Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Top 30 Best New Action Movies Of 2014

Kaboom. These are the guys that toss a lit cigar at a gas station.

Here’s the breakdown of the biggest and best new action movies, 2014.


- JANUARY -

Lone Survivor


Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster
Director: Peter Berg
Out: 10 January 2014 (U.S. Release Dates)



In 2005, four-man ‘SEAL Team 10′ is tasked with capturing or killing a notorious Taliban leader. But the mission goes spectacularly wrong, and despite rescue being on the way the result is a considerable loss of American life. Based on the true story, this was adapted by director Peter Berg several years back while he was embedded with a SEAL team in Iraq. He couldn’t get studio support to make it then without agreeing to helm ‘Battleship’ first. Consensus is it’s uncompromising, brutal and paints a vivid picture of the challenges fighting in Afghanistan. In other words, it’s given ‘Battleship’ a reason for existing.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Starring: Chris Pine, Kenneth Branagh, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Out: 17 January 2014





A young covert CIA analyst (Pine) uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. Knightley plays his fiancé, Branagh is the Russian oligarch villain, Costner the CIA liaison. This is the first Jack Ryan movie not based off one of Tom Clancy’s novels. They’ve already tried to reboot the series with Ben Affleck to little effect. Chris Pine, despite a couple of interesting early roles, has become a bland leading man and isn’t a patch on Harrison Ford, or the Alec Baldwin/Sean Connery team up that were the cornerstones of the earlier movies. Furthermore, Russia is a dull setting and antagonist Kenneth Branagh’s accent is pure ham. However it’s co-written by two of Hollywood’s best screenwriters, David Koepp (‘Jurassic Park’) and Steven Zaillian (‘Clear and Present Danger’). The final critical and public consensus is that it all works well enough. Box office success would have spurred on adaptations of Clancy’s ‘Rainbow Six’ and ‘Splinter Cell’, which are more interesting prospects, but unfortunately it has underperformed.

I, Frankenstein
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Yvonne Strahovski, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto
Director: Stuart Beattie
Out: 24 January 2014





Frankenstein’s creature (Eckhart) has survived to present day due to a genetic quirk in his creation, and is now an intelligent, evolved man. Making his way to a dark, gothic metropolis, he finds himself caught in an all-out, centuries old war between two immortal clans. Soon he is being hunted by demons wanting to learn the secret of his creation to build an army of the undead. Otto plays the queen of the gargoyles. Nighy is the film’s villain, a former angel who descended with Satan. It’s an adaptation of the graphic novel, from the producers of ‘Underworld’. Director Stuart Beattie is an established screenwriter (‘Collateral’, ’30 Days Of Night’) who recently made a shaky directing debut with ‘Tomorrow, When The War Began’. The lead actors did 3 months of martial arts training. If ‘Underworld’ was your thing, expect this to have a similar tone. Reviews have been absolutely dreadful.

- FEBRUARY -

Robocop

Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Sam Jackson, Abbie Cornish
Director: José Padilha
Out: 12 February 2014




oel Kinnaman (TV’s ‘The Killing’) is the new Alex Murphy and the plot’s still about a crime-ridden city, this time in 2046, where a fatally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg, haunted by submerged memories. However Robocop himself looks and acts very differently to the 1987 original – for one, there will be no twitchy robotic moves. This version focuses much more on the transitional phase, about a man becoming part-machine. Oldman plays the scientist overseeing the transformation, Keaton is the possibly-villainous CEO, Jackson is a powerful TV mogul, Cornish is Murphy’s wife who’s initially led to believe her husband is dead. From the director of Brazil’s highest grossing movie of all time ‘Elite Squad’. The trailer revealed a number of weak choices that mean this seems destined for ‘meh’ status. But I love the original, so here’s hoping they surprise us.

Pompeii
Starring: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kiefer Sutherland, Jared Harris
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Out: 21 February 2014




In 79 A.D. a slave turned invincible gladiator (Kit Harington, ‘Game of Thrones’) finds himself in a race against time to save his true love (Emily Browning), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator (Kiefer Sutherland). As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him…. Aiming for the ‘Titanic’ action-romance-in-midst-of-disaster-tragedy, this is coming from dreaded director Paul W.S. Anderson (‘Resident Evil’, ‘Alien vs. Predator’, ‘The Three Musketeers’). With a bland pair of leads, there’s little chance it’ll be anything more than mediocre/mildly entertaining.

Three Days To Kill
Starring: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen
Director: McG
Out: 21 February 2014




Darkly-comedic actioner about a dying Secret Service Agent (Costner) who retires to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Steinfeld) but is offered an experimental drug that could save his life in return for one last assignment. Now he must complete the mission while coping with the drug’s hallucinatory side effects. It’s great to see Costner back as leading man in an action movie, and Steinfeld did well in ‘True Grit’. McG is directing. Luc Besson’s production company (‘Taken’, ‘From Paris with Love’, ‘Transporter’) is behind it, and Besson also co-wrote the script. Expect it to be similar to those movies in budget and ambition. The recent trailer suggested a pretty cheesy film with a wooden performance by Heard.


-MARCH-
300: Rise Of An Empire

Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Rodrigo Santoro, Lena Headey
Director: Noam Murro
Out: 7 March 2014



Set before, during and after the events of 2007′s ’300′. This is based on Frank Miller’s upcoming graphic novel ‘Xerxes’ which follows Greek leader Themistocles (Stapleton, ‘Animal Kingdom’) as he leads Athens against Persian invaders in a naval battle, that plays out simultaneously with the Battle of Thermopylae (depicted in the first film). The massive Persian force is led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Santoro) and Artemesia (Green), the vengeful commander of the Persian navy. The narrative will also cover the backstory of Xerxes, explaining how he became ‘the God King’. Previous director Zach Snyder is off helming DC movies but he’s chosen his replacement, a commercials director whose work includes recent ‘Halo’ campaigns. He seems to have done a good job of replicating the visual style, but it’s uncertain if the movie will have a charismatic central performance – Gerard Butler’s madness could be sorely missed.

Need For Speed

Starring: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Ramon Rodriguez, Michael Keaton
Director: Scott Waugh
Out: 14 March 2014




Fresh from prison, a blue-collar street racer (Paul) who was framed by a wealthy business associate (Cooper) joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins. From the director ‘of Act of Valor’, this is based on the videogame racing series. If you thought ‘Fast & Furious’ had got too cartoony, wait ’til you get a load of this. The glossy collection of cars is so exquisitely expensive they’re only driven in the real world by the sons of oil barons. Aaron Paul is making his shot at movie stardom, catapulted by the phenomenal success of TV’s ‘Breaking Bad’. With no ‘Furious’ movie now due this year, this might just be a sleeper hit.

The Raid 2

Starring: Iko Uwais, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle, Cecep A. Rahman
Director: Gareth Evans
Out: 28 March 2014




Picks up right where the first film left off and follows Rama (Uwais) as he goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and uncover the corruption in his own police force. The Indonesian martial arts sequel is written and directed once again by Welshman Gareth Evans. Here the action is not confined to one building and takes place over three years, not one day. Original title ‘Berandal’ means thugs, and it will be largely prison-gang based. Included is Evans’ take on a car chase, focusing on what impact a crash has on the person inside. The first movie was superb badass action. The teaser trailer for this was great too (even though the idea was stolen from ‘Oldboy’). Evans says he is currently outlining ‘The Raid 3′.

