My Picks for Actors in Justice League 2015

My Picks for Actors in Justice League 2015

With 2013 turning out to be the year of superhero movies, I feel it is a good time to discuss actors who should play each superhero in 2015's reboot of the Justice League. Seeing as they have not confirmed what heroes will be in the movies, I will be going on the main seven including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter.

Batman - Jon Hamm 

With Christian Bale saying that he may be in the movie but not as Batman, this was hard to decide upon. Ultimately, I went with an actor who has a likeable personality and resembles an older version of the Dark Knight. Showing that he can play a wealthy man in the popular T.V series Mad Men, he is a phenomenal actor and manages to nail almost every role he plays. While many may disagree and say there are better choices out their, I believe Jon Hamm can fit the suit.

 Superman - Henry Cavill

Who better to play the Man of Steel than the man who is...well, playing the Man of Steel. Although he is not a well-known actor, all we can do is hope that he can nail Superman like so many have done in the past. Much like Jon Hamm, he also can show both dramatic and comedic sides, but judging by the Man of Steel movie previews, it looks like he will show more of his dramatic side as an actor. 

 

The Flash - Bradley Cooper

Now here's the sleeper. Only playing a semi-superhero can have its positives and negatives, but this may prove difficult even for Bradley. This is because The Flash is one of the few superheroes who has not had a reboot or movie of any sort, let alone the realistic kind. The reason I believe this Oscar nominated actor can do it is because he resembles Flash in many ways, including his cocky attitude and his dark and dramatic side. Another reason is that he may actually land it because he has good relations with Warner Bros. through his comedic role in The Hangover.

Wonder Woman - Katie McGrath

Now we come to a REALLY unknown actress. Katie McGrath may only be known for her role in BBC's adaptation of The Adventures of Merlin. The reason I chose her was because she, although not in many things mainstream, she has shown some admirable acting talent. Another aspect that aided her choice was her appearance. Without knowing who she is, she could easily be mistaken for a Wonder Woman lookalike. With many people choosing various actors like Jennifer Lawrence and, god forbid, Megan Foxx, I decided to go with someone less known but could pull it off if given the opportunity.

Green Lantern - Chris Pine

Showing off his many dramatic and action like roles in the past, Chris Pine in my opinion, could pull off the perfect Hal Jordan. The major reason I chose him was because he has shown both his dramatic, bad-ass and leadership sides all in one blockbuster hit. This was in his phenomenal portrayal of Captain Kirk in 2009's Star Trek. An underrated actor in my books, he may have the potential to play Green Lantern....but let's hope he is better than Ryan Reynolds.

Aquaman - Ryan Gosling

Now we come to the hated on superhero of all time, Aquaman. First off, why is he hated so much?!?!, secondly, I believe that Ryan Gosling can fit the part because he resembles the King of Atlantis and can do both action and drama, with action showing in two of his most popular movies, Drive and Ides of March. With these features, I believe he could redeem Aquaman's status and earn him his rightful stature. His handsomeness could also go a long way also.
 

Martian Manhunter - Peter Mensah/ Dwayne Johnson

Out of everybody, this was the hardest one to choose. Not because I couldn't find anyone, it was  the exact opposite. Many actors resemble the hunter's face, because his image will need some help from CGI. My first pick, Peter Mensah, his mostly known for his role as the Messenger in 300 or as the guy who was in the "THIS IS SPARTA" scene. Now you remember. My second pick is Dwanye Johnson because he resembles the structure so well, much like Peter. Also like Peter, he has proven himself to be a comedic and dramatic actor. When it comes down to it, the role is given to whoever wants it more.

 

So those are my picks and hopes for the Justice League. If you disagree, please, comment who you wanna see. I would love to hear who you want. I swear, if anyone says George Clooney as Batman....no.....

Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013) Movie Review

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

So with prequels being all the rage nowadays, we finally have an origin story to the Wizard of Oz which manages to actually explain alot. 

