You have no idea the joy I expressed writing the title to this article.
Anyways, just when you think his family members can’t get kidnapped again, or that a security system could stop a random terrorist from breaking and entering, the Bryan Mills family just can’t seem to get it right in the new trailer for Taken 3, also known hilariously as Tak3n.
As you guessed, Bryan Mills is leading a happy life. His daughter is not in the sex trafficking trade anymore, his ex-wife finally rid herself of her captives and the thought that X-Men: The Last Stand was canon (thanks Bryan Singer for the Days of Future Past reboot!), but of course, happiness breeds complacency and we enter into an action packed sequel that is supposed to turn everything on its head. Watch the trailer because there are possible spoilers going forward and I’d hate to be the one to ruin it.
It’s that time of the year again as awards season kicks off so that Hollywood can pat itself on the back and let everyone know that their work is magical. Today’s announcement is for the 2014 Golden Globe Awards, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and there seems to be few surprises as most of the nominees were pretty much destined for their spots. Of course, the Golden Globe Awards always trend towards a few headscratchers and there are some to report as usual.
Starting off on the movies side, 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle are both tied for the lead with the most nominations in the film category with seven, including the best picture drama for 12 Years and best picture comedy (?) for Hustle. Chiwetel Ejiofor was nominated for Best Actor in a drama for his raw take in 12 Years. Other nominated actors include Idris Elba for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips, Robert Redford for All Is Lost and Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club. Looking at the Best Actress for a drama side, Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine and Sandra Bullock for Gravity headlines that list. Alexander Payne’s Nebraska is picking up heat as well with nominations for Best Picture for Musical or Comedy, Bruce Dern for Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for June Squibb.
If there were any sort of surprises, it’s that Lee Daniel’s The Butler scored exactly zero nominations. Of course, when compared to say, Rush, which scored the Best Drama nomination, it’s a bit of a surprise considering the amount of box office it did as well as the prestige behind the film. Apparently Oprah’s reach does not extend to the Hollywood Foreign Press. Another snub would be for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which seemed destined for a few nominations but Ben Stiller will have to see if Oscar shines on his picture later. Fruitvale Station and Michael B. Jordan also was left off the list after creating buzz earlier this year. Harrison Ford also did not get nominated for 42, as well as the late great James Gandolfini for his great role in Enough Said.
As for the television side, Game of Thrones gets robbed again. That could basically be the sum of it all because I don’t understand how a terrific show or just piece of media does not get nominated for its greatness. It’s baffling to me. However, for Best Television Drama, seeing House of Cards get nominated, along with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright for Best Actor and Actress respectively makes me happy. In fact, Netflix should be happy that they scored a nomination for Orange Is The New Black’s Taylor Schilling.
Masters of Sex seems to be the big winner as they scored a nomination for Best TV Series Drama and Lead Actor for Michael Sheen. Arrested Development, a favorite here in the Grizzly Bomb office, did not get a Best Comedy nomination but did score a Best Actor for Jason Bateman. Michael J. Fox also scored a Lead Actor nomination for his show and Brooklyn Nine-Nine scored a nomination for Best Comedy and Best Actor for Andy Samberg. As for the mini-series categories, American Horror Story: Asylum and Behind the Candelabra dominated those categories so no real surprises there.
As for the rest of the nominations, they are below for your enjoyment. Did your show or movie get snubbed? You can of course let us know your opinion in the comments below or on our Facebook page. The Golden Globe Awards are airing on January 12th, 2014 with the awesome host duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the helm returning to host.
