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Posted by Ben Huber on May 25, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man was one of my most anticipated upcoming Marvel films. Everything about it seemed like a perfect match, from Wright’s directorial sensibilities to the unique take on the character he’d offer. It was great to see Marvel on board with a riskier project too, and they were behind it for the better half of a decade as Wright finished other films! But very abruptly, Wright has left Ant-Man and will no longer be directing it, due to “differences in vision.” Odd, considering Marvel had a script in hand for years. Latino Review claims that Marvel brought in two writers to rewrite the script significantly, which caused Wright to leave. Joss Whedon and Simon Pegg also tweeted out their support for Wright, so it definitely appears to the public that Marvel handled this poorly. I wonder where this will go next? Read more…
Tags: ant-man, edgar wright, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on May 24, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Fresh off the success of Godzilla, Gareth Edwards is riding high. And now Disney has snatched him up to direct a spin off Star Wars film! Right now they’ve only revealed the director, the writer (Gary Whitta, of The Book of Eli and PC Gamer fame), and the release date: December 16th, 2016. Disney is definitely living up to their promise of one Star Wars film a year. The three spin off films were rumored to be about Han Solo, Yoda, and Boba Fett. I wonder which Edwards will be tackling? Oh, and if you’re worried about Godzilla 2, Legendary says they always planned for Edwards to make a film in between the first and second Godzilla films… they just weren’t expecting his middle film to be a Star Wars movie! Read more…
Tags: Gareth Edwards, Gary Whitta
Posted by Ben Huber on May 23, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
You’ve seen the teaser images, now see the trailer for Disney’s new animated film, Big Hero 6. This is a Marvel property, but surprisingly, there’s not a single Marvel logo on it anywhere, and they’re instead opting to market it with “from the makers of Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen.” Which is certainly not a bad thing by any means — it’s just an odd choice, given that Marvel is such a strong brand right now. Still, this teaser trailer does its job, and reveals none of the story while telling you exactly what it’ll be: a humorous romp about a kid and his robot. Big Hero 6 arrives November 7th. Read more…
Tags: Big Hero 6, Disney, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on May 23, 2014 in Cinema 
Alfonso Cuarón is a popular guy — and everyone wants him to direct their next film. Warner Bros. is now trying to get Cuarón to direct two of its next films: the Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Shining prequel, The Overlook Hotel. Yes, you read that correctly: a prequel to The Shining. I’m not sure if that needs to happen. It’s not related to Doctor Sleep, Stephen King’s sequel to The Shining, so I’m not sure how exactly it’ll fit into the story. Could Alfonso do both? Possibly, if scheduling permits. Apparently he’s much further in talks for Fantastic Beasts, so that’s the most likely candidate right now, but who knows what could happen in the future! Read more…
Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, harry potter, The Shining
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Remember how ridiculous it was that we still didn’t know the name of Batman vs. Superman, the sequel to Man of Steel? WB has finally confirmed the name, and it’s not that great. Yes, the film will be called Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I kind of figured that they’d keep the temporary title in some form, but changed “vs.” to “v.” makes it sound like a court case instead of a confrontation. And while I know that the subtitle is supposed to be a reference to the Justice League sequel that will come next, “Dawn of Justice” just sounds like the empty, hollow kind of subtitle that means nothing. Why not something classy, like “World’s Finest”? Or if you want to set up Justice League, why not “Mere Set-up for a Bigger Movie”? It’ll be just like Iron Man 2! Read more…
Tags: Batman v. Superman, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
