SDCC 2013 Thoughts #6

This will most likely be my final post on the San Diego Comic Con of 2013, and what a convention it has been! Now this post has no new news on any of the latest films, this time it is a few bits of TV news from Breaking Bad, Doctor Who and Workaholics.

I love Breaking Bad more than anything out there in the film and TV world, so with the last 8 episodes ever soon to air I was hoping for a trailer with a little bit of footage to salivate over. However everything was kept on the down low without really any new information released in the panel. To be honest none of us want to know any spoilers from the last episodes as it is bound to have a few twists and turns on the way to the big finale. We were treated to a recap trailer which shows no new footage but relives the transformation of Walter White. Cue the goosebumps. 

Now onto Doctor Who where yet again the audience were treated to footage of the 50th anniversary whilst us at home have to wait for it to come online. Not too much new information was releases but we do now know that Matt Smith's version of The Doctor will be teaming up with David Tennant's Doctor and the previously revealed John Hurt version of The Doctor to fight the Daleks and the Zygons, a alien race last seen in an episode in the 70's. Whatever happens the 50th anniversary episode will sure be a monumental event in British television.

Lastly some tight butthole news (watch the show!) on my favourite comedy show Workaholics. Although it's too early for any footage reveals for the 4th season, Blake, Adam and Ders did tease possible cameos from Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro. They are probably taking the mick but who knows from these guys? Here's a interview with Blake and Adam about the process of making the show and possible story lines for the next season:

Thanks for reading all my thoughts on the latest news from SDCC! It's been a great year for reveals from the convention and hopefully it will be just as big next year, in time for the monster of a year planned for 2015!

SDCC 2013 Thoughts #5 - Marvel Edition

So after Marvel came and surprised yet again at Comic Con. Keep reading for news on The Avengers 2, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Guardians of the Galaxy and X-Men Days of Future Past!

So if you weren't already aware (the Internet did explode!) the sequel to the incredible Avengers film was given a title by Joss Whedon, a title that made all us Marvel fanatics very, very excited! Accompanied by a short teaser trailer which showed off a first look at villain Ultron, the name of the sequel is Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Ultron is a classic villain for the Avengers so this is great news that we will finally be able to see him on the big screen. Ultron is actually created by Hank Pym, so will we see Ant Man make his debut in the sequel before his own solo film later in 2015? Apparently not, according to Whedon who says they are tweaking the villains origin story and could be the creation of one of the already established heroes.  Hopefully the teaser will make its way online soon either officially or leaked!

Now over to Thor, where Tom Hiddleston rocked the house with his entrance, all dressed up as Loki!