The movie begins in Kansas in the year 1905 where we are introduced to a small time magician named Oz (James Franco). Along his side is his trusted assistant and friend Frank (Zach Braff) as well as random women whom Oz manages to persuade to perform with him. After his performance, he escapes in his hot air balloon but in his path is a tornado which fortunately for him, happens to be the portal to the wondrous land of Oz. Now his journey begins as he hears of an ancient prophecy saying that he is the rightful king of Oz. While on paper the story seems perfect, it does not meet the expectations as their are plot holes spread throughout, making you doubt the plot. Besides this however, the story is fairly good for the most part.

Throughout the story, there are various references to the classic Wizard of Oz as well as references to his past life. This is done quite well as many characters from his past life show in a different form, which really show that this is a step-up from his past life. 

Another thing that must be mentioned is the 3-D effects used. As much as I hate to praise 3-D, even though I think it is useless, the effects used in Oz is some of the best I've seen in recent years. The many effects and objects made to appear as though they are real is quit admirable and is easily up their with Avatar as having some of the most impressive and gorgeous visuals in any movie to date. 

As for the casting of actors, I felt that James Franco was a perfect casting for Oz as he has the same personality and in some ways, appears as a younger version of the wizard, which is always a plus. Zach Braff was great as well as he played a perfect puppet so to speak, being both Oz's servant outside and inside the land of Oz. Lastly, the person who stole the show for me (besides James Franco) was the China Girl voiced by Joey King, who also played the child climbing out of the prison in The Dark Knight Rises. 

With superb casting and just as amazing visuals, Oz really is a great movie to watch if you just wanna see action and pretty effects. If your here looking for a true pre-successor to the classic, I guess the film does this, just not in the way people were made to believe. That aside, it is still worth a watch and I would defiantly consider watching this again, in about 1-2 years. 

RATING: 7/10

      

The Last Stand (2013) Movie Review

THE LAST STAND (2013) MOVIE REVIEW 

Seeing as some of the actors from The Expendables 2 seem to making comeback films. With Sylvester Stallone's Bullet to the Head getting good reviews, how does Arnie's film The Last Stand hold up?

With the leader of a drug cartel making a dash towards the Mexican border, the leader of an FBI team (Forest Whitaker) attempts to track his whereabouts. Once finding out that the criminal needs to pass through the little town of Sommerton, the sheriff of the town Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) must round up his officers as well as two volunteers, an owner of an antique weapons museum (Johnny Knoxville) and an ex-boyfriend of a police officer, these rookies must work together to bring down a force greater than their own town. The story for the most part, in my opinion, was to boring for me and invested too much time at the beginning, making the movie drag on forever. Besides that, the story is perfectly fine.

In my eyes, I felt that the movie really did not pick up the action towards the end, where the final showdown takes place. For the first quarter of the film, I felt it focused way too much on the FBI and did not invest enough time into the town and especially, the sheriff as well as Johnny Knoxville's character. Speaking of this, Johnny Knoxville's character felt extremely underused and was mainly in the film at the showdown and briefly in the beginning.

As for the acting side of things, the film did it quite better than I expected (for a action movie anyway). Although the actors did not make me care whether a character died or not, two actors managed to stand out. Arnold's character was an all-around bad-ass and was even shown as being a veteran, receiving medals and awards. The main antagonist (played by Eduardo Noriega) played a superb villain and was funny but intimidating as well. 

Overall, this film is defiantly not meant to be taken seriously. The film, if anything, is more of a homage to Arnold's earlier action films like Predator and Terminator. If you really want to enjoy this film, do not invest into the story and just enjoy it for what it is. A damn fine action film. 

OVERALL: 6.5/10

Top 5 Movies of 2012

Top 5 Movies of 2012 

With 2013 starting to finally begin pumping out some blockbusters, this would seem like the perfect time to recap some of my personal favourites from last year. Now when reading, you may wonder why I put a movie in a certain order. This was really difficult for me to order, especially with the Top 3 movies. With that out of the way, let's begin.

