Incredible Hulk Trailer
April 30, 2008 | 1 Comment
A new trailer came out for the Incredible Hulk movie today. When they first cast Ed Norton as Bruce Banner, I was intrigued by this movie. Frankly I’m not a big Hulk fan, but Norton brings some serious acting chops to the character. The first trailer looked good, but didn’t reveal much about the storyline.
This trailer comes in and shows a well established plot with love, conflict, and characterization. Hulk/Banner seems to be getting a more robust story line with motivations you can relate to. This raises my interest from curious to full excitement.
Tags: comic book, comics, ed norton, hulk, incredible hulk, liv tyler, movie, trailer, trailers
Summer 2008 Movies
March 15, 2008 | 2 Comments
There is no doubt I am going to spend way too much money this summer if I see half the movies I’m excited about.
Here’s a chronological list of the goodness I’m paying attention to, it’s nearly every week:
Leatherheads - April 4th - So April isn’t summer… but the trio of Clooney, Krasinski and Zellweger looks spectacularly funny.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - April 18th - One name, Kristen Bell. If you still have doubts, check the trailer.
Iron Man - May 2nd - Can’t miss this.
Speed Racer - May 9th - Visually exciting, mixed opinions on the Wachowski brothers after two crappy Matrix sequels…
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - May 16th - I didn’t love the first, but this looks a bit darker and more interesting to me.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - May 22nd - Another can’t miss. I hope this hold up to the originals.
Sex in the City - May 30th - I don’t care, but my wife could make this unavoidable…
You Don’t Mess With The Zohan - June 6th - Probably wait until this hits DVD, but I generally enjoy Adam Sandler. He hasn’t had a big hit lately, he’s do.
Kung Fu Panda - June 6th - Jack Black as a Dreamworks digitally animated panda? W00t.
The Incredible Hulk - June 13th - The first Hulk movie looked good, but lacked substance. Can Ed Norton put this franchise back on track? Loved the trailer, I’ll be there for this in the theater.
The Happening - June 13th - M. Night Shyamalan had 2 great movies, followed by three increasingly forgettable ones. Zooey Deschanel always intrigues me, but this will get a pass until it hits DVD.
Get Smart - June 20th - The classic TV series was great fun. Steve Carell is perfect for the part, let’s hope he does better with this than Will Farrell did with Bewitched…
Wanted - June 27th - Holy crap. I can’t begin to explain my excitement about Mark Millar’s creator owned book being made into an adrenaline pumping, full blown, summer popcorn flick. (plus Angelina Jolie) This year’s V for Vendetta or 300.
Wall-E - June 27th - If you want more family fare this weekend, Pixar rarely disappoints. (yeah… I hate Cars)
Hancock - July 2nd - Will Smith plays a not-so-super hero. Trailer was enough to get me excited.
Hell Boy II: The Golden Army - July 11th - I’ve been patiently waiting for this since credits rolled on the first film. Must see.
The Dark Knight - July 18th - If you have a pulse, you’ll be in line for this.
The X-Files 2 - July 25th - I’m happily shocked that this movie exists. I miss the X-Files so much…
Star Wars: Clone Wars - August 15th - This new animated adventure existing between Episodes 2 and 3 is flying shockingly far below the radar. I have a feeling this will be the greatest Star Wars movie since Return of the Jedi, but no one seems to be talking much about it…
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - November 21st - Not summer, but another blockbuster to look forward to in 2008.
If 1/3 of these are good, this could be a movie summer to remember. See you at the movies!
