Movie Preview: Interstellar

     It's certainly difficult to keep track of the comings and goings in Hollywood but I do my best to keep track while maintaining a full time job. There have been more previews that have been released and streaming into theaters but I hope to show some of the ones that none of my followers have seen yet. 

     With that being said, I'm bringing you a new preview from one of my favorite directors. Christopher Nolan has established himself in the Hollywood big budget film club with his movies but unlike other big directors, Nolan separates himself by bringing his own twist to a film. Whether it be a pop culture fictional hero (The Dark Knight Trilogy) or a smart and imaginative science fiction thriller (Inception), Nolan has been known to present fantastic films to audiences. 

     This year, Christopher Nolan brings us another original science fiction film. 

     Interstellar is a a science fiction film where a group of explorers make use of a newly discovered wormhole in order to surpass the limitations of human space travel. This film boasts an all-star cast with Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), and Michael Caine (The Dark Knight Trilogy) leading the way. 

     Like with all of Nolan's films, he has kept this film under wraps so there have been no reveals to spoil audiences but I can imagine that no one will be disappointed. 

     Interstellar voyages into theaters on November 7, 2014.

Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

     So I'm a little late making this post but the movie was so good that I had to see it twice! I'm not joking, this movie was everything I thought it would be when it was announced. While I'm not sure if I would give it the title of "Best Superhero Movie Ever", it certainly ranks up there with The Avengers. The X-Men movie franchise was the start of the superhero movie craze of the new millennium when the first movie hit theaters in 2000. And now, fourteen years later and a reboot later, Days of Future Past breathes new life into the franchise.

     X-Men: Days of Future Past takes one of the X-Men's best stories and brings its own version to the silver screen. In the future, the mutant race is teetering towards extinction, being hunted by the Sentinels. The surviving members of the X-Men send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) into the past and bring a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) together to change history and stop an event that will spark a war that will threaten both humans and mutants.

     I had all the confidence in the actors of the film and how they would all mesh together. The original X-Men cast (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, and Shawn Ashmore) did a wonderful job portraying the war-weary heroes, fighting for their survival. You could feel their hope slipping and desperation to save the world, going far enough to suggest a risky attempt at time travel. The movie did a wonderful job of balancing the survival fight between the past and the future, not an easy job when it comes to time-travel films. Bryan Singer did a great job in his return to the franchise, keeping the action fast paced and audiences intrigued as the climax of the film was getting closer and you weren't sure how everything would work out.  

     Hugh Jackman once again dominates as the protagonist of the entire series, Wolverine. Wolverine was chosen for the time travel trip because of his healing factor which makes him ageless. His consciousness was sent back in time to his younger body in order to reach Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr. Jackman was flawless playing Wolverine again for the seventh time, greeting the audience with the violent and wise-cracking hero. Jackman shows his comfort in playing Wolverine like it is a part of his personality that he's always had. 

     Wolverine is sent back to the 1970s, ten years after the events of X-Men: First Class. When Logan arrives in the past, we see that a lot has changed. James McAvoy did a wonderful play portraying the lost and broken Charles Xavier, hope completely dashed from the future leader of the X-Men. Jennifer Lawrence was stunningly sexy and dangerous as Mystique, showing a less innocent character than we were introduced to during First Class. Michael Fassbender delivered once again as the younger Magneto, showing that the mutant's fight for mutant superiority always tops his loyalties. This is contradicted by the older Magneto who joined Xavier with the mutant race close to annihilation.

     Along with old friends and their younger counterparts, audiences are introduced to new mutants in the future such as Blink (Fan Bingbing), Sunspot (Adan Canto), and fan favorite Bishop (Omar Sy). Another fan favorite made his appearance as Evan Peters plays the swift runner Quicksilver. Quicksilver was exactly how every fan might imagine him; quick talking and quick moving while the rest of us are moving in slow motion around him. This is proven during one of the best scenes in the movie (you'll know it when you see it).  With a great ensemble cast, the return of Bryan Singer to the X-Men director's chair, and an excellent story, this film has the X-Men film series looking forwards towards a bright future. 

     I highly recommend this top contender for movie of the Summer. Please survive the credits (It's a Marvel movie, you don't leave during the credits!) and, overall, enjoy the movie!

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Marvel Cinematic Universe travels into space

     The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to expand from Earth and into the far, dark reaches of space. As if the universe could not get bigger, this upcoming movie will take superheroes into a different direction and show that the Marvel universe can go beyond The Avengers. Yesterday, the official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy was released into our world. 

      In Guardians of The Galaxy, an American pilot named Peter Quill (Pratt) finds himself hunted after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan (Pace). In order to evade Ronan, Quill is forced to create an uneasy alliance with galactic outlaws including Gamora (Saldana), Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). When Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the threat it presents, he must rally his team for a last stand to save the galaxy. 

     This film could be a huge risk for the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it is fair to remember that the universe started with a risk when Iron Man was brought to the silver screen. It also stars Benicio del Toro as The Collector, whom we were introduced to in Thor: The Dark World. This shows that this film will have a link to the already established world that The Avengers have shaped. Might we have an Avengers-Guardians team up sometime soon? I suppose time will tell. 

