FILM: The Amazing Spider-Man Poster (News)

One of the summer movies I am more excited about than the rest is THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN from director Marc Webb (500 DAYS OF SUMMER) and starring Andrew Garfield (THE SOCIAL NETWORK) and Emma Stone (THE HELP).

And now the poster for the film has been unveiled and it looks phenomenal.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN swings into theaters on July 3, 2012.

FILM: The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer (News)

With it being more than six months since the debut of the teaser trailer and less than that until the release of the movie, that means we are past the halfway point for the upcoming THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and Sony has decided to treat fans with the first full-length trailer of the movie.

With director Marc Webb (500 DAYS OF SUMMER), THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN brings a return to the early days of the character with Andrew Garfield (THE SOCIAL NETWORK) as Peter Parker, Emma Stone (EASY A) as Gwen Stacy, Denis Leary (RESCUE ME) as George Stacy and Rhys Ifans (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1) as Dr. Curt Connors.


THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN swings into theaters on July 3, 2012.

FILM: Super Bowl XLVI Ad Spots (News)

While Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on the 5th ended up having another memorable game involving the New York Giants and New England Patriots, the excitement for the game has grown to epic proportions including the commercials aired around the game.

So here are some of the films that grabbed some of that valuable ad time to show off new trailers.

JOHN CARTER out on March 9, 2012.


THE HUNGER GAMES out on March 23, 2012.

THE AVENGERS out on May 4, 2012.

FILM: A Look at The Amazing Spider-Man (News)

This summer is crowded with potential blockbusters receiving tons of hype: THE HUNGER GAMES, THE AVENGERS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES; but there is another film that is being somewhat overshadowed that I might be the most excited for. That is July's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, a reboot of the Marvel/Columbia Pictures film franchise that was a big part of the last decade.

So how can I not eagerly share images from the film that have now hit the web? The first image is of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), Peter Parker's love interest, and the second shows Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) in full costume in action.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN swings into theaters on July 3, 2012.

FILMonBLU-RAY: Thor (Review)

Thor
2011 - Paramount
Released on Blu-Ray/DVD on September 13, 2011

# of Discs: 2 (Blu-Ray, DVD)
Runtime: 115 Minutes

In the cosmic realm of Asgard lives the headstrong warrior, Thor (Chris Hemsworth),the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and brother to Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who is about to ascend to the throne. The ceremony is disrupted, leading Thor to recklessly seek justice and in the process reignite a cold war between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants.

His actions lead Odin to strip him of his powers and banish Thor to Earth. While Thor is gone, his trickster brother Loki finds himself unexpectedly with the throne of Asgard. Can Thor find his way back before Loki's machinations bring down Asgard?

The epic story in THOR literally spans the entire universe, starting out in Asgard with its magnificent design of the world there, with grandiose architecture, jaw-dropping landscapes and elaborately styled outfits befitting those living in such opulence. But the most awe-inspiring location on Asgard would be the rainbow bridge, where the Asgardians go to when they are set to travel to the other realms in the universe using the Bifrost under the watchful eye of its gatekeeper Heimdall (Idris Elba).

The filmmakers clearly thought enough about the location to use it for multiple pivotal story points, first the confrontation between Odin and Thor where Thor is stripped of his powers and banished from Asgard was inside the Bifrost, and then the it was the perfect setting for the final confrontation between Loki and Thor at the end of the film.

To contrast Asgard with the desolate small desert town in New Mexico, along with their own set of unique characters in astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and her colleague Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) that crash into the banished Thor and come to his aid. Much of the humor in the film comes between Thor interacting with these characters and the New Mexico environment.

Throw in a trip to the land of the Frost Giants early on in the film that sets the bar for epic battles and an amazing visual surroundings, and the true power of Blu-Ray comes in handy for the film.

Quite a few extras come along with the movie, including several behind the scenes featurettes that give a revealing look at the process of making the film, deleted scenes that flesh out some of the characters that might have had their time shortened to smooth out the film, a short focused on Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. that helps to connect the Marvel movie universe and a teaser for Marvel's upcoming The Avengers film.

By far the movie had a high risk, high reward factor when it came to being made and in the end it is clear that Marvel hit a home run with their first outing with Thor. Blu-Ray is a perfect complement to the high quality visuals of THOR and makes it an easy recommendation of not only fans of superhero or summer movies but also those just looking for an entertaining two hours. If you haven't checked it out yet, get this movie now.

