Claws for concern

Iron Man isn't the only Marvel superhero gracing the screen this summer. Wolverine is back as well and this time he's fighting ninjas. Check out the first full trailer for The Wolverine

Red Skull out, Redford in??

From EW.com

The new Captain America film is probably the most unusual of the upcoming wave of Marvel sequels, since — thanks to the first film’s climactic time-jump forward — most of the original supporting cast probably won’t be returning. (Although since the movie is subtitled The Winter Soldier, there’s probably at least one supporting cast member returning, NO SPOILERS.) But the film could be adding a genuine film legend to its cast. EW has confirmed the news, initially reported by the Hollywood Reporter, that Robert Redford — Oscar winner, Sundance founder, Sundance Kid — is in negotiations to join the cast of the Star-Spangled Sequel.

It’s unclear at this point who Redford would be playing, though THR indicates that he’d be playing Nick Fury’s boss. (Combined with the Variety report that the film would prominently feature Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill, Cap 2 is shaping up to be a stealth S.H.I.E.L.D. movie.) Presumably he’s not playing the President, unless there’s an election in the Marvelverse after Iron Man 3 (with President William Sadler.)

RBR: Wreck-It Ralph

Having now seen both this and Brave, I'm convinced now more than ever that last year there was some kind of Freaky Friday situation going on over at the Disney animation studios. With a beautiful young girl at the forefront and a cheesy 'be careful what you wish for' lesson, Brave felt very much like your standard Disney princess fare. Meanwhile, Wreck-It Ralph is the type of story that features colorful characters and imaginative settings that have set Pixar apart from its competition for over 15 years. This is the story of Ralph, a bad guy character ala Donkey Kong in a classic 80s style arcade game. Tired of his repetitive depressing lifestyle, Ralph seeks a change by finding a way to turn himself into a good guy. To do so, he leaves his game and ventures through a number of other video games including a Halo-esque first person shooter and the pink-tinged, candy-coated racing game, Sugar Rush. What helps elevate Ralph above other more standard animated films is that this is not just Ralph's story with all other characters merely serving as window dressing and/or comedy props. The film features several subplots where we delve into characters' backstory. I also like that the villainous King Candy's motives are not apparently clear. It makes the eventual reveal that much more satisfying. You also have some quality voice work here. John C. Reilly is perfect as doltish Ralph who can come off as equal parts menacing and sweet. Sarah Silverman lays on the sugary sweetness as Venelope, a wannabe racer in Sugar Rush. And Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch also fit perfectly in the roles they are given. It's quite clear that the people behind this movie are big video game fans. There are several homages and in-jokes to the gaming world. They also amassed an impressive collection of real video game characters like Sonic, Bowser, and Q-Bert, who show up in various cameo roles. This is a film that succeeds largely to its wide appeal. It offers plenty for kids to enjoy, but it also maintains an intelligence level that doesn't insult adult audiences. Thus far, this is the best animated film of 2012 and is definitely worth a rental if you missed it when it was in theaters. Rating: **** 1/2

Life imitating art?

I won't post the whole article here, but you can click on the link below for a fun article where a Yahoo reporter talked with several of the players on the Cleveland Indians to ask them to compare themselves to the various characters in the classic movie, Major League. Despite a number of new faces on the Tribe this year, it sounds like this group has already bonded well and ready to have as much success as their film counterparts did. One can only hope!

The 2013 Cleveland Indians imagine themselves as the Indians from 'Major League'

Gru back

Villains rule the day once again as Gru and his minions are back once again in Despicable Me 2. Here's the first full trailer for the animated film set to come out this summer.

'Bond 24' update

From Reuters:

Movie studio MGM said on Tuesday it expects to release the next James Bond movie within three years, and hopes to announce soon a new director after Sam Mendes decided to move on.

In a conference call with investors, MGM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gary Barber said the studio was developing the screenplay for the next, 24th movie in the 50-year-old franchise about the British secret agent.

