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Every Shot of Baby Groot from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Trailer #2

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Nick Doll in Marvel, MCU, Movies, Original Screen Grabs, Trailers

Everyone fell in love with Groot in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film back in 2014. Then, during the credits, everyone fell in love with Groot again, this time as a sapling. In 2017, I predict Baby Groot to be the cutest pop-culture icon of all! Forget Minions and BB-8, Baby Groot is what you and your children (if they exist) are going to want for Christmas this year!

In honor of his cuteness, I’ve made a collection of Screengrabs featuring every shot of Baby Groot from the 2nd trailer to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In doing so,I realized how little of the trailer Baby Groot actually appears in, making his overwhelming presence all the more impressive. Look close, as a smaller Groot is known to hitch a ride on someone’s shoulder. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits the big screen this May!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Final Theatrical Trailer

Posted on February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 by Nick Doll in Marvel, MCU, Movies, Trailers

Below is the final theatrical trailer for what looks to be, at the very least, the most visually stunning Marvel Cinematic Universe film yet… GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2!

So, for once, I’m just going to let it be… (Though there is obviously so much I could say…)

“Groot, put your seatbelt on!”

‘Nuff Said.

SPIDER-MAN in the MCU: The Ultimate Venom/Carnage “Trilogy”

Posted on February 18, 2017February 18, 2017 by Nick Doll in Avengers, Comics, Features, Marvel, Marvel's Spider-Man, MCU, Movies, Villains

For the longest time, I’ve had in my head the perfect, four movie plan for a Spider-Man story-arc that delivers fully fleshed-out origins for my favorite villains, Venom and Carnage, leaving them space to grow, breath, and become the arch-villains they are in the Comics. It’s likely said plan has been materializing in the back of my brain since 2007, the year Spider-Man 3 more-or-less ruined Venom by treating him like a third rate, rushed villain. The lesson learned was, you can’t have Peter Parker receive the Black Suit/Symbiote, reject in, and face Venom in a single film… and have it feel earned.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe offers the opportunity not just to revise crimes of Spider-Man films past, but also the unique chance to develop characters and arcs across multiple titles without “Spider-Man” in the title. Case in point, Tom Holland is confirmed to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Avengers: Infinity War, a movie that will feature the Webhead and possibly some of his world’s characters. Using shared films like Avengers titles is the process I’d use to keep a complete Venom story limited to an official trilogy, from establishing Spidey’s world and normal villains to facing Carnage alongside Venom in “MCU Spider-Man 3.” Of course, all this is mute unless Sony feels compelled to to share Venom with Disney owned Marvel Studios. At the moment Sony foolishly plan on making their own, standalone Venom movie, aside from the MCU and even the character Spider-Man (WTF?).

If rights were to be worked out, and Marvel Studios set forth to create the ultimate and complete Venom story-arc, here are the four parts to the story they would need to do it right… this time.

Part 1: Establish Spider-Man’s Everyday World and Villains in OG Suit Days.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7,2017)Peter Parker is already Spider-Man in the MCU; Captain America: Civil War made that clear and this time we didn’t need to witness Uncle Ben get shot! Spider-Man: Homecoming is an important step to Venom. We must first establish how a traditional, Earth-Bound Spider-Man villain, Michael Keaton’s Vulture in this case, threatens the traditional looking Spider-Man we know and love. Because, you can’t introduce the Black Suit in the establishing Spider-Man film! That’s crazy!

We already know a good deal of what to expect in July when Marvel Studios releases their Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the Black Suit and Venom are not among them. We are off to the right start in not jumping the gun! But… what if Homecoming does introduce Eddie Brock, who, of course, becomes Venom a few films down the line. In the Comics, Brock starts as a small-time criminal involved in bigger dealings than usual, ending up captured and incarcerated by Spider-Man. When Eddie Brock is a freed, he seeks to destroy Spider-Man, but he doesn’t have the means or the powers… until the Symbiote finds him. Introducing Brock as a henchman of Vulture’s would quickly plant the seed for an eventual appearance of Venom. It would also make one hell of an Easter Egg!

donald-glover-and-shocker-in-spider-man-homecoming — Donald Glover certainly looks to be playing a sinister fellow without the toys of his colleges, like this gentleman dressing like Shocker.

Though I recently wrote about casting Michael C. Hall as the MCU’s Ultimate Green Goblin, a traditional Eddie Brock is really the character I’ve always felt Hall was born to play. Since Homecoming is already shot and Michael C. Hall is very likely not in the film, who says Donald Glover isn’t playing Eddie Brock? In the first trailer, we see Glover keeping company with another Vulture henchman, implying Glover is playing a small-time criminal, sans cool toys. Some have surmised he may be playing Miles Morales’ uncle in order to set up a Spidey-Successor come contract negotiations. But, what if Glover’s our MCU Eddie Brock/Venom? Food for thought!

Part 2: Find the Black Suit in Space! Establish Its Great Power and Side Effects.

Avengers: Infinity War (May 4, 2018)/Untitled Avengers Film (May 3, 2019)In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker found the alien Symbiote/Black Suit in his room… after it climbed into his bag… after it landed in Central Park next to him… on a meteorite… by complete chance. Whew! That’s a Shit-load of suspension of disbelief, even in a Superhero Film! In the comics, Spider-Man finds his black suit in outer-space during a cosmic battle during as Secret Wars. Guess where The Avengers (and Spider-Man) will be fighting in Avengers: Infinity War, Spidey’s 1st post-Homecoming film?

Infinity War and whatever Avengers Title follows will certainly have cosmic battle against Thanos, so actually picking up the Black Suit in outer-space is a real possibility in the MCU. Besides, The Avengers are going to need a secret weapon in the final fight against Thanos, part of which can be a super-super-powered Spider-Man with the added strength and abilities of the Symbiote. Then, towards the end of Untitled Avengers Film, just give us a hint at the side effects of wearing a living Alien Symbiote. Something along the lines of voices in Parker’s head.

Part 3: Ditch the Black Suit. Eddie Brock Becomes Main Villain… Venom!

Spider-Man: “Back In Black”* (July 5, 2019*)Finally, you’ve earned the actual Venom movie! Start with a 007/Indiana Jones-esque opening act with Spider-Man facing a classic villain from is rogue’s gallery… Eddie Brock should be involved and re-established. Give the villain a full act, not just 5 minutes like Rhino in Amazing Spider-Man 2. The villain is a red herring, as it’s all Peter Parker learning his Black Suit is influencing him in negative ways. Following his almost killing the villain, Parker desperately ditches the suit in that Church’s Bell Tower and Eddie Brock is below, fuming about Spider-Man, yet seeking forgiveness. The rest is history. Now you have at least half a film, if not more, for Spider-Man to face his ultimate villain/doppelganger… Venom!

Part 4: Carnage Is Spawned. Venom and Spider-Man Must Join Forces.

Spider-Man: “Maximum Carnage” (The Future?… Let’s Say 2022.)This Trilogy closer is sweet, sweet icing on the cake! If we’re already headed down the Venom path, it would be a shame to not also build to Carnage; we’ve done 90% of the leg-work already! Spider-Man catches the serial killer Cletus Kasady, who ends up sharing a cell with Eddie Brock. What remains of the Symbiote seeks out Brock, freeing him as Venom. A bit of the suit is left behind, spawning a child of Venom, Carnage, a new, more powerful Symbiote that affixes itself to a serial killer, not simply a small-time Spider-Man and Venom must eventually join forces to stop what we have finally reached… “Maximum Carnage.” What Spider-Man fan doesn’t want to see that?!?

* Invented titles and possible release dates.

The SPIDER-MAN Character The MCU Needs To Add Immediately! And Who Should Play Him!

Posted on October 31, 2016February 17, 2017 by Nick Doll in Avengers, Comics, Featured, Features, Marvel, Marvel's Spider-Man, MCU, Movies, Villains

Since the day the news broke that Spider-Man was joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, via a deal between Marvel and Sony, everyone has been fascinated with how Peter Parker would interact with The Avengers. Captain America: Civil War added fuel to the excitement-fire by revealing the first pieces of Spider-Man’s relationship with the likes of Iron Man and Captain America, and now people can’t wait for Web Head to meet other MCU legends like Hulk, Dr. Strange, and, most importantly, Rocket. It seems not enough thought has been dedicated to the prospect of how other characters from the “Spider-Verse” (aside from Peter and Aunt May) could be utilized to fill recurring roles across the MCU.

Such as, a legendary nemesis that originated as a strictly Spider-Man character and has since grown into more of an overall Marvel villain in the comics. Yes, we have seen Norman Osborn in both versions of the Spider-Man movie series, but stick with me here. I am NOT suggesting we bring in the Green Goblin at any point (though I would love to see him a few Spider-Man movies in); Norman Osborn, sans Goblin, could be a very effective cinematic threat for all the Earth-bound Avengers, based on his more recent comics history.

Norman Osborn with Marvel's Baddest Villains — Norman Osborn meets with other A-List Marvel Villains

These days, Norman Osborn has more in common with Lex Luthor than the Joker. Old school, full-on Green Goblin Norman murdered Gwen Stacy and obsessed over killing Spider-Man, much like Joker’s relationship with Batman. The version brought to life by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) was a great adaptation of that older idea. The new version I suggest has greater aspirations and an agenda on a much larger scale. An MCU-wide threat.

We got a hint what a Green-Goblin-Free, more businessman-like Norman could look like in The Amazing Spider-Man films, though it was poorly done and never paid off. Norman Osborn wasn’t even cast in the 1st Amazing Spider-Man; he was the faceless puppeteer of the sinister Oscorp. In the MCU, such a move would be a step in the right direction, but I want to see him cast, right away! Like, “I wish he was a character already in Civil War.” Like 6 months ago “right away.” Look, Norman loomed large over Sam Raimi’s initial Spider-Man trilogy, with a talky-mirror scene in every film, and Oscorp was a huge part of The Amazing Spider-Man with Harry Osborn becoming the Goblin in the sequel, but we still need a 3rd version of Norman (we’ve had 3 Jokers and 3 Lex Luthors on thebig screen). But, to avoid overexposure of a 3rd reboot, he doesn’t even need to be a secondary villain or “boss” pulling the strings of a hired (or tricked) super-villain… at the start. I just want Marvel Studios to establish the fact that Norman Osborn clearly exists in their universe as soon as possible. Show us his new face. Because the moment we know he’s out there… the possibilities are endless.

