Friday, December 25, 2015

Movie Review: The 'Point Break' Remake Is A Joyless Retread That Misses The Point


It’s been difficult not to make a terrible pun about the new remake of the 1991 cult action favorite Point Break, but I just don’t think I can start this off any other way. Watching director Ericson Core’s new version I couldn’t stop myself from thinking, “What’s the Point (Break).” I’m truly sorry for that, but it was unavoidable, and accurately sums up my feelings about this movie.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

First 'Boyka: Undisputed' Trailer Kicks Everyone In The Face


Anytime you mention the names Scott Adkins and IsaacFlorentine in the same breath, you have my undivided attention. Whenever the two team up, like with Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, it’s a monumental occasion, but when it’s for Boyka: Undisputed, their third Undisputed film (the fourth overall), well goddamn, I get fully stoked. It’s only 14-seconds, but Adkins dropped a new teaser trailer, and it’s awesome. Check it out after the jump.

Movie Review: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'


I’m not going to write a real Star Wars: The Force Awakens review. Everyone else already has, with the amount of money it’s already made you’ve probably already seen it multiple times, and I have far too many feelings to adequately put into words. So, I’ll keep this brief.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Movie Review: 'In The Heart Of The Sea,' AKA Thor And Spider-Man Fight A Whale


If you’ve ever wanted to watch Thor and Spider-Man battle a giant, angry whale, Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea is as close as you’re going to get. The movie stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland—the God of Thunder and Web-Slinger from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, respectively—as olde timey New England Whalers, and in reality it isn’t so much them fighting a pissed off whale is it is them routinely getting thrashed by one.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Movie Review: 'The Revenant' Is Savage And Stunning


The Revenant, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s follow-up to last year’s Oscar-winning Birdman, is many things: a brutal revenge tale, a quest for justice, an allegorical frontier survival story. As grim and visceral and punishing to watch as the film is, another team up between Inarritu and celebrated cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, it’s a stunning sight to behold. Full of dedicated, ho-holds-barred performances, especially from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, The Revenant is a grueling, demanding, frontier Apocalypse Now.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

The First 'Kickboxer Vengeance' Footage Actually Looks Awesome


It took a lot of effort, but I’ve finally moved beyond my initial shock and outrage that there is a Kickboxer remake on the way and just accepted that Kickboxer Vengeance is probably going to be a movie that I’ll be super into. Still a ways off, we’ve now got our first look at footage, and I have to admit, I’m totally down.

Monday, November 30, 2015

'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' Clip Is Dour And Grim, Surprise


I hope you’re ready for every movie ever to either involve dudes in tight who can fly, or punch through walls or whatever, or Star Wars, because that’s about everything that will be filling your local metroplex for the foreseeable future. Marvel and Star Wars are already in the running to be the biggest things ever, and DC is about to get in on the act, too, starting with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though the movie doesn’t drop until March, we got a look at a fresh new clip.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Watch The 'Captain America: Civil War' Trailer, It's Better Than Anything Else You're Doing


Last night, getting ready to go to bed, I checked one last time to see if the Captain America: Civil War trailer had dropped. It had. I promptly watched it three times back-to-back-to-back. And then I watched it two more times on my phone before I finally turned off the lights. And a few times again this morning. Because this is Marvel we’re talking about, rest assured that the next few months will be a monumental deluge of clips, TV spots, and marketing of all stripes, but to be honest, I’d be completely satisfied if they don’t release anything more than this trailer.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Movie Review: 'Creed' Is The Best 'Rocky' Movie Since 'Rocky'


I am and always will be a complete and total sucker for any Rocky movie. It’s not a franchise many expected to continue after the fifth installment, and there was a collective groan in 2006 for Rocky Balboa, which turned out to be great. Still, in 2015, we were left asking ourselves if we really needed another movie, and after watching Creed, I’m going to come out and say yes, yes we did.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

That's Right, There's More 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Footage, Including A Familiar Face


