The Wrap

The Wrap #67: It’s a Jungle

TJ Draper — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 17:00:00 GMT

TJ’s Internet may be down for the count, but that’s not going to stop him from bringing you your weekly scoop! This week, TJ brings you news about RoboCop (and how, unsurprisingly, ‘The LEGO Movie’ is trouncing it at the box office). Next up, news that Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will be getting her own Marvel film. That sounds exciting! Ron Howard will be directing one OF TWO upcoming ‘The Jungle Book’ adaptations. This one is for Warner Bros. Jon Favreau is directing the Disney adaption. And RoboCop, both new and old, got a lot of attention at MovieByte this week. TJ wrote a review of both films and it was the subject of much discussion on The MovieByte Podcast episode 80. And then, crime of all crimes, a woman accidentally kept in her possession for several years, a Jennifer Lopez film, ‘Monster-in-Law. Even though the rental store has since shut down, she was still forced to spend the night in jail when her wicked ways caught up with her, and she had to post a $2,000 bond. Wasn’t the JLo film punishment enough? ‘Monster Trucks’ is a movie that’s really happening thanks to the success of ‘The LEGO Movie’. Ugh. And ‘Ninjago’ might be happening before ‘The LEGO Movie 2’ which doesn’t seem like all that bright of an idea, but whatever. And of course, find out what you might like to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

So Much for ‘RoboCop’ — ‘The LEGO Movie’ and ‘About Last Night’ Take Two Top Spots at Box Office
Taking the number one slot for the second week in a row, “The Lego Movie” took in a whopping $48 million, which is better than most movies do in their opening weekend these days. Not even the storms and the binge-friendly “House Of Cards” on Netflix could put a major dent in the box office.
Black Widow’ To Get Her Own Film Starring Scarlett Johansson
Hold on to your hammers, Scarlett Johansson is about to shatter the comic book movie glass ceiling. After stealing scenes from Tony Stark and the rest of super men in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, Scarlett Johansson’s popular spy character Black Widow is going to get her own movie. Marvel Studio president Kevin Feige has said that the Marvel movie universe is going to change dramatically going forward.
Ron Howard to Direct ‘The Jungle Book’ For Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.’ The Jungle Book took a hit last month when Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu dropped out over scheduling conflicts, but now it’s back on track with a new director. Ron Howard has entered talks to helm the live-action adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling adventure.
RoboCop (1987) — Review
I think this film may be one of the more genre confused films I’ve seen in quite a while. It wasn’t sure if it wanted to be a comedy, an action film, a “blood, guts, and gore” film, or just a drama. So the film decides to try it’s hand at all the above and fails miserably.
RoboCop (2014) — Review
I believe that, when you look across the films of history that stand the test of time, the focus is almost always on the story and the characters. My issue with the original film is that they didn’t focus too much on the story and characters. In fact, as I argued, they never really figured out what to focus on. This modern remake is actually quite refreshing in that regard. The story has been almost entirely re-imagined from the ground up.
The MovieByte Podcast #80: I Wouldn’t Buy That for a Dollar
This week, Chad, Fizz, and TJ talk about RoboCop, both old and new. Tune in as the epic battle ensues over which is better! Also, Find out why you should always return your rentals on time so you don’t go to jail, find out about ‘Back to the Future’ style power laces coming in 2015 — right on time, listen to a little pontificating about ‘House of Cards’, and find out that ‘Black Widow will be getting her own Marvel Movie starring, of course, Scarlett Johansson.
Police State Warning: Woman Jailed for Failing To Return Movie Rental From 2005
South Carolina woman Kayla Michelle Finley was sent to jail last week for failing to return a copy of the Jennifer Lopez comedy Monster-in-Law that she’d rented nine years ago. Although the store where she originally picked up the tape, Dalton’s Video, has since shut down, the warrant for her arrest never expired.
‘Monster Trucks’ Begins Casting, ‘Ninjago’ Could Happen Before ‘Lego Movie 2’
Then The Lego Movie hit theaters, dominating the box office and earning stellar reviews besides. Suddenly, a Monster Trucks movie looks like a good idea. Such a good idea, in fact, that it’s begun casting, with Suburgatory‘s Jane Levy and X-Men: First Class‘s Lucas Till eyed for the leads.
Mt. Vesuvius Kills in 3 Days — What To See This Weekend
Decisions, decisions. On the one hand, maybe you’d like to hang out in Pompeii and catch a cheesy (and obviously tragic) love story before the city is buried by Mt. Vesuvius. On the other hand, perhaps you’d rather spend some time getting to know Amber Heard and Kevin Costner while they figure out who to kill in the space of three days — or, something like that.

The Wrap #66: Taco Tuesday

TJ Draper — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 18:00:00 GMT

This week, Will Smith changed his mind again on whether he’s going to be in ‘Independence Day 2’. TJ has more to say about Philip Seymour Hoffman and his big scene left to shoot on ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’. It seems like a digital recreation of the guy is in order so that the film can be finished. ‘Star Wars VII’ will be starting production in May. ‘The LEGO Movie’ was the big deal this week. It brought in a truckload of money on it’s opening weekend, and it was quite a good film. TJ wrote a review, and talked about it with Joe Darnell and Chad Hopkins on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’. And speaking of ‘The LEGO Movie’, a Fox News anchor has completely lost his mind and says the film is anti-business and anti-capitalist. What is his reasoning? Well the villain is named Lord Business. That’s some deep analysis right there. The director of R.I.P.D. will be directing the ‘Divergent’ sequel, ‘Insurgent’ which isn’t even in theaters yet. And of course, find out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

Will Smith Decides Not To Star in ‘Independence Day 2’?
Yes, no, maybe: those are the three answers Will Smith has given to 20th Century Fox about returning for “Independence Day 2” aka “ID Forever” over the past few years. But now it seems he’s made up his mind. Almost. Deadline reports that Smith won’t be starring in the sequel that is set for a 2016 release
Of Course ‘The Hunger Games’ Has To Digitally Recreate Philip Seymour Hoffman
Sources touched on the fact that Hoffman still had one major scene left to film in Mockingjay, Part 2, and that certain filmmaking tricks would have to be employed to complete the movie. Today, yet another version of that story is circulating, with The NY Post becoming the first outlet to confirm that the filmmakers will “digitally recreate” Hoffman in this pivotal scene.
‘Star Wars VII’ Start Date Revealed (No Bothan Spies Harmed)
Multiple sources now have confirmed for us that “Star Wars Episode VII” is set to start shooting mid-May and will run through September of this year, and most principal casting on the film is complete, with many announcements still to come.
‘The LEGO Movie’ Scores $69.1 Million Opening Weekend
Everything is awesome for the team behind The Lego Movie (Cinema Score: A). The 3D animated extravaganza is estimated to have earned a spectacular $69.11 million this weekend — the biggest opening of the still young year, and the second largest February opening ever (the top spot belongs to 2004′s Passion of the Christ).
The LEGO Movie — Review
The basic plot is actually fairly simple, and I’m definitely not saying that’s a bad thing. Overcomplicating such a film would have been a great downfall.
Fox Anchor Dislikes ‘The LEGO Movie’
The LEGO Movie may be a smash hit as it participated in the capitalist system of film and movies, but that doesn’t matter to this intrepid Fox anchor. As a matter of fact it kind of upsets him because of how anti-capitalistic the film is. I mean, just look at the name of the villain, it’s Lord Business.
The MovieByte Podcast #79: Spaceship!
Be careful! Chad might unleash “The Kragle”! In this episode we find out that no one is going to be taken in ‘Taken 3’. Seems like maybe they want to think about a name change then, doesn’t it? Of course Joe, having written a review of ‘Taken 2: Please Take it Back’ has something to say about all this. We also now know the start date of the principle photography for ‘Star Wars VII’. Joe may not be too excited about this, but Chad and TJ are. And then, Chad and Joe get all excited about ‘Back to the Future — The Musical’ coming in 2015. Yeah, they’re geeks. And before diving into the primary review of ‘The LEGO Movie’ the stupidity of Fox News Hosts must be discussed because it directly relates to ‘The LEGO Movie’. And the consensus on said film is that it was quite awesome.
Movieology #8: He Looks Like a Naked Mole Rat
Joe, Michael, and our first-time guest, Rusty, discusss Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’: the thought-provoking story about the relationships of Theodore Twombly. This lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his computer’s OS that is designed to behave like a sentient being. ‘Her’ stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, and Chris Pratt.
‘R.I.P.D’ Director to Helm ‘Divergent’ Sequel ‘Insurgent’
Summit are really confident that everyone is going to see their big, juicy YA adaptation “Divergent” next month. Or they’re at least hoping that their confidence and premature announcement that a sequel is coming will encourage audiences to a buy a ticket. Either way, they’re making plans so that they’re prepared when “Divergent” becomes an (inevitable?) hit film. And they are pinning their hopes on the guy who directed “R.I.P.D.” to keep the franchise moving.
Dead or Alive, You’re Seeing a Movie! — What to See This Weekend
I had hoped to have seen the original RoboCop by the time I wrote this article this weekend so I could have a better idea of what I was in for and a more well informed opinion. Alas, between Netflix playing stupid with the disk, and it not being available for instant watch, that hasn’t happened. It is available for digital rental on Amazon, so I reckon I’ll do that (probably tonight) before I see the remake this weekend at the box office.

The Wrap #65: To Be Taken, or Not To Be Taken…

TJ Draper — Fri, 7 Feb 2014 17:00:00 GMT

The saddest of news this week: Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away from an apparent drug overdose this past week. We have lost one of the great story-tellers. Though he had one scene left to film in ‘The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 2’, it will not affect the film’s release date. In lighter news, J.K. Rowling has seemingly lost her mind and decided it was not after all a good idea to put Ron and Hermione together and thinks that she should have instead put Harry and Hermione together. What a load of rubbish! There’s a lot to look forward to in the upcoming episodes of ‘Agents of SHIELD’. TJ has been nothing but thrilled with this show and doesn’t understand what the problem is for some people. This week, Chad, Fizz, and TJ gathered on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ to discuss ‘American Hustle’. It may not quite be the film that it’s Oscar Nomination would suggest, but it’s worth watching. Netflix has renewed ‘House of Cards’ for a third season and this is great news! And continuing the "off topic" business with Nintendo, TJ talks about how Nintendo has a plan to keep it’s next generation of consoles from being a flop. Then we find out that in ‘Taken 3’ no one is going to be "take" which begs the question, what’s with the name? And of course, TJ walks you through what’s available in theaters for your viewing enjoyment.

Show Notes & Links

Philip Seymour Hoffman Dies at 46
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead of an apparent heroin overdose — with a hypodermic needle still stuck in his arm — inside a Greenwich Village apartment on Sunday, cops said.
‘Mocking Jay’ Parts 1 & 2 Release Dates Won’t be Affected
With your empathies obviously in the right place, the question you might be asking yourself right now is: “Wait,Philip Seymour Hoffman was shooting ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2’ as Plutarch Heavensbee recently. Will the movie be OK?” The answer is: yes.
Philip Seymour Hoffman Had One Major ‘Hunger Games’ Scene Left
According to insiders at the studio, the late Hoffman still had one major scene left to shoot when he died. The filmmakers are now scrambling to work around his absence, possibly by digitally inserting him into some scenes.
J.K. Rowling Has Lost Her Mind, Regrets Hermione and Ron Pairing
In a new interview conducted by Emma Watson, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling drops a bombshell: She’s not so sure she should have put Ron and Hermione together.
‘Agents of SHIELD’ Season 1 — What to Look Forward To
When “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” returns from its mini-hiatus on Feb. 4, expect for the series to go “full throttle” as it airs its final nine episodes of Season 1. According to showrunners Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon, the focus of the show gets a lot tighter for the back half of the series’ first season.
The MovieByte Podcast #78: The Science Oven
Join TJ, Chad, and Fizz for the ultimate Microsoft Windows Fail! Well, okay, that did happen to poor Chad, but the show must go on! It’s sad, but to start things off, the trio discuss the death of Philip Seymore Hoffman. It’s a downer, but it would have seemed wrong not to address it. Then they briefly find out if Chad and TJ did okay discussing Fizz’s top 13 films of 2013. Follwed by a good discussion on the casting of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther. Given TJ’s supreme disdain for ‘Man of Steel’, you wouldn’t think he would have so much to say about it but he does, as do Chad and Fizz. Also in question and discussion, has J.K. Rowling lost her mind? Probably. Then Chad and Fizz get to talk about ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ trailer. And don’t miss out on the spirited discussion of David O. Russell’s latest film, ‘American Hustle’.
Netflix Renews ‘House of Cards’ For a Third Season
“House of Cards” still has a winning hand as Netflix has voted in favor of a third-season renewal for the political drama.
Nintendo Has a Plan For it’s Next Console
contrary to many analysts’ opinions, the biggest problem isn’t that Nintendo lacks a strategy for smartphones and tablets so much as the Wii U has simply lacked the must-have games such as Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart that would make it a must-buy. However, Ars Technica reports that Nintendo is planning to make an important change that could ensure that its next major console doesn’t face a dearth of good games during its launch period.
No One Gets Taken in ‘Taken 3’
But let’s get it from Liam Neeson, via Bleeding Cool. The actor was on the show hosted by Jonathan Ross in the UK, and explained “They called me up and I said “I’ll do it… but only as long as nobody gets taken.”
Vampires Save Monuments with LEGOs — What to see this weekend
Some headlines write themselves don’t they? This one sure did. I looked at the movies being released this weekend, then I looked over at my title field and it had already filled itself in. Seriously though, I think we have one (probably) really good film here, one maybe kind of okay film here, and one that just looks terrible. I’ll list these three newcomers to the box office in that order.