Start small. Norman and Oscorp exist. Now… slowly extrapolate over the course of Phase 4, not limiting the character to Spider-Man solo films. Oscorp could become a more recognizable, shady company than Hammer Advanced Weapon Systems or A.I.M., but I would prefer to keep Norman Osborn completely separate from the overused Hydra. In fact, I would like to have him take over the role as primary thorn in The Avengers side. Comics Norman, like Lex Luthor, somehow manages to remain trusted enough by both the public and the government to be given the title and power of Iron Patriot as well as jurisdiction over his own team of “Dark Avengers.” Built up correctly, Norman Osborn could be the overarching threat, the “Hydra” if you will, the drives The Avengers through Phase 4 and beyond.But who should play the latest Mr. Norman Osborn? Let’s be real; NO ONE can top the aforementioned Willem Dafoe. I think his take is a better villain than any other we’ve seen since in the Marvel and DC movies. He’s not the best written villain, but something about Dafoe’s delicious performance makes him more dangerous, yet gleeful than Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger’s Joker, Tom Hiddleson’s Loki, and the rest. Unfortunately, no Studio likes to reuse actors in their reboots (as much as I’d also like to have J.K. Simmons back as J. Jonah Jameson), and Dafoe is tied up in the DC Extended Universe (as is Simmons!).

I’ve been saving this actor for my dream casting for another Spider-Man character, Eddie Brock, the 1st and most definite host to the Venom symbiote. But, with a rumored Venom film independent of Spider-Man on the way from Sony and the problems the character had in Spider-Man 3, it’s actually less likely that we will see Brock than Norman. So… I nominate… Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for your MCU Norman Osborn!

Think about it. Hall could play intimidating, likable but slimy businessman Norman, no problem! And, if need be, he can go full “Dexter’s-inner-monologue crazy” if his role is evolved to full villain. Which hopefully, it is. Because if Norman can’t pay off as Iron Patriot due to prior MCU story-lines, I’d love to see the Goblin and his own team eventually face The Avengers… or he can just act big across the MCU as Norman and just pester Spider-Man as Goblin in a sequel to Homecoming… or we can forget the Green Goblin all together… I just want some God-Damn Norman Osborn in my MCU! Right away!

Thanks, Marvel Studios. You’re a peach!

DR. STRANGE Trailer #2: Marvel Drops Acid and Looks Through a Kaleidoscope!

Posted on July 23, 2016July 23, 2016 by Nick Doll in Benedict Cumberbatch, Dr. Strange, Marvel, MCU, Movies, Posters, Trailers, Uncategorized

It seems like whenever DC releases something awesome, say the new Teasers for Wonder Woman, Justice League, and The Lego Batman Movie, Marvel strikes back and eclipses them.

While these DC titles are all higher profile (it’s Wonder Women, Batman, and The Justice League for Christ’s sake), Marvel Studios has turned one of their lesser known comics into another unique genre crossover that explores a new corner of the MCU (magic!) with a fresh visual unlike anything we’ve seen. Lofty statements, I know, but just check out the trailer and try not to let your brain melt.

The visuals are stunning, like Inception on Mushrooms (seriously, this movie is probably a druggie’s wet dream). To remember just the insane worlds and architecture literally folding in on each other is a mistake; we also see gorgeous portals and an amazing realization of what using magic looks like in the MCU. Though you could argue Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) uses magic, nothing she’s done in Avengers: Age of Ultron or Captain America: Civil War looks as well executed as the magic we see Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) perform in battle.

Like with Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, Marvel is showing us something they haven’t done yet. Something less conventional and more of a genre crossing movie that surprises us again after a more conventional film like Civil War.“You [DC] show them something, we’ll show you something better,” sayth Marvel! And it was great.

SDCC ‘LUKE CAGE’ Trailer May Be Marvel’s Best – Also, ‘IRON FIST’ and ‘DEFENDERS’ Teasers!

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Nick Doll in Daredevil, Marvel, MCU, Trailers, TV Shows

Marvel’s Netflix corner of the MCU looks as though it will continue to blossom (not that anything can really grow in Marvel’s version of Hell’s Kitchen or Harlem).

At San Diego Comic Con Thursday, Marvel Studios unveiled trailers for their next three (3!) Netflix Series. To be fair, they range from as teaser-y as you can get to full-on-bad-ass action sequence.From what I have seen thus far, Marvel’s Netflix series (which are part of the official MCU of Marvel Studios Movies & Television – one shared universe) have been of the highest quality, standing toe to toe with the best films that feature any combination of Avengers’ Members. Daredevil raised the bar as far as what a superhero on TV could be, how dark Marvel Studios would go, and further proved the company can make any character interesting. Then the Studio doubled down with Jessica Jones, stepping back from the Superhero Genre into the shadows of Film Noir/ Detective Genre, all while upping the ante as far as darkness and reinventing a nearly unknown comic character. And while Daredevil is good, Jessica Jones is great, even featuring one of the top 3 villains in all of the MCU; Kilgrave (David Tennant) alongside Loki and Baron Zemo.This new, full Luke Cage trailer carries on the tone of Marvel’s “Defenders” shows (more on The Defenders in a bit), with a hallway action sequence that brings Daredevil Season 1’s famous shot to mind, but presents a completely fresh tone in a Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant-Man manner. Existing more as a scene than a full “theatrical” trailer (they actually do call longer TV Show Trailers that now), the San Diego Comic Con trailer for Luke Cage may be the best trailer the studio has cut in either medium. It does appear to lean more toward the Superhero Genre than Jessica Jones, though.

After a sabotaged experiment leaves him with super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) becomes a fugitive trying to rebuild his life in modern day Harlem, New York City. But he is soon pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his city – forcing him to confront a past he had tried to bury.

Watch it now, then onto Iron Fist and The Defenders!

Luke Cage (Mike Colter) certainly looks like he will be kicking ass AND taking names to a few jams come September 30th.

Not surprisingly, Marvel and Netflix had more to share at Comic Con, the 4th show in their Defenders Universe, following Luke Cage.Iron Fist doesn’t look nearly as good as Luke Cage, Daredevil, or Jessica Jones, but it is just a 51 second teaser showing me glimpses at characters and powers I don’t recognize. After all, Iron Fist is the hardest sell, as the most unknown of the characters appearing on Netflix similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, while also being the least grounded and hardest to sell, like Thor.

Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.

I give you, Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist.

Which finally brings us to The Defenders, as I promised. The Defenders lies at the end of Marvel’s Netflix version of Phase 1. Just as all four Avengers were introduced one movie at a time (with Iron Man receiving two movies) before their team up film, these four Netflix characters that protect Hell’s Kitchen in their respective television seasons (with Daredevil receiving two seasons, as well) will assemble to form THE DEFENDERS! Marvel’s more brutal Heroes brought together and allowed to go into R-Rated territory, brought to you by Disney!

Marvel’s The Defenders will unite Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, as they face their biggest threat yet.

Here’s that most teaser-y of teasers you’ve seen since The Dark Knight teaser trailer!

No footage this early on, and is that voice over even from the show? Because have they started it yet? I am unsure, but it is a tease of a teaser as promised.

There you have it, teasers for the remainder of “Defenders: Phase 1.” There’s a bright, beautiful Marvel future out there, friends, even without going to the Cinema (though you should probably continue to do that too).

X-MEN APOCALYPSE Review: Why Can’t They All Be Like DEADPOOL?

Posted on May 27, 2016June 3, 2016 by Nick Doll in Marvel, Movies, Reviews

Only MILD SPOILERS ahead. There’s nothing here that you couldn’t surmise from the trailer.

Even as a huge Comic Book Movie Fan who has Marvel leanings, X-Men is one of those franchises I’ve never really cared for. X-2 is fine, I do really like First Class, but Days of Future Past and The Wolverine are simply okay. The 1st X-Men ages terribly, while X-Men 3: The Last Stand and X-Men: Wolverine Origins are completely unwatchable. Deadpool is by the far the best film in Fox’s X-Men Universe, but that’s because it’s the only film that doesn’t feel stale and clichéd. (Did I miss any?)

That being said, I don’t feel I have a mutant prejudice. I want these movies to be good, I really do. Deadpool and First Class (and The Wolverine… sort of…) proved that these characters can work, but only when they are treated as unique, genre films that avoid the generic superhero formula that the other X-Men films follow. Deadpool was a whole new spin on the superhero genre as a whole; a deconstruction of the genre, if you will. First Class used Pre-Magneto Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) as a Bond type assassin, hunting down Nazi’s before the film slipped into classic origin story territory. The Wolverine had limited mutants and was more Samurai movie than Superhero.Even the best of the other 6 X-Men movies were average superhero films that brought nothing new to the table; not terrible (Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were terrible, actually), but not memorable either, repeating storylines like the Weapon X program, the antagonistic “friendship” between Professor X and Magneto, and “love” triangle between Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey. Unfortunately, the latest outing, X-Men: Apocalypse is no exception, repeating yet again, many of these same story beats.

Repetition is what hits Apocalypse the hardest. Part of the problem is that the original X-Men trilogy and X-Men Origins: Wolverine used up many interesting characters just to cram new mutants into every movie, without any thought or plan put in place to continue their storyline like what Marvel has done with even minor characters like Scarlet Witch and Vision. They’re using Storm, Cyclops, and Jean Grey again? Yup, but this time it’s the origin (groan…). Haven’t I seen Nightcrawler, Angel, and Havok before? Again, yes, but they were one dimensional characters abandoned in the sequels that followed their initial appearance. As alluded to earlier with my comments about Magneto having an almost 007 like adventure in the 1st half of First Class, I’ve always found Michael Fassbender’s version to be the most interesting character in the X-Men Movie Universe (aside from ANY character from Deadpool), but here he has nothing to do. Sure, we see him with a new family that he loses (he says it right in the trailer to James McAvoy’s Professor Charlies Xavier in the trailer, so that ain’t a spoiler!), but how is this new trauma necessary when we’ve seen him losing his mother at Auschwitz twice before (with flashbacks again in this movie, for a 3rd go around)? Fassbender’s version of Magneto has been less interesting each film he’s in, so at this point his decision to go with the bad guy, and his on-again/off-again friendship with Charles are incredibly overplayed and uninteresting.

But Magneto’s just the tip of the iceberg: the film has a giant villain problem (and that’s not a reference to Apocalypse growing giant in the trailer). These bad guys are boring. Angel (Ben Hardy), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), and Storm (Alexandra Shipp) might as well not be in the movie at all. They’re left with nothing to do but pose during the dull and uninspired action scene that finally ends the film. Even worse, Apocalypse is just a boring villain, plain and simple. He wants to create a world where only Mutants survive? I haven’t seen that in about half the X-Men movies already… Oscar Isaac does nothing to elevate the part, easily making this his worst film (because he’s usually so great!). And what exactly are his super powers? I’ve seen the movie but I couldn’t tell you what he can do and what he can’t.

The heroes are stronger than the villains, as far as characterization and giving them something to do, but even this department is repetitive as hell. Oh no, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) can’t control her powers, just the same as X-Men and X-2, and she’s not even given an origin (thankfully?). We see nearly the exact same scene of Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) getting his powers that was in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And though I couldn’t wait for the Wolverine scene from the end of the final trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse, it did give us the most animalistic version of the character, but it’s literally the same Weapon X escape we’ve seen twice before!I apologize for repeating myself, but this movie is completely repetitive on every level and I guess I want to drive that point home. Oh boy, another Quicksilver scene set to a rock song. There’s Jenifer Lawrence using her star power to avoid the Blue Paint, negating the lesson she learned in First Class about being comfortable showing her true, blue self. Oh, but here’s something new… we’ve never seen Professor X’s hair literally fall out of his head. That’s about as fresh as this movie gets.

