Archive for the 'Movie News' Category
— April 24, 2008
After seeing Spider-Man 3, I’ve been thinking a lot about who should be in Spider-Man 4. To me, it’s about giving the fans the best story possible, and I wonder how much good material is left to take from the comics. But to make a good story, the villain is crucial. There are some obvious choices based on what happened in Spider-Man 3, but I think Marvel should go in a different direction. I think the best choice for the villain in Spider-Man 4 is the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk.
Here is why they should do it. The Kingpin is one of my favorite villains and appeared in some of the greatest Spider-Man and Daredevil storylines ever. The cool thing about the Kingpin is that he has no special superpowers. He has only his mind, honed on the streets, which he uses for crime. Also, many of supervillains are insane and/or have alter egos. The Kingpin is not insane but rather intelligent and has no secret identity. He IS the Kingpin. The Kingpin needs to be in Spider-Man 4 because he is one of the best and most evil villains in the Marvel universe.
Now, here’s how they should do it. I realize that the Kingpin has already appeared in a Marvel movie, Daredevil. To do the Kingpin right, Marvel needs to pretend that didn’t happen, the same way that DC pretended Superman 3 and 4 didn’t happen with Superman Returns, not to mention Batman Begins. Daredevil would have been a lot better if they had done the Kingpin right.
I think the to do the Kingpin right in a movie, they need to use CGI, but I always thought that this would not work. Then, it hit me the other day. It has already been done. In the Lord of the Rings, Gollum is a main character which interacts with the live actors the entire film, yet Gollum is CGI. Also recently, in King Kong, Kong himself is CGI yet interacts with everything else in a very real way.
So, who should they get to play the Kingpin if they do this? Why, Andy Serkis of course! He was the real life model for Gollum and King Kong. Plus, he’s a great actor who would do a tremendous job with this character. And if Marvel doesn’t want to do this, they could always redo Daredevil, pretending the first one didn’t happen, they way they are doing the Hulk this year.
— January 27, 2008
Wanted is a comic book written by Mark Millar in 2004 and is currently being made into a movie scheduled to be out this summer. I knew the movie was coming out because I had seen the trailer, so I became interested in reading the comic. I also knew the comic was written by Millar, which made me want to read it even more. I finally bought the trade paperback yesterday, and read it today while traveling for work on a plane.
I’m sorry I waited so long to read this. The book is excellent, and deserves to be made into a movie. The writing and artwork are both top notch. Mark Millar has always been one of my favorite writers of Marvel Comics, and in my opinion, Wanted proves that Millar is the best writer working in comics today. The story really makes you think. It’s Fight Club for comic book readers and fan boys, although most comic book readers and fan boys have probably already seen Fight Club, but you get the idea.
The artwork is great as well, and some of the best I have seen in a while. J.G. Jones was not a name I am familiar with, but that has changed. I am now a fan of his and will be on the lookout for more of his work. If you can find Wanted, go buy it and read it now before the movie comes out.
Now about the movie, I’m not sure the same can be said about it. I just watched the trailer again, and if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend you watch it. The trailer looks badass, and was more than enough to get me interested in it. After re-watching the trailer though, I’m not sure the movie will at all resemble the comic. For fans coming off of several comic books movies that were highly faithful to the original material, such as Sin City and 300, this is might not turn out so well for Wanted the movie.
Admittedly, there is a lot in the comic that they could not possibly put in the movie. The comic is very graphic and violent with tons of foul language and adult subject matter. This may be the reason why the movie looks so different from the comic. This will all be meaningless of course, if the movie comes out and follows the book pretty well. But somehow I find that hard to believe with the trailer as it is. There is a good possibility it could change though, due to the fact that the movie was pushed back. After all the trailer has been out for a while. The movie was originally supposed to be in March, but is now set for release on June 27th, 2008. Perhaps we will see a new trailer between now and then that will tell us more.
Right now, I am still looking forward to the movie, mainly for the fact that Angelina Jolie is in it, playing the character of Fox. Until then, I will be reading Kick Ass which is Mark Millar’s next project for Marvel, with John Romita, Jr. drawing it (my favorite comic artist,) due out next month. It’s sure to be an excellent read as well.
— December 21, 2007
After doing the top 10 Summer movies of 2007, I decided to put together a list of the top 10 11 Summer movies of 2008, even earlier this time around. I suspected it would be good, but once I had it, man was I surprised! Next summer is going to be great! So without further ado, here are the top 10 11 Summer movies of 2008. FYI, the list is in chronological order, not in order of importance. All of these movies are scheduled to be shown between May and July of 2008. I would have included movies shown in August, but unfortunately, it looks like they will run out before then.
Iron Man
May 2nd 2008
Synopsis: Based on the Marvel Comics Character; Billionaire playboy industrialist Tony Stark makes wepons for the U.S. government. While out on a field test of one of his inventions, he is wounded, captured and foreced to make wepons for the enemy. Instead, he fashions himself a crude power armor to save his life and facilitate his escape. When he returns home, he revises his armor and finds purpose as the Armored Avenger Iron Man!
Speed Racer
May 9th 2008
Synopsis: Based on the classic 1960’s Japanese animated series chronicling the aspirations of a young race car driver as he attempts to obtain glory, with the help of his family and the Mach 5, the advanced car created by his father.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
May 16th 2008
Synopsis: The Pevensie siblings return to Narnia, where they are enlisted to once again help ward off an evil king and restore the rightful heir to the land’s throne, Prince Caspian.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
May 22nd 2008
Synopsis: ???
The Incredible Hulk
June 13th 2008
Synopsis: Physicist Bruce Banner takes flight in order to understand — and hopefully cure — the condition that turns him into a monster.
Get Smart
June 20th 2008
Synopsis: Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 for CONTROL, battles the forces of KAOS with the more-competent Agent 99 at his side.
Wall-E (Pixar)
June 27th 2008
Synopsis: The year is 2700. WALL*E, a robot, spends every day doing what he was made for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for.
Valkyrie
June 27th 2008
Synopsis: Based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler is unfurled during the height of WWII.
Update: Wanted
June 27th 2008
Synopsis: This was originally scheduled to be released in March, but is now supposed to be out in June. Wanted is about Wesley Gibson who’s father is, unbeknownst to Wesley, the greatest assassin in the world. When he is killed, Wesley, who works in a cubicle, is trained to be his replacement. Read more on Wanted, including my thoughts on the comic, here.
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
July 11th 2008
Synopsis: The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the rebellious creatures.
The Dark Knight
July 18th 2008
Synopsis: Batman and James Gordon join forces with Gotham’s new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, to take on a psychotic bank robber known as The Joker, whilst other forces plot against them, and Joker’s crimes grow more and more deadly.
— May 6, 2007
After having seen Spider-Man 3, my thoughts are turning to Spider-Man 4, specifically what is left for the Marvel movie writers to tackle in the next movie. There are still plenty of Spider-Man villains left to choose from. I am talking about important storylines from the comics.
Is it possible that all the major Spider-Man storylines have either been done or can’t be done due to the movie continuity already having been established? Here are some major Spider-Man storylines and why they can or can’t be done in the future.
The Night Gwen Stacy Died - Amazing Spider-Man #121-122, June - July 1973
Trying to spoil as little as possible, I will say that this story could still be done in a future movie, although without the Green Goblin, as he is dead in current movie continuity. This story depends on Spider-Man’s relationship with Gwen Stacy. In the movies, Spider-Man’s love interest is Mary Jane. However, the writers could change all that in a future movie if Peter breaks up with Mary Jane and starts dating Gwen Stacy.
Spider-Man No More! - Amazing Spider-Man #50, July 1967
In this comic, Spider-Man temporarily gives up being a superhero by tossing his costume in the trash. This storyline was done in Spider-Man 2. Although the writers could revisit this theme in a future movie, it would be wise not to.
The Drug Issues - Amazing Spider-Man #96-98, May - July 1971
This storyline was important because it depicted the negative effects of drug use by showing Harry Osborn addcited to drugs. This storyline could be used in a future movie, although specifics will have to be changed due to what happened in Spider-Man 3. However, the importance of this story is the social statement that was made, something Marvel may not be willing to do here.
Crossovers
Many important Spider-Man stories involved crossovers, where characters in other Marvel comics had major involvement in the storyline. This seems unlikely for any Marvel movies, although still possible.
Spider-Man’s Wedding - Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, 1987
In 1987, Peter Parker and Mary Jane got married. This is definitely possible, and likely, in a future Spider-Man movie.
The Black Costume/Alien Symbiote - Amazing Spider-Man #252-258, May - Nov. 1984
Go see Spider-Man 3. ‘Nuff said.
The Clone Saga - 1975 and 1994-96
There are 2 clone stories in Spider-Man’s history. The first would be good for the movies, although it involved Gwen Stacy back when she was Peter’s girlfriend. The second one has been much maligned by fans since it ended. Probably not the best idea for Marvel, although never say never.
So what’s left? Although it’s possible I have overlooked something, those are the most important Spider-Man storylines I know of. It looks like slim pickings for those Marvel movie writers. So to speculate what lies ahead for Spider-Man 4 and beyond, let’s look at the villains.
As I said, Spidey does have plenty of villians left. Here is quick rundown of important Spider-Man villians, and which ones we could possibly see in the future.
The Green Goblin
The Green Goblin story has been done in the Spider-Man movies. As we know, the movie Goblin is now dead, so the character cannot be used in future movies. It is my opinion though that many of the great Spider-Man stories involve the Goblin. However, in the comics, the Goblin was resurrected and returned to appear in many comics. The only way the movie writers can use the Goblin in any future stories is to resurrect him. This seems unlikely, though Marvel movie writers have already done this for Elektra.
Doctor Octopus
Doc Ock was also killed in the movies and can no longer be used unless the writers resurrect him.
Spider-Man 3 Villians
I won’t reveal any spoilers here, but if you have seen the movie you know which characters die and which live, so you know which ones can or cannot be used in future movies without resurrection.
The Kingpin
If the Kingpin hadn’t already been done in Daredevil, and poorly I might add, this villain would be a great choice.
The Lizard
A strong possibility since Dr. Curt Connors has already made his appearance in the movies.
The Hobgoblin
This seems like an obvious choice but one the writers might be unwilling to do as 2 of the movies already have had Goblins in them. Never rule anything out however.
Carnage
Carnage could be a good possibility since we now have Venom in the movies.
The Rest
There are plenty of Spidey villains left, Scorpion, Electro, Kraven, Mysterio, Vulture, Chameleon, Rhino, Shocker, etc. The list goes on. My point is that I don’t know if any landmark stories that involved any of these villains.
On the surface, there is still may be much for the writers of Spider-Man 4 to choose from. And have no doubt, they are doing Spider-Man 4, in fact they are probably already working on it. Upon closer inspection though, the Spider-Man movies may have already used the best material from the comics or can’t use it due to established movie continuity. In the latter case, it would be very easy for Marvel to make changes to make those stories movie-worthy. But is that the right direction to go in? Maybe not.
There are plenty of other Marvel characters and stories that have not been done that might be better for Marvel to do instead of another Spider-Man sequel. Spider-Man 3 was good, don’t get me wrong, but what about Captain America, Nick Fury, the Avengers, Thor, Namor, etc. I know that a lot of those are already being done or are in the works, but if I was at Marvel now, I would be putting my best writers and big budgets into making those movies great, and making sure they don’t turn out like the Punisher, Hulk or, god forbid, Elektra.
— April 30, 2007
Following up my post yesterday, Spider-Man 3 According to the Comics, this post is on how Spider-Man 3 conflicts with Spider-Man’s comic book continuity.
We know that the movies that are based on comic book continuity typically try to combine many of the important comic book moments into one film. As a result, the movies often change the comic book continuity. From what we’ve seen of Spider-Man 3 in the trailers, here’s the list of what actually happened in the comics and what is different.
- Gwen Stacy makes her first appearance in Spider-Man 3. In the comics, Gwen was Peter Parker’s first love, not Mary Jane, who made her first appearance way back in Amazing Spider-Man #31, Dec. 1965.
- The Spider-Man 3 trailer depicts the police telling Peter Parker that his Uncle Ben’s real killer is the Sandman. Not only does this conflict with the comics, this also conflicts with the first Spider-Man movie.
- In the comics, Spider-Man’s black costume was revealed to be an alien symbiote. We don’t yet know whether this will be the case or not in the movie, but I am betting that we will see a different explanation.
Edit: this is, in fact, what happens in Spider-Man 3.
- In the comics, after Spidey discovers the black suit is a symbiote and takes it off, he still wears a black costume for years after that and only later puts on the red and blue suit. In the movie, Peter puts the red and blue suit back on after taking off the black suit.