The Wrap #64: Once Upon a Dream

TJ Draper — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:00:00 GMT

TJ brings you up to speed on the goings on in the film world — and some stuff not really in the film world. First up, we’ve got Angelina Jolie’s new ‘Maleficent’ trailer. It’s spooky, scary, and really good looking. And it’s set to an unfamiliar arrangement of a familiar tune. And then TJ strayed a little off the beaten movie path this week to talk about Nintendo in three separate articles. But hey, he’s an adult, he can do what he wants, right? One of the more exciting films coming up in the beginning of this year is ‘The Lego Movie’ and TJ has lots of goodies for you on that front. Be sure to check out the clips from the upcoming film! Chad and TJ talked about ‘The Lone Survivor’ this week on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’. It was better than either of them were expecting. Paramount will bow to Christopher Nolan’s wishes and deliver the upcoming ‘Interstellar’ on both film and in digital format. And in the "say what?" category, ‘Taken 3’ is currently in the works. How many more times can these Bryan Mills and co go through this? And of course, as always, find out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

‘Maleficent’ Trailer Set to ‘Once Upon a Dream’
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Nintendo Considering Smart Phones
It’s a little sad to me that Nintendo is having a hard time of it. I like Nintendo a lot and as far as I’m concerned, the Mario franchise is the best game franchise on the market right now. I admit that I just don’t get some of these games that most of the kids are into these days though. Still, Nintendo has had a lot of hits and misses. Obviously they had a big hit with the NES and again with the SNES. While the Nintendo 64 was not a “miss”, it was not the massive success the previous two consoles had been. And the GameCube was just embarrassing.
Nintendo to Use Smart Devices for Marketing (not full games)?
I think it will be a dismal failure. Not only a failure, but I think it will actively tick people off. The sentiment in the market right now is that people want Nintendo titles on iOS and Android (whether right or wrong as I already discussed). To use those platforms as gimmicks and marketing only will, I believe, be seen as a slap in the face. I cannot think of a worse idea for Nintendo right now.
Nintendo Will Not Bring Games to Mobile Phones
Nintendo Co Ltd dug in its heels on a game console strategy that has dragged it into operating losses for three years in a row, ignoring calls to go mobile and promising instead to wow customers with health-related innovations. Investors were unimpressed, wiping $1.2 billion from the value of Nintendo’s Tokyo-traded shares in little more than 30 minutes on Thursday, as CEO Satoru Iwata made his pitch for a “non-wearable” project in 2015 to help users stay healthy.
9 Clips and a Featurette from the Upcoming ‘Lego Movie’
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The MovieByte Podcast #77: That Ten Dollar Word
Join TJ and Chad for a review of the surprise hit, ‘Lone Survivor’. But up first, TJ got a cool ‘Star Trek’ shirt for his birthday. Then, ‘Atlas Shrugged 3’ is apparently a thing — whatever. TJ and Chad have fun walking through Mike Fissel’s list of top 13 films. The new Maleficent trailer is set to the classic Disney tune ‘Once Upon a Dream’, but it may not be the way you remembered it. And there are nine (count ‘em, NINE) new clips and a really awesome featurette for the upcoming ‘Lego Movie’. Folks, it’s looking pretty awesome! And obviously the reason you’re here is for the primary review. TJ and Chad may differ on their rating but they agree on many of the featured points.
Paramount Will Make an Exception to “All Digital” for ‘Interstellar’
The LA Times reports that Paramount will release both digital and film versions of “Interstellar” when it hits cinemas last this year. And it’s not really a big shock. Of course, the filmmaker has long been an advocate of celluloid, and, naturally, his latest is being shot on 35mm with IMAX utilized for some sequences.
‘Taken 3’ Is In the Works
Deadline reports that the awesomely named “Taken 2” helmer Olivier Megaton will be back to direct “Taken 3,” with Liam Neeson set to reprise his role as the man with special skills. Even more, Forest Whitaker is in talks to join the cast — which will also include Maggie Grace — though there’s no word yet on his role. Villain? Ally? Guess we’ll see, but hopefully Bryan Mills has learned that he probably shouldn’t travel in Europe for a while. In case you were wondering, Luc Besson and Kamen both wrote the script this time out too.
Rerun — What To See This Weekend
There is absolutely nothing new that I can recommend this weekend. That’s January at the cinema I reckon. Still, there are a few things holding out that are worth seeing. And some that aren’t. I’ll do my best to help you narrow down your choices.

The Wrap #63: The End of Film

TJ Draper — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:00:00 GMT

TJ may be a day late getting this episode out, but he’s going to give you the news of the week anyway. Starting off the week we learned that ‘Batman vs. Superman’ has been pushed from 2015 to May 6, 2016. Given how crowded 2015 is, this doesn’t really seem like that bad of a thing. Jamie Alexander will appear on ‘Agents of SHIELD" in her role at Sif which seems exciting. The upcoming James Bond films will build on what happened in ‘Skyfall’ and this also seems like a good thing since ‘Skyfall’ is obviously the best of the three newer ‘Bond’ films. JJ Abrams says the ‘Star Wars VII’ script is done and they will be shooting the film on actual film stock. Federal agents removed a man from the theater and treated him like a criminal because he was wearing Google Glass. This is an extreme miscarriage of justice and an overstepping of bounds. Not to mention that this situation highlights again just how out of control our copyright system is. The focus of this weeks’ reviews and ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ was ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ — a passable film, but kind of disappointing. And it turns out that younger audience are paying no attention to this film. In the category of "sigh", ‘Atlas Shrugged 3’ is moving forward, but just as with part 2, with an all new cast. How inspiring… And of course, find out what to see at the box office this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

‘Batman vs. Superman’ Pushed to 2016
The summer of 2015 just got a tiny bit less crowded. Variety reports that Warner Bros. has just pushed the Man of Steel sequel from July 17, 2015 to May 6, 2016. The new date pits the Zack Snyder-helmed film directly against an as-yet-unnamed Marvel Studios project, though in all likelihood one or the other will move before then.
Jamie Alexander’s Lady Sif Will Appear on ‘Agents of SHIELD’
The Lady Sif is making a trip to Midgard, and her journey will lead her straight to our favorite Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Bond 24 and 25 to “Build on Skyfall”
Talking to IGN, Logan said of the next Bond outing: “My goal is to write a great movie that’s appropriate, to build on what we did on Skyfall, but make it its own unique animal.
JJ Abrams: ‘Star Wars VII’ Script Done, Will Shoot on Film
J.J. Abrams hit the Television Critics Association’s press tour Sunday to promote his upcoming NBC show Believe, and after his panel reporters pelted him with Star Wars: Episode VII questions. What did he say? Not much, but here’s what we got: The script is done: “We’re working really hard and we’ve got our script and we’re in deep prep. Full steam ahead.”
Federal Agents Take Man Out of Theater for Wearing Google Glass
Because I don’t want Glass to distract me during the movie, I turn them off (but since my prescription lenses are on the frame, I still wear them). About an hour into the movie (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), a guy comes near my seat, shoves a badge that had some sort of a shield on it, yanks the Google Glass off my face and says “follow me outside immediately”. It was quite embarrassing and outside of the theater there were about 5-10 cops and mall cops. Since I didn’t catch his name in the dark of the theater, I asked to see his badge again and I asked what was the problem and I asked for my Glass back. The response was “you see all these cops you know we are legit, we are with the ‘federal service’ and you have been caught illegally taping the movie.”
Paramount is Ending Film Print Distribution
Over the weekend, the LA Times reported something that many had expected, but hoped not to hear: that the first major studio — in this case, Paramount — was going all-digital and ending distribution of actual, physical film prints. Though they didn’t announce it at the time, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” was the last Paramount film for which 35mm prints were shipped (way to go out on a high?), while “The Wolf of Wall Street” became their first all-digital affair (an irony, given that Martin Scorsese is a passionate defender of old formats and old filmstock). It also feels significant that the last physical film and the first all-digital one from the studio are about wild 1980s businesses…but it probably isn’t.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit — Review
This is not the Jack Ryan you may know from the books, and this is not the Jack Ryan you may remember from the four previous films. This film is a reboot and an origin story — because that’s what you’re supposed to do these days. I don’t think anyone over at Paramount could tell you exactly what motivated this film to be made other than the vague idea of hearing the ringing of the cash register as the ticket sales poured in. But unfortunately that sort of motivation does not usually produce the most compelling of stories.
The MovieByte Podcast #76: I Am Stoic
A man walks into a theater with prescription lenses in his ‘Google Glass’ glasses and is “escorted out” for pirating. You can’t make this stuff up folks. This is crazy making right here. Long live the police state. In happier news, Carrie Fisher expects to start filming ‘Star Wars’ in March or April. It’s a rumor so take it with a grain of salt, but that seems about right for releasing sometime in 2015. TJ and Chad really just want to know if she’ll be sporting the Cinnamon Bun hairstyle again! It’s a sad day in film distribution as Paramount is now the first company to officially end film print distribution and go all digital. And of course, Chad and TJ have something to say about the Oscar nominees this year. Our primary review this week is of ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’.
Younger Audience Gives ‘Jack Ryan’ the Cold Shoulder
Director Kenneth Branagh’s reboot, starring 33-year-old actor Chris Pine and in a bid to relaunch the series, opened to a soft $18 million over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. More than a third of the audience was over the age of 50, while only 15 percent was under 25, according to exit-polling service CinemaScore. All told, 63 percent of the audience was over the age of 35.
‘Atlas Shrugged 3’ Is An Actual Thing That Is Happening
Well, “Atlas Shrugged: Who Is John Galt?” is still an actual thing that is happening and the producers are continuing a trend that they started with the second film: bringing in an entirely new cast. For the final installment of the trilogy, John Galt will be played by Kristoffer Polaha (“Devil’s Knot”), Laura Regan (“Unbreakable,” “Mad Men”) will play Dagny Taggart, and the rest of the main cast includes Rob Morrow, Eric Allan Kramer, and Joaquim de Almeida. Production on the film has just begun and producers are hoping to release the film this upcoming September, right in time for the midterm elections.
What To See At An Anemic Box Office
Your choices for new movies this weekend are not looking great. In fact right now, the box office is feeling sort of empty in the new and exciting category. But that’s normal for this time of year. And don’t worry, there are still a few things hanging around for you to see. Plus, if any of you get around to seeing Gimme Shelter then please let me know if it’s worth it.

The Wrap #62: Oscar Nominees of 2014

TJ Draper — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 18:00:00 GMT

TJ is back to give you the news from the past week. First up, the winner at the Golden Globes is ‘12 Years a Slave’. Then there’s ‘Star Wars’ Rumors galore. And they haven’t even started filming this thing. It’s going to be a long wait until the release of this film! ‘Catching Fire’ toppled ‘Iron Man 3’ as the biggest earner for 2013. Pretty big deal. Armond White was kicked out of the New York Film Critics Circle, and good riddance to him. TJ also focused his time and attention this week on ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ by writing a review, and releasing two podcasts about it. ‘Gravity’ is returning to theaters so you should check that out if you failed to see it the first time. A man in Florida was shot in the theater for texting. That’s really not good at all! And TJ has the list of Oscar nominees for you! Of course find out what to see this weekend as well.

Show Notes & Links

Winners at The Golden Globes
Best Motion Picture – Drama Best Motion Picture – Drama WINNER: ”12 Years a Slave” ”Captain Phillips” ”Gravity” ”Philomena” ”Rush”
Star Wars VII Rumors
The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision has tried to make sense of all the new Star Wars rumors. The latest of which include thatMichael Fassbender, Girls star Adam Driver, and Hugo Weaving are now being considered for roles. Yet that isn’t all the rumors.
‘Catching Fire’ Topples ‘Iron Man 3’
Iron Man 3 had the year’s biggest opening weekend and dominated the summer box office, but when the dust eventually settles on 2013, Catching Fire will go down as the year’s biggest smash. The second film in the Hunger Games franchise, based on Suzanne Collins’ book trilogy, inched past Marvel’s superhero movie on Jan. 9 and now holds the top spot with $409.4 million.
Why Armond White Was Kicked Out of the New York Film Critics Circle
This morning, the members of the New York Film Critics Circle, including me, voted to expel Armond White, the former critic of the now-defunct New York Press (and currently the editor and movie critic of CityArts), from the group. To me, it was a sad moment — pathetic, really, though Armond brought it on himself.
Saving Mr. Banks — Review
Let me be clear from the outset, I enjoyed this film quite a bit. That said, I feel like I would have enjoyed it better if I actually liked Disney’s Mary Poppins. As it is I really do not like Disney’s classic film that much. While P.L. Travers’ concerns and complaints about the film may be too far reaching and come from a bit too dour of an attitude, I tend to agree with her underlying issues regarding Disney’s version of the film.
The MovieByte Podcast #75: Unmake It Up
Join us for another edition of the adventures of Armond White! Watch as he makes a spectacle of himself and gets kicked out of the New York Film Critics Circle. See how TJ and Chad shed not one single tear! Seriously guys, he brought this on himself and he deserved it. Who’s crying. TJ and Chad certainly aren’t. In other news, ‘Catching Fire’ topped ‘Iron Man 3’ in the 2013 box office. That’s a fairly impressive feat. And oh yes, we have ‘Star Wars’ news and rumors (it’s such a very long way to 2015, sigh). You see, Disney is appointing a committee to oversee what official fits into the ‘Star Wars’ canon, and how. Plus, rumor has it that Episode VII will focus on Luke, Han, and Leia. And finally on the news front, ‘Gravity’ is returning to theaters so if you are a bad human being and did not see it the first time, you may crawl in shame to the nearest theater. And the primary review this week is ‘Saving Mr. Banks’.
ByteSized Video Reviews #6: Saving Mr. Banks
TJ is finally back for the new year and he’s bringing his review of ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ to you! All in all, Saving Mr. Banks is a charming film that you should see, even if it feels a bit like a Disney P.R. piece. But it’s okay because Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, and Colin Farrell do a wonderful job of bringing the film to life.
Gravity Returns to Theaters
After winning a Golden Globe for Best Director, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity will be returning to theaters this weekend. In case you missed the buzz-worthy sci-fi thriller, you’ll now be able to experience it on the big screen. It’s no coincidence that the 86th Annual Academy Awards’ nominations list will be unveiled this Thursday either. As Adam has expressed in his Oscar Beat column, Gravity, its director, and star Sandra Bullock will likely be up for some major awards.
Man Shot at Florida Theater for Texting
After officers read him his rights, Reeves told the detective that Oulson struck him in the face with an unknown object, and that’s when he removed a .380 caliber gun from his pants pocket. The report said Reeves fired the gun and struck Oulson once in the chest and that he “was in fear of being attacked.”
Oscar Nominees 2014
Best Picture American Hustle Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, and Jonathan Gordon, Producers Captain Phillips Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers Dallas Buyers Club Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers Gravity Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers Her Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers Nebraska Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers Philomena Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers 12 Years a Slave Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers The Wolf of Wall Street Nominees to be determined
Secret Agent Opening Weekend
Prepare to be wowed, or disapointed, I don’t really know which yet. This weekend is the reboot of a franchise that I tend to like in general and it makes me a little nervous. Of course things might also get a little bit nutty. Or you could go for a ride along. Whatever works best for you this weekend.

The Wrap #61: 2013 Year In Review

TJ Draper — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Join TJ for this special year end wrap up as he briefly reviews his top twenty films that made 2013 a great year! Many critics might try to tell you how bad the year was for film, but TJ didn’t see it that way at all. There were a lot of great films this year! Top of the list are ‘Gravity’, ‘42’, and ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, but there’s a lot more on the list. Listen and find out what TJ thought about the year.

Show Notes & Links

My Top 10… Top 15… No, Top 20 Films of 2013
Top ten film lists are hard. I started this article with the intent of making a top ten list. I failed. Every single film on this list deserves to be in my top ten. But, there are twenty. What to do? Hey, maybe I just won’t be boxed into the mold of a top ten (or maybe I don’t have the discipline to trim my list, whatever). Maybe I’ll write a top twenty list instead. So that’s what I’m doing. One item of disclosure however. I have not seen all the films that there were to see this year.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Review
“I found something in the goblin tunnels.” “What did you find?” … “My courage” “Good, you’ll need it.” The Hobbit trilogy is, I think, perhaps the ultimate fan fiction for the universe surrounding Middle Earth — that is to say, for The Lord of the Rings.
The MovieByte Podcast #73: The Misty DVD
TJ and Chad are joined this week by special guests Mike Fissel and Clark Douglas to talk about ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. But first, a Peter Pan origin story? Apparently so. No one on this podcast is quite sure they needed this, but whatever. And of course, your hosts must talk about A.V. Club’s 15 worse films of 2013. It seems everyone has something on this list to quibble with. But no one can agree on what that one film on this list is that shouldn’t be there. And of course be sure to find out all about the thoughts and opinions behind ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. Is this just big-boy fan fiction or is there something more here? And what’s with Tauriel? Who’s she and why was a non-cannon character added to the cast? Is this film worth seeing, is it better than the first film? So many questions, and your intrepid hosts set out to find answers!
Ender’s Game — Review
I was looking forward to this film quite a lot. So the question before us now is this: did it live up to the hype and/or my expectations? The answer to that question is somewhat complicated. I was one of the very few in the world who had not read the book. Not only had I not read the book, I hadn’t even heard of the book — nor for that matter had I heard of Orson Scott Card, the book’s author. Given that, I had to make the decision as to whether I wanted to the film’s experience preserved by my having not read the book or known anything about the story walking into the theater or whether I wanted to read the book and potentially risk spoiling the film experience.
The MovieByte Podcast #67: Grew Up with Hannah Montana
Join TJ, Chad and Mike Fissel to discuss ‘Ender’s Game’ in all its facets. The film was both good and bad, glorious and disappointing. This produces much lively conversation on what was missed, the pacing, how it could have been better, and in general what it’s strengths and weaknesses are. Other topics of conversation include why there was no episode last week, some brief thoughts on ‘Escape Plan’, Movies all three are looking forward to, TJ’s new video podcast, ‘ByteSized’, and ‘Thor: The Dark World’! You won’t want to miss it!
World War Z — Review
When a zombie pandemic begins sweeping the globe, retired U.N. special agent Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to stop it. A lesser man would point out that facing down ravenous undead hordes was most emphatically not in the original job description. But Gerry’s better than that.
The MovieByte Podcast #50: As A Five Year Old
TJ welcomes a new co-host and talks a bit about the future of the podcast. Then they discuss the latest in trailers and movie news including ‘Percy Jackson’, ‘The Lone Ranger’, ‘Pacific Rim’, ‘The Wolverine’, ‘Turbo’, and ‘The Mortal Instruments’. In movie news, Pixar promises more original stories, Peter Jackson talks about releasing an extended ‘The Hobbit’, Julianne Moore is cast to play President Coin, Liam Neeson will star in ‘Taken 3’ for a large sum, Christian Bale will not appear again as Batman, and Goldblum and Pullman are in for ‘Independence Day 2’. The main reviews for this episode are ‘World War Z’ and ‘White House Down’, Both enjoyable films, both rated well enough by your hosts. ‘White House Down’ was a bit more enjoyable to TJ, while ‘World War Z’ was slightly more enjoyable to Chad.
Gangster Squad — Review
Gangster Squad is the best film I’ve seen this year. Of course, the year is young so that’s not saying a lot. Still, it’s a fine film in my book. There are those who would disagree with me. In fact, as of right now on Rotten Tomatoes, the Tomatometer is at a measly 33%. And only 66% from the audience. That’s not exactly killing it.
The MovieByte Podcast #28: Guilty Until Proven Innocent
FIGHT! In this episode TJ and Joseph disagree on whether ‘Broken City’ was a good film or not. Joseph did not enjoy it very much at all, TJ found it to be pretty good with only more minor grievances. It’s a lively discussion. They also review Gangster Squad, and there is much more agreement on the merits and lesser qualities of this film. Particularly the performances in this film are top notch, as is the visual style and heartfelt story. TJ and Joseph also talk about ‘Man of Steel’s’ Jimmy Olson… as a girl!, ‘Iron Man 3’ coming to IMAX, the Honest Trailer for ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, the trailer for the upcoming film ‘Emperor’ staring Tommy Lee Jones and Mathew Fox, and a sneak peak at Joe’s review of ‘The Last Stand’ which is really just TJ going on about how bad Arnold Schwarzenegger is at acting. Be sure to tune into the fun!
The MovieByte Podcast #35: Monochromatic
TJ and Joe discuss the track released from the soundtrack for the upcoming film ‘Oblivion’, and how it sounds like it has been influenced by ‘Tron: Legacy’ and how that is a good thing, Joe’s article ‘Star Studded Ratings by the Numbers’ and how MovieByte rates films, the U.K. getting ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ a week before we do here in the states, Joss Whedon and Clark Gregg on Agent Coulson in the upcoming TV Series ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’, and why the ‘Oz’ sequel will not feature Dorothy. And that leads TJ and Joe into their main topic today in discussing ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’. A fine film, worth seeing, with a few disappointments. But certainly, when compared with some of the utter rubbish in theaters at this time of the year, it’s the obvious choice when heading to the cinema. Be sure to tune in for the full discussion and review.
Prisoners — Review
Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) finds himself living every parent’s worst nightmare when his six-year-old daughter goes missing. The only lead? A battered RV that was parked on the street only hours before. Heading the investigation is Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), who tracks down the RV’s driver (Paul Dano) and takes him into custody. But when lack of evidence compels the suspect’s release, and police fail to turn up any more leads, Dover decides to take things into his own hands.
The MovieByte Podcast #62: Daughter Of Darth Maul
TJ is joined by Joe to talk about the latest trailers: ‘The Need for Speed’, ‘Toy Story of Terror’, ‘Escape Plan’, Everything you ever wanted to know about Ultron, ‘Big Ass Spider’ Trailer, an ‘Ender’s Game’ TV Spot, and the ‘Agents of SHIELD’ episode 2 trailer. Of course the ‘Toy Story of Terror’ trailer prompts quite a bit of discussion about Pixar. Also of interest is that Pixar will not have a film in 2014. TJ and Joe talk about why they aren’t bothered by this. And then they turn their attention to ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ rumors, casting and more for a bit before turning to their main topic. In review this week is ‘Prisoners’ which both found to be a satisfying film with some minor flaws. It’s a highly recommended thriller that you all should catch in theaters if you can. Don’t miss this conversation!
Movieology #7: The Walls Are Covered In These Mazes…
Eric, Joe, and Michael tear down Denis Villeneuve’s “Prisoners” (which stars Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Viola Davis) and before the guys wrap up, Eric and Michael review the end of AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” “Prisoners” seems to make a mess of a simple suspense yet most audiences like it. What’s going on here?! What’s with the tree bark, toy whistle, and the villain’s black juice?
The Wolverine — Review
This is one seriously messed up franchise. I mean, man, how hard is this thing to follow? It starts out simply enough — the first film, entitled X-Men, was set in the very near future. X2 follows up right on the heals of that film. Both of these first two entries into the X-Men franchise were directed by Bryan Singer, and they were most excellent. In fact X2 may be my favorite X-Men film to date.
The MovieByte Podcast #54: The Quest for Adamantium
Chad and TJ discuss the latest in trailers and film clips including the latest from Sandra Bullock’s upcoming film ‘Gravity’, a trailer for Keanu Reeves upcoming film’ 47 Ronin’, a clip from ‘In a World’, two clips from ‘Elysium’, a trailer for ‘Escape Plan’, and a viral video for Trask Industries of the ‘X-Men’ franchise. They also discuss their disgust for the upcoming 3D CGI ‘Peanuts’ film, the rumor about Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron staring in ‘Star Wars’, the idea of ‘G.I. Joe’ and ‘Transformers’ sharing a movie, John Williams officially announced to be returning to score the new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy, and more! And the main review this week is for ‘The Wolverine’. Of course Chad and TJ touch on all things concerning the ‘X-Men’ franchise and it’s a lot of fun!
RED 2 — Review
RED, a 2010 film starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren, was great because it brought something new to the table: older actors, most not known for starring in action films, coming together to create an action film that works as both a good action film and as a good comedy too. However, I was slightly concerned for the sequel; could the filmmakers capture what was special about the first film without rehashing it in the second? Luckily, I think that they (mostly) pulled it off.
The MovieByte Podcast #53: No Grasshopper
TJ and Chad take a look at the latest trailers, TJ goes on a rant about ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and too-soon reboots in general, which was satisfying for him to get off his chest. And both are looking forward to ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ quite a lot. And there’s several other trailers worth checking out this week. Also of interest, Joss Whedon has revealed the name of his upcoming ‘Avengers’ sequel, ‘The Avengers: The Age of Ultron’. Plus lots of other Marvel news and goodies and other cool stuff coming out of SDCC. And some not so welcome news to TJ, more welcome to Chad, Zack Snyder will direct a Superman/Batman crossover film. And then they review 2 new films this week, ‘R.I.P.D.’ and ‘RED 2’. TJ found ‘R.I.P.D.’ fun and watchable, though nothing special. Chad didn’t really like it at all. Both liked ‘RED 2’ however, though TJ liked it a little more.
Pacific Rim — Review
Whatever you can say about Pacific Rim you cannot say that it lacks vision, guts, story, or monsters (lots of monsters). It also doesn’t have a very complicated plot, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I went into this film with slightly elevated expectations than I had originally set for myself when I saw the first couple of trailers, but they still weren’t extremely high expectations. The idea of a monster movie with big, crash ‘em, mash ‘em robots sounds like the ultimate summer blockbuster movie in the same legacy left to us by the horrible Transformers franchise. Thankfully, this film is far above and beyond anything that Michael Bay ever delivered to us in those pitiful films.
The MovieByte Podcast #52: Punching Michael Bay In The Head
Here there be monsters folks! Michael and TJ review ‘Pacific Rim’ But first: This week in trailers! Wolverine interrupts a funeral, plus he gets an honest trailer from his first film, Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson star in the upcoming film about bringing Mary Poppins to the screen, Christian Bale and Zoe Saldana make an appearance in an upcoming film titled ‘Out of the Furnace’, ‘Planes’ also gets a new trailer, and ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ has been properly teased! Plus in movie news, ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ gets a digital download and Blu-ray release date, Bruckheimer’s future at Disney looks grim, 3D is fairing poorly at the box office of late and good riddance! J.J. is still expecting to direct the next installment in the franchise, and a fifth season of ‘Arrested Development’ is in the negotiation stage. And of course the main topic this week is all about Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pacific Rim’, not a bad film in the estimation of your hosts, though not without its problems, which TJ and Michael discuss in depth.
Star Trek Into Darkness — Review
So just what is it that makes a good Star Trek film? I’m sure I don’t fully and completely understand the magic that makes any film a really good film, but I will say that most of it is wrapped up in Star Trek Into Darkness. Not only is it a good Star Trek film, but it’s a good film. For me, this is a turn around from J.J. Abrams’ 2009 installment, simply titled Star Trek. I did not feel that film was a good film, nor did I feel that it was a good Star Trek film.
The MovieByte Podcast #45: My Name Is…
In this episode, TJ and Joe are joined by Anthony Pascale to talk about ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. And that they do. The entire show is a big celebration of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. And don’t let the nit-picks lead you in the wrong direction. Though they talk about a lot of nit-picky things, they all enjoyed the film immensely. And there’s plenty of fun stuff like a GIF of the Vengeance crashing into Alcatraz (tell us how you really feel about that show being canceled J.J.!), and the humor-full IO9 FAQ review of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. So, nerds and general movie going audiences, unite! ‘Star Trek’ was fun for all!
Iron Man 3 - Where’s my Super Suit? — Review
Does the suit make the man? This is the fundamental question Tony Stark is asking in Iron Man 3. Well that, and how on earth do you live in the world when you know there are aliens and you were almost killed by them? You see, Iron Man is a bit of a wreck since the events of New York (see The Avengers). He can’t sleep, he’s obessed with building better and better suits — and he doesn’t know who he is without the suit(s).
The MovieByte Podcast #43: She Was Totally Gangsta
Join TJ and Joe to discuss a variety of topics, like the ‘White House Down’ Trailer, This film looks like a cross between Olympus has fallen, and possibly ‘G.I. Joe’, and really, anytime you can see the White House being blown up on film, why wouldn’t you? Then there’s the little art house theater that is being forced to go digital. It’s a crying shame in some regards, but TJ has mixed feelings about this. This leads into discussion about how stingy movie studios are bing, and in particular, Marvel, as well as some thoughts about the actors for ‘The Avengers’ wringing every last dollar out of the studio. In other news, ‘Men in Black 4’ is in development, the ‘Man of Steel’ trailer music has been released on Soundcloud, which prompts some good discussion, and the ‘Ender’s Game’ trailer has been released. Then, settling in for the main topic, Joe discusses his experience at the Cinebistro when he went to see ‘Iron Man 3’. And of course, all kinds of talk about ‘Iron Man 3’, including a spoiler discussion later on. TJ and Joe both enjoyed the film and recommend it.
Jack the Giant Slayer — Review
Are you ready my brothers? Today we shall climb up the beanstalk to take a look at giants whose leader sounds suspiciously like Bill Nighy. I realize I am extremely late getting this review out, but I’ve had a lot of demands on my time lately. Still, I would like to put “pen to paper” and let my thoughts loose on the world, particularly because this film is seeing such poor reviews and no one is going to see it in theaters.
The MovieByte Podcast #34: Darth Vader Meets Barack Obama
TJ and Joe talk about CGI Superman capes and other thoughts about the upcoming ‘Man of Steel’, the CGI animation of late actress Audrey Hepburn, thoughts about the state of the industry in general in regards to CGI and the idea of bringing an actress or actor back from the dead, the ‘Game of Thrones’ director shrugging off piracy and the general state of the industry and the stance of the content providers, ‘The Hobbit’ crossing the $1 Billion mark and how well it’s doing, and the dismal opening weekend of ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ and why might that be. And the main topic of discussion with that lead in, is ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ and why it’s a better film than many seem to think it is. TJ like it a lot, Joe just thought it was okay. But the discussion is a fun one and you won’t want to miss it!
Oblivion — Review
Following up on the major box office success that is TRON: Legacy, director Joseph Kosinski has placed himself squarely back at the forefront of the sci-fi genre in a big way, with a fairly big star: Tom Cruise. Cruise may not be the most versatile actor, but when he works in a role, he works very well. My favorite role for Cruise to date may well be Minority Report. Tom Cruise is essentially playing the same part in all the films he’s good in. So the question is/was, is he cast right in this role?
The MovieByte Podcast #41: Everybody is Taller Than He Is
TJ and Joe discuss ‘The Avengers’ assembling for ‘The Avengers 2’ in February of next year and a few thoughts on the Marvel Universe in general, trailer 2 for ‘The Internship’ and how TJ is not liking this in any way, the news of a ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot, the ‘Thor 2’ teaser and the state of teasers versus trailers in general, and then they get to the main topic. Up for review this week is ‘Oblivion’ which TJ and Joe both liked a lot but quite a lot of critics didn’t like the film so much. One critic in particular really did a disservice to the film, which TJ and Joe discuss. Beware of a few spoilers here and there! But be sure to tune in for a great conversation!
Thor: The Dark World — Review
Am I truly desperate? Not really. Am I mad? Possbily. But I liked Thor: The Dark World quite a lot. The film is not without its share of flaws which I shall address, but this film certainly manages to strike a much better note than did it’s predecessor, simply titled Thor. However few critics seem to keep my company on this opinion — well, at least few share my opinion that Thor was not a great film. Indeed, the Tomatometer for Thor sits at 77% while the Tomatometer for Thor: The Dark World sits at only 65% as of this writing.
The MovieByte Podcast #68: Thor Score and Seven
Prepare for the epic-ness in what is quite possibly the most awesomely title episode of MovieByte ever! This episode brings together four of the best podcasters the nine realms have ever seen. Join TJ, Chad, Joe and Fizz to discuss the current state of the Marvel Cinematic universe. Find out which films have been better and which don’t work so well in the differing opinions of these four. Spend a short amount of time with them in reviewing the first ‘Thor’ film. And finally, take an epic walk through the finer point, intricacies and details of ‘Thor: The Dark World’.
The Way Way Back — Review
It is rare that I enjoy a comedy film that is intended as a comedy film. I typically find the humor pretty crass and distasteful, so it’s not a genre that I go see in theaters often. However, The Way Way Back presented itself to me in the form of a free screening a month early, and what critic wouldn’t jump on that opportunity? I did, and it has become probably my favorite film of the year so far - aside from maybe Oblivion.
The MovieByte Podcast #61: I Don’t Want To Die
This episode brought to you especially by the hard work and preparation of Chad since TJ has had such a busy and week and was unable to do much show prep. This week in trailers is ‘The Railway Man’, five clips form ‘Agents of SHIELD’, two ‘The Fifth Estate’ clips, and ‘Last Days on Mars’. And in the news, lots to talk about, ‘World War Z’ may get a sequel, Hugh Jackman thinks we’ll like ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’, Ellen Page wants a Kitty Pryde film directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel schedules ‘Ant-Man’ for 2015 to coincide with the release of every other film in the world ever. ‘Pirates 5’ has been delayed, ‘Harry Potter’ is getting spinoff films written by J.K. Rowling! This is exciting! ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes’ has been delayed, it’s probably dead actually. ‘Star Wars’ spinoff films will be origin stories. Plus some talk of ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’. Then TJ and Chad dive into their review of ‘The Way Way Back’, a surprising good film.
The MovieByte Podcast #65: Real Life Plot Holes
A little bit of follow up on ‘Gravity’: a reporter asked Alfonso Cuaron if filming in space was difficult… yeah, really. Turns out it was something of a joke for the comedic news outlet. Still, pretty funny because apparently Cuaron answered as if it were a real question. In other news, Hans Zimmer is talking about *not* scoring ‘Man of Steel 2’ (or Superman Vs. Batman if you prefer). TJ and Chad have differing opinions on the merits of the first ‘Man of Steel’ film’s score so that leads to some interesting conversation. Madonna was banned from the Alamo Drafthouse for texting during a film and then screamed at the other patrons when asked to stop. Bravo, Drafthouse! TJ is thinking he needs one of those in Nashville! This week’s main topic and big review focus is ‘Captain Phillips’ — another outsanding entry into this year’s cinematic run down and TJ and Chad sure think it ought to be an Oscar contender, even with the news that it may not be as entirely accurate to the real life story as we might have hoped.
The MovieByte Podcast #71: Back When I Was A Child
Join Chad and TJ to discuss the sad event of Paul Walker’s death. Neither Chad nor TJ are really ‘Fast and Furious’ fans, and TJ has only seen one of the films he was in so they don’t feel quite up to the task. But it’s a sad event and needs talking about. And in what they are sure is a very difficult decision, Universal has halted production on ‘Fast and Furious 7’. Prayers go out for family and friends. And with no good way to transition out of that sad news, Chad and TJ do find some way to move to the next topic: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ has been announced for May of 2016. It seems a little odd given that ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ is not even out in theaters yet. But TJ at least is excited because Bryan Singer is back at the helm and as far as he’s concerned, Singer can make as many ‘X-Men’ films as he wants to! Obviously all this leads to talk of the ‘X-Men’ universe in general. They also discuss the general state of films for 2015 and 2016. And the primary review this week is ‘The Book Thief’ which is in many ways delightful, but you’ll also want to have your tissues on hand when you go to see this one. There’s just not enough good things to say about this film, but TJ and Chad do try valiantly. Also, find out how this film is in a way like ‘Anne of Green Gables’ — no really!
The MovieByte Podcast #70: Might Flip Out
Join TJ, Chad, and Mike Fissel to discuss a few of the latest TV shows their watching. Then dive into a review of ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’. Of course there’s some analysis and general thoughts about the first film and how Garry Ross the director handled that film and what it’s strengths and weaknesses are. And of course, how this film blows that one away.
42 — Review
A team of amateur organized baseball players stop at a gas station for a fill-up. Jackie Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman), one of the African American ball players, is refused entry to the washroom. The team says they’ll find another gas station so the attendant allows Jackie to use it to keep their business. As Robinson comes out of the washroom, a baseball scout for the Dodgers approaches him and asks Robinson to join him for a trip to Brooklyn.
The MovieByte Podcast #40: Decking Wesley
Join TJ and Joe as they chat with special guest Anthony Pascale of TrekMovie.com. They briefly discuss the new ‘Man of Steel’ trailer, all three are looking forward to the film, then they turn their attention to the final ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ trailer. They discuss first impressions, general thoughts, marketing ‘Star Trek’ to a broader international audience, the big old ship Cumberbatch is driving around in, is the villain Khan or not, captain Kirk’s disposition, destroying the Enterprise… again…, and the fact that most Trekkies are loving the trailer. Then after bidding farewell to Anthony, TJ and Joe discuss the film ‘42’ about the life of Jackie Robinson and his struggle as a black man in Major League Baseball during a time of incredible racism.
Gravity — Review
Of this you can be certain: I have no plans to ever, EVER go to space. While I have always been very fascinated by space, I have also always feared it a lot. Well, I mean it didn’t keep me up too much at night because I’m down here on this nice comfortable planet that has a nice comfortable atmosphere for me to live in. That’s the way I like it thank you very much. But I have always thought in the back of my head that, no, I would not like to ever visit space thank you. All those contraptions and air and whatnot to keep you alive? That all looks so flimsy and fragile compared to the vastness of space.
The MovieByte Podcast #64: Air Pressurized Place
For this week’s “grave” (see what we did there?) situation, TJ and Chad discuss how ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy has already cost $561 Million to date — over twice as much as ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy — and they’re not done spending money yet. It’s a good discussion on film and budget bloat and how Peter Jackson has sort of lost his way and is riding his previous successes too much. Next up is the upcoming film and trailer ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’. The trailer was fairly disappointing to both TJ and Chad. Chad is not that interested in the departure from the books, and TJ is both not interested in the departure, or the direction in general. The episode quickly turns to the main review: ‘Gravity’, which is an astonishing and breathtaking cinematic achievement. Neither Chad nor TJ find much wrong with this film and it is a highly recommended watch.

