10- Battleship

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I admit when I first heard they were making a film based on the Hasbro board game Battleship I thought it was a terrible idea. I thought it was an even worse idea when I heard it was starring Rihanna. But after this full trailer was released a few weeks back, I can’t help but grin while watching it. This movie looks like a blast.

Release Date: May 18^th 2012

I’m sure most people out there are aware of Marvel’s ‘The Avenger’s coming to theaters May 4^th of next year, but am I the only one who is not looking forward to it? While the concept seems pretty spectacular, I just think it’s a little too much for one film. Does anyone remember ‘Spider-man 3’? Yeah that was a highly anticipated superhero flick that ended up a complete mess thanks to way too many characters (most of them villains) and those subsequent characters being under-developed.

Sorry to be a downer but I think ‘The Avengers’ is biting off more than it can chew with way too many superheroes and just not enough time to showcase them all. Granted almost all of these characters (with the exception of Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye) have been prominent in other Marvel flicks in the past so the character development is already there, but I still don’t see any way each character will have a good chance to shine in a mere 2-3 hour film while at the same time having a strong plotline.

‘The Avengers’ boasts a cast of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, and Samuel L. Jackson. Does this remind anyone else of those horrible ‘Valentine’s Day,’ ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ films with more celebrities than an actual story?

As much as I want to love ‘The Avengers’ I’m afraid to get my hopes up after similar disasters with the aforementioned ‘Spider-man 3,’ ‘X-Men: The Last Stand,’ and even as far back as ‘Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’ which also suffered from way too many characters (and a pretty terrible plot on top of that). Hopefully I am just over thinking this and the film will turn out to be spectacular, I’d love to be proven wrong on this one.

What are you most looking forward to Banters, ‘The Avengers’ or ‘The Dark Knight Rises’?

With the exception of The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers is the summer movie of next year. Comic Con was left by the wayside because Disney is really enjoying owning the rights to Marvel. Nice move Disney.

A year or so ago was the first time all the Avengers were together. That was amazing. What is even more amazing is clips from the film that D23 now has. (Apparently these are not going to be available online any time soon. We’ll see…) Reports are there were a bunch of cool scenes that were mostly owned by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. He seems to be the natural lead, and, realistically, the the most bankable. Sure, Samuel L. Jackson is the head of S.H.E.I.L.D. but Downey Jr. will dominate. Blogs are exploding about the line:

Loki: I have an army.
Stark: We have the Hulk.
(Me: Good one Stark.)

Hopefully that humor runs deep in The Avengers script. But this is about D23 as a whole. With that as well as information about Brave, John Carter, and Oz the Great and Powerful, the line up was stacked. It’s not that there wasn’t any interest in Comic Con because of course there was, but it was clearly overshadowed this year. If D23 continues and runs with the momentum, it may be a more powerful force. Because it seems as if Marvel and D23 could be a match made in heaven. But maybe we’ll have to wait to see until The Avengers is no longer a major player if they can really hang on.

Wait a second, now. Could this sequel potentially be the intellegent action film that we have all been waiting for (well, since Beverly Hills Cop)? God, I hope so. It seems that the trend nowadays is to have mindless action films (ahem, Shoot ‘Em Up), or thinking thrillers (if you can call them that) lacking the scenes of action we all know and crave, a la last summer’s Inception.

I am also happy to report that Rachel McAdams will be returning, because well, who doesn’t love her? Welcome additions also include the surely soon-to-be international movie star Noomi Rapace, who played Lisbeth Salander in the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, and funny man (no, really, an honest to God funny man) Stephen Fry, of A Bit Fry and Laurie– the sketch show he did with good friend and present-day Dr. House, Hugh Laurie– fame.

With Guy Ritchie back as director, I think we may have a sequel that betters the first! Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows is out December 16, 2011. Watch the newly released trailer below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

While some people may disagree and say he has always been a stable working actor, nothing will compare to the productions he has lined up in the next year. Earlier this year he wrapped up filming on both ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ opposite Tom Cruise as well as ‘Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.’ He is currently filming ‘The Avengers’ featuring an all star cast (Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo just to name a few) as well as providing the voice for a new character in the next Ice Age flick. Even after all that he will then step into the shoes of Matt Damon as the new lead in the ‘Bourne’ franchise! That doesn’t even include his lesser known projects like ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’ and ‘Slingshot’ (which he is also producing).

While it may seem a bit premature I really do think this time next year we will be talking a lot more about Jeremy Renner.  He won’t just be known as a two-time Academy Award nominated actor, but as a staple in the Hollywood action star category.   I say bring it on, I think he’s got the looks and the acting chops to pull it off.

What do you think Banters? Next big thing or over-exposed?

Well, what is Mr. Whedon up to these days, you ask? Oh nothing really, just writing and directing the newest (and probably the biggest, in a long time) comic book franchise: The Avengers, a Marvel Comic/Stan Lee production that brings together all of their biggest heroes–Thor, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Captain America, just to name a few–under one title. Oh, and this latest comic book summer franchise has just began filming–yesterday to be exact. To mark this momentous occasion, Whedon released a letter on his blog, WhedonEsque, on Sunday, April 24, 2011 to all his waiting fans basically saying that the film starts shooting the following day and that there is nothing else he can legally say about it. He does end his letter sweetly with, “I’ve been looking forward to this. For about 64 years.”

The Marvel Comic title itself has garnered enough of a fan base to last the film a life time; but combined with Joss Whedon’s writing and direction, the film’s expectant fan base keeps growing and growing. If Joss Whedon’s name as writer and director doesn’t get you, maybe the film’s cast will: Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and Chris Helmworth are just some of the big names cast in Whedon’s latest endeavor.

As the movie has just started filming, its release date has been set for May 4, 2012, so you’ll just have to wait with baited breath until then. I know I will. To read Whedon’s full letter to his fans, click here.

First up is Inherent Vice, a freewheeling adaptation of the Pynchon book about a hazy ‘60s private investigator and a group of unexplained deaths, which would also seem to be the easier of Anderson’s two projects to get made, content of each considered. THR says that filming could start as early as this fall, and that Robert Downey Jr. may be attached to the lead role. Since dumping Disney’s Wizard of Oz prequel a few months ago, his roster is empty after completing The Avengers for Joss Whedon. Could he be tackling Inherent Vice yet?

It’s a miracle which needn’t be controversial that Anderson get backing for whatever he should have chosen to make after There Will Be Blood, considered by many to be the best movie of the last decade. I can hardly wait to see both The Master and Inherent Vice; the groovy underlying of the latter sounds precariously similar to that of Boogie Nights, and its narcotic-fueled premise recalls that of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Downey seems like just the guy for the job. Here’s to The Master having the same amount of luck.

The first major award show of the season gave us some great moments. From quotes, to footage, to simple hand gestures, there were plenty of moments to take away from this Sunday’s great show.

1. Ricky Gervais – I hope they bring him back next year because this guy just doesn’t give a crap. He will say whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Feed him some booze and the words just come out.  His best line – “There were a lot of big films that didn’t get nominated this year – nothing for Sex and the City 2. I was sure the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster.”

On a side note, apparently an anonymous member of the Hollywood Foreign Press has said Gervais won’t be invited back. Well, that’s a shame.

2. Natalie Portman – yes, she won her big award but also deviated from her good girl image. Natalie told the whole world that her fiance loves to “sleep with her.” Come on, who didn’t crack up when she said that.

3.  J Lo giving Ricky Gervais the finger – in a night full of crude responses from Gervais’s ridiculous lines, J Lo actually responded the best. After Gervais gave her a great line of ‘being Jenny from the block if that block was between Cardier and Prada (or something like that)’, J Lo simply flashed the finger. Tim Allen was straight pissed at Gervais but J Lo handled herself great.

4. Carson Daly butchering his interview with Mark Wahlberg – During the pre-show, Daly began his chit chat with Marky Mark by talking about The Fighter then segwayed into Christian Bale’s amazing performance as “Dickie Ward.” Wait…oops. Carson, did you mean to say “Dickie Ecklund.” I guess when you said you loved The Fighter, you were talking from actually seeing it. Oh wait, maybe not.

5. Robert Downey Jr. – coming onto everyone in the Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) category in front of his wife. His speech was nothing short of hilarious. Oh, and Emma Stone was loving it.

What moments did you like?

Let’s bid the films of 2010 farewell by honoring them with their appropriate superlatives!

1. Most Underrated Movie – A Team – There was a forgone conclusion that this movie would suck. However, after leaving the theater the film was anything but that. Funny and entertaining, the A-Team was great Summer  fun. Sharlto Copley’s character was hysterical.

2. Most Overrated Movie – 127 Hours. We all expected Best Picture potential for this film. Not to mention this was the “crazy  movie where James Franco cuts his arm off.”  Be that as it may, I found myself dozing throughout the film eager for it to end. It is very difficult to make a movie with basically one person and this film proves no different.

