Previewing 2015's Most Anticipated Movies: The potential flops and smash hits, Part 2

2015 is primed to be one of the most exciting years in movies in a long time.  Star Wars is making an epic return and other classic franchises are featuring new installments as well.  While the summer boasts a prolific cinematic line-up, one that features Avengers: Age of Ultron and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, the real gems might be showing up later this year.  Here is part two of my 2015 movies preview.  

Mad-Max: Fury Road

Mad-Max: Fury Road is the latest installment in the revolutionary Mad-Max franchise.  The series began in the late 70's and had its most recent entry in the mid 80's, with Mel Gibson playing the title role.  The setting was a post-apocalyptic world, one that has been scorched by fire and was ruled by psychotic road warriors.  But now the franchise has a new Max. Tom Hardy is now the face of the franchise, and this seems to be a fine casting decision.  Hardy's star is rising fast after he starred in commercial and critical smashes Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. Director George Miller made a wise decision in tabbing Hardy for the lead role, but this film has still given me reasons to be skeptical.  The trailers released so far look bland despite all of the explosions and the vibrant color palette.  The movie seemingly lacks intelligence and comes off as a lazy summer blockbuster.  Maybe I'm wrong, but this movie has a vibe that critics will unlikely adore.  The raging tornados and the spiky death machines racing on the road come off now as over the top, rather than revolutionary or edgy. The original Mad-Max films were indeed original and off-beat for their time, and were a refreshing breath of air in the sci-fi/action/post-apocalyptic/dystopian world genre.  But its now 2015, and movies have found a way to be just as far-fetched and crazy, but also maintain control over themselves.  This self control is something that these bloated and excessive trailers seem to lack.  The marketing team is probably going for this, but it does not come off as interesting in the slightest.  Now as for how this film might do in the box-office, it will likely suffer due to its R rating.  To put it into perspective, of the top ten highest grossing R rated films of all time, four are comedies (The Hangover 1&2, Ted, Beverly Hills Cop), three are war movies (Saving Private Ryan, 300, American Sniper), and the highest grossing film overall, The Passion of the Christ, was successful almost solely for hits large religious significance.  Mad-Max-Fury Road is none of those things.  However it is worth noting that he Matrix Reloaded, the second highest grossing film on the list, is also the latest installment of a revolutionary sci-fi/action/post-apocalyptic/dystopian movie franchise, and both movies have by far the largest budgets of any movie on the list.  This movie will probably succeed in bringing back old fans and intriguing new ones, but will unlikely wow anyone. So maybe Mad-Max: Fury Road can benefit from the Matrix's success, I doubt it. Hit, sort of

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation:

Tom Cruise and Mission Impossible are back again for the fifth installment of the franchise.  Following the 2013 installment,  Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,  I have high hopes for the newest entry.  The film thrived under the sure-fire direction of Brad Bird and with the additions of a fresh supporting cast that included Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton.  A few new faces will be entering the fold again this time around, with Alec Baldwin and Rebecca Ferguson, who seems to be replacing Patton, joining the cast.   But the most important new face in the project will not be on screen at all, and that is new director Christopher McQuarrie.  With the daunting task of succeeding Brad Bird, McQuarrie comes into the film having worked as an experienced screenwriter, but is relatively new to the directing scene.  He is known for writing, and winning an oscar for, The Usual Suspects and the surprisingly good Edge of Tomorrow, but is also responsible for the screenplays behind The Tourist and Jack the Giant Slayer.  I don’t hate The Tourist as much as Ricky Gervais does, but lets just say McQuarrie’s career has been a mixed bag up until this point.  But he has worked with Tom Cruise before, on the mediocre Jack Reacher, so here’s hoping their familiarity leads to good chemistry this time around.  There are reasons to be optimistic, one of which being that the franchise has not missed a beat after switching directors for each movie, save for maybe Mission Impossible II.  I predict that the upcoming film will be very good, as the trailers have given viewers reason to be excited.  Smash Hit

Star Wars: The Force Awakens:

