Movies To Look Forward To For The Rest Of 2018

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Now that we are over half way through 2018, the movie studio execs are most assuredly looking ahead to 2019.  However, there are still a cache of movies yet to be released this year.  Let’s take a look at a few of the more highly anticipated titles to look forward to before 2019.

AQUAMAN

Before we even got our first glimpse of Aquaman in last years Justice League, it had already been announced that the sub-aquatic hero would have his own outing.  When Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman) learns he is the rightful heir to the kingdom known as Atlantis, the reluctant king must man up to lead his people as well as being the hero he has become to the outside world.  Starring Jason Momoa in the title role, Amber Heard, and Nicole Kidman, Aquaman swims into theaters December, 21, 2018

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT

The fuse is lite for the sixth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise.  When a mission goes south, Ethan Hunt and crew, along with a few new allies, have to rally to save the day.  Almost assuredly, the film will be filled with death defying stunts, the majority of which will most probably be performed by Cruise himself.  Starring Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson and Henry Cavill, Fallout flies into theaters July 27, 2018.

VENOM

One of Spider-Man’s most formidable foes will finally get his day in the spotlight.  In order to save his life, Eddie Brock will have to release control to the powers of the symbiont possessing him.  Starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Jenny Slate, Venom takes over theaters October 5, 2018

THE PREDATOR

In the latest reboot of the iconic movie, The Predator returns.  When a signal is accidentally triggered, the result causes the Predator to return to Earth.  It will take a group of ragtag ex-soldiers along with a science teacher to make sure that the human race is not destroyed for good.  Starring Yvonne Strahovski, Olivia Munn, and Boyd Holbrook, the hunt begins anew September 14, 2018

FANTASTIC BEASTS:  THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

A prequel to the world-famous Harry Potter franchise, Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second installment in the Fantastic Beasts series, set within JK Rowlings Wizarding World.  The film follows the further adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander.  Starring Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp, the magic begins November 16, 2018.

THE MEG

The newest entry into the giant shark genre, The Meg follows the character of Jonas Taylor, who himself survives the attack of a massive 70-foot shark.  Jonas must move past the event and confront his fears in order to save others who are trapped in a sunken submersible.  Starring Jason Stratham, Ruby Rose and Rainn Wilson, The Meg takes a bite out of theaters August 10. 2018.

BUMBLEBEE

A prequel to the massively popular Transformers franchise, Bumblebee is set in California circa 1987.  The transformer is found by a young girl, battle scarred and broken, and together they each discover their place in the world.  Starring Haille Steinfeld and John Cena, Bumblebee transforms into theaters December 21, 2018

MORTAL ENGINES

Set in a post-apocalyptic type setting, the few cities that survived the “Sixty Minute War” move around on giant wheels.  In order to survive, the larger cities attack and devour smaller towns, in order to steal their resources to replenish their own.  Starring Frankie Adams, Hugo Weaving and Stephen Lang, Mortal Engines rolls into theaters December 14, 2018.

MOWGLI

The story of a human child raised by wolves, who must do battle with a tiger, as well as struggling to discover his own origins.  This tale will not be the Mowgli of the Jungle Book story we all know and love, but will have a rather darker, more sinister tone.  Starring Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Christian Bale, Mowgli swings into theaters October 19, 2018

HALLOWEEN

Forty years after the first installment in the Halloween franchise hit theaters, Laurie Strode returns for her final confrontation with the masked killer Michael Myers, thus ending a four-decade long nightmare.  Starring Judy Greer, Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle, the terror will hit theaters October 19. 2018.

SLENDER MAN

A film based on an urban legend, Slender Man is reportedly responsible for the haunting and disappearances of multiple young children and teens.  Described as tall, thin, with unnaturally long arms, he is said to have no facial features. Starring Joey King, Javier Botet, and Julia Goldani Telles, Slender Man manifests in theaters August 24, 2018.

So, there you have it.  A few more movies yet to be released, rounding out this year in films.  Make sure you let us know of any others you are looking forward to, by commenting below.

What Does Phase Four Hold For The Future Of The MCU?

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With the release of Captain Marvel and Avengers 4 next year, phase three of the MCU timeline will officially be wrapped up.  So, the question remains what does Feige and crew have in store for the fourth phase of the franchise?  We have had no grand announcement, as of yet, from Marvel Studios, as fans continue to anxiously wait with the hopes of seeing a projection of further movies, along a timeline, such as was presented with phase one thru three.

We do know so far that phase four will be kicked off with the movie Spider-man: Far From Home in July of 2019.  If Marvel Studios continues its schedule into the next phase of three entries into the franchise each year, which characters could possibly hit the theaters after Spider-Man?

