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

Second Chance

The first Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs left me somewhat disappointed, but its sequel was inevitable. Looking at the first trailer, I'll admit, I do have some optimism as there appears to be some creativity put into both the jokes and creation of the "food monsters". Check it out for yourself below and see if you think this has a possibility of being better than the first.

RBR: End of Watch

Films depicting the lives of cops in Southern California are nothing new and yet more continue to get made because they typically offer an effective mix of drama, action, suspense, and character study. This remains true in End of Watch, which follows two cops (played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena) as they deal with guns, gangs, and drugs. One of the things that allows this film to rise above the familiarity of the genre is the performances of its two leads. Gyllenhaal and Pena not only bring an authenticity to their roles, but you also truly feel the bond that has been established between these two "brothers", which is how they refer to each other. We really see who these guys are both in and out of the uniform as he film also takes the time to develop characters for their respective mates (Anna Kendrick nicely plays Gyllenhaal's wife). One of the biggest issues of debate surrounding the film is the decision to present this story from a documentary/found footage perspective. On one hand, I feel that this has now become a tired narrative approach that we've seen too often recently. In the particular film, I'm torn on how its used. At times, this approach creates some interesting angles to depict the action, but in other instances I think it handicaps the film's ability to properly tell the story. Ultimately, I would not cite this a reason to skip the movie, but I would be very interested to see how much the film would change/improve if it had used a more traditional filmmaking style. Ultimately, the strong performances and compelling story win out here to make this a much better film than I had anticipated. If you had previously ignored it because of its generic title, familiar storyline, or shaky cam style, don't let that deter you from checking it out now on home video. This is solid cop thriller that will instantly suck you in to its story. Rating: ****

Don't Cross the boss

I know I'm a little late to the game in posting this, but it was too good to ignore completely. A couple weeks ago on Saturday Night Live, they did a movie parody of Tarantino-esque revenge films, called "Djesus Uncrossed". The subject matter is so irreverant that I'm probably going to hell for enjoying it, but it's also so spot-on and hilarious, that it deserves the recognition. Since many of you have likely seen the original skit anyway, I've posted the web-exclusive director's cut version of the trailer below instead.

RBR: Robot and Frank

This small independent dramedy is set in the not too distant future where robots have been designed with the capacity to serve humans as caretakers. Frank (played by Frank Langella) is given one of these robots after his son (James Marsden) grows concerned about Frank's decreasing mental health. Langella, playing the grumpy old man well, is initially resistant to the idea. However, when he learns that the robot enables him to return to his roots as a cat burglar, he warms to the mechanical man. Langella also develops a relationship with a local librarian, played by Susan Sarandon. The film is similar to another independent film that Sarandon was in last year, Jeff, Who Lives At Home. Both are pleasant films that delve into the family dynamic but never quite reach the emotional or narrative heft in order to make them truly great films. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I watched Robot and Frank, but the whole film has such a light and airy feel to it, that I could never truly get invested in what was happening. I will commend the film for offering up a twist at the end that I did not see coming. Any time a film can surprise me, I am appreciative. This is a simple film that offers a unique story and solid acting, with maybe the exception of Liv Tyler who plays Frank's daughter. If you were to miss this film, it would not be any great loss. But if the premise intrigues you at all, you'll likely enjoy giving this a view. Rating: ****

Ship ahoy

I'm happy to see Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson together again in a comedy - I just wish that the trailer for their latest film, The Internship didn't feel like a 2 minute commercial for Google.

RBR: Paranormal Activity 4

If you recall, I began to warm to this horror franchise with its previous effort. It felt like not only were they giving us some insight into the backstory of this spirit that haunts and kills unsuspecting victims, but they were also finding ways of sticking to the formula of the franchise while still offering some innovative ways of providing the audience with some legitimate scares. It is because of the promise that #3 showed that makes this latest entry so frustrating. This is the epitome of a film treading water. Nothing feels fresh or original here. The scares are telegraphed, no real advancement to the story is made and none of the characters are very compelling. This time around, the film centers around a teenage girl and her suburban family who are asked to babysit a creepy neighborhood boy. Being a teenager, she has to of course record all aspects of her life, so that's how we get all of the paranormal activity documented here. I highly doubt I'm spoiling anything by saying things don't end well for her or her family. And I think that's one of the biggest frustrations I have currently with this franchise - the fight has been so one sided. In most horror films, while the ghost/monster/psychopath goes on a tear of destruction, they usually get defeated or at the very least suffer a setback by the end of the film. To this point, no one has gotten the better of this witches' coven or the spirits they conjure up. I'm ready for some payback at this point. I do believe that this franchise still has life in it, but if the next film once again offers up the same old scares with nothing fresh to offer then I just might have to call it quits on this series. Unless you're looking for a scare, you're not missing anything by skipping this film. Rating: ** 1/2

Take that Barbara Walters

After a nearly year-long hiatus, the awesome "Between Two Ferns" is back with a two-part, star-studded affair with Zach Galifianakis interviewing several Oscar nominees. Enjoy the hilarity below:

Between Two Ferns: Oscar Buzz Edition Part 1 from Zach Galifianakis

Between Two Ferns: Oscar Buzz Edition Part 2 from Zach Galifianakis