Movies

I could use clichéd terms like “mesmerizing,” “stunning,” and “incredible” to describe Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial effort, “American Sniper.” They would be fitting adjectives, but they wouldn’t quite do the film justice. You see, Clint Eastwood doesn’t make bad movies. He makes near-perfect movies, each one simple and straightforward in presentation, yet featuring complete and complex characters. The man is a living legend, just like Chris Kyle, the subject of this challenging but wholly worthwhile film was during his service to his country.

I could tell you about my thoughts... but you're only going to scroll down past these words and view it anyway.

Anyway, Marvel has released the latest trailer for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, a trailer that's been almost as hotly anticipated as the movie itself. And do we learn anything new? Maybe. It appears that Ultron may have the capability of controlling some of the heroes -- or, maybe not. Who is he going to take down from the inside out? How does he get Thor to attack Tony Stark? How does he get Hulk to battle Iron Man? Is it some bizarre kind of AI nanotechnology? Is it the Soul Gem put into his possession by Thanos?

Share your favorite conspiracies in our comments section. And enjoy the trailer! It's just going to make the time between now and May 1 seem that much longer.

Joaquin Phoenix. Benicio Del Toro. Josh Brolin. Reese Witherspoon. Martin Short. Sounds like a cast that could be quite entertaining, doesn’t it? You have Oscar candidates and winners here, established star power. Add director Paul Thomas Anderson of “Boogie Nights” fame and a script based on a novel by popular author Thomas Pynchon. This has “can’t miss Hollywood blockbuster” written all over it, right?

This understated indie film starts off slow, but develops in short order into a startling and disturbing series of twisted twists.

Sue (Mackenzie Davis, THAT AWKWARD MOMENT) is a girl of books, and she's preparing to head off to college. Her close friend Bobby (Jeremy Allen White, SHAMELESS) is going with her, but that's a secret few people in the town know. They are leaving behind the third person in their troupe, B.J. (Logan Huffman, V), who decides he's going to see the two of them off with a wild night of partying and a bundle of cash he's saved up.

There have been several disaster movies that rely on "signs and wonders" as a plot device, but few as hokey as ZODIAC: SIGNS OF THE APOCALYPSE.

An archeological dig uncovers an ancient stone machine harboring a stone of unmeasurable energy. The machine is geared to the twelve signs of the zodiac, the orbit of the eight planets -- and the eliptical orbit of the mysterious planet Nebiru. Professor Neil Martin (Joel Gretsch) is brought in to help understand the device, and he brings along his shy teenaged son, Colin (Reilly Dolman). Martin unlocks the device, landing the stone inside in the hands of Kathryn Keen (Emily Holmes) and her government bosses, starting with Agent Woodward (Aaron Douglas). They also end up rescuing Sophie (Andrea Brooks), who was the assistant on the last mission to the dig, who got buried in a cave-in.

Anything can happen in the woods.. but not enough.

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods is a fantasy film for those who love a humorous musical with witty lyrics and powerful themes that will stick with you after the movie is over. Director Rob Marshall (who also directed the Academy Award winning Chicago)  does a good job bringing a fairytale landscape with larger than life characters to the big screen.  Despite the pacing and disjointed storylines during the second half of the film, the outstanding vocal performances make this a movie I’d like to see again.   This magical story intertwines multiple Grimm fairy tales with a story of The Baker (James Corden) and The Baker’s Wife (Emily Blunt) who are trying to lift a spell cast by The Witch (Meryl Streep).

From the folks who brought us the thoughtful comedy MOMS' NIGHT OUT and the inspirational GOD'S NOT DEAD comes a dramatic character-driven film, DO YOU BELIEVE?

This follow-up movie to 2010’s much acclaimed THE TRIP reunites Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, this time on a culinary tour of Italy at the request of Director Michael Winterbottom. One might call it a tour-de-farce.

Peter Jackson is a talented director, but he’s got to know when to say when. After seeing to “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” I’ve now spent almost a full 24 hour day (including the extended cuts of the original Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the two previous Hobbit films) in his vision of J. R. R. Tolkien’s  Middle Earth. For the most part, it’s been enjoyable. The Hobbit, just off the top of my head, is probably less than a fifth as long as the Lord of the Rings epic, and yet it takes nearly as long to tell cinematically. If you’re a regular reader of mine you can probably predict where I’m going with this: Less is more.

Jeanine (Kate Winslet) has "the box." Now what does she plan on doing with it, and what does it have to do with the Divergents? Tris (Shailene Woodley) and her allies are about to find out, because Jeanine needs the right Divergent to open the box.

This trailer for the Summit Entertainment film from Director Robert Schwentke has a lot of action shots in it: people making split-second timed jumps, things exploding, glass shattering. There's even some intriguing plot bits here, and a huge vista of dystopic scenery. But is that going to be enough to see a resurgence (see what I did there?) in viewer interest, after DIVERGENT's less-than-stellar reviews? We'd love to know what you think. Use the Disqus comment section below and help us gauge whether INSURGENT is going to be better, worse or the same as DIVERGENT after you check out the trailer below.

Christmas time is here, and with it yet another excuse for a useless list that nobody will ever agree with -- at least, not wholeheartedly.