Tags: 2008, 300, adam sandler, Angelina Jolie, animated, batman, cars, chris carter, chronicles of narnia, clone wars, dark knight, david duchovny, dreamworks, forgetting sarah marshall, george clooney, george lucas, golden army, half blood prince, hancock, happening, harrison ford, harry potter, hellboy, hellboy 2, hulk, incredible hulk, indiana jones, iron man, jack black, John Krasinski, kingdom of the crystal skull, kristn bell, kung fu panda, leatherheads, m night shyamalan, mark millar, marvel, matric, movie, movies, pixar, prince caspian, renee zellweger, return of the jedi, robert downey junior, sex in the city, speed racer, star wars, summer, summer 2008, summer movies, trailer, trailers, v for vendetta, wachowski, wachowski brothers, wall-e, wanted, Will smith, x-files, xfiles, you don't mess with the zohan, zohan
Marvel Podcasts
June 5, 2006 | 3 Comments
I am silly amounts of addicted to the Marvel Universe. As part of that I was pretty excited in January when I first discovered Marvel’s podcasts. Since then I have found myself waiting less than patiently for the semi-monthly or so releases. The insight into the authors, artists, and overall creative teams at Marvel has engrossed me even further into the Marvel Universe and the many exciting events that are currently taking place there.
The first one of these I casually listened to was with Damon Lindelof talking about Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk. Of course I have been rabidly following that series, at least for the first two issues. Where’s issue #3 Lindelof/Marvel?!?
Next, I heard Joss Whedon talk about his Astonishing X-Men series, which I immediately sought out the trades and am now following monthly. In fact, if you want to get in on a modern X-Men title, this is the one to read. The team consists of Cyclops, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, Colossus, and Beast. The series has dealt with some fantastic plot twists and events, including a story line about a mutant cure whihc is eerily familiar to X-Men 3’s major plot line. Understanding Whedon’s reasoning for building the team he did and why he is playing with the stories he is made the whole experience that much richer.
Craig Kyle was interviewed about the Ultimate Avengers movie. After listening I of course bought the DVD on launch day. If I hadn’t heard him explain in great detail about why he had changed many of the major story elements, I may have been annoyed at the film. Instead I enjoyed every minute of it and again found insights into the changed characterizations.
I was surprised to find Keith Giffen and editor Andy Schmidt raising my interests for Annihilation and all the cosmic Marvel heroes featured there. I had previously had every intention of being blissfully ignorant of this major event which follows primarily characters I find out of place and uninteresting in Marvel. Instead, Silver Surfer, Drax the Destroyer, and Nova have all captivated me into this major event. In fact I’m trying to find back issues of Drax the Destroyer which are proving to be as elusive as honest politicians… Granted, I still find Ronan and Super Skrull about as boring as anything ever written… but you can’t win them all.
The X-Office episode was an amazing amount of fun to listen to, but I haven’t been able to find much that is too interesting in most the X-Men comics these days. The exception is of course Joss Whedon’s previously mentioned Astonishing X-Men. The banter between the many editors, writers, and artists who participated in this episode made for the occasional laugh out loud moment and definitely made a flight from Orlando to Manchester entirely more tolerable.
The two Civil War episodes added to my already frothing excitement for this event. In fact, I’m not sure anyone has ever felt so giddy about an upcoming set of comics as I do about Civil War. I just wish I could sit down and read the 30+ comics that will make up this massive event in one long binge. Alas, I will have to wait for Mark Millar to layout his tale slowly over the next six months…
I could go on, because there are more great episodes to highlight (Neil Gaiman on Moon Night, Ed Brubaker on Daredevil, Daniel Knauf on Iron Man, etc). However, I just need to say thanks to Marvel and hopefully encourage at least one person to listen to these amazing podcasts. I’m certain they will continue, especially if the marketing team learns how addictive they may prove to be.
I will warn you though, listening to the Marvel podcast will be hazardous to your wallet! You’ve been warned, now go listen and spend money on comics.
