Friday, December 13, 2013

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


The second installment of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy has finally hit theaters, but does it live up to the first film?

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug picks up right where An Unexpected Journey left off: The Dwarves and Bilbo continue their quest towards Erebor to reclaim the dwarven homeland, while dark forces continue to rise in Dol Guldur, hinting at the coming evil. The Desolation of Smaug has the dwarves meeting the wood elves, some nasty spiders, and the men of Laketown, but most importantly of all, Smaug, the last dragon in Middle Earth. 

Friday, August 23, 2013

Ben Affleck Is The New Batman



When I initially heard about Warner Bros. announcement of their new choice for Batman, I was confused and unhappy, but is this really such a bad decision after all?

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)



With a name like Kick-Ass 2, it’s obvious that this film is a superhero sequel with some balls.
The first Kick-Ass told the story of everyday fan boy Dave Lizewski’s transformation from loser to the first real-life superhero, Kick-Ass. He meets other heroes, such as the tough-as-nails 11-year-old Hit Girl, beats up thugs, and eventually takes down a dangerous mob boss. However, as Dave’s father stresses in this new installment, in the real world, actions always come with consequences.
Chris D’Amico, son of the previously mentioned, and previously murdered mob boss, is out for revenge as the world’s first super villain. In the mean time, Hit Girl and Kick-Ass part ways, with Hit Girl attempting to live a normal life away from the mask, while Dave delves deeper into the world of caped crusaders, joining up with a team of heroes known as Justice Forever.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

5 Things Audiences Do That Are Destroying Modern Movie-Going


It seems that recently, film audiences have been having a hard time enjoying films. In fact, it has even become trendy to see a new film, and immediately post to Facebook or Twitter about what you didn't like about it. 


Of course, sometimes harsh criticism is well deserved. It's not wrong to genuinely dislike a film, regardless of how popular it is or how much money it is making. However, it seems that many modern movie-goers head to the cinema with the sole purpose of picking apart a film to highlight even the most minor, trivial problems. On this list, we'll take a look at some of the worst things audiences tend to do, and why they're ruining everyone else's fun at the movies.



Saturday, July 20, 2013

Only God Forgives (2013)

When his older brother is killed, Julian (Ryan Gosling), a kickboxing club owner, is sent out to seek revenge by his controlling, criminal mother. Set against a Bangkok backdrop of neon lights and bloodied fists, Only God Forgives was a change of pace for Drive's director Nicolas Winding Refn.

The Conjuring (2013)


After the groundbreaking success of Saw and Insidious, there were no doubts about how director James Wan's newest fright-fest The Conjuring would terrify and amaze horror audiences around the world. Unsurprisingly, Wan didn't fail to deliver one of the scariest films in recent years.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

6 Movie Pairs You Should Watch As Double-Features


Unfortunately, the double feature has become a dead art form. As movie-goer attention spans decrease, and movie running times continue to increase, double-features are no longer marketable and appealing to the majority of audiences around the country. Most recently, Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse was released as a double-feature, and Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were shown as a special 3D double-feature in anticipation for the release of Toy Story 3. However, just because you can no longer see two films back-to-back in a movie theater doesn't mean you can't set up your own movie nights. The following pairs are films with similar themes, characters, plots or any other connection that make them work together perfectly as a double-feature.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Pacific Rim (2013)


Where to even start when talking about this massive blockbuster? Pacific Rim begins with a brief history of the world as it is. Alien invaders have arrived, but they did not come from the stars, the creatures have opened a transdimensional rift beneath the Pacific ocean, from which giant beasts emerge to terrorize coastal cities. The humans, with no defenses left, initiate the Jaeger program; massive machines, piloted by two humans, built to defend mankind from the kaiju menace emerging from the sea. 

Before I say anything else about Pacific Rim, I must say this: You need to see this movie. 

Friday, June 28, 2013

World War Z (2013)


To be completely honest, I was skeptical to the point of almost passing over seeing World War Z. As a fan of the original novel, I knew that a big-budget adaptation starring Brad Pitt would differ greatly from the unique narrative style Max Brooks utilized in his book. Due to these preconceived notions, I didn't have very high hopes when I finally did get around to checking this zombie film out, and I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Power Rankings: Quentin Tarantino

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

Tarantino is a name that has become synonymous with film. His films never fail to excite audiences around the world, and he has become one of the few filmmakers out there whose movies sell out opening weekends while remaining popular and important to the hip, overly critical crowd of internet critics and unrelenting purists. He first hit the scene with his indie hit Reservoir Dogs, followed by his magnum opus Pulp Fiction, a film so iconic and memorable that it still remains relevant 20 years later, it's poster still gracing college dorm rooms around the country. Unsurprisingly, choosing 5 pieces of work to represent Tarantino is a difficult task, so let's take a look at just what makes Tarantino so great.

Man of Steel (2013)


Despite mixed reviews from fans and critics, Man of Steel is undeniably the movie that will dominate this summer. It has already destroyed many opening weekend box office records, passing last year's The Avengers. It seems that Superman, a character gently nudged aside by Batman in recent years, may finally be back on top.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

5 Reasons a Dredd 3D Sequel Must Happen


When asked about a follow up to last summer's Dredd 3D, star Karl Urban was quoted saying:

"Interestingly enough, I did have breakfast with Alex Garland this morning.  It’s not off the agenda.  Clearly everyone has woken up to the fact that an audience has found this movie and loves it.  It’s entirely possible, and if people want to see another installment then they should be vocal about that, because, it can happen.  The power of fandom can resurrect projects.  In fact, that’s what happened with Star Trek.  They weren’t going to do a third season until fans did a letter writing campaign and they continued that series."

Dredd 3D was personally my favorite movie of the year, and I enjoyed it much more than The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers, and have rewatched it many more times than either. However, Dredd did not rake in the money like these two comic book films did, so a sequel is no guarantee as of right now. So, today I'm here to show you why a Dredd 3D sequel is a must.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

6 Must-See Body Horror Films


Body horror, sometimes called biological horror or venereal horror, is one of the many specialized sub-genres falling under the horror umbrella. Body horror films are described as movies including the destruction, mutilation, or mutation of the human body as a central plot idea. Destruction and mutilation may seem like an average occurrence in horror films, but body horror films tend to shy away from true antagonists, and instead pit the human body itself against the protagonist. While some of them may seem like simple gross-out films trying to get the audience to cringe, directors like David Cronenberg have used the genre to send a message or comment on society. So, here we'll take a look at some of the best body horror films out there, if your stomach can handle it.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Only God Forgives: 4 Reasons To Be Excited

Nicolas Winding Refn, director of 2011's Drive, returns in 2013 with Only God Forgives. The film will premiere at the 66th Cannes Film Festival in the upcoming weeks, and everyone is looking out for this one.

According to the official synopsis, the film stars Ryan Gosling as Julian, a Thai boxing club owner, whose business works as a front for his family's criminal activities. When his brother is killed, his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) forces him to seek out those responsible and avenge his fallen sibling. According to Refn, "[f]rom the beginning, I had the idea of a thriller produced as a western, all in the Far East, and with a modern cowboy hero."Only God Forgives will be the film to see in 2013, and here are a few reasons why.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City


It's rare that a band is able to bring a new, unique sound to each of their albums. It is even rarer that each new, unique sound is successful. This is why Vampire Weekend are slowly becoming one of the best indie bands of all time, and their new album, Modern Vampires of the City, is possibly their best album yet.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

How Iron Man 3 Could Have Successfully Launched Phase Two (But Didn't)


This past weekend, Tony Stark returned to the big screen once again to launch "Phase Two" of Marvel's incredible cinematic universe. From the trailers alone, audiences knew that this would be the best Iron Man film to date, with plenty of action and the coolest bad guy yet: The Mandarin. Iron Man 3 promised to start things with a bang, hyping up audiences for the far off Avengers 2.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Where To Next?: Scott Pilgrim


Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series is arguably the biggest indie comic from the past 10 years, and after the Edgar Wright movie starring Michael Cera came out in 2010, it has exploded into a comic and film phenomena.

Unfortunately, the series is only 6 books long, so many fans crave more once they're done. It's one question I've seen all over the internet: what comics are similar to Scott Pilgrim? or what should I read next? And, all over the internet, there doesn't seem to be a single useful answer. Sure, there are some decent suggestions that share similar ideas, but when people want more out of Scott Pilgrim, it's the feel of it they crave, not one specific theme.

