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Iron Man 3 screenwriter Drew Pearce on Marvel One-Shots and his Runaways script

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After scripting Iron Man 3, Drew Pearce reunites with Ben Kingsley as he takes on writing and directing duties on the latest Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King, which is included as a bonus feature on the home entertainment release of Thor: The Dark World and sees Kingsley reprising the role of The Mandarin, or rather Trevor Slattery. During an interview with Total Film to promote the short, Pearce has spoken about other Marvel One-Shots that he'd written prior to All Hail the King:

"[I'd written] lots of them. One that was Sin and Crossbones (from Captain America: The Winter Soldier). I love Jessica Jones, and while obviously Jessica Jones and Alias is NOW going to exist in the Netflix part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), I'd always obsessively been trying to put her in stuff I'd been working with Marvel on… but about three or four other ones, too. My Marvel obsession with Damage Control is still there… but it's pretty difficult to make into a short. The clue is in the title that you have to do a lot of damage to then control it - and that's not really in the budget of a short movie. I just think it's got huge potential as a franchise."

Pearce also gave an update on his first script for Marvel, an adaptation of Runaways, which got him the job writing Iron Man 3, despite seemingly being shelved by the studio:

"I wish I knew if The Runaways had a place in Phase 3. I'm not close enough to the core. I don't work for Marvel, so I don't have a sense of the Master Plan other than when tiny crumbs are passed to me! I'm still super-proud of the script. I think it's a brilliant film in the making - not necessarily because of my script, but because of Brian K Vaughan's excellent idea. I know Kevin's still a big fan of the script that's there in the vault. Whether it finds its way onto the runway for Phase 3, I have no idea, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Honestly, telling the first arc of that story is the key to that story. I also think that one of the things that would make it so unique in the universe, and also a better movie in the MCU - if we made it now rather than four years ago - is that it could now be part of this tapestry where people are becoming aware of superheroes inside of the MCU. Which is what makes the comics so fun. But I think at its fundament, it's a reverse twist on the Spider-Man theme that 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility', because it's actually a movie where that relates to the parents and not the kids, and I've never seen a movie that does that, superhero or otherwise. The realisation that your parents are fallible people, being heightened immeasurably by the fact that they're superpowered people who are using their superpowers for evil and not good. I just think it's the most potent idea and the script that exists at the moment takes an almost grandiose - almost Godfather-esque view of the crime syndicate. I just think it's so rich as an idea. It's just not as obvious as a single male superhero character, it's not as marketable, and I think that'll always be a hurdle with it."

Would you like to see Runaways joining Marvel's Phase Three line-up? Let us know in the comments below....



The Evolving Princess: The Progressive Feminism in Disney Films: Part Two - Beauty and the Beast

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In the second of a three-part feature, Jackson Ball discusses the evolving Disney Princess, next up is Beauty and the Beast...

If Feminist Theory can be used to read Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a straight-forward reflection of society at that time, then it stands to reason that future representations of female characters will grow more complex as women’s roles in society do so. This certainly seems to be the case with 1991’s Beauty and the Beast. The film was a massive success for Disney and, at least on the surface, appeared to usher in a new era of female characters with its central protagonist: Belle.

For Belle is, for all intents and purposes, a Disney Feminist. And Gaston is a Male Chauvinist Pig, the kind that would turn the women of any prime-time talk show audience into beasts themselves… The Beast is The New Man, the one who can transform himself from the hardened, muscle-bound, domineering man of the 80’s into the considerate, loving and self-sacrificing man of the 90’s. (Jefferds, S. 1995)

Jefferds describes Belle as a ‘Disney Feminist’, and in many ways this can be argued as true. Belle is well-read, thinks for herself and is discontented with the simple village life; in this way she could almost be seen as the opposite to Snow White. Belle differs even more from the stereotype when she repeatedly rejects the romantic advances of Gaston, who is clearly infatuated with her. Gaston is handsome, overtly-macho and becomes obsessed with Belle for her looks; all of which are traits he shares with Snow White’s ‘heroic’ Prince. Perhaps then, it is not a huge stretch of the imagination to speculate that Gaston could have hypothetically won the heart of Snow White had their paths crossed, and too the heart of Belle had she reflected the society of 1937, rather than 1991.

The differences between Belle and Snow White show a kind of progression in Disney’s animated heroines, which in turn reflects the progression of women’s roles in society. However, it appears that Disney’s ‘progression’ is only superficial, as further study reveals that the film retains Snow White’s ‘sexist’ core.

