
The 2016 Academy Award nominees will be announced on Thursday, January 14, and we have our own predictions of who will earn a nomination for the Oscars Continue reading
The 2016 Academy Award nominees will be announced on Thursday, January 14, and we have our own predictions of who will earn a nomination for the Oscars Continue reading
Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of September 29, 2015. Every Tuesday we run down new movie, television, and video game releases that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, as well as some slick deals that can save you some coin. New on shelves this week are Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spy, Jane the Virgin, NBA 2K16 and more.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Joss Whedon) [AVAILABLE OCT. 2] Rated PG-13 [141 min] – When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it’s up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemswort, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and James Spader (Watch the trailer)
What can be said about one of the most bloated, disappointing, and yet gleefully entertaining films of the year? I believe I saw The Avengers three times in theaters, but only managed to see Avengers: Age of Ultron once. Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe upped the game and when it came time to Age of Ultron I was fully unprepared for how Earth-shattering it would be. Reality did not align with my expectations. Age of Ultron is just about everything I could have ever asked for. Maybe it came too late? If this was the first Avengers film I might have shit my pants. However, with no build up to Ultron, himself, the reward of the team up doesn’t seem as fun or meaningful. I still like the movie, it’s solid popcorn fare, but I needed more. [Read my full review here]
Special features include:
Entourage (Doug Ellin) Rated R [104 min] – Movie star Vincent Chase, together with his boys Eric, Turtle, and Johnny, are back – and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold on a risky project that will serve as Vince’s directorial debut. Starring Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, and Jeremy Piven
Entourage has always been given a bad rap. Never having seen the HBO series, I’ve always had the idea in the back of my mind that it is trash-TV. So I decided to give it a chance and check out the Entourage movie. And boy did my expectations meet reality far better than with Age of Ultron. The Entourage movie is pure cinematic garbage. It’s shot beautifully, and there are beautiful people in almost every frame, but Entourage is a total train wreck. Not only is a model/actress a McGuffin, the entire crew of sleazebags have no redeeming qualities to care about their circumstances. Watching Entourage is like subjecting myself to pin pricks to my eyeballs. I had more enjoyment staring at the super blood moon eclipse for less than five minutes than I did this film’s entire run time.
Special features include:
Spy (Paul Feig) Rated R [120 min] – A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster. Starring Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Allison Janney, Miranda Hart, and Peter Serafinowicz
I liked Bridesmaids and disliked The Heat, so I had a mixed-bag of feelings toward Spy and director Paul Feig. The trailer made the flick look bad and Melissa McCarthy’s filmography hasn’t exactly been filled with more hilarious hits as enjoyable as Bridesmaids. Taking this all into consideration, I walked away pleasantly delighted by what I saw. It could have amped up the energy a little earlier on, but Spy proved to be a pretty refreshing take on the genre. [Read more of my thoughts on Spy here]
iZombie: The Complete First Season (Diane Ruggiero and Rob Thomas) Rated TV-14 [42 min] – A medical resident finds that being a zombie has its perks, which she uses to assist the police. Starring Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley, and Blaine DeBeers
I’m not a crime procedural kind of guy. I think flavor of the week investigation shows like CSI and NCIS are almost as bad as reality television. But with iZombie there’s an actual through line with a cohesive plot that carries over to each episode – this is what keeps me invested. From what I’ve seen thus far from Season 1, iZombie is light and easily digestible thanks to its likable cast. When the show first appeared on the scene I disregarded it like any other youthful CW series, but iZombie surprises and the lead, Rose McIver, is pretty fun to watch in the undead role.
Jane the Virgin: The Complete First Season (Jennie Snyder Urman) Rated TV-14 [43 min] – Jane is a 23 year old hard-working, religious Latina woman, whose family tradition and vow to save her virginity until marriage to a long time boyfriend and detective, is shattered when her doctor mistakenly artificially inseminates her during a checkup. And to make matters worse, the biological donor is a married man, a former playboy, and cancer survivor who is not only the new owner of the hotel where Jane works, but was also her former teenage crush. Starring Gina Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo, Yael Grobglas, Justin Baldoni, Ivonne Coll, Brett Dier, Jaime Camil, and Anthony Mendez
I never watched a single episode while Jane the Virgin aired because once again I disregarded this series as yet another youthful CW series. But after Gina Rodriguez continued to gain recognition and awards for her role as Jane I figured no harm would come in checking this series out. After binging over 120 hours of ABC Family shows, Jane the Virgin felt like a breeze. There’s many similarities in tone in what you’d find on both networks. But unlike any ABC Family dramedy where the most coincidental instances happen to their characters, Jane the Virgin purposefully amps up the drama due to its telenovela roots. It’s a sweet, silly romp that carries pretty heavy themes that cleverly balances out with comedy thanks to its smart writing.
