The 91st Oscar nominations were announced this morning in a presentation by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We have the full list of all the most noteworthy people and films up for the coveted Academy Award.
Continue reading Check Out The 91st Academy Awards Nominations
There has been a lot of new movie trailers and teasers out in the last week, and we here at Grizzly Bomb want to make sure you’re all caught up with the latest ones. We got a couple of teasers for Brad Bird’s latest anticipated film Tomorrowland, Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper, as well as the latest trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and Will Smith’s new movie Focus. So let’s all sit back, fire up YouTube and get to watching some good videos.
First off is Tomorrowland starring George Clooney and Britt Robertson and c0-written by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Brad Bird. Not only has the movie been shrouded in secrecy since the genesis of the project, we’ve been getting teased here and there about its existence and connection to the Magic Kingdom attraction in Disney World. Well we finally got some answers with some publicity stills and a brand new teaser. Okay, we really didn’t get any answers at all, but I’m very intrigued. Having Brad Bird directing helps too seeing as he made a stellar transition from The Iron Giant and The Incredibles to live-action with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
So Britt Robertson discovers a pin that can transport her to another world and she sees on the horizon a futuristic city awaiting her. We also get a George Clooney voiceover and that’s pretty much it. Obviously the Disney part of it will factor in and that’s enough to sell me on it. The movie isn’t due until May 22nd, 2015 so I’m sure we’ll see more as times goes onward.
Next, we have Will Smith’s Focus. I love me some Will Smith, but the dude needs a good movie/hit. Focus could be that movie for him as he plays a con artist that recruits “intern” Margot Robbie (like you could forget her after The Wolf of Wall Street) and things obviously get complicated. The movie is written and directed by the duo of Glenn Ficara and John Requa (Bad Santa) so it’s got my attention.
The opening shot really sets the tone and piques your interest. Now, hopefully it won’t be some run of the mill con-man, con-woman, romantic tension filled thriller that seems way too predictable. I guess we’ll find out on February 27th, 2015 if Will Smith can recover some goodwill following After Earth.
Now we get to the movies that will see release this year and we’ll start with Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper. Based on the autobiography by Chris Kyle, this adaptation originally had Steven Spielberg set to direct before he bowed out for Clint Eastwood, and judging from the trailer below, we’re definitely going to be in good hands.
Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle and Sienna Miller plays his wife. Obviously from the movie, the tension is palpable as he has to make decisions to take out people, specifically women and children if they pose as a threat. Of course, these snap decisions have to be made on the spot, so just hearing the heartbeat as he decides whether or not he pulls the trigger is edge of your seat stuff. The movie will open on Christmas Day in selected cities for the award season push then go nationwide on January 16, 2014.
Last and most likely not least, is Christopher Nolan’s next big project, Interstellar. We’ve seen a few trailers already for the movie with the all-star cast that boasts the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain to name a few. We haven’t really gotten too many answers as to what the film is about, and this trailer seems to have peeled back a little bit of the curtain. The marketing of this reminds me of Inception, in that no one really knew what the movie was about until it finally came out. Hopefully this movie will be as impressive as Inception and the following trailer.
We know that the planet is dying and that McConaughey’s pilot is one of many tasked with trying to find hope for the remainder of the Earth’s population as they seem to slowly get engulfed by the dust bowl it has become. They have to go out of the galaxy to find a solution to Earth’s problem as he wrestles with the possibility of never seeing his children again. It seems to be a heavyweight of a movie and I’m sure will definitely be something to remember. The movie will get an early IMAX release for November 5th, 2014 before it rolls out nationwide on November 7th, 2014 for the rest of the masses.
With that, our movie trailers roundup has come to an end. Which ones are you most interested in? Which ones are going to get a pass? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook on our Grizzly Bomb page!
Images: Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures
There have been some major Marvel news coming out in the past few days that will greatly impact Phase 2 movie slate so let us get to it. First off, according to The Hollywood Reporter and several other news outlets, The Avengers sequel has found its main baddie. James Spader has been tapped to take on the all-star cast as the supervillain Ultron for the major Marvel movie of 2015.
James Spader has been seen recently in Lincoln, the Spielberg movie for which he got a ton of critical praise for. He’s also most known for his work on television, with the most recent gig being Blacklist on NBC. Granted, he was also on that one forgettable season of The Office as Robert California but we won’t let that get in the way of the excitement. I think he definitely has the gravitas and the acting chops to keep up with Robert Downey Jr. and his superhero squad so it’ll be interesting to see the chemistry between the heroes and villain and their back and forth.Ultron does hate the Avengers with the passion of a thousand burning suns so there should be some great back and forths on screen.