It is true that Belle does in fact reject a lot of the standard ’submissive princess’ traits: she is intelligent, assertive and she is not waiting around for her prince to rescue her. Despite this though, she still upholds one of the most prominent paradigms of the stereotype: physical beauty. Despite her many positive attributes, it is her beauty that the films other characters are drawn to. Gaston, the other villagers and the Beast are all drawn to her appearance first and foremost, showing that her beauty is what truly sets her apart from other characters. The importance placed on beauty shows that, in at least one way, no ‘progression’ has been made since Disney’s premier animated feature.

The studio attempted to respond to these [sexism] complaints when working on the character Belle in Beauty and the Beast, taking care to show her intelligence and independence, although the narrative still focuses on which man she will marry. (Griffin, S. 2000)

In addition to the emphasis on physical beauty, Griffin also argues that Beauty and the Beast’s basic narrative remains distinctively unchanged to that of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. For all her assertiveness and independence, Belle’s story is ultimately about how she meets her ideal man. This is precisely the issue raised by Zipes: a female characters narrative is being framed by a male discourse. There is clear evidence of this within the films plot. It may be that Belle is unlike her predecessors in that she is never waiting to be rescued by a man, but it later transpires that she is rescued all the same. Belle’s major goal at the film’s opening is to escape the repetitive life of the village and find adventure elsewhere, a goal that she finally reaches upon meeting (and eventually marrying) the Beast.

Check back tomorrow for part three...


Jackson Ball - follow me on Twitter.


Let the games begin in first clip from Pompeii

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Let the games begin in first clip from Pompeii
The first clip from Paul W.S. Anderson's upcoming historical disaster epic Pompeii has arrived online, and while there's absolutely no volcanic destruction on display, we do get to see Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) getting down to some gladiatorial combat. Check it out after the official synopsis...

It’s late summer in 79 A.D. and the city of Pompeii glitters at the foot of the mighty Mt. Vesuvius. MILO, the slave of a shipping tycoon, dreams of the day he will buy his freedom and marry his master’s daughter, COLUMBA. What he doesn’t know is that Columba’s debt-ridden father has promised Columba to a despicable Roman Senator to pay off an overdue loan.

Milo does know that his friend, the Gladiator NIGELLUS, is being forced to compete the next day in a seemingly unwinnable battle in the Coliseum. As Milo tries to find a way to save his friend, he learns that Columba has been promised to another man and that he himself has been sold to a new master. Just as it seems things can’t get any worse, Mt. Vesuvius suddenly explodes with the power of 40 nuclear bombs, sending a torrent of 1,000-degree ash and smoke into the city. Lava flows down the mountainside, killing thousands. As Pompeii crumbles, Nigellus is imprisoned inside the Coliseum, Columba is locked inside her family’s villa, and Milo is trapped aboard a ship bound for Naples.

As the people of Pompeii flee the obliterated city, Milo is determined to return to it to save his friend and his beloved Columba. With fire and ash destroying the only world he’s ever known, an ordinary man is tested to his breaking point in this heart-pounding tale of extraordinary heroism.


Pompeii is set for release on February 21st with a cast that also includes Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), Kiefer Sutherland (24), Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), Carrie-Anne Moss (Unthinkable) and Jessica Lucas (Evil Dead).


Guardians of the Galaxy 2 rumoured for Marvel's Phase Three

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Last week it was confirmed that Marvel Studios are actively developing both Thor 3 and Captain America 3, with the two Avengers looking likely to join Edgar Wright's Ant-Man as part of Marvel's Phase Three, which kicks off in July 2015 after the dust has settled on Joss Whedon's The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Now it looks like we'll be getting another sequel in one of Marvel's two mystery 2016 slots, with Joblo reporting that the studio is eyeing Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for a May 6th 2016 release date. Of course, this should be taken with a pinch of salt until we get something official, although if Guardians proves a hit at the box office this, then you'd assume based on Marvel's past release patterns that we'll be seeing the return of the cosmic superhero team in the third wave of MCU movies.

Guardians of the Galaxy is set for release on August 1st, with James Gunn (Super) directing a cast that includes Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora, Dave Bautista (Riddick) as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper (American Hustle) as Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious 6) as Groot, Benicio Del Toro (Sin City) as The Collector, Lee Pace (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) as Ronan the Accuser, Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) as Nebula, Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) as Korath, John C. Reilly (Step Brothers) as Rhomman Dey, and Glenn Close (Damages) as Nova Prime Rael. 


Captain America: The Winter Soldier promo artwork and Alexander Pierce character poster

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Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier was the big winner at the Super Bowl when it came to movie trailers, pulling in almost 10 million online views for its extended trailer in just 24 hours, compared to 6.2 million for Transformers: Age of Extinction and 2.5 million for The Amazing Spider-Man 2(as it happens, it also eclipsed the online views for Iron Man 3 - 3.2 million in 2013 - and The Avengers (2.7 million in 2012). So, with Marvel all but assured of continuing its run of blockbuster successes this spring, we've now got some new promotional artwork from the film featuring Cap (Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), as well as a new character poster featuring Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford...

