The Amazing Spider-man

Not-So-Amazing
by Reymundo Salao

The Amazing Spider-man is designed to be a reboot of the Spider-man franchise, to erase off and disregard the previous one. This should have been probably be expected to be a better take on the Spider-man franchise. Unfortunately, it's barely good, just a tiny bit above satisfactory. No; it's not a bad movie... It was just not good enough.

The movie has a vast playing field for nitpickers picking on little negative details of the movie; such as the lack of real motivation on the villain's part, or something as insignificant as Peter's distracting hair looking like a birdnest helmet. But aside from nitpicks, the film has several serious flaws.

The AVENGERS (2012)

THE AVENGERS IS BETTER THAN SEX
by Reymundo Salao

When we talk about superhero movies, the finest ones that come to mind are the ones that have been taking the superhero concept seriously; the ones that have been open-minded enough to takes such concepts and use serious cinematic styles upon them. Movies like Spider-man 2, and the first two X-men movies have taken superheroes as real people, that is why they have been really great superhero adaptations. But I think cinema in general has already gone past the maturity and open-mindedness to take superheroes seriously. It is time to do way much better than just merely making superheroes realistic. Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight has always been the best superhero movie. It succeeds not only in the sense of being a superhero movie, but succeeds in being one of the finest movies ever made in Hollywood cinema. The degree of Dark Knight is very much off the scales, that I cannot imagine if any movie can even stand equal to it. Not until The Avengers.

X-MEN 4 & 5 in Development; Deadpool is a 'Total Reboot'

Producer Says X-MEN 3 was not a "Last Stand" after all as it continues with X-MEN 4 and 5, which are in Active Development. And that a DEADPOOL is being made, and it is a ‘Total Reboot’

X-Men: The Last Stand (X-men 3) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine are two of the WORST superhero movies ever made.

Everybody who has a good understanding of what the X-men universe is all about knows that. X-Men Origins: Wolverine not only ruined the character of Wolverine himself, but it also ruined another character who is a potential Marvel character frontrunner: Deadpool.

X-Men: The Last Stand was hastily directed by Brett Ratner, a last minute replacement for Bryan Singer when he left the project (to direct the similar failure: Superman Returns). Not only was it badly directed, but it also went to reckless directions in storyline (with poorly executed deaths of Cyclops, Professor X, and Jean Grey).

Despite the seemingly irreparable damages done to the X-men movies, producer Lauren Shuler Donner has unexpectedly revealed that sequels to X-Men 3: The Last Stand are still in ‘active development’ at Fox. Yes, sequels with a "plural S" 2 sequels to be exact.
"We took the treatment to Fox and they love it… And X4 leads into X5" says Donner.

There’s no mention of who wrote the treatment but insiders think that it’s probably Bryan Singer himself, who did the same for X-Men: First Class and seems to be circling a hands-on return to the franchise once he has made his fantasy re-imagining Jack and the Giant Killer this year.

Donner also said in regards to the long-gestating Deadpool spin-off from X-Men Origins: Wolverine;

“It’s a total reboot… We’re either going to pretend that didn’t happen – or mock it, which he could. It’s insane, it’s definitely comedy. But it’s an R script, it’s really irreverent and violent. Right away, we’re out of the X-Men world”.

So what do we have coming out? A new origin of the X-Men world in First Class, a new Wolverine solo story in The Wolverine, a completely rebooted take on Deadpool, and fourth and fifth sequels to the original trilogy. Shouldnt they just have started a full reboot with the upcoming X-MEN: FIRST CLASS instead?

Aronofsky not doing Wolverine anymore

Extremely bad news for those who are looking forward to the hopeful redemption of the Wolverine movie franchise under director Darren Aronofsky. It seems that the Black Swan director will not be around to direct the next Wolverine movie anymore.

Deadline has heard that his withdrawal has to do with his breakup with actress Rachel Weisz, and custody issues involving their son. All but two weeks of the film will be shot in Japan (a few scenes are being shot in Canada). His withdrawal had nothing to do with the script, because I'm told that Chris McQuarrie delivered. Or even the current crisis in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami. Aronofsky simply couldn't be out of the country that long. There hadn't been a firm start date. There was once an intention to start in the spring, but the situation in Japan and Hugh Jackman's Real Steel promotional schedule pushed things back a bit.

Aronofsky released this statement:
"As I talked more about the film with my collaborators at Fox, it became clear that the production of ‘The Wolverine’ would keep me out of the country for almost a year. I was not comfortable being away from my family for that length of time. I am sad that I won't be able to see the project through, as it is a terrific script and I was very much looking forward to working with my friend, Hugh Jackman, again."

Twentieth Century Fox also issued this statement:
“While we are of course disappointed that Darren can’t do ‘The Wolverine’, we also understand and respect his reasons. Having done both ‘The Wrestler’ and ‘Black Swan’ with Darren, we know he is an extraordinary talent and we look forward to working with him on other projects in the future. Hugh Jackman and Fox both remain fully committed to making ‘The Wolverine’. We will regroup and move forward aggressively.”

Many fans including myself were looking forward to Arronofsky's style (appropriately) applied to the brooding mood of Wolverine universe. It should be noted that the previous movie X-men Origins: Wolverine which starred Hugh Jackman was a very unfaithful interpretation of the Wolverine comicbook character, and is considered by most critics as one of the worse comicbook/superhero movies ever made, second only to Joel Schumacher's "Batman and Robin"

In addition, this take on Wolverine was immensely watered down to please a more kid-friendly audience. In the comics, Wolverine has a more violent nature, and is simply a ruthless unflinching killer.

Aronofsky's history of extremely dark and depressing movies such as "The Wrestler" and the classic "Requiem for a Dream" is a perfect fit for the actual story/history of Wolverine, a Marvel comics character who, in the actual comic book references, has actually had experienced countless traumatic tragedies in his life.

It is tragically funny to note that Aronofsky's career with movies in production purgatory is such that he has teased on big genre projects, only to be dis-attached to them at the last minute. Years ago, before Chris Nolan was chosen to direct Batman Begins, it was Aronofsky who was initially picked to revive the once-dead Batman franchise. Just a couple of years ago, he was also attached to the planned Robocop sequel/franchise relaunch but that did not push through. Now, maybe production with Aronofsky should have begun this season. But now, we are left to dream of a better director to redeem the Wolverine film franchise from its current awful image.

Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, & the Lizard on the new Spider-man movie

Casting news for the new Spider-man (reboot) movie. Emma Stone is cast to play Gwen Stacy in the Spider-man reboot, which is kind of a dumb choice for the role because Emma Stone, with the kind of aura she evokes, is perfect for Mary Jane Watson, not only that; she's also a redhead, as Mary Jane is! Yes, many also share this opinion; and the producers should reconsider; Emma Stone would not look as cute as a blonde, and would also not probably work as a serious character such as Gwen Stacy (Spider-man geeks out there know the fate of Gwen). Emma Stone for Mary Jane Watson!

As for the villain, Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Little Nicky) will play Dr. Curt Connors, better known as The Lizard. There had been rumors across the blogosphere that Sony was thinking of bringing back Venom for the franchise reboot, but that character will not be featured in the movie.

Andrew Garfield stars as Peter Parker, while Emma Stone will play Gwen Stacy, who rivals Mary Jane Watson for Spidey's affection. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin are producing the movie, which begins production in December. If you can recall, Dylan Baker played Connors in Sam Raimi's two "Spider-Man" sequels.

"Spider-Man" will hit theaters in 3D on July 3, 2012.

Marvel will be creating Iron Fist

An Iron Fist film is moving into the scripting stage, says a report at Deadline.
Marvel Studios has brought aboard Rich Wilkes (the "XXX" film series) to write the screenplay, which will adapt the story of Danny Rand, the Marvel martial arts superhero created in the 1970's.

