Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol trailer

Let the trailer fest continue. This is better late then never. The spy games continue, with or without Tom Cruise in the next installment of the Mission:Impossible franchise.  The film stars Cruise and newcomer to the team, Jeremy Renner, who will take over the lead in the franchise.  It is being directed by Brad Bird and looks pretty darn good.  Check it out:

Edward Norton may play the villain in The Bourne Legacy

It's been a long time since I've blogged about the next 'Bourne' film, titled The Bourne Legacy.  Maybe because it doesn't feel right without Matt Damon?  But, Hollywood doesn't care what I think.  A fourth Bourne film will be made and it will star Jeremy Renner in the part made famous by Damon.  I'm ok with the casting of Renner, he will do great, no doubt.  That's three viable franchises at once folks.  The Bourne films, The Avengers (where he'll play Hawkeye), and the Mission: Impossible films he's taking over from Tom Cruise. 

Today comes rumors that Edward Norton could play the villain.  This is spectacular because you all should know I think Norton is a great actor.  Yes, I also think he's a jerk and that's why directors can't work with him.  But he knows how to play a villain.  I doubt this movie will have a goofy tone the way his character was portrayed in The Italian Job; I think it will be darker like the world Matt Damon inhabited.  Either way, I'm psyched about the casting rumor and hope it's true.  Anyone else think Norton is worth the trouble?

"Mission: Impossible" without Tom Cruise and a "Bourne" Film without Matt Damon?

Ok so we know Mission: Impossible 4 is filming right now. We also know it co-stars Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner. But what we didn't know was that the studio wants to continue the franchise without Cruise. Crazy thought considering Cruise has been the face of the franchise for the better part of 15 years. So Jeremy Renner is going to carry the franchise?

I don't know. I'm scared to say "he can't do it", then he turns out to be the next Matt Damon/bad ass (more on him later). I also don't want to say "that's a great idea" because Renner is yet to carry a film on his own. His biggest part obviously came in The Hurt Locker, but he wasn't the main attraction there. Here's what Renner had to say about the rumor that he's taking over the franchise:

It’s a franchise to potentially take over… I can’t predict the future and what they want, but that’s certainly the idea.

Sounds like he's pretty confident what's set to occur. I'll hold judgment until after I see Renner in M:I 4. Now, the other franchise losing it's main actor... 'The Bourne' franchise. I hate to admit it, but I just wrapped up the trilogy the other day after watching The Bourne Ultimatum. Wow, it's freakin' awesome. It is so good, so well directed, so well acted, I was blown away. It was a fitting end to Damon's take on the man rediscovering his past. But the film makers kept it open fore more chapters in the saga.

Now it's been confirmed that not only is director of parts 2 and 3, Paul Greengrass, leaving the franchise, so too is Matt Damon. And we also know that the studio has started pre-production on a fourth film. It's not a re-boot per say because the are not recasting the Jason Bourne character. They're launching a new franchise with a new lead actor. Why? The hell for?

I mean the studios are so greedy it has come to this? The director and actor don't want to continue so we'll just swap them out for someone else. I understand the studios want to profit off of a hot property, but come-on! At least go a few more years before starting another franchise and let people forget the past incarnation. I hate that both franchises are losing their stars, how about you?

"The Town" Review

I remember the first time I saw the trailer for The Town and thought to myself, WOW! Now, granted trailers aren't exactly the most accurate way to judge a film, but this one was good, really good. Ben Affleck directs and stars in the film about bank robbers. Let's jump right in.


What I liked about the movie:
The Story/Characters
I'm a sucker for heist movies, I have to admit. But what I hate is when a writer or director plays on all the cliches from movies in the past. This movie does not do that. It's an original story with original characters. Each character is an intricate part of the movie. There are no wasted characters, no wasted plot points.

Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard weave together a fascinating story about friends, loyalty, trust, respect and most of all, money. Without giving much away, the movie breaks down into three major action sequences with obvious character development in between. But The Town does something very elegantly. It not only makes us care about the criminals, but the FBI agents tracking them as well.

Acting
The acting in the film was great. Ben Affleck showed off the emotional chops needed to play a troubled lead. He has to portray someone who is lost; his mother abandoned him as child, his father's in jail and he wants out of the family business of robbing banks. Great performance.

Rebecca Hall plays Affleck's love interest, but she's not just some girl. She's the girl he robs at the beginning of the film. The two develop a relationship throughout the film. Hall is great at showing the aftereffects of a traumatic experience like being robbed at gun point.

Jeremy Renner plays Affleck's best friend. He's the crazy gunslinger of the gang and does well to show his loyalty to Affleck. He really didn't have much screen time where he wasn't shooting a gun, but does great with the character development and motivations.

Jon Hamm, aka the rumored new Superman, is awesome! They could have easily written Hamm as a stereotypical FBI agent out to do good and bring the bad guys to justice. Uh-uh! He's a bad ass. He's a perp-beating, insult-flinging, threat-making son of a bitch. I loved his character! Wait until you see the exchange between him and Affleck. It's awesome. Oh, and there are bit roles for Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite which are AMAZING! I don't want to tell you more about their characters, see the movie.

