2013's Top 5 Fight Scenes!

When talking about entertainment two words almost always come up as must have's, sex and violence. Rocky covered the romantic side of things the other day with her 'Top 5 Kisses of 2013', which you can check out here, now it's time for the other side of that one-two punch of sure fire fun. Without further adieu let's get to some gratuitous violence, shall we?

5. Iron Man 3- Iron Man suit fleet VS The Mandarin

Iron Man 3 was not a good film, to be honest it was downright bad when it came to the final development of what was to be Tony Stark's archenemy. Yet, even the crappiest gift can have a pretty bow, and that's what we got at the end of Tony Stark's latest adventure. It's pure visual candy with plenty of easter eggy goodness for comic fans (see: Hulkbuster), it isn't particularly rewarding to the storyline nor does it make much sense in more than one facet but DAMN is it sweet to see the Iron Man squadron of suits come flying to Tony and that, my friends, is what merits a place at the bottom of this list. 

4. Star Trek: Into Darkness- Klingon showdown

While more of a gun battle than a straight up fight there was no way I could leave this scene off the list. Benedict Cumberbatch was already on the fast track to my favorite actors list after seeing Sherlock, but this scene, in which he mows down a squadron of Klingon warriors perfectly illustrates the capabilities of this villain. Extra points for the cool black hooded trenchcoat!

3. The World's End- Bar Fight

It's kind of an odd thing to have a movie show up in both a best fights list and a funniest scenes list. Unfortunately I ran into the same problem that Mae did earlier this week when she included The World's End in her Top 5 funniest scenes of 2013 list, which you can check out here, that problem is that, oddly, there seem to be no clips of these scenes anywhere on the 'net. In any event the fight that puts this awesome flick on my list of best fights comes about 3/4 of the way into the film when the group decides to stop trying to be inconspicuous and take the blanks head on. If you haven't seen this movie get out there and do so now, watching Nick Frost nail a combat roll and the wield two bar stools like a veteran bar ninja is one of the greatest things to happen inside of a theater this year. The best part? It's not done for laughs, the choreography is legit and would not look out of place in something like a remake of Roadhouse (with different actors of course). 

2. GI Joe: Retaliation- Snake Eyes V Storm Shadow 2
Do I really need to explain my reasoning here? These guys are the ultimate ninja warriors, the characters we all wanted to be the most when we were kids...hell even their names are right out of Encyclopedia Badassica. We got to see a lesser version of this ultimate showdown in GI Joe: Rise of Cobra but the battle we get in Retaliation blows that one away. As if that weren't enough we also get Jinx, Snake Eyes protege, and a legion of Storm Shadow trained ninja thrown in the mix.

1. The Grandmaster- Opening Fight Scene
Prior to the release I was prepared to have this movie at the top of every list I do this year, sadly Wong Kar Wai's epic film chronicling the legendary Ip Man fell apart after the first 20 minutes. But you know what? Those first 20 minutes make it worth it. To a true martial arts fan seeing a well choreographed, beautifully show fight scene is no different than anyone else watching a top level ballet. The way Wong Kar Wai captures the flow of movement throughout this entire opening scene make it one of the most breathtaking fight scenes I've seen to date. What really puts it over the top and earns it #1 over Snake Eyes V Storm Shadow is the striking use of black and white and the wonderfully artistic rainfall which both serve to extenuate the beauty of the martial art.

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The Top 5 Funniest Scenes of 2013

This year has been full of great, mediocre, and just plain awful movies. But regardless of where certain films stand (and none of the films on this list are bad ones, mind you), a lot of them had good or really funny moments. So, in honor the end of 2013, I've come up with a list that highlights the five funniest scenes from movies this year. They're in no particular order (because I'm too indecisive), but they are each unique and funny in their own way. Be it laugh out loud, or chuckle-worthy, these scenes stood out in their own form of comedic execution.  

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• I couldn't find the actual scene anywhere, but if you've seen The Kings of Summer, then you know that the scene where Biaggio is speaking with his dad in Spanish about friendship while his dad shaves and only the lower half of his face is showing, is one of the most comedic scenes in the film. After the conversation ends, all Biaggio says is "thought so" and flies out the door. Made me laugh out loud. 