RSS feed of the Marvel Podcasts
Tags: "astonishing x-men", "Damon Lindelof", "ultimate avengers", Andy Schmidt, Beast, civil war, colossus, comic books, comics, Cyclops, Daniel Knauf, daredevil, Drax the Destroyer, ed brubaker, emma frost, hulk, iron man, joss whedon, Keith Giffen, Kitty Pryde, mark millar, marvel, marvel universe, moon knight, Neil Gaiman, Nova, podcast, podcasts, ronan, rss, Silver Surfer, super skrull, ultimate hulk, ultimate wolverine, Wolverine, x-men
Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk - First Impressions
February 28, 2006 | 6 Comments
I’m now two issue into the six issue limited series, Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk. Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the hit TV series Lost is writing this. I haven’t been watching Lost, but
Initially I picked this up because it takes place in the Ultimate Universe, which hasn’t let me down yet. It was the opening sequence of the first issue that really grabbed me. On page 3, Hulk rips Wolverine in half! Yes, Logan has an adamantium skeleton, but that says nothing about the joints in that skeleton. Hulk then throws Wolverine’s legs up on top the nearest mountaintop.
The story then jumps back and gives the back story Wolverine gets himself in this situation. Apparently after a failed state sanctioned death penalty using a nuclear bomb on Hulk. Somehow he survived this and now Logan has been sent to finish him off.
Issue #2 gives similar back story on how Hulk survived and what Banner has been doing in the meantime. This issue moves a lot slower and doesn’t actually step the story forward at all. However, it is important to understand both Hulk and Wolverine’s motivations going into this massive battle.
After these two, the next four are setup for the battle royal first implied in the opening sequences of the first issue. I personally can’t wait. Let’s hope Lindelof doesn’t treat this like Lost and continue dragging it out. Bring on the battle!
Tags: "comics books", "Damon Lindelof", "hulk vs wolverine", "ultimate universe", adamantium, bruce banner, comic, comics, hulk, logan, lost, marvel, ultimates, Wolverine
Ultimate Avengers - The Movie
February 21, 2006 | Comments Off
Marvel released the straight to DVD movie Ultimate Avengers today. This PG-13 rated animated action/adventure film is the first in a series of at least four animated feature length films and two tv series Marvel has in the works, including: Ultimate Avengers 2, an Iron Man movie, a Dr. Strange movie, a Fantastic Four series, and a “Wolverine and the X-Men” series.
The movie centers around Captain America, Nick Fury, and Bruce Banner almost equally. The story told here stays true to the basic characters and universe defined in The Ultimates. Mostly this movie stands as a setup for further Ultimate Avengers movies, but it succeeds admirably at this.
I have to say, if all of them are as good as this film, Marvel is crazy not to run them through the theater first… Go rent or buy this, Marvel needs encouragement to continue pumping out a couple of these each year!
Tags: "dr. strange", "ultimate avengers", animated, avengers, black widow, bruce banner, captain america, cartoon, comic books, comics, dvd, fantastic four, hulk, iron man, marvel, nick fury, shield, steve rogers, thor, tony stark, tv, ultimates
Geeks and Gamers
February 8, 2006 | 3 Comments
To my great happiness, Geeks and Gamers opened in Meredith, NH this January. This is a store devoted to comics and gaming. I’m not huge into the gaming culture, but finally having a well stocked comic store near me is just fantastic!
The owner is friendly and happy to see new customers. He was quick to offer setting up a pull list for me, which I initially denied, but now have every intention of going back and setting up.
My only criticism would be the prices on back issues, but that is pretty much a universal complaint. Ebay can always outperform what comic stores hold as stock.
While there I bought Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk #1, Ultimate Extinction #1, Astonishing X-Men Saga #1, and a new box for my rapidly expanding collection. Reviews on what I bought will be here pending my completion of the series.
Tags: comic, comic book, comic books, comics, extinction, gamer, gamers, geek, geeks, geeks and gamers, hulk, store, ultimate, ultimate extinction, Wolverine
The Ultimates
January 12, 2006 | 6 Comments
I just completed reading the full first Ultimates run (1-13) and am now up to date on the current run (1-9). There is only one word that describes The Ultimates series.