If that wasn't great enough, here is description of the footage shown:
The footage begins in the middle of a battlefield. The Warriors Three are among those fighting. The rainbow bridge appears and Mjolnir comes through first. It hits one of the opponent soldiers and Thor is right behind it. He slams it against the Earth and soldiers go flying. Sif saves Thor from a spear at the last second. Over the hill a giant monster who looks like he's made of clay approaches. He's huge and angry. Nearly 20 feet. "I accept your surrender," Thor grins. The beast refuses and Thor smashes him to pieces with the hammer. "Anyone else?" Thor asks. The Marvel logo comes up and we're in London. Jane Foster is there and Thor arrives via the bridge. "I gave you my word I would return for you," he says. We see Jane in Asgard, exploring the wonder of it all. There's a brief, "Holy s--t" line from Kat Dennings as Thor and Jane vanish via the bridge. There's a brief, "Holy s--t" line from Kat Dennings as Thor and Jane vanish via the bridge. Thor goes to Loki. He's get in a prison cell with a big glass panel in front. "After all this time, you come before me, brother?" says Loki, "Why? To mock?" Thor says he needs Loki's help. We see a hand reach for a broken mask, I believe it's Malekith. "Your bravery will not relieve your pain," a voice (I think Eccleston) says. "Your family and your world will be extinguished." Loki sets off with Thor, Jane, Sif and the Warriors Three for a mission. Jane looks at a monitor and says something about the fabric of reality being torn apart. Sif tells Loki that if he betrays Thor, she'll kill him. Jane marches right up and slaps Loki in the face. "That was for New York!" she says. "I like her," Loki grins. There's a final shot of Thor on the ground, hurt, with Loki standing over him. He kicks Thor directly in the face. Thor reaches for his hammer, but Loki kicks his hand away.
Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=83787#tR32PqD5Oirgm3q8.99 
Sounding great right? I for one am very excited at seeing more Thor and Loki on the big screen!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is starting to kick off now and we will hopefully get a trailer for the film soon. But for now here is a description of the footage show to the audience in Hall H:
We open in an elevator. Cap is inside, looking out the glass window. I think we're in DC. We see him from behind. He's got the shield on his back like a backpack. He turns as more people (Frank Grillo among them) get on. His uniform is new. It looks a lot like the US Agent costume. The music is moody, like The Hunt For Red October. Cap looks Grillo up and down. He senses something isn't right. More people get on. Cap keeps looking at them. He notices many of them are armed. More and more get on with each floor. The elevator is packed. Cap takes another look at their guns. "Before we get started," he says, "Does anyone want to get out?" Grillo says something about it "not being personal" and a fight breaks out. It's a massive fight, mostly shot from above, in the confined space. Cap takes out every single guy. He kicks his shield, flipping it into his hand as he exits. The Marvel logo comes up. We see Robert Redford in an office. He saying that he joined SHIELD to protect the world. "To build a better world sometimes means tearing the old one down," he says. "And that makes enemies." We see the Helicarrier flying. Lots of Black Widow action. Fury shaking hands with Redford. Fury is talking to Cap. "I thought the punishment usually came after the crime," Cap tells him. We see Mackie running from a futuristic helicopter. He leaps off a building and we see the Falcon wings come out! Cap on his motorcycle, fighting the helicopter. The helicarrier falling out of the sky in flames. The final shot is Cap's shield on the ground, A metal hand reaches down to pick it up, revealing the Winter Soldier.
Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=83789#jYvJoLPrf4GjLf1L.99 
Marvel have also announced that this film will be the main gateway into Age of Ultron. I get the feeling this could be a completely new Cap, not like the first film, a complete new take on modern day Captain America.

Now for Guardians of the Galaxy in where we get more footage descriptions, prop pictures and concept art!

The Guardians of the Galaxy footage could be my favorite thing I've seen at Comic-Con this year. Guardians of the Galaxy footage just played, revealing the designs of all the characters, with plenty of laughs and action. Star-Lord gets arrested, disappointed they don't know his name. She's described as "Thanos' adopted daughter by Reilly." No word on the voice of Rocket, But he's feisty. He spits as his name gets read. Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer wear the body paint from the comics in what we saw while he's in prison. Groot, who is all CGI and has to lean down for his mug shot. Reilly calls him a "personal houseplant slash muscle." I AM GROOT! Then Star Lord, who very slowly does a jack-in-the-box flipping off Reilly. When he finishes, he mocks surprise. "Oh," he says ,"I'm sorry. I didn't know how that machine worked." As he's getting booked, he's very angry about a guard taking his headphones and listening to them. John C. Reilly: "They call themselves The Guardians of the Galaxy" Peter Serafinowicz: "What a bunch of A-holes."
Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=83791#i177tCfo4MEr3lH0.99

I was a bit worried about this film but now I am excited. Could this be the new Star Wars for the next generation?

And finally, the latest news from X-Men Days of Future Past in which the whole cast was there on stage! The biggest news we heard was about who was time travelling in the film and it will X-Men poster boy Wolverine who's conscious gets sent back to the 70's by Kitty Pride. How Kitty Pride gets time travel powers I don't know? However the cast is impressive enough to make this one of the biggest films of 2014!

The Con is almost over but check back soon for all the latest from San Diego! 

SDCC 2013 Thoughts #4

Amazing new from Comic Con including a Batman & Superman movie (YEAH!), and a  Catching Fire and Arrow season 2 trailer!

Best news first! Warner Brothers announced today that a Superman and Batman team up film is in production awaiting a release for 2015! This is amazing news and could be what heads up a Justice League film reported for a 2017 release just after a film for The Flash in 2016. Kind of nerding out right now! Man of Steel cast members are set to return with a new adaptation of Batman. In a year full of Star Wars and Avengers sequels could 2015 be the best year for us nerds ever? Here's a look at the logo for the newly announced film.

