FilmZap

Manga are Japanese comics and for this very short list I really had to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Since Ghost in the Shell is out today I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at what came before it. Full disclosure, this was not a good idea. Now I could’ve bent the rules a bit, include Hollywood movies based on Japanese work in general, be it manga, anime or whatever else. But no, I’m not going to do that so to be included on this list a movie must be based on something that started as a manga. The fantastic Edge of Tomorrow for example is based on a Japanese light novel which has manga style illustration, but isn’t actually a manga. So that’s sadly not in, same goes for anything that was first an anime. What did I eventually find? Well only 4 titles, and one of those is actually a Japanese-United States co-production. So without further ado here are the top 4 highest grossing Hollywood (ish) movies based on Manga. 1. Oldboy (2013) – $4.9 million A lousy remake...

Whoever would have thought a film about Kong would be so entertaining and so thought provoking at the same time? My expectations were low when I sat down to watch Kong: Skull Island , given its uninspired title. So, imagine my surprise when about 20 minutes into the film, I began to realise that it was actually really, really good. Part of the reason is that Kong: Skull Island has an excellent script, fast-paced without being mind-boggling, with some great lines that underscore an already good dialogue, free of the inanities you usually find in movies like this. Added to the script is an epic soundtrack: the film is set in 1973, so rock n’ roll classics underscore the incredible cinematography. A wide range of likeable characters bring the film to life, barring poor Samuel L. Jackson as the demented Preston Packard, a US Lieutenant Colonel who loses it after his helicopters are annihilated by a furious Kong, the default protector of Skull Island. This is yet another origin ...

While he was an early and frequent proponent of an asexual take on Jughead's character, Riverdale actor Cole Sprouse eventually came around to the idea of his character being in a relationship with Lili Reinhart's Betty Cooper. Why? Well, a lot of it had to do with staying true to how Sprouse perceived the character from the classic Archie Comics, but even within the world of Riverdale , Sprouse says, Betty makes a lot of sense for Jughead. The couple have been thrown together as the people most interested in solving Jason Blossom's murder, with Betty being there for Jughead through the loss of his makeshift home and Jughead standing beside her while she's dealing with the very real possibility that her parents could have killed Jason Blossom -- the father of her sister's baby. When asked about the situation, Sprouse contrasted their relationship with the strained one Jughead has had with Archie this season. “It’s important to remember that though Betty and ...

Last Wednesday at the red carpet premiere of the new Power Rangers movie , Jason David Frank — the actor who portrayed Tommy Oliver/Green Ranger in the original '90s television series — was unceremoniously booted from the event. What happened?! In the film itself, Frank makes a brief cameo alongside Amy Jo Johnson, the original Kimberly Hart/Pink Ranger. They play citizens of Angel Grove who look up in awe at the Megazord. Making sure to capture the impressive sight, they pull out their cellphones to snap photos and record video. So while watching the film at the premiere, Frank "wanted to get a reaction shot of the audience reacting to Amy and me when our cameo appeared." It was a fine idea; however, security didn't realize who he was or what his intentions were. "Right after our cameo appeared, I got escorted out by security because I had a camera in the movie," Frank explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "I didn't see the end of the movie,...

If there was any doubt that Disney has a complete stranglehold on the box office at this point, which there shouldn't be, Beauty and the Beast has officially put that doubt to rest. After less than two weeks in release, the movie has already eclipsed $700 million at the global box office. At this point, Disney could be looking at the highest-grossing movie released in 2017 that isn't named Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Since that comes out in December, it seems incredibly likely that Beauty and the Beast will be the top earner within the calendar year. According to Box Office Mojo, Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast has made a grand total of $710 million at the global box office. Domestically, the movie has already made a staggering $326 million and is showing no signs of slowing down. The movie set a March record for opening weekend with $174 million, besting Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was the previous record holder. In its second weekend, ...

A new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator - a wildly imaginative seven-year-old named Tim. The most unusual Boss Baby arrives at Tim's home in a taxi, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.  The instant sibling rivalry must soon be put aside when Tim discovers that Boss Baby is actually a spy on a secret mission, and only he can help thwart a dastardly plot that involves an epic battle between puppies and babies. The Boss Baby is an American 3D computer-animated comedy, directed by Tom McGrath and written by Michael McCullers. It stars the voices of Academy Award nominee Alec Baldwin, Miles Christopher Bakshi, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow and Tobey Maguire.

Despite poor critic reviews and a not-so-spectacular Rotten Tomatoes score, “ The Belko Experiment ” was not a bad movie. The movie does not hold back the gore nor does it spare the viewer’s emotions — it is not for the faint of heart. Set in Bogota, Columbia, the movie follows 80 American workers who find themselves trapped in a corporate high-rise office. They are ordered to kill each other by an unknown voice through an intercom system. The employees were warned about the consequences of not complying with orders, which are explosively gory to say the least.   Though this movie does not have any A-list actors, there are some recognizable faces within the movie. The acting in this movie is better than most thriller movies, relying on the actors’ talents to drive emotional moments and bring home the comical ones. The movie’s plot is reminiscent of the Japanese film “Battle Royale” with its kill or be killed attitude. Both movies make it very clear from the beginning th...

