On the (nearly) eve of the Superbowl, prior to the promise of a brand new trailer for ‘Jurassic World,’ the good folks at Universal have given us an official peak at the already infamous “Indominus Rex.”
(There are a bunch of more spoilery images of the beast confirmed correct if you wish to find them online. I’m just covering the official Universal Studios less spoilerly review of the creature.)
Nothing super-spoilery like a full image of the beast, but we have a sneak peak at the creature’s Godzilla type snout. We also have a “guide” to the dinosaur, showing us his “logo” with an outline of the beast, as well as a fake press-release explaining Jurassic World’s newest attraction.
Here’s the very vague face of Indominus Rex.
The official look at Indominus Rex. See, barely a real look. No spoilers!
Now, for a clearer look at the creature, without actually revealing the full beast itself, comes a graphic officially released by “the park.”It does live up to the top ad’s promise of “More Teeth.” But is it bigger and louder?
Notice the emphasis on the Indominus Rex’s clawed hand. It seems to be the creature’s most dangerous feature, besides the terrifying teeth above. Obviously, the arms are much more effective than a T-Rex, while keeping the overall shape of the classic movie-monster from the first two ‘Jurassic Park’ films.
AND GREAT NEWS! It’s not a dino/human hybrid from earlier drafts of the script. This was fixed, as promised and to the relief of ‘Jurassic Park’ fans across the interwebs.
Indominus Rex does seem to have a interesting toe as well, but the “official press release from the scientists at Jurassic World” doesn’t include Velociraptor as one of the species spliced into this hybrid as previously rumored (and hoped!).
Even has a T-Rex-esque Face Logo
There are a bunch of other Dinos and jargon I don’t understand, making this piece of viral marketing very effective. In addition to the description of the beast’s genetics we get its max speed and even the number of decibels produced by Indominus Rex’s roar.
“We set out to make Indominus the most fearsome dinosaur ever to be displayed at Jurassic World. The genetic engineers at our Hammond Creation Lab have more than delivered.
At first glance, Indominus most closely resembles a T. Rex. But its distinctive head ornamentation and ultra-tough bony osteoderms can be traced from Theropods known as Abeliosaurs. Indominus’ horns have been placed above the eye orbit through genetic material hybridized from Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops and Gigantosaurus. Fearsome indeed.
Indominus’ roar is estimated to reach 140-160db—the same as a 747 taking off and landing. And it can reach speeds of 30 mph…while confined to its enclosure. Come experience Indominus Rex for yourself beginning this summer. If you dare.”
So it is louder. Much louder!
Run Chris Pratt! Run! You can’t make it up to 30 miles per hour like Indominus Rex! (But a jeep could out run it…)
Prepare to see a bunch of tourists eaten by Indominus Rex on June 12th.
Nick and Andrew discuss the trailer for the ‘Fantastic Four’ or… ‘FANT4STIC’ as Fox is calling it. Talk shifts to Disney’s plans for the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise, whether or not they include Chris Pratt. And how can they not visit topics relating to other superhero films like ‘Justice League Dark’ and the future of Matt Ryan as John Constantine?
Disney owns the world these days. They possess Pixar, Marvel, and, of course, Lucasfilm. The latter’s purchase has thus far been focused on getting a new ‘Star Wars Trilogy’ off the ground, but now it looks like the House of Mouse may want to shine a little light on Lucasfilm’s other giant property: the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise.
Even 7 years ago in 2008, it was the years AND the mileage.
While I liked ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ more than most, I don’t think Disney can put together a movie before Harrison Ford hits 80, so continuing the franchise is going to mean replacing Harrison Ford.
And who could possibly do that?
Indiana Jones is one of those characters so iconic, it seems silly that any other actor should wear his fedora.
And yet… there is one… one who could pick up the hat and make it fit.
Already in ‘Jurassic World,’ Pratt has the Indy look down pat.
I’m talking, of course, about 2014 Super-Star Chris Pratt who played Emit in ‘The Lego Movie’ and Peter ‘Star-Lord’ Quill in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’
I’m not the only one who noticed the similarities between Pratt’s Star-Lord and Ford’s Han Solo.
And it’s not necessarily blasphemy to recast such an iconic role (though I would have shot you for introducing the idea to me a year ago); after all, Sean Connery defined 007, but the character has since been played by a handful of iconic actors including Daniel Craig returning in 2015’s ‘SPECTRE.’
Indiana Jones is my favorite character from cinema so any mishandling or casting silly choices like Shia LeBeouf will ruin everything and send me home crying.
There is only one name I’m okay with to play Indiana Jones besides Harrison Ford: the aforementioned Chris Pratt.
Someone photo-shopped this over half a year ago, and I have since loved the idea of Chris Pratt playing a either a young Indiana Jones or Han Solo.
Chris Pratt is only 35, making him younger than Ford who played Henry Jones Jr. most famously in his 40’s. So, if this great casting comes true, expect adventures around the same time period as the 1st three films.
A few fears (AND DEMANDS) I have…
DO NOT REBOOT – Give us more Indy adventures within the same timeline, don’t start all over again.
How about a young Mac & Indy fighting Nazis? That work for you?
DO HIT WWII – I mentioned Pratt is younger than Ford when he played the role, but after hearing Mac and Jones briefly refer to their adventures serving in WWII in ‘Indy 4’ (the original Trilogy precedes the 2nd World War) I really want to see a movie about that.
GET A GOOD DIRECTOR! – Spielberg is #1 choice, but I’d say it’s incredibly unlikely he will direct another ‘Indiana Jones’ film, especially not one without the full team including Lucas and Ford.
Get a young lad like Colin Trevorrow who was handed the keys of ‘Jurassic World’ from Steven Spielberg after his indie film ‘Safety Not Guaranteed.’ You know, a young director with character experience; like the young Spielberg hot off ‘Jaws,’ defining his career.
