FIRST THOR PIC

We have our first official look at Thor. I have to say that I am pretty impressed with the look. I was hoping they didn't take a literal costume design from the comics. I am very hopeful this film will be something to get excited about. What do you think?

HEALINES

It has been a while since any good movie news worth reporting, but finally there have been some interesting stuff come up.



ANOTHER VAMPIRE MOVIE ON THE WAY
Platinum Studios is adapting the comic book series, "Blood Nation", to the big screen. The film tells the story of a country overrun by vampires and walled off from the rest of the world. Decades later, rumors that these creatures have found a way to escape their isolation force a small group of humans to pierce into the heart of the nation on a desperate mission to save humanity. But what they find there may not be the wasteland they expect.

It sounds like Daybreakers mixed with Doomsday. I am really burned out on the vampire vs. human stories. They are beating this genre to death. Does it have potential, I suppose so, but I don't have faith that they will develop a good script and gather a respectable cast together.





TWO SEQUELS GET GREENLIGHT
Warner Bros. have greenlit both a Journey to the Center of the Earth and a Clash of the Titans sequel. Journey to the center of the Earth is targeting a fall 2011 release while the Clash of the Titans sequel is targeting a spring 2012 release. Sam Worthington is expected to reprise his role and shoot the film before he begins Avatar 2.

I could care less about the Journey to the Center of the Earth sequel, but they better get the Clash sequel right this time. Them deciding convert last to 3D last second ruined the film. I read where originally Zeus was supposed to be the bad guy and all the gods, such as Poseidon who only had one scene, were originally in the film much more. That film had some real potential, and they took a massive dump on it instead. Thankfully Louis Lettier is not returning to direct.




PAUL REUBENS JOINS THE SMURFS
Is this big news, no. But I love Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman, so I thought I would share some Reuben news. Paul Reuben will be voicing Jokey Smurf for the upcoming Smurfs film. He joins Neil Patrick Harris, Sofia Vergara, Hank Azaria, Anton Yelchin, Katy Perry, Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and George Lopez.

Why does George Lopez have a voice role in every animated film? I didn't know there was a mexican smurf. As much as this movie sounds horrible, I do like a lot of the cast members.



HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON GETS A SEQUEL
The surprise hit How to Train Your Dragon will be getting a sequel in 2013. So far the first film has grossed $180 million dollars so far and regained the number one spot in it's fifth week in theatres.

I really need to see this movie.



YOU KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN......THE RING 3D
Unfortunately, another sequel to The Ring is happening and of course in 3D. The new film is being fashioned as more teen-centric than the first, and though the story is being kept under wraps, the aim is to reinvent the franchise.

I loved the first film. It was original, it was scary and they did without spending a ton of money and throwing 3D at you. Then they made the sequel, which was absolutely terrible. I'm not a big fan of them doing a third one, simply because I am so partial to the original but I wish it the best.



WARNER BROS. GREENLIGHTING ANOTHER DC COMIC
With Green Lantern currently filming, Warner Bros. has decided to give the greenlight to another comic franchise. You would think it would be The Flash, Wonder Woman or maybe Aquaman, but instead they are going with a less known character, Starman.

This is why Warner Bros. fails everytime they try and tackle any of the superheroes besides Batman. They need to do what Marvel did and map out a five year plan. Let's start with Green Lantern and develop Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and get the new Superman going and lets build up to a Justice League movie. Starman may turn out to be a good movie, I'm always open to a comic book movie, but this isn't what people want to see. Your telling me they can develop something for Starman but not Wonder Woman, Aquaman or The Flash? Give me a break.

2010 SUMMER PREVIEW

With Iron Man 2 only fourteen days away, I thought I would shed some light on what to expect this summer. And I have to say there isn't much to get excited about this summer. It looks like it may be one of the most disappointing summers I have ever seen. I am really hard on summer movies. That is when people go to the movies the most, and for what a ticket costs these days and how much money goes into making these summer blockbusters, they need to be worth going and seeing. So lets see what we have coming up.



IRON MAN 2 (MAY 7)
This is obviously what I am looking forward to the most. I was blown away by how much I enjoyed the first one, and this one looks like it might even be better with the addition of Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Furry, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and one of the most underrated actors, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. Anticipation 10/10.



ROBIN HOOD (MAY 14)
Most of the time when Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe team up, the outcome is normally pretty good. I'm sure the same will be for this film, but at the same time, I really haven't been blown away by the trailers so far. And I really don't like Cate Blanchette as Maid Marian. I'm very partial to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. This story has been told so many times, I hope it goes away for a long time after this. Anticipation 6/10.

