The Movie Paradise

The first big surprise of the year has been the monumental success of Furious 7 (read our review here ). We all knew it would make money, but I don't think anyone expected it to make the money it did. It opened at $143 million for its opening weekend (when projected to make around $95-100 million) and in 17 days made $1 billion worldwide (read that article here ). For the past four weeks it has been number one at the box office; the money train for Furious 7  has yet to stop. Even though it will be dethroned this week with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron , Furious 7  has crept its way up the list of highest grossing films of all time, and has officially taken down Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part 2  as the fourth highest grossing movie of all time. I am thrilled for this movie. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the very moving Paul Walker  tribute at the end. It deserves all the money it's making and I'm happy for it. However, by the end of 2015, Furious

So far, my favorite movie of the year has been Kingsman: The Secret Service . Matthew Vaughn did such a perfect job of making a brutal, action-heavy, fun  movie. You can read our review of the film here . And since this movie came out in February, I have been championing it for a sequel. Not only could they make a kick-ass sequel, but the story leaves itself open to one. Back after the film's initial release, Vaughn spoke about the problem with doing a sequel (you can read that here ). I'm not going to go into spoilers, but a major character dies, and Vaughn said that if they could find a way to bring this person back effectively, then they'd do a sequel. Well now reports are in that a sequel to Kingsman  is officially in the works! While I am thrilled this is happening, I have to wonder what it means about Vaughn's comments earlier. I really do not want *SPOILER* to return. If he/she does, it takes the cop-out, no-one-actually-dies approach a lot of comic book

Lately, a lot of movement has been happening on X-Men: Apocalypse , set to hit theaters next year. Just yesterday, we got our first official look at Kodi Smit-McPhee  as Nightcrawler (see that here ) and now we are seeing our first look at the other X-Men. It wasn't too long ago that younger versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm were cast ( Tye Sheridan , Sophie Turner  and Alexandra Shipp  respectively) as well as Smit-McPhee and Lana Condor  as Jubilee. However, we now have our first look at the actors as the characters in these pictures taken from the set of the film, pictured below: I think these look great. Not only does each actor distinctly look like his/her character, but there is a clear 80's influence in their clothing, which is the time period this film is set in. I am very glad they included Jubilee's classic yellow jacket, and like I said, it works for an 80's-set film. The more I see Nightcrawler, the more like the design. Turner also

Macbeth  is a movie that I have been looking forward to seeing, but it does not have a release date! All it says on IMDb is 2015, but no date. I read the Shakespeare play for the first time a couple of years ago, and I really enjoyed it. Plus, it stars Michael Fassbender  and Marion Cotillard , who are fantastic actors in my opinion. It also has the same writer, director (and two leads) of Assassin's Creed , which will hit theaters in 2016. So this is their first film together before they come back for a (hopefully) awesome video game movie. The story of Macbeth  is also really interesting and very cinematic. Macbeth (Fassbender) is a thane who is manipulated by his wife (Cotillard) to kill King Duncan and his successors in order to become king. With a cast like this and such a captivating story, I think his movie has a lot of potential. These thoughts were reaffirmed with the release of several official pictures, featured below: It looks great. The design is fla

Back a few months ago, the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse  cast Dawn of the Planet of the Apes  actor Kodi Smit-McPhee  as young Nightcrawler, previously played by Alan Cumming  in X2: X-Men United (you can read that article here ). While I liked the casting choice, I was more excited that they were going back to the character of Nightcrawler, whom I thought was done brilliantly in X2  but never explored again. But with the casting announcement, it proved that not only would the character be appearing in this film, but would probably have a bigger presence in the larger universe. But it wasn't clear where they would be going with the character. With X-Men: Days of Future Past  erasing the timeline, there was an opportunity to change the design of the character, which I didn't want. I thought Nightcrawler looked great in X2 , and there was no need. But that hasn't stopped movie studios in the past.  Today, images of Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler were revealed, shown below

This weekend, The Age of Adeline  and The Water Diviner opened in theaters, as well as Ex Machina  went into wide-release. Let's take a look at this past weekend's box office.  #1 Furious 7 - $18,259,000 In its fourth week, Furious 7  came in first place. This is so far the most successful film of 2015, having crossed the $1 billion dollar mark last week (read about that here ). However, it's reign is over come next week when (one of) the biggest movie of the year opens in Avengers: Age of Ultron . However, it will most likely stick strong in second place for another week or so. You can read our review of Furious 7   here .  #2 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 - $15,500,000 In its second week, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2  came in second place. This movie hasn't been making the numbers the original did, but it is still a decent film for Kevin James , at least financially. In regards to the reception of the movie, most people don't like it. I believe it