By the time December 18 rolls around, it feels like we’ll have seen all of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, though it’s being revealed one shot at a time. Yet another TV spot has hit the airwaves, and this one features some fun moments, but also quick glimpses of a new character and another familiar face from the original trilogy.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Movie Review: 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2'


As the title implies, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2 is not a movie that tells a complete story. While last year’s Mockingjay—Part 1 was like watching the first half of a to-be-continued TV episode, Part 2 is a lot like picking up a book, opening to the middle, and starting from there. For those of you familiar with the dystopian woes of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and the drama in the near-future world of Panem, this provides a mostly satisfactory conclusion the saga.

Movie Review: 'The Night Before' Is A Raucous New Holiday Classic


If traditional Christmas fare like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life are, well, a bit too traditional for your tastes—by that I mean there’s little to no hard drug use, few if any curse words, and absolutely no close up images of genitals—then 2015 is your lucky year. This holiday season we have director Jonathan Levine’s The Night Before, and it is crude, crass, sweeter than you may expect, and, most importantly, really goddamn funny.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Latest TV Spot Features Way More John Boyega


Hey, it’s been a couple of days since we’ve seen anything new from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, right? Well, now with just a month left on the clock before we see it, here’s yet another new TV spot with even more fresh, shiny footage. Spoilers live after the jump if you’re afraid of such things.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Even More New 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Footage, This Is Getting Ridiculous


This is starting to get a little ridiculous. Not that I don’t love getting new looks at Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but damn near every day we’re getting yet another glimpse of as-yet unrevealed footage or behind-the-scenes peek (not to mention the upcoming a capella tribute to Star Wars scheduled for the American Music Awards broadcast?), and that includes today, with another hot-off-the-presses TV spot.

Friday, November 13, 2015

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Shares Even More New Footage


It’s like they want to rub it in the faces of those of us who though we wouldn’t get much new information about Star Wars: The Force Awakens after that most recent trailer by unleashing a deluge of new footage and information. And the flood, a very welcome one mind you, continues with this latest extended TV spot.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

'The 33' Movie Review


The 33 is exactly the movie that you expect. Based on the harrowing true-life tale of survival of Chilean miners who were trapped underground for more than two months after a mine collapse in 2010, it is a tremendous tale of survival. This is a truly amazing story of perseverance in the face of immeasurable odds. Told as it is, however, as incredible as the events are, given that much more weight because they actually happened, the film plays like an investigative news report with some cheesy triumphant speeches thrown into the mix.

'Ip Man 3' Trailer: Watch Donnie Yen Throwdown With Mike Tyson


Donnie Yen is a bad, bad man (and he’s going to be in a Star Wars movie). So is Mike Tyson (in just about every way you can be). And now we get to see the martial arts legend throw down with one of the greatest boxers in history in the latest trailer for Ip Man 3. Have fun with this one.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Blu-Ray/DVD Review: 'The Brood' Criterion Collection


Even though he’s moved away from it in recent years, focusing his eviscerating razor eye on other areas, David Cronenberg first made his name in body horror. With films like Scanners, Rabid, and Shivers, the Canadian shock auteur played on our visceral fears about ourselves, our bodies, and the terrors that lurk inside. One of his absolute masterpieces in this realm is 1979’s psychotronic magnum opus The Brood, which just got an expansive Criterion Collection release, and is a must-own for fans of the film, Cronenberg, or movies that unnerve you to your very core.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' TV Spot Is Full Of Han Solo, The Millennium Falcon, And More


Remember when people were speculating that we weren’t going to see much more new footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens before the movie hits theaters? Yeah, we were very wrong. Lucasfilm has unleashed what, for this movie anyway, qualifies as a veritable deluge of new footage, including that awesome Japanese trailer and a new TV spot that features a bunch of new shots.