TAKERS (MAY 14)
Takers revolves around a notorious group of criminals who pull of heists without any trace of evidence at all. When they decide to pull off one last heist that has more money than ever at stake, they come in danger of getting caught when a detective becomes obsessed with catching them. Takers stars Idris Elba, Paul Walker, T.I., Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Matt Dillon.

This film looks like a big joke. I already know how it is going to end before I even see it. This seems more like a September release rather than a summer movie. Plus Hayden Christensen sucks and T.I. acting skills are non existant. Anticipation 2/10.

SHREK FOREVER (MAY 21)
When Shrek falls into the habits of a married man and father, he begins to miss the fun of his swamp and scarring trespassers. When Rumpelstiltskin tricks Shrek into signing some kind of pact, it transforms Far Far Away into an alternate land where Rumpelstiltskin is king and him and Fiona have never met.

The first two films were ok, but the third was terrible in my opinion. The fourth one looks no different from what I have seen so far and I think they have stretched this franchise as far as it can go. Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas all are returning. Anticipation 1/10.



MACGRUBBER (MAY 21)
In the 10 years since his fiancée was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands. But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that’s been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter Von Cunth, MacGruber figures he’s the only one tough enough for the job. Will Forte, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer and Powers Boothe star.

I thought this was a horrible idea and a waste of money when I first heard this was happening, then I saw the trailer and I still wasn't convinced. But it premiered at ShowWest this year and it got a ton of positive reviews and is apparently really funny which brought by anticipation up some. Anticipation 6.5/10.



PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (MAY 28)
Based off the popular video game, Prince of Persia is set in medieval Persia, and tells the story of an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. Which is why after the prince was tricked by a dying Vizier to unleash the Sands of Time that turns out to destroy a kingdom and transforms its populace into ferocious demons. In his effort to save his own kingdom and redeem his fatal mistake, it's up to the prince and the princess to return the sands to the hourglass by using the Dagger of Time, which also gives him a limited control over the flow of time.

Did anyone else just read that premise? This sounds and looks horrible. I think they took the wrong approach with this film and will pay for it big time at the box office. Anticipation 3/10.

SEX AND THE CITY 2 (MAY 28)
The group of skanks go on vacation and Carrie may or may not cheat on her husband while she is there.

This looks like a desperate attempt to make some more money off a very successful first film. If there are more stories to tell, then tell them, but this just looks like an excuse to make money. Anticipation 0/10.



GET HIM TO THE GREEK (JUNE 4)
This is a spinoff of Forgetting Sara Marshall with Russell Brand's character, Aldous Snow starring in this one. The story is about Aaron Greenberg, an ambitious 23-year-old who has exaggerated his way into a dream job just in time for a career-making assignment. His mission: Fly to London and escort a rock god to L.A.’s Greek Theatre for the first-stop on a $100-million tour. His warning: Turn your back on him at your own peril.

This looks like it will be just as good as Forgetting Sara Marshall. The only thing I'm curious about is that Jonah Hill played a character in Forgetting Sara Marshall and now he is playing a completely different character in this film. Maybe they will say that was his brother or something but it would be nice if that character got a nod in this film. Anticipation 8/10.

ONDINE (JUNE 4)
The story of an Irish fisherman who discovers a woman in his fishing net who he believes to be a mermaid. Colin Ferrell stars.

I haven't heard or seen anything about this film, but it is a wide release movie so I'm wondering if they are going to do any marketing on it or not. I'm guessing this is going to be a flop due to lack of promotion. My anticipation may change once I finally see something on this. Anticipation 0/10.

MARMADUKE (JUNE 4)
A suburban family moves to a new neighborhood with their large yet lovable Great Dane, who has a tendency to wreak havoc in his own oblivious way.

This is obviously a kid's movie all the way. I'm sure it will be a hit with them, with all the dancing dogs and crap like that, but it won't be for adults. The key to kid's movies is to make them appeal to adults and kids. That is why Pixar is so successful. Anticipation 1/10.



KILLERS (JUNE 4)
Spencer is an undercover, government-hired super-assassin. But when he meets Jen, a beautiful, fun-loving computer tech recovering from a bad break-up, he finds true love…and happily trades international intrigue for domestic bliss. Three years later, Spencer and Jen learn he's the target of a multi-million dollar hit. Even worse, the hired killers have been stalking the happy couple for years, and could be anyone: friends, neighbors or co-workers. Spencer and Jen are then forced to hit the road and take down whoever is after them. Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigel star.

This has to be one of the worst trailers I have ever seen. Not just because I hate Katherine Heigel, but the story is such a rip off of things we have seen before. This looks absolutely terrible and I'm sure a bunch of women who for some reason think Heigel has talent will run and see it, but I will not be. Even the poster is horrible. Anticipation 1/10.



