'This is Where' I Start Squealing

I might not be the best person to write about This is Where I Leave You, the upcoming family drama-comedy starring Jason Bateman and Tina Fey.  I fell in love with the novel this past spring, and I just think the cast looks terrific.  Perfect, even.  

Based on the acclaimed 2009 novel, This is Where focuses on Judd Altman (Bateman), a man who discovers his wife in bed with his boss the same week his father dies.  His father's last dying wish was for the family to come together and sit Shiva.  So, bring on the dysfunction!  Fey plays his sister, Wendy, and Corey Stoll and Adam Driver play his brothers, respectively.  Jane Fonda plays the recently enhanced matriarch, a writer whose family guide book is in its millionith publication.  

Hopefully, director Shawn Levy will focus on the drama as much as the comedy.  There's some serious tears to be shed, and it would be a shame if it was only made for laughs.  I'm very excited, though. 

Will the 'Future' X-Men Movies Be as Good as This?

The X-Men films have always felt like the redheaded stepchild of the superhero canon.  With so many characters and so many plotlines it always felt like someone was upset with every incarnation.  The original X-Men was criticized for having too many mutants and not enough character.  Only the first sequel, X2, seemed to satisfy hardcore fans and newbies alike.  We won't even discuss The Last Stand, agreed?  The latest installment, X-Men Days of Future Past, is easily the best of the franchise.

Days opens with a pulse-pounding sequence where Sentinels are hunting down a small group of mutants in a dystopian future.  Sentinels, huge, faceless robot-y machines, can adapt to any mutants powers, and now mutants are on the brink of extinction.  Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Storm (Halle Berry) meet at a monstary to hide out, and Xavier proposes that Kitty uses her powers to send someone back to the early 1970's to stop the creation of the Sentinels.  If they snuff the spark of the war, the battle between mutants and humans will never begin. 

Since Wolverine can heal himself (and because Jackman has the most box office clout), he volunteers to go back to try and convince young Xavier (James McAvoy) and young Eric aka Magneto (aka Michael Fassbender) to help him stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating the creator of the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage).  Phew!  That's a lot of mutants.

Some of the best sequences in Days are when they are trying to recruit another mutant to join their cause.  Intense conversations with a disbelieving young Charles are great, but throwing Quicksilver (Evan Peters) into the mix was a great idea.  Actually, the movie would have been even better with more of him.  As they are trying to break Magneto out of the most maximum security in superhero film history (hundreds of feet below the Pentagon), Quicksilver uses his ability to speed around to his advantage.  He would make the Road Runner look like a sloth, and Peters provides an uninhibited, boyish charm to the overall serious tone of the rest of the film.  

Lots of time travel with tons of characters is surely a mess, right?  I don't think so.  It might be the mixture of director Bryan Singer's success with his original core of actors with the younger First Class clan.  It might be because Days is based off of a specific arc in the X-Men universe, and it might be also because everyone has a lot to prove since The Avengers made a bazillion dollars a little while back.  It somehow balances the seriousness of the history of the X-Men with a quick pace.  It's the biggest one of the franchise, yet it feels like it successfully reinvented itself.

Take that Spider-Man.

'Big Fat Greek' Sequel in the Works; Joey Fatone is Celebrating Somewhere

You liked My Big Fat Greek Wedding, right?  The little romantic comedy that could grossed over $240 million in 2002, and it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.  But would you watch it all again?  Nia Vardalos confirmed on Twitter today that a Greek sequel is in the works.

Vardalos will again direct and star, and John Corbett is also set to return.  No confirmation as to which members of the Portokalos family will come back, but one would assume Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, and Michael Constatine would all return as well.  It's probably a safe bet to assume that Joey Fatone is anxiously waiting by his phone.

As for the plot, the only details are that the family returns, and a huge secret is revealed.  An even bigger, fatter (Greek-er?) wedding must then take place.  My money is that by some huge mistake, Toula's parents aren't actually married, and a huge celebration will then commence.  You'll come out to see that right?