In what might just be the most anticipated movie of the last 5 years, Star Wars is back!  With a fresh new cast and director, and some awesome teaser trailers, the franchise has the entire world buzzing.  I understand how revolutionary a producer and director George Lucas is, as well as his large contributions to film technology, but this franchise badly needed to be taken out of his hands.  He didn’t even direct the best film of the franchise (Empire Strikes Back) and was responsible for ruining the series with the disastrous prequel trilogy.  But now J.J. Abrams is at the helm, so lets hope his track record and love of science-fiction translate into a return to form for Star-Wars.  Abrams has done a marvelous job reviving the “other” immensely popular sci-fi franchise Star-Trek and should transition seamlessly into Star-Wars, but hopefully not too seamlessly, as this movie runs the risk of being too similar to Abrams’ Star Trek, with lens-flares and all. I have faith in Abrams to make sure the series’ are differentiable and not similar.  I predict that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be the highest grossing film this year and an overall smash hit.    

Spectre:

In one of the year’s later gems, Spectre arrives as the anticipated latest installment in the Daniel Craig James Bond era.  Director Sam Mendes returns following the resounding success of 2012’s Skyfall.  The trailer released does not reveal much, but gives us the first glimpse of Christoph Waltz as the new Bond villain.  Waltz has quickly become one of Hollywood’s finest supporting actors following his oscar winning roles in Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds.  He has proven that he can be a harrowing villain and has helped build up a lot of the hype for this movie, at least for me anyways.  A Bond movie is always going to draw a large crowd, but as of late the quality has spiked along with the commercial appeal, and this latest entry will hopefully continue the upward trend.  Without Judi Dench in a Bond film for the first time in what feels like forever, the franchise is taking a turn with Ralph Fiennes assuming the role of “M”, but it shouldn't shake things up for the worse. The new Bond series continues to delve into 007’s dark past, and the films are getting more interesting and intriguing as a result.  I predict that Spectre will be a critical and commercial smash, and one of the best movies of the year, it looks that good on paper.   

Avengers: Age of Ultron (I unfortunately couldn’t finish the article before the release of the movie but I plan on reviewing it after I see it.  This movie will likely be a smash hit).  

Previewing 2015's Most Anticipated Movies: The potential flops and smash hits, Part 1

2015 is set to be a very exciting year for movies.  We are witnessing the anticipated return of "Star Wars", with J.J. Abrams at the helm, and the much hyped "Avengers" sequel.  "Jurassic Park" is also being re-opened, making casual movie goers and cinema buffs drool. This year has the potential to be truly special, but also very disappointing, because with all the hype, there are bound to be disappointments.  And if you think about it, the majority of the films people are looking forward to this year are sequels, reboots, remakes, and overall rehashed stories.  Bond is back with "Spectre" and Mad Max is experiencing a makeover this year with the arrival of "Mad-Max: Fury Road".  But these stories have proven to be winning formulas, guaranteed sell-outs, and sometimes even critical darlings.  Would I like to see something more, new? Yes, but that doesn't mean I won't go see "Avengers: Age of Ultron" or "Stars-Wars: The Force Awakens" and enjoy them.  2015 is one of the most anticipated years for movies in recent memory, and maybe a little too anticipated, but still a lock to be a very interesting and fun year.    

"Terminator Genisys":

This movie does not look very interesting.  They can't even spell genesis* correctly and it "boasts" a cast that seems out of place, and doesn't seem to have a very original script.  They are bringing back old characters and one-liners from its superior predecessors, and if its trailer is any indication, the movie will be more of a nostalgia trip than a step forward for the franchise.  Die-hard fans of the franchise will likely be content with the movie, but nothing I've seen so far indicates it will be anything special.  But maybe I'm wrong and The Governor has one last fight in him, but I see this one as being a FLOP. 

"Tomorrowland" 

The upcoming Brad Bird film oozes with mystery and ambiguity, making for a much hyped and anticipated movie.  "Tomorrowland" is starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie and is tabbed as a science fiction, fantasy adventure flick.  Brad Bird is a proven commodity in the adventure filmmaking genre, with his smash hits "The Incredibles" and "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" leaving nothing to be desired.  With the names behind this movie being a huge draw, and Disney being the studio behind it, "Tomorrowland" will likely be a huge hit and a very fun adventure. SMASH HIT.