Simply put, Apocalypse is not a bad movie, but it gives us nothing new and suffers from a weak villain and incredibly weak action. Director Bryan Singer is doing the bare minimum to bring you a safe Superhero Film that doesn’t take any risks or attempt to subvert the genre. This is the superhero genre at its most generic.

So, I will continue to wait until Fox can show me on the screen, what makes these characters so interesting in a comic panel. Except for Deadpool. Did I say I liked Deadpool? I like Deadpool.

A Layman’s Guide To The Returning Characters In CIVIL WAR: #TeamIronMan

Posted on May 12, 2016February 17, 2017 by Nick Doll in Age of Ultron, Avengers, Captain America, Civil War, Features, Lists, Marvel, Marvel's Spider-Man, MCU, Movies

If you are going to see Captain America: Civil War this weekend, or if you’re trying to figure out a few Civil War moments after seeing the film, and you haven’t memorized all the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films like myself; this catch-up will help you better understand the film’s many character threads and relationships!

This time it’s all #TeamIronMan (Read #TeamCap Guide HERE); those that alley with Tony Stark or share his viewpoints about the Sokovia Accords. Why is Tony Stark so guilty? Haven’t we seen William Hurt in these films before? What’s Vision’s deal again, Age of Ultron was so confusing!?!

Never fear! I’m here for you with a guide to all the returning players in Captain America: Civil War, from Iron Man to Thunderbolt Ross (Yes, William Hurt is a returning actor!). NO SPOILERS for Civil War. Many Spoilers for any earlier MCU film including the character we’re discussing.

Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)Movies He’s In: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Powers: Super Intelligence allowing him to design weaponized suits allowing him flight, super-strength, and a wealth of weapons.

His Story So Far: Tony Stark has a lot to feel guilty for. As he admits to in the opening of Iron Man 3, he creates his own demons. He was the 1st Avenger made public in the modern age. He feels like he started it all, as he says in Age of Ultron.

Going into 2008’s Iron Man, Stark Industries was mainly a weapons manufacturer; that is until Tony Stark found himself wounded by one of the weapons his company produced. With shrapnel headed toward his heart, Stark invents a small version of the Arc Reactor, which keeps the shrapnel from reaching his heart. Not content with this, Tony utilizes the power of the Arc Reactor to power his Iron Man suits, of which he’s had over 45 since the 1st film. He also scrapped the weapons program at Stark Industries due to guilt over the death of American soldiers, killed with the very weapons he created.

All of Stark’s enemies seem to be a creation of his actions, from those responding to his tech, to those challenging his power, or even those he screwed over in the past. We’re talking his old mentor Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger (Iron Man), Ivan Vanko/Whiplash & Justin Hammer (Iron Man 2), and Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3). And that’s before we even get to Ultron!

Stark has experienced a lot since he announced to the world he was Iron Man, including great trauma following the Battle of New York in which he had to fly a nuclear bomb through an alien wormhole to save Earth (the one problem he didn’t create). He’s guilty over Stark Industries weapons, those he’s screwed who have become enemies (like Aldrich Killian), and most importantly, his creation of Ultron; an artificial intelligence that attempts to destroy the world by using the European City of Sokovia as a meteor. His guilt runs even deeper than that, based on the vision Scarlet Witch shows him in Age of Ultron, he’s convinced he will fail the Avengers, leading to their deaths and the impending invasion of Earth (Thanos is out there, ya’ll).

Such guilt leads to stupid decisions like creating Ultron, who ended up destroying Sokovia with countless civilian lives lost. By the end of Age of Ultron, Tony “retires” again, hoping to live a quiet life with his girlfriend and head of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts. This after destroying all his suits in Iron Man 3 and having the Arc Reactor removed from his chest as a sign of good faith towards Pepper.

Finally, it is worth noting Tony has had a rocky relationship with his father, Howard Stark, who served along with Captain America during WWII and founded S.H.I.E.L.D. with Peggy Carter.

War Machine/James Rhodes (Don Cheadle)Movies He’s In: Iron Man (played by Terrance Howard), Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 (as Iron Patriot), Avengers: Age of Ultron

Powers: Not a scientific genius, but a well trained soldier in a suit with just as many weapons (if not more) as Iron Man.

His Story So Far: James Rhodes is a Colonel in the US Airforce and a long time friend of Tony Stark (long before Stark became Iron Man). Rhodes eventually got an Iron Man suit of his own when he stole one of Tony’s in Iron Man 2, only to have it retrofitted with more weapons by Justin Hammer. Since then, he’s also been Iron Patriot, assisting Stark in defeating supervillains in both Iron Man 2 & 3, no matter his suit’s name. Unlike Stark, he starts as an officially sanctioned Military Weapon flying hundreds of missions for the US Government: he’s a soldier at heart, like Steve Rogers (albeit, with different outlooks on modern day governing bodies). He was even given the opportunity to help the Avengers at the Battle of Sokovia in Avengers: Age of Ultron, becoming a full fledged member of Captain America’s New Avengers by the end of the film.

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlet Johansson) Movies She’s In: Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Powers: Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most lethal agent, she is extremely skilled in hand to hand combat. Also has “Stingers,” weapons that literally shock the enemy.

Her Story So Far: Black Widow is always the double Agent. Guilty over her past as an assassin, she has defected to S.H.I.E.L.D. after S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Clint Barton/Hawkeye recruited her instead of killing her on a mission. She has shown loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. and after its collapse, Steve Rogers/Captain America. She was on the run with him after he was made a wanted man in The Winter Soldier, and she helped bring down the Hydra infected S.H.I.E.L.D. by dumping all its secrets onto the internet (“It’s trending.”).

Black Widow has always been a full fledged member of the Avengers, including in Age of Ultron, where she helped save the world,again, at the expense of Sokovia which was blown to smithereens. Black Widow has had close relationships with Hawkeye and Steve Rogers, but the only one she’s truly shown affection for was Bruce Banner, who disappeared after the events of Ultron.

Vision (Paul Bettany)Movies He’s In: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Powers: Like Scarlet Witch, his powers are hard to lock down. He’s a “Synthetic,” with elements of Jarvis and Ultron’s psyche, powered by the “life respecting” Mind Stone on his forehead. Can phase in and out of physical forms to pass through walls and people, and can shoot a laser of sorts from his Mind Gem. Oh… and he can fly/hover.

His Story So Far: Paul Bettany started by playing JARVIS in Iron Man 1, 2, & 3, The Avengers, and even the beginning of Age of Ultron. JARVIS is Tony Stark’s program (not quite artificial intelligence) that runs his lab and his suits, named after his father, Howard Stark’s Butler. He’s been comic relief and a sort of sidekick for Stark since Iron Man (2008), becoming a weird combo of JARVIS’ personality, Ultron’s intelligence, and the Mind Stone’s power in the form of a “Synthetic” (robot of sorts) super being that has the already mentioned abilities.

Vision’s powers come from the Mind Stone, which was originally cased in Loki’s staff, also used to give Scarlet With her abilities. Based on that and his rescue of Scarlet Witch in Age of Ultron, the two share a close kinship; neither sure of the origin of their powers or their limits. Though he’s the only being, besides Thor, “worthy” enough to lift that Hammer, showing his attentions are good, he struggles to fit in with his “human” counterparts and makes his decisions entirely based on the loss of life. He is even regretful when killing Ultron, only doing it because he believes in life, knowing Ultron wishes to extinguish it.

General Thunder Bolt Ross (William Hurt)Movies He’s In: The Incredible Hulk

Powers: Formally a General hellbent on stopping Bruce Banner/The Hulk, now he has the political powers that come with being the Secretary of State.

His Story So Far: Yes, Thunderbolt Ross is finally back; the 1st time since 2008’s Incredible Hulk. A General in that film, Ross is known for his hatred of The Hulk, especially since his daughter was dating Bruce Banner at the time of his “accident,” that turned Banner into a raging green monster.

While he doesn’t fight along #TeamIronMan, as you’ve seen in the trailers, Ross is now the Secretary of the State forcing the Sokovia Accords on The Avengers, who he sees as vigilantes now that S.H.I.E.L.D. and The World Security Council are gone.

Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) NO SPOILERS!Movies He’s In: 0!

Powers: Does whatever a spider can!

His Story So Far: This is a new Spider-Man! Don’t expect Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield! The MCU has a brand new Spider-Man, with none of the events in Sam Raimi’s three Spider-Man films or the two Amazing Spider-Mans having any impact on this Captain America: Civil War. We all know his backstory: bit by a radioactive Spider, letting Uncle Ben die by not taking action in a robbery… that’s all you need to know!

Black Panther/T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) NO SPOILERS!Movies He’s In: 0!

Powers: Wait and see!

His Story So Far: Nada! Zilch! This is a brand new character you’ve never seen on the screen before. So I won’t say anything here, except… be prepare for something amazing!

Pepper Pots (Gweneth Paltrow)Movies She’s In: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3.

Powers: None (anymore, she was kick-ass in Iron Man 3!). Tony Stark’s girlfriend and head of Stark Industries.

Her Story So Far: From Tony Stark’s Personal Assistant to head of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts has come a long way. While Iron Man avoided having the two hook up, in Iron Man 2 Tony and Pepper finally kissed… and the rest is history. In Iron Man 3, Potts was bothered by Tony Stark’s obsession with his suits, leading him to destroy them all at the end. But since then, he’s not only came out of retirement in Age of Ultron, he created a robot that tried to wipe out the human race… you fill in the blanks…

Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, Jon Slattery)Movies He’s In: Iron Man 2 (Slattery), Captain America: The First Avenger (Cooper), Ant-Man (Slattery), Agent Carter (ABC TV Show – Cooper)

Powers: Smarter than his son? Creator of Captain America’s Vibranium Shield.

His Story So Far: Neither #TeamCap, nor #TeamIronMan, just an important character from each hero’s past. After helping Steve Rogers during WWII and becoming and alley to Peggy Carter even after Captain America was lost (for 70 years), Howard was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. And… he was kind of a dick to his son. In Iron Man 2 he is shown as a father that cared more about his work than his son, while in Ant-Man shows him as a S.H.I.E.L.D. leader who desperately wants the OG Ant-Man, Hank Pym, to join S.H.I.E.L.D./give up his technology. That’s why Hank Pym instills in new Ant-Man, Scott Lang, that you never trust a Stark!

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) & The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)Movie’s They’re In: Doesn’t matter! They’re MIA in Captain America: Civil War!

There you go, between this article and that about #TeamCap, you should know all you need to know about every returning character in Captain America: Civil War!

You’re welcome.

