Guillermo Del Toro Talks 'Pacific Rim 2'; Charlie Day and Burn Gorman to Return

Guillermo Del Toro is always making the press rounds for something because he takes on so many projects, and lately he's been pushing the DVD/Blu-Ray release of The Strain's first season. Of course that means he's going to get asked about other projects like Pacific Rim 2. The script for that one is coming together now that it has been officially confirmed, and while Del Toro has previously said some characters may not return we know two that definitely will: Charlie Day and Burn Gorman as scientists Newt Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb.

Del Toro went on to reveal to Collider that the sequel takes place a few years after the last film's conclusion, and things have definitely changed...

"It’s a few years after the first one.  It’s not an immediate follow-up.  It is the world having been freed of Kaiju, what happens to the world after – what happens to the Jaeger technology once the Kaiju are not a threat.  It’s quite a jump."

So if there are no kaiju, does the world need scientists like Geiszler and Gottlieb? Maybe not, but there's always room for some comic relief...

"It’s quite a different movie from the first one in that, but I think that two of our main characters like in the first one are Burn and Charlie.  They are really, really – I mean, honestly, they are probably the guys I have the most fun writing along with Hannibal Chau so just from a purely selfish drive, I like writing them.  I love writing for Charlie and Burn.  I mean, [Burn's] in Crimson Peak for that reason, because I love working with him.  You’re gonna get a lot of that, but the Kaijus are very different and you’re gonna see a very different type of the robots I think.  It’s gonna be quite a different adventure."

A totally different status quo from the outset, but we know there will be plenty of new kaiju and jaeger designs so don't expect it to last.  Pacific Rim 2's script is being worked on by Zak Penn and Travis Beacham, with the film due to open April 7th 2017.

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Review: 'Horrible Bosses 2' starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, and Charlie Day

Here's the thing about Horrible Bosses: it's pretty funny....at first. There's a lot to love about a film that is basically mean-spirited wish fulfillment about the desire we've all had to do awful things to our bosses. Who wouldn't like that? Try to watch it again lately? It doesn't hold up, and certainly doesn't beg for a sequel. But it made $200M and so now we have Horrible Bosses 2, a lame and uninspired follow-up directed by the guy who inflicted That's My Boy on you a couple of years ago.

Charlie Day, Jason Bateman, and Jason Sudeikis return as Dale, Nick, and Kurt, but they weren't the funniest part of the first film; the bosses were! That's the case here, as well, with Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey returning to indulge in the chance to play nasty and depraved, and we love them for it. The plot this time around has the moronic trio deciding to launch their own business, so THEY are now the horrible bosses in question. Well, they aren't actually bosses until they hire employees, right? Enter Christoph Waltz as a sleazy rich businessman with Chris Pine as his son Rex, who proceeds to cheat the guys out of millions of dollars, ruining their company before it's even really started. So what do our murderous heroes do in retaliation? Well they can't plot another murder because that didn't turn out so well (although they got what they wanted out of it), so instead the guys decide to kidnap Rex for a hefty ransom.

Okay, so it's a given that the crime would be a total dud and that they'd mess up every single facet of it, but what's weird is how much the trio have changed. Dale is pretty much the same; still fighting off his oversexed boss Julia (Aniston), but Nick and Kurt are completely different. Nick was the "brains" of the operation last time, certainly smart enough not to fall into the kind of financial trap (he was an economics wiz in the first movie!) that screws them over this time. Kurt is such a creepy womanizer now that it's hard to like him at all. The only thing that gets them by is the easy chemistry between the three actors; they are genuinely fun to watch together because it seems like so much of the best gags are unscripted. That's a good thing because the actual screenplay by John Morris and Sean Anders (the aforementioned That's My Boy director) is underwhelming at best. To be fair, Anders also directed Sex Drive which is vastly underrated, but he doesn't seem to "get" Horrible Bosses and never makes good use of the concept or the cast. This time around we're meant to hate the slick corporate CEOs, the ones who get $50M golden parachutes to reward their failures and get rich on the backs of working stiffs. That's all fine, but the problem is that the bad guys aren't completely heinous here, at least not in comparison to three guys who can now add kidnapping to their growing criminal resume. In fact, it's Spacey's imprisoned character who sums up our heroes (and the film) perfectly when he says "You're all fucking morons".

