Crave Cinema

Marvel Highlight: Jessica Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 17:28:00 +0000

Today we are proud to present our third Crave Cinema Marvel Highlight. In these articles we talk about material from the Marvel Universe such as where it originated and what its evolved into. The history of the comic book world is very diverse, and recently Marvel has recreated and connected it all into one giant live action universe! If you are interested you can read our previous articles on Daredevil and The Punisher. So to get you started, today we are going to talk about one of the most underrated and less known properties, Jessica Jones.

Conceptually the character is still very young. Jessica Jones was introduced only 15 years ago in 2001 by artist Michael Gaydos and writer Brian Michael Bendis. The character was introduced as part of a series released at the time called Alias. In adaptations of the comic books including her character, it has been mentioned that a military convoy colliding with a car she was in at a young age cause her to hold the powers she has today. These powers range from immense strength to the ability to fly. After failed attempted at becoming a superhero, Jones settles down to open an investigations company. Jessica Jones is also connected to another popular character in the Marvel catalogue through marriage, that being the also extremely strong Luke Cage. Both of these characters have grown to become somewhat popular in Marvel Comics, yet its their appearances in Marvels Netflix series that are going to take them to an entirely new level of fame!

Jessica Jones on Netflix

In 2015, Jessica Jones made her first live action debut in the form of a Netflix series. Alongside a companion Marvel Netflix series Daredevil, Jessica Jones was said to be one of the Marvel Universes best creations to date. By being places on Netflix, these series are allowed to be true to their material and be expressed in a much darker tone. Essentially, Marvel and Netflix plan to release series based on Luke Cage and Iron Fist leading up to a group series called The Defenders. In the Netflix series Jessica Jones, the main character is portrayed by actress Krysten Ritter. The show sees Jones character, now retired from crime fighting and working as an investigator, trying to save herself and her friends from a horrible man of her past by the name of Kilgrave. In this series the villain Kilgrave is portrayed by actor David Tennant. Throughout the series, you get a feel for who Jessica Jones character truly is. Why she is far from a perfect person, her intentions are good and ultimately lead you to like the somewhat gritty character. This past January the show was renewed for a second season, and after the debut of the Defender series, you'll get a little more insight into who this character really is!

Thus far, Marvels Jessica Jones character is truly still developing. This is exciting because whatever ends up happening with the character is essentially unpredictable in the future. Possibilities are endless and her team up with The Defenders may ultimately change her storyline. Make sure to check out Jessica Jones on Netflix and stay up to date with us at Crave Cinema for future Marvel Highlight articles as well as upcoming movie news and rumors each week. Also, keep your eye out in the near future for our first DC Highlight! That's all we have for you today, so don't forget to watch Jessica Jones on Netflix and as always, continue to Crave Cinema!

Go Greek with Neighbors 2

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 17:28:00 +0000

Director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek) made strides in the comedy world in 2014 when he directed a film which went by the name of Neighbors. Grossing over $270 million on a budget of only $18 million, the film turned out to be a box office success with positive reviews from critics. The film tells the story of a couple with a newborn baby moving into their new dream home only to find the next door house was taken simultaneously by a fraternity that is not afraid to live up to their Greek legacy of partying. Through some creative tactical attacks, the neighbors take turns seeing who will give up their post first. Of course, no one is willing to move out of their home without a fight. With comedy success comes comedy sequels, so today well be talking about the upcoming film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising!

Neighbors (2014)

The film featured many famous actors, but two were attached to the film before it even had a studio pitch, those being Seth Rogen and Zac Efron. The film was intended to be Seth Rogen's character fending off against the college students alone, but due to fear of similarities with other films, the idea of adding his wife to the script was chosen as a differentiating factor. This turned into a favorable decision as the character of Kelly, played by Rose Bryne, turned out to be a fan favorite. The film went on to feature substantial improvisation and many people on the set, including extras, were given devices to film from the set to provide extra unique footage for possible inclusion in the movie. The final change in the film was to the name. Originally intended to be released under the title "Townies", the powers that be decided the name Neighbors was much better.

Photo by Glen Wilson - © Universal Pictures

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)

It was only one year later when a sequel to the hit film Neighbors started to come together. By February 2015, the director and writers of the original film were already set to return to formulate the idea of a follow up. The idea behind this film is that once the fraternity moved out, fate had it that a sorority would move in next door. Unfortunately for the couple, this sorority has a point to prove that they can be just as crazy as the fraternities. In order for them to take on yet another Greek challenge, they recruit Efron to help them figure out the right way to defeat a sorority. It was later decided that the headliner of chaos in the sorority would be played by actress Chloe Grace Moretz. Other talent set to appear in the film is Efron's fellow Disney star Selena Gomez and the return of Dave Franco. Filming occurred in Georgia between August and October of 2015. You can view the trailer for the film right below or view the more fitting NSFW red band trailer by clicking here!

You can see all the alcohol induced fun unfold in theaters next month by seeing Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising on May 20th, 2016! Check into Crave Cinema for the latest movie news and rumors on everything in the film world. Thank you for visiting and check us out next week, as usual, don't forget to Crave Cinema!

Marvel Highlight: The Punisher

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 19:36:00 +0000

Almost two weeks ago, we released our first "Marvel Highlight" article on Marvel's Daredevil. You can read the article for a history of the character on screen by clicking here. This week, we are returning with another Marvel Highlight covering the highly popular character, The Punisher. This character recently crossed over into Daredevil's world, therefore we have a lot to cover on what has happened with this character and what to expect in the future. Hold on to your body armor, because you're going to learn about the most gritty character in Marvel's world, The Punisher!