A Layman’s Guide To The Returning Characters In CIVIL WAR: #TeamCap

Posted on May 12, 2016February 17, 2017 by Nick Doll in Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Civil War, Features, Lists, Marvel, MCU, Movies

Captain America: Civil War is a bona fide hit! It made $179.1 Million opening weekend, Critics love it, and I love it! If you are going to see Civil War this weekend, or if you’re trying to figure out a few Civil War moments after seeing the film, and you haven’t memorized all the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films like myself; this catch-up will help you better understand the film’s many character threads and relationships.

We’ll start with #TeamCap; those that alley with Steve Rogers or are tied to the Captain America films (like Brock Rumlow). Why did Ant-Man and Falcon have that exchange? Why is Bucky such a polarizing a figure? Who is that burned dude? Haven’t I seen that Blond Agent before? What’s Scarlet Witch’s deal again, Age of Ultron was so confusing!?!

Never fear! I’m here for you with a guide to all the returning players in Captain America: Civil War, from Captain America to Agent 13. NO SPOILERS for Civil War. Many Spoilers for any earlier MCU film including the character we’re discussing.

Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans)Movies He’s In: Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World (sort of…), Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Powers: Super strength, enhanced reflexes, fast metabolism/healing (the man can’t get drunk), leadership skills, superhuman morality (I say that counts), a Shield made of the strongest metal on Earth, Vibranium.

His Story So Far: Steve Rogers was too scrawny to serve with his life-long friend Bucky in WWII, so he underwent an experiment in which a “Super Soldier Serum” not only made him the beefiest Avenger, but taller (along with the powers listed above)! After rescuing Bucky from the hands of Hydra, the two proved their bond was just as strong on the battlefield as it was growing up. Now known as Captain America, Steve Rogers receives his Vibranium Shield from Tony Stark’s father, Howard, a friend of his during the Great War. During the events of The First Avenger, Steve Rogers watches Bucky plummet to his assumed death. Rogers defeats the head of Hydra, Red Skull, stopping his attempt to to conquer the planet. In the process, Captain America crashes into the Arctic and is frozen for 70 years.

Captain America is awakened in an age of superheros (or “the enhanced”) in which a man with a weaponized suit of armor, a giant green monster, and an Alien with God-like powers are all known to the world. Under the direction of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the four heroes are brought together with two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to form The Avengers, just in time to stop an alien invasion. Though the aliens are dead, New York is decimated by damage from the battle. Even in saving the world, Steve Rogers has reservations about organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D and the World Security Council which governs it.

Following the climatic Battle of New York in The Avengers, Steve Rogers finds himself as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., carrying out missions for Nick Fury and his bosses, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) and the World Security Council. While working for S.H.I.E.L.D. Rogers comes to blows with The Winter Soldier, a Hydra Agent who has been carrying out assassinations for the evil organization for years. Captain America learns that the Winter Soldier is actually Bucky, who survived the fall during WWII due to Hydra experimenting on him, was given a metal arm, brainwashed, and was frozen and then unfrozen for decades to carry out said assassinations. Cap also learns that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been Hydra all along (more or less), lead by Alexander Pierce who is himself controlling the Winter Soldier/Brain-Washed Bucky. With the help of allies including Black Widow, Sam Wilson/Falcon, Agent 13, and Nick Fury, Captain America destroys three automated Helicarriers that are targeting all of Hydra’s potential enemies. In the process, his team sends all three flying ships crashing into Washington DC below, with many casualties. Pierce is brought down, but not before killing the World Security Council and leading to the end of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the finale, The Winter Soldier and Steve Rogers fight, the latter refusing to kill his old friend in hopes he will remember him. In the end, Bucky does save Rogers from drowning, before disappearing without a trace. Let’s just say the whole process cemented Rogers’ concerns about government organizations and their control

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America fights alongside his old teammates to defeat the evil Artificial Intelligence, Ultron, created by Tony Stark and bent on destroying the human race. Rogers and The Avengers stop Ultron, but at the expense of a European City known as Sokovia. The death toll in Sokovia is higher than ever and by the end of the film Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, and Tony Stark/Iron Man leave the team in favor of Steve Rogers’ led “New Avegners,” made up of Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and Vision.

The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)Movies He’s In: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Powers: Super strength, a metal arm that can even deflect bullets.

His Story So Far: Bucky Barnes grew up with Steve Rogers before he was Captain America, being the only one there for his friend when Steve lost his parents. Enlisting without his scrawny friend, Bucky’s unit is captured by Hydra. Captain America rescues his old friend, but not before Hydra’s best scientist, Dr. Armin Zola, experiments on poor Bucky. Bucky serves alongside Rogers in a unit known as The Howling Commandos, until he falls from a train-car into a canyon with a freezing river.

Bucky is rescued by Hydra, who experiment on him further, replacing a limb he lost in his fall with a metal arm. Now The Winter Solider, he is brainwashed and used by Hydra as an assassin for decades, kept in cryosleep between missions. Eventually, The Winter Soldier battles his old friend, Steve Rogers/Captain America, confused when he is called Bucky. The Winter Soldier is brainwashed again and sent to prevent Captain America and his allies from crippling Hydra’s Helicarriers. The two old friends fight, and with Steve Rogers refusing to kill his old friend, he is defeated and plunges into the water below. The Winter Soldier rescues Steve Rogers, and though at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we do not know what Buck remembers as we see him inspecting his own memorial in the Smithsonian’s Captain America Exhibit.

Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie)Movies He’s In: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man

Powers: Special Flight Suit that resembles a Falcon, with wings that can act as a Shield, and googles which increase his eye sight.

His Story So Far: In The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson is a Veteran who meets Steve Rogers, and the pair quickly become friends. When Captain America learns S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually Hydra, he seeks out Wilson as his number of allies are limited. Falcon more than pulls his weight, taking down one of the Helicarriers, before having his wing ripped off and being thrown from a Helicarrier by the Winter Soldier. Falcon survives the fall and fights Hydra Agent Brock Rumlow in the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ building, winning only when the building collapses and he escapes!

In Age of Ultron, Sam Wilson is carrying on the search for Bucky following the events of The Winter Soldier. At the end of the film though, Falcon is revealed to be one of Captain America’s New Avengers. Finally, in Ant-Man, Falcon is beaten by Scott Lang/Ant-Man while trying to defend the New Avengers Compound. Wilson takes note of the tiny Superhero, in case he is ever needed to assist the Avengers.

Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner)Movies He’s In: Thor, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Superpowers: Best character with a bow and arrow in the history of cinema (suck it, Legolas and Katniss!). Also has a variety of arrows for many uses.

His Story So Far: Hawkeye is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent who served with the Avengers in both the 1st film and Age of Ultron. In Ultron, he is saved by Scarlet Witch’s brother, Quicksilver at the cost of Quicksilver’s life. For this reason and the pep talk he gave Scarlet Witch during the battle that destroyed Sokovia, he has become closer to her than perhaps anyone but Vision. Clint Barton has a secret family kept even off S.H.I.E.L.D.’s books which he retires to at the end of Age of Ultron.

Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen)Movies She’s In: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (post-credits scene), Avengers: Age of Ultron

Powers: The true limits of Scarlet Witch’s powers are unknown. She is able to move objects with her mind, create telekinetic shields, and induce crippling images of your worst nightmare.

Her Story So Far: Wanda Maximoff and her brother volunteered to be experimented on by Hydra after a bomb made by Stark Industries kills her parents. Using Loki’s Staff from The Avengers, she and her brother are the only survivors of Hydra’s experiment, endowed with extraordinary powers making them the newest “Enhanced.” Due to their hate for Stark, “The Twins” team with Ultron until Scarlet Witch realizes his goal is to destroy the world. Siding with The Avengers, she helps defeat Ultron, but at the cost of her brother’s life and her entire city, Sokovia.

Wanda shares a special relationship with Vision because their powers both come from the same place; Loki’s Staff revealed to be the Mind Stone. She also sees Hawkeye as a sort of mentor after his speech to her during the Battle of Sokovia. By the end of Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch is a member of the New Avengers.

Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd)Movies He’s In: Ant-Man

Powers: The ability to shrink and return to normal size instantly at the push of a button, with extreme super-strength and speed when tiny. Can also “control”Ants with his helmet.

His Story So Far: Scott Lang is a known felon, recruited by the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, to take up his mantle and save the world. Ant-Man fights Falcon and wins, when he is sent to the Avengers compound to steal some Stark Tech. Taught by Hank Pym never to trust a Stark, Lang still hears through the grapevine at the end of the film that there may be an Avenger interested in recruiting him.

Agent 13/Sharon (Emily VanCamp)Movies She’s In: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Powers: None, but a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent with incredible fighting skill.

Her Story So Far: Sharon aka Agent 13, was the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Nick Fury put in charge of watching Captain America prior to the fall of Hydra. Living across the hall from Rogers, posing as a nurse, Agent 13 is the 1st to respond when Nick Fury is shot by the Winter Soldier in Steve Rogers’ apartment. After Hydra was revealed to be S.H.I.E.L.D. she was one of the primary Agents that sided with Captain America in order to take down the Hydra Agents and prevent the launch of Hydra’s lethal Helicarriers. Though there was some sexual tension between her and Rogers, and Black Widow recommended to Steve that he ask her out, the pair have never even kissed.

Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell)Movies She’s In: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Agent Carter (MCU Short), Agent Carter (ABC TV Series)

Superpowers: None, strong WWII Agent and Founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Her Story So Far: Peggy Carter was partially responsible for selecting scrawny Steve Rogers for the Super Soldier Program. She served with Rogers and Howard Stark during WWII, the latter two being S.H.I.E.L.D.’s founding members. Peggy was in love with Steve, but she never got that dance she was promised when Steve Rogers plunged that plane into the Arctic, saving the world. She was an important Agent during the Cold War as well, being an important decision maker at S.H.I.E.L.D. through the 80’s. When Steve Rogers finally catches up with her after he is unfrozen in The Winter Soldier, she is an old woman in a hospital bed, suffering from extreme dementia. At least these two have kissed (when she was young, you sicko!).

Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo)Movies He’s In: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Powers: None, just a well trained special forces Hydra Agent who worked with Captain America long enough to know his moves and what makes him tick.

His Story So Far: This one isn’t #TeamCap at all, but a villain from the Captain America film franchise. Brock Rumlow was Captain America’s right hand man as leader of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team STRIKE. He ran countless missions with Steve Rogers and was the first one sent to take in Captain America when Rogers started having doubts about S.H.I.E.L.D. When Hydra was revealed, he fought to defend it, coming to blows with Sam Wilson before having S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ dropped on him. Though badly burned, at the end of Winter Soldier, we see that Rumlow has survived.

