War comes in final trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse

It seems as though 20th Century Fox and their Marvel camp is gearing up for a successful summer with the release of the final trailer for the next installment in the X-Men film series. The X-men have always been my favorite team in the superhero genre ever since the fan favorite animated television series of the 1990's. The films, first starting with X-Men in 2000, have been successful and gone through a prequel reboot with X-Men: First Class in 2011 and building on the groundwork from the original trilogy. As I've stated before, I do my best to not be blinded by my fandom. I was fan with a reboot after the critical disappointment of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The reboot/prequel films have both been met with critical success from both newcomers to the series and long time fans of the mutant team. 

Now the team is set to return in the sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse. 

In this film, Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-men, including the younger versions of fan favorite characters Jean Grey (Game of Thrones Sophie Turner) and Scott Summers (Mud's Tye Sheridan), against the first and most powerful mutant of all, Apocalypse (Star Wars: The Force Awakens Oscar Isaac) when he sets his sights on destroying humanity and building a better world. The immortal mutant will not be alone as he is assisted by four "horsemen", including Xavier's former best friend, Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender). 

The trailer does display some new footage, including some scenes that include another fan favorite Ororo Munroe/Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and the returning Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who discovers his mutant lineage. But you'll really be surprised by another returning favorite; possibly the most popular X-man of them all and definitely the glue of the entire X-Men film universe.

It looks as though Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will be joining the battle. Right now, the extent and level of his involvement in this film is unknown. Wolverine was last seen in Days of Future Past being pulled out of the Potomac and is taken into custody by Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique, masquerading as the nefarious William Stryker (Josh Helman). Helman is also scheduled to return but whether or not it'll be Mystique or not will be revealed. 

Either way, it'll be great to see Jackman again before his final Wolverine solo film next year. I like this trailer and it has convinced me to see this film (I wasn't going to debate seeing it anyway after this length of time and involvement with these characters) but I will go in there with level expectations.

Please leave any comments about this post and any other posts and I'll reply as soon as possible.

X-men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27.

The Bare Necessities are still entertaining in the live remake of The Jungle Book

I think it is safe to say that no major studio has been firing on all cylinders than Disney lately. With the creative and successful resurrection of Star Wars, the continuing dominance of the Marvel films, and the continued genius of Pixar, the Mouse House has somewhat quietly been rummaging around in the back of its celluloid closet to give their animated classics an up-to-date live action makeover. Last year, director Kenneth Branagh splashed a fresh coat of colorful paint onto the Disney Princess classic Cinderella (a huge assist can be given to Helena Bonham Carter's enchanting Fairy Godmother and Cate Blanchett's cruel, wicked stepmother). Last weekend, it was The Jungle Book's turn in the live-action rotation; who would have guessed that it would turn into one of the biggest surprises of 2016.

The Jungle Book, based on books by Rudyard Kipling, stars the endearing 12-year-old Neel Sethi as Mowgli, the enthusiastic, chatty "man-cub" who was raised in the wild by a pack of wolves by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) and Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o) after a fatherly black panther named Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) found him as an abandoned toddler. Mowgli was nurtured according to the communal code of the wolfpack and lives in peaceful harmony with the other animals of the jungle until a vengeful tiger, Shere Khan (Idris Elba with his east London-accented menace), comes looking for him. It turns out that Khan's scars are from burns from the "red flower" (the animals' term for fire) once wielded by Mowgli's father. He wants the boy handed over as tooth-for-a-tooth payback, otherwise the other jungle inhabitants will learn about the dark lesson in the circle of life.

In order to protect Mowgli, Bagherra decides to take him back to his people. Typically, things go awry along the way. Mowgli gets caught in the crushing embrace of a giant snake named Kaa (seductively voiced by Scarlett Johansson) before he falls in with a lazy, honey-loving, con-artist bear, Baloo (Bill Murray, delivering at his what-me-worry comic relief best), and then runs afoul of a tyrannical, Kong-sized ape  named King Louie (Christopher Walken, channeling both Jabba the Hutt and Don Corleone). All of the voices are not just great - it's perfect. The way that what's coming out of their mouths syncs up with the way their mouths move. It's the first animal talking movie where CGI seamlessly bridges the uncanny gap between fantasy and reality.

