Very sad news: today we learned that British actor Richard Griffiths, best known for his roles in Harry Potter and History Boys, has passed away.

The Independent and various other news outlets are reporting that Griffiths, 65, died yesterday of complications following heart surgery.

Harry Potter fans will probably remember this seasoned actor best as Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter movies; Richard Griffiths was able to bring the nasty character to life in such a believable way that it was a shock to turn and watch him in The History Boys, where he played the flawed but beloved teacher…

Django, have you always been alone?
Django, have you never loved again?
Love will live on, oh oh oh…

Life must go on, oh oh oh…
For you cannot spend your life regretting.

So sings Luis Bacalov in the opening titles of Django Unchained, the second in a series(?) of revisionist history/revenge epics from the ever-controversial Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds handed the reigns of vengeance to a band of Jewish Nazi-hunters (thereby conjuring up a far more incendiary conclusion to WWII than the one where Hitler cried ‘Uncle!’). In this case, the injured party who gets bloody…

TJ takes a look at two new TV spots for ‘Oblivion’ and what a fine looking film he expects it to be, HBO GO for non-cable subscribers and what that means and why he won’t be getting it, Robert Redford rumored to be in talks for a part in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, Joe’s ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ review and how Joe rated it slightly lower than he did, ‘The Wolverine’ Teaser announcement on Vine, the 20 second teaser, and the full international and domestic trailers, as well as some general thoughts on the good marketing muscle behind that, House of Tweets, talking about ‘House of Cards’ release schedule, a fun video about ‘Hacking the Mainframe’ in movies, an ‘Iron Man 3’ TV spot, a really great ‘Oblivion’ featurette, ‘The MovieByte Podcast #37’, and what you might like to see in theaters this weekend.

Hey peeps, we got some movies lined up for you to see this weekend. The light at the end of the winter tunnel is getting brighter, we’re walking toward it, it’s almost here. It’s not quite summer yet, but we do have some good options at least now. Let’s take a gander.

New Films

G.I. Joe: Retaliation - PG-13
This film is not going to be anything like Shakespeare. It’s not even going to be as good as a really good action film like The Avengers. And yet I expect it to be fun. It has Bruce Willis in it for crying out loud (and we’re pretending like that last Die Hard film he made doesn’t…

Are you ready my brothers? Today we shall climb up the beanstalk to take a look at giants whose leader sounds suspiciously like Bill Nighy.

I realize I am extremely late getting this review out, but I’ve had a lot of demands on my time lately. Still, I would like to put “pen to paper” and let my thoughts loose on the world, particularly because this film is seeing such poor reviews and no one is going to see it in theaters.

This is unfortunately getting to be a thing with Bryan Singer. I love his films, the world hates them. Well to be fair, most folks love the first two X-Men films.…

I have no interest in this game, but I thought this trailer was loads of fun. And Shatner telling the Gorn he’s “overacting” is just too rich.

Plus seeing those silly hand to hand techniques from Star Trek of the ‘60s: too much fun. Who ever fights like that? And poor old out of breath Kirk…

If you are interested in the game, don’t be fooled by the appearance of “Kirk Prime”. Apparently it’s set in the JJVerse and takes place between the events of Star Trek (2009), and Star Trek Into Darkness.

See the epic battle below.

Despite months of speculation that she would be running for Kentucky’s Senate seat in 2014, Ashley Judd decided against the idea officially on Wednesday.

“After serious and thorough contemplation, I realize that my responsibilities & energy at this time need to be focused on my family,” the Olympus Has Fallen actress wrote on Twitter.

This was totally not on my radar at all. I can’t say I’m sorry that an actress is not going to be running for political office — though on second thought maybe that would be better than the clowns we have now…

Getting a jump on Easter weekend, filmmaker Jon M. Chu‘s action bonanza G.I. Joe: Retaliation began rolling out late Wednesday night in North America, grossing a solid $2.2 million.

Tracking suggests the sequel—with a cast led by franchise newcomers Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis —will post a four-day domestic debut in the $40 million to $45 million range, although Paramount believes there’s a chance of hitting $50 million.

Retaliation also is opening in most international markets (75 percent) and is anticipating a global opening in the $100 million range.

As I’ve said before,…

After ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ #37