Chris Evans as Captain America? I like it!

- Posted by Rusty


Source: HitFIx

For anyone who might have followed this, the Captain America casting was a whirlwind of news for the last few weeks. Everyone from The Office’s John Krasinski (an interesting choice, even if it didn’t pan out) to Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford (no comment) were brought in for screen tests and auditions. I can understand that, for, after all, this was a monumentally tricky piece of casting. The man chosen to don the red-and-blue tights and shield doesn’t just have to carry his own franchise, but will eventually have to lead Marvels superhero team-up, The Avengers, in 2012. So, we’re looking for someone with a great deal of charm and screen presence, as well as some substantial talent to back that up if he’s expected to hold any authority over the likes of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. Well, lo and behold, the part ended up going to comic-book-movie vet and one of my favorite rising stars, Chris Evans. Job well done, Marvel; I think this casting is spot-on. [more thoughts after the jump]

You probably know Chris Evans best as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four movies (where he was easily the best thing about both films, especially the terrible first one), and he has another comic-book stint coming up as a mercenary in April’s adaptation of the graphic novel, The Losers. Evans also showed impressive dramatic chops in Danny Boyle’s Sunshine, and even brought some believability to the goofy premise of Cellular and the cop cliché overload of Street Kings. The guy has talent and charisma to burn (by all means, he was even good in the flawed superhero-wannabe, Push, opposite Dakota Fanning), and, more than anything, I could see him holding his own against Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Edward Norton’s Hulk (presuming Norton could work out his creative issues with Marvel).

As for the superhero himself, that’s where I’ll turn to you guys. My entire knowledge of Captain America comes from a few episodes of the 1990’s Spider-Man cartoon series and a lengthy Wikipedia search. A brief summary: Steve Rogers, an enthusiastic army weakling, signs up for the hush-hush Super Solider experiment (it was a notable plot point in Edward Norton’s The Incredible Hulk), thereby transforming himself into the perfect soldier, and an enduring superhero favorite. I know there are many fans of the comic (I just spoke to this great, geeky guy I know the other day about Cap), and the character is certainly regarded as more than the boring, patriotic do-gooder that he might come across as. The armor is definitely iconic (even comic-book newbies like me could recognize him), and I’m mighty curious to see a WWII period superhero film, as this one promises to be. It sounds like a strong package; complete with Evans in the lead, Hugo Weaving (The Matrix's Agent Smith and Elrond from The Lord of the Rings!) on bad guy duty as Cap’s nemesis, The Nazi-affiliated Red Skull, and director Joe Johnston behind the camera (let’s ignore his Wolfman remake, since he also made the great October Sky and Viggo Mortensen-starrer, Hidalgo), this could be the perfect launching pad for both an interesting new franchise and Marvel’s epic crossover plans.

Bring on the Avengers in 2012!


What do you guys think? Any Captain America fans out there? Is Chris Evans a suitable choice to wear the flag-decorated armor?

Images courtesy of Marvel Comics.
Read more!

Trailer Time (Toys and Ogres)

- Posted by Rusty

These two trailers seemed appropriate to group together: both are for highly-anticipated family-franchise sequels, and both are hitting this summer to what will surely be blockbuster success. So, how do they fare? Read on to find out… [trailers and thoughts after the jump]

“Toy Story 3”

Trailer Rating: 4 ½ bites [out of 5]

Ken: “Love your legwarmers.”
Barbie: “Nice…ascot.”

Ah, I love this trailer. Seriously, is there any way the Pixar geniuses could mess this up? It’s always risky to do a third film in a series, let alone one that boasts one of the very best sequels of all time. Toy Story 2 is that rare film—it not only holds up to the original, but it actually improves upon it with more mature themes, bigger laughs, and perhaps most importantly, an even greater dose of heart (who didn’t feel for Woody as he feared being abandoned and forgotten as Andy got older? Or Jessie, for that matter, who was completely tossed aside as her girl grew out of playing with dolls). But I have absolute faith in Pixar, the hit-making machine that just keeps getting better and better with each new film. Plus, this film is also buoyed by phenomenal word of mouth from an early screening at ShoWest (would we expect anything less?). All the pieces in this trailer suggest a worthy final chapter for Woody, Buzz, Rex, Slinkie, and all the rest (great to see Joan Cusack’s Jessie the Cowgirl come back too). Best of all, the central idea this time around – of Andy leaving for college, and possibly leaving all his toys behind – not only leads to fantastic comic potential with the pre-school “monsters” and the Great Escape-inspired journey back to Andy, but also a poignant exploration of how our attitudes change toward the things we adored as kids (come on, we all had that favorite toy, who, like the Brave Little Toaster, seemed to have a special meaning to us, a personality underneath that plastic coating). I could’ve lived without the “log” joke, but that’s just nitpicking – even that has a pretty funny payoff in the end of the trailer. Oh, and looks like Barbie and Ken (voiced by the always-great Michael Keaton) will steal the show! And the toy dinosaur flirting killed me too. And can’t forget Mr. Potato Head’s “manly” toy rival… Ugh, is it May 23 already? Here’s hoping this will top The Incredibles as my all-time favorite Pixar film!