Number #5: Silver Linings Playbook

Many people are calling this movie the best romantic comedy of the year, that's not how I see this movie. I see a movie about two socially rejected people becoming friends with eventually, benefits. The chemistry shown between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence is impeccable and is without question the best duo shown off from 2012. For a more in-depth analysis  check out my review of this fantastic romantic drama-dey.

Number #4: The Avengers

Five years in the making. Many people were expecting this to be one of the biggest disappointments in film history, what was achieved was the exact opposite and became one of the biggest achievements in film. Not one weak link was in this film with Chris Evans reprising his role as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth doing the same with their alter egos Iron Man and Thor. This movie also shows off more of the Avengers in depth including Black Widow played by Scarlett Johnson and Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner. Overall, one of the best superhero of the year and without question, Marvel's best movie adaptation so far.

Number #3: Django: Unchained

Remember at the start I said the Top 3 were ridiculously close? Well here's one reason why. Django: Unchained is by far one of Tarantino's greatest achievements and will live on throughout the years. This is supported by great actors including Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson, a perfect matching soundtrack as well as perfect Tarantino violence and special effects. If Django: Unchained had not existed, I don't know what would take it's spot. 

Number #2: Looper

Better than Back to the Future? Quite possibly... Looper really is a breath of fresh air and takes it back to an untouched concept in 2012, time travel. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a.k.a my favourite actor of all time) as Joe and Bruce Willis as Joe's older self, this movie centres around Loopers and the role they play in the Mafia  While at the beginning there may be some concepts in the film that seem to be useless, they become very, very important in the last 2 thirds of the film. Also, pay attention as if you don't concentrate, your mind will hurt trying to comprehend what just happened. Anyway, with great casting, a phenomenal story and plenty of plot-twists, Looper is quite possibly the best time travel film in years. 

Number #1: The Dark Knight Rises

To be completely honest, if this movie was not Batman related or the sequel to my favourite movie ever created, Looper would have been the best film of 2012. Concluding the Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan managed to outdo himself and pulled off a great film with superb villains  casting and a musical score that I listen to on a regular basis. While many people say that this isn't that great of a movie as it wasn't as good as The Dark Knight, that is because the 2nd was a phenomenal film, receiving on average 9's and 10's. Needless to say, The Dark Knight Rises is easily worthy of the title of Best Film of Year 2012. 

Got any suggestions for Top 5/10's? Comment on this post and tell me what you would like to see! 

 

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) Movie Review

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) Movie Review

Once I had heard about this film, I honsetly thought it was going to be a all action and awful. It was a good thing to know I was wrong about the awful part.

Taking a spin on this classic fairytale, this interpretation shows us what became of Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arteton). As described as being "Many Years Later", these two are now grown up and became bounty witch hunters. Upon being hired by a small town for protection, they begin to link connections between this town and the unusaul dissapearences of various children. From here, they learn of the Blood Moon that can potentially make a witch invincible. Learning this, they head out to and gather more information about this moon which comes in only three days. In my eyes, this plot could have been very different as there are countless ideas that come to mind when handling untouched tales. For the most part, the plot was completely fine as during the film, the story isn't the first thing that comes to mind when watching it.

With the film obviously about witchers and trolls, the film really shines when faced with the makeup and special effects. These special effects also shine brilliantly in 3-D (Even though I hate to praise it)

Acting wise, the film really took everyone by surprise and showed that many of the actors did not cash in for a quick dollar. Jeremy Renner pulled off a perfect Hansel as in this film, he is a complete badass and he has shown this before in many different roles including The Avengers and The Bourne: Legacy. Gemma Arteton also played a good sister along side the action star. To me, every other actor seemed to be so generic and not rememberable at all (generic even for this type of movie).

