The Rocky spin-off, Creed, has been filming in Philadelphia and we’ve got the first pic of star Michael B. Jordan as the title character. And yup, that’s Sylvester Stallone as the Italian Stallion next to him!
Creed follows the son of Apollo Creed as he recruits Rocky to become his trainer, albeit reluctantly.
Given that Creed’s father died in the ring (in Rocky IV to Dolph Lundgren’s Drago), one can see why Rocky does not want his friend’s only son to head into the ring.
Creed arrives November 25 and is from director Ryan Coogler.
To recall how the entire story got started, watch Rocky online and stay with Movie Fanatic as more on this film emerges!
"The Ride Ain’t Over," so says the tagline in the first poster for the Entourage movie.
The boys from the hit HBO TV show are making the leap to the silver screen and judging by what we saw during our set visit, fans of the show are in for a treat.
Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier) and his boys Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Drama (Kevin Dillon) make their big screen debut in what appears to be quite the set-up.
As teased in the Entourage teaser trailer, Ari (Jeremy Piven) is now head of a major motion picture studio and has green lit the Chase passion project which is a modern-day take on the Jekyll and Hyde story (called Hyde). For all of them, everything rides on the success or failure of this picture.
Look for cameos all over the place, including one we know about (Liam Neeson) and several we saw -- but cannot talk about! We do know that Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment will be a father-son foil for Ari and that Emmanuelle Chriqui returns to the role of Sloan.
It’s official! After months of rumors, Fox and Neill Blomkamp have announced that the District 9 and Elysium director will helm a new Alien movie. Blomkamp even took to his Twitter account and posted a not-so-cryptic photo.
“So I think it’s officially my next film,” he wrote on his Twitter feed.
Blomkamp has Chappie coming out March 6 and now we all know what he will do next after the Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver starring fable.
Will his Chappie star return to the role? We think so. She has alluded to such in recent months, which of course fueled all those rumors that Blomkamp was making an Alien movie.
Now, we don’t know where in the Alien timeline this Blomkamp film will take place or how it will be influenced or affected by Prometheus and the recently announced Prometheus 2.
There is no one better with a bow and arrow in movie history than Katniss in The Hunger Games. And there's a reason she won those Hunger Games... she's also cunning.
Alice in the Resident Evil series is a whole new kind of awesome. With the world on the verge of complete destruction, there is no one else we want extolling the justice.
Katee Sackhoff is no stranger to strong, kick-butt female characters. But there was something about her bounty hunter in Riddick. Perhaps it's going toe-to-toe with Vin Diesel!
Sure, the title told us that Uma Thurman's bride would eventually Kill Bill. But what made her so kick ass is everything she did leading up to that fateful moment.
The End.
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Chappie features frequent Blomkamp collaborator Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium) as the voice of the title character, as well as Dev Patel as the scientist who takes an interest in the AI fueled robot, Hugh Jackman as the man charged with “hunting” him and original Alien star Sigourney Weaver.
As teased in the Chappie trailer, Chappie is an artificially intelligent robot who has the mind (right now) of a child. And like a child, he has the wild imagination that the entire world is his playground. But, what is Chappie’s world?
There are many that want him destroyed and believe that he is a threat to mankind. There are also many, like Patel’s character, who believe that Chappie may be the savior of us all.
That, and many more elements, will be explored when Chappie hits theaters March 6.
Kevin Costner first became aware of the Jim White story (chronicled in McFarland, USA) in an article in Sports Illustrated some years ago. “I remember being very taken with it. I had lived in the Central Valley in Visalia. I actually played McFarland in high school baseball. But I was taken with the story, and then of course closed the page and moved on with my life,” Costner told Movie Fanatic.
It was a chance to play a real life coach who had made a difference and changed lives. As teased in the McFarland, USA trailer, Costner plays White who was a somewhat disgraced football coach who left a prime job in Idaho under questionable circumstances and moved his family to the titular city.
When he saw these migrant workers and their kids toiling in the field, he noticed something. These kids who attended his school had a natural gift for speed. White started a cross country team and they have become legendary in California.
For Costner, he relished the opportunity to shed a spotlight on people who are helping build our future. “There are these men and women all over America who are affecting our young people, and the relationship that coaches establish with young people is something that carries through their life,” Costner said.
“There’s a moment in time where kids really don’t want to hear anything from their parents. But a coach can take on that if they are of the cloth that Jim White came from -- [they] let them know what was possible, look what happened -- champions. It’s a great lesson to us. If we give our children goals, we let them see what’s possible, they can exceed beyond their own wildest expectations. I was proud to play the essence of Jim White.”