- APRIL -
Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie
Out: 4 April 2014



Two years after The Avengers, Steve Rogers is struggling to adapt to his role in the modern world. When a SHIELD compatriot is attacked, he teams up with Black Widow to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in Washington, D.C. Before long they recruit the help of the Falcon (Mackie) and encounter a powerful new adversary with links to Cap’s past and Black Widow’s heritage — The Winter Soldier… The Falcon will have telepathic abilities and be able to fly using a harness. Frank Grillo plays supervillain Crossbones, though the size of the role is uncertain, and Baron Zemo is rumoured. Sam Jackson is back, this time accompanied by Robert Redford as a senior leader within SHIELD and a member of the World Security Council (great casting). The comedic directors of ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘You, Me and Dupree’ are an odd choice for this, but we have to trust Marvel at this point. I’m looking forward to a full-on Cap story set in the modern era, but am I the only one who doesn’t find his co-star Black Widow interesting?

Sabotage

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Terrence Howard
Director: David Ayer
Out: 11 April 2014



Ten members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being assassinated one by one after somebody steals $10 million during a drug cartel raid. Which one of them is behind it? Directed and co-written by the man behind ‘End of Watch’ and the screenplay for ‘Training Day’. This is loosely based on Agatha Christie’s 1939 whodunit ‘And Then There Were None’, aka ‘Ten Little Indians’ (the movie’s original title was ‘Ten’). It’s a brilliantly plotted book and it’ll be great to see it adapted to this sub-genre, especially with talent behind it. However it’s reported that a solid ending had to be scrapped and rewritten after test audiences turned their noses up. Also, let’s be honest, Arnold is looking too old to convince as someone who could win a physical fight.

- MAY -
The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Paul Giamatti
Director: Marc Webb
Out: 2 May 2014




Spider-Man squares off against the Rhino (Giamatti) and the powerful Electro (Foxx) while struggling with his promise to keep Gwen Stacey out of his dangerous life. When his old friend Harry Osborn (DeHaan) returns, Peter begins to discover more about his parents. Pre-transformation, Electro is a “nobody” electrical engineer working for Oscorp who idolises Spider-Man, it’s an accident at the labs involving electric eels gives him the ability to control electricity. The Rhino meanwhile will be a Russian mobster, and end up in a giant mech suit. Chris Cooper is Norman Osborn, but you won’t see his Goblin this time. Felicity Jones makes a small appearance as Black Cat. (The production is working toward a ‘Sinister Six’ movie.) The director of the first ‘Amazing’ returns. There’s a concern that both main villains look to be putting in hammy performances but the movie should still be great Spidey fun, free from having to tell the origin story again. Let’s not forget, ‘Spider-Man 2′ was the best in the series.

Godzilla

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe
Director: Gareth Edwards
Out: 16 May 2014




The famous monster hero goes up against various malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence (one is described as centipede-like, another is reminiscent of the Cloverfield monster). 1999′s Godzilla was a crushing disappointment but the franchise has so much potential on the big screen and now the West is going to try again. This is a $160m effort from Legendary Pictures, who rebooted Batman so successfully. It’ll be directed by Gareth Edwards, the newcomer who brought us the similarly-themed low-budget ‘Monsters’. It’s a huge step up for him. The new, much more faithful, creature design was revealed at Comic-Con (see picture above). Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Cranston are the leads, playing a lieutenant and a scientist respectively. I can’t wait to see Godzilla done right.
-May 2014-
X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence
Director: Bryan Singer
Out: 23 May 2014




In a 2023 dystopian future where mutants are all but wiped out by giant robotic Sentinels, the X-Men send Wolverine’s mind back to his 1973 body through Kitty Pryde’s phasing powers in a desperate effort to stop Mystique and Magneto assassinating key figures and changing the future. Characters from the original X-Men film trilogy are joining forces with their younger selves from ‘X-Men: First Class’. Confirmed so far are Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Professor X, Magneto and Colossus from the original, and Mystique, Beast, Magneto, Professor X, and Havok from ‘First Class’. New mutants include Quicksilver, Blink, Bishop, Sunspot, Warpath, and Ink. Overall the plot is much changed from the comics (where it was Kitty Pryde going back to 1980). Director Bryan Singer, of ‘X1′ and series-highlight ‘X2′, is back in charge. Having mutants involved in blowing JFK’s head off really is in bad taste, but that aside, this should be thrilling ensemble action.

- JUNE -
Edge Of Tomorrow

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Jeremy Piven
Director: Doug Liman
Out: 6 June 2014



A conscript (Cruise) fighting in the United Defense Force against the mysterious ‘Mimic’ aliens laying siege to Earth, finds himself caught in a time loop of his last day of battle – dying each time but becoming better skilled as he repeats it. Fighting alongside him is a special forces solider (Blunt) who is highly decorated and peerless in battle, seen as a hero by the entire world, but really she has experienced the time loop too. The script adapts the Japanese novella ‘All You Need Is Kill’ and was on the Black List (an industry rundown of the best unproduced screenplays). It’s a sci-fi ‘Groundhog Day’ (as was ‘Source Code’), with a touch of ‘Starship Troopers’. Director Doug Liman (‘The Bourne Identity’) is solid, and was unfairly bashed for his inventive ‘Jumper’. Cruise’s sci-fi effort last year, ‘Oblivion’, was very capable, expect him to be just as committed here.

Transformers: Age Of Extinction
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Kelsey Grammer, Stanley Tucci
Director: Michael Bay
Out: June 27, 2014



A semi-reboot: Shia is gone, along with the entire human cast, a couple of key writers, and all but two of the Transformers (a redesigned Prime and Bumblebee). Instead this is about a mechanic (Wahlberg) and his daughter (Peltz) making a discovery 4 years later that brings the Autobots, Decepticons, and a paranoid government official (Grammer) down on them. Also involved is the long-overdue introduction of the Dinobots (see Grimlock, above), who may not necessarily be Autobot allies much of the time. The all-new Decepticons are Galvatron, Cyclonus and Lockdown. The human cast was tired so I’m glad to see fresh talent. If only Bay would hand directing duties onto someone else.

- JULY -

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

Starring: Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Keri Russell
Director: Matt Reeves
Out: 18 July 2014




A decade on, the growing nation of genetically-evolved apes is threatened by a band of human survivors. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived and soon they’re on the brink of a war that’ll determine who emerges as Earth’s dominant species. James Franco is not returning, instead the main human will be played by Gary Oldman, alongside a family played by Jason Clarke (‘Zero Dark Thirty’), Keri Russell (‘Dark Skies’) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (‘Let Me In’). The capable Matt Reeves (‘Cloverfield’, ‘Let Me In’) comes on board as director. Andy Serkis is back doing motion capture for lead ape Caesar. His work was jaw-dropping last time, so he’s reason alone for seeing this – even though his arc this time can’t be nearly as fascinating. Fans will be interested to know that Caesar now has a son and his main rival is Koba. Since the Charlton Heston original tells us that the apes win and humanity is enslaved/extinguished, this is surely going to be a depressing watch. Still the previous movie was surprisingly entertaining so let’s assume this has a satisfying way of doing it.

Hercules: The Thracian Wars

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, John Hurt
Director: Brett Ratner
Out: 25 July 2014




Having endured his legendary twelve labours, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord. He and his six companions will have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen as they train the king’s army to become as ruthless and bloodthirsty as their reputation has become… Not to be confused with Renny Harlin’s ‘The Legend of Hercules’ which also came out this year but was so bad it isn’t worth mentioning. This $110 million-budgeted project is based on the graphic novel of the same name, and directed by fanboy bogeyman Brett Ratner. The ‘Conan’ reboot didn’t work out too well but this has true star power in Dwayne Johnson and should make for an entertainingly-average musclebound saga.

