Kevin Macdonald has scored with his latest, the submarine thriller Black Sea. As teased in the Black Sea trailer, it stars Jude Law as an unemployed sub worker who gathers a British and UK crew to go fetch a large amount of Nazi gold that they believe is sitting at the bottom of the titular body of water.

We caught up with Macdonald and discussed what it was about Black Sea that compelled him, and how it fits into his filmography that includes Oscar nominated work with The Last King of Scotland to riveting documentaries like his work on the Bob Marvel doc, simply called Marley.

Macdonald also extols the virtues of the astounding actor that Law has become and how the two bonded over crafting a thriller that goes to depths that few dare to go.  

Movie Fanatic: What is it about the sub movie that is one, so appealing to you and two, has a special place in movie history?

Kevin Macdonald: One thing is I think space movies are like sub movies as well, like Interstellar. It’s like a sub movie, but in space. There’s even a moment in Interstellar where one of the guys says something about six inches on the other side of this metal is nothing. That sort of what it feels like being in a sub as well. There’s just a little bit of metal protecting you from the outside. And in both cases, you’re in places you probably shouldn’t be. Mankind was never designed to be under the water or in space. You can only survive there because of the craft and the unity of the crew. What usually happens is something with the crew and when the unity goes, the mission is in danger. It’s sub genre is better than the space genre because it’s real. Every day there are thousands of people all around the world who are living under the water -- people are there and actually putting up with that incredible danger every day. When the water bursts in, and that happens, when the depth charges explode, that happens. When you get stuck at the bottom of the sea, what are you going to do?

Movie Fanatic: That happened recently in Russia.

Kevin Macdonald: Yes! That was the inspiration for this movie. All those men were trapped underwater and couldn’t get out and died because of lack of oxygen. I read about that and that was the beginnings of this.

Movie Fanatic: What else is fascinating about Black Sea is there’s this World War II element, with the Nazi gold, with a modern sub story. What was your big drive, other than wanting to make a sub movie, for wanting to make this particular story?

Kevin Macdonald: I like the fact that it is really not a naval story. It’s about a bunch of guys who have been in the Navy, and are ordinary schmoes. They’re driven by this resentment against the system. They have these manual labor skills and now nobody values that. I think a lot of people can relate to that idea. The world has changed. These are analog people in a digital world. They also represent the 99-percent versus the one-percent. There’s a sense of, “We’re going to get those people. They’ve screwed us over.” There’s a political element to it too and that was one of the things that made me really like it. It’s not just a thriller, and it operates on that level, but I think there’s another level below that as well. It’s a movie about our times.

Movie Fanatic: There’s also an element of that with the UK and Russian crew. Since the Soviet Union fell, are they our enemy? Are they our ally? And does this crew trust them with all this Nazi gold…

Kevin Macdonald: Exactly, yes! There’s a mistrust there, particularly because all of our characters are in their forties or fifties -- they’re old enough to have been in the Cold War. That is defiantly there. But, I definitely like the idea that the Russians are now in the same situation. These Russian ordinary men, they’ve been (expletive) over as well by the “man.” I like the idea that there is more in common now with these guys than ever before.

Movie Fanatic: Jude Law continues to amaze me. I remember sitting with him at TIFF for Anna Karenina and I felt he was on an upsurge and I feel with Black Sea, it is still going up.

Kevin Macdonald: That Tolstoy movie marked a real moment for him. He’s playing against type and unattractive guy and it was such a mature performance. And then in Dom Hemingway, his performance he went way out there. I love that about Jude is that he is willing to bite off a lot. He’s not afraid of doing something extreme. You get to a certain age, he’s done the big Hollywood movies, he’s done the matinee idol, but now he wants to be an actor. What he loved about this part was creating this character, and we worked on it so much. That is so much fun for a director as well, and was fun for him.

Black Sea Photos

1. There's Gold In Dem Dere Nazi Sub

Jude Law finds what he is looking for in Black Sea. But, has he invited something even worse into his world?

The first Avengers: Age of Ultron TV trailer has arrived given what we’ve heard about the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe, we see some trouble brewing for our favorite superheroes.

It seems that everyone’s upset with Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), not the least of which is our villain, Ultron (voiced by James Spader).  

Avengers Age of Ultron TV Trailer

This will all lead up to the next Marvel film to hit theaters (well, after Ant-Man) and that is Captain America: Civil War. After what our superhero collective goes through in Age of Ultron, it’s easy to see why they will be choosing sides and our Avengers would will never be the same.

