May Movies: X-Men, Godzilla, Spider-Man, & Maleficent.....

[Mark Vader]

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has just been an appetizer for what was to come. The month of May is here and so is the start of the Summer Movie Season. As usual this summer is front loaded with big Tentpole titles. Franchise film series will be dominant this summer, and as indicated by the recent Captain America sequel, movie fans are not showing any signs of being exhausted with comic book movies. Even though there are no more comic book movies involving the "Avengers" characters for the remainder of the year, Marvel has two more of it's other superhero franchises ready to continue this month. Meanwhile Warner Bros. brings back one of the most iconic movie monsters back to the big screen, and Disney is ready to serve up a story involving what is probably their most famous villain ever.

Get ready for big effects, big explosions, big name actors and directors, and lots of popcorn, soda pop & candy. The 2014 Summer Movie Season is here.

 

20th Century Fox & Marvel bring us "X-Men: Days of Future Past". The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants. In an effort to keep the X-Men franchise alive and exciting, Fox & Marvel have combined the casts of both the previous and new X-Men films series, which will help pave the way for "X-Men: Apocalypse", due in 2016. Starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, & Shawn Ashmore. Directed by Bryan Singer.

 

Celebrating his 60th anniversary, Warner Bros. releases "Godzilla". The world's most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. Ever since the disastrous misfire by TriStar & Roland Emmerich in 1998, many fans(yours truly included) are hoping that this is the film that will finally bring some respect to the King of the Monsters. An impressive cast, an up-and-coming director, and trailers that have put the emphasis of this story being more of a disaster movie instead of a giant monster movie, have made this one of the more intriguing movies of the summer. Starring Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins & David Strathairn. Directed by Gareth Edwards.

 

Andrew Garfield returns as the webslinger in Sony & Marvel's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2". Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains against him, impacting on his life. The number of supervillians is what many people deemed to be what killed the previous Spider-Man series, yet Sony & Marvel are not afraid to explore that territory again, with Electro & Rhino and possibly Green Goblin all making appearances. Is this all a set up for the Sinister Six? Two more Spider-Man sequels are already signed up and have locked in dates, signaling that Sony & Marvel's confidence in this franchise is sky high. Also starring Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti, Dane DeHaan, Sally Field, Felicity Jones, Colm Feore, & Chris Cooper.

 

Disney gives their most famous villainess her own story and the live action treatment. Angelina Jolie is "Maleficent". A vindictive fairy is driven to curse an infant princess only to realize the child may be the only one who can restore peace. Casting Jolie in this role was sheer brilliance, as we get a somewhat different take of the "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale. Also starring Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple & Brenton Thwaites.

 

Seth MacFarlane directs and stars in "A Million Ways to Die in the West". As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his new-found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival. The ensemble cast includes: Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman & Christopher Lloyd.

 

Jon Favreau directs and stars in "Chef". A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family. The ensemble cast includes: Robert Downey Jr., Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Canavale & Dustin Hoffman.

 

Seth Rogen & Zac Efron are "Neighbors". A couple with a newborn baby face unexpected difficulties after they are forced to live next to a fraternity house. Also starring Rose Byrne & Lisa Kudrow.

 

Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore star in "Blended". After a bad blind date, a man and woman find themselves stuck together at a resort for families, where their attraction grows as their respective kids benefit from the burgeoning relationship. Also starring Wendi McLendon-Covey & Kevin Nealon.

 

Elizabeth Banks stars in "Walk of Shame". A reporter's dream of becoming a news anchor is compromised after a one-night stand leaves her stranded in downtown L.A. without a phone, car, ID or money - and only 8 hours to make it to the most important job interview of her life. Also starring James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs & Sarah Wright.

 

Jon Hamm stars in "Million Dollar Arm". A sports agent stages an unconventional recruitment strategy to get talented Asian cricket players to play Major League Baseball. Also starring Aasif Mandvi, Suraj Sharma, Bill Paxton, Lake Bell & Alan Arkin.