Did Costner have a Jim White in his life? “I've had two coaches. One was from Visalia, his name was Jim Barnett. He was a baseball coach. He was a real help to me in a lot of ways,” Costner recalled.
“But, there was a man that was very powerful. His name is Joe Vaughn and he’s the winningest basketball coach in the state of California for girls’ basketball. I was the last team he coached for the boys. I started to get in a little bit of trouble. He just took me off to the side, and he said, ‘I thought you were a Jesus man.’ I remember, I just looked at him and I just started crying. I felt like I had disappointed him.”
The superstar, who is no stranger to sports movie classics (watch Field of Dreams online), believes that McFarland, USA transcends that genre and says so much more and inspires in so many different ways.
“If you want to make a great sports movie, don’t put too much sports in it,” Costner said and smiled. “It’s the backdrop. Bull Durham was about men and women, why they can and can’t get along and have to still be together. I think McFarland, USA is about you can be more than you think you can. You're just as good. And if you work harder, you can be better.”
McFarland, USA also shines a spotlight on the community that is predominantly of Mexican descent, and how it triumphs their spirit, sense of family and desire to make a difference in this country to those who will follow in their footsteps.
“I've grown up in Ventura, and also in Visalia. I saw people working in those fields. I played, fought and had friends whose families were pickers in Saticoy, California -- a little Mexican barrio school that I went to. You think apple pie and baseball’s American? No. McFarland is way more American. Those are pastimes. There is no more of an American story than parents who are willing to do anything to better their children, to give their children a chance,” Costner said.
“There’s nothing more American and it’s been playing out over the last 300 years, here.”
The title is perfect, because it’s not just about McFarland, California. This is a true story about McFarland, USA. “There’s a mythology around McFarland because their lives changed when they understood that they could be champions and repeat that idea. There’s nothing more noble than a father and a mother making an opportunity for their child, knowing that their life is gonna be hard. There’s something very noble about that, to me; something incredibly heroic.”
After having achieved so much (he won two Oscars for Dances with Wolves) and attaining massive box office success, he clearly appreciates how his hard work has paid off, but he cautions he is far from done.
“I've been able to do a lot of things in the movies. I've been able to run with the buffalo. I've been able to pitch a perfect game in Yankee Stadium, [and be] in the bathtub with Susan Sarandon,” he said and laughed.
“I’ll wait for something to come along that I can respond to. If I plan my life so much in advance, I'll miss this. I would have missed McFarland. We all have to have our north star we fix on and we go to. But life is so much about the things that bump into you. McFarland, USA is one that I treasure.”
Tom Hardy is ready for action (although when isn’t the star of The Dark Knight Rises?!) in the international trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road that has just premiered.
We, for one, are seriously intrigued and excited to see Hardy take over the iconic role of the post-apocalyptic anti-hero made famous by Mel Gibson. George Miller is a master storytelling and director and this world he created all those years ago appears to be in good hands with a fresh face injecting some life into a beloved role.
Mad Max Fury Road features Hardy’s Max as a man trying to find meaning in a world turned upside down. He has lost his wife and child and while he roams the deserted desert landscape, he is not seeking trouble just meaning. Yet, nothing but trouble seems to find him.
Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Nathan Jones star in the film that opens in 2D and 3D May 15.
Is Leatherface in this flick? But seriously, talk about an action sequence. Tom Hardy's Mad Max fighting for his life on a car racing through the Australian outback while a man with a chainsaw seeks to kill him!
As we reported earlier this week, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has started shooting in Queensland, Australia. Producer extraordinaire Jerry Bruckheimer posted a picture to his Twitter page showing off our first photo from the Down Under set. And if you look really closely, there’s Johnny Depp as Captain Jack!
We also see directors Espen Sandberg and Jachim Ronning gazing into the monitor, busy at work on the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie that looks to add to the franchise that has already brought in billions.
“We just started filming a new #PiratesoftheCaribbean in Australia. Captain Jack is back,” Bruckheimer said with his tweet.
The series welcomes some newbies to the cast, most notably Javier Bardem as our villain, as well as Kaya Scodelario, Brenton Thwaites, and Golshifteh Farahani. Returning are favorites Geoffrey Rush, Kevin R. McNally and Stephen Graham.
When your series is based on one of the bestselling book series of all time, that's a good place to start. With the casting of the three leads, fate struck and a movie franchise for the ages was born.
Now on its fifth movie with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, J.R.R. Tolkien has produced a world perfect for the movies. We could head to Middle Earth time and time again.
The Force is so with this series that we're getting a new trilogy four decades after it started. Luke, Leia and Han Solo have become not just pop culture legends, but cultural icons.
