Actor Spotlight of Denzel Washington

        With his new film The Equalizer set to hit theaters this weekend I've decided to spotlight Denzel Washington's career by listing the movies he has been in, my 3 favorite films he has been in, list of notable awards he has one as well as any future projects he has in the works. So without further ado...

Denzel Washington's Filmography

Year	Film	Role
1974	Death Wish	Street Thug
1977	Wilma	Robert Eldridge
1979	Coriolanus	Aedile/Roman Citizen
1981	Carbon Copy	Roger Porter
1982	License to Kill	Martin Sawyer
1984	A Soldier’s Story	Pfc. Melvin Peterson
1984	The George McKenna Story	George McKenna
1986	Power	Arnold Billings
1986	Hard Lessons	George McKenna
1987	Cry Freedom	Steve Biko
1989	The Mighty Quinn	Xavier Quinn
1989	For Queen and Country	Reuben James
1989	Glory	Pvt. Trip
1990	Heart Condition	Napoleon Stone
1990	Mo’ Better Blues	Bleek Gilliam
1991	Ricochet	Nicholas Styles
1992	Mississippi Masala	Demetrius Williams
1992	Malcolm X	Malcolm X
1993	Much Ado About Nothing	Don Pedro of Aragon
1993	The Pelican Brief	Gray Grantham
1993	Philadelphia	Joe Miller
1995	Crimson Tide	Lt. Commander Ron Hunter
1995	Virtuosity	Lt. Parker Barnes
1995	Devil in a Blue Dress	Easy Rawlins
1996	Courage Under Fire	Lt. Commander Nathaniel Serling
1996	The Preacher’s Wife	Dudley
1998	Fallen	Detective John Hobbes
1998	He Got Game	Jake Shuttlesworth
1998	The Siege	Special Agent Anthony ‘Hub’ Hubbard FBI
1999	The Bone Collector	Lincoln Rhyme
1999	The Hurricane	Rubin “Hurricane” Carter
2000	Remember the Titans	Coach Herman Boone
2000	The Loretta Claiborne Story	Himself
2001	Training Day	Detective Alonzo Harris
2002	John Q	John Qunicy Arnold
2002	Antwone Fisher	Dr. Jerome Davenport
2003	Out of Time	Police Chief Matthias Lee Whitlock
2004	Man on Fire	John Casey
2004	The Manchurian Candidate	Major Ben Marco
2006	Inside Man	Detective Keith Frazier
2006	Déjà vu	Special agent Doug Carlin
2007	American Gangster	Frank Lucas
2007	The Great Debaters	Melvin B. Tolson
2009	The Taking of Pelham 123	Walter Garber
2010	The Book of Eli	Eli
2010	Unstoppable	Frank Barnes
2012	Safe House	Tobin Frost
2012	Flight	Captain William “Whip” Whitaker Sr.
2013	2 Guns	Robert “Bobby” Trench

Top 3 Favorite Films

1. John Q

2. Remember the Titans

3. A Soldier's Story

Denzel Washington's Notable Awards & Nominations

Year	Award	Film	Win/Nomination
1987	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor	Cry Freedom	Nominated
1989	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor	Glory	Win
1992	Academy Award for Best Actor	Malcolm X	Nominated
1999	Academy Award for Best Actor	The Hurricane	Nominated
2001	Academy Award for Best Actor	Training Day	Win
2012	Academy Award for Best  Actor	Flight	Nominated

Future Projects

2014- The Equalizer

        So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of Denzel Washington's acting career? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Jonah Sparks

9-24-14 Movie News

        Hello ladies and gentlemen, here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...


(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)


        Now in production, Ted 2 has added Liam Neeson to its cast! Writer/director/star Seth MacFarlane, who previously worked with Neeson on this year's A Million Ways to Die in the West, tweeted the following: "@SethMacFarlane Yesterday Liam Neeson, today Morgan Freeman.  Not a bad week for #Ted2". There's no telling how large a role Neeson might have, especially if he was only filming for one day, but Freeman was recently said to have a large role as a civil rights lawyer who takes Ted on as a client. Ted 2 hits the big screen on June 26, 2015.

