Blog Series


Taking a quick break from my NaNoWriMo word-crush assault to bring you a handful of movie trailers. I decided I would try to share some more family friendly movies. It is Thanksgiving after all! I thought this would be a pain, considering I just shared 6 animated features last week (XVIII | Trailer Tuesday | XVIII). As luck would have it, though, there were a few more family-orientated trailers popping up. Usually I post six trailers, but tonight will only be three. Enjoy!

Muppets: Most Wanted (3/21/2014):

It looks like we have some more Muppet action coming soon! I really enjoyed the reboot, and was a little saddened to find Jason Segel didn’t write (and possibly not appear in) this sequel. It does have the same director, though. And like most every Muppet movie, it has it’s fair share of celebrities and guest star cameos. I’ve always like that aspect of The Muppets. I suppose Segel’s goal was to revamp the franchise and breath some new life into it. Missions accomplished, I say. Muppets Most Wanted looks like it will be more of the same you have come to expect from the franchise, and that’s a good thing. Will I see this in the theaters? It’s very possible.

Maleficent (5/30/2013):

Here was have the classic Sleeping Beauty tale told from the perspective of the villain. The teaser trailer it pretty well done. I really like the voice over of Princess Aurora with the snippets of Maleficent played throughout and then highlights when she steps out of the shadows. I would be interested in seeing this movie, but I’m not sure if I’d see it in theaters. I don’t think I have seen Angelina Jolie in a movie for some time, and this seems an interesting role for her. That isn’t exactly enough to get me to the theater, though.

The Boxtrolls (9/24/2014):

It seems that the creators of The Boxtrolls listened to me last week, because they just released a new trailer! Unfortunately, the trailer doesn’t show anything more about the movie, but it does show their creative process in the making of The Boxtrolls, which I find to be pretty fascinating. As I said last week, it’s still almost an entire year out, so it may be until Spring of 2014 until we see an actual full-length trailer.

Did any of the highlighted trailers interest you? Did you like The Muppets reboot? If so, any interest in the sequel?

This week I decided to gather together a handful of movie trailers for animated films coming out soon. I believe all of them are due to release in 2014, pending schedule changes. I contemplated saving this list for next week, as it’s a holiday week. They would make for a great “family” theme, but I am hoping for some sweet trailers to be released with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, hitting theaters this Friday, which I can then share next Tuesday. I feel I really missed the mark by not having a horror theme for the week of Halloween too, but there is always next year, right?

The Nut Job (1/7/2014):

As you all know, I love me some squirrels. When they are featuring the voice talents of actors like Will Arnett and Liam Neeson? Even better. Part of me feels (from the trailer) that this animated film is of the lower budget, more independent end of the spectrum. I could be wrong, though. The animation doesn’t look to be poor quality, but I guess I worry about just how predictable it may be, and/or the funnier bits used up in the trailer. That being said, however, I am definitely not opposed to seeing squirrels commit a nut heist in the theaters! I mean come on, let’s be serious now...

The Wind Rises (2/21/2014):

I am a fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s work, my favorite being Howl’s Moving Castle, which I highly recommend if you haven’t yet seen it. Other animated films of his I’ve enjoyed include Spirited Away and Ponyo. I’m not certain if many others share his style, but every time I’ve seen a trailer for one of his animated movies I know who it is right off the bat. This title seems a bit different from what I’m familiar with, but I’m sure it will be great. It’s already released, and I’m sure you can find it easy enough online to watch, but the US theatrical release isn’t due until next February. Pretty excited to see this film!

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (3/7/2014):

I wanted to post this a week or two ago, after seeing a fellow blogger — Clark — using a still shot of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, but am glad I waited until now. I used to watch The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, but I honestly can’t remember the segments featuring these two characters. I think I would be more excited to see this if I did. It doesn’t look too bad, but I definitely have no emotional/nostalgic attachment to it. Maybe someone can fill me in on their part in that animated show? This animated feature is sure to have some good laughs and appeal greatly to a younger crowd (and the older nostalgic crowd?), but I am definitely okay waiting until RB/Netflix.

Rio 2 (4/11/2014):

Admittedly Rio is a movie I never got around to watching, and I watch a good many animated flicks. It originally never appealed to me, but I heard good things about it, and so I hope to watch the first installment sooner than later. This trailer (which is technically a teaser), however, doesn’t give me much to go on (Rio is the blue bird right?). I did find it funny, though, so I will wait to see what the full trailer reveals once it’s finally released before I determine where I stand with it. Pretty hit or miss at the moment... Edit: Was able to find a trailer, the "teaser" I mentioned is featured at the end of it. Was probably the best part of what the trailer [for me], so I think I may be waiting for RB/NFlix on this one.

Planes 2: Fire & Rescue (7/18/2014):

ACK! Another animated sequel of a movie I never saw. I really liked Cars (mind you, I haven’t seen any sequels), but Planes never really appealed to me. Then again, neither did Cars originally, so maybe I should finally give the first movie a go. It isn’t likely to make me want to check out the sequel, though. I’ve been pretty anti-sequel with most animated films. There are sometimes exceptions like the Toy Story franchise and the upcoming How to Train Your Dragon 2, but I’m really picky about it. Despite my thoughts, the first installment was met with quite the financial success and so it only makes sense that they would continue to pump out sequels. Again, like most animated features, this is likely to appeal to the younger crowd, some fans of the franchises, and bring in some good cash. I’ll be content with waiting it out.

The Boxtrolls (9/24/2014):

I don’t know a whole lot about this animated film. I like the trailer, and it piques my interest, but not much is explained in the feature. It makes me feel like I am unaware of some common folklore that I wish I was more knowledgeable about. The animation looks really good, and the mystery surrounding it all intriguing. I worry, though, that this trailer has been released a year before it’s release date. If it were being released by a very prominent animation company or a part of an already sound franchise, that would be a different matter entirely. As it is, this is not the case with this animated film. Well (brief research shows) it seems they did Caroline and ParaNorman, so who’s to say. I was going to mention how sometimes these movies never see the light of day. All I can say for sure is that we have nearly a year’s wait to find out.

Did any of the highlighted trailers interest you? Do you have a favorite animated film and/or franchise? Any thoughts about the continual making of sequels for animated films? Are you familiar with Mr. Peabody & Sherman? Are you a fan of the original Rio and/or Planes movies?

Oldboy (11/27/2013):

It's been about ten years since the original Oldboy, and possibly only six years since I experienced it. Only one viewing, but many of the scenes have stuck with me over time. When I saw they were remaking (or Americanizing it) the movie, I felt the sudden, reactive surge of disappointment. Some I know are angry. When you love an original version of something, it's easy to become emotional when it gets reworked. There is much potential for "ruining" a piece of work you've enjoyed and/or fallen in love with. I'm not too thrilled about this remake, just the same as I wasn't with the remake of Infernal Affairs (or rather, The Departed as it was called once Americanized). Those who have never seen the originals of remakes (especially the foreign ones) are generally indifferent. It's easy to understand why. I'm usually passionate about these types of remakes, but I will undoubtedly give this movie a shot, much as I did with The Departed. In the theater, though? To be determined... I'm interested in seeing how they handle some of the subject matter.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Sneak Peek) (12/13/2013):

I believe I’ve already stated about how excited I am to see this movie in a previous Trailer Tuesday posting. There isn’t much more to say beyond being unable to wait. This sneak peek was released last week, and while I wanted to share it right away, I’ve been bound to other (failed) duties as of late. I definitely wasn’t going to allow two weeks to lapse before sharing, though, and so here you are. Some more Hobbity goodness to wet your palate until the release a month away

Lone Survivor (12/27/2013):

I’ve a bad feeling the title says it all. This is supposedly based on a real life failed mission, and a newer trailer is touting it as the new Saving Private Ryan. This is the first trailer, chosen because I like the song cover, and while I think it looks good, I don’t feel it will be anywhere close to being of the same caliber as Saving Private Ryan. I would, however, be interested in seeing this movie, and reserve any final judgments until after having done so. I am pretty open to seeing most any movie Wahlberg stars in. Over the years, he has grown on me as an actor.