A lot could go wrong, but casting Chris Pratt as Indiana Jones would be the 1st step in the right direction for my favorite cinematic character ever.
Of all the Blockbusters this year, the ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot has long been deemed a disaster, from other geeky blog sites not liking the casting choices, to an apparent temper-tantrum by director Josh Trank, and finally a complete lack of photos or footage…
Until today.
Why in the world is Fox’s calling it ‘FANT4STIC?’ Did they learn nothing from ‘TAK3N?’Our best look at The Thing.
Now we have a teaser-trailer and a poster; our first look at the film what-so-ever. And, though we have yet to see anything fantastic, the trailer’s images and tone are very interesting; very akin to the tone of Fox’s recent X-Men adventures ‘First Class’ and ‘Days of Future Past.’
Maybe a little creepier.
Ok, Definitely creepier!
It may not be ‘The Dark Knight,’ but this version of ‘Fantastic Four’ looks far darker than the overally-kid-friendly originals directed by Tim Story.
I’m now cautiously optimistic the film may be good; I do like the almost terrifying images of the crew’s transformation including Miles Teller painfully stretching for the first time as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic to The Thing (Jamie Bell) breaking out of a mass of rocks.
This apparent similarity in tone between Fox’s ‘Fantastic Four’ and their ‘X-Men’ franchise is no mistake, Fox plans on crossing their two Marvel properties into a mini-Fox Cinematic Universe. There’s also a sequel in the works already…
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Ok. So now the logo is a square? Because there are four sides? To distance new franchise from old?
‘The Fantastic Four’ (or ‘The FANT4STIC’) gets a much needed reboot on August 8th!
Chris Evans as The Human Torch
P.S. Let us not forget the original ‘Fantastic Four’s legacy: Chris Evans, who graduated from Johnny Storm/The Human Torch to Steve Rogers/Captain America.
Nick and Andrew recount the horror’s of ‘Daredevil’ before jumping into Ben Affleck’s new reality as the Dark Knight. They cover the DCCU (DC Cinematic Universe) including ‘Aquaman’ casting and the troubles of ‘The Suicide Squad.’
Batfleck Vs. Superman (also known by the silly title ‘Batman V. Superman: Justice Begins’) is still over a year away with a scheduled release date of March 25th, 2016. In the meantime, I think we should all take a step back to admire the greatest comic book movie of all time; Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film ‘The Dark Knight.’
Breaking Batman
I wanted to do the top 5 scenes of the entire ‘Dark Knight Trilogy,’ but that was too limiting as there are too many fantastic scenes in my ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’ to cover here. I couldn’t even narrow just ‘The Dark Knight’ down to 5 favorite scenes. I need 6 to do the job!
Without further ado, here are the top 6 scenes from ‘The Dark Knight’ in the order they happen in the film’s narrative.
1. The Heist
The Bank Heist is quite the little scene to open and therefore establish the tone of the 2nd movie in Nolan’s Batman Saga. Inspired heavily by the Michael Mann film ‘Heat,’ the scene twists a classic heist into the Joker’s (Heath Ledger) plot, all while setting you on complete edge using the heights of IMAX and the sharp cords of the Joker’s theme… all screaming “Chaos.”
The Joker poses as one of his own henchmen.
2. Decent Men In An Indecent Time
The Joker’s heist may kick off the movie, but it is a decision made by three men that really set events in motion.
To defeat Gotham’s biggest recognized problem, the mob, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale) make a pact that will dictate the fate of all three involved, as well as collateral damage of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
Gordon warns,
“We’re going after the mob’s life savings. Things will get ugly.”
Replies Dent,
“I knew the risk when I took this job, lieutenant.”
Dent accepts the risk willingly, as do Batman and James Gordon.
It is this pact that will determine the destiny of all three men; destroying them all by the end of the film.
3. Dent’s Dark Side
‘The Dark Knight,’ specifically the scene just covered, is largely based on my favorite graphic novel ‘The Long Halloween’ by Jeph Loeb and by Tim Sale.
Nicholas D’Agosto’s Harvey Dent on ‘Gotham’ has quite the temper.
In the comic, Dent’s dark side is hinted at early in the story; long before the accident that scars him. Let’s just say he may may have done more than take a henchmen down an alley and flipped a coin to decide his life. But we’ll get to that now.
Dent spends half the movie as Gotham’s “White Knight,” the honest and law-fairing District Attorney bringing hope to Gotham. I would argue that Dent’s dark side is introduced too late in the movie; around the hour mark. Even here, the film form is not as severe as his comic version. Hell, ‘Gotham’ showed Dent’s short fuse in the first episode introducing the young assistant D.A.
Shiff Thomas wearing Rachel Dawes’ name; signaling her as Joker’s next victim.
The 1st sign something is amiss with Gotham’s White Knight is when he interrogates Joker’s henchmen Shiff Thomas; the man wearing the name tag pegging “Rachel Dawes” as the Joker’s next victim.
The Darker Side of Harvey Dent.
Thomas gets the ‘ole coin flip multiple times, gun held to his head, until Batman stops Dent. The Dark Knight warns the D.A. that if anyone saw what Dent was doing, faith in the White Knight and Gotham would fail.
Even going off the cuff, Dent left the fate of Shift Thomas to his double-sided coin. He (likely) meant Shift Thomas no terminal harm.
Still, that Dent darkness has to appear somehow.
4. Batman Interrogates The Joker
Batman’s one rule comes back to bite him in the ass. By a rabid dog chasing cars.
“You Complete Me!”
It’s really hard not to love this scene. Though Batman has the Joker in his gauntlets, Joker has all the power.
“You have NOTHING! Nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with your strength.”