Jupiter Ascending

Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne
Director: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Out: 25 July 2014



In a universe where humans are near the bottom of the evolutionary ladder, an unlucky Russian immigrant (Kunis) who cleans toilets for a living encounters an interplanetary warrior (Tatum) who the Queen of the Universe has sent to kill her. He tells her that the stars were pointing to an extraordinary event on the night she was born, and that her DNA could mark her as the universe’s next leader… Sean Bean plays Stinger, a “Han Solo-type character”, who helps them as they are pursued by cyber hunters. Also Terry Gilliam has “a small but vital” acting role. The Wachowskis are returning to their ‘Matrix’ roots with another story of an average person plucked from obscurity and told they’re “The One”. But is the rest of the plot too wacky to connect with people? (Are Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum the actors you’d want to sell a silly idea as serious – here Tatum plays a half-albino with wolf and human DNA). Visually the Wachowskis are about the best in the business, and in a sci-fi setting it should be something to behold. I hope this sees them back on top.

- AUGUST -
Guardians Of The Galaxy

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel (voice), Bradley Cooper (voice)
Director: James Gunn
Out: 1 August 2014



A jet pilot gets stranded in space, and must unite a diverse team of aliens to form a squad capable of defeating cosmic threats. Leading the ensemble is Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, who left Earth in the mid-1980s and goes around space as a rogue until he realises he needs a higher purpose. Zoe Saldana plays the blue-skinned adopted, but runaway, daughter of Thanos. Also in the team is Groot, an extraterrestrial tree-like creature who is royalty on his homeworld and can regenerate most devastating wounds, to be voiced by Vin Diesel. And Rocket Raccoon, an anthropomorphic raccoon created on Earth to be an expert marksman and master tactician, who’s voiced by Bradley Cooper. Nova Corps (Marvel’s interstellar police force) also feature with Glenn Close as Nova Prime and, oddly, John C. Reilly as Rhomann Dey. The best Marvel movies are character introductions, and space is a refreshingly different arena for them. Director James Gunn (‘Slither’) is well equipped to handle the quirk and complexity of the material, hopefully he won’t let it slip into overly-campy ‘Farscape’/'Red Dwarf’ territory.

-August 2014-
Lucy

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi, Amr Wacked
Director: Luc Besson
Out: 8 August 2014




Lucy (Johansson), a woman living in Taiwan, works as a drug mule. When a drug she inadvertently takes goes into her system it changes her into a metahuman. Now she can absorb knowledge instantaneously, is able to move objects with her mind and can’t feel pain. Morgan Freeman plays the scientist Lucy seeks out to save her life. It’ll be interesting to see South Korean Choi Min-sik, ‘Oldboy’ himself, in his first significant English speaking role. Writer/director Luc Besson returns to the territory of ‘Nikita’, ‘Leon’ and ‘The Fifth Element’. He’s perhaps better suited than anyone at tackling a female superhero. This is his production company’s (EuroCorp’s) biggest ever budget, and probably its biggest ever risk given the box office returns for superheroine-led movies.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Whoopi Goldberg
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Out: 8 August 2014




Aliens invade Earth and inadvertently spawn a quartet of mutated reptile warriors, the Ninja Turtles, who rise up against them to defend the world. Megan Fox is friendly reporter April O’Neil. Will Arnett is April’s cameraman and rival, Vernon Fenwick. William Fichtner dons armours as arch-nemesis Shredder (complete with “surprising” backstory). Size-challenged actor Danny Woodburn plays Splinter. Whoopi Goldberg portrays an aggressive journalist. Casey Jones, Bebop and Rocksteady won’t be appearing. From Michael Bay’s production company, the director’s track record is poor (‘Battle Los Angeles’, ‘Wrath of the Titans’, etc), so this will probably be substandard, but I’m excited to see the turtles fully realised in live action. It could be badass.

The Expendables 3

Starring: Stallone, Statham, Li, Schwarzenegger, Lundgren, Couture, Crews
Director: Patrick Hughes
Out: 15 August 2014



The mercenary group led by Ross (Stallone) comes face to face with their co-founder Stonebanks (Gibson). Ross was forced to kill Stonebanks when he became a ruthless arms trader, but Stonebanks survived and has now made it his mission to destroy The Expendables. To help his team Ross resorts to recruiting several younger technology-oriented mercs, but they are soon bumping heads with the veterans. New additions to the cast include Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Robert Davi, Kelsey Grammer, Kellan Lutz, MMA star Ronda Rousey and welterweight boxing champion Victor Ortiz. Bruce Willis is out after a very public argument over money. The director of the uninspiring ‘Red Hill’ takes over behind the camera. The series is missing a serious trick not getting John Woo to direct, or the likes of Paul Verhoeven. There are certain action directors from the era that are fantastic but have become unfashionable, just like the stars. ‘Expendables 2′ had a great cast line-up but struggled to hold the attention with its paint-by-numbers story and visuals. The series also needs to become more of an ensemble, less Stallone-focused and stop filming in bland Bulgaria. However, expect ‘Expendables 3′ to be more of the same.


- NOVEMBER -
Fury

Starring: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Michael Peña
Director: David Ayer
Out: 14 November 2014



During the last months of World War II, as the Allies made their final push in the European Theater, a battle-hardened army sergeant (Pitt) commands a Sherman tank called “Fury” and its five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, they face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany… Pitt’s on an ‘Inglourious Basterds’ re-run, but with the writer-director of ‘End of Watch’ (who also wrote ‘Training Day’) this should be tonally very different – i.e. dark and gritty. The director’s screenplay for ‘U-571′ pretended that operation was American not British so there may be more grating historical inaccuracies in store here. Hated man of the moment Shia LaBeouf features prominently which may be a distraction – reports claim he annoyed Pitt by refusing to shower, to maintain authenticity. Brad Pitt remains a compelling, bone-fide movie star so with a quality dramatist behind the camera this is one to keep an eye on.

- DECEMBER -

The Hobbit: There And Back Again

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom
Director: Peter Jackson
Out: 17 December 2014



The Company of Thorin has reached Smaug’s lair but can Bilbo and the Dwarves reclaim Erebor and the treasure? And, if so, can they hold on to it? This movie not only concludes the Hobbit trilogy but goes beyond the novel and acts as a bridge to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson has used the appendices of the novel of ‘The Return of The King’ to help develop an original story. The exact contents of this third part are unknown however the Battle of the Five Armies will be in it, so a significant portion of The Hobbit is included. Should the 400 page book have been stretched to a trilogy when Lord of the Rings was 1250 pages? No, but each Hobbit movie makes $1 billion+ worldwide. So expect more padding here. Still it’s a must for fans of this world, which is most of us.


- SOME TIME IN 2014 -

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Hugh Grant, Jared Harris
Director: Guy Ritchie
Out: TBC 2014



At the height of the Cold War in the early ’60s a CIA agent (Cavill) and a KGB agent (Hammer) are forced to put aside longstanding hostilities to stop a mysterious criminal organization seeking to destabilise the balance of power through proliferating nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, the key to infiltrating the group… The premise and sensibility are well suited to director Guy Richie’s skillset. He reimagined Sherlock Holmes with considerable success and should get good quirk and interplay out of the otherwise bland pairing of Cavill and Hammer. Hugh Grant will be fun as their boss Waverly. David Beckham makes his Hollywood debut.

From: http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=28501

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

It’s Official: Pixar Working On ‘The Incredibles 2′ and ‘Cars 3′

Last year, Pixar President Ed Catmull detailed the studio’s plans to release an original film every year, and a sequel every other, totaling up to three films every two years. Up to this point, we have seen sequels (and a prequel) for the Toy Story, Cars, and Monsters, Inc. franchises, but there has been one franchise, above all others, that has had a loud group of fans begging for a follow up – Brad Bird’s The Incredibles. Today, Disney announced two Pixar sequels that are in development, The Incredibles 2 and Cars 3.


