Wednesday 29 February 2012

The Avengers: The new trailer is here. "You have made me very desperate." ...to see this movie!...

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Run Iron Man, Run!!! Leviathan looks hungry!
The number 3 challenger to the Dark Knight Rises hopes of being summer number one 2012 has its first full trailer at last.
Nuff said...

Synopsis...
“Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures "Marvel's The Avengers"--the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, "Marvel's The Avengers" is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series "The Avengers," first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when "Marvel's The Avengers" assemble in summer 2012. In "Marvel's The Avengers," superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.”

UK trailer with the annoying na,e change...
US trailer...

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Who lives in a pineapple on the big screen? Spongebob returns to the movies in 2014...

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Kids, Students and people who have been either, or both, over the past decade, rejoice! SpongeBob Squarepnts is returning to the big screen as part of Paramount’s new animated movie drive. Paramount hope that the increased, global,  popularity of both SpongeBob & Nickleodeon & SpongeBob will help the film achieve greater success than the 2004 release, The SpongeBob Squarepants movie. That film made a not too bad $140,161,792 from a shooting budget of $30m. ($85,417,988 in North America and $54,743,804 international)
Philippe Dauman, the President of Viacom, had this to say...

"We will be releasing a SpongeBob movie at the end of 2014, which will serve to start off or be one of our films that starts off our new animation effort,"

John Carter: A new, far superior, trailer arrives as promised...

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I did a big John Carter thing this morning so I’ll just let you get straight to the action, without much chit-chat. I'm not saying this is perfect, but it is better and does get a lot more done, especially about what is happening here, than the previous trailer.

John Carter: Extended ‘White Ape’ clip (spoilerish), Featurette & more clips...    


Safe: 60 second TV spot for Jason Statham’s latest ass kicking fest...

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Jason Statham is back with his own brand of martial arts and one liners. Here’s a look at a whole lot of action and a little bit of plot for his next film Safe. (this stuff is cool, but I’d still like to see a little more of the ‘Lock Stock, Snatch & Bank Job Stath.)

Synopsis...
“A second-rate cage fighter on the mixed martial arts circuit, Luke Wright lives a numbing life of routine beatings and chump change... until the day he blows a rigged fight. Wanting to make an example of him, the Russian Mafia murders his family and banishes him from his life forever, leaving Luke to wander the streets of New York destitute, haunted by guilt, and tormented by the knowledge that he will always be watched, and anyone he develops a relationship with will also be killed.

But when he witnesses a frightened twelve-year-old Chinese girl, Mei, being pursued by the same gangsters who killed his wife, Luke impulsively jumps to action... and straight into the heart of a deadly high-stakes war. Mei, he discovers, is no ordinary girl, but an orphaned math prodigy forced to work for the Triads as a "counter." He discovers she holds in her memory a priceless numerical code that the Triads, the Russian mob and a corrupt faction of the NYPD will kill for.

Realizing he's the only person Mei can trust, Luke tears a swath through the city's brutal underworld to save an innocent girl's life... and perhaps even redeem his own.”

I didn’t know a trachea could break...

The Avengers gets a new poster and an earlier UK release date / Title...

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Well as if fans weren’t close enough to fever pitch, anticipating the new trailer for the Avengers tomorrow, this new poster has come out to whet the appetite. (Although I’m sure some fan(atic)s will be screaming about the lack of face cover / helmet action on Iron Man, Captain America and even Hawkeye. It’s a good poster that showcases just how amazing a cast Marvel Studios has “assembled” (ha ha, see what i did there?) for their films. Come back tomorrow for the new trailer. In the meantime, here’s the awesome FULL teaser from Super bowl night...

The Avengers: How the Solo-films actually tie together and what happens when...