That is, until they have to battle Josh Brolin as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War!

Avengers: Age of Ultron lands May 1 and until then, makes sure you revisit the classic and watch The Avengers online.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Photos

1. Avengers: Meet Ultron

The Avengers meet Ultron. Wonder how this is going to go?

Remember that dinosaur that Chris Pratt talked about being “cooked up” in Bryce Dallas Howards’s lab in the Jurassic World trailer?

Well, now we have our first look at that bad boy and it’s easy to see why those Raptors are running alongside Pratt as they go after the villain who looks like he will make the T. Rex in Jurassic Park look like Bambi.

Now, it’s just a tease, but it is enough to scare us and certainly has our anticipation meter going ever higher for the first Jurassic Park movie in years.

Here’s what the official Jurassic World site said describing their new dino!

"We set out to make Indominus the most fearsome dinosaur ever to be displayed at Jurassic World. The genetic engineers at our Hammond Creation Lab have more than delivered. At first glance, Indominus most closely resembles a T. Rex. But its distinctive head ornamentation and ultra-tough bony osteoderms can be traced from Theropods known as Abeliosaurs. Indominus’ horns have been placed above the eye orbit through genetic material hybridized from Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops and Giganotosaurus. Fearsome indeed.

Indominus’ roar is estimated to reach 140-160db—the same as a 747 taking off and landing. And it can reach speeds of 30 mph…while confined to its enclosure. Come experience Indominus Rex for yourself beginning this summer. If you dare."

Pratt and Howard are joined by Jake Johnson, Ty Simpkins and Judy Greer.

Look for Jurassic World on June 12 and until then, watch Jurassic Park online to see how it all got started.

Jurassic World Photos

1. Meet the Indominus Rex

This is the dinosaur that Chris Pratt refers to as having been "cooked up" in a lab. Yup, he's just slightly vicious.

As the Academy Awards inches closer, Movie Fanatic’s Oscar Watch delves deeper into the big categories and will predict our winner. Then, in the days prior to the biggest night in Hollywood, Oscar Watch will predict the winners in all 24 categories!

We start things off with the Best Supporting Actor category. First of all, here are our nominees.

Best Supporting Actor Nominees

1. J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

J.K. Simmons rocked our world in Whiplash. Will he win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar?

We’re sensing a trend these last couple of years in terms of who the winner will be in this category.

In October of 2013 we saw Dallas Buyers Club and knew immediately that Jared Leto would win his first Oscar. And that came to be.

In October of 2014, we saw a certain movie, and knew immediately that there would be no other actor who would come close to this person who would easily win his first Academy Award.

Let’s break it down:

Robert Duvall, The Judge
We were honestly kind of surprised that Duvall was nominated for the lackluster The Judge. He turns in a powerful performance, sure, but we were shocked that his performance was deemed worthy of one of the five slots above some other candidates (that we explore in our Oscar snubs and surprises piece).

So, needless to say, we don’t think Duvall will win. Although he is and has been one of our favorite actors and it will be a delight to see the old coot in the audience in his tux!

Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Imagine making a movie over 12 years and finding that character for a couple of weeks every 52 weeks for over a decade? That was the task facing Ethan Hawke in Boyhood and boy, did he hit it out of the park.

Discounting Duvall, in any other year, the remaining four actors could be thought to be neck-in-neck to win this thing. But, this is not any ordinary year. Hawke just needs to be happy that he has another Oscar nomination and a piece of work like Boyhood that he can be proud of.

Edward Norton, Birdman
If what Birdman star Michael Keaton does with his performance is considered a hurricane, than what Edward Norton does has to be a fierce tropical storm. He is powerful beyond words and comes in like a man possessed and over the course of the film, challenges Keaton, both onscreen and off, to turn in the finest role of his career.

In fact, Norton turns in the best performance of his career, too. But, alas, he won’t win this year either.

Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
We were beyond thrilled to hear that Mark Ruffalo was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work on Foxcatcher. Honestly, he’s the best thing about the movie. Steve Carell may be the star, but this entire film does not work without the reserved and riveting turn turned in by the man who is The Hulk. Will he win… not likely.

J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Your winner will be J.K. Simmons for Whiplash. The moment he arrives on the screen in the film and challenges Miles Teller’s drummer, you know it was on like Donkey Kong. Simmons has been a character actor that everybody adores that has been doing great work for decades.

Watch for his name to be called as the winner of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and prepare for a standing ovation. Seriously, everybody loves this guy and what he did with Whiplash is nothing short of a miracle.

