Trouble Comes Around in New 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Trailer

Tonight the NCAA is televising their first true football playoff championship, and it promises to be right up there with the Super Bowl as one of the most watched sporting events of the year. And since it airs on ESPN, which is owned by Disney, it makes sense they'd want to use it as a platform to deliver a gigantic trailer for this summer's Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Keeping a similarly dark tone as the previous teaser, this one also features a better look at the showdown between Hulk and Tony Stark's Hulkbuster armor. It looks like the team's volatile chemistry has been shaken up even further and only looks to get worse with the robotic villain Ultron (voiced by James Spader) threatening to end humanity. Can they come together as a team and save the day? With Captain America: Civil War promising a standoff between Cap and Iron Man there's a good chance the Avengers won't completely recover.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st directed by Joss Whedon.


New Avengers Trailer Arrives - Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer 2 by Calf Love

Read More

The Party gets Crashed in New 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Image

Disney has an incredible slate of blockbuster films coming in 2015, and right at the center of it is Avengers: Age of Ultron. While showing off their lineup they've released a new image from the superhero film, and it's one that should be familiar to the millions of people who watched the trailer.

The photo shows the entire team's astonished faces as Ultron (James Spader) crashes a party at Tony Stark's swanky crib. They're about to get a verbal smackdown from the newly-sentient android about "strings" and such, just before launching an all-out assault. This'll teach Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle) to hang out with the Avengers during off hours. It could get dangerous.

Directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, and Elizabeth Olsen, Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015.

Read More

Rumor: Naomi Watts, Chris Evans, and Li Bingbing Sought for 'The Expendabelles'; Stallone and Willis Confirmed

 Maybe it was the leak that saw The Expendables 3 viewed by millions weeks before it hit theaters, but Sylvester Stallone's action bonanza (clearly the best of the franchise) tanked hard at the box office..domestically, anyway. Internationally it was a powerhouse, with more than $160M of its $204M total coming from overseas markets. And while there is still some buzz of a fourth film, what's likely to come first is the female-led spinoff, The Expendabelles, and some new names are being rumored for the cast.

Now take all of this with a shot of side eye because the story emerged at The Tracking Board, which says offers have been sent to Naomi Watts, Alan Rickman (?), Chris Evans (??), Marcia Gay Harden, and Li Bingbing. They also "confirm" that Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis will be reprising their Expendables roles, which sounds suspicious given the blow up between the two during The Expendables 3 filming. Remember how Willis walked out on production because of a salary dispute, only to have Stallone rewrite the script and trash his character for the entire movie? Yeah. And with Stallone producing Expendebelles it doesn't seem likely he'd be begging Willis to return.

Anyway, we'll see if any of this shakes out. These are just offers and any of them could (and probably will) refuse, just as Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver did. Robert Luketic (Killers) is directing from a script by the Legally Blonde duo of Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith.

Read More

'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Extended Trailer Features New Footage

The trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron has been out there for awhile now, and still the Internet is buzzing over it. Part of the reason is excitement over Marvel's recent announcements of Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Civil War, and more that are expected to tie into the larger franchise.. The other reason is that it's just a damn good trailer with all of the superhero spectacle fans expect from Marvel, not to mention that haunting rendition of "I've Got No Strings". Well now there's even more reason to get pumped up with the release of an extended version of the trailer, which offers up some footage we haven't seen before, including a glimpse at Korean actress Claudia Kim as Tony Stark's colleague. Apparently she's important enough to make the big Avengers party at Stark's crib.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015.


AVENGERS 2 AGE OF ULTRON - Official Extended Trailer #2 by itsartmag

Read More

Civil War gets Teased in 'Avengers:Age of Ultron' Clip

Leaked footage is something every studio faces, but when it happens to Marvel everybody takes notice. It happens after Comic-Con every year, but lately it's been happening with alarming frequency. The trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron was leaked early, spoiling Marvel's plans for Agents of SHIELD. And now, we're getting a look at the exclusive clip shown during Marvel's big press event, and it's quite the tease.

This scene begins to show the cracks in the friendship between Captain America and Iron Man, which will form the basis of Captain America: Civil War. In the comics, they're on opposing sides of an argument over the registration of superheroes with the government. There will be some changes for the movie version, but the point is clear that these guys are going to come to blows at some point.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015.

