Thursday, May 1, 2014

Top Ten Movies to Look Out For: May 2014

10 – Stage Fright (May 9)


Director: Jerome Sable
Writer: Jerome Sable
Actors: Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith, Brandon Uranowitz, Minnie Driver, Meat Loaf
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Musical
Rated: R

Let me be blunt here. There are a huge amount of amazing movies coming out in May. In fact, I had trouble limiting myself to only ten. I could have reached twenty easily. Everything that made the cut did so for a reason.

Stage Fright didn't make the list because I think it's going to be the most amazing movie of the year, summer or even month. In fact, I'm not exactly sure it's going to be worth the paper it's written on. So why do I care?

Look at the genre. Comedy. Horror. Musical. That just spells gold for a corny b-horror fan.

It looks like Glee if Kurt Hummel were to lose his mind and start stabbing people during the chorus. That's good enough for me, but then you throw in Meat Loaf and I get all giddy. The last horror musical I saw HIM in was The Rocky Horror Picture Show and that became a cult legend.

My point is, don't sell this movie short. If it's done as well as it could be, there might be a cult following just waiting for it to exist.

9 – Godzilla (May 16)


Director: Gareth Edwards
Writer: Max Borenstein
Actors: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13

Alright. Here's the story. I've got no interest in Godzilla. If you've read far enough back in my blog, you'll know that's a little weird. I love creature features. Hell, my favorite guilty-pleasure movie is Jurassic Park. I used to watch it on repeat when I was on a deadline in college. It helped me concentrate.

Godzilla made the list solely because of the trailer. What I'm trying to do is ignore that this is a remake/reboot. Since the original, Godzilla has been given the same kind of respect that we tend to give cockroaches. However, this trailer doesn't look to bad.

Maybe this time, we'll get something decent out of the Godzilla franchise. Maybe it's just another crushed roach waiting to happen. I'm willing to give it a chance.

8 – Chef (May 9)


Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: Jon Favreau
Actors: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Emjay Anthony, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rated: R

I hadn't heard of this movie before I did the research for this list. When I saw the trailer, however, I was instantly hooked. You’d think it was because of Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. or Sofia Vergara, but you’d be wrong.

I found the story to be intriguing; a chef looking for a way to do what he loves on his own terms. It's got all the charm and appeal of a sports underdog story, while adding a fresh new twist.

Personally, I'm looking forward to it.

7 – Bad Johnson (May 2)


Director: Huck Botko
Writer: Jeff Tetreault
Actors: Cam Gigandet, Nick Thune, Jamie Chung, Kevin Miller, Katherine Cunningham
Genre: Comedy
Rated: R

When I saw the cover and the name of this movie I thought it was going to be nothing more than a ridiculous amount of dick and fart jokes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not positive that's not exactly what it's going to be. What made me care was that the storyline seemed to take those dick jokes to a deep place. Pun intended.

Simply put, I believe this movie is going to be hilarious.

6 – Walk of Shame (May 2)


Director: Steven Brill
Writer: Steven Brill
Actors: Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Bill Burr, Liz Carey, Ken Davitian, Willie Garson, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Oliver Hudson, Alphonso McAuley, Kevin Nealon, Tig Notaro, Ethan Suplee, Sarah Wright
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rated: R

Elizabeth Banks has my loyalty. I think she's a fantastic actress and she could pull off any role thrown at her. She's one of the underrated actresses that I think people are nuts to discount.

Not only would I watch this movie simply because Banks is in it, but it seems hilarious and, although it's reminiscent of The Hangover, it add various twists that make it feel less recipe and more inventive.

5 – Neighbors (May 9)


Director: Nicholas Stoller
Writer: Andrew Cohen, Brendan O’Brien
Actors: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco
Genre: Comedy
Rated: R

Two actors that I love are in this movie, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco. After This is the End, I'm fairly certain I would follow Seth Rogen into the unnecessary sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire if I had to. Dave Franco is twenty times more underrated than Elizabeth Banks, and yet I think he's better than his brother by far. It's unfortunate that he gets type-cast.

Neighbors is going to be chaotic and hilarious and gross. I can't wait.

4 – Belle (May 2)


Director: Amma Asante
Writer: Misan Sagay
Actors: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Wilton, Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton, Matthew Goode
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rated: PG

Shocked to see a true-blue drama up here? So am I. I don't usually get into the period-piece, drama, romance thing. I like action. I like explosions. I like dick jokes. I'd rather watch Clerks than any drama that won any award in the history of time.

