney never technically greenlit a third Tron movie in the franchise that started in 1982, Kosinski had already broken a story and Legacy stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde were set to reprise their roles. Additionally, THR reports that Disney was interested in bringing Jared Leto aboard for the new film, the 30 Seconds to Mars frontman-turned-actor who’s starring in Warner Bros.’s Suicide Squad as The Joker. It even had a name, Tron: Ascension. But again, these dreams have sadly turned to dust.

So why did this project suddenly go dark? Disney has yet to comment on the matter, but sources speculate that it has to do with the company’s underperforming Tomorrowland. The live-action futuristic action-adventure flick, which reportedly cost $180 million to make, grossed a low $33 million at the US box office.

As a vocal fan of the polarizing Legacy, I am saddened to hear that Disney is no longer interested in the flashy franchise. The original Tron pushed the envelope beyond its technological limits in terms of special effects, and its 2010 sequel upped the ante with incredibly slick visuals and a memorable score produced by Daft Punk. There’s certainly more tales from The Grid to tell, and I’ll sit here patiently as Disney receives fan backlash and petitions to #SaveTron.

Steve Jobs returns to the big screen with award-winning team at the helm

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This isn’t your Ashton Kutcher’s Steve Jobs. Danny Boyle (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) directs the third major biographical drama showcasing the life and times of the Apple co-founder (yes, I am absolutely counting 1999’s unforgettable Pirates of Silicon Valley). Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball, The Social Network) adapts Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography Steve Jobs. Michael Fassbender slips into the iconic innovator’s black turtleneck this time around. Also starring is Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, former marketing chief of Macintosh; Seth Rogen as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniack; Jeff Daniels as John Sculley, former Apple CEO; Katherine Waterston as Jobs’ ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan, and Michael Stuhlbarg as Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original members of the Apple Macintosh development team. The logline reads as follows:

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.

The debut trailer, hanging above, showcases a decidedly more elegant take on Jobs’ rise to influential immortality. With award-winning talent working hard to bring Isaacson’s esteemed book to life, there’s much to anticipate when Steve Jobs hits theatres October 9.

Ed Helms leads a new generation of Griswalds in ‘Vacation’

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National Lampoon’s classic 1983 comedy Vacation is making a comeback. Instead of a reboot, the new Vacation stars Ed Helms as the now grown up Russell “Rusty” Griswold. In the original, Rusty was played by a young Anthony Michael Hall. Co-starring with Helms is Christina Applegate, who plays his wife, and Leslie Mann has a supporting role. Reprising their roles from the origial Vacation are Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. The film, written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses), sees a new generation of Griswolds take a bumpy trip to the Walley World theme park before it closes for good. This red-band trailer is a ton of fun packs some solid laughs. Are you excited for a Vacation set in 2015?

Vacation opens July 29.

Vanity Fair scoops inside look at ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ with photos galore

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Stars Wars has been taking over the Internet lately; from the spectacular teaser trailer for The Force Awakens, to concrete details about the war-themed Rogue One standalone film as well as a fresh look at EA’s Battlefront video game, the hype train for Disney’s lucrative acquisition isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Just in time to celebrate Star Wars Day–May the Fourth be with you all–Vanity Fair has pushed out its cover for their upcoming June issue and look above to see who’s adorning it: from L-R there’s John Boyega as Stormtrooper Finn, the completely real and not-CGI new droid BB-8, Daisy Ridley as scavenger Rey, Peter Mayhew’s Chewie, and Harrison Ford back as Han Solo. Famed celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz was invited to the Force Awakens‘ set to snap the pic.

For more, head over to Vanity Fair. At the bottom of the page you’ll discover a photo gallery packed with never-before-seen looks at Oscar Isaac’s X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron, Game of Thrones‘ Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, 12 Years A Slave‘s Lupita Nyong’o as CGI’d character Maz Kanata, Girls‘ Adam Driver as baddie Kylo Ren, and more. The preceding article is also worth a read; in it, director J.J. Abrams teases an Easter Egg death for Jar Jar Binks, and he also reiterates his reliance on practical effects. Also, there’s video following Leibovitz on set!

Want a copy of the Star Wars-themed Vanity Fair to display on your coffee table? The June issue hits newsstands nationwide on Tuesday, May 12. Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theatres December 18.

M. Night Shyamalan goes “found-footage” for latest supernatural horror pic ‘The Visit’

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What happens when director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water) teams up with producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, The Purge)?

The Visit, that’s what. Shyamalan’s next original supernatural film goes a little something like this:

Shyamalan returns to his roots with the terrifying story of a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip. Once the children discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing, they see their chances of getting back home are growing smaller every day.

Let’s just say these aren’t your typical grandparents–unless your Grandma and Grandpa are seemingly possessed by otherworldly, decidedly demonic creatures.