Pixar tweeted the following, supporting Disney CEO Bob Iger’s announcements earlier today:



From: Disney Pixar

It’s official: we’re currently working on new films featuring your favorite characters from The Incredibles and Cars!

At Disney’s annual shareholder’s meeting, held this year in Oregon, Iger revealed that Brad Bird is currently working on the story for a second Incredibles film. For the past few years, Bird has held that he would not be involved with a follow-up if he did not have a great idea. Although the latest Toy Storyand Monsters, Inc. films had different directors than the original films in their respective franchises, Pixar seemed to acknowledge that Bird would have to play a major role in the development of anotherIncredibles film, putting a sequel squarely in the hands of the director. After Ratatouille, Bird shifted to live-action, directing Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Tomorrowland (due out next year), so his return would also mean a full-time return to Pixar. He is constantly involved in the studio’s Braintrust meetings, but he has obviously been busy with his own projects. Following the completion ofTomorrowland, he should have more time on his plate to work on The Incredibles 2.

Iger also announced that Pixar is developing Cars 3, confirming rumors that emerged last year. The property has proven to be lucrative to Disney, from the toys to the incredible Cars Land at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort. It remains to be seen whether Lasseter will return to the director’s chair for the third film. The Cars films have been close to Lasseter’s heart, but he is busier than ever running creative at both Pixar and Disney Animation. He is also heavily involved with Walt Disney Imagineering and the group’s theme park projects, so he clearly has limited hours in the day. Still, given that the film was just announced, we would not see it released in theaters until closer to the end of the decade, at the earliest, which might just be enough time for Lasseter to return.



The rumor about the plot of the third Cars film involved Route 99, as opposed to the Route 66 we saw in the first two films. You can read more about the story possibility in the post from last year.

It should not be surprising that Pixar is working on sequels, considering Catmull stated the studio would continue releasing them, in addition to original films. The studio is not abandoning original stories, as next year we will see Inside Out from Monsters, Inc. and Up director Pete Docter, and The Good Dinosaur. Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich is also actively working on a film centered around the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos. Sequels provide too much of a return to be blatantly ignored by studios, but the hope is that Pixar can continue to be creative and inspire as much with both its original films and sequels as it has demonstrated with its previous films.

No release dates or further details for The Incredibles 2 and Cars 3 were provided – stay tuned for further details.

See also:

Convert Disney’s Blu-ray and DVD movies to Surface 2 for entertainment
Top 10 Best Animation Films for Kids/Children in 2014 (Reviews + Backup)
List of Best Animated Films Produced by Disney for Kids

Top Best Comedy Movies Of 2014 Review

Do you love funny movies? Well if you do, 2014 is the year for you! It is the year for funny movies 2014 which will make you laugh till you cry. There is nothing like a good laugh and you will certainly laugh till you gasp for air with the following comedy movies 2014.

A Haunted House 2 starring the master of spoofs Marlon Wayans is a hilariously horror/comedy film which will be released on March 28. It is about a man and his new family living in their new home which happens to be a haunted house. Side-splitting paranormal happenings happen along with more complications as the ghost of girlfriend past appears to make matters worse.

Another must-see is 22 Jump Street which is a sequel to the very funny 21 Jump Street in 2012. The guys are back with their trash talking boss Ice Cube as they take on a new assignment: as undercover college students!

Your year will never be the same again with these comedy movies 2014. These are just two of the best movies to expect this year so open your eyes and your ears for more side-splitting comedy titles this year.


That Awkward Moment – Release Date: January 31 2014



Three guys figuring out what to do with their relationships – that’s the main focus of this off-color comedy. Dating from the male perspective is rarely seen in such a format, so this glimpse into the “roommates met with a challenge” scenario is interesting to watch.

Welcome to the Jungle – Release Date February 7 2014



Chris lets everyone walk all over him at work. He can’t find the guts to stand up to coworkers and definitely can’t muster the ability to ask the girl he’s interested in out on a date. A team building exercise goes south, stranding Chris, the big man on campus, Phil, the girl he loves, and several other office mates stranded. Did I mention that the pilot is dead and the tour guide was mauled by a tiger? Can Chris finally stand up and take charge?
This movie is sure to please because it touches on so many things that happen in our daily lives… barring the tiger, of course. So many of us will be able to identify someone we know in this movie, making it real and undeniably funny.

A Haunted House 2 – Release Date March 28 2014



Picking up where A Haunted House left off, Marlon Wayans’ character Malcolm moves in with his new girlfriend and her two children. Paranormal events begin to plague them in their new home. On top of that, Malcolm’s deceased ex-girlfriend moves in across the street to add to his torment.
Marlon Wayans is a master at spoofing films, and this one looks to be right up his alley. Make sure you bookmark A Haunted house 2 on your calendar.

Neighbors – Release Date May 9 2014



Imagine the two worst neighbor pairings you could possibly have and you’ve set the scene for the upcoming comedy, Neighbors. A family with a newborn baby live next to a frat house. At first they try to get along, the family extending themselves and saying hello, but after the antics that are part and parcel of a group of frat boys, it turns into war, plain and simple.
Positioned to be one of the best comedy movies of 2014, Neighbors pits many chapters of life against each other – single guy versus family man, younger guy versus older guy, dad versus stud – in hilarious fashion.


22 Jump Street – Release Date June 13 2014



The sequel to 2012’s 21 Jump Street, this movie puts the detective team in college. They have a case to crack, but college life gets the best of them. They both branch out into their own worlds, reliving college experiences and questioning whether or not their pairing is ideal. This movie manages to combine the contemplative with the ridiculous and make you laugh all the way through.

More Movie Reviews:

Monday, April 7, 2014

2014 Oscar Winners On Blu-ray Disc

The 86th annual Academy Awards, honoring the best films released in 2013, is now history. The ceremony was held on March 2nd, 2014 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Find out the winners that are now available, or coming soon to Blu-ray, and why they make great additions to your Blu-ray Disc collection.

Note: If you click on an in-line link and portions of the page do not appear - click on "Turn off this Top Frame" and you will be immediately directed to the correct webpage.



1. 12 Years A Slave

12 Years a Slave took top honors as Best Picture, as well as getting recognized for Lupita Nyong'o's excellent supporting performance and its adapted screenplay written my John Ridley. This film is based on the writings of Solomon Northup, which is a personal account of his time as a free black man living in the Pre-Civil War North who was suddenly, and unjustly, abducted and plunged into slavery in the South, and his 12 year struggle to regain his freedom.

This film doesn't feature special effects or CGI that will tax your home theater system, but is an example of what a film is all about at its core - Telling a compelling story that will move and inspire you.

For more details on the film, read the the following About.com articles:


2. Gravity


Although 12 Years a Slave took Best Picture honors, the film that gathered up the most awards at the 86th Annual Academy Awards, with a total of seven, was Gravity. Technically, the film is flawless. It is a great example of breakthrough film-making the technical arts.

The seven awards included: cinematography, film editing, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects, original score, and to wrap it up, Alfonso Cuaron, took home theater Oscar for Best Director - resulting in one of the rare cases where a film has one best director without winning best picture.

Also, in my opinion, if they would give out awards for the best use of 3D, Gravity would have won hand's down. However, even if you don't view it in 3D, you will find it a visually compelling viewing experience.

If you are looking for a top-notch Home Theater Demo disc, Gravity definitely deserves that title.