Here's the new trailer for The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire.


Looks promising but knowing that the second book is the weaker of three I am still sceptical about the sequel. As much as some of this looks great it still loos very CGI heavy compared to the first film. We will have to see with this one, I just hope that I am proven wrong.

Here's the trailer for Arrow season 2.

Although  a lot of the footage is from the first season, this trailer still looks pretty good. Arrow had it's ups and downs but its final episode really embraced the superhero genre and made for some incredible TV. I hope the second season follows on from this as the show is a lot of fun.

Some great news for DC fans right now, check back later for more SDCC news!

SDCC 2013 Thoughts #3

More news straight out of Comic Con from The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

So here's a 4 minute trailer for season 4 of The Walking Dead.

If you were like me then you were left disappointed at the end of season 3 of the show. However as they have strayed quite far away from the comics, it's anyones guess as to what could happen! Now the trailer gives you a bit of insight but leaves enough out to crave for more. It does also show some badass hammer action from fan favourite Tyreese who I cannot wait to see in action. The trailer looks promising and I just hope new showrunner Scott Gimple has thing back under control.

As Game of Thrones season 4 is so far off not much was released at the convention. However we did get to see a heartbreaking video of all we have lost on the show so far. If you haven't seen the show do not watch!!

Last of all more Spidey news! Now we haven't seen a trailer just of yet but here is a description of some of the footage shown to audiences at the panel.

Starts with the city. A truck coming down the street. Cops following. Truck plows through barricade. Spider-Man jumping on cop cars. Jumps onto the hood of the truck. Lets himself in. Cut to Peter arguing with his [Aunt May] about doing laundry. Back to the truck. Spider-Man flies down and saves someone. It's Max! Max says he's nobody. Spider-Man assures him that he's not a nobody. He's a somebody. Then he webs the trucker to the center of the street. Max watches Spider-Man in awe. He seems awkward and insecure. He wishes he was like Spider-Man. Gwen says she loves Peter Parker more than Spider-Man. Max climbs into a tube. Gets electrocuted and then falls into a tank full of something swimming. The tank bursts. Next time we see his face, it's glowing under a hood. "You will never be invisible again," Harry (pretty sure) tells him. Max says he wants people to feel what it feels like to live in his world. A world without power. We see him floating and zapping people with his hands. All the lights in Times Square go out and then everything explodes. Spider-Man catches a cop car just before it lands on someone.

Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=83673#gfMEB8ugRgD2KqbW.99 

Sounds awesome right! Fans were also treated to Andrew Garfield all dressed up and in character as Spider-Man addressing questions and talking about his recently considered sexuality. Here is a link to where you can see the video: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/comic-con/news/?a=83699

Last of all, fans were treated to the first full showing of the pilot to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D a spin off from the MArvel Cinematic Universe and all first reviews of the episode are extremely positive and exciting!

Check back later for more on SDCC!

SDCC 2013 Thoughts #2

So here's some more thoughts from myself on some of the news straight out of Comic Con. This time looking at news from X-Men Days of Future Past, Sherlock, Batman Arkham Origins and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

So people at the convention were treated to a surprise from the upcoming X-Men Days of Future Past. The reveal was a look at the head of a Sentinel, one of the X-Men's greatest foes that will feature in the new film. Take a look at the pictures here:

Now in the comics the Sentinels are massive, so I am hoping this is just a scaled down model of the real thing. Either way it's looking pretty cool! We were also treated to the first official photos from the film that include some pretty awesome costumes!

Now in the widely popular BBC show made its way to Comic Con but unfortunately the two main stars weren't there to answer questions, instead they pre-recorded quite a comedic video which you can check out by clicking on this link: http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/07/18/sherlock-comic-con-benedict-cumberbatch/

Now for some gaming new, villain Copperhead has been revealed as a villain in the new Batman game Arkham Origins. Check out the trailer below:

Although there is no more gameplay footage in this one, it still looks pretty cool. However I am still unsure as to whether this game can stand up against the two previous games. Only time will tell.

