Movie Monday Update Week of April 8th

Posted by treysolis90 on April 8, 2013

Hello and Happy Monday TC readers! Not a lot of big releases this week for both retail and the theaters but there are quite a few exciting trailers to check out. Don’t forget to check out my Community review on Herstory of Dance (4.08) here! You can also check out my review on Evil Dead (2013) right here if you haven’t done so! Let’s go ahead and get started!

In Case You Missed It:

A trailer for the movie Grown Ups 2 released last week and you can check it out right here! Lenny moves his family back to his hometown! The comedy cast returns with a few fresh faces! Grown Ups 2 stars, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Adam Sandler. The movie is set to hit theaters on July 12, 2013!

A trailer for the movie The Purge hit the web last week and you can check it out right here! America is facing a time of growth and stability due to the fact that one night a year all crime is legal. When one family finds themselves taking in an extra member they’re faced with the difficult task of letting him stay or giving him up to the people hunting him down. The Purge stars Lena Headey, Adelaid Kane, Max Burkholder, and Ethan Hawke. The movie is set to hit theaters on May 31st, 2013!

A new trailer for the movie The Great Gatsby hit the web last week and you can check it out here! The trailer shows off some additional footage as well as plot points! The Great Gatsby stars Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Leonardo DiCaprio! The film is set to release on May 10th, 2013!

A trailer for the movie Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters hit the web last week and you can check it out here. When their last safe haven is threatened by the foretold return of Chronos Percy and his friends head out into the sea of monsters to retrieve the golden fleece. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters stars Scott Alexander, and Marc Guggenheim and is set to release on August 16th, 2013!

A new full length trailer for the remake Carrie hit the web last week and you can check it out here! Carrie stars, Chloe Grace Moretez, and Julianne Moore, and Judy Greer. Carrie is set to hit theaters on October 18th, 2013!

A second trailer for the movie This is the End hit the web last week and you can check it out here. While at James Franco’s party a group of celebrities must band together and survie the apocalypse. This is the End stars Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Emma Watson, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, and James Franco. The movie is set to hit theaters on June 14th, 2013!

That does it for a glimpse of last week’s trailers. Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment below and let us know! Let’s go ahead and move on into home releases.

Coming to Blu-ray/DVD:

December 9th:

Coming to Theaters:

See anything that’s missing? Comment and let us know!

That does it for this week! Be sure to keep coming back every Monday and Saturday for new Thinking Cinematic content!

As always, I want to end with this. Thinking Cinematic is looking for more writers. Feel like sending in a guest post? Want to be apart of the Thinking Cinematic team? Send your emails to: ThinkCinematicReviews@Gmail.com

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9 
Twitter: @Think_Cinematic

Movie Monday Update Week of March 11th

Posted by treysolis90 on March 11, 2013

Hello and Happy Monday TC readers! Can you feel it? The summer blockbuster season is quickly approaching and with it comes exciting movie trailers! A ton of movies are set to release to retail this week with a rather lax release schedule at the theaters. Don’t forget to check out my Community Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations here if you haven’t already. You can also check out my review on Oz the Great and Powerful here as well! Let’s get started!

In case you missed it:

The gang is back! A teaser trailer for The Hangover Part III hit the Internet last week with the trio back in action. The movie stars, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, and John Goodman and is set to release on May 24^th, 2013!

A second official trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness hit the Internet last week that shows new footage as well as some additional plot details. Star Trek Into Darkness stars, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Chris Pine and is set to hit theaters on May 17, 2013!

A new trailer for DreamWorks’ The Croods hit the web last week with new footage and additional plot details. The Croods features the voice talents of, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, and Nicolas Cage and is set to hit theaters on March 22^nd, 2013!

After Earth also received another exciting trailer with additional footage and more detailed plot points. After Earth stars, Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith and is set to hit theaters on June 7^th, 2013!

Finally, Iron Man 3 released its second official trailer last week and it is action packed. Iron Man 3 stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsly, and Robert Downey Jr. and is set to hit theaters on May 3^rd, 2013!

That does it for a glimpse of last week’s trailers. Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment below and let us know! Let’s go ahead and move on into home releases.

Coming to Blu-ray/DVD this week we have:

March 12th:

Here’s a look at what’s coming to the theaters!

