Movies

When Disney/Pixar released the teaser for Cars 3, they clearly decided to go in a slightly different direction than the bubbly optimism from the first two movies…

I was pretty stunned watching it.  The teaser promises “From this moment, everything will change."  They sure weren't kidding. 

If you hear an alarm bell in the back of your mind when you read the phrase "Based on a True Story," listen to it.

Todd Phillips (THE HANGOVER) directs this somewhat comedic "true story" of David Packouz (MILES TELLER), a massage therapist disenchanted with his life who runs into an old friend, Efraim Diveroli (JONAH HILL), and ends up on the ride of his life in the high-paying world of selling weapons to the U.S. Government.

That's really all you need to know about the plot. Jonah Hill does his best Jonah Hill impression in playing Efraim, while the story unfolds from Packouz's point of view -- perhaps due to the fact that the real life Packouz only endured house arrest while the real life Diveroli served actual time, all for selling Chinese-made ammunition to the U.S. Military during a time when there was an embargo against Chinese-made weapons.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM is a fantastical story with hints of dark arts and other delicious treats.  This film is highly anticipated by the Harry Potter fans, and it delivers in a few ways.  In order to not over-hype, I went in without expectations, and I think that was the right way to watch this film.  I grew up with Harry Potter and saw each film as it came out.  I read all of the books within 1 week and cried when favorite characters died and cheered when others conquered evil against the odds.  So this spin-off meant a lot to me - a reminder of the magical world of Harry Potter and all of the memories of my youth that come with it.  Though there were not many overlapping characters due to being a different era, the vibe was very cool in 1920's New York, and there were multiple references to Hogwarts and the Harry Potter world that the fans know and love.

I was supposed to like ARRIVAL, the new first encounter thriller starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker. I wanted to love it, and sing it’s praises in high hyperbole. I wanted to tell you to walk out of Marvel’s excellent Doctor Strange and sneak in to watch this gem. I can’t though. I can’t because it’s a bit of a chore to sit through. Unnecessary subplots were an unwanted distraction. WARNING: SPOILERS MAY BE PRESENT HEREAFTER!

On this election day in the United States, people on both sides of the political aisle are conjuring up visions of a dystopian America should "the other side" win the vote. What better day than this, then, to release THE HUNGER GAMES on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc?

I have to say, MARVEL’S DOCTOR STRANGE was probably the most visually stunning Marvel movies I’ve ever seen. It was like INCEPTION and HARRY POTTER had a baby and it grow up to be the coolest kid ever!

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr. Stephen Strange, an outstanding neurosurgeon who, due a tragic car accident, loses the use of his hands. Dr. Strange learns about a possible way to get the use of his hands back, so he can return his beloved profession. Strange’s quest to repair his hands takes him beyond his wildest comprehension when he meets The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Thanks to Dr. Strange’s photographic memory, he catapults from student to being center stage for all the action.

Deadline is reporting that Universal Studios has inherited a live action VOLTRON project, when they inked a deal with DreamWorks Animation.

It was already in development behind the scenes, but Universal now has writer David Hayter (X-Men, Watchmen) and producer Tom Engleman on board. While David Hayter has an extensive list of credits to his resume, Tom Engleman's IMDb page is rather bare.

I can’t honestly say when I first discovered Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, in the pages of Marvel comics. It might have been in the early days of The Defenders, where he teamed up with Namor of Atlantis, the Hulk, and the Silver Surfer. It might have been in a cameo with Spider-man in Marvel Team-Up or The Avengers. I know I didn’t start with the Steve Ditko classics. I was a huge fan of the Roy & Dann Thomas run with artist Jackson Guice. Those issues are etched in my brain forever. That run was always going to be the perfect embodiment of Doctor Strange as far as I was concerned, until this lanky bloke named Benedict Cumberbatch came along.

The latest Star Trek film in the rebooted franchise bears the curious title STAR TREK BEYOND. Science fiction fans may have looked at this and thought it might be a peer into the far future of the Federation, akin to BATMAN BEYOND. Others might have expected the Federation to bo beyond...well, something. The galactic rim, perhaps.

Tom Hanks reprises his role as Robert Langdon in the latest Dan Brown adaptation to hit the big screen. As with the past two Dan Brown books-turned-movies -- THE DAVINCI CODE and ANGELS & DEMONS -- Hanks’s Langdon is teamed up with a beautiful, much younger woman. In this movie that woman is Dr. Sienna Brooks (FELICITY JONES).  

The movie jumps right into things with the introduction of Langdon and Brooks. The introduction takes place in what is thought to be a hospital room, as Langdon is under Dr. Brooks care due to head trauma. The only problem is Langdon can’t remember what happened. He sees his bloody clothes lying on a chair and knows it must be serious. During the conversation with Brooks, it’s discovered that due to the head trauma, Langdon is suffering from mild amnesia and severe sensitivity to light and sound.

On the Superman Homepage monthly podcast (Radio KAL), host Steve Younis dropped some fun cameo news.

