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Movie News: Emma Watson in 50 Shades of Grey?

Well while a lot of guys may want to see Emma Watson in 50 Shades of Grey, it’s not going to happen. Watson went to Twitter immediately as the rumors were spilled and refuted the reports.

“Who here actually thinks I would do 50 Shades of Gray as a movie? Like really. For real. In real life,” Tweeted Watson in reference to the role. It seems pretty obvious she doesn’t want any part of it. And you can understand why.

It’s been reported that a group called Anonymous, who is known for online hacking, is to blame for the rumors. And like most site’s like that, it’s not really trustworthy.

The book’s author, E.L. James, event went to Twitter saying, “There have been no casting decisions made about Fifty Shades.”

I’m not even sure how they can turn this into a film, with the subject material being so graphic. But like all rumors, we’ll just have to wait and see. As of now, there really hasn’t been much movement with this.

Podcast: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone – Episode 5

On Episode 5, we review The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, talk our latest poll and discuss the latest news.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Review

We discuss our latest poll

The latest news

– Veronica Mars movie
– New director for Jurassic Park 4
– New trailer for Kick-Ass 2
– New trailer for The Bling Ring
– New trailer for To the Wonder

What We’ve Seen This Week

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone – Episode 5

Video Review: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Matthew will be reviewing The Incredible Burt Wonderstone this week. We’ll have the full review later. But here is our short video review.

Box Office Report: Movies Opening March 15

Movies opening this weekend:

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
The Call
Ginger & Rosa
From Up on Poppy Hill
Upside Down
Reality
Spring Breakers
The Kitchen
Reincarnated
K-11
Mindless Behavior: All Around the World

Movie News: Safety Not Guaranteed director to go to Jurassic Park

130315112706-colin-trevorrow-sxsw-2012-story-topThe director of the next installment in the Jurassic Park series has been found.

Colin Trevorrow, who made his directorial debut with last year’s amazing indie Safety Not Guaranteed, will make the big step up to blockbuster by taking on Jurassic Park 4.

Trevorrow got the job because Universal Studios and Steven Spielberg “felt he was a good match for the material, having grown up a huge fan of the trilogy and part of a new generation of steeped in all things dinosaur,” according to Deadline.

I loved, LOVED Safety Not Guaranteed. It was easily one of my favorites films of 2012. I’m excited to see if Trevorrow can make the leap from indie to blockbuster in just one film. I think he can easily get the actors to convey emotion but whether he can establish terror and suspense is another matter. If he can pull it off, he’ll be on his way to a very successful career in Hollywood.

Jurassic Park 4 opens in theaters on June 13, 2014.

Movie News: A Veronica Mars film is on the way thanks to the fans

Fans of the short-lived TV series Veronica Mars are finally getting what they want and they’re the ones that made it happen.

Yesterday, creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell began a Kickstarter campaign for a budget to make a Veronica Mars film with a goal set at $2 million within 30 days. The fans made it happen within 10 hours. In over one full day, 43, 799 fans have raised over $2, 659, 085 for the film’s budget – and those numbers just continue to grow. Here’s a video explaining the whole thing:

A Veronica Mars film has been talked about since the show went off the air in 2007 after three seasons, but Warner Bros. was worried that the show’s fan base wasn’t big enough to support a film. Turns out, that isn’t the case.

I’ve seen the show and I love it. It’s easily one of my all-time favorite shows with one of my all-time favorite characters, the witty, sassy high school private investigator Veronica Mars, played by Bell. And after seeing the show, I think the style and the writing would work well in a film format, and Thomas’ idea of setting the film around Mars’ high school reunion, is a great way to bring all the characters together once again.

Count me super excited for this! It’s now my most anticipated film of 2014!

Movie Trailer: New Kick-Ass 2 trailer is incredible

Kick-Ass 2 has had us pretty excited for quite some time now and the first trailer is finally here. Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl as well as some new heroes are back and they take on a new villain that goes by the name of…well…you’ll have to watch and see. Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes is almost un-recognizable. This will be different than anything we’ve seen him in before. It’s a ton of fun so check it out! Fair warning, this specific trailer is for mature audiences.

Movie News: The Great Gatsby to open Cannes Film Festival

the-great-gatsby-2012Baz Luhrmann’s 3D interpretation of The Great Gatsby will open this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May. This is the second film by Luhrmann to be selected as the curtain-raiser at Cannes as Moulin Rouge! did so 12 years ago.

The Great Gatsby – which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire – will premiere to the US on May 10, five days before the festival begins. It will join Up as the only 3D films to open at Cannes.