Cap had us in World War II and has us expecting much from his present day adventure Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Chris Evans was born to be Cap!
He may be the Man of Steel, but Superman feels like the most everyman of all the superheroes. Whether Christopher Reeve and now with Henry Cavill, that "S" should stand for sensational.
Batman begins, ends, begins anew... it doesn't matter. Bruce Wayne (and his alter ego) is the rare superhero with no powers, yet is still so solidly super.
They're fast, they're furious and this gang of street-racing pros, led by Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker, is simply the best. With the franchise heading towards nine movies, it is one epic series.
There's something fascinating about food and it falling from the sky and then getting menacing. Now on its second film with a third likely planned, we're hungry for more.
The End.
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Kevin Costner is back with McFarland, USA, a stunning true story about a cross country coach who inspires greatness in his charges. Costner has made his fair share of sensational sports movies in his award-winning career, but those are merely the tip of the awesome cinematic iceberg that is his filmography.
We name the top 11 Kevin Costner movies and with so many to choose from among his three decades of work, it was a challenge. What is number one?
Watch Field of Dreams online and we can promise that tear-jerker classic is on our list, but where does it rank? And those Bull Durham quotes are some of the most timeless movie lines ever uttered -- is that baseball romantic comedy the best?
When you watch Dances with Wolves online, it’s easy to see why the Academy would give the actor-director two Oscars for that effort. Surely that film sits at the top spot. It’s on the list, but it’s not his best in our opinion.
Click through and see which flicks make up our top 11 Kevin Costner movies!
Although there were two Wyatt Earp movies out about the same time, both proved worthy. What worked so well about Kevin Costner's is that the actor found a way to impeccably capture the deep thinker inside Earp and how that drove him to do what he did. And where to start with the awesomeness that is Dennis Quaid's Doc Holliday?!
Costner went bad for 3000 Miles to Graceland and the stylized action crime thriller is not only a visual stunner, but seeing Costner as an Elvis wanna-be is just one spoke in the wheel of this fun ride. And by the way, the chemistry between Kurt Russell’s Elvis wanna-be and Courteney Cox is palpable.
Silverado is credited with giving Costner the bug to make the many Westerns he would eventually film and star in. It all started with the Lawrence Kasdan gem that is one of the more grossly underrated films in the genre.
We know how the Cuban Missile Crisis ended, but still the tension in Thirteen Days is off the charts. Costner plays a close aide to President Kennedy in the early days of his presidency. The young U.S. leader was challenged immediately by Soviet Union military aggression in the form of placing nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba, merely miles from the United States. Costner’s Boston accent is top notch (something that is not easy to do) and Bruce Greenwood’s JFK is one of cinema’s best.
Costner would direct and star in 2003’s Open Range and take what could have been the simplest of stories and made it something truly special. Costner and Robert Duvall star as cowboys who are just trying to make a living as cattle men. The former gunslinger, Costner, is forced back into action when a corrupt lawman forces his hand and makes his life a living hell.
Who knew that one of the best Al Capone movies we’d get would actually make the crime boss (played by Robert De Niro) a minor player as it focused on the lawman that would bring him down. Costner is Eliot Ness, the legendary prohibition era federal agent who was charged with assembling a team (Sean Connery, who would win an Oscar, Charles Martin Smith and Andy Garcia) who would prove to be too much for the crime lord with more weapons, resources and power in Chicago than Ness could ever dream of. The Untouchables is a modern gangster classic.
Dances with Wolves would give Costner his first two Oscars, for Best Director and Best Picture. Costner also starred as a Civil War era soldier sent to “work†on Indian relations in the west. What he found would change his life. Embraced by the natives, Costner’s character would try to find a way for the two peoples to co-exist. And the whole time we know that history would prove him wrong.
Field of Dreams is one of the movies that makes anyone cry, even just thinking about it. It is a baseball-sports movie, sure, but like many of Costner’s sports movies, it is about so much more. This, at its heart, is a father-son story that pulls on every single heart string the human spirit has. “Build it and they will come?†And we visited that Field of Dreams over and over and over.
The controversial JFK is a modern masterpiece and it all rides on two people’s shoulders -- Costner as the only person who brought any kind of charges in the assassination of JFK and the director, Oliver Stone. Time has proven that more people today believe Stone’s take on the assassination mystery and that maybe all that concern over him playing with the facts when the film was released was seriously overblown. Watching Costner dig for the truth is a tribute to anyone who ever thought that lone gunman theory was pure fantasy.
