My Review of The Avengers

        With The Avengers: Age of Ultron being released this weekend, I thought it would be fitting to review its predecessor The Avengers. So without further ado...





 

        When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson), Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

       

        This film is just simply amazing. This film is a film that comic book and nerds alike have been waiting for for a very long time and we never thought it would happen and here it is in the flesh. Joss Whedon did an amazing job handling the pressure of making all the story and the actors all work together to make this film work and happen. I thought the performances were amazing and the entire cast has tremendous chemistry and you can tell that with every single scene. It did a nice job of blending action, comedy and drama for what I can only say is a perfect film. Overall this was something that I never thought I would see in my life and it turned into not only one of the greatest comic book films of all-time, but one of the greatest films of all-time. I give The Avengers a 10 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of The Avengers, 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

4-29-15 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)


        TheWrap brings word today that 20th Century Fox is developing a sequel to the Matthew Vaughn-directed film Kingsman: The Secret Service. No official announcement has been made about the film, but with Vaughn set to direct the reboot of Flash Gordon, it’s possible he may not return to helm the sequel. Vaughn is credited as a co-plotter in the original comic book series, which ironically has yet to publish a second volume. Based upon the 2012 Icon Comics miniseries by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar, 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. The film stars Academy Award winners Colin Firth and Michael Caine alongside Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong and newcomers Taron Egerton, Sofia Boutella and Sophie Cookson. Scripted by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kingsman: The Secret Service has grossed over $401 million at the global box office. The film will debut on Digital HD on May 15 and later on Blu-ray and DVD on June 9.

        This is great news to hear. Now just to be clear a sequel hasn't been confirmed yet, but it would surprise me if the studio didn't make a sequel. It made a big profit at the box offcie and both fans and critics alike loved so this idea is a no-brainer. I absolutely loved the film and I've been keeping a close eye on it's box office run just to see if it would make enough and I think it did. I hope news is confirmed and we should find out relatively soon. 



        Last month, it was revealed that Sony Pictures was planning to move ahead with a feature adaptation of the anime classic Robotech, citing “the intention of moving quickly toward production of a future global franchise.” Now, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Furious 7 and The Conjuring director James Wan is in negotations to direct the film. Wan recently made headlines for entering negotiations to direct Warner Bros.’ Aquaman feature, for which he remains in contention in addition to the recently-announced Fast & Furious 8. “Robotech” debuted in the 1980s from Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Productions. A peculiar science fiction amalgamation, the show re-edited and re-wrote the dialogue of three Japanese anime series (“The Super Dimension Fortress Macross,” “Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross” and “Genesis Climber MOSPEADA”) to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series. A sprawling sci-fi epic, Robotech takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off three successive waves of alien invasions. The first invasion concerns a battle with a race of giant warriors who seek to retrieve their flagship’s energy source known as “protoculture,” and the planet’s survival ends up in the hands of two young pilots. Immortals and 300 franchise producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton are developing Robotech with Michael Gordon (300, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra) set to provide the screenplay. This team will “bring their modern sensibility to the tentpole, reintroducing today’s audiences to the Robotech universe.”

        This would be a great choice if they can lock him down. wan has proven himself to be a multi-talented director and I think this franchise would be a perfect fit for him. The thing is though if he does decide to do this film then I think you can almost rule out him doing either Fast & Furious 8 or Aquaman and I would say he is more likely to take the Aquaman job simply because Warner Bros. likes to keep things in house when it comes to their directors so it makes sense for him to direct a DC film. 



        The future of Sony Pictures’ 21 Jump Street-iverse appears to be expanding. A rumor has broken today via The Tracking Board that suggests that Sony has brought aboard “Broad City” writers Lucia Aniello and Paul Downs to draft a female-driven 21 Jump Street spinoff. There’s no word yet, however, on whether the project will follow new characters or will instead turn the spotlight to the existing team of the barely-named undercover officers Fugazy and Jr. Jr., played by Dakota Johnson and Rye Rye in the 2012 original. It is believed that this new project is being developed in tandem with 23 Jump Street, which will see the return of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum’s officers Schmidt and Jenko. There’s also rumors of a potential 21 Jump Street / Men in Black crossover, which Phil Lord and Chris Miller have even commented on in the past, hinting that they’re quite open to the possibility. Whether or not that would become a separate feature altogether remains to be seen.

