Bright Futura5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012 (July-December)
Posted on July 6, 2012
2012 is halfway over already and some of the most anticipated movies of the year have yet to appear on the big screen.
Since we have quite a bit of time before some of these movies come out in the next 6 months, I have thrown together a list so all of our readers here at Bright Futura can join me as we anxiously await.
I kind of cheated a little in my list and have broken it in to two separate sections. The first, which is in no particular order, lets me express my growing excitement for films already established in a prominent cinematic franchise. I found that putting franchise movies in to the mix with original movies to be a bit unfair, since there is already a fanbase and general anticipation to see what happens next in the string of related movies. One is a reboot, one is a prequel and one is a threequel, and they all belong to financially and critically acclaimed movie franchises.
Franchise Films
Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Release Date: July 3rd
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans and Denis Leary
Franchise Status: Re-boot/Re-imagining
Why I’m Excited: Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy has not aged well. I am one of the few who have seemed to embrace the rebooting of the franchise, not for monetary gain but for a quality upgrade. With a better cast across the board (except for the loss of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin), updated effects, and a desire to make a movie about the man and not the mask, I believe that this version will ultimately prove to be superior.
Title: The Hobbit (Pt. 1) – An Unexpected Journey
Release Date: December 14th
Cast: Martin Freeman, Sir Ian McKellin, Richard Armitage and Elijah Wood
Franchise Status: Prequel part 1
Why I’m Excited: It has been just long enough for people to start to forget how much they loved the LotR trilogy when they hit theaters 9, 10 and 11 years ago. Well, here is a hard reminder of how Peter Jackson can steal your breathe, heart and attention for 3 hours with some fantasy and little people. Starting from the beginning, this film will make you want to go back and marathon watch Fellowship, The Two Towers and Return of the King all over again.
Title: The Dark Knight Rises
Release Date: July 20th
Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard
Franchise Status: Threequel
Why I’m Excited: This would easily be considered the most anticipated movie of the year if every person in America had the chance to vote. There really is no reason for me to go into too much detail here since the marketing campaign for the film has been a PR hurricane. And if you haven’t seen 2008′s The Dark Knight, then I ask you, what rock have you been living under the past 4 years?
This is the point where I numerically compile the list of free-standing/original films. I’m a sucker for originality when it comes to my movies, so it is safe to say that I find myself looking forward to these films more so than the franchise movies listed above because I’m just a big movie nerd.
Original Films
5.
Title: Premium Rush
Release Date: August 24th
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon and Jamie Chung
Quick Plot: In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the attention of a dirty cop who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.
Why I’m Excited: JGL is one of my favorite actors right now as he appears in 3 movies on this list (DKR, Premium Rush and Looper). I’m also a fan of the real/practical effects used in the biking sequences in which JGL does most of his own stunts. I’m also excited for Michael Shannon’s next movie role after his underrated performance in Take Shelter last year.
Note: Sorry for the ?Chinese? poster but this film is not Chinese.
4.
Title: Celeste and Jesse Forever
Release Date: August 3rd
Cast: Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Elijah Wood and Emma Roberts
Quick Plot: A divorcing couple tries to remain friends while they start pursuing other people.
Why I’m Excited: I firmly believe that this will not be another indie dramatic rom-com that we have all seen before. From the mostly positive buzz coming from the Sundance Film Festival, apparently Jones and Samberg have amazing chemistry. Hopefully this chemistry will breathe a sense of reality into this concept that will undoubtedly reach many people who have found themselves in similar situations.
3.
Title: Zero Dark Thirty (still unconfirmed/tenative)
Release Date: December 19th
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, Chris Pratt and Harold Perrineau
Quick Plot: The story of the Navy Seal Team 6 who tracked down wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden.
Why I’m Excited: Bigelow,the fantastic director of The Hurt Locker, originally planned on this being an entirely fictitious story. But then it happened in real life. The mere coincidence alone is enough to get me to want to watch this movie. But after Bigelow was given top-secret details about the mission by President Obama for the movie’s authenticity, it has become a must-see.
Note: There is no official poster yet. The one posted is fan-made.
2.
Title: Django Unchained
Release Date: Christmas a.k.a. December 25th
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington
Quick Plot: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a cruel Mississippi plantation owner.
Why I’m Excited: Instead of being a murder consultant, Foxx has transformed himself into a bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino’s spaghetti western. With one hell of a cast and Tarantino’s entire reputation giving this movie credibility, making this my #2 was damn near an impossible decision.