One of the best parts of the original Star Wars trilogy were all the practical effects, mixed with worn elements to give the impression of a realistic, lived-in world. One of the biggest failings of the prequel trilogy was tossing that out the window in favor of clean cities and cartoon aliens, all rendered in fake-tacular CGI. Director J.J. Abrams has previously expressed his plan to use practical effects in Star Wars Episode VII (as well as shoot on film). In a video today, we got our first peak at a new alien — and he’s a puppet! Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, Puppets, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on May 21, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Disney didn’t just buy Marvel so they could rake in the money from The Avengers. The first Disney adaptation of a Marvel IP is coming out November 7, 2014, and it’s a comic that’s rather unknown by the average person. Big Hero 6 is a Japanese superhero team that worked in Japan, at least in the comics. For this movie, Disney changed the setting to the made-up San Fransokyo, a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo. (I’m a bit iffy on that, due to the history of whitewashing in American films, but I’ll go with it.) In these images, you can see 13-year-old genius and main character Hiro Hamada (renamed from Hiro Takachiho in the comics) and his big robot bodyguard Baymax (which can synthmorph into a dragon in the comics). Baymax looks a little pudgy, but otherwise things look good. Now all we need is a trailer. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on May 20, 2014 in Cinema 
Despite mixed reactions, the new Godzilla film did extremely well at the box office, earning $93 million domestically and $103 million internationally in its opening weekend. That’s crazy money, and the makers would be crazy to not want to make that again. So it comes with little surprise that Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures are already developing a sequel to Godzilla. Though Legendary Pictures has a new deal with Universal, this sequel will still be made with Warner Brothers. Director Gareth Edwards hasn’t been confirmed to direct the sequel yet, but given both the film’s performance and Edwards’ past musings on what he’d do with a sequel, it’s highly likely that he’ll return. So the question is whether this film will follow the first and practice restraint, or whether Edwards might look to the monster-filled Destroy All Monsters for inspiration, as he has also considered. Either way, I know a lot of people might enjoy seeing Mothra on the big screen again. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla, Kaiju, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on May 18, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
We’re getting a new Guardians of the Galaxy trailer on Monday, but Marvel can’t wait to share their excitement with you, so they’ve released two 20-second teasers… for the trailer. Soon we’ll be getting previews of teasers for trailers. And you’ll like it, too! There’re a lot of little snippets in these teasers that have me interested in the full film, but I hope this new trailer will pull people in better than the first one. I mean, I loved it, but that’s just because I’m already sold on the concept. It seems the average movie-goer isn’t yet sold on a talking raccoon riding a walking tree yet — which is just patently disappointing. Check out the teasers below! Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy
Posted by Ben Huber on May 17, 2014 in Cinema 
Last December we got our first teaser of Christopher Nolan’s next film, Interstellar, and it was probably the best advertisement for NASA in a long time. Now, Warner Bros. has released a full-length trailer, and it continues to foster that sense of discovery. Matthew McConaughey sets of to find a new home for humanity as the earth slowly becomes unable to sustain food, and all of the visuals look amazing. I love the design of their space ship as well — it reminds me of old space illustrations. This trailer has all the right elements in it to get me excited. Now we’ve just got to wait until November 7th. Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar
Posted by Ben Huber on May 16, 2014 in Cinema 
It’s Transformers! It’s the fourth film! This is a new trailer! Thanks Michael Bay! Yes, all your dreams have come true, and Grimlock is in the new film. It appears to be more of what you’d expect: explosions, robots, explosions, people screaming, and more explosions. Usually Michael Bay/explosion jokes are just tired and lame, but now I feel like I’ve come to a new level of acceptance. These explosions are basically just like breathing air. I just expect them to be there. Constantly. Also, why does Duck Dynasty Transformer have a robo-cigar? Is that a thing in Transformers? Perhaps my Transformers lore knowledge isn’t up to snuff, but that seems way too silly (in the good way) for Michael Bay to have come up with. Check out the full trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Michael Bay, Transformers: Age of Extinction
Posted by Bob Muir on May 15, 2014 in Cinema 
I still haven’t had a chance to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida, and now they’re adding even more to it! While the park area launched with Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure, but with the new Diagon Alley area in the main park, there comes a new ride. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is based on the sequence from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. From the looks of it, guests can go into Gringotts Bank, open an account, go down into the vaults, and get caught up in the fight from the movie. I can’t tell how much of it will be built and how much of it will be on screens (like some other Universal rides), but hey, 4 minutes inside of a dark ride is pretty good these days. It seems short, but it’s much better than waiting an hour to get on for, say, 2 minutes of ride. Read more…