        To me this isn't a shock. For one both 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street have made a lot of money so why not try a spin-off film. On the other hand I'm not shocked is because Sony is very desperate. After the Sony Leaks they have just come up some of the craziest ideas and a lot of them just don't make sense. I would be fin with a spin-off film of this franchise, but it does make me question myslef of do we need a spin-off film.



        Having already led Furious 7 to an incredible $1.3 billion worldwide box office, Vin Diesel is gearing up for a new potential franchise with the fall release of The Last Witch Hunter, directed by Breck Eisner (The Crazies). The film has today released a teaser, which you can check out in the player below, courtesy of MTV and you can check out the poster below. The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder (Diesel), a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race. Also starring Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood and Michael Caine, The Last Witch Hunter hits theaters October 23.




        This was actually a really nice teaser trailer. It wasn't what I was expecting whatsoever and I think this film has a lot potential especially on the release date it has. It will be fun to see Vin Diesel going up against the supernatural and being a witch hunter, but I think he can pull it off. 




        Walt Disney Pictures has announced today that Rupert Sanders’ (Snow White and the Huntsman) live-action take on Ghost in the Shell, a DreamWorks Pictures production, has moved up from its April 14, 2017 release date to two weeks earlier on March 31, 2017. Avengers: Age of Ultron and Lucy star Scarlett Johansson will headline the adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s iconic cyberpunk manga series about the members of a covert ops unit that take on technology-related crime. Ghost in the Shell was famously adapted into an animated feature in 1995. The release date shift is likely inspired by the recently-announced Fast & Furious 8, which is set to debut April 14. Currently Ghost in the Shell opens a week after The Divergent Series: Allegiant Part 2 and the same week as the Untitled The Smurfs reboot. Sanders will helm the feature from a script by William Wheeler with Avi Arad and Steven Paul producing with the backing of Steven Spielberg.

        This move makes a lot of sense. I mean you put yourself out one week after The Divergent Series's last film and two weeks before a film who's predecessor just made $1.3 billion at the box office so you give yourself at least two weeks to make some serious money before you become irrelevant at the box office. It will have some competition from The Smurfs as it will be counter-programming, but I still think it will do well. 

        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 Brotherly Love

        So I recently watched Brotherly Love and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado...







        Set in the city of Philadelphia and famed Overbrook High School, Brotherly Love follows star high school basketball player Sergio Taylor (played by Eric D. Hill Jr.) as he struggles navigating the fame that comes with being a star athlete. Sergio's older brother June (played by Cory Hardrict) saw his own basketball dreams fade away when he turned to the streets to provide for his family after the death of their father. Segio's twin sister Jackie (played by Keke Palmer) saw her ambitions of having a music career side tracked after unexpectedly falling in love with Chris (played by Quincy Brown).

       

        This was a pretty nice little movie. Now the storyline itself plays out a lot like Love & Basketball, but with a lot more drama. The tone film is deep and dark that you it makes you scared for some of the people in the film I really enjoyed all of the performances especially form Eric D. Hill Jr. and Keke Palmer who are two of the best young actors working in the business an  I loved the performances of Macy Gray who is almost unrecognizable in the film. The thing  about this film is thatit got a little over-dramatic throughout the movie. Overall this was a nice film with strong performances, but it was just to over-whelming and over-dramatic for my taste. I give Brotherly Love a 6 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Brotherly Love, 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

4-28-15 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)


        David Ayer is currently shooting the DC villain fest Suicide Squad in Toronto, Canada and eTalk brings word that the caped crusader himself, Ben Affleck, has been spotted in the city, leading many to believe he could make an appearance in the upcoming film. This remains a rumor for the time being, so check back here for any confirmation on the matter as we learn it. In other semi-related news, Jared Leto, who will star as Batman’s arch-enemy The Joker, posted an image on Instagram showing off his physique for the film, wearing of all things a Superboy shirt. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru back in 1959, the Suicide Squad team has included countless DC villains among its ranks, including Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Bane, Killer Frost, Poison Ivy, Count Vertigo, Deathstroke, and Harley Quinn. The CW’s “Arrow” introduced their own version of the team in the most recent season of the series and the recent animated film, Batman: Assault on Arkham, offered another version of the team.  The cast that includes two-time Academy Award nominee Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness, Focus) as Deadshot; Academy Award winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker; Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop, Easy Money) as Rick Flagg; Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Focus) as Harley Quinn; Jai Courtney (Divergent, The Water Diviner) as Captain Boomerang; Cara Delevingne (Anna Karenina, upcoming Pan) as Enchantress; and two-time Oscar nominee Viola Davis (The Help, Prisoners) as Amanda Waller. Jay Hernandez, Adam Beach, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Raymond Olubowale, and Common are also attached to the film in still-unconfirmed roles. Written and directed by David Ayer, Suicide Squad is setting up shop in Toronto, Canada at their Pinewood extension. The film will shoot from until September for an August 5, 2016 release.