While Aniston, Spacey, and the returning Jamie Foxx as "Motherfucker" Jones are great, they are firmly in the background this time and not key to the plot, which is a huge mistake. Waltz, who we can all admit is one of the best actors working today when it comes to playing villains, doesn't make any kind of impression. On the flip side, the generally-bland Chris Pine has maybe found his calling in roles that allow him to get a little crazy.  Horrible Bosses 2 has a few moments, but it's hard to escape the feeling that this film simply didn't need to happen, and there aren't enough laughs to justify its existence.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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Shower Buddies Plot a Kidnapping in New 'Horrible Bosses 2' Trailer

Part of the reason Horrible Bosses did as well as it did, earning more than $200M, was a supporting cast willing to go to some outlandish lengths. Jennifer Aniston's incredibly raunchy performance was a stand-out, and it looks like it will be again in Horrible Bosses 2. But its the dufus trio of Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, and Jason Bateman as would-be kidnappers who really seem to be at the top of their game in the latest trailer, giving the impression it may actually be funnier than the original. Here's the synopsis:

Fed up with answering to higher-ups, Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day) and Kurt (Sudeikis) decide to become their own bosses by launching their own business in “Horrible Bosses 2.” But a slick investor soon pulls the rug out from under them. Outplayed and desperate, and with no legal recourse, the three would-be entrepreneurs hatch a misguided plan to kidnap the investor’s adult son and ransom him to regain control of their company.

Also starring Christoph Waltz, Chris Pine, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx, Horrible Bosses 2 is directed by Sean Anders and opens November 26th.


Horrible Bosses 2 Trailer-3 w/ Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Chris Pine by thecinemasource

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New Trailer and Poster for 'Horrible Bosses 2' Takes Care of Business

The surprising box office success of Horrible Bosses had a lot to do with the supporting cast, which featured Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston in wildly over the top roles. And it looks like the sequel, which brings them both back while adding Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine into the mix, will be even crazier than before.

Charlie Day, Jason Bateman, and Jason Sudeikis are back for Horrible Bosses 2, and the new trailer is pretty stacked from top to bottom with laughs. The guys basically got away with trying to kill their awful bosses last time around, but this time it's all about kidnapping. Specifically they want to hold for ransom the wealthy investor (Waltz) who crushed their hopes of owning a business. Also back is Jamie Foxx as "Mothafucka" Jones as the Yoda of their bumbling criminal exploits. Oh, and Jennifer Aniston really wants to get plowed.

Directed by Sean Anders, Horrible Bosses 2 opens November 26th.


Horrible Bosses 2 Official Trailer #2 (2014) - Chris Pine, Jennifer Anniston Comedy HD by MOVIES Coming Soon

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Chris Hemsworth and Charlie Day go on 'Vacation' with Ed Helms

A sequel or reboot of National Lampoon's Vacation has been in the works for years, but for a long time it traveled about as far as Clark Griswold's broken down family truckster. That was until last year when Ed Helms signed on to play a grown up Rusty Griswold for writer/directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses), and with production beginning next month a superhuman addition has been made to the cast.

According to THR, Chris "Thor" Hemsworth will be taking a Vacation in the sequel/remake, joined by Charlie Day (Pacific Rim) in a supporting role. The film will have Rusty and his wife (Christina Applegate) attempting a family road trip just like his father used to take him on as a kid. Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo are expected to reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold.

This will be Hemsworth's first true comedy although it's unclear just how big his part is. He'll play the ridiculously-named Stone Crandall, the boyfriend of Rusty's sister, Audrey, a role that has yet to be cast. Audrey had a boyfriend in National Lampoon's European Vacation but he was only in a couple of scenes, and that may be the case with Hemsworth here. Day will only make a cameo as a river rafting guide.

