New on DVD & Blu-Ray: 'The Wolverine', 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'

The Wolverine: Arguably the most popular character in the entire X-Men franchise, the second Wolverine movie (or do-over, if you will) is full of action, attitude, and good-natured claw fighting. Plus, the end-credits scene segues in wonderfully with the next X-Men film, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hugh Jackman stars as Wolverine alongside Famke Janssen, Tao Okamoto, and Rila Fukushima.  Buy the Adamantium collection and get an awesome set of claws!

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Adamantium Collection

The Little Mermaid (Diamond Edition): This Disney classic has been a hit for the last two-plus decades, entertaining families with its magic and music. Now with the Diamond edition, there's more to devour with special featurettes and the Blu-Ray version of the movie.

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The Smurfs 2: The Smurfs are back and set out on another adventure when Smrufette is kidnapped by the evil Gargamel because she knows how to turn Gargamel's creatures into Smurfs. The film features Brendan Gleeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, Jayma Mays, and Hank Azaria. 



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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: The first book of the best-selling series by Cassandra Clare is now a movie. When Clary finds out that she is a Shadowhunter, a hunter of otherworldly creatures, her world is turned upside down. She begins to learn new facts that were hidden from her after her mother is kidnapped. The film stars Lilly Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Kevin Zegers, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.


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Hugh Jackman and James Mangold Returning for 'The Wolverine' Sequel

Even before The Wolverine clawed its way to over $400M this summer, Hugh Jackman was openly discussing the possibility this would be his time as the Canadian mutant. In regards to returning, he said “I wasn’t even sure after the first film if I would do another. I won’t say never, because I’m still loving it. But there would have to be a pretty compelling reason.” Perhaps that compelling reasons is a hefty sum offered up by 20th Century Fox, or maybe it has to do with the revitalized X-men universe the studio is building. Whatever the reasons are, Jackman is coming back for more, and he won't be alone.

Deadline reports Jackman and director James Mangold are in talks to return for a sequel to The Wolverine. Jackman enlisting for another film isn't too much of a shock, but Mangold's participation is a little unexpected. The Wolverine had begun as a Darren Aronofsky project which Mangold took over after he departed. As for the script, it looks like Mangold will take a first shot but we can expect to see others give it a go at some point.

This is obviously still very early on but one has to start thinking about where this film will fit into the larger picture being developed. Wolverine is the central figure in next year's X-men: Days of Future Past, and The Wolverine served as a bridge towards getting there. Will The Wolverine sequel take us into Jeff Wadlow's X-force? Or possibly X-men 4? Or something entirely different? And where will this one be set? Certainly Japan is out of the question, right? Maybe they'll drop Wolvie off in the wilds of the Savage Land? Maybe the next one will acknowledge that X-men Origins: Wolverine still exists? Eh, probably not.  Lots of questions to be answered. Stay tuned.

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Anna Paquin Almost Appeared as Rogue in 'The Wolverine'

The Wolverine was initially pushed as a standalone film that wouldn't lean on the prior X-men films, but that wasn't really how it played out. Whether it was due to 20th Century Fox moving forward on their plans to expand the mutant-verse with X-men: First Class and other features, the film draws significantly from the events of X-men: The Last Stand, with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) still agonizing over Jean Grey's death. Famke Janssen made numerous cameo appearances as Jean, haunting Wolverine's dreams and driving him towards the edge of madness. But as it turns out, the story could have been very different, as one of the early drafts had a different X-woman making her return....

While talking to Creative Screenwriting, co-writers Scott Frank and Mark Bomback revealed that Rogue (Anna Paquin) would have made an appearance, and it sounds as if they had some solid ideas for her pairing with Wolverine before deciding to change course....

Bomback: "I love Rogue and I just think that there's something about this idea that Rogue is tremendously empathetic but incapable of safe human contact. That always moved me and I thought that's what really got to the heart of what makes the X-Men franchise so unique. So I was trying to do something with Rogue in the script. I even had a set of ideas that the old man possessed a version of Rogue's power and that was going to be indicated by a white stripe in his hair. Eventually it became very goofy, and I threw it out because I started realizing throughout the script that it became more problematic than cool."