SPLICE (JUNE 4)
Two young scientists achieve fame by splicing human DNA with the DNA of different animals to create a new creature. In the process they ignore their society's ethical and legal boundaries. The scientists name their creature "Dren", which is initially a deformed female infant, however it rapidly develops into a beautiful but deadly winged human-chimera. Adrien Brody stars.

This is a limited release film, but I think it will be this year's District 9. Guillermo del Toro is producing this, just like Peter Jackson produced District 9 and it has the same low budget sci-fi feel to it. Anticipation 9/10.



THE A-TEAM (JUNE 11)
A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed. Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Patrick Wilson star.

I want to be optimistic about this film, but I'm really on the fence about it. It looks like it's going to be your average over-the-top action flick that Hollywood pumps out these days. I am going to hope for the best with this one. Anticipation 5/10.

THE KARATE KID (JUNE 11)
We all know the story to this one. It's a remake with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith.

I simply say to this: No thanks. Anticipation 1/10.



TOY STORY 3 (JUNE 18)
When Andy heads to college, he donates the toys to a local day care. Unhappy, the toys begin to plan an escape and Andy realizes he may have made a mistake by throwing them out. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return with the rest of the crew and Michael Keaton joins the cast.

This is a close second for the movie I am most excited about. Pixar is going to knock this out of the park and I can't wait to see the next journey these guys go on. Anticipation 10/10.



GROWN UPS (JUNE 25)
A comedy about five friends and former teammates who reunite years later to honor the passing of their childhood basketball coach. Adam Sandler, Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, Maria Bello, Jamie Chung, Rob Schneider, Dave Spade, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Gary Busey, Norm McDonald, Tim Meadows, Colin Quinn all star in the film.

At some point Adam Sandler is going to have to let Rob Schneider and David Spade go. This looks like it will be an average comedy with nothing really special going on in it. Hopefully I am wrong. I am curious as to what Gary Busey's role is going to be in this because he is awesome. Anticipation 5/10.



KNIGHT AND DAY (JUNE 25)
A fugitive couple on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one - even themselves - are what they seem. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz star.

They really haven't given a whole lot away on what this film is really about which I like. Even the synopsis is pretty bland. I'm a big Cruise fan and I think this will turn out to be a good film. Anticipation 8/10.



ECLIPSE (JUNE 30)
The never ending battle of whether Bella will choose Jacob or Edward continues in the latest installment of the Twilight franchise.

I've seen the trailer and it looks exactly the same as the second one. Millions of girls are going to go crazy and make this movie a lot of money, but I have no faith in this franchise. Anticipation 3/10.



So let's stop and recap for just a quick sec. I have gone over eighteen films that are released during May and June alone and out of the eighteen, I only have nine that are at least a five out of ten in anticipation. That isn't very good for summer movies. Let's continue and see if this will improve.

THE LAST AIRBENDER (JULY 2)
Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara, a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka, to restore balance to their war-torn world.

I have no interest in seeing this movie based off a kids cartoon. M. Night Shyamalan has proven time and time again now that he has lost his talent for making good films. Anticipation 2/10.



PREDATORS (JULY 7)
When a group of elite warrior-types wake up to find themselves lost in a jungle. They soon find out that they are being hunted down by Predators, and they are on their planet. Adrien Brody, Lawrence Fishburne and Topher Grace star.

This looks like it will put the Predator franchise back on track. It seems to have everything you need to have for a successful Predator film. I really like the cast that has been brought in for this film as well. Adrien Brody and Topher Grace were really interesting choices. Anticipation 10/10.

DESPICABLE ME (JULY 9)
Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, Will Arnett, Ken Jeong, Mindy Kaling, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand, Danny McBride all lend their voice for the film.

The marketing for this film has been interesting. All the trailer so far have just been little shorts for the film and no real footage from the film. I think this will end up being a really good movie for adults and kids. Anticipation 7/10.

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (JULY 16)
Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. Nicholas Cage and Jay Baruchel star.

This looks absolutely ridiculous. It's sad that after Cage's awesome performance in Kick-Ass that he is going to go back and make another bad film. Now on the flip side, I think this could possibly be a surprise hit. I'm not holding my breath but we will see. Anticipation 4/10.



INCEPTION (JULY 16)
In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one's mind can be the most dangerous weapon or the most valuable asset. Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine and Tom Berenger all star.

All we really know about this film is that it looks great. I think that it's beginning to be clear that Christopher Nolan can do no wrong. The cast is fantastic the trailer looks fantastic and I can't wait to see what going on with the story. Anticipation 10/10.



SALT (JULY 23)
The film centers on a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy. She eludes capture by superiors who are convinced he is out to assassinate the president. While trying to reunite with her family, she struggles to prove someone else is the traitor. Angelina Jolie and Liev Schrieber star.

