What to watch: Favorite Jake Gyllenhaal roles

In honor of the Nightcrawler premier tonight I've decided to share with you my favorite performances (in no particular order after number 1 which is my favorite)  by one of the great  actors of our generation. 

1.Zodiac (2007) 

It seriously doesn't get any better than this for me. Some of my favorite actors being masterfully directed by one of my favorite directors in an gripping thriller that just can't be matched. This movie has no flaws for me and call me bias if you want but this just all rolled into one of my favorite films of all time. I'll go more into detail about the actual movie and Gyllenhaal's performance when I review my favorite Fincher movies which I'll be doing soon but definitely check this one out. Imdb rating: 7.8/10

2.Jarhead (2005) 

In this dark and angsty drama/mockumentary we follow Anthony Swofford (Gyllenhaal) through his time of enlistment and service in Saudi Arabia prior to Desert Storm. This film is definitely not what many thought it to be when it was first released since most expected an all out war movie with action and intense battle scenes, instead we got a rare glimpse into the harsh reality of war and the toll that living in the desert in close quarters with hundreds of other people can take on a young man. This film is full of memorable moments and characters while still being honest and gritty. Check this one out if you haven't. Imdb rating:7.1/10

3.End of Watch (2012)

End of Watch is a fast paced simplistic action movie that follows two LAPD cops as they patrol the streets of LA's most dangerous area. Brotherhood is a strong focus in this movie and Gyllenhaal and costar Michael Peña really nail the bond that is formed between partners in perilous gang infested streets. This movie is short but jumps right in and creates attachment for the protagonists immediately and is a nail biter all the way through. I've spoken to people on the force and many agree that this film perfectly portrays that unity and sense of family that comes with wearing the badge. Imdb Rating:7.7/10

4.Prisoners (2013)

There are some really great performances all around in this one, from Paul Dano, Hugh Jackman Viola Davis and Jake Gyllenhaal. The tone of this movie is amazing and is very Fincheresque which might be another reason I love it so much. Gyllenhaal plays the mysterious and driven Detective Loki who is investigating the disappearance of two girls from the home of Keller Dover played by Jackman. Gyllenhaal is said to have created a rather extensive backstory to his character but has never gone into detail or revealed what it is. 

Probably my favorite "role" by Gyllenhaal and the movie as a whole is definitely up there as a close second in the thriller/drama genre with Zodiac. Imdb rating:8.1/10

5.October Sky (1999) 

This film always takes me back to High School and all the times we were shown this during science classes for its extensive and accurate portrayal of the life story of Homer Hickam a NASA engineer. I've grown fond of this movie and it's mostly from nostalgia but it definitely is a good performance from a fairly young Gyllenhaal and is very factual in it's faithfulness to the biography so it deserves a mention. Imdb rating:7.8/10

So those have been some of my favorite roles by Jake Gyllenhaal and I'm sure once I see Nightcrawler pretty soon it'll be crammed in this list somewhere. So be sure to check that out this weekend and all these other great films from one of the best in the business right now. 

Honorable mentions go out to Brokeback Mountain and Donnie Darko which are both great movies. 

Seth Rogen set to play Steve Wozniak in Steve Jobs biopic alongside Christian Bale

In some rather interesting news Variety.com announced Rogen has been cast as Wozniak in the Danny Boyle directed Biopic for Jobs. 

I'm very interested to see the comedian in more serious roles and especially being on screen with someone like Bale who seems to always take command of a scene anytime he's on screen. 

Jordan Peele to Write and Direct Horror Movie Get Out

Key and Peele has always been very hit or miss with me but it has had several good moments so I'm curious to see how Jordan does writing/directing especially in the horror genre. Everyone knows the Horror/Comedy marriage works but it can also go very bad.

Check out the full story here.

Jordan Peele to Write and Direct Horror Movie Get Out

Entertainment Weekly gives first look at Terminator: Genisys cast and reveals plot details.