Best motion picture, drama 12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush
Best Actor in a motion picture, drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor,12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All is Lost
Best Actress in a motion picture, drama
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Kate Winslet, Labor Day
Best Director – motion picture
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Spike Jonze, Her
Bob Nelson, Nebraska
Jeff Pope Steve, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell and Eric Singer Warren, American Hustle
Best motion picture, musical or comedy American Hustle Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix, Her
Best Animated Feature film The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film Blue Is The Warmest Color (France) The Great Beauty (Italy) The Hunt (Denmark) The Past (Iran) The Wind Rises (Japan)
Best supporting Actress in a motion picture
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Best supporting Actor in a motion picture
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Best Original Score – Motion Picture All Is Lost – Alex Ebert Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – Alex Heffes Gravity – Steven Price The Book Thief – John Williams 12 Years a Slave – Hans Zimmer
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Atlas,” The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
“Let It Go,” Frozen
“Ordinary Love,” Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
“Please Mr. Kennedy,” Inside Llewyn Davis
“Sweeter Than Fiction” One Chance
Best TV series, drama Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Masters of Sex
Best Actress in a TV series, drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist
Best TV Series, Comedy The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Girls
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Lena Dunham, Girls
Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Best Actor, TV Series Comedy
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Michael J. Fox, The Michael J. Fox Show
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Best TV Miniseries or Movie American Horror Story: Coven Behind the Candelabra
Dancing on the Edge
Top of the Lake
White Queen
Best Actress in a mini-series or TV movie
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
Rebecca Ferguson, The White Queen
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
Best Actor in a mini-series or TV movie
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge
Idris Elba, Luther
Al Pacino, Phil Spector
Best Supporting Actress in a series, mini-series, or TV movie
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge
Janet McTeer, The White Queen
Hayden Panettiere , Nashville
Monica Potter, Parenthood
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Best Supporting Actor in a series, mini-series or TV movie
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Rob Lowe, Behind the Candelabra
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Corey Stoll, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan
Now some people may say John Claude Van Damme is back, but for me he never left.
Much like his brother in arms (though they may not see it that way) Steven Segal, they have toiled their trade in the DTV market with varying results. They were both a huge part of the 80s/90s action genre and they both still entertain audiences today. But it is Van Damme on this occasion that is having a more main stream popularity surge. We had the incredible JCVD movie and then it all went quiet until TheExpendables2 with a very nice villain turn which he also used in the fantastically dark UniversalSoldierDayofReckoning movie. But strangely it is his comedic turn in the CoorsLight adverts which really grabbed people’s attention
Oh as well as the splits advert he recently did, showing off he still has the dexterity of his youth
This all culminated in WelcometotheJungle (not the Dwayne Johnson one) where Van Damme really gets to play in the comedy sand pit.
Here the premise is simple, preppy style office workers go on a retreat to chill out and learn combat skills from none other than Van Damme himself. See the trailer below and be prepared for maximum chuckles.
Storm Roughchild, man that’s an awesome name. The great thing about this movie is that Van Damme gently mocks his own self-image but still manages to come off as generally rock hard. The scene where Van Damme’s anguished fight moan goes on a little too long is genius. Some of the other comedy elements fall a bit flat to be honest, though the LordoftheFlies scene has promise.
That takes us to Van Damme’s return to his action roots with EnemiesCloser. Check out the trailer below…
With hair that Doc Brown would be jealous off and a relaxed approach to random killings Van Damme really shines in this trailer. Tom Everett Scott and Orlando Jones come out of this pretty good too, with some nice action scenes throughout the trailer, but it is once again Van Damme’s show. He gets some great action here, especially with him dressed in a Mountie uniform kicking ass and taking names. This film has a ‘Ten Little Indians’ feel to it with the two guys being hunted by Van Damme’s militant group. The thing I liked about Van Damme here is he plays a character very similar to the type of people he would normally be fighting against. The complete lack of interest in the deaths around him as well as the mad glint in his eye makes this all come together nicely.
Welcome to the Jungle and EnemiesCloser have a 2014 release date. With all this going on it looks like Van Damme is going to be a busy man and this reviewer cannot wait to see what he round house kicks our way in the future. Until then here are the posters for both movies to keep you going until 2014.
This past Sunday, an eagle-eyed Twitter user named Jeser Piedra snapped the following photo of a promo banner for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which depicts a much broader threat than Jamie Foxx‘s villain Electro:
Intriguingly, Foxx’s character, who has been touted about as the sequel’s primary villain, is pushed to the far right of the poster to share space with Rhino (Left) and an heretofore unmentioned Goblin villain (Center). As far as I can tell, this is the first official promo showing Rhino and the new Goblin in full view.
As expected, Rhino has been kept in line with the Ultimate Spider-Man series, opting for a man inside a mechanical suit rather than a giant grey Pachyderm with a human face. It’s a much better fit for the grounded movies and the design actually does look somewhat interesting.
The juicy part, however, is this new Goblin who hadn’t been officially confirmed as appearing in the second movie. While we’ve known Chris Cooper and Dane Dehaan would be playing Norman and Harry Osborn respectively, we’ve heard no mention of a Goblin transformation taking place so early in the new franchise. On top of that, a second Twitter user going by the handle Tupacca zoomed in and unveiled a closer look at the villain:
..And it’s pretty clearly not Chris Cooper on the glider. This would seem to indicate that Amazing Spider-Man 2 will do away with Norman’s role in the Goblin story and make Harry the Green Goblin from the beginning. It’s not much of a blasphemous change in my book, although it will be interesting to see how, if this is the case, they handle Harry’s evil motivations.
On another note it’s hard to tell from the grainy photo if this version of the Goblin succumbs to any real physical mutations, or, like the original film trilogy, it’ll just be a guy in a suit. Personally I thought Willem Dafoe’s Gobby was as good as you can do with the character in live-action, though I much prefer the flesh Goblin (New nickname for my junk!) from Spider-Man of yore. The image above also bears a striking resemblance to James Franco’s Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3, but again, I can’t think of how else you could handle the translation without it looking goofy. Although…
Finally, let’s go back to the character placement in the banner. Screen Crush makes a good point in directing attention to the tagline, “His Greatest Battle Begins”. The poster seems to be a pretty strong push toward the eventual Sinister Six, and with the success of Marvel’s team-ups and criss-crossing story lines we now know it can be done. However director Marc Webb’s biggest challenge will be continuing to attempt a believable interpretation of some of the most cheesy villains in all of comics. Spider-Man is a great character but for the most part, his villains are incredibly dumb — There’s a wonderful opportunity with Mysterio for some mind-bending, hallucinogenic inward-facing madness, but good luck to anyone trying to convince me to fear Kraven the Hunter.
So now two new trailers have arrived for the film which is fast becoming the bane of all pop culture fans everywhere. Yes you guessed it it’s the Robocop remake. Why do people hate this movie so much compared to other remakes? The lure of nostalgia is obviously strong and the fact the original movie is beloved by fans (because of its hard-hitting violence and social commentary means the new movie has very big expectations to live up to. As a Robocop fan myself I feel their pain, there have been too many sub standard remakes to make anyone think differently. But after seeing the first trailer a while ago it did peak my interest enough to not be to judgemental about it. This new trailer expands more on the information we saw in the first trailer. Watch it below and see what you think.
Some interesting things come out of this. We see a lot more emphasis on Alex Murphy as a family man and the problems caused with him now being a big old cyborg. Gary Oldman Doctor gets to show the more sensitive side of science here and he is engaging enough, while Joel Kinnaman as Murphy looks in this trailer a little bit of an under whelming screen presence. In his defence though aside from a few brief moments of confusion over his new form, he is mostly seen blowing stuff up which we see a fair bit off. ED 209 and the Robodrones cover the streets and some nice scenes of Robocop in training and jumping about on the street show the action is a lot more streamlined and (dare we say) Hollywood than the gritty original. The robots have a Battlestar Galactica feel to them which I am still not sure about, more exposure should confirm whether I like or dislike this style. The worry that the speed that the CGI scenes whiz by the viewer could easily turn this into another Transformers movie if all the film is constantly like this.
Let’s move on to the next trailer now and we notice a slightly different tone here. Check out the trailer below.
“Why is America so Robophobic?” is not only an awesome line but could also be a little tongue in cheek jab at the haters of the film. There are some more alternative action scenes here, but for the most part this focuses on the propaganda element of the film and it does this to great effect.. Media spinning Samuel L Jackson as Pat Novak and money grabbing Michael Keaton as Raymond Sellars shine when ever they are on-screen (not surprising with their strong screen presence). The trailer makes sure that the audience knows that O.C.P are still money grabbing scum bags.
