MTV just dropped an extended look at the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trailer. While it’s only a few extra action scenes focused mainly on Star Lord, the last half or so does give the rest of the cast a little bit to do before ending the same as the original trailer.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (9.5 out of 10) – Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (post-credits scene directed by Joss Whedon); written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely based on the graphic novel written by Ed Brubaker; starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Robert Redford; rated PG-13; in general release; running time: 136 minutes.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” takes place after the events of Marvel’s “The Avengers” and works hard to bring Steve Rogers into the modern world. Accordingly, he’s dealing with modern threats: massive security and surveillance, big data, striking preemptively. It’s a story that could only be told in a post-9/11 (and post Chitauri invasion of New York) world.
As he grows more and more uncomfortable with the nature of the day to day operations of SHIELD, Captain America is thrust into the middle of a murder mystery, pitting him against everyone he’s held as an ally or a friend.
From that point, Captain America has to decide who to trust and who might actually be the bad guy (or bad guys, as the case may be.) Eventually, he recruits Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) as the Falcon, as well as a couple of familiar faces from the rest of the Marvel films.
For fans of the Marvel Universe and the character of Captain America, this film is a home run. It takes all the best moments from the comic it’s based on and amplifies them. This is an emotional film for a person who loves the Universe. It would have been an easy choice for Marvel to simply skip ahead of the awkward “man out of time” phase for the character and keep him well-adjusted, but they took a harder and ultimately more rewarding path. The script is so carefully balanced on the origin of Captain America, where he’s from, what his roots are, that they spent far more time in the 1940s than I would have guessed possible.
For fans of classic cinema, this film becomes a grand slam home run. It’s steeped in the shades-of-gray world of 1970s surveillance cinema. One is instantly reminded of films like “The Conversation” and “All the President’s Men.” It’s easily compared to Sydney Pollack’s “3 Days of the Condor.” Sure, Robert Redford, a staple from that era of film (and in two of those films specifically) helps sell that, but the film stands on its own in that regard, with or without Redford. The film is an exploration of trust, friendship, and betrayal that not only illuminates the things that make us love all of these characters, but also keep us on the edge of our seats. It’s a classic style of filmmaking married with contemporary sensibilities and it works on a variety of levels.
And what of the titular Winter Soldier? Yes, he’s in the film, but manages to break the pattern of most super-hero movies, where the hero is so completely overshadowed by the new bad guy (see “The Dark Knight”) that the movie becomes all about the villain. The Winter Soldier’s background was as much front and center in the previous movie as the current, and it’s inextricably linked to our heroes, illuminated both characters in a way that didn’t give an edge to the villain and kept the spotlight on the emotional core of the film.
As much as I love Thor (he’s easily my favorite Marvel character (save for perhaps Moon Knight and Dr. Strange)), I think “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” might be the best and most mature of this batch of Marvel movies. It has a story full of twists and intrigue, an emotional center that catches you frequently off guard, and a bad guy that means something. Add to that some of the most iconic characters of the century and place them in some of the most dynamic action sequences since the finale of “Thor: The Dark World” and you have the recipe for a film that will last a long time as a pinnacle of the superhero genre.
I’m giving it a 9.5. The only reason it’s not a perfect 10 is for some moments of shaky CGI work that weren’t up to snuff and it was over far too quickly. That, and the second post-credits sequence was a little obvious. They should have switched their order.
‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Episode 1.16 “End of the Beginning” (6 out of 10) Starring Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton; Tuesdays on ABC.
“Agents of SHIELD” is giving me a complex. It’s becoming like the father that promises to take me fishing only to bail at the last minute because “something came up.” Week after week, it dangles this beautiful geeky carrot in front of my nose only to lead me into a morass of clichéd, action movie dialogue, unabashed scene-chewing (but not the so-bad-it’s-good kind), and predictable detritus that has been exhumed from the remains of “Smallville” and “CSI: Wherever the Hell.” Tonight’s episode took a few big steps forward with the “Clairvoyant/Deathlok” storyline, but those steps had to hopscotch around some serious problems. Beware of spoilers ahead, friends.
