Most anticipated 2011 movies

http://scifiwire.com/2010/06/the-20-most-anticipated-sci-fi-movies-of-2011.php

The 20 most anticipated sci-fi movies of 2011

Are the summer movies of 2010 letting you down? Well, don't worry, because next year's lineup—from start to finish, not just the middle three months—is already looking pretty darn impressive.

Coed magazine has already gotten a head start on what it calls "the top 20 most anticipated movies of 2011," so we checked out their list, skimmed the cream of the sci-fi crop, and added a few more titles of our own. We've also ranked them from the bottom up, and we think there's more than a few movies on here to be excited about.

Check out Coed for its entire list, but in the meantime, here are the 20 most anticipated sci-fi (and superhero and horror and fantasy) films of 2011.

20. Red Riding Hood

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Shiloh Fernandez

Release date: April 22, 2011

Synopsis: A young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter even as her medieval village is tormented by a werewolf.

Our take: This could either be a dark, Gothic, Hammer-esque retelling of the classic fable—or a quick attempt to cash in on the success of Alice in Wonderland. We're not sure, but we're hoping for the former.

19. Immortals

Director: Tarsem Singh

Stars: Mickey Rourke, Kellan Lutz, Isabel Lucas, Stephen Dorff

Release date: Nov. 11, 2011

Synopsis: Mythic warrior Theseus battles demons and Titans on his way to becoming a legendary Greek hero.

Our take: Singh has created some of the most amazing visuals ever seen, even if his previous films, like The Cell and The Fall have come up short in other areas. Can his intense style break through to a bigger audience? More importantly, do we want another mythology movie so soon after Clash of the Titans?

18. The Night Chronicles: Devil

Director: Drew & John Erick Dowdle

Stars: Geoffrey Arend, Chris Messina, Caroline Dhavernas

Release date: Feb. 11, 2011

Synopsis: A group of people are trapped in an elevator—and one of them is the devil.

Our take: The first in a proposed series of genre pictures produced by M. Night Shyamalan, this one's lensed by the brothers who brought the frightening Quarantine to the screen. With that, they were simply remaking a Spanish film called [REC]; let's see how they fare with something original.

17. I Am Number Four

Director: D.J. Caruso

Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Durand, Teresa Palmer

Release date: Feb. 18, 2011

Synopsis: Nine alien teens hide out on Earth after their race is destroyed by a malevolent enemy, but soon find themselves pursued here as well.

Our take: Not much is known yet about this Michael Bay-produced film, except that it's based on a yet-to-be-published novel (out in August) co-written by disgraced memoirist James Frey. It seems geared for younger audiences, but we remain intrigued by the premise.

16. The Green Hornet

Director: Michel Gondry

Stars: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz

Release date: Jan. 14, 2011

Synopsis: Aimless playboy Britt Reid, shaken by his father's death, enlists brilliant employee Kato to join him in his crimefighting efforts as the Green Hornet, with Kato supplying the weaponry and martial-arts skills.

Our take: Rogen and Gondry seem like odd choices to update this more obscure pulp hero, but the newly released trailer has some fun moments and a light tone that recalls the first Iron Man in some ways. The filmmakers promise a good time (in 3-D) despite rumors of trouble on the set.

15. Transformers 3

Director: Michael Bay

Stars: Shia LeBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Malkovich, John Turturro

Release date: July 1, 2011

Synopsis: It has something to do with Earth history and the Autobots' secret role in it ... but let's face it, it's still just about giant robots smashing each other to pieces.

Our take: Transformers 2 was wretched, and Bay has said that the new one will feature a stronger plot and less offensive humor. Do we take his word for it?

14. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I

Director: Bill Condon

Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

Release date: Nov. 18, 2011

Synopsis: Bella and Edward finally get married, Bella gets pregnant and becomes a vampire, the baby poses a threat to the vampire race ... and Jacob falls in love with it. Yikes!

Our take: Not even being fans of this much-maligned franchise, we are definitely interested in seeing how this fourth book is brought to the screen (the second part will come out in 2012). By all accounts, Breaking Dawn is flat-out insane—and a little insanity could go a long way unless they tame it for the screen.

13. Contagion

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne

Release date: Oct. 21, 2011

Synopsis: An international team of doctors is assembled by the Centers for Disease Control to battle an outbreak of a deadly virus.

Our take: The early marketing positions this as more of an action thriller than an all-out sci-fi effort, but the plot is certainly reminiscent of classics like The Andromeda Strain. With Soderbergh behind the camera and that cast in front of it, this deserves a look no matter what.

12. X-Men: First Class

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender (rumored), Aaron Johnson (rumored)

Release date: June 3, 2011

Synopsis: Long before taking the names Professor X and Magneto and becoming enemies, Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr are close friends who use their newly discovered powers and those of other mutants to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known.

Our take: The casting seems cool (James McAvoy as Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto), but the movie's getting rushed into production and follows two pretty lame X-Men installments. Can Kick-Ass director Vaughn pull this once-great franchise out of its dive?

11. Rise of the Apes

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Stars: James Franco, Don Cheadle (rumored), Freida Pinto (rumored)

Release date: June 24, 2011

Synopsis: Genetic experimentation leads to the development of the first intelligent, talking ape, triggering a battle for supremacy between humans and simians.

Our take: This could either be a gripping sci-fi thriller and origin story or a quick knockoff of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes—depending on how many rewrites the script goes through. We're not crazy about the apes being all CG either, to be honest. Let's see if Fox treats this beloved franchise with respect for once.

10. Sucker Punch

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Emily Browning, Carla Gugino, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, Jon Hamm

Release date: March 25, 2011

Synopsis: A young woman is institutionalized as a result of abuse at the hands of her stepfather and avoids reality by retreating into a series of fantasy worlds. She must steal one object from each to make her escape.

Our take: The plot still makes us go "WTF?" and the imagery we've seen makes us think of a bizarro mash-up of Brazil, Blade Runner and Alice in Wonderland. Still, Snyder has yet to really go wrong, and it will be interesting to see how his first all-original effort fares.

9. Real Steel

Director: Shawn Levy

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis

Release date: Nov. 18, 2011

Synopsis: A struggling boxing promoter thinks he's found his champion in a future world where human fighters have been replaced by lifelike robots.

Our take: We have always loved the original Twilight Zone episode (as well as the Richard Matheson short story it was based on) and think that the premise holds potential for a feature film. But it's also a Disney effort, so let's hope we get a dark, gritty sci-fi fable instead of a high-tech The Champ.

8. The Thing

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Eric Christian Olsen

Release date: April 29, 2011

Synopsis: A Norwegian research team stationed in Antarctica finds an alien spaceship buried under the ice and excavates its frozen occupant ... with horrifying results.

Our take: Prequels are always tricky, and this one has an extra challenge because you know it doesn't end well. Yet first-time director Heijningen is aiming for the same sense of dread and paranoia that made the 1982 movie such a classic, so this could be the rare prequel that works.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II

Director: David Yates

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes

Release date: July 15, 2011

Synopsis: Harry, Ron and Hermione head back to Hogwarts to destroy Voldemort's final horcruxes as the endgame begins against the villainous dark lord.

Our take: If you're not on board with this series by now, it's probably too late to start. But the filmmakers are pulling out all the stops for the final two movies (Part I comes out this fall), and you can expect both epic confrontations and overwhelming emotional crescendos as this massive franchise comes to a close.

6. Battle: Los Angeles

Director: Jonathan Liebesman

Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriquez, Michael Pena, Bridget Moynahan

Release date: March 11, 2011

Synopsis: A platoon of Marines get more than they bargained for when they are called to repel an invasion of Los Angeles ... and the invaders turn out to be from space.

Our take: Think Black Hawk Down with aliens and you might get a sense of what this original movie is going for. We got a private look at some of the action and it looks huge. Studio execs were reportedly so pleased that they moved it to a better release date. Consider this one a possible sleeper surprise.

5. Cowboys & Aliens

Director: Jon Favreau

Stars: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde

Release date: July 22, 2011

Synopsis: The title says it all! An alien spaceship crashes near a remote Arizona frontier town, forcing the local Native Americans and the settlers to join forces against the menace.

Our take: It'll be nice to see Craig back in action, what with the next Bond movie being delayed, and we hope Harrison Ford is on top of his game too. A great premise (based on the graphic novel) and a director we trust should make this one a winner.

4. Captain America: The First Avenger

Director: Joe Johnston

Stars: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Tommy Lee Jones

Release date: July 22, 2011

Synopsis: Army washout Steve Rogers submits to an experiment that turns him into a super soldier and a symbol of American freedom against a diabolical array of enemies during World War II.

Our take: Marvel has pulled together a hell of a cast (Hugo Weaving as Red Skull? Sweet!), and we think Chris Evans could make a fine Cap. Director Joe Johnston's mediocre track record (including this year's disappointing The Wolfman) does put up a red flag—but we're cautiously optimistic.

3. Thor

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Ray Stevenson

Release date: May 6, 2011

Synopsis: Superbeing Thor is cast out of the cosmic realm of Asgard and forced to live among humans, where he must find a way to both defend Earth and reclaim his birthright.

Our take: We've had a chance to see some of Thor live and up close (can't say how), and if anything, this movie is gonna look freakin' awesome. Whether Marvel, Branagh and company can sell the Norse god of thunder and his minions to the public depends on the script and the acting ... but praise Odin if they pull it off!

2. Green Lantern

Director: Martin Campbell

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Mark Strong, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins

Release date: June 17, 2011

Synopsis: A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that invests him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic peacekeeping force.

Our take: The first major DC character that isn't named Batman or Superman makes his big-screen, big-budget debut (we'll just forget Jonah Hex, OK?), and we're psyched to see the Lanterns come to spectacularly cosmic life. Campbell is a strong action director, and Reynolds should make a terrific Hal Jordan.

1. Super 8

Director: J.J. Abrams

Stars: Unknown

Release date: Summer 2011

Synopsis: An alien invader breaks out of Area 51 and goes on the rampage (we think).

Our take: Any time J.J. announces a new mystery project, we're immediately fascinated. We were big Cloverfield fans and love the idea of seeing a truly terrifying alien flick. Plus, he's teaming up with Spielberg on this? The pairing of those two alone make this the most intriguing sci-fi movie of next year.

http://banglagamer.com/forums/showthread.php?11334-Most-anticipated-20-Movies-for-Summer-2011

Most anticipated 20 Movies for Summer 2011

Sequels/prequels, remakes, comic book adaptations — next summer's release schedule looks much the same as it has for several years running. And, oh yeah, did we mention 3-D? From that familiar mix, here are the 20 blockbusters we'll be talking about next summer.

May 6 Thor

Another summer, another summer movie season kicked off by a Marvel comic book adaptation. This time it's the hammer-wielding Thor, starring Australian hunk Chris Hemsworth as the god of thunder and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The teaser trailer shown at Comic-Con in late July was leaked and then promptly pulled, forcing fans to rely on still photography for a while longer.

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba

May 13 Priest

This year's Legion was pretty awful, so we didn't expect another religiously themed horror/thriller by director Scott Stewart and starring Paul Bettany, like, ever, but we're already getting one next summer. By the looks of the trailer, it features especially grotesque and terrifying vampires that look an awful lot like aliens.

Stars: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Karl Urban

May 20 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The Pirates franchise was running on fumes with 2007's extremely disappointing At World's End. But then the pic still made more than $300M, so the temptation to make another sequel was irresistible. Perhaps with the addition of Penelope Cruz and 3-D, the fourth time will be a charm, much like it was for Shrek Forever After.

Stars: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush

May 27 The Hangover 2

The Hangover is the highest-grossing R-rated comedy in movie history so a sequel was a certainty, though there are so many unanswered questions: Will Heather Graham return? Or Ken Jeong (the hilariously profane Mr. Chow)? And where will it take place? Vegas is out (been there, done that). Thailand too, and apparently so is Mexico.

Stars: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms

Kung Fu Panda: the Kaboom of Doom

Marketed as "the continuing adventures of Po," this sequel to the popular 2008 kid pic Kung Fu Panda returns the stellar voice cast. However the director is major league rookie Jennifer Yuh, whose previous directorial filmography includes "unknown episodes" of the 1997 TV series Spawn.

Stars: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen

June 3 X-Men: First Class
This Marvel comic book adaptation is a prequel to the first three X-Men movies. Fans can only hope it will be as fun to watch as the drama involved in making it, with Bryan Singer jettisoned as the director (much to some people's pleasure) in favor of Matthew Vaughn (Kick-¤¤¤), and Vaughn having to rewrite part of the script after seeing Inception.

Stars: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Alice Eve, January Jones, Kevin Bacon

June 10 Fast Five

The Fifth movie in the Fast and Furious series returns Vin Diesel and Paul Walker but adds Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Best we can tell, his most recent contract requires that he star only in movies containing "fast" or Faster in the title.

Stars: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker

June 17 Green Lantern

Another comic book adaptation, this time from the DC universe, featuring a power ring–wearing superhero played by Ryan Reynolds. Like X-Men: First Class, the pic has been in "development hell" for years, leaving fans wondering if all the off-screen drama and waiting will be worth it. Warner Brothers is betting "yes" since plans for a sequel are already in the works.

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Tim Robbins, Blake Lively, Angela Bassett

June 24 Cars 2

With the exception of Toy Story, Pixar doesn't do sequels and Cars seems like an odd choice since it's arguably the weakest of all the Pixar pics. At any rate, director John Lasseter is back, this time with help from Brad Lewis (Ratatouille). Sadly, a voice replacement for Doc Hudson, mayor of Radiator Springs, will be required.

Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub

Rise of the Apes
This prequel to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston will be a cautionary tale against genetic engineering, as a doctor's tinkering leads to enhanced ape intelligence and then, of course, a battle against humans for planetary dominance. Direction from sci-fi rookie Rupert Wyatt is raising red flags far beyond enlarged ape brains.

Stars: James Franco, Tom Felton, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis

Transformers 3

Director Michael Bay and star Shia LaBeouf have both acknowledged the crappiness of Transformers 2 and promised Transformers 3 will be better. While that bar is set pretty low, they'll have to do it without the services of Megan Fox, who was unceremoniously dropped from the series in favor of 23-year-old Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Stars: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel

July 8 The Zookeeper

Fans of anthropomorphic flicks are hoping that 2011 is their year, as Furry Vengeance, Marmaduke, and Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore were three of the biggest turkeys of 2010. Kevin James essentially plays mall cop again as the zookeeper, along with an A-list of voice talent as the animals.

Stars: Kevin James, Sylvester Stallone, Rosario Dawson, Adam Sandler, Cher

July 15 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

After Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 opens on Friday, November 19, Potter fans will be forced to wait nearly eight months to see the conclusion of the long-running series. That will be painful, but probably not as painful as the withdrawal star Daniel Radcliffe is suffering from.

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

July 22 Captain America: the First Avenger

This superhero pic focuses on the early days of the Marvel Universe, when sickly Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into Nazi-fighting Super Soldier Captain America. Allaying fears he wasn't big enough for the role, Chris showed up at Comic-Con with Evans bulges his shirt could barely contain.

