Mark Vader Posted June 5, 2013 Posted June 5, 2013 The Summer Season of movies is off to a hot start. The month of May's sequels have box office records shattering. As the month of June starts, it will attempt to continue the hot streak, as all schools in the country will be out for the summer, and every category of film will be available. Action has been a big seller this summer and June will have plenty more of it. In 2005, Warner Bros. rebooted their biggest comic book franchise with "Batman Begins". The result was an enormous success, both at the box office and with critics. Now Warner Bros. reboots it's first comic book series, with the most iconic superhero ever, hoping for the same results. Henry Cavill stars in the Zack Snyder directed "Man of Steel". A young journalist is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race. Back in 2006 Warner Bros. attempted to bring back Superman with "Superman Returns", the result was lukewarm. So this will be a complete start over for this franchise that has had no real success since "Superman II". Warner Bros. hope is to have this movie be the start of something even bigger, something that rival comic book maker Marvel has already attempted. If the movie is as good as the trailers indicate, they could get their wish. Also starring Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne & Russell Crowe. Paramount releases it's long delayed Brad Pitt vs. zombies apocalyptic thriller, "World War Z". United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself. Originally slated for December 2012, fans have had to wait an extra six months for this anticipated movie, based on a graphic novel. We'll see if the change of date was a smart move. Also starring Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox & David Morse. Disney/Pixar is back with their animated prequel "Monsters University". A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University -- when they weren't necessarily the best of friends. While many fans would like to see more original entertainment come from these studios, these franchise films are very popular and for the most part deliver the goods. Starring the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Nathan Fillion, Steve Buscemi, John Krasinski, Helen Mirren, Charlie Day, Bonnie Hunt, Alfred Molina, Sean Hayes & Frank Oz. Comedy will also be big this month. In the doomsday comedy "This is the End", While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. Yes the actors in this movie are playing themselves. Starring Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Paul Rudd, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Rihanna, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Channing Tatum, Mindy Kaling, Michael Cera & David Krumholtz. Sandra Bullock & Melissa McCarthy star in the buddy comedy, "The Heat". Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn is paired with testy Boston cop Shannon Mullins in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The hitch: neither woman has ever had a partner -- or a friend for that matter. Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson team up for the first time since "Wedding Crashers" and give us, "The Internship". Two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment. Also starring Rose Byrne & John Goodman. Finally, Channing Tatum & Jamie Foxx star in "White House Down". While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders. Also starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins & James Woods. Calendar with Trailers: 6/7 "The Internship": http://www.theinternshipmovie.com/ 6/12 "This is the End": http://www.thisistheend.com/site/ 6/14 "Man of Steel": http://manofsteel.warnerbros.com/index.html?home 6/21 "World War Z": http://www.worldwarzmovie.com/ "Monsters University": http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/ 6/28 "The Heat": http://www.theheatmovie.com/ "White House Down": http://www.whitehousedown.com/site/ That's all for now. I'll have the Independent Films up later. Until then.....Enjoy!
DC Tom Posted June 5, 2013 Posted June 5, 2013 The Summer Season of movies is off to a hot start. The month of May's sequels have box office records shattering. As the month of June starts, it will attempt to continue the hot streak, as all schools in the country will be out for the summer, and every category of film will be available. Action has been a big seller this summer and June will have plenty more of it. In 2005, Warner Bros. rebooted their biggest comic book franchise with "Batman Begins". The result was an enormous success, both at the box office and with critics. Now Warner Bros. reboots it's first comic book series, with the most iconic superhero ever, hoping for the same results. Henry Cavill stars in the Zack Snyder directed "Man of Steel". A young journalist is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race. Back in 2006 Warner Bros. attempted to bring back Superman with "Superman Returns", the result was lukewarm. So this will be a complete start over for this franchise that has had no real success since "Superman II". Warner Bros. hope is to have this movie be the start of something even bigger, something that rival comic book maker Marvel has already attempted. If the movie is as good as the trailers indicate, they could get their wish. Also starring Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne & Russell Crowe. Paramount releases it's long delayed Brad Pitt vs. zombies apocalyptic thriller, "World War Z". United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself. Originally slated for December 2012, fans have had to wait an extra six months for this anticipated movie, based on a graphic novel. We'll see if the change of date was a smart move. Also starring Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox & David Morse. Disney/Pixar is back with their animated prequel "Monsters University". A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University -- when they weren't necessarily the best of friends. While many fans would like to see more original entertainment come from these studios, these franchise films are very popular and for the most part deliver the goods. Starring the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Nathan Fillion, Steve Buscemi, John Krasinski, Helen Mirren, Charlie Day, Bonnie Hunt, Alfred Molina, Sean Hayes & Frank Oz. Comedy will also be big this month. And Vince Vaughan, Owen Wilson, and Ralph Goodman is a trio that could be very funny...right up to the point that you add the words "at Google". In the doomsday comedy "This is the End", While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. Yes the actors in this movie are playing themselves. Starring Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Paul Rudd, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Rihanna, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Channing Tatum, Mindy Kaling, Michael Cera & David Krumholtz. Sandra Bullock & Melissa McCarthy star in the buddy comedy, "The Heat". Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn is paired with testy Boston cop Shannon Mullins in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The hitch: neither woman has ever had a partner -- or a friend for that matter. Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson team up for the first time since "Wedding Crashers" and give us, "The Internship". Two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment. Also starring Rose Byrne & John Goodman. Finally, Channing Tatum & Jamie Foxx star in "White House Down". While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders. Also starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins & James Woods. Calendar with Trailers: 6/7 "The Internship": http://www.theinternshipmovie.com/ 6/12 "This is the End": http://www.thisistheend.com/site/ 6/14 "Man of Steel": http://manofsteel.wa...index.html?home 6/21 "World War Z": http://www.worldwarzmovie.com/ "Monsters University": http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/ 6/28 "The Heat": http://www.theheatmovie.com/ "White House Down": http://www.whitehousedown.com/site/ That's all for now. I'll have the Independent Films up later. Until then.....Enjoy! Correction: World War Z wasn't based on a graphic novel. Just a regular ol' novel. And it's gonna suck. If only because it's got fast zombies. I'm not against fast zombies in principle...but putting them in this movie misses the whole point.