It really is powerful to watch Batman wail on Joker to no avail. His “one rule” that prevents him from killing leads to the deaths of others in the film. This same number was over 600 by the time the pair face off for the final time in Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns.’
In this case, his one rule kills Rachel and blows Dent halfway to hell. But it is this rule that separates Batman from the masked villains. Even though he may lose to the Joker this scheme, I think he may get him in the end…
5. An Unmovable Object and An Unstoppable Force
Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin dies the old fashioned way.
‘The Dark Knight’ breaks the superhero’s genre one rule, established in classic films like 1989’s ‘Batman’ and carried on to nearly-modern day ‘Spider-Man’ (2002) and ‘Batman Begins’ (2005): kill off your villain so the end is nice and tidy.
The Caped Crusader does toss the Clown Prince of Crime off the Pruitt building… only to catch him with his grappling hook, much to the Joker’s disappointment.
“Oh, you. You just couldn’t let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren’t you? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.”
Boom! That’s comics in a nutshell.
Spider-Man doesn’t kill the Green Goblin in the comics (well he does, several, but some come back… and, you know, crazy Marvel stuff); they clash again and again and again. And there are very few foes that have been clashing longer in the comics than Batman and the Joker.
6. The White Knight Vs. The Dark Knight
The real finale. The one we were promised when Gordon, Dent, and Batman meet on that rooftop in the first act.
Things got dirty. And all three of these decent men in an indecent time were torn to shreds by the joker, but none more than tragic Harvey Dent.
“What happened to Rachel wasn’t chance. We decided to act! We three!”
Batman knows what’s up! Cause he’s the world’s greatest detective.
But Harvey Dent is the apparent loser in the room, having lost his fiance (and scared his face), with no knowledge that Bruce carried similar feelings for Rachel.
In the comics, Bruce Wayne blames himself for not revealing to Harvey Dent who he was. For not showing Dent who fought alongside him for the soul of Gotham. For remaining anonymous and letting Gordon and Dent take the brunt of mob vengeance.
In the movie, even in this immense time of crisis, Batman is able to vocalize the importance of Harvey Dent to Gotham; why he was chosen.
“Because you were the best of us! He wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall.”
So rests the soul of Gotham in these three-warriors-torn-asunder’s final moments together. Harvey “Two-Face” Dent deciding each of their fates with a flip of the coin.
This scene completes the movie. Three young men with rose-color glasses are wrung through the shredder as a promise they made destroyed their partnership and their lives. Classic Nolan/Batman tragedy.
Nick and Andrew begin their discussion, dissecting the latest, 2nd ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ trailer (what a surprise!) before moving onto the “Oscars Game.” Basically, Nick tries to guess the Academy Award nominees with little help from Andrew. The best episode yet! For real. Would I lie to you?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… 2015 is going to be fucking ridiculous… when it comes to the year’s movie slate.
He told you he’d be back.
There’s a lot to gush about; new movies in classic franchises like ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ ‘Mad Max: Fury Road, ‘ ‘007: SPECTRE’ and ‘Terminator Genisys.’ Following Marvel’s most successful year, when it came to quality of movies, we have a sequel to 2012’s ‘The Avengers’ as well as the origin story of a new Avenger in ‘Ant-Man.’ Even 20th Century Fox is shilling a non-X-Men Marvel property in the form of their ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot.
But what looks the best? What are the 7 movies I really can’t wait to see (couldn’t narrow it down to 5…)? Can I put them in order?
Yes I can, other Nick. Yes I can.
7. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
While several of the titles I used in my intro don’t make the list at all, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (formally ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’) gets the bottom spot.
Why?
We haven’t seen much footage at all, I work at the movie theater and have seen the trailer a dozen times in 3D and the final scene still makes me nauseous, and it’s so damn far away in comparison to most the titles on my list.
Plus… we’ve all played this ‘Star Wars’ anticipation game before and it backfired, horribly.
I’m actually a fan of the new lightsaber! And I know the trailer is supposed to showcase new characters in classic vehicles and uniforms (the stormtrooper armor), which were fun to see, but I want to see Han Solo, dammit!
6. ANT-MAN
Great trailer, but still a hard sell. The trailer jumps back and forth from a darker tone akin to that of ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’ to the comedy stylings of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man (but still not ‘Guardians’ funny).
The trailer does look awesome; only those flying ant scenes seem questionable, even though it’s an image straight from the comics. I like the mostly serious tone of the trailer, anchored by a pretty great speech by Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.
What’s the most unique thing about ‘Ant-Man’ when compared to the other Avengers in the MCU? He’s the only every-man in the group of billionaire science genius, another scientist who turned himself green, an every-man who leaves that life behind when he gets a super-soldier serum, and a God.
Scott Lang hangs his superhero suit in the shower.
Sure, Capt. did start an every-man, but even with the suit and powers of Ant-Man, Scott Lang seems grounded, even leaving his super-suit hanging in the shower.
Oh, and he has a daughter; a first for nearly any superhero franchise. The only exception I can think of is Sandman in ‘Spider-Man 3.’ A similar situation is going on here (and will hopefully go better) with criminal Lang stealing for his family and becoming the hero his daughter thinks he is. Ant-Man is not saving his world, he’s saving ours.
5. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5
Tom Cruise’s latest crazy stunt.
We haven’t seen any footage yet, but Tom Cruise’s new stunt is ko-ko-bananas, even in comparison to his scaling the tallest building in the world in the last installment, ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.’
3 out of the 4 films in this franchise have been better than good; theeeeeey’re GREAT!
While the first is the best, ‘Ghost Protocol’ was a very strong entry that revitalized the franchise and introduced us to team members Benji (Simon Pegg) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner). Joining them this time is Luthor (Ving Rhames) who has been on Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) task force every film except ‘Ghost Protocol.’
Same Team, minus Paula Patton’s Jane and plus a Luthor.
