MUST WATCH: Official Trailer for Marvel's INFINITY WAR

Wow. So the big question is who dies in this thing. There are a few hints dropped in this trailer but actually I'm not convinced that anyone dies in the first of these two Infinity Wars movies. I think that will certainly happen in the second though. We'll see.

Loving the interaction between the Guardians and Tony Stark! That's perfect Peter Quill if you ask me. With all these characters butting heads in this thing, who are you most looking forward to seeing interacting?

So check out this trailer! After all these years it all comes down to this. Seriously, Marvel already has an amazing stable of outstanding movies - well written and played out. They have had all this time to nail down exactly what needs to happen and to add the meat to the bones - this is all the marbles. These movies are going to blow us away I'm sure!

Marvel's AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR opens on April 27.

Movie Review Head to Head: AGE OF ULTRON vs. MAD MAX !!

Why not? A couple of awesome 3D converted movies compared head to head! I really wanted to see AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON a second time before doing this but didn't have the time yet so instead of waiting to see both again, I'm giving it a go now.

Yes, they are both second view worthy. Very much so. However, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is a downright classic, while AGE OF ULTRON doesn't measure up to the original Avengers movie.

So which one came out on top? Definitely MAD MAX. ULTRON has some very cool elements don't get me wrong, but I get the strong feeling that director Joss Whedon was severely curtailed in what he could deliver on vision for the project - Marvel is known for that. In this case, they need to smarten up. George Miller on the other hand seems like he had carte blanche to explore his vision and explore he did! A stunning accomplishment.

I found the 3D conversion to be acceptable for both movies, but FURY ROAD had the flexibility to expound a crazy new world and the exaggerated 3D at times worked tremendously. Only saw a few shots where the 3D was shoddy and frankly lazy. It helps that I know what to look for but this was obvious (detail around moving fine lines for example). Definitely see MAD MAX in 3D on the largest screen possible. Same goes for ULTRON but the 3D there is much more muted and if you like seeing and being reminded that you are watching a 3D movie over and over again, then MAD MAX is for you. For me, there is a time and a place for using extra depth and FURY ROAD is it. Trust me.

I thought both movies suffered somewhat from storylines that did not justify the immense time, effort and money that went into them. ULTRON was not a good enough villain to throw at the Avengers (hard to follow up after Loki but still...), the movie seemed invented rather than "fate" for the team and character development is all but at a standstill with so many characters in play now. However FURY ROAD had practically no character development either and if it wasn't for the odd quote of "redemption" or lightning quick flashbacks there would be none at all. But MAX had proper villains, better acting, better practical effects (which make a huge difference) and was just stunningly gorgeous in its bleakness. You have to see it to believe it.

I'm not going to spoil either movie for those who haven't seen them yet (but we can spoil in the comments - so fair warning!), but definitely see them both. This is a comparison between two amazing movies, but its just that MAD MAX is an instant classic and is really artwork. It belongs in the Louvre. Seriously. It's as if Tarsem Singh, Michael Bay, James Wan and well, George Miller all got together and painted a moving masterpiece. Bravo Mr. Miller - you've grown your game even though you've been around for an amazing career.

Oh YEAH! New TV Spot For Marvel's AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON!

This TV Spot for Marvel's AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is better than many full trailers out there! Very excited to see this movie on the biggest screen possible, in 3D of course.

Some very nice new glimpses of shots we haven't seen before - so if your timid to view more of the movie before it comes out, now would be a good time to stop. I don't have a choice - I've got to watch them!

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON opens on May 1.

MUST WATCH: Last Trailer For AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON !

Ok, nicely done Marvel! This final trailer for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON hits the mark on a number of levels including more detail on the background of Ultron and the dynamics within the avengers themselves.

The effects look amazing - so looking forward to seeing these scenes in 3D because it and every successive 3D converted movie from Marvel looks better and better. Knowing that The Avengers represent the keystone of the studio means they will be overly scrutinizing every frame.

Cool end shot too :-)

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON opens on May 1.

Whallopin' Websnappers!! Spidey Coming To Marvel Universe in 2017!!

Wow - wouldn't have thought I'd see this day happen any time soon, but here it is and the date will be July 28, 2017!

Yes Sony and Marvel have partnered to bring Peter Parker and Spider-man into Marvel's cinematic universe which means there is a great chance he is destined to join The Avengers as he should.

In the meanwhile Kevin Feige will produce the 2017 iteration of Spider-man along with Amy Pascal (who stepped down as Sony co-chairman). Sony will continue to own the webslinger's rights for distribution, financing and final cut and control.

As this is breaking news - there's not too much to report on, but suffice to say 2017 is looking like another awesome movie year.

Stay tuned for more...

Source: Variety

MUST WATCH: First TV Spot For Marvel's AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON !

Check the first TV spot for Marvel's AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON!

Definitely some cool shots of the battle between Iron Man and Hulk. Can't wait for that! I anticipate that Marvel will pull out all the stops on that one - it's a pivotal thing.

The TV spot looks good, better than what we've seen before in my opinion and certainly longer, timing in at 1:40.

What do you think??

Here's the movie's storyline:
When Tony Stark tries to jump start a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON opens on May 1st.

Official Storyline For AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Released!

Finally we get to officially hear about what we will eventually see in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON! And it sounds spectacular. Marvel just keeps getting bigger and better. Makes me wonder just how much impact a Marvel led SPIDER-MAN or X-MEN universe would be! Man I would love to have Spidey as an avenger. But I digress.


Here's the official storyline:
Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to the Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON opens on May 1, 2015.

**UPDATED - SDCC 2014: Marvel Unveils New Concept Art For AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Click to enlarge

Marvel loves the San Diego Comic-Con and has unveiled four new pieces of concept art for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON featuring Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow and Iron Man battling the Ultron robot army which is probably part of a larger banner - note portions of Hulk's hand and Thor's Mjolnir in Black Widow's poster. If we get more images soon - I'll update this post.

Looks like the Avengers definitely have their hands full.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON opens on May 1, 2015.

NEXT DAY UPDATE: Here are the next two pieces of concept art featuring Hawkeye, Quicksilver and The Vision. They do all fit together as originally thought!

Click to enlarge

New Super Bowl Trailer For CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

 Probably the most exciting thing to happen during yesterday's Superbowl game if you're a Broncos fan was the CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER trailer commercial. And we've got it here for you as well.

So if you missed it - check it out!

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

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941, Marvel's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is produced by Kevin Feige, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp and Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo, Alan Fine and Stan Lee. The film releases March 26, 2014 in the UK and Ireland, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER opens on April 4 in glorious 3D.

Marvel Watching 3D Closely: Has Budget Available To Go 3D On Upcoming Movies

Jim here. According to Ken West, CFO of Marvel on their first quarter earnings call this morning, they are watching 3D very closely.

They recognize that as far as CG animation is concerned it is just about a requirement to be launching projects in 3D, but that is not the case YET for live action. They are looking at pragmatic reasons currently to go 3D as the market is not mandating 3D as a standard as of today. Of course this bodes well for 3D in Marvel projects because we all know that 3D adds a nice margin to box office.

When asked whether Marvel has the budget to go 3D on future live action projects, the answer was definitely yes as Marvel has financial partners that are very comfortable with the returns earned thus far on IRON MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK (DVD sales have been very strong too).

Also, Marvel cleared up any misconceptions on the casting of THOR in that no formal offers have been extended to talent to the best of their knowledge. So, no actors have turned down roles on THOR.

In my opinion, Marvel would be missing out on those increased 3D margins on their hottest properties and that 3D is inevitable for them. Wolverine in 3D would have pulled down even more impressive numbers this past weekend. I see AVENGERS in 3D as it is their ultimate project. If it does not happen, I would be VERY surprised.

What are your thoughts? What Marvel property would you most like to see in 3D? Spider-man?

Marvel's "Avengers" in 3D?

My good friend Alex Billington over at FirstShowing posted about the possibility of the future Marvel's "Avengers" movie being in 3D - or perhaps what animators call 3D sometimes, which is really 2D - I know, a bit confusing. In fact Alex's source, Zak Penn who may be tapped to write the movie, spoke about Avengers being perhaps like Beowulf - which of course set off the 3D speculation! Head over to First Showing for a more in depth report - he always has great Marvel reading.

Here is an excerpt from his post:

PENN: "Absolutely. It's not only something I've considered doing, but there's been the discussion about The Avengers doing some sort of next level… Whatever the next iteration of computer animation is after this, the next step after Beowulf, is something we would definitely conisder for that."

BILLINGTON: "From what it sounds like, Zak is implying that the Avengers movie could (key word) become something like an animated movie that is the next level beyond Beowulf, which was a 3D CGI movie. As far as I can imagine, we're talking about very photorealistic CGI and motion capture, maybe along the lines of what James Cameron is doing with Avatar. Which brings up the question of whether they're holding off on an Avengers movie because they want the individual franchises to develop and the technology to advance to a point even beyond Avatar where they can really go all out."

My opinion is that it would be awesome in 3D. After watching the 2D "Ironman" trailers, I am spellbound by just how good it looks - I can only imagine that in 3D - hence my exuberant opinion for "Avengers" in 3D. By the way if you don't already know, the Avengers are made up of a team of super-heroes some of whom are Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America. Go for it Marvel. You're the king of action heroes - join the 3D bandwagon! :-)