Movies

Maddy just turned 18 and has never ventured outside her environmentally controlled house. Her clothes are serialized and all white. Everyone that enters the house must change shoes and wash their hands before being let in. This is because Maddy has a rare immunodeficiency called SCID. Despite being an avid reader, online book reviewer, and loving to design architecture and drawing, Maddy claims her life is pretty boring. She relies a lot on her extensive imagination. But Maddy’s only interactions are with her mom and her nurse, until the cute boy moves in next door.

Olly wears all black and has a bad boy exterior, but despite his appearance is really kind at heart. And from the moment he notices Maddy through the window he tries to meet her. Only trouble is, no one new is allowed to enter the house, because they might get Maddy sick.

When I started reading comics, X-Force was my absolute favorite.  I was there was the first appearance of Cable, Deadpool, and Domino, and I have been a fan of the characters ever since.   I absolutely loved the first DEADPOOL movie, and I was even more hyped up when they teased Cable for the sequel.  Over the last few days, we've gotten our first look at Cable (played by Josh Brolin) and Domino (played by Zazie Beetz). 

He destroyed Tokyo almost a dozen times, but Godzilla, King of the Monsters, has finally succumbed to time.

Or, more precisely, the actor who marched in the rubber suit across scale models of cities, has passed.

Haruo Nakajima was a stuntman in 1954 when he first donned the reptilian hide -- which was not rubber in the beginning, but concrete and over 200 pounds! After the original release of GODZILLA (or GOJIRA if you're a true kaiju purist), Nakajima went on to play the nuclear lizard eleven more times, with the last being the 1972 creature feature, GODZILLA VS. GIGAN.

Nakajima studied the walking patterns of bears and elephants to develop the signature gait of Godzilla, and went on to appear in other monster movies. He also played a role in the equally classic SEVEN SAMURAI.

We've all been there. Whether it was deep in our childhood, or just last night, we've all been at that place where we've watched a movie before going to bed that just kept us up all night, afraid to go to sleep and praying that the covers were just enough protection to keep us safe.

The folks at MattressOnline know a little something about trying to get to sleep. But sometimes even a good mattress is no cure for the horrors in our head after watching a scary flick. So they've compiled the infographic below on Movie Nightmares. Let's get this Halloween season started a little early, shall we? (Click to Enlarge)

THE DARK TOWER is Hollywood stupidity in maximum overdrive. I just don’t get it. The studios scramble to secure the film rights to beloved stories and then take a massive dump on the fans who naturally expect these adaptations to be extremely faithful to the source material. I’m not so naïve as to think you can perfectly recreate ever scene from every book or comic issue. Let’s face it, Superman’s costume barely works in the comic books and generally looks cheesy on the big screen. At least Warner Bros. tried to get the look right, if nothing else. 20^th Century Fox (when are they going to accept that the new millennium isn’t going away any time soon and update their name?) fumbled the last attempt at The FANTASTIC FOUR so badly even small children complained about the plot holes and woeful dialogue despite well over 400 issues of story and history to work with in a format that practically anyone should be able to make into a passable film.

Here's why I hate "found footage" films: because when they're done well, they accomplish their objective and convince you what you are seeing actually happened; and when you mentally correct course in the middle of the film, you have a very disconcerting sense of cognitive dissonance as your brain argues against itself as to what is real and what is not.

Enter PHOENIX FORGOTTEN, a slow-starting documentary that picks up the pace about fifteen minutes in. It begins with a birthday party of a six year old girl, with her teenaged brother, Josh, controlling the camera. It is during the party that the so-called Phoenix Lights appear in the sky--beginning an obsession with Josh that potentially leads to his disappearance.

But Josh didn't disappear alone. He took two other teenagers with him, and they were never found.

Young Mary Adler (FULLER HOUSE's MCKENNA GRACE) is about to start first grade, and is resisting it every step of the way, preferring to continue being home-schooled by her uncle, Frank (CHRIS EVANS, MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS). It's not just that she is scared to go to school -- it's that the lessons involve 1+1=2, and Mary is already well past solving quadratic equations.

Saw a headline on Hollywood Reporter this morning reporting a NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS sequel coming in 2018.  But, I opened it up to find out that this sequel is a graphic novel coming from TokyoPop, not a new movie.

It's taken almost 25 years, but Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is finally going to get a sequel — but it won't be happening on screen.

ATOMIC BLONDE is a stylish retro romp through the world of Cold War cloak and dagger. It’s also a strong debut by director David Leitch, though the tangled web they weave in trying to deceive the audience is ever so slightly overwrought. Then again, it’s bloody lightyears better than that Aston-Martin car wreck that was the last James Bond film, SPECTRE.

Every so often, and far too infrequently, the world produces an actress with a face like Michele Martin's -- attractive yet versatile, able to portray just about anybody in any genre. And Michele has done just that, with performances ranging from Shakespeare on the stage to co-starring in horror/thrillers like COFFIN 2, not to mention her copious writing credits.

Michele will shortly be portraying Natalie Wood as the lead in the premiere of AVALON at the Edinburgh Fringe, opposite Sean Cronin (FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM) as King Arthur. (The two meet each other as ghosts in the titular Avalon, between Heaven and Earth. Guinevere is going to be so jealous!) But before she hits the boards there, she sat down with us to talk a little bit about some of her upcoming projects -- one of which premieres on an entirely new digital platform!

