According to The Hollywood Reporter, Clay Tarver has been tapped to write the script for Dodgeball 2, the sequel to 2004’s Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. The story will reportedly focus on Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller’s characters (rivals in the first film) teaming together to take down a common foe. Tarver’s only other writing cred is for the 2001 thriller Joy Ride, in which he co-wrote with J.J. Abrams.
Like most people, I was a big fan of Dodgeball, especially since I played it a lot in college. The film was a lot of fun with a lot of cool characters I would love to see together on the big screen again. Who can forget the five D’s of dodgeball?
Have you been dying to see what Storm will look like in X-Men: Days of Future Past? Well, here you go.
Director Bryan Singer recently tweeted out a photo of Storm, who will be played once again by Halle Berry (who is pregnant in the photo). Her character won’t look that much different from her character in the original trilogy (check out the bottom photo).
X-Men: Days of Future Past comes out July 18, 2014.
Today we got another look at The Wolverine with a Japanese trailer that is very similar to the trailers we got a couple of weeks ago but with a couple of changes. The only aspects that get me excited for this film are James Mangold (who directed the awesome 3:10 to Yuma), Hugh Jackman and samurais.
On Episode 9, we review Oblivion, discuss our Top 3 Tom Cruise films of all-time, and continue with our Baz Luhrmann series where we take a look at his 1996 film, Romeo + Juliet. We also have an awesome spoiler review of Oblivion at the end, plus some extra bonus content of where reviewed The Place Beyond the Pines and To the Wonder earlier last week.
A new trailer for Thor: The Dark World was released this morning. The Marvel Phase 2 Project looks like its continuation will be stellar. We are already excited for what Iron Man 3 will probably be and based off this trailer, I’m excited to see what Thor will bring us.
The weekend box office reports came out and it’s not surprise that Oblivion took home the weekend’s top spot. Over the weekend, Oblivion took home an estimated $38.2 million with pretty much no competition. According to Box Office Mojo, the box office was down 19% from the same weekend last year but that April should end up about the same as it was in 2012.
Oblivion‘s box office start is the highest non-sequel debut for Tom Cruise since 2005 in War of the Worlds. While the numbers are solid, they aren’t astonishing by any means. This is a weird season for studios as they are preparing for the big budget summer blockbusters, but Universal Pictures have been successful the last couple of years with Fast and Furious and Fast Five which both opened at over $70 million.
Oblivion was helped out by the fact there was no competition and I think people were yearning for a good Tom Cruise movie. That being said, I think most people will be split 50/50 on Oblivion which is why it hasn’t done as well. We particularly liked the film though and on our latest podcast, which should be up tomorrow, we discussed it in detail. So be on the lookout for that and go see the movie. It’s worth the visit to the theater.
Director: Baz Luhrmann Writers: William Shakespeare (play), Craig Pearce (screenplay) Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo
Synopsis: Shakespeare’s famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
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DIRECTION
The way Baz Luhrmann directs Romeo + Juliet is a very unique and is an interesting take on the classic play. I love how he updates the play to make it very modern and easier to understand while keeping the dialect and respecting what has made it a classic. The branding of Swords on the guns was a nice touch and the hip hop vibe also was interesting to drawing me in. It’s like an MTV music video, which was big at the time it was made, and executed in such a way that would draw in the right audience. I do, however, have a hard time getting past some of the Shakespearean dialect, but I like the fact that Lurhmann keeps the core of the play intact here. The performances are good for the most part and he utilizes the music really well as well. For people who have a hard time with the subject material or classical plays, I think this version will help get the story across well. It’s funny and weird, but it draws you in, whether you like it or hate it. It has some…well lets say flamboyant personalities and colors at times and is it’s own unique flavor of film. Kudos to Luhrmann for doing something different and being bold about it.
Grade: B
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SCRIPT
The story by Shakespeare is one of the most revered and used plays of all-time, and for good reason. Craig Pearce’s screenplay is a great tribute to the classical play that includes most of the great dialect and most famous scenes. They do cut out some of the play to cut down on time, but I don’t think it takes away from the film at all. I fall in love with this story and the characters and it’s executed well here in terms of the script. I think Luhrmann’s direction makes it easier to understand and the modernness of this version makes it fun.
Grade: B+
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PERFORMANCES
DiCaprio is amazing in this film. What he does with Romeo is exactly what I’d be looking for out of this character. He brings the right emotion out of the character and draws that emotion of you as well. Claire Danes is good, but like most of the characters in the film, I don’t think she understands what she’s saying most of the time. At times it feels fake and just read straight from the script. She does bring great emotion and heart to the character though, which is what I fell in love with in her Juliet. The rest of the supporting cast is hit or miss. I love Harold Perrineau, although his take on Mercutio was perhaps different than I’d think. Overall, I didn’t have a problem with the performances and I loved the leads, which is what matters most. The ending was amazing and incredibly sad and tragic.
Grade: B+
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SCORE
Nellee Hooper’s score is pretty good and adds value to the film. It’s what you’d expect from a film like this, but again, with an updated vibe that makes this version more modern. I especially loved the intense moments in this film as the score does a really good job of amping up the film in those moments.
Thanks to Twitter, we got our first official looks at Jamie Fox and Dane DeHaan in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Director Marc Webb tweeted out a photo of Foxx pre-Electro transformation as Max Dillon, while DeHaan (bottom) tweeted out a photo of himself as Harry Osborn/second Green Goblin. The middle photo features Foxx sporting the Electro get-up (via Screencrush).
Foxx and DeHaan are new to the cast, along with Chris Cooper and Shailene Woodley and Paul Giamatti. They join returning cast members Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Sally Field.
First of all, if you haven’t seen the new Man of Steel trailer, go do it now. It’s simply incredible, one of the best trailers I’ve ever seen. If you have seen it (a couple 100 times like me), then you know we’re in for something special with Zack Snyder’s take on Superman. I can’t wait and these Empire magazine covers featuring Henry Cavill’s Superman and Michael Shannon’s General Zod only add to my anticipation.
Here it is: The first (and pretty generic) poster for Thor: The Dark World.
The sequel to 2011’s surprisingly good Thor is directed by Alan Taylor, who will be making his feature film debut after spots on The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins.
In honor of Michael Bay’s new movie Pain and Gain coming out this week, we thought we’d ask you what you think is his best work. I personally love the Transformers series (I know, I know), but there are several others that are great. What do you guys think?
In what sounds good on the surface, Will Ferrell and Jack Black have been named to star in Tag Brothers, which is a story based on a recent Wall Street Journal article that was grabbed by New Line Cinema after a major bidding war.
The story is based off the real-life story of a group of friends from Spokane, Washington who has a long-running game of tag, which gained national notoriety when it became a featured story in the Wall Street Journal. Every year, the group of friends spend the month of February chasing each other across country to avoid being tagged as “It.” According to the article, they take the game serious which sometimes even involves B&E to tag one another.
While I think the premise is pretty crazy, I think having Ferrell and Black in a movie like this could be fun giving their personalities. The two have never really been featured in a film together so this would be an interesting start.
The movie will be written by Mark Steilen, who wrote the 1999 screenplay, The Settlement. Outside of that he hasn’t written anything else for film. And according to The Wrap, the screenplay will be contingent on whether Ferrell and Black join the project.
This movie sounds like it could be good on the surface, although there are several other major pieces that need to come together first. What do you guys think?
Martin Scorsese has been developing and trying to to get Silence made since the early 1990’s, but it looks like this time it may actually be happening.
According to Deadline, Emmet/Furla Films has secured the financing for the film and hopes to have distribution ready to go at next May’s Cannes Film Festival. Currently there are no starts attached to the project but since it’s Scorsese, there’s no need to fear. Daniel Day-Lewis at one time had his name in the hat for this film, but he recently announced he’s taking a break from acting (which is really sad). It should be fun to see who gets the nod here as it sounds like a film I’ll really enjoy.
The story revolves around two 17th-century Jesuit missionaries who travel to Japan to assist persecuted Christian converts. While on their journey, they learn why a fellow priest has renounced his faith. The story is based on the novel by Shusaku Endo.
Scorsese alongside screenwriter Jay Cocks, have co-wrote the screenplay together. If all goes well, it’s assumed that Scorsese will begin the project as soon as he finishes The Wolf of Wall Street, which will hit theaters November 13, 2013.
Who would you like to see take the lead role for this project?
In what is perhaps my favorite way to announce a piece of news, Bryan Singer posted an awesome image (above) on Twitter while at the Montreal Canadiens hockey game showing the actors wearing jerseys with their names on the back. And as you can see, there is a new member to the team, Adan Canto. As a huge hockey and movie fan, this is one of the coolest things I’ve seen. If you didn’t hear our Top 3 Sports Movies segment on our podcast last week, take a listen and you’ll see what I mean. So how did Canto respond?