1.
Title: Looper
Release Date: September 28th
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels
Quick Plot: A time-traveling movie set mostly in the present where a present day assassin must take out his future self, or rebel against the mob of the future who employs him.
Why I’m Excited: I promise that if you watch the trailer, the movie doesn’t look as confusing as the Quick Plot makes it sound. Bruce Willis is, in my opinion, the ultimate action star, and I’m excited for him to return to his roots and play off JGL’s quick wit and dangerous charm. The director, Rian Johnson, is a personal favorite of mine and I can’t wait to see what he has cooked up in his latest feature. The concept is so unique and the actors have been well cast. This is shaping up to be this year’s Drive. I can’t wait to see this movie.
There you have it, my most anticipated movies of the latter half of 2012. I would love to hear your thoughts on my list, and feel free to include your own in the comment section below. Now, the waiting game begins as our soon-to-be favorite movies approach…
Alex Dodson | Bright Futura Columnist
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5 Best Pixar Movies
Posted on June 24, 2012
Brave has made its debut this weekend in similar Pixar style – everyone is going to see it! For arguably the most successful namebrand in Hollywood that promises the highest quality animated films (Cars 2 be damned) Brave is turning out to be a box office boom. While Brave may not be recieving as much critical acclaim as its predecessors, it is still on par with Cars and way better than Cars 2.
Just thinking about how good Pixar movies are has inspired me to compile a list of the 5 best Pixar movies.
Needless to say, this list was extremely difficult to compile. After you go through my list, we at Bright Futura would love to hear what your 5 favorite Pixar movies are! Submit your lists in the comment section below before you go see Brave this weekend.
5. Finding Nemo
4. The Incredibles
3. Ratatouille
2. Up
1. Toy Story 3
images courtesy of pixarplanet.com
Maximillian Garland| Bright Futura Columnist
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Brick: Bright Futura Movie Club
Posted on June 24, 2012
Brick
“(Tolkein’s) descriptions of things are really good. He makes you wanna be there.” -The Pin
PLOT BREAKDOWN
Up and coming director and star duo Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt team up for the first time in this high school neo-noir, drug fueled, murder mystery.
Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a smart and determined high school loner, suspects that his ex-girlfriend had fallen in with the wrong crowd after their recent break-up.
In order to clear his conscious and potentially save her life, he infiltrates his school’s drug ring as he is forced to confront drug players from all different high school social standings.
Driven by Brendan’s quick wit and perseverance to get all of his questions answered, this smart yet violent thriller unfolds right in front of your eyes as you uncover the truth about a brick of heroin and foul play right alongside Brendan.
Positives
Brick is a great film. Jospeh Gordon-Levitt gives a strong performance in that you never mistake his quiet rage against the social structure of high school for some emo “I hate everyone” complex, or his ambitious intelligence for cockiness. He fits right in to the neo-noir environment director Rian Johnson has reimagined in the high school setting.
Johnson avoids the horribly cliched high school tropes that play out through different social groups in a school environment. Instead, he manipulates the social roles and crafts a magnificent detective story using every common aspect of high school life that all viewers will find relatable as well as entertaining. Just like how The Pin (Lukas Haas) describes the level of intimacy J.R.R. Tolkein provides in his level of details provided in such books as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Johnson makes you feel like you in the film and are just another student at Brendan’s high school.
Negatives
The main criticisms don’t apply to the movie itself, but to the genre as a whole. In noir films, the exhibition of your protagonist unfolds along with the mystery as the audience learns more about how this particular detective is personally connected to the case in a way that you weren’t initially expecting. Inadvertently, you just jump right in to the beginning of the story without knowing too much about Brendan.
As well as diving right in, it may be difficult for some of the more casual viewers to enjoy the first thirty minutes or so of the film.
While there is plenty of action, the story revolves around fast and at times fairly complex dialogue, particularly between Brendan and The Brain (Matt O’Leary).
However, if you stick with it, you will develop an ear for the dialogue and the payoff is definitely worth it as the mystery continues to thicken before answers start crashing down upon you.
Closing Argument
Brick is one hell of a movie. It won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 for originality of vision in a drama. That is one of the most prestigious awards given away at arguably the most important film festival in the movie industry. The film, which is anchored by Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance and Rian Johnson’s directorial vision, offers a clever return to form for any fans of solving a good mystery.
Verdict
Brick is a Must Watch!