Will it be crammed in with family hilarity, or should we just spray some Windex on this idea?

Will Pixar's Latest Wash the Taste of 'Cars 2' Out of Our Mouths?

The details about Pixar's latest, Inside Out, came out today, and the original story is enough to hope that the celebrated studio gets back in the saddle.  The presence of Cars 2 continues to haunt me years late.  Inside's comedic voice cast is also exciting.  

Here's the official statement from Pixar:

"Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco.  Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions - Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith).  The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life.  As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters.  Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion conflicton how best to navigate a new city, house and school."

Poehler and Kaling together makes me squeal, and Black couldn't be perfectly cast. 

As long as fucking Mater doesn't show up, it might be the greatest movie ever.  

'Stage Fright' Hits Some High Notes

Theater geeks will be the first to tell you that when they do a show, they put their blood, sweat and tears into every moment of the production.  They devote days, hours, and weeks just for a short run of performances, or, in some cases, to a lone precious weekend.  When it comes to Stage Fright, you can keep the sweat and the tears, because it just wants to have a bloody good time.  Very bloody.  

In the prologue, Kylie (Minnie Driver) has just finished the opening performance of The Haunting of the Opera, an obvious knockoff of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, complete with masked killer.  Her kids, Camilla and Buddy, are very proud.  Camilla walks out alone onto the stage and a theater itch is born!  Meanwhile, Kylie is brutally murdered in her dressing room by someone sporting the same outfit the killer wears in the show.  

Flash forward ten years, and Camilla and Buddy work at Center Stage, a performing arts summer camp headed by their guardian (and Kylie's former flame) Roger McCall.  Roger is played by Meat Loaf.  Yes, it's getting good.  Camilla has the desire to audition for the upcoming main stage show, but Buddy doesn't think it's worth her time.  In a little twist of fate, The Haunting of the Opera will be revived, an announcement that only fuel's Camilla's desires to play the same role as her mother.  

From the beginning, we are treated to musical numbers.  Really cheesy musical numbers.  Upon arriving at Center Stage, the campers unload from the bus and sing about being able to be who they truly are.  There's the bitchy diva and the guy denying his sexuality.  If you've indulged yourself in a local production of South Pacific, you'll laugh your ass off.  It's kind of like Camp with an annoying, flouncing wink to it. 

Camilla lands the part, but has to share it with the resident leading lady, Liz.  The arrogant director, Artie, has set Haunting in feudal Japan, but won't announce who will play the lead on opening night for all of the Broadway producers.  Do Broadway producers really do that, by the way?  Do they really go to a musical theater camp and cast talent in a two-bit show?  

The Haunting of the Opera is ridiculous.  It's a blatant rip-off of Phantom, and it's kind of glorious in that regard.  Neither Camilla or Liz are particularly talented (those high notes made me wince a little bit), but all the more reason to slice and dice, right?  Opera ghost runs around the camp slaughtering people with razored paint can lids and he uses the set to his advantage by dropping lights on one unlucky fellow.  

Stage Fright could actually stand to be campier.  The songs die down after a while, and the killings are all that original.  But who cares.  It's a musical slaughter fest.  Break a leg.  

These 'Carol' Images Feel Like Christmas

It's been a few days since the first official image from Todd Haynes' Carol came out.  I thought I was too behind, but then I found myself searching for the images online over and over again.  If you haven't seen Haynes' heartbreaking Far From Heaven, you aren't my friend, because it's easily one of my all time favorites.  Haynes returns to Heaven's time period, and Carol stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.  

Here's the official synopsis:

CAROL follows the relationship between two very different women in 1950s New York. A young woman in her 20s, Therese (Mara) is working in a department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, moneyed marriage. As the story unfolds—their lives begin to unravel with Carol becoming more fearful of losing custody of her daughter in the case of separation when her husband (Kyle Chandler) threatens her competence as a mother because of her previous affair with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson), and new relationship with Therese.