On the most recent covers of EW we're shown our new John and Sarah Connor! Both leads Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke (of no relation that we know of) are coming off huge roles in GoT and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes....I hate typing that out.

We also see Doctor Who's Matt Smith and an a smiling terminator??? 

Now I'm not going to get into how terribly cheesy these covers are because that's obvious but I will talk about the terrible plot details that have been released between the pages of this weeks EW.

"Sarah Connor isn't the innocent she was when Linda Hamilton first sported feathered hair and acid-washed jeans in the role. Nor is she Hamilton's steely zero body-fat warrior in 1991's T2. Rather, the mother of humanity's messiah was orphaned by a Terminator at age 9. Since then, she's been raised by (brace yourself) Schwarzenegger's Terminator—an older T-800 she calls "Pops"—who is programmed to guard rather than to kill. As a result, Sarah is a highly trained antisocial recluse who's great with a sniper rifle but not so skilled at the nuances of human emotion."

Now I don't know about you but that doesn't sound great to me and it makes me very worried for where this movie is headed. I'll still definitely check this out but I don't know if I'm actually excited for this anymore. I was looking forward to seeing something along the lines of T2 hell even the first movie but this doesn't seem to be a throwback at all and just looks like they're trying way to hard to revamp this franchise. I guess we'll see come july but for now it isn't looking great. 

Check out the full story at EW HERE.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Final Trailer – “Burn”

While watching the extended look for the new Avengers trailer I noticed something

During the scene where tony tries picking up mjölnir we also see Cap give it a go.

It moves slightly!!! and while it is obvious to Thor that if anyone else beside him would be worthy in the avengers it'd be the patriot with the heart of gold. We even see Thor's expression go from "oh wait he might lift it" to "nah you're all unworthy" pretty quickly. 

So this leads me to believe that cap will eventually lift the hammer but when will that be? As of right now there seems like there's many scenarios where this could take place for example at the end of AoU with his shield in pieces and facing ultron unarmed, the hammer could possibly be nearby and Steve give it a go quite possibly defeating ultron with it. Maybe we'll have to wait until Infinty War to see him face thanos and weird the mighty hammer of Thor. Who knows we'll have to wait and see. 

also if you would like to know more about those who are worthy check out this page here.

oh and well what do you know! Guess who's at the top of that list? None other than the first avenger Steve Rogers.

Extended trailer for Avengers:AoU

Huge announcements from Marvel's press event!

Photo credit to @slashfilms

I'll be updating this when more is available but for now here's what's been announced. 

Marvel gives an official date as well as the director attached for Doctor Strange but still no confirmation that Cumberbatch will lead. 

A date change has occurred for a GoT sequel although not surprising since a lot of other movies have been thrown in the mix recently. 

Finally a female led Marvel film is announced and it seems marvel is answering to WB and Dc for Wonder Woman. 

Our favorite avenger gives a look at some huge news for casting and introduced us to the choice for Black Panther. Still no word of a release date or title. 

Reinforcing many fanboy's speculation marvel announced the Civil War will begin with Cap 3. 

Not much to go on with this one but it is a date. I'm not very familiar with Thor's storyline so I'll have to look into it. 

In what is probably the biggest news we are given the dates for what is likely going to be Marvel's biggest and baddest projects to date. This is going to break all sorts of records and I don't think anyone is ready for what's to come. 

Here's the official title card for Black Panther as well as the casting for the lead. 

Inhumans has been announced but I can't say I know too much about this. Let's hope it's a pleasant surprise like GOTG. 

Today's announcements are huge in that they map out the next 5+ years of what we're going to be seeing and like I've said before we're on the cusp of something so big it'll change the movie world from what it was say 5 years ago. Many great things can be expected and even greater things won't be. I'll definitely on the look out for more marvel news so be sure to stay tuned in and go follow Marvel on Twitter. 

Five good film ideas that didn't turn out so great

In the wonderful world of Hollywood hundreds of people are constantly coming up with ideas for films, so it's not surprising that some are great while others are terrible. Today I'm going to share with you five films that were great on paper but didn't turn out so well on screen. 

