‘Spider-Man’ Now Shared Between Sony and Marvel Studios

It finally happened! Everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood super hero/menace will be showing up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, meaning that you’ll get to see Spidey fight along side Cap, Iron Man, and all the rest of the Marvel Studios heroes! He’ll show up in a Marvel Studios movie  first, then, in 2017, will be in a new solo movie (with a potentially new actor portraying him) in a co-produced collaboration with Kevin Feige and Sony, who still retains overall control of Spider-Man live action rights.  This is fantastic news for any Spider-Man/Marvel movies fan! Let’s hope that one day, Fox decides to be cool as well, so we can finally get some badass Dr. Doom action on the big screen!

Official Press Release

Marvel’s Kevin Feige to Produce Next Installment of the Spider-Man Franchise with Amy Pascal

(Culver City, California, and Burbank, California February 09, 2015) – Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.

Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.

The new relationship follows a decade of speculation among fans about whether Spider-Man – who has always been an integral and important part of the larger Marvel Universe in the comic books – could become part of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel’s world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company said: “Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters, beloved around the world. We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building.”

“We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans.”

“Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together. This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future,” added Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.

“I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel’s involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years.”

Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide.

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/movies/24062/sony_pictures_entertainment_brings_marvel_studios_into_the_amazing_world_of_spider-man#ixzz3RJaFMja

NUReviews @ New York Comic Con 2014

It’s our favorite time of the year…besides all of those other times that are just as cool. But New York Comic Con is still pretty cool! And we were there! Check it out!
Music Credits

Midimachine – Forever South
http://v-road.bandcamp.com/album/perpetual-motion

Abra Sounds – Parallel and Simultaneous
http://abrasounds.squarespace.com/listen-to-abra/

8-bitheroes – My 8bit destiny
http://8-bitheroes.newgrounds.com/follow

Schematist – Neon Arcade
https://www.youtube.com/user/CrimsonAzure7

Thoughts on “Tusk” (Spoiler-Free)

Thursday, September 18th 2014 was the release day of Tusk, the first of the “True North” trilogy of films based on particular episodes of “Smodcast”, hosted by the movie’s director, Kevin Smith, along with his producer buddy, Scott Moiser. There was also a special promotion going on: if you take a picture of your ticket stub and add a certain hashtag on twitter, your handle gets to be in the credits for the DVD and Blu-Ray release. I’m sure that hardcore Smith fans and those interested in having an excuse to have a listing on IMDB saw it opening night. It being a Thursday night, there were bound to be a decent crowd for the screenings on Friday, or at least I would like to assume that. I wasn’t able to see the movie until Saturday. Typically, I’m a movie goer that likes to go to the theater by themselves, not because I’m a loser (although I won’t deny that), but I do like to watch movies without much chatter. It turns out I got exactly what I asked for.

The only really downside of watching Tusk in an empty theater is that I really can’t gauge the reactions of others. That’s why this is movie is going to be difficult for me to recommend.

Tusk is based on a fake ‘for rent’ listing on an English classified website. The imaginary landowner offered free rent, but in exchange, the tenant must dress up as a walrus for two hours a day, to aid in recreating the friendship landowner had with a walrus. This hoax gained a lot of popularity due to just how bizarre the idea was, which eventually ended up as a point of discussion on Smodcast. After some back and forth with Moiser, they discussed how a horror movie based on the ad would go. But afterward, the idea of the movie was secured planted in Smith’s mind, to the point of asking his Twitter followers if they would actually like him to make this movie. Thanks to #WalrusYes, Smith got the answer he wanted to hear. Only a bit over a year later, Tusk is available for American audiences to see.

Wallace Bryton, played by Justin Long, a Smith veteran, is a podcaster who travels around the country to interview “weirdos”, then, in a deprecating fashion, recounts how it went to his co-host, played by Haley Joel Osment. Wallace eventually ends up in Canada, where he meets Howard Howe (Michael Parks), a wheelchair-bound man who had plenty of adventures to share. But before Wallace realizes something was off about Howe, he falls victim to an extraordinary produce that leaves him as close to being a walrus as possible.