Only reservation is the director: Christopher McQuarrie. Though he wrote ‘Usual Suspects’ and last year’s ‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ he also directed ‘Jack Reacher’ which was a terrible Tom Cruise thriller.
4. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Tom Hardy is Mad Max! The trailer is glorious! There’s more stunt-work than you can shake a stick at, something very rare in Hollywood. Boom!
Sure, there’s plenty of CGI as well, but most that exploding carnage is done the old fashioned way with stuntmen and actual pyrotechnics!
3. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
You would think this would be at the top of my list (I thought so! Especially after the first trailer…), but my excitement has waned and worry has found a foothold in my brain.
Let’s be honest here, ‘The Avengers’ is in my top 3 MCU movies (with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Winter Soldier’) mainly because it was literally a game-changer. It was the first cross-pollination of superheroes, part of a shared universe, coming together after each carried their own franchises. Everyone else is still trying to pull this off, including DC Entertainment. The plot wasn’t that great, action scenes were few and far between, but the movie will always be remembered for bringing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes together.
‘Age of Ultron’ will need to step up its game to reach the quality of movies Marvel Studios put out in 2014. Likewise, it better be bigger and better, which it appears to be, but I hope that a great storyteller like Joss Whedon can avoid the movie from becoming a jumbled mess; cause there is A LOT going on between the two official trailers.
I also hope it’s good enough to avoid the fate of ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ (which I personally love) where most people were disappointed by the film, mainly because it had to follow the incredibly beloved ‘Dark Knight.’
In James Spader I trust.
2. 007: SPECTRE
This may be blasphemy, but ‘Skyfall’ is my favorite Bond movie… ever. It was so fucking good, bringing in the best 007 baddie of all time (Javier Bardem), and shaking up the 007 universe a bit.
The writers and director, Sam Mendes, from ‘Skyfall’ return and the title promises the revival of the terrorist organization SPECTRE (formally ‘Quantum’ in the D. Craig movies), as classic to the franchise as Vesper Martinis, shaken, not stirred.
Andrew Scott from ‘Sherlock’ would make a great Blofeld…
Better yet? The villain cast is unbelievable with Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) as a henchman, the incomparable Christoph Waltz (whose villainy can only be matched by Javier Bardem), and my personal favorite, Andrew Scott whose portrayal of Moriarty on BBC’s ‘Sherlock’ is perhaps the greatest TV villain of all time.
1. JURASSIC WORLD
It’s just too damn nostalgic. While I’ve watched the ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ trailer a million times and have had enough, I can still watch the ‘Jurassic World’ trailer anywhere, anytime.
We’re back on Isla Nublar! The movie is sticking close to the original and ignoring the sequels! Chris Pratt gets to hunt a new hybrid-dinosaur! There are child siblings in peril! Velociraptors!
And those notes from John Williams’ classic score… magic. Lightning in a bottle, at least as far as we can tell from the trailer!
Ben Affleck (Batfleck!) and David Fincher are planning on working together again following their great financial and critical success of the excellent film ‘Gone Girl.’
They will be remaking a Alfred Hitchcock classic that is due for a reboot.
‘Strangers On a Train’ is a great premise, one even slightly duplicated in ‘Horrible Bosses;’ only less comedic than the Jason Bateman/Charlie Day/Jason Sudiekis version.
But the film has not aged well, especially with the *SPOILERS* finale on a carousel.
The ridiculous finale to the original ‘Strangers on a Train.’
It does seem like the perfect premise for a dark David Fincher movie and Ben Affleck is the man to either play the uneasy nice-guy who agrees to the exchange without realizing the ramifications OR the psychopathic man who takes the agreement too far.
For those of you not in-the-know of Alfred Hitchcock’s original classic, the premise to ‘Strangers on a Train’ is that two strangers (see?) meet on a train (SEE!?!?), tentatively agreeing to carry out a murder for each-other that would leave both parties looking innocent as they have no connection to the victim or the crime. Unfortunately, the man proposing the deal is far more serious than the other man who agrees to participate, leading to a thriller where the murderer threatens to blackmail the other man unless he returned the “favor.”
“What’s in the Box?!?!”
Fincher is among my favorite directors, nailing the darkness needed to carry classics like ‘SE7EN’ and ‘Fight Club’ or more current releases like ‘Zodiac’ or 2014’s amazing ‘Gone Girl.’
Meanwhile, Batfleck has been on fire since his career was re-kickstarted by his directorial efforts in ‘Gone Baby Gone,’ ‘The Town,’ and ‘Argo.’
And let us never forget that Ben Affleck is now our Batman in DC’s Cinematic Universe (DCCU).
I know everyone shudders at the word “remake,” but between the original cheesy ending and the talent of Fincher and Affleck, it may very well be time for a new version of ‘Strangers on a Train.’
May I suggest Brad Pitt for the other role? Does that suit you, Fincher?
Now… we have a brand-spankin’-new trailer for Marvel’s other little 2015 movie, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ with almost entirely new footage.
Here we go…
I won’t go too deep into it yet, but Ultron’s statement, “Everyone creates the thing they dread” ties right into Stark’s ‘Iron Man 3’ problem of creating his own demons.
The real theme of the trailer, which is most likely a much bigger part of the movie than initially realized, comes from Ultron’s ultimatum, “I’m going to tear you apart… from the inside.”
The trailer shows a lot of characters out-of-whack…
From Black Widow’s surgery/origin…
Young Natasha Romanoff
… to Thor torment and power removal?…
Something’s wrong with Thor. Is that Enchantress behind him? Either real or a Scarlet Witch mind-fuck?Is this the same woman from the Thor shot? She is entering a pool of water… and Thor did pop out of water shirtless and in pain in the 1st trailer…
…To a raging Hulk that must be taken down by the Hulkbuster, which, like the 1st trailer, is here in true form!