Check out one of our nominees right now, and watch Boyhood online! 

Who do you think will win Best Supporting Actor?

Jason Statham is a brand, whether he wants to be or not. And actors like that can get in trouble with their audience if they try to veer too far away from that and branch out. Then again, if they take a chance and attempt something slightly different, they could come up aces. And that is exactly what happens with Statham and his latest, Wild Card.

Statham is Nick Wild (great name, no?) and he is a Las Vegas bodyguard with a penchant for gambling all his money away and barely getting by. He continually swears that he wants to leave Sin City, but needs a certain amount of cash to do so. The thing is, even if he had the amount he believes is enough, would he hold onto the money long enough to leave without hitting another blackjack table?

What sets Wild Card apart from some of the other solo Statham movies is that, believe it or not, it is not until the end of the first act that we get to see him kick and punch anyone! That has to be a record, and it’s because Statham and his director Simon West (Tomb Raider, Con Air and The Expendables 2) actually took the time to do a little character development so that when our man Wild is forced to use force, we want him to hit so hard he knocks people into Arizona.

Wild gets into a little trouble with the mob. As he sees it, the only way out is to try to win the money he owes, make some for himself off those winnings (i.e. that amount he thinks he needs to leave town), pay his debt and get out of Dodge.

Not to credit Statham with going too deep here, but he is playing a gambler and even though he can punch and kick his way out of any dangerous situation, the actor plays Wild as someone who never knows when to say when. And no matter the vice, that is exactly what an addict does before hitting rock bottom and even realizing that there is a problem.

In Wild Card, there is a side story involving a young multi-millionaire who hires Wild to show him around town. It is a nice sub story in the film as it provides the catalyst for Statham’s character to even consider changing his ways. They are actually each other’s first friend and this relationship allows us to truly believe that now we have an ass kicker with a purpose. He could possibly get away with his crazy plan to save his hide, make a ton of cash and jet out of town.

There are cliches throughout, such as the Vegas gangsters who are led by Milo Ventimiglia’s Danny, who is a bit one-sided. The supporting cast is solid enough to look past some of those missteps, such as the fantastic Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander as Statham’s lawyer, Anne Heche as his waitress friend Roxy and even Hope Davis as a casino worker friend who, yes, has a heart of gold.

Now, we’re a bit biased as Movie Fanatic is firmly in the Jason Statham camp of fandom. But we can admit when he makes a huge mistake (Parker!). Yet, our Wild Card review has to give the action hero credit for trying to stretch himself, albeit just a little bit. 

Wild Card Photos

1. Jason Kicks Ass!

Of course he does!

When done creatively and in a vividly original way, the found footage format -- or POV -- can still work. Films such as 21 and Over utilize it all sorts of wrong. But with Project Almanac, arguably geared towards the same audience, it adds something to the found footage party.

This is a story about a group of high school kids who stumble on one of their father’s inventions. It’s a time machine. It’s not quite ready, but with their smarts and determination, the thing eventually works. And as anyone who has been around teenagers knows, giving them that kind of power to alter the time-space continuum is and never will be a good idea.

And there you have our drama, except Project Almanac works on it in such a way that the complicated layers of time travel storytelling (check out our top 25 time travel movies) are so intertwined that the web that our characters weave and time altered trail they leave behind, smartly adds up to an enormous mess that is this side of impossible to fix.

A good time travel movie will have you leaving the theater and making sure that it all adds up. It’s natural to reflect and try to figure out if all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed. What is so smart in Project Almanac is that director Dean Israelite, from a script by Andrew Deutschman and Jason Pagan, shows us our end game right from the beginning. Heck, it’s even in the Project Almanac trailer!

Before we even know that David Raskin’s (Jonny Weston) father left an incomplete time machine that could work, David and his friends are looking at an old video tape from a childhood birthday. Upon freeze-framing a moment, they realize that in the video is a current day him reflecting in a mirror as the young him dives into his birthday cake!

See, we know it's all about that moment. Even as they do things that teens would do with the time machine, i.e. turn failing tests into aced exams, alleviating money problems by winning the lottery, and going back and experiencing a Lollapalooza that they wished they had attended, the audience knows that David has to return to his childhood birthday party at some point.

But, then we get into the mind-bending nature of time travel movies. Which came first, the time travel or the birthday party video? Or, was it the video that spurred the time travel back to David’s youth? Or, even better, after their various leaps of time have created practical chaos in our world, does going back to a simple childhood birthday party fix it all?