Ex Machina  is a small, science fiction film that is writer Alex Garland 's directorial debut. It stars Domhnall Gleeson  and Oscar Isaac  (who will both be in the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens ) and Alicia Vikander , as the A.I. Ava. Gleeson plays Caleb, a computer coder who wins a contest to visit the house of his company's boss, Nathan, played by Isaac. There, he finds that Nathan has created artificial intelligence in the form of Ava, and enlists him to test the model. Movies as of late have played with the idea of man's creation of A.I. a lot, but Ex Machina  gives an interesting twist on it. The film isn't set in an apocalyptic future or a perfect utopia, but rather, as Garland puts it, "ten minutes in the future". What if a real company, like Google and Apple, actually created artificial intelligence? And this A.I. isn't ready to take over the world and destroy mankind, but is rather trying to understand the world around her

One of the more interesting casting choices for the new DC Cinematic Universe  was Academy Award winner Jared Leto as the Joker. Heath Ledger 's Oscar winning performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight  is one of my favorite villain performances ever (and the film is one of my favorite movies), but I thought Leto could do a great job of giving us a new take on the Joker. So I was excited. Then, Suicide Squad  director David Ayer  tweeted our first real look at Leto as the Joker, pictured below: A lot of people have been against this picture. They don't like the tattoos. They say it's too much of a departure. Some people are saying it's not "subtle". Okay, when has the Joker even been subtle? I really like it, mainly because it is completely different from Ledger's and Jack Nicholson 's Joker. The hair is bright, bright green which I think works for this rendition. You still have the purple in the form of the glove. A lot of people have sa

A while back, when the Sony Hack  initially happened, plans for an animated Spider-Man  movie with LEGO  directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller  writing and directing was leaked (you can read that article here ). However, when Sony  made the deal with Marvel , it seemed like those plans disappeared. However, it has now been announced that Lord and Miller will in fact be making an animated Spider-Man movie, that will be released in theaters in 2018, just a year after the character's first stand-alone (and live action) Marvel debut.  I am very mixed about this story, simply because I think Lord and Miller would be perfect to make the live action film. They have a great sense of fun and humor and they fit the bill perfectly for a Spider-Man movie, but I want them to do the live action, not an animated movie. Because what is this animated movie but just to make money? It won't factor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe  at all. All it really is is a movie for kids to make m

M. Night Shyamalan  is a tricky director. He has arguably made some of the worst films in cinema histroy ( The Lady in the Water, The Last Airbender, The Happening ), some debatable movies that some love and some hate ( Signs, The Village ) and a couple amazing, spectacular films ( The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable ). While he has been uneven, he has been more evenly bad, which is sad. To me, The Sixth   Sense  is a brilliant masterpiece of a film. I liked Unbreakable  but it wasn't great. Signs  was okay but not really that good. The Village  has a God-awful movie and The Happening  is something that you can just laugh at over and over again. While I appreciate what he did as a filmmaker for The Sixth Sense , he has lost any sort of respect in my eyes. But part of the problem is that he became a bit too cocky when he found success with his earlier films, and began getting larger and larger budgets. When the news came out that Shyamalan's next film would have a lower budget and

Joss Whedon  has become somewhat of a hero of his own for comic book fans. Not only did he direct The Avengers , believed by many to be the best superhero film made to date, but also made its sequel, which has a fair shot at beating out its predecessor. He has also overseen the entire production of Phase Two of Marvel films, even doing re-writes for Thor: The Dark World . Whedon has been very Marvel-oriented for a long time and he deserves a break. That's why it wasn't so much of a shock when it was confirmed that Captain America: The Winter Soldier  directors Anthony and Joe Russo  would be taking over for Avengers: Infinity War  Parts One and Two (read that article here ).  But as Avengers: Age of Ultron  comes closer to its release (just over a week away!), Whedon has commented on not only what it was like to direct the sequel, but why he will not be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe . Whedon said: “I gotta say, it’s been dark. It’s been weird. It’s been

Johnny Depp  has fallen from grace as of late. He has had a long line of bad movies, where he has been bad in them. And in all of these he is playing some cooky, eccentric, heavily make-uped character. So when I heard that Depp was going to be playing Whitey Bulger, I was understandably nervous. He has just been phoning it in for so many movies, and this is a role that could be brilliant. The first trailer for Black Mass  was released today, and it looks like Depp is on the closer side to brilliant for this role.  One word to accurately describe this trailer is "intense". The intensity raises throughout the trailer with the music, which I am positive I have heard before. Depp looks almost unrecognizable as Bulger, and brings a menace and ferocity to the character. Depp brings power to the character, at least from what I saw in this trailer. This looks like it could be a great gangster film with a fantastic performance from Depp. And the supporting cast is filled with

After the whole crisis over who will be the new director of Star Trek 3  passed, things have finally started moving on the project. Fast Five  director Justin Lin  is taking over the franchise from J.J. Abrams , who obviously went on to do Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens . However, outside of the new director and some casting decision, little is known about the movie. We learned that actor Simon Pegg  (who plays Scotty in the films) will help write the screenplay. But with a 2016 release date, more information on the movie should be expected soon. Now, we know a little bit more information. A rumor has appeared that the title of the movie will be Star Trek Beyond , which I think is an interesting title. When the title of Star Trek Into Darkness  was announced, very little about the movie could be gathered from the title, other than the fact that sh*t was going to go down. But with Beyond , the title makes it sound a bit more hopeful. That's the implication I get f

