If you’re like myself and you love movies and basketball, well today was better than Christmas. Between LeBron James firing his team mates off in the trade cannon one by one. There was a TON of movie news. !
Joaquin Phoenix is being eyed to star in Todd Phillips Joker Origin movie.
According to someone over at Variety, Joaquin Phoenix is possibly in line to tell us how he got these scares. The guy behind Old School and the Hangover trilogy is looking to bring the Clown Prince of Crime to life. The Martin Scorsese produced movie has been “rumoured” for quite some time, and Todd Phillips was hand picked to direct. Now, do we really need a Joker origin movie? I don’t think so, not with everything already going in within the DCEU, and we already had Jared Leto take a crack at it in Suicide Squad. So my mind immediately goes, yeah, I don’t really think we need another person playing the Joker within the DCEU. It just seems like a little too soon, and WB should focus on getting out movies the fans really want to see, and course correcting the broken DCEU.
Now having said all of that………I really think Joaquin would absolutely crush this role. He has incredible range, and is such a talented actor. He’s one of the few actors that I could see tackling this role, and really diving deep into the character. I can see him as a The Dark Knight Returns Joker, more broad shouldered, classy, but at the same time insane. This is an interesting take, and if it’s true, only time well tell I guess. We didn’t even get to see Ben Affleck’s Batman have a showdown with Leto’s Joker. Even if Joaquin’s Joker exists outside of the DCEU, I think it may confuse the fans, seeing how Leto is suppose to pop up in the upcoming Suicide Squad 2. When you say Martin Scorsese and Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie, you kind of have my attention. Suppose to be a throw back movie, taking place in Gotham in the 1980’s. Replace Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, and you will probably end up with the Joker origin film.
It’s just a crazy leap for a guy who hasn’t appeared in a Hollywood blockbuster since 2000, when he squared off against Russell Crowe in Gladiator. You can’t have a Joker movie with Batman, they can’t exist without one another. Remember one is the unstoppable force and the other is an unmovable object. Batman creates The Joker, so I’m not sure how they will get around that? Will they have the new Batman in this movie? There are so many questions looming over this project for me, I don’t really know how I feel. I love the Joker so much, so seeing someone has talented as Joaquin would be dream, but if he’s not going toe-to-toe with The Dark Knight. Then I’m just not sure how I feel.
We didn’t even actually get to see Tom Hardy as Venom. Still better than Topher Grace.
It’s been a decade and Sony pictures finally made up for the mess and the embarrassment that was Topher Grace and Venom. They didn’t even need to show us the demon creature in this teaser trailer for me to know, that this is going to be great.
The whole trailer is kind of shrouded in mystery and it seems like this will be a deep psychological thriller. Not so much of a comic book movie, where it’s bright and fun, but it seems serious and grounded. The trailer has a very serious Chronicle vibe to it, at least that’s what it reminded me of. A real life person gaining extraordinary powers and seeing it done in a very realistic and level way. I’m all for that when it comes to this incredible character, who happens to be one of my favourite characters in all of comics. I didn’t want them making fun or making Venom light hearted and a fun movie, because he’s anything but that. He’s a tortured soul and conflicted to say the least. Eddie Brock was a good person, with a few problems before the symbiote attaches itself on to him.
From what I could gather from the trailer, it looks like the symbiote has merged deep within Eddie and is giving him more powers than we are used to seeing. He’s just not becoming this demon, but it looks like he may have some telepathic powers. This could be the case until he transformers into the monster fully. Venom looks pretty dark and twisted and Tom Hardy is going full on deranged mode. Something has crashed to Earth and Eddie being a reporter more likely goes to investigate and something happens, he changes. As they put it in the trailer, “You used to be one thing, now you’re something else.”
This looks promising because it doesn’t look like every other comic book movie being released. It doesn’t even feel like a comic book movie to be honest. So far so good, can’t wait to see what he looks like as Venom!
Perhaps they should have just stayed in the maze. Could have saved me a few bucks
(FOX)
“Young hero Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the “Flare”.
