Most Anticipated Summer Movies 2015

Everybody knows that summer is the greatest time of year for film fans. While some people look forward to pool and beach season, I'm looking forward to all of the great movies I'll get to see (I'm excited about the pool and beach too). Since the summer movie season kicks off this weekend with Avengers: Age of Ultron, let's talk anticipation. 

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - May 1st
Seriously, how could this not be number one on any Nerd's list? The first Avengers was amazing. Every MCU* movie since has been a lot of fun. Joss Whedon rarely disappoints. 'Nuff said.

2. Jurassic World - June 10th
This could end up being one of the biggest busts of the season, but I'm willing to take a risk on it. Jurassic Park was one of my most memorable movies from my early movie-going life. I remember it sparked my interest in reading Michael Crichton, which led to me reading some of my favorite books. Chris Pratt is fun to watch, even when riding a motorcycle with his pet velociraptors. While it may take a lot of suspension of belief, even in a world where dinosaurs have been genetically reproduced, I'm hoping this is a good one.

3. Tomorrowland - May 22nd
I have no idea what this movie is about other than a girl touches a pin and gets transported to a futuristic world. Still, I really want to see this.

4. Fantastic Four - August 7th
I'm really surprised this one made it this high on my list. Everything that I've heard about this movie, from the moment the cast was chosen until the latest trailer released, had me doubting this movie. This still could end up being a complete waste of time, especially considering the late summer release date, but maybe Fox will finally do right with a property other than X-Men.

5. Ant-man - July 17th
Please be good. Please be good. Please be good. Ever since Edgar Wright was removed as director from this film, I have lost interest in this movie. It's an oddball in the MCU, but so was Guardians of the Galaxy. Is this going to be Marvel's first bust in the MCU or another win?

6. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - July 31st
This looks like a fun spy movie.  MIF meets its match...the Anti-MIF.

7. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - August 14th
The guy that is Superman and the guy that was supposed to be Batman in a 1960's Cold War spy movie. The Americans and Russians have to join forces to fight a bigger threat.  Even with the late summer release, I'm super excited about this.

8. Pitch Perfect 2 - May 15th
I'm probably losing a lot of credibility by listing this one, but I loved the first movie. Even if this one looks like the same movie, I'm looking forward to it.

9. Mad Max: Fury Road - May 15th
I'm not sure many people under the age of 40 have seen the Mel Gibson originals (Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and Beyond Thunderdome), but hopefully people go see this - the budget is quite a bit higher than the first (375 times higher).

10. Inside Out - June 19th
Disney and Pixar usually provide some good entertainment. I'm hoping that this continues the trend, but seriously, let's see The Incredibles 2.

Honorable Mentions:
Terminator: Genisys - July 1st
The Terminator series needs some new life. Can bringing back Arnold give it what it needs?

Minions - July 10th
Can they make a movie without Gru good?

Poltergeist - May 22nd
Another reboot.  This one may end up giving me just as many nightmares as the original did.

I Might Wait, But I'm Still Interested:
Spy - June 5th

Ted 2 - June 26th

Pixels - July 24th

The Gift - July 31st

Masterminds - August 7th

Let me know what your most anticipated movies of this summer are!


*Marvel Cinematic Universe for the uninitiated

Glorious Godfrey in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?

I was going to write about the tragedy of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer leaking in shaky cam, forcing Warner Bros. to launch the teaser trailer several days ahead of schedule and very shortly after Star Wars Episode VII's amazing trailer.  However, what is there to really say about this? Yes, it sucks. The person that did this probably also likes telling people that Dumbledore dies on page 596 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Was the teaser trailer better than Star Wars' trailer? No. Did it need to be? Also, no. This was a teaser. It was something to get you excited about the movie coming out in a year.  Remember when Star Wars did that back in November, almost a year before Star Wars is set to release?

Now that all of that is said, let's get into the geeky speculation.  First, if you haven't seen the teaser, here it is:

The trailer brings a lot of messages about Superman being a subject of controversy (funny considering some of the controversy surrounding Man of Steel).  You see a statue of Superman spray-painted with "False God." The trailer continues leading up to the epic showdown of Batman and Superman. Granted, after Kryptonians tried to terraform Earth, people may blame it on Superman.  However, he did ultimately save the planet. So, why would so many people hate him?  They obviously loved him enough to build a statue of him.

I've got one answer for you - Glorious Godfrey. I'll save you from reading the entire Wikipedia page.  Glorious Godfrey is the master manipulator of Darkseid, the planet conquering villain thought to be the villain in the Justice League film. Godfrey poses as a tv personality, G. Gordon Godfrey, on Earth in an effort to turn the Earth's population against superheroes.  He does this after Earth's superheroes are attacked by monsters causing major collateral damage.  Ultimately, the goal is to remove Earth's superheroes from the picture, making it easier for Darkseid to take over the Earth.

In the DC Cinematic Universe, Darkseid may see an opportunity.  In the wake of the near destruction of Metropolis, he just needs people to no longer see Superman as a savior honored by monuments. He needs them to see the Man of Steel as a threat they are powerless against.

That's how it starts -
the fever, the rage,
the feeling of powerlessness
that turns good men cruel.

This may even be the cause of Batman and Superman fighting.  Even Batman may prove somewhat susceptible to GG's manipulative powers.

While I don't think that we'll see Darkseid in this movie, I think it's very possible to see something post-credits of Glorious Godfrey reporting to Darkseid (see Avengers post-credit scene of Thanos).

Who might be playing Godfrey?  There is one cast member that I think would make an interesting choice, as he does not have a confirmed role: Callan Mulvey.

Compare his picture to the most recent comic appearance of Glorious Godfrey.

 

Welcome Back!

I've decided to give this blogging thing another try.  Get ready for the nerdier side of movies!

Possible MCU Origins for Ultron

As most comic book fans know, Hank Pym (a.k.a. Ant-Man) created Ultron. Since Joss Whedon said Ultron will have an origin without Hank Pym, fans have wondered how they will introduce Ultron. Many have speculated that it would be a damaged JARVIS AI from Iron Man. I have a feeling that we have been given a few clues to the origins.

WARNING - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER SPOILERS AHEAD

Let's start with the first movie that could lead to Ultron, Iron Man 2.  Remember the Senate subcommittee hearing.  Garry Shandling's character requested that Tony Stark turn over the Iron Man armor.

The government eventually gets the Iron Man armor when Rhodey turns it over.  Justin Hammer augments the armor to become War Machine and be operated remotely.

This leads us to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (AGAIN, SPOILERS AHEAD).  Garry Shandling reprises his character of Senator Stern from Iron Man 2 briefly.  He leans into Agent Sitwell and says, "Hail HYDRA," revealing the two of them are HYDRA agents embedded in SHIELD and the US government (also inspiring multiple internet memes).  While his character is taken in by the FBI at the end of the movie, I think he already performed at least one deed to help HYDRA in the future.

We can assume that since HYDRA was embedded in the US government, HYDRA has plans to the Iron Man armor.  Senator Stern was likely tasked with getting the armor turned over to the US government to help HYDRA.

There is only one planned MCU movie between now and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy.  I don't believe that Guardians will tie to the rest of the MCU outside of a possible end-credits scene.  This means that the world that we left Captain America: The Winter Soldier will be the same world that we see at the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron.  SHIELD is disbanded and HYDRA is a threat, and that is all that we will know (outside of episodes of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD) going into Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Many have theorized that it is a malfunctioning JARVIS technology that becomes Ultron.  At the end of Iron Man 3, Tony blew up everything related to Iron Man though.  Having HYDRA create their own Iron Man suit with AI would give Tony reason to recreate Iron Man.  A malfunctioning JARVIS technology is something we might see in an Iron Man 4; however, HYDRA is something that would be big and bad enough to unite the world's greatest heroes together again.

Back After Hiatus!

Having a baby can cause you to have a lot less time for fun things like writing blogs. My apologies to my regular readers! I will attempt to be more regular with my blog postings. 

Nightwing and Sidekicks in Movies

One of the recent rumors that has come through the grapevine this past week is that Nightwing will appear in the Batman vs. Superman.  I'm not a huge fan of this news and I'll state why in a little bit.  I'd like to first address why most sidekicks wouldn't work in movies as they do in the comics and a possible way that they could work.

I watch/listen to AMC Movie Talk and this was a hot question over the weekend on their mail bag over the weekend.  I would agree with John Campea, the host, on his stance that sidekicks are tough to have in movies.  The idea of a kid tagging along with a grown man doesn't really work in a movie outside of comedy.  Even the movies with sidekicks, Batman Forever and Captain America: The First Avenger, introduce the sidekicks, Robin and Bucky, as grown men (at least 18).  Kick Ass manages to introduce a kid as a sidekick, but it's in a humorous way.  They even state in the movie how it's not the right thing to do.