This looks like it could go either way. I remember I thought The Interpretor was going to be good and it end up boring me to death. I think will probably be a satisfying film but nothing more. Anticipation 5/10.

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS (JULY 23)
Tim, an up-and-coming executive who has just received his first invitation to the "dinner for idiots," a monthly event hosted by his boss that promises bragging rights to the exec that shows up with the biggest buffoon. Tim's fiancée, Julie, finds it distasteful and Tim agrees to skip the dinner, until he bumps into Barry, an IRS employee who devotes his spare time to building elaborate taxidermy mouse dioramas – and quickly realizes he's struck idiot gold. Tim can't resist, and invites Barry, whose blundering good intentions soon sends Tim's life into a frenzied downward spiral and a series of comic misadventures, threatening a major business deal, bringing crazy stalker ex-girlfriend, Darla, back into Tim's life and driving Julie into the arms of another man. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis star.

I need to see more on this before I really judge it. The first trailer they released looks pretty bad, but I would really like it to turn out funny. Obviously, movies fail and I have a feeling this will turn out to be a flop. Anticipation 5/10.

MORNING GLORY (JULY 30)
An old-school anchorman who quit his longtime evening newscast because of its new, gossipy ways is recruited by a hotshot producer whose looking to revive a failing morning show. Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum and Patrick Wilson star.

There has been no trailer or poster released for this film, but I am extremely interested in this film. Anytime Jeff Goldblum is in something I am up for it, but when you throw in Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford as well, I am definitely going to be looking forward to it. Since there is nothing out on it though, it's really just hype for me, because it will probably just be an average romantic comedy. Anticipation 7/10.



BEASTLY (JULY 30)
A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love. Vanessa Hudgens, Mary Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris, Alex Pettyfer.

This looks absolutely rediculous and I can't figure out why Neil Patrick Harris would be in this film. He looks like he is playing the role of Daredevil in a different movie. Anticipation 2/10.

CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE (JULY 30)
The ongoing war between the canine and feline species is put on hold when they join forces to thwart a rogue cat spy with her own sinister plans for conquest. Chris O'Donnell lends his voice.

I really don't think anything needs to be said about this film, so I'm not going to waste my time. Anticipation 0/10.

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (JULY 30)
The affair between a politician and a ballerina is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star.

This is a very rare genre of sci-fi romance. I really like Damon, Blunt and sci-fi, so I think this has the potential to be a good film, just not a summer blockbuster type. There is no trailer yet, so maybe when I see one I can get a better grasp on it. Anticipation 5/10.



JONAH HEX (AUGUST 6)
A scarred bounty hunter tracks a voodoo practitioner bent on liberating the South by raising an army of the undead during the wild west. Josh Brolin and Megan Fox star.

The trailer will debut on Nightmare on Elm Street this month, but I am looking forward to this film as of right now. It's based of a DC comic and hopefully the trailer will look pretty good. My anticipation could drastically change after seeing the trailer. Anticipation 6/10.



THE OTHER GUYS (AUGUST 6)
The Other Guys follows Detective Allen Gamble, a forensic accountant who's more interested in paperwork than hitting the streets, and Detective Terry Hoitz, who has been stuck with Allen as his partner ever since an embarrassing public incident with his quick trigger finger. Allen and Terry idolize the city’s top cops, Danson and ManzettI, but when an opportunity arises for the Other Guys to step up, things don’t quite go as planned. Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan and Michael Keaton star.

Hopefully this will bring redemption to Ferrell. This looks a little different than his usual stuff. It has a big, diverse cast so the focus will not be all on Ferrell. I think this is a make or break film for Ferrell so he needs this one after the disaster that was Land of the Lost. Anticipation 7/10.

STEP UP 3-D (AUGUST 6)
People break dance battle each other just like the first two films. No one anyone would know is in this film.

I will admit that I liked the second movie, but his looks exactly the same as that one. There is no originality here and I think dance movies need to go away for a long time after this one. Anticipation 4/10.



SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (AUGUST 13)
Scott Pilgrim must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to win her heart. Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson and Brandon Routh star.

I think this has the potential to be a really fun movie. It has a unique look to it and I kinda like the cast they put together. Anticipation 6/10.

EAT,PRAY,LOVE (AUGUST 13)
While trying to get pregnant, a happily married woman realizes her life needs to go in a different direction, and after a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey. Based on the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. Julia Roberts, James Franco, Billy Crudup and Javier Bardem star.

These are the kinds of chick flicks that I enjoy. Something different that you haven't seen a thousand times before. I am really looking forward to seeing Roberts back in a starring role. She really hasn't done much since popping out those kids of hers.



