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Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Silver Chair coming to the Silver Screen

The Official Facebook page for The Chronicles of Narnia has announced that The Silver Chair will be made in to a movie!! YES!!!!!!!!

Not much other news about it has yet been announced other than that The Mark Gordon Company will be producing the film. I hope it stays closer to the book than the last movie did, because the books have so much offer.

Totes Happy About This,
Heather
The Incredible Dork

Monday, September 16, 2013

VROOM VROOM! Need For Speed and FAST-7 Updates!

In case you're getting tired of superhero movies, 2014 has a pair of car movies to get your adrenaline going. We can't promise they'll make you want to do donuts in the parking lot, but the movies do look promising.

Since the "Ozymandias" episode of Breaking Bad is still fresh in our minds (btw, holy shit!), let's start with NEED FOR SPEED! (Amphetamine pun intended)

Everyone favorite meth-hocking, little scamp, Aaron Paul stars in the film adaptation of EA's NEED FOR SPEED. Paul plays Tobey Marshall, a street racer out to clear his name and avenge the death of his friend after an illegal car race goes wrong.

Here are two official images that have just been released by Dreamworks:

Paul says 'This set was different than anything I've been on...You're walking through a very thick cloud of testosterone.''
Worried that it sounds like a Fast&Furious movie rip? The two-time Emmy award winning actor says, "'It's really a throwback to the Steve McQueen era of car movies. I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised.''

Need For Speed is directed by Act of Valor's Scott Waugh and also stars Dakota Johnson, Dominic Cooper, Kid Cudi, and Michael Keaton. NEED FOR SPEED is set to hit theaters on March 14, 2014.

Need for Speed marks an exciting return to the great car culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, tapping into what makes the American myth of the open road so appealing. The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country journey for our heroes—one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption.

Oh and THAT other car movie franchise?


FAST 6 Promotional Poster

Lucas Black has reportedly signed on to returned to the role of Sean Boswell from The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift. Deadline reports that not only has he signed on Fast-7, but he has also signed 8 and 9, too. [Yeah guys. There's plans for a total of 9 movies] Black's character hadn't been brought up since the 2006 movie because [Kinda-SPOILER ALERT] it turns out the events of ...Tokyo Drift happened after Fast-6.

FAST-7 already boasts a loaded cast. Confirmed to return to are Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
New additions to the cast include: Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Nathalie Emmanuel, and reigning UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, Ronda Rousey.

FAST-7 is currently in production. In case you haven't heard, Justin Lin is not directing. James Wan, director of Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2, and The Conjouring is behind the wheel of this one. This movie will be in theaters July 11th, 2014.

She rocks my Championship belt better than me! My fam @UFC Champ @RondaRousey joins me in FAST & FURIOUS 7! #BringIt pic.twitter.com/Y5BOokomPf
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 9, 2013

(via Deadline and THR)

We'll have more news on these movies as we get it. Let us know in the comments below what you think. OR tweet us @NGUonline.com.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

ROBOCOP - First Trailer!

"Dead or alive, you're coming with me!"

Sony and Columbia Pictures have released the first trailer of 1987's ROBOCOP and will hit theaters in February.

This film stars Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) as Alex Murphy/Robocop, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, and Jackie Earle Haley. The upcoming reboot was directed by Jose Padilha who also directed 2007's Elite Squad and its sequel Elite Squad: The Enemy Within.

In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years – and it’s meant billions for OmniCorp’s bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

This film is rated PG-13 and will hit theaters February 7th, 2013.

If you're a fan of the original movie or a completest and you've watched all 3 movies + the TV series + the tv movies + cartoons + read the comic books, you can see several differences in characters and plot:

Murphy's partner is now Jack Lewis rather than Anne Lewis
Murphy was blown up rather than obliterated by bullets
Murphy's family knows he's Robocop
No mention of hologram chick, Diana Powers

BUT DON'T WORRY! ED-209 is still in the movie! Let's see if it learned how to deal with stairs in the past 25 years.