Oscar season is upon us! The Maze Runner: The Death Cure certainly is not nominated for a single Oscar, but sometimes you need a break from all the Oscar flicks to just sit back, relax and watch some teens yell and scream and see stuff explode. It’s just a shame that the movie I decided to go see was the last installment in the Maze Runner franchise. Listen I was a fan of the book, when I started to read the Maze Runner, I was sucked in. I had a similar experience when reading the Hunger Games and Ready Player One novels. I knew that this had potential to be a really great movie. So low and behold in 2014 TheMaze Runner came to theatres, and I never got the chance to catch it the way it was intended to be. When it finally came to Apple TV I distinctively remember trying to watch it multiple times when I was black out drunk and I accomplished that goal with a few friends one night. After that I watched it sober, I really fell in love with these characters and I thought they did such a fantastic job at adapting the source material. That’s always the hardest part adapting a novel to the big screen. You always get so caught up and invested in the characters in these kinds of novels, and when the movie came out, I felt the same way about them as I did when I read the book. So I was all on board with this franchise, it got off to such a promising start, and then, well…..
The following year, 2015 they released the sequel, The Scorch Trails, and things went OFF THE RAILS. I couldn’t believe it, the second book was great, it gets off to a flying start. I was so excited to see this second story on the big screen, and they completely changed course and decided to hell with the source material and made their own movie. Yes, some things remained the same, but for the most part they changed the entire story. I was so disappointed with this, because some of the concepts and things that go on in the novel would have been really cool to see come to life on the big screen. So we had to wait three whole years for the final chapter to hit theatres, mainly due to the fact that Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured during the making of this movie. It nearly killed him, so production was shut down for almost 8 months, and I think it took a serious toll on the overall product.
So here we are. The boys are back, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), Newt (Thomas -Brodie-Sangster) and Minho (Ki Hong Lee). As they are racing against time to find a cure for “The Flare” and to save one other from death itself. Here’s my main problem with the movie. Remember when I said I cared about the characters, especially during The Maze Runner? I just didn’t care about them anymore. I don’t know why, I like the actors, everyone is clearly trying really hard, and chewing the scenery and acting to the best of their abilities in this. It just falls under the same weaknesses as the first two entries. I wanted to be invested, but I think once they got out of the maze, it just didn’t feel the same. Wes Ball is back directing and he clearly loves these characters and this franchise. Every single movie has been well directed with great action, that is something you can expect going into these movies. The action is shot extremely well, and I think Wes Ball has an eye for it, and I would like to see him tackle something more action packed in the future. The opening to this movie is straight out of a Fast and The Furious movie and I say that will the up most respect. In the first 10 minutes, I was pretty intrigued and certainly entertained. But when it shifts to the story telling aspect of the film, that’s where I think it will lose most of its viewers. Because besides that, the story is just dull and honestly predictable. You know all the twists and turns before they even occur and as a movie goer you want to be shocked or surprised sometimes. I will admit, one thing happens in the movie that I didn’t see coming or even think was remotely possible, so that took me by surprise and was the best part of the whole movie.
Over time maybe I just fell out of love with these characters and that’s why I found myself just not as invested as I once was. The story is just so over bloated, Death Cure clocks in at 2 hours and 15 minutes and could have easily been 90 minutes. It’s such a simple plot, that is just stretched to death. Which again, takes you out of the movie when you are wondering when they are finally going to wrap things up.
Overall, I think this is a fine trilogy. This happened because one man, and that’s Wes Ball, and kudos to him. Most of the time, its rare to see a director stick around for three straight films in a franchise. Especially when it’s not a big epic franchise, like a Marvel or DC property would make. I just felt it was a little too long, and I couldn’t get behind the predictable yet overplayed story. It has some really great action sequences that will keep you entertained while you’re watching. I know hardcore fans of the franchise will be happy with the final installment. So if you’re a fan, I recommend the movie, if you’re not, I suggest one of the many Oscar flicks out right now.
Check ya later.
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Maze Runner: The Death Cure = 45/100
Finally! The Deadpool trailer has arrived. I thought it was going to drop this past Sunday during the Super Bowl, but then I remembered that every other word out of Deadpool’s mouth is a curse word, so not exactly family friendly.
