‘Catching Fire’ — Less Shaky Cam More Love Triangle

‘Catching Fire’ — Less Shaky Cam More Love Triangle
Adam Chitwood - Colider.com

Speaking with New York Magazine (viaThe Playlist), Francis Lawrence addressed his take on the material, noting that he has ditched Ross’ camera style:

No! [Laughs.] No shaky cam. I think a lot of people will be happy to hear that.

He’s not kidding there. Ross’ decision to go with the ultra shaky shake ‘em up cam was absolutely the worst aspect about the first film. Shaky cam is not a replacement for good choreography. Garry Ross, and others, please take note of this fact before making more films. Thank you.

Lawrence also added that he has decided to focus more on the love story…

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‘12 Years a Slave’ Clip

‘12 Years a Slave’ Clip

I’m thinking we have another Oscar contender here. We’ve certainly had a few films lately looking at that dark time in the U.S.‘s past when the institution of slavery was alive and well. Not that I’m complaining because often times these films make for good ones.

This one is looking like it will measure up with the best of them. It will not be rolling out to a wide release all at once though. It will begin in limited fashion on October 18th and go for wide release on November 1st. Check out the clipo and trailer below.

‘Ender’s Game’ Clip: Lead the Dragon Army

‘Ender’s Game’ Clip: Lead the Dragon Army

Oh hey, he’s bad at following orders and stuff, so let’s give him his own army! Whatever.

But really, I’m sure there’s more context here that I need. The initial idea just seems really lame. Like, “He’s a rebel, he’ll be a good one to lead our army!” I don’t know, seems weird to me.

But in this clip, that’s exactly what Harrison Ford does. Asa Butterfield is having a hard time following his comander’s orders, so Ford offers him his own army. Makes perfect sense, right?

Ender’s Game debuts in theaters on November 1st.

‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ Theatrical Trailer

‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ Theatrical Trailer

See guys, this is why I should build my MovieByte writing team a little. All I can think of is how stupid this movie looks and I’d love to let someone write about this film who thinks it looks good. But alas…

I’m posting this because I know many of you will probably be interested in it. But I think this film looks like it’s trying to hard to be cool or something. We are seeing a bit more Ben Stiller humor coming through in this trailer, but it simply has no appeal to me. I hope some of you out there will like it.

‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy Has Cost $561 Million To Date

‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy Has Cost $561 Million To Date
Germain Lussier - /Film

The original trilogy reportedly cost $281 million to make. The Hobbit trilogy has cost $561 million… so far. That’s not including post-production on the third film or reshoots this past summer to extend the series into a trilogy.

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And while the massive budgets for these movies might sound excessive, the first movie alone more than covered the cost. (Maybe not when you factor in marketing, but it’s surely close.) And there’re still two more movies to come. The Hobbit will turn a profit. So even if The Hobbit films don’t reach the critical heights of the original trilogy, Jackson’s new…

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Three Clips from ‘Captain Phillips’

Three Clips from ‘Captain Phillips’

Like the clip from Thor: The Dark World, what we see here are extended sequences from the trailer, although the last clip really shows us events leading up to what we see in the trailer(s).

Of all the films I’m looking forward to seeing this year (and yes, because of travel, Gravity is still one of those films), this one is one of the most prominent in my mind right now. It’s coming out this weekend and I couldn’t possibly be more excited for a film. The more and more films I watch for MovieByte the harder that is to do I guess, so that’s something, right?

We’ll get to see if it lives up to…

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New Clip: Thor Does Not Trust Loki

New Clip: Thor Does Not Trust Loki

This is an extended version of what we’ve been seeing in the trailers. It’s not much, but if you’re like me, you will eagerly eat up anything from an upcoming film that you are greatly anticipating. I really like where this is going and I continue to predict that Loki will see some amount of redemption from his evil ways and will then be killed.

Still, despite any redemption that may come, I don’t think I’ll cry too much when the guy who almost completely destroyed New York, and is responsible for the deaths of untold numbers of people, comes to meet his end…

Thor: The Dark World comes to…

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Elizabeth Olson To Play The Scarlet Witch in ‘The Avengers 2’

Elizabeth Olson To Play The Scarlet Witch in ‘The Avengers 2’
Joanna Robinson - Pajiba.com

For a long time it was rumored that Saoirse Ronan would be playing the part of the Scarlet Witch in Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron. But in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Samuel L. Jackson confirmed that the lovely Elizabeth Olsen will be donning the red bustier instead. He said:

“I don’t think we begin shooting before March of next year. I know we’re shooting in London, that James Spader is Ultron and going to be the bad guy, and that we added Ms. [Elizabeth] Olsen [who will play the Scarlet Witch], but I don’t know what she’s doing, if she’s on the inside or the…

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‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Trailer

‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Trailer

Remember how Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst who sometimes accidentally gets thrust into action-y situations? Yeah, well, throw that concept away and put it out of your mind. In this version, it looks like Jack Ryan is being turned into some sort of secret agent. Also, the modest action that Jack Ryan gets into, where the plot and external influences provide the action and the drama… yeah… kiss that good bye as well. It looks like we’re turning Jack Ryan into a full blown action star. I was afraid of this. Looks like I am not going to enjoy this all that much.

Sigh.

First TV Spot for Steve McQueen’s ‘12 Years a Slave’

First TV Spot for Steve McQueen’s ‘12 Years a Slave’

The films about America’s dark period of slavery seem to be making the rounds these days, but this one does look like it has the potential to be good. There’s no denying that slavery happened and it was evil. And many of these stories can be compelling.

Here’s the synopsis:

Based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender), as…

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