3. Most Forgotten Movie of the Year – Iron Man 2. The Marvel superhero. Gwyneth Paltrow. Scarlett Johansson. ROBERT DOWNEY JR (!!!). It even ranked in the top ten highest grossing films of 2010. So much going for it, yet when people think of the past year, most of what they seem to remember is Inception, Harry Potter, How To Train Your Dragon, Black Swan, even the most horrible films that came out that year, but poor Iron Man was the ultimate outcast.

4. A movie that sucks, but I can’t stop watching when it’s on TV – Clash of the Titans (aired this past Saturday on HBO—join the rest of us and glue yourself to the screen, haha). Not the greatest film, but it somehow pulls you in. Beowolf had the same effect on me a couple of years ago, oddly enough—and I’m a girl (you all know why I made that point *cough* Angelina Jolie *cough*)! Must be the whole deeper meaning of the epic tales theme, or the fighting, I don’t know. I guess when it’s free—well, okay, when it’s not $13 a pop, it’s not so bad to watch over and over again.

5. Cutest New Movie Character – Gru’s minions from Despicable Me. I was very tempted to give this one to Toothless, the oh-so-cute dragon in How To Train Your Dragon, but as we’ve all seen dragons before (you know what I’m trying to say), I have to give credit to these guys instead. They were created from scratch and very adorable. Mischievous, but adorable.

6. Downright Ugliest New Movie Character - Got some tough competition from Alice in Wonderland, but I’d have to go with that thing from Splice. Didn’t even see the movie, but the sight of that thing is enough to put chills down anyone’s spine.

7. Most Ridiculous Scene in a Movie – Has to be the one from Due Date, when RDJ’s character wakes up to find Galifianakis’ character’s dog, Sonny, masturbating…I don’t know what the proper term for it is when it’s an animal…Yeah that’s how ridiculous it is…was…whatever.

8. Most Discussed Movie – Inception. Just on the second day of the new year, I was discussing the famous question of “Was it a dream or not?” with an old friend only to find the answer posted by fellow banterer, Matt, a couple days later. (And I lost the debate…damn…thanks a lot, Matt ). The film definitely sparked the most debates.

9. Most Expensive Movie – Tangled. I quote Wikipedia, “According to the Los Angeles Times, after factoring in six years of development costs, Tangled cost more than $260 million to produce,” making it the 5^th most expensive film ever made.

10. Most Testosterone-Pumped Movie – The Expendables.  The whole cast was full of action movie legends. Plus it was directed by Sylvester Stallone himself. And if I remember correctly, there was only one female character. That leaves the ratio at one to…a lot. Plus there were lots of exploding things and punching. Complete D*** Flick (not that girls didn’t like it too though).

Agree or Disagree?

Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, will be out in theaters this Friday, November 5^th. The film surrounds the crazy adventure a serious businessman and an aspiring actor undergo when traveling to LA because the former must arrive on time for the birth of his child and the latter is just psychotic and never fails to create trouble along the way. The comedy is directed by Todd Phillips, director of the much loved The Hangover, so my expectations were pretty high. Maybe a little too high because I didn’t leave the theater feeling like I had seen the next best thing and the overall story idea is not so great at all, but it’s pretty funny and there’s never a boring moment. I found a comment on the YouTube trailer by a “FlanerDrummer” who pretty much sums it up:

“MOVIE EXEC 1: ‘Get this – It’s a film where an uptight businessman has to get home to his wife by whatever means possible, whilst accompanied by a fat, annoying man who gets on his tits all the way through. ‘

EXEC 2: ‘Hang on…that’s ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’, isn’t it?’

EXEC 1: ‘Erm…Yeah. But this one has RDJ and is directed by The Hangover guy.’

EXEC 2: ‘……Green lit!’”

The acting was just perfect—dare I use such a word. Galifianakis does a fantastic job playing the character he pretty much always does, but of course this one is different from the one in The Hangover, and What Happens In Vegas, and Dinner for Schmucks….anyway, point is, you’ll love him. And Robert, well, I just can’t watch his movies without sighing every three seconds about how beautiful he is, but I do believe I watched him enough to truthfully say that his performance was spot on. * sigh * So gorgeous…Oh and even the dog did a good job…

I do feel like Phillips tried to remake The Hangover, except with just two characters, so there was not as much room for plot points in the adventure. I think this also made it a bit too painful to watch the torture Robert had to undergo because of Galifianakis at certain points in the film because there weren’t enough characters to balance it out (or maybe it’s just me and my love for Robert’s character…). Either way, they definitely chose the perfect two stars to carry the film and it’ll do very well in the box office because people want to see it no matter what critics may say. It’s not the greatest story, but if you’re looking for a good laugh, this is the movie for you.

SEE IT.