In the other big news, Marvel.com has officially named the voice actor for Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy. That happens to be recent Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper. Yep, that same dude from the Hangover movies and Silver Linings Playbook. He joins the ensemble cast that already boasts Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista to name a few.
It’s an interesting choice because Cooper has not done any voice acting before and there has been mixed reactions in the fanboy community as to whether he can pull it off. I like the choice because I do like Bradley Cooper and I think he should be able to pull off playing a military leader behind Star Lord and dish out some damage with his affinity for weapons. Again, it’s all contingent on how the movie looks, as well as his character, but I have faith in Marvel. Phase 2 should make for some interesting fun and their recent casting, for the most part, seems inspired. Recent actor choices have ranges from Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3, to Captain America: Winter Soldier getting Robert Redford to now Spader and Cooper joining the Marvel cinematic universe. Time will tell but I think it’s safe to say they know what they are doing at this point.
What do you guys think? Make sure you leave comments either down below or on the Facebook page and if you want, offer up some suggestions who you think it should be for these movies if you don’t agree with the choices. For those that don’t know yet, Guardians of the Galaxy will hit theaters August 1st, 2014 while Avengers: Age of Ultron hits on May 1st, 2015.
The first trailer for David O. Russell’s follow-up to Silver Linings Playbook has been released, giving a first look at the tremendous cast, 70’s flare, and somewhat atrocious hair cuts. Leading the film is Christian Bale (Dark Knight Trilogy) and Bradley Cooper (The Hangover Trilogy) as the former being a con man recruited to help the latter, an FBI agent. In addition to those two big names are Academy Award winners and ‘O. Russell’ alums, Jenifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) and Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II). But wait, there’s more well-known faces in Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Amy Adams (Man of Steel), and Louis C. K. (Blue Jasmine). Co-written by O. Russell, this seems to be a sure contender come next February. Keep your eyes peeled for this, and check out the trailer below.
Originally titled ‘American Bullshit’, the script made the blacklist (an unofficial list of the top un-produced scripts voted on by producers) in 2010, and was bought by Sony Pictures who lined up David O. Russell to direct. The story goes as follows, a fictional take on the 1970’s FBI sting operation know as Abscam that follows a con-man and an FBI agent as they try to turn the table on other cons, mobsters, and politicians in the area.
The film is due out December 13th, and if Columbia shelling out what ever insane amount for a Led Zeppelin song is telling, they are gonna spend as much as they can to market this film in the coming months.
The strongest part of the new Hangover III trailer is how heavily it focuses on Zach Galifianakis. I am pleasantly surprised with some of the new reveals. It would be too easy to create the same film for the third time. I am not saying this couldn’t still be the case, but I will admit that the third installment of the franchise has the opportunity to do something different. That is refreshing.
Even more entertaining, Part III seems to rely heavily on the Alan character. Considering the comedic genius of Zach Galifianakis, this will pay off in spades. Following the death of Alan’s dad, we can see that he has gone off the deep end. He no longer takes his prescribed medication, and his once tolerable antics are out of control. I loved the Tab commercial while burying his father. What can I say? Sex sells.
So it’s agreed that the Wolfpack needs to come together, and take Alan to a center where he can get the help that he needs. Then, all of a sudden, John Goodman shows up and demands they bring Mr. Chow to him. He keeps Doug as collateral, of course. The journey spans across several exotic locations so the boys can locate, kidnap, and return the elusive Chow. I wasn’t too excited at first, but I can honestly say that I am now. This new trailer has opened my eyes to the comedy trilogy.
This is Grizzly Bomb’s Trailer Round for April the 12th in the year of 2013…
[tabgroup][tab title=”The Hangover Part III”]
When you saw the first Hangover film, did you think it would make a great trilogy? Someone did. So here it is. The triumphant conclusion to the story that doesn’t appear to have an ending. You know it will be good when it returns back to where the first film has already been. Here we go again, again.
The Wolf Pack returns to Vegas on what appears to be a mission fulfilling the wishes of deceased father in law Sid Garner. Or, at least, that is what I believe the plot to be. The only thing confirmed from the trailer is that giraffe dismemberment is hilarious.
Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Melissa McCarthy, Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Chung, Justin Bartha, John Goodman, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, and Ed Helms.
Release Date: May 24, 2013
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Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) is an ex-criminal. But like father, like son. Go figure? His son ends up in the hospital after a heist gone wrong, and Sternwood has to get him out. So this should be the perfect opportunity for Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy) to put Sternwood behind bars for good. Wait, no. That would be too simple.They grab my interest when they attach the name Ridley Scott in the opening sequence. Does this mean it will be a great film? No. It just means they have my attention.