Skye Gets a Promotion
In SHIELD’s increasing desperation to find and capture the Clairvoyant, they decide that someone who is talented in pattern recognition, computer manipulation, and other stuff Skye is good at should be put in charge of finding him. So, Agent Hand grants Skye full agent status, which is a big moment for her, along with Coulson and Ward, who show their approval with solemnly pursed lips. They figure that the Clairvoyant is someone who is in SHIELD’s Index, and Skye narrows it down to three possible individuals. Three pairs of agents are then tasked with finding and questioning said individuals.
There are two items of note regarding Skye in tonight’s episode. One, Fitz and Jemma are secretly running tests on Skye’s blood to figure out more about the blue goo that saved her life. I like how Fitz and Jemma are doing this secretly, and it seems to be strengthening their nerd bond. This could also give them the opportunity to make a big discovery about the mysterious gunk, and it would be nice to see the lab geeks become in charge of that sensitive information. The second notable item is the relationship that Ward and Coulson have with Skye. I get that the innocent and true blue Skye is designed as a foil for the warlike agents, but could they lay it on any thicker? If she’s going to get promoted to an agent then she can’t be treated like everybody’s little sister. She survived two bullets to the gut and has whatever immortality serum that was pumped into Coulson running through her veins. It’s time to cut the apron strings, Coulson.
The Clairvoyant
After May and Agent Blake (Hey! It’s the smoke monster from “Lost!”) manage to plug Deathlok with some tracking bullets, the SHIELD team moves in on his coordinates, which appear to be the Clairvoyant’s HQ. There he was, strapped to a wheelchair and speaking through a straw. He makes some vague threats, but when he starts talking about how he’s going to kill Skye, Ward puts a bullet through his chest. Ward claims that his emotions got the best of him, but that’s hard to believe considering he doesn’t have any of those.
It’s around this point that Fitz and Coulson get wise to the fact that there is a mole on the SHIELD team, and the helpless invalid that Ward just blew away was nothing more than a decoy. This makes Coulson suspicious of Ward, and an angry interrogation ensues. Fitz, however, is the one who actually discovers an encrypted line in May’s private quarters—which he promptly deactivates, causing May to chase after him with a gun. Apparently, she failed to notice that if she shot Fitz, people would likely have a lot of pesky questions. When Coulson shows up, more yelling ensues, but zounds, what’s this? The SHIELD plane gets remotely hijacked by Agent Hand? Is she the Clairvoyant?
Verdict
Every time I read a story about how the creators and actors on “Agents of SHIELD” get up in arms about the criticism that is leveled against the show, their defense always seems to be that fans just have to let the show get its sea legs. I think after sixteen episodes, the show either needs to grow those sea legs really fast (like, by next week) or realize that it has gotten away from the creators. I’m sure it’s a very difficult process to create a show that’s a cross-promotional free-for-all with a vast and intimidating mythology to draw from and simultaneously worry about quality storytelling, but it’s something that needs to be done here. From the moment that I saw Brad “Wormtongue” Dourif’s name as a guest star, the episode’s plot unfolded before me without much effort. Initially, having him play a decoy in the same way that Ben Kingsley played the Mandarin was a nice touch, but as soon as Ward shot the unarmed man (did I mention he was in a wheelchair?), it wasn’t too hard to figure out that he wasn’t the real bad guy.
As of now, I’ll maintain some faith in the showrunners’ vision of the show’s potential, but at some point, it’ll come time for them to deliver on some of these big promises that they’ve been making. Until next week, friends!
A new trailer has hit the web for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” According to the title of the video it is the final trailer we’re getting before the movie releases in May. There is a little bit of duplicate content from previous trailers but not much. And there’s plenty of new stuff.
Right up front we get some incredible acrobatics. I love Raimi’s trilogy but we never saw Spider-Man do anything like this. Just watching him soar, even when he’s not fighting, is enjoyable.
Despite being a markedly darker turn from the previous trilogy, it seems they’ve also kept a handle on one of the central characteristics of Peter Parker, his humor. Between “laundry sheriff,” “cleaning the chimney,” and “it’s all in the wrist” they’ve clearly left room to remind us that through it all Parker keeps a light look on life. This is important, otherwise he becomes Batman in red and blue tights.
We also get a taste of our villains uniting in a quick scene wherein Harry and Electro decide to “catch a spider” plus additional footage of various battles. If the trailer is to be believed, we’re setting up for a couple hours of solid epic battles.