Mark Vader Posted June 5, 2013 Author Posted June 5, 2013 Correction: World War Z wasn't based on a graphic novel. Just a regular ol' novel. And it's gonna suck. If only because it's got fast zombies. I'm not against fast zombies in principle...but putting them in this movie misses the whole point. Thanks for the clarification. Since I have not read the story, how exactly does fast zombies miss the point?
DC Tom Posted June 5, 2013 Posted June 5, 2013 Thanks for the clarification. Since I have not read the story, how exactly does fast zombies miss the point? Because Max Brooks is a traditionalist in his zombie story-telling, which means the zombies are less a direct, immediate threat than they are an oppressive feature of the setting. The stories Brooks tells aren't about people running from zombies, they're about people caught up in a drastically altered environment of which zombies are merely part of the landscape. You make them fast, now they go from "part of the landscape" to "savages" or "predators". "Fighting savages" is a very different story than "fighting a force of nature". And while I'm not a purist about it - (the "Day of the Dead" remake was manifestly a "fast zombie" movie, but note the tensest scenes are the slowest. "28 Days Later" was basically a "fast zombie" movie, but as I recall the rage virus victims are mostly in the background anyway - part of the setting, essentially), making World War Z with a mass of "fast zombies" chasing people is the type of horror story the book simply is not. But in Pitt's defense...making the book directly into a movie would have been all but impossible, as I've said before. Still, there was no reason to go for "fast" and the tension of action and shock value, instead of "slow" and tension based on greater level of drama. It's going to be a movie of vicarious thrills, rather than character-driven story - which is what the book was. But I could be wrong, and if I am I'll come back and admit...nah, who'm I kidding? If I'm wrong, I'm still right, and the movie's wrong for disagreeing with my awesome analysis.
shrader Posted June 5, 2013 Posted June 5, 2013 Originally I wasn't expecting much from Man of Steel, but they've done a good job building up to it. Hopefully this one works out well.
Fezmid Posted June 5, 2013 Posted June 5, 2013 Because Max Brooks is a traditionalist in his zombie story-telling, which means the zombies are less a direct, immediate threat than they are an oppressive feature of the setting. The stories Brooks tells aren't about people running from zombies, they're about people caught up in a drastically altered environment of which zombies are merely part of the landscape. You make them fast, now they go from "part of the landscape" to "savages" or "predators". "Fighting savages" is a very different story than "fighting a force of nature". And while I'm not a purist about it - (the "Day of the Dead" remake was manifestly a "fast zombie" movie, but note the tensest scenes are the slowest. "28 Days Later" was basically a "fast zombie" movie, but as I recall the rage virus victims are mostly in the background anyway - part of the setting, essentially), making World War Z with a mass of "fast zombies" chasing people is the type of horror story the book simply is not. But in Pitt's defense...making the book directly into a movie would have been all but impossible, as I've said before. Still, there was no reason to go for "fast" and the tension of action and shock value, instead of "slow" and tension based on greater level of drama. It's going to be a movie of vicarious thrills, rather than character-driven story - which is what the book was. But I could be wrong, and if I am I'll come back and admit...nah, who'm I kidding? If I'm wrong, I'm still right, and the movie's wrong for disagreeing with my awesome analysis. I just finished the reading the book recently, and I agree with you 100%. I think the only thing this movie is going to have in common with the book is the name. The book was written as an oral history -- the author traveling the world to talk to people who were involved in the war and get their thoughts on it. This movie is a typical "save the world" movie... My only hope is that it'll be entertaining if I just don't compare it to the book while watching (which looks like it'll be pretty easy).
shrader Posted June 5, 2013 Posted June 5, 2013 I wonder how many people would even bother with that movie if it didn't have Brad Pitt. I see those trailers and it just looks stupid. It already sounds like the name association from those who read the book won't draw too many people in judging from Tom and Fez's comments.