Now for some more Spider-Man news. Although the panel hasn't been yet, Marc Webb still let the world in on a few tidbits of information including the composer for the film. The composer will apparently be Hans Zimmer! The man behind the incredible Dark Knight and Man of Steel soundtracks. I for one am very happy with this news! Webb also told us that we will get a trailer in the panel although it won't show Paul Giamatti's full suited Rhino as the VFX aren't ready yet. 

 Check back in later for more of my thoughts on the latest news from SDCC! 

SDCC 2013 Thoughts #1

So as the 2013 San Diego Comic Con kicked off today I thought I would post my thoughts and opinions on some of the news that comes out of the event. Now unfortunately I am not at the event but like most of the Internet, I am still having a lot of fun at home sitting patiently for the next big piece of news from Comic Con. So this is the first of what could be many SDCC posts over the weekend.

So to kick things off, here is the teaser for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Hall H panel, which also happens to reveal Jamie Foxx's villain Electro.

Now although it isn't much, it's still enough to create some hype for Spider-Man sequel. Now although I was a bit disappointed with last years film, I am hoping that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 could be Spidey's best outing yet. Now I don't want to get my hopes to high but how cool does Electro look! Now we should be getting a full teaser trailer for the film in the next couple of days but for now this will do to wet fanboys appetites. I am still hoping that they change the title to something more original but unfortunately it looks like the only new addition is the number 2 at the end.

The second thing on this list is the reveal of the Comic Con poster for the remake of Godzilla.

This poster really shows off the epic scale of Godzilla and looks very cool! With Monsters director Gareth Edwards at the helm, this film promises to be one of the biggest of 2013, literally! There have also been other reveals of Godzilla that tease at a more faithful design to the Japanese original film. Again we should be seeing a teaser trailer for this one in the next couple of days! After seeing Pacific Rim the other day I cannot wait to see more giant monsters on the big screen!

Thanks for reading and keeping coming back for more of my thoughts on the latest news from Comic Con!

Double Monster Movie Reviews!

So yesterday I had the privilege of watching two of the most recent monster movie releases one after the other; Pacific Rim and Monsters University. So I thought I would review both of them in one big monster blog post. So please read on and I hope you enjoy my reviews.

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim only recently caught my interest as film to go see in the cinema. When the first trailer came out I wasn't all too impressed but with the latest trailers and featurettes I decided this was something I really wanted to see, after all who doesn't want to see giant robots fighting giant monsters? Ok so maybe if you're a 12 year old boy this film is going to appeal to you more than the general movie-going audience. But let me just say this, whoever you are, go watch this film on the biggest screen and go watch it in 3D, because it is an experience! This film is director Guillermo Del Toro's tribute to the anime and manga genre, the film follows a war between mankind and species of monsters who make their way through a portal at the bottom of the pacific ocean. Mankind's defences are bunch of giant robots called Jaegers, piloted by two people whose brains are connected through something called the drift. Cue a lot of incredible action, cheesy dialogue and a bunch of fun. Story wise Pacific Rim is very cliche and it's characters are very stereotyped, so much so that film is on the verge of becoming a parody of itself. The story is still a lot of fun but its the action and effects that will blow your mind, making this one of the coolest  movies of 2013. The acting is ok and carries the film enough until the next big action sequence but none of these actors are going to win Oscars for their performances. Idris Elba is the only guy who stands out to me but maybe thats because i'm loving the guy in Luther at the moment, just get ready for a lot of 'Today we will cancel the Apartheid!' jokes when Elba plays Nelson Mandela in A Long Walk to Freedom later this year. Like I said at the start, watch this film in 3D, it's one of those films where the extra dimension really adds to the awesomeness of the film. For all this film's flaws, it is still really cool and as much fun as you can have in the cinema, I for one know this will not be the last time I see Pacific Rim, therefore I am giving it a rating of 3.5/5. This film is very cool and kicks a lot of ass, so please go see it instead of Grown Ups 2 this summer!

