Going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do. The first movie I ever remember going to see in the theaters was Steven Spielberg’s E.T. I remember it being one of the greatest experiences ever. You can read all about it in my Growing Up Geek column. I loved the feeling of being in the theater; I loved the reaction of the crowd; I loved how the movie made me feel. The emotions I was feeling just completely overwhelmed me. All of these things hooked me into movies at a young age and I never let go. Going to the movies simply makes me happy, and I’ll never ever get tired of going to watch them. It's just a part of who I am. 

I honestly can’t imagine a life without movies. There are so many different genres of films out there, and I enjoy them all! Comedy, horror, drama, action, adventure, sci-fi, westerns, superhero — they all offer something that speaks to me and they are an important part of my life. It’s almost like a drug because I get a thrilling high from the feelings and emotions that overwhelm me when I watch them. I think it’s safe to say that I’m addicted to movies.

Over the years, the movies I’ve watched have shaped me into the person I am today. They inspire me to be a better person and they motivate and encourage me to fulfill my goals and live out my dreams. Movies are an art form and like all art, they have the power to inspire.

I get a lot of flack from people for giving lots of good reviews to films I see, and that's because I can almost always find the good things in films that they have to offer. I overlook a lot of the technical errors in movies because I just want to enjoy the story, I want to be entertained! I don’t ever go into a movie wanting to not like it. Even if it looks bad, I try to give it the benefit of the doubt. Of course, sometimes there are movies that turn out to be complete garbage and I call it as it is.

As far as the theatrical experience goes, I’ll always go to the cinema to watch movies. There’s been a lot of talk about Sean Parker’s streaming movie service The Screening Room, which is a cool idea, but even if it did end up becoming a thing, I would still prefer to go the movie theater to enjoy the films I watch. I just want to experience these stories on the big screen. I loved that experience as a kid and nothing will replace it.

Movies are a huge part of my life and I’m always excited about and looking forward to what movies I’ll see next! What was the first movie you ever saw, and why do you love going to the movies?

Joey just wrote a piece about loving the theatrical experience, but here's something that might put even his impressive love to the test: an all-day movie marathon of Captain America films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This Thursday, May 5th, 2016, some theaters will host a marathon that begins at 7:00am local time and kick off with Captain America: The First Avenger, roll into The Avengers, follow that with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, chase that with Avengers: Age of Ultron, and top it all off with a screening of the brand new movie Captain America: Civil War. If you're in the position to be able to shirk all responsibilities for an entire day (and night) with only two days' notice, more power to you! The rest of us will probably need to rewatch some of these at home this week before we head out to see Civil War.

If you're one of the dedicated souls who is willing to attend this marathon, you'll receive a limited edition copy of Issue 1 of Marvel: Avengers Alliance and an "exclusive medallion." Click here to search for tickets on Fandango.

Even if you're not a professional writer, it's safe to assume you've experienced writer's block at one point in your life. Whether it was working on a paper for school, trying to craft that perfectly worded e-mail, or attempting to write that novel you've always wanted to crank out, you know the feeling of desperately wanting to write something great (or at least good) and having absolutely zero inspiration.

Editors Ben Watts and Ivan Kandor know that feeling, too, and they've crafted a supercut featuring 50 movies that deal with this exact thing. Thankfully, they don't just stop at the low point — they also include that transcendent moment where the words just start flowing and it feels like they'll never stop, complete with a great soundtrack that mirrors the writers' journey.

A Murder of Crows
Adaptation
Almost Famous
Amadeus
As Good As It Gets
Atonement
Barfly
Barton Fink
Capote
Cloud Atlas
Dead Poets Society
Delirious
Door In The Floor, The
Factotum
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Front, The
Ghost Writer, The
Great Gatsby, The
Hours, The
Iris
Jerry Maguire
Julie & Julia
Kill Your Darlings
Limitless
Listen Up, Phillip
Lost Weekend
Mission: Impossible
Moulin Rouge
Orange County
Permanent Midnight
Railway Man, The
Reprise
Rewrite, The
Royal Tenenbaums,
Ruby Sparks
Secret Window
Seven Psychopaths
Shakespeare In Love
Shining, The
Stranger Than Fiction
Sunset Blvd
Swimming Pool
Sylvia
Throw Momma From the Train
Trumbo
Wonder Boys
Words and Pictures
Words, The
World According To Garp, The
Young Adult

Via: Sploid

I think at this point, most fans won't believe Pacific Rim 2 is going to happen until they actually see footage from it, but meanwhile director Guillermo del Toro has other projects in the works. One of them is a movie that's been described as an "otherworldly love story" set against the backdrop of the Cold War in 1963, and now some new rumored details about that film have risen to the surface.