TRAILER
Details You Might Want To Know:
Length: 110 min
Rating: R
Release date: 2005
Who’s In It?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Brendan
Nora Zehetner – Laura
Lukas Haas – The Pin
Noah Fleiss – Tugger
Matt O’Leary – The Brain
Emilie de Ravin – Emily
Noah Segan – Dode
Alex Dodson | Bright Futura Columnist
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Bright Futura’s Netflix Club: Robotropolis
Posted on June 12, 2012
Robotropolis
Robotropolis Finds an Innovative Way to Tell a Tired Story
“I love it. It’s like totally awesome. Come on, it’s robots! Doesn’t get any better than that, right?”
Plot Breakdown
In a movie where the narrative is told through a news broadcast format for over 50% of the run time, the interviewees become just as important to the story as the camera guys, producers and anchors. About ten minutes into Robotropolis, a man is interviewed about whether he likes New Town, a city run entirely by robots. His overly enthusiastic response was similar to my own response when I found this obscure movie on Netflix.
Thoughts On Robotropolis
Better graphics than I was expecting and some modest gore, both of which are not overdone or totally unbelievable.
The concept alone was cool enough to capture my interest and allay any critical misgivings I might have had going in to this B movie, which is to say that this is not something that I would normally do. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The actors never try too hard to be serious, a necessity in campy movies such as this, which is comically evident from the two male leads of Jason (Edward Foy) and particularly Danny (Graham Sibley) who are cracking jokes while running for their lives.
An interesting aspect of the presentation is that the final news report is sent via live feed off of a smart phone. It just goes to show that no matter how low of a budget these B movies have, the current availability and cheap pricing of advanced video technology will allow even more people the opportunity to make decent grade films for next to nothing. Evidence of this comes from better graphics than I was expecting and some modest gore, both of which are not overdone or totally unbelievable. However, all of these great things don’t cover up the weak story being told.
Trailer
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlHrcXS0Dj0]
Drawbacks
Weakened by its extended use of the news report narrative structure, the film is fairly slow for the first half of the film… Until the robots attack!
While the innovative story telling is definitely ambitious, you are most likely watching a movie about killer robots for the killer robots.
All killing aside, the news format does allow you to watch the first kill, which is early on in the movie, a grand total of seven times from replays for the meta-viewers who are just tuning in.
The other drawback of the news format is its field reporter, Christiane Nouveau (Zoe Naylor), who agonizingly continues to describe the deteriorating situation in New City.
Being the only “real” actress with any credibility or experience in the cast, she provides the worst performance by trying too hard. Apparently nobody told her what kind of movie she was in.
Final Remarks
Concluding with a weak response as to why the robots “turned”, a lackluster climax but an ending open for interpretation
Robotropolis proved to be a fun movie to watch when I had run out of options. Watchable
Alex Dodson | Bright Futura Columnist
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5 Biggest Snubs of the 2012 MTV Movie Awards
Posted on June 7, 2012
Back in the day, the entertainment industry was run by dusty old white men who scoffed at the notion of motion pictures being considered both art and entertainment (unfortunately, not much has changed since then). To counteract this ludicrous notion, in 1992, MTV started their own version of the Academy Awards called the MTV Movie Awards which was completely decided by the fan’s vote. The stars were awarded Golden Popcorn trophies in place of the golden Oscar statuettes. Winners of the last 20 years have included ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’, ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Scream’, all 3 of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, and ‘Napoleon Dynamite.’ However, the evidence of a broken system is painfully clear when a ‘Twilight’ film has won for the fourth year in a row and looks to be the front runner for its fifth and final film next year. As I found most of the results of this year’s show particularly repulsive, I have gathered the 5 most offensive snubs and explained why other films proved more deserving of the coveted Golden Popcorn trophy.
1. ‘The Hunger Games’ Got Best Fight Over ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Warrior’
Why the award should have gone to…
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2 – The fight that people had been waiting upwards of 13 years to watch on the big screen, Harry and Voldemort’s showdown was the most anticipated scene in any film in 2011.
- Warrior – With its first major jump on to the big screen, the brutality of this mixed martial arts film is craftily juxtaposed with the deeper drama that revolves around an alcoholic father and his two embattled sons.
2. Best Kiss should have gone to… anyone but ‘Twilight’
Why the award should have gone to…
- Crazy, Stupid, Love. – Ryan Gosling, the runner-up for People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, smooching with Emma Stone, a.k.a. the cutest and most adorable trailblazer in Hollywood, is almost too sweet for the screen.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2 – Ron and Hermione FINALLY kiss. Nothing else need be said.