On the most recent "Radio KAL" podcast, Younis was talking about how he attended a special screening of Superman 2, held at the Hayden Orpheum Theater in Australia. Among those in attendance were several actors from the movie: Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen) and Sara Douglas (Ursa).

Getting the opportunity to ask questions, Younis asked if either of them were offered a role in any upcoming movies or tv shows:

"Marc McClure revealed that not only does he have a recurring role in the upcoming tv series "Powerless"...he also revealed that he will be in a film to be released at the end of 2017 hint, hint."

JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK is based on Lee Child’s series of books, featuring the titular hero, Jack Reacher. Starring Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh, Patrick Heusinger, and Robert Knepper, this sequel to the 2012 hit JACK REACHER was directed by Edward Zwick, who Tom worked with in THE LAST SAMURAI.

NEVER GO BACK was a different type of action movie than is predecessor. In the first movie, which also starred Tom Cruise, the action seemed to flow from start to finish; Jack was a force to be reckoned with and he knew what was going to happen before his adversaries did. In NEVER GO BACK, it was the opposite. There were times Jack seemed unsure of what he was doing, or how to handle a particular situation. He didn’t have that all-knowing persona that I liked in the first movie.

Ben Affleck is an actor I probably ride harder than I should. He’s certainly not bad. I thought he was easily the best part of BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, but I suppose that’s not the strongest endorsement. Seriously, though, he’s quite capable of great performances and his ability behind the lens may even be better. Sadly, he was not behind the lens for THE ACCOUNTANT.

(story submitted by Ronald Green)

"Stranger" is good for Marvel's upcoming movie DOCTOR STRANGE as it now banks on the comic book panels that fans have loved since the 60s.

DOCTOR STRANGE's first few teasers were a bit perplexing because the director seems to have taken his inspiration from Christopher Nolan's INCEPTION. Bending cities have so far been the theme of the previous DOCTOR STRANGE teaser clips. Now, it would seem that the creators have decided to show that the movie will be sticking to its roots; the Doctor Strange that Steve Ditko created.

Below is the latest DOCTOR STRANGE clip.

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, with Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel are producing, with John Knoll and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opens in U.S. theaters on December 16, 2016.

Rod Lurie wrote and directed the widely praised Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-nominated political thriller THE CONTENDER, which took the first-ever Alan J. Pakula Award. For the small screen, Lurie also created the series COMMANDER IN CHIEF, which was nominated for the Best Drama Series Golden Globe, and for which Geena Davis won the Best Actress Golden Globe for her depiction of the first female president of the United States.

Lurie's latest project is the made-for-television movie, KILLING REAGAN, based off the book of the same name by FOX News commentator Bill O'Reilly, which airs Saturday, October 16, on the National Geographic channel.

Bill O'Reilly's book, KILLING REAGAN, is done in a very "outside looking in" documentary style. How is the film going to be in comparison -- a documentary style or a more traditional dramatic reenactment?

Tarzan. There are so few legends sprung up from American literature that are so rich with potential as the story of John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, orphaned infant raised by apes in the jungles of Africa. And there are so few moviegoers who really know much beyond the Ron Ely and Johnny Weissmuller films of bygone days. Not many know the Tarzan who learned to read English from a primer but speak French from a jungle explorer.

I'll give Director David Yates and his writers this credit -- they at least tried to put as much of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character as they could into THE LEGEND OF TARZAN -- and they couldn't have cast a better Tarzan than TRUE BLOOD's Alexander Skarsgård for sheer rippling abs combined with a gentle voice.

Last night, I committed a cardinal sin. 

I watched the movie without having read the book first. 

I know, I know. After years of shaming Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Hunger Games fans who said they didn't need to read the books because they saw the movies, I became a culprit. Although I still might check out the book because I really enjoyed the story. 

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is a thriller of GONE GIRL proportions. The story focuses on three women:

There will be more references made to the original animated movie than Rafiki can shake a stick at, but with news that Jon Favreau (THE JUNGLE BOOK) is directing a live action update of The LION KING, I am pouncing out of my skin!

It only seemed like a natural progression with the success of THE JUNGLE BOOK, especially if you leapt out of your seat while Mowgli rode on the back of a wildebeast. I got excited and then my heart sank as I thought of that memorable scene where Mufasa died trying to save Simba.

Too soon. It will always be too soon to revisit that emotional moment.

There is no reason we can't get Jeremy Irons and James Earl Jones to reprise their roles as Scar and Mufasa respectively. And heck, even Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon and Pumba are capable of jumping into the fray.

Based on the debut novel by Ransom Riggs, MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN tells the story of a young teen named Jacob Portman (Asa Butterfield, ENDER’S GAME) who, through and from his grandfather Abe (Terence Stamp), discovers clues to a mystery that spans time itself, leading him to a magical, mysterious place called Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children...and it is here that the mystery and the danger deepens and escalates as he comes to grip with who he is, who his grandfather was, and who Miss Peregrine and the extraordinary “peculiar” children are.

I found this to be a very interesting movie on several levels. For one, it was sort of like the X-Men, sort of like The Avengers, sort of like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, sort of like Harry Potter, sort of like Beetlejuice, and sort of like Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, all in one.