THE EXPENDABLES (AUGUST 20)
A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator. Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Trejo, Charisma Carpenter and Bruce Willis all star.

Does it have a huge cast? Yes. Is it full of action? Yes. But does it have a good story as well is the question. I hope this movie is THE action of all action movies. With this cast, there is no reason this shouldn't easily be the greatest action film of all time. We shall see. Anticipation 9/10.

THE SWITCH (AUGUST 20)
An unmarried 40-year-old woman turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant. Seven years later, she reunites with her best friend, who has been living with a secret: he replaced her preferred sperm sample with his own. Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jeff Goldblum and Patrick Wilson star.

Ah, two Goldblum movies in one summer. How did I get so lucky? I think the movie does look pretty good without Goldblum, but adding him bumps it up a little. Anticipation 6/10.

PIRANHA 3-D (AUGUST 27)
Every year, the population of sleepy Lake Victoria explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 for Spring Break; a riot of sun and drunken fun. But this year, there's something more to worry about than hangovers and complaints from local old timers; A new type of terror is about to be cut loose on Lake Victoria. After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area’s new razor-toothed residents. Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell, Ving Rhames, Richard Dreyfuss and Christopher Lloyd star.

I wish studious tried a little harder to set the summer off with a bang. Normally I'm less excited about the August releases than the other three months of the summer. This year Piranha is ending the summer movie season. I'm a big fan of awesomely bad movies, and this is the definitely going to be an awesomely bad movie. Anticipation 7/10.

So, in my opinion there really isn's a whole lot of big blockbusters coming out this year. There seems to be a lot of films that normally would come out during the year. But there is a reason to get excited for next summers movie. Here is a sneek peek to why.

Cowboys & Aliens: anticipation 8/10
Captain America: The First Avenger: anticipation 10/10
Cars 2: anticipation 6/10
Fast Five: anticipation 4/10
Green Lantern: anticipation 10/10
The Hangover 2: anticipation 10/10
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2: anticipation 4/10
Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom: anticipation 5/10
Mission: Impossible IV: anticipation 9/10
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: anticipation: 8/10
The Smurfs: anticipaiton 3/10
Spy Kids 4: Armageddon: anticipation 1/10
Thor: anticipation 10/10
Transformers 3: anticipation 6/10

MOVIE REVIEW: DEATH AT A FUNERAL

I'm not a fan of British comedies, but I have always heard that Death at a Funeral was worth a watch. When I saw that an American remake of it was coming out only three years after the original, it had me scratching my head. Still, the American remake didn't look that appealing to me either. Sure it has a ton of stars including; Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Danny Glover, James Marsden, and Tracy Morgan, but I wasn't itching to see. I had planned on skipping it all together, but I was drug to it anyway and I have to say I am very glad I was.



When Aaron and Ryan's father passes away, the whole family reunites for the funeral. Once together, everything seems to go wrong. Ryan, the hot shot author, turns out to be having money problems which puts Aaron in bind financially with the funeral costs. Elaine brings her fiance Oscar to the wedding even though her father highly disproves of him. On the way, she gives him one of her pharmacologist brother's Valiums to calm his nerves, which actually turns out to be a powerful hallucinogenic which causes him to trip out for the rest of the day. Elaine's ex shows up for one last shot at her love which causes her to juggle keeping up with Oscar and avoiding him. And while all of this is going on, Aaron still has to worry about his wife who is on the last day of her cycle and desperately wanting a child pressuring him for some "alone time" on the day of his father's funeral and a stranger who shows up wanting to blackmail the family for thirty thousand dollars.

The film is directed by Neil LaBute. LaBute made one of the worst films I have ever seen when he remade The Wicker Man a few years back, but then I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Lakeview Terrace, so I was kind of on the fence about this film. Thankfully, he handled the ensemble cast very well and produced a film that turned out to be pretty funny.








Surprisingly, Rock and Lawrence step aside from the comedic role in this film and leave the comedy to James Marsden, Danny Glover and Tracy Morgan. I was really surprised at how funny James Marsden turned out to be in this film. I have not seen the original, but I have heard that he outdoes Alan Tudyk's version of the character. And I know that Glover has done some comedy before, but I have never seen him like this. I think he could finish out his career doing comedy films alone. Regardless, I want to see Glover in more things. And once again, I figured that Morgan would get old quick, but I thought he was funny throughout the whole film.




My only real complaint about the film is Chris Rock. I have never really liked any of his films simply because I don't think he is a very good actor. I think a lot of times, because someone can't get up on stage and do stand-up comedy, that they should get movie roles. Rock is no different in this film. Anytime he is delivering lines, they either feel forced or I feel like I'm watching a play rather than a film.

