Super Trailers 2013

There are a lot of superhero movies coming out this year and watching all of these trailers have gotten me excited. Most of you know I'm a superhero buff, so the movies coming out this year are immediately on my radar. Let's start with the one coming out soon.

IRON MAN 3


So far, I have liked the Iron Man series, but this one looks like they're pulling out all the stops. With a new director and new Iron suits, this third installment is not meant to disappoint. Plus, we'll be seeing the Mandarin and Pepper in an iron suit, which sounds like a good deal to me.

MAN OF STEEL


After the fail which was "Superman Returns," (which is along the lines of the first Hulk movie), this movie will replace and become the Superman movie we need and deserve. With an actual worthy opponent, General Zod, and a whole new cast, this movie looks amazing. Plus, Christopher Nolan is behind it so far, and we all saw what he did with Batman, so I'm excited to see possibly the greatest Superman movie ever made.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD


Though coming out later this year, Marvel keeps consistent with the second installment in the Thor series. I liked the first one, and this one looks good too. This is just a teaser trailer, so we'll have to see what new things are released for this movie.

So far, Marvel has been winning in the movie department, but Superman may take it for DC this year. Either way, I'm excited for all of these movies. Which one are you waiting for?

-Video Vix[o]n

"And the Winners Are...": Oscar's 2013

I watched most of the Oscar's this past weekend, not for the fashion or the corny jokes in the host's monologue, but to see which nominated actors and films would win the accredited award for the best in their category. Some may say the awards are superficial and that "the academy" shouldn't be able to determine what movie/actors deserve an Oscar, but to me, it's more than just the award, it's the honor of being recognized for their hard work.

Here are some of the winners from the big night of the movies I've seen:

LIFE OF PI - BEST DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHY/FILM EDITING



I didn't see all of this movie, but the visuals and story was really good. While watching it, I connected with the main character and even the tiger and it was a beautiful story of connection and perseverance.

DJANGO UNCHAINED - BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY



As this was another Tarantino production, I loved the style of this movie. Many people complained about the subject of this movie revolving around slavery, but I realized that this movie wasn't suppose to be historically accurate and more focused on the hero's journey. Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx also did an amazing job acting in this film.

SKYFALL - ORIGINAL SONG/SCORE



I loved this movie, the opening sequence and the song by Adele. When I heard it, I know I had to get it on my iPod. Though her Oscar performance of the song, to me, wasn't as powerful as I would have imagined, it's deserved its awards.

ARGO - BEST PICTURE/EDITING/ADAPTED SCREENPLAY



Argo was a great film. It was shot well and Ben Affleck did a good job as a producer. It was entertaining, thrilling and based on a true story, so that gave the story more merit. Definitely a must watch for those who haven't seen it.

Those are my favorites from the Oscar's. Which ones are yours?

-Video Vix[o]n

"Red Hook Summer" Off the Hook

When I first saw this trailer, I thought "... oh boy, here comes another over exaggerated 'Spike Lee Joint' again." But as they say, you should never judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a movie by its trailer.

After watching "Red Hook Summer," I can safely say that I enjoyed it. It was a bright mix of comedy, realism and just deep enough that you can tell only Spike can write it. I don't know whether you can classify it as a "coming of age" film or an overall tale of different characters who lived in this Brooklyn neighborhood during the height of summer. All in all, there were a lot of truths spoken in the film, especially with the strong motifs of religious faith, hiding one's demons and looking beyond the bad things to find the good. The main character, Flik, captured all of this through his trusty iPad 2 and it helped him to understand and adjust to the new environment he was dropped into; coming from Atlanta to New York for a summer vacation.

I don't want to give too much of this movie away, for those within the NYC area who wish to watch it (though I believe the movie will stop showing soon), but if anyone does get the opportunity to see it, it is worth every laugh, thought and nod of agreement with the dialogue that is raised in this latest Spike Lee Joint.

-Video Vix[o]n

A Dark "Night" in Aurora, Colorado

You're sitting in a movie theater at the midnight screening of the highly anticipated film, "The Dark Knight Rises." The movie starts and about 20 minutes in, a man bursts through one of the exit doors, dressed in all black. You're think they've found a way to make the premiere more interesting by having someone become a part of the action. Suddenly, the man throws a canister into the crowd and it explodes, spreading gas all over the theater and then you hear gunshots, people screaming and others running for their lives.