With Ant-Man  just a few months away from its release, it's easy to forget the controversy that surrounded the film just under a year ago. Edgar Wright  had been attached to the film for over five years, long before Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe . But Ant-Man  kept getting delayed with Marvel 's new plan of building up to The Avengers . Once Ant-Man  was set for a release after Avengers: Age of Ultron , news came out that Wright and Marvel were parting ways. Wright's screenplay and story that he had written and crafted for five years just didn't fit into this new cinematic universe that Marvel had developed, and they could not see eye-to-eye. Peyton Reed  was brought in to direct, Adam McKay  and star Paul Rudd  reworked the script and Ant-Man  got back on track. You can watch the latest trailer here . But with the impending release of Marvel's (arguably) biggest film yet in Avengers: Age of Ultron , director Joss Whedon  had a few thing

This weekend, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2  and Unfriended  opened in theaters. Let's take a look at this past weekend's box office. #1 Furious 7 - $29,156,595 In its third week, Furious 7  came in first place. This movie has been crushing it at the box office. Just the other day we reported that the film crossed $1 billion worldwide (which you can read here ). Right now it is the seventh highest grossing movie of all time and may very well ending being number four or five. Although, it's reign will end in May when Avengers: Age of Ultron  opens. You can read our review of Furious 7   here .  #2 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 - $23,762,435 On its opening weekend, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2  came in first place. The film wheeled right up behind Furious 7 , except it traded a sports car for a Segway. I am actually a fan of Kevin James . I think he's a really funny guy, and I liked the first Paul Blart . I might catch this movie on cable or VOD, but it's not

While it hasn't had a huge marketing presence yet, one of my more anticipated films of the summer is Jurassic World . I love the original Jurassic Park  and Chris Pratt  is a very entertaining actor. Back in November we got our first trailer, which I thought was fantastic. This movie is going to have scope, scale of epic proportions and I think is going to be an awesome thrill-ride. So when I heard that a new trailer was coming out, I was interested but already sold on the movie. After seeing this new trailer, I am sold even more! This movie looks like it is going to be fantastic! I was worried before that Pratt was going to be his goofy self we know him from Guardians of the Galaxy and Parks and Recreation , but it seems like even though he'll crack a joke here and there, he will be a lot more serious than he has been in the past. While I didn't think Bryce Dallas Howard  looked very good in previous trailers, I thought she did fine in this one, and we got to see

When Disney  originally bought Star Wars , one thing they told us was that there would be spin-off movies coming out along with the Episodes, making it that we'd get a new Star Wars movie every year. With Episode VII  coming later this year and Episode VIII  in 2017, a spin-off is confirmed for summer of 2016. The film is titled Star Wars: Rogue One  and will be directed by Gareth Edwards  and will star Felicity Jones . Outside of that, we knew barely anything about the movie, until now. During Star Wars Celebration , details about   the film was released, along with a short teaser. While the teaser has not been put online, the details about the movie have been. Based on reports coming out of Star Wars Celebration, these are the facts revealed about Rogue One : Rogue One  has an official synopsis: "A band of resistance fighters united for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans", which was heavily rumored before Felicity Jones  will play a Rebel soldi

It has been a hell of a weekend for trailers. First we had Star Wars , then Batman v. Superman  and now The Fantastic Four. The first trailer came out a few months ago (you can see it here ), and I really liked it. It wasn't spectacular, but it showed to me that this film was going in the direction I wanted it to. Now, with the release of the second trailer, this was further confirmed for me. It is clear that the movie is going for a horror feel, which I think is great. In this age of comic book films, The Fantastic Four  will offer a twist on the medium, showcasing the powers as a curse rather than a blessing. It makes it unique and is definitely a change from the other two movies.  I really liked this trailer. I didn't think it was as good as Star Wars  or Batman v. Superman , but it was good on its own merits. The narrator of the previous trailer was revealed as Doctor Storm, which I guessed a while back. We got to see the Thing in action, which we didn't see an

Yesterday was a fantastic day to be a film nerd. Trailers came out for two of the most highly anticipated films of the next couple years-  Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens . In this article, we're going to talk about both trailers and then I'll say which one is my personal favorite. Keep in mind, I thought both were fantastic trailers! Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens This is the second trailer to be released for this movie, which you can watch here .While I thought the first trailer was good, this one blew it away! We got a lot more meat in this trailer. We saw a lot more from the characters and the battles. I've said this before, especially in our analysis/breakdown of the trailer (which you can read here ), this trailer perfectly captured the tone of what Star Wars  is. From how every visually looked to the music by John Williams , it was Star Wars. It wasn't just some sci fi movie with the Star