        This is awesome news to hear. Liam Neeson is one of the best actors in the business today and him joining this cast is just great. It's also not surprising since Neeson and Seth McFarlane worked together on A Million Ways to Die in the West. I'm really curious to see what type of role he'll be in and how big the role will be in the film.



        Pop-Quiz, hotshot: Are you ready for Speed 3? Okay, perhaps not, but Nerdist recently sat down with original Speed star Keanu Reeves and got the actor to verbally commit to the sequel. When the reporter prompted him on the potential threequel, Reeves looked askance and said, "Oh my gosh, 'Speed 3: Redemption'! Sure. You know what I mean? Jack Traven just dusting it off." It's been two decades since the 1994 sleeper hit grossed $350 million dollars worldwide and nearly as long since Reeves said "hell no" to the sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control, which was a bonafide disaster. Just last year, Yahoo! asked Reeves if he would go back to the well for a third outing to which he responded emphatically, "Oh my gosh, no, I think that bus has left."

        This is really interesting to hear.  Look do I think that this is happening... no, but it's still pretty cool to hear Keanu Reeves talk about it. I was a huge fan of the original film, but not so much the sequel. If this is true though then I would be all for it and I would love to see Reeves back in that role again. 



        Captain America: The Winter Soldier's pairing of Chris Evans' Cap and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow was a decided hit, helping the recent Marvel Studios film gross more than $700 million worldwide. Today, in a conversation with MTV, Marvel's The Avengers star Jeremy Renner teases that Captain America 3 could now get a visit from his Hawkeye. "I'm happy to be in the ensemble,” Renner says. "I'm not scratching or clawing to do a solo movie by any means. I think he's a utility guy that can bounce around into other people's universes a little bit, especially 'Cap 3.' There's whispers of that."

        Set for release on May 1, 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron also stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader, Cobie Smulders, Thomas Kretschmann, Paul Bettany and Stellan Skarsgard. Captain America 3, meanwhile, is slated for release on May 6, 2016 while Renner's latest, Kill the Messenger, arrives in a limited release October 10, expanding over the following two Fridays.

        These are pretty interesting comments. I'm not surprised that Hawkeye will possibly be in Captain America 3 simply becuase he's be vastly underused. Also the Captain America franchise is perfect for Hawkeye. I honestly hope it comes to fruition and we'll get to see Hawkeye in Captain America 3.



        Roger Donaldson, whose The November Man recently hit theaters, is planning a new adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front. Variety brings word today that Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell are providing the screenplay. A detailed account of World War I, told from the perspective of a German officer, All Quiet on the Western Front has previously been adapted twice for the big screen. Lewis Milestone helmed a 1930 version and Delbert Mann directed a television version with "The Waltons" star Paul Baumer in the lead.

        This is amazing news to hear. Both versions of All Quiet on the Western Front are some of our favorite film of all-time. I'm really glad to see it get a modern take and I think it's a story that needs to be told in this day in age especially with it being in the era 100 years after World War I. I'm excited about the news and I can't wait to see the film.



        Both Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life) and Michael Pena (End of Watch) are, according to Variety, in early talks to join Matt Damon in 20th Century Fox's The Martian.The Martian is based on Andy Weir's 2012 e-book publication, which issued a print edition this past February. It is officially described as follows:Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

        This is amazing news to hear. Jessica Chastain is one of the top 3 actresses working today and Michael Pena is one of the most underrated actors working today. Both are amazing with them joining the cast gives the film a little more credibility. The film sounds amazing and I cannot wait to see it. 

        So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                        Jonah Sparks

My Review of A Walk Among the Tombstones

        So I recently watched A Walk Among the Tombstones and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado...







        Matt Scudder (played by Liam Neeson) is an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (played by Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime...nor will it be the last. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again.