It definitely seems like Ultron is using Scarlet Witch’s powers to get inside the Avenger members’ heads to bring out their most painful memories and cause them to squabble more hardcore than they did in the first film.
Lots of great money shots here too!
Great Iron Man in action at Baron Von Strucker’s castle…
An epic one-on-one fight between Captain America and a Ultron drone…And amazing Hulk footage… including another great look at the epic battle between Hulk and Stark’s Hulkbuster (which contrary to my earlier theory, does look like Tony is piloting himself).
I was wrong! It’s totally Tony Stark in that suit. Look at his HUD, there’s even a image of the Hulkbuster, not a traditional suit.
Very little footage of Quicksilver and only a sliver more for Scarlet Witch..
Really, the only shot of Quicksilver.
And finally… behold the power of Ultron! He can shoot lasers from his fingers!
Ulton Fires!And Iron Man takes the hit!
Like all good trailers (especially the Marvel ones) there is a lot to find and analyze in the coming days and weeks… until we get another trailer!
Or a new ‘Ant-Man’ trailer…
Or a ‘Daredevil’ one.
I love you, Marvel Studios. I really do. Marry me?
We can all agree that ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ was (nearly) a ‘Spider-Man 3’ disappointment, making money, sure (though the film did under-preform), but leaving Spider-Man fans with a bad taste in their mouth.
So what went wrong? And how is it possible that the film is considered a failure yet has 4 of the greatest scenes from any ‘Spider-Man’ or ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ film, if not the single best scene of all?
Best:The suit.
The most inaccurate Spidey suit from the first ‘Amazing Spider-Man’
Though Sam Raimi’s suit from his ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy was fairly accurate and incredibly consistent, the first ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ had a radically different look (in terms of Spidey, not heroes like Wolverine who ditched their colors and mask all together) with strange yellow eyes and a red and blue pattern just different enough to look out of place. Plus, he wore sneakers, his webshooters were unnecessarily bright, and his head looked like a basketball.
But ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ finally got the look 100% right with those big white eyes that even Sam Raimi avoided.
Worst:Oscorp
Why is the Oscorp of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ world so Umbrella Company-ish? It seems like their only job is having accidents that create super-villains or suits and serums… that lead to super-villains.
NY’s Landmark Oscorp Tower
Now, it wasn’t a terrible idea to tie in Oscorp in the first film as it defeats the old movie troupe, ‘Double Mumbo Jumbo’ that Blake Snyder shares in his excellent screenwriting book ‘Save the Cat!’ In his book, Snyder cites Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man as an exact example of ‘Double Mumbor Jumbo.’
The gist of it? Audiences will suspend-belief to buy an isolated incident where a man is bitten by a spider and gains superpowers. But it’s a stretch that to further suspend-belief that at the same time, in a completely different location, an acquaintance of Peter Parker gains super-villain powers and personality in a different experiment unrelated what-so-ever to Parker’s spider bite. That’s ‘Double Mumbo Jumbo.’
Max Dillon’s Unfortunate, Non-Nonsensical accident.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ tied our newer Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) directly into the Lizard’s transformation, finishing Dr. Curt Conners equation causing the experiment gone wrong.
Max Dillon’s accident in ‘Amazing 2’ is also Oscorp related, but more of a comic-book freak accident that makes little sense, even in the Spider-Man world; much like Sandman stumbling upon an atom-splicing experiment in the middle of a field while running from police.
Why is Oscorp developing suits based on different animals?
Why is Oscorp so evil? And so intent on destroying New York, as it would seem? The franchise should keep Dane DeHaan’s Harry Osborn/Green Goblin and drop Oscorp and all their weird ‘Sinister Six’ related exoskeletons and experiments.
I mean, didn’t Doc Ock develop his own arms? Or is now he like Rhino, a stupid criminal given metal arms, not a genius who invented them himself?
Either way: epic fail.
Best: Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx)
Max Dillon is a great character… until after the NY Times Square scene where his motives make no sense and he becomes a tool for Harry Osborn, not a fully-fleshed out villain like ‘Spider-Man 2’s Doc Ock or even Curt Conners from the first ‘Amazing Spider-Man.’
Dillon’s obsession with Spider-Man, best executed in the scene in which he speaks to himself as Spider-Man on his birthday, is a thing of beauty in a very ‘King of Comedy’ Robert De Nero way. This obsession bleeds into his fantasized confrontation with Mr. Smythe (B.J. Novak) and his barely noticable (blink and you’ll miss it… or hear it, rather) radio-call montage in which he says he and Spider-Man are best friends.
Worst:Electro (blue Jamie Foxx)
Sure, Max Dillon is an interesting character, but his actions become nonsensical after his Spidey confrontation/misunderstanding in Times Square, as formally mentioned. Worse, he is simply a plot device meant to keep us interested until the film can build to it’s true villain, the Green Goblin.
Best:4 Scenes that nail the tone of ‘Spider-Man;’ among the best in all 5 films.
1st, the aforementioned Max Dillon scene is among the best. I really enjoy his crazy, also expressed through Hans Zimmer’s score which included paranoid mutterings, making Dillon the more interesting character to undergo a terrible transformation.
2nd, Dillon’s awakening in the morgue recalls the terrors of Sam Raimi’s Doc Ock surgery scene, and was apparently cut to be less graphic and terrifying. Still works though.
3rd, Spider-Man’s chase with Alex O’Hirn (Paul Giamatti) who later gets a robot Rhino suit from Oscorp…. because… you know… they’re evil. It nails the light-hearted tone of a typical Spider-Man encounter with fantastic humor and action magic that can’t be duplicated in any other scene in the film.
4th… and you had to see this coming… MEGA SPOILERS… the Death of Gwen Stacy. Possibly the best scene in any Spider-Man movie (though I am also a real fan of the finale to the 2002’s ‘Spider-Man’ where the Green Goblin kicks Peter Parker’s ass).