Let's see how much the reboot is to Paul Verhoeven's American Jesus metaphor. No. Not kidding. He considers his 1987 movie a Jesus metaphor.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Batman: The Great Debate

Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill

Batman vs Superman

I am in the camp of people that really loved Man of Steel. I am in the camp that was stunned by the casting of Ben Affleck as the next Batman.

That is where I stood on that fateful day of casting news.

This tweet from one of my favorite twitterers helped me move on from the now notorious Batfleck explosion:

WEEELLLLLL, yeah. True dat.

Wow, I was so upset by Ruffalo as the Hulk in the early casting days, but then as we all know, he went and nailed it.

Nailed. It.

In less than a day there were posts from varying geek sites arguing why Affleck is actually a good casting choice. Even Joss Whedon gave his stamp of approval via his twitter; he also recommended that we go read this:

WOW. Well said, Mr. Oswalt. Color me corrected and intrigued.

SO, with that, I now join the quest with countless masses of other nerdlings to search for the Caped Crusader in Mr. Affleck via his movies. I'm going to rewatch certain films of his with the fresh perspective that he's gonna be Batman.

JOIN ME! Together we can rule the ga-- I mean, join me in this quest. I'll be live tweeting, too, if you don't have time to watch the movies. I shall do a follow-up post after I complete my movie crusade! Watch this space!

To Seek The Holy Grail,

Heather

The Incredible Dork

Thursday, August 22, 2013

BatFleck Rises - Ben Affleck cast as Batman

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman.

Warner Bros. announced on Thursday that the two-time Oscar winner, former DareDevil, People Magazine's 2002 Sexiest Man Alive, Affleck will don the cape and cowl in 2015's untitled Batman-Superman movie. Greg Silverman, Warner Bros’ President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production, said, "We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some... His outstanding career is a testament to his talent, and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character."

Zack Snyder went on the record to say this about Affleck: "He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him."

Ben Affleck will join the cast of returning actors from this Summer's Man Of Steel, which include Henry Cavill, who will reprise the role of Superman/Clark Kent, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. David S. Goyer, who scripted the MOS and worked on the Dark Knight trilogy, will write the sequel. Warner Bros has set the film to open worldwide on July 17, 2015.

The WB's President of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Susan Kroll, added, “We are so thrilled that Ben is continuing Warner Bros.’ remarkable legacy with the character of Batman. He is a tremendously gifted actor who will make this role his own in this already much-anticipated pairing of these two beloved heroes.”

Ben Affleck now joins the special fraternity of those who have worn the cape in front of a camera; Christian Bale (3x), George Clooney (once), Val Kilmer (once), Michael Keaton (twice), and Adam West (1 movie + 120 episodes of tv).

(via Variety)

And DareDevil? Yeah he didn't like that movie any more than the fans did. Check out his thoughts on that in Details.
And in an interview with MTV, "We missed a lot in that movie..."

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Ok. Take a deep breath. Gather your thoughts and let us know what you think in the comments below. And please try to do so without words that you wouldn't be allowed to say in an elementary school.

Until next time.....

Friday, August 2, 2013

Coming Attractions: August 2013

Coming Attractions is a monthly piece in which I let you know what I think will be the best movies releasing in the coming month. So if you plan on going to the movies any time this month, hopefully I’ll give you an idea as to what your best bet will be each week. So without further ado, here are the coming attractions for August 2013:

Friday, August 2

The Spectacular Now (Limited Release)

Directed by: James Ponsoldt

Written by: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber

Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

From the writers of (500) Days of Summer, the director of last year's Smashed, and based off an incredible novel; a recipe for success. While it doesn't pack quite the emotional punch of the book, this film was perfectly cast (especially in the case of the two leads) and take you on a raw, emotional journey. At one point you can literally feel two people fall in love over the course of a single long take. A wonderful, bittersweet love story.