Look to buy the THOR Blu-Ray over at Amazon for $26.12.

FILM: The Avengers Teaser Trailer (News)

Five years in the making and five movies later Marvel is finally bringing its heroes together on the big screen in THE AVENGERS coming out next summer.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. thread that weaved through the Marvel films will be what brings together the big characters into this team movie. Reprising their roles from the individual films are Robert Downey Jr. (SHERLOCK HOLMES) as Tony Stark, Samuel L. Jackson (IRON MAN) as Nick Fury, Chris Hemsworth (STAR TREK) as Thor, Chris Evans (CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER) as Steve Rogers, Scarlett Johansson (IRON MAN 2) as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner (IRON MAN 2) as Hawkeye.

Newcomers to the Marvel Universe are Mark Ruffalo (SHUTTER ISLAND) as the third film attempt at casting Dr. Bruce Banner and director Joss Whedon (SERENITY).



THE AVENGERS start protecting theatergoers on May 4, 2012.

FILM: Ghost Rider - Spirit of Vengeance Trailer + Poster (News)

Five years after the first movie, Johnny Blaze is riding into theaters once again in GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE. Footage of the sequel was shown at San Diego Comic-Con last month and now the first trailer has hit the web.

Nicholas Cage (THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE) returns as the title character but this time he is directed by the team of Mark Neveldine (GAMER) and Brian Taylor (GAMER).



Synopsis:

Nicolas Cage returns as Johnny Blaze in Columbia Pictures' and Hyde Park Entertainment's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. In the successor to the worldwide hit Ghost Rider, Johnny - still struggling with his curse as the devil's bounty hunter - is hiding out in a remote part of Eastern Europe when he is recruited by a secret sect of the church to save a young boy (Fergus Riordan) from the devil (Ciaran Hinds). At first, Johnny is reluctant to embrace the power of the Ghost Rider, but it is the only way to protect the boy - and possibly rid himself of his curse forever.

GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE burns into theaters on February 17, 2012.

FILM: The Amazing Spider-Man Teaser Trailer + Poster (News)

With Comic-Con in progress down in San Diego, it only makes sense for Marvel to ramp up the presence of one of next summer's big movie releases, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, with the unveiling of the teaser trailer and poster for the film this week.

Director Marc Webb (500 DAYS OF SUMMER) helms the film with the cast of the likes of Andrew Garfield (THE SOCIAL NETWORK), Emma Stone (EASY A) and Rhys Ifans (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1).

FILM: EW's First Look @ The Amazing Spider-Man (News)

The cover of Entertainment Weekly's upcoming issue for the week of July 22, 2011 has the new star of Marvel's webheaded feature film franchise:


... Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, the amazing Spider-Man! This issue includes a preview of next weekend's San Diego Comic-Con 2011, when a teaser trailer and poster for the film will be released to the public.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN swings into theaters on July 3, 2012.

FILM: Wielding the Power of Thor (Review)

The much anticipated start of the summer of the comic book movie officially begins with Marvel Studios' release of "Thor", a theatrical film focused around their comic book character who is a Norse god from Asgard now a hero on Earth. "Thor" is the first of Marvel's three live action feature film entries this summer.

Directed by veteran actor of the silver screen and stage, Kenneth Branagh ("Hamlet"), "Thor" tells the story of a powerful but arrogant warrior who is cast out of the realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he gains a new perspective on his impulsive ways.

The redemption journey for Thor (Chris Hemsworth) starts and ends in Asgard where he was born and groomed alongside his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), to be the next heir for the throne of the King, their father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Asgard is a realm with stunning visuals, full of palatial structures that befit the grandness of the characters. Everything in Asgard has a grandiose quality to it, like Odin's throne and especially the Rainbow Bridge - the mystical gate that gives the Asgardians the ability to transport to other realms.

Perhaps the most stunning battle in the film happens early on when Thor leads Loki and his friends - Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three (Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano & Josh Dallas) - to Jotunheim to confront the Frost Giants after Thor's ascension to the throne ceremony was interrupted. Each Asgardian is given a chance to shine in the battle, but by far it was Thor and his hammer, Mjolnir, that performed the most impressive visual feats.

With Earth being the most realistic destination of the journey, the humor of the film picks up the visual slack of the New Mexico desert and it effortlessly flows with the action. The scenes with Thor conversing with S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her repeated hitting of Thor with her van, and the Warriors Three with Sif arriving to see Thor walking through the small town in their Asgardian armor.