In the Marvel Universe, Rand is the son of a wealthy explorer who trains in the mystical arts and eventually gains the power of the legendary Iron Fist, a magical fighting power that gives him indestructible fists.  First using the power after his father's death, Rand continued to bear the mantle in the fight against evil. Later, Iron Fist popularly teamed with Luke Cage (Power Man), who allegedly has his own film in development.

The idea of making an IRON FIST movie is actually a really old one, I guess it's as far as the same year the first Blade movie was released. During that time, the rumor goes that Ray Park (who was Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I, and Toad in the X-Men movie) was going to star as Iron Fist. But almost a decade has passed and still no Iron Fist movie. It is only now that news about this project emerges, hopefully, this project will finally be made.

Here Comes the New Spider-man!

In an official twitter post from SONY PICTURES, the company revealed the actor who will become its next Spider-man. And his name is ANDREW GARFIELD. He has appeared in the TV series Red Riding and Boy A, he has also appeared in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and will be next seen in David Fincher's The Social Network, and in the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.

Let me give you a quick rundown of what happened with the Spider-man franchise in case you are not familiar with it; Director Sam Raimi and the producers had some creative differences and disagreements while they were developing Spider-man 4; Raimi (who has revealed some regrets and is displeased with the result of Spider-man 3) has already surrendered his creativity to its producers once and seems like he is not bound to make the same mistake. Eventually, the disagreement was not settled, and the result of that is Raimi is not part of the making of Spider-man 4.

In this light, Sony Pictures decided that they reboot the franchise and go back to the very beginning with a fresh start; new director, new cast, new series. One that goes back to Peter Parker's high school days. This should not be too much of a stray from the source material because when Spider-man first got his powers he was still indeed in High School. But this will surely displease other fans who feel that Sony might take it to a more of a "sell-out" approach (like this one other popular franchise that is drawing a strong fandom, particularly in the young adult demographic).

Me? I am just open to any possibilities; I was actually unhappy with Raimi's departure from the Spidey franchise, and unhappier with Sony's decision to reboot the series. But then it's new director Marc Webb is someone I am willing to trust fully coz I just loved his movie "500 Days of Summer"

THOR is Coming

Those who have already watched IRON MAN 2 may have already noticed the teases it makes on the Avengers movie (which is set for a 2012 release) and Captain America also. But Iron Man 2 specifically teases on one particular superhero movie. And that is THOR. Well, the teaser comes in the form of an additional scene at the end of the end-credits. It is not much, but it goes like this:

It is New Mexico, and in the middle of the desert, we see Agent Coulson driving towards what appears to be a site where SHIELD operatives seem to be studying something in the area. There is a wide crater. And in the middle of the crater, we see what appears to be the hammer Mjolnir. Thor's Hammer.

It is not really something for regular audiences to be thrilled with, not unless one is a comicbook fanatic or is familiar with this super-hero universe. But for us geeks, it is indeed something to be thrilled with. But what was upsetting is that we heard reports that there was one cinema here in Iloilo that had abruptly cut off the scene, the result is that the people who were awaiting the additional scene were not able to see the said teaser. Yes, this is upsetting because that scene is part of the movie.

On the topic of THOR, yes indeed, THOR is coming and is about to be released on May 6, 2011. To those who have no diea yet, THOR is the Marvel comics character who is also based on the Norse mythology god of thunder. The movie is directed by Kenneth Branagh (the Shakespearean actor & director, whose popular works include Hamlet (1996) and an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), and will star Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

With what appears to be initial stages of generating hype for the THOR movie, the first image of Chris Hemsworth in costume as Thor has already been released online; it's such a teaser photo since the picture is cropped in a way that it does not give out the full details of that the costume would look like.

IN MY OPINION, I am not liking the way the costume covers up his arms, like a chain mail sleeve that actually kinda looks rubbery in this picture. Im not too much of a purist as to how a movie adaptation should look like the source material, but in this case, the original comicbook costume, in my opinion, should be preferred. His muscle arms should show because this adds to the Norse god feel to it. ANYWAY, this is just a minor reaction and I'm sure that if the movie turns out to be great, then minor nitpicks like this will just simply disappear in the process.