It’s impossible to find a more perfect movie than Bull Durham in Costner’s canon. The baseball tale of a former major league slugger (Costner) who finds himself in the minor leagues to tutor a budding pitcher (Tim Robbins) is ripe with romance, hilarity and full of heart. His chemistry with Susan Sarandon is off the charts and when it comes to Costner movies, Bull Durham is the crème de la creme. Yes, Crash Davis, we love you.
The End.
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We caught up with Hot Tub Time Machine 2 director Steve Pink and after witnessing his sequel to those Hot Tub Time Machine quotes, we were fascinated with how he handled missing a star in the sequel.
See, John Cusack is sitting out Hot Tub Time Machine 2, but there is a scene where there’s a trench coat by the hot tub that leads us to believe that Cusack is still running around this world somewhere.
“Like Hot Tub, Hut Tub 2 kind of exists like The Avengers in terms of the universe. I think John is like Thor or Iron Man,” Pink said. He then gave us a little nugget that leads us to believe that Cusack could be back in a Hot Tub Time Machine 3.
“The cosmos of characters in Hot Tub Time Machine exist very much like those in The Avengers. He might be lost somewhere in time.”
As shown in the Hot Tub Time Machine 2 trailer, Nick Robinson’s Steve Webber has a huge hit with Stay. Of course, we know that was by Lisa Loeb, but in the world of Hot Tub Time Machine, Webber has become a huge pop star, thanks to “ripping off” other people’s songs before they ever had a chance to write them.
Pink admitted that after the success of the first film, his phone was ringing off the hook from musicians volunteering their tracks for Webber to make his own.
“The world was our oyster on that. Every single musical artist in the history of music was calling actually to be a part of it. Lisa just called first,” Pink said. The helmer also pointed out that the songs had to also serve another purpose. “It had to be some kind of iconic video, too. It had to be an iconic video that we could shoot.”
You (Expletive) Nerd is another sonic moment to remember from Hot Tub Time Machine 2 and what started as an improv riff with Rob Corddry and Robinson was turned into a bona fide song by none other than OK Go.
“They improvised it on the set and it seem to be something that could have a life of its own. We called OK Go. We have no shame. We will ask anyone at anytime to allow someone to make the mistake of being a part of a Hot Tub Time Machine movie,” Pink said and laughed.
“They apparently loved the first one and were tricked into doing the second. They recorded part of it on the road and sent it to us in pieces.”
With Cusack not doing this film (he has also left the door open to future installments), they needed a fourth to make the Clark Duke, Corddry and Robinson trio a fab four. Adam Scott (Parks and Rec) had worked with Duke recently and the actor suggested his old co-star from A.C.O.D.
“We were thinking about who to bring into the movie and I called Clark (Duke) and he said he had just made a movie with Adam and what about Adam? I said to Clark, ‘Do you think we can trick Adam into being in the movie?’ Then I called Adam and tricked him into being in Hot Tub 2 and he exercised incredibly poor judgment,” Pink revealed.
“There were a lot of points in time where he could have said no. And we just kept reeling him back in.”
After the success of Hot Tub Time Machine, Pink told us that Paramount Pictures was open to whatever they threw at the screen, confident that it would result in laughs. “The studio gave us a lot of creative freedom, foolishly or not, you guys know what a Hot Tub Time Machine movie looks like and feels like at this point and to their credit or detriment they put their faith in us to dictate what the humor and tone was.”
If you remember, as a joke, the film was originally going to be called Hot Tub Time Machine 3. But Pink said that everyone involved felt that the inherent nature of the title as joke would hurt their chances at the box office. “The fear that people might feel that they missed the second one and not gotten the joke... they would miss the joke and not see the movie,” Pink reported.
There’s a moment in Hot Tub Time Machine 2 where there is a box that simply says, “Cincinnati.” We wondered if that, or anything for that matter, is off limits to explore in future installments. “Nothing is off the table.”
Where the first movie was influenced by Back to the Future and how going back in time would somehow influence the present, the second Hot Tub Time Machine movie was influenced by Back to the Future Part II and heading into the future. Those two films are merely the tip of the inspirational iceberg for all involved in the Hot Tub Time Machine franchise.
“Every single movie that had either a time machine or hot tub element to it influenced us. Obviously Looper is a big influence [with a] killer going back to the past -- The Terminator of course. There was a Turner and Hooch reference,” Pink said and laughed. “But it got cut.”
Vin Diesel is set to have a huge 2015. We all know that he has the latest Fast and Furious film landing April 3, teased in that awesome Furious 7 Super Bowl trailer. The action hero also has The Last Witch Hunter and he shared the first photo from the period action piece on his Facebook page.
“It is rare thing to have produced two movies with completely contrasting characters, come out in the same year… Furious 7 on April 3rd… The Last Witch Hunter on October 23rd,” he said with the posting of The Last Witch Hunter photo.