Midnight in Paris and Moonrise Kingdom have opened the last two festivals. Both went on to receive Oscar nominations.

Podcast: Oz the Great and Powerful – Episode 4

In Episode 4, we review Oz the Great and Powerful, discuss the next possible Bond Diretors and finish off the show with some news and movies we’ve seen last week.

Oz the Great and Powerful Review

Possible directors to take over the next Bond film

The latest news

– New Iron Man 3 trailer
– New After Earth trailer
– Original Star Wars cast coming back
– Super Troopers to get a sequel

What We’ve Seen This Week

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Oz the Great and Powerful – Episode 4

Movie News: Sam Raimi not doing Oz sequel

Ok, well it’s not official, but in an interview with Bleeding Cool, it doesn’t sound like he will be involved with a sequel.

In the interview, Raimi was quoted saying, “I haven’t planned on directing the sequel. I did leave some loose ends for another director if they want to make the picture. I tried to make it a complete ending, so that the audience would be fulfilled, but I also let Evanora and Theodora get away.” He also went on to add, “I was attracted to this story but I don’t think the second one would have the thing I would need to get me interested.”

While Raimi may not be interested, it’ll be hard to think Disney won’t do a sequel with Oz bringing in $80 million at the box office this weekend. Over the course of it’s lifetime on the big screen, you can assume it’s going to do really well. It also appears Disney has a sequel script that is being worked on right now and has for some time, according to Variety. I imagine Disney will throw a good amount of cash at him though so only time will tell.

If you’re Disney execs though and Raimi doesn’t come back, who would you like to see take the directing role?

Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful


Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Mitchell Kapner & David Lindsay-Abaire, Based on the books by L. Frank Baum
Stars: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff

Synopsis: Magician Oscar Diggs, a.k.a. Oz, gets swept away from his magic act in Kansas to the land of Oz where he must fulfill a prophecy to bring unity back to the magical land of Oz.

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DIRECTION
Sam Raimi’s direction is one the weakest points of Oz the Great and Powerful. Sam Raimi is a talented director especially with fantasy material (Evil Dead II, Drag Me to Hell), although normally with more of a comedic horror bend then the family friendly feeling Raimi attempts to conjure here. Raimi is out of his element doing a family-oriented film. It’s not that he’s not capable of it; he is just not allowed to have as much fun as he has in other films. Oz has no coherence as a film. The first 30 minutes are brilliant, filmed in black & white and full frame. However, once the film enters widescreen and color, big-budget effects eclipse the story and characters, leaving viewers with the impression of a colorful yet unfinished work of art.

Grade: C

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SCRIPT
The story of Oz the Great and Powerful begins promisingly as the character of Oz is developed. He is painted as a selfish yet noble young man who aspires to do good things for others, but he, himself, keeps getting in the way of those plans. However, when the story transitions to the land of Oz, character development becomes non-existent and emphasis is more on visuals, action, and plot development. The plot meanders until it finally reaches an expected and unsatisfying climax. Other characters in the film, including Glinda, Theadora, Evanora, and Finley are flat and seem only to exist to further the plot, rather than making any lasting connects with filmviewers. Overall, the story needs tightening and characters need greater development.

Grade: B-

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PERFORMANCES
If writing and direction were weak points in Oz, the weakest area of the film is its performances. Performances squeaks by with a slightly higher grade because of the saving grace of James Franco’s intelligent portrayal of Oz. James Franco gives a humanistic performance as Oz in the early sequences of the film, but once the film goes to color, all of the life in Franco’s performance gets overshadowed by the overacting of others as well the overdone look of the film as a whole. Mila Kunis leads the charge of overacting which unfortunately marks Oz. Kunis’s portrayal of Theadora is passable although hardly believable since her evil shows through long before she turns into the wicked witch. The wicked witch is pure caricature,  walking a line between laughable and annoying, somehow missing the terrifying quality of the wicked witch in the original The Wizard of Oz. The supporting cast plays over the top too, never matching the semi-realistic tone Franco set early in the film. With greater performances  or perhaps different casting, Oz might have been a more watchable and engaging film.

Grade: B-

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SCORE
Danny Elfman’s score is one of the highlights of the film, but it isn’t even enough to fully save Oz. Elfman’s score is magical (as per usual), yet it feels commonplace. Nothing in the music stands out like many of Elfman’s score do. There’s nothing wrong with the score, but also nothing special about it, which for Oz sticking to normalcy might have helped it out in the end.

Grade: B+

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Overall Grade: B-

 

Movie News: Warner Bros. and Paramount team up for Interstellar

In what is a very rare occasion, Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures are teaming up for Chrisopher Nolan’s new film, Interstellar. The much anticipated film is set to be released in theaters and in IMAX on November 7, 2014.