So, here is a list of comics, films, TV shows and whatever else I can find that have the same charm as the Scott Pilgrim series, and that fans of the comics will likely enjoy.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

7 Striking Similarities Between Skyfall and The Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises



By now, we've probably all heard about how director Sam Mendes was inspired by Christopher Nolan's Batman films while making Skyfall, but just how far do the similarities go?
Before we start listing them off, it should be noted that these similarities do not, by any means, take away from Skyfall, which is undeniably one of the best Bond films to date. If you haven't seen it, Skyfall is Daniel Craig's third film as the British spy James Bond, and is certainly his best. It also stars Judy Dench and Javier Bardem. This post may contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film, proceed with caution.
So here they are, the undeniable similarities between Skyfall and The Dark Knight.

Monday, April 22, 2013

The 3 Stupidest Arguments Against Pro-Wrestling



If you're a wrestling fan like me, it might be hard to talk about your interests in front of people who don't share them. Professional wrestling has developed such a strong stigma that it can almost be considered taboo in social life. But what makes professional wrestling so socially unacceptable? These three arguments are what you'll probably hear the most from non-wrestling fans, and I'm here to show you why these views are not only incorrect, but are simply ignorant and uninformed.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1-4

When I first heard about the Before Watchmen series, I was skeptical to say the least. Watchmen always seemed like everything that needed to be said was said and there wasn't much more that could be expanded upon. There's always to prequels and backstories for every series, but I couldn't think of anything that could really add to the Watchmen universe by exploring the past experiences of certain characters. However, after enjoying his work on Joker and 100 Bullets, I couldn't stay away from a Brian Azzarello Rorschach story.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

5 Things From Patton Oswalt's Parks & Rec Filibuster That Should Actually Happen


If you've been anywhere near the internet lately, you've probably seen the video of Patton Oswalt on a new episode of Parks & Recreation pitching his idea for the new Star Wars movie in a filibuster. Nerdom all over the internet exploded over Oswalt's totally improvised pitch which includes The Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Star Wars, Clash of the Titans and the Greek gods. While a Marvel/Star Wars crossover will probably never happen on the big screen, there are some great moments in this rant that we'd all love to see make it to the new Star Wars franchise.

Top 5 "What If?" Arcs in DC Comics



We all love superheroes, however, sometimes following the main continuity of your favorite hero can get a bit tiring. Sometimes we'd like to see heroes thrown into unnatural situations without having to worry about how the story will affect the entire comic universe, or how everything all led up to this. This is where we get are great "What if?" stories; that mini-series or story arc that takes a look outside of the box and is not limited by the restrictions of continuing a decades-long plot. Here, I'll take a look at the 5 best stories that take place outside of the main DC Comics continuity, and show how things could've been for our favorite heroes.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

3 Weird Things You Can Learn From The First Issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles


We all know the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They're a gang of pizza-eating, surfer-slang-using mutated turtles who hang out and beat up bad guys, all while having a ton of fun. However, the original TMNT comics by Eastman and Laird are a very different story than the famous cartoon series. Rereading the very first issue of this significantly darker take on the story might just open your eyes to what the TMNT are really about, and these are the three weirdest things you'll learn upon revisiting the turtles' past.

Monday, April 1, 2013

G.I. Joe: Retaliation



If you haven't seen the previous installment in the current G.I. Joe movie series, don't rush to see the first one before you head to the movies for Retaliation. This film barely connects to the previous one, and greatly improves on it in every way. You also shouldn't stay away from this movie just because you don't have an extensive knowledge of the series. This movie is perfect for the hardcore fan and the casual viewer.

Friday, March 29, 2013

5 Reasons Star Trek Is Better Than Star Wars


There's no denying that this is the biggest rivalry in the entire world of science-fiction. While I don't see why a television show is always compared to a series of films, I've decided to give both arguments of this decade-long debate a shot. For the 5 Reasons Star Wars Is Better Than Star Trek, click here.



5 Reasons Star Wars Is Better Than Star Trek

There's no denying that this is the biggest rivalry in the entire world of science-fiction. While I don't see why a television show is constantly compared to a series of films, I've decided to give both arguments of this decade-long debate a shot. For the 5 Reasons Star Trek Is Better Than Star Wars, click here.


