Review: ‘Blade Runner 2049’

Director Denis Villeneuve returns after his recent Oscar nomination to embark on a journey into the wildly complex and dangerously beloved world of Blade Runner, a 1983 sci-fi classic from director Ridley Scott loosely adapted from the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. Creating a sequel from a classic is always a daunting task, but actually achieving a film worthy of standing next to the original is a feat very few can say they’ve met, but Villeneuve can now stand amongst the great who have come before him and watch as his film, Blade Runner 2049 is cherished for decades to come.

The year is 2049, and the world has been turned on it’s head by advancements in bio-engineering that have created human-like “Replicants” that have integrated into society. A group of trackers called Blade Runners, are tasked with hunting down old Replicants capable of dangerous actions and bringing them to justice. One such Blade Runner, K (Ryan Gosling) has stumbled upon a secret buried deep in the Earth that could trigger the collapse of society. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years, and who could be the key to unlocking the mystery. As Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) continues on in his quest to create the perfect Replicant, destined for planetary expansion, his questionable practices begin to come to life and a dark secret is about to expose the Replicant program.

This bold, beautifully crafted, visually stunning and mind bending sequel is nothing short of sensational with an all star cast lead by Ryan Gosling and Harrison FordGosling calm demeanor and presence are perfect for the Blade Runner world. It is equally as wonderful to see Harrison Ford back in one of his many iconic roles as Deckard. Seeing the character again and finding out what happened to him following the events of the original film was exceptionally satisfying and Ford was up to the task. Jared Leto is haunting in his portrayal of the designer Wallace. Leto leaves nothing to chance, electing to embrace the darkness and bring to life a cerebral villain for a new generation of sci-fi fans. Director Denis Villeneuve vision is suited for this world above all others. Together with Cinematographer Roger Deakins, Villeneuve expands on the epic world created in the original while still keeping the look that makes Blade Runner so iconic to fans worldwide.

Overall, Blade Runner 2049 is a long journey at 164 minutes, but a journey worth taking. A beautifully crafted classic that will stand the test of time and wow fans of science fiction and neo noir for years to come.

Stars: 4 1/2 out of 5

After Credit Scene? NO

Trailer:

Spielberg and Ford Reunite as Indiana Jones Returns to Theaters JULY 19, 2019

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Indiana Jones will return to the big screen on July 19, 2019, for a fifth epic adventure in the blockbuster series. Steven Spielberg, who directed all four previous films, will helm the as-yet-untitled project with star Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role. Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.

“Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.”

Famed archaeologist and explorer Indiana Jones was introduced in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark – one of AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time – and later thrilled audiences in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The four films have brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office.

More as it becomes available

 

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ *MINOR Plot Spoilers*

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It’s been a decade since the world has been graced with a Star Wars film and over thirty years since the original cast has been on screen, so to say that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the most highly anticipated film of the year would be an understatement. Now under the Disney brand, the film begins a new trilogy that will hope to capture the wonder and admiration of the original films while helping to heal the wounds of that the prequels left. Director J.J. Abrams takes the helm of the nostalgic walk  thru the galaxy with a cast of old friends and some new ones. Ladies and gentlemen the Force is indeed awakened.

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****From this point on I must caution to a few plot points that may be seen as mild spoilers. Proceed with caution*****

Taking place thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi, the First Order has risen from the ashes of the defeated Empire and are looking to once again take aim at destroying the Republic. Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) controls the First Order with General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) controlling the fleet and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), his powerful apprentice knowledgeable in the ways of the Force, leading the search for a map that can spell the end of the Jedi forever. The Resistance is also looking for this map as well as General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) sends her best pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to the planet of Jakku in hopes to find the coveted map. After encountering the First Order and fearing capture, Poe puts the recovered map into BB-8 and sends his far from the fight.

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Rey (Daisy Ridley), a young scavenger from the planet, finds BB-8 and agrees to help the droid get back to it’s master. With the help of Finn (John Boyega), a defected First Order Stormtrooper, and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), the mission to get the map to the Resistance has begun. Many mysteries surround this group of companions and the fate of the galaxy is in their hands, with the First Order hot on their tails, can the group complete their mission and save the Republic, while securing the future of the Jedi?

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Nostalgia aside, Star Wars: The Force Awakens stands on it’s own as a wonderful addition to the Star Wars universe. Director J.J. Abrams captures the magic of the original trilogy and adds a wonderful mix of humor, action and drama to complete his sci-fi masterpiece. Newcomers Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega have staked their place as fan favorites in this vast collection of memorable characters and leave you excited for future installments in their stories. Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis and Adam Driver awaken the dark side with intense precision and capitalize on all that was great about the Empire and add their unique personalities to enhance the First Order and it’s villainous ways. The franchise is truly in good hands with this new guard. My one and only grip was with Gwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma. The character was set up to be a complete badass in this storyline but was underutilized. Let’s hope we see more of this unique character in the future.

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It was such a pleasure to see Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Mark Hamill back on screen reprising their iconic roles. No matter if they were on screen for a moment or for the duration of the film, each added to the enjoyment of the film in their unique way and brought back memories of my childhood that I was so happy to revisit. I am so very much looking forward to the next chapter in their stories.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the movie event of the year and one not to be missed by Star Wars fans and novice alike.