Special features include:
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 [Robomodo and Disruptive Games] – Available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 360, Xbox One – Tony Hawk’s® Pro Skater 5 offers a fresh take on combo-driven skateboarding, the most advanced online multiplayer experience, and a state-of-the-art skatepark builder. Ride, build, and repeat!
I spent way too many hours playing this game back in the day on my Nintendo 64/Dreamcast/PlayStation 2. And as fun and challenging as they were, most Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games reached a pinnacle of entertainment before they became boring. Bringing THPS to next generation consoles works in its favor to increase replayability with online multiplayer and a park creator that can be shared, almost like Super Mario Maker.
Key features include:
NBA 2K16 [Visual Concepts] – Available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC – The NBA 2K franchise is back with the most true-to-life NBA experience to date with NBA 2K16. Guide your MyPLAYER through the complete NBA journey, take control of an entire NBA franchise, or hone your skills online competing against gamers from around the world. With animations that provide smoother movement and more realistic articulation, it’s certain to be the most authentic NBA gaming experience yet.
Sports!
Key features include:
NBA Live 16 [EA Tiburon] – Available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – Rooted in self-expression, NBA LIVE 16 takes player customization to another level. Whether it’s how you look or play, your entire journey is all about you. Put yourself in the action with an all-new, easy-to-use HD face scanning app, GameFaceHD and outfit your player with the freshest gear before you even hit the court. With the all-new physics-based player movement system, LIVE Motion, experience free-flowing movement and unparalleled control on the court. Add in fast-paced and fun online multiplayer play through the innovative LIVE Pro-Am mode, to progress and compete with your friends and it’s the perfect time to Rise Together.
More sports!
Key features include:
All prices from Amazon.com. Best Buy, Frys, and Target all price match online prices.
What will you be taking home this week? Tell us in the comments section below!
All plot synopses come courtesy of IMDb.com
While we provide you with a list of available new releases Now Available to Own every Tuesday, Coming Soon to Blu-ray and DVD looks at all of the recent home video announcements. For the week of July 25, 2015 we have Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pitch Perfect 2, and more. Find out when they’ll be out and what special features movie fans can expect below.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Joss Whedon) Rated PG-13 [141 min] – When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it’s up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemswort, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and James Spader (Watch the trailer)
Special features include:
Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) Rated R [120 min] – In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland. Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Abbey Lee, and Zoë Kravitz [Watch the trailer]
Special features include:
Pitch Perfect 2 (Elizabeth Banks) Rated PG-13 [115 min] – After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform. Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Adam Devine, Hana Mae Lee, and Ester Dean [Watch the trailer]
Special features include:
Entourage (Doug Ellin) Rated R [104 min] – Movie star Vincent Chase, together with his boys Eric, Turtle, and Johnny, are back – and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold on a risky project that will serve as Vince’s directorial debut. Starring Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, and Jeremy Piven
Special features include:
Bates Motel: The Complete Third Season (Anthony Cipriano) Rated TV-14 [43 min] – A modern re-imagining and prequel to the movie Psycho. This story begins with the earlier years of a teenage Norman Bates and his mother Norma who live in an old house overlooking the adjoining motel which they are renovating. The house and hotel both come with secrets of their own as does the new town which the Bates’ now call home. Starring Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, and Max Thieriot
Special features include:
Sleepy Hollow: The Complete Second Season (Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci) Rated TV-14 [45 min] Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers. Starring Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie, and Orlando Jones
Special features include:
American Horror: Story: Freak Show (Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk) Rated TV-MA [43 min] – An anthology series that centers on different characters and locations, including a haunted house, an insane asylum, a witch coven and a freak show. Starring Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Michael Chiklis, Frances Conroy, Denis O’Hare, Emma Roberts, Finn Wittrock, Angela Bassett, and Kathy Bates
Special Features:
Homeland: The Complete Fourth Season (Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa) Rated TV-MA [55 min] – When Marine Nicolas Brody is hailed as a hero after he returns home from eight years of captivity in Iraq, intelligence officer Carrie Mathison is the only one who suspects that he may have been “turned”. Starring Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, and Damian Lewis
Special features include:
And that’s it for this week. What are you looking forward to picking up when they release?
Stay tuned for more Blu-Ray and DVD announcements every Saturday.
All plot synopses courtesy of IMDb.com
So here we are again. San Diego Comic-Con. The place that makes geek wet dreams come true. I definitely was excited to get my nerd on this weekend, and I’m always looking forward to seeing what new booths, exhibits, and experiences SDCC has to offer. Suffice it to say, I was a tad underwhelmed by most of what I saw inside and out of the San Diego Convention Center.
This is my fourth year attending Comic-Con. Every year I’m always expecting something different, looking to see new things, but as far as booths go, Comic-Con 2015 seemed a bit lackluster. Most of the major booths and exhibits such as Lionsgate, Warner Bros., DC Comics, Fox, Weta Workshop, Gentle Giant, Image Comics, Marvel, Nintendo, and X-Box among others were pretty much the same as the last few years. And even exhibitors like PlayStation were completely absent. Ubisoft and a few others cut back on the scale of their booths. Even Marvel downsized from a big video screen on their booth to just a giant scrawl to promote Ant-Man.