I think that alone should be enough for you to determine whether or not you would like to see the film. But as a completely unqualified reviewer, it’s my duty to help you out with making the right choice (for yourself, at least.) First off, “Tusk” tries to present itself as a horror movie. There isn’t much violence or gore in the movie, but there may be a few parts that could creep you out. Overall, I feel that the comedic elements overshadow the horror aspects of Tusk. I’m usually not on for horror films, but Tusk was an easy sit-through. Michael Parks, who also starred in Smith’s previous film, Red State, brought his A-Game, delivering a performance that brought the traits of Howe, which can leave you admiring the character until he reveals his true left. There was also another character, played by an actor I’m sure you know of, that was rather eclectic and notable, but I rather not ruin the surprise for you, if you decide to watch the film. The rest of the performances were good enough to where I can’t have any grips against them. As for the characters though, aside from Wallace and Howe,  I really felt that they did not deserve as much screen time they got, which was a good fifty percent of the movie. Most of it is just comprised of pointless drama that failed to get me intrigued. I just wanted to see more of the walrus. Speaking of the walrus, the practical effects used was great enough to have you taken back at how much work went into creating the walrus. But if you’re like me, you’ll can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing is. I’m not just talking about the walrus, but the whole movie itself. You would be doing yourself a disfavor if you come into this film, expecting to be scared. But that where I think the movie fails. Smith said many times in interviews and his podcast, calling it a horror movie. But there was not enough material to praise Tusk as such. I believe the target audience Smith had in mind for Tusk was his loyal fans, along with himself. When I say loyal, I mean beyond just enjoying his movies. In order to really appreciate the film for what it is, you would have to be familiar with Smith’s work in podcasting. References to his shows, like Smodcast, Plus One, Hollywood Babble-on, and Edumacation, are littered throughout the film. There isn’t much witty dialogues you have come to expect of Smith films that can be found in Tusk. The absurdity is the movie’s only saving grace, and even that’s stretching it.

I give Tusk a 3 out of 6. Unless you are a Kevin Smith super fan boy, the only way I can imagine people enjoying this movie is by watching it with a group of friends and savor the screen time that the walrus gets. I get the feeling that Smith’s intention will be lost among mainstream audiences, probably expecting some spooks but instead laughing at how dumb the movie is and writing it off as terrible. If you are going to watch the film, do yourself a favor and listen to the Smodcast episode that inspired Tusk beforehand. You’ll get a better idea of what you’ll get out of the movie. There was a part of the podcast episode I figured wasn’t going to show up in the movie, but I was surprised to see it as a scene. It turned to be my favorite part of the movie, since the movie went full out stupid at that point. From time to time, it may be good to watch stupid movies, perhaps to loosen up a bit. I know I said this many times throughout this review, but please be aware of what kind of movie this is. If you still are unsure, just wait until it hits Netflix. That way, if you don’t like it, the only thing you’ll end up wasting was time and not money.

A Million Ways to Die in the West: Dick and Fart Jokes The Movie

A Million Ways to Die in the West is Seth McFarlane’s latest attempt at making the masses laugh with poop and dick jokes, except that he’s
actually starring in this one. The real question though, is did it actually work?

I will admit first and foremost that I’ve never been the biggest Seth McFarlane supporter as a lot of his joke just hit as slightly too immature
to me. I also never enjoyed Family Guy as much as everyone else seems to. That being said though, I enjoyed Ted and figured that I’d give this movie a shot.

The plot of the movie is pretty simple, Albert (Seth McFarlane) a coward from the west who hates every second of it is broken up with by his girlfriend Louise(Amanda Seyfried) after chickening out on a duel. Albert is determined to win her back and tries to get help from his friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) and his prostitute girlfriend who won’t sleep with Edward until marriage because they’re christian Ruth (Sarah Silverman). Meanwhile, rough tough bandit Clinch (Liam Neeson) plans on robbing a town, but doesn’t want his girlfriend Anna (Charlize Theron) harmed, so he sends her to stay in the town of Old Stump in the meantime. Albert eventually finds out that Louise has a new boyfriend, the owner of the moustachery, the suave and handsome Foy (Neil Patrick Harris). In the middle of a particularly brutal bar fight, Albert saves Anna and they get to know each other. They decide to attend the fair together so Anna can make Louise jealous. After quite a bit of mocking, Albert challenges Foy to a duel, but not knowing how to shoot, requires Anna to provide some teaching. The next chunk is very predictable, montage of getting better at shooting while they “subtly” fall in love. One of clinch’s henchman see’s Anna kissing Albert the night before the duel and tells Clinch who is know back from his job. He goes over to Anna’s hotel and kidnaps her. And of course, the movie wraps up with Albert having to rescue his new love from the big bad Clinch and prove he’s not a coward.

You get a feel for how the movie will go by the opening credits as the names pop up, you get some music and some dramatic stills of the west. Of course, by the third name, you’re bored and just want the movie to get started. This kind of sets the pace for the movie, as it just constantly drags its feet with the pacing. Occasionally, it’ll hit
it’s stride and carry you through a good 20 mins before coming to a screeching halt to have Seth McFarlane’s character tell a joke that falls flat that brings the whole
thing sliding to a stop on it’s face.

Pacing aside though, the movie has quite a few jokes that had me laughing. While this movie definitely doesn’t take itself seriously, (Seth McFarlane seems to know just a
little too much about the science and how things work, and many references are made to things that weren’t around at the time of the west, but it’s a comedy so I’ll allow it.), It seems to take itself “too” un-seriously at times. The amount of dick and fart and poop jokes can’t be counted your hands and feet. Some of them are pretty funny, but some just have you starring at the screen and pointing, asking why that was necessary (I’m looking at you sheep scene, you know which one).

The best part of this movie is the supporting cast. Neil Patrick Harris is on point and even though his lines aren’t that particularly amazing, he adds charma and wit to them and you can’t help but laugh. Liam Neeson allows them to do something to him for the sake of a joke that I will never look at him the same way again. The true gem of this movie is all the little references it makes including a Doc Brown visit as well as cameos by Ryan Renolds, Gilbert Godfried, Ewan McGregor that last all of 10 seconds each but are great for that always fun game of “hey that was X”.

Overall, the movie was decent, it was funny and had lots of little funny moments that keep me thinking back and chuckling. While the plot was standard predictable, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. The pacing overall though was incredibly poor, and if not for some of the actors, this would have continued to skid on it’s face. Overall though, I would recommend this as a redbox movie to watch in a large group, probably some alcohol involved.

Million Ways to Die in the West 3:6 (Average, nothing really special)

Good cast does not equal good movie

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer

Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga

From Wikipedia:
Guardians of the Galaxy is an upcoming American science fiction superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be the tenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is written and directed by James Gunn, with a story by Gunn and Nicole Perlman, and features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill forms an uneasy alliance with a group of misfits who are on the run after stealing a coveted orb.

Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” will be released to theaters August 1, 2014

Paul Bettany to Portray The Vision in Avengers 2

Kudos for you who saw this coming (and my condolences to those still hoping that it would be Agent Coulson). Today, it has been announced that Paul Bettany will be playing The Vision in the upcoming Avengers movie: Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron. For those unfamiliar with Bettany, you may have seen him in films such as The DaVinci Code, A Beautiful Mind, and A Knight’s Tale. But he isn’t new to the realm of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, since he’s also the voice of Tony Stark’s armor AI, JARVIS.

I feel this is a logical approach for introducing The Vision for the Marvel movies, since JARVIS has been part of the MCU since Iron Man 1. Also, Bettany has the chops to pull off the wall-phasing android. If you agree or disagree, let us know in the comments.

Source:
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/paul-bettany-to-play-the-vision-in-marvels-avengers-age-of-ultron-1201090635/

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST – Official Trailer (2014)

The first trailer for the next X-men movie “Days of Future Past” is now out. Kick back and see how many mutants you recognize, because there are going to be a lot. Also, is it just me, or is the song playing something that should have been playing during “Inception”?

From YouTube:
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from “X-Men: First Class,” in an epic battle that must change the past — to save our future.