The LEGO Movie Blu-Ray Giveaway

 

Everything is Awesome!

The instant family classic, The Lego Movie arrives on Blu-ray June 17th!

The LEGO® Movie, the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO® adventure, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller is an original 3D computer animated story that follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

Film Scores/Catch-Up

Sadly, I have not had time to review any films for a while. However, I have still had time to go see them. Here are the ratings for all the films I have seen in theaters since my last review, Gravity. In the future I hope to start writing full reviews again.


The Wolf of Wall Street - 5 out of 5
Frozen - 4 out of 5
American Hustle - 4 out of 5
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - 4 out of 5
Saving Mr. Banks - 4.5 out of 5
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug - 3.5 out of 5
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - 4.5 out of 5
Thor: The Dark World - 3 out of 5

To read my mini reviews for all these films, follow me on letterboxd, where I post very frequently: http://letterboxd.com/filmfanman23/. Also check out my "Watched: 2013" section, which I just updated, to see my ratings for every film I've seen this year so far.

I hope to post a "Best and Worst of the Year" list, but it won't be up for a while because I still have lots to see.

My Review of Gravity

Gravity was my most anticipated film for this fall. Ever since I heard about it I have been really intrigued, mainly because I am a huge fan of the director, Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). I think he is an amazing filmmaker. Gravity is just another one of Cuarón 's amazing cinematic achievements and I can say Gravity is my new favorite Cuarón film, it's absolutely incredible.

I really don't want to give much away about the plot because the less you know, the better. However, in a quick nutshell, Gravity is about a medical engineer (Sandra Bullock) and an astronaut (George Clooney). They are both on a routine space mission, until disaster strikes and they are left floating in space and trying to survive. That's the very simple way of putting it, you will find much more out if you go see the movie. Because there are several surprising twists in Gravity.

My Review of Pacific Rim

Note: See Pacific Rim in 2D. I have heard mixed things about the 3D. Some people have said the 3D is too dark, and others have said it adds to the movie. I hear IMAX is the way to see it if you can though. I'd also like to say, stay during the credits for a bonus scene. At the very end of the credits there's also one last bit of audio.

I have always been very curious about Pacific Rim, ever since I heard about it last year. As the film got closer I got even more curious. So, of course, when the film came out, I went out to the cinema to check it out. It turns out, Pacific Rim is the definition of an awesome Summer Movie Escapism.

My Review of Despicable Me 2

 

I was a pretty big fan of the first Despicable Me movie. I thought it was clever and actually pretty funny, and of course I loved the Minions. Since the first film made so much money it was a given that there was going to be a sequel. However, Despicable Me 2 was not nearly as good as the first film. In fact, I can only call Despicable Me 2 mediocre.

In the first film, we were introduced to the super-villain, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), whose life was changed by the three orphan girls he adopted (Margo, Edith, and Agnes.) The second film begins with a look at how there life is now. Gru is no longer a villain, he's actually a good guy. However, there are still bad guys in the world. Gru is then visited by agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) from the Anti-Villain League. It turns out Lucy and the Anti-Villain League need assistance in stopping a criminal. Gru accepts the offer, and goes undercover with Lucy at the mall to try to find the bad guy.

My Review of Monsters University

Note: Pixar almost always has animated shorts before there feature films. In Monsters University there was a very clever short called The Blue Umbrella. I really enjoyed it, especially the score that went with it. So make sure you are not late to the movie so you can see it. Also, stay for the end credits because there is a scene at the end of them. Lastly, I'd like to say that I saw this film in 2D.

I absolutely loved the movie, Monsters Inc., it's definitely one of my favorite Pixar films. So of course I was super stoked for the prequel to the movie, Monsters University. Although it's not an original Pixar film (like many are wanting), Monsters University is still Pixar's best movie since Toy Story 3.

My Review of Man of Steel

Note: I saw this film in 2D, so I can tell you if I liked or didn't like the 3D. But I have heard from different people that the 3D is not good because it was converted. So if I were you I would see it in 2D like I did. This is a Spoiler-Free Review.

