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The Woody Allen comedy Magic in the Moonlight is finally a work we can be proud of. Writer/Director Woody Allen is not a favorite of mine; in fact, I consider him to be the most overrated of Hollywood's old school. I've never forgiven him for Annie Hall somehow beating out Star Wars for Best Picture in the 1977 Oscars, and his more recent personal choices are personally offensive. Screening his films is equal to the most unpleasant experiences I can consider, right up there with dentist visits and drawing blood. But Magic in the Moonlight is something else, something far better than anything he's ever done, and it's about damn time. Set among the flappers and 'hot music' of the 1920's, professional illusionist Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth) is at the height of his game masquerading as Wei Ling Soo. He thrills audiences with his disappearing tricks and fantastic trickery, until he's recruited by old friend and fellow illusionist Howard...

Marvel Studios continues to fill out its calendar and has announced the release dates for five upcoming films. The titles have not been revealed, but the dates revealed on Marvel.com Friday are for July 28 and Nov. 3, 2017; July 6 and Nov. 2, 2018; and May 3, 2019 . Marvel's upcoming films include Guardians of the Galaxy on Aug. 1 , Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015 , Ant-Man on July 17, 2015 , and Captain America 3 on May 6, 2016 . Scott Derrickson is attached to direct an upcoming Doctor Strange movie, while third outings for Thor and The Avengers are expected. The Marvel.com announcement teased fans should stay tuned for more on "the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe." Marvel heads to Diego Comic-Con July 26 at 5 p.m., which could be where some of these titles are revealed. Last year's Marvel panel revealed the title and villain for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Please Leave A Comment- Source- THR

Fans packing their cape for Comic Con will compete to be crowned “King” and “Queen” in a “cosplay” contest created by Courtyard by Marriott , featuring author George R.R. Martin , actor Norman Reedus and famed special FX maestro, Greg Nicotero (“The Walking Dead”). The experience will also offer attendees free make-up touch-ups at the hands of a top Hollywood special FX make-up team throughout the convention (July 24 – 27). Enhance Cosplay with Greg Nicotero – Courtyard’s talented team of “Super Hero HQ” prosthetic make-up artists will be allowing Comic Con attendees to undergo make-up treatments, while choosing from existing designs or creating their own custom original. See the Cosplay King and Queen crowned by Norman Reedus - Elite cosplayers will be crowned by Reedus as the King or Queen of Cosplay, as he handpicks winners from a group of finalists selected by Courtyard’s roving judges scouring the scene for top Cosplay attendees. Relax with Martin – The visionary behi...

Updated: The Hunger Games Instagram account has the exclusive on the list of actors who will be signing for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 at the Lionsgate Booth #4045 on Friday, July 25, from 3PM-4PM. Attendees can stop by to get an autograph from Natalie Dormer, Elden Hensen, Mahershala Ali, Evan Ross, and Wes Chatham . LIONSGATE AND SAMSUNG TO DEBUT OFFICIAL THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 TRAILER The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Trailer to Premiere Exclusively on the Galaxy Tab® S at San Diego Comic-Con® and in Samsung Experience Shops within Best Buy Locations Nationwide Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, and Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC (Samsung), have teamed up on the next installment of the global blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. The collaboration will launch with all fans getting a sneak peek of the film’s first official teaser trailer, The Hunger Games: Mocking...

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2014 SCHEDULE! It's here! San Diego Comic-Con 2014 is upon us, and Dark Horse Comics is delivering a full slate of signings from your favorite creators! DARK HORSE COMICS | SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2014 | BOOTH #2615 SIGNING SCHEDULE All creators signing in our booth offer their autographs for FREE. FREE prints, comics, or posters are provided for most of our signings (while supplies last). You may purchase or bring items to be signed; however, we may restrict the type or number of items to be signed as necessary. Some signings require a wristband for entry, as noted on the schedule. Drawings for wristbands for these events will begin at show opening the day before and day of each signing. Come to the Dark Horse booth early for the best chance to join these events. Lines may also be closed for some signings due to crowding or time restrictions. We have two signing stages: one featuring the art of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy; the other, th...