This was what we were all waiting for, the reveal of Cable (Josh Brolin) and he looks pretty badass I must say. For those of you who don’t know, Cable, AKA Nathan Summer’s is the son of Scott Summers (Cyclops) and is from the future. They centered the trailer around him, and we got to see him in action. He certainly did not disappoint. Josh Brolin looks awesome, I’m glad they finished his CGI arm, because well that would just look weird if they didn’t. Of course they did, but that’s why I love these movies. Calling out JusticeLeague and the whole “moustache gate” debacle that was Henry Cavill’s stash was perfect. They aren’t afraid of a little friendly competition and nagging.
Not much is known about the plot, they really used the trailer to feature and introduce us to Cable. A ton of new characters are being added, Domino (Zazie Beetz) who looks like the lead vocalist for KISS looks incredible. This movie is going to be a ton of fun we all know that. Hopefully they don’t make it to grand because one of the best parts about Deadpool was how simple it was. I also know how much passion goes into this project because Ryan Reynolds wants to please us fans more than anything.
I’m praying for a Hugh Jackman cameo in some sort of capacity but I don’t think that will happen. Cable was the selling point for this movie and they seemed to deliver on that front. The whole marketing campaign around this movie has just been incredible and we are still months away from its release. They do a better job at almost anyone at marketing their movie and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next. The trailer is simply spectacular.
The most family friendly movie you’ll see all year!
(FOX SEARCHLIGHT)
“A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder when they fail to catch the culprit.”
How does one deal with loss? Everyone deals with things in their own unique way, and for Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) buying three billboards is how she copes with hers. The biggest fear for any parent is the loss of a child, and when it happens unexpectedly and in the worst way imaginable, that can take a toll and have a serious affect on any parent. So when Mildred’s daughter Angela is raped and murdered she is determined to find those responsible. Well several months pass and NOTHING has happened, no arrests, no questionings and Mildred has pretty much had enough. So outside her house are three blank billboards. She takes it upon herself to buy them and writes up a harsh message for the chief of police, Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). Mildred can’t believe there hasn’t even been one arrest. It’s pretty obvious that Willoughby and Mildred are familiar with one another, most likely growing up together in this small Missouri albeit fictional city.
Three Billboards at it’s core is how people rebound and cope with loss. For Mildred it’s putting up those three billboards. She knows this will not bring her daughter back, but I took it has a symbol, that as long as she has these in her life. There’s still a little part of her daughter left, which was hope. For Mildred’s son Robbie (Lucas Hedges), well he isn’t to thrilled about having these billboards outside their home. It’s hard enough for him having Mildred as a mother at the moment. Everyone in town knows who she is, and he may love her, but he’s a little embarrassed by it all. Now everyday he goes home, he has to be reminded that his older sister was raped and murdered, because as he puts it – if there wasn’t a second of the day he wasn’t thinking about it, he certainly is on the car ride home. They have a chaotic family, her ex husband was very abusive, both physically and mentally. Mildred is one of the strongest characters in film in the last year. Frances McDormand is a freight train, and gives such an incredible performance. Mildred is taking on the entire town and doesn’t back down from anyone, including the police.
Which leads me into the next part of the film, which deals with the police department in Ebbing Missouri. We have Willoughby, who is a level headed cop. He’s a family man and deep down it breaks his heart that he can’t catch the men responsible for Angela’s murder. But as he tells Mildred, they could not find a DNA match and there just wasn’t enough evidence to convict someone
. When he tells Mildred they can’t go around and get DNA from everyone in town, she doesn’t understand why they can’t and why it is ethically wrong to even consider that. She can only see the end goal, which is finding the killer, and she doesn’t care how she gets there. They have a complicated relationship, they understand each other, but at the same time can’t see eye-to-eye. You see, Willoughby has cancer and it’s killing him. So you feel for him, because not only is there a giant billboard telling him to do his job better, which he has, but he’s also dying. One scene in particular with Mildred and Willoughby where she goes into the police station for questioning, and you think you know how the scene is going to end, but then it takes a serious turn, and from there the whole movie kind of changes. Up in to that point, the movie was going in one direction, but after this scene, you couldn’t really predict anything that was going to happen. It’s an emotional scene, and it really makes the movie feel real and raw.