The Tracking Board claims that the film, which has Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer on board to star, is called The Shape of Water, and involves a mute janitor named Elisa (Hawkins) who falls for an amphibious man who's being kept at the lab where she works. She tries to break him out with the help of her neighbor, who is said to be played by Richard Jenkins, but "the world outside of the lab, however, may prove to be more dangerous for the amphibious man than Elisa could have anticipated."

Michael Stuhlbarg is also said to be circling the movie, so del Toro looks to be acquiring a terrific cast for his fairytale love story. No word yet on who would play the amphibious man, but I wouldn't be surprised if del Toro's long-time collaborator Doug Jones ends up with the role.

Update: A PR firm has reached out and asked that we update this article. The aforementioned plot details should be considered unconfirmed rumors at this time, but here's an official synopsis straight from them:

An other-worldly love story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. A mysterious and magical journey from master storyteller Guillermo del Toro.

Via: The Playlist

With Captain America getting his own movie marathon ahead of the release of Civil War this week, fandom currently has Cap on the brain. But perhaps one aspect of the Star Spangled Man with a Plan's history that's better forgotten is the ill-fated 1990 feature film. Before the MCU was a glint in Kevin Feige's eye, Cap was faking nausea to steal cars, fighting an Italian Red Skull, and rocking plastic ears in a low-budget, direct-to-VHS crap-fest. Enjoy:

Phillip Noyce is perhaps best known for the thrillers he directed in the '80s and '90s, like Dead Calm, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, and The Bone Collector. After taking a detour into YA territory with The Giver in 2014, it sounds like Noyce is getting back to his bread and butter with Above Suspicion, a new thriller that has Jack Huston (Ben-Hur, Boardwalk Empire) and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Terminator Genisys) on board to star.

Based on the 1993 book by author Joe Sharkey, the movie will tell the true story of a newly married FBI poster-boy assigned to an Appalachian mountain town in Kentucky. There he is drawn into an illicit affair with an impoverished local woman who becomes his star informant. She sees in him her means of escape; instead, it’s a ticket to disaster for both of them. This scandal shook the foundations of the nation’s top law enforcement agency, ending in the first ever conviction of an FBI agent for murder.

Sounds like a cool backwoods noir story, and I'm very excited to see Clarke continue to expand her range as an actress with a project that sounds completely unlike anything she's done so far. Chris Gerolmo (Mississippi Burning) is writing the screenplay, and production is scheduled to begin this month.

Side note: Noyce also directed Blind Fury, an insane movie featuring Rutger Hauer as a homeless blind swordsman, which Tyler and I talked about on an episode of our old Not Just New Movies Podcast a few years ago.

Most new console generation have brought a different type of game style to it, that wasn’t capable on earlier systems. The fifth console generation gave us 3D worlds with the likes...read more on Gametyrant

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Last week, rumors started to surfaces that Disneyland would be closing down the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride and replace it with a Guardians of the Galaxy ride. It sounds like those rumors are actually true. Mice Chat backs up the rumor and even offers additional details on what to expect from the new ride. Apparently Disney was pissed when the news leaked.

According to the report, Team Disney Anaheim executives have been spending lots of early mornings and late nights building tests for the Guardians attraction and playing around with the pre-show hallways and queue. With this going on, it's not surprising that it leaked out.

The whole Twilight Zone story told on the ride will be removed and replaced with an all-new show that will at least partially focus on the Collector character from the Guardians film franchise. They go on to say:

The current plan for Tower of Terror is to close the attraction this fall and give the entire building a full interior and exterior refurbishment so that the new version of the ride can open next May, with the Guardians of the Galaxy movie premiere held at DCA the same week the new ride opens. Assuming this gets the green light by August.