Ever since the first trailer, the shot of Spider-Man swinging a man hole cover at the Rhino has had me geeking out, hard. In this trailer we get to see it again and from the side. The last few seconds of the Rhino running on all fours while Spider-Man spins at him with a round slab of steel are worth watching on repeat. To that end… look at this!
The trailer is below. How psyched are you?
An extended trailer just hit the web for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”
It’s a solid three minute scene of Cap and Black Widow kicking pirate booty, each in their own signature style, while also maintaining a conversation. It’s a fun look into how what they are doing has maybe become common place, they can talk while beating up lackeys the same way people talk around a water cooler.
After the scene it rolls into a more standard trailer with some quick clips and voice over.
Cap looks even more super than before, his training shows evolution of his character. Every move he makes looks like something you might be able to do, if only you were way better at everything. All in all, it looks just fantastic and only piqued my hunger for more.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opens April fourth.
Early reaction to the the “Guardians Of The Galaxy” trailer that debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live last Tuesday night, has been notable. More than 3.9 million tuned in within the first twenty four hours. Compared that to the 3.6 million views that “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” clocked during the Super Bowl. One would think that Marvel Studios has set the right tone introducing a largely unknown cast of characters.
The general consensus seems to be you either love it or hate it. Some more familiar with the lore seem disenchanted by it, Others with no knowledge were intrigued by it. I imagine there’s more people willing to watch it with no clue of its history, than there is people avoiding it as they know so much of it is being incorrectly presented. Many are saying that this could be Marvel’s first misstep, a definite hard sell and ‘has flop written all over it.’
I’m saying that “Guardians Of The Galaxy” could well be the surprise hit of the summer. This is a superhero flick for people who don’t like superhero flicks. And yes, they are out there.
I think people are forgetting that before the MCU, Iron Man and Thor were secondary Marvel characters that people outside of their fan base had little-to-no interest in. And it’s not like RDJ and Chris Hemsworth were A-listers at that point. Ironman was a risk. Thor was a risk. The Avengers, the biggest risk of all. And they all worked out.
However, the cynic in me says it will do well overall, but not hit the same numbers as other Marvel films. Two hundred million versus $250. It looks like its one of those movies that people flock to on opening weekend, and worse case scenario, it stays on top for a month because everyone has to see if it’s as bad as they say. It makes a profit, and warrants a sequel that destroys the first film in terms of sales. Now, Marvel has done a great job making blockbusters out of their second tier heroes, but they’re still second tier heroes, and those movies go out of their way to be blockbusters first and comic book movies second. Maybe they can score a similar result here, but I’m reminded of when after Spider-Man originally came out in 2002 some movie executive said, “If any of these upcoming super hero movies do as well as Spider-Man it’ll be a huge success,” then they released Daredevil.
Exposing people to the cosmic universe of Marvel’s stories will help tie in the events of Thor II and the Avengers together with the mention of Thanos in Avengers and the Age of Ultron introduction for Avengers II, some explanation of the Infinity Gauntlet and the Nova Corps is needed. Basically Marvel has ten years worth of movies from this set up alone; we could see Civil War very soon with the new Cap movie and from there it could easily transfer in to Secret Invasion (if they decide to go this route). If this movie actually succeeds, it could open the floodgates for a renaissance of cool, weird movies for years to come. Marvel seems to think the genre is ready to take a huge step forward. I really, REALLY hope they are right.
-Dagobot
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UPDATE: 2/20/2014 2:00 pm
According to Kate Mara, she’s not sure she actually has the part or not. Either someone at Fox messed up and didn’t tell Mara’s people, or someone is getting fired over at Variety. From MTV News (so you know it’s totes legit, yo!):
“According to Twitter, I am [in the movie]. I literally have not heard a thing, which is alarming,” Mara told MTV News while promoting the new season of “House of Cards.” “Last night in bed, I was scrolling through movie news. I was like, ‘What? I got the part?’ I still haven’t heard. I want LA to wake up so that I can make some phone calls and figure this out.”
When asked whether to clarify if she wasn’t sure if she got the part or if she just couldn’t say publicly, Mara reiterated that the deal could still be up in the air. “I literally don’t know 100 percent that I have that part,” she said. “I don’t like to celebrate before something’s real because how embarrassing would that be? I hope so.”