The Wrap #60: The Island of Well Known Villains

TJ Draper — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 18:00:00 GMT

In this episode as we near the end of 2013, TJ talks about the launch of MovieByte’s responsive redesign and he hopes you like it. Then moving on to real and fun news, ‘House of Cards’ Season 2 trailer dropped online earlier this week. The first season was one of the real TV delights of the year and TJ is really looking forward to season 2. Channing Tatum’s character Duke might be coming back for G.I. Joe 3 even though the character is dead? Is this a joke?!? This week was pretty much all about ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. As such, TJ wrote a review, talked for over an hour with three other guys on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ about it, and released a video review as well. There’s a new film coming straight to TV about the ‘Descendants’ of well known Disney villains. Ho hum. Gilligan’s Island is on it’s way back to the big screen and will star Josh Gad. And this is why we can’t have nice things. Peter Jackson, Warner Bros. New Line Cinema, and The Tolkien Estate are all busy squabbling over rights and books and adaptions. This is also why we can’t have nice things. Hugh Jackman is being eyed for a role in the upcoming ‘Pan’ origin story. They would like him to play the part of Blackbeard. While TJ is not into yet another adaptation of Peter Pan, he’s all in on Jackman playing Blackbeard. And of course, find out what to see this weekend. And have a Merry Christmas!

Show Notes & Links

Responsive Redesign
Here it is guys. This is the responsive redesign I’ve been talking about for a couple months. There is very little code reuse from the previous design. I’ve re-factored or re-wrote pretty much every line of code. There were two primary focuses with this redesign: Fully responsive, mobile first design More modern, less heavy desig
‘House of Cards’ Season 2 Trailer
The beginning of the trailer looks a little bit re-hashy, but don’t let that fool you. Brand new footage will begin to reveal itself just before the half-way mark. It’s funny how what is probably the most cinematic television show I have ever seen is brought to us by a completely digital delivery method of what is now a completely digital company. Season 2’s 13 episode run will be released simultaneously on February 14. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jFhJjCmYi1M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Channing Tatum’s Duke Might Be Back for ‘G.I. Joe 3’
In Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the President of the United States (played by Jonathan Pryce), who is actually Zartan in disguise orders the United States military to kill the Joes. During the ambush Duke (played by Channing Tatum) is blown to smithereens while trying to get Flint (played D.J. Cotrona) to safety. So, that should be all for Duke, right? Maybe not. Jon M. Chu recently signed on to direct the next G.I. Joe film tells MTV News there is a shot Duke might rise from the grave.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Review
he Hobbit trilogy is, I think, perhaps the ultimate fan fiction for the universe surrounding Middle Earth — that is to say, for The Lord of the Rings. Consider: why would one take a book less than 300 pages and make a trilogy out of it where with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, 3 books of about ~400 pages each were made into 3 films? If the same logic was applied to The Lord of the Rings filmmaking as we’re seeing here with The Hobbit, we’d have 9 films, 3 for each book. So what has happened here? Well, I’ll tell you: Peter Jackson is a fan boy of Middle Earth and he wanted to mix in some (a lot) of fan-fiction with the story of The Hobbit. While this is not altogether a bad thing, it is strange. I cannot recall any time previous that fan-fiction acheived such heights and blockbuster status.
The MovieByte Podcast #73: The Misty DVD
TJ and Chad are joined this week by special guests Mike Fissel and Clark Douglas to talk about ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. But first, a Peter Pan origin story? Apparently so. No one on this podcast is quite sure they needed this, but whatever. And of course, your hosts must talk about A.V. Club’s 15 worse films of 2013. It seems everyone has something on this list to quibble with. But no one can agree on what that one film on this list is that shouldn’t be there. And of course be sure to find out all about the thoughts and opinions behind ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. Is this just big-boy fan fiction or is there something more here? And what’s with Tauriel? Who’s she and why was a non-cannon character added to the cast? Is this film worth seeing, is it better than the first film? So many questions, and your intrepid hosts set out to find answers!
ByteSized Video Reviews #5: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
TJ walks through the good and the bad of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. Is it better than the first installment of this would-be trilogy? Though TJ questions the wisdom of making a trilogy out of a single book, TJ does think this installment is better. Martin Freeman continues to impress as Bilbo and overall, the pacing feels far better. This is one TJ recommends catching in the theater.
‘Descendants’ - Live Action Film Based on the Children of Well Known Villains
The Disney Channel has announced it is making a live-action TV movie featuring the children of Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, the Evil Queen, and Jafar called Descendants. The movie will be directed by Kenny Ortega of Newsies and High School Musical fame which makes me wonder if it will be a musical. It’s almost as if we were talking about this very sort of thing on The MovieByte Podcast #73. The thing is, in this case it actually sounds sort of interesting. But at the same time I’m sure not holding my breath.
‘Gilligan’s Island’ Film to Star Josh Gad
Remember Gilligan’s Island, the venerable 1960s TV series about seven castaways who wind up stranded on a tropical island after a torrential storm shipwrecks their yacht The S.S. Minnow? Warner Bros is charting a course for a feature film based on the series. It will be fashioned as a star vessel for Book Of Mormon‘s Josh Gad. Gad, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez will write the script. Lloyd Schwartz, Ross Schwartz, Tracey Silvers and Cathy Silvers will be executive producers. They’re not saying what character Gad would play, but the title character seems a possibility, though he could conceivably play The Skipper.
Peter Jackson Probably Can’t Make More Tolkien Adaptations Even If He Wanted To
Ever since the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a conflict has brewed between the author’s estate and Warner Bros., New Line, and Jackson, both over the creative content of the movie and the financial distribution. Years and years of dispute suggest that the future of Middle-earth movies is bleak. Like many quarrels in Hollywood, the Tolkien/Warner Bros. spat can be narrowed down to an argument about money. Part of the author’s estate’s contract with the film studio said that a percentage of the profits from any adaptation of Tolkien’s work would go back to them, and it became a bit of a controversy following the release of The Lord of The Rings trilogy. The three movies made a reported $2.9 billion at the global box office, but when those box office totals were combined with project’s expenses, the studio claimed that the movie didn’t make a profit – thus reportedly shortchanging the Tolkien estate. In an interview with Le Monde back in 2012, Tolkien Estate lawyer Cathleen Blackburn recounted, “These hugely popular films apparently did not make any profit! We were receiving statements saying that the producers did not owe the Tolkien Estate a dime.”
Hugh Jackman Being Courted for Role in ‘Pan’ as Blackbeard
Hugh Jackman is in negotiations to play the villainous pirate Blackbeard in Warner Bros.’ forthcoming Peter Pan origin film “Pan.” Joe Wright is directing the adventure tale from a script by Jason Fuchs. WB had gone to Javier Bardem for the role but the actor passed and the studio pursued Jackman shortly after that. While the Australian actor isn’t known for playing villains, Jackman has shown the ability to take on the darker roles. His recent perf in WB’s “Prisoners” got high praise from critics and though he’s not the bad guy in the film, the part is much edgier than his previous roles, even that of the anti-hero Wolverine in the “X-Men” movies.
Merry Christmas!
After The Wrap here in about an hour, MovieByte will officially be on Christmas hiatus until the day after Christmas. It’s hard running a website by myself, and I’ve got a lot of work to wrap up, packing, traveling, spending time with family — you know, all that good holiday stuff. So, MovieByte is officially taking some time off. I want to thank you guys for reading, interacting, and generally being awesome! I really enjoy running the site and I’m glad you all like reading it. I want to take this time to wish each of you a Merry Christmas! However you spend the holiday, I hope it’s a good one! Stay safe, safe travels if you’re traveling, and I’ll see you on the other side!
Chim Chiminey - What to see this weekend!
One of the films I’ve been looking forward to expands to a wide release this weekend. I don’t know if I’m going to have time to see it before Christmas but I’m going to try. But one thing I want to do is watch Mary Poppins again before I see it. It has been many years and it seems like it’d be worth my time to watch again.