Wolverine has always had something of a mentor relationship with Rogue, as well as other young mutants like Jubilee and Kitty Pryde, but her presence in this particular story wouldn't have made any sense and she would have been lost in the shuffle. Besides, they capture the nature of the relationship pretty well in Wolverine's partnership with Yukio.  In the comics, Rogue plays a crucial role as Wolverine battles the Silver Samurai and Viper, but the source material is very different from what was depicted on screen.

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Cinema Royale #27- The Wolverine

SNIKT! Known as the X-man who is "The best there is at what he does", Wolverine's solo film debut was panned by even the staunchest X-men fan. Now Hugh Jackman is back as the clawed mutant in The Wolverine, but is this the film fans have been waiting so long for?

Plus, as The Wolverine sets up next year's X-men: Days of Future Past, we'll take a look back at the history of the X-men on the big screen!

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, and Podomatic. Listen to this week's episode below...

Listen to internet radio with Cinema Royale on BlogTalkRadio

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*CLOSED* 'The Wolverine' Advance Screening

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED: Winners to be notified shortly. 

If you've hung around this site long enough then chances are you know I'm a HUGE fan of the X-men, and thus The Wolverine is the superhero film I'm most looking forward. So you have to know how excited I am to be able to offer our readers the chance to attend a free advance screening of the film, so you can see Logan be "the best there is at what he does" before everybody else.

The screening takes place on Tuesday July 23rd at 7:30pm at AMC Mazza Gallerie. To qualify, you MUST be a fan of Punch Drunk Critics on Facebook,so if you haven't "Liked" us yet please go there and do so now.  Simply leave a comment here with your name, email address, and of course we need to know who your favorite X-man is. Thirty winners will be randomly chosen and contacted on Saturday July 20th with a downloadable E-pass for you and a guest.

Good luck! The Wolverine opens on July 26th!

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Two New Clips from 'The Wolverine' Feature Jean Grey and Yukio

There's no doubt that Logan is "the best there is at what he does", but he's also got a pretty good track record with the ladies. Unfortunately most of them wind up dead at the hands of his enemies, but those are the breaks that come with being a superhero. We've seen glimpses of Famke Janssen returning as Jean Grey in The Wolverine, with her death in X-men: The Last Stand still weighing on Logan as he journeys to Japan.

With Comic-Con right around the corner, and The Wolverine there to basically make one last appeal to its target audience, 20th Century Fox has released two new clips highlighting Jean Grey and Yukio (Rila Fukushima).  The latter is a deadly assassin in the employ of Lord Shingen, and in the comics  she becomes one of Logan's most trusted allies. Here she's content to just take out a couple of drunken rubes in a very PG-13 fashion.

The recent news that Fox is planning to expand their X-men universe in a major way puts The Wolverine in a completely different position than it was just a few days ago. Many expect it will serve as a bridge to next year's X-men: Days of Future Past, and now there's the chance of it having an even greater significance. The Wolverine opens on July 26th.

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Third Clip from 'The Wolverine' Takes Logan to WWII

In the X-men comics, Wolverine has been around a very long time. His healing factor doesn't just make him really tough to kill, but it slows down his aging to the point where he's lived for hundreds of years. And like any immortal creature, living forever and watching his friends die has started to become a burden Logan no longer wants to carry. At least that seems to be a large part of the idea surrounding The Wolverine, and the latest clip flashes us back to WWII when Wolverine risked his life to save a Japanese soldier. That same soldier will play a crucial factor later on, offering him a chance to finally lose the mutant powers which have kept him alive for so long.

The Wolverine stars Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Brian Tee, Rila Fukushima, Svetlana Khodchenkova, and Tao Okamoto, and opens on July 26th.

