Movies That Will Probably Be Good But Have Yet to Come Out This Year Part 1

So I’ve been taking a look at all my recent posts and realized that despite being a cinephile, see this blog’s name, I haven’t written a post about a film that wasn’t a link to a movie review I wrote for SidewalkOnline Magazine (my latest, Dark Knight Rises, here) in like…hella days. I’ve been doing some pretty thought provoking and deep stuff lately and, while that’s nice, I thought I’d like to post something else. Something about movies. And since summer’s coming to a close and the blockbuster season with it, I thought I’d give you guys a couple examples of movies that are still coming that I think will be worth watching. So without further ado (which I really say too often, if you know of anything else I can say that means pretty much the same thing let me know in the comments, it’d be much appreciated. [Also when I say “without further ado” it’s almost always followed by more ado. Maybe I should try and work around that. But I digress]), welcome to my three installment article Movies That’ll Probably be Good That Have Yet to Come Out This Year (MTPbGTHYtCOTY-rolls right off the tongue doesn’t it?).

Lawless – August 29

This film about a depression-era bootlegging gang (moonshine, not pirated movies) who runs into trouble with a corrupt deputy (Guy Pearce) who wants a cut of the profits in return for his ‘ignorance’ of their operation stars Shia Lebouf and Tom Hardy as the brothers leading the gang and features Gary Oldman as the leader of a rival gang. With a round of such phenomenal actors and relatively new talents John Hillcoat and Nick Cave directing and writing respectively this movie promises to be at least an entertaining film if not one that will skillfully combine the thought-provoking quality of an independent film with the good-old fashioned gang warfare violence characteristic of older studio films, though this is a Weinstein Company film so very much in the indie realm. That image on the left is the poster and below is the redband trailer: please be aware the trailer does contain violence and nudity.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – September 21

Point 1: This film is written and directed by Stephen Chbosky, who also wrote the novel the film is based on. So if ever a film could be adapted into a book well, this is the way to do it. Point 2: This is Emma Watson’s second performance since the conclusion of the Harry Potter franchise. That in and of itself is enough to make it worth considering. Plus Paul Rudd is in it. Who doesn’t love Paul Rudd and his adorably-too-short-for-his-body arms? After the primary inclusion of point 1 combined with point 2 and Paul Rudd, the film adaptation of this beloved novel should be considered worth a viewing.

Looper – September 28

Honestly I can’t tell if this is an indie film or a studio pic so I’m just not gonna categorize it like that. Regardless, its stellar cast and intriguing plot make this film one to look forward to. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an assassin who kills targets sent back in time to his location in order to effectively make the assassination untraceable. Until one day future JGL (played in this film by Bruce Willis) drops out of space as JGL’s next target, after which, for lack of a better term, shit goes down. The film looks like an interesting exploration of the sci-fi/action genre combo, and while it doesn’t appear like it will address much in the way of time travel conceptually, it should still prove an interesting and fun flick. It’s written and directed by Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed Brick, which, though I haven’t gotten to it myself, is supposed to be a phenomenal film.

Taken 2 – October 5

And now we come to the first studio film on the list (or possibly second again I’m really not sure about Looper). Taken 2 follows Taken’s plot pretty obviously. Liam Neeson killed tons of Albanian’s in order to save his daughter, and now the father of one the guys Neeson killed wants revenge. Now Liam Neeson and his wife Jean Grey (or Famke Jannsen, however you want to look at her) have been taken and Neeson has to enlist his daughter’s help in order to escape. Here’s what it boils down to: Neeson killed a bunch of people pretty awesomely in Taken. In Taken 2 that promises to happen again. Also the script is written By Luc Besson, who you probably know as the guy who wrote The Fifth Element and Leon:The Professional. I would mention the director, but it made me not want to see the movie when I looked him up. So see it for Liam Neeson being an old Irish badass.

Cloud Atlas – October 26

I can’t explain this film. The plot is way too confusing based on the trailer to glean anything. But regardless it looks cool. It has a stellar cast with so many famous actors in it that I’m just going to recommend you click the link in the subheading so that you can see them rather than me listing them and linking to each of their imdb profiles individually. Also it’s a Wachowskis film. And I love the Wachowskis. The Matrix, V for Vendetta, I even like Speed Racer pretty well. This movie looks neat. And if you watch any of the trailers in this installment, watch this one, because without it you won’t be able to comprehend why this movie looks so good. Though I’ve seen it twice now and I’m not sure I understand.

Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Do you have movies you think I missed (keep in mind there's two more installments coming)? Am I completely moronic for including one of these? Do you have anyrequests for articles? Or movie reviews? Please tell me in the comments below so we can discuss it. I'd like to hear from my readers. 

Guest Post: Top Seven Theatre Superstitions

Scott's Note: Hello everyone! I know I haven't posted in awhile and I plan to remedy that soon. I've been busy with another project and moving to my new apartment. However, to hold you over till my next  post, here is an addition from Angelina Lawson on popular theatre superstitions. I hope you enjoy her post and please be nice to her. Without further ado:

Watching a musical can be a very enjoyable experience, but one may not be aware on how most theatres have a couple superstitious rituals that the cast and crew always seem to do. Actors and owners of theatres believe that these superstitions can benefit them greatly, though they are aware of the fact that those superstitions have nothing to do with their success.

Not Wishing The Actors Good Luck

It is a known fact that saying good luck to an actor is really bad luck. Some actors even wish each others bad luck or go so far as to curse at each other in order to give each other good luck.

Saying Break a Leg

In the same vein, saying "break a leg" to an actor is also a superstition that has been adhered to for a long time. Instead of someone wishing an actor to do good, they say "break a leg" so as to not jinx their performance.

Not Saying Anything in Regard to The Play Macbeth

The Macbeth play is said to be cursed. This said curse makes actors not want to quote anything regarding the play before their performance, even the play's name, often referring to it as just "The Scottish Play," as it is said to bring bad luck. The curse is believed to have come about because, as is believed by those who believe in the curse itself, the witches in the play are casting real curses in their scene.

The Ghosts Superstition

The ghosts’ superstition is probably the most unusual. Most theatres close their theatre and don’t sell any theatre tickets for one day in the week (usually Monday) so that any ghosts inhabiting the theatre will be able to perform their own plays.

The Ghost Light

The ghost light superstition involves leaving a light burning inside of an empty theatre. Usually, the light is put at the centre of the stage and is said to ward off ghosts. Other manifestations of the superstition say that since theatre ghosts enjoy light, if the theatre does not provide it, the ghost will become angry.

Whistling

Whistling, or rather a lack thereof, is also a popular superstition which dictates that actors not whistle off or on stage. In the past, the stage crew would listen for whistling so that they could inform the actors of the scene changes. Even though stage crews now use cue lights and intercom systems for scene changes, they still don't whistle.

Script Under Pillow

Actors place their scripts under their pillows, as they believe it will help them to memorize their lines much faster. Although there is no relation to placing a script under your pillow to remember your script faster, it is still widely done by various actors hoping to reap the benefits of memorization via osmosis.

All of these superstitions are very common, and have definitely become an everyday part of theatre life. Don't forget to get your tickets at the nearest box office before the show and find out more on other theatrical superstitions. 

Angelina Lawson is a content writer and her interests are Film, Travel & Technology and Eco Living. Catch her on Twitter @BoxOfficeltd

Happy Belated Esther Day

So I'm not going to go into too much detail in this article, but basically yesterday was Esther Earl's birthday. Which in the nerdfighter community we celebrate as Esther Day. We do this for a number of reasons, but primarily it is to celebrate her life and her amazing contributions to awesome and efforts to decrease world suck, as well as to serve as a constant reminder that we have more pressing priorities than our own wellbeing: other people. Sadly, Esther died of a cancer that had been plaguing her for years at the age sixteen, yet she has been forever immortalized by the amazing friends, family, and community that she loved and that loved her in return. The foundation This Star Won't Go Out was founded by Esther's parents in order to continue Esther's legacy of helping people through charitable contributions to children battling cancer. If you want to donate that link up there will lead to their page where you can donate if you so choose. But more importantly I think the lesson that must be learned from Esther's life is that regardless of who you are or what your situation is, we should love other people to the point that serving ourselves is not something that necessarily matters in comparison to what we can do for other people. That's how Esther lived her life, and she was plagued by the disease her foundation combats. How much more than should we who are blessed with healthy bodies fight world suck and increase the amount of awesome in the world?

Anyway, Esther day was established while Esther was alive by John and Hank Green when John told Esther that they wanted to celebrate her birthday every year in whatever way she wanted them to. She said that on her birthday every year she wanted them to say "I love you" to each other, since the vlogbrothers have always had an issue with saying that to each other. As a result, we celebrate Esther day by telling someone in our lives that we find difficult to say "I love you" to that we love them. And while I celebrated a little early when my dad called me on my birthday, I want to let you guys, my readers, know that I love you too. So my friends, family, and random strangers reading this cause you're bored, I love you guys. For your participation in my life. For your commitment to me as companions. For your patronage and support of this blog. And for just being who you are. Because unless you are a serial killer or something, you just being you in this world is improving the world. Because there is no one like you, and so you have something new and exciting to introduce the world to in yourselves and I hope that Esther inspires you to share your light with everyone you encounter and truly improve our global community. Thanks for reading that slightly awkward point and I look forward to seeing your guys' contributions to this amazing planet on which we live.