POLL: What’s the Best Film of 2014’s First Half?

Hard though it may be to belive, today 2014 is half over.  This has been, through the first two months of the summer movie season, a year with two perfect films, a handful of good films, and mostly disappointing films.  A lot of times film years can be extremely mediocre and then turn it on with a fantastic fall.  Two years ago we had a year that was just this bad through the summer, but we hit September and every week we had something fantastic through the end of the year.  Looking at the release schedule going forward, I want to believe that’s possible….but I’m not seeing it on paper.  Out of the films we have had, though, which has been your favorite?  I’ve compiled this list through a combination of box office stats and Rotten Tomato ratings so blame RT or America if your movie didn’t make the list.  You can vote here or on the homepage at https://justkillingti.me.  We’ll let this stand for two or three weeks and see which film won 2014’s first half.

Jedi Hunter Episode VII Concept Art Idea from Yvan Quinet

Yvan Quinet has done some very cool conceptualizing of the “black-clad, helmeted” Jedi Hunters that are purportedly the villains of Star Wars Episode VII.  You can see a definite link to the mask of Vader crossed with more traditional Sith garb.  Interestingly no red lightsabers.  Maybe the implication is that they use the lightsabers of the Jedi they kill.  Just a theory.  Very VERY cool concept.  Year and a half to go, people.  I’m just trying to sate the fan beast.

5 New Photos from Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings

Ridley’s Scott’s Exodus now has a subtitle!  Exodus: Gods and Kings starring Christian Bale, Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley will be hitting theaters on December 12th.  Hopefully the year’s second biblical epic will be a bit more (what’s the word for “less pychedellic”?) than Noah proved to be.  Pictures are courtesy of this week’s Entertainment Weekly.

Community Will Get A Sixth Season on Yahoo Screen!

Yahoo and Sony Pictures Television today announced that “Community” will return this fall for a highly-anticipated sixth season, with 13 new episodes available exclusively on Yahoo Screen.

Dan Harmon created “Community” and serves as executive producer. Russ Krasnoff (“The Soloist”) also serves as executive producer, along with Gary Foster (Sleepless in Seattle) and Chris McKenna (“The Mindy Project”).

“I am very pleased that ‘Community’ will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo,” comments Dan Harmon. “I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, ‘Big Bang Theory.’ Look out, Bang Bus!”

My Favorite Scene: Transformers (2007) “Freeway Fight”

I think I’ve laid out my feelings about most of what Michael Bay has done to the Transformers ad nauseam, so I will instead focus on something that defies my normal opnion and remains very cool to me.  The first film, while flawed in almost all the areas related to the human interaction, to me was a fun film experience because I saw these amazing robots realized on the big screen.  Transformers was a huge part of my life.  When I was a kid, I was pretty sure Jesus sounded like Optimus Prime (and am not entirely sure he doesn’t now).  So to get to see Prime unleashed as he takes down Bonecrusher; to get to see why he’s this great warrior/leader was a dream come true.  Yes, it’s 2 minutes of a 2 hour plus movie, but this part…..this part was pretty perfect.