Weird Science (1985)

Just in case you haven't noticed, I've been watching a lot of teen movies from the 80s and 90s lately, partially because I don't have a lot of time and these movies are fairly short, partially because they've been on my list forever. Weird Science is one of those, and it ended up there because it's a John Hughes film. 

The story follows Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), two very unpopular high school nerds who are not accepted by their peers — while the girls ignore them, the boys bully and embarrass them. One night, they are watching Frankenstein on the TV and they come up with the idea of creating their own creature using a computer program, only instead of a monster they want to create a gorgeous woman who can help them socially. Their experiment proves successful, and they create their perfect woman, Lisa (Kelly LeBrock). 

It comes without saying that the premise is incredibly stupid and, unfortunately, as the story progresses, it doesn't get any better. It's just idiocy after another, a plot hole followed by an even bigger plot hole, and overall nothing but a misogynist teen fantasy that bored me to death. 

The characters are perhaps even worse than the plot as every single one of them has no depth nor development. Furthermore, the leading duo, Gary and Wyatt, couldn't be anymore unlikeable than that. Actually, they can as they are pretty annoying and unlikeable at the beginning, and become more and more annoying as the film moves forward — if you have read my review of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, you know I didn't particularly like the character of Ferris because of Broderick, but Broderick was way more likeable than these two — as they do something bad, eventually realise it but don't stop a moment to reflect on what they did. As for the antagonist, Gary's brother (played by Bill Paxton) is nothing but the typical evil big brother who acts like a douche and makes his brother's life a living hell. And yet he is the most sympathetic character in the film. The fact that Bill Paxton gives a hilarious, over-the-top performance surely helps.

Universal Pictures

As for the comedy, apart from Paxton's performance, we don't get much of it. The humour is just lazy and stupid as most of the jokes are predictable and therefore dull and the gags aren't anything special. I have to say that, given the premise, the humour wasn't nearly as vulgar as I thought it'd be.

The film has some nice cameos though, one being from Vernon Wells who reprises his Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior role. Unfortunately, this, Paxton, some funny moments and the fact that the leading actors were actual teenagers aren't enough to make of Weird Science a solid and entertaining film. If anything, it's just a huge disappointment as I was not expecting something this stupid and lazy from John Hughes.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Spoilers ahead! I never cared much about superhero movies, but then the Marvel Cinematic Universe happened and, every year for the past eleven years, they've been the movies I was looking forward to seeing the most. No matter how disappointingly awful some were, I was still excited to see what would come next. And after Avengers: Infinity War ended with that huge cliffhanger, Avengers: Endgame became my most anticipated Marvel film ever. And boy, I was not disappointed. 

The story picks up after the devastating events of the previous film, with the remaining Avengers — Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) — joined by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) to track down Thanos (Josh Brolin), steal the Infinity Stones and reverse his action. Unfortunately, they learn upon finding him that he had destroyed the stones, and Thor kills him. Five years later, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) comes back from the Quantum Realm and proposes the others to travel back in time and prevent Thanos from finding the stones in the first place.

While it's a bit convoluted and confusing, the time travel plot not only makes perfect sense — and even if it didn't, I still wouldn't get why many people are vigorously complaining about it being nonsense. Have these people forgotten its a superhero movie involving time travel they are talking about? — as it manages to combine the storylines of the twenty-two previous movies beautifully, but it pays tremendous homage to the fans who have been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than ten years, and to the characters — Captain America gets to reunite with Peggy — I don't get why people are complaining about this, Cap deserves a happy ending and him staying in the past doesn't mean he changes the past/future, it simply means that he created another timeline and that at present time there are two Steve Rogers, one old and one young as he's been defrosted as he was supposed to be —, Tony Stark gets to see his father, Thor his mother and Jane, and Bruce is finally at peace with the Hulk.