Stars:

4 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

No

Trailer

New International Trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Featuring New Footage is Here!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has completed principal photography. ..#TheForceAwakens #StarWarsVIIThe Japanese trailer has debuted for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and we have it for you below!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens  is set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and features a new generation of swashbuckling heroes and shadowy villains, as well as the return of fan-favorite smugglers, princesses, and Jedi.

Directed by J.J. Abrams, the highly-anticipated movie stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18, 2015

Character Posters for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Featuring Han Solo and More!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has completed principal photography. ..#TheForceAwakens #StarWarsVII Lucasfilm‘s has released character posters for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens featuring Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa, Daisy Ridley’s Rey, John Boyega’s Finn and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, you can check them out in the gallery below!

Tickets to the highly anticipated cinematic event are now on sale everywhere tickets are sold. For more information, visit http://StarWars.com.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters on December 18th

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CONTEST: Enter for a chance to win a Bluray of ‘Age of Adaline’

Age of Adaline BlurayBlake Lively Stuns In The Timeless Romance Arriving On Digital HD August 25 

Available On Demand September 4 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD September 8 

ENTER HERE

Contest ends Friday, September 11th! One entry per household, please!

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Blake Lively (TV’s “Gossip Girl”), Michiel Huisman (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”) and Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands) along with Academy Award® nominee Harrison Ford (Best Actor, Witness, 1985) and Academy Award® winner Ellen Burstyn (Best Actress, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, 1974) star in the unforgettable tale, The Age of Adaline, arriving on Digital HD August 25, On Demand September 4 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) September 8 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Set in stunning San Francisco, the film follows a woman through the years as the world around her changes, yet she remains the same.

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Blake Lively is captivating as Adaline, a 29-year-old who survives a near-death experience and from that day on, never grows older. Adaline guards her secret and her heart for eight decades until a charming philanthropist (Michiel Huisman) and his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) force Adaline to confront her destiny in this unforgettable tale about the timeless power of love.

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The “sweeping romance” (Los Angeles Times), comes with enchanting bonus materials including deleted scenes, “A Love Story for the Ages” and “Style Throughout the Ages” featurettes, audio commentary with the director and a look at how filmmakers found their young Harrison Ford with online sensation Anthony Ingruber. The Blu-ray is encoded in Dolby TrueHD and features a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack, which delivers captivating sound that places and moves audio anywhere in the room, including overhead, to bring entertainment alive all around the audience. The Age of Adaline will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD for the suggested retail price of $39.99 and $29.95, respectively.

BLU-RAY/DVD/DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES*

  • Audio Commentary with Director Lee Toland Krieger
  • “A Love Story for the Ages” featurette
  • “Style Throughout the Ages” featurette
  • “Discovering Young Harrison Ford: Anthony Ingruber, An Online Sensation” featurette
  • Deleted Scenes

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Comic-Con Reel is here!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has completed principal photography. ..#TheForceAwakens #StarWarsVII

Fans at San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H were treated to a special look behind the scenes of Star Wars:The Force Awakens by director J.J. Abrams, producer and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and writer Lawrence Kasdan. The filmmakers were joined on stage by cast members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford to the surprise and delight of fans.
At the end of the Hall H presentation, the entire Hall H audience of more than 6,000 fans were all invited to continue the celebration and join cast and filmmakers at a surprise Star Wars Fan Concert. The San Diego Symphony performed the classic Star Wars music from John Williams at the Embarcadero Marina Park South.
Stay connected with StarWars.com and the official Star Wars app. All Star Wars, All the Time, Anywhere.
Download Star Wars for FREE from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in theaters December 18th, 2015!

Harrison Ford Aboard ‘Blade Runner’ Sequel with Denis Villeneuve to Direct

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Alcon co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson have announced that Harrison Ford will return to reprise his role as Rick Deckard in the sequel to Blade Runner and Academy Award nominated director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) is set to direct. A lot could still change with the project, but all signs point to principal photography starting in summer of 2016. Hampton Fancher, who co-wrote the original film, returns to co-write an original screenplay,along with Michael Green, based on an idea by Fancher and Ridely Scott.

We are honored that Harrison is joining us on this journey with Denis Villeneuve who is a singular talent, as we experienced personally onPrisoners,’” said Johnson and Kosove, “Hampton and Michael, with Ridley Scott, have crafted a uniquely potent and faithful sequel to one of the most universally celebrated films of all time, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with this amazing, creative team.”

Very little more is known about the story other than that it takes place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original.

Alcon Entertainment acquired the film, television and ancillary franchise rights to Blade Runner in 2011 from producer Bud Yorkin to produce prequels and sequels to the science-fiction thriller. Yorkin will serve as a producer on the sequel along with Kosove and Johnson. Cynthia Sikes Yorkin will co-produce.

More as it becomes available…

Michael’s Review: ‘The Expendables 3’- Michael Bay’s Wet Dreams Realized

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The franchise that keeps on truckin’ despite the average age of its stars being 143, is back and it’s exactly what you expect…loud. Sylvester Stallone, the mastermind behind this meeting of the biceps again headlines this testosterone fest using testosterone supplements as a vast array of co-stars, some old faces and some new ones. Sly’s band of merry men set out to kill as many people as possible without spilling an ounce of blood to achieve a PG-13 rating and make sure that this film stays “kid-friendly”, cause…’Merica! Read More →