For most people this is Frances McDormand’s movie, but for me, Sam Rockwell steals the show. Remember his character from The Green Mile? Well just image that guy, but he’s a police officer in a small rural town. The definition of a nightmare if you ask me. He’s a bigot, a racist, he’s pretty dumb and he doesn’t mind beating a helpless citizen when he can. Jason Dixon is his name, and pain is his game. The character arc that his character goes through is something else. He literally has all the characteristics of someone who absolutely should not be a police officer, but he is actually the chiefs right hand man. He has one of the most uncomfortable scenes in the entire movie, it really puts you on edge. That’s what Martin McDonagh does so well. He’s the writer and director, and he wants you to feel uncomfortable. Listen, this is a small rural town, in the middle of Missouri, these people are saying every curse word in the book. They have ZERO filter, just think of a curse word, and someone in this movie says it. Some of the cops are unethical, the towns people are rude and quite frankly racist, and then there’s Mildred right smack dab in the middle. It’s a tug-of-war between the police and Mildred. Both think they are right, and in some way, both parties are right. So when things heat up (literally) between them, people are doing insanely appealing things to get the job done. I don’t want to spoil anything because this is a movie that makes you think. It’s about real world problems, these things are going on in everyday life, yet they kind of get turned into a “he-said, she-said” situation. In the end, Dixon learns how to kind of become a “good police” and take a step back. He’s been through a lot in his life, and that is the reasoning behind some of his behaviour. There are no excuses for how he acts and how he treats people, but when a tragic event occurs, he is determined to turn his life around.
Three Billboards has a ton of heart. It has many heart filled moments throughout the film. Mixed into all of that heart is uneasiness and often hilarious cruel moments. Moments where you’re not sure whether it’s okay for you to laugh or not. Some of it, is almost right in your face. I enjoyed this movie, not only is it well written, but the performances really shine through. Don’t be surprised if this cleans up at the Oscars in a month.
Check ya later,
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri = 93/100
Seriously, why on Earth would Han Solo being wearing a fur jacket? His best friend is a giant furry beast……
(DISNEY)
“During an adventure into a dark criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future copilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion.”
Okay, so maybe Han is into the fur coat game until he meets his future best friend and copilot Chewbacca and ditches that look completely. I don’t know? I’m sure we will get those answers in the movie. Another question is, is it Childish Landbino or Landoish Gambio? Can’t decide right at this moment, but thanks to Donald Glover, I’m fully on board with this.
Obviously going into Solo it will be extremely difficult to see anyone else play the iconic character that is Han Solo. I think no one should be playing this character but Disney needs some money. This is Harrison Ford’s character and his character alone in my mind, but I will say that Alden Ehrenreich doesn’t look to shabby. Han Solo is such a famous and iconic character that anyone else trying to play him is just not a good idea. Now I don’t know if Alden will be trying to imitate Harrison or if he will give Han Solo is very own treatment. I think meeting in the middle would be the best way to go.
Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, Emilia Clarke, Thandle Newton and Donald Glover. Now that is a stacked cast. This is one aspect of the film that I’m not worried about. It’s a well rounded, diverse cast. What I’m worried about is the directors getting fired, massive reshoots, apparently Alden needing acting lessons, and all around mess that went into making this movie. The trailer looks great, visually its stunning, it’s weird to see the Millennium Falcon looking crisp, clean and brand new. It has that throw back Star Wars look to it, which I found to be great. I say I’m worried about all of these things because the movie is slated for a May release and we are just getting our first look at it now. It’s common practice to release your first trailer for a massive summer blockbuster somewhere between 5-6 months out of its release. So that has a me a little skeptical.
Everyone is here for Donald Glover, he’s going to steal the show. There’s very few things that he can’t do in his life. He’s going to bring some much needed coolness to this movie, because Han kind of comes off as a dweeb in this trailer.
How many times can people honest to god go back to a deserted island filled with dinosaurs?
(LEGENDARY)
“When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event”.
Two trailers down, and I’m still not overly impressed with it. Nothing has jumped out at me, or in all honesty impressed me. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t a huge fan of JurassicWorld, and I happen to hold a pretty special place for Jurassic Park in my heart. This newest Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom trailer is mediocre at best.