As for the characters, many viewers didn't appreciate the treatment some of them got, especially Thor who, according to some people, has been reduced to a pathetic comic relief as he's now a fat alcoholic other characters, specifically Rocket, often make fun of. I, on the other hand, think that the writers wouldn't have done anything better than that with him. Sure, we are so used to seeing this muscular, powerful and confident man, it feels weird seeing him in this as he's the opposite of that. But keep in mind that he has lost everything — his father, his mother, his brother, his best friend, the woman he loved, Asgard — and on top of that, he blames himself for failing to kill Thanos when he had the chance in Infinity War. So much has happened to him, it's only natural that he has become the man he is here. And what the did with the character of Tony Stark over the years is beyond impressive — not only he's no longer the selfish, arrogant he used to be and has taken the young Peter Parker under his wing, but he gets to the point of giving up his happiness, his chance of having a family to save the universe. With Endgame, we also get to see more of those characters who either weren't in the previous film, such as Hawkeye and Ant-Man or were barely in it, such as Captain America. I was a little disappointed with how little they used Captain Marvel though.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The cast does an excellent job, from Chris Hemsworth who embodies to perfection this new Thor with an incredibly humorous performance to Scarlett Johansson who finally gives a strong, compelling performance as Black Widow to Tom Holland who is barely in the film and yet manages to still the scene as he shares a touching moment with Robert Downey Jr.. There are also many wonderful and unexpected cameos from Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Rene Russo (Frigga), Tilda Swinton (the Ancient One), John Slattery (Howard Stark), Robert Redford (Alexander Payne), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), James D'Arcy (Edwin Jarvis), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym) and, of course, Stan Lee.

The film is also filled with memorable scenes from Captain America finally grabbing Thor's hammer — the reaction of the audience was insane! — to the scene with all the Marvel women — I actually cried at this point because a boy sitting right next to me was very excited as he said, "it's all the girls".

The film is, as always with Marvel, visually spectacular, it has a killer soundtrack's and it's wonderfully paced — the three hours running time flies by — but most of all, it's rollercoaster of feelings and emotions with its homages, and the graceful combination of moments that make you laugh, moments that give you goosebumps and moments that will make you cry.

The Judge (2014)

I really wanted to see The Judge when it came out because of its cast, but I missed it when it was in theatres and then I kept putting it off because of its running time. Eventually, I even forgot what the film was about so I kept putting it off, mainly because I was afraid it'd be a long, boring courtroom drama, which is crazy since I love courtroom dramas. 

The film follows Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.), a successful and unethical defence attorney in Chicago. When his brother Glen (Vincent D'Onofrio) calls to let him know that their mother has passed away, Hank returns to his hometown in Indiana and soon ends up being the lawyer to his estranged father (Robert Duvall), the town's judge, who is suspected of murder. 

It's a very simple story that should not take 2 hours to be told and yet it does as there are way too many subplots —Hank Palmer's divorce, Hank Palmer's high school girlfriend who has a college-age daughter who could be his daughter, and the courtoom drama. Not to mention the subplot going on with Glen's two sons— that go nowhere and fail to be interesting. Despite this, The Judge manages to be a very compelling and engaging drama as it mainly centres on the father-and-son relationship, which makes you reflect on how hard it is to grow up not without your father's approval, but with his disapproval, and the complex relationship between siblings. 

The characters needed more work too as they all are a bit stereotyped, lack development —especially when it comes to supporting characters—, their characterization isn't always consistent, and some —the prosecuting attorney, to mention one— are given a backstory for no reason at all, which kind of ends up creating another subplot. 

The performances, on the other hand, are great. Robert Downey Jr. gives one of the, if not the best performance of his career as Hank Palmer. He nails the dramatic scenes and brings to be screen his typical magnetism, which will make you like him/his character even though he is a horrible man —he displays too much cockiness at the beginning of the film though. Robert Duvall is, however, the Robert who absolutely steals the show here. He's fearless in portraying an ageing man who is losing it, and proves that an actor doesn't need a great script to give a great, Award-worthy performance. Vincent D'Onofrio, who unfortunately has way less screen time than he deserves, is terrific as Glen as he brings depth to a character who had none on paper. The cast also features Jeremy Strong who does good in the role of Hank's mentally challenged younger brother, Dale, Billy Bob Thornton and Vera Farmiga, both talented and both wasted with characters they can't do anything with. 

Warner Bros. Pictures

David Dobkin's direction is also pretty solid. Although he relies a little too much on clichés and because of the tone, the film at times feels like a sappy melodrama, he manages to make a heavy, serious film with some humour and playfulness in it, rather than the opposite, which is exactly what I was expecting from him. Also, I found the slow pacing to fit the story very well —the long running time did not bother me at all. Actually, time flew by as I was watching this flawed and yet touching, emotional and absorbing film.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Genres

Action, Sci-Fi

Director

Jon Watts

Country

USA

Cast

Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Tyne Daly, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Jennifer Connelly, Chris Evans, Gwyneth Paltrow

Storyline

Months after Civil War, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student while fighting Vulture (Michael Keaton), a new villain that will threaten everything that is important to Peter. 