 

Before coming to see the film, I was honestly expecting a bloodbath with admirable action sequences. Boy was I glad when I the movie started. This film really is not meant to be taken to seriously as if you do, you're not going to enjoy it fully.

To conclude, nothing much can be said really about this film. I came for a bloodbath with good visual effects and great action sequences and I recieved. Although there are plotholes scattered throughout as well as at times, poor acting, the film is a good time waster and a good laugh, if with friends.

       RATING: 6.5/10



Argo (2012) Movie Review

ARGO (2012) MOVIE REVIEW

The movie was fake. The Oscar was real. 

Based on a terrifying true story, the American embassy in Iran begins to be invaded by Iran revolutionaries and several civilians inside were taken hostage. With six of them escaping and reaching sanctuary in the Canadian Ambassador's home. Back in the USA, the government attempts to devise a plan to bring these six home. With little time left, exfiltration officer/expert Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) recommends he be taken to Iran and pose himself and the six others as a Canadian film crew searching for locations to film. Naming the film Argo, Tony with help from Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and John Chambers (John Goodman), begin production on what they call the "greatest fake film". Considering the fact that this is based on true events, it can be noted that this film did the real life event justice.

One of the greatest things about this film is that for a movie that does not directly show people being shot or killed, it does manage to keep the audience excited as well as stressed out. At some moments, it can actually make a person's palms sweaty just from what they envision the result is going to turn out like. With the screenplay being done by a relatively unknown face in film, Chris Terrio managed to hit the ball out of the park as he managed to nail everything that this movie needed to have. If people think he doesn't deserve any credit for this, that Oscar he attained says otherwise.

Although I do not believe this movie had as strong a cast as Silver Linings Playbook for example, it did have some fairly big names in Hollywood. Without question however was Ben Affleck's role as both Tony Mendez and director of the film itself. Acting wise, he did a fantastic job making the viewer care about whether he made it out of Iran, dead or alive. Special mentions should be made towards the two men behind the fake film, Alan Arkin and John Goodman who both did a great job as two old, serious but at time, hilarious men. 

With a best picture win under it's belt, it is hard to deny that this film did not deserve the win, because it did. With Ben Affleck tremendously pulling off this "hard-to-portray" true story, the Oscar was basically Argos for the taking. While it would have been nice to see a movie like Django: Unchained winning, don't let that fool you into thinking it is not worthy of the win. Because it more than is.

RATING: 8.5/10 

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Movie Review

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012) MOVIE REVIEW

This movie tells us to simply reach for your Silver Lining, then why did the movie go far past it's? 

The story begins with a recovering mental patient named Pat (Bradley Cooper) who has just been released from confinement for the near killing of the man whom his wife was cheating on. Upon release, he comes home to his father and mother, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Doroles (Jacki Weaver). From here, Pat has to learn to re-integrate with society whilst trying to live a normal life with minimal stress, which becomes even harder for him once one of Pat's friends, Ronnie (John Ortiz) introduces him to Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who also has a similar mental problem to Pat. This plot is unlike anyone has ever seen and manages to stand out, as unlike most films in it's genre, it makes you care about the characters and certain decisions they make, whether you agree with them or not. Whilst some would argue that the relationship between Pat and his various friends like Ronnie or Danny (Chris Tucker) were unnecessary, they surprisingly added to the story in a more positive than negative way.

Within the 122 mins this movie was shown for, not one part was unnecessary and painfully boring. Frankly if this movie didn't go for at least two hours, many people would question the plot holes that could not be filled in a less amount of time. While most movies would place random events into it, Silver Linings did the near-polar opposite as all the events were all linked back to Pat and Tiffany's mental condition. 

The script is phenomenal. Although it has been said before in the older reviews, but this is what many people truly believe to be not just one of the best scripts of 2012, but of all time. David O. Russell truly did deserve an Oscar this year, if it wasn't for Argo practically sweeping the Academy Awards.

