Movie Review: "The Raid 2" Has Revolutionized The Action Genre Forever.

The Raid 2

Director: Gareth Evans
Cast: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Yayan Ruhian, Julie Estelle, and Tio Pakusodewo.
Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence throughout, sexuality, and language.

The Raid 2 (along with its predecessor, The Raid) is an Indonesian action film that the majority of the general movie-going public has never heard of, and will likely never see. That is a shame, but this is a movie that only certain film fans will enjoy. Action and martial arts aficionados will eat these movies up. So, if you're a fan of brutal, bloody, and intense action, then The Raid 2 will knock you the eff out! It's been a couple days now since I saw it, and I cannot get it out of my head and that's a good thing; it blew me away!

Movie Review: Marvel Delivers The Best Standalone Movie Yet With "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert Redford.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay, and action throughout.

It's no secret to those who know me that I am a BIG fan of comic book movies. I never got into the actual comics themselves, but I familiarize myself with these characters through my own research and from my experiences watching all the cartoons as a child. What Marvel Studios has done with their cinematic universe is something I would have never thought possible. Phase 1 consisted of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, all leading up to their big team-up in The Avengers. Phase 2 officially began with Iron Man 3, which disappointed me immensely. Thor: The Dark World brought some fun action, and it's always great to see Loki again, but I had yet to see anything as good as the Phase 1 films. Luckily, Phase 2 has found its Holy Grail in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Movie Review: "Noah" Delivers An Entertaining Epic, But Is Not ForEveryone.

Noah

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ray Winstone, and Anthony Hopkins.
Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, and brief suggestive content.

I will just go ahead and declare that Darren Aronofsky's re-imagining of the Biblical tale of Noah is not for everyone. It is dark, violent, and presents Noah as a righteous man who grows increasingly misguided as the burden of the world's destruction weighs heavily upon him. That being said, if you go into Noah with the mindset of seeing another fantasy epic, then I believe you'll be fairly entertained.

Movie Review: "Divergent" Tries, But Fails To Escape "The Hunger Games" Shadow.

Divergent

Director: Neil Burger
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jai Courtney, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, and Kate Winslet.
Rated PG-13 for intense violence and action, thematic elements, and some sensuality.

Divergent is the latest attempt to rake in the dollars as a result of the growing popularity of YA novels and successful film adaptations like The Hunger Games and its sequel, Catching Fire. The novel, written by Veronica Roth, is similar to The Hunger Games in that it features a young heroine fighting against an unjust dystopian society, but different in the details that make up said society. For the most part, The Hunger Games films have been an enormous success based upon both rave reviews from critics and audiences alike that have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in box office revenue. So, does Divergent live up to the standard set by its sister series? Everyone will have their own answer, but in my opinion, it pales in comparison.

Movie Review: "300: Rise of an Empire" Lacks Gerard Butler's Commanding Roar, But Is Still Satisfying To Fans Of The Original.

300: Rise of an Empire

Director: Noam Murro
Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, and Rodrigo Santoro.
Rated R for strong sustained sequences of stylized bloody violence throughout, a sex scene, nudity, and some language.

It's been eight years since director Zack Snyder delivered the action fantasy 300 that gave men all around the world new goals for their workout regimen. It may have provided more style than substance, but with Gerard Butler howling his cheesy, yet awesome lines about glory, death, and hell, who really cared about anything else than seeing these six-packed bad-asses spill tyrant blood? Zack Snyder has moved on to helming the the Superman/Batman universe, so the reigns have been passed over to director Noam Murro for this new installment in the 300 world. Though there are less iconic Snyder visuals, Murro does well at recreating the the look of the first film with a sequel/prequel that should satisfy most fans.

My Predictions for the 86th Academy Awards

MY OSCARS' PREDICTIONS

The awards season is now at an end with tomorrow's broadcast of the 86th Annual Academy Awards. All the stars of 2013 will be walking the red carpet to see the show while a lucky few will hope to leave with that elusive golden statuette. I do not always agree with the outcome, and many times I do not agree with the nominees themselves. Nevertheless, I do have respect for what the Oscars represent and I enjoy seeing well-deserving individuals be awarded for their work. In the categories that I truly care about, I have also listed my personal preference which may or may not coincide with whom I think will actually win. So here we go with all 24 categories:

The 2nd Annual Todd Awards - Winners

The 2nd Annual Todd Awards

-Winners-

Here I am, once again, to celebrate my favorite films of 2013 and to give recognition to the films that may or may not receive any Oscar love. I will be the first to admit that these nominations and winners are selected solely based upon my on bias. There may be winners that, technically speaking, do not stand up to others, but they stood out to me, and since these are my awards I can do as I please. Enough of the silly talk. Let's move on to see who the winners are: