The New Plan B

Starting November 1st, I'll back to my daily writing and commentary on new movies, trailers, and any movie news I can find. My previous laptop died, hence my absence, but I have found alterior motives to get back into this blog. 

Step 1: get blogger on my phone and iPad. Yup, I got an iPad for my birthday so I'll be rolling with the cool kids for now. Too bad this is my only iproduct so I kinda googfied it.

Step 2: include links. Looking at what I previously did, I realize I needed to include the links to new trailers or whatever I was talking about so you can see what I men. Should have done this from the beginning, but a restart is as good as any to start now. 

Step 3: don't take a day off. Period. End of story. When news breaks, I have to get it up ASAP. No ifs and buts or coconuts. 

Step 4: make it to the Winchester, have a pint, and wait for this whole thing to blow over. 

Step 5:

Step 6: profit!

FFG: Resurection

You're gonna need a bigger blog. 

Booyah!

Called it! Oz made $80 million its opening weekend. What did I call last week? Oh right, 80 million and I hit that right on the nose. Hollah playah. Just found a new game I'm good at. check it out yo.

OZ

I'm predicting Oz to make around $80 million this weekend. It's on the low side for this big budget movie, but I place that on James Franco being the lead role and for some people who feel they shouldn't have made this movie and leave the original movie well enough alone. If it does better than $100 million, it will be the first of the year and a great start for Disney.

Hangover 3

Go watch the Hangover 3 trailer. I'm already set to go see it and happy to see it head back to Vegas.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 1 breakdown

The Marvel Cinematic Universe concluded its Phase 1 process with The Avengers last may. It's been almost a year and now a time to look back at how each film shaped the story in Phase 1.

Captain America: The first film in chronological order, this movie introduced us to the Tesseract, Stark Industry, and of course Captain America. Being set in WWII allowed for the Captain to have a humble beginning and nostalgic view on the world before technology became a part of every day life.

Iron Man: The second film where Tony Stark makes his big introduction with the creation of the first Iron Man suit in a cave. Stark is constantly tinkering and upgrading the Iron Man suits throughout the movie to show his ability to think differently. 

The Incredible Hulk: The third film that brings us into the world of Bruce Banner and the demon inside of him. Although this movie does not feel like it belongs in this series, the character of the Hulk is one of necessity because he is an indestructible monster. The film brings together the two sides of Bruce where he can control his emotions and harness the power inside of him.

Iron Man 2: The fourth film and first sequel, Stark works on more Iron Man suits as well as brings War Machine and Shield into the game. The purpose of this film is the ending where Shield makes its official debut in recruiting Iron Man for their team. We also see how Stark works with a partner in War Machine and allows Stark to experience something bigger than himself, but only briefly.

Thor: The fifth film and first that does not take place entirely on Earth. We are introduced to Thor in Asgard as well as Loki and Odin's Vault. These three components are key to the universe as the previously mentioned Tesseract was once locked away in the vault. Loki is introduced as the main villain to return and Thor is introduced as the only being strong enough to stop him.

The Avengers: The sixth and final film brings together everybody as Loki declares war on Earth and steals the Tesseract to open a gate to the other side of the universe. Shield summons the help of Captain America, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner to capture Loki. Once caught, Thor jumps into the scene to bring him back to Asgard. After working together to stop Loki's army, they agree to send Loki to Asgard with Thor because he belongs there. Stark and Banner drive off to do science things leaving Captain America to figure out the new world on his own. 

The Arcs: The story arcs spanning these movies are all different and have great payoffs. Captain America goes from being a humble kid to the leader of a group of super heroes. Iron Man transforms from a self centered egotist into a team player fighting for something greater than himself. Bruce Banner is able to control his emotions and keep the Hulk in check. Thor humbles his own power and does what's right for the most people rather than the best outcome for himself. These character arcs help bring Phase 1 into focus as we prepare for Phase 2 with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

Final Iron Man 3 trailer

The final trailer is out. Head over to Yahoo movies to see the new trailer.

I feel like this trailer gives away part of the ending, but It's good to see a lot of action and excitement building up in this movie. The use of multiple Iron Man suits as depicted from the trailer and posters suggest that this movie is going to be grinding on a large scale. Everybody is brought to the party as this story takes us on a run through twists and turns. It looks like a good time and ready to see what comes next following Iron Man 3.