So overall the film still looks kind of impressive and this reviewer is still very interested to see how this all pans out. There are some concerns here aside from the memories of the past affecting the present. The action scenes from both trailers, though they look fast and streamlined also look a bit to sharp and kind of hollow. It fits in with the style of movie they are going for, less grime more style but I’m concerned that this will become more style over substance. This gleaming, futuristic look the film is going for were everything is made to look slick and polished makes Murphy having his hand still human seem slightly redundant. Would O.C.P not just whip it off and give him a robot hand as it is more productive? I can understand the face exposure because that shows a human side to him which people can relate to. I assume the hand has been left there as a nod to the fans. Story wise I doubt it will make a difference either way. I have noticed that each trailer seems to make Robocop less cop and more superhero like. The shots of him jumping high up in the air and the sleek, black armour he now has on would not look a miss in an X-Men movie. Some of the fears I have about this been a tad dull and suffering from Total Recall remake syndrome (look at my previous article on this to see what I mean ) are still there, but it is tricky to truly know from just a trailer. At least it warrants a watch and if nothing else I want to be able to see this film and then say whether it crashed or burned through my own view point. All we need is an entertaining movie and that cannot be too hard to make right? Well should not be to long until we find out the films released on February 2014 (changes withstanding). For now I leave you with some publicity stills that showcase a few familiar faces you may recognise from the above trailers (like Jackie Earle Haley as Mattox). Enjoy and remember don’t be a Robohater people!
Every week countless trailers go unnoticed or unreported. Trailers are an art form in and of themselves and can be just as entertaining, if not more, than the actual films, thus they deserve their own recognition. That’s why every week we sort through them and put the ones we feel you should watch here in our Trailer Roundup.
[tabgroup][tab title=”Noah”]
Synopsis: An epic retelling of the biblical story of Noah who, after suffering deadly premonitions of an apocalyptic flood, takes extreme measures to protect his family.
Director: Darren Aronofsky Writer(s): Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel Stars: Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, and Emma Watson
Release Date: March 28, 2014
Thoughts: The Fountain was Aronofsky’s first foray into larger scale films, but this looks to trump that in every which way by being a true epic. Not surprising though, considering the budget is almost quadruple the formers, but by the trailer, it doesn’t look like Noah is using that budget for a complex and as intricate a story as his previous works. That said, it’s a forgivable problem considering most people know the story, or at least the general gist, so there isn’t much wiggle room to change it. Then again, it is most likely just the marketing trying to sell the film with its giant action set pieces. Some scenes in the trailer did seem to delve into Lord of The Rings territory, but the money shot at the end, the ark floating, ultimately sold me.
[/tab][tab title=”Maleficent”]
Synopsis: The classic tale, Sleeping Beauty, is given a new spin when told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent, looking specifically at the events that hardened her heart, and got her to eventually curse the young Princess Aurora.
Director: Robert Stromberg
Writer(s): Paul Dini, Linda Woolverton, and John Lee Hancock Stars: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlito Copley, and Juno Temple
Release Date: May 30, 2014
Thoughts: The idea of the untold story of Sleeping Beauty is unique, and Jolie seems perfect for this villainous role, but the overindulgence in CGI at the end really put me off and ruined what could’ve been an excellent teaser. It reminded me of a dark version of Sam Raimi’s Oz. Luckily though, the film is still a ways off so judging the effects is a bit unfair, but it brings up the question of why put it in the trailer? It doesn’t look very good, and I don’t think that’s a picky judgement. Hopefully the next trailer either moves away from it, or at least polishes the effects up a bit, cause the tone it’s going for could stand alone without it. Regardless, I still think Disney will have a hit on their hands come May.
[/tab][tab title=”Need For Speed”]
Synopsis: After being released from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business man joins a race across the country with revenge in mind. Meanwhile, his ex-partner puts out a bounty on his head just as the race begins.
