Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015

 

 

 2015 is just around the corner, and with a new year, comes a new line of movies! And since some of you have no idea what movies are coming out next year, I took the liberty of making a list that consist of which movies you should be looking forward to in the upcoming months. Your Welcome!  

 

Number 10: Marvel's Ant Man

Release Date: July 17, 2015

This was a last minute decision. Based on the fact that production of this film has been problematic, with Edgar Wright quitting as director, and the abundance of actors who followed, I was surprised to find out that, just recently, they just finished filming. So although, I am not that excited about a superhero who has the power to shrink and control ants, I am impressed with Marvel's determination to get this film out to the public. 



 

Number 9: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Release Date: November 20, 2015

Considering how depressing Part 1 was, I'm hoping that Part 2 tops off the series with a happy ending. Especially, since I haven't read any of the books ( For me, it keeps the movies suspenseful). "The Hunger Games" saga has been exciting and entertaining since its inception in 2012, and here's hoping that the finale is a grand one.

 

Number 8: 007: Spectre

Release Date: November 6, 2015





Formally known as "Bond 24," this Bond film has been kept under wraps until recently last week, where it was revealed it would be titled "007: Spectre." The plot reads as followed, "A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE." Sounds intriguing. Plus, Christoph Waltz, the great German Doctor from "Django Unchained," might have been casted as the villain of this film, so my hopes are high, plain and simple, because of his inclusion.

 

Number 7: Ted 2

Release Date: June 26, 2015

The first "Ted" was hilarious. I actually have it on DVD because it was that funny. Unfortunately, I cannot provide any backstory for this upcoming "Ted 2," because no one really knows what it's about yet. That's how secretive Seth MacFarlane has been about it. I just hope it's just as good as the first one, if not better.

Number 6: Tomorrowland

Release Date: May 22, 2015

Based on the popular attraction at Disney World, this movie stars the talented George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, and will be directed by Brad Bird, director of "The Incredibles" and "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." This movie could go either way. It could be good, or bad, but I'm excited to find out which one it will be.

 

 Number 5: Terminator: Genisys

Release Date: July 1, 2015

No, I did not spell "Genesis" wrong, that's just the way the studio decided to spell it. Anyhow, the Terminator franchise has had it's ups and downs. The most notable "down" being Terminator: Salvation. But I truly believe that this movie will put the franchise back on track, especially since it's focusing on a time traveling "Back to the Future Part Two-ish" story arc. Kyle Reese goes back in time to save John Connor's mom, Sarah Connor, from a Terminator sent to kill her. Difference is, when Kyle goes back in time, Sarah is an experienced killer, protected by a Terminator of her own, and now the timeline goes haywire because something obviously went wrong. Classic time-traveling scenario!

 

Number 4: Furious 7

Release Date: April 3, 2015





Just when you thought the limitations of a car had finally been reached, out comes "Furious 7" to show us what more they can do with a motor vehicle. The movie looks like it's gonna be pretty action packed based on the trailer but there are only three reasons why I'm seeing this film: (1) See where the series goes after the tragedy that was Paul Walker's death. (2) See how ridiculous the cast can get with the usage of a car, and (3) Vin Diesel vs. Jason Statham vs. Dwayne Johnson.

  

 Number 3: Jurassic World

Release Date: June 12, 2015

"Jurassic Park" was a part of my childhood just as much as it was anybody else's. That's quite an accomplishment, especially since it came out in theaters 4 years before I was even born. That being said, I'm ecstatic that I finally get the chance to see a "Jurassic Park" movie in theaters along with hundreds of other people. The official synopsis points out that "Jurassic World" is the rebooted and successful version of John Hammond's "Jurassic Park." It is a safe and operational park that attracts over hundreds of thousands of visitors everyday. When visitation numbers begin to drop, the corporate owners of "Jurassic World" decide the best thing to do is CREATE A NEW DINOSAUR! It's a safe bet that this is the reason chaos ensues inside Jurassic World. The plot may sound all too familar to that of a B-rated creature feature on the SyFy Channel, but at least it's different and offers up a lot more creativity than what the previous sequels had to offer.

 



Number 2: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Release Date: December 18, 2015

Unthinkable! Unbelievable! What are they doing?! These were the words that popped into my head when I first heard that Disney was going to produce a new trilogy of films that would follow the original Star Wars trilogy. I was uneasy. But now that I have seen the first trailer to Episode 7 and learned that the original cast will have a presence in this film, I believe that "the force is strong with this one."

Number 1: Marvel's the Avengers: Age of Ultron

Release Date: May 1. 2015

Just downright awesome! The first Avengers film was a dream come true! I loved every minute of watching it. Now, when I learned about the sequel, I couldn't help but feel worried. I mean, "HOW CAN YOU TOP THE AVENGERS?!" My feelings towards this movie was full of uncertainty. That was until I laid my eyes upon the first trailer of "Age of Ultron," and MY GOD! IT WAS A MASTEPIECE! Expectations are high for this movie, but based on what I saw in the trailer, I have no doubt in my mind that those expectations will be met above and beyond! Avengers Assemble!

J-Bang Reviews present: Interstellar

                                                     J-Bang Reviews present: Interstellar

Interstellar is like a bottle of fine wine...it gets better with age. That being said, I very much enjoyed this movie as it progressed. One thing that viewers should take note of before watching this movie is this, "Don't go looking for realistic characteristics in this film!" It will better for you to watch this movie accepting that fact that it dives deep into the realm of sci-fi and spirituality rather than realism. Ok? Ok! Let's move on!