Marvel Studios has already announced plans for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and rumors are still flying of a possible Black Panther 2, so we know that both movies will factor into the fourth phase in some manner.  James Gunn did make mention of the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will be the last entry into what was originally a three-part storyline, confirmed to be hitting the big screen in 2020.  However, he wants to make sure fans did not take that as meaning the Guardians franchise is done.  It just simply means that we have gotten a good look at Star Lord and his crew, and their individual stories could possibly move on from there.  There were even hints Guardian spin offs, and possibly a back story on the creation of Rocket Raccoon.

Also reported as being in production is the much-anticipated Black Widow outing, as well as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirming a sequel to Doctor Strange “some point in the future.”  Disney on the other hand is keeping any information pertaining to phase four close to the vest.  Feige has stated he expected them to keep any information secret for as long as they can.  However, considering that Marvel Studios loves sequels, we may just see Captain Marvel 2 and possibly an Ant-Man 3 added to the phase four mix.

Keeping all of this in mind, the question now is how is phase four going to differ from phases one thru three, if at all?  We can pretty much speculate that there will be no entries from Iron-Man or Captain America (at least not with Steve Rogers in the patriotic suit), as both actors portray8ing the characters have so much as said they are looking for an exit.  And, depending on the outcome of Avengers 4, there may very well be more characters retired and shelved from the MCU.  As Joe Russo said at Comic-Con "everything has to have an end at some point in order for it to have value."

How Will The Quantum Realm Factor Into Avengers 4?

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If you have seen Ant-Man and The Wasp, then by all means continue.  However, if you do not want to be spoiled, turn back now.

If you have seen the after credit for Ant-Man and The Wasp, then you are more than aware that Scott is trapped in the Quantum Realm.  He had entered the realm to obtain quantum energy that would be used in an attempt to help heal Ghost.  Hank, Janet, and Hope remained in the normal universe, and communicated over radio with Scott.  All of sudden Scott loses contact with them.  The camera cuts to the normal world, and there are three whispers of ash.  It would seem that Hank, Janet, and Hope fell victim to Thanos’ finger snap.

 

With Scott now stranded in the Quantum Realm, there are so many directions in which the continuing storyline could go.  Keeping in mind that this is all speculation, as nothing is known for sure yet, but it is a pretty good bet that it will play into the Avengers 4 storyline.

We know that Janet’s extended length of time in the Quantum Realm changed her, she as much stated that fact herself.  Granted, she was stranded in the realm for way longer than Scott will probably be, but one has to wonder how the exposure will change Scott.  After all, this is his second trip within the realms boundaries.  It is almost a given that it will change him in some manner, even if a small bit.  Could he become like Janet, and transfer quantum energy with just a touch?  Or could he go the route of Ghost, and end up in a state of perpetual flux between our universe and the Quantum Realm?  There are so many directions and end scenarios the writers could take this particular portion of the plot line in. 

But the one idea that has come to mind is, because of his exposure to the Quantum Realm, could Scott be the answer to defeating Thanos’?  If Scott does absorb just a minute bit of the quantum energy as Janet did, could that be the key to the Avengers winning?  All this time we were lead to believe that Captain Marvel was the answer, because in the comics she defeated Thanos’.  However, there are plenty of times the MCU went off canon with their comic book characters.  Some they swung back around, and on track, but the MCU has taken artist license more than once since the its inception ten years ago.

So, the question remains, is Ant-Man a major cog in bringing down Thanos’?  And if so, how does he escape the Quantum Realm in order to achieve this goal?  So many questions, so much time to wait.  One thing is for sure, in May of 2019 we will get our answers to these questions, along with many, many more.

Written by:  Tracy Few

Wind River

After waiting quite a while to see this movie, I finally got the chance to view it yesterday.

Let me first say I will watch anything with Jeremy Renner in it.  And, in all honesty, he could just stand there, in the entire movie, and do nothing, and I would be happy.  I am THAT big a fan.  But, to say he outdid himself in the role, does not put to words just how good he was.

I had read reviews on the movie, and they were all really good ones.  I don't think I saw but one that was not flattering, and in that review the reviewer nitpicked over everything from the location setting, to the pronunciation of names.  I mean...really?

Wind River was an independent made film.  This means none of the greasy executives in Hollywood, from the overly self important studios were involved.  If you have ever watched an independent film you will see what a difference this non-interference makes.  The storyline is just that...a storyline.  This movie had no special effects, no really harsh language, and once the storyline gripped you it pulled you in and would not let you go.  Those are the kind of films I like the most.  Up until Wind River, my favorite independents had been What Maisie Knew and People Like Us.  Both of these films are more than worthy of your time to hunt up and watch.

