5 movies that made me mad in 2014.

I didn't want to call this list "5 worst movies of 2014" because some of the films presented here are not bad, rather, they are movies that I had hope for, but fell flat for one reason or another and really disappointed me.

5) Let's Be Cops
This looked like it could have been a hilarious film. I really liked the premise, and the trailers were fun, and I was excited going into this low budget comedy.  I struggled to find the comedy bit. The movie is 1 hour and 40 minutes, but it honestly seemed like 2:30. I was really bored through this movie, especially during the predictable third act. "Let's Be Cops" is a lazy film. It dared not try something original or new, and stuck to the classic formula. This has all the clichés you want. It starts of with the "misunderstanding", it has the classical "hey, we are pretty good at this" realisation, then the unforgettable "we have to stop the bad guys, because no one else knows that they are the bad guys" followed by the "liar revealed"seen in about a million other movies, and to finish it of, a good mix and mash of all the possible cop movie stereotypes in the last 20 minutes. After about 2 minutes I had a prediction of how this movie is going to roll out. The most interesting part of seeing the film, wasn't the picture it self, but watching as my simple, obvious prediction was unfolding before me step by step.

4) The Amazing Spider-man 2 
I saw this movie in Europe, which means that for some reason I had the "pleasure" of seeing it two weeks earlier than the rest of the world. Walking out of the theatre, I wasn't sure what I thought of the movie. On one side, I thought it did some great things with the relationship of Peter and Gwen, the two lead characters, but on the other I thought that other aspects of the film were executed horribly. I remember thinking that this movie should have been 15 minutes longer in order to develop some of the characters and plot lines better, or 15 minutes shorter by cutting out some characters or small plot lines. The Amazing Spider-man 2 tried to cram in as many characters and as many plot details as possible in order to set up the future films of Sony's cinematic universe; something that all the big studios are trying to do, because the coolest kid on the block, "Marvel" set a trend. Unfortunately all this "future investment" brought the movie down. The biggest problem that aroused were the villains. Electro seemed like a villain fitting for Joel Schumacher's Batman, Green Goblin was extremely underdeveloped, and Rhino played by acting giant Paul Giamatti was straight up goofy and stupid. Overall, I still enjoyed the movie, but it had way to many flaws to make me love it, and I was really disappointed, especially since I liked the first one so much.

3) 300: Rise of an Empire
I am a big fan of the original 300 movie, and I watch it from time to time, just because of how fun it is. It's not the best movie, but it's very intertwining and visually stunning. I never understood how a sequel is possible, simply due to the fact that the first movie has a very definitive ending, and there is no continuation to be told. It was announced that Zack Snyder would not direct the sequel, but would be coming back as a producer. This happens often with sequels, and often doesn't work out to well. When I saw the film, I understood straight away that this is no 300. First of, it has nothing to do with the 300 spartans at all. Yes, it ties in with the story, kind of, but its about completely different people. The story centres around Athenians, and their pretty forgettable leader. Part of the reason why 300 was so great, was because of how charismatic Gerard Butler was as king Leonidas, and how badass the spartans were. They fought as one unit, and looked really cool doing it. I just don't think that a movie about a bunch of non warriors going to battle can be very interesting. Unfortunately, Rise of an Empire, was exactly that. It didn't have the charm of the original, and was plain out boring. It seemed to drag on an awful lot, and there is one big reason for that. Slow motion. The first film used Slow motion really masterfully, and now a bunch of films rip off that distinct, 300 slo-mo. The second movie, used it completely unnecessarily. I remember watching the movie, and being amazed at the fact that I have been looking at a shot of a row entering the water for about 10 seconds, because the shot was slowed down by like 400 percent. I have no idea why though! It added nothing! If you were to take all the slow motion parts and play them at normal speed the movie would be about half an hour long. I was so disappointed by Rise of an Empire, because I loved the first 300 movie so much, and because I was bored out of my mind throughout most of the picture.

2) Sex Tape
Many of the movies on this list are here because they were boring, however, not only is film boring, it is also stupid. I liked "Bad Teacher" more than most people, and I really liked Cameron Diaz in it. I thought that this movie looked really funny, and I hoped it would be as good as Diaz's last comedy. I could not believe how stupid, and unfunny, and boring this movie was. I can't remember a single moment that made me laugh. Not one! Perhaps I chuckled a couple times, but a comedy is supposed to make you laugh, and in that it failed. The characters were really dumb, and so was the plot. It would seem like the whole movie is an ad for iPads which play a big part in the film, but honestly, the 2 minute iPhone ads tell more interesting stories. I was very disappointed, very bored and even a little mad. However, this doesn't even come close to the abomination which is number 1.

1) Transformers: Age of Extinction
I hate this movie. I absolutely detest this piece of trash. I refuse to call it a movie in fact. From now on I will call it a pile of dump. At first, I gave it a 3/10, but the more I think about it, the more I regret giving it such a high score. 1/10 would be more fitting. I do not hate Michael Bay, I really like some of his movies, and I do not understand how a person who has made decent films could possibly make this pile of dump. Some movies hit you over the head with themes or morality, this pile of crap hits you over the head with product placement. Never have I seen anything advertised more obviously than Bud Light in this pile of crap. There are no words to describe the giant mess that Age of Extinction was, and it truly angered me to find out that it made money. I don't even care how much it made, it should make NO money. I am sorry that I went to the theatre to see this, and that I gave Paramount my money which they will use to create future sequels. Some films should be preserved so they will last throughout ages and act as our legacy. All physical copies of Transformers: Age of Extinction should be collected in one remote region of the earth and nuked until nothing is left. All of the servers that hold digital copies of the pile of crap have to be burned down to the ground. Any person who still owns the movie at this point should be prosecuted. Michael Bay should not be allowed to direct feature films ever again. Michael Bay shouldn't even be allowed to direct sitcoms. He should make "got milk" commercials for the rest of his life. And I wouldn't be surprised if the milk cartons explode in the end of the commercial, just like a concrete wall exploded on contact with a fully metal dinobot at the end of "Transformers: Age of Extinction".

Do The Hobbit Movies stand up to "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy"?