Read More

The Avengers are Unworthy in New Footage from 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

Those who attended San Diego Comic-Con last summer were treated to the first footage from Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the centerpiece of it was a scene featuring the team lounging around Tony Stark's crib. As they all tried unsuccessfully to lift Thor's hammer, it looked like Joss Whedon was keep the light-hearted tone of the first film. Well, then we got the official trailer last week and it was all doom 'n gloom, but rest assured there is plenty of fun to be had.

Since the trailer leaked before it was to debut on tonight's Agents of SHIELD, Marvel instead released an extended version which features the hammer-lifting scene. The party is quickly interrupted by that wet blanket Ultron (menacingly voiced by James Spader), who proceeds to tell them that nobody in the room is worthy. Opening May 1st 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Andy Serkis, and Samuel L. Jackson. We'll update this trailer with a better one soon, but for now enjoy this crappy bootleg version.


Avengers Age of Ultron Sneak Peek (2015) - New Avengers Movie by Allvideos HD

Read More

Marvel Reveals the First 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Trailer and Poster!

When a prized piece of information or footage leaks early, a studio has a couple of options. They can either close ranks and pretend it didn't happen, or they can do what Marvel has done and that's roll with the punches. Earlier today the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron leaked one week before it was due to premiere on Agents of SHIELD. And so Marvel took to Twitter, jokingly blamed the evil organization HYDRA, and released the official trailer themselves.

And let's be honest here, you don't need to be told to watch it. Nor do you need to be told that it looks incredibly huge, with Joss Whedon ditching any sense of humor and going straight for a heavy, ominous vibe throughout. That may be a drag to those who liked how The Avengers was able to be both funny and serious, but clearly this footage is aiming to strike a specific chord. It keeps in much of what was shown at Comic-Con, but adds in more of Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch ( Elizabeth Olsen), and gives the best look at James Spader's evil android Ultron than we've seen yet. Plus we get a look at the showdown between Tony Stark's Hulkbuster armor and the Hulk that fans have been waiting for.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015, only seven months away!


Marvel's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" - Teaser Trailer (OFFICIAL) [HD] by MovieTrailerz

Read More

What I want to See from Marvel's 'Civil War' Storyline

I couldn't sleep at all last night, and no it's not my usual restlessness. Just before hitting the sack word came down that Robert Downey Jr. was joining Marvel's Captain America 3, which is a big deal but not half as big as the rest of the story. The storyline would apparently be the kick off to Civil War, based on the controversial 2006-2007 miniseries by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. So why was it so polarizing? Well, pretty much everything Millar does turns out that way, but in this case it was justified.

Civil War begins with a team that has not been seen in the cinematic universe yet: the New Warriors. One of my favorite teams from the '90s, they're basically made up of B-list characters like Speedball, Night Thrasher, Justice, and Nova...yes, the Nova everyone wanted in Guardians of the Galaxy. An incident during one of their missions ends with the villain Nitro blowing up an entire city, killing millions. The government decided to institute the Superhero Registration Act, which demands superheroes to register with the government, reveal their civilian identities to the public, and become deputized agents if they want to stay in action. Captain America gathered up a group of like-minded heroes to fight against the Act, while Tony Stark fights to enforce it. They came to blows, a war erupts, and basically Stark becomes the most hated man amongst the superhero community. Yes, Stark is portrayed as the "bad" guy, although there are points to be made on both sides of the argument.

It's a huge story, one that would require Marvel make some severe changes bringing it to the big screen simply because there aren't enough characters available. The X-men played a key role, so did Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. So assuming Captain America 3 will indeed begin the Civil War, here are a few things I'm hoping to see play out. And keep in mind, this would have to unfold over the course of multiple movies, that's how big Civil War is.

1. The Return of Spider-Man
Okay, this one's a long shot and more of a personal hope than anything else, but recent rumors have suggested Marvel and Sony could work out a deal allowing Spider-Man to be part of the shared universe. Peter Parker had an integral role in Civil War; in fact he was something like the moral compass at the center of it. He began on the side of Iron Man and the Registration Act, but as the government's tactics became more brutal he would switch to Cap's side.  It's possible we could see another character step in to fill that role but it would be more effective with Spider-Man, who everybody knows and respects.