The Conjuring was a big hit last summer, so chances are many of you may already have met Annabelle , the doll featured at the start of James Wan’s creep-fest. You know she’s the most terrifying mannequin this side of Fats in Magic. Now her backstory will be explored in this prequel tale, which gets its title from her name… Annabelle finds a young couple ( Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton ) preparing for the arrival of their first child. As a surprise, hubbie has tracked down the one doll the mother-to-be was seeking to complete a collection of apparently weird period figurines. Before anyone has time to wonder why this thing is appropriate for any child, we start to see that this is a truly dreadful decorative decision. Yes, Annabelle is a demon doll, possessed by a very possessive spirit who enjoys causing chaos and killing people in a variety of horrific ways. Our heroes (and their neighbours) are going to wish they’d just gone for a regular old teddy bear or maybe a Cloud B...

Kevin Feige is the Captain of the good ship Marvel , steering a fleet of superheroes through sometimes choppy seas. But when he came into town this week to present some footage from Guardians Of The Galaxy , Empire cornered him for a podcast and asked about a couple of the studio's future films. Most importantly, we asked him about Edgar Wright's departure from Ant-Man , as well as what we can expect from Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange . First of all, what happened on Ant-Man? "We’ve been with Edgar for eight years. The disappointing thing for me is not being able to make a movie with him, right now; it’s just the personal relationship. It was amicable and we sat in a room together and said this isn’t working. I just wish I or he had figured that out somewhere in the eight years leading up to it. "Well, it’s not worth, right now, going into [what the disagreements were] in super-specifics. I wish it wasn’t as late in the day as it was, but it just had b...

TNT Renews Three Summer Hits: The Last Ship, Major Crimes and Falling Skies All Three Dramas Rank among Basic Cable's Top 5 Scripted Series So Far This Summer Falling Skies to Wrap Up Epic Story in Fifth and Final Season TNT has renewed three of its chart-topping summer hits: The Last Ship, Major Crimes and Falling Skies . All three dramas rank among basic cable's Top 5 scripted series this summer with total viewers and adults 25-54. They have also helped TNT score a significant lead as basic cable's #1 network in primetime for the summer-to-date. TNT has ordered 13 episodes of The Last Ship , an increase over its first-season order of 10 episodes. The network is also ordering 15 episodes for season four of Major Crimes. And Falling Skies will mark its fifth and final season with 10 episodes. "TNT's refreshed and recharged drama brand is soaring this summer, and that is due in large part to these three enormously popular dramas," said Michael Wr...

Here's your chance to connect with the SJF community. While you're welcome to comment on any movie or television thoughts you might have, here's a brief rundown of the movies released this week and Blu-rays to be released next Tuesday: Movies - I Origins - Planes: Fire and Rescue - Sex Tape - The Purge: Anarchy - Wish I Was Here Blu-rays - Sabotage - Transcendence Also, don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast, where we break down the major news of the week and do our giveaways. No matter what you choose to talk about, a few ground rules: keep it nice, no ads, and no flaming. Other than that, sound off on any movie or television thoughts you have. Feel free to comment on any of the following: 1. What are you watching on television? 2. What's the last film you saw? 3. How can we make the podcast better? These are just some of the questions, but again pick something movie or TV related. Happy posting!

Read on to learn how Marvel's announcements mean bigger changes to the Cinematic Universe. This week's news of major changes within Marvel Comics are potentially bigger than those when the company relauched its comic series under the new banner Marvel Now! nearly two years ago. At that time, the shifting of writers, the introduction of new lines, and the re-positioning of characters like Rocket Raccoon and The Guardians of the Galaxy made their introduction into the Cinematic Universe possible. But as news this week of shake-ups for Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man were slowly rolled out on various television talk shows, two things became very apparent. Before getting into that, let's look at the changes themselves. On Monday, Marvel announced that Thor was losing his ability to wield Mjolnir, and that his power was being transferred to a woman. On Wednesday, The Colbert Report announced that Captain America will soon be replaced by The Falcon, as America...