Repressed sexuality in the 1950's directed by Todd Haynes?!  I'm not the only one who's excited for this, right?  I'm already gagging over the costumes.   

Zack Snyder's 'Batman/Superman' Gets a Title!

If you peed your pants over the news (posted here and here!) of Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman v. Superman sequel, you can wet yourself once more over the news of the official title.

The title will be Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.  Ooooo!!!  The symbol across Ben Affleck's chest is the new logo for the film with the Man of Steel insignia on top of it.  Affleck will be joined by Steel graduates Henry Cavil (uuhhnnn!), Diane Lane and Amy Adams.  Jeremy Irons will play Alfred and Gal Gadot joins the cast as Diane Prince (aka Wonder Woman).  

Dawn will hit theaters on May 6, 2016.

Kendrick is Her Own Drinking Buddy in 'Happy Christmas' Trailer

I haven't seen last year's Drinking Buddies, but everyone has recommended it to me.  After watching the trailer for the upcoming Happy Christmas, I am even more curious.  The combination of Anna Kendrick seems very appealing.  

Melanie Lynskey and Joe Swanberg play Jeff and Kelly, a married couple living in Chicago with their young child.  Jeff's an aspiring filmmaker and Kelly is a writer.  Their lives are interrupted when Jeff's sister, Jenny (played by Kendrick) comes to town, and she brings her drinking problem with her.  Jenny can't be trusted to watch her brother's son, and she doesn't seem timid to make out with guys that come her way.  

It reminds me of Rachel Getting Married for some reason (even though the only thing in common is a sister coming back to family).  Lena Dunham has a part as Jenny's friend, Carson.  I would love to see Kendrick in a more dramatic role, but she can also charm the pants of you.  She's adorable, relatable, and she can be totally funny at the same time.  Fingers crossed that she breaks my heart in this.

Who Will Walk Through the 'Moonlight' with Me?!

The trailer for another Woody Allen's latest, Magic in the Moonlight, debuted today.  Trailers for Allen films are always cause for celebration in my book, and Moonlight looks really cute.  It stars Emma Stone, Colin Firth, Marcia Gay Harden and Eileen Atkins.  

Stone plays a phony mind reader in the south of France, and Firth is tasked to prove that she is a fraud.  Soon enough, however, he begins to fall under her spell, and it seems that he might think her powers are legitimate.  Fans of Midnight in Paris might love this.  Some floppy hats and scenic locations can do wonders for those resistant to Allen films.  

I forgot how much the camera loves Emma Stone.  She just shines on screen, and I'm curious to what she will be like without being allowed to go crazy.  That's an aspect I love about her, but the constraints of a director like Allen could be great.  

'Magic Mike: XXL' Actually Has a Plot!

The clouds parted for there is more news about the upcoming Magic Mike: XXL.  This the perfect entertainment news to coincide with the ban on same-sex marriage being deemed unconstitutional in Pennsylvania!  The plot details have spilled, and I think there needs to be a warning for the potential craziness.  

Channing Tatum (who is writing the screenplay) is basing the sequel on two experiences he had when he was a stripper where he went to stripper conventions and everything went crazy.  Please see the quote below:

"The women would come from miles and miles around.  Then you lock the doors and you say all bets are off.  It gets zany and crazy, and it's a wild ride.  It's an incubator for insanity.  It doesn't matter almost what you do onstage.  I don't want to put anything in black and white on a page, but if you've been to one, you know how crazy it gets, and not pour kerosene on that.  You've seen Magic Mike--now multiply that.  Mob mentality.  It's just exponentially crazier.  I thought it was absolutely insane."

So, you're telling me that there is going to be a movie about a stripper convention?  This movie will star Tatum, and bevy of hard-bodies hotties?  How can this movie keep getting better and better?  Let the casting begin!!!  For all the details, check out Tatum's latest GQ cover story.  