1.The Purge (2013)

When I first heard about the plot of this film I was surprised at how original and creative it sounded. Even though it was reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange, it still felt like it could be a breath of fresh air in today's horror films. When this movie was released I actually went out and watched it opening weekend, which I don't normally do with horror movies. I was disappointed to say the least this movie used a creative idea and went completely in the wrong direction. The movie was dull, predictable and even with the good cast, seemed to fall short of what it could've been.

2.Spider Man 3 (2007) 

After delivering two good superhero movies, Sam Raimi decided to instead dish out the most convoluted piece of crap in recent history. Call me harsh if you want but this movie had so much potential and yet failed so hard to deliver. This film could have easily concentrated on a great storyline in the Simbiote and Venom archetype, but instead we got as many watered down villains as could be crammed into one single movie and a cringe worthy performance of an edgy Peter Parker. though this trilogy did help to jumpstart what is the now Marvel comics universe, i'm almost ashamed to even admit that this has anything to do with that. Marvel has since made up for

this movie by making many amazing films so I guess they can be forgiven. 

3.World War Z (2013) 

Now I can't say I hate what this movie ultimately became because I did kind of enjoy it as a movie, but it could've definitely been a lot better. The film suffered from a lot of rewrites and several bumps during it's production which many think led to a completely different third act being incorporated. Now while that is excusable it would've been nice to see a faithful adaptation of the novel although many say is impossible in a single movie. While I agree, I don't see that happening anytime soon. If this movie was completely removed from its source I wouldn't be so mad at it, but it also suffers from a complete change of pace in the third act. All in all this was an ok movie but shouldn't have been made so sloppily.

4.The Last Airbender (2010)

Imagine if you will a show full of great character development, awesome lore and a heartwarming yet exciting story of a child coming to terms with his destiny. Now take all that throw it in the trash and start all over again, let's use cool special effects, terrible actors for the main roles but make them a completely different nationality cause that's smart, now cram as much of the story which was originally several hours worth of character development into less then two hours. What you're left with is the abomination which broke the hearts of an entire fan base. This movie only had one good thing going for it and that was Dev Patel as Prince Zuko but even that wasn't enough to warrant watching this this...oh I don't even want to talk about this movie anymore. 

5.AvP:Alien vs Predator 

After giving this a bit of thought I realized that maybe this shouldn't be on my list. In theory a crossover between these two movies sounds awesome but in doing so you lose what made the originals so great and that's the element of surprise and tension by not showing our alien and predator for a good portion of the film. One of my main arguments was how silly this movie was compared to the originals but maybe this movie isn't supposed to be taken seriously to be enjoyed. It's just two cool movie monster icons dishing it out to see who comes out on top but the fact that their origins were so easily incorporated into each other's universes is pretty cool. So I guess I was wrong about this one but oh well you can't win them all. 

Shitty movies are made every day so they can't all be winners but some have potential and hopefully that potential will be utilized some day but until then that's my list. 

Benedict Cumberbatch to play Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

I guess Marvel didn't take my casting advice but I can't say I'm too mad at them since they made a solid choice.

Coming off the Imitation Game and the third installment in the Hobbit trilogy it looks like Cumberbatch will be canceling some of his future appointments and jumping on the long term train with marvel since his movie won't be released until late next year and he'll more than likely have a big role in the third Avengers along with Paul Rudd as AntMan.

See the full story here at Variety.com

FanCast: Joel from The Last of Us

With confirmation from many sources of a film adaptation of the hugely successful Playstation exclusive The Last of Us comes speculation of who will play who. Since it's his birthday I'm gonna go ahead and present to you my Fancast for Joel the lead in the film. 

Dylan McDermott 

The American Horror Story star always seemed perfect for the role since I first played the game. The Joel character is street smart and always quick with a comeback so not only is he a good lookalike but I feel he could play the character very well. 