If your wanting some good laughs this will definitely be the movie to see. I can't imagine anyone walking out of the movie and not having laughed once during the film. I give it a three and a half out of five.

THE AVENGERS HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

I have heard a lot of people say recently that they will believe an Avengers film is coming out when they see it. Well, I assure you that it is coming, and this is a project that has been at the top of my list since Marvel laid out their big plan a few years back. It is very hard to bring multiple superheros together in a film and pull it off successfully. Brian Singer did it with the first two X-Men, but then we saw how quickly it can go south when Brett Ratner took over with the third film. I am happy to say that The Avengers is quickly making it's way to the big screen and you can expect it to be great and here is why.

1. Joss Whedon
If you are going to try and pull something like this off, you can't just go out and get any director. You need to find someone who is proven and has a passion for what they are bringing to the screen. With Whedon, while he may not have much experience with film, he has a lot of experience with television. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly are all great shows that he has been behind, and his film Serenity was a very underrated film. What is special about Whedon is that he can take a small budget and turn it into something amazing. There will be no small budget with this film, so I can't wait to see what he does when he finally gets a big budget. Secondly, Whedon has a passion and knowledge for comics. Whedon has wrote several different comic book stories, including The Astonishing X-Men which got very good reviews and won several awards. Whether Thor and Captain America turn out to be good, remains to be seen, but whether they are good or not has nothing to do with the quality that The Avengers is going to be. Whedon knows his stuff when it comes to the Marvel universe so this is a film that you need to start getting excited about.

2. The Cast
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Samuel L. Jackson have all officially signed on for the film. This doesn't even include the possibility of Edward Norton returning as The Hulk, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Anthony Hopkins as Odin. PLUS....we still have to find us some villains for the film, and I don't think they will go out and get a bunch of nobodies to play the villains. So right there is at least six Oscar nominees coming together for one film.

3. The Budget
We have seen time and time again, that just because something has a big budget doesn't mean that it will be great (MICHAEL BAY I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU). I truly believe that in this case it does. If you put money into film for quality purposes, you are going to get well worth your money back and Avatar proved that perfectly. Not saying it is the best film on Earth, but it had the best effects I have ever seen and that was because they used the money in the right spots. Marvel wants this movie to be a hit, they want this film to be the biggest film of all time. I want this film to be the biggest of all time. And if this is done right, I think it can be.

This film has all the keys for success and if they drop the ball with it I will be shocked and severely depressed. So go ahead and mark your calendars for May 4, 2012 because this is going to be a film you are not going to want to miss.

MOVIE REVIEW: KICK-ASS

Graphic novels have been making their way to theatres for years now, you may just not have known it. The Rocketeer, Road to Perdition, From Hell and even the horrible Brendan Frasier film, Monkeybone, are all based off graphic novels. But in 2005, Dimension films decided to role the dice and turn Sin City into a big budgeted project and it payed off big time. Since then, graphic novels have been making their way to theatres more and more with V for Vendetta, 300, 30 Days of Night, Wanted and Watchmen all being box office hits. The same will be for the latest, Kick-Ass.

Kick-Ass explores what happens when civilians decide to take on the persona of a superhero. In the film, Dave Lizewski is your typical loser in high school who wants what every high school student wants, popularity and a hot girlfriend. In order to deal with his average life, he decides to take on the role of a superhero he calls Kick-Ass. He quickly realizes after a scuffle with two car thieves, that being a superhero is a lot harder and is going to take a lot more skill then he has. But when a local mob begins to grow tired of his interference with their business, he is forced to team up with three other superhero personas; Hit Girl, Big Daddy and Red Mist to take on the mob.

I was very excited for this film going into, and I walked out of it happy, but a little let down. I'll go ahead and tell you that Chloe Moretz completely steals the show as Hit Girl. Whenever you see her appear on screen, just go ahead, sit back and enjoy. She is by far the best and most exciting part of the film. The rest of the cast does a great job as well. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, aka McLovin, gets out of his McLovin stereotype and really does a good job of playing a conflicted teen trying to decide if he wants to be his own man, or follow in his mob boss father's footsteps. Mark Strong plays a good mob boss, and believe it or not, Nicholas Cage is actually watchable for the first time in years.

The only person I did not care for was Kick-Ass himself, Aaron Johnson. His character wasn't that appealing, to have the movie be about him. Many times in the comic book world, your main character goes from a wimpy, nerdy type character, and they transform into a a great hero like Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, Mr. Fantastic and The Hulk. Their character evolves into someone that everyone wants to watch and read about and cheer for. Now obviously he isn't going to be able to compare to these guys, simply because he has no super powers, but he does not evolve as a person or a hero. In the end, I felt that he was the exact same kid as when the film first started. If we are going to cheer for this character, we need to have something to cheer for and in this case, I simply had nothing to cheer for.