Last year, DC Comics gave a preview of the cape and cowl that Ben Affleck’s Batman will be wearing in Batman v Superman. This year they went one level up by showcasing the costumes of
However, there were some Comic-Con 2015 booths that did impress me. It wasn’t the movie studios who were going all out, but it was TV series who were making their mark on the show floor, and even outside. As per usual, The Walking Dead booth dominated the floor with a fun experience with multiple photo ops with the undead to tease the upcoming season – they also spoiled some major plot points from the last season. MTV’s Scream and History’s Vikings had fun booth experiences to get splattered by blood and walk away with some swag.
The most comprehensive Comic-Con 2015 booths weren’t inside however, they were outside the convention center. MTV’s Scream Queens had a carnival giant drop ride and FX hosted huge experiences such as an America Horror Story: Hotel recreation and a giant Fargo snow globe. Even Adult Swim had its own area for fans to play around in with a little carnival setting for folks to play games and win prizes.
Nerd HQ changed venues this year and instead of taking over PETCO Park they inhabited three levels of the New Children’s Museum. It was closer to the convention center and had more room for activities.
These are a few stray observations I noticed that I thought I would share. Many folks are not able to make it to Comic-Con and I hope this photo gallery will at least give you a solid taste of what it is like to walk around the epic convention.
For more info on the exhibitors, visit Comic-Con.org
Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard-earned dollars. The weekend warriors of May 1, 2015 includes Avengers: Age of Ultron, as well as two limited releases. Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over the others and determine who will be victorious. Should you see ’em, skip ’em, or rent ’em? Find out after the break. Continue reading
Have we reached a superhero movie plateau? That’s a question I’ve been struggling over since I left Avengers: Age of Ultron with deeply polarizing thoughts on the film. Writer-director Joss Whedon has spent an impressive amount of time shaping the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to culminate to this very moment that I would consider to be the biggest nerdgasm cinema has ever achieved thus far. It’s a spectacular ballet of many moving parts. And as breathtaking as the movie may be, Age of Ultron definitely has the feeling that this marvelous house of cards producer Kevin Feige has built could come crashing down at any second. Continue reading
As we approach the release of one of the most anticipated films of the year, Avengers: Age of Ultron, I am reminded of a certain unpleasantness that occurred when I saw The Avengers in 2012: people clapping and cheering during the movie. Reflecting on this unusual social behavior got me thinking about six additional theater faux pas that I assume many will come across this weekend. And before we get in line for the mega blockbuster this week, I would like to decree: a movie theater is not a sports bar. Continue reading
In just a little over four hours, fans were able to unlock the third Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer this morning. It was originally suppose to release on Thursday this week. This full-length trailer provides audiences with more back story on Ultron and how his dubious plot affects our heroes. As one of the greatest big bads in the Marvel Universe, this trailer certainly sets up the movie to live up to expectations.
We’ve seen tons of Avenger-y action between the Hulk and Iron Man, well pretty much everyone versus Tony Stark really. However, we haven’t been privy to much about Age of Ultron‘s plot. As a comic book reader, and Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes enthusiast, I am fully aware of what Ultron is capable of. This trailer sums up the intense conflict fairly well and provides just enough not to get into too many spoilers.
And as an added bonus, we finally get to see more of the twins, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, in action. We haven’t seen much of their involvement other than a few quick shots. In the trailer it looks like they’ll be involved with Ultron helping him in some manner before they realize their own stupidity and join up with Cap and the other heroes.
It’s a pretty awesome trailer all around, giving also our first glimpse of Vision at the tail end. Still, there is no clues as to how he comes into existence or how he’s involved amongst the chaos. However, I am comfortable with leaving everything as is and going into the film with just this information. I’m ready. My body is ready. Bring it on.
[Click on any thumbnail below to begin the image gallery]
Here is the official plot synopsis:
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark aka Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers aka Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner aka The Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton aka Hawkeye, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes aka War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig, James Spader as Ultron, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver, and Paul Bettany as Vision. This film is set to release May 1, 2015.
In just a little over four hours, fans were able to unlock the third Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer this morning, which was originally suppose to release on Thursday this week. This second, full-length trailer provides audiences with more back story on Ultron and how his dubious plot affects our heroes. As one of the greatest big bads in the Marvel Universe, this trailer certainly sets up the movie to live up to expectations. Check out the trailer after the break. Continue reading
Chris Hemsworth is getting all sorts of wet and wild this year in theaters. The Aussie born megastar will appear in three leading roles in just the first half of the year alone – Blackhat, In the Heart of the Sea, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. In support of his new movie, Thor himself made a special appearance on The Tonight Show, where per usual Jimmy Fallon tested his guest to a little game. This time it was a unique spin on a wet T-shirt contest. Watch the video after the break. Continue reading