UK audiences will now have to rearrange their plans as the film is out on the 26th of April and not the 27th. (And yes, my Mrs. And a couple of our friends had sorted out being free to see the film on the 27th and now will have to change those plans. Being Doctors & Nurses in the NHS it will not be easy. But I’m not complaining! J Roll on the 26th of April! Unfortunately UK audiences also get to have a slightly naff new title


"Marvel Avengers Assemble"


 is the title for those of us Brits too dumb to realise that this Avengers movie has nothing to do with the excellent old TV show from the 1960s (created just before the comic book) or the terrible movie adaptation of that show from 1998. Now sure, the Avengers catchphrase, battle-cry is Avengers Assemble! But surely they could have done better than this? How about just following the lines from the MCU films themselves and calling it "The Avenger Initiative"?
here's the UK poster...

John Carter: Extended ‘White Ape’ clip (spoilerish), Featurette & more clips...

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There’s just over a week left until John Carter comes out. People who have actually seen the film seem to like it, some of them a lot. There’s been far too much pleasure taken by many in the media and those in the industry, at the troubles this film has had with its dreadful marketing campaign. The desire to see the film fail is both unpleasant and shameful. Sure if the film is bad it doesn’t deserve to succeed (not that quality has ever been tied to success in either direction with the film business) but the sniping has had little to do with the film’s quality, all of it occurred long before anyone had seen the film itself.

John Carter - White Ape Extended Clip...
It still seems that, apart from calling the film “A Princess of Mars” (The story the film is largely based on) the best thing Disney could have done with this film was move it to the summer. It cost so much money that even if everything went exactly right, it would struggle to make the kind of money that goes with a $350m total spend (when distribution and marketing is included) Many believe the film simply has to make the lion’s share of its money in its first 2 -3 weeks as the Hunger Games (probably) and Wrath of The Titans (Definitely) will make it very, very difficult for the film to make big money after then.

John Carter: Searching...
Synopsis...
“From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes "John Carter"--a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). "John Carter" is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.”
John Carter: Making Of Featurette...
Don’t forget you can read A Princess of Mars for free here...
Be warned this is the original story as written 100 years ago, so there will be some descriptive language that many would find offensive today. Native Americans are not given the most pleasant of descriptions and slave ownership is just matter of fact.
ASA...
 “JOHN CARTER
"No good'll come out of me fightin' your war."
Born in Virginia, John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) served as an officer in the Confederate army in the Civil War. He is an honourable and courageous hero, but the ravages of the Civil War have left him broken, dispirited and personally defeated. Accidentally transported to Barsoom (Mars), John Carter begins to realize that his strength and jumping abilities are greatly amplified in the low gravity of the planet. Carter reluctantly begins a journey to rediscover his humanity while at the same time saving his newfound world.”
John Carter - John and Dejah...
“TARS TARKAS
"When I saw you leap into the sky, I wished to believe it was a sign that something new can come into this world."
Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) is a fierce green Martian warrior who is the Jeddak (King) of the Tharks. The last vestige of nobility runs in his blood and is the only thing that keeps the Thark tribe from turning into beasts. Blessed with a good sense of humor and patience, Tars Tarkas befriends the earthman John Carter and gives him the Thark name Dotar Sojat, which roughly translates as "my right arms."”
John Carter: Teaser...
“DEJAH THORIS
"If you had the means to save others, would you not take any action possible to make it so?"
Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins); the beautiful, raven-haired princess of Helium, is a passionate advocate for the Heliumites and their way of life. Dejah is Regent of the Royal Academy of Science, and was trained to rule and fight. She is on the verge of a discovery that could permanently shift the balance of power between her nation Helium and their enemy Zodanga. But time is running out, and Dejah must convince John Carter to enlist in the fight to save Helium.”
Trailer...
“MATAI SHANG
"We do not cause the destruction of a world, Captain Carter. We simply manage it. Feed off it, if you like."
Matai Shang (Mark Strong) is the Holy Hekkador (King) of the Therns. Using their advanced technology, the mysterious Therns represent themselves as the messengers of Issus, the Barsoomian Goddess, in order to further their own plans.”
John Carter: Our World...
“SAB THAN
"Death to Helium!"
Sab Than (Dominic West) is the Jeddak (King) of Zodanga. He is impulsive, arrogant and aggressive; promoting war and conquest as the Zodangan way of life. With his dangerously calculated charm, Sab Than will even try to make a deal with the devil to destroy Helium and rule all of Barsoom”
John Carter: Extended Super bowl...
 “WOOLA
"Woola would find you anywhere on Barsoom" — Sola to John Carter
Woola is a Calot, a large, lizard-like dog, that takes John Carter as his master. Calots are incredibly fast with 10 legs and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Woola is fiercely protective of Carter for he is the first person to ever come to his rescue.”