Tags: harry potter, Universal, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 15, 2014 in Cinema 
Hans Ruedi Giger, a Swiss artist responsible for much of the design of Alien, Prometheus, and many other films, has passed away at age 74, due to injuries caused by a fall. H.R. Giger was most well-known for his biomechanical art, which combined living and mechanical elements in horrifying fashion. One of his paintings, Necronom IV, was reused by the artist as the template from which Alien‘s xenomorph was designed. It’s impossible to sum up this man’s artist accomplishments beyond Alien, but a good place to start would be checking out collections of his art like Necronomicon. It’s sure to give you nightmares. Read more…
Tags: Alien, Aliens, Art, Prometheus
Posted by Bob Muir on May 14, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Fans were somewhat apprehensive that Ben Affleck of all people would be playing Batman in Zack Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman (and also Justice League, apparently). Once some fans pointed out that these complaints mirrored the drama surrounding Heath Ledger’s casting as the Joker in The Dark Knight, which turned out to be a great call, everyone calmed down and went into “wait and see” mode. Now we have the first picture, courtesy of Zack Snyder himself. It’s not a great look at Affleck, and it’s in black-and-white, but it can’t be denied that the suit looks great. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Man of Steel, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder
Posted by Ben Huber on May 10, 2014 in Cinema 
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have been a writing and producing duo for a long while now, scripting things like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Star Trek Into Darkness, two of the Transformer films, and more. You might notice that there is a trend here in the quality of scripts in all those films. I, personally, have not been a fan of their work, mainly because their scripts feel like scenes strung together rather than a cohesive story. Anyway, I digress! The two are splitting up amicably, to pursue directing careers on their own. And in Variety’s big piece on the split, they also reveal that Orci is in talks to direct Star Trek 3, now that J.J. Abrams is a tad busy. Interesting! It also kills any interest I had in Star Trek 3. Lame! There’s tons more details in the Variety article here, include what Kurtzman is up to next (Venom, Universal monsters). Read more…
Tags: Star Trek
Posted by Ben Huber on May 9, 2014 in Cinema 
So far we’ve only seen bits and pieces of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, Interstellar. Even the teaser trailer barely revealed anything. What a turn from the typical Hollywood advertising! That makes these two new pieces of media even more special. First up is the new poster for Interstellar, which continues the theme of looking to the stars. Pretty bold of them to use a vertical logo, too! Also released was the first still from the film, via EW, which features Matthew McConaughey, Timothee Chalamet, and Mackenzie Foy. The new trailer will hit on May 16th, along with Godzilla in theaters, and the film itself will release November 7th later this year. Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar, Matthew McConaughey
Posted by Ben Huber on May 9, 2014 in Cinema 
This new plot-heavy trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is sure to get people excited. It garners a lot of sympathy for the apes, because though we all know how this story is ending, we can’t help but feel bad for the apes. The conflict between the humans and the ever-growing population of apes, according to Caesar, has “already begun.” Returning as Caesar is Andy Serkis, and starring alongside him as several of the humans are Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, and Judy Greer. Check out the trailer below. I’m not sure how interested I am in this, but this was definitely as solid trailer. Read more…
Tags: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes
Posted by Bob Muir on May 8, 2014 in Cinema, Television 
I can somewhat hear the surprise from some readers, but yes, Power Rangers are still a thing. Why? Because it’s fun to watch, and because Japan keeps making a new Super Sentai show every year, so there’s no shortage of material. But since Hollywood loves remaking stuff, Saban is working with Lionsgate to make a new movie based on the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, setting aside all the various themed teams that have been featured since. There have been two Power Rangers movies in the past, but this one looks like a solid reboot instead of a continuation. No further information was given, so it’s too soon to speculate, but I hope they don’t ditch the colorful robots and snappy style in favor of a dark, gritty take on the series. We’ve had too much of that these days. Read more…