Director: Scott Waugh Writer(s): George Gatins, John Gatins, and George Nolfi Stars: Aaron Paul, Michael Keaton, Dominic Cooper, Dakota Johnson, and Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi)
Release Date: March 14, 2014
Thoughts: Story wise this appears to be pretty generic, but look wise, it seems freakin’ awesome. While it doesn’t look to have any direct thread to the game in its story (obviously besides for cars racing), there looks to be some pretty awesome action set pieces. A similar big budget franchise, Fast and Furious, has the whole insane stunts down to a point where they’re fantastical in their execution. This looks to counter with a more realistic feel to it all. In vein of Christopher Nolan’s work ethic, the majority of the film is done with practical effects, and the trailer did a good job of showing it. On the other hand, the acting seems competent. We know Aaron Paul is tremendous, but the material just doesn’t seem to be there to showcase his skills. The addition of Kid Cudi as the cool best friend looks fun, and for those that watched How to Make it In America, he’s really not a bad actor.
Synopsis: Two programmers create the first ever piece of self-aware artificial intelligence, designed to help humanity. But it takes a turn for the worse when the MoD (Military possibly? No explanation to acronym) steal the design, and use it as a robotic weapon.
Director: Caradog W. James Writer(s): Caradog W. James Stars: Caity Lotz, Toby Stephens, and Denis Lawson
Release Date: TBA
Thoughts: I’m really starting to dig these Indie Sci-Fi films. When done right, you get some high-concept, yet smaller films that are really awesome, and I think The Machine could be one of them. Besides for the very generic title, I like the concept, and overall it seems like a low-budget I-Robot. The effects look competent, albeit the red glowing, and the tone, a mash of horror/thriller, seems to be pretty spot on for the idea. Also, it looks to delve into some ‘Splice’ territory at one point in the trailer, which could definitely be interesting.
Synopsis: A contained thriller in which a couple gets lost on the way to a Music Festival, and soon become terrorized by an unknown evil as they drive to find their way out.
Director: Jeremy Lovering Writer(s): Not Available Stars: Ian De Caestecker, Alice Englert, and Allen Leech
Release Date: TBA
Thoughts: That’s how a horror trailer should be done. Set up the basic premise, add in some creepy music, disjointed dialogue, and make it go bat-shit insane by the end. This film has been getting rave reviews, and it looks to be getting a US release sometime soon. ‘Agents of Shield’ fans will recognize Ian De Caestecker taking quite a departure from that respective role, and the girl, Alice Englert, looks to hold her own, though isn’t given much in the trailer. The concept too feels so obvious, a couple getting lost driving in the woods, but I don’t believe its been executed properly in recent years. Word on the street is In Fear changes that.
[/tab][tab title=”Chavez”]
Synopsis: A biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez.
Director: Diego Luna Writer(s): Keir Pearson Stars: Michael Pena, Rosario Dawson, and John Malkovich
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Thoughts: I’m really digging the tone this films going for. Cesar Chavez is a super important man in US history, and it could easily be done in a very feel good way, but it seems like they’re going for a darker take to his story which resonates more to real life. It also makes it look more thrilling, and could definitely attract a greater audience that other Biopics have trouble getting. Acting wise, Pena looks pretty incredible in this role, and it’s about time he breaks out with a complex character such as Chavez.
Synopsis: A poetic road trip through Pulitzer prize-winning CK Williams’ life.
Director: 12 NYU Film Students Writer(s): 12 NYU Film Students Stars: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, and Bruce Campell
Release Date:
Thoughts: So this trailer doesn’t look very good. The story seems very disjointed, the cinematography looks uneasy and fluctuates, and the performances don’t look like anything special. But the conceit behind the production is why it’s noteworthy. 12 NYU students were picked to write and direct a part of CK William’s life, and major actors volunteered to be a part of it. The fact that these stars are helping up-and-comers is tremendous, and shines light away from the conceited view of most Hollywood actors.
Grizzly Bomb 