Random Bits From The Week That Was...

It's that time again... Friday! So, you know what that means... my thoughts on the bits that I was too lazy to write about, or you know, didn't actually require a full post...

Couple of Surprises At The Weekend Box Office...

So, it turns out that people were really looking forward to 22 Jump Street. The sequel landed at the number one spot at the box office this past weekend, pulling in $57.1M. How To Train Your Dragon 2 debuted at number 2 with $49.5M. I found this a bit of a surprise, as family movies usually kill at the box office, and HTTYD2 is a spectacular film. I guess the bromance between Hill and Tatum was enough to draw the adults to the R-rated flick. Maleficent is holding strong in the number 3 spot with $18.5M, it's 3 week total now at $163M. Edge of Tomorrow, due to great word of mouth no doubt, was in the number 4 spot with $16.5M and The Fault In Our Stars sank like a stone to land in the number 5 spot with $14.8M, down about 70% from it's opening weekend. While I caught the film last weekend, and enjoyed it, I was the only one in the theatre on Sunday afternoon... literally. It was just me, all by my lonesome self, which was kind of weird, but whatever. I guess the films audience flocked to it in it's opening weekend, and without a great deal of re-watchability, the numbers definitely reflected that. It was also fantastic to see Edge of Tomorrow holding it's own in this busy summer season, as the film is fantastic. With not much competition opening this coming weekend, I am interested to see how the numbers for all of these films play out.


Final Trailer For Apes On Horses Debuts...

20th Century Fox has released what it is referring to as the final trailer for the upcoming Dawn of the Planet of The Apes, and holy crap, is it amazing. The trailer is a great mix of footage we've already seen, and a touch of new, just enough to offer the perfect amount of interest and excitement. I am so looking forward to this film, it's not even funny. The first one was so amazing, that if this one even comes close to being as good, we're in for a serious treat. I'll definitely be checking this one out on opening night.


Dr. Strange Finds It's Scribe...

Hot on the heels of the news that Scott Derrickson would be directing Marvel's Dr. Strange movie, the studio announced that Prometheus writer, John Spaihts is in talks to pen the script. While I admit, I have not seen Prometheus yet, so I therefore cannot have an opinion one way or another about that film, I do find this news very intriguing. By getting Derrickson and Spaihts to helm this project (if that's the way that this all eventually turns out, mind you), it appears that Marvel is interested in taking this project in a new, and exciting direction. Dr. Strange is a dark and twisted character, and it looks like Marvel is wanting to keep it that way. All I can say is, I'm in! In Feige, I trust.


Marvel Drops A Second International Trailer For Guardians...

The studio released a new, international trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy earlier this week and all I can say is, it's absolutely stunning. Going for a slightly more dramatic feel, this trailer shows off some of the depth that I think the movie will be bringing to the big screen when it's released in August. While I enjoyed the first two trailers, they were mostly focused on the comedic aspects of the film, which I think was a little off-putting to some people. This trailer shows that, like the other properties in the MCU, this one should also be a nice mix of comedy, action and drama. I am highly anticipating this film and cannot wait for it to be released in a few weeks.


And Then There Was Aquaman...

So, it is being reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Jason Momoa is confirmed as Aquaman for the upcoming Justice League film  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film, slated for release on May 6, 2016. While Momoa wouldn't be my first choice for the normally blonde superhero, I understand Warner Brothers motivation. Aquaman has always been the Justice League character that has been ridiculed and scoffed at, so I understand the need to hire an imposing presence to play the character. And Momoa definitely fits the bill. While I'm still not completely sold on this film and what exactly it's going to be, I am intrigued to see the final product. One of two things is going to happen: either the film will be great, like the recently released Days of Future Past, or it will be a train-wreck of epic proportions like The Amazing Spiderman 2. I guess we'll see...


Next Bourne Film Pushed Back A Year...      

Universal has pushed it's next movie in the Bourne Franchise back to July 15, 2016 in order to make room for their upcoming N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, which is moving into the August 14, 2015 date. Rumours are swirling, however, that the studio has ulterior motives for the move. According to Latino-Review (via Schmoes Know), the real reason for the push-back is so that the studio can get Matt Damon back in the fold of the franchise. Damon has had a couple of so-so performances at the box office recently, and his return to the franchise might be what he needs to turn things around. I like this news, as I think that the Bourne Legacy did a great job of expanding the universe and it would be amazing to see Aaron Cross and Jason Bourne on the big screen together, kicking ass and taking names.


Don't Worry! The Batman Is, Apparently, On His Way...