This Heathen Finally Saw 'Noah'!

Making a satisfactory Bible-themed film is probably as much of a mine field as making a satisfactory superhero film.  With a big-screen Bible story, however, you don't just risk upsetting loyal fanboys, but you have the distinct opportunity to annoy people of faith.  My pal Mikey wrote a review of Darren Aronofsky's Noah at the beginning of April, but it kept eluding me when I went to the movies.  Even though it received its share of good and bad reviews, I still wanted to check it out.  

I grew up without any religious background--either my parents wanted me to find my own faith (if any), or they were just over it by the time they adopted me and my brother.  It's pretty obvious that my main religious education came from my experiences performing in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and Children of Eden, because a lot of Noah went over my head.   This, however, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  Maybe if it was just a exodus period piece I would have enjoyed it even more, but I felt like I was expecting to be confused as I watched it.  There was a lot of, "Did I know this?  Is this part of the Bible?  Did Aronofsky add this in?"

I'm one of the only heathens that doesn't really know the story of Noah, right?  I shall skip plot in this brief review then.  The performances got me through a lot of the "funny business."  Rock people?  Sure!  Is Anthony Hopkins doing his best Dumbledore impression?  Why not!  Religious films surely appeal to a lot of people, but for us non-believers maybe it needs some clarification.  Or maybe I just need to "read the book."

Is everyone still anti-Russell Crowe?  After the hatred he received for "ruining" Les Miserables, I wasn't sure if people were ready to accept him in another movie.  He's not always the most likable guy (you know, when he's running around trying to stab Emma Watson's newborn twins), but Crowe is gruff and hopeful in all the right ways.  Noah's repeated dreams are pretty eerie, so no wonder he jumps on the chance to build a huge boat. 

My MVP of Noah might be Jennifer Connelly, because of one scene.  If you've seen the film, you'll know which one I'm talking about.  She begs Noah to change his mind about killing Watson's aforementioned twins.  Connelly just lets it all out, mucus and all, and I would have accepted more.  Perhaps I loved her so much because I feel like I haven't see her in a long time, but I'll take it. 

The part that bothered me the most was the mustache twirling of Ray Winstone.  He always sounds like he just smoked 638 cigarettes, and he's trying to convince you that's the biggest badass on the block.  Or the ark in this case.  Can you honestly tell me that no one did a walk through of the ark in the nine months they were on there and discover him?  Come onnnn.  

I am also waiting for a line of Noah sleepwear, because those costumes look so comfortable!  You can walk around with rock people in them or you can build a giant boat because God The Creator wants you to.  So versatile.  

Moore is Rocking that President Coin Wig

Any time there is promotional pictures of Julianne Moore in costume for a new movie, I tend to freak out.  It happened when they released pictures of Moore as Sarah Palin for Game Change, and I similarly geeked out when the pictures of her as Alma Coin came out yesterday over at Entertainment Weekly.

Her trademark girl on fiery red locks have been dulled by a gray wig, and she looks really calm and serene, especially in the shot below with Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Since Coin is mostly seen through the eyes of Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss, the filmmakers were responsible for fleshing out the character more.

'Cinderella' Coming to a Jared's Showroom Near You!

"It can only be Jareeeeed!"

Kenneth Branagh's live action Cinderella (out in 2015) got a teaser trailer last night, and by teaser, I mean the teasiest teaser to ever tease!  You only see one thing, and that's the iconic shoe glass slipper.  No actors or voice over.  Just that slipper close up and then far away as it spins and spins.  

It kind of looks like a commercial for Jared's (you know, the Galleria of Jewelers), and I was half expecting someone to tell me it was available on a pendant for only $129.00.  Doesn't help that it's seriously just. the. slipper.  For a good, solid minute.  Pretty iconic image, though, so you know exactly what it's for.  

I would have killed to see a glimpse of Cate Blanchett as Cinderella's stepmother, but maybe in the next one?