Sunday, March 24, 2013

Power Rankings: Neil Gaiman

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

It's hard to put a label on the genre or style of Neil Gaiman's work. Whether it be a novel, lengthy comic book series or two-part Batman story, there is always something about it that makes it uniquely Gaiman in structure and content. Growing up in UK as a part of a Scientologist family, Gaiman was part of the "British invasion" of comics which included Grant Morrison and Jamie Delano. In the 90's, Gaiman also took a swing at the world of fiction, where he was a huge success once again. Here we'll take a look at Gaiman's 5 best pieces of work, whether they be comics or books.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Sneak Preview


For those fans of The Hobbit who purchased the film on Blu-Ray/DVD this past week, Peter Jackson held an exclusive, live streaming event to talk about the next film in the trilogy: The Desolation of Smaug.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Power Rankings: Grant Morrison

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

Where to even begin when talking about Grant Morrison? The Scottish comic-book guru is known for his psychedelic stories, eccentric behavior, occult dwellings, alleged communication with John Lennon from beyond the grave and ranking as public enemy number one on Alan Moore's list. You either love Morrison or you can't understand why anyone would read anything written by this guy. His stories can often come off as confusing or strange, with odd plots that prove extremely difficult to follow. However, I've always said that the best way to read a Grant Morrison series is to let go of all preconceived notions you have about comic books and just enjoy the ride. Now let's take a look at Morrison's impressive body of work, and which 5 prove to be his best.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)

Not since reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman have I been so obsessed with a book that I finished it within a few days of buying it, but as soon as I started Ready Player One, I was completely enthralled. 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Top 10 Iconic Jackets in Film



Whether it be for a costume party or every day life, movies have always had a huge influence on the way people dress. When Marlon Brando started wearing plain white t-shirts on screen, sales of these shirts skyrocketed. When Clark Gable stopped wearing undershirts in It Happened One Night, men around the country started doing the same. People love to look like Hollywood's finest, and what better way to do this than by dressing like them?

And so, here we'll take a look at one piece of clothing that people are always trying to get their hands on once they see it on film: the jacket.

Monday, February 11, 2013

7 TV Shows You Should Be Watching On Netflix


As the popularity of Netflix's Instant Streaming service increases, more and more fantastic TV shows are being put up. This not only allows people to catch up with popular shows like How I Met Your Mother or 30 Rock, it also allows viewers to discover shows they weren't able to catch while they were airing. Here are 6 shows to keep your eye out for while browsing through your Netflix que.

5 Characters On The Walking Dead Who Should Be Killed Off



The biggest trend in TV drama right now is major character death. All of the big shows on TV are fond of killing characters that we all know and love, and The Walking Dead is no stranger to that, however, the show's main push is the amount of gore. By killing off some more major characters, the writers could set up the group for a much darker, more dangerous drama come Season 4. Many of the significant characters have been killed already, and here are the ones who should be next. (This post contains spoilers up to the most recent episode - Season3, Episode 9)

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Power Rankings: David Fincher

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

In this first ever edition of Power Rankings, I'll take a look at American film director David Fincher. Beginning in 1985, Fincher started his career directing short documentaries and music videos. In 1992, he was selected to direct the third installment of the Alien series, kickstarting his career as a high-profile film director. However, with the commercial and critical failure of Alien 3, it took Fincher 3 more years before he'd release what is widely considered the first real Fincher film, Se7en. 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Hellboy: In Hell #1 and #2


    Series creator Mike Mignola has spoken about the death of Hellboy for a while, even hinting at the death of the character being adapted to complete Guillermo Del Toro's film trilogy. Now, the moment has finally come, Hellboy lies dead after defeated the dragon, but is he really gone?

Judge Dredd #1 (2012)

    With the recent release of the film Dredd 3D, it's not surprising that some new comics would be on the way, and Duane Swierczynski brings us the first one.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Psycho Blender's Top 10 Movies of 2012

    After the major let-down that was 2011, 2012 needed some good films to make up for the previous year. There were tons of really big, really important movies that came out this past year, and here are the 10 best.

Inside HBO's Game of Thrones by Bryan Cogman (2012)

    If you're anything like me, getting your hands on anything related to George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and the television adaptation Game of Thrones is exciting. Once you've read all the books and seen every episode of the show, you can't help but want more and this book definitely delivers.

Django Unchained (2012)

Over the holidays this year, the only film anyone was talking about was Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Being a Tarantino film, this movie had a lot of hype surrounding it, and the all-star cast had people really excited to see this one, so just how the hell was it?

First post!

Alright people, I created this blog because my horror blog (slashertheater.blogspot.com) simply wasn't doing it for me anymore. I like more than just horror movies!
So this new blog, The Psycho Blender, is where I'll write about and review EVERYTHING I like, not just horror movies! So, if no one reads this blog, that's okay, because I'm gonna enjoy writing it!