Chef Written and directed by Jon Favreau USA, 2014 It’s been roughly 7 years since Pixar released their best film to date, Ratatouille, which manages to be both a celebration of food and of the creative spirit. A great artist, that film argues, can come from even the most unlikely place, and so the world …
With Captain America: The Winter Soldier only a month from striking theaters, hype has been reaching critical mass. Billed by some as the best Marvel movie since Avengers, Winter Soldier will delve deeper into Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s rich, shadowy history. Happily, they’re reaching into the properties’ more colorful history as well with the inclusion …
With Scott Snyder’s highly anticipated Batman: Zero Year just around the corner and Man of Steel hitting the box-office this month, I felt that it was a perfect time to delve into some of the best re-vamped origin stories in comic books. While many may fall flat (looking at you Marvel: Season Ones) some have …
There was a hope among much of the fans lately that Marvel and Robert Downey Jr. would be able to renegotiate his contract so that he might be able to stay on as Tony Stark AKA Iron Man long past The Avengers 2. Sadly, this is not the case and, moreover, it’s looking like Marvel …
Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black Written by Drew Pearce & Shane Black USA, 2013 Fun has become a slightly forgotten commodity in the summer blockbuster, with many studios and filmmakers now inspired by the efforts of directors like Christopher Nolan to be as grim as possible. The modern superhero often has to be …
E. B. White once wrote, “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” Analyzing trilogies seems to the same. The entire point is to enjoy them. Still, given the many sins to be found in film, there are worse things than movie trilogies but few have …
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Directed by Shane Black Written by Brett Halliday (novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them), Shane Black (screenplay) US, 2005 In his directorial debut, Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang begins, as with many noirs, with a crime. This crime, a robbery of a children’s toy store, however, lands the protagonist …
Superhero movies have become a staple of summer movie season, for better or for worse. The question often is not whether we’ll see a superhero movie anymore, but how many we’ll see, with The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises being released within the last three months alone. Some may point to …
I vividly remember a conversation I had with a family friend back in November of 2005. It was Thanksgiving weekend, and my soon-to-be-wife and I had just come from a screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. For those who have only seen the movie, or who’ve neither seen the films or read …
Head-to-head battles, a massive cast, snappy wit. Yes, this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema has it all. And what better way to discuss Marvel’s The Avengers, one of the biggest, most popular films of the year? This week, it’s a packed, epic-length show, as Josh, Gabe, and Michael are joined by special guest Adam Kempenaar, co-host …
The Avengers Written by Joss Whedon Directed by Joss Whedon USA, 2012 The danger of a film like Marvel’s The Avengers is that it will be treated too much as product. All of the Marvel Studios films are products, no question, but the difference between the two Iron Man films is that the first was …
The Avengers Written and directed by Joss Whedon USA, 2011 Following four years of films establishing the majority of its protagonists, Marvel Studios’ superhero ensemble film finally arrives. The Avengers teams up Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk, all established cinematic leads, as well as some agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., fronted by Samuel L. …
The Avengers Written by Joss Whedon Directed by Joss Whedon USA, 2012 The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 1 & 2, Thor and Captain America; all of these Marvel Studios-produced superhero films were made with their own aspirations and goals, most of which were achieved to varying levels. Alongside each picture’s own aims, Marvel created its …
This has been the summer of the superheroes. With Thor, X-Men: First Class, Green Lantern, and Captain America: The First Avenger all coming out within the past few months, they’ve certainly shown that they’re a force to be reckoned with. Or are they? Though most of these releases haven’t fared badly (let’s not speak of …
Put together to compete in the SXSW Title Design Competition, Ian Albinson has edited a large mix of some of the greatest film and television titles ever made. Slashfilm reports that the websites mission is: A compendium and leading web resource of film and television title design from around the world. We honor the artists …
This past Saturday, July 24, at the San Diego Comic-Con, shall be marked as one of the most epic gatherings for a film collaboration in geek history. The full major cast of The Avengers appeared on stage at the end of the Marvel Studios panel with confirmation of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo as …
Tony Stark must be off getting drunk somewhere because a baby has stolen his armor and went galavanting on some wacky adventures against some bunnies. You can thank PatrickBoivin for donating his baby and time to creating this little fun video.
Wayne Gayle If hindsight is 20/20, then perhaps Oliver Stone’s ode to TV violence was a harbinger of things to come. Downey’s channeling of Geraldo Rivera is worth the price of admission. As the over the top shock-host Wayne Gayle, Downey delivers an unforgettable performance that hits a little too close to home. The performance …
For some moviegoers a revealing moment always has to involve people taking off their clothes. In fact, they only want to watch the kind of films that involve the rapid shedding of any and all garments, followed by pretty much wall-to-wall nakedness. Plot, dialogue and artistic considerations are all of minor importance. Well, I’ll admit …