Brief History

In 1974, writer Gerry Conway and artist John Romita, Sr. debuted the legendary character known as The Punisher with Stan Lee being the one who suggested the characters name. Initially the idea was to call the character "Assassin" but luckily we ended up with the more suited Punisher title. The character sticks out amongst the other in Marvel's extended catalogue due to his willingness to kill in order to achieve justice. In comic book history, the good guy's usually don't kill. Somehow, The Punisher achieved fame even with this dark desire to end crime permanently. The characters real name is Frank Castle, and is frequently presented as a U.S. war veteran. It's a very dark journey that later turns Castle into the Punisher we know today. After a decline in popularity in the 90's, The Punisher was revived and has since become somewhat of a fan favorite in the comic book community.

The Punisher Films

It was 1989 when Frank Castle made his first film debut as The Punisher. The character was played by actor Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV), who was described as indestructible. Unfortunately, films in 1989 couldn't be as true to their comic book companion material as they can now in 2016. The film received terrible reviews and was described as "cheesy". Due to the failure of the first film, it would be 15 years until the character was given a second chance on screen.

In 2004, actor Thomas Jane was given the opportunity to portray the character on screen against the evil Howard Saint, played by actor John Travolta in one of his more villainous roles. This film took from two of its comic book sources, The Punisher: Year One and Welcome Back, Frank. Regardless of the characters second chance, this film once again received negative reviews. Later down the road, this film became a fan favorite for those who enjoyed the character. Regardless, most fans believe the character still was not given a faithful comic book interpretation.

A sequel to the 2004 film was planned regardless of the negative reception. Due to creative differences between multiple people involved in the film, the sequel essentially developed into a remake by the name of Punisher: War Zone. The film went on to be released four years later in 2008 and would mark Marvel Studios first attempt at producing a Punisher film themselves. This go around, actor Ray Stevenson was given the honor of portraying the character. Unfortunately, once again the film received negative reviews. While the film did portray the extreme violence The Punisher is known for, it still was untrue to its comic book source material.

The Punisher on Netflix's Daredevil

Nearly two weeks ago season two of Netflix's Daredevil was released to many positive reviews. Marvel's success on Netflix continues to grow, with high expectations for their Jessica Jones and Luke Cage shows as well. Within this season of Daredevil, The Punisher was revealed to be the main focus of this years story. Played by Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), many people say that the character stole the show this season. This interpretation of Frank Castle received the highest praise the character has ever seen in live action. In fact, the reception is so positive that people have began campaigning for the character to receive his own show. Knowing the way that Marvel works, they enjoy satisfying their fans cravings. Aside from initial plans to start a Punisher show on Netflix in January, his warm reception in Daredevil likely led to the definite creation of such a show.

To sum it all up, after three consecutive films about the character receiving bad reception, The Punisher seemed to find his way on Netflix. We're very excited to see what happens in the future with the character, and it's likely that Jon Bernthal will be deemed the true Punisher for years to come. That's all we have for today, but please continue to join us in the future for more upcoming movie news and rumors, as well as our next Marvel Highlight arriving soon! If you're a fan of the comic book adaptations, check out our post on the most anticipated comic book films of 2016 by clicking here! Keep your shotguns handy, because nothing can stop the Punisher! Check us out next week for the best in the film world only on Crave Cinema!

Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 17:46:00 +0000

Dating back to the 1920's, Universal Studios created a legacy by putting out some of the most provocative horror films of all time. Ranging from The Phantom of the Opera to Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Wolf Man there has never been quite a collection of standout films in this genre of the cinema world by any other film studio. In 2014, Universal Studios released a new film by the name of Dracula Untold. Like other popular film connections such as the Marvel Universe, Dracula Untold marked the beginning of a unified collection of Universal horror classic remakes. In 2017, the next story to be retold is the tale of The Mummy, starring actor Tom Cruise. These remakes will be created with the assistance of the talented writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. One of the remakes coming to fruition is the story of the Creature from the Black Lagoon!

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk via Foter.com / CC BY-NC

The Creature from the Black Lagoon has not seen a new on screen rendition since 1956. That means this year marks 60 years since a film about the character has been released! Today I am going to talk about the upcoming Creature from the Black Lagoon remake and why it is one of the most anticipated films of the new Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe. First off, a little bit about the creature and the remakes journey to fruition.

On March 5th, 1954 director Jack Arnold released a film that would go on to become one of Universal Studios legacy horror classics. Universal has had a superior history of popular horror creations, starting with The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923, The Phantom of the Opera in 1925, Dracula and Frankenstein both in 1931, The Mummy in 1932 and The Invisible Man in 1933 to note a few of the popular choices. It wasn't until nearly 20-30 years later that The Creature would join the ranks of the Universal Classic Monsters.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon tells the story of a scientists search for a fossil connection between land and sea animals, only things take a turn for the worse when our lead actors discover this creature is not ancient history just yet. The Creature was originally played by actor Ricou Browning, who acted as the Gill- Man in the water scenes due to his past with water shows, and by Ben Chapman, who notably played the Gill-Man on land sequences.

