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.