"We are very excited about the franchise, we look forward to announcing a director soon," Barber said.

"We are currently developing the screenplay and working with our partners. We look forward to developing the script soon and signing a director. We are hoping within the next 3 years it will be released," Barber added.

He gave no details on casting but Daniel Craig has already signed on for two more films in the lead role as the suave 007 agent.

The 2012 Bond film "Skyfall," starring Craig, made $1.1 billion at the global box office and impressed critics. But Britain's Mendes said earlier this month that he wanted to focus on his theater projects for the foreseeable future.

Barber said Mendes "did an amazing job on 'Skyfall'. We are very thankful for the work that he did."

Privately-held MGM jointly produced "Skyfall" with Sony Corp's movie studio arm.

MGM said on Monday that "Skyfall" and "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" had helped bring a three-fold increase in its 2012 net income.

Trek-ing crew

I was remiss in not posting this last week when it hit the web, so if you haven't seen it yet, here's the latest trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness

RBR: Arbitrage

For as much as I love movies, I can't say (yet at least) that I'm an expert when it comes to old movies. So when I hear comments suggesting that a film like Arbitrage is "Hitchcockian", I can't really have an appreciation for that. The good thing is that you don't need that background to recognize that this is an excellent thriller on its own. This is the story of Robert Miller (played by Richard Gere), a hedge fund magnate who's trying to secure a deal to sell his company as he moves into retirement. While initial impressions suggest Miller has everything going for him, there are a lot of secrets lurking beneath the surface that Miller is trying to keep hidden. There is no secret that Miller is a guilty man and yet the film remains compelling to the point where you find yourself conflicted as to whether or not you want him to be caught for his transgressions. A lot of the credit goes to Gere who gives one of his best performances ever. He handles the complexities of the characters with ease as he transitions from aggressor to avoider based on the conflict he's facing. There's also a nice supporting performance by Tim Roth playing a New York detective investigating a car accident that he believes was caused by Miller. I was really invested in this film up until the very end. Director Nicholas Jarecki, who up until the final scene had shown some real talent as a director in his first feature film effort, drops the ball with a disappointingly anti-climatic finish. The ambiguity of the final scene cannot even be justified as ambigiuous for the sake of mystery. The film ends in such a way that you feel as if there was some sort of technical problem that caused the last five minutes of the film to be accidentally lopped off the reel. Despite the letdown of its conclusion, Arbitrage is still a film worth seeking out, especially given that it did not garner much attention from the public during its limited release in theaters. I think you'll agree that checking it out will be a sound investment of your time. Rating: **** 1/2

Hang in there baby

It appears that the Wolfpack are set to go out with a bang and take the place where it all began with them. Here's your first look at The Hangover Part III.

Bounty fare

I'm a latecomer when it comes to the appreciation of the work by Quentin Tarantino. While most discovered and embraced his approach to filmmaking with movies like Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, it took me until 2009's Inglorious Basterds to see how talented he is. The way he is able to pay homage to film genres while also subverting them with anachronistic soundtracks can be quite entertaining. He also has the capability of writing dialogue that is equal parts hilarious and horrifying, while wholly captivating. In his latest effort, Django Unchained, Tarantino's style is once again quite apparent.

Paying tribute to spaghetti Westerns, Django is the story of a dentist-turned-bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz) who locates and frees a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx). Schultz needs Django's help in locating his latest bounty. Successful in their mission, the two form a bond and work together in trying to free Django's wife (Kerry Washington), who's currently the property of a Southern plantation owner by the name of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio, in a delightfully against-type role for him).

Each of the film's primary cast members brings a great deal of energy to their roles. Waltz is terrific again here (and deserving of his recent Oscar win) as man who's hunting people for more noble reasons than he was in Basterds. It was also enjoyable seeing DiCaprio playing someone so slimy and evil. And I should also point out Samuel L. Jackson, who is perhaps even more diabolical than DiCaprio's Candie, playing a slave who sees through Schultz and Django's act of deception. There are also a handful of cameos, some more recognizable than others, from a host of actors who add just a little bit more to each of their scenes.