Man of Steel was my most anticipated movie of the Summer. Mainly, because I have been wanting to see a REALLY good Superman movie for a long time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "Superman Returns", I just didn't love it. When I found out Zach Snyder (Director of 300 and Watchmen) would be directing Man of Steel and Christopher Nolan (Director of the Batman trilogy) was producing it, I got even more excited. I am a big fan of Christopher Nolan and occasionally a fan of Zach Snyder. I knew the movie would have lots of potential as long as Zach Snyder wasn't writing it, and he didn't, David S. Goyer wrote the screenplay, and I must say he did a great job. I can say that, Man of Steel is yet another great Summer movie, and a Superman movie I have been waiting for a long time to see.

My Review of Fast & Furious 6

Honestly, I am not a fan of the "Fast & Furious" series at all. I mean I have enjoyed some of the movies, but never thought they were really good. I didn't even like "Fast Five" which a lot of people really liked. So as you can probably figure, I was actually kind of hesitant to even see "Fast 6". But I decided to, and I can say that I really enjoyed it.

"Fast 6" begins with a flashback to all of the other "Fast & Furious" movies which I found to be a neat and effective way to start the movie. But anyway, "Fast 6" follows Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), who calls upon Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) to reassemble their crew again, in order to take down a mastermind who commands an organization of mercenary drivers across 12 countries. If the mission succeeds the whole crew will get pardons for all their crimes. The story for "Fast 6" was actually pretty good, I was interested in the story the whole time and they even through in a couple interesting plot twists, along with some smart humor that I found to be very funny.

My Review of Star Trek Into Darkness

 

 

Note: See this film in IMAX 3D. The IMAX and the 3D add a great element to the film. I'd also like to say that this is a Spoiler-Free Review.

I really loved the first "Star Trek" film, but I will honestly say that I loved the second movie even more. I know a lot of people will REALLY disagree with me on this one but "Star Trek Into Darkness" was better due to the fantastic acting and some amazing action.

The movie follows the crew of the Enterprise as they are called back home from space, there they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving the world in a state of crisis. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) then leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. Overall, I thought "Star Trek Into Darkness" had a fantastic story, that was very interesting.

My Review of Iron Man 3

 

 

Note: I saw this film in 2D, so I can't give my opinion on the 3D. Although, from several people I've heard the 3D was not good because Shane Black didn't shoot it that way. So if I was going to give you some advice I would say see the film in 2D, and save yourself some money. If your thinking about seeing it in 3D, be cautious. Also I'd like to say that this is a Spoiler-Free Review.

I am a pretty big fan of the "Iron Man" trilogy. I absolutely loved the first movie and I thought the second movie was pretty good, even though everyone else didn't like it. So I was actually pretty excited when I heard they were going ahead and making a third film. Especially after how amazing "The Avengers" was. "Iron Man 3" was a really good movie. I can't say it exceeded all my expectations; however, I can confidently say that "Iron Man 3" was a great way to start out the Summer 2013 movie season.

"Iron Man 3" picks up basically where "The Avengers" left off, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) isn't doing so well after the incident in "The Avengers" and is struggling with constant anxiety attacks, in the movie you will find lots of references to "The Avengers" so I would recommend seeing it before "Iron Man 3" if you haven't already, because "Iron Man 3" actually seems like more of a sequel to "The Avengers" rather than the other two "Iron Man" movies. But anyway, in the movie, you will notice Tony Stark is not really involved in Stark Industries anymore, Pepper Pott's (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tony's girlfriend is now in charge, and Tony is now fighting against a new enemy, The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley). When Stark finds his world is destroyed at the Mandarin's hands he embarks on a journey to find those responsible.

My Review of G.I. Joe: Retaliation

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is the sequel to 2009's "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra". I must say that I thought "Cobra" was a terrible movie, so I was hesitant to even see the sequel, but I decided I should. The great news is "Retaliation" is 100x better then "Cobra". However, that doesn't mean the film was great.

To start off, you probably heard that this movie was delayed almost one year to be converted into 3D. Some say it was delayed for other reasons. But anyway, I didn't see it in 3D because it wasn't shot that way and I almost always hate 3D conversions. I have also heard from several people that it was terrible in 3D. So be cautious if your debating whether or not to see it in 3D.