"Ted 2": 

The raunchy, foul-mouthed, lovable teddy bear is back.  Seth Macfarlane's "Ted" was a surprisingly funny and successful buddy comedy that proved he is as competent a filmmaker as he is a television mogul.  But his disastrous Oscar hosting job combined with his most recent film effort "A Million Ways to Die in the West" have given me a reason to be skeptical.  "Ted" stands alone as a funny and crass comedy, one that perhaps is better off without a sequel. If the "Hangover", "Scary Movie", and "Beverly Hills Cop" sequels are any indication, this won't end well.  My prediction is that the jokes will be tired and the concept will be less fresh, resulting in a disappointing comedy sequel, again. FLOP.

"Ant-man": 

If you are skeptical of how this movie will play-out, you are not alone.  The concept is honestly kind of stupid and tabbing Paul Rudd as a superhero lead will definitely raise some eyebrows.  But in all this uncertainty and doubt, it is easy to forget the studio behind this flick, and that is the perennial powerhouse Marvel.  They have been on a flaming hot streak as of late, with last year's entry the unconventional and unorthodox action comedy "Guardians of the Galaxy" being a smash hit.  And I admit I was just as skeptical and qualm about "Guardians of the Galaxy" as I am now about "Ant-man", and wow is it hard to imagine Paul Rudd being a superhero.  I mean, I thought this movie was like a joke or something, when I saw it on IMDb I chuckled.  But I kept reminding myself, "Marvel can pull this off", unless we're talking about  "The Amazing Spiderman 2", in which case they can't.  Speaking of Spiderman, this wouldn't be the first time Marvel has taken an insect based superhero, make a weird casting decision, and ultimately have it payoff in dividends.  I am referring to Tobey Maguire's spiderman franchise, not Andrew Garfield's disaster.  "Ant-man" can go either way, so I honestly have no clue how this will go.  Will it make money? Absolutely.  Will it actually be good? I have no idea.  

"Fantastic 4" :

Staying on the subject of superheroes, this franchise has had a turbulent past, with its last installments being very underwhelming.  But it his headed in an exciting new direction, with a cast of young and proven actors and a bran new director at the helm.  The young gang of superheroes definitely have the potential to make an awesome movie, even though the plot is still relatively unknown at this point.  The Fantastic Four is a popular comic that has yet to translate into a decent movie, and letting future stars like Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Michael B. Jordan, all of whom have legitimate acting merits at a young age, attempt to rescue it seems like a very good idea.  The Comic's past failed exploits and the lack of a household name, sorry Miles Teller, may stop this movie from being a smash-hit, but it will definitely be a hit.  Then again anything with Marvel's name slapped on it has potential to be very, very successful.  

"Jurassic World":

One of the heavy weights of 2015, "Jurassic World" will provide a welcome return to the famous park created by Steven Spielberg over 20 years ago. The original "Jurassic Park" was followed by two lackluster sequels that were void of the magic that made the first installment so special, lets hope we don't have another  "Jurassic Park III" on our hands.  I am on the side confident that "Jurassic World", with the help of new leading man Chris Pratt, will be a very successful and entertaining movie, brining back the luster of the original film.  The trailer however was heavy in its use of cgi and was less practical effects oriented, something that made the first film so great.  It is also worth noting that Steven Spielberg isn't pulling the strings of the latest installment, but here's hoping that new director Colin Trevorrow does right by the legendary filmmaker. I personally am rooting for this film to be great, but it also seems as if the plot was written by a toddler.  I mean the plot consists of scientists creating one mega dinosaur that is threatening the inhabitants of the island. Sound Familiar? It's basically the same as the original minus the genetic enhancements of the dinosaur and Chris Pratt.  I don't think the critics will love this movie, but boy will it make a ton of money.

Handicapping the 2014 Oscar Race: Suprises, Snubs and Predictions

The 2014 Academy Awards are right around the corner, set to honor what the Academy comprised of actors and other Hollywood figureheads believe are the best movies of the year.  This was a year full of biographies ("American Sniper", "The Imitation Game", "Selma", "The Theory of Everything", "Foxcatcher") and refreshingly original films ("Birdman", "The Grand Budapest Hotel"), with "Boyhood" and "Whiplash" sitting somewhere in between. Meanwhile, "The Lego Movie" was robbed of what many thought deserved an oscar win in the animated category, but even a nomination was too far-fetched for the Academy.  But more on the snubs later, as I would like to begin my guide to the oscars with what I thought were the surprise nominations.  

Surprises:

The supporting actor and actress category featured their own surprise nominations, with Keira Knightley garnering a nod for reasons that still bewilder me, and the great Robert Duvall being nominated based on career achievement over merit.  The academy has a bad habit of nominating the familiar face when they fail to find a worthy candidate, they simply don't look hard enough, opting to nominate the decorated veteran simply because they neglect smaller actors.  Im not saying I have a substitution, nor am I bashing Robert Duvall's work in "The Judge", but surely a better performance, in a better movie, deserved the nomination.  This trend was in full swing when Meryl Streep was nominated yet again for her work in the forgettable "Into the Woods".  Meryl herself wasn't bad, or great, but the movie was really not enjoyable.  Meryl doesn't need the extra nomination to add to her legend, so why give it?  The answer is simple, big studios.  Disney was behind this film and thus it got attention from the Academy, this brings us back to Keira Knightley.  "The Imitation Game" was a fine movie in its own right, boasting a fantastic and heartbreaking performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. The film was everything an academy voter looks for: Period Piece, Biography, British, all factors that help a film's Oscar candidacy, at least in recent years. Enter the Oscar dominating juggernaut that is The Weinstein Company, who produced the film, and you are guaranteed success.  Keira Knightley, whose charming but far from oscar-worthy performance benefited from big studio support and a film forged in the mold of Oscar success.  

Snubs:

"The Lego Movie" was only one of the most original and entertaining animated films I have seen in recent years.  The general consensus was that "The Lego Movie" was a shoo-in for an academy award, until it wasn't.  The academy neglected the fantastic story and animation on display in this movie and opted for the "Boxtrolls". "The Boxtrolls" people, let that sink in.  Their isn't much to say about this one, just a complete and utter error.  The snub here is not subjective, it is blatantly insulting to the children, and even parents who adored this movie, and is simply wrong.  Then again great films don't need an Oscar to validate their greatness, as some of cinema's finest films were snubbed of the academy award, i.e. "Goodfellas", "Pulp Fiction", "Saving Private Ryan", "Citizen Kane" etc... I'm not saying that "The Lego Movie" is in that league, but it goes to show that an Oscar is still just a trophy.  Moving on to the Best Actor category, we witnessed David Oyelowo's epic portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. go unnoticed by the Academy.  This was a huge surprise and angered me at first.  I saw "Selma" not long before the nominees were announced, and his visceral speeches were fresh on my mind when I saw him excluded from the category.  But looking back on it now, the Best Actor category was stacked this year, and in order for him to be nominated someone would have to be removed, and choosing who would give some headaches.  That being said someone was bound to get ignored this year, with Jake Gyllenhaal's role in "Nightcrawler" also in contention.  Actors will always get snubbed, but one of my favorite films all year was entirely ignored, outside of Rosamund Pike, and that is "Gone Girl".  I am a huge David Fincher fan and have seen the majority of his movies.  I can say I thoroughly enjoyed all of them and had high hopes heading into is latest dark and twisted entry. I was not disappointed.  Fincher's films tend to find their way onto the oscar stage, i.e. "The Social Network", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", and I expected the same here.  It was brilliantly directed, featured a breakout performance from Rosamund Pike, who wasn't snubbed thank god, and had a demented and thrilling story.  I was literally on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the movie and can recall my heart beating at a dangerous rate, but the excitement and thrill of this ride wasn't enough to captivate voters this time around. Oscar vets like Fincher and the twice-winner Ben Affleck headlined this movie and still didn't get the recognition it deserved.  "Gone Girl" has you unsettled even during times of status-quo, and deserved a nod, especially considering that the Academy only nominated eight out of a possible ten films. Oscar Logic.  But enough about who got screwed, lets get into who I think will win the major categories.

Best Supporting Actor:

The Nominees: J.K.Simmons for "Whiplash", Ethan Hawke "Boyhood", Robert Duvall "The Judge", Edward Norton "Birdman", Mark Ruffalo "Foxcatcher".