Stars: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell

July 29 Cowboys and Aliens

A sci-fi western based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, it's been newsworthy this summer due to Robert Downey Jr. dropping out for scheduling reasons and Olivia Wilde apparently going full-frontal. Directed by Iron Man's Jon Favreau, who likes dropping production bits from his Twitter account.

Stars: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell

Horrible Bosses

A Jennifer Aniston-Jason Bateman rom-com about a woman who impregnates herself with the wrong sperm ... uh, nevermind ... that was summer 2010's Aniston-Bateman rom-com The Switch. Next summer they reunite for Horrible Bosses about workers who conspire to kill them.

Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Isaiah Mustafa

August 3 The Smurfs

Not to sound like a bunch of Grumpy Smurfs, but putting an '80s cartoon about small blue creatures on the big screen seems a big demographic miss. What's next? A Snorks movie? If anyone can help save the movie it's '90s television star Neil Patrick Harris (and also Katy Perry as the voice of Smurfette).

Stars: Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria, Katy Perry, Alan Cumming, Sofía Vergara


August 10 War Horse

Mr. Ed meets Saving Private Ryan in the first pic from super-director Steven Spielberg since 2008's so-so Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as he adapts the popular WWI children's novel told from the horse's point of view.

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson

August 19 Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World

It's been seven years since the brutally bad Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over clearly signaled it was Game Over for the spy kids series. But director Robert Rodriguez, spurred on by sons Rocket, Racer, Rebel, and Rogue, revives the franchise with #4.

Stars: Jessica Alba, Joel McHale

August 26 Final Destination 5

Just like in 2009, another Final Destination movie closes out the summer movie season. Will it be the grand finale or the crew picking up the elephant poop? At least it's no longer called 5nal Destination.

Stars: Emma Bell, David Koechner, P.J. Byrne, Arlen Escarpeta

Source: reelzchannel

http://www.comicbooktherapy.com/mark-millars-thoughts-upcoming-comicbook-movies-visual-mastery/

Mark Millar’s Thoughts on Upcoming Comic-Book Movies & Visual Mastery

* November 14, 2010 5:15 PM

Mark Millar, the comic writing genius whose most notable credits include ‘Kick-Ass‘ & ‘The Ultimates,’ recently chatted with Sottish Daily Record’s John Millar. Mark shares his personal thoughts on the much-anticipated adaptions of Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger & THOR, FOX’s X-Men: First Class, Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern, as well as Sony’s The Green Hornet. He also acknowledges how today’s technology has caught up with the stunning vision & imagination of the their source material.

“Captain America is a brand name and everyone knows it, whether it is from Peter Fonda’s character in Easy Rider or through reading the comic books. It is a name that is as famous as Spider-Man or Superman but Captain America has never been a hit TV show. It hasn’t hit the mainstream, even though it is a name that everyone recognizes. This film may be a tough sell but I’d love it to be a hit because I am a big fan of the character.”

“The idea of a Thor movie is really exciting. It’s like a combination of Lord of the Rings and a Marvel superhero. It fuses the mythology and superhero genre together. It’s the only time that’s happened. The potential is great and the timing for this film is perfect.”

“I’m a big Seth Rogen fan, so just the idea of a slacker superhero is a cool one. The guy who plays Kato [Green Hornet] is a top martial arts expert so he is obviously going to be the action star. I am excited about this film although it is a hard sell because it doesn’t have the fan base of the Marvel or DC Comics characters.”

“My old pal from Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn, is directing [X-Men: First Class]. After Wolverine and X-Men 3 – which weren’t that good – I think they wanted to ‘do a Star Trek’ and go back to basics. Matthew told me he had always wanted to do a Dr Nostyle film with an international network… but with mutants. The film also has talent like Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. That’s another reason why comic book movies are so big. It used to be bad TV actors that played superheroes and now it’s the cream of the cream.”

“I think [Green Lantern] is going to be the biggest one next year. It has a very charismatic lead in Ryan Reynolds. I don’t think people realize yet how much they love him but I think he’s going to be the next Harrison Ford! There are three Green Lantern films planned because they know this is going to be massive. It’s like Star Wars meets Superman.”

“Big-screen technology has caught up with the imagination of the comic books. Before this happened Spider-Man always looked like a guy on a wire and The Hulk was a body-builder painted green. Now characters like these can look as good as they do on the pages of a comic, if not better. These days you are not limited by budget or technology. You are just limited by imagination, which is a great position to be in.”

It’s only two months until the “bloodbath” year approaches. And we have all these CBMs to look forward to, and then some, while Captain America parades into theaters July 22, THOR storms May 6th, Green Lantern beams June 17th, X-Men: First Class unites June 3rd, and The Green Hornet ventures January 14th. We’re taking over!

http://bestforfilm.com/film-blog/top-20-films-to-see-in-2011/

Top 20 Films To See In 2011

Are you wondering what to do with your spare time next year? Do you sit around the house, saddened by the prospect of having no idea what to see at the cinema in 2011? Are you tired of me asking you questions? Then fear no more because here are the Top Twenty Films To See In 2011!

Film Title :

Top 20 Films To See In 2011

2010 is coming to an end. Already Christmas decorations are littering the shops and people are talking about the large quantities of alcohol to be consumed on Old Year’s Day. And as this wonderful year of football, vuvuzelas and Chilean miners comes to a close, those of us obsessed with film take a leisurely look back at the great movies 2010 had to offer – while eagerly looking forward to those still to come. Here are the Top Twenty Films To See In 2011:

13. X-men: First Class (2nd June 2011)

The first X-men will always have a special place in film history. It was the first comic book adaptation to show audiences – and studios – that films depicting spandex wearing heroes could be quite a spectacle to behold. Thus began the “Marvel/DC Effect” with every possible comic book story being put forward as a potential franchise. What is refreshing about this instalment is that it really appears to be going back to the beginning of the X-men story; looking into the origins of the quintessential battle between good and evil. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, young Xavier and Magneto respectively, form the leads with support from the beautiful Rose Byrne.

http://thelowerlife.blogspot.com/2010/12/most-anticipated-movies-of-2011-booya.html

6. X-Men: First Class
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Release Date: June 3
Not only do you have a fantastic cast and director helming this movie, the story is undeniably cool. Before there was Magneto and Professor X, Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr were best of friends, discovering their mutant abilities and working with others like them to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. During this time, a void opens up between the two best friends, forever splitting them apart and quickly making them mortal enemies. This is going to be miles better than the other X-Men Origins story. James McAvoy is truly awesome and I can't wait to see him as the young Charles Xavier. Jennifer Lawrence, coming off of her award-winning movie, Winter's Bone, will be playing Mystique. Rose Byrne, Kevin Bacon and January Jones are also in the movie. It's shaping up to be a something special - it takes place during the 1960s and is said to parallel the history of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. And Bryan Singer, the original director and writer of the first two X-Men movies, has his hand in this one. Vaughn is being tight-lipped about the story, but he has gone on to say the it is clever in how it fits into history and also more recent world events. Intriguing. No doubt this will be very epic. I only expect greatness from the director who made, what I consider to be 2010's greatest movie, Kick-Ass.

http://ericnovak21.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/2011-in-film-a-preview-pt-1-january-june/

X-Men: First Class | June 3 | Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon and January Jones | Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-A**)

“Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.” The plot promises First Class to be a prequel to all the X-Men films and has a solid cast. Fassbender was excellent as the British Lt. Archie Hicox in Inglorious Basterds, Nicolas Hoult (playing Beast) was superb in a supporting role in A Single Man, Jennifer Lawrence (playing Mystique) is getting Oscar buzz for her role in this year’s indie fav Winter’s Bone and Bacon, Jones and McAvoy have established themselves on the big or small screen already. Not to mention this is a popular film franchise already.