“Shrek Forever After”

Trailer Rating: 2 ½ bites [out of 5]

Speaking of great sequels, I thought Shrek 2 was another case when a follow-up actually outshone the original; I might be in the minority, but I found the second Shrek adventure more moving, heartfelt, and, frankly, wittier and far sharper than its predecessor. The Hollywood-like city of Far, Far, Away (with two Starbucks-es!), the dim-witted Prince Charming, Donkey getting competition for his position of Annoying, Talking Animal, and, really, what could beat Shrek’s lovely character arc, where he cared for Fiona so much he was willing to sacrifice everything to make her happy? Oh, yeah, and it had Puss n’ Boots too! Antonio Banderas stole that entire film, and, if nothing else, I’m glad it exists just for Puss’s “innocent” eyes and his angry rants in Spanish.

But then the filmmakers had to make a third film. That, to me, felt like an unfinished draft of what could have been a good script. There were some solid ideas in there (Shrek’s growing fears about being a father, the idea of settling down and giving up all of his charmingly awful and grungy ogre ways), but it never came together in the final film. It felt rushed and, with the exception of a few fun sequences (more Puss-n-Boots, Camelot-as-high school, complete with a John Krasinski-voiced douchebag Lancelot), pretty useless. And I’m now a little worried that this fourth film won’t be much better. The “what if” scenario always felt like a last-resort screenwriting trick to me, and I can’t see much in this trailer to make it look like the right direction for this final Shrek outing. Striking a deal with the mischievous Rumpelstilskin, Shrek has to navigate an alternate universe where Donkey doesn’t know him, Fiona is hunted by peasants and is a member of an ogre resistance team (featuring Mad Men’s Jon Hamm as the chiseled ogre…and possible romantic rival?), and lots of other quirky changes. Maybe I’m maxed out on alternate timelines thanks to Lost, or there’s still a sour taste left over from Shrek the Third, but I didn’t find this trailer all that funny. Nor do I think there’s really much story left to tell, since Shrek seemed to finish his emotional journey (the angry loner transformed to kind, loving – but still proudly dirty! – family man) in the last film. Still, you never know, it could surprise me. And the fat Puss n’ Boots is pretty brilliant—that Garfield-ish pot belly should be good for some guaranteed laughs.

I know there’s a lot of money to be made from Shrek and his pals—it’s a giant franchise from Dreamworks, and I don’t really blame them for trying to milk it for more stories. It’s just a little disheartening to see it devolve from “must-see” to “maybe it’ll be pleasant and watchable”. I’ll see this anyway; although, at this point, I’ll come in with my expectation in check.

All in all, it looks like it will be Pixar for the win in terms of best summer sequel!

What do you guys think of the trailers?

Trailers courtesy of Trailer Addict.
Read more!

Sequel News: "Eastern Promises 2"!

- Posted by Rusty


Source: Deadline
(Found via JoBlo)

Fantastic. Ironically enough, I was just talking about the original Eastern Promises with a friend a few days ago, and we were both geeking out over the possibility of more stories with Viggo's Russian heavy, Nikolai. Well, if this news piece is correct, a sequel will go before cameras this winter with most of the creative team returning! [more thoughts after the jump]

If you haven't seen Eastern Promises yet, make sure you Netflix it or catch it on TV. I can't recommend it enough--it not only boasts Viggo Mortensen's (yay, Aragorn!) Oscar-nominated performance (the first of many, I'm sure), but it's an intelligent, moody, and highly watchable drama from the crazy/inventive mind of director David Cronenberg (who last teamed with Viggo on A History of Violence). I can't quite call it a thriller, as it was advertised, but it has all the intrigue and secrets and slow-build surprises you could expect from a film centered on the seedy side of the London underground. Naomi Watts is lovely (as always) in a supporting part, but it's Mortensen who owns the film as Nikolai, a mob "driver" harboring some secrets of his own. I might be a bit biased, since I watched Viggo defend Helm's Deep more times than I care to share, but it's a stunning, layered turn, and it's probably the most believable Russian I've seen on screen from an American actor.

