"Gravity"

     Dr. Ryan Stone, a genius medical engineer, is on her first shuttle mission to install new components to the Hubble Space Telescope. Along with her is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski, who is commanding his last space expedition. Things turn bad quickly, when the Russian's destroy one of their satellites. This sets off a debris storm that destroys everything in its path, including Kowalski's ship killing everyone aboard except for Matt and Ryan. They are left to drift in orbit with no way to contact Earth, and with only 90 minutes before the debris storm slings its way around again.

     Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, this film stars Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone, George Clooney as Matt Kowalski, and the voice of Ed Harris as Mission Control. I was really spellbound by this movie! I had heard so many great things about it, but I didn't believe it till I actually saw it for myself.

     Sandra Bullock was amazing in this role! She carries the entire movie with her emotionally gripping character, and, of course, George Clooney brings his character to life with his usual charismatic attitude. With only two actors in this movie, I was skeptical on how they would keep it interesting without the use of a lot of dialog. I was not, however, disappointed as they had some great scenes with Sandra Bullock's character Ryan and George Clooney's character Matt. The visual effects in this film were simply astounding! I was captivated from start to finish, and was kept on the edge of my seat for most of the film. The sheer enormity of the scenes was breathtaking, and there were parts where you felt like you were spinning out into space with the character.

    This film won 137 awards, which includes seven Oscars, two of them being the Oscar for Best Achievement in Directing and the Oscar for the Best Achievement in Visual Effects. I believe this movie to be well worth these accommodations. If you haven't watched it yet, you should totally go do that... like now!

     I would give this movie a 9 out 10! Thanks for reading and make sure you come back next week for a new blog post!! Make sure you are following me on Twitter, and go like my Facebook page for some more nerdy and awesome stuff!

Peace,
Jake

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"

     When Frodo, a hobbit from the Shire, finds himself the owner of a golden ring, his life is turned upside down by dark forces seeking the ring for their master. Gandalf the Grey, a wizard and an old friend of Frodo's, finds out that this ring is the one which Sauron, a dark and twisted creature, had made to rule over all the races. There is writing on the ring that only fire can reveal, and it reads "One Ring to Rule Them All. One Ring to Find Them. One Ring to Bring Them All and In The Darkness Bind Them." After realizing they can no longer keep it hidden and safe, a council of men, dwarves, and elves decide that the ring must be destroyed. Frodo along with his eight companions must now travel across Middle Earth to destroy the ring in Mordor in the fires of Mount Doom, and they must do all of this with haste, for Sauron's eye is ever searching for his one ring.

     Directed by Peter Jackson this film stars, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee, Ian McKellan as Gandalf the Grey, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Sean Bean as Boromir, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Andy Serkis as Smeagul, Christopher Lee as Sarumon, Ian Holme as Bilbo Baggins, Billy Boyd as Pippin, and Dominic Monaghan as Merry. Needless to say, this movie has a bunch of amazing actors and actresses. This film has amazing talent in every department, and of course the story is awesome in its own right.

     Based off the book of the same title by J.R.R. Tolkien, this film completely won me over when I first watched it. I am in love with this fantastical journey with its intricately complicated characters. My favorite character has to be either Galadriel or Gandalf! This film is not just your typical fantasy and action/adventure. The dialog has so much depth and weight! Just read this bit of dialog between Frodo and Gandalf, which, by the way, has to be one of my favorite scenes in the movie.

Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought" 

     This film went on to win a total of four Oscars along with several other prestigious awards. Peter Jackson's talent for directing a huge film like this is very apparent. His talent combined with the talent of the cast, and the emotional and beautiful soundtrack done by Howard Shore, makes this one of my all-time favorite movies. I watch the entire trilogy at least once a year, and I never get sick of it! Yeah! I'm that much of a fan! 

     I would give this film a 10 out 10! Make sure you follow me on Twitter and Facebook, and be sure to share my blog with all your peeps! Thanks for reading and be sure to check back next week for a new blog post!  

Peace,

Jake

         

"Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope"

     A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... The Empire, controlled by Emperor Palpatine, a sith lord, and his apprentice Darth Vader, is on the brink of civil war. At the front of this rebellion is Princess Leia of Alderaan. While on a diplomatic mission, Leia smuggles The Empire's plans for their new battle station, The Death Star. Darth Vader, hearing rumors of the stolen plans, attacks Leia's ship on her return journey to Alderaan. Realizing she will most likely be captured she has R2-D2, an astromech droid in her service, keep the plans. R2-D2 ,along with his companion C-3PO, escape to a nearby planet, Tatoonie, where they are bought by Luke, a young moisture farmer who lives with his aunt and uncle. Luke subsequently gets embroiled in the rebellion when he come across Leia's message for a man named Obi-Wan Kenobi. Finding Obi-Wan, Luke learns that his father was a jedi, a powerful warrior that channels the force and that once defended the galaxy against evil. He must now come to realize he has a much bigger destiny than he can ever imagine, and that he can shape the galaxy for good or evil depending on his chosen path.

     Directed by George Lucas this film stars Mark Hamill as Luke SkyWalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin, Alec Guinness as Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Kenny Baker as R2-D2, David Prowse as Darth Vader, and James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. This is one the best sci-fi movies to date. Star Wars was the film that changed everything about the science fiction/ fantasy genre.

      George Lucas, who directed, wrote, and produced the film, changed the film industry with this groundbreaking movie. When it was released back in the late spring of 1977, nothing had ever been made like it before. The revolutionary visual effects combined with a truly captivating story made this film a huge hit. From this film, spawned two more films to finish off the the original trilogy, and then in 1999 the first prequel was released. Star Wars has turned into one of the largest franchises ever, with tv-shows, movies, books, toys, memoribilia, and so on and so forth.

     Now that Disney has bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas, they put into motion the making of at least three more main story films with a few spin-off films as well. The new trilogy is in the very capable hands of J.J. Abrams, who has most notably directed the new Star Trek films. Star Wars: Episode VII has yet to have an official poster, or an official title, but some of the casting has been revealed over the month, which includes Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford returning to their roles. Also returning is Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, and Anthony Daniels. Some of the new cast include Academy Award winner Lupita Nyongo, Game of Throne's star Gwendolyn Christie, Domhnall Gleeson who played in Harry Potter, Andy Serkis and his many talents have joined, Academy Award Nominee Oscar Isaac, Girls actor Adam Driver, newcome John Boyega, Oscar nominated actor Max von Sydow, and another new comer Daisy Ridley.

If you haven't seen this movie yet.... You need to rethink your life! Also, if you don't like this movie... You need to rethink your life! But seriously how could you not like Star Wars! I would give this film a 10 out 10! Make sure you follow me on Twitter, and check out my new Facebook page where I will be posting movie news and updates about my blog. Check back here next week for a new blog post!

Peace,
Jake

"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

     In the bleak and desolate future, the X-Men battle for their survival against the ever evolving Sentinels. In a last ditch effort against the ongoing war, of which the mutants are losing, they decide to send Wolverine's mind back in time to change what has happened. Wolverine is sent back to 1973, where he must find and stop Mystique before she sets off the chain of events that spell doom for the mutants and all who support them. In a literal race against time, Wolverine must convince Charles and Erik to work together again, but that is easier said than done. All the while Wolverine tries to fix the past, the rest of the surviving X-Men must battle the Sentinels once more to buy Wolverine as much time as he needs.                                                                                                                       Directed by Bryan Singer this film stars Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique, James MacAvoy and Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/ Professor X, Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellan as Erik Lensherr/Magneto, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Bolivar Trask, Nicholas Hoult as Hank/Beast, Ellen Page as Kitty Pride, Shawn Ashmore as Bobby/Iceman, and Evan Peters as Peter/Quicksilver. This movie is so good! Definitely the best X-Men movie to date in my opinion. 

     The talent of the actors in this film is mind-blowing! I was so excited to hear that both Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan were coming back for this installment! I loved seeing Blink, Warpath, Bishop, and Sunspot in there as well! Blink's powers made some of the coolest fight scenes I've ever seen in an X-Men film! Now let me talk a little about the amazingness of seeing Quicksilver played by Evan Peters in the film. His scenes were hilarious, but so cool at the same time, and I loved how they alluded to Magneto being the father! The story line was masterfully executed and everything felt smooth and in place. 

     Now you may be wondering what that scene at the end of the credits was all about, well I'm here to enlighten you. The creepy looking mutant is En Sabah Nur. Born in ancient Egypt, he is known as The First One. An Immortal Mutant, he has the numerous powers including Superhuman Strength, Invulnerability, Flight, Teleportation, Bio-Molecular Alteration ect.  He later becomes known as Apocalypse, and with his four horsemen, usually other mutants who are either willingly serve or are forced to serve, he is one of the X-Men's most feared nemesis. Apparently the cast from X-Men: First Class will reappear as well some of the original cast too. The younger versions of Jean, Cyclops, and Storm will appear as well. It will act as a sequel to the movie and will take place in the 1980's. It is scheduled for release March 27th, 2016.

I would give this film a 9.5 out 10! Make sure you follow me on Twitter, and share this with all your peeps. Also, check out my X-Men: First Class review!

Peace,

Jake

P.S. If you haven't seen the end credits scene here it is:

"X-Men: First Class"

     During the Cold War a U.S. government agent, named Moira MacTaggert, believes that a group known as the Hellfire Club, headed by the enigmatic Sebastian Shaw, is trying to start World War III by heightening the tensions between Russia and the U.S. Unbeknown to the world, the Hellfire Club is actually a group of mutants intent on destroying the lesser evolved humans. In order to combat this threat the government employs the help of Charles Xavier, a powerful mutant who can control the mind, to assemble a team with which to combat this new evil. Along the way, Charles comes across Erik Lensherr, another powerful mutant with the power to control metal, who seeks revenge against Shaw for war crimes committed against him and his family. In a race against time ,this new team must learn to work together or else all will be lost, and the world will fall to ruin.

      Directed by Mathew Vaughn this film stars James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr, Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique, Rose Bryne as Moira MacTaggert, Nicholas Hoult as Hank/Beast, and January Jones as Emma Frost. This film finally got the X-Men franchise back on track, and with X-Men: Days of Future Past shaping up to be one of the best X-Men movies to date, I feel like people might actually forget about X-Men: The Last Stand....

     I love this movie. X-Men has always been one of my favorite Marvel franchises, but after all the fun and exciting but mediocre X-Men spin-off films, I was left hoping for a new start. And this film did exactly that. To me this was a great origin story with a great new cast. Just think, this movie came out before Jennifer Lawrence became a household name for her role in The Hunger Games. I think they did a great job with picking the storyline too. I love how in the X-Men series they are dealing with real life matters and actual historical events, but in an unreal and fantastical way.

     Something else I love about X-Men is the character are easy to relate too, because they aren't the perfect cookie cutter superheros. I mean besides the mutant abilities, they are not that much different than us. That is what I feel Stan Lee and the team at Marvel really wanted to put in their comics and movies was the fact that just because somebody is different in looks, abilities, lifestyle, ect....... doesn't mean they are any less human, or they require any less love and acceptance that we all long for. The comics and movies portray the fear and hatred we as a race have towards anything that is not "like us." Just look through some history books to find this exact fear and hatred towards things that are different littered throughout time. Now just like Magneto, some of those who aren't accepted turn to more violent ways to gain security and freedom, but still some are more like Professor X in that even through persecution and hardship they rise above all of it and still try to be kind and compassionate to the ones who reject them.

     Rant over! I would rate this film a 9 out 10! Make sure you check out my X-Men: Days of Future Past review that I will post tomorrow sometime! Follow me on Twitter and share my blog with all your peeps!

Peace,
Jake