There is a notion that the three "Lord of the Rings" movies are far superior than the Hobbit prequels, and "Unexpected Journey" got a lot of hate when it first came out. People seemed to calm down a little with the next to films, but there are still die hard Lord of the Rings fans out there who will argue day and night that the Hobbit movies suck. Personally I love both trilogies, and here are a few reasons why I think many people are being unfair to the Hobbit movies.

1) The last Middle Earth movie before "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" was "LOTR Return of the King." Not only is that the greatest film of the entire original trilogy, it is also arguably one of the best films of all time. It won a record number of 11 oscars (tying with "Titanic" and "Ben Hur"), it was a huge financial success, and both fans and critics loved it alike. When the first Hobbit film came out, people expected a movie that was even better than "The Return of the King" because the LOTR movies became better and better as they went along. Some fans did not realise that this movie could not be like ROTK, because it is the first film of a much smaller trilogy. Even though I understand where the disappointment is coming from, I do not think it is fair to judge a movie based on the last picture from the same universe or the same director. "IronMan 3" was the first Marvel movie after the "Avengers", and the movie going audience unfairly expected it to be even more epic and spectacular. The same could be said for Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" which disappointed some viewers, due to the fact that Nolan was coming off from the "Dark Knight Trilogy" which was so globally loved and acclaimed.

2) The Hobbit is a much smaller book targeted for kids, whereas the Lord of the Rings books were much more in depth and appealed to more mature readers. The Hobbit is a lighter, more fun read, but if you are willing to invest the time and decide to read the Lord of the Rings, you are going to get a much deeper emotional ride. The same can be applied to the movies. They are made for completely different purposes, and have different visions behind them. While the "Lord of the Rings" movies did entertain the viewer, they offered a much heavier yet rewarding experience. The Hobbit movies, serve primarily as high quality entertainment. Going back to the previously mentioned super hero movies, comparing the two trilogies is like comparing "The Dark Knight" and "The Avengers." They have very different purposes, and tonalities. That is why most people can not say which super hero movie is the best. They are completely different animals that are not even in the same ballpark, it ain't even the same league, it ain't even the same sport.

3) When the LOTR movies came out, they were viewed as innovative, and nothing quite like that has ever been done before. The cinematic scope of the films was breathtaking, the battle scenes with thousands and thousands of extras (both real and CGI) were never done before, the motion capture on Golum was truly revolutionary and the amount of craftsmanship and direction that went into creating this fantasy epic was unheard of. I believe that is part of the reason why they are so loved. Just like the Matrix, or Avatar they discovered new ground, the LOTR films did something no movie has done before. Unfortunately, you cannot say the same thing about the "Hobbit" films. Yes the CGI looks cleaner and the shots are nicer, but there is nothing truly new in these films. Almost everything that the "Hobbit" films do, LOTR did first. They are like the second astronaut to land on the moon. Even though Buzz Aldrin did the same thing as Neil Armstrong, and almost at the same time, he is not as well remembered or as well known as the latter. The fault of the prequel trilogy, is that it was made after "The Lord of the Rings." If we were to see the Hobbit in early 2000, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy now, people would have a much different opinion on the prequels. They would be much more loved, and recognised as truly GREAT films, and not just good films.
In conclusion, I think that the Hobbit films might not be as good as the original trilogy,  but deserve just as much love, and personally I will watch all six Middle Earth movies as one, many times in the future. They are like the younger sister of a really pretty woman. Nobody talks about her, no matter how good looking she is, because she will always be in the shadow of her older sibling.

Terminator:Genisys Trailer Review.

I am a big fan of the Terminator franchise, and T2 is one of my favourite action movies. I hated the third and fourth movies, and never saw them as part of the series. Hearing about the development of this project was exciting. I liked the casting of Emilia Clarke (who's awesome on Game of Thrones) as Sarah Connor and fact that Arnold Shwarzenegger was going to be in this movie. I thought it would be cool if Arnold played the guy that they based the original Terminator on, and believed that this would be the most logical way to go about his noticeable increase in age. The guy would help the new cast to take down skynet, because only he has the genes that will disable all the terminators...or something. However, the creators decided to explain this by making the skin of the Terminator organic, which means that overtime it would age just like human skin...yeah. According to reports James Cameron, who is not involved with this project at all, advised the new creators to take the route of organic skin.  That was the first concern I had about the upcoming movie. This idea sounds really rash and weird. It doesn't make sense and doesn't fit in with the other Terminator movies. How come the T-800 could peal the skin off his arm without permanently damaging it in Judgment Day? Besides that I was still excited to see the movie. Then reports about the production of this film started coming out. Apparently, there were a lot of problems. Some pictures were released and those looked really terrible and carelessly slapped together. Seeing this, I still gave the movie the benefit of the doubt. "World War Z" had huge production problems, but it turned out to be pretty good right? And then I saw the trailer.
As of right now, Terminator: Genisys is not a movie that I am planning to see opening night in theatres. The trailer confirmed by biggest fear. The whole marketing campaign is based on nostalgia and familiarity of the first movies. That's why they brought Arnold back for this one in the first place. Seeing him and Sarah Conor deliver iconic lines from the first two movies took me out so much. They might as well just wink at the camera. The trailer also marks the return of the liquid metal transformer, the T-1000. This robot was incredible in Terminator 2:Judgment day. Not only did the practical and visual effects look cool, but he was one of the most menacing villains ever. I was so disappointed by what it looks like they did to him. The actor playing the new T-1000 looks similar to Robert Patrick. I'm not sure if that's just or coincidence, or maybe its supposed to be the same Terminator, just revived somehow. I'm not sure. He was wearing a police uniform as a disguise, just like the one in T2 did, so it underlines my speculation that it's supposed to be the same robot... or maybe not. What I know for sure, is that the effects of the T-1000 in 1991's Terminator look better than they do in this trailer. The liquid metal body looks pretty similar, but the bullet hits look way worse. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that many bullet hits in the older movie were actually practical effects and not just CGI. Overall though, the T-1000 is a character that could benefit from a modern CGI makeover, so why he looks worse now than he did 23 years ago is a mystery to me. The story line seems pretty interesting, a bit like X-men: Days of Future Past, though with it's own flare. The one part of this trailer that I actually really liked was when Sarah Connor says that they dealt with the T-800 and old Arnold is shown confronting his young CGI version (which barely looks better that the one is Terminator: Salvation). I thought that idea was really cool, and actually kind of funny.

Overall, I did not like this trailer at all, since it just rehashed the first two movies, (even the pepsi vending machines) and barely had anything original in it. My interest in this project fell greatly, even though I really want to get excited for this. I truly hope that its just the trailer that is poorly made, and that I will gain my interest back with new trailers.

"Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For" review.

The first "Sin City" movie my favorite graphic novel adaptation, and one of my favorite movies. It was visually stunning and fun to watch, so I was very excited to see the second film. It took Rodriguez 9 years to make the second one, so I was a little worried that it is not going to stand up to the first one. Fortunately, it did.

I am not going to lie, I liked the first one more, but this movie is also very good. It looks just as cool and stylized as the first "Sin City" and the visual effects are awesome. Sometimes I forgot that the whole movie was made on a green screen, because I was so invested in this world. This film consists out of four main story lines, 3 of which are prequels to "Sin City". My favorite ones were the segment with Eva Green and Josh Brolin, and the one with Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke. "A Dame to Kill for" (the segment the movie is named after) was very good. Eva Green was absolutely amazing as the femme fetale, and Josh Brolin did a good job as Dwight, previously played by Clive Owen. The story was very interesting, and the characters were also intriguing. Eva Green absolutely made this movie work. I could not imagine seeing anybody else playing her role. The segment with Jessica Alba takes place after the events of the first movie, and it follows her as she seeks revenge for the death of Bruce Willis. Jessica Alba did a great job in the movie, outshining her performance in the first one. She was paired with Rourke, which was really interesting to see, and I liked them as a team. The segment with Joseph Gordon Levitt was interesting, but not as good as the other ones. JGL did a good job playing his role, I just did not find the storyline to be as intriguing as the other ones. Lady Gaga has a brief Cameo in this movie. She was also in "Machete Kills", Rodrigueze's previous film, which earned her a Golden Razzy award. In this movie she is much better, which was nice to see. The action in this film is very violent and stylized, which I really liked. The music composed by Rodriquez himself fit the movie very well, and all of the actors did a great job. The movie is shorter than the first one, and the pacing is very good. It flew by in what seemed to be half an hour. The only big problem I have with "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" is the ending. I felt like it was a little rushed, and lacked a larger scale climax.
Rodruigez films are usually either awesome, or awful. I am glad that this is one is closer to "Planet Terror, "El Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn" than "Spy Kids" or "Machete Kills".
Overall, I really liked this movie and was not disappointed.
I give it 8.5/10.

"Transformers: Age of Extinction" review

Due to a lack of films playing near me, I decided to finally watch the latest installment in the "Transformer's" franchise. Going into this film I did not expect to get a very good storyline, or interesting characters, I dared only to hope that this movie would entertain me. After about 30 minutes I realized how miserably "Age of Extinction" is failing to do so.
The fourth "Transformers" are full of the director's cliches: explosions, evil government officials, mean corporations, low angles of people getting out of cars, attractive but incredibly stupid female characters, racial stereotypes and attempted humor... aah, good ol' Michael Bay.
The movie follows Mark Wahlberg and his family as they fight the government alongside Autobots in order to defeat.... the bad guys I guess. This is where the movie really starts to dig a hole for itself. I had no idea who the hell the bad guys were. There was this evil transformer who I think was supposed to be a Deception, there was Stanley Tucci, who played a corporate villain, there was this other dude from the government who wanted everyone to die, then there were these fake Autobots, and there were also the creators of all the Transformers who are also evil, and should die.
After I realized that I have no idea what the hell is going on, I decided to at least enjoy the action scenes. And so I waited for them to happen. And then I waited some more, and then some more, and then it happened. Boring, shaky action that I was not invested in at all, because I had no idea who the characters are, and I did not care for their safety. For some reason the movie is 2 hours, 45 minutes long. Now, I don't mind that, as long as the runtime is justified. Not only does this film not justify its lengthy screen presence, it also failed to justify its existence. I struggle to understand who this film is intended for. Many films can use the excuse that they are made for kids, thus explaining the absence of common sense and intrigue, but I can not imagine a kid sitting through the boring, pointless dialogues, and miserable character development to finally get to the exciting stuff, which is not even that good. I was bored out of my mind through most of this movie. I took two lengthy  bathroom breaks, not because I had to go, but because I had nothing better to do. I talked myself into staying to see what the "Dinobots" are going to look like. They were advertised as a large part of the film and actually looked pretty good in the trailers. After not seeing the dinosaur transformers for about 2 hours, I started suspecting that the trailers were lying to me. When I finally got to see them, I had no doubts that the trailers were lying to me. The damn creatures are in the movie for 5 minutes and serve no purpose whatsoever. More importantly, they aren't even that cool to look at.
Despite seeing the movie very recently, I can hardly remember the characters or the plot. "Age of Extinction" left no aftertaste. For nearly 3 hours I watched as Michael Bay desperately tried to make the movie more memorable with explosions and loud noises. Seriously, EVERYTHING explodes. *MINOR SPOILER* During the climax of the movie, one of the Dinobots crashes through a solid concrete wall. As I was watching it, I said to myself: "There is no way that the wall is going to explode, there is no way that Michael Bay is brave enough, to make a concrete wall explode on impact with a metal creature." I was wrong. The wall exploded as if a couple megatons of nuclear weapons were dropped on it. I do not remember the rest of this movie, due to the facepalm that covered my eyes for the next 15 minutes.
Surprisingly, there are actually a couple things that I liked about the movie. The cinematography was good at times, and Mark Wahlberg was a huge improvement from Shia LaBeouf. Wahlberg's daughter looked nice, and some explosions were pretty cool.
I would sum up "Transformers: Age of Extinction" like this: It is a cake that looks pretty nice on the outside, however, once I took a bite, I realized that the creators of this movie took an extensive dump in the mouth. The worst thing of all, is that movies like this, make more money than the far superior "Pacific Rim". So if you want to see a movie about monsters and robots, do yourself a favor and do not go and see this at the theaters, instead watch Guillermo DelToro's kaiju movie.
I give transformers 3/10, for some decent action, a couple cool moments, Mark Wahlberg's hot daughter, and the courage it took to explode a concrete wall that a dinobot crashes into.