The Railway Man (1/1/2014):

Another war related movie. I’ve never been a huge fan of Colin Firth, but it may be due to the lack of knowledge/exposure to most of his movies. I think the main movie (that  know of) that he is known for is Pride and Prejudice. I may be wrong, but I’m not going to look it up right now. Beyond that, I’m pretty unfamiliar with any of his work. He probably has slipped into a handful of movies I really enjoy, but I’ve just never singled him out as an actor I follow. That is not to say this movie doesn’t look good, because it does, just thinking it falls into the RB/NFlic category for me.

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Been some time since my last video game trailer posting, but I was really hoping both of these games would have had more in depth, fuller trailers available by now. Holding off on sharing them, has not yielded such luck, so thought I would share now, and highlight the fuller trailers once they are available. Mind you, these are months old now...

Halo 5 (2014):

I’ve stated before in my blog that Halo is one of my most beloved First Person Shooter series. Starting from the original Xbox, and through each title available on Xbox 360 (though I lapsed on the third installment and Halo Wars, I eventually caught up — at least with Halo 3).  For the entire run, Bungie had worked with Microsoft bringing this exclusive Xbox title to life. Halo 4 marked the departure of the series creator from the series, handing it over to 343 Industries. I feel they have proven themselves to be a worthy successor, and am highly anticipating Halo 5 of the universe I’ve grown so familiar with. I’m uncertain if this title will be exclusive to XBox One (Microsoft’s next generation system), but I’d imagine for sales sake it will be available on the XBox 360 too.

Destiny (Spring 2014):

This is Bungie’s next foray into the gaming world. Destiny is an epic semi-MMO open world FPS/RPG. A lot of the footage released of gameplay has looked solid, but it’s all been repetitive. No new footage, at least nothing that gets me more amped up. The thing is, though, they don’t need to. I’m already sold. Already have the game pre-ordered, and am set to be involved in the Beta testing this coming January 2014. I’ve sworn off MMOs (sometimes my delving into which I refer to as The Dark Ages), but I am twisting the rules on this one being it’s mainly open to solo play indefinitely if wanting to, which is similar to Defiance, and not the hardcore grinding that makes up a lot of the experiences with World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy Online. I’ve already warned my girlfriend that once this game comes out, I may be “dead” to the world. Should prove to be interesting, to say the least...

Did any of the highlighted trailers interest you? Have you seen the original Oldboy. If so, what are your thoughts about the remake? Are you getting excited the sequel to The Hobbit is almost here? Are you a Halo fan? If so, have you kept up with the series after Bungie passed the torch to 343 Industries? Are you excited for Bungie’s next epic endeavor Destiny?

XVI | TRAILER TUESDAY | XVI


Free Birds (11/1/2013):

Starting out with the first of three movies opening this week is Free Birds. Just in time for Thanksgiving is this animated feature about a turkey recruited to save the future of all turkey-kind! It looks pretty funny, especially those yellow suited men, which remind me of minions from Despicable Me. Maybe it’s the color? That laughing? I’m not sure. I haven’t seen this trailer much, though I only watch TV on Mondays, but it was released a few months ago. I had completely forgotten about it, and saw it was slotted to come out this week. Thought I best share. Hopefully a good handful of families will get out and see this for the upcoming holiday season. This makes me ponder if I missed some Halloween themed animated movies...

Last Vegas (11/1/2013):

This is a trailer I attempted to post up weeks ago. For some reason when it was released online, it was pulled? Youtube was even devoid of it with the exception of interviews and/or snippets. Since this is coming out Friday I wanted to get it up, as again, I forgot about the movie. I really like the ensemble of lead actors. The only one I’m not too familiar with is Kevin Kline. I’ve seen a small handful of his movies, but I guess I never came to be overly impressed with any of them? The others, however, have quite the list of movies I thoroughly enjoy and love. Morgan Freeman being the frontrunner. My hope is that this isn’t a Grown Ups movie where I had the feeling they just got together X amount of big-name (or were once upon a time) actors and threw them in a movie together. Then made a sequel… Even if it is, the one scene with a “drunk” Morgan Freeman would make it worthwhile I’d imagine. At least for a one-time viewing. On RB/Netflix.