http://on-screen-reviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-films-to-watch-9-x-men-first-class.html

Saturday, 22 January 2011
2011 Films To Watch #9: X-Men First Class
The X-Men film franchise has been on a downward spiral ever since writer Zak Penn killed off dozens of Marvel's famous mutant team in X-Men 3 (2.5/5), only producing a naff prequel tale in Origins: Wolverine (2/5), so it was only right that a new team signed on to revamp the series. Even more reassuring is that both the scribe and director of the new screenplay X-Men: First Class worked on the hilarious satirical comedy Kick-Ass, making it one of the most promising superhero films of 2011. First Class is an adaptation of another comic incarnation of the team, set decades before Wolverine met Cyclops, Phoenix and co and with an adventerous premise of Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr discovering their powers and forming a school for those with gifts like theirs. As any fan will know, though, the future Professor X and Magneto are doomed for an everlasting war between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants, a tragic split that will be at the very least touched upon in First Class, but not before antagonists the Hellfire Club shake things up for the human and mutant worlds with a plot that could tear Earth apart! Speculation is rife too that Apocalypse will make an appearance, which probably wouldn't be too much of a strech seeing as the comics never portrayed the aformentioned enemies as solo adversaries in their own right, but we'll have to wait till First Class' May release to see whether the X-Men are truly back on form with James McAvoy (Xavier) and Michael Fassbender (Magneto) leading them!
Posted by WhoGuy123 at 11:30

http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/01/26/the-first-comic-news-post-of-2011/

THE FIRST COMIC NEWS POST OF 2011!
Posted on January 26th, 2011 by ekko

X-MEN FIRST CLASS. The film, directed by Matthew “Kick Ass” Vaughn, will feature baby Xavier and baby Magneto, along with baby X-Men. Okay, not babies. But young. Advance word is positive enough that producer Lauren Shuler Donner (yes, of the Superman Donners) is already planning a sequel and a threequel. It’s due in June, but still no trailer? Is that a bad sign? Also, the full cast-list has been released: Michael Fassbender as Magneto; Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert (since when is she a major character?); January Jones as Emma Frost; Jason Flemyng as Azazel (who??); Nicholas Hoult as Beast; Lucas Til as Havok; Zoë Kravitz as Angel (Angel was still a male in the X3 movie—why are they changing it?); Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique; and James McAvoy as Professor X. It’s a little strange to see a “first” class without Cyclops, Marvel Girl, or Iceman. I’m starting to get more than a little nervous that this is going to suck.

http://fergalcasey.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/2011-hopes/

Talking Movies
January 28, 2011
2011: Hopes
Filed under: Talking Movies — Fergal Casey @ 6:14 pm

The House of M: Part II

Other studios, content to build one franchise at a time around Marvel characters, will unleash two very different comic-book blockbusters. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance sees the lunatics behind the Crank films finally get their hands on a blockbuster after their script for Jonah Hex was rewritten to make it vaguely ‘normal’. The prospect of Nicolas Cage, fresh from his brush with Herzog, being encouraged to again find his inner madman while the two writers/directors shoot action sequences from roller-skates besides his bike is an awesome one. Matthew Vaughn meanwhile helms X-Men: First Class starring James MacAvoy as the young Professor X and Talking Movies’ hero Michael Fassbender as the young Magneto. This prequel charts the early days of Xavier’s Academy, before (according to Mark Millar) a disagreement friendship led to Magneto putting Xavier in a wheelchair. The prospect of Fassbender doing his best Ian McKellen impersonation gives one pause for joy.

http://thegrennian.blogspot.com/2011/02/x-men-first-class-i-hope-ya-not-too.html

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
X-Men: First Class, I hope ya not too cool fa school.

To say I am an obsessive compulsive X-Men fan is not wrong and my the obsession continues today. I Love the comics, the cartoons and all three movies. Before I go on I just need to quiet the naysayers on the quality and form of Last Stand. Yes correct, it was not the best movie, of the three or of many other superhero movies, but I saw it (like the other movies) as a live action what-if? X-Men movie. I wasn't looking for exactness or what was in the comics (I get my comics for that stuff), I just wanted to see some live action X-Men coolness. And that is what we got. Beast was awesome, Shadowcat was delightfully splendid and Iceman finally rocked his ice form and gave Pyro a good thrashing. These three things made Last Stand worth it. I also loved the whole "last stand" act of the movie.

Interesting aside: the first night after finishing my two-year LDS mission I watched the first X-Men movie and then sat up till almost 4 a.m. devouring the comics my mum had collected while I'd been gone.

So it was with great excitement and trepidation that I await X-Men: First Class. As much as I loved the movies there were minor annoyances. For example, I prefer my Psylocke a little more Butterfly/Ninja/Telepath than the pitiful "shadow" (heh heh geddit?) she was in the movie. But, I digress I'm not here to talk about the other movies.

So far I am excited to see First Class.Here's some things I'm excited about.
1. Michael Fassbender. I liked him back in his Hex days but after seeing his final scene in that "Notourious" Tarantino movie, how can you not think he's a fantastic actor?

2. Emma Frost. Yes I thought her sadly minor spot in Wolverine was cool and I liked the SFX it was too little. First Class looks to be offering Emma Frost in all her glory; both powers in-tact darling.

3. No Wolverine. Yes I was entertained by his own movie, however he has never been a favourite character of mine and (forgive me for saying...or not, don't care) Wolverine is only as interesting as whoever he might be partnered/teamed-up with at any given time. Examples: Psylocke/Wolverine=great. Jubilee/Wolverine= entertaining. Rogue, Shadowcat, Armor/Wolverine=so engaging. Nightcrawler/Wolverine=fantastic. Pixie/Wolverine=oh dear. Anyone else/Wolverine=bored now. Like Gambit, he's a fan favourite holding no interest with this big X-Men fan.

4. Kevin Bacon as Shaw and Rose Byrne. Can't wait.

5. An awesome looking young cast of seemingly random X-Men from all era's of the title. This fascinates me to no end.

So, yeah I am excited for this movie but then there are some things that are putting me off.
1. All this talk from the producers of not having finished the film. It seems a lot of talk and hypeing but I worried about what they are doing to make this movie a hit.

2.This:------------------------------>

Not keen on Nightcrawler's father randomly appearing. Also, not keen on Mystique stealing scenes. Yes she was awesome in the movies but she's had her time, move over. Although now it just occurred to me of the reason why Azazel would be here.

3. Beast/Nicholas Hoult. Sorry not a fan of the actor and not sure what that make-up shot is all about and not sure he can top the Last Stand Beast.

So, in the end, there is no chance I will miss this film but i do have my reservations. Here's to X-Men: First Class not disappointing me.


Oh and give me more -------------------------------------------------->

and less-------------------------------------------->

Posted by Loz at 8:44 PM

http://cinesnark.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/the-state-of-superhero-nation/

The State of Superhero Nation

It’s been a busy couple weeks in superhero movie news. Remember in the early 2000’s when the grown-ups thought superhero movies were a fad? Ten years later and there’s something like 917 superhero movies coming out over the next couple years. Here’s a rundown on what’s happening with the longest-lasting “fad” (haha, grown-ups are so silly) in cinema.