'This is Where I Leave You' First Look! Eeeeee!!!

I was not prepared for the awesomeness of this picture!  Fingers crossed for a trailer very soon.

I very recently read Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You (and recommended it to some friends), and I fell in love with it.  It folllows Judd Foxman, a man who walks in on his wife cheating with his boss and loses his father in the same week.  His father's dying wish was that his family come together and sit shiva.  Judd reunites with his brothers and sister, and he must wade through his feelings of his wife's infidelities amidst all the crazy.  I'm sure it sounds like a lighter version of August: Osage County (I'm going to cringe at the first comparison), but it's a beautifully written novel about fathers and sons.  

Entertainment Weekly debuted the first family portrait, and, even though I knew who was starring in the movie, the picture makes me so happy.

Jason Bateman plays Judd, and his siblings are played by Tina Fey, Corey Stoll and Adam Driver.  Jane Fonda plays his mother, a writer whose child-rearing book has been read all over the country.  The one actress I didn't know was in the movie is Debra Monk!  She plays Timothy Olyphant's mother and friend of the family.  

Spider-Man! Spider-Man! Does Whatever...Damn This is Long...

When The Amazing Spider-Man came out in 2012, I didn't really respond to the webslinging reboot.  Did I have a problem with it?  Not necessarily, but there was something about it that I didn't really like.  Maybe my allegiance to the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy was more deep rooted than I anticipated?  In any case, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 entertained me, but it just went on and on and on, and the big emotional punch at the end was the highlight of an overstuffed sequel.

Peter Parker (why hello Andrew Garfield) is still swinging from building to building as New York City's svelte-est superhero, but his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) skids in the first 20 minutes.  Peter feels conflicted about continuing to see Gwen after her father told Peter to "leave Gwen out of it."  You know, it was the man's last dying request, and now Peter is seeing the man everywhere.  Dennis Leary must be happy for that easy paycheck.  Needless to say, Peter and Gwen don't stay together very long.

During a high-speed chase early on in the film, Spider-Man saves the life of Max Dillon, an OsCorp Industries employee, played by Jamie Foxx.  From that moment on, the nebbish and dorky Dillon idolizes Spidey so much that he tells himself that they could be friends.  It's kind of like if Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle but waaaay off the deep end.  I dig it.  While doing some routine maintenance at OsCorp, Dillon falls into a tank of electric eels and he becomes a human generator called Electro.  The design of Electro is rather dazzling.  In a movie packed with visual effects, Electro's electric blue hues are gorgeous and unlike anything else that's in it.  

Meanwhile, Peter's childhood best friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), arrives back in town to visit his ill father, Norman (Chris Cooper).  Norman explains to Harry that his condition is hereditary, and Harry soon begins showing signs of the illness.  Harry discovers that he needs Spider-Man's blood to stop the disease from spreading further, but Peter is reluctant because he doesn't really know what his blood will do to Harry.  Meanwhile...again...it appears that Gwen might be moving to England for a scholarship.  

There's a lot in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  Lots of characters, lots of visual effects, lots of potential setup.  There is good as well, that's for sure.  It seems the sequel allows Peter to be more playful (especially in his showdowns with baddies), and the chemistry between Garfield and Stone is ridiculous.  DeHaan's Harry isn't vengeful rich boy but near-desperate unlucky fellow.  He's always a very welcome presence on screen, and his character has a malevolent foreshadowing surrounding him.  The gut-punching conclusion is my favorite part of the entire thing.  It was oddly beautiful and still sad.  

Enjoying a big, loud, summer blockbuster is one thing, but the running time is a but much.  I heard fanboys trumpeting this installment of Spider-Man as the best ever, but I still think Raimi's Spider-Man 2 was better.  There is a moment near the end where they could have left it off.  Peter and Gwen stand on top of a bridge in an embrace and Harry realizes (accepts?) his Green Goblin potential.  It may have been more of a whimper than a bang, but I would of preferred it maybe.  