Action Sequences

They did WHAT?! Shot up FattMatt's hometown? Wait, they did what? The climax of the film is at Fenway Park? Are you kidding me? NOPE! The first action sequence is brilliant, perfectly choreographed and executed. The second features a chase through the narrow streets of Charlestown, Massachusetts that is pretty intense. And of course, the much talked-about climax at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Redsox. I don't want to say more, please just see the movie and let me know what you think.


What I didn't like about the movie:
The Love Story

This is a tricky one. The love story works, just trust me, I'm the first to bitch and complain when a love story feels fake or forced. This one works, but I wish there was a bit more of developing the relationship. Yeah, I really did just say that. Maybe one more date, or a walk somewhere would have sealed the deal that the two main characters were as madly in love as we're supposed to believe. I did, however, like the contrast between the relationship of Affleck and Hall vs. Affleck and Blake Lively's character. One is based on nothing but lust (Lively) and the other, love (Hall). Well done.

Coincidences/Tie-in
This one bothered me a bit. I understand the reasoning, but I didn't appreciate the execution. The story needs to tie-in the FBI to the final heist. So Affleck and company give it to us, in a nicely packed box with a bow on it. We're better than that! Come on. It's so absurd the way the FBI is tipped off on the final heist that it left a sour taste in my mouth. Please let me know if it made you roll your eyes as well.

Overall the film was a ton of fun. The characters were rich and their back stories fascinating. Affleck's sophomore effort as director is a great one. I enjoyed Gone Baby Gone a lot, but The Town is even better. The story and execution were unique, great contrast between the thieves and the FBI and a climax that was worth it's location's history. Go see this film and I'm sure you'll have a good time.

"Avengers" Assemble... at Comic-Con

Left to Right: Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Liam Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Hawk Eye, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Director Joss Whedon, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige

Movie stars filled the panels, rumors were laid to rest, and every nerd on the planet was waiting for this moment. The Avengers cast, in one place, at one time. That's the power of Comic-Con. I've talked about it a lot on the blog: everything from Chris Evans casting as the Captain, to Edward Norton's ugly exit, all things Avengers. At Comic-Con in San Diego this year, the entire cast went up on stage, settling three, very talked-about rumors.

First, Joss Whedon WILL direct the film. That's an obvious one, but Marvel never announced it officially before Comic-Con.

Second, Jeremy Renner WILL play Hawk Eye! I love this move by the way.

Third, and I guess most talked about... Mark Ruffalo WILL replace Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk. This movie can't get any more epic, can it? We'll have to wait and see. There's still those rumors of Nathan Fillion and Eva Longoria joining the cast as Ant-Man and Wasp. We'll let you know what happens. You satisfied with the cast?

Ben Affleck's "The Town" Looks Incredble!

Holy Moly! Ben Affleck in a movie I REALLY want to see? I never thought I'd use those words all in the same sentence in my life. The movie is called The Town, and Affleck is writer/director/star. The screenplay is based on a novel the Chuck Hogan. The movie co-stars Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Jeremy Renner, Chris Cooper and Rebecca Hall.

Watch the trailer and look below for my thoughts.

I love this trailer. The story looks so compelling and so enticing. I have to admit when it comes to the acting roles, Ben Affleck's best buddy Matt Damon gets all the good ones. But on the directing side, Affleck's got his number. I really liked Gone Baby Gone, Affleck's directorial debut. And in this film, I think Affleck has captured Boston, the characters and the overall tone necessary to make this movie successful. I am really looking forward to this one, folks.

Quickie: Jeremy Renner for Hawkeye a reality?

/slashfilm reported yesterday about Jeremy Renner possibly playing Hawkeye. Hawkeye is one of the lesser known Marvel characters, but he's still pretty bad ass. He's like Green Arrow in that he carries a bow and arrow, but he's like Nightcrawler from the X-Men in that he is very athletic and acrobatic. He grew up in the circus in some versions of the comic.

I'm sure he'll be a secondary character in the Avengers movie, but the move surprises me. I love the idea, don't get me wrong. But I'm surprised Renner would take a movie role like this. Coming off an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, you wouldn't expect a role in this genre. BUT!... these movies are starting to be taken more seriously, which we've discussed here in the past at AtD. So let's see what happens!

The Hurt Locker to change 'Iraq War Movies'

Our blog is still young and has only been online for a few months. So we haven't really got a chance to share info about this movie with our followers just yet. The Hurt Locker is the story of bomb squad soldiers in Iraq. I know what you are thinking, "not another Iraq war movie". But this promises to be different. The movie stars Jeremy Renner (S.W.A.T.), Ralph Fiennes (The Reader), Guy Pearce (Memento), and it follows the squad throughout Iraq.

Iraqi war movies have not done well at the box office. Movies like Lions for Lambs, In the Valley of Elah, etc. I think people don't want to be depressed in this time in our country. People don't want to be reminded of what is going on in Iraq, maybe because the evening news is doing that for us. So why go spend 11 or 12 dollars at the theater for the same thing?

The Hurt Locker seems to be picking up buzz in every form of media: the internet, tv and print, everyone seems to agree it is the best Iraq war movie to be released to date. It is currently at a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes as far as critical appeal. The movie is to be released tomorrow in LA and New York with a wider release to follow in July. Keep an eye on this one folks, it may just blow up into something special this summer.... no pun intended.