       

        This film wasn't actually that bad. From the trailers we were given, you could have sworn that this was Taken 3 (and we were right to believe that) simply becuase they looked and sounded so similar.  But instead we get much more intense a darker movie. Liam Neeson gives probably his best performance since 1993's Schindler's List in which he was nominated for an Oscar. Do I think this performance is Oscar worthy... no, not the slightest bit, but it's good enough to carry the film through its 113 minute runtime. Though there are a lot of intense and awesome action scenes, there are lot of gruesome torture scenes made the film way to cheesy and over-the-top. But the film does have enough action to keep us entertained and to continue to fill our mouths full of popcorn. The film (like many others this year) brings nothing new to the table, this time in the crime thriller genre. Overall the film is all Neeson's and he does well, but the film can't overcome the unoriginal themes and gruesome scenes. I give  A Walk Among the Tombstones a 6.5 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of A Walk Among the Tombstones, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                           Jonah Sparks

9-23-14 Movie News

        Hello ladies and gentlemen, here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...


(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)


        We're just seven months away from the release of the much-anticipated Fast & Furious 7 and star Vin Diesel has today shared two new stills from the franchise sequel through his self-moderated Facebook page. Check them out in the gallery viewer below! "Universal came to visit, to show the trailer for FF7," Diesel writes. "Speechless... yeah, it was that INCREDIBLE! I must also say, that it was emotional and bittersweet... we all went above and beyond to make Pablo proud, but man, I wish he could see what we have created and just how far we have come." Diesel joins stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Tony Jaa, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Djimon Hounsou, Lucas Black, John Brotherton, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and the late Paul Walker for the James Wan film, hitting theaters April 3.


(courtesy of Vin Diesel) 

        These are some great photos. It's really chilling to see Paul Walker again on the set of Fast and The Furious after his tragic death last November. I'm really looking forward to the film and I cannot wait to see Paul Walker back on the big screen one final time.



        It was a pretty big deal when former "Star Trek" cast member Leonard Nimoy joined the cast of J.J. Abrams' reboot film in 2009, and though he only appeared on screen very briefly, it still became an important cameo that long-time fans enjoyed (he also appeared briefly in Abrams' second film). Now, Badass Digest brings word that something similar is brewing for the upcoming Star Trek 3 which they report features a scene reuniting both William Shatner's Kirk and Nimoy's Spock together onscreen. As the site mentions, we are still quite a ways away from production beginning on the film, and even then it is subject to Shatner deciding to appear in the film.

        Screenwriter Roberto Orci recently completed the script for the upcoming film along with writers Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne. Orci has also been tapped to direct the third (or thirteenth, depending on your point of view) adventure of the Enterprise crew, following the departure of J.J. Abrams for a galaxy far, far away. There’s no announced timeframe for the next “Star Trek” film as of yet, but the expectation is that the new film will land in theaters in 2016, just in time for the franchise’s 50th anniversary.

        If true then this is awesome. William Shatner is a major staple in the Star Trek universe and to see him back in a Star Trek film would be amazing. Plus it'll be a bonus if him  and Leonard Nimoy are on screen at the same time. It also make sense for Shatner to appear simply because it's the 50th anniversary of the franchise. I can't wait to see the film and I hope that it does get a 2016 release date.



        Over the weekend, ShockTillYouDrop.com sat down with director Tommy Wirkola - director of the Dead Snow films and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters - who said he has turned in his script for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2. He told Shock: "I've given it to Paramount and it's up to them now. But I don't know what's going to happen. Jeremy [Renner] is so busy these days, I don't know how they're going to juggle all of that, but it's up to [Paramount]."But as Wirkola was quick to point out..."...it's ultimately going to come down to--I know they have a release date and they really want to get it out there--but I have to have the time. I'm only one man, right? And then also Gemma's availability. It'll come down to availability I'm sure "

        Cinema Blend recently caught up to Renner to inform him of this news and to see if he would be interested in returning for a sequel. His response? "I don't have any problem with it. Yeah. It was a lot of fun. It was fun to do that movie, and just have a ball.The actor also said Paramount has yet to reach out to him about the sequel, nor is he contractually obligated to return. Another factor that's not being mentioned here? Renner's price tag. Will the studio fork over the cash to bring the actor back? The actor wrapped work on Avengers: Age of Ultron - opening next summer - and is co-starring in Mission: Impossible 5 alongside Tom Cruise.

        This is pretty interesting news. Look was I a big fan of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters... no (in all actuality it was an awful film). But the film did do well financially and the studio believes a sequel is necessary. However it will be interesting to see if the studio goes through with it and if they can get Renner and Gemma Arterton  back and if they do then I think the film has a chance. 



