The Rare Take - How To Train Your Dragon 2 Review

The Rare Take is a special segment that includes, well, mainly movie reviews. I rarely get to watch movies before they are released publicly, so whenever I do, I write a review, hence "The Rare Take".

It's been four years since Dreamworks' beloved How To Train Your Dragon was released and I want to start off by saying, it's been worth the wait. To me, Dreamworks couldn't equally match Pixar in terms of material and story, but by animation, they are no less. Having watched the first movie, I was really amazed at what this studio pulled off; a feature so grand in animation and thrilling in story, I actually thought Pixar let a great idea get away from them.

Now, How To Train Your Dragon 2, could have been one of those sequels that completely altered everything that made the original mesmerizing, but I'm not sure if it's too exaggerating to say that it is the trilogy's Empire Strikes Back...nevermind, I stand by my case.

The last time we saw the characters, they were young and adventurous. Now, they have grown to become strong and independent, to equally match what the film has in store. If the characters have grown up, so has the audience, for the movie is more heartfelt, exciting, and darker than the original, but of course, the laughs and charm has stayed, especially coming from the film's secondary characters and the dragons.

I wish I could provide a quick synopsis of the film, but I'd rather let it be enjoyed by simply viewing and taking in all the spectacle it contains, especially the battle scenes; so rich in detail and thrills, and a great soundtrack by John Powell to match, to say "breathtaking" is an understatement. 

You might not enjoy a better film this early in the summer, for How To Train Your Dragon 2 challenges the other live-action blockbuster hits at their own game. I'm still arguing for this movie to be considered for the Best Picture category at next year's Oscars, but for now, all I can say is this: again, it is this film's trilogy's Empire Strike Back. 

It's that great.

9.5/10

Video Of The Day - Academy Originals: Creative Spark

This video really interests me, since it has to do with screenwriting, but it also applies to all kinds of writing, whether it be a novel or poem. It's a really amazing small documentary/interview.

Box Office Bet - Maleficent or Million?

Last week's movie releases seemed obvious that X-Men: Days of Future Past would surpass any other film at the box office, but these next two films are a little tough to predict. Opening tomorrow are Disney's Maleficent and Seth MacFarlane's western comedy A Million Ways To Die In The West. Now both films are expected to do well over the weekend, considering that Maleficent is based off of Sleeping Beauty and it's, well, from Disney, and Million is MacFarlane's second feature film after Ted, which made half a billion dollars(!). The main question is, which movie will end up first?

Maleficent has been anticipated since last year's Comic-Con and D23 Expo. Some highlights of the film are Disney (again), Sleeping Beauty, its visual tone (which looks arrestingly great), and, of course, Angelina Jolie. So, my guess is that this will reign at number one with, maybe, over $60 million. As for Million, I'm pretty sure it won't reach the same success as Ted, but it certainly won't be a bomb...financially anyway, because it hasn't been sitting well with critics, neither has Maleficent.

All the other films from last week will drop decently, but X-Men: DOFP might stay at number two, possibly number one, but I doubt it. Basically, I think Monday's top three results will look something like this:

1. Maleficent - Over $60 million
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past - Over $30 million
3. A Million Ways To Die In The West - $20-30 million

It's been a tough and record-breaking month for movies, and it's just the start, so we'll see how it goes.

The Hateful Eight - Production Rumor

Despite having the script leaked by studio executives and a stage reading of the script, there is a rumor that Quentin Tarantino will continue plans on filming The Hateful Eight.

After the leak, he announced that the film would be shelved, but it looks like he might re-work it and start production after all. According to Showbiz 411, filming could start in November.

The film's cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Dern (Nebraska), and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs). Plus, I've heard that Bryan Cranston and Clint Eastwood might be a part of the movie, and if so, I'm looking forward to it.

Final Cut - Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Here's what's been out since Friday:

• X-Men: Days of Future Past reaches the top spot at the box office with $91.4 million, while Blended bombed, not even close to reaching the $30 million I predicted on Thursday. For a full review, head to Box Office Mojo.
• Disappointing announcement from Marvel on Friday. Edgar Wright, director of the Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End) has left production on Ant-Man, due to creative differences from a major script rewrite. No new director attached to the film has been announced yet.
• UPDATE FOR "Alfonso Cuaron: What's Next?": Warner Bros. has announced that the Gravity director will not be attached to the Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
• Godzilla and Monsters director, Gareth Edwards is currently attached to direct two Godzilla sequels and, the best part, a Star Wars spin-off, which is expected to be released on December 16, 2016
• Awesome announcement from Quentin Tarantino at Cannes during the Pulp Fiction 20th anniversary screening, saying that he is planning on turning unreleased material from Django Unchained into a mini-series. 
• New plot details from Pixar's latest Inside Out have been announced on Monday.
• Plus, new rumors from upcoming reboot Jurassic World and a new image.

Well...

...it certainly has been a long weekend. Now I'll try to recap what's happened so far in movie news...

Alfonso Cuarón - What's Next?

Coming off the grand success of last year's Gravity, director Alfonso Cuarón is currently in negotiations with fellow studio partner, Warner Bros. to direct two upcoming films, both of which are adaptations of beloved books: J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and a planned sequel to The Shining, called The Overlook Hotel.

Now, the first is not confirmed, but a Warner Bros. executive has stated that he was "in talks" with the studio. As for The Overlook Hotel, for now, it is just a rumor. Knowing that Cuarón directed the third film of the Harry Potter franchise, he might be attached to the latest spin-off film, but if he also wants to be involved with a Shining sequel, then things could get interesting.

Box Office Bet - Will X-Men: Days of Future Past Beat Godzilla?

Definitely. Absolutely and no doubt about it.  Unless, there is a slight chance that Godzilla continues its reign at number one. Still, both films will perform very well over the weekend. I'm estimating that X-Men: DOFP will pull in at least 75 million while Godzilla will only drop with decent numbers, but as I said, things could change, slightly, considering that the previous film, X-Men: First Class, performed well in 2011, but not enough to beat past the film before it, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Yet, with an all-star cast from both First Class and the original X-Men Trilogy, we might see bigger numbers.

Another film releasing tomorrow is the latest Adam Sandler comedy Blended. Now, for sure X-Men: DOFP and Godzilla will surpass this comedy, but with a fanbase that still actually watch Adam Sandler's films, especially Jack and Jill and That's My Boy, then it might pull in, at most, $30 million. Still, there's Neighbors, which has done very well in revenue with over $150 million dollars worldwide, so I expect Blended to land in fourth place.

And one thing's certain, all films mentioned will beat The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which has been taking a beating over the past three weeks from recent hits Neighbors and Godzilla, and next comes the Fox/Marvel film X-Men: DOFP. So, I expect it to still land in the top five. 

Trailer of the Day - Foxcatcher

The first trailer for Bennett Miller's latest drama, Foxcatcher, was released on Monday. The film stars Channing Tatum (22 Jump Street), Mark Ruffalo (Now You See Me), and a barely unrecognizable Steve Carell, taking a sharp turn from comedy. From the looks of it, with its December release and rave reviews during its Cannes Film Festival run, I expect this film to be mentioned at the Oscars next year. Details of the film below.

FOXCATCHER is a psychological drama directed by Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller (MONEYBALL) and starring Golden Globe winner Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo, Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave and Sienna Miller. The film was written by E. Max Frye and Academy Award nominee Dan Futterman. FOXCATCHER tells the story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins “coaching” a world-class athletic team and, in the process, lures Mark into dangerous habits, breaks his confidence and drives him into a self-destructive spiral. Based on actual events, FOXCATCHER is a gripping and profoundly American story of fragile men who pinned their hopes for love and redemption on a desperate obsession for greatness that was to end in tragedy.

Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice: Title and Logo

Announced by Warner Bros. earlier today are the official title and logo of the new Batman vs. Superman film. I actually believed that Batman vs. Superman was just a working title, but with the new title being official, I'm baffled. And I'm not the only one who finds the title to be bad. 

There are problems with the title. First, I think it would have been better off as Dawn of Justice rather than including the working title. Plus, with the working title, it actually sounds like a court case. Second, the Dawn of Justice part actually hints at the upcoming Justice League film.  

Now the logo. I'm glad that they kept the kept the stylized Superman logo, but the Batman one shows otherwise. To me, it looks as overblown as George Clooney's Batman suit in Batman and Robin. 

That's my view of all this. I really hope the movie itself will be much better than its recent post-production revealings. Yet, along with Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Adventureland) being Lex Luthor, Wonder-Woman (Gal Gadot) appearing in an already packed film, Batman's suit (Batmobile is an exception), and, yes, Ben Affleck, I'm not keeping my hopes up. 

In The Beginning...

Movies. There is a tremendous amount of movie news nowadays that it's kind of hard to keep up, but I try otherwise. I keep telling people that I am such a huge fan of anything film related, but as I much as I say that, it truly doesn't catch up to the true passion I have for this medium, so much that I could tell you a great amount of information and trivia in more time than Ben-Hur. I want to show and talk about anything movie related here, so I will try my best to keep up...easily.