Trailer Roundup: Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Interstellar, Nightcrawler, Foxcatcher, Gone Girl and Frank

Greetings from The North,

I am glad to report to report that GUARDIAN'S OF THE GALAXY was well worth the wait!

It's a smart, funny, action-adventure and an absolute, must-see film.

You can check out a full review from The South right here.

GUARDIANS was near the top of our Most Wanted Lists for months.

With it off the boards, it's time to check out trailers for some the films we are still eagerly awaiting.

First up is THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY -- PART I.

Our hero, Katniss Everdeen (North/South favorite, Jennifer Lawrence), has been drafted into a war for control of the world. Her inspirational actions have become the rallying point for the other Districts to rise up against the dominating force of The Capitol. This has the potential to be the best film in the series when it hits theaters on November 21st.

Christopher Nolan looks like he is trying to redefine the term "epic" in the latest trailer for INTERSTELLAR. I'm happy to be kind of in the dark with the plot details of this film. Yes we know there will be space travel and that the Earth needs some saving, but I really don't care to find out any more than that. Nolan is one of the best directors in the business and while his Batman series was good, I can't wait to see another one of his original visions. It hits the big screen on November 7th.

Jake Gyllenhaal gets creepy as a guy who likes to take crime photos in NIGHTCRAWLER.

It's written and directed by Dan Gilroy who goes behind the camera for the first time after writing numerous screenplays (FREEJACK, THE BOURNE LEGACY) and creating the story for 2011's underrated, REAL STEEL. This film looks dark and twisted which fits Gyllenhaal's talents perfectly. Get ready to be spooked on October 17th.

There is already a ton of Oscar buzz surrounding FOXCATCHER. It stars Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and a heavily made-up Steve Carell. It's based on a true story and is directed by Bennett Miller who did a great job with MONEYBALL and also won best director at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival for his work here. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT read up on the actual events the film is based on, just wait until November 14th.

While director David Fincher's version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was brilliant, it did not do enough at the box office to green-light the rest of the series. That hasn't stopped him from going back to the literary well for GONE GIRL, starring Ben Affleck in his last pre-Batman role. Fincher is one of the best when it comes to adaptions, FIGHT CLUB, THE SOCIAL NETWORK and ZODIAC were all just words on a page before he turned them into film hits. Hopefully he can do the same when GONE GIRL debuts on October 3rd.

If you watch the trailer for FRANK and don't want to see it immediately, I don't need ya! The always awesome Michael Fassbender trades his Magneto helmet for a paper mache head in this oddball comedy. Although he is relegated to verbally describing his facial expressions, Fassbender's performance is already getting some heavy praise and I am hoping/praying desperately that our dual home bases, Burlington, Vermont and New Orleans, Louisiana get this film during it's limited theatrical release.



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Review: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is an energetic, sci-fi tangent in the Marvel Universe

Throughout its production and especially in the days/weeks leading up to the theatrical release, most critics and movie fans have persistently bandied about a certain sci-fi space opera from the 70’s whenever Guardians of the Galaxy is mentioned. And while all the comparisons to Star Wars are suitable, the latest superhero adventure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is more along the lines of Luc Besson’s 1997 sci-fi romp, The Fifth Element. And in no way is that bad, in fact, it is quite a favorable, if less lofty, comparison – which is just perfect for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Review: ‘22 Jump Street’ is fun and hilarious, but noticeably tries too hard

 
Some of the best comedy comes from self-awareness. 21 Jump Street (2012) benefited greatly from it, and thankfully, so does its sequel, 22 Jump Street – in theaters this Friday. Both movies are hilarious – full of wit, outrageous humor, and undeniable chemistry from its dual leads. Both films are fully aware of their respective ridiculousness and relish in it.

Chris's Review: ‘Million Dollar Arm’ is a formulaic and uninspired Disney sports movie

Before seeing Million Dollar Arm, the new feel-good Disney sports movie, someone described the film on Twitter as Jerry Maguire meets Slumdog Millionaire. Now usually, these broad descriptions of a film as a mix between movie-A-meets-movie-B are fairly obvious and superficial, but I must admit, this particular one is pretty on the nose.

Chris's Review: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ is easy and fun, but also problematic

Like most superhero movies, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is exciting and enjoyable. Unfortunately, like most recent superhero movies, it also suffers from The Avengers-itis. This all-too-common affliction has affected the latest wave of superhero movies in two distinct, but apparently unavoidable ways.

North/South Lists: The Best Of KILL BILL VOL. 1 & 2

It's the 10th Anniversary of the theatrical release of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2. 
It was an epic conclusion for the bloody, two-part revenge tale (Kill Bill Vol. 1 hit theaters six months before). Though originally divided up because of the lengthy run time (over 4 hours combined), most fans look at the films as one entity - the so-called Whole Bloody Affair.

Tarantino's films are full of wonderful stylistic flair and arguments can be made for the greatness of any number of movie moments (everyone has their favorites). Kill Bill is loaded with memorable scenes, bits of dialogue, and so much more. It is definitely one (or two, if you want to look at it that way) of our favorite films from QT.

Beatrix Kiddo aka The Bride also placed second on a previous list of ours - The Most Badass Movie Ladies. 

To commemorate its 10th Anniversary, we offer up our latest dual lists . . .

Best Moments from Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2:

Review: ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’ is pretty great, but how long can Marvel keep it up?

The Marvel cinematic universe (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, etc.) has settled into a consistent and reliable filmmaking groove over the past six years. With the release of its latest film – Captain America: The Winter Solider (their ninth film) – Marvel shows yet again that it can make a solid, energetic, and action-packed film with the occasional big surprise. In fact, this second stand-alone Captain America film is one of the better ones, but how long can Marvel expect to coast along without shaking things up a bit more?