Interstellar tells the story of a dying Earth that is slowing being destroyed by dust storms. The only hope for mankind's survival is inter-dimensional space travel through different galaxies in search of a new planet to live on. This expedition is led by our protagonist Cooper, played by Matthew Mcconaughey, who reluctantly leaves his family to pursue this mission. The beginning of Interstellar is fairly slow, and quite frankly, boring. It takes probably 40 to 45 minutes until it become interesting. Once the lift off has taken place and our journey in space begins, we are greeted with wonderful CGI and trippy space travel. In order to appreciate the full value of this film, I encourage you all to watch in 3-D IMAX presentation. Believe me, it's like being there. Anyway, as the sci-fi adventure continues, conflict ensues, and suddenly it changes the whole dynamic of this film. From then on, it feels as if anything could happen in this film, and that sense of adversity made it easy for me to truly grasp how dangerous and frightening this mission really was for these characters.

Interstellar is a fantastic sci-fi film that feels somewhat akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey, but also takes other characteristics from past sci-fi films and pays tribute to them. For example, "the Ranger," the spacecraft above used in this film, gave me flashbacks to the time traveling delorean used from Back to the Future in terms of it's flight and speed. Personally, I thought that was pretty cool.

 

I know I'm giving a lot of praise to this film but that just personally means the pros outweigh the cons. The cons however are that sometimes, you can't fully understand the dialogue. By that, I don't just mean the accents of both Michael Caine and Matthew Mcconaughey. I mean the dialogue of this film is full of scientific "mumbo-jumbo" that can easily be interpreted only by REALLY SMART PEOPLE, and in a movie where you have to pay attention to every little detail, including the dialogue, it can be exhausting and too much to handle! Other than that, IT'S A PRETTY SOLID FILM.

Great...

Interstellar gets a score of 4 out of 5



The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

J-Bang Reviews present: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. Well, well, well...here we are, the beginning of the final chapter in the Hunger Games saga and I will say this, "Don't expect to find any happiness in this sequel, because THERE IS NONE! My God, this movie is SO DEPRESSING, it almost made me lose all sense of hope in this world. The tone of this movie is dark and grim, and every scene in this movie, gives you every reason not to smile. I didn't think it would get any darker than Catching Fire, but it did in this one. That being said, it's a pretty good film, it's just that is does feel a little incomplete, as it should. I mean it is only just Part 1. The special effects are better than before and the main characters you love do return...but in small doses. There's alot of Katniss and Gale, but characters like Peeta, Primrose, Finnick, Haymich and Effie are only seen rarely throughout the film. The film also seems to appears as a war movie rather than a sci fi adventure. It's very traumatic through the eyes of the characters but one specific dynamic I'd enjoyed throughout the movie was Katniss's evolution from scared girl reluctant to lead a revolution to ruthless leader that inspires hope. Every time she delivered a memorable speech or had a memorable moment, I enjoyed watching the result it had on the districts and people she inspired. There's not a lot of action in this movie, but it is fittingly replaced with suspense and unsettling mystery. I can hope by the next film, there might actually be a happy ending for our heroes but the only thing we can do now, is wait for Part 2. Mockingjay Part 1 gets a 3.5 out of 5

J-Bang Ranking present: Top 10 Movies produced by Marvel Studios

Since the release of Guardians of the Galaxy a month ago, comic book fans and then some have been waiting in anticipation for the culmination of Marvel’s Phase Two movie line-up, Avengers: Age of Ultron, which will be the sequel to the box office smash hit of 2012. Before Age of Ultron hits theaters in May, I have taken the liberty of ranking all of Marvel’s movies released thus far. Unfortunately for some fans, the Spider-Man and X-Men movies will not be ranked in this list simply because the rights to those films are owned by different studios. This list will expand to as far as 2008, when Marvel Studios released its first film as an independent company. Let the games begin…

10.) Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 is still a good movie. It’s just that the other movies happen to be better. Iron Man 2 does contain some memorable action packed moments, my favorite being the incident on the race track where Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is attacked by Mickey Rourke’s villainous and vengeful Whiplash. But the thing about Iron Man 2 is that it doesn’t have enough action and the subplot of Stark dying as a result of his Arc Reactor felt forced and unnecessary. Not to mention the only time Whiplash proves to be a dangerous adversary is on the race track. Other than that, he is useless and is basically forgotten about until the third act. And even in the final fight, he is completely underwhelming for he is destroyed within basically a minute. Boo! Sam Rockwell is convincingly entertaining in his portrayal of Justin Hammer and Don Cheadle proves to be better than Terrence Howard in the role of James Rhodes but other than that, Iron Man 2 is somewhat forgettable.

9.) Thor

Thor was one of those movies that made me feel indifferent. It gave us the first screening of a hero with God like powers and the way director Kenneth Branagh introduces him to us is by stripping away his powers and making him mortal. What?! Why would I want to see an overpowered superhero not be a superhero for almost two hours long? It’s like watching a Superman movie about Clark Kent only doing Clark Kent things. It gives you a “Meh” feeling. But the film focuses more on character development rather than action packed entertainment. The chemistry between Thor and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster feels genuine but rushed. Also, the best scene of the movie finally comes when Thor regains his powers and finally clashes with his brother, Loki, on the rainbow bridge. Luckily, the sequel makes up for all of the issues of Thor.