"Game of Thrones" season 1-4 review. SPOILERS

I've been watching HBO's "Game of Thrones" for quiet some time, and I can't wait for season five, which still seams so far away. Meanwhile, let me tell you what I thought of the first four seasons of this great show.
Season one really got me into it. It grabbed me early on, and did not let go until the very last episode. It has great character development and introduces us to the story beautifully. It sets up the world really well, and some interesting things happen. I just started reading the books, and season one is very close to the source material. Ned Stark's death is a huge turn at the end of the season which makes it impossible to not want to watch season two.
Season two was also very exciting.  Since Ned Stark is no longer around, this season allows other characters to step into the spotlight. The story focuses on Robb Stark and his mother, as they are fighting a war against the crown. I enjoyed watching the two families go against each other, however I do have a major complain about this season. It did not show any of the battles between the Starks and the Lanisters. I get why HBO did not show any of the battles - they would be very expensive to shoot, but I would still like to see more action and more of the actual war. Near the end of the season however, they do show us a great battle. I am talking about the battle of the Black Water, which was made pretty well. You could see that the creators were limited in their budget and CGI, but it was good enough and overall, I really enjoyed this season, not as much as the first one however.
The third season is most famous for "The Red Wedding". Once again, the main protagonist dies a horrible death. So does his mother and pregnant wife. I actually really liked the twist, and thought that it was done really well. Unfortunately, it was spoiled for me so I saw it coming, but it was still very impactful. Also in this season they introduce us to a new story line with Bran Stark. I thought that this was the weakest part of the season, and I did not enjoy their journey as much as I did the other stuff. This is also the season where Tyrion Lannister really shines. He became my favorite character, and he still is. The things going on with Daenerys are also really interesting, and I could't wait to see where she would be going in season four. Jon Snow has a pretty important story line in this season. He gets trapped by the wildlings and has to join their ranks. I really liked his story in season 3, and especially I enjoyed his relationship with Ygritte. I was excited to see how it would progress in future seasons.
Season four was by far my favorite one. A lot of very important things happen. In the very beginning of the season King Joffrey finally dies. It was really satisfying seeing this little sadist die in pain. He is a really awesome character that is hated by everyone who read the books or watched the show. However, Joffery's death gets Tyrion in trouble. Most of this season he is locked up awaiting for his trial. The dwarf gives an amazing speech and requests a trial by combat. The fight between the Mountain and Oberyn was really cool and gory, and I was shocked that Oberyn got killed, which means that Tyrion was going to be sentenced to death. However, Jamie helps him escape. During his escape Tyrion kills his father. I really liked the character of Tywin and I was actually surprised that he died. Another pleasant surprise was the battle on the wall. This was my favorite episode of the season, and it was really well made.
Overall, I've really enjoyed the first four seasons of this show, and I can't wait to see more.

More "Harry Potter"?

JK Rowling released a "Daily Prophet" article set in the Harry Potter universe on her Pottermore website. The short article is supposed to be written by Rita Skeeter, and is set during the Quiditch worldcup in Brazil. Harry, Ron and Hermione are in their 30's, and we also get a glimpse at other characters. The article is great, and it might tease another book based on the Harry Potter characters. If another book is released, than there is no doubt that a movie is going to be made.

I think that another book and movie will happen, and I am really excited for it. I can't wait to see what  story Rowling tells us this time. The Harry Potter franchise is very popular, and it makes total sense that she will want to revisit it. This means that we might see two Harry Potter spinoffs in the near future. The "Fantastic Beasts and where to find them" movie is on the way, and since it is a prequel to "Harry Potter" it would also be a good idea to release a sequel. The universe is extremely rich, and there are a lot of ways that the book and movie could go. They could concentrate on Potter and company and tell the stories of their adult lives, or they could introduce us to a new cast. Personally, I would prefer that they stick to Harry, Ron and Hermione. It would also be a good move for Daniel Radcliff and Rupert Grint. Emma Watson is the more successful out of the trio, so a new Potter movie could be good for the careers of the two less popular actors. If the book is released soon, the movie would still be years away, so it would give a chance for the actors to mature even more, and actually be the age of their roles. It might be tricky if they decide to go with completely new characters and a completely new cast. This might confuse people, and not be as successful. The only question is who would the villain be? Now that Voldemort is defeated, there must be a new menace in this world. I don't think that they should connect it to the old villain at all, and make it something completely fresh. Perhaps create a character like "Grindevald" which Harry and the rest of the Aurors would have to go toe to toe with.
I am really excited for the idea of a continuation of the story, and I can't wait to hear some official news on it. If you haven't already, read the article on pottermore.com

Superman In Gotham

Warner Brothers put out a picture of Henry Cavill in his superman outfit, standing  on a roof top of what appears to be Gotham city. There are a few things that we can say from this still.                        

First of all we see some slight changes in the Man of Steel's outfit. Most of these changes seem to be somewhere in the belt area. The changes are very little, and I think they work perfectly. Second, it looks like Cavill got even bigger than he was in the first movie. Superman looks more experienced and confident here, which makes sense since he already spent some time being "The Man of Tomorrow". He looks threatening and is going to be a real foil for Batman. Thirdly, this is our first glance at Gotham. It looks really dark and gothic, and reminds me of Burton's Batman. I really like the visual style of this city, and it is a good departure from the previous Batman films. The atmosphere looks like "Watchmen" which makes sense, since both movies are directed by Snyder. The picture also tells us that Superman will in fact pay a visit to Gotham City. Judging by the destruction of Metropolis in "Man of Steel" we can assume that Gotham is going to have some damage done to it. Perhaps Bane wasn't Gotham's reckoning, it just might be Superman himself.
Also, we can conclude that with the delays and rewrites that "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" has had in the past year, Snyder and team are finally on track again. In a recent interview, Snyder addressed the topic of Wonderwoman. He said that no scenes with Gadot have been shot yet, and she's busy working out and getting big. This is good news, because Gadot does not have Wonderwoman's body, and she is going to have to work hard to get it. Overall, I'm really excited about this image, and I can't wait till 2016 to watch the movie.