Spider-Man

Marc Webb’s Spidey reboot got a name—The Amazing Spider-Man—and the first image of Andrew Garfield fully suited-up was released, too. I have been largely indifferent to this project since we just had the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man in the last few years, however, the images both official and unofficial have intrigued me. I LOVE the new Spidey suit. It seems so much more…athletic. More like a second-skin than the previous suit. And comic book nerds are geeking out over the mechanized web shooters Spidey 2.0 is sporting. Apparently this means something but I am not a big enough comic nerd to know what that is, nor do I care enough to look it up. I can wait until the movie explains it to me next year. I do like the idea that Peter Parker is enough of a nerd himself to come up with that, though. I just realized that the guy directing Spider-Man is named “Webb”. Heh.

X-Men: First Class

First came rumblings of trouble, of prolonged reshoots and then Emma Frost (January Jones, Mad Men) dropped a line about their rushed production schedule, though she cast it in a less-disturbing-sounding light. Still, it always kind of unnerves me when the talent starts talking about production in terms of “rushed”, “crazy”, etc, and then ends with, “We should be fine.” The first trailer finally dropped, though, and it’s…not terrible. It’s not great either, not by a long shot. I am merely whelmed. There are individual shots of each mutant—nice. The crew wears a costume derived from the famous “yellow spandex” of the comic series—nice. Michael Fassbender (Jane Eyre, Inglorious Basterds) and James McAvoy (Atonement, our collective dreams) look like the sexy beasts they are—NICE. But um…we’re pretty skint on dialogue, no? And in a two-minute trailer, it takes over thirty seconds before we get to actual stuff happening in this movie, and not stuff that happened in the first X-Men from a decade ago.

I’m in wait-and-see mode with this one. Because that trailer, while well made, is engineered to show off the good while hiding the bad but it seems to be having some trouble holding back the bad (where is the dialogue?!). In other X-News, Darren Aronofsky is prepping The Wolverine for filming and Black Swan’s Oscar-nominated cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, is on board. Hopefully this won’t suck as bad as Wolverine: THIS NEVER HAPPENED did, but the comics lost my interest when they got into Logan’s time in Japan which doesn’t bode well for the movie.

The Avengers, et al

Making fanboy dreams come true, Joss Whedon has included The Avengers in New Mexico’s “Film and Media Day”, which includes an open casting call for several productions. It’s going down tomorrow morning in Santa Fe—please someone go there and take some pictures for hilarity’s posterity’s sake. Also in Avengers news, Variety reported that How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders (greatest name EVER) has been tapped to play Maria Hill, Nick Fury’s assistant/underling/something at SHIELD. I like Smulders a lot. She’s one of the last reasons left to be watching HIMYM these days. She’ll be a good foil for Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury—certainly better than boring Scarlett Johansson was.

As for the two Avenger movies due this summer, Thor continues to uninterest me and Captain America got a kickass and funny fan-made trailer parody.

http://nativeaudiogrrrl.blogspot.com/2011/02/movie-i-want-to-see-x-men-first-class.html

Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Movie I Want To See: X-Men First Class

This movie looks so cool! I was kind of skeptical about his movie when I first read that it was being made because I didn't think that they would pick good people to play younger versions of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, but I think that they did an amazing job casting this movie. James McAvoy was a great choice as young Professor X, but I really love Michael Fassbender as young Magneto.

One thing that kind of bugs me is that there is a bit of a continuity error with the other films. A younger actress than January Jones plays Emma Frost in X-Men Origins: Wolverine even though that movie takes place a few decades after this movie. I'm guessing that they don't really care, or just don't think that people will notice. Its not really that big of a deal because Emma Frost wasn't a major character in that movie, but was there nevertheless.... Anyways, besides that this movie looks really cool. I'm loving Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique and whatever character Zoe Kravitz plays...

Posted by kittyrocker08 at 1:27 PM

http://mamuvies.blogspot.com/2011/02/coming-soon-superhero-fest-part-ii.html

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Coming Soon: Superhero Fest [Part II]
A little later than I intended, but nevertheless here it is now, the second part of some notable superhero movies coming out this year.

The second superhero movie with a green colour scheme this year. I'm not all that excited, to be perfectly honest, but I wouldn't go so far as predicting that it's going to be a total waste of time. I don't expect it to rise above the genre. Think of the kind of fun and laughs you had with other superhero movies like Fantastic Four [2005], etc.

Reasons to be Excited
1. Ryan Reynolds in a familiar territory; playing a lovable douchebag.

2. I don't know if the CGI Green Lantern suit is something to be excited about, but heck, to each his or her own.

3. Tim Robbins! Although he didn't exactly went under the radar, still I miss the guy somehow.

4. It's easier going into this movie with low expectations. For example, I know almost nothing about the comic book series, so I'll just take the movie as it is.

"Please make a good X-Men movie this time around!" was the prayer I said when I heard of this movie. Now, I am a fan of the movie adaptations, the best in my opinion being X-2: X-Men United [2003]. But every release after that went from mediocre to bad... Especially that Wolverine spin-off movie. It was such a bore and a trite, I groaned audibly after the first fifteen minutes.

But this time around it does sound promising. What made X3 [2006] and X-Men Origins: Wolverine [2009] such a bore was due to abandoning characterisations in favour of visual spectacle (and of course, merchandising opportunities). With this prequel, it looks like it's going back to what made the first installment such a stand-out from all other superhero movies.

Reasons to be Excited
1. A reboot, possibly meaning that it will go back to its roots; a superhero movie with a great political subtext, an ensemble of interesting characters, and so on.

2. We'll get to see how Professor X and Magneto agreed to disagree and part ways.

3. The cast; Kevin Bacon (omg!!), James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, among others.

4. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, he did a superb job with Kick-Ass [2010], so... believe!

Posted by Mamü Miguel Ellezda Vies at 12:55 AM

http://awsomereza.blogspot.com/2011/02/x-men-first-class-characters-costumes.html

Monday, February 14, 2011 | 7:22 PM
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X-Men: First Class Characters & Costumes

X-Men: First Class Cast Photo
UPDATE: We have new images of Professor X and Magneto in action!
One of the four major superhero comic book movies debuting this summer, and the only one yet to reveal any official footage or images, is that of X-Men: First Class. The Twentieth Century Fox X-Men prequel, directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) and produced by Bryan Singer (X-Men), takes us back in time to the 1960s to tell the tale of the origins of the X-Men.
Focusing in on the history of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, X-Men: First Class also features a cast of relatively unknown mutant characters, few of which have shown up in previous X-Men films. Until today, we’ve yet to see what these characters will look like on screen and in costume. Here is your official first look at the mutant cast of X-Men: First Class.

So far, we’ve been living off of set photos, but the X-Men: First Class cast image first leaked on MSN for a brief moment yesterday but was quickly taken down while it spread like wildfire across the blogosphere. We waited until Fox released the official images so you can see them in proper form. Meet the X-Men and enjoy your first look at the team, in and out of costume, as well as Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw.
Update: Courtesy of a /Film exclusive with Matthew Vaughn, we now have images of Professor X and Magneto in action as well!

In the main cast shot, note the two mutant masterminds who eventually part ways on their plans for mutantkind, becoming Professor X and Magneto, respectively. Here are the characters and their aliases, from left to right:

* Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender)
* Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne)
* Emma Frost (January Jones)
* Azazel (Jason Flemyng)
* Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult)
* Alex Summers/Havok (Lucas Till)
* Angel Salvadore (Zoe Kravitz)
* Raven Darkholme/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence)
* Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy)

While I cannot say that the first official X-Men: First Class cast images are impressive or inspiring (although fans will sure dig Emma Frost’s authentic outfits from the comics), it does show that they aren’t shying away from the use of colors and costumes, paying a little more tribute to the X-Men books, at least in style if not story.

