The Movie Paradise

Release Year: 2014 Rating: R Directed by: James DeMonaco   Starring: Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zoë Soul
With The First Purge now in theaters, I thought I would go back and watch the first three Purge movies. I had never seen them before, and The First Purge's opening gave me a good excuse to finally check them out. I didn't really have very high expectations going in. I hadn't heard the greatest of things about the series, so I was expecting subpar movies. I've always thought that the premise is fantastic. To be completely honest, it doesn't seem like our actual society is very far from enacting something like the Purge, so there is an extra level of scariness accompanying the premise. So, the idea for these movies really resonates with me, and I think there is an incredible amount of potential for some really awesome films. But the impression I've always gotten is that the Purge movies have never really lived up to that potential. I guess I'll be the judg…

Run Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes Rating: PG-13 Directed by: Peyton Reed    Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas 
How do you follow up the shocking gut-punch that is Avengers: Infinity War? With a lighthearted, standalone comedy like Ant-Man and the Wasp, naturally. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) has always been an interesting character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is one of the more absurd heroes, and yet Marvel found a way to make him appealing back in 2015. Paul Rudd is excellent as the character, and he brings something to the universe that nobody else really does. Ant-Man was a good film, and I liked it very much. I don't think it's one of Marvel's best, but it's a solid movie that I definitely enjoyed. So I've been looking forward to the sequel. With Evangeline Lily now suited up right alongside Rudd as the Wasp, I thought that this one had the potential to exceed the first film. I have to see Ant-Man again, but I do think I still like that one more t…

Run Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Rating: PG-13Directed by: Gary RossStarring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway
My interest level in Ocean's Eight has never been to the same degree as other people's. I have never seen the original Ocean's trilogy. I hear they are fantastic movies, and I definitely want to check them out at some point, but I have yet to see them. So without that built-in appreciation for the series, Ocean's Eight looked like just another movie to me. And that's not to say it looked bad at all; the trailers really impressed me. But I never really viewed it as the next installment in a beloved franchise like many others did. What stood out to me about this film was the cast. You have some incredible heavy-hitters in the ensemble, including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Rihanna. It truly is an impressive cast, and that is what caught my eye the most. I also really like heis…

Welcome to this week's Nerd Round-Up. Essentially what we do here is we take a look at all things circulating in the world of nerdom. We break down these down, anything ranging from superheroes to Star Wars, and every other geek-centric thing in between. We analyze the smaller bits of news that weren't big enough stories to necessarily warrant an entire article, but are still significant and important and worthy of discussing. Perhaps it's casting news, a contract detail, a set image, or something else that's more on the minor side, but is still definitely worth talking about. This is a time and place for all of us unabashed nerds to come together and talk about the things that we love so much in the movie-sphere. So, without further ado, let's get started with this week installment of Nerd Round-Up.

It is being reported that Blood Diamond and Guardians of the Galaxy actor Djimon Hounsou has been cast to play the Wizard in Shazam. In the comic books, the Wizard is…

It's been almost a year since we first heard that War Dogs director Todd Phillips will be helming a Joker origin story that will be separate from the current DC Cinematic Universe, with Martin Scorsese producing. You can read the initial report here. I think the idea for this project is fascinating. Telling a story about the Joker that doesn't have to tie into the current universe gives the filmmakers an incredible amount of freedom. Plus, with every comic book movie belonging to a cinematic universe, we don't have too many truly stand-alone stories, and this would give Warner Bros. an opportunity to try something different. So from the beginning I've been incredibly intrigued by the prospect of this movie. However, DC announces five new movies a day, and only a couple of them have actually come to fruition. There was no way to know if this Joker movie would ever actually come to pass. Well, it's now official. The Joker origin movie is coming, and will be filming …

Welcome to this week's Nerd Round-Up. Essentially what we do here is we take a look at all things circulating in the world of nerdom. We break down these down, anything ranging from superheroes to Star Wars, and every other geek-centric thing in between. We analyze the smaller bits of news that weren't big enough stories to necessarily warrant an entire article, but are still significant and important and worthy of discussing. Perhaps it's casting news, a contract detail, a set image, or something else that's more on the minor side, but is still definitely worth talking about. This is a time and place for all of us unabashed nerds to come together and talk about the things that we love so much in the movie-sphere. So, without further ado, let's get started with this week installment of Nerd Round-Up.

It is being reported that Mission: Impossible III and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes actor Keri Russell is in talks for an undisclosed role in Star Wars Episode IX. A…

Run Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes Rating: R Directed by: Stefano Sollima   Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner 
I remember when I first heard that a Sicario sequel was coming, focused entirely on Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin but without Emily Blunt or director Denis Villeneuve involved, I wasn't sure what to think. I like Sicario a great deal, but I don't think it's Villeneuve's best film. Even with that, Villeneuve's direction and Blunt's performance really helps sell that movie. Sure, Del Toro and Brolin gave excellent supporting performances, but could a whole film be built around just them and could it work just as well? Even without an answer to that question, we now have Sicario: Day of the Soldado. While I wasn't on board initially, the first trailer really changed my tune. It was riveting and intense, and it really got my blood pumping. None of the other trailers have lived up to that first one, so my excitement for Day of the Solda…