Movie Review - Marvel takes over the cosmos in Guardians of the Galaxy

     We're all fans of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, the world of interconnected superhero films that culminated in the big budget ensemble movie The Avengers to end their first phase. Now fully into Phase Two, preparing to reunite Earth's Mightiest Heroes next summer, Marvel Studios took another chance and introducing a new team to their devoted fans. A team of unpredictable and unconventional individuals who are tasked to save the galaxy and try not to kill each other in the process.

    
     The film starts on Earth in 1988, where we see young Peter Quill get hoovered up into a spaceship when he was eight years old. Twenty-six years later, Quill (Chris Pratt) is a cocky earthling "Indiana Jones"-type of fortune hunter, armed with space weapons, a Walkman with classic rock, and a wandering eye for extraterrestrial babes. All in all, he represents a fun, updated version of Han Solo, played with wily mischief and charm by Chris Pratt.

     During a botched plan to sell his most recent score, he is arrested and sent to a galactic prison along with the green-skinned assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the insane grumbler Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista, whose physique from years of wrestling made him physically ready for the role), the foul-mouthed and hilarious Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and the walking tree Groot (voiced by the deep, foghorn voice of Vin Diesel, only repeating the line "I am Groot").

     I won't go too much into the plot because I feel like I wouldn't be able to do it justice. It reads the same as other action-adventure superhero films where everyone good and evil is in search of a mysterious MacGuffin - the mysterious orb that was shown during the preview that Quill was in search of that is later shown to have the power to destroy worlds. The villain Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) is looking to obtain the orb for the destructive power it holds. It is similar to The Avengers and their fight for the Tesseract.
    
     Unlike the seriousness of previous MCU films like Thor and the 1940's retro feel of Captain America: The First Avenger, Quill and his rag-tag band of pranksters bring a blast of comic relief and hilariousness to the threat that Ronan brings to the galaxy. A lot of credit goes to Pratt due to his previous experience on TV's Parks and Recreation, where he mostly played a supportive role. This film graduates him up to the status of leading man. After watching this movie, it's been long overdue. Cooper also delivered another wise-cracking, side-splitting performance as the genetically altered raccoon. He was like a Looney Toon armed with a machine gun.

     Together, this team of exiles become unexpected heroes. I better related to Gamora's opinion of the team as "the biggest idiots of the galaxy." During the time, you wonder if they will be able to put their separate selfish desires to the side and embrace the responsibility that showed up on their doorstep. Director James Gunn did a great job with his first big budget film and Marvel shows with this movie that despite their success, they are still willing to take risks. If the universe started with this film, I don't think the MCU would be where it is now. The proper foundation of The Avengers helped this film stand on strong legs. I haven't been too mixed about the Marvel films but this is the first one that was one of the more unpredictable and exciting of the universe.

     I hope everyone goes on the journey with the Guardians and rocks along with the soundtrack that accompanies the film, flowing with the rhythm of classic rock.

     In case you were curious about the soundtrack, here is the playlist for the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix, Vol. 1.

     1. "Hooked on a Feeling" - Blue Swede
     2. "Go All The Way" - The Raspberries
     3. "Spirit In The Sky" - Norman Greenbaum
     4. "Moonage Daydream" -David Bowie
     5. "Fooled Around And Fell In Love" - Elvin Bishop
     6. "I'm Not In Love" - 10cc
     7. "I Want You Back" - The Jackson 5
     8. "Come and Get Your Love" - Redbone
     9. "Cherry Bomb" - The Runaways
    10. "Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
    11. "O-O-H Child" - The Five Stairsteps
    12. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Movie Preview - Movies to come from Comic-Con

     To show how big of a fan or nerd that I am, It's always been a goal and dream of mine to travel out to San Diego and attend the biggest convention is all the land...COMIC-CON!!

     Not only is it the place for fans to dress up like their favorite fictional characters, meet new friends with similar likes in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Action genres, you can also meet your favorite stars. That's right, stars from your favorite movies, TV series, and studios show up to show off never before seen footage from movies that are currently filming, are in pre-production, or that have been waiting to be announced. This all happens at Comic-Con.

     This year, many movies scheduled to be released later this year premiered their first trailers to legions of their fans that packed the auditorium halls. Now that the craziness of Comic-Con has faded until next year's festivities, I'm here to show you all the first trailers that premiered at the convention.

     First: Mad Max: Fury Road. In this reboot, Tom Hardy takes on the role of Max, a man traveling the desert wasteland of the world where he meets Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a woman who wished to cross the desert to reach her childhood home, unaware of the dangers that lay hidden in the wasteland. Mad Max: Fury Road rages into theaters May 15, 2015

     Next: Interstellar. Christopher Nolan already has people and fans of his previous work excited for this original Science Fiction film about a group of explorers that make use of a wormhole to expand space exploration and possibly save the Earth. This film stars Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, and Jessica Chastain. Interstellar voyages into theaters on November 7.

   
     Coming Soon: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Nine years after the first movie, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller bring their neo-noir world back to the silver screen as the town's most hard-boiled citizens go up against its more powerful and reviled inhabitants.

     Next: The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies. The final chapter of The Middle-Earth Saga is ready to be written. Picking up where The Desolation of Smaug left off, the company of Thorin Oakenshield reached The Lonely Mountain and confronted the dragon, Smaug but have set him free from Erebor. Now, all of Middle-Earth prepares to go to war to fight the dark forces that goes beyond the dragon. The epic finale to The Hobbit trilogy arrives December 17.

     Finally: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I. After being rescued from the Quarter Quell, Katness Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is taken to the hidden District 13 and reluctantly becomes the symbol of a mass rebellion against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and The Capitol. The penultimate chapter of The Hunger Games Saga charges into theaters on November 21.

    
     I hope you all enjoy these previews and they get you more prepared for these films as their release dates get closer! One day, I hope to report or update you all when I go to Comic-Con for the first time ever!

Movie Review - Dwayne Johnson proves to be "Rock"-solid in Hercules

     I'm back with another movie review from the slate of summer flicks that have had control over this Summer movie season. While this summer has not been kind to Hollywood, money-wise, while audiences are awaiting the movies that have been announced for next Summer (Avengers: Age of Ultron, anyone?!), this season hasn't necessarily been terrible.

     A Hercules film already came out this year with The Legend of Hercules, starring Kellan Lutz. Trust me, this one is certainly better and brings a more realistic spin to the legendary warrior. In this version, Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) is said to be the demigod son of Zeus, going through the Twelve Labors, and a hero. When he finally appears on-screen, he is not alone. Hercules is leading a team of mercenaries that help support his legend as it spreads across the land, offering their services to the highest bidders.

     The King of Thrace, Lord Cotys (John Hurt) summons Hercules and his band to his city to help train his armies to defend the kingdom against the warlord, Rheseus (Tobias Santelmann). During this training, we uncover more about what led Hercules onto his current path and his earlier success that cost him his family, weighing him down with guilt and looking for redemption. When Hercules uncovers that all is not as it seems in Thrace and the good king, he has to break the chains that hold him back and accept his destiny.

     Johnson played this role with such ferocity and energy that he looked like he has born to pay this role. I followed the Rock through his Facebook page and Instagram as he prepared physically to portray the mythical Greek hero. Dwayne's intensity and energy helped drive this movie along with its action packed story.  Ever since his kick-ass role as DSS Agent Hobbs in Fast Five, the wrestler formally known as "The Rock" has been Hollywood's go-to actor to give action films a well-needed shot of adrenaline and bringing a degree of freshness to an established franchise such as G.I. Joe and The Fast and The Furious. Dwayne Johnson seems to have found his niche in action films but is also known to be talented and able to play in different roles.

     Hercules isn't a spectacular movie but worth it seeing if you have some extra time to spare this weekend after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy.

     Have a good weekend and enjoy the movies!

Movie Preview - Fifty Shades of Grey

     Well, it was bound to happen at some point. When you have a large enough following behind a piece of work, a phenomenon is created and no one can seem to avoid it (Twilight, for example). It'll surround us on the streets, bookstores, magazine racks, clothing stores, etc. This "lightning-in-a-bottle" effect seemed to happen to a terrible piece of fiction that opened up the proverbial "Pandora's Box" in fiction and made something taboo popular today.

     While I made a promise not to talk about this movie on my own personal blog, I cannot ignore the momentum that this film will have before its release date. I consider myself to be a well-read individual, willing to give any book a first try but there are some novels that I can't see myself casually reading.

     With all of this being said, the first trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey:

     When Literature student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) goes to interview wealthy but tormented billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), her life is changed forever. As they accept their mutual attraction, Christian brings her into his world, revealing his secrets, and allowing Anastasia to explore her own desires.

     I'm fairly sure that fans of the book trilogy will be flocking to the theaters to see this film, possibly pulling their reluctant boyfriends to go with them for a Valentine's Day date. Will this movie be able to capitalize on the unbelievable momentum since its release to the public? Only time will tell.

     Fifty Shades of Grey premieres Valentine's Day 2015.

Movie Preview - Brad Pitt brings his 'Fury' to Germany

     This fall, audiences will have the chance to journey back into time where heroes were made; A time where Americans went overseas to fight for freedom on a land where evil and oppression hung overhead.

