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.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Movie Review

Well, you all know what the #1 movie in the world is. I was going to write this review a day or two ago but I had to do two things first: 1) let my initial reaction settle and 2) see the movie again. I have done both and sadly, my opinion has wavered very little. So let's get this started.

Let me get this out of the way first: I didn't hate the movie; but I didn't love or completely like it. Batman V Superman opens up with the Battle of Metropolis with Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) witnessing the destruction caused by Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod during Man of Steel. Two years later, Superman is praised as a hero but seen as a figure of controversy due to his God-like powers and answering for the devastation he caused. Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Bruce Wayne has taken up the mantle of Batman once again, his sights set on the Man of Steel because he blames him for what happened in Metropolis. On the other side, Superman's alter-ego, Clark Kent, sees Batman as dangerous, seeking to expose him. 

Let's go through what I found great about this film. First, Ben Affleck's performance as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Warner Bros did a superb job tagging Affleck as the older, more world-weary Bruce Wayne. He did a great job, channeling Wayne's detective skills and charisma. Jeremy Irons portrayed a great version of Alfred, who was more of a mechanic this time around but still the voice of reason for Master Wayne. The visuals were spectacular as always for a Zach Snyder film; the action scenes well choreographed, especially with the ultimate battle between the two iconic heroes. I will admit that I was hesitant and skeptical about Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman but her performance was another standout in this dark superhero epic (more on that later). Her past experience in Israeli military assisted her in the performance as the Amazon Warrior, who we do see in action. The first live screen shot of the DC Trilogy was amazing to just sit and watch. It was a moment nearly 75 years in the making. 

Now, among these islands of potential and greatness, there are oceans of mistakes and missed opportunities. First of all, the Man of Steel himself. I think this was the first time that I was annoyed with Superman; or more of how he was portrayed this time. Superman seemed to be in conflict majority of the film, trying to appease to the world and still doing what he must to protect the world. What really hurt the film was the overall plot. It was so disjointed and felt rushed with Snyder and his writing team missed out on a huge opportunity to tell a great story, losing the chance to create a beating heart to this epic. This film felt like Snyder just did this to appeal to the fans. The lack of humor, even dry humor, was weird. It was though nothing could lighten the mood in this world. 

Next, Jesse Eisenberg as a young Lex Luthor. I didn't like this version of the evil, millennial, super-villain and Eisenberg performance was very weak, making Luthor more of a mad scientist type, not the super genius villain that fans are used to. Speaking of other characters, fans knew that with Wonder Woman arriving, the rest of the Justice League should not be far behind. We do see the other founding members of the League with the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg making cameo appearances; very unnecessary cameo appearances but the served the purpose of setting up the future films of the DC Cinematic Universe. 

Overall, I will not discourage anyone from seeing this film but it would be best to keep your expectations level. This film is decent and had an opportunity to be great. In my opinion, DC tried too hard to catch up to Marvel's already established universe. Now, DC's universe is set up and Snyder along with the rest of the Warner Bros team needs to focus on the upcoming 2-part Justice League film because DC still has a lot of ground to make up to improve on this dark superhero film, which was smothered by its special effects and weak plot.

Only The Strong Will Survive in new X-Men: Apocalypse trailer

It seems to be the time for new trailers for the upcoming Summer slate of movies. After the great reaction of Captain America: Civil War, 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise released the new trailer for the third film in the X-Men prequel trilogy. It just goes to show that Bryan Singer is still happy to be at the helm of the live-action films of Marvel's Mutant team. 

The official premise: Since the dawn of civilization, he has been worshipped as a god. Apocalypse (Oscar Issac), the first and most powerful from Marvel's X-Men Universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction. 

I loved the opening is a throwback to the original X-Men film and the conversation between the original Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian Mckellan) at the end of the film.

From the trailer, we see more of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen; along with Magneto, we see Psylocke (Olivia Munn), a little more of Storm (Alexandra Shipp), and Archangel (Ben Hardy) in action. The main villain isn't the only one with backup as we see the younger versions of Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee). We also see Quicksilver (Evan Peters) along with returning members Havok (Lucas Till) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult). 

Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique seems to be taking a more leadership role in her final outing as the shapeshifter, showing growth from where we left her at the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past. While speaking about Mystique, it looks like her ultimate ending is teased so we might lose her or another X-men. A battle like this will not be without casualties. While it doesn't have the same blockbuster or in-depth feel as the Marvel Studios films, Bryan Singer's trailers have their own feel. At this point, it's worth the risk to see this film. 

X-Men: Apocalypse arrives on May 27.