1- STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS: Yep, a new Star Wars films comes out in about a year. The first trailer already hit and while it's early of course it looks amazing. JJ Abrams has yet to make a great film but he's certainly capable of making a more entertaining one then any of the prequels. Plus...the old gang is back. One of the most anticipated films ever.
2- THE HATEFUL EIGHT: Quentin Tarantino's last film, Django Unchained, was mediocre. And certainly Tarantino will never make a film as good as Pulp Fiction again. But this one is intriguing; a dialogue-heavy Western about bounty hunters and a captured killer stuck at a trading post during a blizzard. The cast has Kurt Russel and Samuel L. Jackson among others.
3- SPECTRE: Sam Mendes is not a good Bond director (see Skyfall). But any new James Bond film is a welcome sight. This one stars Christoph Waltz and Batista as bad guys.
4- MAD MAX: FURY ROAD: Looks awesome. And George Miller always brings the crazy (see Babe: Pig in the City or any of the Mad Max films). Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron star.
5- CRIMSON PEAK: A Victorian horror film from Guillermo Del Toro. Yes.
6- UNTITLED CHRISTMAS EVE PROJECT: Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in a film co-written by Evan Goldberg about a gang of old friends seeking the ultimate NYC Christmas house party. Should be entertaining and hilarious, right?
7- BLACKHAT: Michael Mann is back, finally, with a computer-hacker/action picture. I love most of his films (Collateral was weak). His pictures are always the best looking around and they're visceral and exciting and raw. It comes out in a few weeks. A good start to the new year.
8- JURASSIC WORLD: Well this is basically the first Jurassic Park if the park was up and running. Chris Pratt stars. Colin Trevorrow, who directed the awesome Safety Not Guaranteed, is at the helm. Should, at the very least, be a fun summer romp.
9- THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2: Well it'll have more action then part one. It all ends here. Hopefully it'll hit all the right notes. And that last line of the book is right up there with, "Well, I'm back," from The Return of the King for most perfect end notes.
10- THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON: The first Avengers was loud and dumb but entertaining. This one features a killer robot. It'll make a billion dollars but at least with Joss Whedon in charge it'll be better than those Transformers films.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Thursday, January 1, 2015
THE 10 MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2014 REVISITED
1- SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR: There are only two sections of this film that are based on stories from Frank Miller's comic book and it shows. "A Dame to Kill For" is, really, the only watchable section of the film, an entertaining, vicious yarn. I guess they couldn't get Clive Owen to reprise his role? The rest of the film is an awful mess. Will Robert Rodriguez ever make another good film? Been awhile. *1/2 (out of ****)
2- THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: The best film I've seen from 2014 so far and Wes Anderson's best since Rushmore. It's so precise and intricate. The set design, the timing, the score, the acting...are all spot on. It's also stylish as all hell, sad, beautiful, whimsical, funny, and super-entertaining. A masterpiece. ****
3- INHERENT VICE: Hasn't come out in Philly yet.
4- UNDER THE SKIN: The trailer is awesome. The movie has some cool, bizarre shots to it but ultimately is just a head-scratching disappointment. The book, by Michel Faber, is better (and more coherent). *1/2
5- INTERSTELLAR: Unfortunately the two hour set-up leads us nowhere intriguing. The tidal wave planet is, realistically, the only good aspect of the film and that was given away in the trailers and is only ten minutes long. There's so much wrong with this film and so little right. The McCounaghey-trapped-behind-the- bookcase scene is definitely one of the worst and silliest things ever put on film. *1/2
6- THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN: It's the worst Hobbit film...but so was the third Lord of the Rings. There's a huge hour and a half chunk between action set pieces that is just total filler. But the action scenes are fun. **1/2
7- THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1: Read the review below. **1/2
8- THE RAID 2: The best action film since Hard Boiled. It's literally insane. ***
9- INTO THE WOODS: Haven't seen it yet.
10- GODZILLA: Okay...why is Godzilla a good guy? All I want is to see him destroy cities. Instead we got Godzilla fighting monsters and being a hero. There's some cool special f/x sequences but it's mostly a misfire. **
2- THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: The best film I've seen from 2014 so far and Wes Anderson's best since Rushmore. It's so precise and intricate. The set design, the timing, the score, the acting...are all spot on. It's also stylish as all hell, sad, beautiful, whimsical, funny, and super-entertaining. A masterpiece. ****
3- INHERENT VICE: Hasn't come out in Philly yet.
4- UNDER THE SKIN: The trailer is awesome. The movie has some cool, bizarre shots to it but ultimately is just a head-scratching disappointment. The book, by Michel Faber, is better (and more coherent). *1/2
5- INTERSTELLAR: Unfortunately the two hour set-up leads us nowhere intriguing. The tidal wave planet is, realistically, the only good aspect of the film and that was given away in the trailers and is only ten minutes long. There's so much wrong with this film and so little right. The McCounaghey-trapped-behind-the- bookcase scene is definitely one of the worst and silliest things ever put on film. *1/2
6- THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN: It's the worst Hobbit film...but so was the third Lord of the Rings. There's a huge hour and a half chunk between action set pieces that is just total filler. But the action scenes are fun. **1/2
7- THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1: Read the review below. **1/2
8- THE RAID 2: The best action film since Hard Boiled. It's literally insane. ***
9- INTO THE WOODS: Haven't seen it yet.
10- GODZILLA: Okay...why is Godzilla a good guy? All I want is to see him destroy cities. Instead we got Godzilla fighting monsters and being a hero. There's some cool special f/x sequences but it's mostly a misfire. **
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