Next Avengers Debut Trailer
May 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Marvel’s animated branch of direct to DVD movies will bring Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow in August of 2008. So far I’ve loved the stuff they have been doing, although this one seems a bit stranger to me.
The premise is that Ultron has returned years after the classic Avengers have long since moved on. The kids step up and have to save the world. I wondered about how good this would be for comics fans, considering these characters are all new, here is what the Marvel.com interview with creator Chris Yost had to say:
“But!” he continues, “If you do know the classic characters, and do know the history, then there is a TON of stuff packed into the movie. Nothing distracting, nothing that will take people out of the moment, but there’s going to be plenty of goodness for hardcore Avengers fans.”
Tags: animated, animation, avengers, chris yost, dvd, heroes of tomorrow, marvel, marvel studios, movie, movies, next avengers, yost
Spectacular Spider-Man Animated Series!
August 23, 2007 | 3 Comments
No shock, but this is an extremely exciting announcement for me. In the video we only see Spider-Man as a whole, but there are snippets of a few other classic villains shown in this order: Doc Ock, Lizard or Scorpion, Electro, Goblin, Vulture, Sandman and Venom.
This will be arriving sometime in 2008!
Tags: animated, animation, cartoon, doc ock, electro, goblin, lizard, Sandman, Scorpion, spectacular spider-man, spectacular spiderman, spider-man, spiderman, venom, Vulture
Casino Royale - A Late Review
February 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
As a huge Bond fan, I found it unfortunate timing that Casino Royale was released shortly after the birth of my first son. This left me with no opportunity to catch the film and weigh in on the new Bond. However, I finally got this opportunity last night in it’s final showing at the Fashion Valley AMC theater in San Diego. As this was being billed a a “reboot” of the Bond franchise, I expected many changes, and was delighted with what I found.
Daniel Craig steps into this film and in many ways redefines the character of James Bond. This is a bond who is darker and grittier than anything Connery, Moore, or Brosnan ever portrayed. This is a Bond who instead of being 100% smooth all the time, shows humanity and flaws, but is able to use his suave debonair as a weapon when it’s needed. This Bond seems less frivolous and more driven. The conventional characteristics are all still there, but his recklessness is brought more to the forefront. For the first time the character of Bond seems as though he could actually exist.
They also change his reliance on sex and women. He flirts and charms, but is shown to be less sexually exploitive. For example, he opts to follow a lead over spending a night with a gorgeous woman. He also never gets into any sort of sexual rapport with the main villainess. Finally he falls truly in love with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). I can certainly understand this last one. This is the second in a row Bond-girl with a fully developed character. However, Green’s character is far superior to Halle Berry’s Jinx character in every conceivable way.
This 21st Bond film is still entirely packed with action. The first major action sequence involves a free running foot chase that harkens to David Belle’s Le Parkour. This pace is not sustained, but rather falls into a steady flow that is better paced for story telling. This is of course repeatedly interrupted by major action scenes.
Also of note, the opening animated sequence and song were fantastic. Chris Cornell performs “You Know My Name” to a really entertaining cards, guns and Bond animation. Check these out (as long as YouTube keeps the video available)
If you had any doubts about Daniel Craig as Bond, or a “reboot” of the Bond franchise, don’t. This is well done. Suddenly Bond is fresh again after 20 movies! I cannot wait for the 22nd Bond film which promises to be the first true sequel in the history of Bond movies.
Tags: "Halle Berry", animation, bond, bond 21, bond 22, brosnan, casino royale, chris cornell, connery, daniel craig, eva green, ian fleming, james bond, jinx, moore, vesper lynd, you know my name
Invincible Iron Man DVD
January 22, 2007 | 2 Comments
The animated movie, Invincible Iron Man, will be released on DVD tomorrow, January 23rd. This full length film is by the same Marvel animation studio that made Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers 2.
Here’s the marketing plot summary:
Past and present collide in this epic adventure that reveals the origin of Iron Man. While raising the ruins of a long buried Chinese kingdom, billionaire inventor Tony Stark digs up far more than he bargained for. He unleashes an age-old prophecy that foretells the resurrection of the Mandarin, the emperor of China’s darkest and most violent dynasty. In order to confront the destructive force, Tony creates an armored suit infused with high-tech weaponry. To stop the evil that he himself has raised from the earth, Tony must become his greatest invention ever—Iron Man! The newly born champion must travel to the four corners of the earth to battle the Mandarin’s henchmen, the Elementals—four magical warriors who harness the power of the elements—earth, water, wind, and fire—with deadly chemistry. But is the Iron Knight, as he his known in the prophecy, strong enough to defy fate and turn back the malevolent forces hell-bent on earth’s destruction?
This movie is not to be confused with the live action Iron Man movie due out May 2008 starring Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Terrance Howard as Jim Rhodes, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.
Tags: "ultimate avengers", animation, dvd, gwyneth paltrow, invincible iron man, iron knight, iron man, jim rhodes, mandarin, marvel, pepper potts, robert downey jr, terrance howard, tony stark
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Trailer 2
January 17, 2007 | 15 Comments
The second trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is now out! This CGI animated movie looks fantastic. It appears they have kept the great mix of humor and action we all love from the Turtles. I am very excited about this movie.
Watch it now in HD! or below in a low res version:
Here is a plot description from the marketing text:
After the defeat of their old arch nemesis, The Shredder, the Turtles have grown apart as a family. Struggling to keep them together, their rat sensei, Master Splinter, becomes worried when strange things begin to brew in New York City. Tech-industrialist Max Winters is amassing an army of ancient monsters to apparently take over the world.
Tags: animated, animation, donatelo, leonardo, michaelangelo, movie, preview, raphael, teenage mutant ninja turtles, tmnt, trailer, turtles
Rebuild of Evangelion
October 8, 2006 | 4 Comments
In general I am not an anime fan, but there have been a few things that have caught my attention over the years. The first was Neon Genesis Evangelion which was introduced to me in a crazy long marathon by Justin. The only part of this series that was a let down is the conclusion. After multiple attempts they still couldn’t get it right and I (like most) have always felt it was a great tragedy that so great a series had to have such a horrible ending.
Good news on that front. Gainax is currently remaking the hit anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion as a series of four movies. The first three movies will be a retelling of the main TV series story with new scenes, settings, characters, etc. The fourth movie will be a completely new conclusion!. The first movie is due out Summer 2007, the second will be January 2008, and the final two will be released together in Summer 2008.
Unfortunately at this point there is very little news in English beyond the Wikipedia article. I’ll be watching this for new developments between now and release.
Tags: animation, anime, evangelion, movie, neon genesis evangelion, rebuild of evangelion
Aardman Rules Claymation
October 9, 2005 | 2 Comments
I just saw Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and it was just as great as I hoped it would be. Aardman is the animation studio responsible for the more famous Chicken Run movie as well as a series of Wallace and Gromit shorts dating back to the 80’s.
If you like any of their previous work, go see this movie. It’s more of the same, and that was exactly what I was looking for.
Tags: aardman, animation, chicken run, claymation, curse of the were-rabbit, Fun Whatnot, gromit, movie, movies, shorts, wallace, wallace and gromit