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Hugh Jackman Fights At A Funeral In New 'The Wolverine' Clip

When Wolverine thinks you may be walking into a trap, it's probably a good idea to pay attention. Yesterday we got our first look at the intense action in The Wolverine as Logan battled atop a speeding bullet train, and now in today's footage he pops some claw when he, Yukio, and Mariko come under attack at a funeral. We know James Mangold plans on exploring the inner struggle Wolverine faces keeping his animal instincts in check, but so far we've been treated to non-stop adamantium action and it's been pretty awesome. Let's hope the movie can live up to the promise of these first couple of clips.

The Wolverine stars Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Brian Tee, Rila Fukushima, Svetlana Khodchenkova, and Tao Okamoto, and opens on July 26th.

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Logan Pulls a "Fastball Special" In First Clip from 'The Wolverine'

Say what you will about The Lone Ranger, like that it totally bombed this past weekend, but Gore Verbinski got the two train sequences exactly right. Nobody would compare director James Mangold to Verbinski when it comes to staging massive action scenes, but there's been a lot of talk about the "bullet train" battle he put together for The Wolverine, and now we can get a look at what all of the fuss was about.

The first clip has been unsheathed, and it's basically a minute and twenty second fight scene as Logan (Hugh Jackman) battles members of the yakuza aboard a speeding train. It's a fast-paced, action packed bit of footage that also finds a unique way to incorporate the famous X-men "fastball special".

The Wolverine opens on July 26th.


The Wolverine "Train Fight" Extended Clip by FanReviews

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New Suibokuga Poster Of Jean Grey In 'The Wolverine'

Although it appeared that none of the other X-men would be turning up in The Wolverine, once Famke Janssen was spotted on set it became clear that Jean Grey would fit in the story somehow. She's since been a part of the trailers in what look to be dream sequences as Logan (Hugh Jackman) continues to deal with the impact of her demise in X-men: The Last Stand. She apparently weighs on his mind so much that she's getting her own poster, done in the same ink-heavy suibokuga style as earlier ones featuring Silver Samurai, Wolverine, Yukio, and Viper.

The Wolverine opens on July 26th. 20th Century Fox deserves credit for attempting to do something a little different with the marketing, and not just giving us the same old Photoshopped nonsense most other studios crank out.

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before. [Collider]

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James Mangold Says 'The Wolverine' "Stands Alone" From 'X-men: Days of Future Past'

 

When The Wolverine was announced, back when Darren Aronofsky was attached, it was expected to be a stand-alone effort that would have nothing to do with the other X-men films. Most especially it was skirting past X-men Origins: Wolverine, which nobody cared much for. James Mangold would eventually come aboard as director, and the landscape changed when Bryan Singer began developing X-men: Days of Future Past. Instantly the rumors began that the two films would be connected, even detailing a scene that would serve as a bridge between them. In a conversation with SFX, Mangold holds fast to his claim that the film is a total one-shot that has nothing to do with 'Days of Future Past'....

Mangold: “Bryan and I have talked and he’s seen what we’ve done. Clearly the reality is that we are all trying to work together and make things groove together. But the trick is we were making our movie before Bryan came on and before I knew what they were up to in that film. Our agenda was always our agenda and our movie stands alone, so the journey we take Logan on in The Wolverine, we bring to a close.”

It's possible for Mangold to be telling the truth without refuting prior rumors. The Wolverine could bring Logan's solo story to a complete conclusion, and then in a post-credits sequence shift gears in order to set up Singer's film. We'll find out what's really up for Logan when The Wolverine opens on July 26th. Personally, I'm hoping for an early screening at Comic-Con. *fingers crossed*

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New photos from 'The Wolverine' reveal some action in front and behind the camera

The Wolverine is already slicing its way through new marketing campaigns as the release date for the film draws closer. Director James Mangold recently shared a few behind-the-scenes pictures, and now five new photos have emerged to gift us with more excitement for the film. 

This time, we get a glimpse at some of the action in front and behind the camera as Wolverine brings down anyone unintelligent enough to fight him and makes Japan his temporary home. 

Check out the pictures below! 

The Wolverine hits theaters July 26. 

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New trailer for 'The Wolverine' starring Hugh Jackman

It's easy to forget because the film was so forgettable, but 20th Century Fox had a lot riding on 2009's X-men Origins: Wolverine. After X-men: the Last Stand left fans with a bad taste in their mouths, the plan was to release a number of solo films, including a young Magneto tale set during WWII. But after Wolverine's outing proved to be a box office and critical bomb, pretty much everything was shuttered until X-men: First Class opened up a glimmer of hope. Now we see things coming full circle, with X-men: Days of Future Past bringing back the old X-men cast and tying in somehow into Hugh Jackman's solo sequel, The Wolverine, which has just debuted a new trailer.

Coming on the heels of two new one-sheets featuring Yukio and the evil Viper, the new footage is heavily focused on the many women who are making Logan's life miserable. We knew that Famke Janssen would be making a cameo as Jean Grey, and her presence is felt immediately as the feral X-man is still dealing with his role in her death. Much of the footage will be familiar, including the arrival of the red-haired assassin Yukio, and Logan's heroic rescue of a man who will later make an offer he simply can't refuse. But we do see more of the inexplicably snake-tongued Viper, a closer look at Lord Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Logan battling what appears to be a giant robotic samurai. Leaving aside some of the film noir elements we've seen in earlier photos and trailers, this one aims squarely for action, including what looks like an intense sequence aboard a train racing through Japan.

Directed by James Mangold, The Wolverine claws into theaters on July 26th.

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New posters for 'The Wolverine', 'Man of Steel', 'Blue Jasmine', and more

Iron Man isn't the only Marvel hero getting in on the summer action. Logan the ol' Canucklehead is hoping to pop a claw into the box office with The Wolverine. At this point the only mystery left surrounding it are the ties to X-men: Days of Future Past, which could be significant indeed if prior rumors turn out to be true, and if all of the cameos come about. A new trailer will debut tomorrow, but for now a pair of character posters sketched in a similar style as earlier ones of Logan and Silver Samurai. These feature Wolverine's sexy assassin ally Yukio (Rila Fukushima) and the evil Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), his former peer now a deadly enemy. The Wolverine opens on July 26th and is directed by James Mangold.

Speaking of comic book heroes, Warner Bros. has one of their own when Superman takes to the skies in Man of Steel. With so much riding on the film's success (like a potential Justice League movie), the studio is pulling out the big guns with what will hopefully be a string of new character posters. The first belongs to Russell Crowe, wielding a massive cannon as Jor-El. Not sure how that will stop a planet from imploding, but maybe I'm missing something! Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill, Man of Steel arrives on June 14th.

Well, nobody is going to confuse this poster for Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine with the stylish, artistic one-sheets for Midnight in Paris. The rather boring image features Cate Blanchett and.....that's pretty much it. Plot details remain scarce, but we know the story centers on a fashionable New York housewife in the midst of an acute crisis. Yep, sounds like Allen. Alec Baldwin, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K. Michael Stuhlbarg, Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, and Peter Sarsgaard co-star, with the film opening on July 26th.

Mads Mikkelsen and the Cannes Film Festival basically go hand-in-hand at this point. Last year he took home the Best Actor prize for Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt, and now he's back again and in competition with Michael Kohlhaas, an adaptation of Heinrich von Kleist's 19th century novel. Directed by Arnaud des Pallieres, Mikkelsen plays the controversial real-life merchant Kohlhaas who goes on a violent lawless streak against the town of Saxony after two of his horses are confiscated. Chances are this will never get a whiff of a major release here in the States, but with a supporting cast that includes Denis Lavant (Holy Motors), Bruno Ganz (Downfall), and Sergi Lopez (Pan's Labyrinth) it may be worth hitting the local art house theater to catch.