Chris Evans is Captain America

And the Red-White-&-Blue goes to...
It seemed like it was already a done deal when Chris Evans was offered the role of Captain America. And as easily expected, Chris Evans has accepted, and is now officially the man who would take on the role of Captain America for the upcoming movie adaptation of the Marvel comicbook character. There has been a really long process of choosing who will be right for the role; a role for a nine-picture deal because the role would make its presence not only in Captain America movies, but in the Avenger movie, as well as other Marvel universe-related movies. The villain for this movie has also been announced and it will be the Red Skull (of course) and will be played by Hugo Weaving (see earlier news).

Chris Evans has been known to have played Johnny Storm in the "Fantastic Four" movies, and he was last seen in the not-so-successful super-power action movie "Push", but it is in movies such as "Sunshine" that Chris Evans show a more serious acting side of him. The movie will be entitled "The First Avenger: Captain America" and will be directed by Jo Johnston (Rocketeer, Wolf Man 2010). This movie will be due for release on July 22, 2011.

Hugo Weaving is the Red Skull

Hugo Weaving is one of the best actors and one of the most familiar faces in the area of action-adventure fantasy-sci-fi. He was Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy, V in V for Vendetta, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings movies, and the voice of Megatron, among many other roles...

In addition to that is that we will soon get to see him as the Marvel comics nazi supervillain named RED SKULL in the upcoming CAPTAIN AMERICA movie which is currently in pre-production. Marvel Studios is currently in talks with Weaving who is their (so far) only mentioned choice to play the role.

In the Marvel comics, Red Skull has been Captain America’s archenemy since 1941, when he engaged in espionage and sabotage as Hitler’s right-hand man. In his final battle with the superhero, he was buried under the rubble of a bombed building but — as would occur later with Captain America — fell into a state of suspended animation. Both were revived in modern times.

Julie Stiles to play The Black Cat in Spider-man 4?

Sure, Rachel McAdams has denied being cast in Spider-Man 4 as Black Cat, and Sony Pictures calls the web reports mearly “internet rumor”, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a bit of truth to the story.

UGO has learned that Julia Stiles has met with a casting company in New York City to discuss joining Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4, and we’re pretty confident the role is still that of Peter Parker’s love interest/antagonist Black Cat.

Last week we also found out Sony had put out a casting call for a new female lead for the fourth Spider-Man film, and that Romola Garai (Amazing Grace, The Other Man) has auditioned for the role. Garai, McAdams, and Stiles all fall into the near 30-year-old age range, and have a similar look. You might also remember that a new source confirmed that Black Cat is in the screenplay, but the character is now the daughter of the new man in charge of the Daily Bugle, who just happens to be one of Spidey’s new villains (which one, we’re not sure).

GHOST RIDER sequel to be Darker & more Existential, says Goyer

David Goyer (screenwriter for BLADE & BATMAN BEGINS) is attached to the GHOST RIDER sequel. He says it's not a reboot, and the setting will happen eight years after the first film, the film will still have Nicholas Cage as Johnny Blaze. And (oh yes) the movie will have a darker tone than the first film.

Majority of those who are really familiar with who or what the Marvel character GHOST RIDER is, hated and despised the Ghost Rider movie they made with Nicholas Cage and directed by Mark Steven Johnson last 2007. Well I've got news for those who still hope that Ghost Rider would get a proper film adaptation treatment.

Goyer sat down with MTV News and shares his ideas about what GHOST RIDER 2 will be like.

"It's not exactly a reboot," said Goyer "I hate to say it's more realistic, because he's got a flaming skull for a head, but it's a bit more stripped down and darker. It's definitely changing tone. What 'Casino Royale' was to the Bond movies, hopefully this will be to 'Ghost Rider.'"

"This story picks up eight years after the first film," said Goyer. "You don't have to have seen the first film. It doesn't contradict anything that happened in the first film, but we're pretending that our audience hasn't seen the first film. It's as if you took that same character where things ended in the first film and then picked it up eight years later—he's just in a much darker, existential place."