There might not have been a more perfect casting choice than Chris Hemsworth as the mighty Thor. Last seen by many geek audiences in 2009's "Star Trek" as Captain Kirk's sacrificing father, here Chris continues that feeling of geniune compassion from that role while adding on levels of boisterousness and a sense of strength to be his character Thor.

Accomplished actor Anthony Hopkins plays Thor's father, Odin, the King of Asgard. Worry not about his age or his lack of an imposing physique, because Hopkins presence brings the right gravitas to the role, his inflection and pacing of speech displaying a wiseness and power worthy of Odin.

Natalie Portman fills the love interest position in the film as scientist Jane Foster, an astrophysicist investigating the strange astrological occurrences that coincide with the transportation from the Rainbow Bridge. Portman brings everything she is to the role as always and does not disappoint if you are looking for a strong, independent woman who knows what she wants and strives to get it.

Since some have brought up a dislike for the 3D conversion of the film, I ended up seeing "Thor" on a normal 2D screen and it is safe to say that even in two dimensions the film is a stunning visual masterpiece that will be fun to see in home theaters in a couple of months.

In the end, "Thor" is a fun, adventure-filled ride that any movie fan should find easily accesible and a treat to watch. This movie has set a high mark for the other Marvel features coming out this summer to match, and looking back this might be my favorite Marvel produced movie to date. It is a must see, and a must own once it comes to Blu-Ray.

FILM: The Amazing Spider-Man's Gwen Stacy Looking Good (News)

One of the more interesting stories to have come out of Columbia Pictures' relaunch of the Spider-Man film franchise has been the casting of popular young actress Emma Stone in the role of Peter Parker's legendary love interest, Gwen Stacy. Mostly known as a redhead during her time in Hollywood, the casting as a blonde character was a surprise as was the news that eventually followed that she was actually a natural blonde.



And I have to say that while it was a different look for Emma at first, she is now definitely looking like she belongs as a blonde. Here, last week during filming in Brooklyn for "The Amazing Spider-Man", she was radiating the look and feel of a modern day Gwen Stacy and seems a proper match for Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker.

FILMonBLU-RAY: Iron Man 2 (Review)

Iron Man 2
2010 - Paramount
Released on Blu-Ray & DVD on September 28, 2010

# of Discs: 3 (Blu-Ray x 2, DVD w/ Digital Copy)
Runtime: 124 minutes

Billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finds himself with the hangover of a lifetime. He ha a toxic, potentially deadly condition resulting from the elements used to power the battery in his chest. That's not the only threat on his plate as his super-hero side faces off with Russian engineer Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) as the dangerous Whiplash and on his business side Stark with rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) and newcomer Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) are along for the action-packed ride.

The big set piece of the film is the Stark Expo spectacle that Tony Stark brings back from his dad's vision to the modern world. Reminiscent of the real World Expo's of past, the design becomes this beautiful vision only capable on film and the perfect location to open the movie and be the last place at the end of the movie. There is also a visit to Monaco for the first confrontation between Stark and Vanko that destroys a few race cars and unveils the suitcase armor of Iron Man.

Less flashy moments but equally spectacular in delivery would have to be first the recordings of Howard Stark and the legacy he left behind for Tony. The clear Walt Disney feel was a perfect direction to take with the character, immediately endearing him to audiences in a way only Disney was. Also Black Widow's big action piece set which literally was her going down a hallway destroying the guards that came in her way was visually stunning in its choreography and execution.

Iron Man 2 also delivered on the special features front. Aside from the usual commentary track, deleted scenes and information files on the characters that all movies should include in their movies, Iron Man 2 had a 4-part "Making of" documentary covering the entire production of the movie that shows off the friendly, fun atmosphere between the cast and director Jon Favreau ("Iron Man").

This movie was a non-stop roller coaster ride that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Despite not having a real decisive, climactic final battle with Vanko going down quickly and having just previously turning on Hammer it was hard not to like this sequel more than the original. The only negatives I can really give the film are just preferences: Samuel Jackson looking old, Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard and Thor's hammer at the end of the film looking less than impressive. Superhero fans and action movie aficionados should definitely look at buying this movie.

Look to buy the Iron Man 2 Blu-Ray over at Amazon for only $26.99.
Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Iron Man themed picspam.