        I really like hearing this news and it also makes a lot of sense, becuase I mean why else would Ben Affleck be in Toronto. I have a feeling we are probably going to find out how The Joker got what appears to be his silver teeth in the picture that was recently released. Just hearing that we could Ben Affleck as Batman twice in the same gets me really excited and this film is so far is turning out well. I cannot wait to see the final product. 



        Speaking of Suicide Squad, another actor has joined the cast in a mystery role. Variety reports that Alex Meraz, best known for his role as Paul Lahote in The Twilight Saga, is set to join a cast that already includes Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Jared Leto as The Joker, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, Karen Fukuhara as Plastique and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Jay Hernandez, Adam Beach, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Common and Raymond Olubowale are also attached to the film in still-unconfirmed roles. Originally created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru back in 1959, the group was retooled into its current iteration as villains working off their sentence by John Ostrander. The team has included countless DC villains (and heroes) among its ranks throughout the years. It’s also been a staple of recent DC media. The CW’s hit series “Arrow” introduced their own version of the team in the most recent season of the series and the recent animated film, Batman: Assault on Arkham, offered another version of the team. Now filming, Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5, 2016.

        I think this is pretty decent casting . He hasn't been in many films, but from what I've seen he was an ok actor at best. I am very curious to see who he will play because there is such a different routes the film go with when it comes to DC villains/characters. As I said before I'm loving everything that I am hearing and seeing from the film and I cannot wait to see.



        Following the scanned images that debuted yesterday, Empire has debuted high-quality versions of the X-Men: Apocalypse concept art which you can check out in the gallery below. In addition, they spoke with director Bryan Singer, who talked about the size of the upcoming sequel. “It’s a big monster of a movie,” 
he tells the outlet. “The stakes are so high and global and the villain 
is so mythic. It’s definitely an X-Men movie, but it really feels different.” Singer also spoke about the inclusion of the “young X-Men” that will appear in the film such as Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm, saying: “They’re as much a part 
of the movie as our main cast. Scott is not yet the squeaky-clean leader. Storm is 
a troubled character who is going down the wrong path in life. And Jean is complex, interesting and not fully mature. It’s fun to see someone struggling with their powers when you know one day they’ll become the most powerful person in the world.” James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult will lead the cast of X-Men: Apocalypse, which will also see the return of Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert, Evan Peters as Quicksilver, Lucas Till as Havok and newcomers Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Sophie Turner Jean Grey, Ben Hardy as Angel, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops and Olivia Munn as Psylocke. Oscar Isaac is also starring as the film’s title antagonist with Simon Kinberg scripting from a treatment by Mike Dougherty, Dan Harris and Kinberg. Said to be the conclusion of a trilogy started with X-Men: First Class and continued with X-Men: Days of Future Past, the Bryan Singer directed X-Men: Apocalypse is set for release on May 27, 2016.

        This actually makes a lot of sense. For those that don't know how big Apocalypse is, he is about half the size of Godzilla, I mean he is huge so it does make sense for the film to be somewhat of a monster movie. He has all of the characteristics so why not go down that route. I'm also curious to see how the origins stories for Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm turn out because they sound really interesting. I loved what Bryan Singer did with X-Men: Days of Future Past and I can't wait to see what he does in his final film as an X-Men director.



        The two-part The Different Series: Allegiant has just scored a new addition to its ensemble cast. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Jeff Daniels (Dumb and Dumber To, “The Newsroom”) will play the final book’s chief antagonist, David. Lionsgate will produce and release Allegiant, starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James and based on the third book in Veronica Roth’s best-selling “Divergent” trilogy, as two separate films, it was announced today by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger. After the cataclysmic events in Insurgent, Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) enter a dangerous new world in Allegiant — Parts 1 & 2 that they no longer recognize. As new truths are revealed about the past and future, Tris must face impossible choices about courage, allegiance and love to protect the people closest to her. Combined, the first two films in The Divergent Series have grossed more than $500 million worldwide. Daniels can be seen coming up in Ridley Scott’s science fiction The Martian. Set for a November 25 release, The Martian also stars Matt Damon, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Michael Pena, Jessica Chastain and Mackenzie Davis. After that, Daniels will be playing former Apple CEO John Sculley in Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs biopic. Allegiant – Part 1 will hit theaters March 18, 2016 with Allegiant – Part 2 following on March 24, 2017.