It's very hard to generally please fanboys with comic book movies.  The history is vast, and opinions are loud.  For every single person that loved it is another person who thinks they got everything wrong.  As a Spidey novice, I marginally enjoyed myself, but it all seems a bit overblown.  Or maybe I am just missing the point.  

Screw Your Courage to MY Sticking Place. Macbeth Posters Drop.

Two posters for the upcoming Macbeth came out earlier today, and I am peeing my pants over them, of course.  Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard?  I have nothing more to say.

Attention Harry Potter Nerds! 'Fantastic Beasts' Gets a Release Date!

So if you've been having withdrawal from the Harry Potter universe (like myself), never fear!  The release date for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has just been announced.  The J.K. Rowling-penned adaptation will hit theaters on November 18, 2016.  On an slightly unrelated note, did anyone else love when the Potter movies came out in mid-November?  I always felt that Harry Potter and the winter season coincided very well together, so this release date makes me smile.

Set 70 years before the Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts follows Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who sets out to discover fascinating creates in uncharted terrain.  The short book reads as an encyclopedia (with a forward by Albus Dumbledore) of all the beasts Scamander encounters.  It's really cute, but it's a bit unclear how the movies will play out exactly.  

The series has yet to announce a director (or a director for the first installment), but may I suggest Guillermo del Toro?  Even if you had a problem with Hellboy or Pacific Rim, you have to admit, his work is staggeringly original.  Who do I have to call at Warner Bros.?  

Superhero Stud Update: Batman Gets a Suit, X-Men Gets a Gambit

Two pieces of superhero movie news was released today.  Zack Snyder teased only yesterday that he would reveal the Batmobile today, but instead he revealed The Dark Knight's ride and the first look of Ben Affleck in costume. 

It's a brooding shot.  It kind of looks like the Batman/Superman movie was shot in black and white, but we all know that wouldn't happen.  The Caped Crusader's ears are shorter than they were on the cowl of the Batsuit in the early 90's installments, but can we talk for a minute about Affleck's arms?  Affleck is a big guy (he stands at 6'3), but does anyone remember the backlash about how Affleck wouldn't be able to fill out the suit?  He seems to be all right in the chest and arm region, if you ask me.  

I never though I'd say this, but I'm excited for a Zack Snyder movie.  

I was yelled at during lunch today when I got excited over the news of Channing Tatum being officially cast as Gambit.  Director Bryan Singer mentioned that he would like to fit the fan favorite into 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, and producer Lauren Shuler Donner basically confirmed that Tatum has been cast.  

Taylor Kitsch played Gambit in the much-maligned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Tatum seems to be bigger than one would imagine the Cajun charmer to be.  I don't care, obviously.  Glad my movie husband has job security.  I would watch Tatum swing his staff anytime.  

Calm Down, 'Alexander'; You Look Just Fine

It might be easy to judge the big screen version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but I actually think it looks kind of cute.  It's been years since I read the Judith Viorst, and I auditioned for a production of it in college.  I was determined to win the coveted title role of Alexander, but lost out to Jacob Isaac.  That bastard.  I can't pass a Barnes & Noble Jr. without spying the book and internally shaking my fist at him.  I would probably hate him if he wasn't adorable in the role.  Again, that bastard.  

The big screen adaptation stars Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner as the parents of four kids.  Alexander, one of their younger kids, seems to be a major klutz with a case of the awkwards.  His older brother teases him, and everyone in Alexander's family pretty much has it together.  In a reversal of misfortune, however, his family collectively experiences the worst day ever, and Alexander is the only one who really understands.  

Are you judging me for thinking this is kind of cute?  I just don't think there are very many movies out there for the entire family to go to.  Of course there are great animated feature films, but what was the last squeaky clean entertainment that an entire family could go to see?  Diary of a Wimpy Kid?  Cheaper by the Dozen?  Surely, there's something out there that I'm missing, but this looks harmless and fun.  I would prefer that my kids see this than another effing Transformers movie.  