Goyer adds that the "Ghost Rider" sequel is planned to "roll before cameras next year"

THE HULK

INCREDIBLE Hulk!
The Guardian
(June 21&22, 2003)

Temper is such an uncontrollable force to be reckoned with. This is one thought that embodies the saga of the comicbook fiction, the Hulk. The story of the Incredible Hulk, which was written by Marvel comic fiction master, Stan Lee, is centered upon Bruce Banner, a scientist who was hit by Gamma radiation in a freak laboratory accident. This triggered an alteration in his biological and psychological structure that whenever he gets very angry, he transforms into the monstrous, incredible Hulk. This comic book has garnered an enormous following, that a television series was made out of it in the 1980's, which starred Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk (Sorry guys, I can't remember that other actor).

THE HULK is the film adaptation of the comicbook series, which was directed by Ang Lee, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but is more identified with his dramatic movies The Ice Storm and Sense & Sensibility. The fact that it is directed by one who is a notable director of serious drama gave me the confidence and trust that this is going to be a pretty darn good movie. But the two other gigantic movies this summer season, X-men 2 and Matrix Reloaded has somehow overshadowed the hype of the Hulk. I was simply unexcited at first.

I have actually imagined the thought of what if they made an Incredible Hulk movie ever since I was in High School. I was a Hulk fan ever since my elementary days and always thought (because he was menacingly scary) he was cooler than Superman (who I considered as too pa-cute to be a role model for a weirdo such as myself). Well, for comic book fans such as myself, the wait has paid off, because this movie adaptation of the Hulk is worthy of a two-thumbs up.

The movie starts with the story of Bruce's father, who used to be a scientist working for the military, and was working on an experiment in the development of super soldiers. Obsessed by his project, he used himself as guinea pig to continue the experiment without authorization. As a grim result, he later discovered that he passed on his infected genes to his child, Bruce, who was beginning to manifest abnormalities during infant childhood. With the authorities trying to end his practice and with a family falling apart, Bruce ends up living with foster parents. He forgets about his childhood and has forgotten that he is actually Bruce Banner, the child of a scientist gone mad. Bruce, now an adult, lives as a scientist himself, an unconscious choice for a profession, and has caught himself in a freak laboratory accident. He survived the accident, but this led to a further alteration in his biological nature. With the resurfacing of his father, Bruce's future is uncertain. He is only given hope by the woman he loves, Betty Ross.

I actually thought at first that Eric Bana was a poor choice to cast as Bruce Banner, since the character of Banner is supposed to be not too hunky as what the comics perceived Banner to be. But Eric Bana did fit in with the way he acts his version of a well-mannered scientist caught in a conflict of love and conflict of what his past was. The very attractive Jennifer Connelly who stars as Betty Ross, is as good as Bana, but I'm sure that some critics would notice that her acting here is not a new thing due to the resemblance of circumstances between the affections of her character on this film and the affections of her character in the film "A Beautiful Mind". Nonetheless, Connelly's performance has served its purpose. But it was Nick Nolte, who starred as Bruce's father, who shined on this picture, driving the character of the determined mad scientist brilliantly over the top. I daresay his performance in this movie looked like a sure winner for the academy awards. Meticulous audiences would surely want to memorize his thought-provoking and powerful dialogue at the near end of the movie.

At first, I was not so impressed by the shifting of the scenes which appeared to be too artsy-fartsy, the film also employed the multi-panel style of presenting the movie, which later on turned to be just proper, in order to focus the different reactions and actions at the same moment. But the beauty of The Hulk is that it has a very rich storyline. It is Bruce's search for the past, it is Betty's unconditional love for his fiancée, it is a father's will to attain glory. It is one story that foreshadows another. It is more than meets the eye. It is also a heart-pounding action that let's us witness truly incredible action sequences. The director Ang Lee has indeed made a great one here. The title may have omitted the word "incredible" from the finished title of the adaptation. But it is indeed what this movie is. INCREDIBLE.