     The film is set during the last few months of World War II as the Allies make their final push in the European Theater. A battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Pitt) commands a Sherman tank called "Fury" and its five-man crew on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. The crew find themselves over their heads as they are outnumbered and out-gunned against the German resistance. Together, these five band of brothers attempt to defy the odds and strike at the heart of Nazi Germany. 

     Starring Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), Shia LaBeouf (Transformers film series), and Michael Pena (End of Watch, American Hustle) and helmed by writer-director David Ayer (End of Watch), this movie is sure to stir the American spirit in all of us. 

     Fury opens November 14.

Movie Review - Transformers: Age of Extinction

     So, on a whim, I decided to go see Transformers: Age of Extinction. I mean, I saw the first three films so I might as well see the newest installment. Nearly three hours later, I knew two things: 1) This movie would make a lot of money because of it's a big budget Michael Bay film; and 2) Michael Bay's storytelling has not gotten any better and this movie suffers from his need to have big explosions. 

     First, I'm not a Michael Bay hater. I enjoy his films and, out of this whole film series, the first was the absolute best because of an excellent story combined with Michael Bay's directing. The first film had a way of bringing out your inner child and showing why the Transformers franchise has such a huge following. Then, in typical Bay fashion, Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon had to go bigger but not better. This film follows the same trend. 

     Transformers: Age of Extinction picks up five years after The Battle of Chicago in Dark of the Moon. The Autobots and Decepticons remaining on Earth have been forced into hiding for survival due to humans hunting them. Struggling inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) buys a truck in hope of earning some money for his daughter (Nicola Peltz) to go to college. When Cade discovers the truck is an injured Optimus Prime, he steps into the re-ignited Transformers War.

     The way the film starts millions of years ago, the same way Revenge of the Fallen began. This time it was during the age of the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are just roaming until alien spaceships hover overhead and use a probe to bring them to extinction. All that is left are fossilized remains, which are uncovered by a scientist in the Arctic in the present time. This all becomes important later on but I'm not going to spoil that if you are adamant on seeing the movie. As the film goes on, we learn that the government has created an elite unit led by its creator, CIA agent Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammar), to hunt the remaining transformers on Earth but unable to capture Optimus Prime. When Yeager revives the Autobot leader, it puts him and his family on the run from their home in Texas, then Chicago, and finally in Hong Kong.

     Stanley Tucci plays Joshua Joyce, Attinger's partner, who looks to capitalize on the hunt for the Transformers by creating tech from their remains. Tucci does a good job with his arrogant, weasel-like character before he grows a conscience. Typical, I know. Micheal Bay also introduces an unknown actress in Peltz, playing Yeager's daughter. Bay has a way of having his movies make stars out of actresses looking for their big break. We'll see if that trend continues because I was not impressed at all by her. While Mark Wahlberg is good in an action film adding in his own comedic value and charm to the movie, it was a little hard to take him seriously in this film. I'll say this; he is a sizable upgrade from previous Transformers lead actor, Shia LaBeouf.

     Of course, it wouldn't be a Transformers film without the robots getting into the action. Yes, there are a few robot battles, especially with Transformer bounty hunter helping the government. Robots fight, cities are destroyed, and crap blows up. Oh, it does blow up. What really cripples Bay's film is the time length. The first hour was impressive but as time went on, I just felt numb and exhausted with the film, wondering when the final battle would arrive. Ultimately, Age of Extinction could be considered one of the weakest of the series. Michael Bay has said that this film would be the start of a new trilogy of Transformers films and the way it ended, I think he's right. If he is, it's not starting off well. 

     If you have seen the previous films in the series and liked them, want to see a summer popcorn flick, or just to get out of the house, I would recommend this movie. But just check your brain at the door. 

This Public Service Message is brought to you by President Snow and The Capitol

     I have to say that when I came across this news today, I was very giddy with excitement. After the success of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, its first part of a two-part sequel has a higher expectation attached to it. This one-minute teaser trailer definitely sent chills through me and it should for every fan of the series.

     President Snow is sitting in a grand white throne, addressing the citizens of the Capitol. His propaganda machine seems to be in full swing as he tries to quell the rebellion that we saw begin in the previous film. Snow speaks smoothly using words like "unity" and "prosperity" to describe the nation of Panem and each districts role in the great machine. Then it took a dark turn as he made a comment about rebellion, making statements such as "But if you resist the system, you starve yourself," and "If you fight against it, it is you who will bleed."

     As the camera slowly pulls back, it is shown that the leader of the Capitol is not alone. Standing beside him is Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the kidnapped Hunger Games winner. If you read the book, you know what happened to Peeta after Catching Fire. If you haven't read the book, I won't spoil the twist for you but as you see Peeta staring off into the distance, you can tell that Peeta is not the same boy.

     Well done, Lionsgate. Now I can't wait for this film. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 comes to theaters November 21.