When Nikki Finke's supposed scoop broke about the upcoming slate of DC films going to be released by Warner Brothers over the next few years, one of the things that stood out to me the most was the fact that there was no solo Batman flick listed. Fear not, fans of the Caped Crusader! According to Latino-Review (again, via Schmoes Know, because if you haven't guessed by now, that's where all of my movie news comes from!), Warner Brothers has slated a new Batman stand-alone film for release in 2019. As I speculated in my article about Finke's scoop, the delay is most likely due to Affleck's busy schedule. He is currently filming BvS, which will then lead into the Justice League film. That gives him late 2015/early 2016 to direct his next project, the gangster flick Live By Night, before he has to don the cape and cowl once again. It will be interesting to see if the WB hands the directorial reigns to him for the Batman project as well, although I would think it would be a no brainer on their part. You don't have a guy with Affleck's talents in your back pocket and not use him to his full potential. 

Random Bits From The Week That Was...

So, here we are again. Friday. That glorious day at the end of the week. That means it's also time to wrap up the bits and pieces that came out over the last 7 days or so. Here's my take on the bits of news I was too lazy to write about earlier...


Could Tom Cruise Wrestle The Box Office Title Away From Shailene Woodley?

The answer is a resounding no! The Fault In Our Stars was the number one movie at the box office last weekend, crushing the competition with a $48M domestically in it's opening weekend. Maleficent was in the number two spot, bringing in $34.3M in it's second week, followed by Edge of Tomorrow with $28.8M in it's first weekend out. While I'm glad that the female led, and driven FIOS did so well (I still have yet to check it out), I am disappointed that EoT didn't have a better opening. It is a spectacular sci-fi movie, driven by a horrendous marketing campaign, that deserved way better than it got. It's interesting to note that the Angelina Jolie led Maleficent came in strong in the number two spot. Never count out the ability of a family friendly flick to wreak havoc with the box office predictions. I'm betting that How To Train Your Dragon 2 takes the number one spot this weekend.


Ant-Man, FINALLY, Has A Director...

After the whole debacle with Edgar Wright, and the oh, we've hired Adam McKay... oh wait, sorry, not going to work out thing, Marvel has finally hired a new director to helm it's Ant-Man project, still set for release July 17, 2015. Peyton Reed, the director of Yes Man and The Break Up will now helm the project. Given that filming was supposed to begin this week I believe, it took them long enough. While, overall I have no issue with Reed, as he's a competent director, this hiring still concerns me. While I trust Marvel, as they have yet to lead me astray with their properties, the fact that their focus has been on very comedic directors is alarming. The beauty of Wright was the fact that while he was comedic, he was also kind of quirky, giving the hope of an interesting take on the character. The idea that Marvel was hell-bent on replacing him with a director who's main focus was comedy sent up a couple of red flags in regards to this Ant-Man project. Of course, the same thing could be said about Joe and Anthony Russo, who before Captain America: The Winter Soldier, were best know for directing the television shows Community and Arrested Development. And we all know how that turned out. The Winter Soldier is arguably the best Marvel movie to date. So, I'll trust in Feige and wait to see how this goes.


Has Marvel Found It's Steven Strange?

Technically, no, but that hasn't stopped the rumour mill from churning. When it was announced last week that Scott Derrickson would be helming the film of the Sorcerer Supreme, this was the first real confirmation that Dr. Strange would actually be a part of Marvel's Phase 3 plans. So, of course, speculation began as to who would be cast as Steven Strange. The first rumour out of the gate was Jared Leto. While he wouldn't have been my first choice, I would have been okay with it. Now, it appears the Marvel's short list is down to two: Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. While I am okay with either of these guys, my preference would be towards Hardy. Having just finished watching Locke, I've got to say, the guy is amazing. While Cumberbatch is also good, with serious geek cred, for some reason, I just don't see it. Not that I would be disappointed, if tomorrow, Marvel said Cumberbatch is our guy, I would just prefer they went with Hardy. Now, the question that remains to be seen is, are either of these guys willing to sign on long term with Marvel? I guess we'll wait and see.


Del Toro Calls It Quits On The Beast...

Citing scheduling conflicts, Guillermo Del Toro has dropped out of directing his live action telling of the classic tale Beauty And The Beast. In development since 2012, Emma Watson is slated to star in the film as Belle. Del Toro will, however, remain on as a producer of the film, alongside Denise DiNovi. Although disappointing, it's not all that surprising, given the fact that he always has a huge number of projects on the go at any one time. This has led to speculation that he may have dropped this project to focus on a Pacific Rim sequel, as he did state earlier in the week that he was working very hard on a script with Zack Penn. While Legendary has yet to actually green-light a sequel, according to Del Toro, he and Penn are proceeding like the film is actually happening. Now, if he would only put this much effort into a Hellboy 3, I'd be one happy camper.