“However, exactly fifteen years ago, two movies were released in the same day, with entirely different characters… Boiler Room and Pitch Black. Thanks for always believing in me… blessed, inspired… and I feel like I’m just getting started…”
The Last Witch Hunter also stars Michael Caine, Elijah Wood and Rose Leslie and chronicles the adventures of an immortal witch killer who is forced to pair up with his sworn foe (Leslie) to find a way to put an end to the covens of New York releasing a worldwide destructive plague.
The DUFF is based on the book by Kody Keplinger, and features Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell as neighbors who explore the nature of the titular acronym. Yup, it means Designated Ugly Fat Friend. When Whitman's lead discovers that is what she is called, everything changes.
The teen comedy is much more than a genre film, it speaks to anyone who feels that they do not fit in.
We caught up with Whitman and Amell’s co-stars, Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels and Bianca A. Santos, for an exclusive video interview where Thorne admitted that she was blown away by the film’s resonance, but also its humor.
“I read the script and I thought I would die from laughter,” Thorne told us. “I’ve never read a teen comedy that was so on the nose.”
As you can tell from The DUFF trailer, this is no ordinary comedy geared at high school kids. It resonates because it preaches accepting oneself for who you are and that message is absolutely universal. Check out what else the film's stars said in our video interview above!
Even though that last Insurgent trailer gave us the impression that Tris (Shailene Woodley) is ready for a fight, it is clear from the first clip from the sequel to Divergent that she didn’t come to that conclusion easily or overnight.
The first Insurgent clip has landed and it features Theo James’ Four and Tris having a deep discussion that covers whether she is ready to be the face and force behind a revolution that is seeking to overthrow Kate Winslet’s post-apocalyptic, dystopian government.
Fans can agree, those Divergent quotes were faithful to the Veronica Roth book series, so their anticipation for the sequel that lands March 20 has got to be sky high.
Also returning from the first film is Miles Teller and he’s joined by an esteemed pair of Oscar caliber actresses, Naomi Watts and Octavia Spencer.
Insurgent is ready to set the bar higher as Tris searches for her family, friends and allies amongst the ruins of what used to be Chicago. She and Four are on the run and they will find some unlikely allies (Teller) and meet some new faces that will always have them wondering who they can trust.
One of the things that came out of the Fifty Shades of Grey box office success was that the film did well, despite the fact that director Sam Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Kelly Marcel did not exactly see eye-to-eye with author EL James. Even though the film has banked an enormous playroom full of cash, we’re hearing that James was not happy with the response to the first film and the adaptation of her book in the first place.
So, what to do?
Well, according to Variety, James is demanding that Universal allow her to take over the series and pen the screenplays for the two Fifty Shades of Grey sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Although James is unlikely to direct, we do know that Taylor-Johnson will be out. Someone else will be brought in who will not argue or even debate James’ ideas for the cinematic versions of her beloved blockbuster books.
James wants creative control and given that the books, one could argue, have worse reviews than the movie (check out our Fifty Shades of Grey review), perhaps the author’s ego is getting in the way of creating a product that appeals to more than just the rabid fans of the Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele love story on the page.
It’s really hard to argue with over $300 million in international box office. But then again, James created it -- it’s her baby to sabotage if she wants. There, we said it.
Stay tuned, we have a feeling this hubbub has just begun.
Christian Grey: What about you? I'd like to know more about you. Anastasia Steele: There's really not much to know about me. Look at me. Christian Grey: I am.
We know he's not a stalker, but quotes like this do make you wonder.
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Kate Kavanagh: You have to admit that he’s ridiculously hot. Anastasia Steele: If you’re attracted to that sort of human. Kate Kavanagh: The hot type of human?
Seriously, these two in elevators. Just get a room!
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Anastasia Steele: Why am I here, Christian? Christian Grey: You're here because I'm incapable of leaving you alone. Anastasia Steele: Then don't. Why'd you send me those books? Christian Grey: I thought I owed you an apology. Anastasia Steele: For what? Christian Grey: For letting you believe that I... Listen to me. I don't do romance. My tastes are very singular. You wouldn't understand. Anastasia Steele: Enlighten me, then.
We guess it's romantic, in a kind of not normal way.
Christian Grey: It's just behind this door. Anastasia Steele: What is? Christian Grey: My playroom. Anastasia Steele: Like your Xbox and stuff? Christian Grey: It's important that you know you can leave at anytime. Anastasia Steele: Why? What's in there? Christian Grey: I meant what I said. The helicopter is on standby to take you whenever you want to go. Anastasia Steele: Could you just open the door? Anastasia Steele: [walks into the room] Oh my God.
In 2010 a comedy arrived that gave us Hot Tub Time Machine quotes that have been repeated ad nauseam since, but did we ever think it would get a sequel? It made $50 million domestically, but when it landed on home video, a new cult classic was born. And frankly, cult classics get sequels nowadays.
But what works with Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is that the formula that director Steve Pink and screenwriter Josh Heald introduced to us in the first film keeps on hitting those laugh-out-loud notes and they work for us.
Back to the Future inspired the first film, what with its “thing” that is used as a vehicle of time travel and how the past can change the future and how that is not always a bad thing. And where Back to the Future Part II headed into the future, so too does Hot Tub Time Machine 2, but it does so in a much more hilarious and raunchy way.
John Cusack from the first film is gone, but his presence is still saluted. In this futuristic film, we meet his child, Adam Jr. (Adam Scott). Scott’s comic sensibilities are quite Cusack-ish, so it works (for now, we would love Cusack to come back with Scott if there’s a third Hot Tub Time Machine) with the three stars back from the first film -- Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke.
As teased in the Hot Tub Time Machine 2 trailer, something horrible happens to Corddry’s Lou and they head back into the hot tub. They learn a valuable lesson from Chevy Chase’s hot tub mechanic: “The hot tub doesn’t take you where you want to go, it takes you to where you need to go.”
It turns out that that horrible thing that happens to Lou, it actually emanated from something that happened in the future. Color us impressed with the unique take on the time travel genre of the movies. That said… there are plot holes all over this thing. But it doesn’t mean it isn't fun to watch. There is something about these four guys, particularly the trio from the first film, that is a true joy to witness as they traverse history and basically just be themselves.
The moments that we’re sure are improv (which will likely be revealed on a DVD and Blu-Ray bonus feature) are truly the best. When the main three look at themselves in the mirror as older men, the “you look like” back and forth, well, we could have listened to for another 30 minutes. It’s just that funny.
People will ask, “Is it as funny as the first?”
Actually, it’s funnier than the first film. But, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is a whole different cinematic animal. The first film truly took place in one time. It was an '80s flashback movie, and who couldn't have fun with that? This flick, there is an element of peril that what happens in the hot tub can actually affect the fate of the entire world, not just these hilarious idiots.
Our Hot Tub Time Machine 2 review can salute that.
Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell make an announcement in The DUFF. These two’s chemistry elevates what could have been an only directed at teens comedy into a film that actually has a slightly broader appeal than expected.
The messages and themes of the film, based on the bestselling book by Kody Keplinger, come alive thanks to the talent and tenacity of Whitman in particular. Because of Amell’s screen presence, the duo make the most unlikely of cinematic dream teams.
Don’t get us wrong, The DUFF is still directed firmly at teens and we suspect this is the type of film that those of that age today will look back on in 30 years the same way this writer gazes back at The Breakfast Club. It is a film that makes you look at yourself (at that age) and see that your quirks and your “faults” are actually what make you uniquely you.
Whitman is Bianca and Amell is her good friend/lifelong next door neighbor/most popular kid in school Wesley. One night at a party when Bianca is there with her two besties (Bianca A. Santos’ Casey and Skyler Samuels’ Jess), Wesley makes the mistake of letting Bianca in on a little unspoken social secret. She’s a DUFF: A designated ugly fat friend.
A “What did you say to me?” from Bianca turns into a well laid out (dramatically) five steps of tragedy. This news rocks her world. Of course, her friends deny even knowing what a DUFF is, much less that it was remotely something done on purpose. Bianca goes from denial, to anger and, yes, by the end of the film acceptance. But it is handled in such a way that is not at all what one would expect from a teen movie of late.
Save Whitman’s recent The Perks of Being a Wallflower, teen movies have had an easier time going for stereotypes and labeling than character building. Josh A. Cagan’s screenplay adaptation from Keplinger’s book definitely has the teen movie archetypes, but that is merely where these characters begin... it is nowhere near where they end.
That is largely achieved through Bianca and Wesley, who carry the film -- particularly from the performance of Whitman. She is a revelation. What she teased in tone perfect teen angst in The Perks of Being a Wallflower becomes a full bloom of brilliance in her latest.
Bella Thorne rocks as the mean girl. Thorne’s portrayal is imperative to the entire evolution and character arc of Bianca having resonance and believability. Without the villain, the hero is limp and that is not the case here -- although we have a bit of an issue and it is not Thorne’s fault. After seeing her basically serve the same role in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, we’re afraid she’s in danger of being typecast. She’s too good for that.