For moviegoers in Aurora, Colorado, this was real life and it was not apart of the show. 59 people were injured and 12 people killed after a guns man, James Holmes, entered the rural theater and shot the patrons trying to enjoy the movie.

I woke up to this news as I was preparing to view an early morning screening of the same movie hours later in New York; another timezone. As far away as this incident was, entering the theater, I was immediately cautious of what was happening around me; surveying the exit doors as I watched the film. The news predicted that there may be copycats who would attempt to do the same thing at another and I didn't want to take that chance. After the movie ended (and it was a great movie, by the way) and I exited the theater, it was hard to accept that other people didn't receive the same experience I did, vice versa.

It made me think of the shooter, James Holmes, and how he robbed people of this experience and their lives in the process. Reports say Holmes' hair was dyed red, resembling The Joker, as he was quoted saying he was The Joker.

 

James Holmes, BATSHIT CRAZY

It's disturbing to know that someone took a piece of a fictional world, applied it to real life and tricked people who was trying to submerge themselves into this universe, through the movie, to harm people. This is one reason why I wish superheroes existed; to stop tragedies like this from happening. Why couldn't Holmes be inspired by Batman and burst through the door in a Dark Knight costume, rather than be inspired by evil and kill people? I would never understand what was going through Holmes' head or experience what those people in Aurora, Colorado went through, but my thoughts go out to the families affected by this tragedy and I hope them a genuine recovery.

In the movie, Gotham City experienced their darkest hour and eventually overcame. I hope Aurora  can do the same.

-Video Vix[o]n

5 Reasons "The Avengers" Was Incredible

This weekend, I had the delightful pleasure of seeing "The Avengers" in theaters; no 3D, no IMAX, just a regular movie experience. Here are my 5 reasons this movie was amazing...

1) There was 6 MAJOR superheroes, ALL on one screen.

You have Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk all one one screen together, and they all worked well together. The story line of the movie made each character have their shine (though it wasn't equal, it was enough for one character not to be out-shined by the other). Even Hawkeye and Black Widow were integral parts to the team, not just extra characters who filled up screen space.  

2) The story and action/fighting scenes were great.

Whether it was between Iron Man versus Thor, or Thor versus The Hulk, the fighting scenes in the movie were choreographed well. Probably the best fight to me was Thor vs. The Hulk, which was actually made into an animated film. The plot of the movie wasn't bad as well. I'm sure most die hard comic nerds would have wanted a more deeper villian, but Loki did well, to me. 

3) The HULK. Period.

Now, I didn't agree with the actor change of The Hulk from Edward Norton to Matt Ruffalo at first, but he did a good job as Bruce Banner, and this movie reinforced the fact that The Hulk is the sh*t!. He owned everything in his path and was unstoppable. 

4) The "After Credit" Goodies

I recently saw a picture meme which stated, "One doesn't simply leave a Marvel movie before the end of the credits." For those who did leave before the end (which I don't know why, but for some, "the credits" mean the end of the movie"), they missed out on some cool Avenger 2 hints.

5) The movie made you FEEL good.

The fact that this movie was playing out in front of your eyes made me extremely happy. This is my main reason for liking superheroes in general; the feeling of overcoming the odds is what we, as a society, need i order to survive these dark times that we seem to be living in sometimes. The Avengers leaves you with the feeling that we can all become heroes and succeed. 

If I had to give some critique about this movie, I would say that I would have liked to see Red Skull make an appearance or at least some mention of Ant Man (Dr Pym) or another known Avenger that would have raised some eyebrows. Nonetheless, this movie did a great job of delivering an all out cast of super-powered beings on one screen (X-Men did the same, but not to this caliber). 

On the technical end, as of now, The Avengers pulled in over $200M at the box offices this weekend in the U.S. alone, not to include the overseas sales, which grossed over $400M. Marvel does a great job of branding their movies, not to mention that Disney is behind Marvel, which always gives them a boost in reputability. I would love to see this movie over and over again, plus I can't wait for it to come out on DVD, so I can add it to my superhero movie collection. 

-Video Vix[o]n

The Avengers are Coming!!!

Oh my goodness! I literally watched this trailer* like 30 times now. It's official; The Avengers are coming, especially the last few seconds at the end makes this all worth while. Can't wait for May 4th, 2012. Another reason to stay alive.

(In case this video gets taken down from YT, you can catch it here.)

-Video Vix[o]n