8) The Incredible Hulk

Although the Hulk is indeed my favorite superhero, all personal feelings aside, I had to rate his reboot at number eight. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the film. It had hard hitting action sequences, great special effects, an exceptional villain, and a compelling story of cat and mouse. But my problem is that in an effort to correct the wrongs committed by Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk movie, the movie ended up taking no risks. Where the 2003 Hulk movie lasted too long, this version happened to be too short. I even felt like the final battle between the Hulk and the Abomination, although spectacular, could have gotten on a little while longer. Surprisingly, Edward Norton found a way to portray Bruce Banner in a way where I felt sympathy for our hero, but thanks to “behind the scenes” conflicts, we will never see Norton in that role again. In the long run, I believe it was for the better. #Ruffalo for the Win

7) Thor: The Dark World

The much better sequel to Kenneth Branagh, Alan Taylor finally showcases the full power of Thor. Much more adventurous than the first movie, Thor reunites with his lover, Jane, on Earth and discovers that she has been possessed with the evil force of the Aether, also known as an Infinity Stone in movie form. Even more interesting is that not only does it take place after the events of The Avengers, it places the “ever loving” Loki in the role of Anti-Hero instead of villain. As a result, he steals the show. In the role of villain however, Christopher Eccleston plays Malekith, a dark elf that wants to destroy the universe “just because…” It’s safe to say he is the worst villain ever produced in a Marvel movie. He rarely speaks and when he does, you are forced to read subtitles. He has no charisma, but the final fight between him and Thor is unique and entertaining enough to place this movie at number seven.

6.) Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 was marketed throughout media as a darker story that would give us a villain that truly would challenge the might of Tony Stark. Once the movie was released in theaters, we ended up with an action packed comedy that delivered one of the best plot twist in recent memory and a more than exciting final fight that debuted an army of Iron Man suits. Safe to say, Iron Man 3 was a big step up from Iron Man 2.

5.) Captain America: The First Avenger

This was another one of those big risk movies Marvel made because it was a period piece that took place in the 40s with World War II as its background. The unusual setting for a superhero film proved to interest viewers and proved to be a pretty good film. Chris Evans is a convincingly loveable character as Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America. The supporting cast is interesting as they are funny and Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull is respectable as a villain for Captain America but rarely showcases the true potential of his power. And by the way, I still don’t think he’s dead!

4) Iron Man

The movie that started it all. The excitement. The adventure. And the universe that slowly grew in front of our eyes. Truly a compelling tale of how genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark transformed into the heroic Iron Man. Feeling responsible for many of deaths as a result of the weapons he built from Stark Industries and seeing how must damage they did up close and personal, Stark shutdowns the weapons department of his company and starts a journey of redemption by building an ironically weaponized suit to fight crime in. It’s pretty cool to see how for half the movie he builds the suit and tests it out before taking it into the warzone and the scene where Stark encounters the jets while flying back home was fun to watch. Robert Downey Jr. proves to be perfect for the part of Tony Stark and proves that it’s not possible for anyone else to play the role as good as him.

3) Guardians of the Galaxy

Quite frankly the funniest movie Marvel has ever produced, “Guardians” proved to be worth the risk. Especially since nobody knew who the Guardians of the Galaxy were before they had a movie. StarLord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot are all great and loveable characters and prove to be quite the formidable team. The soundtrack is excellent and memorable. Add in James Gunn’s direction and you have the perfect tribute to 80’s space adventures while proving to be one of the best on their own behalf.  The special effects and action sequences are “out of this world” and I am willing to admit my favorite scene of all was the Prison Break.  

2) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier became far more than just a better sequel to “the First Avenger.” With the help of directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, this Captain America movie went from being a superhero flick to a political spy thriller. As a result, it became pretty much Marvel’s best solo movie. And the fact that it delivers the most brutal and realistic action sequences in recent memory, makes this one of my favorite movies of all time. This movie came close to being my number one, but I think we all know who came out on top of the list...

1) The Avengers

Just an all-out dream come true. A movie that features practically all of my favorite superheroes and puts them in a war against an alien invasion. Truly, a Joss Whedon masterpiece. Considering that all the character development occurred in the movies prior, we are greeted with no stop action and awesome moments from the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Nick Fury and Loki.  When there is no action, there is comedy, where none of the characters have any problem insulting and making fun of each other. It is an all- around good time that is enjoyable every minute. Basically, The Avengers is not only my favorite Marvel movie but my FAVORITE SUPERHERO MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!!!

Guardians of the Galaxy

J-Bang Reviews present Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. (1 minute before film begins) Ah man, this is gonna be hilarious. I can't wait for it to start. (2 minutes later after film begins) ...Damn. What the hell?! Did this movie take opening scene lessions from Pixar's "Up." I'm sad now. I won't spoil anything but all in all, Marvel Studios manages to surprise me yet again with another great film. To be honest, once I saw the first trailer for this film, I thought it would be Marvel's version of a comedy film, and did not expect this movie to be great. Especially when you factor in that a movie was being made about a comic book team no one really knows about, it lowers your expectations. The nice thing about this film is that, YES, IT STILL IS A COMEDY, but also packs in terrific Sci-Fi action sequences and does a great job in developing characters we are suppose to care about. Everyone in this film is special in their own way. Groot, is adorable and magical in terms of his facial expressions and physical mannerisms. Gamora is a bad-ass whose personality can be appreciated by both feminists and guys. Drax the Destroyer is a beast that will please all blood-thirsty muscle-men. Star-Lord is the enthusiastic adventurer that represents the little kid in all of us that wanted to explore the stars. And Rocket...Well, Rocket is Rocket :) He's a cocky ass-kicker who looks like a racoon. Think of him as the "Han Solo" of this film. I make the "Star Wars" reference because this movie is more like a Intergalatic Space Adventure than it is a Marvel Superhero film. Sure, there's the heroes vs. villian dynamic but it's more based on responsibility. The heroes start out as criminals. Incarcerated for their own selfish reasons. One of them finds something, unknowing of it's power, that everyone wants. Once the heroes find out that what they have in their possession is an Infinity Stone (research it), they figure out that it is too dangerous to just give away or sell. Especially, while finding out the person who wants it the most is the villian, Ronan the Accusser. Instead of giving in to their greed, the heroes decide it's their responsibility to keep the dangerous Infinity Stone away from Ronan, by any means necessary. It's a fun journey to watch, and is terrific in scope. Ronan the Accuser is a big step-up from Malekith the Accursed (the villian from "Thor: the Dark World"). Ronan the Accuser isn't exactly the most memorable of villians from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he was a believable and intimidating threat. And considering that this was the Guardian of the Galaxy's first film, it was a smart move to focus more on developing reasons for us to care for our heroes rather than remind how serious of a danger our main villian is. As wonderful as this film is, I will say that in terms of the "Avengers timeline," it was completely unnecessary. We all know that the next film is the highly anticipated "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and if you saw "Captain America: the Winter Soldier" from beginning to end, then you're set to see the next Avengers movie. In all honesty, you do not have to see "Guardians of the Galaxy" right away. If anything...if you really wanted to... you could wait for it to come out on DVD. But seeing it right now, helps motivate Marvel Studios to explore more comic books figures to make movies out of such as Doctor Strange, Black Panther and other Superheroes that deserve a movie. Since we are pretty much done with Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy would have been more meaningful if it came out after "Avengers: Age of Ultron," during Phase 3. Since Marvel has made fans aware that the final villian for the Avengers is Thanos, this movie gives us a taste of what we could expect in the Avengers 3, and believe me, it's scary. We get a glimpse at the destruction one Infinity Stone can cause and how godly Josh Brolin's voice is when used to voice Thanos, the Mad Titan, who is quote, "the most powerful man in the universe" endquote. Think about those two things. The Avengers facing the MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE UNIVERSE, who happens to be aided with not one, but SIX INFINITY STONES?! That insane combination makes the third movie a must-watch before it even begins production. That's why I think this movie should have been in Phase 3 rather than Phase 2. Because it kind of belittle's the true threat Ultron really is for the Avengers in the second film. But we will just have to wait and see, don't we Joss Whedon and Kevin Feige?!! Anyway, Guardians of the Galaxy gets a 4.2 out of 5.