I knew it was in trouble

Jack the Giant Slayer made an abismal debut at the box office this weekend bringing in under $30 million. It may be enough for a number one spot, but with a $200 million budget, this movie is in the running for the biggest flop of the year. An over bloated budget to make CGI giants instead of using camera tricks and green screen angles to create the giant effect put this monster of a movie way past anything it anybody should have paid. The 3D effect didn't help as much as the studios would have liked, but now we get to see a weeks worth of marketing with the lead line being "The number one movie in America" in order to get some more money out of its release.

Unfortunately, Oz the Great and Powerful will be premiering this weekend making it a giant slayer and will become the new number one movie with ease. Also, Disney plans on releasing the final trailer for Iron Man 3 in front of the movie. This one-two punch will put people in the theaters, even if Sam Raimi is directing a probably lack luster performance out of James Franco. With beautify CGI and an open fantasy world, expect Oz to usher in a great haul of marketing this week telling you to see it this weekend and giving Disney more money.

Excited for these movies?

Is anybody excited for Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie? What about The Great Gatsby 3D? Or even Jack the Giant Slayer? The point is there are movies coming out that people did not ask for and a greater intention for not seeing yet, Hollywood continues to give us unnecessary movies like Battleship. Now there's an idea that was immediately drowning in the water when it was announced because of the ridiculousness of basing a movie off of a board game.

While I understand that executives always try to get ahead of the curve with big movies, but is it really that important that we have The Last Exorcism Part 2? Even the title lends itself to jokes by being the sequel to something that was supposed to be definitive. When will the madness end!!!

Iron Man 3 Ending

IMDb has the synopsis for Iron Man 3 which reads: "Marvel Studios Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemies hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?"

Now that sounds like a very interesting movie with Iron Man being attacked on all sides, however, we all know that Iron Man will defeat the Mandarin and save Pepper Pots. It's what happens during the end credits that will lead us into the next Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy.

Since Guardians of the Galaxy takes place in the future from where we are today in the Marvel Universe, this means that there will be time travel involved on the side of Guardians. The Iron Man side will lead us into meeting one or all of the characters from Guardians of the Galaxy. Here's how it will end on the Iron Man side and the beginning of Guardians:

"After defeating Mandarin and rescuing Pepper Pots, Nick Fury approaches Tony Stark with a space anomaly and asks him to do some reconnoissance. Tony refuses, but Pepper persuades him and this cuts to the credit sequence. Credits roll. Post credits we are inside a space ship. Star-lord (first appearance) is at the helm looking down at Earth. He can't believe that it is Iron Man blasting into space and orders for him to be taken aboard the ship. Iron Man is caught in their tractor beam and brought onto the ship where we overhear Starlord saying that there may be hope just yet. Fade to black."

Paper planes

Apparently after Paperman won for Best Animated Short at the Oscars, one of the producers decided to throw paper planes with heart shaped kisses on them into the audience as a way of showing her appreciation. While a good gesture, the theater thought otherwise and kicked her out of the Oscar ceremony. While her celebration may seem a bit excessive, I find it quite cute and charming that she did this. Nobody was hurt or injured and it was seen by the audience as a playful gesture to lighten the mood. Bravo Disney.

Oscars

I feel like Seth McFarland was being too tame for the host. He could have been more out there with his jokes but was constricted due to it being his first time hosting. The last song at the credits was very unnecessary, but I did like the Jaws theme playing people off. It would have been cool to see Spielberg being played off by Jaws music, but Ang Lee won so that happened. Apparently I need to go see Life of Pi sometime soon, but it's going to be hard. Maybe i'll catch it on DVD. Wait, would they even make a DVD or is everything a Blu-ray now. I mean I know that a lot of people have Blu-ray players and that it is the suggested form to watch these things on, but do they still sell DVDs as well? Or do they do the combo pack where you get both the DVD and the Blu-ray in one purchase so when you do decide to upgrade, you don't have to go buy the movie over again. But that means the studio is not only holding back the advancement of people buying blu-ray but also creating outdated technology for people to view their movie. I think that unless someone comes up with a better name than Blu-ray and give the medium its letters, we'll all be saying DVD even if there are no more.

Print out your Ballots!!

Who will win the Golden Statue?

