Cloudy 2 Poster & Trailer

First trailer & Poster from the highly anticipated animated movie of 2013 ,Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 .It looks Amazing !

Trailer #1

Spiderman costume for the sequel

Spiderman costume for The Amazing Spiderman 2.A return to the original series ,wide eyed too .Better or worse?

Man Of Steel First Reaction

Im not going to hype this too much ,but Man Of Steel has started to screen to limited audience.And the review is ........ HIGHLY POSITIVE !
But this can just be an initial reaction by die hard fans and not much importance given to it.The reports say that the audience were highly thrilled and called it a "Nolan movie with Snyder's visual effects".
Also its completely action packed and not as grim as the trailers have shown,the cape is CGI and looks awesome ,and even a "Best movie of the Year" was thrown around in the comments.

Again,this is just an early reaction and not something to be truly excited about.But its great to know Superman gets a solid Nolan treatment !
Man Of Steel opens on June 13 2013.

Iron Man 3 Posters

 

Identity claims top spot on dull week [Feb 22-24]

#1- Identity Theft claimed back its first spot on its 3rd week with $14million.While it isnt much impressive ,the movie got into first place just because everyone else failed better.The movie is so far the highest grossing movie of the year with $93.6million.

#2-The Rock starrer ,Snitch couldnt make much an impact either.Making just $13million ,it was good enough for just a second place on this poor week.Critically the movie has been getting average reviews.Rated at 54% ,the critics have given the thumbs up to Rock ,but a thumbs down to Snitch's story.

#3-Escape From Planet Earth somehow managed to hold up even with a strong negative buzz.The movie made $11million.Made at a budget of $40million ,the movie has managed to collect $34million so far.

#4-Safe Haven fell down one place to #4 making $10.6million.The romantic movie has survived the valentine week and has made so far $47.9million ,from a small budget of $2million ,so Safe Haven is quite safe at the box office.

#5-The biggest fall was of Die Hard 5.The movie made just $10million ,which is around a 60%drop.The poor reviews seem to be pulling this sequel down.With almost twice the collection of the domestic ,Die Hard 5 has so far made $184million from a $92million budget.


Next week ,4 new releases fight among each other for the top spot.
1- Jack the Giant Slayer.Although some fairytale reboots have made itself money ,none have actually made the critics happy.So could an established director such as Bryan Singer (X-Men 1,2) twist the case? The marketing is pretty quiet .And the visuals dont look too great either.But with Nicholas Hoult starring ,this might be the rare case that might actually work.So this is RJG's PICK OF THE WEEK.

2-21 & Over,is a pretty quiet in its promotional strategy.Theres barely anything much being said about this.And considering this is the last chance for producers to dump wasted movies ,this might not be worth a watch.But i think its a Project X type movie ,so if you liked that watch this one.

3-The Last Exorcism Part II, another horror movie claiming to be the last.Poor marketing and trailers have given the movie a negative buzz.Skip It

4-Last we have the crime thriller -Phantom.Ive never even heard about this one before writing this report! So its either so bad or something you have to wait for proper reviews before going to see this one.

Oscar Winners

Best Film- Argo

Best Director- Ang Lee (Life of Pi)

Best Actor- Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) 

Best Actress- Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Best Supporting Actor- Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress- Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Best Original Screenplay- Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)
Best Adapted Screenplay- Chris Terrio (Argo)
Best Film Editing- Argo
Best Animated Movie- Brave
Best Foreign Film- Amour
Best Cinematography- Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi)
Best Visual Effects- Life of Pi
Best Production Design- Lincoln
Best Costume Design- Anna Karenina
Best Makeup & Hair- Les Misérables
Best Original Score- Mychael Danna (Life Of Pi)
Best Original Song- Adele (Skyfall)
Best Sound Mixing- Les Misérables
Best Sound Editing- Skyfall & Zero Dark Thirty
Best Documentary -Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short- Inocente
Best Animated Short- Paperman
Best Live Action Short- Curfew

Frankenweenie (2012)

[a dark and funny movie]

Frankenweenie (2012)
IMDB- 7.0
Rotten Tomatoes-88
RJG Rating-75

A boy attempts to bring his dead pet back to life.

Starring- Charlie Tahan,Winona Ryder,Catherine O'Hara
Director- Tim Burton

Animation of Frankenweenie is quite beautiful.2012 has been the year of claymation type animation ,and Frankenweenie is another great addition to them.The entire movie is shot in black and white ,but Burton's story is justifies its usage.

The story for Frankenweenie is good at heart.It holds enough interest in both kids as well as adults.But towards the end it moves towards the kiddish zone.Plus a lack of proper explanation does tend to keep sensible viewers from being fully connected to the story process.The characters are a disappoint too.Other than the titular dog ,all the rest are not very connectable to.You fail to love any of them and soon start getting irritated with them.

Tim Burton's direction is great.It holds all of his trademark ,except Johnny Depp that is.Emo type characters ,dark humour have been used appropriately.The pacing of the movie is fast ,and there isnt any lagging or dull moments.Burton has made the movie very kid friendly but still has added enough substance and humour for the mature viewers.This is one factor most of the other animated movies of this year missed out on.

Overall ,even though Frankenweenie is a movie catered for kids ,the adults wont get bored.

Animation- 4/5
Story- 3.5/5
Direction- 4/5
Comedy- 3.5/5
Drama- 3.5/5


Oscars

Nominated- 1
Best Animated Film

The Master (2012)

[powerful acting]

The Master (2012)
IMDB- 7.4
Rottentomatoes- 86%
RJG Rating- 70

Story of an aimless man finding his master.

Starring- Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour
Director- Paul Thomas Anderson

The acting is the most powerful pillar of The Master.Every scene is powered by raw intensity of its lead actors.Joaquin has just immersed himself in this complex role of his.Its raw and tests his acting skills to the core.Excellent from start to finish and one of the best of this year.Playing the titular role ,but infact a supporting role is Philip Seymour Hoffman.He brings the character to its peak of perfection and controls it brilliantly.The way he has portrayed the character is amazing.Couple of scenes where his character suddenly loses his outside layer of emotion is handled perfectly ,showing Philip's strength of acting.Amy Adams has done a good job as well ,although not as great as the main.

The story for The Master is undeniably based on the scam-cult ,Scientology.But the origination of a cult isnt its primary subject.Its the story of a troubled soldier finding his place in this cult ,and his faith in the cult's founder ,aka The Master.The 2 main characters are so rich in its development that we are drawn into their worlds.But the story isnt meant for all.The story pretends to be deep, but its infact pretty simple.Its nothing but a tale about 2 men and at times its infuriating trying to understand them.

Direction is beautiful.Paul Thomas Anderson is known for such movies.The cinematography is beautiful and some scenes are just gorgeous.Hes extracted the best from his cast and created a great movie.The pacing of the movie is mixed ,it varies from slow to fast during its run.He tries to give the movie a false sense of impotence and towards the end ,its all just falls apart leaving you with a somewhat poor and forgettable ending.

Overall ,Master is an excellent watch if you want to see some great acting ,but the story isnt meant for all.

Acting- 5/5
Story- 3/5
Direction- 3.5/5
Drama- 4/5


Oscars

Nominations - 3
Best Actor -Joaquin Phoenix
Best Supporting Actor -Philip Seymour Hoffman
Best Supporting Actress -Amy Adams

RJG MOVIE AWARDS

Chuck the Oscars,check out my set of awards

http://bit.ly/rjg12Awards

Hunger Games 2 ,Iron Man 3 ,Wolverine

 

 

Les Misérables (2012)

[a depressing 150min]

Les Misérables (2012)

IMDB- 7.9

RottenTomatoes- 70%

RJG Rating- 65

The story of Jean Valjean as he flees a ruthless police-officer hunting him.