Dark.
There isn’t a single character in this series so far without some massive flaw. But I’ll get to that in a moment…
The Ultimates is a recreation of The Avengers in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. This is a primarily non-mutant super hero team that is commissioned by the government as a division of S.H.I.E.L.D. In this reality, mutations have become somewhat common as they are cropping up all over the world. These mutants are hated and this story all plays out in the Ultimate X-Men series. However, science has also progressed to the point where manipulations are being made to “normal” humans’ genetics, giving super powers. These artificially enhanced humans are then made members of the Ultimates, or are villains.
Even Ultimate Spider-Man falls under this “requirement,” Fury informed Peter Parker that when he turns 18 he will be required to join the Ultimates.
Another interesting note about this series is the way the Ultimates don’t actually have much reason to exist. There aren’t any significant super villains in the series, no global fights to justify their existence. In fact, they wait until the 11th issue before revealing the first non-member global threat. This is only a 13 issue original series.
The second, currently ongoing series has a similar start. There is a lot of back story and character development, which I appreciate, but again no massive threat until the current issue (#9) which justifies government creation of the “super team”.
Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of action in this series. My point is that the other “bad guys” existence can be directly attributed to the work S.H.I.E.L.D and the government in general is funding. Or, in some cases members of the Ultimates themselves. Clearly the authors want the readers to wonder about the politics and justification of this super army. Maybe they want us to wonder about our own militaries on a smaller scale. Do aggressive militaristic groups spawn additional?
Anyway, one thing that kept me intrigued by this series was the lack of true hero in any of the members of this super team. Here’s a quick rundown of the flaws in each of these character which stops me from being able to idolize any of them, as I might someone like Spider-Man.
Captain America [Steve Rogers]: Uber-aggressive “old” codger, 40’s mind set. Sees things in black and white.
Iron Man [Tony Stark]: Playboy alcoholic, flaunts his place as one of the world’s richest men.
Wasp [Janet Pym]: Secretly a mutant, loaned genetic material to Hank so he could make great scientific breakthroughs. Publicly dates Steve Rogers while still married, but continues to screw Hank. She has other subtle flaws, but in many ways I like her the least.
Giant Man=>Ant Man [Hank Pym]: Secretly cheated to get where he is professionally. Wife beater. ‘Nuff said.
Hulk [Bruce Banner]: arrogance leads him to self experimentation. Hulk rampage leads to over 800 civilians killed. Cannibal.
Nick Fury: Pawn of a larger scheme he may be a part of. Plays like Samuel L. Jackson in a Pulp Fiction/XXX kind of way. An ends justify the means sort of guy.
Thor: Possibly insane. Conspiracy theorist. Ultra left wing. Violent opposition to American dominance. In many ways I find many of these traits endearing, but the writing clearly does not intend them as positives.
Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]: Daughter of Magneto. Known Terrorist, only in this for the money. Belive in mutant supremacy. Implied incestuous relationship with Pietro.
Quicksilver [Pietro Maximoff]: Son of Magneto. Known Terrorist, only in this for the money. Belive in mutant supremacy. Implied incestuous relationship with Wanda.
Black Widow [Natasha Romanova]: Her evil is a massive spoiler… Trust me though, it’s bad.
Hawkeye [Clint Barton]: The one we know the least about, and in turn, I think he’s clean…
There are also a pile of “reserves” who are all portrayed as mindless puppets to whatever S.H.I.E.L.D wants of them.
As I devour each issue in this series I find myself torn between loving and hating the series. I guess either emotion conveys conviction, and I’m still reading it. Mark Millar was successful at least in hooking me.
Tags: ant man, avengers, black widow, bruce banner, captain america, comic book, comic books, comics, giant man, hawkeye, hulk, iron man, Magneto, mark millar, marvel, nick fury, quick silver, scarlet witch, shield, steve rogers, super hero, thor, ultimate, ultimates, wasp, x-men