This will be the first Marvel ride at the Disneyland California parks. I'm sad that Tower of Terror will be removed, but this Guardians of the Galaxy ride should be fun. In a separate report at /Film, they offer some additional information from an inside source on what else the ride could entail:

The ride could be re-themed after the industrial space jail that the Guardians escape from in the first film. The boiler room queue room could be more easily remodeled to resemble this space prison, and remember that the Guardians escaped in a square room that could resemble the ride’s elevator vehicle. 

I imagine the ride could be a mix of that and the Collector's museum. This will be the start of what could end up being Marvel Land at California Adventure. 

One thing that I'm left to wonder is what this means for the Tower of Terror movie that was announced last year. It doesn't make sense to replace the ride with that film on the horizon unless the movie is no longer happening.  

We bring you news about the DC Cinematic Universe...Listen on PodTyrant

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The How It Should Have Ended team has done it again. Their latest video pokes fun at Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and it's a hilarious deconstruction of some of the movie's...curious narrative choices. Great stuff.

Via: LaughingSquid

2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the classic sci-fi franchise Star Trek, and Paramount Pictures is hosting a fan event on the studio lot in Hollywood on May 20th to celebrate. Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin and some of the cast members will be on hand to preview the final trailer for the new film and present exclusive first-looks of footage, special guest appearances, and other surprises for fans, and Paramount is giving away tickets to the winners of a new contest that's being held this week.

Here are the details:

Beginning today through Friday, May 6, fans can submit a 50-second video to the official “STAR TREK BEYOND” Facebook page and Twitter account to share how Star Trek has inspired them to “Go Beyond.” Each day, the best 50 entries will be selected to receive a ticket to the STAR TREK FAN EVENT on May 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the historic Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood. The highest judged video of each day will be awarded the grand prize, a fully paid trip to the event.

Sounds like a piece of cake for the GeekTyrant crowd. Good luck to you all! There are two ways to enter:

On Facebook: Fans can share their videos as a comment on the Star Trek Movie Facebook Page with the hashtag #StarTrekContest.

US/Canada: www.facebook.com/StarTrekMovie

Australia: www.facebook.com/startrekAU

UK: www.facebook.com/startrek.UK)

 

On Twitter: Fans can share their videos and tag @startrekmovie with the hashtag #StarTrekContest.

Star Trek Beyond arrives in theaters on July 22nd.

Share your video & tag @StarTrekMovie & #StarTrekContest 2 enter for a chance 2 win. Rules: https://t.co/YZJGYOG7s2 pic.twitter.com/BR476oxLIV

— Star Trek (@StarTrekMovie) May 3, 2016

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been cast in the upcoming action comedy Why We're Killing Gunther. I love it when Schwarzenegger does comedy! One of my favorite movies that he was in was True Lies, and it would be great to see him do that kind of film again. This sounds like it could a lot of fun. THR offers the following plot info:

The story focuses on a group of eccentric international assassins who become fed up with Gunther, the world's greatest hitman who also happens to be an arrogant show-off, and decide to kill him. Their master plan, however, quickly turns into a series of embarrassing encounters as Gunther always appears one step ahead.

Schwarzenegger will be taking on the role of Gunther, and it sounds like a great role for him! He will be joined by Cobie Smulders (The Avengers), Bobby Moynihan (SNL), Paul Brittain (Hotel Transylvania 2), Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley), Randall Park (The Interview), and Ryan Gaul (Identity Thief).

SNL star Taran Killam will be making his directorial debut with the film. So, you know, no pressure or anything to deliver something awesome. Schwarzenegger hasn't done too well with films since he started acting again, but I'm still rooting for him, and I hope this ends up being a funny, action-packed movie.

Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! To celebrate this joyous day, Daisy Ridley has released a new "Force For Change" video! In it, we get to see some of the alien creatures that will be in Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII. I'm sure you'll recognize a couple of them.  

Daisy Ridley (joined by a few friends) wishes fans a happy Star Wars Day and offers thanks for all the money raised through Star Wars: Force for Change. This marks your last chance to donate — and the chance to win a trip to Ireland and visit Skellig Michael, the iconic location of Rey’s fateful meeting with Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

For those of you who would like to donate, click here. I do love all of the charity stuff that is being done in conjunction with these films. Not only do we get new awesome Star Wars movies, but they are also using the popularity and fanbase to help make the world a better place. 

Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s classic movie The Blues Brothers is getting adapted into a primetime animated comedy series! Aykroyd has teamed up with Belushi’s widow Judy Belushi and Bento Box Entertainment to bring this new series to life. Bento Box is the production company that produces Bob’s Burgers. 

The series was co-created by Aykroyd, Belushi, and Saturday Night Live writer Anne Beatts. According to Deadline, the series “will chronicle the music, mayhem and comedy adventures of Jake and Elwood Blues, along with the characters within their master blues band.” The report goes on to explains that “the boys take their act on the road and back to that same old place, sweet home Chicago. Music will be a main character in the new series. Each episode will feature a score and soundtrack curated with the soul, blues and R&B classics and hits performed by the Blues Brothers, as well as new performances recorded specifically for the show.”

This show sounds like it could be very entertaining and a lot of fun. Aykroyd had this to say in a statement:

“The show will be the Blues Brothers living in America and utilizing all new technology to make and promote their own records, seek out and record new artists and avoid law enforcement – and all while fighting for truth, justice and a better breakfast sandwich.” 

Apparently Aykroyd and Belushi had been trying to get this project off the ground for about 10 years when they licensed the rights to the property to Film Roman back in 1997. Unfortunately, nothing ever happened with it. So they started pitching the series to other networks. Finally, the project has found a home. Producer Scott Greenberg said:

“It is such a privilege for us to be able to produce the work of the very same people who played such an instrumental role in creating one of the most iconic, multi-faceted comedy and music brands of all time. Now we all have the rare opportunity to translate the timeless comic genius of Dan and John from live-action to animation, while offering an entirely new generation of Blues Brothers fans the chance to appreciate them.”

I’m a big fan of The Blues Brothers, and I’m excited to see the adventures of these two crazy characters that originated on SNL continue in animated form. 

Star Wars Day is here, and artist Tim Odland has created two wicked cool pieces of fan art that see a TIE Fighter and an X-Wing in the heat of combat. The first features The X-Wing hot on the tail of a TIE Fighter and the second one is the opposite. Here are the details on the prints:

Long format print 12" x 36" Signed by the artist. Professionally printed with Fujicolor Crystal Archive paper and processed with vibrant laser chemical inks. Shipped in a sturdy mailing tube.

If you want one, they are up for sale here, and they will cost you $35.00. We’ve posted a lot of Odland’s art in the past. He has an incredibly fun style and you can see more of his work here. 

An intense new trailer has been released for Blake Lively's survival thriller The Shallows. In the film, a young woman who is surfing on a secluded beach is attacked by a shark and is forced to survive as she is stranded on a rock in the cove that she was surfing in. 

I think this movie looks great, but if you're not a fan of sharks, then this movie isn't really going to help you get over that fear. In fact, it's probably going to make it worse. In all my years of spending time at the beach and surfing, I've only seen a shark while I was in the water once. Yeah, it scared the living shit out of me! It didn't stop me from going back into the water, though. The experience that Lively has in this movie, though, definitely would keep me out of the water!

In the taut thriller "The Shallows," Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a great white shark and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of wills. It’s "Jaws" for a new generation.

The Shallows comes out in theaters on June 24th.

Comic writer Mark Millar has got another comic book that is going to get the big screen treatment. According to THR, he has teamed up with producers Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum to bring his latest comic, Empress, to the big screen.

The story centers on “the wife of a galactic dictator (a la Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon) who makes the decision to leave her evil husband and take her three kids with her. With the aid of a bodyguard, she escapes with her brood — Aine, her 15-year-old daughter who wants to be with her father; Adam, her gentle soul of a 10-year-old son who she knows would not survive the trials ahead to be an elite ruler; and Puck, her 18-month-old — to her home world. But the dictator husband, with armies at his disposal, isn’t going to let her go without a fight.”

The first issue of the comic was a big hit and sold out when it debuted last month. The second issue hits comic book stores today. The script for the film will be written by F. Scott Frazier, who wrote Vin Diesel's latest project xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. 