        20th Century Fox has just released a new trailer for Kingsman: The Secret Service which features a new song by Iggy Azaela and you can check it out below. Based upon the acclaimed comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class), Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Taron Egerton and Samuel L. Jackson star. The film is set for February 13, 2015 release.



        This trailer is pretty awesome. It's really cool to see Colin Firth in an action film and finally getting to see him kick the crap out of a few guys. I will say that the film does look like it has a few lame effects but overall the film looks really fun. My main concern for the film is that it comes out on the same day as Fifty Shades of Grey and it comes out February so it may suffer a little bit.



        "Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul is about to delve into another dark world of danger as he headlines The 9th Life of Louis Drax alongside Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey), based on the bestselling novel by Liz Jensen. Paul will play the father of a young boy involved in a near-fatal accident. When the boy miraculously survives, the father comes under investigation even though there may be more mysterious forces at work. Dornan will play the boy's psychologist who uncovers troubling sides to the story that defy reality.

        This is really good casting. Aaron Paul is mostly known for his role as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad and he will be remembered for that  role for forever. But it is good to see him step out into the movie world. The film sounds really interesting and the role that Paul will be in kinda fits him so I'm anxious to see how he does. 

        So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                        Jonah Sparks

My Review of This Is Where I Leave You

        So I recently watched This Is Where I Leave You and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado...







        The four pugnacious siblings of the Altman family (played by Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, and Corey Stoll) reunite at their childhood home after their father dies, all grounded for a week of sitting Shiva (their father's last request).

     

        This was a decent, but not great film. The films main cast is the main focal point of the praise as they really have great chemistry and great comedic timing togehter. Out of the cast the real standout is Adam Driver and it was nice to see him this type of role and for star Wars fans it's a chance for him to show that he can act. That however is where the praise ends. The story has a few new elements but it really doesn't bring anything new to the table. The cast do their best with the script, but they can only do so much. The film constantly repeats itself and it just gets really annoying. The same could be said for the supporting cast who really just do absolutely nothing and only show up when it's convenient to the plot. Overall the film has a great main cast that work well together, but everything else around them fails. I give This Is Where I leave You a 5.5 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of This Is Where I Leave You, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                           Jonah Sparks

9-22-14 Movie News

        Hello ladies and gentlemen, here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...


(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)


        Although the decision was already all-but-confirmed, 20th Century Fox has today officially revealed that Bryan Singer is set to helm his fourth X-Men film with 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse. Singer will direct from a script by Simon Kinberg, Mike Dougherty and Dan Harris. Continuing the "First Class" era, X-Men: Apocalypse will be set in the 1980s and will likely offer some younger versions of previously-seen characters (both Gambit and Nightcrawler have been rumored). Star James McAvoy also recently teased that his Professor Charles Xavier may finally be going bald for the new film. X-Men: Apocalypse is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2016.

        This is awesome to hear. Now we've all figured that this was going to happen (simply becuase of the success of X-Men: Days of Future Past) and because Singer has teased some things on Twitter for X-Men: Apocalypse. Look Bryan Singer has been involved in 3 X-Men movies (X-Men, X2: X-Men United and most recently X-Men: Days of Future Past) and all three have been a success. Now I know Singer has had a lot of publicity with the sexual abuse allegations (funny how nothing came of the entire ordeal), but he is the perfect choice for this franchise going forward. I'm really excited for X-Men: Apocalypse now the Singer is officially confirmed. 



        Even though production wrapped last month on the upcoming Jurassic World, that's not stopping director Colin Trevorrow from sharing some interesting teases from the set of the upcoming film. The latest one comes simply with the caption "Autumn" and shows off what remains of the sign that Wayne Knight's Dennis Nedry ran over while attempting to flee after stealing the dinosaur embryos in the first film. We've known for sometime that the new film will focus on a fully-realized version of John Hammond's dream from the original Jurassic Park, and that it would return to the setting of Isla Nublar.

        Opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on June 12, 2015, Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Jake Johnson, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, BD Wong, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, Katie McGrath, Lauren Lapkus and Andy Buckley. Jurassic World is a sci-fi terror adventure set 22 years after the horrific events of the original Jurassic Park.