Pacific Rim 2 News.

It has been known for a while that the 2013 summer blockbuster is getting a remake. Today Legendary came out with the dates of the film (April 7, 2017). Guillermo Del Toro is to return as the director. I loved the first film. I thought that is was really cheesy and kind of dumb in some moments, but it was extremely entertaining. It was so original and fresh, and it felt bold. The action was awesome, the CGI was great and the soundtrack was perfect. I was excited for the idea of a sequel, but only if DelToro would be directing it. A huge reason why the first movie was awesome was DelToro's unique direction. He is known for his monsters, and the design of the Kaijus was just fantastic. I can't wait to see what new monsters and Jaegers they are going to introduce in the second instalment of this franchise. The only question I have is how are they going to make a new story? At the end of the first one the portal between the world of the Kaijus and humans was closed, and a nuclear bomb was dropped on all of the monsters. I am not sure how they are going to make them reappear. I just hope that they come from the ocean again. Perhaps this time they could come from the Atlantic, and they will call it "Atlantic Rim".


In Guillermo DelToro's video announcement he stated that an animated series based on Pacific Rim is being developed. I love this idea, because I think that something like this could really work, as long as they don't keep the animated series canon. DelToro built a really rich world with its own mythology, and I want to see more of it explored. I'm really excited to see that when it comes out. It has also been confirmed that they will continue to work on comic books based on the movie. They have already released some, but I have not read them. Personally I don't think that a comic book version of Pacific Rim will be very successful, but I am open to reading it.
Overall I am really excited about this news, and I can't wait until 2017.

Why "Guardians of the Galaxy" is my most anticipated film of this summer

I have been looking forward to this film ever since the announcement was made, despite knowing nothing about these characters and never reading a comic book with them. Here are the five main reasons that I am looking forward to this movie. 

1) This movie looks REALLY weird. I love Marvel movies, but recently they have sort of developed a formula that they follow almost every time. This looks like a huge departure for them, and it's giving us something fresh. How awesome is a talking racoon voiced by Bradley Cooper and a walking tree? The movie just looks like some great sci-fi. 

2) As I mentioned, I don't know a thing about this property. This means that if I like the movie I might actually get into these characters, find out more about them, and perhaps even read some "Guardians of the Galaxy." I bet that comic sales for this superhero team are going to rise greatly after the release of the film, and I can't wait to get familiar with them. As I mentioned before, they just look really weird and awesome. 

3) This seems like a really fun popcorn flick. I love these types of movies. A summer blockbuster where you just come into the theatre, eat tons of junk food, drink a slushy, and enjoy the crap out of it. The trailer looks really amusing, and funny. This seems like one of Marvel's lighter films, and I can't wait to see that. If done right, this might be marvel's most entertaining movie to date. 

4) If "Guardians of the Galaxy" makes a lot of money, it opens up a whole new doorway for weirder superhero movies. I am not only talking about Marvel superheroes, but also ones from DC. I would love to see more lesser known heroes on the big screen, and this movie can serve as a great gateway. The property is not very known, so this will prove that movies don't have to have huge built in fan bases to do really well. So far the closest thing to outer space we have seen was Thor, which was still kind of grounded and took place on earth. If this film is successful, Marvel has the whole cosmos to explore which is going to be awesome. 

5) I can't wait to find out more about the "infinity gauntlet" and see what role it plays in the Marvel cinematic universe. It has been hinted upon in the Thor movies, but we do not yet have a clear understanding of how it is going to be used. I feel like this movie might explain that, and set the path for movies down the line. 

The Raid 2 Review

I finally got to watch the second instalment in the asian martial art movie franchise. I am obviously talking about The Raid 2. I loved the first one, and really enjoyed watching it. It had great action and choreography, and the plot was decent. The first also had great cinematography and likeable characters.
The second Raid takes everything to the next level. It is a direct continuation of the first one, and takes place right after the events of its prequel. The scope is larger, the action is bigger, and even the cinematography is cooler. Lets talk about the action for a second, because it is awesome. The fight scenes are choreographed beautifully and the actors all did their own stunts which is very impressive, because the stunts looked really difficult. Not only were there great fight scenes, there was also an amazing car chase scene, which was extremely impressive. The cinematography is great, and the movie looks really good. A lot of very cool and creative shots were used which enchanted the movie greatly. All of the actors did a good job and played believable characters.
Most people say that "The Raid 2" is better than 'The Raid: Redemption" and I see where they are coming from, though I do not agree. In my opinion the second movie had a few problems with it. The story is bigger, which might be hurting the film. The first one was very self contained, it all took place in the course of a few hours, and felt really "cozy". The second one is convoluted with a lot of characters who felt unneeded and their motivations were unclear. It seemed like this movie was "westernized".  It feels more like a blockbuster than an independent martial arts movie. I am not hating on blockbusters, but this movie felt like it had less passion behind it.
Overall, "The Raid 2" is still a great and enjoyable movie and I recommend it to anyone who likes action and martial arts movies.
I will give this film a rating of 8/10.

Jason Momoa as Aquaman

It has been reported that "Game of Thrones" and "Conan the Barbarian" star Jason Momoa is going to play Aquaman in the upcoming "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". Personally, I love the idea of Momoa playing this character. Aquaman is often made fun of for being a lame superhero, but apparently he is a total badass in the new 52. I think that Momoa can bring an awesome side to the character, and make him cool to the mainstream audience. 

I really like Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo in GoT, and he proved that he is a very decent actor. He has the body and the talent to play Aquaman, and I can't wait to see what he will do with it. How ever, I do not like the fact that there is going to be an Aquaman in Batman v Superman. We now have Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, Cyborg and Aquaman in the movie. Why not just call this Justice League? I am afraid that this will end up like "The Amazing Spiderman 2" and just be set up for other movies down the line. I would be far more exited if WB announced that Momoa is going to play Aquaman in the Justice League movie. Please don't make the movie to crowded! Fingers crossed. 

The Hateful Eight expectations.

It seems like Tarantino will be returning to his canceled movie "The Hateful Eight." Earlier this year, the film's script was leaked online, and the director said that he will not be doing this as his next project. However, it seems like recently the gears are back in motion. A life read of the script took place, and those lucky enough to attend it, have had very good reviews. The movie is a western, which follows eight characters, all stuck in a blizzard. It is set to star Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Madson and others. Rumour has it, Tarantino is going into production this fall.

Here are some reasons why I am particularly excited about 'The Hateful Eight".

1) It is a western.
Tarantino has proven that he is a master at shooting westerns "Yes, technically he did call "Django Unchained" a southern". He has first shown elements of a western in "Kill Bill" and he has perfected it with Django. Now that he is experienced with the genre, I can not wait to see what he is going to be doing with his new film.

2) Working with old cast.
Yes, he is once again working with Sam Jackson, but we also see some faces we haven't seen since Tarantino's early days. Primarily I am talking about Tim Roth. Tarantino worked on two movies with this actor (Reservoir Dogs, and Four Rooms) but the two did not collaborate ever since.It will be very interesting to see how their work is going to turn out, now that both the actor and director are more experienced, and have many movies under their belts. Also returning to the Tarantino universe is Michael Madsen. He too was in Tarantino's first movie "Reservoir Dogs." He played a great anti-hero/villain. Madsen also acted in "Kill Bill", even though he did have a smaller role. Another actor which I am particularly excited about is Kurt Russell. In my opinion "Death Proof" is often overlooked, and is actually a great movie. For some reason most count it QT's weakest film, but in my opinion that "dishonourable" title goes to "Jackie Brown". This is actually saying something about the man's career, because if your worst film is "Jackie Brown" that's pretty much a compliment. Anyways, Kurt Russell played a great villain in "Death Proof" and I can not wait to see what he does in this western. It also seems like Zoe Bell is going to star in this film, which I am very excited about. With "Death Proof" she has PROVEN (haha, that pun)to not only be an incredible stunt-woman, but also a very decent actress. I was a little disappointed that most of her scenes were cut out in "Django Unchained" and I hope to see more of her in this film. The person that seems to not be getting a role in "The Hateful Eight" is Uma Thurman. This is a little disappointing, because Thurman and Tarantino work so well together, and after "Kill Bill" Uma's career has kind of went downhill. I mean, when's the last time you saw her in a leading role?

3) The story.
I will be honest, I am myself guilty of reading a couple pages of the leaked script. I did not read the whole thing, because I was still hoping that the movie is going to be made, but I did read about 10 pages, and that was enough to tell me that the story is great. It is classic Tarantino, with twists, and gore and violence, and intriguing dialogue. The people who have seen the live read also praise the story, and some have even said that this is his finest yet. I really hope that this is the case, and perhaps we could see Tarantino win another oscar for best writer. I mean any Tarantino film is guaranteed to have great writing (in My opinion QT is one of the best writers working right now) and this one is going to be no exception.

This movie might still be a few years away from hitting the theatres (a release date was not set yet) and we aren't even 100% sure this movie is getting made, but I sure am hoping that it does.

Top 5 Tim Burton Films.

Tim Burton is beloved my many, and hated by some. He has a distinctive visual and narrative style which many directors have tried to replicate, but most have failed. His new films "Big Eyes" is coming out shortly, and today I am going to talk about the man's best movies to date. Note that this list consists of movies that Tim Burton DIRECTED. That is why films such as "Nightmare Before Christmas" will not be featured on this list. This stop motion masterpiece was written and produced by Burton, but not Directed.

5) Frankenweenie (2012)
This stop motion animation has "Burton" stamped all over it. It is quirky and witty, yet at the same time dark and touching. This oscar nominated film is fantastic both for kids and adults, and explores some serious themes. It is a twist on the classical Frankenstein story, and a great one at that.
4) Batman Returns (1992)
In my opinion the best non Nolan Batman film, this movie created a melancholy yet fun atmosphere. Penguin and Catwoman are great villains, and the whole "two villains in comic book movies" was started with this film. It has a great score by Danny Elfman, great visuals and great acting. This too has a very dark "Burton" film to it. It captures the "tragedy" of Batman like no other film has.
3) Edward Scissor hands (1990)
The first collaboration between Burton and Johnny Depp, and one of Burton's best films. It has a great story and a loveable, but frightening main character. In many ways this movie launched  Depp's career and established Burton as a "one of his kind" director. This movie has one of Burton's best scenes in it too. I am obviously talking about the scene where Edward is cutting the ice sculpture and creating snowflakes, in Which Wyona Ryder dances.
2) Ed Wood (1994)
Another film with Depp who is playing arguably the worst director who every lived. This movie is hilarious, yet sad at the same time. It is a fascinating character study and a must watch for any film lover. This film won an oscar for Martin Landau's outstanding performance of Bela Lugosi, an actor who himself was very far away from an Oscar Winner. This movie also makes Sarah Jessica Parker look like a good actress (a pretty rare thing in my opinion) and has great dialogue.
1) Big Fish (2003)
This is Tim Burton's Masterpiece. It is a fairy tale with no particular story line, as it constantly switches between real and made up flashbacks and the actual world. This movie is hilarious, and has great performances from Ewan McGregor, Steve Buscemi, Albert Finney, Marion Cotillard and Helena Boham Carter. It is a "feel good" movie, yet it is not too philosophical for its' own good. This film is truly great, and in my opinion one of the most underrated films of all time. It is a surprise that it won no oscars, as it is in my opinion Burton's finest movie.

X-Men: Days of Future Past review.

I watched the newest instalment in the X-men franchise this weekend, and I was very pleased with the movie. This is a movie with time traveling, which almost automatically means plot holes. Surprisingly, there were very little holes in this film, and they did not distract me or take me out of the movie. Everything made sense, and all the events that unfold happen pretty logically.

The cast of this movie did a great job. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are amazing as young professor X and Magneto. Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen reprised their roles too, and just like always they did a great job. Hugh Jackman once again plays Wolverine, and he was great like always, but the actress that did the b
est job, and played the most interesting character in my opinion is Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. Yes, Wolverine is technically the main character, but it is not his movie. This is Mystique's movie, and she rocks it. Peter Dinklage was awesome, and played a relatable, but menacing villain. My favourite character though, would have to be Quicksilver. He is absolutely fantastic in this film. He was hilarious, he was badass and he was a very interesting character. I hope they use him again in later films.

Another thing that I loved about this film are all the supporting characters. There are tons of mutants that have smaller roles, and even though most of them don't even have many lines, they ALL have a badass moment. I am so glad that Bryan Singer returned to the X-men universe. His movies always stood out as the best to me, and you can see that the man decided to really "come back." The genius of this movie is that it makes the worst of the X-men movies (X3, Wolverine origins) better. It "fixes them". The visual effects were great, the sound was great, I really enjoyed the score, and the overall tone of the film.

The one problem that I had with Days of Future Past are the continuity issues. It does not tie in with "The Wolverine" or X-men 3 very well. At the end of "The Wolverine" Wolverine gets the adamantium sucked out of him and he has bone claws again. In this film, he has his adamantium claws, and it is not explained how that happened. Professor X is alive and well, and once again nothing is really explained. I guess you can't blame Singer for this, but more the executive producers and overseers of the franchise.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is so far my favourite movie of the year. It is really smart, interesting and fun. I highly recommend seeing it in theatres. My rating for this film is 9/10.

Alfonso Cuaron Might direct Harry Potter spinoff.

I am a fan of both the Harry Potter books and movies, my favourite instalment is the third one, Harry Potter and the prizoner of Azkaban. The movie was directed by Oscar winner, Alfonso Cuaron. One of the main reasons why I enjoyed the film so much was the direction and the tone. 

To be honest I was not very excited when I heard about this "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" movie. I've read the book, or textbook to be exact, and my initial thought was that there is not enough material to make a whole movie. I mean its just an encyclopaedia of different magical beasts, how could a movie be based on that? However, when I heard that Cuaron might direct this movie, my interest rose dramatically. I think Cuaron is one of the best directors working today, and his vision of the Harry Potter world is the most interesting and alternative we have seen. No plot details are known at this time, but I am surely going to be looking for this movie now. Just imagine a hippogriff floating through space, fighting for survival. 

This is also good news, because it means that the script written by JK Rowling is very good. Cuaron is hot as ever right now, and he could direct any movie he wanted to. His choice is a good sign of the quality of the story, and I hope that my expectations are met. 

Second Guardians of the Galaxy trailer review

So the new trailer for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy hit the web today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SEdue5SIcg
In this trailer, we get to actually meet all five characters, and get a better understanding of the plot. The first teaser showed Star Lord as a witty, sarcastic guy. This trailer has a couple more shots of him which actually show Star Lord's badass side. Rocket Racoon, who is voiced by Bradley Cooper, has two lines in this trailer, and I like the way he sounds. In my opinion, Rocket will be Guardian's Hulk, in the sense that he will have a couple very cool scenes that everybody is going to be talking about (like "Hulk Smash" or "Puny God"). We also heard Diesel's Groot speak in this trailer, though he only has one line, but it seems like the character is not going to say much anyways. Zoe Saldana looks awesome as a green alien, and it seems like her and Star Lord are going to develop a relationship.

Saying all that, I felt like this was not a very good trailer. It reused many of the shots from the teaser, but more importantly, it used the "Hooked on a feeling" song again. Its a great song and it matches the tone of the movie, but it was the main soundtrack for the teaser, and in my opinion the second time it was not as effective. I would also like to see a little more of the other four Guardians. We never even hear Zoe speak in this trailer. Another complain that some people might have about this trailer, but personally it didn't bother me, is that the plot is still unclear. We know that all five are going to team up to save the Galaxy (duh), but it is still unapparent what they are saving it from. Also a villain has been hinted, but not actually shown. This is explainable, since Guardians of the Galaxy are not widely known, and the trailer is mainly trying to let the public know of the existence of the actual team.

6 things we want "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" to do.

1) Tie in Gandalf's quest with LOTR. 
In Desolation of Smaug, Gandalf confronts the necromancer, who reveals himself to be Sauron. This is a pretty big deal, because it means that he is back, even though can not take his full form yet. The fight scene between Sauron and Gandalf was awesome, but there is one problem. I'm not sure how they are going to properly tie it in with "Fellowship of the Ring" the first movie in the LOTR trilogy.
In Fellowship, Gandalf has his suspicion that the Dark Lord Sauron might be returning, so he has to go of and do research for months. He then comes back to Frodo with the quest to get the ring to Rivendell. If he meets Sauron in Desolation of Smaug, how can he doubt that he came back? He would not have to go do research, because he has already seen him. Hopefully Peter Jackson does not look over this fact and manages to tie it in. Gandalf's story in "Desolation" ends with him being pinned against a wall, looking hopeless. Perhaps in the movie he will get his memory erased, or maybe the Necromancer is not actually Sauron. We will have to wait and see.

2) End Kili's relationship with Tauriel on a friendly note. 
I didn't mind the relationship between Kili and Tauriel in Desolation of Smaug, but if it ends with them marrying and having a bunch of dwarven-elvish kids, that will be ridiculous. I think the filmmakers are going a little to far with their "love story" and I hope they end it in Battle of the Five armies, and the two don't end up together.

3) Make the battle epic. 
This is something that Peter Jackson proved he can do. Look at the "Siege of Helm's deep" in "Two Towers" or the battle of "Minas Tirith" from "Return of the King." Long story short, those battles are awesome. What worries me, is the actual FIVE armies. I have my fingers crossed that Jackson is going to be able to show us a fair bit of each army, and still make it interesting and flow well. I'm sure that it will be at least great, but I want it to be amazing.

4) Make it about the Hobbit. 
In "Desolation" we saw a shift of gears. Bilbo stopped being the main character, and Thorin Oakinshield took over. I think it was a good choice for the second film (just like Aragorn and co became the focus of the two towers), but I wish that in the third film the story centres around Bilbo again. Just think about it, this huge war going on between all these warriors, and a little, defend less hobbit stuck in the middle. I'm not saying that Oakinshield should be shredded from his portion of the story, I just hope that in this film we concentrate on concluding Bilbo's adventures as well as the dwarves' quest to retake their realm .