2. The Death of Captain America
We've been saying it for awhile and others have noticed it, too, but the Captain America movies are conveniently populated by all the characters who have a role in The Death of Captain America storyline. That story was the tragic finale to the Civil War, with Cap assassinated and the Winter Soldier taking over the mantle. It's a crucial piece to the puzzle, and when I think about recent stories suggesting Captain America may not be factoring much into future films, it leads me to think his demise is right around the corner. This would be the time to do it.

3. Ragnarok
Tony Stark did some truly loathsome sh*t during Civil War, and one of those involved cloning his missing buddy, Thor.  Stark used Thor's DNA to create an all-powerful clone named Ragnarok, and he proceeded to tear apart Cap's team, even going so far as to kill the superhero Goliath, a former Avenger and friend of Hank Pym aka Ant-Man. If Raganarok appears in the films it would likely be in a similar way. We could see Chris Hemsworth's Thor too busy on Asgard to join up with his Avengers pals, and Stark comes up with Ragnarok as a solution. Whatever the case, the presence of Ragnarok is a good way to show just how twisted Stark's idea of right and wrong has become.

4. The Introduction of Blade, Ghost Rider, and Punisher
One thing about Civil War is that it includes a ton of characters, practically the entire Marvel Universe is involved. There simply aren't enough characters right now for Marvel to make this look like a huge "war", and one way to help fill out the ranks is bringing in popular characters like Blade, Ghost Rider, and the Punisher. Marvel recently gained their film rights back and this would be an easy way to work them in, possibly leading to future solo movies in the process. This one actually leads directly to my next hope.

5. Iron Man and Captain America Lead Separate Avengers Teams

With Cap and Iron Man on opposing sides of the Registration Act, both men began leading their own teams of Avengers. Cap's "New Avengers" (which included Luke Cage and Hawkeye) mostly worked underground and in secret to avoid confrontation with Iron Man's government-sanctioned "Mighty Avengers". With Doctor Strange and Ant-Man being introduced in the next couple of years, it stands to reason they'll be joining some Avengers team, probably one led by Iron Man. This may also be a good way to bring the Netflix TV series characters: Luke Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones.

6.  Tony Stark: Director of SHIELD
One of the strongest repercussions of Civil War had Tony Stark taking over as the director of SHIELD. With the spy organization in shambles and Nick Fury presumed dead (we know better), now would be the perfect time for a move like this. It would also allow for Downey Jr. to make limited appearances in the films, and whether he appears on the show or not it may have a ratings impact on Agents of SHIELD. We saw the boost it got from being tied in to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the same could happen again.

So those are just a few things I'm hoping for, and some of them seem feasible. If I thought harder about it I'd probably include more wishful things, like movies for the Thunderbolts and New Warriors, the introduction of Moon Knight (he needs a film now!), and more. I'm genuinely excited to see where Marvel goes with this, and given their track record I have every reason to believe they can pull off Civil War in the epic fashion it deserves.

Read More

Rumor: Some Major Avengers may not Appear in 'The Avengers 3'

As Marvel's second phase comes to a close with Avengers: Age of Ultron, they will be coming to a crossroads with the third phase. Many of their biggest franchises will be wrapping up their trilogies, and their biggest stars have only one or two contractual obligations left. That means we could be nearing our last opportunities to see Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chris Evans' Captain America, and yes, even Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. Last week a rumor surfaced that The Avengers 3 could be split into two movies as a means of keeping them around a bit longer, but now comes a new story that fleshes the idea out a bit more.

So according to Badass Digest, the plan to split The Avengers 3 isn't quite right, but Marvel will be using the single film to springboard into something new and much bigger. We've pretty much expected that new heroes like Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy would replace the old guard, but according to the site that change will begin with The Avengers 3. And as part of that we may not see characters like Thor and Captain America at all, in order to hold them over for one huge blowout.

Downey Jr.'s contract stipulates that he be in The Avengers 3, and Badass Digest speculates we'll see Iron Man teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the other new heroes, before the original crew comes back for a gigantic brouhaha of a crossover.

So there's a lot of guesswork in there but it's certainly plausible, and Marvel isn't likely to break the bank renegotiating contract extensions when they've proven so good at creating new stars. Keep this under your hat as a distinct possibility.