 

In "Moms' Night Out", All Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and fun - a long-needed moms' night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation, and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for a few hours ... what could go wrong? Starring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton & Trace Adkins.

 

Finally in the animated "Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return", Dorothy wakes up in post-tornado Kansas, only to be whisked back to Oz to try to save her old friends the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man and Glinda from a devious new villain, the Jester. Wiser the owl, Marshal Mallow, China Princess and Tugg the tugboat join Dorothy on her latest magical journey through the colorful landscape of Oz to restore order and happiness to Emerald City. Starring the voices of Lea Michele, Kelsey Grammer, Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, Martin Short, Oliver Platt & Bernadette Peters.

 

Calendar with Trailers.

 

5/2

"The Amazing Spider-Man 2": http://www.theamazin...erman.com/site/

 

"Walk of Shame": http://www.focusfeat...m/walk_of_shame

 

5/9

"Neighbors": http://www.neighbors-movie.com/

 

"Chef": http://www.openroadfilms.com/#chef

 

"Moms' Night Out": http://www.momsnightoutmovie.com/

 

"Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return": http://www.imdb.com/...k/vi1691724313/

 

5/16

"Godzilla": http://www.godzillamovie.com/

 

"Million Dollar Arm": http://movies.disney...lion-dollar-arm

 

5/23

"X-Men: Days of Future Past": http://www.x-menmovies.com/

 

"Blended": http://blendedmovie.com/

 

5/30

"Maleficent": http://movies.disney.com/maleficent

 

"A Million Ways to Die in the West": http://www.amillionways.com/

 

That's all for now. I'll post the Independent Films later. Until then.....Enjoy!

Edited May 1, 2014 by Mark Vader

[swnybillsfan]

incredibly pumped for x-men. first class was great and i expect that days of future past will also be top notch.

spider man could be good, and godzilla scares the crap out of me...it could be really, really bad. on the other hand, i like movies that are so bad they are good.

[LB3]

Great job Vader! I love these threads. The only change I'd make is I'd add Dane Dehaan to the cast list for The Amazing Spiderman 2. He is going to steal the show. Check out Chronicle if you haven't seen it. His performance in it was a tour de force. This kid is going to be a good one.

[Mark Vader]

incredibly pumped for x-men. first class was great and i expect that days of future past will also be top notch.

spider man could be good, and godzilla scares the crap out of me...it could be really, really bad. on the other hand, i like movies that are so bad they are good.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" looks like it could be very special.

 

I'm not as thrilled about seeing "Amazing Spider-Man 2". I'm just worried about the potential villain overkill. We'll see.

 

I think "Godzilla" will be awesome. I really like that they chose Gareth Edwards to helm this movie, also the fact that they got talented actors to be in this film. As I stated before, it feels like this is more of a disaster movie, instead of a monster movie. Much like the original Japanese version was. I think that's the best thing they could do for this movie.

[shrader]

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" looks like it could be very special.

 

I'm torn. I can't help but think the story seems a bit too ambitious. That's a whole lot of cast to jam into one movie.

[Dante]

I just can't wait for Sandler and Barrymore together!!! Blended is going to be fun! Just kidding btw. Nice list as always Mark. I still think you should get your own movie site going. Like a Schmoes Know kinda thing maybe.Anyway, I'm interested in the Chef movie and for some reason the Godzilla one. I'll wait for reviews on that one but the previews look promising

Edited May 1, 2014 by Dante

[Dorkington]

Small correction...

 

Guardians of the Galaxy, releasing on August 1st, is part of Marvel's Cinematic Universe; sharing canon with the Avengers and Agents of SHIELD. While unlikely to have much crossover in this movie, plot lines in it are likely to lead to Avengers 3, when the storyline of Thanos and the Infinity Gems comes to a head.