The Wrap #59: A Cold Box Office

TJ Draper — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Though only just returned from the edge of the death, TJ does not fail to bring you this week’s fun movie goodness! For starters, the upcoming ‘Star Trek’ film has 2 new writers. The more the merrier! TJ made a mistake with his box office analysis earlier in the week in regards to ‘Frozen’ for which he apologizes. AFI has announced their top 10 movies and TV shows. Joe Cornish is not directing the next ‘Star Trek’ film. Paramount is working on ‘Jack Reacher 2’. ‘World War Z’ Sequel has an announced director. Joe stepped in on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ this week for TJ to talk with Chad about ‘Frozen’ and you probably won’t want to miss that episode. ‘Agents of SHIELD’s’ ratings fell again this week, which is quite the bummer! And of course, find out what to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

Third ‘Star Trek’ Reboot Story Gets 2 New Writers
J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have been tapped to write Star Trek 3[sic] for Paramount and Skydance Productions. The duo will join Roberto Orci, who co-wrote the first two installments of the reboot with partner Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof. Orci is working without Kurtzman on this one. The next Star Trek film is untitled and unscheduled, but Paramount and Skydance are hoping to have a film in time for the franchise to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016. Stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are expected to return.
The Box Office Got a Little Cold
As most of you will remember (it’s only been a couple weeks), I used to post a weekly feature every Monday called The Box Office Report. The problem for me was that it was starting to feel routine and boring for me so I quit. But I’m going to sort of bring it back. I’m no longer going to feel obligated to post the top 8, but instead I’ll post about what I think is fun, what I care about, and/or what is important. So lets get started:
AFI announces Their Top 10 Movies and TV Shows
December 9, 2013 – The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2013 – 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding television programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of the year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image. An almanac documenting works of excellence that mark a moment in time, AFI AWARDS is also the only national honor for the community’s creative ensembles as a whole, acknowledging the collaborative nature of the art form. Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form, inspire audiences and artists alike, and/or make a mark on American society. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR 12 YEARS A SLAVE AMERICAN HUSTLE CAPTAIN PHILLIPS FRUITVALE STATION GRAVITY HER INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS NEBRASKA SAVING MR. BANKS THE WOLF OF WALL STREET AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR THE AMERICANS BREAKING BAD GAME OF THRONES THE GOOD WIFE HOUSE OF CARDS MAD MEN MASTERS OF SEX ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK SCANDAL VEEP
Joe Cornish Not Directing Next ‘Star Trek’ Film
And while just over a month ago, Cornish emerged as Paramount’s top choice to direct “Star Trek 3,”[sic] it looks like he won’t be going into the final frontier. Among Variety’s recent news that J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay were joining the tentpole to write alongside franchise mainstay Roberto Orci (though, no sign of Alex Kurtzman) was the little nugget that Cornish is “is no longer involved” with the movie. No reason is given for why the talks may have broken down between the studio and filmmaker, and everything is pressing ahead to try and meet a 2016 release date.
Paramount Planning ‘Jack Reacher 2’
Although the Christopher McQuarrie-directed “Jack Reacher” opened to a muted response stateside last Christmas—its opening haul was $15 million with the final domestic tally just over $80 million—international audiences were more kind, with the Lee Child adaptation making $138 million abroad. Naturally, Paramount is looking to get back into business with the anti-hero. Deadline reports plans are being made to do a “Jack Reacher 2.” Instead of tackling any of the other seventeen novels, Paramount and Skydance Productions are looking at Child’s latest installment, this fall’s “Never Go Back,” to use as the basis for the 2012 film’s sequel. The novel sees Reacher return to the Virginia headquarters of his old Army unit where he gets arrested for an old crime he doesn’t remember committing and finds out that he may have fathered a child.
‘World War Z’ Sequel Has a Director
Juan Antonio Bayona, the man who put Naomi Watts through hell in “The Impossible,” has been tapped to direct “World War Z: Title To Be Determined.” But as you’ve probably already guessed, it’s still very early stages. In fact there are no writers on board—though Pitt has already said ideas have been percolating—but Bayona will apparently oversee that process as well. Undoubtedly, this will probably wait until there is a finished script that everyone likes before moving forward.
The MovieByte Podcast #72: Kitten Acupuncture
With TJ reportedly on his death bed (or something like that), Joe and Chad hold down the fort this week. Join them to find out their thoughts on the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise and what Disney’s recent acquisition of that property means and whether future films would be a good thing. And since TJ is not in the game to spoil their fun they can freely talk about the rebooted ‘Spider-Man’ film franchise and the upcoming ‘Spider-Man’ films, and so they do. And you always wanted to know if ‘The Hobbit’ extended edition is better than the bloated and over-long theatrical version, right? But of course. And before diving into the primary review this week of ‘Frozen’, Chad and Joe discuss the Disney Animation short film that accompanies the feature film. In summary they found it delightful. And in summary they also found ‘Frozen’ quite delightful and a great film to be the subject of conversation!
‘Agents of SHIELD’ Ratings Down Again
ABC’s cliffhanger-filled Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this Tuesday slipped to a new series low, drawing 6.1 million total viewers and a 2.1 demo rating, per finals — down 12 percent opposite a fresh episode of NCIS.
There’s a Dragon in the Theater! - What to See This Weekend
You know, regardless of your feelings about the first installment in this trilogy, you’re probably going to see it at some point. Good or bad, for better or worse, The Hobbit films are/will be a cultural phenomenon. And there’s certainly far worse things in the world. But a Tolkien adaptation is not your only new option this week… well actually that depends. Saving Mr. Banks is in limited release this weekend. I can’t actually figure out where it’s playing but who knows, maybe it’s somewhere near you.

The Wrap #58: Abrams’ Mistake

TJ Draper — Fri, 6 Dec 2013 18:00:00 GMT

TJ missed a week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so buckle up while he tries to keep things from getting entirely too long. First up, ‘The Wovlerine’ sequel will be based on an existing comic book arc. Since that was also the case with the previous film, and it was a really good film, that seems like a fine idea to TJ. TJ, Chad, and Mike Fissel recorded episode 70 of The MovieByte Podcast talking about ‘Catching Fire’ which was really good and none of them really had anything too bad to say about it. TJ also released a ByteSized Video Review about the film. Also find out why Francis Lawrence is crucial to ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise. In the sad news this week, Paul Walker of ‘Fast and Furious’ fame died at the age of 40 in a fiery car crash. In light of that news, Universal has halted production on ‘Fast and Furious 7’ which he was in and issued one of the more tear jerking press releases in recent memory. TJ’s not a fan of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise but his thoughts and heart goes out to those close to him. ‘Pirates 5’ is reportedly looking at Keith Richards returning, and at casting Christoph Waltz as the villain. Why are they making this again since ‘Pirate 4’ was so awful? JJ Abrams says hiding Khan’s identity from the world was a mistake and that he should of put it out there and allowed people to acclimate to the idea. As painful as it is to say this, TJ thinks he’s right. Ben Affleck inserted 9 minutes of additional footage in to the ‘Argo’ extended edition Blu-ray. TJ is really looking forward to seeing that. ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ has been announced. Even though ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ hasn’t even made it out of the gate yet, TJ’s exited for it and looking forward to it as long as Bryan Singer is involved. Of course don’t forget to listen in as TJ runs down your options for what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #57: Sketchy Star Trek

TJ Draper — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:00:00 GMT

In this episode TJ talks about the discontinuing, at least for now, of his weekly box office report article. But he’ll still keep talking about it on The Wrap. Also why hasn’t there been an episode of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ this week? TJ explains. And then of course, he does discuss last weekend’s box office results. CBS says they’re not really interested in ‘Star Trek’ on TV right now. The ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot begins filming in March — TJ isn’t thrilled about this. A great video has in the "internets" about the ending of ‘Inception’. Check it out! Cookie Monster was in ‘The Hungry Games: Catching Fur’ which was pretty awesome! There’s a new worst idea ever: A sequel to ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. Gag. This week in ByteSized Video Reviews, TJ stepped back a few weeks and reviewed ‘Gravity’. Samuel L. Jackson says Hamill and McGregor have not been contacted about ‘Star Wars VII’. Weird about Hamill. Die Hard is plunging ahead with a sixth film and one must ask hard questions, like why? The MPAA is weathering serious losses from piracy — but not in the way you think. They’re spending all their money on lobbying to stop piracy. Ironic. And of course, TJ walks you through what’s available to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #56: Missing The Point

TJ Draper — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 18:00:00 GMT

TJ brings you news of the top box office spots. Of course ‘Thor: The Dark World’ dominated by a wide margin. And TJ really like the film so that’s a good thing as far as he’s concerned. There’s a ‘Hunger Games’ theme park coming. Yeah… talk about missing the point. Lionsgate seems determined in this folly though. Jeremy Renner is getting another Bourne film. TJ would like to be reminded of why anyone would want to do yet another Bourne film without, you know, Bourne. And back to ‘Thor’, TJ wrote a review of ‘Thor: The Dark World’, and released not one, but TWO podcasts about it this past week that you’ll want to check out. We got a trailer for Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie. Why? Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ got a trailer on Thursday. The Mario Bros. get a gritty realistic short film series that’s kind of weird and fun at the same time. And then, wow, there’s the ‘Super Smash Wars’ which just totally works! And of course, find out what to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #55: Iron Man Jungle

TJ Draper — Fri, 8 Nov 2013 20:00:00 GMT

‘Ender’s Game’ took the top spot at the box office this past week. But whether it can keep up or not in the face of competition from ‘Thor: The Dark World’ remains to be seen. ‘Agents of SHIELD’ is getting a crossover with the upcoming ‘Thor’ film a couple weeks after it comes out, which sounds like a load of fun. Bill Condon has some theories on why his film ‘The Fifth Estate’ didn’t do well. Joe Cornish is rumored to be the next director of the ‘Star Trek’ film franchise. TJ has never heard of him but would be glad of a fresh perspective on the series. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is tracking to open to a massive $185 Million. There’s a new 3-minute trailer for ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ that looks to be the best yet. TJ wrote his Ender’s Game review this past week. You should check that out. Jon Favreau is in talks to direct the upcoming film from Disney, ‘The Jungle Book.’ Why this film needed to be made is beyond TJ’s comprehension. Saoirse Ronan did not get the ‘Star Wars’ role she auditioned for, which is too bad, really. Blockbuster is calling it quits with it’s retail locations and plans to become a distributer only of movies. This seemed inevitable. ‘Star Wars VII’ has a release date, even though it has no title. The film is scheduled to open on December 18, 2015. And of course, find out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #54: Bryan Singer is Back

TJ Draper — Fri, 1 Nov 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Join TJ to wrap up the week with a look back at the "Jacktastic" box office. TJ also wrote an ‘Escape Plan’ review because he enjoyed the film, so there. Then there’s the ‘Planes: Fire and Rescue’ Trailer — yes, this is a thing, apparently. ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ has been pushed to a January release date. This is probably not a good thing. We got the first ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ trailer and boy does it look epic. Plus, you know, it’s just good to have Bryan Singer back at the helm of an ‘X-men’ film. ‘Back to the Future’ got a pretty fun improv act that you should check out. ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ is getting a sequel. Are you ready for this? It’s called ‘London Has Fallen’. Look, we’re not making this up. If you see ‘Thor: The Dark World’ in 3D, you’ll get to see 5 minutes of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. Seems like a sneaky way to sell 3D tickets to me. ‘Star Wars VII’ "Must" open in 2015 — because of reasons. And make sure you see ‘Ender’s Game’ this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #53: Coulson Theories

TJ Draper — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 17:00:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with a look back at the box office report — crazy enough, ‘Gravity’ has been the number one film for 3 weeks in a row. Can it pull off a fourth? We’ll see. Robin Williams is in talks for Night at the Museum 3’. In other news, ‘Night at the Museum 3’ is happening? Cool. Paul Greengrass responded to crew members and critics of his film ‘Captain Phillips’ that it was a white-wash job on the good captain. And a fine response it was. TJ has some theories about why Agent Coulson is still alive and active in Marvel’s TV Show ‘Agents of SHIELD’. Ben Kingsley is set to return to Marvel for an undisclosed project of some kind, presumably revising his role from ‘Iron Man 3’. ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes’ will begin production in 2014 — because apparently the production company behind it wants to commit suicide… Michael Arndt has departed ‘Star Wars VII’ as writer. TJ hopes this isn’t a bad sign. And of course, find out what’s new and what to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #52: Bay Don’t Play That Way

TJ Draper — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 18:00:00 GMT

This week, ‘Gravity’ continues it’s high earth orbit in its second week while ‘Captain Phillips’ in its first week takes the number 2 spot. Both really good films, but ‘Gravity’ is, in TJ’s opinion, the somewhat better film. ‘House of Cards’ will probably not go past season 2. This is both good news and bad news. Good, because many shows overstay their welcome. Bad because it feels like the show could do much more than 2 seasons. ‘Hans Zimmer’ is hesitating on scorning ‘Man of Steel 2’ because of the Batman element. Probably not surprising. Two working titles have been revealed for ‘Star Wars VII’! And there was exceeding much joy amongst the nerds! Alamo Drafthouse has banned Madonna from watching any more movies at any Drafthouse establishments until she appologizes for texting during a film and causing a scene when asked to stop. TJ approves. Crew members say ‘Captain Phillips’ is a big lie. Seems like kind of a bummer if true. Marvel is developing more TV Series. The interesting thing here is that they’re looking at a VOD strategy involving Netflix and and other On Demand distributors. Of this TJ also approves most highly. It may not be the original films you wanted, but Pixar is developing another film, and it’s ‘Cars 3’. As long as it’s a good film, it will be fine. But another ‘Cars 2’ and TJ won’t be too happy. Michael Bay was assaulted on the set of ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’. Of course TJ would like to punch Bay too for making such wretched films but he has yet to act on that impulse… And don’t forget to check out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #51: A Love Triangle

TJ Draper — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 16:00:00 GMT

This week TJ discusses the top box office films, of which ‘Gravity’ was at the forefront. And it’s such an awesome film! You really should go see it. Of course for a complete, polar opposite, ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2’ took second place. Who knows what that means for the state of filmmaking. ‘Agents of SHIELD’ made even bigger gains in time shifted viewing this week. Not a big surprise and TJ has continues to hold that the writing is on the wall for the old ways of distributing and thinking about media. ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy has cost over $561 Million to date. Talk about bloated. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Buzz Aldrin weighed in on ‘Gravity’. One of those guys has actually even been to space! Speaking of ‘Gravity’, TJ wrote a glowing review of the film for you to check out. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ will feature much less shaky cam but much more love triangle non-sense. Ugh. Speaking of "Ugh", NBC is working on a ‘Remington Steele’ reboot. Yeah, "ugh" indeed. And, TJ wrote an article on why you should give ‘Agents of SHIELD’ a chance. Be sure to check that out. Of course, find out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #50: Benedict Cumberbatch’s Voice

TJ Draper — Fri, 4 Oct 2013 17:00:00 GMT

It’s a new edition of The Wrap! Find out why it’s been raining meatballs this week with the box office report! Hear about ‘Agents of SHIELD’ doing well in time shifted viewing, which doesn’t surprise TJ. A video has been making the rounds on 4 rules J.J. Abrams should follow to make ‘Star Wars’ great again, and TJ wholeheartedly agrees with every single rule in this video! It’s highly recommended watching, check it out! Speaking of J.J., he has admitted he has a slight lens flare addiction and should seek help. TJ concurs. The new trailer for ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ features Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice and you should definitely give this one a looky and listen! ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair’ will be coming to film very soon. Given the lacklast attempts at films they’ve made with the last two, this doesn’t strike TJ as good news. Legendary author Tom Clancy has passed away, which is very sad.l James McAvoy says that ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ will be the most epic yet. And make sure you find out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #49: Chewbacca Shrugged

TJ Draper — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 18:00:00 GMT

This week, ‘Prisoners’ takes the top box office spot, and deservedly so. TJ really enjoyed the film. In other news, as it turns out, WikiLeaks is not a fan of the upcoming film about Julian Assange. And, in a move that surprised no one, they leaked the script. Peter Mayhew would like to continue playing the role of Chewbacca. He’s recovering from surgery and doctors say he should be up for playing the role again soon. ‘Atlas Shrugged Part 3’ is taking the popular Kickstarter campaign route. But the franchise is leaving TJ shrugging because really, who cares? Superman killing in ‘Man of Steel’ is still causing outrage in some parts of the nerd-verse. But despite TJ’s many numerous complaints with ‘Man of Steel’, that was not one of them. Entertainment Geekly is taking the pulse of the Trek-o-sphere, and it’s not looking good for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. The fan outrage really has TJ kind of upset. Of course, TJ has to also talk a little about the premiere of ‘Agents of SHIELD’, which was awesome! And Joss Whedon says he wants to create new content again. This seems like a good thing. And of course, find out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #48: Save Stargate?