FILM: Marvel Movie Surge (Commentary)

On July 14, 2000, when the first X-Men movie was released into theaters there was no expectation for the comic book movie market that had been dormant outside of a handful of Batman movies over the previous ten plus years to explode. Yet we sit here ten years later finding multiple comic book releases flooding into cineplexes with Marvel out in front leading the charge.

While DC and Warner Bros are only just starting to rev up their movie adaptations of DC stories (Green Lantern, Superman 6 and Batman 3 on the way), Marvel has three comic book films coming in the summer of 2011: Thor in May, X-Men: First Class in June, and Captain America: The First Avenger in July.

All three are from Marvel's big name franchises, the first movie for both Thor and Captain America (not counting the 1990 direct-to-video Captain America movie that I have enjoyed in the past) and the fifth movie under the X-Men banner. These are safe bets to garner a mainstream audience and with the rising ticket prices all should easily cross $200 million domestically in the U.S.

But for every The Dark Knight, there is also a Jonah Hex, where a smaller and even more niche comic book franchise gets greenlit into a film and the quality of the product begins to wane in an attempt to change the material enough to get a mainstream audience to even look at the film.

Marvel has had their own misfires (Elektra, Punisher: War Zone) and with a solid decade of having produced a steady stream of Marvel films, including three Spider-Man movies (a fourth is on the way), two Fantastic Four movies (a third/reboot movie is being talked about) and the previously mentioned four X-men films (with fifth out in 2011), Marvel has widened their adapting gaze at their entire comic book library and as a result I fear audiences are in store for some films from smaller books that won't have the built-in brand name audience to support their creation.

Instead because of the interconnected universe that is created with comic book companies like Marvel, it would be a better idea to introduce the movie adaptations of these smaller characters by making them a part of a much bigger film. Marvel did this smartly already with the Fantastic Four sequel, where instead of giving Silver Surfer his own film that would probably not do well as the character has not been able to even support his own solo title with this generation, they took the character and his story and made it the defining tale to be told in the Fantastic Four film, surrounding the newcomer with characters the public already knew and loved.

Marvel President Kevin Feige has talked about possible movies with Iron Fist, the Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, all titles not starring top tier characters of the Marvel universe and I have to think that it would be best for some of these characters to be introduced in other Marvel films (like Black Widow was in Iron Man 2) and even then the subsequent films should be created as films solely on their own merit and the inclusion of the superhero should be secondary with absolutely no need to focus exclusively on the character's origin unless its ancillary.

I know that the Avengers movie has been cast and moving towards production but with this being a Marvel movie-centric commentary I wanted to mention my idea for dealing with the problems Marvel had with Edward Norton. Now Marvel merely recast the role for the Avengers movie but with my love for continuity between films and the fact that they had already recast the character once in the last five years I would have liked for them to have gone in a different direction.

That direction being exchanging the Hulk's spot in the Avengers with his just as gamma-radiated cousin, She-Hulk. Bringing in Jennifer Walters would give movie audiences a different perspective to the powers and prison of the Hulk, and it would help balance out the male to female character ration that is awfully lopsided for the Avengers film. In the way that James Cameron and Avatar made giant blue women attractive, Marvel could have used similar technology to bring everyone's favorite green gal to the screen and be visually appealing at the same time.

Unfortunately that is a path that was not chosen and with how much trouble Marvel has had with the Hulk franchise, I can't see another Hulk film in the foreseeable future let alone a chance to introduce She-Hulk, unless they decide to go that route in following Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. films. Either way, next summer will be a good measuring tape for Marvel's movies and whether there can be such a thing as overexposure in the movie industry.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Marvel themed picspam.

FILM: Rebooting Spider-Man (Commentary)

This December filming starts on the next film of the Spider-Man franchise. Gone is Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and the Sam Raimi-inspired emo-dancing. Coming in is Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer") to direct and a new cast of actors to play the characters of a Spider-Man universe that is being rebooted back to high school.


When it comes to playing a role in a franchise that is looking to make three to four films in the span of a decade, it takes casting a youthful actor that will stay at a believable age during the run of movies. That became a noticeable problem in Spider-Man 3 where Tobey Maguire was 32 at its release and it showed, making the idea of Peter Parker being just out of college harder to pull off.

That was why I was surprised when of all the young teen and early twenty-something actors that were rumored to be cast as Spider-Man that actor Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network") was chosen for the role. He has the boyish good looks to pull off a late teen version of Peter Parker right now, but at the age of twenty-seven he is already two years older than Tobey Maguire was in the first Spider-Man and production has not even started on the new movie yet. I fear that it will be inevitable that Garfield will start to look older than the part calls for as the eventual sequels come to be.