1. Best Picture

- Amour

- Argo

- Beasts Of The Southern Wild

- Django Unchained

- Les Miserables

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Silver Linings Playbook

- Zero Dark Thirty

2. Best Actor

- Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)

- Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

- Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)

- Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

- Denzel Washington (Flight)

3. Best Actress

- Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

- Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

- Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

- Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)

- Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

4. Best Supporting Actor

- Alan Arkin (Argo)

- Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)

- Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)

- Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

- Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

5. Best Supporting Actress

- Amy Adams (The Master)

- Sally Field (Lincoln)

- Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

- Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

- Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

6. Best Animated Feature Film

- Brave

- Frankenweenie

- ParaNorman

- The Pirates! Band Of Misfits

- Wreck-It Ralph

7. Best Director

- Michael Haneke (Amour)

- Benh Zeitlin (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)

- Ang Lee (Life Of Pi)

- Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

- David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

8. Cinematography

- Anna Karenina

- Django Unchained

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Skyfall

9. Costume Design

- Anna Karenina

- Les Miserables

- Lincoln

- Mirror Mirror

- Snow White And The Huntsman

10. Documentary Feature

- 5 Broken Cameras

- The Gatekeepers

- How To Survive A Plague

- The Invisible War

- Searching For Sugar Man

11. Documentary Short

- Inocente

- Kings Point

- Mondays At Racine

- Open Heart

- Redemption

12. Film Editing

- Argo

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Silver Linings Playbook

- Zero Dark Thirty

13. Best Foreign Language Film

- Amour (Austria)

- Kon-Tiki (Norway)

- No (Chile)

- A Royal Affair (Denmark)

- War Witch (Canada)

14. Best Original Score

- Anna Karenina

- Argo

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Skyfall

15. Best Original Song

- “Before My Time” (Chasing Ice)

- “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” (Ted)

- “Pi’s Lullaby” (Life Of Pi)

- “Skyfall” (Skyfall)

- “Suddenly” (Les Miserables)

16. Best Animated Short Film

- Adam And Dog

- Fresh Guacamole

- Head Over Heels

- Maggie Simpson In “The Longest Daycare”

- Paperman

17. Best Live Action Short

- Asad

- Buzkashi Boys

- Curfew

- Death Of A Shadow

- Henry

18. Production Design

- Anna Karenina

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Les Miserables

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

19. Makeup And Hairstyling

- Hitchcock

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Les Miserables

20. Visual Effects

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Life Of Pi

- The Avengers

- Prometheus

- Snow White And The Huntsman

21. Best Original Screenplay

- Amour

- Django Unchained

- Flight

- Moonrise Kingdom

- Zero Dark Thirty

22. Best Adapted Screenplay

- Argo

- Beasts Of The Southern Wild

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Silver Linings Playbook

23. Sound Editing

- Argo

- Django Unchained

- Life Of Pi

- Skyfall

- Zero Dark Thirty

24. Sound Mixing

- Argo

- Les Miserables

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Skyfall

It's Oscar Weeked

Time to finalize your office Oscar pool and cast your votes. You may not win, but at least you can say that you were better than your friends. See all the movies and voice your opinion with full rhetoric.

Bravo, BRAVO

I don't understand how the channel BRAVO can stay on the air. I don't like nor understand why people watch these shows about fighting women or stressed out guys or dysfunctional relationships. Why can't these people watch regular scripted shows because the producers of each of those shows make it look like they are all running around trying to finish things on time. All of those shows fight with each other and it just shows everybody in a terrible light. They purposefully put these people in situations that make them fight because that makes for good TV, but I always want to change the channel since watching women bitch about each other doesn't entertain me. Watching women fight all the time also puts a bad judgement on women who actually can be friends and get along without having to sue each other or yell at one another. It's cheap television to make and for some unreasonable explanation people just watch it over and over when it doesn't do anything but teach bad morals. I found a quote yesterday that said "Great minds think of Ideas, Average minds think of Events, and Stupid minds think of People."

This is Jeopardy.

Game shows have been around since there was Radio. Contestants lucky enough to get on the show have the chance to win cash and prizes. However, Jeopardy does this differently. Two new contestants have to battle wits against a returning champion in order to claim any cash prize. They don't automatically walk away with whatever they earn. They leave with money only if they win. That total is accumulated up until they lose when they are paid out for all their winnings. If you go on and lose you get nothing other than being on TV.