Friday, November 6, 2015

The First 'Warcraft' Trailer Is Totally Bananas


I haven’t regularly played any video game since Legend of Zelda on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. That includes World of Warcraft, but I’m all in for big fantasy epics, so Duncan Jones’ adaptation of the popular online game, Warcraft, is a film I’ve been curious about. Though this movie feels like it has been on the way for years (I keep forgetting it is happening), today arrives with a brand spanking new trailer for us to gawk at. Check it out below.

Quentin Tarantino's 'The Hateful Eight' Gets A Packed New Trailer


Quentin Tarantino may be engaged in an epic war of words (and thinly veiled threats) with police departments across the country, but while that situation spins steadily out of control, let’s not forget that The Hateful Eight is on the way. A new Tarantino movie is always worth getting excited about, and I’ll take a gritty, violent western any day of the week, so when the two come together, goddamn. And just in case you can’t wait, there’s a new trailer to check out.

Japanese 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Trailer Has A Ton Of New Footage


Well, so much for my theory that we weren’t going to see anymore new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailers before the movie opens. This new Japanese trailer is making the rounds, and it’s full of new footage in a few juicy tidbits to pore over. Watch it below and we’ll get to the spoiler-y stuff after that.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

'Kickboxer: Vengeance' Gets Some New Pictures And A Silly Hairdo


If the idea Kickboxer: Vengeance, a reboot of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1989 classic Kickboxer, simply one of greatest movies ever made, sounds like blasphemy, I think we’ll get along just fine. Still, it’s happening whether we like it or not, and we’ve got some new looks at the cast.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Check Out These 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Character Posters


Movie fans, and really even non-movie fans, around the world are all kinds of amped up about the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s to the point where we’re pouring over every frame of the most recent trailer, examining any toy or coloring book we can get our hands on, and reading into every last image trying to glean any possible nugget of information. Lucasfilm just released a handful of new character posters, and while they don’t reveal much in the way of information, they are damn cool.

'Primer' Director Shane Carruth's Big-Budget Action Film 'The Modern Ocean' Has An Insane Cast


If you weren’t already pumped as all hell for Shane Carruth’s upcoming big budget action movie The Modern Ocean—and let’s be fair, just the fact that he’s not taking nine years between directorial projects is worth getting excited for—he’s putting together an insane cast.

Monday, November 2, 2015

'Spectre' Movie Review


Spectre, the latest James Bond film, begins with a blistering opening scene, the kind of action sequence that, when you stumble across the movie on TV years from now, you’ll stop what you’re doing and watch, even if you don’t stick around for the rest. Set in Mexico City during a massive Day of the Dead celebration, the international man of mystery tracks a target through the crowd of skull-mask clad revelers. Visually striking, intricately staged, and beginning with a soaring, uninterrupted take, it starts the movie out on a high note (though there’s a missed opportunity for a singularly James Bond moment at the end). The ensuing film, however, never quite measures up to this opening.

The First Trailer For AMC's 'Preacher' Is Here


Adapting anything, much less a cult favorite comic book like, say, Garth Ennis’ infamously blasphemous Preacher, is difficult enough. When bringing a violent, explicative and sex laden, and sacrilegious text to life, it’s even harder on TV and the restrictions of that medium. But that’s exactly what the creative team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are doing at AMC, and the first trailer is here.

Friday, October 30, 2015

'Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse' Movie Review


Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse wants to be a horror movie, a comedy, a coming of age tale, and a story of friendship put to an extreme test. It wants to be a kind of anti-Goosebumps, a zombie comedy for stoned teenage boys for whom the peak of humor is another teenage boy clinging to a undead cock to avoid falling out of a second story window.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Good News, 'The Raid' Remake Lost Its Star, Director, And Distributor


If you’re one of the many people who bemoan the current state of cinema where each and every movie gets remade, even if it’s only a few years old. Back in 2011, Gareth Evans’ The Raid kicked the action movie world in the face, and because American audiences are too lazy to read subtitles, an English-language remake has been in the works ever since. But, thankfully, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon as it lost its director, star, and distributor.