They did a great job with Azazel and I look forward to seeing Flemying play him in action. Havok has the circular symbol on his chest, similar to some of the comic designs, and Mystique’s design is consistent with the X-trilogy. Many fans are undoubtedly curious how Hank McCoy’s blue fur will be explained as he appeared in a cameo without the fur in X-Men 2. Chances are they’re pretending that didn’t even happen.
The images do not however, give us a look at Edi Gathegi’s character, the ever-evolving mutant known as Darwin, which brings into question his role in the film and as part of the ’60s era X-Men team. My guess is that he’s from the future since in the books, he’s one of the newest characters and Matthew Vaughn previously alluded to First Class acting both as an in-continuity prequel and a quasi-reboot of sorts, referencing what J.J. Abrams did with Star Trek.

[Update: While Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News undergoes his miraculous recovery, he had chat with Bryan Singer who gave him the following first X-Men: First Class teaser poster- Get well soon Harry! Head to AICN for their high-res version.]

X-Men: First Class Movie Poster
Fans, before bringing down any potential wrath upon these images, let’s wait to see what the characters look like in live-action when the X-Men: First Class trailer releases. They certainly have stiff competition up against Marvel Studios’ Thor and Captain America features as well as Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment’s Green Lantern.

http://screenrant.com/x-men-first-class-characters-costumes-rob-97092/

http://columbia-rising.blogspot.com/2011/02/marvel-flooding.html

Sunday, February 13, 2011
Marvel Flooding
On Thursday last week, Marvel released the first trailer to X-Men: First Class. This movie takes place in the 60's during the Cuban Missile Crisis and shows how the friendship between Magneto and Professor X fell apart. James McAvoy plays Charles Xavier while Michael Fassbender plays Erik Lehnsherr. Other cast members of note are January Jones as Emma Frost and Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw.

The trailer itself isn't half bad. Despite the stigma of the X-Men franchise at the moment due to the last two terrible movies (X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine), I am hopeful that First Class will return to the quality of the first two films. There's a lot that is, well, surprisingly interesting. First, it definitely seems like they're trying to tie this into the already established films. Second, the costumes don't look nearly as ridiculous as I thought they would. Despite the fact that they made fun of the yellow spandex in the older films, that's exactly what they've gone with for this movie. The look really works for the movie.


Unfortunately the trailer isn't very long and not much else is shown. There are some interesting scenes worthy of mention though. The first is a scene with Charles and Erik in some sort of brothel (which most are assuming to be the Hellfire Club) admiring a winged mutant. The second is what I'm assuming to be an assault on the mansion and Magneto fighting back. He forces that soldier to stab himself which was rather cool. The third and final scene is the "money shot" where Magneto lifts an entire submarine out of the ocean and is levitating it in the air. Bad. Ass.

X-Men: First Class releases on June 3rd, 2011 and will be the second Marvel film to be released this year. What's amazing to me is the fact that Marvel is releasing three films this year. There's Thor in May, X-Men in June as stated, and then Captain America in July. Marvel has been pumping these films out like no tomorrow. It's amazing that they're willing to put these films so close to each other as well. Granted, X-Men is being released so quickly because FOX would lose the rights otherwise, but even without it Thor and Cap would only be two months out from each other.

That's not even looking into the next year when The Avengers and Spider-man release. DC on the other hand, has only one film releasing this year and possibly two (but at least one) film releasing next year. Marvel in general has made more movies of their characters than DC has. For the longest time only Superman and Batman had films (and that terrible Catwoman film). Only now are they branching out with the Green Lantern film. The question is whether or not it will succeed. As Marvel must know, not all comic book characters are marketable.

According to Rotten Tomatoes many of their films rank below 50 percent. Films like Daredevil, Elektra, both Fantastic Four movies, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine all rank terribly. Other Marvel films like Spiderman 3 and X-Men: The Last Stand aren't much higher. Now that's not to say that DC hasn't screwed up in the past (the before mentioned Catwoman movie), but I feel like there's more reason to worry about a movie like Thor than something, say, The Dark Knight Rises. I may be comparing apples and oranges, but Marvel's whole Avengers plan hinges on these movies being a success.

What are your thoughts on how Marvel handles there movies compared to DC? How do you think Thor will handle both critically and financially? Which do you consider yourself a bigger fan of, movie-wise?
Posted by Peter Freeman at 6:56 PM

http://melinageekly.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/lets-go-to-the-movies-2/

February 18, 2011 · 1:29 pm
Let’s Go To The Movies

X-Men : First Class

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jason Flemyng

I love X-Men. As long as you forget the Last Stand (which I do, I really really do), I could watch them all a million times over. I even loved Origins: Wolverine, though I know I’m one of a handful. Maybe it’s just because I’m a nerd, but I don’t really care – something about a school of badass mutants apeals to me, so shut up. I’ve been excited for the newest installment for many, many months now. X-Men: First Class takes us back to the 1960s to see how Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnserr /Magneto (played by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, respectively) went from friends to rivals and how the school started up. I was more than a little upset when I heard January Jones was replacing Alice Eve as Emma Frost (I might have thrown my phone across the room), but from the trailer I think theres a good chance I can probably just ignore her.

HOW COULD YOU REPLACE THIS!?

Anyhow, I’ve been waiting for this trailer for such a long time, and now it is finally out. Although it’s just a teaser, it looks f#%@#&! epic. The release date is set at June 3, 2011. Who’s coming with me?

http://www.statepress.com/2011/02/19/non-required-reading-more-marvel-movie-madness/

Non-Required Reading: More Marvel Movie Madness!

By Dan Jacka February 19, 2011 at 12:01 am

Quick recap: I’m just talking a little bit about the two big Marvel movies coming around in the next couple of years.

Speaking of reboots (I was last talking about Spider-Man here), here comes “X-Men: First Class.”

It’s another step back from the previous movie. (seriously, did you see “X-Men 3?” Did you really? Shame on you.)

Kevin Bacon and January Jones doing it up '70s style. Photo courtesy of Bleedingcool.com

This X-Men movie will be directed by Matthew Vaughn, the guy who directed “Kick-Ass” (great movie). It stars a variety of people, including Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy.

I anticipate this being a much more fan-friendly movie. This isn’t going to be the kind of thing that the masses will love, but specialists (i.e. comic book readers) will absolutely love it.

It’s basically going to act as a prequel to the other X-Movies but won’t really be directly related. That means no one from the previous movies will be involved.

HOWEVER, Bryan Singer is involved. He was the director of the first two X-Movies (the good ones), and now he is going to be an executive producer. That’s good news.

The bad news is that Matthew Vaughn hasn’t directed any big summer movies. This is the first time he’s really had a blockbuster to work with, and I’m not sure he can handle it. Apparently if you ask January Jones, he already is falling behind.

But that’s January Jones, and she just told Jon Stewart in an interview that she’s a Steelers fan. How can we possibly trust a word she says?

-Dan

http://anthropologist.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/self-watched-unknown-yesterday-and-lived-to-tell-the-tale-er-to-deliver-this-capsule-review/

Self Watched “Unknown” Yesterday and Lived to Tell the Tale — Er, to Deliver This Capsule Review

February 23, 2011 at 3:09 am (Movies)

So, yesterday, self saw a couple of fab previews. One was of that Matt Damon/Emily Blunt Matrix/Bourne clone whose title self cannot remember; another preview was for Battle: Los Angeles; yet another had Ryan Reynolds taking off his shirt for only the xxxxth time (for The Green Lantern of course); and, most thrilling of all, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender! Together in an X-Men movie! Oh happy happy joy joy! Self loves that James McAvoy is so versatile. She certainly likes him in action mode. The other day, she was able to catch “Wanted” on TV. That was a truly enjoyable movie, one of her favorites the year it came out.

http://printready.co/movies-film/the-next-2-years-are-huge-for-comic-book-movies/

The Next 2 Years Are Huge For Comic Book Movies
by c_mullen @printreadyco on March 2, 2011 ·

Today, I had to stay home to help around the house since my wife is sick. I notice that last month’s cover of Entertainment Weekly, Melissa’s favorite magazine, shows an exclusive called “Meet The New Superman” making we wonder if yet another Superman launch is wise, but it actually looks pretty interesting. Even more interesting is the list of comic book hero movies set to release the next two summers. I love talking about comics and it has everything to with the print universe.