Friday, August 9

Elysium

Directed by: Neill Blomkamp

Written by: Neil Blomkamp

Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, William Fichtner, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna

In the near-ish future, a man with nothing to lose tries to escape from the low-class wasteland that Earth has become to the space station Elysium, which houses all the wealthy people who have left Earth. Coming from Neill Blomkamp, who brought us Disctrict 9 a few years ago, rest assured that we'll get a gritty, realistic depiction of a sci-fi future featuring social issues of today's world.

Friday, August 16

Kick-Ass 2

Directed by: Jeff Wadlow

Written by: Jeff Wadlow

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey

A follow-up to the 2010 film, superheros are now commonplace, but so are the villains. Kick-Ass faces the revenge of The Mother Fucker (formerly Red Mist), Hit Girl is back to be adorable yet dangerous, and Jim Carrey plays a semi-insane person (surprise). It looks pretty much just like the first installment, but with more people dressing up and being violent. Definitely check it out if that's you liked the original.

Friday, August 23

The World's End

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Written by: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan

One of my most anticipated films of the year. A group of old friends get together after years apart to finish a bar hop they failed to complete back in the good old days. Now from all different walks of life, they reflect over how things have changed over time. Also, the world is invaded by aliens while they continue to get drunk. Completing the Three Flavours Cornetto/Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy also made up of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, this sci-fi satire looks to be just as brilliantly funny as the other two team-ups between director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Wednesday, August 28

Closed Circuit

Directed by: John Crowley

Written by: Steven Knight

Starring: Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciarán Hinds, Jim Broadbent

I know virtually nothing about this movie other than that it's a crime/conspiracy thriller and the poster says that it stars Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciarán Hinds, and Jim Broadbent; but frankly, with a cast like that, it's all I need to know.

Honorable Mentions

Europa Report (August 2 - LIMITED RELEASE)

Directed by: Sebastián Cordero

Written by: Philip Gelatt

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist

A sci-fi thriller depicting a ship's research voyage to Jupiter's moon Europa, where all kinds of crazy stuff begins going down. Highly lauded as being presenting space travel and the plausibility of Europan conditions in a realistic manner, Europa Report seems to be more along the line of hard sci-fi like 2001: A Space Odyssey. A must-see if the bright lights and laser guns of the other sci-fi space flicks just don't cut it for you.

Prince Avalanche (August 9 - LIMITED RELEASE)

Directed by: David Gordon Green

Written by: David Gordon Green

Starring: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch

Director David Gordon Green (who you may know from directing Pineapple Express and Your Highness) returns to his indie roots with a story of two men who retreat into the country to take on the menial task of painting traffic lines down a highway and rediscover themselves. A Sundance film that promises some great comedic but touching performances from Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch.

Drinking Buddies (August 23 - LIMITED)

Directed by: Joe Swanberg

Written by: Joe Swanberg

Starring: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston

I'm not usually one for romantic comedies with characters who are clearly with the wrong person while Mr./Miss Right is standing right in front of them the whole time, but this is another case where an amazingly funny and talented core cast is enough to pull me in to something I wouldn't otherwise be too interested in. However, if those types of rom-coms are your thing, you definitely don't want to miss this one. It's bound to be good.

Short Term 12 (August 23 - LIMITED)

Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton

Written by: Destin Daniel Cretton

Starring: Brie Larson; John Gallagher, Jr.; Kaitlyn Dever; Rami Malek; Keith Stanfield

A South by Southwest film darling about a young woman (the incredibly talented Brie Larson) working at a foster center for at-risk children. Always putting her own problems aside for the children, she begins coming to terms with her own life. Apparently this packs a hell of an emotional punch and has some great performances to boot.