I must admit, however, that for as entertaining as everyone is here, I felt something lacking in a lot of the scenes of dialogue. When watching Basterds, there were several scenes of dialogue that left me as a viewer white-knuckled in fear sensing something terrible was going to occur. In this film, none of the scenes ever reached that same level of anxiety in me. This time, Tarantino seemed much more impatient at getting to the payoff instead of properly building to it.

With this being a Tarantino film and all, the payoff to those interactions is, of course, bloodshed. You could probably fill 100 bathtubs with the amount of blood that spills in this film. And it's not just the blood that is in excess. The last third of the film is pure action that grows tiresome, especially after intergral characters are killed off prior to the film's ultimate climax. Any enjoyment from these scenes does not stem from watching Django exact revenge, but rather from appreciating Tarantino's effort to write fanfiction about a dark time in our country's history.

Django Unchained is a Tarantino film through and through. In this case, that means having to take the good with the bad. For all the juicy characters and bloody action that he offers, you also have to deal with his inability to curb his impulses and recognizing that there can be too much of a good thing. Those who are fans of his will no doubt enjoy this latest entry, even if they see it as not being on par with some of his other efforts. For those who are unfamiliar with his style, this is probably not the best entry point. His depiction of violence can be a jolt to the system and it is not as successfully offset with engaging dialogue as it is in his past films. Django is a bloody good show, it's just too bad it could have been so much more than that. Grade: B

Downey, but not out

It's a sad state of affairs at the box office when you can say that this is the best things that's been shown on screen in 2013. Here's the newest trailer for Iron Man 3

Sam won't play it again

From EW.com:

Despite Skyfall being the most commercially successful James Bond movie ever, director Sam Mendes won’t be returning for Bond’s next go-round.

Mendes’ rep confirmed the director’s statement in Empire magazine, which explains that he will not direct James Bond’s 24th adventure.

“It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael [G. Wilson] and Barbara [Broccoli]’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie,” Mendes said. “Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond.”

But while Mendes said he won’t be directing 007′s next picture, he didn’t rule out a return to the franchise later on. “I feel very honoured to have been part of the Bond family,” said Mendes, “and very much hope I have a chance to work with them again sometime in the future.”

RBR: Taken 2

The first Taken film was pretty stupid and forced audiences to severly suspend belief when it came to its story. But what ultimately made that film a winner was the testosterone-fueled emergence of Liam Neeson as an action star. There was a certain joy watching him cut down foreign bad guys with reckless abandon. If this sequel had managed to give us another dose of that, this would have been fine. Instead we get an even dumber film that also lacks the satisfying action sequences needed to offset its stupidity. This time around Neeson and his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) are taken by the living family members of the people he killed in the first film. Of course, daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) is along for the ride as well. Kim is the source of a lot of the film's problems. First there's the disorienting fact that this character is supposed to be a teenager despite the fact that the actress playing her is 30. The film doesn't help this problem by shoehorning a ridiculous subplot involving Kim learning how to drive, which of course will come into play as the film progresses. Not only does Kim need to drive, but she also needs to display some of Neeson's "particular set of skills" for him while he's abducted. This includes recklessly throwing grenades on the rooftops of Turkey so that she can find him. Again, all of this would be forgiven if the action was satisfying. However, director Oliver Megaton, taking over for Luc Besson, once again displays his inability to film a fight scene that doesn't include at least 50 edits. In the first film, Neeson was filmed in a way to make it look like he was a believable bad ass. The use of quick shots in this one makes it seem like they are trying to mask the abilities of a senior citizen. Taken 2 is a complete downgrade over the original film and just makes your head hurt as you watch it. This one gets an easy thumbs down from me. Rating: * 1/2