3. X-Men First Class – June 3rd 2011

Story: Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-MEN.

Conclusion: The trailer for this movie is almost as good as it gets. Its smart, set in 1963 and invites us to perceive historic events differently. After initially hearing about this movie I was skeptical, but now I’m excited. James McAvoy plays the professor and Magneto by Michael Fassbender. Kevin Bacon also stars as Sebastian Shaw.

http://comicrevolution.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/monthly-editorial-march-2011/

Monthly Editorial – March 2011

March 1, 2011 by comicrevolution

Oh yeah, 2011 is starting to look like an interesting year for comic book-related movie releases with Marvel rolling out the big guns from the First Avenger to the Mighty Thor and even some an X-Men prequel. In the beginning of this year we also got some Spider-Man news as well. Oh but Marvel isn’t the only one we have our eyes on because DC has our favorite Dark Knight with an announcement a while back revealing the familiar face that will be assuming the role of Catwoman. Plus, there’s Ryan Reynolds as The Green Lantern.

First off, X-Men: First Class has me more than intrigued thanks to the list of characters that will make an appearance in the movie such as Emma Frost (played by Mad Men’s January Jones), a young Mystique, Beast and Havoc (not an original founding member of the X-Men but alrighty) just to name a few. Better yet, James McAvoy (from Wanted and Last King of Scotland) as a young Professor Xavier and Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds) as young Magneto is just perfectly cast in my opinion.

http://mrcollinsgrindhousemovieblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/x-men-first-class-first-look.html

Wednesday, March 2, 2011
X-Men: First Class; A First Look

A First Look At What Is Either The Best
X-Men Film Ever, Or A Total Trainwreck

I've been avoiding talking much about this film, after all, as the last decade or so will tell you, the marvel comics based movies that were not made as part of Marvel's shared film universe have just been abysmal; Spiderman 3, both Punisher films, both Hulk films, both Fantastic Four films, Ghost Rider, X-Men: The Last Stand, and that cinematic abortion that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine just to name afew, should give you the idea of what I mean.

Its because of such let downs like this that when I started to read about the making of this new Xmen film, set in the past and telling the story of how the two greatest champions for mutantkind, Magneto and Professor X, grew to be the men they are known as now, how Professor X founded the X-Men and how Magneto founded The Brotherhood, that I started to get alittle leery, in concept the idea would be great, but also, it cancels out X-Men Origins: Magneto basically telling the same story, which I've been looking forward to for many years, which saddened me, but I would be willing to overlook if it was done properly, and well, FOX Studios doesn't really seem to fully understand the whole idea of making a proper X-Men movie, or really a superhero movie in general really. But after seeing some of these still shots, and seeing the trailer, I have to kind of wonder alittle bit if maybe they've really finally discovered how to properly use a property that should, in all fairness, like spiderman, blade, fantastic four and daredevil among others, should just be given back to Marvel Studios to properly integrate into their film universe.

Now, before we go any farther, lets have a look at the trailer shall we?



the film is set in 1962 or so, given the implication of the cuban missile crisis, which makes alot of sense, the first X-Men comic book came out in 1963, so the timeline is right, Magneto and Charles knew each other and founded the X-Men first before their split in ideology causing Magneto to form The Brotherhood, so they got that right as well, and the early uniforms are right too, though I'm not sure how they got an SR-71 Blackbird in 1963, maybe there is some time passing involved, like it starts out in the early 60s then progresses to the late 60s with the school for gifted youngsters founded or something, which would make pretty logical sense honestly, it takes time to build a fortune and a school for mutants, it doesn't just happen overnight. Plus, skipping ahead in time would explain the apperance of the third party in the film, The Hellfire Club, headed by Sebastian Shaw and his prize student Emma Frost, who, if the films follow the way they're supposed to progress, will open her own school to counter Professor X and eventually turn good when all those students die.

My other really big issue is the cast, here look at who are listed as the characters on both sides...

James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier: The leader and founder of the X-Men and one of Magneto's best friends until conflicts of opinion create a rivalry between them and their teams.
* Laurence Belcher as a young Charles Xavier.

Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto: The leader and founder of the Brotherhood of Mutants and one of Professor X's best friends until conflicts of opinion create a rivalry between them and their teams.
* Bill Milner as a young Erik Lehnsherr.

Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw: The leader of a secret society bent on taking over the world called the Hellfire Club.

January Jones as Emma Frost / White Queen: A mutant telepath who can also change her body into diamond form; also a member of the Hellfire Club.

Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert: A scientist and an authority on genetic mutation and love interest of Charles Xavier.

Nicholas Hoult as Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy / Beast: Beast is a former scientist and political activist, who transformed into a frightening looking mutant, but is kind at heart.

Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme / Mystique: A dangerous shapeshifting mutant.
* Morgan Lily as a young Raven Darkholme.

Oliver Platt as "The Man in Black": A character who is not a mutant.

Ray Wise as the United States Secretary of State

Zoë Kravitz as Angel Salvadore: A mutant with insectoid physiology.

Caleb Landry Jones as Sean Cassidy / Banshee: An Irish mutant with the ability of sonic screaming.

Lucas Till as Alex Summers / Havok: A mutant who has the ability to absorb cosmic energy and discharge blasts from the energy.

Edi Gathegi as Armando Muñoz / Darwin: A mutant with the power of "reactive evolution."

Jason Flemyng as Azazel: Nightcrawler's father who has the ability to teleport.

Álex González as Janos Quested / Riptide: A mutant with the ability to spin his body at an incredibly fast rate.

Andy Callaghan as a member of the Hellfire Club.

Tony Rich as Thomas: A mutant with the ability to duplicate other mutant powers within a specific range.

first off, lets get afew notes out of the way... 1.) YES RAY WISE!!! 2.) this character Thomas, is Mimic, I have no idea why no one's calling him Mimic though. 3.) They go out of their way to state Azazel is the father of x-men member Nightcrawler, and with Nightcrawler's mother Mystique as part of the cast as well, its not really hard to figure it won't be long before we see him or there implication of him coming along.

Second, there are some castings that aren't exactly right for the first X-Men, well ok most of them aren't right, Beast is the only one thats right out of them all, because Darwin's whole implication on the team is... subject to cannon, Angel Salvadore shouldn't even be born yet, and Havok was "missing and assumed dead" with his brother Scott, Cyclops, being the leader of the original X-Men team. Though Banshee and Mimic becoming later X-men was correct, so i guess you just gotta go with the flow and accept changes, however odd they maybe.

i will say this though, I am very impressed with the handling of Emma Frost, I was really leery of the whole idea of her as a character in this set in the 60s and all that, given how Emma's become abit of a fanservice character in the last decade or so, I was worried of how they'd dress her, after all, she couldn't walk about in her original outfit of a corset, bikini bottom, thigh high stiletto heel boots and a white cape, I kind of assumed they'd go with her more subdued 1990s turned good look; a corset, leather pants, knee boots and a business jacket. But thankfully, they went with a 1960s Girl On The Motorcycle / Marianne Faithful / Emma Peel in the Avengers look for her, which I feel fits better in a case like this.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, check out some imagery...

just think, all this and no wolverine... thankfully. Seriously FOX, don't f&#! this up. DO NOT.

