Movie Newsflash: "STAR WARS: EPISODE VII" CAST IS OUT!!!

 Hello there puny humans,
I am so very happy to announce that yesterday the cast for J.J. Abrahams' "Star Wars: Episode VII" was revealed! So let's not beat around the bush and get you updated:

Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and  Kenny Baker (R2D2) will all reprise their roles from the previous films, and eventhough we don't know how much they will appear in the new trilogy (and knowing that most of them are probably not in the best age for grand-scale action sequences), it is awesome to see them back to bring some nostalgic feelings.
On the list of "newbies", the biggest name probably is the master of performance capture himself: Andy Serkis. Considering his best known roles are Gollum, King Kong, and Caeser from the Planet Of The Apes-Franchise, there is a high chance he might be playing a half animated character once more, especially in a fictional universe that is so rich in alien species.
Next on the List is Oscar Isaac, who has shown us his diversity on screen with different roles like a low status criminal in Drive, an arrogant King in Robin Hood and most recently (and most notably) a struggling folk-singer in Inside Llewyn Davis.
He is joined by Max von Sydow, probably best known by todays audience for being the "old wise and/or sophisticated supporting character" in films such as Minority Report, Robin Hood, Shutter Island and Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close. Domhnall Gleeson (an Inidie-actor with his only mainstream role to date being the one of Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter Franchise) & Adam Driver (portraying Adam Slacker on the HBO-Series Girls) are in on it as well, the latter even already known to play a villain.
Another not-so-present-in-the-audience's-mind actor that was cast is 22-year-old Brit John Boyega (Attack The Block and the upcoming 24 season). Given that his name is mentioned at the beginning of the casting list, I dare to speculate that he might be our new main protagonist, which would make him the first black lead character in a Star Wars movie (Mace Windu must be proud). However, something that has been typical for both, the prequels and the original trilogy, is a single but strong female lead. As the only female on the list of new cast members, I assume TV-Actress Daisy Ridley to be the one to take over that part and we should all wish her the best of luck, because Princesses Leia & Amidala... well... those are some big-ass shoes to fill.

Nevertheless, I am excited to see so many of lesser known faces in the cast, as I think this new trilogy needs some fresh wind to sell the new characters, and having Andy Serkis in the mix can never be a bad thing either. The introduction of the story-line on the other hand will most likely benefit from the presence of our beloved "Star Wars veterans".
Well, now there's nothing left for me to do than to check out a few of these actors' works to see what I am in for... oh, and of course to tell all those lesser-versed movie goers: "No, that green little Yoda guy won't be in this film... watch the original trilogy please!"

May the Force be with you,
Your Cinemartian

P.S.: I really don't know why they didn't wait the six days till May the Fourth to announce this....

THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 - Movie Review

 Title: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Running Time: 142 min
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Sally Fields

Review:
Our friendly neighborhood spider swings on the big screen for a second time since he got rebooted, and does not everything, but a lot of things right. Especially the action!
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" was made for 3D, or even the other way round, because hardly ever have i seen a movie which made me happy to have spend the extra couple of bucks as much as this one. The action sequences are simply (let's use the obvious adjective) amazing and its more than a pleasure watching Spidey's skill set unfold in such an awe-inspiring way. Also Andrew Garfield is back again and really gets it right: His witty and clever portrayal of the web slinger is more faithful to the comics than Tobey Maguire's incarnation was, and gives us a lot of well-placed laughs. His chemistry with Emma Stone is so good, that you have the feeling you are watching a real life couple and the more emotional sequences don't feel forced at all.
The only problems with the movie probably lie in the script as it tries to cover too much story all at once. Next to the relationship to Gwen Stacy, Peter has to cope with some events of the previous movie, and at the same time is still on the quest to find out the truth about his fathers past. Then there is the introduction of the villain electro (nicely portrayed by Jamie Foxx), as well as the one of Harry Osborn who himself has some "daddy issues" and is the heir to the shady company known as Oscorp. All of these are cool and interesting plot points, but feel like they either come up short or are resolved a bit to quickly, and on top of it all, the movie already sets up story-lines for the next one.
Nonetheless, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" is a great time and worth watching in theaters! If they keep improving like they did here, we can be excited for the third installment.