Read More

Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan, Anthony Mackie and More in First 'Playing It Cool' Trailer

So what is it that causes a movie with an A-list cast to get delayed indefinitely? While sometimes it has to do with legal issues, like with Dakota Fanning's Effie Gray, more often than not it's because the movie isn't very good. But even then the right cast usually trumps quality, and that would seem to be the case with Serena, the period drama with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. But what about the romantic comedy Playing it Cool? It's been gathering dust since 2012 and even though the first trailer is out the film still doesn't have a release date.

The reason for the delay can't have anything to do with the cast because it's pretty phenomenal from top to bottom. Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan, Anthony Mackie, Aubrey Plaza, Luke Wilson, Topher Grace, Martin Starr, Giovanni Ribisi, and Philip Baker Hall lead this one about a screenwriter who really wants to do a big action movie but is encouraged to write a romantic-comedy instead. Naturally this proves to be a problem because he doesn't know the first thing about love and doesn't believe it exists...until he meets the perfect woman. And maybe that's the issue with this film, which used to go under the title A Many Splintered Thing, is that it sounds like any of a million other similar movies. But that shouldn't be a problem given the generic state of rom-coms nowadays, and their continued box office success.

Chances are Playing it Cool with arrive some time in 2015 but for now it's on the shelf.


Playing it Cool - Official Trailer (2014) Chris Evans by MovieSpawn

Read More

Chris Evans isn't Ready to Give Up Captain America Just Yet

There has been a lot of talk about Chris Evans' future as Captain America, as the actor has seemed eager to move on from Marvel to focus on other projects. One of those is his directorial debut, Before We Go (formerly 1:30 Train) which he has been promoting while in Toronto. Of course, any interview he does is going to veer into superhero territory, and when asked by MTV about rumors he'd be passing the shield to Sebastian Stan or Anthony Mackie, Evans made it clear he plans on sticking around for awhile longer...

Evans: “Who’s handing off the shield?” he asked, jokingly. “Don’t take my job from me prematurely dude. I’m sure it’ll happen at some point, all good things have to come to an end. But I’m really happy playing the character.”

That's not too far off from what Evans said a few months ago. While his six-film contract with Marvel ends soon after Captain America 3 (probably after The Avengers 3), it may be too early to write him off completely as many have done. It's possible Evans sticks around as Captain America but pursues his directing goals in-between.

Evans was also asked about some recent rumors suggesting Captain America would take over a new Avengers team after Avengers: Age of Ultron, and he managed a good non-answer.

Evans:  “What do I think about this, what can I say about this? You wanna give something! Marvel doesn’t disappoint. Whatever you’re hoping for, you’re probably going to get.”

And what exactly can fans expect to get in Captain America 3?

Evans:  “It’s this giant web of plot, where everything is connected to everything else… that’s the beautiful thing, and especially for the fanboys who understand these plotlines. With Cap 3, we’re going to continue this excitement.”

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015, followed by Captain America 3 on May  6th 2016.

Read More

'Captain America 3' Directors Tease a Passing of the Shield

Change is inevitable in the world of the Avengers; it's kind of their thing, really. And over the last few years there has been a lot of change for Captain America who has died, been replaced by his formerly dead buddy the Winter Solider, only to return and get replaced again by his other friend, Falcon. With all of those guys wearing the suit in the comics, and Chris Evans' contract status kind of up in the air, many have wondered if we might see a new Captain America on screen. Returning directors Joe & Anthony Russo were asked by MTV about if a change was in the works for Captain America 3, and they certainly didn't shoot the idea down, in fact they seem to confirm that this will be the end of Cap's story...

Anthony Russo: "It is a hard question to answer because it gets to the specific of where the narratives are going. I will say this: yes, for satisfying storytelling, you want a beginning, middle and end. That’s the natural arc that we all thrive off of in narrative.” 

When one looks at what Marvel did with Iron Man, they were able to wrap up his story neatly in Iron Man 3. While there have been some minor discussions about a fourth film it doesn't seem likely, especially with Robert Downey Jr. more than happy only to return for Avengers movies. That's opened up room for new franchises to begin, like this summer's Guardians of the Galaxy. The Russos believe the cinematic universe will begin to look even more like the comics, meaning new characters will often be shuffled in to prominent roles while older ones step aside for a time...