Gamers United In Los Angeles This Week...

The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo happened in LA this week, and lots of exciting news and trailers for some awesome games have been released. While I'm not a hard-core gamer by any means, there were a few titles that caught my eye. The trailer for Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor looks amazing, and you have my attention anytime you mention Middle Earth. I enjoy War in The North, so am looking forward to this one. The other one that intrigues me is the Batman: Arkham Knight trailer. I am also in anytime you say superhero, and have tested my prowess as Batman, with Arkham Asylum. For all the other E3 news and trailers, check out the the gaming page from the guys at schmoesknow.com who have got you covered.


New Trailer For Laika's The Boxtrolls Drops...

Holy cow, animation is sure kicking ass these days! The first trailer for Laika's upcoming stop-motion flick The Boxtrolls dropped this week, and boy, does it look charming. The masters behind ParaNorman and Coraline will be bringing The Boxtrolls to life on September 26, 2014, and I honestly can't wait. While I get that stop-motion animation isn't for everyone, I personally love the medium and don't think that it gets nearly enough love and support. This film looks charming and fun and I think that 2014 is going to be a banner year for animation, with the likes of The Lego Movie, How To Train Your Dragon 2, The Boxtrolls, Big Hero 6 and The Book of Life all being released.


A Dame To Kill For Kills It...

A new trailer for Sin City: A Dame To Kill For dropped this week, and boy is it a doozy. Now, I will admit, I have never seen the first Sin City film, but if this trailer is anything to go by, I will be checking it out soon, so that I can catch this flick in theatres. Opening August 22, 2014, the movie is a sequel to the 2005 film Sin City and is primarily based on the second graphic novel in the series by Frank Miller. This trailer looks fantastic and I am intrigued about this world. I'll let you know what I think after I've checked it out.


And The Most Watched Shows In The World Are...

Earlier this week, at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, NCIS took the International Television Audience Award for Drama, meaning it is the highest rated drama series worldwide. The show won with a global audience of 57.6 million viewers in 66 different countries. The winners for Comedy were Modern Family and in the Soap Opera category, The Bold and The Beautiful took the crown. While I don't watch either NCIS, which is also the most watched show in North America, or The Bold and The Beautiful, I do enjoy Modern Family. It's interesting to see how closely the worldwide audience is tied to the North American one.


Daredevil Has Found It's Kingpin...

On the heels that Charlie Cox would be portraying Matt Murdoch in the upcoming Marvel Netflix series Daredevil, word came down that Hell's Kitchen had also found it's Kingpin. In keeping with their interesting casting choices of late, Marvel announced that Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, would be played by Vincent D'Onofrio. I will admit, this casting is amazing. D'Onofrio is an excellent actor, who does dark and fearsome like no other. This Netflix project is looking more and more interesting, and I for one, can't wait to see it.


       

Random Bits From The Week That Was....

So, here we are again... Friday... and it's time for my thoughts on the bits and pieces of news that came out over the last week, that I was too lazy to blog about, or they just didn't warrant a full post. Enjoy....


Star Wars Finds Some Females...

Earlier this week it was confirmed that Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie will be joining the cast of the next Star Wars movie. This is fantastic news, as these ladies are top notch actresses, and this bit of casting news should quiet all of those that were complaining that the cast was very "male-centric." While I'm glad that it looks like there will be some strong female characters in the new trilogy, the lack of estrogen of the original announcement didn't bother me. I trust JJ Abrams and if in his new Star Wars trilogy, some weird virus wiped all the females off the face of the galaxy, then so be it. I'm just excited to be getting new movies from the universe.


Ant-Man Finds A New Director... Oh, Wait... Never Mind...

So, after the whole "creative differences" exit of Edgar Wright last week, speculation has run rampant on who would take over the next Marvel franchise. The short list of directors that was going around was interesting, albeit a little bizarre. Word did come out that Stepbrothers and Anchorman director, Adam McKay, had been hired, but that was quickly shut down, when it was revealed that he had actually turned the project down. While he wasn't my first choice to direct this project, I find it interesting that there was something about it that he obviously didn't like. The concern that I have, besides the fact that as of today, there is still no one attached to direct this project, is that the directors that Marvel is looking at seem to be very heavily focused on comedy. While I know that there are some comedic elements to the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, up until now, they have been well balanced within the story. This full-on comedic approach worries me a bit, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.


But, Apparently, Dr. Strange Is Good To Go...