Review of Theatrical Version (About.com Movies)
Gravity Review and Rip & Backup Gravity DVD Guide
Rip and Enjoy Gravity Blu-ray movies on iPad Mini 2

3. Dallas Buyers Club

It isn't always the big blockbusters that get honored at the Oscars. Dallas Buyers Club is an example of a compelling independent film that attempts to tackle social issues we normally don't want to think about, and ends up doing a excellent job of doing so. However, in order to reach audiences, the actors must deliver compelling performances. In the case of Dallas Buyer's Club, both the leading (Matthew McConaughey) and supporting (Jared Leto) actors were honored with Oscar statuettes. The film also won an Oscar for make-up and hairstyling.

This film is definitely not light-hearted entertainment, but offers up both an great history lesson and commentary on the problems the nation had dealing with early days of the AIDs epidemic. If you enjoy films that address important social issues, definitely consider addingDallas Buyer's Club to your collection.

4. Blue Jasmine
Even though Woody Allen personally rejects being honored at the Annual Academy Awards, his films still get a lot of recognition by members of the Motion Picture Academy, and despite what you might think of Mr Allen, he makes some great films. This year, his film Blue Jasmine was honored with the Best Actress Oscar for the excellent performance by Cate Blanchett. If you are Woody Allen Fan, definitely add this one to your collection.

Blue Jasmine Theatrical Review (About.com World/Independent Film)

5. Frozen

What can I say, it is almost impossible to outdo Disney or Disney/Pixar when it comes to award winning animated films (and hero princesses), and Frozen is the latest to be so honored by the members of the Motion Picture Academy.

This time around, Frozen took home an Oscar for both Best Animated Film and Best Song Let It Go - and, of course, it doesn't hurt that the film has also earned about $1 Billion in Worldwide box office during its theatrical run.

For more details on the film and why it might be a worthy addition to your Blu-ray Disc collection, read a Theatrical Review for Parents (About.com Kids TV/Movies).

The film is now available for pre-order on both Blu-ray and DVD - In addition, a 3D Blu-ray Edition is also forthcoming.

Blu-ray Disc Movie Playback Tips

With collecting these 2014 Oscar Winners On Blu-ray Disc, you may wanna enjoy them at home with your family. It is necessary to copy the Blu-ray to avoid being scratched or "wrecked" by your kids. Then what you need is reliable BD ripping software. Here we strongly recommended Pavtube Blu-ray Ripper (or Blu-ray Ripper for Mac) which does a great job in backup the main Blu-ray movie as well as make the clips of your favorite scenes from a movie.

Special Feature:

Backup only Blu-ray movie content without extras

"Directly Copy' make it easy to get only movie content saved to your computer hard drive and leave out extras, commentary and other files to save conversion speed and hard disk space.

Related articles:

Ripping my DVDs to MP4 for viewing on my Android tablets and Phones
Copy Blu-ray DVD movies with original structure
Mac Solution: Remux Blu-ray to MKV for viewing on TV via HiMedia 900B

Fast & Furious 6 (Extended Edition) Blu-ray Review

This article focus on the hottest Blu-ray movies "Fast Furious 6 Entended Edition", keep on reading to get the latest News and Reviews for this latest Blu-ray movies.

News and Introduction

It’s hard to watch Fast 6 now in light of the recent death of star Paul Walker, though more especially since this Fast outing has such a strong emphasis on family. With babies and familiar faces hitting this sixth outing, the power of kin weighs heavy here. Not that the action (a little Gina Carano/Michelle Rodriguez fists of fury action!), comedy (love the scene where Tyrese examines a rival gangs photos and find similarities!) and car prowess (dig those ramp enhanced autos!) isn’t at full Justin Lin helmed tilt, but with Vin Diesel and gang going after a much more elite group with only the power of family on their side, it’s hard to imagine a Fast film without the core players.


Best Feature: The doc Hand to Hand Fury examines that rather memorable fight between Carano and Rodriguez in total detail – girl fight indeed!

Best Hidden Gem: Both the 'Take Control Featurette' and the 'Exclusive Look at Fast 7' are steeped in full charismatic Paul Walker involvement and it’s bittersweet for fans.

Worth the Moola: A fine sentimental follow up to the five star action ride "Fast Five."

The Movie Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

I am a recent convert to the 'Fast and Furious' franchise. After hearing in March that the seventh movie had been announced even before the release of the sixth, I decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Although I didn't think much of the story and characters in 'The Fast and the Furious,' I thought the stunts and action were handled quite well. '2 Fast 2 Furious' found Walker heading out on his own to Miami but suffered like many sequels do, from being a copy of the original. Appearing as though the producers found a script lying around that they could just slap their banner on, 'Tokyo Drift' finds a new character Sean (Lucas Black) take the franchise to Japan.

A cameo at the end was the only thing revealing the movie existed in the same movie universe. With Vin Diesel on board as a producer, 'Fast & Furious' righted the ship and saw the franchise return to what it did best. 'Fast Five' took things in a different direction, gathering characters from the first two movies and becoming a heist movie, like 'Ocean's 11'. The conflict was increased with the inclusion of Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in pursuit of the gang.

The seeds for the 'F&F6' story were sown in Five's epilogue. Although proclaimed dead in 'F&F', Dom's girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is discovered alive and working with a criminal gang in Europe, led by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). After an attack on a Russian military convoy, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) approaches Dom (Vin Diesel) for help. Dom agrees to get the whole gang back together on the condition that they receive pardons.

Shortly after arriving in London, they fail to stop a job by Shaw. As he and the gang learn Shaw is stealing components to create a power-disabling device he can sell, Shaw and his gang learn Letty has a connection to Dom. However, she has no memory of him because instead of dying after an accident, as everyone believed, she escaped with amnesia. Though I can't remember the scene exactly from two movies prior, I don't believe the filmmakers left themselves an out and am almost certain they cheated and created new material to change the story.

As the gangs, who are very well matched, continue to cross paths, Letty grows confused in reaction to the way each group treats her. And what helps seal the deal for her is a jaw-dropping, physics-defying moment during a crazy chase when Shaw is willing to sacrifice her to escape while Dom is willing to sacrifice himself to save her. I should mention that sequence involves Dom's team chasing after Shaw, who drives a tank down a motorway, smashing through and firing its gun at any car that gets in his way. It's exciting and caused a good bit of destruction, so I presumed it would end with Shaw's capture. Thankfully, I was wrong, and the filmmakers upped the ante even higher for a spectacular sequence that involved the good guys trying to stop Shaw and his people from leaving on a transport plane. Setting aside the logistics of how long that runaway must have been, everyone of the F&F team gets into the act and shines.

This is director Justin Lin's fourth, and for now final, movie in the franchise, and he goes out on top. He uses all the elements that have been successful: over-the-top action, humor, and camaraderie between the characters, and of course, good-looking cars and girls, and overcomes most of what didn't. While 'Fast Five' was a bit bloated during its over two-hour length, 'FF6', which runs just as long, is paced better and doesn't drag. The movie's main flaw is the villain. Evans doesn't have much presence or charisma as Shaw, and the character comes off as one-dimensional and rather forgettable. But to be fair, there's not a whole lot of characterization to the good guys either.

Once again, the epilogue hints at what was to come and suggests a great villain played by a well-known action star, but all that is unfortunately up in the air now as production on 'Fast & Furious 7' has been halted as they determine how to handle the loss of Walker.

It may have been easy to dismiss the first few installments, especially after 'Tokyo Drift' nearly sank the franchise, but with 'Fast & Furious' and 'Fast Five' pushing the series' domestic box-office total to nearly $700 million and over $1.5 billion worldwide, there's no denying its success. Even more astonishing is how 'Fast & Furious 6' bucks conventional wisdom about sequels and is my favorite of the series so far.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Fast & Furious 6: Extended Edition' is on a 50GB Region A Blu-ray disc comes with a DVD, and paperwork for an UltraViolet download. They sit in a standard blue case which comes with a slipcase. There are trailers for 'Kick-Ass 2', 'Fast & Furious 6' :The Game, Transformers: The Ride 3D, and 'Riddick'.