Anthony Russo: “The great thing about the Marvel universe, just like the publishing, it’s a very vast, inter-connected universe, where characters will have their rise and fall, so to speak, and hand off to other characters. As the cinematic universe moves forward, you may start to see the cinematic universe adopt that same pattern, as the publishing has, where there’s closure with some characters and new beginnings with other characters. How those hand-offs are made is always part of the fun.”

Yes, he's talking openly about Steve Rogers handing off the Captain America mantle to another, but does that mean it will happen? And if so, who would pick it up? The Russos tell Collider....

Anthony Russo: "You know, to be honest with you, it’s just – even though there’s sort of a grand plan of things, Kevin Feige also has this awesome attitude of one movie at a time, which I think is very healthy, not to get too far ahead of yourself.  And I think even though we can see in the distant horizon some contracts coming to an end and whatnot, and sort of wondering about what happens, I think the truth is, we’re not close enough to it to really be addressing it on a narrative level yet."

Joe Russo: "When Bucky takes over the mantle at the end of Cap 3 – [turns to Anthony] did I just …[LAUGHS] Did I just say that?  I meant to say Falcon. Falcon takes over the mantle at the end of Cap 3.  It’s a process that, you know, you have to tell the best story that you can now and the contract issue’s not necessarily something that we’re worried all that much about."

Anthony Russo: "All we know is we get Chris Evans for this movie."

All jokes aside, these questions are going to keep popping up from now until Captain America: The Death of Captain America or whatever it will be titled opens on May 6th 2016. 

Read More

'Captain America 3' Writers Talk Chances of Falcon Taking Over as Cap

All of the attention may be focused on Guardians of the Galaxy and the $325M it's earned so far but it's got a long way to go to top the $713M of Marvel's top earner of the year, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was the latest success for screenwriting duo  Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who previously wrote Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor: The Dark World. With the pair already hard at work on Captain America 3, they spoke with SFX about the tone of the film, but also the new hot thing which is Falcon taking over for Steve Rogers in the comics. Could we see Anthony Mackie donning the red, white and blue if Chris Evans steps aside?

McFeely: "We tend to stay on the sidelines when it comes to the comics. We wait and see what we’ll steal from in three or four years from now!"

Markus:  "I think the movies can accommodate almost anything, if there’s a need. I think there is a much greater need to shake things up in the comics because that’s a narrative that’s been going on for 60 or 70 years, so you’re going to wind up having to do things to it. Ours has only been off the ground for five or so. So it’s not quite time to start changing things up yet. Plus I can’t figure out how he’s going to have the wings and the shield at the same time. Isn’t it going to get all crammed up on the wing? I don’t know… When those things happen in the comics you also have a tendency, perhaps cynically, to go “Yeah, but he’s going to be Steve Rogers in two months…” He’s going to wake up out of cryo-stasis or whatever it is and it’s going to be like “Oh, I need the shield back”. 

Many purists get the idea that the movies should follow the comics to the tiniest detail, but that's kind of ludicrous and Markus gives a pretty good reason why. Well, except for that stuff about the shield and wings.

One of the reasons audiences really took to 'The Winter Soldier' was that it resembled a fast-paced political thriller, very Bourne-esque in execution, and the writers say you can probably expect to see the same thing in Captain America 3....

McFeely:  "When we hit upon the Brubaker run of the comic book, we all said that, with certain exceptions, that’s the tone of Cap’s modern franchise. And you can imagine that with us back, with the Russos back, then if you like Winter Soldier you’ll hopefully like the third one, if we do it right!"

I'm of the mind we'll see the Winter Soldier take over as Captain America before we see Falcon, but Marvel has done a pretty good job of throwing curveballs at us. Things change all the time, and chances are we'll find out which direction Captain America 3 is headed when it gets a real title. 

Read More

Comic-Con: Captain America and Black Widow Posters for 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

As expected when Marvel released Avengers: Age of Ultron Comic-Con posters featuring Scarlet Witch and Iron Man, they turned out to be just the first of many. Now it's Black Widow and Captain America jumping into the war against Ultron (James Spader) and his army of "legionnaires". I expect there will be more of these, probably each day until Marvel's panel on Saturday.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015.

