Marvel's The Avengers Review

 

There is a new superhero in town and you won't see him until the credits roll. Of course, I'm talking about none other than director Joss Whedon. What an awe-inspiring spectacle he has created here! This movie is the stuff only the most gifted storyteller could pull off. Sure, he has fans, thanks to his successful Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly television shows, as well as the movie follow-up to Firefly, Serenity. Cult favorites, but hardly any motion picture industry recognition has been garnered from this writer/director. He certainly has never had this kind of budget or worked on a scale of this magnitude... but then who has? Well, he did produce last month's Cabin in the Woods, which also stared Chris Hemsworth (Thor), but that wasn't his story, per say. Marvel's The Avengers is a property (well, a multitude of properties) that could have gone horribly wrong or worse, could have been a mediocre big budget Hollywood machine project designed to have a huge opening weekend and bring in kids, who eat these kinds of movies up because they love to see their heroes on the screen, regardless of quality. Instead, Marvel has once again taken the high road, amounting to a duly deserved success. They hired the right director to make a movie for kids, comic book fans, and everyday people alike. This is the stuff we go to the movies for!

Movies of May: 2012

Here is a theatrical release day schedule of the most prominent movies to be released in this month of may, 2012. Click the FILM TITLE below the movie poster for a link to the trailers.

So far, the most interesting movies for me are The Avengers, for Marvel actually being able to tie all of this together (with first time blockbuster maker with a strong credit history, Joss Whedon directing, no less) and Moonrise Kingdom, because hey, if it doesn't look like another classic from Wes Anderson (will all kinds of shades of what made Royal Tenenbaums an instant classic).

WB's slate for 2012 previewed at CinemaCon

Clips from The Hobbit, The Dark Night Rises, The Great Gatsby, and The Campaign were shown at CinemaCon.

Since I did not go there myself, I will direct you to a nice summary from ComingSoon.net.

The Cabin in the Woods Review

Part Friday the 13th and part Rosemary's Baby / The Wicker Man, The Cabin in the Woods is 2 different concepts blended together with each genre true to its roots... but that is also to its fault. Without giving too much away, the hook is the teens-in-a-cabin slasher film and as the trailer for the movie suggests, the other involves folks in the control room. The movie goes back and forth between these two worlds and very gently lets you in on the greater plot line a little bit at a time. Eventually, the worlds collide in ways that you aren't expecting.

New Man of Steel logo revealed

The Zack Snyder (300, Sucker Punch) directed movie is currently set for release in the summer of 2013, with the first trailer likely being shown before The Dark Knight Rises. Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill as Superman (Kal-El) / Clark Kent, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and features Russel Crowe as Supe's father: Jor-El, Kevin Costner as Supe's adopted father: Johnathan Kent, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Michael Shannon as General Zod, and Lawrence Fishburne as Perry White.

Full Prometheus trailer #2 is up

Trailer #2 added to Prometheus preview page, along with the international trailer.

John Carter Review

 

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (USA) Review

This was a movie that fell into the category of "do not want!" by many people. After all, it is an adaptation of the English language altered version of the Swedish book, which already has its own movie treatment, which is pretty successful in its own right. This being the first of a three part book series by the late Stieg Larsson, translated by Steven T. Murray (under Reg Keeland). The original Swedish title of the book is Män som hatar kvinnor or translated: Men Who Hate Women. Yeah, doesn't quite have the same ring to it.