Can you fix it all?

Our Project Almanac review promises that if you want a movie that is thrilling and tense, this found footage flick is more like Chronicle than say, 21 and Over. It’s not perfect by any means. But in a sub-genre of film that sorely needs a fresh thought, having kids who are obsessed with video taping everything they do, go through what this group of friends go through with time travel, well, we’ll take it and gladly go on the ride.

Which are our favorite found footage movies? Watch Chronicle online ... there's one!

11 Great Found Footage Films

1. Paranormal Activity

We love all the Paranormal Activity movies, but the first one -- as is often the case -- is the best. And thanks to PA, found footage became a go-to format for storytelling.

The race issue at the heart of Black or White comes down to family. At the end of the day, despite all the smoke and mirrors about drug addicts and raising a child in bad versus good parts of town, it is about who would be better to raise a half black and half white little girl. Should it be her grandfather (Kevin Costner) who is the only parent she has known, or her grandmother (Octavia Spencer) who believes that the girl needs to become familiar with half her heritage that has been sorely missing?

In writer-director Mike Binder's film, we learn that Eloise (Jillian Estell) loves living with her papa. Her mother, Costner’s child, died in childbirth and her father (Spencer’s child) is a crack addict who is virtually missing. When Costner’s wife dies in a car crash, that is when Rowena (Spencer) decides that not only does Eloise need to learn about her people and be around her cousins and kin, but that a female influence is also sorely needed.

For Costner’s Elliot, it’s all about (or so he thinks) how the girl's father Reggie is and always will be a drug addict.

What Binder does with his story is use the court system to settle the issue. This method of storytelling, for one, gives Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) one hell of a role to sink his teeth into as the family lawyer who is trying to get custody for his sister Rowena.

Meanwhile, Elliot (who is also a lawyer) enlists his friend and partner and Binder’s story inter-splices courtroom moments with familial ones. And through all of it, despite Elliot’s convictions to the contrary, it does seem to actually come down to race. Yet, it’s not about stereotypes and how each race is different or where they live and even what economic strata they are in. 

As delivered in Binder's movie, unfortunately, it takes too simplistic a look at it and at the same time, it overreaches. This, as everyone knows, is a complex issue. Perhaps the story would have been better served if it truly was just about custody of a little girl. If we are in fact trying to espouse forgetting race in the equation of our modern lives, than Black or White does it a disservice by presenting the issue as exactly that, Black or White.

Yet, our Black or White review can safely say, it is still quite a powerful, emotional and heartwarming story about love and how it -- at least -- is color blind. We pull for these characters, all of them. This is a messy situation and it reflects a society grappling with race issues every day of every week. There needs to be a systemic and societal change to how we live as people -- that is the root of the problem.

The issue with Black or White is it just scratches a lot of surfaces. Perhaps Binder would have been better off making a simpler story with his narrative instead of taking on a centuries old issue and framing it as a simple family courtroom drama.

Black or White Stills

1. Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer Battle

Kevin and Octavia put on an acting clinic in Black or White.

With Black Sea, Jude Law continues his streak of awesomeness that we felt truly began to pick up steam with his most unglamorous turn in Anna Karenina and he kept extolling excellence with scene-stealing performances in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Dom Hemingway and even Side Effects.

In Black Sea, Law is Captain Robinson, a lifelong submariner who at the start of the film finds himself being talented at a job that time has passed its need for. He’s put in years of his life and being away so much even cost him his wife and child. They live a better life that he can only see from afar. When he gets wind, through an associate and former sub man, that there is a German vessel sitting on the bottom of the Black Sea with what could be the last of the unaccounted for Nazi gold, well then, the future might just be getting brighter.

The actor utilizes a man of the streets of the UK accent that is out of this world, and that is just the tip of the iceberg of why Law is so good in this flick. Law’s Robinson is always in command, yet ruled by emotions that he refuses to talk about (it’s the English way!). But, the actor says much with his face and we know that he knows that his entire future rides on this find and pulling together the right crew to make it happen.

There’s a Russian sub that he could buy and therefore, he’d also need a half-Russian crew to run it. He has his buddies from his UK Navy days and his submarine shipyard days. Watching the UK crew and the Russian crew, with their Cold War leftover feelings of mistrust, is fascinating. There’s hundreds of millions of dollars on the line and that would make you not trust your best friend, much less a handful of guys who spent years being trained to kill you.