In a film loosely inspired by true events, BIRTH OF THE DRAGON is an homage to the classic kung fu movies that Bruce Lee became known for.

This is NOT a Bruce Lee biopic. It's meant to be more of an over-dramatization of events leading up to his controversial fight with Kung Fu master Wong Jack Man. BIRTH OF THE DRAGON was produced and directed in the style of Bruce Lee's own movies.

It sounds like the movie is meant to have a very meta feel.

WWE Studios and BH Tilt is bringing BIRTH OF THE DRAGON to theaters on August 25th, 2017 with a PG-13 rating. The movie will have a runtime of 91 minutes, which will probably be as quick and powerful as Lee's one-inch punch.

Gru and the Minions are back in DESPICABLE ME 3, and don't we wish they weren't.

Being the father of a 9-year-old boy, I find that I endure a number of fart jokes, butt jokes, and madcap chases that often involve underpants (usually worn over the head for unfathomable reasons). So I wasn't too surprised when the begging began to go and see DESPICABLE ME 3. But it's a cartoon, and the Minions have always been kind of funny, so I relented, opting to go to a local drive-in theater for the experience. (Note to self: when selecting a drive-in theater, make sure that (a) it isn't located next to a frequently-used railroad crossing and (b) it's not a weekend popularized by people setting off fireworks and other explosives.)

BURBANK, Calif.

After 4 explosive movies, the last two which have grossed over a billion dollars each worldwide, TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT is hitting theaters this weekend. Have we reached 'sequel fatigue' yet with these films?

Fans of the franchise don't even understand what these movies are about, but that doesn't stop them from going. Even comic book icon Rob Liefeld chimed in:

Tonight, a new TRANSFORMERS film is opening. I'm not sure what number it is or what it's about it but I'm seeing it!

— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) June 20, 2017

OWEN WILSON and LARRY THE CABLE GUY return to the Disney*Pixar franchise with CARS 3, and it's a welcome change. Whereas CARS 2 seemed like a political message with existing CARS characters shoe-horned into it for delivery, CARS 3 is a natural progression of the character development begun in the first film.

Lightning McQueen (WILSON) has had a stellar career as a racer, sometimes winning, sometimes placing. But suddenly he finds himself up against newer, younger models that are engineered for greater speed and precision. As he pushes himself to beat them (and fails), his longtime racing rivals begin to go into retirement, usually at the request of their sponsors. Unwilling to be put out to pasture against his will, Lightning is determined to beat the latest challenger who has been taking his lead, Jackson Storm (ARMIE HAMMER), and ends his season on what seems certain a career ending crash.

Let me preface this review by sharing my relationship with the original movie, CARS. My college dorm room featured a movie poster, stuffed Lightning McQueen, desk-sized talking Lightning McQueen, CARS Uno, and six different plastic “CARS” cars on my desk. I’ve seen the movie so many times, I can quote the entire thing, beginning to end. I also own the entire soundtrack. I still get emotional when watching the final race scene when Lightning saves The King, forfeiting the race. So it’s safe to say that maybe, just maybe, I’m a little obsessed. It’s in my top four favorite Disney/Pixar computer animated movies (right up there with TANGLED, ZOOTOPIA, and UP).

I can't imagine there are many readers that aren’t familiar with BAMBI and its tragic elements. I have only seen it a couple of times since I was child. Sure, I remembered most of the story beats, if you will, yet the stunning animation surprised me.  This is a film released 75 years ago. We are the talking the dawn of color movies, yet the images are better realized than many modern  animated features. Modern films created by computers look gorgeous and may seem more realistic, but there is an ethereal beauty to BAMBI no computer can match.

Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, WONDER WOMAN was a movie that many people across the globe had waited their entire lives for.

And it did not disappoint.

Once the lights dimmed and the film rolled, fans were on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what they were about to see. With a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and the story developed by Heinberg, Zack Snyder, and Jason Fuchs, WONDER WOMAN offered up a lot of great moments.

So what were some of the best sequences in a movie filled with action, intensity, and heart? Check out the video below to find out!

Geoff Johns is a tease.

A big part of marketing is to get people talking about your brand. When Heroic Hollywood posted a "5 Best Superman Moments" list, Johns took to twitter with a response:

Get ready to revise your list. https://t.co/lnOMdXYJ58

— Geoff Johns (@geoffjohns) June 9, 2017

It's no secret that Superman will be making a return in JUSTICE LEAGUE, but we have no idea how much he'll be involved in the film. Based on Johns' tweet, we expect that Superman's first appearance will be fan service on an epic scale.

Super Hero movies have been around for nearly 40 years, as many refer to Richard Donner's Superman starting it all. Which, given Superman's importance in the comic book genre, is appropriate.

But that was 1978 and this is 2017. So much has changed as we are now in a golden age of super heroes on film. A time when 3 or 4 movies based on a comic book super hero are released in any given year with more being planned. Studios have created timelines to plot out the next great super hero movie. And while there has been a wide range of super hero movies over the years, there was something different that occured a couple weekends ago:

WONDER WOMAN.