• The scene of Leo DiCaprio crawling after taking too many drugs called Quaaludes, which were expired because no one was making them anymore, is probably the funniest scene in the three hours that is The Wolf of Wall Street. I couldn't get a full video, but this GIF pretty much sums it up. Epic Leo crawling. That. Is. All. 

• The Backstreet Boys may be still be around, but let's face it, they're so '90s. Granted, our love of their classic songs is still very much around. And in This is the End, it looks like Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel are big fans too. So much so, that their wish in heaven is to have the Backstreet Boys show up and sing "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)", all with the original choreography. Pretty original and outrageous at the same time. 

• This scene still hasn't made it to YouTube yet, so that's disappointing, but one of the funniest scenes of the year comes from The World's End, where Simon Pegg's Gary finally makes it to the twelfth bar on the list and is met with the head of The Network, which has been taking over human bodies left and right. So, in order to stop an alien invasion, what does Gary do? Talk the alien's ears off, of course. The real question here is this: do aliens actually have ears?

• What's a better way to spoof a romantic comedy than in a romantic comedy? Well, that's exactly what Joseph Gordon-Levitt does in his directorial debut Don Jon. When he and Scarlett Johansson go to see a movie called "Special Someone", two surprise cameos by Channing Tatum and Anne Hathaway as the movie couple who meet and fall in love make this scene memorable and funny. 

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Review: Edgar Wright's 'The World's End' Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

In a recent interview with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright, the comedy trio and longtime friends compared themselves to R&B group, Destiny's Child. It may not seem to make much sense, but it's true in the sense that the members are more than capable of doing great work on their own; however the true magic really happens when they come back together. Doesn't seem so crazy now, does it? The World's End marks the conclusion (maybe??) of their beloved, pop culture-infused "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy, and like its predecessors Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, it's an entertaining, imminently quotable genre mash-up with surprising layers of depth.

If the first film used George Romero-esque zombies as a riff on middle-aged complacency, and Hot Fuzz a vehicle to literally blow up notions of civility, The World's End tackles another long-running theme: the dangers of living in the past. It's a darker, more adult film than the rest, and in it we see the continued evolution and growth of all involved. Pegg takes on his most mature role to date as Gary King, and as we see him reliving in glorious, hazy detail the greatest night of his youth in an epic pub crawl with his buddies, he appears to be just another in a long line of irresponsible louts. But as the flashback comes to a screeching, sudden halt, we see that there's something sad lurking behind the bravado. With little to live for and only his memories to cling to, Gary decides to round up the old gang and take another crack at the "Golden Mile"; one night, 12 pubs, 12 pints.

There's just one problem, and it's that all of his friends are fully-formed adults with lives and responsibilities, something Gary simply can't fathom. Peter (Eddie Marsan), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman), and Andrew (Nick Frost) all have their doubts about Gary, along with an unhealthy amount of pent up childhood angst, but they agree to return to their sleepy little hometown for one last night of drinking, jokes, women, and as it turns out, an extraterrestrial threat.

What the boys discover in quite brutal fashion, is that time continues to soldier on without you. That you can never truly go back to the way things were, and even worse, that much of the people who populated your life in those nostalgic glory days don't care that you left. The message hits home early as the guys venture to one of their favorite haunts, only to discover that it's now some sanitized "Starbucked" pseudo-pub where the bartender doesn't remember their names. The opening half of the film is funny but mostly played straight for poignancy as Gary struggles with the realization that he's not all that important. Or that everybody in town has changed for the worse while he remains the same. It's the height of self-delusion, and everybody seems to recognize it but Gary, whose obnoxious attitude only makes his friends, in particular Andrew, want to leave him behind for good.

Wright has improved tremendously as a filmmaker since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, a film which perhaps reveled too much in its comic book/video game adoration to connect on any emotional level. The World's End is practically the polar opposite, and like the other "Cornetto" films it uses the chosen genre to enhance and underline the core themes and reveal aspects of each character's personality. It's become one of the trilogy's defining attributes, one Wright and Pegg perfected before with the short-lived but brilliant sitcom, Spaced. But whereas the action was always fairly simple in the prior movies, Wright dreams up some truly complicated set pieces as the real menace emerges in the film. The highlight by far is a terrific bathroom brawl between the gang and their enemies, with Wright's free-flowing camera tracking every crunching blow, brutal decapitation (it's more violent than you'd think), and People's Elbow. Pegg and Frost have also grown in physicality, and they have fun with their stage fighting by utilizing a number of moves pulled right from the WWE. What had been up to this point a dramatic affair turns on a dime to special effects comedic spectacle, and the transition isn't quite as smooth as in the earlier films. At the same time, Wright is better at using the framework to set up major themes, best exemplified by the opening flashback that forecasts the future insanity. He's also better at keeping up the pace despite the story being broken up into twelve parts, or pubs, and with so many characters needing their moment to shine.

