G.I. Joe: Retaliation has already paid the bills, so Paramount is readying the next installment.

Variety is reporting that Paramount is quite pleased with how G.I. JOE: RETALIATION has performed so far and are planning on adding another film to the franchise. Although many of us questioned Paramount’s decision to push back G.I. JOE: RETALIATION in order to tweak the film, it looks like in the end they may have made the right call (at least financially) and they must feel at least a little vindicated after taking a beating from most people about the film’s delayed release.

Keep in mind…

We have another edition of the fun MovieByte Podcast planned for you this evening at 6:30 Central Time.

TJ and I are discussing Olympus Has Fallen, the hottest action flick starring Gerard Butler (King Leonidas, Clyde Shelton), Morgan Freeman (God, another U.S. president) and Aaron Eckhart (Two-Face, Rethrick). A little about this film:

When the White House (Secret Service Code: “Olympus”) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team…

“What’s wrong with me? I just want to connect. Why can’t I connect with people? Oh, right, it’s cause I’m dead. I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, I mean, we’re all dead. This girl’s dead. That guy’s dead. That guy in the corner is definitely dead. These guys look awful.”

I had to do a double take when I looked at the Tomato Meter at Rotten Tomatoes. As of this writing it is averaging a 77% approval rating from the critics and an 83% from the audience. That’s… weird. Maybe it’s not surprising that the audience rated it so highly, given that there is not a whole lot of good happening in the…

Father Parker, as we are introduced to him during his first robbery of the movie, is quite a devout criminal… with principles.

“Don’t steal from people that can’t afford it,” Parker tells us. “Don’t hurt people that don’t deserve it. …Most importantly, if you say you will do something and you don’t, I will make sure you regret it.”

What seems like a heavy-handed spin of the good-bad guy theme that’s popular in cult action films these days only get’s more ridiculous when Parker dawns a white ten-gallon cowboy hat and chases down the thugs that left him for dead to steal back what was…

Hey look, it’s another “Renner has a Boom Stick” film.

This one is a twist on a familiar fairytale, but for the most part you won’t recognize it. At first you might recognize elements of the original fairytale, with a few minor differences. But that’s just used as a backstory for the real tale of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

While this story is squarely placed in the magical world of fantasy, it bears little resemblance to recent, highly rated fantasy films such as popular Marvel titles Thor, Captain America, The Avengers and the like. Or perhaps a more apt comparison would be to…

Thumbs up if you’re excited to see Tom Cruise return to the screen in a re-release of Top Gun, this time in IMAX 3D!  The 1986 Tony Scott-directed action classic will open in select IMAX 3D theaters on February 8th and run until February 13th.  The remastered edition will also debut on a two-disc Blu-ray in 2D and 3D versions starting February 19th.  A new trailer for Top Gun IMAX 3D is now available for your viewing pleasure and nostalgia.  You have permission to hit the jump, Ghost Rider.

Check out the new cut of the Top Gun trailer for IMAX 3D

Oh. My. Word! The pain! THE PAIN!…

There’s nothing especially awesome here to scream about, but for what it’s worth, The Last Stand carries on a mild amount of amusement for undemanding Schwarzenegger fans.

People that watch Arnold Schwarzenegger movies probably don’t bother to read movie reviews. That said, I’ve watched several films of Arnold’s, and here I am reading and writing reviews all the time. With that in mind, I’ll imagine that Arnold’s fans are the good folks reading this review, and I’ll let them know how this film compares to his others.

First, note that Arnold is getting up in years, and The Last Stand…

Broken City’s thinly sketched, formulaic script offers meager rewards for all but the least demanding noir aficionados.—RT

Have you ever wanted to watch a modern detective story set in New York starring some great actors? So have I, but Broken City isn’t that film we dream of. I went into the movie theater hopeful, and came away yawning, and asking myself, “Why? What were they thinking?”

Broken City is based on a spec script and is the directorial debut for Allen Hughes by an untested production company.¹ With that in mind, it’s no wonder that Broken City doesn’t meet the mark.

Why…

Promised Land was swept under the enormous blockbusters’ success of December, so little has been said about the film starring Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, and John Krasinski. For a simple drama set in the heartland of America, one that was written by the dynamic talents of Gus Van Sant and Damon, it seems the film would have met bigger acclaim for its themes and entertainment value. Or at least, the film should have lived up to someone’s expectations (films usually do). Why are audiences and critics bashing Promised Land?

TJ and I are reviewing the movie this week on The MovieByte…