 Oh boy. I thought for sure there was no way that Todd Phillips was going to make another stinker sequel to his overrated yet entertaining original flick The Hangover, but lo and behold we have The Hangover Part III. To be fair, it’s a bit better than The Hangover Part II, but it would have been hard to be any worse than that one. Phillips again has made an unfunny “comedy” that coasts by on the goodwill that the initial installment of this franchise created. Audiences had fun with The Wolfpack, so now apparently whatever they do is supposedly hilarious, except nothing they’ve done of late is even remotely amusing. Everyone involved is just going through the motions, and while I expect better form director/co-writer Phillips, maybe it’s time for me not to anymore. He and co-writer Craig Mazin have pretty much stopped giving stars Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms anything interesting to do, so now that the shock value has worn off, you can really see just how lame a story is being told. There’s one giggle worthy moment in this movie, but it’s after the credits. When your film is supposed to be one of the premiere comedy offerings in the year and it’s nearly laugh free, that’s a problem.
Read more on The Hangover Part III (*½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: 2013 releases, Bradley Cooper, Craig Mazin, Ed Helms, franchise, John Goodman, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, sequel, The Hangover Part III, Todd Phillips, Zach Galifianakis
 With Star Trek into Darkness, director J.J. Abrams has not only made one of the most action packed Star Trek films to date, he’s also made the most compelling case yet for him to successfully cross over into the world of Star Wars. This is a space adventure, pure and simple, so Trekkies may take issue with certain things, though regular audiences members are likely in for a rollicking good time at the movies.
Abrams is his normally reliable self here, and if he shows some extra confidence behind the camera after a successful first time out with this franchise, so does the entire returning cast, as well as writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof. Armed with raised stakes and not having to waste time introducing all the characters, the minds behind this flick are able to drop you right into the thick of things and rarely put on the brakes. This is a pretty tense two hours and change, and I’d even make the argument that the film could stand to be a little longer. Though hardly perfect by any stretch, this is one of the most fun things I’ve seen in 2013 so far.
Read more on Star Trek into Darkness (***)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: 2013 releases, Alex Kurtzman, Alice Eve, Anton Yelchin, benedict cumberbatch, Bruce Greenwood, Chris Pine, Damon Lindelof, franchise, J.J. Abrams, John Cho, Karl Urban, Peter Weller, Roberto Orci, Simon Pegg, Star Trek Into Darkness, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana
 Is it just me, or have the folks behind the marketing of Star Trek Into Darkness been keeping us in the dark (no pun intended) a bit more than necessary? I know there’s been months of debate/mystery about whether or not anyone in this film happens to be named Khan, but lost in the shuffle has been much in the way of new looks at the flick. Well, that just changed, as we get some pretty juicy stuff here in this new trailer for the film. I like what I’m seeing, and if perhaps this won’t be quite as surprisingly good as the last installment, it does appear to be something very satisfying. Take a look below.
Read more on Full Trailer for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’…
 It’s no secret that I’m not wild about “The Hangover” films. The first one was an amusing but overrated diversion to me, and I really disliked the sequel intensely. Chief among my issues with that one was that it simply rehashed every moment of the first flick, to diminishing returns. This time around though for The Hangover Part III, Todd Phillips at least seems intent on mixing it up a little bit. This recent trailer for the film suggests some new developments and a slightly different adventure for the cast. I wouldn’t say that I’m hopefully about this one, but I’m at least not dreading it to the same degree. Take a gander below and see what you think…
Read more on ‘The Hangover Part III’ gets a New Trailer!…
Categories: Trailer Tags: 2013 releases, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, franchise, John Goodman, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, sequel, The Hangover Part III, Todd Phillips, trilogy, Zach Galifianakis
 I know that the title of the movie that I’m reviewing is A Good Day to Die Hard, but it actually took some convincing for me to actually believe that this was a part of the Die Hard franchise. Sure, Bruce Willis is in it, and he has the right name, but still…this is a stretch for me to accept. The John McClane we all know and love has become some senior citizen superhero, and while moments of this flick are entertaining, it just isn’t Die Hard. Director John Moore and writer Skip Woods (who previously had an uncredited hand in the penning of Live Free or Die Hard) are overly concerned with making this a loud and violent action movie that they completely disregard the whole point of having Willis become McClane again. I honestly believe that if you took the Die Hard names and connective tissue away and just left us with a generic shoot em up, it would have been a better sell. Everything about this is mediocre, but because of affection for the main character, it just winds up hurting all the more. The sequels have all been ridiculous in one way or another, but this one just up and takes the cake for stupidity.
Read more on A Good Day to Die Hard (**)…
 It’s hard for lightning to strike twice, let alone three times, but somehow the team of Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, and Richard Linklater have done just that with Before Midnight. Almost two decades since they first charmed audiences in Before Sunrise (1995) and nearly a full decade since they returned with the equally impressive sequel Before Sunset (2004), the trio are back and as good as ever.
Co-writer/director Richard Linklater is again content to sit back and let co-writers/stars Delpy and Hawke inhabit these characters. We’ve grown to love and care about them, something the team uses to their advantage in some really interesting ways this time around. As much as it’s a direct sequel, the most compatible film to this one might actually be the recent Judd Apatow flick This is 40. A movie about what happens when youthful love is replaced by something more complex; Before Midnight is a home run for all involved. Read more on SUNDANCE: Before Midnight (***½)…
 I have a confession to make. It may shock some, considering how I wind up seeing just about everything that comes out in a given year. Are you ready? Well, here it is. This is my first time watching any of documentarian Michael Apted’s Up series. This new installment ’56 Up’ is definitely an interesting entry point into the documentary franchise, as it’s self contained enough to remain fascinating. I’m not in love with it like many of my fellow critics are, but I’m fairly confident that a lot of that has to do with not having seen any of the prior installments. It’s a real credit to Apted’s skill as a filmmaker that an admittedly too long movie at almost two and a half hours only starts to wear on you near the end. That’s me though, and I know lots of people are absolutely captivated by this latest look at a group of average human beings. The documentary hit theaters last week, so this is a bit of a belated review (it honestly took me forever to pop in the screener I got), but better late than never, right? Regardless, anyone who likes this series will love this latest look at where these individuals are now.
Read more on 56 Up (***)…
 For a movie that arguably was originally intended to go direct to video, ‘Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning’ is weird. I mean, really weird. At times, the arty touches added by co-writer/director John Hyams suggest a strong future ahead for the filmmaker, but too often the feel like unnecessary excess on a movie that barely deserves it. This latest installment in a franchise I honestly was shocked still was putting out flicks is possibly their best one to date, but that’s certainly damning with faint praise. Hyams has an eye for violence and his homages to classic films, notably ‘Apocalypse Now’ add some variety to the proceedings, but it’s hard to argue that this is an especially “good” movie. Read more on Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (**)…
 After stumbling somewhat with ‘Quantum of Solace’, the Daniel Craig era of James Bond films has recovered spectacularly with ‘Skyfall’. Better even than ‘Casino Royale’, I’d actually wager that this could very well be the best Bond film ever. A phenomenally effective mix of old and new, this is exactly what I wanted out of 007. Credit is deserved all around for this success story, but chief among them has to be director Sam Mendes. The Oscar winner, along with his frequent DP Roger Deakins, has brought a beautiful visual style to this Bond flick. Armed with a strong screenplay from returning scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, along with newcomer John Logan, Mendes and company have given Craig an adventure that both points the spy in a number of new potential directions as well as honoring the past in a way that the franchise has never really done before. The end result is riveting, and easily one of the most satisfying films in the canon, along with one of the best films of the year too. ‘Skyfall’ opens on Friday and should be a massive success. It certainly deserves to be. The talk about a Best Picture nomination is a bit premature, but there’s no denying that this is a great movie.
Read more on Skyfall (***½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Ben Wishaw, Berenice Marlohe, Bond Week, Daniel Craig, franchise, James Bond, Javier Bardem, John Logan, judi dench, Naomie Harris, Neal Purvis, Ralph Fiennes, Robert Wade, Rory Kinnear, Sam Mendes, Skyfall
 I don’t know of a single person who was asking for a sequel to ‘Silent Hill’, but here we are anyway. True, that film was one of the better video game adaptations to reach the screen, but that’s damning with faint praise if there ever was such a thing. With ‘Silent Hill: Revelation’, the formula has changed to increase gore, decrease intelligence, and add 3D. Does that sound like a winning formula to you? If it somehow does, then you’re in luck. If however you have a bit more sense, then this is likely to be about as bad a time for you as it was for me. Obviously this isn’t designed to be great art, as evidenced by me being under Embargo until the day of release, but even for a quick Halloween money grab this is lacking. Writer/director Michael J. Bassett finally got his long delayed film ‘Solomon Kane’ into theaters recently, but if this is what he’s been up to of late, perhaps all of his future films should get shelved. There’s very little to like here. Now that ‘Silent Hill: Revelation’ is in theaters, you should skip it for your fright flick needs. Hell, even ‘Paranormal Activity 4′ is better, though ‘Sinister’ or ‘V/H/S’ are the options you should really be taking advantage of.