Wrath of The Titans: A whole bunch of TV spots for the 2nd part of The Clash of The titans trilogy...

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Well people all over the world are really starting to look forward to this despite themselves! I suppose I should pretend that I’m not one of them, especially considering how critical i am of the “first” film in this series, but I’m hopeful for this film too. To quote the great Rob Young (he is great you know?) “who isn't a sucker for a cyclops?” And let's not forget, 3rd time out, we finally get some Titans!

TV spot 1...

Synopsis...
“A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus—the demigod son of Zeus—is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar RamĂ­rez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.”

TV spot 2...
This film has new writers, first timer  Dan Mazeau & David Leslie Johnson (The Walking Dead, Orphan), and a new director, Jonathan Liebesman (Battle L.A) so there’s little connection to the other film in terms of what went wrong. (Although to be fair to Louis Leterrier he had  very last minute 3D conversion forced upon him and  the story was altered drastically from what was intended.)

TV spot 3...

The film opens pretty much everywhere on the 30th of March; some countries will get the film a day or 2 earlier, and will present a significant challenge to The Hunger Games, which opens a week earlier, and to whatever John Carter may have as well. The first film was very popular and, despite a critical mauling and many people feeling let down by the lamentable 3D conversion and the overly “angry” tone of the film, an awful lot of people really did enjoy it. (Really most people thought it was just average, with outright haters in the minority and a decent number of people actually enjoying it.)

TV spot 4...

Sam Worthington as Perseus, Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades have all returned. Alexa Davalos has been replaced by Rosamund Pike as Andromeda, now a feisty warrior. Danny Huston returns, in an expanded role, as Poseidon, but Ares is another character being played by someone new this time; Édgar RamĂ­rez  (Bourne Ultimatum, Che Pt. 1) replacing Tamer Hassan. Bill Nighy joins t hast as God of Blacksmiths, Hephaestus. 


TV spot 5...

Thursday 23 February 2012

Dwayne Johnson set to play Hercules in Brett Ratner’s adaptation of Graphic novel ‘Hercules: The Thracian Wars.’

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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is in the midst of what could be a very hot streak in his career right now. He can currently be seen starring in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island: That film seems likely to outgross the first Journey's $241.9m (It s likely passing the $140m international gross of the first film as I type.) and a green light for the promised third film should be expected any day now; so that’s a nice “franchise” set up right there. (Although are we really going to see Johnson, Josh Hutcherson and Michael Caine going to the moon?!?)  That follows the massive $626m takings for Fast 5, which was in no small part due to the X-Factor of combining Johnson and Vin Diesel. Fast 6 & Fast 7 are in pre-production and Johnson appears to be a key part of both films there. Before that he has this summer’s next “Franchise” to try and maintain, or gain, momentum by injecting a little Rock, G.I Joe: Retaliation. If that film is a hit too, and following journey & Fast 5 And co-starring Bruce Willis, you have to think it will at least open big, then Johnson may be cast in every sequel from now until 2022!
Brett Ratner on the other hand is in no such a vein of form or fortune. His last film, Tower Heist, has so far managed $148m and is unlikely to get much more. That may not seem too bad, but given the star pairing of Ben Stiller & Eddie Murphy, as well as Ratner himself, then the film was expected to do much more business. Add in the series of personal disaster (distasteful and sleazy ones at that) that led to him giving up the job of organising this year’s Oscars and 2011 is one Ratner probably wishes never happened.
The film itself is an adaptation of the graphic novel by Steve Moore & Admira Wijaya, ‘Hercules: The Thracian Wars’.