Photo credit: State Library and Archives of Florida via Foter.com

Ben Chapman was a former Marine, and was selected to play the Gill-Man due to his large stature. Unlike Browning who played The Creature in water scenes, Chapman was more commonly used in promotion of The Creature for numerous events. As you can see in the picture, The Creature costume, essentially the water version, wasn't so efficient looking but, for the time, was notably intriguing.

Originally, the idea of a remake has been thrown around since 1982 with John Landis pushing it. The original remake script was eventually cancelled due to the idea of 3D being used, but did feature the use of two creatures rather than one. In 1995 the idea of a remake resurfaced but was passed upon by Peter Jackson who was in pursuit of the King Kong remake we received.

After many different people had worked on the script and ideas for the remake, things seemed to have faded for the creatures future. After all this time, work is once again underway on creating a proper remake for the legendary Creature from the Black Lagoon. Scarlett Johansson is being considered for the lead role of the film, and Jeff Pinker (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) is currently writing the script. While it may be many years until this film rejoins the Universal horror film universe, the 60 year long journey will likely leave us with a very dark retelling of a story that many of recent generations truly never knew.

That's all we have for our first Universal Monsters article, continue to read our blog for the latest updates on this horror universe and keep an eye out for our next article on The Mummy remake arriving next year! Stay relevant with the most detailed information on upcoming movie news and rumors by reading our blog, and as always, don't forget to Crave Cinema!

Marvel Highlight: Daredevil

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 17:21:00 +0000

In 1964, legendary comic book writer Stan Lee with the support of Bill Everett and Jack Kirby created the character known today as Matt Murdock, or Daredevil. The character followed through with intentions to be one of the edgier members of the comic book universe. The story is of a boy who is blinded after being exposed to a radioactive substance in the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, New York City. The substance increases his senses intensely so that he can essentially know whats happening without his eyes. Throughout his adult years, Murdock takes on the Daredevil suit to avenge his later father and change Hell's Kitchen. All while portraying a lawyer in his real life, Murdock becomes one of the most notable comic books characters who recently is getting the attention they deserved. Today, I'm going to touch a little on the characters existence on film and television.

Daredevil (2003 Film)

Nearly 13 years ago, 20th Century Fox released the first film rendition of this character that cinema has seen. After a few planned television series never came to fruition, this what the first time the character who see itself get a proper treatment. Featuring Ben Affleck (our next Batman) as the titular character, the film became a moderate success with both good and bad reviews. The film derived scenes heavily from the comic books. Regardless of this, the film strayed away from the darker material that the character had been known for. This created issues and ultimately made this become the only film of the intended Daredevil series. While Ben Affleck reprised the roll in a spinoff film Elektra, that film went on to become a box office dud. For years after, there was continuous talk of creating a Daredevil reboot. Slowly, over time, the rights to Daredevil at Fox Studios began to expire and this would conclude this point in Daredevils live action history.

Daredevil (2015 Series)

Ten years after the feature film debut of Daredevil, the rights reverted back to Marvel's possession in 2013. While initially pitched as a film, the idea went on to become part of a Netflix series. It was mentioned that Murdock was only trying to save Hell's Kitchen, not the world. This allows for the series to be told through Netflix much more fluidly. Fortunately, the series will be combined with three others to lead to a Netflix 'team up' superhero series. When the show was released in 2015, it received nothing but high praise from viewers and critics alike. Notably for the characters dark rendition that the series deserved, Charlie Coxs' performance as the title character and Vincent D'Onofrios' depiction of the series villain Wilson Fisk. The first season successfully reinvented the live action depiction of the character, and gave a solid history of how he came to be. This year, Season 2 was just recently released to Netflix introducing other characters from the comic books history. These characters include Punisher and Elektra. Season 2 also recieve fantastic reviews as well as a preview to the upcoming companion series on Netflix to Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Luke Cage. Similarly, the word is that a fifth series will be placed on Netflix eventually focusing on the Punisher character. Due to the series success, it is likely that season 3 will be scheduled to debut next year!

There has been numerous mentions that if the series was successful, there would be a chance that the character would receive his own feature film. Not only are all of the Marvel films massive financial successes, the series have been following suit on Netflix and regular television. With the introduction of characters such as Punisher and Elektra, it is likely that more series and film will appear around new characters for years to come. If you find yourself in Hell's Kitchen, make sure you know everything there is to know about the Daredevil by watch the series on Netflix. Fortunately, there are many marvel series for you to also get your fill on. Keep a look out for our Jessica Jones highlight in the near future. Until next time, don't forget to keep up to date on upcoming movie news and rumors only at Crave Cinema!

The Ingenious Ideas of Pixar

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 08:37:00 +0000

In 1974, a computer lab was established in the New York Institute of Technology by a man named Alexander Schure. Eventually, a group came together who worked in the lab under Shure's direction, with the dream of creating the worlds first computer animated film. Some of these members left to join a new group, The Graphic Group, under the Lucasfilms brand. Some time later, the group decided they wanted to create an independent company. While selling something called the "Pixar Image Computer" to create funds, the group focused on creating their first computer animated film. The group came to find even more funding by the late Steve Jobs, who put a fortune into the company. Flash forward to 1995, Pixar had finally released its first film Toy Story. From here on out Pixar revolutionized the animated film world with each and every release. To this day, Pixar films are some of the most highly recognized and positively anticipated animated films of the decade. With Finding Dory on the horizon, today I'm going to talk about some of the most ingenious creations this studio has put out in the world.