Canto responded with a simple, “thrilled to be an X-Man.”
While there is no official world on who Canto will play, we may have a good idea thanks to Twitter. A fan asked if he would give a hint to any future projects and here is how Canto responded:
“I might turn into a ball of fire if someone p*sses me off.” While it’s no guarantee, we think he may end up playing Brazilian mutant Sunspot.
The film will also feature Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Nicholas Hoult, Omar Sy, Peter Dinklage, Halle Berry, Fan Bingbing, Anna Paquin, Daniel Cudmore, Ellen Page and Booboo Stewart.
X-Men: Days of Future Past will arrive on July 18, 2014.
Director: Joseph Kosinski Writers: Joseph Kosinski (screenplay), Karl Gajdusek (screenplay) Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Melissa Leo, Andrea Riseborough
Synopsis: A veteran assigned to extract Earth’s remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
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DIRECTION
Joseph Kosinski’s direction for Oblivion is impressive for it only being his second movie he’s ever directed. While the story isn’t very original, the way that he weaves and pieces together the layers of this story is incredible. He does a great job of making you wonder, “What in the world is going on?” At the same time it’s still easy to follow and the emotion is there. The visuals are extravagant and amazing. They are extremely realistic and make you fall into the universe that you are watching. There are certain shots in this movie that leave you in awe. I love the shots of the sky and space and how he uses those elements to bring the story alive. His shots of Cruise and Riseborough are terrific and fun. Kosinski get’s great performance from his actors and the score from M83 fits the movie perfectly. My only knock is the ending could of been done better, but I think that’s mostly a script problem. And I’m not sure why the name of the movie is Oblivion. It doesn’t address it or even say the word. Not a big issue, I’m just saying. Overall though, Kosinski knocks it out of the park and I love what he did here.
Grade: A
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SCRIPT
Kosinski’s script isn’t very original. While I was watching, it felt like a mixture of Wall-E and Moon with an Independence Day like feel to it in certain places. However, there are some things I didn’t see coming. There are a couple of twists and turns it takes that keeps the story fun and interesting. I also like how it humanizes the story. In a world that is devastated and life is dwindling, there’s a human element that you can’t help but love. The way Kosinski brings the story full circle is executed to perfection and completes the missing pieces. That being said, the very end of the film is pretty weak. It’s kind of cheesy and they took the easy way out. Morgan Freeman’s character is also under-written and leaves you with many questions. His character is essential to the plot, but he gets very little screen-time. Overall though, the story set-up is done well and I love how he molds this story, while un-original, and leaves you feeling good and having fun.
Grade: B-
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PERFORMANCES
Tom Cruise is in top form in this movie. I love his character and how Cruise breathes life into it. He does a great job of bring emotion and confusion to the character. Morgan Freeman is in this movie and that’s all I really need to say. I love the women in this film too. Andrea Riseborough is terrific and brings so much emotion and love to her character. It’s easy to get on her side and feel for her character. Olga Kurylenko and Melissa Leo are also great and give good performances as well. The smaller, supporting cast is also done well, which a lot of times brings down a film.
Grade: A-
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SCORE
M83 does an outstanding job of scoring this movie. While it may be a little bit different than what he normally does, the music is still done really well and more importantly, it fits the movie perfectly. It’s not overpowering, yet it brings emotion and excitement that I enjoyed quite a bit. It’s got some fun tones and is what you’d expect from M83 in terms of the type of music used. It goes without saying, but he doesn’t use a traditional orchestra, but instead brings his own elements which I love. It’s also why I loved the music for Kosinski’s first film, Tron: Legacy, where he did the same thing with Daft Punk.
Well I’m officially excited. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are coming back to the screen in a 21 Jump Street sequel that is set to come out sometime in 2014. Sony announced at CinemaCon that the sequel was never in doubt after making $138 million last year. Rumors came out last year, that Hill and writer Michael Bacall was already working on a sequel, so this story isn’t too surprising.
21 Jump Street was one of my favorite movies last year and probably took my #1 comedy spot from last year. That being said, I’m really excited for this news and I’ll look forward to seeing if they can re-capture the magic from the first film.
Are you excited? Let us know in the comment section below!
Only God Forgives is shaping up to be one of the best films of 2013. Yesterday, we got an incredible new poster and today we got two equally incredible trailers. The magic director Nicolas Winding Refn and star Ryan Gosling had on Drive appears to be carrying over.
Only God Forgives will premiere at next month’s Cannes Film Festival and will open in the US on July 19.