Mark Vader Posted June 5, 2013 Author Posted June 5, 2013 Originally I wasn't expecting much from Man of Steel, but they've done a good job building up to it. Hopefully this one works out well. I was skeptical of "Man of Steel" when I had first read about it. Then I saw the teaser with "The Dark Knight Rises" and became interested. Then when the first trailer came out last December, I started to think that this could be something special. I am really looking forward to it.
ajzepp Posted June 6, 2013 Posted June 6, 2013 Man of Steel will be worth seeing if for no other reason than Michael Shannon. I've really become a fan of his as of late and he's entered into that very small list of actors whose films I will see simply because they are in them. He's going to be a brilliant General Zod.
Mark Vader Posted June 6, 2013 Author Posted June 6, 2013 Man of Steel will be worth seeing if for no other reason than Michael Shannon. I've really become a fan of his as of late and he's entered into that very small list of actors whose films I will see simply because they are in them. He's going to be a brilliant General Zod. This could be the movie that makes Michael Shannon a household name.
ajzepp Posted June 6, 2013 Posted June 6, 2013 This could be the movie that makes Michael Shannon a household name. I agree...I can't wait to see what he does with the character. I may need to take a trip to theater for this one
Mark Vader Posted June 8, 2013 Author Posted June 8, 2013 I agree...I can't wait to see what he does with the character. I may need to take a trip to theater for this one You should also take a trip to the theater to see "The Iceman". That is if it's playing in your area.
ajzepp Posted June 8, 2013 Posted June 8, 2013 You should also take a trip to the theater to see "The Iceman". That is if it's playing in your area. I want to see that for sure A few months ago I was up late and came across this movie on HBO called "Bug"...it had M.Shannon and Ashley Judd so I checked it out. Not a great movie by any means, but the performance he gave was just unreal. It's worth watching just for that. He tends to have a real knack for "psychologically edgy" characters. Take Shelter was another great performance. Cant wait to see Iceman.
eball Posted June 8, 2013 Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) This could be the movie that makes Michael Shannon a household name. He's ridiculously good (and creepy as hell) in Boardwalk Empire. Edited June 8, 2013 by eball
Mark Vader Posted June 13, 2013 Author Posted June 13, 2013 Saw "This is the End" last night. Very funny movie. I know there are some here that do not care for Seth Rogen or Jonah Hill, but I think most people will appreciate this doomsday comedy. It helps that the actors are playing themselves. I was surprised at how much special effects were used. Check it out and have a good laugh.
Mark Vader Posted June 15, 2013 Author Posted June 15, 2013 Just watched "Man of Steel", and this movie delivers the goods. Superman has been given a great reboot. The writing, acting and pace is great. Henry Cavill does a fine job, and Amy Adams & Michael Shannon are good as well. This movie goes more heavy on the sci-fi angle than you would expect, as there are plenty of spectacular special effects. If Warner Bros. & DC want a Justice League movie to come to fruition, they appear to have made a good first step.
ChevyVanMiller Posted June 15, 2013 Posted June 15, 2013 Went to see "Before Midnight" last night - the 3rd movie of the Richard Linklater trilogy. Great movie, amazing dialogue. If you're 40ish, it speaks to the issues that face you. Oh and Julie Delpy has a 10 minute topless scene.
ajzepp Posted June 15, 2013 Posted June 15, 2013 Went to see "Before Midnight" last night - the 3rd movie of the Richard Linklater trilogy. Great movie, amazing dialogue. If you're 40ish, it speaks to the issues that face you. Oh and Julie Delpy has a 10 minute topless scene. I'm looking forward to this one for sure. I thought the first two were excellent. I love when actors can pull off a dialogue driven film that keeps you engaged throughout. As for Superman, the first few reviews I read were really positive. But somehow the film has dropped to a 57% (i.e. "rotten") rating on rotten tomatoes...seems that some consider it the best superhero film ever, while others have been pretty hard on it. Interesting!
major Posted June 15, 2013 Posted June 15, 2013 Man of steel sucked. Reminded me of a cross between dark knight, transformers, and a video game. Star Trek was the best I've seen this summer. Hoping world war z is good
Mark Vader Posted June 15, 2013 Author Posted June 15, 2013 I'm looking forward to this one for sure. I thought the first two were excellent. I love when actors can pull off a dialogue driven film that keeps you engaged throughout. As for Superman, the first few reviews I read were really positive. But somehow the film has dropped to a 57% (i.e. "rotten") rating on rotten tomatoes...seems that some consider it the best superhero film ever, while others have been pretty hard on it. Interesting! Wow, I just checked the rating and I am stunned that it's that low. What were people expecting, the meaning of life? Seems like moviegoers are loving it more than critics. The IMDB comments are highly positive. We'll just have to wait for the Cinemascore grade. I really enjoyed "Man of Steel", and I look forward to more from this franchise.
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