This game is heavily influenced by the main characters relationship so it'll be important to cast someone who can capture that and I believe McDermott can. 

It'd be unfair to talk about casting in this movie and not include my choice for the female lead but I'll save that for another day. 

Seventh installment in the fast and furious franchise to be called Furious 7

First official trailer coming in 7 days. 

What to watch on Halloween!

In this very special edition of what to watch I'm going with some of my favorite horror or Halloween themed movies. 

Now be aware that I'm not into horror very much so I won't be including things like "the conjuring" and "insidious" because I've seen those movies and I've found them pretty boring and played out. 

Remember these films are all just my opinion of what is something you'd enjoy during Hallow's Eve and they're in no particular order. 

1.Cabin in the Woods (2012) 

This Joss Whedon written cult smash hit will change the way you see modern horror movies forever. I can't say too much about this without giving away why it's such a good movie but I highly suggest that you don't look up anything about this before watching it. 

Available on Netflix streaming. 

2. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

The movie that launched Zach Snyder's career and in my opinion the best zombie movie ever, DotD is a remake of the 1978 Romero film of the same name. This movie is a simple, fast paced and all around badass zombie survival movie that doesn't waste time trying to come up with explanations as to why the dead are rising but jumps right in to the action and horror of fighting of the undead horde. This film is available Amazon. 

3.The Fourth Kind (2009)

This particular movie on my list does suffer from a low rating on most critique sites but I'd definitely still suggest you check this movie out. Not many abduction films have been able to do what this film did and that's keep me awake at night. With a haunting depiction of aliens speaking ancient Sumerian and vivid nightmarish abduction sequences this movie put me on edge and kept me there all the way through. This movie is a sort of found footage type but doesn't suffer from the whole "shaky cam" dilemma many of today's movies suffer from. Again I have to admit this is one of my personal favorites so don't hate me if you feel differently towards the movie in fact I expect most people will but I'd definitely check this out. This movie is available on Netflix streaming. 

4.An American werewolf in London(1981)

Mine and many many people's choice for greatest werewolf movie ever made this film is a classic in many different genres and for many different reasons. The film opens with some great location shots that give this movie a great creepy feel and quickly moves on to showcase the films utterly terrifying monster. Probably the best aspect of this movie and the reason it won an Oscar was the makeup and special effects. The most memorable scene is the transformation which boasts complete use of practical effects. Again like I said this movie is scary with some light hearted funny moments which are to be expected from writer/director John Landis known for mostly for his comedies  which include Coming to America and Animal House. If you're looking for classic horror which doesn't take itself too seriously this is the movie for you!

5.Event Horizon (1997)

The last of my picks is fairly different from the rest because it's set in the future and in space but don't mistake this for a SciFi film because this is the most "horror" of all the movies I chose to share with you today. In this claustrophobic space horror  the crew of a rescue vessel are dispatched to make contact with the ship Event Horizon which has emerged from nowhere after being gone for seven years. Upon boarding the event horizon and finding no survivors the crew of the Lewis and Clark are quick to realize that supernatural forces are at play among the wreckage of the once glorious ship. Not much more can be said without giving away what makes this movie so great and scary so I'll leave you with that and definitely recommend this SciFi horror classic. This movie is available on Netflix streaming. 

Well that's all for now and I hope you have yourself a lot of fun on Halloween and definitely check out these or just any of your favorite scary movies!

What to watch: Contagion(2011)

If you're looking for something to watch I recommend checking out Contagion. 

Plot Summary: Health care professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in th midst of a worldwide epidemic as the CDC world to find a cure. 

With the current spread of Ebola and the widespread panic and media coverage this film is especially topical and is a somewhat accurate representation of what a world wide epidemic could do to modern society. Steven Soderbergh directs an ensemble cast that deliver good solid performance throughout the film. The feeling of despair and helplessness is strong throughout the movie and is a great study of how desperate people can get in the face of possible annihilation. All in all the movie delivers an all fronts and is a solid drama/thriller and I highly recommend you give this a watch in the current state of our world. I'd give this a high 7/10. 