TJ Draper — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 17:00:00 GMT

TJ recaps what he feels are the newsworthy items from the past week. The highlights include, ‘Insidious Chapter 2’? Yes, it was number 1 at the box office this past weekend. And Disney’s CFO wants to dump more money into more franchise films and less money into original films. That’s just sad. Justin Bieber seems to think maybe he’ll be in ‘Man of Steel’ as Robin. That moaning you just heard was probably from TJ. ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is projected to reach $950 Million worldwide. TJ is not sure where they come up with these numbers at, but the film should be good, so that sounds like a good thing. Darren over at Gateworld thinks that Rolland Emmerich can save ‘Stargate’. TJ would rather not see ‘Stargate’ saved if that’s what it takes. Gwyneth Paltrow says she probably won’t be in ‘Avengers 2’. Oh well, there are worse things TJ supposes. Joss Whedon did rewrites for ‘Thor: The Dark World’, which is unsurprising and probably a very good thing. And J.K. Rowling has final say over the script for the upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ Spinnoff. That also seems like a good thing. And of course, don’t miss what films are our in theaters that you might like to see.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #47: Newt Scamander

TJ Draper — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 18:00:00 GMT

TJ takes a look at a few highlights from the past week. Riddick was on top of the box office dog pile, although that’s not saying much given the lackluster offerings available right now. Vin Diesel would like to make more so we’ll see how that goes. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ tickets will be available for pre-sale on October 1st! There’s more on the Cumberbatch and ‘Star Wars’ front plus we have a possible title for the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ film. Hugh Jackman says we’re going to be blown away with ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’. Marvel has scheduled yet another film for 2015: ‘Ant-Man’. Disney is encouraging irresponsible movie watching with second screen experience for ‘The Little Mermaid’. We may have a possible director for the next ‘Star Trek’ film. And the big news this week comes on the ‘Harry Potter’ front. Tune in for that! And of course, TJ talks about your viewing options at the box office this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #46: Deny All The Rumors!

TJ Draper — Fri, 6 Sep 2013 20:00:00 GMT

TJ takes a look back at the box office glumness that was last weekend. He mentions the removing of Bob Peterson from the role of director on Pixar’s upcoming ‘The Good Dinosaur’, which is a little worrisome. Next TJ highly recommends you take the time to watch Kevin Spacey’s comments about Netflix, Pilots, and ‘House of Cards’. Of course there’s lots of rumors circulating about Benedict Cumberbatch being involved in ‘Star Wars VII’. His reps do, of course, deny all. Speaking of denials, Bryan Cranston has also denied all rumors about having been cast as Lex Luthor in the upcoming ‘Man of Steel’. TJ also reviewed the film ‘Closed Circuit’ this week and talked about it on The MovieByte Podcast with Chad. Neither of them liked the film very much. Also, apparently Batman needs a love interest for his upcoming appearance in ‘Man of Steel 2’. Will Smith might be in ‘Independence Day 2’ after all. And also, Roland Emmerich doesn’t care much about the ‘Stargate’ fans he might tick off in discarding all the history and world building of the ‘Stargate’ franchise since his initial film in 1994. And of course, TJ talks about what you might like to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #45: Killing An Avenger

TJ Draper — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 18:00:00 GMT

TJ chats with you about last weekend’s box office successes and faiures and which of those films deserved and/or didn’t deserve what it got. And there’s plenty of Marvel and Joss Whedon in the news. Kevin Feige over at Marvel seems to think we’ll be seeing more of The Hulk and Hawkeye around the Marvel universe. And we really want to know, will Joss Whedon kill off one of the Avengers? It’s a tricky proposition either way really, and TJ explains. The Chinese think that ‘Pacific Rim’ was nothing more than an American propaganda film. ‘Arrested Development’ is getting the silver screen treatment. TJ reviewed ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ and he did not like it! TJ also has a rumor that, if true, would be a fairly big spoiler for ‘Avengers 2’, make sure to listen for that! Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright have directed episodes of ‘House of Cards’ which will be airing next year. And of course, tune in to hear about what you might like to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #44: Ben Affleck is Batman

TJ Draper — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:00:00 GMT

After discussing how the various films did at the box office last weekend, TJ ponders the deep questions, like, should Ewan McGregor get a character film for Obi-Wan? It’s a tough question actually, because on the one hand he was one of the few good things about the prequels, but on the other, what story is there to tell? Speaking of ‘Star Wars’, David Prowse does not like those prequels much. There’s also the hilarious and awesome ‘Star Trek Into Darkness Honest Trailer’! You’ll want to catch that! TJ also wrote a review of the biopic ‘JOBS’, and discussed it with Joe Darnell on this week’s MovieByte Podcast. There’s also a live action ‘Cinderella’ underway, and Haley Atwell is invovled in some capacity. Big news this week: Ben Affleck is going to be playing Batman in the ‘Man of Steel’ sequel. TJ is not at all sure what to think about this news. And of course, you won’t want to miss out on what you might want to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #43: Palpatine

TJ Draper — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 17:00:00 GMT

TJ takes a look at what’s popular in the box office from the last weekend and how the rankings went down, as well as offering some opinions and short analysis of Elysium. The the question is asked, is the 3D fad over? TJ wants the answer to be yes. ‘Now You See Me’ has another magic trick up its sleeve, and that is that there will be a sequel. This seems highly unwarranted, but there you have it. Was Christian Bale offered $50 Million to reprise Batman? TJ thinks not. Ian McDiarmid is rumored to be returning to play Emperor Palpatine in the upcoming ‘Star Wars Episode VII’. This seems like a mistake unless handled very carefully. Stephanie Meyer thinks critics punished ‘The Host’ because of the ‘Twilight’ series. That may be, but it doesn’t explain the ultra poor reception at the box office. Do ‘Star Trek’ fans hate ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’? If they do, TJ thinks they are stupid. Mark Wahlberg would like a shot at playing ‘Iron Man’. This thought greatly disturbs TJ. And Blomkamp’s next film will be what he’s calling a cross between ‘RoboCop’ and ‘E.T.’, to which TJ says, "no thanks". And of course, don’t miss what’s coming out in theaters this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #42: Mission Accepted

TJ Draper — Fri, 9 Aug 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Take a look at which films were at the top of the box office this past weekend, and TJ’s opinion on them, including ‘2 Guns’, ‘The Wolerine’, and ‘The Smurfs 2’. Then James Cameron is upping the ‘Avatar’ sequel count to three, making four ‘Avatar’ films in total when it’s all said and done. It’s kind of a head scratcher really, is there that much momentum? Then it’s time to get Bourne Again (ugh)! And Christopher McQuarries mission, should he choose to accept it (which he has) is to make a great film of ‘Mission Impossible 5’. Tom Hiddleston confirms Loki will not be in ‘The Avengers: The Age of Ultron’. ‘2 Guns’ was reviewed in written form by TJ, then Chad and TJ talked about it on The MovieByte Podcast. The film can’t be recommended for reasons TJ goes in to. The threat of a 5th ‘Indiana Jones’ film is still looming overhead like a great storm cloud on the horizon. A strange looking film, and a strange trailer about a guy falling in love with his Operating System is on deck. But TJ is not completely willing to write it off. And of course, find out what to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #41: Super Cafe

TJ Draper — Fri, 2 Aug 2013 16:00:00 GMT

In this episode TJ goes over the box office totals and top earners, and ‘The Wolverine’ is the clear winner here, even if ultimately it was a bit disappointing domestically. Jon M. Chu is talking about making more terribleness with ‘G.I. Joe 3’. And John Williams has been officially announced to return to the ‘Star Wars’ universe and score the new trilogy. Speaking of ‘Star Wars’, episode VII is apparently going to have a big focus on characters according to Kathleen Kennedy, which makes us all happy to hear anyway. The trailer for ‘Escape Plan’ staring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger actually looks like it could be good (in other news, bacon has taken wing). And don’t miss Superman and Batman chatting it up about their upcoming film together. In the stupider news this week, ‘Sharknado is coming to theaters… yeah… Of course, ‘The Hobbit’ is getting an extended edition on Blu-ray and there’s a deleted scene clip floating around. ‘Despicable Me 2’ is Universal’s most profitable film, which strikes TJ as sad. ‘Pacific Rim’ is doing well in China and other parts of the globe, making a sequel much more likely than at first it seemed like. And new in theaters this weekend are ‘2 Guns’ and ‘Smurfs 2’. TJ gives you the run down on those and others you will still find in theaters.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #40: Holy Superbatman!

TJ Draper — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:00:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week for you with a look at which films did well last weekend, including some of his disappointments regarding the box office shakedowns. And of course there was a lot of news coming out of the weekend from the San Diego Comic Con, including a new ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Theatrical Trailer, Joss Whedon revealed the title of the upcoming ‘Avengers’ film to be ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’, and Zack Snyder announced a ‘Superman’ ‘Batman’ crossover film. The sad news of course in TJ’s eyes is that it will yet again reboot the ‘Batman’ universe. Cobie Smulders will be appearing on the upcoming TV show ‘SHIELD’ set in the Marvel Cinematic universe. ‘Riddick’ gets a "red band" trailer. ‘Captain America 2’ will feature a significant shift in the Marvel Universe, plus, TJ is not too happy with the proposed cinematic style mentioned by the directors. And man, 2015 is looking like a crazy year for films! We also have an upcoming ‘Peanuts’ film based on the beloved comic strip by Charles Schulz, it’s going to be 3D and CGI. That doesn’t sound like a winner to TJ. And of course, you’ll want to tune in to hear about what you might like to see in theaters this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #39: The Pixar Theory

TJ Draper — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:00:00 GMT

TJ recaps the highlights of the week, including the fact that for a second week in a row, the Anti-Villain League was unable to stop Gru from making off with the cash from the Box Office, as well as the complete run-down of the top eight films at last weekend’s box office. Then there’s the Pixar theory. Someone had way too much time on their hands, but it’s a lot of fun an you’ll want to check it out. J.J. Abrams is planning to direct the next ‘Star Trek’ films in spite of his commitments to ‘Star Wars’ which, really, seems like a bad idea. We should get some new blood! Also, you may like to know about how ‘Man of Steel’ should have ended. Of course the movie would only have been like 30 minutes, but it would have been much better. TJ released his ‘Pacific Rim’ review on Wednesday and then talked about it on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’. ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ has a Premiere date! WooHoo! ‘Wolverine’ (the first Wolverine film, not the one coming up) got an honest trailer, which was a lot of fun. And ‘The Fifth Estate’ trailer staring Benedict Cumberbatch as Jullian Assange has also been released. And of course, there are things you might like to see this weekend. TJ give you the full scoop!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #38: Mannequin Tonto

TJ Draper — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 21:00:00 GMT

This weekend’s wrap up involves Gru stealing the box office cash box, and strange Mannequin Tonto telling a story to a little boy. Of course ‘Despicable Me 2’ took the top spot at the box office last wekend, with ‘The Lone Ranger’ flopping pretty miserably. David Chen did a comparison of ‘Superman The Movie’ and ‘Man of Steel’ scores, which was fun. Russell Crowe would be interested in a ‘Man of Steel’ prequel, and TJ thinks he "might" me as well. In the latest ‘The Wolverine’ train fight clip, TJ is a little concerned for the direction of the film, but is holding out some hope. Neill Blomkamp will not be directing the next ‘Star Trek’ film, at least according to him. CBS and Netflix are extending their licensing deal, which seems like good news for everyone. ‘Agents of SHIELD’ put out a new promo, which features some very Joss Whedon-y writing, this makes TJ happy. ‘The Jungle Book’ is headed to a new, live action production. Vin Diesel teases his involvement with ‘Avengers 2’. 3D has hit an all time low in ticket sales with ‘Despicable Me 2’. Sam Mendes is set to return for ‘Bond’ 24. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are set to star in the upcoming film ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ as Walt Disney and P.L. Travers respectively. Negotiations are underway for ‘Arrested Development Season 5. And of course, TJ covers what you might like to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #37: Gather the Minions

TJ Draper — Fri, 5 Jul 2013 18:02:00 GMT

TJ recounts the box office successes and numbers. Liam Neeson is willing to star in ‘Taken 3’ for a large sum of money. ‘World War Z’ originally had a different, and from the sound of it, far worse ending. Corey is stirring up trouble about Zombies and the undead and the genre in general. TJ also has some thoughts about ‘Pacific Rim’ and a link to some videos going behind the scenes. Christian Bale will not appear as Batman in ‘Justice League’. Boba Fett originally appeared in a screen test in a video from 1978. TJ also recounts what’s happening with co-hosts and ‘The MovieByte Podcast’, as well as talks a bit about Chad Hopkins who hosted the podcast with him this week. Chad also wrote a short review of ‘World War Z’ and TJ wrote a review of ‘White House Down’, then they talked about both of those films on episode 50 of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’. Thursday was Independence Day and not a lot was happening on that day. And of course, TJ runs down the list of films that are currently in theaters and gives you opinions on which ones to watch.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #36: Reboot All The Things

TJ Draper — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:00:00 GMT

‘Monsters’ scared off the box office in last weekend’s box office totals. ‘The Avengers’ is finally on Netflix if you have been waiting for a way to see the film. ‘Independence Day 2’ will not feature Will Smith, but Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum will be returning to the franchise. TJ has a bit more to say on ‘Man of Steel’ and morality. A ‘World War Z’ sequel has been greenlit. Mark Strong is a rumored contender for the role of Lex Luthor in the upcoming ‘Man of Steel 2’. Rick Santorum has been named CEO of EchoLight Studios which seems a bit odd but maybe good things will come of it. There’s a new co-host in town for ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ and TJ gives you a quick run down. Marvel has scheduled an untitled film for 2016, what it will be about is anyone’s guess. The new ‘Terminator’ film will be a reboot because of course, we must reboot all the things! Pixar has promised more original stories because (shocker) they’ve been focusing too much on sequels and prequels. And of course, TJ runs down the new films this weekend and what you might like to see.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #35: The Iron Man Is Onboard