Read more on Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (*½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Carie-Ann Moss, Deborah Kara Unger, Early Review, franchise, Kit Harington, Malcolm McDowell, Martin Donovan, Michael J. Bassett, Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation
 Up until now, I’d been somewhat of a ‘Paranormal Activity’ apologist. I loved the first movie, enjoyed the second one a bit more than the average critic, and actually thought that the third one was a step up from the prior installment. Here, however, things take a deep turn downward. ‘Paranormal Activity 4′ is a limp sequel that really doesn’t have much going for it. The law of diminishing returns has finally struck the franchise started by Oren Peli and this film, directed by ‘Paranormal Activity 3′ helmers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman is easily the least frightening and weakest overall installment yet. Nothing really is added to the already minimal mythology of the films, while there’s barely any technological advancement as well. The main issue here though is that the movie just isn’t scary. These sort of flicks need some level of consistent terror to function, and all of the feelings of dread and anxiety that the last 3 films exhibited are out the door here. With the prior movies, you spent the quieter moments waiting for something bad to happen. Here, you’re just bored and slightly annoyed that your time is being wasted. ‘Paranormal Activity 4′ doesn’t deliver the goods and winds up being one the weaker found footage films to come along since the genre got a kick in the pants with the original installment of the Paranormal franchise.
Read more on Paranormal Activity 4 (**)…
 It seems that the franchise route is the one that’s most popular for this weekly part of 31 Days of Horror, so far be it from me to deviate from a well liked plan. This time around at The Awards Circuit I’m going with the ‘Final Destination’ franchise, or the ‘Final Destination’ pentalogy if you will. They are a group of 5 decent to subpar films that happen to contain some often spectacular deaths, notably the opening disaster sequences. I’ll be bringing those to you after the jump, and again…consider this very Not Safe For Work. These are a bit sillier than usual, but still rather gory, so take note of that. Enjoy the carnage below from each film in the ‘Final Destination’ franchise, all in one place this time for your convienence.
Read more on 31 Days of Horror: Terrible Tuesday Way to Die (Final Destination Franchise)…
 This part of the 31 Days of Horror series at The Awards Circuit won’t be for the faint of heart. This is going to be a weekly segment on the “best” horror movie deaths. To start of with a bang, so to speak, I’m opting to highlight a trap from each of the 7 Saw movies. Obviously, this is pretty gruesome stuff, but I figure go big or go home here, though there is a survivor or two to be found in the videos to follow. Yes, I’m a Saw apologist, but I won’t pretend that they’re high art or anything, and in the weeks to come I’ll try to go a little more upscale with my picks. Anyway, after the jump you can see a trap/death from each film in the franchise. Warning, they get progressively more violent, so consider this extremely Not Safe For Work. Also, there are spoilers to be found in terms of events in the franchise, but I’m not especially sure anyone care about that part of the scenes. If your stomach is strong enough, take a gander at these Terrible Tuesday Ways to Die below.
Read more on 31 Days of Horror: Terrible Tuesday Way to Die (SAW Franchise)…
 Most of the time when you’re dealing with the third film in a franchise, the easiest way to enjoy it is to have been a fan of the previous installments. In the unique case of ‘[REC]³ Génesis’ however, fans of the prior movies may not have nearly as good a time as others. The reason for this? Well, co-writer/director Paco Plaza has decided to go in a far different direction for his latest sequel, giving the flick a tone closer to horror comedies than I think anyone expects. He also makes a very unique decision in terms of the found footage aspect of the film, a hallmark of the franchise. Plaza has the format only utilized for roughly the first 15 or 20 minutes of the film (essentially just an extended prologue/setup for the action), then switching to a traditional filmmaking method, though it’s done in a way that winks and nods to the prior format. It’s something I don’t know that I’ve ever seen before, and it’s a choice I really admire, since it would have probably been easier to just keep plugging away like he did with ‘[REC]‘ and ‘[Rec] ²’ (which he co-directed with Jaume Balagueró). That all being said, it could potentially alienate fans of the series and overall this still isn’t a phenomenally effective movie, but it does enough interesting and meta things to keep it from being completely forgettable. It’s a step up from the last part of the trilogy, but it’s still not as scary as the original. Overall, it’s simply decent, which can sometimes be a compliment for the horror genre. In my eyes, it gets a recommendation, but with some strong caveats, so take those into account when deciding if the film is worth your time. It opens in September, so make a note of that.