 


"After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy — the Winter Soldier."


Captain America: The Winter Soldier is set for release on March 26th in the UK and April 4th in North America with a cast that also includes MCU veterans Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier), Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Toby Jones (Arnim Zola) and Maximiliano Hernandez (Agent Jasper Sitwell) and franchise newcomers Emily VanCamp (Revenge) as Sharon Carter / Agent 13, Frank Grillo (Zero Dark Thirty) as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones, George St-Pierre (Death Warrior) as Georges Batroc / Batroc the Leaper.


Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Preacher TV series officially a go

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Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Preacher adaptation officially a goIt's been on the cards since it was first rumoured back in November, but now it's official - This Is the End duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are officially developing an adaptation of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's classic comic book series Preacher for AMC and Sony TV, with Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad) serving as showrunner and executive producer. Here's the official show description from AMC:

Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith, has learned that God has left Heaven and abandoned His responsibilities. He finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, demanding answers, and making Him answer for His dereliction of duty. Accompanying Jesse on his journey is his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire who seems to prefer a pint in the pub to the blood of the innocent. On his tail is one of the most iconic bad guys in print – an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers – a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse.

And here's a statement from Garth Ennis expressing his joy that Preacher is finally set to arrive on the screen:

"Steve Dillon and I are very happy to see Preacher being developed for TV, which seems a much more natural home for the story than a 2-hour movie. Between them, Sony TV and AMC have brought viewers two of my favorite shows with Breaking Bad and Mad Men, and it’s exactly that kind of creative commitment and courage that Preacher needs. Obviously it’s taken a while, but Ken Levin along with Neal Moritz and his team refused to give up, long after the point when I myself grew skeptical, and their unrelenting enthusiasm for the project has gotten us where we need to be. I’m particularly impressed that Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin understand Preacher fully — meaning they get it for what it is, not some vague approximation. All in all, it looks like Preacher can now be brought to TV in a way that I’d previously not have thought possible, and I very much appreciate that Steve and I have been included in the conversation in the way that we have."

Are you happy that Preacher is a go, and what do you make of its creative team? Let us know in the comments below...

Fatale gets deluxe edition treatment while Twitter posts prequel to EGOs

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After receiving five Eisner Award nominations the series created by Ed Brubaker (Captain America: Winter Soldier) and Sean Phillips (Criminal) about an irresistible immortal dame who brings ruin to her male admirers arrives in a hardcover collection which includes the first 10 issues,  art, stories, sketches, layouts, and essays on genre fiction by Jess Nevins.


Josephine’s quest will lead her into the depths of an ancient evil, a path that takes her from 1950s San Francisco, where crooked cops hide deeper evils, to mid-'70s L.A., where burnt-out actors and ex-cult groupies are caught in a web around a Satanic snuff film.



Fatale Deluxe Edition Volume One by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Dave Stewart arrives in comic books stores on March 5, 2014 and in bookstores on March 18, 2014.


Taking advantage of the social media power of Twitter is EGOs writer Stuart Moore who will be releasing a series of two hundred 140 character instalment tweets which will serve as a prequel as well ready readers for the arrival of EGOs #2.


“The story is called Exposed,” stated Moore. “It takes place three weeks before EGOs issue #1, and features the last mission of the Planetarian, whose death heralds the return of Masse, the cosmic villain of the series. The story is a self-contained mystery—you don’t need to have read the comic to enjoy it. But it also sheds new light on Deuce, the dubious hero at the centre of the EGOs team.”


In order to take part follow @EGOsComicZero to read EGOs #0 which will go live from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST on February 11, 2014 and will be accompanied by new artwork.  On the same day Moore will also be busy at reddit where he will be taking part in a live Q&A discussion about the futuristic hero saga.


EGOs #2 arrives on February 12, 2014.

Previews of New Warriors #2, Wolverine and the X-Men #1, Magneto #1, Guardians of the Galaxy #12 & Uncanny Avengers #17

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Warfare evolves as writer Christopher Yost and artist Marcus collaborate to create New Warriors #2.       


Evolution has gone off the rails. And the High Evolutionary and his army of Evolutionaries have taken it upon themselves to put things right – through the complete extermination of all super-powered beings in the Marvel Universe! And it’s up to the New Warriors to stop him - but will they be enough? Their first mission may just be their last! If they want to survive, they’ll have to learn to be a team first – and that’s much easier said than done. Plus, what does the High Evolutionary want with Nova?







New Warriors #2which features a cover by Ramon Perez and a variant by Jorge Molina goes on sale March 5, 2014.