Jana Kramer is standing up for herself after dealing with a barrage of negative comments about her recent trip to Discovery Cove with daughter Jolie Rae. Kramer originally shared an Instagram photo of herself swimming with a dolphin at the Orlando, Florida, aquatic amusement park – which is owned by SeaWorld. After then deleting the image, Kramer re-posted it to Instagram on Sunday, writing, “I received a lot of criticism by posting this which ultimately made me take it down because, no, I don’t want to upset any of you.” The 33-year-old mom continued, “But here’s the truth…I had an incredible day at @discoverycove and no I haven’t seen the movies ya’lls referenced but what I DID SEE was how amazing they treated these dolphins and I learned so much about each one, met the trainers, and I asked very specific questions as to how they were being taken care of.” SeaWorld has dealt with its own share of controversy throughout the past few years, mainly over the captivity of aqu...

Trailers and television spots for the new Power Rangers movie included steamy footage of Jason and Kimberly smooching on his bed; however, when the film was released this past weekend, there was no kiss to be had. What gives?! “Nobody liked the kiss,” director Dean Israelite admitted to EW, referring to reactions from test audiences. “It’s one of those rare times in a preview when something is so unanimous.” The kiss was supposed to happen right after the former Queen Bee of Angel Grove High snuck into Jason's bedroom and revealed why she ended up in detention. So, did audiences hate it because they didn't want to see Jason and Kimberly get together? Nope. There's a much better reason than that. “For that scene to culminate in some kind of romantic moment between her and Jason undermines her character and feels a little old-fashioned and becomes a movie trope of the female lead there to support some kind of male arc,” he explained. “I think it was actually kind ...

Phillauri, the second production venture of Anushka Sharma, hits screens on Friday. With a “friendly ghost” aka Anushka in the film, it is a fresh take on love stories. Anshai Lal’s directorial debut traces the incidents around the marriage of Kanan (Suraj Sharma) with his childhood love, Anu (Mehreen Pirzada). The twist is that Kanan marries a tree as he is a “manglik” and the ghost of Shashi (Anushka) is bound to him as she is the ghost on the tree. The film narrates two parallel love stories - that of Kanan and of Shashi. While Anushka lightens up the screen each time she appears, the film shines only in parts. Despite a fresh idea, Phillauri is a loosely-written film that fails to engross the audience. Most of the first half entertains in bits - only at times when Anushka makes you smile and cry, or when Phillauri (Diljit Dosanjh) and Shashi set the screens afire with their heart-warming chemistry. Phillauri does not give away any interesting bit almost till the interval. It i...

At the end of this month, Ghost in the Shell will be getting its first-go at Hollywood thanks to Rupert Sanders . The director will bring The Major to life in a live-action film starring Scarlett Johansson along with Beat Takeshi. While some fans are still holding their reservations about the new take on the iconic franchise, anime and manga fans agree the film went to great lengths to recreate Masamune Shirow’s cyberpunk world. The tech-savvy franchise saw most of its design created by Richard Johnson, the lead art director on set. And, in an exclusive video, fans can now see more of The Major’s apartment. In the video, Johnson walks fans through the character’s home. The director shows audiences where The Major sleeps despite her cybernetic body. Rather than a bed, the character simply relaxes there before she heads out into Hong Kong to catch criminals. The barren apartment is a high-tech one as well, but that should come as little surprise. After all, The Major does have a fully...

Chips Story : Based on the popular seventies TV show by the same name, it's an action comedy about a goofy X-games biker and a macho undercover FBI agent joining the California highway patrol to bust a ring of armed robbers on bikes. Chips Review : Just like 'Charlie's Angels' and the more recent, '21 Jump Street', ' CHIPs ' is a film made in the same vein of films based on older, popular television shows. A buddy-comedy, it has Dax Sheppard playing officer John Baker, an ex-motocross champ who has fallen on hard times and is now a pill-popping, oldest rookie detective in the department. He is assigned to officer Frank 'Ponch' Poncherello (Michael Peña), a trigger-happy under cover FBI agent, who is tracking a bunch of crooked cops involved in high-speed heists. There may not be too many Indian fans of the earlier show. But for the ones catching it first time, there's not too much to get involved with. The action i...

FOX's latest entry in their X-Men universe has also been their most critically acclaimed, and James Mangold's Logan continues to rake in considerable box office as it closes out its third week in theaters. Logan has already earned $184 million domestically and has now added $339 million overseas (via Screen Rant). All totaled the film has surpassed $523 million worldwide, placing it ahead of all other Wolverine entries. Granted, it hasn't surpassed some of its X-Men brethren, but that is most likely the cause of its R-rating, something the other films did not have to contend with. It's managed to stay in contention in multiplexes, even with films like Kong: Skull Island and Beauty and the Beast taking away screens, and will most likely still do well even with films like Power Rangers and Ghost in the Shell coming into theaters. Logan also took inspiration from Superman, something James Mangold recently revealed about the film. “I think it’s something Neil Gaim...