The dynamic between Frost and Pegg has always been the glue that kept these films together, and while we get moments of their impeccable chemistry here and there, it's muddled due to the significantly larger cast. We're told about rather than experience the rift between Gary and Andrew, while the feud between Gary and Steven for the attention of Pam (Rosamund Pike) is given considerably more weight. Yes, it's a lot of fun watching Gary blow this rivalry beyond proportion but there's no substitute for seeing more of Pegg and Frost. Pegg gets the juiciest role, of course, and he really has become a seasoned actor capable of more than just pratfalls and goofy accents. His Gary is similar in some respects to Shaun, an irresponsible man child incapable of moving forward, but we also see some of the darker edges to him; the alcohol, the loneliness, and the bitterness that make the character unique. He's also a total prick, and he's never really taken to task for it, even as his friends seem to forget and forgive all too easily. It's also nice to see Frost do something other than play Pegg's slob pal. He's considerably more restrained and buttoned up here, at least for a while until he goes into full on Hulk rage.

Critic screenings for the film were preceded by a personal plea to not give away any of the film's biggest secrets. That includes plot twists (of which there are many) and cameos (of which there are some notable ones). While that isn't so shocking, it was the source of the plea that makes it so interesting: Edgar Wright himself. There will be plenty of critics who will ignore his "Be a mate?" request and spoil much of what the film has to offer, but it's sad that Wright has to ask this in the first place. Fortunately, The World's End has so much going on that it rewards repeat viewings, and if something gets spoiled along the way there will be something new to take its place. It's rare that a conclusion as anticipated as this ever meets expectations, but fans of Frost, Pegg, and Wright will be more than pleased and dying for a reunion.

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Cinema Royale #29- Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright Talk 'The World's End'

On a very special Cinema Royale, host Travis Hopson downs a pint with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright while talking the conclusion of their "Cornetto Trilogy", The World's End!

Plus, reviews of Lee Daniels' The Butler and Kick-Ass 2!

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, and Podomatic. Listen to this week's episode below...

Online Movies Radio at Blog Talk Radio with Cinema Royale on BlogTalkRadio

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Apocalyptic Spoilers In the New 'The World's End' Trailer

The long-awaited conclusion to Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy arrives this summer with The World's End, and unlike Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, there are elements of the story needing to be kept under wraps. We know the basic gist, that it follows five old friends attempting to recreate an epic pub crawl from their youth, only to discover that the fate of the world is at stake. But any attempt to keep further details secret just flew out the window with the latest trailer, which gives away the full nature of the threat they face. There's a nice nostalgic touch by revisiting the first two films, and clearly there are going to be plenty of call backs to some of the old gags, but for those who want to go in as clear as possible this may be a trailer to avoid.

Also starring Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan, The World's End opens on August 23rd.

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Six New Character Posters for 'The World's End'

Humanity is going to be in dire straits this summer, with both This Is the End and Edgar Wright's The World's End centered on the ruination of pretty much everything. While Seth Rogen's film hits theaters in just a couple of days (review will be up soon), Wright has been nice enough to give us a few more weeks of relative safety, but not without releasing a handful of new character posters.

The images feature stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, and Martin Freeman. Some of the pubs they'll be crawling seem to be used as a descriptor for a few of the characters, with Pegg as "The Famous Cock" and Freeman as "The Trusty Servant". Poor Marsan gets the short end of the stick as "The Pickled Newt", while faring much better is Pike as "The Intrepid Fox" and Considine as "The Lion Heart".

Following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, The World's End will wrap up the "Three Flavours" trilogy on August 23rd. [Empire]

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New U.S. trailer for Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's 'The World's End'

Together again, "just like The Five Musketeers". It's been a long five-year wait for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fans, but the end of the Cornetto (or Blood and Ice Cream) trilogy is finally upon us with Edgar Wright's The World's End, and after dropping a pair of posters on us yesterday a new trailer aimed at U.S. audiences has been released.