The Toy Story Series

In the world of Pixar, this series is somewhat of a legendary tale. The original 1995 film was a massive success and holds phenomenal reviews from people around the world. The series gives life to the toys that we all played with when we were young. It shows the world from their perspective and is considered one of the most ingenious ideas of its time. Lead voice actors Tom Hanks and Tim Allen cemented themselves as these characters delivering outstanding performances. The film even went on to earn itself an Academy Award. For a companies first product, this was a home run. In 1999, Pixar returned to the world releasing Toy Story 2. The film grossed nearly half a billion dollars in its run, and showed the true value of the series beyond a one hit wonder. At this point, people began to cherish the characters of the film as a household name. It took 11 years before Pixar decided to release Toy Story 3, ending the trilogy on a strong emotional note. The film talks about what will happen to the toys once Andy, their owner, finally goes off to college. The film features a moment that is sure to make anyone who cares about the characters drop tears. The Toy Story series can nearly be identified as the perfect trilogy, with very little mistakes to its name. Some time later, a great idea must have crossed the minds of the Pixar team as they have now announced Toy Story 4 to be released in 2018. The film will tell of a love story between the characters Woody and Bo Peep. You'll be able to return to the heartwarming world of Toy Story on June 15th, 2018.

Toy Story	Toy Story 2	Toy Story 3
$361,958,736	$485,015,179	$1,063,171,911

Toy Story Series Worldwide Box Office Gross

Finding Nemo & Finding Dory

In 2003, Pixar released another film to critical acclaim, called Finding Nemo. The film tells the story of a clownfish searching the entire ocean for his son with the help of a fish named Dory, a blue tang with short-term memory loss. The movie went on to gross nearly $1 billion in its release. It is considered one of Pixars strongest properties aside from their Toy Story series. In 2016, a sequel by the name of Finding Dory will be released and tell the story of Dory from the first film and her search for her own family. The film took ten years after the first to be announced, and has its returning cast from the first film to help move the project along swimmingly. Ellen DeGeneres, who voices Dory, is extremely fond of the role and has been excited to help this film come to fruition. You can find plenty of lost fish in the sea this year with Finding Dory on June 17th, 2016.

The difficult part of compiling a list of great Pixar films is that every single Pixar film is a great film. Aside from the films mentioned above, the studio released A Bug's Life in its earlier years as its second film. While the film doesn't rank as high as the other series, it holds its own as a strong title. Pixar would also develop legendary properties such as Monsters, Inc and Monsters University. The films tell the story of the monsters in your closet from their perspective. With another strong voice cast of actors such as John Goodman and Billy Crystal, the Monsters series is one of the most well regarded Pixar series alongside the Finding Nemo and Toy Story series. The list could go on and on, and chances are, you have seen one of the films and hear of nearly all of them. Pixars slate of films continue to grow under their acquisition by Disney. Yet, the heart and soul of Pixar still remains behind each new title. The company prides themselves on not only worthy sequels, but consistent original films. This year marks the first in which the company released two brand new original films. The first film, Inside Out, is an ever-growing property that has already latched onto the population. The other film they have released, The Good Dinosaur, is making waves as of lately. While not as popular as Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur seems to be well received. If you haven't seen any of these films, you have to pick a few and spend a lazy Sunday feeding your inner child. Pixar knows the formula for success, and we are excited to see what the future brings for this captivating company!

"Animation is the one type of movie that really does play for the entire audience. Our challenge is to make stories that connect for kids and adults." - John Lasseter "'Toy Story' we found, sorta by accident, because we didn't know what we were doing, the idea of being replaced by somebody. Everybody has that fear, or encounters this jealousy at some point." - Pete Docter "Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can't create it if you don't have one." - Brad Bird "I remember as a kid having a balloon and accidentally letting the string go and watching it just float off and into the sky until it disappeared. And there's something about that, even, that feels very much like what life is, you know, that it's fleeting, and it's temporal." - Pete Docter (Referencing Up) "At Pixar, we do a million versions of the movie, and every one of them goes through their awkward teenage phase where it's terrible and doesn't make sense, and we just keep working on it." - Dan Scanlon "'Monsters,' everybody has the thought of monsters in your closet as a kid, and more importantly, the idea of becoming a parent. We're always kind of looking for those emotional nuggets. They're always at the heart of the story." - Pete Docter (Referencing Monsters, Inc.)

I will leave you off with other Pixar films not mentioned in this article that deserve recognition...

Cars (2006), Cars 2 (2011) & Cars 3 (2017)
The Incredibles (2004) & The Incredibles 2 (2019)
WALL-E (2008)
Up (2009)
Ratatouille (2007)
Brave (2012)
Coco (2017) ~ Pixar's next original film

Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 19:40:00 +0000

It's time for our second Most Anticipated list for 2016, where I'll talk about some of the biggest films of different genres arriving this year and why you should plan to see them. Our first segment, Most Anticipated Comic Book Films of 2016, included the highly popular Deadpool falling in second place. Today, we are going to cover the darker side of the film world, and I'm not talking about Star Wars. Now lets get started with Crave Cinemas most anticipated horror films of 2016!!

Photo credit: Pimthida via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

#5 - The Strangers 2

In 2008, a horror film hit the screen by the name of The Strangers. The film was made on a $9 million dollar budget and continued on to accrue over $80 million in the box office. The film was another one of those "inspired by true events" types. While the film received mixed views, many thought of it as an intense psychological thriller. The story follows Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) visiting a vacation home. After McKay rejected Hoyts proposal for marriage, an emotionally hurt Hoyt heads out to buy cigarettes. From this point random masked visitors stop by and cause terror on the couple, threatening them mentally and physically. This year, a sequel to this high tensity film will be released. Tyler will appear in the film in a minor role, and the same three masked murderers will return in the film to terrorize a family of four who have recently been evicted from their home. The scariest enemies are the ones with no motive, and you can encounter the strangers yourself on December 2nd, 2016!

#4 - The Other Side of the Door

Unlike The Strangers 2, the next film on our list is an original piece. As with many horror films, the terror takes off with the loss of a loved one. When a family loses their youngest son, the mother learns of an ancient ritual that will allow her to speak to him one last time before letting go. The family previous traveled a lot together and lived abroad, meaning these types of rituals and crazy places are somewhat normal for this family. The mother travels to a temple where she finds a door that is an apparent portal between the worlds of the living and the dead. When the mother decides to open the door, things go terribly awry. The film appears as one of those visually cringing movies, causing you to be terrified more by the sights you see than the things you don't. Find out for yourself what lies on the other side of the door March 4th, 2016. View the trailer here.

#3 - Rings

First it was the Japanese horror film Ringu, then the successful American remake The Ring. Eventually, a sequel followed by the name of The Ring Two. In 2016, the next installment in the American Ring franchise will be released. The 2002 film, The Ring, told the story of people who would die soon after watching a horrific video tape that was place in a cabin which was frequently rented out. Viewers would receive a phone call after finishing the tape that would say "Seven Days", telling them how much longer they have left to live. The sequel, The Ring Two, was released in 2005 with a similar story and the same family involved. 11 years later, we finally get to see what the creative team has up their sleeve next for this series. In Rings, the story will follow a girl named Julia who goes to visit her boyfriend Holt, who has become distant after people in his college passed around the legendary tape. Where the tape goes, death surely follows. It'll be interesting to see what new information we can find out about this tape in the new film. Get your VHS players out, and be ready to watch Rings on October 28th, 2016!

#2 - Before I Wake

The upcoming 2016 film, Before I Wake, is about an orphaned boy whose dreams become reality. Unfortunately for his parents, so do his nightmare. In a concept similar to that of the Insidious series, this film has the potential to be one of those stories that begins intriguingly before it goes horribly wrong. In the trailer you will notice the boys parents being fascinated before being terrified. With a lead case of Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane, Before I Wake is another original horror film that has the chance of being especially terrifying considering you don't know what horrors are going to creep into reality each and every night. On top of this, the more the family scares the boy, the more nightmares he is going to create. Jump into your deepest nightmares on April 8th, 2016! View the trailer here.

#1 - The Conjuring 2

In 2013, one of the most terrifying films of the past decade was released by the name of The Conjuring. The film even went on to produce a spinoff called Annabelle. Both films have garnered high praise from critics, with The Conjuring being called one of the best horror films in our generation. The first film tells the story of a family that moves into a house horribly haunted by past spirits. In true ghost story fashion, the film doesn't just visually frighten you, it tears your mind apart. The family relies on the help of the Warrens, a couple who teaches about and facilitates paranormal activities. In the sequel, the Warrens will return and this time, they get to investigate activity in England at a council house in Enfield. With the original creative team mostly returning, it is said that lot of effort has been placed on this film to make it just as terrifying as the first film. See what horrors they can conjure up on June 10th, 2016! View the trailer here.

This year is looking to be filled with many exciting horror films in its headlights. Not only will there be returning sequels of some highly anticipated series from years past, but some original gems of horror which will hopefully terrify. The concept of horror is one of the most difficult to implement. There tend to be more duds than successes, but fortunately theres a lot of talent coming to the screen this year so the odds are in our favor. Get ready to be scared all of 2016, and as always, continue to crave horror and Crave Cinema!

These films didn't make our list, but also arrive this year. Check out our honorable mentions:
10 Cloverfield Lane, The Purge: Election Year, Amityville: The Awakening

Actor Highlight: Leonardo DiCaprio

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 22:58:00 +0000

Many actors in Hollywood have lavish and amazing careers. Some actors have big breakthroughs that launch their platforms in the film world, and other will fall to the wayside. The 41 year old actor Leonardo DiCaprio has painted the film world every color in his career, delivering performances which seem to continuously prove the actors strength on the screen. Having won three Golden Globe awards, two Critics' Choice Awards and a medley of others, the actor has been paving a career directly towards the Academy Awards and that final Oscar trophy. These awards would not come without warrant, this actor is extremely talented and works difficultly for what he has achieved. Recently, he is gaining extreme attention for his grand performance in the film, The Revenant. Today, I am going to cover five of Leonardo DiCaprio's stand out films in our Crave Cinema: Actor Highlight.