The story in Wind River is based around the discovery of a young Native American girls body, in the snow, on a section of the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming (and yes, this is an actual location, and actually exists).  The scenery in this film, at points, will take your breath away and adds to the overall tone and sadness of the storyline.

Renner's character, an FWS hunter, while tracking a lion and her cubs, stumbles upon a young girls body, frozen in the snow, in the middle of nowhere.  This leads to the FBI sending in a very young agent (portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen), to investigate and determine a ruling on the cause of death.  But, once the investigation starts, it turns out there is more involved than anyone even realized.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, so I will just leave that there.  Interwoven into the storyline of the young Native American girl, is the examination of  Renner's character.  You see into his life, and understand why he is so quick to jump in and help Olson's character hunt down the evidence, and eventually bring the case to an end.

This is not a fast moving, fly by the seat of your pants type of movie.  If that is what you are looking for, I would suggest you look elsewhere. However, if you would like a very well thought out, very well filmed movie, with characters that are well written and fantastically portrayed---then this is the movie for you.

In one of the last scenes, before the end credits, the following is presented onscreen...a very sobering realization that hopefully this movie will help shed some light on.

"While missing persons statistics are compiled for every other demographic, none exist for Native American women.  No one knows how many are missing."

I give this movie a 5 out of 5 stars.  I would give it more, but I set the upper end of my scale at 5 so 5 it is.  I do encourage everyone to watch this movie.  You will be glad you did.

Written by:  Tracy Few

Star Trek: Beyond

The third installment in the rebooted movie franchise, Star Trek--Beyond was, for me, one of the most anticipated movies for this summer.  I have been a fan of Star Trek since, well as long as I can literally remember.  The original series premiered a year after I was born (uh oh, letting the age cat out of the bag there..LOL!!), so I am one of those individuals who has been blessed to have grown up with this beloved franchise.  

I will say this upfront, I am in no way a fan of ALL the spin offs and such that have been presented through the years.  ST:TNG, Voyager, and ST:DSN were not at all to my liking. But, that is a set of reviews for another time (maybe, maybe not, we will see).   

This particular viewing was one of those rare times that I go in with the movie set on a very high pedestal.  My expectations are reasonable, but are at the same time very specific.  If the movie does not meet these expectations, I come out feeling both let down and somewhat upset.  This being because the makers of this franchise KNOW what the fans want, expect, and need from these movies. To do otherwise is a slap in the face of the fandom.  Slap them enough, and you WILL lose that fandom...plain and simple.  

With this particular release, there is the extra added loss of the actor that played one of the most beloved roles, that of Ensign Pavel Chekov.  I am not going to go into this part too much, other than to say that a truly talented young life was taken way too soon.  And, it is not without noting, in some form of cosmic foreshadowing, that Chekov's character was presented with more screen time in this chapter of the movies, than the other two movies combined.  And, for that I am tearfully grateful.  To get one last look at this gifted actor who did such a splendid job of bringing this character (my favorite by the way) to life for me, and the viewing audience.  Anton...you will be missed :(

As for my overall thoughts of Beyond, I must say they are very mixed.  First off, I think this installment would have been better served as a small screen, say television episode or movie event, adaptation rather than a large screen production.  I am saying this because, for me, it did not have that epic big screen feel to it, that those versions preceding it had. 

The plot line was okay, for what it was, but it in no way held up to its previous two installments with regards to suspense and action.  This movie never did, in my opinion, steadily pick up pace, pulling me to the end of my seat, ending in a crescendo of release.  From beginning to end it pretty much maintained the same pace--slow and deliberate.  Not at all what I have seen, or expect, in this movie franchise.

The bad guy in this one, portrayed by Idris Elba, was a bad guy only in that he aimed to do bodily harm to others.  With most of the baddies in these movies, whether you plan to or not, you develop some sort of disdain for them, a basic visceral, primal feeling.   You come away with a proverbial bad taste in your mouth.  In this case meh, not so much.  I mean, I know he was the bad guy, and I know he wanted to hurt those in the Federation, including our band of heroes, but that was about as far as it went for me.  Elba's portrayal fell, I would say well short of the other baddies featured before him, but that would mean I would have to admit that his performance was in the same zip code.  And that is not a statement I am prepared to make. 