The Video: Sizing Up the Picture

The video has been given a 1080p/AVC-MPEG-4 encoded transfer displayed at 2.35:1. The colors appear in bright, vibrant hues, especially noticeable from the cars and clothing like bikinis. The casts' various fleshtones appear consistent throughout. Blacks are rich but lean towards crushing when black cars drive through darkened streets at night. Shadow delineation is not strong. For example when Hobbs is walking through the hallways of Interpol, faces lose their features in the shadows.

Objects are sharp and well defined. Great depth is seen in the many car-chase sequences, especially when vehicles are darting in and out of traffic. The detail on display reveals very fine textures, such as in the women's clothing and surfaces such as walls and floors. In one scene, Tyrese' nose ring hole is evident. There's a limited amount of banding that pops up around lights, but it's negligible.



The Audio:

Rating the Sound


The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and delivers a reference-quality experience. A very loud roar of what turns out to be two engines fills the surrounds, augmented with a great bottom end from the subwoofer. The viewer is immersed in the sounds of two cars speeding along a freeway before they move out of frame and into the rears. The scene then cuts to a high, overhead shot where the engines become a soft purr as a seagull cawing can be heard. Only a few moments in and the track reveals how wide its dynamic range is.

Throughout the chase scenes, the vehicles make full use of the soundfield as they travel through the different channels. The fights are accentuated and exaggerated with forceful effects. Sounds that are quieter and softer have their place as well. Bullets can be heard pinging of cement and slicing through the air. Glass breaks and shatters, tinkling onto the pavement.

Bass almost never gets distorted. One establishing shot had it turned up too high as waves crash. Dialogue is clear and all the elements are well balanced together. During the establishing scene before Dom and Lety's race, the music is cranked up louder than the rest of the movie.



The Supplements: Digging Into the Good Stuff

Deleted Scenes (HD, 2 min) – Three scenes with a Play-All option that are so short and offer so little, it makes you wonder what the point of including them is.

On the Set with Vin (HD, 3 min) – shows viewers Vin performing a simple stunt;

The Making of 'Fast & Furious 6' – This four-part feature presents “The Fastest of Them All” (HD, 10 min), which finds Lin and the cast talking about making this movie the biggest one yet; "Reuniting the Team" (HD, 7 min) focuses on the minor members of the team; "Letty's Return" (HD, 5 min) is self explanatory, and "The Mastermind and the Mole" (4 min) looks at the two main villains.

Commentary – Director Justin Lin sits for a thorough overview of the making of the film.



HD Bonus Content: Any Exclusive Goodies in There?

Take Control (HD, 20 min) – Diesel, Walker, Lin, Rodriguez talk about this film and the trilogy the movies four through six made.

Hand to Hand Fury (HD, 10 min) – This explores how different fight sequences were created with fight choreographer Olivier Schneider.

It's All About the Cars – "Gearhead's Delight" (HD, 6 min) displays the variety of vehicles from the movie and "The Flip Car" (HD, 5 min) focuses on the villains' secret weapon. "On the Set with Vin" appears under this menu heading.

> Planes, Tanks, Automobiles – Looks at four different action sequences through interviews with cast and crew and behind-the-scenes footage: "The London Chase" (HD, 8 min), "Highway Heist: The Convoy Attack" (HD, 6 min), "The Antonov Takedown" (HD, 6 min), "Dom and Letty Race Again" (HD, 4 min).

Extended Version (HD, 131 min) – Coming in at roughly one minute longer than the theatrical, I have no idea what's been added, but it doesn’t seem much different than what I saw in the theater.

'Fast & Furious 7': First Look (HD, 2 min) – While paying respects to a fallen comrade, Roman (Tyrese Gibson) talks with Brian (Walker) about not wanting to go to any more funerals in a scene that I expect to be cut from the film.

Easter Eggs

No easter eggs reported for 'Fast & Furious 6 (Extended Edition)' yet. Found an egg? Please use our tips form to let us know, and we'll credit you with the find.



Final Thoughts

While the story is as simple and lightweight as the characters, nothing delivered better action than 'Fast & Furious 6', due in large part to the practical work of the stunt team. If you like fists, bodies, and cars fly though the air, this is the movie for you. The Blu-ray allows you to simulate the theatrical experience with its great video and reference audio. Highly recommended.

More related:

Sabotage (2014 film) Trailer, News, Videos, and Reviews
This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: March 18, 2014
Copy/Backup Frozen (2013) Blu-ray/DVD for wathing freely

Movies Coming Out March 28, 2014

Below is the new movies hitting the theater at March 28, 2014. I'm pleased to share the new info about the latest Movies and films. If you have some issues or things you want to know, pls let me know! 

The Raid 2: Berandal


Starring Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra and Alex Abbad, directed by Gareth Evans. According to the story of Indonesian Action movie and sequel to The Raid: Redemption, Rama joins a new team to bring down the thugs of Jakarta and the corrupt cops in his own police force. He is forced by circumstances and the death of his brother to go undercover and bring down the Jakarta's crime leader Bangun. Rama enter's into the Bangun's crime empire with the help of Bangun's sun whom he befriends in the jail.

Movie is written by Gareth Evans and comes in action category. The Raid 2: Berandal is releasing on March 28, 2014 so we can estimate that movie will come out on DVD & Blu-ray in June-July, 2014.

Release date: March 28, 2014

DVD/Blu-ray release date: June-July, 2014.

Starring: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle, Cecep Arif Rahman, Yayan Ruhian, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kenichi Endo and Kazuki Kitamura.




Noah

Starring Russell Crowe, Emma Watson and Jennifer Connelly, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. According to story of movie, Noah is suffering from visions about upcoming apocalyptic flood and builds an ark to protect his family- Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Logan Lerman.

Movie script is written by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel and comes in adventure, drama, fantasy category. Movie is releasing on March 28, 2014 in USA and on April 4, 2014 in UK, So we can estimate the DVD & Blu-ray discs release date in July-August, 2014.

Release date: March 28, 2014

Estimated DVD/Blu-ray release date: July-August, 2014

Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Dakota Goyo, Ray Winstone and Anthony Hopkins.

Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures

Genre(s): Adventure, fantasy


A Haunted House 2

Starring Jaime Pressly, Ashley Rickards and Marlon Wayans, directed by Michael Tiddes. According to story of A Haunted House 2, After loosing his possessed girlfriend Malcolm falls for a mother of two and moves into a new house with her, but soon starts to realize paranormal activities surrounding the house.

Movie script is written by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez and comes into horror,comedy genre. Movie is releasing on March 28, 2014, So we can estimate the DVD & Blu-ray discs release date in June-July, 2014.

Release date: March 28, 2014

Estimated DVD/Blu-ray release date: June-July, 2014

Starring: Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly, Essence Atkins, Gabriel Iglesias, Cedric the Entertainer, Gabriel Iglesias and Ashley Rickards.

Distributor(s): Open Road Films

Genre(s): Comedy, Horror

More New Movies Releasing this week in India in Hindi ,English, Telugu and Tamil.

Youngistan
Dishkiyaoon
O Teri
Sabotage
Legend ( Telugu)

See also:

New DVD Releases for March 25th, 2014
Blu-ray Release: Saving Mr. Banks
20th Century Fox Releases Deeper Trailer For 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'
Top New Bollywood Movie DVD Rip Backup Software

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Oscars 2014: '12 Years a Slave' wins Best Picture, 'Gravity' notches seven Academy Awards

McConaughey wins Best Actor; Blanchett notches Best Actress; Leto named Best Supporting Actor; '12 Years a Slave' star Nyong'o wins Best Supporting Actress; Slavery drama and 'Her' win Screenplay Oscars; 'Frozen' wins Best Animated Feature.