I feel that in the end, the film fell short of awesomeness, but I walked away happy and highly entertained. There is potential franchise here and I hope to see these characters on screen again. With a few tweaks, this could be a really great franchise. I give it a four out of five.

MOVIE REVIEW: DATE NIGHT

Steve Carrell and Tina Fey have both had careers that have just been getting bigger and bigger in the past ten years. Carrell started out as an anchor for The Daily show, then got some small roles in films like Anchorman. Then in 2005 a little show called The Office started with Carrell as the star and that summer he starred in the breakaway hit 40 Year Old Virgin. Tina Fey started out as a writer for SNL. Then she got hired on as an actress for it, and wound up starring in 30 Rock and her first starring role in Baby Mamma. So naturally it would only make since to pair them up for a film together.

Date Night pairs the two up as Claire and Phil Foster, a married couple who like many fall into the same boring habits and lose a spark to their relationship. After hearing of a friend's divorce, they decide to go out and have a real date night for once. While on their date, they pose as a fake couple to get a table, which causes them to get mixed up in a huge conspiracy involving New York's District Attorney, members of NYPD and a local mob. Mark Whalberg, James Franco, Ray Liota and Mila Kunis co-star.

First let me say how great the chemistry between Carrell and Fey is. I wouldn't mind seeing these two star in more films together. They pulled off their relationship one hundred percent. That is probably the best part of the film. The cast is one of the most important things to me when I'm watching a film. If I can't enjoy the characters, then I am definitely not going to enjoy the film. Besides Fey and Carrell, I enjoyed the rest of the cast as well. Wahlberg, Franco and Kunis all had very small roles in the film, but they made sure that they did the most with what little screen time they had.

As for the film, it was simply just ok. I kept waiting for funny things to happen, and there just wasn't much humor in the film. Had Tina Fey wrote the film, I think it would probably have been much funnier, but I never really found myself cracking up. The funniest parts of the film is where Carrell and Fey are clearly adlibing their scenes. Now that doesn't mean that this is not a good film, it just wasn't a very funny film. I will say that my fiance and several other women were cracking up throughout the whole film, so this is something women may be more interested in.

Date Night is a mildly amusing film. It keeps you entertained throughout, with a few laughs along the way, but in the end is a pretty forgettable film. It's pretty disappointing, because I think this had the potential to be something special. I give it a three out of five

MOVIE REVIEW: CLASH OF THE TITANS

Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. When humans begin to ignore the gods and stops praying to them, they grow angry and decide to show the humans how much they really need them. They have ten days to sacrifice Princess Andromeda or else the Kraken will be released and destroy there city. Sam Worthington stars as Perseus, a demi-god, who vows to take revenge on Hades for killing his human family, by killing the Kraken and then destroying Hades.

Every year, Warner Bros. tries to release a big budget film to gain some extra money before the summer movie season starts up. It has worked so far with 300 and The Watchmen. Clash of the Titans broke a record for best opening Easter weekend last week, so Warner Bros. are certainly on the right track with this strategy. However, they might not be making much more on the film.

We all learned from Avatar that when you do 3D the correct way, it can be an amazing experience. What Clash of the Titans did that I believe is going to severely hurt the film it’s second and third week in theatres, is that they filmed the whole thing, saw Avatar’s success in 3D, then decided eight weeks before the films’ release to convert it to 3D. The outcome was a horrible mess. James Cameron himself said that it looked more like 2.8D instead of 3D. What made Avatar so successful was that people wanted to go experience it again. No one will want to experience these effects again.

Aside from the effects, Titans still has other problems going on, mainly the story. The film just rushes straight into everything. There is really no character development. How can we care about a queen who is in danger if she is abruptly shoved in and out of our face very quickly? Everything is so fast paced; it is hard to enjoy the film. Even the epic battle against the Kraken that is built up the whole film, is just over and done within a matter of minutes. And then after the "epic battle" is over, the film just ends.

Another problem for me was the CGI. I have seen much better before. I don’t know if it was from the conversion or what, but I think it is sad when Medusa from “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”, a kids film, looks better than the Medusa in this film. The scorpion scene was also a little hokey. It seemed that they just rushed through this whole production. If you want to make a movie great, you have to take some time on it, again a perfect example is Avatar.


I think a great cast was put together, unfortunately the director, Louis Leterrier, failed to deliver the rest. Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Finnes and the supporting cast all did a great job with what they had to work with. There were two characters however, who had the role as “comic relief” for the film that I could not stand. There is no need for “comic relief” in a film like this.

