Episode 67: It’s a Jungle

It’s a Jungle

TJ’s Internet may be down for the count, but that’s not going to stop him from bringing you your weekly scoop! This week, TJ brings you news about RoboCop (and how, unsurprisingly, ‘The LEGO Movie’ is trouncing it at the box office). Next up, news that Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will be getting her own Marvel film. That sounds exciting! Ron Howard will be directing one OF TWO upcoming ‘The Jungle Book’ adaptations. This one is for Warner Bros. Jon Favreau is directing the Disney adaption. And RoboCop, both new and old, got a lot of attention at MovieByte this week. TJ wrote a review of both films and it was the subject of much discussion on The MovieByte Podcast episode 80. And then, crime of all crimes, a woman accidentally kept in her possession for several years, a Jennifer Lopez film, ‘Monster-in-Law. Even though the rental store has since shut down, she was still forced to spend the night in jail when her wicked ways caught up with her, and she had to post a $2,000 bond. Wasn’t the JLo film punishment enough? ‘Monster Trucks’ is a movie that’s really happening thanks to the success of ‘The LEGO Movie’. Ugh. And ‘Ninjago’ might be happening before ‘The LEGO Movie 2’ which doesn’t seem like all that bright of an idea, but whatever. And of course, find out what you might like to see this weekend.

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  • So Much for ‘RoboCop’ — ‘The LEGO Movie’ and ‘About Last Night’ Take Two Top Spots at Box Office

    Taking the number one slot for the second week in a row, “The Lego Movie” took in a whopping $48 million, which is better than most movies do in their opening weekend these days. Not even the storms and the binge-friendly “House Of Cards” on Netflix could put a major dent in the box office.

  • Black Widow’ To Get Her Own Film Starring Scarlett Johansson

    Hold on to your hammers, Scarlett Johansson is about to shatter the comic book movie glass ceiling. After stealing scenes from Tony Stark and the rest of super men in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, Scarlett Johansson’s popular spy character Black Widow is going to get her own movie. Marvel Studio president Kevin Feige has said that the Marvel movie universe is going to change dramatically going forward.

  • Ron Howard to Direct ‘The Jungle Book’ For Warner Bros.

    Warner Bros.’ The Jungle Book took a hit last month when Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu dropped out over scheduling conflicts, but now it’s back on track with a new director. Ron Howard has entered talks to helm the live-action adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling adventure.

  • RoboCop (1987) — Review

    I think this film may be one of the more genre confused films I’ve seen in quite a while. It wasn’t sure if it wanted to be a comedy, an action film, a “blood, guts, and gore” film, or just a drama. So the film decides to try it’s hand at all the above and fails miserably.

  • RoboCop (2014) — Review

    I believe that, when you look across the films of history that stand the test of time, the focus is almost always on the story and the characters. My issue with the original film is that they didn’t focus too much on the story and characters. In fact, as I argued, they never really figured out what to focus on.

    This modern remake is actually quite refreshing in that regard. The story has been almost entirely re-imagined from the ground up.

  • The MovieByte Podcast #80: I Wouldn’t Buy That for a Dollar

    This week, Chad, Fizz, and TJ talk about RoboCop, both old and new. Tune in as the epic battle ensues over which is better! Also, Find out why you should always return your rentals on time so you don’t go to jail, find out about ‘Back to the Future’ style power laces coming in 2015 — right on time, listen to a little pontificating about ‘House of Cards’, and find out that ‘Black Widow will be getting her own Marvel Movie starring, of course, Scarlett Johansson.

  • Police State Warning: Woman Jailed for Failing To Return Movie Rental From 2005

    South Carolina woman Kayla Michelle Finley was sent to jail last week for failing to return a copy of the Jennifer Lopez comedy Monster-in-Law that she’d rented nine years ago. Although the store where she originally picked up the tape, Dalton’s Video, has since shut down, the warrant for her arrest never expired.

  • ‘Monster Trucks’ Begins Casting, ‘Ninjago’ Could Happen Before ‘Lego Movie 2’

    Then The Lego Movie hit theaters, dominating the box office and earning stellar reviews besides. Suddenly, a Monster Trucks movie looks like a good idea. Such a good idea, in fact, that it’s begun casting, with Suburgatory‘s Jane Levy and X-Men: First Class‘s Lucas Till eyed for the leads.

  • Mt. Vesuvius Kills in 3 Days — What To See This Weekend

    Decisions, decisions. On the one hand, maybe you’d like to hang out in Pompeii and catch a cheesy (and obviously tragic) love story before the city is buried by Mt. Vesuvius.

    On the other hand, perhaps you’d rather spend some time getting to know Amber Heard and Kevin Costner while they figure out who to kill in the space of three days — or, something like that.