Opinion

After Logan and Wonder Woman, I think Spider-Man: Homecoming was the most hyped (superhero) film of the year. But I wasn't that excited about it probably because of what happened with The Amazing Spider-Man flicks, so it easily exceeded my expectations. Actually, it was way better than I thought. In fact, Spider-Man: Homecoming was entertaining as hell and one of the funniest MCU films made so far -and I also liked it better than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2.

After gods, androids and aliens, this is the film that (finally) brings back down to earth the MCU with another origin story that doesn't feel like an origin story at all. Rather than focusing (again) on the whole bite thing, this film focuses on teen Peter Parker as he struggles to find his place in the (Avengers) world. Although the plot could have used some more depth - it's indeed very simple - it's compelling and engaging. And it also has a nice twist.

The characters, as well as their roles in the role, were a pleasant surprise. The character of Peter Parker is well developed and Tom Holland makes for a fantastic Spidey. He beautifully captures the spirit of teen Peter Parker, a guy who is always trying to prove himself and wants to be involved in bad things. He's fun to be around and he delivers the humour.

A huge surprise was the role of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron Man. Because of the trailers, I was expecting him to completely steal the show. But the opposite happened. He was barely in the movie and that gave Holland the chance to really shine. And now the problems with the other characters. While I liked the idea of changing the characters races, it bothered me that all those characters were paper-thin. And the cast was uneven. I think Zendaya was great as Michelle, the quirky student who hangs around Peter, but Laura Harrier was terrible and annoying as Liz, Peter's shallow love interest.

Finally, there's the villain, Michael Keaton's Vulture. While more development would have been appreciated, Vulture and Keaton's mesmerising performance are definitely not forgettable like the majority of villains in Marvel movies. He is one of the most human villains. He's like a superhero villain, and his backstory and the reason he does what he does make you empathise with him.

Also great is the humour. Although it's pretty much the teen comedy kind of humour, it never feels forced and the timing of the actors will make you have a good time. The action is bad either. It doesn't react the spectacularity of the previous Marvel movies, but the sequences are still awesome.

Confirmed Marvel Release Dates And Titles Through 2019 - Title Posters!

Marvel held a fan and press day today in Hollywood and revealed their movie lineup through to 2019. On hand at the event was the ever present producer Kevin Feige, Chadwick Boseman (BLACK PANTHER), Chris Evans (CAPTAIN AMERICA) and Robert Downey Jr. (IRON MAN).

That's huge news on the casting of BLACK PANTHER! Chadwick Boseman is probably best known for playing Jackie Robinson in 42.

It's significant to note that Benedict Cumberbatch was not on hand and Marvel has not yet signed him on as DOCTOR STRANGE. "If it was confirmed, we would have announced it today."

Further - pay heed that THE AVENGERS 3 will be broken down into two parts - INFINITY WAR: PART 1 and PART 2 which we kinda knew already.


Here are today's announced Marvel release dates and titles:

Captain America 3: Civil War – May 6, 2016
Doctor Strange – Nov. 6, 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017
Thor: Ragnarok – July 28, 2018
Black Panther – Nov. 3, 2017
The Avengers 3 – Infinity War: Part 1 – May 4, 2018
Captain Marvel – July 6, 2018
Inhumans – Nov. 2, 2018
The Avengers 3 – Infinity War: Part 2 – 2019

Official Marvel Concept Art

Must See: New IRON MAN 3 Poster!

Click to enlarge

Love this new poster for the upcoming IMAX release of IRON MAN 3. The skin of Tony Stark's armor has been peeled off! But most of all, it's those sparks that really make the poster ;-)

Everyone is looking to the right of the camera - except for Paltrow who has her eye caught by something else entirely. What is she looking at? Perhaps her hubby is a tad upset with her proximity to RDJ? Coldplay buddy. Coldplay.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Marvel’s IRON MAN 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

IRON MAN 3 opens on May 3.

Source: IMAX

Yes! MUST WATCH: New IRON MAN 3 Trailer - Hulkbuster!!

Here we go. Marvel at it's best. Finally a bigger reveal on IRON MAN 3 and it's looking GOOD. More Mandarin. More Potts. More Stark. More Hulkbuster!

Shane Black is also relieving many fears about his ability to handle a big budget tentpole - nothing wrong with this thing so far.

Even Mandarin's accent is growing on me: "I'm gonna offer a choice - do you want an empty life or a meaningful death?"

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Marvel’s IRON MAN 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark / Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Enjoy!! IRON MAN 3 opens on May 3.

WHOA. New IRON MAN 3 Poster Reveals Iron Legion!

IRON MAN 3 is looking extremely inviting right about now. Seems the Iron Legion rumors have been verified here. For those not in the know, the Iron Legion are a series of suits created and controlled by Tony Stark through Extremis (nanotechnology). Apparently these suits have interchangeable parts to enable various configurations of weapons, defense, etc.

Question: Are the suits on his side or has The Mandarin managed to gain control of them in the poster? Thoughts?

Here's the movies storyline:
Marvel’s IRON MAN 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

IRON  MAN 3 opens on May 3.

Source: Yahoo

Helm's Deep: New IRON MAN 3 Character Posters

Take a new look at IRON MAN 3's leading talent for Shane Black's first crack at the Marvel universe. First up we have Gwyneth Paltrow with a distinctly damaged helm and lots of sparks.

Followed by Robert Downey Jr. with the same helm and more sparks.

Not sure of the order of things with these posters - was Potts sad to be missing Stark, or angry in the inappropriate gift from him that still had sparks flying from it?

IRON MAN 3 opens on May 3.

MUST SEE: New IRON MAN 3 Character Poster For Ben Kingsley's The Mandarin!

Yes! This is what I was hoping for all along! I wanted a fresh take on The Mandarin and it looks like we are getting it. I think everyone kind of took a step back when we heard Ben Kingsley's accent for The Mandarin in the trailer for IRON MAN 3 - and I still don't know what to make of it! That's the beauty of it - so abstract. Where are they going with this character?

Well know we get a much better taste through this single character poster. And I am loving it! You can see the Asian influence on the sleeves and pants and yet it is unmistakeably camouflage. He is posed as a thinker with a heavy weight upon him. I'm liking the incense burning behind him and the what are those... dog tags in the right foreground shadow?

Creates a lot more questions for me, but the desire to see IRON MAN 3 has just been kicked up a notch!

IRON MAN 3 opens on May 3.

A Stark Message For The Holidays...

Happy holidays from Tony Stark! Coming from the official Iron Man Facebook page, Marvel has gifted us an appropriately themed wintery message and a new image.

What do Marvel and Shane Black have in store for us with IRON MAN 3? In this post Jon Favreau production - how will what we know and love about Stark continue to grow? At least we know this one will be in 3D! A great place to start.

Here is the storyline for the movie:
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of Tales of Suspense (#39) in 1963 and had his solocomic book debut with The Invincible Iron Man (#1) in May of 1968. Iron Man 3 is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine, Charles Newirth, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are exec producing. 

The film releases May 3, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

MUST WATCH: First Trailer For IRON MAN 3!

...And here it is. Three successive Marvel posts and BLAM - here's your trailer to ogle over for awhile :-)

Brace yourself. Tony Stark is handling the fallout from Loki's New York invasion in a very normal, human way. It's refreshing. It's brilliant. The stakes are high to have that much fun in a suit my friends.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Director: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley

IRON MAN 3 hits it's thrusters on May 3rd, 2013.

MARVEL UPDATE: ANT-MAN Starts Shooting In January * A New IRON MAN 3 Poster * And Our First Look At Ben Kingsley As The Mandarin!!

Artwork: Gerald Parel

Wallopin' websnappers! Marvel has been busy. And they intend on staying busy! Here's out latest out of the Marvel camp:

ANT-MAN starts shooting in London in January says The Examiner: ANT-MAN centers on Biophysicist Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym, who becomes a superhero after discovering a chemical substance that allows him to change his size. Armed with a helmet and suit that could control ants, Pym would shrink down to the size of an insect to become the mystery-solving Ant-Man. Scott Lang became Pym's successor after stealing Ant-Man suit to save his daughter Cassie from a heart condition. At one point the film adaptation was said to involve both Pym and Lang, however this is to be seen after the film comes out in theaters.