Now where this movie makes it worthy of an Oscar nomination is it's acting. While all the actors in this movie were respectable in their own parts, one person obviously managed to stand out above the rest and even managed to redeem an Oscar for her troubles. Jennifer Lawrence, she managed to basically nail a strong but also broken, mentally impaired woman. Most people believed she nailed this because she is a lunatic off the set as well. Special mentions should be put out to three men in this movie. Bradley Cooper, who played a near-perfect male version of Tiffany, Chris Tucker who played his part as the comedic relief as he is cracking jokes and close to all of them made audiences chuckle. Lastly, Robert De Niro played the perfectly casted father alongside Bradley Cooper. 

Although it is ironic that a movie solely about reaching your Sliver Lining manages to far surpass theirs, it is still an extremely solid film and if it wasn't for its terrible luck of being nominated for best film alongside Life of Pi, Argo and Django: Unchained, it could have easily had more of a chance of attaining the Oscar. Always remember, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining.

RATING: 8.5/10 

 

 

  

Safe Haven (2013) Movie Review

SAFE HAVEN (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

Even with relatively strong advertising going for it, this movie just couldn't live up to it's "hype". Many people are starting to call this movie the "First Chick Flick of the Year", this statement is completely true.

The story revolves around a mysterious woman named Katie (Julianne Hough) tries to run away from her clouded past. She finds solitude in Southport, North Carolina where she then forms a relationship with a widower Alex (Josh Duhamel). But in order to keep this and other relationships going, like the one involving her new friend/neighbour Jo (Cobie Smulders), she will need to eventually confront her past and open up to it. Whilst in some parts this plot seems original, just the whole "dark past" aspect seems to be a running trend with alot of romance movies these days, or at least with the ones that I have seen. Although not to be to harsh, the story seemed a little dull at times and too predictable (especially with the ending). 

Within the first 30-40 mins of the movie, I easily became bored with this movie and actually began to yawn. This was not because of the movie, but with how long it dragged on and ran for. These types of movies should only run for around 1 and a half hours. Safe Haven ran at least 30 mins longer than it needed to be. Whilst on the topic of time, the movie didn't really pick up until the last 30-20 mins, when she confronts them about her past (Spoiler even though they said that in the overview of the movie). 

I was actually expecting this movie to have a really corny and over the top script, but I was very surprised that they made a fully flushed out script that actually made you care what happened to a certain character. Besides this, there is not really anymore that needs to be said about the script. It's fine, nothing spectacular and defiantly nothing bad.

Here is where I was really surprised. The acting in this movie was quite admirable. Many people had confronted me about Julianne Hough's amazing performance  as also, I disregarded these comments. To my surprise, they were right. She was easily the best thing about this movie and made you actually care about her. Special regards should also be made out to the two leading men, Josh Duhamel who played a perfect guy with an imperfect life and David Lyons who plays a detective slowly cracking trying to find Katie. The acting was really great, and easily the best all year (considering that this the first movie I've seen that has come out this year).

Before the final rating, it must be put out there that I do not hate this film and I don't like it either. Perhaps I should have given this movie more of a chance, but considering this is advertised as a "chick flick", it's kind of hard not to. 

RATING: 5.5/10

     

Flight (2012) Movie Review

FLIGHT (2012) MOVIE REVIEW 

The movie started with a bang, but ended with a bigger one. With Hollywood greats like Denzil Washington, John Goodman and Don Cheadle, you would expect this movie to attain a few Oscars for it's worth. However, although it was nominated, it only won the nominations.

This terrifying believable story revolves around Whip Whitaker (Denzil Washington) who is a drunk and relentless alcoholic who somehow happens to be a fully qualified pilot. After a big night with a flight attendant, who is on the same plane (Nadine Velásquez), they and everybody else on the plane crash due to what Whip is arguing was a failure in the plane's engines. While in the hospital, he befriends a drug attic named Nicole (Kelly Reilly). Throughout the movie, him and her begin to form a relationship, which as we all know in these types of movies, can lead to alot of drama and arguing. Although for the most part the plot is great, many people (including myself) though that Denzil's character was not likeable as he is often rude and is a straight up drunk. Besides this however, the story is fine for the most part.