Monsters University

I want to start this review by saying Monsters Inc. is one of my favourite Pixar films, when I first saw it i fell in love with the characters of Mike and Sulley, so i was excited to see them return in the prequel, especially as the story was looking at their university lives, a stage of my life that I am in right now. We get to see in Monsters University where and how the friendship between the two characters started, bringing back a lot of nostalgia jokes, back story and more importantly and fun. I did have one problem with Pixar making the prequel, how were they going to make this exciting when we already know the outcome of the film? Well thankfully I was not to worry as Pixar are the masters of storytelling, adding in a lot of twists and turns that make Mike and Sulley's road to the top of Monsters Incorporated a rocky and unknowing one. Like last years Brave, Pixar didn't give away everything in the trailer! Now this wasn't to same standard as Monsters Inc. but it was still a lot of fun. We may still be waiting for Pixar to bring out there next original masterpiece but at least we get to see their most beautiful looking animation yet. Animation films really have gotten a lot better in quality and Pixar still seem to be just ahead of the game, this film looks incredible! There is a lot more depth to the characters compared to previous films and you can't help but feel that the only way is up for the animation studio, pardon the pun. Pixar are the masters of storytelling and seem to be able to grab the audience no matter what the age without the use of throwaway innuendo gags like other animation films. I really enjoyed this film and it was great to see some of my favourite characters back on the big screen, it may not have been Pixar's best film to date but it sure was one of their best looking! I am giving Monsters University a rating of 4/5. The short film beforehand called The Blue Umbrella was also really good, with almost photo like quality animation, it was good to see the animators of Pixar show off their artistic talent rather then just bring out another short Toy Story spin off.

What did you think of the films? Do you agree with me? Please comment below.

Thanks for reading!

World War Z

I can't say I was too excited to see World War Z, even though I had read the book sharing the same name and

a part of the feature was filmed where I study in Falmouth. I am also a massive sucker for zombie films and Brad Pitt, so why did this not appeal to me? Maybe it was because of the troubled production, lack of resemblance to the novel or just because the trailers sucked, I did not care for this film. However I offered to take my brother to go and see it and my reaction to it even surprised myself!

I am just going to start this review by saying World War Z is awesome! Now, after it's marketing campaign I did not enter the cinema expecting a film that resembled anything from the book so I was not disappointed when all it had in common was the title and few interesting details about other countries during the zombie epidemic. The film follows Brad Pitt, an ex United Nations employee named Gerry Lane who is called back into work to help find a cure to a dangerous zombie virus that has swept its way across the world taking out most of the population.

This film is not like most zombie films. Most zombie films are small and contained due to a budget and production constraints. This one is massive and doesn't really fall into the 'zombie' genre, it's more of a disaster flick that could easily have been directed by Roland Emmerich, however this film is directed by Marc Forster. Again unlike most zombie films this one doesn't have as much gore and guts, instead it has much more spectacle and huge set pieces that make for a more watered down zombie film, this way it got a PG-13 rating America, though it was still rated 15 over here in the UK. It was

good to see a zombie film that was much bigger in scale than anything you have ever seen before! The lack of gore may leave some fans of the genre disappointed but I had no quarrel with it.

World War Z gives you one hell of a ride. The outbreak starts within the first 5 minutes and the film doesn't slow down from there on in. You are constantly on the edge of your seat and the whole experience is very thrilling and enjoyable. That's what surprised me about the film, I had so much fun watching it! The hordes of CGI zombies may not be the best thing you've ever seen but it sure does look cool! And one thing this film does that many other zombie films and TV shows fail to do (I'm pointing at you The Walking Dead) is make the zombies scary. None of these zombies were just cannon fodder, they were terrifying! If you got near one you are pretty much dead because they were just savage animals full of rage and would stop at nothing to get bite of you.

Brad Pitt holds this film together, he is brilliant as Gerry Lane and the best thing about the film. However it is the other characters that you don't really care about because none them have enough screen time to really shine or make you feel for them, this is something that lets the film down because a show like The Walking Dead you care for most of the characters and get upset or annoyed if they die.

But this film wasn't about emotional depth, it was about spectacle, it was about showing as many zombies as you could on screen, taking down planes and helicopters and even whole countries! The rewritten ending by Damon Lindelof may feel small in scale compared to the rest of the film but it still kicks ass! World War Z is the surprise hit of the summer and although it may lack in emotional depth it makes up for it with huge spectacular fun and that's what summer blockbusters are all about really, so therefore I am giving it a rating of 4/5.

Thanks for reading!