The plan is set up for Paramount to distribute domestically while Warner Bros. will release the film internationally. Because these films never do business together on major films, there will be some very high expectations for this film. Interstellar is also the first film in awhile that Warner Bros’ financial partner, Legendary Pictures, will not be associated with a Nolan film.

There’s a lot of changes in the mix right now for Nolan and Warner Bros, so it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out. The film is written and will be directed by Nolan, while it’s based on a script by Jonathan Nolan. It’ll be produced by Nolan and Emma Thomas.

Movie News: Sam Mendes not directing Bond 24

sam-mendesAfter directing quite possibly the best James Bond movie to date with last year’s Skyfall, Sam Mendes will not be coming back for the next one.

In an interview with Empire, Mendes said: “It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael and Barbara’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie. Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond.”

But Mendes isn’t ruling out a possible return sometime in the future, saying: “I feel very honoured to have been part of the Bond family and very much hope I have a chance to work with them again sometime in the future.”

After the success of Skyfall (it has grossed over $1.1 billion at the box office) and the way the story has been set up for the characters, I don’t think finding another high-caliber director to do the 24th movie in the series will be that difficult. My pick? Christopher Nolan, Matthew Vaughn or Michael Mann.

Bond 24 is targeted for a fall 2014 release.

 

Video Review: Oz the Great and Powerful

We’ll have a full review up on the site later. Until then, enjoy our video review of Oz the Great and Powerful.

Movie News: George Lucas says some original cast coming back for new Star Wars

originalIt’s not official yet, but it will be soon: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford will return for the next set of Star Wars movies.

George Lucas had this to say in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek: “We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison – or we were pretty much in the final stages of negotiation. … Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them.”

Ford returning isn’t new news (you can read the story here!), but Fisher and Hamill returning are. Getting some more Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo can’t be a bad thing, right?

Movie News: First glimpse of M83’s score for Oblivion

If you’ve listened to our podcast’s, you know that we are excited for Oblivion. And you’ll know that one reason we’re excited is because it’s being scored by M83. The music in the trailer sounds great and now we get our first real glimpse at the score as they’ve released a new single from the score called “StarWaves”. It’s pretty good and only makes us more excited for this. Check it out.

Movie News: Super Troopers sequel is coming

It’s been announced that Broken Lizard, the creators of Super Troopers and Beerfest, are creating a sequel to the cult hit, Super Troopers. It’s yet to be 100% final, but according to Kevin Hefferman, who played Farva in the first film, there will be a Super Troopers sequel and that Fox has the script. He also mentioned that they are in negotiations for the time and place to shoot later this year.

Broken Lizard, in case you don’t know, is the production company consisting of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske. Some of their well known projects include the original Super Troopers, Beerfest, and Club Dread.

I’m not sure how this will work since most of the original film’s fans are now older and may not respond the same to a sequel. What do you guys think?

Movie News: New Iron Man 3 International trailer is crazy good

If you haven’t seen the new international trailer for Iron Man 3, then you better buckle up. This trailer takes you on a crazy ride that is a ton of fun. It gives away some of the story, but it looks incredible and only makes me want to see it more! Check this out!

Movie News: Halle Berry is returning for X-Men: Days of Future Past

Halle Berry isn’t done being an X-Men just yet.

Berry has confirmed that she will returning to the X-Men Universe to reprise her role as Storm in next year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Watch the video below:

Berry, who appeared in the original trilogy, isn’t the first original cast member to be confirmed for director Bryan Singer’s third go-round with the X-Men. Also returning for X-Men: Days of Future Past are Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Anna Paquin (Rogue), Ellen Page (Shadowcat) and Shawn Ashmore (Iceman).

Movie News: Justice League movie finally starting to come together?

It appears as if the Justice League movie is finally starting to take shape.

According to El Mayimbe over at Latino Review, Warner Bros. is handing over the DC Universe reins to Christopher Nolan (who will produce), Zack Snyder (who will produce and most likely direct) and David Goyer (who will work with Nolan on the story). Christian Bale would then reprise his role as Batman alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman, who will appear in June’s Man of Steel. Check out El Mayimbe’s video blog below:

Justice League Scoop! from Mayimbe Media on Vimeo.

Of course this is all hearsay right now, but if these rumors are true, I think Justice League will be able to compete with Marvel’s The Avengers. Nolan and Bale have already proven they can do Batman and it appears that Snyder and Cavill are going to knock Superman out of the park, according to some early screenings reaction. The time to get excited starts now!