This needed to be a summer film. I get that Warner Bros. was only trying to maximize profit by not having to compete with other big budget films, but I guarantee that decision will end up hurting them in the long road. This was something I was really looking forward to, but in the end I came out feeling unimpressed and there was no urge to rush back and see it again. But hey, Hollywood is all about the remakes these days, so I’m sure in ten years, they will take another whack at it. I give it a two out of five.

HEADLINES

SHARK NIGHT 3D
The other day I wrote about awesomely bad movies. This sounds like an awesomely bad movie. What is even better is that David R. Ellis, who directed Snakes On A Plane, is doing the film. There is no story for it yet, but I would assume as some point there is going to be sharks that perhaps show up at night....just a hunch.

I think what they should do is just make this a sequel to Snakes On A Plane and just have Samuel L. Jackson in another impossible scenario. I would watch that.



TRON LEGACY ALREADY GETTING A SEQUEL
Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the "Lost" writers/executive producers who co-wrote the first film are already preparing another Tron film.

I recently watched Tron for the first time, and I have to say that it seemed like it was before its time. I didn't hate it, but it was hard to get into at the same time. I do believe however that Tron Legacy is going to be very good and will please Tron fans.



GEARS OF WAR DEAD
Len Wiseman is officially off the Gears of War adaptation that has been going around since 2008. Wiseman has signed on to do a film called Nocturne and it seems he will not be returning to the project. On top of that, the budget had been apparently cut from 100 million to something far less.

I would definitely watch a Gears of War movie, but maybe it's best that it doesn't happen with the way game adaptations normally go. I like Wiseman and was glad that he was the one doing it, but if he isn't attached and they are knocking the budget down, then I am ok with it not happening.



PLANET OF THE APES PREQUEL IS A GO
The prequel titled Caesar is set to start shooting in mid-July.

I think that Planet of the Apes has had it's run. The 2000 adaptation was not very good, and I don't ever see this franchise getting off the ground again.



KITSCH TO STAR IN BATTLESHIP
Jeremy Renner was set to star in Battleship, but has dropped out to star in another film and Taylor Kitsch has taken his place. Battleship is the Peter Berg directed film about a navy fleet fighting off an alien invasion.

I would like to have seen Reener in this, but I am a big fan of Kitsch from Friday Night Lights, and he was actually my second choice for Gambit. I am really looking forward to seeing something from this film and finally getting to see Kitsch in a major role.



SIGH....JOHNNY ENGLISH 2 IS COMING
Universal is developing a sequel to the 2003 film, Johnny English starring Rowan Atkinson.

HOW DOES ROWAN ATKINSON KEEP GETTING MOVIES RELEASED?????? THE FIRST ONE ONLY MADE 28MILLION DOLLARS!!!! I hate British humor, Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean's Holiday and Johnny English are all horrible movies, and that is a scientific fact. I think the bigger question here as well is why in the world William Deofe was in Mr. Bean's Holiday. C'mon man.




FORD TO FIGHT ALIENS
It has been confirmed that Harrison Ford will play alongside Daniel Craig in the Jon Favreau film, Cowboys vs. Aliens. Ford will play a gunslinger. Cowboys vs. Aliens is based off a comic about Indians and Cowboys teaming up to fight off an alien force that arrives.

First off, anything Favreau does, I'm down for. Secondly, it is good to see Ford in anything with a big budget. He needs this. K-19 Widowmaker, Hollywood Homicide, Firewall, Crossing Over, Extraordinary Measures and Six Days, Seven Nights have all been very average at best films. Even Indy 4 was meh, even though it made big bucks. He needs a big movie and I think this will be it for him. I'm a huge Ford fan and I wish him nothing but the best. I think this film could be pretty cool if done right, and Ford playing a gunslinger is just plain awesome.


REMAKE NEWS




YELCHIN TO STAR IN FRIGHT NIGHT
Lars and the Real girl director, Craig Gillespie is set to direct a remake of the 1980's film Fright Night. Anton Yelchin is in talks to star. The comedy/horror film is about a teenage boy who discovers his next door neighbor is a vampire.

I think I can get on board with this remake. I think that Gillespie is an interesting choice for the project, and I am a huge Yelchin fan.



THE TOXIC AVENGER IS BACK
Not only is The Toxic Avenger getting a remake, but the rights also include sequels, an animated series and multiple novels.

I get why some films are cult classics, but I never understood how anyone liked this movie. It is horrible and the sequels only got worse. The original was a hard "R" and this one is going to be a kid friendly, family "PG-13". The first one was horrible, but it was kinda graphic, if you take that aspect of it out, I think your going to have a major flop. I mean he gets turned into this radioactive monster and what is he going to do now, help flowers grow? I think this is a bad idea.