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Set photos from 'The Wolverine' and 'Days of Future Past' reveal Hugh Jackman across time

One thing we know going in to Bryan Singer's X-men: Days of Future Past is that it's going to include a lot of time travel. The story we presume is set in our present, with the team attempting to stop an apocalyptic future from taking place. But when exactly is that "present"?  How does it jibe with the placement of The Wolverine? Or X-men: The Last Stand? Or any of the other X-men movies, for that matter?

Bryan Singer and The Wolverine director James Mangold have revealed two new set photos featuring Hugh Jackman as Logan. Singer's image from 'Days of Future Past' shows Logan and his trusty, fashion-timeless jacket, opposite Nicholas Hoult as Henry "Beast" McCoy. Captioned "Welcome to 1973", it suggests that Logan has been transported back in time, which would also support recent rumors about the conclusion of The Wolverine. But is it really so cut 'n dried? Let's not forget that Logan is essentially immortal ages slower than others, so this could just be him in his proper time looking exactly the same as he does years later. Have a headache yet? Such is the nature of time travel movies.

Mangold's set photo is a claw-to-sword battle between Logan and his nemesis Lord Shingen, played by Hiroyuki Sanada. Comparing the images, Logan's still sporting a mean set of muttenchops, but the hair is all wrong. Maybe he goes back in time and gets a perfectly retro haircut? The Wolverine finds the Canadian X-man in Japan finding love with Mariko Yashida, earning the wrath of the yakuza, and having his immortality pushed to the limits by a powerful new foe.

The Wolverine hits theaters later this year on July 26th. X-men: Days of Future Past takes over on July 18th 2014.

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Rumor: A major cameo appearance in 'The Wolverine' links to 'X-men: Days of Future Past'

Everything we know about The Wolverine so far has suggested that it won't tie too much into next year's X-men: Days of Future Past. We know the film will have Logan in Japan, and takes place some time after X-men: The Last Stand, as brief glimpses of Famke Janssen as Jean Grey suggest he's still mourning her death. But there's the nagging issue of how Logan will make his way over into Bryan Singer's film, which involves alternate realities and future versions of the X-men. A new rumor has surfaced which may explain how everything fits together. Look out, spoilers below the fold....

A source contacting JoBlo has clued them in to a late reshoot that could serve as a bridge between The Wolverine and X-men: Days of Future Past. It takes place in an airport, and involves Wolverine and Professor Xavier walking together into a freeze frame. It's unclear if this is a post-credits sequence or what, but it certainly sounds like it. It's also not clear if this was meant to be the Patrick Stewart version or the James McAvoy version, and the answer to that question could explain a lot. For instance, after the events of 'The Last Stand', Professor X is supposedly dead. And if it's the younger McAvoy version, then that would suggest....that maybe The Wolverine takes place in an alternate timeline? The possibilities are endless and confusing, as anything dealing with time travel tends to be.

None of this is confirmed, obviously, so we may just have to wait until the film opens on July 26th to find out the truth.

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New CinemaCon trailer for 'The Wolverine'

Is someone trying to turn the annual CinemaCon event into a new breeding ground for footage of the summer's biggest tentpoles? Just a few days ago we were treated to an epic trailer for Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim, which had been exclusive to attendees of the event up to that point. Now comes new footage from the second Marvel offering of the summer, The Wolverine.

The trailer doesn't actually provide a lot of new footage, but does show that Logan (Hugh Jackman) will be breaking out the adamantium steel early and often. Rain-soaked, noirish Japan makes for an intriguing backdrop compared to the sterile X-men Origins: Wolverine, and we've been promised that the Canadian X-man will be tested physically like never before. Look close and you'll catch a glimpse of Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, the most important woman in his life up to this point.

Directed by James Mangold, The Wolverine claws into theaters on July 26th.

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New Japanese trailer for 'The Wolverine' offers up new footage

Let's not forget that Marvel has more than just Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World coming up this year. Over at 20th Century Fox, the mutant corner of their superhero universe is gaining new ground with the arrival of The Wolverine this summer, which will serve as a lead-in of sorts to next year's X-men: Days of Future Past. We've already seen Hugh Jackman claw his way through one trailer as the Canadian X-man, and now new footage can be found in the Japanese version.

