A look at movies, especially films based on books (Yes that includes comics); Opinions, facts, movie charts, production news and, when possible a look at the movies VS their source material. I may also champion books I've read that really should be movies. I've also used it to display the unedited versions of my blogs for SyFy; (The sci-fi channel UK website.)Feel free to let me know about any stories that you think deserve the big screen treatment.
TheRealEverton
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.”
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,"
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.
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.”
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...
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...
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.”
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 Ramírez), 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 Ramírez (Bourne
Ultimatum, Che Pt. 1) replacing Tamer Hassan. Bill Nighy joins t hast as God of
Blacksmiths, Hephaestus.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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 fiancée; 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.”