The reason why we think that The DUFF could be seen as universal is that being comfortable in one’s own skin is not a process that ends when we graduate high school. It is an ongoing journey that has to incorporate the ever-changing dynamics of our evolving social circles, familial commitments and professional ambitions, all with the never-stopping addition of age.
But, our The DUFF review has to point out that, yes, teens will definitely be the ones who turn out in droves for this film. And they won’t be disappointed.
The sins of London have followed the Fast and Furious family home, so we learn from the Furious 7 international trailer.
Jason Statham is hunting them down and they (along with federal agent Dwayne Johnson’s help) will be crossing the world to stop the madman who wants them dead.
See, Statham is the brother of the the sixth film’s villain (Luke Evans) and he’s none too happy about his sibling’s demise.
James Wan takes over the directing duties after a successful career making horror movies.
Of course the film is one of our 15 most anticipated movies of 2015 because we adore the franchise. But, we’re also curious how on earth they handle the tragic passing of its star, Paul Walker.
Gee, how do you think this fight will go between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham? Well, given that Statham's our bad guy and that this is problably not the final fight, we're guessing he gets out of the beating somehow!
The currently shooting Mission Impossible 5 is now taking a break. Why, you ask? Because all those involved feel that the script for the fifth installment in the Ethan Hunt spy series needs a better ending.
Production was shot down for almost a week as star Tom Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie and an unnamed writer friend of Cruise’s hunkered down and re-wrote the close to the film that would “get from what they thought was a good place to a more perfect place,” according to a source close to the shoot.
Usually when things like this happen, red flags go up all over. We actually think it's merely a small speed bump. Given the success of Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, we think the fifth film has a lot to live up to. The fourth flick was a huge hit and a widely saluted film from critics too.
Mission Impossible 5 will still hit its July 31 release date. And we know they’re busy working out the kinks on this one, but we think a trailer is coming sooner than later.
The fifth Mission Impossible movie will bring back Cruise, as well as Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg (who just signed on to write Star Trek 3!). Joining the series is Alec Baldwin.
There have been some serious Oscar upsets where movies and artists that deserved an Academy Award were denied one.
As this year’s telecast gets ready to hand out the highest honor in the movie industry, we suspect there will be some surprising moments.
But, will any of them live up to these nine most shocking events from Oscar's past?
Given that two on this list arrived last year -- thanks to the hostess with the most, Ellen DeGeneres -- host Neil Patrick Harris has his work cut out for him!
Watch Silver Linings Playbook online and it’s easy to see that Jennifer Lawrence deserved that Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. But what she did on the way to the stage lands her on our esteemed list of headlines from the Academy Awards that have nothing to do with the movies.
These Godfather quotes remind us too that someone from that movie got an Oscar for his role, and promptly made history in the most jaw-dropping of ways.
Click through and discover the 9 most shocking Oscar moments in history!
Jennifer Lawrence celebrated her big win for Best Supporting Actress for her work on Silver Linings Playbook by promptly taking a spill on the way up the stage stairs in front of a billion people. Hey, at least anything she said in her acceptance speech would be an afterthought. That tumble will take those nerves right away.
The comedy writers who help Oscar hosts stay funny all night were handed a gift in the form of Best Supporting Actor winner Jack Palance as he accepted his award. He was making a speech about how when you get old, it doesn’t mean you’re done. For example, one-armed push-ups can still be knocked out. And he proceeded to show us, in front of millions… and host Billy Crystal had fun with it all night long.
When Jolie won for Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted, she kind of sent the audience reeling by declaring in her speech, "I’m in shock and I’m so in love with my brother right now." She confounded things by kissing him later that night in the most un-sibling of ways in front of dozens and dozens of cameras.
It’s Adele Dazim, or is it Idina Menzel? We think it is amazing that Menzel still performed Let It Go with the power she did after John Travolta mangled her name when introducing her performance of the Frozen Oscar-winning smash hit.
We think it has since been surpassed, but when Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres snapped a selfie with a slew of Oscar attendees that included some of the biggest names in Hollywood (Brad Pitt! Meryl Streep! Jennifer Lawrence! Bradley Cooper!), it went viral and the selfies became a word that would be added to the dictionary.
In 1974 host David Niven handled a shocking moment about as well as anyone could in history on live television. A streaker ran behind him and left the gathered audience aghast, not to mention the hundreds of millions watching. Showing what is impeccable timing and taste in words, Niven simply said, “Isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?†Nailed it.
Adrien Brody was probably as shocked as we were that he won Best Actor for The Pianist. So, he did what anyone would do. He promptly laid one on the actress who had handed him his Oscar, Halle Berry. And this was no stage kiss, either.