Friday, October 23, 2015

'The Raid' Star Iko Uwais Signs Up For Actioner 'Headshot'


If you can’t get enough of The Raid star Iko Uwais — and let’s be honest here, he’s quickly become one of the must-watch action movie badasses in the world — you’re going to be getting a lot more of him shortly. And he’s just lined up another project we can’t wait to see, called Headshot.

Netflix's Full 'Jessica Jones' Trailer Is All Kinds Of Badass


Marvel and Netflix absolutely killed it earlier this year when they teamed up for Daredevil, and next month they’re back at it with Jessica Jones. After their previous outing, it’s easy to be optimistic about their next venture, even though it’s not one quite as many people are familiar with. But a new trailer just showed up, and it looks completely awesome.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

'The Last Witch Hunter' Movie Review


Before seeing it I had a sneaking suspicion, but now that I've actually watched the movie, I'm fairly certain that The Last Witch Hunter was made specifically for me. The Vin Diesel-starring fantasy adventure is gonzo and over the top in a way you rarely encounter anymore, especially in expensive mainstream movies, but it lines up damn near perfectly with my cinematic proclivities.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The Full 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Trailer Is Here


I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s a new Star Wars movie on the way—it’s kind of a big deal. Well, Star Wars: The Force Awakens dropped a new trailer last night, and I can still barely make words. Just watch it for yourself, that’s what I’m going to do, again. And probably again after that.

Monday, October 19, 2015

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Drops A New Poster And Three Clips


Tonight we get our first look at the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, which is an exciting prospect. Sure, we’ll probably walk away with more questions than answers, but what the hell, new Star Wars footage. Just to tide you over until then, however, over the weekend Lucasfilm revealed a new poster and three short clips, presumably footage from the trailer. Check them out below.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

'Crimson Peak' Movie Review


As the protagonist of the film would say, Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak isn’t as much a ghost story as it is a story with ghosts. More than a horror movie, it’s a melodramatic gothic romance mystery, and it’s as unusual and compelling as that sounds.

'Bridge Of Spies' Movie Review


Steven Spielberg directing Tom Hanks in a Cold War-era espionage thriller with a script by Joel and Ethan Coen; what about that description is not worth getting excited about? That’s all most people really need to hear about Bridge of Spies to decide whether or not it’s a movie they want to see, and while it isn’t a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, those stellar pieces never come together like they need to, or like they could have.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

A New 'Django' Is On The Way Starring Franco Nero And Written By John Sayles


In 2012, Quentin Tarantino gave the world a crash introduction to Django with his revenge western DjangoUnchained, but the character goes back much further than that. Originally appearing in Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 spaghetti western, Django, the film launched a legendary 100 unofficial sequels—including Unchained. This number is obvious hyperbole, but there are 30-something accounted for, which is a ton of badass westerns. And we’re getting another one, with the original Django, and from an Oscar-nominated filmmaker.

Friday, October 9, 2015

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Bong Joon-Ho's Monster Movie 'Okja' Is Putting Together The Best Cast


Any time Bong Joon-ho makes a movie, it’s well worth getting your panties in a bunch over. The guy is a goddamned hit factory—Snowpiercer, Mother, The Host. But when he makes a monster movie, one with an insanely great cast, that’s the kind of thing that gets you dancing around the room in giddy anticipation.

Monday, October 5, 2015

'The People Under The Stairs' Blu-Ray Review


It’s damn near impossible to accuse Scream Factory of not giving it their all for ever single one of their releases, and such is the case with their Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of Wes Craven’s 1991 horror flick The People Under the Stairs. In the wake of the horror director’s death, it’s admittedly rather difficult to write about the work of the late horror master. Perhaps I watched too many of them at too young an age, but his films had, and continue to have, a huge impact on my life and cinematic tastes—his films are a big part of why I fell in love with cinema in the first place.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

'Bone Tomahawk' Trailer: Check Out Kurt Russell In A Cannibal Revenge Western


While I was less than enthused with Eli Roth’s latest addition to the cannibal movie sweepstakes, The Green Inferno, there’s another on the way that I’m rather psyched to see. Bone Tomahawk is a very different take on the subject matter, trading in do-gooders being devoured by a jungle tribe for the trappings of a grim revenge western. The movie recently premiered at Fantastic Fest and now a new trailer has hit the airwaves.