While I might be worried about that casting decision, news on another role being filled broke in the last week with Emma Stone ("Easy A") being cast as Peter Parker's high school sweetheart, Gwen Stacy and I could not be more thrilled with the decision. She will be just twenty-two once filming starts and has a smile that can light up the room. Webb has even said Emma is a natural blonde which should help quell some of the questions the public had since many thought she would be perfect for the role of Mary Jane Watson, a character that is rumored to also be in the new reboot.

If MJ is in the first movie - she definitely will be in sequels I am sure - then the casting of that role should be one of the next news stories to come out of the films, along with the casting of Peter Parker's best friend, Harry Osborn. Some might question the rushing of another set of Spider-Man films so close to the last three and while some of the reasoning might have to do with Sony wanting to keep the movie rights away from the now up and running Marvel film studio that didn't exist when the first Spider-Man trilogy was started but in the end the success of this reboot will come down to the quality of the story and the ability of the cast and director to sell it to an audience.

And sometimes just a brand - like Marvel or Spider-Man - will bring people in. Spider-Man 3 was not the most critically acclaimed movie but it still made a successful box office take in its run. We will just have to wait and see.

The new Spider-Man movie swings into theaters on July 3, 2012.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Spider-Man themed picspam.

FILM: 2010 SDCC News Highlights

Welcome to the last post detailing the events of last week where several industries traveled down to San Diego for a series of panels and interviews for fans that unveiled plans for the following year. Here's some of the interesting FILM news to come out of SDCC 2010:

--In conjunction with their panel at SDCC, Universal Pictures released the first official image of Cowboys & Aliens.
--At the Marvel Movie Panel, they assembled the Avengers, unveiled a teaser trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger, footage from Thor and discussions with all of the actors involved.
--Marvel opened the doors behind Odin's throne on the con floor to unveil the classic thor villain, the Destroyer.
--At the Tron: Legacy panel, an eight minute preview of the film was shown involving Sam's introduction to the Tron world and it was revealed that the film was shot in real 3D.
--There was a Green Lantern panel, where the cast talked in detail about next year's upcoming film.
--The trailer for the movie Red debuted, starring Bruce Willis, Karl Urban and Helen Mirren.

TOYS: 2010 SDCC Highlights (News)

Last week several industries traveled down to San Diego for a series of panels and interviews for fans that unveiled plans for the following year. Here's some of the interesting TOYS that debuted at SDCC:

--Not only were there BioShock toys but also mask replicas cast in resin displayed at the convention.
--LEGO unveiled a store exclusive at the con, Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter.
--Off the hype of the Predators movie, a whole slew of Predator related merchandise is on the horizon.
--Kotobukiya represented Marvel well at the con, showing off Hulk statues, and their Bishoujo line including a SDCC exclusive White Phoenix.
--Hasbro unveiled figures for Marvel's upcoming movies, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor.
--Gentle Giant is taking nostalgia to another level with recreating classic Kenner original Star Wars figures into 12-inch behemoths.
--DC Direct brought a load of DC figures,statues and busts including those tied to the comics Brightest Day event and their upcoming MMORPG DC Universe Online.
--McFarlane Toys showed off the upcoming bunch of Halo: Reach figures on the way.
--Last but not least, TriForce showed off some awesome looking Gears of War weapon replicas.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's toy themed picspam.

GAMING: 2010 SDCC News Highlights

Last week several industries traveled down to San Diego for a series of panels and interviews for fans that unveiled plans for the following year. Here's some of the interesting GAMING news to come out:

--At the Marvel vs Capcom 3 panel, Okami's spirit dog Amaterasu and Devil May Cry's Trish were among those announced as new characters for the game.
--DC Entertainment released a five minute trailer of their highly anticipated MMORPG, DC Universe Online.
--Top Cow Productions announced its intentions to develop a video game starring one of their flagship characters, Witchblade.
--Over at the Street Fighter Mania panel, it was announced that Street Fighter X Tekken would be coming.
--The Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series will be making the jump to consoles with a video game for the Nintendo Wii and DS.
--A Spider-Man:Shattered Dimensions trailer made its Comic-Con debut.
--Warner Bros. Interactive is developing a hardcore, violent game based off the DC Comics franchise, Suicide Squad.
--A Green Lantern video game is coming Summer 2011 but how connected it is to the movie will determine how high expectations are set.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's gaming themed picspam.