March 15^th Wide Releases:

March 15th Limited Releases (Check your local listings):

Spring Breakers (Everywhere March 22^nd)
Reincarnated

See anything that’s missing? Comment and let us know!

That does it for this week! Be sure to keep coming back every Monday and Saturday for new Thinking Cinematic content!

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9
Twitter: @Think_Cinematic

Oz the Great and Powerful

Posted by treysolis90 on March 9, 2013

Oz the Great and Powerful features shallow characters, save for two wonderfully written and acted side characters. The movie is earnest and it’s easy to see that it was trying to work with what it had but vanilla story arcs and predictability hamper the film. The antagonists don’t feel that menacing and have motivations that make the film feel like a high school teen drama. Visually the movie is a grab bag ranging from breathtaking scenes to distracting CGI that feel like the movie focused more on showing off its technical prowess than working on story. Story arcs aren’t fully realized on screen and there’s an overall shallow feel to the film. However, the strong second half features enough heart and charm in its characters to pass as a children’s adventure story for the more forgiving fans and families.

Aiming to recapture the magic and wonder of the 1939 classic, Oz the Great and Powerful released this past Friday. Starring Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, and James Franco this spiritual prequel is directed by Sam Raimi and released on theaters everywhere March 8th, 2013.

Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of Oscar Diggs (Franco), aka Oz, who is circus magician in a travelling circus. He is a womanizing con artist who uses cheap tricks to lure in audiences. He performs with his assistant Frank (Braff), who sticks with his friend no matter how badly Oz treats him. When an angered strongman discovers that Oz has been talking to his girlfriend he chases Oz throughout the circus but not before Oz escapes in an air balloon. Thinking that he has finally escaped, Oz gets sucked into a cyclone that will forever change his life.

My biggest problem with Oz the Great and Powerful is the fact that the film’s main protagonist is one dimensional and unlikeable. I understand that this is set up for his character arc but it’s not satisfying and by the time everything is wrapped you could argue that Oz doesn’t change that much at all. He remains somewhat egotistical, as can be seen in one of the scenes involving gifts, and shows a very shallow remorse for the characters he affected with his actions. There’s very little change and redemption for Oscar Diggs, and although you can see where they were trying to go with the character I don’t feel that it was fully realized on screen. James Franco brings enough charm to the character to make him entertaining, but at the end of the film I just didn’t feel like he was a well-written protagonist.

Even the antagonists of the film seem so underdeveloped with motivations that make the movie feel like a high school teen drama. There’s not enough time dedicated to establish characters and prove their villainy, and instead we are given rushed plot twists that are underwhelming and predictable. In fact, almost all the antagonists’ terrible actions are done off screen. The rest of the film is just chasing characters from one scene to the next. It’s hard to be a great movie when both your protagonist and your antagonists are so underdeveloped, but luckily for Oz the Great and Powerful there are two side characters that make the film fun.

Both Finley (Braff) the flying monkey and China (Joey King) the china doll are wonderfully voiced and are such loveable characters. It took a little while to warm up to Finley but the endearing personality and humorous asides make Finley a great companion for Oz. Braff’s comedic style is a hit and miss but the jokes he delivers are all perfectly timed. Stylistically I wasn’t as impressed with Finley’s CGI. He often stuck out and felt like his character design could have used more polish. China on the other hand is both wonderfully animated and a great character. The introduction of China was one of the more powerful scenes of the film and one of the few scenes where we do see some change in Oz. Joey King does a wonderful job of voicing the ambitious but fragile character and ended up making China my favorite character of the movie. Together these two lovable side characters bring enough fun and entertainment to the film help save it from its otherwise lack luster characters, especially when the first half of the movie is such a slow crawl.

Suffering from a less than stellar first half, the film manages to make up for it in the second half. Dialogue is incredibly stiff and awkwardly delivered with acting that makes it feel cheesy. Things move at a very slow pace and it creates a very awkward tone. I would have liked to see more time dedicated to demonstrating the tyranny of the wicked witch in Oz to establish her as an evil character. The second half of the film is better and by the climatic battle the characters have worked their charm enough to make it exciting. The digital effects are fantastic and I found myself invested in the action. All said and done there’s enough heart in the movie to make it enjoyable for families as well as fans of the 1939 movie. There are a lot of subtle nods and callbacks that are fun to look out for and even if it is somewhat of a shallow take, it’s cool to see the world of Oz expanded.

