Giants, Jurassic Park and G.I. Joe: Spring movie preview

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

Is spring becoming the new “summer” at the box office? Although summer has traditionally been the time when Hollywood rolls out its biggest blockbusters and special effects-heavy films, last year’s “The Hunger Games” (released in March) proved major blockbusters can happen earlier in the year.

Hollywood seems to have taken notice, and several movies slated for release this spring have the potential to become hits, even before “Iron Man 3″ officially kicks off the summer movie season on May 3. A spring release date also gives some of these movies a chance to stand out and not get lost in the summer movie shuffle, as several films were overshadowed last summer by all the hype surrounding “The Avengers.”

Box Office Buzz: My most anticipated movies of 2013

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

2012 is going to be a tough year for Hollywood to top. The year’s most anticipated movies — such as “The Hunger Games,” “The Hobbit” and the new Bond movie, “Skyfall” — were, for the most part, relatively well received by fans and also performed quite well at the box office. However, there are quite a few films slated for release in 2013 that look promising, as well, including several sequels to popular franchises.

While there are quite a few films I’m looking forward to this year, here are the top five I’m most excited about:

Box Office Buzz: My favorite movies of 2012

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

From superheroes to super spies, from hobbits to bow-and-arrow wielding heroines, 2012 was quite an epic year at the box office. It’s been a while since I remember so many good movies being packed into one year, and I had a difficult time narrowing down my list of favorites. Normally one film will rise to the top and emerge as my clear favorite (last year, Michael Fassbender’s breakout performance as Magneto in “X-Men: First Class” pushed that film to the top of my list). But this year, I had to spend a long time deciding what films I liked the best.

In terms of ticket sales, superheroes were the clear winners at the box office, with Joss Whedon’s epic mash-up “The Avengers” leading the pack. Arguably the most-hyped movie of the year, the film also was the biggest moneymaker, pulling in about $1.5 billion and ending up in the third slot on the list of all-time highest grossing films. It received a thumb’s up from critics, as well, scoring 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Movie review: Peter Jackson returns to Middle-earth in ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

It’s been almost a decade since fans last had a chance to visit Middle-earth in theaters. The fantasy world created by author J.R.R. Tolkien was brought to life in Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy of “Lord of the Rings” films, which came to a conclusion in 2003 with the Oscar-winning “Return of the King.” Ever since then, fans have been hoping Jackson would return to Middle-earth and film Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel, “The Hobbit.” Although getting “The Hobbit” to the big screen has been a complicated process — mired by a legal battle between Jackson and New Line Cinema, which produced the LOTR films, and the departure of Guillermo del Toro, who was originally hired to direct the film — the movie finally came to theaters this Friday. And it was well worth the wait.

The film follows a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, whom LOTR fans will recognize as the uncle of Frodo, the hobbit who carries the One Ring to Mount Doom. Bilbo isn’t, at first, as adventurous a hobbit as his nephew. He enjoys a quiet life with good friends and good food, and doesn’t feel particularly compelled to venture beyond the comfort of the Shire. However, the wizard Gandalf sees a spark of greatness inside Bilbo, and sends him off on a quest with a band of Dwarves to reclaim the Dwarves’ treasure from a dragon named Smaug. It’s a quest that will have a dramatic impact not only on Bilbo, but on the entire land of Middle-earth, setting in motion events that will lead to an epic showdown with the dark lord Sauron in the LOTR movies.

TV review: The CW’s “Arrow” off to a promising start

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

Oliver Queen is a very lucky man. He survives a shipwreck and five years of being marooned on a treacherous island. He is miraculously returned to his family and friends, who assumed he was dead and thought they’d never see him again. He’s given a second chance at life — one he doesn’t intend to take lightly — and he now has an opportunity to right some of the wrongs he and his family have committed.

Oliver Queen’s quest to redeem his family’s past is the subject of The CW’s new superhero TV series “Arrow,” based on the DC Comics character the “Green Arrow.” The show airs on Wednesday nights and stars Stephen Amell as the ex-playboy Oliver Queen who now moonlights as a hooded vigilante known as the “Green Arrow.”