But anyway, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" follows the G.I. Joe's,  who were framed for crimes against there country, the G.I. Joe team is then terminated by the President's order, and the surviving G.I. Joe's must face off against Zartan (the main villain in the film), his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influences. I should also mention that in "Retaliation" there are LOTS of new characters. Sometimes, there are actually too many new characters introduced at once.

My Review of Oz the Great and Powerful

I am a big fan of the original 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz", so when I found out they were making a prequel to that film I was a little skeptical. But slowly I became more confident that it would be good because I trust Sam Raimi (Director of the old Spider-Man Trilogy). I ended up being right, because I thought "Oz the Great and Powerful" was a great movie.

This prequel is the back story to the wizard character from L. Frank Baum's books. The movie follows Oscar Diggs/Oz (James Franco), a small-time circus magician, who is hurled away from Kansas in a tornado to the magical Land of Oz. When he arrives, he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyones been expecting. He is then drawn into the problems facing Oz and must find out who is good and who is evil, and of course, he meets some awesome friends along the way!

"Oz the Great and Powerful" starts in black and white, with a smaller aspect ratio (paying homage to "The Wizard of Oz"), and then the screen eventually widens and the movie goes from black and white to full color, all this happens when Oscar reaches the Land of Oz. I think this was a REALLY nice touch to the movie. It just added something to the beginning of the movie. A very clever choice made by Sam Raimi. I must also add that in the very beginning of the movie, there was a credits introduction that was in black and white and I thought it was really cool.

The FilmFanMan's 2013 Oscar Predictions

UPDATE: I predicted 21 of the 24 categories correct this year. That's actually the best I've done in several years. Overall, the show was actually pretty good. Seth MacFarlane was a good host, and the "Les Miserables" cast and Adele gave my favorite performances of the night. There was also a tie for Sound Editing. So that made the show interesting. What's even more funny is Ted and Mark Wahlberg presented that category. In my opinion, Ted and Seth MacFarlane were the funniest people at the show. (And there the same person.) For a full list of all the Oscar winners, Click Here 

My Review of Warm Bodies

The movie "Warm Bodies" is based on a Young Adult novel by the same name, which I haven't read. However, when I saw the first trailer for "Warm Bodies" I was very intrigued because it looked so original. After seeing the film, I can say that "Warm Bodies" was actually a decent movie for being released in February.

"Warm Bodies" follows R (Nicholas Hoult), a very unusual zombie, who saves a human, Julie (Teresa Palmer), from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world. As you can probably tell from the plot the story is very similar to "Romeo and Juliet" and when your watching the movie you will definitely notice some scenes similar to "Romeo and Juliet". With that, the story will most likely keep you entertained all the way through. Mainly because of the really clever dialogue and also because a movie like this hasn't been done before and that just makes it interesting, entertaining, and FUN.

The performances in the movie were pretty good. Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer both did a good job playing R and Julie. John Malkovich was also in the film playing Julie's dad. He gave a good performance but should have been in the movie more then he was. Rob Corddry and Dave Franco are also in the movie, and I must say Rob Corddry has LOTS of scene stealer's.

My Review of Zero Dark Thirty

When I found out that "Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated for a Best Picture at the Oscar's this year. I was not surprised because everyone has been raving about it. After finally seeing the film I can see why everyone loved it! "Zero Dark Thirty" is a truly amazing film. If you have been living in a cave for the past year, "Zero Dark Thirty" is based on the true story of finding and killing Osama Bin Laden.

The movie begins with a black screen and we overhear some of the 9/11 emergency phone calls. I found that to be a very effective and emotional way to start the film. The whole movie follows Maya (Jessica Chastain), who is leading the hunt to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. For several years, she is single-minded in her pursuit of leads to uncover the whereabouts of Bin Laden. But finally, in 2011, it appears that her work will pay off, and a U.S. Navy S.E.A.L team is sent to kill or capture Bin Laden. But only Maya is confident Bin Laden is where she says he is. As most of you probably know this movie is quite controversial because of some of its depictions of torture. Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is, the scenes were nothing WAY to extreme like some people were claiming.

The FilmFanMan's Most Anticapated Movies of 2013

Well 2012 is over! Now were moving into 2013! Here are some movies this year I am really looking forward too! If you couldn't already tell by the picture above, "Man of Steel" is my most anticapated of 2013! It looks like another amazing DC Comics Film. I can't wait to see it. Here are some other movies I'm really looking forward too! They are in no specific order.

