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.

Iron Man 2

IRON MAN 2: ENERGETICALLY SPECTACULAR!
By Reymundo Salao

I thoroughly enjoyed IRON MAN 2. But there are some very minor stuff that sort of bothered me. First off, I did like the character played by Mickey Rourke, which is Ivan Vanko (which seems to be a combination of the comic book characters Whiplash & Crimson Dynamo). But I felt that the details of the character were too underdeveloped. We got to see his some of his quirks and a little bit of back story which we thought was going to be spotlighted later on in the movie. Only to realize that the backstory which felt like a teaser was not fully satisfied in the end anyway, and we walk off the movie not really having a full grasp what his character was all about. If the story wanted him to be a mysterious "force of nature" villain, the film should not have heavily teased on a backstory in the first place, and should have gone with the fully mysterious psycho all the way. Basically his character was out to have vengeance on Stark, accusing his family of stealing an idea his (Vanko's) father pioneered. But in the end, it really was not clear what that "stealing of idea" was all about, or how Vanko's father was allegedly betrayed by the Stark family.

There is a fantastic use of various rock n' roll soundtracks. The popularity, massive budget and the power of this movie probably made it easy for the film to acquire rights to various songs that were smartly placed in the film. Sometimes to a point that you could tell that this is merchandising at work because it subliminally entices you to go get the movie's soundtrack album.

It should also be noted that the movie also builds up to an anticipated AVENGERS movie. To those who do not know what I am talking about, AVENGERS is a superhero group in the Marvel comics universe where characters like IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR, and many others are organized into one group - THE AVENGERS - in order to fight greater threats from more lethal super villains.

You cannot dismiss the movie as just a superhero movie because like any good superhero movie, the story focuses on the characters rather than on just the superhero. The film does not solely rely on action, but much on humor. There were moments in the middle of the movie that made me forget I was watching a superhero movie, or an action movie. Much of IRON MAN 2 centers its focus on Tony Stark's relationship with his friend Rhodes, his assistant Pepper Potts, and his rival Justin Hammer. Also, the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow is very sparklingly attractive and fun to watch.

Don Cheadle was fine as Rhodes, Tony Stark's friend. But the fact that he is not muc of a physical match with Terence Howard, the actor he replaced for the role, messes up what should have been a fluid consistency with the previous Iron Man movie. In the end, though, you will forget and disregard this minor detail (and he is, in comparison, as good as a replacement as Maggie Gyllenhal was in replacing Katie Holmes in the Dark Knight movie).

Scarlett Johansson was sleek and sexy as Natalia Romanova, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer was indeed supposed to be annoying and corny, which made him such an opposite of Stark (on the other hand, I would also have wanted to see a faithful portrayal of Justin Hammer as he was in the comics, which is that he is supposed to be an old guy and supposed to be scary, but that format of character has become such a cliché in superhero movies at this point in time)

Robert Downey Jr. is magnificent in his role. His Tony Stark is like the ultimate new role model; girls throw themselves at him and guys wanna be like him. His humor is always on the spot and his charms are flawless. His screen presence and how he makes a scene come alive is the major battery that makes this an enjoyable film.

And then there's Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury. Which reminds me of the other nitpick detail that hated about the movie, and that is Nick Fury's first appearance in the movie. For a character which is supposed to have some degree of importance, his first scene looked like it lacked impact. Fury, appearing and having a conversation with Stark, in morning daylight, while wearing that shiny coat, made him look like a joke. And then we see the first costume appearance of Black Widow in the same scene, which also made her appearance have no impact at all. In fact, it was a scene that awkwardly made Nick Fury and Black Widow look silly and indeed looked like two people wearing costumes for some Halloween party. Even though the first line of Fury was indeed very funny, I still stand by the opinion that it was one scene that was just poorly conceptualized.

Comedian Garry Shandling also appears in the movie, and although his role is not a major one, I consider him to be a highlight of the movie. He plays a Senator who is very skeptical and critical of Tony Stark and seems to have a shady background. His role was deadpan serious and almost villainous that he instantly feels like an unignorable beloved "other villain". From the moment he appears you can tell that he's supposed to be a big A-hole, and he does a great job with it.

Jon Favreau who is both a great actor, comedian, and is also the director of the movie did a great job in making this sequel spectacular and continuously fun to watch. Despite its flaws, the movie was very enjoyable. It was well-paced, and designed never to bore its audience. The dialogues are very witty. And its performers did a marvelous job with their lines. It also had interesting non-cliché comedy gold moments. One of the funniest scenes that I enjoyed involve Robert Downey Jr. and one of those office decorations (you will know by the time you watch the movie). Although I felt that there would have been many interesting stunts or refreshingly new action tricks that can be made with the new villains (especially one wielding a super-powered whip), I cannot disregard the fact that it was a good thing that the film invested more on the storyline aspect so to not make this movie just a mere “dumb action flick” and eventually achieves to appeal to all audience demographics.

All in all, IRON MAN 2 is a High Matinee movie. Although greatly flawed, these flaws are only noticeable from a critical point of view. Even I came out of it with a full-bar fun movie satisfaction, and only realizing its flaws hours later. If you love a movie with witty characters and some cool heavy metal robot action, then this movie is definitely for you. And let me remind you that there is an ADDITIONAL SCENE AFTER THE END CREDITS, so if you don't wanna miss it then you might wanna stay awhile for it.

Mickey Rourke getting big roles in upcoming "epic" movies

I know many of you cannot wait to see IRON MAN 2 wherein Mickey Rourke will play the villain known as Whiplash (check out this poster of his character). Seems like Rourke's prominence as a high profile actor just keeps getting bigger and bigger as he grows older. He has appeared in movies such as "Sin City" and the highly-praised "The Wrestler" And it seems that Rourke isnt slowing down. He is set to appear in two movies that promise to have an epic scale.

Rourke is set to join the remake of Conan The Barbarian, titled just Conan, which is the Marcus Nispel-directed reinvention of the Robert E. Howard creation. Rourke is negotiating to play Corin, the father of Conan who's played by Jason Momoa. There is talk that Stephen Lang (who played the military main villain in Avatar) will be the main villain in this movie, but there are still no confirmations of this. On the other hand, Rachel Nichols (who played Scarlet in the recent GI JOE movie) has been cast to play the lead female character named Tamara, in this movie.

At the same time, Rourke will also star in Relativity Media's Greek mythology clash "War of the Gods" opposite Henry Cavill and Freida Pinto. Rourke's been cast as the villain, King Hyperion. Tarsem Singh is directing with production set to start in April.

Story follows a young warrior Theseus who leads his men into battle with the immortal Greek gods to defeat evil elder gods of the Titans in order to save mankind.

Movies to Watch Out this 2010

2010 is finally here and here are some movies that you may want to watch out for this year...

Daybreakers - is a vampire film written and directed by Peter and Michael Spierig. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Filming took place in Australia from July to September 2007. Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race. The movie is scheduled for a January release in the US & UK. No date yet was set for the Philippines

Clash of the Titans - fantasy film which is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, itself loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington, the film is set for release on March 26, 2010

Kick-Ass - is an upcoming superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn. The plot of Kick-Ass concerns a teenage boy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who decides to become a real-life superhero after being inspired by the heroes of comic books. He soon encounters a mysterious vigilante called Big-Daddy (Nicolas Cage), and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz), who are working to bring down the drug baron Frank D'Amico. This is set for an April 2010 release.

Iron Man 2 - it's the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, and the second film in a planned trilogy. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and master engineer, also known as the superhero, Iron Man. The film is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2010.

Alice in Wonderland - the upcoming fantasy-adventure film directed by Tim Burton. It is an extension to the Lewis Carroll novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The film will use a technique combining live action and animation. Mia Wasikowska plays the role of Alice, alongside Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts. The film is due for release on March 5, 2010 and the film will be released through Walt Disney Pictures in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D, as well as in regular theatres.

The A-team - Everybody loves the A-team TV series back in the 1980's. This time, it is being made as a full feature movie with all the action and adventure. The film stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson, Yul Vazquez, and will be directed by Joe Carnahan. It is set for a June 11, 2010 release.

Predators - a sequel to the 1987 classic horror film Predator. Robert Rodriguez stated that he named the film "Predators" in relation to how the second film in the Alien franchise was called Aliens. This new movie is actually the third of the Predator movie franchise. The first starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and the second starred Danny Glover. This movie is directed by Nimród Antal, but is produced by Robert Rodriguez, visionary director of From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids, and the El Mariachi series (its most popular of the series is Desperado). It will be starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, and Danny Trejo. It's scheduled for a July 9, 2010 release.

The Expendables - This ensemble action film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, which stars himself along with Jason Statham and Jet Li. The film pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and early '90s, as the film includes action veterans from those decades (such as Stallone himself, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, and Bruce Willis). The movie is expected to be released on August 20, 2010.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (part 1) - Part 1 of the adaptation of Rowling's final Harry Potter book, which is expected to have its grand finale of a successful and highly respected film franchise based on the phenomenal book series. The final chapter of the Harry Potter film series begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes, the secret to Voldemort's power and immortality. In as much as I actually hated the earlier Potter movies, I do think that this series clearly is the Star Wars of this generation. Deathly Hallows part 1 is set on November 19, 2010.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Just after Disney severed its ties from the Narnia franchise, 20th Century Fox came right in to take charge of distributing this Narnia sequel. fantasy film based on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published novel in C.S. Lewis's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the third in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This time around – Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb – find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world. Obviously this new movie will feature stuff closer to something like Pirates of the Carribean because this will have sea voyage adventures. The Dawn Treader will set sail on December 10, 2010.

Wanted: Border - shot in Iloilo, and made generally by Ilonggos, this movie written and directed by Rey Gibraltar, and stars Rosanna Roces, won seven trophies in the fifth Cinema One Originals Awards, including Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director, held last November 15, at the Dolphy Theater in ABS-CBN. It also won Best Production Design (Al Alacapa, Winston Lazaro and Allan Hilado); Best Music (Malik Lopez and Eric Romulo), and Best Cinematography (Ogi Sugatan). After (the movie) Yanggaw sparked consciousness in the local masses on how good indie films and Visayan talent and creativity are, there has been a demand to see this new indie movie made by Ilonggo creativity. Cinema One's Festival season is long been over, no release date has been set, yet Ilonggos are still eagerly awaiting its release in Iloilo shores...

IRON MAN 2 poster revealed

I know many of you are excited about IRON MAN 2. Well, at least we can clearly see that there's gonna be a WAR MACHINE in this one.