Filming had been delayed while producers haggled over the movie's tone and if it should be rated R or PG-13. We don't know yet what the final decision was but the success of R-rated comedies should have made the choice much easier.

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The Gang's All Here in First Trailer for 'Horrible Bosses 2'

When the first Horrible Bosses opened in 2011 it came with a ton of hype for a couple of reasons. For starters it played on the idea that every hard working American working a 9-5 secretly hates their boss and wants them dead. It also had a great supporting cast of Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and Colin Farrell playing wildly over-the-top despicable characters. In short it looked like a lot of fun, and $209M later we had one of the top grossing R-rated movies ever made, enough reason for Warner Bros. to order up a sequel even though the first movie didn't really demand it.

Sean Anders is on board to helm Horrible Bosses 2, and the first trailer brings the entire gang back with a few new additions. This time around the three stooges Nick, Dale, and Kurt have decided to be their own bosses and start a business. But when a wealthy investor screws them over, they foolishly decide to pull off a kidnapping plot that predictably goes awry and they must turn to a familiar face (the returning Jamie Foxx) for some help. Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine are also on board although we only catch a brief glimpse of the latter, and Aniston appears to be as frisky as ever which could be good for a few laughs. Overall this looks about as uninspired as one might expect.

Horrible Bosses 2 opens on November 26th.


Horrible Bosses 2 TRAILER 1 (2014) - Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis Comedy HD by TrailerXM

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Review: 'Pacific Rim', Directed by Guillermo Del Toro

While it's preferable to leave aside the movie politics and the Internet hype that surrounds any film, it's tough to do that with a summer blockbuster the size of Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim. To put it bluntly, a lot of people have saddled his sci-fi juggernaut with a ton of expectations, some good and some not so good, that are unfair in a number of different ways. Whether it's the negative and vastly out of whack notion that it's little more than a Transformers knock-off, or that it's the most important original property in ages and must be supported (lest it flop like analysts project), it's tough to not walk into the film without some opinion already formed about it.

                                

The simple truth of the matter is that Pacific Rim is way smarter than Transformers, and even though it's not the most original of concepts, through sheer size, scope, and audacity it stomps every other summer blockbuster flat. Nothing else compares to the gargantuan Colossus-inspired scale of giant monsters slugging it out with equally massive robots. It's truly impressive what Del Toro, who just a few years ago was the guy who made really cool creatures for Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, can do when his imagination is allowed to run unfettered. So even if the script co-written by Del Toro and Travis Beacham, riffs on many familiar war movie tropes and takes liberally from the likes of Top Gun, the line of American movies that look anything close to Pacific Rim is extremely short. Which is to say the line doesn't exist at all.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Robotech, Gundam, Voltron, and other Japanese pop cultural phenomenon, Del Toro lovingly and enthusiastically lets his geek flag fly. What's more, this isn't just a blind clashing of clunky robots with all of the grace of a garbage compactor. Pacific Rim is gorgeous, glittery, and the over-sized battles choreographed with operatic precision. Under any other director's hands this could have been a logistical nightmare, at worse an ugly assault on the senses, but Del Toro is always in complete control.

Less promising is the storyline itself, and the lack of human characterization that gets lost while you're in awe watching a Jaeger wield a battleship like a katana. A brilliant intro clues us in to the fate befalling humanity in the near future, when towering creatures known as Kaiju began emerging from a rift in the ocean floor, destroying coastal cities and wiping out the population. To fight the threat, the world's governments put aside all of their petty differences and began the Jaeger program creating skyscraper-sized robotic warriors to combat the Kaiju. In full-on Maverick mode, Charlie Hunnam plays Raleigh Beckett, a hot shot Jaeger pilot whose reckless stunts got his brother killed, forcing him out of the program just when he's needed most. Six years later, the Kaiju are stronger than ever, and the governments have grown tired of funding the failing program. But that doesn't sit well with the awesomely-named General Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), who decides to round up his few remaining Jaegers and mount one final assault. To do it, he'll need Raleigh back, and he'll also need his old washed-up Jaeger to be brought back from the scrap heap.  Because every story like this needs them, there are a couple of goofball scientists (Charlie Day and Burn Gorman) to provide comic relief and explain things. There's also the General's troubled right-hand woman, Mako Mori (Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi), who shares a past with the General nobody knows about.