J-Bang Rankings Present: My Top 10 Favorite Movies

Welcome to the inaugural edition of J-Bang Rankings. Here, at J-Bang Rankings, we (as in me) rank a list of top 10 favorites. Since this is the first, I've decided to go with a simple topic: Top 10 favorite movies. If you want to know more about the movies listed, go to re-read previous reviews. This is an opinionated piece, so don't piss your pants when your favorite movie doesn't end up on the list or is ranked lower than you thought it would be. But also know, everything is OPEN FOR DISCUSSION. So Yeah, now that we're done explaining why the 1st Amendment exists, let's begin....

#10. Forrest Gump

#9. One Flew's Over the Cuckoo's Nest

#8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

#7. King Kong (the 2005 version)

#6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

#5. The Dark Knight

#4. The Departed

#3. The Shawshank Redemption

#2. Marvel's the Avengers

and my number one favorite movie is......................................................................................

#1. Jaws. Released into theaters June 20, 1975, it put fear into the hearts of audiences all around the world while simultaneously creating the phenomenon we now call the "Summer Blockbuster." With a movie with such a simple plot (A small summer town is being terrorized by a killer great white shark and it's up to the town's sheriff, a marine biologist and an eccentric fisherman to find it and kill it), you would think that it was the plot of a "B movie" just from reading it but I kid you NOT, this is not the case with Jaws! Thanks to a $9 million dollar budget provided by Universal Studios, an all-star cast of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, and a film under the superior direction of a young, but brilliant Steven Spielberg, this movie turned out to become an "A+" action, adventure, "creature feature" filled with enticing suspense and gory horror that I enjoyed from the first minute to the last minute.

22 Jump Street

J-Bang Reviews present "22 Jump Street." THE UNCENSORED VERSION! 22 Jump Street is fucking hilarious. It manages to combine toilet humor and awkward situations into a successful formula that simultaneously tells a compelling storyline. And the storyline itself is a joke. Right off the bat, the characters hint that the movie is going to do the "exact same thing" as the first movie did. "21 Jump Street" took place in high school, where the two cops, Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) go undercover as students to find and arrest a drug dealer who is selling a deadly new drug to students."22 Jump Street" tells the EXACT. SAME. STORY. But instead of high school, it takes place in College. The fact that it tells the same story as the first one doesn't discredit its value. As a matter of fact, I appreciate that the film's formula is the same because certain franchises tend to try and tell a different story in the sequel and in the end, the film is a disaster. I could name drop a couple of films that do this, but to save time, I'll move on. But just to note, not all movies that follow the same formula as the first movie are successful either, so in this case, 22 Jump Street got lucky. The chemistry between Tatum and Hill is spectacular as usual. Both prove to be funny and easy to relate to. I believe that these two are the next dynamic duo in Hollywood that can and will make us laugh as long as they're together on screen along with such tag teams like James Franco and Seth Rogen, and Jim Carry and Jeff Daniels. The movie is pretty long but manages to keep the audience engaged from minute to minute unlike other movies I've seen *cough Wolf of Wall Street *cough The Amazing Spider-Man 2 *cough...Need. WATER. NOW!! Anyhow, 22 Jump Street delivers memorable moments and awesome cameos that is worth buying a ticket to see. I can't say it's better than the first. I can't say it's worst than the first. That's because it's exactly like the first. And so, it gets the same score as the first. "22 Jump Street" gets a 4 out of 5.

A League of their Own Review

A League of their Own is another one of those underdog stories that takes place inside of a sports environment. In this case, it's the sport I rarely know anything about...baseball. Though, instead of telling the cliche story of how the little guy made it all the way to the top, it tells the struggle of how a minor baseball league full of women attempt to to gain popularity at a time where the existence of Major League Baseball is threatened as a result of World War II. It is a compelling story which, when it's all said and done, conflicts passion with responsibilities. As serious as that idea sounds, don't mistake this movie just as a heartfelt drama either for you see, the story is told in a goofy manner that will instill you with some laugable and enjoyable moments. A League of their Own receives a 3 out of 5.

