Category Archives: Movies

Superhero Movies of 2016 Ranked Worst to Best

This year has plenty to offer fans of superhero movies.  The cinematic universes expanding and superheroes battling each other is all the rage. Also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returned in the sequel Out of the Shadows (Full Review Here). For the rest of the superhero movie lineup, here’s a personal take on how they all stacked up.

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Michael Fassbender is Destined for Great Things in “Assassin’s Creed” Movie

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Assassin’s Creed starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard is the first of eight film adaptations of video games from Ubisoft Movie Studios.

The new studio’s approach to producing video game movies is to prioritize what is the best artistic angle to serve the franchise that is being adapted. The upcoming movie lineup includes Tom Clancy’s The Division starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell with Tom Hardy attached to the lead role. 

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New Rogue One: A Star Wars Story TV Spot Will Leave You Breathless

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story marks the first Star Wars movie outside of the main saga.

After four weeks of summer reshoots which has been speculated to restore a “sense of fun” to the film, Rogue One is set to take fans on a nostalgic trip back in time before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. 

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Everything You Need To Know

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Guardians of the Galaxy were a relatively unknown Marvel Comics superhero team a few years ago.

After the success of the 2014 sci-fi space adventure film, it wouldn’t be a surprise if moviegoers could now identify each of the Guardians from seeing only their silhouettes. 

Director James Gunn has been revealing fascinating details on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and answering fan questions on social media.

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The Girl on the Train Movie Review: Emily Blunt in Psychological Thriller

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The Girl on the Train (2016) Review
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans

The Girl on the Train is a missing persons mystery that manages to be somewhat satisfying despite the lack of genuine thrills.

Adapted from Paula Hawkin’s novel, The Girl on the Train is about psychological manipulation.  It reveals how memories and perception is impacted by isolation, abuse and emotional anguish. The story is a deeply troubled portrait of female characters primarily told from an unhinged woman’s point of view.  

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The Assassin (2015) is Meditative and Devastatingly Beautiful

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In case you missed it, this post is part of MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur on Foreign Language Films (2013-present).

Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien won the award for best director at the 68th Cannes Film Festival for his brilliant work in 2015’s The Assassin. Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s unique vision transcends The Assassin from a martial arts film into an art-house cinematic experience. However, I wouldn’t expect The Assassin to be highly influential in the wuxia genre, not because it isn’t deserving to be, but it purposely avoids many traditional tropes and conventions for what makes for a crowd pleasing, popular martial arts film that few directors and movie studios would likely follow in his forward thinking footsteps.

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Movie Roundup: Are you Excited that Pixar is Focusing on Making More Sequels?

Pixar’s line up of sequels includes the summer blockbuster Finding Dory and will carry through 2019 with Cars 3, Toy Story 4 and the long-anticipated The Incredibles 2. From 2020, there are no further sequels planned. Pixar president Jim Morris recently shared some thoughts about why certain sequels don’t happen. “Most studios jump on doing a sequel as soon as they have a successful film, but our business model is a filmmaker model, and we don’t make a sequel unless the director of the original film has an idea that they like and are willing to go forward on,” Morris explains. “A sequel in some regards is even harder [than the original] because you’ve got this defined world which, on the one hand, is a leg up, and on the other hand has expectations that you can’t disappoint on.”

What do you think about Pixar’s approach to making sequels? Which Pixar movie would you love to see a sequel?

Movie Roundup is a feature where I give quick impressions on some films I recently watched and/or on movie related topics.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows “Heroes in a Half Shell Ain’t Half Bad”

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) (Non-Spoilers)
Director: Dave Green
Cast: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Stephen Amell, Tyler Perry, Laura Linney, Brian Tee, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Gary Anthony Williams, Stephen Farrelly

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows’ kid-friendly action and cheesy, slap-stick humor is aimed at a younger target audience. If you no longer wake up early on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons or the phrases “Cowabunga” and “Turtle Power” don’t illicit nostalgia, it could be a tough movie to sit through.

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Genre Grandeur: How does Fast Five hold up five years later?

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This post is originally written for MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur on Heist Movies. For all the reviews in this feature, check out Movie Rob’s site.

Fast Five is the very first film in The Fast and The Furious franchise I ever watched. I’m not a snobby movie watcher. I love superhero films and summer blockbusters like a lot of other people. But I overlooked this franchise thinking it would be a hollow, soul less action flick. Okay, this franchise is never going to win an Oscar for best picture. It is a fun, testosterone fueled ride and I can see why it’s one of the biggest, most popular action movie franchises around.

The fifth installment surprisingly makes for a good entry point into the franchise for me. It’s arguably the best in the franchise to date. The action sequences are exciting and well directed. There’s enough character beats to give the story some heart. With so much going on and so many characters, this could have been a hot mess. Director Justin Lin has a firm hand on the steering wheel, never letting the story go off track. He’s also got a strong eye for the visuals, knowing how to frame scenes for maximum suspense and bringing an energetic flair to daring, insane stunts.

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What’s New @ Jaccendo.com! 5 Things To Know Before Seeing Captain America: Civil War & Much More

 

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Hello Everyone! Are you wondering where the latest The Walking Dead reviews are? Or why it’s been a little quiet over here? Let me personally invite you to my new site! Please join us at Jaccendo.com for the very latest in movies, TV, comics and fan art news & reviews.

Here’s a quick update on some posts you might have missed at Jaccendo:

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The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 12 “Not Tomorrow Yet” Review
I thought this episode was awesome and brutal! I also have some thoughts about it that I don’t think has been covered elsewhere. And yes Carol, I would really love one of your cookies. Read my complete breakdown by following the link above.

The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 13 “The Same Boat” Review
This is my most read The Walking Dead review, I’m really happy with the way it came out. Not bad for writing it over night. “Meet us on the kill floor” … Carol you are one scary lady!

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5 Things To Know Before Seeing Captain America: Civil War
This is a post that breaks down the most important things you should know or remember to get you ready for Civil War. I also give my thoughts on the new Spidey!

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