Hard to imagine Wolverine teaching in a classroom but writer Jason Latour (Winter Soldier) and artist Mahmud Asrar (Indestructible Hulk) seem to have embraced the idea.


Summer School is in session as world-famous mutants Wolverine, Storm, and more must educate and train the Marvel Universe’s next generation of X-Men! All-powerful inexperience mutants with the power to level cities. What could go wrong? Plus with Fantomex and Quentin Quire joining the staff – the Jean Grey School is in for a wild ride!


But with X-Men’s own lives riddled with deadly enemies and personal crises, how can they hope guide the next generation, when they can barely defend them! A new enemy lurks in the shadows, ready to strike at the heart of the Jean Grey School. And this new organization will test the faculty and students of the JGS like never before!


“Schools back for summer, and Wolverine, Storm and Quentin Quire are here to guide the next generation of mutant heroes,” remarked Editor Tom Brennan. “When the time came to find out who’d take the Wolverine & The X-Men story to its next chapter, Jason Latour was pretty much the only choice for someone who could continue this book’s legacy while charting new destinations.  Mahmud Asrar is the perfect partner for Jason, expanding on the world of the Jean Grey school and the lives and dangers of its students with breath-taking drama and scale.”






Wolverine and the X-Men #1 which features variant covers by Mark Brooks and Jenny Parks arrives on March 5, 2014.


The mutant villain with the magnet personality gets his own series courtesy of writer Cullen Bunn and artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta.


“I think Magneto is definitely an anti-hero,” stated Bunn in an interview with Marvel.com. “He’s fighting for the right thing, but his methods are far too extreme. He’s not above breaking the law, stretching the limits of what is moral and putting evil to work for good.”


Magneto is not the man he once was. And the world is a different, more dangerous place for mutants. Once a member of Cyclops’ team of renegade X-Men, it’s time for him to strike out and defend mutantkind on his own terms. 

It’s time to wage a new kind of war. One that will not only ensure mutant survival, but restore the Master of Magnetism to his former glory! He’s not afraid to get his hands bloody to do it…and he’ll prove once and for all why you should tremble at the sound of his name.







Magneto #1 which features a cover by Paolo Rivera and variants by John Cassady, Mike Del Mundo and Skottie Young goes on sale March 4, 2014.


Jean Grey has a hard time staying out of trouble which results in her appearing in a tale crafted by writer Brian Michael Bendis artist Sara Pichelli. 


Jean Grey has been abducted by the Shi’ar Empire – accused of cataclysmic crimes she has yet to commit. But not all is as it seems. How are Star-Lord’s malevolent father and the Spartax Empire involved? Now, as the Guardians of the Galaxy  and the All-New X-Men race to the edge of the deep space to rescue her – they’ll enlist the help of some very unlikely allies. One of whom will have world shattering consequences for one of the All-New X-Men! But even they may not be enough to stop the most powerful army in the Universe.








Guardians of the Galaxy #12 which includes a variant cover by Dale Keown appears on February 26, 2014.


The Ragnarok Now storyline comes to an end with writer Rick Remender and artist Steve McNiven teaming for Uncanny Avengers #17.


The Earth has been sentenced to die. Obliterated at the hands of the Celestial Executioner. The Apocalypse Twins’ final revenge against Kang the Conqueror is complete – at the cost of the entire universe! Fractured, broken, and destroyed, the remaining Uncanny Avengers must assemble for one final stand. But are they too late? One planet dies. Another lives. Witness the birth of…Planet X!






Uncanny Avengers #17goes on sale February 26, 2014.

UK poster and trailer for The Legend of Hercules

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Here in the UK, there's a little under two months to go before Kellan Lutz (Twilight, Immortals) slips on the sandals for The Legend of Hercules, and Lionsgate has released a new poster trailer for the critically-mauled mythological actioner, which is directed by Renny Harlin of Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger fame....


"In Ancient Greece 1200 B.C., a queen succumbs to the lust of Zeus to bear a son promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship. But this prince, Hercules, knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete, who has been promised to his own brother. When Hercules learns of his greater purpose, he must choose: to flee with his true love or to fulfill his destiny and become the true hero of his time. The story behind one of the greatest myths is revealed in this action-packed epic - a tale of love, sacrifice and the strength of the human spirit."


The Legend of Hercules opens in the UK on March 28th with a cast that also includes Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2), Gaia Weiss (Mary Queen of Scots), Roxanne McKee (Game of Thrones), Liam Garrigan (Strike Back) and Rade Serbedzija (Taken 2).