Read More

'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Plot Details Reveal Ultron's "Path to Peace"

The logical assumption after The Avengers was that Thanos would be the villain of the movie's sequel, but obviously that wasn't the case when Avengers: Age of Ultron was announced. The purple-skinned harbinger of death will probably be a factor in a third film, but for now it's the sentient robot Ultron the Avengers have to contend with, and after revealing the first official images yesterday EW now has spilled some major plot details, including a little bit of dialogue.

As we learned yesterday, Tony Stark has basically hung up his Iron Man suit and has begun letting his remote armored drones do the job, one of which will turn out to be Ultron. But it goes a little bit deeper than that...

The Avengers sequel begins with Stark’s latest plan to fix the world: Ultron will be an all-seeing, all-knowing captain of a planetary police force known as the Iron Legion, a team of robotic beat cops who resemble blue-and-white versions of the Iron Man suit but have no human core—and less soul than a Carpenters album. If it all works out, the superheroes can rest easy.

And because Stark can't leave well enough alone, he takes things one step too far by giving Ultron elements of his own personality, specifically his cynicism but lacking in any ability to sympathize. He becomes what can't be described as a villain per se, but something that wants to bring about world peace, and like all artificial intelligences we've seen in movies, he figures the best way to go about it is to wipe out humans. It's all summed up pretty good in this piece of actual dialogue from the film, so just imagine this in the snarky voice of James Spader....

"I know you're 'good' people, I know you mean well… but you just didn't think it through… There is only one path to peace… your extermination."

All of this is preceded by a party scene that plays out just as prior stories said it would, with the team at Stark's penthouse home celebrating a victory. The only difference is that the festivities are interrupted by Ultron and his Legionnaires...

That’s when all hell breaks loose. The Legionnaires have suddenly activated, and are inexplicably trying to kill the heroes. In the chaos, Ultron—in one of his first, metallic forms—announces his new plan to bring peace to the planet—by eradicating the most destructive thing that walks on it: humans.

In the midst of the assault scene, Downey finds himself suspended 50 feet above the set, riding piggyback on an actor in a motion-capture suit who will be digitally replaced with a hovering, hostile Legionnaire.

With no armor at his disposal, Stark grabs the only weapon handy—a fondue fork—and jams it into the robot soldier’s neck as they bang around the ceiling. “The deadliest fondue fork in all the land!” Whedon jokes. “From Odin’s melted cheese, I shall destroy thee!”

Avengers: Age of Ultron is filming now for release next year on May 1st.

Read More

*UPDATE* First Look at Ultron in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'; Tony Stark's New Role Revealed

*UPDATE* New photos have been added that show off much of the cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch! *

Want to know how you go into an event like Comic-Con riding a wave of incredible buzz? Just take a look at Marvel who caused a firestorm (both positive and negative) with their announcement of a new female Thor that may have some impact on the movie version of the character. And later tonight on The Colbert Report they are expected to introduce Falcon as the new Captain America! Nope, there won't be any controversy over that one! But that's not all, as Entertainment Weekly has just revealed the first official look at the villain Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Kevin Feige has spilled some major details about Iron Man's role in the film.

The robotic villain, played by James Spader, is one of the Avengers' most lethal foes in the comics, but he'll undergo something of an origin change in Joss Whedon's film. No longer the creation of Hank "Ant-Man" Pym, it's now the actions of Tony Stark that bring the sentient android into existence. Worn out and exhausted after saving the world multiple times over, Stark creates Ultron to basically take over the job...

"Tony Stark has devised a plan that won’t require him to put on the Iron Man suit anymore, and should allow Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk to get some much needed R&R as well. His solution is Ultron, self-aware, self-teaching, artificial intelligence designed to help assess threats, and direct Stark’s Iron Legion of drones to battle evildoers instead."

And what typically happens when a robot becomes self-aware and starts figuring out the best way to save the world? Humans inevitably become his target, and that's exactly what happens. Ultron's ability to rebuild and evolve will also factor in, making the Avengers' lives even more miserable.