Again how many times can they do they same thing? Lets go to the island! People will get eaten by dinosaurs! Dinosaurs will save humans! That appears to be the entire plot of this movie. Learning some lessons from the predecessor, they seem to have made this one a little darker in tone, and more people will certainly get eaten by a dino, but still, something is missing. I don’t get why this whole relationship between Owen (Chris Pratt) and blue, a velociraptor is at the centre of this movie. It’s stupid okay? Dinosaurs and humans shouldn’t be friends. Humans should be running as fast as they can away from them. It just takes me out of the whole movie. Why does that need to be a thing? These movies should pretty much write themselves, and when you have two mega stars in Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, things should be pretty simple.
Oh, they also decided to add in another hybrid dinosaur, but they didn’t really let us see what it is. My guess, and I know this sounds insane, but I think it’s going to be a human/dinosaur crossbreed. If that happens I will get up and walk out of the theatre. Something tells me, that’s the direction they are going in, and I can’t believe someone in a writers room, wrote that, and then I can’t believe it got approved. I know, things always must be bigger and better in sequels, but sometimes that’s the wrong approach. I for one just want to see a great film, and I don’t need all this extra stuff going on. It’s dinosaurs, no need to make it complicated. They eat people, have them eat people and try to scare us in the process, simple!
I’m either right on the money and this is going to be, wait let me quote the famous Ian Malcolm – “One big pile of shit.” Or, I’ll be having a great time come June 22nd, only time will tell. At least we didn’t have Claire running away from a T-Rex in high heels again….
Henry Cavill vs. Tom Cruise > Superman vs. Batman. Calling it now.
“Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.”
This trailer was so good and they didn’t even have to show us Tom Cruise running! I pray we get to see Tom Cruise running in the next installment of the Mission Impossible franchise.
These movies remind me a lot of the Fast & Furious. This franchisse was kind of dead in the water after MI3, much like Tokyo Drift, but since then, these franchises have both reached new heights and keep getting better. Now you’re telling me Tom Cruise is going to throw down with Superman, are you kidding me!? Henry Cavill looks pretty pissed off in this trailer, and his moustache looks glorious.
Ethan Hunt always finds a way to get himself into trouble. The whole team is back including Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), and Michelle Monaghan (Julia). Simon Pegg, Alec Balwin and Rebecca Ferguson are all returning as well. We also got Angela Bassett joining in on the fun!
One the best things about these movies is Tom Cruise trying to one up himself with each new insane and dangerous stunt. Well he did it again, because he’s hanging by a rope from a helicopter. That’s probably so easy for the guy, the balls on that man I tell you. Fallout is describe as a Mission Impossible mission gone wrong. Well that seems to be the case with every movie, but these have become so enjoyable, the plot doesn’t really mater to me. I’m here for cool fight scenes, great action sequences, crazy ass stunts and of course the epic score to these movies! That bathroom fight scene looks phenomenal, can’t wait for this. Henry Cavill playing a bad guy, will be a 2018 movie highlight for me
So Dwayne Johnson is going serious. So serious in fact, that he only has one leg! Give this man the Oscar already. Okay is this a little over the top? Absolutely. Do I really care all that much? Absolutely not.
We got Will Ford (Dwayne) a “glorified security guard” living in what seems to be the worlds tallest building known as The Pearl. A former FBI agent, who, after an on the job accident is no longer with the force. He lives in this building with his wife Sarah (Neve Campbell) and their two kids. Will is worried about the security measures and safety and security challenges are piling up.
You totally know where this is going. Everything is going great, but his family gets abducted, there is WAY more going on inside The Pearl that meets the eye and it’s up to Will to save the day. I’m calling an inside job right now, I’m looking at your character Pablo Schreiber! I was hoping this would be a little more of a serious role for Dwayne and it appears that we are getting just that. No one does a bigger and grand scale action movie better than Dwayne Johnson right now, and SkyScraper is no different. Things are blowing up left and right, and he’s even taking on the word record for longest long jump. By now, you are either watching every single movie Dwayne Johnson does, or you are sick and tired of him. If that’s the case, I believe you don’t have a soul anymore. I’m excited to see Chin Han back in action, he was Lau from The Dark Knight and soon to be BFF with The Rock.