Though the first ‘Spider-Man’ film used up the bridge-Goblin-drop, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ killed Gwen Stacy in the 2nd best way possible… and damn was it a powerful scene. The hand shape of the web just reaching her… only to allow her neck to snap and thud against the ground. Beautifully done scene that paid homage to perhaps the most major event in the Spider-Man comics.
My parents thought it was another ‘Superhero movie death’ i.e. very temporary; she’ll snap out of it. Unfortunately, the only thing snapping was her neck and my parents realized they had seen something new when the blood dripped from Gwen’s nose; a very finite and permanent death for a comic book movie (hopefully).
Really, I spent the Electro finale checking my watch, but when I heard that cackle and saw the glider fly in, I knew we were in for one of the most epic Superhero finales ever… it’s a shame most people just wanted the film to freakin’ end before we even got to Goblin.
Worst: 3 Scenes
Richard Parker, Peter’s father.
1st, Anything With Peter’s Parents.
THEY DON’T MATTER! Spider-Man was never about Pete’s relationship to his parents, which are also too closely tied to Oscorp.. Sure, Richard Parker fighting the Oscorp agent in a spinning Airplane was cool in a nearly ‘Inception’ way, but we shouldn’t even care about these characters. Spider-Man has always been about Peter’s relationship with Aunt May in the aftermath of Uncle Ben’s death. His angst is tied to letting Uncle Ben die, not feeling abandoned by his parents.
I know this franchise was trying something new, but it doesn’t work.
Richard Parker fights for his life against an agent of Oscorp.
2nd, Peter and Gwen angst. The appearance of Captain Stacy.
Captain Stacy Haunts Peter at Graduation.
I get it. Peter wants to be with Gwen. Peter doesn’t want to endanger Gwen. I hate this will-they/won’t-they nonsense. We’ve seen this before with Mary Jane.
And way to telegraph Gwen Stacy’s death. Peter worries all movie and is then attacked by her killer from the comics: the Green Goblin? What did any comic fan think was going to happen?
3rd, Max Dillon’s accident. And any scene with Electro post Times Square.
Jamie Foxx’s talents showcased in recent films ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘Horrible Bosses 1 &2,’ and his talents were completely wasted as Electro. As previously stated, the Max Dillon scenes were great… but the rest of Jamie Foxx’s scenes were terrible.
And his accident was so comic-booky in a franchise that shoots for some realism.
Sure, Electro was only used as a place-holder while the film covers Harry Osborn’s decent into the Goblin, but he didn’t have to feel like that! In a way, I would argue the Joker is a placeholder in ‘The Dark Knight’ for the decent of Harvey Dent into madness (the final confrontation is the one with Dent, Gordon, and Batman, not the earlier Joker wrap-up), but he was obviously a fully fleshed out villain – one of the best – that allowed for the 2nd villain to develop.
This scene wasn’t terrible.
Electro could have been so much more, even while serving the transformation of Harry into Goblin.
I did enjoy the scene where he was experimented on, but that’s just another exception to the rule of terrible Electro scenes.
So, there you have it, without droning on and on and on. (I only droned on and on… twice… not thrice!)
Sure, there is more terribleness to discuss as well as a few more highlights. But I think it’s time to put ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ to rest… forever.
Nick and Andrew honeypot/honeydick you into the world of Breaking Geek. They discuss the excellent film, ‘Blue Ruin,’ and come back around to ‘The Interview’ before launching into comic book movies and TV shows including Marvel’s teasers for Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Ant-Man.’ Also, an update on the DC Cinematic Universe (DCCU) and ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ franchises.
Come back every Friday @ 1pm Mountain Time for new episodes of ‘Breaking Geek: The Podcast!
‘Jurassic World’ is still months away with a release date of June 12th, yet it is the 2015 film I am most excited for (sorry Avengers, 007, Max, and Han Solo).
Like with any giant Youtube video (the ‘Jurassic World’ trailer is one of the most played trailers on the video platform) there are mash-ups, other videos analyzing the trailer, and old people reacting to it.
No old people here! The two videos I got here are better than that (though they could be loosely classified as mash-ups)!
First, be amazed at how close the ‘Jurassic World’ trailer sticks to the source material, in this case, the original 1993 film, ‘Jurassic Park.’
I personally believe the fact that new director Colin Trevorrow is working so hard to duplicate the magic of ‘Jurassic Park’ in a film that harkens back to that original more than either of the other two sequels, including Steve Spielberg directed ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park,’ is a good decision.
This seems to be the key with most sequels to decades old franchises this year with ‘Terminator Genisys’ recalling exact images from the original 1984 film and 1991’s ‘Judgement Day’ and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ bringing back classic ships and characters.
Now that you’ve watched the trailer shot-by-shot ‘Jurassic Park’/’Jurassic World’ comparison, I have an even sweeter treat, especially if you are a ‘Parks and Recreation’ fan.
Andy Dwyer (chubby old-school Chris Pratt) gets transferred to ‘Jurassic World’ in ‘Jurassic Parks & Recreation’ mash-up.
Pretty fantastic, no?
Finally, as a bonus, I have a blast from the past in the form of this ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic claymation (yay!) music video from his 1993 song, ‘Jurassic Park.’ The lyrics are great, but the claymation seals the deal.
So there you have, 3 fantastic ‘Jurassic World’ related videos to further get you psyched for June 12th’s film starring Chris Pratt and that genetically engineered hybrid.
Though T-Rex makes the park logo (of both the failed Jurassic Park and the new Jurassic World) and has the best single scene in the franchise (“someone let T-Rex out of his pen”), for me, the Jurassic Park franchise is all about Velociraptors.
