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But I Digress… Episode 34: My Top 5 Favorite Films of 2015

Being the resident movie guy at Giga, I made the latest episode of my YouTube show about my top five favorite films of 2016–including a few I didn’t review for your favorite geeky e-zine!

“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand

I’m a little late to the party with this one, but in this episode, I discuss my top five favorite films of 2015. I even get a visit from Nerdimus Prime–who is suddenly *not* an alternate mode for me. Weird.

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Please comment, subscribe, and share!

www.NathanJSMarchand.com

Nathan’s YouTube Channel.

The Fourth is All Around Us

For any PS Vita owners out there, you can get your Star Wars fill for $20. Three Battlefront games (Renegade Squadron, Elite Squadron and Battlefront 2), Star Wars: the Clone Wars, Lego Star Wars 3 and Star Wars: the Force Unleashed are all bundled together ready to steal hours of your life. To be fair, they were made for the PSP so the graphics are a bit dated, but the gameplay and nostalgia make up for it. There is a similar bundle for the PS3 with several PS2 titles, but, yeah, not quite as good.

11212315_10102479570303286_1066439376_nWhether you have them all or not, it is worth noting that all six Star Wars movies are available digitally for a nice, round $90. I have also seen the full collection available on Blu-ray as well. Be it physical or digital, you can cancel your cable and cram over a decade of galaxy-defining awesomeness into your memory banks.

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Live it up, fans; this is definitely your year. May the 4th be with you all.

From the Controller to the Big Screen

Five Nights at Freddy'sPrince of Persia, Doom, Hitman, Max Payne, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tomb Raider—yeah I can do this all day. There are more than enough examples of gaming franchises that have made the leap to the big screen. What about it though? With Five Nights at Freddy’s going to the big screen, a thought occurred to me: I have never been a fan of gaming movies. Before you bemoan me, let me explain.

First and foremost, a lot of these movies are terrible. Except for Tomb Raider, they were all pretty poor representations of what the games actually are. Don’t agree? Take Street Fighter for example: what were Ken and Ryu even doing assisting in a military operation like that? What was Deejay (played by Juwanna Mann’s Migel A Nunez, Jr by the way) doing working with Bison? And why, God why were the fight scenes so dry? The entire franchise is in the fighting genre and is usually centered around the conflict between Ryu and the dark hado within him (see: darkside of the force). They chose not once, but twice to focus on the military struggle between Shadoloo and basically the rest of the world.

street fighter

Then there’s Mario with John Leguizamo. You can love that movie all you want to, it was doomed from the moment the gumbas were 6 foot tall. Star power is all well and good, but most of these characters have been around longer than the people they try to get to play them. Under no circumstances did I want to see Jake Gyllenhaal play Prince Dastan in Prince of Persia. Find some random, hungry actors who—gasp—actually resemble the characters they’re suppose to portray.

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I won’t be completely negative. There are magical times when the jump to a movie does actually work out. There’s one trick to it: animate it. There is no more shining example of this than Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Done hands on by SquareEnix to ensure it was legit, fit with the story, and looked beautiful. There is a clear difference when a team truly loves and enjoys what they’re working with instead of simply doing it for the love of money and deadlines. Not to say that it’s perfect, but the way the Japanese markets cinemate—just made that up, means to make into a movie, you’re welcome—their manga is usually animated. They may not always be cannon, but you never have to worry about wild creative tangents that mean nothing to the source material.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

There’s always hope for the future. The current Marvel cinematic universe shows that not everything has to fall apart once it hits the big screen. With blockbusters like Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed gaming could get a better look as well. Fingers crossed, I would really hate to see Nathan Drake embarrassed in front of the masses.

Top 10 Best Movie Taglines

Hollywood studios spend millions of dollars on promotional campaigns for their movies. They invest in trailers, TV commercials, billboards, and product tie-ins. However, it’s often something as simple as a tagline that gets people to buy overpriced tickets to the latest blockbuster. Many taglines have become so iconic, they transcend the movies they were meant to promote. Some are even better than the films themselves!