 
Director Steve McQueen (l) and actor/producer Brad Pitt embrace after '12 Years a Slave' wins Best Picture.
The epic “12 years a Slave” won a hotly contested race for Best Picture, while one of its stars, newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, won Best Supporting Actress at Sunday’s 86th annual Academy Awards.
Nyong’o — born in Mexico, raised partly in Kenya and now a resident of Brooklyn — won a day after her 31st birthday.

“Every time I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid,” Nyong’O said between tears.
Matthew McConaughey, in his first nomination ever, won Best Actor for playing an AIDS-afflicted rodeo cowboy in “Dallas Buyers Club.”


 

'All right, all right!': Matthew McConaughey wins his first career Oscar, topping the deepest Best Actor field in years.
It capped off a recent comeback from the Hollywood doldrums for the Texas-born actor. Before he let out a joyous “All right, all right, all right!,” McConaughey thanked his father, who he imagined was doing a celebratory dance in Heaven “with a big plate of gumbo.”

Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for “Blue Jasmine.”

“Films with women as the main characters are not niche, and in fact, they make money!” the Australian actress declared.
 

Cate Blanchett proved prognosticators correct, winning Best Actress at Sunday night's Oscars.
Jared Leto — known primarily for his role on TV’s “My So-Called Life” in the ’90s — won Best Supporting Actor for playing a transgendered AIDS sufferer in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
“To all the dreamers out there watching this tonight in places like the Ukraine, as you struggle to make your dreams happen and live the impossible, we’re thinking of you tonight,” said Leto.
He then dedicated his award to “The millions of people who have lost the battle to AIDS, and people who have lost a battle due to injustice due to who they are and who they love.”


 

Gravity's' Alfonso Cuarón accepts his award for Best Director - one of seven Oscars the movie received on the night.
Best Director, another one of the night’s tight races, went to Mexican-born Alfonso Cuarón for “Gravity,” the first Latino to win the award. He bested “12 Years a Slave” filmmaker Steve McQueen.

John Ridley won Best Adapted Screenplay for “12 years a Slave.”

“All the praise goes to Solomon Northrup,” Ridley said, acknowledging the man whose 1853 memoir was turned into the film. “Those were his words, that was his life.”

Lupita Nyong'o gives an emotional acceptance speech after winning Best Supporting Actress.
Spike Jonze won Best Original Screenplay for the man-meets-computer system love story “Her.”
Along with Best Director, “Gravity” garnered another six awards — Best Visual Effects, Cinematography, Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Musical Score.
“Frozen,” as expected, was anointed the Best Animated Feature Film; “Mr. Hublot” busted some Oscar pool ballots as the Best Animated Short Film.

 
Jared Leto wins the first award of the evening, the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his turn in 'Dallas Buyers Club.'
The popular anthem “Let It Go,” from “Frozen,” won Best Song for the husband-and-wife team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who also did Broadway’s “Avenue Q.”

“The Great Beauty,” from Italy, won Best Foreign Language Film, and “20 Feet From Stardom,” about backup singers, nabbed Best Documentary.

Best Costume Design went to “The Great Gatsby.” “Dallas Buyers Club” won Best Makeup and Hairstyling, making the best of a reported $250 budget.


 

Ellen DeGeneres kicks off the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre with a monologue for the ages.
Though Nyong’o was a favorite to win Best Supporting Actress, she was still in shock as she cradled her “golden man” backstage.

“I’m a little dazed, I can’t believe this is in my hands. I can’t believe this is real life,” she said.

“It hasn’t sunk in that I’m holding this thing, and it’s in my hands .... But I’m so happy to be holding this golden man.”

 
Lupita Nyong'o, left, and Meryl Streep dance with Pharrell Williams during his performance of 'Happy' at the Oscars.
She said her Oscar journey has been one of self-discovery.

“What I have learned from myself is that I don’t have to be anybody else, and that myself is good enough,” she said. “And that when I’m being true to that self, then I can avail myself to extraordinary things such as this.”

Jared Leto is already an international rock star, but almost lost it Sunday when he locked eyes with a tough guy while accepting his Oscar. 


The 86th Annual Academy Awards were supposed to be a three-horse race Sunday, but 'American Hustle' got shut out.
“At one point in my speech, I found myself talking right to (Robert) De Niro, as if the room wasn’t intimidating enough,” he said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Bad choice! Let me go back over to my mom.’” ——With Nancy Dillon
 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Must Watch: Martin Scorsese's 'Wolf of Wall Street' Second Full Trailer

Following a release date shuffle that resulted in Paramount Pictures shifting Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit to January of 2014, Martin Scorsese's latest film The Wolf of Wall Street is confirmed for a Christmas Day release, and has a running time of nearly three hours, clocking in at 165 minutes. Now we get a bigger taste of the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey with a second full trailer that shows why this will be a serious Oscar contender when the time comes. Maybe this will finally get DiCaprio some Oscar love, and it could end up getting Hill his second nomination if all goes well.



Here's the second trailer for Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, originally from Apple:


A young New York stockbroker named Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration.

The Wolf of Wall Street is directed by legendary Academy Award winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese, of everything from Taxi Driver to Raging Bull to Cape Fear to Goodfellas to Casino to Aviator to Departed toShutter Island and Hugo recently. The screenplay is written by Terence Winter (Get Rich or Die Tryin', Brooklyn Rules, "The Sopranos", "Boardwalk Empire"), based on Jordan Belfort's book of the same name. The film also stars Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie, Jon Favreau, Kyle Chandler,, Shea Whigham, Jean Dujardin and Paramount Pictures sends it to theaters this winter

December 25th. Good?

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You are free to try free trial version (Pavtube DVD Ripper for Mac is for Mac users)



Related articles:

Ripping my DVDs to MP4 for viewing on my Android tablets and Phones
Copy Blu-ray DVD movies with original structure
Mac Solution: Remux Blu-ray to MKV for viewing on TV via HiMedia 900B

Monday, March 31, 2014

Captain America: The Winter Soldier DVD/Blu-ray Release Date

DVD release date of Captain America: The Winter Soldier starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. According to the story of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers is living peacefully in Washington D.C. struggling to adjust himself in the modern society trying to find his role in this world. Movie has almost different cast from the previous movie and will take place two years after the events of The Avengers.


Movie's screenplay is written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and comes in action, adventure category. It is based on the novel Captain America by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Movie is releasing on March 28, 2014 in UK and on April 4, 2014 in USA whereas in Australia it will release on April 3, 2014. So based on average time between a movie's theatrical release and DVD/Blu-ray release, We can estimate that DVD and Blu-ray discs of movie will release in July-August, 2014.

Release date: April 4, 2014

Estimated DVD/Blu-ray release date: July-August, 2014



Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson.

Distributor(s): Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi.

Plot: Captain America will unravel a mystery that may endanger the globe and fights with unanticipated and powerful adversary — the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

1957 was the best-ever year for movies (and other surprising insights from IMDb)

Big data can answer a lot of big debates … like which episode of “Seinfeld” was the funniest. (Columbia TriStar Television Photo/Reuters)



Want to know which episode of “Seinfeld” was the greatest? Curious which year produced the best films? At one point in time, these types of esoteric queries fell firmly in the realm of bar debates and bickering critics. But thanks to IMDb — that massive compendium of cinematic trivia and ratings — we can at last quantify things like, say, the best move made in 1985. (Spoiler alert: It’s “Back to the Future.”)