Stark's superhero fatigue plays out in another way, as well. With SHIELD disbanded and no organization picking up their duties, the Avengers need someone to bankroll their operation. Enter the multi-billionaire Stark who becomes their benefactor and landlord at the newly-redesigned Avengers Tower. Marvel chief Kevin Feige talked to IGN about that, as well as a recently screened scene that pits Hulk vs. Stark's Hulkbuster armor...

“Last time we saw Stark Tower, from The Avengers, it had gotten beat up a little bit thanks to Hulk and thanks to Loki and the Chituari, and Pepper and Tony were standing over a table looking at plans. That’s where we pulled out and all the letters had fallen away except the ‘A’ in Stark. So what they were doing was retro-fitting for The Avengers. And that’s what we see in this next film. S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone – for people who are following along. S.H.I.E.L.D. was disbanded and brought down at the end of The Winter Soldier because it turned out to not be the best organisation ever. So Tony’s bank-rolling The Avengers now. And he’s bank-rolling their headquarters. So it’s now Avengers Tower. Tony designed it so in addition to a hanger for a brand-new Quinjet, laboratories, places where he can build and store his Iron Man suits, there are I believe two bars. Beautiful multiple space living rooms which are perfect for parties and social gatherings. But it’s a primary location in the film this time around.” 

And when asked about Hulk vs. the Hulkbuster...

“There are a lot of scenes that you should be getting excited about. That is certainly one of them. I think I said a long time ago when Joss [Whedon] first did his six-page or 10-page outline for Avengers, there was a lot of work and the movie’s adapted quite a bit since then, but there were like six or seven signature things just in that. I said ‘Joss, even if we don’t do anything else. Just do these seven things, that’s enough for the movie. Now let’s get to work and put it all together.’ Those things are in the movie and are amazing, of which that sequence is one.” 

Expect to hear a lot more about Avengers: Age of Ultron over the coming days. 

Read More

Review: 'Snowpiercer' Starring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, and Octavia Spencer

Will he or won't he? There's been a great deal of talk amongst cinephiles about South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer, but the "he" in question is actually Harvey Weinstein. And the question was whether we would get to see the film in full as Bong would have preferred, or if Harvey would do one of his infamous hatchet jobs, threatening to slice 20 minutes from it for American audiences who prefer their action movies brisk and short. In the end we're getting the version Bong always intended and the dystopian world he envisions is incredibly immersive and extremely thrilling....but maybe some of those edits should have been kept in.

So much about Snowpiercer goes a long way in placing it amongst the very best and smartest sci-fi movies around that any flaws prove to be glaring. What's not an issue is how Bong is able to fully realize a future world and all of its problems with a bare minimum of exposition, at least initially. Finally convinced of the threat of global warming, the world governments band together to release a substance called CW7 into the air. It works, but rather than dropping the temperature down a few degrees the world is thrust into a new Ice Age, killing all life on the planet but a handful of survivors. Somehow they all managed to board a luxury perpetual motion train known as the Snowpiercer, and now it races all around the world. If it stops everyone on board could die and humanity would be extinguished.

But that may happen anyway because the system aboard the train is divided up by social status. The dregs, society's poor, are banished to the train's tail while the elite live near the front in the lap of luxury. The downtrodden live in squalor, feasting on disgusting "protein" as their main sustenance, and suffering the wrath of train security if anyone steps out of line. There have been rebellions, all soundly defeated, but a new one is building led by the brooding hero, Curtis (Chris Evans), and his wizened old mentor, Gilliam (John Hurt). Tired of being bullied by the chittering, teeth-gnashing bureaucrat Mason (Tilda Swinton, in dork mode), Curtis, his right-hand man Edgar (Jamie Bell), and a drug-addled engineer (Song Kang-ho) gather an army and proceed to take the train car by car.

Combining brutal action with art house sensibilities, think The Raidmeets Metropolis, as the tail section survivors endure one bloody battle after another against the elite's heavily armed goon squad. Bong and screenwriter Kelly Masterson aren't content to make this just another beat 'em up, though, adding in stark social commentary and a central mystery of the train's origins for audiences to ponder. Designed often like the levels in an arcade game, each train car has a different feel and significance, like the oddball classroom led by pregnant, gun-toting schoolteacher (Alison Pill); or one glorious car built as a giant aquarium. The amount Bong is able to accomplish on a modest $40M budget is remarkable and shows his range in capturing the vibrant and unbearably grim. Not that we should be surprised at Bong's range. This is the same guy who delivered one of the great modern monster movies inThe Host, and the haunting South Korean film noir, Mother, both exceptional entries to their respective genres. The CGI gets a little dicey when the action moves, however briefly, outside the train to the frozen Earth below.