So, without further ado, here’s my list of the top 10 best movie taglines

10. The Truman Show: “On the air. Unaware.”

Image courtesy of www.impawards.com.

Before reality TV became a thing, this film arguably showed the oxymoronic “genre” taken to its logical conclusion. Jim Carrey plays a man whose entire life, starting from birth, has been part of an elaborate, high-budget TV show, all without his knowledge. The tagline rhymes, creating a good pneumonic device, and gives a vibe that has tinges of both humor and Orwellian fear.

 

9. The Muppet Movie: “More entertaining than humanly possible.”

Image courtesy of www.impawards.com.

When those zany Muppets made their big-screen debut, they stepped up their game and produced a hilarious and heartfelt film. The tagline tells the audience they will be entertained more than they might expect, but it also reminds them that most of these characters aren’t “human,” per se, but puppets. Perhaps that’s how they could get away with non-stop puns and shmaltzy sentiments.

 

8. Blues Brothers: “They’ll never get caught. They’re on a mission from God.”

Image courtesy of www.impawards.com.

While many a zealot have used this as an excuse to do horrible things, it’s arguably true for the title characters. Jake Blues (John Belushi) reassembles his old band to save the Catholic home in which he and his brothers grew up. If ever someone needed a blessing from the Almighty, it’d be the Blues Brothers.

 

 

 

7. X-Men: “Trust a few. Fear the rest.”

Image courtesy of www.siamvillage.com.

What makes this tagline effective is it could apply to both humans and mutants. Some, but not all, humans are hatemongers. This is understandable since Magneto’s (Ian McKellen) Brotherhood is made up of mutant terrorists bent on wiping out humanity. On the other hand, there are heroic mutants like the X-Men defending humanity. It’s a double-edged sword.

 

6. Highlander: “There can be only one.”

Image courtesy of www.collider.com.

Let’s be honest: the Highlander franchise—which is all about immortals fighting and killing each other to gain their foe’s power, until only one remains and becomes all-powerful—started as a borderline B-movie, albeit an entertaining one. It took the TV series to elevate it. Through it all is this famous tagline, which has undoubtedly been quoted by many a gamer while playing online. Admittedly, it seemed like Connor McLeod (Christopher Lambert) was the only immortal left, but then a long series of retcons in the awful sequels kept the series going. Too bad this line couldn’t be number one on this list. (Hopefully, it won’t decapitate me for putting it lower).
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5. The Fly (1986): “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

Image courtesy of www.impawards.com.

This phrase has seeped its way into the common vernacular, and I always wondered where it came from. Little did I know it was the tagline for the 1986 version of The Fly, starring Jeff Goldblum. It tells the audience they should not only be scared by this film—which, considering it was a remake of a 1950s B-movie, might’ve been seen as a stretch—it insists that they should be terrified. And they were.

 

4. Jaws: The Revenge: “This time, it’s personal.”

Image courtesy of www.moviepostershop.com.

Before shark movies flooded the walls of video stores, Universal pumped out unneeded sequels to the 1975 Steven Spielberg classic. By the time the fourth film rolled around, it was the mid-‘80s, and slasher movies about seemingly immortal psychos were the rage, so they turned the infamous Great White into one. That alone tells you the filmmakers ran out of good ideas after writing the tagline, which has since become one of the most used movie-trailer lines ever, either as a joke or because it was stolen by schlock film producers.

3. Superman: “You’ll believe a man can fly.”

Image courtesy of www.nerdspan.com.

The modern superhero film wouldn’t exist if not for this groundbreaking classic starring Christopher Reeve. Superheroes were relegated to B-movies or low-budget film serials before this. The idea of seeing someone fly in a movie and making it look believable was unheard of. Director Richard Donner proved it could be done. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Christopher Nolan owe him a debt of gratitude.