TJ Draper — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 17:00:00 GMT

The box office this week is brought to you straight from Krypton since ‘Man of Steel’ took the number one spot. Laremy Legel thinks Spielberg and Lucas are wrong about the upcoming film industry implosion. ‘Man of Steel’ will "reboot" the Batman universe and will not tie in to Nolan’s batman world. Joss Whedon says Loki is not in ‘Avengers 2’. Netflix and Dreamworks have reached an agreement to produce original content. J.J. and George Lucas have not spoken about ‘Star Wars VII’. This may be a good thing. TJ reviewed ‘Man of Steel’ this past week and talked about it on The MovieByte Podcast. He as not pleased or amused, and he most certainly did not like the film. HBO Go and ESPN are now available on the Apple TV. Robert Downey Jr. has signed on for two more ‘Avengers’ films. Helena Bonham Carter has been cast as Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. And of course, TJ gives the run down as to what you might like to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #34: A Super Weekend

TJ Draper — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:30:00 GMT

This week, the box office was "Purged" as ‘The Purge’ took the top box office spot. What in the world? Will Smith doesn’t want to do blockbuster films anymore after the flop that is ‘After Earth’ which is too bad. And there’s lots of ‘Man of Steel’ stuff going on, and TJ is looking forward to the film which is receiving mixed critical reception, but that might be a good thing. ‘White House Down’ gets an extended trailer and looks like ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ on steroids. John M. Chu will direct ‘G.I. Joe 3’. Sigh. ‘Star Wars VII’ is rumored to be following the storyline of the novels. ‘300: The Rise of an Empire’ gets a trailer’. ‘The Wolverine’ also has a new international trailer out. ‘Elysium’ also joined the trailer fun. Lots of trailers this week. And finally, TJ talks about what you will want to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #33: Twihard

TJ Draper — Fri, 7 Jun 2013 14:22:00 GMT

In this week’s episode, TJ gets you up to speed on which films are winning at the box office and why it’s a tragedy that Fast and Furious 6 is at the top. He has seen the film now and can speak authoritatively about it. The companies behind ‘Twlight’ sent parodists a cease and desist letter about their parody so they are suing. And please help save podcasting from the patent trolls, this whole paten troll issue is insanity! ‘Man of Steel’ gets a 13 minute featurette as well as a big final trailer. Will Smith isn’t too interested in returning to the ‘Men in Black’ series which is unfortunate, but they probably shouldn’t try to make another without him. ‘World War Z’ is coming up and TJ gives a few thoughts on the trailer. Joss Whedon says ‘Avengers 2’ won’t happen with out Robert Downey Jr. so that’s good news. He also talks about ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. And of course, TJ covers what you might like to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #32: Logical Inconsistencies

TJ Draper — Fri, 31 May 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Join TJ as he talks about his disappointment with the world about last week’s two top box office spots. Then a man faces charges for throwing another theater patron’s phone, was his provocation sufficient? Joss Whedon talks about Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch for the upcoming ‘Avengers 2’. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ has some easter eggs for those of you so inclined to check them out. Instacast 1.0 for Mac is available and you should get that right away! Evangeline Lilly of ‘Lost’ fame will be playing a "young" hobbit. Carter Burwell is no longer going to be scoring ‘Thor: The Dark World’. Hugh Jackman would love to team up with The Avengers. This week, TJ and Joe talked about ‘Epic’ on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’. ‘Man of Steel’ has been getting a lot of attention with trailers and the like. ‘Iron Man 3’ gets a ‘How it Should Have Ended’ video. ‘Pirates 5’ may have a directorial pair, And TJ also talks about what you might want to see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #31: An Incredibles Sequel

TJ Draper — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:56:00 GMT

TJ takes a look at the box office win of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ as well as the other top box office spots. Brad Bird talks about an ‘Incredibles’ sequel, which TJ would be in favor of. Did Renner loose his Hawkeye Gig? For the nerds, there are details to be noticed about the Enterprise at the end of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. And boy did Rob over at IO9 hate ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. An upcoming film adaption for ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ has been put on hold. There are several new trailers out this week including trailers for ‘Man of Steel’, ‘The Wolverine’, ‘The Lone Ranger’, and ‘Byzantium’. TJ wrote a review for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ as well as discussed it on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ with Anthony Pascale and Joe Darnell. There’s also the article about Alice Eve’s gratuitous underwear scene. And finally, TJ talks about what you might want to see in theaters this weakend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #30: ‘The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

TJ Draper — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:28:00 GMT

Last weekend, ‘Iron Man 3’ dominated the box office over the freshmen installment, ‘The Great Gatsby’, but ‘Gatsby’ didn’t do terribly. ABC picks up the shoo-in TV show ‘Marvel’s agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, and released a short promo as well as a full length trailer. Tom Hanks will be starring in an upcoming drama based on a true story called Captain Phillips. ‘Arrested Development’ season 4 is coming exclusively to Netflix, and we’ve got a trailer here for you. ‘24’ gets a 12 episode season, which seems odd, but may be fun. TJ reviewed ‘The Great Gatsby last week, as well as talked about it with Alex Arena on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’. There is an unknown Pixar sequel in development, TJ is rooting for a ‘Incredibles’ sequel. TJ also saw ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Wednesday night and gave a preliminary report that you’ll want to check out. SyFy renews/cancels ‘Warehouse 13’ which makes everyone sad. And of course, there are some films out this weekend that you might want to see.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #29: Chalk Full of Star Trek

TJ Draper — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:15:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with a look at ‘Iron Man 3’ winning last weekend’s box office by a wide margin, Damon Lindelof talking about ‘Star Trek "3"’ and the fact that we might see more Klingons, ‘Men in Black 4’ is in development, ‘Man of Steel’ TV spot and music, ‘Mission Impossible 5’ is in development and how this might signal franchise fatigue, the brilliant Spock vs. Spock ad, the news that ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ will be opening one day earlier than expected, the ‘Star Trek 2009’ Honest Trailer, a teaser trailer for ‘Ender’s Game’, his review of ‘Iron Man 3’ as well as he and Joe’s discussion of ‘Iron Man 3’ on The MovieByte Podcast, Robert Redford revealing a spoiler for the upcoming ‘Captain America 2’, Mark Hamill loving on the prequels, Michael Giacchino debuting 20 some minutes of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ score on a radio show, and what you might want to see this weekend in theaters.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #28: Trouble At The White House

TJ Draper — Fri, 3 May 2013 18:06:00 GMT

Wrap up the week with TJ as he breaks down last weekend’s Box Office stats, talks about the nightmare that broadcast TV may be headed for and why he thinks the model needs to change, the trailer for ‘RED2’ and why that film might be a good film, clips, goodies and analysis for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ that you won’t want to miss as ‘Into Darkness’ promises to be one of the big films this year, the Instacast for Mac Public Beta and how exciting that is, the last Reel-To-Reel at a particular theater and the changing of the guard that represents, a mom watches and relates the story of ‘The Matrix’, the ‘White House Down’ trailer, a review of ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’, a recommendation to catch the latest episode of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ with special guest Dan Benjamin of 5by5, and what you might want to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #27: Bigger Than HBO

TJ Draper — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

TJ takes a look back at the weekend box office report with ‘Oblivion’ topping the list, and deservedly so. Next up a video highlighting M83’s ‘Oblivion’ title track. Then there was a review on RogerEbert.com sucking the life out of ‘Oblivion’, and Joe has an article taking it down a notch. A ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot is in the works, which annoys and irritates TJ. ‘Thor 2’ has a teaser out and about. There is a rumor of an ‘Avengers 2’ teaser attached to screenings of ‘Iron Man 3’, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to TJ. TJ wrote an ‘Oblivion’ review this week. Netflix is now bigger than HBO, John Harrison has some video messages for us in Paramount’s viral marketing campaign. Regal and Cinemark are having a disagreement with Disney. Joss Whedon is talking about ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and ‘Avengers 2’. Gwyneth Paltrow thinks this is the end of the line for ‘Iron Man’. And finally, what you might like to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #26: The Avengers Will Assemble!

TJ Draper — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:50:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with a look at the box office totals, ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ teaser trailer, clips from the upcoming ‘Iron Man 3’ film, the ‘Mortal Instruments’ prequel that is already being developed, which seems strange, the new ‘Pacific Rim’ International TV Spot, Joe’s review of Podcatchers, make sure you check it out and choose a good option that fits well with you, the big news of the week, the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ final theatrical trailer as well as Anthony Pascale’s deep dive into the analysis of that, the ‘S’ stands for hope in the new ‘Man of Steel’ trailer, TJ and Joe welcomed Anthony Pascale onto ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ to analyze the ‘Star Trek’ trailer, the ‘Snow White’ sequel aiming for a 2015 release, Richard LeParmenier dies at the young age of 66, The Avengers will assemble in February according to Joss Whedon, Joseph Kosinski is developing a ‘Blade Runner’ meets ‘BSG’ TV series, Harrison Ford is mad at Chewy, and finally, what you might like to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #25: Lamenting Stargate’s Demise

TJ Draper — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:54:00 GMT

Get the scoop from the past week as TJ talks about the box office report and wonders why on earth you all are going out to the theater to see an awful film such as ‘Evil Dead’, Hans Zimmer talking about the ‘Man of Steel’ score, J. August Richard, formerly Charles Gun of ‘Angel’ joining the ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ cast, an ‘Iron Man 3’ clip in which Tony Stark is not afraid, Westboro Baptist picketing Ebert’s funeral and how much that disgusts him, and what if ‘Stargate Atlantis’ had continued on to a sixth season? Then there’s a new TV spot for ‘Man of Steel’, TJ’s review of ‘The Host’ and ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’, the politics in the Mario universe, a trailer for Jonny Depp’s ‘The Lone Ranger’, a new trailer for ‘Now You See Me’, take a quiz on wither photos are CG or real, and what you might like to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #24: Remembering Ebert

TJ Draper — Fri, 5 Apr 2013 18:50:00 GMT

In this episode, TJ talks about last weekend’s box office and what’s hot and making the most money, which is ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’, a special version of ‘Iron Man 3’ coming to China, Movieology Episode #4, a new ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ commercial which aired with an episode of ‘The Walking Dead’, the bait and switch tactics of film trailers and why he empathizes with the makers of the films and trailers, a new trailer for ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’, ‘Finding Dory’ and Ellen DeGeneres’ announcement of the film, ‘the trailer announcement for ‘Catching Fire’, clips, featurettes and entire streaming score for ‘Oblivion’, the ‘MovieByte Podcast #38: Finding Pixar’, some thoughts on the sad news of the passing of ‘Roger Ebert’ and what an inspiration he was, and what you might like to see this weekend at the theater.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #23: The Wolverine

TJ Draper — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:00:00 GMT

TJ takes a look at two new TV spots for ‘Oblivion’ and what a fine looking film he expects it to be, HBO GO for non-cable subscribers and what that means and why he won’t be getting it, Robert Redford rumored to be in talks for a part in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, Joe’s ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ review and how Joe rated it slightly lower than he did, ‘The Wolverine’ Teaser announcement on Vine, the 20 second teaser, and the full international and domestic trailers, as well as some general thoughts on the good marketing muscle behind that, House of Tweets, talking about ‘House of Cards’ release schedule, a fun video about ‘Hacking the Mainframe’ in movies, an ‘Iron Man 3’ TV spot, a really great ‘Oblivion’ featurette, ‘The MovieByte Podcast #37’, and what you might like to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #22: Casa Tony Stark

TJ Draper — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:00:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with a look at Pepper Potts suiting up in an Iron Man suit, the previous weekend’s box office report, a ‘Star Wars’ conspiracy theory expose, a ‘Hansel and Gretel’ sequel and how that might not be warranted, ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ streaming and download in HD, the Apple TV software update and Hulu app update, Joss Whedon’s reaction to the ‘Iron Man 3’ ending, Joe’s review of ‘Emperor’, the new ‘Turbo’ trailer, the ‘Everything Wrong with the Dark Knight’ video and how it’s a bit of a dud, George Lucas sends a drawing to James Cameron, ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ international trailer, The MovieByte Podcast 36 in which TJ and Joe discuss ‘The Call’, an ‘Oblivion’ Featurette, and what you might like to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #21: Kickstarting Firefly

TJ Draper — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

A wrap up to the week talking about ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ box office success and why it’s a bit disappointing in light of ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ doing so poorly, ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Teaser Trailer #2 and Anthony Pascale’s deep, shot by shot analysis of that, release reshuffling with ‘RED 2’ and ‘Now You See Me’, ‘Star Trek "3"’ might be out for the 50th anniversary, Emma Watson decides not to become a Disney princess and take the part of the live action Cinderella, a mode of the Enterprise E, an article on motion smoothing on modern TVs and why you should make sure that setting is off on your television set, the ‘Veronica Mars’ Kickstarter meeting its funding goal in short order with many days left to really boost the budget, as well as what this might mean for the future of film, and Joss Whedon considering the options for a Kickstarter with ‘Firefly. And then TJ wraps it up with a look at what’s in the cinemas that you might like to see.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #20: Errol Flynn Robin Hood

TJ Draper — Fri, 8 Mar 2013 18:10:00 GMT

In this episode, TJ talks bout ‘Hobbit 3’ getting its release date pushed back, Emma Watson in a live action Cinderella, ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’s’ dismal opening weekend, rumors of Christopher Nolan taking on Justice League with Christian Bale returning as Batman, a DreamWorks version of ‘Robin Hood’ which TJ doesn’t think will be all that great, the upcoming ‘Tomb Raider’ reboot with a younger Lara Croft, the newest trailer for the upcoming ‘Iron Man 3’, why Sam Raimi didn’t do a ‘Spider-Man 4’, soundtrack from the upcoming ‘Oblivion’ which is sounding good, Episode #34 of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’, Joe’s article on the star rating system and how he ranks films, a big ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ spoiler scoop from Anthony Pascale at TrekMovie.com, and what you might want to see this weekend at the box office.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #19: Captain MacFarlane

TJ Draper — Fri, 1 Mar 2013 21:18:00 GMT

TJ takes a look at a few things that happened this past week. First there’s Bryan Singer promising to fix some of the flaws with ‘X-men: The Last Stand’. Then there’s the the confirmation of a ‘Jack Reacher’ sequel from Paramount and that seems like good news. And of course there’s the 85th Academy Awards and TJ talks about a few of The Oscars given out, and really the only choice he was annoyed with. There’s also some hints from the director about what might be coming in ‘Wreck-it Ralph 2’. Plus TJ is geeking a bit about a lost documentary on ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. And how can we miss Audrey Hepburn’s digital double staring in a commercial? And to get you all set for the weekend, TJ reviews what’s new and currently in theaters.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #18: Minion Factory

TJ Draper — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:30:00 GMT

TJ takes a look back through the week with a look at Pixar, Monsters University, and what would happen if Pixar rebooted the original ‘Star Trek’, Star Wars news with rumors of a standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi film featuring Ewan McGregor, and information that John Williams would like to return to score Episode VII, plus Hamill is not yet signed for Episode VII. There’s a new featurette for Olympus has fallen and TJ is looking forward to the film. TJ will also be attending the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ Star Trek Theater event and tickets are now on sale. The fans of Back to the Future have a lot of theories as to why Marty’s parents did not recognize him from the 50s. TJ and his wife welcomed a new little girl into their family this week. TJ also reviewed the film ‘Downfall’ and though he probably won’t be seeing it again, it was a good film and worth your time. Then there’s a video on aspect ration that is highly recommended. And in stupid news this week, Michael Bay is bringing Megan Fox back to one of his sets with the upcoming Ninja Turtles film. And finally, the low down on what you might want to see this weekend. The box office offerings are pretty week this time of year, but there may be something.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #17: Blowing Up Jar Jar