BC
Posted by Barnabus at 6:08 PM

http://arneldugan.blogspot.com/2011/03/debut-x-men-first-class-trailer.html

Thursday, 3 March 2011
Debut ?X-Men: First Class? Trailer Enticing

(HMG Celebrity News) – Being a lifelong Marvel Comic fan and former collector I am holding my breathe that the new X-Men: First Class, will be a successful reboot. I don’t find this trailer, which seems to show President John F. Kennedy getting a little help from mutants during the Cuban missile crisis, all that inspiring, but finger’s crossed Marvel is holding back. What we do see is that the story directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass), centers on Charles Xavier played by James McAvoy, and Erik Lehnsherr played by Michael Fassbender before they became Professor X and Magneto respectively. We do get some peaks of January Jones as Emma Frost, Nicholas Hoult as the Beast/Hank McCoy, and Winter’s Bone’s Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. X-Men: First Class hits theaters on June 3.

http://imthecautionarywhale.blogspot.com/2011/03/trailer-roundup-random-edition-1.html

Thursday, March 3, 2011
Trailer Roundup: Random Edition #1
I don't really have a unifying theme for these, unlike my last entries in this series. They're just trailers that caught my eye that I felt like sharing.

X-Men: First Class (in theaters 6/3/11)

Before we take a trip back to the origins of the X-Men (not like that Wolverine movie), I should mention a few things first. I'm not a major fan of the X-Men. Its just one of those things that I was never able to get into, both the comics and the movies. I saw X-Men: The Last Stand on DVD mostly for Ellen Page, and the others I've seen just to see if they were better than that jumbled crap (they were, for the record), and I never did see Wolverine. So at first, I wasn't all that interested in this film. But a couple of things have changed my mind, such as James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, January Jones and Nicholas Hoult in the cast and Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) as director. Then this trailer came along, with some delightfully weird images (the girl with the dragonfly wings, for example) and a '60s setting that allows us to see soon-to-be Magneto (Fassbender) lift a nuclear submarine (probably Soviet) out of the ocean. I repeat, Michael Fassbender lifts a nuclear submarine out of the ocean. And with that, I'm sold hook, line, and sinker.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/04/15/lunchtime-poll-summer-movie-superhero/

Apr 15 2011 02:35 PM ET

Lunchtime Poll: Which summer movie superhero would win in a fight?
by Kate Ward

We all know that we’re headed into the Summer of Superheroes. Thor, Captain America, X-Men: First Class — all of these legendary warriors are set to battle it out for our hearts and money. But here at PopWatch HQ, we’re desperate to see summer 2011′s superheroes battle outside of the box office — we want to know what would happen if Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds), Conan the Barbarian (Jason Momoa), Professor X (James McAvoy), and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) all decided to duke it out inside the ring. Which summer 2011 superhero would reign supreme? Let’s imagine they’re fighting over, oh, I don’t know, tickets to 2012′s The Dark Knight Rises. Vote after the jump!

http://ant.ag/2011/05/this-post-brought-to-you-by-my-sweat-tears-and-urine/

This post brought to you by my sweat, tears, and urine.

Oh No They Didn't!
SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW 2011: WAS EACH SEQUEL & PREQUEL NECESSARY?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)
What's It About This Time?: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is taken prisoner on the ship of Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and duels wits with the mysterious Angelica (Penelope Cruz) as they all search for the Fountain of Youth.
Was It Necessary?: Considering how bogged down the last two installments in the trilogy got in pirate politics, it might actually be fun to see the freewheeling Captain Jack go off on an unrelated adventure. Or, it might make us even more tired of Depp's slurred speech and sashaying about.

The Hangover Part II (May 26)
What's It About This Time?: While in Thailand for Stu's wedding, the groom (Ed Helms) and his groomsmen (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis) once again get rendered unconscious the night before the wedding, and this time they lose the bride's brother. Cue madcap missing-persons search, with monkey.
Was It Necessary?: While the first movie was hysterical, the second one looks like it's taken the exact same formula and just moved it overseas. Missing person, scenic locale, animal companion, Mike Tyson cameo, Ken Jeong saying "bitches"... So if you like seeing the same movie over and over again, go nuts.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 26)
What's It About This Time?: A new villain, with a weapon that can stop kung fu (what?), is conquering China, and kung fu panda Po (Jack Black) and the Furious Five must defeat him and his army.
Was It Necessary?: Do movies studios like money? (Hint: The answer is yes.) Hollywood will make as many fat panda movies as society will pay for.

X-Men: First Class (June 3)
What's It About This Time?: Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) meet as young men and open a school in a mansion for mutants in the 1960s. Jennifer Lawrence plays a young Mystique, and January Jones and Kevin Bacon play members of the mutant Illuminati, the Hellfire Club.
Was It Necessary?: Given the last few disappointing outings from the X-Franchise, a reboot was definitely necessary, and while a '60s-set prequel doesn't exactly scream excitement, the end result looks far better than we could have hoped.

Cars 2 (June 24)
What's It About This Time?: While competing in the globe-spanning World Grand Prix, racer Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his pal Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) get mixed up in some international espionage, courtesy secret agent Finn McMissile (Michael Caine). There's also a new lady-car named Holley Shiftwell, indicating that the James Bond references will be in full effect.
Was It Necessary?: Of all the Pixar movies that should have gotten sequels, Cars... was clearly chosen for its merchandising opportunities. As much as Pixar fans would rather see a new Ratatouille or Up, it's not like kids were clamoring for more stuffed rats or old man action figures. But seriously, can we get another Incredibles?

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1)
What's It About This Time?: Michael Bay returns to blow up the Fourth of July by pitting Autobots against Decepticons in a race to the moon, where an ancient Cybertronian ship sits. Does this mean Shia LaBeouf wears a space suit in the movie? Please say yes, then shoot us.
Was It Necessary?: Why Bay was happy with only two Bad Boys movies, but felt the need to make Transformers a trilogy, we have no idea, but presumably he thought up some more scatological jokes he could make involving robots.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 15)
What's It About This Time?: Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their search-and-destroy mission for the horcruxes that contain Lord Voldemort's soul, unaware that Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) now has the unbeatable Elder Wand, one of the titular Hallows. Got all that?
Was It Necessary?: Obviously, they need to finish the story, but did it have to be a two-parter? Not based on the still-too-long, occasionally stagnant first half. Previous installments have felt rushed, but Part 1 occasionally felt like they were dragging their feet. Are they trying to make it longer than the book?

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (August 5)
What's It About This Time?: We journey to the dawn of the ape rebellion, and see how a scientist (James Franco) made the ape Caesar extra-super-smart, smart enough to free every ape on Earth and take over the world. It's almost as disastrous as the last Oscars ceremony.
Was It Necessary?: If it washes the taste of Tim Burton's spectacle out of our mouths, we'll watch people experiment on animals all day. James Franco may not be much of a step up from Mark Wahlberg, but the CGI apes are much less creepy than an orangutan Paul Giamatti.

Spy Kids 4 3D: All the Time in the World (August 19)
What's It About This Time?: A pair of ten-year-old twins are made into the new Spy Kids when their secret-agent stepmom (Jessica Alba) is called back into action against the evil Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven).
Was It Necessary?: The original movies got so ridiculous towards the end that it seemed like there was nowhere left to go -- but did they need to reboot it? The original Kids are, like, 27 now, and surely Robert Rodriguez has better things to do with his time. Joel McHale definitely does.