You're Next (August 23)

Directed by:

Written by: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, Damon Lindelof

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, David Morse, Abigail Hargrove

A horror flick that's not standard fare when it comes to home invasion thrillers. When a group of dog-face mask-wearing killers start tormenting a family having a get-together at their cabin in the woods, they get more than they bargained for. Getting lots of acclaim and being touted as a breath of fresh air for films featuring home invasions.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @JOKftw or post in the comments if you've got any questions or comments.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Movie Review: Pacific Rim + POSTER CONTEST

Pacific Rim is a prime example of the fact that simplicity can go hand-in-hand with quality when it comes to summer blockbusters. Instead of giving us a convoluted plot and surprises at every turn, we’re treated to a simple premise and simple characters with straightforward motivations. Some of these characters are archetypal to a very high degree, but they fit well within the framework of the story and are (in most cases) perfectly portrayed by the actors (particularly Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, and Ron Perlman).

The simple plot that we’re introduced to is that giant monsters called Kaiju have been attacking cities all over the planet and that humanity needs to fight back using giant machines called Jaegers in order to save themselves from certain destruction. Our simple but effective cast of characters is comprised of a jaded former pilot looking to reclaim his former glory (Charlie Hunnam), a rookie pilot looking to prove herself (Rinko Kikuchi), a hardened military leader willing to do anything to win the war (Idris Elba), and a pair of scientists (Charlie Day and Burn Gorman) trying to discover how to put a final stop to the beasts threatening mankind. Even though we’ve seen virtually every element of this story before in other films, television shows, comics, and books, there is still never a dull moment.

Drawing clear influences from anime and other giant monster movies in terms of the setting and plot, Pacific Rim is still intended to be wholly original in terms of the design of the Jaegers and Kaiju; and it definitely shows. They’re recognizable on a basic level as mechs and kaiju but are completely their own at the same time, part of an established world that was clearly made just for them. If I were a young child, I’d be begging my parents to buy me all of the Jaeger and Kaiju toys and would probably spend hours bashing them together on the battlefield of my bedroom floor.

While making you want to buy action figures might not seem like a great reason to categorize Pacific Rim as a good movie, in a strange way it really is indicative of the success the movie has in world-building. It builds such an entertaining world in such a short time that you want to get lost inside it and make your own adventures within it. The film is just as much about the world it creates as it is about the singular story within that world.

In that incomplex story of human survival we’re treated to spectacle in its purest, most heartfelt form. Yes, some of the character beats are a bit cheesy. And yes, some of the action is a bit over the top. But all of these exaggerations come from a place of love of the genres that are being referenced, clearly from the influence of Guillermo del Toro and his childlike love of storytelling, and I had a grin stretching across my face for almost the entire movie.

The fact that such an indulgent but well-done movie like this can still be made by a director with such a passion for the subject is something to celebrate in itself. We always see summer blockbusters with tremendous action sequences and incredible effects, but all too often it seems like they’re done only to showcase those effects, the story being cobbled together as interludes between those action set pieces. *cough Transformers cough*

However, Pacific Rim gives us elementary concepts and tools that have been proven to work in order to make you care about what you’re seeing. Any time action is on the screen, the stakes are understood and the characters’ motivations are clear. Because of that, it will make you laugh, cheer, and will even make you want to tear up a bit. (Or at least it made me want to...) So frequently in advertising for films you’ll see a phrase along the lines of “Like nothing you’ve seen before.” While Pacific Rim may show us things we certainly have seen before, it puts them all together in a really awesome new way, proving that just because you’ve seen something done before doesn’t mean it can’t still be good when it’s done right.

Grade: A

Pacific Rim

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

Written by: Travis Beacham, Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Rinki Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Burn Gorman

Release Date: July 12th, 2013

POSTER CONTEST

Details:

NGU Online has five (5) Pacific Rim posters to give away to you guys. The poster (pictured below) is an awesome anime-style depiction of a Jaeger and Kaiju from the film locked in an epic battle. The artwork comes from Sergio Grisanti, who was hand picked by Pacific Rim director Guillermo del Toro to design the poster. Each poster measures 13.5" x 19.5".