- The Hunger Games – While it may have been a fake kiss and necessary plot point, Katniss definitely opened up an emotional can of worms between her and Peeta that will surely play out in ‘Catching Fire.’
- The Vow – If a Nicholas Spark’s film doesn’t have good kissing, then what does it actually have going for it?
- Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn pt. 1 – Besides the fact that Edward and Bella have been kissing for the past 3 movies, they are gonna kiss again in the next movie, wedding be damned. Been there, done that (3 times already).
3. The Ambiguity over Best Gut-Wrenching Performance
I believe that people don’t actually know what “gut-wrenching” means, making the choice of naming an award after it an ill decision. To be fair, the definition has evolved and expanded over time. What once meant something along the lines of causing distress, nervousness and/or physical pain can now mean unbelievable, outrageous or nauseating. With that in mind…
Why the award should have gone to…
Drive – Definitely the nominee causing the most distress, Ryan Gosling’s moment of (literal) quivering rage as he strongly considers hammering a bullet into a man’s forehead is one of the heaviest moments of the film.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – The most daring stunt possibly ever, Tom Cruise ACTUALLY performed his high wire act in Dubai without using a stunt double or a green screen, leaving most viewers mopping the copious amounts of sweat their brow at the end of the scene.
21 Jump Street - When a man’s penis gets shot off, and then picks it up with his mouth in a pure moment of improvisation, is that disgusting or funny…? I mean I laughed, but it wasn’t my gut that was feeling unpleasant.
Which is more gross? Eating a poop pie in ’The Help’ or pooping yourself in public in ‘Bridesmaids’?
4. Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games) Got Best Onscreen Transformation over Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Why it should have gone to Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo…
The director David Fincher told Rooney Mara, before she even got the part, that she would have to:
- learn how to smoke
- learn how to ride a motorcycle
- be naked and participate in two rape scenes
- learn the perfect Swedish accent
- be alone for an entire year
- dye and shred her hair
- pierce her nipple, ears, eyebrow, nose and lip
- shave her eyebrows
- study kickboxing
- brush up on her computer hacking skills
- learn how to skateboard to get the posture of a 14-year-old boy
But, most importantly, Rooney said in an interview, “I couldn’t imagine my life without playing her.” That really sums up what this whole award is all about.
5. Movie of the Year should have gone to… anyone but ‘Twilight’
Why the award should have gone to…
- Bridesmaids – 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, only original film (not adaptation), nominated for 2 Oscars (Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay), benchmark proving that female driven comedies can be R and raunchy and still make lots of money, placed on multiple critic’s (including my own) top 10 lists of 2011.
- The Hunger Games – 85% Rotten Tomatoes, well rounded, fresh blood/created the big 3 (Harry Potter vs. Twilight vs. The Hunger Games).
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2 – 96% Rotten Tomatoes, “deserved” to win for final film, nominated for 3 Oscars (Art direction, Make-up, Visual FX).
- The Help – 76% Rotten Tomatoes, racially and culturally relevant, nominated for 3 Oscars (Picture, Lead and Supporting Actress) and won 1 Oscar (Supporting Actress)
- Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn pt. 1 – 25% Rotten Tomatoes, just a filler film/cash cow for the next anti-climactic end to the series, next year probably going to win because it will be the last one in franchise and “deserve” to win, fourth win in a row
Alex Dodson | Bright Futura Columnist
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5 College Comedies Every College Student Should See
Posted on January 24, 2012
Whether you are an up and coming freshmen or a “mature” senior, nobody should go through college without watching what their 4 year experience COULD be like if they lived in a college comedy movie. Continue Reading
Student Review Of ‘Hugo’: Fun for Everyone
Posted on January 21, 2012
![hugo[1]](http://www.brightfutura.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/hugo1.jpg)
Martin Scorsese’s (Raging Bull, Goodfellas) foray into the worlds of family film and three dimensions is a delight for all to see. Set in Paris in the 1930s, a young orphan boy lives inside a clock tower in a train station, trying to unlock the secret his recently deceased father left for him to solve in the form of an automaton. He makes a few friends and a few enemies along the way as he ultimately discovers the true magic behind motion pictures. Wait, what? I thought this movie was about a boy fixing this old broken robot thing that his dad was fixing while he died. What is this about the magic of movies?
Martin Scorses's cameo in Hugo