In working with a largely American audience Bong has managed to cull some memorable performances from his cast. Whatever the heck Swinton is doing with her nerdy librarian routine as Mason, she needs to keep doing it because she is simply amazing and a lot of fun. Supporting players Octavia Spencer, Ed Harris, Bell, Kang-ho, and Ko Ah-sung bring a ton of depth to characters that don't all get a lot of screen time. Evans shows off the physicality and stoic personality we've seen him employ as Captain America, but his character is probably the least defined of the bunch. That was probably done to maintain some level of secrecy but it becomes an issue later on we need to believe the choices he makes.

After a certain point the film begins to lose some of the momentum it left the station with as questions get answered and characters' true natures are revealed. This is probably the area where Weinstein was hoping to do some chopping as the final act is bogged down by a lot of people standing around explaining what was left out before. The energy comes to a dead halt as new surprises emerge seemingly out of nowhere with one major character twist lacking potency because of it.

It's become a common complaint that Hollywood doesn't offer enough in the way of heady sci-fi movies but the truth is that dynamic is changing. In a way it's ironic that Snowpiercer isn't getting a wider release because it pulls no punches either in brains or brawn and should appeal to audiences of every stripe.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Read More

New U.S. Trailer for 'Snowpiercer' Starring Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton

All the worrying over director's cuts and release dates are over and finally, FINALLY we will be seeing Bong Joon-Ho's epic sci-fi film, Snowpiercer, in theaters this summer. Sure, it will only be in limited release and may be overshadowed by the season's tentpoles, but at least we're getting Joon-Ho's full uncut vision for the apocalyptic thriller.

A new trailer cut for U.S. audiences has been released, showcasing the top-flight cast of Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Ewen Bremner, Alison Pill, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Ed Harris, Song Kang-Ho, and Ko Ah-Sung. By now you know this takes place aboard a moving train where the last human survivors of a ruined Earth battle after a brutal cast system is established.

Snowpiercer leaves the station on June 27th.


Snowpiercer Official Trailer #1 (2014) Chris Evans, 1080p HD by Filmsreviews

Read More

Red Band Trailer for Sci-Fi Epic 'Snowpiercer'

Bong Joon-Ho's highly anticipated Snowpiercer will be opening the LA Film Festival in June, indicating once and for all that the arguments are over in regards to the final version. Harvey Weinstein won't chop out 20 minutes as he was tempted to do, and Joon-Ho will get the full director's cut he wanted. It'll only open in limited release, but hey, those are the breaks.

An action-packed red band trailer and some new images have been released for the futuristic film. Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Octavia Spencer, Song Kang-ho, John Hurt, and Ed Harris star, with the story set in a future when an attempt to end global warming thrusts the world into a new ice age. What remains of humanity travels the world in a train propelled by a perpetual motion engine, until a violent class war erupts amongst the passengers.

Despite the mixed response it earned on the festival circuit, Snowpiercer is one film I'm dying to see on June 27th.

Read More

Interview: Joe and Anthony Russo Talk 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', 'Cap 3', and Being Marvel Geeks

Never let it be said that Marvel hasn't been doing some out of the box thinking when it comes to building their cinematic universe of superheroes. And part of that was their decision to hire Joe and Anthony Russo, directors best known for comedies like Welcome to Collinwood, You Me & Dupree, and NBC's Community, to helm Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But just like nearly every other gamble Marvel has taken, it was one that paid off in spades. The film thrusts Cap into an unfamiliar world where the good guys and bad guys aren't clearly defined, and the government is willing to sacrifice freedom at the altar of security.

My colleague +Tim Gordon  and I had a chance to sit down with the Russo Brothers and talk about their inspirations for Captain America 2, their comic book geek credentials, and what the future holds for Captain America 3.  Check out the interview below, then check out my review of the film here! Captain America: The Winter Soldier is in theaters now!

Read More