     Guardians of the Galaxy blasts into theaters on August 1.

Movie Review: Neighbors

     Since the release of the classic comedy Old School, comedies have changed up their style to be more raunchy, pushing the envelope and becoming less predictable. All in all, they provide the comedy that some members of the audience need in their lives. This summer's first comedy does just that. Starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron (yes, that Zac Efron), Neighbors brings on the wonderful balance of shocking behavior and delightful humor.

     Mac Radner (Rogen) and his wife Kelly (Rose Byrne) have the picture perfect adult life; a steady job, a home, and a child. Their perfect adult world is disrupted when a fraternity moves into the house next door, led by its president, Teddy (Efron). Living next to a fraternity house is not that bad until the parties start disrupting the lives of the couple and the stakes get raised as the battle for the neighborhood begins between these neighbors.

     I was a little worried when I heard about Zac Efron's casting in this movie because when I think of him, I still see Disney and High School Musical. If you still have that idea in your mind when this movie because he embraces the stereotypical role of a fraternity president: handsome, stylish, party person, and a complete "bro". It reminded me fondly of seeing those guys on campus when I was a college student. I was very impressed with the energy that Efron brought to the role and completely breaking free from that young Disney star. He matched up well against Rogan's parent role. 

     It wouldn't be a Seth Rogan movie without his character getting in on some of the fun. Despite the fact that his character is supposed to be a mature family man, Radner took the fight to the fraternity by doing his best to fit in and play by their rules. From sabotaging the frat house to turning the neighborhood against the students to a final battle against Teddy, Radner proves that he can still hang with guys younger than him. You could really tell that Rogan had fun making this film and enjoyed working with Efron the whole time. 

     When you first look at this film, you would think that it's another insane comedy straight for the start with Seth Rogen's voice over before the first scene (I'm not going to spoil that for you all!). As the film starts to pick up and the fraternity comes into play, there is an underlying message under all of the hilarious acts and suggestive humor. Watching Rogan and Efron's characters, it shows that when college is over and real life begins, you can't go back to re-live or re-do your youthful glory days. Thinking about it is one thing but trying it when you are past the appropriate age is another. Despite the fact of how young I am, I know there are some things that I could do when I was going onto twenty that I can't do now...or is it that I don't choose to. I don't know. 

     Bottom line, if you are looking for a good laugh in the early part of the summer, I recommend going to see Neighbors. Catch you all soon with my review of the much anticipated X-Men: Days of Future Past.

     

   

Movie Review - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

     It's officially May and that means that the Summer Movie Season has begun. There are a big slate of films ready to entertain and thrill us during this exciting season filled and we opened the summer films with a superhero sequel.

     In 2012, audiences were reintroduced to one of the all-time great superheroes ever as the Spider-Man franchise was rebooted. Sending the web-slinger back to high school to tell his origin story, Spider-Man returned with a younger cast, a more character-driven story, and the thrilling action of taking on larger than life villains. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens up the Spider-Man universe as our hero's life changes.

     The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finds Peter fully embracing his role as Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) while attempting to balance that responsibility along with preparing for his post-high school life as Peter Parker alongside his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). An obsessed fan of the wall-crawler named Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) suffers an accident that created the shockingly powerful villain, Electro, but that is the least of Spidey's concerns as secrets are revealed and events change his world forever. 

     I will say this film does a good job in opening up the Spider-Man universe, building the foundation for the franchise to stand on its own two feet. More characters from the Spider-Man's world were introduced and if you are a fan of the wall-crawler, you will catch their names instantly. One of the big characters that audiences will be reintroduced to is Harry Osborn, played by the talented Dane DeHaan. While it was good to introduce these characters into the universe, like most superhero sequels, I think it suffered from having an overabundance of characters. The cast was amazing but I think this film suffered from trying to go bigger and better and adding more challenges for the hero.

     One of the bright points of this film is the chemistry of real-life couple Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Their chemistry was a good foundation for the film to stand on as the film shifted focus between Spider-Man's enemies and Peter and Gwen's relationship. Because this film is set during Peter's younger years, it had to have its share of teen angst and the struggles of growing up while maintaining a relationship at the same time but I will say that it's a strong point. Andrew Garfield does a good job as the hero, particularly as the wise-cracking, spandex wearing superhero. He does his best work with the struggle of his character between his normal life and his alter-ego. Emma Stone brings her A-game as always, playing the talented and intelligent Gwen Stacy.

     Peter's past with his parents, his present as Spider-Man, and his future were intertwined in this film as his character arc continues on to the next film. The producers and creative minds at Sony have to be proud of this film because of what this film started as far as creating a story arc that will arch over into the next sequel along with smaller, unresolved, character arcs. While the plot does get tied up with the multiple villain strands, the main plot does help this film become more stronger on emotion than its predecessor. Despite having too many villains and too much going on during some moments, this film is a wonderful installment and helps bring optimism to the next installment in the franchise. 

     I won't tease anything for you, my readers. All I will tell you is to go see the movie to start your Summer Movie Season off in the right way.