You can take your kids to see some crappy animated movie or something with nothing but CGI.  And if I see Jacob Isaac in line, I will push him out of the way this time.  

Zack Snyder Teases with New Batmobile

Zack Snyder tweeted a picture of a covered up Batmobile from his upcoming Batman/Superman tentpole.  It kind of looks more like the Batmobile from the earlier Batman movies, but it has a bit of the Tumbler from the Christopher Nolan trilogy.  Snyder might unveil the new ride tomorrow:

Is everyone peeing themselves yet?

Reboots and Sequels and Headaches! Oh My!

Never thought you'd see these movies together, did you?

Remakes and sequels and "reboots" (man, I hate that word) are standard practices now.  If a movie is 20 years old and mildly successful, studios don't bat an eye to tell the same story again.  We've all, unfortunately, gotten used to this idea.  Some projects have been announced over the last few days have made me scratch my head.  

Rebel Wilson will be taking on the Goldie Hawn role in a remake of Private Benjamin.  Or a reboot...or kind of sequel.  In the original, Hawn played a woman who joined the Army after her husband (Albert Brooks) died during sex on their wedding night.  In the remake, Wilson will star as a redneck who "joins the Army to get out of a tough situation."  Great.  At least Wilson, an Australian, will get to play a white trash American!

The movie doesn't have a director yet (maybe it will just crawl away and die?), but may I make a suggestion?  Can Goldie Hawn come out of obscurity to play the Eileen Brennan role?  Perhaps she can show Wilson how it's really done?  I would pay to see that.

It's morphin' time!

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are getting a big screen reboot.  I was one of the pathetic kids in elementary school who loved MMPR, so this kind of excites me even though I only really watched the original episodes.  What cycle are they even on now?  Zeo?  Turbo?  In Space?  What the what is going on with Saturday morning entertainment these days?!

Lionsgate is behind the resurgence, so I can see them trying to make this edgy or young adult.  Too bad it's not based on a young adult fiction book, because MMPR would be set!  Imagine Shailene Woodley as the Pink Ranger!  That idea has probably already been thrown around.  

Can we just keep those original costumes?  Those deliciously 1990's lycra ensembles.  Can David Yost (the original Blue Ranger) be featured in the movie, please?  At least offer him a role as an apology for having been ostracized on the set of the original show.  Plus, he's all kinds of nerd dreamy, so you would be doing your gay core fans a major sold here.

Here's the real noodle scratcher of the day.  They are planning a sequel to last year's Spring Breakers.  I do....n't understaaaaaand.  Why would you make a sequel to that?  Are you trying to make a theatrical Girls Gone Wild?  I legitimately want to know.  Someone explain it to me!

Spring Breakers: The Second Coming will not feature the same cast (which included Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and James Franco), and it will focus on a new group of hardcore partiers who tango with an equally hardcore group of religious fanatics who are trying to convert them.  All right then.  Irvine Welsh will write the screenplay, and Jonas Akerland is set to direct.

Franco was originally down for a sequel, but it seems he isn't looking forward to the not-so-sequel, because it isn't being directed or guided by Breakers director Harmony Korine.  He took to his Instagram (what else) to vent his frustration, but, let's face it, we won't get another moment that's as weird and awesome as this:

Hate Thy 'Neighbors'?

Opening a movie with Seth Rogen in a sex scene is a ballsy move.  It was the most jarring introductory humping image since Philip Seymour Hoffman was banging away in the beginning of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.  Now, Neighbors, a raucous frat comedy, is not a Sidney Lumet crime drama, but it knows that it's doing.  

Rogen and Rose Byrne play Mac and Kelly Radner, a young couple who are still maneuvering parenthood.  They seem to be following the rules of life: get married, buy a house, and have a family--a traditional path that they are both anxious and wary to follow.  When the house next door goes up for sale, they keep their fingers crossed that the interracial, gay couple will liven their street.  They are more than concerned when the chiseled, rowdy boys of Delta Psi move in next door. 