It all adds up to a smoldering stew of tension as their bucket of bolts dives deeper into the Black Sea to find their booty. Robinson has established that everyone gets an even share and he hopes that takes greed out of the equation. But, when you're leagues undersea and trapped in a tiny tube, people’s minds play games. Who can you trust? That is just the first of many questions that need to be asked. Yet, there is still a job to do.

Dennis Kelly’s script is custom made for Kevin Macdonald’s directing style and the helmer shows us yet again why we think there is nothing he cannot tackle and triumph. Who would have thought that the man who gave us the Oscar-winning The Last King of Scotland and the astounding documentary Marley would deliver a submarine thriller that will have audiences gasping for air?

That’s exactly what he did. The helmer also does so in a manner that shuns cliches and embraces the submarine subgenre of thrillers and pushes the envelope to make Black Sea about so much more than taking a sub to the bottom of the titular body of water to recover hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Nazi gold.

Our Black Sea review reports that it is also a timely film about the haves and have nots. Macdonald’s work also explores the greedy nature of man and what depths we will go to for family to ensure that our children have a better life than we even dreamed of. 

Black Sea Photos

1. There's Gold In Dem Dere Nazi Sub

Jude Law finds what he is looking for in Black Sea. But, has he invited something even worse into his world?

December 18 has been circled in our calendars for quite a while as Star Wars: The Force Awakens lands in theaters. But, what about the next two films in the series? When can we expect the Force to continue?

Bob Iger, Disney CEO and Chairman, has announced that the Rian Johnson-directed Star Wars: Episode VIII will land in 2017 and Star Wars: Episode IX in 2019.

Iger also commented on the series as a whole with his announcement about when we can see them.

“As one of the few people allowed to visit the set during filming….and one of the fewer who’s seen most of the footage, I can assure the millions of Star Wars fans who have spent the last decade hoping for a new movie this one will be worth the wait,” he said.

“And it’s only the beginning of a new era of exceptional Star Wars storytelling.”

We had a general idea when the films would appear, but now we at least know what year the two sequels will arrive.

Now, will the latest teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens be one of those Super Bowl movie trailers?

18 Star Wars Posters That Have To Be Seen

1. The Scoundrel

Steve Anderson paints The Scoundrel... and if that isn't a perfect title -- I don't know what is!

Joss Whedon is beyond excited that the studio behind his The Avengers movies is finally making a superhero movie that features a female lead, Captain Marvel. But, he still is saying that Hollywood has a long way to go.

“[Captain Marvel is] something that Kevin [Feige] has been working on for a while. And I obviously was a cheerleader, but he had to get all the ducks in a row and get all the minds in agreement. I think being a part of Disney maybe makes it easier, because they’re open to it,” Whedon told Digital Spy. “And Marvel now is in a position to shake up its own paradigm, because it’s got such a success record.”

But he still thinks that the movie-making world still has a long way to go to break out of its sexist grasp on reality.

“It’s a phenomenon in the film industry that we call ‘stupid people.’ There is genuine, recalcitrant, intractable sexism, and old-fashioned quiet misogyny that goes on. You hear, ‘Oh, [female superheroes] don’t work because of these two bad ones that were made eight years ago.’ There’s always an excuse,” Whedon said.

Whedon also said that it was Luc Besson and his recent hit starring Scarlett Johansson that may have done more good than any movie in recent memory in terms of pushing female heroes to the forefront.

“Lucy was a huge step, in a way, because it was such a massive hit, and because Scarlett [Johansson] is amazing in it. In the first 40 minutes of that movie, she’s giving a powerhouse, emotional performance as a terrified and evolving person. It’s not just, ‘Oh, we’re going to pay lip service to this idea, and then get to the endless ass-kicking.’ It really is a character piece,” Whedon said.

“She’s what you’re looking at the whole time. I mean, [she and I] don’t even talk about movies, and I had to tell her how great she was. So to deal from that place, instead of just ‘here’s a genre idea that will sell toys,’ is dynamite.”

Watch Lucy online and see what Whedon is talking about and check out the slideshow below and see who we think would make a great Captain Marvel.

15 Actresses Who Would Be Fantastic as Captain Marvel

1. Yvonne Strahovski

Yvonne Strahovski has major geek cred with her work on the TV show Chuck. She's also perfect for the role with her vast action scene skills shown in that cult TV hit and several films as well. For us, she embodies Captain Marvel marvelously.

The final edition of the weekend movie preview for January 2015 is a busy one. There are four films opening nationwide and each offers something for everyone (except maybe the kids!). 