This cut of the trailer gives the impression that buddies Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Paddy Considine, and Martin "Bilbo Baggins" Freeman will be doing just as much fighting aliens as downing pints. They play five friends looking to conquer an epic pub crawl from their youth: "12 pubs, 12 pints". Along the way they discover the town has been taken over by robots, in much the same way zombies and corrupt cops ran roughshod through the last two films. The humor appears to be sharp and on point, with Rosamund Pike having a ton of fun as an old flame. Frost isn't as interesting to me when he's playing the stiff, buttoned-up type, but when he finally "hulks out" in the bar it's pretty hilarious.

The World's End arrives on August 23rd. Between this and Seth Rogen's This Is the End, which apocalyptic comedy are you most looking forward to?

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Have a pint and enjoy two new posters for 'The World's End'

"Prepare to be annihilated". Is that by aliens or by copious amounts of ale? Two new posters for Edgar Wright's The World's End, which essentially sport the same image, have been released and they seem to suggest that the only way to survive the coming extraterrestrial invasion is to get really hammered, or to grab the nearest bar stool. The third leg of the beloved "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy reunites Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, joined by Eddie Marsan, Paddy Considine, and Martin Freeman in the story of five friends who attempt to recreate an epic pub crawl from their youth, only to discover that the fate of humanity may be on the line.  It's good to see the gorgeous Rosamund Pike brought into the mix, and frankly she looks more formidable than the whole bunch of them. She does have that whole Wrath of the Titans experience to draw upon, right?

The World's End arrives on August 23rd.

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First trailer for 'The World's End' starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

After giving the zombie genre a jolt with the hilarious Shaun of the Dead, then indulging in the cop comedy Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright and his buddies Nick Frost and Simon Pegg made fans wait a good little while for their latest collaboration. As they all went their separate ways and began taking on other high-profile projects, it began to look like we may never see the wrap up to their "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy. But the reunion finally did take place, and now the first trailer for The World's End has finally arrived.

Other than a handful of images and a couple of posters, we haven't seen much from the film until now. Suffice it to say those who loved their previous work will be pleased by the trailer, which seems to traffic in the same level of humor as the others, even calling back some of the old gags. Eventually Pegg will learn not to try and hop any fences. Pegg and Frost are joined by Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan as five friends who endeavor to recreate an epic pub crawl they failed at 20 years earlier. As expected, things go terribly wrong, glowing aliens show up, and the gang discover that the fate of humanity is in their hands.

The World's End opens in the UK in July, but we unfortunately have to wait until August 23rd. Boo hiss.


The World's End by Teaser-Trailer.com

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New posters for 'The World's End', 'White House Down', 'August: Osage County', and more

Edgar Wright has promised we'll be seeing the first trailer for The World's End in just a few days, but before that he's graced us with this new quad posture. The image is actually quite revealing, as a look beyond the astonished mugs of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are what look like glowing humanoid aliens. After a six year wait, the wrap up to the Three Flavours trilogy arrives on August 23rd, and follows five childhood friends attempting to recreate an epic pub crawl from 20 years ago. In the midst of their journey the come to realize that the real struggle is for the future of all humankind. Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Marsan, and Martin Freeman co-star.

So Channing Tatum's last attempt to save the world didn't work out so well in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but he'll give it another go in White House Down. The new trailer just hit the web a few days ago, and basically it clued us in to his character, a single dad having the worst job interview ever. Losing out on a gig to join the Secret Service, he nonetheless gets a shot to rescue the President (Jamie Foxx) when the White House is taken down by terrorists. The latest poster shows Tatum and Foxx walking through the fog of devastation, probably in slow motion, because that's what action heroes do. White House Down opens on June 28th.

The first poster for John Wells' adaptation of Tracy Letts' August: Osage County isn't much, but it does get across that this is going to be one heck of an acting showcase. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Margo Martindale, Abigail Breslin, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, and Juliette Lewis lead a terrific ensemble in telling the story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, who have all gone their separate ways until a family tragedy brings them home to Oklahoma and under the roof of their alcoholic mother. The film has been positioned as a potential awards contender, hitting theaters on November 8th.