AP Images/Invision

Blood Diamond

In 2006, DiCaprio alongside Jennifer Connelly and Dijmon Hounsou starred in the film Blood Diamond. In comparison to other films by the actor, this one was not as much of an instant success. Regardless, Blood Diamond is a favorable choice of the actors films for many fans. The film is set during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The Revolutionary United Front would consistently terrorize the area, taking children hostage and turning them into rebels themselves, equipping them with weapons. DiCaprio plays a character named Danny Archer who overhears of a rare diamond by a man named Solomon Vandy. Vandy's son was taken by him during RUF sieges, and agrees to help Archer if he helps him find his son. Throughout the journey the men take, accompanied by the support of journalist Maddy Bowen, Archer finds himself on a life changing and dangerous path to redemption. DiCaprio put on an amazing performance, perfecting the accent of the Rhodesian character Danny Archer, whose journey was especially revolutionary. If you have yet to see this film from the DiCaprio vault, I would suggest checking it out.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Seven years after his film Blood Diamond was released, DiCaprio debuted in a new film that went on to become the critical success many of you might know as The Wolf of Wall Street. The film received many Academy Award nominations but did not win any of them. Fortunately, the actor won another Golden Globe for his performance in this film. The movie tells the story of Jordan Belfort, a man who goes from Wall Street stockbroker. After learning the success of scamming, Belfort alongside partner Donnie Azoff, played by Jonah Hill, go on to open their own company. The film plays on, telling the story of the successful men and their corrupt company. Set on a journey of luxurious money spending with frequent drug use, Belfort can only dodge the FBI so long in his schemes. The film garnered many positive reviews, and plays out in a way that you can pull your eyes from the screen. This is not only a great DiCaprio film, but a film simply not to be missed in general.

Titanic

Considered DiCaprio's breakthrough role, it is hard to exclude Titanic from mention of the actors selection. The film was released nearly 20 years ago in 1997. DiCaprio stars as Jack Dawson, a poor man from Wisconsin who wins his tickets on the trip of a lifetime, the debut of the Titanic ship. On the ship, he meets and falls in love with Rose Bukater, a rich daughter from Philadelphia. In true fashion, the film tells the story of the two who fall in love when they shouldn't, on the glorious backdrop of the Titanic sailing the Atlantic. The two encounter issues when Rose's family puts in all effort to keep them apart. Of course, the ship sees a fate that will truly place a wedge in the love story. Filled with moments and lines that will go down in classic film history, this is one of those movies that you simply have to see, no matter what. Not only is DiCaprio's performance one of his best he will ever reveal, but the story is told beautifully and directed by legendary and prolific director James Cameron who later goes on to create the extremely successful Avatar film. If you haven't seen this, I'm sure you will.

That's all we have today on our Actor Highlight, but before we conclude I will leave you with a list of honorable mentions for the actors film slate. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most iconic actors of our generation, and if you haven't heard of him, chances are you will. Please feel free to comment on other films you think the actor was noteworthy in, and as usual, don't forget to Crave Cinema!

Honorable Mention

The Revenant
Inception
The Great Gatsby
J. Edgar
Django Unchained
Shutter Island
The Aviator
Gangs of New York
Catch Me If You Can
The Beach

The Truth Behind "10 Cloverfield Lane"

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 23:55:00 +0000

On March 11th, 2016 the truth behind 10 Cloverfield Lane will finally be revealed. There is a history behind this film that is very unusual in comparison to other films production schedules. First off, what is 10 Cloverfield Lane?

The History of Cloverfield

In 2008, producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves secretly began filming a found footage monster movie. They wanted to keep it as quiet as possible, going as far as to call it "01-18-08" before revealing the actual film title. In fact, the actors were even kept out of the loop on most of the script, and the actors they hired were mostly unfamiliar faces at the time. Through months of successful viral marketing, Cloverfield was released to find success. With a budget of simply $25 million, the Cloverfield creature had grown into a modern day American movie monster on par with the likes of Godzilla and King Kong. Most think that the Cloverfield monster was actually more terrifying then its compared companions. After the end of the film, questions were raised about whether the monster was still alive, or how many monsters may have actually appeared. This is where the 10 Cloverfield Lane comes into play.

Just to cover some ground on how this monster came to be in New York, the viral marketing reveals that the creature emerged from an oil rig in the ocean that had exploded. Now if you follow the viral clips down to every clip and scene, you will see in the background of a video some object (thought to be a satellite) falling from the sky into this oil rig, thus awakening the monster. This is the closest we get to "theorizing" a solution of where the monster came from. Either way, however it came to arrive, the monster ended up being even more terrifying in lack of understanding for its origin.

The Follow Up, 10 Cloverfield Lane

Flash forward eight years, after on and off talk of some sort of sequel existing in the Cloverfield universe to get more understanding for this monster film, 10 Cloverfield Lane was revealed out of the clear blue. Originally a low budget script placed on a Hit List in 2012, the original story was to be called The Cellar. The film is based entirely around three characters coinciding in a bunker below ground. The actors portraying these characters are Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher, Jr. whom all appear to have been thrown together amidst apocalyptic chaos. The main character, played by Winstead, comes to wake up in this bunker, confused as to why she is there. After being told by Goodman's character that the world above is an apocalyptic wasteland, she must decide if he is telling the truth or not.

First and foremost, it was mentioned during production they came up with the idea to place this in the same world as the original Cloverfield film. Commonly, this method is used to bring in more financial gain for a low budget film. Fortunately, the fact that this was decided during production and not after is a positive sign about the story intertwining in the Cloverfield world much more fluently. Viral marketing for the first film used a mock website for a company which somehow had involvement of the releasing of the monster. The website for a fictional company called Tagruato Corp. had been the creators of the oil rig that was destroyed in the initial release of the monster(s). The website has once again been updated after all these years to reveal information for 10 Cloverfield Lane. On this "Employee of the Month" page on the viral site, Goodman's character can be seen under the name Howard Stambler. It can easily be assumed his involvement in the company gives him a deeper understanding on whats happening with these monsters and why he has ended up in this bunker, terrified at the world outside.