This brilliant and vindicating insight comes courtesy Reddit, where “monoglot,” an enterprising user in the /r/movies forum, parsed tens of thousands of movie reviews to assemble a list of the movies that got the most perfect reviews for every year between 1894 and the present. (More on the methodology here.) Using a similar data set, monoglot was also able to calculate the “best” years for movies, as determined by the average IMDb score of that year’s most popular films. The winners were 1957, 1994, 1995, 1975 and 2001, in that order.

The highest-rated movies, in this case, aren’t always the most-acclaimed ones. Both “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars” score an unlikely hat trick. “The Intouchables,” a feel-good French flick about a quadriplegic that most Americans probably never saw, wins top place for 2011. Here’s the full list:

2013: Gravity
2012: The Dark Knight Rises
2011: Intouchables
2010: Inception
2009: Inglourious Basterds
2008: The Dark Knight
2007: No Country for Old Men
2006: The Departed
2005: Batman Begins
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2003: The Return of the King
2002: The Two Towers
2001: The Fellowship of the Ring
2000: Memento
1999: Fight Club
1998: Saving Private Ryan
1997: Titanic
1996: Trainspotting
1995: Se7en
1994: The Shawshank Redemption
1993: Schindler’s List
1992: Reservoir Dogs
1991: The Silence of the Lambs
1990: Goodfellas
1989: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1988: Die Hard
1987: Full Metal Jacket
1986: Aliens
1985: Back to the Future
1984: The Terminator
1983: Return of the Jedi
1982: Blade Runner
1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark
1980: The Empire Strikes Back
1979: Alien
1978: The Deer Hunter
1977: Star Wars
1976: Taxi Driver
1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
1974: The Godfather: Part II
1973: The Exorcist
1972: The Godfather
1971: A Clockwork Orange
1970: Patton
1969: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey
1967: The Graduate
1966: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1965: For a Few Dollars More
1964: Dr. Strangelove
1963: The Great Escape
1962: Lawrence of Arabia
1961: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
1960: Psycho
1959: North by Northwest
1958: Vertigo
1957: 12 Angry Men
1956: The Searchers
1955: The Night of the Hunter
1954: Seven Samurai
1953: Roman Holiday
1952: Singin’ in the Rain
1951: A Streetcar Named Desire
1950: Sunset Blvd.
1949: The Third Man
1948: Bicycle Thieves
1947: Miracle on 34th Street
1946: It’s a Wonderful Life
1945: Brief Encounter
1944: Double Indemnity
1943: Shadow of a Doubt
1942: Casablanca
1941: Citizen Kane
1940: The Great Dictator
1939: The Wizard of Oz
1938: Bringing Up Baby
1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1936: Modern Times
1935: Bride of Frankenstein
1934: It Happened One Night
1933: King Kong
1932: Freaks
1931: City Lights
1930: All Quiet on the Western Front
1929: Un chien andalou
1928: The Passion of Joan of Arc
1927: Metropolis
1926: The General
1925: The Gold Rush
1924: Sherlock Jr.
1923: Safety Last!
1922: Nosferatu
1921: The Kid
1920: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1919: Broken Blossoms
1918: A Dog’s Life
1917: The Immigrant
1916: Intolerance
1915: The Birth of a Nation
1914: Tillie’s Punctured Romance
1913: Fantomas
1912: The Revenge of a Kinematograph Cameraman
1911: Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist of the N.Y. Herald and His Moving Comics
1910: Frankenstein
1909: The Devilish Tenant
1908: Fantasmagorie
1907: Ben Hur
1906: Dream of a Rarebit Fiend
1905: Le diable noir
1904: An Impossible Voyage
1903: The Great Train Robbery
1902: A Trip to the Moon
1901: The India Rubber Head
1900: The One-Man Band
1899: The Kiss in the Tunnel
1898: Four Heads Are Better Than One
1897: Leaving Jerusalem by Railway
1896: Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
1895: Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory
1894: Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze

This isn’t the only interesting project to pull from IMDb data in recent weeks.GraphTV — a visualization tool by the software engineer Kevin Wu — charts the ratings of TV shows over different seasons. “Star Trek” mostly got better. “The Simpsons” mostly got worse.

And what about “Seinfeld,” you ask? It’s a tie between “The Contest” (season 4, episode 11) and “The Soup” Nazi (season 7, episode 6). Although, per the IMDb hive mind, all nine seasons are pretty hilarious.

From: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/03/26/1957-was-the-best-ever-year-for-movies-and-other-surprising-insights-from-imdb/

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

20th Century Fox Releases Deeper Trailer For 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' [Watch]

It's been four months since 20th Century Fox has released any new footage for 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' but it seems the wait was worth it.

 

The new trailer, uploaded Monday, gives more context than just the dramatic music and forlorn gazes offered by the first trailer back in October.

This time round we get some spectacular action sequences, Professor X (Patrick Stewart)'s hefty narration about the extinction of mutants, lots more Jennifer Lawrence (who plays Mystique) — and even a fleeting line from Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage.

The film, a sequel of sorts to 2011's X-Men: First Class, will reunite dozens of former mutants including James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Halle Berry.

Watch Trailer below:


X-Men: Days of Future Past is set to hit theaters on May 23.

Read more:

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It’s Official: Pixar Working On ‘The Incredibles 2′ and ‘Cars 3′
Let It Go - Disney and Pixar Version

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

‘Mr. Peabody & Sherman’: 3D fun, pawsitive lessons for kids

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

A fast-paced 3D animated feature about a dog, his boy and a time machine, based on the series of cartoons from "The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show." 82 minutes.

Movie Review:
 
At first it seems as though the animated “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” is derived from pretty thin source material: a series of five-minute cartoons from the much-loved “Rocky & Bullwinkle Show” about a genius dog and his geeky human son who travel back in time where they interact with famous figures — and the dog indulges a penchant for truly terrible puns.




But on second thought ... hmm. Dog is father to a boy. Plenty of opportunities there to explore the legal and social ramifications of an unusual interspecies relationship. An odious child-protective-services bureaucrat (voiced by Allison Janney) is determined to remove little Sherman (Max Charles) from Peabody’s custody. And a taunting girl classmate (Ariel Winter), who derides Sherman as a dog, must be made to see the error of her ways by tripping back in time with the boy in a WABAC Machine.

Oh yes, time travel! The space-time continuum will surely be warped and, uh, woofed — puns: they’re contagious — in that scenario.

Plus there are history lessons to be mined from the material. For instance, did you know that ancient Egyptian burial rites sometimes included human sacrifice and that mummification involved removing the internal organs and preserving them in objects called canopic jars? Educational!

“Mr. Peabody & Sherman” has all of that. And puns. Must have puns. Must have Peabody (“Modern Family’s” Ty Burrell), after a visit to the famed Trojan city, intoning, “If at first you don’t succeed, Troy, Troy again.” There’s plenty more where that came from.

Frantically paced by director Rob Minkoff (“The Lion King”) and making very effective use of 3D — Hey! Get that sword out of my face! — the movie will surely appeal to kids. Unfortunately, a not-insignificant part of that appeal derives from poop jokes. There’s a road-apple reference relating to the Trojan Horse. And when our heroes are ejected from the Sphinx’s rear, oh dear. Plus, there’s the scene set in the sewers of Paris where ... well, you get the idea.

Other jokes seem pretty harsh for young viewers. A guillotine sequence from the French Revolution and the gag about Egyptian funerary disembowelments leave a bad taste in the mouth.

But it all ends with hugs and sweetness — let boy and dog embrace — and if I had to guess I’d say a sequel is a distinct possibility.



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