And finally, a rather terrible new poster for The Bling Ring, which is basically someone using MS Paint over a photo we've already seen. Emma Watson leads Sofia Coppola's latest look at celebrity culture, telling the true story of a group of Beverly Hills teens who rob the homes of famous people to fuel their lifestyle. The Bling Ring comes for your stuff on June 14th.

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Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan join 'The World's End'

Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, and Edgar Wright are already filming The World's End, the final chapter to their "Blood and Ice Cream" trilogy following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but they aren't quite done casting yet. Two familiar faces are coming aboard, both of whom are probably best known for the little people they've recently played.

Martin Freeman(The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) and Eddie Marsan(Snow White and the Huntsman) have joined the film, which already has Rosamund Pike and Paddy Considine on board. Freeman actually made a cameo in Hot Fuzz a few years ago, along with his future 'Hobbit' director Peter Jackson. Marsan's a great actor, as well, who can be seen deadpanning his way through both Sherlock Holmes flicks and Happy-Go-Lucky. Check out the synopsis below...

PLOT: 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon
again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.

This keeps getting better and better. The World's End is set to open some time in 2013.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Paddy Considine rejoins Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for 'The World's End'

While I know many people love Hot Fuzz, and for very good reason, to me that film is only as funny as it was because of the supporting cast.  Simon Pegg and Nick Frost aren't terrible by any means, but it was Rafe Spall and Paddy Considine as the two pseudo-tough, awesomely mustached cops both named Andy. While there's nothing on Spall coming back for more, Considine is definitely in for the film's follow-up, The World's End.

Reuniting Pegg, Frost, and writer/director Edgar Wright, The World's End is the final leg of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, and involves a group of friends in their 40s reliving an epic pub crawl from their youth. Along the way something happens that has literal world altering consequences. Considine will join Pegg and Frost as two of the circle of buddies, with Rosamund Pike set to play one of Pegg's former flames.

Considine's known primarily for more dramatic stuff like In America, Red Riding, and his recent directorial debut, Tyrannosaur. He's been flexing his comedic muscle a bit more lately, having just starred in the action comedy, Blitz, with Jason Statham. Um, hopefully The World's End is a Hell of a lot better than that was.  [Variety]

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Rosamund Pike joins 'The World's End' with Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

After seeming like an eternity, next year will finally bring the wrap up of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright's "Three Flavours" trilogy with the release of The World's End. Putting aside my excitement over it, what really has me hyped up is to find out what kind of cast they're going to be able to pull together for the big send off. Both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz featured some amazing cameos and bit players, and now it looks like The World's End will as well.

Baz Bamigboye over at the DailyMail has revealed that none other than former Bond girl, Rosamund Pike, has joined the cast. After toiling away in period dramas for much of her career, Pike has been making a more sustained move towards more mainstream fare recently. She starred earlier this year in Wrath of the Titans, and this December sees her alongside Tom Cruise in One Shot.

We don't know much about the plot beyond what we learned in the earlier synopsis, with Frost and Pegg playing two of five friends who seek to relive an epic pub crawl from 20 years prior. Along the way as they try and reconcile their past and present, they come across something that puts the fate of humanity's future in their hands. It's possible Pike could play one of the five friends, or she may just be popping up for a cameo. I'm personally hoping Jessica Hynes, Pegg's co-star on Spaced, will be one of the remaining friends. Fingers crossed!

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Edgar Wright to shoot 'Ant-Man' in 2013

Fresh off wowing the crowd at Comic-Con with his Ant-Man test footage, Edgar Wright is now set for two movies that are definitely in the works, which should make fans of the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World director very happy. We know he'll be teaming up with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to complete their Three Flavours trilogy with The World's End, and somewhere along the line Ant-Man will follow. Marvel was deliberately vague on scheduling details last week, but we've speculated he'd start filming next year. Now, thanks to Simon Pegg's Twitter account, we can pretty much confirm it.

That fits with how we predicted things would turn out, and I stick by my guns that Ant-Man will be the final Marvel movie before The Avengers sequel hits either in summer 2015 or early 2016. It appears that Wright, co-writing the script with Joe Cornish(Attack the Block), will be basing the story on 'To Steal an Ant Man', which involves an imposter stealing the Ant-Man technology and using it for himself.

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