        This is tremendous casting. Now I know a lot of you know Jeff Daniels from Dumb and Dumber playing Harry, but if you haven't seen him on The Newsroom then you are missing out. He really showcases his acting abilities and I think he could fit in well playing a bad guy. A lot of you know I haven't particularly like the last two films, but I always have an open mind going into every film and with Daniels being cast, I'm actually think thing these films might have hope.



        The cast of Roland Emmerich’s long-anticipated Independence Day 2 expands even further today with the addition of It Follows and The Guest star Maika Monroe! Emmerich himself announced the news via Twitter, although it has not yet been revealed exactly who Monroe might be playing. She joins a cast that already includes Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vivica A. Fox, Travis Tope, Joey King, Judd Hirsch and Brent Spiner. Set to hit theaters June 24, 2016 (almost exactly 20 years after the original), Independence Day 2 is looking to begin production in May with a script most recently rewritten by Carter Blanchard (best known for the short-lived 2009 series “G vs E”). Previous drafts were done by Emmerich and Dean Devlin, and then by James Vanderbilt. The original Independence Day opened on July 3, 1996 and earned an impressive $817.4 million worldwide. Emmerich is also set to produce the sequel alongside Devlin and Harald Kloser. Monroe, who also recently starred in Jason Reitman’s Labor Day, can be seen coming up in the Columbia Pictures sci-fi thriller The 5th Wave, set for release on the big screen January 15, 2016. There, Monroe stars opposite Liev Schreiber, Ron Livingston, Nick Robinson, Maggie Siff, Chloe Grace Moretz, Alex Roe and Zackary Arthur.

        This is great casting. If you haven't seen It Follows yet then you need to see it as soon as possible because this girl is tremendous in the film. If I had to speculate who she is playing then I would have to say she is playing the grown-up version of Bill Pullman's daughter from the first film. I say that because the original actress hasn't signed on to come back so that's my prediction for now.

        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 The Water Diviner

        So I recently watched The Water Diviner and I'm here to bring you my review. so without further ado...







        An Australian man named Joshua Connor (played by Russell Crowe) travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli to try and locate his three missing sons.

       

        This was a pretty nice little film. Now for those that didn't know this film won Best Film at the AACTA Awards last year which is Australia's equivalent to our Oscars and I can see why this film won the award.  It's a beautifully shot film and it uses its surroundings to it's advantage in every way possible. This was Russell Crowe's directorial debut and this was the perfect film for him to start this path as a director. I also really liked the performances in the film especially coming from Russell Crowe and if I had to choose I would still prefer Russell Crowe the actor over Russell Crowe the director. I do feel that the film does become to big for itself in some aspects and I think while he did a good job directing the film, the studio and Russell Crowe should've found someone with more experience. Overall this film is powerful and beautiful, but it sometimes becomes too big for it's own good and it should've been put in better hands. I give The Water Diviner a 7 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of The Water Diviner, 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

4-27-15 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 Variety technically broke the news a few weeks ago, Daniel Brühl has officially confirmed to The Independent that he will appear as the villain Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, but with one little twist: He will be playing Baron Helmut Zemo, “I think I can tell you that without being thrown into Marvel prison,” Brühl said. “For the first few days I’ll walk around like a little boy, just amazed by the megalomania of it. It’s such a huge project. We could do 20 films with the budget.”The original Baron Heinrich Zemo first appeared in 1964’s “The Avengers” issues #4 as a former Hydra scientist who fought Captain America during World War II and later formed the Mastersof Evil to counter The Avengers. His son Helmut Zemo made his debut in 1973’s “Captain America” #168, and eventually became mutated after falling into a boiling vat of his father’s chemical Adhesive X. After that he aligned himself with Arnim Zola and Batroc, both of whom appeared in last year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Helmut Zemo later goes on to lead the hero team of reformed villains known as Thunderbolts. Baron Zemo won’t be the only villain Cap has to contend with in the new film (which starts shooting today in Atlanta, Berlin and Puerto Rico), as Frank Grillo just Tweeted today about his previously-announced return to the fold as Crossbones.