Jason Statham still kicks butt, but stretches a bit in Wild Card. Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer battle over race in Black or White. The found footage format tackles time travel in Project Almanac and Jude Law scores the best and most riveting movie of the weekend with Black Sea. 

Project Almanac: Imagine a found footage movie that actually works? The format has been stale lately and by having it focus on a group of teenagers who travel through time, we get some fresh thrills from a genre that feels old -- even though it is actually quite young! 

Our Project Almanac review reported that the film has thrills and is actually quite tense and manages to pass the time travel movie test of, "Does it all add up?" 

Project Almanac Movie Trailer

Black or White: Costner and Spencer play grandparents fighting over custody of their granddaughter. The film tries to make a bold statement about race in America, but winds up biting off too much. 

Black or White Stills

1. Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer Battle

Kevin and Octavia put on an acting clinic in Black or White.

Costner and Spencer are both fabulous, our Black or White review found, and Anthony Mackie is astounding. It's just that the film reaches too far and winds up coming up a little short. But, we should state that the film is entertaining and somewhat enlightening. 

Black or White Teaser Trailer

Wild Card: Statham stretches his wings as a Las Vegas bodyguard with a serious addiction to blackjack. When he winds up in debt to the mob, he crafts a plan to win a ton of money, pay off his debts and get out of Sin City. Does it work? 

Wild Card Photos

1. Jason Kicks Ass!

Of course he does!

For fans of Statham, they should be thrilled with the film. It features him kicking butt as usual, but it's a different type of character for him and we, for one, welcome the change. For more, check out our Wild Card review. 

Wild Card Trailer

Black Sea: Jude Law turns in a riveting performance in the movie that gets the award for the best of the weekend. Law is a submarine captain who discovers a whole ton of gold sitting at the bottom of the Black Sea. He has assembled a half Russian/half British crew and if they don't kill each other before they get to the bottom of the sea, they might just get the score of a lifetime. Then again, once they get the gold, they have to try not to kill each other!

Black Sea Photos

1. There's Gold In Dem Dere Nazi Sub

Jude Law finds what he is looking for in Black Sea. But, has he invited something even worse into his world?

Our Black Sea review delves deeper, but just know this: For fans of the thriller genre, it's hard to find thrills as pure as in this flick!

Black Sea Trailer

Feel like staying in this weekend? Several stellar titles have landed on digital download. Watch Fury online and find Brad Pitt as a tank commander in a riveting drama or watch The Boxtrolls online and discover one of the films nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar!

It is hard enough for a director to make a movie in general, but that very first movie that a helmer makes, well, that has to be the most stressful thing of all.

That is why it is so astounding what these 15 directors did with their first film. These are announcements of the highest order that talent has entered the room and crafted something truly extraordinary.

The man who would win an Oscar for the film that you can see when you watch Django Unchained online had the most astounding of beginnings. It’s hard to believe the helmer who got his education watching movies as a video store clerk would become one of our greatest. Yet, in his first film… that greatness was ever present.

Watch Skyfall online and you’ll see the most successful James Bond movie of all time. Would you believe us that Sam Mendes’ first movie directing gig resulted in him winning Best Director at the Oscars? Yeah, that’s a big-time debut!

And the man who gave us those timeless Princess Bride quotes made quite a splash with his first film. Not bad for a guy that was largely known for a character on TV named Meathead!

Click through and discover the 15 most astounding directing debuts!

15 Breakthrough Director Debuts

1. Memento, Christopher Nolan

Although Christopher Nolan would go on to make The Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar and Inception, we still hold a special place in our heart for his first movie, Memento. Guy Pearce stars as a man who is continually forgetting what happens to him. That is kind of a problem when he’s investigating the death of his wife. The movie moves backwards in one of the most original movie directing debuts we’ve ever seen. You had to know when you saw Memento that somebody truly special was responsible for that masterpiece.

The Loft hits theaters today and to celebrate, Movie Fanatic is giving one reader a special The Loft prize pack.

Our winner will receive the super hot soundtrack to the film (featuring music by composer John Frizzell, who worked on The Following, Stalker and Alien: Resurrection), as well as a The Loft movie poster and the best part – two tickets to see The Loft in theaters.

As teased in The Loft trailer, the film follows a group of men who secretly rent a loft in the city to do, well, whatever they want. It takes them away from their wives, girlfriends and commitments of any kind.

It’s a fantasy suite in the purest sense of the phrase.

But, when a woman is murdered there, their heavenly space quickly becomes a piece of hell.