Directed by James Mangold and based on Chris Claremont's seminal comic book story set in Japan, the film finds Logan facing an old enemy strong enough put his immortality to the test. Tao Okamoto co-stars as Mariko Yashida, Logan's true love and the one who inspires his quest to tame his feral nature and embrace the samurai code. The film continues to look less like your standard superhero movie, and more like a gangland noir.

Also starring Will Yun Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Brian Tee, Rila Fukushima, Tao Okamoto and Svetlana Khodchenkova, The Wolverine hits theaters on July 26th.

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'The Wolverine' reminds you about the teaser in teaser trailer

There are few movies as highly anticipated as this year's The Wolverine. The fan power of this character is as regenerative as Wolverine himself. Franchises have died on far less than the disappointing results of X-men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine the latter of which I stand by as a fun film even if it did ruin Deadpool. Some characters are simply to cool to kill. Wolverine as played by Hugh Jackman is basically a gruff James Dean except instead of cigarettes he has 15" blades come out of his hands....I would say advantage Wolverine. Needless to say fans have been dying for their next dose this badass Canuck. Today we get our first look in a teaser trailer released to MTV today.



Teaser should really be over emphasized  At 20 seconds long it's barely enough to comprehend much less feel satisfied by.  Honestly I'm not even sure how to break it down for you other than to say the last few seconds makes me think the movie is at least partly "cure" driven... whether that be by choice or by force (I would guess option 2). Check out the clip below and let us know if you see any good spoilery tidbits hidden in the quick shots!




Bonus Question: Are there any other single X-man/woman who could legitimately hold their own in a series of films?

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James Mangold talks 'The Wolverine', says Logan will be "stripped clean" of the X-men

We're not that far away from The Wolverine clawing its way into theaters, and yet we've still seen little from it other than a few photos of Hugh Jackman. The film seems to be flying under the radar a little bit, interesting considering its just as much a Marvel movie as Iron Man 3. We know the gist of the story, with Logan finding himself in Japan at his lowest point, finding romance and old enemies bent on destroying him.

There are a number of questions still in the air, most of which involving the film's placement in the larger X-men universe. Rumors have Famke Janssen popping up for a cameo, and the story is said to take place after the events of X-men: The Last Stand. But how long after? James Mangold spoke to EW and reveals the Logan we catch up with won't be tied down by his past ties to the X-men....

Mangold: "I felt it was really important to find Logan at a moment where he was stripped clean of his duties to the X-Men, his other allegiances, and even stripped clean of his own sense of purpose. I was fascinated with the idea of portraying Logan as a ronin – the definition of which is a samurai without a master, without a purpose. Kind of a soldier who is cut loose. War is over. What does he do? What does he face? What does he believe anymore? Who are his friends? What is his reason for being here anymore? I think those questions are especially interesting when you’re dealing with a character who is essentially immortal."

The story is merely based in part on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's seminal comic, not a direct adaptation. Many of the same characters from the story do appear, such as Yukio, Silver Samurai, Lord Shingen, and Logan's true love, Mariko Yashida.

Mangold:  "What I wrote on the back of the script when I first read it was 'Everyone I love will die'. The story I’ve been telling, he enters it believing that. Therefore he’s living in a kind of isolation. He gets drawn to Japan by an old friendship and then finds himself in a labyrinth of deceit, caught up in the agendas of mobsters, of wealth, and other powers we come to understand... You find Logan and his love is gone, his mentors are gone, many of his friends are gone, his own sense of purpose – what am I doing, why do I bother – and his exhaustion is high. He has lived a long time, and he’s tired. He’s tired of the pain."

Man of Steel and The Wolverine sound like they could be very similar in tone, which should be perfect for a director like Mangold. We'll see how it turns out on July 26th. 

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