TJ Draper — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:23:00 GMT

It was a week for trailers, featurettes, and clips. This week, we wrap up with the new trailer, featurette and a clip from John Goodman of the upcoming ‘Monsters University’, ‘The Host’ featurette and trailer, a new trailer and clip for ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ and some thoughts on Bryan Singer directing that film, a release date for the ‘Les Miserables’ Blu-ray — you’ll want to add this one to your library, Movieology Episode #3 in which Eric and Michael talk about ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, TJ’s review of ‘Identity Thief’ which he did not like at all and recommends you stay away from, Jar Jar Binks getting what he deserves in LEGO form as well as other fun LEGO stuff, a new 15 year anniversary cover for ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’, TJ’s review of ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ which was a not a good film, and what you may want to see or avoid this weekend at the box office.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #16: The Big E

TJ Draper — Fri, 8 Feb 2013 19:10:00 GMT

TJ brings you the recap of the week with a look at the Super Bowl trailers, Anthony Pascale’s shot by shot analysis for the new Star Trek Super Bowl trailer, news for being advanced screening tickets for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’, Netflix’s full season release strategy for ‘House of Cards’, ‘Iron Man 3’ extended look, the announcement of ‘Favorite Fun Futon Films for February’, ‘The Avengers’ Firefly style - a really fun YouTube video, rumors of ‘Star Wars’ character film spinoffs for Yoda, Boba Fett, and Han Solo (this deal is getting worse all the time), a review of ‘Warm Bodies’ which was quite the disappointment, rumors of ‘Portal’ and ‘Half-Life’ films in development by J.J. Abrams, Bruce Willis affirmation that there will be a ‘Die Hard 6’ plus his thoughts on gun control, the sad news of legendary ‘Star Wars’ makeup artist Stuart Freeborn passing away, and what you might like to see during this lack luster box office time.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #15: A Debacle of the Highest Order

TJ Draper — Fri, 1 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with a look at Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess in the ‘Upside Down’ trailer, Film.com’s look at ‘Movie 43’ - it’s a debacle of the highest order, John McClane causing havoc in Russia, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ leading the weak box office, Maria Hill possibly appearing in S.H.I.E.L.D., ‘The Flare of Abrams’ video, Joss Whedon dreaming of a ‘Firefly’ return, the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ fan trailer, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Joe’s review of ‘Parker’ - spoiler, it was not a great film, TJ’s review of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ - The MovieByte Podcast #29 in which TJ and Joe discuss both films, the ‘Olympus has Fallen’ trailer, ‘House of Cards’ is now available on Netflix, and what you might like to see this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #14: The Flare is Strong With This One

TJ Draper — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:09:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with ‘The Hobbit’ VFX videos, he particularly liked the one about designing Gollum, SuperHeroHype.com’s 9 Things We Want from Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D., Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise the the first TV spot for the upcoming ‘Oblivion’, an upcoming TV show on the SyFy channel called ‘Defiance’, his Gangster Squad review, Jimmy Olsen is a girl in the upcoming ‘Man of Steel’, the Honest trailer for ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, J.J. Abrams thinks you should be prepared to cry in the upcoming ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’, Joseph’s ‘Broken City’ review — TJ like the film but Joseph didn’t, Joseph’s review of ‘The Last Stand’ and how Joseph should have saved himself the pain and trouble on catching that film, and of course the big news this week, J.J. Abrams is to direct the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ film. Plus find out what films you might like to watch in theaters this weekend!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #13: Captain Jack

TJ Draper — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:19:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with a look at the Joss Whedon interview and his plans for digging in and causing the characters pain in the upcoming ‘Avengers 2’, JJ Abrams views on 3D in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’, ‘Jurassic Park IV’ gets a release date (face palm), Tarantino is not doing himself any favors by blowing up in interviews, The White House’s response to the petition for the U.S. to build a death star, Problem solving the Gandalf way, ‘Pirates 5’ has begun production, the ‘Fringe’ finale, Joseph’s review of ‘Promised Land’, Movieology Episode #2, a ‘Jack Reacher’ sequel is unlikely, The MovieByte Podcast Episode 27, how ‘The Hobbit’ should have ended, ‘RED 2’, the trailer for ‘Emperor’ starring Tommy Lee Jones and Mathew Fox, and rounding things off with a look at what you might like to see in theaters this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #12: Dueling With Lightsabers

Joe Darnell — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 1:29:00 GMT

Joe wraps up the week with a look at his review of ‘Hitchcock’ and a few thoughts about seeing the film with TJ, the announcement of who won the HD TV and Netflix giveaway as well as broadcasting the announcement live on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ Episode #26, the trailer for the upcoming film ‘42’ about Jackie Robinson, the first black Major League Baseball player, and some thoughts on whether the film will be overly preachy and whether the film will ultimately be worth checking out. Then for something much lighter in tone, Joe talks about a video TJ posted titled, If Disney Made ‘Star Wars’ which is just a lot of fun. There’s also Cory’s review of Coriolanus staring Ralph Fiennes. Coriolanus is a contemporary retelling of a Shakespearian classic and it’s worth checking out. And finally wrapping up the week with the MovieByte feature, ‘What to See’.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #11: Mega Spider

TJ Draper — Fri, 4 Jan 2013 21:31:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with a Box Office update battle between ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘The Hobbit’ (spoiler, ‘The Hobbit’ is winning), a scientific analysis of the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’, TJ’s movie picks of 2012, the upcoming, horrible looking film, ‘Mega Spider’, Veronica Belmont’s ‘Fact or Fictional’ on ‘Skyfall’, ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ 25 with special guest Liz Darnell, Hayley Atwell won’t be appearing in ‘Captain America 2’, Netflix’s original drama ‘House of Cards’ gets new trailers, ‘Die Hard 5’ trailer 3, ‘Wreck-it Ralph’ comes to home entertainment on February 12, ‘Jobs’ gets an April release date, Ashley Tisdale joins the cast of the ‘Left Behind’ reboot, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ gets a red band trailer, and what you should see this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #10: GLaDOS

TJ Draper — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:54:00 GMT

For this short holiday week, TJ recaps what’s going on with Jack Reacher, Joseph’s review and how he thought Joseph was a bit harsh on the film — as well they also talked about the film in the most recent episode of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’, Kristen Stewart has been confirmed to return to the ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ sequel, which seems like a good thing, Carrie Underwood will be staring as Maria in ‘The Sound of Music’ TV remake, which makes TJ cringe, GLaDOS voice makes an appearance in the ‘Pacific Rim’ trailer, JJ Abrams turned down the directing gig for Star Wars VII, a TV spot for ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’, ‘The Avengers’ gets a new behind the scenes featurette showing how one of the more difficult CGI sequences was made, Roger Ebert names Argo the best film of 2012, and finally a recap of what you might be interested in seeing in the theater this weekend.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #9: Lackluster

TJ Draper — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:49:00 GMT

TJ wraps up the week with news of the ‘Jack Reacher’ red carpet premiere cancelation due to the Newtown shooting, as well as some irritation at the perceived pandering of Paramount over guns in the film later in the week, Anthony Pascale’s shot by shot analysis of the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ trailer, as well his his thoughts on the IMAX nine minute preview. Anthony also guested on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ this week. We then move on to ‘The Smurfs 2’ trailer, which looks stupid, the filmography 2012 video, which is wonderfully edited, Cinema Sins’ ‘Everything Wrong with The Avengers in 3 Minutes’ video, the relaunch of Movieology as a podcast (be sure to check it out), TJ’s review of ‘The Hobbit’, Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean in ‘Les Mis’, Dreamwork’s ‘Turbo’ trailer, which looks lackluster, and what to see this weekend. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #8: The Mounting Apocalypse

TJ Draper — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:39:00 GMT

It was a big week for trailers. In this episode, TJ highlights the upcoming film, ‘Parker’, a ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Mashup trailer featuring the audio track from the official trailer, but imagery from the Original Series episode ‘Where No Man Has Gone Before’, a ‘Wreck-it Ralph’ sequel in the works, the ‘After Earth’ and ‘Oblivion’ trailers, an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ sequel, the new ‘Lone Ranger’ trailer, , the new ‘Man of Steel’ trailer, Corey’s review of the 1989 Batman film, ‘Killing them Softly’ as a terrible film, the new trailer for ‘G.I. Joe 2’, the ‘Pacific Rim’ trailer, The MovieByte Podcast #22 in which TJ and Joe have a chance to talk with Melinda Snodgrass, screen writer for ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and the writer for ‘The Measure of a Man’, a great TNG episode, and a new feature of MovieByte.com, ‘What to See’ in which we highlight the films playing in theaters.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #7: Blue Lens Flares

Joe Darnell — Fri, 7 Dec 2012 22:39:00 GMT

This week, Joseph wraps up the week with a clip from ‘Jack Reacher’, The Man of Steel in Handcuffs and some thoughts on what that means, the Netflix deal with Disney and the head scratcher that it doesn’t go into effect until 2016, the upcoming ‘Tron 3’, TJ’s review of ‘Men in Black 3’, his ‘Rise of the Guardians’ review and how disappointed he was in that film, and what’s currently in theaters and doing well in the box office, ‘Breaking Dawn: Part II’, ‘Skyfall’, ‘Lincoln’, ‘Life of Pi’, ‘Wreck-it Ralph’, ‘Red Dawn’, and ‘Flight’.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #6: Beige Tights

TJ Draper — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:31:00 GMT

Wrapping up the week this week we have ‘The Hobbit’ Production Video #9 and ‘The Hobbit’s’ insane production schedule, TJ’s review of ‘Red Dawn’, Blockbuster getting into the digital magazine business, the official ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ synopsis and TJ’s opinion that it is poorly written, the ‘Revolution’ midseason finale, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart returning to ‘X-Men’, Veronica Belmont exploring whether ‘Looper’ time travel is fact or fictional, Joseph’s review of ‘Life of Pi’ and it’s philosophical issues, Matthew Vaughn being sort of confirmed as director of ‘Star Wars VII’, MovieByte live recording, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Batman, whether that idea has been properly debunked or whether it still might happen, ‘How it Should Have Ended’ ‘Looper’ style, the ‘Jack Reacher’ featurette, and the opportunities MovieByte is making available for you to win a TV, a one year subscription to Netflix, and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ on Blu-ray. Be sure to enter the contests!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #5: Now You See Me

TJ Draper — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 19:11:00 GMT

Wrapping up the week this week, we have Keith Richards returning to ‘Pirates 5’, Nikki Reed getting hate mail for the actions of her on-screen character, ‘The Wolverine’ gets a synopsis, the ‘Now You See Me’ trailer, TJ’s review of ‘Skyfall’, ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ trailer, Brad Bird wan’t be directing ‘Star Wars VII’, Biff Tannen entertains us, the ‘Catching Fire’ motion poster, Bryan Singer’s ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ trailer, ‘The Man of Steel’ trailer and the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ trailer will accompany ‘The Hobbit’, this week’s MovieByte Podcast with special guest Linsay Morgan, Joseph’s ‘Lincoln’ review, The Piano Guys performing ‘Lord of the Rings’, The ‘Thor’ deleted scene in which Jane Foster beams a message into the cosmos, Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years’ music video, and TJ’s ‘Breaking Dawn: Part II’ review.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #4: Talking to Siri

TJ Draper — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:40:00 GMT

This week, TJ gives you the wrap up on ‘Skyfall’ making a killing at the box office, Siri’s strange movie reviews, LEGO making a movie and casting Liam Neeson, the ‘Warm Bodies’ trailer, the idea that Darth Vader may rise from the dead in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’, Christian Bale’s Stand for life, an original Netflix drama, ‘House of Cards’, a political drama, the trailer for the upcoming film based on Stephanie Meyer’s book ‘The Host’, ‘The Hobbit’ streaming soundtrack, Episode 18 of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’, ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Season 2 remastered Blu-ray images, the Boxee CEO’s comments about streaming and on-demand media, and the debut of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ first nine minutes debuting in IMAX in front of ‘The Hobbit’. Lots of fun stuff, be sure to tune in!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #3: A War in the Stars

TJ Draper — Fri, 9 Nov 2012 19:17:00 GMT

Join TJ as he wraps up the week with a few highlights and some nerdy ‘Star Wars’ talk. TJ covers whether Pixar and Disney switched brains and the idea of a Disney/Pixar conspiracy, Damon Lindelof’s suggestions for ‘Star Wars’ story ideas, ‘Fringe’s’ finale date, Mark Hamill talking about the future of ‘Star Wars’ in 1983, Joseph discovering Machete order as well as a quick analysis and opinion about Machete Order, last weekend’s box office report and the domination of ‘Wreck-it Ralph’, the ‘Flight’ review, and article about watching films in 3D, the ‘Revolution’ reveal, ‘S.H.I.E.L.D. beginning production in January, this week’s MovieByte podcast, ‘The Last Stand’ trailer, Joseph’s ‘Wreck-it Ralph’ review, and the MovieByte Giveaway.

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #2: Zombie Apocalypse

Joe Darnell — Fri, 2 Nov 2012 20:00:00 GMT

In this week’s episode of ‘The Wrap’ Joseph brings you a few of the highlights from the past week. Such as Joss Whedon’s political satire involving Mitt Romney and Zombies. Seriously, no matter what side of the political isle you are on, if you don’t laugh, you may not be human. Next Joseph highlights TJ’s review of ‘Cloud Atlas’. It’s safe to say that neither of them liked it, although TJ may have disliked it more. Also highlighted, Corey reviewed ‘Prometheus’ and didn’t think it was so great either. And of course Joseph highlights the big news of the week, Lucas Film has been acquired by Disney. This topic in fact sort of consumed MovieByte starting on Wednesday. And don’t forget that the ‘Red Dawn’ remake is coming up. Finally, Joseph highlights MovieByte’s TV and Netflix subscription giveaway. You don’t want to miss this one folks!

Show Notes & Links

The Wrap #1: Jack Reacher

TJ Draper — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 2:57:00 GMT

In episode one, TJ talks about the ‘Jack Reacher’ trailer and how good it looks, the ‘Skyfall’ trailer and how he hopes it’s a better film than the previous two Daniel Craig ‘Bond’ films, the ‘Iron Man 3’ trailer debut, Joseph’s article and 60 Minutes interview with Stephen Spielberg about ‘Lincoln’, ‘Alcatraz’ full series now available, John Williams and Stephen Spielberg composing music for ‘E.T.’, Wally Pfister and his anti-Avengers comments, the ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ featurette, Bella arm wrestling Emmet in a new ‘Breaking Dawn Part II’ clip, episode 15 of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ where TJ and Joseph talk about ‘Atlas Shrugged’ Part Two, the new theatrical trailer for ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’, the possibility of Bryan Singer directing the new ‘X-Men’ film, and Joseph’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ Review.