Mr. Nobody (11/1/2013):

Lastly, for this week’s releases is Mr. Nobody. Can’t say I heard of this one before today. I am a fan of Leto’s band 30 Seconds To Mars, and some of the movies he’s previously had roles in, but this was definitely under the radar. Looks to be a foreign release, and more independent, so I’m not sure how wide a release it will have. Looks to be centered around the possibility of alternate timelines based on choices made (or rather not made?). It looks interesting, but I will definitely be waiting for it to hit Redbox and/or Netflix. Side note: doesn't that doctor look like a character from Ender's Game?

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (12/20/2013):

So it continues… the Legend of Ron Burgundy. I swear I avoided the first movie like the plague for months, if not years. I can’t even recall when I broke down and actually watched it. I was strongly opposed to Will Ferrell and watching any of his movies, because they looked so stupid. Then I eventually watched it, and loved it. It was stupid, but a good stupid. Kind of like Dumb and Dumber (not the sequel, which I haven’t seen, so maybe it’s unfair to say it’s not?), but with a Spanish-speaking dog… Anyhow, I was really hoping that would remain a standalone. Hopefully the sequel is as good as the first, for what it was, and just isn’t Hollywood filler. I really like many of the actors involved, and I literally almost stopped the trailer after about 10 seconds in, when Brick was mentioned. Glad I gave it a full watch. I may be open to seeing this in theaters, but it comes out during a busy time against some potential blockbusters.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (4/4/2014):

I wasn’t a fan of the original movie, despite what I believed would be the case. Thor won out between which of the two I’d enjoy the most, much to my surprise. My hope is that after the success of The Avengers that more stock will be placed into these individual storylines and not just be filler for the upcoming ensemble movie. 2015 is a long way out, and if not handled right, could potentially ruin a great franchise. I instantly had issue with the beginning of the trailer: jumping with no parachute. I never read many Captain America comics, and I know he is more superhuman/supersoldier, but yeah… maybe I am just way too unfamiliar. The issue was knocked to the sideline as I noticed Frank Grillo, who was a part of the cast of The Grey (and I was just asking myself if he has been in anything else), and Robert Redford were among the cast. Sweet! The trailer gets better as it goes along and I feel I will definitely enjoy this movie vastly more than the first. This is one I’m interested in seeing on the big screen.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (5/23/2014):

Oh snap, Bryan Singer is back! I’m a bit behind on all the newer movies associated with the X-Men franchise. I loved the first two movies, which Singer directed, but after that I felt it all kind of fell apart. The third installment almost had me walking out of the theater. While that is a bit more common, nowadays, at the time it was a rarity to have that feeling wash over me. I’ve heard X-Men: First Class was good, so I will definitely need to watch it before seeing this one. The movies based on Wolverine’s solo acts, however, I remain skeptical of. This looks like it actually brings together the cast of both the original movies and the newer, which is a grand undertaking. I feel comfortable with the knowledge that Singer is back at the helm, and that attempts will be made to rectify what has occurred over the last half-decade with the X-Men films. I won’t even hold it against him that he left the third X-Men movie to film Superman Returns, which I actually liked unlike most. He really wanted to do the third movie, but the movie industry waits for no one, especially when they cross franchise superhero movies! I’m really excited to see this movie and plan to see it once released!

Did any of the highlighted trailers interest you? Were there any Halloween themed animated movies released this Fall? Are you a fan of any members in the leading cast (De Niro, Douglas, Freeman, Kline) of Last Vegas? Any thoughts on Anchorman 2? Excited for the sequel to Captain America and/or X-Men?