X-Men: Days of Future's Past

J-Bang Reviews presents: X-Men: Days of Future Past. X-Men: Days of Future Past is a well-constructed action-adventure, that surprisingly makes sense of time-travel. It is a long movie, but it is a rewarding movie that engages the viewer. The X-Men face a brutal villian that takes place in the Future. Those villians are known as the Sentinels, mutant destroying robots that have somehow ended up destroying humans as well in the process . With a depleted X-Men team, it is up to Kitty Pryde, and her ability to transport people's consciousness back in time, to transport Wolverine back to the 1970s in order for him to stop the incident that causes the Sentinels to exist into the Future. What's fascinating about this film, is that it doesn't use the straight forward hero vs villian formula that most superhero movies use now. It gives both the heroes and the villians a reason to work together in a common attempt to stay in existence. Obviously, that alliance doesn't last long but it's a great dynamic to see how it disintegrates in the past while it struggles to stick together in the future. X-Men: Days of Future Past is full of stellar moments (one of which being my favorite is the Quicksilver scene) but one element that it never steps away from is the emotion each character expresses. Each scene seems to give out a sense of desperation that puts more weight into how serious the situation truly is for the mutants in the future. Every moment is vital to how the future plays out which is how time-travel works in this film. It's a great dynamic to work with, which makes the viewers truly pay close attention to every moment that happens in the past. Every character is delivered with great passion and emotion and in the end, it truly feels like we, the viewers are rewarded with a barrage of cameos. X-Men: Days of Future Past is different from your average super-hero film and that exact thing is what makes it a memorable experience. It's one of Marvel's best films of this year along with Captain America: the Winter Soldier, of course. X-Men: Days of Future Past a.k.a the best X-Men movie yet gets a 4.5 out 5. Also, just a heads up, stay until the credits are over.

JAWS

As a critic, I have watched a lot of movies that have been released since my conception in 1997, but I must say my favorite movie of all time is before my time. And that movie is Steven Spielberg's Jaws. Released into theaters June 20, 1975, it put fear into the hearts of audiences all around the world while simultaneously creating the phenomenon we now call the "Summer Blockbuster." With a movie with such a simple plot (A small summer town is being terrorized by a killer great white shark and it's up to the town's sheriff, a marine biologist and an eccentric fisherman to find it and kill it), you would think that it was the plot of a "B movie" just from reading it but I kid you NOT, this is not the case with Jaws! Thanks to a $9 million dollar budget provided by Universal Studios, an all-star cast of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, and a film under the superior direction of a young, but brilliant Steven Spielberg, this movie turned out to become an "A+" action, adventure, "creature feature" filled with enticing suspense and gory horror that I enjoyed from the first minute to the last minute. One of the many things that impressed me with Jaws is that it is not plagued with horror movie cliches. Throughout the movie, I was brought to actually care for each of the main characters while instantly feeling each and every emotion they felt from sympathy to terror. Plus, in a generic horror movie, you are suppose to root against the antagonist a.k.a the killer. In Jaws, I fell in love with the antagonist, which is obviously the Shark. Thanks to an excellent score performed by John Williams, the legendary Jaws theme song adds the element of fear in the film as well as escalates the tension in the water when the Shark approaches. Jaws is the PERFECT MOVIE. Yes, there are many movies in existence that are considered the perfect movie but without any argument, Jaws is one of them. It was a pleasure to watch this film, over...and over... and OVER AGAIN! Jaws gets a perfect 5 out of 5.

King Kong (2005)

JBang Reviews presents "King Kong (The 2005 version)" This version of King Kong is a long one at best, but in the end, it is a rewarding experience. King Kong is a remake of the original film from 1933. I recommend you watch it if you're not afraid of stop-motion apes. One thing among many other things that King Kong does right, is not make the same mistake that King Kong 1976 makes, and that is the movie takes place in the time period of 1933 instead of the current time period it came out in. That decision dignifies the film's respect towards the original film as well as honors its origins from 1933. It also makes dire situations more believable. Since these characters are using smaller and basic, less-evolved weapons against larger and dangerous beasts of Skull Island, it places men in a role they are unfamilar with, and that is "the bottom of the food chain." Although, Kong is the star of the movie, his character is under-appreciate unless he is accompanied by Ann Darrow, his "somewhat love interest?" I say "somewhat?" because I am confused as to what kind of love Ann and Kong are portraying. It can't be a "When a man loves a woman..." kind of love because well...Giant Ape + Human Woman = Beastiality, Disturbing Awkwardness, and Guaranteed Death. So it's logical that maybe it's either a Brother-Sister love or most likely, an obsessed infatuation on Kong's part. But what's weird is that Ann showcases feelings for Kong, too. Yet, she kind of displays them as if Kong was her pet dog. Also, when you add in the "Jack Driscoll Effect," the fact that Ann is also physically and emotionally attracted to Jack, you add all the varibles up and the results come out to Kong is actually being "Friend-zoned" by Ann, and that's "Not Cool Bro." No One likes the Friend-Zone. Anyhow, the CGI is Incredible!!! It helps bring the world of Skull Island to life and also creates some amazing Monster Mash Moments, such as my favorite scene in the movie, Kong vs 3 T-Rex like Dinosaurs while trying to keep Ann safe. The movies also does a great job at getting us to care for each of the characters introduced in the movie, including Carl Denham, who is surprising played well by Jack Black. He portrays Carl as someone whose actions aren't exactly motivated by greed but more motivated by being recognized as someone great and important. He is a desperate man, which makes him all the more scary when he slowly transforms into a maniacal madman hell-bent on capturing Kong. A piece of this movie that is very important is the music. The film's music is composed by James Newton Howard. It perfectly captures the curiousity that comes with Skull Island, the intensity that comes with fights and chases, and most importantly, the connection Kong and Ann have when they are with each other. My only complaint about this movie is that it takes SOO LOOONG to get to the action of Skull Island. It literally takes about an hour of New York, character introductions and one long ass boat ride just to get to this excitement. But other than that, King Kong holds a spot on my Top 10 favorite movies. If the last 20 minutes of King Kong doesn't have you bawling your eyes out, then you need to see a psychiatrist. King Kong (2005 version) gets a 4.5 out of 5.