        I really love hearing this news. Daniel Bruhl is a tremendous actor and I think he is going to knock this role out of the park. I think adding him to the cast and adding him to the MCU is an amazing idea. Zemo is an interesting character and I'm curious to see how Bruhl will handle the character.



        20th Century Fox has released a quick sneak peek for the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse featuring Kodi Smit-McPhee as the teleporting mutant Nightcrawler. In addition, writer/producer Simon Kinberg shared a photo from the set of the upcoming film revealing that today is the first day of production and they’re filming a sequence set in a movie theater playing a familiar film and you can check it out below. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult will lead the cast of X-Men: Apocalypse, which will also see the return of Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert, Evan Peters as Quicksilver, Lucas Till as Havok and newcomers Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Sophie Turner Jean Grey, Ben Hardy as Angel, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops and Olivia Munn as Psylocke. Oscar Isaac is also starring as the film’s title antagonist with Simon Kinberg scripting from a treatment by Mike Dougherty, Dan Harris and Kinberg. Said to be the conclusion of a trilogy started with X-Men: First Class and continued with X-Men: Days of Future Past, the Bryan Singer directed X-Men: Apocalypse is set for release on May 27, 2016.


(courtesy of Bryan Singer)

        I love this picture. To be honest I think he looks better than Alan Cumming's version that was in X2: X-Men United. I think this kid is a really good choice to play this character for the long-term. I'm glad to see this character back in an X-Men film and I'm curious to see if they go with the storyline that he is Mystique's child as he is in the comics.



        Universal Pictures has brought online a new Red Band trailer and poster for writer, director and star Seth MacFarlane’s Ted 2, both of which you can check out below. The plot of the sequel has Ted (MacFarlane) and new wife, Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) wanting to conceive a child. The first hurdle they encounter is Ted’s inability to reproduce, leading the couple to seek a sperm donor. That leads to bigger problems, however, when it comes into legal question whether or not Ted truly has the right to raise a child. A follow-up to the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time (also helmed by MacFarlane, Ted grossed more than $549 million worldwide), Ted 2 features the return of Mark Wahlberg (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Lone Survivor), this time joined by Amanda Seyfried (A Million Ways to Die in the West, Les Miserables), Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight trilogy, Lucy), Dennis Haysbert (“24,” Dear White People) and Liam Neeson (Taken, A Walk Among The Tombstones). Co-written by Ted‘s Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild, Ted 2 is also produced by MacFarlane alongside Jason Clark, John Jacobs and Bluegrass Films’ Scott Stuber. Look for it in theaters June 26.




        This was a really funny trailer. It had a me laughing out loud and there were a lot of great joke's. Now the one problem with comedies is that they like to show there best jokes in the trailer so they can get people interested. I thought the first film was going to do that and it ended up surprising me so hopefully this can do the same. 



        Although the character was played by Tohoru Masamune (Inception) in the 2014 Jonathan Liebsman helmed reboot, Paramount Pictures’ upcoming comic book sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 has today cast Brian Tee (The Wolverine) as its Shredder. Variety has the news, reporting that Tee will join the returning Megan Fox, William Ficthner and Will Arnett as April O’Neill, Eric Sacks and Verne Fenwick, respectively. Newcomers to the franchise include “Arrow” star Stephen Amell as the masked vigilante Casey Jones and Tyler Perry as scientist Baxter Stockman. Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laid, the Shredder is the turtles’ oldest foe, having debuted alongside Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael in 1984’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” #1. The leader of the Foot Clan, Shredder is a master ninja who, in some iterations of the franchise, serves the trans-dimensional being known as Krang. The original film, which grossed more than $485 million at the worldwide box office, also starred Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Noel Fisher, Danny Woodburn, Johnny Knoxville and Tony Shalhoub, although their involvement has not yet been confirmed for the sequel. Set to be directed by Earth to Echo‘s David Green, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 is set for release on June 3, 2016.

        This is terrific casting. This guy has been in a lot of great movies and I think he can play Shredder well. He's of Asian descent which you need for this character. I know the last film wasn't the greatest in the world, but I actually thought it was ok and with the casting they've done for this movie so far gets me pretty excited. 