Director: Eran Creevy
Stars: James McAvoy, David Morrissey, Mark Strong, Andrea Riseborough, Jason Flemyng, Peter Mullan, Johnny Harris, and Elyes Gabel.
Release Date: March 15, 2013 UK
[/tab][tab title=”Somebody Up There Likes Me”]
This seems to be one of those dry indie comedies that I find difficult to relate to. Though it is considered a comedy, it has evident dark tones. That being the case, I wouldn’t expect our presented “protagonist” to advance or become any better by the films end. Therefore, with no relatable characters, I would fail to have my usual cathartic experience. This is often the case with dark comedies.
Why should you see it? Well, heck. It’s got Ron Swanson in it, now doesn’t it? Not really, but Nick Offerman is in his typical form which I am sure is quite entertaining. The more screen time he gets, the better this movie will be.
Director: Bob Byington
Stars: Nick Offerman, Keith Poulson, Jess Weixler, Stephanie Hunt, Marshall Bell, Kate Lyn Sheil, and Kevin Corrigan.
Release Date: March 8, 2013
[/tab][tab title=”Stuck In Love”]
This seems like an endearing little piece with a large cast that I very much enjoy. The trailer shows what appears to be a great representation of modern love in a divorced society. Selfishness motivates most of our decisions, and because of it, we let things go that we shouldn’t, and we give up on things that deserve our attention.Sometimes, it’s tragic how dependable we can be on other human beings. Love is the overpowering emotion that convinces us many times that the unreasonable is reasonable. I know this description seems complex, but it is all invoked from this trailer. So it seems like a pretty interesting movie.
Director: Josh Boone
Stars: Logan Lerman, Lily Collins, Jennifer Connelly, Kristen Bell, Stephen King, Greg Kinnear, Liana Liberato, Nat Wolff, Spencer Breslin, and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Release Date: June 14, 2013
[/tab][tab title=”White House Down”]
I feel like this movie will succeed. Hear me out. Everyone was a bit disappointed with the flat, explosion friendly Die Hard 5. They felt a little bit better when Olympus Has Fallen came out. They felt that their Die Hard void had been filled. So people will enter into the summer movie madness remembering that they enjoyed a film where the White House was under attack from foreign invaders.
So enter White House Down. It is very Red Dawn ish. Which, I love. It cannot be determined if the invaders are foreign or domestic, but judging upon the Lincoln quote, probably domestic. It’s like Red Dawn meets Die Hard 4.
Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Jason Clarke, Joey King, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkins, Rachelle Lefevre, and Jimmi Simpson.
Release Date: June 28, 2013
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A lot of people remember Dax Shepard as being that guy who was famous for a little while in the mid 2000s and then sort of fell off the wagon as far as being famous goes. I really don’t know why though. He’s talented, funny, and actually a talented actor. I think that both Without a Paddle and Employee of the Month, and even Let’s Go To Prison are all completely underrated comedies that really showed Shepard’s range as a comedian.
Anyway, after taking some time off from the limelight, Shepard is back with a hilarious trailer for his writing and directing debut. The film is called Hit & Run and it follows a former getaway driver nicknamed Charlie Bronson, who’s in witness protection, and his girlfriend (and real-life fiance), the always lovely Kristen Bell. After landing a dream job in LA, the two plan to make a trip out there, but Charlie’s past gets in the way. An old accomplice played by Bradley Cooper swoops in looking for money that Charlie owes him, explaining that he spent 8 months in prison for this money.
Now, Charlie has to find a way to get the money before things go really bad. Also in search of Charlie is a federal agent played by Tom Arnold who is in charge of keeping him safe at all costs. The whole thing amounts to what looks to be a wild and hilarious ride from the mind of one of the most undervalued comedians in Hollywood. The trailer itself is frenetic and chaotically funny as it goes from one wild scenario to the next. From Tom Arnold accidentally catapulting a bowling ball from his car, to the gang busting in on a hotel room full of naked old people, to seeing Bradley Cooper in a believable set of dreads, Hit & Run seems to have it all and then some.
Check out the trailer right here:
Booyah.
Garry Marshall, the director of 1990’s Pretty Woman, has become the official go to man for the “ensemble romance director revolving around a holiday”. In 2010, he released Valentine’s Day, a critically panned movie that follows about 12 couples preparing for everything going on during Valentine’s Day. As a sucker for romance regardless of the cheesiness, I’m a fan of Valentine’s Day only because it stars a surprising amount of my favorite actors, and manages to keep me entertained for its 125 minute running time, otherwise known as “bloated”. Now, his follow up, which is called New Year’s Eve, stars about half of the cast of Valentine’s Day, replacing the other half with equally as talented stars who probably needed a paycheck.