Batman vs. Superman executive producer on Ben Affleck's Dark Knight

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If there's one person who knows a thing or two about Batman movies it's Michael Uslan, executive producer on each of The Dark Knight's big screen adventures from Tim Burton's 1989 film through to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (not to mention countless animated movies featuring the Caped Crusader). And of course he's continuing in that capacity with 2016's Man of Steel sequel Batman vs. Superman, which has seen a similar outcry over the casting of Ben Affleck as Michael Keaton's appointment did back in the late 80s. So, what does Uslan make of the controversy?

"I’ve been there before," Uslan tells Electric Playground (via Man of Steel Fan Page). "People have to believe in Bruce Wayne, to the point of being that obsessed driven psychotic, a guy who would get dressed up as a bat and do what he did. Except I had the benefit of hearing a vision right away. With an Academy Award winning filmmaker - you look at his last bunch of movies. Hollywoodland. He had me convinced he was George Reeves. The Town, Argo, just really, really great quality work. Again, I’ll go back to what Tim [Burton] said, ‘it’s all about Bruce Wayne.’ When you focus on a Bruce Wayne, in his mid-forties, what’s he going to be feeling? What’s he going to be thinking? What does he have on his plate to deal with? I couldn’t be more excited about it."

 Batman vs. Superman is set for release in May 2016 with a cast that also includes Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) and Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth).

New poster and first TV spots for Darren Aronofsky's Noah

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With less than two months to go before its release, we should probably expect a flood (sorry!) of promotional material for Darren Aronofsky's Noah over the coming weeks, and now we have a new international poster for the Biblical epic, along with the first two TV spots; check them out here...


"NOAH is a close adaptation of the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark. In a world ravaged by human sin, Noah is given a divine mission: to build an Ark to save creation from the coming flood."



Noah is set for release on March 28th, with Russell Crowe (Man of Steel) leading a cast that also includes Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream), Douglas Booth (Romeo and Juliet), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Anthony Hopkins (Thor: The Dark World), Ray Winstone (Snow White and the Huntsman), Kevin Durand (Resident Evil: Retribution), Marton Csokas (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and Dakota Goyo (Real Steel).

Paul Bettany to play The Vision in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ms. Marvel also rumoured

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Well, any Marvel fans hoping that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Phil Coulson would eventually turn into The Vision are out of luck, with The Daily Mail and Variety revealing that Iron Man star Paul Bettany will transform from Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) A.I. system J.A.R.V.I.S. into the android superhero in Joss Whedon's The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The Vision continues the expansion of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the forthcoming sequel, with Godzilla duo Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen set to play the brother and sister duo Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Meanwhile, Latino Review is claiming that Ms. Marvel will also feature in the movie, but as well every Latino Review "scoop", you'll probably want to take it with a pinch of salt until we hear something official.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is set for release on May 1st 2015, with a cast that also includes Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (The Incredible Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) alongside MCU newcomers James Spader (The Blacklist) as Ultron and Thomas Kretschmann (Dracula) as Baron Strucker.


Watch Benedict Cumberbatch in Sesame Street

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Richard Herring always talks about how Michael Caine's greatest ever performance is in The Muppets Christmas Carol, because not only is he acting really, really well, he's also doing it as the only human on set, accessing the deepest of Stanislavskian emotional memories, while surrounded by grown adults with their hands up a bunch of puppets' backsides.

It's no surprise then that Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness) - another phenomenal actor - can match the Muppets beat for acting beat. To promote his upcoming appearance on Sesame Street, Cumberbatch (or Counterbatch) made the below video with Count Von Count and his new arch-nemesis, the dastardly Murray-arty.


Thank God Cumberbatch figured it out in time. Apparently if he didn't, Murray-arty was going to shoot himself in the face live on children's TV.

Chris Pratt talks Jurassic World, filming to begin in April

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2014 is shaping up to be a huge year for Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt. As well as voicing the lead in The LEGO Movie, he's set to join the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in August with his role as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, while he's also set to begin filming on Jurassic World this April. Speaking to MTV (via CBM), Pratt has expressed his excitement over the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise.

"What I liked about it was it answers the question of like, 'Why would you do that?' How do you suspend disbelief to be like, 'Oh yes, let's make this mistake again!''We haven't learned our lesson about dinosaurs, we should definitely live with them and see how that works out!' You know, after THREE tries at it. They answer the question really well through this script; Colin Trevorrow did a great job of writing it, justifying it, and kind of - in his own way - having fun with that. So, anybody who goes in with that question will be really amused the way I was about how they answer that. That was really good and he's got a great vision for the movie.

"It's awesome that Steven Spielberg is taking a chance on this guy because he's got a really clear vision. We talked about it, I sat down with him, and it was kind of like me and James [Gunn]. We just kind of started getting excited about this. In the back of my mind, I was like, 'Dude. This is gonna happen! They want YOU to do this movie! I remember him saying, 'They're not gonna tell you this, but we want you to do it.' I was like, 'Really? Okay, oh my God...' So, just like getting really excited about it. [My character] has got a little bit of the Goldblum cynicism, but also the Sam Neill excitement of the wonder of the biology of it all. It's a combination."