JBang Reviews present G.I. Joe: Retaliation: Last Saturday I saw the latest G.I. Joe movie and even though there was alot of hype for it, I'll be honest and say it didn't impress me. Now don't get me wrong, I love action movies but this one was pretty short and simple: explosions and special effects. I do give credit to the costume designers that have made the movie look more like a live issue of its former comic book counterpart but as for the Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, "I do not smell what you are cooking" and I certainly do not wish you luck against John Cena at WrestleMania. It was pretty hard to follow the plot until I finally hit the end and realized it was just stopping another terrorist attack. Retaliation was a very different movie as compared to the first movie, Rise of Cobra, which was much more entertaining. I give Retaliation a rating of 2 out of 5.

 

Jbang Reviews present: White House Down. I'll be honest, I had no anticipation to see this movie. I wanted to see "This is the End" but the theater I went to was no longer showcasing it, so I figured I had the money and the time, so I spent it on White House Down and I did not regret it. It was a great movie! It was well constructed and action packed. There was not a single dull moment and I loved the chemistry delivered among the characters. I also liked the way the villians of the movie were portrayed. Instead of machines being killed one after one, the villians showed emotion when one of their own were killed, whether it was anger or aggravation. Now I know, alot of our movies in our generation are more remakes and sequels rather than originals. Hell, a movie titled "Olympus Has Fallen" came out earlier this year with the same plot, but while watching "White House Down" I got more of a "Die Hard" feel from it. Somewhat ordinary guy with military or law enforcement history get's himself and someone he loves (his daughter in this case) in deep trouble where he must find a way out of it while at the same time, save everyone else from the threat presented. Yep, pretty "Die Hard" to me. Although there were "surprises," they were pretty perdictable but overall it was a good movie and I enjoyed the time I spent watching it. I give it a 3.5 out of 5!

JBang Reviews presents "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Catching Fire is a deep work of art. Personally, I have never read the books, but to be honest, that was a good thing for me because I was more surprised at events that occured during the film rather than expecting them because it happened in the book. The movie brings back Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the 2 victors from the 74th Hunger Games, as they continue to live life after the traumatic events that occured in the first film but what they don't realize yet is that Katniss's actions from the first film has inspired a revolution among districts in a plot to overthrow the Capitol, the official government of Panem, in the mist of another annual Hunger Games. Although different, Catching Fire is better than the first film and is one of the best films I've seen all year. The special effects in this one is better than the first one. Where as the first film's CGI felt like something created in a movie maker application on a Macbook Pro labtop, this film's CGI looks more professional and realistic. I was also surprised that this movie wasn't as gory as the 1st one. Sure there might be one or two scenes that might be "hard to watch" but nothing extreme enough to make it a Rated R movie. Plus, my favorite thing about this movie is that it makes the characters that have no choice but to participate in the Hunger Games "likeable." In the first one, besides Rue and Katniss, all the characters seemed merciless and unforgiving and it was hard for me to like them because their intentions were unclear or they were just mean-spirited. But in "Catching Fire," I enjoyed characters like Finnick, Beetee, Johanna and others. Some were sarcastic and some were snarky, but each of them had a likable characteristic. Now, that we're down with the compare and contrast, I must say the most important thing I liked about this movie though was that it puts desperation in a fight with morals in a title match where a chance to change the world and a chance to fight back against the system is on the line. I love rebellion movies as well as underdog movies and the Hunger Games: Catching Fire, to me, has become one of those inspirations movies that might inspire underdogs to fight back against the system and I applaud that, but just like any good sequel in a saga, the second one always leaves us with that question mark and rest to sure, this one does not disappoint. I give "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and 4 out of 5.

JBang Reviews present: "The Wolf of Wall Street." The Wolf of Wall Street follows New York Stockbroker Jordan Belfort, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his rise and fall as result of illegal stock manipulation and so and so. "The Wolf" is a pretty good movie but it is an incredibly LONG one. The movie rolls for exactly 179 minutes and is one minute short from being exactly 3 hours. Although long, it is entertaining in multiple ways. Whether it's from laughing at Jonah Hill and DiCaprio saying and doing stupid stuff or whether it's getting pumped up from the multiple speeches DiCaprio gives to his workers as a form of inspiration, the movie also let you think about " is it really all it's cracked up to be as a rich person living the life of luxury?" There is a certain Yin Yang to this movie. But one thing I couldn't help but dislike in this movie (besides its length) is the excessive sex scenes and drug usage in this movie! I understand...This is a Rated R movie, but come on, if you tallied up all the sex scenes in this movie, you would come up 30 minutes worth of porn (we all know what porn is, so don't be childish about the reference) I would not recommend seeing this movie with your parents but it kind of forces you to do so because of its "R rating." How awkward a situation that would be? Anyway...the way drugs are utilized in this movie serve as a gateway to the movie's funniest moments but also as it got closer to the end, the usage of drugs also served as a gateway to one of its most tense moments. There were many moments in "The Wolf" where I thought it should have ended, but when it finally did, it left me puzzled because it wasn't necessarily a "straight-forward" ending but in a way, it leaves more to the imagination of the viewers that way. And that's a good thing depending on how you see it. I give the "Wolf of Wall Street" a score of 3 out of 5.