Starring- Hugh Jackman,Russell Crowe

Director- Tom Hooper

Les Miserables is spear headed by the acting of Huge Jackman.Hes excellent in every scene and he gives one of his best performances.Playing an officer with a screwed up sense of judgement ,Russel Crowe takes up the part of the villain and blends into the gloomy atmosphere of the movie quite well.Anne Hathaway deserves all the praise shes been showered upon.Her role is one of the best ones shes done till now.But a major letdown is how short her role actually is.Les Miserables boasts of large cast of supporting cast ,and they all are excellent.

Being a musical ,almost all the dialogues are delivered in a musical note.The actors have all done good work here.But the length of some do get a bit out of hand.

The story of Les Miserables is based on the famous novel of the same name written by Victor Hugo and also on the stage musical.While the movie might strike among those who love depression type movies ,it certainly wasnt meant for the rest.The story of Les Miserables stays true to the novel on most parts.A major flaw is how poorly the characters have been developed during the course of the movie.All our one sided and its hard to support or understand the reasoning behind anyone of them.Things happen conveniently throughout, to either deliver more musical numbers or just more depression.

Tom Hooper's direction is excellent.He has easily captured the essence of the novel and even though its generally gloomy ,its still shot in grandeur.Even though the story does push Hooper into one way alleys ,he has extracted the best from his cast.But the movie is gloomy from start to finish and offers no triumph of any sort.The movie enters into over dramatic scenes most of the time.The story of an officer chasing a man who stole bread 25years ago (which includes the 19years he served in prison for it) ,while a revolution is going on is unintentionally hilarious and stupid.The length of the movie is also tiresome.

Dramatic scenes are shot excellently and the actors give it their best but the reasons for which they shout and scream about seems unworthy at most of the times.Romance makes its entry in the 3rd half ,and its poorly conceived.

Overall ,Les Miserables is not for all.Its catered more for the fans of the musical & the novel and will easily bore majority of the casual viewers.People who love hardcore drama and chick-flick romance should give this movie a watch.

Acting- 4.5/5

Story- 2.5/5

Direction- 4/5

Drama- 3/5

Romance- 2/5

Musical- 3.5/5

Oscars - 3

Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Anne Hathaway

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Best Sound Mixing

Oscar Nominations- 5

Best Picture

Best Actor- Hugh Jackman

Best Original Song - "Suddenly"

Best Costume Design

Best Production Design

Lincoln (2012)

[dull and uneventful]

Lincoln (2012)
IMDB- 7.7
Rottentomatoes- 89%
RJG Rating- 50

The last few months of one of the greatest presidents of all time ,Abraham Lincoln.

Starring- Daniel Day-Lewis
Director- Steven Spielberg

Daniel Day as Lincoln is spot on.Hes just amazing as the 16th President of USA.He has done complete justification to his role and its just brilliant watching him on screen.The same cant be said for the rest of the cast.Sally Field & Tommy Lee Jones go over the top on one too many occasions.Tommy looks too tired to do anything.Joseph Gordon has a short role as Lincoln's son ,and although he does a good job ,his screen time is awfully short.

The story for Lincoln is as dull as it can get.Although its about Lincoln's fight to end slavery ,it rarely brings up any true sense of achievement in the end.THe long speeches get boring after a while and the various characters introduced every now and then creates confusion as to who is who.Those who have studied the basics of American history and of Lincoln might understand ,but majority of the others will just be waiting for Lincoln to appear on screen.

Steven Speilberg does an average job with Lincoln.This isnt his best.He extracts the best from Daniel and has given much thought into bringing Abraham Lincoln onto screen ,but the rest of the movie is a disappointment.The pacing of the movie is too slow and the movie just drags on forever with its running time of over 150min.Even though the act of abolishing slavery is what Lincoln is remembered for ,he had a very motivational story behind it.Even his assassination isnt directly shown.The only moment Speilberg remembers to add any excitement is the Parliament voting scene ,in which over acting goes to unbelievable lengths. Although educational ,Lincoln misses out the entertainment factor.

Overall ,Lincoln is relevant to American audience than to others.Its a boring and dullish movie ,with only Daniel shining in his role.