New Year’s Eve takes the word “cheesy” to a whole new plateau that I didn’t even think was attainable, but goddammit, I enjoyed it anyway. By incorporating what seemed like less storylines, New Year’s Eve manages to have a little more focus than its predecessor while still maintaining the choppiness that we’ve come to know and love from each and every plot. The stories are as cliché as ever, but come on, love is grand and we all want to see the happy couples inevitably make it through whatever they might be going through.
The writing is god awful, but I think that’s to be expected and really not worth commenting on since the reason you go see these movies isn’t believability, quality, or even the potential gem. No, it’s not happening, so get it out of your mind now. The sole purpose New Year’s Eve exists it to make money, and I’m okay with that, because I got my $7.50 worth of movie, and I really can’t complain about getting what I paid for can I?
This whole ensemble comedy romance thing was really catapulted with 2009’s He’s Just Not That Into You, which is by far the best and most coherent entry in this little “series”. Starring talent like Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Long, Scarlett Johansson, and many, many more, we as audiences saw that big name stars really can share the screen without trying to one-up each other. The film, which is based off of a self-help book, was a hit, a hit that inevitably lead to even more successful sequels that compromised quality for quantity.
Frankly, I don’t care why they make these movies, why they make them, who the demographic is, or whether or not they’re considered “good movies” or not. I like watching them because I get to see some of my favorite young, and even seasoned, professionals make absolute fools of themselves by spouting cringe-worthy dialogue and dishing out performances that are akin to a high school play. There’s a scene in New Year’s Eve involving Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, and Robert DeNiro. It’s the best acted scene in the entire movie, but it made me think how a collective 7 Oscars in one room can equate to a movie so gleefully awful, that you just have to see it.
It also seems like each of these movies gets less and less raunchy in its content. I swear, if it weren’t for one f-bomb in this entire movie, it probably would’ve been rated PG, which I’m not totally opposed to. It really is an innocent movie, which is kind of nice to witness. A romantic comedy that the whole family can enjoy, even those as young as 10 or 11. New Year’s Eve is on the safe side of PG-13, and hey, we all need a little bit of kid friendly movie-going in our lives.
New Year’s Eve is prime cheesiness, bearing no resemblance to what a human being would call realism. The acting is atrocious as is the writing, but you can’t help but be sucked in by the almost overamplified barrage of cliché, and the heartwarming scenes that may make you shed one little manly tear. It’s the perfect movie to see with a loved one on a rainy day, because you’ll walk out feeling great regardless.
3/5 Bears
The Crow is a movie that, like its protagonist, managed to find a second life for itself long after its release in 1994. It continues to hold a cult status today for its dark theme and pioneering of the gritty superhero story arc, but of course it bears even more recognition as the film which resulted in the tragic death of its lead, Brandon Lee.
Much like the recent passing of Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight (Nobody saw ‘Imaginarium‘ so it doesn’t count, before you jump down my throat), The Crow stands as the final showcase of Lee’s promising talent, so it carries an almost memorial-like status for fans. It’s a delicate thing to steamroll over, but that’s just what Relativity Media are trying to do.
In April, Relativity was interested in Bradley Cooper to star, but he had to drop out for ‘scheduling reasons’ and while the studio looked at replacing him with Channing Tatum or Mark Wahlberg, the project inevitably was put on hold (hopefully to beat the casting director with a chair), as quoted here by Hollywood Reporter:
“Bradley Cooper was to have played the title character but sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that he has now exited due to scheduling conflicts. Cooper has David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook shooting this fall and then dives straight into Legendary’s Paradise Lost, which shoots first quarter next year…the exact time Relativity plans on making the high-priority Crow […] But akin to the project’s rock musician who is killed and resurrected, two new names have surfaced as possible replacements: Channing Tatum and Mark Wahlberg.”
With Cooper out and director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo following suit, the production seems to be dead in the water, but we are now able to check out a slew of just-released concept art by Diego Latorre, courtesy Shock Till You Drop, which gives us a look at the general tone and direction the remake would have followed:
From Latorre himself: “‘The Crow’ images published are very early production sketches and are based in my own visual interpretation of the character and not necessarily in Apaches Entertainment and director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s vision.”
For all the concept art, click here. To reminisce on the days before they tried to give The Crow cornrows, click here.
About three years ago, I was watching the trailer for this movie and my initial reaction was “whatever”. Then the title of the movie was flashed on the screen – The Midnight Meat Train – it became a must see for me. Although the trailer itself seemed bland, I figured with a title like this, what would it be that would make this movie seem terrible. Oh, but when I actually watched it; there was nothing terrible about it at all.
Continue reading #4 – Countdown to Halloween: THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN
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