TRAILER PARK: FANTASTIC FOUR

blastr.com

Earlier this week, I was looking for something fresh to write about and started Googling the new Fantastic Four movie. I was really disappointed. Before this trailer debuted yesterday, there was absolutely nothing to work with, aside from a leaked picture of Dr. Doom in front of a green screen and some minor details mentioned by cast a crew.

The Fantastic Four reboot has been a closely guarded secret by 20^th Century Fox. And it’s easy to understand why. The Fantastic Four is not a hot property. Never mind something risky and untested like Ant Man; Fantastic Four has a much harder job to do. If the revamp doesn’t work so well it makes us forget about the two awful movies that came before it, the whole thing could be a big waste of money.

The good news is this trailer looks like it’s giving us something fresh. I know terms like “grittier” and “darker” and “more real” get used a lot to describe revamped franchises — 007 is a good example — but I can’t think of a better way to describe this trailer. It feels more like a sci-fi thriller than a superhero movie. Their suits have an interesting look — definitely a vast improvement on the campy blue leotards. And this alternate universe they enter (mentioned in the description below) sounds like it could lead to some interesting possibilities, i.e. some really cool Marvel characters we haven’t seen yet!  

collider.com 

Here’s Fox’s description:

A contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

Obviously, this friend turned foe is Dr. Doom — you can catch a glimpse of him at 1:17 and 1:30 — but I won’t be surprised if a post-credit sequence gives us a teaser of Galactus. Let’s hope they do better than a giant space tornado if that’s the case.

This trailer looks promising and I was impressed with Josh Trank’s Chronicle (2012), so I’m going to remain cheerfully optimistic about Fantastic Four.

But I really want to see some comments on this post. What do you think of the trailer? What did you think of the original Fantastic Four movies? Let me know!

Fantastic Four hits theaters August 7, 2015.

collider.com

YEAR IN REVIEW: BEST and WORST DIRECTOR of 2014

Much like George W. Bush, the director is the decider. 2014 saw some directors make huge improvements to their resumes and some… What’s the polite way to say, “shit the bed?” Legions of special effects technicians put these movies together, but the praise and blame lands square at the director’s chair. Here’s the BEST and WORST DIRECTOR of 2014.

BEST: JAMES GUNN for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

After so many months of people raving about GOTG, it’s easy to forget what the mood was like in July last year. No one had heard of these Guardians, Chris Pratt was best known as the chubby, lovable dummy from Parks and Recreation, and hardly anyone was familiar with James Gunn’s previous titles: Slither was a cheeky, low-budget crack at horror movies, and Super similarly sent up the superhero genre with Rainn Wilson playing a homicidal do-gooder wielding a wrench.

Gunn hardly seemed like the safe choice to helm a movie with a 170 million dollar budget. (Super cost a paltry 2.5 million.) But he pulled it off and GOTG was one of 2014's biggest box office successes. And Gunn deserves bonus points for contributing to GOTG’s hilariously offbeat script.  Apparently, Gunn got the gig in large part because Joss Whedon liked his style. Well, who’s going to argue with Joss Whedon? As it stands The Avengers and GOTG are arguably the best Marvel movies to date. And before you raise your hand screaming, “Nuh uh! Iron Man was the best!” just take a look at this quote from Iron Man himself.

“‘Galaxy’ in some ways is the best Marvel movie ever. And it’s odd for someone with — on occasion — an ego the size of mine to actually say that!” -       Robert Downey Jr. (The Toronto Sun)
 

You might say he's a dick, but he's not a total A-hole. Congratulations, Mr. Gunn.

WORST: MARC WEBB for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

Oh, Marc Webb, how far you have fallen. I remember first seeing 500 Days of Summer and being so incredibly impressed by your work. You gave us a romantic comedy that didn’t feel like a romantic comedy, that didn’t fit into the groan-worthy cliché-ridden template of rom-com that gets churned out year after year. This was made even more impressive by how you juggled the timeline of the story without losing momentum, how you balanced the tone between melancholy and silly comedy. If the year was 2009, I’d give you a standing slow clap.

But it’s not. The year is 2014 and we’ve had two shitty, forgettable Spider-Man movies that did nothing new with the character. I was underwhelmed with the first Amazing Spider-Man, but the second one made it look like The Dark Knight in comparison. I already picked on this movie in my BEST and WORST TRAILER post, but I’m not done yet. Here are a few god-awful choices I haven’t touched on.

1. The casting is atrocious!

Who let Paul Giamatti play an over-the-top Russian bad guy? Who thought casting Jamie Foxx as a stuttering nerd was a good idea? And, while I’m at it, I’m still not convinced that Andrew Garfield is a better Peter Parker than Tobey McGuire – not including the Jazz club scene from Spider-Man 3. I don’t care if Webb wasn’t in charge of casting; at the very least, he had a hand in it.

2. Electro’s inner dialogue

Watch the scene where Electro first meets Spider-Man in Times Square. Is that voice inside Electro’s head? Is it part of the music? It’s hard to tell and totally took me out of the movie.

3. The Osborns

Okay, wait. So Norman Osborn has a genetic mutation that makes him Goblin-like? This idea could have worked if they ran with it. Too bad they didn’t have enough time, what with three villains showing up in a Spider-Man movie again. And we’re supposed to believe that Harry was best friends with Peter? Once again, there isn’t enough time to establish this relationship either and it’s a lost opportunity.

4. Don’t tell me there’s a spinoff

If there’s anything original coming out of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, it’s the Sinister Six movie. If that last sentence sounds optimistic, it’s unintentional, I assure you.

Think I’m being too hard on Spider-Man? Well, you’re wrong. But feel free to comment anyway.