There are few things scarier than the Velociraptor; in fact, it may be the scariest monster to ever grace the silver screen.
Sure, ‘Jaws’ is scary, but to avoid Bruce you just need to stay out of the water. But Velociraptors… if you are on Isla Nublar or Isla Sorna (aka ‘Site B’), can get to you anywhere. They talk to each-other, open doors, and have one hell of a claw.
Raptors in the grass: Scary!
The Velociraptors haven’t had the best track record in the ‘Jurassic Park’ sequels. Raptors in the grass is terrifying in ‘Lost World: Jurassic Park,’ but then the incredibly smart beasts are bested by Ian Malcom’s teenage daughter doing gymnastics.
In ‘Jurassic Park III’ they have feathers… and are only after Alan Grant and company to protect their eggs. In fact, blowing through their vocal cavity causes them to leave you alone completely.
LAME!
Velociraptors are better as cold blooded, killing machines like in the first film.
Yet… in the film ‘Jurassic Park’ all the raptors are either killed or left for dead in a locked freezer.
Muldoon tells the park visitors that there are three raptors in the Velociraptor Pen. He explains that when they brought in the big one – you know, the one who eats that paddock worker at the beginning of the film (“Shoot Her!”) – she killed all the raptors in the pride but two.
So, we start the film with three velociraptors. Then Timmy locks one in the freezer in the 2nd best scene of the franchise: raptors in the kitchen. They may be able to open doors, but they can’t unlock one from the inside.
Alan Grants awaits rescue from T-Rex
Finally, in the 3rd best scene (this is working out nicely), T-Rex comes to the rescue (in what is actually the biggest and most beloved cop-out of an ending in film history), killing the other two raptors.
So, by the end of 1993’s ‘Jurassic Park’ there are no live raptors left on Isla Nublar.
T-Rex earns his final, powerful image after killing two Raptors.
But, life finds a way (or studio executives at least) as Chris Pratt gets to ride a motorcycle with at least 5 of the creatures in the ‘Jurassic World’ trailer; ‘World’ being the first JP film to return to Isla Nublar since 1993.
So, in their infinite wisdom, did InGen (or its new parent company) breed new Raptors? Or even take old ones from Site B., Isla Sorna?
Or, did life really find away?
The Raptor Pen in ‘Jurassic Park’
Were there eggs in that pen? After all, we, and the park employees don’t really get a good look in there due to the danger level. Did the Raptors also change sex and breed? Who would raise the babies? Were there young raptors in the pen?
Alternate theory; did the Velociraptor in the freezer use her weight to force the door open? Did she raise some babies?
Likely, this won’t be addressed in ‘Jurassic World.’ I never realized that all three raptors met a terrible fate (that they deserved) until I rewatched ‘Jurassic Park’ for the millionth time. And I doubt the studio and writer expect us to remember this, if they even did.
But maybe, just maybe, we’ll get an explanation from Chris Pratt as to why he has his own pack of Raptors.
The motivating force of the ‘JurassicWorld’ plot is that park guests are tired of seeing the same old monsters after a decade of Jurassic World being open. Where raptors bred to give park goers that scare factor before management decided to just go ahead and make a new dinosaur? Where they bred to be used as samples to create what the web is calling the ‘D-Rex;’ possibly a hybrid Velocirapter/T-Rex?
Whatever the case.
“Probably not a good idea.”
I just hope the new Raptors are used for scares, not just as Pratt’s minions. After all, they are the cornerstone of Jurassic Park’s scares.
Is that really the new Hybrid… or is the shot more reminiscent of Timmy in the kitchen with Raptors!
I do have a theory that the final scene in the trailer, pre-logo, the ominous shadow and growl over the young boy is that of a Raptor, not Jurassic World’s newest attraction.
All will be revealed (or glossed over) in ‘Jurassic World’ opening Jun 12th
I knew Marvel could work miracles, but ‘Ant-Man’ looks pretty great. The cast was always solid, Marvel has a great track record, but initially I still doubted the material.
Ant-Man was a founding Avenger, but even in a world where Marvel made a character inspired by a Norse God part of a superhero team and a talking Raccoon/Tree combo superstars, it has taken until the tail end of Phase 2 for the character to get a film.
But here he is and he’s only a lil’ silly when he rides a flying ant.
Our first look at Marvel Studios’ ‘Ant-Man’ came in the form of an ant-sized trailer. Literally.
Did you catch any of that? Well here is the “Human-Size” version.
Okay, so it’s a teaser for a teaser trailer. The full trailer comes out tonight during Marvel’s new show ‘Agent Carter’, with another ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’ trailer following later this week on Disney owned ESPN.
While we wait, we have our first look at Paul Rudd in his Ant-Man getup, courtesy of ‘Entertainment Weekly.’ Though we saw his feet running in his fancy new boots in the teaser for a teaser, this is our first real look at the entire suit.
Paul Rudd IS Ant-Man
It looks MARVELous (I will not apologize for the pun). Another perfect translation from lesser-known comic suit to fully realized big-screen-ready costume. Can Marvel Studios turn ‘Ant-Man’ into the next ‘Guardians of the Galaxy?’
Probably not, but their Ant-sized marketing thus far has been clever and buzz worthy.
Speaking of which, check out the first poster below. Again, look for something very tiny.
The First Poster for ‘Ant-Man’
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
‘Ant-Man’ follows May’s release of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ with some Paul Rudd action on July 17th. The most interesting fact about the movie thus far, is that it ends ‘Phase 2’ of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. ‘Phase 1’ was ended by the first ‘Avengers’ in 2012 and it was assumed ‘Age of Ultron’ would bring a conclusion to Marvel Studios’ ‘Phase 2.’ Apparently ‘Ant-Man’ has something to add before we enter ‘Phase 3’ in 2016, starting with ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and ending in 2019 with ‘Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2.’