The Purge: Anarchy is a smart thrillride that elevates its own game. I've spoken to you several times of the renaissance that's been occurring in horror films: once a place only for slasher and cheap scares, the genre has evolved by returning to the creation of terror and uncertainty as the engines that fuel these new machines. Films like The Conjuring and Sinister are recent examples; but The Purge: Anarchy can now happily align itself to these well-built submissions, generating plenty of terror without necessarily needing to show it. With the ninth anniversary of The Purge - a single evening in which anyone can murder another without going to prison - about to get underway, we learn of three different groups struggling to survive it. Liz (Kiele Sanchez) and Shane (Zach Gilford) become the hunted when their car breaks down on the way home, while mother Tanya (Justina Machado) and daughter Cali (Zoë Soul) are nearly murdered before a grieving father (Frank Grillo) ...

Zach Braff's Wish I Was Here is nothing but typical thirty-something Kickstarter dramedy. In the world of Hollywood, it seems that certain genres fall all too easily into something equal to a time loop, their stories rehashed for a new group of unsuspecting moviegoers until they realize only later that their newest love is really a distributive of something much better. Such is the case with Zach Braff's dramedy Wish I Was Here , a film with potential but condemned to all the tropes of its much better predecessors. Struggling actor Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff) is tired: unable to land a role after starring as the 'Before' guy on a dandruff commercial, he's unsure of himself and the direction his career is headed. His wife Sarah (Kate Hudson) is in a similar rut, imputing data at her boring job with the water service, while Aidan's father Gabe (Mandy Patinkin) has been paying the tuition to keep his granchildren (Joey King and Pierce Gagnon) enrolled at ...

The raunchy Sex Tape will divide audiences and critics, but who cares? Sex Tape suggests a growing practice among loving partners: that of making a raunchy testament of their escapades for posterity. But what happens when that evidence gets seen by friends, neighbors, and even the mailman? This is the plot that pits Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) in an effort to secure every iPad gift Jay has given, his record company playlists being the envy of the recipients, but which has also inadvertently spread the video to every device. The reason for the act - termed in the movie as pulling "the full Lincoln " for its three-hour length - stems from the couple's non-existent social life, brought on by the constant demands of their children. The couple has a lot to lose: a burgeoning business relationship between Annie and Hank (Rob Lowe) could end if the iPad she's given to Hank exposes the video, and so the couple sets out to reclaim and wipe the incrim...

Veronica Roth will be having a signing on Friday 25th and it will happen at the HarperCollins booth (#1029) on the Exhibit Hall between 10:30a and 11:30a. It will be a ticketed event, and tickets are available with a purchase of FOUR at the HarperCollins booth.. Here is her panel information. GET INSPIRED WITH VERONICA ROTH 1:00PM – 2:00PM Room: 25ABCHCCB Please Leave A Comment-

TV Review: Tyrant “Sins of the Father" By: Brandon Wolfe After a moment of modest promise last week, ‘Tyrant’ is back to its usual floundering about. The series remains as clumsy as ever while telling stories it believes to be compelling but that land with a resounding thud. “Sins of the Father” even begins with a thud, in a flashback to Bassam’s college days, where he arrives at his dorm room to find that it has been besmirched with graffiti and news clippings decrying a gas-attack massacre initiated by his father. This sequence is a microcosm of how inept ‘Tyrant’ is, for not only is it set to “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, a song choice insultingly on-the-nose both in its lyrics and in its “hey, it’s the ‘80s!” era evocation, but it’s also a bungle in terms of basic numbers, since we’re told in the present day that the 20th anniversary of this attack is now occurring, which would have placed Bassam’s college experience in 1994. Add math to the list o...

The bags are back! Comic-Con 2014 attendees hoping for a colorful and commemorative keepsake bag to hold their best swag are once again in luck. For the fifth year running, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Comic-Con have teamed up to produce and distribute the official bag of Comic-Con, which will be distributed to fans when checking it at the Con. The highly coveted bag, which can also be worn conveniently as a backpack, has been called a “must-have” by Variety and Comic-Con’s “ubiquitous accessory” by Entertainment Weekly. See for yourself, after the jump. See all the bags after the Jump... Please Leave A Comment-