PS. Check out this video from Watchmojo for more Spidey-bashing action

YEAR IN REVIEW: BEST and WORST PREQUEL or SEQUEL of 2014

While other people complain about the overabundance of sequels, I look forward to seeing my favorite heroes return to the screen – even if they often fail to outdo themselves. And, let’s face it, once Ant Man, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, The Black Panther, and Dr. Strange get their own movies, the only superhero without an origins movie will be The Whizzer.

Then again, there are some movies that should just be left alone. Seriously, leave them alone, Hollywood. I’m serious! Stop it! I said stop!

BEST: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER 

www.pagesz.net

Captain America: The First Avenger was an all right movie. I mean that in both the best and worst sense. It did exactly what it wanted to do. It just so happens that what it wanted to do was not all that ambitious or interesting. The First Avenger was a very tame movie; it tried it’s best not to offend. And that’s pretty strange considering it included Nazis with mystical-powered backpacks shooting lasers at American soldiers in WWII Europe. My point is it was too straightforward and straight-laced for it’s own good, and it’s blandness only added to the feeling that it existed primarily to lay the groundwork for The Avengers – a much better movie.

“Winter Soldier” does what very few sequels do and improved upon the original in a big way, opening the character up to new possibilities. “Cap,” as his fans call him, is not a one-note-character and this follow up to his 2011 origins story builds on that newfound cynicism we glimpsed in The Avengers. Rogers is branded as the all-American hero, but he struggles to fit into his role in the 21^st century where personal privacy is increasingly taking a backseat to homeland security. Rogers’ easy friendship with Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) reminds us that he’s still just an ordinary soldier trying to do the right thing. And his mission to rescue SHIELD hostages, single-handedly taking out a team of mercenaries, reminds us that he’s pretty super – especially when viewed apart from the Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man.

http://wall.alphacoders.com

With limited super powers, Cap is essentially Marvel’s action-thriller hero, and Winter Soldier does a great job of playing to the character’s strengths, focusing on hand to hand combat, gun fights, and car chases, all expertly cut together into the slickest action sequences I’ve seen in a Marvel movie so far. The really outlandish elements of the Marvel Universe are held back to make room for a conspiracy thriller-type of storyline involving Cap and Black Widow, not knowing who to trust while searching for clues to a plot to take down SHIELD. Still, Winter Soldier couldn’t be accused of being too toned down with Falcon spreading his robot wings and a talking Nazi computer making an appearance. Strangely enough, aside from some particularly well-done action scenes, the Winter Solider himself hardly factors into the plot – at least, he’s hardly the most interesting character. (And anyone who knew the cast of the first Captain America knew his identity way ahead of time… *SPOILER* It’s Bucky!)

Instead, Robert Redford steals the show as the corrupt Alexander Pierce, and, even if his character is underused, he adds a significant amount of weight to the picture. But what makes Winter Soldier a truly memorable film definitely isn’t the bad guys; it’s the fresh plot, tight pacing, and the gritty, no-holds-barred action sequences. If it makes some thoughtful commentary on post-Wikileaks America, that’s a bonus. I’m just impressed the guys who made You, Me, and Dupree directed a really good movie about Captain America. Pretty crazy, huh?

WORST: it's a TIE! 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE and SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

hdwallpapers / thinkingoutsidethepod.com

Frank Miller, 2014 was not your year. You might still be a legend in the comics world, but I’ll be doing my best to avoid any movie with your name attached to it from now on. I was genuinely excited for a Sin City sequel since the first movie came out back in 2005, but the longer I waited, the higher my expectations became and, after 9 years of waiting, I was beyond disappointed with the results. "Rise", on the other hand, sounded like a bad idea from the very start.

And it was really hard to choose which one was worse since they were both so disappointing for a lot of the same reasons. A good sequel is supposed to progress a story, build on beloved characters, and up the stakes in a way that keeps things fresh while building on a solid foundation. “Rise” and “Dame” felt like nothing more than cash-grabs, introducing characters I never really cared about and ruining the mystery behind characters I liked.

When we first see Xerxes in 300, he’s a giant, a god amongst men, with grotesque gold jewelry and legions of slaves struggling to hold up his throne. In other words, he was a %$#ing epic villain! The last thing I wanted to see in “Rise” was a normal man magically turning into Xerxes through some rather lame special effect. When you over-share a character’s backstory, you drain them of their power – just look at Darth Vader. As for “Dame,” in the first sequence Marv goes on a killing spree, slaughtering a group of college kids who try to burn a homeless man alive. Sure, these are some bad apples, and they deserve what’s coming, but Marv doesn’t feel like an anti-hero in “Dame.” He’s just a guy who likes to kill people, and all he needs is an excuse.

sincity-2.com

Secondly, Both “Rise” and “Dame” were prequels/sequels/in-between-quels with events happening before, during, and after events from their predecessors, which felt especially confusing in “Dame.” Was Marv alive when Hartigan died? Does that mean Marv died long after Nancy was saved? Why is Josh Brolin playing Dwight instead of Clive Owen? It’s all a tangled mess that isn’t worth teasing out. As for “Rise,” I just kept wondering what was happening with King Leonidas, and after the events of the original 300, I cared very little what was happening to everyone else. Between the lack of star power and narrative momentum, I just got really bored. A few weeks after seeing it with my brother, we both genuinely forgot we'd even seen it.

The third thing “Rise” and “Dame” have in common is Eva Green. For what it’s worth, I preferred her role as the ultimate femme fatale in “Dame,” but in both movies, her main role seems to be providing gratuitous nudity. In 300 and Sin City, the nudity never seemed all that gratuitous. There was a style there – something to be admired. “Rise” and “Dame” just feel dirty and cheap by comparison.

Agree? Disagree? I'd say, "comment below," but I don't think you have the guts.