Michael Moore is nothing if not known for his liberal leaning views. But, Hollywood is known for being a bit on the liberal side as well. So, we find it utterly shocking that Moore was booed for using his acceptance speech in 2003 to criticize George W. Bush for leading us into an illegal war in Iraq. Perhaps they disagreed with him? Perhaps they thought this wasn’t the forum? Who knows, but it was a nasty chorus of boos, that is for sure!
The Oscar show is notoriously long, so one can understand that people are gonna get hungry. Ellen proved to be the hostest with the mostest and ordered pizza for everyone. We will never forget the image of Brad Pitt eating pizza. It was like he was making love to it! And yes, this is Ellen’s second spot on this list, which speaks volumes to her innate talent and gifts as a host.
The End.
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We feel like getting into the hot tub with this edition of the Movie Fanatic Weekend Movie Preview!
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is finally here, and that comedy sequel is not alone this late February weekend in the new release department. The DUFF takes the popular teen novel and brings it to the big screen and McFarland USA and its star Kevin Costner seek to inspire you with the most impressive of sports stories.
Let's break it down...
Hot Tub Time Machine 2: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke are back, but John Cusack is not. That's the first thing you need to know about this flick. Also, it follows the film series that it was inspired by -- Back to the Future -- and in its second installment the gang heads into the future for its laughs. Something horrible happens in the guys' altered present and they have to head back into the hot tub to go back in time to prevent it from happening. Only they learn a valuable lesson, the hot tub only takes you to where you need to go, not where you want. To prevent this horrible thing from happening, the future holds the answers.
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Our Hot Tub Time Machine 2 review feels that it is as funny as the first, largely, but it is also a very different movie, as was Back to the Future Part II. Fans will likely be split, some will appreciate the continuation of the humor that was started in the 2010 surprise hit. Others, well, they will just be disappointed and chalk this up to another sequel that probably didn't need to be.
The DUFF: The teen comedy gets a somewhat needed shot in the arm of originality with the big screen version of the popular teen book by Kody Keplinger. Mae Whitman and Robbie Ammel star as the most unlikely of friends who come together with a common goal... to have Whitman's character no longer thought of as the "Designated Ugly Fat Friend," The DUFF.
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Whitman is astounding in the role and saves this movie from being a stereotype. These characters have surprising depth, but our The DUFF review finds that it is probably a movie that is about teens for teens, and few others.
McFarland USA: Costner stars as the real life coach of a cross country team who would achieve the unthinkable and inspire an entire community in the process. This never-say-die sports flick is truly about so much more than athletics and with Costner as the steady hand leading the charge, this is one memorable movie.
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For more, check out our McFarland USA review. Somehow, Disney found another true life sports story that has us walking a little higher off the ground afterwards.
Feel like staying in this weekend? Several awesome titles have landed on digital download. In fact, both could be Oscar winners this weekend! Watch Birdman online and watch The Theory of Everything online and witness the best Hollywood can offer.
Needless to say, this Star Wars: The Force Awakens story contains a major spoiler. If you don’t want to hear it, then just watch the Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer and live on in don’t-need-to-know bliss.
But if you want to know how Star Wars: The Force Awakens will begin, then read on, good people, who love a galaxy far, far away.
According to MakingStarWars.net, who has had a pretty good track record with this stuff, how the J.J. Abrams movie begins will be suspenseful and if it is indeed true -- which we think it is -- then we think that is how you start a movie that is truly 30 years in the making.
Cue the scene:
A lightsaber will twirl through the air before firmly landing on the ground. The area is being described as having a “savannah-like environment” and it is daytime. A farmer named Naka finds it, turns it on and sparks a fire! He races away from the building inferno, only to return to get the mystery weapon.
Naka takes his new find to a character named The Vicar, who we think is played by Max von Sydow. Instead of secrecy, The Vicar contacts Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaacs), a rebel fighter pilot. Only thing, the Empire is on his tail! Storm Troopers are invading and Poe fights them off, while hiding the lightsaber inside a droid, BB-8.
One of those Storm Troopers, Finn (John Boyega), witnesses his friend perish in battle and then proceeds to let a slew of villages go free. This insubordination will get him in trouble with Kylo Ren, the character famously sporting that tri-light saber in those Star Wars: The Force Awakens photos.
Finn and the newly captured Poe meet in a Star Destroyer’s brig, where they conceive of a plan to work together and escape the ship, steal a TIE fighter and retrieve that mysterious lightsaber (it’s Luke’s, isn’t it?!).
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
We wonder if what happened to Carrie Fisher will happen to Daisy Ridley? When we see Carrie, we automatically think Princess Leia. Well, Ridley will now be known as Rey.
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