That’s really all you need to know about all the characters that make up #TeamCap (more or less)! Read our Leyman’s Guide to #TeamIronMan NOW!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Review: The Avengers, Fully Realized

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Nick Doll in Ant-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Civil War, Marvel, Marvel's Spider-Man, MCU, Movies, Reviews

Believe the hype. Captain America: Civil War delivers every “Holy Shit!” moment you were hoping for in an Avengers movie. And this is a Captain America film (mostly)!

There will be NO SPOILERS in this review; no exact plot points, no surprises ruined, no twists revealed, no characters’ greatest moments exposed. Just the broad strokes here, kiddies, because I want you to enjoy this film as much as I did. If it wasn’t in the trailer, I won’t discuss it here (there will be one minor spoiler, but I’ll warn you… and be as ambiguous as possible). It may make for a very short review, but all you really want me to do is confirm that Civil War is as great as everyone else is saying it is.And IT IS! Good Lord, this movie delivers on every level. I had very high hopes going in, and I can’t say I was ever disappointed.

It is hard to answer if Civil War is better than Marvel’s old reigning champ, Captain America: Winter Soldier, but that’s because they are very different films. Plus, if I consider both movies 5 Star Films, does it really make a difference which is better? Winter Soldier was a tighter, more contained movie – a 70’s-esque Thriller – while Civil War is a sprawling epic, hitting more parts of the globe and carrying the weight of more characters than even Avengers: Age of Ultron. Yet it works better, much better than Ultron. Civil War does keep that Captain America focus, spending less time with the other heroes than with Captain America and Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes, but really is more of a full Avengers adventure, sans Hulk and Thor. If you’re reading this, you know enough of the plot that I don’t need to say much of anything else. What I will say though, is that Civil War delivers more “I feel like I need to stand up and clap because I never thought I’d see that scene/character/moment so beautifully realized in a film” than any Marvel Cinematic Universe film before it. There are shots/scenes/moments in this film that are the most exciting you’ve seen since the unbelievable occurrence in 2o12 when the Avengers actually assembled in one movie! If The Avengers will always be remembered for bringing together different heroes with their own films onto one team, then Civil War will go down as the MCU movie that fully realizes the full potential of EVERY Avenger present, nearly always exceeding expectations. Powers you’ve never seen them use, skills highlighted in a way the other films have not, and personality shining through in characters that you could have previously accused of being one dimensional. It’s everyone from Hawkeye & Falcon as you’ve never seen him before, to Ant Man as you’ve never seen him before! Really, a stellar evolution to even the characters you already knew were bad-ass.

Avengers: Age of Ultron, you’ve been out Avenger’ed by a film with Captain America in the title. Civil War isn’t nearly as dark as Winter Soldier, even when funnier characters like Spider-Man and Ant-Man don’t populate the screen. The tone is lighter, though the plot is just as serious as an MCU film ever was, with poignant moments that may be among the most gut-wrenching in any superhero film. While I have Spider-Man brought up though, let’s just say he’s the most amazing (reference to original comic intended) iteration of the character, again, living up to all expectations (like everything else… I keep telling you!).

In this way, Captain America: Civil War avoids all the pitfalls of Batman V Superman, a movie with a similar premise but much lower IQ. Even Batman V Superman‘s greatest strengths are eclipsed by Civil War. I’m not biased, Batman is my favorite comic book character, but even his shining moments in BvS don’t touch the excitement produced by Civil War‘s spectacle; both in character moments and those action scenes you CAN NOT BELIEVE you’ve seen!The one comparison to Batman V Superman I will make, and this is the only MINOR SPOILER, is the villain behind the warring heroes. Unlike Lex Luthor, the baddie pulling the strings in Civil War is subtle and incredibly clever. You never question the logic of the plan he has put into action and the twists he throws into the film. Minimal Spoiler Over!

I really don’t know what else to say except… If you like the MCU, YOU WILL LOVE THIS FILM! I didn’t notice a single missed opportunity.

With directors of this film and Winter Solider, Joe and Anthony Russo, also at the helm of the Phase 3 ending film, Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 & 2, all is well in the Marvel Universe.

DC, you best step up your game… and fast!

And yes, there is an amazing Community cameo in this film, just like Winter Soldier (but better!).

Tax Day Trailer Catch-Up: DR. STRANGE, STAR WARS & More!

Posted on April 15, 2016April 15, 2016 by Nick Doll in Batman, Benedict Cumberbatch, DC, Dr. Strange, Marvel, MCU, Movies, Star Wars, Suicide Squad, Trailers

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Suicide Squad, and Dr. Strange, oh my!

The past week has seen many new trailers released, especially those of the Disney (including Marvel & Lucasfilm) and Superhero variety. As Captain America: Civil War draws near -the perfect place to advertise your next Sci-Fi Action Movie if you are a Movie Studio – we’ll continue to see A-List Trailers, but perhaps none more exciting than the following…

Let’s do this by release date, shall we?

Suicide Squad Trailer #2: “Blitz”As Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice crumbles under the weight of a million bad reviews, things seem to be looking up in the DCEU (Detective Comics Extended Universe). Not only was there an announcement this week that Academy Award Winning Filmmaker Ben Affleck will not simply star in The Batman, but also write and direct it (with the help of his best Screenplay and Best Film Oscars); Warner Bros. and DC also released the second official trailer (not counting the initial footage from Comic Con) for Suicide Squad. A follow-up to Bats V Supes that continues to produce excellent new footage and hope that the DCEU can turn that bad launch into something glorious.

All the best elements of the first trailer return, including more humor in one trailer than the entirety of Batman V Superman (maybe someday it won’t be cool to shit on BvS…), more catchy songs, great looking comic book visuals and action, and characters that would cause any geek to Nerdgasm.

Suicide Squad Trailer Blitz Joker Jared Leto Scared

More Joker (Jared Leto)! More Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie)! And the rest… Aaaaand…. BATMAN (Ben Affleck)!

Suicide Squad Trailer Blitz Batman Ben Affleck

If this trailer is any indication we may be seeing more Batman in Suicide Squad than we thought! Half the villains on Task Force X are primarily part of Batman’s rogues gallery, after all.

Suicide Squad Trailer Blitz Harley Quinn Hammer

Suicide Squad hits the States om August 5th.

Dr. Strange Teaser TrailerI let loose a great sigh of relief when I watched the 1st trailer for Marvel’s Dr. Strange. The character rests somewhere between Thor and Ant-Man as far as trickiness goes with launching this, well, strange character upon the masses.

But all the parts work! Very little focus is put on Dr. Strange in action (we only see him in costume once… from behind… where all you really see is a cape that is the result of Thor’s and Superman’s Capes having a baby), in favor of a lot of origin looking material and the man, the myth, one of the world’s biggest Movie Stars, your friend and mine: Mr. Benedict Cumberbatch.

Dr Strange Trailer Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strang in Suit

Dr Strange Trailer Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange Bearded in Rags

Relying heavily on Benedict Cumberbatch’s star power (gone are the days of casting no-names like Chris Hemsworth or Chris Pratt, this movie has got a bigger lead than Paul Rudd!), the trailer focuses on the accident that leads him on a journey visually similar to that of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins (just check out the cut from Stephen Strange in a suit to him in a beard and ratty cloths), continuing into Matrix-esque Training Scenes, with some Inception worthy trippy visuals.

Dr Strange Trailer Benedict Cumberbatch Tilda Swinton Ancient One

I’m in! Dr. Strange appears November 4th.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Teaser TrailerI’m not sold on the title (“A Star Wars Story?” Really?), but I sure am keen on the look and feel of the 1st non-trilogy/non-Skywalker-focused Star Wars movie.

Rogue One takes place within a year (or even months, weeks, or days) of the OG Star Wars (now titled Episode IV: A New Hope) and boy does the film look like it! There may be new types of Stormtroopers (2! Black and Tan!), but everything else is classic! That’s the Rebel Base on Yavin IV and those are old school Rebel Uniforms! And that’s Moth Mothma! AT-AT’s (Walkers)! A hooded figure surrounded by Imperial Guards that protect Emperor Palpatine himself! A shot of a Star Destroyer passing by the gigantic Death Star (it’s still big, even after Starkiller Base) that looks so familiar it could be footage from A New Hope!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Death Star

Ph: Film Frame

©Lucasfilm LFL

The new characters look great as well, from Rebels played by Felicity Jones and Diego Luna! to a wise sage with battle armor portrayed by Forrest Whitaker. Donnie Yen as a Samurai (Star Wars was inspired by the films of Akira Kurosawa)! Ben Mendelsohn as a well armed Imperial Officer with a white cape that would make Thor, Superman, AND Dr. Strange jealous!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

(Ben Mendelsohn)

Ph: Film Frame

©Lucasfilm LFL

If The Force Awakens wasn’t your cup of tea, Rogue One may be the closest thing you’ll get to the original trilogy… including the rumored appearance of a lil’ ‘ole Sith called Darth Vader.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Ph: Film Frame

©Lucasfilm LFL

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story lands in time for Christmas on December 16th!

See you at the movies!

Record-Breaking Trailer Catch-Up: ZOOLANDER NO. 2 and CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

Posted on December 3, 2015December 3, 2015 by Nick Doll in Captain America, Civil War, Marvel, MCU, Movies, Posters, Trailers

Last week, while ~~my computer was down~~ Breaking Geek’s massive array of servers was down, two little trailers hit the net and both made record-breaking splashes!First, following the amazing poster for Zoolander No. 2 (above), Paramount quickly offered up a true trailer with real footage, not just a classically Derek Zoolander nonsensical conversation with “Stephen Hawking” as in the older teaser trailer for the film. This trailer has already become the most viewed comedy trailer of all time.

The trailer is below, delivering all the goods in a way that feels very akin to Anchorman 2, but will hopefully deliver vastly different results (i.e. it may be great!).

All the right ingredients are there, from the stupid artistry that defines Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) with kooky additions of Kristen Wiig and Penelope Cruz.

And let us never forget Will Ferell, back as the villainous, latte throwing Mugatu. This movie looks more fun than a freak, gasoline fight accident!

Next, how could Breaking Geek not share the Captain America: Civil War trailer and posters?!? We may have been away with technical difficulties for a few weeks, but the trailer must appear on this site! It’s been tracking at nearly double the views the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron had in the same time.

Check out the trailer 1st and stick around for commentary as well as the three official posters!

How awesome is that? The exact tone and feel of Captain America: Winter Soldier from the same writers and directors, with an Avengers sized spectacle. That fight scene at the end…. bananas!And the heart…. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) telling Tony Stark that he has to side with Bucky (Sebastian Stan) because they’re friends, only to have Stark reply “So were we.”

Here are the posters I promised….

Both these films hit in 2016 along with other Geek Fantasies such as Deadpool, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Star Trek Beyond, Doctor Strange, and yet another Star Wars film!

It’s good to be a geek!