Read more on [REC]³ Génesis (**½)…
 Many of us have been looking for a big film to begin eagerly anticipating now that ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is over and done with. Personally, now I’ve got it with the latest James Bond flick ‘Skyfall’. Today we have a new Full Trailer for the movie, and it’s pretty sweet (complete with a few Batman vibes, actually). It’s everything you’d like to see 007 doing, and then some. You can take a look at the Trailer after the jump, and get set to have a new adventure with Bond on November 9th, courtesy of director Sam Mendes (and of course with Daniel Craig still in the lead). Take a gander and enjoy…for me November can’t come soon enough. Behold it below.
Read more on Full Trailer for ‘Skyfall’…
 Against almost impossible hype, anticipation, and expectations, Christopher Nolan has managed to deliver not just the best Batman film to date, but also the best superhero film of all time with ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (while also once again elevating the playing field for what the genre can be at its pinnacle). In fact, I’d go so far as to argue it’s the best 3rd film of any series, and solidifies this franchise as the best of all time, in terms of pure filmmaking and quality. Both epic and intimate in scale, Nolan is working on a level I’ve never seen from him before. Everything before this for him has been leading up to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. The same goes for all the returning members of his cast, notably Christian Bale, who I feel gives us the definitive version of Bruce Wayne here, not to mention Batman. This is a brutal film about war, redemption, sacrifice, and a reflection of our current political climate, while still being a rousing and entertaining heroic adventure. It’s damn near perfect, and even more so than ‘The Dark Knight’, this is the film that the Academy should be nominating for Best Picture. Nolan deserves nods for his directing and screenplay duties (the way he uses the city of New York to stand in for Gotham City is stupendous, but I’ll get more into that triumphant decision in a bit) as well, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Quite simply, this is the best film of the year so far, and a surefire awards contender. Nominations obviously have more to do with just quality, but in that regard, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has that in spades. I had tears in my eyes during the final minutes, and I never expected that. Bravo Mr. Nolan…
Read more on The Dark Knight Rises (****)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Anne Hathaway, batman, Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, Early Review, franchise, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Oscar hopeful, sequel, the dark knight rises, Tom Hardy, trilogy
 I’ll be seeing ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ tomorrow, but late last night (3AM here on the East Coast, though it was midnight over in Hollywood when the embargo came down) the first critical response to Christopher Nolan’s conclusion to the Batman trilogy came in, and they’re about as enthusiastic as you’d expect. There are some mentions of small flaws, but for the most part just about everyone is raving about this flick. I wasn’t sure the anticipation level could rise (no pun intended) any higher than it’s already been at for what feels like months now, but this first batch of reviews has seemingly done that. I’ll be chiming in on Wednesday with my take on the film, as will Clayton, but for now you can see what some of my fellow critics are saying after the jump, and yes, I’ve made sure not to include any spoilers, so fear not. Behold the initial reactions below and let the countdown continue…
Read more on The first reviews for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ are in!…
 The Ice Age series of films is akin to that person who drifts in and out of your life from time to time and you are happy to initially see, but grow weary of very quickly. Those Scrat vignettes, common to the Ice Age franchise, where a wayward acorn consistently causes much pain and agony to a saber-toothed squirrel, have long outstayed their welcome, and yet with Ice Age: Continental Drift, we have the fourth theatrically released entry in this franchise. And not surprisingly, Ice Age: Continental Drift is, once again, a bland, mediocre, and uninspired mix of comedy, action, and youth-oriented humor and suspense. And yet, these films make money. Each film more than the previous one. I imagine audiences will come out in droves for this one as well.