Millar has a few other projects in development. Most recently Waypoint Entertainment acquired the rights to Millar’s Supercrooks and American Jesus. There’s also a sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service currently in development with Matthew Vaughn at the helm. Other film projects we’ve heard about in the past include War Heroes, Huck, Chrononauts, and Starlight, which are all in various stages of development. 

Kirschenbaum had this to say in a statement:

"Nobody creates universes that translate into big movie ideas better than Millar. With Empress, he's raised the bar yet again. Part Star Wars, part Guardians of the Galaxy and part something wholly fresh that only the amazing brain of Millar could spawn."

Millar added

“In terms of pure concept, this is the most ambitious story I’ve ever come up with, so it needed the most experienced producers I’ve ever been in business with. Joe Roth is a genuine Hollywood legend and Jeff Kirschenbaum was part of the team that broke every record in the book at Universal last year. Even being on the same poster as these two guys is exciting to me.”

I haven’t read the comic myself, but it sounds like it could be a pretty spectacular film. Millar also tends to tell great, fun, engaging, and jacked up stories, so I’m very curious to see how this film turns out. 

Seven years after Dragonball Evolution was released in theaters, screenwriter Ben Ramsey wrote a sincere apology for how terrible the film was. Dragonball definitely deserved a better film. So why are fans just now getting an apology? Well, Dragonball fan and writer Derek Padula reached out to Ramsey to conduct an interview with him for a book he’s writing. 

Padula ended up receiving an apology addressed to all the fans everywhere, and Padula published it on his website. Here is the apology:

I knew that it would eventually come down to this one day. Dragonball Evolution marked a very painful creative point in my life. To have something with my name on it as the writer be so globally reviled is gut wrenching. To receive hate mail from all over the world is heartbreaking. I spent so many years trying to deflect the blame, but at the end of the day it all comes down to the written word on page and I take full responsibility for what was such a disappointment to so many fans. I did the best I could, but at the end of the day, I ‘dropped the dragon ball.’

I went into the project chasing after a big payday, not as a fan of the franchise but as a businessman taking on an assignment. I have learned that when you go into a creative endeavor without passion you come out with sub-optimal results, and sometimes flat out garbage. So I’m not blaming anyone for Dragonball but myself. As a fanboy of other series, I know what it’s like to have something you love and anticipate be so disappointing.

To all the Dragon Ball fans out there, I sincerely apologize.

I hope I can make it up to you by creating something really cool and entertaining that you will like and that is also something I am passionate about. That’s the only work I do now.

Best,

Ben

It’s always nice when someone actually steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for the failure of something. It’s not an easy thing to do! Hell, the guy admits that he took the job for a paycheck and that he wasn’t really a fan. That’s a rare thing for someone to fess up to these days. There’s a lot of filmmakers out there who will claim to be fans of projects they are working on when clearly that’s not the case. 

I’d say it the studio's fault for not hiring someone who was actually a fan of the series. The guy needed a writing job to survive in the industry. I can understand that, but had the studio actually hired someone who knew what the film needed, we probably would have gotten a strong movie that fans would have enjoyed. 

A lot of people had a role in making this movie, and even though Ramsey is taking the blame, the awfulness of the film isn’t completely his fault. Remember, the movie was made at Fox during a time when they didn’t even really know what to do with the X-Men franchise. Dragonball Evolution came out in 2009, which is the same year the studio released X-Men: Origins: Wolverine, so it wasn’t the only shit film to come out at that time. 

Via: io9

20th Century Fox released brand-new X-Men: Apocalypse TV spots that are adrenaline-charged and capable of getting us pretty excited about the upcoming movie.

The first one centers on one of the Apocalypse horsemen — Storm. Despite the fact that the featurette is too short, it gets into Storm’s skills and powers and simultaneously "casts some light" on the darkness in her personality. Sort of. The other trailer is titled “Who is He?” and also shows pretty epic shots with some of the characters – including Magneto facing the power of Apocalypse.

Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshiped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

X-Men: Apocalypse features Oscar Isaac, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, and Lucas Till, with newcomers Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, Ben Hardy, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Munn and Lana Condor.

The movie  hits theaters on May 27, 2016.

It appears that Vans is releasing a line of Nintendo themed low tops and high top shoes! Sole Collector has uncovered this information via a German shoe retailer that...read more on Gametyrant

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