Hit the Jump to find out what all the movies are!

The FilmFanMan's Year in Review: The Best & Worst of 2012

Well it's the end of the year. 2012 has been a pretty great year for movies. There have been some amazing films, but there were also some movies that were absolute GARBAGE! Keep in mind I still have to see "Amour", so this list may change when I see the film. So keep checking back.

Also keep in mind some of my rating's might not match, meaning a movie I gave a 4, might be ahead of one I gave a 5. It's just going by how much I ENJOYED them and one's I'd rewatch over and over. The movie's that I did full reviews on have links next to them that say "Review", that link will take you to my full review. Now without further ado, click the jump to find out the FilmFanMan's Best and Worst of 2012 in Movies!

My Review of Les Miserables

 

 

I love musicals, in fact it's one of my favorite genres of movies. So when I heard they were making "Les Miserables" into a movie I was pretty excited. I have to admit though, I have not seen any of the live Broadway Musicals so I am quite new to this particular story. After seeing it though I can say I was pretty impressed with "Les Mis", however it sadly did not exceed my expectations.

In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert (Russell Crowe) after he breaks parole, he agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's (Anne Hathaway) daughter, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). The fateful decision changes their lives forever. The movie mainly takes place during the French Revolution.

I very much enjoyed the story for "Les Mis" and I can say it kept me interested. However, the movie is REALLY long. So if the movie would have been maybe 30 minutes shorter I could have enjoyed it a bit more.

The cast is pretty much the reason I thought the movie was good, not just OK. Because the cast is FANTASTIC! Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, and Hugh Jackman all give AMAZING performances and are all really good singers. It was kind of weird hearing them all sing, but they were good! I'm gonna predict Anne Hathaway has an Oscar coming her way for Best Supporting  Actress, her performance as Fantine was incredible and I think she gave the best performance of the year for an actress. But besides those guys, I also loved Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, the Innkeepers, whenever they were in a song I just smiled the whole way through it, they were great! Also in the movie is Amanda Seyfried, who I think gave a pretty good performance as Fantine's daughter! And Samantha Barks who was also fantastic! But overall, I have not nothing but wonderful things to say about the cast.

My Review of Jack Reacher

The movie "Jack Reacher" is based on a series of books, which I have not read. I am personally not a big fan of Tom Cruise, who plays Jack Reacher, and did not have an interest at all in seeing this movie when I first saw the trailer. However, when reviews for the movie came out the reactions were quite positive. I then decided to give this movie a try, the result is a VERY entertaining action/mystery movie!

The movie is about a homicide investigator named Jack Reacher who digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims. The story for this film is actually really good and it's actually more of a mystery then an action movie. It was not at all predictable and by the end I didn't really know what was gonna happen.

The cast of the film all do a pretty good job, although I don't really like Tom Cruise. But I think he did a pretty good job in this movie. Some people were mad Tom Cruise was cast in this film because in the book Jack Reacher is suppose to be a lot taller then him. That did not bug me at all. Other then Cruise, the cast also includes Richard Jenkins, and Rosamund Pike, who both gave pretty good performances, although I think some of the performances in this movie were overdone.

My Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is the first movie in a trilogy of prequels to the extremely successful series, "The Lord of the Rings". I am not the hugest fan of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but I would still call myself a fan. Either way, I was really looking forward to seeing "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and I honestly had very high hopes for the first film. However, in the end, I was very disappointed by the movie.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set sixty years before "The Lord of the Rings", only this time the story is all about the Hobbit Bilbio Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is hired by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to accompany thirteen dwarfs led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on a quest across Middle-Earth to reclaim there home, Lonely Mountain, from the Dragon Smaug. This whole story is being secretly written by Bilbio as an older Hobbit for his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood, who made that character famous in "The Lord of the Rings" films).

The script/story for the movie is OK. However, this movie is WAY to long and honestly that's pretty much the main reason why I didn't love the movie. The movie has a running time of about 2 hours and 50 minutes, and it should have been about 30 minutes shorter. Peter Jackson added scenes that just didn't need to be in the movie and in those scenes I was just bored, and sometimes I unintentionally zoned out. However, when the action kicks in the movie does get a lot better.