So you have all of the familiar archetypes in place, and it's impossible to escape the fact that some aspects of the film are riddled with clichés. Raleigh needs to learn how to be a team player and put his ego aside, and as he does so he squabbles with a fellow pilot (Rob Kazinsky) who has a chip on his shoulder. Mako has vengeance on her mind but must overcome her fears to ever have a real chance at it. We've seen it all before, but there's nothing really wrong with that, and in some ways it’s comforting that the script bothers to make this a story about humans as much as it is about monster brawls. The simple story also leaves plenty of room for a few brilliant ideas to take root. The best by far involves the Jaeger pilots needing to form a neural bridge and meld minds to fight effectively. It involves the unrestrained sharing of memories, can make or break a partnership real fast. The Kaiju design, mostly taken from various forms of lizard and aquatic animal life, draws from the story's other surprising idea. It’s probably left unspoiled, but Del Toro and Beacham clearly put a lot of thought into why the Kaiju look the way they do. And of course, at times of tragedy there are always those seeking to make a dollar from it. Enter the gruff and eccentric Ron Perlman as a black market dealer and Kaiju aficionado. Most of the performances are functional at best, with Hunnam only coming to life when he's throwing punches. Elba is as cool and authoritative as ever, but his Braveheart-esque "we're canceling the apocalypse" speech feels forced and uninspired.

This is Del Toro's show, though, and he does a masterful job of creating a sense of awe around every single Kaiju encounter. They're so huge that we never see one in full, but we can see of them is spectacular. The mecha design is even better, with each Jaeger adopting traits specific for their locale. The American 'bot Gipsy Danger has an Art Deco model reminiscent of New York skyscrapers, while the Japanese one will have Robotech fans salivating. Most of the fights take place at night, but even with 3D it never gets murky or tough to follow. The amount of destruction would give Man of Steel a run for its money, but unlike Zack Snyder's film it never slips into repetition.

Clearly, Pacific Rim has a very specific target audience, and it mostly consists of folks who are packing their bags for Comic-Con right now.  But those who pass it by because they think it will be too geeky will be missing out on what is definitely the biggest movie of the summer. It may not be perfect in the way it handles characters, but Pacific Rim is fun, epic, exhilarating, and the reason why we get excited for this time of year.

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Elbow Rockets and Ron Perlman In Two New 'Pacific Rim' Clips

The arrival of the monstrous Kaiju in Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim isn't just the impetus for humanity to finally unite as one against a common foe, but it's also opened the door for some to make a profit. Not unlike Jude Law's character in Contagion, I guess, there will always be those looking to capitalize off of tragedy. Two new clips from Pacific Rim show very different sides of the robots vs. monsters flick, but both give a fuller picture of what to expect.

The first highlights what looks like one of the centerpiece battles as Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi slug it out with a giant Godzilla-esque Kaiju in the city streets, hitting it with everything at their disposal including a devastating "elbow rocket" punch.  The second centers on the characters played by Ron Perlman and Charlie Day, with the latter looking to acquire a Kaiju brain for some top secret experimenting. Probably not for a good cause. We also learn that the Kaiju may be genetically linked to dinosaurs.

Pacific Rim opens in 3D, 2D, and IMAX on July 12th.

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New Trailer and Images From 'Pacific Rim'

A new trailer for Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim has been released, giving us yet another look at what could be the special effects spectacle of the season with giant glittering robots battling monsters that fill up the entire screen. This particular trailer, titled "At the Edge" emphasizes a couple of other aspects, as well, namely that there's plenty of geeky science talk involving the creation of the robotic Jaegers, and that Idris Elba will spend much of his screen time as the bearer of rousing patriotic Braveheart-esque speeches.