Three-time British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA Award nominated English filmmaker Edgar Wright will direct "Ant-Man" from an adapted screenplay written by himself and BAFTA Award nominee Joe Cornish. Wright has been working on the script for over 6 years, with a third draft given to Marvel in June, 2011. The studio officially presented the character Ant Man with an entertaining and riveting test video at Comic-Con 2012. Ant Man had very unique abilities where he transforms instantly from full size to tiny size and and vice versa. He is also portrayed as a trained operative.

Interested in being cast as an actor or background performer in Marvel's ANT-MAN? Check out this site for all the particulars.

***

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Here's a very cool poster for IRON MAN 3 featuring Tony Stark's Iron Man Suit Armory along with our very first (front-on) look at Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.

Here's what producer Kevin Feige had to say about the villain:
"It’s less about his specific ethnicity than the symbolism of various cultures and iconography that he perverts for his own end."


Don't forget about the release of the first full trailer for IRON MAN 3 tomorrow!! 

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Amped yet or what? The Mandarin is the leader of The Ten Rings so with this confrontation we should see some spectacular stuff. It should round out the trilogy. Can't wait!

Source: Examiner

Must Watch: Trailer For The Trailer Of IRON MAN 3!

Click to enlarge

Yes, it's another trailer for a trailer, but this one is quite well done and does precisely what it is intended to do: Make you watch the full trailer that's going to drop on Tuesday (October 23)!

Here's the movie's storyline:
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

The movie headlines Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin. Also starring are Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale and William Sadler.

IRON MAN 3 opens on May 3, 2013. Looking great so far!


Check out the trailer for the trailer:

Must See: Amazing Aerial Images From The IRON MAN 3 Set!!

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I have to admit my jaw dropped on these shots from the set of IRON MAN 3. It looks like some kind of intricate combination practical / visual effects shot that Shane Black has had up his sleeve. Perhaps a slo-mo shot? Would they dare drop all those stunt people at the same time in that close of a proximity to each other?

It looks to me as though Tony Stark is in mid-transition to becoming Iron Man in what seems to be an entirely new suit. What kind of suit? Does Extremis have something to do with this? Good question.

The stuntwork sounds amazing on this production and reminds me of the work done on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL.

Note that the cameras they are using do not seem to be in stereoscopic configuration and so it's fairly clear IRON MAN 3 will be post converted to 3D just like CAP, THOR and THE AVENGERS.

Here's some official info about the movie:
Following in the footsteps of the record-breaking Marvel Studios’ release “Marvel’s The Avengers,” production on the highly anticipated film “Iron Man 3,” directed by Shane Black, has production locations in North Carolina, Raleigh/Durham, Miami, Florida and China.

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”) as the iconic Super Hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Gwyneth Paltrow (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,”) as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle (“Iron Man 2”) as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) as Happy Hogan. Set for release in the U.S. on May 3, 2013, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” marks the second feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

“Iron Man 3” continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world’s favorite billionaire inventor/Super Hero, Tony Stark aka “Iron Man.” Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive producers on the project include Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard and Dan Mintz.

The creative production team on the film includes two-time Oscar®-winning director of photography John Toll, ASC (“Braveheart,” “Legends of the Fall”), production designer Bill Brzeski (“The Hangover,” “Due Date”), editors Jeffrey Ford, A.C.E. (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”) and Peter S. Elliot (“Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer”), and costume designer Louise Frogley (“Quantum of Solace,” “Contagion”).

Oh and you have GOT to watch Robert Downey Jr.'s entrance to Comic-Con this year! Hilarious!! Check it out:

IRON MAN 3 opens on May 3, 2013.

Photo source: Marvel's Facebook

Check Out The Early IRON MAN 3 Poster...

Yes, this won't be the official poster for the movie but it's cool to see what they have already for IRON MAN 3. The image is from the Licensing Expo 2012 in Las Vegas.

You can follow all of our IRON MAN 3 coverage as it happens with this link.