The show has an intriguing premise, and I believe it has the potential to grow into a strong action/adventure drama. It’s a fun show, and I’d definitely encourage fans of superhero stories to give it a try. (Also, I’ve tried to be as spoiler-free as possible in this review, but if you haven’t seen the show yet, there may be some details that give away parts of the plot.)

‘Bait & Switch: A sci-fi Sherlock Holmes’ ebook now available

Earth Station One blog contributor Ashley Bergner’s new book “Bait & Switch: A sci-fi Sherlock Holmes” is now available for download on Amazon.com.

“Bait & Switch” is a science fiction re-imagining of the classic literary detective Sherlock Holmes, blending the styles of “Doctor Who” and the BBC’s “Sherlock.” Set in a futuristic city on the planet of Eglon, the story follows Holmes, who lives in apartment complex 221 in the city’s rundown “Quadrant B” and works as a private detective and consultant for the quadrant’s Civic Security Station.

Movie review: Bond is back in ‘Skyfall’

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

Are secret agents like James Bond still relevant, or are they relics of the Cold War era, no longer as necessary in a world controlled by technology, where hackers can access information from anywhere in the world using a computer in their living room?

That’s the question being explored by British intelligence organization MI6 in the new James Bond movie “Skyfall,” which was released in theaters this past weekend. The rules of the game of espionage are changing, and both Bond (Daniel Craig) and the head of MI6 who is known only as “M” (Judi Dench) find themselves fighting to prove they are still a vital part of the MI6 organization.

“Skyfall” is a more introspective, thought-provoking “Bond” film than we’ve seen in the past, and it’s a gamble that works. The film has earned an impressive $90 million so far — the highest “Bond” debut ever — and it has proven to be a hit with both fans and critics, earning a 92 percent rating on film review website Rotten Tomatoes. “Skyfall” is a slick, stylish spy flick, one that both honors the Bond franchise’s past and covers new ground. 

Box Office Buzz: What does Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm mean for the future of ‘Star Wars’?

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

Like many “Star Wars” fans, I’m still trying to process the announcement that Disney has purchased Lucasfilm and now will be at the helm of the “Star Wars” media empire. Maybe it’s just me, but this news took me completely by surprise, and I certainly didn’t see it coming. As a movie buff, I normally monitor movie news websites and magazines fairly closely, but I didn’t hear any rumors about this sale before it happened.

It’s a major purchase — worth about $4 billion dollars — and it’s one Disney plans to quickly put to use: a new “Star Wars” movie, Episode VII, is slated for release in 2015, and other “Star Wars” related projects could soon follow. Overall, I’m feeling pretty positive about the announcement of this sale, and I think Disney has strong potential to successfully continue the “Star Wars” franchise.

TV review: CBS’ ‘Elementary’ can’t quite escape from ‘Sherlock’s’ shadow

By Ashley Bergner/Box Office Buzz

I’ll admit I was somewhat skeptical about CBS’ modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes. The show, which is called “Elementary,” premiered last night and features Holmes as an ex-Scotland Yard consultant who’s living in New York City. Regardless of what CBS officials might say, it’s clear this show is (right or wrong) an attempt to take advantage of the famous literary detective’s recent spike in popularity. The concept of CBS’ show is fairly similar to the BBC’s “Sherlock,” which is set in modern-day London and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes.

As an avid fan of “Sherlock,” I was afraid “Elementary” was simply an attempt to “Americanize” the BBC show. Still, I tried watch “Elementary’s” pilot as objectively as possible and judge it based on its own merits. However, I have to confess the pilot fell just a little bit flat for me. It’s different enough from “Sherlock” that it unfortunately doesn’t share the BBC show’s strengths, and yet it’s similar enough that it can’t escape from “Sherlock’s” shadow.

Fall/winter movie preview

By Ashley Bergner/Box Office Buzz

Although summer is typically thought of as the season for big-budget “tent-pole” blockbusters, there are quite a few potentially big movies coming out this fall and winter. From the release of the first chapter in Peter Jackson’s epic “Hobbit” saga to a new James Bond spy flick to a sweeping big-screen version of the musical “Les Misérables,” the final few months of 2012 will be a busy time at the box office. While it’s tough to predict what films will be successful just based on trailers and short film synopses, here are some of the movies I’m most looking forward to for fall and winter: