'Avengers: Infinity War' First Look

As filming and production wraps up on DC's Justice League, Marvel Studios has begun production and filming for the next Avengers film. If you have been following Marvel Studios since the beginning, you understand that this is not just a movie; this will be an event that culminates a ten-year journey.

This behind-the-scenes looks doesn't thankfully reveal too much but it's enough to make fans happy. From seeing Robert Downey Jr, Tom Holland and Chris Pratt in a shot together to hearing Kevin Feige explaining the bare bones set up for the Infinity War by looking at the big picture and how we arrived here starting from 2008's Iron Man.

We started from there and journeyed into different times and worlds with characters like Captain America, Thor, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. One connecting thread throughout all of the films has been the Infinity Stones that have been spread about the movies over the years and the looming threat that was introduced originally in The Avengers: The Mad God, Thanos. Hearing from the directing duo of the Russo brothers, the world is vulnerable after the events of Civil War and no one owning the name of The Avengers. From what the Marvel team has stated, Thanos will be unlike any other villain that the heroes have encountered. How this all comes together, reuniting the team, will be an amazing experience.

Plus, The Avengers will meet and join forces with The Guardians of the Galaxy! What more can we ask for?!

Avengers: Infinity War will be shooting back-to-back with a direct sequel; an untitled fourth Avengers film scheduled to be released on May, 3, 2019.

Avengers: Infinity War is scheduled for release on May 4, 2018.

Keanu Reeves doubles down on stylized action in 'John Wick: Chapter 2'

In 2014, Keanu Reeves made a return to theaters in an under-the-radar action film, John Wick. I've never been a huge fan of Reeves' films based on his acting, but that might be more of the roles he has played before. This film definitely fits with Keanu and unexpectedly launched a franchise as the lethal hitman. John Wick: Chapter 2 just takes what it did in the original and turns the dial up a few more notches. There shouldn't be any complaints about that at all.

Reeves returns as the legendary hitman who wiped out an untold number of Russian goons because one of them made the mistake of killing his dog, effectively bringing him back to the world he left. After retiring once again, Wick is forced out of retirement to honor a debt to a backstabbing, eccentric Italian boss (Riccardo Scamarcio) who wants to take control of an underground guild of assassins. This sequel takes us deeper into the world that we can affectionately call the Wickverse as we learn more about the secret world of professional killers and the rules they adhere to (I know! Actual rules or guidelines!). This is what makes this universe more intriguing and richer than the usual assassin orgy film.

Keanu Reeves easily slips back into the career-revitalizing role like John wearing one of his lethal tailored suits. This hero is like a haunted warrior that was dropped in the 21st century, not wanting to become the killer he once was in the memory of his dead wife (Michelle Moynahan). In the end, he can't deny what is in his blood and that's being a killer. Despite the fact that John embraced the peaceful life, he found out that he can't ignore what's in his blood as he is hunted down by the world's best assassins. While John is used being on his own, in that situation, he always needs a little help. Ian McShane's brilliant manager of the Continental, Winston, was amazing as always. Keanu's mini-Matrix reunion with Laurence Fishburne was well worth the wait. Fishburne's character had a little more depth than I thought as The Bowery King, charisma dripping out of each line that he spoke.

If you loved John Wick for the action, you will not be disappointed by this sequel. The gun-fu, martial arts style fighting does not fade into the story. John Wick proves that he is not the man you want to betray and this is the movie series that you can't ignore anymore.

Super Bowl Movie Spots

Hello again everyone! I'm sorry about the semi-hiatus but I'm squeezing in time to update my blog and provide you all with some good movie reviews and preparing for what's to come in the next few months. I do have a review for the movie Split which will be posted later this week.

In the meantime, let's get to it!

I'm sure everyone witnessed The Big Game last weekend with the Patriots and the Falcons. While the game was better than I initially thought (having family around definitely helped things out), I was mostly there to see the commercials...mainly the movie TV spots. Most of the spots gave us a new look at movies that are coming up in the next month and some we can't wait until the summer to see.

First up, Scarlett Johansson is a high-tech assassin in the big screen adaptation of Ghost in the Shell.

Optimus Prime fights against Bumblebee in Transformers: The Last Knight

The beach has never been safer with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron leading Baywatch.

Logan goes full savage in Hugh Jackman's final run in Logan.

It's time to sail the seas again with Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tails.

Dominic Torretto goes rogue and battles his former family in The Fate of The Furious.

Finally, your favorite team of intergalactic A-holes are back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

So which one are you all most excited about?

Vin Diesel delivers outrageous fun in 'Return of Xander Cage'

15 years ago, hot after the success of The Fast and The Furious, Vin Diesel starred in xXx; an action-adventure spy flick about an extreme daredevil being recruited by the CIA. When Diesel wouldn't return for the sequel, Ice Cube stepped in to take over in the disappointing xXx: State of the Union. Twelve years later, Vin Diesel made his return in typical Diesel fashion: high-action, stunt-fueled adventure.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage finds ex-xXx operative Xander Cage (Diesel), who faked his death, living in self-imposed exile in the Dominican Republic. After a team of four skilled individuals led by Xiang (Donnie Yen) infiltrate the CIA in order to retrieve "Pandora's Box", a device that is capable of controlling satellites to crash at specific locations. When one of these satellites causes the apparent death of agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), Cage is recruited once again by the CIA to return to active service to retrieve the device. While Cage could take this team on his own, he chooses to assemble his own team of maniacs to combat this team. Cage recruits sharpshooter Adele Wolff (Orange is the New Black's Ruby Rose), DJ Harvard "Nicks" Zhou (Kris Wu), and getaway driver maniac Tennyson (Rory McCann).