Jurassic World is set for release on June 12th 2015, with a cast that also includes Bryce Dallas Howard (Spider-Man 3), Ty Simpkins (Iron Man 3) and Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer).

Kevin Smith puts Clerks III on hold for Comes the Krampus horror anthology

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It looks like we'll have a little longer to wait before we catch up with Dante, Randall and the rest of the View Askewniverse. During a Reddit AMA yesterday, filmmaker Kevin Smith has revealed that he's decided to put Clerks III on hold in order to focus on his recently announced holiday horror anthology Comes the Krampus. Here's what Smith had to say about the subject...

I like the idea of growing old with Dante and Randal, and stopping into from time to time to check on them. Love working with Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson, but Dante and Randal are my boys. They lifted me up to where I am today, that pair of fictional clerks. So I like to honor them by not letting them be forgotten. And checking in on them for CLERKS III will be that. But on the subject of CLERKS III, recently, I've had a big come-to-Jesus conversation with myself about my immediate future.

Last year, I turned a podcast into the best movie I've ever made. We call it TUSK. This was fun and crazy creative. But more importantly? It had the benefit of never having been tried before: the first movie based on a podcast. Shit like that tickles the shit out of me: I like being first through the door. It was bold, in a not-really-bold-compared-to-folks-who-serve-in-the-armed-forces kinda way. It was me taking nearly 7 years of podcasting and saying "Hey - some of these might actually work as movies..."

So now that TUSK is nearly done (we still have our Guy Lapointe scenes to shoot this month), the idea was to gear up for CLERKS III. But then I started thinking "Isn't that stepping backwards? Like literally?" While I love it with all of my heart, CLERKS is my past. It's how I got started. And I'm just getting started again, after taking 3 years off, certain I was done making movies. TUSK represents something bold and new. No matter how bold I make it, CLERKS III will always have a number in the title. It will never be new. It will rock, I assure you, and it will be a worthy final installment in my mini-mart magnum opus. But it's predicated on something I did a long time ago. I wanna keep moving forward. SModcast Pictures is becoming exactly that: we're starting to make movies based on podcasts. TUSK was the first, and now COMES THE KRAMPUS will be next.

Now, at this point in time, nobody but me can make a CLERKS film. But ANYONE can make a Krampus picture. So before anyone else does, I figured it's time to keep moving forward: we're gonna shoot COMES THE KRAMPUS in April, before CLERKS III.

We've got a 20 day schedule and an under-3 million budget, and lots of folks returning from TUSK as well as other flicks I've done. Gonna be a SModCo CREEPSHOW, set at Christmas. And if we stay on schedule, by the time we start, it will have been only 4 months since the initial conversational whimsy about it on the EDUMACATION podcast, right before Christmas. That's a real fuel to my fire now: taking weird ideas from podcast to film as quickly as possible, before anyone realizes they're dumb ideas and they have time to fall apart.

CLERKS III is still coming. I love the script so much, I'll make it happen, I promise. But the muse (and the Mewes) is pulling me away from something old for the moment and pulling me toward something new. And when the muse whispers, I listen. When the Mewes whispers, it's just kinda creepy. And he spells shit wrong - even though he's just whispering and not writing.

Wise move by Smith, or would you have preferred to see Clerks III as his next project? Let us know in the comments below...
 

Al Pacino Retrospective - Serpico

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Simon Columb continues our Al Pacino Retrospective with Serpico...

Al Pacino has been a target for many during in his career. Serpico begins as full-bearded Frank Serpico (Pacino) is wheeled on a stretcher through bustling corridors, blood over his body, in the same manner as Carlito Brigante in Brian DePalma’s Carlito’s Way. Clearly DePalma owes a debt to Sidney Lumet in this open tribute. It’s an ambiguous start as cop-killin’ ain’t cool on the streets of New York.

But, unlike Brigante’s retiring gangster, Frank Serpico is a cop who’s joined the force with the intention to rid crime from the streets. His morals and idealism lands him in hot water with the New York Police Department as he refuses to join their corrupt, penny-pinching crew. Over time, he builds a ground-breaking court case, dubbed the the Knapp Commission. Based on a true story, Serpico is written by Midnight Cowboy’s Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler and based on the biography of the same name, by Peter Maas. Highly critical of the police, Serpico criticises the unethical methods of controlling crime (through well-organised bribery) and the inevitable harassment within the workplace if you choose not to be a part of the underhand deals.

But this is Al Pacino’s film. A clean-shaven cop taking the pledge represents a youthful naivety before Serpico realises the ugly side of policing. His facial-hair dictates his slow spiral into cynicism and distrust before he eventually has a full-grown beard – something we know from the outset is a sign of things to come. Pacino comfortably argues and bellows with friends and politicians; he flirts and playfully jokes with his girlfriends; and his gaze is intense as he fights his corner. Unlike The Panic in Needle Park, Frank Serpico is in complete control of his conduct – and knows what he wants. In one sequence, he scruffily drags a known mobster into a prison-cell. His frustration and anger at the lack of support is why it looks so messy – rather than his own lack of control.

Sidney Lumet, as director, captures him by standing back. There is no voice-over narration or open-discussion about Frank’s feelings. We are observing the brutal truth. The grim streets and alleyways capture the confusion and brashness of the cops. The change in dynamic by turning the end of the story into the beginning is thought-provoking. Policemen state how “six other guys” wanted to shoot Serpico. Is he a villain? By the end, we realise those who are truly at fault. Serpico jumps to action on an attempted-rape call-out at one point, while his colleague scoffs at taking the call. Someone else will get it. But Serpico persists. When we see the vicious, decrepit state of the poor woman and the group surrounding her, expertly shot in low-lighting by Lumet, it only serves to support the change necessary within the organisation – a change Serpico leads.

Not knowing the true story means we can speculate on the outcome. Michael Corleone, served his country but turned to become the leader of “the family”. We wonder whether Serpico will break. Like The Godfather, Pacino is strong and defiant. He will not back down to those his disrespects. But Serpico doesn’t have the muscle of the Corleone. He is a lone man on a mission to change a disease that is hidden and embedded deep in those who serve and protect. A little too long perhaps, Serpico is not a masterpiece. But it does showcase Pacino’s talents as he is in every scene. His likeability is crucial as we see his frustration play out. We side with him and, in that final shot, we know the fight isn’t over.

Simon Columb

Second Opinion - Out of the Furnace (2013)

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Out of the Furnace, 2013.

Directed by Scott Cooper.
Starring Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe and Forest Whitaker.


SYNOPSIS:

When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice.


Sometimes a film rolls around that reminds you just how great an actor Christian Bale is. While the award deciders have been pointing to American Hustle as the front running candidate that showcases Bale's ability, they should have been looking to Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace - a movie that proves he is one of the best actors of our generation. He just needs the right script, the right passion and the right direction - and Out of the Furnace has all of that in spades.

This is less of a film about 'plot' and more about character. It's a movie in which their actions and choices dictate where the film is heading as opposed to the script and story moving them forward. The main focus of is on brothers Russell (Bale) and Rodney (Casey Affleck) who are dealing with rehabbing their lives in polarising ways after their father's death. Russell comes out of prison to find that his girlfriend has left him for another man and decides to work just as his father did while Rodney, fresh from his fourth tour of Iraq, chooses the more violent path of bare-knuckle boxing to release his anger and frustration. This all comes to a head when Rodney gets involved with a drug-peddling lunatic played by Woody Harrelson and Russell is "called into action" to find him.

The homages to films like Deer Hunter are clear and the rip-off of Silence of the Lambs is evidence enough that Cooper is a man who loves the cinema days of old. The days in which, as he would tell you, art came first and marketing came second. But this high level of pretension does produce a very enthralling movie with solid performances from all the cast, impeccable direction and a tight script which doesn't hold the hand of its audience. Out of the Furnace is a very patient movie and it's one that doesn't spoon feed you information and motivations with several scenes starting in the middle of conversations - requiring you to fill in the gaps yourself. This isn't lazy script writing (as you're never clueless as to what is going on) and is instead Copper's way of showing his trust that you are not an idiot that needs everything spelled out to understand. He is also a director that doesn't sugar coat violence, as evident in the brutal and wince-enduing fight scenes, but also does bow to the Hollywood ideals of 'a big finish', instead giving us a more dramatic, character driven conclusion. It's a refreshing change of pace from most cinema trips where bells and whistles are bread and butter.

But that's not to say Out of the Furnace is a masterpiece, or indeed one of the better films of the year. It's homages, while nice for the director, can be sloppy and obvious in execution and its slow tone is almost a detriment to the film's pace. It's one thing for a movie to drive in the slow lane until it reaches its destination, but Cooper often slams on the brakes for moments that end up being entirely pointless. When handled correctly, an homage can be a nice nudge and wink to the audience, but in Out of the Furnace they feel added in solely for the director to enjoy and not for any artistic purpose. Furthermore, the mumbly low-key dialogue delivery can often be difficult to take in and even when characters say their lines twice, you still can't make them out and require a third read - like having a detailed conversation with someone in a noisy club.