So, while Marvel is busy scrambling to get Ant-Man on track and ready for it's release date a little over 13 months from now, they are already moving on with their next project. Word was released this week that Sinister director, Scott Derrickson, will be helming the film based on the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Steven Strange. Expected to be either their second release in 2016 or the early release in 2017, it will be a true departure for the studio, given that his story revolves around magic and mysticism. The choice of Derrickson is interesting, given his horror genre background. It makes me think that this is going to be a darker story, with maybe a bit of a sinister tone to it. The only thing that's troubling is that the writers who have been hired to write the script, other credits include Kung-Fu Panda and Spongebob Square Pants. While I love the Kung-Fu Panda movies, I'm not exactly sure how that style will transfer to a Dr. Strange movie. It will be interesting to see what happens and what Derrickson ultimately does with this project.


Is X-Men: Apocalypse Stifling The X-Force Movie Over At Fox?

Tweet it, and the controversy will come. Earlier in the week, Rob Liefeld, creator of the X-Force comic over at Marvel, tweeted that the development of X-Men: Apocalypse has basically quashed any hope of an X-Force movie being released by Fox. While I'm not sure that it's quite as dire as that, I understand Fox's need to move on with their current franchise, striking while the iron is hot, or so they say. Within nine days of release, Days of Future Past became the highest grossing film in the franchise, so it's perfectly understandable for the studio to want to continue telling that story. In an attempt to build a cinematic universe, there has been talk that the studio is looking to do spin-off and stand-alone films, so I'm sure that the focus will roll back around the their X-Force property eventually. Unlike Sony, who only has Spiderman and his villains, the rights to X-Men encompass a number of characters and teams and Fox would be foolish to not explore all the avenues at their disposal.


Game Of Thrones Becomes HBO's Highest Rated Show, Ever...

Long live Westeros! HBO's Game Of Thrones officially surpassed The Sopranos as the channel's most watched series. Averaging 18.4 million viewers this season, the audience for the show just continues to build. (Last season averaged 14.4 million viewers). Based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, the cable giant is just about to wrap the shows fourth season. While I admit that I have yet to watch the show, I have read all of the novels, so when I hear about the goings on in Westeros, I understand the context. It is my goal to binge watch Games of Thrones this summer, so I will keep you posted as to how that goes! :)


Bad News For The Wachowski Siblings....

Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures have more or less pulled the plug on the Wachowski's latest project, Jupiter Ascending. Originally set for release on July 18th, they have pushed the film, which stars Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, to the no-man's land of February, where movies go to die. Although no official word has been released in regards to the move, it can't be good news. There is only one reason that a studio pulls a big, action heavy flick out of a prime summer release slot, and that's because the movie is crap. While I was interested to see this film, I still had a bit of apprehension in regards to it, as I find the Wachowski's pretty hit or miss. It looks like my gut feelings might have been right on the money. Rumour has it that the $150M movie was tracking somewhere in the $25M range. Definitely not what the studio wants to see. It will be interesting to see if the move pays off, giving the flick the time and space it needs, and a lack of competition next winter. Only time will tell on this one.


And Another Director Is Headed To A Galaxy Far, Far Away...

Disney announced this week, following their announcement last week that Gareth Edwards would be directing a Star Wars spin-off film, that Josh Trank will also be directing one of their properties. Although no further details have been released, it is speculated that the Chronicle director will be helming a Han Solo film, with Edwards directing the much anticipated Boba Fett flick. Mark Reilly, the editor-in-chief over at www.schmoesknow.com wrote a fantastic article on this topic, which you can find here. It's an excellent read, written by a die-hard Star Wars fan, and I completely recommend checking it out. (And while you're there, check out some of the other cool things they've got going on!). I think that Trank will bring an interesting take to whatever story he is telling, and I really like his vision and style of film-making. I am curious to see what he brings to the table.


Is Marvel Really Trying To Sabotage The Properties That They No Longer Have Control Of?

An interesting tid-bit out of the interweb this week has Marvel sabotaging some of their own properties in a bid for dominance in the movie-sphere. Rumours are swirling that Marvel is using under-handed tactics to try and diminish the returns of their properties currently contracted out to other studios, which include the Fox owned The Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises. If they're to be believed, Marvel is in the process of cancelling it's Fantastic Four and Ultimate Fantastic Four comic series in an attempt to lower the profile of the franchise, before the movie hits theatres next summer. While it may very well be true that they are going to jostle their comic book titles around, to this nonsense about affecting the box office returns, I say, bologna. In the grand scheme of things, comic book readers represent a very infinitesimal fraction of the movie going public. The majority of movie goers have never even picked up a comic book, let alone read one, so this will have absolutely no impact on whether the movie is successful at all. I doubt very highly that the Marvel execs are sitting around their offices, trying to come up with ways to thwart the other studios anyway, as they are too busy counting their money and laying the ground work for world domination. It doesn't make any sense... but then again, conspiracy theories rarely do.