 

2. Star Wars, Episode 4: A New Hope: “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” 

Image courtesy of www.thinkgeek.com.
Image courtesy of www.thinkgeek.com.

George Lucas set himself for life when he crafted this classic line, which is probably a variation of the fairy opening: “Once upon a time …” It’s been featured in every Star Wars film and most of its tie-ins; however, is it figurative or literal? If it’s the latter, it begs a multitude of other questions. That alone makes it one of the best taglines in the history of cinema.

 

1. Alien: “In space, no one can hear you scream.”

alien-poster

Rarely does a tagline tell you everything and yet nothing. Ridley Scott’s Alien was an enigmatic film before its release, and this only deepened the mystery. Little did anyone know they’d be getting a horrific twist on what is arguably a 1950s B-movie plot, but one with a monster unlike any seen before. This was the era of flashy, upbeat science fiction films thanks to Star Wars, but Alien was the opposite, being both gothic and realistic. The tagline illustrates that, reminding audiences there is no sound in the vacuum of space. It implies isolation and helplessness, but without being on-the-nose obvious. Indeed, most people were speechless when the famous xenomorph appeared on screen—by bursting out of a man’s chest. This tagline was great in 1979, and it still sends chills down the spines of anyone who quotes it. Seriously, try saying it without shivering.

Honorable Mentions:
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie: “They’re here to save the planet. But not for free.”

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: “In space, no one can eat ice cream.”

Alien vs. Predator: “Whoever wins, we lose.”

Hardware Wars: “You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll kiss three bucks goodbye.”

 

 

The 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2015

The new year is upon us, and for moviegoers, there’s a lot to look forward to. Admittedly, it looks like a mixed bag right now, but that hasn’t stopped the anticipation and excitement.

So, without further ado, here are the ten films I think everyone should check out.

1. Jupiter Ascending
Release Date: February 6

The Wachowskis’ latest film was originally slated to be released last July, but was delayed until spring 2015. In what might be the most anime-like film the Wachowski siblings (no longer brothers since one of them had a sex change operation) have made, other than their big screen adaptation of Speed Racer. A young woman (Mila Kunis) learns she is the heir to the throne of an intergalactic empire and has been targeted by the current ruler for assassination. It looks to be a good, old-fashioned space opera with mesmerizing visuals. Also stars Channing Tatum and Sean Bean.

2. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Release Date: May 1

This is only one of Disney’s bevy of highly anticipated films, and it is easily Marvel’s biggest film release of the year (the Fantastic Four reboot looks like a flop). Everyone’s favorite superheroes reunite to battle a nefarious robot (voiced fantastically by James Spader) who, to no surprise, is hellbent on taking over the world. In other words, he’s Skynet and the T-850 combined (ironic given another film on this list). Joss Whedon is back in the writer/director’s chair to helm this sequel to one of the highest grossing films of all time. Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson—reuniting after starring together in 2014’s Godzilla—join the star-studded cast as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, respectively. If that last name sounds familiar, it should because the character was also in X-Men: Days of Future Past played by a different actor. Dueling Quicksilvers, anyone?

3. Tomorrowland
Release Date: May 22

Disney seems to be hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again by making a film based on a theme park attraction, like it did with Pirates of the Caribbean. A curious teen girl (Britt Robertson) and a former boy genius inventor seek a world that exists somewhere in time and space in their collective memories. Directed by the imaginative Brad Bird (The IncrediblesMission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), the film co-stars George Clooney and Hugh Laurie and looks to be jumping on the YA trend, except this film isn’t based on a book. With an intriguing yet mysterious trailer, it has a lot going for it amidst all the big franchises.