Writers Theory

Now that we've covered most of the basis for what to expect in this film, that last topic I will talk about is how this film could 'theoretically' tie into the first film. Using the trailers from both films I will give you a break down of what happens. If you look below, you can view the trailer from the first Cloverfield film. After that, the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane. In the first trailer, you will notice at the 50 second mark an explosion in New York city behind the main characters on the roof. Note the roar from the creature. This is the first sign of chaos caused from the monster. The second trailer below, at the 10 second mark, reveals a similar explosion behind a house with the same threatening roar. My theory, is that 10 Cloverfield Lane is some form of a prequel, with its final sequence highlighting the attack of the monster from the beginning of the first film. Alternatively, this could take place years after the first film when the creature(s) have taken over the world in general. With movies like this, its hard to truly know who, what, where, when and how.

Of course, this is just a theory. Producer J.J Abrams loves these sorts of little clues, connections and viral hints. Cloverfield films likely are the type of films to have 'easter eggs' hidden throughout. Either way, on March 11th, well know the truth behind 10 Cloverfield Lane. I encourage you all to watch the original film once again, one of the best slow revealing monster movies of the past decade. Once again, thank you for checking out our article and of course, don't forget to Crave Cinema!

Zoolander No. 2 & Company

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 21:33:00 +0000

Le Tigre, Blue Steel & Magnum. What do they all have in common? These are all signature looks from the legendary male model Derek Zoolander. In less than a week, the long awaited sequel to Zoolander will be among us. Just what is it about this film that has it finally coming to fruition. Today, I will be talking about the history that brought this film together as well as some of the legendary comedians making appearances throughout the film!

15 years ago, Zoolander pushed the boundaries of the fashion industry in many different ways. The film was in no means a box office hit, but it was generally well received. In theaters, the film only doubled the its budget making a little over 60 million dollars. Somehow, this film has finally pushed through to develop a sequel. All the way back in 2008, Ben Stiller mentioned trying to get the sequel off the ground and into development. Between 2011 and 2013 multiple actors mentioned their desire to return and by 2014 the powers that be put the production into motion.

The original film features many celebrity appearances including the late David Bowie. Zooland No. 2 will continue this tradition fashionably with many prolific actors and comedians making appearances. Besides Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrel lets see who will be making an appearance in this highly anticipated sequel.

Penelope Cruz & Kristen Wiig

In the sequel, Penelope Cruz will play a character named Melanie Valentina. She appears to be the 'partner' or 'love interest', maybe both, of either Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) or Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson). While Cruz may not frequently act in comedies, some of her notable past works include Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides, Vanilla Sky & Blow. On the other hand, Kristen Wiig portrays a character named Alexanya Atoz. The character appears to be the love interest of fashion supervillian Jacobim Mugatu, played by Will Ferrell. Unlike Cruz, Wiig's background is focused heavily in the comedy world, appearing in films such as Anchorman 2, Bridesmaids, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up & many more. Notable mention to Christine Taylor returning as Matilda Jeffries, the love interest of both Derek and Hansel in the first film.

Kanye West & Kim Kardashian

The very media centric celebrities Kanye West & Kim Kardashian will be making appearances as a couple named August and Trinitee Campbell. Kanye West is slowly expanding his film credits making previous appearances in comedies Anchorman 2 and The Love Guru. Kim Kardashian has made appearances in three films before, this most likely being her largest impression in the film world yet. It is not yet known how these actors will intertwine to the films storyline, or even if their roles will be large ones.

Milla Jovovich & Billy Zane

Two people returning from the first film who deserve recognition include Milla Jovovich & Billy Zane. In the first film, Billy Zane plays himself but also a close friend in the fashion world of Derek Zoolander. It is important to know Zoolander has another good friend in his corner this trip around besides Hansel alone. On the other hand, Jovovich returns as Katinka Ingabgovinanana, one of the films henchman for the villain Mugatu.

Honorable Mention

Many other celebrities will be making an appearance in this film that have not yet been mentioned, albeit in smaller capacities. Models in the film are being assassinated by an unknown villain, and these celebrities include Justin Bieber, Lenny Kravitz, Usher, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato. Other notable celebrities appearing in this movie include ASAP Rocky, Skrillex, Mika, Ariana Grande, Jourdan Dunn & Lewis Hamiliton. With more cameos likely to arise, this film is shaping up to be a worthy follow up to its original.

Overall, this film sums up as a celebrity induced fashion coma with the IQ of an infant. Most fans wouldn't want it any other way. You can finally see the long awaited sequel, Zoolander No. 2, in theaters next week on February 12th, 2016! After all, there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking and that includes enjoy movies. Don't forget to keep up with us each week and continue to Crave Cinema!

Get The Edge on Zoolander No. 2

Most Anticipated Comic Book Films of 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 18:27:00 +0000

Each and every year records are broken in the film world on extremely grand scales. Since the mid 2000's, comic book adaptations have not only found success in the film world, but have become some of the largest properties to date! This year, these adaptations are not only expected to crush records, but provide some of the most longed for content from the comic book world. Here I present, the most anticipated comic book films of 2016!