Things start off cordially.  Mac and Kelly meet Teddy and Pete (Zac Efron and Dave Franco), the president and vice president of the fraternity.  They ask the college boys to make sure to keep it down, because they have a newborn daughter, and they seal the deal with some joints.  They party with their new neighbors--something they haven't done in years, and, quite frankly, can't handle--so they think everything is fine and dandy.  Maybe Mac and Kelly could handle partying like college kids every once and a while, but the boys of Delta Psi pretty much party every night.  Soon enough, the Radner's are at all out war with the hotties next door.  It seems that Mac and Kelly try everything: they call the cops, damage the house, and even try talking to the dean.

Neighbors sets itself up to just be a breezy, good time, but in the process it surprises us a bit.  Byrne isn't just a pretty wife to a schlubby husband.  She is just as committed to taking down the boys next door as Mac.  A thank you is in order to screenwriter Nicholas Stollar for not making Kelly hook up with one of the rowdy frat guys.  The friendship between Efron and Franco is quite bro-tastic, and its homoerotic undertones (it's there, don't deny it) will please some of the other interested audience members.  Teddy and Pete are two very different frat brothers, but when Efron and Franco go off on "brah" tangents, it's really funny.  

I'm very curious as to what Zac Efron is doing with his career.  After graduating from Disney Channel purgatory, he's worked with some risky directors (Lee Daniels), but he hasn't broken out as the major star someone predicted he'd be.  He's perfectly cast as Teddy, an immature, vengeful, perpetually shirtless frat boy.  Who is in charge of putting Efron in those pants, by the way?  Thank you costumer Leesa Evans.  You know what you did, and I've never been more jealous of someone in charge of dressing an actor in my life.  

Neighbors knows what it is and relishes it.  You want bawdy humor with hot shirtless guys?  Go ahead.  Pick up a Red Solo Cup.  

This Magazine Cover Exist...

...not just in my dreams anymore...

HBO's 'The Normal Heart' Covers EW

The Normal Heart will cover this week's Entertainment Weekly--not bad for an HBO drama about the beginnings of the AIDS crisis.  

It features stars Julia Roberts, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons, and Mark Ruffalo along with facts about the AIDS epidemic.  EW isn't particularly known for its serious covers, but this somber cover declares the HBO adaptation is the "most important, infuriating, heartbreaking movie of the year."  The issue hits newsstands on Friday.  

I personally am not familiar with the play, but I am very much looking forward to the film.  Even though I'm not a fan of Ryan Murphy, he has noted that this is a departure for him.  A few brief interviews with the actors popped up earlier this month as well (available below).  Check out the trailer one more time.

I Can't See Bruce Wayne's Parents Get Shot Again. Enough.

The trailer for Fox's new series Gotham dropped last night during 24: Live Another Day.  The ambitious prequel drama received a full season order for the fall, and the trailer gives us glimpses at some of the familiar characters from the Batman universe.  Not only do we get to see Ben McKenzie as  Detective John Gordon, but we get to see a young Bruce Wayne.  And Bruce Wayne sees his parents get shot.  Again.  

The death of Bruce's parents is integral to his story, yes.  You can't tell the story of Bruce Wayne and leave out the scene where his parents get shot.  But I am so sick of seeing it.  It feels like it's been dramatized to death, and the power of the scene is completely lost anymore. 

A young David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne

 Gotham isn't about Bruce Wayne becoming Batman.  Gordon is an idealistic detective who must navigate his way through Gotham's seedy underbelly, including mob bosses and burgeoning villains.  Kind of like Batman: The Middle School Years.

 

Taking such a well-known universe and turning it on its head is interesting.  I just wished they hadn't shown that sequence again.  I'm sure all the fanboys are going to yell at me, and they will tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about.  Oh well.