The phrase "neural handshake" is repeated often, and while it's unclear exactly what it is, the name suggests its how the two human pilots bridge their minds to control the Jaeger warriors. Hopefully they don't spend too much time breaking down all of the fine details, and get right down to leveling some more cities. There's plenty of gloriously-constructed destruction here, backed by Elba's rallying of the troops: “At the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we have chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other.  Today there’s not a man or woman in here that shall stand alone.  Today we face the monsters that are at our door.  Today we are cancelling the apocalypse!” Well I'm ready to fight, how about you?

It's hard to believe it's been a full year since the first unfinished footage was revealed at Comic-Con. I remember being stunned by it then, and the crowd was equally amazed. So to say my expectations for this are high would be a huge understatement. 

Pacific Rim opens on July 12th.


Pacific Rim - "At the Edge" [HD/VO] by ExtraterrestresTV

 

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New trailer for Guillermo Del Toro's 'Pacific Rim' is 2500 tons of awesome

Is it possible that Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim is being looked over just a little bit as we turn the corner into the summer blockbuster season? Maybe it's just a by-product of Warner Bros. putting all of their marketing eggs in the Man of Steel basket, but for whatever reason it seems like Del Toro's giant monsters vs. giant robots flick is flying a little bit under the radar. For the most part, Del Toro has chosen to keep the monsters, known a kaiju, hidden in fog, only teasing at their massive scope. But the latest trailer does away with all of that and reveals the monster vs. robot action is going to be truly epic.

The footage premiered for WonderCon and CinemaCon attendees, but now it's been made available to the rest of us, and we're all much better off for it. Revealing deeper looks at the origins of the human Jaeger program, which involves two humans mind-melding so as to pilot one of the gigantic robots, we're also treated to Charlie Day as the token science nerd ("2500 tons of awesome"), and Idris Elba as the inspirational leader of the resistance. But most importantly, this shows off just how much mayhem Del Toro is planning to put on display, from rip-roaring sea battles to aerial destruction, and yeah, that was a jaeger using a battleship as a friggin' sword! Guh! Geek juices are flowing!

Pacific Rim finally arrives on July 12th, starring Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, and Ron Perlman.


Pacific Rim - WonderCon Footage by Flixgr

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'Horrible Bosses' trio Seth Gordon, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis set for 'One Night On the Hudson'

Considering the surprising $200M+ success of Horrible Bosses, it was never a question of whether or not the cast would be reunited, it was a matter of when. We soon learned the gang would be getting back together for a sequel, which has recently been confirmed. Now director Seth Gordon, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis will split off from Jason Bateman for another film in a totally different genre.

Gordon is set to direct One Night On the Hudson, a thriller which has Day and Sudeikis as a rookie cop and his cynical partner who take on corrupt cops as they transport a federal witness from New Jersey to Manhattan. The script by T.J. Fixman has been around for awhile, and it's a little surprising that someone thought Day and Sudeikis would make for a proper fit. Then again, would there be any shock if the story is adjusted to add a few more laughs?

This one's still in the early stages of development, so anything could happen between now and when production begins. Day will be seen on the big screen next in Pacific Rim, while Sudeikis has We're the Millers opposite Jennifer Aniston. Gordon recently directed Identity Thief, his third film to cross the $100M mark. [THR]

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Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis confirmed for 'Horrible Bosses' sequel

In a year that saw R-rated comedies kick a lot of butt at the box office, Horrible Bosses was one of the big surprises. The film was powered by a concept everyone can relate to, the desire to off your own boss, and while we can argue about how effective it ultimately was, the fact is it cleared north of $200M worldwide. Sequel time!

We first learned early last year that John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were rehired to start work on the sequel, and now THR reports that Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis are signed to return. A lot of folks weren't too fond of Jamie Foxx's colorfully-named murder consultant, Motherfucker Jones, but they may have to get used to it because he's in talks to reprise the part. Seth Gordon is back in the director's chair, and he's proving to be one of the most bankable filmmakers in the comedy genre. He recently directed Identity Thief, which as of now is the year's top-grossing film.

The sequel will have the gang taking on a whole new bunch of crazy bosses, but the door's still open for Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey to make an appearance. Aniston was great last time as Day's oversexed boss, so hopefully she'll make a cameo or something. Seth Gordon is back in the director's chair,

Horrible Bosses....well, let's just say it didn't help up upon a second viewing. I really enjoyed it the first time, but now I have a hard time justifying its presence in my Blu-Ray collection. Filming is slated to begin this summer, so expect to see it some time in early 2014.

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Rinko Kikuchi lands female lead in Pacific Rim

Oh Rinko Kikuchi. How I adore you. >sigh< Ever since I first saw you in your Oscar nominated performance in Babel, how I hoped you'd become more than just a one-hit wonder. As if you were reading my mind, you joined the sophomore film from one of my favorite directors, Rian Johnson. Yes, you were one of the reasons I saw The Brothers Bloom four times that year. And now you've deemed to make me happy yet again, as the lead in Guillermo Del Toro's giant monster film, Pacific Rim. Are we sharing the same brain? Is this fate?

A press release by Legendary Pictures confirms her involvement, where she'll play Mako Mori, a young Japanese mech pilot who helps the humans battle the monster invasion. She'll join Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, and Charlie Day. Day can be seen this weekend in the comedy, Horrible Bosses.  Shooting on Pacific Rim should begin in the fall, with a July 12th 2013 release still far off.

My love for Kikuchi aside, it hasn't been all good. I did buy Assault Girls just because she was in it, and it was pretty dreadful. This past year has seen her in the festival darling, Norwegian Wood. She'll also be featured opposite Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin.

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Sure Shots: Pacific Rim; The Place Beyond the Pines; Despicable Me 2 gets a release date

* Charlie Day has turned his role as the resident wacko on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia into a fast rising film career. After cranking out a few laughs in the Justin Long/Drew Barrymore rom-com Going the Distance, his big starring turns comes in a couple weeks as part of Horrible Bosses. But his biggest gig to date is on the horizon, as Variety reports he's in talks to play a professor(no doubt an eccentric one) in Guillermo Del Toro's monsters vs. mechs film, Pacific Rim. He'll be starring opposite the only known castmember at this time, Charlie Hunnam(Undeclared), who is featured as a mech pilot who snaps into action when the planet is under attack. Shooting should begin in the fall, so hopefully by then the rumored Idris Elba will be signed and ready to suit up.

* If you ever saw Animal Kingdom, then you were probably creeped out into a puddle by the actions of Pope, played to terrible perfection by Aussie actor Ben Mendelsohn. So while that film has seen many of it's stars blow up and move on to very different roles, Mendelsohn is set to make the jump himself, only he's staying very much on the villainous side of things. Variety notes that Mendelsohn is set to join The Place Beyond the Pines, from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance. He'll play Robin Van Der Zee(how cool is that name??), a bank robber who let's Ryan Gosling's character into the criminal fold. Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, and Greta Gerwig also star.

* I like what Universal is doing in their plans for a sequel to Despicable Me, last year's animated where a bunch of little yellow minions stole the show from star Steve Carell. They aren't jamming it down our throats in a year's time like some other movies(Alvin and the Chipmunks), they're taking their time. They've just set a release date for the film on July 3rd 2013. Two years away. Good move. No other details on it right now. In other release date bits, Oliver Stone's Savages will open on September 28th, 2012. The crime film stars Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Uma Thurman, Emile Hirsch, Salma Hayek, and Benicio Del Toro. And lastly, Oblivion, from Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski will open on July 19th 2013. Tom Cruise leads the way of the futuristic sci-fi film, based on Kosinski's own graphic novel.

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