Synopsis...
“Nearly 3,200 years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth as neither man nor god: Hercules, powerful son of the god-king Zeus, and for this he received nothing but suffering. After 12 arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding solace only in bloody battle. Over the years, he warmed to the company of six similar souls, bonded by their love of fighting and the presence of death never questioning where they go or who they fight, just how much they will be paid. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to turn his men into the greatest army of all time, which means training them to be as bloodthirsty and ruthless as their own reputation. It is time for this band of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen and the narrow, perilous path to their own redemption.”

Wrath of The Titans: New trailer promises much...(I know, I know so did Clash right?)

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I’ll be brief here and let the trailer speak for itself. Suffice it to say that a great many people were left thoroughly disappointed with the 2010 version of Clash of The Titans. Some thought that the abysmal, done in 15 minutes before going to bed, 3D conversion was the problem, but repeat viewing(s) confirmed that the “angry all the time” , nonsensical story was just as poor.

Apparently mistakes have been learned from and this film will right all of those wrongs. With $493m in the bank ($330m from international markets) the studio are hoping there’s enough goodwill left over to get people to give this one a chance. I’ll directly quote the pretty lady I saw a trailer for this film with the other day “looked great, but then so did the other one and it was shit!”

Synopsis...
“A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Worthington) --the demigod son of Zeus (Neeson)--is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades (Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston). The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramirez), switch loyalties and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.”

See for yourself...

Brave: New clip for Pixar’s latest film...

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Whilst many will be hoping for something of a return to form after last year’s child pleasing, adult / critic displeasing Cars 2, few are really ever in doubt that Pixar offer anything but very high odds of good – quality entertainment.

Much has been made about Brave being their first female centric film, but all that really matter here is that the animation is perhaps their most beautiful to date and whether or not we’re getting a story up there with Toy story, The Incredible and Up, or more like Cars 2 or A Bugs’ Life. Again the smart money is on this one being a winner. Regardless I’m sure Disney will be expecting nothing less than a big commercial hit and lots & lots of licensing cash, even if it turns out to be a rare, non- Oscar worthy Pixar film.


Synopsis...
“Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In "Brave," a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida's actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it's too late.”



Battleship: 4 minute featurette on “Super movies”, Stephen Hawking, casting Rihanna and why we should care about this “summer popcorn eating, fun film“...

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I have to say, as much as I have been (and remain) sceptical on this whole premise and the over similarities between the look and sounds of this tech and the look and sounds of the Transformers films, I do like this video. I can see how Peter Berg was able to convince the suits at Hasbro and Universal that the Alien angle was the one to pursue with this Board game adaptation.


The football loving portions of the world will get this film about month ahead of its US debut as it attempts to avoid the dead space that will surround the European football tournament. Those who are more into “American Football” will get the film in May.  A little more background into Berg’s loving of Iron Ma in this video can be found in the latest issue of Empire...


“I like looking at guys like J.J Abrams or Jon Favreau, Gore Verbinski...They ll have movies with fascinating characters...I love what Favreau’s done with Iron Man: He’s got an actor like Robert Downey out of purgatory and put a character in these films who brings this complexity. And it’s struck me that the studios, thet don’t care. ... You can do as much artistry as you want; as long as they make money, they don’t interfere.”

Synopsis...
“Peter Berg (Hancock) produces and directs Battleship, an epic-scaled action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Inspired by Hasbro's classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper's fiancĂ©e; Alexander Skarsgard as Hopper's older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper's crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone's superior (and Sam's father), Admiral Shane.”


Don't worry, it is in English...