Cinema’s 8 Most Nefarious Organizations: From #8. Death Eaters to #5. S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Nick Doll in 007, Age of Ultron, Avengers, Captain America, Jurassic World, Lists, Marvel, MCU, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Movies, SPECTRE, Star Wars, The Force Awakens, Villains

Evil organizations are all the craze these days on the silver screen, taking center stage in at least four 2015 Major Blockbusters: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, SPECTRE (ha), and the forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Nothing like a whole industry of villains and evil doers, often, but not always, operating in the shadows. And though several of the “organizations” chosen are literally companies, they also fit the mold of “Nefarious Organizations.” Not just any company will do, but these certainly more than your simple morally corrupt businesses.

I’ve gone ahead and ranked them, most effective to least.

Let’s start with #8 through #5!

8. Death Eaters from the Harry Potter Franchise

Voldemort takes a cue or two from S.P.E.C.T.R.E., but instead of rings they all got matching tattoos!

I’m not even a Harry Potter fan (I’ve read 6 and 1/2 of the books, but never made it far enough in the film franchise to see said organization), but my roommate tells me I should look past my own interests, and the Death Eaters were the 1st Evil Organization I could think of outside my traditional Geek World (which would be mostly Marvel Comic Book Evil Organizations…).

Death Eaters definitely qualify as a Nefarious Organization, one that, like the best of them (that follow), have members at every level of government, Hogwarts, and even that weird Magical Bank with the trolls. Not a lot is scarier than a group of zealots awaiting and/or aiding the return of their evil leader: He who must not be named!

7. OSCORP Industries from The Amazing Spider-Man Films

In Sam Raimi’s original films, Oscorp was simply the company that Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) would experiment on himself… and kill… to remain in control and keep profitable. In Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man films, the corporation is responsible for a man-lizard, an electricity man, a mutated head of the company, and a series of enhanced soldier suits based on animals including a rhinoceros, a vulture, and an octopus.

A little hokey, sure, but it actually makes more sense than the original 2002 Spider-Man. Think about the major superhero villains these days. Tony Stark’s genius leads to Iron Monger, Whiplash, Extemis, and Ultron. The Super Soldier serum administered by the same scientist creates both Red Skull and Captain America. Batman’s appearance brings the Joker into the world as a direct response to his theatrical vigilantism. But in Spider-Man, it’s simply a hard to believe coincidence (even if you’ve bought into a man who can stick to walls and swing from webs) that Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) was bitten by a radioactive spider the very same night that Norman Osborn accidentally turns himself into a crazy super soldier to save his company. Ridiculous!

Mending this storytelling shortfall, Oscorp is behind all the foes Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker faces, whether that be an overreaction or not. Certainly qualifying the company that Norman Osborn built a spot on this list!

6. InGen from the The Lost World: Jurassic Park & Jurassic World

InGen didn’t seem like such a bad company when John Hammond was around. But since he hit his death bed, other forces within the corporation have put profits above human safety… and worse.

It starts with Hammond’s nephew in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, who will stop at nothing to grab dinosaurs out of their new “natural” habitat on Isla Sorna, a.k.a. “Site B” and present them to the masses. Even when the star exhibit, a full grown T-Rex, wrecks havoc in San Diego.

Even worse, Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) and Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofiro) clearly have a real shady deal going on behind the scenes of the theme park, Jurassic World. Hoskin’s obsession with military applications for carnivores and Dr. Wu’s gene-splicing skills offer even more trouble than in the 1st Jurassic World film, paving the way for a trilogy of InGen’s evil doings!

5. S.P.E.C.T.R.E. from the 007 Franchise

No matching tattoos here, but of course Agents of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. have matching jewelry!

S.P.E.C.T.R.E. has been on the big screen longer than any other Nefarious Organization on this list, originating in Sean Connery’s days only to be revived this year in Daniel Craig’s world. S.P.E.C.T.R.E. stands for Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion (like with do-gooder organization S.H.I.E.L.D., someone just really wanted to spell SPECTRE, albeit incorrectly).

Now, if you read my review for SPECTRE, you know the film was lacking… a lot. In fact, S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the supposed ultimate Nefarious Organization of all time, doesn’t get its due in the 2015 007 film. While Daniel Craig’s 007 movies have improved on every aspect of the character from Casino Royale through Skyfall, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. does not live up to the organization Connery built (well, fought) back in the 60’s.

Perhaps if the film SPECTRE was better, this ultimate Evil Organization would have landed on the better half of the list. After all, it is the original shadow group with tentacles in every countries government on all ends of the globe, controlling resources, governments, and intelligence rather than always seeking to start WWIII like later Bond villains.

And that’s a wrap! For now… Check back later when I reveal The Top 4 Nefarious Organizations in Cinema, including H.Y.D.R.A. and The First Order, formally the Galactic Empire!

A Modern Guide To Movie Going (Holiday Season 2015 & Beyond)!

Posted on November 14, 2015February 17, 2017 by Nick Doll in Avengers, Batman, Captain America, DC, Features, Jurassic World, Lists, Mad Max: Fury Road, Marvel, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Movies, Star Wars, The Force Awakens

We’re falling into the Holiday Movie Season, kicked off last weekend by the mediocre SPECTRE and The Peanuts Movie. Things will start to get crazy with the release of Mocking Jay Part 2 and Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur, all culminating with the biggest movie release of all time: Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Whether Star Wars is pulling you out of your Netflix hole, or you’ve been going to the movies all year long enjoying hits like Mad Max: Fury Road, Jurassic World, and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, you will find this Guide To Movie Going in the 21st Century! extremely useful.

Trust me. I work at a Movie Theater. And I got to a lot of Movies!

Don’t use Fandango!

I have worked at two of the three major theater chains in the United States and there is one constant: DON’T USE FANDANGO!

It’s almost a dirty little secret, especially since the “Pre-Show” at my chain has a Fandango commercial! But we (theater chains) don’t want you to use it! It’s not always accurate, for whatever reason, so you’ll get stuck with tickets to a showtime that doesn’t exist!

Always use the theater chains’ direct website, where tickets are on sale, the surcharge is no larger than Fandango’s, and the times are actually accurate! I’m talking www.cinemark.com or www.amctheatres.com. I don’t know Regal’s website…

I guess it’s not too hard to tell which of the three chains I didn’t work for!

Make sure you check Movie Times for the day you are going!!!

We no longer live in an era where Movie Showtimes are the same from Friday through Thursday. Theaters have events now. And almost all movies get an early evening release on Thursdays (gone are the days when only movies like Star Wars got midnight releases). Showtimes change day to day.

We’ve got Live Concerts, Classic Series Films, Live Sporting Events (including Video Game tournaments…), and Special Screenings like the Dr. Who and Sherlock Christmas Specials coming up in late December/early January. Very, very rarely will all three Weekend Days have the same showtimes, even more rare on weekdays!

Don’t look up today’s times if you’re going to a movie tomorrow! Check the day you are going, otherwise you may show up for a showtime that doesn’t exist.

And NEVER look up said showtimes on Fandango!!!

Double Check Movie Times the day you are going!!!

Unless you have tickets in hand, double check the showtime the day of the movie. Sometimes theaters will “Wild Cat” a showtime, meaning we may cancel a showtime of The Intern to make room for another showing of SPECTRE. It’s very, very rare, but it does happen!

Know your Theater Chains and the Brands that fall under their Umbrella.

Let’s break this down fast so you don’t try to use a Gift Card at the wrong Chain:

AMC is AMC Theatres. As the company has acquired other companies like Kerasotes, they rename the theaters so it’s simple. AMC Gift Cards work at all AMC locations, NOT at any theater lacking the AMC name.

Cinemark and Regal keep most the names of the theater chains they have purchased. So…

Regal is also known as United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres.

Cinemark also has locations called Century Theatres, Rave, Tinseltown, & CineArts.

Know where your gift cards will work by understanding the above hierarchy!

IMAX is no longer the only Big, Loud Screen in Town.

You’re going to want to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens on something big!

A few years ago Regal, AMC, and Cinemark decided to make their own, “Premium Format” to compete with IMAX, which had begun incensing it’s name to Theater Chains without actually delivering the full “IMAX Experience.” IMAX Screens of old were 70mm format, taller than they were wide, but now IMAX is just a name plastered on screens that run floor to ceiling with incredibly large speakers. I noticed the change seeing The Dark Knight 1st on a real IMAX Screen, with the image Christopher Nolan intended, and then seeing it on one of the “fake” Digital IMAX Screens that cut most of Nolan’s superior image.

Well, the three chains succeeded… partially… instead each creating their own “Premium Format” to save on IMAX licencing fees. AMC called theirs ETX, Regal went with RTX, and Cinemark features X D (have to space the letters or WordPress makes a XD face. 😦 ). All are just as good as Digital IMAX… unless it is one of the dozen or so “True” IMAX Screens left in the US.

Reserved Seating is on the way… and here to stay!

If you don’t have it already, the Industry is moving toward “Reserved Seating,” meaning you pick your seats when you buy your ticket. Don’t fight it, don’t whine, Reserved Seating will be the standard by the end of 2016, and it ain’t going anywhere!

Reserved Seating is the perfect tool to buy tickets in advance. If you bought Star Wars tickets the minute they went online after that Monday Night Football trailer for my theater, then you also picked your seats, which means you can show up minutes before showtime, no waiting in a looooong line for hours, and still have the best seat in the house.

And it doesn’t really change the movie going experience on a day-to-day basis. What’s the difference between picking a seat at Box Office vs. when you walk into the auditorium? You’re going to pick the same seats… unless they are already sold… which is no different than walking in and seeing another guest already sitting where you like to sit. In fact, picking seats at Box Office let’s you see what’s left in a nearly Sold Out show! Don’t walk in blind, caught with only the front row. Know what’s left before dropping a dime.

Don’t be a Dummy. No Masks or Fake Weapons, Dummy!

Star Wars fans are whining about not being able to wear their Chewbacca, Stormtrooper, or Darth Vader (or Kylo Ren!) masks. And they can’t bring in fake guns. Or Lightsabers.

Look, I’m a Fanboy who dressed as Captain America for the entirety of the 1st Avengers opening weekend as a theater manager. I was dressed like Batman the night a theater not 30 miles from my own theater was shot up. Your sadness over losing masks and Lighsabers is not nearly as severe as the sadness of losing a loved one.

Stop being a Goddamn Baby and welcome to the 21st Century!

And that’s all you need to know! Here’s your handy-dandy guide to movie going, still good in 2016!

The 5 Most Accurate Comic Book Character Castings In Film and TV

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Nick Doll in Age of Ultron, Avengers, Batman, Captain America, Comics, DC, Gotham, Lists, Marvel, MCU, Movies, TV Shows, Video Games

Everyone’s a Super Hero these days… or at least a character based on a comic iteration, be they a powerless vigilante or a supporting character. Playing just “3 Degrees of Marvel” is easier than “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”

There are many memorable superhero performances that have redefined comic book characters. Who can imagine anyone but Hugh Jackman playing Logan / Wolverine? Is it possible to think of the Joker without conquering images of Heath Ledger? Even now that we’ve seen Chris Cooper as Norman Osborne in the failure that was The Amazing Spider-Man 2, who could forget Willam Dafoe from 2002’s original Spider-Man film?