 

So I guess it depends on definition of "Avengers characters" since Avengers villains or related heroes might show up in the movie.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Dorkington

[Mark Vader]

Great job Vader! I love these threads. The only change I'd make is I'd add Dane Dehaan to the cast list for The Amazing Spiderman 2. He is going to steal the show. Check out Chronicle if you haven't seen it. His performance in it was a tour de force. This kid is going to be a good one.

Thank you, and I added Dane DeHaan. I accidentally overlooked him. Good catch.

[Mark Vader]

I'm torn. I can't help but think the story seems a bit too ambitious. That's a whole lot of cast to jam into one movie.

I understand what you mean, but with what Bryan Singer did with "X-Men:First Class", I have confidence in what he brings to this franchise.

 

I also think that the "new" cast will be getting the majority of screen time.

[shrader]

I understand what you mean, but with what Bryan Singer did with "X-Men:First Class", I have confidence in what he brings to this franchise.

 

I also think that the "new" cast will be getting the majority of screen time.

 

Yeah, I'm sure they'll get most based on the trailers I'm sure they will focus mostly on the new cast. But then again, they've got a good number of new characters in the future that they have to devote some amount of time to them. That and if they're going to use someone of the caliber of Stewart and McKellan, those two damn well better get a lot of screen time.

[dpberr]

You'd think X-Men would be an incredible film but it dangerously looks like the Ocean's 30 of Superheroes. Way too many characters.

 

Although we've already figured out how to beat Godzilla with gigantic robots, this movie looks well done. We haven't had a good disaster movie in a very, very long time.

[Chef Jim]

I sent an email of the Chef trailer to my wife saying we might just go see it. First movie we've gone to in probably 8 years. I like the premise seeing I had an idea to do a gourmet food truck over 20 years ago before anyone even thought about it. And for the same reasons he did. It would have been the least expensive way to cook my food the way I wanted it done.

[Mark Vader]

Small correction...

 

Guardians of the Galaxy, releasing on August 1st, is part of Marvel's Cinematic Universe; sharing canon with the Avengers and Agents of SHIELD. While unlikely to have much crossover in this movie, plot lines in it are likely to lead to Avengers 3, when the storyline of Thanos and the Infinity Gems comes to a head.

 

So I guess it depends on definition of "Avengers characters" since Avengers villains or related heroes might show up in the movie.

Technically you are correct.

 

I did not bring up "Guardians of the Galaxy" since it is the first movie of it's kind and I doubt they will have any real ties to the Avengers series. At least not yet. I'm sure that there will be a bumper at the end of the credits that might expand on that idea, although as you said, it'll probably involve the 3rd Avengers movie and not "Age of Ultron".

 

I am completely clueless when it comes to comic book story lines in general, because I'm not a comic book reader. I know the characters names, but I'm not well versed in the mythology.

 

I do understand the connection with Thanos and "Guardians" and how that can lead to the bigger picture with "Avengers". Then we have to wait and see how "Ant-Man" ties into the Avengers storyline too.

 

There is also a fun rumor going around that 2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse" will somehow tie in the X-Men to the Avengers. I doubt that will happen, but it's a good rumor.

[Mark Vader]

I just can't wait for Sandler and Barrymore together!!! Blended is going to be fun! Just kidding btw. Nice list as always Mark. I still think you should get your own movie site going. Like a Schmoes Know kinda thing maybe.Anyway, I'm interested in the Chef movie and for some reason the Godzilla one. I'll wait for reviews on that one but the previews look promising

Thanks Dante. "Chef" looks good. I guess since Jon Favreau isn't making anymore Iron Man movies, he might as well get two of it's stars from the series.

 

I've been waiting for "Godzilla" ever since Warner Bros. got the rights. Which I think was about 3-4 years ago. Then when the first concept art came out, I was going out of my mind.

 

My only regret, is that I will not be able to see "Godzilla" or any of these other movies at Century 21 or Century 22.