        20th Century Fox and MGM have just released a new poster for their upcoming Poltergeist remake that recreates a iconic horror moment from the original and you can check it out below. Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead, The Grudge) and director Gil Kenan (Monster House) contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire, Poltergeist boasts a cast that includes Sam Rockwell (The Way, Way Back, Iron Man 2), Rosemarie DeWitt (Kill the Messenger, The Odd Life of Timothy Green), Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, “Mad Men”), Saxon Sharbino (Trust Me, “Touch”), and Jane Adams (“Hung,” Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), along with 8-year-old Kennedi Clements as Madison, a play on the famous Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) from the Tobe Hooper original. Produced by Steven Spielberg, the original Poltergeist hit theaters in 1982 and was followed by Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988. Poltergeist is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2015.



        This is a great poster. It does a callback to the original iconic image of Heather O'Rourke saying the famous line of "they're here". Everything I'm seeing from this film looks great, but I'm still a little hesitant. My one hope that this movie will at least be decent it Sam Rockwell.

        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

Weekend Box Office Review 4-24-15 to 4-26-15

        Here are the weekend domestic box office results for the weekend of 4-24-15 to 4-26-15 as well as my 5 key takeaways. So without further ado...

Box Office Totals courtesy of boxofficemojo.com

TW	LW	Film	Studio	Weekend	# of Theaters	Total Domestic Gross	Weeks in Theaters
1	1	Furious 7	Universal Pictures	$17,821,440	3,808	$320,081,575	4
2	2	Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2	Sony Pictures	$14,776,726	3,633	$43,224,910	2
3	-	The Age of Adaline	Lionsgate	$13,203,458	2,991	$13,203,458	1
4	4	Home (2015)	20th Century Fox	$8,005,648	3,311	$153,489,719	5
5	3	Unfriended	Universal Pictures	$6,161,710	2,775	$25,075,475	2
6	15	Ex Machnia	A24	$5,349,500	1,255	$6,827,930	3
7	5	The Longest Ride	20th Century Fox	$4,258,861	3,140	$30,291,700	3
8	6	Get Hard	Warner Bros.	$3,761,030	2,276	$83,922,270	5
9	8	Monkey Kingdom	Walt Disney Pictues/Nature	$3,441,840	2,012	$10,148,952	2
10	7	Woman in Gold	The Weinstein Company	$3,364,853	1,981	$21,498,632	4

1. Furious 7 wins the box office for the 4th week in a row and with these numbers and the overseas numbers, it passed Frozen for the 5th highest-grossing film of all-time and it looks to pass Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 for 4th place.

2. I'm glad to see Ex Machnia jump into the top 10 after getting a nationwide expansion.

3. Despite mixed reviews The Age of Adaline had a pretty decent weekend at the box office. 

4. The biggest loser of the weekend was Unfriended as it made 61.1% less than it did last week. The biggest winner of the week was Ex Machina as it made 569.8% more than it did last week.

5. Overall this was a decent weekend before we kick into the summer movie season.

        So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of this weekend's box office totals and what are some of your takeaways? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                         Jonah Sparks

Weekend Movie News 4-24-15 to 4-26-15

        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)


        Warner Bros. Pictures and director David Ayer surprised fans today with a first look at Oscar winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker in David Ayer’s (Fury, End of Watch) Suicide Squad adaptation! “The Suicide Squad wishes you a Happy Anniversary Mr. J!” Ayer wrote on Twitter and you can check out the image below. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru back in 1959, the Suicide Squad team has included countless DC villains among its ranks, including Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Bane, Killer Frost, Poison Ivy, Count Vertigo, Deathstroke, and Harley Quinn. The CW’s “Arrow” introduced their own version of the team in the most recent season of the series and the recent animated film, Batman: Assault on Arkham, offered another version of the team. Leto joins a cast that includes two-time Academy Award nominee Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness, Focus) as Deadshot; Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop, Easy Money) as Rick Flagg; Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Focus) as Harley Quinn; Jai Courtney (Divergent, The Water Diviner) as Captain Boomerang; Cara Delevingne (Anna Karenina, upcoming Pan) as Enchantress; and two-time Oscar nominee Viola Davis (The Help, Prisoners) as Amanda Waller. Jay Hernandez, Adam Beach, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Raymond Olubowale, and Common are also attached to the film in still-unconfirmed roles. Written and directed by David Ayer, Suicide Squad is setting up shop in Toronto, Canada at their Pinewood extension. Following two months of pre-production, the film will shoot from April until September for an August 5, 2016 release.