Sure, great performances all, but not exactly accurate depictions of the character. Wolverine is about four feet tall in the comic; Tom Cruise would actually be a more accurate portrayal of the character (not that he would be ideal either).

What I’ve collected, is a list of the most accurate casting choices of comic book characters, not the “best” or most “memorable.” Not the biggest characters or Super Heros, necessarily, but the best characters minor otherwise. These are the castings that can’t keep a Geek from smiling because he couldn’t imagine a better interpretation himself when first reading a comic. And after seeing it, this actor will always become the character’s voice when reading decades of comics to come.

5) Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man

Most people use RDJ as Tony Stark as the industry standard of comic book casting… and they ain’t wrong! I just managed to find 4 other castings that are even more accurate.

It turns out that Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark… both on screen and doing interviews. He has all the charm and brilliance that defines Tony Stark, bringing the darker edge of the character into play in Avengers: Age of Ultron, in which writer/director Joss Whedon labels Stark as the villain in the film’s commentary.

RDJ pulls off both sides of Stark, the hero who regrets his own and companies’ past as “War Mongers” and the man so tortured by his experience bringing a Nuke through a wormhole to outer-space that he creates the greatest villain the Avengers have ever faced, and will further be driven to oppose teammate Captain America (Chris Evans) in Captain America: Civil War.

Donwey Jr. is both the perfect physical rendition of Stark as well as a man who share’s Stark’s darker, “less sober” past.

4) Mark Hamill as The Joker

No silver screen actor can touch Mark Hamill’s interpretation of Batman’s nemesis, The Joker, started in Batman: The Animated Series and lifted to nirvana in the Video Game, Batman: Arkham Knight (as well as the franchises earlier chapters, Arkham Asylum & Arkham City).

Hamill’s joker just has more… fun. Hamill has worked an almost endless versions of the laugh, also bringing the Joker’s voice in and out; letting the madness seep from his performance.

Though Animated, Hamill’s Joker is also the most accurate; a man with a giant grin, but none of those scars the film version of the Joker mysteriously decided to use. With the exception of 1989’s Batman and 2008’s The Dark Knight, The Joker has never had scars (Thankfully it looks as though Jared Leto’s Joker will repair this remedy… though his appearance calls to question how accurate his performance will be).

Hamill offers the most fun interpretation of the unstable Joker, with an animated face that can’t be topped by any of the feature presentations of Batman’s greatest nemesis.

3) JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

There comes a casting every now and then, that is so legendary that not even a reboot of a franchise can top the original. In the case of The Amazing Spider-Man films, the creative talent realized that J. Jonah Jameson was so well cast by J.J. Simmons, that they didn’t even attempt to offer a new take on the character.

J.K. Simmons timing is so perfect, his look so accurate, that it is impossible to read a Spider-Man comic today without hearing the actor’s voice. He’s Spider-Man’s perfect hater, an actor I would still recommend Marvel Studios use for their 2nd “reboot” of Marvel’s Webslinger.

2) Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock

Fox’s Gotham is really the 1st time I’ve seen Jim Gordon’s partner and eventual right-hand-man portrayed by a live-action actor. Even Christopher Nolan, who used the Dark Knight Trilogy to reintroduce us to lost Detective Comics characters like Lucious Fox, failed to produce Harvey Bolluck, an essential character in the comic realm.

Benjamin McKenzie was a hard sell as Jim Gordon, as his most famous role was from female teen show The O.C., but he’s worked out fine. On the other hand, Donal Logue, best known from an equally “shitty” comedy Grounded For Life, lives and breaths Harvey Bolluck into existence in a way that makes the comic impossible to read without hearing Logue’s voice.

A drunk with a conscience and extreme loyalty to his partner, Logue is incredible as Batman essential Harvey Bolluck.

1) Matt Ryan as John Constantine

Finally, we arrive at the best of the best; Matt Ryan as DC Comic’s (formally Vertigo’s) John Constantine! Forget Keanu Reeves who was terribly cast in the big-screen version of DC’s best “master of the dark arts!” Matt Ryan plays the character with the coy cockiness and James Bond-esque womanizer that perfectly reflect the comic counterpart, right down to his appearance.

This is the prime example of an actor breathing life into a formally written & drawn character with no real voice. I know can’t read Justice League Dark or John Constantine: Hellbazler without hearing… and even picturing Matt Ryan. I’d never enjoyed the aforementioned film… or comic until I saw Matt Ryan play Constantine. And since them, he has become one of my most favorite comic characters of all!

There you have it, the 5 most ACCURATE Comic Book Castings… of all time! It may not be the main characters you expected, but these supporting and less known-“Heroes” could not be better represented on the screen!

The Best Movies of Summer 2015: PART II – No. 3, 2 & 1!

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Nick Doll in Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Jurassic World, Lists, Mad Max: Fury Road, Marvel, MCU, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Movies, Reviews

After much soul searching, I can finally finish the list of my 6 Favorite Movies of the Summer that kept on giving. And giving. And giving!

Read Part I, where I cover my 6th through 4th favorite movies now if you missed it.

First, I must make a clarification; on the first part of my list, I stated that I’m trying to balance quality and enjoyment level when ranking the best films of Summer 2015. I now realize, that what is really important is the enjoyment factor. In fact, looking back, #6: Man From UNCLE, #5: Ant-Man, and #4: Avengers: Age of Ultron were already based on enjoyment factor and NOT quality of film. So I intend to continue that trend… Now!

SPOILERS may follow for any of the films covered.

3. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

If I were to base this list purely on quality of film, then Mad Max: Fury Road would have been #1. It really is a masterpiece; light-years better than any of George Miller’s previous Mad Max films, though that has nothing to with replacing Mel Gibson with Tom Hardy. You can tell Miller has been working on the film (at least in his head) for 20 years, and the result is visually stunning with an unbelievably complex “feminist” narrative supported by limited dialog. And George Miller is one of the only people making films in the 21st Century that does stunts… for real.

Highlights: Everything mostly… mostly.

As stated previously, the movie is visually stunning, from the amazing color contrast of the “Australian” wasteland (shot in Africa) to actually watching REAL cars flip and explode. Sure, there is CGI abound, but it is there to enhance the effects (and create a crazy sandstorm that would make 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol jealous), not replace the real feeling of flipping or blowing up dozens of vehicles.

This Mad Max is also the best at world building, from Immortan Joe’s Citadel, to the valley watched over by those with “spiky cars,” mention of “Gas Town,” the former “Green Lands” of the many mothers, and finally that creepy bog with human survivors walking on stilts, almost appearing bird-like in their garb.

The plot is fantastic, though simple on the surface, dialog is sparse but effective, and Tom Hardy rocks the role of Max Rockatansky just as hard (if not harder) than Mel Gibson. Charlize Theron is obviously fantastic as well as the true protagonist of the movie, with Max just along for the ride.

Finally, can we talk of Junkie XL’s score? Amazing on every level: you don’t simply watch Fury Road, you rock out to it. Can’t wait to hear the composer’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice score as well as his recently announced Deadpool music.

Weaknesses: As I find with most films showered with critical acclaim, Mad Max: Fury Road is just not as re-watchable as nearly any other film on the list. It is indeed the highest quality, but it doesn’t offer the same enjoyment and re-watch-ability as the next two movies on my list.

2. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION

I don’t know how they do it. Mission: Impossible is one of the few franchises getting better by the film, after the terrible M:I – 2. I keep waiting for a stinker, but each M:I film has been better than the last ever since J.J. Abrams saved the franchise with M:I:III.

If the 1st Mission: Impossible had a baby with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and the Usual Suspects had a baby with Edge of Tomorrow (which you may know as Live. Die. Repeat.)… and those babies fucked… you’d have Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. That’s the result of baby fucking. (It’s no surprise the writer/director of Rogue Nation previously wrote both Usual Suspects and Edge of Tomorrow.)

Rogue Nation is the second best film in the franchise, in my opinion, because the 1st film is a Sacred Cow, not unlike Jurassic Park, which can be honored with good sequels, but never outdone.

Highlights: I LOVE that the film hearkens back to the slower thriller elements of the first Mission: Impossible while simultaneously combining the action and spectacle one would expect coming off of Brad Bird’s endlessly entertaining Ghost Protocol.

You got your, “Oh-My-God-I-Can’t-Believe-Tom-Cruise-Did That!” element similar to Ghost Protocol‘s Dubai Tower scene, this time with Tom Cruise attaching himself to an actual A400 airplane and doing 7 full take-offs to get the scene just right. Like George Miller, Tom Cruise feels he owes it to his fans to do as much as he can for real, one of the main reasons the film ranks so high. Though my #1 favorite movie of the summer is a CGI bonanza, I have extreme respect for Rogue Nation‘s attempt to use as little CGI as possible in exchange for stunts like Cruise on a plane, the crazy motorcycle chase, and his underwater adventures for which he did hold his breath for over 3 minutes a take!

Meanwhile, you have a more personal and one could say, smaller scope film that brings back the espionage and thriller elements of the original film. After all, though M:I – 2 through Rogue Nation are action movies, the 1st film is a tight and smaller thriller, with only one full action scene to speak of. Rogue Nation does a little of both. There’s a lot of smaller, yet impossible situations than the Plane Sequence, from the conundrum at the Opera to the personal/not-action-packed finale on the streets of London. A shoot-out closes Rogue Nation, in contrast to the giant action scene that closed out Ghost Protocol.

Now, let’s talk about the new talent on screen! Rebecca Ferguson nearly steals the film from Tom Cruise as the, “Can we trust her?” Femme Fatale. In this more personal film, she is what “The Woman” (Irene Adler) is to Sherlock Holmes; Ethan Hunt’s female equal.

Meanwhile, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is caught in a game of cat-and-mouse with the supremely creepy and soft-spoken Soloman Lane, played by Sean Harris (Prometheus), and his “Syndicate.” What SPECTRE is to 007, the Syndicate is to Hunt, including with Soloman Lane serving as a sort of Moriarty or Blofeld, always one step ahead of the disbanded IMF.

Weaknesses: Well, it’s not as good as the 1st one, but I can’t hold it against Rogue Nation.

Mainly, I just wanted to see more Soloman Lane! He is pulling the strings behind everything, again making Moriarty and apt comparison, but Sean Harris doesn’t have enough scenes to really make his creepy presence known. Though I believe him to be the best villain of the franchise, he is without meaty scenes like Phillip Seymor Hoffman had in M:I:III. Lane’s nasal voice and his creep factor could have been even more effective if we saw more of him!

1. JURASSIC WORLD

There you go! Not the highest quality movie of the summer, only average-to-pure-popcorn-movie if you judge it purely on quality, but God Damn Jurassic World is the most enjoyable movie I watched all summer!