Aside from the fact that she doesn’t know for sure whether she’s in the movie or not, Mara is enthusiastic about the reboot and everyone else involved in it. She complimented director Josh Trank as well as all three of the other supposed leads including Michael B. Jordan, who she said she previously met.
The future Human Torch has been at the center of some controversy, due the character’s race changing for the film, but Mara took the change as a mark a quality, that it’s a sign of the movie to come.
“Again, I credit Josh Trank for that because… he thinks outside the box. I don’t actually know whose idea that was, but it just makes me trust that he’s going to make an awesome movie. Regardless of myself, I’m such a massive fan of all those guys.”
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
The long-in-the-works reboot of the “Fantastic Four” finally has their cast. According to Variety, the cast is:
Miles Tellar as Reed Richards “Mister Fantastic”
Kate Mara as Sue Storm “The Invisible Woman”
Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm “The Thing”
Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm “The Human Torch”
With this firmly younger cast, it looks like director Josh Trank and screenwriter Simon Kinberg are looking to draw inspiration more from the “Ultimate” universe version of the team, which I don’t necessarily have a problem with.
Michael B. Jordan (“Fruitvale Station,” “Chronicle”) was long-rumored as Johnny Storm, but this confirmation is sure to inspire all sorts of nerd rage. We broke down the controversy months ago, and it’s worth a revisit, but, seriously, if you have a problem with this, the problem is with you, not the casting. More on this in a minute.
In the less controversial casting, we have Kate Mara cast as Sue Storm, The Invisible Woman. I’m incredibly excited for this, as is, I assume, anyone who has seen her work on “House of Cards.” Trivia: she’s already been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe– as the cute clerk who serves Tony Stark a subpoena to testify before Congress at the beginning of “Iron Man 2.”
As the only female in a male-dominated cast, she’s going to have to be able to throw down and assert her presence (even when invisible.) She’s got the chops for that. I’d throw myself in front of a moving train to see her in a role like this, assuming it’s well-written. Ok, perhaps that’s a bad choice of phrase, but you get the drift.
So, the Storm family: brilliant, inspired casting.
The rest? Well, we shall see.
Jamie Bell for Ben Grimm is an interesting choice, but I say that anytime lil Billy Elliot shows up and wants to dance his way into our hearts again. Unfortunately, he usually ends up in middling fare like “Jumper” or, worse, “The Eagle.” However, since he’s going to be in a giant orange rock costume most of the film anyway, I guess the only thing we really have to ask ourselves is how well does he yell “It’s clobberin’ time!”
And that leaves us Miles Tellar. I could not be more ambivalent about a casting choice ever. Usually I can come up with some nice things to say to give us hope. The only words of comfort I have are that Josh Trank made a great movie in “Chronicle” with an unknown cast. And certainly no studio exec was pushing Tellar’s box-office draw, because most of his films have done fairly poorly.
In a strange twist of fate, you can actually go see Tellar and Jordan opposite one another (and Zac Efron) in the R-rated bro-comedy “That Awkward Moment.” As in “That awkward moment when you announce a major franchise reboot and two of your stars are starring in a major box office and critical flop.”
But come on, what we really care about is that Johnny Storm is going to be black. This bears repeating, so I’m simply going to copy and paste it from my earlier opinion piece on this issue:
First, because Jordan is really awesome. Read what I posted on Facebook after seeing Fruitvale Station earlier this year:
I then got into a long argument with several geeks. (natch) I conceded some of their finer points, but I still think this would be amazing.
So what about the race issue?
This would be controversial, but my feeling continues to be that anyone for whom this is a problem IS the problem. At their core, these heroes are not a race. And I truly believe that there is not another actor of Jordan’s age who would make a better Johnny Storm.
***
So, maybe the Storms are actually stepbrother and stepsister, or he’s adopted? Blended and non-traditional families are nothing new in America. And after all, that is what Fantastic Four is at its core– family. So why not a multiracial one? Again, I think anyone who has a problem with this is the problem.
We would be so lucky, especially if we get to see something where maybe Johnny Storm is portrayed as a “thug” or “dangerous” in the media because he’s an actual representation of a typical black youth in America today.
I mean, seriously, can you believe how Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity would lose their @#$% if there was a flying, flaming superhero who was an attention-seeking young black male with a temper?
Of course, maybe this is expecting too much of a summer popcorn flick. But who’s saying we can’t have some layers?
Let’s withold judgment until we see an actual film, or maybe even some trailers. In the meantime, check out some Ultimate Fantastic Four and prepare yourself for the First Family of the Marvel comics universe to make their way (again) to cineplexes near you. They’re aiming for a release date of June 19, 2015.
Well, it’s finally here! The first official video released by Marvel from this summers “Guardians of the Galaxy!” Granted, this is only a tease for the trailer, it’s still something! While this is the first real look at our motley band of misfits in action, the full blown trailer will be shown on tonights episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! In the meantime, here are some pics released over the weekend to hold you over!
Hey there, this is Androidika, hijacking your weekly dose of cool covers and panels this week! However, don’t fret, Zendobot will be back next week! Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff!
First up in our covers this week is the newest book from J. Michael Straczynski, “Apocalypse Al.” And why would I pick this? Ryan freakin’ Sook! Ryan Sook has been one of my favorite artists for a long time, and he never fails to impress me. I mean seriously, this guy never does bad work!
The next cover we head on over to is “Judge Dredd: Mega City Two #2,” and its sheer awesomeness. It’s a cover sporting a paper doll Dredd in his tighty-whiteys, along with various costumes! Although this bot would advise using a photocopier if you want to make some dolls so you don’t ruin your comic!
Moving on, I decided to throw Sara Pichelli’s cover for “Ms. Marvel” #1 into the mix. At its core, it’s just a basic shot of the new Ms Marvel’s torso, but something about it just makes me really like it! As a side note, there is not one thing wrong with this book! If you want a good read and you see it in your shop you owe it to yourself to pick it up!
The cover to “The Punisher” #1 was cool to me because it shows the Punisher in his new home, L.A. … or at least over a map of his home! Mitch Gerads has a gritty feel to his covers and interiors that just fits this book so well! It’s no wonder Marvel hired the writer/artist team from Image’s black-ops book, “The Activity,” to explore the dark world that is “The Punisher.”
And last, but certainly not least, for the covers this week, is “Turok: Dinosaur Hunter” #1! I’ve never really gotten into Turok before, but I do love me some dinosaurs. This one grabbed me because I saw the title character trying to fend off five raptors with just a bow, and it just gave me a feeling of “Oh, shit!” Also, I like dinosaurs!
The first panel in this week’s Five and Three comes from “Forever Evil” #5. For five issues now, we’ve heard about something destroying the Crime Syndicate’s Earth, and that being the reason for them coming to take over “our” Earth. Well it seems that same being, Catastrophe, or whatever, is headed to the main DC Earth. Could it be the cracks in time the Silence caused? Or possibly the Nexus from “Star Trek: Generations?” Whatever it is, it sure looks like we’ll see next issue!
It was hard not to choose every page and panel from “Ms. Marvel” #1. Adrian Alphona is nothing short of amazing, and has been since “Runaways.” Here we have a beautiful shot from a dream sequence our new hero experiences, in which she sees the heroes she admires and idolizes. I don’t want to short change the colorist here. Ian Herring’s colors are simply breathtaking! You really should get this book! Every page is just as pretty as this!
And last, but certainly not least, is my favorite panel of the week. “Superior Foes of Spider-Man” has been hilarious from the start, and it only gets funnier with every issue. In this panel from “Superior Foes of Spider-Man” #8, drawn by the talented Steve Lieber, we see the head of Silvermane berating Shocker for his crappy apartment. It’s not only the dialogue that cracks me up, but it’s the look of sadness you can see on Shocker’s face through his mask!
And there you have it! Another edition of Five & Three! Dont worry, next week Zendobot will be back. Until then, if you wanna read some of his past Five & Three columns, then start here with last weeks! Don’t like what I picked? Then let me know on twitter, @MrMiah, what your picks in covers and panels were this week. Or if you missed Zendobot’s picks send him a tweet letting him know, @MarkAvo. Until next week, have fun and read more funny books!
Variety has confirmed that Paul Bettany has been cast as the Vision in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
Bettany is known for portraying Charles Darwin in “Creation” and more recently had roles in “Legion” and “Priest,” but most importantly he voices Jarvis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This lends credibility to the idea that Ultron is somehow related to the Jarvis AI, the Vision being another piece of that puzzle.
Bettany will share the screen with Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlett Witch and James Spader as the title villain Ultron, as well as the original cast of core Avengers.