Maybe this is why Jeopardy is such a popular game show. You can even play at home and question the answers to see if you are right. Most of the time you forget the answers to questions you get wrong, but if its the final jeopardy question you have more of a chance to remember it, especially if it was question you answered wrong on. I like Jeopardy and hope to see it never go away. I can always count on it being 7pm and watching Jeopardy on ABC.

Will Argo win Best Picture?

Yes.

Winning just about every award out there from Golden Globes to PGA to DGA to WGA, Argo is Hollywood's choice to win Best Picture. While it did not seem like it when it first premiered, good word of mouth and a great story line has propelled it past the original front runners of Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty.

The only blemish it will receive is in a category it is not nominated for. Ben Affleck will not be receiving an award for Best Director at the Academy Awards because he was snubbed which came as a shock to everybody. Since then, the film has been racking up the awards left and right and even began running promotions for its Blu-ray release this week.

With all these awards, don't be surprised if after it wins the Academy Award for Best Picture that Warner Bros. will put it back into theaters for a limited run of a week. If you haven't seen this movie, buy it because it is a great movie to add to your collection.

Star Wars VII Script

Here's how Star Wars Ep. 7 should be played out. (Note this is my possibility, but it references with everything. Also, I have not read any of the Star Wars comics. Only taken names from Wikipedia.)

- Open Title scroll: Years of peace since the Emperor's death. Luke has rebuilt the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Han and Leia are married, but it's trouble in paradise as the new galactic council deems Solo unworthy of leading them. Meanwhile, Luke's son (Ben) is up for the rank of Master.

- INT. JEDI TEMPLE
 Luke sits with other (Anakin Solo) and other Jedi Masters as they evaluate Ben. The decision is split and he is unworthy of the rank of Master. Luke tries to console his son, but his brashness leads him to run away from living on the Temple grounds. He takes a ship and pilots himself away to Tatooine. Luke is about to take off when he is summoned by Leia.

- INT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Leia tells Luke that she received word that Han has left and his whereabouts are unknown. With an impending war upon them against a guerrilla force of bandits and smugglers, she asks for his help in finding Han so he can negotiate with them. Luke tells her he will find him after he finds his son.

- EXT. TATOOINE
 Ben lands and walks through a series of shops in Mos Eisley. He finds his way into the Cantina Lounge where he sees Han shooting a guy in a booth. Ben meets his Uncle and is talked into going with him as a Jedi escort to meet the leader of the bandits.

- EXT. JEDI TEMPLE
 Anakin Solo along with the other Jedi Masters feel a disturbance in the force. They contact Luke and tell them that they feel an unbalanced. Luke feels it too and decides to seek advice while on Tatooine. Anakin jumps into action and pilots a ship to Tatooine to help his Uncle Luke find Ben.

- EXT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Leia consoles the council but her words fall on deaf ears. They are planning using the Jedi Knights to rid the bandits as well as bring in the clones for additional protection. Leia refuses to this plan, but in doing so she is voted out of office.

- EXT. TATOOINE
 Luke lands in the canyons and searches them until he comes across an isolated spring. There he meditates until the spirits of Obi Wan, Yoda, and Qui Gon appear. Luke talks with them about the new dark force and they fear he may be more powerful than the Emperor. In doing so, they train Luke to expand his Jedi powers.

- INT. RIZ QUON
 Using the Millenium Falcon, Han and Ben travel to a space haul that carries aboard smugglers and bandits from all across the galaxy. They traverse the guards but are eventually captured and taken to meet Touro, the leader of the bandits. Han tires to bargin with Touro about the impending war, but Touro isn't interested in anything he has to say. Instead, he throws them into prison cells where they meet Anakin who was captured while on his way to Tatooine.

- INT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Leia communicates to Luke what the council is planning. Meanwhile Touro has contacted the council and tells them that he has Han captive and is threatening his life if they don't pull back from their plan of attack. Luke tells Leia to delay their decision as long as possible to give him time to try and rescue Han.

- INT. RIZ QUON
 Luke sneaks aboard the ship and uses his Jedi mind powers to locate Han. He makes his way to the prison and frees Han, Anakin, and Ben they race through the space haul to get back to the ship. They are spotted and all the bandits take them on. Luke, Anakin, and Ben use their lightsabers to cut their way to the Millenium Falcon. Upon reaching their ship, Luke senses a dark presence on board. Han fires up the ship and has Anakin and Ben board it. Luke stays behind to find the darkness.