I don't care. It's my list, and if it does anything at all, maybe it will get people talking. That's why we have the Disqus comments section, so that people can offer alternatives.

There are countless Christmas movies out there, but so few of them are ones that guys can watch and retain their self-respect. (Trust me, if you get caught watching THE CHRISTMAS SHOES at an emotional moment, you may as well consign your testicles to your wife, because you've just subscribed to a year of watching Lifetime movies with her.) So presented here are our Top Nine Movies for Guys Who Hate Christmas Movies.

Why Top Nine and not Top Ten? Because of the classic line from "The Twelve Days of Christmas" -- Nine Ladies Dancing! And here are our nine dancing ladies to introduce each title.

You're welcome.

For a good portion of Americans these days, when you mention Arnold Schwarzenegger, images of Conan the Barbarian, a killer cyborg from the future, an action hero or an aging California politician come to mind. Few, I would bet, remember him prior to all that when, in his prime, he ruled the world of professional bodybuilding with a dominance that made him a legend. Oh, sure, you may remember him as being big and muscular, but do you remember just how big, muscular and defined he was?

PUMPING IRON is a documentary movie, narrated by Charles Gains, the author of the book “Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding,” chronicling the Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions of 1975. Released now in Digital HD, the movie gives new life to the legend that is “Arnold.”

Legend has it that whomever you kiss on New Year's Eve is who you'll be with the rest of the year.

Set the stage for romance with that perfect someone with some of these all-time best romantic comedies.

1. Four Weddings and a Funeral

The casting was amazing for this film. It is fun, unsuspecting and was a great introduction to Hugh Grant’s comedic brilliance, as well as many funny co-stars with a A+ script.

2. A Life Less Ordinary

Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz are huge talents that are under-rated. This movie is unpredictable, unusual, and funny.

3.  My Best Friend’s Wedding

Hilarious and light. I loved the storyline, casting, and especially the comedic talent of Cameron Diaz. A lot of situational comedy that is second to none.

4.  As Good as it Gets

Stop me if you've heard this one before: There's a rather quirky gentleman with unkempt hair who wears a floppy frock coat. He's on the run from a council of his peers who see things in a more serious and sinister way than he does, so he steals a conveyance that's little more than a big blue box that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside and lands in the countryside and gets a couple of young people to assist him in avoiding notice by tall, bulky mechanical men who issue threats in an electronic voice.

(Pinewood Studios, UK) - On Thursday, 4th December at 11:00am GMT (3:00am PST; 6:00am EST) Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment will present a live announcement and photo call from the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios. The title and cast of the 24th Bond film will be revealed, marking the start of principal photography on Monday 8th December. A global audience will be able to watch the announcement live via a web stream at www.007.com.

The video frame below will begin live streaming the announcement beginning at 5:50am EST through 6:15am EST. That's a narrow window, so all you American Bond fans will have to be early risers.

A long time ago, in a theater far (but not too far) away, a ten-year-old future movie reviewer fired imaginary lasers from the armrests of his fold-down crush-velvet seat, while the Millenium Falcon evaded the forces of the Empire. (Best. Birthday. Ever.) That little boy was disheartened years later to encounter Jar-Jar Binks, but is giddy once again after seeing this very brief teaser for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS.

As enticing as the sands of Tatooine are in the opening sequence, as chuckle-worthy as the runaway droid is during the middle, and as cool as it is to see X-Wing fighters skimming along the surface of some body of water, it's the final scene of this trailer that is going to have STAR WARS fans from here all the way back to May 25, 1977 cheering in anticipation.

Check out the teaser below and let us know your comments!

It's not enough to use genetic engineering to bring back to life the dinosaurs of the past. Now the good doctors at the dinosaur theme park have managed to create a "genetically modified hybrid." Let me agree with generic action hero on this: "Probably not a good idea."

While the story may seem more than familiar, there's no denying the special effects give JURASSIC WORLD a visual appeal. The long distance shots, the "riding my giant hamster ball with dinosaurs" scene, the pregnant silent pause during the use of a shark as bait... even the telegraphed foreshadowing from another Spielberg mom that bookends the trailer, as simple as it is, makes me want to see this film on a big screen. Even the music is just the right kind of haunting pianissimo to understate the suspense while building it.

Check out the trailer for JURASSIC WORLD below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

It's hard to explain where fanaticism develops, but for anybody who has experienced it, they can commiserate on how it feels. They understand the planting of this seed and how it grows, burns, and consumes, driving people to follow something. When most people think of extremely passionate people, they automatically think of “nerds” or “geeks”. But, frankly speaking, everybody experiences fanaticism, whether it's being a football fan and buying a player's jersey or going to the shoe store three times a week for just “one more pair” of boots.

MOCKINGJAY PART 1 is the continuing story of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and is the 3^rd movie adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy of books written by Suzanne Collins. The film picks up where CATCHING FIRE left off, without very much time lapse in between. Katniss wakes up in District 13 (the district below ground that was always thought to exist, and which no one -- not even President Snow -- knew where) after surviving the Quarter Quell, saving the life of her partner, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and seemingly putting an end to the Hunger Games for good.