        I absolutely love this picture. Now I know a lot of people are torn on whether they like it or not. I personally love it because it reminds me of The Joker from the comics. Now a lot of people don't know this, but The Joker has had tattoos in the comics so I don't know why people are complaining and we probably won't see him without a shirt on in the movie as he'll probably be wearing an Arkham inmate uniform or his famous purple tuxedo. I also love the silver teeth because where DC is going with an experienced Batman it seems like Batman has beaten the crap out of The Joker over the years. All I can say is that it is just a picture and the movie doesn't come out until August of next year so there is still a lot they have to reveal so be patient with the filmmakers.



        As the press circuit for Avengers: Age of Ultron continues, Robert Downey Jr. appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” last night where inevitably the topic of his next Marvel film came up, next year’s Captain America: Civil War. With Letterman being clueless to the matter, Downey explained the concept of the film to Letterman and even teased the inclusion of Spider-Man. “There was a strain of comics where Captain America and Iron Man, they went on different sides and they fought each other,” Downey says. “Do you win? You must win,” Letterman replied. The cast for Captain America: Civil War continues to grow, in what Anthony Mackie calls “Avengers 3.8.” In addition to Downey, “Civil War” will feature Chris Evans as Captain America, Mackie as The Falcon, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Chadwick Boseman in his MCU debut as Black Panther, Daniel Bruhl in a mystery role, Frank Grillo as Crossbones, and the brand-new Spider-Man. Set to be directed once again by the Russo Brothers, who will also helm the upcoming two-part Avengers: Infinity War, Captain America: Civil War will debut in theaters on May 6, 2016.

        I really love these comments. It pretty much sums up what the movie will be about and Downey did the best he could explaining it to Letterman who had never even heard of Civil War. I'm loving everything about this film so far and with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice coming out 6 weeks earlier, next year is going to be fun.



        Following release date announcements regarding both Furious 8 and the Fifty Shades of Grey sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, Universal Pictures has revealed quite a few additional release date announcements and shifts. First up, Legendary’s Warcraft, released in 3D by Universal Pictures, will move from March 11, 2016, to Friday, June 10, 2016. A 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment’s globally-renowned universe, Warcraft is directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones and stars Ben Foster, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu, Dominic Cooper, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, Travis Fimmel and Rob Kazinsky. Universal Pictures’ Mena will be released on Friday, January 6, 2017. Tom Cruise reunites with Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman to portray a pilot recruited by the CIA who finds himself in charge of the one of the biggest covert operations in the history of the United States. Universal Pictures’ The Mummy moves from June 24, 2016, to Friday, March 24, 2017. Conceived by creative team led by director/producer Alex Kurtzman and producers Chris Morgan (“Fast & Furious” series, Wanted) and Sean Daniel (“The Mummy” trilogy, “The Best Man” series), The Mummy sees a legend that has endured since the dawn of man reborn as an all-new epic action-adventure. Roberto Orci and Bobby Cohen will executive produce. Legendary’s Pacific Rim 2 will move from April 7, 2017, to Friday, August 4, 2017. It will be released in 3D by Universal Pictures. Guillermo del Toro returns to direct the follow-up to the epic action-adventure he created with 2013’s hit original film, with a script penned by Zak Penn and del Toro. Finally, Universal Pictures’ Untitled Universal Monster Franchise Film will move from April 21, 2017, to Friday, March 30, 2018. A new epic action-adventure in a series produced and overseen by the creative team of Alex Kurtzman (“Star Trek” series) and Chris Morgan (“Fast & Furious” series), the feature will follow The Mummy in their new initiative to revive and reimagine Universal’s classic monsters for a modern audience.

        All of these release dates make a lot of sense. For Warcraft it shows confidence moving it from the spring to the summer. Now it will have a lot of competition, but I think a couple of the movies on that date will move to another date. Mena is being released in January and that really doesn't bode well for it because January is where movies go to die. The Mummy moving back almost a whole year kind of scares me and I think they should've moved it back to at least Halloween of 2016. as for Pacific Rim I love the move because it is going to a prime date in August where a few movies have been pretty successful on that same weekend. For the untitled movie the same goes for it as it did for The Mummy.