J-Bang Reviews Presents: "Thor: the Dark World." Thor 2 was surprisingly a really good movie. When I saw the first movie back in 2011, I was kind of dissappointed because they had an introduction film for the Superhero/Norse God "Thor", and what they do is decide to take away all of his powers for most of the film until the climatic finale. For me, personally, it goes without saying that the sequel is way better than the original. Thor was finally able to show off what he is capable of with his superpowers. Plus the stellar special effects flatter the usage of his superpowers and the Asgardian world around him. Something I did realize though was that during the action sequences of the film, I got a combination of a "Star Wars/ Lord of the Rings" vibe as a result of all the elves, trolls, and starship battles in the sky. And there were some moments of the film, that felt random, unrealistic and hallucinogenic, but then I realized, they were on Asgard, not Earth, so the rules of logic were thrown out the window. One of the few things I didn't like about the film was the villian a.k.a the leader of the dark elves, Malekith the Accursed. He had no charisma, barely any dialogue and he reminded me of a dull version of General Zod from "Man of Steel," nevertheless, the film kept its excitement and drama besides him. The film was surprisingly long as well, but it is understandable considering how much is happening inside the film. One of the best parts of the film is Tom Hiddleston, reprising his role as the infamous Loki, the villian from the Avengers. Loki was entertaining and sarcastic, but also, and most importantly, unreadable. It was hard to read his emotions and figure out his motives which made anything he did all the more shocking and spontaneous. For someone we are suppose to hate, I loved him. True to what's now becoming normal for Marvel movies now a days, Thor: the Dark World delivers action, adventure, humor, and twists that will keep you entertained throughtout the fun filled movie. I give it a 3.5 out of 5!

JBang Reviews Present "The Wolverine." Last week I saw "The Wolverine" at an AMC theater in Baltimore and I was shocked to see what I saw in The Wolverine. I was expecting to see what has now become a cliché superhero plot: a new villain enters a certain town and bullies all the other people smaller and weaker than him and it is up to the superhero to stop him. But that is not what I got from the Wolverine. What I saw was the depressing truth of being a superhero like Wolverine. I mean it must be cool to be a guy with a healing factor so strong, he is literally indestructible but the fact that he can't even die from old age, it must be troubling for someone to find something worth living for after 200+ years. This movie focuses on the curse of immortality and how far people will go to either end it or to grasp it. I believe the film does a good job of letting the audience realize that, especially since the true villain of the movie isn't revealed until the end. Plus, this movie is not a sequel to the 2009 movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." It's really just a solo sequel to "X-men: The Last Stand" the 3rd movie in the franchise released in 2006. "The Wolverine" is a good movie, it just doesn't feel like a superhero movie. It feels more like a drama/ cinematic documentary rather than an action/ adventure although it is labeled under the action/ adventure category. I give "The Wolverine" a score of 3 out of 5. And always remember, when watching a Marvel Movie... stay during the credits!

JBang Reviews present: Fast and Furious 6. Yes, I know, I probably am one of the last people at Crossroads to see this movie but "hey" at this point in my life, I have alot more free time than usual so I'm using it to watch movies. Anyhow, Fast and Furious 6 is a really good movie. It's smart, suspenseful, full of action and entertainment. Usually when I watch a Fast and Furious movie, I have 2 things in mind: car races and chases. At this point, the fast and furious saga has become a cliche almost but that hasn't become the case since "Fast Five" in 2011. From the first scene of F & F 6, I became mesmerized with the opening credits montage of where the the movies have gone so far while jamming to the music stylings of 2 chainz and Wiz Khalifa in the background. Sure, from the first chase, my eyes did have a problem trying to keep up with all the action considering it was set at night time, but my eyes adjusted as the film continued. Don't hate me for saying this but I enjoyed the villian known as Owen Shaw in this year's film. He was a true example of "Knowledge is power" and just when it seemed that the story was about to end, he came back with a twist that kept the story going and made it more interesting. He was unpredictable and his intelligence is what made him scary. Also, I didn't mind the multiple love stories that were evolving throughout the film. I thought they were cute, and really did bring out the emotion of sympathy and romance while in the middle of all the action that was going on throughout the film. In general, there is always room for love in movies. "Fast Five" was my favorite movie out of the saga. That was until I watched "Fast and Furious 6." Now they're both tied for #1, lol, until the next guaranteed Fast and Furious film arrives in theaters. I give Fast and Furious 6 a 4 out of 5.

Jbang Reviews presents "Man of Steel." Today, I went to the neighboring theater of Rave Motion Pictures to see "Man of Steel." I don't usually watch movies based off DC Comics, since I am a dedicated Marvel fan but I decided to at least give this movie a chance since I did indeed enjoy the movie "Dark Knight Rises" which was directed by the producer of this movie, Christopher Nolan. First thing I have to say is that this movie is SOOO LOOONG. It starts off with an emotional scene filled with sacrifices but after that, the movie was slow in capturing my interest. I mean it takes an hour or so filled with flashbacks and discoveries before it gets to the first fight scene where the special effects truly live up to their full potential. But when I finally got to the end, I looked back through the film's moments to realize this movie isn't about fight scenes and OMG moments, it's more about heroic actions and how they define the characters perpetrating them and how they are viewed by society and later determined whether they were good or bad decisions. In my opinion, this was not the best Superman movie. Perhaps the best Superman movie has yet to made and maybe there is a chance that the sequels or the remakes will be better but until that happens, "Dark Knight Rises" continues to be my favorite movie out of the DC Comics Universe and I will continuing watching and enjoying the action packed and comic relief stylings from the Marvel Cinema Universe. It was hard to grade this movie how many other people may have loved it because they like emotional storylines where the main characters struggle with the morals they are raised with in an entertaining out of this world way, but I’m not everyone else (sorry) and to me, this sucked. It doesn’t suck as bad as “Green Lantern” but it does suck. I give it a 2 out of 5.