I can't say much else without going into spoiler territory, but suffice to say that the ending left quite a lot of story possibilities open. And it's especially reassuring to see that (as of now) director Cronenberg, original screenwriter Steve Knight, and, of course, Mortensen are all set to come back and finish the arc they started. Maybe there's a way to bring back Naomi Watts as well? We'll have to see.

What do you guys think? Have you seen Eastern Promises? And, if so, would you be interested to see the full journey of these characters? Here's the trailer, in case you're interested:

As for me, these are the kind of sequels I'm most delighted to hear about. Not gigantic cash-cows that chug along at the expense of coherence (cough*Transformers*cough), but small films that could really use the extra time to tell a complete story.

Very exciting news. I'll report on more as soon as I hear about it!

Image courtesy of Focus Features.
Read more!

New "Robin Hood" trailer!

- Posted by Rusty

Note: It’s good to be back. Sorry, everyone—for the past few weeks, work completely took over. Well, that period should be good and gone. I have a lot more free time on my hands now, and, for that matter, I have a bunch of reviews that I’ve been mulling over. For now, though, I figure I’ll start small. I’ll bring back the “What’s on the Menu” next week (especially since that weekend brings what will surely be my embarrassing geeky obsession, Clash of the Titans), but this is a trailer that deserves a quick mention. Looking forward to posting more, and, on that note, a big thanks to everyone who kept checking the blog and did not write me off yet (however tempting that must always be…).

Now that’s more like it. I panned the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s newest historical opus (and latest collaboration with burly muse, Russell Crowe), mainly because it was heavy on the macho and grit, and light on anything that could give the umpteenth version of the Robin Hood story some substance or relevance. Well, this full-length trailer finally makes it look like the interesting film it deserves to be. [more thoughts after the jump]

Grounding the famous archer and his merry men into their likely historical context (near the end of the Crusades), this looks to play to Scott’s strengths in staging massive spectacles (ie, the siege of Jersualem in Kingdom of Heaven—still a hugely underrated film, particularly the Director’s Cut) while always giving each epic a much-needed emotional core (something many directors neglect as they get lost in their expensive battles and set-pieces). I like that we get to see more of Robin Hood’s transformation from humble knight to a hero of legendary heights, with Crowe showing just the right mix of charisma and Gladiator-like heroic presence. More so, I love the further glimpses into this cast—British go-to bad guy, Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Rock ‘n’ Rolla, the upcoming Kick-Ass) looks perfect as the most-definitely-evil foil, Sir Godfrey (just watch him scowl!), and, better yet, Cate Blanchett should be great fun as the plucky, headstrong love of Robin’s life, Maid Marian (check out what she does with her voice—it’s amazing how easily Blanchett slips into different people). Also, be sure to catch the quick glimpse of Pride & Prejudice’s Matthew Macfadyen as this story’s most famous villain, The Sheriff of Nottingham (where have you been, Mr. Darcy?!)—it’s my favorite scene in the trailer, and I’m really hoping Nottingham won’t be marginalized in favor of bigger heavies, Godfrey and the corrupt Prince John.

All in all, it finally looks like a must-see summer film. The battle scenes seem impressive, and the trailer’s new focus on character has me much more optimistic about the final product. Ridley Scott can make a film of this scale better than almost anyone, and Universal’s probably gunning for more of that Gladiator lightening-in-a-bottle success. I sure hope so. I love this original story (even though I’m positive this won’t be the last time we see it), and this is an immensely talented cast and crew behind it. Quick guilty confession: the screenwriter, Brian Helgeland justly won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential, but he also penned one of my favorite films (no matter how flawed!), the Heath Ledger and Paul Bettany-starrer, A Knight’s Tale. He knows his way around knights and battles—let’s see if his Robin Hood can conjure up some of that energy, intelligence, and fun.

Robin Hood hits theaters on May 14. (By that point, it will be a good 12 days since Iron Man 2 came out, so we’ll have no excuse for not seeing this). So, what do you guys think? Could you go for another version of this tale? Or does this trailer still not winning over any new fans?

P.S. Anyone else crazy about the below version of Robin Hood? Ah, gets me every time... "La Liberte"!

Read more!