I don’t need to go too far into it, because I’ve written about Jurassic World again and again, including writing an actual review, but the movie delivers everything you want from a Jurassic Park sequel…

A theme park setting! New dinosaurs! Classic Spielbergian elements! Velociraptors devouring people (most important)! T-Rex!… The list goes on and on.

I feel like my other posts about Jurassic World speak for themselves.

So, with that, here are the Best Films of 2015!

6. MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

5. ANT-MAN

4. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

3. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

2. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION

1. JURASSIC WORLD

Great summer, all! Can’t wait to judge me some Holiday blockbusters! SPECTRE and Star Wars: The Force Awakens are on the horizon!

The 6 Best Films of Summer 2015: PART I – No. 6, 5 & 4

Posted on September 20, 2015October 7, 2015 by Nick Doll in 007, Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Jurassic World, Lists, Mad Max: Fury Road, Marvel, MCU, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Movies, Reviews, SPECTRE, Star Wars, The Force Awakens

We did it! We survived one of the highest grossing summers on record due mostly to Universal Studios hits like Jurassic World, Minions, and Straight Outta Compton. Not that Disney doesn’t deserve credit for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Inside Out, and Ant-Man.

But this list isn’t about the money grossed, it’s about the quality of films we watched. What were the 6 best films of Summer 2015? According to me…

Let’s start with my predictions for the whole year. View that article in its entirety or just read this list of my anticipation levels from least excited to complete obsession. Again, there were my predictions based more on enjoyment level, not a list predicting which films would necessarily be best this summer.

7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

6. Ant-Man

5. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

4. Mad Max: Fury Road

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron

2. SPECTRE

1. Jurassic World

Since this new List only covers Summer 2015 and not the Fall, we can knock Star Wars and SPECTRE off my possibility of choices.

The original list are the titles I thought would be most enjoyable. To be transparent, this new list of the “Best” Movies of Summer 2015 takes into account enjoyably AND quality. If this list were purely based on how much I enjoyed a film, the list would look slightly different.

Let’s start work from sixth favorite to my number one; this post just containing Sixth through Third favorite.

WARNING: SPOILERS Follow for each Film. Skip one if you haven’t seen it and don’t want it spoiled.

6. MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

Not a great Guy Ritchie, nor Spy Film, but I had to include it rather because it still deserves a spot on this list, even if it was my 6th favorite movie of the summer and most lists are traditionally out of five.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E film is classy as hell, with tons of Guy Ritchie style more apparent than his more tightly controlled bigger studio franchise, Sherlock Holmes. The “buddy” dynamic between US Agent Solo (Our current Superman,Henry Cavill) and USSR Agent Illya (Armie Hammer!) brings most the humor that is not limited to dialog exchanges, but also humorous action scenes involving the competitive nature or two Spies from different sides of the Cold War.

HIGHLIGHTS: Henry Cavill continues to nail the role as an American (again, see Man of Steel) with all the added almost overabundance of charm required to be a fantastic play on Sean Connery’s or Roger Moore’s version of James Bond.

Likewise, though they have a Brit playing an American and Armie Hammer playing Russian, Hammer also nails the role, with his aforementioned antics with Cavill’s Solo providing most of the film’s enjoyment.

Just like Kingsman back in February, Man From U.N.C.L.E. also has great classic 60’s 007 references in its locations and over-the-top not-so-secret Spy work of suave Solo.

WEAKNESSES: The action just isn’t there compared to other 2015 spy films like Kingsman: The Secret Service and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. There’s a decent chase at the end, some fun silly action sequences like the opening car chase, but the action just isn’t as abundant as in a 007 picture, for example.

Likewise, the “turncoat” scene where Gaby (Alicia Vikander) gives up Solo and Illya only to be reveled as a questionable British Agent, is very reminiscent of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

That’s just bad (unlucky) timing for Man From U.N.C.L.E.

The film really feels like a set-up for a wonderful franchise we will never see as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a flop.

5. ANT-MANLook, Ant-Man is neither my favorite Marvel movie, nor my least favorite. In an age when Ant-Man is Marvel’s 12th(?… Maybe 11th) movie, that is not a bad thing what-so-ever.

For me, Ant-Man falls in the middle of the pack, higher than The Incredible Hulk, both Thor movies, Iron Man 2, and Captain America: The First Avenger, but lower than movies Iron Man 1 & 3, Captain America: Winter Solider, Guardians of the Galaxy, and both Avengers films.

Highlights: The cast, to start! Paul Rudd as Scott Lang gives us our most grounded Avenger yet; a father who is kept from his daughter because of a criminal past. Marvel as a Universe is known for down-to-Earth heroes, but Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, and Capt. are not mortals like Ant-Man (Iron Man technically is mortal, but he has none of the angst that comes with fatherhood). Rudd is one of the most likable Avengers, with his character’s weaknesses yet strength of charm, empathy and comedy.

Let’s not stop there! Of course Michael Douglas as Hank Pym and Evangeline Lily as eventual Wasp, Hope van Dyne, don’t disappoint. But, besides Rudd, Ant-Man’s Corey Stoll as Darren Cross/Yellowjacket and Michael Pena as Lang’s best friend Luis steal the show.

Michael Douglas as Hank Pym with Corey Stoll as Darren Cross

Stoll combines the classic elements of Norman Osborne’s madness in the original Spider-Man and Obadiah Stane’s suit-envy in Iron Man. Meanwhile, hilarious Michael Pena brings more humor to the film than even funny-man Paul Rudd, reminding me of his favorite role as Seth Rogen’s right-hand security guard in Observe and Report.

Which brings me to Ant-Man‘s next strength… the genre. Lately, Marvel movies have played with mixing different genres with the classic Super Hero story to give their origin stories and the like more originality. Winter Soldier was a 70’s Thriller, Guardians was a Star Wars-esque Space Opera, and Ant-Man is a heist film… complete with a full team… including Michael Pena! (BOOM! Brought it all the way ’round.)

Yet, the tie-ins to Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War are the movies greatest strengths. Nothing like Ant-Man fighting Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and the mention of someone who “can climb walls.”

Humor is the final piece of Ant-Man‘s successful puzzle. My father had no interest in Ant-Man, but I dragged him along and he was shocked by how funny the film is! Like The Guardians of the Galaxy, humor was the only way to make Ant-Man mainstream.

Weaknesses: Some of Ant-Man is very cookie-cutter Marvel. Sometimes it does feel too much like the 1st Iron Man from the idea of a “suit” as his superpower to the notion that the villain just wants the same tech. In it’s least interesting moments, Ant-Man can feel like an Iron Man clone.

4. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

It’s The Avengers Assembled! Again! This time fighting a creation of almost villainous Tony Stark (who does risk the team’s life with the best intentions), Ultron, an artificial intelligence who cannot be destroyed until he is locked out of the net and every drone is blown to bits.

Highlights: A lot of people love to hate this film, but I still think Avengers: Age of Ultron is Marvel Top Five; even better than the 1st film.

Why? Because The Avengers was mainly awesome because of the “Holy Shit! Bruce Banner just met Steve Rogers!” That single shot in the 1st film that flies around New York City, catching every Avenger in action was mind-blowing.

And this film opens with a scene just like that!

Age of Ultron is the stronger film as the plot is more important and fleshed out than the 1st Avengers. Think about it; the 1st film was mainly on the Helicarrier and dealt with simply following Loki around, knowing exactly what he was up to. Age of Ultron doesn’t just offer a more fluid and varied plot crafted for amazing action sequences, but a more personal story that brings out every Avenger’s (except Hawkeye) greatest fears.

Tony Stark’s scene of fear is the most poignant; an alien invasion heading toward Earth while his friends die a rocky-planet with Capt. accusing Stark of not being there to save them. This is an excellent plot device to drive Stark into horrible decisions… like creating artificial intelligence using Loki’s staff… which was also handled by Hydra. It also sets the stage for Avengers: Infinity War where our heroes could very well end up dead on an Alien planet after a failed defense against Thanos.

Finally, we get a lot of Captain America! he has most the screen-time and why not? He’s team leader and his fight with Ultron is Seoul may be a mismatch, but it’s Capt. at his best!

Weaknesses: I may like Age of Ultron better than Ant-Man, but it sure has more faults.

Too many characters! You can’t just add three Avengers in the 3rd Act (even though we knew you would…)! One can only hope that the super talented Russo Brothers can balance the sheer amount of Avengers that will exist by the time Avengers: Infinity War comes out.

Ultron is not as cool as he could have been. Right James Spader?

Hawkeye needs some screen-time to make up for The Avengers, and it’s awesome he actually has a family (like Scott Lang), but too much time spent on his farm regardless.

That’s it for Today, folks.

My favorite Summer Movies #3 – #1 is HERE

Padcast #22: One Degree of Marvel

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Nick Doll in 007, Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Avengers, Batman, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America, Daredevil, DC, Gotham, Marvel, MCU, Movies, Podcasts, SPECTRE, Suicide Squad, Trailers, TV Shows

Nick and Andrew return… With A Vengeance! Though talk switches from Suicide Squad and Batman V Superman to Jurassic World, everything always ends up Marvel!

It’s Clobbering Time! Latest FANTASTIC 4 Trailer & Poster Continue to Excite

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Nick Doll in FANT4STIC, Marvel, Movies, Posters, Trailers

Everyone dismissed 2015’s reboot of Fantastic Four (or FANT4STIC) before we saw any footage. The first trailer changed that, giving us a much darker film than the original two films (starring Chris Evans as the Human Torch before his turn as Captain America). In fact, the trailer was chilling and dark in all the right ways.

Trailer #2 continues to intrigues me; the accident still looks horrific, as does the idea that Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue & Johnny Storm become lab rats after their accident. And then… we get a look at Doom! And really great shots of The Thing in action.

Watch it now!

Still dark and foreboding, at least the team decides their powers should be used to help people, making them heroes in this trailer, not just freaks after a trip to another dimension goes horribly wrong.

Check out these shots of the team using their powers!

And……. here’s Dr. Doom!

Finally, the 3rd and likely final poster for the film.

Fantastic Four rounds out summer with its release this August.

Yet Another AGE OF ULTRON TV Spot Gives Us New Footage… But Mostly War Machine!!!

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Nick Doll in Age of Ultron, Avengers, Marvel, MCU, Movies, Trailers

We’ve seen A LOT, I mean A LOT, A LOT, of Avengers: Age of Ultron footage. So much so, that I’ve stopped posting new scenes and extended because there is LITERALLY new material every day as we get closer and closer to the release of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ 2nd adventure. (The last clip I posted was of the already infamous Hulk Vs. Hulkbuster battle!)

Today’s TV Spot is notable and worth posting because, aside from the “Hammer Lifting Contest” clip, it’s our first look at Don Cheadle as War Machine, only this time he’s in the field, fighting Ultron drones alongside the rest of The Avengers!

Enjoy, and hope there is nothing more worth posting in these last two weeks of Marvel Studios’ media blitz.

I’m ready for daily Ant-Man material!

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