So, can we never see a sidekick in a movie?  Absolutely not.  I'll pose an example of how we could see a Robin in a movie, or at least my ideal story.  Dick Grayson is introduced as a 16 year-old who is part of the circus with his parents.  Despite his acrobatic background, he's not ready to enter street fights with thugs.  Bruce Wayne would probably feel much better about training him and then letting him make his choice at the age of 18.  So, Dick Grayson trains for two years and joins Batman's fight when it wouldn't be endangering a minor.  The name "Robin" could even be used as a term like "grasshopper" during Dick's lessons with either Bruce or Lady Shiva or another trainer.  Using this methodology, Robin is taking a path closer to Batman's, and it removes some of the morality issues that may be encountered with a younger sidekick.

Based on the idea of the older Batman in Batman vs. Superman, Nightwing makes sense in that world. Dick would be a few years older and had time to disagree with Bruce and step out on his own, no longer taking on the title of "Robin", the apprentice.  But, I think that is way too much back story to include in this movie.  Remember, this is a sequel to Man of Steel.  If they would like to go into that backstory in a standalone Batman movie, that's one thing.  There have been rumors of Nightwing and Wonder Woman, even some others of the Justice League.  I'm fine if there are minor cameos, but let's hope this movie is what it really is about: Batman and Superman.

Perks of Being a Wallflower

I know that this movie came out a while ago, but I saw it on TV a couple of weeks ago and thought it was amazing.  Perks of Being a Wallflower is definitely a must-see.

The movie takes place in the early 1990s and you get some nostalgia (i.e. mix tapes) from seeing it.  This is just one of the things that makes this movie amazing.  The movie touches many different issues that might affect teenagers in different eras.  But, the main story revolves around a kid that struggles with finding his place in high school.  He narrates his thoughts throughout the movie in letters to his friend.

Every young actor in this movie delivers great performances, especially Emma Watson and Logan Lerman.  Logan Lerman was so much better in this movie than his performances in either of the Percy Jackson movies.

The movie does get a little dark and sad, so I would suggest not watching this if you are a little down in the dumps.

+ Logan Lerman and Emma Watson are amazing
+ Nostalgia
+ Good drama with good issues
+/- Not really a good or bad thing, but some parts of the movie are a little depressing and hard to watch

Overall score:  90

Thor: The Dark World

So far, there haven't been too many sequels in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). We've had Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3, but that's about it. You could maybe count Avengers as a sequel, but that's a stretch. So, it was hard to say how the universe would fare in the sequel category outside of movies starring RDJ. Thor: The Dark World is very well done. 

I can't say that I enjoyed it as much as the first (one of my favorite of the MCU movies), but I enjoyed it almost as much. The movie has everything. Love story, humor, a good plot, and characters that are easy to love. The characters are may be why I have enjoyed both Thor movies so much. Thor's fellow Asgardians, Darcy, and Erik Selvig are all very rich supporting characters. Along with Thor, Loki, and Jane, you get to experience these characters perhaps more than the first movie. 

The one downside I saw to this movie was the villains. I honestly didn't care about the dark elves as much. I didn't understand them at all. It was a little disappointing as I felt Christopher Eccleston could do more, and the Marvel movies have had pretty good villains so far. 

This is definitely a movie to go see in theaters. I will likely return to see it again if possible. Make sure you stick around through the credits as there are two post-credits scenes. One is about 5 minutes in and might possibly tease a future movie. The other is both funny and a nice conclusion to the movie. 

+ Action

+ Best supporting cast of any superhero movie

- Lack of intriguing villains

+ Lots of fun

Overall score: 89

Carrie

I don't know that I've ever seen the full movie of the original Carrie. The remake was a good movie to see around Halloween (or any time of year) though. 

The story isn't the best and some of the scenes of gore and self-mutilation bothered me a bit. I had to look away a few times. But, the movie does have it's bright spots. Julianne Moore's acting is superb as always. The message about bullying is pretty good and fits well into present day. 

This is definitely a movie to watch even if you don't see it in theaters. In fact, I would say this is one probably better for a rental. 

+ Julianne Moore

- too much gore (personal preference)

+ good modern day remake

Score: 74