Following in the footsteps of the record-breaking Marvel Studios’ release “Marvel’s The Avengers,” production on the highly anticipated film “Iron Man 3,” directed by Shane Black, has commenced production in Wilmington, North Carolina. The production schedule will also include locations in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, Miami, Florida and China.

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”) as the iconic Super Hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Gwyneth Paltrow (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,”) as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle (“Iron Man 2”) as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) as Happy Hogan. Set for release in the U.S. on May 3, 2013, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” marks the second feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

“Iron Man 3” continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world’s favorite billionaire inventor/Super Hero, Tony Stark aka “Iron Man.” Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive producers on the project include Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard and Dan Mintz.

The creative production team on the film includes two-time Oscar®-winning director of photography John Toll, ASC (“Braveheart,” “Legends of the Fall”), production designer Bill Brzeski (“The Hangover,” “Due Date”), editors Jeffrey Ford, A.C.E. (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”) and Peter S. Elliot (“Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer”), and costume designer Louise Frogley (“Quantum of Solace,” “Contagion”).

Stay tuned for more! IRON MAN 3 opens May 3, 2013.


Source: Comingsoon

Must See: Official IRON MAN 3 Image - Stark And His Suits

We've seen some spy shots already from the IRON MAN 3 set in North Carolina and now we have something official from Marvel.

A rather cool shot of Tony Stark standing in front of his menagerie of Iron Man suits. Which shall I drive today? :-) Each movie, including THE AVENGERS, had Stark utilizing an increasingly complex (but faster) method of getting on and off his suit when he is in peril. The robot arms in IRON MAN, the suitcase in IRON MAN 2, walking THROUGH robotic arms in THE AVENGERS as well as the wrist laser guided, airborne suit. So what's next for IRON MAN 3? Good question.

And what's up with the partially obscured suit, second from the left? Is that a "stealth suit" or is it just a see through mannequin that is displaying various parts of a suit? It seems to me to probably be the latter as the suits look like they are positioned in chronological order. No War Machine though. Hmmm. Thoughts?


Here's the official press release: 
BURBANK, Calif. (June 4, 2012) – Following in the footsteps of the record-breaking Marvel Studios’ release “Marvel’s The Avengers,” production on the highly anticipated film “Iron Man 3,” directed by Shane Black, has commenced production in Wilmington, North Carolina. The production schedule will also include locations in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, Miami, Florida and China.
Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”) as the iconic Super Hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Gwyneth Paltrow (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,”) as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle (“Iron Man 2”) as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) as Happy Hogan. Set for release in the U.S. on May 3, 2013, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” marks the second feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

“Iron Man 3” continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world’s favorite billionaire inventor/Super Hero, Tony Stark aka “Iron Man.” Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive producers on the project include Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard and Dan Mintz.

The creative production team on the film includes two-time Oscar®-winning director of photography John Toll, ASC (“Braveheart,” “Legends of the Fall”), production designer Bill Brzeski (“The Hangover,” “Due Date”), editors Jeffrey Ford, A.C.E. (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”) and Peter S. Elliot (“Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer”), and costume designer Louise Frogley (“Quantum of Solace,” “Contagion”).

Marvel Studios most recently produced the critically acclaimed “Marvel’s The Avengers,” which set the all-time, domestic 3-day weekend box office record at $207.4 million. The film, which is currently in release, continues to shatter box office records and is The Walt Disney Studios’ highest-grossing global and domestic release of all time and marks the studios’ fifth film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.

In the summer of 2011, Marvel successfully launched two new franchises with “Thor,” starring Chris Hemsworth, and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” starring Chris Evans. Both films opened #1 at the box office and have grossed over $800 million worldwide combined. In 2010 “Iron Man 2,” starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke, took the #1 spot in its first weekend with a domestic box office gross of $128.1 million.

In the summer of 2008, Marvel produced the summer blockbuster movies “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.” “Iron Man,” in which Robert Downey Jr. originally dons the Super Hero’s powerful armor and stars alongside co-stars Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, was released May 2, 2008, and was an immediate box office success. Garnering the number one position for two weeks in a row, the film brought in over $100 million in its opening weekend. On June 13, 2008, Marvel released “The Incredible Hulk,” marking its second number one opener of that summer.

ABOUT MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT: Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com.

IRON MAN 3 Update: Ben Kingsley Is The Mandarin? Guy Pierce Is Aldrich Killian? *AND* First Set Photos!!