5) Finish off Smaug. 

Desolation ended on a cliffhanger with Smaug headed towards Lake Town to destroy it. I hope that Bard gets rid of the Dragon in the first 20 minutes of the movie so we can concentrate on the battle for a longer time. Most likely Bard will shoot the black arrow at Smaug, but imagine how cool it would be, if he charges at this huge dragon with the arrow in his hand as a spear, and stabs him right under the wing in mid air. I know this probably won't happen, but Imagine how cool it would be. 

6) Give the sense of Danger. 

The dwarves are pretty much invincible. Nothing has ever harmed them, except for the arrow that pierced Kili. I loved the barrel scene and all, but seeing Bombur jump around in his barrel and take out a dozen orcs, makes the dwarves seem like superheroes. Why should you worry for characters who are practically invincible? I don't want half of the Dwarves to die in the movie, but at least show some injuries, and actual danger. Don't just have the 12 running through an army of Orcs, taking them down carelessly like Gimli did in the battle of Helms deep when he and Aragorn jumped on the bridge. 

5 things we hope "Man of Steel 2" does

Even though 2016 is two years away, anticipation is high for the "Batman vs Superman" film. Here are 5 things, that I hope Snyder and team do, to make MOS 2 awesome.

5) Make Batman more powerful. 
If the Christian Bale batman fought with the Henry Cavill Superman, face it- Batman would stand no chance. I mean he barely beat Bane, would he really be able to go toe to toe with the man of steel? To be able to have a fight with Superman, Batman will need one of these two things: amazing tech, or kryptonite.
At the end Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns, Batman and Superman have a fight, and Batman wins. He wears a mechanical suit that makes him stronger, uses a device to shock Superman with electricity, and a gun that emits sound waves which seemed to give Superman an pretty bad headache.
Batman also uses kryptonite often when he fights with the "man of tomorrow." You can see this in "Hush" where he used a ring made out of kryptonite and also in "Dark Knight Returns" where Batman has Green Arrow shoot a kryptonite arrow at Superman during the course of their fight, which ultimately helps him win. It doesn't matter which route they choose, but I would personally prefer them to give batman cooler tech, and not use the classical "Kryptonite weapon."

4) Not concentrate as much on supporting characters. 
It is getting crowded in "Man of Steel 2". We know Wonder woman, Cyborg, Alfred and Lex luther are all in the movie, and all 4 characters have very rich backgrounds that would be cool to explore. However, I hope that they stick mostly to two main characters: Batman and Superman. Now granted, it will be cool to see all these other characters, as long as they are not the main focus of the story. I really hope that Cyborg and Wonder woman only have an appearance in this movie, and don't actually play a big role, this is not Justice league, it's still a superman movie; but I'll talk about that later. The point is, Batman and Superman are very cool characters, and I hope that most of the screen time is devoted to them and not the supporting cast.

3) Have Batman actually cause some harm to Superman
This relates to point 5, but is still it's own thing. I hope that when the two superheroes fight, Batman will actually cause some harm to Superman. In the first Man of Steel, Superman constantly took bullets and punches, but didn't even have a scratch. What is the fun of having a fight between Batman and Superman, if we know that nothing can happen to the Man of Steel. I don't know how they are going to address this, but I would personally love to see some Kryptonian blood running out of Kent's nose.

2) Give Luther a good motivation. 

We don't know how big of a role Luther is going to play in this movie. Maybe he will just be set up for a future movie, maybe he will be the main villain, but the point is - he needs a good motivation. In   Singer's 2006 "Superman returns" Luther wants to make a new continent out of rocks, so he can sell lots of land and get lots of Money. That villain motivation sucks. It's very generic and is boring. Imagine how cool it would be if this was Luthor's motivation: The world just found out that Superman is an all mighty being from another planet. Another guy from his planet (General Zod) destroyed half of Metropolis by stopping by and saying hi. Where is the guarantee, that Superman is not going to turn evil and do the same? That is why, Luther starts an anti-superman campaign, trying to make superman leave, or perhaps find a weapon against him. On the surface it seems like a good and reasonable plan, but behind the scenes Luthor is actually planning something horrible. This would also explain why Batman would be fighting Superman. Wayne would first join Luther in his worries about superman, but later find out who the real villain is.

1) Don't have this movie set up Justice League. 
One of the biggest problems with "The amazing Spiderman 2" was that is was merely setting up future movies and concentrated on establishing characters more than on the plot of the actual movie. This is also a danger for MOS 2. That is why it worries me to hear that Wonder Woman and Cyborg are in this movie. I hope that they don't try to stuff in as much references and plot points to future movies, and concentrate on the important things, like developing the MAIN characters.

Godzilla 2014 Review

GODZILLA REVIEW

We all know the abomination that is the 90's Godzilla. Luckily, this new one is much better. 

I watched the new Godzilla movie yesterday, and to be honest, I was a little bit disappointed. The main reason of my disappointment were the trailers, which are misleading. 

The trailers marketed Bryan Cranston to be the main star of the movie, which is not true. The main character is played by Taylor Johnson, and that is the biggest problem I had with this Godzilla movie. 

Ford Brody is the name of Johnson's character, and he is just not very interesting. Brody's dad played by Cranston, was a more interesting character that I would rather see helm this movie. I also thought that the human element of this film was not very strong, and it takes a while to get started.  Also, the main character of the movie, Godzilla himself, is not in the movie that much. There are probably 30 minutes of the monster in the whole film, and I wish that we would spend more time watching Godzilla than the boring people.  

Now for the things that I enjoyed about this movie: 

When Godzilla is on screen it is glorious. All monsters in this movie are HUGE. Some people complained that Godzilla is to fat, but I think that it looks awesome. The CGI and sound in this movie are very good, and I liked the fight scenes when they actually happened, which unfortunately was pretty rare. Godzilla's roar is the best one we've heard yet, and I am glad that it was not fully featured in the trailers, because hearing the actual full roar for the first time in the movie was one of the most enjoyable moments for me. 

Overall I liked this movie more than I disliked it, even though it had many flaws. I will give this movie 7/10 for breathtaking CGI, sound, monsters and fight scenes.