XV | TRAILER TUESDAY | XV


Dear Mr. Watterson (11/15/13):

Not much to say except that I, like many, am one who fell in love with the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip when growing up. It was one of my favorites, alongside Garfield and The Far Side. I generally would save them for last to end my reading session on a good note, because even though I disliked a handful of comic strips, I couldn’t help but read them. I don’t even know why. This will probably have a limited release, and if I happen to hear of one near me I’d love to go see it.


Frozen (11/27/13):

The new film from Disney comes out this Thanksgiving. It looks pretty good, and I’d imagine children will love it. Magic, a giant moose, a talking snowman, what’s not to love? I like most Disney movies, but it’s been a long while since seeing one in theaters. I watched Tangled when released on Netflix and thought it was really good. The only one I skipped was The Princess and the Frog. That and a majority of sequels, as they haven’t really appealed to me. This one seems to have the makings for all those random holiday special renditions if wanting, or maybe that’s DreamWorks? Either way, this looks pretty good and once it hits RB/NF I’ll definitely watch it.

That Awkward Moment - RED-Band - (1/31/14):

Beware, it’s a Red-Band trailer, so make sure you have your big-boy/girl pants on! Nothing too drastic, though, just some swearing mostly… mostly. Zac Efron has been showing up everywhere. Maybe it’s like a number’s game? Eventually, one of these movies is going to land him some respect outside the Disney Zone? Maybe one already has and I’ve just never seen (or heard about) it. He is in Parkland, a movie I highlighted back in VIII | Trailer Tuesday | VIII, which seems to have come and gone (still interested in seeing it). His newest trailers are for movies of a more raunchy nature I’ve noticed (for example: Neighbors, highlighted in X | Trailer Tuesday | X). Maybe he is attempting a little harder to step outside of the cute, sweet “heartthrob”, though this does seem to be a “heartthrob” type role. Whatever the case, this is definitely not a theater-bound movie for me. Perhaps Netflix.

Non-Stop (2/28/14):

I love me some Liam Neeson, but fair warning, this trailer seems spoiler-heavy and in chronological order. I really hate when they do that. Hopefully I’m wrong, but maybe I won’t care? It’s Liam-fucken-Neeson! Sure, I haven’t seen Taken 2 — a bit… gun-shy... on how it would be — but I loved him recently in The Grey and just about every other movie he’s been in. He has great screen presence. I could listen to his voice all night long. George Clooney might start getting jealous. So, Liam Neeson on a plane, taking down bad guys, in a psychological action-thriller? Don’t mind if I do… don’t mind if I do. Just wish the trailer didn’t seem so spoiler-ridden.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (3/7/14):

As I love Liam Neeson’s acting, I love Wes Anderson’s writing/directing. I feel dirty for having not seen Moonrise Kingdom yet and it’s something I really should remedy. This movie looks just as good as many of his past films: Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I noticed Wes Anderson, like some directors do, prefers to use the same actors in his films. Most notably — to me — Bill Murray, which I find awesome. You’ll find that many of the other actors are also featured in his past movies too, though. I’m excited for The Grand Budapest Hotel and really hope to see it once it’s released in theaters!

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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (10/22/13):

I thought I would feature a trailer — with a special bonus Stan Lee voice-over — for a game released today. I’ve been a long time lover of LEGO, so when I was first introduced to the LEGO game series I was pretty ecstatic. I’ve played a good majority of the LEGO games, and while I haven’t unlocked all the achievements (XBox) and/or in-game material, I’ve enjoyed playing every one of them. It’s been a year since playing any, however, but I’ve bought the newer games over that period when they’ve gone on sale. They usually drop from 60$ to 20$ relatively fast. When I saw LEGO finally got their hands on the Marvel franchise I was psyched! Same goes for TMNT! I love the franchises they produce, most of them playing out the storylines of the movies they represent (with some humorous twists of their own thrown in). Definitely plan to pick this up when it’s on sale or reduced to its 20$ price tag. Now if they could only take Halo away from Mega Bloks…

Did any of the highlighted trailers interest you? Did you ever read Calvin & Hobbes? Any favorite Disney, Liam Neeson, and/or Wes Anderson film? Have you ever played any of the LEGO game franchises?

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