With The Visit, Shyamalan is embracing Blum’s tried-and-true “found footage” shooting technique; Paranormal Activity and its many sequels have proven that even dirt-cheap horror flicks can be thrilling and quite lucrative. Though the acclaimed director has shot some duds as of late (read: The Happening, After Earth), this inevitable collaboration between Shyamalan and Blum is just tantalizing enough to warrant a look-see. Shyamalan is known for his twist endings that turn all of the events proceeding it on its head, and I can only imagine what he’s cooked up in Blumhouse Productions’ latest.

The Visit opens September 11.

Star Wars stand-alone pic ‘Rogue One’ details surface; ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ game trailer inside

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The Star Wars Celebration convention continues. Mere days after unveiling the universally enjoyable second teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a second panel packed with franchise fans would parcel fresh intel regarding one of the two upcoming Star Wars stand-alone films. Today’s panel was originally supposed to feature Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank, but the latter director was a no-show due to an illness. So, only Edwards’ Rogue One spinoff film was discussed, and Trank’s still untitled Star Wars pic wasn’t brought up. Moving on!

Godzilla director Edwards was joined on stage by Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and Kiri Hart. First and foremost, we’ve got a description for Rogue One: “A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans,” spills Star Wars’ official Twitter feed. At the panel, it was confirmed that The Theory of Everything‘s Felicity Jones will star as a Rebel soldier.

A brief teaser was screened at the panel; Lucasfilms has yet to post a clean copy of it online, but that never stopped the Internet before. You can search YouTube for cell phone recordings but be quick about it–they’ll be pulled before long. In case you can’t find it, here’s a quick description of the action. It opens with narration from Alec Guinness who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars film. The dialogue pulled from A New Hope went like this: “For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” The visuals start on a planet teeming with lush forestry. As the camera starts panning towards a bright sky, a TIE Fighter zooms by heading for what appears to be the planet’s nearby moon. As we follow it fly away, we realize that’s no moon–it’s the original Death Star hanging beyond the clouds. The teaser goes black, and just as solider radio coms chatter starts to get hectic, the Star Wars Rogue One title card appears.

Be mindful that this footage was made in collaboration with the folks at Industrial Light & Magic specially for this reveal. Edwards and his team are currently in pre-production with shooting set to begin this summer. The clip is a mere taste of what’s to come. In addition to the footage, concept art was also displayed for the rabid crowd; it depicts soldiers storming onto a rainy, muddy planet.

Edwards briefly expanded on Rogue One. “It’s the reality of war. Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good. It’s complicated, layered; a very rich scenario in which to set a movie,” he said. Don’t expect the film’s main set of characters to bring down their enemies with The Force or other mythological powers, because they won’t. Edwards says, “It comes down to a group of individuals who don’t have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy.” Sounds like a much more grounded, realistic approach to the franchise, one we haven’t yet seen. Edwards’ spinoff is very much a war movie; the director cited Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down as inspirations. “It’s called Star … Wars,” he reminded the crowd. In terms of where it fits in the Star Wars timeline: Edwards confirmed Rogue One takes place after Revenge of the Sith and before A New Hope.

Expanding Star Wars‘ inherently sci-fi tendencies and pushing the franchise’s genre in new directions is, in fact, the point here. “The idea behind these movies is that Star Wars, as much as it is a set of stories and characters we know, it’s also a place–a place we can explore in terms of character and time,” said Hart. Edwards’ Rogue One will showcase a heist story set in a gritty, war-torn environment with relatable soldiers who wield no magic. Though we don’t have information to go on yet about Trank’s spinoff, his film is also set to play with the genre and inject new storytelling elements into the franchise.

We should stop using the term “spinoff films” at this point, since Kennedy and Hart introduced a new branding term for all non-trilogy franchise films. All spinoff/standalone movies set in the Star Wars universe are to be referred to as films in the “Star Wars Anthology Series.”

Star Wars Rogue One, the first Star Wars Anthology Series film, is slated to hit theatres December 16, 2016.

An incredible look at Electronic Arts’ video game Star Wars: Battlefront waits after the break. Continue reading Star Wars stand-alone pic ‘Rogue One’ details surface; ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ game trailer inside →

‘Fantastic Four’ trailer elevates excitement for the franchise reboot

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Following a decidedly lackluster debut teaser that dropped on January, the first official full-length trailer for the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot picks up the pace and excitement with some pretty slick looking action sequences and a closer look at the heroes’ superpowers. Also, we get a blink-and-you-miss-it first look at the face of the superhero team’s nemesis, Dr. Doom.

Fantastic Four, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

Miles Teller (Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic), Michael B. Jordan (Johnny Storm / Human Torch), Kate Mara (Susan Storm / Invisible Woman), Jamie Bell (Ben Grimm / The Thing), and Toby Kebbell (Victor Domashev / Doom) star in the reboot directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle) and written by Simon Kinberg and Jeremy Slater.

Fantastic Four hits theatres August 7.