Directed by Jon Favreau, director of the first two Iron Man films, The Jungle Book is a tender and rollicking story that manages to lightly touch on some grown-up themes about man's destructive power and the loss of youthful innocence but not losing sight that this film is first and foremost a kids adventure - though this is definitely one that might be too scary and intense for younger kids. Looking back, I'm not sure if I had a huge problem with the film but I did have a minor one - and I do mean a minor one - is that this film needed to just be too faithful to its animated original. The difference between this adaptation and Cinderella is that the musical numbers from the princess's first animated did not make it into the live action remake. A pair of musical numbers (Baloo's "Bear Necessities" and Louie's "I Wanna Be Like You") came out of nowhere and stopped the momentum of the film. I had no problem with them but I feel like their were infused in for soundtrack purposes, especially for the fans of the original animated product. Overall, Favreau's Jungle Book is a wall-to-wall pleasure and shot beautifully, solidifying his place as a bankable director.

You Know His Name: Matt Damon reminds you in first action packed trailer for 'Jason Bourne'

There are certain roles that just seem meant or tailor made for certain actors. Sean Connery will always be James Bond. Harrison Ford will always be Indiana Jones and Han Solo. Matt Damon falls into this category as amnesiac spy, Jason Bourne. After the conclusion of 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, it was unsure if Matt Damon would return as the lethal spy, claiming that he would not be interested in the role again because Damon saw Bourne's story being over.

Then news started to surface from there of Matt Damon looking to return with director Paul Greengrass for a fourth film but then reports floated of Greengrass looking for a new challenge, Damon not wanting to do the film without the director, and more put the film's future into limbo. In 2012, a new chapter was written in the series with The Bourne Legacy, starring pre-Avenger Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War). The sequel was met with mixed reviews but more Bourne films were planned with the sequel of Legacy being the plan forward.

Then came the announcement that Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass were returning. And here is a glimpse of what's to come from the duo.

From the trailer, it looks as though Jason Bourne has been hiding in the shadows since the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, avoiding detection. But something seems to draw him out and whatever Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) tells him bring Bourne back into the limelight. From looking at this trailer, it looks as though they are setting Bourne into the current, turbulent times that we currently live in with cyber warfare and economic upheaval. Given the current environment we are living in now, it seems it has hardened Jason Bourne and made him more ruthless when it comes to righting this world's wrongs.

Along with the two series mainstays of Damon and Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive, Captain America: The First Avenger), Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winner Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), and Vincent Cassel (Black Swan) joined the cast in the spy sequel. It may have been nine years since Matt Damon has been Bourne but given the scene of him tearing apart the Las Vegas Strip, the spy has not lost his touch.

Jason Bourne bursts into theaters on July 29, 2016.

Return to the Wizarding World with 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'

In case you missed the MTV Movie Awards (I forget they have these awards sometimes, considering it's MTV), Eddie Redmayne was on hand to debut some brand new footage in the official trailer for J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter prequel. The Oscar-winning actor spoke about the "most astounding time" he and the cast had in making this film. There is nothing better than an actor admitting he had fun during filming a movie and actually looking as though they mean it. So here is the new preview:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them documents the adventures of Newt Scamander in New York City in the 1920's and the wizarding community in America. From what we have seen in this preview, the American wizarding world is quite different from its modern, British counterpart. In this trailer, we get a little bit of Scamander's background that he was expelled from Hogwarts due to endangering human life, despite Albus Dumbledore's disagreement. We see Scamander arrive at Ellis Island, carrying the briefcase that seems to contains dangerous creatures. Thankfully, he is able to set it to "Muggle-worthy" before the inspector examines it. We also know that briefcase will not remain closed forever because some creatures will get out and we are given glimpses of them. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set to be the first film in a new trilogy of films penned by Rowling so we will see where this magical adventure will take us. The film, which also stars Katherine Watson, Colin Farrell, and Ezra Miller, is set to open in theaters on November 18. 

The Suicide Squad Blitz shows an insane, action packed final trailer

Now after the commercial and worldwide financial success of Dawn of Justice, despite the huge drop off after its opening weekend, Warner Bros is prepared to unveil their next step in expanding their cinematic universe with the villains of that world. The previous trailers have introduced the roster for Task Force X and during the MTV Movie Awards a few says back, the stars of the movie introduced a new trailer...along with a possible fun soundtrack blended into the insane action.