(courtesy of Colin Trevorrow)

        This photo is simply awesome. It's really great to see something that was so key to the first film (and something comedic). So far everything I have seen form this film looks fantastic and I think the film is in the right hands with Trevorrow. I'm really excited to head back to the original island and to see what has become of it in the past 22 years. I can't wait to see Jurassic Park back on the big screen again. 



         Even before this year's colossal hit X-Men: Days of Future Past debuted, 20th Century Fox was already making plans for a follow-up in the form of X-Men: Apocalypse. Since then, a few more details on the film have been revealed, including what mutants could pop up and who could return, but so far the majority of what we know is that it will focus primarily on the returning "First Class" characters.

        Series writer and producer Simon Kinberg took part in a Q&A with Yahoo! recently in which he was asked about the upcoming film and whether we might see some of the other future mutants (Kitty Pryde, Bishop) return for future X-Men films. "The X-Men film that we're working on now as everybody knows is X-Men: Apocalypse and that really follows the stories of the let's say 'First Class' X-Men. Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, many others of that generation of X-Men. So, in future X-Men films? Perhaps, but in 'Apocalypse' it will really be the continuation of the 'past' of 'Days of Future Past.'"

        Kinberg was also asked about recasting any of the original "X-Men" actors for the upcoming "Apocalypse," to which he replied: "If we included some of the original X-Men, like Storm, Jean, Scott, and others, yeah we would have to recast them, because Apocalypse takes place a good twenty years before "X1," which now insanely was fifteen years ago. It would be very hard to do. Halle, Famke, and Jimmy, and others have done such wonderful jobs of bringing those characters to life and they're so identified, those actors, with the parts now. So it would be a tall task, but I also would have said before "First Class" there would be no way we could find actors who could stand alongside Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, and I think we managed to with Michael and James finding their own interpretation of the characters, not doing an impersonation. So, are we going to have to recast? If some of those characters were in the movie we would, but we'll see."

        Despite being purposefully vague about whether or not these characters could appear in the film, Kinberg has already mentioned previously that some of the original characters will be present for the next movie. It could be argued that he was referencing Hugh Jackman's Wolverine or perhaps Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier, but given director Bryan Singer was quoted as saying he wanted to introduce "familiar characters at different ages" in the film, it seems likely we'll be seeing younger versions of the original cast.

        These are some really interesting comments. I agree that some of the "future" mutants probably won't be in this film simply because of the time period in which the film takes place in, but if they decide to bring the current First Class cast into the present, then would could see a few "future mutants. I also agree with the studio recasting characters with younger actors simply again because of the time period. I'd really like to see the older and lesser used cast members come back, but I understand why they may not/will not.



        Many fans' prayers were answered last Friday when 20th Century Fox not only announced that the long gestating Deadpool film was coming but that they had given it a release date. Now, Schmoes Know brings word on something that might make the fans of the Merc with a mouth a little disappointed - the film's rating. "I heard from the director (Tim Miller) that they finally figured out the script, and it was right before this was announced, that they figured out, and you guys are all going to hate this, that they figured out how to make it PG-13 and therefore not lose its soul - that's a quote - of the script so they can make it." Ryan Reynolds is expected to return as Wade Wilson for the upcoming film which has director Tim Miller at the helm and a script by Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Deadpool is currently set for release on February 12, 2016.

        This ins't really that surprising. I understand why Fox doesn't want the film to be R simply because of the amount of money the could potentially lose simply from a rating. Look do I want a rated R Deadpool movie... yes, but I'm ok with it being PG-13 especially since the test footage that was released and guess what it was PG-13 so i'm ok with this.



        On the heels of this weekend's news that Matt Damon is looking at headlining Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall, comes word, via Deadline, that Bryan Cranston is himself considering a role in the project. The Great Wall is set to tell the story about the mystery behind China's most famous landmark and how it was built with Legendary's Thomas Tull producing alongside Chuck Roven (The Dark Knight), Jon Jashni and Alex Gartner and Peter Loehr and Jillian Share executive producing.

        This is awesome to hear. Bryan Cranston is an amazing actor and putting him an Matt Damon together is amazing. The film also sounds really interesting so I'm pretty excited to see these two on screen together.

        So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                        Jonah Sparks