Tags: power rangers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 6, 2014 in Anime, Cinema 
Rurouni Kenshin was one of my favorite anime in high school, and it became one of my top shonen manga. I still say the second of the three major story arcs, the Kyoto Arc, is one of the best in the history of shonen manga. The live-action Rurouni Kenshin movie starring Takeru Sato was pretty faithful to the original story, and now the sequel is coming out this summer — two, in fact! The second arc is getting a two-movie treatment, with the first, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, coming out August 1; its sequel, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends, will finish the manga’s Kyoto Arc. Makoto Shishio, the burned villain of this arc, looks great, as do the locales and fights. Maybe after these release, we’ll get to see the third and final arc, the Jinchu Arc, that was never animated (though an OVA touched on it) on the big screen. Read more…
Tags: Rurouni Kenshin
Posted by Ben Huber on May 4, 2014 in Cinema 
The new Terminator trilogy (yes, trilogy) is moving on in production, and they’ve signed another actor to their cast: Matt Smith. The former Doctor Who actor will apparently play a character “very close” to John Connor. The movie will also apparently be doing some time travel going on, which is awfully fitting for a Doctor. I’m sure there will be plenty of jokes made when the film comes out. Smith joins an already impressive cast, featuring (the one and only) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, J.K. Simmons, Jai Courtney, Dayo Okeniyi, and Byung Hun Lee. The film will arrive July 1st, 2015. Read more…
Tags: Terminator
Posted by Bob Muir on May 1, 2014 in Cinema 
It’s always a shame when the world loses another talented actor. This time it’s Bob Hoskins, who has died at age 71. Hoskins was an accomplished actor, who has appeared in many films and TV episodes. However, there were certainly some films he was more well-known for than others. Growing up, I remember watching him in the Peter Pan sequel Hook as Smee. He played Mario in the infamously bad Super Mario Bros. movie, which has gained a cult following in recent years. For me (and many others), his defining role was Eddie Valiant in the brilliant Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Thanks for all the great performances over the years, Bob. Read more…
Tags: Mario Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 30, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
After much speculation, we now know the stars who will be warring in Star Wars Episode VII. As expected, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Kenny Baker (R2-D2) all return. The newcomers are John Boyega (Moses, Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (an unknown), Adam Driver (Adam Sackler, Girls), Oscar Isaac (Llewyn Davis, Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (Gollum, The Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and Max von Sydow (who’s been in tons of stuff). Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 29, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
We all knew that Warner Brothers and DC wanted a piece of that sweet crossover pie that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been enjoying. But instead of doing several related movies as origin stories (like Man of Steel) and leading into a big team-up, they’re starting with the second movie in their new franchise: Batman vs. Superman (which should really have an official name by now). After many, many rumors since 2013 about a big team-up movie, Warner Brothers’s president of worldwide production Greg Silverman has confirmed that the third film in this series will be Justice League. And it will be directed by Zack Synder. Here’s where I begin to sigh. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Justice League, Man of Steel, Superman, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 28, 2014 in Cinema 
VFX showreels have become pretty popular online, mainly because a) they give fans a look into how the special effects are done, and b) it’s great marketing for the VFX companies showing them off. This latest video is from Nordisk Film ShortCut, showing the work done for Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn’s violent and moody film. As you might expect, a lot of the effect in this video are incredibly gory, so a bit of a warning there. Also keep in mind there are several spoilers too, so perhaps you should go watch the film first. It’s weird, but in a good way. If you like cool visuals, it’ll probably grab you. Otherwise, check out the video below. Read more…
Tags: Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives, VFX
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