Directions:

In order to win one of the posters, all you need to do is log onto Twitter and tweet us the name of either one of the of the Jaegers or one of the Kaiju featured in the film. Send your tweet with the Jaeger/Kaiju name to @NGUonline and include the hashtag #GoBigOrGoExtinct. If you're a winner, we'll contact you for your mailing information and send you the poster. Simple as that!

Good luck!

Feel free to reach me on Twitter @JOKftw or post in the comments if you've got any questions or comments!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Marvel Cinematic Universe at SDCC 2013

Loki appeared live and in the flesh!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe panel at this year's SDCC is the panel at which Loki made his now famous appearance. Tom Hiddleston has been such an epic gentleman and fandom supporter since taking on his role as Loki. His legendary enthusiasm continues as he took over the panel in full costume to introduce a preview of Thor: The Dark World. A portion of the panel featuring Loki's appearance is totally worth watching and you can view it here. The panel featured two groups, one for the next Captain America film, followed by the second group for the Gaurdians of the Galaxy film.

The cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier from the first half of the panel.

Following Loki's epic takeover of the panel, the cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier took the stage. They quickly covered questions aimed at each actor about their character in the movie. We learned that The Falcon will be "handin' out biznizz for two hours!!". The Winter Soldier is a surprise to The Captain; which is what's important rather than him being a surprise to us, the audience. We learned that Black Widow plays an integral role in the movie; she and the captain are partners and share a shorthand (communication) between them. Maria Hill works to keep everyone in check and to help them find their way in this new world where aliens and superheroes have been revealed.

Anthony Mackie who plays The Falcon

Scarlett Johansson who plays Black Widow

Scarlett Johansson informs us that the movie will be gritty with lots of fighting! (YES!!) We also learned that Robert Redford was the choice for Alexander Pierce because the movie has a "70's thriller tone" and he helps to deliver that.

The cast seemed genuinely enthusiastic about this movie and that it's going to be action filled!

They've got about one more week left of filming to go. The movie is set to be released on April 4th in 2014.

Gaurdians of The Galaxy SDCC 2013

The cast of Guardians of The Galaxy from the second half of the panel.

Just like with the first group, questions for this half of the panel were about the characters in the movie. This movie has only just started filming and so the answers weren't in-depth, but BOY did they do enough to get me really excited about this movie!! The cast also flew in from filming in London just to come do this SDCC panel and then were flying straight back the same day. That is INTENSE. I know they must be flying first class, but that is still intense. Kudos to the studios and to the actors for the effort.

Star-Lord, played by Chris Pratt, is a guy from space who was a bit of a jerk until he teams up with the Guardians and finds a higher purpose. Gamora, played by Zoe Zaldana, is basically an assassin from space and the deadliest woman in the universe. All we got about Drax the Destroyer, played by Dave Bautista, is the he's going to freak people out. Corath, played by Djmon Hounsou, is a humanoid and a great ally of Ronan and Thanos. We didn't learn too much about Nebula, played by Karen Gillen, other than that she is bald and Karen revealed that she, too, was now completely bald and removed her wig.

Zoe Zaldana

While we didn't learn anything about his character, we did see that Micheal Rooker, who played Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead, is going to be in this movie. Another big name, but new to this type of movie, is Benicio Del Toro. I'm really interested to find out more about who he is in next year's panel at Comic Con. I'd be surprised if they didn't have one as it would be JUST before the release of the movie which will be in August 2014; that'd be a perfect time to promote the film.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I wasn't especially keen for these two movies. I couldn't even tell you why I was "meh" about them. However, after seeing the panel for them, I can't wait for these two movies now!!! I'm officially VERY KEEN and excited for them!

Bangorang,

Heather

The Incredible Dork

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Recent Posts

The Silver Chair coming to the Silver Screen

VROOM VROOM! Need For Speed and FAST-7 Updates!

ROBOCOP - First Trailer!

Batman: The Great Debate

BatFleck Rises - Ben Affleck cast as Batman

Coming Attractions: August 2013

Movie Review: Pacific Rim + POSTER CONTEST

Marvel Cinematic Universe at SDCC 2013