Use the widget below to enter on Facebook or Twitter. There are three unique ways to enter, and by entering all three ways you can increase your chance at winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

James Marsden (2 Guns), Karl Urban (watch Star Trek Into Darkness online to see him in action), Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rhona Mitra and Rachel Taylor star in the Hitchcockian thriller.

Clearly Vince Vaughn had a fantastic and artistically awesome time working with director Ken Scott on Delivery Man.

He’s back with Scott on his latest comedy and their effort, Unfinished Business, premiered their first trailer before the big game.   

Unfinished Business Trailer

That’s right, before New England emerged victorious over the Seattle Seahawks, Vaughn, Dave Franco and Tom Wilkinson teased their story about a business trip that appears to be one of the best ever.

See, Vaughn is a small business owner who jets to Europe with his cohorts (Franco and Wilkinson), for a meeting that could either make or break their company.

It should have been the most mundane and run-of-the-mill trip that resulted in a potential for anything but average profit. But, things go completely off the rails, and of course that leads to some potentially spectacular humor.

Unfinished Business lands in theaters March 6 and also features Sienna Miller (American Sniper), James Marsden and Nick Frost.

Check out Vaughn and Scott’s last work and watch Delivery Man online. 

For airing during a sports championship game that brings a whole lot of bone crunching action, we could not be more pleased with the scenes and song chosen for the teaser for Matthew Vaughn’s (X-Men: First Class) latest film. 

The Kingsman: The Secret Service trailer debuted just before the Super Bowl and rocked our world.

The film is based on a graphic novel and finds Colin Firth playing a member of an elite spy organization that exists without the oversight of governments.

They work to help maintain peace and order in the world, all without ever getting a single headline or credit for their efforts (and their losses) .

Kingsman: The Secret Service Super Bowl Trailer

Kingsman: The Secret Service premieres February 13 and is already our favorite movie of the year. This thing blows doors and features some of the most impressive and jaw-dropping fight sequences you will see in any film this year. Yeah, that.

Samuel L. Jackson also stars as our villain, and Mark Strong works alongside Firth’s special agent. And the Kingsman, well, they’re run by Michael Caine! What a cast!

While we wait with bated breath for Vaughn’s latest, watch X-Men: First Class online to see what this guy can do.

Kingsman: The Secret Service Photos

1. Colin Firth Character Poster

Colin Firth's leader of the Kingsman gets his own poster.

American Sniper went three-for-three as the Bradley Cooper starring -- Clint Eastwood directed -- true story of Chris Kyle won the weekend box office yet again.

And it is continuing to break records. With its $31 million haul, American Sniper has become the highest grossing Super Bowl weekend movie ever. Are there any records left for this film to break? At this pace, it could land on the all-time domestic top 10. Hey, it could happen, it already has $249 million in domestic gross!

Paddington continued its strong run and finished second. The family film is the best flick out there for everyone from eight to 80 and we could not be more thrilled with its $8.51 million haul that brings it to $50.5 million total. Hopefully that means we’ll get more of our favorite Peruvian bear in the future!

Third place found the found footage flick Project Almanac. It banked $8.5 million and came this close to coming in second! That time travel thriller was followed by Kevin Costner’s Black or White, another new film landing on screens this weekend.

Closing out the top five is Jennifer Lopez’s The Boy Next Door. The thriller added another $6 million to bring its cume to $24.6 million.

Box Office Top 10:

1. American Sniper, $31.9 million
2. Paddington, $8.5 million
3. Project Almanac, $8.5 million
4. Black or White, $6.5 million
5. The Boy Next Door, $6 million
6. The Wedding Ringer, $5.7 million
7. The Imitation Game, $5.2 million
8. Taken 3, $3.7 million
9. Strange Magic, $3.4 million
10. The Loft, $2.9 million

Most Lethal American Sniper Quotes

Chris Kyle: I’m not a redneck. I’m from Texas.
Taya Renae Kyle: What’s the difference?
Chris Kyle: We ride horses and they ride their cousins.

• Permalink: We ride horses and they ride their cousins.
• Added: January 19, 2015

1. Chris Kyle Is No Redneck!

Chris lays out the difference between a Texan and a redneck.

The Super Bowl movie trailers have all debuted and we cannot remember a year where there were so many! To say Movie Fanatic was fanatical about it is an understatement.

There were 14 between the game itself and the pre-game. Sure, there was a football contest that saw the New England Patriots emerge victorious for their fourth ring over the Seattle Seahawks.