This one is pretty predictable. J.K. Simmons portrayed the sadistic and demonic jazz band teacher at the fictional Schaeffer music school, with Miles Teller playing his main pupil.  Simmons' Fletcher is ruthless and unforgettable, and will likely net him his first Oscar.  Hawke could benefit from the success that Boyhood is having, and Edward Norton is an intriguing dark-horse pick, but both are unlikely to win.  As for Duvall and Ruffalo, they don't stand a chance.  

Best Supporting Actress:

The Nominees: Patricia Arquette "Boyhood", Laura Dern "Wild", Emma Stone "Birdman", "Keira Knightley "The Imitation Game", Meryl Streep "Into the Woods"

Patricia Arquette will win, this category is a closed book.  I can't imagine any upset in this category, as Arquette was fantastic and the rest of the field was nothing special.  Emma Stone is the only real threat but doesn't have a strong enough case.  Although Meryl Streep is always in contention, whether she deserves it or not.  

Best Actress: 

The Nominees: Felicity Jones "The Theory of Everything", Juliane Moore "Still Alice", Reese Witherspoon "Wild", Marion Cotillard "Two Days, One Night", Rosamund Pike "Gone Girl"

This category is tricky for me to pick, as I was able to see only two/ of the films nominated in this category.  That being said, Rosamund Pike was fantastic, but a long shot considering the fact that she has to overcome the long overdue Juliane Moore.  Moore is a fine actress and will finally be rewarded for her efforts after five nominations, yet DiCaprio still must wait.  

Best Actor:

The Nominees: Eddie Redmayne "The Theory of Everything", Michael Keaton "Birdman", Bradley Cooper "American Sniper", Steve Carrell "Foxcatcher", Benedict Cumberbatch "The Imitation Game"

This is the toughest one to pick. Recent history and current momentum have the pendulum swinging in the direction of  Eddie Redmayne, as the SAG winner will have the odds in his favor heading into oscar night.  His devastating portrayal as the genius Steven Hawking has people talking, and serves the Academy's British/Biographical appetite.  Then you have Michael Keaton, who gives the performance of a lifetime, highlighting a career that has often been overlooked.  He plays the dysfunctional and desperate Riggan Thompson, an actor trying to reclaim the spotlight and redefine his typecast career.  These two are the heavyweights.  In the end, I predict Keaton will win in "upset" fashion despite giving the best performance of anyone this year.

Best Director:

The Nominees: Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu "Birdman", Bennett Miller, "Foxcatcher", Richard Linklater  "Boyhood", Morten Tyldum "The Imitation Game", Wes Anderson "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

The major contenders here are Linklater and Innaritu.  Both of them made very different movies, and very good movies.  Innaritu's "Birdman" was a fantastic movie, and was as bold as it was original.  It boasted beautiful camera work and great performances, making a very strong case for Best Picture.  Linklater's "Boyhood" on the other hand was bold and beautiful in its own right.  The 12 year project resulted in an intimate and realistic look into a boy's life.  The patience and commitment Linklater displayed in this film might just nab him an oscar, but I predict that Innaritu, the Directors Guild award winner, will walk away with this award for his efforts in "Birdman".

Best Picture:  

The Nominees: "Birdman", "Boyhood", "The Imitation Game", "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "Selma", "Whiplash", "The Theory of Everything", "American Sniper"

This has quickly become a two horse race between "Birdman" and "Boyhood". "Whiplash" was also one of my favorite movies this year but will unlikely walk away with any major award outside of Simmons.  "Boyhood" was the Golden Globe winner but momentum has been on "Birdman"'s side as of late.  The Producer's and Director's Guilds awarded Innaritu's film and recent history shows that "Birdman" is the likely oscar winner as a result.  As much praise as "Boyhood" is getting and considering how long overdue Wes Anderson is of an oscar, I just don't see "Boyhood" or "The Grand Budapest Hotel" winning this year.  The rest of the films were solid but nothing really spectacular.  It seemed as if a lot of oscar-baiting was at hand and the field was trying too hard this year.  But 2014 definitely had its gems, and "Birdman" will be awarded as the best.