Even the overall “tone” of the interactions of the three main characters, Kirk, Spock and McCoy was different.  It is hard to explain to those who are not life-long fans, but to those that are, you will get the meaning.  Sure Kirk and Spock had their usual disagreements, on everything, and Bones had his usual one-liners (that at this point are more redundant than funny), but the overall dynamic was off.  I am going to attribute that to the fact that J.J.Abrams handed over the reins on this one, as well as not the best choice in writers in tapping Simon Pegg.  It proved that just because you play a character in the movie series, it does not make you qualified to write a screenplay for such. 

There were also times, when the scenes were so dark, and poorly lit, that I had to take my 2-D glasses off just to try and see what was happening.  Nothing perturbs me more than paying good money to see a movie, and in reality not being able to see most of it.  They have successfully made many installments before this one, and the movie goers be able to follow and view the action.  So why not this one?  My theories, they thought that it would make it more suspenseful, but in actuality it played into the poor screenwriting even more.

Lastly, with a reported budget of $185,000,000, they would have been better off not putting it all into the special effects.  From the beginning of the franchise, including the big screen movie reboots, this was a series that did NOT rely heavily on special effects—plain and simple.  The success was in the screenplay, the story, and the characters.  But, this version diverted from that formula, and came across as a (dare I say it?) a Star Wars wannabe (gasp!!!).

I will say that the character of Jaylah was a nice addition, and the actress that portrayed her did a bang up job.  Her interactions with each of the crew members were spot on, and reminiscent of the original series days.  This is one character that would be great to see in the next movie (given there is one after this one…time and profits will tell).

I give this one a 4 out of 5 stars—I cannot bring myself to give it any less, and call myself a true Star Trek fan.  But, on the other hand, there are a lot of problems with this one—so if you take that into consideration this rating is very generous.  

Written by:  Tracy Few

Ghostbusters---Answer The Call

Okay, now you may not be afraid of no ghost—but be very afraid of plopping down your hard earned money for this snooze–fest of a poorly attempted remake. 

I willed myself to go into the viewing of Ghostbusters with no (well little to no) preconceived notions.  I even did a rarity for me, I didn’t read any reviews, and stayed completely away from the spoilers.  I wanted to let the movie speak for itself.  And what pray tell did it say?  Well, a whole lot of nothing!!

Like a baby speaking gibberish this movie honestly made no sense.  There were holes so big in the plot line that Slimer would have had no trouble driving the Ecto 1 right through them.  It just seemed like a hodge-podge of ideas, thrown together, with a group of actors (excuse me…actresses) just going through the motions. 

Which brings me to another point—females?  What?  Huh? Ummm…why?  Now, before all the feminists start throwing profanities and threatening to boycott this blog, I AM A FEMALE.  This is not gender bashing, this is just a gosh honest observance.  This remake would have been much better served without the main cast all being female. 

This was not one of Melissa McCarthy’s more shining moments either.  And the selection for her fellow cast mates was not the best choices in the world by far.  Although, the casting of Kate McKinnon as Holtzmann, I will say, was a true spark of genius.  She was the only shining light, with her crazy antics and her zany personality.  Her portrayal harkened back to the antics of Bill Murrays Peter Venkman in the original version. 

True, I am a die-hard fan of the original.  And true, I am not one to take change well.  But I am also a firm believer that when something isn’t broke, don’t fix it.  The original is and will continue to be a classic.  Even in its time, it was revered as such.  What my fear is, with this remake, is that future movie viewers will look at this film, and think that they do not want to mess with watching the original.  And in all honesty that would be a real shame.

And, why oh why was Chris Hemsworth cast (well I know why—for eye candy—but we will assume that is not the reason) as a total buffoon?  The man has such a great talent for acting, to allow himself to be seen in such an idiotic manner is, well, an insult to the craft.  His only saving grace was during the end credits.  I am not saying he regained any respect in this role from the end credits, but again he didn’t lose any more.

The one thing that I can say made the movie tolerable for me, was the cameos of the actors from the original.  Everyone from Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Sigorney Weaver, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, Slimer, and yes even the Sta-Puffed Marshmellow Man were there.  Although briefly, but they were there.  It was really all that made me pay attention through the movie, so that I would not miss their appearances.  I can say I was more than a little heartbroken when Rick “I am the gate-keeper” Moranis didn’t have a cameo.  But, I have sense googled the reason, and can now better come to grips with his absence.  Still, he was my favorite from the original, and he was missed.

So, all in all, for me, this was a summer movie flop.  The pros were the cameos of the original movies stars and the end credits of Chris Hemsworth.  The cons, well, the cons are way too many to mention. 

I can’t help but wonder who sold their soul to Crowley to get this one made.  And if they did, I think Crowley came on the other side of this deal the clear winner. 

I give this one 3 out of 5 stars--and feel I am being more than generous.

Written by:  Tracy Few