Friday, October 2, 2015

The Final 'Spectre' Trailer Drops A Building On James Bond


Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be James Bond, and in 38 years, that hasn’t changed much, even though I’ve come to realize he’s a basically a sociopath. After Skyfall, I’m rather pumped up for Spectre, and with the release just over a month away, the final trailer for the world’s most well known spy is here for your perusal. Take a look below.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

'The Martian' Movie Review


In recent days, getting excited over a Ridley Scott film has become a dicey proposition. Exodus: Gods and Kings was just terrible; The Counselor was meh to the highest degree, even with that bonkers car-humping scene; and while I dig Prometheus (despite myriad programs, it’s a gorgeous, moody film), it’s a hugely flawed movie. Still, it's hard not to feel at least a twinge of glee when the guy behind Alien and Blade Runner makes a sci-fi movie, and his latest, The Martian, is a movie you should be stoked about, and it ranks among the year's, and the director’s best.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

'The Walk' Movie Review


As a filmmaker, Robert Zemeckis is prone to making movies without a specific distinct antagonist—not all of them, mind you, but quite a few. In the likes of Cast Away, Flight, and Forest Gump, there is no single adversary. Instead, the protagonist must struggle against the state of the world, and in many cases, their quest is to change and shape their surroundings rather than evolve themselves. This is the category the populist director’s latest film, The Walk, falls into, and though the story takes its sweet time to get anywhere, by the time it arrives, the climax is nothing short of breathtaking.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

'The Revenant' Has A New Trailer, And Yes, It Still Looks Incredible


While I like Birdman okay—I certainly don’t worship it as a game-changing cinematic revelation like some, nor do I think it is total pretentious garbage like others; the truth, for me anyway, lies somewhere in the middle—I’m 100%, totally and completely on board with director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s next film, the old-timey revenge western The Revenant. And as if I needed another reason to drool over this picture, there’s a brand new trailer out, and yes, it still looks amazing.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Watch This Stunning New 'The Assassin' Trailer


Hou Hsiao-hshien’s The Assassin is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. It won the filmmaker the Best Director award at Cannes, it’s Taiwan’s Oscar entry, and more important than, that, it looks right up my alley. It’s getting near a real release, and to celebrate, you should check out this gorgeous new trailer.

'The Green Inferno' Movie Review


In the annals of exploitation horror, there’s a particularly nasty subgenre tucked way back in the corner and only illuminated by the most iron-stomached aficionados. I’m talking, of course, about cannibals in the jungle, which have, over the years, been some of the most brutal, controversial horror flicks ever committed to celluloid. Now imagine someone made a Scary Movie style spoof of films like Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust or Umberto Lenzi’s 1981 Cannibal Ferox, and that’s not far off from what you get with director Eli Roth’s latest endeavor, The Green Inferno.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

'Primer' Director Shane Carruth To Direct A Big-Budget Action Movie, What The Hell Does That Mean?


What the what? I love Shane Carruth; I absolutely adored the former software engineer’s (a profession that makes total sense when you look at his body of work) first two films, the esoteric sci-fi offerings Primer and Upstream Color. Thus far in his career he’s made tiny, microbudget films that take years to come together and that you have to actively seek out if you want to see. But all that is about to change.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

'Hobo With A Shotgun' Director Will Go Underwater For His Next Horror Thriller


If you’ve been patiently waiting for Jason Eisener to follow up his bonkers feature debut Hobo With A Shotgun (he’s contributed to a number of anthology films in the interim), it sounds like he’s got a doozy in store for you.