Also fantastic… like the other great Marvel films before it, ‘Ant-Man’ has a unique genre not yet explored by the MCU. ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’ was a thriller, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ was a space opera, and now ‘Ant-Man’ is a heist film. And 2016’s ‘Dr. Strange’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch promises something completely different.
Even with only a teaser for a teaser trailer and a nearly blank poster,’Ant-Man’ joins the list of most anticipated films in this year of our Lord, Stan Lee, 2015.
Nick and Andrew watched ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer’ so you don’t have to! They also watched ‘The Interview’ so that you can avoid attention from North Korea and/or Sony. Unregulated Superhero discussion commences as usual.
Come back every Friday for a new episode of The Breaking Geek Podcast!
Joining the bevy of trailers for sequels to classic franchises that have been released during the holiday season is the 2nd trailer for George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’
Tom Hardy takes over for Mel Gibson as ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky in the sequel that ‘Beyond Thunderdome’ should have been.
It’s got car chases and crashes… and car chases and crashes… well, even director George Miller pegs the movie as one long chase scene filled with fantastic stunt work one does not see in modern Hollywood due to the price (mainly of insurance) and danger (hence the high insurance rates).
And, though the trailer is also rich with CGI dust storms and the like, most the action in the movie was done the old fashioned way; when you see those scenes it is a completely different experience to watching digital characters or cars rush around. These are real cars, real stunt men, real explosions. Everything has an actual weight to it, because it IS real (mostly… mostly…).
Watch the trailer here now!
To quote my new friend Rocket.
“Oh, yeah.”
That’s more like it! ‘Beyond Thunderdome’ was a really, poorly thought out sequel to ‘Mad Max’ and ‘The Road Warrior’ (aka ‘Mad Max 2’); not matching the tone or action of the two other films.
This is the Mad Max we need. This is the Mad Max we deserve.
And though I do prefer the action in the original Comic-Con teaser, this trailer sure has a lot more character (not literally per say, I mean stylistically).
For comparison sake, here is the original trailer.
We also got in new ‘Fury Road’ posters at the movie theater I manage this week.
2015 belongs to the mad, whether they be psychotic robots, cross-breed dinosaurs, or a scary man with a crazy lightsaber.
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ hits US screens on May 15th, 2015.
For all you kiddies who’ve only seen the Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig films; SPECTRE is the original QUANTOM-esque terrorist organization.
The OG threat to Bond, 007 encountered many SPECTRE agents in the 1960’s, but none more famous than Bond’s ultimate nemesis, Ernst Stravo Blofeld; a character that was portrayed by several actors, just like James Bond.
You may recognize the most common look of Blofeld, from ‘You Only Live Twice.’ Let me give you a hint, he was bald, had a scar on his face, wore a silly silver suit, and stroked a white kitty.
Check out the teaser-teaser-teaser-barely-a-trailer below. Really, it’s a video revealing the logo.
Now, pay attention to the poster. Doesn’t that bullet hole look like a spider or octopus?
If not, here is OG SPECTRE’s Hydra-esque logo.
Eh? Eh? Look familiar now?
The official plot synopsis:
“A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.” Mr. Craig will be joined by Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Dave Bautista (as a henchman type character, I believe), Andrew Scott (Moriarty on Sherlock), and Monica Bellucci. Returning from Skyfall will be Naomi Harris (Eve Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q) and Ralph Fiennes (replacing Judi Dench as “M”). Director Sam Mendes is returning, which makes this the first 007 film to be helmed by the same director twice in a row since License to Kill ended John Glenn’s run in 1989. Skyfall writers John Logan, Neil Purvis and Rob Wade are returning as well.”
But what does SPECTRE mean for Daniel Craig’s 007?
It means the movie will definitely bring back the feel of the old movies, less cold and brutal than ‘Casino Royale’ or even ‘Skyfall,’ bringing classic elements into the mix… and not just the SPECTRE organization.
Waltz in his breakout role in ‘Ingourious Basterds.’
And the movie’s cast is loaded with great potential villains from the genius Christoph Waltz, to Andrew Scott whose Moriarty on BBC’s ‘Sherlock’ is the best TV baddie ever, and finally Dave Bautista (Drax in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’). And with that title, one expects either Waltz or Scott will be Blofeld!
Scott in BBC’s SHERLOCK as Moriarty.
Really exciting title, that unlike ‘Skyfall’ gives us great insight into where the 007 franchise is headed. Great cast, Sam Mendes is back to direct, same writing team… how could it go wrong? (*Fingers Crossed*)
Mr. White of the Quantum organization from ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Quantum of Solace’
But what about Quantum though? ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Quantum of Solace’ set up Mr. White and the Quantum organization, that, like SPECTRE, has political influence and carries out terrorist activity across the globe. Does Quantum turn out to be SPECTRE? Or where Quantum and Mr. White lazily kicked to the side after Quantum’s poor reception?
All will be answered November 6th, 2015.
Add ‘007: Spectre’ to that list of 2015 movies to see that already includes ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron,’ ‘Mission: Impossible 5,’ and many others. 2015 is going to be an expensive year for you geeks who don’t work at a movie theater.
Rejoice!
Is it too early to suggest Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain in ‘Bond 25?’
Benedict Cumberbatch for Bond villain OR 007 in 2017!
On the (nearly) eve of the Superbowl, prior to the promise of a brand new trailer for ‘Jurassic World,’ the good folks at Universal have given us an official peak at the already infamous “Indominus Rex.”
Notice the emphasis on the Indominus Rex’s clawed hand. It seems to be the creature’s most dangerous feature, besides the terrifying teeth above. Obviously, the arms are much more effective than a T-Rex, while keeping the overall shape of the classic movie-monster from the first two ‘Jurassic Park’ films.
BREAKING GEEK Radio: The Podcast 