One thing that must be mentioned is the crash at the beginning of the film. This is easily the best part of the movie as it shows off some rather impressive visual effects (this is shown off even better once the plane is upside down). There is more to this 140 mins ride as there are scenes that will often make you astonished and at other times, there are scenes that will make you angry, confused, happy and every emotion in between. Even though it managed to cram all these emotional scenes into one movie, it could have been cut down alot, at absolute maximum 2 hours as towards the end of the film, it started to drag on alot and mention characters that (at least to me) showed off very little emotion. 

As for the script, it was one of the best all year (so good in fact that it has the second best of the year, with the best going to Django: Unchained). Every word that came out of someone's mouth was just so beleiveable and John Gatins (Writer) did a very smart thing where he used every day language and use words that people would use without themselves realising it.

The acting was great, every actor managed to almost nail their assigned character spot on. Special notice should be put out to the main three men in the film, Denzil Washington, who played a beleiveable drunk, John Goodman, who played the good friend alongside Denzil and Don Cheadle who played Denzil's lawyer. All three of these men were great in their respective roles and stole the show in my eyes.

Although it is overrated due to the at very small times, poor acting and a not very likeable main protagonist, it still is a great film and defiantly  worth a watch sometime, just make sure you prepare for a long ride... 

 RATING: 6.5/10

   

  

Django: Unchained (2012) Movie Review

DJANGO: UNCHAINED (2012) MOVIE REVIEW

Quentin Tarantino has done it again. Even though he has only made a handful of movies, everyone of them seem to turn into a classic and often win many awards. His latest film, Django: Unchained, will undeniably go down as one of his best. 

Django: Unchained is actually a remake of the 1966 classic, Django. In this interpretation of the classic, a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) is rewarded his freedom by a bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz) posing as a travelling dentist. The reason he requires Django assistance is because Django knows the whereabouts of three run-of-the-muck outlaws are known as 'The Brittle Brothers'. Django then says that he is also looking for his wife (Kerry Washington) who is now owned by a Mississippi plantation owner known as Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Learning this, the Dr. says that he will help Django rescue his wife once him and Django 'take care' of the Brittle Brothers. With no choice, Django accepts and thus, their long and blood soaked journey commences. 

The thing that really sets Django apart from other movies in it's genre is that this movie, not once, seems to take itself to seriously. This is expressed by making quite intense and disturbing scenes have a dark sense of humour to them. The action in this movie is phenomenal  every gun fight that occurs never becomes stale or repetitive but instead makes me want more shoot-outs  As mentioned before, Django also sets itself apart by having a dark sense of humour to it by making jokes that would come off as offensive and racist, but this is what Tarantino is obviously known for, which is why he has become one of the greatest directors in Hollywood as he isn't afraid to take it too far.

Acting wise, not one actor was bad, each character great or small pulled their part. The actors that really stood apart in this movie were actually Christopher Waltz who did a near-perfect job as Django's associate and managed to attain himself an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor. Mentions also have to go to the main protagonists in the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie and Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen, Calvin's 'right hand man'. Putting these two phenomenal actors on screen can make for some really intense and funny scenes, which thankfully works to Tarantino's advantage here. 

As for the screenplay and writing, the script was without a doubt the best one I have heard this year as each actor managed to read their lines perfectly and emphasise the words and how they are supposed to be interpreted. The score in Django was great as at the beginning, it started off with the traditional theme from the 1966 version, but towards the end it picked up the pace and added some rap and hip hop from this generation, which fitted perfectly and really matched the final showdown. 

Django: Unchained will most likely go down as Tarantino's greatest achievements film and as for what I though of it, it is his best movie to date and no one is sure how he will beat Django: Unchained. But he will find a way. 

RATING: 9/10