4. Jurassic World
Release Date: June 12

After over a decade of being stuck in development Hell, the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise will be unearthed this summer. Sadly, it seems to be fresh and old-hat at the same time. After finally establishing a dinosaur theme park, a new attraction is created to boost declining attendance, but it goes awry. It’s interesting that an operational park was finally opened, but beyond that it seems like a rehash of the original film. Hopefully Chris Pratt, a rising star thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy, can inject some life into the movie. Steven Spielberg, director of the first two films, returns once again as executive producer.

5. Inside Out & The Good Dinosaur
Release Dates: June 19 & Nov. 25

After taking a year off, the ever-amazing Pixar will return with two releases this year. The first will be Inside Out, which looks to be its most imaginative and ambitious film in years. The characters are all personifications of the emotions within a little girl. The trailer was charming and delightful. It has the potential to rank as one of Pixar’s best films.

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6. Terminator Genisys
Release Date: July 1

A more apt title might be Terminator 5: Wibbly-Wobbly-Timey-Wimey (the Whovians reading this are laughing in agreement). Kyle Reese is sent back in time to protect Sarah Connor, the mother of the man leading humanity’s war against tyrannical machines, but instead he ends up in an alternate timeline. With all the time-travel shenanigans going on, this film seems intended to be the J.J. Abrams Star Trek/Days of Future Past for its respective franchise: a sequel reboot. While Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as a now aged T-850—somehow—it has the potential to anger fans by erasing James Cameron’s original films. And what’s with the misspelled title? That hasn’t been cool since the ‘90s, and even then it was kind of silly. This series should’ve stopped after Terminator 2.

7. Minions
Release Date: July 10

You had to know this was coming. Those lovable little yellow dudes stole every scene in the Despicable Me movies, so it’s no surprise they’d have their origin story told. In this, they’re recruited by the fantastically named supervillain Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) to help her take over the world. Michael Keaton co-stars. Hopefully, it won’t be a retread of the Minion antics from the other films.

8. Ant-Man
Release Date: July 17

This is definitely the dark horse on this list. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s based on a lesser-known character from Marvel Comics’ pantheon. In this film, a con man (Paul Rudd) discovers a suit that allows him to shrink and must now use it to help his mentor, the scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) save the world. It’s suffered a troubled production—most notably the departure of director Edgar Wright over creative differences—but has somehow been able to stay on track. It will feature Marvel Cinematic Universe regulars like Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter and John Slattery as Howard Stark. I anticipate this will at least be a sleeper hit and, hopefully, a better follow-up to an Avengers epic than Iron Man 3. Oh how cute, an ant-sized teaser.

9. Mockingjay, Part 2
Release Date: Nov. 20

No official poster for Mockinjay Part 2, yet.

As per YA movie tradition, the final book of the series gets made into two films. The final film based on Suzanne Collins’ science fiction trilogy will see Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) lead District 13’s final battles against the Capital while trying to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from insanity. If Part 2 follows the book as closely as Part 1, those who complained the latter was light on action will be happy to see several climactic battles. I knew as I read it that it would make for an exciting movie. Plus, the ending is a shocker, to say the least.

10. Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Release Date: December 18

I’m not sure if this or Age of Ultron will be the biggest film of 2015. J.J. Abrams, having directed for both Star Trek and this franchise, can now compete with Joss Whedon as the “king of cool.” Little is known about the plot because, as usual, Abrams’ productions have secrecy that rivals the C.I.A. (perhaps they could learn a thing or two from him). What is known for sure is that it takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi and several of the original actors—Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, among others—are reprising their iconic roles. However, the story seems to be focused on a new set of heroes, so this will most likely be a passing of the torch. The 90-second teaser trailer, which showed little or nothing other than it draws more inspiration from the originals and not the prequels, has already sparked much talk in fandom because of its familiar imagery and the broadsword-style lightsaber. Now, if only longtime fans could forgive Disney for retconning most of the Expanded Universe out of continuity. Regardless, expectations will only grow as the release approaches. Hopefully, it will be a great Christmas present for moviegoers.

Are you looking forward to these films? What other 2015 films are you excited about?