IRON MAN 3 Set Location At Wilmington International Airport

Update on Shane Black's IRON MAN 3 now shooting in Wilmington, NC! Our friends over at LatinoReview got the goods on a potential casting scoop that sees Ben Kingsley suiting up as The Mandarin but not as originally suspected. He won't be the main antagonist but merely a distraction and partner to the real villain that Tony Stark must overcome, Guy Pierce's Aldrich Killian. Killian is a scientist who uncovers something called the Extremis Virus (potentially nanobot technology) which he then uses to create an "Extremis army" of superpowered evildoers.

Robert Downey Jr. On IRON MAN 3 Set

That being said, there is another movie site claiming that The Mandarin is the main villain. For a movie that only cameos The Mandarin there is a lot of action going on surrounding his character apparently. What sort of action? Well this came from CBM: "Those that did get a glimpse inside [the Cape Fear Club] reported seeing extras dressed in military uniforms and suits. The extras in suits were described as looking like Secret Service men." The site also claims that a source "involved with the production" reassured them that The Mandarin is "definitely" the villain. He said Mandarin had a set of twins that did most of his dirty work for him. Another source who had visited EUE/Screen Gems Studios told us that the sets they were building included Chinese storefronts."

And it's known that the next location for the IRON MAN production is China. 

So I think it's safe to say that The Mandarin is definitely in IRON MAN 3 but to what extent has not been brought to light. With two different versions of what is going on with the movie I can only go by past performance with regard to sources and that means LatinoReview gets the nod. A limited exposure to The Mandarin, perhaps setting him up for another Marvel universe movie - though I can't see that happening with THE AVENGERS 2 as Thanos is set to reign.

IRON MAN 3 Set, Wilmington, NC

The closest thing we have to a storyline thus far came from producer Kevin Feige when he disclosed:
"So Iron Man 3 has been structured specifically to be the antidote to The Avengers... Circumstances in the story separate Tony from having access to anything. We wanted to take Tony back to, metaphorically speaking, the cave from Iron Man, the first half of Iron Man, when he's cut off from the world and needs just focus on his intellects to get himself out of his situation. So he's not calling Thor, he's not calling Captain America, he can't press a special button to have the helicarrier come rescue him, so I think that'll be a nice complement to the team up of Avengers." 

I've selected a few shots from the Wilmington, NC sets for you to look at, but feel free to browse all of them right here.

Click here for all of our IRON MAN 3 coverage! IM3 opens on May 3, 2013. Still no official word on whether IM3 will be the first of the franchise and the fourth Marvel movie to be converted to 3D, but it's a safe wager at this point.

Marvel's THE AVENGERS: May 4, 2012!! Mark Ruffalo Is THE HULK!

YES! This is the news we have been waiting for (other than official confirmation that THE AVENGERS will be shot in native 3D)! Today at Comic-Con, director Joss Whedon walked on stage at the tail end of the CAPTAIN AMERICA and THOR panel with the entire top line cast for THE AVENGERS armed with a release date - May 4, 2012!!

Who are THE AVENGERS? Robert Downey Jr. as IRON MAN, Mark Ruffalo as THE HULK, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Chris Evans as CAPTAIN AMERICA, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as THOR, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Clark Gregg as Coulson.

I don't have to say that this movie has the potential to be the all time greatest comic adaption. Better than SPIDER-MAN (my personal fav). Better than BATMAN (Ok, maybe not TDK!). Better than SUPERMAN. What a cast!

I have a few requests for Marvel and I would like to hear yours too! First, native 3D. Second, I want to see the Hulkbuster Iron Man armor. Third, make the darn thing LEGENDARY. How about you?

Photo courtesy of FirstShowing

Raimi Signs On For OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL... Is DOWNEY JR. Next?

Sam Raimi has signed on to direct OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL according to Deadline. The movie is actually going to be a prequel to THE WIZARD OF OZ and it will definitely be in 3D.

Robert Downey Jr. is being pursued to play the Wizard of Oz, but it remains to be seen whether he can find the time to fit the production into his schedule with huge films like SHERLOCK HOLMES 2, THE AVENGERS and GRAVITY.

The big question on everyone's mind is can Raimi duplicate what Tim Burton just did with ALICE IN WONDERLAND? Good question. What do you think?