Acting- 3.5/5
Story- 2/5
Direction- 3/5
Drama- 3.5/5


Oscars

Won -2
Best Actor -Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Production Design

Other Nominations - 10
Best Film
Best Director -Steven Spielberg
Best Supporting Actor -Tommy Lee Jones
Best Supporting Actress -Sally Field
Best Adapted Screenplay -Tony Kushner
Best Cinematography -Janusz Kaminski
Best Costume Design
Best Editing
Best Original Score -John Williams
Best Sound Mixing

Die Hard wins on a rotten weekend

Die Hard wins on a rotten weekend.

[Feb 15-17]

1-A Good Day to Die Hard manage to win the top spot beating 3 other releases on Valentines weekend.Die Hard 5 made $25million and is going strong.The movie has already recovered its budget of $92million ,with strong overseas performance.Die Hard 5 has so far made $112million worldwide.But other than making money ,Die Hard was a major disappointment for its fans.The movie was panned by the critics and currently has a rotten rating of 16%. Majority of the critics blamed the cliched story.

2-Identity Thief made a surprisingly strong stand.Falling just by 32% ,the comedy movie made $23.4million on week 2 ,bringing its overall domestic total to $70million.Made at a budget of $35million Identity Thief is making quite a huge profit.

3-The romance chick flick ,Safe Haven made a decent debut with $21.4million.This is a good opening for a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.But like most of the movies based on his novels ,this one too failed to keep the critics happy.Scoring just 13% ,the major criticisms were its melodramatic scenes ,idiotic plot twists and the usual cliches found in a Sparks movie.Still the movie has managed to recover its budget of $28million.

4-Escape From Planet Earth made a poor opening with just $16million.The animated movie was dumped by the producers on Valentines Day hoping to reel in the kids and thus they made no attempt at any marketing.Lack of marketing could also be due to the fact that the movie looks poor ,lacking any quality of a good animated movie.The movie was slammed by the critics ,scoring just 24%. Every aspect of the movie has been criticized and the movie ,which has a budget of $40million is heading towards a flop.

5-Warm Bodies made $9million which is just a 20%drop from last week.The zombie comedy has made $67million worldwide but is slowing down.

The 4th new movie ,was Beautiful Creatures which flopped heavily.Made at a budget of $60million ,this teenage fantasy movie made only $7.4million.Although it was much better reviewed than the other 3 releases of the week ,the movie had just average ratings.Currently at 45% ,critics say the cast is good but the story and setting is poor and seems to be just an attraction for the Twilight crowd.

Meanwhile heres updates on worldwide box office collections:-

Lincoln-$235million 

Life Of Pi- $575million

Django Unchained- $365million

Hobbit 1- $959.4 million

Skyfall- $1.1billion

This week we have 2 dark movies.But my pick will be:-

Snitch- The movie is about a father whos son has been caught up on some false charges,and in order to rescue him ,he goes undercover in a drug gang.The major selling point here is The Rock ,and though the movie doesnt sound too great ,Rock's charisma will keep the guys hooked on.So ,this will be my pick of the week.

Dark Skies- The movie is about a couple who start experiencing disturbing events within their home.It sounds interesting ,but unlike Snitch theres nobody interesting here.The director has earlier made 2 big horror flops (Legion & Priest) ,and the story doesnt sound too interesting.

Marketing has been on the low for both these movies ,showing that the producers dont believe that much in them either.It looks like another rotten week ahead!

Iron Man 3 Posters !

Even Heroes Fall

Don Cheadle as Rhodes.He reprises his alter ego ,War Machine from Iron Man 2.
The suit hes wearing is called the Iron Patriot ,and in comic book history ,it was made by Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin

Jurassic Park 3D Poster

Poster for the upcoming Jurassic Park 3D.

(Not to be confused with Jurassic Park 4 thats coming out in June 2014)
This Jurassic Park is the 3D version of the first movie that released in 1993 and is part of the 20 year anniversary.