The issue is not that Ice Age films are badly made below-the-line. Quite the contrary. The animation is crisp and innovative and the technical aspects of the films generate a pleasing aesthetic. These characters though, their stories and narratives, are simply, if not always, boring and unimaginative. With the inroads this franchise has made since its arrival in 2002, Manny the Mammoth (Ray Romano), his wife Ellie (Queen Latifah), Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo), Diego the Sabre-Toothed Cat (Denis Leary) should all be megastars like Shrek and Donkey, Woody and Buzz, or even those Madagascar Penguins. Honestly, do you know anyone clamoring for these characters to return? I know of no kids that have Ice Age merchandise or toys or even talk about these characters, leaving me to think that perhaps kids and families just sort of tolerate these films when they come along every few years, begrudgingly buying tickets as a stop-gap until the next family film event arrives at the multiplex.
Read more on Ice Age: Continental Drift (*½)…
 When it was announced that the character of Q would be returning to the James Bond franchise, I don’t think anyone especially minded (certainly not myself). Things were a bit more split though when Ben Wishaw was cast as the character. Personally, I never had an issue, but making the character so young didn’t sit well with some. Well, today you can see your first glance of Wishaw as Q, with the full image after the jump. I think he looks just fine, but time will tell I suppose. Check him out (with 007 in the background) below…
Read more on Here’s our first look at the new Q in ‘Skyfall’!…
 A popular rumor at the moment (oddly enough started by Warner Brothers head honcho Jeff Robinov) is that Christopher Nolan will be godfathering the inevitable reboot of his Batman franchise as well as possibly even having something to do with a ‘Justice League of America’ movie. He’s doing a similar thing with ‘Man of Steel’, so it wouldn’t be foreign territory for the man. The thing is, Nolan has no interest in doing anything like that. Entertainment Weekly is reporting here that the director has put the kibosh on all of that. You can see what he said after the jump, but it’s looking like a completely fresh take on the caped crusader is coming our way in a few years. Read on below for more…
Read more on Christopher Nolan wants nothing to do with a Batman reboot or a ‘Justice League’ film?…
 I love both of the ‘Ghostbusters’ films (obviously the first one more than the sequel), but the more I hear about Dan Aykroyd’s almost desperate attempts to make a third movie happen, the more I just want to use the Power Hour to hell him to “Stop Making It Happen”. It doesn’t seem to interest Bill Murray, and without him, what’s the point? Anyway, he originally had ‘Bad Teacher’ scribes Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (who also wrote for ‘The Office’ and ‘The Mind of the Married Man’ on TV, and unfortunately the movie ‘Year One’ as well) writing it, but now Variety is reporting here that Etan Cohen is the latest to take a shot at the flick. After the jump you can see his credits, but until this actually goes before cameras, I think we can safely assume it’s not going to actually happen. I don’t dislike his work, but I think he should be looking to make his mark elsewhere. The details on Cohen are below…
Read more on Etan Cohen is now trying to write the script for ‘Ghostbusters 3′?…
 The final book in all of the big franchises these days seems to be getting as much as possible milked out of them when they hit the big screen. Much like ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ did, and much like Twilight is doing with ‘Breaking Dawn’, studios are splitting these books up into 2 movies, and Collider is reporting here that Lionsgate is following the trend with their Hunger Games franchise. ‘Mockingjay’ will now be 2 flicks, and after the jump you can see when both of these films will be coming out. I’m not big on this type of move, but I certainly understand why it’s being done. The dates to mark down on your movie calendar can be found below…
Read more on Lionsgate is planning to split ‘Mockingjay’ up into 2 films……
 Believe it or not, the marketing push for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is at the tail end right about now. Warner Brothers has released countless Trailers, Posters, clips, and images, among other things, and just about all that’s left (besides our continuing 30 Days of Batman coverage, of course) is for the movie to just com out. Still, we have another Poster to show you today, and an IMAX one at that. It focuses on Bane, and you can see the whole thing after the jump. It’s pretty creepy, and I like it a lot. See if you agree with me below…
Read more on Here’s a new IMAX Poster for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’!…
 I freely admit that I don’t expect ‘Catching Fire’ to be nearly as good as ‘The Hunger Games’ (which pleasantly surprised me), but the recent casting news announced here by The Playlist has done a bit to move me in the right direction of not expecting a letdown. I’m still not a fan of Francis Lawrence in the director’s chair, but the additions of Philip Seymour Hoffman (which suggests there’s an interesting part to be played) and Jena Malone (who I adore and consider incredibly underrated as an actress) are ones I can easily applaud. Of course Jennifer Lawrence is still starring, and after the jump you can see who PSH and Malone are going to be playing as well. Take a look below…
Read more on Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jena Malone will be ‘Catching Fire’ next year!…
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