Oh, and of course there is an after credit scene.... I mean, come on... it's Marvel.

For Fans of:
The Amazing Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

An check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

NOAH - Movie Review

 Title: Noah
Running Time: 138 min
Directors: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Russel Crowe, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth

Review:
When you let such a visual and creative director as Darren Aronofsky play with one of the most famous biblical stories, you kind of already know that you are in for some controversy. "Noah" is in fact the director's Interpretation of the original tale, rather than a true telling, and adds elements to the mythology, that some people might not accept. In my opinion however, those changes might twist the events a bit, but do not affect it's core message and morals it wants to get across.
The first half of the movie really feels like a fantasy epic: world building, some battle sequences, mystical creatures, love, violence and in the center of it  Noah and his family, receiving a message from "the creator" that they try to understand and then carry out. Beautiful images (especially Noah's dream sequences), that use colors and VFX more than effectively and an exciting, fascinating and sometimes gritty story on top of it all.
Then comes the flood, and Noah and his family save themselves on the arc (spoilers?!), and the second half of the movie begins: Though still carried out very well, due to this immediate reduction of characters, story-lines and settings, this part almost feels like a different movie. A much slower-paced movie, and so the film as a whole feels like it is hitting the breaks, and in the end still feels good but unfortunately a bit too long.
The actors are all doing a great job, making the characters and their struggle feel very real, and as said before, the cinematography is great. A special mention has to go to an animated sequence in which Noah tells the story of genesis, which cleverly manages to blend science and religion into one!
All in all, "Noah" is a movie for Darren Aronofsky and cinema fans, but might turn people off who do not like the liberties it takes as it is not "the story of Noah" but rather "based on the story of Noah".

New Movie Blog

Hello there puny humans,
since my movie review facebook posts have been getting quite some likes, i will start my own movie review blog now :) Put your trust in me and I'll be your friendly neighborhood critic! My reviews will be awesome, not to say: not of this world!
Your Cinemartian

PS.:  I love you... nah just kidding. I put my Captain America 2 Review in here! It can be seen below!

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 - Movie Review

 Title: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Running Time: 136 min
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthonie Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Sebastian Stan

Review:
With "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" Marvel brings us yet another installment of their huge cinematic universe. Considering that Thor's second film was pretty good but not overwhelming, and that Cap had been our least favorite Avenger since he jumped on screen three years ago, expectation for this film weren't very high....And oh boy, were we wrong!
This movie has it all, including (and that is a first for a Marvel Studios Movie) an immense amount of realism. Addressing the issue of governmental surveillance and control it hits the zeitgeist in exactly the right spot, and is almost less of a superhero movie than it is a political spy-action-thriller. Chris Evans owns it as Cap and delivers not only the cleverly written dialogue, but also the very intense action sequences that are shot beautifully with some awesome stunt work. Next to him, S.H.I.E.L.D. (and with it Black Widow and Nick Fury) plays a key role in this movie, and without giving anything away: some really interesting things are going down!
Also Anthony Mackie debuts as the Falcon and convinces us that he'll be able to play on the same level with Iron Man, Hulk and Thor in the upcoming "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Suspenseful, Fun, Thrilling and with Marvels highest body count yet, this is a must-see for comic book and especially Marvel fans (not only because of the many little references and a kick ass mid credit scene).
"In Kevin Feige* I Trust!" and so i am extremely excited about 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' coming in August!

*for everyone who doesn't know: Kevin Feige is the President of Marvel studios and thus, in charge of their cinematic universe.


For Fans of:
Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel's The Avengers
Iron Man 
The Mission: Impossible Franchise
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV-Show)