The trailer, now known as the Blitz trailer, sees Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), the government official with ties to Belle Reve prison, informing a meeting of government officials that a team of imprisoned villains to execute a covert mission in exchange for leniency. If they fail, the government disavows the team and takes no blame for their actions. The sneak peek also features an extended look at the misadventures of the "worst heroes ever," with more of Jared Leto's Joker, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, and Will Smith's Deadshot. We even get a bigger glimpse of Ben Affleck as Batman and the Batmobile. It's unknown how big of a role the Dark Knight will play against the villainous team. It wouldn't be right to have the Joker around and the Batman not to make an appearance. 

The remaining cast of comic book characters features Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and others. 

I will see this super villain flick when it comes out but like Dawn of Justice, I will keep my expectations level or low enough. I see this film as DC's answer to Marvel's successful Guardians of the Galaxy, especially with the entertaining and classic music building off of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the first full trailer, the new trailer includes Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me" and Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz." Again, it feels like DC is trying to bank on the success that Marvel found with their band of intergalactic outlaws, especially with the inclusion of golden oldies in their trailers. We will all see. 

Suicide Squad enters theaters into August 5.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe gets Mystical with 'Doctor Strange' Teaser Trailer.

Good evening, everyone! I'm sorry that I've been away so long but just going through some life things; we all know how that can be. But we have do have a lot to cover that I haven't posted or covered so let's get it going.

As everyone knows, I'm a superhero fan. I love the way it has broken into the main stream and become a bigger part of pop culture now. Leading the charge is Marvel Studios and its Marvel Cinematic Universe. While DC works to establish their universe in the next few years with their slate of films, Marvel continues to dig deep into its superhero roster, bringing forth one of the more iconic and underrated heroes in Marvel Comics' history.

Doctor Strange is the origin story of Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a world famous neurosurgeon, who is badly injured in a car accident that ruins his career. With nowhere to turn, Strange sets out on a journey of healing, where he encounters the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). She takes on the role of mentor to Strange in the mystic arts, opening a door for the good Doctor to enter a world of magic.

Not a lot is known about Doctor Strange (which I'm going to research through any comic books and graphic novels) by the general public but I'm sure that will change between now and November. From the trailer, we see Strange before and after his accident, traveling the world in the aftermath, and encountering the Ancient One. From there, his soul is pushed out of his body and we are taken on a quick journey from the world Strange will encounter. From New York to Nepal, this movie seems more world-traveling, incorporating some special effects from Christopher Nolan's Inception. Overall, this film will open another door for the Marvel Universe that has only been knocked on a few times as far as different worlds beyond our own.

It might be another risk for Marvel Studios but at this point, they can afford to take the risk because of the trust fans have in them. Along with Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton, this film also stars Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen as the main antagonist of the film.

Open your mind when Doctor Strange arrives on November 4, 2016.

The Star Wars Universe grows with 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe was birthed with the first Iron Man film in 2008, it has been the blueprint standard as far as establishing a solid universe of interconnecting films and television shows to fill in the blanks between the silver screen blockbusters. But the Star Wars saga started it with the original trilogy, books, and prequel trilogy. Now with the sequel trilogy beginning with last year's mega-hit, The Force Awakens, Disney and Lucasfilm will release a new solo film: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The official premise of the film reveals that it'll focus on a rogue band of rebellion fighters who unite for a daring but dangerous mission to steal the Death Star plans and bringing them to the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the Galactic Empire.

This is the first of the standalone films in the Star Wars Anthology, a series of stand-alone films, acting as origin stories. President of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, has stated before that these films will not crossover with the films of the sequel trilogy. These stories exist in the vast universe that George Lucas created many years ago. This film takes place in the time before Episode IV: A New Hope so it provides the back story for the Rebel Alliance before we meet Han, Luke, and Leia. From this short teaser, Rogue One looks to be an epic introduction into some new characters and a story that fans want to see in connection with the main tales that we love.

For a teaser, it does a good job of introducing the main heroine, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), along with the rest of the team that accompany her on the mission, including Forest Whitaker. The shadow of the Galactic Empire is heavy and established in the universe; the Death Star almost near complete in its construction. As far as any familiar characters, the only I can see and might expect to see is Darth Vader but we shall see if the Sith Lord will show up against this Rebel group

As a Star Wars fan, I am very excited about this film. Maybe the next trailer will show more but time will tell.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story flies into theaters on December 16, 2016.