While we have seen different sides of Vin Diesel over the years, he seems most at home flexing his muscles in action flicks like this. There isn't much more to be taken out beyond the momentary skills  CGI-assisted stunts. I mean, Cage's motorcycle sprouts fins and becomes a jet ski capable of skimming across a tidal wave during a chase sequence. Let's get real: we're not here for a deep story. Watching Vin Diesel facing off with Donnie Yen is entertaining enough to keep fans interested during the middle of the movie.

Xander Cage is loud and a little over the top, playing to the strength of Diesel's character and, in turn, targeting the strengths of its audience. Most people who want to see this film were either fans of the first two, fans of Vin Diesel, or just wanted an action-film where audiences can check their brains at the door before sitting down. Director D.J. Caruso tailored his vision of the film around the likability of the leading man, encouraging Diesel to have fun with it (which he did). As a result, Xander Cage crackles with surprising enjoyable energy and playfulness that is often missing from the brooding, high-octane action fare that fans have got used to in recent years.

In the end, you can't expect more or less from a film that introduces the central character base-jumping from a radio tower only to land atop a pair of skis, gliding through the thick of the jungle just because he can. As preposterous as that sounds, it's a hell of a ride nonetheless.

Star Wars: Episode VIII finally gets its title

Disney has been tight-lipped about the second installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Even after principal photography was wrapped up in July, numerous rumors (most of them false) about the real title have been circulating.

Well, Disney and Lucasfilm ended all of that speculation on Monday by announcing Episode VIII is titled The Last Jedi.

With the basic generic poster that we have come to expect from an upcoming Star Wars film, there isn't much for fans to analyze. But based off of history, we can make some assumptions. The lettering of the Star Wars emblem is red instead of the traditional yellow. It could be in connected to the Sith and traditionally, the second film in the trilogies usually tilts the balance of power towards the villains. The Empire Strike Back left the Rebellion and our heroes in pieces. Attack of the Clones brutalized the Jedi Order and began to take apart the already crumbling Republic. You get the picture.

But this title does raise one major question: Just who is The Last Jedi?

Once upon a time, that title belonged to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). But now the obvious answer would be Daisy Ridley's scavenger cast-off, Rey, who discovered powers that she never dreamed of in The Force Awakens, using the Force to call Luke and Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber to her and defeating Kylo Ren (Adam Drive) in single combat.

Director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper) has confirmed that there will be no lapse in time between The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens, with the story picking up close to where the previous film left off: Rey standing before the self-exiled Luke Skywalker, ready to start her Jedi training after dealing a blow to The First Order.

Does The Last Jedi spell doom for the Jedi Master? Or does it mean that Luke and Rey (and maybe others) could represent the last Jedi? Jedi doesn't have to be mean singular. It can be taken into a plural meaning as well.

John Boyega, Oscar Issac, Adam Driver, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, and the late Carrie Fisher return for Episode VIII, alongside franchise newcomers like Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran. Rian Johnson takes over the helm of this installment to the Star Wars sequel trilogy while Awakens director J.J. Abrams moves to a executive producer role.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi comes to theaters December 15, 2017.

Emotional depth and action highlight the new 'Logan' trailer

Over the last 15 years, Hugh Jackman has defined the iconic role of one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes as the immortal and steel-clawed Wolverine. The raging anti-hero has been the consistent glue of the X-Men Universe so the sadness among fans is understandable when it was revealed that the next Wolverine solo movie would be the last. The first trailer was a deep-cut into the post-apocalyptic future where we saw Logan burnt out from years of fighting and his healing factor fading away.

A new trailer was released last week, showing more glimpses into the despair Logan feels facing his mortality but also a confirmation about who the young girl we met in the first preview truly is.

In the near future, a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) cares for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a hideout on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant (Dafne Keen) arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

This trailer shows Logan realizing that his powers aren't what they once were as he cuts his hands on his claws and the suit he was wearing has a bullet hole in it. Logan seems more that prepared to hide away while caring for his mentor, Professor X. But we get to the big reveal quick once the bad guys show up: Dafne Keen plays Laura, a young mutant described as "very much like Logan" and that becomes very apparent by the two claws that extend from her hands similar to Logan's. Laura definitely has his rage factor as the two attack their enemies in order to survive. It looks like we are guaranteed a lot of action along with the emotion in Hugh Jackman's X-Men swan song.

Logan claws its way into theaters on March 3.

Ryan Gosling meets Harrison Ford's Decker in long awaited 'Blade Runner 2049' trailer

In 1982, director Ridley Scott brought an imaginative neo-noir science fiction film titled Blade Runner. Starring Harrison Ford as he was riding high off the success of the Star Wars films and Raiders of the Lost Ark, this adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick depicts a dystopian Los Angeles and how genetically engineered replicants on Earth are hunted down by special police operatives known as "Blade Runners". Ford's character, burnt-out Blade Runner Rick Deckard, reluctantly takes on the assignment of hunting a group of replicants loose in Los Angeles.

The film wasn't a huge success when it came out, underperfoming in North America theaters. Over time, it has become a cult classic and become the leading example of a dystopian future along with neo-noir films. So a sequel had to happen, right? 

Well, 35 years later... 

Taking place 30 years after the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling) uncovers a secret that seeks to plunge what's left of society into chaos. In order to find answers, K's quest leads him to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former Blade Runner who has been missing for the past 30 years.

After years of development and other roadblocks, this sequel is finally getting made. From the trailer, it looks as though the future has gotten worse, desolate, and dangerous. It also looks like Harrison Ford didn't want to be found. Let's see how the dynamic between him and Gosling work out in this long-awaited sequel.

Blade Runner 2049 enters theaters on October 6, 2017.