        TheWrap reports that “Heroes,” Green Lantern, and the upcoming Blade Runner Sequel scribe Michael Green is set to write the script for 20th Century Fox’s upcoming third Wolverine movie. A previous draft was written by David James Kelly. Hugh Jackman recently confirmed that the film will be his last turn as Logan in the “X-Men” feature franchise, but there’s no word yet if he will appear in X-Men: Apocalypse, currently set for a release May 26, 2016, or Deadpool, which will debut February 12, 2016. To date, he has appeared as the character in every “X-Men” film to date, going from being the focus of 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine to just a cameo in 2011’s X-Men: First Class. His career as the character has lasted seven films over the course of 14 years. Official plot details for the film has yet to be disclosed, but according to Patrick Stewart it could see Logan and Professor Xavier teaming up. The previous two “Wolverine” films have drawn inspiration from two of the character’s most famous comic book storylines, though with well over 300 issues devoted solely to Weapon X, it won’t be hard for Green to find inspiration. Currently without an official title, Wolverine 3 is set for a release on March 3, 2017 with The Wolverine and 3:10 to Yuma‘s James Mangold directing once again.

        I'm a little hesitant about this choice. I say that because of him writing Green Lantern which was a terrible movie. He is writing the Blade Runner sequel and I think he can do a good job with Denis Villeneuve directing that film and James Mangold directing this film. I really enjoyed The Wolverine and I'm looking forward to the concluding chapter of Hugh Jackman's career as Wolverine.



        Noted actor/director Tim Blake Nelson is at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York to premiere his new star-studded indie drama Anesthesia, and in the course of our exclusive conversation we discussed the forthcoming blockbuster Fantastic Four, in which he plays Harvey Elder, who (may) eventually transform into The Mole Man. Comingsoon.net talked a little about the reshoots for the film, which are currently taking place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he dispelled rumors that anyone other than Josh Trank is directing them. He also inadvertently revealed just how difficult it is to discuss these films, no doubt due to how much is at stake financially and Nelson’s first-hand understanding of how reappearing in a sequel is not inevitable. Just ask his The Incredible Hulk co-star, Edward Norton. ComingSoon.net: You and Chris Evans might be the only two major actors who have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Fox movies. What would you say are the biggest differences in terms of the way Fox and Kevin Feige run the show? Tim Blake Nelson: I guess that what distinguished for me the “Fantastic Four” experience versus “Hulk,” and both of them were really good experiences and I liked both directors… Boy, I have to be really careful about this…  I’m just thinking whether I can say what I’m about to say… um… (long pause) all right, hold on a second, I gotta find a way to say this that doesn’t offend anyone but gives you the truth… (longer pause) I’m getting there, hold on, trying to figure this out… (long pause) I’m just gonna say something positive about “Fantastic Four” and I’m not gonna touch “Hulk,” okay? I would say what I loved about working on “Fantastic Four” is that even though it’s a superhero movie somehow Josh Trank was given enough space to make the experience of shooting it often feel like we were doing a character-driven indie film.

        CS: In what way? Nelson: I never felt like I was acting in big set piece action scenes even when I was. There was always a human underpinning. And now I’ve seen the trailer and it looks like an enormously entertaining superhero movie, so you get the best of both worlds. CS: It’s my understanding that Josh Trank’s “Fantastic Four” was conceived as being smaller in scale in relation to other blockbusters of this ilk. Are the reshoots you’re doing next week a course correction to make it a bigger and hence more marketable movie? Nelson: I have no idea, but they’re written by Simon Kinberg and they’re being directed by Josh, and these are two very strong-willed, opinionated people, so I can’t imagine there’s gonna be some wild departure from what they had in mind when they first set out to collaborate. I think it’s probably going to be an effort to underscore what the movie is all about. And Josh is the maker of “Chronicle”! This guy is not afraid to take his own perspective on what it is to be a young, eccentric person in a normalizing world and explore that, and that’s what “Fantastic Four” is all about, just like “Chronicle” was. Fantastic Four opens in theaters on August 7.

        I really like these comments. First hats off to the people at comingsoon.net who do a great job and they are a wonderful site for movie news. As for the interview Tim Blake Nelson said everything that needed to be said about the film. The Fantastic Four to me doesn't feel like a big blockbuster film and it could do well as an indie film with the same tone as Chronicle. It also reassures me that every rumor that I've heard about the things going on behind-the-scenes during production. All I know is that I am really excited to see the film.

        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