But, you can forgive us if we were a little distracted by all that upcoming movie teasing that had us breathless.  

Watch Jurassic Park online and that film series’ latest chapter had one of the better trailers to debut, and it was the first to land once the game actually started -- thus giving it the biggest audience.

Where does it rank?

Fifty Shades of Grey surprised us with its presence during the Super Bowl. When it arrived in the fourth quarter, we thought, why does this film need any more teasing? It already has a fan base that bought 70 million on those books. Well, we think that teaser scored big time in probably gaining a few more fans.

Watch The Terminator online as we have again recently, and it helps us wrap our head around the timeline shifting that is going on in that franchise that arrives this summer with Terminator: Genisys. Arnold Schwarzenegger was featured hugely in that film’s Super Bowl teaser.

How do we think it sits among the lucky 14 movie trailers that premiered during the biggest television telecast of the year?

Click through and discover our rankings of the top 14 Super Bowl trailers for 2015!

Top 14 Super Bowl Trailers

14. Minions

It's easy to have this one start off our countdown -- it wasn't really a trailer. It was, in many ways, a teaser for the debut of the next Minions trailer that will land on Tuesday. But, we still adore our favorite part of the Despicable Me movies cheering on a sporting event, and then losing their overalls!

We loved the Minions Super Bowl trailer, and could not be more excited to awake today and find our first photos of Sandra Bullock’s Scarlet Overkill.

As you know from that first Minions trailer, this first film that firmly puts the spotlight on the best part of those Despicable Me movies follows them from the early days of time. They are just a group of Minions in search of a master. From T. Rex to Napoleon, they are more than willing to support an evildoer.

Except, that has not worked out so well – even with centuries of trying!

When they land in New York City in the swinging '60s, they find a match made in Minion heaven. They, and we, meet Bullock’s Scarlet Overkill. Is that a perfect villainous name or what?!

We’ve got a bit more of a synopsis about what happens when the Minions meet Overkill and why this villain is their first true love, pre-Gru.

“The Minion trio adopt Overkill’s high-flying lifestyle, admiring everything from her stolen jewelry to her castle outside of London and rides in private jets. The new connection also brings the Minions to the cutting edge of the era’s weaponry, from lava guns to hypnotizing helmets.”

Oh, did we mention that Overkill has an evil sidekick, and it is her husband Herb Overkill (Jon Hamm!)?

Look for Minions July 10 and be sure to watch Despicable Me 2 online to see where we last left those adorable evil munchkins. 

Minions Photos

1. Meet Scarlet Overkill

Long before they were Minions for Gru, they were Minions for Sandra Bullock's Scarlet Overkill.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has released its first clip and poster! 

When the first The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel arrived a few years ago, it was a surprise global blockbuster. Even though it seems like the most unlikely of franchises, a sequel was green lit and we could not be happier given what we witnessed in that first The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel trailer.

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy and our favorite Indian establishment proprietor Dev Patel are all back and they are joined in the cast by superstar Richard Gere.

Fox Searchlight has released the film’s first clip and appropriately enough, it focuses on Gere’s character and how Patel feels he holds the key to the future of the budding franchise (pun intended).

The Second Best Marigold Hotel Clip

We’ve also got our hands on The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel's first poster and a series of stills from the highly anticipated romantic comedy that hits theaters March 6.

See how it all got started and watch The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel online!

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Photos

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Poster

The gang is back, and Richard Gere is joining them.

When Frozen became Disney’s highest grossing animated movie of all time and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, one had to know that there would be more Frozen on the horizon.

And while we wait for Frozen 2, Disney is delighting us with an animated short called Frozen Fever.

Frozen Fever will premiere before the March 13 release of Disney’s Cinderella and, as we know so far, the gang is all back and they're gathering to celebrate Anna’s birthday!

Elsa has planned quite the party in the animated short -- and from the looks of the first photos, it’s going to be one heck of a party. That is, if Olaf doesn’t eat the cake first!

Given that we knew the crux of the story would focus on Anna and Elsa, we were too thrilled when we looked through the photos and saw our favorite Frozen character, Olaf! And yes, we’re sure he still loves warm hugs!

Watch Frozen online and get all sorts of ready for the return of Idina Menzel as the voice of Elsa, Kristen Bell voicing Anna and Josh Gad killing it as Olaf.

The animated short is directed by Frozen helmers Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and will feature a new song from Let it Go writers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Frozen Fever Photos

1. Sleep Tight, Anna!

Anna takes a nap in a still from Frozen Fever.