- INT. GALACTIC SHIP
 The Millenium Falcon boards the council ship which is closing in on Riz Quon. Han talks with the onboard commander, but he informs Han that he has been stripped of his title. Han communicates to Leia questioning what has happened, but she tells him they have no power and to make sure nothing happens to Anakin and Ben. However, Anakin and Ben don't want to leave Luke with an impending attack. They make a plan to go back and rescue Luke.

- INT. RIZ QUON
 Luke moves through the shadows staying hidden until he reaches the main bridge. There he sees Touro and a mysterious man talk about their plans to rebuild the Death Star. Luke is spotted by the bounty hunter Nikko Fett and brought forth. The mysterious man reveals himself to be Darth Caedus and tells him the dark side will rise up again and bring with it the destruction of the Jedi once more. Luke is able to free himself and engages in a lightsaber battle with Darth Caedus. Touro flees the scene and takes an escape pod to Tatooine before the assault on Riz Quon begins.

Anakin and Ben fight their way to the bridge where they see Luke and Darth Caedus fighting. Before they can join in the fight, Nikko Fett grabs their attention. Anakin goes after Nikko while Ben goes to help his father. The two on one fight engages for a while until Darth Caedus force throws Ben against a wall leaving him unconscious. Luke chooses to save his son and let Darth Caedus get away. Meanwhile, Anakin corners Nikko, but he uses his tongue to inform Anakin that he his much like his brother before he killed him. Then Nikko Fett escapes leaving Anakin lost in the ship. Luke uses his Jedi powers to call to Anakin and guide him to the ship. Luke, Anakin, and Ben escape Riz Quon just before it is split in two and blown up.

- INT JEDI TEMPLE
 Luke tells the council of the new presence and that Darth Caedus is being trained by someone much greater in the force than perviously thought. They decide to not elect Ben as Master Rank, but instead make him and Anakin the personal guards of the Galactic Council. They are also told to act on part of the Jedi Temple to report on any conflicts that may arrise from within.

- INT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Anakin and Ben meet with Leia and Han as they are officially removed from head of the council. Anakin and Ben say goodbye to Leia and Han as they switch to guard the new head of council Emmit Ryse. Unbeknownst to anybody, Darth Caedus views this ceremony, then disappears into the shadows.

Peter Dinklage in X-MEN:DOFP

The short man is about to get a big step. Peter Dinklage, better known for his role on Game of Thrones as Tyrion Lannister, will be gaining his mutant ability in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past being directed by Brian Singer. With Singer tweeting about the addition of Dinklage, we can let the speculation begin as to what mutant he will be playing.

The obvious choice is that he will be Puck because of his short nature and his fighting athleticism. This character does fall within the comic book time line and would be a great sight to see him take on the likes of the X-Men. Other possibility is Toad as he is short to begin with, but this would also be a recurring character as he was seen in the original X-Men movie.

Until we get the official word, you can and should watch Game of Thrones as the new season premieres March 31 and catch up with the entire series on HBO Go. You will be hooked by the first episode and wont stop till you get enough.

How to write a movie

In case you're interested, here are some basic rules to keep in mind when writing a movie. I've been writing a couple of scripts and I'm getting better at telling bigger stories. Now, you could go to a number of websites and read books on scriptwriting which I highly recommend. If there is one book I can suggest it is "Writing movies for fun and profit" by the guys who wrote The Pacifier and Night at the Museum.

In basic rules your character has to change over the course of a movie. That is rule number one. Your character has to be different at the end of the journey from when we first meet them at the beginning of page one. Next rule is the bigger the stakes the better the movie. Higher risks generate higher conflict and a higher reward. Go big or go home. Last rule is don't tell a story you wouldn't want to tell. If you try and write an Oscar winning film, but you mainly watch buddy comedies, you're going to have a tough time because it's not what you're interested in. Write what you know and what you would want to see. This will help you when trying to decide where to go in your movie.

Lastly, don't stop writing. Even if you're stuck at a scene, write the worst version possible and move on. You will go back and we write the entire movie anyways so don't get stuck at one place. Write something down and then you can go back and re-work it to follow the plot. The point is something down is better than nothing at all.

Now go write that movie! (after reading a bunch of screenwriting books and watching a lot of movies that are similar to the one you want to write)