John Wick is getting rave reviews!

I'm so glad Keanu is back and kicking ass in a good old fashion revenge flick! The film currently has a a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 77/100! Obviously those numbers will change over the weekend but I'm hoping they stay relatively the same. Reeves recently admitted that big budget role offers had been "drying up" so hopefully this will get him those good big roles he deserves. Hell I'd love to see him get offered something by marvel or dc for example he could pull of Doctor Strange. To quote  Mr.Wick....People keep asking me if I'm going to watch this movie....yeah I'm thinking I'm watching this movie!

The Gambler - Official Red Band Teaser (HD)

I'm really hoping this makes up for Wahlbergs terrible performance in transformers 4. John Goodman looks on point as always.

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 TEASER TRAILER

These kind of movies really aren't my style but heres the teaser for the newest installment of the Insidious franchise.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 Official TV Spot - Choice (2014) -...

The newest TV spot for Mockingjay Part 1 shows a lot more of Peta and his intentions by joining the Capitol's cause. We also see a lot more of the Rebellion.

Chiwetel Ejiofor joins huge cast for Ridley Scott's The Martian

The 12 years a slave star joins an already huge ensemble cast in Ridley Scott's The Martian. 

"EW has exclusively confirmed that Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sebastian Stan, and Mackenzie Davis are the latest to join in director Ridley Scott’s The Martian, due in theaters November 2015. They join previously announced cast members Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, Michael Pena and Jeff Daniels" see the full story here at http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/10/23/chiwetel-ejiofor-the-martian/

First trailer for BvS:Dawn of Justice to be released soon and to be "batman heavy"

It looks like the trailer will focus more on the caped crusader and I can't say that's surprising since we've already had Man of Steel and the new batman will be what a lot of the audiences will be there to see. I'm really hoping Affleck knocks it outta the park and surprises all the people who didn't like his casting. 

So here's the quote from Comicbookmovie.com

"According to a few of BOF’s BvS insiders, the first teaser trailer for the film is complete and ready to go. The overt hint I got from these folks is that the teaser will be revealed this Fall along with a November or December film release (and online, of course). I have no idea to which specific film it may be “attached,” but New Line’s (which is Warner Bros.’ sister company) THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES is being released on December 17, 2014."

The speculation about it being released before the new hobbit would be my best guess as well. 

My thoughts on the official Avengers trailer

After seeing yesterday's trailer I'm glad to see Joss Whedon chose to go the much darker route with this installment. Not that the first avengers wasn't great but even when the conflict separated the avengers and everyone lost the will to go on the threat hardly "felt" real. In this trailer we see what seems to be a very early maybe even freshly defeated first version of Ultron who after his speech in said scene will likely go on to wreak havoc on the avengers and bring the world to it's knees.  I'm very excited to see this movie and am glad that finally it actually feels like the team will be facing an enemy that will truly test them as a team. 

Official trailer for Jurassic World to be attached to Hobbit 3 premiere

According to JurassicWorld.org the much anticipated first look will be here in December. I can't say I'm too happy that I have to wait another month and a half but hey I can't complain since I just got that awesome theailer yesterday. 

Marvel says "screw it" and releases the official trailer

So now we can enjoy this wonderful trailer in 1080p the way we were meant to. huge props to marvel for being such good sports and not just taking down all the leaks.

Interesting featurette of the science and attention to detail in Nolan's film Interstellar

Marvel goes along with the leak and reveals poster as well.

Marvel's response to the trailer leak is Hilarious.

IT'S HERE!!!!!!! Avengers:AoU trailer has leaked!!!

Link here:

Avengers Age of Ultron leaked trailer

The stars of Interstellar talk about working with Christopher Nolan and the making of the film.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/arts/mcconaughey-hathaway-and-chastain-on-interstellar.html

Leaked photos from the upcoming teaser trailer for Avengers:AoU

These two photos show our first looks at Ultron and The Hulkbuster suit.