JBang Reviews present: The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This movie had so much hype going into it. This “what I considered to be an unnecessary reboot by Sony” was continuing its attempt to make a perfect Spider-Man universe by releasing the Amazing Spider-Man 2, with more villains, more storylines and more cheesy one-liners. Hmmm…Sounds familiar. Didn’t Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 promise the same thing, as well as Joel Schumacher’s 1997 train-wreck, Batman and Robin movie? Well, yeah. And as bad as those movies were, this movie is no different. The movie starts off pretty well, Peter Parker’s new and improved costumed Spider-Man chases one of three of the main villains, Aleksei Sytsevich a.k.a Rhino throughout the streets of New York. It’s a funny and face paced action scene that stays true to the culture of Spider-Man. Unfortunately after that, it’s just character introductions. In terms of “Pros” for this movie, I loved how they handled the relationship between Peter and Harry Osborn. It was complex and truly expressed the fact that Peter was Harry’s only friend, and Harry was Peter’s only friend (Gwen doesn’t count because she’s Peter’s girlfriend). This dynamic made it even more heart-breaking when Harry turned in the Green Goblin. As a matter of fact, Harry was the best villain in this movie. The producers said that Electro would be the main villain for the film but evidently, I was disappointed with his portrayal. This is where the “Cons” begin. Before his transformation, we are suppose to feel bad for Max Dillion, played by Jamie Foxx, but instead, just like his character, he disappears. It’s his birthday and nobody cares, not even OsCorp, which make him work through the night when a freak accident occurs making him Electro, a supervillian that can control and create electricity. The fight scenes he has with Spider-Man are impressive and are heavily dependent on CGI. What upsets me though is that after Spider-Man confronts Electro for the first time in Time Square, he completely forgets about him and the next 45 to 50 minutes is spent on Peter trying to find out what happened to his parents and trying to handle his relationship with Gwen Stacy. Another thing I didn’t like was that Electro motives toward trying to kill Spider-Man and control New York are “unbelievable,” and by that I mean it seems he’s getting mad over nothing. His reaction is an overreaction, and because he overacts over the smallest of things, it makes it harder for me to feel bad for him. Electro could have been made into something stellar and actually scary but in the end, he just becomes a wasted opportunity and a failure of a Spider-Man villain. Overall, after the Time Square scene, the movie actually becomes dull and boring until the grand finale, and even that feels rushed. Plus, in the first “Amazing Spider-Man” movie, I had a problem with it being too short. In this movie I have a problem with it being too long, and for a movie being too long, I wouldn’t have had a problem with that if it had more action sequences and a solid plot to focus on, but in the case of this movie, it has multiple plot lines to get lost in, 3 scenes that total up to maybe 20 minutes of action and endless character development. The best thing about this film is a more comedic Spider-Man and the inclusion of a more vengeful-insane like Green Goblin. Other than that, the movie fails to “amaze” me. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” gets a 2 out of 5.

JBang Reviews presents Captain America: the Winter Soldier. Wow! Just Wow! If I had to describe the Winter Soldier in 2 words, it would be "game-changer." Before I get into that statement a little more, I must revoke my earlier claim that this movie could be as good as "The Dark Knight" based on Rotten Tomatoes earlier documented score. After watching both in their entirety, both movies are incomparable to each other. Both serve a different plot as well as a different atmosphere. Anyhow, back to the review...the reason I call it a game changer is because it doesn't follow the traditional Marvel Superhero movie formula, which is Intro, Fight, Joke after Joke, Final Boss Battle, Easter Egg after Credits, then done. Captain America doesn't follow this formula. As advertised, it is pretty much a political thriller with Superheros and Spies but to REALLY appreciate the full SHOCK VALUE of the twists and turns that come along with this movie, I strongly suggest you watch the first movie as well as either read a few Captain America comics from back in the day or do some research on www.marvel.com. The Winter Soldier happens to also be the most brutal Marvel movie to date. You can hear every bone breaking move the Captain delivers and when you hear a shield made out of pure vibranium smack someone straight in the face, the sound of pain is memorable. Right, Lucas Kirby and Danny Karp?The movie also does a great job in character developement. Whether it's through flashbacks or speeches as to why they fight, you feel a sense of either gratitude or connection towards the characters. Plus the villians themselves are very memorable whereas the vallians in Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 are much more forgettable and unclear. In my opinion, what I think makes this movie way better than Iron Man 3 and Thor: the Dark World is that this movie's plot is much more realistic. Sure, Super-Soldiers frozen in time and "transendent" A.I. are improbable, but the fact that the realism is that anyone can die because they are still made out of real flesh and bone, unlike the supernatural Thor and Invincible Iron Man, it what builds suspense throughout the movie as well as a sense of connection among the characters and the viewers. I used to think Captain America was, well, the most expendable hero out of the Avengers: Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor, but this movie explored the true potential of Captain America and the worth of his value to any team he is one. He is a VALUABLE asset and symbol to not only the Avengers but AMERICA!!! This is by-FAR the best Marvel Movie out of the phase 2 lineup since the Avengers came out. Sorry not sorry for the essay but this movie gets the score of 4.5 out 5.

Hello J-Bangers. This is your Captain Speaking, THE Jonathan Brown. Welcome to J-Bang Reviews!!! This site is where you come to find out whether the latest movies are good enough for you to see or not. Here at J-Bang Reviews, we score movies on a scale of 1-5. Our reviews may extend from one short paragraph to a long essay. It truly depends on the movie. So...YEAH! Hopefully this will evolve into something fierce and revolutionary. Have fun and "May the Force Be with You."