Visually Oz the Great and Powerful is a grab bag. Some of the visuals can be distracting and plastic feeling with characters that don’t mesh well enough with the real world, like the river pixies or evil plants in the dark woods. It can make it feel like a very busy candy coated spectacle that feels more like the movie is trying to show off its technical prowess without actually working on story. There are also plenty of gimmicky 3D shots that personally take me out of the film. I’m a fan of 3D when used cleverly but Oz the Great and Powerful tries to shove it in your face. On the other hand China is the strongest animated character of the film and she blended really well with her live action counterparts. The animators did such a wonderful job of conveying so much emotion in the movements and facial expressions on a china doll. Emerald City is a grand spectacle to look at but after a while it loses its luster and you can see how empty it feels and could easily join the ranks of some of the hollow Star War Prequels sets. This can be said about majority of the locations in Oz the Great and Powerful, especially when the live actors are on screen. The movie looks its best as the climatic battle begins in Oz and the heroes begin to set their plan in motion. Everything comes together and looks extremely satisfying on screen.

Overall Oz the Great and Powerful is earnest enough and you can see that it was trying to make the most with what it had. Living up to the 1939 classic was a monumental task and though it didn’t reach that goal it’s still has enough heart and charm to pass as a children’s adventure story and please the more forgiving fans as well as families.

Interested in writing reviews or news posts for Thinking Cinematic? Contact me at ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com! You can also send your guest reviews there too!

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9 
Twitter: @Think_Cinematic
Email: ThinkCinematicReviews@Gmail.com

Movie Monday Update Week of March 4th

Posted by treysolis90 on March 4, 2013

Hello and Happy Monday TC readers! Four new releases headed to retail this week with a lax weekend at the theaters! Don’t forget to check out my Community review on Alternative History of the German Invasion here! Also you can check out my review for Jack the Giant Slayer here if you haven’t already! Let’s get started!

In case you missed it:

A trailer for the movie, What Maisie Knew hit the Internet today! A young New York City girl finds herself caught in the aftermath of a bitter divorce from her parents. She learns to adjust with all the changes and makes the most of it. What Maisie Knew stars Alexander Skarsgard, Steve Coogan, and Julianne Moore. The film has a tentative 2013 release date.

A trailer for the movie, Disconnect, hit the web last week. The movie tells the story of different people whose lives are closely connected to modern technology. The film stars, Jason Bateman, Alexander Skarsgard, Hope Davis, and Frank Grillo and features a tentative coming soon release date.

A new trailer for the movie, Oblivion, hit the web last week. The new trailer features additional footage and plot information. The film stars, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, and Tom Cruise and is set to hit theaters on April 19, 2013!

A new trailer for the movie, Erased hit the web last week. A man is forced on the run when his former employers begun completely erasing any traces of the company, including employees. Erased stars, Aaron Eckhart, Olga Kurylenko, and Neil Napier, and is set to hit theaters on May 10^th, 2013!

A trailer for the movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, hit the web last week. After having to evacuate their home town after the events of the first movie, Flint and his friends eventually return only to find out that his machine is still operational. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs stars, Bill Hader, Neil Patrick Harris, Terry Crews, and Anna Faris, and is set to hit theaters in September 2013!

That does it for a glimpse of last week’s trailers. Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment below and let us know! Let’s go ahead and move on into home releases.

Coming to Blu-ray/DVD this week we have:

March 5th:

Here’s a look at what’s coming to the theaters!

March 8thWide Releases:

March 8th Limited Releases (Check your local listings):

Emperor

See anything that’s missing? Comment and let us know!

That does it for this week! Be sure to keep coming back every Monday and Saturday for new Thinking Cinematic content!

Thinking Cinematic is looking for more writers. Feel like sending in a guest post? Want to be apart of the Thinking Cinematic team? Send your emails to: ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com Movie and TV reviews are both welcome!

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9
Twitter: @Think_Cinematic

Movie Monday Update Week of January 28th

Posted by treysolis90 on January 28, 2013

Hello and Happy Monday TC readers! Got quite a few trailers this week as well as a lot of retail releases. Not as much releasing nation wide this week but still interesting releases nonetheless. If you haven’t checked out my latest review on Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters check it out here. The review may surprise you!