[Mark Vader]

Saw "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" today. The story feels all too familiar and a bit unspectacular. Especially after what Marvel fans witnessed with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", but that would be an unfair comparison.

 

The effects are spectacular. Watching Spidey fight Electro is a lot of fun. Not a lot to brag about from an acting stand point, Andrew Garfield has the part of Spider-Man down nicely. However the standout performance here goes to Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, shout out to KikoSeeBallKikoGetBall, you made a good call on him. Chris Cooper has one brief but very chilling scene as Norman Osborn, when he's speaking to Harry about the future of Oscorp.

 

Overall, I did like the movie, but didn't love it. There just isn't much of anything that feels new. The foreshadowing of the Sinister Six is all good, but the romance story between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy just feels overdone.

 

Also, you can leave during the credits. There are no fun bumpers at the end.

[swnybillsfan]

Saw "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" today. The story feels all too familiar and a bit unspectacular. Especially after what Marvel fans witnessed with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", but that would be an unfair comparison.

 

The effects are spectacular. Watching Spidey fight Electro is a lot of fun. Not a lot to brag about from an acting stand point, Andrew Garfield has the part of Spider-Man down nicely. However the standout performance here goes to Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, shout out to KikoSeeBallKikoGetBall, you made a good call on him. Chris Cooper has one brief but very chilling scene as Norman Osborn, when he's speaking to Harry about the future of Oscorp.

 

Overall, I did like the movie, but didn't love it. There just isn't much of anything that feels new. The foreshadowing of the Sinister Six is all good, but the romance story between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy just feels overdone.

 

Also, you can leave during the credits. There are no fun bumpers at the end.

when i saw the first (reboot) spider man movie, i enjoyed it but i kept on thinking to myself "this movie did not have to be made". it just ddn;t vary enough from the tobey mcguire spider man for me, it had much the same feel to it and it seemed too soon. i would have liked it more had i not seen (and enjoyed) the earlier incarnations of spidey. anyway, i will have to watch the new movie, but i do have my reservations, and can't help but feel that this new series just doesn't need to be made.

[Mark Vader]

I sent an email of the Chef trailer to my wife saying we might just go see it. First movie we've gone to in probably 8 years. I like the premise seeing I had an idea to do a gourmet food truck over 20 years ago before anyone even thought about it. And for the same reasons he did. It would have been the least expensive way to cook my food the way I wanted it done.

Well, well, well. Maybe there is hope for you yet, in the idea that there are still movies worth seeing in the theater.

[truth on hold]

Godzilla is worth seeing. Darker and much better than I expected. Won't leave any lasting impressions like true sci-fi classics (Alien, Terminator or more recently Prometheus), but then again it's not trying. There's just enough scientific explanations thrown in to keep the story moving, and setup several delicious scenes of monster-on-monster action, and man's attempt to stop them.

[Mark Vader]

"Godzilla" was awesome! I could not have asked for anything better. Director Gareth Edwards delivers the goods in a big way.

As I anticipated, this is more of a disaster film than a monster movie.

What a great way to celebrate the King of the Monsters 60th anniversary.

Add in the highly positive buzz from critics, and maybe, just maybe, people will start to take Godzilla a little more seriously.

 

So the question is, what's next? Is this a new franchise for Warner Bros.? If it is, what will they do with it? Ghidrah? Gigan? MechaGodzilla? Rodan? Mothra?

Or does Toho Studios take the rights back and start their own new series? We shall see.

[Garion]

 

 

Godzilla is worth seeing. Darker and much better than I expected. Won't leave any lasting impressions like true sci-fi classics (Alien, Terminator or more recently Prometheus), but then again it's not trying. There's just enough scientific explanations thrown in to keep the story moving, and setup several delicious scenes of monster-on-monster action, and man's attempt to stop them.

 

Saw it last night with the wife and really enjoyed it. Agree with both of your takes.

Edited May 18, 2014 by gjnoronh