The truth is, I'm not sure what drew me in to this movie. Something about the trailer just took my breath away. I want to see it. Hell, I want to pay money to see it. Maybe it's because of the way it touches on equality, a cause that's very dear to my heart. I wish I could tell you.

Whatever the reason, Belle looks absolutely amazing.

3 – X-men: Days of Future Past (May 23)


Director: Bryan Singer
Writer: Simon Kinberg
Actors: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Elliot Page, Shawn Ashmore, Peter Dinklage, Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore, Fan Bingbing, Boo Boo Stewart, Adan Canto, Evan Peters, Josh Helman, Lucas Till, Evan Jonigkeit
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rated: PG-13

It's MARVEL. What other reason do I need?

Do yourself a favor, don't be an idiot. Stay until after the credits. Marvel ALWAYS has scenes after the credits and they're ALWAYS important to the big picture. Whenever I go to see a Marvel movie in the theaters, I count the idiots that walk out and miss the rest of the ending. If you're going to shell out twelve bucks to see a movie, maybe you should watch the whole thing.

2 – Maleficent (May 30)


Director: Robert Stromberg
Writer: Linda Woolverton
Actors: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rated: PG

This movie came on my radar during casting. The moment I heard Angelina Jolie was going to play Maleficent, I knew I had to see it. I'm a fairy-tale, Disney junkie. I LOVE this kind of movie. I love Maleficent even more because it's from the eyes of the villain. How cool is that?

After seeing the trailer, I became even more gung-ho about getting to see this in theaters. Jolie looks insanely good for her part. The take on the fairies is fascinating and even the curse with the spindle needle took on a new and fascinating tone.

I'm looking forward to seeing if Disney will have us sympathizing with Maleficent or if we'll still view her as a cold-hearted villain in the end.

1 – A Million Ways to Die in the West (May 30)


Director: Seth MacFarlane
Writer: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Sulkin, Wellesley Wild
Actors: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Sara Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris
Genre: Comedy, Western
Rated: R

Forget the movie. I could watch the trailer about a hundred times without getting bored.

Seth MacFarlane is incredible, if you like his brand of comedy. I do. A lot. When you add in the star-studded cast set to be in A Million Ways to Die in the West and I can't imagine how this movie could go bad.

If the only great parts in this movie are what we see in the trailer, it's still going to be worth watching, just to put it into context.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Super Capers (2008)


Number Rolled: 3
Movie Name/Year: Super Capers (2008)
Genre: Comedy
Length: 93 minutes
Rating: PG
Director: Ray Griggs
Writer: Ray Griggs
Actors: Justin Whalin, Michael Rooker, Ryan McPartlin, Sam Lloyd, Danielle Harris, Ray Griggs, Doug Jones, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Jon Polito, Christine Lakin, Oliver Muirhead, Tommy Lister, Clint Howard, Adam West, June Lockhart, Taylor Negron, Tom Sizemore, Pancho Moler, Bobby Jones, Chris Owen, Pat Crawford Brown, Beverly Long, Eva Marcille, Gary Sievers

Ed Gruberman is a wannabe superhero who gets in trouble for trying to live up to his costume. The judge sentences him to a fine and to train with a team of superheroes. Ed is thrilled with the turn of events and gets to begin his new life as Gruber-man.

I really, really, really wanted to adore this movie. It almost had the charm of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, but it just misses the mark by an inch. It starts as amusing low-budget superhero high jinks and slowly, over the course of the first half hour, become a nearly unbearable regurgitation of every geek and semi-geek movie that has ever existed.

The parts that emulated Star Wars were particularly out of place and painful to watch. That’s coming from someone who loved Spaceballs.

Super Capers wasn’t all bad. It was cool to see Michael Rooker in this kind of comedy, and the cameo of Adam West was pretty funny. I also kind of liked the main character. I think if a different storyline and better jokes surrounded him, the movie would have been much better.

If you’re in the mood for constant mediocre references with no new material and a mildly amusing cast of characters, Super Capers is definitely for you.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 0% (Not none, there are reviews for it, it legitimately has a 0%)
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 13%

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 2.3/5
Trust-the-Dice Score2/5

P.S. The full title is Super Capers: The Origins of Ed and the Missing Bullion, but it’s listed on Netflix as simply Super Capers.

P.S.x2. Not only is there a scene after the credits, but the credits themselves are the absolute funniest and most worth watching for any movie I’ve ever seen. There’s even a recipe hidden within them! If you don’t want to watch the rest of the movie, that’s fine. Watch the credits.

Movie Trailer: