Captain America: The Winter Soldier UK Trailer: Springing Into Next Spring All Over The Place…

Hey, Robert Redford is in this movie. Wait, what? Well… I guess that’s going to be interesting to some people who might not otherwise care, but I guess he needed some company and explosions as stuff after spending all that time alone on a busted boat on the open sea. Well, he’s got plenty of friends in this superhero flick (although it doesn’t look as he’s going to be sporting a fancy cape and boots or driving a sports car off the roof of a high rise here) set to hit theaters in North America on April 4, 2014. I see that this comes out in the UK a week earlier, but I’ll have to look up if this is coming out in Chinese-speaking territories at all and what the date would be. The number 4 isn’t actually a good number there, so I’d imagine both that date and title would get a big change to something more audience friendly. I suggest “U.S. Man, You Owe US A Lot of Debt, Too: Stop Making Such Expensive Movies!” or something shorter, but Marvel won’t like that at all. Not one bit.

And yeah, I can smell the laser-eyed death threats from the crankier and more humorless fans who take these movies far too seriously already. Well, those who didn’t follow that Comic-Con advice about showering before the show each day… Bleargh. Well, I got my soap cannons ready, so come and get it… Just remember to bring your own washcloth and towel.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Poster (Or, It’s Not Winter In April, You Know!)

captain_america_the_winter_soldier_ver2_xlg

Ah ha ha, but that’s what I immediately thought when I saw that 4.4.14 release date. Ah, Hollywood… trying so hard to be clever when I’m all that much funnier than you are. Oh, you’ll learn one day, I suppose. Well, I guess releasing this in the winter might be a bad idea, as one can’t go to the cinema with eight feet of snow on the ground. On the other hand, even if they did release it and there was no snow on the ground, I currently have NO movie theater around here to go to (bough-hough!) until that nasty asbestos issue is taken care of. Hmmmm. maybe I can find someone to sue for that problem, although I haven’t been to that particular theater in ages and I’m not one for randomly suing people or getting caught up in a class action suit. Besides, I’d probably win popcorn and soda for life (which, given that’s in either these days means that “life” would be cut short by salt, fat, artificial flavors and colors galore. Yum!)…

Thor: The Dark World Clip: Loki Pulls Joker Mode Off Fairly Well…

Alright, for some reason I got a Dark Knight vibe from this clip, but that doesn’t mean this Thor sequel will rise to those heights at all. Granted, I’m also not too thrilled that all we seem to be getting out of Hollywood are more sequels, comic book movies, the same romantic comedies and dramas with different casts and overblown “based on/inspired by a true story” films that in most cases pale in comparison to classics and some foreign films. On one hand, I can just say “oh well, that’s showbiz!” as I stay home and wait for the home video and/or cable TV premiere dates to roll in (which are all sooner than later these days). On the other hand, given that people aren’t going to the movies as much in some spots, Hollywood seems to feel that the best way to get people lining up is to overheat that Xerox machine. Oh well, we almost all love beautiful-looking things (or so the suits who run things hope)…

New(ish) Thor: The Dark World Posters Are Not Keeping Things Loki…

Thor_TDW_castOh my, it’s the flying pun (heh). OK, OK… I’ve been lax in posting stuff about Thor: The Dark World. Sue me later, but at least suffer like a man (or woman, although they’ve suffered enough because of us men) through this post about these posters. The one up top was released earlier this month and is pulling off a nice Star Wars variant pretty well (although it’s a wee bit too crowded for my tastes), while these latter two dropped today and are nice looks at Thor and Loki good for covering up a closet door or something similarly sized.  Hmmm… nice, but I know some of you want to see the ladies get their own posters. In other words, it’s your move, Marvel…

Thor_TDWa Thor_TDW2

Thor: The Dark World Trailer: Ragnarok and Roll All Night…

Although I’ve been ignoring it (and a bunch of other blockbusters this year, thanks to the window from theatrical to home video release getting shorter and shorter to the point of insanity) this sequel actually looks pretty decent (OK, it looks really decent). The again, the first film wasn’t bad at all and made for a nicer change of pace in how it handled the characters and blended humor into the mix so well. Kenneth Branagh isn’t on as director this time, but you can’t go wrong with Andy Taylor’s expertise at lensing a few episodes of Game of Thrones. That alone should propel this film into box office heaven… er Valhalla? Asgard? Whatever? Anyone? Bueller?… Bueller?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Teaser Poster: That Shield Needs a Few Coats, I Think…

CAP_teaser

“Uh-oh… better get Maaco!” Well, at least it’s rustproof, right? I actually hope that if there’s a soundtrack CD, that’s the image that goes on the disc so it looks as if it’s Cap’s shield spinning REALLY fast. Anyway, the first film was pretty fun, so I’m hoping this sequel keeps the stuff that worked and adds more without being too overblown for the sake of being a pre-summer 2014 blockbuster. I think that Marvel is on a very nice roll these days (mostly), so every good film they get out makes forgetting about the past mistakes easier. That said, some of the not so hot flicks has a few interesting elements, but I’m not sure the world is ready for revisiting those characters just yet…

E3 2013: Deadpool Trailer: Um… Well… I Suppose… Oh, Nevermind…

OK, OK, fan favorite or not and guaranteed big, BIG deal to those who know despite the “M’ rating, the kids who want this WILL be playing it, I still don’t get this fascination with Deadpool. I guess he’s so unconventionally non-PC a comic book antihero (basically he’s the insane adult cartoon version of Beavis and Butthead and Bart Simpson with access to all sorts of weaponry) that his antics are immediately appealing to that crowd, but maybe I’m getting old or something. Anyway, if the game is good, I’ll give it a try. I’m not expecting much at all, but that’s actually the best way to go into ANY game, I say. It’s best to end up always surprised by something as it helps keep the jade eye somewhat more closed.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Trailer 1: Your Tuesday Fix Is On The Way…

Hmmm… I’d say this looks upcoming ABC series that’s drawing a ton of attention from Marvel maniacs looks a bit like a mash-up of Heroes meets the X-Files with a smidgen of a police or detective procedural show, but set in the Marvel Universe. That all of course means it has the potential to go a few ways under the right hands. Under the wrong hands it’s an expensive and painful to watch train wreck, but I think we’re over that stage when it comes to Marvel’s licensed properties. Then again, if Nicholas Cage needs some work, I can see him making a cameo as Ghost Rider just to scare fans into making sure they don’t skip the cameo he gets lest they drive the ratings down and get their show canned. Hell, I bet Marvel can use the show to foist all sorts of last-rate characters back into the Marvel Universe just to test the patience of the loyal Marvelites who won’t stop watching even if they see a glimpse of Howard the Duck’s shadow on a wall in a future show’s trailer or TV spot. OK, OK, I don’t think the show will go THAT low, but you never know what the “House of Ideas” has on that back burner…

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Promo: Seems Highly Interesting, Everything Looks Dynamic…

Forget the first ten seconds of tease above, as I’m betting we don’t see any of the first-stringers from the Marvel movies on the show at all during Season One. This frees them up for the money-grabbing they’ll do in feature films and also helps lessen any potential continuity errors in future films. That said, a cameo or two would be cool from a certain group of Four Fantastic folks who should be getting a re-reboot attempt at a film soon enough. of course, I could be all wrong and we’ll see a hero of the week popping in just to get the fans glued to the TV for every episode in droves, but I think Joss Whedon can get it done without all the super-powered assistance. As usual, We. Shall. See. I’m still flipping a coin and deciding whether or not to watch the show or wait for the INEVITABLE home video version that packs in more features and less stupid pop-up ads for other shows, live feedback crawls or whatever other junk ABC and Marvel pack onto the screen that distracts from the action and storytelling…

ABC & Marvel Say: “Don’t Yield, Back S.H.I.E.L.D.!” I Say “Hold On A Minute, Chief…”

Hmmm. I get the feeling that this would do much better as a pay cable series as opposed to being on ABC for a few reasons smarter comics fans can figure out, but let’s see if the disguise Disney/Marvel is putting up works. Sure, Arrow is doing fine on the CW, but I have a few issues with network and commercial cable TV in general (too many damn commercials, those stupid pop-ups that obscure the screen, censors and some parent groups being able to dictate content and so forth and so on, shows getting canned after less than a season once the ratings level off and the non-fans and curious are weeded out, et cetera) to get my hopes higher than a “Meh!” when all is said and done.

I’ll wait for the longer trailer to pop up on YouTube later tonight or tomorrow, as I’m sure as hell NOT going to pump the ratings up on a show they’re trying to get more people to watch (Once Upon A Time) just to see a longer clip. I have more interesting things to do at that time of the night (like finish some games I need to review). Of course, it’s GOT to be better than that action-packed but awesomely awful and hilarious Nick Fury flick with David Hasselhoff, right? RIGHT??

We shall see, I guess… And someone get Steranko on the horn! I think this is a HYDRA plan gone haywire…