‘The Wrap’ is a show where TJ highlights the film and TV news of the week, telling you about some of their favorite things from the week, and occasionally giving you an opinion or two. Our goal is to always keep the show under twenty minutes so you can ea
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
‘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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.