Out of the Furnace is a movie made by a movie snob, for movie snobs - but that is not a bad thing. Cooper is a director who appreciates the artistry that comes with making a film and this slow, methodical and character driven movie is a testament to that. It certainly isn't for everyone and some may find its patient pace irritating, but the performances and script really drive home what will be certainly one of the better acted movies of 2014.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth's co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.

Luc Besson rebooting The Transporter

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Well, here's more evidence that creativity is dying a slow, painful death... producer Luc Besson is set to reboot The Transporter with a view to launching a new trilogy beginning with Transporter 4. Jason Statham will not reprise his role as Frank Martin in the new films, which will instead explore the character's origin story.

Released in 2002, 2005 and 2008, the Transporter films grossed over $250 million around the globe, and also spawned a TV spin-off starring Chris Vance as Martin, which ran for one season in 2012 and has been picked up by TNT for a second staring this Fall.

Have you got any interest in seeing a new Transporter trilogy, sans Statham? Let us know in the comments below...


Movie Review - The Invisible Woman (2013)

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The Invisible Woman, 2013.

Directed by Ralph Fiennes.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander, Joanna Scanlan and Michelle Fairley.

SYNOPSIS:


At the height of his career, Charles Dickens meets a younger woman who becomes his secret lover until his death.


The Invisible Woman is a subtle and incredibly quiet affair, almost too quiet in its final product. In Ralph Fiennes portrayal of Charles Dickens, his approach is secretive, flecked with moments of uncomfortable intelligence and intimacy-a shrine of emotions-balanced with subtlety and a silence by Felicity Jones, adding a femme fatal intensity. Fiennes directs with a hushed sense of bravado-an opening shot of Jones walking across a bare beach is uncomfortable and shot beautifully. Yet he fails to exploit these moments.

Subtlety can only go so far. The usually booming Kristin Scott Thomas is relegated into a role used simply as exposition, allowing Fiennes to quietly develop the plot around her. This works into the hands of screenwriter Abi Morgan, who dances with the language of Dickens, flowing from the screen . Yet there is something awkward, almost hap-hazardous in this approach. The audience never truly understand the motives of the characters, Morgan placing emphasis less on the affair, and more on the inability to discuss, a problem protruding out from the film.

The title works into the hands of Jones, who plays the illicit affair almost childlike, forced into maturity at an incredibly young age. Jones, who impressed in the similarly quiet Breathe In last year, confronts Fiennes and stands against him impressively. She plays the role with a fierce intelligence that sadly fails to truly be shown as a result of a strangely baron and lonely script.

Fiennes continues to show his strength not only as an actor but as a director. Whereas Coriolanus was loud and bombastic, The Invisible Woman finds Fiennes telling a story of an unheard of illicit affair with all the secretive ideals of an illicit affair. Under the paradigm of a different director, this may have felt forced, a loveless marriage against a passionate affair, but Fiennes plays it beautifully, never showing it as black and white.

A film of intense subtlety and intelligence, The Invisible Woman plays almost like an affair. It tip toes from scene to scene, quietly building into a finale that feels appropriately quiet. Although sporadically engrossing the drama folds out beautifully and the overall product is beautiful to look at.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Thomas Harris 


Giveaway - Win Frost on DVD

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To celebrate the release of the highly suspenseful horror that's “Guaranteed to deliver chills” (Dread Central) - ‘Frost’ out on DVD 10th February through Entertainment One - we have a copy to give away to one brave winner!

The Thing’ meets ‘The Blair Witch Project’ in this terrifying tale of arctic survival. ‘Frost’ keeps the found footage genre alive with its edge-of-your-seat tension and visually ominous atmosphere. The breathtaking landscape of the desolate icy glaciers superbly adds to the suspense especially when the dark of the night descends making ‘Frost’ one of the most tense expeditions into the snowy unknown we’ve encountered for a very long time.

Read on for a synopsis and details of how to enter...

Filmmaker Gunnar (Björn Thors) arrives at a remote glacier camp on the outskirts of the Arctic Circle to meet up with physiologist Agla (Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir) to make a documentary about the research being conducted there. The next day they discover the camp mysteriously abandoned and their co-workers gone without a trace. 

As darkness descends and the camp is shaken with ear-splitting shrieks and violent flashing lights, the couple bravely venture out into the vast nothingness frantically following a trail of blood in the snow in the hope that it’ll lead them to their missing colleagues, unaware of what they’ll find at the other end…

Pre-order Frost on Amazon. 

To be in with a chance of winning, firstly make sure you like us on Facebook (or follow us on Twitter)...


...Then complete your details below, using the subject heading "FROST". The competition closes at midnight on Saturday, 22nd February
. UK entrants only please.

 
 By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions, which you can read here.

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