- Venom doesn’t appear for 4 years after the symbiote suit is discovered in the comics.
Those are the ones we know so far, but we haven’t seen the movie yet. If any of these are proven wrong, or I learn about any more, I will add them here.
— April 29, 2007
With Spider-Man 3 coming out on Friday, this is Spider-Man Week at Hero Hunt. To celebrate, I’ve compiled a list of Spider-man 3 movie plot points and their occurrences in the comics.
We know that the movies typically try to combine many of the important comic book moments into one film. As a result, the movies often change the comic book continuity. Here’s the list of what actually happened in the comics and the issues in which they occurred.
- The first appearance of the Sandman - Amazing Spider-Man #4, Sep. 1963
- The first appearances of Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn - Amazing Spider-Man #31, Dec. 1965
- Harry Osborn becomes The Green Goblin for the first time - Amazing Spider-Man #136, Sep. 1974
- The return and death of the burglar who killed Spidey’s Uncle Ben - Amazing Spider-Man #200, January 1980
- The first appearance of Spider-Man’s black costume - Amazing Spider-Man #252, May 1984
- Spidey’s black costume is revealed to be a symbiote - Amazing Spider-Man # 258, Nov. 1984
- Venom’s first appearance (a last-page cameo drawn by Todd McFarlane) - Amazing Spider-Man #299, Apr. 1988
- Venom’s first full appearance - Amazing Spider-Man #300, May 1988
- #300 also featured Spider-Man reverting back to his original red-and-blue costume - Amazing Spider-Man #300, May 1988
Now you know Spider-Man’s true history, according to the comics, and which issues you need to have to get the full story of the events depicted in Spider-Man 3. Enjoy!
— April 20, 2007
My God, look at the sequels! Seriously, Hollywood has nothing original up it’s sleeve anymore. The only ones on this list that aren’t technically sequels are Transformers and the Simpsons. Notice I said technically, because the Transformers already had an animated movie and a TV series and the Simpsons has had a TV series for 17 seasons now.
All that aside, it will be a busy summer movie season, and I can’t wait! There’s almost a movie every weekend, from May through July.
Here is a list of my most anticipated, along with official links and release dates.
Spider-man 3 - May 4, 2007
Shrek the Third - May 18, 2007
Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End - May 25, 2007
Ocean’s Thirteen - June 8, 2007
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - June 15, 2007
Evan Almighty - June 22, 2007
Live Free or Die Hard - June 27, 2007
Transformers the Movie - July 4, 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - July 13, 2007
The Simpsons Movie - July 27, 2007
— March 23, 2007
Just got notice that the Spider-man 3 mini busts from Diamond Select with sculpts by Gentle Giant will be shipping and will arrive next Wednesday. I am not taking orders right now, but I will post what I have available next Wednesday when they arrive. Let me know if you are interested though. Price will be $60 each.
— March 15, 2007
Everyone agrees that Gerard Butler’s just gave a star making performance in ‘300.’ But where did he come from? While I was sitting there watching ‘300,’ I couldn’t help but feel that he looked very familiar. I also detected a Scottish accent, which I thought was funny, since he was playing a legendary Greek King.
So as soon as I got home I searched for his profile on IMDB. It turns out I had seen him before… in ‘Tomb Raider 2.’ He also played Dracula in ‘Dracula 2000.’ Really?
Yep. It’s not really that surprising though. Everybody knows, “you have to do a lot of crap before they put you in anything good.” And, while he was phenomenal as Leonidas, I actually liked him in ‘Tomb Raider’ as well. I don’t think ‘Tomb Raider’ did well at the box office, but I liked it. And I liked his character a lot in that movie. And for him at that time, starring opposite Angelina Jolie was probably a freaking big deal.
Anyway, I don’t think he will have any problem landing roles now. He just needs to worry about choosing the right roles. ‘Tomb Raider 3′ anyone? Not likely… his character was killed at the end of the last one.
— March 7, 2007
We are taking pre-orders again for the Spider-man 3 mini busts from Diamond Select with sculpts by Gentle Giant . Also, we are finally allowed to show the photography for these busts so each product has been updated with the images. At the pre-order price, these won’t last long so get your orders in. The cut off date for pre-orders on these is March 11.
Update: Pre-orders are closed.
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