Photo credit: Sam Howzit via Foter.com / CC BY

#5 - Captain America: Civil War

Captain America, also known as Steve Rodgers, has a history in American Culture as one of the most iconic superheroes. First appearing in March of 1941, Rodgers has been fighting wars and super villains ever since. The character has been paired with nearly ten partners and over twelve different superhero groups since his creation. However, after a few failed feature films, his most memorable moments have occurred in Marvel Studios modern day universe. In 2011, Captain America: The First Avenger premiered and earned over $370 million dollars during its run. This was one of the most successful moments for the Captain. In 2014, the sequel deemed Captain America: The Winter Soldier premiered garnering over $714 million dollars from screens around the world. This film is also noted as one of the best in existence in the Marvel Universe to date. Naturally, this presses some large expectations of the next film to follow in this series. On May 6th, 2016 Captain America: Civil War will go into theaters. This film will be based on a very famous comic book series that pitted the legendary Captain America against the equally legendary Iron Man. Both Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr. who portray these characters successfully are expected to give a performance that will break records and hopefully become one of the greatest comic book films of the decade. Keep your eyes peeled this May for the red, white, blue, iron and blood!

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#4 - X-Men: Apocalypse

Another comic book series with history that might not be as old, but even more rich than good old Captain America is the X-Men. The team was created by not only the legendary comic book artist Stan Lee but also a man named Jack Kirby, the same gentleman who created the Captain himself. X-Men comic books have been appearing since 1963, featuring a team of mutants facing the dangers of mankind as well as other mutant threats. With a little help of an iconic performance from Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, a film series adaptation of this comic book legacy was started in 2000. The series has since garnered six films in the form of sequels, prequels and spinoffs that have since all been tied together in the form of 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. The film took on the massive task of tying together two different universes of X-Men films and went on to not only be a massive success but a critical part of comic book film history. The film had grossed nearly $750 million dollars in its box office run alone! In 2016 the next episode in this series will hit theaters under the name X-Men: Apocalypse. The film will pit the X-Men team against the most powerful mutant in existence, surly to lead down a pathway towards worldwide success. The film itself has large shoes to fill, but with a returning creative team the project is likely to find success in its future. The only hope of stopping the apocalypse is mutant kind on May 27th, 2016!

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#3 - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Frequently referred to as the two most popular comic book superheroes of all time, Batman and Superman have some of the richest history in comic book culture. Batman has been around since 1939, and Superman just a year earlier with 1938. These two were destined to intertwine since their creation. In the film industry, Batman has found massive success between two popular series adaptions. The first series being a bit more "cartoony" than the second, more dark series. Superman on the other hand has had a bit of a bumpy road in the film industry. In 2013, Superman finally found success in a film called Man of Steel. Thought to be the beginning of DC's large film universe, the movie finally gave Superman the notoriety he deserves. In 2016, Superman will be pitted against the very legendary Batman in the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Batman's story will be retold and Superman's will continue on from his film Man of Steel. The result of this film will likely lead to the start of the highly anticipated Justice League film. You can choose to wear the red or black cape and pick sides on March 25th, 2016!

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#2 - Deadpool

In 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a character by the name of Deadpool made his big screen film debut. The character is portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, who is very keen of the comic book character. Known for his humor, grittiness and ability to break the fourth wall by talking to the audience, Deadpool has become a fan favorite. The character was not well received in the Wolverine film due to the fate he sees near the end. Ryan Reynolds will be playing the character once again, the right way, in 2016's Deadpool. The film will also be a part of the X-Men film series. The characters real name is Wade Wilson and made his first appearance in 1991. The movie will see itself with a hard R rating, but fans believe that this is what it takes to truly represent the comic book character on screen. After all, his suit is blood red for a reason. You can lower yourself into the darkest, and funniest part of the comic book world very soon, on February 12th, 2016. Go see the "Merc with a Mouth" before he sees you!

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#1 - Suicide Squad

There are many different groups of superheroes that come together to save the world. What makes the Suicide Squad unique is that none of them are really good, at all. Who better to save the world and risk their lives than the bad guys! The Suicide Squad is also known in comic book history as Task Force X. The groups first appearance was all the way back in 1959. Since then, it has undergone a few changes in members. The very first film adaptation of this teams effort will come to theaters in August of 2016. The film will exist in the same universe as Batman, Superman and the rest of the Justice League films and character films. Jam packed with actors such as Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and many more, Suicide Squad is expected to push the boundaries of the comic book world on film. The Joker is supposed to be portrayed very deranged by the talented Jared Leto. This will also mark Harley Quinn, the Jokers female companion, first time on the big screen. Bruce Wayne himself will also be making an appearance in this film. You can see the chaos unfold before your very eyes on August 5th, 2016!

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It is not difficult to see that 2016 is shaping up towards a very impressive year for the comic book culture. With other legendary comic book films coming to fruition including Doctor Strange, there will be no shortage of movies for you geeks out there to divulge in. If there is one thing you do, make sure to see one of these movies in theaters this year and of course, don't forget to Crave Cinema!

Welcome to Crave Cinema

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Smith) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Crave Cinema, where you can satisfy all of your film needs each and every week. I will be posting about different films and keeping you up to date on what you need to see from the past, present and future. I'll make sure to keep it extremely interesting with up to date facts, polls and opinions from you, the viewers. Please enjoy, and don't forget to keep coming back if you Crave Cinema!